To say I was transfixed would be an understatement; my mind had become completely focused on the scene before me. More specifically, however, my eyes were locked onto the glowing orange blood staining the creature's beaks, as well as what exactly the five-headed bird thing was eating.
Quickly checking the store catalogue, it wasn't long before I found them. It took a bit, mind you, mostly because I hadn't expected them to be under the "pet food" section. To be honest, I was rather stunned by that little piece of information. After all, if these things were what I thought they were, then this was extremely wasteful to say the least.
Anyway, from what I found, there were three different types being sold, three variants of a rather fascinating species of alien life. Each one was only slightly different in appearance, although the differences were notable enough that you could tell them apart at first glance.
They were worm-like creatures with sandy, orangish bodies and different head shapes depending on the variant. They weren't listed with a name, but I knew what they were. Anyone who has looked into the history of the various alien races from a certain game series would know them. This was mostly because of two main things: their somewhat unique appearance and their notable bright, luminescent orange blood.
(Lekgolo...)
Yep, the wormy boys from Halo, the same creatures that the Covenant used to create Hunters, Scarabs, and a variety of other things. I didn't actually know what type of Lekgolo they were. Unfortunately, while I did look into their lore in my old life, my memory wasn't exactly perfect.
Anyway, these little guys were not only dangerous but also insanely useful. Just the idea of making something like a Scarab in real life made me giddy with anticipation. The fact that the breeders here were apparently just using them as bird food made me want to slap all of them in the face and tell them what a massive fucking waste that was! But... but I stopped myself.
Two conclusions immediately popped into my head: either the nutjobs in question was so powerful that the Lekgolo were literally worthless to them, or he had no idea what they actually were. Either way, they were selling them in large amounts for nearly dirt cheap, although there was one thing I needed to clear up beforehand.
"Excuse me, do you have a moment to answer a question or two?" I said as I walked over to our guide, who was currently talking to ED72.
The breeder seemed to answer in the affirmative, although I couldn't be sure. "Can you translate for me?" I asked ED72 awkwardly.
"It would be my pleasure," he said with a nod.
"These worms, have they been mutated or genetically altered in any way?" I asked while bringing up the information panel for them.
With ED72's help, I soon got my answer. "Yes, most of them have been genetically altered."
"Can I buy them in an unaltered state?" I asked with a tilt of my head. Honestly, I really didn't want to deal with any problems that might come with them being genetically altered.
"You can, in fact," ED72 translated their response for me. "They're asking if you'd like to see the system page for the unaltered versions."
"Thank you, I'd appreciate that greatly," I said with a small bow.
(Yep, seems I was right. They either have no idea what they truly are or simply don't care.)
Some time later, I had added just over a two thousand of each of the three types to my little shopping list. Despite the large amount i was buying, they only cost me a few thousand fragments. The creatures would apparently be automatically transferred to my Sanctuary's storage the moment I made my purchase.
(I never expected to get these guys, but I'm definitely not complaining.) I thought with satisfaction.
"Well, you look pleased," Iris hummed as she walked up next to me.
"I suppose I am. In fact, I got a rather unexpected gain from this little trip," I replied.
"Good to know."
"Is there anything here you're interested in?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Nah, honestly this whole place just weirds me out..." she said, the crystal surrounding her body dimming slightly.
"Yeah... yeah, I get that," I muttered, glancing around at all those contained here like animals in a zoo. "But there's nothing we can really do about it."
"True..." she sighed as she turned and walked back to the others.
(Welp, back to looking around, I guess.)
It didn't take long afterwards for things to start wrapping up. In that time, however, I wasn't the only one buying creatures. Brain, of course, ended up buying his new apparent Abomination friend, but surprisingly Sapphire had bought some things as well. Despite being hesitant at first, she had actually brought a variety of deep-sea-like creatures she took a fancy to. As for Iris, Lucius, and Gringus, well, the three didn't seem all that interested in purchasing anything. They were each even starting to look somewhat uncomfortable, which I couldn't blame them for, as I was having similar misgivings.
Despite this, however, I still ended up making the choice to purchase two more final things. One was something that I had noticed while scrolling through the store page. I had seen them and, despite knowing they probably wouldn't have much practical value in the future, I couldn't pass them up. As for the other, well, it was something I had bought not only because of its potential but also out of pity, so to speak...
"So, are we done here?" Decker grumbled. He was obviously bored of just standing around waiting.
"Yeah, I've got everything I wanted," I chuckled before muttering a little frustrated, "At least everything I wanted that I could afford, that is."
(I thought I had saved up quite a bit of Fragments, but after this trip I realized I was being far too naive.) I thought with as much of a resigned expression as a xenomorph could have.
"Brain brain, brain brain brian." ( • ̀ω•́ )
"Finally, now let's get the hell out of here," my mentor said as we began heading toward the exit.
"You really hate this place, don't you?" Yennora asked with understanding.
"Yes… yes I do," he groaned in annoyance. However, it was then that something odd happened.
"Anna?" Malice abruptly spoke, causing everyone to pause. We glanced over to see the large feline in question standing completely still, her ears twitching as she tilted her head somewhat to the side.
Basil walked over and spoke with his usual grin. "It's rude to ignore someone, my frien-"
"Be quiet for a second," Anna suddenly cut him off, her ears perking up with alarm all of a sudden. "Do you hear that? Something's happening outside."
"Aren't we pretty deep inside a building the size of a mountain? How the heck can you hear what's happening outside?" Lucius asked, but no one answered him.
(Normally, I'd be questioning that too, but after seeing even a tiny fraction of what Malice can do, I've decided questioning such things is pointless.) I thought to myself as we all began heading toward the exit faster now.
It took a bit, but as we finally approached the lobby area, we began to hear it as well. "What the fuck is that?" I said, and Iris echoed my confusion.
"What is everyone out there shouting about?"
It wasn't long before we saw what was going on. The moment we left the building, it was clear something was very wrong. Thousands of Alternatives were moving, some through the air, others through the streets, but all of them were seemingly moving with a similar purpose.
Despite the chaos, what truly stood out was the fact that a large number of those standing around were all looking upward in the same direction. Puzzled, I followed their gazes. It was then that I saw what they were staring at. Hovering hundreds of meters in the air were floating crystals, two of which pulsed rhythmically with multicolored light as they shifted and changed shape rapidly.
As for the third... well, that's where the problem seemed to lie. Its form was far more rigid, and what looked like a black oozing stain was slowly growing in its center. What truly alarmed everyone, however, was the fact that its surface was beginning to crack and break apart.
(What are those? They weren't there before, were they?) I thought in confusion.
"Is it just me, or do those things look important?" Lucius asked nervously.
"That's because they are. They are the physical representation of the locks," Yennora answered.
"Locks, you say? Like the ones you described as being the only things stopping hostile forces from entering and attacking the various outposts?" Gringus asked.
"Correct," ED72 said without looking away from the crystal high above.
"T-then why is one of them... errm... turning black and cracking apart?" Sapphire asked next, sounding rather nervous, not that I could fault her for that.
"Brain, brain brain!" ( °△°)!!!
For a moment, no one answered until Decker hissed something under his breath. "An Eclipse..."
"So it's started again," Malice said solemnly.
"Isn't it a little too soon for another one? Didn't the last one only end around two or three thousand years ago?" Anna asked, alarmed.
"Yes, and it was a hell of a time as well," Basil nodded with a huff, trailing his hand across several scars along his scaly arms. "It always is..."
"What? What exactly are you talking about?" I asked, growing somewhat impatient.
"I'm guessing it's not a literal eclipse, right?" Lucius asked, but the mentors didn't answer us.
Instead, Decker stepped forward and hissed, "Come on, we're leaving..."
"Just like that? You're not even going to give us an explanation?" Iris spoke after a second.
"I agree with her. What, pray tell, is this Eclipse you spea-?" Gringus began, but Decker cut him off.
"We are leaving. Now. Do you understand?" He said more sternly than I had ever heard him speak. And this time, no one argued with him.
(What the hell is going on?)