Meanwhile, back at Headquarters—
Captain Cain slammed a hand onto the console hard enough to rattle the monitors.
“Dammit, Isha…” he hissed under his breath, eyes burning with frustration. “Why won’t you ever listen?”
He paced sharply, jaw clenched. He didn’t get to tell her the most crucial detail, the one thing Doctor Rose managed to say before being escorted into the transport copter.
That the abberant guarding the device was not a normal semi-human.
Her voice echoed in his mind:
“It stands on two feet… its arms are long… too long… and its face, its upper face, it’s… a flower. A tulip. Like it bloomed where its eyes should be.”
Cain shivered.
Not out of fear, but out of recognition.
He snapped toward one of the attending officers.
“You,” he ordered sharply. “Grab the file on Plant-Type Abberants, and bring it to me. Now.”
The attendant saluted and sprinted away.
Cain immediately opened a channel.
“Kael. Respond.”
On the other end, Kael picked up, his squad gathering around the extraction chopper.
“Yes, Captain?”
Cain struggled to keep calm.
“Kael, take your squad and move to the east building. Now. Isha dropped my call, she doesn’t know what she’s walking into.” His voice hardened. “I need you and Squad Prime to assist. Take Squad Action with you as well. If my hunch is right… the abberant guarding that device is the reason a nest formed in that area.”
There was silence, brief, heavy.
Then Kael answered:
“Understood, Captain.”
The call cut.
Kael turned toward his squad as Doctor Rose was secured inside the copter, medics surrounding her.
Anya stepped closer.
“What did Captain Cain say?”
Kael tightened his grip on his weapon.
“We’re going back,” he said plainly. “Squad Striker is about to meet their downfall.”
Kyle, mid-chew with a granola bar, froze.
“Downfall? What do you mean downfall?”
Kael looked at him, serious.
“I don’t know. But based on Cain’s tone… it’s something dangerous. More dangerous than anything here so far.”
He stepped back, assessing his team.
“Serafina, you stay here. Protect Doctor Rose until the other squads arrive.”
Serafina nodded, shield already raised.
“You can count on me.”
“Kyle. Takeshi. Natalia. Anya, with me,” Kael ordered. “We’re assisting Squad Striker and securing the device.”
He turned toward the looming east building, the distant echoes of battle rumbling within.
“Squad Action will follow us shortly,” he added.
Kael exhaled, spirit energy stirring faintly around him.
“Move out.”
Back at the headquarters—
The attendant returned at a near sprint, arms full of thick binders and data pads.
“Captain Cain, sir! Plant-type abberant files, as requested!”
Cain snatched the top folder immediately, flipping it open with the speed of someone racing against a clock.
His mind replayed Doctor Rose’s terrified voice on loop:
“Stands on two feet…”
“Its arms are long… too long…”
“The upper face… a flower. A tulip.”
He repeated the words under his breath as he scanned through pages.
“Two feet… elongated arms… floral facial structure… tulip bloom…”
His eyes darted rapidly from document to document, rejecting most, muttering frustrated:
“No… not this one… not a crawler… not a stalker variant… not that either…”
Then—
His finger froze.
A file dated three years ago, half-buried in dust and warning labels, caught his eye.
[FLORA ABERRATION — CLASSIFICATION: NESTER TYPE]
Status: Extremely Dangerous
He ripped the document open.
And what he saw confirmed every suspicion that had been clawing at the back of his mind.
A sketched silhouette of a humanoid organism, tall and thin.
Arms reaching almost to its feet, vine-like, flexible, deadly.
Upper face replaced entirely by a blooming tulip-shaped flower.
Cain’s face drained of color.
“…A Nester.”
The word slipped out like a curse.
He clenched the folder, knuckles whitening.
“Damn it.”
Nester-Type Abberants weren’t just dangerous, they were catastrophic.
They didn’t just kill.
They established entire nests, creating swarms, breeding grounds, and bio-organic hives underground.
And worst of all—
Nesters didn’t guard.
They commanded.
Cain stood straight, urgency spiking through him.
If Squad Striker was already in that basement—
They wouldn’t be facing one abberant.
They’d be facing an entire nest that obeyed it.
Cain slammed a hand on the console.
“Patch me into Kael or Barnabas NOW!”
He needed them to reach the basement fast.
Or Squad Striker…
wouldn’t make it out alive.
Meanwhile—
Kael, Takeshi, Kyle, Natalia, and Anya stepped into the shadowed entrance of the East Building.
They only made it a few steps before three figures emerged from the dim corridor ahead—Squad Action, already waiting.
At the front stood Barnabas Danichew, tall and sharp-eyed, clad in a yellow armor patterned with cheetah spots. His helmet resembled a sleek feline head, and in his hand gleamed a curved sickle-sword.
Beside him was Cerys Dean, draped in red armor with blue streaks and elegant elven motifs etched across the plates. She held a long staff embedded with a glowing crimson gem.
The last was Myles Dillard, bulky in white scale-plated armor resembling a pangolin. His weapon, a heavy bladed whip, hung coiled at his side like a resting serpent.
Barnabas stepped forward first, exhaling as if he had been bracing himself.
“Sorry about what Isha’s doing,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Her squad is… prideful. They think they can handle anything by themselves.”
Kael blinked once, then let out a small, awkward laugh.
“I get it,” he admitted. “I’ve had more than enough experience with… prideful creatures.”
Kawa’s face flashed into his mind, puffed chest, smug smirk, endless complaints, and Kael winced.
Barnabas snorted. “Right. Seems universal.”
He gestured toward the dark hallway. “Shall we enter?”
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Kael nodded firmly. “Let’s go.”
With that, Squad Prime and Squad Action moved together into the East Building.
The moment they crossed deeper inside, a heavy silence wrapped around them—unnatural, suffocating.
No footsteps.
No distant growls.
No scratching or chittering of lurking abberants.
Not even the whisper of air.
Just… nothing.
The hairs on Kael’s arms stood on end.
Takeshi tightened his grip on his sword.
Natalia’s steps grew lighter, near soundless.
Kyle pressed a hand to the ground, trying to sense nearby life.
Anya swept her rifle left and right, scanning corners.
Barnabas muttered under his breath, “This isn’t normal.”
Cerys whispered, “It’s as if the whole building is holding its breath.”
Myles’ tail plates clinked softly as he shifted, unease creeping into his posture.
Kael raised a hand, signaling silence.
“Stay alert,” he said quietly. “The basement entrance should be around here.”
The two squads moved cautiously through the corridor, checking each branching hallway.
Every door they opened revealed the same thing—
Empty rooms.
Abandoned equipment.
Shattered glass.
Signs of struggle… but never bodies.
As if something had already dragged everything living or dead into the depths.
After a while, both squads finally located the entrance to the basement. The air around the stairwell felt colder, still unnaturally silent, as if the building itself was holding its breath.
As Kael took the first step downward, a sharp ring crackled in his earpiece.
He tapped it. “Captain?”
Cain’s voice came through, distorted and breaking, yet urgent.
“Kael, I finally know what that abberant is. It… is… a Nes— ter—”
Static.
The call cut off.
Kael froze. “What? Captain?” He tapped the earpiece again, nothing. No signal.
He turned to Barnabas. “Try calling Cain. Something’s wrong.”
Barnabas pressed two fingers to his helm. A pause. Then he frowned.
“Same here. No connection. Dead signal.”
Both squads exchanged uneasy glances.
Kael’s grip tightened on his gauntlets. “That shouldn’t be possible underground, unless something is interfering.”
Barnabas nodded, jaw clenched. “Everyone, tighten formation. No unnecessary noise. Stay sharp. Something dangerous is ahead.”
The two squads continued their descent, each step echoing in the oppressive silence as the darkness swallowed them deeper.
Upon reaching the end of the basement, both squads stopped. A trail of thick, pulsating roots crawled across the ground, all leading toward a massive tree growing unnaturally in the center of the chamber.
Cerys stepped forward.
“Enlightened.”
Her staff glowed, releasing orbs of soft blue-white light that floated outward, illuminating the entire basement.
And then they saw—
Everyone froze.
Beneath the tree was a device: a circular top, box-like body, covered in vines and sap. But that wasn’t what stole their breath.
Embedded in the trunk…
Were bodies.
People. Innocent civilians. Twisted into the wood, half-consumed by bark and roots. Their faces frozen in silent agony.
A horrified whisper escaped Natalia. “No…”
But then Kael and Barnabas both felt their hearts drop.
There were five familiar figures trapped within the tree.
“Squad Striker,” Kael breathed.
They were still alive, barely, weak, pale, suffocating within the roots.
“GET THEM OUT!” Barnabas shouted.
Both squads rushed in, hacking, tearing, and pulling the roots apart. One by one, they freed the members of Squad Striker.
Cerys immediately lifted her staff, chanting softly.
“Healing Chant.”
Warm light bathed the injured cadets as they gasped weakly for air.
Barnabas’ jaw tightened. “I do not like this… Something cruel did this to them.”
Kael nodded grimly. “I agree. We take the device and leave, immediately. This place is—”
A thunderous ROAR erupted behind them.
All heads snapped toward the basement entrance.
Something massive blocked the exit.
An abberant, towering, humanoid, its arms dragging along the dirt.
The upper half of its face unfolded like a tulip in full bloom, petals dripping with sap and spores.
As Kael locked eyes with it, a familiar chime echoed in his mind.
[SYSTEM ALERT — NEW THREAT IDENTIFIED]
?? FLORA ABBERANT DETECTED ??
CLASSIFICATION: NESTER TYPE
?? STATUS: EXTREMELY DANGEROUS ??
THREAT DESCRIPTION:
A Flora Abberant of the Nester Type has entered proximity range.
Detected traits: root expansion, airborne spore release, insect control, camouflage adaptation.
Kael’s breath sharpened.
So this is what Cain meant… a Nester Type.
He scanned the surroundings.
The walls weren’t just cracked, they were covered in roots, bones woven into the wood-like structures, forming a grotesque nest.
The Flora Abberant roared again, its petals peeling back like a carnivorous bloom.
Both squads tightened formation, weapons raised.
Kael opened his palms.
Blue claws made of light extended from his hands with a sharp, hum.
“Everyone,” Kael said, eyes locked on the monster,
“prepare for battle.”
The Flora Abberant moved first.
With a shriek, its long, whip-like arms snapped forward, trying to seize the nearest cadet. The squads scattered just in time; the grotesque limbs slammed into the floor where Kael’s head had been moments earlier.
“NOW!” Barnabas roared.
In one explosive motion, he activated—
Savannah Rush.
Barnabas blurred across the floor, faster than a sprinting cheetah, his curved sickle-sword glowing yellow. He slashed upward—
SHRRKKK!
The Abberant’s left arm flew into shredded pieces, spilling dark sap across the ground.
Anya followed instantly.
“Frost Shots!”
She fired three rounds, each striking the Abberant’s remaining arm.
CRACK, WHOOOM!
Ice bloomed across its limb, freezing it solid.
Before the monster could react, Myles curled his armored body and growled:
“Cannon Ball!”
He shot forward, a massive rolling pangolin, an unstoppable cannonball.
He smashed into the frozen arm—
SHATTERING it into icy fragments.
The Abberant let out a distorted groan, staring down at its severed limbs.
Then—
SSSKKKRRRRTCH!
New arms sprouted, writhing with vines and bone-like thorns.
It lifted its head and ROARED, a deafening, guttural sound that shook the floor.
Instantly, the walls reacted.
Roots burst outward—
Hundreds of them—
All lashing toward the squads like a tidal wave of spears.
Kael moved first.
Flash Strike. Flash Strike. Flash Strike.
He dashed through the roots, claws of blue light cutting them apart in rapid succession. His movements left streaks of azure across the dark room.
“Takeshi, NOW!” Kael shouted.
Takeshi drew his katana with a lightning snap.
Thunder Clap.
Lightning surged down the blade and blasted straight into the Abberant’s trunk-like torso—
KRAKOOOM!
The creature staggered.
Kyle followed up, swinging his kusarigama overhead before hurling the chain.
“Thorn Chains!”
The links erupted with massive dagger-sized thorns, coiling around the Abberant’s torso like a metal serpent. Kyle pulled—
RRRIP!
Chunks of flesh and vine tore free.
Natalia rushed forward next, her eyes glowing venom-green.
“Partial Transformation: Viper!”
Her arm morphed into a striking serpent. It lunged—
CHOMP!
Sinking its fangs into the Abberant’s floral head.
Black decay spread instantly from the bite mark, rotting tissue and petals.
The Abberant shrieked, staggering back. But then—
REGROWTH.
Its body pulsed, and the rotted flesh rapidly regenerated. The chamber trembled as more roots exploded from the ground.
“ROOTS, INCOMING!” Barnabas yelled.
A giant root spear shot upward toward the squads—
Kael responded instantly.
His eyes glowed blue.
“Light Javelin!”
Five javelins of blue light materialized around his arm and fired at once—
FWOOOM!
They pierced the incoming roots, stopping most of them—
But one root bypassed the barrage, racing straight for Cerys, who was still healing the wounded Squad Striker members.
“CERYS—!”
But before Kael could move—
“Gust Wall!”
Anya’s ability erupted.
A wall of slicing wind slammed into the root—
THOOM, CRACK!
The root snapped apart just inches from impaling Cerys.
She gasped but kept healing.
The abberant roared again, louder than before, petals peeling wide, revealing rows of thorny teeth.
The Abberant lunged, its roots striking like a storm of spears. Kael reacted instantly—his light armor shattered off his body in a burst of blue shards.
He reached to his chest, removed Kylon’s spirit card, slipped it back to his belt pocket… and pulled out Kawa’s.
He exhaled once.
“Spirit Drive.”
A pillar of crimson fire erupted around him. When the flames cleared, Kael stood in full burning armor—fiery highlights blazing like embers, feathers along the plating forming a fiery feathered dragon.
His sword ignited.
He swung once—
SHHHK!
The blade unraveled into a flaming bladed whip.
“Burning Blade.”
Crimson flames engulfed the whip’s edges. Kael cracked it forward—
FWOOOSH, SLASH!
The fiery segments tore and burned straight through the Abberant’s right arm, reducing it to smoldering ash.
The Abberant shrieked, stumbling back—
Only to regenerate, petals twisting and turning as two new arms grew.
Its posture hunched—
Its breathing became guttural—
It grew more feral.
Anya fired several shots, but the bullets bounced off harmlessly.
“Tch—fine.”
She hit the switch on the side of her rifle.
CLICK—CHK-KSHH.
The weapon elongated into a sniper rifle. Air condensed into a single spiraling point at the muzzle.
“Piercing Shot.”
A compressed-air bullet fired—
BOOOOM!
It tore straight through the Abberant’s torso, blowing open the trunk-like body.
Inside—
Takeshi’s eyes widened.
“KAEL! BARNABAS! I see something!”
He pointed.
Within the cracked torso lay the Abberant’s core, suspended by a pulsing green, heart-like structure, beating violently like a living organ.
Kael’s eyes sharpened.
“Anya, ready another Piercing Shot.”
She nodded, pulling the bolt back and reloading another airborne round.
Kael turned to Barnabas.
“When its torso opens again, we go for the core.”
Barnabas cracked his neck, gripping his curved sickle-sword.
“Understood.”
Kael looked to the others.
“Kyle, Takeshi, Natalia, Myles, keep it busy. Don’t let it focus on us.”
The four nodded instantly.
Kyle swung the chains of his kusarigama, the metal whirling in a deadly spiral as the thorned links lashed across the Abberant’s torso.
Takeshi moved next—
a blur of lightning.
ZRAK—!
His blade flashed, each strike landing with electric precision.
Natalia followed, eyes turning serpentine.
“Partial Transformation: Black Mamba.”
Her head shifted into a black mamba’s, fangs glistening with venom. She dashed in, sabers slicing in clean arcs while her serpent jaws struck repeatedly, injecting poison straight into the Abberant’s regenerating flesh.
Then—
THUD-THUD-THUD.
Myles activated his ability.
“Wrecking Bowl.”
Spikes erupted along his armor as he curled into a living, rolling mace. He shot forward like a spiked meteor, crashing into the Abberant with a seismic impact.
The creature staggered.
Distracted.
That was the opening Kael needed.
Kael cancels his spirit drive, he grabbed Kawa’s spirit card and pulled it from his chest, sliding it back into his belt pocket. Then he drew out Zatz’s spirit card, its surface glowing with caged electricity.
Kael whispered:
“Spirit Drive.”
The world erupted.
A burst of golden electricity exploded outward, crackling like a living storm. Sparks swirled around him in a spiraling cyclone, the air vibrating with spirit power. The ground trembled beneath his feet as arcs of lightning tightened around his form.
When the storm settled—
Kael stood clad in his Lightning armor. Golden plating with sleek silver highlights. Layered motifs resembling Zatz’s lightning sprites etched across his shoulders and gauntlets.
And in his hand—
A shuriken, fist-sized, simple… until he spun it.
WHRRRRRR—
Electric spirit energy burst outward like a detonating star. The shuriken multiplied its power, expanding—growing—stretching outward in a widening ring of pure lightning.
Kael kept spinning.
Faster.
Faster.
Until the weapon formed into a gigantic, full-body-sized chakram of crackling golden light, humming with enough spirit energy to slice through steel.
Behind him, Anya’s voice cut through the storm.
“Kael, it’s ready!”
Kael nodded once.
He turned to Barnabas.
“Ready?”
Barnabas grinned, gripping his curved blade.
“Always.”
Kael shouted to the four still clashing with the Abberant:
“MOVE! Get out of there, NOW!”
Kyle, Takeshi, Natalia, and Myles instantly disengaged, leaping back just as the Abberant roared in confusion.
“ANYA, NOW!”
Anya fired.
BOOOOM—!
The compressed air bullet slammed into the Abberant’s torso, blowing the remaining trunk-like structure open. Bark, flesh, and petals burst outward—
revealing the core and the pulsing green heart-like organ inside.
Kael’s eyes sharpened.
“Grand Shock!”
Kael hurled his massive spinning chakram—
A streak of golden lightning—
A disk of death—
Cutting the air with a thunderous shriek.
Barnabas charged beside it.
“Savannah Rush!!”
He moved like a blur across sun-baked grasslands, his sickle-sword crackling with raw killing intent.
SLASH—THRUM—KRAKBOOM!
Kael’s electrified chakram struck the heart-like organ, combusting it in a burst of golden lightning—
—while Barnabas’ blade pierced directly through the core.
It let out a roar.
Then the Abberant convulsed.
Light erupted from its chest.
The entire basement trembled.
And the Nester-Type Flora Abberant—
the monster that devoured dozens—
the one that almost killed Squad Striker—
began to wither.
