The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System – Outer Regions)

(Unnamed Asteroid Field)

The captain of the leading vessel in the fleet wiped the sweat from his brow as he realised what his target had done.

The mech that they were chasing had been hit by two tracker missiles but clearly their clever plan had been figured out.

Dozens of fighter class spacecrafts surrounded a mechanical arm floating aimlessly through space.

Inside each spacecraft were vicious pirates who were wanted across the Earth Federation for crimes that included murder, rape and theft.

But there was something strange about them…

The atmosphere inside each spacecraft was completely silent and the pirates slowly moved like puppets dancing on strings.

Their eyes were completely bloodshot and thick veins beneath their skin wriggled and squirmed as if they were alive.

"Sir… we have lost her…" the captain respectfully whispered to the figure in the middle of the holographic screen.

On the other side of the video feed was an average looking man whose body was covered in disgusting pus-filled blisters that oozed a foul yellowish liquid.

His eyes were soulless, and he stared at the captain with an expression of both rage and incomprehension.

Kohli knew that he would be unable to command the loyalty of a group of criminals, so he settled for the next best thing.

Complete control.

The otherworldly entity that gave him the ability to transfer the cultivation of lifeforms to himself had also bestowed other dark gifts.

Only the captains of each vessel retained a thin thread of consciousness, but their minds had already been rewritten to obey their overlord.

Unfortunately, Kohli's ability did not come without a price and after a few days most of his men would be turned into fools.

But it was worth it.

Sophie Peterlor… the duke's daughter was his only goal from the start. 

He could always recruit desperate men to his side, but the hybrid girl was a one-of-a-kind opportunity.

Her divine power… it called out to him… it begged him to take it…

"What do you mean… you lost her?" Kohli asked calmly as a pillar behind him shattered into dust as traces of his killing intent leaked out.

The pirate captain trembled as the part of his mind not yet lost to Kohli's power screamed at him to end the call and flee.

"Sir… she removed the tracking chips by slicing off the arm of her mech… we have no way to find her anymore…" the captain hesitantly spoke.

There was a complete silence on the command deck. 

The puppets that Kohli had created all turned to face the captain at the same time.

Their bloodshot eyes gleamed with madness as they slowly approached the shivering man who cowered behind a chair.

"No… please… forgive me…" the captain pleaded desperately.

Kohli held up his right palm and his minions leapt at the captain in a feeding frenzy. 

Like a group of vicious piranhas, they tore the flesh and meat off the captain's body using only their teeth.

The captain was eaten alive and died in agonising pain. 

Kohli stared dispassionately at the scene of carnage and then exited the call.

.

.

.

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(Hidden Planet- Underground Temple)

A grand open hall had been constructed beneath a temple with a throne made from human bones placed in the center of the room.

The hall was dimly lit by a wall of torches that barely illuminated their surroundings.

Dozens of corpses were wrapped up in iron chains and scattered around the room. 

All the flesh from their bodies had been stripped away and yet blood still leaked from somewhere inside their bones.

Kohli stood in front of the throne in quiet contemplation as the heavy metallic scent of blood entered his nostrils.

He silently stared off into the distance as numerous plans and countermeasures flashed across his mind.

So far only one of the mech's had been captured. 

His men were still trying to breach the barrier surrounding the cockpit, but it was only a matter of time.

A particularly gifted hacker named Alexander Polis had even managed to infiltrate their communication network.

It should have been easy to hunt down the remaining two mechs and find the one that belonged to Duke Peterlor's daughter.

But now there were complications.

Kohli was unsure why five destroyer class starships had suddenly appeared in his territory and what their purpose was.

He did not want to have conflict with them, but they seemed to be looking for his hidden base. 

The problem was that he did not have sufficient manpower to deal with them and pursuit the two mechs at the same time.

Kohli let out a sigh of frustration as things were not proceeding according to plan. 

Should he leave the planet and personally make a move?

The current head of the Calypso brotherhood could not decide what was the best course of action to take.

Kohli was by no means a shrewd tactician and his previous plan to just throw starships at the mechs until their shielding systems went down was an incredibly destructive one.

Why wasn't anything going right? He was the protagonist!

He was the one who would kill Duke Peterlor! 

Why… why… WHY WAS THE DUKE'S DAUGHTER GOING TO GET AWAY?!

Kohli furiously itched and scratched at the boils on his chest, and they burst open with a sickening popping sound.

He continued to stab his fingernails into his flesh until his hands were covered in blood and pieces of his muscle tissue.

Kohli screamed like a mad dog and rushed towards the corpses laying helplessly on the ground. He used his hand to slowly crush them into pieces in a fit of rage.

[Do you need my help?]

A cold voice entered Kohli's mind that sounded inhuman and sinister. It was a voice that Kohli recognised since it belonged to his dark patron.

The stone tablet carefully placed next to the throne buzzed slowly with power as the scarlet letters carved onto its surface glowed with an eerie light.

The mysterious writings glowed with a hypnotic light that mesmerized the insane leader and caused him to walk over to the tablet.

He touched the tablet reverently and placed a soft kiss on the top of the stone. 

The dark whisper inside his mind chuckled playfully and Kohli felt a surge of power enter his body.

[My child… just this once… I will bend the rules…]

[But beware… I will no longer be able to offer assistance once the fates discover my involvement in this matter]

A dark red portal emerged from a pool of blood created from the corpses scattered across the floor.

Kohli stared at the portal and instinctively knew that it led to the source of divinity that was nearby.

A sadistic grin spread across Kohli's face, and he thanked his dark patron for this generous gift.

The whispers disappeared from his mind and unbeknownst to Kohli, the entity who created the portal suffered an enormous backlash.

But it was a risk that it was willing to take in order to make its vessel stronger.