Chapter 288 Clone Resurgence 3

Jay was at about the mid-point in the room.

Slowly, and almost tenderly, he fed bones to Sweeper, whose lower body parts were growing back.

Behind the small party of seven, seven including the helminth, were three Ova - two of which were level five. These three were the only barrier between them and the coming enemy.

The knights were coming; sounds of their thick, clanging armor and heavy marching growing louder.

Time is running out, and Jay has to move.

Yet in this decisive moment, he stopped the skeletons, halting their advance.

(Red, give me your armor.) he ordered.

Despite the obvious tactical disadvantage of having no armor, Red didn't question its master, and unequipped the squire armor, giving it all to Jay.

"Good." He said, stashing it in his inventory.

(Blue. Go ahead by yourself. Lamp, follow at a distance,) he ordered.

Slowly, Blue moved through the room, yet it lowered its head, gazing at the floor below, ready for whatever may spring up.

It walked across the roots, each step delicate and light as it expected the roots to open up and spit out another Ova to fight them.

However, nothing happened. Blue reached the end of the room without incident. It turned back and gazed at Jay, wonder glowing through its ghostly green eyes.

Another few moments, and Lamp was at its side, gazing back at Jay.

"So, it was a matter of weight. Basically, this entire floor is like a natural pressure-plate. If I'm light enough, I should be able to walk through without incident." He nodded with a grin.

It caused Jay to feel a little more relaxed, having figured out how to pass by the Ova without waking them up from their root coffins.

(Red, now you go.) Jay ordered while still feeding Sweeper.

Sweeper had reformed its body down to the knees and would soon be whole again. However, the knights had finally reached the observation chamber; their clunking boots ringing through the chamber.

"Fuck." Jay thought and stared towards the back of the room.

In seconds, five of the intelligent knights were rushing down the stairs, with many more to follow.

The sounds of the knights grew louder, too. Many were following. The entire army was coming.

However, for a moment, the intelligent knights hesitated on the stairs - just before stepping foot onto the roots - that was, until they spotted Jay and the skeletons.

Jay could not see into their helmets, but he could feel their burning gazes piercing through him; he felt their vengeful wrath. And it was to be expected.

The knight stared fiercely at Jay as its thoughts spiralled into bitter hate.

-

Within the last twenty-four hours, this bothersome being had cut off their nutrient gathering operations on the surface, severing the link to the flesh-pits. We sent many knights into the forest to investigate, but found nothing but our dead kin; wasting our time. One village had gained full armor due to him leaving the corpses behind.

This accursed being had destroyed the gate to our castle, blocking us from fixing the pits, and blocking any knights from returning to deal with these invaders, forcing more knights up from the depths.

Somehow, this tiresome being has destroyed our patrol routes, and it cut many lesser knights off from their duties, making them useless; the intelligent knights had to fix everything while it already stretched us thin.

This spiteful being's minions killed so many of us, and just when they we were about to storm and take back control of the gatehouse, they fucking ran? These creatures have no honor.

Almost chaotically, this hateful being and its minions sprinted through the upper levels of the castle, pulling many knights out of position and causing confusion in the ranks - and with broken patrol routes, the lesser knights became lost in our own home.

Search parties are still being led by intelligent knights to find these skeletons in the upper castle, though, oddly, we had not seen them for a while.

And the most evil and brutal act of this being was when it severed the roots from the Elder nest to the world.

Already, the birthing nest is dying. No new knights are being produced. Without the vital rejuvenation fluids, we will all soon perish; without it, it will force us to eat our hosts until there is nothing left.

This despicable being and its moving bone creatures have ruined everything. And somehow, it had made it past the Ova guardians.

-

In all the rage the knight felt, there was a mix of something else as it glanced at the human. Confusion. Wonder. Suspicion. Fear?

"Why is its face twisted like that? Why are its lips pointing upwards? I feel small before it… did it form a pact with the Elder?"

Yet it didn't matter now. The knight knew it would die soon, and only a remnant of the knights would survive to rebuild what will soon be lost.

It stopped its true body from writhing in anger within the spine of the host it controlled. The best it could do now was to get revenge.

Gripping its two-handed sword, the first intelligent knight no longer cared for consequences. The pact between the Elder and its kin would have to be set aside.

It resolutely stepped onto the root-floor and charged ahead.

The knights behind followed too. If one broke the pact, then they all did, and their anger burned just as much. They would not slay the Elder, but would not let it stop them from slaying Jay, either.

Suddenly, the floor wreathed and wriggled as the roots responded to this provocation. The knights were not supposed to be here, and it responded accordingly.

The heavy suits of the armored knights sent shockwaves through the roots, and before they could reach the first level five Ova, many of the roots parted.

Four Ova sprung up, their needle-claws already bunched together to form the armor-piercing knife hand attack.

The knights crashed against the Ova, uncaring and full of spite. They would carve their way through hell if they needed to.

A brutal clash between the knights and the Ova began with spatters of spire-claw poison and green blood.

Jay caused an alliance to shatter, all the while smiling fiendishly and feeding Sweeper. Seeing them charge, it did not startle him in the slightest as he was counting on more of the Ova appearing.

Sweeper's legs and feet had reformed, but to complete the skeleton's spectral greaves, the shin-armor, it needed more bones and more time.

Jay glanced back, watching the first group of knights fight the four Ova. The Ova stopped their furious charge.

"I guess we have some time." Jay snickered, feeding Sweeper some more.

As for the other skeletons, they all made it to the end of the room with no resistance.

"Seems like this won't take long at all." Jay smiled.

His plan was simple: to kill the pulsing head.

However, he couldn't help but wonder what any of this had to do with his quest - to save the innocent.

The last subject he would test with the needle of the starved would be the giant pulsing head, and he doubted this living mega-plant would be innocent, not after seeing what it did with people.

Whether it be turning humans into nutrients or using them as cloning pods to grow the army of the parasite knights, it was certainly not innocent by his own standards.

Besides, he had already pricked one of its many roots before, and the needle of the starved turned red - tainted.

"It doesn't matter who or what is innocent now, anyway. I've come too far. I'm trapped here. The only way out now is through that portal, or through violence... Desperate, savage, and fearful violence." He nodded, his face emotionless and resolute.

"But will the unknown be a better path?" he glanced at the portal. The root coming out of it was still pumping milky-fluids through, towards the giant head.

Unflinching and uncaring, the giant head's gaze was still fixated on the portal.

"What is it staring at…" Jay wondered, "What could be so important?"