[GlacierDragon]

Very exciting! Guy must be totally mad!

I wait in anticipation of more...

(Oh, and 'deaf' has an A in it )

Woops, I didn't realise I spelt it 'def' instead of 'deaf'. Thanks for telling me *corrects the spelling*. Glad you like it.

And thanks everyone else for the comments!

EDIT: here's a picture of Skillya that I did. I put it in my artwork thread but I thought it belongs here as well. The bottom picture is her from the side (which I couldn't be bothered to colour) and the egg things are, well, eggs. Slig eggs, to be exact.




ANOTHER EDIT: Here's chapter 8. Looks like we finaly find out what Vechk's mystery creature is.

-----------------------------

Chapter 8

The day before Shrown escaped Queen Skillya…

Vechk’s experiment had been a major success. As he had predicted, the arms worked perfectly, and the brain implant had made the creature more intelligent than he had ever hoped. Tests showed it could solve complex puzzles and problems, and it had even already begun to understand Vechk’s commands.

Five days had passed since the operation. The first day was reserved for the creature recovering; the next four had been used for testing. The creature fought incredibly well. It had been deadly before, but now, well, Vechk couldn’t believe it. The arms he had given it also meant that it could restrain things easier, as well as use weapons and operate machinery if the need arose. Armour similar to the plates on the backs of Meeches had been surgically attached to its head and back, and the rips and tares in its wing membranes had been repaired. The metal used in the armour and the arms was extremely light, so the creature would still be able to fly without any problems.

It would be the ultimate killing-machine.

Vechk paced around his lab anxiously. He had tested the creature against a pack of Slogs and it had killed every single one without so much as suffering a scratch. If it could do that, then he was sure it would be able to do other things, like guarding sensitive facilities and such. The only problem was convincing the other Vykkers and the Glukkons what it was capable of. Then, with enough funding, he could create others like it, and maybe even experiment with other species.

But how could he convince everyone? His reputation meant that he would be ignored before he even had a chance to show off his experiment. He had to do something to prove that it was a brilliant creation. Maybe he could send it after that Mudokon terrorist that had destroyed RuptureFarms and was now threatening Necrum Mines and SloulStorm Brewery? Then, if the Magog Cartel was happy (they should be) his reputation would rise and everyone would want to buy his experiments. He would become famous, like he had always wanted to be.

His thoughts were interrupted as Crelet strode in.

“No one’s seen you in days. We were all starting to worry that your pet had eaten you or something.” There was mock concern in his voice.

“You want to know what I have been doing? You really want to know? Then I’ll show you. Follow me.”

Vechk led Crelet into another room of his lab (he had moved the cage before the operation because the creature kept making so much noise). The back of the cage, where the creature was laying, was drowned in shadow. Crelet peered into the cage, searching for whatever was in there.

“Umm, you made and invisible animal? Wow, that’s a first! I’m sure everyone will want one!”

Vechk yawned, unimpressed by the jokes. He disappeared into another room and emerged carrying a large chunk of meat. He stood next to Crelet and quickly threw the meat into the cage. Immediately, the creature bolted from its hiding place and devoured the food, then howled for more. Vechk silenced it with a gesture, then turned to Crelet, who was standing motionless, mouth open wide.

“Well,” Vechk said. “Tell me what you think?”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Crelet couldn’t believe his eyes. How had Vechk’s experiment worked? It didn’t make sense; the Vykker was always messing things up. Even the Interns laughed at him.

The Flying Scrab shrank back into the shadows of its dirty cage. The animal looked ordinary, except for the robotic arms and the metallic armour. The arms, which ended in six-fingered hands, looked a bit like the legs of Slig, and Crelet suspected that Vechk had used the same technology as a basis. The armour was similar in colour to the Scrab’s skin, only slightly darker and browner.

“Well, tell me what you think?” Vechk said smugly.

Crelet turned to him, unsure of what to say. “It’s a good start,” he answered, nodding. “When it’s finished I’m sure it will be a brilliant specimen.” Of course, he knew the experiment was finished; he just didn’t want to show that he was impressed.

His answer seemed to anger Vechk, who suddenly screeched, “It’s better than what you could do!”

“Probably not, but I’ve no time to prove it. I hope this experiment of yours works out for you.” Crelet exited the lab before Vechk could answer back.

------------------------------

I made up Flying Scrabs. There's a picture of one on my art thread (there's a link just before the last chapter).