BIOLOGICAL SUPERCOMPUTER SYSTEM

Erik sat in his room before a large wooden table. On it, there were hundreds of glass vials. Each contained the blood of a thaid, which Rick and the other clones had collected up to that point. Beside them were hundreds of brain crystals, covered in cloth squares.

The clones had categorized and labeled everything. Though they didn't have the biological supercomputer, they documented what they knew about the thaids they'd killed, giving each one a name and describing its powers. Some even included sketches of the creatures.

<This is an impressive organization,> Erik said, running his fingers along the labels. <The clones really outdid themselves.>

[They understand how important this collection is,] the system said. [Proper classification maximizes our ability to use the powers well and not waste time.]

Erik picked up a small brain crystal that the label said had a mist-creating power. However, for what he had to do, he wasn't interested in that.

<So, where do we start?> Erik asked, placing the crystal back in its position.

[First, we need to figure out what skills our new scouts will need. The Mirror Centipede's ability—Worm Slaves—gives us a foundation, but it needs significant modifications, and the creatures will need fit powers to survive.]

<Right. The original power creates worms, which means they cannot travel far in a short amount of time. That won't work for what we need.>

<Our priority is creating scouts that can travel far, gather intelligence, and report back. They need to be quick to produce, unlike the Chimaeric Demons, and it does not matter how strong they are, but just that they can survive and do their job.>

[I see. And you mentioned wanting to give them mind control capabilities for defense?]

<Yes. If they run into threats, I want them to be able to take control of thaids rather than engaging directly and use them to fight if the need arises. It would allow them to continue their mission even when found out, and it would make up for their lower power without us having to go out of our way to make them stronger.>

The system was silent for a bit, processing this request and searching for the best way to do it.

[We have several candidates that could contribute to such an ability. This brain crystal has some elements of mental domination, though it's focused on turning the target into a vegetable.]

Erik looked at the crystal's label.

<Too aggressive,> he said. <The power will consume the victim. We need something subtler that leaves the host functional.>

[We can modify it for that, don't worry. Besides that, what about combining it with the Verandor's Target Lock ability?] The clones found several even here on Mur, but they were stronger than their counterparts on Mannard. [That would allow the scouts to establish and maintain a connection with specific targets.]

Erik nodded, picking up another crystal labeled "Verandor."

<It might work. If we merge these, we could make it so the power doesn't stop if the clone gets out of controlling range.>

[We should also consider this,] the system said, pointing at another brain crystal. [Based on what Rick said, this creature could draw energy from the moon. If we work on it a little, we might be able to use it to decrease the mana consumption.]

<Do we have the necessary powers to make a mana brain crystal?>

Without it, the clones could only get biological abilities and nothing related to mana.

[We have Shadow Rend. I know enough on how to make a mana brain crystal to change the power as I did with the Astral Wolf.]

<Interesting. So we're looking at a combination of Target Lock for connection, a modified version of this power called… Mindbane? For dominance without destruction, and this thing's power for sustaining the link?>

Mindbane was a brain crystal power the clones collected in the past weeks. It came from a monster who could somehow dominates other thaids to attack, regardless of their species or powers.

[Yes,] the system said. [Plus Shadow Rend to make their brain crystal.]

<Is there something else we can use?>

The two discussed a lot about the powers to use. There were many, so it was not a simple choice. They needed to use the best-suited powers if they wanted to decrease the DNA consumption.

After some time, they decided on what they needed to use to get the mind-controlling power.

Erik arranged the samples in a formation, visualizing how their powers might merge.

[There's another consideration,] the system said. [The base Worm Slaves' power creates clones that are hybrids between you and the Mirror Centipede. This form may not be optimal for our scouting purposes. Do you remember how big Noah and the first clones were?]

<You're right.>

Erik needed something that could travel fast, that was hard to see, and that could easily look around.

[I think you should give them Beastwalker, Erik. It would make up for any deficit they have.]

Erik sighed.

<I never seem to keep shapeshifting powers for long.>

[If you prefer, we could give them Phantom Veil. That would give them invisibility and illusion capabilities instead of physical transformation.]

Erik considered the alternative for a moment, then shook his head.

<No, Beastwalker is the better choice here. Along with that, I want to add Eclipse Field as well.>

[Eclipse field would surely make them harder to see and even make it possible for them to flee in case they get directly attacked.]

Erik nodded, moving the three additional samples closer to his working area.

<They'll need to defend themselves, and sometimes the best defense is a good offense. Besides, Eclipse Field could provide cover for retreat if needed.>

The power could blind and slow the opponents, after all. It was a great power, given what the clones had to do.

His gaze then fell on a crystal set apart from the others. Its label read "Hive Mind" with a question mark beside it.

<What about this?>

[According to Rick's notes, this came from a creature able to share information with members of its colony. It used it during combat to coordinate, but he didn't say much else. The clones marked it because they weren't sure of its exact abilities.]

Erik picked up the crystal.

<This could be useful for our purposes. If our scouts could share information among themselves, we'd have a network rather than individual agents. Maybe they could also share it with us without the need to do much.>

[Possibly, but without absorbing and analyzing the power, we can't be certain of its exact function. It might simply allow communication within a species rather than information sharing. Or it could be something entirely different that is able to give that effect.]

<True. But the potential makes it still worth considering.>

Erik placed the Hive Mind crystal with the others he had selected.

<Let's map this out step by step. First, we need to modify Worm Slaves to create clones that mature quickly and can operate independently at greater distances.>

[That will require a lot of DNA points just for the base modifications.]

<I expected as much.>

Erik ran his fingers through his hair. <Next, we merge it with Beastwalker to give them shapeshifting abilities.>

[That won't require a lot of DNA points, luckily.]