The Hivemind was happy that it had upgraded the Strongman, the active state of the ability likely the only thing holding him alive as the Hero hit him with a blue wave, the vessel thrown into the metallic containers. There was barely a bruise on the vessel but the hit forced the Biomancer to stand alone.

“Heroes don’t normally deliver lethal attacks,” the Hivemind taunted through the Biomancer’s mouth as it forced every plant in a ten-metre radius to come towards the Hero. Vines, roots, and leaves forced themselves to wrap around their legs and arms and neck. It didn’t last long, however, the minor blurring of the individual limbs ending with the plants merely falling off. The materials just passed through the Hero like they didn’t exist. “What changed?”

“I’m not a Hero,” the Vigilante said as they closed in on the Biomancer. Before they were able to get a hit in, though, the Strongman was back in the fold. Like a freight truck, they hit the Vigilante on the side of the head, their fist likely able to have crushed a metal wall at that point. It didn’t do anything close to that, though. At the first sign of impact, the Vigilante was well and away, retreating ten metres with only a slight mark on their face. “You are quick.”

“So are you,” the Parasite said through the Strongman’s mouth. It noted the distortion in their voice. A byproduct of the activated state? “Wave-based Abilities?”

“Something like that,” the Hero said as they went in for a hit once again. A strike to the Strongman’s side with full force behind it, that wave of blue being the main strength. The Hivemind wasn’t falling from the same trick twice, however, grabbing a hold around the Hero’s arm as both flew forward. The Vigilante once again retreated mid-air, coming to a rest standing position. How were they doing it?

The Biomancer filled the floor with vines, giving the vessels a good foothold while continuously trying to trap the Vigilante. It didn’t work too well but it allowed the necessary distraction before the fight could start up again. The Strongman wasn’t allowing itself to be hit a third time, twisting and turning each time the Vigilante tried to put him into the walls again. The Biomancer filled the room with thorns, shooting them at the Hero each time he stood still. The forced movement was great like that. The regular vessels left the barn, however, not trying to catch up on the fight.

The grey-masked Vigilante tried to stop the evacuation but was stopped by a hit from the back, the Hivemind noting the mild crunch as the Strongmna’s fist connected with the Hero’s shoulder. When they teleported a few metres away again, it hung limply on the side. Yet other than seeming tired, the broken limb showed to not affect their spirit.

“Do you not feel the need to run?” the Biomancer questioned. “Are you not scared?”

“Oh, I would be shitting in my suit if I had eaten today,” the Vigilante promised. “But… you did promise to kill everybody here the moment I left. I can’t let that happen.”

“Quite the bold statement when you’re barely trying to attack us,” the Strongman fired back. “If you want to go easy on us, I’ll tell them it's your fault that they had to die.”

The logic was thrown away as the blue waves came into the air, the barn shaking as some supporting beams fell onto the ground. The Vigilante hadn’t moved but their power was clearly making an effect. The guards in their building almost rose out of their chairs but the Ted vessel was quick to make them stay in their place by excusing it as the Strongman’s clumsiness.

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Having to react with a being moving at the speed of sound wasn’t fun, the Strongman’s body barely able to shield itself from the hits to the head. The neck cracked and was nearly thrown off its placement as the Vigilante pummeled the vessel with hits. If not for the Biomancer’s roots hitting the Hero in the back, the Parasite didn’t doubt they would have died.

Changing targets, the Vigilante went after the physically weakest. Even when standing taller and stronger than most civilians, a hit from the rage-induced Hero was enough to make the Hivemind worry. A hand around the throat as waves of energy were forced into the powered vessel wasn’t appreciated. With a forced move that likely damaged the vessel, more roots were forced into play. A wall of material was made, digging into the Hero’s body. Yet they passed through harmlessly a second later, the Vigilante merely obscuring those body parts, hand still around the throat of the Biomancer. The brain of the vessel was getting too damaged. The connection was going to be lost soon.

The Strongman was able to put their neck into place, the internal body’s liquid structure being a saving grace once again. With a strong grasp around the Hero’s torso, the Hivemind was able to throw them off the Biomancer before they could turn their main body into energy again.

“Partially turning yourself into thin air is cheating!” The Hivemind shouted in glee as the Vigilante went right back to having the Strongman be pummeled with attacks from all sides. Constant teleportation around made them impossible to hit. “Just how long did it take you to learn this?”

“So many years,” the Hero murmured. Their voices sounded amplified. Was the ability close to sound waves of some kind?

“I’ll try to learn it in months then,” the Biomancer replied, forming a wide dome of roots that kept the Strongman and the Vigilante in a world of darkness. Growing it thick, the Vigilante was stopped from furthering the distance. “Now, please die quickly.”

The Biomancer kept reinforcing the dome as the Hero tried to break out yet the close distance to the Strongman stopped a worthwhile effort. No matter how hard they punched, kicked, and shot pulses into the vessel, the lack of proper momentum kept the proper strength away. When the Hivemind finally got in another hit, breaking ribs with an elbow jab, the waves of blue came from the body yet again. The power of the Biomancer was limited as it contained the shaking to only the roots.

With a final finish, the Strongman took the Hero by the neck before slamming them into the ground. When the Vigilante showed signs of using their power, the Strongman repeated the process. The concrete floor was cracked by the time it was over, leaving the ground red with blood. It was incredible that the Hero was still alive if only slightly.

Yet… the fight was over. Looking at the two powered vessel’s insides, the Hivemind was dismayed at the damage both had incurred. [Ether] would be required to fix both of them, the Biomancer especially needing help with its nervous system. The limbs still weren’t ceasing their shaking, a mix of adrenaline and willpower being the only thing letting the man stand. It was only due to necessity that the Hivemind began to make the Biomancer fix the area inside the barn. So much plant matter needed to be removed. It was already too late to avoid questions, about how much damage had happened to the barn, but all evidence of fighting had to be gotten rid of.

Looking at the Vigilante, the Hivemind wasn’t sure what to do with the body. They would need medical attention to survive. Even then, they had likely gotten enough brain trauma to be in a coma permanently. The Parasite wanted to add the man to its reserves but did it want to sacrifice another vessel to gain the needed mental space?

Yes. It very much did.

Ripping out one of the Biomancer’s friend’s Parasites, it was killed on the spot. The body was buried under the barn, no evidence remaining. With another egg already prepared, the incision was made, the egg was inserted into the brainstem, and the wait began in full. Getting the body some medical attention was rather easy as well with the Hivemind controlling the farm’s medical centre. Letting it sit around for two weeks wouldn’t be too hard, though the clothes were switched out for something that fit the farm’s safety standards.

Looking through the pockets of the Vigilante’s suit, the Hivemind found a small wallet. Ignoring the mediocre sum of cash stashed away, the ID card brought a new light to the situation. The former Hero was one Seid Thill. Looking at another, mildly destroyed identification card, the Hivemind found their Hero-Name to be Wave. Not the most creative naming scheme but the Parasite supposed it got the theme across well enough.

Everything was stashed away. Anything electronic was destroyed and buried a few kilometres from the farm as well. The Hivemind couldn’t risk getting caught in such a way again. Empty threats had worked this time but there were no assurances about it working again.

It needed more security. More of the farm needed to be taken over. [Resolution] needed its second upgrade.