Two Targets

"The Commander has absolutely lost her mind. And not taking our concerns into mind is just…"

"Mm." Kris nodded. "But we have to cut her some slack. It's tough to-"

"Ha?" Jay interrupted. "Why should we cut her some slack? You're too nice, Kris. She's a horrible Commander, and everything she has done has been a mistake. Everything ended horribly."

"That's easy to say now…" Kris whispered. "I just hope it won't turn the same way it did that time…"

"It is a horrible mistake. The Graniliths destroyed us. We lost so many people…"

"And equipment." Bak added.

"Leave it to the mechanic to care about equipment. I see you've, at least, washed your hands."

"Why are always on my ass, Jay?"

"Being a mechanic is a woman's job. Obviously." Jay shrugged. "Why should we get dirty when-"

"Can't we go back to what's important?" Kris muttered.

"The Graniliths…" El started before scratching his chin silently. "They have two arms and two legs just like us. But they're absolute monsters. Words don't work. Neither do guns. Their skin, which is almost rocky, doesn't let anything go through. Normals bullets can even ricochet off them."

"That's for the women to deal with." Jay sighed, uncaring.

"The worst is, once one of them was killed… They all attacked at once, running towards us. Despite the fact that those Graniliths had been fighting each other just before… Weird. Too weird…"

The Paru listened carefully to every presented piece of information.

…

An hour later, all crewmates and the Paru assembled inside the command room.

"I'm not letting you go again, little guy." Raya whispered.

'...'

Her predatory gaze was frightening.

The Commander stepped forward, and turned to face everyone. 

She smelled fresh, and looked absolutely stunning.

"Now, listen up! The Planet we will land on is called -Tyl- and I'm sure all of you are aware of that. We've been there once before, after all. You might have problems with it, but the decision has already been taken. That's where we're landing. It's the only planet with an appropriate atmosphere and climate. I hope you all didn't forget that in the past months, most of our spacesuits were damaged or destroyed. We have no other choice but to make it on Tyl! From there, we will take all the fuel necessary. After that, comes the sweet the trip home. Mission accomplished!"

The crewmates nodded. They all wore serious expressions on their faces. Except Raya, who didn't seem to care much, and Jay, who clicked his tongue repeatedly.

Roka, the Commander, called Raya and Kris. The two stepped forward and took her place.

"The ecosystem and climate, as you all must remember, is much different than the one on the Planet we landed on previously. That Planet remains a mystery, but we were lucky to find it when it did. Anyways, Tyl is mostly made up of desert-like rocky plains, flooded grasslands and savannas, as well as exotic forests. In other words, it is a place where life thrives. Anything could be lurking anywhere, so do not drop your guard at any time!"

Kris tapped the screen by his side, and two holograms appeared.

"Nevertheless, these two apex predators of -Tyl- will be our biggest problems. The species we have just found in the database earlier, Wizzos. As well as…"

'Graniliths!!' 

The Paru's eyes opened wide, as it stared at the hologram.

It showed both creatures in their real size, and the Granilith seemed to reach three meters in height!

'Arms, legs… A humanoid alien!'

The Paru had completely stopped listening at the speech being given.

'This guy… Would be perfect!!'

[A Quest has been issued.]

[Quest: "Planet Discovery".]

[Objective: Land on the "Tyl" Planet, and explore it, coming across its most notable Species.]

[Reward: 2 Skill Points.]

[Penalty: None.]

'Ha! Coming across them doesn't mean simply seeing them, does it? The Wizzos' unique ability complements my own perfectly. And the Graniliths…' The Paru smirked internally. 'For these two Skill Points, I assume you want me to get a taste for both.'

[That is correct.]

'Well…' The Paru could feel its heart beat faster and faster as excitement rushed in. 'I would have done so even without the Quest so…' A malicious smile could almost be read on the Paru's face. 'Thanks for the Skill Points!'

The meeting ended some time earlier. 

The Paru couldn't get the vision of those two species out of its head.

'The Wizzos can willfully change their bodies. It's different than me, as their changes are temporary… But still, the important part is that it's a willful one! In other words, eating enough Wizzos could level up my Enhanced Devouring Skill, right? Enhanced Devouring is about giving me control over the changes that occur when Devouring. It makes sense, doesn't it?'

[Devouring Wizzos could lead to such an outcome.]

The Paru thought for a bit, immobile, trying to find the best way to-

"Time to run those tests, little guy." A whisper coming from behind the Paru.

It turned around, only to find Raya leaning forward with her legs straight and her arms behind her back.

The pose made her breasts look even more voluminous than they already were. And the way her dress and cleavage accentuated-

'No! It was very nice the first time. It was very nice the second time. And… It probably would be nice a third time too, but now's not the time. Once my body changes through eating those Graniliths, I'll be able to…'

"Come on." Raya whispered. Her skimpy dress floating as she turned around. 

'Fine. Next time, my body will be different. So I'll go along with these tests…' 

The Paru smirked internally.

'One last time.'