Praelis helped in establishing more hive clusters by riding overlords to the other continents of this green world. While growing hive clusters, she discovered an ability she had overlooked. Apparently, Queens could use growth hormones to speed up the formation of zerg structures by an hour.
However, the hormones can only be used on the same structure once thirty minutes in order for maximum efficiency. So, she used the growth hormones on every structure she commanded to be morphed and sent zerg parties to search for more biomass. More queens are morphed in the new hive clusters for using the growth hormones to rapidly increase the zerg expansion and break through into Tier 3, so they could unlock the more advanced strains.
Praelis is assisted by another queen who had recently morphed, helping her establish hive clusters in the tundra. Defenses was not paid much attention, the swarm had barely any threats on the planet. Even if there were threats, the centaur like queens were more than enough to deal with them.
In the past two days, the zerg numbers have more than tripled in number. A little more and they would soon evolve into a Tier 3 Swarm, unlocking the Swarm's more advanced strains. The Zerg have their creep carpet multiplied tenfold over the past two days with the help of the creep tumours spawned by the hardworking queens.
Each hive cluster would have three to five overlords and a queen stationed on it. The queens would provide growth hormones, mass larva spawning and healing transfusions to the zerg there. Growth hormones work better on the zerg combat strains and could be used on every ten minutes with a two hour time boost.
Basically, every zerg cocoon being given growth hormones would cause them to emerge within ten minutes and in cases for larva and drones, only five minutes. With a fast rate such as this, a month's deadline for full colonization would only be feasible.
A hundred and one miles south of the central hive cluster….
A party of three drones, a pair of zerglings, a hydralisk and an overlord travelled towards a hill in the distance. The ground combat strains walked, floated or slithered across the forest, making leaves rustle as they move as a coordinated group. Their Overlord floated above the tall trees, its house sized form drifting in the wind towards their destination.
They have travelled for an hour, from a hive cluster a dozen miles north. The forest ground was quite rocky and many predators prowled within the forest. Although any threat was quickly eliminated with a few slices from the ferocious zerglings and a barrage of diamond sharp spines, it still delayed their travel.
The Overlord did not carry them in order to prevent it from being attacked and rendered defenseless, the predators of Vanahim VII are known for ambush tactics. Soon, they reached the sighted area on the ground. it was a small hill with blue mineral crystals dotting its green surface.
It made the perfect site for establishing a hive cluster, especially with a vent of poisonous vespene gas being only fifty meters away. The Overlored spewed creep into the ground, making a gurgling noise while doing so. Upon slamming to the ground, the grayish creep made a splashing noise and began to slowly spread.
One of the drones moved towards the center of the creep and morphed its arthropod like form into a large house sized pulsing cocoon. As it morphs, a queen is ejected from the overlord and it injects growth hormones into the cocoon, causing it to pulse and stir actively.
As for the rest, they travel into the forest with the drones and the overlord to gather biomass to be digested.
In Kashrya….
A massive cocoon bursts, showering its immediate vicinity in viscera and orange amniotic fluid. In its place is the five sided pyramidal structure of flesh and bones known as a Lair. It had hard carapace and sharper and harder bones than its previous form. It stood on a landscape of creep with an Evolution Chamber, a Spawning Pool, a Roach Warren and a Hydralisk Den.
Five others like it are present not too far away from it, acting as the frontier zerg bases in the faraway planet of Kashrya. Not too far away behind these hive clusters, three protoss nexus have been built from the scrapped parts of their broken ships. Within these two days, the zerg tides have only increased in number. Every consecutive attack would have at least a thousand more zerg sent to kill them.
Luckily, Praelis' superior queens and overlords aided them by converting enemy zerg into their allies by specifically targeting the command organisms. The relations between the protoss and zerg have also improved with every tide as Praelis' forces provided a defense line from where the protoss could use their weaponry to destroy enemies in the hundreds. The aid of roaches and hydralisks allowed the protoss to attack unhindered as they would strike down ranged enemies first. The minimum casualties for the protoss improved their morale and their trust in these so called true zerg.
However, they face a problem looming in the horizon. The zerg will evolve to Tier 3 which would cause them to enter a cocoon state for a whole day. With the ever growing zerg tide attacks, the protoss could possibly be wiped out due to that. The firstborn asked Praelis whether or not this process could be delayed or averted but she sternly replied that it must be done.
So, the protoss began building more weapons and as quick as possible. The best aid Praelis could give is any minerals or vespene gas they acquired since the Swarm only needed biomass and nutrients to survive on. By the time the advancement occured, the Protoss have amassed quite a force. Two hundred zealots, three dozen dragoons, two dozen immortals, a dozen sentries, ten reavers, several phoenix, three high templar, two tempests and a surviving carrier.
Once the Creator's Swarm enters the cocoon state, the waiting game has begun. The protoss only need to survive a day before reinforcements arrive in the form of the Zerg. They have attempted to reconnect with Aiur but found the signals always through to random non protoss places. At one attempt, the conduit even reached a zerg cerebrate's hive world and they were traumatized with what they saw the fleshy maggot was doing.
It was so disgusting that even an Overlord puked creep, a zergling clawed the warp conduit, the hydralisks and roaches immediately burrowed while the queens fell unconscious. As for the protoss, they had to watch the most disgusting and inappropriate event known to any mortal for fifteen minutes. In order to preserve their dignity, under the guise of the cerebrate noticing, Praelis closed the conduit and changed its coordinates as soon as she gains consciousness as all protoss are watching it in complete disgust. Not even the high templar could move their muscles while they watched a cerebrate trying to fuck everything it sees in a very disgusting way.
Now, the sun sets as darkness begins to blanket the sky like a massive eagle coming into view. From afar, the roaring of zerg was heard by the probes sent out by the protoss. Once the zerg concentrated on chasing these probes, they would detonate and reduce the numbers of the tide. Small mushroom clouds erupted in the distance as hundreds of zerg are turned into charred remains.
The one day war begins now.