As soon as Amethiel told Johnson to charge, Johnson hesitated for a moment, but still did as he was told.
"Here I come!" Johnson raised his sword and charged toward Amethiel, and of course, Kree noticed immediately.
"Ragh!" Kree let out an angry sound. As Amethiel expected, Kree grew agitated, its eyes glowing a bright red.
'Here we go,' Amethiel thought, watching intently as Kree took a step forward toward Johnson.
"Amethiel!" Kree yelled, his voice coming out distorted.
The glowing cracks along Kree's body intensified, the light beneath his skin pulsing brighter with each passing second.
'That's also new,' Amethiel noted, his eyes sharpening as he kept it in mind.
He kept watching, and then—there.
He saw it.
The flesh along Kree's sides shifted, stretched, and then—
Two additional arms forced their way out, unfolding from his torso in a way that was both unnatural and precise.
Amethiel inhaled slightly.
'There it is.'
But it didn't stop there.
From Kree's lower back, something else moved.
'Even better.'
Black tendrils pushed through, one after another, slithering outward like living shadows. They unfurled behind him, twitching as if testing the air.
Tentacles.
Amethiel's gaze lit up.
"Fascinating—"
"WHAT IS THAT?!" Johnson shouted, his voice cracking as he stumbled back, his sword shaking in his grip.
"Agh!" Kree let out another distorted sound, his attention locked onto Johnson. The tentacles shifted, curling slightly, ready to strike.
'Oh,' Amethiel thought. 'He's going to attack Johnson.'
Before Kree could move—
Amethiel reached into his pocket.
The vial was already in his hand.
Without hesitation, he threw it.
The glass shattered against Kree's body with a sharp crack.
Then—
A burst of bright yellow light.
Kree's entire body seized.
"Agh—Master!"
The sound tore out of him as his limbs locked, the newly formed arms jerking violently. The tentacles thrashed once before stiffening, their movements breaking into uncontrolled spasms.
Kree collapsed to the ground.
The glow along his body flickered erratically as the shock coursed through him.
Johnson staggered back another step, breathing heavily.
"What the hell was that…?" he muttered, his eyes wide, still fixed on the creature.
"I told you he had tentacles," Amethiel said. "Why are you surprised?"
"You cheeky—"
Amethiel didn't even look at Johnson. He ignored him, along with whatever rambling was about to follow.
Kree's body trembled against the floor, the tentacles twitching weakly behind him. The extra arms hung at awkward angles, still present, which made Amethiel very happy.
He moved immediately.
Dropping to Kree's side without hesitation.
"Hold still," he murmured, already reaching out.
'Perfect timing,' he thought, his pulse quickening. 'Full manifestation under stress.'
His hands moved quickly, almost eagerly, as he examined the additional limbs. He grabbed one of the extra arms, turning it slightly, feeling the structure beneath the skin.
It was solid.
It did seem to serve a function.
Perhaps for protection.
He shifted his attention to the base of the limbs, tracing where they connected to Kree's torso.
"No tearing," he whispered. "No instability…"
The tentacles twitched again.
Amethiel's gaze flicked to them immediately.
He reached back and caught one, his fingers tightening around it.
The tentacle was warm. It didn't have suction like an octopus.
It tried to coil weakly around his wrist before falling slack again.
"Responsive even under shock," he murmured.
'Remarkable.'
Kree shifted slightly beneath him.
A soft sound escaped his lips.
"M… Master…"
Amethiel paused for just a second.
Then he looked down.
Kree's red eyes were unfocused now, clouded with pain. His breathing was uneven, his body still trembling from the vial's effects.
There was something else in his expression.
Not fear.
Not anger.
Something quieter.
Something that almost looked like sadness.
Amethiel's grip on the extra arm tightened slightly as he continued examining it.
"You did well," Amethiel said, as if rewarding him for revealing the limbs. "This…" he pointed to the tentacles, "…is good."
He gave Kree a small smile and patted his arm.
"M-Master…?" Kree whispered, sounding almost surprised.
"You're a good boy—"
"I'm going to call his lordship! This thing is dangerous!"
Amethiel barely registered Johnson's earlier ranting, but that caught his attention. He turned just in time to see the knight stomping away.
'Ugh. He's going to get me in trouble,' Amethiel thought, clicking his tongue as he looked back at Kree, who was still staring at him.
'I should get it back to the lab before something happens.'