The forest is damp.
Smell of living earth.
Insects buzzing in the air.
Beker walks through the undergrowth as if he's in an amusement park.
Whistling.
Way too happy for someone who's opened more bodies than reports.
He's wearing tactical shorts, heavy boots, and an open shirt. Carrying a light backpack. Officially: on vacation.
Unofficially: never actually on vacation.
His phone vibrates in his pocket.
He rolls his eyes.
— If it's a report, I swear I'll drown someone.
He answers.
— What's up, Trofals?
On the other end, the True or False agent responds curtly:
— Where are you?
Beker looks around.
Tall trees.
No city in sight.
— Very, very far.
Pause.
— And on vacation.
Short silence from the other side.
— We need you on the hospital case.
Beker stops walking.
Looks at the ground.
A footprint.
Giant.
Deep.
He crouches.
Runs his fingers over the mark.
— I'm also handling something here.
— Beker.
— If you can, finish it without me.
He stands and starts following the trail of the footprint.
Each step the creature took sank nearly twenty centimeters into the soil.
— I don't think it's a good idea for me to be there yet.
Trofals sighs.
— Maybe you'll want to know.
Beker licks his teeth.
— Know what?
— We found someone… extravagant.
Beker makes a face.
— I don't like extravagant people.
He steps on a branch that snaps.
— Extravagant people draw too much attention.
Trofals responds:
— Capital E.
Beker stops.
— Extravagant with a capital E?
— And they don't appear anywhere.
Beker frowns.
— Do I know this guy?
— No.
— Who is it?
— Don't know.
Pause.
— That's the problem. Nobody knows.
The forest sounds seem to fade.
Beker looks again at the giant footprint.
— Hm.
He smiles.
— Interesting.
— So you're coming?
Beker starts walking again, now more alert.
— I'll go.
He hangs up.
Puts the phone away.
Murmurs to himself:
— Extravagant…
He looks up.
And stops.
Twenty meters ahead, something moves among the trees.
Big.
Round.
Green.
Thick leaves folding like muscles.
A cabbage monster.
Giant.
Three meters tall.
Layer upon layer of vibrating organic leaves.
Roots thick as legs.
Sap dripping like saliva.
Beker grins way too widely.
— I love my job.
The creature slowly turns, revealing a pulsating "core" in the middle of the leaves.
It notices him.
The outer leaves rise like natural blades.
Beker cracks his neck.
— Relax.
He breathes deeply.
Air fills his lungs.
Chlorophyll altered.
Genetic manipulation.
Not natural.
— You weren't born like this, huh?
The monster charges, crushing small trees.
Beker takes two steps forward.
Fearless.
When a sharp leaf slices through the air toward him, he doesn't flinch.
His arm partially liquefies.
The leaf passes through.
No harm.
He reappears solid in the same motion.
— Too noisy.
He grabs the edge of the leaf and pulls.
Absurd strength.
Tears an entire layer off the monster.
Sap explodes into the air.
He sniffs.
— Hm.
He closes his eyes for a second.
— Not from around here.
The monster roars, a sound of tearing vegetation.
Beker advances.
The ground beneath him begins to get wet.
He manipulates the moisture in the soil.
The creature's roots sink.
Snared.
He touches the pulsating core.
— Let's see what you've been eating.
His body starts taking on hybrid traits.
Vertical pupils.
Teeth elongating.
Denser skin.
He partially merges with the plant structure, as if diving inside it.
The creature thrashes violently.
Too loud.
Always too loud.
Thirty seconds later.
Silence.
The monster collapses.
Inert.
Beker steps out from inside it, covered in sap.
Breathes deeply.
— Definitely not natural.
He looks at his phone.
Extravagant.
No record.
Nobody knows.
And a modified monster, right in the middle of nowhere.
He chuckles low.
— My vacation is over.
Cuts to distant sounds in the forest.
Something bigger is moving.
Much bigger than the cabbage.
And Beker hasn't noticed yet.
Beker reads the geographic exploration dossier of the area, which says:
Internal Report – Classification: Plant Monsters
Agent, pay attention.
The so-called Plant Monsters have existed for over 170 years.
They are not simple mutant plants.
Not recent experiments.
They are an ancient phenomenon.
As Beker tries to jump—he can't.
The hologram says:
— Jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump, jump. Jump, damn it.
But the hologram continues:
What are Plant Monsters?
They are entities that assume forms based on common vegetables:
Cabbages
Carrots
Tomatoes
Various roots
But this is only their external form.
They are not plants.
They use the vegetable form as a physical structure.
Origin
Their exact origin is unknown.
Existing theories:
An ancient attempt to create natural guardians.
A ritual gone wrong.
Remnants of a primordial earth-linked entity.
Anomalous evolution of organic matter.
What is known is that, at some point, they escaped human control.
⚠️ Threat Level
Compared to Chimeras, they are a lesser problem.
But still dangerous.
They:
Destroy property
Attack civilians
Have unusual resistance
Regenerate body parts
Are extremely hard to eliminate without a specialist
Current Case – Cabbage Monster
This specimen is not ordinary.
Characteristics:
Defensive layered structure
Regeneration capability
Partial intelligence
Territorial instinct
Reports indicate it has ties with members of a local community.
A cousin allegedly interacted with it.
This suggests the monster can:
Recognize humans
Form bonds
Not act purely on instinct
This changes the case complexity.
Monster Arm
The assigned agent will transport the detached arm of the Cabbage Monster.
Special attention:
Parts of Plant Monsters retain:
Cellular activity
Involuntary reflexes
Reaction to the smell of food
Curiously, reports suggest these creatures are strongly attracted to dishes containing their base vegetable.
Example: The Cabbage Monster shows interest in meals with cabbage.
It's unclear whether this is:
Cannibalistic instinct
Absorption mechanism
Simple biological reaction
Strategic Conclusion
Plant Monsters are not just wild creatures.
They are:
Ancient
Adaptable
Partially intelligent
Potentially connected to humans
And most concerning:
They are starting to appear again.
If you want, we can now:
Create the secret report on Chimeras.
Do the scene of transporting the arm (something starts moving…).
Or reveal the real reason the Cabbage is in the city.
Beker says if you can do it, but not all at once, because… the hologram tells him: it's your decision.
Beker:
— Stupid dossier, could've just given the best option!
The dossier floats near him. He slaps it. It disappears.
— You bastard… I'll still step on you! — Beker mutters.
The dossier disappears.
— Go on your mission, animal.
— Bastard.