Editing M.I.N.D./Jiangshi Metro/Combatants/Hive Combatant Encyclopedia

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The '''Hive Combatant Encyclopedia''' section of [[M.I.N.D.]] features entries related to [[Hive/Rising|Hive]] combatants.

==Thrall==
The most common and low-rank combatants of the Hive, and one of the most basic forms of the race.

After hatching from their cocoons, these skeleton-like soldiers can move at extremely fast speeds and use their sharp claws to attack their enemies. [[Thrall/Rising|Thralls]] are usually hatched in large numbers and attack in groups to overwhelm their opponents. If they aren't immediately killed and grow strong enough, surviving Thrall can become [[Acolyte/Rising|Acolytes]].

==Cursed Thrall==
A variant of Thrall whose most obvious features are their chilling screams and their arms, which are always wrapped around their chests.

Instead of striking with their claws as ordinary Thrall do, they detonate near their target, significantly harming nearby people or objects. They do not use their claws to strike enemies like ordinary Thrall, but instead detonate when approaching, causing significant damage to nearby people or objects. They rarely rush towards their targets, instead preferring an ambush approach.

==Acolytes==
A form evolved from Thrall who have collected enough paracausal energy.

They possess basic intelligence and have grown three eyes, enabling them to use basic firearms as well as heed orders. This allows them to survive longer on the battlefield. If they can survive long enough, they will have the chance to further evolve into either [[Wizard/Rising|Wizards]] or [[Knight/Rising|Knights]].

==Zealots==
A group of Acolytes who fight at close quarters.

The Hive adhere to [[Sword Logic/Rising|Sword Logic]] in which one ascends through the ranks via slaughter. Acolytes are an ascended form of Thrall, and in combat, most would prefer to avoid the front lines in order to save their own lives. However, some special Acolytes believe they can achieve ascension by appeasing the Hive deities, which they do by fighting enemies at close range. Their fanaticism is not blind sacrifice, though, for paracausal energies grants them the ability to heal during battle. This emboldens the [[Zealot/Rising|Zealots]], turning the art of violence into a ritual of sacrifice.

==Shrieker==
A variant of Hive with a metal body and an energy core inside.

We are still unsure whether [[Shrieker/Rising|Shriekers]], vigilant sentinels deployed in Hive lairs to watch for enemy invasions, are creatures or machines.

Some people believe there is a soul imprisoned within them, while others believe them to be entities of pure magic. No matter what they are, they launch high-speed barrages of energy at enemies as soon as they spot them, so they must be eliminated quickly.

==Inquisitors==
Preachers and judges among the Hive.

Although Sword Logic is the only truth in Hive society, heresy still exists. The purpose of these judges, whose bodies are engraved with magical runes and who constantly chant the Hive gods' words, is to maintain the purity of Hive beliefs.

Their fanatical faith enables them to unleash astonishing power, both internally and externally, when on the brink of death to ensure any and all heretics fall before their guns, proving the irrefutable truth of the Sword Logic with conquest, slaughter, and plunder.

==Knights==
While some Acolytes who ascend to their next form choose to become Wizards, others choose to become Knights. These elite warriors equipped with sturdy armor are the backbone of the Hive army.

Knights wield a variety of weapons depending on the mission, letting them form a solid defense line against enemy onslaughts or charge forward to break through enemy positions.

Knights are all elites who emerged from years of bloody battles, making them formidable foes on the battlefield.

==Hexguards==
A variant of Hive Knight, transformed by a paracausal ritual.

In a fierce battle between the Hive and a certain civilization blessed by the [[Light/Rising|Light]], some Knights were transformed by a ritual, giving their chitin shells the strength to withstand the Light's impact, and equipping them with shields pieced together from the remains of their brethren as well as swords capable of absorbing an enemy's vitality to heal the wielder. The price they must pay, however, is the ceaseless pain brought by the permanent fusion of their bodies and shells. This mutation has forced the [[Hexguard/Rising|Hexguards]] to abandon long-range weapons, as their only respite is extracting vitality from foes via their blades.

==Wizards==
Once Acolytes have survived enough battles, they have the opportunity to advance to a higher form. Among them, some choose to become Wizards.

These powerful spellcasters levitate in the air, making it easy to observe the situation on the battlefield, perform magical attacks, or give orders to Acolytes.

Outside of combat, the Wizards' most important role is to produce offspring. The most basic form of Hive—the Thrall—are hatched from the egg pods they spawn.

==Ogres==
A kind of giant monster created from unhatched Thralls through the Wizards' depraved rituals.

After undergoing a "rebirthing" ritual, these creatures mutate into "Reborns" that possess great power and can even use magical abilities. They shoot out rays of [[Void/Rising|Void]] energy from their mutated heads that can tear apart anything in their path in the blink of an eye. The existence of these creatures is visual proof of the magical atrocities the Hive are capable of.

==Tomb Ships==
The Hive's transport vessels.

[[Tomb Ship/Rising|Tomb Ships]] seem to have some form of teleportation capability, which lets them enter and exit areas with wormholes.

[[Category:M.I.N.D.]]