16
“No, Rave, he is mine,” Salyanna growled, red fur starting to emerge on her smooth skin, and her ears changing shape. “I will make him pay for everything he did to Jutcer.”
Bending down on all four, assuming an animalistic form, she roared like an enraged beast and charged forward. I watched her move out of my range, her speed increased threefold, as her mind was wrapped in pure wrath. She leaped in the air, swiping her long claws at Derrick, but instead of hitting him, her claws came into contact with his invisible shield, the force of her own attack deflecting her back. Landing on her legs, roaring fiercely, she presumed to attack him again, not planning on giving him any time to rest. And like before, she was deflected back to the ground, her claws oozing with blood. She mastered her pain, in a truly admirable way, and charged again for another attack, and instead of being deflected back, she came within inches of his head. For some reason, Derrick, confused, jumped back to avoid her lethal claws, which was something I could not understand. He looked agitated and impatient; his once expression of pure boredom had been replaced with fear and desperation. Salyanna sensed this and pressed on, rushing in to attack even though her own body was badly wounded.
“Enough of this, woman,” he bellowed, raising his right hand, a look of focus glimmering from his cold eyes.
Sensing the malice, I rushed in and kicked the invisible shield with my right leg, drawing Derrick’s attention towards me. He roared, swiping at me with his right hand, and knocking me away with some sort of invisible wind. Little by little, I was beginning to understand how his power worked, and how his shield operated. The state of his disturbed mind determined the strength of his abilities. Based on what I had seen, he had the ability to conjure anything he wanted, using the power of his imagination, and despite it being invisible, into existence. It was a remarkable ability, far more dangerous than I was assuming, which was bad.
“You are mine,” Salyanna boomed, appearing behind him, her right claws extended out.
She nipped his neck a little, before the invisible shield activated and pushed her back, sending her crashing into the wall. Touching the blood on his neck, exhaling heavily, he screamed in pain and turned his evil gaze towards her, planning to kill her in cold blood. Upon seeing this, I stomped forward, rolling on the ground and picking up the alien’s sword. A terrible gust of wind suddenly rippled through the room, my fur coat billowing against it, as I smashed the sword against his invisible shield. Derrick turned around, facing me, with his right hand pointing at me.
“Now, burn,” he screamed, looking agitate and hostile.
“I am really the worst matchup for you, Derrick,” I replied, watching the fire consume my body.
After being shot at multiple times, having my head chopped off by a blade, this was nothing. From the fire, I emerged in a triumphant walk, glancing down at the sword in my hand, the fire still burning through me. Derrick, horrified, looked at me with fear and began to take a few steps back, trembling. He stumbled on the ashes of the alien he had killed, gasping heavily, turning his head down, before balancing himself again.
“I can feel your fear, and the taste of your anguish,” I giggled, walking towards him, the sword extended in front. “This is the weapon that will kill you, Derrick, and there is no shield that can protect you from it.”
“You lie,” he shrieked, his eye turning red, gritting his teeth in a menacing way. “I will kill you.”
Stopping, I felt all of my bones being twisted, my neck being moved out of line, as if something was trying to break me. Black blood gushed from several openings, all over my body, the pain nerve wrecking and yet amazing. I fell to the ground in a trance of euphoria, his evil aura still seeping into me, and laughed hysterically. It was working—as long as Derrick was terrified of me, his powers were utterly useless. Sitting upright on the ground, in my own pool of blood, my legs spread apart, I inhaled deeply.
“You truly are a man worthy of being my second,” I said, looking him in the eyes, as my body began to heal. “Haven’t you been curious as to who I am, as to the identity of the top wanted criminal in the Milky Way galaxy?”
“Filthy lies,” he replied, the confidence in his eyes disappearing, moving back a few feet. “Am I supposed to believe that you the infamous, murderous assassin?”
“No, but it was suppose to distract you from that,” I smiled, pointing at something behind him.
Shaking in his boots from fear, he tried to turn back, but was grabbed from behind by Salyanna, who sunk her fangs into his neck, before choking him from behind with something slimy. It was Tommy’s tongue, the part that had been cut off by the alien, and it looked like her grief for Jutcer had consumed her. I watched from the ground, with no intention of stopping her, with a smile on my face. His face turned blue, sweat dropping from his forehead, his eyes turning red, as he struggled for breath. He tried to pull her from his back, but he lost his strength, and dropped to his knees looking half-dead.
“Make him suffer, Salyanna,” I whispered, taking pleasure in her carnage. “Make him pay for what he did to Jutcer and everyone else.
She tightened her grip, bending his back backwards, blood gushing out from the deep wound she had inflicted on him. Tears dropped from his eyes, her fur receding into her skin, as she slowly let him go, and let him fall to the ground. She moved away from him, wiping her eyes with her right hand, and trudged away from the unconscious man.
“What are you doing?” I asked, standing up with anger. “Why are walking away? Finish him, make him suffer for what he did to your friend.”
“I can’t, Rave, I am not a monster and I don’t want his blood on my hands, too.” She muttered, dropping her knees to the bloody floor, and pulling something from Jutcer’s corpse. “I only wished to stop the madman; I never wished for this violence, for this killing to befall any of us.”
“You idiot,” I spat, her soft attitude infuriating me, and glanced up at Zad, who was making his glamorous descent to the ground. “Your weakness will get you killed.”
Zad spun in the air three times, his new, black cape flapping behind him, and landed roughly in the ground. The mutant chimera squad, who had been protecting him, jumped down next to him, clapping at every ridiculous pose he made with his hands. I sensed something sinister around him, a powerful force that rivaled my own, and it was oozing into the air. And even his eyes had changed color, a dark, bluish color, his shoulders broader and bigger, and his feet twice as long. The heels and soles, on both his boots, had massive, silver spikes embedded into them, increasing his height by a few inches, whilst making him look more intimidating. Derrick coughed, still lying on the ground, and opening one of his eyes.
“I don’t like to be interrupted,” Zad yelled, rushing towards him, and smashing his head in with his right boot. “I hope you will learn that next time.”
“He is dead, you buffoon,” I snarled, disgusted by his intolerable actions.
“Oh, yeah, I forgot that I put on my spiky boots. But, anyways, let us begin our last match.”
“About time,” I added, oozing with smoke, as my bones had reverted back to their normal positions, and the bleeding stopped.
“Kill them both,” Zad ordered, pointing at us, with a serious look on his face.
Growling, his bodyguard mutants took arms, charging at the both of us from different directions. In this confined space, offering little room to maneuver around or hide in, we were at a disadvantage. Suddenly, a bat-faced, mutant chimera, jaws wide open, lunged at me with its right claws, but missed me by a few inches. It turned its massive body around, rocketing at me with its right leg for a second attack. From behind, I sensed the presence of another mutant, lying in wait for me with its flintlocks drawn out. I pivoted to the left, taking a quick glance back, to see the beast behind me. I heard three shots, a pain in my lower back, and I fell on one knee. Panting, I saw a shadow standing over me, before this massive, spiked boot was plunged into the right shoulder, sending me flying a few
yards to the right. I really should stop playing around and put an end to this, I thought.
“What happened to all that spunk, Rave?” Zad asked, laughing alongside his minions, whilst moving towards me. “You said that you could kill me, then go ahead and do it.”
Annoyed, I looked up, exhaling slowly, and saw all of the flintlocks pointed at me, the red lines from their scopes all over my body. Two mutants moved in closer, smiling menacingly, and unloading their modified weapons into my body. I lost count of how many bullets that were drilled into me, the pain truly maddening. I coughed up my blood, laughing in a low voice, as I gazed up at them. The sword fell from my left hand, clanking onto the ground, a small glimmer of light being reflected from the metallic hilt. My heart wavered for some reason, a truly strange feeling that was unknown to me. Why was I hesitating? Why was I not opening the eye of the abyss and letting it destroy all of my enemies. Was it because Salyanna was here? What would it matter if she died along with them to me?
Sensing danger, I reached for my sword, picking it up and slashing at something that was nearing me. I stood up, a maddening sensation of pain coming from every inch of my body, and took one step forward, my sword angled in front of me. I heard their movements, their laughter and taunts from every direction around me, and I waited patiently. My vision was a little hazy; however, I could make out their movements using my ears only. I shifted my body to the left, when I felt something draw near, and plunged the blade into its flesh with sheer joy. The monster yelped, going limb in my hands, and I holstered the monster up into the air before throwing it in front of me. Dashing forward, feeling my strength returning, I grabbed another mutant chimera’s jaw and ripped the lower part off, before bashing it with its torn jaw in the head. The dark power was taking over—I could feel it eating away at my conscience, and I loved it every second of it.
“Stop him, you idiots,” Zad snapped, withdrawing his own personal flintlock, a weapon of with golden red barrel, and pointed it at me. “Don’t let him frighten you.”
“Yes, yes, come to me,” I roared, raising my hands, gazing at each of them. “I want you to give me your best shot before I slaughter you all.”
Behind me, a mutant chimera with long, black fur, ribbed horns angled in the opposite direction, darted towards me in a stealthy manner. I waited, relaxing my whole body, and swung back when it had leaped in for the final kill. My blade clashed with its claws, the force and sharpness of the steel overpowering it back. I cut a few inches through its wrist and pulled out, bending my back to avoid a surprise attack from behind. More and more of these mutant savages were pouring into the small room—their numbers playing to their advantage. But on the bright side, it looked like Salyanna was holding her own against the horrendous horde. I don’t know why, but for some reason, I wanted her to survive this accursed nightmare, and return to her people. The feeling behind that logic was truly lost to me, but it was the reason why I had not opened the eye of the abyss.
“Dodge this, Rave,” Zad shrieked, firing an unimaginable barrage of bullets towards him.
He mowed down his minions, who were standing between us, without hesitation as he attempted to kill me. Unable to dodge the nearly, unlimited bullet storm, I planted my feet firmly into the ground, placing my hands in front of me, hoping that my body would endure the attack. It was like someone was placing multiple needles into my body at the same time, a pain I could not find words to describe taking over my mind. I dropped to one knee, my blood pouring like rain, panting heavily. After a long minute, which almost felt like an hour, the bullets stopped, and Zad reached into his pocket, pulling out another cartridge. Despite seeing it for myself, despite knowing him to be crafty, I could not believe that he had maimed me this badly with that small gun. The cartridge, to the untrained eyes, looked like an ordinary bullet magazine, but it was more than that. I think, he had hexed it with some sort of magic, which was the reason why I could not let him reload.
“Salyanna, get out of here,” I screamed out to her, turning my head to face her. “Something bad is about to happen, and if you stay here, you will die.”
“What about you?” she replied, plunging her blade into one of the beasts’ neck. “Will you come with me?”
“No,” I boomed, struggling to stand up, as I felt a loss of power in my legs. “I have to stay here and finish this.”
I fought hard against the darkness inside of me, which was starting to gnash out of my mind in a painful way. I could feel the power coursing through my veins, feeding on my madness and hate. It healed my wounds, strengthening my bloodlust, and drawing more power from the evil aura lingering in the air.
“I can’t leave you here, not like this,” she replied, reluctantly defying my wish, and moving closer to my location, her eyes glowing dimly. “I could never live with myself if I leave you here; much less, leave Jutcer’s body in this place.”
“Idiot, this is not the time to act like a saint,” I hissed at her rudely, placing both of my hands on the ground to stop myself from falling. “They will kill you, Salyanna, because this is a fight to the death.”
“He is right, you know,” a mysterious voice joined in, the source of the voice coming from an opening door. “They are a truly revolting bunch.”
“Mrs. Craft, you are alive?” I asked, feeling at little bit disappointed but glad, at the same time.
“How is this possible?” Zad exclaimed, his lips spacing apart, and a surprise look on his face. “I saw you die, saw your bodies turned to ash by the fire-breather, my greatest creation.”
“You saw what we wanted you to see,” she replied, strolling further into the room, her two men behind her. “You underestimated the Vandrel Guards, a mistake that will cost you dearly, Roger Dozer.”
Dumbfounded, Zad searched for the right words to say, looking angry, but he suddenly brushed his black hair back, calming his mind with a slow exhale. Ignoring the new guest, he focused his attention on reloading his gun, his eyes averted from everything except his trusty gun. The legion of mutant chimera, which stood behind him, their weapons and claws drawn out, shifted nervously around, as they awaited his orders. His control over them was absolute; they could not defy their master, even if their lives depended on it. I could not phantom what sort of horrors he had inflicted upon them to deserve this unwavering loyalty, but……. Just thinking about it made me absolutely angry.
“Professor Roger Dozer, you have been found guilty for a series of heinous crimes, and I, Captain Craft, of the Vandrel Guards, find you guilty and shall sentence you to death.”
“Kill them, too,” he mumbled, still looking at his flintlock, and snorting in a revolting way. “I have grown tired of seeing their faces.”
And upon his command, the mutant monsters charged into action, a few staying behind to fire their flintlocks, while the rest of the horde came at us with their claws and fangs. Fully recovered, I angled my body steadily to the right and threw a left hook, felling a lion-faced chimera, who had decided to lunge at me with its bare fangs. Grabbing his hind paws with both hands, I spun three times around, before releasing him into the direction of the oncoming horde. And in that instant, Zad bolted in my direction—his gun fully loaded, and jumped into the air with elegance—his black cape flailing above him. He descended upon me with a well coordinated aerial attack, forcing me to take a step back. My sword clashed with the muzzle of his gun, small flickers of flames flying in every direction, and a clanking sound erupting from the metal tips of our weapons. Pushing him away, I slashed down at another mutant, severing his left arm from the rest of his body, before slashing him through the chest. Zad, throwing a powerful kick, caught me by surprise and felled me to the ground, the sharp spikes beneath his boots cutting deeply through my right bicep. I yelped in pain silently, curling my injured arm up, my eyes fixated on him, and stood up. He fired another storm of bullets; however, I was in motion so only a few of them were able to graze me. I flipped around, parrying some of the bullets away with my sword befo
re dashing to the right, towards the giant gun. He followed right behind me as expected, firing through his own minions, trying to stop me from reaching his prized weapon.
“You lose, Zad,” I yelled, plunging my sword into the gun’s mechanical gears, sparks of electricity flying everywhere, and rattling noise coming from the jammed up gears.
Strange green energy shot out of metal pipes, unrestrained electric currents discharging violently around the huge, metallic barrel of the weapon. Everyone stopped fighting, turning their heads towards the weapon, as they could also sense the impending danger. I moved back, my feet sloshing on the bloody floor, and my hands covering my eyes from bright light.
“You idiot,” Zad screamed, shoving me to the side, rushing towards his gun and pushing against the levers. “Do you have any idea of the damage you have done. If I don’t stop this machine now, this whole area will be engulfed in radioactive fire.”
“That sounds more like your problem, and not mine,” I sniffed, massaging my arm, as I looked at him: “Like I said before, this is the end for you, old friend.”
16
Loud sirens whirled through the whole complex, massive amounts of steam shooting through the whole room, and the floor shaking violently every ten seconds. I almost stumbled upon a dead body, belonging to a mutant chimera, but I caught myself and balanced out. Zad, still working on shutting down the gun, did not see me approach him from behind: I was not about to let this opportunity slip out of my hands. Grabbing his head, I bashed it against the metal hull anchoring the weapon to the ground, pulling him towards me and felling him to the ground. A loose bolt, knocked off by the building steam, flew out and missed my head by a few inches. Zad kicked me in the shin with his right leg, the spikes on his boots sinking through my right leg, and felled me to the ground. He stood up quickly, panting heavily, blood trickling from his forehead, and pointed his flintlock at me.
“I should kill you,” he muttered, spitting out blood from his mouth, his right fang missing from his mouth. “But right now, stopping this gun from exploding, and taking us all out, is my main priority.”
“Not if I can help it,” I hissed, standing back up, blood gushing out of my leg. “I will not let you do as you like, Zad. I promised the townspeople your head, in exchange for a ship, and that’s what I will give them.”
“We have to get out of here,” Mrs. Craft screamed, forcing me to shift my gaze left, as she raised her right hand up. “If we stay here, we will all die.”
Rolling up, I engaged Zad once more in a duel to the death, a hot gust of wind passing by us, and the floor shaking tremendously beneath our feet. Torn ligaments of our fallen comrades and foes were picked by the wind and thrown in every direction—small traces of blood staining the walls, ground and ceiling. Sparks of electricity flickered around the weapon, a thick wave of noxious steam starting to make it difficult to see everything clearly.
I felt a strong punch connect with my back, and a knee to my stomach; I gasped in pain, releasing my grip on Zad. His hands pressed upon the back of my head, and as I gained control of my senses, I felt my body being lifted off the ground, and thrown to the side. Smashing against the side of gun, a surge of electricity jolting me strongly, I fell to the ground in agonizing pain, and did not move for a few seconds.
“I grow tiresome of you futile efforts,” Zad grumbled, pulling the trigger and shooting me twice in the head. “Perhaps, this ought to slow you down a little.”
The pain was so intense that I blanked out for a second, but opened my eyes again, the bullets unable to kill me. The dark power swirled around my body, healing all of my wounds in a matter of seconds, as I flicked my fingers inwards. My heart beat slowly, my blood oozing from every part of my body, and my head aching painfully. Raising my arms up, I saw my skin turn even darker than before, my nails longer, and my palms rough and rigid. The darkness had truly awakened. I rolled over, standing up to my feet, looking in every direction as I searched for the others. Mrs. Craft, Salyanna, and two other members of the Vandrel Guards were fighting their way towards the eastern door, a group of mutant chimeras surrounding them. And to my left, Zad tinkered with the controls, muttering curses beneath his breath, and pulling out some cords from the back. The temperature inside the whole room had risen—it almost felt like we were standing on the side of an active volcano, a truly frightening feeling. On the ground, I spotted a broad dagger, with a curved spine, a wooden handle with finger grooves, and the blade ten inches long. I picked it up, swinging it in horizontal attack patterns, testing its handle, whilst my eyes were focused on Zad. I charged forward, screaming out my lungs, and slammed Zad into the controls. He looked back, surprised, and screamed, when I plunged the dagger into his chest, and felled him to the ground.
“Let’s go, Rave,” Salyanna screamed, standing by the door, waving towards me. “This whole place is about to go critical—hurry up and come with us.”
“No, I have to stay and buy you time,” I replied, grabbing Zad’s kick with both of my hands, the spikes on his boot unable to penetrate my hardened skin. “Just go and don’t turn back at any cost. I will catch up with you when I am done.”
Zad threw his other foot at me, trying to maim me, but I ducked down and pinned him down by placing my right foot between his legs. Desperate, he drew out his gun, a look of fear plastered on his wretched face, and tried to pull the trigger; however, I managed to wrest it from his right hand with a swift, low kick. A powerful explosion erupted from the muzzle of the gigantic gun, frightening tremors cracking through the concrete floor, and a massive amount of steam spreading thickly through the room. An unexpected shockwave pried me away from Zad, knocking me into the left wall.
“This isn’t over,” Zad screamed, his eyes glowing red, as steam oozed from his body. “I will not let you best me twice, Rave. This time, you will be the one who will perish.”
“Then, by all means, have at it, old friend,” I snickered, twisting my sore neck, before bolting forward, the dagger clutched in my left hand.
Shifting left, within range of close combat—I dodged an unknown projectile and pivoted to the left side. Zad charged in with a right kick, but I grabbed it and pulled him towards the big gun. He shot me in the chest, and as I ignore the pain, I pulled him even closer to his special weapon, planning on throwing him inside the muzzle. Sparks of electricity flashed around us, the currents electrocuting the both of us, and dropping us both to our knees. The floor sunk into a great depression, the steam making visibility impossible, as the muzzle of the gun, engorged in never-ending bowl of fire, lowered to the ground. Twisting his head to the left, trembling, Zad threw a slow punch and I grabbed it, pulling him closer to the burning muzzle.
“Any words, Zad,” I smirked, dipping both of our hands into the fire, which burned as hot as a space ship’s afterburners. “How does pain feel, or is that feeling lost to you?”
“Ironic, right?” he laughed out loud, sweat pouring from his forehead, as the flesh from his arm was synched off, revealing the mechanical modifications beneath his arm. “I said the same thing to you, a while ago, and now you are saying the same thing to me.”
“You will die here,” I proclaimed, standing over him, whilst pulling out our terribly, scarred hands from the flames: “Any last words.”
“Don’t act so high and mighty,” he roared, forcing himself up, and swinging a wild punch. “This is not over, you dumb fool. I will not let you destroy my life’s work, my great ambitions of galactic conquest.”
“Yes, I will,” I laughed, grabbing his punch, growling, and pushing him into the direct line of the flaming muzzle.
I moved back, the ground getting hot, the thick steam burning my eyes, and almost fell over a crack in the ground. Crumbled pieces of the ceiling were falling to the ground, and massive surges of electricity were shooting in every direction. I heard a howling sound, and when I traced the noise to its source, I saw red eyes all over the room, numerous growling noises from several vicious beast
s. It was the mutant chimeras, who had survived and could not escape because of the control he placed on them.
“I will not die,” a voice boomed, a metallic body, harboring a brain encrusted in a solid crystal, breaking through the scorching flames.
Looking back, my mouth open, I could not believe what I was seeing. Zad had turned his body into machine, his organs into gears, bolts, and wires, and had, somehow, transformed his brain into something of fiction. Even his skull was completely metal, which explained the reason behind his unnatural longevity. He was no longer human. Steam hissed from the gears churning inside of him, foul liquids gushing from his abdomen, and whenever he took a step, I heard an annoying squeak from loose chain rings on his thighs. In all honestly, I could say he was done for: this was the chance I was waiting for.
Facing him, ignoring his minions, I ambled towards him, the blade angled by my hip, and a smile on my face. He looked at me with his menacing, red eyes, sparks shooting out of his shoulder, and tried to say something, but I grabbed his head and pushed him back into the flames.
“How does it feel, Zad, to be the one being tortured,” I asked, pulling him out of the flames, and bringing his face close to mine. “Does it feel good to be on the receiving side? Personally, I don’t care about what you did—my agenda with you lies in the ship you cost me, and the mission I failed to complete because of it.”
“You can damage my body, but as long as my brain is encased in this diamond crystal, I will live on forever,” he chuckled, his metallic hands dangling from his sides, the left side of his jaw crooked.
“That seems true,” I replied, digging into his head, and plucking out his brain. “But there are fates much worse than death, old friend. How about I show you the eye of the abyss?”
“Impossible, you, of all people, couldn’t have mastered that dark, ancient magic,” the brain spoke, a thing unheard of, glowing in a green color. “Wait a minute—this explains the source of your power, and your immortality. You are truly an idiot, Rave, to have awakened the abyss, and claimed its power for your own. Sooner than you think, when you least expect it, it will consume and destroy you.”
“Enough talk,” I smiled, walking over and closing every door, the mutant chimeras watching me silently. “This is the part when the fun truly begins.”
I raised my right hand up, and the fire and lightning stopped, the darkness around my body spreading to every corner of the complex. Stillness grew inside the room, the tremors stopping, as the air became stiff. Massive winds roared out, clearing the steam within seconds, and sending a storm of dust and debris into the air.
“I order you all to stop him, right now,” the brain cried, talking to the mutant chimeras.
Like robots, they became mobile again, growling, and drawing out their weapons, corrosive saliva coming out of their mouth. “Kill him, now.”
“Too late, Zad, the eye has already opened.” I smiled, glancing down, and watching this massive red eye open in the ground. “Now that the others are gone, I can finally reveal my true power, and let you suffer for everything you have done. Now, let the carnage begin.”
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank you, dear reader, if you have made it this far without throwing or deleting the book away. Personally, I didn’t like Rave, when I created him, but his side of the story is very vital for my future books to come. There might be some mistakes in this book, and with time, they will be found and corrected.
Other Books
Dark Book Child of the Abyss Book 2 Coming Soon
End Boss Berserk Warfare Book 1
End Boss Berserk Warfare Book 2
Rogue Light Rage of Oblivion
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