Rafflesia hissed in displeasure as more light poured in from the opening above, she had moved to attack both her opponents as they were off-balance, startled by the ensuing shockwave. Yet that same blast had also shattered what was left of the officer’s cabin above, allowing the unobstructed light to wash over their battlefield below deck. The dark tendrils of shadow recoiling from the new enemy, the edges smoking, dissipating under the continuous illumination.
Impatient, and sensing the weakness in Maatilani’s defenses, the parasitic being sought to eliminate the softer of the two targets. Any opportunities for attacking would be reduced the longer the sunlight lasted, eating away at her source of cover and rejuvenation. However, just as she rushed out, blades hands ready to carve through the man’s flesh, Rafflesia winced, she could not stop her momentum, but she desperately tried. A reality that was not lost upon either of her opponents, her speed had decreased considerably in that moment, but what was more noticeable were the shadows around her, they were slowly losing their essence.
The deep impenetrable darkness thinned at first, then it was gone, what was left could not keep up with the rapid movements of Rafflesia and the sunlight quickly melted away whatever shadows could. If a power was holding this dark mist in place, powering it, and commanding it, that power had either been cut off or it had disappeared, neither of which was beneficial to the creature stuck mid-attack without support. Like a soldier whose weapon had fallen apart the moment before they attacked, Rafflesia was left stunned and confused, barely able to defend herself as Malakos thrust his spear forward, piercing the vile creature.
“I’ll kill you!” It was at this moment that Malakos finally let loose his pent-up rage, rushing forward dragging the inhuman creature along the ground before smashing her into the wall. His spear impaling her chest and pinning her against the wooden frame at her back.
Rafflesia raised her arms, tried to fight back, to use her extra limbs to pull away, but the screaming man gave her no chance. Releasing his hold on the spear, Malakos pulled out his sidearm, a short, curved bronze sword. In that instance he threw all his training to the wind, and like a madman swung his sword repeatedly, hacking away at the creature in front of him. In desperation Rafflesia tried to appear innocent, making use of her hosts youthful features, yet Malakos quickly hacked those to pieces, within minutes leaving a mangled corpse of flesh and wood behind. It would be difficult to tell what the thing pinned to the wall had even been before, resembling instead a wet bloody mass, like one might find hanging in the local butcher’s shop.
Malakos body shook with each laborious breath, his muscles tensed up from exertion as sweat drenched the linens underneath his armor. After feeling that his job was done, he fell to the ground, laying spread eagle on the bloody floorboards, caring little for the filth. He had avenged his mother, the creature was dead, hacked into bloody chunks like a common beast.
“Do you feel a little better now?” Maatilani placed an understanding hand upon his head, the man simply responded with an exhausted smile. Taking hold of her wrist, Malakos pulled himself up into a sitting position, his gaze set upon the mangled body pinned to the wall.
“Not really, killing that thing doesn’t bring her back… but it does help numb the pain just a bit. The knowledge that this thing won’t hurt anyone else makes me feel a little better though.” Malakos glanced down at his blood-stained sword, the edge was worn down, large cracks running along its frame, threatening to shatter with so much as a tap. “What are those monsters even made of? Look at my sword, it’s a mess, I’m surprised it didn’t break halfway through my attack.”
Maatilani quickly glanced over at Malakos’s sword, then over to her own weapon, the spear head had also been worn down. Her ability having put such immense pressures upon it that hairline fractures could be seen running all along its face. “Yeah, you might be right, iron and bronze are not strong enough for what we require. With all the new abilities some of us have gained, we would need more steel. But the problem with that is obvious, it takes to long to make, and the quantity isn’t enough.”
Upon mention of powers and abilities Malakos couldn’t help but hang his head in disappointment. “I can feel the rest of you getting even further away. I was already the weakest of the old guard, but now that some of you have been imbued with that power, the gulf will only become wider… It seems as if the fates are constantly working against me, what is wrong with my body that makes it unable to contain that energy.” Malakos slammed his fist down onto the bloody floorboards, splashing the duo in crimson droplets. “For how long will I be forced to watch? To be shielded… I can feel that the world around us is changing. It’s not the same anymore, and I fear what happened once before will happen again… I don’t want to lose you Maati, you are for all intents and purposes my only real family now.”
Maatilani released a long-drawn-out breath, and then before Malakos could react she smacked the back of his head with her left hand. The force of the open palm sent him face first into the puddle around his feet. “Stop thinking like that, you have your own capabilities. Who else can ensure that the supply lines are secure? That our rear-guard is ready to move when needed? And where else will we find someone so beloved by his troops that they would risk their lives to cover the main army’s retreat time and again? You need to stop placing everything upon your shoulders, rely on your men… and rely on me.” Maatilani acted just like an older sibling would after disciplining the youngsters, she reached down, lifting the filth-stained man onto his feet, and dusting him off the best she could.
“You didn’t get powers, so what? You’ve got other skills, and maybe the Lord will come up with another way for those without powers to contribute. Do you really believe he will just sit around raise his hands in defeat and accept that reality? No, he will find a way to make use of everything… that’s what makes it so fun by his side. You can never know what to expect next.” Maatilani gave her aide and adopted brother a big hug, threatening to crush his already powerless frame, before pulling away. “Speaking of our mighty Lord, we should secure the corpse. I’m sure he will wish to examine it for whatever reason.”
Having made the decision, the two made their way over to the mutilated creature, they would need to secure it for later experiments that the Scholar would undoubtedly wish to carry out upon it. “How many more of these things do you think there are? Will we need an army of enhanced-” Malakos did not get the chance to complete his thoughts as a shard of black ichor encrusted wood smashed into his side. The jagged piece luckily having been stopped by his bronze chest piece, but still causing a minor gash and knocking the wind right out of him.
Maatilani had been closer, luckily her ability managed to negate most of the damage, however the excessive use of her power had drawn out what little reserves had been remaining. She was not injured, but she was stunned for a moment and drained of energy. While the two were in such a state, a small black shape darted out from the now shattered ribcage of Rafflesia’s previous host. A root entwined swallowtail emerged from within and immediately darted for safety, avoiding both fighters and making its escape through the opening above.
Malakos could only curse through gritted teeth as he watched the corpse bulb once again make its escape, this time having hidden its escape vessel within its host. Both warriors cursed themselves for letting down their guard, for believing the thing was dead while forgetting the sheer tenacity for survival it had shone previously. They could only hope that someone else would be able to deal with it, lest it be given time to rest, recuperate and grow.
Well, hello again.
If there is one thing Rafflesia is good at, its worming her way out of hairy situations. Hope you enjoy seeing where this goes, because it will be enjoyable... for me.
Also Don't forget to check out my new series, I'll be dropping a new chapter today, so enjoy.
Alpha-7: Book 1 Foundations
