Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
VROG
Rolling my shoulders, I grin malevolently at the filth before me as my vessel’s body grows in height and bulk, my immediate presence instigating the physiological changes in his body.
Another set of horns erupts from my skull, and the burn of their emergence sends shivers of pleasure racing down my spine.
Armor-plated scales emerge to cover me entirely, making it almost impossible to pierce my flesh with any weapon.
Reaching down, I carefully fasten the buckles of the haversack to my utility belt, ensuring my talons are pointed away, and double-check that the top is securely fastened.
I do not want to lose either of the precious cargo within its confines.
Bikar wanted the tech off this steaming pile of excrement for a reason, and I fully intend to know why.
From the corner of my eye, I note the subtle bodily movements of my foes. The Korgons are trying to slowly surround me, cutting off my avenue of escape.
Well.
That will not do. I have a mate to get back to.
Without warning, I lunge at the biggest one of the three, piercing his abdomen with the blade on the end of my tail and ripping his throat out with my fully extended talons.
I use my flexible spine to flip over his head and land on his other side, kicking him forward towards his comrades.
His intestines spill out before he topples over.
The male is dead. He just does not know it yet.
The male gurgles, desperately trying to push his intestines within his body with one set of hands and grasps his missing throat with the other.
Leering at the other two who gape at me, I crook a blood-soaked finger, intentionally taunting them into action, and they do not disappoint. Their species really is not the brightest mentally. In unison, they charge, trying to overwhelm me with a dual attack.
Tsking at their boldness, I glare when I realize both are wielding massive clubs embedded with spikes.
One hit from that, and my day is going to go to shet.
It is doubtful the metal protrusions will puncture my hide, but that will not prevent my bones from breaking if either strikes me with enough force.
Whirling, I duck one club only to have to dive to the side to avoid the other, while simultaneously dodging their clawed hands, of which there are many.
“Command, this is Abigor. Send all available warriors to the cargo bay. We have an intruder.”
Frack, that does not bode well.
Reaching down, I draw both curved sickles from my sides with a flourish, brandishing them at my enemies with a taunting grin. I can handle a handful of Korgons, but what I cannot do is win against an entire ship of them.
I am good, but I am not that good.
Not that I would ever admit that out loud to Murgul—he does not need to know I do, in fact, have limitations.
Glancing around the cargo bay, I look for something I can use to get away from these beasts, all while avoiding their various attacks.
To my dismay, this area is open and boasts nothing useful.
Using my tail and both sickles to block their heavy blows is no easy feat, but I am no mere being.
I am Vrog of the WarWrath. Neither of my foes are unscathed, and it is a testament to my warrior prowess.
Both are bleeding from various wounds while I remain wholly unharmed by their litany of attempts to maim.
Vibrations emanating from the floor tell me I am about to have more company than I can handle.
I need to end this quickly, or else I am going to be overrun.
Clicking the tiny organ at the back of my throat, I inhale deeply before igniting my firestarter and exhaling a stream of flames upon my assailants, making sure they are completely overwhelmed in fire before I run out of breath.
Their screams and bellows of pain are like music to my ears as I watch them writhe on the floor, their skin sloughing from their bodies.
Laughing manically, I take a second deep breath, ignite my firestarter once again, and let loose a second stream of flame on their vulnerable, twitching bodies.
When they can do nothing but lie there and moan, I consider them neutralized and turn to leave.
Sacrificing stealth for speed, I sprint along the side of the room back to the door I entered through, while I keep my tail wrapped around the fragile cargo at my side.
It would not do if I killed the poor thing before I could gift it to my precious one.
Skidding through the partially open door, I use my talons to propel myself through the tight space and around the corner.
Thunderous booming from deep within the ship announces the impending arrival of more hulking Korgons.
Racing down the corridor, I notice something lining the bay, and inspiration strikes a tic later.
Slamming to a halt just as I reach the door I entered through earlier, I use my tail to slice the tubing affixed to the wall, allowing the gas within to sift into the corridor, overwhelming the oncoming horde of Korgons.
Sneering at the colossal blue bychit in the lead, I kick the door open behind me as I click my firestarter, exhale, and aim the stream of fire at the plume of colorless gas filtering into the passageway.
I watch the gas ignite and the look of horrified surprise flit across the lead Korgon’s face, before slithering into the safety of the maintenance room.
The percussion of the explosion radiates through the entire ship a tic after the door closes, thankfully sealing me away from harm.
Unfortunately, I am not completely fireproof.
Hurriedly stepping into the biosuit, I strap it on, cursing at the tight fit around my added bulk before I ensure my tiny stowaway is secure.
Scooping the face mask off the floor, I press it on as Bikar’s concerned voice sounds in my ear.
“Murgul! What the frack did you do?! The entire Korgon ship is on fire! If you don’t leave now, you might not make it back! ”
Silently mimicking the whinging fracker, I hit the release to depressurize the room, and then the secondary release to the exterior door, before Bikar can work his tech and do it remotely.
If he is to be believed, we do not have time for that.
Snatching up the snap ring from the hook, I connect it securely to the biosuit and quickly double-check the connection.
Using the wrist comm, I type out a short message to Bikar, letting him know that he can initiate the reel on the tether, and brace myself.
Less than a tic later, I am being rapidly propelled away from the ticking time bomb that is the colonial liner towards the tentative safety of the Zenith.
It is only a matter of time before the fire reaches the fuel system, and if our ship is not out of range when the Korgon vessel explodes, we might all greet the ancestors.
Bikar knows this. Which is why he’s turned the Zenith around and is moving her away from the Korgon ship whilst reeling me in at the same time.
He is a rather clever fracker, not that I would ever willingly admit that out loud…
to anyone. I would not want the flattery to go to his already oversized head.
Grabbing hold of the tether, I use it to rotate my body so I can watch the fruits of my labor blazing in the vast darkness of the Void.
The sight before me is one I relish.
Not every being can say they single-handedly destroyed a colony ship, let alone one belonging to a species as formidable as the Korgons.
Just as the exterior door of the Zenith closes in front of me, I see the Korgon ship erupt in a fiery conflagration, and brace for impact when the shockwave from the explosion reaches us.
Thanks to Bikar’s quick thinking, the Zenith made it to the edge of the danger zone with time to spare, and the ship does nothing more than violently shudder as we make our escape.
Murgul is going to lose what is left of our sanity when he wakes back up. I. Can. Not. Wait.