Author's Note: Unedited Chapter --------------------- Angy seized the opening, appearing behind Zaul and landing a powerful kick to the back of his head. He stumbled forward but quickly recovered, unleashing a wave of energy that sent her crashing into a console. "Stay down, puny human," Zaul growled before turning back to E.E. "Not likely," Angy groaned while darting forward again. She moved so fast that she created afterimages, confusing Zaul as she struck him from multiple angles. E.E. added to the chaos, creating vortexes around Zaul that redirected his own attacks back at him. Zaul roared in frustration as his energy blasts struck his armor, causing it to spark and flicker. "You're outpowered, Zaul whatever your name was," E.E. smirked. "Just give up already." "Never," Zaul snarled as his tattoos glowed brighter while he prepared a massive attack. ... The interior of this Gustavo Alliance vessel was a labyrinth of dimly lit corridors, pulsating conduits, and looming steel walls. A faint, metallic vibration reverberated through the air, punctuated by the occasional hiss of steam escaping from pipes. The place was vast, its design utilitarian but foreboding, an ideal fortress for the nefarious activities of the Alliance. Aildris, Elevora, and Falco crept through the dim corridors with careful yet purposeful movements. They had entered through a hatch on the far side of the vessel, opened remotely by E.E. from the control room. Their mission was to find and neutralize the commander overseeing this vessel, while E.E. and Angy maintained lockdown. Aildris raised his hand, gesturing for silence. His glowing multicolored flickered faintly as he scanned the area. "They'll know we're here soon enough. Elevora, can you sense anything?" Elevora third eye glowed faintly as she concentrated. "The life signatures are dense in this section. A lot of them are clustered a few corridors ahead. If we go that way, it's going to get messy." Falco grinned upon hearing this. "Messy? That's my specialty. Let's introduce ourselves." Aildris shot him a warning glance. "Stay sharp. This isn't a game." The trio moved forward cautiously, but their stealth didn't last long. As they turned a corner, they found themselves face-to-face with a squad of Gustavo Alliance members—a mix of armored reptilian humanoids and insectoids with chitinous exoskeletons. "Intruders!" one of the reptilian soldiers hissed while raising an energy weapon. The corridor exploded into chaos as the Gustavo soldiers opened fire. Aildris raised his hand as he moved and an multicolored wave swept through the air, deflecting the incoming projectiles. The soldiers staggered under the energy suppression field as their movements slowed as if they were wading through water. "Elevora!" Aildris called. Elevora stepped forward as her third eye flared brightly. A beam of purple energy shot from the glowing eye, striking the nearest soldier. The beam didn't just wound—it shrank the soldier's weapon to the size of a pebble, leaving him defenseless. Falco on the other hand, lunged forward with his arm morphing into a dark blade. He ducked under a swipe from one of the insectoid soldiers, spinning to deliver a precise strike that severed one of its clawed arms. "Messy enough for you?" he quipped. "Focus, Falco!" Aildris barked, as he sent another wave of multicolored energy rippling through the corridor, sending several soldiers crashing into the walls. Despite their initial success, more soldiers poured into the corridor. In the control room, the battle between E.E., Angy, and Zaul raged on. The room was a chaotic mess of shattered consoles, flickering holodisplays, and the hum of failing systems. Zaul stood in the center of the room as his silver tattoos glowed with an eerie light while he unleashed bursts of energy. His movements were quick and relentless. Angy blurred forward creating shockwaves with her speed as she darted around Zaul, aiming strikes at his midsection. But Zaul anticipated her moves, his tattoos flaring as he conjured a barrier of shimmering energy that sent her flying backward. E.E., standing near the control panel, opened a vortex in the path of Zaul's next attack. The energy blast disappeared into the vortex, reappearing behind Zaul but he swiftly sidestepped, evading it. "Don't take me for a fool. I learn from my mistakes," Zaul growled while turning toward E.E. "You're a pest, vortex boy. Let's see how well you fight up close." He lunged forward as his fists glowed with energy. E.E. narrowly dodged the first punch, opening a vortex to teleport himself across the room. "Angy, a little help here!" Angy was already moving. She appeared behind Zaul in an instant. She landed a powerful kick to the back of his knee, causing him to stagger. "I've got you, vortex boy. Try to keep up," she voiced sarcastically, causing E.E to shudder. The two worked in tandem as Angy using her speed to keep Zaul off balance while E.E. redirected his attacks with his spatial manipulation. Despite their efforts, Zaul's power was immense, and his resilience made him a formidable opponent. --- Back in the corridors, Aildris, Elevora, and Falco were fighting desperately against the seemingly endless wave of Gustavo alliance soldiers. The smell of burnt metal and the sound of energy blasts filled the vicinity. Elevora created a barrier of purple energy, shielding the group from an incoming volley of projectiles. "We can't keep this up forever! We need a plan!" Aildris eyes narrowed. "We push through. The commander has to be close. Falco, take point. Elevora, cover us. Let's move." Falco charged forward slicing through the enemy ranks with his dark blade. Figures were smoothly cleaved in two while Falco did his best to limit his power so as not to end up destroying the entire vessel from the inside out. Fortunately, he had managed to carve a path through the enemy ranks. Aildris followed, sapping color from the surroundings and slowing their opponents, while Elevora fired purplish beams from her third eye to incapacitate the most dangerous threats. "We'd better find him." Falco shouted as he slashed through a towering reptilian soldier. "We will," Aildris replied with a calm voice despite the chaos. "Keep moving. We're almost there." --- In the control room, Zaul was beginning to show signs of strain. His movements were slower, his energy blasts less precise. E.E. and Angy seized the opportunity to press their advantage. "You're not rebooting anything," E.E. voiced while opening a vortex beneath Zaul's feet. The vortex pulled at him, destabilizing his stance. Angy appeared behind Zaul, delivering a rapid series of punches to his midsection. "Stay down, big guy." Zaul roared as he gathered energy from every inch of his tattoos and unleashed a wave of energy that sent both E.E. and Angy flying. He turned toward the control panel, his intent clear. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚 "Oh no, you don't!" E.E. shouted, opening a vortex in front of the control panel. The vortex absorbed Zaul's hand as he reached for the controls, sending it through another vortex that dropped it harmlessly into empty space. He tightened his fist and the vortex instantly closed around Zaul's hand, causing it to get severed immediately. "Arrghhh!" Raul screamed in pain as blood gurgled out from where his hand was supposed to be located. Angy darted forward and delivered a devastating kick to Zaul's chest. He got sent flying towards the other end as his chest caved in and his glowing tattoos dimmed. "It's over, Zaul," Angy voiced with a cold tone. Zaul sank to his knees. "You… won't… win…" he growled while vomiting a mouthful of blood before collapsing. --- The metallic corridor leading to the Commander's room echoed with the sound of footsteps and occasional grunts as Aildris, Elevora, and Falco swiftly dealt with the last of the guards. The walls were lined with faintly glowing conduits, pulsating with the lifeblood of the ship's energy systems. Six Gustavo Alliance guards blocked the massive reinforced door leading to the commander's quarters. They were armored in black suits with glowing red visors, wielding energy lances that crackled with deadly power. Falco stepped forward as his dark hair fell over one eye while he smirked. "Six of you? Too less..." The guards snarled, readying their weapons, but before they could act, dark, writhing tentacles phased out of Falco's body. The inky appendages moved with terrifying speed, snatching the guards off their feet and slamming them into the walls. Heads bursted open but the tentacles weren't done. It ripped some in two halves and flung their remains to a far distance. "Falco, was that necessary?" Aildris multicolored eyes shimmered as he surveyed the carnage. Green and purple blood splattered the corridor, painting the walls in gruesome hues. "Necessary? No. Fun? Definitely," Falco replied, his grin widening as the tentacles tore another one guard in half, spraying the floor with viscous green liquid. Elevora sighed as her third eye glowed faintly. She slowly stepped past the carnage. "You could have at least let us interrogate one of them. Now we'll never know what's waiting inside."