Chapter 80: Narrow Escape.
Looking at his eyes, a sense of danger welled up within Reyna's heart.
Lucius' legs never stopped moving as he slowly turned his face to stare at her. Looking at Reyna with a pair of crazed eyes, Lucius' mouth strangely began to drool. His nose began sniffing her scent, as his head started to near her in a strange manner.
Saliva started to drip from the corners of his mouth as he slowly opened his mouth to expose his sharp, white teeth. Extending his tongue, his face neared Reyna's as he licked her pale, beautiful skin.
The aura he was emitting once again returned with greater intensity. It gave off the feeling of an apex predator, looking at the prey it was about to consume.
"No! Stop! Lucius!" seeing his reaction, Reyna instinctively struggled. Unfortunately, her strength was simply too low to resist him.
"Growl...." a beastly sound escaped from his mouth. He tightened his grip over her body and neared her forehead with his mouth. Soul energy began coating his teeth as he intended to bite down on her head.
"STOP!!" Reyna cried.
Just as Lucius was about to bite down with his teeth, a golden light exploded from the crystal in front of him. Lucius' body was suddenly blown back, as he fell into the cold metallic floor. He lost his grip over Reyna's body as he slid away from her.
Sliding back a few meters, Lucius' body immediately corrected itself. Crouching on the floor with his four limbs, he cautiously looked up and growled at the golden crystal.
Ka'lor'ah floated in the air, between Lucius and Reyna. She had noticed Lucius' change earlier and immediately reacted with her energy to save Reyna.
"Wake up!" an extremely cold voice spoke.
"GROWL!!" Lucius growled loudly once again, before jumping towards Ka'lor'ah.
"Humph! A mere beast dares to attack me." she grunted before sending another wave to energy towards Lucius.
A golden ray cut through the air, heading in the direction of Lucius' body. Its speed was incomparably quick as it was aimed at Lucius' body which was mid-air.
A sense of danger and panic flashed through his eyes, as he immediately curled his body to avoid the attack. Circulating the soul power in his body, Lucius tried to form a barrier to neutralize this attack.
Regrettably, the amount of soul power he had in his body was in serious deficient. With the pitiful amount that remained, he could not do anything and had to withstand the attack with his body.
Bang!
Lucius' body was thrown back by the attack. Another wound was added in his body, exposing the muscles in his chest. Blood dripped from the wound, slowly forming a pool under his body.
"Roar...." he let out a small cry, similar to that of wounded animals.
Lucius' body once again returned on his limbs as he slowly circled around Ka'lor'ah. His body was slightly limping as he cautiously observed the crystal in the air. After receiving that injury, the beastly instincts warned him not to get closer.
Lucius was no longer conscious and in control of his body. The state of hunger had once again overtaken his body, returning his beastly self.
"Reyna, slowly approach that bag which was fallen in the sides. Reach in and grab the bottles present inside." Ka'lor'ah instructed with a serious voice.
After being abruptly thrown by Lucius, Reyna's body had fallen quite heavily on the ground. Her face was still pale, with her eyes still containing a trace of fear. Her hands rubbed the spot where his tongue had licked her in the cheek.
She understood that something was currently wrong with Lucius, leading to him to attack her.
Looking at Lucius who was behaving similar to a wild beast, Reyna's heart clenched in worry.
'This is all my fault!' she blamed herself within her mind.
Having heard the sudden instruction, she immediately nodded her head and acted. Foring the negative thoughts in her mind, she moved.
Approaching the bag, which was lying in the side, Reyna reached her hand into it. Her hands immediately came into contact with cold glass bottles. The bottles contained a blue liquid which sparkled against the light.
Picking up some of the bottles in her hands, Reyna spoke.
"Got them, what do I do next?"
"Break them and throw it in his direction. Quick, we don't have much time left." Ka'lor'ah continued.
Holding on either sides of the bottles, Reyna exerted some force with her small hands.
Crick!
With a crisp breaking sound, the bottles broke leaking with a blue liquid. Immediately she threw it towards Lucius and continued to do so with the other bottles.
Looking at the bottles flying towards him, Lucius used his hands to swipe at them. The bottles upon meeting his hands, completely broke spilling the contents onto his hands and the floor below.
Sniff. Sniff.
Smelling a somewhat attractive scent of the liquid, Lucius neared his hands to his nose. Smelling it a couple more times, he cautiously licked it.
Immediately his eyes widened as Lucius ferociously began consuming the liquid from his hands and the floor. As Reyna continued throwing the bottles, Lucius continued to lick them off the floor, ingesting them into his body.
The glaring wounds, present in his body, rapidly started closing up. The skin scabbed in a few seconds and the scabs immediately fell of within the next couple of seconds. Shiny, smooth white skin replaced the previous wounds present in his chest and back.
As he finished consuming the 6th bottle of fluid, the madness within his eyes promptly receded. A light of reason, once again shone within his eyes as the crimson color retreated to allow the black to come forth.
Lucius' crouched body immediately stiffened it's actions as he slowly stood up. Standing on his two feet, Lucius stared at his body. the wounds on his front and back were completely healed and his previously empty soul power had been restored by 10%.
Lifting his head back up, Lucius indifferently asked.
"Did I attack?"
"Yes.", Ka'lor'ah nonchalantly said.
Looking at Reyna who was sitting on the ground with a few bruises present in her hands and legs, watching him with a confused expression, he turned his gaze away from her and said.
"I see. We'll talk about this later."
Walking forward, he once again reached out his hands towards the girl sitting on the floor. Reyna looked at Lucius' face for a second before looking at his hands. A hesitant expression flashed across her face, before she eventually bit her lips and took his hands.
Lifting her up and carrying her, Lucius grabbed his bag and continued to run towards the emergency escape station. He acted like nothing had happened.
Reyna's face still carried a confused and hesitant expression, as she avoided to look at Lucius' face. The beast like manner, he had acted before confused Reyna. Somehow, she had a feeling that it was partly her fault.
Seeing Lucius lose his sanity and turn into a beast made her greatly worry.
Suddenly, she heard Lucius' indifferent voice sound out near her ears once again.
"It's not your fault, don't blame yourself. This isn't the first time this has happened. Something happens inside my body, turning me like that."
Biting her lips, she worriedly asked, "Why does it happen?"
Letting out a small sigh, Lucius replied, "I don't know."
A silence spread between them. Each musing about their own thoughts. The only sounds heard were that of Lucius running and the occasional sound of something hitting the ship.
{WARNING: IMMINENT DESTRUCTION IN T-MINUS 40 SECONDS!}
And that of the AI.
----------------------------
Lucius made it towards the other emergency escape station along with Reyna. Looking at the large room, there were no crowds present.
Due to the presence of this emergency station being quite remote with it being present in the other corner of the mechanical lab section, not a lot of people seemed to have made it here.
{WARNING: IMMINENT DESTRUCTION IN T-MINUS 20 SECONDS!}
"We don't have a lot of time." saying so, Lucius immediately dashed towards the emergency escape pods present.
Some of them seemed to have been damaged, due the earlier impact. A large amount of debris had fallen of some of the machines, blocking their access.
{WARNING: IMMINENT DESTRUCTION IN T-MINUS 10 SECONDS!}
Running around, Lucius found one pod which was in a relatively good condition. Not bothering to search anymore, he immediately entered the pod. Reyna jumped down from Lucius' arms and immediately rushed towards the control panel.
She did not require any instruction from him to know what to do. Mechanical devices were speciality after all.
"It's seems to be in good condition. We can immediately set off. Fasten yourself." scanning the control panel, Reyna pressed the screen a few times and input a set of commands. She then instructed Lucius.
Nodding his head, he looked around and sat down on the only seat available inside the pod. Unfortunately, the type they had chosen was a single-seater.
After Reyna finished her input of instructions. She hit one of the buttons present in the panel and the door to the pod immediately closed. Turning around, she was also stunned to realize that only a single seat was present.
Lucius, did not say anything but simply spread his hands and motioned her to sit atop his lap.
The adrenaline from earlier had worn off Reyna at this moment. Staring at his actions, a hot flush rose to her face. An odd feeling of expectation rose within her heart.
Shyly looking up at Lucius' face, she realized it was completely emotionless. That feeling within her heart immediately died.
'Can't you at least react a little! Am I that unattractive?!' she grumbled within her mind, yet proceeded to sit atop Lucius.
Immediately Lucius used the belt present to tie himself and Reyna to the seat. Securing their position. they calmly waited.
{Ejecting in 5....4....3...2....1...Ejection successful.}
The mechanical voice of the onboard AI sounded.
With a sudden movement, which jerked both of their bodies, the pod immediately started falling down. The sound of heavy objects, hitting the space station sounded out behind them.
Reyna closed her eyes and prayed for the people inside it reaching safety. Unlike Lucius she could not bring herself to be unfeeling towards her fellow humans. They quietly continued to fall downwards.
Their destination.. the planet of Deatov.