A trail of smoke wafted from shattered stone fingers, followed by the sickening crunch of bone. Raen winced as she knelt over. Ebbing the flow of miasma, she clutched the remains of her pistol, which was reduced to a twisted wrist and three broken fingers.
But the Lizardman was not yet done.
He pushed off the wall, his remaining stone fingers closing around Raen’s throat with a crushing grip, pinning her to the cold metallic floor. He drove his knees into her remaining hand and the other into her abdomen, till she broke into a coughing fit.
Brushing his snout against her cheek, he dripped a venomous whisper past streaked purple. “My, my, look how the tables have turned. Here I thought I was the deceiver.” Curving his forked tongue around the edge of her face, he nibbled on an earlobe.
Struggling against her bonds, she squirmed and kicked, rabid screams escaping her salt stained, parched throat.
“That’s the sssound I want to hear,” said the Lizardman, tightening his grip on her. “You oughta take a look at the expression you’re wearing. The dissconnect between psssyche and body isss a wonderful paradox, isssn’t it?” In a moment of fierce intensity, he surged forward, his entire being pouring over Raen. Every scale on his conquering frame quivered with primal excitement, relishing the taste of fear and desperation.
Lost in inebriety, his vision burned black. Pain stabbed at his dulled consciousness, knocking him over the side.
“Who the hell wasss that!?” Rolling over to his left flank, the Lizardman shook off the bleariness. He found a bound, scrawny male with clenched fists, trying to push himself off the ground. “Brat, you have any idea what you’ve done?”
Cowering in fear, the scrawny male squirmed towards Raen, nudging her with renewed vigour.
“No point running to her. Look at thosse glazed eyess of herss. They hold nothing but the vulnerability of trapped prey before the predator, that isss me!” Shaping the remnants of his shattered stone fingers into a spearhead, he inched towards the bound male.
The Lizardman shook from side to side, as he tried steadying his balance, past the bumpy ride.
“Nice and easssy doesss it.” He took his time walking over, his stone spear, bearing a dull gleam.
All of a sudden, his makeshift weapon slid from his target towards the ceiling. He lurched forward, as the surroundings erupted into chaos. He had no choice but to dispel his weapon, if he were to avoid gutting himself by accident. A splash of water cut through, flinging the trio into the air like a sudden gust of wind. His massive frame slammed against solid steel with a jarring impact, causing him to groan in pain.
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Meanwhile, Raen was flung against a seat, her body juddered by the force of the sudden upheaval. The scrawny male rolled about from side to side, caught in the tumultuous whirlwind of motion.
The chaos ensued in an endless tangle of limbs and metal, leaving the Lizardman on the precipice of unconsciousness. By the time the frenetic journey came to a screeching halt, he clutched the side of his head, his vision blurred and his senses reeling from the aftermath. Amidst the confused haze, the burst of a pink bubble entered the peripherals of his vision, before it all went dark.
Macie billowed a relieved sigh, stretching her arms over her head. “Looks like we made it folks.” Assessing the scenario before her, she realised she was the only conscious one onboard. “This is a fine mess, I will give it that.”
Scratching the back of her head, her silhouette shimmered with each step she took, eyeing the cluster of indentations along the walls of her plane. A plethora of criticisms slid through her mind, but for the moment she let it pass.
Her gaze shifted to the morning sun breaking past the horizon lighting the shabby runway, beside her watery parking ground, before reverting her attention back to the indented walls.
“What?” Her eyes slid back to the bobbing water, over her floats, the water stained red as a path was traced to the back of the plane. A jolt ran down her spine, when the backdoor popped open.
At the mouth of the entrance stood a half-naked crimson smeared male. His jacket hung loosely off his shredded frame, sheathing an exposed liver with a patchwork of flesh and skin, missing half his head.
Cracking his neck, he stretched his legs, assessing the scene in front of him. “Seems like I missed out on… whatever this is.” Waddling over to Raen, he ran an eye over her unconscious form, touching his fingers to her neck. He intensified his gaze, assessing her pulse. A sigh of relief parted his lips before long. “Hope you don’t mind the bloodstains,” he said, slinging her over his shoulders, with a sudden jerk. “Oh, by t-the way, t-the mission said t-to leave the t-target with you, yeah?”
The redhead motioned with his chin towards the unconscious, groaning male. Blood trickled off his lips from his open skull.
“Aye.” Macie raised an eyebrow, taking a tentative step towards the redhead. “I thought Raen did not find you after the mission. How did you manage to get here?”
“Check your propellers next time before running someone through. Luckily, the floats kept me… afloat.” He shifted his twitching gaze towards the stirring Lizardman in the corner, snoring away. “What about him?”
“He is not on the agenda.”
“I should kill him then.” He shifted Raen’s weight, staggering his way towards the reptilian demon. “If he’s the same to her, as that torturous scum was to me, then...”
The redhead stopped in his tracks, listing his head sideways. He stared at the fallen scaly demon with a pause. His ears dribbled crimson down his cheekbones.
“No, I wouldn’t want someone else to do it. This is her battle.”
He clambered out the door, limping his way out the exit.
He struggled, lugging along his partner, as the trickling blood over his wounds began patching up.
Macie watched him till he disappeared into the horizon, a sly grin tugging at the corner of her lips.