A Sinner's Eden

Chapter 168 - EVO

***Tirnanog, Aerie Flagship***

***Mary Frost***

I glared worriedly at the global UI notification. The small wall of text appeared at an inconvenient moment, but at the same time its urgency couldn’t be ignored.

Gaia sent the announcement to everyone only one or two minutes after Thich's forces attacked the flagship in full force. If the contents were to be believed, then Zacharias managed to improve his clones with additional mutations, aimed at taking out targets he identified as being of high value.

Normally, the enigmatic ‘goddess’ was extremely tight-lipped when it came to any form of communication with her subjects – except for when the topic concerned the two pet-projects she had taken under her personal supervision, so I wasn’t inclined to ignore the importance of such a warning.

I quickened my steps from a fast walk to a light run when additional follow-up reports came over the tactical channel, added by normal soldiers in reaction to Gaia’s warning. Some messages spoke of Felix dying to take out the clone who attacked the upper deck.

I did not want to believe it.

Torn between grief over the death of an old comrade and doing what I already set out to do, I wasted precious seconds without thinking.

Vanya predicted the Thich were after the wormgate, so when the attack began, I decided the best spot for me to be would be there. With my capabilities still diminished, I wouldn't be of much use chasing Zach's clones around the battlefield. Whereas already being at their target was a much better use of my power.

Wouldn't I be one of those 'high value' targets as far as Zach was concerned? If the reports were to be believed, he had already gotten Felix for not much more than the death of a single clone. It was an unacceptable trade as far as I was concerned.

Should I be running towards the fighting?

Then again, being alone when there was a clone who could counter my abilities would be exactly what Zacharias wanted. Gilbert was at the wormgate, and he wouldn't be defeated. Despite the jovial blacksmith's nature, he was one of the stronger elders.

Making up my mind, I began running once more.

Only to come to a stop when I heard the sound of fighting up ahead. Steeling myself, I allowed my filaments to flow over my body and transform into an invincible armour. At the same time, the familiar form of a blade took shape on my right arm.

The fighting was at the corridor intersection leading right to the wormgate. How could the enemy have gotten there so quickly? We established several checkpoints to delay invading parties, should the ship be invaded.

As soon as I entered the scene, the 'why' was quite obvious.

Something melted a straight path through the ship. There was a gaping hole with glowing edges in one of the walls.

And there were two of Zach's clones standing in front of the door which led to the wormgate. Behind them, some Thich soldiers were fighting with our guards.

One of the clones had his hands on the heavy metal doors and it looked like he was slowly melting himself through it, similar to what I could do when I activated the core in my chest.

Zacharias would get a bad surprise if he got that door open. Not that I would let him.

There was no doubt Aerie would send their strongest reserves if this side of the gate was in danger.

The other clone was grinning and had a device pointed straight at me, and it was clicking like a Geiger counter. “Aaah, the bane of radioactivity.” Zach lowered the device and drew a dagger. “If I had known you would come straight to me, I wouldn't have brought this toy along.” ȒÅ𐌽ô𝐁ĚꞨ

I decided not to allow him to gloat and rushed straight at him. If the clone behind him was meant to fight me with his heat while I couldn't activate my third form, then I had to take out this one quickly.

But the clone who was melting through the door didn't pay me any attention while the other Zacharias straightened his back in a strange manner, pushing out his chest. Then the cloth on his chest burst apart, and noise hit my entire body as if I had run into a wall.

I stumbled, no longer in full control of myself as my innards revolted. I retched, but the filaments covering my mouth prevented me from expelling anything. At the same time, my vision blurred and I fell to my knees.

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Sound.” Zacharias took a few steps closer. “Such a trivial thing. Who knew it could be deadly if applied the right way?”

I looked up, only realizing that the clone's exposed chest was an array of strange bulges, like a frog's vocal sac duplicated several times over.

Growling, I tried to get up when another wave hit me, physically pushing me back until I landed on my back. It felt like my innards were melting, and I coughed, tasting blood in my mouth. The bastard managed to injure me? I was hurt?

How was that possible?

“Hah!” Zacharias clapped and approached until he stood over me. “You may be invincible on the outside, but trust me, it is all soft and squishy inside that shell of yours. Luckily, you already used your nuclear angel card for the month, or I couldn't get close enough. I wonder what happens if you get the full blast at zero range. During my experiments, I liquefied some of the test subjects.”

He brandished his dagger as if considering trying to cut me, but then he gave up on what would have been a futile attempt. “Admittedly, you are a lot sturdier, but even you shouldn't survive if every blood vessel in your-”

A hole appeared in one of his sacs, and it burst, causing the clone to stumble back.

Zacharias glanced down at his chest, looking surprised before he searched the corridor for the source of the attack. “Ouch?”

Gunnar was running down the corridor I had taken to get here, taking deliberate shots with a silenced pistol.

A second sac burst, and then the clone had enough. He aimed his chest at Gunnar and-

I tried to stop him, but everything inside me already hurt too much. All I could do was to reach out and grab the clone’s ankle.

Then the clone shot another blast.

Being right next to the source was bad, but strangely enough not as bad as being the direct target. Whatever Zacharias did somehow concentrated the sound waves in a cone he could aim like a sound gun.

Gunnar stumbled, but didn’t fall. Instead, he kept shooting, and another sac on the clone’s chest burst. The clone threw his dagger, but Gunnar dodged it with ease.

Then Zacharias rushed forward, ripping his ankle out of my grip. The clone was suddenly very protective of his sacs as he dodged bullets with his precognition.

“Gunnar!” I called out. He had to run away. There was no way he could deal with one of Zach's clones on his own.

Gunnar emptied his pistol with a ‘click’ and then the clone was within arm’s reach. He pushed Gunnar’s gun down and delivered a karate chop right through Gunnar's throat. Blood sprayed all over the corridor, but Gunnar didn’t go down. Instead, he grabbed the clone’s shoulder and delivered an uppercut right into the hole of one of the previously burst sacs.

Zacharias twitched, feeling the pain of being punched right into an open wound, but Gunnar didn’t have the enhanced strength to stop the ancient. The clone returned the favour with an open palm strike right to Gunnar’s chest. The force of the blow was enough to cave in Gunnar's ribcage and throw him back five metres.

Gunnar landed hard and slid three or four metres before he lay still.

I cursed and tried to get up. I wasn't particularly fond of the man's advances, but I couldn't let him die. If he wasn't already...

“What the fuck! Do you seriously think an unpartnered weakling like you can stop me!?” Zacharias shouted at the downed man.

But to my utter astonishment, Gunnar stirred, emitting a tinny laugh which couldn't possibly come from his destroyed vocal cords.

“Hahaha. Guess it’s only good then that I am more cyborg than mutant. Only the best Earth had to offer.” Gunnar sat up, his head hanging at an awkward angle as it lolled around with the jerky movement. He revealed his arm with which he punched the clone just a moment ago, only that it was missing the hand. “Nobody touches mah woman! Or screams at her, in your case.”

There was a beeping sound coming from inside Zacharias’s chest, and the clone quickly slipped a hand inside himself, trying to root out the present Gunnar left behind.

Then there was a muffled ‘bang’, as if a grenade went off, and the clone’s entire torso burst apart, leaving only the legs and the lower part of the torso intact. It stood there for a moment as if defying the clone's death, then fell to its knees and toppled over.

***Tirnanog, Aerie Flagship***

***Zacharias***

The heavy steel door fell and I strolled into the room, grinning as I surveyed the marvel that was a miniature wormhole generator. I was a cobbled-together nightmare of parts, but it was working, because on the other side was what could only be Mount Aerie. I recognized the liberal use of glowmoss to light the hall on the other side of the portal.

Too bad I had to destroy it.

The array of elite warriors from the twelfth strata forming a wall between me and the device was impressive. They were decked out in full gear and armour, but they wouldn’t be able to stop me.

A single, old man with a blacksmith’s hammer stepped forward, drawing my attention.

“Ah, you must be Gilbert Kline.” I grinned. “Elder of the fourth strata, I suggest you step out of the way, and I might consider leaving you alive.”

Gilbert took another step and kept walking towards me. “Nah! Right now, I am just an old grandpa whose grandchild you killed. My wife is still grieving over her loss, so I think I cannot let you do as you please.”

I frowned. “I don’t remember killing your offspring.”

Gilbert sighed. “I guess you didn’t kill her in person. But whether it was done directly or by one of your minions to fulfil your ambitions matters little to me or my Annie.”

“Well, too bad then.” I drew in a deep breath to fuel the firehorn glans providing me with a highly reactive burning compound, better than any napalm Earth managed to invent. Then I breathed out, covering the area and the man in front of me in flames.

My precognition warned me of an approaching threat, and I took a step back, but a hand shot out of the flames which covered my vision and grabbed my lower jaw. Something hit my knee, cracking it, and I was suddenly airborne, swinging around as the force of the momentum tried to unhinge my jaw.

I hit the ground hard, and something inside my clone snapped. Gilbert stood over me, still covered in my burning spit and looking like some fire elemental. He placed a foot on my chest and slowly began to pull. Grabbing his arms, I attempted to stop what he was trying to do, but there was no resisting it as my jaw cracked.

The old man grinned. “You dare to insult my vocation as a blacksmith by doubting my strength and trying to burn me? Heat resistance and strength were the first things I took care of.”

With a jank, my lower jaw was gone, and I roared as the torn glans ignited, burning me.

The last thing I saw was a hammerhead.