"Oh, fuck! What the hell was that?" I cursed from the intense pain. The arm started healing immediately as the pain lessened. The hunger became even worse, almost to the point that I felt like ripping myself open from the inside out.
"That was a special skill. You can’t access any since you’re not even a tier one. We need to feed you a couple of brains and hearts. Wait, that’s an understatement. We need a lot of that stuff," Devil growled as he went back on the offensive. The claw slammed against the shield and deflected up into the air, but instead of retreating, Devil shot up and lunged over the general’s body.
"Take another one," Devil barked and shot out another spear at Khepri’s back. The tip pierced the wing’s other joint and came out the front. Another spear pierced the back of the general’s knee, forcing him down to one leg.
"Human!" he screamed and turned around, connecting his fist with my face.
"Beetle god!" Devil hissed in turn. "You’re the Egyptian God of creation and rebirth! No wonder you can regenerate, but you don’t have any more arms to trade them in."
The blow grazed my cheek but tore off the skin where it touched. Devil turned around Khepri’s arm and slashed downward. My armored claws sliced down and cut right through bone and armor alike. Khepri’s arm dangled harmlessly by a thread of skin and bone as blood gushed from the wound.
Khepri was nothing if not a stubborn and strong bastard, after all, he had a very strong connection with the equally stubborn God Ra, who was said to push the sun through the sky every day since the dawn of creation.
Biting through the pain, he turned around and kicked out. Devil blocked the blow, and raked the claw along Khepri’s soft inside, tearing at the skin and meat.
Khepri backed off and put what remained of his arms up as a second ball of energy formed right between us. With a scream, the energy bolt shot toward me, disintegrating my right arm from the elbow down. A wave of nausea washed over me. I felt like I was about to throw up. Luckily, Devil was in charge, or I might have given up then and there.
Devil bolted in again and slashed at Khepri’s elbow, ripping the arm off and damaging the other. More blood gushed from his wounds and bathed me in its radiance. My pain seemed to lessen as the wound closed, forming a stump.
"I don’t have time for this! We need to secure my ship right now!" Devil growled and punched the General three times in quick succession, then launched another spear at the other leg. The lone wing shifted to compensate and protect him from the back, but in doing that, it partially revealed Khepri’s head.
Devil didn’t waste his time and rammed the claw against the General’s neck with tremendous force. The wing went limp along with the head for a brief moment. He followed the strike up with a slash while taking out the one grenade we’d kept in reserve. Activating it first, Devil rammed the explosive device between the wing joints and deep into the Gebradim’s spine. He jumped back and held up our arm to defend against the blast.
Khepri’s remaining arm tried to reach for the grenade, but it couldn’t bend that far. He started clawing at his skin, trying to get at the grenade, but it was just out of reach. The bomb exploded with a deafening boom, ripping open its back and wings. The red mucus, which passed for Gebradim blood, showered both the hallway and me alike, hissing and melting anything it touched.
"Fucking hell! Now that’s what I’m talking about! But damn! This shit hurts!" I exclaimed. Devil laughed in turn and shrugged the acidic blood off our arm.
"Shut up. You’ll recover soon enough," he snapped and strode toward Khepri with a sneer on his face. With each step, the General’s shuddering became more intense as its lone limb dangled by a single bone, and both legs lay shattered beneath its torn-up body.
"You’re not a normal parasite, Human," the General croaked, coughing up blood all over his mangled body. "What type are you?"
Devil grinned as we towered over him.
"If you want to know so badly, tell me something first. How heavily is your ship defended?"
The General shrugged, or what passed for a shrug anyway, and shook his head.
"Maybe a hundred soldiers along with the admiral? But he’s way stronger than me, so I doubt you’d be able to lay a single hand on him."
"Right. And what parasite is he housing?"
The General grinned and spat at me. The blood sizzled right through my stomach, but Devil didn’t flinch. He was still in control, so it regenerated pretty quickly.
"Asclepius," he croaked and laughed. Devil observed him for a moment and nodded appreciatively.
"Thank you. That was very helpful," Devil replied. My arm shot out and grabbed Khepri’s head, the long sharp tips pressing deep into his skull. It cracked with ease and gave in, revealing the pink brain matter inside. Squeezing harder, the matter gushed through the holes. Devil smirked as he ripped the top open, revealing an overgrown brain. It almost looked like it was artificial, but then again, it was Gebradim, so there was no way it was identical to human brains.
"Enjoy," Devil whispered before he let go of my body and disappeared from my conscience. I gasped from the excruciating pain and still growing arm. Toppling over, I landed next to the brain. It pulsated even when the rest of the body had already died off.
"Fuck it. As long as this pain goes away," I groaned and bit down. Yes, this was it. This was life, and this was power! After the first mouthful had gone down my throat, I entered a state of ecstasy and lost it.
"You ok?" a voice from behind asked. I nodded, knowing it belonged to Guard Captain Gene.
"Let me finish," I mumbled through a handful. It took me three minutes and seventeen seconds to eat the general’s brain, while with the ordinary soldiers barely half a minute—what a feast.
Letting out a sigh as my limb finished re-growing, I got up and stretched. The pain disappeared along with all the hunger and rage I felt. I looked down at my arm, and the number still showed me 500. Good, it was strong.
"So, I assume that’s the rest of the general?" Gene asked as he shifted from one foot to the other. There was fear in his voice, and I thought it only logical. After all, he was just human. And what did that make me? More than human? I sure didn’t mind.
"Yeah," I mumbled and plucked one last piece from the skull. As I swallowed the content, a vaguely familiar sensation started gnawing at me, just before an intense pain assailed my body. Something felt wrong, and not in a bad way, no, this was something—good? It felt like I was being rearranged on a molecular level, and everything was being taken apart and put back together again.
"Shit! What happened? Did you eat the other parasite?" Devil asked. I could feel it. He was hurting as bad as I was.
"I just ate the brain as you told me to. How the hell could I have known what was inside?"
"You’re not supposed to ingest other Armaments!"
"What’s the worst that can happen to us?"
"Mutation? You become a monster without a mind of your own. But yeah, it is my fault, I guess. I assume the sucker was somewhere on his back or in his chest. Defensive armaments don’t merge with the head usually."
I found it rather strange that he could be afraid of the unknown, but if something happened to me, it would happen to him. Or at least to this version of himself.
And there it was, another wave of pain and mental anguish as my whole body started writhing and twisting.
"Cain?" Gene asked. "Is everything—?”
"No! I don’t know what’s going on! Run!" I screamed, twisting on the floor. My bones broke, protruding through my skin as organs rearranged themselves in my chest. More claw-like growth sprouted from my right arm, but slightly more stumpy than the left one. There were no long, sharp edges but instead blunt protrusions that were much thicker and denser. It both looked and felt horrendous.
My back burst open next, as a wing-like growth formed from both sides but stayed bare, just like when you plucked a damn bird of all its feathers. Metallic scales and scabs grew all along the bone and merged at the joints.
My chest opened up, showing two indents where my heart used to be, which was now who knew where and behind a layer of thick armor. Energy resided there now, which felt just like the smelting balls Khepri shot at me earlier.
Scales spread down my hips and legs, which both broke at the hip bone and twisted around eerily. Armor sprouted from my butt cheeks and the front, covering the legs with black, smooth metal. Crevices and indents appeared along the sides, front and back.
"Devil? What the hell is going on?" I growled as the pain intensified. Before I heard his response, I felt my conscience drift off.
"There you are," Lucifer said as I appeared at the bar. I looked down at my legs and arms, winced and threw up beside the leather sofa. He threw a napkin my way, making a disgusted face. "Wipe it off, will you?"
I groaned and cleaned my mouth as I got up.
"What the hell happened to me?" I asked groggily.
"You did something stupid and unexpected. You, my man, are a glutton," he replied and tossed a drink my way. "All you were supposed to eat was that brain, and nothing more. You forced the transformation and ate a second Armament, or if you want to call it by its real name, the parasite during your feast."
"As I told your rib just now, I did only eat the brain. It was rather large, but I didn’t take anything else," I sighed. "What now? Am I going to stay like this forever?"
Lucifer shook his head.
"No, my man, you’re not. However, this is uncharted territory for me. All I can say is, Godspeed," he said, bursting out in laughter. "Get it? Godspeed? Like in God? The father that never loved me and threw me out of heaven because of you despicable lot?"
I stared at him blankly, not finding the situation amusing in the least.
"You know, I’m not Human anymore so I couldn’t care less about your squabble with daddy. I have daddy issues as well if you already want to know."
"Hah! You’re so right! Hey, how about I offer you some shared memory with dear old dad now that you’ve become a monster?"
"Yeah, sure. Whatever," I replied, as I poured myself another drink. A part of me thought he was fooling around and wanted to pull a prank on me or something. However, as Declan’s image appeared before me, I knew it must be real.
"Keep my family out of this you despicable creature of hell! In God’s name, I forbid you to enter our home!"
Lucifer, looking very much as he did now, sat on the same barstool and played the piano.
"I’m not interested in your family, only in you personally. See, you have what could be called an affinity for Armaments. At least I think you do. How about you give it a try? If you survive, I’ll keep your family safe. No one will be able to harm them."
My father sat there and took the offered glass shakily. He downed the liquid in one gulp and slammed the glass against the counter.
"Very well, Devil. When God didn’t want to listen to me, and when he didn’t want to help my family, you did that in his stead and offered me your hand. I’ll do it. I’ll do everything you want me to, except kill innocent people or hurt my own family."
Lucifer nodded slowly, offering my father a parchment that looked exactly like mine. I couldn’t read what was written down on it, but I doubted it was much different than with mine. He signed it in blood and poured himself a second cup, drank it and dropped into a sofa next to the piano.
"I don’t want them to know anything about this deal. Understood?"
"Aha! You’re quite the ballsy one, Human. But yes, I can agree with that. Any more demands?"
My father shrugged.
"No idea. I’ll come up with them as we move along."
Lucifer smirked and shook his head slowly.
"You’re quite the interesting guy, Declan. But pray tell me, does your wife know why Cain survived?"
My father looked away, his face flushed red, and not because of the alcohol. He could hold his own, that much I remembered.
"Not yet. I would rather have her think it was natural. Just look at me. I can’t even stand my kid, even though it was my own doing!"
"Isn’t it better to have one living son than two dead ones? Anyways, once you’re gone, both you and your wife, he’ll belong to me. Do you remember that?"
Declan nodded slowly and sat upright with a broad smile on his face.
"Now that we’re all buddy-buddy, how about you lend me some cash?"
I groaned and shook my head.
"Oh, come on, dad. What the hell?"
"No, no, that was very much as it happened. Do you remember when Declan brought back the toys he gave you for your birthday? That was the day he signed on with me," Lucifer said, playing some dramatic notes on the piano.
"You think I care about toys or money? I've been living for so long with the guilt that I killed off my brother while in the womb, when in fact it was all your own doing!"
Lucifer shrugged.
"Yeah, but not my idea. I just made it happen. Now, when you do more things for me, I’ll give you more memories in turn," he offered and leaned against his piano. "A short tip as a thank you for the wonderful reaction. Study your gods and their traits. You have both a part of me inside you, as well as Khepri. Keep in mind affinities for the elements. A light deity will have an advantage over you, someone who’s a dark deity. The same with this world’s four elements. Earth, wind, water, and fire. Switch around your powers and bring forth your strengths during battle. Your body will be able to handle it once you reach tier two."
"Thanks, I guess," I replied with a groan.
"Hah! That’s the spirit! Now, if you will, go and help Gremory. She’s having a hard time against another General and a Captain. Most of the troops with her are dead or waiting outside. There are a couple of groups of Gebradim that have barricaded themselves around engineering and some other places, but that’s about it. You should hurry and earn some glory, maybe even some ass if she lets you," he grinned.
"Then send me back already. I guess we’ll speak again soon?"
Lucifer grinned as he waved me off. Before I could even feel anything, the darkness had already taken over.
Chapter Eleven
I found myself laying in a pool of blood and bones. My blood and bones to be precise. The pain was gone, all but for a dull ache that still lingered in the back of my mind. I lifted my head and looked at the General. God did he look bad from up close, especially with most of him missing.
I sat up and focused on my breathing, listening to my surroundings, and tried to engrave the image of my father sitting beside Lucifer in my mind. What the hell was that all about? Just imagining him as an Armament user was weird beyond words, and what about their deal regarding me? How could he have known I’d want to join the legion?
Pushing my thoughts of him aside, I picked myself up and stood there in my ruined smart-cloth, looking as Human as possible. A wave of relief flooded me as all of my body seemed to be the way it was before.
"This wasn’t how I expected all of this to turn out," I murmured stretching my limbs. "Especially with turning into a monster, but damn. The rush, the excitement!"
Feeling fresh, I spun to my left and ran into the corridor that lead where the research bay was. Or so I hoped, but after some running around, I recognized the last hallway on the right and the big sign above the door that read Research Bay. Another strange thought came to me when I noticed that I wasn’t even breathing heavily from the running. Finally, a change I liked.
I stood in front of the door and tried to remember what Gene said the password would be when we left. "Whatever," I murmured and tried to play it by memory. First three times, then four and then two. Chatter picked up on the other side of the door before it slid open. Gene stood there, armed to the teeth and grinning wide.
"You’re alive!" he cheered clapping me on the back.
"I sure am! Kicking harder than ever. Speaking of which, are the four—"
"Hey, boss!" the familiar voice of Brown said as he appeared from behind an active vat. I offered him
a hand and nodded at the rest in greeting.
"How're my friends doing?" I asked, making eye-contact with Ashiala.
"They’ll make it, monster man. Or should we stick with Cain?" the doctor grinned.
"Whatever you want, as long as they survive. So, what can you ladies tell me?"
"Hmm, the big guy will live, but I don’t know if the new arm will be usable. As for the lady, she’s a tough one, but her skin—God, I have no idea of the anguish she must have felt during the torture," Doc said as she chewed on a pen.
"But she’ll most likely recover and be as beautiful as before," Heather added quickly.
A wave of relief washed over me. At least one thing had gone according to plan today.
"Thank you, ladies. I promise you one thing though; there’s a bigger monster in town than Cafka or these Gebradim."
"Oh?" Ashiala said, sounding hopeful. "You awakened?"
I shook my head.
"No, I haven’t. I’ve become something so much worse, doc. I’ve mutated by ingesting two parasites."
She stood there motionless before me and looked like she was contemplating if I was trying to pull one on her.
"Wait, you’re serious?" she asked, stepping back, then crossed herself with her right hand. I nodded and walked up to the two active vats. Samson and Levi looked so peaceful in their slumber amidst all of the blue liquid.
A renewed rage threatened to be released from within me. All of this was so wrong. The Captain and his sons, the devil and his deals, the parasites or the Armaments, hell, the whole system was corrupt and against the poor man.
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