Chapter Eleven

The human didn't need to worry about being seen, at least not yet. The rats fleeing the wreckage were far too preoccupied with the inferno behind them to worry about a set of fingers and a hateful eye staring them down from a couple hundred meters away. Nevertheless, the human found it odd how the sister had yet to come out, so he quickly chalked it up to her simply perishing like a smoked-out rat. So what are these little fucks still doing here?! He growled under his breath, almost afraid that making any extra noise would be what made him meet his violent end. "Just when I thought this day couldn't get any damn weirder; these fucks show up again!"

The alien inside of him writhed, alarmed by the troubling situation they found themselves in. Putting a strain on his body, the human felt it move him as it 'punched' the inside of his body in the opposite direction. "Oof! Why you little-!" He quietly hissed in discomfort and annoyance as he vigorously knocked on his ribcage, stopping the alien in its tracks like he just bonked it on its head. "Listen here, ya little shit! You better stop NOW or so help me God, I WILL beat the shit outta myself. I need to THINK, DAMN IT!"

Though he still felt the alien wiggle in its spot, obviously nervous staying around longer than necessary, it sensed that the bizarre human would actually follow through with his threat if it came to it. And so, begrudgingly, it assumed its previous position around his heart. Why you had to choose THAT organ out of the damn dozen I have, I'll never know. Sighing in exasperation, he stared at his body one last time before he rolled his eyes and blew his hair out of his face as he went back to the rats that had been the cause of so much misery. "Thank you! Jesus..."

Popping his head back around the corner, the human's eyes darted to and fro, taking in as much of the scene as humanly possible and as quickly as possible. His brow furrowed in concentration, his brain going into overdrive as he desperately searched for anything that might help him. It ain't fucking looking like it, though... Damn!

Despite their hasty exit, for whatever reason, the ratfolk seemed to never let their guard down, even if it was just with themselves on their ship. The brothers were right next to each other, all still relatively unharmed. The human bit his lip, knowing just how much harder this was going to become. He was no fool; the memory of teeth and broken jaws came back tenfold, his memory somehow making it worse. That little SHIT was nearly able to punch my jaw clean off; I can't even imagine the power those guys have...

To make matters worse, the human cursed under his breath when he noticed that they were still jam-packed with their shoddy weapons and armour. He made a little mental note about how even now, even as their ship was in flames and a major problem presented itself, they still didn't let their guard down. Noticing how his back was exposed for a second as he came running out, Big Boss' replacement bulged his eyes out in fear. Shows a lot about the nature of these bastards: backstabbing fiends are probably more of a threat to themselves than anything else. The biggest one just replaced his boss...

He snapped his fingers quietly if only to emphasize his point to himself, never taking his eye off the slight limp the large replacement apparently got. Just like that! Un-fucking-believable...

He didn't know why he felt so enraged by that. He personally wanted the previous leader dead by his own hands, something he just realized he was extremely disappointed when it didn't happen. But when he heard them talking about such a tragedy like it was just another day on the job, he didn't know how to feel about that. Looking back on it, it shocked him how quickly they turned on their own as if their kinship was something to be dropped like the flip of a coin. I was being chased, then, can't blame me. But now, as I stare these shits down...

His grip tightened, now slightly cracking the surface of the resisting stone. Merciless bastards reap what they sow... Due to the flame's roar and the distance between them, the human immediately gave up on trying to hear what the sputtering coughs and growls translated to. They didn't matter at all to him.

His decision was set in stone; his heart was resolved to follow through, no matter the cost. Besides, I'm sure this... plate-thingy wouldn't even work with this much interference. Maybe. Meh, whatever. Going back to staring with malicious intent, he started examining the rest of them. Though relatively untouched by the crash, it was obvious they were not in the best state of mind. And that mean's that idiots like these fuck up! The ugly chitters and snaps at each other didn't need translating for the human to understand. No doubt the bastards are arguing with each other. Good.

As if to prove his point, the second largest one got up and walked over to the bigger replacement of Big Boss, his lips curling to revealing missing teeth. He snapped at his superior something awful because the bigger was taken aback by the comment, from the looks of it.

The human had to hold back an impressed chuckle as out of nowhere, the largest one jumped right on top of his insulter. Pretty damn impressive, not going to lie... Getting far into it, the human barely even noticed how much sound he was making with the excited pats on the stone in front of him.

That was until he heard a confused snort come from the one that he despised the most out of the entire group. What is that deformed fucking shrimp doing now? Wait just a god damn second... No way!

He immediately let go of the rock's edge, spinning himself out of sight, so his back was pressed flat against the wall. "Shit!" I nearly blew my cover! Perhaps he didn't..? Peeking the very corner of his eye around the corner, the human's heart dropped when he realized that his mortal enemy was now sniffing the air, lazily at first, more confused and focused the next. No, no, no! There's no way... That fire has to be fucking with him; there's no way he can smell me from THERE!

The midget, now slowly backing away from the fight, turned his head around to stare directly right where he was hiding. The scrap that ensued pushed the other two remaining rats away, terrified for their own well-being as the punches became so violent, the human could hear them clearly over even the loudest pops and cracks coming from the ship.

But while the other smaller one simply stood off his rotting tail between his legs, the perplexed midget only continued to stare at the rock. The human began to sweat, and he didn't even know that he still had some water left in him.

The midget took one last sniff before his eyes shot open with recognition. The human caught this revelation just in time as he peeked once more around that corner. Shit! Don't tell me..! The midget nearly jumped on the spot as he turned around, barking loudly. The human felt his blood from the human's face nearly jump from his face. Crap! Crap, crap! Damn it all, this isn't fucking good!

Though he hadn't a clue what the midget was saying to his tussling brothers, the human could only assume the worst from how urgent it was becoming. He kept his eye around the corner as he smashed his fist against the wall, teeth bared as his anxiety started to make his mind go into overdrive. He was so overwhelmed by the consequences of his mishap... he didn't notice how he put a small dent in the wall.

He remembered how he slammed down with all he had back then and that the midget was able to flick him off like it was nothing. Scenarios and plans came into being and fell apart in the same second. He cursed under his breath again, a shaky finger scratching the scruffy beard around his chin. I only survived because the damn floor gave out when Big Boss nearly crushed my skull! If that little shit gets the rest of them, I am FUCKED! "Damn it all..!"

His teeth pressed together as his frustrated grimace grew tighter. But I just can't run away again! Not anymore! That time is OVER! I ain't just about to go back on my promise... to them. I can't! But... He went back into his mind, and the words woefully deceased mother's still haunted him. 'It just isn't fair,' indeed. How can I even beat a single damn midget rat by myself when I haven't changed even a bit!? If I can't even do that..?

His eyes were beginning to go bloodshot from the frustrating reality he was beginning to realize he was stuck in. The orb granted him a moment's respite from reality with the euphoria he felt, but that effect was gone now; his mind was again clear, albeit muddied. How in the HELL am I supposed to do anything in this forsaken fucking galaxy!?

Needing an outlet for his anger and fear, especially now that the midget was approaching him with a glory-seeking expression, the human threw back his arm to bash his fist into the stone wall with a fearsome growl. He expected some bruised knuckles. Being quite familiar with the abuse by now, he was quite familiar with how they should've felt. So that's what happened next took him off-guard.

"TCH! What in the-!?" He expected it to hurt; no one just punches a literal rock wall expecting it to feel relaxing and comforting. For it to hurt this bad... What the hell just happened? Fuck it, it doesn't matter! His breathing increased as he finally took his eyes off the approaching midget, not having any other choice but to wait for him to come to him. What in the hell am I going to-? " Huh?" His eyes were staring intensely at the ground around the corner at one moment when he heard something that distracted him.

The distinct sound of blood slowly dripping into the oily mix of lubricate and water, clear as day. And then another. And after that, some more, each succession getting quicker and quicker.

His fist was tingling slightly, and that only made him growl louder as his fear and anger were amplified by the stinging sensation of dozens of little needles poking through his skin. How the hell..? Am I bleeding or something? No way.

When he brought his hand up, he was just expecting a simple chip or some other loose chunk that finally came loose with his punch that got stuck in his head. And in a way, that was exactly what it was. Of course, he was still taken by surprise when it wasn't just a single chunk but literal HUNDREDS of broken shards responsible for turning his hand into a bleeding ball.

"God damn! How in the-? W-what?! O-ooooow!" His eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped, mostly from the shock of such a sight, but the pain finally revealing itself didn't help. If it weren't for the fact that his other left hand was now gripping the side of the wall tightly, he would've fallen straight onto his rear. Thankfully, he still had half a mind to keep upright as he wrapped his hand around the injured hand's wrist like it was a snake trying to lunge at him. He looked around, alarmed and frightened, afraid that maybe a NEW offender ALSO was trying to end his life.

So far, he saw nothing that would suggest so. He could relax there. He went back to staring at his damaged hand, though thankfully, it seemed the bleeding was mostly superficial, mere cosmetic damage. Nah. Nah! Damn, this hurts. How the hell did THIS happen? I-I just punched the... wall. The wall!? Inexilcably, hope was once more starting to grow in his stomach and his excited heart. Though he quickly shoved it back down before he could let it take over his heart once more.

Hope was a dangerous thing, especially if it went disappointed too many times. Thankfully, the human was awarded once more. His sight was directed below his right shoulder, around where his punch happened. What he saw made him take his hand away from his wrist and made him give it a new home over his mouth. "Hrm?!" From how hard he gasped in surprise, he was lucky his body acted on its own. Otherwise, even the warring rats killing each other over their insulted pride would've heard him.

Where he punched, there was a small imprint of his fist. It wasn't anything impressive, just a crack on an otherwise impenetrable stone wall. But the fact that a mere human did this was enough to make his leg start jittering. That's impossible! I-impossible...

He was right: it should've been impossible. And yet, here the human was, picking out superficial stone splinters from his fist as he stared absentmindedly at the hole.

The human tentatively reached out, almost disturbed by the sight he saw. How is..? Did that orb... actually do something? I mean, no shit that it did, but... I didn't know it actually affected... ME!

His eyes shot open with alarm when he heard a sadistic sniggering approaching him, though the midget didn't do much else than that. Still shocked into disbelief by everything that had happened, the human felt his legs tense up as his instincts prepared to spur into escape. Just a moment ago, he felt the twinge of cowardice influencing him once more, and if even a second more passed where he was still sure he hadn't changed, the human knew he would've tried his best to run away.

But something... held him down. Not physically, of course, as he was still hidden and out of sight... but more mentally. As he looked between him and the surface of rock where his punch had caused a crack to appear... it dawned on him. I... DID do that. Someway, somehow... that orb DID make me stronger! The rat was drawing closer, and yet now, he didn't scuttle away like his body, and the alien inside so desperately wanted him to do. Maybe I... I...

His expression of fear started to fade, being slowly but surely replaced by a new look. Not one of fear or determination-- he was still far too scared about the prowess this ratfolk, let alone the weakest of them, possessed. No. I DO stand a chance.

He was irrefutably pissed off. He punched the ground, an impressive-for-a-mere-human-sized hole in the sand. His teeth were beginning to bear, and his eyes were dilating. But he stayed silent as he made sure not to give away the element of surprise. God damn it all, I do! I'm not a little bitch! Hell no! This is IT! If I don't take them on NOW, I don't deserve to make it off this stupid alien planet!

I'm taking these fuckers DOWN!

His revival of hope was fading quickly, his building nerves making it hard for him to concentrate on the fleeting sensation. It didn't help that the ratling was getting nearer and his ambition seemingly growing stronger. Each step forward was more pronounced and confident, something that made the human begin to silently seeth. His nose was scrunching up the more he pressed his back onto the wall behind him, equally embarrassed as he was frustrated he needed to take such precautions against filth like him. He was breathing through his nose, but it was beginning to become so heavy that he would soon need to switch. This is some shit, ain't it; I can't believe I have to hide from this guy. But I ain't stupid, I know this isn't a duel; this isn't a proud clash of wits and stupid fucking displays of strength!

The human's hackles rose some more when he heard two knives unsheath themselves, scraping against each other, the menacing sound of metal screeching making his heart race. This is SURVIVAL, ya hear?! No holds barred, ANYTHING GOES. No one--not them or anyone else-- can stop me from doing that! I don't care what I have to do to do it, but I WILL make it out of this fucking planet ALIVE.

The human's heart stopped as he saw the tip of the midget's toes JUST peek around the corner. His breath went still, and his muscles became rigid. Yes, he was still nervous, rightfully so, as painful memories of agony and fear came back.

But as he stared at the wall and the damaged he caused it, he knew exactly how to use his nerves. Use that fear to fuel my courage, my anger to power my fists! While the white energy did not come back to aid him, his nerves gave him all the strength he needed. He never really noticed, but his entire body was primed, now that his mind and body were concluded. His core was ready to snap and turn; his arms and fingers were outstretched, ready for anything to fall into their grasp. His legs were squat, prepared to either dodge back... or lunge in advance.

A moment of silence passed before he let out a single, quiet breath. Even the raging fire nearby lost its magnitude as, for the first time, his mind made itself clear. Right now, there was no brutal slaughter happening in the background as brother killed brother. There was no impending doom in the form of a disgusting rat clad with shoddy metal plating and armed with two rusty knives.

The world around him faded away until all was faded grey. All except him standing motionless, the dirtied sand below him, and the wall hiding him.

And as he stood there.... it happened. Everything slowed down-- at least it seemed that way. His eyes seemed to be registering everything else at their normal speed, but he knew that was not the case. Perhaps he picked up some of the reflexes Big Boss' body had when he was absorbed by the eldritch alien in him. Or perhaps the orb of immense power had also increased his awareness to-- almost-- superhuman levels.

Whatever was happening to him, he knew, wasn't natural. A human couldn't have seen every stage in the life of a cinder pass by his face as... gracefully as he had. But here he was, poised to strike as he felt an overwhelming... clarity wash over him as the cinder gently floated by his eyes.

Even as he saw the very outline of the ratling suddenly appearing around the corner, he knew it should've been at speed a normal human could barely keep up with. Yet he had all the time in the world as everything, everyone, started to piece themselves together.

I... This is it, isn't it? There's no turning back from here. What I do here will mark me. You won't know my thoughts, my fears. You'll only know me as just another damn killer, just like you. So I... Do I really want to kill you guys? It wasn't exactly my first thought when I first... woke up, I guess. I just wanted you all to just... leave me alone.

But I guess that's not gonna happen, is it? Even with your brothers killing each other and your only means to leave this world burning in a metal dumpster fire, you still just want to kill me...

A small tear found itself forming as his thoughts were all but confirmed when the outer edge of the ratlings faces revealed itself as he jumped out with knives drawn: crazed eyes yearning for death, spittle flying everywhere his stretched jaw would allow. His chin became defined as he bit his lips in anger and despondency. He knew all too well that what he was he had the misfortune of seeing might've as well had been the very face of the galaxy personified.

Disgust.

Fear.

Most importantly...

Resolve.

All flashed in his heart, mind, and soul just then as he met the wild stare with eyes set ablaze. His hands moved slowly as he reached out, but to the ratling, even with his enhanced body of flesh and steel, he didn't even see it coming.

So be it, then.

You guys. Ahead of the road that I will carve, I'll be able to look back and just realize... that you were all just bumps on the road. Just another something flattened out and forgotten as I blaze forward here on in. And I know there will be more. I'm no fool. I KNOW there will be and ARE beings somehow worse than you in this galaxy.

The ratling was just beginning to fall back in horror as the human's eyes flashed with a dark determination. But he couldn't go any further; the human's two large hands were already wrapped around his throat, the blood on his hands foreshadowing his own grim fate.

They'll be cruel, untamed... and without mercy. Not for 'weaklings' like me, anyway. Beings forged by war, by despair, and horrible, horrible desires. I'll have to go through them all to survive, just like how I'll go through you.

With both hands secured around the ratlings neck as he lifted him up to slowly dangle in the air, the human never took his eyes off the ratling's terrified expression. It was the least he could do for the unfortunate soul who was about to receive all his years of karma in one swift motion.

The human's bloody hand released the ratling as his legs were just beginning to thrash. Being held with only one hand, the enhanced rat nearly escaped. That was until a large hand wrapped around his chin. Holding the rat still, all the human did was direct his face towards his. The human didn't hear the strained begs and pleads, nor could anyone else, for his throat was squeezed shut.

So.

I'll fight fire with fire...

Until every bastard like you feels the same torment they went through.

Until it's done.

Until I'm done.

----------------

The last expression the ratling had on his face was confusion.

After all, he was a rat, not an owl. Suddenly being able to look down between your shoulder blades after a quick twist wasn't all too common a perspective his race had.

The last sensation he felt was excruciating pain.

The human pulled up with his hand firmly gripping his chin, all the while holding his shoulders down. Tendons and muscles tore and separated, his vertebrae were all but shattered, and the wires and steel plating that made him so strong before did nothing before they snapped in half. The human struggled with how tough his body still was, thanks to the wires and bones DESPERATELY trying to stay intact. But in the end, his dismemberment was only made the worse because of that struggle.

It was truly unimaginable. Could this be... how that Omädean child must've felt watching his family? This agony, the feeling of helplessness being torn apart by an uncaring, unstoppable monster?

Testament to what he was, the ratling didn't feel regret for that atrocity he committed. He only regretted not staying there with his other crew that wanted to finish the job. Of course, he stuck around his so-called family, the fucking pricks. If he had just stayed there, he wouldn't be... here.

Having his head torn off from his shoulders.

In the end, he was only scared for himself as he heard his lifeless body drop unceremoniously to the ground before he heard the human crush his bones with a stomp fueled by hatred.

He was going to die? He was going to die. He was.

This forgotten dust bowl of a planet was going to be his grave? He was hoping to be deep in some female out there, making them squeal in that way he couldn't get enough of. He SHOULD'VE been high off his mind and with a full stomach loaded with Uniscen beer when his body couldn't take anymore, promptly killing him at the peak of his life.

But THIS was where he died? THIS was how he died? It wasn't fair, not at all!

But he supposed he couldn't really change that. Not now.

He was still fully aware of what was happening despite the ethereal black starting to close in on the very corner of his shaky, bloodshot eyes.

He saw the last thing he would ever see. This part was very important for the human, not him.

He knew he was being tossed up and down like a beach ball, and he felt nothing more but embarrassment. His last moments in life were this? The human wasn't whispering something hateful into his ears. Had he already gotten over him? Was his life really THAT inconsequential? Even to his killer? Not even Big Boss was this cruel to him while he was alive. It was always personal with Big Boss, and though it hurt, at least he was acknowledged.

But this? In but a moment, the human went from his hateful passion for completing apathy as he was simply turned into... a toy for him? What happened to that human that begged and begged? Were they the ones responsible for making this human into the monster toying with his corpse like he was a bored child?

Or was this always something he was?!

Where was he? Where did THAT human go?

Where did THIS human come from?

What happened to that human?!

What had become of this human?!

WHAT... WAS THIS THING?!

The last sight he saw before an overwhelming dark, and the burning awareness that came with it engulfed him was a nauseating perspective of spinning round and round. Did he... THROW HIM? He couldn't feel the wind anymore as all the blood had long since drained out of his neck stump. But from the daze, he was sure that he was being sent FAR.

To what, he would soon find out, unfortunately.

He both collided and bounced off the forehead of his biggest brother, who had just finished his job by crushing his other brother's skull with a sickening crunch. He began to roll away as his biggest brother pushed him away with a horrified, disgusted look. And there, when he finally stopped rolling, he stared a thousand-yard stare into his own brother's smashed, misty eyes. They were mirrors of death, perfectly resembling his very own state. And what they reflected back at his own miserable, tiny head...

He never realized just how ugly he looked.

Why was his last thought that?

Then finally, just like his insubordinate brother, he was dead.

...