Page 61 of Saving the Alien Chieftain

My spear remains lodged deep within the monster’s jaw, coming through the back of its head. The shaft completely cracked down the middle with the sheer force of the creature. Ineed to apologize to Xandor for breaking his spear as well. The sight of the creature, majestic even in death, frozen in its ferocious pose, fills me with both awe and relief.

At my feet, I notice the huge broken saber fang of the beast.Hah! I can show Krogoth this, in case he doesn’t believe I killed a venefex!I pick the massive sword-sized fang and tuck it beside my long knife. Cupcake spins excitedly before she flutters over to the side of the great white venefex, tearing chunks of flesh from its body, devouring each piece greedily.

The sight is too brutal for me to watch, and I consider asking her to stop. But she deserves food, and this is nature, especially out in the forests of Draxxi. The venefexes killed her mother and now she feasts on their alpha.

I sit in silence for a while and let Cupcake have her fill as I catch my breath and regain my composure. I groan as a dozenunfamiliar aches and pains assail my mind as I hobble along the stream through the narrow passageway once more.

Cupcake barks as she struggles to fly after me. Her belly is practically protruding as it’s so full of venefex meat. I stifle a laugh that hurts my bruised and cut ribs. I hold my side, wincing in pain with every step along the trickling stream.

What I would give for a go in a healing pod now!I stumble into the soil wall for a moment, trying to rebalance myself. Cupcake gently nudges my back with her muzzle, spurring me forward.

“You’re a good Cupcake. It shouldn’t be long now,” I mumble.

Smiling, I picture Krogoth’s handsome face, wondering what he’ll say when I tell him all the crazy stuff I’ve done. I doubt he’ll believe me. Hell, I wouldn’t believe half of it myself.

Staggering onward with one hand against the soil wall to steady myself, my eyes widen in joy as I see sunlight gleaming off the walls ahead of us. I quicken my hobbling pace with excitement, exiting the enclosure, before coming to the bottom of a grassy hill.

Groaning with effort, I reach the crest of the hill. My pulse rises with anticipation as a moss-green stone tomb-like entrance looms nearby. “We’ve made it!” I shout triumphantly at Cupcake, who tilts her head in puzzlement. I stumble up the hill in my haste to see Sunaisor.

“This is it! I’ve finally made it here!”

The entrance resembles a tomb, featuring a great stone square structure with steps leading to an ancient stone double door engraved in the middle. One side resembles a Klendathian warvisor, the other a more feminine half-mask.

The frame of the door on the warvisor side depicts a sun, while the opposite side displays a crescent moon. I’m in too much of a hurry to fully contemplate the meaning, as I descend the stairs quickly, hoping to finish the Proving. As I stride forward towardsthe ancient door, my vision is suddenly engulfed in a radiant blaze of blue and golden light.

“Argh!”

Without warning, my serenity is shattered by the ominous whizzing sound of an unknown assailant’s attack: the unmistakable noise of a searing plasma bolt striking the protective shields of my exoenhancer armor with a deafening impact.

The force of the blast hits me like a battering ram, wrenching my body from the ground and hurling me backwards back up the steps in a chaotic whirl. Crashing with an unceremonious thud, I lie sprawled face down on the earth, stunned and winded.

Lying here, breathless and disoriented, with every part of my body aching in pain, awaiting more plasma bolts to finish me. Stupid! I should have been more cautious. Every painstaking step, every obstacle overcome, all for nothing, thrown away at the last moment. More plasma bolts do not come. Instead, I can hear boots scuffing off the stone steps, coming towards me. Holding my breath, I stealthily maneuver my hand, grasping my knife at my waist, praying my attacker cannot see me move.

Huge hands seize my shoulder, flipping me over roughly. Using the momentum, I erupt into action, driving my knife upward into the red-haired Prospect’s armored midsection, screaming with all the strength and fury I can muster. The blade connects with a jarring impact, its blue sparks dancing upon contact as it penetrates his armor into his flesh.

The Klendathian recoils, letting out a furious roar. He clutches his wounded stomach, examining his hand and licking the green blood from his clawed fingers. Disappointment washes over me as I realize only the tip of my knife is stained with blood; the blade hadn’t penetrated deep enough.

“Zyraxis said he’d make the voices stop if I kill you,” he growls. His brown eyes mist menacingly as he tosses his plasma pistolfar into the dense foliage. “I take pleasure in slowly peeling the skin from the prey I catch. Especially baby puffrios like you.” He crouches low, extending his clawed hands. “And my claws are thirsty for blood.”

His sheer size and psychotic words fill me with dread, but as I leap to my feet, knife in hand, a burning determination roars within me. I will not be beaten. I am too close to saving Krogoth!

Crouching low with my blade held out before me, I cautiously circle him, careful to avoid Sunaisor’s stairwell. I’ll need to keep him at a distance, but it’ll be difficult without my spear.

The red-haired Prospect charges, swiping with his claws wildly. Ducking his swing in a haze of motion, I pivot to his side and lash out with my knife, scratching his armor where his ribs are. He turns with a surprising speed that defiles his huge frame, delivering a powerful roundhouse kick that I foolishly attempt to parry with my wrist.

The forceful impact of his plated arcweave boot collides with my golden exoenhancer wrist plate, sending a surge of agony through my arm. The sheer intensity of the blow disrupts my balance. He wastes no time seizing the advantage as he leaps forward, attempting to grapple me in his huge claws. It’s all I can do to roll under his arms and tumble away.

As adrenaline surges through me like a blazing river, drowning out my pain and apprehension, the Klendathian laughs with a maniacal fervor. “So close, soon though. Very soon,” he mutters, looking at his claws as if speaking to them. Desperate for any advantage in his terrible fight, I seize the venefex’s long saber tooth with my left hand.

Swift as lightning, I feign a stab toward his face with my knife, causing him to react and slightly overextend. I seize the moment, driving the venefex’s tooth with all my strength into the lightly armored section of his thigh. Despite my effort, the blow fails to flinch him. In response, he slashes at my back andshoulder with his claws, driving me backward. Gratefully, my armor withstands his onslaught.

From the corner of my eye, a white and furry blur hurtles toward the red-haired Prospect—it’s Cupcake, unable to fly due to being overstuffed, but charging fiercely nonetheless. Worry grips my heart as she barrels toward my opponent, barking frantically.

In a terrifying display of strength, the Klendathian swiftly pivots and seizes Cupcake’s talons in his hands, engaging in a violent struggle. They grapple furiously, each trying to overpower the other. Cupcake’s snarling head darts out, grazing the Klendathian’s face as he attempts to evade. But the Klendathian soon gains the upper hand, forcing Cupcake onto her side.

Driven by panic, I join the fray, slashing with my knife in a frenzied assault against the red-haired adversary. Blue sparks erupt from his armor as it absorbs my blows until I deliver an upward slash attempting to reach his towering head. He roars in agony as I connect with a solid cut, prompting a retaliatory spinning attack with his claws. His strike scores my armor, sending me crashing to the ground.

Struggling to rise, Cupcake becomes the target of the Klendathian’s brutality. A savage kick lands squarely on her temple.

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