Page 17 of Emerald

My skin pulses to a darker shade of purple as I stand before the braceaaer. Its weapon remains trained on me, eyes narrowing behind the visor. This alien is unlike the genali; its build is more compact but brimming with potential lethality. My knuckles twitch, the spikes ready for action.

Did this incomplete life form just call me awasur?

"You intend to make me pry it from your lips? Very well then…" My words are a growling click, the irritation, and adrenaline fueling my resolve. The braceaaer responds with a swift motion, a shot firing from its weapon. I twist, my body contorting with ease, the shot grazing my side but not enough to slow me down.

The first clash is brutal. I lunge, using the full force of my muscular segments to deliver a crushing blow to its helmet. The spikes on my knuckles pierce through, drawing a spray of blood as the helmet cracks. The braceaaer staggers but doesn't fall, a testament to its resilience.

I pivot, my body coiling back like a spring before launching into another assault. My hands dart forward, seeking weak points in its armor. The braceaaer counters with a series of quick, precise strikes, aiming to disorient me. I duck and weave, my bioluminescent skin flashing lighter purple as my irritation mounts.

Its fighting style is methodical, with each movement calculated and controlled. In contrast, my approach is raw and feral, driven more by instinct and brute strength.

If there is one thing my zhann tunneled into my head from the time I was but a limbless zhannel,it was the ability to play into my own strengths with little care to flare or some misguided sense of dominance hidden under the veneer of a fair fight.

I do not need to outfight a clearly skilled fighter, I just need to surprise the fool once, and then capitalize on that to extricate its life from it in the most effective way possible.

I see an opening and release a burst of poison mist from my nose glands. The mist envelops the braceaaer, but its suit protects it, the toxin ineffective. It retaliates with a powerful kick, its deceptively spindly limbs sending me sprawling.

I roll with the impact, my back spikes digging into the ground to halt my momentum. With a snarl, I rise, my skin a deep violet as I bare my tusks at the small thing.

The braceaaer charges, and I meet it head-on, using my near-invulnerable tusks to deflect its weapon. The clash reverberates through the cavern, or maybe that's just my brain rattling in my skull from the bone-to-alloy clash.

I make a mental note never to do that again.

In a fluid motion, I grab the braceaaer’s arm and twist, the spikes on my knuckles digging into its flesh. It cries out, a guttural sound of pain, but manages to break free, landing a solid punch to my middle segment. Pain flares, but I embrace it, channeling it into my next attack.

I leap, my flexible body twisting mid-air to deliver a punishing blow to its chest. The impact sends the braceaaer crashing into the console, the machinery sparking from the collision. My skin shifts to a dark purple, reflecting my determination. I cannot afford to lose.

The braceaaer rises, its movements slower now, but no less deadly. It draws a blade.

I respond by bracing myself, my back spikes flaring defensively. We circle each other, both searching for an opening.

It lunges, the blade slicing through the air. I sidestep, my hands grabbing its wrist and twisting. The blade clatters to the ground, and I follow up with a limb to its midsection. The braceaaer doubles over, gasping for breath. I don't let up, my fists raining down blows, each one more brutal than the last.

I feel the crunch of bone beneath my knuckles, the spikes tearing through flesh and armor alike. The braceaaer collapses, a lifeless heap on the floor. My chest heaves, the purple of rage slowly fading to a pale blue of confusion.

"Did I… kill it?" I mutter, my voice tinged with disbelief. I hadn't intended to go this far. I sink to my knees, staring at the broken body before me. "Fool," I berate myself, my skin shifting to a muted purple. "You should have known better. You didn't even check if it could take your hits."

I needed answers.

My self-reproach is cut short by a horrifying screech echoing down the tunnel. My skin flashes red with fear, head spikes shivering.

There is another crash, braceaaer screams, and then suddenly the lights on the control panel dim until they are all out.

Did it destroy their power supply? There is a crash behind me that interrupts that tunnel of thought.

I barely have time to react before a massive limb slams into me, sending me crashing into the wall.

Pain explodes through my body, but I don't wait to see what the limb belongs to. Instinct takes over, and I begin tunneling into the wall. My physiology, built for such tasks, allows me to burrow through the soil at high speeds.

My muscles work in perfect harmony, each segment contributing to the effort. The spikes along my back slice through the soil, creating a path for my body to follow. The dirt around me is a comforting embrace, grounding me as I flee the unknown terror behind me.

I push myself to the limit, my breath coming in ragged gasps. The tunnel I create is narrow, just wide enough for my body to squeeze through.

My skin glows a faint red, a beacon in the darkness. The scent of soil fills my senses, a stark contrast to the metallic tang of the braceaaer domain.

Minutes pass in a blur, my mind focused solely on escape. The sound of the creature's roaring grows distant, replaced by the rhythmic scrape of my tunneling. I don't stop until I'm certain the danger is far behind me.

My hands, with their four thick digits, dig into the dirt at a manic pace, pulling and pushing with relentless determination. There is none of my usual finesse in the act as I brute force my way through to get away from the murderous creature those idiots brought here, my strength and the sharp spikes running down my back were more than sufficient to carve a path. The tunnel I created is narrow but stable, the walls packed tightly by the force of my movements.

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