Sweet Venom Ch. 01.5

Creatures sprinted towards them from every direction. Oxyi took cover beneath a fallen tree as Diego's blade swung left and right, splitting through flesh and bone in massive arcs, heads severed from spines, limbs sliced from their bodies. Flesh and corpses hit the ground with deep thuds as Diego swung his mammoth sword. One tried to leap out from his side, but was intercepted by the sharpened metal perfectly. A spatter of its blood hit the tip of Oxyi's boot. Oxyi took a deep breath and steeled herself, concentrating on the map in her hands. Despite her shaking, she quickly finished plotting their escape route.

"Let's go, Diego, come on!" Diego turned his back on the growing crowd gathering behind them; no, not a crowd, a wall of hungry faces was hounding them, far too many for Diego's blade to cut through. But now, they were back on the move, and able to stay ahead of the advancing creatures, Diego's warcry having given both him and Oxyi the speed and endurance needed to outpace their pursuers.

Through the bleating and screeches of the horde pursuing them, Diego picked up on a rapid, distinctly heavy thumping, like something or someone big was chasing them. But it was impossible to glance back for more than a second to check.

After what felt like an eternity, hearts pounding in both of their chests, the faint glow of city street-lights glistened into view through the treeline. They were almost there! Her legs felt like lead and she could taste metal in her mouth, yet Oxyi pushed forward and ran ahead. With the forest now clearing, there was nowhere for these things to emerge from and surprise them. The open field between them and the city was completely clear. She glanced back and saw Diego, right on her tail. The relief she felt at his sight was only momentary though, as she realised the sheer number of their assailants, quickly approaching the treeline. We can't fight all of these on our own - we need an army! But maybe, once we're in the town, we'll at least be able to outmanoeuvre them...

Just then, stumbling towards the forest's edge, the wall of faces stopped.

Confused, Diego and Oxyi paused for breath in the middle of the field. Before they could speak though, there was a loud clack behind them. The street-lights all popped together, tiny shards of glass tinkling against the floor, bathing the field in darkness and a sudden coldness gripped them both. They spun around, breath visible in the air, Diego's ears alert and twitching, when -

"Get down!" Something - no, someone was hurtling through the air towards them! Yeoman hit the ground with a crunch in front of their feet. Oxyi staggered backwards, fumbling for her pistol. Diego spun out the way nimbly, when his ears pricked and a shudder went down his spine. Someone swiped for his back, but he ducked out the way and pressed his fist into the ground, surging his power into the earth. The assailant swung for him again, but Diego pulled his hand away, and a surge of concussive force erupted around him, sending bright orange sparks high into the air, illuminating the field and knocking the figure off its feet.

The assailant rolled to its knees and Diego instantly readied his blade against its neck, and froze. A few metres away from him though, Oxyi was kicking and screaming; something had grabbed her, and was holding her in its grasp.

An imposing creature, easily standing two heads above him and Oxyi, had seized her roughly by the neck and left her dangling in the air. She paraded around in her teal-green skin, with a noseless face and large toxic-green eyes, with black sclera much like his own. Heavy-looking carapace adorned her head not unlike a crown; sharp, a little bulky, but oddly elegant, the shape of its palisades resembling the petals of a flower. Similar carapace also adorned her shoulders, arms and legs, almost like armour plating. She stood tall and strong, with beautiful, long, jelly-like dreadlocks cascading down the length of her back.

Despite the very obvious danger that he and Oxyi were in, the more he examined their assailant, the more curious he became. His gaze wandered over her long curvaceous figure; she was wearing some kind of black armoured corset, but it was obvious that this thing was very well endowed.

The alien at the end of his blade seemed to be the same species, but this one had bright, amethyst skin instead, with a soft spattering of silver freckles over her face. She was broader than the other alien, but just as beautiful and even more curvaceous. She slowly raised its arms in surrender, but her partner merely grinned, menacingly.

"Well! That was fun, little ones! You got some fucking legs on you! Almost made it back to the city! But playtime's over now." Her grin faded as she shook Oxyi about in a brazen and effortless display of strength. "Why don't you drop your weapons and make this easier for us?"

Exhausted from her struggle, Oxyi did as she was told. Her gun slipped through her fingers.

"Did you get the other one, Seeth?" The alien looked up from Oxyi, and her face dropped when she saw Diego's blade at her companion's neck. "Ugh. Really? That's not like you at all."

"Cut the shit! Are you the ones responsible for all the disappearances around here?" Diego yelled, one had firmly on his blade, the other crackling with bright gold energy.

"You should be more concerned with your own safety than mystery solving right now, lizard." The alien scoffed, holding Oxyi out at arm's length towards him "We heard you two talking in the forest earlier, and you sounded so cute and intriguing. I just had to get some of that for myself, you know? A mysterious stranger and a homegrown slut, accepting anyone into her home who offers a hand." The alien grinned mischievously, showing a brief glimmer of fang.

"Shut the fuck up, you monster." Diego barked, gesturing towards his blade. "You think you can take me on? Your friend here wasn't quite up to the challenge, in case you haven't noticed, so you might wanna stop running your mouth."

"You want to protect her?" The one he held at blade-point spoke up. Her voice was calmer than her partner's, but both of them shared the same - almost synthesised - undertone. "You can still do that." As she spoke, the green alien tightened her grip on Oxyi's neck, causing her to choke in pain as her skin bulged against the iron grip squeezing her throat. "You agree to come with us, and we'll let your friend go."

She held Oxyi out between herself and Diego, although whether she was shielding herself or trying to taunt him, he couldn't say. One thing was certain though, Diego's options for retaliation were limited. He'd never seen creatures like these before, and he'd seen a lot of different people in his travels. Maybe it was just bravado, maybe it was just false or misplaced confidence, but this alien knew he had psyonics, knew he was armed, and did not seem the slightest bit concerned. She didn't even seem concerned with the fact that his sword was currently resting against her comrade's neck.

Could I beat these things? If I attacked, could I win..? Could Oxyi...

The pressure mounted as Oxyi gasped desperately for air, she grabbed at the woman's hands desperately but couldn't so much as budge her fingers; Diego knew he had to do something, now. But there was so much he didn't know. Would he be able to take these creatures out if they decided to kill Oxyi? Sparks of psyonic power still tingled around his hand, but neither creature appeared threatened by it. And what if he just ended up hurting her instead? He could see Oxyi trying to shake her head, pleading with him not to listen, but her face was turning blue, and he couldn't see another way out.

"W-What do you want?!" He yelled out desperately.

"You." The purple alien spoke again, quietly. "Promise to come with us, with no fuss, and Leech will let your friend go. As long as you do what I say, you won't be harmed."

Diego hesitated for a brief moment. He looked towards the forest, where he knew those hundreds of monochrome faces were waiting, just waiting to give chase again. He glanced at the alien at the end of his blade. Her expression was unreadable, but her gaze was surprisingly soft. A feeling of trust and warmth suddenly washed over Diego, and he made up his mind.

"Oxyi... you get the fuck off this planet, yeah?" He slowly pulled his blade away from the purple alien's neck and she rose to her feet, keeping her hands up in the air. He kept his gaze on Oxyi, but shifted his address to the creature beside him. "Okay. Fine. I promise. You let her go and walk away and I swear, I'll come with you peacefully. But try anything funny and I swear I'll bury you in this god-damn field, you understand?!" His words were followed by a threatening surge of gold over his body, sending tremors through the soil. This is going to be suicide, I know it, but I can't let Oxyi die here. This is for Oxyi, I'm doing this for Oxyi...

"Oh wow, look at that, he can vibrate grass." The green alien rolled her eyes dramatically and flicked her brilliant green dreadlocks over her shoulder, but she did as promised, and relaxed her grip on the frantically kicking Oxyi.

The lioness coughed and sputtered, sucking in mouthfuls of the cool air.

"Diego! You can't just give yourself up for me, you bloody idiot!"

"I don't wanna hear it, Oxyi! I promised to keep you safe. I'm honour-bound to that promise."

"Fuck honour! Just get out of here!"

"No! Now unhand her, creature! I meant what I said." Diego's eyes narrowed sharply as he spoke. That warmth was fading away now, and a sharp cold was prickling at the back of his neck.

With a light shrug, the alien's grip on Oxyi loosened, and she hit the floor with a thud, gasping. The alien backed off, kicking away Oxyi's guns but otherwise leaving her be.

"Wow, what a hero! Now say your goodbyes and run away, little kitty." The alien barked. "Seems Seeth fancied a deal! Trading a Node for a Mark!" That sinister grin spread back across her face. Oxyi slowly approached Diego, threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly, crying into his neck.

"Y-You didn't need to do that... I'm just a nomad and - and we only met earlier today! I'm no one..." She sobbed, the aliens watching both of them intently.

"You don't understand..." He hugged her back, holding her close, but kept his eyes on the green alien. "I made you a promise. It doesn't matter how long I've known you for, I said I'd keep you safe... Now go! Before they change their minds. I'll be fine! Just get to safety!" A brief smile lit up his face. "Told you we'd find something."

She pulled back, rubbing her fingers over his hair and ears and kissing him gently on the nose, before breaking into a run with all the strength she could muster, across the field and towards the city. Soon enough, she faded out of sight and into the shadows, leaving Diego alone with the two alien creatures in the dark; the sparks from his psyonic blast had reached the ground, and fizzled out.

He took a long, deep breath, filling his lungs with the fresh night air. A heavy feeling in his chest told him that this might be the last taste of freedom he would get.