U.S.S.A Umbra

Chapter 12 The violet crusader

I grabbed the first one that managed to reach me by the neck and with a long swipe, dismembered both of its arms. I wasn't quite prepared for the fact that I had obliterated its body with just a kick. I was now surrounded by an uncountable amount of splinters. I pulled out my pistol and fired expert shots into the horde with help from the targeting system. I decided to make use of the armor's enhanced speed and ran through them with a barely controllable speed and force. They splattered like bugs on a windshield in my onslaught. I was too out in the open. Even with how easily I can dispatch them, there is only one of me and hundreds of them. I tried making my way past the sarcophagi but a gargoyle stopped me in my tracks. It was easy to kill, but it sacrificed itself to buy its ilk time to flood in and engulf me. Their many hands and mouths scratched and bit at me as I struggled to break free from their abyssal grasp. I couldn't fail now, not while I'm so close. I charged my arm cannon to 50% and fired blindly into the black mass, a scorching wave of bright red energy surrounded me and vaporized everything within my immediate vicinity. It felt like standing in a blast furnace but it allowed me to escape through the passage.

I made it out of there but I could still feel the burning sensation on my skin. As I made my way out of the passage, I got a call from Tobey over the radio. "Damien you there?"- "Yeah I'm still here, just."  I managed to grunt out as I lay against the wall still scorching hot, my HUD read the surface temperature at 1300 Celsius and dropping. "Where are you two?"-"We're in...Well, it looks like a temple or something."- "A temple? Alright, I'm on my way; I just need to cool off."  I slowly made my way through the gilded hallway and slumped against the wall. My head was killing me; apparitions were appearing around me, familiar things, then in front of me was Alice? -"How could you Damien, I thought you loved me? Why would you do that to me? You could have saved me."  She appeared human to me but with a massive hole where her heart was. She put her hands on each side of my helmet. "Please come join me, where we can both be safe."-"Trust me I wish I could be with you, soon but not yet, there are still things I need to do first."  Her expression turned into a death stare.-"No there's no need, it's already too late for them, come join me, we can be together forever now."  She said in her sweetest voice, looking up at me with her big green eyes. How I wished to see them again, but they were not real. I took her hands off me, It was difficult to do. but I had a job to finish. she resisted slightly but gave in and disappeared suddenly, leaving only an echo of a scream. I fell to my knees, snapping out of my delirium.

After a few minutes, I reached the temple Tobey mentioned, but they were nowhere to be seen. There was gunfire somewhere nearby so I ran to the source of it. This song and dance was starting to get old, splinters were swarming the pulpit. I saw Tobey firing at them as they closed in on him, Emily was right behind him cowering, terrified by the encroaching monsters. I blasted apart and bisected every splinter in my path until I reached them. The once ornate bronze and purple interior were now painted in the black obliterated remains of its former occupants. "Thanks for the save again man, I swear these things think I'm some kind of living buffet."  He looked back at Emily. "How're you doing kid? It's alright you're safe now."  He said holding her close with his arm. I looked around and saw what appeared to be a library up top. I pointed up and motioned at them to come with me. We ascended the pristine metal staircase. There was an odd-looking book on a table. I decided to take a look. It had a sleek onyx cover. Reading through the book I learned some valuable albeit disturbing information. This temple was the original structure upon which the rest of the ship was built upon. Various high-profile crews for the last almost 500 years had worshipped some deity here on the sixth day of every week. The head of every congregation was a woman who devoted themselves to the said deity. It is said that those who devote themselves the most are granted dark miraculous gifts.-"Hey what kind of book is that?"-"It seems to be some kind of manuscript, not quite a bible but more of a tome of some kind."