Crashbexpert: "Before we begin I should let you all know that this book and my Gamer book should be read together. Why? Because they will share the same antagonist."
POV F/N
Midori and I were moving through the Xenomorphs, I protected her since she is our only escape and I can adapt easily. We stood over a second Queen we took down faster than the first.
"Your semblance is getting better... You matched her speed, but your strength... A bit more time and you should be able to match them in power..." She looked exhausted, more than me actually.
"Thanks... You okay?" I asked.
"Yeah... It's just... It's just this world deteriorated my aura... Once we get out it should return...to normal." She tries to walk forward but nearly falls. I quickly grabbed her as she continues to breath heavily.
"Midori?!" She regains her stability and stands.
"You said it yourself... We have to keep moving...the longer we stay here the weaker I get..." I look at her as she begins to walk forward. "Come on we need to keep going." I followed her as we head deeper into the hive. We barely moved twenty feet before more Xenomorphs appear and attack us. My body begins to move swiftly, faster than it ever has reached. I still didn't have the strength to challenge them head on so i relied on my newfound speed. Many of them tried to attack me at once but I was able to avoid and counter them. Midori was still easily dispatching them without any trouble as well, she still covered my shortcomings at times. I sliced one I'm half as another decided to pounce on me and tried to bite my skull with its second mouth.
"Get the hell off me!!!" My body begins to push it away from my face. Slowly it grew farther and farther from me. As I held it from killing me I felt it's blood splash in me and it's head fly off. I toss the dead creature to the side and look at Midori.
"I saved you again." She gives a smug smile. I get on my feet as I see her kill another Xenomorph effortlessly as she mocked me. "You owe me another." I throw my sword passed her impaling another.
"Put it on my tab." We continue to fight the horde and made our way slowly through the nest. We continue forward as the horde died down again. I noticed Midori beginning to pant again, I looked around the area and decided... "Let's take a breather."
"They'll... They'll find us." She tries to walk away but I grab her shoulder.
"I'll keep watch." She looks at me and sighs.
"Fine... Thanks" We found the safest possible location and rested for a few minutes. I stood standing ready for anything while Midori sat down and relaxed. I look at her and noticed her aura beginning to heal her small wounds very slowly, too slowly.
"Are you okay?" She sighs.
"Yeah... I'm just tired." She looks down.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"Seems like my body is reaching it's limit. Told you your semblance was better than mine." I looked back at the hallway, no sign of Xenomorphs. "This planet is so hostile even the environment is draining."
"Does that mean?" I asked.
"My aura hasn't been able to fully recover the entire time I was here. If we don't escape I could die just by living here."
"Why didn't you tell me?" She keeps her face down refusing to look at me. "How did you even get here?" I asked.
"I chose to come here. I was given an option and it required me to live here for seven years." She said.
"Why? What made you choose to come here?" I asked. She looks up at me, she had tears in her eyes.
"There is someone... I have to see. Someone told me that if I go with you I'll see them again."
I look at her as she had some tears roll down her eyes. Even though she acts cold I can see she is suffering inside. In this moment I don't see a strong huntress I see a sad little girl who is surrounded by darkness, "Then I'll take you to them, I'll stick by you until you see this person again and I'll free you from your despair." She looks up at me and her eyes were slightly different. She had a small spark of true joy in them. She wiped her eyes and stood up. "We should get going, thanks for the break..." I raised my hand towards her signaling her to stop.
"One problem, I don't see any Xenomorphs, none at all." I said stepping out completely exposed. "Not even a scout, nothing." I look at Midori who was looking down the hall.
"The Queen Mother." I look at her and then at the hallway.
"Let's not keep her waiting then."
***
We made our way to a chamber and saw a large Xenomorph standing there. It was larger than a Queen and far more intimidating.
"The Queen Mother is tired of us, she sent an Empress to try and end us." Midori said. "She can replace them easily, but only if there is a hive to replace." We look at the very intimidating Xenomorph.
"So we have to kill her to see the Queen Mother? Alright, shall we begin?" I said readying my weapons. The Empress roars at us as we run at it. I slide under the Xenomorph's tail avoiding her attack while Midori jumped over it. She slashed at it cutting it a bit as I slashed at the Empress's legs. It kicks me away and the force stunned me as I struggled to breath.
"F/N!" Midori yelled as she avoided a claw attack from the Xenomorph. The force was similar to the Queen we fought earlier, but isn't an Empress supposed to be stronger? Did my body get strong enough that an Empress feels like a queen? I look up and see Midori avoiding the Xenomorph's attacks but she was getting sluggish.
"No time to think she needs help." I said to myself as I stood up. I run at the creature as I threw one of my swords at it's head stabbing it. I wails in agony as Midori takes the moment to cut one of her arms off, but the Xenomorph swipes her to a wall. The force causes her to cough as she falls to the ground. Her aura was broken instantly, "Shit!" The Xenomorph runs at her, I quickly threw my second blade at her abdomen as she screeches. The Empress stops and I took this moment to run towards it. I leaped into it's tail and held on. She seemed to have gotten annoyed and tried to throw me off. I held on as long as I could. Then the moment came, she whipped her tail upward as I let go causing me to be thrown in the air. I land on her head and pull my sword out and began to slash at her. She tries to slam her head to a wall but I leaped to her back and stabbed my blade into her. I felt something wrap around my waist and I was flung from the Empress. I slide across the ground as I felt a burning sensation on my arms and legs. After I stopped I felt pressure around me. I look at the Empress as she held me in her hand, "Damn it not again." I said as it got harder and harder to breath. However the Empress screams in pain as I felt myself falling to the ground. I land on the ground and look to see Midori had stabbed it in the back and opening a deep wound in it. Some acid was actually spilling into her and I saw it burning her clothes and skin. I quickly rushed to her and pulled her away before she got anymore burns.
"Damn it Midori why are your clothes burning?" I said as I layed her down on the wall.
"Guess the resistance wore off... Damn why now, wish I had my full strength this wouldn't have happened. Fuck this planet." I look at her as she struggles to stay conscious.
"Rest for a bit, I'll handle this."
"Yeah... I know you will." She holds her scythe towards me and I grab it, "Especially with this." I grab it as she falls unconscious, I turn to the Empress as she finally recovers from her pain.
I run at her and as I held the blade I felt something coming from it, or someone, "My my... Your soul is so similar to my partner's. Actually you two are very similar, I only feel two differences. You want to protect the girl?" As he spoke I felt the world was moving so slowly, "Normally I couldn't help you but not only did my current partner give you permission but you are similar to my last partner. I can give you power temporarily, but you must promise me one thing."
"What is it?" I asked.
"Protect Midori, protect my partner's daughter."
"Aren't you already protecting her?"
"There are some enemies I can't protect her from."
"Alright I will protect her when you cannot." After I replied I felt my strength increase drastically. When the Empress tried to hit me with her tail I blocked it and held it back. I used the scythe and cut the tail off. As it screamed I felt a large amount of energy coming from the blade. I look at it and saw black flames began to burst from the blade. I slashed at the Xenomorph and the flames flew at it. The moment it made contact the flames sliced through it and caused the body to burst into flames. The creature fall down dead as I look at the scythe, "Is this the power Midori should have?" I said as I looked at the blade. I quickly grabbed my weapons and ran to Midori who still seems to be unconscious, "Damn without her we are trapped in here. Seems I have only one choice left. Can I even do this by myself?" I said as I picked her up, "The acid is burning slowly?" I asked but a different voice from before spoke.
"I'm trying to keep it from burning her. Since she has no child, if she dies I will be imprisoned again. Get her off this planet and she should recover."
"Me against a hive and I have to protect an dying woman, fuck this is going to be hard."
"You better not fail mortal or I will find a way to make you suffer." I look at the tunnel leading deeper into the hive.
"How long?"
"One hour. I can hold the acid back for one hour after that it will burn her skin normally and you saw how quickly it got to her bones."
"Will getting her off this planet really help her?" I asked.
"Her aura is very strong, the moment she leaves this planet her aura should recover quickly."
"Alright. One hour I can't waste a single minute then." I said as I ran deeper into the Hive. Come on semblance help me out, I need get stronger to get her out if here.