Das Tier in Mir
Maria heard the scream again. This time, it was closer, angrier. She was becoming scared now. Heh. Fear. That's something she's not felt in ages. Something knew she was here, and wasn't happy about the whole thing. She stepped away from the exploded Head of Carnax and towards the door. She held her Tube Launcher at a ready. Nothing was going to surprise her.
Just has her back hit the door, a mangled, boney hand burst from the metal and grabbed at her. She screamed and tore away from the hand. Well, the hand tore away from the users are. She scrapped the still-groping fingers from her armor and crushed them under foot. She started to hyperventalate slightly, still surprised. As the shock settled in, she could breath better. This was scarier then anything she had ever faced, even Serras Nerra, the Mage of Despair. At least she was still half human. These things are half dead. If that much.
She could see more arms crawling through the hole the first one punched through. Not wanting to get groped again, Maria fired twice into the hole. More unlorely screames echoed in the distance. She had killed it. Whatever it was. She hung the Tube Launcher at her side, cluched her armor where her heart was and sighed. She was safe in here, but in corraling herself here she had sealed herself from the outside world. She couldn't escape, or send word of what she was doing. She found herself in a tight squeeze. Either she, A) stood their and lived indefinately, or she B) made a break for the door and risk her life to get a message out. Not a hard decision. As much of a fan she was of not dying, she had to warn someone on the outside world. And she had to do it without dying. If she did, she didn't know if she could cheat Death into giving her a fifty-third chance. For now, she'd just have to…
Her thought process was stopped by a thud from the table behind her. She could hear very laboured breathing. Someone; no, something was behind her. With cat-like reflexes, she dove down, turned in midair and faced her guest. It was once a Drakel, that much could be decerned. But, it was boney. Several key pieces of flesh still remaind, like it's biceps and most of it's torso. It's head was still intact, save for it's lack of right eye. It's toung hung out of it's mouth and ran halfway down it's torso. It was hunched over, one arm was longer then the other. The longer arm was the top of an arm where it was connected to the torso, but ended with a long whip-like appendage at the end. It's shorter arm was sheer claw. It's hand was laden with razor-sharp claws. It had bone-like blades extending from the top of it's wrist. Two on either side. It's head was bent down, like it's neck was snapped, but still attached. Very sharp teeth lined either side of it's mouth. What ever it ate must either be very rubbery, or must not want to be eaten.
Without a second thought, Maria leveled the Tube Launcher at it's torso and fired. The small rocket flew out and struck the beast in the cheast. The projectile exploded, fragmenting the creature into millions of fleshy chunks. These chunks then proceded to repaint the interior of the room. After everything was said and exploded, Maria looked up. There was an open grating. It lead into an air ducting system. This must have been how that; that thing got in here. It was now clear that she was not safe here. She was not safe here at all. She needed to get out of the Drakel City. And take out as many of those abominations as got in her way.
But her first priority was to find more ammo for the Tube Launcher. When she fired that last shot to take out the Drakel Zombie, she noticed the small rectangular clip had popped out, leaving her weapon empty. Ideally, she wouldn't think twice before ditching the Tube Launcher for her Guardian Blade, but two things had stopped that: One, these things, from the looks of them, were natural weapons. Masters of close-quarters combat. Getting close was suicide. Two; The Mage of Despair had destroyed her Guardian Blade, and she was not scheduled to be issued another until Tuesday.
She surveyed the room she was in. She saw no accessable ammunition for her weapon, so she'd have to venture into the city to find some in her escape. In time too, just as she began contomplating escape, several Drakel Zombies came scutteling out of the airvents. Without a second thought, she jammed her hand down on the control button for the door. Two other Zombies were waiting for her on the other side. She backed up slightly and jumped, increasing her jump distance by quickly turning her cape into Dragon wings and using them to fly over her assailents slightly. (She had gained the ability to control certain aspects of her X-Boost since the Mage of Despair incident.) She came down hard on one of the abomintations, cracking it's skull wide open, spilling what resembled refried beans out of it's cavety and onto the ground. She darted off before it could get back up.
Halfway down the hall she stopped. Whatever these things were, they were not happy, and not friendly. And, judging by their appearance, some were wearing armor. Drakel armor was twice the strength as her Guardian Plate, and by the looks of the armor, they had been sliced to ribbons effortlessly. Armor, for once in her life, was completely and udderly useless. Charging down the hall she began to formulate something that remotely resembled an escape plan.