Okay so I actually got super gory for this. And I intend to keep it that way since in Chapter 4, I had blood dripping and with that, I figured that I could push the boundary further. So I hope you all enjoy. And please review! I would love to hear your comments on this story! Criticism included. Harsh or not :O.

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Chapter 6: Berserker

Everyone was still, staring at the new person and figure standing in the hole he left. They were all frozen in place, not knowing what to do. They didn't know what it was and what it was capable.

Paul tried to get off of Lycan's hold, but soon realized that he had his sword taken and in Lycan's other hand. He was wondering how come no one could've have sensed him and LJ, specifically his mages squads. Mages have an inate ability to feel magic being casted. He knew of a cloning technique that allowed a mage to use their mastery element and create a realistic mirror image of themselves. But what he didn't get about LJ's clones of himself and Lycan was that the mages couldn't sense the magic coursing through the clones' body and how they made them almost human-like with blood coursing through bodies. Normally, clones would dissapate into the element of the mage that made them, like ice clones into ice cubes, fire mages with ashes, and lightning into just a breath of air.

He knew that there was nothing else that he could possibly do to get out of his grip, so he stared at the new figure before him and everyone else. Lycan was distracted and he noticed his hands loosened their grip on the collar of his blue vest. He took the chance to kick him hard in the side. In the process of it, he took has blade and slit the upper-part of Lycan's left arm, blood staining his blade. Lycan grunted and immediately backflipped back. He used his right arm to cover the opening.

The noise from Lycan's grunt and landing alarmed Michael. He suddenly yelled and looked around to find where the noise came from. Everyone else was still, except for Lycan, who was breathing slightly and massaging his shoulder. Michael flew, leaving a trail of fire behind him in the air and stopped in front of Lycan, who suddenly froze.

Oh shit. Should I run and evade? Lycan stared at the unknown figure before him Then he noticed his eyes. His eyes burned red with fire, but he could see a little blue in them, as if they were some small chance that he was human. He didn't know if he should speak, but he turned his head slightly to look at Lincoln. Finally deciding to take the risk, he spoke. "Linc, where's Michael's body?" He asked, knowing full well that below them, Michael's body wasn't there in the hole.

Lincoln thought for a moment. Michael's body's gone. It's like it was never there. And his eyes were different when we were fighting the Cyclops. He extrapolated the facts at last and knew what to say. "Michael!" He yelled, thrusting his sword and smiling.

Michael then swung his claw at Lycan, who then skillfully dodged the sudden attack by bending backwards. He backflipped, continuously dodging his swipes. "Michael, stop!" Sara yelled. She flew up towards Lycan, blocking Michael from moving forward.

He stared at Sara. His head was fogged with his lust for bloodshed. "Michael..." She said softly in her graceful voice.

"Sara, bad idea." Lycan said, frightened for her safety. He knew that her attempt to talk to Michael was a bad idea. Michael has gone berserk and he can't recognize his friends. If he tried to attack Sara, there would only be one course of action for Lycan. He would have to take the brunt of the swipe, not knowing how painful it could harm him, or if it was capable of killing him.

"Everyone continue attacking! Take out Michael and his friends!" Paul yelled out of the blue. The mages started blasting Michael with their spells while the gunmen started aiming for Lycan, Sara, and Lincoln.

"Come on Sara!" Lycan picked up Sara and then jumped down from the second level, bringing her down to LJ. LJ casted a quick shield that protected Lycan and Sara from gunfire for the moment. "Watch over her!" Then a fireball aimed at the three of them split them apart.

LJ blasted three ice spikes at the mage who fired a fireball. He pierced his chest twice and his neck. The mage fell to the floor dead. Sara shot a fireball the size of a bowling ball but stopped it in front of two gunmen. She flicked her wrists, exploding the ball into lava and magma. The skin on their faces burned off, leaving nothing but their bones and skulls. LJ blew an icy cold wind to harden the magma. They then turned their concentration to the gunmen, throwing spells and avoiding being shot all at once.

Lincoln swiftly moved, almost at the blink of an eye, he cut and sliced the defenseless gunmen, blood splattering everywhere. Michael, uncontrolled as he was, went straight for the mages that threw endless spells at him. He wasn't fazed by a single attack. Nothing seemed to be effective against him. He was impervious to all of it. When he approached one of the mages, he thrusted his sharp claws into one of their chests. The man screamed in agony and in pain as the blood dripped down Michael's arm. He loved the feeling of blood against his skin. Every single mage became terrified and started to run across the second level, the soon realized there was a dead-end. Michael slowly approached them and then terrified all of them further with a shout that would pierce fear into the heart of even the bravest soldier. He then completely mutilated the mages, leaving a pool of dead bodies accompanied with ripped body parts and blood in the corner of the hallway on the second floor. The blood started to flood down like a river to the first floor.

Veronica pulled out of the area and ran to assist Lincoln. She used her rifle to shoot the other gunmen that Lincoln couldn't reach while he was busy with those in front of him. Each shot was a headshot, blood popping out of their head and oozing out onto the floor.

Lycan hunted down Paul, trying to make sure that he wouldn't go for the others and that he would be the one to take him down. Paul was more skilled than he was and knew how to avoid Lycan's swift, and potently powerful punches and kicks. He managed to slice his other arm, forcing him to pull back a bit.

"Pull back now, Wolf." Paul said coolly. His blade was at his side and ready for any following attack. "You better keep that life you still have! I will end it without a doubt!"

"If I leave you alone, others will be vulnerable to your attacks." He yelled back, breathing hard slightly. He was injured and he didn't know how much longer he could last against Paul's attacks. He couldn't get close enough to render him useless. It was like he knew how to defend against the martial arts, or he could easily read his movements. "I..." He started and took a deep breath. "Won't let you hurt my friends!"

"Hah!" Paul scoffed. "Your choice!" He angled his sword behind him and ran at Lycan. Lycan readied himself to counter-attack. Then Michael flew in between the two of them, stopping Paul completely in his place.

Shit. We're screwed. Paul and Lycan thought simultaneously. Lincoln and Veronica had retreated to the bottom floor and stood with LJ and Sara. Lincoln almost rushed off to help Lycan until he saw Michael there. Everything became still and silent again.

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Michael shifted between Lycan and Paul's eyes. He couldn't recognize the two of them. But he could feel the life, the beat of their hearts, and their blood coursing through the veins. He was, however, more inclined to kill Lycan. His blood felt different to him, almost infuriating. He turned towards Lycan and started to swing his claws at him.

Paul knew his whole squad was dead. Seeing that Michael was attacking him, he took the chance to run, get away, and head back to HQ. He was going to find out why Michael was different and fight him again with an advantage, if he ever had the chance. He also wanted to know why the Colonel wanted them dead all of a sudden. As long as his questions were answered before he became a regent, he didn't care. Although now he knew that his chances of achieving Regent were probably gone now after he thought about it. So he made the decision to find out what was going on with the Colonel and why he was acting that way. It was time for him to forge his own journey.

As Paul mysteriously left, Lycan had to focus on avoiding Michael's attacks. Lincoln, LJ, Sara, and Veronica rushed up to the second floor but held back. They didn't want to approach Michael and have him turn on them. But they knew they had to do something. Lycan was already injured and he wouldn't be able to continue dodging his attacks for long.

"Linc, we have to do something." LJ said frantically.

"We can't do anything, LJ." Veronica quickly defended. "You saw what those mages tried to do. None of their attacks even scratched him. I am willing to bet anything that none of our attacks could even hurt him, let alone tickle him." She added sarcastically.

"But we have to do something!" LJ shouted. He was going to wait for his friend to be killed brutally like the mages he completely mutilated. He threw an ice spear at Michael, watching it immediately dissipate into water as he caught it in his hands.

He turned to LJ and roared, terrifying everyone. Lincoln, Veronica, and Sara jumped to the side, hitting the wall. LJ was stunned in place. He didn't know what to think. He just stood there, wondering what to do.

"No!!" Lincoln yelled. He started to move towards LJ to block him, but Lycan made it there first, pushing Lincoln out of the way. He blocked LJ from being seen by Michael. He flew swiftly and slashed him in the back. Lycan grunted and then Michael stopped himself before thrusting his other claw through Lycan's chest.

"Lycan! What the hell!?" LJ yelled at him, terrified that he was going to die. Lycan then dropped on top of LJ. "Oof!" Lincoln and Veronica immediately responded and tried to lift Lycan off of LJ. It was hard as the guy was heavier than the world's heaviest wrestler. But eventually, they got him off. They had to get away from Michael. LJ pointed at the door that was on the second floor and near the dead gunmen. "Head there!"

They swiftly took Lycan and ran to the door. Their footsteps splashed with the blood on the floor. LJ kicked the door open and went through. Lincoln and Veronica left them there and turned around, realizing Sara didn't follow. They went to the entrance of the door and saw that she stood there.

"Sara! Come on! Get away from him!" Veronica and Lincoln yelled in sync. She wasn't listening or responding.

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Sara and Michael stood there across from each other. She couldn't hear Veronica and Lincoln yelling. All of it sounded like a blur. "Michael…" She said softly. Michael roared again, but she didn't falter. "Don't lose yourself." She said softly. Sara walked slowly to close the distance between them. She stood right in front of him, looking down at the ground. She could feel his skin burning, but she didn't want Michael to hurt anyone and himself anymore. Then, she grasped him in a hug.

Michael froze. He remembered that touch; that soft, silky smooth skin. He lowered his defenses, causing his skin to cool off. What's… where… who…? Michael stood still, slowly regaining control of himself. "Sara…" He said weakly, suddenly transforming back to his human form. He suddenly passed out. Lincoln and Veronica ran for Michael and Sara.