2. Krogoth

Chapter 2

Krogoth

Found

I leap across the top of another human structure with ease, my long legs propelling me forward. The Rush rises within me, increasing my strength and speed as I draw closer to my prey. I've been running for many Earth hours, the bitter cold seeping into my bones, but I push on. My lungs burn, yet the frigid air feels invigorating as I draw in deep breaths, forming thick clouds of condensation. This region of Earth is much colder than my home planet of Klendathor.

My warvisor, a divine gift designed to feed my mind with constant streams of information, bombards me with sensory input. I dampen the ambient auditory and visual streams as they become too distracting, focusing instead on the task at hand. As I survey my surroundings, I wonder how humans can sleep amidst all the noise and light pollution. This is my first time coming to this little backwater planet. Few even know of its existence. But my people, the Klendathians, recently became very interested in the potential of this planet and what it might mean for us.

Fortunately for the primitive humans, their pale blue planet is situated in the farthest corner of the galaxy, a considerable distance from the treacherous Scythian Empire. My scans from orbit revealed nothing of value on their planet, particularly the absence of the rare and valuable Elerium ore that powers advanced technology. Thus, they are of little interest. However, that changed when we scanned human biology, revealing the potential inside.

Their frail bodies and primitive weaponry amuse me. The thought of them resisting a brutal Scythian invasion is laughable and would result in their utter annihilation. Even a small war band from my powerful Draxxus Clan would decimate their armies with ease.

With no threat from a hostile force, the humans have become complacent and weak. I have seen them, studied them to prepare for my hunt, as I always do before carrying out my grim duties. They move slowly, weighed down by the burdens of their mundane lives. They lack the fierce vitality and sharp instincts of my kind, a race honed by endless battles and a harsh, unforgiving environment. It is obvious this civilization has no genuine challenges to test their strength and resilience. The Gods had truly forsaken them, leaving them to languish in their own decadence and distractions.

I am very close now as I leap onto another structure with a direct line of sight to where my prey awaits. A human male is also on the top, smoking some kind of drug stick on the other side, but my cloaking device has obscured my presence. I have programmed it to disrupt the electromagnetic spectrum range from 400 to 700 nanometers around myself. I would appear as a blur while moving and invisible while still.

The structure appears to be a social drinking den of drug juice, derived and distilled from brown beans. The symbols on the door sign reads "M-A-G-I-C, B-E-A-N-S, C-A-F-E." My grasp of this human language is still tenuous, having only been learning it for a couple of weeks to prepare for my hunt. As I stumble over the words in my head, they come out garbled and unnatural. "MA-GOT BE-INGS CAN-IF." It means nothing to me; hopefully my speaking is better than my reading.

As I approach the drug juice den, the sound of countless conversations floods my senses. The cacophony of an incoherent babble of voices hits me like a physical force, making it difficult to focus on any single sound. I scan the area with my enhanced vision, trying to locate my prey. Finally, I catch sight of the bottom of a chair that I believe to be occupied by my target.

I activate my infrared vision mode, hoping to see through the walls and locate my prey. Unfortunately, the wavelength is not powerful enough to penetrate the thick walls of the structure. Entry at this stage will cause too much unnecessary damage. I must wait until a better opportunity presents itself.

After some time, the door opens as I hold my breath in anticipation. Last time I felt this nervous was during my first hunt. Thank the Gods the clan elders cannot see me now, acting like a foolish child. Finally, after all this time, I can see the human female. She has beautiful hair the color of the finest boracks' fur, curly and wild, blowing in the wind so freely it is exotic. My heart threatens to burst out of my chest. She also has the perfect voluptuous figure, so soft and inviting it will help make up for the size difference during the bonding. To think that this female is the one fated to me, my perfect match. It only makes sense that she would be so beautiful as well. I need to get closer. Must get closer.

A human male comes out after her. I feel an instant hatred for him. Is this her mate ? What if they're already bonded? He's been staring at her for a long time . Maybe this is a human mating seduction technique? Now he's adopting some lip sucking expression and is moving closer to my female! I aim my arc blaster to unleash a super charged plasma burst at him. Before I can reduce him to a heap of molten biomass, the female skilfully envelops him in a minor grapple hold. Ha, she is skilled in the ways of combat too!

She then says, "See you around, Robert," and flashes the most beautiful smile I've ever seen. The strangest longing builds within me. I would do anything to see her smiling face directed at me. The pathetic human male is called "Robert." It galls me to think such a weak male has dared touch my female.

She stands motionless, staring in my direction. Strange . I remain deathly still. My pulse quickens as I hold my breath. I must have made too much movement . My female has very good survival instincts, noticing a shimmer where most wouldn't. Thankfully, she eventually turns away, hurrying northwest on the path alongside the noisy, combustible transporters. With so many humans still milling about, it is not safe for an extraction. I continue to follow her from atop the human structures.

She finally turns towards a quiet path away from the others. She glances around her surroundings as if she knows I'm stalking her. The tall human structures cast long, dark shadows amongst the narrow alleyways. Anticipation inside me builds, knowing this is the perfect chance to take her. The plan has always been to get her back to my ship so I can explain to her the importance of the situation. It will not be easy to convince her, but I will have to find a way.

As I prepare to make my descent, my warvisor heightened senses pick up on two male humans approaching my female from the opposite direction. The sensory feed floods me with information. One of them is carrying a hidden blade within his coat pocket. Both their heart rates and adrenaline levels are elevated. They are on a hunt of their own.

My female, smartly sensing the danger, turns back towards the crowded path, walking as fast as her tiny legs can go. The two males jog after her, their footsteps echoing through the alleyway. "Where are you going? We just want to ask you a question," shouts the one with the blade. My female doesn't reply. Instead, she breaks into a frantic sprint, her feet pounding against the pavement as she tries to escape. As they catch up to her, the bladed one roughly grabs her by the shoulder and yanks her back. "Don't fucking run when I'm talking to you, bitch!" My female recoils in terror at the male's harsh and threatening words.

As a Klendathian, the unmistakable Rush courses through my veins, quickening my heart rate and sending a wave of adrenaline surging through my body. Every muscle tense, coiling like a spring, ready to explode into action at a moment's notice. My senses heighten, sharpening to a razor's edge, and I am acutely aware of even the faintest sounds and movements around me. At this moment, nothing else matters except the imminent battle. As the anticipation builds, my eyes emit the familiar glowing mist of a light purple hue, an obvious sign I am tapping into new heights, augmenting my already deadly honed abilities.

I leap down behind the two pathetic human males; the sound of my landing echoes through the narrow alleyway. Towering above them, with lightning-fast reflexes, I deliver a right-handed punch into the ribs of the non-bladed male before he can react. Despite the Rush coursing through me, I hold back the force of my blow as it would likely go straight through into his rib cage otherwise. Instead, he flies across the alleyway, thudding against the wall with a sickening thud. My warvisor informs me of his three broken ribs and likely concussion.

Bladed male spins around, his eyes widening in shock as he looks at me. His gaze starts from my waist and travels upwards until it meets my own blazing stare. "Yo, yo! You stay the fuck back, freak, or I'll cut you open." His blade glints in the dim light as he brandishes it in my direction.

It amuses me to witness the bladed male's desperate fear. It's almost tangible, like a sour scent in the air. I shoot my hand with lightning speed, faster than a venefex strike, completely enveloping his small hand in my iron grip. Squeezing progressively tighter, the bladed male screams in agony, falling to his knees, trying desperately to pull away from me with his free hand. But it's no use. My grip is like a mountain, unyielding, unbreakable. I apply more pressure. My sensors inform me that every bone in his hand is being crushed. I release my grip, and the blade clatters to the ground. The now bladeless one cradles his broken hand, crying on his knees. I deliver a swift, but controlled, backhand strike to his temple, rendering him unconscious.

Such a weak challenge dishonors my use of Rush. But I'm not calm. My seething anger at these pathetic males for trying to harm my female is preventing me from thinking clearly. The sight of humans attacking each other, particularly a female, fills me with disgust. As a Klendathian, I know what my people would give to have our females healthy and safe beside us again. The mere thought of harming them is heresy.

I glance over to see her standing with eyes dilated wide in shock. She is holding a bright communication device against her head, speaking frantically, too fast for me to understand. At least she isn't running .

I approach my female slowly. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. My eyes scan the area for any signs of danger. My previous hunts never prepared me for a moment like this. Usually, I'm stalking and eliminating dangerous hordes of enemies in the midst of war zones, the Rush of battle burning deep within me as I crush and tear through the battle lines, facing off against every horror in the universe. But this… This is something much less dangerous, yet somehow more worrying.

I savor the scent of her delicate perfume. As I stand before her, I notice she's even more stunning up close, the color of her skin a soft shade of pink, flushed with fear. Her hazel eyes are wide and dilated, flicking around frantically. Her fear radiates off her, making me feel uneasy. My fingers tremble slightly as I slowly reach out to place my hand on her shoulder, hoping to offer some comfort.

But as soon as my hand touches her, she screams and sinks her tiny blunt teeth into my hand. I, of course, feel no pain, only surprise at the action. This will not be easy. I raise my right arm, engaging my arc blaster.