Deadly Poison and Sacrifice

Splash! Water rushed past him as he sank into the pond. Aston was met with icy cold water. "The assassin is here for me?" Aston thought hard but still could not figure out why someone would want him dead. But he was sure he looked straight at him when the assassin said he had found who he was looking for.

As he sank into the pond, Aston looked up towards the sky. The full moon rose in the sky, lighting the forest in soft white light. The ripples in the pond made the moon seem like it was dancing. It was indeed a breathtaking sight.

After he stopped sinking in the pond, Aston quickly swam to the surface. Next to him, Kayla and Ripley were coughing, most likely from the water getting in their lungs from suddenly falling into the pond. Aston did not have time to warn them before the fall.

"Are you guys okay?" Aston asked as he walked over and patted their backs to help them cough up the water. He looked around and did not see the assassin. Since they had fallen a bit away from where they fell. He was most likely looking for them.

Coughing, Kayla looked up. "Yeah, we're okay. Thanks to you, Aston, for that quick thinking of yours." Kayla looked around and then up at the sky. "Thankfully, it is a full moon. Otherwise, we would not be able to see well, and that would bode ill for us given our current circumstance."

"That demon is here! How did he find us?" Ripley said as the memories of what happened before rushed back, and he started trembling. "We should run before he finds us. We can't beat that monster. If we get away quick enough, the soldiers from the base might get him before he gets us."

Soon they left, and after a while, they found themselves in a clearing with no trees around and short grass. However, as they entered the middle of the clearing, they heard a twig snap, and suddenly a great wave of bloodlust rushed over them. "Hehehehuu," eerie laughing came from the forest where they had just left. "I finally found you again! How could you scare me like that?" Lucsius said as he walked out of the clearing.

As he stood before them, a chill ran down their spines. The dark-haired boy appeared almost inhuman, with his hunched posture almost like a cobra preparing to strike. His eyes, a dark shade of green, seemed to flicker from the innocent gaze of a regular human to the cold, calculating eyes of a snake. It was as if he were two beings in one body, and they couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with him.

And then they saw his clothes - a full-body suit entirely black as if to absorb all the light around him. The mask covering his face only added to the eerie effect, leaving only his piercing green eyes and dark hair visible. It was as if he had morphed into a creature of darkness. He reeked of blood, and it spoke of the danger he posed.

However, they also noticed that he was not in good shape. He held his left ribs with one hand. The other arm just hung there limply. He was injured and was not at his peak, as Ripley saw earlier.

"Hahahaha, I can smell the fear you guys have. You're making me excited." Lucsius said as he licked his lips. "Ahh, I can't hold back anymore. I don't have to hide anymore, do I? At this point, I don't have long until the soldiers from the base find me. So I might as well have fun in my true form while I complete my mission. If I am to die serving my Master, it is a great honor!" Lucsius said as he began to rip off the suit he wore. The weird thing is underneath, he was blank like a doll. He only held the shape of a human but lacked everything else.

Suddenly Lucsius's body began to produce cracking sounds of bones being broken, and his muscles bulged and squirmed. Scales began to appear over his entire body. His eyes pupils changed into a slit. He crouched to the ground, his skin shed, and his body changed color.

As he slowly stood up, Lucsius bodies true form appeared. Lucsius' had a strange, unsettling appearance. His skin was covered in scales that shimmered like those of a cobra, and his eyes were slitted and green like a snake's. He stands upright like a human, but his limbs are long and slender, ending in sharp white claws that shined in the moonlight. He looked lean and agile, with muscles that rippled beneath his scaly skin.

His mouth was filled with sharp teeth, he opened it, and a hiss came out. They could see a forked tongue flicking in and out. He emitted a low hissing sound as he began to move, like the rustling of leaves on a windy day. Despite his humanoid shape, he seems more like a wild animal than a human being.

Lucsius was a creature of the shadows, lurking in dark corners and hidden places. His scales and snake eyes are an indication of his dangerous nature, and his appearance is sure to inspire fear and revulsion in those who see him.

As he slithered around them in circles, he spoke, "I don't want you to get away again, so I will finally put to use this magic stone master gave me." He pulled out a stone that looked like a pebble one would find near a riverbed. However, on the stone was a rune of unknown language with a slight blow glow.

"With this, you won't be able to run away from me," Lucsius then threw the stone towards Aston. Aston was unsure what to do, but an extreme sense of danger overcame him. He knew he would most likely die, so before the stone landed near him, he pushed Kayla and Ripley as far away as possible.

Aston found himself surrounded by a red barrier, Kayla and Ripley stood up and saw the red barrier that had appeared, but they could not see in. Lucsius laughed as he stood inside the barrier, looking at Aston.

"How brave of you to sacrifice yourself to protect your friends. Actually, I was hoping you would do so. I only have one of these, and if I missed it. I would have to chase you through the forest, and with time short, that would not work well for me." Lucsius said as he crossed his arms.

"For making things so easy for me, I will answer a few questions you might have before I kill you as thanks for making this easier for me," Lucsius said as he smiled and licked his scaly lips, and hissed.

Aston thought for a moment before deciding to figure out why he was being killed. "Why were you sent to kill me? As far as I know, I have never offended anyone to that extent." Aston looked towards Lucsius as he wondered if he would honestly answer.

"You are a threat to my Master, so I was sent to kill you. As for what you have done to him? Nothing. At least not yet. You have one more question left." Lucsius dropped his arms to his side.

"After you kill me, what will you do?" Aston asked as he drew his sword and closed his eyes.

"I will try to flee from here as fast as possible, although I don't mind dying for my Master. I would love to live and tell him I finished the mission and receive his praise." Lucsius said as he began to walk in circles around Aston. "Don't worry. I will make this quick, and it will only hurt for a moment."

Aston took deep breaths with closed eyes and tried to sense his surroundings like Fang Han had advised him to. Aston felt the wind brushing against him. He heard the rustling of the grass and the steps Lucsius had made. He tried to feel the vibrations from his steps, but he could not. Lucsius steps were light as a feather.

Lucsius suddenly stopped, and his muscles tightened, and his eyes narrowed as he looked at Aston. His bloodlust was strong, and the excitement of achieving his mission made his body jittery. Suddenly he squatted, and his thigh muscles bulged and creaked with pressure. He lunged forward, flying through the air as he aimed his claws at Aston, preparing to pierce his heart in one blow.

Aston's senses peaked in a moment of great peril, and his heart pumped adrenaline through his body. As Lucsius' movement stopped, Aston heard the creaking from his muscles and the rush of wind as he launched toward him. Aston knew where the attack was coming from. He could hear the wind being sliced apart by his claws, and he could sense the bloodlust.

He could not fully dodge this blow, so Aston turned his body at the last second, and a shearing sound was heard as the plating on his suit's chest was ripped off, and his skin was exposed. A line of blood ran across his chest.

As Lucsius landed, his brow creased in anger, and he hissed loudly. "I was going to make it quick for you, and you dare dodge. I will tear you to pieces now that you have angered me. Regardless, you are going to die. Can you feel it? The numbness spreading from your chest? My claws and fangs are lined with a deadly neurotoxin. You would be dead before the end of today, regardless."

"However, I still won't leave it to chance. I will kill you here and head back home to my Master. Nothing will stop me from achieving my goal! You will die here." Lucsius began to flicker as he disappeared and flashed toward Aston.

This time Aston could not sense or hear his movement. The air around him rushed loudly, but he could not sense him. He suddenly felt a shift in the wind around him and a slight shake in the ground to his left. He shifted his body to the right. Suddenly, a long gash appeared from his left shoulder and up to his cheek appeared. If he hadn't moved, his head surely would have come off.

Right next to him, for a brief moment, Lucsius appeared flying through the air next to him, Aston swung his blade towards him, but it met air. "I won't be able to hit him. He is too fast for me to react in time. If I want to defeat him, I will have to strike when he has no chance of running away." Aston thought.

As Aston tried to think about how to defeat Lucsius, he recalled how Lucsius appeared before he transformed. "Although he looks healed, he has been attacking me with only his right arm. More than likely, his injuries did not fully disappear. If I can trap his right arm, I will get my chance." Aston planned in his head.

After a short while, Aston again felt the impending doom. This time Lucsius was going for his heart again, but from behind. Aston gulped and prepared himself. "He had to stop Lucsius here. If he didn't, who was to say he wouldn't kill Kayla and Ripley afterward?" So rather than dodging, Aston turned around and moved a little to the side.

Suddenly Lucsius appeared, and his hand had pierced through Aston and out his back. Before Lucsius could pull his hand away, Aston grabbed his arm and pulled him closer. Lucsius pulled his arm out with great strength, and Aston felt him slipping away. Aston quickly raised his leg and kicked Lucsius' left ribs, and then pulled him back closer.

Lucsius' hissed in pain, and his strength faltered for a second. That damn monk did a number on him. Lucsius is unsure why the monk is so strong for a human, and his carelessness is coming back to bite him.

As Lucsius' strength faltered, Aston pulled him close and stabbed his sword through Lucsius' left side. With that arm useless and his right being held back. Lucsius was pierced clean through his ribs deep into his chest. He coughed up blood and roared in pain. He ripped his arm out of Aston's chest and fell backward.

Aston spit blood out, and his consciousness wavered. The poison had spread deep and had reached his heart. Soon the poison would kill him. He raised his sword up towards Lucsius, preparing for the final attack.

Lucsius walked slowly towards Aston and then disappeared once more. However, this time he did not hide as well. His steps were heavier, and his blood was dripping on the grass and ground.

Aston could sense him easier, but it made no difference. Despite his injuries, he was still fast. Aston would have to exchange blows once more. Aston felt a shift in the air and a vibration. From his side came Lucsius. Aston stepped back and pierced his sword downwards. Aston felt immense pain as a hole was pierced through his stomach, as Lucsius appeared with ragged breath. Aston's sword pierced through Lucsius back and out his chest.

Lucsius pulled his claw out and fell to the ground.

Aston had reached his limit and fell to the ground as well. The barrier around them began to flicker and rumble. Outside, General Garrick and Lieutenant Dan had arrived, leading soldiers to attack the barrier. They fired upon the barrier with laser rifles and rockets, trying to break through.

"It seems that I won't make it out of here alive. However, you are doomed to die with the amount of poison in you now, Aston." Lucsius laughed maniacally as he typed something into a wristband on his arm. "Master wants assurance of your death, so he gave me one final backup should I fail to kill you. With this, you and I are guaranteed to die together." Suddenly the wristband began to glow and vibrate.

As the wristband began to get brighter, Lucsius' laughter got louder and louder as he lay there. His body started to glow, spreading from his wrist upwards. Then the barrier broke, and Aston saw that the base soldiers had arrived. Aston shouted at them to run before they all died.

General Garrick looked at Aston and then the Reptilian Lucsius, noticing how he was glowing, which was getting brighter quickly. The last thing Aston saw before losing consciousness was General Garrick shouting and waving his hand forward before it all went dark.