The Cost of Money  

 As Rashad breathed in that rusty air, felt the cold breeze of that dusty fog… He stood there in that blinding smoke… while glaring down the monster that cost him so much… It cost him his slaves… His ship... And his time… but more importantly, it cost him his most talented men!  

Men who were like him… Men who could not be bought! Men forge in fire from many battles with pirates and monsters alike! Men who grow up like him! Forged in the cesspits of society, where food was a luxury and clothing was but a dream! He remembered his mother's smile as she sold him off to be a plaything to a scientist.  

Who battered him into a weapon! While his father smiled as he sold his sister for a bridal price! A town, a city, and a nation where souls were bought and exchanged for anything! Life was as cheap as a grain of wheat… where slaves ran abundantly and corpses drowned in the wells! With an illusion of happiness, the city's leading figures dressed their 'world' in pretty colors. While ignoring the screams that lay interwoven into that tapestry they so loved.   

Locked in a cellar filled with bickers and rusty bloody blades, Rashad had to endure such surgeries that were done awake and with the pain! Forced to watch other children like him undergo similar surgeries, while many died, many more lived to justify the cost! Many of whom are still called friends to this day… many like Armen… like those who made up Squad One... Like him they were survivors… like him, they did what they had to!  

They bullied the weak and taunted the strong! They stole what they wanted under pretexts, they sold whom they wanted and what they wanted! A lesson he learned when he was 'given' the 'heart' of the one creature he loved! A vicious and poisonous creature whose beauty was unmatched only by its motherly love! A siren whose song was as colorful as her seafoam hair! While her eyes match the deep-sea blue, with a tail that shines in salmon-tinted red!   

While people called her a monster, he called her…Mother! And with a mother 'heart' he was torn with tears… as blood dripped down from the corpse of his mother, which hung above him like a prized catch by a rusty metal hook! And as that old scientist laughed with success! With a monocle and a top hat, dressed in a gentleman suit made from monster skins, danced the man as he celebrated his success, in a room filled with bones and skinned corpses that walked with hallowed eyes! while he screamed:  

[Yes! I was right! A creature who is loved and gave love would make for a higher chance of success!]  

As life flashed before his eyes in but a moment, Armen had his own thoughts as his head lay in the hands of a devil:  

[captain… my captain… my friend… I'm sorry… I'm sorry…]   

As blood pus-ed from his melted face, with an eye that stuck out and veins opened to the world, Armen loved his best friend but never understood his twisted love for the sea folk… in truth, any creature with a stone could have been used, as a slave… yet for some reason it always had to be a creature born of the sea… But now wasn't the time to ponder such things, but when death comes knocking, and you're at your lowest, one starts to think strange things…    

But was it strange? For as Armen watched like a corpse, the aura around his captain… changed to that of a sea serpent!   

Poisonous fumes rushed at Breder, while an image of a serpent slithers around an axe made of unknown. Breder smiled as his tail jittered in many shapes! Immune to poison and gases, Breder charged forward alone, as the others would only get in his way! With white and smoke, with dust and wind, Breder lashed with his blades, while a man oozed a poisonous aura like a lava lamp and swung his axe like a coiled serpent whose fangs drowned in venom!   

As Breder blocked those serpent fangs, out came a musical tune, that imprinted the ground beneath his feet in the shape of a snake! As a man screamed his roar, the serpent's body opened like a flute to play a sweet song! A tantalizing song filled with toxicity that would brainwash the weak!   

But to Breder, who knows of siren songs, closed his ear to a world of silence! And in that world of Tranquility, Breder twirled, and danced with his glaive blades that matched his agility! Confused about why his music had no effect, but with no time to dwell on it, Rashad called… No! But demanded his stolen 'heart' to pump out more power! As axe, met with blade, Rashad chipped away at Breder's swords!  

With each chip, Rashad felt he was getting closer, but felt strange… it felt like the sword of his prey was empty… but precisive…strong even… but lacking weight… like the monster before him didn't want to kill him... At least not yet…  

[It's… playing with me!] said Rashad with shock.  

[why though? It's clearly losing… so why?] question Rashad   

It when then that Breder laughed… a hissing laugh that sounded disturbing… It was then that the smoke cleared! And Rashad looked around to see that he was alone! His trucks were gone, his men dead… and on a mountain of corpses, while he himself was surrounded by monster! It was then that he heard Armen scream, while a hand tore into his chest!  

With a bloody hand, Blacky raised the stone that was within Armen for Rashad to see… An like a glistening silver ore that was dipped in mercury, it shined so beautifully in the moonlight! Like a golden apple that represented what was forbidden! And Blacky didn't care… who cares what was forbidden… if it came with strength!   

With a golden apple in hand, Blacky removed his arm from Armen's chest, allowing him to fall in slow motion into the corpse mountain. With the nuisance freed from his hand, Blacky ate the forbidden fruit! As it went down his gut, he smiled at Rashad, as a wave of Mercury exploded from his body like a river! A river that was drunk by thirsty corpses!   

Seeing this all play before his eyes, angered Rashad, as he was surrounded by laughing monsters!   

[You think it's over!] yelled Rashad as his mouth quickly shut!  

But with eyes that screamed no! While the weight of his axe was too much to bear, He saw his number one squad defeated and on their knees! Brave men and women whom he called friends… for they were like Armen… fellow children that went through the same experience of hell as he did as a child… fellow classmates… fellow test subjects!   

[but how!] question Rashad  

But as if reading his mind, one of the aliens holding an unconscious woman, lowered it to show himself! And it was an alien Rashad quickly recognized!  

[It was you! But I tore your arms off!] screamed Rashad as he looked at Collin's smug teeth.   

But as the thought of attacking Collins entered his mind, he noticed a blade inches from his face! Quickly dodging it, he stared daggers at the metal alien who threw the blade. And with a smile, Breder turned to the crowd and called forth a child of his!  

Disgusting and tan-colored, the creature walked into view, with scythe hands and a back filled with moving hands! As the alien moves by squad one, she opens up her arms, and like a wave, she launches four face-hungers!   

Not understanding what was going on, but with a bad gut feeling, Rashad knew instinctively that whatever was on their face couldn't mean anything good! But with time against him, and a field of monsters to burn through, he didn't have time to think, but only to act!  

So, act he did, and with poisonous axe in hand, he wasn't afraid… He knew his strength better than anyone, and this wasn't the first time he was outnumbered, and it wouldn't be the last! He survived those and he will survive this one too! With such thoughts in his mind, he charged at Breder, in a ploy to cover his true objective!  

But Breder saw right through him and taunted him in whispers:  

{it was easy… you know…}  

[shut up!] replied Rashad as his axe came down. 

{they were weak} replied Breder while blocking 

[I said, shut up!] replied Rashad going in for another swing 

{your ship burns… your slaves stolen… your men dead…} replied Breder with a tail blade to the head! 

[...] replied Rashad, with a slight tilt to the head. As he sideswiped with his axe at Breder.  

{the city you protect will be consumed! And hunted down to the last!} said Breder as he leaped into the air dodging the axe.  

But ignoring Breder's taunts, or the fact that it could talk, Rashad punched Breder away, while yelling:  

[Are you just going to keep sleeping? Get up! Blake, I thought you said you weren't going to die till you paid me back! You still owe me a thousand gold coins for healing your sister!]  

{It's no use… Hehe, they can't hear you!} replied Breder with a secret smile. 

[Carlos! Get up! Or I will have to please all your wives for you! And believe me, I rather not! Who has wives in five different cities? Maybe I'll sell them if you don't get up!] said Rashad  

{Hehe! Oh! This is fun} continued Breder as he slammed his tail against Rashad's axe knocking him to Blacky, who clawed at his back!  

But ignoring the blood claws dipped in silver on his back, Rashad continued to yell:  

[Edgar, what about you! Was that all talk about burning down Bredale one day a lie?]   

But with no response, Rashad was left alone in the dark and in a circle, as acid pelleted him, while Breder pushed him into the circle walls made of claws and sharp tails! Annoyed at the wall, Rashad would strike at it only to be matched by Breder! With hit-and-run tactics, the other weaker aliens would strike and laugh… as the fight turned into a game!  

With injuries mounting and a weapon filled with his own blood, Rashad screamed again:  

[Abbie! I thought you hated the rain… hated black clouds… and hated the thunderous noise! didn't you say that you wanted to strike them all down?]  

Again, Breder laughed like he was having the time of his life, as he said in whispers, in a hand motion to his hears:  

{Dumbass! They can't hear you! I made sure to make them deaf!}  

Hearing what this alien had said, Rashad eyes widen at the thought: 

[the fuck? Did this thing really take the time to do that? why?]  

{Oh! Yes, I love that look of shock on your face, but don't worry I didn't just make them deaf; I also made them blind! Hey, can you blame me… I mean I don't know how you freak uses your abilities so... As the saying goes… Better safe than sorry!} said Breder  

[Aahhh!] screamed Rashad as he felt a sudden slowness!  

[why] thought Rashad as a silver poison entered his back!   

With vision warping and an axe too heavy to lift, Collins took this chance to speedily take one of Rashad's arms for himself! With a scream pleasing to Collin's ears, he went back for the others! When His father stopped him…  

{No! Can't you see his ready for you now…} said Breder as Rashad tsked under his breath  

{really... Humans are so predictable… you could have run you know… so why didn't you? No… that's the wrong question… why didn't you use all your strength? I wonder if it was because you didn't want to hurt your subordinates. Odd I didn't take you to be of the emotional type…} said Breder  

[it's because it would have cost me money!] replied Rashad under bloody mouth.  

{I see…} replied Breder as he knocked the axe from Rashad hands…  

{now Collins... You may take your prize but don't kill him yet… I want him to live long enough to see it!} said Breder as he anticipated the moment Rashad would look at his favored subordinates giving birth to new xenomorphs!  

Nodding, Collin did just that, and took Rashad's other arm! But this time... This time he made Rashad watch as he slowly removed his last arm!  

[Ahhh! Fine then! Since I'm going to die anyway, I might as well do that...] thought Rashad as he stared at the unconscious bodies of his favored subordinates.  

But before he could even channel the mana, a white metal hand tore at his core!  

Seeing his core in the hands of the white alien, and darkness encroaching in his eyes, he barely heard Breder say:    

{damn it! I didn't think you believed in a god… sigh, you would have made a fine xenomorph! Oh! Well… at least I stopped you from igniting your soul!}   

but seeing eyes that screamed how did you know, Breder said:  

{shhh... There, there don't be shocked! I've seen it before that's all!}    

With Rashad dead, Collins asked Breder:  

[Father…] 

{yes?} replied Breder  

[was it worth it… I mean…I'm sorry Father, but we lost many in the attempt to capture these four humans… their powers were…] replied Collins 

{It's ok Collins! As much as it hurts to lose so many, these four will more than make up for the cost.} replied Breder 

{but more importantly... Collins do you see that drone above us!} continued Breder with a smile.  

 Del