The Last Celestial

The Venom's Legacy Part II

Even when they gave everything they have, Lucas and the others still lost. Their lives wasted as the creatures created by Emir --- the Undying man are proven to be too strong for them. They thought Sphinox power was already in full bloom when she arrived.

They were wrong, as she wasn't even trying.

Lucas witnessed it himself, as a gate like opening was revealed as the beast's ribs cracked open, showing her empty insides and that she was only a vessel --- a creature created to eat and eat and eat, nowhere near to be filled as she was like a vortex that swallows everything and anything.

He witnessed Tris and Accashia being swallowed whole by this monster. The bones inside Sphinox's body circled around the two Keeper's, encircling on their waist and throwing it inside the monster's mouth.

It was already dawn, the venom settled. That's when each and every one of them were killed off like animals inside a slaughterhouse.

Tortured and eaten mercilessly.

Golind particularly had fun torturing Lucas.

They fought as Keepers. Golind decided to use Phing's face again as he battled the platoon leader. "See what I can do, Lucas?" Golind teased, using Phing's voice instead of his.

"You monster." Lucas hissed, as he tried to push away Golind using his shield, and a sharp femur bone that was broken into two. "You don't even have respect for the dead."

Golind laughed, and pointed at the weapon Lucas was holding unto. "Speak for yourself." He spat, with a crooked smile on his face. "I wonder, whose bone is that?" He teased as his face became grim, and the rows of teeth he was hiding merged with the face he borrowed from Phing. He looked like a demon. "Maybe it's Connor's?"

As Golind laughed, Lucas charged towards him. His eyes were filled with fire and anger. He was the only one left alive as Elly laid lifeless on the ground. With one full swing, he intends to thrust the bone into Golind's neck.

Instead of pushing it, forcing the bone against the vile monster's throat, Golind's hand enveloped against his neck. Long fingers digging into his bare flesh --- letting blood drip down from the small wounds.

"I've enjoyed playing with you..." The creature whispered, as it dragged Lucas closer to him. "...but it's over. Sphinox and I will be taking that bane. And I..." He let out another smile, and it looks as if he's salivating at what he is about to do. "...I'm going to need your face. I think I've overused Phing's long enough. I need a new character to use."

Was what Golind said as he began to absorb Lucas' life force. He opened his mouth wide, soon streams of white came out of Lucas' eyes, ears and mouth as his body shrivels down.

Lucas was convulsing, against Golind's hold, trying to fight for dear life and resist as his flesh dries out little by little. All of his energy, blood and memories were going away and his vision was fading. All he can see is big and small circles all around.

"Fuck... you..." Lucas managed to whisper after letting out his final breath. He looked like death, a rotten corpse and skin looked gray. His eyes were hollow and his mouth and ears dried and shriveled.

Golind laughed in satisfaction as he felt Lucas' being entered him, feeling the man's life force enter his veins. Soon, he can turn himself into Lucas as well. But for now, he and Sphinox have to present this gift to their Creator.

The Bane calmed down hours ago. And it's dark colors turned back into white. The scorpions disappeared, and it was quiet again.

But Golind knows that they're not done just yet.

"What are you going to do with that one?" Sphinox pointed at Elly's body that was laying down on the bloody floor. Some of the blood had already dried out and was sticking unto the man's skin. The smell of rust and iron enveloped the room.

The scent was ambrosia for Sphinox, it's her most beloved scent. The taste of dried blood is irresistible for her. "If you're not going to eat him, then I will." Was what she said, before walking towards Elly's body.

She stopped midway when Golind threw Lucas' corpse in front of her, but missed only by an inch. It almost crashed against her face.

Lucas' corpse was so dried up that his bones scattered everywhere after hitting the stone walls. Golind absorbed and sucked the life out of him, to the point that he turned instantaneously to dust.

"Don't touch him." Was Golind's warning, and he displayed further aggression, and it intimidated Sphinox as a darker aura emitted from Golind. "He is mine... you don't know how long I've been fantasizing on how I'll kill and torture this one."

Sphinox growled, yet after understanding what Golind said she tilted her head on the side and wondered. "Kill?" She asked, her voice resounding in the room again, this time, it was soft and she used her first voice. "What do you mean by kill? Don't you intend to eat him?"

The darker creature walked towards Sphinox, she may be bigger and stronger. But he had something far more powerful. And it's magic, almost like their creator. He may not be able to use golden dust like the Creator. But there's something else that he can do, and it intimidates, Sphinox to the bone.

"What I do to him, is none of your business, Sphinox." He said, with a cold and eerie voice. His face reverted back from before, displaying his pure black eyes and mouth that reaches up to his cheeks. "Grab the relic, and let's go to the Creator. I know how to torture this man perfectly, and it'll be a slow and painful death."

=======================

Sphinox wrapped the relic around the armor of the Keepers. She enveloped it using three layers so that the sleeping venom would not spill and kill her.

She and Golind were walking on the vast desert, and her feet sank in the sand with every step. She's a gigantic creature and those Keeper's made her show a quarter of her power as she grew three feet taller.

The creature hissed as the sun was too bright. She was caged into darkness for so long, that any bright light could leave her blinded for a second.

"Why do we have to go through this vast desert, Golind?" She asked through a series of roars and growls as three voices came out of her mouth again, something that happens usually when she's agitated or angry.

"I know you can transform yourself into a giant bird. Why choose to walk and endure this kind of idiocy that only humans do?!"

Golind did not dare to look back as he was a few steps ahead from Sphinox. He was dragging Elly by the foot. The back of the Keeper was filled with sand, and his face was red from being sunburned by the bright sun.

The man was still unconscious, but Golind still felt a faint heartbeat on Elly's chest. Elly was a fighter for sure, he thought. "Just follow me, you big oaf." Golind hissed under his breath.

Sphinox hissed and growled curses at him. But since she did not want to fight Golind as she holds something more important than her. It was the Relic of the great Scorpio. The Celestial that first caught her Creator's misdeeds.

Just the thought of being rewarded by her Creator brings her sheer joy. And her anger for Golind vanishes as she thinks of how happy Emir the Creator will be towards her and the lower ranked creature she's with.

When the only thing that was visible was sand and the dried up mountains, Golind asked Sphinox to stop walking.

"Why are we stopping here?" She asked, her short fused temper was acting up again. "What is going on inside that feeble brain of yours."

Golind did not say a thing. Instead, he lets go of Elly's feet, letting it crash against the sandy floors. He hummed in satisfaction after seeing his dark colored face.

Elly was so burnt by the sun that he looked like a roasted pig. And he smells of it too.

With food so scarce in the desert, for sure different animals and creatures alike will be enjoying and fighting over a meal like this. There are a lot of animals in the Sahara. Wild dogs, Sahara Cheetah's and Desert Crocodiles.

Elly would not survive the night, that's for sure.

"We leave. Now." Was all Golind had to say before he turned himself into a giant crow, his wings flapping against the dry wind, creating almost a small sandstorm. Sphinox cursed at Golind for leaving her behind.

"Golind!" She screamed loudly. Her red eyes filled with anger can be seen through the narrow hole from the Kabuki mask that she was wearing. "You imbecile! How dare you leave me after dragging me in the middle of the desert!"

She did not notice that Golind was only trying to gain momentum. Soon she felt Golind's claws dig against her shoulders, dragging and pulling her up to the air.

======================

Series of strong and forceful banging against the door was heard all over the empty fortress, and Zebedee was getting too impatient.

"Why... won't you open... you stupid old thing!" She shouted, her words coming out incoherently as she kicked the door open. The doorknob has been broken from both sides of the door, and now they're stuck.

“Put some back into it, Zebie!” Aiziah cheered on her friend.

Zebedee rolled her eyes as she gave the door another strong kick. “Can’t you see how hard I’m trying?!” 

Last night, a creature that looks like a beast appeared at the gates of the fortress, killing everyone and eating everything that it could grab onto. Even the defense team was no match for her. The seeds derived from the forest of the Zodiacs could only push her a few feet away, not even scratching or leaving a mark on her metal like body.

Anukis was the one who pushed them inside the room to save their lives.

Now, there are only four survivors left.

Zebedee, Aiziah, Nathaniel and Kane were able to survive, all thanks to Anukis' sacrifice. The four of them remained hidden in one of the closets where the cleaning supplies were located. And since Nathaniel witnessed that the creature was able to sniff out humans and animals, they drowned themselves in cleaning materials, rubbing the detergent powder on their bodies to mask their scent.

Now they have this problem. They can't get out of the room.

"Anyone else wants to try?" Zebedee snapped after giving the door a kick one last time. She looked at the three with piercing eyes, and specifically looked at Nathaniel and Kane. "Come on, aren't you strong men?" She said and seemingly insulted the two.

Kane snorted then asked Zebedee to step away. "Move aside." He said, before kicking the door open.

Zebedee could only grumble and curse under her breath. “Finally… geez…” Thinking how men like these two should be eradicated from the world.

“Where are the others?” Kane voiced out nonchalantly with a wishful thinking on his mind, hoping that there would be survivors. 

Aiziah took a deep breath as shivers ran down her spine. A usual feeling she gets whenever something bad has happened. “I… I don’t know.” 

When the four of them stepped outside the room, all the feeling inside them had vanished from the shocking scene that they witnessed.

One word can describe the scene. And it's m******e.

Not a single soul was left, and Nathaniel feared for the worst. "The relic." It slipped out of his mouth, and soon the four of them ran as fast as they could towards the catacombs, their feet marking the bloody halls and ground.

“To the catacombs!” Nathaniel screamed out loud. “Hurry!”