Chapter 68. Elizabeth?
Hearing 1002's crazed roars from behind him, Charles hastened his speed. No matter who or what 1002 was giving orders to, it could only spell disaster for him.
The surroundings blurred past him as Charles retraced his original path. Just as he reached the spacious hall, countless objects swarmed out from the linked hallway. The disgusting organs squirmed and wriggled their attached blood vessels; the other animated objects rocked their bodies. But they all had one goal: block Charles' path.
Charles was just about to retreat when he realized that the creatures in pursuit from behind had also entered the hall.
"Bro, say the word. Let's do it. I'll control 487 with our left hand," Richard commented.
Charles's face was visibly a few shades darker. Any talk was too late now. With his right hand, he gripped his Dark Blade in a reverse hold. The mice on the floor also bared their sharp teeth.
Just as Charles was bracing for a final showdown with the organs, a door to his left suddenly opened up. A fair hand reached out to grip his shirt and yanked him inside.
Charles could have never guessed the owner of the hand: Elizabeth! Her tall, attractive figure pulled him along in a dash outward.
"Don't freeze, keep running! Those things know about this hidden passageway too. They will catch up soon enough!" Elizabeth spoke as she expertly and speedily navigated the labyrinth-like tunnel.
"Why are you here?" Charles shouted at the towering beauty leading them.
"It's not the time for that now. You must get back to your ship immediately. You don't have much time. The longer you stay here, the more your body will be assimilated by them," Elizabeth quickly explained with a grim expression.
Charles ceased his questioning. At least, he was certain that the maiden before him was an ally. They could leave the details to when they were back on board the Narwhale.
Elizabeth seemed extremely familiar with the place. Regardless of which direction the animated objects emerged from, she always found a path to escape.
Just as Charles was sprinting toward the tree hole, the tip of his left collar tapped his face and pointed downward. Charles' pupils contracted. His clothes had also come alive. Seeing no response from Charles, his left collar slapped him on the face and pointed downward again.
Charles looked down this time and was instantly taken aback. The pocket where Lily was in was swelling up.
Gulping down his saliva, he opened up the pocket with a trembling hand. What should have been a living white mouse was now replaced with various animated organs. They were crawling around within the pocket space and trying to get out. Lily's entire body had been completely initialized.
A bitter expression appeared on Charles' face. He was just about to say something when his right ear, along with the cochlea, detached from his body.
A fair hand reached out and caught the ear. Elizabeth handed the ear back to Charles and explained, "Charles, don't worry. As long as you get out of the range of that relic's radiation, everything will revert to its original state."
"Anything that has been initialized?"
"Yes. Just don't let the detached parts stray too far."
"Thanks!" Charles expressed as he sprinted. His heart settled down in relief.
He pressed a hand down over the squirming pocket. If it was as per Elizabeth's words, then Lily still stood a chance.
Plat!
The mice running alongside Charles began to suffer from the same initialization as their organs started to separate from their bodies.
Charles had no idea if they could understand him, but he instructed, "Take all your organs with you! They will return to normal once we're back on the ship!"
The mice seemed to have comprehended his words. Those that were less initialized helped the mice that had been highly initialized to drag their organs with them. Despite them, there were some mice who were beyond salvation as their bodies had collapsed instantly, and their organs had scattered away on the spot.
However, Charles was in no position to care about others now. He felt an itch in his throat as though something inside was yearning to crawl out. Without speaking another word, he followed Elizabeth's lead at full speed.
The two emerged from a tunnel, and the oppressive red glow of the building vanished. However, Charles didn't see any of his crew members. He swiftly surveyed his surroundings and realized that this was not the tree hole he had entered through.
"Where did you park your ship? Get back on the ship first," Elizabeth urged in concern.
"Wait, I need to find my crew first," Charles replied as he quickly took out a compass to determine the direction. He then made a slight cut on his finger with his blade and smeared the blood on the Bat Mirror.
A giant bat extended its wings and soared into the air with Elizabeth and the mice on its back.
As their altitude increased, Charles felt his tremors gradually subside. He knew he had finally left the range of 1002's initialization radiation.
In his bat form, Charles opened his monstrous maws and let out a subsonic wave that was beyond human's hearing range. The waves spread and bounced off the ground. He soon confirmed the location of his crew.
As he rapidly drew closer, he could see that their situation was grim. Sounds of explosions and gunshots continuously traveled to his ears. Various animated objects had emerged from the tree hole and were pouncing toward them despite the heavy gunfire.
Charles swiftly descended and reverted back to his human form when he was two to three meters above the ground. Pointing 487 at the incoming wave of animated objects, a cracking arc of electricity instantly lit up the dark island. Struck by the electricity, the organs curled up and darkened as spasms coursed through them.
With his body tingling from the side effects, Charles struggled to stand up. His crew was already rushing toward him in excitement. The moment his eyes landed on Chef Frey, who was at the forefront of the crowd, Charles pounced on Frey. Charles' eyes had already turned red as he opened his mouth to expose his sharp fangs and sank them into Frey's neck, and sucked the latter's blood vigorously.
The crew members were stunned by the sudden turn of events.
"Hey! What are you doing! Let go!" Elizabeth rushed forward and hurriedly pulled Charles off the man.
A hint of clarity returned in Charles' gaze, and he released Frey in panic. He glanced at the visibly frightened Elizabeth before turning to his crew. Without offering any explanation, he instructed, "Get back to the ship! Quick!"
As soon as his words fell, Charles supported a visibly weakened Frey as they rushed toward the distant ruins. The remaining crew members exchanged glances before they hurriedly followed suit.
"Captain, who is this lady?" Second Mate Conor asked out of curiosity as he stared at the sprinting Elizabeth.
"Cut the nonsense. Just run." Charles' stern tone squashed Conor's curiosity instantaneously.
With his brows pressed together, Charles kept his lips tightly sealed. He didn't know why he had instinctively bit Frey. It felt like an automatic response, one that he hadn't consciously decided on.
"Bro, I think we should stop using that mirror so often. If we become a full-fledged vampire, we can never return to the surface." Richard warned.
Charles nodded in silent agreement. He was just about to apologize to a disoriented Frey when he felt the tremors coursing through his body again. A dull buzz echoed through his mind as he came to a realization: 1002 didn't necessarily have to remain within its tank.
"Look! Those things are here again!" Dipp's cries had everyone turning their heads around in unison. An onslaught of squirming, living entities was unleashed from the tree hole like a flood gate had been opened.
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