He took one look at her gasping and wheezing, scooped her up into his arms, and ran, because no matter how fast she could run, he was infinitely faster, and that’s why he would always be there to protect her from the dark things in theUniverse. Beyond the stars, there existed terrible things well beyond human ken; things like himself.
But even as he saved her from the monsters in the Universe, she alone held the ability to save him from becoming one, and therefore, she was a hundred times more powerful than he could ever be.
She didn’t protest as he held her, understanding the situation perfectly. The injury in Rykal’s side had healed now, leaving him with nothing more than a dull ache. The pain in his temples was worse; a throbbing, insistent ache that grew more intense with every step.
But that couldn’t be helped right now.
“Ry, where the fuck are you?” His comm buzzed to life. It was Torin, one of his brothers-in-arms, who’d disappeared to fight Xargek on the upper decks. “We’re waiting. The humans in navigation have set the airlock on a timer, because they’ve all left. We’ve got a small window to get out of here, then that’s it. We need you here now, pretty-boy.”
“Coming,” he growled. He had no idea how the humans in navigation had agreed to co-operate and set the airlock, but he suspected Arin had something to do with it.
“You always have to get caught up in something at the lastsiv,huh?”
Rykal grunted in irritation as he ran in the opposite direction, even though Torin was partly correct. He was trying to reach the place the humans called “Docking Bay Three,” where the vessel namedArawenwas waiting to transport them off the freighter. But now, for Arin’s sake, he had to run in the opposite direction as he tried to avoid the toxic gas.
Rykal had pegged that ship as a useful asset from the start. Anything that was capable of atmospheric re-entry would work for them right now, even if it was a clunky human ship.
He sped down the corridor, returning the way they’d come, moving away from the familiar markings that reassured him he was heading in the right direction. He wasn’t reallysure where they were going, but he had to get Arin away from the bad air. Arin curled her arms around his neck, her breath still coming in great gasps. The air was a little better here, because Rykal was certainly finding it easier to breathe, but then again, he was a freak. He could go for longer periods without oxygen than most other species, and he seemed more resistant to toxins, even though his kind ultimately needed oxygen to survive.
“Do you people not keep respirators onboard?” Frustration bled into his voice. He could fight and kill everything in sight, but he couldn’t give Arin what she needed most right now.
Rykal wasn’t used to feeling powerless like this.
“This isn’t my territory,” Arin said weakly, “so I can’t say for sure, although most docking bays will carry an emergency kit.”
“Ah.” Rykal filed that useful information away as his long strides ate up the distance, bringing them ever closer to safety. The freighter was a large vessel, even by Kordolian standards, and from the cargo hold to here, they’d covered some serious ground.
“Hold on,” Rykal whispered, as Arin let out a weak cough. Not once did she complain. She nodded, her crystalline blue gaze never wavering.
She was tough, even in her vulnerable state.
As they ran on, the air became thin again. Rykal pushed through, hoping it would improve, but with each step, breathing became more difficult.
Even he was beginning to struggle.
Arin’s chest muscles were working hard. Her body was trying to suck in every single molecule of oxygen that it could get. She was in a bad way.
The air was moving towards the first docking bay. Something was sucking out the oxygen. Rykal suspected a hull breach, exposing the ship to the vacuum of space.
He couldn’t take her into a vacuum.
They were trapped. Rykal could run through the thin air and survive, but he wasn’t sure about Arin.
Rykal cursed his physical enhancements, wishing he could give some of his strength to Arin. If he could swap places with her right now, he would.
“Cut through,” she wheezed, sniffing hard. She pointed towards the wall as they returned to a place where the air wasn’t so bad. Rykal gently set her down. She nodded towards the wall. “You can do that, can’t you?”
“Yeah.” Rykal drew his sword and plunged it into the thick metal of the corridor’s wall. His Callidum blade was as true as ever. A blade made from the strongest known substance in the Universe could cut through anything if there was enough power behind it.
Rykal carved an oval-shaped hole in the wall, grunting as he put all his strength into it. When he met resistance, he let out a furious cry of exertion and pushed harder, his side burning.
Finally, the wall gave. He delivered a savage kick to the cut segment, and it clattered to the floor.
Rykal was by Arin’s side in a flash, sheathing his blade and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her through to the other side.
He didn’t know what existed on the other side of the wall.
He prayed to the Goddess for good, clean, abundant air.
