Drugs

It had been three hours since Luke's death, and Captain Opal had declared a complete lockdown of the ship, ordering multiple pirates to search for Mark. The female psyker had personally declared a bounty on Mark's head. Every room had been locked, requiring clearance from the control room for access. Any attempts to breach the doors would immediately trigger the surveillance cameras.

In the ventilation ducts above, Nolan was tailing Opal while devising a plan to take him down. Without support from the caged elf and stuck with the useless traits he had gained from the blessing, Nolan knew he had to rely on his own abilities to obtain the drug. To defeat the psyker, he needed some offensive ability, and evolution seemed like his only option.

'Ugh, how can I isolate him? Even if I did. Killing him is another challenge, I need a bait or something. That rifle is going to be a pain in the ass.' He racks his brain to come with a plan.

Nolan stopped abruptly, sensing a presence ahead. Every hair on his body stood on end as he detected violent breathing in the distance. He focused his sharp vision in the darkness and spotted a silhouette.

'Hehe. Found the bait.'

Opal yawned as he turned a corner. He had patrolled this section multiple times but hadn't spotted the target. Bored, he tapped on his wristwatch and opened a screen.

"Report." He asked.

"Nothing on the second level. The surveillance cameras are also clear." A low-ranking pirate reported.

"The landing deck is clear." Another pirate added.

"There is nothing to report in the storeroom, but specimen code E0192F has been acting up." A third pirate informed him.

Opal paused for a second. "That elf?"

"Yes, sir. It's mumbling something about a larva."

"Hmm. Switch with me. We'll meet at-"

THUD! THUD!

A loud banging sound came from the ventilation ducts directly above Opal. He quickly closed his watch and aimed his rifle at the vents. The banging intensified.

THUD! THUD!

"Aha! You were hiding here."

THUD! THUD! BOOM!

The ventilation duct broke apart, releasing a cloud of accumulated dust that filled the corridor. Opal covered his face and shouted, "Don't move, or I'll blow your brains out!"

Just then, Mark appeared directly in front of Opal, his coat and face covered in dirt. In a panic, Mark tried to pull out his pistol, but Opal had already taken aim. He squeezed the trigger.

In that split second, Nolan zoomed in front of Opal's vision, causing him to panic and miss his shot.

"Ugh! What the-"

BANG!

Mark seized the opportunity and shot Opal in the shoulder. Nolan continued to block Opal's view.

"Argh! Go away!"

BANG!

Mark fired another shot, grazing Opal's waist. Enraged, Opal turned to counter-fire, but the insect kept obstructing his aim. That's when the anger rushed in and Opal started spraying the rifle everywhere.

"ARGHH!"

Mark stepped back and quickly disappeared in the smoke. Meanwhile, Nolan flew in the opposite direction away from the bullets.

A few seconds later, the final round was fired, and Opal finally stopped shooting.

"Argh! Hah! Hah!" He panted heavily, clutching his bleeding shoulder.

Pirates flooded the corridor, their loud footsteps echoing. A female pirate wearing tight steel pants and a leather jacket knelt beside Opal.

"Sir, we couldn't catch him. Your injuries are severe; please let me aid you-"

Opal grabbed her head and squeezed until her skull cracked, her eyes popping out as blood stained the walls.

"FIND HIM!" He roared.

The terrified pirates scattered like flies. Opal stood up, cracked his shoulder, and stumbled toward his personal room. He scanned his watch at the door and stepped inside.

Opal placed his rifle down, stripped off his bloodstained clothes, and jumped into the shower. The hot water soothed his aching muscles.

"That insect... Did that bastard Mark tame it? I couldn't even react to its movements. Maybe... maybe another dose could do the trick."

A few minutes later, he stepped out naked and grabbed his coat. Reaching into a pocket, he pulled out a syringe filled with purple liquid.

'Just... just one more.'

Suddenly, Nolan landed on Opal's wounded shoulder and bit down hard. Startled, Opal dropped the half-full syringe. It shattered on the floor, spilling the precious drug. Enraged, Opal flailed violently, trying to swat the insect. But Nolan dodged each strike. The confined space wasn't helping him.

"ARGH!" Opal roared, slamming his fists into the walls, each punch leaving dents in the metallic wall. Nolan, exhausted and barely able to keep his wings flapping, continued to evade.

In a final desperate move, Opal lifted his bed and swung it at Nolan.

BOOM!

The bed crashed into the wall, leaving a gaping hole. Seizing the opportunity, Nolan darted through the same hole and escaped.

Just Opal was about to run behind the foul insect, a voice rumbled in his mind.

"OPAL! REPORT TO ME IN MY OFFICE!"

The psyker's commanding voice rattled everyone's mind in the ship.

"Does she not know how to make a fucking call or text?" He muttered bitterly.

Frustrated, Opal dressed and stormed out of the room.

A few minutes later, Nolan returned to Opal's room. His eyes locked on the stained floor. Cautiously, he approached the spilled purple liquid and stared at it.

'Here goes nothing.'

He licked the purple drug. The taste was equivalent to a very bitter medicine. Despite this, he kept licking until the entire floor was spotless.

After this, he slowly stood up. 'The screen should appear by now.'

Suddenly, Nolan's entire body starts to shake uncontrollably followed by immense pain. A screen appeared in front of him. [Congratulations! You have met the conditions for your first ascend to the next stage. The very first time system won't ask for player's permission which means the evolving process has already begun…..]

Nolan read the screen and gritted his teeth.

'This wasn't in the g-game!'

[ERROR! Player's body is partially damaged cannot find enough cells to evolve. Proceeding to reconstruct player's body.]

The pain Nolan felt doubled as his body began to breakdown.

He wanted to scream but he had no mouth.