The scream echoed throughout the large corridor,
reverberating all around Rama as he sprinted. His muscles flexed and relaxed,
rippling under his skin like an ocean of power. His torch barely broke through
the immense darkness that enshrouded the ship’s hallway.
“Faster. I must protect the people from the Raksha. Faster!”
Rama thought, driving himself forward with increased swiftness.
“Faster…”
…
Several hundred meters later, Rama began approaching the
source of the blood-chilling scream. An intersection of hallways was fast
approaching. A faint light began to grow visible. As Rama neared the
intersection he slowed to a jog. The light of the intersection was faint, but
gave enough glow to illuminate the floor and several dozen meters of each
hallway of the intersection. Rama turned off his torch to conserve its power as
he continued towards the light.
Another scream rang out but was quickly cut off with a loud ‘crunch’.
Rama swiftly ran to the left corner of the intersection. He stepped around the
edge to face the left hallway. There, to his dismay stood a giant Raksha, its
back mostly turned to Rama. It was five meters tall, stooped over a large
amount of half eaten corpses and limbs. Its large legs were bloodstained from
all the people it had trampled. Just like the last Raksha Rama encountered, it
too had three arms. The third was embedded into the lower left part of its
back.
In its left hand was visible the torso and legs of the
person who had screamed out in horror only moments before. Blood still spouted
from its torn belly. Bits of meat hung over the creature’s large hand and blood
dripped to the floor.
Rama winced at the sight of another being devoured by this
dark force. He pushed down his despair deep into his body. As he did, justice
and retribution raged inside him. He stepped out into the middle of the hallway
and prepared his body with several fluid arched motions, setting himself into a
battle-ready position.
The Raksha sniffed the air, and smelled Rama’s fresh skin.
It turned its head to glare at Rama. A deep smile was unnaturally carved into
the beasts's distorted snout, one of an animal. Its maw was uneven allowing bone
to jet from its skull. Many twisted horns became visible, crowning the
beast’s head.
It spoke with two deep voices at once. “Ah, we have finally
drug you out of your hole.”
It turned to completely face Rama now. Rama stared down the
beast with great vigor.
“Your tardiness has allowed many of your people to die in
horrific ways. You must feel so proud. Rama, savior of the humans. Destroyer of
Raksha.”
These words pierced Rama as he grew guilty and angry. The
beast looked at its half-eaten meat and tossed it towards Rama. As it landed
its bones cracked. It slid only a meter away from Rama. Now the prior human was
a pile of wet meat and pointed bones. After a short moment, the beast dropped
down to all fours with a ground-shaking thud; rearing its body and preparing to
engage Rama.
“…and now you will be gored and killed. I shall bring your
remains to Ravanash so he may devour you himself!”
With that the beast charged for Rama, swiftly closing the
fifteen-meter gap between them. Rama was mentally preparing himself as the
beast spoke. Quickly Rama slid himself forward, allowing him to grasp the
broken femur of the dead body, and lightly place down his torch. With a nimble
snap Rama pulled out the broken bone. His body spun clockwise from the
momentum. Getting a solid footing, just as the beast was upon him, Rama jumped
into the air, thrusting his weapon forward into the forehead of the beast. It
pierced into the Raksha’s skull, as it screamed in agony. Rama landed, ducking
slightly under the beast as it ran over top him. Its momentum was too much to
be able to stop before the blow. Screaming in pain the beast skidded to a halt,
grasping at the bone embedded into its brain; hot blood ran from the wound to
the ground. It turned around in anger to face Rama again. However, before it was
fully facing him, Rama was already airborne. Rama had leaped up for the final
strike. With his left arm forward for guidance, he pulled back his right arm,
preparing to strike the bone. An aura of radiant light shone around Rama as
uncountable number of spiritual arms formed to his body. The essence of Vishnu
poured from him that moment. Time and space slowed for an immeasurable amount.
“I shall destroy all who threaten the balance of the
Universe. May that which you devour be your doom,” Rama spoke.
With godlike speed Rama struck the embedded femur with his palm,
launching it through the head of the Raksha. Bits of flesh and brain exploded
from the back side of the creature’s skull as it toppled to the ground. Rama
landed lightly atop its head with one foot, briefly posing his body into the Abhaya Mudra.
Rama hopped off the beast’s head and landed back upon the
blood-soaked floor. The aura around him slowly faded away.
“I must find my equipment. I cannot fight all my battles
with such ferocity, especially with Ravanash seeking my destruction,” Rama
thought to himself.
Rama retrieved his torch and started jogging away from the
intersection. Two hundred meters away, on the right side of the corridor was
the equipment room for the Royal Fleet Security. When Rama arrived, he noted
that the door had been ripped away. He stepped in carefully, shinning his
torch’s light through the darkness, evaluating its many lockers. Suddenly
Rama’s vision blackened as he fell to the floor. He tried to catch himself but
was too weak to do so. Exhaustion overcame him. As his consciousness faded
away, the last thing he could make out was a soft rhythmic beeping.
