Chapter 37: Skyblade
A surge of fear pulsed through Kai's metallic chest as he stared out the ship's viewport. "I can't let it get near the ship," he murmured, his voice a low rasp. "There's nowhere safer out there from the storm than this" He hurried towards the rear hatch.
Reaching the door, he pressed the button. As it slowly started to open with a hiss, impatience got the better of him. He slid under the partially raised door from below and quickly sealed it behind him.
The outside world was a scene of pure chaos and darkness, but Kai's optic sensors, with their built-in night vision, cut through the dark.
The storm raged its wind, hail, and rain relentlessly battering against the ship's energy shield. Kai descended the stairs, his gaze fixated on the looming ice centipede in the distance.
"It's much larger than it appeared on the screen," he muttered, his mind racing with thoughts of how he would handle a confrontation. "Its height and that shell are a serious disadvantage. And I can't risk using the small jets in this weather."
His eyes fell upon a drone mounted inside the ship's walls, a sudden idea sparking within him. "Hey, Sera!" he called out urgently. "Can the drone's engines operate in this storm?"
Seraphina replied a hint of surprise in her voice.
[ Uhh, why are you suddenly asking about that? ]
"Just trust me and tell me," Kai pressed, his tone serious. "Can they fly or not?"
Seraphina, complying with his request, made the necessary calculations in a moment and replied.
[It could be possible, but each drone would need six lower engines and 2 back engines to maintain high-speed flight in these crazy winds.]
A smirk spread across Kai's face as he said, "Then I'll show you something interesting." With a sudden motion, he ripped the drone from the wall.
Alarm bells rang in Seraphina's mind as she pieced together his intentions. She cried out, her voice filled with worry and care.
[What are you going to do? We can find another way... It's possible the creature might not discover the ship in this storm!]
Kai's voice was firm, resolute. "No, I think you're wrong this time," he muttered, his gaze locked onto the creature. "It's staring right here like it knows I'm here. I can't back down now."
He gripped the drone tightly and whispered, "Devouring metal." Plates shifted in his hands and shoulders as the black liquid metal oozed out, spreading like a ravenous jaw.
In a blink, the drone was engulfed, consumed entirely by the metallic hunger. The metal receded back into Kai's body as the intricate structure of the drone materialized within his mind, ready to be repurposed.
Kai clenched his fist, trying to focus as he murmured, "I hope this works." In his mind, he dissected the drone's blueprint, carefully separating and prioritizing the essential components.
"Not the whole drone," he thought, "Just the parts I need."
After a few moments of intense concentration, the metal plates on his back and waist began to shift and blend into the others, black liquid metal started coming out and dividing itself into eight structures elongating slowly.
Two formed on either side of his waist, while the remaining six grew on both sides of his back. Kai grunted, dropping to one knee as the process took a little on his power reserves.
But a moment later, the liquid metal started solidifying into shape. The elongated structures had formed into metallic wings, angled in various directions, each with a hollow cavity at its tip.
Kai sighed, straightening up with a murmur of "Finally finished." He looked at his newly formed wings, a smile tugging at his face as he flexed them, testing their movement. "This will give me the needed advantage," he declared.
With a practiced motion, he materialized two long katanas, their edges shimmering with plasma energy – a skill he had acquired after devouring some melee plasma weapon cubes.
Approaching the ship's hexagonal energy shield, he paused. "Hey, Sera," he said, his voice ringing with authority. "Open a small hole in the north sector of the energy shields. I need to step out."
Seraphina hearing him tried to protest.
Seraphina immediately tried to protest.
[No, you can't—]
But Kai cut her off with a stern command. "This is an order, as your superior and master." Unable to refuse, Seraphina reluctantly complied, her voice barely a whisper.
[Removing a small section of the shields in 1... 2... 3...]
In a moment, the energy shield in front of Kai flickered, and patches of opening began to appear, allowing a gust of the horrid wind to seep through.
Kai, seeing the wind, immediately activated his combat mode as the patches grew larger, merging into a single opening wide enough for him to pass.
Ignoring the fierce gusts that buffeted him, Kai stepped through the gap. The shield immediately sealed behind him, returning to its normal state.
As the ice centipede turned its attention towards the ship With a guttural screech, the creature began crawling towards the ship.
Kai watched its approach and exhaled a large plume of steam, the frigid air instantly freezing it.
The patterns on his newly formed wings began to glow with blue energy, reaching toward the hollow cavities at their ends. Kai crouched low.
A loud boom erupted as flames shot from the cavities, forming rings of neon blue fire. With a powerful thrust from his wings, Kai launched into the air, soaring stably amidst the raging storm.
Armed with his swords, he headed towards the ice centipede. As the light from the ship dwindled behind him, he murmured, "I have to lure it away, or I'll accidentally risk damaging the ship."
Mid-flight, Kai called out, "Hey, Sera, are you receiving the feed clearly?"
[Other than a little static interference, the feed is coming through clearly,] she replied.
[But how are you... flying?]
Kai replied, his tone slightly awkward, "Ahh, I'll tell you about it once I deal with this." Seraphina didn't press the issue.
He increased his speed, fighting against the buffeting winds of the storm. "It's a good thing I asked Sera about a portable camera, I can get additional eyes," he thought, glancing at the small black spot on his chest.
As he hovered above the ice centipede, he finally saw its true size – a colossal creature that had emerged from the ice sheets. Kai pondered how to attract its attention.
The ice centipede let out a guttural screech and retracted into the ice, making Kai wonder, "What's it doing now?" Suddenly, Seraphina's voice crackled through the comm, urgent and panicked.
[Quickly move away from your position!]
Surprised, Kai followed Seraphina's sudden warning, powering his wings as the retracted centipede launched itself into the air, its mouth agape, filled with rows of razor-sharp teeth.
As Kai dodged sideways, narrowly avoiding the centipede's deadly lunge thanks to Seraphina's timely warning, he cursed under his breath. "Fuck, that thing almost ate me whole!"
But a smirk soon replaced his anger. "Guess I don't have to worry about getting its attention anymore," he muttered, watching as the enraged centipede slammed into the glacier wall, quickly recovering to turn and shriek at Kai, its fury evident.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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