The laugh continues for a little bit of time. Then it dies out replaced with a deep raspy voice. "That tickled, what are you supposed to be little gnat?"
While it's words are spoken, the hole begins to seal up. It's massive body begins to reform. In moments it has completely rebuilt itself, like nothing ever happened. Even the tentacles sprout back out. Their target now is a little different.
Looking out from behind the melted remains of the truck John watches a green haired man float down to the ground near the giant monster. He can't believe quite what he is seeing and hearing before him. Are they taunting each other?! He remains as quiet as he can, taking only a short glance at his mangled leg. He fears it may have to be amputated.
Moe on the other hand has no clue John is even there. What he does see is this annoying clay looking relic in front of him. "Oh look, it's still standing..." he doesn't even wait for a response and quickly fires a blast at the monsters leg blowing it to pieces. "Amelia, it has regeneration abilities, any updates on the status of the strain?"
In front of him the relic simply shifts to its good leg that then splits into two. "Look this gnat thinks it's something special..." the tentacles all pointed at Moe begin to collect streaming white energy in front of them. Moe finishes talking with, "And it's about to shoot energy beams at me.... gotta run".
Channeling as much from his reactor as his body can handle, he transfers it all down to his legs until they seem to be almost swollen with power. He disappears from the spot where he was standing and reappears next the relics body. His leg then is encased in a blinding white light his foot pulled back muscles taut like coiled springs. He releases the tension on his leg and slams into the relics side. The energy encompassing his limb exploding outworks and taking half of the relics middle body with the explosion. The tentacles whip haphazardly flinging their energy balls across the landscape.
Those orbs fly into the horizon. When they strike objects they explode. All across the remains of the city fiery blasts echo out. More smaller craters form all around the perimeter of the large central crater.
Amelia then chimes in from a small earbud on Moes head " MOE! BE CAREFUL! we just confirmed the original strain is within 500 steps of you! do not fight violently or you could damage it!". Moe cursed under his breath quickly appears back in his original spot as the relics top crashes to the ground. He takes a brief look around and hmmms as he spies a set of eyes watching him from behind a melted hunk of metal. "Amelia, is the original strain an object or a person?" he asks locking eyes with the man.
John freezes as he sees the green haired man stare straight at him. a cold sweat drips down his brow. Hundreds of thoughts run through his head.
"who is this man?"
"How did he kick that thing into oblivion?"
"is it truly dead?"
"why is he looking at me?"
"oh god am I next?!"
The thoughts rapid fire through his brain leaving his body frozen still. focusing his eyes on this man, with green hair, tan looking "skin", and feline looking ears coming out of the side of his head, and is that a tail??!
Thoughts flew through his brain while he saw a dark shadow come up from behind the other man. Instinctively he shouted "LOOK OUT!" his eyes wide. Moe turned just in time to see 3 tentacles lunching at him with white energy coating their tips. Seeing the relic use the same skill he just used against it his mind reels. With an instant burst of speed he lunges backwards as all the tentacles converge on the spot on the ground he was standing not a half second ago.
When the tips all meet, a sudden explosion erupts with a blinding white light. The intense shockwave pushes Moe back even farther causing him to flip and tumble on the ground. John ducks behind the melted mass of metal as another blast of roaring fire eats away at the sides. Moe flies past the side of the truck and john without thinking reaches out and grasps his arm yanking him behind the truck. His arm gets badly burned melting the skin away and exposing the red, now charred, meat beneath.
John grits his teeth from the pain curling up and sheltering his arm after saving Moe. Finally he passes out from blood loss. Blood streams down his leg staining his formerly khaki colored pants a deep reddish brown. Moe looks over to see John, passed out in a pool of his own blood. His body is littered with injuries. "Wow this guy is really beat up! is he the one that pulled me in?"
Amelia chimes in "Moe, our scanners say you are right next to the original strain, do you see it?"
Moe looks around and then back at John, he blinks a couple of times and then asks "Amelia, can you do a biological scan?"
The sound of keys being hit can be heard and then she gasps "oh my god, it has life signs! ITS ALIVE!!!!! well it is for now, the life signs are dropping rapidly! can you see it?!" he voice in panic.
Moe sighs "yeah there is a man next to me, looks to be a local inhabitant, hes banged up really good and it looks like his life essence is spilling out by the step. "
Amelia pales on the bridge of the Tigress and turns to the captain "Moe has located the strain, but he is badly damaged, and vitals are dropping quickly. " she turns back and asks Moe " Can you get him away from the relic and get back to the ship safely?"
While talking, hears another loud deep rumbling laugh pick up and he curses "doubtful, this relic bastard is quite resilient, It might take me a couple of mites just to finish it off" he gathers a couple of energy orbs and then tosses them over the hunk of metal hearing the sound of explosions and a loud ARRGGGGG shortly after "But If I just need to keep it busy that shouldnt be a problem"
Amelia begins to sweat with worry, glancing at the steadily dropping vitals and guessing she only has half a mite to get the strain to safety, she turns to the captain "We need a rescue team NOW!" the Tigress is passing behind the moon at this moment, using the large body mass to hide its signature.
Angel thinks for a moment and then clicks over a private com "Stan, you are up, I need you ready 5 mites ago, you leave now" and then spins to Amelia "Charge up the rail for Stan I just need it to get him there now!"
In another part of the ship. A tall man with long shaggy white and black hair puts on a breast plate over his set of sleeveless robes. His skin seems to be a pale white with black lines of small bits of fur striping his body. Stan adjusts what looks to be a set of metal fingerless gloves. He walks over and steps into the metal ring as two hoses slide out of the breast plate each connecting to a glove. A soft white glow can be seen coming out of the back of the metal torso cover. Clear fluid begins to cover his body as he wraps sinewy arms across his chest. His thick black and white striped tail wraps his waist like a belt. Right before launch his deep red pupils construct as he closes his eyes blood dripping from the gloves before being rocketed out of the ship.
Stan opens his glassy orbs of blood color the moment he hits atmosphere. Falling through the air he catches sight of the crater and the dark gray mass near one of its edges as he zips through a cloud. Using his arms to push the air he directs himself toward the gray mass. Blue light begins to collect around his fingers and then condenses into giant white claws. Light also begins to collect around his body. Crystal blue armor flashes a bright white as it hardens. The armor looks to be a cross between a set of full plate mail and a leather full body motorcycle suit.
Unlike Moe he does not uses bursts of fire to slow himself down. Instead he aims his claws right at the grey hulk of clay and fires his energy behind him speeding up his fall. He cycles shard energy through his body reinforcing every fiber of muscle and bone.
Like a streak of white light he cuts right through the core of the relic. When his claws touch the thick gray sludge the shatter. Tiny bits of claw shoot out in every direction like an explosion of razor blades and shrapnel ripping through every square millimeter.
However as they pass to the outside the pieces begin to form a white sphere encompassing both himself and the relic. He stands in the center of all the shredded pieces of relic and then simply mutters a single phrase while his hands lifts and he snaps his fingers. "Tiger dances with the void".
All at once the sphere implodes in a massive flash of white light. The sphere compresses itself taking all the parts of the relic with it condensing into a marble shaped ball in front of Stan. He grins and then roundhouse kicks the tiny white glowing sphere shooting it up into the sky.
As it crosses a bank of clouds a deafening boom is heard. Shockwaves rip against the the clouds forming a giant empty space in the sky with a large ring of clouds around it. Tiny bits of black soot rain down from the heavens littering the ground.
Moe mutters "showoff" to himself as he picks up the unconscious man and hoists him over his shoulder. "Amelia we need extraction and possibly a cleanup crew".
A faint chirp can be heard "Cart on the way, eta 2 mites" and then a gasp "relic energy signature still present! Didn't Stan obliterate it!?!"