Everything was dark. I couldn't see anything, not even a ray of light reached my vision. What happened, where am I again? My muscles wouldn't respond to my command as I tried to free myself from the darkness.
Then suddenly, the pain took over my body. It feels like my body was on fire, every flesh was being cooked from this strange heat.
"What's going on," I thought as memories of the last 20 minutes came to slowly to me.
The mission...the enemy frigates... the overheating of the engines... the crash... the vial of blood.
"Shit"
Where is...? Did crash manage to break the crystal or not. I do not seem to remember destroying it. I know that I reached for the artifact, however, I must have crashed before doing anything.
Despite the pain, I tried to move my body. Slowly, my vision started to clear, I could finally glimpse around my surrounding. Debris from my ships was encircling all over me.
"I hope that my Yasu pill hasn't been eradicated by the collision"
With great difficulties, I reach my towards my belt and sighed from relief. My recovering pills we're still intact despite the impact.
With one gulp, I ate the Yasu pills. The effect was rapidly affecting my pain was diminishing, my headache was gone and my senses were a hundred percent back. As my injuries were healing itself, I finally remember the crucial detail. I didn't have time to annihilate the antique.
There is a likelihood that the ship took the antique down with it and it's among this debris but I can't be certain. I have to make sure that the shadow commander doesn't get his hands of the crystal or the Vertex uprising will have no chance against the emperor and his army of loyal subjects.
"HURRY UP, WE DON'T HAVE ALL DAY"
Above me, I listened to someone yelling. The shadow knights are probably searching for the artifact. I must stop them no matter what. Thanks to the Yasu pills, I have enough strength in me to move the debris out of my way.
"Stop! I can hear something moving below us. The elf pilot is still alive down there. Get ready."
Footsteps could be heard moving around me. They knew that I was coming and I will make sure not to disappoint them.
As the Iodritoid mineral inside my suit began to shine, the vibrations coming from it are mutating my cells within me. My injuries were now completely healed. My eyes turned purples again as my senses grew at least 20 times greater than my original form. The energy of my body fused with the energy of this planet. I can feel the life forces on this planet. Even though they are hostile I can still use their energy for my own.
This is the next evolution of an elf, a High elf. With this form, I trade my strong body for one which is more merge with nature and his surrounding. Feeling the hostile nature of this world, my skin darkened and my ears grew three inches longer.
"Never thought I will become a Dark High Elf" I laughed to myself at that thought. This dark energy is so strong that my body evolved into the same state as the planet... Wild and brutal.
"Uhhh... Do you see the green light underneath the spacecraft."
As soon as the shadow knight finished his sentence, a burst of green acid erupted where the light source cane from. Rapidly the shadow knight around it perished from the acid, their skin melting away like ice cream until the bones under it could be seen.
"Shit, move away from it" A shadow light screamed to his colleagues as he dashed away from the stream of acid.
"Look a dark elf over there" Another knight pointed toward the source of this attack.
As the pilot emerged from the destroyed ship, silence filled the air except for the sound of metals disintegrating in front of them.
"What the hell... Our commander never told us that the crew had a High dark elf."
"The elf evolve himself into one."
"Do you mean..."
"He is an unbound shinka"
All the rest of the shadows knights took a large step back from the news. A very small amount of individuals in the galaxy who are gifted to be an unbound shinka. With the high concentration of Apex gene inside of them, the Iodritoid crystal is giving rise to the next step evolution of their species.
Everyone has the A gene. For some it takes years to wake it up, others it never shows up and are destined to be ordinary people, while others may have a small increase in their senses. However, only a very limited among of people can fully mutate with the help of the Iodritoid stone.
"He must have the artifact, we must steal it from him... For the Empire!"
All ten of the remaining caped knights pulled out their weapons and got ready to fight for their life. They knew that they were unmatched against the Dark High elf. If they can stall him enough for their commander to reach them, then it will be a victory. They aren't afraid to die for what they believe in. A dark knight never backs down from a fight.
Two of the knights rushed toward the elf, pulling out their retractable blade from the handle. The edge was fused with runes of titanium, making it sharper than the average sword.
Even without his strong body, the elf didn't lose his skills in swordsmanship. Appreciating his new senses, he easily predicted the moves of his opponent.
Taking a side step, he dodges the downward attack of one the knights before forming a ball of acid in his right hand. The attacker cried out as his mask was melting inside of him, burning his skull and brain.
Before his colleagues could take revenge on the dark elf, the pilot yanked his wrist, twisting it until he let go of the sword before snatching the weapon and cutting his throat open. With eyes widened and with his hands grabbing holding on his neck, the man fell down, taking his last whiff.
"These two were the distraction". The dark elf thought as he senses tree knights behind him, one foot behind with swords on their grip. If you can't directly kill a powerful beast, then it is better to distract it before striking at his most venerable spots on his body.
For the dark elf, the Iodritoid gen behind his back, underneath his protected armour was his weak point. If the dark knights pierced through the gem then he will transform back into an ordinary elf.
"You think that you can put me down like a dog" the elf said with a demonic voice that shook the heart of his attackers, distracting them long enough for his hands to reach the ground. Rock spikes were being stealthily formed underground, to which the enemy didn't have a clue of his plan.
Ahead of them, a wave of spikes with acid on the pointing-end came out of the soil, piercing their chest while scorching their organs from inside.
"What's the plan now?"
"We need..." the soldier didn't have time to finish as he felt his feet sinking into mud. He wasn't the only one, three of his friends were also stuck on the quicksand. The fourth one had a jet back under his cap, allowing him to fly above before he could be consumed by the dirt.
The last man watched in despair, as his companions being engulfed, choking as the sand entered into their jaws.
"YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN JUST KILL ME AND MY FRIEND. WE ARE THE DARK SENTINEL, THE Shadow OF THE EMPIRE. NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, YOU WILL KNEEL BEFORE OUR GREAT EMPEROR"
The shadow knight was filled with rage. If it is his destiny to perish on this planet then he will bring his opponent with him.
"That's... a nuclear core!" The dark elf's eyes expanded with fear as he perceive the nuclear energy from inside the frag grenade in his hand as he activates it
"Are you crazy! You will kill all of us"
"My commander told me to use it if we couldn't kill you, as assurance policy that you wouldn't get away with the artifact." The man had a sadistic laugh.
"Goddess, my only path of survival is to blow him away into the sky, hoping that he will be far enough for me to survive."
Raising both of his arms toward the flying knight, he gathered winds energies, streams of air circled around his fists. Compressing the atmosphere and increasing the tension of the flood, he opened his palms, freeing the compressed gust in his hands. The release of pressure increased the speed of the blast.
The man and the nuclear grenade were launched kilometers into the sky.
"I hope this will be enough to survive the fallout." with his eyelids The dark elf prayed for his goddess.