The Lust System: Brother, Please Help Me-Chapter 50: Fighting the pack

The group looked at the dogs in front of them. Their fur was patchy, revealing the muscle and bone underneath. Their eyes glowed with a sickly green. From their jaws dripped long, stringy strands of black liquid. They didn’t bark or snarl. They made this sickly clicking sound.

The first one lunged. It didn’t move for the largest target; it went for the smallest. They were picking off what they thought were the weakest members first. It targeted Sarah.

She screamed and stumbled back.

Marcus moved without thinking. He reacted purely on instinct. He moved in front of Sarah, grabbing the dog by the throat. His hand tightened around its throat. A sickening crunch echoed in the warehouse.

That started the swarm. The beasts moved quickly runnign between the group. The group moved just as quickly. They didn’t have time to think. They reacted. Ivan’s movements were a blur of motion. He didn’t use a pistol; he used a knife.

It slashed at the necks of the monstrous dogs. Blood sprayed as the creatures fell to the ground. Another lunged towards him, and he dropped low, the blade slicing its belly open.

Aiden, using both a pistol and a knife, moved around the creatures with grace. He made sure not to use the pistol unless absolutely necessary. In the silence of the street, the sound of the pistol, even with a silencer, would still be as loud as a gunshot without it. One movement of his drove into the back of a beast’s skull with a wet squelch.

Another creature, larger than the rest, moved towards the SUV. "Adrienne!" Alex roared.

It was charging towards her. Alex let out a guttural roar. It was one of rage and anxiety; his hand grabbed the back end of the SUV and lifted it. He swung at the creature. The sound of the metal against bone made a sound that sent shivers down people’s spines.

He dropped the SUV with a crash, his eyes wide with disbelief.

Adrienne found a long tyre iron. She swung it like a baseball bat. It connected with the jaw of one of the dogs. It staggered, its jaw now at an odd angle. She didn’t hesitate. She swung the iron rod again, down onto the dog’s head. This time it didn’t move.

Ember was cornered. Three of the things had her pinned against the warehouse wall. One of them lunged at her; she used her pistol to blow its head off. The second lunged almost simultaneously, and she used her other pistol to kill it as well. Unfortunately, she was not so lucky with the third.

When it lunged at her, it caught her arm. Its claws raked against her arm, sending shooting pains up her arm. She cried out. Her mind reacted before her body did. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It sent out a sonic blast. It hit the creatures like a thousand invisible cuts. They were thrown back by the shockwaves. Many of them convulsed and died on the spot.

Seeing the majority of their ranks had been destroyed, the dogs turned and fled. They disappeared back into the alleyways and buildings.

"What...what just happened?" Sarash whispered. Her mind unable to form any other sentence.

It took some time for everyone to regain their wits. Alex, who was leaning against the car, finally stopped his legs from trembling and sat beside Adrienne, who was looking at the tyre iron that was crushed in her hands.

Ivan looked down at his hands that had held the knife. It was the first time he had done something like that. Sure, he had fought, but using a knife so skilfully wasn’t something he could do normally.

Everyone was trying to wrap their heads around what had happened. The bodies of the monsters were lying around them, but no one made a move to do anything about it.

Ember sank to the floor, her back against the concrete wall. She looked at the claw marks on her arm.

"Let me see that." Sarah hurried over towards her. She opened the fanny pack that contained medicine. She moved quickly.

Ember asked her not to wrap it. She remembered the system had given her a healing skill. It shouldn’t be long before the wound is gone.

Aiden came over a moment later, sitting beside Ember. He was covered in splatters of black blood. His eyes were still burning with bloodlust. But looking at Ember, it softened.

"I’m done. Are you sure you don’t want me to bandage it?" Sarah’s concern scratched Ember’s heart.

"It’s fine. It will be fine in a few hours," Ember responded.

Aiden and Ember watched Sarah leave. Neither of them said a word. Aiden touched Ember’s hand, and Ember closed her eyes. She felt the connection between them.

Covenant Engine. We need answers

Aiden heard it. The CE heard it as well. Aiden scooped Ember up into his arms. Her eyes were still closed. He leaned her against him as he closed his eyes as well.

[Query received. Architect. Warden of the heart]

[The catalyst was the fever. It wasn’t a sickness. Your kind were being rewritten. It was unlocking potential in your genetic code.]

Ember felt a chill. Rewritten by who?

[The fever is the lock. I am the key. But so too is the system you had before. There are many things you do not yet know. Knowing would only make it harder for you to accept. I suggest getting to the base before asking any other questions.]

[The Crimson Lust and Azure Bond are accelerants. They help you unlock your potential much faster and more safely.]

How does it do that? Aiden asked.

[The consort’s strength comes from his physical drive. It is amplified by the CL he generates and consumes. Ivan-the rogue, his speed is a manifestation of his desire for sensation. Alex-the protector. His strength comes from AB, his need to shield his partner. Your scream, Architect, was an unfiltered explosion of emotion. It was given physical form.]

Hearing the system talk about how someone or something was trying to rewrite their genes. How their strength was a manifestation of the very energy they were using. The CE said there was more to it. If what happened to them was only the beginning. What about other people?

The system had told her that lust essence is a part of this world. Does that mean that people who are more in tuned to their sexual desires are more likely to have power related to their sexual desires? What about AB? She wasn’t sure if that would count for others since she only knew about it because of the CE.

[My suggestion is to wait. You are the first. There will be more to come. Continue to strengthen your bonds. Continue to evolve.]

Opening their eyes, Aiden and Ember silently looked at each other. The information they just received was bigger than anything else. There was a larger game at play. The CE said they were being rewritten that means someone orchestrated this. Someone was powerful enough to cause a planet to go through a large-scale doomsday.

They didn’t tell the others. Some things were better left unsaid.

Aiden and Ember walked over to everyone hand in hand.

"We need to leave. We don’t know if there will be more coming tonight." Aiden’s voice was calm, authoritative. "We need to find a better place to rest tonight."

"We’ll rotate who drives so everyone can get some rest," Aiden said.

"I’ll start first, then Marcus, Alex, Sarah, Adrienne, Ivan, and Ember. We sit according to the order, so that no one needs to wake up unnecessarily."

"Also, don’t think about what happened. When we get to the base, I’ll be able to explain everything to you." Ember took the lead in mentioning their strength. She didn’t want them to have constant questions in their mind, thinking there was something wrong with them.

There were no arguments. Everybody filed into the vehicle. Even though Ember said she would tell them, their disbelief wouldn’t be dispelled so easily. They looked out the window, thinking about what had happened. They didn’t fall asleep quickly, but soon the adrenaline swindled, and they had no choice but to close their eyes to sleep.

Aiden drove steadily through the city, using his strength when necessary to move vehicles out of the way. They didn’t need use the forklift anymore. The sounds he made echoed in the city.

Although it was a bit strenuous, he could still handle it. Ember sat in the back, her eyes closed. She still hadn’t been able to fall asleep.

She was trying to get more answers from the CE, but no matter how much she asked, it wouldn’t tell her.

The most she knew at this moment was that they had a threat coming their way. What the threat was, it wouldn’t say. It only kept telling her to evolve.

It wasn’t until the third person changed that Ember finally fell asleep.