Chapter 330: The Calm Before The Storm
(Unknown Starship- Lower Deck)
There was an uncomfortable silence between Sophie and Lily as the pair moved through the endless labyrinth of corridors and rooms.
It wasn't by choice since Sophie genuinely didn't know what to say to break the tense atmosphere.
After only telling Lily the partial truth about why she needed to wear a mask that would block her vision, Sophie could sense that the little girl wasn't happy.
Sophie knew that this tension was entirely her fault.
But... she couldn't...
How could she tell Lily the kind of monster she was?
Sophie glanced at the scattered body parts and messy bloodstains covering the walls and floor as she walked towards the section of the starship that housed the private cabins.
"Delicious...." Sophie whispered involuntarily as the memory of tasting sweet flesh surfaced once again in her mind.
She was thankful that Lily's face was covered by a mask so the little girl would not be exposed to these gruesome scenes...
And the fact that her big sister was drooling with hunger.
It was a sickness.
Instead of feeling a sense of empathy or regret for the senseless killing... all Sophie could think about were the chunks of meat laying on the ground.
Such a waste...
Sophie's golden eyes flickered briefly to a crimson hue as the familiar urge to kill bubbled up in her chest.
She forcefully held back her bloodlust by gripping her fingernails tightly until they pierced the soft flesh on the underside of her palms.
Deep breaths... deep breaths...
In... and.... out.... in .... and... out...
Sophie focused on her breathing and gently inhaled and exhaled until the bloodlust disappeared from her mind.
Do not lose control....
Sophie closed her eyes and accessed her memories from the rampage to double check that she was going in the right direction.
"Two floors up and then take a right.... then go into the side tunnel," Sophie muttered softly.
Taking a shower as soon as possible was the number one priority.
Having spent several hours in a bodysuit that was covered in dried blood and pieces of alien meat meant that her body odour was absolutely horrendous.
This was definitely one of the few times that Sophie rued the fact that her Arachnais physiology had granted her an enhanced sense of smell.
After she cleaned up, then she would need to deal with the crewmembers locked inside the holding room since it was impossible for one person to operate a starship of this size.
"Big sister... how far away are we?" a gentle voice came from Sophie's arms.
Lily was squirming around uncomfortably because she wasn't used to having her vision blocked.
The constantly jostling she felt as Sophie moved through the various corridors wasn't helping things either.
"Sorry baby... it should only be around five more minutes and then we can both take a nice long shower," Sophie apologised profusely.
"I promise... I will make it up to you later... just bear with it for now."
Lily tilted her mask upwards in direction where she assumed Sophie's eyes were and then nodded twice.
Sophie smiled lovingly and touched the corners of Lily's mask with a contemplative look.
She hesitated as her finger stroked the button that would remove the filter blocking Lily's eyes.
No.... I...can't....
Many thoughts ran through Sophie's mind at that moment but eventually she sighed and moved her finger away.
She was a coward.
Sophie held Lily securely in her arms as she navigated up two floors and then some twists and turns until the pair finally reached a corridor with several locked metalloid doors.
These were the private rooms for officers on the upper deck.
Fortunately, this part of the ship was left relatively intact since Sophie's sudden attack meant that the officers were on other floors of the ship when her rampage begun.
Sophie's golden eyes darkened as she swept the surrounding area for any traps or injured survivors.
Her enhanced vision was able to see past the doors and observe the details of the rooms behind them.
There shouldn't be any crewmembers left alive in this part of the starship, but Sophie wasn't going to take any chances.
After spending several minutes carefully looking, Sophie approached one of the metalloid doors and launched a fierce kick.
Bam!
The sturdy metalloid door flew off its hinges and landed on the ground with a dull thump.
Those blaster resistance materials used in its creation were no match for the strength of a qi tide cultivator.
Sophie entered the room and pressed a button on Lily's mask to release the covering from her face.
Lily blinked twice and then winced as it took her a few seconds to adjust to the lighting inside the cabin room.
"Big sister... is this it?" she asked curiously.
Lily found herself in a small room with one long mattress in the corner, four white walls and a wooden shrine place prominently in the center.
The wooden shrine was in the shape of a sun with numerous symbols and writings etched upon its surface.
Other than those two objects, the rest of the room was empty with no other items or personal belongings.
There was another metalloid door at the back of the room which Lily assumed led to the showers.
"Damn... talk about a hard life. I never got why those cultist types want to live so frugally," Sophie muttered as she leaned back against a nearby wall.
Even the mattress was only covered by a plain grey sheet with no pillows or blankets for whichever officer who lived in this cabin to rest their head.
"Lily... it's time for a shower," Sophie calmly spoke as she saw Lily begin to touch the wooden shrine curiously.
"Okay big sister!" Lily turned around and smiled cheerfully.
Finally getting to take off the restrictive mask had put the little girl in a good mood. Sophie returned the grin with a sunny smile and then began to strip off her bodysuit.
She had taken quite a few baths with Lily during their time spent together in the Unova Syndicate for safety reasons, so there weren't any issues.
Sophie peeled off the various layers of under-armour and then flung her discarded clothing on the mattress.
It didn't take long to finally get her clothes off since her bodysuit was made from a memory-foam material.
Sophie did notice as she stretched lazily that hair was now reaching her lower back after months without a haircut.
She did really like having long hair but now that it was covered in dried blood from the constant fighting....
It was probably the best time for a new look.
Long hair was indeed stylish but the last thing you needed on the battlefield was to get your vision blocked by a loose strand of hair.
Maybe she should use a sharp blade and try to cut her own hair?
Sophie mulled over that option as she walked over to Lily and helped the little girl to get out of her clothes.
"Big sister will I look like you when I grow up?" Lily asked quietly as she stared at Sophie's voluptuous figure.
"Do you want to?" Sophie playfully teased.
"No!" came the firm response.
Sophie was briefly taken aback for a moment and could not help but ask why.
"Oh? And why don't you want to look like your big sister?" Sophie questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Too big!" Lily pointed at her chest and yelled.
"Hahaha! You little rascal!" Sophie covered her chest in mock shame and chased Lily around the room.
She quickly scooped up the little girl who was no match for her long slender legs and mercilessly ticked her until she apologised.