Colt's eyes widened in incredulity as he stared at the vial of golden blood Lloyd had left next to him.
He was dumbfounded. Chimeras were counted amongst some of the more toxic creatures from the umbra lumen, their blood, a strange mixture of foreign compounds not native to earth realm. The sheer toxicity of this blood alone earned it the name, "Golden Mercury."
All the big-shot pharmaceutical companies of earth realm and beyond paid quite a large sum for pure golden mercury. Regardless of its toxicity, the compounds that could be extracted from it were worth quite a pretty penny.
The chimeras from the realm of flaming corpses were among some of the more common invaders of Unalaska. As such, even Colt, who wasn't a scientist, knew of its toxic nature. Afterall, one of the reasons their suits were particularly skintight was to avoid touching the toxic blood.
Taking the vile of Golden Mercury into his hands, Colt gawked at it with a perplexed expression, but soon, he pushed his concern behind him and gulped down the contents of the vile. After ingesting all of the golden fluid, he tossed the vile aside.
Colt didn't worry about it anymore. If Lloyd said he should do it, then he would. That was just how potent his trust in Lloyd was. Regardless of his worries, he would be killed by the owl man anyway. So, he bet everything on whatever advantage the golden fluid would give him.
"Unlike me, your body is more accustomed to superhuman power. It won't take more than a few seconds for the drug to kick in. Hand me my gloves. We are gonna kill this bastard." Lloyd communicated to Colt telepathically.
Almost as soon as Lloyd's words entered Colt's head, his body began heating up, and his eyes turned golden as thin whisps of energy enveloped his body.
As the thin whisps of energy surged through his body, his frame became more and more defined, almost as if he had undergone a few years of training in mere seconds. Not only did his physicality become better, his silver hair and eyes also gave off a slight golden glow similar in color to the thin whisps of energy that circled him.
Colt's mind plunged into confusion for a few seconds as he pondered what was happening to him. Although he had assumed that the golden mercury would add to his power because Lloyd told him to take it, he could never have anticipated that the difference in strength would be this astronomical. Compared to his previous self, Colt estimated that he was at least seven times stronger than before. The change in power was just too drastic.
But what confused him even more was Lloyd. If Colt himself had produced such a miracle drug, he wouldn't hesitate to sell it. With effects this good, each vile would be worth at least five hundred red tannins. Also, taking into consideration the fact that here in Unalaska, chimeras weren't all that rare, the cost of production would be exorbitantly low.
In Colts' mind, the effects of the drug were less shocking than the fact that Lloyd had kept it a secret.
Acknowledging Lloyd's words, Colt's eyes narrowed, and he drew a deep breath. His gaze fell upon his arms, and with a fierce tug, he ripped his skin-tight exosuit off his torso, revealing a chiseled chest. On his pectoral, a black tattoo of two gloves seemed to pulse with the same light the tattoo on his palm did when he pulled out the white star vestige.
As Colt slowly brought his hands to his chest, the dull light intensified.
Colt's fingers made contact with the tattoo, and with a swift motion, he pulled out two gloves. With a fierce flick of his wrists, he sent them hurtling through the air towards Lloyd. The gloves soared through the air, spinning end over end, until Lloyd caught them with a sadistic grin.
When he caught them, Lloyd slid his hands into the gloves, the air was filled with a loud sound of grinding machinery as gears tightened around his hands, and the gloves erupted in a blaze of orange light.
The gloves themselves were a marvel of modern engineering, with intricate etchings and gleaming alabaster joints. They seemed to mold themselves around Lloyd's hands, as if becoming part of him.
Lloyds eyes shone with sadistic excitement as he ripped off his tattered clothes, revealing a physique honed to scientific perfection. His body was a canvas of technological augmentation.
There was a steel cage no larger than a fist situated on his left pecs. Inside the steel cage, there was a stark orange light illuminating the cavity, shining its light towards the owl monster, with tens of intricate golden tubes connecting the steel cage to the rest of his body, circulating the energy all around him.
From this display, anyone could tell that Lloyd was not simply a normal human anymore, but rather some kind of technologically augmented being. With the addition of his gloves, his very presence seemed to be bathed in the aura of strength.
As if able to read each other's minds, with a synchronized stride, Lloyd and Colt began to approach the owl monster, the rain seemed to fall heavier with each step they took, and every stride crumpled the wet snow beneath them.
As they walked, Lloyd communicated to Colt Telepathically. "The reason I haven't told anyone about this serum of mine is because of how unstable it is. By isolating specific compounds, I created a drug that can increase one's strength. The main problem… the compound converts one's life span into raw power and energy."
After a slight pause in the mind space, he continued.
"I originally wanted to use its power to bridge the gap between monsters like you and powerless humans like me. But after the first use, which gave me a boost for thirty seconds, I had already lost ten years of my life. Quite frankly, if I hadn't already augmented my body with tech, I would have died on the spot."
"I do not know how the serum will affect a person like you who is already superhuman, but, as for me, considering the dosage I took, I'll be in this state for two minutes. There is a chance I might drop dead after this."
Colt's understanding of their current situation improved. In order to increase their chance of survival, Lloyd had made both him and Colt sacrifice some of their life towards the goal of preserving the rest of it.
Instead of falling into despair, Colt became filled with determination as his body became more defined with every passing second. He could feel himself stronger.
As both men reached the creature's flanking sides, Lloyd and Colt paused, their chests heaving with anticipation.
When faced with fear, neither man buckled, but rather stood tall, preparing themselves for what would be their final act of defiance against the owl man. If they couldn't manage to kill it this time, there would be no more chances.
The owl man stood up as if finally acknowledging the two humans.
Lloyd's face grew uglier as he smiled. His facial expressions didn't seem like something a human could make. This tense stare attracted not only the owl's attention, but Colt's as well. Colt knew that, based on what Lloyd explained, he would probably survive the effects of the serum. He was more worried about Lloyd. There was a huge chance that this would be his final battle with Lloyd, even if they managed to clutch a win against the owl man.
But all these thoughts were buried deep inside Colts' heart for now. He didn't have time to ponder such things. Any sign of hesitation would cost him his life.
Lloyd began cackling like a mad clown. Just before he threw the first strike, one of the dead raised their hand. Someone was still alive.