Abnormal 2

Racing through the city streets, my mind was consumed by thoughts of the current battle taking place. 'What if I don't make it in time..' I thought darkly, just that single thought made me enhance my speed even further, not wishing to waste a single second. Passing the familiar front gate I exited, the change between the inside and outside of the walls wasn't nearly as drastic as it should've been. That could probably be due to my lack of care about my surroundings, as my mind was only focused on getting to the western side of the wall as swiftly as possible.

Rearing the corner of the wall, I was left stricken with suprise. In my field of vision, all I could see was the multiple corpses of monsters littering the soil, their features hidden from view by the shroud of darkness. The outline of exhausted ascended sitting near them gave me a mental picture of how the battle had gone in my absence.

"I may have panicked for nothing..." I said aloud while walking through the gruesome scene. That's what I thought until I heard a familiar voice screaming another familiar name.

"TATIANA RUN AWAY!!"

Turning my body towards the sound of the scream I went back into a full sprint, jumping over the corpses of the dead creatures and the stunned men that weren't even aware of my presence until they saw me. Full of panic and dread, I ran as fast as I could, but no matter how mentally and physically prepared I was...it wasn't gonna be enough.

As I approached the sound of the scream, I was left full of hopelessness and dread. Standing in front of me, its back turned towards me was the abyss creature of great purity, its height towering at a lofty twelve meters. However something felt off, I could only visibly see half of its gargantuan figure.

Then, a wave of ridiculous pressure bore down on my shoulders as the titan began to move with a speed rivaling my own. 'ITS USING A FUCKING AURA?! HOW IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE!' I thought to myself after feeling its pressure, realizing why it had felt so familiar. Gauging the current situation I tried to think through all the current options I had, I could wait for the rest of the troops to arrive, or I could join with the other commanders and we could fight as a team against the hulking monstrosity and maybe fend it off.

Sadly I wouldn't get to choose a carefully laid out plan that would increase my odds of survival, because my eyes finally landed on the creature's target. If the creature had made me feel hopeless then seeing the sight of the overbearing and stalwart commander of the second division in such a horrid state made me feel weak but also pissed off. Her right arm was gone, cut so cleanly it looked as though it was never there to begin with.

The only outward sign that it had once existed was the torrent of blood she was failing to stop from pouring out of her shoulder. The arm being missing wasn't the worst of it, the right side of her stomach and chest had been sliced open making her internal bones and organs put on a gruesome display for all bystanders.

Noticing that the creature was going to move in for the kill I sprang into action, fueled by my desire to defeat this thing and protect my home, colleagues, and those I care about. My speed was almost a direct match to the titan, almost...moving only slightly quicker than it, I appeared in front of the great beast.

My sword was held tightly in my hand already beginning to radiate light from the essence I subconsciously poured into it. I raised the sword above me firmly as every instinct in my body had screamed to dodge, evade, or run away. However, I remained still, waiting for the strike that was meant for Taitiana to land on my sword with its full might.

"Clang!!!"

The impact of the creature's claws against my blade rang out throughout the wasteland. The impact felt like I was trying to restrain the heavens themselves from falling, looking behind me I saw that the two other commanders were standing there dumbstruck from my sudden yet timely arrival. Finally, I spoke through gritted teeth.

"C-can you guys stop fucking staring and move! Gram cauterize Taitiana's wounds quickly! Then regroup with me I'll hold this thing off for as long as possible!"

Snapping out of the trance first, gram burst into action. Hastily grabbing Tatiana with reckless abandon, he began to pull her away quickly. Soon enough they were out of sight, presumably still close enough to help when ready but remaining far enough away to tend to their wounds.'Now that they aren't around how am I going to deal with you...' changing the angle of my sword so that the claws would slide off in a direction away from me I dashed backward, trying to gain a bit of distance to collect my thoughts.

'....this situation couldn't honestly be any worse, I'm fighting a great purity creature alone and I have to keep it busy before I can get reinforcements...' The thoughts kept rushing through my mind. However, just as I thought it couldn't get worse the beast decided to manipulate its aura. Disappearing from my line of sight with a shimmer, it seemed to just vanish, not leaving any presence behind. 'Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me...' I thought to myself while raising my sword into a full guard, its blade had dimmed slightly as I was trying to conserve my essence not willing to run myself out this early on.

"Boom!!!"

Before I could even react or sense the attack I had been sent flying several meters away, crashing into the ground with a sickening "crunch" It felt as though every bone in my body had just shattered. Looking in the direction where the blow had come from I saw the beast walking towards me with a confident gait, it walked slowly like it was relishing the defeat it planned to give me. 'Is that thing fucking smiling at me?' I thought noticing its large fangs protruding from its maw all in a sharp and terrifying row. Feeling even more caught off guard I just couldn't wrap my mind around this abnormal beast.

Sure, creatures of great purity do possess some intelligence but nothing to this degree, to enjoy the death of an opponent was something beasts just didn't do, at least not that I've ever seen. Let's not forget this thing possesses a goddamn aura, a technique that was thought to only be utilized by humans, demon-kin, and other humanoid beings.

'That aura...it feels familiar though..I think I've seen it used before..' I thought to myself while picturing the way the beast disappeared, trying to discern its aura's element or where it originated from.

I wouldn't get the chance to analyze any further sadly, as now the beast was towering directly over me. The stench of its breath honestly hurt me worse than the countless broken bones I was sure I had. Looking down at me the abnormal huffed in a manner that sounded more similar to a scoff, like it was disappointed in our short exchange. With a lazy swipe of its paw, I was sent flying again with even more force and speed than before.

'Ah fuck...this is going to hurt...A lot' I thought just as my body slammed into the ground, this time with enough momentum to create a small crater.

"Oh come on boy, this can't be all you have". A grating voice said in disappointment.

"I...definitely... didn't miss... hearing your.. voice.." I replied in between rasping and painful gasps of air.

"Just use my power already. This is growing more boring and sad by the second." The voice said in a dreary tone.

Not responding immediately to the grating and judgemental voice, I instead looked for the creature again hoping it wasn't coming toward me again. Thankfully it seemed more interested in sitting on its rear quarter for the moment which allowed me a bit of reprieve. Taking the brief opportunity I began circulating essence through my whole body in hopes of healing a few wounds so that I might be able to move again, however, I avoided pouring even the smallest amount into my left arm.

'I promised her I wouldn't need it's abilities..'

"What can you even do right now anyway" I said with a weary tone.

"Oh, I don't know, I could heal all your wounds first of all. I'll also grant you enough of my power to kill that abnormal thing you call a threat. How's that for starters?"

Rolling my eyes I said in a resigned tone, "What do you want the price to be this time midnight...?"

"Hmmm. That's a good question! Let's see here...oh! I know, this time will be free of charge. Sounds wonderful right? Midnight responded in a cheery tone.

"It's never free with you..."

"Alright, fine, it won't have a cost right now. However, there is a catch. From now on, I demand ten percent of your total life essence reserve."

Thinking hard about the pros and cons of the mysterious armor's deal, I got lost in my mind. Ten percent wasn't a small amount by any account. It could be the difference between life and death if placed in a dire situation. On the other hand, the situation I'm in right now could mean an actual early death for me. I'm nowhere near my ten-day mark, so if I die to this thing now, it will be catastrophic.

Dying before my loop places my soul in limbo instead of a brief one - or two-day slumber, and the things that lurk in that nothing space are far more vicious than any creature I could imagine. What's worse is the last time it happened. I suffered serious damage to my soul from trying to fight them. It took me decades to heal it.

"Fine, I accept your condition.." I said.

"Wonderful!! I'm assuming you know what to do, then yes?" Midnight asked.

W,ith a silent nod, I focused inwardly, opening up every pathway I had consciously cut off from my left arm. With a rush of euphoria, I felt my essence reserve explode in joy at being let loose for the first time in a very long time. The ethereal energy that was life essence began to gravitate to my left arm, and now that the armor was no longer cut off from my reserves, the snakes sprang to life. Each whipped out brashly, eager to be used.

"Touch my blade with those horrid things, and I'll seal you off again midnight." I said sternly.

"Don't worry, I have no desire to consume the little fractured soul residing in that hunk of metal. I only did that initially because I thought it'd be fun to tangle with my sister while we were both weakened." Midnight replied casually.

With a sigh of relief at midnight's reassurance, I decided to sit back and let the armor do its thing. The snakes that were lashing out aimlessly just a few moments ago were now coiling around my entire body. They looked as though they were trying to devour every bit of me. However, with each section of me they covered, they began to coalesce, replacing themselves with a smoo,th black material similar to its original on my arm.

The process may have seemed slow to my tired and broken body, but in reality, it had happened almost instantly. Looking down, I saw that my entire body was now covered in the protective armor. It was striking, to say the least. The beautiful black polish shined even in the darkness around me, and the intricate runes carved all over the armor added to its intrigue.

"You may want to prepare yourself, ranika." Midnight warned.

"What are you talking abou..?" My voice cut off as I gasped for air.

Suddenly, every part of my body felt like a red-hot needle had pierced it. The force of the searing heat and pain was far worse than the measly two hits I had taken from the creature. The pain didn't stop at that, though. The needles had been pushing deeper into my body until they reached my broken and fragmented bones.

Becoming what felt like small strands of fibers rather than needles at that moment, I could feel them wrapping tightly around my internal injuries. Seeping into the cracks of my bones, consuming my ruptured organs, and worst of all, they wrapped tightly around my frantically beating heart.

"Agh....what..the..actual fuck..midnight." I asked, my breaths coming out short and exasperated.

"I said I'd heal you and grant you strength, I never said it wouldn't hurt dumbass." Midnight chided.

Standing slowly to see if midnight had indeed healed me or not, I was left stunned. Even with all my weight on what I knew had been a broken body I felt nothing. No pain, no soreness, and best of all no physical fatigue. Stretching out my limbs cautiously I tried to adjust to the new body I seemed to be in control of. Then I decided to test something out, with a swift motion I leaned over, pulled my arm back, and punched the barren earth with every ounce of strength I could muster.

The resulting shockwave from my punch threatened to throw me back but I held firm. The ground however did not, splintering from the blow rocks and debris flew in all directions at a frightening speed. I couldn't see where the shrapnel had impacted but I could hear it, the pops and bangs had begun to echo from all around me a cacophony of violent noise. Then a noise from a few pieces reached my eardrums and I couldn't help but smile in delight.

It was the sound of a stone piercing flesh, looking in the direction of the noise my smile widened. There still sitting on its ass was a now shocked and seemingly irritated abnormal great abyss creature. Blood had begun to seep from one of its large and hideous legs, it came out in a steady and constant stream. Embedded in its leg was a small stone no bigger than my fist, but the best part was that now I knew I could fight this thing without fear.

'If a stone sent flying from this distance did that kind of damage to it...then I'm excited to see what my sword will do now' I thought while my smile had turned wicked and vindictive. Eager to pay the beast back a hundredfold for the two blows it landed on me.

"ALRIGHT YOU UGLY PRICK, LETS FUCKING DO THIS!!" I yelled loudly, drawing the creature's attention with my sudden outburst it turned towards me with a snarl. Then it stood to its full height and rushed at me with that familiar speed it had shown previously.

"Now, this should be more than enough to stave off my boredom."