Anna

  Kai’s Naiad once again materialized. This time the water construct was noticeably sleeker and smaller, roughly half of its former size.

  “I’m ready!”

  Liesel nodded and closed her eyes, settling into a meditative stance. Anna felt a subtle wave of mana radiate from her body. The tangible miasma spread with intent, touching and prodding at every surface in the vicinity. A pang of envy grasped her heart as she knew that this level of mana control and sensitivity was something that she would never be able to achieve. Liesel’s miasma of mana eventually reached Flesh Devourer.

  The monster continued to thrash against its cage. Each time it tried to stand up its monstrous body slammed against the roof of the icy prison. Fractures began to spread. Without Liesel’s constant reinforcements, the integrity of the structure quickly gave.

  Crack!

  The ice structure shattered with a melodic ring. Flesh Devourer righted itself. Its bloodied eyes bulged with anger while its monstrous head pivoted on a swivel. It looked like it was trying to find the culprit behind its imprisonment.

  Kai’s Naiad surged. It delivered a rapid punch against the side of Flesh Devourer’s gaping jaws. The Thanatos inmate recoiled from the hit, but the area it was struck barely received a dent. Still, the attack was enough to attract its attention. Flesh Devourer shrieked. Like a wild beast, it rushed at the Naiad with reckless abandon, having decided that this water construct was going to be target of its vengeance.

  The Naiad ducked and weaved, changing its form fluidly to evade Flesh Devourer’s attempts. With its smaller size, it became much easier for Kai to control.

  Come on.

  Anna impatiently glanced at Liesel who was as still as a tree. She looked down at her own hands. The bluish coloration on her skin was almost completely faded. Liesel’s drug worked like a miracle. She felt like she could fight, even if it was just for a few minutes at best. The desire to rush into the fray was like a scathing itch that refused to go away.

  Trust in your friends. Stick to the plan. She reprimanded herself. There was only three of them to take down this abomination. They each had their own roles to play. If hers was to stay put and watch, then she’ll do so. Did she care more about her pride or actually ridding the Black Shoal of this monstrosity?

  Liesel’s miasma suddenly vanished. The Ice Maiden’s eyes snapped open. She stood up with a grave look on her face.

  “I found it. But it’s in a troublesome spot,” she reported, pointing to the top of her head, “It’s embedded deep inside his cranium. At the center.”

  “That’s…” Anna turned towards Flesh Devourer. In his warped form, his head and torso were practically merged into the same body part. Unfortunately, it also meant that his cranium had grown excessively large.

  “There are mounts of flesh and bone in the way. Plus, there’s the skull itself,” Liesel said, suddenly channeling mana, “Let me try something.”

  Realizing her intent, Anna called out. “Kai, keep him still for a moment!”

  The Naiad instantly collapsed into a formless puddle. The abrupt disappearance of the water construct made Flesh Devourer pause. The abomination’s eyes widened in confusion. Without a target, it suddenly lost the reason for its outrage.

  “Needle!” Liesel intoned.

  Mana coalesced above her head. The ambient temperature dropped precipitously, freezing the nearby rain. A giant ice lance materialized from the cooled environment. Its sharpness was remarkable, glinting with a murderous gleam even under the dark skies. Liesel arched her arm back and swung. The ice lance shot forward as though thrown from her hands.

  Flesh Devourer, still searching for the missing Naiad, was oblivious to the oncoming attack.

  Squelch!

  The lance landed precisely on the side of his head. The ice protruded outwards, embedded into the flesh. The flood of blood was nauseating to look at. Still, Flesh Devourer remained standing. Liesel’s ice soon snapped off as the abomination’s regeneration worked to rid itself of any foreign intrusion.

  “That was my strongest attack,” Liesel muttered in disbelief. Before Anna could comment, the air trembled as Flesh Devourer let out a deafening cry.

  She covered her ears, wincing from the ear-piercing sound. There was a primal anger in the monster’s shriek. A deep loathing. A vicious hatred. A murderous urge that couldn’t be satiated unless it tasted blood. Nothing would stop its desire for revenge. The abomination’s bloody eyes darted until it landed on Anna and Liesel.

  Anna swore she saw a glint of recognition in the monster’s gaze.

  The brief semblance of intelligence vanished as it roared again with unbridled rage.

  Flesh Devourer charged.

  Something was different this time. The monster was incomparably faster than before. Its muscles bulged with alien strength. Its eyes were focused; its gaze fixated on the two ladies.

  Kai’s Naiad re-emerged. The water construct lunged into the beast’s path, trying to slow it down. Flesh Devourer barreled through the Naiad instead, tearing it apart effortlessly without giving it attention.

  “Glacier!”

  Pillars of ice rose to create a field of obstacles. Flesh Devourer lashed out with his tongue. The fleshly mass reinforced with mana shattered the constructs without difficulty. Liesel immediately followed by stomping the ground. A giant fist of ice sprung out from the earth. It was the same attack that she used initially to halt Flesh Devourer’s charge on Kai.

  The monster suddenly sped up. It met the ice construct head-on without hesitation. It crashed into the structure. The ice exploded. The disturbing crunch of bones and flesh echoed in the air. Just as quickly, its regeneration weaved the broken parts back together. The entire time it was still running, barely slowed by Liesel’s attempt.

  Oh shit.

  The terrifying reality finally settled in.

  Flesh Devourer went berserk.

  And there was nothing they could do to stop its rampage.

  Anna turned around. Flesh Devourer’s stampeding footsteps blasted in her ears. They were unfathomably fast. Each second it got louder. Closer. She cursed her own lack of speed. Comparatively, it felt like she was moving through a quagmire.

  I have to use Volt.

  Before she could channel mana, she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist.

  “Huh?!”

  Without warning, she was lifted up. Liesel had her in her arms as she broke into a sprint. Mana Arts reinforced her legs. Simultaneously, she froze the water in front of her, creating a makeshift path. She skated along the icy road, gliding with an expert grace.

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  Flesh Devourer was still on their tail.

  Its voracious shrieks crackled like a banshee’s howl. Its thunderous steps refused to cease. Nothing that Liesel did could slow it down. It smashed through rubble and buildings unimpeded. It leaped over holes and craters in the ground. The monster abused its godly regeneration; hell bent on chasing them down.

  “We can’t keep running like this!” Anna yelled, struggling as rain and wind blasted against her face. She couldn’t believe the speed that Liesel was moving at. “There are still civilians in the area! We’re going to get them into the crossfire!”

  She heard Liesel clicking her tongue. She was laboring. Anna could feel her breaths growing heavy and haggard. It was clear she was nearing her limits.

  “…What’s your special move called again?” Liesel suddenly asked.

  “H-Huh?! What?” The question was so out of the blue that Anna blanked. “Thunderfang?”

  “Yes. That one. I think we need it. Can you use it once?”

  “I think so? What do you mean we need it? To kill the freak behind us?”

  “Yes. Your control is still flimsy, but that attack has higher penetrative power than anything I can do. I think it’ll be enough.”

  Anna couldn’t believe her ears. An attack of hers stronger than the Prodigy herself? “…Seriously? Are you sure? You’re not just saying this to get rid of me so you can save your own skin?”

  Liesel managed a curt laugh. “Emil would kill me if he found out I abandoned you.”

  The hell?! What does that guy have to do anything?! I’ll kill you myself dammit!

  “I’ll deliver you to the right spot. You just have to aim and throw. Do you trust me?”

  “Well shit, do I have a choice?! Just do it!”

  Liesel smirked. “Then start channeling. I’ll move as soon as you’ve gathered enough mana.”

  Anna closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The severed Azurite stone was still firmly clasped in her left hand. She grasped the mana dwelling inside the stone with her will, prodding it to move on her command. Surprisingly, her head didn’t hurt. No headaches. There was a slight pulse bloating the side of her skull, but she ignored it. A small lingering effect of Overclock. It wouldn’t be enough to stop her this time.

  “I’m ready!”

  Liesel jerked to the side as she violently changed directions. A wave of mana rippled outwards from her hand. The heavy rain in the vicinity suddenly froze, forming a series of cascading platforms in the air. Liesel jumped off her ice path. With the elegance of a dancer, she ascended the skies hopping from step to step. Mana periodically released to create more platforms for her to climb as the ice chunks fell.

  Flesh Devourer caught up.

  The behemoth stretched its fearsome maw to its absolute limits. Anna felt a shadow descend on their backs. The air became fumed with the stench of blood, acid, and flesh. Remnants of his earlier meals that were undigested.

  “He’s going to bite!” she warned.

  Liesel conjured an ice platform right beneath her feet. She pushed off immediately with the full power of Mana Arts.

  Flesh Devourer’s jaws closed.

  The deafening chomp shook the air. Wind blasted against Anna’s back. She winced at the sound of the monster’s teeth colliding against each other. They just ascended out of his bite range. Still, Flesh Devourer was undeterred. Its mouth opened once more. His tongue shot out like a whip. The speed was lightning fast as the fleshly mass barreled towards their location.

  Anna barely had time to let out a word.

  Liesel jumped again.

  The ice platform she leaped from shattered behind them. Shards rained down on Anna’s back.

  That was too close!

  She didn’t have time to celebrate, however. Suddenly, they were losing height. Fast.

  Liesel leaned into a dive. Anna felt her stomach lunge. She realized for the first time just how high up they were. The height of a fortress separated them and Flesh Devourer. The monster’s bloody eyes were glaring at them, still focused on tracking their descent.

  “Aim for the top of his head!” Liesel screamed into her ears.

  How am I supposed to aim in this situation?!

  Nonetheless, she began to channel. The vision of a spear made from lightning emerged in her mind. Sharp. Fast. Unwavering. A weapon that could pierce anything in the world.

  Mana vibrated with a dissonant hum. Volt activated. Electric charges snapped across her body. She gathered all of it near her right shoulder. Pain buzzed as electricity ran down the length of her arm into her palms. The charges flared, desperate to be unleashed. She forcefully contained the release, bottling and condensing the rabid energy. A shrill sound released. Bright light emitted. Mana weaved the disparate energy into a familiar form.

  Her hands trembled as Thunderfang materialized in her grasp.

  The lightning construct was hardly stable. Electricity buzzed violently. Shocks grazed her arm, drawing blood. Her palms burned from the dense energy eager to burst out. The spear never felt heavier.

  “I’m going to split apart from you!” Liesel suddenly revealed, “I’ll distract Flesh Devourer and hold him in place! You just focus on throwing the spear!”

  “Excuse me?! What about the landing?!”

  Liesel already detached herself from Anna before she could get an answer.

  Damn you wench!

  Anna cursed. How did she always end up in these ridiculous scenarios? All she wanted was to raise her status using her talents as an Exalted to work as a merchant at her family’s company again. Instead, she found herself fighting vicious monsters, deranged Exalted, and now diving headfirst from the skies to eliminate an abomination that was nearly unkillable.

  It didn’t make sense. Maybe it’s because she was surrounded by freaks who were all insane. Liesel was insane. Emil was definitely insane. Aoife also had a couple of loose screws in her head. Kai and Charlotte? Probably insane.

  I might just be insane too.

  This mental ailment was dangerously contagious. How else could she explain her current predicament?

  Rain blasted against her face. She winced, unable to keep her vision clear from all the water clouding her view. Wind teared at her body. Thunderfang raged in her ears. Flesh Devourer was directly below her. The monstrosity blurred in and out of focus, growing closer with every second. Liesel was several feet away, slinging ice at the abomination to keep it distracted.

  Focus.

  She silenced the screaming thoughts flooding her mind.

  I only got one shot.

  She grasped Thunderfang tighter. She arched her right arm back. The lightning spear cackled with intent. The top of Flesh Devourer’s head came into view. The monstrosity’s attention was turned on Liesel. Anna’s heart raced until it hurt. She pretended she wasn’t descending headfirst from the skies. Instead, she thought about all of the civilians who were cowering in fear of this monstrosity.

  So make sure it lands!

  She liked to complain. She cursed like a sailor. She protested the insanity of the situations that she always found herself in. But at the end of the day, she could never avert her eyes to those who needed help.

  Anna Seibert had a bleeding heart.

  “Release!”

  The air trembled. Thunderfang soared with the screech of birds. The spear of lightning plunged through the ebon skies, piercing past the rainy veil. Flesh Devourer remained oblivious to the approaching threat, still fixated on Liesel.

  But without warning, the monster began to move. As though it possessed an instinct for danger, the Thanatos inmate leaned to the side, ready to duck out of the path of Thunderfang’s maw.

  Anna’s heart sank. This was it. This was the sole opportunity that Liesel had created for her. There were no second chances. She had no time to materialize another spear. Her reserves were depleted. The headaches came roaring back as her skull felt like it was being pried apart.

  In the corner of her eyes, water abruptly swelled from Flesh Devourer’s shadows. Kai’s Naiad snapped into existence. The water construct clasped its arms around the Thanatos inmate, trapping in place with a watery embrace. Suddenly restrained, Flesh Devourer could do nothing but struggle.

  Thunderfang reached its mark.

  The spear tore through everything in path. Flesh. Bone. Sinew. Nothing could stop its advance as it plunged deep into Flesh Devourer’s body. Then, a cloud of mana suddenly erupted into the air. Anna knew at a glance that it was the Azurite stone being destroyed.

  Without a source of mana, Flesh Devourer’s monstrous form collapsed. Flesh sagged. Strands of tissue snapped off. Muscle melted from the skeletal frame. The abomination fell into a pile of gore, until that too disintegrated into a sea of red.

  Anna breathed a sigh of relief. Kai’s last-minute intervention had saved her attack.

  Her relief was short-lived, however. Flesh Devourer was dead, but she was still in the air. Falling down. Fast.

  The reality of the situation settled in quick. The ground got closer and closer. She was overwhelmed with panic—grabbing, kicking, turning, doing whatever she can in hopes that something could stop her fall.

  The air around her suddenly cooled. A cloud of snow emerged beneath her body, cradling her and pushing against her descent. As the second passed, more and more powdered snow appeared. The air pockets within the white cluster cushioned against her fall, eventually bringing her fall to a nonlethal speed.

  Thud!

  Anna groaned as she landed on the ground hard. The crash wasn’t debilitating, but she still had the air knocked out of her. The agony lasted for a few seconds before she could finally breathe normally. Liesel evidently had a different definition for a soft landing. If she didn’t have the constitution of an Exalted, Anna might have been splattered like Flesh Devourer right now.

  I’ll going to kill this rich wench!

  She rolled herself onto her feet, holding onto her sore back while wiping her face clear of rain. Everything was a soaked mess. When she could finally see what was in front of her, she froze.

  Her parents were standing right in front of her. Her father had a clumsily wrapped bandage around his left shoulder where he was bitten. Her mother looked like she was about to break into tear at any moment. Was she hallucinating? Why the hell are they still here? Didn’t she tell them to run? Just how close were they to being trampled by Flesh Devourer?

  All of her questions vanished as she was pulled into their arms.

  She was shivering from the cold rain, but her body felt warm and safe.

  “You idiots,” she stammered, on the verge of breaking down, “You’re not supposed to be here. Why do you two never listen to me?”

  For the first time in years, Anna felt her parents’ embrace.