98 To Corrup (2/2)

I crushed those fears and doubts under my heel. I didn't have time to ponder. I would win. I had to win. It wasn’t the time for fear. It was time for action. I resolved myself. I wouldn’t leave Kessiah here, dead or alive. Who knew what they would do with her body if I left. I didn’t want to find out. I would stay here and fight until this thing died. I had to.

As a hole ruptured in my side, silver blood leaking out. Like mercury leaking down my side, it gushed. The eldritch stood still for a moment and licked some silver blood from off his fist. His many eyelids wrinkled in disgust,

“You taste like dirt and stone...What are you?”

It was the opening we had been waiting for. From above, there was a whistle in the air. Hod dived down, using charged shadow claws to slice at the flesh cape. He cut into the tendril of flesh digging into Kessiah’s throat. His sword wielding arm was still pressing down on me, so I let it crash into my collar bone. It cracked the bone as I bit deeper into his wrist.

Tendrils of armor leaked out from my teeth. I grounded both my feet and slammed my fists into the wrist holding the energy sword. The eldritch stumbled just enough for Hod to slice twice more with this shadow claws. He finally severed the flesh cape, separating Kessiah from the monster’s main body.

Hod dragged Kessiah away before the eldritch turned and reached out for them.

“That is my food, not yours.”

As the eldritch dashed towards them, I dug my feet into the ground and bit down hard on his wrist. As I pulled back, my teeth dug into the bone of his arm, severing the ligaments holding him together. After two more tugs from it and I, I amputated his right sword hand.

Without my own mass pulling against him, the eldritch charged into the ground. I stood up. Before anything else, I dashed towards Kessiah. I reached her unmoving body, the tentacle down her throat blocking her breathing. Hod struggled at what to do, so I shoved him aside before grabbing the tentacle.

I pulled at it, the tentacle staying inside her more than I thought it would. I grimaced before putting a foot on Kessiah’s chest. I yanked the tentacle out, Kessiah’s body deflating as I removed the tendril. After a few more tugs, it was all the way out. Kessiah wasn’t breathing though.

I removed my helmet, putting my lips against hers. I breathed into her chest. After two breaths, I pressed against her chest in timed intervals. I alternated between breathing and pressing onto her chest. I turned desperate before a black portal opened beside us, Torix stepping out.

He glanced around, “I’m here. Kade disappearing from his post took maneuvering to fix, but I found a...”

He glanced at Kessiah, his jaw falling open as horror spread across his face. I shouted at him,

“She isn’t breathing. Do something!”

Torix breathed out with a remarkable calm. He pulled his hands apart, arcs of lightning coursing between them. Once fully outstretched, his grimoire floated out from under his robe. It flipped open before static built in the air. He pushed his hands together, a ball of explosive lightning pooling in his right palm.

He lifted the finished sphere, grunting out his words, “I am the only dead one in our group Kessiah.”

He pressed the ball into Kessiah’s chest. She flopped upwards, her limbs flailing around. Torix howled, “You don’t die unless I kill you. Do you hear me?”

She still didn’t breath before Torix raised his palm, mana infusing his palm. Torix thundered,

“You will answer my question. Do you hear me?”

He slammed it into her chest once more. Torix’s blue fire eyes turned red as he lifted his palm once more. Kessiah’s eyes popped open, a plume of blood tearing out of her chest. Using gravity magic, I pulled the blood from her throat, my finnesse amazing me. After removing a gallon of blood, Kessiah gasped for breath.

She rolled over onto her hands and knees, vomiting up blood before breathing deeply. As she coughed right after, the eldritch monster had already stood and stomped towards us. It’s flesh cape was severed. It’s right sword hand was rived from its body. Blood spurted out of its wounds as its many voices gurgled out,

“You’ve earned my respect, little lambs. These injuries will heal whenever I feast on you bodies. You all walking corpses.”

Torix stepped in front of us, his grimoire glowing bright,

A dark portal opened above Torix. A white, scaled arm the size of a bus landed beside Torix. As its claws dug into the ground, the air around us cooled. Pillars of ice jutted out of the ground. The portal stretched open, revealing a massive eye. It glanced around before spotting the eldritch. It pushed against the portal, revealing a smiling mouth full of teeth.

A maniacal grin grew on Torix’s lips, “The only walking corpse is right in front of me, I assure you.”