Gleam - Chapter 151 (Patreon)

This time, the Essence Eaters were waiting for him. Chance only got a few steps out of the alley before his foot caught on a loose piece of stone and he stumbled. A bubbling limb scraped past his head and slammed into the stone behind him.

Chance threw himself forward into a roll as an Essence Eater dropped from where it had dug itself into the wall of a building. It crashed to the ground where Chance had been just seconds before, wails ripping out of its sickly form.

Essence poured out of Chance’s hands as he shot to his feet, the joy bubbling within him muted by the Essence Eater’s mounting force. He had bigger problems than the monster facing him, though.

Loud cracks and growing screams behind Chance were the only warning he would get of the other Essence Eaters lurching toward him with their loping, uneven gaits. He could barely even hear himself think over the cacophony.

The Essence Eaters had cut him off from the Old City. Even as Bella and Yeo burst into motion to try and get rid of the nearest Essence Eater, Chance knew they wouldn’t be fast enough to both defeat it and buy him time to get back into the alley.

Instead, he poured Essence into his urumi and spun, letting the segmented weapon carve through the air like a metal tornado. Flashes of golden energy swirled within the churning blades, forcing the Essence Eaters to pause their assault for an instant as they evaluated Chance’s Essence.

Using the brief moment he’d bought himself, Chance dove between the nearest Essence Eater’s legs, tucking into a roll. He came up behind it, even as the monster spun and lurched toward him with a scream.

Ocie slammed the stone of the old city shut behind the Essence Eater, carving the back of one leg off. The monster lurched forward, stumbling to keep its balance, and Bella brought her sword down on its head with a cry.

Yeo added a swirl of sharp metal thread to Bella’s attack, slicing into the vile monster with Core-empowered Essence. The Essence Eater dropped to its knees, reaching out for Chance with a hungry wail.

His Essence shuddered in his chest, pushing back against the wave of fear. Both Bella and Yeo faltered, the energy draining from their body. They’d all been exposed to the monsters for far too long – especially for anyone of their Rank.

Giving up or taking a break wasn’t an option, though. They were the only ones that knew the Essence Eaters were there, and giving up would mean the Essence Eaters would be able to spread even further into the city.

Maybe they already have. I don’t know. The only thing I can be certain of is that I can’t allow these things to live any longer.

Chance rose with a roar, gathering the dregs of his Core Essence and forming a golden fist that drove into the Essence Eater’s stomach. The monster screamed and doubled over, faces pressing against its skin.

Its arms came in for Chance, aiming to bring him into a fatal embrace. Chance’s golden fist slammed into the Essence Eater’s face, driving it back into the stone wall. Golden light flared, though not with nearly as much intensity as it had just a few minutes before.

The Essence Eater’s face crumpled, its body flooding with light and ripping apart at the seams. With one final scream, it split apart into shreds and melted away, allowing the trapped souls to break free.

Chance dropped to his knees, drawing in ragged breaths as he tried to steady himself. The defenses of his Essence were faltering. Even though they were getting better at fighting the Essence Eaters, there was only so much power he could wring out of himself. And, without his Essence to protect them, they had no way to resist the monsters.

“That almost went really badly,” Yeo said. “You okay, Chance?”

“Barely,” Chance replied, scooting back until his back was pressed against the cold wall. “There were still two more of them, and there might be even more in the building that they came from.”

“Not to mention whatever it is that you’re actually here for,” Bella said with an exhausted sigh. She set her sword down and ran her hands through her hair, trying to untangle it. “Do you have the energy to go at them again? I don’t want you to run out midway through the fight. If you do, we’re all dead.”

“Yeah, I’m aware,” Chance said. “I should have some in a few minutes, but I don’t know if it’ll be enough. The Essence Eaters have started to figure out what we’re doing, and I don’t know if they’ll fall for the same trick again. They don’t seem particularly smart, but they’re not complete idiots either.”

“We could always retreat,” Yeo offered. “Maybe that backup Ocie told us was coming can just deal with everything themselves.”

“Doubt it,” Chance said. “It’s possible, but what if they’re someone that can help us beat the Essence Eaters so long as they have backup? We’d just be condemning them to death. And, if we told Ocie we’re calling it here, then the Essence Eaters could spread. You saw how fast they could consume and grow. Can you imagine what would happen to the city?”

“I’d reckon it’ll be fine,” Yeo muttered. “It’s probably the people that’ll have trouble.”

That’s not even true. Ocie is probably relatively safe helping us from the sidelines, but given how scared she was of the Essence Eater in the Ancient Realm, they can do a huge number on her if they find her actual resting place.

“A city is the people in it,” Bella said with a shake of her head. “We can’t just abandon the Essence Eaters if we have any way to fight against them. I just don’t think we should kill ourselves doing it. How long until you’ve got enough strength to fight again, Chance?”

“If I could get five minutes, that would go a long way,” Chance said, gathering his breath and clenching his hands at his sides. “You guys might have to just use my Essence as a shield and handle the Essence Eaters yourselves, though. If we do that, then I should be good. The only problem will be if I have to start using my Essence to fight as well.”

“I’ve still got some power left in the tank,” Yeo said, chewing his lower lip. “And I do like the idea of being able to claim that I singlehandedly destroyed some of these things.”

“That would be a lie,” Bella said. “You’d still be using Chance’s Essence to keep yourself from going insane.”

“Yeah, but I can pretend. Can you handle one of them on your own if Chance is covering you? If you can, I think I can take the other.”

“I think I can hold one back,” Bella said. “The problem is that I have to avoid using my normal Essence. They eat it too quickly, and my attacks aren’t fast enough to go off before they get turned into free energy. These things are like the perfect counter to me. If you handle your Essence Eater and then back me up on mine, I think we should be good.”

“That’s what we’ll have to go for, then,” Chance said. He grimaced, then rose to his feet and brushed the dirt off his back. “We take out these last two Essence Eaters that are right next to us, then hope that reinforcements show up before we have to go into the house itself. Let’s get ready, then. I still need a few minutes to–”

Before Chance could finish his sentence, the walls started to rumble open. All three of them scrambled to get ready, exchanging surprised glances.

“Why is it opening?” Yeo asked. “Hey, Ocie? Could you not do that?”

“We need more time!” Chance said urgently. He’d gathered a little bit of Essence back, but not nearly enough to hold off two Essence Eaters safely. The chances of him running out midway through the fight were way too high.

Ocie ignored them, and the alleyway opened up entirely. Chance cursed, but the message was pretty clear. They weren’t going to get any more time hiding. Bella grabbed her sword and exchanged a nod with Yeo before stepping out into the street.

Chance followed after them, keeping his urumi at the ready. Even though he couldn’t risk using any more Essence if they wanted to keep their defenses up, he could still distract the monsters with mundane attacks.

But, when they emerged, the Essence Eaters weren’t waiting for them. Wind whistled through the alley, locked in a trance as a boy their age whirled his polearm, keeping the monsters at bay and swaying between their strikes.

It took Chance a moment to recognize him, but a grin spread across his tired lips as soon as he did. It was Wren, the very same person that had saved his and Bella’s lives by warning them that the Shikari were hunting them.

“Looks like our backup arrived,” Yeo said.

“And it looks like they’re not going to last much longer if we don’t get involved,” Bella said. “They’re fighting two Essence Eaters at once. Come on!”

She and Yeo sprinted forward, and Chance ran behind them to make sure they stayed in the range of his Essence.

The Essence Eaters were fully focused on Wren, whose movements had started to slow under the combined strength of their wails. Chance’s chest clenched as he pushed Essence out of it, sending the protective energy toward Wren.

A wave of gold passed out from him, washing across the alley. As soon as it touched Wren, his posture noticeably relaxed. He swayed out the way of an attack, swirling his polearm and bringing it down on the Essence Eater’s arm.

The monster screamed in pain, only to be cut off as Bella’s sword slammed into its head with a resounding crash.

Lurching toward her, the other Essence Eater tried to reach out. Metal swirled out from Yeo’s palms in a shimmering net, flashing through the air and carving through the monster’s arms.

Wren shifted his stance and leapt forward, thrusting his polearm straight into one of the Essence Eater’s chests. He yanked the weapon upward, sending a spray of black liquid flying through the air.

The monster leapt for Wren, howling faces bursting free of the wound and extending to bite him. Bella jumped forward, bringing her sword around like a bat and striking the monster in the chest.

A loud crack echoed through the alley and the Essence Eater tumbled to the side, only to fall into the path of Yeo’s shimmering metal threads. There was a meaty thunk as they carved into the monster’s body.

Yeo clenched his hand and yanked it upward. The threads tightened, slicing deeply into the monster’s form. It screamed in agony, black blood pouring from the wounds as the souls within pressed against its flesh, sensing that freedom was close at hand.

The other Essence Eater lunged at Yeo, but Wren intercepted it with a spinning slash. He let out a cry, then blurred. Chance barely saw him move, but a dozen different slash marks carved through the monster’s body an instant after he returned to his former spot.

Bella took advantage of the monster’s distraction and brought her sword down on its head again, caving the monster’s skull – if it even had bone – in. Essence swirled around her and pulsated in the blade.

The Essence Eater gave one last attempt at grabbing Bella, but Wren ran it through the head with his polearm. At the same time, Yeo’s threads ripped the other monster to bids. The souls trapped within them rose into the air in unison, and the street finally fell silent.

“Chance! Bella!” Wren exclaimed, leaning against his polearm as he caught his breath. “I didn’t think I’d see you here!”

“And you have no idea how happy we are to see you,” Chance said with a weary grin. “You came at just the right time.”