Trash: Chapter 110 Festering Rot (Patreon)

<<<Author's Note: Thank you all for spending part of my Birthday (today) with me! I really appreciate this, and appreciate all of you for being here and reading my work (the best gift I could ask for.Also, shameless plug, Augmented Aspects Book IV: Gravely Mistaken went up on Audible late last night. (An early birthday present).>>>>Chapter 110

Festering Rot

“Unfortunately,” I begin, my mouth moving on autopilot before I realize what I am saying. Before I realized that I am about to answer my patient truthfully, something I was taught never to do, particularly when the answer is bad.

What was I responding to? A simple question pose by Johny who gave a feigned charmed smile and smirk as he asked “Tell me the truth doc, am I gonna’ make it?”

The truth was, he was not going to make it, at least not as he was currently. As I could all but feel something foreign coming to life and seeming to be born from deep within Johny, this was a foreign object that I couldn’t mentally envision well enough to use Trash Skill and remove the foreign object. I had done similar things before, finding discarded metal objects in Madame Voyou’s eye socket, which had embedded itself in her bone. In that case, I was able to find the obstruction via my healing abilities, and with my other skills coating around the object, I was able to identify the inanimate metal fragment and dissolve it using my Trash Skill. Here I wanted to do the same thing, there was just one problem, the object inside Johny wasn’t dormant. For a moment I wondered if it was some sort of anti-magic particle of some kind that seemed to actively block all healing attempts on the body. But that too was not the case, as this seemed to somehow be absorbing my energy, a fact that became apparent by the random intense red glow coming from within Johny’s chest.

Seeing the glow, I stopped and without even thinking about impropriety or what my actions my seem to insinuate, I took my fingers, grabbed Johny’s jacket and undershirt, and instantly applied Trash to help melt away the grabbed fabric so I could see that my senses were not deceiving me, and that there was in fact a giant red glowing orb from within Johny’s chest, on his right side, the side opposite of the heart.

“GASPS!”

The sudden bursts of people reacting in horror to the sight before me reminded me that we were not alone. Which was good, for I needed help, especially as the removed fabric now showed clear dark purple and pulsing veins that came from the dark heart and began flowing up towards Johny’s chest, right between his ribs. I pause trying to understand what it is doing, then I realize it is going for the residual motes of life energy that are floating down, a natural byproduct of my Class that applies healing energy to everything. In this particular case, it is getting residual life energy from my use of Trash. While the use was seemingly minimal, it appears that the residual motes were enough to not only be felt by the dark presence within Johny’s chest but also cause a reaction.

“A dark heart seed!” The Chief and Jinx both cried out in near unison. While I had no clue what a dark heart seed was, based on their reaction and tone I could tell that it was nothing good. Also, my senses all but screamed that this was somehow familiar, but I disregarded that as my instincts told me that I could save Johny.

Realizing I needed to carve my way into his chest, likely breaking ribs and carving my way to that small but foreign entity, I turned to the warriors beside me and called out the same way I would in an emergency room if procedures were required.

“Scalpel!” I called out, holding up my still glowing left hand, as the last few fragments of clothing seemed to be vaporized from my fingers and floated away on the wind.

Everyone just stares at me like I am speaking gibberish, finally the chief responds, “a what?”

Realizing it is likely a definition issue, I shake my head and decide on the next best thing.

“A knife,” I clarify, shaking my head and seeing that there are a few ornamental daggers on their belts. The type of daggers that look like they are mostly for show and not functional at all. The kind that look like a one time use will cause the decorative gems inlaid on them to be dislodged and likely fall into Johny, while I attempt to carve him up.

“Oh,” the Chief declared, and rather than reaching for the smaller ornate daggers, he grabs the even worse and somehow more impractical weapon at his disposal. He grabs his long sword by his side and attempts to hand me the handle of the large weapon. A weapon that is very impractical in this small room alone, let alone the fact that I will need to use it in such a small area. Just looking at it and my position, I can’t even get it out of his scabbard, despite his clearly offering it to me. In fact, at this range it would be easier to remove it and use it to impale the Chief than do anything meaningful on Johny to safely remove the glowing and pulsing rock.

“Are you fucking with me?” I ask while holding up my hand in a halting gesture, as my mouth gets away from me, as I see a complete look of shock and horror on the Chief’s face as he looks shocked that I could be offended by being offered such a weapon.

Fortunately, before anyone can do anything, Madame Voyou comes in, her metal leg clacking loudly on the smooth stone flooring, distracting everyone. That’s when she hands me a small flat dagger that is oddly warm to the touch. Seeing it, I glance at the teacher and realize she is wearing a professional but form fitting attire, which makes me wonder where exactly she hid this dagger as it is clearly not from one of the Royal Order of Watcher’s, meaning this likely came from her personal stash. For a moment, I think I almost see the faintest slip of her short seeming to move back into place, but I discard that observation, content with the knife that will do what I need.

“Thanks,” I state as I turn back to Johny and his open chest. While turning back to face Johny, I couldn’t help but feel Madame Voyou’s confidence and presence taking up the space that now existed between myself and the bumbling Chief who offered me a long sword in a small room.

By now I can see the clear signs of shock washing over Johny, he is starting to sweat, his breathing is getting shallow, and his eyes are glassy. All of which can be explained by what had happened, as he had almost been burned alive a moment ago, but now it almost felt like he had a ticking timebomb growing inside of him.

Worse, the more I saw and felt the glowing and pulsing orb within his chest, the more I couldn’t help but feel that I had seen it before.

“You know what that is?” Jinx cried out. I’m about to snap back, when Madame Voyou is already there and already in her protective role for me.

“Shush, let her work,” Madame Voyou cut in, as I took the moment to focus on the blade, and pause for just a moment. In my mind, I realize there are a number of ways I can deal with this, and if I am wrong, I could kill Johny. At least that is the fear that has traveled with me from my past life. But I realize this is not the same world that I left, this world has a system, magic, and above all it has given me a deep respect for my instincts. Instincts that now seem to be telling me that the glowing object that I see before me. The glowing object that is within Johny is the core of something monstrous.

Then as if echoing my thoughts, that’s when the Chief continues.

“That is a dark heart seed! If we let him live, he will become a Death Eater! Look it has already been activated, meaning that the host is doomed to die. The best we can do is kill him, decapitate him, and burn his remains before he completely converts!” Jinx declares, her words rolling out in waves.

As she speaks, I feel somewhat better, knowing that my instincts were correct, that I had in fact seen this before.

In a way, the confirmation was all I needed, as it helped me confirm my method of approach. Knowing that this was the start of a Death Eater, then I knew my bloodline Skill was all that would be needed. Particularly with there not being a dark cloak that seemed to absorb all but Holy light.

Realizing that this would be a simple practice run from what I had experienced on Saturday night, I didn’t hesitate. Instead, I just used my awakened Bloodline Skill Soul Devour and watched. Even with a layer of skin and bone separating my blade from the pulsing orb that looked like a tiny demonic heart beating away in Johny’s chest, I could feel the threat and fear.

Holding up the glowing blade, that had a dense purple tip, surrounded by a layer of green healing energy I paused, taking half a second to aim between two ribs, hoping that I wouldn’t have to cut anything out. Seeing me in such a state, I had to guess that I would be frightening to anyone.

“Wait, what are you—” Johny cried out, but I was already moving, realizing that I didn’t have time to calm him down, before the two ROW guards took actions into their own hands. Instead, I realized I had the alignment I wanted, and with both hands grabbing the hilt of the dagger, I drove the blade deep. Making sure to put all my force and weight behind the blow, knowing that it would not be as easy as it would appear to break through between the bones. As the blade got deeper, I could feel the blade scraping against the layers of bones that it was wedged between. Despite the resistance, my force was enough.

I could even feel Johny tensing up, his legs jumping up in pain, but I had been prepared for such a move and quickly straddled him, my legs locking him into place on the floor, as I now dug and jabbed the glowing blade into his chest.

“Hiss,” there was a faint hissing sound of small but intensely hot flame being extinguished as my glowing blade pierced into and then through the stone. I could almost feel an odd form of magnetism occur, as the glowing particles of the stone were attracted to the still glowing blade, only to be devoured and extinguished by the power that I was still channeling into the blade, the Soul Devouring part of the blade.

I could feel how the two ROW guards had moved around Madame Voyou to get a better view of what I was doing but still giving me space due to Madame Voyou’s body being wedged between me and them. I could make out Mousey standing on the bench in the corner, getting the highest viewpoint to look down on me and my sloppy version of operation. A version that looked more like an attempt at a ritual offering to a demon, versus the life saving measure that it ultimately was meant to be.

I paused, blade still deep, still glowing with the last traces of my channeled energy burning away. After a second, I paused and was about to reach out my left hand to try to heal Johny from the damage he suffered while removing the blade, but that’s when he seemed to regain his faculties and tried to move.

“No,” Johny cried out. As he did, he managed to squirm his right arm out from under my left knee, as he reached up to grab his chest. “It’s still moving!”

I paused and realized that this was the final death throes of the stones. Suddenly a flashback of a sharp and piercing stone erupting out of the last Death Eater that pierced my stomach, causing unimaginable pain surfaced in my mind. Realizing that I was not done yet, I acted, trying Trash once again. This time, I was relieved as it began working almost immediately, dissolving most of the crystalline chunks that were floating in Johny’s chest. I focused on the shards around the blade first, as those were the easiest to identify.

“Ahh!” Johny cried out, as there was still an explosion as a minor burst of light could be seen glowing from his chest. A final homage to the horror that had once resided within Johny’s chest. The good news was that I had dissolved enough of the mass to make it so the remainder didn’t produce enough force to leave Johny’s body. The bad news was that the remainder did cut through tissue, bone, and parts of his right lung.

Focusing quickly, I focused on healing the damage, only after a moment did, I realize that I was still using the dagger’s blade as a focal point for directing healing energy into Johny. After a few minutes of removing the final pieces of shrapnel and healing the exit wounds caused by the micro explosion, I removed the blade, pulling it out completely, quickly using Trash to remove the blood on the blade. Then letting the discarded blade clatter to the floor as I continued to work and heal the remaining injuries.

“Thanks,” Madame Voyou let out sarcastically as she reached out to pick up the blade. A blade I borrowed and discarded without thought, while I continued to try to work on Johny.

I just winced out a weak, “sorry.” Before I was back and finishing up the last few wounds that my senses told me existed.

Only once I was done did I realize that I was in fact sweating. Also, I only noticed this now, but it seems that I had apparently messed up in healing Johny as I realized his skin pigmentation had changed.

“What the?” I began, pausing as I realized that it looked like port-wine stains, generally something that would only happen at birth and follow someone through their lives. But never had I seen it spontaneously appear on someone, let alone this darkly all at once. Yet it seemed that this too was not an uncommon feature of this world, as I could see the two ROW officers making quick holy gestures, with only Jinx once again providing color commentary.

“The mark of the devil—”