Trash: Chapter 140 Choke On This (Patreon)

Chapter 140

Choke On This

A torrent of golden light erupts from my lungs, only able to be delivered now thanks to the fact that my veil has been sliced open. While more of my face is exposed than I would like, I still have my eyes and upwards covered with what remains of my veil, allowing me some measure of plausible deniability. But for now, all I really need is to be able to deliver devastating notes that burn away at the dense protective outer layer of this Death Eater I am entangled with.

I’ve given up everything for this strike. Mobility, the chance to possibly retreat, every advantage that I have has been negated by our relative proximity.

Staring down at the monstrous face of death being slowly revealed before me, I feel a sense of dread wash up inside me, for it is still undergoing its rapid changes. The metamorphosis that began when it consumed a second crystalline core has continued even now. Changes that originally began as the weaving of dark tendon-like fibers securing the beating crystalline heart to its rib cage have now come up, slowly covering part of its neck and the exposed right side of its skull with dark tissue.

With growing dread, I realize it is evolving somehow. That if left unchecked it will likely be covered entirely with this odd facsimile of flesh. My body feels hot, an automatic response to the chilling cold of the dark oily shadow cloak that is covering this evolving Death Eater. It is because of this sudden realization that I am alive and warm, that I don’t really notice the pooling of moisture on my nose.

Instead, I focus on holding onto this note and delivering it with as much power and determination as possible. Then, when I inevitably do sweat, or what I think is sweat pouring off my nose and dropping down into the exposed face of the monster before me, I don’t think anything is wrong.

In fact, I see the drop falling through the stream of golden light energy from my note and get coated slightly. It is only when I see the look of delightful surprise light up in the Death Eater’s face that I realize something is wrong.

I watch as the monster’s glowing eyes light up with excitement as it greedily tracks the falling bead of liquid down. Only after taking a second to fully see the drop do I realize it is too dark to be a bead of sweat. Then in an instant, my mind realizes the mistake, that this beast is somehow excited that it is drinking blood. Not just any blood either, but the blood of a full healer, which I know is far more attractive to these creatures. Realizing my mistake, I try to adjust my stance, to move in the way, but I am stuck. Both of my hands are stuck firmly within the monster’s cloak, and even now I still need to fight to arch my back high enough so that my head remains exposed and able to breathe.

Realizing all I can do is try to burn away any benefit the monster might gain from this sudden drop of blood in its corrupt body. I sing louder and harder than I ever have before, hitting notes that would make Amy Lee proud.

“Bring me to the Light!” Is what I try to say, but by bring, the drop has already landed in its open chipped tooth filled maw. For a second it looks excited, as it swallows the golden-coated drop of blood greedily, but that’s when I see emotions erupt on its face. Emotions that are highlighted by the growing facial tendons, and tissues. Not being used to having facial features, the monster is not used to hiding its discontent, that is why I can see it pucker up and grimace at the taste one second. Then it writhes back its face and twists violently away, trying to get away from me as what it ate clearly caused pain. The look reminds me of the time I convinced my brother to eat a ghost pepper, but only after eating hot cinnamon candies before, calling it the ghost cinnamon challenge. I got grounded for a week for that stunt, but it was all worth it to see my brother gag out in pain.

As it turns out blood covered in light energy has a similar burning effect to Death Eaters. A thick plume of black smoke erupts from the monster’s mouth, as the layer of golden energy burns away the protective coating of its esophogas, and then my awakened bloodline seems to do even more damage. Rather than healing the creature, as one might expect from consuming the blood of a healer, my blood seems absolutely toxic to the creature as it desperately tries to worm its arms up from my guard and clutch at its neck. A neck that is now spraying forth streams of dark energy.

It rocks back and forth violently, its movement so violent that I temporarily pause my singing as I hang on for dear life. Fortunately, this is when the cavalry finally arrives.

Golden blades slink and slice their way into and through the legs and shoulder of the beast. One blade comes particularly close to cutting me, but fortunately the blade was turned perpendicular to me, so that even if my shoulder does contact the blade, it would only touch the flat part of the blade.

Once pierced through, the guardsmen and watchers added their weights to the attack, to help me pin the writing creature down on the ground. Just as before, I felt a pooling of liquid on my nose. Looking down, I saw it, but this time I realized what it was, blood.

Not just any blood either, but the fully awakened blood of fully recognized DiVoratore bloodline member. Realizing what was happening, I smiled slightly, realizing that my blood was poisonous to these creatures. Feeling the blood pool on my nose, I made a crisp nodding motion that would force the drop of blood to pool and fall faster than it likely intended.

With the drop of blood falling, I gave what was likely a far more cringy line than I originally intended.

“Choke on my bloodline,” I cried out, as motes of light energy infused by my Divine Music Resonance coated the drop and fell towards the Death Eater. A Death Eater who was far smarter than the animalistic counterparts that I had faced before, as this one saw the second drop of blood and tried desperately to get away, turning its head to its left, my right and trying to avoid the drop entirely. A move that would have worked, had the guards not come to help pin the beast down with me.

Instead, I watched as the drop of blood fell to the already damaged part of its skull. Seeing the exposed and broken fragments of its skull I paused, wondering why it would do such a thing, only to realize that this creature was becoming far more human that I might like. As any sentient creature that is injured will instinctively try to protect a wounded part of the body. This means not exposing it to undue strain. Thus, turning away and barreling its head in the dirt to avoid a drop of blood, means that the creature both knows of its injury, and tried to avoid further damaging it in the process. Again, a process that would have worked, had it been allowed to buck and move as it originally intended, but with my left leg blocking its descent into the shadows below, and my seals protecting me, it could only try to escape on the ground which was now cut off by the guards and their glowing golden weapons.

The drop of blood fell and instantly began to sizzle against the thick shadowy cloak of the monster, before quickly burning its way through the thread bare protection, aided by my Divinely infused notes. At which point the drop of blood landed and began to burn its way through the cracks in the skull. Cracks that were made by my initial Holy Sword of Slaying seal* fueled kick that helped me distract this opponent enough to take out its comrade.

Seeing the drop of blood land, I watched it burn for a moment, only to ultimately be absorbed by the dark energy of the skull. The attack did a lot, but not enough. Worse, I could see the glowing slithering lines of dark energy going from working to create facial tissue, and instead begin to be diverted to the cracks in the skull. Cracks that while larger didn’t stop anything.

That’s when I realized I needed another drop of my blood, but the cut to my nose from the reaper scythe that the Death Eater used was mostly dry. My hands were stuck, my left leg was pinned under the monster’s large frame, while my right leg had been out to provide leverage was quickly being coated in a layer of pooling dark shadows that was cool to the touch. Not the arctic chill that it originally was, but a noticeable difference.

This left me with only one option. Then to hammer home what I needed to do, I quoted Mr. Yi from all his training.

“Use your head,” and so I did.

***

(Aiden Lightken)

Utter savagery, that was it, the only way to describe the relentless drive and passion that the one local healer had for defeating Death Eaters. Witnessing her speed and determination, Aiden felt slow and cumbersome by comparison.

Aiden watched as the healer first fought one, then somehow fought through the psychic assault that plagued even the most valiant of the Royal Order of Watchers. What should have been a debilitating attack, one that caused blood to pour from Aiden’s own nose and eyes was shrugged off easily by the determined healer. He watched on in horror, just as the other Order members did, halted by the feedback from transformation.

Yet, this healer was relentless, ducking in, putting her own self in danger, just to end the psychic assault that made Aiden’s brain feel like it was vibrating violently within his skull. Then just as he came to, he saw that the healer had entangled herself with an evolving Death Eater, a serious mistake that cost many their lives as it meant they were now vulnerable to all types of attacks. As the evolving Death Eater proved, lashing out and managing to slice through the veil and actually striking a line across the young healer’s face.

That’s when he saw her, a face that would forever be burned into his mind, as this woman was fearless. Clearly cut from another cloth as she used her position to first trip, and then prevent the monster from being able to move its scythe again. The tripping had an extra advantage as it stopped the ongoing psychic feedback that had been locking everyone onto place and allowed Aiden and his troop to act accordingly.

Rushing forward, the struck out, divine power infusing their weapons as Aiden used his Divine Pierce Skill, that helped him drive his sword into and through the Death Eater, thereby pinning it to the ground. Realizing he needed to do more, as the monster was attempting to thrash about violently, Aiden looked away for a moment. Only the sound of a darkly melodic song infused with energy let him know things were still going well.

“Choke on my bloodline!” was the first line that Aiden could finally make out, as the dull spinning ache within his mind began to alleviate, allowing him to get a better grasp of what was going on. That was when Aiden turned to see the healer do something foolish, she bled on the beast. Something that is a known faux pas, as healers blood is highly sought after.

Well, all but one bloodline, that is known to be toxic to Death Eaters and the undead in general. The DiVoratore bloodline, which was why it was made so that healers all wore the same veiled garments to move about in, as it allowed the fear of grabbing a DiVoratre by mistake. However, there hasn’t been a powerful healer DiVoratore since General Titus DiVoratore, making the practice all but obsolete in recent years.  There was even a call for the veils to be removed to allow for less restrictive movements of the healers, given that there was no longer any practical value being added by wearing them. These thoughts and more flowed through Aiden’s mind as he held fast. Driving his glowing golden blade deeper, all in a desperate attempt to wear away at the protective coating of the evolving Death Eater and allow her a chance to escape.

However, this healer had a different plan. Rather than trying to escape, she instead seemed possessed by a burning hatred that was as impressive to witness as it was frightening.

Having no other option available to her, having all her appendages submerged in the suffocating cloak of darkness that only gets more powerful and more corrosive the longer you remain in contact with it, the healer said something preposterous.

“Use your head.”

Then, she did just that, by taking her head, her only exposed extremity and smashing it down over and over relentlessly into the exposed and cracked skull of the evolving Death Eater.

The result was both unexpected and violently successful, for crisp cracking sounds could be heard almost immediately as her head seemed to glow with a radiant purple light, as she directed energy into her forehead, before smashing it down into the cracked skull below.

Once, twice, thrice.

She slammed her head down relentlessly, filled by a rage and hatred for the undead that was unparalleled. Aiden had heard the stories of the healers of yore, those who inspired the sacred bloodlines and helped protect humanity before it could fully fall. But there was a difference between reading about the healers rage, and seeing it come alive before your eyes.

Finally, the skull of the monster cracked open completely, as the healer’s head smashed through the Death Eater’s skull, crashing into the ground below. She emerged, bone fragments hanging from her head, as the thick coat of shadows that had been swirling about violently a moment ago began to dissipate.

Seeing the act, it was clear that the Death Eater had perished. For a second, Aiden let himself breathe out a sigh of relief as the force of the monster that had been struggling below him suddenly stopped. For a moment he let his guard down. That is until he realized the glowing red crystalline core of the Death Eater was pulsing rapidly. For a moment he panicked and wanted to run, but only his training caused him to stop and realize he still needed to protect the healer. A healer who was only now starting to somehow get her hands to burn their way free of the thick coating that surrounded her.

She was a goner, as the crystalline core was about to explode, causing her to be corrupted as well. Realizing he had nothing else to do, but dive on the glowing heart he braced himself. That pause, that momentary hesitation is the only thing that stopped him from sacrificing himself right then and there to protect a valued healer like her, there was nothing else a Royal Order of Watcher member could dream of. Protecting her, meant protecting humanity.

Yet, it was that pause that gave him just enough time to see that the healer wasn’t done.

“Not again,” the healer called out, an annoyed tone to her voice as she dug her hand into the deeply coated and protective chest of the monster. Her hand a glowing knife strike of precision and violence. Then grabbing the still beating core she pulled it out with a wet slurping sound and raised what appeared to be a glowing orb one second. A glowing orb that quickly faded into dark ash and faint sparks that crumbled apart when exposed to air, before drifting off into the wind.

That’s when Aiden realized, it was finally over.