Trash: Chapter 161 Friendly Fire (Patreon)

Chapter 161

Friendly Fire

There are times when rage is a bad thing. For the most part, most people would be correct that anger hinders your thoughts. This state of mind is especially dangerous for an untrained fighter, as rage often means the end of a fight. For most people lose focus when caught in a rage induced state. This means there are more openings, and less chance for you to psyche out your opponent as you tend to go for straightforward attacks designed to end a fight quickly. However, this trade off of efficiency for violence is a double-edged sword, as you become predictable, your attacks often become linear.

Unless you have been trained to fight while in a rage like state. Where rage is the fuel, you use to keep yourself going, to keep pushing yourself further. Rage can be a good thing, and if you don’t submit fully to the rage, this increased energy can be a good thing, which is where most of my training seemed to occur. In that in between state of calm focus and ultraviolent rage, which is where I was able to focus and react rationally, despite feeling the beating thrum of anger and anticipation building within my chest.

From up above, I could hear the clear sound of metal on tile as the weapons being used by Luna and Lucia were unable to touch the giant vein like cords that were now pulsing outside the trap door. Once again, I’m reminded of just how rare my bloodline ability is and how needed it is to be able to natively see and interact with spirits, particularly the violent ones.

What I can do naturally, others can only dream about. The fact that those two can see the long spirit veins at all is a testament to how much they have endured up until this point. Though, it is clear that being unable to strike at an ephemeral object like the spirit veins causes some level of panic to ensue as the two let out yelps of distress that momentarily distract me for a minute.

A minute that the master mind of this hive of spirits uses to try to sneak up on me. I say try, as it is about as subtle as a glowing ultraviolet serpent trying to sneak across a grayed-out surface. The result is that I can see it moving in short-measured bursts all while trying to coil up and strike at me through its myriad of veins that I have either shattered, broken, or am stepping on. Then with a plumage that all but screams, look at me for I am mighty, it rears back and all but forces my hand.

I move forward, though I am careful as the brute before me is still both active and now a burning mess of melting humanoid flesh with a giant sword sticking out hilt first from its body.

Seeing the flames, I instantly recognize it for what it truly is, Necrotin flames. At least the same type of spiritual substance that burns constantly. With this being my third time that I have been exposed to the substance, my mind is able to place it far more quickly than before. The first time I learned that my Trash Skill could remove the burning materials without issue. The second time at the grand trial for those who were corrupted by Death Eaters. Then finally now. Each time the flames become a little less frightening, and each time I feel my mind getting closer to a deeper resonance with the flames.

Deep down, I know I cannot create my own version of the Necrotin flames. If I had a greater affinity for spirit magic like Johny, then maybe I could create the same intense burning flames. Yet, watching the deep purple flames burn the brute, I realize that something is going terribly wrong.

What I had seen as caustic flames consuming the brute was real, but I never considered the effects that the same flames that burned away my skin and clothes. Flames that burned away everything it contacted only affected organic matter. Which would be fine if the spirit that had been burned away was in fact organic. Yet, it was made of spiritual ectoplasm. A goo-like substance that was hard to see, and even harder to interact with.

While the brute had been crying in pain a moment ago, I felt a chill run down my spine as I realized that all the work I had done. All the scrapes and melted outer coating of skin that I had managed to inflict on the brute moments ago were all undone by the intensely burning purple flames of the Necrotin master on the wall.

There was a clattering of metal on stone as my sword, now fully drained of all my bloodline energy clattered to the floor. Worse, it fell and instantly got covered by a layer of rolling veins that were the size of my wrist. My vision, which had been a blessing to this point, was now causing me to lose sight of the very weapon I needed. For a second, I thought about killing the energy going to my Divine Sight, which should let me see the sword. There was of course just one problem, as I needed my Divine Sight to see through the thick seemingly impenetrable darkness that was now coating the room. A darkness that I knew was the only reason why Luna and Lucia didn’t join me initially. Which was more of a blessing than I expected, as they would be completely incapable of helping me down here.

My brain took in all of these factors and in the end I moved. Rolling forward, I tried to get close to the fallen sword, but my body shrunk away at the last second. My body doing an automatic response to pain, as I could still feel the intense supernatural heat rolling off the flames. Flames that had since healed all of the broken veins on the ground and the brute that was still dazed. The good news was that no new caustic fumes were rising from the floor, the bad news was that the mist that had been slowly allowed to seep out from where I crashed into the wall erupted with a spark that seemed to come from nowhere.

Well, I knew where the spark came from, for looking back I could see the intense focus of the wall flower master looking intently at where I had been a second ago. Apparently they missed the moment when I rolled forward, or half expected the lingering traces of their mist to still be on me and cause me to catch fire.

I had a moment. One distinctive second where both the brute was still blinded by the purifying flames that were still surrounding it and cauterizing its spiritual wounds, and the moment when the giant purple burst of flames even blinded the Wall flower. A wall flower that I only now realized had to have been a Necrotin back when she was alive, for she had the same look and seeming control over her powers as the Necrotin assassin I faced had. Mentally, I knew I should move. I should take the second to strike blindly at the wall flower that was exposed.

Yet, I couldn’t look away from the flames.

With my Divine Sight activated, I could see the processes of magic more clearly. What had been impossible to understand before suddenly seemed to make more sense. Also, there was the fact that I could see the flames instantly healing the damage that I had inflicted by crashing into the wall with my bloodline infused clothes. For the power being used seemed to require not one, but two affinities, spirit and death energy that were fused together. Death energy was the base catalyst and bonding agent that attached itself to the broken sections of veins that lined the walls. While the spirit part burned away any organic matter, and ultimately healed the wounds to be completely sealed shut. Watching the flames work in this seemingly backwards manner caused my mind to race with possibilities.

I watched as the dark flames healed spiritual matter, while burning away any lingering organic material away thanks to the death energy that completely obliterated all matter. Watching the flames, I felt a bit like a pyromaniac, as I couldn’t force my eyes away from the intense beauty and seeming randomness of the magical flames that I was seeing before me.

Then, after a few seconds of intense staring, something clicked in my mind, as I realized I could do the same thing.  Obviously, I couldn’t do the exact same thing of creating the Necrotin flames, but I could do the inverse of what I was seeing. Mixing holy energy as the base, I could coat the outer layer with life energy and create my own version of Necrotin flames.

Taking a second, I focused on the processes before me and felt my mind instantly filling in the exact same pattern that I was seeing before me but reversed. Sort of like coloring a picture by numbers but using different mirrored colors to the ones originally suggested, creating a new and unique painting that is a mirrored copy of the original.

Holding out my hand, I create the components, letting a ball of golden energy form at the base, before spiraling it open and coating it in a thin mist of healing energy.

I am so focused on my own flames, that I almost miss the moment I have been discovered, as both the Wall Flower Master, and the now nearly extinguished brute next to me both turn towards me and stare. Well, they don’t stare at me, but rather at the plasma ball like substance they see before me.

In this exact moment, that is when the system finally decided to talk to me, to let me know that I am on the correct path.

New Skill Possible: Healing Flames* (Unique): Brief Description: Heal the living with holy flames. Burn the dead so that they might find peace…