Trash: Chapter 177 Adaptations (Lt. Leon Keller) (Patreon)

Chapter 177

Adaptations

(Lt. Leon Keller)

Something was off, that was the only description that Leon could use to explain why he felt so disoriented ever since he entered this place. This treasure trove of lost secrets, and of course a naturally forming crystal catacomb that didn’t involve going into the spirit realm.

To put it simply, the place was perfect, almost too perfect to believe.

Leon’s mind did warn him of the looming threat, the fact that a facility from before the fall should be worse for wear, that there had to be something keeping the place relatively clean and free of distractions. Yet, the further he went in, the more he knew he had hit a jackpot.

The system even told him that the odd fox-faced scout for the newest healer candidate had been spot on with her findings. Somehow managing to find an abandoned factory, right in the heart of the abandoned city that had seemingly only been made accessible thanks to old security hatches finally breaking free and revealing a hidden passageway. It was a perfect trap.

Worse, the people that Lt. Keller had brought with him were all ill equipped for combat, and why should they, to be honest. This was a simple exploration. Go in, follow the scout to the area she claimed to have gotten the crystals from, verify that they did come from that area, then head back.

What they didn’t expect to find was a working laboratory, better still it was one that clearly was working on a revolutionary breakthrough of how to create crystals organically, meaning that if this was true, if these were real organically formed crystals, then humanity was saved. They could just turn on this factory and pump out enough crystals to make the students of Unity University unmatched in their prowess.

Instantly, Leon’s mind went to his promotion packet, one he just submitted to become a Captain. But if he was able to claim this discovery as his own, then he could gain his Captain rank and much more. In his mind, he realized this find could get him fast tracked to Major or above as well. These were his thoughts before the rain came down. The rain that let him relax and feel the surge and power of the system.

Rain that had all of his Skills jump up by one point each. Even the ones that were stagnant for years suddenly surged to life, overcoming boundaries he had accepted for the time being. There was even something that Leon had never expected to happen. He got a system message that let him know that this place was full of wonders.

Latent bloodline potential found.

Latent bloodline potential activating.

Seeing the messages sparked something to come to life in Leon’s mind, as he finally began to realize just how amazing this place was. While he didn’t know what his latent bloodline abilities would be, he could only imagine. Then when Professor Killpatrick called him directly, Leon knew this was the discovery of a lifetime. That by despite the warning that his mind were giving him about just how dangerous of a place this was, he knew he would always regret not going up and investigating the room responsible for awakening his latent bloodline potential.

That is why he went up, then realizing this might be a call of a lifetime that he would regret not sharing with the others, he called them up as well. Knowing that this way no one could be angry about his awakened potential in this find of a lifetime.

Everything was going fine, until he got to the top of the steps, and suddenly burning white hot pain filled his senses and caused his mind to shut down entirely.

That’s when his body awoke to give him the ultimate defense he needed at this exact moment.

Bloodline Skill (Unawkened): Iron Will (Uncommon)

Iron Will: A resilient mind able to resist the powers of compulsion.

Cost: NA

Iron Will: Per, Int, Mana (+0.02 per level)

Current Level: 1

That was the only flash of life at first, before Leon’s mind began to fight its way free. He didn’t know how long he was out for, but when he awoke, he found a vine trying to attach itself to the base of his spine. Suddenly his survival instincts kicked in, as he ripped the intrusive vine away, spraying blood and ripping flesh as he did. But the pain was good, it showed him that he was both alive and had something to live for. Namely, he had to get out of here.

Looking around, he saw his fellow ROW members and university professors laying on the ground, all being swarmed the vines. From there he desperately ripped everyone free. For a moment, everything looked like it was going to go well and that they could all leave. That was until an ancient evil awoke, something Leon knew instantly as his mind felt a weighted pressure fall on him that he had never felt before. One that sent everyone to their knees, everyone except for Leon who managed to resist thanks to his newly awakened Iron Will. Moving quickly, he activated his Holy Field, a Skill that coated everyone in a protective layer of holy energy. With that, the ROW officers regained their composure and also began channeling their holy skills.  And for a second, Leon hoped that they would be able to make it out of here. Until they found that Killpatrick was alive but had been paralyzed. Unfortunately, he wasn’t alone as one or two other professors were also unresponsive. That’s when the veins began to move, encircling everyone. Then to make matters worse, a fire broke out. A glowing green fire that came from the exit, one that effectively cut off the only known escape route.

For a moment everything looked bleak.

“It’s over,” Agent Jeffries hissed, having his last shred of hope killed by the flames that all but spoke of a horrible ending. Leon wanted to chastise his subordinate, but couldn’t find it in him, as his subordinate had a point. For the moment, everything looked like it was going to end horribly. Either they would be burned alive, or sucked dry by the tentacle vein monster.

Then just when Leon felt the want to give in at its highest, that’s when he saw it, something in the flames that suddenly filled him with hope as he swore he had seen that shape before. Better still, he wasn’t the only one.

“What’s that?” Agent Jeffries asked, his words confirming the hope that had been growing within his heart. And for a moment, Leon knew they once again had a chance.

***

(Catarine Bloom)

The great thing about growing up as the one outlier in a house full of necromancers, is that you eventually get to the point where you have either seen or experienced the worst that the field has to offer. The worst part is that, often the way you get this experience is directly as a form of torture that is disguised as playful antics.

This is why I almost instinctively knew to tense up when I came up the stairs and saw the explosion of purple light heading towards me in the form of what I mentally call a spirit stun. On its own, the spell is designed to target and incapacitate spirits, and doesn’t do much to a living target other than momentarily overwhelm the senses with an intense burst of light and pain that temporarily overwhelms the system, forcing your mind to do what I consider a hard reboot where everything goes dark. This is not to say that you are defenseless, or unable to move, but that your senses have been temporarily overwhelmed during this time. Meaning if you didn’t have a house full of abusive and psychopathic children who think spiritual torture is a form of bonding, then this might be a shock for most people and could potentially allow for a cheap shot of sorts.

Fortunately, I grew up in a house of degenerate assholes who thought this was not only funny, but a sort of rite of passage. Which is why, I felt the attack, the surge in light and sensations and quickly regained my senses, all while grabbing my sword and flooding it with my DiVoratore bloodline energy, energy that also helps me to be immune to such attacks and begin reacting the same way I did in the DiVoratore household, that is I came out swinging. Though unlike the DiVoratore household where I aimed for crotch shots and other vital areas, this time I used my sword to do the talking for me.

Having had a mental image of my surroundings, I am relatively certain that none of the ROW officers or professors are near me, meaning I don’t have to hold back with my strikes, which is good as I slice wildly. My blade cut into and then through phantom limbs that were not even trying to dodge out of the way. Perhaps the use of their spirit attack was too taxing, or they just weren’t used to people being able to interact with spirits immediately, regardless of the reason, the attacking limb did not even try to evade my swing. I was even surprised to feel the quick slice and severing of a limb, just like pruning a rose bush with a chainsaw, it was excessive force for the task given, but it did get the job done.

The threat is over, before my senses fully recover, revealing the decapitated and withering husk of a spitting spirit flower on the ground. The pulsing vein like appendage that had been holding up said flower was now crumpling and withering before my eyes. Having seen this same exact spirit transformation earlier, I realized I already had the easiest way to deal with the threat. Seeing the large vein like protrusions from the wall, I followed them, and saw how they directed my gaze directly to the group of ROW officers and university faculty members who were all circled together and fighting multiple monsters.

Well monsters was not the correct word, as these were spirits that had somehow manifested their control over plant pods that were seeming to work at the discretion of the spirits. From those pods it seemed that the spirits were able to control and manipulate vines that were being used to attack both corporeal and incorporeal aspects of the different faculty. Worse, it was clear that some had been ensnared by these veins and were being desiccated in a way that oddly mimics mosquitos. In my mind, I imagine this to resemble what the inside of a Venus flytrap would look like, if all the draining tubes were exposed to the world.  

Seeing that some of the professors are incapacitated is alarming. A fact that is made worse by the fact that while two members are trying to get their downed friends free, the rest are being overwhelmed by the odd mix of plant and spirit based attacks that are coming at them.

“Gather yourselves, cut them free and let’s get out of here,” Lt. Keller demands as a golden aura surrounds his body, preventing a vine from sucker punching him from behind. Looking at the strike, it seems like the spirit controlled veins are aiming for the spinal cord, perhaps in a way to paralyze without fully killing the victim.

“We’ve got him free, but he’s not moving,” one of the two rescuers calls out.

“Help me, I can’t feel my legs,” one of the professors calls out, I remember him as one of the two that were investigating near the staircase.  That’s when I realize why the strike was at the base of the skull, it wasn’t meant to kill, but to paralyze the victim, to make them live longer in a defenseless state. At that thought, a sickening chill runs down my spine, as I realize one reason why they might want to paralyze a victim, is to keep them purposefully held hostage, so their bodies can be drained away at a longer and slower rate.

Realizing I need to act, I do. I’m one of the only healers on hand, and if I get to the victims quickly enough, I might be able to reverse the damage, or prevent full penalization. That’s when I move, but first, I pull out my new weapon, one that seems perfect to test out in this environment.

Focusing my mind, I feel the heat and surge of energy as both Life and Holy energy fuse together in a warm embrace, then violently rub against each other, creating a spark of fire and energy that surrounds me. The flames alone are heavenly, as the chill that had been covering me, a chill that had been coating my bones since the floor below melted away, leaving behind a nice tingling glow of life. A glow that seemed to heal my aches, and fill me with the resolve to end this quickly.

Focusing my mind, I activated my Healing Flames* my legs already pumping and kicking forward as a greenish golden flame enveloped me. A flame that started a my chest, and exploded outwards, coating my head, my legs, and flowing down my arms, through my hands and extending itself along my blade.

Perhaps attracted by the greenish glow of life magic, the spirits and subsequent symbiotic limbs reached out and tried to cover me. But I was already ready for these attacks, swinging my blade and cutting through the thick spirit veins, causing violent bursts of caustic chemicals to rise. Chemicals that quickly caught fire, and began falling like burning snowflakes that healed the living, while immolating the undead vines that tried to combat me.

Feeling the intense drain of this spell, I held nothing back, as I knew I only had once chance to hack my way through and end this once and for all.