Welcome back!
You know what's coming: Thanks again for all the support!
Had a scare of almost losing all my progress because my flash drive, which was carrying all of my story data, faulted out and couldn't be read as an external device. By the grace of God, it worked one last time and allowed me to transfer everything to my home computer. Lesson learned: back up your work every day.
So, when we last left off, I did a dirty by you guys with a cliffhanger. Well, let's get right back to the thick of it, shall we?
Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD, nor do I own Type Moon, any of its intellectual properties, or any other property used or referenced in this work.
Published: November 22, 2021
Updated: March 16, 2023
…
Chapter 11 – The Hunt
The Devils scattered away from the creature, and Connor ducked just as its claws swung at his head. He could almost hear the rush of air displaced by the slashing talons. The monster never even broke its stride. Narrowly missing its target, it planted its front legs on the ground, then whipped its body and hind quarters around to stop its advance and face the group again.
From that one strike, Connor immediately became aware of two crucial details. One: this thing was deceptively fast, and the reach it could achieve made it seem even faster, and two: it reeked beyond anything he thought possible. Close proximity longer than a few seconds was likely enough to make one vomit and leave themselves vulnerable to getting torn to shreds.
Undeterred, the monster made to charge once more, but a pair of noisemaker runestones tossed at its feet detonated. It reared up on its hind legs, wailing in pain at the loud sounds and waving its forelimbs as if to shield its head.
"Go! Go! Spread out!" Connor yelled. If the group stayed clustered together, the next attack would inevitably strike someone.
Taking advantage of the distraction, the Devils spread their wings and took to the air while Connor himself found cover behind the nearest piece of machinery.
"What's happening in there?! Is everyone alright?" Sona demanded.
"We're under attack by… something! I've never seen anything like it!" Tsubaki hastily answered.
"Everyone, keep quiet!" The magus gave a hushed order over the line. "This thing has no eyes, but it can probably still hear and smell us."
Calming down from the attack on its senses, the creature got back on all fours and scoured the area. With none of its intended prey nearby, it let out a growl and began to lurk its way through the maze of delapidated machinery.
Connor swung around and hid behind the frame of a weaving machine, making sure to keep something between him and the creature.
"What even is that thing?!" The burning question on everyone's minds came from Saji.
"That's no Stray Devil like I've ever seen!"
"It's not a Stray. I'm pretty sure that thing's our kidnapping victim," Connor answered.
…
"What?!"
"How are you so sure?" Sona asked.
"Look, I'll explain once it isn't moving anymore, so let's just concentrate on making that happen."
"Connor, watch out!" Tsubasa shouted.
The magus looked up just in time to see the creature charging at him from his left like a raging bull.
'Raidho!'
Shooting Od into his feet, the rune responded and propelled him to the right as he tucked and rolled. Getting back on his feet and darting for the center of the floor where the others could see him, Connor heard the creature scream again and snapped a look back over his shoulder.
The monster had taken another swipe with its left hand, this time raking its claws into the weaving machine and lodging themselves in the main housing. For a split second, Connor could finally see the enormity of the claws through the gaps they left behind.
'Holy shit...'
Angrily shrieking and pulling itself free, it wildly tore into the offending obstacle with both hands. Pieces of plastic and steel chunks were sent flying and crashing into other nearby machinery, drowning out all other sounds until the fit of rage stopped.
The beast climbed over the wreckage and set its focus on Connor once more. It had only taken a few steps toward him when a large block of steel came flying from the eastern wall, slamming into the monster's torso with all the force of an out-of-control truck and momentarily knocking it off balance. In a quick glance to the wall, he noticed Tsubasa, who had flown down to the ground and was currently in the follow through phase of a superpowered fastball.
He flashed a grateful smile before turning back on the monster. Holding his breath, the magus moved into melee range and drew his runic sword from the Magic Crest. In a long slash, he aimed for its closest limb. The weapon cut through the beast's dead flesh as if it were wet paper, but, like a file to hardened steel, it skated right off the bones of its forearm.
'What?!'
The creature groaned from the assault and fell back to get away from the pest. A vicious snarl escaped its lipless mouth before it charged again. Rearing up on its back legs, it delivered a brutal series of swipes and slashes with both arms, exhibiting incredible balance and control even while taking huge strides forward with every strike.
Connor ducked back just as the monstrous rampage began. Plastic, solid steel, rubble – the monster tore up everything in pursuit of its target. The magus could have sworn he saw those claws create sparks as they struck concrete. The monster missed with its first several swipes, which only enraged it further; the last strike almost caught him when the beast practically dove for him.
Abandoning any further attempts at offense, Connor bolted back toward cover. The monster followed his movement, but before it could give chase, a bolt of demonic energy struck it in the back. It howled and spun around to face what struck it. It found nothing, for the blast didn't come from behind, but above.
"Lochlainn-san, are you alright?"
The beast's head snapped up and in Tsubaki's direction. She did likewise when the monster shrieked and gave an enormous leap upward, throwing its right arm out to grab her.
"Fukukaichou!" Reya screamed.
"Mirror Alice!" In a panic, the Vice-President manifested a large mirror before herself. The moment the giant hand touched it, the beast was sent careening back to the factory floor. It hit the ground hard, flailing and rolling a fair distance before scraping and clawing its way back onto its feet.
"Back up, back up!"
The Devils hovered away toward the entrance of the factory and stopped by the large broken window that was positioned high up on the wall.
"Well, this sucks," Connor commented, ducking out of sight.
For a brief moment, he wondered if what Tsubaki did was a spell or a Sacred Gear. He'd have to ask later. Putting his back against a large dye press, he let out a shaky breath and collected his thoughts.
Much of what Connor knew about fighting came from his grandfather, his father, and his sensei, the retired Army Ranger. He had even gone as far as incorporate and emulate modern military tactics in his use of magecraft, as least as far as direct combat went. Unfortunately, military strategems don't cover how to handle giant monstrosities born from necromancy.
He could see very few options for dealing with this monster, and none of them were favorable. Retreat was a definite 'no.' If it escaped the factory or followed them out and into town, the civilian death toll would be catastrophic, and all attempts by law enforcement or the JSDF to stop it would just add to the pile of bodies left in its wake.
With a typical undead, the only classification that made sense with this creature, there was no conscious thought, no rationale or strategy behind whatever existed in their empty heads – just a basic, mindless drive to kill and consume, over and over again. As a result, even if it did have eyes, he didn't believe his Mystic Eyes would be of any help, since this thing probably had no mind to interpret.
Another thing about the undead was that they still relied on the body's functions to move, barring any supernatural force directing them like a puppet. The three major components for movement in anything with an endoskeleton were the cerebellum, the brain stem and the spinal cord. Destroying any one of the three would cause paralysis, if not immediately kill.
Considering how unnaturally dense its skeleton was, trying to cut the spinal cord would be a gamble. You only had one shot to thread the needle between the vertebrae. Missing would just result in getting your weapon stuck. Add in the fact that this thing acted more like a rabid animal than an undead, decapitating it only seemed feasible once it stopped thrashing around. That left a solid hit to the base of the skull as being the only possible way to truly put it down, and that was if one could find the right spot under those ghastly flaps of necrotic skin.
He knew he wouldn't be able to make that kind of shot with it moving around so much, but someone else just might be able to snipe it, if they had a good angle.
Connor slipped off his jacket, emptied its inner pockets and coiled it around his lower face in a makeshift mask. Securing his spare armaments and double-checking his runestone supply, the magus then peeked out from his hiding spot.
The beast was groaning and pacing in frustration while staring up at the unattainable prey hovering near the roof. It was as if he had been completely forgotten the moment Tsubaki attacked it. A very exploitable behavior.
'I can work with that.'
This Stray Devil hunt had gone so far off the rails, Reya was at a complete loss of what to do.
Tonight, she came prepared for a grisly torture scene or perhaps just the Stray sitting down and feasting on whatever he took from his victims. What they got was something beyond her worst nightmare.
She almost felt her heart leap out of her chest when the creature jumped for Tsubaki. And while she had no objection to following the order to get as far away from it as possible, she didn't want to go far enough away to lose sight of Connor.
The roof of the factory was high enough that a flying Devil could evade a strike from the monster, but only just. Their magus companion, however, had no such safety net as flight. He was stuck on the ground with that thing, and couldn't get away without alerting it to his position, that is, if it really could hear. For the moment, it was focused on them, but there was no telling for how long. Maybe if someone could–
"Guys, listen up. I've got an idea:" Connor's voice came over the comm line, interrupting Reya's train of thought. "Hit it from a distance if you can, and aim for the back of its head. I'll hold its attention for as long as possible so you can get a clear shot. "
"You'll hol– What're you talking about?" Saji whispered back. "Just hang on, we're coming to get you."
"No, stay back. We need it focused, so I'm giving it something to hunt."
"Connor-kun?" Reya asked, noticing the edge in his tone.
There was no answer, until Connor had stepped out from behind a derelict machine, a red-bladed sword in his hand and his face wrapped up in the jacket he'd been wearing earlier.
'What is he doing?'
Her eyes widened when he pulled down his 'mask,' and gave a sharp whistle. The sound was answered with an angry screech. The malformed beast turned back around to view Connor standing in the center of the floor with no cover near him.
Reya watched in trepidation as the monster stalked toward the human. It did so much more slowly than before, taking its time as it trudged forward. Sorely tempted was she now to rush forward and pull her friend away from this nonsense. Surely he understood that they, as Devils, were more than adequate to face this monster. And if it needed a diversion, one of them could do the job.
So why was he trying to do it by himself?!
"Lochlainn-san, stop this! Get away!" Tsubaki ordered through the comm.
He wasn't listening.
The monster stopped well within reach of Connor and lifted its right arm, splaying out its hand once again. The fingers themselves were large enough to wrap around a person's head, and the claws could cut through steel with ease, evidenced by the pile of scrap metal that was once an industrial machine.
Connor jumped back before its long sideways swipe could connect, tossing something on the ground in his wake and turning his head away from it. Whatever it was he threw in front of the beast exploded in a flash of white and a loud blast that hurt even her ears from a distance. The monster reared back and shrieked, again using its arms to try and shield its head.
The magus then ran his left hand down the flat of his sword. The red blade seemed to come to life, coating itself in fire as he pulled his hand away. Bringing the sword around to hold it over his head, he gave a powerful downward swing and sent an arc of fire straight at the beast.
Clumps of oily fur on the creature's body were instantly set ablaze as the arc swept over it, sending the beast into a frenzy. Agonized shrieks tore from its throat, making the entire factory –and everyone's skulls– rattle with their intensity. In its panicked state, the monster slashed wildly here and there, forcing Connor to take a few more steps back.
He ducked back out of immediate view, and as he did, his plan became clear to the Bishop. He truly was trying to present them with an easy target, but at the same time, he was probing it for weaknesses and trying to find out what they could use to their advantage.
The monster thrashed and tore at its own skin, vainly attempting to get the burning matted hair off itself. In doing so, the vile fluid that had been spilling from its body was flung about, splattering and sticking on everything it touched. Some of those splatters were burning as well, which added yet another threat to the mix.
For another few seconds, the beast flailed about until the fires from its body and the scattered 'blood' died down. Getting back on all fours, it let out another guttural growl and scoured the floor. With its prey nowhere to be found, it began to skulk its way through the maze of machinery in search of him.
Watching it walk sent a chill down Reya's spine. It was so unreal for something to even be moving like that. She didn't understand how Connor could think that this was the abducted maid. Even the most mutated of Strays bore some resemblance to who they once were, and could at least communicate, but this thing… There was no sentience to be found. Furthermore, she was a pure-blooded servant of House Shax, so a transformation this grotesque shouldn't be possible!
After a tense few moments, Connor came back into view, moving silently across the floor. His clothes, hair, and the once visible parts of his face and arms were now stained with old grease. As he passed by them, he looked up and put a finger to his masked lips. Going back behind another machine, he pulled down his mask again and gave another whistle.
The monster responded quickly, loping out from the labyrinth of metal to investigate. It hadn't noticed where exactly he was, but it did notice the wrench Connor tossed into the empty center of the floor before taking cover again. Trotting toward the noise but finding nothing, it glanced around for a moment before rearing up and swaying its body back and forth like it did when they first saw it.
Seeing this, Reya realized something else. Connor had said the monster didn't have eyes and relied on hearing and smell. With all the waving around it was doing, it would give them a rough idea of where to aim their attacks to the back of its head while it was searching for him.
He wasn't trying to fight it, he was playing a high-stakes game of hide-and-seek with it!
A smile spread across her lips at the effective simplicity of this plan. She would congratulate her friend, then scold him for using himself as bait later. Waiting until the beast had turned to face away from them, she quietly conjuring the Sitri magic circle, she readied the most accurate spell she knew and took aim at the monster, waiting for the right moment.
Suddenly, a high-speed bullet of water shot from the broken window, striking the beast in its back. Its vile 'blood' gushed out of its grisly new wound as the creature stumbled forward from the impact, then turned to scream at the source of the newest attack. Following the trajectory, Reya witnessed Sona along with Momo and Ruruko enter the building with wings deployed.
Sona wore a very uncharacteristic scowl, and her hands were balled into fists. What exactly her King was angry about, Reya had a fairly good idea.
"Kaichou?"
"Enough of this! Tsubasa, Tomoe, Saji, get down there and make sure Connor-san is alright. Everyone else, with me. Provide covering fire and keep it from escaping. We are putting this abomination down, now!"
"Hai!"
Connor clicked his tongue at Sona's missed shot. If it had hit a few centimeters higher, it would have punched into its head and ended the whole ordeal right then.
Three of the Devils broke off from the group while the others stayed in the air to begin bombarding the attack the monster. Magic circles bearing the Sitri insignia, as he assumed it to be, appeared in clusters before Sona and the rest of her group, launching a barrage of magic bullets.
Having Sona taking command and wage war on the beast in her own way was a double-edged sword. On one hand, she brought more firepower against the monster and could take some of the pressure off Connor, but on the other hand, his current plan of killing it in one blow was officially scrapped. Baiting it around the factory wasn't going to work now that the creature was under continuous attack.
Hearing something land beside him, Connor turned to address the new arrivals.
"So, I guess we're not gonna be smart about this, huh?" he asked in slight agitation.
"Kaichou's orders supersede yours, tough guy. This is our fight, too, and she wants us to make sure you don't get yourself killed," Tsubasa rebutted with one hand covering her nose and mouth.
Connor glanced to the other two. They were likewise protecting their face with what they could, but he could see that they were just as determined to be there as Tsubasa was. Their loyalty to their King was splendid, even if foolish in the face of such an unknown threat.
The magus groaned in resignation. "Fine, but keep your face covered and stay the hell away from that thing. Sona, you there?"
"It's about time you answered, Lochlainn-san. What were you thinking?" The demanding tone of her question briefly overshadowed the relief he could hear in her voice.
"I was, and still am, thinking on my feet here. Pretty sure this wasn't exactly on tonight's itinerary."
"Perhaps not, but neither was you brazenly putting yourself at risk like that."
"O ye of little faith, Sona. I didn't survive what I have until now just to die to this ugly bastard."
"Then I presume you have a strategy to deal with it?"
"I'm making it up as I go along, but for starters, don't use fire magic and don't let anyone get near it until we can go for the kill. We all have to rush it at the same time to overwhelm it. For now, just keep hitting it from where you are while I figure out how to slow it down."
"Very well. Should you think of something, my servants will provide assistance."
"Much appreciated," he said before turning to the three beside him. "Alright, people, mask up. You'll need both hands for what's next."
Tsubasa promptly complied, grabbing her corset by the front and tearing it off in a single pull before tying it roughly around her face. Judging by the lack of surprise on Tomoe and Saji's faces, removing clothing for a real fight must be old hat for the bluenette.
Connor turned his attention to the Knight and Pawn, both of whom had more neatly unfastened their respective outer layers of clothing to use as their masks.
"Save your sword for later, Tomoe. Got a job for you in the meantime." He pointed to the machine that stood taller than those beside it, near where the monster had exited the line. "There should be a couple cans of industrial grease by that press over there. Get them and come back here, quickly."
"Um… okay."
Doing as instructed, the girl sheathed her katana and bolted for the ordained machines and came back with the two cans in question. Her speed really was something to be reckoned with; she wasn't even gone for three seconds.
Taking the cans from Tomoe's hands, he then held them out for all three.
"Now, slather up."
"What?"
Acting immediately, Tsubasa grabbed a can and scooped up a handful of grease, then began smearing it all across Tomoe's face and neck with a saucy smile adorning her own visage. The Knight squeaked but otherwise completely froze, shocked by both the coldness of the grease and her friend's audacity at not warning her.
"T-T-Tsu-chan…"
"Oh, hush, it'll wash off," the Rook playfully chided.
"Is this really necessary?" Saji asked, glancing away from the oddly stimulating scene.
"It's the best way for us to lose our scent in here," Connor reasoned. "We have to take away that thing's ability to find us easily. It might be able to hear us still, but it can't tell us apart from the machines if we smell like them."
The Pawn thought for a moment before nodding and beginning his own treatment, letting out a shudder when his hands touched his face.
While the three doctored themselves up, Connor took another peak around the corner to view the battle. Sona, Ruruko and the Bishops hovered in a tight formation, raining down bullets of magic in rapid succession while Tsubaki placed herself between them and the monster. Her mirror spell seemed to be the most effective countermeasure for it, but the monster appeared to have understood that as well. Presently, it was focusing intently on the group, and showing no signs of vulnerability.
They needed a hand.
"Tsubasa," he cast a glance to the grease-stained Rook, "help the others out from the ground. It just goes after whatever hits it last, so keep your distance and don't stay in the open for too long."
She nodded, then stepped out and began circling the beast, picking up a piece of metal from the floor and throwing it at full strength toward the confounded monster's shoulder. In a repeat of before, the creature was stricken off-balance. Tsubasa had ducked back behind another machine just as it regained its footing. It only searched for her briefly, before another blast of magic tore into its back and broke its focus.
"Lochlainn-san, we are not having much effect," Sona reported. "This monster is somehow resistant to our magic. Is that plan of yours coming along well?"
"I told you, I'm working on it! Just keep it busy!"
'Damn, we really do have to get in close to kill it, don't we?'
"Tomoe, you're up again." Beckoning the redhead to him, he sent magical energy into a pair of Black Keys to manifest their blades, Reinforce them, and start applying the correct runes to the hilts. With the exception of the tip, Black Keys weren't all that sharp or durable, even if they could be strengthened enough to pierce steel and concrete.
"Quick question: How good are you with throwing weapons?"
The now-less-than bubbly ball of sunshine blinked. "Um… I'm not, but Tsu-chan is."
"I can believe that," he said with a hidden smile. "Alright, take these to her and tell her to throw them into its chest. I've got these two and six more. They should stay on their own, but if she can get them stuck in its ribs, even better." He would have done this himself, but after seeing how good of a throwing arm the Rook had, he was confident she had a much better chance of making the next part of his plan work.
"Okay." The Knight took the Spiritual Weapons in her hands and gave them a scrutinizing look. "Whoa, these things are weird. Are you sure they're good for throwing?"
"Trust me, they're made for it. Just tell Tsubasa to throw them like she would a knife. Go!" Without another word, she took off to join in on the ruckus of battle, leaving the two boys still in cover.
"Alright, Saji, what's your gimmick? What can you do?" While he talked, Connor procured a second pair of Keys and got started engraving them.
"Huh? Oh, I got this," the blonde said, lifting his left arm.
A purple light flashed, and a black metallic gauntlet appeared on his wrist. At first glance, it looked like a frilled lizard or a chameleon of some kind giving his arm a death grip with its own six limbs and long tail. Large purple eyes stared blankly forward, and a broad line formed a golden band across its back.
"Sacred Gear?"
"Yep," he nodded with a hint of pride. "It's called Absorption Line, a fragment of Vritra, the Prison Dragon. With this, I can attach a magic line to an enemy and drain their energy."
Connor noted the mention of Vritra, but huffed lightly. "Heh. Not sure if you want to drain that of anything, but if you can hold it in place, then–"
"Connor-san!"
"Gaah!"
Before he could finish, Tomoe returned empty-handed. The manner in which she suddenly reappeared and practically barked in the magus' ear made him jump.
"Dammit, woman! I almost took a swing at you!"
"But, you said to come back."
"I know, I know." He took a peek around the machine to see the monster stumbling with two new additions in its rib cage. "Okay, good. Keep up the pace." Tossing the new Keys to her, the Knight deftly caught them and set off for another run.
"What about me?" Saji asked.
"If it'll hold still long enough, I want you to try and get a line on its head or neck, but not yet. Oh, and do that Promotion thing to Rook, you're gonna need the added strength."
"I can't. I have to get the order from Kaichou to Promote."
"Wha– Then get it, hurry!" He may have sounded more snappish than he intended, but this was just too much.
'Seriously? They need permission to power up? What's next, you can't even save your own life without asking for Big Brother's blessing?!'
The more he learned about Devils, the more glad he was that he turned down the offer to become one. Every new detail just seemed to add another downside to it.
"Kaichou, we've got a game plan. Requesting permission to Promote."
"Granted."
"Thank you. Promotion: Rook!"
Connor watched the process but, aside from a slight pulse of magic, he didn't sense anything different.
Tomoe returned shortly and grabbed another pair of Keys. The process repeated two more times until Connor ran out of Keys to pass on. Now out of armaments, Tsubasa and Tomoe rejoined their Pawn companion and the magus.
The Rook had made a pincushion out of the beast. Wedged in between its ribs at odd angles, the eight Keys stayed firmly in place as the monster thrashed and loped about to get away from its aerial attackers.
"Now what?" the bluenette asked.
"This. Cover your eyes, and Saji, get ready to grab it."
"Okay!" He and the two girls shielded their eyes while the mouth of the lizard-like Gear on Saji's wrist opened up.
"Everybody clear!" The magus yelled, momentarily drawing the monster's notice.
Seeing the others all back up or take cover, Connor lifted his hand and activated the trigger.
'Hagalaz!'
The rune representing destruction flashed on every Black Key's pommel and, as one, the blades violently detonated. Sacraments became directional explosives as shards of metal propelled by magical energy tore through the beast's flesh and sent 'blood' and gore flying in all directions. The force generated from the explosion threw the creature onto its back with a surprised shriek.
Unfortunately, it didn't stay down for long. The monster rolled back onto its feet within a second of hitting the ground, allowing Connor and the others to observe the damage. The blasts had ripped apart much of its chest cavity, 'blood' now falling to the floor in torrents, but the skeleton was still completely intact. Even worse, after all that, the thing was still fully mobile and screaming even louder than before!
"You have got to be kidding me!" the magus snarled, grimacing from the now piercing wails. He'd hoped that blowing it up from the inside would damage its spine somehow and make it easier to land a killing blow. So much for that.
"How is it still…?!" he heard Tomoe utter in disbelief.
"Dammit… change of plan, Saji, we're–"
"Absorption Line!"
A glowing blue ray suddenly extended from over Connor and looped around the monster's neck, snapping tight under its jaw and pulling hard.
"I got it!"
"No, let it go!"
His warning came too late; the monster grabbed the line with its front teeth and yanked its head in the opposite direction. The blonde Pawn was thrown off his feet and pulled headfirst toward the creature, flying over his compatriots' heads before Connor could even reach out to grab him.
Landing roughly in the monster's range of attack, he glanced up to see it glaring down at him with those empty pits. Sensing a new victim, the monster raised its clawed hand up and over the Devil before it.
"Gen-kun!"
"Crap!" Saji scrambled to get up and move, but the Rook Promotion was impeding his speed.
Before it could strike, a combined blast of magic from three different sources tore into the creature's back, pushing it to the ground and interrupting the attack. A green and brown blur flew into view and swooped down to tackle Saji aside. As it fell, the beast threw its hand out in an attempt to steady itself.
"AAGH!"
A sharp cry could be heard, but it didn't come from the beast.
The flying duo came to a stop several meters away, with Ruruko gritting her teeth and looking down at her leg.
'Damn, did it get her?'
Connor looked back to the monster, and his eyes widened. Instead of chasing after its prey, it actually stood completely still to sniff the air. Following its 'nose,' it leaned down and began fervently trying to lap up something from the floor, like a dog dying of thirst.
It had finally left itself completely open.
"NOW'S OUR CHANCE! PIN IT DOWN!"
Grabbing a steel beam on the floor, Tsubasa gave a roar and brought it down like a club across the center of the beast's back, flattening it to the ground. Large rivets of water, conjured courtesy of Sona, rained down upon its knees and ankles, jamming into the joints and effectively immobilizing the back legs.
Tsubaki charged from above with her own weapon as well, a naginata, and thrust the blade through the monster's right wrist and into the floor. The massive appendage was now impaled, with the Queen using her enhanced strength to stomp its hand and hold it in place.
The Rook then ran up and grabbed the bones of its left wrist and forearm, hoisted the arm and pulled it taut against the limb Tsubaki was pinning, stretching out its upper frame. The beast wailed and struggled, but couldn't rip itself free from either restraint.
"Tomoe, go for the head! I'm right behind you!"
The Knight sped to the monster's face and ran her sword through one of its empty eye sockets, spraying sticky 'blood' onto the blade and her hands. It wailed in pain and tried to lurch forward and take a bite out of her, but Tsubasa pulled harder on its left arm to keep it from moving an inch.
"CONNOR, HURRY!"
As the final stroke, using Tomoe's position as a guide, Connor sprinted forward and leaped onto the beast's back. He felt his feet sink into its rotting flesh until he came to a stop on its shoulder blades. The sensation was revolting, but he pushed through it and ignited the light sword he'd been holding out on using, stabbing the blade into what he hoped was the junction of the skull and the neck. Much like Tomoe, his efforts were met with a large splatter of 'blood' to the face and very nearly into his eyes.
The monster lurched and gurgled for a moment, then collapsed and fell still.
…
…
…
For a time, all was quiet until Saji shakily spoke.
"Did… Did that do that? Is it dead?"
The magus twisted his weapon and stabbed two more times, trying to draw a reaction and check for unwanted second winds. Tomoe followed his example, withdrawing her sword and giving a kick to its cranium before backing up.
There was no movement of any kind. The creature was well and truly deceased.
Taking no chances, Connor set to work on ensuring its death. Quickly cutting away the flaps of skin and revealing the monster's contorted neck, he brought his blade along the base of the skull and sliced across. Due to its enormous fangs, the head didn't roll very far once separated from its body.
A collective sigh of relief emanated from everyone, none contributing more so than Connor. Stepping off the creature's back and onto solid ground, he disengaged his weapon and put his hands on his knees to catch his breath, sorely tempted to rip the jacket from around his face. Over to the left, he saw Tsubaki retch and heave, having gotten too close to the monster without a face covering.
He could go without having to fight another of those things in ten lifetimes. But what was this–
"Ruruko-chan!"
His thoughts were short-lived as Momo's worried cry echoed in the factory. Looking up, he saw Momo and Saji hovering over a whimpering Ruruko. The first-year was squirming from pain, and her breathing was labored.
"What happened?" he asked as he approached them.
"Her ankle's been cut. One of that thing's claws must've caught her when she flew down to grab Gen-chan. But, it just barely grazed her. One little cut shouldn't be doing this."
Connor looked back to the corpse and noticed a small trail of blood going from Ruruko's leg to directly underneath the monster where it had stopped to lick the floor.
'Shit, of course it was just after blood! It drank Carlisle dry.'
"Here, let me see." Connor knelt down beside the Pawn and place the back of his hand against her forehead. He almost flinched at the high fever she was running. "Okay, hold on."
Moving to her leg, he took hold of it in both hands –one above and one below– and closed his eyes. Pushing Od into his hands and releasing it from his fingertips, the magus plotted out a mental map of the girl's leg. In his mind's eye, he could see everything as if it were displayed in a layered cross-section; the bones, the muscles, the nerves, the blood vessels, the connective tissues and the skin. Comparatively speaking, it was like looking at a diagram from a medical textbook in real time.
Towards the middle of Ruruko's calf, Connor noticed that the nerves were reacting harshly to something, appearing unnaturally red where they normally would be white. The further down her leg that his mental picture traveled, following the source, the more and more enraged the nerves appeared. Soon enough, the skin, muscles and blood vessels showed similar discolorations. Coming to a stop at the cut, he directed more Od into his hands to magnify the image.
In an instant, he saw… hundreds of pill-shaped microbes multiplying and attaching to whatever they touched.
No… not attaching…
Consuming.
The magus' eyes snapped open.
"Oh, shit."
"What is it?"
"Massive bacterial infection! She needs emergency medical care now!"
"W-What?!"
"Tsubaki, Reya, take her and teleport to the best hospital in my family's territory, and tell them to spare no expense," Sona immediately ordered. The urgency she could hear in Connor's voice told her that this was not something to argue over.
"Y-Yes, Kaichou!" Both girls acknowledged. Momo stood up and moved away before the Sitri family circle appeared underneath the injured girl.
"Wait, wait!" Connor's exclamation stopped them as he pointed to the monster. "Those hands need to be wrapped up and sent as well. Your doctors need to know what they're dealing with."
"We can send them shortly. You two, get her to the hospital, now."
A bright light shined around them, and the three girls were gone when the light died down.
"Tomoe, Saji, help Connor-san deal with the hands. Momo, you and I will contain them for transport," Sona ordered her remaining servants, who quickly complied. Tomoe and Connor drew their weapons once more and set to work cutting the hands off, weaving the blades in between the bones of the wrist and the forearm.
"Do not touch the claws, they're the source," Connor warned.
"The source of what?! What the hell's going on?!" Saji yelled, "What's happening to Ruruko?!"
"I'll be honest, Saji. I don't know. These things are coated in some really, nasty, shit. She'd immediately contracted it… whatever 'it' is, when it cut her." Connor stood back and allowed for Momo to encapsulate the now severed left hand in a transparent blue magic orb.
"How do you know that?" Sona demanded. "No excuses, Lochlainn-san. I want the truth."
"In magecraft, we have a very basic spell called Structural Grasp. It allows us to discern the construction of physical objects on a cellular level. I felt what was happening in her leg, Sona; a bacterial infection was spreading at a rapidly accelerating pace, almost like a poison. The only kind I know of that's capable of moving that quickly is necrotizing fasciitis. Flesh-eating bacteria."
Sona's eyes widened. "Are you saying that is what she has?"
"We just fought for our lives against a giant, walking corpse with an explosion-proof skeleton, resistance to magic and an endless supply of blood that burned like gasoline. Honestly, disease-ridden claws are something we should not have been surprised by."
"W-what about antibiotics? It's a bacteria, right? Can't that stop it?" Saji cut in desperately.
"No, Saji, necrotizing fasciitis has an average twenty-five percent mortality rate, and is guaranteed fatal if left untreated." His King's answer made the blonde's eyes widen. "Antibiotics can only slow it down until surgery to remove the infection can take place."
'Not like any of us brought some to begin with, and they can't restore what's already been destroyed.'
"Regardless of what it is, Saji, our best doctors will be with her."
"Meanwhile, we need to decontaminate," Connor stated. "We can't take any chances before shipping the claws off."
"I have just the spell for that."
Placing her hands before her as if in prayer, Sona inhaled and exhaled loudly, then clapped her hands and spread them out to her sides with the palms facing down. The Sitri magic circle suddenly appeared under everyone's feet, including Connor.
A sense of weightlessness overcame the magus, almost like he was submerged and floating in the middle of a swimming pool. Looking down at his arms, he saw bits of 'blood' and machine grease rise up and off of his skin, which then drifted in the air for a short while and finally dissolved. He watched with intrigue as the process continued across his entire body, the cleansing spell seeming to gently peel away all manner of detritus.
For about another minute, the spell did its work until Sona clapped her hands again and dispelled the circles, along with the floating feeling. Connor looked himself over, then to the others, and found that not a speck of grime was left on him or anybody else.
"That was… different," he commented, his skin feeling cool to the touch.
"Tsubaki was born to a family of mystics that pacify spirits," Sona explained. "She taught me how to remove impurities from one's body shortly after becoming my Queen, and I created my own version that is able to be cast upon multiple people."
Connor nodded in thought.
If that were true, then Tsubaki's family must have practice Onmyōdō at some point in its history. While a difficult Thaumaturgical System for anyone outside of Japan to learn, it was not impossible if one could find the right teacher. Sadly, the practice was outlawed by the Japanese government in the mid-1800s, and those who studied it were forced to vanish into the crowd, thereafter disguising their work as either family tradition or spiritualism.
'Shinra… I might have to look them up some time.'
"Momo, tell the doctors that we suspect necrotizing fasciitis to be the culprit, then come back and help with the cleanup," Sona ordered.
With a nod, the Bishop teleported with the monster's packaged hands in tow. Once the circle was gone, the Devil heiress turned to Connor, who groaned inwardly at the stern gaze she gave him.
"Now then, Lochlainn-san, what possessed you to try and fight that monster by yourself?"
The magus suppressed the urge to roll his eyes at having to once again explain himself.
"The idea was to present you guys with a good enough target at a range that it couldn't attack you. For that to happen, it needed to focus on something other than you, so I had to present it with something much simpler to reach: a target on the ground."
"Why did you not wait for us to come and help you with that? Or tell us that you were in possession of a weapon commonly used by the Holy Church?"
"While I appreciate the concern, Sona, I didn't charge in blindly. Undead don't have much of a mind, but they do have an attention span that can be exploited so long as you can control what they sense. As for your second question, I didn't tell you because it wouldn't have mattered. A weapon is a weapon. I just have this one because it's practical."
The Devil heiress wanted to press the matter, but another thought stopped her. "You said that it was an undead, yes? "
Connor looked back to the body. "Well, the fact that it died like one is proof that it was an undead. Its behavior threw me for a loop, though, so I was just running on a theory. I got the notion from reading Carlisle's journal, it's somewhere around here. To put it simply, he lost his mind due to sleeping problems and was trying to find a way to stay awake for long periods of time. Thing is, he used a ritual based on a necromancer's notes he stole from one of his victims. A ritual he screwed up, obviously, since it turned the maid into… that."
"Necromancer?"
"They're a kind of magus whose research typically revolves around death," he summarized.
"Wait, don't necromancers rob graves and defile tombs and all that?" Tsubasa curiously joined in the questioning.
"No, that's a myth. Tombs and catacombs make for ideal places for them to hide out, but they don't mess with the contents as much as you'd think. Curses are very real, and they know better than anyone the power of cursed tombs. They prefer their working material fresh anyway, like say… where no one would be the wiser if they made off with the corpses of people killed in wars or natural disasters. That's why sometimes people end up 'missing' during such events. Not all the time, but it's a perfect cover."
More than one of the Devils grimaced at the thought.
"Have you met one before?" Sona asked.
"No, but my grandpa did. His story about that encounter was enough to make me not want to meet one, especially now."
The Sitri circle appeared on the ground and erupted in light as Momo returned from her delivery. Tsubaki and Reya were beside her, both having been cleaned of gore and muck, clad in the Kuoh athletics t-shirts and bloomers.
'Again, why the uniforms?'
"Kaichou, the doctors have come to the same conclusion we did. They've given her antibiotics and are preparing for surgery as we speak. She'll be going under within the hour."
"Good. Are all of you well?"
"Yes, Kaichou, we're fine." Tsubaki reassured. "We underwent decontamination after dropping off Ruruko-chan, and have all been checked out. Tomoe-chan decided to stay with her until the surgery."
"Good…Very good…" Sona muttered, placing a hand over her heart and taking a slow breath before wincing at the still ambient odor. "Now, let's get to cleaning this place up before we leave."
"If you don't mind, Sona, can I leave that to you guys?"
"And what will you be doing, Lochlainn-san?" she asked suspiciously.
"Putting the puzzle together. I saw Saji and Tomoe were picking up something before all hell broke loose. Figured it was important, and I might be able to figure out where Carlisle went wrong if I had all the pieces. Besides, if I tried to help with cleanup here, I'd just get in the way."
The King thought it over briefly before she nodded. "I see. Saji?"
"Huh? Uh, I…" Sona's call to the Pawn snapped him out of the daze he'd been in. "Y-yeah, I think they… they looked like formula sheets or something… I think they're over there, somewhere." He pointed to the corner of the floor relatively untouched by the recent battle. Connor was about to break off from the group and look around, but Saji stopped him with a pleading look.
"Was… was there nothing we could do… for Ruruko?"
"We did what we could for her, Saji, and that was to get her to better help quickly. The rest is up to her and the doctors."
It was a lackluster comfort, but it was the most honest answer he could give at the moment.
"Dammit…" Saji muttered. Looking down, Connor saw the blonde Pawn's fists clenched so tightly that they were shaking. "Why didn't I just…"
"Gen-chan, what happened was not your fault." Momo approached him and place a hand on his shoulder to try and reassure him, but Saji shrugged off her hand.
"YES, IT WAS!" he yelled. "I never should've tried to use Absorption Line! I got cocky, I thought I could… I… dammit! DAMMIT!" He turned and stormed toward the front door. He must have forgotten to turn off his Rook Promotion, because he almost tore the door off in his anger.
"Saji, where are you going?"
"Outside! I just… I need to be alone!"
As Saji slammed the main door behind him, Connor looked between the remaining Devils to gauge their reaction to the outburst. From his brief interactions with the Pawn, he'd gleaned that the guy was somewhat brash and a tad pompous toward other guys, but he was unflappably loyal to Sona and would never normally speak out against her.
Hearing him not address Sona as 'Kaichou' when she called for him showed that he was upset enough to disregard etiquette.
In a way, what happened was Connor's own fault. Granted, Saji had jumped the gun and acted at a bad time, but the magus was the one that told Saji to try and wrangle the monster in the first place on the assumption his plan to paralyze it succeeded. Factors that led to the creature's true death aside, Saji wasn't to blame for Ruruko's condition, but he wasn't in the mood to hear reason.
"Let him be," Connor told Momo. The white-haired Bishop looked at the taller human. "He won't do anything stupid, but he's frustrated and needs to vent. Take whatever he might say or do right now with a grain of salt. Once he's calmed down enough to listen, then you talk to him."
The look in her eyes changed as she turned to face him fully.
"How can you be so calm about this? Ruru-chan could still die, and you're acting like nothing's wrong! Who does that?!" Her voice was shaky, like she was barely holding it together from worry.
"I never said or implied that all was well with the world, Momo." Connor answered evenly. "I'm just trying to keep my mind off of it all. What good are we going to do for Ruruko here by worrying about this and that and whatever else that's beyond us currently? Like I told Saji, we did everything we could."
"I know, but…"
"Let me ask you:" he continued with the same tone, "If saving the life of a peerage member, a family member, or your King herself, came down to doing something drastic, like cutting off both legs or both arms or, Root forbid, all their limbs, would you do it?"
Momo froze and her eyes widened with horror at the very thought of being forced to harm someone she cared about. At the same time, Sona and her other servants were listening in on the conversation as they went about cleaning up the scene, slowing down when Connor gave his question.
"Of course, do everything you can to make sure you never have to make a decision like that, but if it comes to it, don't hesitate. Time becomes your worst enemy in moments of crisis. That split-second where you do nothing could cost you more than you ever want to pay, and it will haunt you for life."
That much, he truly did know from experience. Having watched his grandfather suffer the stroke that killed him, Connor knew full well the regret that came from inaction. There was nothing anyone could have done to stop it, but with how fast it happened, the shock and the unbridled fear he felt in those few seconds never faded with time.
Then there was Issei's murder. Sure, he didn't know the kid then like he did now, and what little he knew then left a somewhat negative impression, but the fact remained that he watched from the sidelines as Issei died. Connor had run that scenario in his head over and over for several days after it happened and came to one conclusion: Nothing would have changed even if the magus did intervene in time. If Raynare didn't end up killing him, one of the others would have done it themselves.
"I'm not saying any of this to sound like I've got all the answers, because I don't. Take it from someone who's been in yours and Saji's position before and needed the exact same talk from my dad: We would all regret not acting sooner to save Ruruko's life. Right now, she has a chance to survive – and an even better one if the doctors act fast, so let's just take the victories where we find them. Tell Saji that much when you talk with him. You and I both know that tonight could've been so much worse."
He left it at that, going back to his previous task and allowing the Bishop to think things over.
Sifting through the trash, dust and dirt, he eventually ended up with close to a dozen pages of notes. Comparing them against Carlisle's journal entries and the ritual circle, he understood now where things went wrong.
First of all, there was the blood. The notes didn't call for any particular species or animal to draw it from, but a rule of thumb among magi in the use of blood was to never mix and match, even if whatever spell or ritual one was working on called for large quantities. Carlisle screwed that up by not verifying the different types of his three sources. Connor didn't know what species the rogue Bishop's victims originally were before reincarnation, but mixing up their blood seemed to have a mutative effect on the subject.
Secondly, the circle itself was all wrong. Between the notes and the actual circle, the number of errors was baffling. Everything from the mismatched symbols, to the lack of grounding matrices on the nearest leyline was incorrect. The latter meant that Carlisle was using his own magic instead of utilizing the magical energy from the Earth itself to stabilize the ritual, corrupting the process even further.
And thirdly was the most egregious error of all: Carlisle had used a living subject. Necromancers never did that. In fact, nowhere in the notes did it say that a live subject was needed; the journal and the notes completely contradicted one another, which made Connor wonder if the Bishop was either stupid or so far off his rocker that he just imagined it. Add to that, the subject in question was a Devil, already stronger and tougher than a human, so whatever changes that came about from this ritual just made the resulting monster even stronger.
It was a perfect storm of mistakes: The sleep deprivation, the mixture of Devils' blood, the use of an unfamiliar form of magic, and the nature of the subject all culminated into the disastrous creation of a bestial undead behemoth.
He reported all of this to Sona and turned over the notes, advising to destroy them so the same mistakes wouldn't be repeated. Highly unlikely, but he wanted to be sure, and the Sitri heiress was of the same mind.
Once Sona and her peerage had finished with cleaning up as much of the factory and the creature's remains as possible, they were left with another problem. All of the fleshy organic matter was safely destroyed, but the skeleton remained undamaged, much to the surprise of all but the magus. The bones were so dense and flexible, in fact, that even Tsubasa had to put considerable effort into breaking a single rib. The King spent several moments deliberating with her servants about how best to dispose of what was left.
"We may end up having to take it all to the Underworld so more dedicated equipment can destroy it."
"I could take a few of those off your hands."
The magus' offer was met with incredulous stares. He held up his hands to stop the coming objections.
"Before you say anything, let me set the record straight: Necromancers aren't the only magi that use bones for their research and experiments. Even centuries ago, it was very commonplace to use bone ash to process alloys, and their natural durability makes them ideal for carving into simple tools." (1)
"Lochlainn-san, was it not you that just told me of Carlisle's error in trifling with matters he didn't understand?" Sona reminded, to which Connor nodded.
"That I did, and I have neither the intent nor the means to create another one of those things."
"Then why the interest?"
"Because it's too good to pass up. Tsubasa had a tough time just to break that one rib, and my sword can normally cut through bone without issue, but look at this."
Approaching the skeleton, he picked up the radius and ulna of the monster's right forearm. Up close, both bones had to be longer than his own femur and just about as thick. Turning to face the group, he then showed to them how little damage he had done at the start. It took several seconds for them to find what he was talking about, and all that could be seen was the smallest of indents across the otherwise smooth surface of the ulna.
"That was my attempt. I gave up on attacking it directly when I saw that fighting it wouldn't do anything except put me in its kill zone. This is incredible material, and it would be an absolute waste to just destroy it all."
"What would you do with it if you had it?"
"I'd think of something," he shrugged after putting the bones down. "I'd be hard pressed to make something anytime soon without first turning them into powder, but even then, that would still be a great use for them. But, it's your bounty, so it's your call."
Sona looked to the monster's remains, then to Connor, and then the ground before her. The others watched with slight worry, not sure how she would respond to the request. Connor didn't either, which was why he chose to leave the ball in her court while downplaying his expectations in hopes that it would help convince her.
Finally, she sighed.
"Very well. You may take no more than three, but you must promise that you will be responsible with handling them."
"Unlike Carlisle, I'll know exactly what I'm doing before I ever do it. You have my word."
Sona nodded, satisfied with the answer if only just.
"Thank you." Connor lightly nodded in gratitude, then approached the remains. For about a minute, he stood in place, surveying the skeleton and memorizing every detail of the deformed beast until his mind wandered back to the battle.
A chill ran up his spine and down his arms when he looked at the skull. As much as he didn't want a repeat of the night's events, the sense of triumph that came from defeating this monster almost completely outweighed the relief he'd felt upon its death. It wasn't like his fights with Dohnaseek or the stalker's peerage, where he'd felt a twinge of remorse for taking the lives of sentient beings, but then later washed it away out of necessity.
No, this time, there was… pride… at delivering the killing blow. At outwitting it, at overcoming his powerlessness against it, at defeating something that, for a moment, seemed impossible to defeat. It was almost euphoric. (2)
He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, chiding himself. These were dangerous thoughts, the likes of which have gotten many a young magi killed far too early.
Connor decided upon three bones from the creature's left side: the femur, the radius, and the tibia. He would have preferred to take one of the large fangs, but their roots were too firmly seated in the skull. They couldn't be removed without potentially being forced to break them, or get himself cut up in the attempt. After that, he scoured the intact machines on the factory floor and found a large spool of usable nylon thread to wrap the bones into a large bundle. He then collected the remains of his Keys and the expended runestones.
Sona sent the remaining bones to the Underworld via teleportation, then regarded Connor with her professional stare once more.
"I trust that you will maintain silence about what has transpired here?"
"Of course. Not a word from me."
"Then, if that is all, on behalf of myself, my servants and House Sitri, I thank you for your assistance tonight, Lochlainn-san." The heiress gave a bow in respect, the others following suit. "Good night."
He bowed in return.
"Good night, Sitri-sama."
With the bundle tucked under his right arm, Connor silently made the trek back home, taking care not to be seen by anyone. The crisp night air was a welcome change to the acrid stench of blood that would likely never leave that factory again. He could still faintly smell it on the bones, so that would have to be taken care of before going to work with them on anything.
Twenty minutes of walking brought him to the welcome sight of his front door – his fully functional front door. After the failed attack, the entire thing had required replacement; door, hinges, lock and even the frame. That had been a very awkward conversation to have with Watanabe-san. Thankfully, the repairs didn't cost much for the old man, and Connor had both it and all the attached parts more properly reinforced than the previous one, so there would be no repeats. In theory.
Securing the door behind him and going about his nightly routine again (which included a mandatory shower), he then drew hot water in the tub and set the bones inside for them to soak in soap for no less than twelve hours. Sona had done well in destroying much of the organic tissue, but there was no doubt some residual bits left in the hard-to-reach places that would need attention. The process of cleaning the bones would normally take anywhere from days to weeks. Here, though, it would only take less than forty-eight hours to get rid of the smell and leftover oils.
The next steps would be to give the bones a bath in peroxide, pick out anything remaining after that, and, when all was said and done, give the tub a thorough cleaning.
With nothing else left to tend to, he elected for sleep. Strangely, it would be hours of tossing and turning before he finally dozed off.
School was very somber the following Thursday.
News about Ruruko's 'injury' came directly from the Student Council over the intercom. Allegedly, she suffered a cut at home that led to a very rare and very aggressive bacterial infection. She would live, according to the cover, but would not be able to return to school for some time. After a moment of silent prayers for her recovery was called, the day continued with a lot less chatter and a very heavy feeling on everyone's shoulders.
Ruruko currently held the record for the youngest person to be inducted to the Kuoh Academy Student Council, doing so almost immediately after starting her first year of high school. Connor knew the truth of why that was, but most students didn't and assumed it was based on outstanding merit. As a result, she had a public perception akin to that of Koneko; a minor celebrity. The little spitfire's absence would be a wake-up call to a lot of people that a 'freak accident' like hers could happen to anybody at any time.
It was certainly a relief to hear that she would survive, but the news of a delayed return was suspicious … What weren't they telling? Was she in worse condition than they claimed?
He wouldn't get his answer from the Council, and that was evident throughout the day. Whenever somebody asked one of its members out of timid curiosity, the response was that they were not at liberty to say, as doing so would be disrespectful to Ruruko and a violation of her privacy. They were shutting down the rumor mill before it could even get turning.
Saji looked like he still wasn't done placing blame on himself for what happened. He'd approached Connor on the way back from lunch break, looking like he wanted to say something, but decided against it and just walked away with his head hung.
The magus decided that it would be best to give them some space. There wasn't much else that he could say or do to make the situation any different. If they needed him for something, Reya would let him know.
The journey home was just as quiet. Asia didn't talk much about her day, no doubt sending even more silent prayers to God in the hopes that He would help the first-year through her ordeal. Little more than a kind gesture, all things considered, but if she wanted to do it, he wasn't going to stop her. Unless it pertained to her stalker, it wasn't his right to tell her what she could or couldn't do with that boundless compassion.
He was thankful she wasn't there to witness anything of last night.
The two foreign students bade farewell to each other for the night upon returning home, both hoping that the following day would be a bit more normal. Shortly after dinner, though, Connor's phone rang. Holding back a sigh upon seeing the caller ID, he answered tiredly.
"Another job?"
"No, just listen. Our patient woke up yesterday, and she wants to meet you."
…
(1): Bone ash has been used throughout history in cupellation, a metallurgy process that separates precious metals like gold and silver from base metals like lead and copper through oxidation.
(2): For my fellow gamers out there, you know perfectly well that joyous feeling of finally defeating that one standout boss which plagued you more than any others in a game. My personal bane was the Fume Knight in Dark Souls II.
…
Finished. With the chapter, not the story.
Pretty sure I rewrote most of the major scenes here at least twice, which is why it took longer to finish. On the bright side, I got someone in my family to help with editing, so future releases should see an improvement in readability.
I felt that nine on one against the monster would be an outright waste of a good potential fight, make it all seem way too easy, so I had to somewhat level the field in its favor. Also, full disclaimer, the monster is not my original creation. I wanted to be as descriptive in its appearance and behavior as possible without directly naming it, which is the reason for the repetitive use of certain words in this chapter. For those who have identified what it is (your hint is in Chapter 10's AN), I hope you liked my depiction.
If you enjoyed what you read, leave a favorite, a follow or a review to let me know. Any advice or support that you could give would be greatly appreciated. If you'd like to take a shot at the challenge listed in chapter 1, send me a PM, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it.
As always, thank you for reading!