Klein could feel his body tremble as the baby's cries resounded through the building.
Cold sweat drenched his back as he struggled to get his breathing under control. The others seemed to be in the same state. It felt like they stood there for hours despite only being a few seconds. Eventually the stillness was broken by the gray eyed man stepping forward, an exquisite silver box held in his hands.
"I'll go first. Wait ten seconds before following."
And with that he entered the room with the unholy child.
Klein was panicking. He was terrified. Whatever that child was, it was not something he could fight, baby or not. The only weapon he had was a revolver tucked into an underarm holster, but mundane weapons didn't work on nightmare creatures. Especially not unholy ones.
Klein rummaged through his pockets, in some last-ditch effort to find something, anything, before the ten seconds were up. There was a bronze whistle, which wasn't useful, and also two thin gold slices.
Klein didn't know what they were or what they did, but the moment he touched them he was flooded with warm, pushing the fear away. Like standing in sunlight on a warm day.
These would work. He didn't know how to use them, but some part of Klein knew that these gold pieces were key to killing that monster and clearing his nightmare.
The second hand ticked for the tenth time and the poet rushed towards the room with Klein a step behind him, the gold pieces held tightly in his hand, and a single though resounding through his head.
How do these work?
How do these work?
How do these work?
I can't use essence so that's not an option. Is there an activation word or something? Do I need to fulfill conditions first?
Klein's thoughts halted upon entering the room.
The once beautiful woman had fully devolved into a monster. Her face had become disfigured from scratch marks, her hair ripped out, scalp bleeding. Her belly had swollen, heads sprouting from her shoulders. Her skin squirming and writhing upon her body as tendrils bloomed. Her screams mixing with the baby's cries.
It was a horrifying sight, but not one Klein could stare at for long. His intuition screamed at him to move, throwing himself to the side, a large gash appeared on the wall where he was standing prior.
Using his agility, he turned his dive into a roll, coming to a crouch near the couch. The woman had lashed out at the other two as well, but they managed to avoid the blows. The gray eyed man had opened the silver box and black, hair like, strings were moving to entangle the monstrosity.
Tendrils whipped through the air, aiming to kill the three men as they dodged around the limbs, but even with his intuition and agility Klein was struggling to stay alive.
A sharp pain erupted on his side, and again on his left arm. He could feel blood soaking into his shirt as he frantically moved to avoid killing blows.
The movements began to slow has the black strands wrapped around her corrupted form; however, Klein felt a sharp premonition for danger as the lady opened her mouth and attempted to scream. Yet no sound came out. The poet like man and reached out and grabbed the air, large blood vessel wrapped around his arm, seemingly canceling whatever attack the woman had attempted.
Bound and silenced, Klein saw an opening to attack. He still didn't know what the gold slices did, or really how to use them, yet the flow of his movements seemed right as he tossed one of the slices towards the woman and chanted an unfamiliar word.
It might have been his [Clown] intuition, or because the previous owner of the body knew how they worked, or even a combination of both, but in that opening, instinct took over, and as the unknown word escaped Klein's lips, the sun descended.
A beam of pure light had descended from the sky falling upon the monster. Her skin charred black, her tendrils burned and withered, black smoke pouring out of her as she burned.
Klein had to cover his eyes due to the blinding light, thanking the gods that the attack worked.
The light faltered away, but the woman was still standing. She was incredibly damaged but still moving and deadly. She swung at the men and managing to catch the poet, sending him into a wall.
Klein couldn't tell if he was dead or unconscious, but he wasn't getting up.
Ducking under the woman's arm as she attacked, Klein pulled out the second gold slice. He planned on using it the moment the black strands immobilized her, after having been pushed back by the bright attack.
However, the black hairs seemed reluctant to approach the unholy creature.
Even if her body was heavily damaged, her aura had only grown stronger, likely due to the child's descent.
Eventually one of the tentacles caught Klein, slamming him back into a wall. Pain enveloped his body as he coughed blood. His vision blurry and ears ringing. He dodged blindly, relying on the instincts of his [Clown] attribute; however, his disoriented senses caused him to take an extra hit on his shoulder.
Klein knew the situation was dire. He was rapidly occurring injuries and couldn't find an opening to use the one weapon he had.
Weaving threw more attacks, Klein made eye contact with the gray eyed man, hoping he had a something up his sleeve. The man looked at Klein and then smiled.
Klein watched in horror as the man stabbed his hand into his chest and ripped out his own beating heart before placing it into the exquisite silver box.
Suddenly, the black hairlike strands seemed invigorated, darting forward and entangling the cursed woman.
Not only were the strands faster, but also stronger. Binding the woman and halting her movement. Finally seeing his opening, Klein tossed the last gold piece before chanting the strange word, and once again the sun descended.
The first time, the light simply charred and burned the monster, but this time her body was dissolving. Disappearing into ash as she screamed, and eventually falling silent. Nothing left of her besides ash and an umbilical cord.
Klein staggered to his feet, his body aching and bleeding. Staring at where the monstrosity once stood Klein heard the voice of the Spell whisper.
[You have slain a fallen beast, Megose Mother of the True Creator.]
[You have received a memory: Shadow's Veil.]
[You have slain a corrupted devil, Vessel of the True Creator.]
[You have received a memory: Hanged Giant.]
It looks like it counted the baby as a separate kill, and I got memories for both! Getting an ascended and transcendent memory as a sleeper is unheard of! Though, they weren't strong enough for their ranks... Was it because they were connected to an evil god, so their ranks were unnaturally high... well it doesn't matter anymore...
Tearing his eyes away from the pile of ash, Klein looked over to the gray eyed man, now with a hole in his chest.
Their eyes met, and the man smiled.
"We saved Tingen."
And with that his eyes closed, and his body fell. Dying with a smile on his face.
Truth be told, Klein did not know the man, he never even learned his name, but Klein was upset, nonetheless. They had fought together, and without his sacrifice Klein surely would have died.
"Your nightmare is over." he spoke to him.
Klein did not believe anyone here knew of the nightmare spell, but it was the only parting he knew.
On shaky legs Klein turned towards the poet. He figured he might as well see if the man survived. He knew he would wake up from the nightmare shortly, part of him felt compelled to check.
Like the gray eyed man, Klein did not know the poet's name or who he was, but they still fought together, and Klein owed him his life. But as he took a step forward a sharp pain tore through his chest.
Blood welled up in Klein's throat as he slowly looked down to see a blood covered hand sticking out of his body, right where his heart was.
Klein tried to turn but everything had turned slow and sluggish. A creeping chill spreading through his body. He watched as the hand retracted, and blood poured out of the gaping wound. His body collapsing like a puppet without strings.
Klein's vision was blurring. His hearing muffled. He couldn't move; he couldn't scream. He could only lay there as his life drained away.
Why? Why? Didn't I win? Didn't I complete the nightmare... I was going to go home... I was so close, I was so close...
The last thing Klein saw was a pair of leather boots before his vision went black.
...
In a dark void the Spell whispered.
[You have died.]
[Wake up, Klein Moretti! Your nightmare is over.]
[Prepare for appraisal...]
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Sorry this chapter took so long, school has a stranglehold on my life.
Leave any suggestions or issues in the comments please.
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