Chapter 11 : Crimson Mist and Blood

The air shifted.

Realizing its trap had failed, the fake Rudy knew Damon would never step willingly into its lair. Without hesitation, it switched tactics, with a calm, eerie precision, the Fake Rudy brought its hands together and formed a gesture. Fingers curled and palms aligned.

Damon didn't know what the hand sign meant, but he felt it like a tidal wave rushing towards him. The cave breathed a thick, red mist of spiritual energy surging outwards. It spilled across the clearing, dragging with it the sound of murmurs, voices overlapping, enveloping and coiling up into the trees.

Feeling the density of the fake Rudy's energy Damon Froze for a moment. The creature now before him felt like it could crush him as easy as a bug, if his energy was comparable to ten gallons of water the fake Rudy was roughly twice that. Slowly the confidence he previously displayed started showing cracks as fear and trepidation took hold of him

sensing his fear the creature bared is teeth in a mocking grin.

'Its mocking me? Fine! Let's see what you got!' Irritated by the creatures' provocation, Damon made a quick decision. He increased his output even further ready to charge.

But then, he heard Liz's voice.

She screamed, her face stained with tears and eyes filled with furry "I WON'T LET YOU TAKE ANOTHER! No more!"

Before Damon could shout a warning, Liz charged towards the fake Rudy. Her twin daggers glinted once in the strange scarlet light before she vanished into a flash. Reappearing just behind the fake Rudy, arms wide and angled for the kill.

But the fake didn't flinch.

With a sickening crunch, three jagged, bloody bone white spikes tipped like spearheads burst from the back, impaling Liz through the stomach, right eye and left arm, tearing through her flesh and organs in one savage instant.

It happened so quickly Gerald and Damon could only gasp as they looked on in disbelief.

CLANK!

The daggers fell to the ground.

The creature twisted its head, slowly, its joints cracking like brittle twigs as it faced Liz. "Still pretending you matter," it purred.

Not wasting his chance, Damon exerted strength on his knees, and charged towards the creature. Blinking forward, he appeared in front of the fake Rudy mid-swing, aiming for the arms. He envisioned a clean cut, swift and brutal.

But he was too slow.

The mist swelled around the creature in a vortex, pulsing with crimson spiritual energy. Liz's body popped like a water balloon under pressure, painting the air in blood and viscera. The explosion struck Damon like a cannon, flinging him backward though the fog. The force knocked the air from his lungs, but he didn't hit the ground.

Grunting, he was caught firmly by trembling hands. Looking back he realized he was saved by Gerald.

Landing on one knee, Gerald stabilized both of their bodies as the red mist swallowed the area completely.

As his gaze shifted ahead they stared at the vortex without speaking, They didn't have to, the sound coming from the vortex said enough. It was like something wet was squirming around while bone grinds against bone like nails on a chalk board. The stench of blood filled their nostrils and filled the air. The sound of the creature panting soon followed with a grotesque slithering of flesh.

It echoed from the mist.

As his heart began to race, Damon felt a light tug as Gerald stepped in front of him. His six-foot frame stood firm despite his shoulder trembling ever so slightly.

"Go," He growled, but his voice sounded brittle. "Find a way to break the barrier made by the mist. I'll hold it off."

"No way I'm staying, this body isn't real so that thing can't kill me, besides you won't be able to take that thing on your own."

"Don't be stupid kid! I'm already dead and there's no garant-"

Before he could finish his words Something shot out of the mist. A bloody tendril tipped with gleaming, serrated metal claws. Headed straight for them like a spear.

In an Instant Gerald spun with a grunt reacting in time as vibrations passed through is arms.

CLANG!

His large hammer collided with the tendril mid-flight, deflecting it upward as sparks bust from the impact.

"GO! NOW!"

Without another word He then charged.

Straight into the mist, where the tendrils writhed like serpents and the air felt thick with blood and the scent of death. He leapt, dodged, twisted between the slashing limbs.

CLING! .....BANG!...CLING!

Shrouded in a blend of golden blue energy, he swung his hammer with all his might, each strike bringing him closer to the unseen horror within.

Watching Gerald's final stand, Damon didn't want to leave, he sensed that there was a high likelihood that he wouldn't be able to exit the encompassed crimson mist. Despite the potential dangers, he felt something urging him towards the mist.

Gathering his thoughts, he was about to join in the battle, when he spied four tendrils stealthily approaching him from below ground. Swerving to the side he narrowly avoided the first two tendrils as they shot upward out the dirt, countering by slashing off the metal claw tips.

Sensing the other two headed for his back, he bent his knees, jumping lightly before stomping down on the tendrils slithering below him.

BANG!

Raising his extended energy blade over his head with both hands, he slashed down.

SHIIING!

The blade descended with precision, severing tendrils into two segments simultaneously.

Detecting more tendrils rapidly approaching his position, Damon sprung off and darted over towards Gerald as he spread his energy out avoiding the incoming attacks. Approaching the vortex he could now see the creature's form more clearly.

The figure was over six feet tall with raw crimson muscle, white bones and a pitch black maw with blackened razor teeth, constantly shifting, Tendrils lashed out like serpents yet more erratic and unsettling.

"Gerald ! DUCK!" He shouted as his voiced carried a tone of urgency.
Focusing his mind, he used Mystic Shroud to imbued rocks from the surrounding with his energy. Raising his left hard forward, he propelled them as projectiles towards the creature.

Hearing his words, Gerald took a diagonal jump avoiding the hail of rocks that descended upon the creature, understanding Damon's intent he enhanced the rocks using his energy before they made contact. The extra energy produced a heating effect that caused the rocks to combust on impact.

BOOM!...BOOM!... Boom!

SHRIEK!

The blasts echoed followed by the creature's shrieks of pain. But Gerald wasn't done there, without hesitation he dived back into the explosions. Gritting his teeth as his bore the brunt of the blasts, he raised his hammer high with determination.

Swinging downward, he activated a barrier technique, enclosing both he and the creature in a transparent blue sphere. Seeing the sphere Damon understood what Gerald was about to do. He tried shouting for Gerald to stop, but he knew the sphere was meant to isolate him from interfering.

As if to mock his efforts, before the hammer made contact with the creature's skull, The spikes returned, impaling Gerald in the torso, easily breaking through his armor chest plate.

"Poor Gerald, you never learn do you?"

Ignoring the creature's words, Gerald pushed through the agony that ripped through his flesh. The pain threatened to drag his mind into darkness, but his movement persisted in an act of defiance.

"This! Is for my friends and everyone you've killed Freak, BURN IN HELL!!", with the primal roar of a warrior he finished his strike pulverizing the vicious head with and crushing its skull, reducing it to fragments with a final condensed explosion of heat that shook the ground.

Subsequently, the explosion shattered the sphere, pushing Gerald's burnt body back and repelling the creature. The attack had taken a toll on its flesh, but it quickly began regathering its tendrils to reform its head.

After seeing what they accomplished, Damon didn't want Gerald's sacrifice to be in vain. His lips curled into a sneer as he dashed forward once more. Chuckling softly

"I thought you were unkillable, but you're just an ant compared to master Tomoe!"

Brandishing his blade and closing the distance, he used his Spiritual energy to propel Liz's fallen daggers towards the creature nape before slashing across its stomach.

But the creature was even faster.

In an instant Rudy's broad sword appeared in its right hand as it parried all the attacks simultaneously. Stunned by its increased speed, Damon took two paces backward dodging the creatures counter-attack.

Damon's pupils contracted as he noticed the creature's presence shift and its form began slowly changing. Watching onward, his muscles tensed, and his grip tightened, he wasn't sure what was coming next, but he felt the sudden change was a reaction to his masters name.

'It still has more tricks to play ?'