Chapter 12: Crimson Mist and Blood [2]

The stench of blood thickened.

Before Damon, the creature shifted once more its flesh distorting, organs slithering beneath skin like worms. What emerged now wore the twisted mockery of Gerald's form.

Eyes sockets gouged, seeping pitch black darkness, hair writhing into a tangled crown of blood snakes. Hissing and coiling with a will of their own. Its body had been forged into armor, if you could even call it that, it was organic, pulsating like fresh condensed muscles stretched across bone. The creature gripped Rudy's sword in one warped hand, the blade has changed dramatic as well, veins bulged across its surface, thorns coiling around the blacked hilt, anchoring it in the creature's palm like a parasitic limb.

Then with a ragged breath that rasped through teeth not its own, it raised its hollowed gaze towards Damon and asked, "What year is it brat?"

Damon flinched before responding."...4046".

Hearing his response a low growl tore from the creature's chest, more animal than human. It began to shout, its voice breaking between rage and glee.

"Damn you Tomoe! You coward!. Thirty years? Hah... thirty years... Thirty damn years I've stewed in this prison of trees!" its voice cracked into laughter before sharping into scorn.

"Want to know a little secret brat? I was one of her students once, A disciple, A true believer. And she tossed me aside like garbage!. It took years to find her, but she only saw me as a stain on her name! , banishing me to rot here in this damn cage" Its laughter became even more frantic as it continued "I'm sure she's been watching, inside this prison I've eaten at least forty of you brats. One after the other they came here falling for my little tricks, and she just let it happen, didn't stop me, didn't even warn them."

"What are you talking about? , no way that's true", Its words filled Damon with disgust.

The creature tilted its head, the red snakes flickering in response to its breath as its grin cut across its face like a wound.

"You're a smart brat, you should understand, she wanted you to see this."

Damon's breath quickened. Each word the creature spouted clawed deeper into his mind. His throat tightened, his lungs were straining for air like drowning hands grasping for the surface.

Then he heard something.

"Your breathing is uneven, focus."

A voice warm, clear, yet firm whispered beside his ear.

Damon's jolted, A white silhouette shimmered faintly just behind him, barely visible against the gloom of the mist. It stood still, calm and familiar.

It was Liz, the real Liz

"Focus. It's using a mental technique on you, don't let doubt take root. You know better."

But Damon hesitated, startled he blinked once.

And in that Instant, the creature moved. A Crunch echoed as it's elongated left arm struck upward flowing into an uppercut lined with bone aimed for his stomach.

Bang!

Instinctively Damon crossed his arms to block the fist just in time, but the sheer force lifted him of his feet. Knocking him back through the air. He slammed to the ground hard as the remainder of his breath was torn from his lungs, His body convulsing once before the world went dark.

****

Meanwhile in the simulation room lit by overhead red alert lights.
Vincent, Ethan, Cassie, Josh, Fin and Henry stood over Damon's real body. His body trembled as faint convulsions shivered through his limbs. Blood pooled beneath his head, leaking slowly. His jaw clenched, then loosened as crimson foamed at the center of his mouth.

"Shit! He's seizing! Get him on his side, Now!" Seeing what was happing Ethan immediately reacted instructing Vincent on what to do. Understand that Damon' was in a precarious situation, Fin and Cassie ran off without hesitation to call for their mother.
While Vincent and Henry carefully rolled Damon, Ethan activated his healing skill and mystic eye to diagnoses the injuries. Watching the blood spill freely from Damon's mouth onto the floor he noticed Damon somehow had four broken ribs and minor damage to his lungs. This realization shocked him deeply, this was the first case he had seen of someone getting injuries transferred to their real body during a trial.

'What's going on? It shouldn't be possible for the wounds in the simulation trial to reflect onto the--' Interrupting his thoughts he heard Damon's raspy breath through his throat, now shallow and ragged.

Increasing his output on his healing skill, Ethan grasped Damon's shoulder firmly. "Wake up! Damon! Stay with us, dammit! You've got to fight! "

The room flickered.

******

Hearing a voice shouting his name Damon's eyes fluttered open.

His vision was fogged. Everything trembled at the edges as his hand moved weakly to the back of his head. The warmth of blood was coated on his fingers.

Cough..... Cough... Cough...

Learning forward, he coughed hard, each breath came with a stabbing pain. The blood his mouth spilled onto the ground.

A creature's laughter echoed once again s it slowly walked towards him, dragging the sword beside it. Its voice cracked like broken glass.

"Another brat dying ...kekeke.... Good. She'll watch you die too."

Lunging forward the creature appeared over him, grasping the sword with both hands it slashed downward with its full energy output.

BANG!

Whoosh!

The sheer force of the strike split the earth, created a small crevice. A dust cloud of debris was stirred up by the air that flowed along the blade yet when the dust cleared the creature was shocked to find Damon's body not at his feet.

'The brat managed to dodge that?' how? I didn't even see it happen, but I'm sure I felt the brat's energy spike for a moment there'

Swerving to its left it discovered him attempting to flee. "Leaving so soon? Is your will that weak?" Slouching forward it bent its knees slight before extended its bloody tendrils, propelling them towards Damon.

Huff… Huff. Huff

Breathing heavily he ran with all his might, His only though now was to survive. When the creature's blade descended upon him, his confidence had completely shattered, he froze up without time to doge the attack, Yet he miraculously survived. He had felt a force pull him back out of the creature's reach. He knew he had expended most of his energy, so without hesitation he ran.

As the tendrils rapidly approached Damon's back, he heard Liz's voice return.

"Why are you running, I'm sure you feel it, your more than capable of dealing with that thing, as long as you use what's special about yourself."

Damon was both confused and surprised. 'I have something special? .... what's so special about me? I don't even know myself!'

As if hearing his doubts another familiar voice sounded. "Your will's strong Damon. Its just you haven't realized it yet." The blurry silhouette of the real Gerald appeared behind him smiling softly before both vanished.

'Wait Liz! Gerald! I don't understand' Caught off guard by their sudden disappearance, Damon was lost in thought. He thought about just continuing to run, but he soon realized, he was slowly reaching the barrier of the mist.

"Will" he muttered with uncertainty.

Closing his eyes he focused on the word, his presence shifting as he suddenly stopped running. Leaping sideways, Damon then slide across the ground, barely dodging the closest incoming strike. In his confusion he felt he was slowly grasping something as his core node began subtly pulling in spiritual energy from the mist.

Turning to face the creature, He began moving faster that before, not away from fear to but confronting the danger with purpose. Each strike of its tendril was met with rapid slashes from his blade. Sparks flew as muscles were spilt paining the soil red. He cut through the air with precision as he dashed towards the creature never once braking sight of it. Not this time.

The creature became amused seeing this change, Taunting Damon with a sneer etched into it face "You can't defeat me by just slashing off my tendrils."

As if reacting to its words Damon's eyes sprung open, jumping he leapt on top of the thickest tendril. Twisting his body he pivoted into a swirl, slashing tendrils as he flew through the air. He quickly closed the distance shocking the creature.

Watching the blade slowly glide to its neck the creature easily knocked the blade off course with its left fist, pushing Damon back slightly before shooting a tendril from Its chest, yet Damon's speed increased again, he vanished before the tendril could even make contact.

"What?!"