If it hadn’t been for Susan’s pink helmet, Jenny was sure she’d be dead. Or at the very least, unconscious, which in this case might as well mean death.
The angel's attack had knocked Jenny down the small flight of stairs. She'd hit the bottom steps before her head bounced off the floor. The helmet absorbed most of the impact, but her insides felt jostled. As though her brain got knocked loose inside her skull.
She saw stars every time she blinked, but that could've just been the glare of the flashlight, which shone on the underside of the stairwell above them. Jenny lay on her back, the Wretched Angel wriggling on top of her. The shield covered her face and torso, and the angel struck it repeatedly. Over and over, its claws raked the smooth surface, making high-pitched jagged sounds like nails against a chalkboard that Jenny felt in her teeth. She thought her ears would start bleeding. It felt like knives puncturing her eardrum.
Grunting, she shoved the creature off with her shield. It backed away unsteadily on its legs, a furious expression on its face. Jenny had exposed her chest to knock it off, but before the angel could get the chance to attack again, Jenny lifted her head off the floor. The light of her flashlight fell directly on the angel's face.
Its eyes went wide, the white glossiness of its eyeball glistening before the Wretched Angel wailed and covered its face with both hands. Instead of normal fingers, each finger looked like long, slender bones ending in razor-sharp fingertips. Rainbows bounced off its pale skin covering, but dark red blood spurted from its face.
In its rush to cover its eyes, the angel scratched its forehead and cheeks. It kept scratching as if it were trying to claw out its eyes. Screeching, it fell back onto the steps, turning over and trying to get back to the top, away from the light.
Jenny stared at its pale ass as the angel scrambled and slipped on the steps. Its spine jutted out from underneath its skin, and she could see its shoulder blades rippling. For a second, she almost thought she was looking at a person. Some deep-rooted instinct wanted to help the creature, help it to its feet and up the stairs. As though it were an old lady that had fallen over on the stairs and needed help.
Unlike with the other Wretched Angels, Jenny couldn't immediately tell what was skin and what was that exoskeleton-like layer of armor they had. It and its covering were pale, except the covering reflected direct light in little scattering rainbows.
The angel just seemed like an average-sized human; it reminded her too much of herself. Pale with waist-length dark hair, skinny with long limbs. They were even about the same height, and Susan would point out that Jenny was usually hunched over the someway the angel was.
If I was an angel, this is what I'd look like.
She shuddered, thinking about earlier when the two Wretched Angels had attacked her and Susan on the first floor. They'd looked like a couple, and she'd been right. The angels were mating. Or doing whatever it is that angels did, because she was certain those sacs carried their babies.
Dr. Lee would love to get his hands on one, she thought. Angel biology, mating habits, and birth. She could already picture the reports, the experiments, and the published journals.
But she'd counted almost five sacs earlier. One on the floor beside the boy, and the others clinging to the ceiling with the male angel. How many children would they have? Would they produce more Tarnished Angels? Somehow that seemed wrong, as she hadn't seen a single angel that resembled a child yet. Every single one seemed like a fully grown human. What if the creatures in the sacs looked like human babies?
She'd have to kill them, she realized with a shudder. It felt wrong, vile... like finding a nest of bird eggs in a tree, only to knock the branches loose and send the eggs hurtling to their demise. Maybe if she just killed the two Wretched Angels, then the sacs would die on their own. Killing the adults didn’t seem nearly as gruesome as hacking through babies.
> Once the fetuses are blooded, they will emerge within hours.
Blooded? Are they vampires? Fuck. Jenny slammed the shield into the floor, cracking it beneath her. She used that to pull herself up into a sitting position. She wasn't hurt, at least she didn't think she was. Stuff ached, but nothing was broken or bleeding. The moment of rest seemed to clear her head. She sucked in several deep breaths as the female angel reached the top step. She heard blood splashing as it crawled across the floor.
Jenny got to her feet and recalled her hatchet, then prepared to kill the Wretched Angel that looked eerily like her. Those claws were dangerous, but its attacks hadn’t felt strong. She was confident she could beat it. How much experience would I get? Maybe I’ll even level up again. A fresh wave of bloodlust went through her. Jenny squeezed her hatchet’s handle.
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Just as she was about to climb the stairs, a blur of purple shimmered into the beam of her flashlight. The other angel, the male, rushed down the stairs. Where had it been this whole time?
Her increased agility enabled her to see its movements. It was like a freight truck barreling down a freeway. Sounded like one too, as each one of its heavy steps made the stairwell shake. She leaped to the side and raised her shield defensively.
The angel’s purple hand struck the shield hard, forcing her to stumble backward as the angel crashed into the wall. She saw its bulging muscles, its purple covering glistening in the flashlight. This creature was strong, but maybe a little too strong
The angel's left side was completely lodged in the wall with only its head, right arm, and right leg loose. Screaming, it struck the wall over and over with its free arm. Each loud thump made everything shake. Its purple head turned every which way as the angel struggled to break out. Dust rained down on its short dark hair.
There was no way in hell Jenny would let this chance slip by. The angel was much too high level for a proper fight. She aimed the light onto its face, making it hiss as it covered its eyes with a big purple hand. Then she stepped forward quickly, keeping her shield up in case the angel swung blindly.
It was gigantic up close, definitely over six feet tall. Its free arm and leg were thick and muscular, and it almost looked like a professional bodyguard or bouncer. Maybe a wrestler. Its leg was as thick as her entire body. She knew that if it grabbed her, it could probably tear her to pieces without much effort, even with her increased durability.
She felt tiny compared to it, but if she could land a hit on its stomach and cut through anything vital, that would weaken it severely. She remembered the first Wretched Angel she'd fought. Its arm injury had slowed it down enough for her to fight without the level difference overwhelming her. If she could just cripple this purple one, she’d stand a much better chance of getting to the third floor alive. She didn’t want to end up as food for angel babies.
Jenny swung as hard as she could, hyper-focusing on its exposed navel where the purple covering didn't seem as thick. Just before impact, the angel's leg shot up.
Her hatchet sunk into the side of its thigh. Its purple covering crackling like aluminum foil. Her edge cut straight through and struck bone so hard that her entire arm vibrated, feeling as though it might snap off her shoulder.
A howl of pain erupted from the angel's lips, and it lashed out, trying to hit her. She ducked low and to the left, dodging its fingers by inches. She tried to yank the hatchet out, but it wouldn't budge at all. For a moment, panic rushed through her head. Then the angel banged on the wall with a mighty roar. The impact sounded like thunder, and the entire wall cratered.
Dust and debris rained down from above as a massive fissure worked its way down to the floor and up the stairwell. It almost felt like another earthquake. This part of the building really might collapse, she realized, horrified at the thought of getting buried in rubble with these angels trying to tear her apart
Jenny kicked the angel's wounded leg and slid away from it. Just as she was about to recall the hatchet, the angel grabbed the handle and wrenched it out of its thigh. Blood sprayed the wall and floor, but it didn’t seem to care. The angel glowered at her, its brows furrowed in rage, then it hurled the hatchet straight at her.
Golden light flashed right as the hatchet’s edge sunk into her helmet. It immediately spun safely into her open hand, and Jenny gasped in relief, breathing hard. The Wretched Angel raged against the wall, thrashing its arm and clawing at the crater where it ripped off chunks and hurled them over her head.
Shaking with adrenaline, Jenny licked the sweat above her lips. She should've been terrified. Her body ached, her helmet was partially cut, and she desperately needed water. But she felt a strange sense of giddiness. The angel had nearly killed her with her own hatchet, but she didn't even feel shocked. No terror. No desire to run away. It was the same sensation as before, the confidence of betting her entire life on this fight.
The angel’s throw reminded her of what she’d done in the hallway in front of the library. Launching her hatchet with enough force to burst a Tarnished Angel's head open. How much damage would that attack do against a Wretched Angel as strong as this one? She couldn't wait to find out.
The adrenaline rush was stronger than any high she'd ever felt before, and she stood, trembling with anticipation.
> Skill acquired!
>
> Savage Throw (Tier 1) - Throw an object with increased power and speed to deal heavy damage. Draws heavily on stamina and scales in power with strength.
The notification blossomed in her head like a flower. Her flashlight had the angel screeching and struggling relentlessly. Jenny's lips stretched into a smile, not needing Eve's explanation. She'd felt the change inside her, the way she'd manifested the ability into existence. And it felt... good. Like she'd discovered something marvelous and beautiful. It was visceral proof of her growth.
She raised her arm, ready to stomp forward and throw, using her hips and legs to drive the motion. She imagined the hatchet bursting the Wretched Angel's purple head open, splattering the ruined wall with its blood. She could almost taste the notification of its death.
Instead, something slammed into her from behind. The female angel had thrown its weight against Jenny's lower back, forcing her tumbling forward into the reach of the male's.
Wide-eyed, Jenny raised her shield, the edge knocking away the Wretched Angel's purple arm just before its fingers reached her face. The impact sent her hurling backward, toppling over the angel pushing her.
This time she didn't land on her back. Instead, Jenny flexed her core, rolled off the female angel, and landed on her feet.
Whoa. Before she could celebrate the crazy gymnastics move, the female angel whirled around, screeching like mad on all fours. Its dark hair streamed down the side of its head, drenched in sweat and blood. Its face made Jenny's stomach twist.
Blood ran down its pale cheeks like ruined mascara. The female had clawed out its eyes; the only things staring back at Jenny were the dark gaping voids of its empty sockets. Its lips curled back, exposing its stained teeth and retreated gums, and it hissed. The light no longer affected the creature, and it sniffed the air once before pouncing.