The hatchet caught the Wretched Angel on its collarbone with a resounding clang. Its black covering cracked upon impact, but that was as far as her hatchet went.

Screeching, the angel leaped back before the edge of her hatchet could cut any deeper. There was no blood. The angel's tendrils swished madly over its head as it hissed, clutching its collarbone, a furious expression on its face.

Fuck. She hadn't expected that. She'd hoped to hit it hard enough quickly, maybe chop off its head, but at least cripple it. Jenny shook out her arms and straightened her back. Just hitting the angel hurt like hell. Knocking its arm away with the shield made her shoulder and elbow ache.

This one was definitely denser than the other high leveled Wretched Angel in the stairwell. It was thicker and more muscular, and its covering felt harder. Like she was trying to cut through a thick layer of metal. The purple male angel from the stairwell had been much easier to slice, except for its bones. But she’d assumed that was because her power just hadn’t been high enough.

But it was obvious now that raising power wasn't the only thing that mattered. She’d need to increase durability as well, otherwise, her body won’t withstand the blows. It wasn’t just for defense.

Jenny licked the sweat above her lips, not taking her eyes off the Wretched Angel. She wanted to check the lecture hall, find out who was inside and if Oliver was with them, but that would have to wait.

The angel's tendrils whipped the air. Then the creature hissed, launching itself forward on all fours. It was even faster now, and she recognized the attack. That was how the angel had knocked Susan away before; it was going to barrel into Jenny.

It slammed into her shield like a train ramming through a truck stalled on the tracks. The impact launched Jenny. Air rippled, and the next thing she knew, her back crunched against a wall.

Jenny sank to the floor, her head spinning with nausea, the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She'd flown over Miriam and was right beside the teacher's lounge now. The flashlight pointed at her, blurring her vision with its bright light. Squinting, she could make out the blurry dark figure of the menacing angel.

She coughed up blood. A series of swear words filled her head, but the only thing she could spit out was more blood. She touched the back of her head and felt it slick and wet. Her fingers came away glistening and red, and she blinked several times, trying to clear the spots in her vision.

She slammed her shield against the floor, sputtering, struggling to climb to her feet. Where was the hatchet? This stupid light was hurting her eyes. A groan filled her throat as piercing pain shot down her spine and into her legs. What was the angel doing?

It seemed to be hesitating. Sniffing the air. Was it smelling the boy in the room? No.

It set its eyes on Miriam’s limp form. It was going after the easy prey.

Jenny exhaled slowly, trying to ignore the gurgling sound in her lungs. She couldn’t let the creature get to Miriam. Gritting her teeth, Jenny took a shaky step. Then another.

A minor potion of healing flashed into existence in her hand, costing her a hundred Energy. She bit the stopper and yanked it out and downed the red liquid, all while eyeing the Wretched Angel. It had paused when Jenny moved and cocked its head curiously when she created the potion.

Stupid angel. Steam rose from her body; more light flashed as she summoned her hatchet. Her healing became smooth, and the sharp shooting pains lessened to a dull throb. Then she stomped forward, throwing her weapon with all her might. Savage Throw.

The hatchet spun through the air. The angel roared, trying to swipe it out of the air. But the edge struck its face, snapping its head back. The handle jutted out upwards, pointing at the ceiling. The hatchet was lodged in its jaw.

Blood gushed from its mouth as Jenny recalled her hatchet. Then she saw the damage: she’d cut right through its bottom jaw, splitting it in half. The angel grabbed its face, screaming.

Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Jenny dashed forward, leaping over Miriam. She slammed into the angel with her shield, wishing she could just repeat that burst of speed from earlier. She could’ve hit the creature just as hard as it had hit her. But it felt like the more she tried to force it; the less likely it was to manifest. How had she turned Savage Throw into a skill?

Frustrated, she struck the angel again with the shield, hitting it right on the split jaw. She stepped forward. Something crunched beneath her boot, and she swung with her hatchet, aiming again for its throat.

The angel spun away from her attack, then swung. Its muscles glistened. Its fingers closed right in front of her face as she flinched, splattering her with droplets of blood. It was trying to grab her.

But she’d gotten a close look at its ruined face. Her hatchet had gone through its lower jaw, splitting the bottom of its skull in half and cracking the black covering around its neck. It was missing teeth. The tip of its tongue stuck out painfully from the bottom of its head, lodged between the two halves of its cracked jaw.

Jenny stumbled back and stepped to the side, dodging the angel's next attempt to smack her. It clasped its hands together and tried again, this time trying to smash her into the floor with an overhead attack.

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But she'd raised her shield, letting it absorb the blow. The vibrations rocked through every single bone, and she dropped to her knees. "Fuck," she spat, pain ringing throughout her arm and shoulder.

From this position, the angel's legs were exposed. If she could cut one deeply enough, she’d slow the creature down. Before she could attack, it grabbed her shield. Its massive fingers curling around the edges. Her eyes went wide as the angel wrenched her off the floor. Her legs swung through the air, and she felt like a ragdoll. Then her body crashed hard against the lockers, crumpling several of the rectangular metal faces before collapsing on the floor. Her armor clinked as she landed on her left side, pain staining her vision red.

The angel towered over her, muscles bulging, blood dripping from its ruined jaw. It tried to grab her again, reaching for her head with its oversized hand.

Every muscle in her body screamed for air, but she held her breath, focusing as hard as she could on the angel's fingers nearing her face. She didn't want to mess up this next attack; she wanted revenge.

Golden light filled her palm, and she swung upward. Her hatchet sliced through its fingers, and with a screech of agony, the angel backed away, clutching its hand as blood spurted all over the place. Jenny sucked air into her burning lungs, and before the angel's severed fingers hit the floor, she was on her feet.

She bashed the angel with her shield, hitting it right on the injured hand. "How's that feel?" she hissed, striking it across the hip with her hatchet.

The angel's face was twisted with rage. Her hatchet bounced off its side, chipping away at the black covering. Before she could hit it again, the angel seized her arm.

All of a sudden, she was airborne. Her nose whizzed past the ceiling - for an intense fraction of a moment, she saw the dotted paint pattern on the tiles of the ceiling- then she was hurtling down the hall. The angel had grabbed her by the arm, turned, and launched her over its own head.

The lockers and classroom doors blurred by. The floor rushed up to meet her face. She had just enough time to turn midair so that she landed on her shield.

She slammed into the floor, bounced twice, then skid several feet, tearing up the tiles beneath her. She felt like a meteorite crashing into the earth, kicking up sparks and debris and dust.

When finally she came to a stop, there was a ringing in Jenny's head. Like someone had smashed a gong and the sound was reverberating, bouncing from one ear to the other then back.

Grunting, painfully aware of the throbbing in her left side, she got to her feet and leaned against the wall for support. She'd landed near the double doors that led into the labs. One of them was knocked askew, hanging off a hinge from when the Wretched Angel had burst through.

She tried to steady her breathing, keeping her focus on the angel. It was on all fours, picking something up off the floor. Its fingers and teeth. Did it understand that loss? Was it hurting? Realizing it could never grab anything again with that hand? Scratch itself or poke something or hold someone’s hand?

That's right you stupid piece of shit. Jenny winced, rolling her shield arm and feeling something crack in her shoulder. Your mate took my fingers. I took yours.

She remembered reading somewhere that anyone could bite a finger off like a carrot. The human jaw was more than strong enough, and fingerbones were delicate. It was the brain that stopped people.

A bitter sense of satisfaction gave her strength. The dizzying feeling faded, and she didn't hurt anywhere except for the aching in her shoulder. She wouldn't need to use another potion. She glanced down at her right arm, the one the angel had grabbed. A few of the scales were cracked, the armor dented inwards around her forearm. The angel’s grip was no joke, but at least now it could only grab her with one hand. Its other hand was just as useless as her own left hand.

Maybe I should cut off its penis next, she thought watching it sniff one of the severed fingers. That would really send a message to its mate. If they did the deed the way she thought they did at least.

She summoned her hatchet back to her hand and was just about to throw it when she saw what the angel was doing. Jenny froze, recoiling in disgust.

The angel was eating its own fingers. It turned its head to look at her, one long black finger wriggling between its teeth. Except the bottom jaw was split; each side moved independently, giving the creature an even more grotesque appearance as blood gushed between its chin. The crackle of its fingerbones made Jenny shudder.

Its tendrils fluttered over its back, and she focused on them instead of its ruined mouth and cannibalism. Her ears still rang from being thrown, and she tried not to think about what would've happened if the angel had smashed her against the ceiling instead of just flinging her. At best, her nose would've been smashed inward. At worst, her head would've burst, her insides splattering the tiles like modern art.

Golden light shimmered and drew her attention. But Jenny wasn't making anything. It was the angel. The light danced around its injured hand. Her heart sank as she watched its fingers grow back, snapping and crackling and echoing down the hall. Long and black and sleek, covered in more armor than before, the new fingers grew into fully formed claws.

Then it grabbed its jaw with both hands. Jenny heard a disgusting crunch, and the light shimmered around its chin and neck. The angel dropped to all fours and hissed, its newly healed lips stretching into a wide grin as it bared its new fangs.

That's not fair. What the fuck. Could they do that this entire time?

> It appears this Wretched Angel has developed a skill.

What? But before she could press Eve for more, she saw the Angel sniffing the air. The creature turned away from Jenny. It was staring at Miriam.

"No, you fucking don't," whispered Jenny. She saw the angel rush, an explosion of sudden movement. She threw her hatchet, trying to put every ounce of power into the attack. Savage Throw.

The hatchet whistled through the air. The resulting wind blew her hair back. But her stomach sank. She knew it wasn’t going to land; she’d overthrown, misjudging the angel's speed.

It sailed right over the angel's shoulders, missing its head by inches, before smashing into the other end of the hallway. Right into the crater from when Jenny had crashed into that wall earlier.

The sound drew the Wretched Angel's attention for a split second. Its tendrils wriggled and snapped, then it continued stomping towards Miriam's body.

No, no, no, no! She blinked. She’d missed.

The world seemed to slow. Her hand shook as she tried to summon her hatchet again, but there was no time. The angel was almost upon Miriam, and she’d never be able to throw the hatchet again before it grabbed Miriam. And what if she missed again? Her head spun, picturing the worst. With Miriam’s delicate composition, she wouldn’t last a second.

Light flashed in her hand, twisting and flowing. Time thrummed to a standstill. The space between every one of her heartbeats filled with a deafening silence. She had to rush forward. The same way she’d stopped Miriam from opening the door. That impulsive motion she'd done out of instinct. That same burst of speed. She had to do it. And she had to do it now.

> Skill acquired!

>

> Instant Acceleration (Tier 1)