Jenny licked her lips, not taking her eyes off the Wretched Angel. It had noticed her as soon as she’d stepped out of the bathroom, but it hadn’t attacked. Instead, it seemed to be observing her with those vacant white eyes. Its green face glistened like an insect’s shell. She heard it swallow a chunk of angel flesh, a wet disgusting sound that made her grimace.
The creature dropped down on all fours, favoring its uninjured right arm. It still looked oddly human, just like the other angels had. Its long dark hair fell across its face, and Jenny brushed her own back.
The green skin didn’t cover everything; its breasts and belly and inner thighs were still pale and bare, but it was looking less like a skeleton with skin. She got the feeling that it wasn’t fully transformed yet, and she didn’t want to know what a completed transformation would look like. The angel opened its mouth, revealing glistened blood-stained teeth.
Unlike the Tarnished Angels, it didn’t hiss. It hadn’t even charged her mindlessly. She’d braced herself for that and had been ready to rush into the stairwell to lead it away. Instead, it seemed wary of her hatchet and was sizing her up. It had intelligence, she realized. Could these creatures think?
Jenny stepped over a corpse. There were slash marks across its face and body that looked very much like claw marks. She glanced at the Wretched Angel’s hands and saw long green fingernails. So, it wouldn’t just grab her. It would scratch and tear and rip her open. But its green covering gave Jenny an idea.
She adjusted her grip on the hatchet, painfully aware of how quiet the hallway was and the stench of blood in her nose. Armor, she thought. Just like with the healing potion, she could imagine herself some protection.
Without looking away from the angel’s blank stare, Jenny pictured what she wanted. Something lightweight that wouldn’t slow her down. Something to keep those nails from ripping through her. Something to stop those teeth from sinking into her flesh.
> Light armor will cost 30 Energy for upper body equipment and 25 Energy for lower body equipment. Sufficient Energy.
Fuck yes! She had just enough.
> 0 Energy remaining.
Golden light encircled her. She saw the Wretched Angel’s eyes widening. It took a step back.
The light felt like a weighted blanket, comforting and warm. Her Stanford hoodie melted away, and she shuddered as her jeans did the same. For a moment, she was bare and trembling as the angel watched. It seemed afraid of the light. Hesitating like a wild animal startled by fire.
She shuddered as the light turned liquid and pressed against her body. It felt cool and warm at the same time, oddly soothing as it solidified. The red fabric of her hoodie became layers and layers of what looked like fish scales, dark red and glistening. It was like she was wearing a long sleeve made out of some metallic fabric that also covered her hands like fingerless gloves.
Her grip on the hatchet felt studier; she wouldn’t have to worry about it slipping because of sweaty palms. Her dark jeans had changed as well: dark blue scales that ran down her legs. The armor hugged her body without feeling constraining.
A wild thrill filled Jenny’s chest as she stared down the angel. It was so much stronger than her if levels meant what she thought they did. Green and monstrous and a cannibalistic nightmare. And she was just a tiny high school senior… So why was she giddy?
There was something freeing about choosing to fight, she realized. It was fight or die, and she was betting her entire life on this. No holding back. No respawning. A fight to the death. Or was she so beyond terrified that she was delirious?
“Alright,” she said, sucking in a deep breath and preparing herself. “C’mon then, you stupid fuckface. Eat my ass.”
The hallway was dim and gloomy again. The angel bared its teeth and placed one hand in front of the other, its green skin glistening like a roach’s shell. She got the feeling it was studying her change, calculating.
She stepped forward, holding her hatchet with both hands, mindful of the bodies on the floor. She didn’t want to trip and give it an opportunity. The angel screamed, the same warbled scream she’d heard earlier from the bathroom, and it charged. Its gait awkward and clumsy, it knocked the other angels’ bodies aside and rushed towards her. A look of pure malice on its face.
It closed the distance so quickly; Jenny barely had a chance to react. She sidestepped and swung. The angel swiped with its good arm. Jenny cried out and swung. She struck nothing but air. The Angel’s nails bounced off her armor in a flurry of sparks as it went flying by.
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Jenny stumbled back. The impact of its nails against her chest armor hurt and she knew she’d definitely be lying on the floor with her chest split open if it wasn’t for the armor. She tried to steady her breath, adjusting her grip on the hatchet. One clean hit. If she could just chop off an arm or better yet, bury her hatchet in its neck, then it would be enough.
The Wretched Angel circled around her, limping in a strangely chimp-like way. Its green skin glistening. Its face distorted in rage. With a snarl, it lunged. The movement was so sudden and quick, it was in her face, and she was falling backward. It had thrown all of its weight against her.
Crying out, she landed on her back but managed to bring one knee up, driving it into the creature’s exposed belly. It growled and slobbered, but it couldn’t reach her face with its teeth. Saliva and blood and chunks of flesh rained down on her face as she struggled to keep it away with her leg. Then it grabbed her hair and yanked so hard she swore it would rip her scalp off.
Screaming, Jenny raised her left arm out of reflex, trying to push the angel off. But it took the opportunity to bite down on her forearm. The armor crackled as its teeth sunk in. Its eyes, empty and ferocious and bulging, stared right into her own as pain shot through her arm.
Her vision blurry from the pain, she swung the hatchet with her other arm. There wasn’t enough space to get proper momentum, but the edge sliced into the exposed flesh of its belly. The angel released her and shrieked, a loud throaty shriek that echoed all over and made her head spin.
“Get off,” she screamed, kicking it with all her might. Her boot struck where she’d cut the creature, and it scrambled away, clutching itself.
Blood splattered the floor with its every step, and it clambered over another angel’s corpse, snarling.
Jenny climbed to her feet breathless and sweaty. She looked at the teeth marks in her arm. Some of the red scales were cracked. It felt wet beneath the armor. The angel's teeth had punctured her skin. Her head felt like it was on fire from where it had pulled her hair, and tears ran down her cheeks, but she couldn’t help but feel triumphant.
She wiped the blood and sweat off her face with the back of her hand, ignoring the sharp pain in her arm. Her heart raced, and everything ached, but she felt alive. So much more alive than ever before. This rush was like nothing she’d felt before. Sure, she’d pop off in games and go on a kill streak while everyone cheered her on. And that would feel exciting and awesome, but this… this was exhilarating beyond belief.
The angel seemed hurt pretty bad now. She was glad she’d put her points into Power before. But maybe next time, she’d try Agility or Stamina. Her lungs burned, and the only thing keeping her going was adrenaline. And she was too slow. If the angel hadn’t already been injured, she got the feeling it would've been much faster, and she’d never have kept up.
If one of its claws had found her face, it would’ve gouged out an eye or ripped out her nose.
Blood dripped off the sharp edge of her hatchet. Something wet dribbled down her forehead and onto her eye. Blood or angel spittle or sweat, it stung. Out of reflex, she raised a hand to wipe her brow, and the Wretched Angel charged again.
This time it didn’t scream. Blood spilling from its belly, it rushed forward with a surprising burst of speed on its hands and feet. Jenny swung hard in a desperate bid to decapitate the creature, but it dropped low to the ground.
Dodging the hatchet, it leaped from underneath her, ramming it shoulder into Jenny’s torso with enough force to push all the air out of her lungs and knock her off her feet.
The hatchet skidded away. The back of her head struck the floor with a loud crack. Pain, blood red and hot, burst through her thoughts and clouded her vision.
It hurt to breathe, but she sucked in several shallow breaths, wondering if this was how she died. She should've just run and let it chase her down the stairwell or something. Anything. Groaning, she reached for her hatchet, but the dark hallway seemed to be spinning uncontrollably.
She blinked as she felt a weight on top of her. The angel’s lips curled into a sinister grin, its green face hovering over her. It raised an arm, and she clenched her jaws, unable to even raise her arm to fight back.
But instead of slashing her across the face, it froze. Its entire body trembled violently, its green skin shimmering uncontrollably as it let out a distorted wail. Jenny heard the crackling of Susan’s cattle prod and then saw her blue hair.
The angel whirled around and struck Susan, knocking her against the wall. Then it lunged and grabbed her leg, pulling so hard that her head struck the wall as she collapsed to the floor.
Susan cried out, kicking and trying to scramble out of its grip. But the angel bit down on Susan’s leg, its teeth sinking into the round flesh of her calf. Susan screamed.
Her scream was so shrill and loud and heartbreaking that Jenny felt goosebumps. She forced herself up, reaching blindly and desperately for her hatchet. Her fingers curled around its handle, and she crawled as quickly as she could over to the angel.
Suddenly, it wasn’t a rush anymore. There was no excitement. Only the cold hard feeling that she wanted the creature dead. With a shout, she swung the hatchet with every ounce of strength she had left.
The sharp edge connected with the angel’s lower back, slicing into its green covering with a crack. The angel stopped tearing into Susan’s leg and let go. What sounded like a wail came from its bloodied lips as its face hit the floor.
Huffing, Jenny wrenched the hatchet out of its back. Blood spurted out of the gash. The angel’s entire body convulsed, and she realized she’d cut through its spine.
The angel crawled forward, pulling itself with its arms and using its chin, still trying to get to Susan. Its legs didn’t move. It wailed. The sound was gut-wrenching, like watching baby animals crying for their mothers, but Jenny only paused for a second.
She struck again, aiming for the back of its neck. This time, the edge sliced all the way through and clanged against the hallway floor so hard that the vibrations ran up her arms.
> You’ve defeated Wretched Angel (Level 12)
>
> +50 Energy
>
> Experience has been awarded accordingly.
> Leveled up!
>
> Jenny Huang Level 3 - > Level 7
>
> +8 Stat Points
> Hatchet Upgrade
>
> Tier 1 - > Tier 2