Requiem for an Aberrant Chapter 8: Chapter 8- Resolve

Read chapter 8 of Requiem for an Aberrant by TheJestersGambit on NovelPedia.

The white creature's limbs slapped against stone, bouncing through the gorge. It wasn’t the kind of monster you braced yourself against, but a nightmare given form. There was no time to strategise, not when a creature born to hunt was chasing them. Aegis grabbed his arm, stopping him from ascending. “We need to fight.” Cole noticed the way his stance was held, rooted like he wasn’t even considering running, as if he had bypassed the effects of the creature's shrieks. Maybe that was what hit hardest. Aegis wasn’t just being brave, he was being certain, already decided that forward was the only direction that ever mattered. Cole felt something twist in his throat. “Let go.” He reached for the scythe across his back. “Do you have a plan?” Aegis asked, just above the approaching creature shrieking. Their eyes locked on the thing as it hurtled closer, the inside of its splitting skin everchanging, pressing outward like an existence trying to escape itself. “Same plan as always.” Cole planted his boots into the stone ground, his heartbeat slowly returning to its normal pace. “Keep breathing.” Small debris kicked out from his boots as he hit the ground below in a crouch, only for the gorge to scream back at him as the monster closed in. But he didn’t look backward. Aegis followed, his feet barely touching the ground before the creature lunged toward Cole. Cole snapped his wrist, yellow wisps of Essentia birthed around him, a construct of a glowing spear snapping into existence with edges that hummed like angry wasps. He sent it forward with ease. The spear pierced the creature’s chest at dead centre, and for a breathless second, Cole thought it might have worked, if the creature hadn’t twitched. The hands writhing beneath its skin clutched the spear and pulled inwards, its faceless head twisting toward him and stretching wide until it formed a sick imitation of a smile. It screamed once more. The sound struck harder than its limbs ever could. His ears rang as the wail vibrated through his ribs, like the creature had reached inside him and squeezed his lungs. Cole didn’t collapse but his knees slightly bent, his jaw tensing at the sound. ‘Don’t flinch. Don’t give in.’ Aegis moved with his sword drawn, he pushed forward and slashed across the creature’s exposed side, the blade tearing through flesh as black ichor sprayed the ground. A new arm burst from its side, wrapping instantly around Aegis’s leg, his own Essentia construct of a dark-purple shield manifested too late. The limb bent at a sickening angle, dragging Aegis toward the creature’s chest like prey to a maw. Cole’s instincts screamed one thing: Don’t let Aegis get consumed. He threw out his hand as Essentia spun into a glowing ring of ten spears, launching down. The first spear missed as the creature twisted, the second was batted away with a violent slap, the third sliced its shoulder open. Ichor flew but the creature galloped to avoid the rest. Aegis acted with the space provided, slamming his free foot into the creature’s stomach and pushing, buying just enough distance to swing his blade again, severing the arm that still held him. The limb hit the ground twitching as another limb exploded from its gut, this time reaching for Cole in an attempt to remove the distraction. Cole kicked off the ground and darted past the creature, swinging his scythe with his full force. The cut was deep. But still not enough. The creature turned on him, faster than before, as if even it knew this chance couldn’t be wasted. A hand shot from its neck and grabbed his own like a vice, its grip squeezing against his scars. Cole barely had time to brace before it hurled him into the gorge wall. The breath left his lungs as pain plagued his chest. ‘Shit—Did I… fracture something?’ He blinked rapidly, taking deep breaths. ‘Steady, Cole. Steady.’ [Lifestream Increased: 1200 > 1225] He forced himself out of the crater, vision swimming. Although his body screamed at him to stop, he wouldn’t. Because d