The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Burn or Smolder

Read chapter 11 of The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] by Adamus_Auguste on NovelPedia.

Chapter 11: Burn or Smolder Hunched forward, the scarf obscuring his face like a hood, Kael circled the shop to a dead-end alley. He studied his surroundings, then double-checked the crowd cheering the temple priests. No one returned his vengeful gaze in the hubbub that swallowed his presence. Perfect. He glared at his palms. It better work... With a wince, he gripped a pipe steaming against the winter cold, but the scalding metal didn't make him jerk his hands. Instead, it reminded him of picking up tins before the tallow candles cooled enough. It worked, but he'd get actual burns if he lingered. Thrusting his thin arms up, his bare feet found grooves on the metallic wall, and he hoisted himself up. The edge of the sloped roof pressed against his elbows a couple of seconds later. He expected exhaustion to hit him, that he'd take long enough to feel the sting of the pipe. Yet, his muscles didn't throb as they would have last week, and his breath came out steady. I'm not stronger, but endurance makes me last longer. His eyes sharpened to the peak of the roof. Slowly, he crawled upward until Tovin and Ash's backs faced him. They stood by the edge, Tovin's fist raised, Ash watching with his arms crossed over his chest. Both their screams joined the celebration. Kael pressed himself against the roof, his hot hand muffling his breath, his eyes darting to the other roofs. Children and gang members all watched the priests before their sermon. It's now or never. Can I do it? No, I'll make them pay! He slid down the metal, then tiptoed behind the teenagers. They didn't realise until he latched his arm around Ash's neck. He wrenched it against his waist, squeezing as much with his bones as with his thin muscles. His other hand shot inside Tovin's pocket, closing onto his knife. "K-Kael?!" Tovin shrieked while Ash instantly elbowed Kael's stomach with an enraged gurgle. Kael gasped, the air caught in his throat, but the pain couldn't stop him from swinging. Tovin's eyes widened as the cold blade flashed across his throat. His mouth opened and closed. No sounds. Only wet gurgles. Blood poured from the thin line, disbelief twisting his face, his eyes pleading for a mercy that would never come. He crashed on the roof, his hands twitching one last time. Kael watched Tovin draw his last, and even Ash paused in his counter-attack. The feeling of slicing flesh, the blood dripping from the blade—they made the knife tremble. He had fought, broken noses, or legs over junk. But killing... made him bite his lip until the taste of blood filled his mouth. Ash forced him to recover with a barrage of strikes. The teenager tried to roar his grief, tears trailing down his cheeks. With a grunt, Kael dropped the knife. He threw himself back, bringing Ash to the ground. His free hand pushed Ash's neck forward, while he gripped his biceps with the other one. Ash struggled, but now that Kael was beneath him, his elbows barely reached him. Slowly, his face turned from pale red to purple. His strikes slowed and weakened until he tapped Kael's shoulder pleadingly. For a moment, Kael hesitated. Not because of disgust or morale, but something he couldn't put his finger on. A feeling of wrongness that clawed at him, and the sensation of something cracking. Then, he tightened his chokehold, whispering with venomous contempt. "You beat me up, stabbed me, and left me for dead naked after robbing all I had. How do you feel standing on the receiving end? Where is your gang? Where is your smug face when you cursed my mom when she wasted our money to celebrate your birthday? Plead for her forgiveness. You won't get mine." Ash's fingers clawed at his shoulder, then eventually stilled. It was only after ten more seconds passed that Kael released him. Even then, he pressed his ear against the frozen chest for heartbeats and placed his fingers beneath his nose for breath. Nothing but Ash's eyes, frozen in a glazed, reluctant glare. Somehow, the satisfaction, as cold as it shou