The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] Chapter 13: Chapter 13: A Vow in the Waste

Read chapter 13 of The Crack In Heaven [A LitRPG Progression Fantasy] by Adamus_Auguste on NovelPedia.

Chapter 13: A Vow in the Waste An icy shudder ran down Kael's spine. Barely, reflexively, he dropped his bundle. Before he could even cross his arms to protect himself, the gray blur was on him. Five dark nails whistled from his left, an inch from his ear. They would shred his face. No! Desperate to live, he wrenched himself to the right. The nails dug five lines in his ear, then half his left cheek. He escaped having half his face torn open by crashing against the wall shoulder-first. Trembling, he covered the searing wounds. Blood seeped through his fingers, a slow drip against the rapid flutter of the rat-man's ragged clothes. Once again, nails were on him. From bottom to top. No time to think or plan. Kael slammed both fists on the rat-man's forearms an inch before his nails eviscerated him. The impact made his bones vibrate. For a split second, he held the lock. Then, he felt as if a mine boulder collapsed on his arms. His muscles numbed, and his arms flew over his head. He stumbled back, the narrow block helping. Not enough. Five more lines seared his abs to his collarbone. Clenching his jaw to muffle a scream of agony, he turned and scrambled. His heart drummed, mirroring his mind's screams of pure terror. This damn creature was way too fast. And strong, too, much stronger than even the most well-fed miner he knew. Endurance couldn't protect him from those nails. He couldn't even fight back at all. He had to flee. To survive. The creature's faster than me. Damn it. Damn it! Even if it leaves me be, my rations are in the bundle. Shit! Why are there monsters in the sewers? As he scrambled, the rat-man lurched on all four to chase. "Tonio, wait." He turned to the man who looked like a half-melted candle. "He'll die from his wounds, but we can question him before. Bring him back alive." "Bad dog dead." Tonio squeaked. "Alive. Questions. Giovanni smart." The blistered man with pus trailing down his face like sweat sighed. "You were the smartest before... No, forget it. Go, Tonio. Take your time until he's out of strength." As if delighted by the compliment, Tonio let out an eager squeak and rushed behind his prey. *** Kael was back into the sewer passage, the wall he traced his only guide in the consuming darkness. The more he ran, the more his breath came out ragged. Exhaustion? Impossible with his endurance. His wounds prickled a little more with each step, and sweat stuck his dark hair to his forehead. Thoughts slipped away from his grasp. Something was wrong. He knew this sensation; everyone did: illness. A tremor rocked his stomach. He lurched over his knees, the disgusting taste of bile forcing its way to his mouth. Tearing, he vomited against the wall, but he didn't taste just acid—the coppery taste of blood joined it. Then, he collapsed on his back, shivering, both cold and burning. How? I thought... Cold can't make me sick. Rat, sewers; that thing's nails can make others ill. I refuse to die. I'll heal. He'll catch me... Slow footsteps shattered his disoriented thoughts. The next moment, he was heaved on a furred shoulder. His limbs limped down the defined muscles of the rat-man. "Why... why don't you kill me?" "Dog no talk. Giovanni questions, then dog dies, understand?" "I'm not with the—" A knock on Kael's head forced his mouth closed. He didn't know what he thought about on the way back to the torch-lit room, and knew even less about what was happening. He just knew that the rat-man discharged him on a discolored sheet before he sat beside the blistered man at the table with a proud grin. While the blistered man scratched Tonio behind his round ears, Giovanni leaned over Kael. His temples sagged over his eyes, and his cheeks looked about to drip like tallow. "Tell me, kid, why did the Sump Dogs send you with enough rations to last a week?" He pointed at the five loaves of bread and the canteen on the table. "I'm... not with the dogs," Kael whispered the same answer. If only he could convince them, he knew he'd s