All His Angels Are Starving

The hallway melted away; her peripheral vision blurred and faded till all that remained was the target. She threw all her focus at the muscular black form of the angel, willing her body forward, propelling herself with nothing more than the desire to move at the speed of sound.

She rocketed towards the creature; Jenny's shield smashed into the Imperfect Angel's back. The impact flashed like a bolt of lightning. Cracks spread through the angel's covering, and in that same instant, the creature slammed into the wall at the end of the hallway.

Her ears rang. Her cheeks stung from how her hair had whipped her face. She'd hit the angel with enough force to crumple the lockers to her right as well as roll Miriam over.

The angel's head was buried in the ruined wall. Its body hung limp, knees on the floor, and if it weren't for the fluttering tendrils that rose from its spine, she would've thought it was dead.

A phlegmy cough erupted from her chest. She struck a nearby locker with her hatchet as she doubled over and spat up blood. The impact had gone straight to her bones, and a lesson from Physics teased her thoughts. Newton's third law: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. She was surprised all the bones in her left arm weren’t shattered.

"Is it dead?" came a small voice.

Jenny blinked away tears and saw Miriam cowering on the floor. She was on her stomach, frozen with fear, and staring at the angel's large body. The back covering was cracked, several chunks missing, revealing pale white skin that glistened wetly in the flashlight.

"Can you move?" whispered Jenny, scraping through her thoughts, trying to figure out what to do. Her body ached so much. The angel twitched, and loose debris rained down from the ceiling. "Miriam!" Jenny hissed with more urgency when the girl didn't respond.

Miriam looked back over her shoulder, tears running down her cheeks. She nodded slightly, the pink helmet rattling.

"Okay," said Jenny, shutting her eyes. Just taking a breath sent sharp shooting pains from her ribs to her spine and down her legs. "Back there in the AP Chem room. 223. I saw someone in there. Go." She heard Miriam's shuffling beside her, and she looked down to see the other girl on all fours, too terrified to even stand.

Miriam crawled to room 223, sobbing. She knocked so lightly on the bottom of the door, that Jenny almost didn't hear it. But whoever was inside, must have, because the door opened quickly. There was a pause. Jenny spotted a shadow moving, then Miriam crawled inside, and the door shut firmly, leaving her alone in the hall with the Imperfect Angel.

Could've at least left me the helmet...

With the angel struggling to get out of the wall, Jenny took a moment to steady her breathing, trying to will the aching and hurting away. Her heart was still racing, but a fresh wave of excitement sizzled inside her. Not only did she no longer have to worry about Miriam's immediate safety, but she'd done it! She'd created a new skill, the same way she'd made Savage Throw.

Instant Acceleration...

Using it was draining, to say the least. She could go fast. Insanely fast. But only in one single direction. She realized she'd seen it before. In the stairwell, the male Imperfect Angel had done something similar rushing down the stairs to attack her. It hadn't been as quick as her skill, but it was still fast enough to do serious damage. Did I pick that up subconsciously?

Jenny took a shaky step and winced as pain blossomed in her knee. Her leg nearly buckled. "Fuck," she spat, saliva running down her chin. Her eyes unfocused as her head throbbed.

The angel was stuck. This was the perfect opportunity to finish it off. Just one more blow maybe. To its back where the covering was cracked and falling apart. But she could barely move. This was not good.

I'm sorry, Susan... Jenny had wanted to save as much energy as she could to heal Susan's leg. But it didn't seem like she had a choice now.

Though it would be stupid to make two separate potions for healing and stamina. Why not make something to restore both?

On top of that, something to at least temporarily buff her durability. Her attacks were getting stronger with her increased power and new skills, but they'd be pointless if her body ended up falling apart.

Jenny tried picturing what she wanted, shaping it with her thoughts like a sculpture would caress a slab of marble. She shut her eyes tight, trying to ignore her body, but she heard the angel break free. It landed on the floor with a heavy thud, and her heart sank. She'd lost her opportunity.

Squeezing her hatchet, she focused on the potion she was trying to will into existence the same way she'd willed Instant Acceleration. Thinking without straining, trusting her instinct. Imagining it.

A round spherical glass bottle, bigger than the vials. It had to be bigger because it had to do more. She pictured glowing orange liquid; she pictured it fortifying her bones and muscle, restoring her strength.

It felt like running her hand through a beam of light that snuck through her bedroom window every morning when the sun was angled just right. Her fingers fluttered through specks of floating dust, never feeling anything, but knowing the photos and microorganisms must be there.

Her breath caught in her throat. She felt a snag. As though her mind had come upon something and that something pulled on her. Her hatchet fell from her hands.

A Minor Potion of Fortification will cost 350 Energy. Sufficient Energy.

Warmth pulsed around her right hand. She opened her eyes to find golden light forming a sphere, taking shape on her palm.

Minor Potion of Fortification

It will restore your health and stamina as well as temporarily boost your stats.

It was a large flask with a rounded bottom. A vibrant orange liquid sat inside. The color reminded her of candy, of something intensely sweet and citrusy, but there were also streaks of silver that appeared when she swished the flask.

She pulled the stopper out with her teeth, then downed the potion, chugging its contents till every last drop was down her throat. The taste was shocking, like the first bite into a fresh juicy peach: an earthy sweetness that bursts in your mouth and leaves you breathless.

A gasp escaped her lips. She exhaled a thick cloud of steam. Strength surged through her limbs. She heard a few snaps, her ribs itched like mad for a few seconds, and then she was whole. More whole than she'd ever felt, even with the missing fingers.

Stats:

Jenny Huang

Human (stage ii) (level 16)

Age: 6,801 days

 

Stats:

Power: 25 (+16)

Durability: 15 (+16)

Stamina: 20 (+16)

Agility: 20 (+16)

(Stat points available: 0)

(Energy available: 108)

Holy... She'd created a remarkably powerful potion. But she didn't have time to celebrate. It was a temporary boost. How long will it last? Eve, can you keep track of that?

Given the parameters of your current form... the potion will remain in effect for 10 minutes and 17 seconds.

Down the hall, the angel lay on its back, breathing loudly. Jenny could see the rise and fall of its large chest from here.

She coughed again, covering her lips with the back of her hand. The empty potion vial hit the floor and shattered into luminous dust before fading away.

Light flashed; her hatchet returned to her hand. Something throbbed in the back of her mind as she stepped forward. She felt strong, like she could cut down anyone and anything. And nothing was going to hold her back; nothing was going to stop her from killing this creature.

Reckless desire pulsed to the forefront of her thoughts. Kill. Kill. Kill. Her breathing steadied. Her vision cleared. Her heart slowed, each beat feeling stronger than the one before. Blood pulsed to her limbs and back.

But she heard another voice too, one that spoke over the psychopathic murder spree she wanted to go on. It was Susan, telling her to be careful. Don’t rush. Jenny exhaled, wishing again to be with her best friend. Or to at least have the pink helmet back.

Golden light danced around Jenny's head. A metallic red helmet took shape, holding her hair in place, hugging her cheeks, and covering her nose. Without looking, she knew it was a spartan helmet, something she'd drawn several times in her notes when she was bored in class. She planned on giving it to Susan later; she'd love it. But for now, it fueled her raging fighting spirit even more.

The Imperfect Angel hissed and screeched. Its face was covered in dust, but she could see the cracks from where she stood. Its breathing seemed heavy and labored. Maybe I hit something vital. Maybe I ruptured a lung.

But the creature let out a furious roar, pushing itself off the floor and bouncing off the wall to stand. Its muscles bulged. Its chest was cracked too, and the black covering glistened in the light as the Imperfect Angel shielded its face with its large, clawed hand.

It seemed unsteady, and the light was affecting it now too. Exhaling, Jenny bent her knees slightly, lowering her center of gravity, and concentrated. All her focus was on the angel. Her body trembled with the potion's boost, her muscles aching to be used. But just before she moved, the angel tore at its chest, and she hesitated.

With its claws, it peeled off the black layer to reveal smooth pinkish-white skin underneath. It sounded like tape tearing.

What the fuck is it doing?

The creature, still covering its eyes with the other hand, bit into what it had torn off. Its own flesh.

Jenny grimaced, realizing it was eating itself again to heal. What kind of stupid ability is that? She had to kill it before it got any stronger, and definitely before her potion ran out. She didn't have enough Energy for another.

She launched herself forward. Instant acceleration. Her feet barely touched the tiles; she flew. The hallway blurred again. The angel shone brightly, the flashlight guiding her to the target.

The shield struck the angel on its exposed chest, knocking the creature back into the wall with a thunderous crash. Bricks came loose and rained down. One rolled off the angel's head. Another struck Jenny on the shoulder.

The angel coughed up thick globs of blood, right into Jenny's face. Some landed in her mouth, but she didn't flinch even as the salty flavor washed over her tongue. She looked the Imperfect Angel in its empty eyes, her shield having crushed its chest, hoping this time she got its lungs for good.

She planted the balls of her feet firmly into the floor, trying to completely crush the angel against the wall. Its arms flailed limply. Shushing sounds escaped through its teeth, stained red by the blood dribbling from the corners of its lips. The black covering of its face was completely ruined now, bits and pieces knocked free by the impact of her attack. She could see the pale skin. The outline of its skull. It wheezed, and Jenny was ready to end this fight.

Jenny inhaled deeply, ignoring the taste of its blood in her mouth. Heat swirled and climbed from her chest to her throat. I hope you burn in hell, she thought.

But before she could exhale the flames, the Imperfect Angel twitched violently. The clawed arm shot up and struck her on the shoulder, swatting her away with enough force to send her crashing through the wooden door of the teacher's lounge.

Her helmet sounded like a gong. The door burst off its hinges, and together, she and the door sailed across the room to crash into something large and dense.

A massive fissure raced up the wall to the ceiling where the tiles came loose. Debris from the room above rained down on Jenny.