NOVEL NEXT Chapter 38 partial
Jack wanted blood.
The troll was, by every measure that mattered, a monster. He had tried to kill Frizzy, wanted to rule through fear and intimidation, and took joy in making anyone weaker than him suffer. Jack's anger had kept him sane through the hellish torture his body and mind endured while ascending.
When he struck the troll, stabbing his hand into its side and letting the lichfire burn its flesh while gripping a rib before yanking it out, he saw the moment the troll realized it was no longer the untouchable bully it believed itself to be.
Jack was going to give the troll the same mercy it would have offered anyone else when it had the power.
He sensed it was about to activate one of its abilities and decided it would not be given a fair fight.
With a flap of his otherworldly wings, he launched himself at the troll, one of his upper right fists connecting with its face. He felt the troll's nose crack as it was taken off its feet, twisting in the air from the sheer force of the blow.
But Jack was not done.
Using his wings again, Jack propelled himself forward to catch up to the troll's airborne form. He caught its legs by the ankles with all four arms, using his might to stop its momentum before twisting his waist to spin his enemy overhead and slam it into the ground. The impact created a small crater in the glassed earth.
Jack planted a foot on the facedown troll's back while still gripping its ankles, bracing himself to try and rip the creature's legs off when it fought back.
The troll twisted, pulling its top leg inward and extending the one closest to the ground. It continued the spin, its heel kicking out Jack's supporting leg at the ankle.
Jack fell, left hanging in the air, while the troll landed on its feet. With both fists raised overhead, it brought them down like twin meteors. Jack barely managed to pull his arms in to block. Even so, the impact sent him crashing to the ground, followed by a vicious kick.
Jack was sent flying, but mid-air, he lashed out with his lower arms. One hand unleashed dozens of stone needles glowing with lichfire. In the other, a dreadful story unfolded as a crackling bolt of lightning filled the air with the smell of burning ozone.
He unleashed both without mercy. The flaming needles embedded themselves in the troll's legs while the lightning bolt struck its gut, hurling it backward. Jack rolled through his landing, coming to his feet just in time to see the troll doing the same.
It yanked the needles from its legs. The charred flesh of its stomach mended steadily, but the puncture holes in its legs were slower to heal.
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I can work with that, Jack thought, letting the lichflames within surge to cover his wings and hands.
000
Chaos was unleashed.
Jack and Igmond collided into one another. Over and over again. Igmond using all manner of abilities to fight back. Berserker, stone hide, accelerated healing, reflex enhancement and more were activated and yet Jack never relented. There was no tiring, there was no pain that could be delivered onto him that could approach the fire in his veins for his ascension.
They were at each other after blood. bombarding each other with spells and blows. Further devastating the land around them with the collateral damage of fight. Even though the fight had only been second since it began in earnest, it might as well have been an eternity.
When they broke apart from their last round of fighting, Igmond was panting hard while leaning on his damaged axe. The blade was badly chipped, what little he had for armor was burned, rotted, and tattered, wounds from shallow to deep marked his flesh on most of his body. Some of the wounds were healing quickly enough, but the others were much slower to recuperate. Gaping lacerations, puncture wounds, and pockmarks where spells and spear hands hand struck him with that accursed ghostly flame covering them. Burning and rotting his flesh around the boarder of each injury. Even now he clutched a deep puncture along his ribs. Making a sucking chest wound that his hand. Pink frothing blood was coughed up while a deeper red blood ran down the side of his face from the gash at his temple. A wound he got from narrowing dodging Jacks slashing wing where the tip of one of the feathers just grazed him.
Jack for his part had severed metal muscles trying to heal the damage while growing the next layer. Metal bones that were still visible were cracked in some places, ooblec organs that were developing were partially exposed, slowing trying to pull themselves back into place. Even half his lower jaw was missing yet still there was no visible signs of weariness of any kind. Only cold while easily pushing himself back up to his feet. Power gathering once more for another bombardment of spells forming in his lower set of hands while the upper set were clenched into tight fists. Signaling that he was done collecting his pound of flesh just yet.
Once back on his feet, Jack started to walk once more the struggling Igmond. Moving with all the patients of death that was about finish a choir.
"What… What are you!" Igmond demanded, spitting out wad of blood. regenerating enough to regain some of his strength. "Who are you to defy me! I who is chosen by the Dark God! I am their chosen the world his mind to do with as I please! You are all nothing compared to me."
Jack paused at this outburst. Saying nothing yet the ghostly outline of his former visage scowled at Igmond.
"Before I kill you, I will ask you a question and you will answer it." Jack said in a calm flat voice, yet under his tone there was a sinister undertone.
Igmond took out the golden tome, his fingers nearly crushing it from how hard he was holding the magic item. Brandishing it like it was some kind of weapon that justified his right to do as he sees fit. Making the mechanical chimera return its focus on Jack. Taking a step to attack him directly with its mouth glowing with another fire blast attack.
Except Scrapper was still there.
The mechanical prehistoric titan took insult at his opponent's attempt to attack his master. Jumping on its back, bringing his full weight to bare down on it and making it collapsed on the ground. Causing the wrestling match to resume once more.
Unimpressed by Igmond's display, Jack cast minor detonation on the tome itself. At first, nothing happened as the magic from the spell built up on the tome while the chimera struggled to get free. Trying to get to Jack to kill him while Scrapper continued to pin it down, clawing at its limbs and biting at its neck. Preventing it from getting a line of fire on Jack who simply waited.
Then the full effect of the spell kicked in.