NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23: Scarlet Feast
Siegwick's bloodstained helmet cracked, revealing the gleam of his single golden eye. He glared at the Anomaly that tauntingly waved its claws around. It had given up on restoring its head; spiraling tendrils now lashed around as abyssal condensation poured from the orifice that would be considered its neck.
Siegwick glared at the monstrosity, his Kyyr making a shrill, scratchy noise as more ice accumulated on his body.
But before either could act, the desperate thumping of heavy feet against the ground interrupted the two as Shredder emerged from the shadows behind the Anomaly. Trailing close behind was Gira, charging on all fours, crimson blades slashing at the Pelamüs from behind as he relentlessly pursued.
Disregarding the ongoing battle, Gira caught up to Pelamüs, seizing it by the talons and lifting the creature into the air. With a wide, powerful swing, he slammed it down on the opposite side, then dragged the struggling Pelamüs across the ground. Gira lifted the Pelamüs into an upswing and twisted his body around, using centrifugal force to send Shredder flying towards the Anomaly.
Siegwick watched in shock as the Pelamüs collided with the Anomaly, sending both creatures flying past Siegwick. Before he could react, Gira roared and rushed past, a massive crimson tendril forming on Gira's back. Stopping just short of the two monsters, Gira stood upright, grabbing onto the crimson tendril that warped and twisted into a massive crimson crystal ax.
In one swift, fluid motion, Gira slammed the ax into the writhing pair, causing both to screech in agony. Without hesitation, he raised the ax again, this time igniting it in his Kyyr. Once again brutally slamming the ax into the two.
The Anomaly screeched in agony, tearing its upper half free from the relentless onslaught. Charging abyssal Kyyr into one of its arms, the limb ballooned before it exploded, sending shards of Kyyr-charged bone in Gira's direction. Some shards grazed his crimson scales, but he remained unfazed, relentlessly hacking Shredder into pieces.
The Anomaly screeched again as thick mist began to pour from its body; the forming mist sparked with shocks of abyssal Kyyr as it spread, engulfing them in its eerie gloom.
Siegwick backed away, his body shivering as his Kyyr control waned, but his mind disregarded all as he contemplated.
A living Coarseblood!?
A roar of pain tore through the mist as crimson crystal blades erupted outward, lifting the Anomaly into the air. The massive shard shimmered under the shattered sky, casting an ominous red glow as it held the convulsing monster.
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Siegwick watched as the crystal began to shift, splitting the creature in half before dropping at the edge of the haze—its claws digging into the earth, tongues flailing in helpless spasms.
From the fading mist, the Coarseblood emerged—its fractured face glowing with deep crimson light. Dragging the decapitated body of the Pelamüs behind him, Gira stepped forward, blood dripping from his jaw as he approached the dying Anomaly.
It looks so…afraid, Gira thought.
"Indeed me! Aren't you glad you picked us first?" Savagrios mocked, his voice dripping with amusement.
Why do I feel bad?
"A troublesome empathy—"
No… This thing—there's something wrong with it. Gira interrupted, sensing some twisted glimmer of humanity within it.
"Must be your imagination... Now kill it! You must cherish the blood we've been graced with tonight. Lest you wish to die." Savagrios' tone shifted into a sinister hiss.
Was that terrible pain earlier the trade-off?
"Correct, our body is far too unstable. Unless we get to a more Kyyr-rich zone, we'll probably die next time we molt... or if we waste too much time." Savagrios added as his voice wrapped around Gira's mind like a foggy serpent.
I'm sorry, strange creepy thing... Gira thought, his jaws unhinging before he pounced onto the Anomaly. He tore muscle from bone, smashing its body into mush as it weakly tried to fend off the rending of its frame, but the weight of the Coarseblood was overwhelming.
The scarlet feast turned vile as blackened flesh oozed from the remains, and Gira cleaved through the Anomaly until all that was left was a faint puddle of black goo.
Siegwick watched in silence as Gira turned his attention to the Pelamüs, which was feebly trying to reconstruct its body. Without hesitation, Gira seized the tattered remains and feasted upon them like a starving lion. Ripping into the Pelamüs until only clumps of wet hair remained. Gira let out a deep, resonating roar into the night, his dominance unmistakable. The eerie quiet that followed was oddly disconcerting and upsetting.
Say, Savagrios….
"What?"
How much longer can I stay like this?
"Not much longer..."
Do you think we can try and find my friend's dad?
"Our heart of gold glimmers even now."
What's that mean?
"We have no idea..."
Without another word, Gira leaped into the darkness, sprinting toward the distant Cau Mountain range.
Siegwick let out a deep, worn exhale, watching the Coarseblood disappear into the night. "That's a problem for another night," he muttered, as the ice melted off his body.