This outcome undone
The blade came first. A massive hunk of wavering steel, etched with flowing patterns of fire.
Celia pushed it forward. Watched the Scalespawn try to dodge, and twisted the blade to the side. Hungry edge following after it. Cutting through an arm raised in hasty defense and nearly splitting her foe in two. Nearly, because the twice cursed monstrosity saved itself at the last minute by crawling into its arm. Which was disgusting.
And this Celia was tired of that.
Her blade, egged on by her growing hatred of the crustacean became a thing of cutting impossibility. Edge rending air and all matter in a horizontal line as she brought it to be in one immense sweeping motion. Hewing trees, bushes, and anything else unfortunate enough to be caught by it. Like the giant malformed arm made of crab meat that went tumbling down like a great oak severed from its trunk.
Sadly this oak was capable of regeneration. Original body popping out of the opposite end while it’s arm regenerated all the damage it had taken in a few seconds.
Seconds that Celia used to rush it. Discipline urging her to ignore the rush she got from combat. To suppress and bury the absolute jubilation she felt at being free. There was time for that later, after her task was done. So, less than a foot away from the scale spawn, she stopped let her hip whip out towards it, and then brought her great sword.
The blemish before her steadied itself on its eyesore of an arm, and failed to react in time.
It’s one remaining normal arm was severed from the shoulder down. And was promptly replaced by a second horrifying monstrosity of a limb.
Celia flipped the blade over to its side and swept. Bisecting the crab in a motion that came faster than the blink of an eye. And just in case, she delivered a heavy kick to its upper torso and sent it flying away from her. Watched it hit the ground and spin, viscous fluids flying out of it as the light left its eyes.
She hated how hungry watching that made her.
She hated how the now thrice cursed thing began to regenerate a truly horrifying lower body. A swirling mass of hooked legs that dragged across the ground, slowly lifting the severed torso back up to where it shouldn’t have belonged.
It roared. A bestial sound that shook the trees, sent flocks of not birds flying and might have intimidated a lesser opponent.
Celia ignored it, stabbed her man sized sword into the ground and tempered her rising rage. By slapping the two pillows grafted onto her backside. A family trait the actual her hadn’t realized she’d inherited - yet. But she would, and more importantly it helped her focus. She couldn’t explain why, but again, it didn’t matter.
“(Maybe it’s the way that big butt of our’s jiggles, hm? You know we like it.)” She heard the other, other Celia whisper from the depths of their shared mind.
Which immediately pissed her right back off. For reasons she would never admit. Worse, she didn’t have enough time to calm herself down again, the ugly annoying and stupid crab monster was charging her. Screaming that horrendously idiotic noise as it did.
So Celia decided she was going to hit it, and she was going to hit it HARD. Sword raised up, most obvious overhead swing of her life prepared as a nest of teeth and sharpened spines of rock hard wood wormed their way out of her blade. Edge heating up to the point that air sizzled at its touch and looking at it made everything seem a bit wobbly. And then she-
This outcome undone
Shifted. Felt her flesh turn inward and then out. Mind blinking to a place outside existence, replaced with one running parallel. An imperfect mirror that gradually grew into true being.
Celia smiled.
“Oh, do you have any idea how dreadful it is to see someone else live what could’ve been your mome-“
The crab hit her. Arm extending out like a whip as it slammed into her. Massive fist crashing into her frame. A blow she took head on, teeth erupting from her feet, stabbing into the ground and holding her in place. Giving her all the leverage she needed to grab the enormous - and tasty smelling - hand and wrench it towards her.
Yanking her next meal on the other side her way as well.
And then she morphed. Body erupting with teeth and steel. A horrid bouquet of her surroundings. Flesh subsumed with a hundred minor alterations. She became as a beast, her form a horrid parody of how she felt.
Hungry.
And hunger leapt at her prey. Inch long claws tearing into the - probably - delectable crab. Arms sundering at her touch. Weight forcing him to the ground and pinning him there as she continues her assault. A relentless barrage of attacks tearing at his neck. Armor resisting at first before showing the first signs of weakening. Structure losing its strength as she formulated an acid into her claws. Something to wither away her preys defenses and then cook it from the inside out, and she was almost-
The arm changed, shifting, growing out towards her in a quick punch. One she met with her teeth. Acid seeping in through new wounds and turning it into an awaiting meal.
Unfortunately for the crab, Celia was impatient, and took a bite out of her catch. Slurping down a sliver and a pound. Then, for good measure, she called upon the weight of self sworn independence. Gravity’s hold on her growing heavier. Heavy enough to bury the crab in a crater. Dust clouding them both as she kept up at her relentless assault. Her little appetizer only affirming her desire that this was going to be what she ate next. Stomach singing with her as she traded blows with her still, unfortunately, living meal.
Blows she shrugged off. Flowers of her hair twisting to intercept and releasing a sweet fragrance to keep her from going too feral.
Alas, it did not work.
Celia lost control. The smell was too much. The promise too much. And there was a deep seated affection within her for it. She just had to know what this stupid crab tasted like now.
So she bit down on its arm, ignoring how it grew a multitude of limbs and rained down its fury upon her. Each strike hitting hard enough to break a bone or two. Damage slowly being undone as she tore into its compromised bits with tooth and fang. Uncaring of everything but her meal.
And it wouldn’t be long till she had it. The acid she formulated should’ve finished traveling through half its body by now. More than enough to render the crab beneath her a useless wreck. One she was going to devour like it was the best meal of her life. Right after she-
This outcome undone
Celia was herself again. Nearly gagged on the food in her throat before quickly swallowing it. Only to nearly gag again as she realized how stuffed her stomach was. Full to the point of painful and resting on the crabs face, burying it beneath her. Gut crying out, for once, for her to stop.
It didn’t need to tell her twice. Nor did she need to be told twice on how to finish this. Slowly rising to her feet, to deliver as heavy a stomp she could to the mutated crustacean’s head. Teeth sticking out the bottom of her feet like the worlds most brutal pair of cleats.
She ignored the pain the befell her as she did so - like half of her bones were broken or worse - and brought her foot down. Once, then twice, and finally a third time. A spray of blue blood and gore splattering the ground beneath her. As well as her foot.
It was done. The crab was dead. She felt too full for words. And the world was still on fire above her. The three-way battle waging on with renewed intensity.
A clear sign that she needed to get going before super crab sent more of its minions her way. But first she needed to grab Dreg. Who was still passed out in the tree she had thrown him at. Body draped over a branch and uncomfortably still. She tried to ignore that as she limped over and retrieved him. Which was immediately followed by a bout of panic as a continuance lance of orange flame crashed to the ground just right of her.
And rapidly careened her way.
Celia tried to run. Morphology twisting her leg into less mangled, and far less, natural state. Joints and bones being mangled together to turn her limp into a barely possible stride. Even then she only made it a few feet before the pillar of pure heat was upon her.
The trees caught fire first. Then everything turned orange a second before impact. Impact that was then diverted by Jonas blocking the attack at its source. Condensed wave of light split in two. Before exploding. Light shattering into a collage of specks and sparks between Jonas and the overly large crab monster.
Two of those sparks hit Celia. Both speared into her back. One into her left shoulder. The second just below. Pain almost threatened to overwhelm her. Vision swimming with black spots as she forced herself to push forward. Grip on Dreg tightening as she disappeared deeper into the forest. The world seemingly coming to an end behind her.
Leviathan’s favor gained!
0 ~> 10
Thanks for the chapter!