Chapter 159: Apartment Building, Part 3.

It happened fast. Talia and I bashed into the wall of meat. Or only communication being a glance, and a shift of our bodies. Just behind the remaining soldiers came in hard and fast. Cleaving away what we bashed aside.

My bayonet carved through their pale flesh with shocking ease. Leaving glimmering trails that hissed and spat on contact with their accursed flesh. Talia’s own axe cleaved and chopped through them just as easily, but far more viciously. Wounds she left bled copiously, the rent flesh twisted and squirmed in agony. In both cases, the only respite they earned was a swift death by the hands of the soldiers at our back.

The moment we were past the frame, the swarming horde of flying monstrosities seemed to shift and undulate as if part of a greater being. Countless sightless eyes homed in on us, as if they could see us with startling clarity. Just as they began to orient, as the tide began to shift towards us, my hand moved, procuring from my bag a grenade. With a chuck, it was thrown into the central mass, where reverberating concussive blast went out, stuttering and stalling the entire living tide. Granting me enough time to reach into my bags, again and again, procuring not just ordinary grenades, but smoke grenades.

They hissed and spat. The air crackled as the cold mist filled the air. The coordinated swarm devolved. Hungry teeth lashed out at what was nearest, drawing blood, inciting desire. Their perceptions dulled, relying only on taste and their accursed drive, they did what came natural. They consumed.

In a matter of seconds, the stairwell was consumed by wails and cries. Granting us an opportunity to bolt up the stairwell the instant Liche and Shi finished their transformation.

We blitzed our way up. Spears jutted out, clearing the way, shoving aside corpses, creating a path. Liche stuck to Joan’s side, protecting her from harm whilst Joan protected us with perfectly timed barriers of light. With Talia and I clearing the way forward. Cutting and bashing aside whatever lay in our path, and leaving them to be finished off by the surviving soldiers.

In a matter of moments, or so it felt, we’d climbed up past the throng of monsters, up to the barricades near the top. With vicious ease, we bashed through, and like wolves among sheep, we cleaved through their number.

Still, we didn’t stop or pause as we pushed and pressed forward. Cutting off their ascent as more of the horrors came from below. Their keening wails resonating off the walls, echoing in my skull, skittering on ice.

Those around me faltered as the keening wail rose in volume. Only those at my command pushed through with grit teeth. Tugged along by my command. Up and up we went, bypassing the lines and defenses being overwhelmed by the creatures until we burst onto the top and final floor.

Here, it was distinctly different. The air was thick as soup. Just pushing myself forward felt like I was in the depths of the ocean. Just breathing in, felt as if I were trying to breathe through a tiny straw. The space itself, seemed at odds with the rest of the building. As if it were too big for the apartment by more than a size or two.

What should have been a single suite, or higher quality apartment had expanded into something fitting for a penthouse. The top floor had expanded out, almost into an entire building of its own. And greeting us here wasn’t just anyone, but a hulking figure decked out in patchwork armor and gear. Their face obscured by a metal mask affixed with a filter and wielding a shotgun.

Without pausing, they pumped a shotgun round into a hurtling horror, blasting it to bits. Another was stomped under heavy combat boots, whilst another was bashed aside with their weapon. It was smooth, fluid, and at the end of it all, they chambered a new round, ejecting a spent casing, their eyes focused on us.

Talia moved first, taking the brunt of a full-frontal blast of the figure’s shotgun. The blast sent Talia to her knees. I made to move forward, when a storm of bullets came from the side. Far too fast for Shi to intercept, but this was when Liche interjected.

Clad in her new uniform, an outfit fit for a neon rave, Liche casually swept her arm out, and a sheet of void formed where her arm passed. Easily devouring the string of bullets. The source, a smaller figure, armed and equipped in lighter armor and gear, a metal mask adorning their face. They fell in beside the hulking figure, the pair making for quite the sight, and from what I could sense, they weren’t just average individuals.

It wasn’t just the pile of corpses surrounding them or the way they held themselves. But it was also the magic rolling off of them, it didn’t feel like they were a bronze rank, and they definitely weren’t anything higher. Still, it made me wary.

The fight started with a stomp. Like a charging bull, the hulking figure charged forward, shotgun aimed forward. A forest of spears burst out of the ground before him, attempting to skewer him, but they shattered on impact with his unrelenting form.

Seeing that, Talia moved to the aside, choosing not to take the man head on. Liche came from the side but was interrupted by the shorter of the two. A knife gleamed in their hand as they thrust towards Liche’s chest before she could react. The blade effortlessly slipped into her chest up to the hilt, but the shorter figure didn’t linger even after their apparent success.

Having successfully struck, they pulled back, only to pause and double take as their knife now lacked a blade and most importantly, to find Liche unharmed by the assault.

In that same instant, without Liche to cut him off, the hulking figure stormed forward unimpeded. They fired their shotgun; I returned with my own fire. It sang a discordant melody and shattered just short of his own shot. The two burst, spraying the area with their payload. Ice and lead met in midair. A ferocious clash followed, ice meeting metal pellets. Causing either shattering or redirection. The area around us burst into a cloud of shrapnel, both of us peppered by the result of the collision. The area around us turned into a dead zone as everything nearby found themselves perforated.

The ice covering my body held under the onslaught, whereas the giant before me seemed to shrug off the debris. Seeing as he was coming right for me, I levelled my rifle, bayonet attached to the tip and charged forward.

We met. We clashed. It felt like I was colliding with a moving train. Ice crackled, my uniform strained to disperse the force of the collision. Our perforated surroundings exploded as a rampaging train met a moving glacier. My bayonet’s aim thwarted at the last moment when the hulk swung his shotgun to meet my rifle. Our eyes met, our weapons were crossed.

Our feet dug into the ground. Cracking the boards beneath us. Neither of us gave an inch, unfortunately, he outweighed me, outsized me. With a grunt, he pushed, bullying me aside with sheer force alone. He pumped his shotgun, ejecting the spent shell, just as I ejected my own spent casing.

A shot was fired, the loud bark filled the space as I leapt to the side. Returning a shrill retort from my own rifle. He shifted, avoiding a direct hit from the shrill piercing round causing it to ricochet off his shoulder armor. Undeterred and unbothered by the returned fire, he once again bulled forward. Feet stomping into the ground like a beast of burden on the warpath.

I didn’t meet him this time. I avoided his charge and he crashed into the wall, cracking into cement while leaving a notable man-sized dent in the wall. However it was clear, he was unharmed. With a roll of his shoulders, a crick of his neck, and a low grunt as the only sign of damage, he turned to face me once more.

Immediately, it became clear… This wasn’t going to work.

He charged again, another bark of his shotgun followed by my own retort answering in kind. My bayonet glistened and gleamed, but its edge failed to carve and cut through the flesh beneath as he passed, as if he were a bull and I a matador. Not because he was immune to a good stabbing, no, but because he was so dense. His body was like carved stone, actively resisting any harm, and seemingly flexing and pushing back against any strike, mitigating damage. Even then, damage accumulated. Small cuts widened, his armor became more damaged with every passing.

And as his armor failed, as more was revealed, the truth came to light.

They were human… Or rather, had been human. Charred, flaking flesh, with veins that pulsed a soft blue. Common signs of one thing, magic poisoning. Rather, a result of severe exposure to high quantities of magic over a prolonged period of time.

However, even knowing that I did not stop. Yet, I wasn’t the only one fighting for my life as the second, smaller enemy was dancing around Liche and Talia. Both were wearing him down. Especially as Shi’s spears were actually capable of damaging him. Joan was at the back providing support, and the soldiers I had brought were busy keeping the monstrosities off our back. Even then, they were constantly being caught in the crossfire of our little battle.

I wasn’t exactly winning, but the smaller one would die soon enough, and the hulk realized that. They pulled away, not even bothering to dodge or deflect my following strike and shot. They stormed to their fellow’s side, and there wasn’t much I could do to stop it.

Sensing him coming, Talia and Liche broke off. And once the pair met up, their tactics changed. The bigger one took the blows. Intentionally throwing himself into strikes at times, returning heavy blows with blasts from his shotgun. All the while, the smaller one moved and danced around him, shooting out bursts of gunfire from his gun, and taking advantage of openings with knives, or even explosives.

The tide had shifted, albeit slowly. With our combined efforts, even if the pair were akin to an army of two, we were better. If anything, the fight became even easier as Liche was finally able to strike at the brute and void chunks of flesh. Something their tactics didn’t seem to account for.

As whatever method the hulk used to reduce damage, couldn’t seem to deal with Liche’s own magic that seemed to devour all.

Really, it was only a matter of time. Perhaps sensing that, a new foe finally stepped to the fore. They came in hard, fast, and exceptionally loud. A pair of gunshots, that sounded more like they belonged to a cannon rang out. One cracked into Talia’s shield with enough force that she was nearly sent hurtling over the edge of the balcony, only to be saved by a large number of spears that Shi produced to stop her flight.

Another came for Liche, and only thanks to a series of hurried barriers Joan put up, did she have enough time to hit the ground and avoid the bullet. A bullet that hit the floor and exploded, leaving a notable gaping wound in the floor, from which more horrors tore out of, seeking any and all ways towards the raucous.

The figure, a man, not small, not hulking, somewhere in between. He wore a metal mask fitted with a filter as well, but he was shirtless and wore armored pants. His body was charred, flaking. His veins pulsing. Yet, there were also lined etched into his body, tattoos that thumped in tune with his heart and veins. The tattoos ran from his hands, up his arms, and along his back, all converging on his heart.

In his hands, a pair of pistols, if they could be called that. They looked more like hand cannons. Each with enough force to take down an elephant. One look, and I knew where I needed to be. That thought, sentiment, was shared between us both as our eyes locked.

I surged forward, rifle in hand. In turn, he aimed the barrel of his gun right at me. I didn’t even try to take the blow. The moment he squeezed the trigger I moved. Even with the ice, the bullet moved almost too fast to perceive. Cracking into where I’d been an instant prior. The force of its explosive finale was nearly enough to send me to the ground as the landing we were on shuddered and threatened to fail.

Before I could adjust, he levelled his second gun right at me and squeezed the trigger. The world slowed ever more as I pumped everything into the moment. My heart slowed, the world stuttered to a stop. Even then, the bullet came hard and fast. With no other recourse, I did what came naturally, I swung for the bullet.

The swing was perfect. The arc practiced countless times. Memories of swinging a spear in my master’s dojo so long ago came to me. Echoed in my swing. I lacked talent, yes, but this… this didn’t need anything more than the perfect swing.

The edge of my bayonet met the bullet head on. The arc perfect, the edge alignment, perfect. That, combined with the oncoming bullet’s trajectory, saw itself split in half. Unbothered by the spectacle, I surged forward, the world sputtered to a start. The two halves of the split bullet hit the ground just behind me, pushing me forward.

I had no control, but with a final stomp I rammed into the figure. I hit dead on. Punching him not only back, but through the open doorframe, right into the main area of the penthouse. We hit the ground in a tumble, his foot lashed out, kicking me off him and he proceeded to throw himself up in the next moment.

I managed to catch my feet under me and duck, just as another shot fired where my head had been, obliterating the upper portion of the door frame we had just come through.

I planted my feet down and prepared to rush forward, which is when he aimed both of his guns right for me.

Charge head on? Suicide. Luckily, the area we were in was larger, just large enough for me to maneuver.

With a kick, I threw myself aside, just as he opened fire. Mid-leap, blades of silver crackled into being at the bottom of my boots, they slid into the wood and carried me forward, just ahead of the volley of gunfire. Every missed shot resulted in a small explosion, sending dust and woodchips everywhere.

All too fast, he emptied his gun, and just as quickly, I adjusted course.

While shooting at me, he’d adjusted and scrambled up. Now, with me bearing on him, he didn’t hesitate to meet me head on, even with his weapons dry. Instead of clashing with my bayonet, at the last moment I stopped short and lashed out with a swift arcing kick.

He barely brought one of his pistols up to take the blow, as the silver blade stuck to the sole of my boot sang out. The two met with a loud screech. Sparks flicked out, and I followed through with a spin bringing my other leg to bare.

In a dizzying moment I spun, legs slashing, scything at him. He blocked every blow, but the kicks only came ever faster, my speed picking up as the tempo gained.

Recognizing what was happening, he attempted to disengage, but I pulled in and popped forward, thrusting forward with my bayonet. He didn’t block it in time as the blade thrust deep, but he retaliated by throwing himself into me, forcing the bayonet in deeper, but throwing me off. The moment my bayonet pulled free, a gout of blue-tinted blood spurted out of the wound.

I hit the ground with my blades, a short spin aborting my momentum. The moment I came to a stop and faced him once more, he was already halfway through reloading his pistols.

I shot forward. He pulled back, and the distance between us closed until he hit the far wall.  The moment I was in range, I swung out with a devastating kick. He didn’t try to block it, only adjusting so that the blade cut along his body, but nowhere vital. In doing so, he managed to finish his own reload and level his pistol right for my chest.

Before I could react, the trigger was pulled. One moment, everything was fine, the next something punched into my chest. The air left my lungs. My entire body crackled as the ice coating me shattered. My own organs shuddered from the blow, my sternum shattering as I was flung back.

I hit the ground in a blur. Half-frozen blood spurt from my lips. Yet, I sensed through my rime that he was preparing to shoot more, so I moved, even as my broken bones shifted. As pain tried to breach through the ice.

His bullets left a trail of damage in their wake. Just before emptying his pistols once more, his pace slowed. Granting me time to get up, but…

I’d almost say the fight had stalled.

Both of us were badly injured. My own uniform held on by a thread, if that. That shot had nearly punched through my defenses. If not for the ice covering me, well, I would have a hole punched into my body. Even then, I could feel my ribcage pressing in. Breathing felt wrong, my lungs crackled with each breath, even as ice filled in the cracks. My shattered sternum was digging into my internals. Making me feel like I had a cactus in my chest.

It took a few more breaths to steady myself, for the ice to reassert itself, yet, before we could continue our dance, a figure was thrown into the space between us. The smaller figure, wearing a metal mask came in, bleeding profusely, missing an arm, clearly on their last legs.

From the stairwell, the rest of my team came in hot. A swarm of those creatures nipping at their heels.

Without regard for anything else, I moved towards my pistol-wielding opponent. His head snapped from the door to me, as he realized the position he was in, and chose not to retreat.

The clash was brief. He emptied what was left in his weapons, and I did not dodge. The ice crawled over me, my reserves dipped as the world slowed. With rifle in hand, I swung out, bayonet meeting the first bullet perfectly in the center cutting it in half, the second came right after, with a twist and pivot I managed to slap it in the side, redirecting it, but the rebound sent me into another spin.

With no way to reorient in time for the third bullet, my leg lashed out, the silver blade attached to my boot struck the bullet head on. Yet, it wasn’t strong enough to cleave the bullet, but it was just sturdy enough to redirect the bullet away from me before it and my lower leg shattered from the blow.

Undeterred by the injury, and emboldened by my success, I slipped forward with my good leg and met him head on.

A brief clash ensued, broken by a surge of spears that threw him off balance, allowing me to thrust my bayonet into his throat. I did not hesitate to twist the bayonet, ripping apart his throat, and thus, killing him. The moment I pulled free, his body slumped to the ground, blood gushing from the open wound in his neck.

I immediately reloaded my rifle and joined the others at the doorway. Killing and massacring what horrors dared to cross that ruined threshold.

Their numbers seemed limitless, and they came without end, until another, louder scream echoed through the building. Making the whole foundation shake as if something was battering into the building. At that, the swarm rapidly lost cohesion as they tried to flee some unseen threat. Tearing and ripping into one another, and soon enough, leaving us entirely alone as the sole survivors.