The classroom was empty, no being or anomaly in sight but I wasn't relief as a matter of fact my guard was raised by a few more level while my heart began to pound within my chest.
They place was scattered, books, chairs and rooton flesh. When I spoke of empty I meant as me as the only living thing here but if I removed that notion then the two teenage corpses littering the ground would classify as not empty.
Trying my best to ignore the ethereal blood red glow the whole room cast of, I crounch to examine the corpses.
They were males in causal clothing now dyed red. Their skin was still fresh meaning they probably hadn't died that long. Frankly I hated this but observing their swollen chest, I sighed inwardly, then making sure my gloves were worn well, brought my hands to the hems of one of the corpse shirt and slowly lifted it up.
"Arghhhh!"
Unconscious gritting my teeths in anguish my gaze fell on their swollen chest, with a small tear that was slowly birthing a flower made of flesh.
Examining the other corpses I noticed the same abnormality. Their heart was giving birth to a flower, the disturbing sight wanted me to get rid of their bodies right there and now but I was faced with problem.
Not the emotional one but the fact that the flowers slowly growing out their chest was the origin of the threads.
"Now it makes sense."
Pulling back from the corpse, I began to connecting the dots. We weren't dealing with the usual cyptics no this one was more like a plague. A parasite.
As if sensing my thoughts the thread wiggling as the corpse twitch and soon the were both on me, the roots of the flowers growing out their chest, burst out their gulping mouth and attempting to pierce me.
Quickly taking out my Set to retaliate, I aimed at the closets one's chest and sent an energy bullet straight through it.
As it body crumble from the hole I left within it's heart, i took out a smoke grenade hanging from my utility belt and toss it at the second one.
Crashing into it's face with it's pin falling of, it exploded into a dust of white smoke as I quickly attempted to ran out the classroom.
[Unless....]
Right as I pass through the doors, a sharp pain shot through my brain accompanied by a chilling voice.
Soon I saw multiple red thread coming at me from all direction and with their intent clear to piece me. I knew what I was seeing was metaphysical a mere visualizing of how I envisioned my connection with Demiurges but excalty because of that I didn't what to be pierce by them...maybe the me from a from minutes ago would have but not anymore.
Quickly taking out Set and aiming it at the ground, I prayed with all my might the final bullet was as lethal as Aria had boasted and soon fired of a shot into the ground.
I probably wouldn't come out of this unscathed but as the ground crumble and dragged me down into the floor below I sighed knowing that I had escaped for now.
----------------
At first I felt a moment of weightless as if the everything anchoring me to the ground had been removed and soon I felt my body dragged down by the force know as gravity. The speed of my descent much faster than I anticipated wrapped my vision.
All I could feel as I was falling fear and worst of all I could help but imagine the....
"Arghhhh!"
I hadn't been the only thing that fell, the floor my gun had destroyed had also fallen, becoming rumbles on the ground and as I landed leg first, my left feet the first to touch the ground, descended onto an unstable pile of block causing it's weight to shift and twisting my leg in the process.
I expected this...I had known the descent wouldn't be smooth but it freaking hurt one's my body registered the pain and worst of all, it caused me to trip,rolling of the rumbles and onto the cold hard musky surface of the ground.
Now laying flat on the ground,I bite my lip trying to restrain my scream. It wasn't helping much but soon I began to slowly adapt to it. It still hurts like hell but I could manage as long as I didn't use that leg in particular.
"Shit...shit...I messed up again."
Dragging my body to the wall of the corridor I muttered in disbain directly at myself. In my quest to prove my worth I had abandoned my team and now here I was a complete failure of a leader, currently waiting for Divine intervention.
Yes I knew there was nothing I could do, this mission was already a failure because this time of enemy couldn't be killed only contained that was the sole reason it had avoided Slayers surveillance all this years.
It was a parasite, that infected the heart but it could also leave at anytime and the worst of all was it wasn't a single entity the various threads were all parts of its. It indicated the cyptic had many body.
It wasn't puppeteering but was in fact all of them. The enemy currently engaged with my team was an extension of it, everything in this territory with the exception of I and my teammates were part of it. Meaning to kill it everything had to be destroyed.
The solution was evident but it had a problem, non of us had the attack to do that. Destroying everything within was easy that even Isis could with her abilities but what about the flesh wall. If so much as a part of its remind then it wouldn't work.
"So this is the end." I whispered.
I've faced a Class A cyptics before but that time I had a powerful team whom carried me through and kept me save but here I was stuck with a bunch of bossy, deceitful and uncaring people.
I hated this...it knew this one was on but as the reality of my predicament struck I didn't want to admit it. If only I hadn't responded to Isis provocation, if only I hadn't left them alone..
"I really I'm a contradictory mess."
Calmly observing my twisted left leg, I thought, noticing a red thread slowly creep up in the distance.
The cyptic or one of it's many bodies was drawing near. It wouldn't probably kill me and take over my body which unfortunately I couldn't allow.
I was a Linker after all... becoming the host of a cpytic was basically giving those monsters an advantage so...
"I'm glad I kept one of those."
My attachment to life was already faint, so as I watched the grenade within my palms I couldn't help but shrug.
I had to make sure I didn't leave a trace, so I was going to blow myself up for humanity or something....
I didn't have the courage or honor of a soldier nor was I the kind whom valued seft scarfice but if I was going to die at least I didn't want it to be worthless.
So no longer willing to waste time, I kept my gaze on the approaching silhouette making sure they were close enough to be in the blast range before I pull out the pin.