Tales of Undeath: The Von Virtus Chronicles

LXXV. Jargen...?

As its legs inched ever closer to Punjo's body, his fingertips were slowly being sliced off by the advancing sharp bones of the adversary. Like a predator playing with prey, the grotesque being seemed to be enjoying watching his suffering as death edged ever nearer. Though its entertainment would soon grow stale, and play time would come to an end. In a burst of strength, its left leg advanced with great speed, plunging itself into Punjo.

Punjo (in the distance): ARGHHH...!

Close enough to the laboratory, Tyssa and Jargen could hear screams coming from its general direction.

Tyssa: Is that Punjo screaming...?!

Upon hearing the pained cries of his comrade, Jargen storms down the corridor, his heavy footsteps causing the chandeliers, vases and other adornments to tremble as he passes them by.

Rel: PUNJO, FIGHT BACK! C'MON...!

The monster had managed to embed one of its limbs in Punjo's right shoulder. With its rapid advance,  several of Punjo's fingers were missing on his right hand. It seemed that, soon, a similar fate would befall his left hand.

Punjo: YE BIG FAT BASTARD...

Doing everything he could to stop the beast's left leg from moving forward, Punjo moves closer and bites down on the tip of the sharp bone, hoping to leverage even the strength of his jaw to help push against the beast. Despite the desperate tactic, the monster's leg kept advancing, breaking some of his front teeth and dislocating the jaw as it moved deeper and deeper into his mouth. It was, once again, delighted with Punjo's pain.

Rel: FUCK... FUCK...!

Rel tried to move, but couldn't. While the monster was busy with Punjo, it had fired even more of its projectiles towards Rel, further paralysing him. He could but watch as Punjo was slowly broken by the otherworldly being in front of them, with tears streaming down his face. The sound of his cracking jaw echoed through the laboratory, as blood trickled down the corners of his mouth.

Jargen (behind the laboratory door): COME BREAK ME INSTEAD. 

Suddenly, the laboratory's door flies off its hinges with incredible speed, striking the monster right on its exposed cranium. As it cracks some of the bone, it wails and causes the beast to recoil in fear. 

Tyssa: Oh my god...

Rel: Jargen?!

As Tyssa gazed at the desperate visage ahead, and Rel saw the primal state in which Jargen found himself in, in but a few moments both of their surprise was redirected towards their enemy, which now scurried off toward the ceiling again. It prepared to fire its pustules once more.

Rel: Jargen, careful! It'll try to shoot that sticky black substance your way...!

The pustules pop, emitting a barrage of tar balls Jargen's way. Unfazed, he catches them with his hands.

Jargen: Disgusting...

Their thick tar coated his bloody palms, mingling with the blood of his open wounds.

Jargen: Get the fuck off my body.

Shortly after saying this, vapor starts emanating from Jargen's palms, as the thick black liquid starts melting right off. His skin was getting redder and redder, and veins all over his body were visibly popping. He seemed to be somehow overheating his own body.

Jargen: You don't deserve to be alive.

Jargen sprints towards the creature, using the same table that Rel utilized as cover as a stepping stone to jump in its direction. He manages to grip onto its neck, holding on with all of his strength.

Monster: SSSKKRRR!!

As his hands dig into the tar that protected its neck, melting it and wrapping themselves around its bones, a high-pitched sound came from within the monster's throat, the first time of its kind they had heard thus far. It struggled to hold onto the ceiling, as Jargen pulled it down with all of his might. Though it tried redirecting more liquid to protect its neck, Jargen's body heat prevented it from effectively doing so. Slowly but surely, his hands were cracking its vertebrae.

Monster: K-IL...

As it tries to verbalize its intentions, the monster decides to release itself from the ceiling and plummet toward the ground, leveraging Jargen's weight against him. It crashes into the floor, falling on top of Jargen and crushing the floor beneath with him, filling the room with the sound of his breaking bones.

Tyssa: JARGEN... NO!

Involuntarily, Tyssa takes a couple of steps forward to try and do something, but the monster quickly turns its attention towards her and starts producing more pustules.

Rel: Tyssa, don't! It'll get you too!

She stops in her tracks, heeding Rel's words. Still, her eyes darted around the room weighing her options, trying to think of some sort of plan, when suddenly vapours start coming from under the creature...

Punjo: N-no... Jaghen...

Punjo struggled to talk, yet he seemed conscious enough to understand what was happening. He didn't like it.

Punjo: Shtop...!

The monster's large figure starting lifting off the floor. Jargen was single-handedly able to raise it.

Jargen: I TOLD YOU... TO GET THE FUCK... OFF ME!

As tar melts off his red-hot skin, his hands manage to evaporate enough tar to grasp some of the monster's bones. Jargen cracks them under his grip, causing the monster to retreat in agony once more.

Rel: Jargen, what are you doing to yourself?!

Jargen's body was completely battered. Now covered in gashes and cuts, he was bleeding from several wounds. Still, an unending source of strength seemed to be overflowing within him, allowing him to push his own body beyond its limits.

Jargen: Come here...

He walks towards the creature, as it runs in fear. It didn't seem to try and shoot more tar towards Jargen, as that had proven ineffective. 

Jargen: You're running away...?

It seems to seek cover near Dmitri's unconscious body, which causes Jargen's gaze to land on him.

Jargen: Well. Just what I needed...

Jargen strides with thunderous steps across the laboratory, towards Dmitri. From the scientist's face, he steals the pair of round glasses that he wore, taking them for himself. The lens strength was so high that he could see nothing with them.

Jargen: Too clear.

Taking some of the monster's tar, he wipes them across the lenses, darkening them. They now resembled a pair of round sunglasses, yet they would render the wearer utterly blind.

Jargen: Perfect.

Cracking his knuckles, Jargen starts bobbing and weaving, taunting the beast.

Jargen: There can be only one monster in this room.