Chapter 74: Uninvited Guest.
Naomi glared sharply at them as her lower body gradually dissolved into black sludge. She knew better than to fight both Vincent and Damien at once, but she had no choice. They were both unusually determined to kill her.
"Vincent," she suddenly called out. "I thought you and I had an agreement. You help me find my sister’s killer, and I help you kill anyone you want..."
She pointed at Damien.
"I’ve had a change of mind. Help me kill Damien, and in turn, I’ll help you kill anyone of your choice... seems fair, don’t you think?"
Vincent shrugged.
"You’re not a bad offer, Naomi, but Damien seems more dependable when it comes to murdering people."
Damien felt oddly flattered.
"I certainly have more experience."
Naomi climbed out of the water and squeezed the water from her hair. The clothes she wore weren’t thick to begin with, so they clung tightly to her body like a second skin.
Damien wasn’t impressed. He had slept in the same bed as Yuri just the other day.
Vincent was getting impatient.
The tip of his cane tapped lightly against the frozen lake before he disappeared, reappearing beside Naomi with enough speed to leave only a blur behind. His cane cut through the air in a clean arc aimed at the side of her head, but Naomi’s body dissolved before it could connect.
The weapon swept through black sludge instead, the liquid splashing across the ice before gathering several metres away.
"You really are hateful," Naomi muttered as her body reformed.
"Only unrefined men seek the glad tidings of lesser men."
She didn’t wait for another exchange. The instant her feet touched the ice, she shot toward Damien instead. Damien had expected exactly that, Naomi had a special type of hatred for him, the kind that makes one relentless.
Priesty stepped between them, the ritual staff humming faintly as glowing runes spread across its surface. Naomi’s hand reached forward to shove the creature aside, but the staff swung first.
The runed wood slammed into her forearm.
Naomi lunged again, but Vincent suddenly appeared behind her without warning, his pitch black eyes attempting to lock her down.
Naomi’s body jerked as her instincts screamed at her to dissolve.
Her movement slowed for a heartbeat, as though invisible chains had wrapped around her limbs. She snarled and forced herself forward anyway, the black sludge bubbled violently before the restraint finally broke.
Vincent’s cane was already descending.
The blow landed across her shoulder, sending her sliding over the ice. Naomi rolled once before melting into another puddle, avoiding Priesty’s follow-up swing by less than an inch.
She emerged several metres away, breathing a little harder than before.
Damien ordered Priesty to run up to Vincent.
"I thought your ability doesn’t work on her."
Vincent calmly adjusted his gloves.
"It doesn’t."
"It clearly does."
"It doesn’t."
Naomi looked between them, straightening her loose hair before saying coldly.
"Are you two seriously arguing during a murder attempt?"
"We’re multitasking." They both snapped in her direction.
Naomi’s eye twitched. She really hated both of them, so without another word, she slapped both palms against the ice.
The ground beneath Priesty suddenly turned black.
"Move," Vincent warned.
Damien reacted instantly, ordering Priesty to jump backward just as the entire patch beneath him liquefied into sludge.
Naomi seized the opening.
She surged straight toward Damien once again.
Priesty intercepted again, swinging the ritual staff horizontally. Naomi ducked beneath it and reached for Damien’s chest instead. Damien twisted away, but her fingertips still brushed against his shoulder.
Sizzle!
The smell of burning flesh filled the air.
Damien yelped.
"Ow! Damn it!"
Priesty jumped back several steps, Damien clutched his shoulder. The fabric around the burn had already blackened, the skin beneath it red and blistering.
Naomi smirked despite the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "I love the way you scream."
Damien glared at her while inspecting the injury. "I will show you scream". He grumbled underneath his breath.
Vincent glanced at the burn before returning his attention to Naomi. "You’ll live." He said to Damien.
"Well no shit, it’s not like I can really die."
Naomi rolled her eyes. These two have barely been together for a day and are already acting like an old married couple. Naomi wished she could spend eternity cursing Damien and Vincent, but that had to wait, because black mist had gradually covered the frozen ground.
More undead clawed their way out from the darkness, and positioned themselves around Damien, each one immediately charging toward Naomi from different directions. None of them were particularly strong, but with numbers, Naomi would surely be overwhelmed.
Naomi laughed in derision, the undead were basically cannon fodder to her ability, as long as they didn’t have Priesty’s ritual staff, they were nothing to her.
"This is your plan?" She said loudly.
When the first undead reached her, she casually lifted her hand and touched its face.
The creature didn’t even have time to react before its skull melted into black sludge, the rest of its body collapsing a second later.
[Your undead has fallen]
[Your undead has fallen]
[Your undead has fallen]
Damien watched several undead disappear within seconds.
Although the undead died almost immediately, Naomi couldn’t ignore them completely. Every time she destroyed one, another forced her to change direction, and every dodge carried her closer to Vincent and Priesty’s staff.
Vincent’s cane struck her ribs.
Before she could recover, Priesty’s staff smashed against her side from the opposite direction. Naomi coughed violently as blood sprayed across the snow, but she refused to stay still. She melted beneath another strike before reappearing behind Damien.
She reached for him again, but Priesty suddenly flung Damien’s broken body high into the air, momentarily leaving her stunned. Then the ritual staff crashed into her back with enough force to send her flying.
Naomi rolled twice across the ground before stopping herself with one hand. Blood dripped steadily from her lips now, staining the ice beneath her.
"These bastards are herding me..." she muttered.
She finally noticed it, neither Damien nor Vincent had spoken about a strategy. They didn’t need to, every escape route she chose was exactly where the other was already waiting.
But which options did she have, she had to fight to survive, being out maneuvered doesn’t mean defeat, so she attacked again.
And the result was the same, Priesty’s staff slammed into her shoulder before she could even fully take form.
She chose to retreat backwards.
But Damien’s axe swept toward her, not to wound her, but forcing her to abandon that direction entirely.
Naomi gritted her teeth, and stepped aside, narrowly dodging Vincent’s cane, every decision she made benefited one of them in some way, the fight was becoming more of an execution.
Another undead rushed her, her dissolved state drowned it instantly.
A second later Vincent’s cane smashed into the side of her jaw. Her head snapped sideways. Before she could recover, Priesty struck again.
The attacks never stopped long enough for her to regain control of the fight and that forced her to be on the defensive.
She slid backward across the frozen lake, desperately searching for another opening, but Priesty quietly stepped into her path while Vincent closed the remaining distance from behind.
Naomi’s eyes narrowed.
Priesty’s ritual staff slammed directly into her ribs.
The impact folded her body before launching her backward. For the first time, Naomi was genuinely terrified, Damien and Vincent’s fighting style was too flawless, they refused to let her breath for a moment.
She was unwilling, but her fate was sealed. Vincent’s Deadlock pressured her as Damien ordered Priesty to strike her down.
She could actually still dissolve, and perhaps manage to survive by shattering her body, but that sort of end was too demeaning for her, Naomi is a proud woman.
SKREEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee
The sound was alarming to the point that Vincent looked away from Naomi, momentarily lifting the pressure on her soul.
Damien on the hand was highly focused, he kept his eyes peeled as he watched Priesty’s staff fall towards her, it was mere inches away, and finally. Damien would be rid of Naomi.
But before the ritual staff could make contact. A deep crack echoed beneath their feet, in an instant, it grew to a web of cracks spreading rapidly beneath Damien and Vincent, racing across the ice before converging directly underneath Naomi.
Naomi looked down blankly.
"What?"
The ice exploded.
A deafening roar erupted from below as countless tonnes of frozen water burst into the air. Snow, shattered ice and freezing water rained, while an enormous feathered figure forced its way upward.
Damien’s eyes widened as Priesty made quick strides to safety, Vincent wasn’t that far behind, he even took the time to glance back, but the sight sent chills down his spine.
A gigantic snow-white beak burst through the frozen lake. It opened its mouth then snapped shut around Naomi’s waist.
Unfortunately for Damien, there wasn’t even enough time for her to scream.
The creature continued surging upward with unstoppable momentum, and Naomi’s body tore cleanly in half as blood erupted across the frozen lake.