User:NeloAngelo/Redstuff/1-28

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Swallowtail - Nelo Before it can continue swarming me with a rapid barrage, I have to keep it busy. Taking aim, I fired as much fire shots as possible while strafing around it. These are weak, uncompressed shots- I need to preserve my stamina as much as possible. The Grotesque seems to take it as a challenge, who in turn circulating around me while firing a barrage of light beams to neutralize my shots. It might be thinking that I'm stopping it to get a clear opporturnity for a killshot, but there's additional purposes for this blindfire- to keep it in a predictable flight pattern, and as cover fire. As it continued its circular flight path, I continued firing another barrage as insurance. Just as one last shot expelled from my fingertips, I quickly gripped my sword and secured my footing- for my real attack. I proceeded to throw my sword towards the Grotesque like a guided boomerang- its traveling isn't as fast as my shots, but it can track. To keep up appearances, the instance I threw my sword, I immediately change up, and fired a compressed shot to put up the illusion of cancelling the blind fire for this one shot.

My compressed shot seem to have left an impression in the Grotesque than I thought. Just as I fired the compressed shot, the Grotesque let out a yell and focused moving away from it- and right into my thrown sword. The steel cut into the Grotesque's white marble skin in a spiraling pattern, drawing thin red lines across its body. The Grotesque trashed around in midair, stopping its slew of shots struggled to shake my sword away. The sword isn't going to deal any solid damage in the long-run, but it can buy me a brief of moment of time.

I looked around my surroundings- thanks to our shooting spree, there's basically no rocks big enough to take cover. In fact, the entire place is on the verge of collapse- a main pillar are situated on behind of the Grotesque, and another far from on my right. The main pillar behind Grotesque already has a large hole from my previous missed compressed shot. So, if possible... I resumed letting loose a barrage of weak shots, forcing the the struggling Grotesque to move towards the pillar. With how it being preoccupied with my sword, it took up the bait and focused moving closer to my planned position. Then, I repeated my pattern of stopping fire and immediately line up for a compressed shot. Stray shots won't be strong enough to neutralize this compressed shot. With its firing capability inhibited by my sword, and its slowed movement, the Grotesque has no chance but to take it head on. It still haven't noticed the damaged pillar. So, what are you going to do?

"Screeee!" The Grotesque let out a anguished scream, releasing a powerful burst of red streams around itself exuding forth, blowing my sword and my shot away. And...just as planned. The Grotesque decided to neutralize all my attacks with its exploding shockwave- which hit the main pillar behind it. This went better than I thought. I intended for the Grotesque to use its exploding shockwave to destabilize the pillar, but a powered up shockwave outright broke it. With the broken pillar, the the Grotesque brought down the portion of the roof on top of it. From my experience of scoring a compressed shot on it, the Grotesque doesn't react well with unforeseen attacks. With the crashing roof, the rocks quickly overwhelmed it and burying it to the ground.

With a flick of my left hand, my sword, who was sent flying to a wreckage returned to me. Carefully, I approached the wreckage. This amount of damage won't be enough to kill it. I have to close in a deal a definite killing blow. One step taken. No reaction from the rubble. Two steps. Nothing. Five steps. Nothing. Twenty. No changed. In twenty-one step, I stopped just a small pace just away from the rubble. I wasn't about to take any chances. Maybe another compressed shot for insurance.

Taking aim, I raised my hand and channeled a huge surge of mana. And then- The rubble rumbled, and the Grotesque quickly soared up with a deafening scream. Urgh-! At this range, the scream is enough to disorient me. Goddamnit, it's just playing dead. It used my trick against me! From my blurred vision, I can barely make out its followup movement- it opened its moth agape as a orb of light formed out of it. The orb glowed brilliantly with a sinister light further disorienting my body, and the Grotesque proceeded to launch it towards direction. I haven't fully recovered from the disorientation, so my best bet is to expend my charge and shot down the orb with my compressed shot.

BLAM. The orb exploded with a powerful surge of light upon contact with my shot, blasting both me and the Grotesque apart. GAH-! The blast slammed me directly to one of the ruined walls. Though the defensive system absorbed most of the impact, it's two cracked ribs on my end. I tried to pick myself up, only to collapse on my knees. An uncomfortable sensation swelled up on my chest, causing me the cough out blood. Brushing the blood from the corner of my mouth, I tried to refocus on the Grotesque. It looks like the Grotesque isn't completely safe from the blast radius- two of its arms are blown off, it wings are barely held together, and its body is already suffering from torn gashes. Even its solid adjoined thorax have dents on it. I wasn't sure which damage is from the blast or the collapsing roof, but I can't let it set off another light orb- it's a bomb composed of highly compressed magical surge.

Dragging my body up, I used the falling wall to prop myself up. My breathing is unstable, and my heart is beating just as fast. But strangely enough, I wasn't afraid. Rather, I feel familiar. Almost comfortable. Geez what's wrong with me. The Grotesque pulled itself up from the rubble again, but it doesn't seem like it can flight as well as it used to. Instead of zipping across the air, it's just floating. The Grotesque is struggling to recover its wounds. It hasn't even attempted any attacks. I looked around. Looks like I've blown away from the previously right pillar. On the other, the Grotesque was positioned slightly away from the left pillar. Gritting my teeth, I raised my hand and fired a barrage of shots. At this state, it's difficult to focus, but my plan was to gauge how much strength does the Grotesque has. Unsurprisingly, the Grotesque fired beams of light to neutralize them. I can't stay a sitting duck, as the shots collided with one another, I used the opening to move my body. The wounds slowed down my movement, so I have adjust to move preemptively. Adrenaline dulled the pain on my ribs, but damn, it still hurts like hell. The surrounding isn't favoring me either- I've ran out of walls to take cover. The Grotesque haven't done anything drastic- just as I'm buying time to come up with something, it's also buying time for its regeneration to kick in. Time isn't on my side- I have to come up with something fast.

Pillar...my best bet right now is getting near to a main pillar. If I can blow up all of the pillars, I can bring down the entire building on it. I probably can't get away, but since the Grotesque is at a higher altitude, I'd at least have to satisfaction of it getting rocked before I do. Formulating my thoughts, I changed my movement pattern into a strafe, and circled around the Grotesque to move near to the main pillar. I continued firing my weak shots to hide my intention, keeping the Grotesque busy to neutralize my attack. The Grotesque doesn't seem to caught on, or even care- once it fully regenerates, I'm have absolutely no chance to win. Eventually, I reached to the main pillar. But my prediction was off.

The Groteseque has stopped firing. Standing against the pillar for support, I realized my space away from the Grostesque is at a comfortable range for it- it has subtly moved just away enough for it to hit me with its light orb. And it's already beginning its charge. It probably figured out my plan of collapsing the entire building. The light emanated from the orb shined just as sinister as the last, and a faint sound of giggling can be heard from the Grotesque- it knows there simply isn't enough room or time for me to get out of the way. What a stroke of luck. Instead of figuring out how to deal with the oncoming bomb, I'll just have to detonate it before you can full charge it! Taking aim at the orb, I let out a compressed shot. The fired shot exceeded the bomb's charging speed, and-

BLAM. A powerful surge of explosion triggered at the mouth of the Grotesque. A shockwave ensued, but since the bomb is incompletely charged, its also substantially weaker. It simply pinned me to the pillar. Considering it wounds prior-hand, the Grotesque itself isn't immune to its own attacks, so even an incomplete blast should deal some solid damage. As the dust settled, the Grotesque finally fell to the ground. The blast has blew off the right side of its face, complete with its right shoulder taken off. Who knew this ended up being the decisive blow. But it's not dead yet. I can feel its pulse emanating. I'm not taking anymore chances. Gathering the last ounces of my strength, I fired a chain of compressed shots towards the Grotesque, piercing down its chest, abdomen, and neck. Several shots were aimed at its adjoined thorax, but they simply dispersed on contact. Damn, I'm so drained that I can't even pierce through it. The Grotesque let out an anguished yell. But with its damaged jaw, it simply became a garbled mess. And- it no longer have an disorienting effect. The blast must've took out more than I thought. I pulled out my sword, hand tightly gripped. My hand is shaking. I walked towards the collapsed Grotesque. I can hear faint whimpers from it. Almost like Sophie's voice. Brushing off the voices, I made it on top of its body. Readying my sword, I plunge it deep into its chest, channeling as many heat through my sword and into it. Rest in peace, Sophie.

The Grotesque yelled in pain as the heat flowed from my body and into it. It was shaking violently, but I held onto my sword. A distorted, uncomfortable yell echoed across the entire building. Blood- warm blood splashed out of the Grotesque's wound and into my face, obscuring my vision. But I continued plunging my sword deeper and deeper. What-!? With one final scream, the Grotesque trashed itself violently, loosening my grip and knocking me off its body. Argh-! I just had to fall on my wounded ribs. The pain immediately consumed my judgment- I clutched my body in a reflex and ignored the Grotesque, nearly blacking out. The whimpers of Grotesque still echoed, but it grew weaker and weaker, until- it is no more.

Sluggish, I picked myself up, and began inspecting the Grotesque's body. My sword is still stuck on it, but with the Grotesque's faded vigor, it's body is breaking down. That's a first. Wonder if it's unique to Shaman transformed Grotesques. Hurk-! It's that warm feeling again. My heart beat increased its pace rapidly, and tracing the source- I found a piece of reddened shrapnel from the Grotesque's body.



What's this? In contrast to the sinister glow the Grotesque exuded before, the shrapnel looked almost translucent, and exuded a warm, familiar light. Almost...like it was a part of me. The closer I get to the shrapnel, the faster my heart is beating. My body is urging me to take a hold of it. As I grasp into the shrapnel, it suddenly released a stream of red lines stabbing into my body. I could feel my body burning, an unknown pain began spreading to every vein, every artery, every nerve. "ARGGGGH!" I yelled in pain. But only the echo of my scream replied. Even so, my body held onto the shrapnel. Not that it mattered- the red lines already pierced deep into my body. The pain grew more and more intense by the second, and then- A black out.

>Acquired Sophie's Memory!