All His Angels Are Starving

Jenny held Susan tight, even as the pink helmet nearly bashed her in the face. “It’s alright,” whispered Jenny. She rubbed Susan’s back.

Susan pulled away, tears glistening down her cheeks as she scowled. “Alright? How is any of this alright?” She shut her eyes and took a breath. “When I saw them... those angels were going to...” She shuddered and seemed to be choking on the words. “I couldn’t do anything to help you. I felt so weak and useless and...”

Human (Level 8)

Jenny blinked at the thought. Susan hadn’t leveled up as much as Jenny had. But, except for the chunk missing from her leg, she looked uninjured. She must've made her own potion or salve, and then used up a lot of energy to make that major potion of healing.

“We should’ve just gone the other way,” said Susan, wiping her cheeks. “The other stairwell.”

“I know,” said Jenny. She felt terrible. That stairwell would’ve taken them right in front of the library, where they would’ve noticed the lights and found everyone else without having to deal with the angels. Jenny had let the anger get to her head, and they both should've been very much dead by now. It was exactly what she’d do while gaming. If someone from the other team was being toxic, Jenny would vow vengeance. Kill everyone she could get her hands on, no questions asked. But unlike in a game, she wouldn’t respawn here. And more importantly, neither would Susan.

“And Oliver...” Susan whispered. She bit her lip. “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

Jenny put her hand on Susan’s shoulder. Her blue armor was still intact, except for a dent in the center and bunch of chipped scales. Jenny didn’t know how to tell her about Eve, or what she’d seen in that other world. “We’ll figure it out.”

Susan just shook her head and grabbed Jenny’s other arm to look at the injured hand. She stared at the bloodied cloth wrapped around it, peeled some of it off to inspect the now-healed wound, then lowered the hand gently. Her bottom lip wobbled. She opened her mouth to say something, but she didn’t make a sound.

Jenny understood exactly how she was feeling. It felt like her chest might collapse with worry and heartache and anxiety. The internal screaming didn’t help either. A part of her kept thinking she’d wake up any moment now from this horrible dream.

Dreams belong to the Sixth World. The World of Shadows. The world of Impossibilities.

Why does that sound ominous? Also, you keep talking about these worlds. Which one are we in right now?

We are in the absence between worlds. It has been known as the Abyss. The Veil. Purgatory.

Jenny wasn’t sure what to do with that information. There was so much to learn about these worlds and what they meant, but the most important thing right now was surviving. Can you fix Susan’s leg? Can you fix my fingers?

A Minor Potion of Reconstruction would cost 1000 Energy. Insufficient Energy.

Great. So, nothing I can do now. Jenny was vaguely aware of Susan and Mrs. Monique talking, but Jenny couldn’t concentrate on what they were saying. Her head swarmed with thoughts and doubts and horrible images, yet, beneath all that, thrummed the desire to kill.

She’d felt that burning anger roar ferociously to life back by the lobby. Now it was like embers were nestled between her lungs, but every little worry stoked it and agitated it. She knew it would flare up again into a giant blaze. And just thinking about it quickened her breath. If it weren’t for those two Imperfect Angels... she recalled their glistening hard skin, their teeth... Inside her head, she replayed the sight of the black angel ramming into Susan and knocking her away. Over and over.

Jenny bit the inside of her cheek. If only she’d been stronger.

You are stronger, Jenny Huang.

That thought rose up like a cool breeze. She shut her eyes as Eve reminded her of the available Stat Points from ranking up, The Energy Core. The Bloodlust Ecstasy Bonus. Flashes of the fight flickered through each notification.

You have breached the threshold. You are now Human (Stage ii).

The Bloodlust Ecstasy Bonus increases experience gained in battle.

Energy Cores are awarded with each Stage. It doubles the Energy harvested.

Leslie Garcia’s nasally voice cut through Jenny’s focus and the thoughts drifted away. It seemed like Eve had more to say, and Jenny was bursting with questions. But Leslie squealed with excitement, and Jenny turned to see her doing a little dance.

Leslie fanned herself with her hands as golden light took shape in Dr. Lee’s hands. The light extended upward, shining brightly before fading away to reveal what looked like a sword.

Jenny squinted at what he held.

Katana (Tier 1)

“It’s just like the one I have at home,” said Dr. Lee breathlessly, adjusting his glasses and studying the long metal blade closely. “It’s exactly the same!” He turned it this way and that. It glinted as someone turned their flashlight on it. Leslie grabbed his elbow and murmured excitedly. Jenny saw Leslie press her chest against his arm.

Susan made a sound of disgust and Mrs. Monique shook her head. But Dr. Lee seemed to like the attention from Leslie. He was showing off his blade and talking about how he’d had the handle custom made and shipped from Japan. Leslie hung on to every single word, keeping her fingers wrapped around Dr. Lee’s arm.

Girl get a hold of yourself! Jenny couldn’t look at the sight anymore. It seemed like exactly what Leslie would do: try to cozy up to the science teacher, who not only was the sole adult male in the room, but now had a capable weapon. That was the same reason Leslie went after Susan’s ex. Kevin had been on a hot streak in the school football games, rising as a star and becoming popular, and... None of this matters. This is all so stupid and pointless.

Jenny stared at her injured hand, trying to wriggle fingers that were no longer there. All she had left were four stumps. She had to go find Oliver. She had to kill more angels. And she had to get stronger.

Before time ran out.

The flashlights and phones were keeping them safe for now. But how long would the batteries last? Days? Even if they did, the angels would be getting stronger all the while. What if they evolved better eyes?

Leslie was still sucking up to Dr. Lee. He let her hold the katana, and she gave him a hug that lasted a little too long. The other students gathered around them, and Dr. Lee explained what he’d done. As though he’d discovered it himself and Jenny hadn’t explained it a few moments ago.

Swallowing the desire to throw up again, Jenny stood and walked away, telling Susan, who was reluctant to let go of her arm, that she needed to think.

Golden light blossomed in Mrs. Monique’s hand. Susan gave Jenny’s arm a squeeze then turned to see what Mrs. Monique was creating while Jenny hugged herself and walked by the library’s entrance.

She was careful not to touch her injured hand. Though it no longer hurt, the difference in weight and feeling unnerved her. The entrance had been barricaded with a several tables, and beyond the glass, Jenny could see the dark hallway. The tables obscured the view of the floor, but she imagined there were several bodies on the floor. For a second, she pictured that blonde Imperfect Angel staring at her through the glass.

Three students guarded the door, phones and flashlights at the ready. They were all covered in blood, sporting several injuries and torn clothes, but had no weapons. Two of them were Level 2. The third was a redheaded senior boy she recognized but didn’t know by name. He was missing an ear. Blood matted his hair on that side. He was level 3. He nodded, but she sped away, to the other side of the library where she’d woken up, figuring Susan or one of the others would explain the system to them.

The table she’d woken up on was covered in dried blood. Her blood. Bits of her armor lay strewn about her hatchet, and she picked up the pieces. It almost reminded her of finding seashell fragments on the beach. Rubbing the armor piece between her fingers, the broken bits felt very different from the armor still left on her body. Now it was brittle and dried out and crumbled away.

Just as Dr. Lee had said, this stuff was organic. Was she a host for the armor then? She looked down at the armor she still had on. Her left thigh and her chest were exposed as were bits of her sides and arms. She remembered that first Imperfect Angel she’d fought, in front of the boy's bathroom on the third floor. How it bit her arm and cracked the scales. Did Imperfect Angels have armor too then? That glistening hard layer on their skin? Was it all somehow similar?

Thinking about that made her head hurt. Jenny stared at a bookshelf. It was half empty with most of the books scattered on the floor. Less light reached this corner, and she was grateful to be somewhat in the dark. She took a deep breath, shut her eyes, then pulled up her stats.

Jenny Huang

Human (Stage ii) (Level 11)

Age: 6,801 days

Stats:

Power: 13

Durability: 5

Stamina: 5

Agility: 5

(Stat Points Available: 37)

(Energy Available: 338)

Right away, she used 7 of her available points, applying them to power to bring that up to an even 20. That made the numbers look nice and tidy, except now she almost regretted conjuring those water bottles earlier. They’d each cost 1 Energy, but she’d have to make a few more to bring her available Energy to a multiple of five.

Maybe she could give a few out to the others to even out her energy available? Why hadn’t she already? She should've at least made sure Susan had some. Before she could kick herself further for being short-sighted and selfish, a tremor ran through her body in the form of a violent shudder.

“Fuck,” she gasped. Jolts raced up and down her spine before shooting into her limbs. The muscles of her arms and legs contracted and throbbed before finally relaxing. She felt like she’d just completed a full circuit of training in the school gym. Except her gym teacher wasn’t around to shout at her for slacking off. Though Mrs. Reid was probably dead.

No point in thinking about that right now. She still had 30 points left to use. And 3 remaining stats that she'd been neglecting.

She put 5 points into durability, bringing it up to 10. There wasn't a jolt of energy this time. Instead, it felt like someone ran a feather over her chest, trying to tickle her. She clawed off bits of her armor, then pulled on her undershirt to look. Nothing seemed different.

She poked herself. Then she gasped again, softly this time. Her skin still felt soft, but it took considerably more force to press her fingernail into it. She barely felt it when she scratched herself. Okay, that’s kind of cool. She felt like she could tank a punch. Like a movie star who could take a hit and not even flinch. Though I'd probably need a lot more points to pull that off.

She wondered about stamina and agility. If she got stuck facing down a bunch of angels, stamina would be crucial. But agility would be important too. Those Imperfect Angels had closed the distance so quickly, they'd attacked before Jenny could make sense of what happened. She needed to be quicker and she needed to last longer. With 25 points left, what was the best way to split them?

Eve. What should I do?

Trust your instincts.

Well, that's very helpful. Jenny massaged the palm of her injured hand. She looked over her stats again. Wait, she thought unable to suppress her smile. I’m being stupid. She put 5 more points into durability. Then split the remaining 20 evenly with stamina and agility.

Jenny Huang

Human (Stage ii) (Level 11)

Age: 6,801 days

 

Stats:

Power: 20

Durability: 15

Stamina: 15

Agility: 15

(Stat Points Available: 0)

(Energy Available: 338)

She'd applied them so quickly that they took effect all at once. That tingling sensation returned manyfold, and it felt like someone had lit a match inside her chest. The feeling surged through her as her body convulsed. Her shoulders twitched and her legs jerked, and it almost looked like she was doing some strange new-age dance. Either that or she was having a mental breakdown.

“Gah!” she spat, bending over and hugging herself. She made a mental note to apply stat points gradually in the future. She was drenched in sweat and breathing hard like she’d run a marathon.

Except she felt like she could run another ten marathons. Her heart raced as she straightened up, marveling at the difference in her body. She felt lighter on her feet. As though she might jump straight through the ceiling at any given moment. Her tummy seemed flatter, and she pressed her hand against it and realized she had abs. I have abs!

She yanked her undershirt up and looked at them, turning so that they caught the light. Her abs were so well defined and flat and... She wanted to be excited. This was something she’d always wanted, to be like those models she saw online. But this didn’t feel sexy; it was tactical. This was all for survival. This was all to reach Oliver and keep him and Susan safe. This was so she didn’t die the next time she ran into a strong angel.

Alright. Eve.

What the hell does Human (Stage ii) mean?