All His Angels Are Starving

She was covered in dust and chunks of the ceiling. Groaning, Jenny tried to get up. Her core strained, her teeth clenched. But she collapsed, breathless. Her head ached maddeningly.

Smoke rose from between her teeth. The wooden door of the teacher's lounge was folded beneath her; she and the door had crashed into the fridge, knocking it against the wall, which, upon impact, cracked. The ceiling had caved in slightly, chairs and books and bits of plaster and wood had rained down like an avalanche. She heard shuffling in the debris above but couldn't see anything in the gaping darkness. She wished she had her flashlight. Her armor looked gray, caked with dust.

The door had cracked through the middle, splintered wood sticking out like a demonic smile. A shattered coffee pot lay on the floor near her leg, its dark contents pooling. She'd knocked over a large wooden table, breaking two of its legs. Mugs, papers, and a pair of cracked glasses were strewn all about between her and the exit.

She coughed up dust and more smoke, feeling around wildly with her right hand for her hatchet. She pricked her fingers on splinters, touched something cold and spongy, then remembered she could recall it.

Golden light flashed. It was back in her hand, and she felt the tiniest bit of comfort. Jenny managed to pull herself to her feet, wood crackling against her armor. Her right shoulder ached fiercely, a throbbing pain. The scales were shattered, exposing a layer of dark mesh. The angel had hit her hard. But her armor and the Minor Potion of Fortification had saved her. She rolled her arm, wondering if it was dislocated and she just couldn't feel pain yet cause of the potion. Something seemed to click in her shoulder, the same sensation as cracking her knuckles, but other than that, it seemed fine. She'd just have to be careful and not let the angel attack her there now that the armor was compromised.

Jenny groaned, shutting her eyes, trying to quell the wave of nausea. She exhaled forcefully through her nose, blowing out dust and snot. She stumbled out of the debris, wrenching her boot free, trying not to inhale any more of the dust. Squinting, she realized the Imperfect Angel hadn't followed her inside.

It was on all fours, the wall cratered behind it from Jenny's attack. The angel was eating the bit of black covering it had torn off before. It chewed loudly and wetly before slurping and swallowing.

Its exposed chest was caved in, the semicircular shape clearly the work of Jenny's shield, and the angel’s breathing was raspy and labored. It was eating itself out of desperation.

As the angel tore more of its cracked black covering off, the substance turned gelatinous. She realized as soon as the angel started chewing, the stuff didn’t remain solid. The angel slurped it up like ramen before munching.

How much time do I have left before the potion wears off?

8 minutes and 17 seconds

She limped forward, eyeing the rest of the room. There was a red leather couch beside her. It was torn up and two corpses lay on top. One was naked and bony with its head angled so that its empty eyes stared at Jenny. The other was a thin woman. Though the skin of her face was still attached to her head, it was torn off enough that Jenny couldn't recognize the teacher. Jenny noticed the pen sticking out of the angel's neck. They must have died together before the woman could've used the System.

Jenny nearly slipped in the puddle of coffee but caught herself. More debris rained down behind her, and then she heard hissing. Her blood went cold. Something large plopped down from above and landed on the ruined door with a clatter. Without hesitating, and as soon as the thought registered in her head, Jenny slashed it across the face.

Imperfect Angel (Level 15)

Her hatchet's edge cut clean through the center of its head, from one ear to the other. The angel, a male covered in dark green, made a low rasping sound, as though it were surprised. But its arms and chest and chin were already stained with blood; it had lived more than long enough. Jenny watched its body collapse. The top of its head slipped off like the lid of a clay pot.

You’ve defeated Imperfect Angel (Level 15)

Experience has been awarded

+100 Energy gained

She waited to hear if any other angels were going to drop down. Straining her eyes at the dark hole in the ceiling, she could see what looked like a dangling arm. She couldn't tell what it belonged to, but it wasn't moving.

6 minutes 59 seconds

Just tell me when I have 3 minutes left. She took a shaky breath, glad that Eve was in her head keeping track of the timer. It almost felt like cheating, but she didn't care. It wanted something in return, and she didn't want to die.

The Imperfect Angel in the hallway hissed loudly. Golden light filled its chest as it held its clawed hand against the exposed skin. It grabbed the ruined doorframe, standing upright, saliva dripping from its jaws as it eyed Jenny. She could hear its horrid breathing. Could see the cracks in its facial covering, light shining across its face.

She remembered how the first Imperfect Angel she'd fought had shied away from the golden light. This one didn't seem to care at all. Or maybe it was immune to its own light?

And it could heal itself... after eating itself. She remembered the terrible way it had chewed its own fingers and then healed its jaw and hand. Except the hand regrew with dangerously large claws.

The angel growled and pressed those claws to its face next, and more light illuminated the ruined teacher's lounge. Jenny could see its new chest; it was now covered in a thicker layer of that solid black material with a spike jutting out of the center. She did not want to get impaled on that.

Why was this only getting more and more difficult to deal with? Why was this angel so much more adept than the others in the stairwell? They'd been high level too.

Those particular Imperfect Angels were drained from mating.

So, I just got lucky? The angels were weak from... ugh. She kicked a book away in frustration, trying to think of some way out of this. The teacher's lounge was roomy, so at least she wasn't completely boxed in. But the only ways out were either though the angel or out a window. And something told her it wouldn't be fun to fall through the void outside.

Jenny sensed Eve was about to answer and explain more properties of the veil, but that would have to wait. The angel lifted its new face, black covering slicked back with spikes protruding from the top and back of its head, almost like gelled hair.

Why hasn't it leveled up? It's only getting scarier. There was a ferocious look on the creature's face.

Level 30 is a threshold level. It requires a great amount of-

The angel rushed her with a roar. But she'd been ready. She knocked its large claws away with her shield, then whirled around that arm, keeping distance from the spike on its chest. She kicked a mug so that it shattered against the wall.

The sound made the angel twitch, its head turning toward the broken mug. Jenny seized the opportunity to slash its neck.

Her hatchet bounced harmlessly off the black covering, and she stumbled back in shock. The angel's tendrils swished madly. It glowered at her. Then, with a roar, it turned to slash her face.

She ducked. Its claws whistled over her helmet, and she saw her chance. Using a burst of Instant Acceleration, she slammed into the creature from that position.

Another shockwave went through her body. But the impact launched the angel away. It crashed through the couch, tearing up a cloud of fluffy white material as the bodies on it went flying. Bookshelves collapsed on the other side of the room. Paintings clattered to the floor, their glass faces shattering, further confusing the Imperfect Angel as it whirled around.

Jenny wasn't going to let up. She stomped forward on her left foot, a wretched scream filling her throat as she flung her hatchet. The boost from the potion was palpable; the hatchet tore through the space between them before striking the angel with a thunderous crack, right below its new chest spike.

The angel roared in pain, thrashing against the broken shelves and debris. Jenny was breathing hard, drenched in sweat. She was running out of time. Her throw was stronger, but it wasn't enough to kill the creature. It clawed a sizeable chunk of wall off and hurled it at her.

Jenny almost tried to block it with her shield, then thought better of it and rolled out of the way. The chunk of wall crashed loudly behind her, but she kept her eyes on the Imperfect Angel. Its breathing was just as labored as her own, but its chest was only dented slightly. There were no cracks; its new covering held strong.

She spat blood. The angel wasn't just healing itself through self-cannibalism. It was fortifying the same way her potion had. It ripped the hatchet out, but Jenny was already rushing toward it.

She summoned her hatchet back with a flash of light and leaped over the ruined couch and slashed the angel. Sparks glittered on its forehead as the hatchet bounced off, and the angel hissed, trying to grab her.

Blocking its claws with her shield, she stepped back, moved swiftly to the right, then landed another blow. This time the edge bounced off the angel's dark cheek.

The Imperfect Angel's head snapped to the side. Then, slowly, it turned back to stare at her, showing its teeth as if it were grinning and mocking her.

Furious, Jenny swung again, this time aiming for its leg, which she knew hadn't been fortified yet. But the angel's claws shot up; it grabbed her arm.

"No!" she shouted, trying to use Instant Acceleration to step back. But the angel held firmly, glaring down at her. Her insides jolted in place. The failed attempt making her vision spin violently.

She thrust her shield into its chin, forcing its head upwards, realizing she'd made a stupid mistake again, letting the angel goad her into attacking so blindly. Then, in the heat of the moment, an idea burst through her thoughts.

Ignite.

Fire erupted from her mouth, illuminating the room with a warm orangish-red glow as the flames engulfed the angel's chest and arm. It howled in pain, releasing its grip. She tried scorching its face, but the creature slammed its knee into her tummy, driving all the air out of her lungs.

The fire flickered out into spittle. A choking gasp escaped her throat. Then she was tumbling backward through the debris, coming to a stop after her helmet bounced off the floor.

She turned over and wretched. Blood and water and stomach bile splattered the loose tiles and textbooks. She didn't even wipe her mouth. Pain coiled in her belly, but that only fueled her rage. She leaped back to her feet, as Eve relayed how much time was left.

3 minutes remaining.

She spat, trying to ignore the horrid taste of vomit and ash in her mouth. The Imperfect Angel's shoulder was scorched. It writhed in agony, its tendrils flickering in every direction. The black covering was melted and lopsided. A sulfuric stench clogged her nose. She only wished she'd gotten the arm with the claws.

Jenny lunged again, knowing if she didn't finish this quickly, the potion's effect would wear off, and she'd definitively die.

The angel leaped as well, and they collided midair. Her shield took the brunt of its claws, clanging loudly. Its burned arm moved too slowly, and she swung her hatchet upwards from below. The razor-sharp edge found the creature's armpit, where the black covering gave easily now that it was slightly melted. Screaming in the angel's face, Jenny followed through with the motion.

She cut through the flesh and bone connecting the angel's arm to its shoulder. Blood sprayed everything as the Imperfect Angel lumbered backward, its white eyes wide-open in shock.

The arm hung off the shoulder, only a few remaining tendons keeping it attached. Blood rushed down its muscles and its side.

Jenny could see the strands of exposed muscle, and if it weren't for the angel holding its arm with its claws, she knew the weight of those muscles would've finished the job for her.

She hissed at the creature, mocking it just how it had mocked her. She raised her shield and bent her knees slightly, deciding to hit the angel again with Instant Acceleration. She’d follow it up with another burst of Ignite then cut off its stupid head.

But just as soon as she stepped forward, as the room blurred, as time rippled, the Imperfect Angel tore off its arm and swung it backhanded.

The glistening dark muscle of its arm made it look like a large club. She was moving too quickly. She couldn't adjust her direction or duck or dodge. The arm connected with her shield, slamming it into her face.

Her nose caved. Her head snapped back. Her feet came off the ground. And once again, she was flying backward, her consciousness threatening to slip into an empty darkness. She was only vaguely aware of crashing into something. The sound never reached her ears. All she could hear was an intense ringing, drowning out even her heartbeat as she felt the sharp edges of her teeth tearing into the back of her throat.

She tried to open her mouth, but her jaws wouldn't work. Pain screamed from both sides of her face; blood gushed down from her shattered nose.

The Imperfect Angel towered over her.

C’mon... C'mon! She tried to will her body up. To raise her shield. Recall her hatchet. Her heart pounded furiously. But all she managed to do was raise one foot slightly off the floor.

The creature stared down at her, blood dripping in thick spurts from its shoulder. It was still holding its arm. As soon as it ate the arm, the angel would get even stronger. There was nothing more she could do.

This is it, she thought. I lost... It’s over. She didn't look away from its empty eyes, daring it to finish her. She was going to watch. If this is it... I'm sorry, Susan. Oliver. Eve...

But the angel didn't hit her again. Instead, it put its severed arm between its teeth, holding it like a dog might hold a large stick. Then it leaned down and grabbed Jenny's leg with its claws. The armor crunched, then the angel turned away, walking on two legs and hunched over as it dragged Jenny’s limp body out of the teacher’s lounge.

1 minute and 47 seconds remaining.