chapter 24 ability
From the outside, it looked like Fighter was having a stroke. His body jerked with violent tremors, and his eyes vibrated in their sockets, reflecting a mind rapidly being unmade by the sludge.
Hovering above, Saint Veera's expression remained mask-like. "Cleverness doesn't supplement natural talent, it seems," she thought, looking down at the trembling boy. To her, he was just another spark fading in the dark.
Fighter forced his head to turn, looking toward Kaizer to find some grounding for his fear. Instead, he was met with a shock that bypassed his terror.
Kaizer was already seven steps into the Endless Quagmire. A faint, shimmering shield of 'something moving'—wrapped tightly around his body, but the river was constantly licking it away. Behind Kaizer, the parts of him that had been assimilated were twitching with a ghostly, unnatural motion.
He was sinking fast, the black mire already claiming his chest, but Kaizer moved as if he were simply walking through a heavy rain. He was ignoring the laws of the river entirely. Very soon, there would be nothing left but his head, yet he refused to stop.
It was an unreal sight.
Fighter, at only four steps, was paralyzed. He was a man who had read the novel, but experiencing the sensation of his soul being shredded was a different reality entirely. He was scared out of his mind, unable to move a single inch further.
"I'm going to disappear," Fighter realized. "I'm going to be scrap before I even start."
With a surge of desperate resolve, he activated his ability before the fear and the river could finish their work.
[Script: Fly] – Ability: [Blessing of The Worms]
The [Blessing of The Worms] was a blessing-type ability that only activated when the user fulfilled the [Acting] required by the Script. It was a grotesque power. The ability functioned by consuming biological matter—specifically the insects and parasites that had grown within the host's body, feeding on their flesh and Ethos.
Fighter was currently host to a small colony of Flea Myiasis—maggots and larvae burrowed near his stomach and brain. He didn't know exactly how it happened; his best guess was that the previous owner of this body had been dead just long enough in the Human Void for the flies to lay their eggs.
During the [Process] of finding his [Book] back in the void, he had discovered the infestation. Instead of purging them, he had used a lock of Ethos to cultivate them within himself. They were his fuel. He had used most of them once before, and the colony was nearly depleted.
> [Acting Conditions for Script Activation:]
> * Near-Death Situation — [Condition Met]
> * Being a Nonsense — [In Progress]
> * Searching for Food — [In Progress]
>
"I don't know what this world officially counts as a near-death situation," Fighter grumbled internally, "but this feels pretty damn close to me."
Rechel: [I think you will ascend to the next chapter very soon. With your nasty attitude and natural nastiness, you are the perfect fertilizer for these things, you dishonest man. Ok.]
"Am I that nasty? You're imagining it," Fighter shot back.
Suddenly, the world vanished.
The gray sky, the iron smell, and the sight of Saint Veera were all filtered out. Fighter entered a "Zone." His entire body—down to the rhythm of his heart and the flow of his blood—was under his total, singular command. Every unnecessary thought was purged. There was only one goal.
Take two more steps.
Forward.
Forward.
Move Forward.
With the static of fear gone, the fifth step was easy. He pulled his leg from the sludge and planted it firmly.
But the sixth step was different.
It was as if the weight of the entire world was suddenly placed upon his shoulders. The quagmire grew thick and heavy, like drying concrete. He tried to lift his foot, but it was stuck at the boundary of the fifth step. He wasn't just being assimilated; he was being rejected by the space in front of him.
Fighter began to sink. The black sludge rose to his neck, his jaw, and he felt the cold pressure of the river beginning to fill his mouth.