ethereal - marvel x oc

chapter 6 - icy rains

A snarl ripped itself from his own throat and he flung himself toward the intruder, vision blinded by rage as he sunk his diamond fangs into their throat, legs kicking harshly into their ribcage. They easily shoved him off like he was nothing more than a simple toddler, flinging him into the opposite wall and glaring at him with shining red eyes through their matted crimson hair. Black, shining acidic liquid dripped thinly from the gash ripped out of their neck like blood, sizzling against the concrete below and letting out hissing pops as it splattered.

Immediately they were in front of Takeshi again, stronger arms pinning his own against the wall with a grip of steel. A boot shot up and slammed against his chin, shoving his head a foot into the wall, cracks resonating in the air. Takeshi shrieked, throat burning and fangs thrashing savagely as the crowryki before him dug into his chest with acid covered teeth, spitting out fake pearly white flesh soaked with black blood from their jaws after each mouthful.

They easily sliced through the steel fiber mesh of his skin, ripping through the protective armor plating around his heart as if it were nothing but rice paper. Once black acidic veins beneath their skin pulsed bright red like lava, skin steaming from the heat and personal satisfaction of destroying another crowryki. Takeshi let out a broken wail, and for the first time, real terror froze his limbs and locked his joints.

He was going to die.

Fueled by this terror and rage, Takeshi flailed around like a bug caught in a spider's web, legs trying to get high enough to kick against the crowryki's chest, to do anything. Managing to slip an arm out, he immediately slashed claws across their face, ripping up canyons of skin from the top right to the bottom left of their face, acidic blood sizzling against his skin and dripping easily onto the concrete below. They shrieked, scrambling themselves away with bloodied hands over their ripped eyes, and disoriented they fell back against the concrete.

Ignoring the sparking pain in his chest, along with the giant hole that leaked black blood all over the alleyway floor, soaking up into the white dress shirt he once wore - only now it was just a ragged cloth hanging over his form, he lunged onto the collapsed crowryki. Mirroring the other's actions, he pinned them down, with significantly more difficulty as the muscles in their arms pulsed and coiled against his grasp. They wreathed in agony, tears of acid pooling out of their shredding eyes as they snapped their fangs up at his face. Bottom and top canines criss-crossed against the skin of his right cheek, baring skimming over his eyes as they sliced an X into his flesh. Snarling, he pushed his feet against their chest, trying to use his weight rather than claws to shatter the ward around their heart.

Satisfying cracks popped in Takeshi's ears before their chest completely caved into itself, shattered obsidian crystal-like shards stabbed like venomous thorns into the bottom of his shoes, easily piercing into his feet. Shrill howls of pain echoed and shook the ground and the arched back of the crowryki beneath him pressed into the concrete, sinking slightly into the solid ground as cracks crawled across the stone like broken tree branches from purely just their weight. Black liquid pooled instantly into the bare crevice surrounding their pearl, not quite touching their heart as the invisible shimmering barrier surrounding it hissing and crackled in defiance.