F-Rank Frank: Chapter 82 True Awakening

<<<Author's Note: This is intended to be the end of Book 2, please let me know what you think of this as a possible ending spot.>>>

Chapter 82

True Awakening

How do you fight in a realm where there are no rules? Or rather there are rules, but you have no idea what the rules are?

That’s what Frank had been subjected to, at least at first. Then finally things began to click. There was the external voice who told him that it wasn’t real, that it was all imaginary. That’s when he realized the truth, these were fictional. The wounds he was suffering, the pain he was feeling, it was all imaginary.

At least, that was what Frank let himself believe.

While his trick with the earth element had clearly been countered by the apparition he had been fighting turning to a viscous form of air. Air that could move, mold and reshape itself in a second, where it would lash out and provide deep burning wounds to his skin.

Yet, there were certain things that only seemed to make sense after time. In here Frank couldn’t die. At least that was a working theory, though the deep wounds on his spirit body seemed to disagree with this theory. Particularly with the way he swore he could feel the same wounds forming on his actual body, a mirrored representation of the battle he was partaking in currently.

From there his mind went to other possibilities, the fact that if he could in fact die, then why wasn’t he? Why did the monster only go for quick gouges and long painful lacerations, rather than true death blows?

At first, the attack pattern made no sense. At least not until Frank heard the monster say the ultimate words that would prove to be its undoing.

“Just give up, you realize this is futile?” The apparition spoke these words with a mild form of irritation, as if it too was tired of the fight thus far. Hearing those words, Frank realized a few things. First, he realized that the monster he was fighting was able to be frustrated, the fact that it all but demanded Frank to quit proved this much.

Another thing that this random comment let Frank understand about this conflict was that it was never meant to kill Frank. The words were for him to give up. This meant that Frank had a choice, an option. If he died, that was one thing, but this was different as the creature he was fighting clearly wanted, no needed, him to quit. This had to mean something, but what?

Then Frank realized he didn’t need to know, instead, he realized the most important part of this, it meant that the opponent he was fighting was at a disadvantage. Frank could go all out, what was the worst that happened? He died? While the apparition he was fighting, it had to hold back, it couldn’t kill him. At least it couldn’t kill him and continue to exist in its current form. This meant, well it didn’t mean much currently, for Frank was still losing, especially with only using the same standard attacks that he had been trying from the start. Yet, Frank used this newfound insight to continue to press on, to push himself to his limit and beyond.

Realizing that earth elemental energy was out, Frank wondered if water or air elemental energy would work? This seemed likely, for the beast he was fighting did seem to feel moist every time it contacted his skin, indicating that it was in a mostly air and water mixture while hiding and fighting. Again, good to know for a future encounter, but not something that would help him out currently.

With the elemental powers out of the question, and the use of his spirit familiar being a no go, as it would likely lead to his eventual insanity, Frank was left to using his basic powers. These were the powers that he began with, however he knew thanks to his F-Rank status that his life powers would be impossible to use. For in order to use those powers, he had to physically touch his target. While he might be able to do something when inside the fog, that still left him open to an attack from literally anywhere, particularly if that attack proved effective. Meaning, Frank was left with but one option, one power to use.

Fight fire with fire, was a saying that his father used to use. It meant burn up the resources of a larger flame, by creating a smaller more controllable flame that could be easily extinguished. Then when the larger flame arrived it would be stopped before it could continue. While that act had little to do with the monster that Frank now faced, he felt there was some merit to the comment. The act of using a like power to attack a similar form of attack was well known and often encouraged. This way the entity with the power dominance would win.

In Frank’s case, this meant using his proclivity towards death energy, or negative life energy to attack an entity that seemed to be mostly dead.

Still moving, Frank found his focus hard to manifest, at least at first. When he first started trying to use his dark energy, he was too cautious, still moving, still trying to retreat. Then finally, he realized it was finally time to put his thoughts to the test. Either he was right, or that the entity he was now fighting didn’t want to kill him, not truly, but rather it wanted him to submit; or the alternative to that was that he would die.

Yet, regardless of how Frank thought about what would happen, he realized that it ultimately didn’t matter. Right now, the only thing that did matter was that he needed to strike back, to pose a real threat.

That’s when Frank decided to do the unthinkable. At least, most sane people would think this level of attack was unthinkable, but Frank was at a loss. It was kill or be controlled, and that’s what it would be. Frank knew that if he submitted now, something would be broken, he would grant this monster dominion over his most valued possession, his mind. Without that, he would be lost.

Only now could Frank feel Constance’s mind through their fragile connection. Constance’s mind was shattered and broken, almost beyond recognition. Whatever they had done to her had clearly traumatic effects that made her a completely different person from the one she met even in captivity.

“Focus,” the shadow spirit companion shouted into Frank’s mind, directing his thoughts to the present. While his spirit bond could not help in this fight directly, that didn’t mean that he couldn’t be there for him in other ways. Namely, helping him to stay weary of a foe that was nearly unstoppable.

Slash.

Another light swipe of momentarily materialized claws, and a quick jolt of pain helped his mind fully focus on the present. Realizing he had no other time than now, he stood still, planting his feet for balance as he focused his mind on the malevolent mist that now floated around him.

That’s when he struck.

Double strike.

Frank didn’t dodge, he didn’t bother blocking, or redirecting. Instead, he focused his entire will on this one strike. Spreading his consciousness out, he found all the tiny mote particles of negative life energy. Energy that he had trained on.

For a moment he remembered the time walking through death row and finding mobs of zombies to explode and burst apart once they came within range. While he knew complete destruction was not advised, particularly with how the dark energy coated and surrounded his body, there was something else that he could do.

Focusing on the energy, he grabbed all the tiny motes of energy and began pulling them inside him, pulling them to his body that had been refined to process and utilize such energies.

Slash.

A wound appeared on his torso, but Frank focused through the pain and continued.

Frantic slashes.

More and more slashes appeared, all designed to cause as much pain as possible, without actually ending his life. Yet, as the blows landed, he could feel that the beast that had been holding back was no longer doing so, that it was now swiping with its full might and force. Still despite this, the strikes were doing less and less damage.

Sniff.

There was a scent of desperation and likely more that Frank’s now enhanced animalistic senses could pick up. Scents that now told him the monster he was battling with was frightened, realizing this, Frank pressed on, uncaring of the damages or swipes that were now appearing all over his body.

Throat hold.

Finally, the monster in a fit of desperation, grabbed at Frank’s neck and all but forced his burning eyes to look at the beast.

“You’ll kill us both!” The monster desperately hissed, fear evident in its voice as it seemed to try to reason with Frank. As it did, the materialized claws dug just a little bit deeper into the soft tissue of his neck, causing blood to appear.

At the sight of its clear desperation, Frank knew that he had won. As it was better to die here than live as a mind slave to whatever this monster was. A monster that could subvert minds and autonomy for one clear directive. Frank continued, as he did, he could feel blood bubbling up within his throat as he was willing to give it his all, to take this monster down with him.

Frank could only smile a bloody tooth smile as his words and breath were cut off by immense pressure to his neck and vocal cords. Still, Frank continued his relentless attack, once he was out and safe, then he could use his own healing abilities on himself, that was the plan at least, if he lasted that long. Until then, he just needed to hold on.

“FWAHHAHHA!” The shadowy image of a fierce jungle panther sprang to life and slashed out at the manifested body of the monster that now gripped desperately at Frank’s neck.

No! Frank mentally cried out, knowing that the spirit beast was too weak after granting so many of its gifts to Frank. That there was no way it could survive, even with the monster this weakened. It was risking its life, its full essence as the last of its kind to help Frank.

Death slash!

Just as Frank had predicted, the spirit familiar was struck down, blood covering the sky as it was struck down. Blood that sprayed upwards in wide arcs, only to pause for a moment as the manifested spirit seemed to pause as it gained control over the blood. Then Frank watched in horror, as he realized that this monster fed on blood, and that this blood, the blood from his spirit companion, would be used to gain more energy.

Seeing this, Frank did the last thing he could. The one thing, he could think of to end. He targeted the last of the death energy that the monstrous apparition before him held. He targeted all of it, every last drop, including the new drops of blood that were being used to rapidly heal and replenish the damage that this monster had taken to this point.

Left with only one option, he took it. Mutually assured destruction.

BOOM!

Using every ounce of dark and death energy in the air before him, Frank detonated the floating death embers like free floating kindling. Like a flame touching pockets of flour, an explosion occurred.

Everything burned, there was pain, but Frank had done it, he had won.

Taking inventory of the situation, Frank could feel that he had gone too far, pushed his spirit too much. He was dying and he knew it. His spirit companion was still hanging on by a thread, the wounds it had suffered were now sealed by flash fires that cauterized the skin, and burned off every ounce of fur that had been exposed to the flames. Through their bond, he could feel the intense eternal pain that his companion now faced. A companion who had taken a chance on a low life like him, a chance that ultimately proved to be fatal. Or at least it would be fatal, if Frank didn’t do anything to prevent that. While he was here, while he was still conscious, he found himself crawling forward on the ground trying to reach his companion.

Not fully aware of his surroundings, Frank felt his left hand drop into a puddle, but he paid it no mind, as he crawled across blood, and viscera that littered ground.

Drip, drip, drip.

As he moved, his own blood began to cover the floor, further exacerbating the issue.

Pain.

Focusing for a minute, Frank took his left hand and clasped it to his neck, in an effort to stem the bleeding. Almost immediately Frank felt his healing energy come to life, as he called upon it to begin healing himself.

Then with the worst of the bleeding, at least around the neck complete, Frank went to his spirit companion, where he reached out and touched the magnificent beast. Instantly he began healing the creature with his energy that began causing a cascading effect on his own mind, as part of his psyche that he didn’t even know had been damaged was now repairing itself as well.

Feeling the relief spread over him from his spirit bond, Frank failed to notice the foreign entity that was squirming within his own body. An entity that was nearly destroyed, but it too knew the rules of this mental space.

Then when Frank was the most vulnerable, that is when it struck.

***

(Drava)

Everyone watched with bated breath, as the wounds on Frank’s body began to heal, only for his skin to immediately grow cold and clammy.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Frank opened his purple eyes, sat up and stared at the floating monster. Then in an act that almost broke Drava’s heart, Frank held out a hand.

After everything she had done, after her attempt to try to kill Frank not moments ago, he still reached out for her first thing.

With a surprised smile, the floating monster with fangs held out her hand. There was a moment as the two met and locked gazes. Their hands clasped, then Frank wrapped his hand around hers in a loving gesture.

Everyone watched with shocked horror, Drava herself was unable to speak, for Frank’s other hand was still within her two. A hand that was still cold and clammy to the touch.

Then it happened, something that Drava never thought would be possible.

Dark Purple Current!

Drava watched in awe, as Frank seemed to suck the very life force and energy from Constance. Of course, the floating monster was first panicked then in a desperate act, she tried to remove her hand. Only to find her hand was stuck in Frank’s vicelike grip.

“No, let go!” She shouted and yanked.

“Let go, let go, let go!” She shouted and all but pleaded, but to no avail as more and more dark currents of purple energy flowed from the monster to Frank. Until finally the monster landed, thereby revoking the truce between the two nations. This was a fact that Drava felt intuitively as something in her mind snapped, but that wasn’t important right now. For what came next was what was truly important.

Frank continued to drain the monstrous woman, who slowly seemed to turn more and more alive, and simultaneously paler and paler if such a thing was possible. Then finally, she collapsed to the floor.

Clutter, clump.

Her lifeless body crashed to the floor, leaving behind just a staring Frank. For his part, Frank just looked confused for a moment, as if he had been reacting on impulse alone. Then he turned to Drava and spoke the last words she would hear from him for a while.

“Thank you, I couldn’t have made it without you,” Frank stated, his voice sounding oddly mechanical as if someone else was talking through him. Then looking down at his hand that was still held tightly in Drava’s own, he continued, “now if you will excuse me, I have somewhere I need to go.”

Drava was speechless and found herself unable to resist the quick tug of Frank’s hand from her own. So lost in thought of the hand, that she barely missed the way Frank effortlessly glided along the floor and out the very window that the floating monster had used to enter.

Perched on the windowsill, Drava oddly thought of a dark cat, the way it would balance easily on such a small ledge. Then with the same graceful movements of a cat, Frank turned waved and then jumped down only to disappear into the night.

Everyone stared around for a moment, not saying a word.

Then finally, the corpse, or the body that Drava thought had been a corpse suddenly began moaning. Going to her Drava checked her vitals to find that she was fine, no better than fine, it was as if she had been made fully whole again, somehow, not a monster at all.

Then the now human? Girl groggily asked the question that everyone in the room had been wondering, “what just happened?”