JAMIE

Monster Fighting 101

To say that fire is hot is an understatement. It’s smoldering, flickering like a heartbeat as it’s ashes trickle into the air like words in the wind. It’s like all the restraint I can muster has to be focused on keeping this wild flame into control, and I love it.

Of course there’s a time and a place for flame appreciation, and this isn’t either.

A non-roasted vine swings down from above, barely missing me as I side-stepped to the right to avoid it before blasting it with a column of flame. The smell of burning vines isn’t exactly a nice one, but I’ll have to get used to it.

As I regain my balance (turns out your body isn’t optimized to retain balance while blasting out fire), more moss creeps along my pant legs, trapping me in place.

“Did you not learn your lesson the first time?” I ask, I mean, seriously, do they think moss will stop me?

I scorch the moss to cinders, it’s black remains wafting into the air as I step back. I glance down at my Jordans, thankfully my flames didn’t touch them.

“Tsk, so you’re finally taking me seriously, flame user? Nevertheless, your flames are of a claber of a 3rd rank, three ranks shy of a six.” Mossy bellows, as the vine I’d just scorched falls flat against the ground with a thud, no longer pulsing and writhing.

“Hey, at least the nickname matches now!” I quip before another vine lunges out of the stump the one I burned left.

The vine grazes my skin, painting my golden brown skin in a layer of crimson blood. The wound burns as I barely manage to move quick enough to blast the vine when it comes around the second time.

It stings like a bitch. Hopefully magic moss vines don’t give me some kind of disease.

However that isn’t important right now, the vines grow back which means I have to cut it and then cauterize it immediately to prevent it from growing back.

Unfortunately, I’m in a basically empty alley filled with nothing but moss, vines, and a trash can filled with—you guessed it—trash.

I doubt Mom would let me take a knife from the house, that’s if this thing doesn’t just follow me inside. Damn I’ve got nothing to cut with, except maybe if I try hard enough.

The flames pooling from my right hand crackle as I focus my breath, I have to imagine something to cut with. Sharp, sharp, sharp.

A vine swings by as I focus but the wind flowing past it let’s me know it’s on my right. Side-step it again before I feel the flames focus. They’re sharper, flatter, it feels uniform.

I open my eyes, noting another vine coming my way as Mossy’s withered cackle seeps through its…what I’m going to assume is face.

I sidestep another one of the tentacles, though I overestimated the width of the alleyway so I ended up staggering into a wall. I tried to regain balance before getting swept off my feet and lifted into the air by my hoodie.

Okay two things,

1. This thing is giant, like it’s barely not peeking over the alley and the building next to it is like four stories tall. Come to think of it, this neighborhood looks weird as hell.

2. It’s vine hair or whatever, is way easier to deal with than it’s eyes. They look like pools of glowing blood, like there’s nothing behind them. Like it’s not living at all it’s just suspended in perpetual existence.

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It suspends me in the air by its vine. If I were to swing and jump at the right time I could cut it straight down to the ground—killing it once and for all.

“You made for decent entertainment, but now it’s time to end this.” The monster bellows, crisp and wispy as the vine inches closer and closer to its pitch black center under its vines, moss and other plant matter. The void only dotted with its red eyes.

“End this? Oh no I was thinking something more along the lines of, eat this!” I jest before using my left hand to blast the vine holding me up as I jump.

The blast sends a cloud of ash into its face, momentarily blinding it.

I leap through the air, for a moment it feels like I’m floating, like everything in the world was leading up to this moment.

Then of course, I landed on top of its head with a smack. Now I don’t know what I expected a sentient moss monster to feel like but it definitely wasn’t this. It pulses, like it’s got a heartbeat that surges through its entire body, I can feel it twinge, I can see smaller vein like vines slither along its body. This is something gross to unpack later.

The blade in my right hand is still solid so I can do this. I focus one last time to get it’s form down as it morphs along the tips of my knuckles. From long and thin like a rapier (fancy sword for rich people), to a bit thicker, around the size of a common shortsword or Katana. Though Katanas are thinner than shortswords, actually this isn’t the time for that.

Mossy sways left and right, probably to get me off of its head as I grip one of its vines to hang on before raising my blade-like flame to the sky. It’s hard to remain steady with the only thing keeping me on top is a beating vine but I’ll have to make it work. Now think, It’s gotta be big, and strong enough to do some real damage, think think think!

Without a second to waste I swing down, the flame having taken on a great sword like shape as I stab deeper and deeper into the monster. It screeches in pain as it trashes around, I'm honestly shocked no one’s spotted us yet. Or heard us. Or smelled the ash and burning moss. I could go on forever really.

It raises a vine above its head to swipe at me like a child swatting away some bugs, I slide under it, the flame still tucked into its body as it cries in pain. I slip down its body, luckily it’s strange almost knitted form alongside it’s slick—skin? It’s slick body makes for perfect sliding material. The flame follows as it carves lines into its form, tracing from the crown of its head all the way to vines near its midsection.

Mossy surges forward once again, thrashing around until I lose balance, my flame is knocked out of its body and I begin to free fall to the ground. The air is knocked out of my lungs as wind rushes through my curly jet black hair, I can’t think, my body is screaming to do anything to save myself but I’m too tired to do anything. It’s like my life force was knocked out of me. Is this how I die?

I close my eyes, hopefully someone will explain to Mom and Jess what happened. Hopefully Jack will find someone else on the friend group who’ll listen to his nonsense (even though I know it’s true now), hopefully waykeeping will be fun. Hopefully Dad will greet me in heaven with open arms.

Hopefully death won’t hurt too bad.

I release one final breath, before I slam into the ground with a splash. Wait, a splash?

“Well, that certainly was an interesting show.” A new voice says above me, poised and composed as though Mossy isn’t still thrashing around.

I blink a few times, taking in my surroundings, the moistness of my hoodie, the fact that I’m sitting on a floating puddle of water in the middle of an alley as a figure looms in the distance.

Floating,

The figure is floating,or more accurately it’s like they’re walking on air. Towards Mossy at that. It attempts to swing a vine at the guy but they just keep walking, it can’t even touch him.

Then, they just stop. Their long black sleeves billowing in the wind as they take in a breath and begin to recite something as water droplets begin to swarm around them.

“May your waves form my truth,

my truth shape my justice,

Rain down, crash against the shore as a testament of my faith.

Pierce!”

Then, in a split second, a giant intricate spear made of water appears, with a dragon curled around its entire length till it’s mouth opens to reveal the blade, blades? It’s got three prongs like a trident so it’s hard to tell. Before Mossy could even react it pierced straight through them, killing them instantly as its body— disappears?

A giant moss monster, gone? Okay, freaky JRPGlogic but alright.

Seemingly satisfied, the guy dispels the spear, turning back into water droplets before disappearing entirely. Then they turn to me.

They walk forward, as graceful as a gazelle as my grandma would say (on my Dad’s side). Each step holds not only composure but confidence. I hope they’re friendly at least, I don’t have the energy to fight right now, spent it all on our dearly deceased Mossy after all.

Finally, he stops above me, slowly floating down to my level. The ends of his black cape billowing behind him, the parts not tucked into his black sash across his waist anyway. I can tell he’s a guy now, if the broad shoulders and sharp jawline were anything to go by. Then again the freshly trimmed short black hair with bangs that shield his icy blue eyes would’ve given it away too. They’re cold and critical, and scary as hell. If not for the fact that he saved my life I’d wonder if he was going to kill me.

He dusts ash off his pegged black pants before looking up at me, flicking his pale wrist which sends my mail (remember that?) which was floating on a bubble as well, straight into my arms.

I’ll admit it, he’s supermodel pretty. Not hotter than me though. (Am I kidding? Jess would go crazy if she saw him!)

After a moment of silence where he slowly traces his gaze up and down my frame, his eyes filled with an unknown emotion, he clears his throat. I can only hope he wasn't looking for weaknesses. I’ve got plenty.

He reaches into the y-shaped white and black collar of his blue shirt, taking out a playing card and holding it out for me to see.

“Chin-Hae Jin, 5 of Diamonds, trained exorcist. Nice to meet you.” He greets in a flat tone.

Okay, I understand nothing now.