Chapter 6: The Fight

Chapter 6

"This is fucking creepy," I muttered under my breath, the silence was getting uncomfortable, there were no people, and many of the buildings looked weird, some were clean, some were cracked, some of them even looked like they were run through a plane crash or something.

I kept walking and my sense on high alert, I'd seen or sensed nothing so far, but that didn't mean there was no one here. They could be anywhere, maybe watching from the shadow, out of my space sense, or maybe they were in one of the buildings, looking me through the window, playing with me, waiti-

Fuck I need to stop, I continued walking slowly in the alley, I called my status, cause I had nothing better to do, and that got me thinking, I was in a combat situation(most likely), could the hp and mp bar show itself in my vision somehow? I began searching for a way to make them show in my field of view, when they suddenly just showed themselves in my vision automatically, at the top left corner of my view, slightly transparent, there were two bars. One red and one blue, which I assumed was Hp and Mp respectively.

That's convenient. Oh yeah, I also didn't have any weapon, that realization almost got me into a panicked fit but I forced the feeling down. How am I gonna fight back if someone decided to attack me? I still didn't have a combat spell, only my teleportation.

I felt it at that moment, I didn't know how to really explain it, but I felt eyes on the back of my head, like I knew someone was watching me, somewhere, but not in my line of sight or my new sense. Shit I'm being watched aren't I? I cursed internally, I struggled outwardly not to make any sudden movements, lest my watcher knew that I knew. I still had the advantage here(I REALLY hoped so), I had my space sense, and I would know if they decided to come closer, so I just kept walking, looking left and right, trying to find an edge.

How about magic? I tried to enter meditation so I could feel more sensitive to mana again, like how I learned my first true spell, but it didn't work, my mind was too stressed. My back was drenched in cold sweat, and that terrible feeling of being watched was still there.

Suddenly that feeling was intensified by a fold.

*THUNK*

!!

What?!..

~

POV Change: Yafumi

I ran, I keep running, even though I was so very tired, and hurt, and disgusted, and scared, and hurt, and- I fell backward into the road,

I bumped into something when I turned the corner, I looked up fearing the worse, and there he was, again, the monster in human clothing. Smiling his cruel smirk, looking down at me. One of his hand still carrying part of my shirt sleeves that he tore from me when he did this for the, I didn't know how many times now. I heard a whine, and his smile widened, I quickly realized the whine was coming from my mouth. Deep inside I felt how pathetic it must have looked, that feeling was accompanied by deep, oh-so-deep anger, at my situation, and helplessness. That anger was quickly suppressed when the monster spoke again.

"Oo I can play this game aaalll day, baby! I told ya didn't I?!" I reflexively shied away in fear of his tone, I crawled backward and immediately stand on shaky legs.

I didn't shout, I didn't ask for help, I didn't beg him. I tried those things already in the short time he chased me around this accursed place. I just turned around, and keep running. One of my still working hand trying to keep my shirt, or scraps, that was still in my body.

I ran, even as my cheeks were hurting from being punched, blood pouring out of the top of my head as he threw me against the wall head first, one of my forearms broken, throbbing, hurting so bad, various bruises in my abdomen and chest area, and my legs- I finally collapsed against the ground, my legs failing me. From my blood-covered eyes, I saw the monster approaching me, grinning, laughing at my misery.

He's enjoying this, I thought absentmindedly, He came closer, and I saw him fumble with the belt around his pants, trying to get his repulsive erection out.

Ah, was this it for me? I looked at him, with tired but still deviant eyes(surprising even myself), this savage monster, this.. thing enjoyed playing with me.

I felt that deep, anger again, slowly ignited by my feeling of helplessness, this time accompanied by heat from the pit of my stomach. From the ground, I saw soft pink hair that reminded me of something dearly, I looked at it, half delirious from pain, "Mother?" I croaked the word slowly from my dry throat. The monster was closing in, its disgusting body already half-bare.

Then I realized it was my hair that I was looking at, it somehow turned pink.

…Why am I giving up again? I couldn't just leave mother alone, and besides, I hated it, I hated it, I so very much hated this helplessness, all my life, feeling like this. I still had my breath, I would not give up, not like this..

Please something.. anything, how would I get out of this? I thought desperately while fresh tears and anger keep rising from within. Until I finally focused on the feeling at the core of my body, at that moment, I got an intuitive understanding of what it was, and I promptly fuel all my anger at the center of it, the heat was rising fast this time, within my stomach, it reaches such unbearable levels, burning fiery hot, almost uncontrollable, that I felt the need to release it to something.

I tried to clear my vision as best as I could, and I saw it, the monster, that sick grin that wouldn't come off still in its face, walking slowly toward me, assuredly, as if I was a helpless prey. Not anymore. I promised inside, and then I guide the scorching, rolling heat from my core, to my still functioning left hand. "Die," I garbled weakly, and the world turned into an explosion of light and heat.

~

POV Change: Jonathan.

-A few minutes ago-

It was too fast, maybe because I was so focused on the possibility that they would just sneak on me, that I didn't think that my opponent would use a projectile. But I still felt it with my sense, it was headed to my neck, I instinctively tilted my neck just that slightly to the right.

I heard a 'thunk' noise, and I saw it with my own eyes, clattering to the road in front of me after hitting the wall ahead, a needle, a fairly big one at that.

I quickly turned around, and saw him, just one guy, about 10 meters from me, he was aiming, what looked to me to be some kind of sci-fi syringe gun that I saw in that one movie long ago. I used Observe on him.

-----------------------------------

Name : Bunmei Imura

Age : 27

Guild : Bloodhound

Level : 15

Relationship : -35

Hp : 320

Mp : 250

Mood : excited, worried

---------------------------------

Worried? What was he worried for? The failed ambush? Couldn't be, right?

"Why are you shooting at me?!" I shouted even though I didn't really expect an answer, while I ready my mana, to teleport if he did something, anything, but he just stood there, lowered his gun, and relaxed his posture. He smirked. He's buying time? why? To wait for his friend? Doesn't matter, I still didn't have anything to fight back, and I couldn't run forever. I looked around again, and saw it, there, on his belt, two daggers, left and right of his side, that would be my weapon, could I really do this? Did I really considering to hurt, or even kill someone with a knife? Apparently yes, because I had no time to doubt, I assured myself, it would be him, or me. And he just tried to fucking kill me!

I was thrown out of my thought by his voice,

"you're pretty good for a newbie!" he said while he raised both of his hands, to show his empty syringe gun and his other hand, as if he was surrendering. Then my attention was brought back to his face again, "could have fooled me, that's fer sure!" he cackled, unhinged I decided, like he was laughing at an inside joke.

No matter, I just had to get close, about 5 meters, teleport, stole his knife, and.. what?! I couldn't move!

"Ya fuckwit! Didn't even notice shit until you're trapped!? Tokuzo was right, your mana is so crap that you wouldn't have noticed foreign mana invading you!" the crazy guy exclaimed rapidly. What in the flippin hell was he talking about?! I had more mana than even him!

But more importantly, how?! What's keeping me in place? I looked up, left, and then right and didn't notice anything amiss at all. I looked down and finally saw it. It was a shadow, connecting mine to him.

"Wha?!" I exclaimed, surprised. Excuse me?! I didn't expect him to be a Ninja!?!

"Now now, there's no use, you can't move. Stay put, and I'll deliver you to the factory nice and easy," I looked up to see him reloading his syringe gun, my own hands following the motion empty handed. What did he meant by factory. I thought distractedly.

Ah fuck it, hope my teleport still worked. I called my mana, and focused it on my teleport skill, and it connected. I teleported forward twice in a row, instantly eating 100 mana, he was still in the motion of reloading and I was free of his shadow. I aimed a left punch at his head, my right followed shortly toward his belt, his face was that of surprise, and then my left hand was grabbed, he's fast! He just dropped his weapon and his hand instantly intercept my fist going at his head.

I screamed as I felt my left hand bone being broken by his unusually strong grip. He twisted my left hand for good measure, which increased my agony all the more.

Then I teleported back, "that's hurt you deranged idiot!" I shout to drowned out my pain, he just cackled at me, but I managed to stole one of his dagger. I ran around the corner toward the left side of the building in front of me and stopped against the wall on the other side, I felt him following me through my space sense, and waited, I braced my self against the wall for good measure, hoping I got the timing and position right, because my fate depended on this.

He arrived a second later and turned his body left at the corner, he saw me bracing myself against the wall in the motion of stabbing at the front, slightly angled up, and in that second I felt it with my sense, that he realized what was gonna happen, but it was already too late. I was already in the motion of stabbing, and he just turned the corner, his momentum wouldn't let him to just turn 180 again toward his back, which was where I teleported myself to, in the end, supernatural speed and/or reaction was bullshit, because he managed to turn his body halfway, almost breaking physics, but still couldn't put up his weapon to block in time.

My own knife stabbed against the lower left side of his jaw, up to, entered his brain. Blood spurted out of the wound, and drenched my, I realized, badly trembling hand that was holding the knife, and onto my face as well.

…

I stood there, dumbfounded,

I- I- didn't know it would be that gruesome. It slide in too easily, and, I- I just- I didn't mean to-

…

Didn't mean to what?

Why was it so.. easy? I involuntarily shivered after I thought that, how long was our fight anyway? Did it really end like this? What should I do now..

…

…

I stood there, face stiff, cold sweat pouring out of my temple, my right hand still extended, holding the knife, the red coated, bloodied knife, my mind registered absently, that I just used to kill a person.

…

…

I heard a thud, looked down, and saw the corpse, eyes open widely, expression frozen in shock. I stumbled backward and trip on his leg.

Fuck- fuck- fuck- fuck, I really just killed a person, a breathing living person.. No! a horrible person, that just tried to kill me. Yes, that was it, I tried to reason my self. I looked at the corpse again, there was life in that eyes just a minute ago.. and I ended that life, just like that.

I saw the deluge of notifications that came in my vision but I didn't pay attention to it, and it just shrink to the corner of my field of vision.

Then a moment later, there was a sharp noise from somewhere left of me, and the world suddenly brightened, I looked toward the source, a couple block from my position to the left of me, in the purple skies, there was a shining.. beam of light, thin and focused, like a perfect cylinder, I was mesmerized by it momentarily, I even felt the heat slightly here, what was that?

Should I check it? …I decided that yes I would go check it, I didn't really think about the danger, I just wanted to pull my mind, to distract myself, to just.. didn't think about the murder that I just committed, NO! NOT murder, self defense.. yes, that. Even that rationalization couldn't withhold my rising panic, and so was my racing heartrate.

So I ran toward the source, mindlessly, my thought empty, or trying to. I absentmindedly checked my mana, about a 100 left, enough for 2 consecutive teleport.

~

POV Change: Yafumi

I heard a horrible scream from the monster, and that feeling of helplessness began to creep on me again, except this time, the heat at my core was empty, and the less said about my physical condition the better. So I slowly felt despair, once again.

I failed, even after all this I failed. I did my best, my dry tear duct somehow manage to produce water again, my cheeks wet once again, I watched as the light cleared from that attack which I somehow did, the monster, now only one handed, his right hand burned to a crisps, only stump was left of it, even part of his chest too was burned, the terrible(yet satisfying to look at) burn also reach half of his lower half, but still.. he lived, he some how managed to dodge the beam of light, or maybe I was the one that didn't aim right. That didn't matter now, did it.

He screamed and screamed, the sound was music to my ears, I knew I shouldn't feel like that, mother would be horrified if she knew, but I justified it with myself with the things he did and almost did to me.

"aAaAAarrRrGGhHH!! YoOU fuckING BitcHHh! wHat have You DOnEE To MmEEEe??!!!" he said, with his now distorted and broken voice. He knelt down, the wound on his body too great for him to even stay standing up. But stand up he did, he slowly walked, or dragged himself toward my vulnerable body, no physical strength to speak of anymore, no energy to even try lifting myself up, I can't even feel my legs anymore, I truly couldn't do anything, truly helpless.

Even as bad as his condition was, he still managed to gave me a broken, cracked, smirk as he saw my fruitless attempt at moving. "FhuckKinng lAatee bLloOomersH, not soO tUfFF noOw are yHaA?!"

What a sick bastard, I'm sorry mother. I thought abruptly, instantly regretting my choice of words.

But then I saw someone running toward the two of us, a young man, just behind the monster, he looked at the state of me, and I saw his eyes widened in shock considerably, his face and hand covered in blood, but his face.. was so pale, he looked so vulnerable at that moment, just like he would broke at the slightest of touch, but his gait was sure, his hand slightly trembled but fairly steady holding a knife. In a blink of an eye, the young man appeared behind my horrible monster, and I was ashamed, conflicted, that I felt so happy when he stabbed his knife to the monster's heart, finally ending its abominable life. In my deepest of heart, even though I would never admit it, I was thankful that I was not the one that killed the monster, even though it deserved to die.

Now it was the young man turn to fell on his knees, his knife cluttered to the side, he grabbed his head, and crunched his hair tightly with his hands.

"I didn't mean to- I didn't mean to- I didn't mean to- it was not me- it wasn't- it- it wasn't- supposed to- it-" he mumbled that sentence again and again for minutes, he looked so broken, eventually he sat in his bottom and pulled his knees to his tear streaked and snot covered face, and shook from left and right.

I felt.. pity toward him, even tho he just killed a person, no, a monster. And his body bloodied, surely not his own. But still I felt pity, and sad. I didn't realize I cried again as I looked at him from my position on the ground at my sides.

Minutes past, and some energy eventually came back to my body, however little there was, I forced myself, I dragged my bruised and broken body toward him, with the little strength I didn't know I still had, I touched his knee. And he startled so bad he jumped slightly, he looked up and finally saw me, he untangled himself, and offered his one badly trembling hand to me to help me sat against his side.

He didn't know what to do, probably didn't expect me to just lean against him after he saw my condition with that monster, finally after some time, he hesitantly put one of his hand around me. We just stayed there, me against his chest, and him trying so hard to support my body even though his body was trembling(what a considerate young man), in this strange horrible yet familiar world I found myself into. Eventually the hand that was around me finally stop shaking. And he finally relaxed just a little bit, some tension leaving his body.

"Thank you for your hard work," I said softly, my voice scratchy.

"No, Thank You," he mumbled softly after some time, tiredness clear in his voice, I just smiled, glad I could be of some comfort, and then sleepiness finally claimed me.