A Guide to Surviving Against Monsters

It was maybe an hour or two later before I had managed to visit every station on the protected boundary. They assured me everything was working fine, but I made sure to leave a little present behind for any monsters sneaking through. It was getting closer to six by the time I started sweeping the city, searching for any traces of mutation. I started back at the Academy, better armed than before. I had my throwing knives, daggers, one handgun and a chokuto, a single edge sword made in an eastern country. The chokuto hung from my waist, hanging against my thigh as my eye lit up purple. Particles of what looked like dust filled the air, floating to the ground around me. Only a few remained, sticking to a spot of greenish blood. Once the trace was familiar to me, the purple dust drifted back into the air and scattered all over the city.

Magical tracking devices that left a trace of my own abilities. If something came close enough, they would react and I would feel a tug.

After putting out my trackers, I began wandering around town. I pulled out the chokuto, swinging it in front of me out of boredom. Etched into the base of the blade was a name, one I hadn't spoken in ages.

I gently brushed my fingers over the letters, smiling to myself.

I miss you.

I seemed almost hopeful for the first time in a while as I spoke to the empty air.

"I wish I could see you again, R--"

"Emmalyn Foxit..?"

Freezing, I let my arms go limp at my sides and turned. Behind me was a brunette I hadn't seen in years.

"Mia Koren..," I scoffed, "I'll be damned."

She smiled, her brown eyes just as warm as they had been back in the Academy. Over the years, their warmth had turned into a lost coldness.

"I would recognize that blade," Mia paused, "and those eyes anywhere."

She had known him. The owner of the blade.

Very well, in fact.

"What are you doing here, Mia?"

"I moved back here after I got in a nasty fight with a hydra on a mission with ten other hunters."

"How many came back?" I asked, my tone flat.

"Including me?"

I nodded.

"Two."

Clearing my throat, I sheathed my chokuto. "Then, are you still hunting?"

"I quit after that mission," Mia sighed, "not everyone is as cold-hearted as you, Emmalyn. I couldn't take it after they..."

A heavy silence hung between us. I knew what it was like to lose comrades. It was as if the universe played a sick joke on us. We'd spend months making strategies, tracking the monsters, learning how to adjust to each other's abilities -- getting to know each other, only for most of us to die the second we get to the real mission. Bile rose in my throat, but I forced my expression to remain unaffected.

"And you, Foxit?" Mia countered, crossing her arms. "Why are you here of all places?"

A dark smirk took over my features. "A job for the Academy of all places. I'm one of the newbies' supervisors."

Her face fell into despair. "Maybe some of them will have a good chance of making it with you around."

I shrugged. She had stopped me in front of a shopping plaza, meaning we were next to a closed store. I leaned against the wall, staring at the empty parking lot instead of my old classmate.

I only looked back when I heard Mia sniffle.

For a moment, I was taken aback. My hand moved of its own accord, prepared to pat her back and comfort her. I held myself back, forcing my arm to my side. My eyes dropped to the ground, and I squeezed them shut.

"You know..," she sniffled, "I still think of us as friends."

"Even after seven years?"

She shrugged. "It's not like all of our class is still alive... I'll make due with who I have left over."

My throat went dry.

"Do you know how many people from our year are left?"

There was a single second of silence, and I immediately regretted the question.

"There's..," she coughed, trying to clear her stuffy throat, "there's more than half left."

I raised my eyebrows. "Better odds than I hoped."

"Eight are dead. A quarter of them are retired or quit."

I hummed. "Good for them. I have a hunt to get to, Mia."

Pushing myself up straight, I adjusted my coat before beginning on my way away from her.

"Emmalyn, one more thing. Or two, I guess."

I looked back, my face carefully neutral.

She isn't a hunter anymore. You have no reason to spend time with her. Stay focused, Emmalyn.

"If I go to the Academy during class time... Is there a chance for us to talk again?"

Smart, I thought, instead of asking for private information, she wants to visit me on neutral ground.

"Wendy will be happy to see you," I replied flatly.

Mia took what she could get, moving on to her next point. I tensed as the ex-hunter approached, her eyes on the sword at my hip.

I didn't stop her when she leaned toward me, the taller girl gently kissing my forehead. However, I squeezed my eyes shut, biting my lip.

"You look just like him," Mia whispered, "he'd be proud, Emmy."

"I know."

Even if I couldn't see her, I could picture the distressed yet amused look on her face. I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as her footsteps faded away, my eyes cracking open.

Mia...

You need to move on.

Bitterness filled my heart as I turned on my heel, disappearing into the alleys. I pushed the thoughts of Mia away, along with everyone else. The chokuto was a saving grace as it hissed out of its sheath, the hilt well balanced in my hand. I walked silently, feeling a distant tugging. Stress pulsed through my body, and I swore it was palpable in the air. My teeth gritted, and when I finally stumbled upon the mutant in the dead end, I wanted to laugh.

It was like a mushroom with back legs, sitting propped up in the corner. Green goo oozed from its pores, which was the substance that could infect other organisms. It was also the stuff in the lion shifter's blood that burned my skin.

I had no time for bullshit, however. My eye and body lit up with purple flames simultaneously, but neither twitched. The nervous movement was nowhere to be seen as my frustration fueled my power -- the ability that rested dormant in my very soul was alive and ready to work its magic. With something to focus on, I felt my control become fine-tuned and exceptionally accurate.

Another bout of flames coated my weapon, glittering in the darkness. The mutant flinched, hissing with a mouth I couldn't even see. It tilted, straightening up on its strange legs. I dropped into my guard stance, adrenaline flooding my systems.

When it lunged, I laughed. Green blood spewed, burning the pavement as a deformed foot flew into the wall. The thing screamed, scrambling away when it realized I was going to win this fight. The purple flames burned away the goo that touched my weapon or body, sizzling on the blade.

It eventually retreated into a corner, visibly trembling. I crouched in front of it, my layer of purple lighting up the alley.

I leaned in close enough to smell the mutated blood.

Hi, I'd like to reserve my spot in Hell?

I'm going straight there, even with my DNA.

My thoughts only got more dark yet amusing as I rammed my blade through the creature like a skewer.

It took several minutes before I finally let the body go, pulling my chokuto out of the mutant's chest. The limp form slammed into the pavememt, unmoving. I straightened, my neck bending as I stared up at the starry sky.

A tear slid down my cheek.

Proud, huh?

I doubt it...