Strange Town 004 part 4
I pick up the mobile phone left by the silver eyed stranger and place it in my pants pocket. There's a message on on the phone but I'll deal with that later as time is of the essence and I would like to have the stalking creature dead before the end of lunch.
I quickly finish my lunch before getting up and leaving the cafeteria. The lighter remains heated indication the monster is still following me. It would be to hard to try and identify who the monster is right know as the halls are full of students wandering around. Luckily for me I won't have to. The first stop I need to make is to the cooking class, there's something there I need to pick up.
"Man, that roast beef sandwich was great, but I could really go for some desert... I wonder if there's any cakes settling in the cooking class? I'm sure they wouldn't notice a piece or two missing" I say to myself loud enough so that anyone near by could hear me. I needed to give the creature a reason as to why I'm going to that class as to avoid suspicion.
I soon arrive at the cooking class. After entering the room I close the door behind me. The lighter remains warm meaning that the creature is waiting just outside. Thanks to my lie it believes I'll be out in a moment which is true, however it won't be cake I take with me.
Searching through the draws I quickly find what I'm looking for, a sharp kitchen knife. This is what I plan to use to end the annoying creatures life. I don't know if it'll be able to cut through that armour like skin they have, but that's fine because it should cut flesh no problem. Unlike the last monster I faced, I plan to kill this one before it sheds it's disguise. I know that while disguised the creature is weaker and more fragile, I plan to use that to my advantage and end this.
Placing the knife into my jacket alongside the crowbar I grabbed from my car earlier I leave the class room. I now have everything I need. "darm, I couldn't find anything to eat... Guess I'll go pester those drama kids again. Their always messing around in the auditorium, can't beleive some students actually go to watch them practice" I once again say loud enough for those around me to hear. And with that I make my way to the final destination, the school auditorium.
Within a few moments I arrive at the auditorium, the place I plan to confront the monster. Slightly opening the door I enter before closing the door behind me and move just to the side of the door so that when it opens I remain behind it.
The schools auditorium is probably the most up-to-date and advanced facility our school has. It's a large cone shaped room that gets narrower the closer you are to the stage, it can also seat every student at this school plus more. Steps lead from the entrance going down to the stage with one large isle of steps going through the center of the room. There are three isles that break the chairs into four sections, all leading down to the stage. The Stage uses wood flooring and is quite large if you include backstage which is were many props and costumes are stored. There are also change rooms and a few other areas I'm unfamiliar with. Besides plays the auditorium is where assemblies are held.
Earlier I claimed that this is where the drama kids hung out while other students came to watch them practice... That was a lie. I don't know where the drama kids hang out or what they do, nor do I care. I just need the monster to beleive that.
My plan was simple. Direct, but simple. As long as other people are around I won't be able to identify it and if I did I wouldn't be able to do anything about it without practically announcing that I'm aware of them. If others find out it could cause mass panic and the monsters might decide to swap out stealth and take a more direct approach and just grab me and any others they deem targets. So I lure it somewhere isolated and deal with it before it strikes. Until know I was hesitant to be alone with this thing, but this direct approach is more my style. It's not expecting me to be after it as it's the hunter. I was trying to do this smart and quietly, but that's just not me.
All that I had to do now was wait. It had only been a few seconds since I entered the auditorium but to me I felt like ages. With no plan B I was going all in. If the monster didn't follow me in I didn't have any more idea's. I could attempt this again but it would only be a matter of time before it became suspicious of my actions.
Luckily for me I wouldn't have to worry about any of that as the door began to open. Slowly but surely the door opened as the sound of footsteps could be heard passing through the door. I wasn't able to see who entered as I was behind the door, I could however hear him.
"Huh?... Where did he go? Actually, why isn't anyone here?" said a nervous male voice.
(time to have some fun!) placing my hand on the auditorium door I swing the door, slamming it shut.
"BAAM!!!"
"AHHHH!!!" The mystery boy screams as he jumps at the sound of the door slamming behind him, he spins around to face me with a frightened expression plastered on his face.
With no door in the way I finally get a clear look at the person. It was a navy blue skinned boy with straight shoulder length black hair that covered half his face. He wore a mossy green hoodie with the hood down, the hoodie seemed to be a size to big for him as it was quite baggy. He also wore black cargo pants and a pair of black sneakers.
"oh!... What do have here!" I say in a shady way as I step towards the boy.
"C-Cross? I-I was... I'm just..." he tried to talk but kept choking on his words as he took a few steps back from me and the door.
"You were what!?" I ask with an annoyed tone "I hate it when people stutter. It takes them 5 minutes to say something that should have taken 5 seconds. If you have something to say you should spit it out before I lose my patience and beat it out of you!" Cracking my knuckles I continued to approach the boy, who slowly backed down the isle towards the stage.
The boy took a deep breath as he struggled to respond. "I-I was lo-looking... For the... D-Drama club!..." despite his efforts to compose himself it was clear he was a nervous wreck. If it was an act or not I was unsure.
"Huh, so was I" I said with obviously fake interest as I took another step closers to the boy.
"w-well... Th-Their not here... I guess I'll be going!" The boy quickly said as he went to walk around me.
Before he could pass me I put out an arm blocking him off, as he ran into my arm I pushed him back in front of me. The force was enough to send him stumbling back by a few feet as the boy was quite shaky.
"No need to rush off... I wasn't done talking!" I say menacingly. "You see, I wasn't exactly looking for the drama kids. I was just looking for someone to mess with!"
"I.. I don't want any trouble" The boy replied nervously as he turned his gaze to the ground.
"Trouble?... Who said anything about trouble?" I replied with fake confusion as I reached into my jacket, pulling out the kitchen knife for the boy to see.
Seeing the the knife the boys eyes went wide as he Jumped back a few meters, slowly moving closer to the stage while keeping his eyes on me as I approached. Fear was clear in the boys face as he looked like he was on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
"What's the matter? Never seen a knife before?... Don't worry it won't bite, here I'll show you" I mocked as I slowly crept towards the boy.
He was panicked as he stepped back from me as I slowly advance. "Pl-Please! Don't hurt me!" he said in a panic.
"Hurt you? Who said I was gonna hurt you?... Where do you keep getting these strange ideas?" I once again mocked. "Honestly, I was just board... and then you came along and I thought. Hey! maybe I could cure my boredom by helping out a fellow student with his problem!"
"P-Problem?... Wh-what problem?" The boy asked as he continued to step back.
"theres no need to be embarrassed, It's clear by the way you walk. Your carrying to much in your pockets. Luckily for you there's a caring classmate willing to help lighten your pockets" I say as I raise the knife a little higher so that it's level with his chest.
Suddenly the boy stops only a few meters from the stage. "W-wait!... Are you s-saying... Em I being robbed?..." the boy asked as his panic begins to fade.
"uh... Yeah!" I reply noticing the tension fade.
"phew!... Thank god I'm only getting robbed" the boy gladly says as his fear begins disappearing.
Hearing that I raise an eyebrow. "Not what I usually hear people say when I rob them?" My response full of confusion.
"Well I thought something bad was gonna happen to me. Everyone says your a psycho! Just look at you, you seem like a typical bad guy. Menacing gaze with red eyes, the scowl you always seem to have, your slicked back dark hair that gang members from the 60s had, that torn jacket that shows you've been in fights. And that's just your appearance. if you look at your social life and mental stability your defiantly a shady character." the boy bluntly stated in a rushed nervous tone.
"The hell. Who's attacking who now!" I angrily shouted at the boy. "So what if my jackets seen better days, I plan on getting it fixed!"
"That's the problem you have with what I said? That your jackets a little worn? Just gonna ignore all that other stuff?" He casually replied.
"Yeah, I'm not delusional. Your description of me was pretty spot on. I know the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover' but with me you get what you see... now with that out of the way maybe we can get back to business!" I say as I wave the knife around.
"oh, right!" The boy reaches into his pocket before holding his hand out to me. "there you go" He nervously says.
"Seriously! Your handling this way to well... It's ruining it for me!" I say with annoyance.
"S-Sorry. But look at it from my prospective. I thought something horrible was about to happen to me. Not only that but once you take my stuff you'll leave me alone" the boy explained.
Rolling may eyes I put the knife down and examine the items in his hands. "...Twenty dollars and a pack of tissues. Well I guess I should be happy I'm coming out of this twenty dollars richer.... You can keep the tissues, you'll need them more than me if you wanna clean up this mess" I say as I grab the cash and examine it.
"mess?... What me-"
'SLICK!'
The boys sentence is cut short as I suddenly thrust the kitchen knife through his throat. A green liquid sprays out as the boys eyes widen with panic.
"That mess!... You really should have trusted your instincts" I casually reply as my lips curl into a sinister smirk.
The boy is paralyzed by pain and fear as he idly stands there eyes wide open. It was so sudden his body doesn't know how to react.
Seeing as his not really in a mood to talk I continue "Tell you what! Since I kinda fell bad that I'm leaving you to clean the mess I'll let you keep the knife!" With that I push the knife further into the boys throat, letting it go as green blood sprays from the wound. Without any words the boy falls back hitting the ground as he begins to gasp for air. His throat full of blood. "Just make sure to return that knife to the cooking class okay?" I say as I turn toward the exit.
I stand there with my back towards my handy work as I bask in my own personal victory (oh man thats felt great! In a moment the monster will either suffocated to death, chock to death on its own blood, or it'll bleed to death. Their body's burn up when they die so the only thing anyone will find of it's existence is a kitchen knife lying on the ground. I can't beleive how stressed out I was becoming over it, it was so easy! I could have finished it earlier but I had to be sure, that's why I bothered talking to it at all. I lead it down to the stage and away from the door. Right now you were the only things within the 8-10 meter range of the lighter, and there's no one a floor below or above us.)
Bending my back backwards I tilt my head to the sky as I stretch my arms out to the side as I open my hands wide "ha... haha... MWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" I begin laughing hysterically. "I DID IT! NO ONE ELSE COULD HAVE DONE IT!! ONLY MY GREATNESS COULD OVERCOME SUCH A FEAT! THERE'S NOTHING I CAN'T DO!!!! NO ONE CAN STOP ME!!! NO ONE CAN STAND AGAIN-"
'Riiiiip!'
My over the top self victory speech is cut short as the ground disappears below my feet, my view of the ceiling is replaced with a fast approaching stage.
'CRASH!!!'
I hit the top of the stage hard back first and begin rolling. As I roll my already torn left jacket sleeve snags onto a loose floor boare and is torn off thanks to my momentum. After rolling about 4-6 meters I come to a stop. Now face down I begin to push myself off the ground, pain shooting through my body from the rough landing.
(What the hell just happened!?) I think as I prop myself up on to one knee. Quickly recovering I look around as I try to figure my situation. (I'm on the stage? How the he'll did I end up here? I was down there just a mome-" my eyes go wide in surprise as I look down at where the dying creature should be lying. The creature is standing in a puddle of it's own blood with it's back towards me, it's right hand was black and shiny with long sharp claws. In it's sharp claws appears to be some kind of black cloth with a design of a white cross...
"SHIT!!!" I yell as I reach around to feel my back, realising the cloth it's holding is from the back of my jacket. The creature partially transformed its arm which gave it enough strength to throw me onto the stage. "You couldn't just bleed to death quietly could you, with your last breath you decided to piss me off!"
'sisssssss-'
I could hear a strange noise coming from the creature before it spoke in a broken voice as it turned to face me. "it... w-as... y-ou."
"huh, I'm surprised you can even manage to speak with your throat cut open like tha-" once again my eyes go wide in shock as I examine the creature that's now facing me. The knife I left in its throat falls out of the creature revealing a glowing green wound that is quickly becoming smaller. In a few seconds the wound closes up and the green light of the wound glows intensely and the odd sound I heard becomes louder before disappearing.
(it can regenerate!... No, That green light just now as the wound closed, it was simular to the beam of burning light the last creature fired at me... It referred to it as magic. I don't think it's regenerating, it likely that it's using its power of transformation to pull itself back together. The intense burst of light at the end though, I think it cauterize the wound.) I thought as I continued to look down at the creature.
(The other one never did that... Probably because the lighter drained its magic. If that's the case then will its wound reopen once I use the lighter?...)
"It was you, Wasn't it!" The creature said more clearly this time as it looked up at me, eyes full of rage. Oddly enough however it seemed nervous.
"What was me?" I asked, still on one knee.
"Your-... Your the one who killed Knock Off!" he angrily replied as he threw the torn fabric in his hand to the side.
"...Who?" I asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Don't play dumb!... Your the one who raided our hide out on Bullworks Street." he angrily Spat.
"oh! That thing... Wait, it's name was Knock Off?... Seriously?... HAHAHAHA!" I mocked, which seemed to piss off the creature.
Standing up I use a serious tone as I continue. "So you... Things, have names do you? I never even considered that. To me your nothing but some abomination that needs to be squashed!"
"How?... How did you kill him? He should have been much stronger than you. Even if you caught him by surprise he should have been able to pull himself back together?... It's not just that. How did you know where our hideout was? Why bother saving those humans? This doesn't make any sense... Dammit!!!" The creature appeared to be having a breakdown as it tried to make sense of the situation.
"Like I'ld answer you" I arrogantly spoke down to the creature.
My words anger the creature as it raises its transformed hand towards me. "...You don't have a choice!" It's hand quickly begins to glow green as a ball of light shoots from its hand towards me.
Knowing the ball of magical energy won't harm me I don't bother avoiding it. The ball of magic collides with my stomach and I fell a heat pass through my body, down my side and into the lighter which has heated up.
"AHHHHHH!!!" I scream as I place a hand over the spot were the creature struck me with its magic as I fall to my hand and knees pretending to be wounded.
(I'll let him think his in control of the situation for now. I'll wait for an opportunity to strike.)
"Now who's the one bleeding out" The creature angrily mocked. "I don't get it. How did you kill Knock Off? He was tougher than me so why'd he die?"
I continue clutching my fake wound as I wait patiently.
"Dammit! What the hell em I suppose to do in this situation? In our list of suspects you were way down there. That's the only reason I chose the shadow you" the creature says as it picks up the knife I stabbed it with.
What the creature had been saying had me confused. "What?... You mean the reason you were following me all day was because you thought I had something to do with your hideout getting discovered?" I asked pretending to be in pain
"Yeah!... Wait, all day? How long have you been aware of me for?... How were you aware of me?" the creature asked somewhat panicked, it was cautious of me.
Ignoring its questions I continued "Aren't you after me for the same reason as the rest of the missing kids? So you can put me in a pod?"
"What?... No! Your not a target" the creature replied as he cautiously made he's way closer to me.
"But in your hide out there were circled pictures of your targets and I was one of them" I questioned.
"yeah, you were a target. that is until Monday happened... I just didn't cross out you picture." it replied as if hoped up on stage.
"What?... Why? What changed your minds" I asked.
The creature was quick to respond. "You did... Actually we were debating it for awhile. See... your a bully... No!... Your an asshole! You make other feel like shit which makes them easier to approach. You've helped us with a couple of the runaways already, but it was only recently after you helped with Short Stick that we decided to leave you alone.". It was now standing above my hunched over body. "What I was looking for was the person who killed Knock Off and ruined our hide out... But to think it was you. You barely made our list of suspects, infact I can't even figure out how you fit into any of this. How could you kill one of us? How do you know about us? How did you know about our hideout? And most importantly... Why bother? Your not the heroic type."
Ignoring the creatures questions once again I continue. "You said I was a suspect... Why?"
"Just gonna ignore me again? Fine. Given how this whole events played out I can make a guess as to your involvement. You were surprised by some of my abilities so I can guess your not fully aware of my species capabilities besides disguising our selves. You've also referred to us as 'it' or 'thing' meaning you don't even know basic things like our species name or our ways. It's likely you somehow blindly stumbled upon us and got lucky against Knock Off." the creature said as it held its chin in thought.
It annoyed me how right it was for most of that. Unlike the last one I faced this one was more clear minded and aware. It must had seen my annoyance through my body language as it continued. "and since it'll annoy you, to answer your question. The reason you were suspected even slightly, is because of you! On Tuesday you asked Flash something in front of the whole school... 'Do you have a twin brother'" at hearing that I was shocked. "To everyone else it was a silly question, but to us it meant Knock Off messed up. One of us had either been seen were they shouldn't have been or they acted odd while disguised."
"But the worst thing about this all for you is... You could have gotten away with it. No one was after you and no one really suspected you. I was just made to follow you because the others look down at me. They don't trust me with the real suspects so they had me tail you to keep me busy... Which I was fine with. If you didn't come after me you could have just walked away."
I could see the shadow of the creature raise the knife above its head, ready to plunge it into me. (Dammit! I fucked up bad... No! There was no way to know they weren't after me. Evidence pointed towards the idea that I was a target.) I thought as I reached into my jacket and gripped the crowbar.
"There's no reason to bring you back alive. If I did I'ld have to carry you which everyone would see... You were just way out of your depth" The creature said as he brought the knife down towards me.
Carefully watching his shadows movements I swayed to my right as I quickly push up with my legs. catching him off guard halfway through his swing I narrowly avoid the knife as I reveal the crowbar, swinging it up as I rise back to a standing position and slamming it into the bottom of his chin. He drops the knife as he flies back by a few meters, falling of the stage. Before he has time to recover I pull out the lighter, holding it towards the downed creature as I light it. The green flame appears as a green mist like substance is pulled from the creature, it's disguise begins to crack as it transforms into a more monstrous form. While it's true form is similar to the last ceature I fought, this one appeared to be more slim.
"ARRHHHHHH SHIT!!" the creature yelled before getting back up. Its jaw was cracked and green fluid flowed from its mouth as some teeth were either cracked or missing. "Didn't you learn from the knife wound, I can heal this in no time!" It bragged. However it's confidence turned to confusion and then finally into frustration. "I can't heal! Wait... I'm not disguised any more, what did you do? Why are you holding that lighter? Does it have something to do with that green flame? And why the Fuck aren't you hurt" the creature demanded to know as it panicked.
I confidently looked down at the creature from atop the stage and replied. "Like I'ld answer you" we had done this before, the creature recognized it to his annoyance. As I put the lighter back into my pocket I noticed it had cooled down. It wasn't warm despite the creature being just a few meters away. (so it does only react when magic is being used. Warm means it's near by and hot means it's happening to me directly.)
"This doesn't make any sense!!!... Even if your blocking my magic somehow I'm strong enough to beat you to death!!! The creature threatened.
"That's funny, the last one of you I killed said the same thing" I mocked as I picked up the dropped knife. "tell you what. Since you seemed so interested in how I killed that other bug, I'll show you first hand how it's done."
"Were not bugs, were bug like!" it shouted as it jumped onto stage, dashing towards me and swiping its claws as it approached.
Jumping back I avoid its claws as it follows it up with a vertical slash which I side step. Despite its numerous advantages it's easy to read as it relies on very basic strategies. It's quite likely that this is it's first time fighting someone. As it continues to swipe at me I easily avoid it by either back stepping or side stepping. Despite my ability to avoid its strikes there's a problem.
(with this relentless assault it's not giving me a chance to strike. One wrong move and I'm done for, those sharp claws and strength will make quick work of me. And it's armour like exoskeleton could be troublesome to break) I think as I avoid its wild swings.
Suddenly the creature jumps back "hold on, I see what's going on." He says as he slowly steps forwards. When he takes a step towards me a take an equal step back. "it is true! Your keeping your distance because you know all it'll take is one shot. In other words, your scared!" it mocks as any nervousness it once displayed is replaced with confidence.
I scowl at the creature as it begins to approach me once again, it swings its arm wide forcing me to jump back further this time. Before I can touch the ground the creature slams both his arms and legs on the ground and yells "I'VE GOT YOU NOW!!!"
Not sure what it's planning I raise my arms in defence, bracing myself for whatever comes as I soon regain my footing.
A moment passes and the creature remains with his hands and feet on the ground, both of us are still as we stare one another down. Finally the creature stands "That's right, I'm out of magic. That means no flames portals... Even so, you should have seen your face. You thought I was gonna do something huh?" it mocked as it lunged towards me, bringing its arm back readying to strike.
This time though I move towards the incoming creature as I swing the crowbar vertically at its face. The monster kicks at the ground slowing its velocity as it tries to avoid entering the arc of my swing. It doesn't avoid it completely but it does manage to have it so that I strike its chest at an odd angle. This doesn't even crack its armour as it's not a direct hit.
The creature jumps back once again somewhat panicked this time. "Darm. Any later and I would have been hurting. Oh, I know how I can end this" at that moment it's wings spring to life. Like a bullet the creature rockets towards me, but unlike last time I'm prepared.
I jump to the side a it races past me, claws out. A moment later I swing the the crowbar with all my might in a 180 degree at the creature behind me and hit... Nothing! (The creature should have been behin-) my thought is cut short as pain surges from above my right hip. Looking down I see five sharp red covered claws sticking out of my hip as blood flows down my left leg. "...FUCK!!!"
"why are you looking overy there?" the creature smugly says from behind me. As he withdraws his claws from my flesh. I quickly turn to deliver a strike from the crowbar, only to miss once again. This time the creature is in the air flying in position.
"these wings don't just carry me forwards, they let me quickly maneuver in all directions. He boasts as he rises higher. "Looks like I'm too fast for you to hit now. I don't usually get many opportunitys to us my wings, so thanks for that. Your losing quite a lot of blood, I think I'll stay up hear while you bleed to death. You know, like you were gonna do to me." It said with a sinister smirk.
"He's right. I have the equivalent of five stab wounds.I need medical attention" I think as I pick up the sleeve that tore off earlier and roughly hold it against the wound. "if I wasn't bleeding to death I'm sure I'ld be laughing at the irony... I can't stop the bleeding but I can end him. He's mistaken caution with fear and grown overconfident. Time to end this!)
His floating near the ceiling over the middle isles at this point, just a little off the stage. I have a plan and although I'm a little shaky I should be able to pull this off.
"Come down here and fight!!!" I yell impatiently as I throw the knife at him. The knife goes in his direction but is to far of to the side for a direct hit.
"FUCK IT!!!" I scream as I charge toward's the end of the stage.
With an amused look the creature watches me. "Are you seriously gonna try to jump up here? You just lost the knife and I'm 15 meters off the ground. Face it, Your desperate and out of optio-"
'ting, chink, SWISH!!'
"wha...?" suddenly a sharp pain surges through the creatures left wing. The knife I had thrown ricocheted off two rafters before plunging into his wing and back, His altitude suddenly dropping. "How? There's no way you could have know were the knife would land".
At that moment I jumped of the stage as he fell into my range, ready to swing the crowbar.
His anger exploded as he fell towards me "So you got lucky! My armour can take a hit, can yours!!!" it yelled as it thrust its right hand towards my heart. As its sharp claws pierced my jacket I feel pain surge from my chest. At the same moment I swing the crowbar at the creature while it raises its left arm to block its face. Despite its guard I hit my target.
The creatures eyes go wide at the realisation that my real target was its throat. The cauterized wound opens upon impact and blood once again rushes from the wound filling its lungs with blood as we both fall to the ground a few meters apart.
After Crashing to the ground and With its lungs filling with blood and no way to recover the creature turns to face me with a satisfied look on its face. It knows these are its last moments and it wants to watch me die. It knows it should have struck my heart.
Rolling to my side I feel my chest fearing the worst, pain surges through my body. As remove my hand from my punctured jacked I see my hand is covered with... Nothing? Feeling the inside of my jacket I find the it wasn't completely punctured. The blow was stopped by the block of wood Ditzy had given me. I think he might had broken a rib though with the force of his strike. Still holding the torn sleeve against my stab wounds I stand up. I slowly take the wooden block out of my jacket for the dying creature to see before tossing it at it's head.
The creature with the last of its strength holds its right hand to its face and examines it. To its utter despair a claw is chipped and there is none of my blood to be found. I watch as a look of crippling disappointment becomes clear on the creaturea face as it look to the sky and bursts into flames. In a few seconds the only thing of the creature that remains is it's ashes that break up and disappear.
I don't have time too celebrate though as I pick up the emblem of my jacket that was torn off and make my way to the door. (I need to get to the nurses office or I'm pretty sure I'll die) at that moment the bell goes and lunch is over.
As I make my way through the hall students make sure to avoid me. I must look like SHIT and there's dried blood running down my side. I do NOT have the time or energy to deal with them. The wound on my hip burns as does my chest.
"Look out Cross is coming thi-... Oh fuck! Looks like he's been in another fight" Said a boy as I slowly passed.
"Doesn't look like he won" replied a girl.
"Are you kidding! If he looks like that I'ld hate to see the other guy" Another guy commented.
"Is that blood!" said a Voice I think I recognized as Valkyrie.
Ignoring most of the comments I made it just outside the nurses office. Before I could enter I hears a voice call out to me. "Cross! Hey Cross"
I didn't need to see who it was as I recognized the voice, it was Sunset Shimmer.
"Your wasting your time" came another voice I was all to familiar with. It was Flash Sentry.
"Principal Celestia just wanted me to give him a bit of advice. His kinda in a similar situation to what I had." Sunset replied to Flash.
"You can refuse her ya know. I'm telling you, your wasting your time. Not everyone can be helped... Some don't want to!" he replied with annoyance which seemed to be directed at me.
I could hear Sunset sigh as she finally approached me." Anyway, principal Celestia said you might need advice on making friends so I said- OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!!" Sunset shockingly said realising the condition I'm in.
"Personally I would have just said no but I guess your answer was fine to" I sarcastically said as I ignored her curious stare. "look I'm kinda busy right now so can we do whatever this is later... Actually I take that back, can we not do this."
With a smug tone Flash chimed in "Well suddenly the most dangerous person at Ponyville High doesn't look so dangerous."
"Well I always thought Ditzy looked more aloof than Dangerous" I bluntly replied.
"What? you think Ditzy Doos the most dangerous person at school?" he asked.
"One time she nailed a guy to a table" I answered like it was a simple fact.
"That was an accident... Fine, what would you classify yourself as?" he asked
No hesitation I replied. "Most violent".
"...I won't argue with that" flash begrudgingly replied.
Sunset however wasn't to certain "I don't know, Pinkys big sister Limestone Pie has a bit of an attitude as well. She's also good on following through with threats" me and Flash just looked at her blankly.
"...like I said. I'm busy sooooo..... Look, This is the part were I say something nasty and leave, but I lost a lot of blood so just fill in the blanks yourself" I said as I entered the nurses office, Slamming the door behind me.
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"...that guy is such a dick!!!" Flash said after Cross had entered the nurses office.
"You didn't actually have to fill in the blank" Sunset replied.
"I know! But it just makes it so much easier to hate that guy. Seriously, what's his childhood Drama." Flash answered.
"I don't know but there's definitely something odd about him. Twilight said he was asking some strange questions earlier. Next time I see him I'll see if I can get anything out of him" Sunset Shimmer said as she fiddled with her necklace.
"Wow! I don't like the idea of you being around that creep... Well not with out me there with you... Or maybe Applejack... Or Rainbow Dash. You know, someone tough. Flash Sentry said before realising how that might sound. "Not that your not tough! I Still have nightmares about the Fall Formal... I mean your good now, but... I'm just gonna stop talking."
"...let's just get to class"Sunset replied as she tried to ignore him.
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Closing the door behind me I'm finally free of distractions like Flash Sentry and Sunset Shimmer. I can feel a burning sensation from the stab wounds as I clutch the torn sleeve against them. "HEY! anyone here?... NURSE HEART!" I yelled looking for aid. Not waiting to see if the nurse is in I approach the medicine cabinet and begin looking for bandages, disinfectant, basically anything that might help. Maybe it's due to some left over adrenalin or due to the loss of blood but the severe pain is just a slight sting and
A burning sensation.
Foot steps approach me from behind as I scavenge through the medicine cabinets.
"Yo, Cross! What have I told you about taking things from the medicine cabinet" said a tough feminine voice.
There was no need to turn to see who was talking to me, I knew it was Nurse Heart. "And what have you been told about leaving the medicine cabinet unlocked... Can you stitch?" I ask as I finish gathering what I need before turning to face Nurse Heart.
Nurse Heart, or Caramel Heart is a large dark brown skinned woman with long golden Carmel coloured wavy hair. She wears a white school nurses outfit that she never fully buttons up, showing a lot of cleavage. The skirt hugs her ass as it ends above her knee. It's not that the uniform is to small it's that Nurse Caramel Heart is quite a large woman.
"Of course I can stitch. But darrrmm Cross, what happened to you? You look like shit." Nurse Heart said as she examined me.
"That's not important. Right now I need you to stitch up a stab wound or five" I said placing the various medical supplies in front of her.
"K... But first I need to assess the wound. Is it under the rag your holding against yourself?" she asked as she poked at the wound.
"ouch!... Yeah it stings. You'll have to examine it fast, there's a lot of blood" I replied as I prepared to move the cloth.
Looking away I removed the cloth. I could soon feel Nurse Hearts hands lightly touch the wound. "ouch... Stings a little" I said. After a moment I felt her push harder against the wound. "so how's it looking."
"...Are you serious? I know in the past you exaggerated wounds, but this one's a bit much. Don't act like a baby" Nurse Heart replied, not amused. She then got up and began putting all the supplies away.
"Hey! Were do you think your going. If you don't stitch me up I'm gonna d-" my complaing is cut short as I see the wound I was covering. I'm shocked, there is no hand sized stab wound, no blood gushing out of me. All there is now is a large bruise that stings.
"Seriously, a bruise... I won't give you anything for it because you can just walk it off for the next few days." Nurse Heart said with her back towards me. "The way you came in here covered in blood, I thought it was important. I was in the middle of a nap, now i'm wide awake..."
I didn't know what was going on. "Hey... I'm just gonna take one of these beds... For the rest of the day..." I said as I made my way over to a sick bed before collapsing onto it. I needed to gather my thoughts.
"K... Now that I'm up I guess I'll go hang in the teachers lounge... Hey Cross! If anyone comes along, your in charge. You should know we're everything is." Nurse Heart said as she left.
I ignored her farewell as I had to much on my mind. I decided I wouldn't bother going to class, its just English and I already speak it well enough. (why is the wound miraculously healed... No, that's not true, it's almost healed... Stings when I touch it... Kind burns when I don't) I thought as I focused on the wound.
(Wait!... This burning sensation, I've felt it before. Whenever those creatures hit me with magical blasts I feel this heat travel through me and into the lighter.)
As I focused on the lighter I could feel it. A different type of heat traveling from it and to my wound. "I know what's happening! It's the lighter, its fixing me... Regeneration. I have the power of Regeneration!" I said to myself as I took the lighter and held it before me. I could feel its heat travel down my arm and into the wound.
(I shouldn't get over excited, I still don't understand how it works or what's it's limits are... But darm that's awesome! I have a healing factor... What about disease and sickness? Will it heal those? Should I assume I'll regrow limbs? What are the limits of its ability to heal... What else can the lighter do. what other hidden functions does it have?) I excitedly thought.
I needed to test this now. I jumped from the sick bed and ran to the supply draw next to Nurse Hearts desk, luckily it wasn't locked. Shuffling through the draw I found a syringe with a needle. I made my way back to the sick bed, sitting on the edge of the bed I began to mentally prepare myself.
Holding the needle to an open hand I took a deepbreath. With a sudden lunge of my arm I stab the needle into the center of my hand. The needle is long enough that it goes completely through as pain shoots through me. I slowly pull the metal needle out and blood begins to seep through the small wound. It's then that I realise it, it's faint but I can feel it. Heat travels from the lighter and into my hand, the wound begins closing and after a 10-15 seconds it's like it never existed.
"haha... Hahaha... Mwahahahahaha" I begin laughing hystericaly as I begin repeatedly stabbing the needle into my hand and down my exposed arm. It hurts like hell but I'm too happy to care. My arm is covered in blood by the time I stop. I watch the wounds begin to heal, some take longer than others but I can feel it as the flesh regrows and form together. The further down my arm the wound the longer it took, the hand healing last. Unlike when there was one wound that took 10-15 seconds to heal, it took about 5 minutes to completely heal my arm. The closer it was to the center of my body the more priority it had to heal so it didn't focus on the wounds further down my arm until the wounds further up were fine. Checking my hip, the bruise from the stab is completely gone.
As great as this was I needed to calm down taking another deep breath I laid in the sick bed and got comfortable. I need to think about everything I had learnt today and figure where to go from know. (I still know practically nothing about the creatures, So my main focue should be to gather information. My Grandfather who's lighter I have might have known something but has past away. He did write a book that may hold the answers I'm looking for but I don't know were it is... For now finding that book is my first priority!)
(the creature I just killed was after me specifically because he and his allies beleive I may had been involved in the death of their comrade... eh... Knock Off? Yeah that's right. So I should assume when he... Huh, he never gave his name. Well when he doesn't return to them they should realize I'm the reason, or at least that it's highly likely that I had something to do with the two. Either way I'm now a pretty big target. I doubt they'll come for me today, they'll gather their information and form a plan for tomorrow. They won't rush in, not after losing two of their guys. They also want to stay hidden from the public.) I thought as I stared at the roll in the sick bed.
(that creature said there was other suspects, ones who were more likely to be involved. Who are they? Could I use them?... I Can't do anything with that. I don't have enough information... Could it have something to do with that lavender girl... Twibright? No, Twilight.... Sparkle!)
With a sigh I continued thinking about how much more lively my life had become, My usual routine mostly gone. Yet despite the danger I felt kinda excited, there was something appealing about it all.
It was then that I remembered the mobile phone. Reaching into my pocket I grab the phone, seeing there's an unread message I open it. The message is from someone calling themself 'Young Prince'. (Obviously Blueblood)
The message read
"Now I won't have trouble calling my knight when I need to. Big plans in the works, I'll contact you when I need to"
(Knight?... Oh! Like in the chest piece. Cause I'm unpredictable) I thought, glad to get the reference. (guess I'll need to help him out when I can. He's the only interesting person around here.)
Time past as I lazily laid in the sick bed. I didn't need to recover physically or mentally, and I had gathered my thoughts awhile ago. I just didn't feel like going to class. Finally the bell rang, school was over. Getting out of the sick bed I remembered I needed to get my mother to call Principle Celestia and have her explain my absence on Wednesday. (Looks like my next stop is city hall.)