I felt an adrenaline surge, a wave of warmth that overwhelmed my burning eyes and lent me speed. I started swinging down on anything in range that wasn’t human shaped. Praying Mr. White was smart enough to stay out of range. My feet joined my flailing. Crunching noises echoed from my left and right. Tactus using two roofing hammers slammed away like a machine. I saw Victoria using the base of a particularly heavy lamp to great effect. Every crunch was accompanied seconds later by a thin stream of essentia flowing into each of us. I saw the motes of light flow into the back of Vitoria's head. Amelia took them into her heart similar to Calder. Tactus absorbed them into his hands, Mothers eyes glowed faintly as she absorbed her share. Carter worked his way around the edges of the melee, trying to keep the squirrels from surrounding us, the clouds of essentia streaming into his lower back. It took me a second longer to notice Clayton, he was moving quickly and silently, stone faced. He snatch a squirrel from the air before it could land on Victoria’s back and slammed it against the bedpost. The essentia from the beast seemed to diffuse over his whole body, absorbing just before it touched him. Badass brother, keep it up.

 

The melee continued for what felt like minutes. Our force was overwhelming them at the beginning, but the effects of the spiced smoke grenade did not last forever. The swarm was still reeling in pain but that didn’t spare us completely from their wrath. Claws that seared wood and flesh alike struck out blindly. Fur that shone like starlight and dazzled the senses flashed by. I felt a burning on my calf and kicked backwards on reflex.

 

 The heel of my shoe connected with a squirrel that was dripping a fizzingly pink liquid from its mouth. Dear god don't let that be fucking rabies. That is a bullshit way to die after I just got sick star knowledge powers. 

I look around in a moment of clarity and see that we managed to kill every squirrel that made its way into the window before they regained their cohesion. Calder has his cupcake tray against the window as an improvised blockade but it won't be enough. I can hear the scabbling of claws against the door to the bedroom. I also imagine I can hear claws digging into the roof, trying to break through from above. We can’t win like this. 

 

“Jesus Christ one of them teleported above me and bit my fucking scalp! I better not have lost hair from that you rat fucking nut chaser!”

 

Amelia sounds none too enthused about our current circumstance but at least she still has her fighting spirit.

“Blashpammyyyyyyyy”

A scratchy whisper comes from Mr. White’s direction as he sits on a nigh table, eyes as wide as possible and posture too stiff. What the fuck is wrong with that cat man.

 

“I can hold this window against the window for a while but they are just going to make another way in.”

Calder sounds only slightly vexed by the situation.

 

“We can’t win like this. We need a way to either scare them off or start killing them a whole lot faster.”

 

I pant with my hands on my knees. The fighting was not too physically demanding but the adrenaline won’t let me get a full breath in.

 

“I say we just set the house on fire and see what happens.”

 

“Less than helpful Son. That plan has the fatal flaw of us all still being stuck inside said burning house.”

 

Mother gives a vicious side eye to Tactus before turning to look out the window around Calder’s cupcake shield.

 

“Calder, look at that one sitting on the glass table outside. Does it look a lot like it's giving orders to you?”

 

Mother gestures down at the patio furniture in the backyard. I peer around her right and clock the squirrel she is talking about right away. A completely white little fucker with glowing green eyes. Its making sweeping hand gestures and looks to be squeaking its little heart out. The rest of the horde seems to surge and flow around it. The only one not moving at the moment.

“Well damn, I thought they were weirdly coordinated but just choked it up to the whole system taking over the world thing. It looks like we have a hive mind or a beast taming squirrel out there. That makes this both easier and harder. I am willing to bet our lives that if we kill that one squirrel the swarm will disperse. The question is how to reach it.”

 

I fall into contemplation. Once again wishing desperately for time to consult my inner cosmic library. I hold my head in my hands and think. I need a ranged weapon of some kind. I mean throwing something is the only viable option right now, right? I glance around. Baseball bat, hammer, knife, or lamp. Well it looks like a little knife throwing it is. 

 

“A False Prophet!!! “

 

An angry hissing screech comes from the windowsill. That fucking cat needs a cat shrink or something. Or maybe to get laid. 

 

“Who trained Mr. White to be Christian zealot? Whoever did it has to clean up his holy shit for the next year.”

 

“Hey don’t look at me Anat, you know I got into Buddhism last year.”

 

Carter throws his hands in the air to prove his innocence.

 

“Lets focus on not dying, family. Tactus, you know how to throw knives and shit right?”

 

I turn to focus on him.

 

“Iudicium Divinum, veni ad nos.

Purifica terram a malitia et vindica injustitiam “

Furious hissing of a Latin chant comes from behind me. I focus very hard on ignoring my increasing concern that our family pet is a crazed religious dogmatist. 

 

“Umm I guess? Probably better than you dear brother.”

The sass on this boy, I swear.

 

“Good enough.”

 

As I hand him my knife so he has at least two chances at this, the bottom corner of the door is splintered as an overly muscled furry arm pierces through. At the same time I head thuds on the ceiling, they must be through the rough and only plaster stands between my family and a rain of teeth and claws.

 

“Fucking throw it brother!”

 

I shove Tactus towards the window as I turn and swing my bat down on the arm sticking through the door. 

 

“Grab pillows and hold them above your heads, anything to delay them falling on our bodies immediately.”

 

Victoria takes the lead behind me.

 

“Moving on 3.”

 

I'm sure Calder's calm voice is disguising his fear. Mr. White’s chanting grows in intensity along with the glow in his eyes. 

 

“I swear to god if that cat d-”

 

Carter is cut off by a squirrel hitting the pillow above his head and trying to claw through it to get at his underdeveloped brain. 

 

“3!”

 

I glance over my shoulder in time to see Calder retracting his shield from the window, a laundry basket worth of furry devils falls through the window and for one blessed moment there is a clear view of their furry little leader. Tactus takes the shot. His form looks a little rushed but practiced. The kitchen knife flies relatively straight. The implement is clearly not designed for throwing. I clench my hands involuntarily as I see it arcing down towards the creature. Its glowing eyes widening in surprise as the weapon passes the halfway point to its target.

 

The Latin chanting intensifies, it's as if a chorus of cats has joined in, supporting Mr. White.

The knife is on target, I can just feel it. 

 

The squirrel reacts. The knife is moving too slow.

 

It falls to all fours and starts moving to the left.

 

It will miss by inches. 

 

My heart falls. Are we really gonna die? No, he has a second knife. There is hope. Though I fear someone is going to get seriously injured fighting for another clear chance to use it.

 

Even as I’m contemplating damage control.

 

“DIVINE JUDGMENT”

The scratchy shout of our family pet is accompanied by an excessive tail flourish and a golden column of harsh light. The column lances from a clear sky and falls on the knife just a few feet from the squirrel.

 

The knife blazes with light and I can almost feel gravity or fate or whatever else you think controls reality shift. The knife can’t miss. It is destined to skewer the beast.

 the leaders heart is smoothly lanced. It stands there almost cartoonishly, the knife sticking perfectly in its center like a Halloween prop. It topples to the side and the fight is over.

 

Every squirrel in sight freezes for two heartbeats before they explode into scurried motion. Dashing every which way but towards us. The chirping is no longer synchronized and the sound is almost like static at this point. In thirty seconds flat there is no living squirrels in sight. We all breath hard as we watch a mostly green stream of essentia streams from the leader into Tactus’ hands. The portion belonging to Mr. White congregates into the shape of a halo above his head before fading away.

 

“AMEN “

Mr. White immediately slumps into a heap on the floor before starting to purr in what I’m sure is righteous contentment as he falls asleep.

 

“Fuck I’m glad it worked, but did I just get an assist from god?”

 

“I guess the world really is different. I mean mutations might be explainable through some insane cell theory advancement or something. Our systems and tutorials could be group hallucinations or even cybernetics implanted in our brains. Unlikely but possible. But this? I think I literally felt the presence of divinity in that. Is capitol g ‘God’ real?”

 

Victoria slumps against the back wall and hugs her knees, lamp base falling from limp hands. Amelia is not far behind, head on the other girl's shoulder, matching blank stairs looking ahead. The whole family seems in a slight state of shock. 

 

“We're alive, that's what matters this second. We’re alive and have a little furry angel in our midst”

 

Mother quirks out a smile but it lacks sincerity. She sits on the floor next to the sleeping “furry angel” and pets it while looking at the ceiling.

 

“Anyone need immediate medical attention? I’m going to go grab the first aid kit from the bathroom.”

 

Tactus looks around and, when no one appears to be in immediate danger of exsanguination, heads off to the bathroom down the hall.

 

“Well that was squirrely near the end there.”

 

My humor is met with unappreciative groans all around.

 

“I might actually hate you, son”

“Alright gang before we all fall into pithy banter, who gained skills. Also who ‘embodied their concepts’ during that fight.”

 

Carter is the first to calm. He begins unwrapping the duct tape from his dented and battered cupcake pan.

“New skill and 1 to vitality”

 

“Same here but 1 to dexterity”

 

Carter and Clayton both reply. Turns out they both got the same skill.

[Skill Acquired: Unarmed Strike]

[Unarmed Strike: Increases the physical and conceptual force behind strikes when not using a weapon. .5% increased damage per level. Slight increase to fist and body affinities.]

[Initial Skill level of unarmed strike: 1]

 

[Skill Acquired: Unarmed Strike]

[Unarmed Strike: Increases the physical and conceptual force behind strikes when not using a weapon. .5% increased damage per level. Slight increase to Martial affinity.]

[Initial Skill level of unarmed strike: 1]

 

Carter’s skill had two affinities increased but with the wording of Clayton’s it could be increased. Extremely interesting. I'll have to do more research in my special place later….ew I just creeped myself out.

 

“Very interesting. It seems some of us benefit from fighting more than others? Or maybe it's just the way we fought, I imagine if we went with the genius plan of burning ourselves alive, Amelia would have benefited greatly.”

 

My side is half as viscous as my mothers but I try anyways.

 

“Yes I would have, your face wouldn’t be half so unbearable if it was melted off.”

 

“Ouch, that's just harsh Amelia.”

 

Carter flinches for me. 

 

“I'll have you know many women enjoy looking at this face thank you very much, Its Tara Johnson approved even.”

 

Throwing back the name of her former best friend was a low blow but we both know we aren't actually hurting each others feelings, it's just blowing off some hot air after a tense afternoon.

 

“I hate to agree with the smug boy but He does have a point, about the stat gain thing, not his false sense of narcissism.”

 

Well at least Victoria is on my side.

 

“Well team, What else did we learn?”

 

“Well we all learned where our essentia gathers, should be helpful when we try and pull a Pax”

 

Nods all around.

 

“We are in danger and need to gather strength quickly.”

 

More nods.

“That we shouldn’t take the lord's name in vain around Mr. White anymore.”