Staring at the loathsome form of the monster, Hoshino then looked to his friends as they returned his stare cluelessly.

Beppu shrugged and laughed. “Let’s get to it. No open sewer smells will fuck with my drive. How ‘bout you, wuss?” He eyed Hoshino and stopped, his lips twisting. He couldn’t help noticing the fear filling his friend’s face.

Oye looked at Beppu and nodded, but noticing Beppu’s questioning frown, he said nothing, turning to Hoshino. “What’s up with you?”

Hoshino swallowed some saliva and moistened his lips with his tongue. The insect-like creature was finishing its work now, having constructed a cocoon around Nichols’ small body. “Do you guys not see this creature? It got Nichols!”

“What?” Oye blinked. “Creature? Huh?” He scratched his head and shared a look with Beppu, looking equally dumbfounded. Beppu, however, clutched his stomach and laughed.

“You’re seeing monsters, really?” Beppu chortled derisively. “You been hitting up Nichols’ books lately?”

Hoshino shook his head and his eyes widened as the monster’s legs scrabbled on the court’s pavement as it suddenly charged the boys.

“SHIT!” Hoshino clenched his teeth and, tightening the muscles in his arms close to his chest, he thrust them outward and violently shoved his friends out of the monster’s path.

“FUCKING RUN!” He yelled as the creature bore down onto him. The air turned deadly frigid and when one of the thing’s legs touched Hoshino, he felt as though it burned him as if touching an ice cube could produce that kind of sensation.

Hoshino desperately scrabbled on the pavement, backing off as the monster chittered at him. Drawing a leg upwards, the monster salivated as Hoshino backed against the near wall behind him, finding himself now trapped.

He forced himself to his feet and moved to flee, but the creature slammed two legs into the wall on either side, pinning him in place, making escape impossible. That strange purple light flashed through the air and Hoshino’s eyes turned upwards to follow its path in time to see an angel descending on them.

Her feathered wings outstretched, she swooped downwards. Her skin was luminescent and soft, warm and radiant, the opposite of the horrid monster. The creature clicked and turned towards the angel nearby. Her hair was long and straight, a delicate but vibrant azure blue with hints of silver. Crystalline hairpins adorned her temples. 

The girl reached at her waist and drew a katana of ice-blue light from the aether. Nestled in her hands, she lifted her blade gracefully, her arms bare to her shoulders except for her fingerless gloves with petal-like tassels. The girl hesitated, yet strength and determination filled her heart. Her blade was wavering in uncertainty, yet her fingers gripped her sword as she was prepared to fight. 

Their savior wore a cute dress of shades of blue with a large bow on her chest, more tassels at her sleeves and a fluffy, voluminous skirt with many rows of pleats. The fabric sparkled in a darker shade of blue, banded in white, and her legs were tightly bound in long stockings stuffed in long boots that reached the knee.

The creature turned towards its opponent, wrenching its legs free from the wall, making Oye and Beppu gasp. “What the hell is going on here?” Beppu exclaimed. What they saw was only a winged girl in a strange, cute costume facing Hoshino. They could not see the monster in their midst, but some signs of its presence they couldn’t fail to notice. Walls didn’t crumble out of the blue. Chunks of brick hit the ground as the monster rushed, hissing at Hoshino’s guardian angel.

With a smooth movement, the girl sidestepped its dark rushing and brought her chill blade down onto a leg to sever that limb. Black ichor went flying, showering Oye and Beppu. They began nervously scratching and rubbing their skin and terror filled their eyes. Locking eyes, they backed off, sensing that something weird was going on.

The girl’s eyes narrowed as she narrowly avoided the thing’s attack. Flipping backwards, she created distance between herself and the monster and landed beside Nichol’s pulsing form on the ground. The monster failed to fasten Nichols to its back like the others it had. Hoshino gulped, staring at the cocoons as though they were vipers, realizing that there must be other humans locked inside those. But why was this thing going about collecting humans? To eat them?

A quick slice was enough to allow the girl to cut open Nichols’ cocoon to free him from his fleshy prison. Fluid spilled out from the bag as it opened as his now twisted form was revealed. Oye and Beppu finally noticed Nichols on the ground, appearing out of nowhere, and changed. To Hoshino, it was obvious that the cocoon had previously rendered Nichols invisible to the others.

With a rage-filled shriek, the monster’s antennae drew together and from its head sprang a bolt of anti-light. Beppu and Oye yelled as it lanced at the angel. Everything seemed lost, and the girl closed her eyes. Yet unexpected help arrived. A shield formed, more the product of instinct rather than skill. The shield protected her, one of glowing ice in midair.

Purple light flashed in the air and rested on the girl’s shoulder as a strange creature took the form of a strange little creature, appearing to be like some kind of alien beaver with a long tail drooping over her shoulder down her back. At that moment, the girl took the opportunity and with a swift slice, she smashed her shield apart, creating a torrent of shards and icicles. The ice obeyed her commands and riddled the creature’s body, stabbing. Ichor flowed from its body, but undaunted, it stampeded at the girl as she circled away to protect Nichols.

The blonde-haired boy looked up, twitching. His face was contorted, eyes transformed, dark and now alien — evil-seeming.

“Shit… what the hell… literally!” Hoshino cursed and ran to his slime-covered friend and with no hesitation, threw one of his arms under his arms and ran to the fear-frozen Beppu and Oye. “Let’s get out of here. She’s fighting the monster right now to protect us. We need to protect Tommy now! She’s busy keeping its attention, to make sure that it doesn’t come after us.”

Oye blinked and nodded as he took Nichols from Hoshino. “You’re right. Let’s go.”

The strange girl’s sudden screaming shocked all three boys as they turned to see a bolt of anti-light lancing through the girl’s body. Her fingers fumbled to hold her sword, but it clattered to the pavement. The purple thing that was riding on her shoulder leapt away, fading into the ether of the air, abandoning their savior to her fate.

Rellawing

Please check out Assurbanipal II's work. I also want to mention MajorKerina, who has been writing much longer than myself.

💖 Happy New Year 2023!💖

I have to say that my New Year wasn't happy at all, although it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Many people had it far worse, I'd think. To explain, my power went out on New Year's Eve. There was a huge snowstorm (and despite it wasn't the worst the area saw, because things happened, many people were deprived of power in freezing temperatures, some far less fortunate. Some are probably still deprived of power and internet.

Needless to say, I was under a pile of blankets all New Years Day until later that day, power was restored, but internet wasn't. I was able to use my phone to compensate for the house's internet not working, so with effort, things worked out and I was able to do some of the things I'd otherwise do daily.

Moments like that make you remember how much you take conveniences for granted and how absolutely crucial they are. Never forget that there are others who suffer worse than you out there.

Back on subject of the posted chapter, I hope you've all enjoyed this one!