It all started the day I killed some cannibals.
Wait, cannibals, you might ask. Yeah, well, stranger things, right? Not really. Not when they're chucking blazing bronze fireballs of doom at me.
Hehe, I guess I should explain.
That day wasn't the greatest day of my life, but I'd definitely had worse.
I woke up that morning, as usual.
Tried my best to get my hair in some semblance of order, with little success, as usual.
I cleaned my room, as usual.
I checked my sword and cleaned it, as usual.
I made sure no monsters were around, as usual.
Now I know that you have a million questions by now. Mainly:
Where was I? And Who am I?
Why do I have a sword?
And what do I mean by monsters?
Well, let me explain. My room consists of a very large cardboard box, like the one they sell fridges in, in the middle of an alley in New York. The alley was about 7 to 8 feet wide, with a large dumpster, and smelled like moldy cheese. I used a fridge box that I propped against the dumpster to sleep in. I usually spent about a week in the same place. My belongings consisted of the aforementioned sword and box (when I leave I'll leave the box), an old messenger bag, a watch with the seconds hand broken, and one set of clothes. Oh, and my name's Jacob.
Speaking of clothes, I wore a tattered and faded grey T-shirt, faded blue jeans, and really old, dingy sneakers that were the color of pewter. I have blue eyes and brown hair that I can't seem to keep flat. I stood about 5'10-5'11, with tanned skin from being outside all the time. I'd swear I was going to start losing my hair from the stress of dodging monsters.
Which brings me to my next point. Now usually I don't complain. I mean, for a guy who lives on the street scraping for every meal, it could be worse. I could be one of the many people who I had found over the years, hunched against dumpsters, or outside of bars, either puking their guts out or laying so still there could be only one explanation.
Either way, I managed to survive somehow on the streets of New York. And this day wasn't just any day. It was my birthday. The day I turned 16. The only reason I kept track of my birthday was so I knew how long I'd been on the streets of New York.
6 years. I'm surprised I made it as far as I have, but I've had a couple of close calls.
Which brings me to my sword. It wasn't just any sword. It was made of some kind of special bronze. I've learned a couple of things since I'd found it one day 3 years ago on my birthday laying on a pillow I'd had at the time. (RIP pillow)
1- It didn't work on people. (believe me, I'd tried)
2- It didn't seem to ever need sharpening.
3- It was a wonderful monster killer.
4- It could collapse into a small cylinder for easier carrying.
The first one puzzled me, because there was no logical reason for it. The sword would pass right through people. Without a single cut. I found this one mildly disturbing. The second one I thought was cool, yet also strange.
And now we come to the third. Probably the question you're dying to have answered. Now, I don't understand totally, but when I say monster, I mean chimeras, snake women called dracanae (One told me so as she tried to kill me), giant black wolves, weird half dog, half seal creatures, and one very angry bronze bull outside a Chick-Fil-A. (guess he didn't appreciate the cows' mispelling.)
From what I've learned over the last couple of years, 99% of the people I've seen can't see these monsters. Or, at least, they don't see what they really are. I'm not entirely sure what they see, but most of the time, I'm pretty sure it isn't good. However, over the years, there were a few people I noticed that seemed to understand what the monsters were. One guy patted his pockets, cursed, noticed me and my sword, nodded, and ushered his family away. Another woman screamed something about strange snake ladies and needing a vacation, and sprinted away.
Either way, I hadn't gotten any help fighting these things over the years. Well, until that day.
I walked down the street, whistling a tune, on my way to find something to eat. Today was a Friday evening, so I was headed to a small restaurant at the end of East 14th Street. The lady who ran the place insisted I come every Friday for supper so she could treat me to an on-the-house meal. I wasn't crazy about accepting free food from anyone, but one day, when I didn't show up, and she walked down the streets alone looking for me at night, I decided to swallow my pride and let her look after me.
If there's one thing living on the street taught me, it was to be thankful for what I had.
Anyway, as I walked down the street, I happened to glance across the road, and noticed about five huge, burly guys standing outside a Sports Shop. They were all standing around comparing their muscles and talking loudly to each other. One spotted me, and grinned, pointing me out to his buddies. They all turned and regarded me, as though thinking whether or not I'd be worth robbing. I dipped my head and hurried along, instinctively sticking my hand into my pocket to grasp the cylinder I kept in my pocket. Thankfully, they didn't follow me.
Or so I thought.
I arrived at the diner, and pushed open the door. Stepping inside, I once again marveled at the place. The entire interior was made of dark brown wood. The tables were made of the same material, giving the place the feel of a cabin. There were about ten such tables, spread across the room, separated enough where two people could squeeze between them. About four chairs sat at each. At the back sat a bar, where most people sat on days like this. Today, however, only one guy, in his late fifties, sat at the corner of the bar. Two tables were taken as well. When I came in, I noticed a woman stepping out of a door behind the counter, which led to the kitchen. Spotting me, a smile spread on her face as she quickly handed off the plates she was holding to a waitress, and made her way over to me.
"Jacob!" She exclaimed, walking up and wrapping me in a hug.
She was in her mid forties, but she didn't show a single sign of greying. She had warm brown eyes, and wore a light green apron over a simple darker green dress.
"Mrs. Marianne." I replied, accepting the hug, although grudgingly. I just don't like touching people any more than I have to.
"You look thin. Have you been getting enough to eat?" She asked as she ushered me to the bar.
"I live on the street. I'm going to be thin." I pointed out as I took a seat.
She waved off the comment. "Well, you're here, so I'll make sure you get plenty to eat, for a few days, at least." She said, waving a waitress over.
"You don't have t-" I started.
"Ah! No complaining." She replied, holding a finger up.
As the waitress came over, Mrs. Marianne turned to her.
"Make sure Mr. Jacob gets whatever he wants, okay, Debra?" She asked.
"Of course, Mrs. Marianne." Debra replied.
Smiling, The older lady walked off back into the kitchen.
"You don't have to do this." I tried.
"Well, if I don't, I could lose my job, so just go with it." Debra said. "Now what would you like to eat?" She asked.
Before I could answer, the door to the restaurant opened, and in walked the burly guys from the street. One of them pointed at me, and said something to the rest. They all grinned, and, taking a chair from a table, sat at another one.
"Well?" Debra asked. Clearly, she hadn't noticed the big guys.
"Oh, um, surprise me." I hastily answered. She nodded, and walked off.
While I waited, I glanced at the guys sitting at the table. Due to their large size, the table almost looked like a children table. They were crowded around it, one leaning back in his chair, lazily looking at a menu, a look a mild interest on his face. Another was picking his nose. A third was staring right at me, a cold look in his eyes. I turned back around, my right hand going to my pocket uneasily. There was something off about those guys. I fiddled with the cylinder in my pocket, a habit I'd developed when I'm uneasy.
I was jerked from my daydreaming by Debra's reappearance. She set a large tray in front of me. The meal consisted of a large, juicy burger topped with newly melted cheese, crisp, fresh lettuce, a slice of bright red tomato, ketchup and mayo. My sides consisted of a rather large helping of waffle fries, as well as a large Dr. Pepper.
"Here you go." Debra said as she set down the tray.
"Wow." I said, surprised by the amount of food. I looked back up at her. "What's the occasion?"
"Oh come now, did you really think Mrs. Marianne would forget your birthday?" She asked. "Dig in! She has a special dessert planned for you, so make sure you leave room for it!" She said as she walked off.
Sadly, I never got the chance to find out what that dessert was.
In fact, I didn't even get the chance to eat my food.
At the precise moment I picked up my burger, there was a growl, a voice, saying "I'm not waiting until he's done eating!", and a scraping of chairs.
Turning, I noticed that the burly guys had stood up. Every one of them was staring at me, malicious grins on each face.
"Jacob Mendez!" The one closest to me growled, stepping forward, causing everyone in the restaurant to turn to look at him.
That immediately sent red alarm bells ringing in my head. The only time anyone used my last name (considering I never told anyone) was when they were a-
"Monster." I muttered, fishing the cylinder out of my pocket.
The lead one's smile grew larger. No, wait. HE was growing larger. In fact, all of them were.
Seven feet. Eight feet. Ten feet.
When they stopped, their heads touched the ceiling. I recognized them as Laistrygonians, or cannibals. (long story) The families sitting at the tables screamed and fell out of their chairs, scrambling to get away. The guy st the end of the bar stared at shock at the monsters, then at the drink in his hand. He sighed, and started to pour it out.
"We've come for you, Jacob." One said.
"We wanted to invite you to dinner!" Another sneered.
"Oh yes! I hear the main course will be delicious!" A third quipped.
They all roared with laughter.
"As pleasant as that sounds," I said, sliding off my stool as I clicked the button on my cylinder, changing it into a sword, "I think I'll pass."
They stared at the sword for a second, then all of them grinned again.
"You act like you have a choice, Jacob." The lead one snarled.
"We weren't offering you a choice." Another stated.
"We'll see." I said, and readied my weapon.
They all grinned once again, and each one pulled a bronze ball from seemingly nowhere. The balls each spontaneously caught fire simultaneously. The lead one took another step forward and hurled his rock at me. I dropped down and rolled towards him, the ball sailing over my head and obliterating the place I'd just been sitting at. I rose from my roll directly in front of him, slicing upwards. He screamed as the sword cut him, and he exploded into dust.
The next two closest to me moved forward. The one on the left threw his next. I deflected it off my blade, and it took out two tables. I sliced forward, forcing him back. In doing so, however, I took my eyes off of the other for a second. The other one backhanded me, sending me flying into a wall, which splintered on impact, but held. I slumped to the floor, pain flooding me.
"Hahahahaha!" The one who backhanded me laughed. "See? You are not as strong as you think you are!" He threw his ball at me.
Time seemed to slow down as it sailed towards me. I reared back my arm and threw the only thing in my hands: my sword. It flew through the air and collided with the ball. Amazingly, it sliced right through the ball, sailing forward, embedding itself in the giant's chest. He gave a surprised grunt, and crumbled to the floor, where he faded to dust. The other three, who were standing by the door to ensure no one escaped stared at the sword in surprise, then back at me.
"Impressive, demigod. But now you're out of options, and you don't have your sword." One said.
My mind hazy from the pain, I barely registered the strange word he called me.
All three hefted their cannonballs, ready to kill me.
Suddenly, an arrow sprouted from the middle giant's chest. He gave a grunt of surprise, and crumbled to dust.
End Notes: Duh duh duh! Well, there you have it. My newest story. It didn't turn out quite the way I wanted it, but when one is up working on their story in the wee hours of the night, what can one expect? Anyway, I am incredibly interested in what you guys think of my latest story, so don't hesitate to leave a review with your thoughts. I will be needing OCs, so if you'd like, you can send one of thise via review or pm. Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you next time! R&R! RayTheZoroark Out!
Got It Memorized?