Monti walked alongside Jes through the abandoned district. His skin was still purple from his buff—he'd been practicing for hours. Jes moved beside him, calm, a small smile on her face. Her fingers twiddled around her hair.
"Wow I haven't been in this area in a long while…there's no one here," said Monti
"There's been reports," Jes said. "More abnormals than usual. All concentrated around this area."
"No wonder there used to be an active gang here," said Monti avoiding a green substance on the grown
"Really now," replied Jes leaving inch's of the ground.
Monti nodded. His eyes scanned the empty streets. "I've been practicing. But my crocodiles... they don't really listen. They just attack the closest thing."
"That's okay," Jes said warmly. "That's how they learn. You're still new to this. Every time you summon one, you're getting a little better. I've seen it."
Monti smiled weakly. "Thanks, Jes."
They walked in silence for a few minutes. The buildings around them were crumbling. Windows shattered. Cars rusted and overturned. Weird green liquid covered the streets.
Then Monti stopped.
"Something's wrong," he said. "I can feel it."
The ground shook.
Not an earthquake. Something localized. Something targeted. Jes felt it—a sense all too well. Paradox energy was being used. The sensation felt unique—a hot cold day, a happily scared man. That type of feeling.
A figure dropped from a nearby rooftop. Small. Humanoid. Its body lay on a car roof, bent out of place, and worst of all, the man was probably dead. Then boom—another shadow dropped on top of the man.
A slug, maybe a snail. Its body produced a nasty green slime. Its body shimmered with a faint, distorted field around it. The field touched the ground, and cracks formed. A broken sign floated upward—suspended in mid-air like someone had turned off gravity.
Monti stumbled. His feet left the ground for a second. Then slammed back down.
"Gravity," he said. "It's w- Shit, fuck." His hair raised.
The creature's eyes locked onto him.
Jes stepped forward. Not to block him—just to be closer. "You've got this, Monti. I'm right here."
The creature's field shifted. Monti's feet left the ground—he was rising. Pulled upward. His arms flailed.
"I'm... floating..."
Jes reached out. Grabbed his ankle gently. Pulled him back down. Her feet stayed planted—her invulnerability made her heavy, rooted.
"Easy," she said. "I've got you. You're not going anywhere."
The creature adjusted. The field pushed downward. Monti was pressed into the ground. Quickly.
"I can't... move..." he groaned.
Jes looked at the creature. Then at the debris floating around it. She smiled. Encouraging.
"Hey. Remember what we practiced? You don't need to control them perfectly. Just point them at the nearest thing."
Monti closed his eyes. Focused.
A claw appeared two feet in front of him. Floating in the air. Purple energy. Invisible to anyone but him. It swiped at the creature—but the gravity field pushed it aside.
"Good!" Jes said. "That was good! Keep going!"
Another claw. A tail. A snapping jaw. They appeared around it—floating, attacking, swiping at the closest thing. Then all the attacks got pressed down by gravity.
The creature dodged. It was fast. The gravity field flickered as it redirected the attacks. But the claws kept coming. Swipe. Snap. Swing.
"It's fast," said Monti.
Then she saw it—right above her was another one. Smaller. Covered in bumps, oozing nasty pus. Quickly grabbing Monti and jumping back with him, she then stepped on the green slime. Math began to appear in her head before then she felt it.
"My abilities are going off, which only means this slime is doing damage. Monti can't touch it," before Jes could finish her thought, it exploded.
With haste, she raised her hand as the green slime went around her, as if an invisible force field was around her. Then in slow motion, she saw a drop about to touch Monti. Quickly she threw him to the side as blue energy covered Monti.
"Transfer," she thought, as Monti flew over 15 feet up in the air and 2 blocks away, hitting the ground. He took no damage.
While distracted, the slime touched her shoulder as it began to slowly dissolve her armor. Then a tiny bit of her flesh. Then it stopped. Math appeared in her head once more as she tried to fly back, only to feel herself unable to move.
"Wait, I can't move—wh-what's the slime?" she said out loud.
"Jes!!!! You ok?!" screamed Monti.
"DON'T TOUCH THE SLIME," blurted back Jes.
"It dissolves and makes it so you can't be moved," she yelled again.
"Shit, what should I do?" said Monti.
"Don't fight it head on. I'm fine—it can't do nothing to me," replied Jes.
She was stuck. Her shoulder was already healing—the flesh knitting back together. The paralysis would wear off soon. But she couldn't move right now.
The creature—the slug—turned toward her. It oozed closer. Its gravity field flickered.
Monti saw it.
He summoned two claws. Two feet away. Floating. They swiped at the creature from behind. Then the claws fell straight onto the ground, covered in slime.
The creature spun. The gravity field pushed the second claw aside.
But Monti kept going. Another claw. A tail. A jaw. Each one appeared, attacked, and was batted away. He was buying time.
How does he know where I'm finna attack? Monti thought.
I just need to buy time, he thought. Jes needs time.
He summoned more—a swarm of floating limbs, all attacking the creature from different angles. The gravity field flickered again. The creature was getting overwhelmed.
Then Jes's voice came through. Calm. Steady.
"Monti, get out. Something's coming," said Jes.
There was that sensation again. The same feeling from before—paradox energy being used. But different this time. Closer. Stronger. Like something was watching them from the shadows.
Monti froze. His claws hovered in the air, waiting.
"What do you mean, something's coming!?" he yelled.
Jes didn't answer. Her eyes were fixed on the distance. Her face was stern.
The creature—the slug—took the opportunity. It lunged toward Jes. Its gravity field surged.
Monti reacted. A tail appeared and whipped around the creature's body, pulling it back. The creature hissed, twisted, and broke free.
But it was slowed.