A peaceful evening in the park after school, what better time to get to training.
Sally had an excited skip in her step as she followed Tobi to the far side where less people would come passing by. Once they had found a nice shady spot under the trees and behind the bushes she put down a heavy duffle bag with a clunk, and clatter.
After doing some silly looking stretches that spread her out in all directions she began to hop and cartwheel around to warm up her body. Tobi meanwhile sat himself down on a low branch of a nearby tree. His mind whirred to come up with the best words, solutions, and methods for the days ahead.
“In the midst of a conflict it is key to remain calm and in control.”
Tobi began to tell her as Sally rolled around him like a lost wheel.
“An advantage that your body has that mine does not is that you can grow stronger through repetition. With that in mind I want to improve your stamina and agility as much as possible. That way you can outlast any foe and slowly wear them down until victory is assured.”
“Oh, like sex!” Sally said with a clap of her hands.
“Yes, in a way?” Tobi replied with a confused blush.
As Sally continued to spin and flip around the bushes, Tobi opened the duffle bag.
“As an Esper you also have the ability to imbue energy into an object you hold, quite an inventive solution to rid yourself of the pesky lesser spirits that often annoy your kind, but for a Gribbler you will need something stronger.” Tobi continued to explain.
One by one Tobi began to pull out objects from the bag.
“According to the textbooks, the effective strength of an Esper’s weapon against a spirit depends heavily on the Esper, and the object. It can appear quite random but an Esper who finds a perfect match can be impressively strong. Such as the famous ghost hunter Jason, and his… Fork.”
Tobi said while laying out the items on the grass.
“A bit too inventive personally…” Tobi muttered.
Now warmed up, Sally came over to inspect the items.
They were all items from her home, with half of them being objects that Sally ‘felt a connection with’ while the other half were items that Tobi felt would be more practical as a weapon. Among them was a tennis racket, barely used, a wooden baseball bat, heavily used, a hammer from a toolbox as well as a kitchen mallet and a leather case holding multiple sharp knives.
Picking up a golf club, Sally gave it a look over.
“Ideally this is just for self defence so there is no pressure if you don’t find a perfect match.”
Tobi said as Sally scrunched up her nose at the golf club.
She gave it one good test swing. The force of the metal club swished through the air and cut grass in its wake but Sally was not happy with it.
“Golfing is more of a Daddy’s game.” Sally said resolutely before putting it down.
“There are plenty more objects, but I do question some of your choices.”
Tobi mused as he watched her rummage deep into the bag.
“Perhaps it is best just to practise self defence first and find the object second.
He then pondered.
Sally however was not listening as she had found something that had caught her eye. A jump rope, meant for proper exercise and not playful games. It had a long braided cord, meant for a tall adult, and heavy steel handles on either side. She recalled that it was one of many items that her parents had bought in a fitness frenzy several years back, only for them to quickly move on and abandon all the new equipment in the closet of failed ideas.
She tried to skip using it but the cord was too long for her body. After wrapping some excess around her arms she gave a few playful skips from one paw to the other. Sally grinned as she bounced around the patch of grass.
“This one!” She suddenly declared.
Tobi was taken back by the choice.
He rubbed his chin in thought as he looked over the long rope swishing past her ears.
“The handles look solid, and I imagine this would hurt terribly to be struck even without it being imbued. But the whip and chain style of weaponry also tends to be quite difficult to learn. Perhaps the connection you feel will also translate to talent in wielding it?” Tobi spoke as he mused on the makeshift weapon.
He started by showing her how to take a proper stance and move her own weight. He floated behind her, and gently nudged her arms and legs into the proper positions. Sally bit her lip at the pleasant tingle his touch left behind but she did pay attention to what he was whispering in her ear. She found that both of these skills were easy as she had already learned them from playing sports and being quite acrobatic over the past year.
Proud of her quick progress Tobi took up her weapon and began to show her how to wield it. He held the excess in a loop around one hand while swinging the other quarter in a circle. The heavy cord and steel handles swished loudly as they cut through the air. Tobi took a step, gracefully turned and lashed out towards the nearby tree. The heavy steel handle struck deep into the bark of the tree and tore a splintered wound into the wood. Tobi then pulled back and caught the handle. He inspected it and found no damage.
“Now you.” Tobi said as he offered her the rope.
Sally gave him a nod as she took it.
Just like he had done she wrapped one side of it into a loop while holding the other a quarter down. She spun the rope around a few times before raising it higher and picking up the speed. As she did so her ears dropped low from the loud sound of the air being displaced. Sally eyed up the tree and the small wound that Tobi had left. She swung! But the rope went too high and struck a branch above her instead.
With a snap it fell, with a loud thonk it hit Sally square between her ears. She dropped the rope and placed her hands above her head before crumpling down into a ball. Tobi rushed over and began to rub her back.
“Breathe, you are fine.” Tobi told her comfortingly.
“Perhaps this is too much for now.” Tobi then said.
Sally scrunched up her whole face standing up straight and tall.
She shook her head and balled up her hands into fists before relaxing her whole body.
“I’m fine!” Sally said despite the tears in the corners of her eyes.
Sally picked the rope again. She took her stance and placed the rope correctly in her hands before slowly spinning it back up to speed. As she took another wide swing at the tree, Tobi’s ears twitched and he turned his gaze across the park. His expression turned sour and his brow furrowed.
“Not now, it’s too soon.” Tobi said annoyed.
A crack sounded as Sally struck the tree however she did not know how to handle the recoil and had to duck as the steel handle came flying back her way. Tobi sighed.
“There is a Gribbler. Quite close by, newly formed but you do not have to concern yourself. You can stay here and continue to train while I take care of it.” Tobi told her but Sally placed a hand on his arm.
“Tobi and Sally together, mission buddies.” She said confidently.
“Are you sure, really sure like…” Tobi spoke before being cut off.
“I will be Queen of the Spirits, believe it! Set sail for adventure!”
She called out as she pointed to the sky in a strange pose.
Her words did nothing to put Tobi’s worries at ease.
Not too far from the park was a local Museum run and owned by an old man with a passion for local history and the natural sciences. Its entrance was a set of double doors with a small boxy room beyond. The owner himself sat sleeping behind the desk, his breathing slow and his dreams deep. Tobi floated straight past but Sally paused. From some hidden pocket of her dress she pulled out a single Stone coin and left it on the desk as a small payment.
The central room of the Museum was much bigger than the boxy entrance. In the centre of the first floor was a large open space that contained the hanging skeleton of a great Sea Serpent. Its long, snake-like body curled and twisted around the pillars and across the ceiling itself with the maw of it ending near the staircase. Spread out and around the edges of the room were exhibits to do with the local geology and history. Sally peered around at the fossils and paintings before catching sight of Tobi floating up to the next floor.
She placed the duffle bag down near a bench in the corner before wrapping up the jump rope and tossing it over her shoulder. From one step to another she excitedly climbed the stairs to the next floor. The circular balcony ahead showed the top of the Sea Serpent’s spine, as well as glimpses to the tiled floor much further below.
On the far end of this floor Tobi found a young girl sitting on the floor near some old fossils. Her eyes looked distant and every breath she had seemed to be a struggle. Every so often a weak cough would escape her lips. From her a thread of wispy miasma trailed along the floor. Tobi quietly followed it and found that around a nearby bookcase was the Gribbler.
A tangle of four long arms and a misshapen body laid on the floor like a mistake dropped from uncaring hands. Tobi could not even tell where one part of it started and another part ended. Based on its size and the symptoms of its prey, Tobi was sure that it was a Creeping Dread. A thankfully weak Gribbler that slowly poisoned its victims over a long period of time, creating a hive of sadness where people enter but never leave.
Stepping back from the bookcase he moved quietly to Sally who was starting to approach.
He put his fingers to his lips to make sure she stayed quiet before moving closer.
“It is just around that corner, I want you to go help the…”
Tobi tried to whisper to her but Sally suddenly stepped past him.
“I’m Sally of the Bunnies and I will be Queen, believe it!”
Sally called out as she stuck a finger towards the crumpled Gribbler.
“Sally no, you’re not a pirate!”
Tobi reminded her as he tried to pull her away.
“Uhuh, I’m a Mister of the Corpse Academy. Come, undead weapon!”
Sally suddenly called out before extending her hand towards Tobi with her palm open. Before he could even reply to her, he felt something drawing him towards her from deep within. His form shimmered before breaking down into electric mist. He swirled towards Sally and condensed into a shining blue orb in the palm of her hand.
“Sally, what is happening to me?!” Tobi cried out in confusion.
Sally did not reply and instead she drove him down against the handle of the jump rope wrapped around her body. Blue lightning crackled and sparked as the lights of the Museum flickered. All the way down Sally’s body static danced, causing her hair to rise slightly and her skin to flush warmly. She then pulled the jump rope from her body and twirled it around.
At the end of the other handle a glowing blue ball appeared. It shined like a small star and thrummed with an Outerworldly power. And then, Tobi’s ears sprang up from it and his face appeared on its surface. He looked around, even more confused, as his body had been fused with her weapon.
“Did you… Imbue me?!” Tobi asked.
“A weapon of death itself, a Soul Drinker!”
Sally replied, so very happy and excited. She spun the rope, stepped, turned, and gracefully handled her weapon in ways that matched what Tobi himself had shown her.
“It’s not just the weapon, I can feel you as well. Does it hurt?”
Tobi asked her as realised his energy was also flowing through her.
“Hurts good!” Sally replied before spinning up the weapon quickly.
Despite the rapid rotations Tobi did not feel any discomfort or disorientation.
She then lashed out and struck the Gribbler with the star at the end of the rope. It hit hard, with sparks of blue scattering across the floor. Tobi felt no pain from the strike either, but the Gribbler sure did. It rolled backwards, crumpled limbs falling over each other like a sickly black tumbleweed. It shuddered and rippled before suddenly springing open.
A lumpy ball of black flesh, with four crooked arms carrying it aloft. Behind it was a long whip-like tail with barbs on the end. It stumbled and shuddered like something drunk.
“My boyfriend is my power!” Sally cried as she lashed out again.
“Boyfriend?!” Tobi barked as he was sent hurtling.
But this time she missed. The Gribbler drunkenly ducked out of the way of the star and scuttled rapidly under the rope towards her. Sally hopped backwards and pulled Tobi back towards her but the creature was quick and its tail even quicker. The barbed end approached her but before it could strike the rope in her hands bent and twisted without her saying so. They struck the tail and knocked the jagged tip through the wood of the ceiling above.
“You’re not alone here, retreat quickly.” Tobi advised.
Heeding his words, she stepped back and jumped over the balcony railing onto the spine of the Sea Serpent below. The whole structure wobbled, the steel cables groaning in protest of her weight although it still held firm. Behind her the Gribbler gave chase but as it jumped down it missed the suspended bones and fell even further to the bottom floor.
Sally peered down between the ribs of the Sea Serpent but found nothing below her.
“Be ready, it will try to ambush you.” Tobi warned.
Sally nodded and closed her eyes. As she spun Tobi above her head she used Omnivision to scout out every inch of the area around her. Step by careful step she walked along the spine of the great beast. Below her she could see the creature. It moved along the belly of the Sea Serpent, each step keeping pace with her as it stayed directly underneath where she stood.
It attacked suddenly by striking up between the ribs with its tail but Sally was ready and easily side stepped. She walked, calmly, with a turn and twist and twirl to her body from one rib to another. It continued to swish and stab at her but Sally was calm and could easily predict such obvious movements with her Omnivision. She could not return the strikes however. The star at the end of her weapon was too big to fit between the ribs and to swing wide would no doubt end poorly.
Sally broke out into a grin as she reached the end of the Sea Serpent’s spine.
She jumped over and slid down the railing of the stairs. And as she crossed under the Gribbler she struck from below and pinned it between Star and skeleton with enough force to make the Sea Serpent shudder. Once she hit the ground she slid and scurried away behind one of the pillars.
“I can feel you inside of me.” Sally said hotly as her grin turned lewd.
“Centuries of memories and combat. All that training and experience.”
She inhaled deeply before dashing out from the pillar and silently moving to the next.
“This feels so good.” She purred.
“Focus. I think I can increase the strength of our weapon further by channelling your power through me, but you will need to find a chance to strike when the Gribbler is unaware.”
Tobi explained as the Star suddenly pulsed and grew a few inches bigger.
“Like a surprise party.” Tobi nodded as she panted.
Closing her eyes she checked on where the Gribbler was. And found it rushing to her. She sidestepped the slash of the tail as it whipped around the pillar and then began to run from one to the next in a wide circle. Around and around she went as she waited for the perfect moment. The second the Gribbler thought it had predicted her movements and struck ahead of the next pillar she instead came to a sharp stop and dashed 90 degrees out into the open. She charged forth towards the Gribbler with Tobi swinging wide above her head.
The Gribbler pulled back its tail, and as Sally swung her weapon high into the air it thrust forward and struck her deep in her shoulder. Sally came to a halt but through gritted teeth she smiled like a Demon.
“Happy birthday!” She screamed.
Above her the rope had swung around the spine of the Sea Serpent and came down behind the Gribbler. The Star was now the size of a small car. It pulsed and beat with live, and love, and enough energy to cause the lights of the Museum to cut out as he collided like a runaway truck into the Gribbler. It was crushed under the weight and shattered like glass under a hammer.
As Sally relaxed and let go of the weapon, Tobi was freed from it. He swirled back into energy, and then into mist, before reforming into his Anth shape. Right away he rushed to the collapsed Sally to inspect her wounds. His fingers ran red as he tried to stem the bleeding.
“You need a doctor person, and a hospital thingy.”
Tobi said worriedly as he did not know how to treat her organic injuries.
“If only you were Ismi then I could… I could…”
Tobi muttered before suddenly tightening his grip on her wound.
In the darkness of the Museum, lit by Tobi’s pale blue light, he found Sally looking up to him not with the eyes of an Anth but an Ismi. Her amber eyes now looked pale and silver in his coloured light. Her white fur glowed radiantly as well and her blonde hair like the gold his kind enjoyed shaping. It was at that moment that Tobi stopped seeing her as an Anth, and embraced something different.
Sally sucked air between her teeth from the pain but then gasped as sparks of energy crackled across her shoulder. Her wound shrank and healed within seconds, and in turn a wound of equal placement and measure appeared on Tobi’s shoulder. Once he was done her wound was little more than a papercut, while his own quickly began to heal due to his Outerworldly nature.
“Are you well?” Tobi asked.
Sally pulled her head up and gave him a dreamy look.
“You didn’t say the… Special move…” She said softly.
Her smile dropped and the fatigue in her eyes grew like fire. Tobi caught her as she suddenly fell to the side, her soft breathing and occasional snore putting him at ease. He brushed her hair as the lights came back on. Picking her up he then took her over to the bench at the corner and laid her down gently.
“Sleep well.” Tobi said as he sat near her head and let out a long sigh of relief. He too was tired but sleep was optional for him and he refused to embrace it until they were back home.
Some minutes later and the lights came on. Not too long after that an Ismi appeared. She was a girl, with long blue hair and small glasses that gave her a bookish look. She looked around the Museum and checked on the girl upstairs who was recovering well before tracing Sally and Tobi’s battle downstairs and to the bench.
“Sir!” She spoke as she stood up straight.
“One Gribbler. Creeping Dread, killed.” Tobi reported.
“Confirmed.” She replied.
But instead of leaving she lingered.
“If I may ask Sir, are you the ‘special Hunter team’ the Mismi mentioned?”
“Yeah.” Tobi said as he stroked Sally’s hair.
“This is Sally… You can call me, Tobi.”
“I do not know that label.”
“It is a name. It means… Someone who is loved.”
Tobi explained before turning his eyes away from Sally and to the girl.
“And tell the others, we are the Hunters known as Unity.”
“Sir!” The girl said excitedly.
“What about you? Do you want a name?”
“I am Ismi, for we are Ismi. What point would a name serve?”
“What point indeed. That will be all.” Tobi replied.
She gave a polite nod of her towards him before flapping her wings and leaving.
Tobi continued to pet Sally’s head. Deep inside of him he felt content, happy, and scared of the next battle ahead. So many new emotions to chew over, so many new worries and fears. But there was also a light that did not exist before. It was warm, and golden, and he knew that it would lead him to the future he sought.
“Unity.” Tobi spoke with hope in his voice.
