Mythos: Last Stand

  Chapter 6 — Cowardly Monsters

  by Caide Fullerton

  Four Humans and one Mimic sat in a circle at the back of an ancient storeroom, a modest lunch of scavenged meat laid out between them. Sitting with her back against the wall, the Mimic happily munched on a head of a pale lettuce-like plant. The Humans found it rather bland-tasting, but she scarfed it down as though it were the tastiest meal she’d ever had.

  Lii sat where the chest she’d inhabited had stood mere moments ago. Though the Humans all had at least a vague idea of how a Mimic’s powers worked, watching her transformation up close was quite the shocking ordeal. The wood and iron of the chest gradually lost its form and color, swelling and bubbling until all that was left was a chest-shaped block of amorphous flesh. Then, in a sudden whir of motion, the flesh twisted and contorted, converging in a dense cloud of matter at Lii’s hips before expanding out into the shape of two human legs.

  She stretched her newly-formed legs out wide—after all, it’d been quite a few years since she’d actually had legs, having been hibernating inside the chest until the others woke her up. Just like the chest, her clothes were an extension of her body, and she’d formed a pair of simple brown shorts to accompany her oversized shirt.

  Jackie: “So, how long were you hibernating, anyway?~” After admiring her ferocious appetite for a while, Jackie finally posed one of their many curiosities in a singsong tone.

  Lii: “Um…” She paused for a moment to take a deep breath, having neglected to breath while she ate. “I’m n-not sure, actually. I doubt it was that long, though. Maybe five, ten… um, twenty years at the most.”

  Sam: “At the most?” He scratched his head. “How old even are you?”

  Lii: “Um… around a hundred?” She gave the question only a moment of thought before offering an absurd answer rather nonchalantly, then returned her full attention to her food.

  Strade clicked his tongue at her reply. “Yeah, as if. You look like a kid.”

  Sam: “She looks our age.”

  Strade: “She looks your age.”

  Jackie: “Actually, Mimics are immortal.” Interrupting before the others’ bickering could escalate, Jackie raised a finger, speaking matter-of-factly. “They stop aging after a while. Though, even if they did keep aging, I guess she could just make herself look younger.”

  Voicing that thought, they turned to Lii with yet another question. “Is this your ‘real’ appearance? Do you even have one?”

  Finishing her meal just as Jackie finished their question, Lii wiped her mouth before answering. “Um, I-I guess it is. I don’t, um… really like looking like my parents, but…” She cast her gaze down with a hint of longing, then shook her head, forcing a smile. “Um, I like this form.”

  Helena: “That’s cool and all, but we need to stay focused. Before we can head for the outside world, we need to deal with the Kumori.”

  Jackie nodded. “It probably has a lair somewhere in this region, or at least a temporary shelter. It was wounded and in a hurry, so tracking it should be pretty easy.”

  Sam: “It’s fast, though. I bet it can cover a lot more ground than us.”

  Strade: “And Eve knows what else might be out there.”

  Jackie: “Ah, it’s not a guarantee, but there’s a good chance we don’t need to worry about that.” As the others turned to them with puzzled looks, they continued, “The fact the Kumori’s hunting in this area probably means there aren’t any other monsters around that pose a threat to it. We should only encounter things it considers prey.”

  Sam: “Makes sense. Plus, we have Lii with us now.”

  Hearing her name thrown into the mix, Lii perked up with a soft yelp. Helena regarded her with narrowed eyes.

  Helena: “You can fight, can’t you?”

  Lii: “I-I, um… I’ll do my best!” She pumped her fists in front of her.

  Strade: “Very promising.” He spoke dryly, causing Lii to shrink a bit.

  Jackie: “In any case, we should get moving soon, while the trail is still fresh. We’ll wanna reach the lair before dark, too—good chance we’ll be sleeping there.”

  Helena: “Agreed.” With that, she stood. “I doubt the rest of this place has anything more useful than this room. We’ve wasted too much time here, anyway.”

  As the others all stood, Jackie cast a thoughtful gaze at Helena. It took her a moment to notice, at which she flushed slightly before giving them a dismissive glare.

  Helena: “What?”

  Jackie: “I think you’d feel better if you loosened up a bit.”

  Helena: “What’s that supposed to mean!?” She snapped back, puffing her cheeks.

  Jackie raised their hands in surrender. “It just seems like you’re constantly stressing yourself out. You can take things seriously without being tense all the time, y’know?”

  She didn’t grace this with a response, instead quickly turning away with a huff and leading the way out of the storeroom. “Let’s just get moving.”

  As she stormed off, Lii glanced between Jackie and Helena with trembling lips. Sam scratched his head, sighing as Helena left the room. He turned to Jackie,

  Sam: “I know you mean well, but… Could you, uh, try not to antagonize her so much?”

  Jackie: “That’s exactly what I’m doing, though?”

  As Jackie cocked their head aside with their response, Strade broke into laughter, clapping Sam on the shoulder as he stepped past him.

  Strade: “You and her both are total hard-asses. I think you oughta take after Jacqui here a bit more.”

  Jackie: “That seriously isn’t funny.”

  Ignoring their complaint, Strade followed Helena out of the room. Jackie frowned at the doorway for a moment before turning to Sam and Lii with a smile,

  Jackie: “Well, we don’t want to get left behind. Let’s get moving.”

  ? ? ?

  Jackie: “And trees on the outside are brown!? Isn’t that weird?”

  Lii: “U-um, the trees here being red is the weird thing…”

  Jackie: “Ahh, I see! Oh, and what about the grass?”

  Lii: “It’s m-mostly green, but… Not the same green as here.”

  As the quintet marched through the seemingly endless forest of bloodred willows, Jackie pelted Lii with question after question. As she answered the latest query, she glanced aside at the patches of grass that dotted the region. Most in the forest were a crimson red, but the few that were green bore either a dark, swampy shade or a sickly neon one.

  Jackie: “The more I hear about the outside, the more excited I get. We’re seriously lucky we found you.”

  Lii: “Ah, y-you think so..?” She blushed, tapping her fingers together.

  The group was traveling through the same forested region they’d crossed to reach the large ruin, though the Kumori’s tracks—a mix of heavy handprints, hastily dragged feet, and the occasional drip of blood—led them in a different direction than where they’d come from.

  Positioning herself as the group’s vanguard, Helena paid special attention to Jackie and Lii, keeping as much an eye on them and their surroundings.

  Helena: “Hey, Jackie. You were able to hear the Kumori following us before, right?”

  They turned to her with a smile, walking backwards a few paces as they nodded. “Yep! That kinda thing’s my specialty.”

  Helena: “Sure, but how well can you listen for things if you keep talking so much?”

  Jackie: “Oh, don’t worry about that! I can multitask.” With that, they turned back around and raised another question to Lii, leaving no room for a rebuttal.

  Helena sighed, left with no choice but to take them at their word. It baffled her how they could be so laid back in such a dangerous situation—though, on second thought, there were no situations in the Heap that weren’t dangerous. Perhaps, then, their earlier advice held some weight; if every waking moment of your life was tense, meeting that intensity with your own would do little more than exhaust you.

  She grimaced; it upset her to admit that they were right. Then, with a blink, she considered—why? Why did that upset her? She was wary of Jackie, true—as far as she was concerned, they were still a long ways from earning her trust—but she had no real reason to dislike them. They were smart, confident, good-humored; potential danger aside, their presence was pleasant.

  She scratched her neck in agitation, thinking back to when she and Sam had first met them. She knew the reason—a part of her was scared of them.

  When she’d called out to them back at the temple, thinking they were her lost companion, she’d caught a glimpse of their expression. For just the briefest moment, the face she saw then wasn’t the face of the Jackie she’d come to know; it was the face of a cold, calculating killer.

  They’d not shown that same demeanor a single time since, but she couldn’t shake the impact that brief impression had on her. Whenever she looked at Jackie, she couldn’t help but wonder—

  How little would it take to pull that person back to the surface?

  She shook her head and clapped her hands against her cheeks, discarding those thoughts. Just as Jackie had said, she was needlessly stressing herself out.

  Thinking so, she turned back to the pair of Jackie and Lii, the former regarding the latter with sparkling eyes as they continued to pester her about the outside world. Perhaps she should try to “loosen up”?

  With that, she took a deep breath, steeling her resolve. “Hey, Lii.”

  The girl jumped slightly, looking back at Helena. “Um, y-yes..?”

  Helena: “Can I ask a question? Something’s been… bugging me.”

  Lii: “Um, sure..!” She quickly nodded.

  Helena: “You came from the outside, right?” Lii nodded again in reply, and Helena continued, “Then, why exactly did you come here?”

  Lii froze, a bead of sweat running down her face as she stared forward blankly. Sam and Jackie turned to her with curious gazes while Strade, paying her no mind, continued forward with a scoff at Helena’s question,

  Strade: “Heh, yeah. This place is a total dump.”

  Lii offered no reaction to his comment, simply staring forward into space. Sam finally placed a careful hand on her shoulder, gently calling out to her with a “Lii..?” This snapped her back to reality, blinking rapidly as she turned to Sam with trembling lips.

  Lii: “Ah, s-s-sorry..! I, um, I just—”

  She cut off, freezing again as Jackie suddenly wrapped an arm around her from the side.

  Jackie: “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, you know.”

  She stared at Jackie for a moment, her eyes meeting theirs, before finally shaking her head, taking a shaky breath. “N-no, I’m fine. I… I came here to… get away. I, um, didn’t expect anyone to ever find me…”

  As she cast her gaze downward, Helena stepped up to her. She looked down at Lii, searching for the right words, before settling on a simple “I’m sorry.”

  Lii jolted again and raised her head to face Helena. “A-ah, um, it’s alright..! I’m sorry I… can’t give a better answer…"

  Looking between the two, Jackie smiled. Then they glanced over their shoulder and called out,

  Jackie: “Strade, don’t go any further. There’re monsters.”

  This time, everyone jolted. Helena placed a hand on the hilt of her broken sword; Sam whipped out his bow, nocking an arrow; Strade fell to a crouch, flipping two knives into his hands in a practiced motion; Lii recoiled, glancing at her surroundings in a panic. Only Jackie stood calmly amidst it all.

  Helena: “Where!? Why didn’t you tell us!?”

  Jackie: “Relax. They won’t attack until we get closer.” With that, they gestured to a crimson willow up ahead. “Right there.”

  The tree was a good bit shorter than the others, but otherwise it seemed nothing out of the ordinary, complete with bulbous red bark and hanging, sickly leaves. As one’s gaze lingered, however, more and more issues would become apparent. The tree lacked the sprawling roots of its neighbors, it sported only two large branches protruding from equal heights, an odd lump sat atop the trunk, and the trunk itself was oddly shaped.

  Indeed, it was not a tree at all, but a humanoid figure assuming a convincing facade of one.

  Sam: “A Jubokko..!” Knitting his brow as he spoke the monster’s name, he raised his bow, aiming for the tree. “Should we strike first?”

  Jackie held an arm in front of him, shaking their head. “Jubokko hunt in packs. I see…” they paused, glancing back and forth, “three, but there are probably more.” They then turned to face the others. “You guys ready?”

  Helena placed her hands on her hips. “What exactly are you about to do?”

  Jackie: “Just a little trick to make them reveal themselves.” They replied with a slight smirk, to which Helena sighed, waving a dismissive hand.

  Helena: “Go on, then.”

  They nodded, turned, and made their way to the front of the group. With all eyes on them, they took a deep breath before raising their head and,

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Jackie: “OI, YOU DUMB FUCKIN’ TREES! YOUR DISGUISES SUCK!”

  They shouted at the top of their lungs, causing Lii to yelp and cower behind Sam. Taken aback, Sam, too, recoiled.

  Sam: “J-Jackie..!? What’re you—”

  Jackie: “If you just attack one of them, the others will keep hiding until they get a chance to ambush you.” They glanced back to answer, then returned their gaze forward to shout again, “That’s right, idiots, I see you!”

  As if in response to their insults, the forest began to creak. The tree—no, the Jubokko ahead of them began to shift, its body twisting out of the shape of a tree and smoothly transitioning into the shape of a man. Raised arms lowered, intertwined legs uncurled, and the figure began an aggravated march. Its skin was coated in a layer of reddened bark, its legs long and lanky, its arms even more so, reaching down to its knees. Its head sat atop haunched shoulders, a featureless stump.

  All at once, more Jubokko revealed themselves, their bodies twisting into human shapes before each making a beeline towards Jackie.

  Jackie: “See? If you insult them, they get pissed and reveal themselves.” They spoke as they drew their sword, entering a battle stance with their makeshift shield raised. “Only downside is they all charge you at once.”

  Jackie stepped forward to meet the first of the Jubokko as it charged at them. It raised one of its elongated arms and made a wild horizontal swing; Jackie ducked beneath it and lashed their sword upward, cleaving through the monster’s bark with a satisfying crackle. Reddish sap dribbled out of the wound as the Jubokko kept its featureless face firmly affixed to Jackie.

  The creature rose its other arm and swung for Jackie again. This time they caught the blow with their makeshift shield, the force sending them sliding backwards. Before the monster could press forward with another attack, a knife zipped through the air, embedding itself in its stump of a head.

  Strade: “That’s a pretty damn big downside!” He lunged forward, slipping past the staggering Jubokko’s defenses. His knee shot up, jabbing the monster’s stomach and forcing it to double over; simultaneously, he jabbed a knife upward, sinking it into the Jubokko’s neck. Emitting a gargled sound, the Jubokko made to slam its arms together, but Strade leapt back, seizing his other knife and tearing them both free of the monster’s flesh as he retreated.

  Sap-like blood pouring from its head and neck, the Jubokko stumbled, catching itself on one of its long arms. Jackie seized the moment and cleaved through its head with a second sword strike, felling the creature; no sooner did two of its companions march forth to take its place, closely followed by more.

  As Jackie and Strade faced one of the approaching Jubokko, an arrow struck the head of the other. A drop of sap seeped out and tricked down its face; the monster paused, turning away from Jackie and to the source of the attack—to Sam.

  Unfortunately for it, its view of him was obscured by a lunging Helena.

  Though they’d been unable to find anything resembling a proper weapon in the large ruin, Helena had found one thing to help in combat—a thick leather gauntlet. With this to protect her hand, she thrust her full strength into her attack, slamming a punch into the Jubokko that sent it tumbling to the ground like a ragdoll.

  To compare it to a ragdoll was perhaps a bit misleading—its limbs seemed only barely capable of bending at the knees and elbows, so it fell more like a cheap wooden toy. It began to lift itself back up with little pause, simply rotating its arms backwards to pry its lanky body off the ground.

  As it rose, another Jubokko approached, moving unusually hastily with a swerving gait. It aimed not for Helena, but beyond her—running straight past for the pair at the back of the group.

  Helena: “Shit, Sam—!” She turned to strike the passing monster, but a sound drew her attention away. She leapt backwards as her original opponent lunged forward, slamming both arms into the ground.

  The attack showered her in a spray of dust, and the Jubokko swiftly emerged from the smokescreen with a punch. Crossing her arms in front of her, she caught the attack with her armored forearm, but was sent staggering back with gritted teeth.

  Helena: “Damn it—Lii! Protect him!” She shouted to the girl behind her before ducking past yet another attack.

  At the very back of the group, Sam stood with bow drawn and arrow nocked; Lii cowered behind him, her shaking hands on his shoulders. Sam loosed an arrow into the Jubokko’s head, but that only seemed to further hasten its charge as it emitted a roar like the crackling of firewood.

  The Jubokko twisted its body as it raised an arm high into the air, then slammed it down with great force. Sam and Lii leapt to either side as the impact sprayed mud into the air. The monster’s featureless face turned sharply to Sam as it took a step forward, then swung its body around, pivoting on one leg and swinging an arm upward.

  Sam sidestepped the attack, stumbling footwork carrying him backwards. “Lii, now..!” He shouted, panic creeping into his voice, before he ducked under yet another attack.

  Across from him, Lii regarded the Jubokko with shaking hands and quivering lips, her breath hitching as her name was called out for the second time.

  * ? *

  Lii was a coward. She was not ashamed to admit this.

  Her whole life, all she had ever done was run away. At least, that had always been the case after she became “Lii”.

  This world was absolutely filled with things that were scary. Monsters. People.

  Herself.

  There was a time, once, where she had convinced herself that she could be brave. “There’s no reason to be scared anymore,” she’d thought. “I’m strong,” she’d thought. “I can do anything if I’m with you,” she’d thought.

  And yet, look at how things had turned out.

  Because she got too selfish, because she thought she had the right to stop being afraid, she’d lost everything.

  And, once again, she’d ran away.

  Now, here she was again, someone facing down a monster right in front of her. Someone who, foolishly, had decided to trust her.

  She knew she couldn’t be trusted. She knew she was just being selfish again. Because she didn’t want to be alone again, because she didn’t want to be abandoned again, because she wanted to be happy again, she was selfishly putting other people’s lives on the line.

  She could hear her heart pounding in her ears. Every part of her mind was screaming at her to turn around, to run away, to stop being so selfish.

  Even so, she didn’t want to be alone. Even so, someone right in front of her was relying on her.

  She lurched forward, throwing an arm out to the side. Her fingers melted away into formless flesh, combining and stretching out to form the length of a blade. It hardened into iron, and her fingers reformed around a hilt, holding it firmly.

  Paying her no mind, the Jubokko swung a long arm horizontally at Sam, just barely missing his head as he ducked. Seizing the opportunity, Lii leapt forward, raising her sword in both arms. With an exaggerated “Hiyaa!” she brought it down with all the strength she could muster, and—

  Tink!

  The sword bounced uselessly off of the back of the Jubokko’s neck, a small piece of the blade chipping off along with a few drops of blood.

  Lii: “Eh?”

  Sam: “Eh?”

  Jubokko: “——”

  The three shared a brief moment of confusion before the Jubokko whirled around on one leg, swinging rabidly at Lii. She shrieked, stumbling back out of its range. Tears welled in her eyes, open wide at the sight of the Jubokko, which was completely unharmed. Her feet slipping against the mud, she turned and shut her eyes tight, crying out as the broke into a run,

  Lii: “I can’t do it after all..!”

  * ? *

  Emitting a furious crackling, the Jubokko charged after her with its swaying gait, swinging its arms rapidly. Lii dodged each attack with tears in her eyes, wailing all the way. Her retreat brought her to a nearby willow tree, where she nearly tripped on one of its sprawling roots.

  She waved her arms in a panic to regain her balance, and the Jubokko’s outstretched arm swung just above her head again as she stumbled. Caught up in the momentum of its own attack, the monster tripped on the very same root. Its body gracelessly teetered before collapsing to the side, crashing against the trunk of the bloodred willow. The crash was accompanied by a sharp pop as one of the bulbous bark sacs ruptured, unleashing a spray of viscous red sap.

  The Jubokko slammed its forearm against the tree it so resembled, hastily rising with an intense crackling. Sap trickled down its head and shoulder, emitting a fizzing sound as it ate away at the monster’s skin.

  Sam: “Lii!” Shouting her name as he took chase after her and the monster, he gestured to the willow tree, its fractured bark still oozing sap.

  At the sounds of his voice, Lii turned to face him and the Jubokko again, lip trembling. Her eyes followed his arm, and she gave a slight nod. Sweat dripped down her face—no, portions of her skin were literally melting, her shapeshifting powers physically manifesting her anxiety.

  The Jubokko swung a leg forward, taking a lurching step towards Lii; she yelped, taking a panicked step backwards.

  Watching from behind the monster, Sam’s fist tightened around his bow, his mind racing. His arrows did little against its armored body. He wasn’t physically strong enough to contend with it at close-range. Even so, Lii continued to back away as it approached her; she needed his help.

  What could he do..?

  With a sudden realization, he took a step forward and spoke,

  Sam: “H-hey! Uh, stupid tree..!”

  It took another step towards Lii. He took a sharp breath before raising his voice,

  Sam: “I’m talking to you, you—you dumbass bastard! Over here..!” At this provocation, the Jubokko hesitated, looking back over its shoulder; Sam continued, “That’s right, you heard me..! Stupid-ass, uh… uh, you suck!”

  He couldn’t help but cringe at his own words, but the Jubokko stopped in its tracks, swinging a leg in a wide circle to twirl 180 degrees. Now facing him, it resumed its swaying march, picking up speed with each step, raising an arm in preparation—

  From behind, Lii dashed to the monster’s side, her arms both liquefied. The flesh stretched out into a flattened shape, hardening into a metal tower shield. Clamping her eyes shut, she held the shield close and rammed into the Jubokko’s side with a full-body tackle. Her weight sent it tumbling sideways and into another willow tree, where the snap of a pustule popping could once again be heard, the Jubokko crackling in pain and rage.

  As the monster struggled to stand, Sam raised his bow, taking aim and shooting yet another droplet-shaped protrusion higher on the tree’s crimson trunk. Steam rose from the Jubokko’s barky skin as it was showered with yet more acidic sap, some of its flesh starting to show beneath as the sap burnt its armored skin away.

  The Jubokko staggered up to its feet once more, taking slow, unsteady steps towards Sam and Lii. They exchanged a glance, and then Lii quickly unformed her shield, her flesh reforming into hands. In one, a long handle stretched out, the head of a huge stone mallet forming at its end. Clasping it in both hands, she stepped forward and struck the monster, toppling it to the floor.

  Sam looked down with a grimace at the collapsed monster, struggling to rise again. He walked over, hesitating for a moment before placing a foot on its back and shoving it back down.

  Sam: “I’m… sorry this had to be so painful.”

  The Jubokko did not respond to him. Like most of the creatures of the Heap, it possessed a degree of intelligence and emotion. He had always felt guilty for killing such creatures, even if he knew it was necessary. He’d half-convinced himself that they were different—that they didn’t think or feel in the same way that Humans did, even if they had the means to.

  He glanced behind himself at Lii, and he recognized how sorry of an excuse that had been. Kneeling down, he took an arrow from his quiver, flipped it around in his hand, and plunged it into a crack in the Jubokko’s armor, ending its life as quickly as possible.

  * ? *

  Helena: “Are you alright!?” She seized Sam by the shoulders, looking him up and down. “You aren’t hurt?”

  Sam: “I’m fine. It didn’t even hit me.” He gently brushed Helena’s hands off of him, offering a tired smile.

  Helena carefully released him, looking him over a final time before letting out a slight sigh. “If you say so.” She then turned to Lii. “And you?”

  The Mimic let out a slight yelp. “I-I’m sorry, I—”

  As she began to stutter, Helena strode over to her, looking down at the girl with a serious look. “Are you hurt?”

  Lii: “…huh?”

  Lii winced, expecting to be reprimanded, but what arrived instead was concern. Before she could process the situation, Helena let out a frustrated huff.

  Helena: “You are, aren’t you? Let me see.” Without further warning she grabbed Lii’s wrist, lifting it up to her face. “Look, there’s a gash on your finger. You need to let Sam treat it, or it’ll get infected.”

  Lii blinked a few times, then began glancing between her hand and Helena. “Huh?”

  Sam looked at the girls with narrowed eyes for a moment. “Sit her down.”

  Helena nodded seriously and pulled Lii down to the ground, causing her to yelp again as she was forced to sit. Sam fished through his bag before kneeling beside them and gingerly taking Lii’s hand. “Keep still for a minute.”

  Now glancing rapidly between both siblings, Lii’s face reddened at their closeness.

  Helena: “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let that one past me.”

  Sam: “It’s alright. The three of you were fighting most of them off; the least me and Lii could do is take one out.” At that, he stole a glance over at Jackie and Strade, who were standing a ways away.

  Jackie scratched their neck, their eyes sliding to the side. “I’ll take the blame on this one. We should’ve prepared more before I taunted them. I’m not…” They hesitated for a moment, then shook their head. “I’ve been alone a long time. I’m not really used to having to account for anyone but me getting hurt.”

  Finally snapping out of her haze, Lii blinked a final time before shaking her head as well. “N-no, it’s my fault I got hurt..! And, um, it’s not that bad, anyway! You’re all making a big deal out of—”

  Sam & Helena: “Infections are dangerous!”

  Cut off by their impassioned reply, Lii conceded with a nod as Sam carefully wrapped a thin bandage around her finger. “R-right. Sorry…”

  Helena stood with a huff. “It’s fine. Just tell us immediately if you get hurt. You’ll be dead weight if you get sick.”

  Lii gulped, looking down at her hand and opening and closing her fingers a few times. Sam stood, offering her a hand, and pulled her up to her feet.

  Sam: “Do you know how you got cut? It didn’t look like it ever hit you…”

  Lii: “A-ah, yeah..!” She perked up a bit. “Um, as I guess you already know, Mimics like me can create objects from our bodies. But, um, the things we make are still part of us. Like, um, th-they’re physically attached—my organs and stuff go through them. Even my clothes, um…”

  She quickly demonstrated, reaching down to her stomach and lightly tugging on her shirt, which stuck tightly to her skin as if glued together—or more accurately, based on her description, there was no skin underneath, for the surface of the shirt was effectively her skin.

  Lii: “When I hit that thing, my s-sword chipped. It was technically part of my hand, so when I went back to normal, the damage got translated to my finger…”

  Jackie and Sam both nodded along to her explanation—the former feeding their fascination with the Mimic, the latter making meticulous mental notes on how to treat her. Placing a hand on their hip, Jackie then spoke,

  Jackie: “So then, why was your sword so brittle? Mine and Strade’s cut through the bark fine.”

  At that, Lii looked downward with a frown. “I-I don’t know… Sorry…”

  Jackie: “Nah, it’s fine.” Seeing her frown, they sidled over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, causing her to blush again. “You should probably stay out of any fighting if you’re just gonna break yourself, though.”

  Lii: “But I…” She cast her gaze downward, “I don’t want to… be a b-burden…”

  Jackie: “Well, that doesn’t mean you have to fight.” Giving her a bright smile, they lifted her face, “I’m sure there’s plenty of other useful stuff you can do with your abilities.”

  Lii’s eyes sparkled. “R-really..? Um, like what..?”

  Jackie: “Well…” They paused to think, tapping their chin. They stood in silence for a few long moments until finally they snapped their fingers and declared, “Ah! If it starts raining, you can become an umbrella!”

  Lii blinked.

  Strade: “Oi.” His arms crossed and foot tapping impatiently, Strade called out to the others. “Fun as this is to watch, we have places to be.”

  Helena: “Right. We need to reach the Kumori’s lair. Let’s get moving.”

  Sam nodded in agreement, and he and Helena fell in line with Strade as they resumed their march. Jackie gave Lii a soft pat on the head before following after the others.

  Lii watched their backs for a moment before looking down at her hand, stretching her wounded finger.

  Lii: “An… umbrella…”

  And with that, she followed after them.

  Chapter Glossary:

  Jubokko - (Pronounced joo-boh-coh) Semi-intelligent, humanoid monsters with armored, bark-like flesh. They disguise themselves as blood-red willow trees in order to ambush prey. Likes: trees, nature, eating you. Dislikes: insults, acidic pustules.