In retrospect, I shouldn’t have gone back home to change after my shift before meeting up with Etienne. As much as I wanted to blame this mishap on him, and his idea of inviting me on a date in ‘this vegan burger place that you will love, I promise’ on the other end of town, ultimately it was still my fault for missing the bus (I was busy texting him), and taking too long to get ready.

So, I was faced with two options. I could either message Etienne telling him I’d be running late, or I could take the metro and get there on time. I opted for the latter.

I left my apartment this early September evening rejoicing about the fact that it was still warm enough for me to be able to wear my short steel-blue skirt and beige shirt with puffy sleeves and matching highlights. I had also grabbed a small handbag out of habit, although these days I mostly used my ‘holding void’ skill for anything too precious to lose (excluding my phone which would have drained my MP very fast if I had to take it out and put it back in all the time).

I reached the metro station and after following an endless series of escalators and staircases, I found myself on the platform. It was truly a marvel and a testament to Parisian mentality, to think that even in a world where just about everyone could use magic, not a single elevator was working in this station. Just like home – I caught myself thinking.

All the benches were of course occupied, some by people and some by bags. A group of four people, likely students if their attitude and backpacks were anything to go by, were floating a good half-meter above ground, likely thanks to some skill. One of them kept glancing toward the entry of the platform, either waiting for a fifth friend or checking for cops. The only person that ended up coming out from below that specific archway was a grumpy-looking grandma who gave the group a disdainful scorned look before approaching the edge of the platform. Her mood was understandable, considering the lack of functioning elevators in this station.

I pulled out my phone, the screen of which I yet had to replace, to check when the next train was to arrive. I still had plenty of time, well, thirty-five minutes to be precise, to get to ‘Chemin Vert’, with a change at ‘Madeleine’.

Just I was texting Etienne that I was waiting for a ‘hazardous metro’ the train arrived, preceded by its usual deafening cacophony.

As I stepped into the wagon, I didn’t fail to notice the thickness of its walls and the lack of windows along its sides. The interior didn’t look all that different though, with plastic chairs of questionable cleanliness, and adverts postered along the side of the wagon.

I sat by the aisle, in case I’d need an easy escape, and fidgeted with the lanyard of my bag. As the metro took off, I tried to distract myself from the apprehension that the shakiness of the wagon induced in me by looking around. That group of kids had sat down further down the wagon, not far from that grandma who was still giving them annoyed looks. Apart from them, there weren’t many interesting passengers, as most of the rest looked as annoyed or bored as this situation called for.

So, as if settling into this nonchalant atmosphere myself, I slowly calmed down. If no one else was worried about the possibility of a monster attack, then there was no reason for me to be either.

I arrived at the ‘Madeleine’ stop without any issue and switched platforms following a familiar route. It did hit me as strange, maybe because I hadn’t used the metro in months, to travel through these familiar yet fully foreign corridors. But I found my platform easily enough, and soon I was sat in another thick, metal, windowless, wagon.

“Attention to all passengers, attention to all passengers please move to the back of the train. The train will now come to a stop. We apologise for any delays.”

My heartbeat came to a stop.

Around me, people began to get up and somewhat hastily walk through the interlinked carriages towards the end of the train. I could hear scratching noises coming from the front carriage, but no matter how hard I tried, I could not move.

It didn’t make sense, not the monster attack, but rather my fear. I had been in dangerous situations before, but not like this. Not in an underground tunnel. But was that truly the only difference? I turned to Cain to tell him that we probably should get moving, before realising, like an absolute idiot, that he was no longer there.

“Right.” I muttered, as I got up and began following the crowd with slow and shaky steps.

Somewhere deep inside my mind, I understood that this fear was irrational and fully misplaced. Not only were there likely measures in place to prevent any serious disruptions inside the train, but also it wasn’t as if I was unable to fight back. Right now though none of these things mattered, as there was a scary-sounding monster scratching at the train, trying to get in.

“Attention to all passengers,” the voice repeated. “Please make your way to the back of the train and please remain there. The situation will be handled momentarily.”

I glanced back, in hopes of seeing a cop or someone from the military. The front of the train was empty, but runes engraved all over the inside of the cabin had begun to activate. There were so many of them that at the spot where the conductor’s cabin was, their magical yellow glow drowned out the cold white light of the neons running along the carriage’s ceiling.

The scratching noises stopped. The tense silence that had filled the train seemed almost unbearable, and I realised in that moment just how loudly my heart was beating.

Suddenly, something hit the metro from the side.

I almost lost balance and would have fallen over if not for how close I had been to a wall.

Before the announcer had had the time to give us further instructions, a dark tentacle pierced through the door of a carriage at the front of the train.

MP - 2

Instinctively, I summoned my sword. But before I got the chance to even think about using it, some teenager dashed through the carriages, towards the monster.

“Marco!” Someone in the crowd yelled. “Come back here!”

The Kid reached the monster just a second tentacle popped through the door, widening the opening.

“Look, I can take it on!” Marco yelled back, as several floating fireballs appeared around him.

“Please get back to the back of the train!” The announcer repeated in an angry voice.

“Come back here!” Some else called out.

The train shook again, and suddenly that door was no more. The creature had used its tentacles to pull the door outwards, before entering the wagon. It was a large, shapeless blob, or a dark purple colour, with a swirling, glowing core. Tentacles dropped from its underside (as much as a blob could have an under and upper side). It looked somewhat like a giant, fat, fleshy, jellyfish.

That kid must have decided that it wasn’t a threat to him, as, with a hand gesture, he directed his fireballs at the creature. They hit its gewwy flesh, and went straight through, before coming out on the other side, having only lost a bit of momentum in the process.

“Please head to the back of the train!” The announcer yelled.

That voice seemed to have angered the monster, as it reached with its tentacles for the nearest speaker and pierced right through it.

“Shit.” The fireball-kid said as he took a step back, having finally realised that he won’t be able to do any damage.

The creature rotated its eye-less body towards the boy and suddenly fell on its back, revealing a teeth-filled aperture amongst the tentacles. It let out a roar and lunged at the boy.

A wall of blue fire erected itself between the two, as the boy covered his head with his arms. My body move on its own as I dashed toward the monster. I slashed through it, just as it had moved through the wall of flames.

My blade cut through it like butter. I realised with a horrified expression that it was because its flesh had moved out of the way, and I had only damaged it at the point of entry.

“Get back.” I hastily told the kid.

He took a few steps back while keeping his eyes on the creature before stumbling over his own legs and falling over.

I rolled my eyes.

My arm moved in a way it wasn’t supposed to, as the blade blocked an incoming tentacle attack. For some reason, that numbing pain suddenly became my number one concern.

“Make a fire beneath it!” I ordered Marco.

“What?” He asked, confused, and still on the ground.

“A fire where its mouth is.” I angrily repeated.

The creature fell on its back again, and used its tentacles to throw itself at me. I jumped onto a seat, and then over it, dodging the attack, but also almost falling over myself in the process.

“Now!” I yelled.

The creature sprawled over the cluster of seats I had just escaped from, readying its tentacles for another attack. Just then, fire appeared below it. I couldn’t see it well from my position, but I hoped it was enough to distract it.

Starlight

Blade of Namura damage + 2%

Damage type bludgeoning or piercing or radiant

Piercing

MP - 1

The creature pushed itself upwards, away from the fire. While all of its tentacles were used to steady its body, I stabbed it as hard as I could, reaching its glowing core. The light inside the creature turned a bright purple, which I took as a sign of a ‘good enough’ success.

I dashed away from it, yanking that kid up in the process and half-leading, half-dragging him to where everyone else was.

“Marco!” His friend form earlier called out, as they ran forward, taking him away from me.

The kid wasn’t visibly injured, so it must have been the shock. The shock of finding oneself so close to a giant monster; that same shock that was starting to set in me as well. I turned around, hoping to see that thing dead, but instead I saw it moving towards us, having grown inside as that light inside it seemed to glow brighter and brighter.

“Please remain where you are.” The announcer ordered in an angry voice.

Before the monster had had the time to come anywhere near us, the part of the train it was in got filled with runic light. A few seconds past, before the light disappeared, revealing an empty section of carriages.

People started returning to their seats, although none of them approached the carriage with the broken door. A few of them patted me on the shoulder while saying ‘good job’. But thankfully most did not seem to give half a damn about what I had done, and were more interested in going back on their phones or looking pissed.

“Marco you absolute idiot.” Marco’s friend slapped him on the head.

“I thought it’s be an easy kill!” Marco tried to justify himself.

“So what? You’d be internet-famous?”

“Well, yeah … sort of…”

“If not for that lady-”

I took that as my queue to leave, as I quickly walked away and sat behind a large gentleman, hoping that would be enough to conceal me. Last thing I wanted to deal with were some stupid teenagers who thought they were cool or whatnot.

“We will be resuming our journey briefly. Please disembark at the next station and do not seat near the gaping hole in the wall.” The announcer’s annoyed voice informed us.

MP - 2

I put my sword away and pulled out my phone. My hand had more or less stopped shaking by the time I messaged Etienne that I’d be running a few minutes late.