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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/02321 on 2024-11-27 22:46:39+00:00.
I was recovering between jobs when I got an odd request. Someone named Jacob wanted me to teach him more about magic. The name didn’t ring a bell, but I soon realized he was the hunter we saved from the bug-infested hotel. I agreed to the request but also asked August if he could spare some time.
I have been involved with supernatural creatures since I was a child. My first romantic relationship was with a cute creature who had mimic powers when I was about seventeen. Even with all my experience, I would never fully understand how magic worked better than someone who relied on it as a life force.
August agreed and we arrived at the empty park first. While we waited, we played Rock Paper Scissors because Lucas had recently gotten into playing it with others. August wasn’t too great at it, so I let him practice with me for a few minutes. He kept throwing out rock because, in his words, he liked rocks.
Jacob showed up giving us an expression that made it seem as if he regretted his decision. He was looking good considering how close he came to death recently. He still wore the long coat but changed his shoes to something more practical.
“This is August. He knows a lot so he agreed to help. How long have you been working as a contract worker?” I asked after Jacob walked over.
He blew a strand of long hair out of his face. If he wanted to do this job, he should at least keep his hair tied back.
“Two months. I called you cause I figured you had connections to getting better weapons. How much would a big gun cost me?” He sounded like a teenager.
I bet he wasn’t even nineteen yet. August smiled and gave me a side eye at the mention of a gun. I nudged him silently ordering him not to make fun of a newbie.
“A lot. But I wouldn’t suggest a gun. If you’re going to invest that sort of money in a powerful weapon a blade along with charming your coat would be better. Is your jacket special?”
Most hunters wore jackets that weren’t just for fashion reasons. They could be fused with magic, or parts of supernatural creatures to make the fabric resist damage. Some of the more advanced jackets were almost like a living creature bonded with their owner. The suits the Agents wore offered the same kind of protection. I’ve also heard supernatural mailmen had uniforms that protected them better than most jackets hunters could get their hands on.
“It’s not a magic one if that’s what you’re asking. And why should I use a sword instead of a gun? Isn’t keeping your distance a better idea when it comes to monsters.” Jacob argued clearly, already annoyed.
“Ditch the jacket.” August chimed in.
The younger man scowled. Before he could question the statement, August had closed the distance between them. He slipped behind Jacob, took hold of his long coat, and pulled. I watched the pair as the kid frantically got back to his feet time and time again. No matter how much he tried dodging, August just caught the jacket and swept him off his feet again. By the time I broke the two up, Jacob had removed the coat, only for August to steal it away and tie it around the boy. He had only bruised Jacob’s ego but that was enough for his face to turn red in frustration.
“I get it! No long coats! Are you happy?! Now tell me where I can get a damn gun!”
He tossed the coat to the ground, face sweaty and hands shaking from rage. August wasn’t done. He reached over and tied Jacob’s hair back with a fair amount of protest. Jacob left his hair back accepting the message but still angry as hell.
“To get back to the gun versus sword question, it’s mostly based on mass. A bullet is way smaller than a blade. Ten bullets would do less damage than a single stab from even a dagger.” I started to explain.
“I call bullshit.” Jacob snorted.
“Aw, I knew he was just a little baby but I didn’t understand how much of one.” August teased.
I swear they were seconds away from a slapping fight. I sighed shaking my head. I hated just how often people like Jacob became Hunters. They thought they could just pick up a few weapons to slaughter evil creatures without understanding how magic really worked.
“August, I’m going to pretend to stab you.” I told him so he would walk near me.
To Jacobs’s confusion, he watched me land a fake stab into August’s chest. The dramatic acting out a fake death wasn’t needed to prove my point though.
“Magic is power that requires your will to control. A blade moves your entire body, your entire will to flow into it. An attack is more powerful based on the actions and intentions behind it.”
August stayed on the ground and nodded along with my explanation. Jacob didn’t appear overly impressed.
“You need to put your entire body into firing a gun. Like getting in the right position to aim. So why doesn’t that count?” He pointed out arms crossed.
I started to go into a more detailed lecture about the difference between just shooting a bullet and using a blade against a supernatural creature. There were a few factors that made swords the preferred weapon. All the willpower and magic get channeled into the sword in an attack. While firing a gun, the magic gets poured into the gun itself and not the bullets. Sure, bullets could be blessed, and depending on what type you used they can kill strong creatures. Those kinds of bullets were out of most Hunter’s budgets to create. Not even The Corporation used them that often because of how hard they were to produce. Also, most Hunters who start out relying on firepower think they’re safe at a distance. They don’t properly train their body to avoid counterattacks. Monsters can fire magic, or move faster than some humans can react to.
As I spoke Jacob appeared more and more defeated. Even August got bored and started to scroll through his phone while on the ground. I would have kept going on, but Jacob raised a hand to make me stop speaking.
“Where can I buy a magic sword then?” He sighed.
August stood back up and shoved his phone into my face trying to show off some sort of cat meme I ignored.
“You can borrow them through The Corporation when you accept a contract job. In fact, you can borrow all sorts of supplies you might need for a job. If you return the items clean and with minimal damage they won’t charge you for the use. “
Jacob gave me a look that told me he wished I’d just told him all that to start with.
“Do you want to do a few easy jobs together? You need more experience before taking on dangerous work. And it would be nice to not deal with this brain eater for once.” I offered as I started to push August away.
He had gotten bored and draped himself over my left side. Sometimes I wondered why he was so comfortable fooling around and acting so dumb around me.
“Brain eater? Like… as in… he eats monster brains?” Jacob asked as his entire body grew tense.
His mood completely changed. It was as if he was suddenly in front of a man-eating beast ready to strike.
“Monster or human. I’m not overly picky.” August announced.
I should have realized that bringing along August was a bad idea. I wasn’t thinking properly that day. Jacob drew a handgun he kept hidden at his waist and fired in our direction. The bullet was weak, and his movements were slower than August. He raised a hand that transformed into a set of claws protected with a hard shell. I slightly jumped at the sound but was more confused than startled.
“What the hell is wrong with you!” Jacob shouted in disgust. “He’s a monster and you’re that close with him?!”
I knew Hunters hated supernatural creatures and refused to work with them, but I didn’t see Jacob as a real Hunter because he’d taken contract work. I just figured he had already worked alongside creatures before. I suppose that was the only difference between a Contract Worker and a Hunter. Contract Workers did whatever they needed to be paid. Hunters wanted to just kill supernatural creatures.
“Partnering up with creatures for jobs is natural in this line of work. You’ll die if you don’t.” I calmly said.
“Are you even still human siding with them?!” He shouted again.
Jacob reached up to rip out the hair elastic August had used to pull back his hair. Utter hatred and rage showed on his face as his wild hair fell. I opened my mouth to defend myself, but no words came. I didn’t think when it came to dealing with supernatural creatures there were simple black-and-white answers as Jacob believed.
“Almost every contract worker dies because of their job regardless of whether they accept help from creatures or not. It’s your choice to stand by what you think is right and live the life you’re comfortable with.” August said in an even tone.
Jacob made a noise and scooped up his jacket. I called after him, but he stormed off refusing to even look back. Yes, August was right, Contract Workers had a high mortality rate, but Jacob wouldn’t last two weeks the way he was now.
“You could have handled that a bit better.” I scolded August.
“He shot at us. I think I gave him as much respect as he deserved.” He shrugged.
Something was up with him today. His playful interactions felt a…
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