Following The Trail

I have been plagued with a terrible sense of dread throughout this gloomy morning. I'm skipping school because I'm not in the mood for anything. Nonetheless, I am devising a strategy. Fulvius came up with the concept of killing the plant monster.

I'm sitting in the kitchen and making a sketch of the location where, if it hasn't already, the monster is most likely to reappear. It is the place where the monster was created and the pool of the energy is very strong there. Poisoning the water there would be the wisest course of action. It is a water plant, and it requires water. Luring it back will be necessary, it will do it regardless. Otherwise, it will dry up.

The piece of paper in front of me remains blank. I am experiencing a blockage. There are too many things bugging me. I'm pondering how we will have to inform Mitsuko's parents and the homeroom teacher of the monster's existence and provide evidence for our claims. We all agreed that it would be most appropriate to tell them the truth.

On the other hand, even if we wanted to, we couldn't even conceal the plant's existence. Undoubtedly, it was seen by someone last night.

The doorbell is ringing. Fulvius is here.
"Come, Hinata. We will plan along the way. We must find the plant," Fulvius remarks, and Hideki and Emiko are right behind him.

"You have something on your mind, right?" I ask.
"Naturally, I spent the majority of the night reading about reversing spells. In fact, I discovered something that might be helpful," Fulvius answers.
"Okay, I put my trust in you." After telling him, I grab a little umbrella and store it in my purse. Maybe it will rain later.

We are heading back to the same street where the plant was roaming free the day before. Because there are so many police cars on the street, it is difficult to see anything. Several locations are surrounded by a crowd of people. We push through the mass in order to get a better view. On the street ground, there are victims who have unusual wounds. Underneath them, pools of blood are expanding.

"Why are those victims lying on the ground? That is odd. I don't understand why they haven't been eaten as Mitsuko was. Some of them are even still alive," Emiko queries, visibly shaken by the scene.

"Honestly, I have no idea. Either they got away from the plant or it was full and couldn't eat them," Fulvius claims.
"Perhaps it's a picky eater." Maybe it wasn't interested in eating them. Have you given it any thought?" Hideki questions.

We give each other a few long, silent looks. I speak up to defuse the tension, "No way! That is absurd."

"Now that I think about it, Mitsuko provoked the plant. It was enraged with her," Hideki declares.
"That thing is a monster. It would have eaten her regardless," Emiko screams.

Fulvius pauses and finally decides to say "Actually, I suppose Hideki could be right. We have produced a living, sentient creature. There is an entity within. That horrible monster is capable of thought. It is not a mere beast."
"How can you say that!?" Emiko screams.

We opt to follow the shallow pits and crater-like features on the ground since we can't see any signs of the monster here. Following them, we deduce that it returned to the forest. Exactly as I anticipated. It realized that if it didn't go back into the water, it would dry out. Damnit, now my plan to poison the water is all fouled up.

"What should we do next?" Hideki asks.
"We'll head to the forest and confront it there. Hinata and I will use magic to combat it and attempt to undo the spell. Emiko, you should act as a diversion while Hideki fights it with brute force," Fulvius explains.

"Not fair!" Emiko screams. She continues, "I loathe that plant, and I want to fight it too."
"Ok then, go ahead and do what you want. You could get hurt, though," Fulvius sighs, looking at Emiko's dissatisfied expression.
"How will the two of them combat it? Do you not believe that they need weapons?" I ask in wonder.
"They do, of course," he replies.

I'm working with Fulvius right now to build wooden stakes for Emiko and Hideki. They are sturdy and rather thick. Both of them now possesses a weapon. In the case that magic fails, we should make two more for ourselves. Since the stakes are not too long, we can partially fit them in our backpacks. As a finishing touch, we soak all of the stakes in the poison on which we have cast the spell. Fulvius brings a few pocket-sized manuals with him. The planning is complete, and we are prepared to leave.

"Wait, Fulvius, if you reverse the spell and the plant transforms back into a regular flower, no one will believe us," I remark, hesitant of Fulvius' idea.
"Hey, don't worry. In any case, reverting its appearance is impossible. All we can do is remove the body's capacity to support an entity. In other words, to kill the plant." Fulvius objects.

"Do you guys believe that thing has a heart?" Emiko queries.
"I'm not sure. This is the first time I've done something like this," Fulvius answers.
"It's possible, though. The plant underwent enormous alterations during the process of development, and since it is now a creature, it is not beyond the realm of possibility that it has organs, the brain included," I claim.

"Woah, that's disgusting," Hideki exclaims.

"It has that nasty green liquid as well. I believe it has a blood-related purpose. That implies that it may actually possess a blood-pump mechanism resembling that of the heart," I inform them, feeling a little proud with my biology knowledge.

We are making our way cautiously to the place where our enemy is apparently resting after a killing spree. We sneak a peek through the bushes. The monster is there, even bigger than before, maybe feeding on the energy of his victims.

"Everyone ready?" Fulvius queries.
"We are ready. Let's go kill it," we all say unanimously. The monster screeches at us as soon as we attract its attention.