by Unknown
How I Was Murdered by a Monster King
(How I was Murdered by a Fox Monster Book 2)
By M.C.Queen
http://www.mcqueenwrites.blogspot.com
Obake: Pronounced “Oh-bah-kei,” are spirits and monsters that take the form of animals to blend in with the natural world. There are five different levels of Obake.
Level four: Harmless Obake that pose no threat to humanity.
Level three: Obake capable of human speech and often trick humans for fun.
Level two: Obake that can change their form into more threatening shapes and attack humans and animals.
Level one: Obake capable of human form and coexistence with humans. Capable of tricking people for money or luring them away to be eaten.
Level S: A new level created to distinguish the most dangerous Obake which were previously in level one. Level S Obake should be avoided if possible. One should not engage unless there is no other option.
A secret organization exists to protect mankind and eliminate all Obake. Its agents are commonly referred to as “exorcists.”
This is the story of one of those exorcists.
Chapter 1
“So you thought you could fool us, didn't you monster?” Said an old man with long white hair and a beard. He paced back and forth before me and glared at me menacingly like a jailer conducting an interrogation.
He looked about sixty years old and was dressed in a military uniform with a long dark coat and big black boots. The heels of his shoes clicked against the wooden kitchen floor with every step.
“You've been hiding in plain sight all along,” he continued. “Waiting for the perfect opportunity to devour us all.”
“What?” I asked blankly.
“Living with a regular family, entering the education system, and even going as far to apply to become an exorcist was all part of your master plan wasn't it? What was next? Were you planning to work your way up the ranks until you could be alone with the heads of our organization, and then pick them off one by one?”
“Are you insane?” I asked.
“Don't joke with me Obake!” He yelled as he slammed his fists down on the table before me.
“Geez, it was just a joke,” I muttered. “Don't you guys know how to joke?”
I took one look around the room and realized that no one was joking. His two minions were standing behind him. One was a depressed looking guy all dressed in black, and the other dude looked overly serious with large glasses. They both menacingly waved baseball bats in their hands while trying their best to intimidate me with their eyes. I thought that at least my friends would save me, but my best friend Itsuki looked like he wanted me dead, and my other friend Nina was hiding behind our teacher Akito like he was a human shield.
Akito was probably the only one in the room who looked sorry for me, but I assumed he was just trying to get on my good side so that he could take another stab at my back.
The old man made his minions tie me up, and I struggled against the ropes which had me bound to a kitchen chair, but they refused to budge. I took one hard look at the old man who was accusing me of being a monster in human form.
I'm sorry, you probably have no idea why this crazy old guy thinks I'm a Obake, so let me fill you in on the situation.
My name is Daisuke Matsumoto and I live in central Japan. Ten years ago I was adopted by a different old man, Kousuke Matsumoto, who named me after his deceased son. He used to feed me stories of monsters called Obake which disguise themselves as regular animals in order to eat people. He seemed like an alright guy at the time, but after discovering a few dark things about him, I don't know what to think anymore. He passed away a year later, and I started living with his daughter Kanako and her family. My sister Kanako is like my best friend and her daughter Hikaru is so cute. I suppose her husband Shuro isn't so bad either. Everything was going great until I started high school. I met a pretty girl called Mana, but her childhood friend Itsuki was insanely jealous and went out of his way to ruin our relationship. If that wasn't bad enough, her brother Taisei and a bunch of his friends Kiyori, Kurumi, Nina, and Souta accidentally unveiled to me that my grandfather's stories were true and they're all monster exorcists. Sounds insane right? I thought it was terrifying until they told me that their exorcist organization was bribing the school to give them good grades, and then I was begging to join.
They shot me down at first, but after I stalked them on a mission I finally got permission from their teacher Akito to join and begin training. I thought it would all be fun and adventure, but their dull teacher made me write assignments and meditate on rocks all day. It was worse than being stuck in school. I thought I had the potential to be a great exorcist, but I couldn't even destroy a kitten monster which was super depressing.
Anyway, a bunch of dramatic stuff happened and there were raccoons and wolves, and me fighting with Itsuki, and Nina fighting with Kurumi, Kiyori fighting with Souta, and everyone just arguing with each other for reasons I don't understand. Eventually, Itsuki and I put our differences aside and became buddies, but that's when a super crazy lady who was actually a fox monster decided to strike. Fifteen years ago, she murdered and ate the heart of my adopted older brother (the original Daisuke Matsumoto) and it must have been super tasty because she came back for seconds! She hunted me down at school and even followed me back to our secret exorcist headquarters. I know I'm an attractive guy, but even that was a little obsessive.
All my friends did their best to defeat the monster, but she plowed through every one of them like tissue paper. I had no idea who was alive or dead. Kiyori, Taisei, and Souta were missing, Kurumi was knocked out cold, and the last time I saw my future girlfriend Mana, she was lying in her blood.
Eventually the fox monster got me cornered in the office, and I was certain I was done for, but that's when my teacher Akito decided to strike. I thought he had a great plan to beat the monster, but instead his best idea was to stab me with a knife and offer me up as a peace offering.
Thanks Akito, thanks a lot. I was a model student and did everything I was told, and then instead of praising me he decided to backstab me instead.
It was so terrifying that I passed out and I'm not sure what happened after that. When I came to, the house was a mess and a bunch of guys I didn't know started treating me like a monster, and even my buddy Itsuki was suddenly trying to kill me. I thought he and I were friends, but maybe he found out that I accidentally left his science textbook out in the rain, and then stashed the evidence under his bed. Sorry dude. But it didn't explain why the crazy old guy was treating me like a monster in disguise.
“I have to admit that it was a pretty clever plan,” the old guy continued. “Probably the trickiest plan that I've seen in my career, but now the game is up. You're exposed, just drop the façade and show us who you really are. Unveil yourself Obake!”
I stared at him blankly. If I really was an Obake I'd transform and eat his face off, but I was nothing more than a regular high school student.
Akito coughed. “I think what Daisuke is trying to say is that he has no recollection of ever being an Obake.”
“What are you babbling on about, how does a monster ever forget being a monster,” said the old man. "That's absurd. He's obviously trying to fool us. Look at that complete and utter look of bewilderment like he doesn't know what's going on. I know an act when I see one.”
“Like maybe he bumped his head and forgot everything,” said Nina while nervously running her fingers through her long brown hair. �
�I saw it in a movie.”
“I think he’s lying,” said Itsuki.
"Excellent observation boy!" Said the old guy. "As expected of someone who will become a great exorcist!”
“I think I’ve heard about this before,” said the minion dressed in black. “There was the case of that hamster Obake that spent its entire life in a pet shop and started believing that it was a real hamster. Or at least it did before it began eating the staff one by one.”
“What nonsense,” said the old guy. “All he needs is a good fire charm in the face and then he'll conveniently remember.”
“Hey, are you guys going to be much longer in the kitchen!” Yelled my friend Taisei from outside the door. "I need to change my ice pack!"
"And is it alright if I just go in to grab a snack?" Asked Kiyori from outside as well.
"Shut up! You children bring shame to the exorcist name!” Yelled the old man. “I’ve had it with your lack of respect and negligence of the rules, your inability to adequately guard a monster, and your failure to submit your assignments on time with double spacing and the correct referencing.”
There was silence on the other side of the door. I assumed Kiyori and Taisei were busy reflecting on their actions until Kiyori yelled. “Is that a no?”
I could see the old man turning red, and he looked like he was about to explode.
“Meeting in the living room in ten minutes!” Yelled Akito.
“For the last time, I’m not an Obake,” I exclaimed. “And you guys won’t tell me anything! Where’s Mana? Where’s Kurumi? And where's my lawyer?” I added the last one for dramatic purposes. I didn't actually have a lawyer, but the old man didn’t know that.
“Mana and Kurumi went to the hospital and the others are fine,” said Akito.
I felt a sense of relief wash over me, but that feeling of relief was quickly replaced by how angry I was at Akito. I tried my best to swivel my chair around away from him and pretend that he didn’t exist. Akito had started acting super kind like he was my friend ever since I came to, but I wasn't falling for the same trick again. He was probably just waiting until my guard was down before finishing me off.
Itsuki had gone quiet. He was standing in the corner eyeing me up like he was trying to figure out the appropriate charm to exorcise me. I was shocked at how quickly the guy had gone from being my nemesis, to my buddy, and then wanting me dead. Maybe he was suffering from some multiple personality disorder. Itsuki seemed pretty good at hiding stuff about himself so it wouldn't be a surprise.
“Hey Itsuki,” I said in an attempt to reach out to him. “I thought we were friends.”
“Don't you remember Daisuke,” said Itsuki. His gaze fell to the floor like he didn’t want to look at my face. “There's nothing I hate more than Obake,” he muttered.
His words hurt more than Akito’s blade in my back. I felt tempted to blurt out his secret (Itsuki had the ability to sense monsters), but a part of me still believed that we could be friends once this whole misunderstanding had been worked out.
“That’s the spirit young man,” said the old guy as he patted Itsuki on the back. “You can even have the first blast at this creature.”
He handed Itsuki a piece of paper with a charm painted on one side. It was an exorcist weapon which could create fire, lightning, or water by simply chanting a mantra. Itsuki looked like he was seriously going to use it before Akito dashed out and created a shield between the exorcists and me.
“Can we all please wait a moment?” Akito protested.
“Akito, are you protecting this monster?” Asked the old man.
“Hey sir,” said the minion in black. “Didn’t everyone think it was strange when Akito decided to train a regular high school student?"
“By God you’re right Hugo,” said the old man. “He’s been conspiring with an Obake right under our noses and we failed to notice!”
“I’m not conspiring with anyone,” said Akito. “But with his level of spiritual power and willingness to exorcise monsters using our techniques, I believe that if harnessed properly, he could be a useful ally in our fight against monsters.”
“Maybe they’re all in on it,” added the minion in black named Hugo.
“Shut up! That’s ridiculous,” said the other minion with the glasses. “That’s my sister too that you’re talking about, there’s no way that any relative of mine would ever go against the organization.”
“Step aside Akito,” commanded the old man. “We need to deal with this creature.”
“Could you please wait!” Akito protested.
“You two, remove him!” Commanded the old man, and the two minions with their baseball bats began to encroach on Akito.
“Wait, wait! I have evidence, if you kill him now then you’ll only regret it later,” said Akito. “I have books and papers, and I even took some photos. If you could please just listen to what I have to say, I can prove to you that it’s worth your while to keep Daisuke alive!”
His subordinates paused and looked towards the old man like they didn’t know what to do. Akito and the old man glared intensely at each other, and I could almost see the sweat begin to pour down Akito’s forehead.
After what seemed like forever, the old man finally relaxed. “Fine, I’ll listen to what you have to say, but,” he said while glaring furiously at me. “It won’t necessarily change my opinion on what to do about this creature.”
My eyes flicked between Akito and the old man. I was grateful that I wasn’t going to be electrocuted by Itsuki’s lightning charm in the kitchen, but my fate now hung in the balance of two people who were obviously out to murder me. I thought I was lucky to have survived the fox monster attack, but I had a feeling that my real problems had only just begun.
Chapter 2
Akito called everyone into the living room of headquarters (or what was left of it) for a meeting. There was a giant hole in the wall, the windows were broken, and the wooden floor was burnt in several places. There wasn’t much furniture to begin with, but the coffee table had been split into two, and blank charm paper and encyclopedia pages were scattered around the room like graffiti. I even spotted signs of my handwritten raccoon assignment scattered amongst the debris.
Akito looked dead serious and commanded my friends to bring in a whiteboard, and set up chairs from the storage room in three rows facing the front. He stood with his back towards us anxiously staring at the whiteboard and marker, like he was still contemplating the best way to convince the other exorcists not to kill me. I still refused to trust him, but part of me hoped he’d changed his mind and was going to act like my teacher again.
The old guy’s two minions were too stingy to untie me. They carried my chair to the front of the room, before sitting on either side of me like prison guards. The old man was seated two places to my left, and he would occasionally glare at me like I might try to escape. I could sense Itsuki lurking at the back of the room behind me, but it was a relief to find that most of my friends were still alive and well. Taisei was holding an ice pack to his head. He was anxiously tapping his foot nervously while staring at his beaten up phone. Taisei was a third year high school student, and the oldest teenager amongst us. He was kind of like a leader, but the guy had a strange phone obsession so I could see that he was suffering. My friend Souta also looked a little beaten up and bruised, but he was still his usual cheerful and lively self.
“Hey, Daisuke! What’s up with the ropes? ” Whispered Souta from the seat behind me.
“I don’t know,” I sulked. My situation was already bad enough and I did not feel like talking about it. “Maybe they're into some weird S and M stuff.”
“S and M?” Questioned Souta. “Is that some sort of candy, like M and Ms?”
I heard Kiyori suddenly burst out laughing at the back. Kiyori had been outside patrolling the perimeter when the fox monster attacked, so luckily he’d missed out on the action and didn’t have a scratch. Kiyori was the biggest kid at school and liked to use it
to his advantage. He and I were also buddies at first until we had a falling out over his lazy attitude. He was also pretty mean towards Souta which I wasn’t happy about.
“Hey, where were you when the fox monster attacked?” I heard Itsuki hiss at Kiyori from behind me.
“I was out patrolling the perimeter,” said Kiyori.
“Liar, you were probably hiding in the bushes!” Said Itsuki.
“Like you did any better,” Kiyori retorted. “At least I didn’t scream like a girl when the fox monster threw me outside.”
“At least I didn’t just stand there and watch as a monster began attacking my friends!” Said Itsuki.
“Hey! Hey!” Yelled Akito as he banged his fist on the whiteboard to get our attention. He was trying to bring the meeting to order, but everyone was already too busy talking with each other.
“Just look at this,” said Taisei as he showed Souta his damaged phone. “I had a year left on this contract and now look at it, it still works, but now there are cracks all over the screen. What am I supposed to do if the hospital calls about my sister?”
“I think there are cracks in my elbow,” replied Souta sadly.
“Can we all just be quiet for one moment,” said Akito. He seemed stressed and moodier than usual. “I’ve gathered you all here to discuss the fox attack and debrief you all on the events of tonight.”
“Who’s the old dude up the front?” Asked Kiyori.
“Old dude?” Said the minion with the glasses as he sprang to his feet. “How dare you refer to your superior, the great Commander Shinta Watanabe that way. You kids should already know that he's the most successful exorcist of his time. This amazing man has slain countless monsters, and is the most effective exorcist in our organization by far!”
The old man beamed, and waved at his minion to sit down. “Now, now, there’s no need to go that far. I may have been the best exorcist of my generation, but there’s no need to brag about it to everyone.”
