The Stinging Stalker (2)
1118 Words
“What did you do to Berenice and the other girls here?”
“Checking their Geiger counters. That's all.”
“You're certainly lying! You're obviously stalking these girls and brainwashing them because I know you want them falling for you – a loathsome, creepy mess of a man!”
He then laughs with a condescending tone.
“AHAHAHAHAHA!!! So you've busted my cover that easily, huh? Well, to be fair, no one else before has survived after discovering what I'm actually doing.”
He then transforms into a yellowjacket-looking humanoid.
“Girls wouldn't love me, and I've tried everything to woo them to my side. I've tried dates. I've employed the services of a pick-up artist. I've even browsed online forums that are populated with loveless men like me. But all of them failed me. But one day... someone offered me the best solution to get those girls to fall for me. With the help of the remains of a so-called 'murder hornet', as well as that someone's own magic, I now have the power to transform into what that someone called Satsujin Hornet. Now... with those powers of mine, I can let any girl fall for me instantly... especially when the girl says no.”
“You... YOU CREEP! You're not just a creep! I... I just don't know of any word that can describe someone like you!”
“AHAHAHA!!! Yap all you want, beta male. But I will become the ultimate playboy! I will plant my seeds of love onto every eligible girl here in this pathetic little town!”
“Enough of these alpha and beta bullcrap! You must realize that it takes a rational mind for a man to truly love his woman!”
I ready myself for my transformation.
“Gjallarhorn... Gjallar-form!”
I don my heroic form once more.
“I sound the beginning of the end of evil! The Resounding Horn, Gjallarhorn!”
Now then...
I mustn't harm the girls in this upcoming battle. Not especially Berenice.
And thus, I come up with a diversionary tactic.
“Come! Attack me all you want!”
“A-ha! So you really want pain, Gjallarhorn!”
“You wish!”
He takes the initiative and jumps, hoping to nail me with a diving punch.
But I dodge that attack easily.
“Why you!”
I prod him into attacking me some more in the hopes of dodging some more.
With this tactic, we end up far away from the mansion and the girls.
Knowing that his patience is running low, he decides to activate his flight mode instead.
As he flies, he shoots out stingers from his hands.
Stinger = poison. Simple as that.
Hmm... how can I delay his flight when I currently don't have any means of anti-aerial attacks?
Simple! I'll devise another diversionary tactic: Coaxing the Satsujin Hornet into hitting something.
Thus, I jump from roof to roof, forcing him to follow my path.
And when I see a dilapidated steel post, I have to consider the timing where I can get near it and then get away from it, thus luring him into inadvertently hitting the post.
Yes! This diversionary tactic is a success.
As a result, he loses his flight capabilities, and promptly lands on an open-air sports arena.
The arena comes complete with lit torches around the coliseum area.
Satsujin Hornet then recovers from his loss of flight, angrier than ever.
“How dare you this to me! Well then... no more Mr. Nice Guy!”
Unexpectedly, he brings out mirror images of himself.
Now, there are five of him surrounding me in this arena of battle.
He's amping up his unfairness in battle as a sign of desperation, I see.
It's either I pick the real guy of the five, or I can engage them all in battle.
Whatever the choice, I can take advantage of my speed.
The five images of the hornet monster now all attack me at once.
Depending on where their blows land, I parry them and then counter them with much meaner strikes.
Five on one, eh? Good odds for any armed warrior.
Eventually, the four mirror copies of Satsujin Hornet disappear into the ether.
The real McCoy tries to summon his clones, but to no avail.
Oh, my right foot glows again.
No sooner do I jump into the sky, dive with my feet squarely aimed at the hornet monster's chest...
“Aesir Kick!”
...and kick him with great force.
As sparks fly from his greatly-weakened body, he declaims...
“No! I should be the ultimate guy in town owning all the girls, not you!”
“Ever hear of something called 'commitment'?”
“Commitment! Bah! Only betas like you... GWAAAAHHHH!!!”
And thus the Satsujin Hornet falls, consumed by a massive explosion.
In the explosion's wake, I can see the green-shirted man covered in soot, his fancy clothes all in tatters, his face full of desperation and vehemence.
My final statement to the man named Randall Flaherty?
“Don't be a jerk, and you someday will get your girl. For now, pay for your sins in jail.”
I de-morph as I walk away, leaving the stalker to the police and the girls to volunteer rescuers.
Whew, it's been a night.
The next day at work.
I find Berenice in high spirits again, considering the fact that she and the other girls were brainwashed just last night.
There's one thing I need to ask her.
“Hey. About last night...”
“Oh, about that? Uh... after I got stung by that stalker monster, my mind felt really hazy. I couldn't remember anything but complete darkness.”
Phew. So she didn't see my transformation into Gjallarhorn. One less burden to worry about.
“And, uh... here's your phone.”
I give back her phone, which still has a cracked screen.
“Oh, thank you, Bernard! I'll have it repaired right after work.”
“Sure thing.”
See? Being a reasonable human being is the best way to have girls fall for you.
---
Monster of the Week Information
Name: Satsujin Hornet
Height: 205.74 cm (6' 9”)
Weight: 130 kg (286.6 lb)
Monster Type: Murder hornet-based stalker monster
Human Identity: Randall Flaherty
The hooded figure kept the remains of a killed murder hornet, which is a dangerous Asian insect that has been recently imported into the United States, for future use, waiting for the day they would use it on a human. Eventually, opportunity knocked; and the murder hornet was fused with Randall Flaherty, a notorious stalker, via the object, to form Satsujin Hornet. Randall's creepiness towards the targets of his “affection” was amped up by the insertion of the murder hornet DNA into his very being – he could switch between his original human form and his monster form quickly, not to mention having the ability to fly, to prey on his victims. In combat, he could unleash a shower of stingers as well as utilize his inherent element of poison to inflict long-lasting paralysis on its target. He could also bring out multiple illusions of himself as a desperation move. After learning that his co-worker Berenice was one of Satsujin Hornet's victims, Bernard avenged her by transforming into Gjallarhorn and setting off into battle. After having initial difficulty outmaneuvering the hornet monster due to his flight capabilities, Gjallarhorn eventually defeated him with his Aesir Kick, snapping the victims out of their trance.
- Writer
