Chapter 17 They Call Me A Monster

The impromptu medical camp was set up on the sidewalk. Healers attended to the wounded on foldable cots. People were getting healed and checked up on when Akio and Lee Seng stepped into the medical camp.

"They get faster every time." Akio praised with a low whistle. An younger woman spotted the two and ran over to Akio. She saluted and then turned to look at Lee Seng. "This one's the one I've been trying to find. He fell from the sky and doesn't seem like he sustained any serious injuries but I appreciate it if you could have some Observers check him out."

"Yes, sir. We will get him checked out as soon as possible, Number Ten." The lady saluted again. "Will you be helping with the search efforts?" Akio scanned the medical camp.

"Yes, I'll be searching and necessary removal of damages." Akio replied. He turned to look at Lee Seng. "Please make sure you get checked out and healed. Don't go running off." Akio pulled his phone out and shook it. "Not that it matters. I'll know where you are anyways." He smiled. Lee Seng rolled his eyes and nodded.

"You'll know if I'm gone." Lee Seng grinned. He gave Akio a pat on the shoulder. "I'll be here 'til then. Good luck with the searching." The two waved bye and Lee Seng turned to the woman. She spun on her heel turned her head to glance at Lee Seng before moving.

"Follow me, please." She motioned. Lee Seng stuck a couple paces behind her. His mind was racing. He didn't know what to expect at the medical camp. As soon as Lee Seng and the woman came closer to the workers and injured, Lee Seng was being stared at. People began to whisper and talk and Lee Seng grew uncomfortable.

"Is that part of his powers?"

"He could be mistaken for a monster."

"What if he is one...?"

"Dude, quiet, he can probably hear us."

Lee Seng's ears twitched and he sighed.

'Sadly for me, I could already hear you without these ears.' Lee Seng thought. 'I think these ears make my hearing even sharper.'

The two snaked over towards the back. The lady and Lee Seng moved to the back towards a cot that was unused. A couple of people were lying on some cots as they passed. Some raised their heads to look at who came by and their eyes grew wide.

"You'll have to wait here. A healer will swing by towards this side of the medical camp in a bit." The lady told him. Lee Seng nodded and thanked her before she left. Lee Seng sat on the cot and sighed. He rolled his shoulders and started to stretch, feeling for anything wrong. Some people were staring at him and he tried his best to ignore them.

"Are they rooming monsters now?" A man asked. "I didn't think we'd come that far to trust a humanoid monster." Lee Seng stopped his stretching and stood up.

"Oh, it heard you." Another man sneakily chuckled. Lee Seng began stretching his legs, ignoring the men.

'I'm here until the healer is finished with me.' Lee Seng reminded himself. He squatted and his knees cracked. He lifted himself back up and heard footsteps moving closer to him. As Lee Seng spin around, three men nearest to his bed, were huddled around him.

"Hmm, the monster does look human." The man observed. He reached for Lee Seng's face, but Lee Seng swatted his hand away.

"Don't touch me." Lee Seng growled. "I'm not a monster, this is how my power works."

"'This is how my power works,'" Another man mocked. The three laughed and took a step forward. "A human that looks like a monster? Nah, there's no such thing."

"If there was, they'd be dead." The third man finished. The three jumped towards Lee Seng. Lee Seng gasped and dodged backwards into the tent wall. Man 3 grabbed a hold of his wrist and yanked him over. Man 1 grabbed his other wrist and Man 2 punched Lee Seng in the gut.

"Ugh!" Lee Seng stumbled forwards and the other two men kicked his legs, making him fall to his knees. The three men laughed.

"Such a weak monster. Why not put it out of it's misery?" Man 1 suggested. Man 2 and 3 shook their heads.

"I think we should play around with it for a bit." Man 2 suggested.

"Maybe give it a slow, agonizing death." Man 3 added.

" I like that idea." Man 1 agreed. Man 2 lifted his fist and swung at Lee Seng's cheek. Lee Seng grunted as the fist connected. Man 2 continued to swing, Lee Seng grunting and feeling blood rush into his mouth.

"Stop it." Lee Seng growled. "Stop it or else."

"Or else what? Nobodies gonna be over here anytime soon!" Man 3 laughed. Lee Seng's eyes flared red and blue and he turned to look at Man 3.

Man 3's laugh turned to silence, fear painting across his face.

"Let go now." Lee Seng growled. "Or else you'll get more than a beating with my fists." Man 1 and 2 chuckled. Man 3 released his grip and stumbled backwards onto the cot.

"What're you scared for?" Man 2 asked. "This thing can't even do anything." Man 2 grabbed Lee Seng and pulled him close to him. Lee Seng's eyes burnt with anger and Man 2's face started to draw a picture of fear.

Lee Seng pushed Man 2 backwards, sending him flying into the cot furthest from them. Man 1 and 3 gasped and Lee Seng turned to look at Man 1.

"You gonna be dumb?" Lee Seng asked. Man 1 began stuttering as Man 3 stumbled over to him and grabbed him.

"Let's go." Man 3 stuttered. The two backed away and as Lee Seng's glared at them. The three moved started to walk out when a familiar voice spoke.

"Sorry for the wait guys." Manny said rounding the corner. The three men bumped into Manny and Manny took a step back. He looked at the three men who were in total fear. "Hey, you alright?" Manny asked concerned. The three men nodded and tried to move past but Manny threw an arm in front of them.

"Let me check on you first then you can leave." Manny said. He motioned them to turn and they slowly turned. Lee Seng glared at them, settling into the cot. The three quickly moved in and stood near the entrance.

"Could we just get healed here?" Man 2 asked. Manny gave him a weird look before moving them aside to see where the fourth patient was.

"There's four of you, right? I just need to make sure the fourth isn't in worst condition before healing." Manny told him. "Could you guys just sit on the cot, please?" The three men slowly broke away, Man 1 moving towards the cot across from Lee Seng and Man 2 moving to the cot next to Man 1. Man 3 stood off to the side.

Manny walked in further and glanced over at the other filled bed. Lee Seng's glare changed to surprise and immediately looked away. Manny grew a smile and walked over to Lee Seng.

"Oh, I didn't think you'd be here." Manny said. He glanced at Lee Seng, checking to make sure he was okay.

"I-I'm fine. Just some bruises. You should probably look at those three first." Lee Seng pointed. Manny looked back and the three men were gathered near Man 1's cot.

"Did something happen between you four?" Manny asked.

"Well, I wouldn't say nothing happened." Lee Seng whispered.

"Are you sure he isn't a monster?!?" Man 1 asked. Manny and Lee Seng turned to look at the men. Lee Seng sighed.

"A monster? He isn't a monster. If anything, he's a Biohuman like the rest of us." Manny answered.

"He has a tail and pointy ears higher up his head." Man 1 pointed. "He could be hiding as a human, claiming his powers are a tail and animal ears." Manny stomped over and grabbed Man 1 by the collar. Man 2 and 3 gasped as Lee Seng chuckled.

"Just because he has different ears and a tail, he's a monster?" Manny snarled. He gripped Man 1's collar harder and the man began clawing at it.

"I-I-I didn't m-mean it like that." Man 1 stuttered. "P-please let me go." Lee Seng felt like those three deserved what was coming at them, but something in him didn't like what was happening.

'Just ignore it. They deserve it.' Lee Seng tried to tell himself. Manny gripped harder and the man began choking. The other two started to panic and Lee Seng let out a sigh.

"Stop it, Manny." Lee Seng said. Manny let go of the man's collar and he began coughing. "It's not worth their lives for calling me a monster."

"You're going to let them get away with it?" Manny asked furiously. He turned around as Lee Seng stood up.

"They already know what will happen to them if they meet me. Plus, they don't know my power." Lee Seng reminded Manny. Manny huffed angrily and turned around.

"You three don't even deserve to be healed!" He yelled. He lifted his hand and slapped Man 2 in the chest. The man yelped in pain as Manny's hand started to glow green. Manny angrily healed the man and motioned him out. "Get out."

Man 2 nodded and ran out the tent. Manny repeated the steps two more times until him and Lee Seng were the only ones left. Manny huffed as he stomped over and stood in front of Lee Seng.

"You know you can report these things, right?" Manny said. Lee Seng nodded and averted his gaze.

"I know. It's not worth my time."

"Not worth your time?" Manny yelled. He grabbed Lee Seng's arm and pulled him closer. Despite Manny's slim physique, Manny had amazing strength. It was one of the many hidden things Lee Seng knew about Manny that most people didn't know until they either got on his bad side or watched him fight.

"You're telling me it's not worth your time to make those assholes pay?" Manny asked. He narrowed his eyes and Lee Seng looked up, recognizing it right away.

'He's definitely mad.' Lee Seng thought. Even if Lee Seng wanted to be mad at Manny for what he did, he couldn't help but indulge in Manny's mannerisms.

"Then you should've seen the guy who gave me this." Lee Seng said pulling away from Manny. He pulled his shirt up and showed Manny the lightning mark. Manny's eyes opened wide as he looked closer at the mark.

"Wh-what happened? I thought their were only Direwolf Riders and Goblins." Manny asked concerned.

"There were only those, but some dumb Glass hit me with lightning cause he thought I was a monster." Lee Seng chuckled awkwardly. Manny gave Lee Seng a what-the-hell face before slapping him.

"Owww!" Lee Seng sarcastically whined. Manny grinned at him.

"Sit, I'll heal you." Manny said. Lee Seng shook his head.

"I'm not even that hurt."

Manny shoved him onto the bed and gave a single chuckle.

"Sure, dude. It won't take long." Manny put a hand on Lee Seng and the familiar green energy began to heal him. Lee Seng watched lightning mark start to heal and disappear. He felt rejuvenated. Manny released his and and then smiled at Lee Seng.

"I didn't think you'd be in the middle of all of this." Manny said.

"I mean... we have to go that way to the lab," Lee Seng pointed.

"We?"

"Akio and I."

"Ahh..." Manny nodded. "Oh, there's this rumor spreading around. Some dude wiped out a huge circular area of the road with cars and Goblins hit. Whoever that dude is, I gotta meet him cause he wiped out most of the Goblins."

Lee Seng froze. He turned to Manny who was grinning like an idiot.

"Someone did something like that?" Lee Seng asked nervously. Manny nodded.

"Yeah, it kinda reminds me of what happened earlier between you and I, but you just got your powers so it can't be you." Manny chuckled. Lee Seng laughed along with him.

"Yeah, totally."

Lee Seng had forgotten that he blew up most of the road. He was desperately trying to not die in the sky, that he temporarily forgot that huge tidbit.

'What am I going to do now?' Lee Seng thought. 'This day could not get worst.'

"Oh!" Manny exclaimed. "I heard from my dad you're going to be taking to Entrance Exam at my school! Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

Lee Seng's throat felt like it was going to close. His body starts to freeze up.

'Shit, did Dr. Valentin really tell Manny?!?'