Night 52: Bus Unloading Area

[spandexorgtfo]

[from here]As they stepped outside, Kratos took a deep breath, taking a moment to savor the feeling of fresh air, even though it was still tainted with the silent evil that surrounded the institute. Then, moment finished, he returned to the task at hand

Comments

...lol Kanda = SO DOOMED. X'D

[doyoustillsee]

It was a bright night--bright enough that Kanda could see his shadow stretching out beside him on the ground...and the way it kept moving when it shouldn't have. He did his best to ignore it, but he'd never been very patient, so he'd only walked 100 metres or so away from the building before he'd stopped, head down, watching his shadow through suspiciously narrowed eyes.

And at first, nothing happened. It behaved like any regular shadow would have.

Then, just as he was getting ready to write it off as another stupid illusion--his shadow gave an unmistakable writhing twist. Eyes widening slightly, muscles tensed, Kanda watched, waiting for it (or someone, something else) to attack, for the shadow-controlling Akuma or Noah to reveal themselves, for something else to happen; when nothing did, the Exorcist scowled, giving a sneering sort of snort as he started forward down the road again. Pointless, just a waste of someone's energy. How stupid.

Kanda was too preoccupied with his shadow to notice the approach of the Aquila until they were almost literally right on top of him. Almost reflexively he dove to the side at that sudden flare of wings, his hand going to his hip, the hilt of his sword--but no, Mugen was gone, he was completely unarmed, and he hadn't moved fast enough to avoid those wickedly-reaching talons entirely: the bird aiming for his neck missed, but the one aiming for his back had left a bloody tracery of claw-marks up his shoulder-blade, across his shoulder, and, thanks to his dodge, down the top part of his arm as well.

The wounds should have started healing almost instantly, but though the bleeding was perhaps somewhat less profuse than it would be for a "normal" human, Kanda was still spattering the ground with his blood.

But he didn't have time to dwell on that mildly disturbing fact (it made a certain sort of sense anyway, considering how weak and slow he'd been all day); Kanda didn't doubt those things would be wheeling around, coming back--and he had nothing but his bare hands to fight them with.

The Exorcist set his jaw, dark eyes scanning the sky for the monsters as his hands clenched into fists at his sides. Fine then. Let them come.

He will learn to never go out alone again 8)

[damned_monsters]

They missed and the birds careened off in two directions, one to the right and the other to the left. The disliked missing on their initial dive. It meant that attacking would be more difficult. They'd need to keep at the prey rather than just drag it off into the sky and drop it to the ground. Most people couldn't survive a fall from thirty stories up. It was messy, but it worked.

Now they'd need to actually hunt this thing. How annoying. The aquilas' scream filled the air, a bone-chilling noise that seemed to ricochet off the buildings into a sharper, more piercing sound. They came back around as one, the two of them flapping their wings to gain altitude and speed as they curved back towards Kanda. One came at his back, talons raked forward, aiming at his injured side, while the other waited to see where he could roll.

AS WELL HE SHOULD.

[doyoustillsee]

He was looking for them now, listening too, and all his years of carefully honing his combat senses paid off.

...Sort of. Hearing the monsters approaching behind him, Kanda waited until the last possible moment, then drove the side--left again, the same side he'd picked before--rolled into a crouch, and pivoted to face back towards the building. His fist was already swinging as he came to his feet, aiming for the second aquila, which he didn't doubt would be following close on the tail of the first--a basic predator's tactic commonly used by animals that hunted in pairs, something he'd seen Akuma employ numerous times.

It wasn't quite as stupid of an idea as it seemed, trying to punch out an enormous bird like that: had he been at his former strength and speed, Kanda almost certainly would have landed the blow, and done considerable damage to all those hollow avian bones...but as things were here...

STOP PUNCHING BIRDS, KANDA. also sorry for the wait

[damned_monsters]

As things were, Kanda was out of luck.

He dodged to the left again and the second aquila dropped out of the air. Silly human had a pattern. As long as the birds kept diving this way there was no way they'd miss. They were young, but their youth gave them strength, speed and a recklessness necessary sometimes for success.

And sometimes it brought them right into pain.

The first aquila veered off to the right, the tips of its wings bending the grass as it went. The second came in, claws out, aiming at what should have been Kanda's back. However, the human turned and aimed a blow at the creature, and the thing didn't even seem to flinch as the blow flew toward it. As the fist came at it, the aquila shifted and latched razor sharp talons onto his fist and arm, the claws of another digging into his other shoulder. Unfortunately for the bird, a direct collision was never something that worked out well, and it lost momentum and ended up dragging Kanda down to the ground rather than up into the air.

With a tremendous crash, the giant eagle-like creature landed on the earth. It refused to release Kanda, but it couldn't exactly go anywhere like this either. Thankfully for it, the second aquila was coming back around now. It too had its talons raked forward, this time aimed at Kanda's body.

HOW ABOUT KICKING INSTEAD...and NP <3

[doyoustillsee]

He knew better than to let them pull him down, stretch him out, pin him to the ground. He'd been on countless missions, and he'd seen too many people laid out and then torn apart by Akuma to simply lie there and let it happen. The other bird was probably swooping in also--Kanda knew that, too, even catching the movement of wings out of the corner of his eye--and reflex, his body's knowledge that he need to move, and fast, took over.

The first aquila had pulled him to the ground almost hard enough to wind him, but instead Kanda used the momentum, turning it into a roll, aiming a kick over his head at the bird's chest even as he twisted to the side, attempting to rip his arm free from those grasping talons. His arm was bloody enough already that it should work, and it would hurt, but he'd gone through much, much worse...and if it really came to it, he knew the arm would grow back.

So with a feral noise that was very much a snarl, Kanda finished that roll, ending with his feet under him once more, and gave another wrenching jerk, pulling as hard as he could, entirely willing to tear his arm to pieces if it would mean that he wasn't pinned down any more.

NO. IT IS STILL FAIL.

[damned_monsters]

The human was struggling. He refused to just realize that he was going to be eaten and to deal with it. Instead, he was still struggling and the aquila had to hop on one leg to keep the prey from getting away. It was awkward and uncomfortable and then, suddenly, the prey wrenched his arm and ripped his own flesh to get away.

The awkward angle meant the bird was forced to let go. The kick didn't exactly help matters either and the aquila screeched and hopped back, taking off into the air as the other came around for a second attempt at Kanda. The smell of blood was enough to drive the juvenile birds mad with hunger and the second aquila didn't care about finesse anymore. It aimed straight for the man's chest, ready to use its considerable bulk to push him to the ground if necessary.

/was beginning to think you'd forgotten me, s-sob ;~; & LMAO OF COURSE IT IS. X'D

[doyoustillsee]

While the pain itself was nothing particularly remarkable, the feeling of dizziness that came with it was unusual--and almost as troubling as it was troublesome. Bloodloss wasn't something Kanda was used to concerning himself about, so foreign an idea that it took him half a second to realise what the problem was.

Dammit! How annoying...!

He might not have been the brightest Exorcist in the Order, but Kanda wasn't a complete moron, particularly when it came to battles. In this case, despite (sort of) landing two blows on one of the creatures, the bird seemed little worse for the wear, if not entirely unaffected; against two of them, in his current inexplicably slow and weakened state and without Mugen, without any way to activate his tattoo, it was obvious that he stood little chance. "Freedom", or at least the idea of it, was still much too far off down the road to make a dash for, and it would be foolish to assume that these two monsters were the only ones of their kind around, or the only dangerous beasts out here, especially with the scent of fresh blood so thick in the air.

As much as he hated the idea, his only real choice for the moment was retreat.

A conclusion he came to an instant before the second aquila slammed into him.

Kanda didn't quite go down--he'd not forgotten that second bird, had anticipated the attack, and thus had a split-second to react, managing to get out the way enough to avoid being hit head-on--though it was still a near thing. Even as the bird's talons ripped across his chest, shredding skin, muscle, and what little was left of his formerly white tank top, Kanda was stumbling, struggling to keep his balance, then making a determined dash back the way he'd come, cursing to himself under his breath the whole way.

If I ever go that long without replying, please email me :( I was just busy with work

[damned_monsters]

Ow, ow, ow. That had not been smart. Yes, the bird had managed to grab flesh and draw blood, but the force of hitting something solid threw it from the air. The aquila crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs and wings and awkwardness, bouncing on unsteady legs as it tried desperately to regain its footing. Now it had learned, however. It was better to sideswipe. It was the best idea to take the prey by complete surprise. They had learned and they would do better next time. Now, the problem was keeping the current prey from getting away.

The second bird fell and flopped around as it tried to right itself, but the first was already in the air and heading off after Kanda as he started back toward the building. They couldn't allow the man to get to the building. They couldn't go hungry another night.

Screeching as came around, the bird folded its wings against its body and picked up more speed in a dive. Instead of heading straight for the building, however, the bird banked once, twice, and then charged at Kanda from the left, claws raked forward.

I figured you were busy...& that it was mostly my own fault for being slow/late this NS, so..

[doyoustillsee]

Attacking from the side rather than the back lost them the element of surprise, and focused as he was on his goal, Kanda was still vigilant enough to notice the incoming aquila.

Anger at these stupid birds, at Landel's in general and the doctor who was behind it all in particular, at the Earl and the Akuma and the Order and himself had been welling up this whole time, and it burst loose in a shout that was rough and primal enough to almost be a roar:

"BACK--OFF, DAMN YOU!"

It was partly fueled unconscious instinct--these were animals, not Akuma, and Nature's brutality made sense, was always firmly structured--and partly just Kanda's own bad temper and hatred of losing showing itself; but at this point, when he was already injured and on the run, that sort of bluff and bluster was unlikely to turn the beasts aside even temporarily. Flight was the only course of action left to him.

Kanda moved as if to dive left yet again--then went right instead, sheer stubbornness all that pulled him out of that roll and up off the ground to keep heading for the building and that slightly-open door. His right arm hung limply at his side (it should have healed already, should be at least half-usable again by now), and the amount of blood he was leaving behind was growing just short of ghastly: one of the aquila's talons must have caught his brachial artery, and considering how hard he was running and how little mind he was paying to his injuries...well. At this rate, even if he made it back to the building, he would almost certainly bleed out.

:( No, I've been ungodly slow, so don't worry. Also, Kanda is free to run c:

[damned_monsters]

The prey shouted in rage and fear, but the birds were used to this. They heard the same sort of things when they were forced to survive off picking up the other monsters around the Institute. Some of the other creatures here even had fangs and claws and poison, but the humans? The humans had little else but their soft skin and short nails to protect them.

Well, that and their speed. This one was tricky and fast and the aquila felt its talons graze Kanda's hair as he went into a roll and barely escaped being caught. The bird flared its wings as it overshot its victim and banked sharp to right, arcing around for a second try at Kanda's back. Meanwhile the other aquila on the ground righted itself and took to the air, ready to strike again if its partner could only stop their prey from reaching the building. It seemed like he was close though. Too close.

:]b

[doyoustillsee]

The rush of air from that near-miss whipped his now-unbound hair into his face, but Kanda was used to dealing with that, and his stride didn't falter.

He was lucky someone had had the forethought to leave the door wedged open slightly with a pen. Even if it hadn't locked behind him before, it would've taken him just a second longer to get the door open enough to stumble through, a second he didn't really have. Once through the door, he pushed it closed, prepared to brace it if necessary; when it that proved not to be the case, he opened the door just enough to kick the pen outside, then let it fall closed completely.

[aaand back to here]