[AN/

Hey guys! New chapter is out! Sorry for not releasing it yesterday, but I finished it yesterday, and I wanted to proof-read it at least once with a cool head. Anyway, ready for some action?

Don't hesitate to comment, both on what I'm doing right and wrong, constructive criticisms are always helpful and thus appreciated!

Disclaimer: I own nothing and don't pretend to. This story is purely fan work, all content linked to Zootopia belongs to Disney and all content linked to Warhammer belongs to Games Workshop.

/AN]

Chapter ten : Target sighted

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The raven watched, head tilted to the side in curiosity, as a metallic bird joined the one already waiting on the ground. Their bellies opened and swallowed a lot of walking creatures, before they took to the skies, their wings strangely still. It croaked twice, calling the strange animals, but the two giants ignored it. Just before they left, they turned their square beaks towards the building and spit two balls on it.

Flames erupted from the ground, the very earth cracking under the assault. Two blasts, one of air and one of noise, hit the raven and threw him away from his perch atop a nearby tree. Quickly flapping its wings to restore his balance, it watched as the warehouse started to crumble under the relentless assault of the fire. Its basic animal brain was no stranger to fire and its dangers. It knew the flames would soon spread to the grass, before reaching the woods, leaving only ashes in their wake.

It understood it was time to flee to safety. Using the column of hot air rising from the inferno, he quickly reached the altitude it felt was right. Without another look at the hell claiming the earth far below, it flapped his wings and took off. It flew straight, its basic mind set on finding the unnatural monstrosities that destroyed its home.

The effort was intense as it wasn't built for high speeds, and soon its wings were sore. Its small lungs burnt inside his tiny chest, but it pressed on and on, until it tore one of its muscles. The pain was now flooding its body, each flap of a wing sending waves of electrical shocks to its brain, its heart hammering in its ribcage, but it didn't stop. It knew it had to fly, and so it did.

Hours later, exhausted, drained and close to blacking out, the raven reached its destination. The artificial rain was cold as it slipped past its torn feathers, but it barely felt it. It landed on a tree branch above a muddy swamp, not far from an inlet. There, hidden in the fog, he found the two metallic birds that had obsessed it for a reason it couldn't comprehend. How it had managed to find them was also inexplicable to its primal brain.

He watched for long minutes, but nothing happened. There was no sign of activity whatsoever, and no trace of the land mammals that had been swallowed. Still it watched. A noise behind it made it turn its head and croak angrily. A furred paw caught it before he could escape and broke his neck and wings, before tossing it the ground, where it was vaporized by a ball of plasma.

The two mammals could see the dark purple fog that escaped the poor bird's body as it died and was put out of its misery. They didn't waste any more time though, it was just an animal to them, and it didn't matter. Less than two minutes later, the ships were off again, this time without anyone or anything tailing them.

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Nick was floating lazily above the trees, invisible to the world, a fiery presence waiting for the raven's death. As soon as it happened, he saw the residual Warp energies that linked the bird to the bastard who had tried to spy on him. The purple fog was invisible to mortals, but with his psychic powers, it shone brightly in front of him, forming a thin thread that linked the raven and whoever had taken control of it. Following the thread before it vanished, Nick found himself hovering over the blue and white city, like he was watching the map drawn by an architect.

Every wide street or dark and narrow alley, every skyscraper's floor or underground basement and tunnel, the entire city was on display. Every living being appeared as a yellow dot, billions of them roaming the ghostly landscape that stretched before his eyes. Hundreds of them had a bluish halo, and fear gripped his heart. The thread began to unravel between his paws as he lost his focus for a second, and it required an enormous effort to stabilize it again.

With extreme precaution he followed it, never letting go but never tightening too hard by fear of breaking it. The smoky trail led him straight to the warehouse he had destroyed to erase all traces of their presence, the flames still raging though only slightly, under the watery assault of the mammals surrounding it.

From there, it turned and turned, seemingly leading nowhere. Must have been searching for the bird, Nick thought. He greeted his teeth in frustration as with every second that passed a bit more energy reached the Warp, and his trail grew colder. Finally, the thread led to Sahara Square and the fox accelerated his flight. His vision began to blur but he held on, flying through buildings, cars and living beings alike. The thread peaked over the city, before plunging and entering the garage of a large house.

Nick tried to follow, but as soon as he reached the door he was violently thrown back, white ichor pouring from his nose. Found you, fucker! he thought as a predatory grin appeared on his muzzle. Only one individual on this planet could have placed wards against psychic powers. Taking to the skies again, he noted his position and closed his eyes.

The sound of the door opening took him by surprise and he opened his eyes only to see a white gigantic snake's jaw launch itself at him. With a lightning fast reflex, he twisted his body and the jaw hit his shoulder, but couldn't latch on it. With the open palm of his paw, he struck just behind the snake's head. The reptile hissed but used his sinuous body to try and ensnare the fox.

Seeing no escape, Nick changed his form, from a proud fox to a tiny hummingbird, much more agile for aerial evasive maneuvers. In less than a heartbeat, he was already flying away. A shift in the wind above him made him dive, escaping the talons of the bird of prey that had started a hunt. For long minutes, the two birds flew around the city, feigning, diving and looping, causing electrical surges in lamplights and traffic lights, as well as a few accidents.

Nick began to tire, so he decided to change his tactics. Flying straight towards the skies, he waited to feel his enemy's presence just behind him before morphing into a bear. In a flash he double backed, and threw everything he could in a wide strike. The large open paw caught the bird in the wing, tearing it apart. An unnatural hiss escaped the bird's beak. Before Nick could strike again, the bird of prey morphed to a crocodile, which caught the paw and crunched it in his huge maw.

Nick howled, the subsonic sound destroying every light bulb in the surrounding buildings. Changing to a rhino, he tried to stomp the reptile, but only met air as it too changed shape, choosing a snake again. Using his superior agility, the reptile slithered under and around the rhino's neck and started to strangle it. The rest of his body slid on the rhino and ensnared his limbs, immobilizing him.

Nick tried to wriggle its way out, for his enemy was too powerful. Panic began to seize him, as he felt his power vanish and his vision blur. He tried to morph, but found out that in this position he couldn't. With a maniacal laugh, Eophis reinforced his hold on Nick's neck, before opening his jaw as wide as he could, ethereal poison dropping from his long fangs, ready for the fatal strike. In his position, he couldn't see the grin on Nick's face.

Eophis struck, his jaw passing through the rhino's neck and closing on itself.

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When Nick opened his eyes a second later, he was back to his physical form again. One by one, much too slowly to him, he felt his brain reconnect with every nerve inside his body, from head to toes to the tip of his tail. The scorching heat burnt his face, an icy wind try to freeze his tail, and his skull housed a whole family of woodpeckers, but he smiled nonetheless. He was alive. It had worked.

Someone on his side pawed him a canteen and he gladly accepted it, swallowing large swigs of water. He then took the energy bars he was pawed with a thankful nod, tore the paper with his teeth and took a large bite. The highly-concentrated food acted quickly, and he groaned as his strength slowly returned.

The exercise was the last his mentor had taught him before dying. A powerful enough psycher could separate his mind from his body and enter an alternate space, caught between the real world and the Warp. The possibilities offered by this ability were nearly limitless. Discover hidden areas, find psychically active individuals, even influence the real world by acting on things or mammals.

Nick had another idea when using this ability. Every psychic activity left a trace, as the energies took some time to wear off. The stronger the spell, the longer they remained. A binding spell like the one used by the snake was sure to leave traces, and Nick had been right. He had found his nemesis. Sure he had nearly died, the snake taking him completely by surprise when he had opened his barrier to attack, but it had been worth it in the end.

This spell was far from easy to master though, and took a great toll on the body. Nick was exhausted, drained, and in the end he had been lucky. After eating more bars and regaining some energy, he finally managed to speak.

"He's close and hurt. Sahara Square, Kalahar Street, near the giant artificial palm tree. Encircle the area and slowly converge to the position. Forget about discretion, he already knows we are coming. He'll probably try to use the crowd to escape, and the biggest place is Palm Plaza, at the foot of the giant palm tree. Make sure to get the rabbit there, and don't hesitate to call her by her last name."

Wolfard frowned. "You sure boss? The local forces will surely try to intervene, and if Judy's name is heard, they'll probably rush in in force to get to her."

"I'm counting on it" Nick replied. "They use non-lethal weapons, they'll help manage the crowd and reduce casualties. I'm also sure they'll open fire on that bastard when they see him, especially if they fear him, which they will. It may not do much, but he's already weakened, so it could be enough. Now stop wasting my time and go!"

Wolfard saluted quickly and ran to the closest ship which left in a hurry. The fox watched as the ship stayed close to the roofs, one of his mammals jumping from times to times, and spreading quickly in a circle. He knew the rest of them were already running towards the snake's position, Wolfard having relayed the data by radio.

Nick finally rose to its feet and raised his head towards the heavens, letting the two opposite winds wash over him. From his position on the top of the climate wall, he prayed to the Emperor to give him the strength to finally put an end to this much too long and bloody hunt.

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Eophis cursed, a long and high-pitched hiss that echoed in the garage he was hiding in. An hour ago, he had completed the sixth ritual, adding a new rune to the beating heart. Three more. He required three more, and the heart would be ready. The final phase of his plan would begin. He had the required materials, all he needed was a bit more time.

Like every previous day, he had used a raven to spy on the damned fox and his crew, the same method he had used to discover his hideout and launch his first full scale attack. How that nine-time damned fox had found out about it he didn't know, and it was enough to anger him. The way he had used his ethereal form to follow the Warp traces made him furious.

But the fight. The fight was what really enraged him! He had an opportunity to finally kill that inquisitor and get rid of the only threat to his existence and his plans, but that fucker had survived. Worse, he had proven nearly as powerful as him, a chosen of the Dark Gods, when using his ethereal form, and in the end managed to trick him into hurting himself.

He could still feel the poison inside his veins. Sure, it wouldn't be fatal nor leave any long-term aftereffects. As a poisonous being himself, he was immune to most forms of poison. But he had imbued this one with Warp energies to make it effective again the ethereal form of the fox and make sure it would follow it to the original body. And now, he could feel his weakened and tired body struggle to fight the infection.

He wouldn't fight the fox face to face soon, he knew he would be as tired as him after the experience, but at this rate he would recover second, which could make the difference between life and death. And with the whole team and that fucking rabbit skulking around, he was in danger like never before. This feeling of near-failure and defenselessness made his tainted blood boil.

Taking a long and deep breath, he tried to calm and focus on his next course of action. He had to get the heart to safety. This was his priority. He could hold it and teleport through the Warp, but the risk of attracting hordes of demons with the power it exuded was too high. It would also further weaken him and if he were to be found again, he wouldn't be able to defend himself.

He had only one solution. It was time for his puppets to protect their master. His four arms started to move at a slow and controlled pace, spelling words from the Black Speech. Each time a word was correctly written he spoke it out loud, and felt the eldritch energies gather around him. After the fifth word, he released the spell.

The shockwave expanded throughout the entire city. Ninety-nine point five percent of the population only felt a slight gust of wind, but the last zero point five percent fell to the ground and began to writhe, spitting a mix of drool and blood while their eyes rolled in their orbit. Then, like hounds answering a whistle only they could hear, they fell on all fours and darted off, blind and deaf to the pleas and shouts of the ones surrounding them, family, friends or strangers alike.

One of them, a huge elephant in a blue uniform, killed her tiger partner by stomping on him several times under a sudden fit of rage, before literally obliterating the front doors of the building. She was already down the stairs before her colleagues could react and tranq her. The commotion gathered the attention of every officer of the district.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? TO YOUR CRUISERS, NOW! FIND HER AND RELAY HER LOCATION!" The voice boomed through the entire building and easily covered the anguished cries and shouts in the main hall, despite coming from the third floor. As one, all mammals sprinted towards the parking lot. When its owner reached the bottom of the stairs, the lobby was empty, except for the chubby receptionist calling for medical assistance.

"CLAWHAUSER! Call every unit and make them converge on Francine's position as soon as you get it. Get ready to call every precinct depending of where she is going. I'm heading there too!" And without further words, chief Bogo was off to his personal cruiser, cursing loudly and not caring at all.

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OoOoOoOoO

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"Momma, I want to go home." The jaguar pup was holding his mother's paw, pulling on it to make her go back. "I don't want to go."

"Come on sweetie, we need to. Hurry up."

"But I don't want to leave. I want to stay with my friends." The little kit was pouting, his eyes moist from sadness. Her mother stopped and kneeled, putting her paws on his shoulders.

"I know you don't want to, sweetie, but we have to. But we'll be back soon, I promise. Okay?"

"But why? And why does Auntie Bethany come with us? She always pinches me on the cheeks!"

The mother laughed at her boy's antics, and placed a tender kiss on his forehead, before standing up.

"I'll tell her not to, okay? Now come, we have to hurry."

The boy wasn't convinced, but he didn't really have the choice. With a sigh, he followed his mother. All around him, many adults were looking over their shoulders, jumping in fear at the smallest bump against another mammal. Some days ago, he had heard his mother cry in front of the TV. She had told him it was just a sad movie, but he knew she had lied. The next day, two of his neighbors had left the city, and now it was his turn. Sadness washed over him, as he couldn't understand why.

Judy watched with tears in her eyes the little pup follow his mother. She knew he would be leaving Zootopia soon, just like thousands before him, and probably thousands more in the days to come. After Liz's little trick in the corridor, she had been authorized to be updated with the city's situation, and it was ugly. Since the murders, a wave of fear had gripped the city's heart.

The mayor had been doing his best to ease the populace, reinforcing police patrols and giving several encouraging speeches, but it did little. Something had died in Zootopia. Mammals still roamed the streets, they had jobs to do and groceries to buy after all, but the usual positive energy had been replaced by distrust and anguish. Prey and predator alike looked at strangers with suspicious eyes, and the simple fact of putting one's paws or hooves inside one's pocket was enough for mammals to start panicking.

"You see now the importance of your vow, do you?" Judy raised her head to find Liz's stare on her. As always, the snow leopard was dressed in her brown uniform, weapons neatly concealed under the large brown vest.

"These mammals need you, more than ever. But you know what's waiting for us. Are you ready, Judy?" The seriousness in the feline's voice sent a shiver down her spine, but she straightened her back and held her head high. With a nod, she sprinted forward, ignoring the calls of her partner to slow down. She had a snake to stop and a city to save. She would not fail. Not again.

The sight of a uniformed bunny sprinting among the crowded plaza gathered a lot of attention, especially when the other soldier caught with her, and many tried to catch a picture or record them with their phones. A couple even began shouting that she was Hopps, the missing cop, while others immediately dismissed the idea. Hearing her name made guilt swell in the bunny's chest.

They knew her because her picture had been broadcasted, and she was partly responsible for the city's current state. The murders had been awful, but a missing mammal was always worse, as hope and despair fought for control. And if someone was courageous enough, or rather insane, to kidnap a cop, it meant that no one inside the city was safe, another weight on the already fragile mind of the inhabitants.

Please guys, keep hope. Things will get better, I promise. Judy's thoughts were focused on her mission, and she knew she had the best help she could wish for. As soon as the thought crossed her mind, a loud roar was heard somewhere on her right, and she darted towards the sound, followed closely by Liz.

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Mammals were running and screaming, and several times she was close to being thrown on her rump as mammals bumped into her, but she held her ground. A clear path opened when Liz shouted in return, and they both could see the reason of the sudden panic. In front of them stood two enormous gorillas, their dark-grey and black fur visible through their torn clothes. Both carried two-pawed massive wooden clubs, and if the blood dripping from one of them was any indication, they had no second thought using them.

Judy gasped at the slow and irregular steps they were taking, clearly misbalanced by their monstrous weapons, but she doubted even officer Rhinowitz could stop them. As she got a bit closer, Judy could see the foam on their mouths, and the completely white and pupil-less eyes.

"They're possessed! Try and get closer, you might be able to free them! I'll call for backup!" Liz immediately reached for her earpiece, opening the communication channel to the rest of the team to let them know about their discovery. Judy gulped, but still took several hesitant steps forward. She wanted to help, but with the size of the behemoths, they wouldn't need their weapons to reduce her to a pulp.

She finally reached the three-meter safety distance she knew by heart, and watched as the two apes stopped their relentless advance. They began to mumble something disjointed, before falling to the ground. They kept trembling, victims of some kind of seizure, and Judy quickly jumped to the closest one, taking his head in her paw.

"Sir! Sir! Can you hear me? Sir!" Some mammals stopped running when they saw the two giants face on the ground, and the small rabbit trying her best to wake them up.

"Call a medic! Quick!" she yelled at them, and she was glad to see at least one of them, an adult lion in a nice suit, snap out of his reverie and reach for his phone. An antelope also made her way through the crowd and knelled next to the other ape.

"I'm a nurse" she told the rabbit, before she retrieved a stethoscope from her case and began listening to the ape's heart.

"Take care of them" Judy told her, before joining with Liz and getting an update. The duo began running towards Kalahar Street again but several gasps and shouts of horror cry froze them. Both turned just in time to see the nurse being lifted from the ground by the gorilla she was checking only seconds ago. The beast rose to his feet, slowly, like an automaton. The antelope was trying to wriggle her way out of the massive fist holding her, but it was useless.

Time seemed to slow as Judy watched the second paw close around the poor mammal's head, before said head was torn of her body in a geyser of blood. The high-pitched scream that preceded the gruesome death echoed in the air for a while, before being replaced by a loud and angry roar. A second later, the beast's head was pierced by a bullet, and its brain splattered on the ground from the exit hole. The second ape met the same fate a heartbeat later, and both bodies hit the ground with loud thumps.

Judy turned her head slowly. Her gaze first met the still smoking extremity of Liz's gun, before reaching the feline's furious eyes. Her lips were curled in a vicious snarl. Her ears twitched and Judy could hear screams coming from her earpiece. Connecting her own, she heard Faust's voice asking for an update after hearing the gunshots.

"Faust, this is Judy. Two gorillas went savage. I managed to immobilize them, but not completely free them from the mind control. When I went away, the spell took over again and they killed a civilian." Her voice was steady, which shocked her, but she didn't have the time to mourn the brave nurse. "Liz stopped them."

"Understood, relaying the info. All teams are closing by, ETA four minutes max. Hold on." The connection was cut, and Judy turned to see Liz checking the crowd, her gun firmly held in front of her.

"Liz, we have to move. Let's go."

"Right behind you."

Both soldiers began running again, as more and more screams for help surrounded them.

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"Chief, we have a visual."

"Let me see." Bogo took the tablet from his officer's paws and watched the live feed from one of the security drones sent to investigate the commotions and calls for backup that flooded the emergency lines. He watched in silence for a while, before slamming the tablet in the officer's chest.

"Damnit!" Reaching his cruiser, he gripped his radio.

"Clawhauser, listen to me. Mammals are going savage everywhere, but they all seem to converge to Sahara Square. Two have already been sighted near the Palm Hotel and we have casualties confirmed. Gather all the teams there, and call Leucoris from the seven. He needs to know exactly what's happening in his precinct and what's coming. Then call Bushwill and Mustela, we'll need backup. Confirm your orders."

"Copy that, sir. Call precinct seven, three and eight for backup, all available officers are to converge to Sahara Square, Grand Palm Hotel. Do you think it has to do with what happened in Lionheart Street?"

Bogo hesitated for a time. He could tell what he had seen on the drone's feed, or hide it for now. If he hid it, it could backfire later, both higher-ups and his officers feeling like he was trying to hide things. But it could also backfire right now, by creating a wave of anger at best, and worst case scenario, put a bounty on her head. Sighing, he decided to trust this city and the officers of the ZPD, no matter their precinct.

"I do, Clawhauser. Hopps is there." A long silence followed his statement, before a shaking voice was heard.

"S-Sir? Could you re-repeat your last sen-sent-sentence please?" Bogo sighed, but couldn't be mad at his dispatch officer. Benjamin was incapable of not liking someone, and he had been the only officer to genuinely care for Hopps. Everybody knew about his surprise birthday gift that had been returned to him after the events of that day. He had been acting differently since her disappearance.

"Benjamin, listen to me. Hopps is alive and has been sighted. I need you to spread the word. This is officially a rescue mission."

"On it, sir!" the liaison was cut, and Bogo smiled sadly. His previous doubts had vanished. He had been right to tell him. With his newly found enthusiasm, Clawhauser would make sure every involved precinct looked forward to saving the missing cop, even if for pride and fame only. In the end, it wouldn't matter. The city was in dire need of good news, and the rabbit was just the beacon of hope they all needed right now.

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OoOoOoOoO

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The cement was cold on his back and head. He needed it. It eased him. The last days had been pure hell for chief Bushwill. None of his officers had managed to find a single clue or lead, and he had been just as useless as them. It was eating at him. More than once, he had let his rage explode and destroyed pieces of furniture, mainly inside precinct three's HQ but not only.

Several apartments on Lionheart Street now had claw marks as wall decorations, some were missing their doors, and one had been completely ransacked. None of his officers had uttered a word, they knew his temper, but today had been different. As every day, he had stood on the podium in front of them. And for the first time in his career, he hadn't found the words. He had remained there, speechless, for three long minutes, before dismissing everybody.

The looks in their eyes was haunting him. The pain he could accept. The anger he could understand. But the pity. This was something new, and something he immediately hated. Or to be more accurate, right now, he hated himself. He had sunk so low that his officers, who were supposed to rely on him and look up to him, were now taking pity on him.

He couldn't stand it. He had fled the building, and went home. His wife was working, so he was alone, and it was a small relief. He loved her and would do everything for her, but right now she couldn't see him like this. Also, she couldn't find his secret.

Like always when things were getting too out of control, he had walked down the stairs to his cave, where he kept rows and rows of wine and whiskey bottles. But he hadn't been looking for a drink. Using his strength, he had moved the heavy metal closet, and removed the wooden panel behind, revealing the secret room.

He had stumbled upon it nearly fifteen years ago. His wife had taken a week away from the city with some friends of her for a women's holydays. He had used the time to make lots of works inside their house, especially in the cave. Much to his surprise, he had excavated a circular room, which was completely empty. The only noticeable thing was a circle carved in the middle of the room. He had tried to move it with a shovel, but it was sealed in the ground and didn't budge.

That's when he had felt it for the first time. A voiceless call that had reached deep inside his heart. Without realizing it, he had crouched and pressed his cheek on the ground. The cold cement had washed away all fatigue that had accumulated after hours of efforts, and left him more eager than ever. He had never tried to destroy the circle to see what was under, and the thought never crossed his mind. Just like he never imagined sharing this secret with anyone.

Since that day, this room had been his secret escape, a place where he could relax and release all the pent-up stress that weighed on his shoulders. Today was no different. As he laid shirtless on the floor, he could feel all his anger, bitterness and frustration slowly drain from his body. He remained there for a whole hour in complete silence.

Only when he felt completely revitalized did he stand again, and exited the room. Replacing the wooden panel to conceal the entrance, then the closet to seal it, he made his way upstairs. He hadn't reach the top of the stairs that he could already hear voices coming from his living room. He knew he was alone, and the static noises that followed the noise confirmed it was only his radio.

But for the noise to be audible from there, the mammal had to be shouting loudly, and quite a lot at that. He power-walked to his living-room, a strange feeling of excitation rising within. Something had happened. At last.

"Chief Bushwill, for Gazelle's sake, answer please. This is dispatch officer Clawhauser with an extremely pressing message from chief Bogo." He picked his radio and pushed the reply button.

"Chief Bushwill speaking, what's the dea-"

"FINALLY! WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU? I've been trying to reach you for half an hour!" Jerry had to cover the radio with his paw to protect his ears from the very angry and swearing cheetah, something he didn't know was possible, knowing the feline's overly joyous nature.

"Wow wow wow, Benjamin, calm down! I was busy okay? I was-"

"Don't give a shit. Hundreds of mammals have gone savage and they're all running to Sahara Square, we need your help half an hour ago!"

"WHAT?" Jerry roared. "What happened?"

"Like we know! Just get over there quick, the situation's bad and getting worse with each passing second."

"Copy that, Clawhauser. I'm sending as many mammals as I can."

"One last thing, chief Bushwill. Officer Hopps has been sighted. Chief Bogo has called for a rescue mission." The line was cut before Jerry had the time to process the words and give his answer. Loud curses escaping his lips, he ran towards his cruiser to relay the orders to his mammals.

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Eophis hissed and threw another ball of blue flame behind his back, not really aiming. Hitting his pursuer would bring a huge smile to his face, but simply slowing him and losing him would be enough. He could feel the heart beat under his long coat, and that was the only thing that mattered. An idea formed in his mind, and he took a quick turn inside a dead-end. Reaching the wall, he used his powers to jump much higher that was possible for any living creature.

The series of curses behind him told him his little trick had worked, but he knew the respite was only temporary, as his position had already been relayed. He jumped on a nearby roof, and just had the time to summon his shield before several bullets impacted on it, the sound of the roaring guns the only thing that betrayed the presence of the two soldiers waiting for him.

The lions emptied there magazines, and with accurate motions born from years of experience, quickly replaced them, before opening fire again. The threat was minimal to Eophis, but each impact drained a little of his power, and was an unwelcome distraction. Using his powers once again, he glided towards one of them in a lightning-fast movement. The lion managed to twist his body to the side at the last moment and avoided the strike, but the snake used his speed to jump away, leaving two shouting soldiers behind.

The chase went on and on. Every time he thought he was safe, a new nasty surprise was waiting for him. A plasma weapon had hit his shield full force and the cost had been great on his rapidly diminishing stamina, the poison still taking its toll from within. A circling motion of one of the ships had enables two mammals to make iron rain on him from their advantageous position in the skies.

Jumping on the ground to avoid them, he had met more soldiers. Those must have been less experienced though, as they didn't move fast enough. The first one had died a painful death when the snake had hit him with the sting at the end of his tail, injecting a lethal poison that burnt him from within and reduced his organs to liquid fire. His screams still echoed in his ears, a sweet music that gave him strength.

The second had died more quickly, engulfed by flames after tripping on the sidewalk, too busy firing to look where he was walking. The others retreated soon after, shouting for help in their radios. Passing in front of a large house, he saw the entrance to a basement and busted the door open. He found himself in a large underground apartment, richly decorated, but empty of life.

He took the time to catch his breath and restore a bit of his power by opening his mind to the Warp and channeling its energies. The break didn't last long as two grenades were thrown inside the apartment. The blasts destroyed the walls and the apartment crumbled. A dozen soldiers circled the building, using auspexes to confirm the presence of their target. The steady red bip indicated it was still alive, buried under stones and cement.

A loud and unnatural hiss echoed in the air and hurt their ears. For a long moment, nothing happened. A ship landed nearby and Wolfard jumped from the open ramp, gathering information with his colleagues. More reinforcements were on the way, amongst them Nick and Judy. They may be able to take the sorcerer down by themselves, but he wasn't ready to take any unnecessary risks. They had waited too long for such an opportunity.

A couple minutes later, Judy and Liz appeared at the corner of the street, and the three soldiers began to discuss the possible courses of action to unearth the snake and finally kill him. They came up with two ideas when the second ship landed, with Nick disembarking. He wasn't surrounded by his flames yet, but they immediately knew that it wouldn't take long for all his wrath to be released..

He walked straight towards the rubble, keeping away from the rabbit.

"Time to die, heretic!" he yelled, his voice easily carried in the air itself. A maniacal laugh was the first answer, before a high-pitched voice spoke, like its owner was standing right in front of them and not under a mountain of debris.

"You're right, slave to the corpse emperor. I'm sure my God will enjoy your soul."

"Boss! We have company!" Wolfard shout didn't break Nick's focus. He didn't need to hear the nervous talks between his soldiers to know a horde of savages was closing in on them, he had seen them from above. He just didn't care. His prey was right there, and nothing would get in its way.

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[AN/

And let's stop now. Anyone wants to guess what happens in the next chapter? ^^

I didn't find an official link between the districts and the precinct numbers, so I just picked them up randomly, except for Downtown's precinct one of course. Does anyone know something on that?

Denisore.

/AN]