A grin curled her lips as she spotted it in the distance. Just what she had been hoping for. Thick smoke billowed from the roof of a store a few blocks away, followed by the screams of panicked shoppers. Noriko's tongue ran along her bottom lip as she reached over her shoulder to grab a sword from its sheath. "Stay close, okay? Hnn. And make sure you don't try anything on your own. This is a lesson…understand?"
At her side, Emiko nodded. "You're gonna go fight whatever made the smoke?" The child squinted, trying to see whatever it was, but it was futile. Instead, she tipped her head back and sniffed at the air. It was thick with the scent of human bodies, metal, and the occasional car exhaust, but beneath that was blood and something animal. "Do you know what it is?"
"No. But that's part of being a hero. You do what you have to so you can protect others…right?" Noriko started walking backwards across the roof, watching Emiko's facial expression.
The dog girl tilted her head, but followed dutifully with her tail wagging. "What if it's a biiig monster? Can you still beat it?!"
"Hn. I'll have to try. No other choice. Ready?" She saw Emiko tug at her gloves and give a nod, trying to appear serious. Noriko's grin grew and she reached down to ruffle the girl's caramel colored locks with her free hand. "Good girl. Let's go!" She twisted and gained speed rapidly, leaping across to the next roof.
"Heh! I wanna do that too! Emiko will show you a dog's strength!" The little girl got a running start and jumped over as well, but faltered on her landing. She felt Noriko grip her shoulder to steady her and frowned. "I can do it! Let's go!"
As she ran and jumped from building to building, Noriko's mind raced with possible strategies. She knew that Genos and Saitama were currently preoccupied with a situation a few cities over so reinforcements would include whatever other heroes just happened to be in the area. She also had to be very careful about how she attacked; she needed to keep Emiko safe at all times and keep her in her line of sight.
How should I do this? I guess I should see what it is first. If it's an organic monster, I'll try to just incapacitate it. Sever the muscles near the joints so it can't move. If it's something like a cyborg or a robot, I'll need to do something different. What though? Her ears drew back as she smelled blood. With her free hand, she reached to the medical mask hanging around her neck. It was pulled up to cover her nose and mouth, the perfume that was soaked into it covering the scent.
The smoke was drawing closer, the screams growing fainter as the civilians below rushed to put distance between themselves and whatever was attacking. Her pointed ears swiveled forward as she reached the edge of the closest roof and she put out a hand to stop Emiko from advancing. She crouched low, motioning for the girl to copy her. A shrill screeching could be heard in the store below as Noriko frowned. What…is that? It sounds like a wounded bird or something.
"What is it?" Emiko's voice was just above a whisper, her face scrunched in disgust as she caught the smell of blood again. This time it was mixed with what could only be described as human sweat and bodily odor. "Ngh. Noriko-neechan, I feel like I'm gonna throw up."
"Hn. That corner. Now." Noriko indicated the corner of the building nearest the fire escape. Her tail swished side to side as she tried to come up with the best plan. It's in the store. I need to get it out of there before it does more property damage. Did everyone make it out safely? How far is everyone now?
"Oniichan! Noriko-neechan, I see him down there!"
Damn. I'll have to be quick. She looked from the ground to Emiko and tugged down her mask to give her a stern look. "Stay here, okay? It's safer up here now. If you hear me or Mumen Rider tell you to run, though, I want you to run. This is just a lesson in a hero's work, understand?"
"I understand! I'll be good!"
"Good. Stay." Noriko leapt down, landing gracefully on her feet on the sidewalk, and immediately entered the shop through its empty front window frame. She pulled up her medical mask again, her eyes taking a moment to adjust to the dim atmosphere. The lights in the ceiling were busted and smoldering, the air thick with smoke. A few customers lay dead and bleeding on the floor. The catgirl scanned the area and finally spotted a pair of figures near the back office.
Damn it, damn it, damn it! She ran across the store, watching the two struggle for a moment. When the shop suddenly lit up, she paused in her steps and had to shield her eyes. The air hummed with electricity and she felt her stomach twist in knots as she watched a thick thread of glowing power strike the center of her fellow hero's chest. Mumen Rider was thrown onto his back and the other figure stomped on his stomach, a vicious grin pulling at their chapped, pink lips.
"…no…way…" Noriko's first emotion was fear. It ran through her body, freezing her in place as she saw the thin female figure lean down to the man's face and snap her teeth. "GET AWAY FROM HIM, YOU WITCH!"
"Oh…?" The woman turned her head in the catgirl's direction and she eagerly stepped off of Mumen Rider's stomach. Her long, wild grey hair fell over half of her face and she giggled, taking a step toward Noriko. "My…precious little darling…you look so sweet…aaahhh…just as cute as I remember! Come here…and hug your mistress!"
Her stomach churned as she kept her eyes locked on the woman. "Hnn. You…are not my owner. I'm a hero."
"Heh? That's…so cute! You really think…that the Hero Association…would accept a monster like you? My sweet Nya…just listen to yourself! Come back with me…I'll forgive everything if you let me play with you a bit…just a little before we…get back to your training."
"I'm not going anywhere with you." She unsheathed her other blade as she heard frantic movement in the back office. Her eyes darted toward the closed door and she felt goose bumps rise on her arms, the fur on her tail bristling.
The woman seemed to notice her divided attention and tilted her head. She pushed her hair away from her face, her pale grey eyes widening in amazement at Noriko. "You…look like a scared, lost kitten! Let me take care of you~"
"Stay away from me or I'll-!" Noriko was interrupted as the thing in the back office made its appearance. The door was blown off its hinges and flew at her, forcing her to swiftly leap out of the way and onto the top of a shelf. She glowered down at the woman from Grey Corporation, every muscle in her body tensed to attack. "What is that?"
"Heh…heheheh! Just a little something…cute…that I wanted to test out! I'd say it's been successful! We've manufactured a real monster! My sweet little Nya…come down and meet my latest creation! Meet Tethered Beak Man!"
As the woman spoke, a figure lurched through the now open doorway and emitted a horrific, avian shriek. The creature had clearly been human once; he was wearing tattered sweatpants and a sweatshirt that had been reduced to just shreds of fabric in some spots. Sharp talons clicked on the tiles as he stepped out into the open, his pointed beak clicking as he looked side to side. His flesh was a raw pink color with patches of grey and his hair was sparse and white. He seemed to notice Mumen Rider suddenly as he lifted a foot, talons poised to tear him open.
"Over here!" Noriko winced when it looked her way with wide, pebble-black eyes. She felt her tail beginning to lower in anxiety, flicking at the tip, but she stood her ground. I don't get it though. She called him "tethered"…?
It screamed again as a sharp bolt of electricity left the woman's hand, forcing it to move again. Now fixated on Noriko, he lifted his large, clawed hands and flexed his fingers, drool dripping from the corner of his beak. He lowered his head and began taking slow, deliberate steps toward her perch before simply breaking into a run.
The catgirl knew that she had to act quickly and disable him before anyone else could be hurt. Not to mention that it was unclear if Mumen Rider was still alive or not. He had yet to move after being struck with electricity from the Grey woman. I have to risk it! I can do this! Noriko leapt off of the top of the shelves and leaned forward as he neared the shelving. Her blades stuck deep into his back, piercing through his chest on the other side, and her knees locked onto his upper ribs to keep herself steady. When she pulled her swords free, blood sprayed the floor and the fallen hero behind the monster. A sharp, burning pain suddenly erupted in her side, but she forced herself to focus on Mumen Rider. "Hnnnnyah!" She leapt over the creature's head and landed behind it, blocking the blood spray from further soaking her friend.
The monster shuddered and thrashed as the blood drained from its body, growing weaker with each second. Noriko hefted Mumen Rider onto her back, careful not to hurt him and still keep a grip on both swords. When she turned to confront the Grey woman, she found an empty space where she had been standing. With the smoke still heavy in the air, the catgirl knew that she needed to make a quick escape before she could be ambushed.
As she emerged from the smoke-filled building, her knees buckled beneath her and sent her sprawling on the cement. Mumen Rider snapped back to consciousness and quickly pushed himself off of her back, apologizing profusely. "Hn. It's…it's fine. Don't worry about it," she assured him, rubbing her knees.
"Noriko-neechan! Oniichan!" Emiko came running around the corner of the building, panting. "I saw her! I saw the Grey lady! She ran out of the building and she was screaming for help and-!"
"Emiko-chan, which way did she go?" Mumen Rider looked toward the corner, wary of a sudden attack.
"She went down the street toward the train station!" When he moved to stand, she gripped his wrist tightly and shook her head, making her droopy canine ears sway. "Don't go! Oniichan, don't leave us! She's bleeding!"
"The woman with grey hair-?"
"Noriko-neechan is bleeding! You've gotta do something! Please!"
"What…?" He looked down and saw three deep gashes running from Noriko's left shoulder blade to the front of her left hip. Blood was darkening her shirt and she was gritting her teeth. "Noriko-san?"
She shook her head, moving to sheathe her blades. "Hn. I…need help. Please. Don't leave me."
Mumen Rider glanced back to the corner of the building and then looked to her again. He gave a short nod and carefully settled her right arm across his shoulders to support her. "I'll take you to the hospital."
"No. Hngh. I want to go home." She sighed, hanging her head. "Thank you."
A smile pulled at his lips and he faced forward. "It's what friends do!"