Chapter 5
Choose
.:+:.
You being here, around me... Anywhere near me. You make me do things I don't mean to. You make me... Not me
I trusted you, asshole
... What a fucking mistake that was...
.:+:.
What was old blood on the air turned to new, and fresh... And so, so much of it
Her feet were scraping on the ground, pads tearing across the concrete she was sprinting over at breakneck speed- her heart in her chest racing a million miles and thumping painfully against her ribcage. That feeling of bloodlust had evolved into nothing less than sheer, unbridled, murderous intent- active, actual action
Her fur stood on end, her claws scratching against the concrete and pushing forward harder and faster- no matter how much her legs stung or her body burned with the movement, or her lungs ached.
Something is wrong
She wound around corners and lamps and trashcans, dodging out of streets and alleys and small spaces between buildings- drawing further and further from the main roads and toward the darker, less frequented places of Hosu. Further and further away from UA and closer toward where that heavy feeling reigned and the scent of blood became so potent the streets must have been running scarlet with it. Panic and urgency rushed through every vein and tendon and nerve, a surge of unbridled, hardly controlled emotion that instantly shut off what would have been better sense.
She forgot patience, planning- all of it. The only thing on her mind in those minutes of running was;
Faster
... she knew what this was, almost immediately- even without any real proof or visual confirmation.
She knew
She knew what sort of sight would be awaiting her long before she rounded the last corner into an alley so far away from any main street, it was nearly boxed in. The buildings so close together the sun was nearly blotted out and it was the back of every back of warehouse and building around it- silent and empty but not that.
She saw the smear of red swept across badly cracked and dirtied walls, puddles of crimson littering the concrete and a multitude of singular drops splashed around haphazardly. There were bits and pieces of metal, shattered and crumbling and littered in blood and across the ground- pieces of knife and armor and glinting in the low-light and catching her eye as her gaze swept across the alley in rushed, frantic attention and found the thing that made her heart stop.
The light at the far end of the alley was blocked by the figure of a muscular man, his flat, triangular face noseless and cast in such deep shadow all she saw was the glint of eyes dark and cold and hungry... like drops of blood in themselves that matched what crimson was scattered over everything. His messy black hair was tangled in the tattered cloth pulled over his eyes and his forehead, mixing with the blood-red of the scarf abut his neck and the sunlight glittering off steel-plated combat suit and buckles and a multitude of knives strapped to every possible place on his body... light that glittered from the wicked, curving blade held aloft in the air before him and hovering over the mess of blood and broken body and armor of an Engine Hero who was no longer on his feet.
"Fame... money... no matter where ya look... you've got the nerve to go by the name 'Heroes'..." Came the low, panting, hissing voice filled with so much hate. The same voice that sent an icy chill running through her as she tilted around the corner, eyes wide and fur fluffed up.
"Haaah... not one of you bastards is a damn Hero... only he is..."
The sword shifted, the tip of it lifting slightly as the cruel grip grew tighter and those blood-red eyes flashed, dangerous and wicked and crazed. The entire alleyway was awash in a feel and an energy that was suffocating, spin-chilling, and...
"Haaah... the only one who's allowed to do me in... haah... is All Might..."
Her blood was like ice, her heart deafening on her ears and yet there was nothing that could block out that voice, nothing could block out the panting or the wheezing knight bleeding out on the ground. Panic and sheer terror struck through her soul like it never had before, her breathing faltered and her rushing did too- like her body seized without her wanting it to.
T..that's...
The sword lift up to it's height, time dragging by in slowness as he reached the climax, and the Hero Killer licked his lips, the tip of the blade angled over the cracked chest-piece and over the Knight's heart.
Stain
"Goodnight... fake Hero."
The sword plunged downward, quick and heavy- deadly
Ingenium!
Her muscles burned, her teeth bared and already darting down the alleyway before the Hero Killer finished his goodbye, her body a black blur and wavering as she tore across the concrete and toward the man who'd killed too many Heroes and injured so many others beyond saving. Her paws hit blood and her claws wore lines in the ground, full speed ahead and never wavering even under the cloud of sheer death and destruction that monster gave off. Never giving in to the fear coursing through every smidgen of her body, mind and soul even when everything inside her wanted to run- she went straight forward and toward the wicked beast and didn't care.
Reckless
She launched herself upward and off the ground, her body a cloud of fractured reality and red eyes blazing as she sailed straight over Ingenium and headfirst toward the Hero Killer. The Hero Killer whose cold, dead eyes found her in the next few seconds between moving his sword to land a fatal blow, and switched gears without hesitation to combat what new body there was for him to maim. His sword flashed, swinging up and around to stab out toward Animal Spirit in midair, her red eyes locked with his even as the cat faded and something different took it's place-
Spirit growled, her head tilting as she angled herself and caught the edge of the blade coming toward her along the side of the horns curling from her head. Her cat form abandoned and her weight nearly tripling in the course of a few seconds, her paws now wickedly sharp hooves and bulking on a ton of muscle under ebony black fur. Her body weight and momentum rammed straight into the Hero Killer's torso and she bowled him backward with near ease, his sword leaving a nick in her horn as it dislodged and he wheezed, the breath driven from him and a few ribs probably cracking in the process.
Spirit landed on the ground where Stain had previously been, her hooves scraping against the stone loudly and posture squared and defensive- her body a sudden wall between the murderous little wretch and the hardly breathing Engine Hero behind her, eyes glazed and dazed, but widening when Ingenium realized what just happened.
"A...animal... Spir...it...?" The downed Knight wheezed, her ear twitched backward at him but her red eyes never left the Hero Killer. Who, by the way, recovered from having the full force and weight of a 200-odd pound goat ram her horns into him rather quickly. Stain's boots slid back on the concrete, using his sword as leverage in the stone as he righted himself and slid back, expression dark and blood-red gaze locked with hers.
She huffed, snorting as her head lowered and the black haze sprung up with fury, distorting her form and the air around it as she Shifted into something else, standing with all four paws on the ground and claws digging into the concrete, shoulders squared and lips pulled back in a snarl- the snort turning into a low, dangerous growl that rang around the alley. The Hero Killer kept his eyes fixed with the furious red glare of the ebony-black jaguar staring him down across the alley, her tail twitching behind her in anger.
"... another one..." Stain hissed, his eyes narrowed to slits and straightening up slightly, his sword moving from the concrete. "... stay out of my way Animal Spirit, this fake Hero needs to be purged."
"Screw you." She snapped back lowly, he just frowned. "I'm not gonna stand back and watch you kill someone, regardless if you think he's a 'fake' Hero or not!"
"If you try and stop me, I will retaliate." Stain warned lowly, Spirit snarled.
"If you try and touch him I'm going to tear you to pieces." Spirit shot back lowly, Stain growled, his eyes raking over her form in sheer deadly silence for a few moments, before he tensed.
"So be it." Stain hissed, his feet shifting as he shot forward and sword raising. Spirit stiffened, her body tensing too as she readied herself for what was going to be a hell of a fight.
This guy goes around killing Pros... And for what?!
She crouched slightly before pushing herself forward and toward him and away from Ingenium- there needed to be some distance between Stain and the Engine Hero.
What he calls fake Heroes... Who gives a damn?! He's a human being... a living breathing person for fucks sake!
Stain skirted around her as he got near, his attention clearly trained on Ingenium instead of herself-
Not a damn chance
She twisted, her body whipping around and Shifting forms in an instant- big cat traded for massive python. She lunged out, her jaw wide and fangs as she hissed- he jerked his head away from her and her jaw only managed to snap down on his scarf instead of his body. It didn't matter much, she was still moving- her body lean and smooth and strong as she coiled herself around his legs and figure and stopped him in his tracks before he could get all the way passed her. She started to wind herself around him tightly, looking to bind him and hold him in place- and until he passed out with enough pressure- but he was ready for her.
Shit this guy is fast-
His sword got passed into one hand and his other pulled out a shorter knife in the span of an instant, the edge cutting clean across her skin and scales and earning a well of blood. Pain raced up through her body as her skin split, coiling faster despite the blade to try and tie him down. His tongue lolled out, long and misshapen as he drew it across the line of red on the blade, smearing it into is mouth in the midst of her trying to tighten around him.
One, little smear of blood and she stopped.
She felt her muscles seize without warning, all will to move suddenly failing her and paralyzed in a single instant- her red eyes wide and heart jumping in panic. It didn't matter how much she wanted to or how hard she pushed, her body wouldn't listen to her. It was like being trapped inside her own body, with no power and no way to get out... her body a prison and stuck in place the instant her blood hit his tongue.
Shit, shit..!
She'd heard things about Stain the Hero Killer. She knew he was ruthless, and powerful, and fast- and his Quirk had something to do with paralyzing people... Stain was a murderer and a force to be reckoned with. He was not someone you rushed in and started fighting without a plan or something... he was not someone you faced lightly, and not someone you stood against and hoped to win. Even for a Hero in the top 30th Ranking, even for her, Stain was an S-Class Villain and she very much stood the chance of getting herself killed.
She knew that, she knew that before she rushed in and before she ever placed herself between him and Ingenium... she knew that even when he warned her to back off. She knew and she didn't fucking care, the only thing she cared about in that instant was one thing- instinct and morality, and obligation and need and whatever the hell else you wanted to call it- only one thing mattered, from the exact second she rounded the corner and saw what was going on.
Save him
Stain's hand clapped down around her neck, ripping her free from his scarf and twisting. He pulled her full weight and length around and sent her flying back down the end of the alley from where Ingenium was, and she landed in a heap and a painful thud against the concrete, still paralyzed. Paralyzed only after two minutes of rushing into this in the first place... SHIIIIIT!
Stain replaced the knife he'd pulled out to cut her in it's sheathe, those cold dead red eyes of his finding hers and scowling, though he looked not at all bothered by what short-lived conflict there had been between them. She struggled, cursing and hissing and trying everything to just move a single fucking muscle, her heart pounding and blood roaring and she caught his eyes- staring him down and glaring daggers.
Move damn it!
"... pointless..." He huffed lowly, his eyes flashing before he looked away from her and she was still struggling, her muscles twitching and spasming with all the force and effort she put into that simple notion- move.
But it wasn't enough, she couldn't even get up, she couldn't... FUCK THIS
Her eyes snapped shut, feeling like she was bound to a jumbo jet and crushed underneath it- and still she pushed, willed and wished and screamed on the inside for something... move, shift change, WORK damn it!
Her body wavered, black-red shimmering off her form and licking at the air in jagged, uncoordinated pieces. The length of her snake body got swallowed up in pieces and sections. Bits of ethereal, see-through energy like glass dotting against the ground and jagged sections like electricity sparking off of her as she hissed, jaw clenched and straining with everything she possibly had. Parts of her got lost to the haze, other bits twisted and merged and looked... wrong, parts of her managing some semblance of Shifting into something else but never getting all the way. Her body and her cells manipulating and converging, breaking down and rewriting themselves trying to do what she wanted- make her Quirk work... make her DNA alter and her body follow suit to fit the need and structure of whatever she chose, and with every partial, twisted, incomplete Shift- she burned more energy, grew more strained, and she didn't dare stop.
Because with every malformed, undistinguished, incomplete part of her that flashed between snake to human to whatever the hell else, she was trying everything she had in her 'repertoire'- she was trembling more, jittering and uncontrolled and shaking terribly, but more and more her cells and her DNA were drawing closer to rewriting themselves entirely.
I have got to... just one full Shift... come on... come on...!
Stain was moving toward a still paralyzed, and bleeding to death figure of Ingenium- the Engine Heroes gaze so blurred and unfocused all he saw of his killer was a dark, blurry shadow outlined in a light so so harsh from the end of the alley. He saw a sudden flash of light bounce from the edge of a badly worn katana still stained with his blood, and his eyes dropped further when his strength continued to fail him.
Animal Spirit was not who Stain wanted, he'd come here looking to kill select 'Heroes' and among them- she was not on that list... but the famous Ingenium was.
Worthless
He swung his sword up not three feet from the fading Hero, ready to be done with this and move to the next- but he faltered. He heard the sound of heavy footfalls moving fast behind him,putting him immediately on the defense and starting to swing around to see what other nuisance had dropped into the scene like Animal Spirit had- his red eyes growing wide and stricken when he caught glimpse of an ebony black creature from the corner of his eye a second before he felt the stinging sensation of claws in his back.
How is she already...?!
Spirit sank her claws in, catching traction on his armor and tearing slices into his skin to start with, pulling backward and dragging him around with her as she tossed him back the way he had come and away from Ingenium for the second time in the five minutes since she arrived... and not thirty seconds after he'd paralyzed her.
Stain twisted, managing to land on his feet and on the defense again in the next second, his sword raising and scowling as he shot a hate-filled, disgusted look her way- Spirit had already whipped around and was moving toward him with a speed near as incredible as his own, and was on top of him before he managed to regain his balance all the way. That massive, lean figure of a jet black jaguar was in front of him as he swiped up, his blade cutting through her fur just barely (and not enough to earn a single drop of blood) as she dodged him and brought a paw up to tear across his hand and knock the sword away with one, lightning fast, jarring blow.
Stain pushed himself backward and out of her reach, and she was still on top of him. She followed him, her body twisting around him and ramming herself into the Hero Killer from the back. Her front paws darted forward and she Shifted partially back into her Human form, while still keeping the claws and the strength. She sank her claws into him, one hand clapping down on his shoulder and the other digging into his wrist and the watch around it as he swung a knife around in her direction. She caught his glare for half a second as she started to pull him around and try to unbalance him, but his leg swung up and his boot slammed down with agonizing force into the wound he'd left on her body in snake form, and subsequently persisted on her leg.
Said leg buckled underneath her a bit and she let out a pained yelp, and he took it as opportunity to push her back and off of him, ripping free from her grip and swiping out with his knife in one fluid motion. Spirit leaned backward, the edge of the blade missing her by half an inch as she pushed back and flipped over, landing in a cat-like crouch and eyes flashing as she saw him move toward her at breakneck speed. Her hand fell to unhook one of the straps around her leg and she waited long enough he got close, before rolling away and twisting the strap around his ankle. Her teeth snapped down on the strap and she Shifted into a cat, darting underneath him in the same instant he stabbed downward and pulling the strap with her- she yanked, hard.
It had near the desired effect, he stumbled a little but he cut the strap in half and she lost her leverage. Her ears shoved backward, hearing his movement but not glancing his way and she spun in place and headed directly left- jumping up into the air and her paws hitting the wall of the alleyway before pushing herself back at him. She Shifted back into her Human form halfway and swung around with her knee, aiming for him and missing him as he dropped into a crouch.
Damn it he is fucking fast!
She had no time between landing on the ground again before he swung up with his knife. This time she didn't have the traction nor the balance to dodge, and she bit down on her tongue against the rush of pain as the blade cut a deep line through the skin of her upper right arm, her blood springing upward into the air and eyes glittering.
SHIT
Her body was wavering and fracturing from the instant the blade made contact, the body and figure of Animal Spirit the woman fading into nonexistence as Animal Spirit the eagle flared into life and she flapped up, in air the instant he drew his tongue across the blade and her blood- and nothing happened.
New animal, new DNA, new blood, you fucking asshole
She angled downward, talons extended, her wings a flurry and feathers blotting out the sky and his view as she ducked in and over his head. His knife swung up, the tip of the blade digging into her wing and splitting the feathers- but missing muscle and tendon. She dropped down on top of him, her talons digging into scarf and yanking him backward by the neck, throwing him off balance and driving the wind from him briefly as she jerked him downward and Shifted from an eagle into cat, she landed on the ground lightly.
Now of course she couldn't risk changing back into a form she'd been in and he'd gotten the blood for... as it was it was just theory that Shifting into different animals could throw his Quirk off in the first place. And needless to say, he wasn't going to make the mistake of giving her enough time to Shift again if he paralyzed her. He might not even try and immobilize her at this point. He probably wouldn't want to run the risk of letting her get free again and get another hit in, so instead he was more likely to just finish her off in whatever split instant chance he got... which sucked, and made opposing him a hundred more times more dangerous than it already was.
If there was anything Spirit was known for, it wasn't outright strength. She could Shift into an animal with a considerable strength and size sure, but most of those animals were large ad bulky and sucked for working in a city or tight spaces. When she worked she relied on quick thinking, agility and speed- to be able to Shift between different forms at breakneck pace and catch her opponents off guard. Use her wits and interchange different skills and traits from animals in rapid succession while still using them to her advantage. Agility, speed and technique had more to do with her success than strength and overwhelming power or ability... which is why planning and patience were key, but planning and patience were not up for grabs right now.
She was working on the fly with him, doing everything she could to stay out of his reach and keep up with his insane speed- stay in blind spots and keep moving so he had to keep readjusting. She couldn't stay in one spot too long, that left her way too open and he was fast enough he would get her if she didn't keep moving... and that meant she didn't have any good chance of grabbing on to him and binding him in any way without risking getting herself stabbed or worse.
This is not a guy a close-quarters Hero like me is got any good chance with... damn it
And to add on top of that he wasn't just fast- he was fucking bulky, heavy and well built and strong to boot... and he didn't react nor make any semblance of noise when she tore her claws into him or anything of the sort. It didn't faze him, nothing- nothing about him was worried or intimidated, he was calm and focused and he didn't seem like he felt pain at all.
She spun around and darted away from his foot as he kicked out toward her, the toe tipped with a blade she barely missed. She put a bit of distance between herself and him, weaving this way and that to avoid the throwing knives he sent toward her and stuck into the ground hard and fast with a metallic shing.
The last blade tore a line over her shoulder and she hissed, staggering slightly but never halting as she Shifted into something else, breaking free from the black-red haze, large round ears and lean body, fur a molted design of different hues of black, long tail and quick as all hell as she twisted around and leapt across the threshold toward the Hero Killer with a sudden newfound burst of speed owed to a lithe, agile, curious creature such as the African wild dog.
She circled him, pushing off the wall and using the speed and the momentum from the one form to transfer over into a different one as she Shifted again into the goat from before and rammed her horns into his head hard enough to knock him backward, and wind him. He stumbled, but it didn't wind him nearly at all (how!?), and his feet hit the wall as he jumped away and over her head in the next second, agility and acrobatic skill flaring as he swept his arm forward and sent a knife streaming downward through the air toward her faster than she could possible move to dodge.
She Shifted again, her figure condensing down into a rabbit and jumping away at the last second- dodging the blade only because of the sudden decrease in size.
Stain took opportunity of the small lapse in having her constantly push forward at him, and snatched up his katana from where it had been thrown away. Spirit caught sight of him doing so from the corner of her eye, and was already moving out toward him, moving in leaps and bounds as a rabbit and closing the distance between the both of them in no time at all.
Stain the Hero Killer... murderer of 17 Heroes and countless others.
Stain the S-Class Villain who sent fear through the hearts of everyone he faced and surely had her heart pounding and fear coursing through her veins every second she fought with him.
Stain the Hero Killer who specialized and dominated in close-quarters combat, and even mid-range... the Hero Killer with a wicked skill with swords for cutting and hurting and harming, and she was fighting him with a Quirk that was a poor match. Long-range Quirks, or even a Quirk that specialized in defense would have been the best match for him- and she was not that. This was a terrible match for her, and realistically she was at a clear disadvantage in every possible way... and it didn't matter. She didn't care, she kept at it, thinking fast and on her toes and pushing forward faster and harder and never letting up, never giving him more than a few seconds to recover and counter.
And he was good- ridiculously good, he was powerful and dangerous and he was a monster of a human being... so many Pros before her had fallen to Stain the Hero Killer. S-Class Villain in a world where few ever reached that label.
But damned if she wasn't the No. 26 Hero for a reason
It was a blur, all of it- they were both moving so fast it was insane. Both of them lashing out and winding around each other, head to head and toe to toe and never pausing for a single heartbeat. She kept her sights on him as he dodged and moved and jumped around the walls around her, trying to do as she was- stay out of her direct view, unbalance her, anything.
I'm not that easy to kill
They were both panting, out of breath and high-strung but never wavering either. Her attention was fixed on him and yet there was a portion of her mind still diverted, and the urgency that had persisted in her soul was getting worse.
In an alleyway littered with blood, they added more to it- both of them. Spirit's claws nicking him and ringing as she scratched the metal of his armor and his blades, sending thin spray and dribbles here and there she earned from the Hero Killer... and her own blood mixing with it as he manged one small cut here, another there- shallow, thin, little lines and so few over the course of the fight she wasn't slowing down for them, or over anything else. The next cut she earned as a wild dog, another after that as a goat, the last in the little bits of skin he split was when she failed to dodge fast enough as a rabbit but still managed to knock him backward as a jaguar.
Python, wild dog, goat, human, rabbit and cat are out the window
Do not let up
Wear him down and do not let him get a chance to paralyze you
This asshole is not going to win this, not easy
It doesn't matter if he gets a few cuts in here and there
I can keep up, I have to keep up
It doesn't matter if I've gone way passed my limit... damn that limit
Her lips drew backward in a snarl, ears shoved back against her head and muscles rippling under her ebony pelt as she leapt up and her body weight slammed into him- and her jaw snapped down on his forearm with a sickening crunch.
She tasted iron on her tongue, felt her fangs pierce flesh and muscle and splinter the bone even- and this time there was a growl of pain from a man who hadn't seemed to feel anything before now. He fell backward, his back ramming into the concrete with her on top of him, her claws digging into his shoulders and body armor and poking through. Her back legs fell on his, pushing down with her front on his chest to pin him further and her jaw still snapped shut around his arm and not about to let go as she moved to pin him entire-
S...shit...!
She didn't manage to pin his other arm fast enough, she saw his hand move upward and she was dazzled slightly by the quick glint of light from the alleyway entrance refracting from the edge of his sword that she saw for a single second before bright, fiery, jolting pain ignited in her core. She felt the tip of the sword break through her skin and muscle, going straight through her body and earning a well of warm, thick blood in seconds. A strangled yelp rose up her throat, her eyes narrowing to slits against the pain and she caught his eyes- and glared.
Bet you anything that asshat thought stabbing me was gonna make me let go of his arm
She clenched her jaw around his arm harder, her teeth sinking in more and his blood more potent on her taste-buds. One paw moved and slammed down on the arm holding aloft the sword, forcing it back and the blade out of her body in quick, painful succession on both their ends.
On the contrary-
She growled, the sound rumbling in her throat as she bit in further and much farther than she usually would on another person- but for him?
-you are a new kind of bastard, and stabbing me was a fucking big mistake!
Spirit moved, her weight lifting off him and her hold on his arm in her teeth tightening ever more as she stepped to the side and lift him up in her jaws with incredible ease. She dragged him by his arm, twisting her body and throwing her head and him around as she slammed him straight into the wall of the building they were next to hard enough to crack the stone a bit. The contact earned a pained yell from the Hero Killer and left him wheezing as he hit the ground and her fangs left his arm- bloodied and bruised and fractured and bleeding profusely still.
Spirit Shifted again, her muzzle elongating and her long body condensing a bit into canine rather than feline- her lips parted in a snarl and tail held high over her back, a looming, heavy-set wolf with jet black fur. She gave him no time to recover from slamming into the wall, she lunged and her teeth aimed for his arm again, but he rolled away and her jaw snapped on empty air. She twisted, following his movement as he pushed himself backwards and away from her, his katana held tightly in hand and leaving a trail of his own blood over the concrete as he stayed at distance from her- the arm she'd bit into pulled into his body and held there.
She kept lunging, following his movement down the alleyway and dodging under the swipe of the sword he sent her way- steadily following him backwards and further from the man he'd come to kill. He jumped toward and on to the fire escape over his head, and Spirit was right behind him, Shifting into an eagle to reach his height with ease. In midair, seconds before his boots slammed down on the platform- Stain's wrist flicked, a dagger in hand as he sent it cutting through the air at speed comparable to his own- and it wasn't thrown at her.
Spirit swiveled, her wings curling forward and halting her momentum in the course of a single second. Her head snapped around, following the blade as it passed her by and already knowing where it was headed.
Stain frowned, eyes narrowed to slits and glittering as he jumped toward on to the next section of the firesescape and watched the Hero that could easily cut him off at the roof- turn around in air and dive away from him. Her body was a blur as she arched around and Shifted back into her Human form, landing in a staggered, half crouch as her hands shot up- her body acting a wall between Ingenium and the blade for the second time that day.
CLAP
Her palms snapped together, catching the blade between them and feeling the sting of her skin splitting- but the weapon's path was halted as she stumbled, panting and heaving. Her eyes locked on to the tip of the blade a few inches from her nose, a bead of sweat falling down her face as her foot slid a bit and her posture crumbled that little bit with it- her blood fell from the wound in her side, splattering against the ground at her feet.
Her red eyes moved upward, hearing the thump of the Hero Killer's boots against the grates as he pushed himself up the levels of the fire escape and on to the roof. He paused on the edge, his and Spirit's red gaze matching for a few moments... She could hear her heartbeat, and his harsh breathing with her own... And she could hear Ingenium wheezing behind her, smell his blood heavy on the air.
Stain blinked, eyes narrowed and replacing his sword in it's sheathe on his back, his eyes latched on Animal Spirit for a few seconds more- before he turned his back on her and disappeared from the edge. He left at a brisk pace, leaving drops of blood behind him but not at all afraid of being pursued. One look at her and her expression as she crouched there, his knife in hand and guarding the man he'd cut down- the Hero Killer knew.
She had a choice to make, and he had done enough to make his point. He needn't stay longer,
She won't follow
Spirit growled, her eyes flashing as he disappeared from her view all the way and she lowered her hands, the knife clattering to the ground as she leaned over a bit, one hand finding the concrete to hold herself up while the other moved to cover the stab wound in her side... Which was still bleeding, and hurt like a bitch. She let her knee hit the ground, raising her arm and wiping her sleeve across her mouth and chin to get rid of the blood staining her lips- Stain's blood, before her teeth clamped down on the sturdy fabric and she pulled her arm back. She pulled the sleeve off entirely and straightened up as she tied it around her torso and knotted it over the holes he had put through her- to try and stop the blood flow at least a little. She lingered on that for only a few seconds more before she pushed herself up on to her feet and cleared what little distance there was between herself and the bloody, broken body of Ingenium, who was still where he'd fallen, unmoving and struggling for air as he lay in a pool of his own blood.
Spirit took a knee beside him, her hand searching for the pocket in her suit and grabbing hold of her cell phone, she slammed her thumb against the home button and held it- the screen that had previously been black flared to life and turned red, the ringer sounding as it placed a call through to the Police instantly... Whilst also turning on her GPS location. A quick start and command she had programmed into the phone for emergencies and calling the Police right off instead of being wired through a call center- she was a Hero after all. There were specific numbers Pros were supposed to call in case of things like... Like this
Shit shit shit
She held the phone in one hand to her ear and her other one reached out toward the man, his face pale and his helmet stripped- eyes glazed and glassy and falling constantly as she tried to get him to focus on her, and hers dancing over him and his body taking in the damage and feeling her heart twist.
Fucking... Bloody hell...!
"Dispatch- what's the situation?" The call picked up in seconds,
"This is Animal Spirit, lock on to my GPS location and send a unit of police, and an ambulance immediately!" She ordered sharply, "Ingenium is wounded and needs medical attention! Contact any police and Pros in my area and put them on high alert, the Hero Killer is in Hosu! Send whoever is closest to me right away!"
"Y-yes ma'am, I'm sending your location to every Pro and Officer in the vicinity. The unit and ambulance are on their way." The dispatcher replied quickly, "Do you have eyes on Stain-?"
"No, I don't have a visual on him. He is wounded and bleeding, and on the retreat. If he is spotted, no one is to engage him without backup, got it?! Everyone needs to double time and lock down this area!"
"Yes ma'am, I'll inform everyone. Stand by Animal Spirit, reinforcements are on their way."
She growled, turning the speaker on and abandoning her phone on the ground as she gently tilted Ingenium's face toward her.
"Oi, Ingenium..!" She hissed urgently, his eyes fluttered a bit. "Hey, stay awake for me alright? Do not pass out-" she ordered, her eyes breaking from his face as she unwound the last strap from around her leg.
There was blood pooling up from a wound in his abdomen, and one on his thigh- mixed in with countless other injuries that were bad, but the first two were what was making her feel like her heart would give out.
Fuck fuck fuck fuck
She couldn't panic, she couldn't lose her head or her cool and she damned sure wouldn't lose it- she kept herself in line but her heart and her pulse and her emotions didn't want to listen- so she let them rage, but only on the inside.
How long had she even been going to to toe with Stain? She couldn't pin down a time frame, everything was too much a rush and blur and she hated that.
She hated how fast she ran in too, hated how slow she'd been to arrive and how evenly matched she'd been with the Hero Killer for what segment of fighting him had occurred.
She hated she didn't call Dispatch right from the start, especially when she had been running and she knew.
DAMN IT
This is what Heroes do right? They rush and they serve and they protect and they stand tall in a tide of evil where all else fail to. They face evils like that bastard and they do it because it is their job and their drive and their will... but fuck
Stain was... Everything about him, every inch of his person and his soul and his energy was just so spine-chilling and blood curdling, unrelenting sheer murder
In all the rush and the heat of conflict, that had persisted- and with it, so had the terror, and the fear. He scared the living fuck out of her and it was so hard to stay focused and keep her head just fighting the guy. She'd never met anyone who felt so... So dark and imposing and dangerous as he did, not for a very, very long time.
Shit I'm shaking
Stop it
Focus for fucks sake, Spirit
She growled, moving a little as she worked to wind the strap around his leg and stem the blood that was dripping from the wound there- pulling tight on the length of leather and enough it would cut of circulation, and Ingenium didn't react to the pain at all.
This is your job, you do it and you do it right... As right as you can
You don't lose it
"S... Spi..rit..." Ingenium breathed, she blinked, pressing closer and finding his unfocused eyes as she took off her other sleeve and folded it up- both of her arms bare now.
"That's me." She grumbled, biting the inside of her cheek as she set the folded up sleeve against his stomach and over the wound that was producing the pool of blood. She pressed down, hearing the moan and wheezy hiss of pain rise from his throat, but she kept the pressure on regardless.
So much blood
"... Sorry... But you're gonna bleed out if I don't, Ingenium." she apologized softly,
"... Y... You... L... Let him go..." He wheezed, his voice faint and hard to hear. She grimaced, biting her cheek harder. "... Y... You cou...ld... Y..ou could have... Followed... Cap...tured...h...im..." His eyes dropped closed and she stiffened,
"Oi! What did I say about passing out..?!" She snapped quietly,
"... Y...ou... You're... Am...azing... You l...lasted s...so... much longer... You w...were... Y...ou... hit... Him... I...i could...n't... I'm not..." Ingenium mumbled, wispy and weak and she growled. "...y...ou... A...are a muc...h... Better... Pro... T...th...an...me..." He wheezed,
"Don't say that." She grumbled lowly, her eyes glittering and a slight bit... miffed. "You're a damn good Pro and don't think otherwise." She growled, her hands still steady on the fabric she was pushing against the wound- it was soaked already, but she didn't care.
"... Y...ou should have... Left... Went af...ter him... Spirit..." He was rambling more so now than he was lucid she was pretty sure... And still he made her even more miffed, damn it.
"And leave you to bleed out?" she shot back lowly, "Yeah, no thanks. You're not beyond help, and that means saving you comes before going after that bloody bastard." Ingenium's eyes opened slightly at that, finding her and fixed for a few seconds. She huffed, her eyes flashing as she growled under her breath. "... Tch... Don't be so quick to give up on living you idiot." She snapped lowly, "You've got people, yeah? Friends and a family? Why would you choose to die over seeing them again?"
Ingenium's eyes flashed a little, his expression pulling a bit in pain and thought, before let out a shaky sigh. "... Y...ou... are very... Hard... To get... A b...bead... on... Animal... Spirit..." He mumbled softly, "... You... Sur...prise... Me..."
Spirit faltered a bit at that, her eyes widening and not sure what he meant by the words... like at all.
"... Y... ou're... Noth...ing... Like...I...i...ve... Ass...u...med..." Ingenium mumbled, raspy and harsh.
What the hell is that supposed to mean...?
His words broke off, what little air he breathed in, lost to coughing and she felt his body spasm painfully under her hands.
Doesn't matter right now
"... Just try and breathe easy and slow, Ingenium." Spirit murmured softly as his sputtering quieted, slowly. "Keep your attention on me, alright? That ambulance is going to be here in no time, so don't you dare die on me now, got it?"
They need to hurry the hell up
The minutes ticked by in agonizing slowness as she sat there on her knees beside the fading Engine Hero, what small murmurs and words she said to keep him awake and focused felt useless- but she kept on anyway. Just like she kept her hands pressed firmly against a sleeve soaked in blood and stemming a flow of it what little she could.
Her attention snapped away from him finally and toward the footfalls getting closer, and the sound of people panting. Her body stiffened, posture rigid and defensive out of sheer instinct- even when her mind told her it wasn't a threat.
Two Pros (a man and a woman) rounded the corner into the alleyway from the street, panting and out of breath and faces twisted in worry and apprehension. They'd been sprinting to get to the location pinged by her phone and came upon the alley- only to stop dead in their tracks.
She saw the fear and shock light up in their faces, saw the way they paled and could imagine how violently their stomachs turned at the sight awaiting them- a dark alley littered in blood, smears and pools and drops splashed around and on nearly everything. A tide of crimson that got more frequent the further into the alley you went, and persisted in several places like puddles of red rainwater... And then you reached the middle and found the broken mass of blood and shattered armor of Ingenium lying motionless on the alley floor with Animal Spirit and her blood soaked hands pressed against a wound that did not want to stop bleeding.
It was a sight that would turn anyone
Spirit didn't recognize the two of them, which was not a surprise- like she said before all of this... All of Japan's most popular Heroes were at UA and the lesser-known (and usually younger) Pros were left to pick up Patrols. And as it was, Hosu was not her regular District to start with- not that it mattered who they were.
"Do either of you have a Tracking Quirk?" Spirit snapped quickly, her harsh tone breaking them from their stupor and their eyes locked on to her. They started forward together, moving down the alley quickly and drawing up beside her and Ingenium.
"N-no.." the man stammered, light bounced from the helmet on his head and the woman beside him shook hers stiffly.
"No ma'am." She breathed, Spirit growled internally, her head tilting in the opposite end of the alley and hearing more feet.
"Which of you has the best mobility, and can keep up with me over buildings?" Spirit asked next, hardly pausing a beat as the two Pros blinked.
"M-me, Animal Spirit." The woman said, gaining a bit of composure as the No. 26 nodded.
"Fine, you-" Spirit ordered, her eyes falling on the man, who snapped to attention. "-come here and put pressure on this and keep it. Keep Ingenium awake and focused on you, and wait for the ambulance to arrive."
"Yes, o-of course!" He replied quickly, dropping to his knees and grimacing as his hands switched places with hers- and instantly grew sticky with blood. Spirit pushed herself back and on to her feet with a hiss, her red eyes moving toward the next figure to enter the alley- and one she recognized.
"Rock Lock! Stay here with them and wait for backup, cordon off this area!" Spirit ordered of the man to suddenly arrive in the alley, and who jumped a little at being snapped at the second he appeared. Spirit's hand gestured toward the younger man beside Ingenium as she said her piece, and Rock Lock faltered a second but she didn't care. She turned toward the other woman, who was dressed in an outfit of icy blue and had a visor over one eye. Spirit gestured toward her, "Stay close to me, we're going to see if we can lock down Stain's location again." Spirit growled, the younger stiffened at the name, fear flashing in her gaze. But the woman shook her head at herself, determination trickling in instead as she nodded firmly.
"Yes, I'm right behind you..!" She said quickly, Spirit nodded and started forward. Her body got engulfed in a black-red haze and she jumped, her wings extending and meeting air as she Shifted into an eagle and moved to the top of the building Stain had disappeared on. The other woman followed closely, little orbs of pale blue appearing in air in succession as she jumped on to them and got launched to the next one like a trampoline- her Quirk, for what little Spirit payed attention to or saw of it.
Spirit Shifted again and landed on her paws as a bobcat on the roof, her eyes and nose trained to the dribbles of blood the Hero Killer had left behind.
He can't have gotten far...
A jolt of pain ran through her side with every step, one ear always angled back and keeping track of where the other woman following her was. Spirit wove around heating ducks and leapt across the gaps between the close knit buildings at a steady, brisk pace and kept it up. She balanced on edges and jumped between walkways with agility owed to both beast and her own years of training. Taking in every event and sight, everything smear of blood and small, almost imperceptible drop scattered in a path nearly invisible to the eye- but not to her nose.
... But that guy is fucking fast
She and the other woman drew steadily further from that alleyway riddled with blood, moving between different levels and rooftops until the trail of blood ended in a pile of bloodied, dirty rags. Spirit halted in her movement, breathing fast and stooping as she sniffed at the rags and the woman behind her paused, green eyes glittering and puffing slightly.
"... The bloods stopped..." The woman mumbled, "... but it lasted all the way out here, how was he able to get this far if he was injured? It must not have been bad..."
"Jaguars have a bite strength of 1800 pounds." Spirit grumbled lowly, the woman stiffened. "I bit him, it was enough to crack the bone, it was bad, but it was on the arm. His legs are fine..." She growled a little. "... Besides, he didn't really seem to feel much pain to begin with..." She added lowly, her head tilting back up as her mouth dropped and she let the air wash in over her senses. "Come on." Spirit ordered lowly, her paws bringing her forward and continuing to follow his scent... His scent that smelled like hundreds of different, sour, acrid bloods mixed together.
He got a lot farther than he should have... Fuck me.
She kept going, both of them still moving between buildings and over them at a fast pace and not caring how far they got from the original location. She kept following that scent and ignoring the ache of her muscles and her core and the stinging, throbbing moving through her side, and from the cuts littering her body. Her pads hit the metal surface of the top of a water tower, her movement halting again as she paused- the wind washing out over her and slicking her fur back... But the scent went from existence to nothing in about two seconds.
What the..?
Her head tilted, mouth open and sucking in deep breaths of air- but the longer she looked for it the more it faded... Nothing
Shit
How does a scent just disappear like that? Its like he disappeared entirely... People don't just disappear
"What's wrong...?" The woman (still haven't caught her name, not that there was much time...) asked breathlessly, her feet hitting the metal beam work of the water tower and propping herself between them as she glanced upward at the No. 26.
"... The scent disappeared..." Spirit mumbled, pacing along the edge of the tower and still searching. "... Completely gone... Like he dropped off the planet at this spot..."
"... How is that possible?" The woman mumbled, Spirit's ears twitched.
"... Someone's Quirk, if I had to guess... Someone else." Spirit grumbled, her ears falling back against her head as she dug her claws into the metal. Her body wavered, her figure distorting at the edges and jittering before she was swallowed up in a cloud, and the bobcat was replaced with a bat, her wings propping her upward, leaning slightly. Her ears swiveled, her eyes dropping closed against the harshness of the light and her attention falling on every little noise, every sound of football and breath, the rustle of wind on paper and fabric, the roll of a car and the hum of sirens and police chatter... every little sound so easy to hear, given bats were the one mammal on earth with the best hearing.
She heard it all, but not the sound of heavy boots or the shift of armor. Not the sound of a sword or the ruffle of a scarf... Nothing, again
Her body wavered, blurred and fragmenting at the edges as she Shifted back into her human form and bits and pieces of black energy like glass falling from her as she crouched, her hands on the metal underfoot between her knees. Her red eyes trailed over the city and the buildings all glittering in the sunlight that had grown so much stronger... but that alleyway was so dark you would never have known. There was the wailing, ringing sound of police cars and ambulances bouncing off the buildings and through the streets below somewhere she couldn't see from where she was. For the first time in what felt like years the pounding of her own heart and the roar of blood in her ears weren't deafening... For the first time in too long a time, a lull came in and a small, little fraction of panic and fear and adrenaline subsided, and the world started to feel like it was slowly falling on top of her head.
"... Shit..." She hissed under her breath,
"... he's gone, isn't he..?" The other Pro asked quietly, easily hopping up and placing herself on the top of the tower near to where Spirit was- who's head tilted her way slightly, but Spirit's eyes had dropped closed by now.
"... I can do a flyover, but..." Spirit grumbled, shaking her head at herself.
"... the buildings are too close together to really see anything in the part of Hosu... and if he's smart, he won't be out in the open." The other woman mumbled, Spirit nodded stiffly in agreement.
"... damn it." Spirit hissed under her breath, her red eyes flashing in anger, the other Pro stiffened a bit. Spirit didn't notice the reaction, her head tilted down as she brushed her cheek along her upperarm- smearing the blood dribbling from a cut on the left side of her cheek and leaving her arm stained more red than it already was.
This... today... just... shit
"... I never caught your name." Spirit mumbled, casting the comment up toward the woman, who jumped in surprise at suddenly being asked, nervous.
"O-oh, it's Recoil." The woman stammered quickly, Spirit nodded.
"Do you have your phone on you?" Spirit asked next,
"Yes ma'am."
"Good, call Dispatch and tell them to ping this location. Tell them it's where Stain's trail has lead and ended, and to set up a perimeter. They need to call a Pro with a Tracking Quirk and set them to search... tell them that no one is to go anywhere around here without someone to watch their back." Spirit instructed slowly, "Even if Stain is wounded, he's dangerous. No one takes any chances or rushes in without a plan... I doubt Stain will let himself be found for a few days at a least after this, but we can still look."
Recoil nodded, her hand raising up to her visor as she clicked a button on the side. "You got it." She murmured, Spirit bit the inside of her cheek as she slowly pushed herself into standing up straight, her feet faltering a bit as she swayed. Recoil noticed the bit of imbalance and her hands shot forward to grab Animal Spirit's arm, steadying her, though unnecessarily since Spirit caught herself after a second. Spirit's eyes shifted sideways in time to see that Recoil's gaze had found the sleeve tied around her torso and the blood dripping through it slowly, her face paling a bit at the sight.
"Animal Spirit, y-you're wounded..!" She stammered, Spirit shook her head a bit.
"Don't worry about it." Spirit grumbled,
"Y... this is... you got stabbed, that's serious...!" Recoil argued, Spirit's eyes flashed.
"He didn't hit anything important." Spirit muttered, Recoil flinched at how low the No. 26's voice got when she said that.
Of course not... because I wasn't the one he was after. He wasn't even looking to fight me to start with... he could have killed me in that instant I had him pinned, and he didn't. He ran his sword through me and avoided any major organs... he did it on purpose. A guy like that doesn't just miss.
... Shit...
"I'm still calling for another ambulance...!" Recoil snapped, Spirit sighed.
"Fine, but don't forget to relay what I said." She grumbled, Recoil hesitated, before nodding. "-and tell them that we'll meet the police and the other Pros back at the original location." Spirit murmured, Recoil nodded in agreement before the words fully registered, and she rounded on Spirit to argue- but Spirit had jumped down from the water tower and on to the roof.
The impact of her feet on the roof sent a jolt running through her that made her hiss, and she walked forward a few paces that were uneven before correcting again. Her eyes fell on her hands and the red smeared across them and halfway up her bare arms... her blood, some of it- but a lot of it was...
There was an icy cold lump in her stomach that made her feel sick
The urgent words recanted by Recoil to Dispatch above her was a low drone she didn't care about, she just stood there, her eyes narrowed and tracing the crimson stains.
... all of that... rushing in... fighting... Shifting so many times... all of it... all of that and he got away.
Damn it... damn me