Wind buffeted and tore at David as he fell, pulled along with the corpse like an out-of-control kite, firmly tethered by the tentacle still wrapped around his chest. He seized the appendage and hissed in pain as a scattering of the vicious hooks pricked and stabbed at him while he tore at it. David’s fangs severed the appendage and he flared his wings, the rapid descent ceasing several seconds before he would have impacted. He watched the Chlorogyre’s body splatter against the broken field below like a disgusting water balloon before he began to power upwards again.

–Health: 55/90–

–Stamina: 95/215–

–You are no longer afflicted by Grab–

Gonna have to make the Stamina count, I need to help Dallas and Kai. Fishhook tentacles are bullshit. Its stuck, I cant get it off, and it hurts. Where did…there!

David began to power upwards, flaring his wings as he cleared the roof of the stadium and rode the wind toward the fight progressing in the open sky. The two Chlorogyres Dallas had been savaging were sinking slowly through the air, still tangled together via their tendrils. They twitched weakly as their bodies seemed almost to decay, a powerfully unpleasant acidic smell mixed with rot seeping from their bodies as their flesh began to slough away from the puncture wounds. David flew around them as they lost altitude, clearly unable to continue fighting as the potent venom ravaged their bodies.

The largest Chlorogyre was still putting up a solid fight, and the two smallest of their number had begun to orbit the cap of the creature and attempt to aid in Kai’s removal from the crater in its upper body. David extended his wings to their absolute maximum, tendons creaking ominously as he caught every last breath of the updraft he was riding while he eyed his resources impatiently. He'd burned enough stamina with that Screech that he needed a moment to recover if he wanted to be effective. Still, he had to reach his companions, who were counting on him to run interference.

–Health: 59/90–

–Stamina: 122/215–

–N/A–

That'll have to work.

David burned a bit of Stamina, wincing as the hooks of the tentacle still entangled with his flesh sawed into him painfully with every flap. He rapidly drew level with the largest Chlorogyre while the ruins of Riverport fell farther and farther below them, climbing higher into the sky than ever before. The currents of wind became increasingly powerful as he gained altitude, and while it made it easier to ride the flow of air it worked both ways. The gelatinous creatures began to pick up speed as well, bobbing around drunkenly in the gusts and accelerating by the minute.

Dallas stood atop the cap of the big one, his stinger jabbing opportunistically at the beast's flesh as he fended off a scattering of tendrils from the two smaller specimens. He bit and snapped with the scissor-like mandibles on his head as he reared up on four of his back legs, flailing rather effectively with the two front appendages. The grasping tendrils failed to penetrate his chitinous armor though the insect was hard-pressed to protect his delicate wings, and he immediately gave ground every time a tendril evaded his counterattacks to snatch at them. His tiny clawed feet seemed to work in his favor as the sticky gluelike body failed to cover enough surface area to be effective, and he held himself as high as he could, careful to keep his body out of harms way.

Kai’s head exploded from creatures' flesh on the outside rim of the impact crater, his feathers slimy with green ichor. The avian's eyes were wild, and David couldn't be sure if it was anxiety or fury that he was seeing as Kai finally flailed his way free of the sticky prison, dropping into the air and falling away. He spread his wings a few seconds later, leaving a mist of slime and gore in his wake as the wind blew it free of his slightly metallic feathers. He looked like the world's filthiest phoenix as he wheeled around with a savage shriek and came barreling upwards, climbing past them and continuing to gain altitude at a frantic pace.

David was certain Kai was going to dive again and hurled himself through the air toward where Dallas was increasingly penned in by the smaller Chlorogyres as they surrounded him with their grasping limbs. Deprived of their main target with Kai’s departure, they focused instead on the wasplike insect, who now found himself trapped between the thick tentacles of the largest creature reaching up from below and those of the monsters above him. David had a flash of an idea and darted upwards slightly before descending on the two smaller targets diagonally, aiming at the cap of the rightmost creature. He hit hard, digging in with his claws and talons before hurling himself away in another direction, mimicking the trick he had performed during the fight earlier the day before. The buoyant creature was hurled mercilessly off course by the maneuver, spinning crazily from the angle of impact as it desperately tried to right itself.

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“Good one!” Dallas buzzed loudly, “I think I used too much venom earlier!”

David circled back around, dipping into another short dive and repeating the maneuver, hurling the smaller creature away in the opposite direction with his improvised tactic. Dallas saluted briefly with an antennae and his wings ramped up their speed before he dusted off the Chlorogyre’s back, still snapping and slashing at the swarm of tendrils rising across the top of the creature's body. He zipped into the air, only jostling slightly as all four of his wings worked independently to ensure he remained level while he hovered next to David and shouted to him.

“I’ll take the two smaller ones, Kai’s going to try and hit the same spot again!” Dallas shouted over the wind, “He’s probably waiting for Stamina! Can you widen the hole without getting stuck like he did?”

David replied tersely as the burn from his wounds continued to pain him, “I think so, but I’m worried he’ll come in for a run while I’m trying!”

“He could read a license plate from orbit, you’ll be fine, go quick! We’re getting too damn high already, it’s fucking cold.” Dallas vibrated loudly before orienting himself on the isolated beasts and rifling away.

–Health: 57/90–

–Stamina: 94/215–

–N/A–

Okay, one more screech but maybe not as overkill this time. I fly over, I blast it, I get out of the way. If I’m not too low after I’ll help Dallas get the smaller ones.

David climbed slightly before entering an angled glide, picking up speed slowly as he darted a glance above him to find Kai circling like a vulture almost a hundred feet above. He had a vague impression of a large avian eye locked onto him before he closed the distance to the huge creature and focused. Wickedly hooked tentacles rose in his path like a nest of snakes, waving blindly through the air in an attempt to ward off his approach. David instinctively shot out an Echolocation, the mental return images giving him a solid grasp of the gaps in the seemingly impenetrable wall of tendrils. He refused to slow his approach, tucking in his wings greatly and blasting through the path he’d seen with his mental map as David sucked in a breath. He threw his head downwards into the gaping wound in the beast as he passed over it and screamed.

The Screech exploded from his mouth, saturating the bowl-shaped crater with violent sonic waves that its body conducted far too well. Thick gel-like flesh quivered with the force of the attack as the waves spread throughout its body, dense viscous blobs shaken loose instantly by the vibrations as its flesh crumbled.

–Chlorogyre is Stunned–

Then he was gone, the now cavernous wound flashing by below him only to be replaced with a dizzying view of the ground far below him as exhaustion sunk into his bones and David coughed, his raw throat protesting the repeated uses of the attack. David had a moment of odd lucidity as he came about, his extreme altitude allowing him a birds-eye view of most of Riverport stretched out below him, the greens and browns of the rampant growth mixing well with the greys of the ruined city. The moment lasted only a few heartbeats before he had reoriented on the Chlorogyre, his eyes falling on it only a moment before Kai himself.

The enormous eagle had entered into a stoop the instant David had cleared the target, picking up speed dangerously quickly as he cleaved downwards through the air. He was still in a perfect dive as he impacted the already critical wound on the body of the Chlorogyre, his sharp beak and plumage carving into the creature's weakened defenses at an irresistible speed. David watched with wonder and a little grim satisfaction as the creature’s body bulged and split, and Kai blew through on the other side.

An earsplitting shriek of victory filled the sky as the golden bird wheeled away, the huge enemy already beginning to fall to the earth below, tentacles flailing uselessly in the wind. David added his ringing snarl to the victory cry and powered towards the last remaining enemy as Dallas continued his meticulous stabbing assault on his own target.

WE DID IT!

–Screech has leveled up!

–Gained 3xp!

–Screech has leveled up!

–Gained 3xp!

–Screech has leveled up!

–Gained 3xp!

–Screech has leveled up!

–Gained 3xp!

–Screech F → E–