A long discordant note shattered the thin morning air, echoing between the decrepit buildings and vibrating the few unbroken panes of glass in their frames. It hung in the air like an ill omen, dragging on and on in a single unbroken sound that lasted far longer than it had any right to, setting teeth on edge and sending small animals running for cover. When it finally faded it seemed to claw and fight to survive, refusing to disappear and wedging itself firmly in the ears of everything that heard it in a way that made even David’s lips wrinkle back with distaste. The response was almost immediate, and high-pitched chittering began to swell below the street’s surface, bubbling up through manhole covers, swelling from the gutters, and surging up the ruined stairway outside the Area Boss's lair. Leo stood firmly in the middle of the intersection nearby as the mist from his breath slowly began to dissipate in the cool morning air and he pawed the ground challengingly.

Well, that worked perfectly, now for phase two. Hit ‘em with it again, Leo! Really piss them off! The more we can get with this the easier the Boss will be when it’s the only one left.

David watched the entire thing from a concealed position within the third story of an accounting firm that sat kitty-corner to the subway itself, his body pressed low to the wood below him as he observed the scene. Leo bugled again, the sound somehow more infuriating than it was the first time, and he reared up, his front legs kicking at the air while he wheeled away from the entrance without a moment to spare. A horde of bald ratlike creatures with thick pebbled hide and long sharp digging claws swarmed out of the tunnel screeching in fury. They poured out of the entrance to the boss's lair like a torrent of water and gave chase to the fleeing Woodlander with surprising swiftness, long thick tails slapping the ground behind them as they sprinted. David’s talons sunk into the wood of the office desk he’d been perched atop anxiously as he watched the charge continue for several seconds until finally, the last stragglers had emerged.

C’mon, c’mon. Any second now, no way they manage to catch him, he’s so fucking fast with those long-ass legs of his…any second now…fuck…I should go help–

A booming roar rattled the sky from almost an entire block away, and David heard the challenging cry of a monstrous bird of prey shortly after, as both Kai and Claire launched their pincer ambush. Before the echoes of the roar had ceased to bounce between the overgrown abandoned structures of the downtown area the screaming had already begun, and dozens of the vicious rodents began to howl in agony. David’s fangs gleamed in the light as he hunched his back in anticipation, slithering down off the desk with a primal menace that was lost on him as he oozed over the lip of the windowsill to glare down at the subway exit.

He crouched low, wings spread around him like a pool of oil as the massive creature emerged from its lair, wide nose twitching and rodentlike teeth snapping together ferociously as it heaved its bulk onto the surface. In the light of day, it was no less hideous; multiple tons of thick armor, heavy muscle, and long menacing claws that capped each limb. Its face was broad, with laughably tiny eyes and a huge shovel-like nose that swiveled around like it was attached to a gimbal as it tracked the scent of its disgusting progeny. It levered itself to its feet with difficulty, clearly surprised that there was no fight taking place nearby but reacting quickly as it began to trundle down the road away from its zone of safety. David’s limbs trembled with barely suppressed violence as he watched the horrible thing effortlessly swat aside the rusted-out hulk of a sedan, the frame of the abandoned vehicle crumpling from the force as it rolled away onto its side and disgorged a handful of more mundane vermin that fled instantly.

Yeah, get your big ass up. Keep walkin’, can’t you hear the dinner bell? Just follow your nose asshole, and you’ll be getting a present soon, I worked on it for a couple of hours every day.

When the beast had finally dragged itself past his line of sight and into the intersection he hurled himself into the air and Glided away from it, heading in the opposite direction for a dozen seconds before slowly coming about, wiggling his wings to give the signal as he did so. By the time he’d reoriented on the beast and began his attack run, he saw Dallas lift off of the roof of one of the smaller buildings nearby, a small length of rusted chain gripped tightly in his mandibles as he slowly took up the slack of the line. David grinned and silently wished that he’d been the one to come up with the trick, but it had been a remark made by Claire that had given him the idea.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if we could bottle that Gloom of yours, so we could all use some against the Boss?” Claire had muttered as they’d gone over the plan on the first day.

He angled his wings downward, leaning forward and allowing himself to pick up momentum as he came in low to the ground, feeling the temperature of the air shift slightly as it passed over his huge leathery wings. Dallas, to his credit, had timed his payload perfectly, and the ratty blue tarp held together with bits of sticky glue they’d obtained from Betty and her anemone holding the bundle closed fell exactly where he meant it to. David had added a few rocks and a haunch of rancid meat that he’d allowed to sit on the roof of the warehouse for two days in the sun to weigh it down and make it smell convincing enough to cover the scent of the critical contents of the crumbling tarp.

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It impacted almost directly in front of the Area Boss's face, and the creature struck reflexively, pouncing on the bait without thinking, savaging it with a bubbling snarl before pausing. Its nose worked furiously for a moment as it stood in the middle of the road just past the intersection, pointed towards where an enormous Murdersaurus and a Razorbird had doubtless already mauled its horde of underlings into a fine paste. With a rumble of happiness that reminded David all too much of his best friend, the beast ripped into the large bundle of frayed tarping, extracting the haunch of meat and cramming it into its gullet.

–Health: 165/165–

–Stamina: 390/390–

–n/a–

Please work please work please work please work please work…

David was over his target before he had any more time for doubt, and he furled his wings and allowed himself to whistle down in a soft arc, praying with everything he had to gods he wasn’t sure existed anymore that his plan wouldn’t get him and everyone else killed.

–Riverport Crusher has been inflicted with |Gloom| |Paralysis|–

–Riverport Crusher is immune to |Sleep|–

David inhaled as he fell the last twenty feet, bracing himself for what he hoped was the most painful part of the plan as he snatched at the overhang on the Crusher’s shell, feeling something pop in his wing and desperately holding in a scream of pain as he forced the damaged wing to contract, talons chipping painfully on the armor. He slammed into the side of the boss's head, barely managing to stop his face from striking the armor and knocking himself out as he shoved his entire head into the Area Boss's ear, focusing forward, and releasing the biggest Screech of his life.

–You have taken 21 Impact Damage–

–You are inflicted with |Slow|–

–You have taken 30 Backlash Damage: Screech–

–Riverport Crusher has been inflicted with |Deafened|–

–Riverport Crusher is immune to |Stun|–

–Bonus: Control Combo |3|–

–Gained 9xp–

–Health: 114/165–

–Stamina: 266/390–

David hurled himself away, strong hind legs bunching before he flung himself upwards and away from the beast, desperately trying to unfurl his wings as the right limb failed to extend fully, shaking with tension as his shoulder simply refused to rise beyond a certain point. A single flap proved the motion was impossible, and David tumbled from the air, barely managing to curl himself into a ball to protect his already injured wing as he slammed to the concrete with a meaty thud, rolling away with the force of the impact. His vision spun, and he could barely piece together the whirl of images as he rolled to a stop, the overgrown high-rises blending into the sky and asphalt as he tumbled roughly.

–You have taken 14 Impact Damage–

–Heath 100/165–

–Stamina: 264/390–

–Slowed–

He sprang to his feet after only a few seconds, his injured right wing beginning to tingle painfully as the Crusher whirled on him, its eyes wild with fury, jaw unhinging to an almost 90-degree angle and it began to drag itself across the asphalt towards him with a rasping hiss.

Shit, shit, shit!

Neither David nor the Crusher noticed Dallas sprinting up the armor on its back until the wasplike insect drove its stinger directly into the gap between its neck and its armor, body pressing downwards with all his might as he strained. The Crusher’s eyes widened with agony, and it threw its head to the sky and screamed as the hyper-concentrated venom poured into its body. Dallas screamed with it, his stinger briefly caught between the armor plates before snapping off with a sound like a thick branch breaking and being thrown free by the beast's convulsions. David gritted his teeth and attempted to land a Glare to cover for him, eyes widening with horror and losing focus on the ability when the Boss’s enormous foot descended onto the wasp with a heart stopping crunch as it began to thrash in pain.

Less than a second later an utterly inhuman hiss of rage rapidly built into a roar that spoke of nothing but death and suffering as Claire rounded the corner and took the scene in at a glance before she charged.