At first, there were just a dozen, but their numbers swelled dizzyingly - dozens upon dozens joined the furious tide until David's adrenaline-saturated mind abandoned any attempt at counting. All he could process was the staggering onslaught, a veritable flood of 40-pound monkeys charging at him with unmistakable murderous intent blazing in their beady eyes. They swarmed over and around each other and threatened to deafen him, the sheer volume of their shrieking and hooting causing his fading Echolocations to blur slightly as he continued to pound down the darkened corridor directly at them. David felt the Screech nearing critical levels as the tremendous drain on his Stamina from Overcharging the Ability suddenly seemed to hit a limit, and he somehow found the extra anxiety to be worried about what would happen when he released it.

–Health: 118/165–

–Stamina: 238/390–

–Blind, Venom E, Corrosion–

Snarling viciously, David unleashed the Screech in a measured torrent rather than an explosive burst - throttling its desire to detonate like a sonic bomb and backlash as he suddenly went blind, unable to maintain the Echolocations. The ear-splitting pitch started unbearable and swiftly rose to an excruciating intensity that sent painful vibrations through his jaws. His world dissolved into a thunderous cacophony as he hurtled forward, hammering the area ahead with one relentless wave of auditory destruction. Shrill cries of agony sounded amidst the sonic onslaught as something suddenly pinged his sense of smell and overpowered the omnipresent smell of mold and rot - the unmistakable coppery tang of blood filling his nostrils. Judging by the toppling thuds of weighty impacts reverberating through the cramped space, Viktor's minions had charged heedlessly into the path of his attack. The shrieks and hooting abruptly cut off, indicating targets driven down hard and the resulting pileup allowed David's sonic barrage to wreak further devastation as the monkeys became trapped in its path.

–Screech has leveled up!–

–Gained 3xp!–

–Screech has leveled up!–

–Gained 3xp!–

Shit shit shit! Where’s the door?! Did I go far enough? Fuck!

–You have taken 6 Poison Damage–

–You have taken 11 Acid Damage–

Despite the carnage he was wreaking on the horde, there were simply too many of them to stop the assault fully, and the press of bodies still emerging from the end of the corridor forced the forerunners forward over the pile of corpses. David’s sonic assault continued while his feet and wings tore splinters and scraps of rotting carpet from the floor when he skidded to a halt, flaring his wings out wide before flapping hard. Gloom burst into a cloud around him that formed a nearly impenetrable fog and he cut the Screech off with a gasp, firing Echolocations all around as he desperately tried to reorient himself in his blindness.

–You are no longer affected by Corrosion–

–Echo–

The scene that greeted him as the waves exploded outward from the ranks of dying monkeys was a charnel house of destruction, with easily half the horde dead or dying in a huge pile in the middle of the hall as David sucked in rapid breaths and tried to clear his head. The Echo rolled down the hallway behind the swarm of primates, and he had enough time to register something that very much resembled a man-sized baboon regaining its feet, daggerlike canines bared in a snarl of exertion. The scent of blood was overwhelming, mixed with undercurrents of mold and other unidentifiable bodily fluids as the monkeys seemed to hesitate for a single second David used to sprint forward the last few feet to the open doorway.

–Health: 100/165–

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–Stamina: 230/390–

–Blind, Venom E–

David blew through the room and out the window so quickly that he didn't even have time to take in any of the details, leaping through the opening and allowing himself to fall for a few rapid heartbeats before unfurling his wings and pulling up into a glide above the marshy terrain. The overwhelming smells of blood and Gloom faded away to be replaced by the scent of stale water and growing things before David squealed in surprise as his right wing suddenly tore, the leathery membrane weakened by the acid and unable to hold his weight. He spiraled down into the swamp, snarling in frustration as he managed to gain some control of the descent at the last moment by partially folding his damaged wing and directing himself toward a thick stand of trees, whipping around in a tight arc. He plowed into the branches at a rapid clip, unable to slow himself with a single wing, and David felt sharp branches dig into him before he slammed into the trunk hard enough to make his ears ring.

–You have taken 6 Poison Damage–

–You have taken 10 Impact Damage–

David panted and shook his head, forcing his aching body to move as he slithered into the concealment of the dense foliage, jaws chattering as he blanketed the entire area with his special.

Fuck. That could have gone better. Still Blind, can’t tell how far away I actually made it. Echolocation can’t pick up the building at least, and I know I managed to glide for…6 seconds maybe? I probably made it across the courtyard, maybe a little farther. The only trees I remember coming in were on the other side of the street. Snake-boy’s down, I’m sure I left enough Gloom around that door to give them a hard time following me for a minute...that was way more monkeys than I thought someone could manage with a Summoning skill. What fucking Rank was that Ability?

–You have taken 6 Poison Damage–

David glanced at his readout grimly before deciding to risk a Moonsong, uncertain how long the venom would last and not willing to risk being put in a worse position than he already was. He tucked his head down, stuffing his snout into the shaggy fur of his mane, wings wrapped tightly around himself as a wave of exhaustion washed through him and the Ability activated. The Moonsong came out muffled, though its tone remained high and pure as he sang into the fur on his chest just long enough for it to take effect.

–Health: 78/165–

–Stamina: 202/390–

–Blind, Venom E, Moonlit Regeneration–

Distant shouting and hooting began to sound from behind him, and he unfolded himself rapidly before burrowing through the dense branches as quickly as he could without making any more noise. Violent splashes suddenly rang out and David’s heart rate skyrocketed again as he scurried across the branches from one tree to the next, his Echolocations finally detecting a building at the edge of its range. He swiveled his ears back, pinpointing the graceless thrashing through the shallow waters that were spreading out from what he assumed was the City Hall as he judged the distance carefully. After a moment he made his choice, quickly climbing the tree as high as he could manage, sharp talons easily biting into the bark and hauling him upward.

David hurled himself into the air again, not bothering to unfold his wings until he felt his forward momentum begin to dwindle, extending them just far enough to keep himself moving in a straight line despite his rapid loss in altitude. He slammed into the crumbling brick only a half dozen feet above the waterline, rustling the cat tails that had grown up around the building as it sank into the mud. Talons scrabbled for purchase before finally finding a hold, and David felt his hind feet touch the water briefly before he surged upwards, scaling the wall like it was solid ground. Within moments he hauled himself onto the roof, slithering over the top and darting away across the slimy shingles.

–Health: 85/165–

–Stamina: 174/390–

–Blind, Venom E, Moonlit Regeneration–

He reached the far edge of the roof in seconds, hurling himself into the air once again and coming down gracefully on the adjacent building as he slid slightly over the slick surface. His eyes darted around uselessly, the smear of color solidifying slowly as Moonsong did its work and began to repair the damage caused by the corrosive venom, and David chittered constantly as he mapped the area ahead of him. Another rooftop presented itself, this one well within range, and he repeated the process, neither slowing nor deviating from his direct course away from the City Hall until his blurry vision tunneled suddenly and he was forced to slow, a warning that he hadn’t seen in a long time screaming for his attention.

–Warning: Stamina Low–

Okay…Okay…I think we’re good. I just need somewhere to…That’ll work!

With only a second's hesitation to scout ahead of himself with a few more Echolocations, David stumbled towards the nest of collapsing rooftop HVAC units and vanished into the shadows.