Two oversized birds, each stretching twenty feet from beak to tail, thundered across the ground causing small tremors. Their shiny feathers painted a riot of colors, they resembled giant parrots. Lowe observed them, his gaze unwavering from his concealed vantage point.
The avian giants, attuned to the faintest of sounds, detected the rhythm of Lowe's breath. And as if possessed by demons, they went berserk striking their diamond-sharp beaks, swooping down to attack him. Lowe struggled to dodge their assault, he needed to jump, crouch, roll, or slide upon the snow-covered pavement.
He managed to lose the two birds by seeking refuge inside a dilapidated grocery store. Within the haven of the store, Lowe grabbed a small wooden box from his pocket. The box contained a silver chain necklace, a vial containing a murky, gray infusion, and a syringe.
He wore the necklace and injected the infusion into his left forearm.
His particolored eyes lost their vibrant coloring, turning completely gray, and a pelt of fur sprouted across his body. The chill in the air bit into his exposed flesh as he undressed his upper clothing. In seconds, he transformed into a lycanthrope.
The silver chain burned his skin. Although not painful, the uncomfortable feeling helped him keep his sanity.
With a leap, he rushed toward one of the oversized birds, catching one of the wings. He twisted and turned, smashing the bird against a three-story building as he climbed up to the rooftop but never releasing the bird from his grasp. Now at the top, he let himself drop back down again. The bird's head came crashing down against the pavement; however, the impact of the fall sent him rolling across the ground. He rolled over, somersaulted, and went on his feet in a heartbeat. Pain coursed through his back, yet he wasted no time. His attention fixated on the other bird which stampeded his way.
He buried his sharp claws into the bird's leg, the bone snapping beneath the pressure of his relentless grip. He jumped reaching the parrot’s head, where his hand plunged into the left eye. The bird thrashed, and he forced the parrot-like creature back to the ground.
Lowe tumbled backward, putting distance between himself and the two rabid birds. He rushed into the grocery store once more, reaching for another vial in his coat. As he gradually regressed to his human form, he injected more of the liquid into his veins. Then he grabbed a small crystal Greek cross and a scimitar knife.
Transformed into a lycanthrope again, he charged back toward the birds. With another jump, he reached the top of another two-story building, using it to launch himself mid-air. Then he hurled his knife toward one of the parrots.
A shining blue chain extended from the handle to his right hand. Lowe swung the chain with precision which sliced into the two birds attempting to regain flight as a deadly pendulum. He pulled the chain and pocketed it in his pants. Then he dropped on the face of one parrot, his weight made the creature’s neck crack. One on the ground, he sprinted away keeping his distance.
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In his left hand, he clutched the cross that radiated light with an ever-increasing brilliance. Snowflake-like specks of Aether materialized around him, drawn to the artifact's glow. White slingshots of radiant dust burst from the cross.
The radiant waves of light weaved an enchanting brilliance around him as the shimmering specks of Aether converged upon the cross. Positioned before him, he concealed with his palm a gray moonstone, a gem that when he uncovered unleashed its stored energy with an explosive force.
A colossal cross of pure, searing white light blazed forth, an unstoppable juggernaut that incinerated everything in its path. The once-mighty birds succumbed to the overwhelming brilliance, reduced to smoldering ashes.
Lowe was once again a human.
“Ah!” he groaned. His muscles contracted in pain. He limped back to the grocery store and dressed his upper body.
"The Luminescence is... Awesome!" He exclaimed with an infectious grin; his admiration fixated on the modest cross adorned with a gray moonstone—the very same kind of stone in his ring. "I'll have to thank Völundr when I have the chance. The Chainblade is also helpful," he mused as he cleaned his trusty new knife.
"That was a good fight," a voice said.
Lowe turned back ready to fight once more.
“It’s me.”
Lowe noticed Arashi. “How long have you been here?”
“I just got here, but I’ve been looking at your fight from a distance.”
Lowed nodded and staggered, and left the store. Arashi followed after him.
Though it was only 3:00 in the afternoon, the sky was starting to darken. The few surviving lampposts along the sidewalks remained off.
"The situation is slipping out of our hands," Arashi said. “We need to reach the courts as soon as possible.”
“Sure.”
Without hesitation, Lowe followed the Japanese man through the gloomy labyrinth of the street. They strolled until they left the Commercial District seven blocks ahead.
However, a hundred of the huge parrots Lowe had fought earlier now loomed before them. The sheer number of adversaries left him breathless; his previous encounter with just two had been harrowing enough.
Lowe frowned in disgust when he realized the birds had killed dozens of people, most likely citizens of the city who didn’t evacuate on time, and were munching on the corpses.
Instinctively, he reached for the syringe intending to transform into a lycanthrope once again. Yet, Arashi intervened, "Leave this to me. Keep that for later."
Arashi drew one of the four katanas at his waist. He held the blade pointing downward, and whispered a single word, "Yamato."
The sword sunk as if the pavement were liquid drawing a small glowing circle. A vivid green light expanded from the circle. The once-agitated birds descended into a frenzy, their movements became frantic as they attempted to reach the two humans.
Then, as if touched by a malevolent magic, all life within the vicinity withered and decayed. The plants inside houses and stores wilted instantaneously, buildings began to crack, and the pavement crumbled to gravel. Even the snow succumbed to a dismal transformation, melting into a putrid, black sludge. The flesh of birds melted as if being corroded by acid until they were reduced to nothingness.
Arashi groaned, weakened by a sudden migraine.
"What's wrong?" Lowe asked, helping Arashi keep standing.
"Do not fear," he said. The sword emerged from the pavement, he grabbed it and sheathed it again. "This skill leaves me quite tired every time I use it. I’ll be ok."