Tides Of Protomis CXXX
Bijan’s Struggle
It seemed the moment of peace had come to an end. The two proto-humans observed the creature which now slinked through the remains of the city’s buildings. Of course, the idea of another demon appearing wasn’t lost on them, but one of this magnitude was a different story. The two glanced at each other as they watched the beast rampage.
“Well, that doesn’t bode well… I’m gonna go handle this.” Bijan commented.
In a short time, the man was already leaping through a window he pulled open, beginning to make his way toward the demon, who himself, simply began to scan the area around him, though it was clear to Bijan that he hadn’t been seen, not just yet. But the problems in his head were clear, he didn’t know what this creature was capable of, and it had made an attack in Cuifen’s Vicinity. Even a simple movement demolished the city. Bijan landed in the remains of an office building, watching from out of the creature’s sight, kneeled behind a desk.
“What to do now? I can stay undetected for a while… But I don’t want to beat around the bush for too long. I’ll need something to draw its attention…” The man reached to his side, which held the seeds central to his fighting style. A quick leap brought him down to the street below. And he began taking action, the seeds launched outward began to sprout into his signature plants. Bulbous flowers sprouting, and vines spread across the pavement, burrowing through the asphalt, and into the earth below.
“... Let’s test the waters.”
In a short time, the vines began to writhe, and wrap around each other, beginning to take shape. A head, body, wings, legs, and talons respectively. The four creatures themselves were somewhat larger than their creator. Who began to slink into a nearby alley, letting the creatures fly toward the demon… The sound of the rushing air made it to the creatures’ senses, and it promptly turned its head, facing the animated plants. Though, in response, it said one word.
“Burn…”
In a short moment, they were gone, obliterated by the flames which rapidly consumed their bodies. Which caused an expression of surprise to cover the youths face. It seemed that this wouldn't be as simple as he first thought. He did not attack again, not at the moment, instead allowing for his plants to continue sprouting through the street, expanding their biomass, and what he could create at that moment. Once he was satisfied, he attacked once more.
“Thorn Maelstrom” A barrage of sharpened spines flew toward the demon, which, to no surprise, was detected. It took action almost immediately, speaking once more.
“Get back.”
In a short time, the projectiles were launched away from him, leaving him unscathed. Bijan tsked as he observed this. Placing a hand on his chin.
“From what it looks like here, it seems his words can influence the area around him… Stealth is gonna be the most important part of this battle.” The plant-wielding proto-human leaped from his place on the building, beginning to make his way toward the centipede that was slinking away, a curved blade formed of plant-matter in his hand. His aim was made clear as time went on, A vertical swing upon the chitin on the demon’s back… Though ultimately, this seemed to do little but alert the creature to his presence. Two compound eyes bored into the man, who himself, snapped his finger in frustration.
“Damn! Not even a scratch!” Before he had much time to think of another idea, the beast spoke once more.
“Get Back, and Be Crushed!” Those words once again. Bijan found himself launched backward by some sort of unseen force, and before he knew it, his body hit the ground, and it almost felt as if a crack had reverberated through his body as well. It was as if he was training with Jirou on Yatahari again… He needed to get the pressure off of him, and what better way, than with a distraction.
“Verdant… Emperor!”
Vines began to sprout from the many plants he’d sown while there. As a familiar shape began to take form, a tall, vaguely humanoid creature towered over many of the buildings surrounding them. Clearly, there was a distinct difference between what one saw 2 years ago, and what one saw now. Especially given the two creature’s seemed to be equal in height. The centipede demon looked upon the new arrival with some sort of surprise, and this distraction provided just the sort of distraction needed for him to slip out from the field. He closed his eyes for a moment, beginning to gather himself. As his eyelids parted, his formed titan was already sent flying away… It seemed that size and mass didn’t matter with that technique…
While the battle continued outside, the situation was watched by those within. Mutters of concerns for their safety continued extensively. While Yu Liang was a well known figure, especially with how much he visited his sister, the same couldn’t be said for Bijan… Though, if somebody as protective as Liang left her under his protection, he must've been strong. The one who was being protected, however, had different ideas. The room was filled with just a doctor, nurse, and herself… She was sickly, her abilities weren’t anywhere near as potent. But even so, could she truly just sit here, and do nothing? She learned the same martial arts her brother did, and at one point in turn, was even his equal… Her combat real abilities were likely rusty by this point.
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“Let's see what I'm capable of now….” Cuifen’s gaze went down to her hand, and she found a torrent of shadow emitting from her palm, growing to encompass her hand. So she still had that, at least. In a short time, she attempted to push herself off the ground, and levitate into the spade above. Yet, nothing happened… Her thoughts began to drift to when she first gained the ability of flight, all those years ago.
Outskirts of Shanghai - 2011
A small number of buildings lay in the very outskirts of Shanghai, a rebel controlled city wrested from the Zhuhong military. Two of its inhabitants, the last users of Yu style Chujiao, Liang and Cuifen, Bounded from roof to roof, their own form of agility training. It had been some time since the deaths of their parents, and the battle that would lead to both discovering their abilities. The sister glanced at the brother, and began to speak.
“Liang. Have you ever thought of trying to fly? It almost seems like all other proto-humans can do it… Can’t we?” The boy put hand on his chin in response.
“Maybe… I never gave it much thought. Let’s try it out!” A smile came to Liang’s face, the very same taking place with Cuifen.
…
The revelations on that day began to come back to her. Their attempts at simply trying to jump higher, or do some kind of flying motion did very little, but there was something else that worked… Producing a stream of protomis below one’s feet, and pushing into the air, keeping one suspended mostly indefinitely, as long as one had the stamina, or hadn’t been knocked out of the sky. She began attempting to do just that. Mold it, Control it… Make the energy within listen to you, that is the nature of using one’s abilities. The woman stood there for what felt like hours attempting to fly once more. But Eventually, she felt her feet lift off the ground, something she looked down upon with excitement.
“Yes. I'm halfway there!” The girl began making her way to the partition separating her from the rest of the room, and in short time, got the door out of the way, with a flick of her wrist. Causing the gazes of all those there to fly toward her. Looks of surprise covering their expressions. A snow-haired woman, one of the many nurses, stepped forth.
“Cuifen?! What are y-”
“Not now, I need to get out there and help Bijan!” She responded, cutting the woman off. Yet, this only caused another to step in, especially as she heaved, and began coughing into her palm. A steady stream of crimson liquid began to drip from her lips.
“Your body is weakened at this stage! Proto-human or not, It’s too dangerous! Think about how your brother would feel if you died!”
“I may die either way at his rate! Whatever that thing is doing, he clearly isn’t gonna be an easy fight!” Her eyes began to move back to the battle that was happening in front of her. Bijan’s very own verdant overlord began flinging chunks of destroyed buildings toward the creature, only ending in them being launched back, and hitting, to very little effect. The demon himself began to analyze their current situation… If blunt attacks did not work, there were always other ways of attacking.
“Spears of Iron!” Building-size spears sprouted from the ground below, seemingly out of nowhere, piercing through the verdant emperor's body, causing its very structure to unravel.. But, it seemed as if that was not all. With the vines growing to encompass the spears. What was intended did not become clear, until the verdant emperor began to rebuild itself, now, with the addition of four arms. And in the hands of each, where the spears used against it. Before long, it attempted to charge in once more. Seeing this exchange was more than enough for Cuifen, especially as she took note of the injuries on Bijan;s body.
She would simply have to push past this pain, and move forward regardless. And she intended to do just that, launching herself out of the building’s window, and coming on a direct path for the being’s back, as well as Bijan. In a short time, her hand was cloaked in that same darkness yet again, as she attempted to Launch it forward, as a slicing crescent. Something which only dissipated against the creature’s chitin. As if to make things worse, the creature’s head slowly turned, its gaze seeming to pierce into her very soul. It seemed clear just what he would do next, but it seemed her saving grace was coming in the form of Bijan, who flashed across the sky, taking her with him.
Now, with the two re-grouped, a nearby building was chosen as their meeting place. As his feet touched the ground, Bijan gently sat the woman down as they landed, after which, he quickly took a step back.
“Cuifen, what are you doing here?!” The man questioned, the worry clear in his tone. Though the woman opened her mouth to speak, she went into a coughing fit once more. Yet again.. This damned disease kept her from achieving what she wanted… Her vision was already blurring, and they hadn’t even been hit by an actual attack yet. While in her mind, frustration, in Bijan’s mind, turmoil… If that creature was keeping his attention on them, if he just leaped back and tried to take her back to the hospital, then would he not be leading Cuifen to her death either way? There were questions in his mind, but not many he had the answer to-
The building around them was ripped apart, and the floor below them collapsed, as their opponent began to swing his body, demolishing the area around them. Bijan himself took some more damage, but it was nothing life-threatening. The same could not be said for Cuifen… The force of the swing itself, and the flying rubble that continued to strike her all across her body… With her disease included, Could this very well have been…
No….
She couldn’t let this be the end.
As she thought back to what her brother was going through, just to protect her, what she had done, her want to one day regain her health, to join in battle once more, to close the gap between them. She couldn’t let it end, not here… She needed to live… She needed to SURVIVE!
As these thoughts came to her, some sort of switch seemed to activate within her, as she flashed through the sky, at a much faster speed than before, a palm outstretched. Something Bijan looked up at in surprise, and even the demon himself…. But before he had much time to take action, a palm strike landed onto one of his many body segments. But regardless, it seemed to do nothing. This was likely naught but a desperate attack from this hum-
The true nature of this unexpected attack was revealed with what happened just afterward… The arthropodic demon burst from the inside-out. This was no desperate attack, it was an activation. But regardless, it seemed as if the power Cuifen felt was fading. Her vision began to darken, as her eyes came to a close. Bijan stopped his descent, and shot up to join her, putting the woman into his arms, and beginning to bound back toward the hospital. He looked down upon her unconscious face as he did so.
“Well… She’s still alright. Let’s hope no more excitement like this is in the cards again…” Still, to have an activation, one that ended the battle that quickly, what could be done from then on, was the question
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