Risu

bloodstainedshackles​:

It was just a simple beast. Driven by an insatiable bloodlust, it sowed carnage in its wake, but was incapable itself of the type of intelligence needed for anything as sophisticated as strategy or planning. Impulsive, it operated off of sheer instinct, and the memory ingrained in the bulky, battle-hardened muscles.

“Grrrrrrrr… Spiky… Meat…”

Not easily deterred by even the prickly interference of the reaper’s steel spines, the beast jumped back after having its attack deflected. Lips curled back, a snarl rumbled low in its throat and it began circling around the opponent.

Ready to lunge at the back, rip open the nape of the neck, whatever it took, but–

Before any decisive action could be taken, the spikes surrounding the reaper as a shield instead turned to strike outward, flying forward at such a speed that they were hard to track.

However, regardless, the beast inhabiting Nyb’s body was able to catch their direction from the swishing of the air around them. Deftly, it sprang out of the way with a sideways leap, and whipped the hefty shark’s tail out towards the reaper’s exposed midriff. The move wasn’t without its risks, of course. But ultimately even the razor-sharp spike that caught the tail in its trajectory, scratching out a bloody trail, was just only able to pierce through the fur-coated hide. Even the blood soaking in to darken the fur wasn’t much, and not nearly enough to make the beast stop in its attack.

And so the tail continued to swing towards the reaper, with all the force of the momentum carrying it through the air, trailing blood droplets.

This creature’s tenacity wasn’t something Risu should’ve underestimated. Perhaps its sense of self preservation took a backseat to its bloodlust. It moved quickly, dodging the attack Risu’s ability dished out on his behalf, and it became clear to Risu that this might just turn into a battle of attrition.

A rush of adrenaline shot through Risu as he noticed that his attack actually did land, albeit not enough to even slow down the tail whipping towards him. He barely had time to register the crimson being slung through the air before the appendage struck him in his abdomen hard, knocking him out of the air and onto his back.

The adrenaline still coursing through his veins aided in Risu’s recovery as he rolled backwards onto his feet before beginning to levitate into the air once more. He couldn’t die again here. It would be best to simply try to outlast the beast at this rate rather than go for a killing strike. What should I do? What can I do?

bloodstainedshackles​:

Run…

Nyb tried to call out, to warn anyone in his path. No, it wasn’t really his path anymore… The tan-furred beast now prowling the streets beneath the blood-red moon was now controlled by a being entirely more fearsome, more bloodthirsty.

Run away…

Movement flashed before his eyes, but it was distant. Far away. Like he was watching the scene from afar through a spyglass. Flashes of movement as the beast lurked through the streets, faster than any man. Splashes of red as the beast swiped razor-sharp claws at the poor passerby that couldn’t escape.

Get out of here!

But no matter how much he wanted to cry out, no matter how much he strained his throat, all that came out was a roiling, bubbling growl. It scared him.

This isn’t me!

He wanted to scream out, since he couldn’t wrest control away from the dreadful monster. But instead of a scream, the jaws of the beast parted to tear the meat from the fresh corpse it had created. Skin, muscle, bone, everything was devoured, until nothing was left.

This isn’t… me…

Horror at the scene unfolding before him was muted, numbed as he was by exposure to such cruel atrocity too many times before. He was disgusted, revolted, but couldn’t even bring himself to look away.

Then a voice spoke out, fierce and assertive, neither his own nor the beast’s.

“Grrrrrrrgggghhhhrrrrrrrrgggghhhhh…”

With this growl rumbling in its chest, the beast swung its head and turned sharp green eyes onto the emerging figure. Fresh blood dripping from the beast’s bared fangs, pointed ears folded back, it paused, watching that figure for a moment, tensing the muscles in its body.

Then, with a sharp, ear-piercing “rrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooooooogggghhhhh” it released that tension all at once and sprang towards the figure, bloodied claws outstretched to snag and tear the flesh it touched.

Risu felt like a passenger in his own body, watching from the sidelines as his ability seemed to take him over. At the very least, the monster he had become, the one lurking at the front of his mind, hellbent on revenge, shared his same goal: survival.

This beast had clearly already tasted blood and probably wouldn’t have minded another taste. But Risu didn’t intend to be next on the menu without a fight.

As the beast lunged forward at an alarming speed, the spikes around Risu’s body rattled on their chains and shot forward, forming in front of Risu’s form like a shield of sorts. Sparks flew as the creature’s claws slashed against the metal, an awful screeching accompanying the display. The force of the beast colliding with him pushed Risu back a significant distance, and his heartbeat pounded in his ears.

That was definitely too close for comfort.

The chains rattled again as they pushed back against the beast, trying to shove it off and get at least some of the distance back between them.

“I’ll curse you...!”

“Ahh…there are cases like that, aren’t there,” she mused, rubbing her chin. Well, it usually wasn’t something she stuck her nose in. Unless they were doing something that drew the ire of the Oda clan specifically, she probably wouldn’t have to explicitly deal with them. Still, at the look on his face, taking her remark so seriously, she couldn’t help but burst into laughter, clutching her stomach.

“Ahaha! I’m just messing with you! While it’s true my dad was that type, I’m not. I don’t really care about being paid for information or anything.” At most, she’d probably just call in some sort of favor later if she needed. That was the sort of thing she deemed the most important. Connections were necessary for almost everything, and the Oda clan certainly had no shortage of them.

Not having much information was definitely going to make it hard though. But the indication of the guy’s height might help. After all, tall people like that stood out, especially if they had those cross marks. She rubbed her chin and furrowed her brows. “Pretty cowardly to attack you from behind, if you ask me,” she hummed. He’d said he wasn’t part of that crowd anymore, so perhaps it had been something like that? “Revenge or somethin’ maybe? Can you think of anyone who didn’t like you among ‘em? Then again, those guys are pretty prickly anyway from what I hear..” But there was one thing that was still bothering her.

“Though I gotta ask, you’re gigantic. How the hell did that guy get the jump on you so bad he knocked you out?” 

Risu was a little surprised to hear the girl suddenly start laughing, then it made him a little mad when she explained why. Why the hell would she joke about something like that when she has that name attached to her? The irritation was replaced with embarrassment at his baseless anxiety, then finally relief as he realized he wasn’t in any immediate danger. He could drop his helpless facade now, at least.

“Well, that’s good. Though I really do appreciate any help you can give me,” he answered, voice more solid than when he spoke before. “I don’t actually think there was anyone who had it out for me. If they did, then they hid it pretty damn well.” He wasn’t friends with all of them by any means, but he didn’t think he was on bad terms with them.

Her next question was one that he was hoping she wouldn’t ask, but now that she posed no threat to him, Risu didn’t feel the need to hide it anymore.

dairokutenheir​:

The usual rounds were made, and she was debating stopping by Homra for a bit to unwind before she headed home. Maybe she could talk Yata into playing some video games with her. It was hardly fun with Nobukatsu since the boy always purposefully did badly so she’d win. Either that or he just really sucked at games. That would have to wait though, as she felt the tap on her shoulder and swiveled to find someone much taller than her standing there.

She blinked for a minute, taking in the odd appearance. There really were some gigantic people here, weren’t there? Well, she was also just short, but that couldn’t be helped! 

“Crosses on his eyes?” she repeated, furrowing her brows as she examined him, bringing her hand up to rub her chin. Truthfully, it did sound familiar…where had she heard it before…? Ah, right. Those guys. She kept her hands in her pockets as she turned to face him fully. 

“Asking about those guys will probably only lead to trouble,” she said, tilting her head slightly so she could see better beyond the brim of her hat. “But seeing your eyes, I’m gonna guess you already know that. They’re not exactly regarded fondly among most of the citizens here.”

She paused for a moment. “Honestly though, it doesn’t take much to be taller than me. Got any more defining characteristics? Though asking the Oda clan will come with a price.” She grinned widely, though there was something just slightly off about it, as if being cornered by a wild animal.

Well, she was mostly just doing it for show. She didn’t really care about collecting debts but she still had to at least make an effort to.

Once the girl turned around to face him, it finally clicked with Risu why he thought this girl was sort of familiar: she was an Oda, and she confirmed as much with her own mouth. Risu had never encountered them himself, and the Cross-eyes weren’t exactly powerful enough to do anything to them, but his former gang certainly didn’t like the Odas on account of their power and rumors of shady dealings.

And if what he had heard about them was true, then that meant they were way more powerful than Risu wanted to deal with. So playing dumb and unthreatening it is. But just how powerless could he appear when the nature of his question was spurred on by the fact that he had been killed yet was very much alive right now?

“Oh, I just got blackmailed into joining them a long time ago, but I’m not a part of that anymore! Not the kind of life for me. If I could get rid of these, I would,” he said, pointing to his own crosses. Well, at least the last part wasn’t a lie.

“Ah, but I... don’t think I could pay that price. I’m looking for the guy because he, um... knocked me out from behind and stole everything I had.” Was that believable? Was it not? Oh well. As long as this didn’t turn into a fight, Risu didn’t care.

@dairokutenheir​

Risu’s search for his murderer turning up fruitless day after day, night after night, was beginning to wear on his mind. He was asking people he might’ve known, people he didn’t, people who frequented areas the Cross-eyes did, and people who have never even heard of them before. He was no stranger to the underbelly of Shizume, having been involved with the Cross-eyes prior to his rather untimely demise, so he had checked with his contacts there frequently.

Every single meeting yielded nothing. The disappointment had long since turned to anger. Someone had to know something.

That’s when a girl with longer hair caught his attention. He had definitely seen her before, but he couldn’t really place where. Maybe she knew something.

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