30 Days A Revenant, IV

[April 15th]

The white wedding had been called to another train, and as she took her backseat -

- a man stomped up fifty feet ahead, pulling a knife out -

" - Urasaria!" shouted Matoi, missiles already bursting out of her shoulders and flying ahead -

- the man tapped them, and they suddenly froze mid-air -

" - Kraftwerk -"

- and a second missile hit the back of the first -

- and the chain reaction of explosions tore his body to shreds.

'How bizarre.'

[April 16th]

That day, Kirihara was called to a coliseum, corpses already dotted on the ground as she arrived, step muddy underneath.

"Carve." she muttered, sawblade readied, and in the next instant -

- a hand shot out of the ground and gripped her ankle; she shrieked as she was yanked direct in and under the mud, feeling his grip release a second later -

' - Carve!'

- and a pipe of Carve formed in her mouth, peaking out of the muddied ground around, allowing her to breathe as she felt her foe swimming around. Her sawblade swept down from above, carving and spinning as it entered the mud, and in the next instant -

- she felt its progress slow as the mud started to harden, rough terrain slowing its advance as it spun around her -

- and a muddied fist smashed her back; feeling the man behind, Carve's spikes burst out of her back -

- and impaled the man clear on it; but he was fired to the durability of a sycophant. His grip shot to her arms, pulling and yanking her back, still impaled on her spikes -

- and he realized what a mistake he had made a second later, Carve's spikes growing and curving back through his back&chest to her back -

- and she laughed as she rose out of the mud, ground solidifying as her cargo fell pockmarked&dead.

"Dumbass."

[April 17th]

Mia had responded to a hostage situation that day with a man seemingly suicidal. He had taken a three-floor ledge, woman screaming with him. The regular police were keeping him busy as she crept up through the apartment, reaching one third-floor door.

'Worldwide.'

A swift fire scarab disintegrated the door, and she stepped in to the living room, open window ahead with the man&woman still facing away. An icicle formed in her hand. She aimed carefully and threw it forward -

- and the keen end pierced through the man's skull and out his eyes; she rushed in pursuit as the woman fell off the ledge, and as Mia hurtled out of the window -

" - Worldwide!"

- a pool of water formed below the woman as she fell three floors down -

- and in to the liquid savior she landed, shrieking at the water's temperature, police clapping below as Mia landed beside on the sidewalk.

"Apologies." laughed Mia, holding her hand out to the dripping woman. She took it, and the two stepped out on the sidewalk.

"T-Thank you." she sobbed, and Mia smiled as a true hero might.

"Guess you types can help us out, too. Shame we can't do that the other way around." said one of the officers, tipping his hat to Mia.

She recognized him as one of the men that had arrested her father, and her smile was disgusted. Her scarabs dried the woman off, and the two went separate ways.

As Mia walked, she checked her tablet again, sighing to find she'd lost her lead. She hoped she'd never have to deal with a Kirihara presidency in her last two years.

Fifteen minutes later, she got her wish walking down another street; a Revenant attacking a train. With no time to waste, she rushed back up the sidewalk to the corner, traffic in earnest beside, and as she hurtled past a second corner -

- a bizarre scene met her stare, cars all pointing in the direction of her journey -

- and with bitemarks as if a monster had taken a chunk out of each. Her eyes searched rapid as she ran, knowing it to her foe's Revenant then, rushing up and through streets like the previous.

Another five minutes brought her to the underground subway's entrance. She rushed down the stairs and came to the turnstiles, and as she hurtled over, eye-level with the tracks -

- a bloodied scene met her stare, train suddenly stopped in place fifty feet ahead and crusted crimson, and in the next instant -

- the doors burst open, and out of the train erupted an enormous black boulder, horrendous set of teeth down the horizontal; she shrieked as she stumbled back -

- and back in to the train it rolled -

- and Mia winced as she heard it set to work inside, chomping what civilians had survived to bits, backing away slowly as her mind stabilized.

'I need to put some distance between myself and - it - first.'

With a wince, she ran back through the turnstiles -

- and the beast burst out of the train again, rolling with the speed of a rolling stone towards her, and as she came up the stairs -

- a slide of ice formed underneath and quickened her step as she rushed up and away, ice scarabs keeping the path slippery behind. She ran up out of the subway and on to the street, daring not stop for a second as she kept her rush down the sidewalk, eyes turning back -

- and seeing the beast burst out of the subway, gaining speed by the second as it rolled and hurtled within range -

" - Worldwide!"

- sheets of ice formed underneath and hastened her retreat as she slid, apartment complex beside; she veered left and kept her legs to the wall, ice keeping her step secure as she went up the building. Her eyes ripped below and saw the pace keeping pace on the ground -

- and a ladder of ice formed on the building; she climbed direct up to the roof, memories of Magnus's training in her mind as she rushed across.

Another street was below. She swept her legs over the barrier, starting to slide down -

- and the building started to collapse, walls suddenly losing stability; she shrieked as she fell, seeing the beast burst out of the building and open its maw for her below -

- but a ramp of ice formed mid-air, catching and launching her to the next building's roof; she rolled as she landed, leaping down to another street like the previous, pole of ice forming for her grip as she slid down -

- and veered right as she hit the sidewalk running, ground rumbling as the creature rolled in pursuit from the other street, and in the next instant -

- it erupted out of the building behind -

- and triggered the frozen&electrical landmines she had left; as she turned, she halted to see the effect -

- and her eyes fell aghast, seeing the beast unharmed - but bizarrely, not moving at all. She dared not move first as she watched, parked cars beside and intersection ahead; behind the titanic beast.

'Does it have the same restriction as the dinosaur Revenant?' she thought, and in the next instant -

- a car screamed through the red light and sped east, and the beast turned -

- and she winced as it matched its speed and pursued the vehicle, crushing the car in an instant and devouring the driver in half, horrific teeth spraying red as it swallowed. Meal finished, it started its roll back down the road and away from her -

" - wait!" she shouted, sword forming in her hands, starting to wave frantically - " - come back!"

- and as expected, the autonomous beast turned towards her again, three hundred feet separating she and it.

It was like a rolling nightmare was it hurtled down the road, stone body gaining momentum by the second, and as it came a hundred feet within -

" - Worldwide!"

- her sword aimed across the street; a jet of water burst from the tip -

- and the beast veered direct towards it, seeking the fastest thing in the area. With a nod, she fled down the sidewalk again, spraying water as fast as she could across the street, knowing she was temporarily safe as she ran.

'I have it lured, but I need to kill it…' she thought, and as she turned the corner -

" - D-Don't move! Stay still!" she panted with the speed of light, seeing the road packed with cars beside, civilians on the sidewalks. Her sword flashed out again, desperately spraying water -

- and she winced as not a single driver heard her, starting their cars at full speed to drive away from the beast as it came around the corner -

- and down the avenue it rolled, crushing and devouring every last in an instant, only the civilians who had heard her safe then, crouching down and laying still.

"Come here, boy!" shouted Mia, spraying water again as she rushed back down the way she had came. The loyal boy rolled in pursuit, keeping a constant chomp at the jet of water across the street.

'I don't have many fire&ice scarabs left, but…' she winced, slow swarms forming icicles in the creature's path -

- and she sighed as it took every hit body-on, smashing through the spiked carpet and seemingly unharmed as it kept its constant pace. Few ice scarabs left, her last volley flew in to the beast's maw -

- but wilted uselessly again; she halted and turned, seeing the beast turn towards her, raising her sword's aim high -

- but no jet of water came, and as the creature began to roll towards her -

- it veered suddenly to the center of the street beside, chomping at the air and confused -

- where a set of fire scarabs were keeping the air heated.

'Temperature is simply a measure of how fast molecules move.'

She felt like the chemist as she stepped back and out to the road, starting her steady fleeing with a new volley.

'God - please don't tell me this is the same as that creature.'

Fifty feet separated her and the creature (but not that one), and as she came out of range, the heat began dissipate; source of amusement gone, the creature rolled towards her again; no option left, she aimed her palms forward -

" - Worldwide! Solar Beam!"

- an orange beam erupted from her palms, piercing through the creature -

" - are you fucking kidding me?!" she panted, seeing it unharmed; she gripped her sword for one last stand as it drew within range -

"Worldwide - White-Hot!"

- her sword burst in to blue flames, and in a sweep seeking the creature's midsection -

- that disintegrated it in half, and the rotten halves sank and fell rigid. A second and third sweep, and it was gone.

"Thank fucking -"

- she paused, staring at her burning blue sword. It hadn't melted an inch.

She wondered how long it had taken the Queen of Scarabs, Ryumi.

[April 18th]

The narcissist, hoping for better prospects out of city, took her car down a bridge to another state that day, ocean flanking her and road clear ahead.

"See how this goes, see how this goes." she yawned, and in the next instant -

- the road turned to ice ahead; instantly her car started slipping and sliding, veering out of control and right -

- and launched off the bridge - wirh the speed of light she jumped out, throwing Carve's harpoon back to the bridge -

- and panting as she saw her car land in the water below, pole keeping her tethered to the bridge. Careful step readied, she swept up and upon, climbing like an acrobat back to the bridge -

- and there, at the other end, three hundred feet separating he and she, was her foe, armor of ice and road frozen below.

'Great. He's like that Mia chick. Mia bitch.'

"Hey!" shouted the man. "You know that phrase - 'you can't have your cake and eat it too?!'"

"I - what?" she groaned, starting her rush forward -

- underneath a dozen thrown icicles she dodged -

" - that fucking phrase! It doesn't make any sense - you have your cake - and then you eat it! You -can- have your cake and eat it too! That's the only way to have cake - it seriously pisses me off!"

Two hundred feet separated the two.

"It was originally -" - Kirihara sighed - " - 'eat your cake and have it too' -"

" - then why the fuck isn't it like that now?!"

" - I don't fucking know!" she shouted, a hundred feet separating the two, and as Carve's saw spun forward -

" - White Album!" shouted the man, and in the next instant -

- Carve started to freeze solid, spin slowing as it came within his range; it swept with the speed of a saw back -

- and the next scene was instant. Carve's saw burst open, rapidly reforming to a solid cube; it flew forward again -

- and bashed the man's skull in a shower of crimson, Kirihara laughing as he fell dead, Carve no longer freezing.

'There we go. Buncha saws keeping it warm in there.'

[April 19th]

Kirihara set out on patrol that day, crowds thin on the streets. She shoved her way past one casual man, and as she walked further down -

"H-Hey!" panted the man, making an exaggerated show of tripping on to the sidewalk. "My - my ribs!"

"Your what?" groaned Kirihara, not even turning

"Don't you feel guilty? One bit?" he winced, groaning in pain. "Just how awful you are -"

- the keen end of a sawblade cleaved his head from his shoulders. Kirihara sighed as she turned, tablet out.

'… oh. Huh. He had a Revenant?'

[April 20th]

A bizarre phenomenon had been occurring in a nearby forest, and Kirihara had been called in to check. She walked in between the trees, eyes filling with the dirt and branches around, Carve readied behind her. Thoughts of presidency filled her head as she strode, trees starting to grow taller around, branches and brambles stacking up higher ahead.

Eventually, the trees filled the sky; a gigantic branch blocked the ground ahead, and she realized it then; a rumbling began behind, and in the next instant -

- underneath an ant's pinchers she dodged, beast as tall as her now, Carve having shrunk to a miniscule size; the blade flew rapidly forward, growing again as it flew away from her -

- and cleaved the ant clear in half, Kirihara grunting as she turned back ahead, knowing the Revenant then.

'Keeps shrinking me the closer I get, betting.'

With a sigh, she came up to the enormous branch, Carve forming a set of claws for her; and up she climbed, coming up to the top end -

- and seeing a grass clearing what felt like a mile away, single green frog in the midst of the grass; with no time to waste, she rode Carve back down, hovering and gliding ahead -

- and felt with aghast body both Carve and herself shrinking the closer she got, still a mile away separating her from the creature, trees beside her as she stopped in place. Her thinking foot tapped -

- and she groaned as she started seeing it leap towards her, unable to flee as it cleared the distance in a single bound; Carve shrunk miniscule, and she fell back to the ground, shockwaves rumbling the ground of the minuscule woman -

- and throwing her up with thr strength of a thousand, growing as she flew out and above the creature, tree beside her as she hit her peak and started to fall, frog down below -

- but the next scene was instant. A throw of Carve's spear upward&right, projectile growing as she caught a tree branch; and up she climbed, leaping up to the branch, still close to the ground, frog seeming to stare at her below. She backed away closer to the tree, and as Carve cut the tip of the branch off -

- she groaned as she saw it fall on to the creature and shrink rapidly, disappearing in the next instant, leaving her thinking again as she stood.

'… How the fuck do you deal with this?' she thought, and in the next instant -

- the frog's tongue erupted out of its mouth and shot towards her, gripping her before she could react, and as it yanked her down -

- she grew to her normal size again, landing on her back and next to the creature.

It leaped, and clung to Kirihara's shoulder.

"Mama." it cooed.

"Nope."

Carve sliced it in half. She frowned as she checked her tablet, and felt hatred towards nothing in particular.

RAIN-ON-A-WEDDING (320)

CARVE (307)

LAVENDER MENACE (298)

SWARM (278)