Episode 3-3: Feather Flight

A drip of blood falls from the inside of Clyde's mouth and down to his chin. It lands on my shoulder, but it's already coated with my own blood, why bother wiping it off? The front desk starts to look like they're about to panic again, but Clyde speaks up and freezes them in their tracks.

"You got any extra bedsheets? We'll take two, we made a mess upstairs."

"Sir, do you need an ambulance?"

"No, I—"

"You're bleeding everywhere! We'll get you some help!"

"Troy, please tell them that's not what we need."

"He's right," I tell them, my pheromones escaping from my own blood, "we just need the bedsheets, please. If that's not too much trouble."

Concerned looks never go away, but a staff member does throw us two bedsheets; ultra white and clean until they touch us. I don't know why Clyde wants them, but I'm sure he's cooking up something.

"You and the other man really should find a hospital. Here, I'm grabbing my keys! I'll drive you if you don't want to pay the ambulance bill."

We both perk our ears up, my left one still missing its tip. "Other man?" I ask.

"He went that way. I thought he had a room on the second floor, but he went down the hall over there."

Clyde motions for me to keep one of the bedsheets, and I can only hope I know what to do with it when the time comes. There's a high chance that he wouldn't try to hide in one of the rooms, he would make too much noise trying to break into one while it's locked.

However, there is a basement door for a/c units, plumbing, and electrical needs to keep the building running properly. It's a desperate hiding place, he's hoping to be missed amongst all the clutter that's probably down there. Clyde seems to think the same thing as he readies himself to open the door.

It's dim, but not dark. The stairs lead to a sizable maintenance floor packed with the expected. Feather Flight isn't even hiding, he's standing in front of a big radiator still whimpering about his broken arm.

"You need medical help," I say, "you know who has the best medicine? That's right, Ispio. Come back with us, you'll get everything treated and your curse wiped out. Don't you want that?"

"No! I already told you no! Den of Lions is mine! I'll never give it up!"

Clyde points to a shelf to my left in a subtle manner and nods his head. "Feather Flight, that relic has ended many lives since it's been used."

"You've ended lives, not the relic."

"We wouldn't be ending them if they never trained with it. It's pure rebellion in a gory form. Just because it gave you a power not attainable in real life doesn't mean it did it for free or for the good of your goals."

"I had a part-time job at a gas station. All I did was show up, cash people out, go home, and watch tv. When the relic gave me Den of Lions, and The Key gave me a mission, there was finally something to look forward to when I woke up every morning. I don't want to lose my power, there's a reason for me to live now."

"Is that fan plugged in?"

Clyde points to an industrial fan that's been sitting next to Feather Flight. It's off now, but its cord runs along the floor and disappears behind more containers. Feather Flight's smile turns wicked, his hand runs along the top of the fan, caressing it like a missed lover.

"In this condensed room, Den of Lions will have free roam when the fan fills it up with fresh wind. I'll turn it on, and just wait for every crevice to feel the breeze!"

Even if that's true, the wind will be limited to the front of the fan for at least a few minutes. We just have to stay out of the way of the stream and turn it off before the room is covered in wind.

"Try to get near me and the wind will shred you to pieces!"

With a flip of a switch, the front of the fan just became an invisible blender. It whirs threateningly, I'm sure Den of Lions is lashing out in its limited space just waiting for some meat to fall in its danger zone.

Clyde sprints to the right behind a shelf and uses the bedsheet to cover himself up. I do the same with the shelf he pointed out on my left. The wind can't reach my skin, but I've seen Den of Lions rip up the car. This sheet is only good for avoiding small gusts, stepping in front of a strong burst isn't recommended if this thin layer is the only thing protecting me.

"Go around, Troy! Keep the sheet over your skin!" Clyde shouts.

"On it!"

I can't really see well through it, but the low thread count allows for some misty visibility. It only makes the dim lighting that much worse to traverse through. Feather Flight has no choice but to stay near the fan. If he leaves, we'll simply shut it off or attack him while he's not near any wind.

I jump over counters and tables, knock over supplies and tools, all just to get to the side of Feather Flight who never takes his eyes off of me. I jump down and stand near the fan, Den of Lions still hasn't made a move to attack me. Looks like Clyde's simple shield worked out.

"Ready for more bones to break, you skinny little twerp?" I ask.

"I'm skinny? Look at you! You're almost bones!"

I hit the switch and turn off the fan, Clyde's footsteps start sprinting toward us, and I throw my sheet up in the air. Feather Flight purses his lips to try and blow more air at me, but a quick snap punch to his nose stops it from coming out. The sheet lands on his head, and I force it down to tighten it around his face. Clyde, in an incredible display of agility, does a flying kick straight to his head. The force is strong enough to make me lose my grip, and Feather Flight takes a trip through the air and crashes into the radiator.

The parts of his body that touched the metal singe and boil him, the fur chars and the skin turns a bright red. His body starts to seize and shake harshly, no doubt he'd just taken immense brain damage from a force like Clyde's foot crashing into his skull. The sheet flew off during his aerial trip, draping over the fan perfectly like an ending scene from an action sequence.

"Nothing but still air," Clyde says.

"I guess you left him…breathless."

"Yeesh."

"Too cheesy?"

"I'm lactose intolerant."

"You know you want to laugh."

"I'm not going to."

"I'll poke your sides."

"I'm not ticklish. Why do you keep on trying?"

"You are, I saw that smile on my couch."

"You were making a goofy face."

"Is your trigger finger still okay?"

Conviction, his prized and named gun, unveils itself from his holster. "Time to confirm the kill?"

"It's the only way. The relic will let this slide because that fight almost drained us like grapes in a vineyard."

"Hmph. Sayonara, Feather Flight."

Clyde points his gun at Feather Flight, whose body has stopped shaking, and aims for the space between his eyes.

Bang!

Feather Flight's body is jerked away by an invisible force, the bullet hits the concrete floor, forcing a hole and a crack to spread around the impact.

"What!?"

Feather Flight, while still looking out of it, hovers in the middle of the air with his legs spread apart as if he's riding a motorcycle or saddle. When his eyes finally uncross themselves, he looks just as surprised as we do. We all stand still in silence, Conviction lets her smoke from her barrel rise and invade our noses with the smell of gunpowder.

Underneath Feather Flight, something starts to manifest. The form of a spectral lion starts to become visible. It looks like the lions that dived through the hotel's window. Now he's able to ride it? Den of Lions mutated through trauma just like Playback and Alternative Punch.

That's three out of three. These powers will always unlock something new if they feel their user isn't winning the fight they're in. Den of Lions still has its gleaming red eyes, but to see the full body makes my nerves shiver.

Clyde shoots another shot at the lion underneath Feather Flight, but the bullet passes right through; only making the mist it is made of stir slightly. Can't damage the lion, what is there left for us? Will the relic still protect Feather Flight if it thinks he still has a chance?

"Den of Lions, you saved me?" Feather Flight says while petting the head of the massive beast under him. I watch its misty tongue lick his hand in affection. "I knew you still believed in me. You're the greatest thing that's ever happened to me in my whole life. I won't let you down."

"No fucking way that just happened," Clyde complains.

"A ghost lion? Why can't anything cool be on our side?" I whine.

Feather Flight points at us, looking much more regal on top of his noble steed. "I already told you, my power is much stronger than those you've already fought. You'll never defeat me, not while Den of Lions has my back. We're going to rip you to pieces! Go!"

With a mighty roar from his spectral mount, its claws dig into the ground and launch itself at us, barreling between us and forcing us to stumble out of the way. It's incredibly fast; it's a speed that the naked eye will have trouble keeping track of. If I lose my awareness even once, it'll have a chance to slice my throat with no resistance. One mistake, and we both die.

"Whoa! The speed, it's like I've never witnessed before in my life!" Feather Flight brags.

"Clyde, look out!"

Den of Lions leaps at him, but Clyde tries to dodge to the side. The splatter of blood along the floor tells me that he wasn't quick enough to be unscathed. The left side of his cheek is totally shredded, his teeth are exposed even when his mouth is closed. Den of Lions ripped a piece of his face off.

"Agh! Fuck!"

Clyde falls to his knees, his hands hovering over his mouth. Massive amounts of blood drip from his face and cover his boots with bright red. It's horrifying to watch, it's almost like I'm looking directly at his skull.

"Oh shit, no!"

Feather Flight stops right in front of me, stopping me from reaching Clyde. "The Afterburners are the biggest threat to us. If I stop you right here, right now, you won't be able to keep us from experiencing what the most our lives could be. I'll be doing the rest of us a kindness, and I'll watch them grow stronger and more capable knowing that I helped cultivate this growth in a major way."

"You're sick! Don't you realize The Key only wanted you to see if you had the blood they were looking for? When they found out you didn't, they discarded you. They told you to go on a research expedition to learn about your power, but you don't even realize the next person they're nabbing is trying to replace you! You failed them the moment you didn't bond with the relic! They don't care what happens to you!"

"I don't believe you one bit, but even if it was true, they decided to leave me alone with Den of Lions still at my side. They can do fuck all for all I care, my life is mine to control now. I'll never be the same person I once was, and it's all thanks to The Key even if they don't want to stick around."

I can't really see Clyde with Feather Flight in the way, but I imagine he's not doing so hot. I remain in the staredown, Den of Lions looks at me with hunger in its evil eye. Scraping claws on concrete shatter my eardrums, and I watch as this massive monster leaps at me with its full body and claws at the ready.