damned_institute | Nightshift 33: Bus Unloading Area

"I'm fine," Dairine said. They'd moved quickly enough to avoid attracting the attention of the indoor attacker. "What about you, Toph?"

Funny, Dairine couldn't remember getting out here at night, aside from that one time after they'd been to town. Immediately on alert, she scanned the sky for any giant birds. That was an experience she was loath to repeat.

Her mind could not help going back to the fighters in the entry room. She hoped they'd come out of it okay.

"Doing all right here," Toph said, wiggling her toes into the cool ground. The act had been done in a careless manner, but it had its purpose. Her feet found a barrier along the grounds, fencing the three in from trees outside.

Gee, how familiar.

It was good for the prey that the girl looked up when she did, but it wouldn't make a difference in the end. They could see them coming, or they could be surprised. Either way, the twin pair of creatures that rose from the roof would have them all, sweet pure prey to feast upon.

Their massive wings were spread wide, the two circling high above, watching for their moment. Then it came, that instinctive signal to go, attack, kill, and they swept down in turn. One from the right, the other just far enough behind to avoid collision as it came from the left. Their taloned feet were prone, ready to impale any too slow to avoid them, to cart the freshly killed (or not even yet dead) off to their nest for the feasting.

[Tad]

For a second Renamon was relieved both were still fine, even as she wondered why Dairine was staring at the sky. Then her ultra-sensitive ears caught the faint sound of wings sweeping the air. She followed Dairine's line of sight quickly.

If the Digimon swore, she'd be far past the PG-13 rating that Rika's world gave 'her' anime.

There wasn't much that she could think to do in this situation. Papers still held tight, she whirled around and crashed into the two girls behind her, knocking them down and back. She didn't know if it'd make a difference but she wasn't going to let anyone else get hurt. Not while she was able.

Dammit, Dairine thought as Renamon crashed back into her and knocked her out of harm's way for the moment. The birds passed overhead so closely she could feel the wind they created. She should have known that the outside wasn't safe, she should have figured that those stupid birds would be back to try and make a meal of whoever was foolish enough to step outside. Her mistake had not been warning them, but they'd been going so quickly and--

Enough. Excuses were tools of the Lone One - they had no place in a wizard's mind. And the thing that did have a place in a wizard's mind was only too happy to let her think the final, activating syllable and release the pent-up energy.

Please, Powers, let this work... "It's gonna get a bit hot here," she said, and unleashed the spell with its last syllable. A modestly-sized fireball spouted up towards the bird that had passed on the left. Whether or not it would actually hit was the real question.

It took half a second before Toph realized something was quite wrong, but by then, she found herself tumbling headlong into the ground, rolling a couple of feet away from the others. Scraps and bruises aside, the girl was perfectly fine, and more importantly, the shards remained safely in her hands. Of course, she couldn't quite understand what exactly had occurred. She thought her forearm brushed against something soft in the fall, but all Toph could "see" were Renamon and Dairine.

"What's going on?" she called out, scrambling to her knees, her hands moving every which way in hopes of catching the emergency. Instead, she found only heat against her cheeks, as if someone had just firebended into the night air.

Their first sweep was a miss, and worse was the fire that followed. The bright flame could so easily be seen in the night, and the avian shifted to the side, though not fast enough. One of its wings was struck, the odor of smoldering rotten feathers filling the air. It screeched loud and long, pain resounding in that cry, but it wasn't done yet. No, even as it dropped without grace to the ground, it desperately flapped its wings and managed to land on its feet. But though it couldn't swoop down, it was still dangerous and deadly, it's massive wings spread wide as it came at the group with beak poised to strike.

And then there was the second creature, still quite capable of flight, something that they shouldn't forget even with the closer danger on land. It flew high, coming around in a large arc, and once again at the group. It wouldn't let its fellow have all the meat, not when it was so fresh, and so clean.

The first thing Renamon noticed was the large fireball Dairine had conjured. There was no small amount of wishful thinking on her part, longing for her blue flames to wipe the feathers off these birds. First a scorpion that reminded her of Dokugumon, and now these huge birds to play the part of Harpymon. Either fate had a sense of humor or something seriously wanted her dead.

And as she was moving into a crouch, she noticed the second thing in the form of Toph calling out. Tackling them out of the way again, this time to the right, she called out, "Can't you see the huge birds?"

She was out of options once again. Instead of attacking, Renamon opted to simply guard the girls and react when the closer bird mover in.

The fireball had brought the first bird low, but they weren't out of the woods yet. Dairine tucked the folder into the waistband of her pants, freeing both her hands for another attack. "You guys take the injured one!" she shouted. "I'll try and get the other one down!" She was winded, and felt like she'd just sprinted three full flights of stairs, but the experiment had worked. She could use her wizardry to an increased extent than just a few days ago. Dairine made a note to retool the power requirements on more spells - wizardry lite - before she sent another sphere of flame rushing towards the aerial attacker.

Her accuracy was bound to be diminished, she knew, but she had to at least try. Best-case scenario, it turned the oncoming bird into Kentucky Fried Whatever-It-Was; worst-case, it missed entirely, and served only as a distraction. Hopefully it would buy time at the very least as the bird prepared for another attack.

She couldn't keep this up for long. This would probably be her last shot if she didn't want to risk overexerting herself. It better be worth it.

Toph blinked back at Renamon, the realization causing her to slap a palm against her temple. No wonder her radar came up blank!

Sadly, her little bet with herself would have to wait for when people's lives weren't in danger. "No!" she responded, after a short recovery. "I'm blind!" The earthbender considered adding a qualifier about her special ability, but with man-eating birds about, it was probably in her best interest to save that fact for a more relevant time.

Then, she sensed them: both the piercing cry and the disgusting odor. It wasn't long before a figure registered amid the ground vibrations, causing Toph to face the creature with a determined expression. Got you. She grasped the pot shards in anticipation, knowing full well she was going to make good use of them in a moment.

"On it!" Toph called to Dairine, though she had virtually no plan on how to bring the thing down without most of her bending. When the charging bird came within range, the girl threw herself to one side; the force and direction were enough to draw her away from its attack without getting pecked. At least, that was her plan; she was never good at the whole dodging thing.

Dairine's second shot wasn't so lucky as the first. This bird was faster, able to roll away from the flame. And instead of distracting it, of scaring it off, the fire seemed to trigger a sharp dive, the next attack of the creature, coming for the girl with claws again extended.

The second creature's beak missed Toph as she dove, but it's massive size was nothing to be misjudged. It hopped up into the air, fluttering its wings to lift it only slightly, but enough to try and bring its foot down on Toph, those massive talons sharp as razors and easily able to slice into skin.

At the second fireball, Renamon called to Dairine, "How long can you keep that up?" It was a fiercer weapon than anything they had at the moment, and if the girl could continue to do so....

Toph's sharp reply caught Renamon off guard, and if her self-control was a little worse, she would have stood there gaping for a moment. As it was, she merely blinked once, and decided she'd react to that later, even as surprising as it was.

The problem put before Renamon was that she had two people to protect. If she had fully fought with either by her side before, she might have more trust in their skills, but she was running with what she had. She paused a fraction of a second then made a decision. She hoped that Dairine would dodge safely, because she could help Toph out with her problem more.

She had a longing for her Diamond Storm attack, which would definitely be more useful then what she was attempting. As the bird brought its foot again, she darted up from the side, slightly leaping into the air to drive the sharp, hand-size, clay shard into the bird's thigh with more force. If it went as planned, as she dropped back to the ground, the shard would tear downwards through the bird's flesh.

Would it make a difference with a bird that size? Not likely. But it might help distract it from its other choice of prey.

Nightshift 33: Bus Unloading Area

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