Chapter 33

As we hit the wooden floor with a bang I hear Takamori hiss in pain under my weight, but the sound is soon overwhelmed by the crashing of something coming from the window, breaking any remaining glass that could be in there and taking part of the crumbling structure with it.

I look up before Takamori and let a growl full of teeth at the creature, eyes burning red as in a split second my three pupils zoom in at the daring being.

For a second the creature stood midair before sweeping at us again so I'm able to take in its form in more details; it wasn't big nor heavy build, and beyond the tick thighs most of its body is thin, but the most prominent part is the huge pair of moth wings on its back, grey and brown at the back, red and blue at the front w, making it menacing-looking with its arms curved at the front showing claws, and the big bird-like feet with huge black talons at the end.

I drag Takamori to the side when it attacks again, the completely black eyes reflecting our image on its orbs, and as it flew past I can see that at his back there is a long round abdomen like a wasp and a big sting ready to pierce a human in haft.

I have never encountered such creature before, but the murky smell is the same ghouls have, which makes me believe they may be related somehow.

I have no time to ponder further, nor question how such being had gotten in here, when the increasable angry creature starts beating its wings faster and faster, a gush of wind turmoiling in such narrow place, making more of the rooftop to collapse and fall all the way down with a loud crack and the screams of the passersby.

And yet that is not the dangerous part of it I come to realize as I stand with Taka in front of me, making me but my hand on his mouth and nose and cover them up as I dash backward while bringing him with me.

I dodge only in time to see a cloud of golden dust flustering in the wind right before us, so small and thin that it almost passes as rays of sunlight, and perhaps it may if it wasn't night outside.

Our neighbors from below are not so lucky and, as the dust starts falling down towards the floor, easily bypassing the wooden floor full of cracks and small crevices. 

The effect is almost instantaneous as they start coughing and falling down to the ground with hollow bangs, but I have no time to assert their situation and no wish to do so when the creature scream at us, the lower jaw cracking open until its mouth is inhumanly wide open, rows of teeth appearing as well as a very long thin tongue twisting midair.

Neat trick, I think as I kick the small table Takamori brought towards the creature and jump out of the window, bringing him with me towards the not far roof from the building on the other side of the street.

The creature merely swings its arm at the table, breaking it to small pieces, but that is enough time for us to hit the other roof safely, and while I click my tongue in annoyance I look around and hear below the many humans gathering on the street to look at the commotion above.

Most probably wondering what is going on, curious yet too terrified to find out.

More falling debris bring my attention back towards my destroyed place, where the Moth Ghoul kicks the wall away, claws digging the stone, and if the falling pieces of stone weren't enough to make the people down below scream his appearance is, chaos arising, shouts and screams resonating through the streets.

I growl, more annoyed than angry at the creature for bringing trouble to my doorstep, and for the many humans eyes on us that did not allow me to change forms to teach him a good lesson.

Showing teeth my eyes shine with a deadly glint as I push Takamori back, but he tries to force his way closer, not running away as he is supposed to.

"I will fight with you!" He says, but who cares, just leave already!

I can feel the tension growing, the adrenaline pulsating and heat burning inside my veins, my nose flaring up to take more air in for the upcoming fight, but instead of the expected waves of power and the narrowing vision I receive another piercing pain in my head that could not have come at the worst moment, a flash of light, of foreigner feelings, of a strange body, of unknown eyesight, and I can perceive, I can feel in myself as he perceives me, as if looking up and inside my own eyes, as if looking at me directly, and in a flash he knows everything I know, Taka, the ghoul, the situation we are in.

The pain and the flashes goes as quick as it began, and with it my vision comes back to talons up close to my face, making me intuitively dodge to the side and almost trip from the rooftop.

Still I manage to react and counter attack the beast as I grab its leg and try to pull it down, but find myself in a stalemate as the ghoul keeps moving its wings with speed and strength, enough so to hunt and fly away with heavy humans, and apparently enough so that I could not bring it down either; Not with this feeble human body that is, but it seems that sooner than later I will need to learn how to fight in such conditions without giving myself away, so might as well try it now.

So instead of forcing the Moth Ghoul down I put more strength in my grip, feeling pleased when a satisfactory crack resonates as the skin and bones cave in under the pressure, making the creature howl in pain and try to frantically get away, which it ends up managing by twisting and turning its body midair.

However instead of running away as it should, the creature just seems even more eager to fight me, anger pilling up, and as much as I would love to tear its limbs apart one by one with the utmost attention to it I get ready to destroy it all at once.

Fast, yes, that's how I must end this, swift and clean, for something tells me that I do not have much longer until we are interrupted… and if my guess is right by that time I wish to be done with this little fight of ours.

For he may be able to reach here, my cold-eyed human… And I want to be ready to receive him.

So is time finish this, super-human style.