Perilous Arc |AU|

Killer Flight [Chap. 2]

"SHI-"

It happened in a flash. A jolt rocked my world before I could realize what was happening, and the steel carrying me through the sky folded and crumpled. I was sent tumbling out of the locker from the impact and sprawling across the soft surface of whatever we hit. The rocket pod on the locker must have finally taken too much abuse, because the next thing I knew an explosion left tongues of smoke and fire to lick across my body, especially my neck. A loud piercing sound combined with the bang of the rocket detonating left me beyond disoriented.

I tried to blink my eyes open, all while fumbling my grip on this new surface, but the smoke stung my eyes too much. I felt gravity making me slip, so I scrambled up and across with handfuls of fluff to a point where I felt steady-ish. There was just enough space, so I straddled the surface and rubbed the stinging away from my eyes. Blinking them open with some difficulty, I finally was able to take stock of my situation.

"Hm?" I grunted out, confused.

Two massive red eyes glared from in front of me, both embedded in a stony mass of white that was tilted to look back at me. I froze, gripping handfuls of pitch-black, which registered in my mind as feathers.

'Hehe, the thing almost looks like a Never...more?' My brain flatlined. Shakily, I moved my gaze to make eye contact with the two eyes that were still fixed on me and studied. White mask, two eyes on one side of the head, and a beak. 'God, if you're real, let this all be a bad drea-'

"SSSSCREEEEEAAAAAA!"

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

The flying Grimm screeched and so did I. I could feel my heartbeat in my head and hear it in my ears, my body shook with each pump. My hand launched towards the grip of Crocea Mors and I ripped it free from my hip, pausing only to scream once more before slamming the tip into the smaller of the two eyes glaring at me. The bone rebounded the thick metal but the eye pulped from the point, squirting liquid that soon smoked away. The Nevermore screeched louder and harder than before, and I could feel the vibration of it through my body. I heard a mighty flap of its wings and we went darting forward fast enough for the wind to distort the skin on my face. I gripped a meaty fistful of feathers and anchored my legs around the birds neck, instinct the only thing keeping me from flying off.

I grit my teeth against the sudden turbulence, and the grip on my hilt tightened even further. I whipped my arm forward again and shouted, this time driving my weapon towards the other large red eye. My body bent and reached with the attack, and finally the tip landed. The eye was pierced, and the force slammed the sword into the birds head all the way to the cross-guard. The bird jolted under me, but otherwise didn't react. I looked to the other side of the head and saw the shiny tip of Crocea Mors sticking out from the opposite eye.

"Right through the brain, then." I muttered. A smile then crossed my face. "Must be dead!"

I looked around the Nevermore, and sure enough I could see the feathers on the edges of the wings were slowly turning to smoke. I breathed a deep sigh of relief at the fact the I had managed to kill the Grimm, a small amount of pride worming into my heart as I turned and saw smoke leaking from the things pierced eyes. I grunted as I yanked Crocea Mors out of the skull and returned it to the scabbard resting on my hip. My chest puffed in pride as I looked forward, seeing the main tower growing closer and closer. However, I squinted when I realized something was off.

"It wasn't that tall a second ago, was it?"

Curiously, I looked down. Immediately, I realized my mistake.

"No, no-no-no!" The ground was growing closer. With the Grimm dead, it can't maintain altitude. In other words, I'm gonna be crash landing this damn thing! "If I knew being a Huntsman would involve so much falling, I WOULD HAVE JUST BEEN A FARMER!"