Strays (WHM)

Part 15

The crunch of metal grated Senji's ears, and the squeal of it scraping together as the plane crashed below. She held Rody by the shoulders, gliding down and landing on the forest floor. She released her wings as soon as they landed, and pulled her overshirt back on. There were clouds above, threatening rain, and gunshots mixed with explosions rang out in the distance.

"Uh oh," Rody's voice was the exact opposite of reassuring. Senji looked up, seeing a small horde of Humaraise cultists surrounding them in an instant.

"Shit," she cursed, moving between Rody and the forefront of the group. Shining dully in the gray light, tiny scales filled the air around the pair.

"Don't fret, we've come to make a deal," one of the cultists addressed them, holding his hands up with palms facing forward. He spoke in a self-assured tone, which made Senji click her tongue in irritation. Her tail swished to match her strained disposition, tapping against Rody's leg. Her left arm, being substituted with scales already, grew in size and sharpness.

"We already had your cooperation, Mr. Soul," the leader of the small band spoke up again. He made a swift motion with his left hand, and the positioning of his comrades shifted ever so slightly to focus on Senji.

"Yeah, right," Rody lost his temper at that. Senji held her arm up across his chest, and he gritted his teeth to hold back for now.

"Let's hear it, then," the girl spoke up.

"Right. Help us out, and deliver that key to the leader so he can destroy it. We'll guide you right to him, and keep you safe," the ringleader spoke in that same tone. He studied the expressions of the two below him, and signaled for the others to move in on his mark. "Ah, but the girl will stay behind."

"I'm going with him," Senji disapproved of that last condition. Rody rested a hand on her shoulder to reassure her, but she just covered it with her own and stared daggers at the group's leader. The corners of her mouth curled slightly, but her eyes were sharp and filled with conviction. Rody felt something tap his back pocket, and he understood her true intention. Pino snuck out of his hood and prepared herself to fly out, along with a little surprise.

"I don't think so. You, little lady, have to atone for all your victi-!"

In an instant, the two had bolted in different directions. A bright flash of light illuminated the area that was surrounded, blinding the cultists. Several gunshots rang out, while the leader heard some scuffling beside him that passed by just as fast. He could hear something whizzing through the air, and the pained gasps of several of his comrades. Footsteps retreated behind him, and he spun around to take chase. Something hard connected with his chest, sending him rolling down the incline he stood on. As his eyes readjusted from the flash, he caught just a glimpse of a blue tail snaking over the edge of the dirt. A pink dot flitted behind the tail, and then they were gone. His comrades lay mostly motionless in the damp dirt, some struggling and writhing in pain. He climbed back up, fighting against his fading consciousness, only to find that his compatriots all had various stab wounds that were keeping them down. He cursed the pair, and collapsed.

...

"That was just a flash grenade, right?," Rody asked. The pair had stopped at the edge of the trees to catch their breath, while Senji strained her eyes ahead. He saw a stream of bluish scales rush out, toward the clashing steel and explosions near the wide cave entrance.

'Yep," Senji answered. "Let's go."

She pulled Rody ahead, and they sprinted through the entrance and down a staircase. They passed tons of unconscious cultists, some frozen in huge sheets of ice, as they raced through the maze of halls. They came to an underground river, with a busted stone bridge separating them from the other side. Senji pulled off her shirt, and produced a smaller set of wings than before. She lifted off slowly, wrapping her arms under Rody's again.

"This landing'll be a lot rougher," she warned before taking off. They flew quickly, and unsteadily, to the other side where they crashed to the ground. Rody rolled onto his feet, while Senji tumbled over onto her side. He ran to her side, pulling her up and steadying her with his own body. A few stray guards crept up around them, guns raised.

"Well, this is annoying," Senji spun out of Rody's assistive hold, forming a blade in one hand and longer claws on the other. Rody backed up, ready to bolt with his insane speed. On Senji's cue, he darted out and around, weaving through rubble to avoid any stray bullets. Senji rushed forward, blocking most of the bullet impacts with extra scales. She slammed into the first gunman, taking the wind right out of his lungs. He doubled over, and she delivered the final blow with her scaled arm. Rody watched with a mix of fear and awe as she raced from target to target, incapacitating them with the blade or her fist.

"Quit starin', and keep moving," she chided him, meeting up once finished with the fighting. He chuckled nervously, and they ran toward a huge descending staircase. They made their way down, with the loud crashes from below echoing louder and louder. Close to the bottom, one such crash shook the whole place. The two stumbled off the last step, and fell forward. Senji reeled a bit from pain, both her own and from the scales she had left behind with Bakugo. While she shuddered in that state, Rody rushed in and caught Izuku as he collapsed.

"Rody! Don't-"

Senji rushed in, pushing Rody away and taking Izuku into her arms. She lowered him to the ground, and ripped open his costume. Using scales, she attempted to tend to his many wounds and at least stop the bleeding. Izuku struggled against her, trying to get to Rody as he approached the cult's leader. He rambled on, about how his dad and some other profound excuses for what he was doing.