Dealings With Deities

Chapter 25 - Return to sender

The crows were mere inches away from them when Kaiho lept from the platform.

Or more accurately, fell from the platform.

The crows barely missed full contact as the platform sling-shotted into the sky. A storm of feathers battering the platform as it launched into the sky. The elf and dwarfs screaming fading into the distance.

Kaiho made contact with the ground as gracefully as he fell. Thunder sounded out as an earthquake shook the ground. By some miracle or guided chance, no one was there when he landed.

"Okay, lets do this." He announced to the invisible crowd who replied with a silent cheer.

Kaiho rose to his feet and ran for the closest building. Laying his plan out in his head, doing each action as he thought it.

Through the front door; up the stairs; second door on the left.

"Hello" Kaiho greeted the surprised woman who smartly ran to the closet to hide from the giant house invader.

Out the window; Onto the roof; across the housetops; Leap the alleyway gap.

The storm of crows smashed out from the window Kaiho had just escaped. They flew in a large curve as their thousand beady red eyes searched for Kaiho before beelining for the giant running across the rooftops.

A loud crunch and Kaiho fell through a poorly maintained ceiling, narrowly missing the ray of blackbirds.

Not planned but keep going, you got this. Cheap roof, maybe cheap wall?

Through the wall; Then another; up the stairs again; Second door on the left, hasn't failed yet; Out the window.

*Smash*

Glass scattered everywhere as Kaiho came out to the roof again. He caught a glimpse of the crow swarm snaking itself in and out of the buildings, mindlessly following his path exactly.

Pick a number, turn right when it's been that many seconds; Dive into the alley on the left; Find a random window, make sure it's open this time.

The entrance to the alleyway behind him turned black as the mass struggled to turn. Crows smashed into the walls in a vain attempt to chase before being crushed under the weight of the ones that followed. More and more piled up as the swarm's advance slowed to the crawl.

While the force of the never-ending swarm pushed through the bottleneck of their self made barrier, Kaiho had already crossed through two buildings as he used every method he could think of to further increase the gap.

There we go.

Into the large open window; Down the hall second door on the left.

*Thump*

Ow

Third door on the right; out the open exit; over the food cart; down the street; past the overly cold alleyway.

....wait?

Kaiho tore at stones with his fingers, forcing his hands deep into the ground as he dragged his whole body across the gravel to stop his momentum. Then, without standing he began sprinting back towards the black swarm. Closer and closer the horde of crows came as more and more details appeared within the black blob. Their hungry red eyes penetrating the very soul of their prey.

Kaiho's four-legged sprint turned increasingly bestial with every stone he clawed out of the ground. Using any and everything he could to go just the slightest bit faster.

Only when the swarm was a meter away did Kaiho finally reach the source of the cold. His arms gave way as his body tumbled, rolling forwards until he hit his back and his feet dug into the ground. The sudden lack of momentum flung Kaiho back into his two-legged human form.