Beastars: A Symphony of Life

Chapter 88: Beaten Again, Without a Shot Fired

The plan is going swimmingly, the text read.

Louis put the phone away before strapping the saber to his back, instead of to his hip and slid the gun in its holster on his belt. Throwing knives sat in a new pouch on the tactical belt and the grappling hook and wire were in their usual place. He had a few pieces of first aid on him as well, including some anti-venom, just in case. He didn't know what to expect, but it was a last ditch effort. He'd go in through the penthouse at the top of the building. If they were there, done and done. If not, he'd find them somewhere in the club downstairs. If not there, then in the basement.

He tightened the straps on his new athletic prosthetic and swung it around, testing it out. It was a new one he had shipped in specifically for gymnasts, the rubber on the end of the tip meant to provide for more grip. He could move and do a lot more with this one than the other, which was more for casual use. It stayed on and he slammed it into the floor, feeling the rebound through his remaining bone and jamming up his hip a little. It was turdy as well. Good. He then lifted the cowl to stare straight into the eyes. Adler stared back from deep within the sockets, eager to get back out there. He slid the mask on and Adler took over, slipping the hat over his antlers and banging his forearms together to double check that the armoring was actually there. Satisfied, the vigilante gave one final look down to Yuta, giving him the thumbs up. The sheep would drop him off here at the start of curfew, and pick him up again at the end. This was temporary. Until he got a new vehicle. Living in an apartment in the city, instead of a manor on the city limits, proved to be difficult to work around as Adler. Secrecy was hard to come by, but they had figured out a way around it. They just had to be careful. Very careful.

As the butler drove off, Adler turned towards The Drusk. He had to cross two rows of rooftops to make it, but he was used to the running and jumping. He took the cable wire in one hand and the hook in the other. It hadn't been too long had it? He paced to the far edge of the roof and bounced a little, getting a feel for the new leg. He took a few breaths and exhaled, inhaling as he started a running jump. He threw all of his weight down on the edge of the roof and pushed off. He felt the rebound of the bent carbon-fibers as it propelled him into the air. He calculated the arch he was traveling at and threw his hook, looping it around a vent turbine sticking out of the top of the roof. He held the rope tight as he swung into the brick wall, catching himself with his prosthetic. He climbed the rest of the way up and unhooked the cable. Resetting himself. He scanned the horizon for the building, and there it was. Club Orchid. The tallest building in the district with its large glass window wall facing the rest of the city. He could probably see him coming. Good.

He ran and jumped across multiple streets, from one roof to the next, throwing his hook as needed. In no time at all, he made it to the building adjacent to the club and looked up at it. The black, accented stonework against the dark grey walls made it look like a dark fortress from some comic-book setting. He looked down and saw that the activity from the club seemed to have spilled out onto the streets a bit. In the shadows of the alleys he saw drugs being handed out and aggressive sexual acts being carried out. It made him a little sick, like the curse of the building was no longer contained, spilling out into the surrounding area. He had been away for too long, and The Drusk was reverting to its old Back Alley self. No meat eating, but Adler picked up on a few sucking at small cuts in others flesh. There seemed to be no control.

He heard the thumping of helicopter blades cutting through the air and saw all the other people jumping for cover or hiding places. He looked up to see the helicopter making its way towards his location. A pair of spotlights shown down off each side of the aircraft as it scanned the streets. Adler slipped into the shadows as it passed overhead. The guard was still making the rounds at least. Looking for anything out of place; they wouldn't send anyone into the district however. It was too dangerous, even for them. It seemed all Razor allowed was the helicopter scans, as if to say, See? Nothing out of the ordinary. The copter passed by and he looked back to the building. Slipping through vents was easy when you were going down or horizontally, but going up was a whole nother story. He would have to climb. It would be long and tedious, but it was probably the best way to not get spotted. Everyone in Club Orchid slept with their curtains closed and the doors and windows locked. He shouldn't be detected.