Cain's body spiraled through the open sky, arms tucked in tight.
His fall was deliberate, the flock drifted alongside him, watching with sharp eyes and sharper instincts.
He twisted midair, angling his arms awkwardly, he did it just enough to appear exposed.
Sure enough, one of the bolder ones dove, and despite seeing it, Cain held still, letting the bird draw near.
'Got you!'
The moment its claws clamped around his leg, he yanked it inward and hooked his other leg around its neck, locking the creature in a mid-air chokehold.
Thrashing violently, its wings flailed as air was blocked in and out of its windpipe.
Cain gritted his teeth, forcing solidification and fortification into the hold, keeping the bird pinned was hard enough.
At the same time, he never lost track of the avian leader, even as he dodged the others closing in fast.
He glanced at his wrist.
[Altitude: 1,667 Meters]
"I need to get them out of my hair, and fast."
He grunted, channeling more magicules into his legs.
The moment the bird's body went limp, Cain pulled it close, then launched off its back with a sharp kick.
'Mid-jump acceleration.'
The energy surged through him as he shot forward like a bolt from a crossbow, it was swift, silent and done in an instant.
But the interluding reprieve was cut short.
The flock shifted into a hunting position, multiple V-formations darted in from innumerable directions.
Cain holstered his gun mid-tumble, fingers swift and steady.
Losing gear this early wasn't an option.
[Altitude: 1,301 Meters]
As he descended, the mutated predators boxed him in from all sides, trapping him like a canary in a coal mine.
These weren't mindless beasts. They could smell his youth, sense his vulnerability, and saw him as nothing more than fresh meat.
Cain glanced at the speed readout flashing across his terminal, calculating his next move.
[Speed: 210 km/h]
'I need to go faster. Weightless. Acceleration.'
His body shimmered as he cast the spell on himself. Just before reaching top speed, he drew his twin blades, both secured in reinforced harnesses at his belt.
Wind screamed past his ears as his descent stabilized.
Just as he passed the birds, they adjusted instantly and sped up, wings slicing through the air like razors.
"Great! Fantastic! I hit a few of your guys and suddenly I'm public enemy number one?"
Talons and beaks closed in, poised to strike as they entered range.
But Cain didn't give them the chance.
With a twist of his core, his body snapped into a full aerial spin, the swords spiraled with him, forming a deadly whirling axis.
He tumbled through five full revolutions, then his blade connected, tearing through the wing of the bird to his left. The creature shrieked as it spiraled downward, black feathers scattering like ashfall.
Mid-spin, Cain caught a rising updraft and instinctively opened his arms, letting it lift him just enough.
In that brief ascend, he spun again, his blades clung on the underbelly of another large bird. Digested sludge, blood, and gut matter exploded outward, painting the air in gruesome splatters.
Two down, and a little over a hundred more to go.
Spurred by the fall of their larger kin, the smaller birds seized the moment and surged forward, eager to prove their worth.
Seventeen of them flanked Cain, their younger bodies leaner, faster, and more erratic.
They weren't gambling on a close approach anymore. Not after he had cleaved through two of their kin in less than a minute.
That lesson had been learned.
This time, they sped past him. Their beaks didn't glow. Instead, something primitive dripped from their tight gaps.
Sticky caustic green fluid glimmered in the sunlight, trailing thin strings of vapor as it spilled into the wind.
A single drop splattered onto his armor, hissing against the basic fortification barrier.
His eyes flicked wide, muscles tensing as the birds grouped up ahead, but Cain didn't wait for them to get clever.
He braced as they unleashed bursts of green phlegm, each the size of a clenched fist.
Cain twisted midair, the wind snapping at his wingsuit as he dipped, rolled, and weaved between the corrosive shots.
'I couldn't just let that much acid go to waste.'
With his left hand, he conjured a water sphere, catching the floating globules and swirling them into one larger blob.
Then he drew his pistol and fired a plasma burst, the shot ripping through the slimy mass.
With a single shot, the caustic liquid vaporized into a fine, noxious haze that sprayed backward and caught the flock off guard.
Some of the birds veered off, screeching and flapping wildly. Others spiraled out of the sky, choking madly as they inhaled the mist, thrashing to shake it from their eyes and lungs.
"Terminal, report my speed and altitude through the visor from now on."
[Command Confirmed]
[Switching to Visor Interface]
[Speed: 317 km/h]
[Altitude: 991 Meters]
Cain looked down, the ground was less than a minute away, the rocky terrain rushing up faster than he liked.
Through a feed on his armor, he could see the birds still pursuing him, even with acid burning through their feathers, they showed no signs of retreat.
His vision perused carefully across the terrain, thoroughly searching for any advantage he could seize.
Then, a little over the horizon, he spotted something.
It lay flat on the ground, hundreds of meters tall, dark and twisted like a shriveled weed by the side of the road.
Its bark was a patchwork of amber, rust, and pewter, streaked with the shimmer of dried flesh stretched over its surface.
'Those ugly trees might work.'
Cain had read about them.
Chimeric Predator Trees, lifeless-looking bark that feigned weakness, yet could withstand artillery rounds.
They grew near the borders, devouring anything they did not recognize as master, but Cain didn't care.
With a plan formulated in his mind, he immediately went into action.
He angled his limbs, bracing for a steeper dive.
The birds followed, he knew every bird could maneuver tight spaces at high speed.
'We'll just see who's better.'
He dove harder.
Faster.
But so did they.
The leader didn't hesitate, matching his dive perfectly.
'A little more push. Greater Acceleration.'
With a spell, Cain's speed overtook the massive bird.
"Terminal, report speed and altitude."
[Speed: 456 km/h]
[Altitude: 517 Meters]