A Trudging And Crawling Evening [Lance's Awakening]

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It didn't look like all the cutting and poking was doing much to the spindly thing. Which, honestly, didn't make much sense. It looked like a hard wind would snap it in two, but given that things really didn't seem to be abiding by any sort of logic at the moment, that wasn't something Lance planned on pondering.

Except he pondered it a second longer than he probably should've.

The thing's swing cut him deep, snapping his attention back to two realities. One, he was still in combat with this thing, and two, he was now injured and very much in need of defending himself. And the girls, given that the one with the guitar couldn't seem to catch a break. Kinda reminded him of Ritsuko, in a way, but maybe he just had her on the brain from their earlier encounter.

"Pay attention! If I'm gonna lend you my spear, you better not make any novice mistakes!"

"Right, right. Let's go! That thing's got an edge on it, right?"

"My thoughts exactly."

Maybe the stabbing was just hitting bone and not being as effective as it could be. I mean, the thing was a skin sack shy of being a skeleton, so maybe if they cut away that skin what little organs it had would spill! It was a desperate line of logic, but it was worth a shot. Oniwaka wound up, grabbing his naginata lower on its shaft before unleashing a forceful swing, hopefully forcing back the otherworldly assailant and gutting it in the process.

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Yep, this zombie thing was a lot tougher than any B-movie, leg-dragging shambler he'd seen on the silver screen.

It was pretty obvious that Oniwaka's strike hit its mark--with a blade that big it was pretty hard to miss, he figured--but the creature was still standing. It was becoming pretty apparent that the girls who had come to help didn't have an overabundance of firepower against this thing either, though there was a nagging thought at the back of his mind that told him he shouldn't have needed to rely so much on them. This was his fight, and so far he wasn't even being a good support, let alone holding his own enough to be considered the front line.

It seemed like the guitarist was backing off after her injuries, but the growls coming from her guitar spoke otherwise. She was likely waiting, preparing something or catching her breath before jumping back into the fray. He glanced over at the girl with the daggers just in time to see the wave of light wash over him.

"Hey--" he started to scold, flinching as he assumed she'd mis-aimed some sort of attack. That thought was immediately quashed and corrected as the pain from his injuries dulled and a bit more of his confidence returned. "Huh. Thanks!"

"Hmm... this thing's really startin' to get on my nerves."

Wasn't that the truth. The teenager was expecting the thing to come slashing at them again, but instead it... did something else. He wasn't exactly sure what, but whatever it did made him feel much more tense... like the air itself thickened, or became heavier. Worse yet, his concentration was starting to fade; the white noises of the night were faintly registering on the edges of his consciousness, his eyes were starting to take in irrelevant details like the look of the buildings lining the alley and the duffel at his feet.

Actually, that wasn't such an irrelevant detail.

If he wasn't utterly mistaken, he'd packed that morning like he was going to work. He didn't have a scheduled gig but he was hoping to snag an impromptu spot at a dive, which meant that he should've had the trusty old revolver in that side pocket.

"Take five, Oniwaka, I've got an idea."

The oni in question snorted skeptically as the boy deftly retrieved the gun, loading its six chambers. He hadn't practiced his shot since the family moved to Endymion, but now was a good a time as any to get back into the swing of things. They always did say headshotting zombies was the quickest way to kill them. Again.

All Out Attack!:

"Hot damn! Nice shot!"

It was kind of nice having Oniwaka there. Despite the somewhat smug smile that pulled across Lance's face as the bullet hit home, he never would've voiced his satisfaction with the maneuver, particularly considering it wasn't actually his intention to shoot the thing in the head. The spear-wielding demon seemed to have a knack for saying what was on the teenager's mind; maybe they were two in the same.

"Here, I think you deserve this for the time bein'. You put it to good use, or I'll be pissed."

With that, Oniwaka offered his naginata to the boy, though what Lance reached out and grabbed felt slightly slimmer. It was a weapon molded to his grip rather than the chubby fingers of the oni, and when he pulled the weapon to stand it at his side, it was a few inches shorter and missing the gold engravings that had glittered across the weapon he saw being used earlier. A quick second glance confirmed that the red one still had it, which then raised the question of where... and how...?

"Huh. Thanks! Hey girls, let's capitalize on this!" he called over to his combat allies, giving his new weapon a quick spin to test its weight. It was almost too perfect, like it was made specifically for him, but he'd never used a spear before... Still, he knew a bit about balance and counterbalance, so now was as good a time as any to get some field experience. Without waiting for a proper answer he charged in, eager to head the fight now that it seemed to be in their favor, and now that he had a literal new weapon in his arsenal.

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As the trio pulled out of the brutal smashing they delivered to the unnatural being, Lance registered the scold from the dagger-wielding girl. He gave a sheepish shrug, never taking his eyes off their enemy as it began to rise.

"Sorry, got lost in the moment. Expect a lot more where that came from, though." he admitted, retrieving the revolver from the obi belt of his jacket, where he'd tucked it before the rush. He took aim at the green man, but hesitated. Something didn't feel... right. Everything was unfocused and annoying, and he felt like he was worrying too much about making the shot to accurately make the shot. "Hrm..."

He drew the weapon back, perching his elbow on a crossed arm as he took a moment to focus again. He didn't want to ask Oniwaka for help again, thus he tried to recreate exactly what he felt when the oni worked his magic the first time. It was a lot like the feeling he got in the middle of a run, where he'd built up so much momentum that it felt like it was just him and that ever-flowing motion of the world. He closed his eyes, trying to force out the distractions of the ambiance and let the guitarist's aggressive melody get him into the zone.

Naturally, Oniwaka also felt this shift in mentality, and grinning teeth gnashed into a monstrous snarl.

"Heh, you learn quick."

He unleashed another crazed warcry, the resulting wave of confidence the bellow left in its wake enough to mentally put the teenager right where he wanted to be. Now, maybe he could score another shot like that. Cocking the hammer of the weapon, he raised it again, taking aim.