2 Bike Theft

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The bag was able to fit much more than Chion had initially expected, which was a surprise since the youth had already deduced the object could hold multiple items well past its weight class. He just hadn't anticipated to what degree. After shoving in three shopping bags worth of various foods and drinks with little to no effort, however, the white-haired individual could only marvel at the backpack now in his possession. Additionally, the grey carry-on felt just as light as it had prior to the added groceries, Chion being able to lift it with almost no effort on his part. Out of all the items he had been given, the bag was easily the most useful, save for the cash which saved him from having to steal.

Now, sitting behind the same Mini Mart he had purchased his newly aquired merchandise, munching away on a bag of pretzels, Chion began sifting through not only the mysterious items but also his situation as a whole.

His arrival into the realm of New York City. The bronze bovine that had chased him around for hours on end. The jogger that disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

There wasn't any sort of information within the events of the last ten or so hours that could help the youth form any sort of concrete ideas, the only real clue being what the jogger had said to him when he arrived.

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"I'm just here to make a delivery. I can't stay too long or converse freely, unfortunately. Part of the agreement."

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Even that however lead to nothing but dead ends and far more questions than Chion could even count. What agreement? Who was he? How had the man appeared and vanished? Why leave the items? Were they a part of the agreement as well? The best the youth could do for the time being was to try and garner some more facts before he even ATTEMPTED to tackle the enormous web of mysteries surrounding himself and his own predicament. The more Chion focused on what he didn't know or wished he did know, the less time he would have to actually figure out the problems happening in the present.

The bull was still after him and could find him at any moment. If he wanted to stand a chance at the final stand, he needed to come up with a plan and execute.

"Strictly survival," Chion muttered as he spaced out all the contents of the bag, having pulled them out moments prior. "What do I have-"

ARRRG!!

The white-haired youth immediately glanced upwards, a distorted screech reminiscent of crows making its way from above. There, situated on a nearby brick wall, were three abnormally large pigeons coated in black, their beaks reflecting the light of the setting sun. Eyes as black as midnight and possessing an unmistakable intelligence, Chion admittedly watched them for longer than was needed. Though they were bigger than the ones that he was used to, the individual reasoned that they were just birds and nothing more, even if they happened to have metallic beaks.

ARRRG!!

If anything, he was at least confident about handling three measly critters should the need arise.

Looking back at his equipment, Chion attempted to get back on track, devising a way to rid himself of the only real problem at hand. His unwanted mechanical friend.

(("Let's start with a breakdown of our opponent. Either metal coated or mechanical all the way through. Maybe weighs around 6 to 10 tons depending on his makeup, the metal definitely making up 50 percent of the weight.")) Chion leaned forward, hands clasped together, brows furrowed in concentration. (("He's big, but he's fast. Strong as well. Able to plow through concrete with ease and bend steel beams. Has trouble making sharp turns to the point of almost needing to stop completely before doing so. Unreal sense of smell. Poor hearing quality. Sight is average."))

The time spent fleeing from the beast hadn't just been for show. Every second he could, Chion had attempted different methods of escaping the bulls clutches, and each method had gotten differing results. With any luck, the gathered data would be enough to put a stop to it once and for all.

"Now for the items. Maybe something in here that could help?" Chion touched the object closest to him, the three jars filled with a moving green flame. Surprisingly, the youth didn't feel any sort of heat coming from it. "What did he call this again? Greek Fire?"

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"There are instructions regarding some of the objects within it, such as the ambrosia and the Greek fire. Careful not to get any of that stuff on you."

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"If it's like regular fire, I wouldn't want to get any on me regardless." Chion touched his chin. "Normal fire burns at a temperature ranging from 1100°F to 2100°F depending on the quality of the flame, oxygen exposure, fuel source, so on. Bronze has a melting point of 1600°F in a controlled situation, varying with the amount of other metals present within it. How I know this, heck should I know but it's there. Odds are, the fire won't be useful no matter how hot it burns unless it can magically stick to metal. Old bovine probably won't stop for me to test anything out. Can't pin him down either."

Grabbing the jars, Chion carefully slipped them back into the bag along with the groceries, street wear, cash, and other useless items that wouldn't prove of use in that current situation.

The only thing that he hesitated putting away was the bow and arrows and the few containers of off colored pudding. Due to the process of elimination, the individual assumed that this was the thing the jogger had called "ambrosia,". Written on the sides of the container were words scribbled in an unreadable language. Somehow, Chion was able to understand it though, reading it aloud without fail.

"Take two tablespoons when injured. Four in an emergency."

Frowning, the individual slipped the top off of the container, neon blue hues taking in the contents. It smelled divine, like all the best things life had to offer in one rigid plastic contraption. The youth could feel his mouth water and his half full stomach growl in anticipation. However, even with the curiosity of its taste and desire to satisfy his own pallete, Chion closed the lid and shoved the containers of pudding back into the backpack, zipping it up. It wasn't the time to fixate on desires, only on survival of the fittest.

Setting the bag back to the side, Chion glanced over the bow and arrows, plucking its string. The bow was intricately carved, with symbols and images wrapping around its arc and its metal string being made of something that wasn't quite bronze but not exactly steel. The tips of the arrows were made of the same thing as the drawstring, a sort of bronze that Chion couldn't identify. They had a singular feather adorned at the end as well as a fin shaped fletching on the back. While the youth doubted they could pierce through the male cows hide, he reckoned it would definitely be enough to stir the beast into a heated charge. As far as Chion was concerned, nothing but an exceptional amount of brute force was going to end the beasts life.

Ergo, he had to think along a different track.

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"It's an awfully nice day to head to the pier. Maybe going for a swim wouldn't be that bad. Would be a shame if I missed out on it, don't you think?"

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(("Wait a minute. What he said..."))

Acting quickly, Chion pulled out the map from his hoodie pocket and slapped it onto the ground, unfolding it. Retracing his steps, he located where he was at. Moving his finger just a tad lower, he came across it. Canarsie Pier, a spit of land overlooking Jamaica Bay.

(("He wasn't talking about swimming,")) Chion concluded, eyes slightly widening. (("He was giving me a hint!!"))

A plan was beginning to form within the youths mind as he quickly folded up the piece of paper and tucked it back into his pocket. With the help of his mysterious jogger, he had an idea on how to end the game of cat and mouse once and for all.

ARRRG!! ARRRG!! ARRRG!!

That's when, for the first time since he initially looked around, Chion looked up. Within seconds, the palms of the white-haired amnesiac began to sweat profusely, his heart beating faster, pumping adrenaline through his entire being. It was as if the cloud of black avians had spawned there, popping into the world without a single sound. It felt similar to when the jogger had appeared only hundreds of times more threatening and equally as life threatening. Hundreds of black birds had surrounded him, flying through the air, perching on the edge of nearby buildings, or just straight up resting on the wall across from Chion, just out of immediate view.

Danger!!

It was like a tingle in the youths palm, something he had only felt when avoiding the bull.

Making no sudden movements, Chion calmly rose onto his feet and picked up his backpack, dusting off the seat of his pants. It took every fiber of his being not to flee the scene, but he managed to quell his flight response. The enormous pidgeons hadn't reacted negatively just yet, but he felt quite positive that would change if he showed them any emotion indicating he was a bitçh who couldn't defend himself. Heck, they would probably attack him either way but he at least wanted to make it out of the alley beforehand, so he had room to run.

ARRRG!! ARRRG!! ARRRG!! ARRRG!! ARRRG!!

The sounds got louder as the birds from hell noticed his movement, their dark hues narrowed in on the walking teen. Chion did his best to ignore them though.

Ring! Ring!!

The sound of a bike bell approaching was like a saving grace. The moment the youth heard it, he broke into a run, unzipping the backpack as he bolted towards the exit of the alley. The birds took note of this and immediately took action, taking off from their posts and divebombing the fleeing male with murderous intent. A few of them managed to nick his skin but Chion shook it off as he yanked out a few hundred dollar bills from the backpack.

Ring! Ring! BAM!

The young girl around fourteen years old was shoved to the ground as Chion ran into the scene. Without a single glance towards her, the white-haired individual chucked the cash in her direction and snagged the fallen bike.

"Sorry but I need to borrow this."