Emergency Dispatch
The alert spreads fast.
MISSION UPDATE:Monster Chickens. Casualties reported.
Silence.
Someone laughs. Nervously.
Tara:"…Chickens?"
Maru blinks.Once.Twice.
Maru:"They mean—like—normal chickens?"
Vyan scoffs.
Vyan:"If chickens could kill people, farms would've wiped us out centuries ago."
They check with their families.
Maru (tense):"My father's outside. Huge chicken monsters are attacking."
Vyan's already moving.
He grabs Maru's wrist.
Vyan:"Come on."
Maru hesitates.
Maru:"Our party assignment—"
Vyan yanks him along.
Vyan:"Worry about yourself first."
Fugu's already gone.Tara follows, jaw tight.
Assigned Zone — Zodiac Main Unit
The streets smell wrong.
Blood slicks the pavement.
Bodies lie scattered—hunters, police, civilians , among them: hulking chicken corpses.
An armored vehicle sits crushed on its side.
Inside, soldiers scream.
Two massive chicken—bloated with muscle, bone warped unnaturally—slams into the vehicle again.
Feathers like knives.Beak cracked and red.
Reva swallows.
Reva:"…Holy crap."
Then—
Impact
A spear whistles through the air.
Sain lands mid-run.
The spear pierces straight through one of the chicken's eyes.
It Collapses.
Reva hurls her trident, beheading the other.
But the carcass thrashes , smashing into the wreckage.
Bete throws his axe slicing off it's leg , stopping it's movement.
The flock's attention snaps toward them.
The Zodiac members spread out.
Anya's khopesh arcs, breaking off a charging chicken's leg.
The creature shrieks as it falls.
Maya steps in from the side.
One clean slash and the head rolls.
Grim's scythe hooks through the eyes of another charging chicken, brutal.
The creature collapsed as uncontrollable tremors wracked its body.
Lily barely shields against a beak strike—sparks flying.
Kaal circles, dual swords flashing—
A precise double slash.
Another head rolls.
The carcass barrels forward flapping it's wings, slamming Kaal and Lily aside.
Kaal recovers and quickly chops off the chicken's legs.
Another chicken lunges at Reva.
Her trident is still embedded in the corpse.
Unable to outrun the chicken she watches it's beak nearing her.
half a second—
Sain shoves her aside, shield raised..
The beak smashes through — shield shattered, arm torn open.
The strike tears into his left arm.
Sain clenches his teeth.
"Damn it."
He turns, hitsthe chicken with the broken shield, and runs.
It follows.
Anya leaps—Mounts the creature and slams its eye with a tight slap.
The scream is ear-splitting.
The monster bucks violently.
Anya is thrown.
Bete shields her landing, bracing the impact.
Sain seizes a fallen hunter's sword.
Turns.
One swing.
The head drops.
Grim follows up—Sweeps off it's legs from behind.
Aftermath
Silence returns.
Reva rushes to Sain.
Reva:"Your arm—"
Lily cleans the wound.
Sain hisses.
Lily(flat):"Bear with it."
Maya wraps the bandage tight.
The bleeding stops.
Sain exhales.
"…Thank you."
Reva looks around.
Reva:"To think these were just chickens."
Bete nudges a massive corpse with his boot.
Bete:"This is a lot of protein, isn't it?"
A few strained laughs.
Too close.
Elsewhere — Maru's Neighborhood
Maru rounds a corner—
And freezes.
His father stands his ground.
A chicken charges.
Maru doesn't think.
He throws his hammer.
The impact cracks like thunder.
The chicken staggers—concussed.
Maru grabs the hammer.
One swing.
The skull caves in.
He turns.
Maru:"Dad!"
His father dusts himself off.
Maru's Dad:"Hah. Didn't even get to wrestle it. Looked strong though."
Maru's voice shakes.
Maru:"You're old now. Don't do that. Mom's worried—I was searching everywhere. Why didn't you take shelter?"
Maru's Dad:"I was going to. These cowards shut the door on me."(beat)"By the way—this area assigned to your team?"
Maru:"No. I came alone."
His father sighs.
Maru's Dad:"Stick with your teammates, my boy. It's dangerous alone."
"I'm heading home. You can go back now."
Maru nods.
Maru:"I'll check on Vyan. His place is nearby."
Hunters arrive.
They spot the dead monster.
Hunter:"You solo?"
Maru:"No."
Hunter:"Why are you here? This zone's ours."
Maru hesitates.
Maru:"I came to check on my dad."
The hunter smirks.
Hunters:"Then the kill's ours… or we report you."
Maru clenches his fists.
Maru:"…I don't care. My dad's fine—that's all that matters."
A voice cuts in.
Vyan:"Go ahead. Report it."
Everyone turns.
Vyan steps forward.
Vyan:"The kill's his."
Hunters:"And who are you?"
Vyan:"His party member."
Tension spikes.
Hunters:"We're assigned here."
Vyan:"…."
Hunters:"You should be at your assigned location."
Vyan:"Our party already cleared it."
Hunters:"We were supposed to kill this one."
Vyan (mocking):"We can't exactly let our parents die waiting for you slowpokes, can we?"
Hunters:"He stole our kill."
Vyan:"Whatchu gonna do about it?"
Hunters step forward.
Hunters:"Fucking bastard. We'll teach you a real nice lesson."
Then—
Maru's dad steps out.
Places a hand on one hunter's shoulder.
Casual.
Heavy.
Maru's Dad:"Hey lads. My boy killed it. Be men—move on."
The hunters stiffen.
They leave.
Maru's dad slaps Maru's back.
Maru:"Oww—!"
Maru's Dad:"How many times I gotta tell you to man up?"
He turns to Vyan.
Maru's Dad:"Thanks for watching over him."
Vyan nods.
On the Way Back
Maru fidgets.
Maru:"I don't feel right taking credit."
Vyan:"I'll take it. Money goes to the party anyway."
Maru exhales.
Elsewhere — Fugu & Tara
A headless chicken bolts past.
Wounded.Hunters struggle to keep up.
Fugu waits.
One slice.
Legs gone.
Hunters bow.
Fugu:"I hope you don't mind giving me some credit."
Hunter:"We took the head. At least 60%."
Fugu:"You keep the credit. I want the money."
"40%."
Handshake.
Then—
Tara:"BOO."
Fugu flinches.
Tara grins.
Tara:"I saw that deal."
Fugu sighs.
Negotiation follows.
They settle.
Tara: 10%Fugu: 30%
Fugu:"Everything good on your end?"
Tara:"Yeah. The Patrol party handled it. Bloody though."
Fugu:"…true . Horrific."
Across the city—
Chickens monsters , people , army , police , hunters lay dead.Pride lay wounded.