you won't like me when I'm angry [open log]

[zen_en_vert]

Who: Bruce Banner, Fear, and eventually open.
What: Bruce takes a pot shot at Fear, in revenge for the whole buried alive week. The results are catastrophic.
Where: Initially outside the clinic, then all over the city.
When: Feb 1st
Warnings: Hulk violence, plus injuries? Will update if it gets more specific.

It starts at the end of a clinic shift. Hawkeye hasn't made it in today, and Bruce is telling himself that the man is probably just busy, but anxiety is coiling tight in his stomach, because the clinic isn't doing so well. Managing the blisters alone from the mass burial has cleaned them out for bandages and ointment, and as much as he tries to scavenge more, supplies in the city are limited-

He shuts the door behind him, and turns around to see a familiar figure on the street out front. Fear has been so exclusively there over the network that he actually can't place him in person for the first few seconds, so he just stands there in a blinking daze.

About forty five seconds later, the first crash echoes through Hadriel's streets. Next comes the roar. Glass rattles across the whole town in windowpanes, and the Hulk begins to run, bringing chaos with him where he goes.

Comments

[fervence]

The sound of the roar in the streets outside is enough to have Lloyd grabbing up his swords and darting out the door after the noise. It's too early for the door to have opened again from what he's seen in this place so far, and after the excursion into the caves a week ago, the monster presence in Hadriel should be less of an issue in general.

And he doesn't recognize the roar, besides. That can't bode well for everyone here.

He follows the noise and destruction and skids into view of the Hulk just a few minutes later. It's big and green and definitely not anything that Lloyd's come across before, but there's something sort of... human looking about it? "Hey!" Lloyd shouts to get its attention, drawing his swords in front of him.

[zen_en_vert]

He hears the voice, and maybe that would be all right- except when he turns, he sees the weapon. The Hulk looks at him for a second, and then bellows- roars, and starts to charge.

Aggression is familiar to him, and his answer to it is simple; smash. He clears meters in a matter of seconds, taking jumps that soar him over the slick, snowy stones, over the debris he's left in his wake.

[fervence]

Whatever it is, it moves fast. Lloyd barely has time for an abortive, "woah!" before he's ducking and rolling to the side, careful to avoid his own blades in the process. He's moving again as soon as he lands on his feet, making sure to be a bit more careful about the distance between them now if it can jump that far.

Something about this whole situation doesn't sit right with Lloyd, it's familiar in the worst sort of way, reminds him of Marble, and there's a queasy feeling in his stomach that he can't quite dismiss.

"Stop, we don't have to do this!"

[zen_en_vert]

He doesn't show even the vaguest sign of having heard him. Hulk roars again, and finding Lloyd not under his hands, twists and lunges again, trying to slam down on where he is now.

The dangerous thing about him is that he isn't quite as clumsy as he seems. He moves in a hurry.

[fervence]

Lloyd barely has enough time to bring his swords up in front of him as a shield before the Hulk is slamming down at him for a second time.

The quality of the swords' make (there's literally nothing better out there than dwarven craft after all) is the only reason they don't break under the strain of the blow, but Lloyd himself is knocked flat on his back and he's forced to roll again to avoid the swords getting forced down onto his face.

He's back on his feet a little less quickly this time, but proves steady enough once he's there. At least if this thing is attacking Lloyd he's not endangering anyone else in the city, right?

[zen_en_vert]

Unfortunately, it holding Hulk's attention means a second swing comes at him. He roars, shoves in, draws back a fist the size of a hog's head and tries to use it to knock him and the threat he represents far, far away, bellowing in fear and rage as he does.

[fervence]

He somehow manages to get his swords up in time again to defend, but between Lloyd's smaller size and weight and the sheer force of momentum being exerted in the Hulk's swing, Lloyd goes flying backward and slams into the nearest wall with a dull thud.

His swords slips through slack fingers and hits the ground, followed by Lloyd's knees as he tries to catch his breath after having it knocked out of his by the blow.

[zen_en_vert]

One of the only good things about Hulk's fighting style is that he really does tend not to pursue a body when it's down. As Lloyd flies out of his field of vision, and stays that way, Hulk moves on, and races off, roaring.

It'll just leave him Bruce Banner the man to deal with, on his return.

[fervence]

That didn't go at all nearly the way Lloyd had wanted it to go, and Lloyd's barely managed to push himself up onto one knee and wrapped his hands around the hilts of his swords before the Hulk is already out of sight with no chance of him catching up to him in time.

Not without magic, anyway.

Lloyd considers giving the wings a try again, but the only time he's used them since the tower had been an accident anyway and his back and shoulders are hurting enough right now that the whole exercise would probably do him more harm than good. He's just going to have to hope that the creature is making enough noise for people to get out of its way in time and avoid getting hurt.

He wishes he could do more, but this confrontation only manages to cement the fact that Lloyd's feeling a bit out of his depths without his any of this friends around.