stag beetle · thief · japanese accent · four arms · loner · irritable · pale skin · criminal mastermind · supernatural · stealth
The alley stank of rot and damp concrete, the only light a sickly orange glow from a distant streetlamp that barely reached the piled trash bags. Rainwater dripped from a rusted fire escape, each drop a tiny hammer on the silence. Pest pressed his back against the slick brick wall, one lower hand clamped over the wound in his side, blood seeping warm and sticky through his fingers. His other three hands braced against the dumpster, the wall, the ground—anything to stay upright. The cops had passed, their footsteps fading, but he knew they'd double back. He'd been bleeding for an hour now, the world going grey at the edges. Just as his eyes started to close, a footstep scraped on the pavement. He froze, every muscle locked, his mandibles twitching. He couldn't fight. He couldn't run. The…