User blog:Baluar/Spin-off, chapter 8

I wake up in the Sick Bay, in pain but conscious and fully capable of moving. Nia is aside me.

-Ah, great, how much time did you KO me? – I ask to Nia.

-Only two days. Nothing to get worried about. – She answers. "Only" two days?! – Your wounds are fully healed by now. You are good to go now. Which will relieve me of that little girl constantly asking me “is Daniel alright?”

-That little girl? Julia? – I ask.

-No, I meant Sakuya. - Who? - Of course it’s Julia, fool! Who’d you thought would be worried about you? Me?

-Wow, so rude… Just as I like ‘em. Not to mention, you’re pretty good-looking too. – Her face is clearly saying “I can hit you again”. – Calm down, I was joking. I think. Where is my little stalker?

-Sleeping in her room. Before you ask, that would be your room. Now you two officially share it.

-!/=$(/₠#·&!”*¨ <span dir="RTL" lang="HE" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language: HE">גּ <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US"> {] [*^ WHAT?!??!! Let me guess… It was your brother’s idea. – She silently assents. – Ah, dammit, just what I needed… What about Rodolfo?

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-He returned after you left base. He was severely lectured. I don’t think he’ll repeat what he did.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Yeah, keep dreaming… What are the plans for today?

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-You’re in another mission with Julia. – Ah, great. Just what I need. The little stalker will pierce me with questions. – You must protect the research unit while they search for survivors of a recent Aragami attack.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Can’t they do that on their own? – I ask.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-There are plenty of Aragami in the area. We are forced to send reinforcements.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-If there are plenty of Aragami, why do we need to conduct a search for survivors? Doesn’t make any sense…

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-One of the dead was a God Eater. The search for survivors is a cover for the search of the Arc, since they are extremely expensive. But you should already know that…

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-And Rodolfo? Why doesn’t he come along? – I ask.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Would you go in a mission with him now? – Nia asks me. I respond negatively. – That’s what Baluar and I thought. Besides, he was wounded in the eye while fighting Aragami.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Where is the mission?

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Sunken Grid. – No more need be said. I wake up, pick my God Arc and leave.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Later… <span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">Despite being asleep for nearly two days, I am tired. We have murdered a bunch of Ogretails, but there is nothing else around. Julia hasn’t asked anything (yet), and the Research Unit seems to be having troubles to find the Arc. Suddenly, what I was expecting happens. Julia begins her questions:

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Uhm, are you ok, Daniel? That hit seemed pretty hard for you to handle.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-I’m fine, thanks. Doesn’t seem like I got anything permanent.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Do you feel alright? I’m sorry if I couldn’t help you out…

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-As I said, I’m fine. I feel fine. Thanks for the concern. – My mind thinks otherwise, but I’ve gotta be polite.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Did it hurt much? – Here we go…

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Yes, it did. But it’s part of the occupational hazards, or isn’t it? Besides, I’m fine now.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-He’s so strong… – I hear her whisper. She clearly didn’t intend me to hear it.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-What was that? – I ask, pretending not to have listened to what she said.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Err, nothing. – She’s blushing. – Why don’t we aid the Research Unit in their search? – Right after she says that, Shun screams “DAMMIT!” and pulls his hands off the considerable pile of rubble they were in, creating a distraction that allows me to get off from Julia’s questions.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-What was that? – I ask.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-This pile of rubble is full of beetle-like Aragami! One of them bit me! – Shun kept ranting.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-I’ll take care of that. – Julia says. She changes to gun form, and shoots a tiny bullet to the rubble pile. Two seconds later, the pile explodes and rubble begins to rain on our heads, alongside green Aragami blood.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-I love the smell of Aragami blood in the morning. – Gina comments, with green blood in her hair. That’s way too creepy for me.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Wasn’t that a bit too exaggerated? – Karel asks. – Besides, what if the God Arc we’re looking for was inside?

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-It was not. It’s over there, genius. – I point out. In the precise middle of the Grid, the God Arc rests in the floor. I’m surprised they didn’t spot it before. – What about its wielder? – I ask myself.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Maybe she got devoured. – Shun said, still holding his bit hand. – Or not… I see a human over there! – He then points to the North, where a human figure walks slowly.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-I’ll rescue her! – Julia says. I immediately order her to stay.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-No, Julia. You will stay here. I have a bad feeling about this. I’ll go. – I turn around, but to my horror the human figure (that seconds ago was dozens of meters away) is right in front of me. – AH, FUCK! – I instinctively try to hit it with the hammer, but the monster stops the swing in mid-air with its hands and throws the Arc off its way. Needless to say, I got thrown off too in the process. – DAMMIT! – I recover in midair and land with my feet (although being a little clumsy, I land stumbling), and on the spot change to gun form and fill the bastard’s body with pellets. Curiously enough, that doesn’t seem to affect the monster that much, and it keeps walking towards the Arc, which is a Long Sword-Assault Gun-Shield variant. – DON’T LET IT NEAR THE ARC! – I shout to everyone else. Shun tries to cut the being’s arm, but the sword gets stuck in the shoulder bones. Karel and Gina begin to shoot to no appreciable effect. Julia shoots one of her explosive bullets to the monster’s leg, but only the leg explodes and the monster begins to crawl towards the Arc. I take the initiative: – URGH! WHY DON’T YOU DIE, BASTARD!? – I scream, while running towards the monster gathering strength and changing to Sword (or Hammer) mode. When I reach it, I violently drop the hammer in its head, and when the monster reacts it’s already too late: the hammer falls and crushes muscle, bone and organ alike. I then spit on its body, or better said, its remnants.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-What… what was that? – Julia asks, terrified. I then notice she’s trembling.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-A God Eater, cut off from its Bias Factor supply. – I say. The former woman has a greyish skin tone, and deep grooves cross what little remains of her head. The remaining leg seems to show Aragami infection signs.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-I’m scared. – She mumbles. – And it’s cold around here.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Take my jacket. – I hand it over to her.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Th-thanks. Are you giving it to me because you don’t suffer the cold or…? – Oh god…

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Just take the damn thing, will you, Julia? – She quickly takes it off my hands. – Alright, we’ve found the Arc, and there were no survivors except this poor excuse of a monster. Well, truth be said there were no human survivors. It’s time for return, people. – We begin to return. On our way back, I listen to Julia whispering again about me.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-I wish I was like him… – She evidently whispers more loudly than she thinks…

<p class="MsoNormal"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Huh? – I ask, again playing dumb. Again, too, she blushes. I can’t avoid laughing.

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