User blog:Roinelll/God Eater - Solace - Volume 1 - Segment 18

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First Frost

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Soma had to help me get back to the jeep, albeit the God Eater didn't like it, he did stop and lend me his shoulder so I could catch my breath and stay standing. I've had heard many scary rumors about him from other God Eaters, calling him a Death God sarcastically. For a simple reason like him having the most deceased partners during the course of Fenrirs short history.

Although I find it rather weird, sure he is rather anti-social, is a jerk, a pain in the butt most of the time. However, I do admit he is a skilled veteran, while his method isn't the best, his goal is the same as anyone else would think of in our world. To survive, to bring a better tomorrow, on his own way.

...

I still could kill him in a spoon full of water though.

Our ride went by silently. No real wonder, I'm mute and he is taciturn. Honestly I was fine with it, I tried to rack my brain what happened to me to make me collapse.

'''Scratch that... There is no way I'm half-dead one minute, then healed in the next time I came by and I have no feedback at all...'''

"Tell me something Sierra." Soma suddenly spoke up and I turned my head towards him.

Awkward way to start a conversation with someone unable to speak...

"Did C tell you something?" He eyed me and I nodded slowly, he would have noticed if I tried to lie about anyways. "Any details on what happened to you?" I shook my head and wondered.

Shouldn't he have no recollection of me dying?

I mean, C implied that I shouldn't have remembered anything.

"You know something." The God Eater said sternly as he kept an eye on me and I couldn't help myself so I've gulped. "Did that bastard say that you can't tell it?" His stare had grown stronger and I've slowly nodded.

'''Oh crap... He'll misunderstand. For sure...'''

We were only a few dozen minutes away from the Branch, when Soma suddenly braked. I god plastered again on the front panel and groaned mentally at the abrupt pain. But then Soma had already jumped out of his seat and quickly took his God Arc with himself. By the time I pulled myself together, he was already concentrating his senses on something.

"Stay on your guard and this time stay put!" He warned me fiercely before darting off at high speed. As I looked around, we were in the wrecked city filled with numerous shapes and sized of churches. Soma was rushing towards the largest in my eyesight.

What is going on?

Not knowing what came over him, I got out of the jeep and grabbed Chupacabra. Feeling the grip eased me and the rush returned. I couldn't help myself, so a grin was plastered on my face. I wanted to go after him, to see what is up because I wanted to fight, wanted to... kill??

What the hell?

I quickly put down my God Arc, which made the rush go away. The rush and my blood thirst. One that I didn't have before. Before...

...

Before C healed me somehow.

What the hell did you to me C?

Out of curiosity, I got also on the back of the plateau of the jeep and knelt down. I kept a watchful eye over my surroundings, but my mind raced with a thousand questions. I reached out and took up my God Arc, instantly the rush returned. Soon the blood lust also followed. When I put it down, as it came it was gone.

'''Unless contact is maintained, I'm not feeling intoxicated or murderous. Though neither was there while we were underground...'''

'''So then, what caused the throbbing pain? It didn't stop even after I dropped Chupacabra and even grew stronger.'''

... I'll have to grill C to spill the beans on this, no matter what...

I stared at my weapon, when I felt a tingle in my left arm. A tingle just like when we were hiding from that thing in the subways. However just like then, the tingle didn't came alone. The hunger came also, which frightened me. I tried to reach for my God Arc, but stopped halfway.

'''Does... Would it be a good idea to take up weapon?'''

But I'm defenseless without it.

When I looked up I was being stared at from a distance. There was a very unusual girl staring at me intently. She was roughly my size, but was only wearing a ragged and bloody Fenrir flag like a poncho, which let most of her legs exposed. What did get me interested in her was her paleness, or rather complete lack of color in skin and hair color. It was white, stark white.

Still her yellow eyes were focused on me intently, then with a quick hop she jumped down from the side of the church and landed almost in front of me. She didn't break eye contact with me and from up close I could see that she was very curious. On the other hand, I felt rather nervous. Hungry even so.

...

'''Oh, Hell... Is... Is my infection acting up?'''

Then I felt a strange sensation and there was a high pitched ringing sound. In that instant my hunger subdued, as did everything else. Complete calmness swept over me as the unusual girl eyed me curiously.

-It's not time yet to show yourself. Go now.- C's voice came from my earpiece and the girl raised her head towards the direction of the voice.

"... Go?" She repeated the word, but for some reason it felt like it wasn't understood.

-Yes, silly. There is still time.- The pale girl laughed and I've eyed the strange one.

"Time?" This was also repeated, but then she picked up her head and as quickly she came, disappeared with a few very fast jumps.

I hate C and her little games.

No doubt, she'll ask not to speak about this any minute now.

-In return for granting some of your questions, why don't you keep quiet about her?- Just as I expected it came, though it sounded rewarding. -Relax, you'll see the lil' puppy soon enough.- The pale girl chuckled. -Oh yea, no talking to Soma.- With that the line went silent.

I really, really HATE her...

"Sierra." Soma called to me, which startled me. I turned towards him and noticed a stern gaze aimed at me. "Tell me something." He said approaching the jeep, with his God Arc lazily dropped on his shoulder. "In the last few minutes while I was gone, did you feel something strange?" I shook my head in denial, but the God Eater narrowed his eyes. "Isn't there something that you should be telling me?"

-A~w. How cute!- C chimed in our communicators and Soma instantly frowned. -However, aren't you forgetting a tiny-winy something?-

Damnit C! Don't you start taunting him again!

"You're planning something again, aren't you?" Soma turned his gaze from me and looked around.

-Naturally, I have something in motion.- The pale girl said with a light voice, but then continued with a much more strict tone. -However, is that the best way of you to force a confession out of my Sierra, you have to remember something.- Then she shifted to a malicious tone to finish it off. -She belongs to me, so Grumpy-Pants. If you want something from her, first you need permission from me.-

Crap.

Not again...

"Your delusional you psychopath." Soma said calmly after a single long sigh. "I don't want anything from that Dead Weight."

-Denial is the first step.- C laughed and I frowned.

"Say what you want you bastard." He then deposited the God Arc in it's case and got into the drivers seat. "Do you have anything to say at all? Or you're just airing your mouth?"

-Sure.- The pale girls tone suddenly turned happy. -Why don't you belong to me also? That way I wouldn't be standing between either of you.-

I couldn't help it and face palmed myself. I can't even fathom what goes through that head of her.

"Do you know anything about what happened here in the last quarter hour?" Soma ignored her and pushed the matter.

-In fact I do.- I raised an eyebrow to that statement.

'''But she wanted to keep it a secret... Didn't she?'''

What is C trying to pull now?

"What's keeping you? Speak." Soma urged her and I frowned when I understood that she was aiming to rile him.

-Of course, of course.- The girls affirmative voice came, but she did leave a chuckle at the end. -After you pay me 650.000.000 Fc.-  My eyes widened instantly upon hearing that. Even Soma showed sign of surprise.

She wants WHAT?!

"Get lost." He said and closed the communication line.

-Hey! I'm the one who hungs up on you!- C opened it again, just to break it up. I blinked stupidly and turned towards Soma to see how is he going to react.

"Anything you want to tell me?" He asked, unfazed by this. I shook my head in response and while he narrowed his eyes, but accepted my claim. Then the jeep started it's motors and we drove off, returned to the Branch finally.

When we returned to the lobby finally, a strange sight welcomed us. Or at least me, as Sakuya quickly caught up to me and grabbed my shoulder.

-For me bother Kota, okay?- My trans-failer turned her plea inside out and I frowned. However before I could even deny it the medic was gone and the red-head motormouth stuck to me like glue.

Damn it...

While the young gunner blabbered something about 10 armed sea creatures, Canon approached Soma with a determined look.

-Soma. Can you help me?- The pink haired girl stopped in front of him, barring his advance.

-What is it now?- Soma practically growled and glared at Kota, who to my luck shut up upon seeing that.

-I want to do Homing bullet, but did not succeed.- Canon said, but she only got a grunt as a response as the dark skinned God Eater pulled me after himself towards the elevator.

-Go train instead.- He called before the door of the lift shut behind me.

If you shake her off, why do you even help me?

"You don't want to be on the same mission as Canon, trust me." He said, as if in self defense. As we stepped out on the fourth floor we saw Lindow exit the room of Sakaki.

-Soma. Sierra.- Our leader called with a smile as he walked up to us. -There will be a new member of the team soon.- Then as if to boast about it, he leaned closer to us. -A new-type.-

-That if you will not be as lame as this dead weight, it does not matter.- Soma scoffed upon hearing it.

-Do not be obnoxious, the whole branch is talking about it. Soon it will arrive.- Lindow shook his head playfully as he scolded the other God Eater. -By the way, it looks that we will put our team.-

-Wonderful.- He grumbled and I was pulled along.

So, he is grumpy because there will be a newbie?

We found the doctor standing near his equipment and apparently lost in his thoughts. Soma went up to him, which made the professor turn towards us with an expectant facial expression. Then without saying a word, he walked to me and swiped my ear piece. Then still being silent returned to his seat and started to tinker with it.

"Relax." Soma said that calmingly, but then walked out leaving the two of us alone.

'''O... Kay?'''

A few minutes went by, in which time the doc changed around his hand full of glasses, typed around something on his keyboards and hummed as he read the results of the monitor. After roughly ten minutes went by, he motioned for me to come closer and reached out with his hand  presenting me the ear piece. With a gesture of the other hand he pointed at it, then on his ear.

'''So, put it back on. Okay.'''

"Do you understand me clear enough, Sierra?" He said it first in his native language, but then it was translated appropriately. Additionally to my pleasant surprise it wasn't in the mechanical female voice that C had previously programmed into, but rather the same that of the professors.

So, I got a free upgrade on this piece of junk?

I nodded to the question, when the door opened again and Soma returned in his hand with my tablet. I took it from him, then watched as he walked to the other side of the room, so we kinda formed a triangle.

I'm going to get interrogated for sure.

"I've taken out the ability of C to listen in on this conversation." Sakaki started, to which Soma nodded agreeing. "Also, my room is built around a separate network. Which makes her attempting of hacking in rather difficult."

"Start talking." Soma glared. "Now."

-Don't you mean typing?- I retorted, half jokingly to which I got an even more intense glare as a response. -Okay. Well, I think I died.- I drop the bomb on them, to which the dark skinned males expression doesn't budge, however the professors eyebrows furrow. Then with a 'humm' he leans closer to me.

"We're listening, go on." The professor urges me to explain it in more detail.

-Sure.- I nod. -There was a Chi-You, it was standing in a lake of magma when we found it underground. Soma wanted me to try and fight it alone.- At that point said person crossed his arms, but said nothing. -I managed to lure it out and fight it, but then it used some sort of spinning kick and delivered a blow to my body.- I pointed at my exposed stomach. -Magma had eaten into my insides, destroying anything that wasn't already crushed by the crushing blow.- I waited a few seconds, then said what I still think should have happened. -I shouldn't be even alive... If I am alive on that matter, that is.-

Sakaki straightened himself and was completely silent. On the other hand Soma was also lost in thoughts for a short while.

"It was C." The dark skinned God Eater explained. "That bastard made me forget this, right?" Then his eyes widened for a split second. "Why spare you?"

-I don't think that was intentional as she was a bit freaked out by it too.-

"What happened to your left hand, Sierra?" The professor spoke up and I raised the appendage in question.

-C gave me a card, which burned itself into my fingers first, then up till here.- I showed them by extending the arm towards them.

"Why did you take it?" Soma interjected and I frowned.

-I.- I took a big sigh as I recalled. -When I was asleep before our mission with Soma. Well.- I sighed again and this time raised my right arm. -I almost dug a hole in my chest with this arm, because clothes were causing me an allergic reaction.- I sighed as I saw them perk up their heads hearing that. -C helped me to overcome that and gave me the card along with some clothes that doesn't trigger my allergy.-

"Where did she get the card from?" The professor asked with a serious tone.

-It appeared in her hands, out of a purple glowing orb.-

"Then the card melded into your skin." Sakaki stated and I've nodded. "There we have the answer why she couldn't make you forget that." The professor smiled at me and stood up. He walked to me and took my left hand into his own. I felt an annoying itch over the place where he touched, but I didn't pull away. "The wound on your left shoulder, it turned white also because of her interference. Just like the wound on your chest."

-Wound?- I asked then looked down. In the center of my chest, there was something like a swirling mass of skin slowly starting to pale. -What the hell did you do to me C?- I looked around bewildered, but then Sakaki put his hands on my shoulders to calm me down.

"That's what we would like to find out.- The elder researcher reasoned and I breathed slowly to get myself back in grip.

"Did she say something else?" Soma interrupted again, but it made me remember something else spoken on that night.

-I'm becoming like her. That is why she wanted me.- I take a step back from the professor and look at Soma. -She did say I'm turning into something that is neither Human or Aragami. Something that is much more, yet the world isn't ready for yet.-

"A third option." The professor muttered to himself as he opened his almost ever-closed eyes and took a better look at me. "So there is also such a thing."

"What else is she hiding?" Soma once again interrupted, but I didn't mind. "What happened underground?"

-I... don't know, she made you give me Link-Aid, then I passed out. Next time I wake up, you were carrying me unceremoniously on your shoulders.-

"She what?" For the first time Soma's composure was shaken up, even if only momentarily. "When?"

-After the Chi-You pasted my insides with molten rock fragments.-

"That's impossible." Soma uttered again. "Even if that were possible, you would be still dying. Along with me, because of the seriousness of the wound."

"No, Soma. That isn't the case for an Irregular." The professor said as he turned towards me. "We'll have to run a thorough check on both of you in a short while, just to make sure nothing is amiss."

-I am aware that Link-Aid alone wouldn't have helped me, at least that is what I've gotten from Gina's explanation about it. However, there was another thing when it happened. My left arm and insides felt like they were dying, burning, boiling and I blacked out like that.- I turned towards Sakaki and decided to ask the big question that was on my mind for a while ago. -How is an Irregular different, aside from the facts that I do know of?-

"For a God Eater, they need to be injected with a Bias Factor that is specifically designed to match their weapons Oracle Cell signature. A mismatch will lead to the users death as the cells will infect and devour their victim." The elder researcher started. "That's because the God Arcs are made separately from the God Eaters, this also means that matches are slim." He took his glasses off and started to polish them with a small piece of cloth, that was pulled out from his pockets. "On the other hand, you are your own God Arc."

That's...

-What?- I asked,completely perplexed.

'''No, there are too much unexplained phenomenon on this planet. This shouldn't be that surprising, is it?'''

"Sierra, ever since you were born. At certain intervals you had to be drained of excess Oracle Cells formed within your body. While they did regenerate at certain intervals, this process left your body weak compared to an average human." Sakaki started his explanation and I started to recall all the moments where I had been passed around doctors, going from institute to another. "All along they were trying to use those as a weapon. To eradicate the Aragami." I stared back at him, then to Soma who was frowning for some reason very hard. "In the end, there was no one who could have matched with it. Except you." The elder took a sigh and put back on his glasses. "So, Chupacabra had been made, but it wasn't the first actually. I don't know how many were before, but they were failures. Because they couldn't integrate an artificial core into it, it was uncontrollable." For some reason I felt in my throat knots. "Many lives were lost, until they tried something that was never done before. Grafting a Control Armlet onto the weapon in place of a core."

-How.- I couldn't ask the question. Something held me back from completing it and it scared me.

"Get over it." Soma grumbled and I stared at him in disbelief at how insensitive he can be. "What about the seizure you had?"

-Chupacabra makes me go... Mad.- I admitted with a frown, but when they didn't interject and waited me to continue, I did so then. -I can feel an intoxicating rush. Makes me want to go all out, more than all out. I felt blood lust, but I never did so before.- I admitted it. -But then when I fought the Gboro-Gboro, something went wrong. There was a high pitched ringing sound. Nausea and numerous pains, discomfort and I almost fainted. However it went away shortly.-

"Fascinating." The professor said, while looking at Soma. Who scoffed and turned his head sideways grumbling.

"And in the city?" The God Eater pressed me for even more answers.

-There was a stark white girl. Her skin and hair were completely drained from colors, even more than C actually. I...- I didn't know if I should admit it or not, but I was already on a confession spree. -I wanted to eat her. As in, literally.- I gulped as both of them had taken a glance at each other, then turned back to me. -C then talked to her from my earpiece and sent her off saying that it's still too early for her to come out.-

"It is so?" The professor turned knowingly to Soma, who glared back at him. "Well then Sierra. Thank you for being informal with us. After I take some blood and tissue samples, go and have a rest." The elder researcher turned towards Soma also. "From you too also."

"Fine." He grumbled and took off his hoodie.

'''Seems he doesn't like these check-ups, much like me. One weird thing21k we have in common then.'''

A few days went past since I was checked out. While I did register myself for a mission, so far I didn't get a notification yet. Which meant I could spend my time training. Soma was quite brutal during this time, forcing me to challenge impossible missions. While I kept dying, he didn't stop to guide me in hiw own way. Which meant verbal abuse above everything else.

Also professor Sakaki made me promise not to use Chupacabra until the results are done, so I was stuck with Soma or the NORN. While I did have a much, much easier time about understanding what is going on due to the upgrades that he worked on my ear piece, I decided not to mingle with anyone else.

Then on the fourth night, after an especially grueling whole day Hell-training session with Soma I returned to my room to find C in there. She was smiling to herself quite pleasantly and had a couple pieces of clothes laid out on my bed in front of her. As she looked up to me, the pale girl gave me an uncharacteristically warm smile.

"Hey there, Sierra. Look what I got you!" She waved her right arm in an arc, displaying the goods. "This time they are not my used ones, okay?" C joked it away with a smirk, while I went and grabbed the tablet.

-Stop playing your little games.- I frowned as she laughed as an answer. -What did you do to me?-

"You don't want to know that." The pale girl smirked and my eyes twitched in irritation. "Bu~t." She elongated playfully that simple word.

-But?- I bit. It didn't hurt to at least hear her out.

"If you do me a favour, I'll tell."

-Like?- I knew instantly that, I won't like what she does ask of me.

"See this?" With a twirl of her hand, she pulled out from thin air a card. One exactly like the one she gave me. "Aw, don't be alarmed, this isn't for you." C said with a smirk as she saw my alert expression.

-What do you mean, it's not for me?- I narrowed my eyes. -Oh, no... Do you really think I'm that stupid?-

"You mean, I want to use you to give this card to Lindow?" I got an innocent smile in return. "I'm not stupid, but you want your answers." She chimed.

-Why Lindow?-

"Why not?" Then, just like if she realized it at that moment that a different variant also exists, C smiled. "Oh, I know. There is Soma too!" A second card appeared in her other hand and I frowned even more.

-Why?-

"Give them and I'll tell you." She laughed lightly, then a smirk came to her face. "Let's make it interesting. I'll pass a deadline on Lindow. You have 5 days."

-Why?-

"Because I said so!" C grumbled. "Oh and don't you try to give it to anyone else, it won't work that way."

-Neither of them are going to agree to such a thing.-

"Ah right, I almost forgot." She chuckled again. "They have to accept the card willingly, and in full knowledge what is going to happen once they do."

-That is?-

"They will belong to none other than me." C smirked maliciously and I shuddered upon seeing that. "Which would be the best course of action."

-Tell me, why are you doing this?-

"Because I'm bored and can't erase this dirt sack from existence currently." At her response I raised an eyebrow, not understanding completely what could she mean. "Anyways, go and try these on. They are your size." With that she left my room. "Remember, there is a deadline for Lindow. 5 days." C called back through the door as I frowned even more.

What is she up to now?

She should know that I'm not going to do it...

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End of Chapter 2016,06,04

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