User blog:Seieireppa/God Eater ∑0 chapter 4: Preparation


 * TWO YEARS LATER

“That’s it, that’s it! Surround it and go for the kill!”

Marie barked out commands to her soldiers as they moved to surround a single Garm. In the past two years, the Aragami had devastated the world even further, reducing much of it to rubble and resulting in Aragami crossing the sea and showing up in places they didn’t use to. However, our group had continued to survive, hunting small Aragami at first before eventually moving onto larger prey — and here they now were. Most of us were using makeshift weapons crafted from the body parts of slain Aragami, which proved far more effective than any of our guns… and of course I was no exception. No matter what happened, I couldn’t make it known that I was part Aragami. Often, at night, I’d slip out and feast on the body of that day’s quarry to sate my hunger, returning before anyone noticed I was gone, but I didn’t know how long I’d be able to keep that up…

I was snapped out of my daze by a howl from the Garm. Whenever it howled, we knew, more of them were never far behind, and in certain circumstances, a Marduk might be there leading the pack. At all costs, we had to avoid this.

“Move in!”  Marie’s shout rang out through the desolated cityscape. At her command, all of us lunged forward, some of us impaling the Garm with our weapons while others hacked away at its head and back legs. In all, there were about thirty of us, and it didn’t take long for us to lay the beast low.

Marie approached the corpse of the fallen Garm. “Good work, men. Now let’s haul this bad boy home and call it a night.”

-

“So hey, have you heard about Fenrir?”

The members of our little band of survivors had gathered at a long table for dinner, which consisted of thawed frozen meals and whatever beverages we had on hand.

“You mean the agricultural giant specializing in Oracle research?” came the response of a man sitting nearby. “I have, but what of it?”

“Word on the street,” the first man replied, “is that Fenrir’s using their Oracle technology to form anti-Aragami fighting squads of Oracle-powered super-soldiers! They call ‘em ‘God Eaters,’ or so the scuttlebutt goes. Man, I wish we could be that strong.”

A third person, a woman this time, chimed in. “And that’s not the half of it. I hear they’re rallying all the survivors in locations around the world and housing them in huge residential facilities defended by the God Eaters. D’you think we could live in one of those?”

The chatter at the table was interrupted by Marie, sitting at the head of the table, slamming her glass down in front of her and leaning in.

“Well,” she exclaimed, a mischievous tone tinting her voice, “it just so happens that our next destination…”

She reached behind her, unfurling a large map onto the table.

“…is here!”

Where Marie’s finger was planted was a location near the western coast of the United States, some thirty miles from our current location, marked “FENRIR NORTH AMERICA BRANCH.”

Marie eyed up the people sitting at the table with a smug glance. “One of Fenrir’s facilities is right here on our doorstep, so pretty soon we’ll be out of here and headed towards the coast to join up with Fenrir at their North American branch!”

“But Marie,” one member of the group piped in, “are you sure they can be trusted? I think there’s something suspicious about such a big corporation trying to—“

His thought went unfinished as Marie quickly unsheathed her anti-Aragami weapon, a massive sword fashioned out of parts from a Vajra, and held it at the man’s throat.

“Listen, trustworthy or not, allying ourselves with Fenrir is our ONLY option for survival in the long term. Eventually, our supplies here will run out, and we’ll be up Aragami creek without so much as a paddle. I will not have you jeopardizing the morale of our entire group because of your baseless suspicions! ''Am. I.  Clear?''”

The man gulped, sweat dripping down his face, and sat down. Marie may have been harsh at times, but it was necessary in times like this in order to keep these people rallied together.

“Any other questions?”  Marie looked around the table. “No? Good. We’ll spend the next week gathering what supplies we can, maintaining and forging new weapons, and marshaling both fighters and noncombatants in preparation for our departure. One week from today, on March 20th, we’ll set out heading west. Our destination will be the Fenrir North America Branch. Understood? Dismissed!"

As Marie finished her speech, those at the table rose from their seats and filed out of the dining hall. I, however, elected to stay behind. There was something I had to clear up with Marie before we went any further.

“What is it, kid?” Marie asked, noticing me standing alone at the table. “Got something on your mind?”

“Well…” I began. I was nervous as hell; no one knew I was part Aragami, and if anyone found out, my life could be over just like that as they killed me just like we’d slain all those Aragami over the years. “I’ve… got something I need to tell you.”

“Hm?”  Marie perked up as she turned to face me.

“Every night we’ve had a successful hunt, for the past two years, I’ve been, well, I’ve been sneaking out after dark.”

“Is that it?” came Marie’s frank response. “It doesn’t take an idiot to hear the noises and see the tracks you leave going in and out of the facility.”

I froze, my heart a solid lump in my throat.

“Well… the reason for that is because I’ve been going out to, well, to eat.”

“To eat?”  Marie looked at me like I was crazy. “What’s even out there besides berries and roadkill?”

I shook my head. “No… I’ve been eating, well, Aragami. The truth is, ever since I joined you… no, since before that, even, I’ve been eating Aragami to survive. I guess you could say I’m just as much Aragami by now as I am human.”

Marie’s expression barely changed upon hearing this news.

“What?” I asked, incredulous. “Where’s the reaction? Aren’t you gonna kill me right here on the spot? I could be a spy for the Aragami sent to keep tabs on you, for all you know!”

Marie rose from her seat and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Kid,” she began, “I know. Believe me, I’ve followed you on more than one occasion and seen you eat the remnants of our hunt after the rest of us are asleep. And you know what? I don’t care one lick. I’ve seen how you hold yourself back in battle, and I know you’re probably stronger than me or any of our best fighters, but you know what? That doesn’t matter at all. You’ve proven yourself over the past two years as one of our most valuable soldiers, and regardless of if you’re human, Aragami, or my grandma’s refrigerator, you’ve done more for us than even the strongest among us could be capable of. You’re one of us, no matter what happens.”

I swallowed, tears streaming down my face. Marie had accepted me for who I was, regardless of the fact that I was, in part, one of the very same monsters that had devastated humanity for years.

“So here’s what’s gonna happen… you’re coming with us to Fenrir, and we’re all gonna become God Eaters and fight the Aragami together. Understood?”

I raised my hand in a shaky salute. “Yes, ma’am!”

“Good. Now go start preparing and then get some rest. We’ve got a week before our journey begins, and I’ll need you to be in top form for when that time comes.”

I nodded, turning to exit the dining hall and heading towards my sleeping quarters.

And before I knew it, a week had passed…

And that’s when everything fell apart before my eyes.

-

TO BE CONTINUED