User blog:One-Eyed Serpent/Untitled GE Fic - Chapter 13 - This Camping Ain't For Kids

''I guess this is where we say ‘let’s get this party started’, right? But nonetheless, I couldn’t help being excited and gleeful.''

''First mission as the Vice-Captain involve staying outside the wall for a night? Just awesome.''

--

“So, Vice Captain Kamui, aren’t you quite young for such a high position?” Despite that wording, Alisa-san didn’t mean to be rude, simply curious. It was obvious that she was raised to talk formally. “Even our Vice-Captain hadn’t gained the position until he was 19.”

I felt my face flame in embarrassment, and I glared at Ryuuka-san who snickered off to the side with one hand in his pocket, the other holding his God Arc.

All of us were in FRIAR, God Arcs in hand as we passed through the Mobile Fortress to get to our ‘campsite’, as Director Sakaki calls it. The place was directly to the south of the Den, and FRIAR was parked at the same area so it made sense we go through here instead of go out the North Gate and then round back to the southern end with a vehicle or something.

We just entered the Railways, and Ryuuka-san motioned for us to climb into the available rail car. Obviously, our path would take us past the God Arc Soldier Research area, as its Deployment Area is directly the south most part of FRIAR.

“Um, Alisa-san, please, just Hiro. No need for formalities.” I scratched the back of my head, nervously tapping my fingers against the back-to-perfect blade of my God Arc. “It’s awkward enough being known as the youngest Vice Captain. And Alisa-san is a veteran, so I find it strange.”

Ryuuka-san scoffed, though the two Cradle members looked at me with mild surprise. Alisa-san then nodded after a moment, smiling. Wow, who woulda thought she’d be pre- nope, nope, not going down that line of thinking!

“Then my apologies. Will ‘Hiro-kun’ be alright?” She asked. I nodded enthusiastically, glad that someone was willing to give in to my demands.

I glanced around our surroundings, and recognizing the place, I cleared my throat, calling their attention to me. This would be mildly embarrassing, but the temptation was too great. That and Ryuuka-san might appreciate giving him a reason to show off his ‘children’. That guy, seriously… “Ladies and Gentlemen, please turn behind you to witness personally the pride and joy of Fenrir Research Institute for Apotheosis Reinstatement – or simply, FRIAR. I present…” On cue, the bleak metal walls broke off to reveal the huge expanse of the R&D Area, where the glorious God Arcs were being made.

Or in Ryuuka-san’s words, ‘born’.

“The God Arc Soldiers; the future of Fenrir’s fighting force.” Reverence was in Ryuuka-san voice, and I was also pleased that Soma-san and Alisa-san were awestruck to even acknowledge him.

Ah, so this is what Captain meant he said that their reactions were satisfying.

“Operable either manually or remotely, these Soldiers are fit to take on anything but Invasive Species. Their durability and power are a match for Aragami, and a single God Arc Soldier can take on five Gboro-specie Aragami at the same time. They still have flaws in design and development, but in time…” Ryuuka-san grinned, almost softly. “In time, no human shall ever die.”

Ah… So that’s why Ryuuka-san is so enthusiastic about the God Arc Soldiers.

“This… This is what FRIAR has been up to all these years?” Alisa-san asked, physically having to pull away her eyes from the magnificent machines. I nodded. “Then it is a wonderful thing. To be truthful, I had my doubts of the need of a Mobile Fortress, but I am glad to be proven wrong, if only this is the result.”

Immense pride made my chest swell, and in a moment of truce, I exchanged grins with Ryuuka-san.

“You say these God Arc Soldiers are operable manually. Care to elaborate?” Soma-san hid his surprise well, but the fact that he’s still looking at the R&D is proof that this was a spectacle for him as well.

“Rachel-hakase is the sole person who can operate the Soldiers manually, but even her genius could not keep track of soon-to-be-a-thousand Soldiers.” FRIAR is aiming to produce that many? “Thus the need for DEMAS Riders. For Humans to operate a God Arc Soldier manually, they have to be compatible with the Soldier’s Artificial CNS, but unlike a God Arc, risk of infection is non-existent, as it only requires to have the barest amount of Oracle Cells in your body for your Matched Soldier to function as they are powered by an outside ‘battery’.” Ryuuka-san explained.

The metal walls came back, though it wasn’t long until the Storage Area came into view. I immediately saw Shuuten Douji, with its peculiar red streaks. There was a new addition to it; a war banner attached to the back, bearing Fenrir’s Crest.

“The red one is strange,” Ah, so they’ve noticed Shuuten, too. Alisa-san turned to us for elaboration, and Ryuuka-san was more than happy to give one.

“He’s mine, called Shuuten Douji. A Prototype God Arc Soldier, actually, and he can be likened to 1st Generation God Eater on how he functions.” Even Soma-san was interested. Probably because he was a 1st Generation himself. “Prototype’s are only capable of manual operation, and it’s not the simple user-interface that the final models use. It uses ‘Merging’, a process that transfers your consciousness into the machine. The Soldier becomes you, you become the Soldier. You are literally one and the same once you use a Prototype.”

“Is it dangerous? You make it sound like it.”

Ryuuka-san nodded slowly. “Very, very dangerous. No one can simply ‘transfer their consciousness’ on a frequent basis. A human mind is far more complex than any other mega computer, and the Soldier’s ‘consciousness’ would usually reject yours, as it doesn’t understand the ‘encoding’.” Ryuuka-san tapped his temple, a dry smile on his face. “If you’re rejected… You’ll be killed slowly as your brain ceases to function, but your body does not.”

I… I didn’t know this. Then how can Ryuuka-san use Shuuten Douji? Hell he even has Goshadokuro!

“Then Ryuuka-san, how are you still alive?” I asked bluntly. Alisa-san gasped in surprise, and Soma-san froze, eyes wide.

Ryuuka-san, to my surprise, just laughed. “I don’t know either, but I’m sure glad to be very compatible and very much alive. But there were two other’s before me, so the novelty isn’t as great back then.” He pointed at Shuuten Douji, then at another – obviously a Prototype, but with a different form – Soldier. “Shuuten Douji was first Matched to Sasha Vereschchagin, and Soldier Qilin – the other Prototype – was Matched to Liu Xing Qui. Shuuten never had the chance to Merge with his first master, as Sasha died on a mission. Same for Liu. Been gone for a year and a half now.”

He said the names with wistfulness, and I wisely kept silent. Obviously, Ryuuka-san knew those two.

The Deployment Docks arrived, and Ryuuka-san stopped our rail car with a press of a button. He kicked the door open, before stepping aside and making a sweeping gesture. “Ladies first.” He said, chuckling when Alisa-san gave him a raised eyebrow, but nonetheless stepped up on the platform and moved to make space, the only female in our group immediately followed by Ryuuka-san.

I motioned for Soma-san to head up first, because it was polite to do so, and he did so with a shrug. I followed. It wasn’t down here in the DEMAS Deployment much – just twice, the first one included – so I’m still not familiar with the layout of the place.

No one batted an eyelash at us toting around our God Arcs though, as Ryuuka-san was known for taking his God Arc down here to tinker with it.

Milton came out of nowhere, but nonetheless, his presence was a bit easing on my now paranoid nerves. I’ve never noticed until now that unknown places make me develop an itch that needs to be scratched, instincts kicking my paranoia into high gear.

Where can I go to hide? What’s the fastest route out of this place? Those kinds of thoughts were flying all over my head, and though I was thankfully for it, it was honestly irritating sometimes.

“If it ain’t the young boss!” The man greeted Ryuuka-san with a booming laugh, a large hand patting the smaller one – well, next to the bear that is Milton, Ryuuka-san looks absolutely fragile. Though to his credit, Ryuuka-san didn’t even stumble. “Heard from te Ladies Claudius ya kiddies got yerself a mission! Oooh, ya lot look like yer not even legal fer booze!”

“I’m 21,” Soma-san stated with a raised eyebrow. Well, it was hard to tell, actually.

“I’m 18!” Alisa-san was quick to correct the man, making Milton laugh.

“Ah, sorry, sorry! Hiro here’s te only underage, hm? Heard of yer promotion, kiddo, and it’s a damn shame I can get ya a drink for celebration!”

Ryuuka-san rolled his eyes. “Blood will get him drunk first, so hands off until then Millie.” He stated, making the large man back a couple steps with his hands raise, chuckling. “We really should be going. Good to see you Milton.”

“See ya young boss!” And with that, the mechanic left, making us able to move forward again.

“Are the people in FRIAR all like that?” Alisa-san wondered.

“Maybe, maybe not.” Ryuuka-san chuckled. “The people here are living in a Fortress, yes, but it’s outside the Main Branch. It should really be a given that some are… screw-loose.”

“Uh-huh, I could see why.” I nearly laughed at Soma-san’s statement, but I don’t want to be murdered. Maybe when I could defend myself, I could poke fun at Ryuuka-san myself. That’d be great.

“Shut up So-chan,” Alisa-san burst out into uncontrollable giggling, and Soma-san gave her a death glare, growling. I just cracked a smile. Ryuuka-san twirled his Charge Spear carefully, resting the shaft of his weapon on his shoulder. “Well, anyways, past that door will lead to outside. It’s a 100 foot drop to the ground, but that shouldn’t be a problem. I’ll rejoin you guys at a later time, so we’ll be splitting here.”

His Spear shifted to its Gun form, and I understood why we would be splitting up. Pretty sure he’ll go up at a higher place, so he could get in position for his long-as-damn shots. But didn’t he say he’s limited to two shots??

“About your limit?” I asked. In response, he lifted the un-tucked pantleg of his pants, and I stared at the ridiculous amount of O-Ampules strapped to his leg. What the heck Ryuuka-san.

“I normally don’t do it like this, but for once, I’ll test out my new bullets. Less AoE, but without the lessening of damage.” He fixed his clothes, nodding at the door he indicated earlier. “Well, you guys should go; I’ll be in contact, so no worries. Ja.”

He turned on his heel to mount the winding stairs of to the side, and I turned to the other two. “Shall we?” I asked them, and I led the way this time.

I was immediately assaulted by wind, and I raised my arm, squinting from under it. The afternoon light was a nice change from the false lighting, and the orange sky was as fascinating as always. Shame that I don’t get to see much of this normally.

“That bullet description is shady, I must say.” Alisa-san muttered as well trekked over to the edge.

I waved a hand. “He never uses his Gun when there’s an Aragami with 200 meters from him.” I said. “I don’t know why, but he apparently likes his bullets explosive. Pretty sure he’s pyromaniac.”

“/I can hear you, Hiro./” Came the slightly unexpected buzz from the earpiece.

I grinned to myself. “It’s true! If you weren’t, then you would use laser modules, not bombs. Jesus, Ryuuka-san, you’re using a Sniper, not a Blaster!”

Ryuuka-san huffed. “/So I can’t find a bullet that gets more powerful the farther I am, sue me./”

I paused, one foot directly on the edge. “Then why are you-“

“/Look at my shots carefully later, damn brat. And jump, the sun is setting and we better get to campsite before night falls./”

I sighed, before turning to the two behind me. “Well, like the guy says.” I took a deep breath, and fell backwards, the two falling with me immediately.

--

“/Ogretails at 2 o’clock./” This is already the third encounter in the half hour we’ve been carefully making our way to campsite, reserving our strength in not all out running. At the moment we’re just at jogging pace, though with our enhanced bodies we’re covering more ground than normal.

The first of the Ogretails broke through a copse of trees, snarling at us as it lunged.

“Mine!” Alisa-san called, so I remained moving, though my eyes were watching her carefully. She leapt high, spinning gracefully with her God Arc in her hands. She swung down her Long Blade when she was directly above the bewildered Ogretail, gouging a deep wound across its back that sent it stumbling. A soon as she landed, she didn’t bother to turn as she let out her Predator, the black maw lunging across the space to bite deep into its prey.

With a grunt, she viciously swung her arm – and by extension her Predator and her victim – and sent the Ogretail crashing into the others that appeared, the first Ogretail missing a chunk out of its flesh. She hopped back once, shifting to Gun form as she did so. She gave me and Soma-san an Aragami Bullet, initiating Burst, and the obvious change in speed was the proof of it. I carefully aimed my God Arc, and fired off a Three-way Spike, having to slow down considerably to hit three of them.

“/Keep going, you three, leave those to me./”

“Thank you!” I replied, shifting back to Sword form as Alisa-san joined us.

A muted gunshot, then a second later, a larger, shock-wave inducing bullet hit the group behind us. I wasn’t sent flying – unlike Ryuuka-san’s first version of his Bullet – but I did stumble, as did Soma-san and Alisa-san.

“What the f-“

“/That,/” Smugness was dripping from Ryuuka-san’s voice, I noted dryly. “/''Is called Air Drill – Shackles. I removed the LL Bomb modules in favor of a more concentrated bullet, and adding Hold effects. That should keep those bitches down for a while.''/”

Soma-san grunted, still ticked at the surprise over-explosive bullet, but grateful nonetheless. A poor Dreadpike stepped onto his path, shrieking, but its ear grating noise was cut off with Soma-san ruthlessly booted it out of the way. Poor, poor Dreadpike.

“/''Guys, heads up! Fallen Sariel directly heading for you from 12 o’clock! Shit!''/” Oh hell, no. A Sariel – and a Fallen-specie at that – is here?! Come on! “/Back up, let me get a few shots in!/”

I was more than happy to do as requested, throwing my shield up as I saw the yellow lasers whizzing in our direction. I didn’t expect the things would actually push me back, and due to surprise, I dropped my shield.

What a mistake.

Another laser streaked across the air, heading for me, and I had to jump away-

Right into the view of the Fallen Sariel.

It was distinctly female in form, but the humanoid appearance made disgust bubble up in my stomach. Unlike the original Sariel, this Fallen was dark violet and sickly green in color, not that blue and golds of its original variant. Both of them are still ugly as fuck though.

Ryuuka-san’s Bullet hit the Sariel right on its hidden eye, and the high-powered attack to its weak spot had the Aragami positively screaming, spinning round and round in the air in a vain attempt to locate its transgressor.

Yeah, you can find Ryuuka-san one and a half a kilometer from here.

What the heck, I’m cracking jokes at a time like this.

Three more bullets hit the Sariel, and then Ryuuka-san announced he was out of Oracle Points and shall be joining us in an hour. And that the Aragami is now ours.

I did so happily.

I ran up to it, jumping up to deliver a vertical spinning slice that began from the edge of its ‘dress’ and ending up at its shoulder. The dress is made of hard materials, I realized, as sparks flew off when my blade hit it. I damaged it good when I hit its shoulder, though, and I darted away as soon as I landed, just in time to avoid the clouds of toxic smoke it released in its rage.

“Alisa-san, Gun form!” I called out to the only female, and she called back an affirmative. I did so too and together we ran around the Sariel, shooting it with various elemental Bullets.

Soma-san moved in as soon as the last traces of the poison cloud were gone, dashing forward so fast He was merely a white blur, and his God Arc was slammed down with an overhead strike. Cracks spread out like webs on the dress part of the Sariel, and I grinned when the Sariel realized it was no match for us.

It turned away with a frightened screech, and I didn’t allow it to escape.

“Oh no you don’t!” I yelled after it, releasing my Predator and ordering it to lunge after our escaping little God, the jaws clamping down around its torso. The Fallen Sariel screamed in agony, and with both hands I yanked it back, actually sending it sprawling on the ground.

“Now!” Soma-san barked, and together we surged forward, tearing into the Sariel like a pack of hungry wolves taking down their dinner. The Aragami didn’t last long, and it died with a pitiful wail, slumping sideways.

I took the core in my Predator, and we savored our victory as we resumed our trekking.

“How long have you been a God Eater, Hiro-kun?” Alisa-san asked, and I gave her a sheepish smile.

“Almost three months, give or take a few weeks.” I replied, and her eyes went wide.

“Really?” I couldn’t fault her for her disbelieving tone. To be honest, I’m still kinda in disbelief myself!

“/Seven weeks and four days!/” Ryuuka-san unexpectedly piped up. Though really, how the hell does he know the exact amount of time I was here? I asked him, and he smugly replied; “/I just do./”

Ass.

My thoughts were interrupted by a load roar somewhere to our left, but the sound seemed kinda fading, so maybe its source was a ways off.

“Fuck, Large Aragami heading for us from 10 o’clock.” Soma-san hissed, and my eyes went wide at his proclamation. He did he-

Oh, hell.

The wind was blowing from the direction, and the faint smell of smoke and metal, I think I know what the hell is heading for us. A goddamn Quadriga.

I’ve yet to fight one with other Blood members, and with our group separated at the moment – Ryuuka-san would be here in a few, though – I’m not so sure we can take it on. Apparently Soma-san was thinking the same thing, and pulling a Scent Disguiser from his jacket, he shattered the capsule in front of us, the smoke expanding and spreading immediately.

We passed through it, and we upped our pace. The chemicals will wear off in a minute, so we better make good headway in that timeframe.

“Ryuuka-san, use a Scent Disguiser; don’t engage please.” I said into my earpiece. The man on the other end huffed.

“/''Will do. What the heck is a Quadriga doing here, anyways?!''/” Good question. “/''Whatever. I’m increasing my pace, so I’ll join you guys soon. Now let me concentrate.''/”

Ryuuka-san was smart enough not to turn off his earpiece, and for that, I was thankful.

“That’s kind of a boastful remark.” Soma-san muttered, loud enough for us to hear. “’Join us soon’? Isn’t he a couple of kilometers back?”

I smiled dryly. “Please look at your locators, then switch to World View.”

They did so, and I heard Alisa-san gasp in surprise. No doubt seeing the pink dot that is Ryuuka-san moving too damn fast for it to be legal. Not that we cared.

“What the heck…”

“Ryuuka-san is not the strongest, nor the sturdiest in Blood. He is the fastest out of all of us, more so in Burst Mode.” I shrugged. “He’s not good at endurance, but he usually gets to his goal before he hits his limits, so that’s a good thing.”

“Still stupidly fast…”

“I know.” I laughed at that, and in a wordless agreement, we ran faster.

-

We reached the campsite – finally – after 45 minutes of running, us being jumped only a couple of times, but Vajratails and a single Gboro were our opponents. It didn’t take too long to kill those, as they were quite a distance from each other, and I was satisfied despite my legs revolting against me.

The campsite was small but serviceable, dividers splitting the area so that we have an area for sleeping, and another for relaxation. There was a portable God Arc Storage installed, and I left my God Arc there for the moment, collapsing on the bedroll at the very right.

It was heaven.

I let out a stretched and a pleased groan, turning to lie face down.

“You tired already?” Soma-san sounded vaguely amused, and I grunted into the bed.

“My legs are killing me.” I shook said appendages for point, wincing when they felt like lead. “I need Captains training regime.”

“Don’t bother, I gave your Doctors a suggestion, and they seem up for it.” I think I have to be scared by that remark. “Good luck.”

Yup, definitely should be scared.

I looked up, about to stick my tongue out like a brat because I feel like it, only to stop and stare when I saw Alisa-san peel off her boot. Her leg was bleeding, not a large wound, but still.

“Alisa-san!” I jerked up into a sitting position, surprising her at my abrupt movement. “You’re bleeding!”

“Oh!” She looked down at her injury, before shaking her head, giving me a reassuring smile. It made me all the more nervous. “Don’t worry, just a scratch! It’ll heal in no time.”

“What if it’s infected? Or worse, got poison-“

“There’s no poison,” Soma-san interrupted absently, messing around the Terminal in the camp. “Alisa, got take a Recovery shot and clean up the blood. Burn it afterward.”

“As the doctor says.” Alisa-san replied cheekily, doing as told. How could Soma-san be sure? I’d lose my head surely.

“How does Soma-san know?” I wondered aloud, and I notice Alisa-san titter off to the side. Soma-san grunted.

“Got the most enhanced sense as a… side-effect, I suppose. Alisa, damn it, clean up faster!” Soma-san growled the last part to the other Cradle member, who squeaked. “Geez, your blood smells nasty.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Alisa-san said, hastily wiping her wound with wadded up bandages and throwing the bloody cloths to the side. She rifled through the supply boxes, and she found strike-anywhere matches with an exclamation of ‘aha!’. She set the bandages on fire, and I wrinkled my nose at the smell of burning blood.

Ew.

“Ah, there we go.” I looked up at Soma-san. What the heck was he doing? “Oi, Old Man, can you hear us?”

I got up to my feet just in time for Director Sakaki’s face appear on the Terminal’s screen, mouth moving but no sounds coming.

“Director, your audio is off.” I called helpfully. The man blinked in surprise, then messed with his video-call settings. Pfft, even the great Doctor messes up sometimes.

“'''Hello? Mic test, mic test 1 2 1 2… Can you hear me now'''?” I lifted a thumbs up, and Director Sakaki nodded, satisfied. “'''Good. I hope everything went well? You are 10800 seconds earlier than my calculated time.'''”

‘10800 seconds’…? While I did mental calculation, Soma-san answered.

“We encountered several Aragami en route to campsite, but those were disposed of quickly. We prioritized reaching our destination; I hope you don’t mind.”

“'''Nonsense! I’m glad you did that, to be honest. We’ll have a lot of time tomorrow to gather sufficient data, I’m sure.'''” There was I paused, and just as I was about to finally group how many minutes 10800 seconds made, Director Sakaki asked a question that made me pause and forget my counting. “Where is Ryuuka-kun?”

Soma-san rolled his eyes. “The brat’s-“

He was cut off by a loud racket outside the camp, and I face-faulted when I heard a very, very recognizable voice screaming; “I COME IN PIECES!!” Followed by manic cackling.

Soma-san looked like he was resisting the urge to bang his head on a concrete wall, and Alisa-san was so spooked she was hiding behind me. Director Sakaki laughed heartily, very, very amused. “Such lively people!”

Yeah… Lively…

I sighed deeply, as sounds of a battle outside were heard, and Ryuuka-san’s voice floating into our little refuge.

I just hope nothing crazy – wrong word; crazier – happens in this camping trip of ours.

--

I’m on a roll, maybe because 2 chapters left before Arc 1 ends. Holy Children of Eris, never thought I’d reach this point (:V)

P.S: Air Drill Bullet is not canon, sadly ; m ;