User blog:Baluar/Arc 3, chapter 4

In the City of Mercy… 

It seems Rachel is going all out now. I mean, I’ve never seen so much large Aragami in one area. I already counted three times I was near death, but two times the Boss blocked the attacks, and the 3rd time Nia shot the Prithvi Mata and caused it to stagger before it could hit me. Nevertheless, it’s not a good idea to fight 6 large Aragami in one go, specially not if they are a Prithvi Mata, a Caligula, a Kyuubi, a Tezcatlipoca, a Sekhmet and some sort of Kongou with Boost Hammers on its shoulders… All of a sudden, Baluar shouts:

-Everyone! We’ll split up after the Stun Grenade! Take cover! – Boom. The Aragami are stunned, but that won’t prevent them from attacking us in a matter of seconds. I quickly run inside the eastern entrance of the church, while Baluar runs towards the western entrance, and Nia runs towards that building in the West. I hide inside, and wait to see what Aragami I’m gonna have to deal with…

I got the easiest pair: the Sekhmet and the Tezcatlipoca. I can deal with them if I am patient, and time proves me right: in only ten minutes, I manage to cut the Sekhmet’s head clean off its body, and the Tezcatlipoca has received so much damage that I could bring it down with a single Charge Crush (ok, it was a CC – Destruct Blood Art, but still…). I was about to begin to explore to see where my partners are, but then I hear footsteps at the other side of the wall. As obvious as always, I shout:

-Hey! Who’s there?

-Robb? – Lili? What the hell is she doing here? I say that to her almost word for word (minus the “the hell”).

-Sakaki told me you were having troubles, and I decided to come and help. – She answers.

-Great! We were fighting six large Aragami. I’ve already taken care of two of them, but I don’t know Baluar and Nia’s status… Just try not to get injured, ok?

<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:35.4pt 70.8pt 106.2pt 141.6pt 177.0pt 212.4pt 247.8pt 283.2pt 402.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">We begin to walk to search for them. When we find them, they are together facing 3 of the remaining monsters (the Kyuubi was dead in the floor, alongside other Aragami that seemingly popped up after we separated, like a Hannibal and a Vajra). Suddenly, the Prithvi Mata throws Nia’s Arc off her hands, and prepares to bite her. Gross error. Baluar is roughly 15 meters away, but he leaves his Arc in the floor and he pulls the monster’s tail, causing its bite to miss. The beast then turns, and he punches it so freakin’ hard that he leaves a large, deep dent on its head. The beast seems to react 3 seconds late, and it falls dead on its left side.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:35.4pt 70.8pt 106.2pt 141.6pt 177.0pt 212.4pt 247.8pt 283.2pt 402.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Talk about a punch, eh!? – I scream.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:35.4pt 70.8pt 106.2pt 141.6pt 177.0pt 212.4pt 247.8pt 283.2pt 402.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Hey! We’ll have time for jokes later. Now we’re kinda busy, don’t you think? – Nia answers, while throwing a stun grenade to the Kongou's mouth and causing its face to explode. Damn, that's something I'm going to remember.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:35.4pt 70.8pt 106.2pt 141.6pt 177.0pt 212.4pt 247.8pt 283.2pt 402.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Damn! She’s right. Let’s go, Lili! – Dealing with the remaining monsters is piece of cake. They’re already wounded, and heavily outnumbered. Considering we could deal with them when WE were the outnumbered ones, they are screwed. In 5 minutes, they’re dead. After all of it, as usual, the Boss begins to joke:

<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:35.4pt 70.8pt 106.2pt 141.6pt 177.0pt 212.4pt 247.8pt 283.2pt 402.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Phew! I definitely need a drink… – Baluar says.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:35.4pt 70.8pt 106.2pt 141.6pt 177.0pt 212.4pt 247.8pt 283.2pt 402.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-What drink? A beer? What, are you a drunk now? – I jokingly ask.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:35.4pt 70.8pt 106.2pt 141.6pt 177.0pt 212.4pt 247.8pt 283.2pt 402.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-No way! I’ll leave that for Lindow. I’d like some orange juice… In fact, I think we’d all like one.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:35.4pt 70.8pt 106.2pt 141.6pt 177.0pt 212.4pt 247.8pt 283.2pt 402.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Hmmm, don’t tempt me. – Nia says.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:35.4pt 70.8pt 106.2pt 141.6pt 177.0pt 212.4pt 247.8pt 283.2pt 402.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Why not? I have some in my fridge…

<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:35.4pt 70.8pt 106.2pt 141.6pt 177.0pt 212.4pt 247.8pt 283.2pt 402.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">We return to base, but then… then I see her. Rachel. She was waiting for us all along.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops:35.4pt 70.8pt 106.2pt 141.6pt 177.0pt 212.4pt 247.8pt 283.2pt 402.0pt"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-bidi-font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-US">-Aw, c'mon! - I scream.