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Black Aligator
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"Captain..." Alisa's voice snapped me out of my daze, I looked up to her as she arrived with the medic. "Is there a problem, you've been standing just there and not moving."
"Ah no, it's just what Soma said." I gestured towards the carcass, which had very little signs of starting to decompose. "It's truly frightening..."
"An Aragami possessing the power to stand up to the high Ranking veterans." Sakuya said and that caused a gloomy atmosphere to descend on us. "You seemed to have defeated it quite easily." She said and I frowned.
"My luck was that it didn't chose close quarters." I looked at the body covered in a steel-like exoskeleton. "I imagine it's armor is much sturdier than a regular Chi-You's. While the static attacks were no problem because of the Symbiote, I wouldn't be able to handle it if it would have stopped using the energy attacks."
"I saw the end of the battle." Said Soma sternly. "A Vajra doesn't generate this much static charge when fully enraged." His frown was deep as he shook his head. "God Eaters need to be vary of this Aragami until we create a suitable counter-strategy to handle it's kind."
"Well, shall we go back?" I snickered at the sudden thought of returning. "Wonder how Kota was able to handle that girl."
"Wondering?" Soma snorted in disdain. "It's not going to be a wonder at all. It will be a complete disaster."
"Guys, go and deposit your weapons I'm going to make the report." I called to the rest of the unit as I went past them and headed for the elevator. In there, I pressed the executives floor call button. Once the lift arrives, I headed instantly to Major Tsubaki's door. A response came instantly after I knocked on it firmly.
"Come in!" Called the mature woman and I stepped in and waited for her to put the paperwork to the side. "Sierra, you're bringing the report on the Raven, correct?" She asked and I curtly nodded affirmative. "Go on, I'm listening."
"According to Soma, God Eaters slightly under his caliber are able to handle it without fatalities." My voice was grim and I couldn't help, but frown. "The Aragami itself is as expected is in possession of enhanced physical capabilities compared to a regular Chi-You... Very much like the magmatic deviant."
Tsubaki picked up her tablet and started to swipe it with her fingers, finding the target of our conversation. "Scouts reported the Raven to possess electric abilities, even able to paralyze at the cost of being weak to blaze." She read and I groaned. "Is there a problem?"
"That damn bird-brain is discharging a massive shock in it's surroundings every time when damaged badly." I shook my head and recalled the damage our scuffle inflicted on the factory grounds. "Major, engaging in close combat is suicide, guaranteed. I could only take it down, because the Aragami was stupid enough to fall into an exploitable pattern... One that would have killed others for sure."
"We'll look into it and devise a suitable long range attack plan to deal with this sub-species."
"One more thing Major..." I called out to her as she put down the tablet. "All of the usual energy attacks are now static charged. Additionally, the Energy Blast attack is apparently variable at will. There is a version where it bombards the target with numerous smaller ones, probably meant for impairing the victim before summoning forth a charged up version and throwing it. Or it can simply gather a massive version, far larger and denser than any recorded Chi-You attack before..."
"Thank you for the details, Sierra." She said and looked at me. "I heard from Dr. Sakaki that you're able to control the static charge around you to an extent." I've nodded to ascertain that. "Without this... boon, your mission would have been much harder?"
"There's a chance of fatality... yes." I swallowed nervously. "However, I am certain that this isn't the end... We need to finish the Predator Styles and get as many God Arcs Reconstructed as possible to stand a chance." I looked at the woman and while she couldn't see the determination on my face, my voice was filled with it. "We're fighting a clearly loosing battle... There is only so much we can do without support..."
"The R&D Is working on it with maximum effort. The scouts are reporting everything to us as well, not just the Captains, Sierra." Tsubaki closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "We are well aware of the dangers, this is why the Director pushed the HQ to support our projects."
"I'm sorry it's just taxing facing these new dangers and seeing just how powerless we are in the very end..." I looked at the mature woman. "I guess Lindow must have handled the stress better than me."
"My brother?" The Instructor was surprised. "You didn't quite bring him up, until now." Her eyes narrowed and she looked at me. "What's bothering you, Sierra?" She asked in a somewhat gentler voice.
"The Doc asked us to stand on his side..." I hesitated to say that, since I didn't know just where exactly the Major stood. At best partial. "He clearly stated, that by doing so at the time of choosing, that would make Fenrir our very enemy..."
A single visible eye constricted as she looked at me. "This is regarding the matter which involves the Director also?" She asked and I hesitantly nodded. "When the time comes." Tsubaki started with a slight pause. "Depending on your actions, I will mete out suitable response. I can only do this much for you."
"Thank you major." I bowed to her and left the office. Outside I took a deep breath and looked towards the currently empty office of the Director. Well... There's nothing much we can do about her now, is it? With that I headed towards to take a better look at what Kota managed to do with the Aragami Girl.
When I stepped into the room, there was only the red-head inside and no one else was to be seen. However he looked really broken and that filled me with concern. "Kota, what happened?!" I knelt down to him and the boy finally recognized that someone else was present also. "Where's the girl?!" I shook his shoulders and the boy started crying.
"In the room back there." He pointed behind me, towards the observation room in the back. The same room where the Doc had put her, I quickly went to take a look inside and when I peeked in, the girl was there. In fact, she looked up and with a happy cry of 'SIRA!' she tackled me. "She's fine..." The boy groaned and his head slumped once more.
That left me utterly confused. "What happened? I mean you looked pretty confident that you can handle her when we left it in your hands." My hands moved to play with the girls hair and she stared to giggle delightfully.
"Yeah..." He agreed and forced his tears to stop. "I grew up with a little sister. So I know how to handle children, there are a few small kids in the Outer Ghetto and I know how to handle the energetic and troublesome ones too." He sighed in defeat, leaning backwards and looking up at the ceiling. "But to answer your question, I tried to show Bugarally to her."
"She didn't like it, did she?" I couldn't help, but snicker. The girl looked up at me and imitated the sound she just heard. "Sorry, it's... quite surprising how can you like it at all." Laughing lightly at the effort, I patted her head once more.
At that, Kota let out a defeated laughter. "No, it's all right." He said with a broken tone. "Actually she liked it very much." The girl then went over to the boy and sat down in front of him, looking up at Kota with her large golden eyes.
I couldn't help, but frown becoming even more confused. "Uhm then?" I prompted him and he chuckled in sadness, reaching out to pat on the Aragami child's head.
"She liked it so much, she ATE IT!" He finally burst out, letting the pent up frustration go. "Do you know how much I toiled for that piece?!" The boy jumped up and groaned. "I shouldn't be angry at her at all, because she doesn't know what wrong she did... ARGH!! This is so frustrating!" The girl found that rather interesting so she imitated the move and some of the sounds the boy was making.
"Hehe... little puppy indeed." I noted and the boy looked up at me. "C... called her that once, and indeed she does act like one. Learning the world through her teeth." I chortled and the boy crossed his arms frowning. "Learning is fine, but she can't just eat things not belonging to her..."
"Then teach it!" Soma snapped at us, when he entered the room in tow with the Doctor, Alis and Sakuya. The girl squealed all their 'names' one by one as the came into her view. "At least she didn't eat anything important this time." He called after looking around in the room.
"N-nothing important?!" Kota fumed, boiling over the carelessly thrown remark. "Do you even know what she ate?!"
"It shouldn't be anything worth my time knowing it was yours." Soma called and I frowned. They are back to arguing... great.
"Well, it's good that everyone's here!" Dr. Sakaki called and we turned our attention at him. "What would each one of you suggest as her name?"
"You..." Alisa was surprised. "Want to name her?"
"Naturally!" Said the elder and I had to agree. "We can't keep her calling 'Child' or 'specimen', while accurate, seems... cruel."
"Doc, only you would refer to her as a specimen..." I sighed and looked at the pale girl. "However, we should really give her a name as that would make things easier for us for sure."
"This is why I ask for your assistance. I simply have no aptitude for such a task." Admitted the researcher and I shook my head. The girl in turn looked very attentively at us. "Hence I have tasked all of you with finding a suitable name for the child in my stead." With a quick nod of his head, he gestured for us. "Get to it." The last sentence was happily repeated by the girl.
"Well... I have no clue?" I had to admit, while I didn't refer to her by a name... giving a name to her myself...
Kota laughed triumphantly. "Well, I hate to brag, but I'm a pretty darn good name... er... of th-things and stuff."
I simply chortled and shook my head. "You got a way with your words, that's for sure. But sure, give it a go."
Alisa instead shook her head and sighed. "Well, that seems ominous..."
"Let Kota get his chance, then everyone's going to pitch in, okay?" I voiced my opinion albeit, I still had no clue just what to say.
"Hmm..." The boy leaned down, looking at the Aragami Girl." Let's see here... Bam, got it!" He punched his open palm with a closed fist. "Norami!" Kota exclaimed and we looked at him with surprise.
"Stray God?" I understood the names translation. "Well... she's like a puppy... Still to call her a stray..."
"Uh... No!" Alisa stated simply, to what the red-head started to argue with her.
"What do you mean, no?!" He raised his voice and stared defiantly at the Russian girl. "You got a better idea?!" He challenged to what the platinum blond girl seemed to be at a loss of words.
"I... I didn't say that..." Her eyes were running across the room, trying to find something to focus on. "Why should I have to..."
"Ha!" Kota pointed at her triumphantly. "I found you out, sister!" You're going to regret this very soon... Bad choice of words coming in... Alisa stared back at him incredulously. "You're afraid, aren'tcha? You got no style!"
His claim was met with a very sharp glare from the girl. "I most certainly am not afraid, you brute!" They really are like children, bickering over everything... Or like fickle lovers, heh... "Um... Well, she could be... Uh..."
"SHIO!" Chirped happily the small girl and we all turned to her.
"Y-yeah! That's what I wanted to say." Like a drowning man trying to grasp at straws, Alisa jumped on the word just said. "Precisely what I was going to say. Thank you, Shio."
"You guys realize she... just named herself..." I pointed out and everyone looked first at me, then back to the girl.
"You're such a liar!" Kota's outburst was prompt and I shook my head once more. Why are you putting oil onto the fire? "If we can't think of anything, let's go with Norami."
"Kota... She just named herself, didn't she?" I turned to the Doctor, who nodded with a humm.
"SHIO!" Once more the Aragami Girl called her name. "SHI... O!"
I couldn't stop, but laugh at that. "See, she even spelled it for you, Kota." I couldn't stop grinning under the helmet. "What do you say to that?"
"Is... Shio... already your name?" Sakuya tried tentatively.
"Yep!" The girl chirped with a nod. "SHIO!" She called and I chortled once more.
"Well, it appears this was a vain exercise. The child has already been christened." Summarized briefly the elder. "Very well then, Shio it is!"
"WHAAAT?!" Kota's outburst was unstoppable once more, Alisa on the other hand decided to take his distance from him while rolling her eyes. "Come on!" He looked at the girl, now known to be Shio. "You sure you don't wanna be Norami?" He knelt down in front of the girl. "It's pretty cool!"
"Yuck." Shio turned her head away from the boy, who was having another outburst. "Nope!" She repeated and we kept that as it is.
"Okay big shots!" Kota then called after we were done laughing at him. "What would you have named her then, hmm?! If you laugh at my effort, at least say something constructive?"
"Why should I care?" Soma snorted. "She already has a name."
"I said I don't know what to even suggest." I stayed at my claim.
"We agreed that it's Shio, didn't we?" Alisa said sternly.
"Shio." Sakuya knelt down to her. "Is that... a name you came up with?" She looked at her and I had to frown once more.
"LIDO!" Called the girl and our mood instantly worsened. "SHIO name LIDO!"
"Well, it seems that the one to name her is the very person, not amongst us any more." Said the elder sternly, then he turned to me. "Thank you for your efforts one more, Sierra I would like to run some tests on you so would you head to the observation room?"
"You mean Shio's room?" I grinned and chuckled as the elder corrected himself. "Sure, I don't mind. In fact, I might get some rest early, so I can watch over her while you guys will sleep."
"Well then, everyone should go back to their own rooms. Except Kota." Called Dr. Sakaki. "You're going to stay until Sierra will come to change with you."
"Sure, I don't mind." Agreed the boy and everyone else left the room in the meantime.
In the meantime I followed the elder and entered the small room. It bore various marks of bites in the furniture and even the walls. "She did taste most things." I laughed and sat down on the bed, which had a huge bite mark on it. "I... wonder if she actually is able to stretch her mouth this big, or gradually chew it so it looks like a half meter wide circle?"
"What was your impression of the Raven?" Asked me the question straight the elder, to what I started to hum. "Is it related to your Izanagi like you suspected?"
"It's related to that Fierce Kongou for certain, with the overloaded body and all that." I couldn't stop, but frown. "However, Soma said that it would make a God Eater slightly less than his caliber a run for his money. Anything under that and it's fatal."
"A threat level of Rank 10 at least, you mean?" The elder went silent and donned a grim expression. "If not for the symbiote..."
"I figured that also, I would be rather well on my way to snuff the lilies 6 feet under." A joke always helps to lighten the mood. "Also, Soma pointed out that Izanagi was a major threat he couldn't handle when I was still... weak..."
"Now with the Symbiote enhancing your capabilities, should it appear once more it would become a certainly dangerous entity." Completed my sentence the researcher to what I could only nod grimly. "Well, let's stop dwelling on such things and get that checkup going, do we?"
"Sure..." I looked at him, when he searched for that weird injection device. "Another sleep coming?"
"I'm afraid so. I'm going to have the suit removed while doing so." The elder also looked a bit concerned. "And since it's been a few days since... you've been out of it. I'm going to ask the others to give you a bath while we're at it."
"I... guess stinking is the least of my problems?" I laughed at it, while the device was pressed to my arm and I heard a pneumatic hiss. "Well... See ya Doc."
End of Chapter
2017,05,30