First Branch of the Tree, Part 1:
Fear. An unpleasent emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain, or a threat. All sentient lifeforms have something to fear. Even the bravest BLADE in all of Mira is scared of something. Well, here's my example, take it from me. My name is Cross, also known as "The Blue Reclaimer", due to my enigmatic blue skin, and my dedication to serving the Reclaimers, one of eight BLADE Divisions. I am also a member of Team Elma, which is, as the name suggests, led by a fellow Reclaimer named Elma, who found me in a LifePod in Primordia's Starfall Basin.
And then there's Lin Lee Koo, a 13-year old Outfitter, who is working on a Skell Flight Module project, and is an excellent chef. She's an expert on Skells, and is usually accompanied by a Nopon named Tatsu, whom we had accidentally rescued from the Ganglion, who we believed was one of two alien races that destroyed Earth, humanity's old home. Sadly, I can't remember anything in my life prior to being discovered by Elma.
Anyways, I had just obtained a Skell after completing the Skell Exam. I gave it a pure blue coat of paint with a light blue visor. I decided to name it "Blue Cross". And yes, I named it after myself. I was more than happy to finally acquire a Skell. Especially since I had recently partaken a joint operation between three divisions, one of which was the Reclaimers, before partaking in the Skell License Exam.
"Well done, Cross, for acquiring the Skell License!" Lin cheered me on.
"Thanks, Lin. Soon enough, I'll be giving all my allies Skells. That way we can all ride or fly... eventually... together." I thanked Lin with a smile.
"That's very nice. Just don't forget to keep your ground skills from getting rusty." Elma advised.
"Understood, Elma. If I have to fight on the ground, so be it. Heck, I'll even continue to train with my new weapon combination." I replied.
For a while, I was using an assault rifle and a longsword, but because I've felt that I've mastered them, I decided to move on to the next set of ground gear. For ranged weaponry, I decided to use a Gatling Gun, and for melee weaponry, I decided to use a Shield. Because Lin uses both weapons as well, she'll teach me everything I need to know about either weapon. In fact, some time ago, she taught me the secrets of one of her exclusive Signature Arts, called Fire Carnival. It's a thermal attack that lets the user fire mini missiles from their gatling gun.
While balancing my ground gear with my new Skell, I proceeded to use my Skell to defeat enemies that I couldn't face on the ground at the time, or at least reach new areas. But this latter curiosity would at one point almost cause my downfall.
One day, we were approaching Cauldros, via the water. "Well, I suppose riding the Skell is better than swimming all the way." Elma stated.
"Don't worry, Elma. One day, I'll purchase a Skell for you. The same will go for you, Lin." I replied.
"Thanks, Cross. You're the best." Lin replied with a smile.
"Can Tatsu get special reserved seat in Linly's Skell?" Tatsu asked.
"We'll see, Tatsu." Lin replied.
After a bit, I noticed there's what appears to be a hollow area on Cauldros's mountain shores. "Hmm? I wonder what's there?" I asked.
"One way to find out." Elma replied.
"Here goes nothing, then." I stated as I landed the Skell on dry land. Once I landed, Elma, Lin, and Tatsu hopped out of my Skell.
"Lead the way, Cross. We'll see if we can keep up." Elma ordered.
"Are you sure?" I asked.
"We can handle this until we get Skells, too." Lin replied.
"Alright, then. Follow me." I said as I started walking my Skell onto the mountainside.
We arrived at a very unusual location. "What is this place?" Elma asked.
"I'm not sure. I think we may have to ask one of Cauldros's surveilance teams to come up with a name for this place." Lin stated.
"Hmm... Something about this place is bizarre. I mean, what's with that pink liquid? Clearly, it's not lava." I asked.
"I don't know what it is, but it clearly looks dangerous." Elma replied.
After a bit, I noticed there appeared to be a sound coming from near what appears to be some unusual looking... plant. It sounded like... growling. "Do any of you two know what that noise is? That... growling-like noise?" I asked.
"I honestly don't know. I'm hearing some noises, but I can't tell if one of those noises sounds like growling." Lin replied while thinking.
"Hey! Tatsu see ball rolling along area!" Tatsu said.
"Huh. I wonder what it might be." Elma wondered.
Tatsu approached the rolling ball, hoping to catch it while avoiding landing in the weird pink liquid. But then, the ball stopped rolling. "Tatsu... gotcha!" Tatsu said as he leapt and grabbed the ball. But then, as Tatsu was lifting the ball with his arm-wings, I noticed the ball was vibrating.
"Tatsu! Drop the ball! Quickly!" I yelled. Tatsu wondered why, but when the ball was vibrating, he dropped the ball.
Suddenly, the ball turned out to be a Ganglion machine called a Shrad! "Eep! Ball was Ganglion machine?!" Tatsu reacted with startling.
"Tatsu, get to a safe spot!" Lin ordered Tatsu. Tatsu nodded, then dodged a Shrad's attack before running behind my Skell.
"Open fire! Now!" I ordered.
"Sliding Slinger!" Elma yelled as she followed my order. She was sliding while shooting with her dual guns.
"Trash Talk!" Lin yelled as she whacked the ground with her shield, grabbing the Shrad's attention.
But then... something felt wrong. "Yaaaah! Plant is actually monster!" Tatsu yelled. And it turns out, he wasn't kidding. Turns out the growling came from what we thought was a plant, which indeed turn out to be a monster!
"Leave the Shrad to me!" I yelled before grabbing a beam sword, and cutting the Shrad right in half.
"Let me analyze my foe first." I said. I was firing shots of self-defense while I was analyzing my new enemy. But before I could reach a quarter of analyzing... My Skell was going to explode. "They busted my Skell. How disappointing." I sighed in disappointment as I bailed out successfully.
"Cross! Your Skell is destroyed!" Lin reacted.
"Elma! Lin! Find a safe route, and get out of this bizarre location! I'll be with you in a bit." I ordered.
"Tatsu! Come with me!" Lin ordered Tatsu, who ran from his safe corner and proceeded to start following Lin. I fired a few self-defense shots as a way of at least measuring how powerful it was. But all my attacks somehow missed.
"I can't even land a single bullet from my Gatling Gun. Elma! Lin! Wait for me!" I yelled.
But as I started following them, the monster unleashed a powerful electric attack on me! It hit so hard that I was screaming in excruciating pain! "Cross!" Lin reacted. Once the pain was over, I was kneeling, and falling on my front side.
"I'm done for... Hit them hard for me..." I moaned as I was falling.
"Oh, no! Cross's mimeosome is losing her stability!" Lin reacted in horror.
"And without Cross's Skell, our trip back to NLA will take longer. Lin, grab Cross's mim, and follow me! I'll contact the Mimeosome Maintenance Center and inform them that we've got an emergency!" Elma ordered.
"Got it!" Lin replied before picking up my unconcious body. "Don't worry, Cross. I've got you. So please, don't die on me. You're like a surrogate big sister to me. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you." she said as she was carrying my body. Even if I didn't hear her words, Lin refused to let go of me.
Some time later, at the Mimeosome Maintenance Center, I felt my body on life support as I regained conciousness. My face was attached to an oxygen tank, so I could breathe, while the rest of my body was underwater. Come to think of it, this is the second time I found myself awoken in the Maintenence Center, the first time being that traumatic event in Oblivia, where I lost my... arm. Even now, I remain traumatized from such an event. It was also how I discovered myself as a Mimeosome.
"Nngh... Am I... alive...? Or was I... dead and... resurrected...?" I moaned as I saw someone walking by.
"Oh, you've recovered. That's good. Just need to give your body back its strength. In the meantime, I shall inform your teammates that you've recovered." the woman replied. I had to think for a moment...
"Elma...? Lin...? Tatsu...? Are they... alright?" I moaned.
"You'll see them in a moment." the woman replied. She left me alone for a bit, as I slowly regained my composure. Then, after a bit, Elma, Lin, and Tatsu came.
"I'm glad we returned on time." Lin said.
"On... time...?" I asked.
"You were in critical condition, Cross. We had to haul you here all the way from Cauldros, which became easier when a rescue helicopter came from Sylvalum." Elma replied.
"Critical... condition...?" I asked.
"Don't you remember, Cross?" Lin asked. After a bit, I recall discovering that what appeared to be a gigantic plant ultimately turned out to be a monster, and that it used electric attacks.
"Ah... yes... That was excruciatingly... painful... Wait... did you say... that I was in critical... condition...?" I asked.
"Yes, you were. Even putting you offline still proved to be a fight for your life." Elma replied.
"I see... I am sorry... for putting us through this..." I apologized to the others.
"No, I'm sorry. Had I used a different art, we wouldn't have attracted the monster's attention." Lin tried to apologize.
"No, Tatsu is one who should apologize. Had Tatsu not get distracted by Ganglion machine that looked like ball, friend would not be dying." Tatsu insisted.
"I suppose we're all at fault for this." Elma said.
"What do you... mean?" I asked.
"Had I known how strong that thing was, I would've ordered you to come with me, Cross." Elma replied.
"So you're saying... that we're all at fault for this?" Lin asked.
"Yes. It's fair that we all apologize to each other." Elma replied.
Suddenly, we heard a sound coming from my LifePod. "What's... going on...?" I asked.
"They're draining the water. Now that you've recovered, they're taking you off life support." Elma replied.
"Yeah... I suppose it is rather difficult... to speak in this..." I agreed.
"Before you step out, they're going to put your clothes back on." Lin said. I nodded in agreement.
After a bit, I stepped out, with my clothes on. "Whew. I can speak normally again." I sighed out of relief.
"Now we can inform Commander Vandham that you survived." Elma said. After a bit, we walked out of the Maintenence Center.
"You alright, there, Rook?" Vandham asked. "Rook" is a nickname that Vandham addresses me as. Elma also occasionally calls me "Rook" as well. It's supposed to be short for "rookie".
"I'm fine, Vandham. We all had our faults." I replied.
"Yes. Elma, Lin, and little spud here told me." Vandham stated.
"Could I be taught about that bizarre location, and what that thing was that attacked us?" I asked.
"...I suppose. The Curators took a look into this since your encounter. In fact, Stella's going to give you the info you need, Rook. She's waitin' for ya at BLADE Tower." Vandham replied.
"Thank you." I thanked Vandham before heading off to BLADE Tower.
After a while... "So the Curators named the strange location in Cauldros as... "White Phosphor Lake"?" I asked.
"Yes. That, they did." Stella replied.
"I wonder why they called it "White" when the acidy liquid is pink." I asked.
"It's named after white phosphorous acid, a highly dangerous substance from back on Earth." Stella replied.
"Interesting. What about that monster that looks like a plant?" I asked.
"Well, for your information, the Curators call its species as "Filiavents". They're comparing its appearance to Earth's sea anemones." Stella replied.
"Filiavents?" I asked.
"Yes. The one that Elma said attacked your group, was it on solid land? And was it huge?" Stella asked.
"Yes. It is colossal." I replied.
"That is actually a Tyrant. That one is called "Trueno, the Cataclysm"." Stella replied.
"What is the known information about these "Filiavent" thingies?" I asked.
"Okay, I will explain. This is our current description of them from the Curators. "The largest of all Miran mollusks, Filiavents stay anchored to the ground, feeding on other creatures that come too close. To do so, they contract their lengthy bodies and then swallow their victims whole—along with everything else in the vicinity. All matter then enters the digestive tract, where it is liquefied by powerful acids." That is the description." Stella explained.
As she was explaining, I felt like I was starting to tremble. Was it fear? Am I becoming... scared of things like that?
"Cross, are you alright?" Stella asked.
"I... I'm fine. P-Please... do continue explaining." I tried not to sound nervous.
"Okay, then. Here's the next part. "Reproduction also takes place while anchored to the ground. On the night of a full moon, Filiavents release a myriad of sperm and eggs into the atmosphere. While most are eaten by other creatures, one in a few thousand survives to be fertilized. Because infants have many predators due to their small size, few of them survive into adulthood—despite the presence of a defensive electrical discharge." That is all we've gathered of them so far." Stella explained.
As Stella was explaining, I was trembling even harder. That was how those... things reproduce? And hopefully, I won't know what an infant looks like. "Err... Thanks, Stella. That's... more than enough for me." I said.
"Alright, then. But just so you know, Cauldros isn't the only place where they roam." Stella stated.
"It's... not?" I asked.
"No. Rumor has it they can also be found in Noctilum and Sylvalum. So far, there are no signs of them in Primordia and Oblivia." Stella explained.
"A-Alrighty, then. I'll... keep that in mind." I said while trying not to sound frightened. The fact that I'm trying to prevent myself from sounding scared can only mean one thing... Those things, Filiavents, as they're called? I've grown a fear of them.
Later, that night, I was having trouble sleeping. I was just so full of fear, as it seems, that any dream I would get would be a nightmare about those things. It's bad that I already get nightmares about losing my arm in Oblivia, but this? It somehow feels like a whole new level of scary. And over an unusual indigen that I've recently encountered? And one that easily busted my Skell, followed by one-shotting me? It's a miracle that I recovered later. But still, I just can't seem to get my mind off that thing.
"Trouble sleeping?" Elma asked.
I was startled, but when I saw that it was Elma, I sighed in relief. "It's just you, Elma." I said as I sighed.
"It's past bedtime, Cross. We need to get to sleep. Or wait, is this about your Skell? Because Alexa's doing her part in fixing it. Your insurance covers the costs." Elma said.
"No... it's not my Skell." I said.
"Then what is it? I request a direct explanation." Elma ordered.
"Elma, cut her some slack." Lin said.
"Why should I? We've got things to do tomorrow. Missions of all sorts." Elma replied.
"I told Commander Vandham that we could use some time off, and Irina's team has genuinely volunteered to do those missions for us." Lin explained.
"You did what? But why?" Elma asked.
"Didn't you notice, Elma? As Stella was explaining to Cross about Filiavents, Cross was trembling. It appears as though... she's become scared-to-death regarding those mollusks." Lin replied.
Elma wanted to respond, but it appears that her response just refuses to come out of her lips. "I... I, uh... I..." Elma was about to say something, but ultimately sighed. "I wanted to say something about that, but there's no arguing that." Elma replied. Then, she turned towards me. "Is it true? Are you actually becoming extremely scared of Filiavents?" she asked me.
I wasn't sure how to answer. "We're here for you, Cross. Even if Elma's not here, I'm here." Lin gently grabbed my hand so she can comfort me.
"...Yes. I am becoming extremely scared of Filiavents." I explained.
"Well, at the moment, we're all too weak to fight them. But as time goes by, we will get stronger." Elma said.
"Yeah. And once the time has come, we'll all fight together. No matter who's with you, we'll all do our part to prevent you from getting eaten." Lin said, with Tatsu nodding in agreement.
"...Thanks, girls." I smiled, before we embraced in a group hug.
"Hey, Cross? Want to sleep on my bed with me?" Lin asked.
"Why ask?" I asked in confusion.
"I figured you'd sleep better with me. Besides, it's either me or Elma." Lin insisted.
"Umm... Alright. I'll sleep with you, Lin. Besides, I'd rather that people not get any wrong ideas about the idea of me sleeping with Elma." I answered.
"Yes! Thank you!" Lin cheered at my first response. But when she thought about the part of people getting wrong ideas about the idea of me sleeping with Elma, she responded with "I'm sorry, what?".
"Once we regain our original bodies, Lin, I'll explain as you get older." Elma said.
Indeed, I didn't have any nightmares about Filiavents as I slept with Lin. I know one day, I will face Trueno, the Cataclysm, the very source of my fears. And I will have my allies, both to protect me and for me to protect. We'll all defeat it together.
Until then, my story is far from over...
[Author's notes: This is just Part 1. Part 2 will be written once I defeat Trueno, the Cataclysm for real]