Chapter 3: The Loss of a Comrade

This place is… a hospital. Why am I here? Oh right, I'm dreaming…

Over there… several people are standing next to some sort of table… all strangers to me, yet only two of them stand out…

A man with hair as black as night, a woman with eyes as blue as the sky…

Why do I feel like I've been here? This unfamiliar place…

And those two people… I feel like I know them.

"…We're losing him! Doctor, do something!" The man suddenly cried.

Huh?

"I'm sorry, we have done everything we could… But his heart, there is nothing that can be done." Another man dressed in what appears to be surgical attire hung his head.

The woman was on the verge of tears, "No…"

"I refuse… I refuse to give up, to do nothing but watch my own son die like this!"

Your son? Who is that on the table… a baby! He looks really weak, will he survive? Man, this doesn't look good…

The surgeon looked up, "There is… a way to save him. If you use that…"

The woman gasped as she covered her mouth in horror. I assume that it is bad idea.

"But… if we do that, wouldn't it be like… that child?"

The surgeon nodded, "Perhaps… but he would also be… a God among men. But it is your choice."

Say what? A God among men… Is that even possible?

The man looked really solemn, as if considering the choices in front him, "Do it… like I said I refuse to see my son die like this… Forgive us, son. Forgive us all…"

I opened my eyes at that point. I looked around as I took in the familiar scene around me… my room in the Fenrir Far East Branch.

Getting up, I rubbed my eyes as I remembered my dream. What did I have that kind of dream anyway? And who were those two people? That man and woman, the surgeon... and that child? What exactly is that all about?

Well, it's not like I can get any answers thinking about it now. I checked the time to see that I've been asleep for more than three hours. Time was now 1330.

After exiting my room, I headed to the cafeteria to eat some lunch. Taking a ball of ramen as my meal, I soon noticed my superior officer… or rather Lindow waving at me. Nodding my head, I sat down at his table just opposite of him.

"Hey rookie, how are you doing? Are you starting to get used to living here?" Lindow asked.

Chewing a bit before swallowing I replied, "Fairly well. And yeah, I've pretty much gotten used to things here. How about you, Lindow? Doing okay?"

"Me? I'm doing alright, I guess. We'll get to know you better today. Or I'd like to, but as usual we'll talk about work. In today's mission, you'll be with Lon-range Specialist Gods Eater, Sakuya Tachibana. You remember who that is right?"

How could I forget? "The woman we saw earlier, right? The one who you said to 'buzz off' and who 'affectionately' called you "Big Boss"." I said, barely suppressing a grin.

Lindow rubbed his head sheepishly, "You actually remembered all that? Anyway when you're ready, go to Hibari and accept the mission I ordered, you got that? Sakuya and I are old frienemies, but she's okay so don't be too sacred of her. I'm counting on you."

I'm not really sure whether he meant that or not, But I'm pretty sure these two have a thing for each other. Or was it a one-side attraction? While I thought about this, Lindow looked at the clock and got out of his seat, "Well, I gotta go. See you around, rookie."

Waving good bye, I finished the rest of ramen and gave my tray back to the staff. I then went back to the entrance where I saw a man in red chatting with Hibari… Actually it looked like one-sided conversation considering he was doing all the talking. I also noticed three guys, one in a blue jacket, the second in white-tailored clothes and the third in a green sweater and black cap. I also noticed a girl in purple with a eye patch over her left eye. They were all looking… REALLY impatient at the guy in red.

Figuring I'd better tell him and spare him the trouble of getting pounded by teammates, I tapped the guy on shoulder. "Excuse me, but your team…"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm kinda busy right now, so if you don't mind." The guy merely shrugged me off. What the hell?

Looking at Hibari who returned my gaze, then at his teammates who noticed me and then, at the guy who had his back on me, I sighed.

We could have done this the easy way or the hard, pal. You asked for it.

Rolling up my sleeves, I grabbed the guy by the collar of his shirt and proceeded to drag him over to his teammates, who all had a surprised but amused look on their faces. When I reached them, the guy in green was laughing, the girl in purple were giggling while the guy in blue was chuckling. The guy in white? Still had that amused look on his face.

"Figured this guy was with you." I said while finally letting go of the guy in red.

"How did you know? Name's Brendan Bardell by the way. Are you the New Type?" The guy in blue introduced himself.

Nodding my head, "My name is Kamino Yukimoto, the rookie Gods Eater who joined a few days ago. And considering the fact you guys looked like wanting to beat the crap out him? Not really that hard to figure out."

The guy in green finally stopped laughing, "Did we really look that mad? I'm Shun Ogawa. This is Gina Dickson and Karel Schneider. That senior you were dragging earlier is Tatsumi O'Mori, our leader." Tatsumi then got up and gave me an extremely annoyed look on his face, "You should learn to respect your seniors, rookie. Especially when they are busy with something important."

Upon hearing that, I crossed my arms and raised one eyebrow, "Considering you were talking non-stop to ONLY operator in the Far East Branch? I don't think that's something of a good example of what a junior can respect a senior for. Besides if I didn't do it, your teammates would and I doubt they'd be as subtle as I was." Brendan nodded in agreement, "You got that right."

I then asked Tatsumi, "Aren't you guys on a mission or something? You'll have plenty of time to talk to Hibari once you're done. It's not like she's going anywhere, right?" Tatsumi looked at Hibari and then gave a resigned sigh, "Yeah, I guess you're right. See you around, rookie." Waving goodbye, I returned to Hibari… who has broken down laughing after Tatsumi's group left.

"Err… Hibari? Earth to Hibari, are you alright?" I asked with concern. Hibari appeared to be having trouble talking with tears of laughter rolling down her face. Finally calming down, she said, "S-Sorry… I didn't think anyone would get rid of Tatsumi that way, especially you Kamino. Thank by the way." I gave an amused look, "That makes me… what, your Prince Charming?" Blushing slightly, the operator gave me a soft punch to the shoulder.

"Kidding, kidding! By the way, I'm on a mission assigned by Lindow." Hibari checked her computer, "You are assigned on the joint mission "Corrupt Cocoon" with Sakuya. The goal is the defeat two Cocoon Maidens. Sakuya… she's gorgeous, you know!" That last comment made me ask, "You got a thing for beautiful women?" which in turn, earned me a "I do not!" along with another sock in the shoulder.

-Location: Wailing Plains
Mission: Corrupt Cocoon-

Arriving at what appears to be appears to be a field with a giant tornado in the distance; I quickly made my way to the rendezvous with Sakuya. Upon arriving, she then greeted me, "You're the new recruit I met earlier. My name is Sakuya Tachibana. Nice to meet you!"

I nodded, "Likewise. I'm Kamino Yukimoto, ma'am." I felt really tense, due to the fact there was a huge tornado not far from where we were. But it looks like it's stuck in one place, did this happen because of the Aragami? Or was that tornado an Aragami itself?

Noticing my condition, Sakuya patted me on the back and asked, "Are you nervous?" I merely nodded in reply, denying it would be stupid since we are on a mission. "You need to relax. Or you'll find yourself freezing up at crucial times." A roar in the distance caught of Sakuya's and my attention. Looking into the distance, her expression became serious, "All right, I'm going to brief you now. During this mission, you're going to take the lead. I'll be backing you up from the rear. This is basic strategy for teaming up with a Gods eater with a long-distance God Arc, so don't forget it. And don't get too far ahead. Always stay within range of your backup. OK?"

"Got it." I said, nodding in reply. Sakuya then smiled, "Good, you do as you're told. I'm counting on you." Before doing anything else, I placed my God Arc to my forehead, "Let's go. I'm counting on you too, partner." Sakuya looked at me with the same amused look Lindow had given me when he saw this, "I heard about this from Lindow. But I didn't think you'd actually done it. All right, let's begin."

Jumping down from where we were, I quickly made my way across the plains while making sure that Sakuya was within a reasonable distance. Pretty soon I spotted one of the targets a lone Cocoon Maiden, with its twin not too far away. Apparently it saw me, since it started firing bullets at me… at least, I think they are bullets. Dodging them, I proceeded to slash them with my God Arc while Sakuya provided long-range support. It soon collapsed, with part of it hanging out. Wasting no time, I unleashed Predator form and devoured the incapacitated Aragami. "Let's go all out!" A single attack in my Burst Mode was all it took to finish it off.

Moving to the next one, I was about to attack when I noticed the Cocoon Maiden's body was open… I couldn't really think of any other way to describe it. Sakuya shouted a warning though it was a little late. Several spikes got me on my left shoulder, hitting me to the side, "Argh! Damn that hurts." I was just about to counter attack when I felt a bullet hit me from behind. What the…?

Looked around to see Sakuya call out "Sorry!", I realized that I was in her line of fire. Trying to move out the way, I got hit by ANOTHER bullet, this time a courtesy from the Cocoon Maiden. Note to self, NEVER let your enemy out of your line sight, EVER. Seeing this, Sakuya aimed her gun at me while shouting, "Here's a recovery bullet!" True to the name, I felt better after getting hit. "Thanks!" I shouted as I shifted to gun mode. No excuse for me to get by friendly-fire now.

Firing everything I got, I shifted back to assault mode when my Oracle Cells were empty and dealt the finishing blow. I then proceeded to extract both cores, completing the mission. Nodding her approval, Sakuya commented, "You did really well back there. Let's keep this up for next time." She then gave me a concerned look, "Sorry about friendly-fire." I shook my head, "It's cool. I wasn't paying attention and got into your line of fire. What's important is that we completed our mission without a hitch and we can all go home."

Sakuya smiled while patting my head, "Thanks, you're a nice kid." I gave her an amused look, "I can still a jerk if that's what you want." She then laughed, "No need, thanks for the offer though." Laughing together, we then headed back to the extraction point to be picked up.

-Back at the Den-

"Oh Kamino! Sakuya couldn't praise you enough! She was just here. I wonder if she's resting in her room?" Hibari said to me as she looked around.

I shrugged, "Beats me. For all we know, she could be making out with Lindow as we speak." Hibari raised an eyebrow, "You noticed?" I merely shrugged, "As if it wasn't more obvious. I have to admit, they'd make a good couple." Hibari nodded her approval before remembering something, "Oh right! There's another mission for you, Kamino." I was surprised at the news, "Already?" Nodding her head, Hibari checked her computer, "This time the mission is called "Iron Rain" and is located at the Sunken Grid. 4 Aragami were sighted at the Factory Ruins, identified as Ogretails ad Cocoon Maidens. This time you will be dispatched along with Soma and Eric."

For some reason, I saw Hibari had a look of concern when she read that last part. Brushing it off, I accepted the mission and after checking on my supplies, headed straight for the Sunken Grid.

-Location: Sunken Grid
Mission: Iron Rain-

Upon arriving, I noticed two people present in the area. One was a guy has dark blue jacket with his hood on and had large Buster Blade resting on his shoulder. The other was a guy wearing a red vest with sun glasses and was wielding a Blast Gun. All heavy hitters by the looks of it. Noticing my arrival, the guy in red ran over towards me while waving his free hand.

"Hey, are you the rookie we've been hearing so much about?" He asked to which I nodded my head in confirmation. He then continued brushing his hair, "I'm Eric, Eric der Vogelweid. I suggest you take your cues from me, and learn to battle gloriously for humankind."

Since when was fighting for survival, "Glorious"?

The other guy suddenly shouted, "Eric, above you!" and I looked to see an Ogretail dropping down from the sky. I instantly jumped back in reaction, avoiding the attack.

Eric however, wasn't as lucky.

He looked just in time to be eaten by the Ogretail and was killed on the spot. As I blankly watch it happen, the guy with the Buster Blade shouted, "Don't just stand there!" while killing the Ogretail with single strike. After confirming that Eric was dead, he extracted the core from the Ogretail before turning to me, "Welcome to this godawful workplace. I'm Soma. Not that you need to remember that."

If I had to guess, I'd say he's mad for freezing up like that… Damn, Sakuya warned me about that too! If I had only just…

"Sorry to break it to you, but this kind of thing happens on a daily basis here." Soma continued before jabbing his sword at me, "What kind of place did YOU think it was gonna be? … Just kidding…" Even though he said that, my answer had already appeared within my mind…

A place where the only rule is survival at any costs, I thought bitterly.

Soma then turned around, shouldering his Buster Blade again, "Time's up. Let's go, rookie. If you don't want to die, just stay out of my way as much as possible…"

Acknowledging the warning, I decided to focus on the Cocoon Maidens while he handled the Ogretails, having dealt with one of them already. I soon noticed however, that there were still two Ogretails present. Was the one that killed Eric an extra? Clearing my head, I decided to focus on the task at hand. Having dealt with the Cocoon Maidens recently, I was more wary of them this time.

Taking care not to get hit by their spikes, I quickly dispatched with little to no trouble before aiding Soma with the Ogretails. Once that was done, I extracted the cores while Soma attended to Eric's body. I felt guilty about not doing anything when that Ogretail attack, but moping about it won't help anything. I have to get stronger, if I'm going to protect everyone. I just have to…

-Back at the Den-

Hibari smiled when she saw me come back "Oh, you're back! Is everything…"

"Eric is dead." I said bluntly.

Hibari did not seem to catch on and asked, "What?"

"Eric is dead." I repeated before adding, "He was killed by an Ogretail."

Silence hanged between us. For me, death was something I had gotten used to seeing during my travels. It hardly affected me anymore, since there was nothing I can do about it. But this was different, I am a Gods Eater. A rookie, but I could have saved Eric if I didn't freeze like that. Saying goodbye to Hibari, I went back to my room. The heavy gloom from the battlefield followed me still…
_

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