Chapter 8 is up, things start to travel deeper into the rabbit hole!


Kinaia woke up at the sound of a loud knock at her door, and groggily checked the time. Almost 10 in the morning, she realized, then hauled herself out of bed as the voice on the other side spoke, belonging to Sakaki.

She was nervous about how this might play out, now that the adrenaline was out of her system, and told him to wait a minute as she got herself cleaned up.

A few minutes later, fully clothed and bed made, she opened the door to Sakaki, whom had a neutral facial expression. He asked "May I?" as he gestured to her room, and she shrugged.

They sat in the corner of the room, sitting in chairs that she never really had time to use. He cleared his throat, and then said "If you are willing to come to my office after the next few missions, only to evaluate your mental status, I won't see any reason to keep you from doing your job as a God Eater."

"Keep in mind," he added as she got a foul look on her face, "that though the sudden mental shift is partly due to your recent encounter with a Kongou, it might have also been amplified by the sudden change in weapons."

She was silent as he went on, "The Burst Hammer is an experimental weapon, and unstable at best. It would take a good amount of fortitude and luck to get away completely Scott-free. You understood this, and accepted the terms, so we'll skip that part. I fear you may have been affected, if not infected, by the sudden change in Oracle Cell integration. We can help if the infection is in its early stages, but once it overpowers the Bias Factor, it's all over."

"So does that mean it's unsafe to use the weapon?" Kinaia asked, not liking the direction the lecture is taking. She had practically made the weapon become an extension of her body. It would be hard to adapt back to a blade.

"Not necessarily. If you are just being affected by a sudden and violently amplified emotion, such as hatred, then all you will need is a confident. Someone to keep the feelings from being bottled to full and exploding in a rage similar to the actions in the training room yesterday."

"Try to find someone you trust, and let them know about your problem. However much you wish to tell is none of my business, but I'm sure you don't want an enraged rampage to end up hurting or killing a friend, right?" he pressed, knowing that was a sore spot of hers.

She nodded, and he smiled. "I hoped to catch you before you left on a mission today, just to make you aware of this. Be careful, and don't get too aggressive too early. If it starts getting too personal, back out and let your team support you."

Kinaia acknowledged his words, and they both left the room; Kinaia to search the available missions, Sakaki back to the lab.

She took the elevator to the lobby and almost collided with Lindow as she exited. He said "Surprise, surprise, just the person I was looking for. We have a new teammate transferred to our unit, so we're going to have two teams today. You, me, and the noob in one team; Sakuya and Kota in the other. Soma is out doing a mission in the city a few dozen miles North, so we have to make do without him."

"Our job today is a Gboro Gboro. I'm pretty sure you haven't fought one yet, so pay attention and observe everything you can," he finished, clapping his hands once for effect.

Kinaia nodded, remembering the beast Kama had fought almost a month ago. Big, thick body, large teeth like an alligator, a spiked tail connected to the body and protected by a large, curved head crest. Loved to bite and tackle enemies, but not particularly bright.

Whatever. Its weak compared to me. It won't stand a chance.


As the teams gathered outside the Den, weapons in hand, a beeping sound was heard out of nowhere. Lindow made a face and pulled out his communicator, a handheld device instead of the basic one built into the god arc, and read it.

He narrowed his eyes, and then put it away as he said "Change of plans. Kinaia, you wait for your teammate then head to the abandoned city half a mile east of here. I just got called back to the den, and I probably won't be joining you today."

As he turned to leave, Kinaia called out "How will I recognize the new guy if I don't know his name or what he looks like?"

Lindow stopped, turned with his trademark grin, and said "You should already know him. Trust me; you'll know when you see him." And off he went, presumably to meet up with whoever called him.

Sakuya's team took off, and her mystery teammate ran up behind her after minutes of bored waiting. "Sorry I'm late, Licca had to make small repairs to my God Arc, and I- Kinaia? Why are you here?" Kama exclaimed mid-sentence.

Kinaia rolled her eyes at Lindow's brand of vague humor, and told him "I'm your teammate for this mission. Lindow got called back to the Den for important orders a few minutes ago. We have to fight a Gboro Gboro. My first time, but maybe you can give me some tips on the way?" He laughed and told her "Of course, bonehead. Let's go" as they started walking.


(watch?v=DS93aHNwY9g) (go to youtube, copy/paste to the end of the URL)

As they got to the city, they were standing on a tall ledge trying to locate the enemy. She spotted it eating metal parts in the corner of a roofless, half-destroyed house, and nudged Kama to the general direction. He nodded, and his face took on a determined quality.

Kinaia lifted her hammer to her shoulder and began to jog to the crocodile-fish-thing, building up speed for a powerful first strike.

The first rule Kama told her came to mind as she came within its large hearing range: 'Gboro Gboro hears vibrations in the ground like ripples in the water. It's nearly impossible to sneak up on it and prepare a powerful attack at the same time, so the best thing to do is charge in and try to make the first hit a powerhouse attack.'

She dashed in, now sprinting and gripping the hammer with both hands as the beast noticed her and started to roar. It fired a ball of condensed water at her from a pillar-like horn on its head, but she sharply jagged left and dodged it by less than an inch.

It tried to fire another one, but Kinaia had gotten close enough to use her opening attack. She jumped in the air and swung down, the added explosive boost adding to her overall speed and power as she slammed the hammer into the protective shell covering its back.

Her jump coupled with the engine's thrust carried her over the beast, and as she landed, she turned to see her handiwork.

A lot tougher than a Kongou, that's for sure, she thought in the second she had to examine the damage. Other than a slight dent in the plating, the end result was the beast was angry.

She gripped the hammer again, now facing behind her, as the beast charged at her. It may have had a bulky body, but it moved pretty damn fast regardless.

She twisted and dodged to the side as it passed, taking the opportunity to swing the hammer mid-twist and crush one of its legs. Only then, she realized it had several legs on each side, along with the four large legs it was crawling on.

She swore, and had to back up a few jump lengths as it tried again and again to bite her, its large teeth gnashing inches from her body.

She felt the rage start building up at her helplessness, and only allowed a little bit to escape, remembering Kama's second rule: 'It may be fast and strong, as well as dogged in its pursuit, but it's not particularly smart. If you were to buy time and distract it, I could set up a couple traps and give us a bit of an edge.'

That's not to say she couldn't try her hardest to kill it before that point happened, oh no. Kama told her if she felt confident enough, that she could go all out and damage it as much as possible.

He needed about five minutes to stake out the best ambush spots and hide the traps, and so far only thirty seconds, give or take, had passed.

She felt one of its teeth catch on her shirt sleeve, ripping it away and leaving the shirt attached to an arm sleeve. No major damage, but she got angry at the close call.

She levered the hammer upwards, the engine propelling it into the bottom jaw of the beast and cracking several teeth. It snarled at her, broken teeth and blood spraying from its ruined mouth.

She allowed a malicious smirk and a taunt – "Come on, platypus, show me what you can do!" – to pass her 'filter', and that sent the beast over the edge.

It began a super fast onslaught of water pulses, shot from the head crest, which Kinaia had to evade or risk getting injured and creating an opening for the enraged beast.

She closed in and made a homerun swing, the hammerhead smashing against the beast's horn. It cracked, the front half getting thrown a good distance away.

She twisted the hammer after the swing and slammed it in reverse, catching the beast's other front leg this time. It damaged the shoulder, but it was still useable.

She grinned, seeing her victory draw closer and closer.


The beast actually began hurting, and it knew on a primal level this wouldn't end well.

It started randomly flailing around trying to hit everything and everywhere at once, its clawed arms and injured maw desperately trying to end this measly little human-

Until an electrified object slammed into the back of its neck, past the head cannon it had and the spikes on its back. It had never felt such intense pain, and it stayed still for a few moments, unable to move or think from the bullet wound.

As soon as it wore off, it ran from the two attackers, assessing its wounds.

Broken front legs. Many slashes and cuts on its body. Its horn was broken, and its head cannon was damaged beyond use. If it could escape, it could recover. If it recovered . . .

But as it was thinking glorious thoughts of revenge, of hard earned fresh meat filling its belly, it felt an even greater shock on its legs, and looked down to see what had happened.

There was a thin coating of electricity on the ground that had it paralyzed, unable to move. It couldn't rest, it couldn't attack, and oh no the humans are back and I can't escape-


Kama was impressed with Kinaia's performance. Her first fight against a Gboro Gboro, and she only got a minor scratch across her left shoulder.

It had torn the shirt and revealed bare skin beneath, but Kinaia wasn't worried about modesty, only about not letting the Aragami escape.

She taped up her arm with gauze and continued to where the beast fled, a building that looked like a sewage plant that needed serious repairs.

They walked in just in time to see the Aragami walk right into the first trap Kama had laid down, an electric field that injected nerve toxins into the Gboro Gboro's body, preventing it from moving a muscle.

It would wear off in about twenty seconds, but that was all they needed, as Kama soon found out.

He saw Kinaia dash forward, her hammer mysteriously glowing where the blasts had emerged and propelled the hammerhead forward, and was amazed at what happened next.


Kinaia didn't know what was happening, only that her engine was on and it wouldn't shut off.

As she was closing in for the kill, filled with bloodlust, the engine hadn't turned off after her side sweep, forcing her to continue the swing into a full circle spin.

As it was still on, she decided to go with the flow and continued the high-speed spins, crushing its body a little more after every spin. The face, the head crest, the tail and the spikes on the tail, everything was being destroyed.

After seven consecutive circles, the jet suddenly boosted even faster, and Kinaia twisted the hammer to arc upward, cracking the demon's jaw and sending it airborne a few inches.

The jet finally shut off, but she needed to make sure the beast was dead. She twisted the hammer while it was in midair, and pushed with all her might downward, onto the beast's exposed head.

(Song end. All ownership of this song belongs to the band that made it, 30 Seconds From Mars)


Kama had to turn away at the explosion of gore, but had to admit he was in awe of what just happened.

He had finished earlier than expected and left to alert Kinaia, but stopped and watched, curious of how she fought.

It was like a deadly waltz, a dance of teeth and blood, and Kinaia had the lead during the whole unheard song. He found it hard to believe this was only her fourth mission, and the first in over half a month of bed rest.

As Kinaia stood there, breathing heavily from the exertion of carrying out the motions, Kama walked over to her, purposefully looking away from the mess of mashed Aragami; he quickly devoured its core and gave her his jacket to cover the torn shirt.

She shook her head, and with one quick movement tore her other sleeve to match the first. Kama raised his eyebrow in confusion, but Kinaia didn't say anything other than "Nice trap. Are you ready to return to the Den?"

Kama nodded and mentally told himself to ask her later as they left the city behind.


In the den, Kinaia had told Kama she had to make a stop at Sakaki's room, but she didn't say why. Kama is a good friend, but I'm not sure I trust him quite that much yet. She would give it time, and deal with the bottle alone for now.

She knocked on his door, he called out "Come on in, but mind your step. Room's a bit messy" and she walked in to a snowstorm of shredded paper. "What happened, did you decide to rip paper out of boredom?" Kinaia asked, bewildered.

Sakaki, working at his desk on an intact set of papers, laughed and said "No, think of it as a visual I made for a theory I was working on. Now," he said, switching gears, "how did the mission go? Any complications?"

Kinaia made the report in detail, adding in her mental condition at regular points. Sakaki listened with a serious stare, interrupting twice for her to clarify something he didn't understand, and nodded when she was done.

"Hmm . . . the uncontrollable engine was a failsafe of sorts. Because this weapon is in its first stages of development, we couldn't find a decent recycling mechanism, like for the Charge Spear. We routed the engine to the God Arc energy cluster – It's a specific area in any God Arc, don't be alarmed – so that the Oracle Cells would be readily available."

"The problem with that is the Oracle Cells are used too slowly, compared to how you gather them when the weapon makes contact with an Aragami. Once the build-up of Oracle Cells reaches critical capacity, the engine acts similar to a pressure valve. It runs at full speed until the total capacity is about a quarter full," he finished up.

Sakaki continued on, "So you did feel rage, but it was controllable? No thoughts of anything excessively violent?" Kinaia replied "Except for wanting to kill it quickly, nothing too bad."

Sakaki made a "Hrmm" noise from the back of this throat, and told her "I think one more mission report will help me determine if you are stable or not. I'm fairly sure the training room breakdown was just because of a specific moment, but I'd like to be certain."

Kinaia nodded and smiled, thinking she was fit to continue. The intercom system blared to life, a woman saying "Earlier today, the 7th Unit successfully detached the core of an Ouroboros. All engineers, please report to lab #5." She repeated the announcement once more.

Sakaki said appreciatively "Ah, an Ouroboros core. It's been ages since we've sighted an Ouroboros, let alone retrieved its core. Excuse me," he apologized, and Kinaia took the hint and left the room.

She entered the elevator, heading up to her room, when the elevator stopped at the lobby and opened. Lindow entered, surprised by seeing Kinaia, and asked "So, how'd it go?" She answered with a wide grin and a "We didn't die, did we? I'd say it went perfect."

Lindow laughed out "Now that's what I like to hear. Keep it up, and you might even get as awesome as me!" The duo laughed until they got to Kinaia's destination, and she waved her goodbye.

She opened her door, grabbed a juice can and leftovers from last night – which Kota had brought her – from her mini fridge, and sat down at the table to eat. Cold pizza was just as delicious as warm pizza, she thought, putting the fight from earlier out of her mind.

When she finished, she absently noticed that she always seemed to come to her room after a mission. She never mingled with the team anymore.

With that thought bouncing around, she threw her trash away and headed over to the elevator.


When they got back to the Den, Kama had stayed out and looked on the public computer, browsed his mail, and checked the status of the current Aragami being tracked. There was much to do, and he couldn't waste time just because he finished a mission.

He hadn't even noticed he was being watched until a pair of arms was placed on his head and shoulders, followed by a voice he was starting to enjoy hearing. "Hey, hadn't heard you got back. Checking Norn again?" Kanon asked.

Kama smiled and logged off as the arms left his head. He turned to see Kanon, a smile on her face. She had her hair in a long braid, and he thought it suited her. He responded "Just checking a few odds and ends on the trackers, nothing too big. You?"

She replied "No one got hurt today, so I've been helping the Defense Unit sort out supplies for the civilians in the Outer Ghetto. Although, we might get a little busy within the next couple days, if what Soma reported is accurate," she added with a grimace.

"Oh? What happened?" Kama queried, more than a little curious. Kanon answered "He saw a humanoid figure in the city he traveled to during his mission. It could've been human, but he wasn't sure. Plus, it was just standing out in the open, completely visible to any Aragami in the area. That either means the person is ignorant of Aragami – which is impossible – or is completely unafraid."

"Either way," she continued, "that city is off limits to inexperienced God Eaters until the phenomenon is investigated." Kama narrowed his eyes, thinking. Maybe he could research it, offer to help in some way.

He walked down to Hibari, looking for a quest, when she abruptly said "Kama, Lindow was looking for you earlier. Could you go to his room? It seemed important." Kama nodded, confused but going anyways.

When he entered, Lindow was acting completely abnormal. He was pacing in his room, a look of nervousness etched on his face. Kama announced his presence by clearing his throat, and Lindow instantly looked better.

"Hey Kama, I have a bit of a favor to ask, if you're not too busy." Kama shrugged, saying he didn't have much, and Lindow lowered his voice when he continued "There are a few new God Eaters being transferred to this branch, on their way as we speak. Most likely, all of them are New-Type God Arc users like you and Kinaia." Kama's eyes widened, surprised. He thought him and Kinaia were the only New-Types.

"The Director seems to be gathering New-Types in the Far East Branch, and it's more than a little suspicious. I have no proof, and this could all just be me getting senile, but still."

"This information is confidential, by the way, so keep it sealed tight." Kama nodded, then asked "So why don't you ask him about it?"

Lindow's face screwed into a grimace, and he muttered "I find it hard to talk to the guy. He just gives off this vibe that makes me cautious. All I'm asking, if you choose to do it, of course, is to tell me if he drops any details to you. That would make me feel less suspicious about this whole thing."

Kama nodded and told him "You got it, Lindow. Any info I get, you'll know soon after." Lindow had helped him in the past; no way could Kama ignore him, even if he wanted to!

Lindow breathed a sigh of relief and said "Thanks, sport. Knew I could count on you. Head on out to the lobby, the recruits should be arriving within the hour." Kama nodded, and then hurried over to the lobby.

There were a few familiar faces sitting at the large table on the second floor. Soma was leaning against a wall, taking a nap; Tatsumi and Kanon were looking at separate computer screens; Kota and – surprisingly – Kinaia were playing Go Fish at the table.

Kama sat at the table and said "Could you deal me in? I gotta pass the time." Kota dealt him a hand, and they played a couple games. Kinaia had been eyeing him for a couple minutes now, and he asked "What's up? See something you like?" with a wink.

Kinaia scoffed and retorted "You wish, smart guy. Actually, I was wondering if you were waiting for something specific. Whenever you're timing yourself, you get this slight squint in your right eye." Kama was impressed; she was the first to get that little quirk of his right.

"Actually, yeah, I am waiting for something. I can't say what it is; It's confidential, you see. However, it's going to happen very soon, and it'll be a pleasant surprise." Kinaia nodded, satisfied with his answer, while Kota decided he wanted to know.

Suddenly a rapid version of Twenty Questions was started, Kota being one step away from getting punched by a very irate Kama. Kinaia was laughing at the looks Kama was giving Kota, and this little game continued until the gate to the God Arc storage opened, revealing four figures, three of which he hadn't seen before.


A/N: I'm gonna stop here, even when it's obvious to every GEB player what this part is. Yes, next chapter shall be a bit interesting to see, and I hope you all enjoy it.

If someone can see the reference I made to the game Monster Hunter, I will be thoroughly impressed.

I don't feel the need to post equipment sets, since nothing changed this chapter. Read the previous chapter for equipment sets.

Due to a friend's question, I will be adding various things from GE2, including what you might've noticed was my attempt at a Blood Art xP

Word count: 3865. I nearly doubled the normal chapter word count, so be happy D: (lol)

Cheers~