It was another quiet ride back home, on the way I had contacted Rose about changing our information on the paperwork to change my name to Sai.
Kraz didn't find any ID on me and I didn't recall giving him my name so I didn't worry too much about convincing him that this was always my name.
Making Emilia the only one who actually knew "Cyruss", at this time.
"Welcome back!" I heard Chelsea's voice from behind me from the communicator.
"Monsieur Boss awaits in his office. There is a request tres special for you and Emilia." I couldn't see her hologram from where I was sitting but I think it was safe to say she was smiling with her hands together as usual.
With that said she closed the connection.
"Urk? What did I do this time?" Emilia said with a worried expression.
We went down to the office to meet with Kraz once more.
"Um, Boss?" Emilia said as she entered the room.
"Ah, there you are!" He said with a big smile on his face.
I'm not sure but this might be the first time I've seen him smile... for a good reason at least.
"Er, we finished that job at Inhelt…" Emilia reported, timidly tried to avoid eye contact.
"Did you ever! I just heard from them, y'know. Sounds like you were quite the team player, Emilia." Emilia's eyes widened
"No! Not at all… I mean… I was?"
"They singled you out as the one who figured out how to stop the rampaging synths. I'd say that's a job well done." He praised.
"Are you sure?" Emilia asked halfheartedly.
"Kid, I've been in this business long enough to see plenty of mistaken damage claims. But I've never seen a mistaken gratitude. So stick out yer chest- or what passed for yer chest-and be proud for a change." I let out a chuckle at that little comment.
"Hey! Wait…What…? You mean, you didn't call me in here to yell at me?"
"Now why would I do that? You do your work like you're supposed to, you won't get any trouble from me." He replied as he dug into his coat.
"Come here. I got something for ya."
"Something… like what?" Emilia walked towards his desk.
"A bonus, what do you think?" Kraz handed her a white envelope.
"Oh, Uh, okay." She seemed absolutely dumbfounded.
"Good work."
"Thanks."
"I'm serious, you did a fine job, The client even slipped me a little extra for my overhead. That being my bar tab! Woohooo! Tonight I bathe in beer!
I expect the lot of you to kick back a bit. You deserve it." With that said he left the room happier than I've ever seen him.
"Did you hear what the Boss just said when he offered me that bonus?"
I only found two noteworthy things he said…
"I bathe in beer." and "You did a fine job."
I assumed the latter would be the right answer…
"Can you believe it?! I mean, if I'm not mistaken, he was actually congratulating me on a job well done! Since when has that ever happened?" She said barely containing her joy.
"Are you even listening to me?! I got a congratulation! From the boss!" She cheered as if announcing it to the world.
I couldn't help but feel a little happy for her.
"Congrats," I smirked.
"Thanks! Hee Hee! Guess that hard work paid off! And it's all thanks to you!
"What? Me?" I would hardly say that when I've barely done anything since joining Little wing.
"Awh. Now I'm feeling all warm and fuzzy."She said before she ran off to do her own thing.
With a smile, I've decided to finally get some shut-eye, before we get sent out again. Good work usually leads to more work.
Once I've entered my room once again I've noticed Rose standing in front of the door.
In her hands was a little box poorly wrapped in a brown paper that sort of looked like it could have been a paper bag.
She held it up to me.
"What's this?" I asked as I knelt down and took the box from her hand.
"Open it." She smiled with her hands behind her back.
I carefully removed the wrapping to not damage the paper.
When I finally got through it was a box of candy, these little green balls.
We couldn't get these where we were hiding so it had been years since I've had them, these were my favourite thing were my favourite snack.
"I've asked the Cafe about them, so now you can by more there."
"Thank you, Rose." I've said as I gently patted her on the head as I lowered the brightness on my goggles.
If I had to describe the taste I would say it has this really strong sour taste, but if you can power through it there's this indescribable sweetness, though many eat these for the sweet part alone or just to challenge the sour flavour, I've always been a fan of both sides of this treat despite not being very popular with other kids when I was growing up.
I took a nap on my bed forgetting about everything around me, but that was when the darkness slipped into my consciousness.
I sat alone in a monochrome room.
I couldn't feel anything at all.
Across from me was a figure of pure darkness silently staring at me with a smile on his face.
There were 3 grey scars, one on his chest and 2 across his face.
I felt nothing for the figure of darkness, nothing at all.
I thought it was comfortable, there was no reason to feel sadness or anger.
No reason to fight at all.
Was this true peace? I wondered as I stared at the figure.
A world of Darkness
I knew I was screaming in reality.
It was as if my mind and my body were separate entities entirely.
If that were the case where would my heart reside?
Currently, my body was screaming in agony as the darkness consumed my mind.
But my mind itself felt nothing at all.
Which is worse? Pain or Emptiness? I wondered.
"What if the world get's destroyed? Why does it matter to us?"
"What has it ever done for us?"
"Why are you fighting?"
"Who are you?" I asked.
But there was no response.
"What do you want?" I asked.
But no response.
"What are you?" I asked.
No response.
Suddenly the figure started to laugh.
I've realized I haven't answered his questions either.
But as much as I searched through my mind I couldn't find a single answer.
I looked into my memories but most of the images I've seen were all static.
I continued to search but found nothing.
I woke up covered in cold sweat.
I looked around the room and saw Rose sitting in sleep mode on a chair beside my bed. She hunched over like a lifeless doll as she simulated breathing sounds. In her hand was the box of candies from before.
I was reminded that I still had something to fight for, the one who stayed with me since I've become a Guardian.
After I've washed up I've put on a new set of clothes and walked out of the room with the box of candies kept close and within reach. When I've entered the main hall of Little Wing I've seen Emilia wandering around with a smile on her face as if she were having the time of her life.
In her hands were several bags.
According to the digital clock on my goggles, it had only been a couple of hours since I've fallen asleep.
"That kid…" I've heard a voice behind me.
It was that Cast I've met in the Relic site, Vasque.
"Emilia, was it?" he asked.
"Yeah, That's it," I replied.
"She's really taken to you, looks like. And sounds like she knows where she's headed."
"You don't say…" I yawned apathetically.
"You can tell the difference just by looking at her. There's a sparkle in her eyes that wasn't there before. I don't know what it is you did, but you did good," He said before walking away.
I didn't know what he was talking about, she was happier but that was just because she got a bonus, the mission.
To me, she was the same as she was when we've met in the ruins.
I've had some time to kill just didn't have a clue what I should do. I could have gone on a shopping spree like Emilia but I've only had so much money.
Though I figured I should at least update my shield-weave since the one I currently had seemed to be sort of "Out-dated".
I entered the battle shop and scanned around to see what might be the most effective, though admittedly I've seen a whole lot of numbers and symbols that I didn't know anything about, except for the elemental icons. But I figured that the bigger the numbers the more I'd get out of it, and some of these numbers were much larger than what I've currently had on at the time.
"Hmm, How about that one!" I said with a slight grin.
"And would you also like a module to go with that?" The fancily dressed man across the counter asked.
"Huh? A Module?" I must have sounded like a clueless rookie, even if I use to be a guardian.
Technology was always something I've found difficult to understand.
"Modules are sort of like enhancements for Shield-weaves." I heard a cheerful voice behind me.
"Hey, Naia!" The shopkeeper leaned forward on the desk.
"And you are?" I turned to the girl behind me.
"My friends call me Naia. And so can you!" She said as she gingerly walked to me.
"Sai…"
"Nice to meetcha. You're new to Little Wing, and you probably have oodles of things you need to know. Am I right or am I right?"
"...Okay, I do not care for you." I muttered.
"Lucky for you I'm a people person who just loves to lend a helping hand. Ask me anything, and I'll tell you all I can. You know what they say: A good deed a day keeps the frownies away!"
"I have literally never heard anyone say that about anything in my life."
"So, what is it you want to hear about?!" Her positive nature and cheerful attitude were suffocating, I was slightly glad I was put together with Emilia and not this girl.
"You were saying something about modules?" The shopkeeper said with a smug grin.
"Oh! Right! Modules enhance your Shield-weave-"
"You've already said that, can you move on ahead?" I sighed.
"Right! Well, Modules don't do anything on their own. Goodness no. You have to link a module to a shield-weave and equip the shield weave.
Linking modules can be a little tricky, so listen up! " She continued to give me a long explanation on how to use modules, in excruciating detail.
"And that's how to link modules to Shield-weave. Give it a try or three. And I'm sure you'll get the hang of it in no time."
"I see…"
"One. More. Thing. A single module can only be linked to six shield-weaves at once. Let's suppose you have a module that raises your attack power. You can link that one module to any six shield-weaves you're carrying. With only a few expectations, you can even like more than one of the same module to a single shield-weave!"
This part actually seemed sort of remotely useful.
"For a shield-weave with four slots, you could link four of the same modules for four times the effect! Dropping, destroying, or placing a module or shield-weave in a storage will remove any links between that item and any other. So be extra careful when storing your stuff."
"Thanks, Naia, you were VERY helpful. Wasn't she? Sai?" The armour shop grinned.
"Yeah, very... insightful" I sighed.
"If you need anything else don't be afraid to ask! Oh, and be sure to by a lot of things! We wouldn't want you getting hurt out there!" She said as she walked away.
"So, what will it be?" He asked.
"The last hour of my life back…"
"Sorry, we don't seem to have that in stock. How about a module?"
I took another look at the modules and noticed one that said "Mirage Module" and asked about it.
"Those allow the more 'experienced' mercenaries to use those mirage blast thingies, those may be a little too much for you."
So it was like the discs, for learning techniques, except for mirage blasts.
"Is it possible to use those without a module?"I asked.
"Perhaps, but you'd have to find someone from the Kasch tribe too teach you and I hear they hate outsiders…"
As faith would have it, it was at that moment Chelsea called me over to the office regarding a certain tribal boy.
"On my way." I paid for my new shield-weave and left. I still wasn't a huge fan of the idea of using enhancers to boost my performance,
mostly because I believed machines were tools and lacked any sort of heart or soul, using a tech-mag over a staff was already stretching my beliefs.
Emilia and I arrived at the office around the same time.
"Allo, you two! Over here!" Chelsea called us over.
"Hnn?" The boy immediately turned hostile at the sight of us.
"Hey, you're awake!" said Emilia as she approached the boy.
"What-? You!"
I aimed my tech-mag at the boy as he glared at us.
"No, no, there's nothing to fear. We are helping you, no?" Chelsea tried to calm him down, She and Emilia turned towards me as I put away my weapon.
"If we were enemies, we would not, no?"
"No… I mean, yes. I think." The boy replied. I was glad to see I wasn't the only one confused by her way of talking.
"Are you okay? You're not hurt?" Emilia asked.
"Oh, the name's Emilia, by the way. What's yours?"
"Yut... Yut Jun Yunkers." He seemed to have calmed down,
"Yut? That's a neat name. You hungry, Yut?" She asked.
"A little… yes." He sounded like a lost child.
"Then let's hit the cafe for something tasty! And I'm in a particularly good mood today. So you're in luck. It's on me!"
"Something tasty… yes. I would like that."
"Then let's go!"
"You seem very excitable, mademoiselle Emilia. I must ask, pour quoi?" Chelsea asked… I think.
"Kraz complimented her…" I replied.
"Vraiment?! It is true?!" It was kinda sad how big a shock this was to everyone involved.
"Monsieur Boss praising Emilia… Alors! What is this world coming to?"
"Hey! C'mon, you two! Cafe time!" Emilia said.
Yut, Emilia and I went down to the cafe, Emilia ordered some food for Yut while I sat on the other side of the table eating my candies.
"Oh, this IS good! This is very good! Emilia! What is this?!" Yut asked.
"Yummy, right? The pudding here's the BEST." She said.
"All of this food. I've never eaten so much in my life!"
I watched the two of them with a smile on my face, it sort of reminded me of back then, but I tried not to ruin this moment by lingering on the past… tried.
"I'm glad you like it. Eat as much as you like, okay? It's the least I can do for you." She said as she took a sip of juice from her glass.
"Since you were the one who blew him up…" I wanted to say but, again, I didn't wanna ruin the moment.
"You're okay, Emilia," Yut replied.
"Hmm, now I feel like I'm bribing you somehow… Hey, why didn't I think of that before?! Hang on a second Yut, I'll be right back." Emilia ran out leaving me and the boy alone.
"What are you eating?" He asked.
"Uh, you want some?" I gave him a single piece.
The second he put it in his mouth his face scrunched up before he coughed up the candy.
"That... tasted terrible."
That was pretty much the reaction I've expected.
"Back!" Emilia came up to our table carrying several boxes and bags, I've seen her carrying earlier.
Though I could have sworn it was bigger.
"Heh heh. Those shops next door never knew what hit 'em!"
"Um, Emilia? Why did you buy two of everything?" Yut asked as Emilia shown us what she bought.
"I got one thing for me, and one for other people. This handkerchief's for Chelsea. She's always giving me stuff. I figured it was time to return the favour."
"And the large… thing? Who's that for?" We turned towards the larger bag.
"This stuffed animal? Erm… This is for you!" she handed me the strange green frog-like animal.
"For me? Really?" As I held the large soft plush in my hands.
"Yeah, just take it, okay? It's er… a customary way of giving thanks. I'm sure you're room could use some sprucing up, am I right? You could put it there!"
"Oh, err, it's just what I wanted… I really couldn't have asked for a better gift. I mean…" I took a deep breath and smiled.
"Seriously, Thank you."
"It's nothing. Besides, I owe you. I mean… Thanks." She kept saying that, but I didn't really do anything.
It really didn't feel like I've deserved any of it.
"Hnn? Emilia? Nothing for me?" Yut asked curiously with some pudding on his face.
"What? Oh, come on! I fed you enough pudding to choke a horse!" She replied.
"So, who's that little one for?" Yut pointed at the small purple box on the side.
She picked up the box and her face lit up brighter than ever before.
"Huh? Oh, this? Well, this is for-"
Suddenly I felt a cold chill in the air and not even a second later the alarms went off and the room went dark, and then a red light began to flash brightly.
"Announcing to all Little Wings! We have an emergency! An Armed group has penetrated a block under our jurisdiction on Clad 6!" Chelsea said over the intercom. "We are sealing off the affected block and all stores within to minimize damages."
We've heard something from outside the cafe.
"What?! That sounded like gunshots coming from the hall!" She said before running out there.
"Emilia! Wait! That idiot..." I said before I chased after her.
There were a few armed men in the hall.
"Wh-what? What's going on?!"
Emilia found herself in front of a few armed men, I've blasted one back but two of them quickly turned their fire in my direction forcing me to take cover.
While the last one started to slowly walk towards Emilia.
"I, I didn't do anything." She fell back as the man aimed down his weapon but before they could fire they were hit with a whip.
The other guys stopped shooting and so I peeked out from my cover and saw a green haired woman in a dark suit standing in front of Emilia with a whip out.
"You're slow." She said as she whipped the other two guys before they could shoot.
I stepped out of my cover and walked over towards them.
"Good morning girls, weren't going to invite me to the party?" Kraz casually walked into the room, the woman walked up to him with a serious look on her face.
"Hey, gorgeous," Kraz said before getting punched across the jaw, I rubbed my jaw remembering something that happened not so long ago.
"Paycheck skimming garbage." The woman glared down at Kraz who was now flat on the floor.
"Well, that was a thing," I commented as I walked over towards them.
"What's the big idea?!" He picked himself off the ground as he rubbed his jaw.
"Keep your mouth shut! What time of day do you think it is? Your breath is making me wish I'd brought a hazmat suit.
You're responsible for the security here, and you let these intruders run wild?!"
"intruders? I figured it was a bar fight." He slurred.
"Why would I be involved in a bar fight?!"
"Intruders, eh? Hrm… Armed, too. Some kind of terrorist wannabes, maybe?" Kraz barely looked at the guys on the ground, but from my perspective, that seemed like a fairly accurate guess.
"Chelsea, mind rounding them up and handing them over to the authorities?" The woman asked.
"My pleasure, certainment!" Chelsea said with a smile... but that's a given. She's always smiling.
"As for you, Kraz, I think it's time we had a nice long, chat. I've got quite a few jobs to talk with you about."
"Why is it always about work with you? Doesn't anything else interest you at all?" He said.
"Better than sitting around staring at the bottom of empty beer mugs all morning."
"Are you all right, Emilia?" Yut said as he helped her up.
"Yeah… thanks. I seem to be in one piece. Ursula scared me more than the attack, really.
And seeing Kraz all worked up is never good for my nerves. Huh? Wait a second!"
"What is it?" Yut asked as Emilia began to look around frantically for something.
"The thing I bought, it's gone! I know I put it in here-
Help me look, you two! I must have dropped it in the scuffle." At that moment Kraz picked up the purple box off the ground.
"Hrm? What's this now? Some kinda package? Looks like it's seen better days." He sighed.
"Oh, There it is." We walked over to him.
"Huh? This yours, Emilia?" He asked.
"Actually, er, well, I was going to give it to-"
"Huh? It's not yours? Someone musta forgot to throw it out. Where's that trash can got to? Ah, there we are."
"Kraz, wait!" I shouted.
"Hnn? Wuzzat? This yours? You want me to toss it for ya?" As the man threw the gift Emilia reached out her arm in a futile attempt to catch it.
"He shoots…he scores! Don't litter, kiddos." He cheered as it landed in the trashcan. Emilia's face went pale.
"Hey!" She replied in a loud voice.
"Emilia? What's got into you?"
"Jerk…" She said softly as she began to shake.
"Hnn? Wuzzat? If you got something to say, say it loud? Yer competing with some serious ringing."
"JERK!" She shouted before running passed me and Yut.
"What're ya trying to do, shout off my earlobes?! Hold on a second, what's all this about, eh?"
I silently glared at the man.
"What, you too, now?"
"Found it!" Yut ran up to us with the box in hand.
"Found what? Hey, that's the trash I just threw out. Good job, jungle boy."
"Emilia's scent led me to it. This is what she was looking for!"
"Her scent?" I questioned.
"What's all this about now?" Kraz asked.
"Get a clue, Kraz?" The woman said. "Better yet, I'll give you three. The first would be that it's nicely wrapped. The second: Emilia would not tell you whose it was when you asked her. The third: she had a fit when you threw it out. If you can't figure it out with that, well, I'm afraid you're in the wrong business."
"...Mind repeating all that?"
"This is yours," Yut replied.
"Wait, but you just said it was Emilia's! Har!"
"Emilia was looking for it, but it's yours. She may not have been able to tell you, but she wanted you to have it. She told me so. And her face lit up even more than when she was eating that pudding." The first part was sort of a lie, Emilia didn't outright say it but Yut managed to piece it together before the boss.
Kraz didn't respond marking the end of that conversation.
"Let's talk about work, shall we?" The woman said before turning to me. "You there. You're the new recruit, yeah? Great, you can come talk with us."
"As fun as that sounds, I should probably go look for Emilia," I replied.
"I'm a bit concerned about her myself. Poor child, having to put up with this reject."
"I'm not- nevermind." I sighed.
"Don't worry! I'll find her!" Yut replied.
"Now there's a good sport! Great, you're on the case."
I thought about it again and realized it would probably be safer to keep my distance from her right now.
"Yeah! Go get'er boy."
"I will find her!: With that said Yut ran off after her,
"Good kid. He's got spunk.." The 3 of us went back to the office.
"So, since we'll be working together. I suppose I should introduce myself. The name's Ursula Laurent. I'm the colony captain of Clad 6, and I run this Little Wing outfit. Just think of me as the little angel on Kraz's shoulder. A little angel with a mean whip."
"She's not Little Wing. She's with Skyclad our parent company. Like the big annoying parent, you just wish would kick the bucket." Essentially Kraz.
"Until you start pulling your own weight, Kraz, the only thing I'll be kicking is your behind." She said… Yes, this is essentially Kraz and Emilia.
"Or maybe you'd like to explain why you chose to let armed intruders into a zone under your protection?"
The woman turned to me.
"Tell me, new recruit, what do you think of a defence contractor that can't even keep his own house in order?"
"I'd say he does the best he can," I replied with a grin.
"Now that's not what I expected you to say." She said with a puzzled look that quickly turned into a malicious grin.
"Perhaps you're just showing your best side to your boss? He hasn't threatened you has he?"
"That's it, I'm bleeding good now. Just give the knife another twist, why don't ya? Look, kid, you don't need to show any side to me at all. I know I ain't much of a role model, and I'm okay with that- " Kraz replied.
"Ahem, There's a bit of a misunderstanding, I said he does his best, but look at the current state of the office.
We're just about a lit match away from setting the place on fire."
"Well, that decides it. I'll be moving my operations here, to this office- as part of Little Wing."
"Hunh? What're you talking about?" Kraz just about fell back when she said that, the surprised look on his face was priceless. "What about your duties as captain? Don't you have anything to do for Skyclad? Nothing? Man, I knew that was a racket."
"They can reach me here if they need me. Besides, my staff is quite capable. More than I can say for the team here."
As a part of the team I'd be offended but looking at us I couldn't really argue, especially after making that one comment about the state of the office.
"Which is why I need to keep a close watch on you, effective immediately. Thank you for your invaluable feedback, recruit."
"No problem, if you wanna hear more about Kraz, I'm your man." Making fun of the old man is always fun.
"We'll be seeing a lot more of each other." She replied with a grin.
As I was about to leave the office I ran into Chelsea and Yut.
"Mademoiselle Emilia has been found! She is in your ship, it seems. Such a good boy, Yut!"
"...Wait, What?!" The thought of an angry Emilia on a ship I'm responsible for is never a good thing.
"Don't mention it. But I don't think you needed to get me a gift." Yut replied.
"Non, non! C'est ne pas a gift! It is a partner card. Like Identification, yes?"
"Identification?"
"It means that we are friends. Best of friends! You are part of Little Wing! Felicitations!" She said.
"Wait, What?! He's not going back to his village?" I asked.
"Non, in fact, we cannot even make contact with them, so great was the damage they sustained in the attack, yes? We thought it best to keep him safe with us until things settle down, you see..."
"Now, Yut. See you partner card?" She asked.
"You give that to others when you work with them. Try it!"
"Like this?" Yut handed me his partner card and I became his contact.
"Monsieur Boss wants you to look out for Yut for a while, s'il vous plait. That is, look out for Yut and Emilia. Alors! How is the expression? You have your fingers full!"
"I'm not even surprised by this point…" I was then put in charge of two kids…. but I had no time to worry about it. I had to run back to the ship.
When I stepped aboard I heard the sound the chair crash into the wall.
"I hate him! I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!" Emilia shouted.
"Garbage?! I'll show him garbage!" She threw another chair.
"Emilia, please, you must be calm," Mika said "He meant you no ill will by his actions. It was merely poor timing, that is all."
"Poor timing? He threw it way! Who throws away a gift?! What a creep. Slime. Pond scum!
I can't believe I was so happy about a few words of praise! Gah!"
And she threw the last chair on my direction, but I moved out of the way.
"Oh, it's you. How about coming in here instead of snooping around like that?" She said with a scowl.
I really wanted to leave but I had to make sure she didn't break anything important otherwise this would come out of my paycheck.
"Well, that kind of takes the wind out of my sails. And rips a big old hole in them. And sets fire to the ship." When she said that I've had a sinking feeling in the pit of my wallet.
"Hehe, please don't actually do that…" I muttered nervously.
"It's all on account of those intruders." She said.
"Ah, yes, now that you are both here, I wished to speak with you about them…" Mika said. I walked in closer to listen.
"Huh? Oh yeah, that's right. Weren't you saying I was a target or something?" said Emilia.
"Yes. I sensed an observer-a presence not belonging to one of the intruders."
"Ah, I felt it too! A steady gaze, almost painful." Yut said standing between me and Emilia, neither of us noticing him until he said that.
"You mean a feeling like you're being watched? Kind of a-wait a second! Yut! You can hear Mika?" Emilia seemed surprised,
Me on the other hand, I didn't dwell on it too much.
"Mika? Who is Mika?" Yut asked.
"The glowing lady next to Emilia," I replied.
"Ah, the lady. Yes, I can see her. So she is Mika."
"you can see her, too?! What's going on, Mika? I thought you said we were the only ones who could see you." Said Emilia.
"In truth, I do not understand it myself. The one called Kraz could not see me yet this boy clearly can."
"She looks like the Land-Mother." Said Yut.
"Land Mother?" I asked.
"The great Land-Mother, goddess of the Kasch. She resides within the Codex," he explained.
"The Codex? Where did you learn that word?" Mika asked.
"All Kasch know of the Codex. It was the Land-Mother that we learned the art of the mirage blast." He said.
"The Codex is a high-density recording medium developed by the Ancients.
I can only assume that one of the personalities contained within it awoke and proceeded to convert the Kasch."
"The Codex… was that that red notebook thing the guy in black was carrying?" Emilia asked.
"Yes. The Land-Mother was taken. I… I wasn't strong enough. But then I sensed the Land-Mother again!
Beside us, when Emilia was attacked! Now, I sense nothing… But I'm sure the one who took the Codex was nearby during the attack."
"You mean the man in black was here, on this colony? Seriously?!"
"I don't see any reason to doubt him, besides he looks pretty serious to me," I replied, from what Mika said before, it seemed the man in black had set his sight on Emilia. I pondered the idea of using her as bait, but I doubted in our current state we would have been able to take him out. We needed to train.
"I agree. If the boy can detect me, even without carrying a program, then it follows he would be able to sense the Codex." Said Mika.
"I must become stronger. I must become strong enough to win back our Codex, and the Land-Mother. Emilia! You must train me! You must train me at once!"
"Training? You mean, you want me to take you on an open mission or something? Actually, that's not a bad idea. Better than loafing around here. Might accidentally run into the boss." Emilia shivered.
"Alright, I'm down. I also have a bone to pick with that guy." I placed my hand on my chest where the man had scarred me.
"Let's get to… training."
"The way you say that word bothers me. Take it easy on him, okay? He's just a kid…"
"You have a problem with my training style, Em?" I grinned.
I remembered my little test, where I dropped her into a relic-site alone.
Even though it was meant to scare her off, it still allowed me to assess her abilities.
"Then again… I guess you gotta have thick skin if you're gonna roll with the big boys.
Right. Time to do some work. Clear the mind! Open Mission, here we come!"
"Training time!" Yut cheered.
I've looked through the Mission Terminal for a suitable assignment for the three of us.
After picking one I've set the coordinates and we were set to go.