The Mutant
It was still raining when I returned to the rooftop. In fact, I think the rain was even worse than earlier. What had started off as a light shower was now nearly a sheet of rain. I was slightly annoyed at having dried off for no reason, but left the lift to wait by the helipad anyway. I couldn't find Alisa in the lobby, so I decided I may as well enjoy the weather. I actually didn't really care that I was getting wet again. I liked the rain. Something about a good storm just felt calming and Zen. It was like it was washing away my anxieties. Leaning back against a support beam, I glanced over my back and made sure that I was still alone. I had decided on a quick catharsis before the mission, and no one needed to know about it. I dug into a pocket inside my jacket and drew out a certain memento.
"It's only been a few short months, hasn't it? To think that's all it took to transform this weakling of a villager into a soldier. If I could tell the me from back then that I'd be fighting a Deusphage today, I'd scoff at the idea… we both would've." A bittersweet smile bent at my lips as my fingers curled around the relic. I didn't even need to look to know what I held. It was an item that I knew as though it was a part of me, the only thing I had left of Hinata. I looked down at the armlet in my hand as the rain parted over the overhang like a waterfall around me.
"Is this kind nervousness what you felt all the time before a hard fight?" I spoke aloud as I traced a finger along the bracelet's edge, "I've fought countless lesser Aragami before, but this… this is no normal fight. Last time I faced a Deusphage was a disaster. I lost my friends… I lost my family… and I lost you. You once told me that fear is the only difference between courage and madness, and madmen don't possess fear. I've become stronger than I ever dreamed I would, but the truth is that I'm still so weak. Maybe one day I can become as tough as you were, and brave enough to honor you." I clasped both hands tightly around the implant as I strained to bite back tears, "Watch over me, Hinata. I'll need your strength more than ever today…"
"That was really beautiful, Robin."
"Eeyah!" I shrieked and jumped so high at the sudden voice that I hit my head on the overhang. I flinched and missed my landing, slipped in the rain, and ended up in a puddle on my butt with a splash. Hinata's armlet landed square in my lap with a wet smack, and I looked up with an "o" of astonishment frozen on my face. I saw Alisa, Kota, and Lindow had somehow appeared behind me. They all had bewildered and surprised looks on their faces, and I felt my face redden. So much for a private moment: talk about awkward!
"Oh! Are you hurt?" Alisa leaned down and extended a hand to me, "Here, let me help you up."
"Ah, I-I-I'm okay… how embarrassing," I sputtered as I picked myself up with Alisa's help.
"Were you talking to an armlet just now?" Kota asked.
I nodded once and looked down at the armlet again. "Just remembering an old friend who saved my life."
Kota seemed at a loss for words and simply said "Oh," in reply. I noticed that Lindow was staring at the implant, then at me with a dead serious expression. I hadn't seen him look this grim before. I returned his gaze silently, but he still didn't break eye contact.
Lindow finally spoke up and extended a hand, "May I see that implant for a moment?" I nodded once, watching Lindow's actions carefully as he met my eyes again. Something about that look he gave me just now… was that pity or empathy? I couldn't quite tell. He gently took the armlet from me, examining it critically.
"I thought I recognized that mark," he said as he turned it over and over repeatedly, "This has the Far East's emblem engraved on it. This belonged to one of ours…" Lindow was quiet for several long moments before he returned Hinata's armlet to me. "The transmitter's fried and I can't read it. What was their name? Maybe we knew each other."
This wasn't the kind of conversation I planned on having right before a mission. I briefly froze up and I had to take a deep breath to regain my nerve. "His name was Hinata Ito, and his codename was Senryuu. Did you know him?"
"Hinata Ito…" Lindow shook his head, "Doesn't ring a bell right away. I'll have to check NORN when we get home from the hunt. I'm sorry for bringing that up. Losing a friend is never easy."
I slipped the implant into my jacket pocket and zipped it tightly shut. "He died trying to protect my hometown from a Quetzalcoatl about four months ago. He gave his life to save mine. My dream is that one day I can become even half as courageous as he was…"
"Hey, you're way braver than you think already!" Kota cut in, "Remember when you chucked that scale at Tsuchinoko? That was pretty badass. I bet Hinata was cheering from up above, you know?" Kota suddenly broke out into a cheerful grin and nudged me in the back, "Let's go kick that Susano'o's ass and be back before dinner. Show Hinata how strong you got!"
Alisa laughed a little, "That's right. You had a good idea earlier. I really liked that part you said about courage. How'd it go…?"
"It's something Hinata used to tell me: 'The only difference between courage and madness is fear, and madmen don't possess fear.'"
Lindow hummed in approval, "That's not bad. I like it. It's a decent rule to live by. Keep thinking on that one, got it Robin?"
"Everyone…" I nodded affirmatively and gained a beam of my own. I saw my teammates smile in turn and my mood rose. I was still nervous, but I felt much better now. "Thank you. I'm sorry for being a downer right before a fight like this…"
Alisa shook her head. "What'd I tell you about all that apologizing, Robin? Don't do that. There's nothing to be sorry for."
"Sorry, Alisa." I blurted before I could stop myself.
"Hey, don't make me turn that into an order!" Alisa put a hand on her hip, still smiling at me.
"Right… sor-" I cut myself off as Alisa gave me an even bigger smirk. I scratched my head and started laughing at myself. That made Alisa laugh too, and soon we both were wiping tears of mirth from our faces.
"I think we missed something." Lindow exchanged looks with Kota, whose reply was a querying grunt and a puzzled hands-up gesture.
I looked up to the sound of thumping chopper blades and saw the vehicle descend to the helipad. Our ride was here. I looked back at my allies one more time. Lindow nodded encouragingly, Kota flashed a thumbs-up, and Alisa gently nudged me forward. I still couldn't say I was looking forward to fighting a Deusphage, but with people like this by my side I felt far more confident. Maybe I'd be the one to surprise Jackal with a trophy this time.
O-O-O-O-O
The chopper ride was largely quiet. I spent the majority of the ride just staring out the window and lost in thought. The conversation we had earlier was weighing heavy on my mind, and I was still pondering what I was told. Meanwhile, Kota was trying to start a conversation about some show called "Bugarally" with Alisa, who seemed disinterested and busied herself with a report. When he was met with silence, he tried speaking to me next. I had no clue what he was going on about, as I'd never seen the show.
"Kota, stop bugging us." Alisa finally looked up from the report, "We're busy."
"Busy? Yeah, I see you are, but Robin's just staring off…" He nudged me, "C'mon, Robin I'm bored stupid over here!"
"I have no idea what to say. I've never even heard of Bugarally." I replied, still staring into the rain.
"Whaaaat?!" Kota's eyes widened, "It's like, the best show ever! The story's a little heavy, but the action's where it's really at! I gotta introduce you when we get back! You act just like the hunter girl Riu, you know. All aloof and quiet and stuff. But she was only like that because she thought her boyfriend betrayed her family and didn't trust anyone after that. You're like that because you miss Hinata, right?"
"Stop comparing people to anime characters," Alisa scolded, "That's insensitive."
"I don't care if you do or don't," I said, "Just let me be, please. I need to think…"
"Okay, got it. Sorry." I heard him shift in his seat, "Hey, Lindow?"
"Hm? Didn't hear you. I was sleeping." I heard Lindow yawn and stand up. "Oh, would you look at that. We're here."
This is the place? It looks really chewed up… I noted as I looked to where the chopper was descending. It looked like the remains of a power plant, possibly a nuclear type. Steel beams and rusted walkways littered the area like children's toys. I noticed the majority of the ruins were situated on a large pond that sprawled across the middle of the area, leaving a large green plains surrounding them. Several gray, boxy buildings loomed like specters nearby, abandoned and silent. Come to think of it, this place seemed far more industrial than the City of Mercy. Maybe this was a factory before the Aragami. Whatever the case, it was now the nest of a Susano'o, and I had the dubious honor of killing it. Joy.
Without another word, I jumped from the heli to the ground. I landed on the grass with a wet plop. It was raining here too, but not quite as fiercely as at the Far East. I heard my allies land nearby, followed by the fading beat of the chopper's blades. It was time to work.
"Okay, I have all of your signals this time. I'm not going to lose the signal like I did with Garuda!" I heard Hibari over my radio, "The Oracle signature is coming from the retention pond area. Be careful out there, okay? I want to see all of you come home alive."
"Never fear, Hibari. Remember who has an over 90% survival rate with other God Eaters? Odds are in my favor." Lindow hoisted his sword over a shoulder. "Welp, its show time kids. Let's head for the signal. Sound good, team?" When we all agreed, we left for the center of the area by the pond.
We only just arrived when I heard a wet, chewing sound. I froze in place, tilting my head to listen better. The rhythmic sound continued, and I exchanged looks with my teammates. Lindow put a finger to his lips and gestured towards the walkway. I nodded and quietly stalked across the platform to the central island. Sure enough, there was the Susano'o, feeding on a freshly killed Chi-you. Right away, I saw something strange. The beast had a huge set of plated wings folded across its back, ending in a set of hand-like talons. It looked almost like a giant set of Chi-You wings. I could only stare dumbstruck for a few moments, trying to parse what I was seeing.
"There it is!" Lindow said in a low voice and pointed his Arc in the direction of the beast, "But wait… something's strange. Since when do Susano'o have wings?"
Good question. No Aragami of the Borg Calmann line ever sported wings before. Maybe it was some kind of adaptation? Or maybe it was simply imitating the Chi-You it was eating? Either way, I had a bad feeling about this.
As the Susano'o continued to tear chunks out of its meal, I noticed several other features that did not look quite right. Most Susano'o were black with violet accents. This one was black too, and had blue and gold accents, the same color as its Chi-You like wings. I saw its legs were covered in armor plating, resembling a Chi-You's armored legs. I glared at my Spear in mild annoyance. If its legs were now armored, then my Spear would have little effect on that part. I'd have to aim for the claws instead, and break the legs with my emitters and bombs. At least I had changed to a Divine Spear variant before the fight, and I hoped that this mutant still had the same weakness.
"What the hell?" Kota's astonishment spoke for all of us, "It's… part Chi-You? What are we dealing with here?"
"This Aragami's signature is not the same as other Susano'os! It's possible this is some new variant. Caution strongly advised! Do not hesitate to retreat if things get hairy, got it?" I heard Hibari caution us over the radio.
"Understood." Alisa answered.
"We should definitely plan to retreat if it turns out to be too dangerous," I agreed, "I don't want another Tsuchinoko incident…"
Alisa changed her Arc to Sword form. "It still acts like a Borg, so let's treat it like one. Let's plan an ambush before it sees us. Kota, I want you to aim for its face or claws. Give it a good couple hits with your lasers and try to hit it broadside. Lindow, you and I should split and go for the claws."
"And me?" I asked.
"Robin, you use a Blast Cannon, right?" I nodded affirmatively as she continued, "You should cover my back for a moment. Give this thing your best bomb, and when you're out of ammo, you'll take vanguard with me. Kota, stick with Lindow and stay out of its tail range while you shoot. Back us up with some of your shock traps."
"Got it!" I replied as I changed to my most powerful Divine bomb. Like many of my customized shots, this one would require a lot of OP, so I took several O-Ampules as I activated my Oracle Reserve. I was too far out of range to hit it with this shot though. I'd have to wait until I was closer.
Suddenly the Susano'o whirled to face us, still carrying the corpse of its prey in a claw. A bit of Chi-You hung from its mouth as it stared at us. It gave us the feral look a tiger might give the deer it was going to eat. The Aragami screamed at us, flaring its mane and slamming the ground with its claws and talons in a threat display. I swallowed hard. At least this thing is too big to fly… right?
"Looks like it noticed us. Look alive!" Lindow warned as the beast charged us. To my dismay, it leaped into the air and glided right our way. I had no time to switch to melee or run, so I hit the dirt instead. It slammed into us like a battering ram, and I heard my partners scream from nearby. I wasn't spared, but I didn't take a serious hit either. I spun to my feet and noticed that I was right under its front: a perfect spot to fire. I loosed my bomb and back-stepped away. The blast was strong enough to make the Aragami reel in pain. I could see that it's right foreleg was unbound, revealing a Susano'o's normal paw under the Chi-You armor.
Okay, so it really is just a Susano'o under there! I just have to keep it up! I switched to my Spear and moved to guard Alisa as we planned. A yelp from Kota got my attention, and my head snapped towards him. The Susano'o had managed to grab Kota in a claw and had lifted him up into the air! His gun was pinned to his side, and Kota was completely defenseless.
"Wah! Put me down, you freak! I am not your dinner!" Kota protested as he tried to pry his Arc from the monster's claw.
"Kota! Hold on!" Lindow charged from the right, stabbing the Aragami in the other claw in an attempt to force it to drop him. The Susano'o responded by stabbing him with its tail blade and forcing Lindow to deploy his shield and stop attacking.
"I'm coming!" Alisa switched to melee and joined Lindow, "Robin, help us!"
"Roger!" I had an idea just then, but I had to act fast while the thing was distracted with Lindow and Alisa. I strafed around the creature's other side, and let it have a leaping Charge Glide to the claw holding Kota. This finally made the Susano'o drop him, and we both landed some ways away. I skidded on my feet, but Kota slid on his back roughly.
"You okay?" I asked and held out a hand.
"Y-yeah. Thanks." Kota nodded as he righted himself, then pointed behind me, "Robin, look out!"
I spun and deployed my shield just in time to deflect a stab. I made it in time, but it left me wide open for a counter. The creature whirled, knocking me over sideways with a tailspin. I rolled across the ground and landed on my front, slightly dazed. Okay, that one hurt a lot! I'd need to heal up soon. The Susano'o had other ideas. It stabbed at the ground and loosed bursts of energy at me. I was forced to evade multiple times and still got hit yet again. The blast was enough to knock me off my feet and send me rolling across the platform. I landed roughly against a fallen beam, which struck me hard in the back and drove the breath from my lungs. Stars swam in front of my eyes and I slumped to the floor in exhaustion.
"Robin! You're taking too many hits! Fall back and heal!" I heard Alisa's warning, but I was too weak to get up. I could only lie there, catching my breath and willing my unresponsive limbs to move.
"Dammit!" I heard Lindow shout, "We have to help her!" He tried to maneuver over to me, but was driven aside by a sudden barrage of orbs from the Susano'o's wing-talons.
"I got it! Somebody cover me!" I saw Kota break away from Lindow and hurry towards me. The Aragami responded with a rain of explosive scales. Kota ducked low and managed to rush through the bursting scales without getting hit. I couldn't help noting that Kota seemed to have a lot more experience than his attitude revealed. He kneeled down to my level and took my hand in his. I saw vines snake out from both of our armlets and intertwine. A jolt of energy flowed down my arm and into me. I instantly felt much stronger.
"You doing better, Robin? Good." Kota grabbed me by the wrist and helped me to my feet as the vines withdrew, "That was one nasty blast, huh?"
"Thank you, Kota." I looked back to the Susano'o, "Now to pay this thing back in spades!" I reloaded my Oracle Reserve and changed to melee again.
Kota seemed inspired suddenly. "Hey, you got another of those super-strong bombs of yours? Let's try to break the other leg too. It'll give us bigger targets."
"Sounds good. I'll need to build up though. Try to break the wings! Maybe we can disarm it a bit." I suggested.
"Gotcha! Go do your thing!" Kota fell further back as the Susano'o came charging again. I flipped aside and retaliated with a flurry of stabs to its face. Alisa rained Divine mortars from behind, and Lindow started hacking away at its bare leg. I paused to ready a Charge Glide.
That was a mistake. The Aragami spun again, slapping all four of us aside with its tail again. To my surprise, I was lifted off my feet and high into the air. I slammed into the wall painfully and tumbled to the ground again. This time, I was able to stand with moderate pain. I noticed my team had taken severe hits too, so I launched a Restore Post.
"Over here, everyone! Healing post set!" I called as I finished setting it up. The Susano'o lunged for me yet again, holding its body low for another snap.
Not this time, beast!
I fired my bomb point-blank into the Aragami's face. The blast was strong enough to knock me on my butt and sent the Susano'o flying. It flew out the corridor and outside. Talk about a lucky shot. A loud clang from outside told me that the landing was not pleasant. I took advantage of the creature's fall to close in. I found it flailing around on its back like a flipped turtle.
"All together now! Attack!" Alisa ordered as everyone charged the thing at once. We struck mercilessly, all aiming for its exposed underbelly. It screamed and thrashed, trying to sweep us away with its limbs, but we were faster. It eventually scrambled to its feet, looking far worse for wear. We'd managed to break the wings, and now only glowing stubs remained where its wings once were.
"Alright, let's keep up that momentum!" Lindow encouraged. I nodded and dared a proud smile.
The Aragami was unamused, and it displayed its rage with a tail-stab in our direction. I couldn't block it, so I tried back-flipping away. The monster's tail missed impaling me, but its tip did hit me in the face. Warmth trickled down my face, and I cried out in pain. I lunged with a stab of my own. My Charge Glide hit it square in the claw, sending it to its knees. I back-flipped aside again as the Susano'o fell. I stood ready, changing to Predator form as I watched for any sign of it recovering. It did not stand, and I Devoured its core to ensure it would never rise again. I stood there for several long moments, unwilling to let my guard down. Black mist finally rose from the mutant's body as its form began to decay away. That was he sign I needed to see. I allowed my stance to relax as I tried to slow my pulse and stop shaking.
I… I won! I killed a Deusphage! I really did it! Did you see that, Hinata?! I did it!
"Ha… haha!" I laughed, more from nerves than mirth, "That was… tough!"
"Good job! We did it." Lindow turned from the Aragami's corpse to face me. His triumphant smile fell when his eyes met mine. I stared back, not sure why he was looking at me like that. "Hey kid? You know you're bleeding, right?"
"Geez! How did you not even notice that?!" Kota yelled, "You're a mess!"
I wiped my face with my wrist, and flinched in surprise when my hand came away red. I felt more blood run down my face, and my smile fell a notch. "I didn't notice I got hit like that…" I took out a Recovery Pill II and swallowed it, "Sorry. Is it bad?"
Lindow shook his head, "I don't think it's serious, but you kinda look like crap. Go get that treated when we get back, got it?"
"It got you in the right cheek," Alisa added in as I continued to rub my face to find where I was bleeding from, "That might be hard to bandage up in the field like this. Hold still and let me try."
I looked back to Alisa sheepishly, "Thanks, and-"
Alisa cut me off as she started taping a gauze to my cheek, "Don't say it, Robin. We're friends. Apologies are for strangers."
Friends, huh? Well, I guess I feel like I can trust these guys a little, especially Alisa. Does that make us all friends then? I wasn't so sure, but I was certainly willing to see. I could really use a chat with Jackal right now. As I waited for the chopper to arrive, I became lost in thought again.
I wonder, what are you up to right now, Jackal?