Disclaimer: I do not own God Eater, and any contents already in the game.

Chapter 15: Family

"Here it is," Claire set the wrapped dish on the table, and unwrapped it.

"Ooh, I'm starving just by looking at it," Jerad murmured.

"Your sister, Hugo, and Lulu cooked it this morning," Claire smiled. "Enjoy yourself."

"Thanks," Jerad smiled back.

"And here's for you, too, Phym," Claire also served a wrapped meal to her, smiling.

"Thank you, mommy," Phym smiled.

Jerad chuckled, 'Mommy, huh..?'

Then he grabbed a spoon, and took his first bite. Just as he expected, the food tasted good.

"It's great," Jerad complimented. "I already missed eating."

Claire giggled, "I bet you do."

Then Jerad glanced at Phym who had not taken a bite yet.

"You're not eating yet..?" Jerad asked with bewilderment.

"Mm," Phym shook her head.

"I thought you're hungry," Jerad said before he took her spoon, and scooped a piece of food. "It's good. Try it."

Then he smiled. However, Phym looked away from the spoon.

"Hm," Jerad puzzledly stared at her.

Claire sighed, 'Goodness. I wish I could've explained this to him earlier…'

Then she pulled an ampule out of her pouch, and knowing what that is, Jerad's eyes widened.

"Huh? Claire, what are you-?"

"I'll explain later," Claire whispered.

"...OK," Jerad hesitantly nodded before he watched her drop a few doses on her food, and stirred them together. If he was not too hungry, he would have lost his appetite.

"Yeah..," Hugo whispered, and sat beside him. "Phym has an odd taste, but this is the only way to get her to eat."

"Hm," Jerad glanced back at the two as he watched Claire serve Phym a spoonful of food.

"Here it is, Phym," Claire held her spoon while having her left hand below to prevent a possible spill. "Eat up."

This time, Phym unhesitatingly bit the food, "Mmm."

"Huh," Jerad kept staring in awe.

"Just bear with this for now, OK?" Misha said. "But Claire has been teaching her how to eat without it."

"Alright," Jerad nodded before turning to Phym. "So, how is it?"

"Love it, daddy," Phym smiled.

Jerad chuckled before he continued eating, and finished his meal, still feeling a bit of unrest of Phym's oddities.

Once they finished, they decided to clean the table.

"I'll wash our dishes," Jerad volunteered. "I haven't been helping you guys for the past 3 days, so I want to make this up, at least."

"Are you sure?" Claire raised her eyes. "You're still feeling a bit weary, right?"

"Yeah," Jerad nodded. "But this won't bother me much. Plus, it's not a lot anyway."

"OK," Claire nodded, but seeing this as a chance to talk to him further about Phym, she also decided to volunteer.

"Then, I'll also help out," Claire said. "Plus, I need to do another medical check up on you.

"OK," Jerad nodded.

"I want..to help out, too," Phym suddenly spoke behind them.

The two of them chuckled, and glanced at each other before smiling. This may be a lost chance for Claire, but there is still a medical check she can do for him, and will have to find a way to distract Phym for the time being.

"Sure thing," Jerad smiled at her before the three started washing dishes together, and after watching Phym dry a few dishes.

"You're already familiar with this," Jerad smiled. "You've been helping everyone, right?"

"Yeah," Phym smiled back before wiping the last plate, and stored it on a shelf. "Mommy, auntie, and uncle... taught me how to..work."

Then Jerad and Claire laughed.

'Misha as her auntie,' Jerad thought.

"You're doing great," Jerad smiled again, and patted her head. "You're a good girl."

"Hee hee," Phym giggled, enjoying his headpat.

"We're finished," Jerad dried his sponge, and laid it on a sink.

"Let's finish another medical check," Claire said. "I just want to make sure you're really alright, and hopefully this is the last one for this."

"Heh, that's fine," Jerad shook his head. "I'm getting used to it, anyway."

"I don't know if I should look at that as a good thing or a bad thing..," Claire slightly pouted.

"Up to you," Jerad grinned.

"Ooh," Claire pouted harder.

Phym giggled before Jerad and Claire also did.

"Hey guys, we just finished," Hugo peeked into the kitchen. "We'll be in the lobby afterwards, just so you know."

"Alright," Claire nodded before Hugo and others left, and then she turned to Phym.

"OK, Phym," Claire held her shoulder. "I'll bring you to the lobby so you can play with everyone while I do a medical check up with daddy."

"Heh," Jerad faintly chuckled, still trying to get used to being called, and addressed as Phym's daddy.

"And I'll also bring you a new book to read together," Claire finished.

"We..reading a story?" Phym excitedly asked.

"Yes," Claire smiled. "So, behave yourself, OK?"

"Mm," Phym nodded with a smile. "I'll..be a good girl."

Then Jerad and Claire laughed.

"You're already a good girl," Jerad smiled, and patted her head. "But, keep it up, OK?"

"Okay," Phym nodded again.

Then they left the galley, and headed for the lobby. Once they entered the lobby, they found everyone playing poker.

"Hey, guys," Misha greeted them. "Wanna join in?"

"I wanna play," Phym excitedly jumped.

"Huh?" Jerad raised his eyes. "Playing poker? Does she-?"

Claire giggled, "You'll be surprised…But don't worry, we always play 'safe' poker with her. I'll tell you more later."

"OK..," Jerad slowly nodded, becoming more curious about her.

"Let's head to the Medical Ward now so we can finish this, and then you get to spend more time with Phym," Claire suggested.

Jerad chuckled, "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Phym, enjoy yourself, OK?" Claire held her cheek.

"I will," Phym nodded.

"We'll be back," Jerad added.

"Yes, daddy," Phym replied. "I want..to play with you."

"I will," Jerad smiled.

Then they left the lobby, and headed to the Medical Ward.

While walking together, Jerad chuckled, "She seems pretty energetic."

"She is," Claire replied before entering the elevator. "And a very curious one at that."

"Huh," Jerad murmured before he entered the elevator with her. "That kinda explains why she knows so much."

"There's also that," Claire added. "She learned incredibly fast, and even learned to play poker after watching us play once, and won every time."

"Whoa," Jerad murmured with awe.

Then Claire paused, "And I'm sorry for letting her play it. I was against it since she's just a child, but everyone insisted, so…"

"That should be OK," Jerad shook his head. "As long as it doesn't involve money, and plus, the three kids also played with us back in prison with the same rule."

"Thanks," Claire smiled before the elevator opened, and they entered the Laboratory Block.

Claire continued on.

"Shortly after she saved you and you were carried into the Medical Ward, I learned that she can't speak, but she already picked up a few words from Hugo and everyone."

"Like during that time..he was begging me to live?" Jerad could almost let out a chuckle, but held back because it could be a serious topic for her. He also remembered that Claire was almost crying right before he fell unconscious.

"...Yes," Claire murmured. "Phym is an incredibly smart girl. She also already knew what they meant, and occasionally nudged you while you're in a coma while repeating those words…"

Then Claire suddenly stopped in front of the Medical Ward door, remembering Hugo and Misha's conversation yesterday before she clenched her hands.

"Jerad, just for the note, but please don't do anything crazy again," Claire almost sobbed, and not daring to look at him. "I..Everyone, including Phym has been worried about you. You won't make anyone happy by dying, you know? If you do that again...I'm going to get really mad..and Phym also needs her daddy."

Jerad paused for a few seconds before he frowned, "...Alright."

"As long as you fully understand..," Claire firmly replied before she took a deep breath. "Alright, let's go on with the check up..and we have more to talk about."

"OK," Jerad murmured before they both entered the room. Claire opened a shelf and handed him a medical band, and he quickly wore on his left wrist. She turned the screen on, and after a few seconds, indications started displaying.

"Hmm," Claire stared at the screen for a few more seconds to ensure correct reading before she smiled.

"Bias factor balance and metabolism are stable..for the time being at least."

Jerad laughed, "Time being? OK."

"But I think you'll be fine at this point," Claire said. "But how are you feeling so far?"

"Still a bit dazed," Jerad hated to admit it. "But I'm feeling a bit better now."

"Good," Then Claire rolled a seat, and sat in front of him. "Phym really did patch you up."

"I wanted to ask about that," Jerad checked his back where he was bitten before he leaned forward. He decided to check this out more later."...So, how did she?"

"Phym..has strange healing powers," Claire murmured.

"Hm?" Jerad raised his eyes with intrigue.

"To be able to heal you after being devoured by an Ashborn, something about her is definitely not human," Claire said. "She is inhumanly smart, and adds to it that she has a weird diet."

"Oh, that," Jerad murmured. "I'd like to know more about that part. Dropping bias factor on her food did irk me a bit."

"At first, we could not get her to eat," Claire continued explaining. "She was clearly hungry, but we tried to get her to eat many times, and kept refusing like the one you saw this morning. She wouldn't even eat Lulu's most tasty dish."

"That gets more interesting..," Jerad commented.

"We decided to save her meal for later that night in case she becomes desperately hungry, but not even that's enough to get her to, but…"

Then Claire leaned back, "We just happened to finally figure it out when an accident happened."

"An accident?" Jerad raised his eyes.

"Yes," Claire nodded. "We were trying to refill your armlets with bias factor, and Zeke tripped and spilled them on her food."

"Zeke?" Jerad narrowed his eyes. "What the hell was he doing with them?"

"Well," Claire grinned. "He was going to try injecting them on you himself, buut Hugo jokingly told him that you'll suddenly wake up and strangle him, if he does."

Then the two laughed.

"And that's when he tripped and spilled them on Phym's plate," Claire finished. "You should see Lulu's face at that time."

Then she giggled, "But we'll get to that later."

"That clumsy bastard..," Jerad snorted. "I'm surely glad Hugo told him that, because he was half right. Jeez, he is a bit insufferable whenever he brags, and then ends up failing miserably. Like that time we all tried the resonance radar when we just came here? That clown…"

Then Claire laughed, "Oh, please don't be like that. I've been wondering for a while now, but do you hate him that much?"

"Not...exactly," Jerad plainly smiled. "He's a good guy, but his cockiness irritates me, sometimes. We never butted heads with each other or anything, let alone got into heated arguments, but we did casually bickered time to time."

Claire giggled, "I see. And that resonance radar part. Can you..tell me what happened?"

"Oh, that one was hilarious," Jerad sat back. "It was when the owner recently took us in, and she needed a new navigator. Zeke decided to be a hotshot by volunteering first, and he tried soo hard on it, screaming his guts out and all...until Amy told him that he only covered 2 miles. Two miles, haha. Then Misha and I almost died from laughing."

"You two..are cruel," Claire almost giggled.

"I think he got what he deserved," Jerad replied.

"And this is how Misha became a new navigator," Claire finished.

"Yep," Jerad leaned forward. "And she was amazing at that, and even covered farther than 100 miles, as you may have already seen in the radar. And jeez, during that time, I almost thought she was gonna blow that thing up."

Claire laughed, "And you can also do that, right?"

"I'm sure I can," Jerad replied. "We're both born with high resonance, but it's just not my type of thing. I did tell them that I'll do it for her, if I have to."

"I see," Claire smiled. "Anyway, continuing on where we left off, after Zeke dropped that ampule, I quickly snatched it off to stop it from spilling more on Phym's food, but that attracted her attention."

"Hm," Jerad raised his eyes before Claire continued on.

"She just sniffed it, and then quickly ate the whole meal. She left nothing on that plate."

"Huh, really," Jerad leaned back. "She really is a weird girl, and definitely not human at all."

"But, please don't treat her differently for this," Claire begged. "Outside of that, she completely behaves like a child who needs constant affection from others...especially us."

"Don't worry about it," Jerad shook his head, smiling. "She's still a kid like those other three to me."

"I've also been trying to teach her to eat human food by dropping less doses each time," Claire said. "It's having little success so far, but it's definitely working."

"I'll also try finding a way," Jerad sat back before he held his chin. "Let's see. If Phym can eat human food all the same with less bias factor mixed in them, then she can definitely learn to eat without it…"

"Hm," Jerad raised his eyes. "Candy. I'll try to get her to eat one of those. Kids like sweets."

"Oh," Claire also raised her eyes. "I should have thought of that earlier. You're right."

"But...being from that..kind of life, how did you know this?" Claire reluctantly asked. "I'm sorry for asking…if it's uncomfortable to you."

"It's OK. I used to scrounge candies for those three time to time," Jerad murmured. "One day, we got really hungry because those bastards didn't feed us for a few days, so whenever the four of us went on a mission, we started scavenging food in wrecked grocery stores, including snacks. Then we snuck them back to our cells, and hid them until late night when we shared them with the kids. Their favorite ones were candies, usually sweet ones."

"You guys are truly kind," Claire murmured.

"But we couldn't eat all the food we got, though," Jerad continued on. "We had to make sure they weren't contaminated by the ash, so we generally picked the ones that were still sealed. Fully wrapped foods, and if we're lucky enough, canned foods. I made sure all the hard candies I got for those three were completely sealed before I gave them."

"You're very considerate," Claire smiled.

"I just can't let them down," Jerad murmured. "Living in these tough times together, it's always the younger ones that suffer more."

"...You're right," Claire slowly nodded.

"But with that being said, I'll buy her a pack or two later," Jerad smiled. "But, don't tell her. I'll take care of it."

"OK," Claire nodded.

"So, is there anything else you've been doing to her?" Jerad asked. "I just wanted to be on the same page."

"I've been reading kid's books with her so she can learn to read and speak," Claire said.

"Whoa, I had no idea you like reading," Jerad smiled. "A bookworm, are you?"

"Hey!" Claire pouted at him. "I loved reading since

I was a little girl…"

'Oh, goodness. Dad used to call me the same thing.'

"Well, not saying it's bad," Jerad apologetically replied.

'Reading kids' books for Phym? Mom used to do that to me and Misha when we're both small, and no wonder she pinned that on you. Damn that sister of mine…'

"And where do you get these books from?" Jerad asked.

"The owner has quite a lot of them in her office," Claire replied.

"I see," Jerad nodded.

Then Claire giggled, "You're reading books for her, too?"

"I suppose..," Jerad replied. "I think she wanted me to."

"That's sweet," Claire smiled.

"Uh..yeah," Jerad scratched his head.

"So now, about Lulu, but have you seen her get so angry before?" Claire grinned.

"Nope, but I'm not sure if I'd want to see it," Jerad also grinned. "I will confess that she scares me, sometimes."

"When Zeke dropped that ampule on Phym's food that she made," Claire started giggling. "She made a long face before she literally yelled at Zeke, and he was very sorry for her. It was funny."

"Serves him right," Jerad murmured before they both laughed, and after they finished.

"I figured she would have a lot of pride in her cooking," Jerad commented. "She was always careful about cooking."

'Hm, I wonder if Zeke is having this thing for her. He seemed a bit too comfortable with her, and I haven't forgotten that he was worried about her when we just got her in here. Heh, if he does, I'll start egging his ass for it but I'll keep watching him for now.'

"Jerad..?" Claire called him. "You're smiling a bit. What were you thinking..?"

Then he slightly shook his head, "No, it's nothing…"

"Hmph," Claire pouted. "Dozing off while we're in a conversation? That's rude, you know?"

"Sorry..," Jerad murmured.

"Anyway, she's been helping and teaching us how to cook while you're recovering," Claire finished.

"Looks like I'll have to do some catching up then," Jerad frowned a bit.

"You'll be fine," Claire assured him. "You do learn quite fast at cooking."

"I..guess you're right," Jerad shyly said.

"Also, I've been teaching Phym how to brush her teeth, and wash herself," Claire said.

"Hm," Jerad raised his eyes. "You two have been bathing together, huh?"

"Y-yeah," Claire embarrassingly stuttered. "Aand one thing, but she seems pretty sensitive to tickles."

Then she giggled.

"Heh, really?" Jerad gave her a mischievous grin.

Then Claire slightly tilted her head to the side, "...And what are you thinking this time?"

"Nothing bad," Jerad kept his grin.

"Spill it," Claire demanded, narrowing her eyes.

Beep

"Attention all crew. Attention all crew."

"We are conducting engine test runs on Engine 1 and 2."

"All Hounds, please stand by for defense against any potential threats."

"I repeat."

"We are conducting engine test runs on Engine 1 and 2."

"All Hounds, please stand by for defense against any potential threats."

Beep

"Think about it," Jerad turned back to Claire. "This ship has been stopped since that Ashborn attack, right?"

"Yes," Claire nodded. "Hugo, Ricardo, Zeke, and Keith worked hard to fix everything."

"I must have missed a lot..," Jerad frowned a bit.

"Don't worry about it," Claire smiled. "They're fine."

"Must have been a great time for Keith," Jerad commented. "That's his moment to shine."

"He sure did," Claire nodded, and smiled.

"And..," Jerad looked to his side. "Did you get any Aragami attacks?"

"We had one," Claire replied. "But we pushed them back."

"Huh, nice," Jerad slightly smiled. "I bet you held your own out there."

"...U-um, yeah," Claire shyly looked away. "I think I did well out there."

"I'd like to see it next time we go out on a mission together, then," Jerad snickered.

"A-ah, OK..," Claire stuttered. "But..I'm still not as good as you. Jeez…"

Jerad laughed, "You'll get there."

"Attention all crew. Attention all crew."

"We are now conducting a test on Engine 1."

"Initiating the start up process."

Then after a few seconds, they felt faint rumbling on the deck, and then heard an engine started humming up.

"Anyway, let's get a book for her before we head back to the lobby," Jerad suggested. "Phym is probably starting to worry about us."

"Hm," Claire mused.

"What's wrong?" Jerad asked.

"Considering what's going on now, I don't think we should disturb the owner in her office right now," Claire replied.

"You're right..," Jerad murmured. "We can try again tonight when things settle down, and I don't think she'll be disappointed, anyway. She's probably having a lot of fun right now."

"I agree," Claire nodded. "Oh, one more thing about her."

"What is it?" Jerad curiously asked.

"Phym is also very shy," Claire said. "It took her some effort to finally warm up to everyone here, but I still think she doesn't know how to interact with strangers."

"That's probably for the best," Jerad nodded. "That way, it's easier for us to make sure she won't end up with bad people, and that's probably one of her good traits."

Claire giggled, "It's nice to see you think optimistically for a while."

"O-oh..OK," Jerad stuttered. "...You've also been smiling a lot recently. Going as far as even telling me funny stories of other people, hehe."

"Hey!" Claire pouted.

"Just being fair," Jerad smiled.

In the Lobby.

"Mommy, Daddy," Phym called as soon as the two entered the room. "I've win..all games, hee hee."

Jerad chuckled, "Good. Lemme see your cards."

Then she passed her five cards to him before Jerad raised his eyes, "A straight flush? I don't think any of us have ever reached this high yet."

"Hee hee," Phym giggled again. "I'm good..right?"

"Yeah..," Jerad patted her head. "Good playing."

"What took you two so long?" Zeke asked, grinning. "What did you two do in there?"

"...We just had a long talk, that's all," Jerad grimaced, not impressed with Zeke's suggestive gesture.

Then the three sat on a couch before Phym sat on his lap.

"Whoa, hey," Jerad let out a small laugh while she looked at him, and held her shoulder.

"What you talk about, daddy?" Phym asked.

"Hm?" Jerad raised his eyes. "Well, mommy and I talked about how good girl you are."

Claire suddenly felt hot, 'For him to address me that so casually...Ooh!'

Phym gasped, "R-really? I'm good girl?"

"Yep," Jerad nodded with a grin. "Since I said so."

"Yay," Phym hugged him.

"Aww, you're such a cute daddy, brother," Misha teasingly cooed.

"Heh, well, it's something I'll have to get used to," Jerad replied before he released his hug. "Phym, there is something I want you to try."

"Hm?" Phym raised her eyes with curiosity which made Jerad smile.

"Have you tried eating candy?" Jerad asked.

"Can..dee?" Phym poked her chin with her index finger. "What's...can-dee?"

Jerad chuckled, "I'm sure you'll like it."

"Good, can-dee?" Phym started looking excited.

"Mhm," Jerad nodded. "Come. Daddy will buy you some."

"Okay!" Phym hopped off his lap before Jerad stood up, and headed for Faith's store. Everyone quietly watched.

"Just..what is he up to..?" Zeke asked, not understanding Jerad's sudden offer to her.

"Beats me," Hugo rubbed his nose. "But whatever it is, it can't be something bad."

"We talked about this during his check up," Claire said. "I told him everything that's been going on with Phym, and he said he'll find a way to get her to eat without mixing a dose in them by making her eat candy."

"Ooh, that's interesting," Misha whispered.

"Yeah," Lulu nodded in agreement. "It's crafty, I'd say."

Meanwhile.

"Hey, Faith," Jerad waved at her.

"Oh, good to see you, again," Faith smiled. "But it's been a while. Where have you been?"

"I was knocked out for 3 days..," Jerad explained.

"Oh, from that Ashborn?" Faith raised her eyes.

"Yeah," Jerad nodded.

"Ooh, I thought I was a goner at that time," Faith chuckled. "But you guys saved the day again. Thanks."

"Oh..yeah," Jerad shyly scratched his head. "So, do you sell any candies?"

"Definitely," Faith smiled. "I got them bunched over here. Have a look…And who's that cute adorable one?"

"She's Phym," Jerad answered. "I'm actually buying for her."

"Can-dee," Phym excitedly said. "I wanna..try can-dees, daddy!"

"Phym," Jerad gave her a slight glare. "You have to learn to wait, OK? Patience is part of being a good girl."

"I'm...sorry," Phym frowned.

Jerad chuckled before he smiled and patted her head, "It's OK. I'll still buy you candy, but this is daddy's first lesson to you, and you better remember it. Got it?"

"Yes..daddy," Phym slowly nodded.

"Good girl," Jerad smiled.

"She's...your daughter? You had one at such a young age?" Faith widened her eyes.

Not wanting Phym to hear his response, Jerad quietly shook his head to her, and blankly spoke 'adopted' to her. Luckily, Faith understood.

"Ohh," Faith smiled. "She's quite an adorable one, though. Hello, Phym."

"Ah!" Phym hid behind him while Faith paused. "Is..something wrong?"

'It's just as Claire said,' Jerad mused. "Don't be scared. She won't hurt you, and she has candies."

"Um," Phym started peeking out from him while Faith smiled.

"Yeah, I have candies for you," Faith turned around and grabbed two small bags. "This one is sweet, and this one is sour. Which one you like?"

"I'll buy both," Jerad answered.

"You got it, then," Faith handed him the bag before Jerad paid her.

"Need anything else?" Faith smiled.

"We good for now," Jerad replied. "Thanks."

"You two have a good day," Faith laid back on her lounge chair. "Come back if anything new strikes your fancy again."

"Sure," Jerad waved, and held Phym's hand. "Let's go back."

"Can-dee, I wanna try can-dee!" Phym excitedly said, not being able to hold it anymore.

Jerad chuckled, "You'll try them soon enough. Just wait a bit."

They eventually reached the lounge area where everyone waited for them.

"You bought quite a handful," Claire said before the two sat beside her.

"I want her to try a couple of flavors," Jerad smirked before he opened both bags, and took one individually wrapped candy from each.

"Ready, Phym?" Jerad smiled before tearing the wrap off. "Here, try this one."

Then Phym sniffed the candy he was holding before she groaned in disappointment, and sat back.

Jerad snickered, "You're not going to smell a thing from this, Phym. The only way for you to know for sure is to eat, and see if it tastes good. Daddy will never have you eat anything that is bad for you."

"But..," Phym murmured.

"Ooh, this is getting kinda real," Zeke whispered.

"Yeah," Hugo nodded. "Never seen him act like that before, but for some reason, it's still...feels like him."

"A bit out of character of him," Misha whispered. "But I agree."

"Let's keep quietly watching and see what happens," Hugo whispered before Zeke, Lulu, and Misha nodded.

"It's OK, Phym," Claire put her arm around her shoulder. "Daddy won't give you anything bad. Just try it, OK?"

"Okay..," Phym slowly took the candy from Jerad, and stared at it.

"You can lick it first before you can eat it for a start," Jerad smiled. "If you like it, just eat it."

"Mm," Phym nodded before she put the candy inside her mouth, and as soon as she laid it in her tongue, her eyes widened and she closed her mouth.

"Mmm," Phym finally smiled. "Can-dee, good."

Jerad laughed, "See? I knew you'd like it. Pretty sweet, huh?"

"Mm," Phym nodded while chewing her candy.

Hugo chuckled, "That was quite clever."

"Hm," Jerad murmured. "I know it was a bit manipulative, but…"

"Nothing wrong with that," Hugo patted his shoulder. "You did it all for her own good."

"...OK," Jerad nodded.

"That was..pretty crafty, brother," Misha giggled.

"Heh, yeah. Claire told me everything that's been going on with her, and I thought this is the only way to give her that kind of push," Jerad explained.

"Now I see why you took so long," Misha replied.

"It was quite a long talk," Jerad sat back. "But I'm not done yet. The real thing will be our next meal."

"That's a sound plan," Lulu nodded.

"Daddy," Phym nudged him. "I..want.. another one, please."

"Sure, but I'll give you something a little different," Jerad smiled before unwrapping another candy. "Try this one. It won't taste the same, but it's also good."

"Okay," Phym took another candy from him, but right before she sniffed it.

"Ah," Jerad stopped her. "Remember what I just told you, right?"

"Oh, okay," Phym murmured, and feeling more confident, she popped it in her mouth quicker than last time, but after a few seconds...

"Mmmm!" Phym's face twisted.

"How is it?" Jerad laughed.

"It's..It-!" Phym could not find the words to explain.

"Sour?" Jerad finished for her. "It's good, right?"

"Good..but like sweet better," Phym replied, still struggling from the lingering sour taste.

"OK," Jerad smiled.

Beep

"Engine 1 test satisfactory, and commencing shut down."

"Beginning test on Engine 2, and initiating the startup process."

Beep

"Yes!" Zeke raised his arms up. "Our hard work is paying off."

Then they heard Engine 2 start humming up.

"Good job," Hugo said before he did an armlet bang with Zeke. "Ricardo and Keith doing their thing right now."

"Nice work," Lulu smiled.

"Yep," Zeke put his hands on the back of his head, and laid back. "We poured a lot of sweat getting those babies running again, and now we'll see how this one will be."

"I'm sure we got this," Hugo said. "Engine 2 wasn't as bad."

"Damn, I really wished I was there," Jerad said. "Could've been of help."

"We're fine, don't worry," Hugo smiled. "You interested in them?"

"...Maybe," Jerad murmured.

Claire smiled, 'He's starting to show interest in other things. I hope he keeps this up.'

On the Bridge.

As Hilda ordered, Amy kept her close watch on the resonance radar, and gasped after seeing more red dots appearing around their location. They are approaching them in droves from the east, and no mistake, they are Aragami. Hordes of them.

Amy quickly tapped her headphone.

"Repel boarders! Repel boarders!"

"Aragami attack imminent, and are approaching from the east!"

"All Hounds on standby, assemble on the bridge immediately!"

"I repeat"

"Aragami attack imminent, and are approaching from the east!"

"All Hounds on standby, assemble on the bridge immediately!"

Back in the Lobby.

"Oh, crap!" Zeke stood from his couch. "Aragami attack just when we're almost done?"

"I saw this coming, somehow," Hugo also stood up. "Let's go guys!"

Then the rest stood up, and started exiting the lobby, but right before Claire stopped right before she exited, she suddenly stopped.

"Jerad, you're still having a bit of nausea, right?"

"Yeah, kinda," Jerad replied. "But I have to help you, guys."

"No..I-!" Claire paused, remembering Hugo and Misha's conversation about him, and not wanting to hurt his pride, she swallowed. "I can't let you fight right now. You're not in your best condition to!"

"But-!" Jerad gave her a pained look, but decided to digress. "Fine, but be careful out there, OK?"

"I will, and we'll be fine," Claire told him. "Please look after Phym for us."

"OK," Jerad murmured.

"And Phym," Claire held her shoulder. "Stay with your daddy, and look after him, OK?"

"Okay," Phym smiled before Claire left.

Jerad stood still for a few moments before he felt Phym tug his hand, and he turned to her.

"Don't..worry, daddy," Phym smiled. "Mommy..is strong, and she fought Aragami before. She OK."

"Heh, right," Jerad kneeled down to her, and patted her head. "You believe in her, huh?"

"Mm," Phym confidently nodded with a smile.

Meanwhile on the bridge.

"What's going on, Amy?" Hugo asked while panting a bit.

"Multiple Aragami are approaching our vessel 5 miles away," Amy replied. "There are only small ones so far, but there's a lot of them, and you've got to please push them back. We'll also continue the test operation."

"We got this," Hugo said. "Keep doing what you're doing while we drive them away."

"You hear that, guys? Let's go!"

"Please be careful out there," Hilda said. "I want all of you back here in one piece."

"We will," Hugo said before they scrambled out to grab their God Arcs, and head outside.

"Ricardo," Hilda called him over the radio. "Be ready to open the dock for the Hounds, and they're already on their way outside."

"Roger, ma'am," Ricardo replied.

In the God Arc Storage Vault.

"Everyone geared up?" Hugo asked before he saw everyone nodded. "Good. Ricardo is already waiting for us. Let's move!"

"I'm ready for some ass kickin'!" Zeke grinned before he ran with everyone to the loading dock.

Once they reached the loading dock, they met Ricardo.

"All geared up, huh?" Ricardo asked.

"Yeah," Hugo nodded.

"Alright, opening the anti-ash door," Ricardo nodded before he pressed the green light switch, and the large door slowly started sliding up.

"You all be careful out there," Ricardo said.

"We'll be back," Hugo replied before the whole group ran outside, and then Ricardo pressed the red light switch. The large door started slowly sliding down.

On the Bridge.

Jerad, and Phym walked together to watch the resonance radar.

"How's everyone?" Jerad asked.

"They're fighting outside right now, and they're OK so far," Amy replied before she turned to Phym. "Hello, Phym."

"Hello, Amy," Phym smiled.

"How are you?" Amy smiled back.

"Daddy..gave me can-dee," Phym replied. "And it taste good."

Amy and Jerad chuckled.

"I bet," Amy smiled.

While Amy and Phym continued talking, Jerad looked at the resonance radar, and then his smile slowly faded.

'There's a lot,' Jerad's eyes started widening. 'Can they handle all that? They're still coming.'

Outside the Ash Crawler.

"Haa!"

Hugo sliced an Ogretail, and turned to another two charging at him.

"Hoo!"

"Haah!"

He sliced another two down, and then generated a long beam from his long blade, and swung widely at another three, slicing all of them in one swing. Already tiring out, Hugo turned to another one before someone behind it sliced it down.

"Are you alright?" Misha asked, also in Burst and panting. "They just..keep coming. There seems to be no end to them."

"We gotta keep fighting," Hugo replied, still recovering his breath. "Everyone including your brother..are counting on us."

"Right," Misha nodded. "And you, Claire?"

Claire just finished shooting two axe raiders down, and then bashed an Ogretail behind her before she shot it to death while it was still laying down.

"I'm fine here," Claire kept her gun pointed at another group of approaching Aragami. "I'll cover you. Recover yourselves."

"Yeah," Hugo readied his sword, and likewise Misha readied her scythe. Claire started shooting.

"HRAH!"

Zeke smashed an Axe Raider's head flat on sand. "Lulu, how're ya doing?"

"Hah!"

"Hyah!"

Lulu brought an Ogretail, and an Axe Raider simultaneously down.

"I'm doing fine," Lulu breathed hard. "You?"

"I'm still holding up," Zeke recovered his breath. "But there's so many of them, and this ain't fun anymore."

"Yeah, but we have to keep going," Lulu murmured. "We have to protect this vessel..even with our lives."

"I'm not gonna die here," Zeke held his hammer. "Not until we're free."

"Warning! Another horde of Aragami incoming!" Amy warned. "Group consists of a few medium Aragami."

"What?!" Zeke cried. "Now with mediums?"

"Ngh!" Lulu grunted, feeling the ache and wear from both of her hands.

"Everyone, gather up," Hugo said on the radio. "We have to stick together at this point."

"Roger," Lulu nodded. "Zeke, let's go."

"Alright," Zeke and Lulu ran to Hugo.

Back on the Bridge.

"There's more?" Jerad turned to Amy.

"Y-yes," Amy replied.

"How long until this test is finished?" Jerad agitatedly asked.

"About 30 minutes," Amy replied.

'No way!' Jerad thought. 'That's too damn long! Are they really gonna hold?!'

He turned back to the resonance radar, and continued watching.

Back outside.

"Haa!"

With a loud clash, Hugo held his long blade against a Nemain's arm, and as he watched the other arm was about to strike him.

"HIYAHH!"

Misha sliced its arm off, and Nemain flinched. And then she ferociously rushed in and struck its chest a few times before she sliced it in two through its shoulder.

"Hugo, are you OK?!" Misha worriedly asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Hugo replied before he gasped. "Misha, behind you!"

Misha quickly turned around, and narrowly blocked Barbarius' drill arm with her scythe.

"HAAAA!"

Hugo rushed in, and impaled the Aragami through its chest before it fell down.

Then Misha spotted a few more Ogretails rushing for them, and she desperately sliced them down with her extended scythe.

"That was damn close..," Hugo murmured between his breaths.

"T-thanks..," Misha barely murmured, still a bit shaken from that close call.

Meanwhile, Claire, Lulu, and Zeke were fighting another group.

"Haa!"

"Rrrah!"

Zeke bashed an Ogretail, and swung at another one. Lulu swiftly kept moving and slicing one small Aragami one after another, but stopped after a few strikes. Her fatigue is starting to catch up to her.

"Lulu, stay with me," Zeke started firing his shotgun at more oncoming Aragami. "We'll get through this, OK?"

"Claire."

"Ngh!" Claire blocked Kongou's fist, but already feeling tired, she could not hold against it any longer.

"You stupid bastard!" Zeke rushed in, and bashed the Aragami on its side. Kongou fell down, and taking advantage of this, Claire rushed in and jumped but it quickly recovered and swatted her off to the side.

"Auuughhh!" Claire rolled on the ground, and was not moving.

"Shit! Lulu, take care of her!" Zeke gripped his hammer. "I'll keep this monkey busy. Do it now!"

"Right," Lulu ran to Claire while Zeke rushed against it.

On the Bridge.

Phym gasped, "Mommy!"

"Huh?" Jerad suddenly turned, and saw her gazing at Amy.

"Claire? Claire?!" Amy cried. "Someone, please assist!"

"Claire?!" Jerad gasped. "Phym, what did you-."

"I hear..mommy scream," Phym murmured while shuddering a bit. "Mommy OK?"

"Huh?" Jerad's eyes widened. "But how do you-."

"Warning! Third wave of Aragami incoming," Amy suddenly reported. "They will arrive in approximately 10 minutes.

"What?!" Jerad cried. He looked at the time displayed in the resonance radar, and only 10 minutes had passed. They still have 20 minutes until the engine test is over, and there is already a 3rd wave of Aragami coming. Jerad is not sure if they can still hold them off anymore.

He turned back to the resonance radar, and as Amy warned, red dots started appearing on the other side of a hill far away from his friends' location from the east, and started slowly approaching them in droves. If Phym's reaction is true, then…

"Ngh..," Jerad grunted as he closed his eyes. Even him fighting out there in his current condition would not help much, and there are too many Aragami for them to handle.

'There has to be a way to wipe them out fast,' Jerad mused. 'Think! I won't just sit back here, and let them…'

Then he opened his eyes, remembering Faith's inventory, 'Doesn't Faith sell weapons? She might have something for it.'

Then he looked down, 'I'm sorry, Claire…You can chew me up later for this.'

Then he walked to the counter.

"Amy," Jerad called her. "I'm going out."

"What?" Amy gasped. "But you can't-!"

"I know!" Jerad gave her a serious look. "But you know they need help out there, and I want to at least cover them with supporting fire."

"Oh, I see," Amy murmured.

"And Phym," Jerad kneeled down to her with a smile, and held her shoulders. "Stay here with Amy, and be a good girl, OK?"

"Okay..," Phym hesitantly nodded. "But..you'll live..right?"

"Of course," Jerad nodded. "I promise I will save mommy, and everyone. Here, give me your hand."

Then Phym put her hand up before Jerad pulled a candy out of his pocket, and put it on her hand.

"Sweet candy, your favorite."

"Promise..?" Phym murmured.

"Yeah," Jerad nodded again. "Mommy and I will come back here, and then we'll eat together again, OK?"

"Okay," Then Phym hugged him, and Jerad hugged her back, no longer as hesitant as he was when he woke up.

"Stay here with Amy, and be a good girl," Jerad whispered.

"Mm," Phym nodded.

Watching them, Amy was moved by the scene, and could almost cry with a smile.

"Amy, please look after Phym," Jerad stood up. "I'm heading out."

"I will," Amy nodded. "Please be careful."

"Got it," Jerad smiled before he patted Phym's head, and left for the lobby.

"To the lobby? Why?" Amy was left perplexed before she turned to Phym, and smiled.

"Your daddy is brave, Phym," Amy told her with admiration.

"Brave..?" Phym murmured.

"Being brave is about facing your fears and dangers, even if everything is against you," Amy explained. "Your daddy is not feeling well, and knows he can't fight, but he still decided to so he can save his family. Your daddy is strong, Phym."

"Brave..strong..family," Phym muttered. "Can I be..brave and strong?"

"I'm sure you can," Amy smiled again.

Outside Chrysanthemum

"Hrrrah!"

Zeke smacked Kongou with a side swing, and the Aragami stumbled. He stood back, and started boosting his hammer in hopes of finishing it off with a hard smash. Unfortunately, as Zeke rushed in, Kongou quickly recovered and jumped away from his smash.

"Dammit," Zeke gritted his teeth as he stared at the Aragami pounding its chest in front of him. "Lulu! How is Claire?"

"She is OK now!" Lulu yelled back. "Claire, can you still fight?"

"Yeah," Claire slowly stood up, and grabbed her spear. "Thanks for the heal."

"No problem," Lulu nodded. "Let's help him."

"Yeah," Claire said before she rushed in together with Zeke.

"Hrahhhh!"

Hugo sliced an Ogretail down before Misha stood in front of him, and mowed a group of small Aragami in front of him.

"I got you!" Misha said.

"Thanks," Hugo nodded. "We gotta keep killing them so they won't distract the three."

"Yeah," Misha nodded.

In the Laboratory Block.

Ricardo entered the area to quickly double check on their systems when he saw Jerad walking out of the vault, carrying his God Arc already in gun form.

"Jerad? What the..?" Ricardo muttered. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going out," Jerad quickly replied. "I've got to help them."

"You can barely even walk properly," Ricardo argued.

"They need my help out there!" Jerad glared at him. "Please just open the damn door in the loading dock! I'm just there to give them supporting fire."

"With just a sniper gun?!" Ricardo shot at him. "No can do, kid!"

"I had that planned out," Jerad gave him a serious look. "Just open the damn thing!"

Ricardo sighed before facepalming, "Alright, fine. I think there's no stopping you at this point. This way."

Then Jerad followed him, and once they arrived in the loading dock.

"You sure ready for this?" Ricardo asked.

"Yeah," Jerad nodded, and Ricardo can see conviction in his eyes, which felt somehow familiar for him.

"OK, opening the door," Ricardo pressed the green button, and the door started humming and sliding up.

As Jerad stood in front of the opening door, a breeze passed him. Something he missed since he last hung around outside.

"You sell weapons, right?" Jerad asked. "I need something that blasts a lot of Aragami to bits in one shot with a sniper gun."

"Ooh," Faith raised her eyes before grinning. "You're a God Eater, aren't you? I have the right ammo for that job, but let me ask you one thing: do you know about custom bullets?"

"Custom bullets?" Jerad raised his eyes. "No, never heard of it."

"You can make your own ammo, if you have the right materials to make unique effects," Faith explained. "But we'll talk more about that later since you're in a hurry."

Then she grabbed a box, and opened it, "Here they are. These are custom bullets I made to sell them, and these things will blow up a lot of Aragami in no time, hehe."

"Care to explain more?" Jerad asked with more interest.

"Sure," Faith held one of the rounds. "Once fired, these things will explode into little bombs in about 1,000 yards, and go boom-boom on a wide area, leaving nothing left. So with that being said, be careful not to let your friends get caught in it because these things don't care about friend or foe, and make sure you aim higher because these bullets arc before they explode. Just pretend you're a cannon when you fire these things, hmhm."

"Heh," Jerad paused. "OK."

"Don't overthink it," Faith said. "You're a sharpshooter, so you'll be fine. And oh, another good part besides near infinite customization is that these are separate from your Oracle energy in your God Arc, so you can fire these bullets without expending them, but they work like old school, so you have to reload like one."

"So, how many rounds you wanna buy? And I'll give you a discount for your first set of purchase."

"Hmm, I think I'll buy 10 rounds," Jerad said.

"You got it," Faith handed him. "That sounds about right, and good luck. Enjoy the fireworks."

'Alright,' Jerad readied his gun as the door lifted past his eye level.

'Time to get to business.'

"Hrah!"

Zeke swung his hammer, but Kongou blocked his attack, and knocked him aside.

"Zeke!" Lulu cried before she rushed in, but the Aragami blew itself with its own high pressure air, and knocked her back.

"Ugh!" Lulu fell on her back, and just as Kongou was about to finish her off, Claire jumped on Kongou's back.

"Look here, Aragami!" Claire was about to stab its back with her spear, but it quickly shook her off. She also fell on her back, and saw Kongou rush after her with its fist raised, but just as it was about to finish her off, she suddenly heard a loud gunfire, and it flinched to its side. Seeing this as a perfect chance, she quickly grabbed her spear, and charged in.

"HAAAAAAA!"

Claire activated her acceleration trigger, and thrusted her spear through the Aragami's chest. She kept pushing against it until she shoved it against the ground.

Then Claire glanced at the direction of the fire, and saw Jerad standing far away from them, holding his gun.

"J-Jerad..?"

'That was quite a lucky shot,' Jerad thought. 'It took me longer to aim right.'

"Listen, guys," Jerad said on the radio. "I'm here to give you cover fire."

"But we have a 3rd Aragami wave coming," Hugo replied.

"I got that covered," Jerad replied back. "Just keep fighting until we're done!"

"Alright," Hugo nodded. "Just a bit more, everyone. Keep fighting."

"Got it," Zeke readied his hammer. "Haaaa!"

"You're going to be OK, right?" Claire asked.

"...Yeah, I'll be fine." Jerad replied. "Just keep fighting. I got your back."

As they pushed to kill the rest before the third wave comes, they watched several more Aragami drop from Jerad's sniper fire.

'Dammit, my aiming is still a bit off,' Jerad mused as he kept firing. 'But at least I'm still hitting them.'

"Hiyah!" Misha sliced an Axe Raider, and then turned to swing her scythe.

"Haah!"

"Hah!"

"Hiyah!"

She wiped out several more with Inferno Rush.

"Good job, Misha," Hugo praised her. "That's the last of them."

"Still working on it," Misha panted with a smile. 'Hm hm hm, keep going at it, Misha. Your Hugo is getting really impressed…'

"Warning, 3rd Aragami wave is now in close contact," Amy warned.

"Here they come!" Hugo readied his sword.

'Here they are,' Jerad pressed a switch on his God Arc as he saw a horde of Aragami running down the hill. 'Everyone is about 600 yards away from me. Perfect.'

"Everyone, stay back!"

"What?!" Hugo said.

"Just stay!" Jerad cried.

"OK. Everyone, hold your line!" Hugo ordered them, and they remained in their position.

Jerad aimed his gun up, and waited, 'Come on, just a little closer.'

Then once they were within range, he pressed the trigger, and a loud muzzle flash exploded from his barrel.

They watched a fiery projectile arc over them before it exploded into many smaller bits, and covered the ground below with many explosions.

"What in the?!" Zeke watched in awe as many Aragami were blown apart, and some were completely obliterated, turning some of them into craters. "How did he?"

"I-incredible," Lulu watched as the hill was littered with black craters. "How did he do that?"

"Ngh!" Jerad grunted as he took a few steps back. 'That recoil! Faith did tell me to pretend that I'm a cannon, and this is what she meant!'

Then he saw more running down the hill from different sides. 'Alright, then. You bastards want some more?'

Then Jerad put his right leg further back, and planted it more stifly to better withstand the recoil, and aimed his gun up again. 'Then get some!'

He fired one, and then fired another one in a different direction, grunting each time. Everyone watched another two projectiles arc over them, and spread into small bomblets, causing a lot of chaos on Aragami unfortunate enough to get caught in their umbrella of bombings, and were blown to bits.

"A-amazing," Claire watched in awe as more Aragami were blown by Jerad's supporting fire.

"I'm done for now!" Jerad told them on the radio. "I'm reloading. Go finish the rest!"

"Alright," Hugo turned back at the few remaining Aragami. "Let's go, everyone."

Then they rushed in to eliminate the rest of them.

Clank

Clank

Clank

Several casings dropped from Jerad's gun, and he grabbed three more from his back pouch. 'We're definitely gonna need more than this,' Jerad thought as he inserted three rounds into his gun, and chambered one with a push of his lever before he switched his gun to NORM mode.

'Time to get shooting in the meantime,' Jerad raised his gun, and started sniping again.

Meanwhile on the Bridge.

"Wow," Amy blankly stared at the resonance radar after seeing a lot of red dots quickly disappear. "How did he do that..?"

"Daddy good?" Phym asked.

"Yes," Amy nodded with a smile. "I think your daddy did something amazing."

"Yay, daddy amazing," Phym cheered.

"Amy, this is Keith. Can you hear me?" Keith contacted her on the radio.

"I'm listening," Amy replied. "Test run is complete, and Engine 2 is satisfactory!"

"Good to hear," Hilda suddenly spoke on the radio. "Amy, we have a change of plan, so listen carefully."

"Yes, ma'am," Amy held her headphones.

Back outside Chrysanthemum.

"Haa!" Hugo sliced at Ogretail down.

"Attention everyone," Amy contacted them. "Engine 2 test is finally complete, and the owner issued an order to retreat. We are departing as soon as possible, and Hound 1, please cover their retreat! There's already a 4th wave coming!"

'Seriously? 4th wave?'

"Roger, Amy," Jerad switched his gun to ALT mode, and aimed his gun up. "Everyone, start running back. I got you."

"You hear that everyone?" Hugo said. "Retreat to the Ash Crawler!"

"Roger!" Lulu nodded before she started running back with Zeke.

"Misha, we'll help your brother cover our retreat," Hugo ordered.

"Got it," Misha nodded before they both shifted into gun mode, and started firing. Then they heard three whistling sounds as three projectiles flew over them, and spread over in a wide area, blowing more incoming Aragami to bits.

"I got you! Get back!" Claire started firing behind them as Misha and Hugo retreated past her.

"Go, Claire!" Zeke cried as he started shooting along with Lulu, and with her long range gun, she shot a few Aragami that survived Jerad's barrages.

Clank

Clank

Clank

Jerad ejected another three casings from his gun, and switched it to NORM mode. He pulled an O-ampule from his back pouch, and injected it in his God Arc before watching the Oracle gauge completely fill up, and then held another one in his mouth before he started firing again. Shortly after, Hugo and Misha made it back, and started firing along with him.

"That was great," Hugo said while firing his shotgun.

Jerad gave him a brief nod before he continued firing again, and then he pulled the last O-ampule from his mouth, and injected it in his God Arc.

"Fourth wave is already here!" Jerad said as they saw another horde running down the hill. Eventually, Claire, Zeke, and Lulu made it to them.

"How did you do that?" Claire stood beside him, and started firing back.

"I'll explain later," Jerad replied as he switched his gun to ALT mode.

"Everyone, stay back," Jerad warned them as he inserted another 3 large rounds into his God Arc. "These things have huge muzzle blasts."

Then he aimed his gun up and fired two rounds, and Claire covered her ears as he fired them. Tiring out, he hesitantly fired his third round at the last uncovered area before explosions covered the hill and more craters.

"Let's go!" Jerad cried as they all ran back to the loading dock door, and as they ran in, they saw Ricardo already waiting for them.

"Everyone in?!" Ricardo asked.

"Yeah," Hugo replied. "Shut the door now!"

Then Ricardo pressed the red button before the loading door slid down. Everyone recovered their breaths while Jerad held his head.

"Are you OK?" Claire asked him.

"Yeah…" Jerad murmured. "Just pushed myself a bit, that's all."

"Where's Phym?" Claire asked.

"I left her with Amy," Jerad answered.

"I'll have to run to the bridge, and help Amy get this ship underway," Ricardo said. "You guys rest up there for now, and then put your God Arcs back into the vault. You did your part, and good job."

"Thanks," Hugo leaned back against the bulkhead before Ricardo ran off. "Whew, that's one hell of a fight."

"Yeah," Zeke grinned. "Jerad, you're the real MVP today. You saved our asses out there, and I give you 10 out of 10 on that one."

"I'm gonna need a shower so bad..," Misha sighed. "But thanks, brother. You're our hero today."

"So, how did you get bullets like that?" Hugo asked. "It was effective as hell."

"Custom bullets," Jerad murmured as Claire helped him lean against the bulkhead beside Hugo and Misha. "I bought some from Faith before I got out there. Here."

Jerad passed a large round to Hugo, and Lulu peeked.

"Hm, it's a solid round unlike our widely used energy ones," Lulu commented as she examined it. "But they seem to have some Oracle cells infused in them to make them still a bit compact, and I've also seen some AGEs used these back in Baran, but I never bothered to use one. I heard that back in those old days, a firepower like this would require a much larger round, and with that, a large cannon."

"Faith said it was pretty old school," Jerad explained. "Hehe, she even told me to pretend that I'm a cannon when I fire those, and she was on point. She also told me that we can make those, if we have the right materials."

"That's interesting," Hugo nodded. "Maybe we should look that up, and see how useful they can be. Those things just saved our lives."

"Yep," Jerad weakly held his head. "I couldn't have saved you guys without them."

Then he took a deep breath before he removed his hand.

"Maybe Misha and I can use them to make better healing bullets," Claire turned to Misha, and she nodded.

"It's a good possibility," Jerad replied. "Faith said that they have "near infinite customization.""

"I think you should give them a try."

"Haha, you're right," Hugo leaned his head on the bulkhead. "Let's go ahead, and put our God Arcs in. I'm sure Phym and the kids are waiting for us."

In the Laboratory Block.

They stored their God Arcs, and as they walked out of the vault.

"Attention all crew. Attention all crew."

"Ash Crawler Chrysanthemum is now underway."

"Good work, everyone."

"It's finally over," Hugo took a deep breath. "I guess we can rest now."

"Me, too," Zeke dragged himself beside him. "I'm so spent."

"Yep," Jerad added. "Let's all get into the lobby until dinner."

Finally on the Bridge.

Everyone walked out of the elevator before Hilda greeted them.

"Great work, everyone," Hilda smiled. "And that was an amazing strategy, Jerad. I wasn't sure how you guys would have handled it, but I had faith that you guys will pull it off, somehow."

"Thanks," Jerad said. "I did everything I could, but we made it."

Then Phym ran from behind Hilda.

"Daddy!" Phym jumped, and latched onto him. "You back!"

"Ugh," Jerad caught her in his embrace. 'She's..pretty light.'

"...You owie?" Phym asked with concern.

Jerad chuckled, "Not at all. I promised I will be back after I save mommy and everyone, right?"

"Yeah," Phym nodded before turning to Claire.

"And mommy!"

Jerad put her down before she latched on Claire.

"Welcome back! So happy you safe," Phym nuzzled to her.

Claire giggled, and picked her up to her embrace. "Thank you, Phym. Were you a good girl all this time?"

"Yep," Phym smiled. "Daddy told me to be a good girl, and wait here."

"Very good," Claire hugged her again. "Tonight, I'll make you a good meal."

"Yay," Phym cheered.

"Like a real couple..," Misha grinned before everyone chuckled.

Jerad glared at her before he turned around, and sighed. "Let's just head to the lobby, OK?"

"Yeah," Zeke cheered. "Everyone, we got poker tonight, and you kids are playing, too."

"Alright," Marr smiled. "You too, Sho."

"Um..OK," Sho timidly replied.

Then everyone headed for the lobby, knowing that their nightmare is over for the time being.