(Drakengard 1 OST: Chapter 12: Closing)
watch?v=vEDNjZRdbSE&ab_channel=Durandana
'One after another… is there no end…!?'
The world was falling to chaos.
As his pact-partner's overwhelmed, exhausted exclamation rung through his head, Caim couldn't help but numbly and bitterly note that with how sense and logic was falling apart around them, there likely wasn't any end to these wretched, grotesque beasts that swarmed them relentlessly as they swerved through the turbulent, apocalyptic red skies of cathedral city.
It was almost hilariously surreal -to the point that if Caim still had access to his voice, he likely would've burst out into manic chuckles by now- to think that this miserable world he lived in had descended into such pandemonium in but a few hours.
This entire nightmare had begun once Caim and the red dragon managed to infiltrate the Empire's colossal air fortress, the latter having deduced that the flying fortress was where the goddess seal was being held. In his bid to save Furiae and to slaughter as many imperial soldiers as possible, the unhinged prince and his cohorts ended up tracking down the Cult of the Watcher's high priestess -that wretched brat, Manah- and cornering her in an empty ammo deposit room.
Though it wasn't by his blade, by the end of that confrontation, the child who orchestrated the beginning of the world's end became naught but a red smear on the floor. Killed by her own brother when forced to the conclusion that whatever was influencing her to cause such atrocities wouldn't release their grip on his sister's mind...
Caim had thought that with the death of the priestess, he and his rag-tag group had finally managed to sever the head from the Empire war machine. Even much later, Caim would still be able to recall the emotions he felt just after Seere's Golem crushed his sister; bitter disappointment that he'd been deprived the chance to spill that insane brat's blood himself, a contrasting inkling of pity for the despondent young boy as he collapsed to his hands and knees as the weight of his sororicide began to sink in, and surprisingly enough, a faint sense of relief that it might finally be over. That the five years of brutality he endured hadn't been for nothing, that perhaps he finally avenged his parents and his fallen kingdom, and that Furiae could still be saved...
Caim still hated himself for allowing such painfully naive and optimistic thoughts, even after the day his life was ruined beyond repair and the five years of hardship that came after, and he was right to do so. While Manah's death certainly signaled the end of the Empire, the destruction of the world had only just begun...
Somehow, the cult's priestess bound the fortress's ability to fly to her own life. With Manah dead, the entire fortress had nothing holding it together or keeping it suspended so high in the sky, causing Caim and his cohorts to make a narrow escape from the imploding air fortress.
The lot of them had been in such a mad dash to get out of there in time, their original mission for arriving on this air fortress in the first place had been forgotten, and by the time it sank in that Furiae was still being held in the fortress, the prince's group was greeted with the crushing sight of the air base being engulfed in an explosion that dwarfed even the magical blasts said fortress rained down on the last of the Union's forces. Caim barely had the time to register that his sister perished in that fortress -let alone the chance to properly grieve for her- when everything began to go to hell. Both figuratively, and very, very literally.
With all four seals broken, the now-chaotic red sky and turbulent clouds slowly began to part and give way to several bright openings in the sky, and with them, they began to emerge. The doombringers, the objects of the cult of the Watchers' worship, and the true puppet masters that had been pulling the strings of both Manah and the Empire. The creations of God that were meant to purge humanity and remake the world in their creator's desired image.
The Watchers.
Before long, the entirety of the Imperial city and the area surrounding it was infested with Grotesque, several-story tall cherubim so numerous they blotted out the sky, and in response, Caim urged his pact-partner to fly towards straight towards the swarm, fully intending to do nothing but kill until either they were all dead, or he was. In either case, Caim intended to fight until he could draw breath no more.
However, even with the immense strength boost provided to the Dragon by evolving into her chaos form, it mattered little in the face of an enemy that truly seemed to be endless in their numbers. For as much bitter satisfaction Caim took in seeing his pact-partner's lethal fireballs tear these miserable beasts asunder, neither he nor the Dragon were blind to the fact that for every single one of them they burnt to ash, two more would take its place. They'd been fighting viciously and for what felt like hours now, but it didn't even look as though they'd made any meaningful impact against the encroaching swarm of divine monstrosities.
Forced to the ground, Caim took up arms with the rest of his band, but even with the combined strength of four pact-holders, the group soon found themselves getting overwhelmed by the countless number of beasts. However, just when it looked as though their collective fate was to be consumed by the monstrous infants, something disturbing took place.
Arioch, in what looked to be a fit of delirious insanity, provided the rest of the group with a brief opening to escape while she ensured that the attention of the entire swarm was on her and her alone. As she welcomed them with open arms and an ecstatic smile, not even a body would remain as the countless number of horrific, colossal infants piled on her to consume her flesh.
However, the opening Arioch's sacrifice provided them with was only a temporary escape, one that would ultimately bring no salvation from the Watchers. For even if they simply took the coward's way out and opted to fly as far away from Midgard and the chaos unfolding within its borders as possible, the sight of the Watchers' Queen rising up from the center of Cathedral City, showcasing its colossal, skyscraper dwarfing size in all its horrific, nightmarish glory -all while accompanied but a disturbing, disharmonic cacophony of bells- served as a reminder to the unlikely group that no matter where they went, where they fled to, or how many Grotesqueries they slew, the world's end was upon them. Nowhere in the world would be safe once the Queen Beast began to consume the world's time, taking it all into its stomach and causing it to swell up, causing the inhuman beast to resemble a horrific exaggeration of a heavily pregnant woman, and as a seeming consequence of this, a bright-white abyss rapidly began to spread out in acres across the land, causing any buildings -be they large or small- consumed by this warping of time to fall into the white abyss, with the destination unknown to both man and beast.
At this point, it seemed as though that no matter what could be done, there would be no more delaying the annihilation of man. Such a colossal beast couldn't be slain by methods conventional to man or dragon and its consumption of the world's time was something none ever had the misfortune of dealing with before. They knew of no immediate way to counter such an apocalyptic catastrophe.
However, as it would turn out, they still had one last unlikely hope in the form of Seere.
The price the boy paid for his pact was his 'time.' So long as his pact with Golem was still active, the boy would be stuck at the age of a child for as long as he lived, cursed to never grow up and watch as he outlived everyone around him. Because of this, the young boy was considered a walking time 'error' to the world. An anomaly of time… exactly like the Queen Beast was. It was unclear as to what exactly would happen when Seere could come into contact with the colossal abomination, but it frankly didn't matter at this point. Regardless of what would happen, this was the last, single faint hope they had left if they truly desired to stop the annihilation of the world.
Knowing that the path to the Queen Beast was too infested with Grotesqueries for even a creature as mighty as Caim's chaos form-empowered Dragon -and with the desire to atone for the deaths of his brothers with his own life having been reignited- Leonard opted to willingly make the ultimate sacrifice and proceeded onward, towards the hoard of countless, building-sized infants all eagerly crawling, cooing, and floating towards him with the intent to devour him like they did Arioch, and used used the immense magical power he gained from his own pact to trigger a colossal explosion that not even the swarm of Grotesqueries could hope to withstand. Leonard completely vaporized himself -thankfully taking that obnoxious gnat of a Faerie with him- giving Caim, the Dragon, and Seere the slim chance they needed to put this last-ditch plan into motion.
"I can do it… I am the Little Hero!" With Seere's resolved exclamation ringing in his and the Dragon's heads, both knew that escorting the young lad to the Queen Beast was was a suicide mission. Even with Leonard's sacrifice having vaporized the brunt of the hoard that blocked the Dragon's shot to the Queen Beast, the colossal, statue-like woman was still surrounded by a countless number of her floating spawn. The chances of them dying trying to maneuver their way past them was exceedingly high, and even if they managed to worm their way past them and to the Queen… both knew it was going to be the last thing they did.
'...Can time… be broken?'
Nonetheless, they went through with this suicide mission to save the world, and through a combination of willpower, speed, and pure luck, managed to narrowly fly their way past the brunt of the flying Grotesquerie swarm, granting them with a clear shot to the Queen Grotesquerie and the one, small window of opportunity both man and beast needed. Putting as much strength and speed into her flight as possible, the Red Dragon let out one final, mighty roar before angling her wings vertically in one sudden motion, bringing herself to a sudden brake while Seere was launched off her back and flew straight towards the engorged, disgustingly swollen stomach of the Queen Beast.
The sight of this -and the knowledge that he won that came along with it- brought a victorious sneer to Caim's face, which didn't fade even as countless Watchers from all sides rapidly closed the distance to devour them.
However, just as what came next sent him careening off his pact-partner with his sword still in hand, just as the agonized roaring of his pact-partner filled his ears as she was bloodily devoured, as he faintly took note of how a rapidly growing cone of black matter had completely consumed the Queen beast, and just as Caim was certain that death had finally come for him after five years of narrowly brushing paths with it!… everything went white.
.
.
.
"It… it would seem… this... is where our time together… ends. You… You are but a violent fool… one who... cares for hardly anything other than sating your bloodlust… but… I have grown to care for you... all the same."
"There… There is one last thing I wish for you to know; my name. Angelus… My name is Angelus. You… are the first… and last… of your kind to know my name. Farewell… fool human..."
.
.
.
Eventually, after an unclear span of time, consciousness slowly began to ebb back into Caim's being, causing his blue eyes to drift open. Letting out a muted groan of confusion, the landless prince unconsciously released the tight grip on his sword before bringing both hands to his head, trying to get his muddled thoughts in order.
For a few brief moments, Caim's memory was so hazy and jumbled that he couldn't recall what he'd seen and experienced prior to losing consciousness, nor did all the hardships and tragedies he'd experienced since his 18th birthday spring to his mind. For a brief period of time, Caim allowed himself to ignore the thoughts that gradually left him so unhinged, instead feeling a combination of awe and confusion as he began to take in his current surroundings. Slowly, the violent young man picked his sword back up and rose to his feet before beginning his trek forward, continuing to take in the ruined city around him.
As Caim initially took his current location in, the immediate thing that came to mind was of the mysterious, ruined city full of buildings reached towards the heavens, the same one that -if his father's tutors were to be believed- seemingly just appeared out of thin air after a cataclysmic earthquake that occurred over a hundred years ago, and the same one that the Empire and cult of the Watchers claimed as their base of operations. However, the wayward prince was quick to curb that line of thinking, knowing in his gut that this wasn't the Cathedral city.
The tall, oddly designed, ruined buildings were undeniably something the home of the Empire and his current surroundings had in common, but that was where the similarities began and ended. This place, wherever it was, was a quiet, peaceful location, Caim could easily tell as much just from an appraising glance. High above him, the sky was blanketed entirely by thick, white clouds, and all around him, plant life had overtaken everything. Immediately, Caim took note of how one of these ruined buildings were being held upright and supported by a colossal, building-sized tree jutting out of the ground, and vegetation and grass had grown over many parts of the architecture around him.
By contrast, the Empire's capital was a barren, inhospitable place devoid of plant life, and even before the seals had been broken and the skies above the city had been dyed a chaotic red, the mysterious ruins were anything but a peaceful location when under normal circumstances, countless partols of the Empire's red-eyed soldiers ensued a swift death to anyone caught trespassing in the ruins of the otherworldly city.
Caim supposed that was one other thing these ruins -wherever they were- had in common with the Imperial capital; their buildings of seemingly molded stone that reached towards the heavens were unlike anything else in Midgard, or likely the rest of the world for that matter.
Unfortunately, Caim's train of thought on this entire matter was abruptly interrupted when continued thoughts of the Empire's capital caused memories of the horrific events that took place there to wash over Caim like an oppressive wave. All at once, memories of a gigantic airship going up in flames with his beloved sister still aboard, of horrific infants of stone with rows of adult teeth descending from the heavens… of his Dragon -No… of Angelus- being overwhelmed and torn apart by the monstrous cherubim...
As these horrific events replayed themselves oh-so vividly in Caim's head, his gradually slowing walk eventually gave way to him collapsing onto the grass on all fours, the reality of the situation smashing into him like a mace. Once again, whatever sadistic gods that were looking down on the world saw fit to leave him with practically nothing. Caim had thought he'd already lost everything those five years ago, when in the span of a single day, his parents, his kingdom, and practically everything and everyone he cherished had been brutally stripped away from him by the Cult of the Watchers' machinations, topped off by Furiae being forced to take on the tragic burden of the goddess seal, but everything he recently experienced up to this point had given murderously embittered prince some new perspective on this.
Losing his voice, Inuart's betrayal, Furiae's kidnapping, his failure to even reach her, much less save her, the world turning to insanity all around him… his pact-partner's death… all at once, the weight of everything Caim had experienced these past several days had finally settled on him and filled him with a sense of grief and anguish he hadn't felt in years. There was nothing for Caim now. Regardless of whether their last-ditch effort with Seere even worked, and regardless of whether he somehow survived on Midgard or didn't seemingly end up wherever the Imperial city originated from, there wasn't anything for the prince to go back to either way.
He'd lost everything once again. Lost things he hadn't even realized could be taken from him.
At that particular realization, Caim likely would've burst out into hollow, miserable laughter if he still had his voice. With all this in mind, it hardly mattered either way that the violent young man ended up in this strange, otherworldly city, now did it? To Caim, what was easily the most infuriating realization at the end of all this was that his hard-fought victory was ultimately a hollow one, and that now, there wasn't even a force or faction -such as the Empire or those Grotesque Beasts- that he could use as a target to focus all this hatred and aggression that still burned stubbornly in his heart onto.
Before long, all these sobering realizations brought with them a sense of lethargy so great that it even managed to overwhelm the burning rage Caim felt roaring within him ever since Caerlon's fall. With nothing to do, nothing to even try and salvage, and no immediate desire to do anything, the unhinged prince merely remained in that prone position on the ground, despair having enveloped him like a wet, dirty blanket.
For a time, Caim just stayed there. He had no idea how long. For all he knew, hours might have passed, and they very well might've, given the nature of this world's day-night cycle. (Or lack thereof, rather.)
However much time passed though, Caim remained there long enough for his presence to warrant someone's attention, as the beady set of glowing amber eyes trained on him proved. Before long, Caim was drawn out of his despair-induced state of inaction by a peculiar metallic sound gradually getting closer and closer to him.
"...?" When the wayward prince lifted his head to see what exactly was approaching him, he felt what could only be befuddlement when he was greeted with what could only be described as a… stubby, small, metallic golem with a round head and some sort of cannon portruting out its waist.
For a moment, Caim just stayed there in pure befuddlement as he and the metallic creature merely looked at one another in silence, causing the prince to take notice of how the glowing lenses it had in place of eyes flickered periodically in a strange imitation of blinking, before slowly opting to rise into a standing position. Regardless of whatever this thing was supposed to be, it approaching him was enough to rouse Caim out of his lethargic state. It… stung, for Caim to lose more than he thought he already could've, to have lost his world, voice, and a beast he had begun to care for on a level few could understand, but he wouldn't -he couldn't- just lay down and die. The moment he did that was the moment the forces that ruined his happiness won.
Caim, at the very least, took solace in the knowledge that he'd been here already, just after the fall of his kingdom. He'd picked himself up and continued on then, and he would do the same now… even if his circumstances were considerably more grand and complicated by comparison. Taking a deep breath, Caim took a look all around his surroundings before opting for a random direction to start walking in. If nothing else, the wayward prince decided to get a proper lay of the land, perhaps see if there was any sort of sentient and halfway tolerable species he could inquire about his current whereabouts. Whatever that thing that approached him was, it didn't seem capable of speech, and as such, likely didn't have the capacity for intelligence to be useful. Fortunately, Caim was no stranger to living off the land in the years since Caerlon's fall. Even if he found no one, he should still be able to survive just fine, so long as this world's flora and fauna was even slightly like his own…
As his thoughts became less somber and heavy in nature, however, Caim gradually began to take note of the metallic noise that was steadily trailing behind him. Slowing to a halt, the mute prince's eyes slowly widened at this realization only now dawning on him before turning towards the source of the noise. To his mild surprise, he saw that the strange metallic golem creature from before had begun to follow him, and now that he'd come to a halt, it proceeded to do something that only increased his surprise and confusion.
Now that he was within reach, the creature reached out with its metallic, stick-like limbs and grabbed onto Caim's left hand, the one that he kept gloveless. The prince could only blink in confusion at this sudden development, especially as it began to rapidly turn and examine his limb with a machine-like precision and focus. (Was this thing some sort of machine? Cannon aside, it looked nothing like the various magical war machines the Empire had constructed, and hadn't taken advantage of his then-lethargic state to attack him. At this point, Caim was leaning towards 'bizarre, metallic sub breed of golem.')
Caim wouldn't deny the slight sense of curiosity he felt regarding this creature's apparent interest in him, but it soon gave way to annoyance. Yanking his hand out of it's claw-like grip, he sent a withering look in the creature's direction before turning around and continuing on his way. Whatever that thing was, and whatever it was about him that it found so interesting, he had more important things to do than waste his time humoring it.
However, Caim was once again brought to a halt when he felt something ram into him with a decent amount of force, causing him to stumble forward a few steps. When he regained his bearings, the prince found himself growing increasingly incensed when he saw that the metal golem had rammed into him and was now clutching onto and examining his legs, in particular running its stick-like hands over the dried bloodstains that littered his outfit.
Growing increasingly fed up with the creature's constant pestering, Caim shook it off and proceeded to kick it harshly across its head. The immense force behind the blow sent the metallic creature tumbling to the ground despite its own surprisingly weighty stature, and the prince was halfway tempted to stomp over to the thing and run his blade through it for good measure, but ultimately decided against it. Though his patience was wearing increasingly thin, not helped by the thoughts that recently plagued him, he'd give that thing one last chance to walk away with its life.
Casting one last glare of distaste at the rising metal creature, Caim turned around and continued on to parts unknown in this ruined, alien city.
*ZAP!*
The violent prince's rare act of mercy was unfortunately misplaced, however, as no more than a moment later, his exposed back was directly struck by an orb of crackling red energy that floated straight towards and crashed into him, bombarding him with an explosion of electric pain that sent him stumbling forward and onto his knees.
Letting out a muted snarl of fury, Caim forced himself upright and drew his blade in a lightning-quick motion as he turned around, all too eager to wet his sword with what he knew was that damnable metallic creature. However, the bloodthirsty prince was once again left confused when he was greeted with that stubby machine creature -the cannon at its waist now smoking- now clawing at the ground he'd just stood on obsessively. In particular, it seemed to be trying to scoop up the clumps of the ground that had been stained with Caim's blood after taking that hit.
Bringing the clumps of soil with his blood on it up to its expressionless face, the machine examined it intently. Once again, he had been on the verge of striking the machine down before another peculiar occurrence with it gave him pause; the machine's glassy imitation of eyes shifted from the apprehension-inducing red they'd been dyed to since attacking him back to amber, before just as quickly shifting to a newfound green color before back to red and so forth. While this bizarre phenomena with its eyes took place, the machine's entire body began to tremble rapidly, jittering about to the point of vibration as it continued to look at its extended hand, even after all the dirt stained with Caim's blood had fallen off.
*H-H…Huuu...H-Huuuuu-uuuuuuummaaaa-*
"!" *Slice!*
While the apparent sight of the metallic creature trying to articulate might've given Caim pause a few minutes ago, he'd both long since run out of patience in regards to dealing with the creature and had stopped caring in trying to figure out the meaning behind its behavior. With this in mind, the creature never managed to finish whatever it was trying to say before Caim sliced its head cleanly in two.
The top half of the machine's head remained in place for a brief half second before starting to slide off just as the rest of its body began to stumble back and collapse to the ground. Just as Caim thought that was it, he was left shielding his face when the machine's body suddenly generated a small explosion, obliterating the body entirely and leaving only a singe mark along with a puddle of a yellow, viscous substance. A substance that stained Caim's blade as well upon closer inspection.
In spite of all of the horrible things and events Caim had experienced as of late, he at least took solace in the knowledge that no matter where he is or what's been taken from him, he could always fall back to the familiar joy of bloodletting, as well as the momentary satisfaction that came with it. That thing might not have been one of those Grotesque Beasts or even someone affiliated with the empire of Cult of the Watchers, but it was nonetheless one of his more satisfying kills as of late after how it repeatedly grated on his nerves despite being given every possible chance to just leave him be.
Letting out a satisfied exhale at both his kill and at that he would no longer be pestered by the bothersome metallic creature, Caim opted to keep his blade drawn to savor the ever-familiar weight in his hand before starting to walk once again.
Once again, however, the prince only made it several steps longer than previously before something unexpected brought him to a halt.
*H-H-Huuuuuuu….maaaaaan….*
And that was the scratchy, metallic voice of that machine once again. Only… as it finished that statement -apparently stating the obvious and that he was a human, something he'd heard more than enough of from his time with Angelus.- Caim noticed something peculiar. That voice wasn't coming from any one location in the area...
*Huuumaaaaaaan….*
Rather, the repeated statement of 'human' came from all around him. Eyes widening, Caim's expression warped into a scowl as he tightened his grip on his blade, his gaze scanning his surroundings as he tried to see any of the voices' sources.
*Huuumaaan… human… human…!*
However, despite the voices coming from all around him and gradually getting louder as time passed, Caim saw no sign of any more metallic creatures. If the prince had to guess, they were all likely calling out for him from within the countless ruined buildings all around him.
*Human…! Human! HUMAN!*
With each second that passed, the chanting metallic voices gradually grew louder and louder, and with it, glowing red eyes began to peer out from within dark windows and openings in the buildings and straight at Caim. At this, Caim's eyes widened in shock and a chilling sense of familiarity before his wide-eyed expression was replaced with a furious, teeth-baring scowl.
*HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN HUMAN!*
Feeling his grip on his sword tighten to the point that the handle strained under the pressure of his grip, Caim watched with a silently murderous expression as slowly, gradually, like a slowly rising wave, the red eyed shadows observing him from within the darkness of the city buildings emerged from their hiding spots, revealing a veritable legion of red-eyed machines, some of which looked identical to the first one the prince met and cut down, whereas others varied wildly in shape, with some possessing far more bulky and humanoid limbs, while others were colossal behemoths with large, heavy arms that could easily crush a defenseless being under them. Several of these odd machine creatures even floated in the air as they encroached around him, with one in particular resembling some sort of bizarre flying mimicry of a worm or centipede. The one thing that all these creatures had in common was that regardless of their shape or form, they still possessed a featureless round head with beady glowing red eyes.
Immediately, images of a seemingly endless army of inhuman soldiers, marching under a three-eyed banner, clad in thick metal-plate armor came to the forefront of his mind. Of how they descended upon the continent of Midgard and his homeland like a swarm of locusts, slaughtering all and leaving nothing in their wake. But above all else, Caim saw images of their unfeeling blood red eyes, and the fury that had been rising within him reached an apex.
*HUMAN HUMAN HUMA-!*
The machines' now-screaming chanting was finally cut off when Caim charged them with his sword readied and a muted scream. The moment they were within reach of his sword, the mad prince swung and sliced over a dozen of the machines cleanly in two with a single swing, even severing one of the legs of one of those colossal machines, causing it's body to tip over like a tree and collapse, crushing several of its own in the process.
At the magnificent sight of all the machines he severed in flaring up in a magnificent series of explosions, topped off by the delightfully familiar sensation of his blade rending thick metal apart to kill his targets, Caim felt the satisfaction he felt from killing that first machine magnified a dozen fold, causing a familiar, terrifying smile to creep onto his face. His smile only grew more deranged and toothy as he took in the delightful sight of any of the machines that he'd only barely missed hitting in his immediate proximity immediately stumbling away from him via a combination of force from the shockwave he unleashed and horror -exactly like the seemingly mindless, red-eyed empire soldiers did when they realized he wasn't easy prey that could be overwhelmed with numbers- and as he charged into the horde once more, he felt his smile and elation grow more and more with each swing of his blade and the resistance it met each time.
The metal that covered these machines' bodies was durable as far as metal used for an assembly line went, to say nothing of the machinery that made up their innards, but even before the immense strength boost that came from his pact, Caim had spent his entire life honing his blade to a borderline obsessive degree and had five years of brutal warfare under his belt, to the point that he could cut through dozens, hundreds, of fully armored men even while on death's door.
The violent prince would be giving these legions of literal killing machines hell even with his unaltered human strength, and since the effects of his pact all still seemed to be in effect -with all the positives and negatives that that entailed- it meant that these metallic jackals had a long way to go before they would overwhelm in numbers.
And as Caim truly began to throw himself into this upcoming slaughter, willingly losing himself in the thrill of combat and tearing his enemies asunder, as he relished in the sensation of cutting through the blade and metal body of one of the more humanoid machines and engulfed one of the giants -Goliaths, one could call them- with a powerful spell of fire magic, he fell back to the one comfort he'd always have in his life, even with the world seemingly conspiring to leave him with nothing; the thrill of swordplay, of channeling the powerful magic honed within him and the various weapons he'd acquired to slaughter droves.
So long as Caim could keep doing this, he'd manage, and with how all these damnable metal wasps seemed intent on hounding him, he'd apparently stumbled into the perfect targets for both his well-used sword and his ever-smouldering rage.
***O***
If someone who personally knew YoRHa unit Attacker No.2 several years ago were asked to describe her personality, they'd likely describe her as a kindly sort, one who cherished the members of her unit, sincerely believed in the cause of YoRHa and the army of humanity, and someone who eagerly awaited the day the war with the Machines would come to an end, humanity would return from their safe haven on the moon, and that she and the rest of her comrades could perhaps live among their creators, and trade in their designations for actual names.
All together, when she was fresh off the assembly line, one could easily call A2 an idealistic person. One with hope for the future. Which made the sight of that same android -having now been shaped into a bitter, jaded individual with revenge and killing as her only reasons to keep living - mercilessly and dispassionately slaughtering a wandering group of machines all the more jarring a contrast.
The Pearl Harbor mission was a day that changed A2's entire world for the worse; losing all her comrades to the machines, being abandoned by YoRHa, later being labeled a traitor for having the audacity to not die like the good little pawn she was supposed to be, and being left utterly alone in a cold, unsympathetic world where practically everyone was her enemy stamped out a good chunk of that previously idealistic and hopeful personality.
'I wonder… Do they resent me for not joining them that day? Would things have gone even slightly differently if No.1 hadn't been killed during the descent…?' Being left alone to her thoughts with nothing but killing to do to pass the time, morbid thoughts such as these came to A2 frequently, even in the midst of combat as she dashed through the red projectiles fired by the machines and used her two-handed type 40 Blade to tear through the metallic horde like a hot knife through butter.
Still, A2 mused as she blocked a barrage of projectiles fired upon her by a goliath-class machine and countered by flinging her electrically charged one-handed 40 blade right into its head, as much as the taciturn android awaited the day this would end and she could finally see her friends again, she refused to lay down and die. If she did that, or turned her blade on herself just to end this limbo she was in, that just meant that the unfeeling bastards in YoRHa ultimately got what they wanted, it meant those fucking brats in red would have gotten what they wanted.
And so, A2 reflected as she capitalized on the shocked and stunned Goliath's disorientation to sever its large legs with a single swing of her two-handed blade, she'd keep living this weary existence of hers for as long as she needed to. She'd keep this worn, decaying body of hers moving, all while indulging in the bitter satisfaction of vengeance she felt whenever she ended a machine or the Executioners YoRHa sent her way.
...If nothing else, A2 at least wanted her unit's demise to have not been in vain… not just so fucking YoRHa could get some better R&D intel.
Before long, A2 had near-completely decimated the machine patrol she opted to attack, having just parried and ran her blade through a multi-legged machine before taking notice of her final target; a reverse-jointed goliath that kept its distance as its red eyes stared her down. Allowing a ghost of a smirk to creep onto her dirtied face at the sight of the large machine regarding her with apprehension, the rogue YoRHa android decided to have a little fun and goad it.
Stabbing her 40-Blade into the ground behind her, the curvaceous white-haired android leaned back against the blade before addressing the dinosaur-like Goliath with a casual drawl. "If I were you, I'd shut off your pain receptors."
Exactly as A2 expected, her dismissive taunt caused the Machine's round head to glow orange with a sizzling heat and caused steam to exude from it. Feeling her slight smirk grow, A2 always did find it funny how these glorified kill-bots apparently had anger and indignance installed into them. It certainly made them easier to slaughter en masse when their rage made them far more vulnerable to being torn apart than usual.
However, just as A2 expected the reverse-jointed goliath to charge her -to which she would've simply dodged at the last second and sliced apart in a flurry of blows- something very strange happened. Right before beginning its charge, the goliath suddenly froze completely in place. Raising a brow in slight confusion, A2 merely watched as the machine's eyes suddenly began to rapidly shift from red to amber to even green before doing something that genuinely threw her off.
It turned around and began to go off in a completely different direction, disregarding A2 entirely.
"...The fuck?" Initially, A2 found herself completely thrown for a loop when the machine suddenly just opted to turn away from this fight, especially after she just successfully provoked it, but it wasn't long before that confusion quickly turned to indignation. "Hey! Scrap bucket! Where the fuck do you think you're going!?"
When the reverse-jointed goliath didn't even slow down in its stride to… wherever it was trying to go, A2 found herself gradually growing more and more incensed. This was a first, and the android quickly decided that being so blatantly ignored pissed her the hell off. The knee-jerk reaction to this was, of course, to tear that damn pile of scrap apart, but… for as much anger A2 felt bubbling up in her in that moment, it came with just as strong a sense of curiosity.
Like the white-haired android noted previously, everything about what just occurred was very unusual behavior for the machines. She'd never seen any one of the countless machines she destroyed these past several years suddenly start rapidly shifting between the colors of its eyes like that, nor had she ever seen one just up and walk away from one of its enemies in this endless war the world was engulfed in.
Something odd was afoot, and while A2 felt just as big an inclination to keep her nose out of shit that would put too much attention on her, her curiosity ultimately won out. This was how A2 found herself silently trailing behind the goliath, taking care to keep her distance while still staying close enough that she wouldn't lose track of it.
'...A half-hour's passed already…? Huh, I think this might be the longest I've gone in the presence of a machine without me just killing it.' A2 mused to herself, blinking as the weight of that thought began to settle.
*SLASH!*
*BOOM!*
...And once that thought comfortably settled itself into A2's head, her immediate response was to dash forward, close the distance between herself and the goliath in less than a second, and slam the sharp side of her 40 blade right in the middle of the machine's head. Like a hot knife through butter, the electrically charged greatsword cleaved the large machine in half, leaving the white-haired android standing there with viscous machine oil staining her blade. 'A bit too long, I'd say. What a pointless crock of shit, why the hell did I even care enough to start following that damn thing?'
Allowing the large sword to teleport back to her back with two holographic rings holding it in place, A2 was about to pick a direction, keep walking, and put this entire idiotic event behind her when she heard something that caught her attention. It was faint, but in the distance, A2's ears picked up the distinct sound of a battle of some kind taking place… and in the same direction that machine was heading in, no less.
"Huh… guess I might get to see what all that was about afterall…" With her curiosity returning in full force, the rogue YoRHa android picked up her pace and began to stride towards the source of the noises, which gradually grew louder and louder the closer she got.
Before long, A2 found herself walking between two buildings, with the source of the battle happening coming from beyond them, and what she saw as she stared into a grassy field surrounded by similar buildings was something she knew would be engraved into her memories till the day of her destruction.
All about the surrounding area were dozens upon dozens of machine lifeforms of every shape and size, as well as enough scattered machine body parts littered about the area to indicate there were just as many machine corpses present as well. They were all completely oblivious to A2's newfound presence in the area as they focused entirely on the destruction of their target; a lone male android with shoulder-length brown hair clad in black armor with blue highlights. Held tightly in both his hands was a sword with the same colors as his armor, and judging by how slick the blade was with yellow machine fluid, that blade has been put to good use for quite a while now. Like the machines that were persistently hounding him, he too was unaware of the new arrival as he narrowly rolled forward to avoid a standard goliath attempting to crush him with its fist before leaping upwards and stabbing his blade into the machine head that resided between the goliath's legs. (An unfortunate consequence to several machine lifeforms merging together to create a goliath-class machine.) With a silent snarl, the brown-haired male yanked his sword forward, completely splitting the machine head in half down the middle before charging forward and focusing his attention on a cluster of machines closest to him, bombarding them with a series of repetitive sword slashes before culminating in one final swing that had a tremendous amount of force behind it, to the point that A2 felt the force from the blow all the way from where she was and creating a shockwave that sent his targets and their severed body parts flying.
Brow raising in curiosity at this sight, A2 opted to remain in place for the time being and play observer to the battle unfolding in front of her. It wasn't every day that she got to play audience to someone single handedly decimating the machines. That was usually a job that fell upon her, even when compared to other YoRHa models...
'Well this is new... is he supposed to be some new YoRHa model? There's no way in hell any android unaffiliated with YoRHa or the army of humanity's combat androids could tear through so many machines by themselves like that...' The worn android pondered, only to quickly dismiss that thought. From what she could see over here, this guy's outfit looked nothing like the spic-and-span black uniforms all YoRHa androids wore, and he lacked a visor as well. The most telling indicator that this person wasn't associated with YoRHa was the sight of that sword sheath attached to the small of his back. Unless there'd been some ungodly budgeting issues back up on the Bunker, then this guy would've at least had access to a Near Field Communication System (NFCS).
Growing more and more intrigued by the second, A2 leaned against the wall of the building as she continued to watch the battle play out, or rather, focused more on the way the brown-haired male fought. When it came to combat, she'd long since seen every bag of tricks the standard machine types, to the point that even those sneaky little EMP fucks had become old hat in her book. But a seemingly new android model that was single-handedly tearing his way through the machines? Now that was something new.
Unfortunately for A2, however, this course of action was cut short when she heard a noise that never signaled anything good; specifically, she heard the sound of a goliath biped with enhanced leg-power charging towards her at full speed with the intent to trample her into the ground. In all cases of likelihood, it came up from behind her with the intent of joining in on this assault against the brown-haired android, and with her standing right in its way, opted to take care of the closer target first.
"Oh motherfucking shit on a-!" As she let loose this swear-heavy expletive, A2 just barely summoned her 40 blade into her hand and raised it to block just as one metallic, oversized leg collided with her. The block absorbed the brunt of the blow, but it nonetheless sent a clear pain buzzing through her arms and sent her sprawling out from between the buildings and into the opening the brown-haired android and his assailants were in. Groaning, the rogue android felt her anger spike tenfold as she forced herself back onto her feet. "...Mother fucker!"
Rising to her feet, A2 kept her quietly furious gaze on the goliath, never once taking her eyes off it even as she allowed her 40 sword to phase into her right hand and proceeded to stabb it straight between the eyes of a multi-legged machine that had been coming up from behind her. Clearly, her being sent sprawling into this field and out in the open had gotten the rest of the machines' attention, judging by the countless glowing red eyes she now felt boring into her from all sides.
"Well, so much for watching on the sidelines…" A2 muttered to herself, levelling an icy glare towards the machines that were no longer focused on the man and now focused on her. Relinquishing her two-handed blade and allowing her one-handed sword to warp back into her hand, she twirled it in her hand mainly for the sake of some flourish before pointing it straight at them. "Alright, fuck it. Letting someone else kill all you shits wouldn't have sat right with me anyway."
Like clockwork, A2's taunt successfully infuriated the machines, making them all the more vulnerable to attack when she dashed towards them with both of her swords in hand and tore them apart with a flurry of slashes, her one-handed sword's relentless strikes leaving any struck by them staggered while her two-handed blade finished the job with powerful sweeps that tore metal apart.
With her currently being right in the midst of this colossal gathering of machines, A2 opted to focus mainly on quick and aggressive strikes with her 40 sword, dashing about the battlefield and nimbly avoiding energy blasts and strikes from the attacking machines as she and the brown-haired individual both began to tear their way through the machine lifeform forces.
Out of the corner of her eye, A2 had also noticed that while the machines' attention was now divided between herself and that brown-haired android, the man in question appeared to be too caught up in his own slaughter to have even taken notice of her. She wouldn't have paid this any mind and simply continued to work on taking out her own targets, but she was left staring at him in wide-eyed bafflement when he raised his hand towards the biggest threat attacking him -another reverse-jointed goliath- and somehow caused a colossal plume of fire to shoot out from the palm of his hand and completely engulf the goliath, reducing it to a half-melted pile of slag.
'The fuck? This whole situation is just getting more bizarre by the minute.' More and more, A2 found herself wondering just what the hell she was witnessing in regards to this guy. Again, he didn't look like anyone directly affiliated with YoRHa or the army of humanity, but he was nonetheless tearing through the machines that came down upon him with such brutal efficiency that she found herself struggling to think of any other explanation for it. Afterall, standard-model androids such as those in the resistance just didn't have the internal specs or combat-subroutines that made YoRHa such efficient tools of war. She also had no explanation for how he was somehow able to shoot out a colossal plume of fire from his hand like that. Those strange symbols that briefly appeared around his forearm as he fired reminded her of one of those Pod programs, but...
Regardless of the increasing influx of questions centering around this strange man, A2 was quickly reminded that she still had hostiles all around her when she instinctively blocked a blow directed towards her from a moose-shaped machine. With an annoyed grunt, A2 simply riposted the attack and sliced the machine in two before dashing forward and back into the fray.
From then on, neither humanoid being present would be able to recall just how long exactly they'd been in that area, slicing apart and killing any and all machines that zeroed in on their area. The only thing A2 was certain of was that by the time it was over, the formerly calm and idyllic field had been littered with destroyed machine parts, some cleanly sliced apart and others half-melted piles of slag, causing the smell of burnt metal to permeate through the area.
Exhaling quietly at the realization that the two of them had finally managed to destroy all the machines present, A2 was just about to let her sword go back to floating behind her when suddenly, she felt what could only be described as a disproportionately large amount of bloodlust and aggression directed straight towards her.
Eyes widening, A2 instinctively brought her sword up to block what she knew was an imminent attack heading her way, and not even a second later, she found her herself being forced back several feet, leaving a trail through the dirt, when the sword of the brown-haired man slammed against her own with a staggering level of force, to the point that she actively had to struggle to keep her sword raised and the man from overpowering her.
"W-What the fuck are you-!?" A2 began, only for her furious exclamation to die in her mouth as she finally got an up-close look at the armor-clad male's face, and the expression he was wearing and the look in his eyes left her momentarily speechless.
The moment she realized this guy just tried to strike her down, A2's first assumption was either that he really was some sort of new executioner model or some dutiful YoRHa pawn that wouldn't hesitate to try and bring the 'traitor' down if the opportunity presented itself. However, that idea died in her head the moment she got a good look at the man's icy blue eyes; there was none of the calm, unfeeling composure that she'd seen so many of the executioners sent after her display, only overwhelming waves of rage and bloodlust, topped off by a twisted, manic rictus grin.
(Berserk PS2 OST: Riot)
watch?v=jKQ0KmEctS0&t=51s&ab_channel=
The sensation of such overwhelming aggression and insanity boring into A2 left her stunned, but she was once again brought back to reality when she felt her grip on her sword strain and the brown-haired man's own sword slowly inch closer and closer towards her. Enraged that she was being steadily overpowered like this, the rogue android let out a yell and put all her strength into a powerful shove forward, breaking the dead-lock and sending the man tumbling backwards before rolling back onto his feet, his sword still tightly gripped in both his hands and bloodlust still shining in his eyes.
"...Alright, psycho, if you wanna go so badly," A2 growled, standing her ground even as the unstable android charged her once again. This time, however, A2 was ready, nimbly dodging just as he came within range and swung once again, once more generating a terrifyingly powerful shockwave. "THEN LET'S FUCKING GO!"
Having dodged to his right, A2 opted to dismiss her one-handed sword in favor of her two handed blade, deciding to meet his staggering strength head on. With a furious yell, she utilized her body's naturally built in strength, speed, and grace to bombard the man with a series of quick, nimble, yet powerful strikes. The deranged man was able to bring his own blade up to block in time, though every strike that connected sent him sliding back several feet, with the final blow in A2's combo leaving him staggered and open to a follow-up. Taking advantage of her body's NFCS, she sent herself and the brown-haired male both upwards and into the air via an attack with her blade that was performed via a kicking motion, with the entire thing making it look as though A2 was telekinetically commanding her sword to those unaware of the inner workings of YoRHa androids.
The attack struck the brown-haired male directly, and with him being left vulnerable in the air for that instant he was forced up, A2 capitalized with a series of direct hits and slashes from her one-handed blade, culminating in a mighty slam to the ground with her two-handed blade. However, at the very last second, her opponent managed to power through the pain and raise his own sword to block at the very last second. The both of them still shot down to the ground with a resounding crash, but the deranged swordsman ultimately managed to avoid bisection, instead being forced to his knees amid a small crater as A2 pressed her advantage, putting more and more strength into their newfound deadlock in an attempt to break her opponent's sword. Whatever that sword was made of, however, it was durable enough to withstand her strength, at least long enough for the unknown individual to slowly rise back to his feet despite their deadlock, his expression warping into a now-enraged scowl.
With an oddly silent scream, the man pressed forward and broke the deadlock, quickly ducking underneath A2's blade as she tried to lob his head off and ramming into her center of mass shoulder first. With A2 being left staggered, the man capitalized with a barrage of quick, brutal blows with every step forward he took, with the white-haired android only barely managing to block and parry each one that came her way. However, she was once again thrown off guard when her opponent did something unexpected; instead of following up his latest slash with another, he instead lept towards her still-raised 40 blade, landing on the flat of it with both feet, and causing her to stumble as he suddenly lept several feet up into the air with his sword -which had suddenly caught on fire- raised.
"FUCK!" A2 exclaimed, just barely backflipping away from the man as his sword slammed into the ground right where she was standing, generating a powerful, fiery explosion in the process. She didn't even have a moment to take in a single breath before the man immediately dashed towards her with another horizontal strike ready, which she narrowly craned her upper body back to avoid. Unfortunately, even for an android built for warfare and combat such as herself, A2's body was currently positioned in a manner where she couldn't properly move herself in time, leaving her open to the man's follow-up swing that struck her directly across the chest, sent her flying several feet and sprawling across the ground, only barely managing to pick herself back up in time to block another barrage of sword swings.
"Piece of shit!" A2 practically snarled, flinging her 40 blade forward and capitalizing on him blocking the spinning broadsword to bombard him with a three-hit strike from her spare sword, stabbing forward on the final strike and stabbing him in his shoulder, the force of the blow sending him back several feet with a trail of blood coming from his newfound wound.
Refusing to let up in her pressure, A2 charged forward and locked blades with her opponent, meeting the brown-haired man's scowl with one of her own before releasing one hand from her 40-blade and suddenly bombarding him with a series of rapid, unrelenting slashes while dual-wielding both her blades. In spite of the unrelenting speed and strength she displayed, the man nonetheless blocked every lighting-fast strike that came his way regardless of which way they came in from. Before long, the man broke the stalemate between them when during one clash of their blades, he changed his sword's grip from two-handed to one-handed, and during the shifting of their positions, pointed his open palm straight at her face.
A2 only had a split-second to widen her eyes at the realization of what was about to happen before the man's palm generated an orb of fire and more of those strange, floating runes and it blew up in a fiery inferno right in her face.
Letting out a pained yell, the explosion sent A2 flying back several feet before she tumbling to the ground. Eventually coming to a stop on her knees, the rogue YoRHa android looked notably worse for wear and she felt as much as well. The fiery explosion burnt off the one article of clothing she still wore -the tattered black fabric covering her abdomen- and left her charred and singed, with traces of her long white hair having caught several small fires. To make matters even worse, the stabs and slashes she'd sustained over the course of this fight were now bleeding steadily.
'Shit… I gotta end this fight soon or I'm not gonna end it at all…!' Realizing that she'd need to act fast and with what strength she still had before bleeding out, A2 realized that she needed to bust out her ace in the hole. It was a risky move, considering the state she was in, but it would also provide her with exactly the strength and speed boost she needed to deal with this guy's freakish level of strength and aggression.
"Alright…" A2 breathed, slowly rising to her feet as she leveled a glare at the man. Upon steadying herself, she released her body's internal restraints, causing her to start crackling red electricity and glow the same color brightly. "Enough fucking around!"
Empowered greatly by B-mode, A2 dashed forward at a speed that the man was unable to follow, having caught sight of red afterimages of the android for a split second before he was bombarded by a relentless barrage of staggering, powerful attacks to his side. Ignoring the searing heat that was rapidly beginning to spread through her body, A2 continued to press her newfound advantage, forcing the man back with every blow that landed in her wild barrage of crimson-dyed strikes, whether they be blocks or direct blows.
"HEEEEUUUAAAAAGH!" Letting out a furious roar, A2 delivered a powerful roundhouse kick to the man's breastplate that sent him sliding back before she lunged forward with her 4O-sword's electricity generator fully charged. Her blade connected and stabbed into the man's shoulder, causing hundreds of volts of electricity to course through his body. With sparks and smoke now radiating from his body, the unknown man let out a muted gasp before stumbling back several feet and collapsing to the ground, the shock of the electricity combined with the injuries he'd sustained over the course of the fight rendering him unconscious.
"A-Ah…!" A2 gasped, pain and exhaustion finally catching up to her as her B-mode fizzled away, collapsing to her knees as she tried to catch her breath. "Fucking hell…! That was close…"
Stumbling into a sitting position, A2 tried to keep her breathing steady while letting her body's internal coolant system slowly cool overheating internals down, all while she brought out and used a container of staunching gel she had on hand to salve over the injuries inflicted to her. As she applied the healing gel, she let out a relieved breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding as the nanobots inside the gel immediately got to work at mending her stab wound, bruises, and burns.
When the burning pain that had been pulsing through her body faded to a mostly dull ache, she slowly raised her head and sent a cold, murderous glare towards the downed and unconscious man. Rising to her feet, A2 unsteadily walked closer to the prone figure on the ground, her 4O sword warping into her right hand as she stood over his body.
"You picked the wrong android to fuck with, jackass." A2 spat icily, her grip on her sword tightening ever so slightly as she raised it and aimed the tip at the unconscious android's exposed neck. Whoever this psychopath was supposed to be, he attacked and tried to kill her completely unprovoked, and that was reason enough for her to stab her sword through his neck and rid this world of him.
Though… now that she wasn't at the immediate risk of being killed by him, A2 couldn't help but take this opportunity to better take in this stranger's features, having only gotten a good look at them while they were contorted in mania and aggression. With his expression having defaulted into something far more neutral now that he was unconscious, A2 could clearly see that her aggressor had the face of a young man that looked to be in his early twenties, with dark brown hair that went down to his shoulders.
As far as A2 could tell, there was nothing particularly noteworthy about this man's physical features that explained his uncanny physical strength or how he was able to launch those fiery explosions from his hands, though the look of his outfit did catch her attention. He wore a grey, long-sleeved shirt, black trousers, and black crocs underneath a set of black and blue armor that covered his chest and abdomen, which complimented his sword of the same color as well as the curious looking charm he wore on his left wrist. His outfit looked nothing like the old world military fatigues a majority of the resistance used as their uniform, nor did it resemble YoRHa's black, white, and spic-and-span uniforms despite swords and close combat being the latter organization's preferred method of physical engagement.
Whoever this guy was supposed to be, he didn't look like he was associated with any of the major android factions that were running the show on Earth. Odds were, especially with the disposition he displayed, he was just some violent madman, some unlucky soul that had been unable to handle one of the brutal tragedies this world was so fond of delivering to the abandoned tools haplessly wandering it… A2 gathered that much from the man's past simply via that look of unrestrained bloodlust in his eyes. She knew from experience that you can only throw yourself so deeply and thoroughly into bloodletting like that when it's the only thing you still have after everything else is taken from you. If anything, there were likely points where she adopted the same look of bloodlust while wholly immersed in the slaughter of machines...
'...Why does he look so…?' ...Though, the longer she took in his features, the more A2 found herself hesitating to simply get on with things and just lob his head off. Instead, she found herself focusing more and more and bizarrely innocuous things, such as the way the stranger's expression shifted ever so slightly while he was unconscious, and the subtle rise and fall of his chest. Minor details such as those, they all came off as far too… natural, too fluid. the scripted stiffness and rhythm that all androids displayed while emulating their masters, almost making this madman seem like he really was-!
"H-!… Holy shit…!" The moment realization clicked into place for A2, she suddenly felt as though her entire world had been turned on its side. Feeling her 4O sword slide out of her grasp,she suddenly felt very unsteady on her feet as she stumbled backwards, her wide-eyed, disbelieving gaze on the brown-haired stranger's unmoving figure the entire time.
"I… I didn't think there were actually any…!" It frankly hadn't taken A2 all that long since her defection to come to the conclusion that humanity was extinct. When you're left by your lonesome with nothing but the remains of human civilization all around you and nothing to do but kill, thinking and contemplation was often something the taciturn android did to pass the time. She often thought of her comrades, whether there was actually a point to her prolonged existence, the various bloody ways she'd murder theCommander if she ever had the luxury to wrap her hands around her neck… of Number 4…
Her thoughts would eventually drift to humanity as well. She thought of how if confronted, YoRHa would likely justify sending them to their deaths in the name of their creators, of how those automated messages she kept getting from the council of humanity -courtesy of an email account the Bunker never bothered to delete- always felt so stiff, so automated, nothing like you would expect from their progenitors, and of how there hadn't been any physical evidence of humanity's continued existence ever since they apparently retreated to the moon once the machine wars began...
Perhaps it was mainly because she was biased and embittered by command's betrayal, but A2 was certain she wouldn't find the thought of humanity being extinct so likely if YoRHa hadn't opted to throw her and the rest of her squad away and she was still dutifully serving away up on the bunker… which made all this all the more shocking. Somehow, she found herself in the presence of a living human… one that inexplicably rivaled her in strength, and appeared to be so deeply disturbed that he mistook her for another enemy to slaughter amid all his machine killing.
'what… What the hell do I even do about this…!? Does YoRHa know this guy exists…? Fuck, does any other android know this guy is down here killing shit!?' As these questions rapidly went through A2's head, one question in her mind that stood out among many was 'what the hell do I do!?' a question that was difficult to answer as is without having to grapple with the conflicting built-in desire to ensure this human's safety and the knowledge of his clear aggression and mental instability.
'If YoRHa doesn't know about him, maybe I should lead them to-... nah, fuck me for even considering that. No, if any time would be a good time to contact Anemone, it'd be now.' Eventually, A2 came to realize that she'd be best off simply arranging things so that this guy and all the complications he brought with him could be the problems of another group of androids, one far more capable of attending to him than she'd ever be.
However, even as A2 decided that her best option now would be to lead a member of the resistance to this human and leave the rest to them, she found herself hesitating to act. Instead, she remained in place as she continued to take in the small details of this human's features, the various tiny ways an android could tell their kind apart from their creators, her gaze intent and fascinated, which contrasted heavily with the anger and apprehension she felt while fighting him just a few minutes ago. A2 almost found it morbidly funny, how thanks to how all androids are built and purpose with which they've been built, she could so suddenly and easily feel such awe and reverence for a being that, not even several minutes ago, left her so disturbed.
'...Why the hell am I even hesitating on this? Human or not, this guy's trouble. I hate to say it, but I just beat him by the skin of my teeth, and I can't guarantee I could do it again if he comes at me the moment he wakes up. Plus, I can barely keep this rusting body of mine going as is. How the hell would I be able to keep tabs on him on top of everything else…?' Again, A2 was spot-on as she mentally pointed all this out. She had a difficult enough time taking care of herself, having to maintain her body mainly on her own and spending her days aimlessly killing machines and being hunted by YoRHa, and taking care of and safeguarding a human would be difficult enough for her as is, even without the human in question displaying high levels of aggression topped off by an uncanny level of strength.
"...I just know I'm gonna regret sticking my nose in all this… but fuck it."
Despite this, despite knowing it'd be in her best interest to keep her involvement with this to a bare minimum, A2 gave the unconscious human's form one more look over, in particular taking notice of the slowly bleeding cuts and stabs he'd sustained during their fight, before striding up to him, picking him up in a fireman's carry, and setting off in search of a place she could properly treat his wounds.
Truth be told, A2 couldn't say for certain why she was opting to get herself involved with this human. Perhaps it was simply because of her built-in desire to ensure the protection of mankind, or because as much as she still wanted to kill every last machine for causing the death of her comrades, she was growing increasingly weary of just aimlessly wandering around a cold, empty world without a greater purpose beyond killing, or perhaps more than anything else, she was doing this because her mind kept shifting back to that look of overwhelming emotion she felt coming off the human while their blades clashed, and the morbid curiosity she felt the more she dwelled on the bloodlust and raging emotions warring behind those blue eyes...
...Perhaps that overwhelming hatred and bloodlust burning in his eyes reminded A2 far too much of herself fresh off the heels of YoRHa's betrayal, and that alone was enough to make the rogue android want to learn more about him; out of some bizarre, morbid kinship. The white-haired android couldn't say why for certain right now, and she had far too many more things on her mind to even contemplate such a question...
...such as how she was supposed to treat a human's wounds when no medical information whatsoever was stored in her data banks.
'Oh fuck me… not even ten steps in and I'm starting to realize how much of a goddamn headache this is gonna be…'
{January 12th, 11,945.
Rapid spikes of maso and confirmation of singularity phenomena detected in branch E has led to us making an unexpected discovery; somehow, the singularity known as 'Caim' is currently active in branch E, consequently making him the only living human being on Earth at the moment. To further complicate matters, we've received confirmation that he's come into contact with fellow singularity 'A2.'
Though not out of the realm of possibility, given the unpredictable nature of singularities and how we Observers still know so little about them, an instance of a singularity somehow ending up in a foreign era has never been recorded till now. For the time being, we shall keep both singularities under close observation and decide on whether a direct confrontation is necessary depending on how the situation unfolds.}