God Eater 3 – Starling's Start
Chapter 7 – Acceleration Trigger
Name: Aurick Bird
Codename: Starling
Hairstyle: Type 2
Hair Colour: Dark purple
Face: Type 4
Eyes: Type 4
Eye Colour: Fox Brown
Accessories: Frizz 2 (Dark Purple)
Voice: 8
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE GOD EATER FRANCHISE.
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There was no need for sleeping pills this time, as I was able to sleep through the entire night incredibly peacefully. I woke up feeling incredibly rested and completed a few daily rituals which included eating breakfast, showering, and clothing myself. As I do the latter, I begin to realise that it may be time to change my wardrobe. However, when I look at how much funds I have, I realise that it may be a while before I can afford to have some new clothes.
"Hah" I sigh heavily. It's not easy to make money. As an AGE we're lucky to make even 100FC per mission. I'm just glad that I don't have to pay money to live here. I try to put the thought behind me and head towards the Bridge to start the new day.
A Change in Route
Objective: Est. a route to Chrysanthemum
Standard routes leading to Chrysanthemum have been rendered impossible by the Ash Storm. We located a possible path, but it will take us off our original course. Investigate this new route.
ETA delayed by roughly 20% by course change.
It doesn't take very long before Hugo, Zeke, Claire and I are sent on our first mission of the day. Apparently, due to an Ash Storm our original route is no longer safe, and we've been forced to find another way to Hilda's Port. Due to that, we have to face Aragami that aren't typically located where we usually fight. One such Aragami is the Ukonvasara which is apparently the main target in this mission.
"Target identified." Claire speaks up and brings my attention back to the mission at hand as we stand atop a tall ledge that allows us to view the battlefield from a height. I look in the same direction as Claire and see a Blast Spider slowly meandering its way across the battleground probably in search of its next meal. I relax sightly at the sight,
"Looks like we get to warm up before we take on the Ukonvasara." I comment with a relaxed sigh. I'm not sure if I am mentally prepared to face something that requires more thought than simply slashing at the Aragami at the moment. After all, we did just recently lose a battle to another AGE. I didn't expect to have to fight AGEs, but yesterday has taught me that some people may hold loyalty to their Port. Lulu is just an example. There may be many other AGEs out there that would be ready to defend their Port just like her. I just hope I don't have to fight any more of them. They're my own kind and having to fight them would just feel wrong.
"Blast Spiders are hardly a warmup." Zeke grumbles. "They die way too easily."
"We should be thankful for that. It means we won't need to spend much energy defeating them." Hugo chips in, also grateful for the chance to warmup.
"Blast Spiders may not be the priority in this mission, but they still hold the potential to damage the Ash Crawler. So, they must be removed." Claire gives a professional opinion as she considers the fact that we'll have to move through this area in the Ash Crawler since we intend to return to the Chrysanthemum.
"I say we leave the easy ones 'til last and go for the Ukonvasara while we still have all our energy." Zeke's voice raises in volume as he tries to convince us of his plan. "C'mon! We've never faced a Ukonvasara before. Don't you want to see what it's capable of?"
"Not really." Hugo replies fairly quickly. "If it was possible, I'd want to never see what Aragami are capable of." He turns his attention towards me. "Right?"
"The easier the fight the safer we are." I state simply with confidence radiating from my voice. I would honestly prefer to never have to overexert myself while fighting. That doesn't mean I'm lazy or energy conserving, it just means that we wouldn't have to risk our lives with every battle more than we already do. I mean, it is still possible for a smaller Aragami to severely injure an AGE and perhaps take their life, so we do have to remain alert at all times. However, you can afford to be less alert when fighting Aragami that usually pose little to no risk to your life.
"Unfortunately, we can't always take the easy routes in life." Zeke announces with a shrug as if to emphasise his words. Perhaps wisely, no one decides to respond to Zeke and we quickly wind up at the area we first spotted the Blast Spider.
"There are three targets." Claire states simply, never seemingly letting herself get out of professional mode. I wonder if she ever lets herself relax, other than when she sleeps.
"I'll take this one!" Zeke shouts very enthusiastically while he sprints towards one of the smaller Aragami. His shout causes the three Blast Spiders in the area to notice us all. I know I was just thinking that we don't necessarily need to be completely alert against Blast Spiders, but Zeke's actions are incredibly careless. Hugo rushes towards another of the Blast Spiders and I run after the remaining Blast Spider. The four of us have already gotten into a rhythm when it comes to conducting our missions. Claire is usually the support of our group, and occasionally I will switch with her or join her as the support if it is necessary. However, against a group of Blast Spiders, I highly doubt gun support is needed.
"Join me, Claire!" I command while running towards the Blast Spider who has already jumped into the air. I easily dodge its attack with a sidestep.
"Got it!" I hear her respond and hear her footsteps as her feet bounce on the ground. I slash twice at the Blast Spider before backing off as it turns to face me. It leaves itself wide open for Claire to fire multiple shots into its bulbous growth on its back before switching to her Arc's Melee Form and piercing it a couple of times. The Blast Spider falls to the ground and its back begins to bulge.
"Backoff!" I instruct Claire with no hint of worry in my voice whatsoever. I'm pretty confident that Claire already knows what is about to happen and that she needs to defend herself as the bulging begins to increase in speed. Eventually, it blows up and Claire extracts its core. As she does so, I check the progress of Hugo and Zeke. The Aragami Zeke is fighting seems to have been incredibly weakened and probably won't last much longer. Hugo has already finished defeating his Blast Spider and is currently in the process of extracting its core.
"It's good to see that Lulu hasn't taken the fight out of you." Hugo recalls the hostage situation Zeke found himself in yesterday.
"Of course not!" Zeke shouts back in frustration at Hugo's words while still relentlessly hacking at the Blast Spider in front of him. "I would have beaten her if she didn't knock my God Arc out of my hands."
"I wonder how she is doing now." Claire speaks up in what I assume must be an attempt to stop the conversation going further and ending up in an annoying argument between Zeke and Hugo. "She was abandoned by the people that needed her."
"They clearly didn't need her if she was abandoned." Zeke replies as he lands the final blow on his target.
"She's strong though. Baran threw away a very strong AGE. She even managed to go toe to toe with you." Hugo looks at me as he speaks.
"Don't remind me. I'd prefer to forget yesterday ever happened." I can't help but grumble. I'm already beating myself up over what happened, I don't need to be reminded about it at every opportunity.
"What will happen now?" Claire asks in concern. Her sympathy must have made her grown attached to Lulu. I will admit, despite feeling like shit because of how outpowered I was yesterday, I would like to know her secrets. Like, how she was able to suddenly have an increase in power. Was it purely due to that Acceleration Trigger thing? Or did it just amplify her already insane abilities? It wouldn't be right for her to die just because her Port didn't need her anymore. I've seen that way too often at Port Pennywort. All of those that were deemed useless were ultimately weeded out and either killed on the battlefield due to accidents or were transferred somewhere else. I honestly don't want to see that happen to someone else. Perhaps if she was transferred to the Chrysanthemum then it would be a happy story, but that's just wishful thinking, and…
"That's entirely up to her." Hugo repeats the words he communicated to Lulu yesterday. "She's free now."
"She slept in the female quarters, right?" Zeke asks while looking at Claire. "How is she doing?"
"She still seemed depressed." Claire gives a simple but unnerving response. "I don't know what she's thinking. She hasn't talked to me at all." Talking about Lulu's depression seems to be depressing Claire.
"Does it seem like she'll recover any time soon?" Hugo enquires while showing his own concern on his face.
"It might take a while." Claire looks down to the ground as she responds to Hugo's concerned question. A silence overcomes the group as we all ponder on Lulu's situation. The entire time though, I do not let my guard down and continue being on the lookout for other Aragami. I was right to do so as the Ukonvasara slowly reveals itself from around a corner about ten metres away from us.
"I'm sorry to interrupt the somber mood," I begin speaking to grab everyone's attention while indirectly telling them it is time to move on from the conversation, "but there's our main target." As soon as I mention this, I hear the roar of the medium-sized Aragami.
"We'll talk more later. Right now, we need to finish the mission." Hugo's voice takes a commanding tone again. We haven't even thought about how we're supposed to deal with the Aragami in front of us. We probably should have left the Lulu discussion until later and started talking about tactics. Although, it's tough to make tactics for a monster you've never seen before. Our main target, the Ukonvasara, is a very crocodilian looking beast. Its jaws are massive and so are its teeth; two of which are significantly larger than the others and are located right at the front of its bottom jaw. Large spikes cover its armoured back and its clubbed tail looks massive too. The monster looks as though someone has added a lot of armour and weapons onto a crocodile.
"Alright! Let's get to it!" Zeke shouts in excitement and charges towards the Aragami. Prior to the incident yesterday, I may have been inclined to join him and charge forward as well. But this monster is very heavily armoured. It may be wise to try and find its weak spots before trying to go in for the kill. Seeing my hesitation, Claire rushes into the battle along with Hugo. It seems I will have to play the support role for now. I switch my God Arc to its Gun Form and observe the battle. Zeke tries to swing his Arc onto the Aragami's head, but it quickly brushes off the attack and instead tries to capture Zeke in its jaws. Not knowing if Zeke would be able to escape the attack in time, I fire a bullet straight down its gullet. It almost chokes on the bullet, and it forces its trap shut early. It allows Zeke time to bounce off its jaw and land another attack at its head before landing safely on the ground. In the meantime, Hugo has managed to successfully land a devour attack and Claire has fired a few bullets at its body. The bullets appear to have had little affect while Hugo's devour attack isn't too damaging. In fact, the Ukonvasara appears to be more annoyed than anything else as it thrashes side to side with its huge jaws on display. Judging from what little I have been able to observe, it seems that the crocodilian Aragami is entirely dependent on its jaws and, while it is risky, they should probably be targeted first. While my teammates are nowhere near its jaws, I deplete the entirety of my Oracle Points by shooting straight at them. The beast recoils in pain before it, surprisingly, jumps into the air before I suddenly see it sliding towards me with its jaws opened very wide.
"Aurick!" Hugo shouts and y heart jumps slightly as the monster gets closer and closer. My legs begin to feel a little weak as I realise how fast it's heading for me. Thankfully, I manage to regain my composure just in time to roll out of the way as its jaws clamp around the empty space I was occupying just moments before. As it does so, it rotates its body so that it now faces away from me and now faces the way it came. As Hugo, Zeke and Claire run back towards the Ukonvasara, I take the opportunity to devour the beast and enter Burst mode. Before it can retaliate, I slash and slash at its tail before feeling Burst run out. Thankfully, it is all I need as the Aragami roars in pain and the orange flesh under its clubbed tail is revealed.
"That was quick." I can't help but mumble under my breath as I slash a couple of more times at its tail before seeing at move sharply. I realise that it's gaining momentum and force myself to deploy my shield. Unfortunately, I begin to realise moments too late that it wasn't simply trying to club me with its tail.
"Argh!" I utter a quick groan of pain as my legs feel as though they are about to crumble under the electrical impulses the monster gives off within a 5-metre radius of itself. As soon as I can, I force myself to move backwards where I feel myself suddenly recovering. "Thanks, Claire." I utter as I turn towards her and see that her gun is aimed at me.
"That looked like it hurt." She comments with a small smile, which I assume is because I've recovered from the Aragami's attack. I don't have time to answer her as a blue glow lights up under my feet. I back away from it and seconds later, a dark blue bolt of electricity connects with the spot.
"Spark ability!" I shout to my teammates, although I'm sure they're already aware of it.
"Noted!" Zeke gives a simple response which is all I really expect. He slams his Arc down onto the top of the Aragami's back which makes it roar in pain again. It could be possible that the thing on its back is another weak spot.
"Where is its electricity coming from?" Claire raises a thoughtful question as she remains on the backlines with me. Her question is a great one really. If we can ascertain the electricity's origin, perhaps we can destroy it and render its electrical attacks completely uses.
"Are you suggesting it has an organ that produces electricity?" I respond to her with my own question. I had never thought it would be possible for an Aragami to have an organ that generates the electricity it uses. By extension, does that mean it's possible for Blaze attribute Aragami to have organs that generate fire? Putting that thought to one side, I observe the Aragami again as it arches its back and raises its tail high, just as an electrical bolts shoot out from around the Aragami again. Having regained a little OP by melee attacking the Ukonvasara, I decide to unload another round of bullets at its body.
"It's certainly possible." Claire throws in her thought on the possibility of my question until her bullets stop shooting from her gun. "Out of OP." She immediately switches back to her Arc's Melee Form and joins Hugo and Zeke on the attack. I notice a blue glow under my feet again and I'm force to move away from my spot to avoid being injured. At the same time, I notice Hugo backing away from the action, so I decide to take his spot in attacking the monster's jaws. I wait for the opportunity to launch a devour attack before relentlessly attacking the Ukonvasara with my Burst Arts. Before I can get too many hits in, I feel the air becoming staticky and backstep several times and only just manage to avoid being hit by the electrical currents. That's when I notice it,
"Aim for the pod on its back!" I shout at the other two melee attackers. "That's where the electricity comes from!" I explain myself straight away to save time in having to explain it if someone were to ask why. Following a successful attack from Claire against its pod, it jumps into the air and, with its teeth exposed, travels very quickly towards me. Knowing what to expect, I easily move out of the way with a shield dash, getting very far away from where I originally was. I fire a few bullets at the Aragami's back before charging back into the fight. Before I can reach it though, it collapses in pain with a roar as Zeke's attack manages to reveal the flesh on its pod. It pants heavily as it tries to clamber back to its feet, but with the four of us slashing at it the monster doesn't get back up. With a final roar, it loses the strength in its legs and stops moving completely. I quickly extract its core to ensure its defeat.
After the mission, we head back to the Ash Crawler. As the time passes by, I'm surprised to find that no missions are scheduled. Instead, Amy announces that everyone is to meet up in the Lounge; a room connected to the Bridge. I decide to enter the Lounge and wait for everyone to arrive. As soon as they all arrive, except for Lulu, Hilda stands front and centre as she prepares to speak up. As soon as she does though, I feel my attention turn towards the door as I'm sure I heard footsteps echoing from that direction. Looking in that direction, I don't notice anything out of the ordinary, so I return my attention to Hilda who looks as though she is ready to talk business.
"If there are no objections from any of you, I'd like for her to join our crew." Hilda announces and I realise that this must have been her intention ever since she offered Lulu a place to stay. I know that Hilda isn't a fan of giving things for free, as our previous negotiations have shown, so she must have always intended for Lulu to work to keep a roof over her head and to keep her fed.
"Are you sure it's safe to have her?" Zeke raises a concerning question. "I mean, I'm fine with it, but…" Wait, really, Zeke? You're fine with accepting Lulu into the crew despite the situation she put you in yesterday? Wow, you really mustn't hold grudges. I thought you would be the one that would be hardest to convince about this. I made my mind up earlier while we were on our mission. I mean, working with Lulu will give us a chance to get stronger. Plus, she is strong as well which will only add to our power.
"She doesn't have any place to go home to now, does she…" Claire trails off, not wanting to be reminded that Lulu would be effectively homeless along with being jobless. However, Hilda is trying to fix those things. It really makes me think that I wouldn't mind working for Hilda as a member of her Port, especially when I compare her to the owner of Port Pennywort. Although, we have our own plans to run a Port and we wouldn't be able to do that if we were under the ownership of another Port. That's why I'm thankful that the Chrysanthemum is only our temporary accommodation, even if it means I'll eventually have to leave everyone not affiliated with Pennywort behind.
"I say, go for it." Hugo eagerly makes his own thoughts heard. "She's strong and effective in combat. For an AGE, there's nothing more important than that." Hugo's thoughts echo my own.
"Hey! Hey!" Keith jumps off of his chair while shouting enthusiastically with a hand in the air. "I want a chance to analyse that acceleration trigger!"
"I agree with Madam Hilda! Though, I guess that's nothing new…" Even Amy makes her intentions known as she gives a little backhanded comment aimed at herself.
"Heh… Thanks, everyone." The gratitude in Hilda's voice makes it clear that she's feeling appreciative of our ability to forgive and forget the situation that Lulu caused yesterday. "Now all that remains is to see what her will is on this matter."
"Hmm… Her will, huh?" Zeke speaks up and I notice a sound echoing from the door again. I briskly send my attention towards and continue to see nothing out of place. Maybe it would be better for me to move closer and have a direct view of the door rather than the obstructed view I currently have. "Seems pretty messed up to drop that kind of choice on an AGE with her strict training. Right?" Zeke looks between Hugo and I as he speaks up, as if he is expecting us to agree with him. While I do understand how he reached that conclusion – by forcing her to make a choice when she most likely hasn't been able to make choices during her entire life – that just means that now she can have a fresh start.
"Just because she didn't have the opportunity to choose in the past doesn't mean we should deprive her of that now." I explain to Zeke after fervently shaking my head.
"Wh-Whoa…" Zeke seems surprised at my answer. "You're way too serious." This is a serious situation Zeke, I've got to be serious as we try and overcome it.
"I'm with Aurick," Hugo voices his own opinion, and it makes me happy to know that he agrees with me. "No matter what the situation you find yourself in, your future is your own choice." Listening carefully to his words, I realise they carry more energy than my own. Is this what Keith was talking about a while ago? Since my voice sounds monotonous it is harder for people to agree with me?
"Oh, I see. That actually does make sense. That's what freedom really is, isn't it…" Our words seem to reach Zeke as he comes to the conclusion that we're right.
"Then I'm… free?" I hear a high pitch tone coming from towards the door. This time I'm very confident that I heard something. "My… will…" I can't quite make out the words the person is saying, but since everyone has congregated here with the exception of one person, I think it's clear who high pitch voice belongs to. I'm spared the need to investigate further as the owner of the voice emerges from behind the obstruction and begins walking closer to the group. Hearing the sound of footsteps, everyone else looks towards Lulu.
"Huh?" Claire lets out a surprise gasp at the sudden appearance of the person we're discussing about. Lulu come to a stop a few metres in front of Hilda.
"Hmm." She lets out a calculating grunt. I assume it is because she is trying to find the right words for this situation. "I… have nothing to offer." Lulu mumbles her depressing thought on the situation.
"Like the others said, it's up to you to decide on your own path in life now." Hilda takes charge of the situation as she reminds Lulu that the rest of us are willing to accept her as one of our own. "If you've come here, then you've already made a choice, haven't you?" Hilda regards Lulu's decision to follow us onto the Chrysanthemum after she realised she was no longer needed by Port Baran.
"Is it…" Lulu begins speaking after a few seconds of silence, looking towards her hand. "all right if I stay with you?" Her hand clenches into a fist as if she is bracing herself for the worst.
"Heh, heh, heh… Heck yeah!" Zeke's enthusiasm radiates from his voice which causes Lulu to look towards him in slight surprise. "I'm not gonna let a chance like this slide. That acceleration trigger you have? Let me give it a try!" He excitedly demands, eager to have a power boost. I must admit, I want to try it out too.
"Huh?" Lulu utters in shock at Zeke's words. "Well, it's… not finished…" She mumbles before looking away from Zeke as if anticipating that it will make Zeke change his mind on accepting her.
"Then we will assist you in completing it." Hilda's voice causes everyone to return their attention to her. "Let's say, you contribute your skills and tech in exchange for a warm bed. Does that sound like an acceptable deal?" She offers, knowing that Lulu was unsure of what she could bring to the team.
"Are you sure?" No one replies to Lulu with their words. Instead, everyone gives enthusiastic nods to confirm their opinions.
"Okay! Then let's get the party goin'!" Zeke's shouting has a warmth to it that I'm sure everyone else feels as well. "We're gonna play cards all night! How's your poker game?" He asks Lulu to the chagrin of everyone else.
"Um, okay…? I know the rules…" She states in response with a little bit of confusion in her voice.
"The party is on!" Zeke shouts happily again.
"Eh… Sorry, friend," Keith is quick to interrupt his brother, "but I'm going to bow out of this one. I just can't wait to take a peek at that acceleration trigger." He is enthusiastic, just not about the right things.
"Seriously, you're always such a wet blanket…" Zeke tries to convince his brother with a playful insult while throwing an arm around Keith's shoulders, much to his discomfort. "Get with the program, will you?"
"After you, friend. After you." Keith replies to Zeke's confusion.
"Huh? Well, everyone else is obligated! Got it?" Zeke's words elicit a few chuckles from Amy and Claire. They're clearly very appreciative of the atmosphere he has created. I can't help but smile in response.
"If we have to." Even Hugo's voice shows how humoured he is by the situation.
"It'll be a nice change of pace." Hilda speaks up as she walks towards the makeshift table in the centre of the room. Hugo brushes by me and tries to locate a spot where he can sit. Claire does the same. Meanwhile, Zeke reaches into a pocket behind him and pulls out a red and white set of playing cards. I notice that I am not the only one to have not moved yet, I look towards the only other person who meets my gaze. I give another sharp nod, making sure to have a smile on my face to try and convince her to let her guard down and join us. She is one of us now, and it's not all work and no play with us. I head towards the table and choose my own spot to sit down. As I do so, I'm surprised by how big the table is. Not only have we all managed to procure a seat, even the children that were off doing their own thing during the meeting have managed to sit down.
"We're going to have a welcoming party!" Lil shouts in excitement from her spot between Zeke and Claire.
"This is going to be so much fun!" Marr joins his friend in cheering while sitting beside Lulu and Hugo. "We've never played with this many people before." He adds on to his comment.
"You've played poker before?" Claire raises the question to Marr as she speaks in confusion.
"Yeah, we used to play at Port Pennywort."
"We had to be careful when playing cards so the guards wouldn't catch us." Sho chips in as he sits at the other side of Zeke and also beside Hilda.
"Should we play something easier to begin with?" Hilda voices her concern of us going straight into a difficult game. "Something we can all play, perhaps?" She raises a valid point. Considering each player will ultimately end up with five cards, there is no chance that all of us would be able to play it. There are only 52 cards in a deck, without jokers, and there are 11 of us at the table. That doesn't mathematically add up.
"We should all be able to play Pontoon." Ricardo comments, resting his elbows on the table.
"Pontoon?" Claire repeats in confusion.
"You might have heard it called Twenty-One before." I try to correct Claire's confusion.
"We should make the rules clear to everyone before we play it though." Hilda interrupts us, possibly saving Claire some embarrassment if she stills does not know what Twenty-One is.
"Since most of us are from Port Pennywort, we should play it our way." Zeke announces as he takes a small section out of the pack of cards and begins to shuffle them. His actions confuse me, but I choose not to say anything.
"Who is from Pennywort?" Lulu's confusion is understandable considering we were all here before her.
"Zeke, me, Aurick, Sho, Marr and Lil. Keith as well but he's not here at the moment." Hugo announces while pointing to everyone one of us for Lulu's benefit. This may be the first time she has been able to communicate with the kids, after all.
"So how are you all here?" She is still confused about our situation.
"They're here under my protection after an Ash Storm swallowed their Port-"
"That's enough of that. Right now, we need to enjoy your welcoming party." Zeke interrupts Hilda as he first gives us all one card, having to stretch his arms the furthest they can go to give some of us our cards. "We need to decide who's going to be dealer first."
"It's not going to be you?" Ricardo asks, and I was wondering the same thing. I thought that Zeke was going to be the dealer since he was dishing out cards and everything.
"What? No, I don't want to do that." He quickly dismisses Ricardo's question. "Now, everyone look at your card. The person with the Jack of Spades is the dealer." I take my card from its face down position on the table. So do all the others. I blink in surprise as I realise the card I was dealt is exactly the Jack of Spades. "So, who has it?" He asks confidently while presenting us his card to show that it is now him. Everyone turns over their card, some of which state that it is not them. I present my card.
"Looks like I'm the dealer." I stand from my position and show everyone the Jack of Spades while gesturing for Zeke to hand over the rest of the cards.
"Alright! Looks like we're in for a good time." Zeke speaks happily as I take the cards from him and begin to shuffle them properly.
"What do you mean by that?" Amy is the one to ask Zeke as to his vague response to me becoming the dealer.
"The few times that Aurick was the dealer were completely wild." He speaks up as he recalls our previous games. "Sometimes the round was over within an instant. Other times they didn't end until we gave up."
"I remember when Marr had so many cards I thought he was cheating." Lil speaks up and I can't help myself but smile at the memory.
"Marr's starting hand was the 2 of Diamonds and the 2 of Clubs. By the time he reached 21, he had seven cards!" Hugo explains.
"I see. A five-card trick is pretty rare, so to get a seven-card trick is even rarer." A smile emerges on Hilda's face. It seems that she's prepared to have fun too.
"Now, as for the rules." Zeke starts to explain as I give everyone one card in a cycle before giving everyone another card. "The aim of the game is to get a score of 21. If no one actually gets that score, the closest person to it wins. We won't play for money since it is a welcome party, and I doubt many of us have that much money to waste anyway." I've finished dealing out the cards and I'm just waiting for Zeke to finish explaining the rules. "Each card is worth the value on it. So, a two is worth two points and a ten is worth ten points. But, aces can be worth either one or eleven. It's your choice." He pauses for a breath and to make sure everyone is following him. The others have already picked up their cards and must be calculating their values. "The picture cards, the Jack, Queen and King are also worth ten."
"What if you're nowhere near 21?" Claire raises the question with a questioning look on her face as she looks at her cards. Judging by her question alone, I assume that she's going to be a weak link.
"Hang on, I'm getting to that part." Zeke speaks up, slightly annoyed that his explanation was interrupted. "The dealer is in charge of the rest of the deck. He will ask the person starting on his left whether they would like to stick or twist. Stick means that you are happy with your cards and don't want the dealer to give you another one. Twist means that you either want or need another card."
"Need another card?" Amy repeats Zeke's words.
"Obviously, the aim of the game is to get as close to 21 as possible. But if you start with cards like a 2 of Diamonds and 3 of Spades, then you only have 5 as your total value and you're pretty much guaranteed not to win with an amount that low. However, the rules also state that you cannot stick if you have less than 17, so you would have to twist. Only when the person decides to stick will the dealer move onto the next person.
"What if you have more than 21?" Lulu doesn't look at her cards while she asks this question. Not that you can go bust in the starting hand anyway, so it doesn't give much away.
"Then you'll go bust and have to reveal your hand to the rest of the table." Hugo answers in place of Zeke. "Also, when you are finished with your turn you do not reveal your hand. You have to wait until everyone has had a turn, including the dealer."
"There are three kinds of 21 you can get." I further add to the explanation. "The first is the best kind you can get where, in your starting hand, you get a card with the value of 10 and an ace. If that happens, you become the new dealer at the end of the round."
"So that's a picture card or a ten and an ace?" Amy questions from my right and I nod my head with a smile.
"The second kind is one that Hilda had talked about. If we were playing for money achieving a 5-card trick would win you all of the money. But since we aren't playing for money, you can just boast about how you would have won it." I say this mainly to the kids since I can't imagine the adults boasting about what could have happened. "The third kind is achieved by drawing cards and is the most common kind. An example of that is getting 21 in four cards."
"I think that's the most I've heard you speak." Amy comments and I choose to ignore it, despite the warm feeling I get in my chest for having been noticed by her.
"So, are we ready to play?" Zeke interjects with enthusiasm. After receiving either nods or verbal confirmations, we begin.
*FYI: Turn order – Ricardo; Hilda; Sho; Zeke; Lil; Claire; Lulu; Marr; Hugo; Amy; Aurick. *
I turn towards my left.
"Stick or twist?" I ask Ricardo simply while trying to keep a smile on my face. Ricardo thinks to himself for a couple of seconds. As he does, I look behind him to the woman who is still lounging in the corner of the room. I wonder if Faith is more of a night person as she still seems to be incredibly lethargic. I had anticipated her playing with us, but I guess that's not the case.
"I'll risk it." Ricardo announces with a wide smile across his face.
"Starting us off with a bang?" Zeke asks with his own enthusiastic smile.
"Twist." Ricardo doesn't respond to Zeke. I give him a card, showing it face up as per the rules of the game. It was the 4 of Diamonds. "I knew I shouldn't have risked it." He states as he shows the rest of his cards and Zeke can't supress a chuckle.
"Why are you risking it when you have 19?" The confusion in Claire's voice is clear but she also seems slightly annoyed.
"The closer I get to 21 the more chance I have to win." He must be a really competitive person. There was no need to him to risk it and now that he has it has caused him to go bust.
"Hilda," I speak the next person's name to move the game along, "Stick or twist?" Like Ricardo, she thinks to herself for a bit.
"Twist." I flip over the next card from the top of the deck. It's the Queen of Hearts.
"Haah." She lets out an exaggerated sigh. "Bust." She announces as she flips her other cards around showing that she originally had a score of 15; a score too low to stick on.
"Dun dun dun another one bites the dust." I hear Zeke and Hugo comment in tune. I had forgotten about the tune they used to sing while playing cards at Port Pennywort. I have no idea where it originated from, but I can't help but smile as they do it.
"It's your turn, Sho." I don't bother to ask if he will stick or twist. He knows the rules.
"I'll stick." He gives a simple response, followed by a couple of coughs.
"Feeling confident?" Amy asks to which Sho musters up a smile.
"Yep." I turn my attention away from Sho and to the next person in line.
"Twist." Zeke speaks with a smile on his face. It is quickly removed as soon as I flip the card on the top of the deck over to reveal the 8 of Clubs. "Argh!" He gives an annoyed grunt and turns his other cards around to show that he only had 14 originally. "Bust by one."
"Another one bites the dust." I tease him with the tune he had used just moments ago against Hilda. Moments later, I realise that I was the only one to sing it in front of people I've never sang it in front of before. I feel my cheeks warm up slightly so quickly turn away from Zeke and towards Lil.
"Stick!" She shouts enthusiastically.
"It seems like the kids are doing better than the adults." Hilda snidely remarks as all three of the adults that have had a turn have went bust already.
"Claire, stick or twist?" I ask yet another adult. Will she crash and burn like the rest of them? Or will she be the first to stick?
"Uh… Twist, please." She speaks nervously, perhaps because she's already seen everyone that has twisted go out already. I turn over the next card on top of the pile. It's the 5 of Spades. "Hah." She gives a relieved sigh and takes the card, putting it in her hand. "Stick."
"And Claire breaks the losing streak for the adults!" Zeke announces with a comedic spin in his words. "Can Lulu continue this winning streak for the adults? Or will she go bust in her own welcome party?"
"Stick." Lulu responds with one word, her face not giving away anything about her cards. She has a really good poker face.
"And the new streak continues!" We ignore Zeke as I turn towards Marr.
"Stick." Perhaps its because he's sitting next to Lulu, but Marr doesn't give anything away about his cards either.
"Ooh, this is getting tense." Hugo speaks up as two people have kept with their starting hand. "I'll stick too." Make that three. I turn my attention to the person on my right.
"Stick or twist?" I ask Amy and her face falls slightly. I'll admit that I do feel a little worried after seeing that, but she musters up enough courage to raise her head and,
"Stick!" She shouts with energy. I assume that Amy must have thought about trying to risk her hand for a greater chance to win.
"So, it's my turn then." I look at my own cards and realise how little score I have. I only have the 3 of Clubs and 4 of Hearts. "I'll twist."
"Will the dealer go bust as well?" Zeke asks as if this were some kind of game show. I turn the card over to reveal the Ace of Diamonds.
"I'll stick with that." I inform the rest of the group.
"It's now time to reveal the winner of round 1! Everyone, turn your cards around!" Zeke takes command over the welcome party. I turn my cards around to reveal a value of 18. I look straight towards Sho's cards and see that he has a value of 20. So too does Lil, Lulu and Amy. Claire, Hugo and Marr have a score of 19 each.
"There's a four-way tie! The winners are Sho, Lil, Lulu and Amy." As he confirms what we all already know, I take all of the cards and give them another shuffle. After a few seconds, I deal them out again. "Since nobody got a natural 21, Aurick remains as the dealer."
"Round 2." Zeke announces and we begin again.
"Stick." I don't even need to ask Ricardo as he sticks straight away.
"Learned your lesson, have you?" Amy throws a teasing question Ricardo's way.
"I definitely don't want to risk this." He may have given a little too much detail away with his words. However, he could be bluffing to try and make other people go bust. Regardless, I turn my attention towards Hilda.
"Stick or twist?" I question Hilda, growing more and more intrigued as the round continues.
"Stick." She replies simply, not even a smile across her face. Seeing her seriousness compels me to smile. I think this round may be more interesting than the last.
"Sho, stick or twist?" I ask the boy next to Hilda and see him look at his cards. After a few seconds of silence, he finally speaks,
"I'll *cough cough* take another card please." I flip the card on top of the deck over and it is revealed as the 7 of Clubs. He takes the card from the table. "Stick."
"I'll twist, Aurick." Zeke lets his impatience get the better of him as he immediately gives his command as soon as Sho confirms his turn is over. I turn over the top card on the deck. It is the 3 of Diamonds. "Again." He commands of me and I turn another card over which is revealed to be the 9 of Spades. "I'll stick." He finishes with a confident smile on his face. I turn my attention towards Lil.
"Stick or twist?"
"Stick." She responds quickly. As she does so, the corners of her mouth turn upwards, and I see her desperately trying to fight off a smile. I can't help but smile in response, seeing her go through so much effort to try and remain calm.
"Claire, stick or twist?" I ask what her next move will be.
"Twist, please." Claire politely commands and I feel myself wanting to let her win purely because of her manners. However, the cards have other ideas. "Ah!" She gives a surprised gasp as the card on top of the deck is revealed to be the King of Diamonds. "I'm bust." She flips her other cards around to reveal that she originally had 16, a score she couldn't stick on.
"That's unfortunate." I can't help but utter as her shoulders slump forward after being the first person to go out. Just like the last round, Lulu and Marr stick again, while Hugo and Amy draw an additional card each. I look at my cards and decide to stick as well, although I do notice that I have both the 9 of Hearts and 9 of Clubs.
"It's time to reveal the cards!" Zeke announces and everyone, except Claire since she went out this round, revealed their cards. Ricardo, Hilda, Lulu and Hugo have a score of 20. Sho, Marr and Zeke have a score of 19. I have a score of 18. Amy and Lil both have a score of 21.
"The winner of round 2 is Lil!" Zeke confirms and we can now see why Lil was desperately fighting back a smile. It's because she has a natural 21. "Since she only needed two cards to get 21, she becomes the new dealer." He explains again for those that are not aware of the rules what happens when someone gets a natural 21. I collect all of the cards and hand them to Lil.
"Good luck." I tell her before breathing a sigh of relief as I no longer need to be the dealer.
Lil ends up being the dealer for the next three rounds before Lulu becomes the dealer. She is only the dealer for one round before Hilda ends up with a natural 21 and takes the job from her. I remain for a few more rounds, but because each round lasts, on average, at least 30 minutes, my body really begins to cave at the lack of sleep. I am one of the first people to leave, Hilda leaves after the same round as me, although I'm sure our reasons are different. If she is fatigued, she doesn't she the signs of it. So, I think she might just be returning to work. Meanwhile, I head towards the male living quarters and retreat to my bed. It doesn't take too long before my consciousness slips away. Unlike yesterday though, I'm looking forward to tomorrow, as our team has expanded slightly and I'm looking forward to seeing what Lulu can do in battle against Aragami.
Early in the morning the following day sees me approaching two very sleep deprived people. Although, the reason for their lack of sleep is very different. You don't even need to focus properly to see that Keith's eyes are blood red. Has he been working all night?
"Acceleration trigger analysis is complete!" Keith informs me with excitement lacing his voice.
"Man, that was quick. Did you stay up all night?" Zeke asks his brother. Although, I kinda want to ask Zeke that same question as well. His eyes aren't as red as Keith's but he very clearly has some bags under his eyes. I can only assume that he played cards for most, if not all, of the night. "It's the thing Lulu was using, right? Was the hell is it, anyway?"
"I'm so glad you asked." Despite Keith suffering from fatigue, he still has enough energy in his voice to reply to Zeke in a very excited manner. I suppose it shows his love for working with God Arcs. "Simply put, an acceleration trigger initiates a process… Oracle potential energy is drawn forth from the Oracle Cells within a God Arc user's body, when certain stresses are applied to the cells, then…" I have a feeling this is only the beginning of a long conversation and I am already lost in his explanation. I turn my head towards Zeke and see that he is also struggling to follow along with Keith's explanation. He looks back at me as if he expects me to understand his brother. All I can do is shake my head in response. "transferred to a booster within their armlet which then amplifies the effect of the energy, instantly boosting the user's capabilities by creating a God Arc/wielder feedback loop… Resulting in an Oracle Cell subjective stimulation system!" He concludes his speech.
"Simply put?" Zeke mocks his brother's use of the phrase. If that was the simple explanation, I'm not sure if I even want to understand the process.
"It'll unlock the energy in your Oracle Cells for an extra boost of power when you do certain things during combat!" Keith's second explanation is significantly easier to understand. Why didn't he just say that in the first place? "Wow, those folks in Baran are working on some remarkable stuff."
"So… these Oracle Cells we have in us are real scary, huh?" That's all Zeke can really understand about the use of the acceleration trigger. I think I understand everything Keith said in the incredibly simple explanation, but how do we know what these certain things that we need to do during combat are?
"Yeah. I'd say they qualify as real scary! If you overactivate them, they'll eat your body from the inside, after all!" Keith's response actually makes me doubt using the acceleration trigger. I mean, I don't want to die just yet. I have to dream I need to fulfil and not just for me.
"Do you have to look so happy about it?" Zeke is quick to reprimand his brother for his borderline psychotic smile given what he has just told us.
"Well, you don't have to worry as long as you don't pull anything funny." Keith calms down now, his smile removed from his face. "The one Lulu brought in was improperly calibrated, which is dangerous. But never fear, I'll make sure the ones on your God Arcs are up to spec!" His enthusiasm is infectious, and I do trust his abilities with handling God Arcs, but that doesn't mean I can't be at least a little bit scared about it the possibilities of the acceleration trigger. I should be careful to not use it too often. Prolonged usage of activated Oracle Cells sounds more troublesome that it is probably worth.
"Huh? But you just finished analysing 'em. You gonna install 'em already?" Zeke's concern is clear as he asks his brother. The man responsible for our God Arcs is sleep deprived, after all, there's a chance he's made a few mistakes because of it. "I mean, I know I said I wanted one, but…"
"The more weapons you have at your disposal, the longer you can survive. Right, friend?" Keith looks towards me for confirmation.
"It is pretty impressive. Having that much power is definitely an advantage in any battle." I choose not to directly answer his question out of fear. I probably shouldn't be fearing my own God Arc, but there's always a chance that things can go wrong.
"Well, maybe, I guess…" Zeke nervously rubs the back of his head.
"I've made sure to install the safest, simplest version so you can try it out the next time you're in a fight." Keith informs me what concerns me though is that he's already installed it. "There's already a mission set up and everything!" Actually, hearing that he's set up a mission for me to test out the acceleration trigger is concerning too.
"No glitches, right?" Zeke asks his brother.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine. Besides, the first mission is just with you and Lulu." Keith looks at me. "You'll get a chance to show off your moves to the new girl."
"I think I'll be more focused on making sure I survive while using the acceleration trigger than showing off to Lulu."
"Well, good luck, Aurick. Try not to die." Zeke starts walking away confidently. I can tell he's placing all his hope in me because he knows that if I cannot get the acceleration trigger to work then there's no chance of him getting it to work. Keith goes over to confirm the mission with Amy as she stands behind the operator's desk. As soon as he's finished confirming the mission, he receives an earpiece similar to the ones that we use when we are on a mission. At the same time, Amy communicates for Lulu to meet me for a mission. With a heavy sigh, I prepare myself for the worst and head towards the mission desk to receive the details for the mission.
Location: Underground Facility: Conveyor Passage
New: AT Verification
Conduct an acceleration trigger test. (Please confirm that CC has visuals.)
Note: This test will establish is an AT commlink with our ship's OS is possible.
Test overseer and Author: Keith Pennywort
Editor: Amy Chrysanthemum.
"Vitals normal… instruments are green." Amy's voice comes through our earpieces as we approach the battlefield. It calms me slightly, considering that I do feel slightly nervous given the fact that I am the Guinea pig for this test. "Go ahead, Keith."
"Alright, let's get this acceleration trigger test underway, shall we?" Keith makes his presence known by asking if we're prepared. "Are you good to go, Lulu?"
"Sure. No problem." She responds simply, as if she is already used to having expectations of her. "Somehow it feels more natural than it did before." Lulu's words also prove to calm me somewhat. If even she is feeling the effects of this supposedly safe power-up device, then maybe the test will go well.
"Right? That means the tuning was worth it!" Keith's enthusiasm brings a lot more energy into the conversation. "Okay, forget about us and start using that acceleration trigger!" At his words, we immediately set out for the hunt. Lulu and I climb atop a tall ledge and scour the battlefield for any sign of the smaller Aragami targets; Zygotes and Cocoon Maidens. It doesn't take long at all to find them as Zygotes float several metres into the air. We head in their direction.
"Let's fire our bullets at the Zygotes to knock them to the ground." Lulu develops our strategy as we slowly come to a stop a reasonable distance away from the smaller Aragami. "That'll make it easier to meet your acceleration trigger requirements."
"Got it." I give a confirmation nod and switch my Arc to its Gun Form as silently as possible. I watch as Lulu does the same.
"3. 2. 1." She whispers before raising her voice, "Fire!" I aim towards the Zygote farthest away from us as shouts and let loose a couple of bullets that slams it to the ground. Similarly, I fire another bullet at a different Zygote. A stray bullet from Lulu renders it motionless on the ground. I look to the third Zygote and realise that Lulu must already have grounded it. We sprint as fast as we can towards them. As fast as I possibly can, I execute the attacks I need to achieve the conditions to activate my acceleration trigger. I slash at the grounded Aragami that I thought Lulu had accidentally killed due to how motionless it was. However, as soon as I land a hit against its body, its large eye suddenly widens, and it launches itself into the air. To try and complete my first combination of attacks, I propel myself to the other downed Zygotes. I manage to land two more attacks to and complete the first combination before one of them suddenly rises into the air while the other stops moving completely. "Heads up!" I hear Lulu shout and, without knowing where the Zygote is attacking from, roll to my left to try and successfully avoid having my head taken off. I find my feet seconds later and deploy my shield just in time to avoid another attack from the Zygotes. Lulu fires a bullet at another of the Zygotes which grounds it again. I manage to land three more successful attacks on that downed Aragami before moving onto the next one as it doesn't get back up. As if sensing it's in danger, the Zygote tries to escape us. We give chase despite the fact it is obviously faster than us. Being small has its advantages I suppose, as the Aragami continues to speed away from us until it reaches a tight corridor. "It lead us to the Cocoon Maidens?" Lulu asks in confusion as the Zygote continues down the corridor and floats past the Cocoon Maidens who track it as it passes. Perhaps rather humorously, the Zygote runs into a dead end and the only way to escape is to head back in the opposite direction which leads straight to us. It too seems to notice its dire situation as it turns towards us and tries to open its mouth incredibly wide in an attempt to intimidate us. However, it doesn't work, and I start hacking at the closer Cocoon Maidens to build up my consecutive attacks. After all, they're not able to escape like the Zygotes. With each strike I begin to grow more and more fearful of the possibility of being eaten from the inside due to the acceleration trigger, and with a final breath that I choose to keep withheld, I deliver the final slash to complete my third and final combination of attacks and release the potential of the acceleration trigger.
"Activate." I repeat the word that Lulu once used to utilise the acceleration trigger. To my surprise, as the seconds pass, I don't feel any kind of pain. Rather, as I continue to slash and dodge the attacks of the now two remaining Cocoon Maidens and the still living Zygote that we made an enemy of earlier, I notice that I actually begin to feel a lot stronger. Still stricken with fear though, I hesitate after almost every attack, as if there's a limit to how often I can use the acceleration trigger before it begins to devour me from the inside.
"Well, how does it feel?" I hear Lulu ask me, completely unconcerned with my mental welfare and instead asking how it feels to be so powerful. To be honest, it scares me at the moment. Although, as soon as I realise that my power is only increasing and that nothing appears to be happening to me otherwise, I begin to let my guard down and start hacking away at the remaining Aragami.
As the Aragami die, I feel my confidence with the acceleration trigger only continuing to grow.
"I feel I need a better target to try it out on before I get to see its real effects." I utter suddenly as a late answer to Lulu's question.
"Unexpected medium Aragami detected! Entering area now!" Amy's voice suddenly announces the arrival of a new Aragami.
"Well, that's a coincidence." Lulu merely comments in a tone that mirrors my own, but it seems we were thinking alike. Silence overcomes us as we begin searching for the medium sized Aragami that has invaded the battlefield.. One minute later we find it; a Barbarius. As soon as we do, I charge towards it, actually feeling more eager to test out the acceleration trigger on an Aragami that can withstand more attacks than a Zygote or a Cocoon Maiden. They also provide much more of a threat, and if I can learn anything from battling a Barbarius while using the acceleration trigger then I'm all for it. Rather than firing several bullets at point blank range that are guaranteed to hit, I instead take the reckless option and try to swing my Arc at the Aragami. However, the Aragami moves itself out of the way by jumping into the air and piercing through the ground. I make sure to stay on the move so that the chances of it emerging near me is slim. I see that the Barbarius instead emerges near Lulu. She's easily able to dodge it and I sprint towards the monster once again. As it is trying to harm Lulu, I am able to land my first combination of attacks.
"Two more!" I shout my progress to Lulu as she evades a wave of icicles rising from the ground beneath her. She gains a fair distance from the Aragami, which is probably why it turns its attention back to me. I'm unable to land my second combination of attacks as I am forced to deploy my shield and defend against its rotating arm that drills into the earth that I was just moments before. The inability to land successive combinations of attacks against the Barbarius does not frustrate me, for a change. Instead, I feel a lot more excited. Keith's words really didn't sell the acceleration trigger justice. I was a bit scared when I activated it earlier versus those smaller Aragami, but that was more of a pre-test before the main test; an Aragami that can actually pose a threat. As I think this, I can feel the ground around me begin to shuffle. I deploy my shield instantly and find numerous sharp icicles suddenly shooting up from the ground with the Barbarius in the centre of it. I manage to avoid any damage and wait for the icicles to retreat into the ground before going in for another attack. I hear the Aragami roar before I can launch another attack and see it jumping into the air again. With a slightly annoyed grunt, I back away from it and constantly remain on the move. Despite this, I feel the ground beneath my feet beginning to give way. A quick shield dash away from the area prevents me from succumbing to an attack. It emerges and looks around the battlefield in confusion as to where I had gone. I inform it by firing a few bullets at its drill-like arm. While it flinches from them, I switch my God Arc back to its Melee Form and launch another combination of attacks at its arm. "One more!" I once again inform Lulu.
"Right." She gives me a simply reply to confirm she heard me. "Activating Engage!"
"Wait, what?" I stop attacking in confusion. Not expecting her at all to activate Engage. The moment she does, a yellow beam of light forms between us, but I can't take advantage of it due to a sudden attack from the Aragami that sends a barrage of icicles my way. "GAH!" I splutter in pain as they hit me in my chest and force me backwards several metres. I quickly clamber to my feet in time to witness the Barbarius retreating underground again. A execute a couple of shield dashes to get far enough away before munching on a Restore Pill.
"Guh!" I hear a pained grunt and see that Lulu was too close to the Aragami as it re-emerged. I swallow the Restore Pill and head back into the action. "Huh?" I hear Lulu utter in confusion. "I've been healed?"
"That's my Engage ability." I quickly answer for her while still running towards the Aragami. I only manage to slash at it once before it quickly flips around to face me. "Whenever I use items…" I begin to explain further while being forced to backstep to avoid several of the Barbarius' attacks. While doing so, I realise that I seem to have gained a little more momentum and I am generally having an easier time moving. "The person that used Engage with me also feels their effects." I back away just far enough to avoid another attack from the Aragami. The attack lands only about half a metre in front of me, and I immediately slash at its exposed drill-like arm. I can't help but smile in pure excitement as I complete my third combination of attacks while also exposing the orange flesh on the Aragami's arm. "Activate." I utter the same thing I heard Lulu utter to utilise her own acceleration trigger. As soon as I do so, I feel an immense power boost the exact same as I felt when using acceleration trigger on the smaller Aragami. Plus, with the added effect of Engage for the next 15 seconds or so, it feels even better.
"Acceleration trigger activation confirmed! This is…!" Amy relays the information to Keith as I activate the acceleration trigger. Meanwhile, as the Barbarius recoils in pain after having its drill unbound, I don't give it the time to have a break as I relentlessly hack and slash at any part of the monster my Arc can make contact with.
"Fluctuation in vitals within tolerance. Not bad at all!" Keith's words suggest that the acceleration trigger is working without any problems, so I can't help but feel more excited about the situation. As Engage runs out, I've landed enough hits to make the panting Aragami fall weakly to the ground.
"Let's finish it." Lulu tries to give motivating words for the last breath of the fight but her words are not needed as I fire five point blank bullets straight at its exposed flesh on its drill-like arm. Lulu also deals her own share of damage until the monster finds its way back to its feet. I watch as the monster shakily tries to stand, only to fall to the ground with a severely unthreatening roar.
"Mission complete. Nicely done." Amy congratulates us as I assume the Barbarius' signal fades from the radar.
"Hey, that went better than I'd expected! Thank you both for your help!" Keith gives us his earnest gratitude. To be honest, I was pretty scared before I had used the acceleration trigger for the first time, but Amy, Keith and Lulu did a good job in keeping me calm with their words; although it was indirectly since I never admitted and probably will never admit to being worried about using the trigger. "If anything catches your attention, let me know right away! Engineers need good feedback in order to improve!"
"Whew… thanks for this." Lulu gives an exasperated sigh as the fatigue must be catching up with her. I, on the other hand, feel like I could continue fighting. "Working with you puts my mind at ease. I'd like to do it again." Her words warm my heart. "I've… never felt like that before."
"This thing is pretty cool." I can't help but comment with a wide smile across my face as I watch Lulu extract the Barbarius' core. "I feel so much stronger."
"You seemed strong enough without it." Lulu comments on my strength prior to the acceleration trigger, "But, I'm glad you were able to use it. It's almost like it belongs with you."
"Thanks, Lu." I offer her my widest smile. "You're incredibly strong too." I can't stop smiling. I seriously can't. I feel incredibly happy having achieved a power like this. I now have a stronger power to make Hugo's and my dream come true; a power that I can use to help save my friends from any combat situation. And it's all thanks to Lulu; her joining our group was a blessing in disguise of a hostage situation. For this new ability, Lulu, I will forever be grateful to you.
"Lu?" She looks back at me quizzically and for a second, I'm not sure why. It's only after analysing my own words that I realise I may have accidentally given Lulu a nickname.
"Do you not like it?" I tilt my head to the side as my wide smile becomes smaller. A silence overcomes us, and the smile is completely removed from my face. "Sorry, Lulu." I offer an apology to the new member of the team, she clearly mustn't have liked my nickname for her.
"It's not that I don't like it…" She turns back towards me, "It's just that it might take a while to get used to another name." Dare I say it, but as she turns back towards me and I see her unsure face, I can't help but think that she is cute. I decide to change the subject.
"Let's head back. I'm sure Keith will be dying to check out our God Arcs." I offer her a reason to head back quickly. After all, this whole mission is being observed by Keith. I even heard his voice through my earpiece a few times. I'm sure he'll want to make sure that our God Arcs haven't suffered any damage at our expense. With that, we start walking back towards our transport located a short distance away where I proceed to drive us back to the Ash Crawler.
We don't have too much time to rest when we return as Keith organises for us to go on another mission. This time though, we are minor overseers of the test as we need to keep an eye on Hugo and Zeke while they try to use their acceleration triggers. Keith sets us up against another uncommon Aragami, a Sariel. I decide to stay on the backline for the entirety of the mission to provide support to Hugo, Zeke and Lulu so that they have nothing to worry about. The mission happens with very minimal injuries that would heal incredibly quickly. Hugo and Zeke managed to successfully overcome their own fear of using the acceleration trigger only after I had shown my own capabilities off. That seemed to give them the confidence and excitement to try it out for themselves. However, midway during the mission, we had heard Amy gasp in concern and tell us to wrap things up quickly. As soon as we defeated the Sariel and returned to the Chrysanthemum's Ash Crawler, Hugo and I were quickly ushered into Hilda's office.
"To encounter one in a place like this…" Hilda speaks solemnly after Hugo and I have made ourselves comfortable on the settees in her office. "I suppose that we should count ourselves lucky that we spotted it before it spotted us."
"Is that an Ash Aragami?" Hugo asks with slight concern in his voice. I've heard of the Ash Aragami but I've never had the opportunity to face one. Judging by the atmosphere this whole situation has created, I should hope that I never have to face one. I was surprised and deeply concerned to hear Amy's gasp during the mission. Now I know why; an Ash Aragami had been detected on the radar. I suppose we should be thankful that my resonance allows us to see the signals of Aragami for hundreds of miles away. Without that, we might not have detected the Ash Aragami until it was too late.
"You mean the Ashborn?" I ask, still not quite sure why everyone's making them out to be unkillable monsters.
"Yes. They're a new type of Aragami that appeared with the Ashlands. They're a whole new breed of monster." Hilda informs me, but they still don't seem to be the incredibly dangerous monsters she's making them out to be.
"Just a scratch from one of them will kill you. They devour in a completely way from regular Aragami too." Hugo finally explains how dangerous they can be. Just a scratch can kill you? How were these monsters even created? How have they become that powerful that even us AGEs will do because we were scratched by them? The very thought that there are Aragami that even we can't kill is incredibly frightening.
"They rob God Eaters of their resonance ability and explosively amplify their own Oracle Cells." Hilda adds further information to try and scare me away from the possibility of ever having to fight one. "They can also enter a Burst state in the same way that you God Eaters can."
"How overpowered do they want to be?" I can't help but utter. It seems like they have all the abilities that we have, but they can execute them better. We are completely powerless against them, huh? Fuck. I really hope that we can stay the hell away from them at all times.
"Lethal and inescapable: that sums up Ash Aragami." Hugo keeps his calm. Given the direness of the situation that is very admirable.
"There's only one thing we can do now…" I look to Hilda as she speaks and see her with a hand to her head. Whatever she's about to suggest isn't going to be good. "Pray. Just hope to high heaven we don't ever have to engage one of them." Hugo gives a heavy sigh at her words. After the meeting is done, the word spreads around the Ash Crawler about the Ashborn sighting and a sombre mood settles throughout. Everyone that I speak to says the same thing, that they hope that we can avoid the Ashborn. I will admit that because everyone fears them, it makes me curious as to how dangerous they are. But, because everyone fears them, it's best that I don't try and act on my curiosity. I don't want to die just yet, after all…