"Good job, Blood." Julius praised them the moment that the two units had reunited. It had been evident that the mission had greatly drained each one of them.
"You look horrible." Brynn pouted and jokingly jabbed the taller one in the stomach. Her coat had been coated with blood and torn in some parts. The top that she wore consisted of red instead of the pure white it previously was.
"I fought with an aragami, it's not exactly something similar to walking in the park, right?" She rolled her eyes at him which he only scoffed at.
"Well the way that you dress looks like-"
"Nana? Are you okay?" The childish banter had been abruptly stopped the moment that Romeo's nasal voice pierced the air. They all turned their focus towards the girl. With one hand, she had been clutching the side of her head as her face contorted to an expression that showed pain. Brynn rushed to her side in haste.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" She examined the girl but saw no wounds that marred her skin.
The black-haired girl failed to respond and simply shut her eyes. Shaking her head as if to get rid of whatever pain that had been eating at her.
"I'm... okay..." Brynn could hear the struggle in her voice as she spoke through gritted teeth.
"Brynn! Behind you!" Brynn spun to see a Zygote had snuck behind her and grabbed Nana before they could become consumed in the purple cloud of poison. Brynn felt a strange pulse run through her the moment that she touched the onyx-haired girl.
"Oh no..." Nana was being surrounded by a powerful red aura that only meant one thing, the awakening of one's Blood Power.
"Where did that come from?" Romeo asked as he put up his shield to block the needles coming from an Ogretail that had emerged from nowhere.
Blood began to fight through the horde of Aragami, as they would take one down, a new one would come to replace them. They were small aragami, but the greatness of their number made them tremble.
"Damnit!" Brynn heard Julius curse as he take two down at the same time. The Ogretail soon dissolving into the air into small black particles. "There are too many of them engaged."
"Multiple Aragami are rerouting to your location!" Brynn struggled to press on the earpiece to better hear the operator's panicked voice. "I'm moving the 1st Unit to support. Just hold on a little longer." A Zygote came charging towards her, in haste, she switched to her gun form and shot it with an aragami bullet that she got from the Garm.
"Julius!" She called out to the leader who was a few feet away from her. "I think Nana's Blood Power is-" Before she could continue what she was saying, an Ogretail pounced on her causing her to stumble and back against the wall. She aimed again, pulled the trigger, and fired. Julius had seen what happened.
"Begin a staggered retreat. The battle is lost. Disperse if you must, just get back to the Far East!" He barked the orders, momentarily disregarding the Vice Captain's words.
As Romeo fired bullets at the Aragami adjacent to them, he noticed the way that Nana was struggling. Her movements have become sluggish but despite that she kept fighting.
"Maybe you should fall back, Nana! Didn't Dr. Rachel tell you take things easy?" He missed the Ogretail that was ready to fire its bullets at the two of them. Julius quickly skidded over there and deployed his shield. Slashing it with Volitional, causing it to fall to the ground.
"I'll clear a path! Nana, you're up first." He gently regarded her. "Make a run for it on your own. Don't worry, we'll catch up." He reassured her upon noticing the conflicting look on her face.
"Julius, I'll back you up!" Brynn shouted as she began firing multiple bullets at multiple Aragami. She definitely wasn't going to let any of them get hurt. The red aura that had previously consumed Nana still bothered her. She couldn't help but wonder what her Blood Power was.
"R-Run?" Nana stammered, frozen on her spot as fear dominated her senses. The grip that she had on her God Arc's handle beginning to loosen. "I-I can't go alone..." She whispered, barely loud enough for the rest of Blood to hear. Fortunately their enhanced senses allowed them to pick her words up.
"C'mon, Nana! It will be okay, don't worry about us." Brynn rushed to the girl's side and stabbed the Zygote that was getting ready to attack. The blonde gasp the moment that she felt something sharp pierce through her, looking down, she saw the needles of an Ogretail embedded into her stomach. "Fuck, that's must hurt."
The black-haired girl's eyes widened in fright, her entire body was beginning to tremble as her knees weakened. Her knees and legs found themselves buried into the snow, the bitter cold nipping away at her bare skin.
But she felt none of it. "I didn't mean to! It's my fault that the Aragami found us..." They all looked at her with concern as they tried to fight away the remaining Aragami.
"M-mommy..." Her God Arc had completely been casted aside, "Mommy!" She began to loudly sob into her hands as the red aura from earlier grew stronger and consumed her even more.
"Nana?!" Gil and Romeo both shouted.
Soon enough, more Aragami began to appear out of nowhere and ceaselessly attacked them.
It didn't take Brynn two seconds to figure out what Nana's Blood Power was. It was to attract Aragami. The more that they stayed there, the more that they would be in trouble.
"What is that?" Hibari gasped loudly while Brynn shot Aragami bullets to the other members. "A Bias Field disruption!" She had been knocked to the side when an Ogretail from her side had caught her off guard. Instantly, she felt herself inhaling the violet gas that she knew came from a Zygote. She coughed, the foreign material entering her lungs and she felt her life being sapped away.
"A disruption?!" Julius repeated, a hand against the the earpiece in order to hear her better.
It took a few more seconds for Hibari to reply, "An intense Bias Field pulse has been fired at Blood Alpha! More Aragami incoming. Brynn! Watch your health!"
Brynn felt like a toy being tossed from one child to another. Except they were Aragami, and they weren't exactly treating her gently. She knew that a few bones were broken and the toxic was still inside her body.
However, being the stubborn girl that she was, she wasn't going to let that stop her. She stood up, and went into Zero Stance. A series of bullets erupting from its opening that she fired at the Aragami closest to her. Clearing a path of her own, she rushed over to Nana's side, Ciel was covering for her.
"1st Unit to Blood Special Forces! Come in Blood." Brynn heard Kota's voice through the communication device and couldn't help but feel relieved. "We've cleared a path! Are you guys still alive in there?!"
'Barely hanging by a thread, but still alive.' She swallowed a recovery pill and felt some of her strength returning. "Ciel, cover for us!" She was responded with a curt nod and a surge of bullets aimed at the Aragami that were targeting her.
"Of course we're alive!" Romeo answered for her, taking the words right out her mouth, except for the part where they were struggling. "It's just Nana-" A Zygote had tackled him to the ground before it was shot by Julius.
"I just sent over the escape route. Do you think that you can make it?" Hibari piped in once again, Brynn felt relief flooding her.
"Yes, it is possible." The Captain answered after singlehandedly slashing through an Ogretail. As if the long blade that he was lugging around had not hindered him one bit. "Brynn! Take Nana and fall back immediately."
Brynn knew that she shouldn't be questioning his orders but she couldn't help but feel bothered by the idea of leaving them, "But Cap-"
"Go now!" Julius asserted to which Brynn finally complied. It wasn't the time to disobey him and she needed to get Nana back to the den.
"C'mon, Nana. Don't let go of your God Arc, okay?" Ever so slightly, the black haired girl nodded, loosely holding on to the pink God Arc that had previously been discarded on the floor. With a huff, Brynn managed to haul the girl over her back while struggling to hold her own God Arc. She silently thanked herself for putting on the eyepiece earlier, which showed the map that she was to follow.
'I just have to make it to Area A.' She motivated herself, knowing that the Aragami would be following after them. Brynn knew that she was capable of out running them, but with extra weight on her back she wasn't too sure about it.
"Brynn," She was momentarily distracted by Gil's gruff and deep voice, he had been quietly taking down the Aragami using his Charge Spear, Brynn could see the way that he panted softly, "don't do anything reckless, you hear me?" Brynn could only grin before sending a wink.
"No promises." With a deep breath, she ran, nimbly dodging the Aragami that was in the way.
Brynn could hear Julius barking orders behind her, "Make sure that none of them manage to catch up to them. Let none of them out of your sight!"
"Five minutes... Five minutes is all that I need." Brynn felt her lungs begin to burn with the coldness of the air. It hurt, more than when the air was humid. She attempted to control her breath, to conserve it and save more energy. Her legs began to feel numb, the girl knew that she would have crumbled to the ground earlier if not for her fear and will.
Her blood ran cold when multiple red dots had appeared on the eyepiece. A couple Aragami had sprouted from a different area, she forced herself to run faster.
"Shit! Shit! Fuck!" She repeatedly curse, she hoped that the would make it in time before Aragami from their direction would appear. Nana's soft breathing had reminded her that they needed to keep going.
The blonde silently wished that she wouldn't trip or mess things up. The soft snow dusted them as she felt her heartbeat thump against the inside of her chest, ready to burst out any moment.
"Fucking shit."
Her worst fears had been confirmed the moment three Ogretails stomped out of the last turn that she had to make. Casually, she looked around, looking for an escape route. But each angle she looked at, an aragami had been there, ready to devour them.
"Nana, stand down, okay?" She coaxed the girl to slowly loosen her grip and stay behind her. Brynn grabbed her God Arc and readied her stance. There was no other choice but to fight.
So she would.
"If only I had Auricle with me." She murmured, running quickly to the nearest Aragami to Nana. She sliced it, then moved on to the next. A grin findings its way into her face. Instantly, she did a flip and readied her predator form, devouring the Zygote from above. It's egglike form crashing to the ground and black blood stained the ground.
She turned back to Nana, to check on how the fragile girl had been doing. Fortunately, all the Aragami had their attention towards her. She recalled Hibari's words that they had been aimed at her.
"Does Nana lowkey hate me?" She joked before starting a series of Impulse Edges the moment that a group of Ogretails had surrounded her. One of the Ogretails had knocked the eyepiece from her face.
"That's gonna cost me!" She pulled out predator again and as if imitating her rage, it devoured the entire bi-pedalled beast. "You'll pay with your life!"
The battle had seem ceaseless, but Brynn was down to the last two Ogretails. The blonde panted, leaning against her katana for support, but was quick to ready herself and cut through the both of them at the same time.
"That was some fight..." The snow had no longer been pristine white by the end of it. Patches of blood had impurified it, hers and the Aragamis. By the corner, was Nana who continued to sob into her hands.
"Thank god you're okay." The blonde sighed in relief as she limped towards her comrade. A silent prayer with wishes that the Aragami would no longer approach them.
Standing in front of her, pink eyes looked into her ochre ones. They were red and puffy from the tears that she shed.
"Brynn?" She croaked. "I-I'm sorry..." She began, clutching on to the leg which Brynn had slightly winced at. "I'm sorry that I'm so weak! If only I... If only I!" Brynn bent down and engulfed the other in a tight hug. Shushing her as she sobbed.
"Don't say that, Nana. You aren't weak. Okay? You're far from that." She comforted her, stroking her head, consequently messing it up in the process. "Now, let's go home?" Nana peered up at her and slowly nodded, somewhat decreasing her sobs.
Brynn had been first to stand and offered a hand towards her companion who gratefully took it. The Vice Captain chuckled and ruffled the girl's onyx black hair. This ellicited a chuckle.
"Brynn!" Nana's eyes had widened in surprise and she pointed towards the other's back. Instinctively, Brynn spun around, a Cocoon Maiden that stood about two feet above her was directly behind her.
"No!"
Nana's scream. The snow quickly falling from the sky. Blood staining the snow. Her blood. Slowly, she looked down, and saw that the Cocoon had impaled her stomach.
Instantly, the Aragami had been smashed, causing its body to fly away with the force that the hammer user had exerted. Along with it was the tentacle that impaled Brynn.
"Brynn!" Her vision was getting fuzzy and she felt her breath become ragged. She barely shivered when the cold snow met her bareskin and soaked her clothes that had also been stained with her blood.
"No! Stay awake! Here, I have a restore pill. Swallow it." She felt something being inserted into her mouth. Weakly, she swallowed, feeling the object travel down her throat. But it had little to no effect.
She could only feel garbled voices that she knew belonged to Nana. Struggling to stay awake was impossible. Instead, she gave in. The darkness quickly consumed her.
'Of all things I could have been killed by. I'm sorry I failed you.' She wondered if that would be her last fleeting thought.
'You will not die here. You shall not die now.'