A flying spike hit an Ogretail right at its chest. That poor thing fell on the floor before slowly stopped, dead. Another Ogretail leaped at me from behind. Nope, nothing could sneak up on me, not with my enhanced senses. My blade formed. I cleaved the Aragami behind me in two with single swing. Ogretail corpses around me disintegrated, became a puddle of black tar before completely evaporated.
"You never cease to amaze me Rena. Two Ogretails in three seconds." Dr. Sakaki voice coming out from intercom. He watches my training with my sister in a separated observation room.
"Yeah, you're incredible sis, to think that you even cut one of it in half..." My sister's eyes gleamed with admiration.
What? She didn't think this was repulsive? I fought just like them, Oracle against Oracle, yet she praised me instead? Oh right, how could I forgot that, she said it herself that she didn't care what happened as long as I'm still me. A word alone couldn't express my gratitude, she placed her unwavering faith in me.
"So doc, how's the results?" I put my blade on a tray he provided earlier. No doubt that he gonna examined my blade as well, perhaps even dismantling it.
"My scanner picking up an Oracle field around you Rena. Your body constantly emitting an exceptionally dense Oracle field. Your spikes formed from these field, which is also the reason why you can guide them."
"Talking about spikes, have you finished scanning my spike? The one that you took yesterday."
"It made up from hardened Oracle Cells. You can say it is tougher version of Ogretail spike."
Alright, this test gave a good insight on my ability. Wait a minute... He said I constantly emitting Oracle field? Not good. "Doc? Can we do something about my Oracle field? It will do no good to anyone beside me."
"No need to worry about that Rena. Your Oracle field structure is unique, extremely dense yet stable. It doesn't have any effect on almost anything, barely detectable in fact."
"Okay... I think I had enough test for now. Come sis, I'll make a milk tea for you." I left with my sister in tow. Dr. Sakaki stayed in the observation room, probably checking my results or something.
She already waiting expectantly on the seat. Milk tea as always, just like the old times. I put both cup on the table and sat in front of her. Her eyes shining with excitement. She drank it greedily and downed the entire cup in single go.
"Slow down sis, your milk tea won't run away even if you sip it slowly."
"Sorry, I don't have any milk tea until yesterday. There's no kitchen in my room and my refrigerator filled with nothing but canned coffee, juice, and beer."
Ah that was the reason she acted like this. I made another milk tea, this time I pour it into a large mug instead of cup.
"Here, try to drink this in single go if you can." I grinned at her.
She unexpectedly pouts at me and sipped her milk tea slowly. She murmured random words like meanie or something.
'Agreed, she is indeed a meanie.'
'That's my line you idiot.'
'See?' Rei laugh echoed in my head.
"Rina? Rena? Are you in there?" Lindow voice entering my room.
"Morning. Come in Lindow." I opened the door.
"Alright. You should go to lobby Rina, Tsubaki is coming up with an announcement. You don't want to make her waiting."
My sister visibly shuddered at the implication. How frightening this Tsubaki actually? My sister was quite gentle but not easily intimidated, for her to shivering like this...
"Of course. How about you Lindow?" My sister drank all her milk tea.
"I still have unfinished business here, I'll catch up with you soon."
"Okay, see you later sis, Lindow." She waved her hand and left us.
"See ya. Oh, don't forget asking Dr. Sakaki for spare card." I waved back at her before she closed the door. Lindow took an empty seat in front of me.
"So what kind of drink you want Lindow?"
"A beer will do."
"Right-o!" I opened my refrigator. My sister was right, it filled with nothing but juice, beer, and coffee. I took a can of beer and gave it to Lindow.
"Thanks." Lindow opened the can and drank it. He kept drinking for a while before stopped and put his beer on the table. "I have a favor to ask."
"Of course, what do you need Lindow?"
"There's a new recruit coming in. Alisa Illin... I forgot the rest, is a New-Type. She holds a record-breaking score in combat simulation, just like your sister. She will become a perfect addition for First Unit if not for her background."
"Background?" I took my sister's mug and washed it.
"It seems she has slightly unstable mind. I heard that she is under a special mental healthcare program for as long as she stays here. Can you watch her for me?"
"I really want to help you Lindow, but why me? I can't freely walking around you see."
"How far you can hear a conversation Rena?"
"Hm... Two floors give or take."
"That's enough. Don't worry about walking around, just tell me if you find something interesting."
"Sure, but it's better if you asked my sister as well. Her hearing is not as good as mine but she can move around without raising suspicion."
"Will do, I have to go now, got a boring paperwork to do." He drank all his beer and threw the empty can to a trash bin.
"See you later Lindow."
He closed the door just as Dr. Sakaki came out from training room. He held a stack of paper on his hand, definitely my test result.
"Hey doc, I'm kinda bored in here. Can you bring me some book? Maintenance crew manual if possible, or at least anything that close to it."
"Why manual?"
"For knowledge. I'm an engineer graduate, I want to join maintenance crew when I'm not running around chasing Aragami. As you can see, things doesn't turn out as it supposed to be and now I end up with even more spare time than I initially thought."
"I'll see what I can do."
Dr. Sakaki surely kind. He gave me whole set of maintenance crew manual and few other extra. More than two dozen books now stacked near my sofa, enough to fill few weeks worth of my spare time. I took the first volume of maintenance manual and began reading it.
Man, it was unexpectedly complex. Way more than what they taught me back at Magnolia. So becoming an Aragami didn't automatically made me smarter I guess.
My hand reached for box that my sister gave to me yesterday and took out a dark brown Core. Ah, Cocoon Maiden's Core, good, it would be a waste to gave me rare Cores. A Distinct bell ringing from far side of this floor just as I about to swallowed it.
Three persons came out from elevator on this floor. Judging from their footsteps they were heading to this place.
My guess was confirmed when they knocked Dr. Sakaki's door.
"Please come in, take a seat. Your lesson will begin shortly"
New scents entering my room not long after Dr. Sakaki replied to them. One of it was a fresh vanilla like scent which undoubtedly belonged to my sister, the two others were a dirt like scent and strange flowery scent mixed with a tinge of cigarette.
Dr. Sakaki said that only First Unit that regularly visiting him, that brought me a new question. Who was the owner of these new scent? Definitely not Lindow, Soma, or Sakuya. That mean... it was the boy with yellow cap that shown up in my sister's memories and the new Russian recruit that Lindow said earlier.
"Do you know what's Oracle is?" Dr. Sakaki asked.
"A single-celled organism that make up an Aragami." An unknown girl answered Dr. Sakaki question.
"Correct Alisa. Aragami formed from a colony of countless Oracle Cells. These Cells gathered around a specialized structure called Core, which act like a command center..."
...
...
...
It was boring as hell.
I didn't know how my sister survived in Dr. Sakaki's lecture without even yawning. He taught them basic theory of Oracle Cells, which I'd learned few years ago, for an hour straight. Thankfully his torture ended abruptly because he was needed in his lab. All of them except my sister left Dr. Sakaki's room and heading to elevator.
Predictably my door opened and my sister stood in front of it.
"Afternoon sis."
"Afternoon." She made a cup of milk tea and coffee for both of us. "So, did Lindow asked for your help?"
"He did. What do you say about her?"
"She's cheeky and arrogant. Tsubaki said that her score almost as high as mine in simulation, that's probably the source of her arrogance." She put both cup on table and sat in front of me.
"Ah, superiority complex, one of the few things that I can't tolerate. Lindow said about she's being unstable, any sign of that?"
"Now if I think about it she reflexively flinched when Lindow grab her shoulder this morning. Strange... she did fine when I tapped her shoulder after that."
"I see. We must tell Lindow about this." I took a sip of coffee that she gave me.
My sister nodded in agreement. "Say, can you help me? I want to hunt some Gboro-Gboro for my God Arc, Hibari said there're two of them in Sunken Grid." She stared expectantly at me with wide eyes.
Damn, when did she learned to make such dangerous puppy like expression? There was no way I could deny her request, especially after she melted my heart like this.
"I'll ask Dr. Sakaki first. Just tell me whenever you ready."
"Yeey, thank you sis. Oh yeah it's time for my lunch. I'll tell Lindow after this." She beamed at me for a while before finally left my room.
Seeing her cheerful face brought warmth to my heart. She was my last family member I had and we've gone through many hardships together. I would try my best to keep her safe.
"Come with me Rena, I need to do few test on you." Dr. Sakaki surprised me, he already stood on the door leading to training room.
'Focus Rena. You have sensitive senses yet a normal person caught you off guard, what a miserable sight.'
'I thought I might got a day free of your annoying noise, but that's just impossible.'
"I need to ask you something first doc..."
It was a good bargain. He gave me permission to use helicopter and his private pilot in return for few vials of blood and full body X-ray scan as research material. How rich he was actually? He even had a private helipad, but then again, he was a head scientist in Far East Branch so his pocket probably fully loaded.
"Okay where's that walking fish we're supposed to hunt?"
Both of us stood on a ledge near Sunken Grid. Just like what I learned, this place was a power plant that long ago supplied electricity to nearby city. Now it nothing more than flora infested ruins.
"According to Hibari it should be... there, and there!" My sister pointing her short blade God Arc at each corner of Sunken Grid.
It was a finned Aragami with cannon on its nose. Both of them wandering around in different side of Sunken Grid.
"Got it. Wait here sis, I'll take care of the rest." I jumped down from the ledge. Unexpectedly another thud came from behind me. Oh great, she followed me down.
"Sis? I've told you I'll take care of it."
"No, this is my job, we'll do this together." She sternly stared at me.
"No way. You might get wounded in this mission. Stay back sis."
"I can say the same. You might be stronger than God Eater but you're not invincible."
"I'm different. I can regenerate any wound, unlike you sis." I snapped back at her.
"Oh yeah? My score in Aragami simulation is not a decoration you know?"
I gave up. There was no way I could change her mind and I definitely didn't want to make her disappointed. "Fine... just promise me that you'll be careful alright?"
"I promise." She smiled at me.
If I think about it, our fighting style was radically different. She relied on speed, her short blade and buckler was a solid proof to that. I'm on the other hand relied on raw power. I'm not as nimble as my sister but every blow I delivered always fatal to lesser Aragami and highly damaging on larger one.
We both charging at Gboro-Gboro head on. My sister aimed at its fins while I swung my blade at its head. My blade was ineffective, its cannon merely scratched a bit. A bright idea entered my mind. If I couldn't cut it, I would crush it instead. I tossed away my blade, moment later a pair of thick white carapace like gauntlets formed on my arms. I smirked madly at the fish like Aragami while cracking my armored knuckles. This way I could grind it to a meatball without injuring my own arms.
I renewed my charge and jumped at its head. My gauntlet crashing down on its cannon and shattered it. The Gboro-Gboro immediately enraged and charging right at me, conveniently disregarding my sister that slashed its fins. It leaped at me with mouth wide open. I drove my fist forward and smashing its teeth. It reeled back a bit before rampaging around and shot its stubby cannon at random direction.
Both of us jumping back just in time. I created few spikes and let it flew right at its face. My sister swapped her God Arc blade with multi barreled assault gun. She hails down Gboro-Gboro with molten Oracle bullets. It wiggled around, desperately tried to extinguish the molten bullet before slowly stopped moving, permanently. I delivered a straight punch and tore away its Core. My sister used her Predator mode and took few materials for her God Arc.
Alright, one down, one more to go. Where did that other fish hiding now? A sound of something wet splashed on ground far away behind us. There, our last target was standing on an elevated platform with its back fin raised. Nope, I'm out of its firing range. Wait a minute, it aimed its cannon at... My sister?
"Run awa-"
"Aaaahh"
"RINA?!"
My sister thrown aside. She took a harsh water cannon and landed near me. The missing Gboro-Gboro now stood still from distance, as if it was mocking me. I dashed to my sister side.
She was mostly unharmed. That cannon merely grazed and knocked her out, what a relief. That damn pathetic fish... it dared to attack my sister... There gonna be hell to pay.
It charging right at me. Too late, I had finished changing. I swatted it aside with my clawed hand. It flew to my right and crashed into power plant wall. Most of its face now cracked and heavily bleeding. I pounced on its back and pinning it down.
"This..." I snapped its cannon. "Is..." I crushed its back fin. "Payback..." Its left fin now nothing more than a stump. "For..." Its right fin lay few meters away from it. "Rina..." Its tail fin now as flat as paper. "Now... Die!" My right leg stomping its torso over and over again.
"Stop it, I beg you, please come back..." Tiny arms wrapped around my left leg.
I looked down and found two wet brown orbs staring back at me. My sister, her tears quelled my rage. What the hell did I do? I relased my Aragami form immediately.
"Sorry sis I- eeeh?" I fell on my back in a pool of Aragami blood. Sweet metallic scent of blood impregnate air around us. Very familiar sobs came from my chest. This position again... "Sorry sis, I went overboard a wee bit " I smiled sheepishly at her.
"A wee bit? You went berserk on that Aragami! Look what you did to it." She pointed her finger at Gboro-Gboro corpse.
The only thing that could be identified was its head, the rest of it reduced to a mass of red and purple paste. Damn, I really went too far. "Okay okay, I went overboard... a little."
"A little?! I thought I was losing you for good this time! Stupid sis..." She kept crying on my chest, completely ignoring the fact that both of us painted in crimson red from Aragami blood.
It took a good few minutes to calmed her down. Thankfully she got enough materials for her God Arc despite the fact that I literally pulverized one of it. On our way back she clung to my arm tightly, not that I mind it but why? Did she afraid that I would lose myself? My rage was not a result from my condition, anyone would retaliate with fury if their family members threatened.
Eventually, she let go my arm when we reached Dr. Sakaki's helipad. We came in one by one to avoid suspicion, I'm disguising as her so it was a no-no for us to walking together.
My hard work this day rewarded with a bathtub full of warm bath. My bloodied uniform now lies on the floor and I squeezed a soap bottle over my tub. A strong scent emerging from it. Lavender? Not my favorite, oh well, I got this for free anyway. I washed away any blood that stuck to my body in a separated shower. Slowly I sat in the tub after made sure that nothing remained on me. My muscles relaxed, nothing could beat a tub of warm bath, definitely not that pitiful lava pool.
"The composition of our air remains at it always was. 79% nitrogen. 21% oxygen."
Oh man, that Dr. Sakaki began his torture session again. I felt sorry for you sis.
'Oy Rei, this is what I meant with a warm bath, not lava lake you forced me into.'
'It has the same function to me. I don't get it, why you pour bubbly stuff that human call soap into your tub?'
'Usually it for cleaning myself but you gonna say that's a waste, so I say it's out of habit.' I smirked mentality at him.
'Smartass'
I laughed at his replied. What an unexpected turn out. I felt anger on first time we met. He selfishly took away my humanity, unintentionally but still... Then he taught me how to adapting to my new body. Honestly, I didn't think I could make it. I probably lost in the wild, or became feral at worst if not for his help. I hate to admit but he had grown on me. He was a close friend, an annoying, loud, naive, yet kind and caring friend.
"Zzzz...No. mom. earmuffs don't go on the cookie... Zzzz"
One of Dr. Sakaki's student had fallen, two more remained. How the heck that my sister survived his onslaught? My hand grabbed a towel and left my tub, it became cold after quite some time. I left my bathroom and heading to kitchen for a cup of tea.
"Tell me, have either of you heard the term. 'Nova's Devouring Apocalypse'?"
Nova what? Something like end of the world?
'What is he talking about?'
It's the end of a cycle on this world. Devouring Apocalypse is both the beginning and the end of everything. Once initiated it will consume this world and redistribute everything, sending the entire world back to its original form. Sort of master reset button in human term.'
'You seem like awfully knowledgeable about this.'
'It has a connection with me and my past. Before you ask, No, I don't want to talk about it.'
There, his sadness leaking out again. It was useless, I couldn't do anything for him if he didn't want my help.
"Dog are intelligent. They cannot speak, but they have a natural form of communication with other species. If an Aragami were to take on these sort of quantities, would that Aragami then be able to co-exist with us?"
Now he was talking about dog. What did he said was true though, Rei was a proof to that. Too bad he didn't have his own body.
"Now I want to show you something important. You must promise that you will not tell anyone about this. If this is too much for you feel free to leave this room."
"I promise doc." The young boy replied.
"You have my word." Alisa also agreed to him.
"Wonderful, please come out Rena."
What the hell? When he said something important he meant me? "Are you serious about this doc?"
"Yes. Come out now." Dr. Sakaki knocked my door.
"Fine, let's get this over with." I left my still untouched tea on my table and opened the door.
"Rena Asari, nice to meet ya." I raised my hand at them.
"Hello sis." My sister waved back at me.
They stared at me in silence. One... Two... Three...
"WHAAAAT?!" Both of them exclaimed.
"I will hold you responsible for this." I glared at Dr. Sakaki.
"How? I never heard a sentient Aragami like this." Alisa's tone filled with disbelief.
"Sister? As sister in sibling? Are you an Aragami too Rina?" The yellow capped boy snapped his head toward my sister.
"No, she isn't. I'm not Aragami by birth. I was infected during compatibility test and before I know it I become like this."
"Whoaaa, this is the first time I see a survivor from Aragami infection. I'm Kota Fujiki."
Kota huh? Both he and Romeo was noisy. I turned my head at Alisa. Nothing wrong with her at first glance, but the way her muscle tensed as our eyes met, her increased heartbeat, her subtle labored breath, it obvious that she was afraid of me. Am I really that scary? Nahh, Kota merely got elevated heartbeat for a moment when I entered this room.
"I'm going back to my room doc."
"Hold on Rena, our veteran engineer, Licca, need your help."
"Me? How? I haven't even met her before." I raised my eyebrow at him.
"She asked for Rina's help at first, she was okay with you after I told her about you."
"What? Don't just go around and tell people about me doc."
"She is working on a project that will raise all God Eaters survivability on the field. An important project no doubt, that's why I ask you to help her."
A project to increasing God Eaters likelihood to survived a mission? Of course I would do that, Rina and Lindow safety was my first priority. I would gladly throw my cover away if it would help them. "Where should I meet her?"
"God Arc storage facility, three floor below us."
I put on my hood and sunglasses. "Okay I'm off."
Umm... did I misread the direction sign? Didn't think so, but why I'm in a junkyard instead? This room barely resembled a storage facility. Broken God Arc lying around me like a pile of garbage. Some God Arc even missing part of it, New-Type God Arc without its shield, Old-Type sniper with missing handle, and so on. The stench of oil and rust thickened as I move forward.
A footstep came from other side of this room, I'm not alone in here. "Hello? Anybody home?"
"Yes, come in." A voice belonged to a girl answered my question.
It was a young girl with silver hair and red goggles cladded in Fenrir maintenance crew green jumpsuit and a sports bra. She dragged a broken God Arc from one pile to another.
"Do you know where I can find Licca?" I moved closer to the girl.
"That's me. So you're the one that Dr. Sakaki mentioned. I'm Licca Kusunoki, nice to meet you." She offered me a handshake.
"I believe Dr. Sakaki have informed you about my condition?" I took her offer.
"Yes, you're a survivor from Aragami Infection. Sorry about the mess, there's a massive abandoned God Arc storage relocation. This place being used as a temporary storage until we can move it to its proper place."
That explained a lot. "Abandoned God Arc?"
"A term for unusable God Arc. Broken beyond repair, losing its user, no compatible match, and so on"
"Okay... what would you do with it?"
"Any working part will be used to strengthening existing God Arc, their Core will be used in new God Arc creation."
That means they wasted nothing, smart move. Magnolia never taught me about upgrading God Arc like this. A new technique perhaps. "Okay, now back to business, what do you need?"
"Come with me, I'll show you my project." Licca walked away with me in her trail.
We arrived in a different room. This place was smaller, yet much neater than before. There was only a single strange-looking human-sized rectangular metal framed machine and similar palm-sized machine on a table.
"This is a model of Link Support Device." She tapped the larger machine. "This thing can give many kinds of benefit to entire team. It can Increase muscle strength, erect a single use Oracle barrier, weaken Aragami strength, strike them with paralysis, and much more. Assuming we can finish this project of course."
"Wow... I'm impressed. Alright I'm in, what do you need?" Dr. Sakaki was right, this would surely help everyone. Glad I'm agreed to his request.
"How much do you know about engineering?" Licca put back the device and took a clipboard from nearby table.
"I've completed my engineering class along with intensive engineering extra courses. So... as much as intermediate engineer perhaps?"
"Great, read this." She gave me her clipboard.
It was a schematic for Link Support Device. Holy... It took a tremendous amount of materials for such device. Its base circuit alone took few dozens of assorted Aragami at least. Why this device had four slots for God Arc? This circuit leading to God Arc, that means... genius...
"This Link Support Device utilize the uniqueness in each God Arc Core to send out different effect." I returned her clipboard.
"Correct, there's a drawback to it. Naturally, the God Arc owner can't partake any mission until their God Arc returned."
"And what's that thing?" I pointed my finger at smaller box on the table.
"A failed side project. I was planning to use that as a replacement for God Arc, which is impossible for now. Maybe I'll try it again after this Link Support Device finished." Licca sighed.
"That means you want me to collect all necessary materials. Kay I can do that, give me the list."
"Dr. Sakaki asked me to give this to you." Licca gave me a headset along with a piece of paper. "A heavy-duty Oracle infused headset. It's modified to bypass operator. You can directly contact me, Dr. Sakaki, or anyone near you."
"That's nice, thanks Licca." I put both of it in my pocket. "Anything else?"
"Can you help me sort these abandoned God Arc? There're few pairs of Oracle resistant gloves in that locker."
'No need to wear it. Poor artificial Aragami like that is harmless to us, if anything, we can use it as emergency ration.'
Well that convenient, I didn't have to wear those oversized gloves. I stopped at nearby pile of mixed broken God Arc. It was as high as my chest. Okay, this gonna be a pain in the ass.