Chapter 10 - Calm Before The Storm
Pocket Dimension of Scáthach - God Eater World - The next day after the end of the previous chapter
(Scáthach's P.O.V)
I sigh pleasantly as I relax in the waters of my Pocket dimension's indoor hot spring with my eyes closed, enjoying the water while just letting the time pass away without care due to just how fantastic the warmth of the Hot Spring is for relaxation..
"Enjoying yourself Alisa..?" I ask while opening my eyes to see the white-haired Russian God Eater just lost in her own world, her mind in bliss due to just how warm and relaxing the hot springs are considering Fenrir rarely has anything remotely this good in terms of creature comforts…
I sigh softly, deciding to nudge Alisa through the Conjunction link between us to snap her out of that blissful trance and once she finally does snap out of it, she blushes in embarrassment before she finally replies.. "Y-yes Mistress, honestly back in Russia we had at best warm yet short showers…"
Not surprising considering that I suspect that in colder countries, the command structure would be quite strict on the use of hot water, especially due to how limited it may be because of military rationing that may be in effect.
"So, has Doctor Oguruma been causing any problems Alisa..?" I ask, having been informed of her personal doctor's exact name recently although despite having a name to the man's face, I can't help but still worry about the unfortunately required time alone with the man anyway, Thankfully however, Alisa shakes her head and soon replies by saying..
"Thankfully he's not tried to renew the brainwashing beyond that one time earlier and considering what I do remember about the times I was pulled in for such, he won't do it again for a few days in order to not come off as suspicious.." Alisa's words helped to soothe my worries while also adding a vital piece of information so I can plan around the doctor's actions..
That's assuming of course that Alisa's latest treatment isn't her last, as if I recall correctly there would only be one before the inevitable church mission. However, if the last treatment IS her last, then I have at most only a few days before said church mission and I think it would be best to arrange for Alisa to get her own personal Aragami Guardian..
"Say Alisa…how would you like your own Aragami to protect you..?" I ask, making the White-haired God Eater freeze as she processes my words before shaking her head in response and saying.. "I…dunno Mistress, I know your Darksteel Vajra is alright but that's only because I, quite literally, have to share a headspace with you, my cloak, and of course the Darksteel Vajra himself.."
I frown as she raises a good point, although she's gotten used to all of this otherworldly stuff so far, I should try to not be so quick to push an Aragami on her just yet. With that in mind, I decided to push the question off to one side for the moment as I slowly stand up in the hot spring in order to get out..
As I step out of the hot spring dripping with the water from the hot spring, I catch Alisa sneaking brief glances at my particularly large ass, making me smirk and say.. "See something you like Alisa~?". Alisa blushes bright red and tries desperately to hide her embarrassment by lowering herself further into the water..
I can't help but give an amused giggle while walking out of the indoor hot spring room with a noticeable sway to my hips, knowing full well I'll have the Russian God-Eater's eyes on me as I leave to get dressed.
Almost as soon as I leave the room, I smirk as I hear Alisa getting out as she doesn't want to bathe alone, watching the poor girl rush to get dry and grab her clothes so no one notices anything at first..
Thankfully there are Hot showers in the Far East Branch so it's not like she'll be suspected even on closer inspection. Once I finish getting my bodysuit, I decide to head to the kitchen and grab a can of coca cola to drink as right now there are no pressing missions for the day, so we're all free to enjoy our time as we please..
Tomorrow, however, I will be sparring with Soma and I have a feeling that Director Johannes will be watching quite intently. Speaking of the Director though, it's rather troubling to try and reconcile the fact the rather calm and admittedly charismatic man is willing to cause a devouring apocalypse just so that his chosen few can take over the planet right after..
Although in the end, even though he is locked in as the human antagonist of God Eater 1, actually having had the time to interact with the man has tempered my impression of him. As they say, after all, it's harder to fight someone as an enemy when you know them beyond mere acquaintances..
I am soon broken out of my thoughts as I spot Alisa comes out of her new room in her usual attire, strangely when she chose her new room multiple copies of her own outfit although only her outfit unlike me where I got multiple different outfits, making me wonder if it's just a unique feature of the Pocket Dimension home tied to having the Shroud of Power.
Unique features pertaining to binding methods aside, I notice Alisa enter the Kitchen with me and open the fridge before asking.. "Hey Mistress, am I allowed to take a can of coca cola out of the Pocket Dimension with me..?".
As much as I want to allow it, I shake my head while saying.. "Unfortunately not, it's not something you find in your world anymore so It would be too suspicious if the can was found outside of the pocket dimension…" My response disappoints Alisa but she thankfully chooses not to press the issue at least..
With that settled, Alisa grabs a can of the delicious black liquid and chooses to enjoy it while she is able to, the two of us just relaxing for the moment as we take small sips of our choice of sugary drink.
Once we're done enjoying our shared guilty pleasure, however, we both decide to leave the pocket dimension in separate portals leading to our own rooms as that is how we've managed to keep up the ruse of not being so closely associated with each other so far, making sure to lock the doors to our rooms before using the portals we can create into the Pocket Dimension..
With any luck though, once Director Johannes is dealt with, I may be able to arrange things so that Alisa becomes my apprentice so to speak, potentially leveraging my status as the creator of the Dual Blade God Arcs in order to have her permanently assigned to me with the aid of Dr. Sakaki..
By that point, my presence wouldn't be required anyway since without Johannes to kick things off the original plot would be completely rendered null, at least until God Eater 2 rolls around and the bullshit regarding the devouring apocalypse starts again for a second time around..
Something I don't honestly think I'll be here in time for to deal with, although personally speaking, I do have great faith in the cast to perform the same world-saving feats as they would in canon, perhaps with my creation at that!
Fenrir Far East Branch, Director's Office - God Eater World - Several Hours later
(General P.O.V)
"Another request for Scáthach to be sent to Fenrir Headquarters I take it…?" Dr. Sakaki says with a knowing smile as he stares at the frustrated expression of Director Johannes Von Schicksal who seems to be particularly annoyed at the attempts to have the enigmatic woman brought to Fenrir HQ, especially after creating the Dual Blade God Arc which has only made the requests from the brass much more frequent.
"Indeed, it seems that with every request I deny, three more appear within the next 24hrs of the denial of the request…" Director Johannes says as has no desire to humor the brass regarding Scáthach, not when his own plans regarding her are slowly progressing to a desirable state..
Although while had expected the rumors between the two, he hadn't expected them to get so out of hand so quickly. He does fear that the rumors may put an unneeded strain in the blossoming bond between the two and the longer it takes for the two to grow close enough to potentially engineer a situation where the bond can become more carnal in nature rather than merely the loose definition of friends that they are currently in his mind...
"Speaking of requests Director, I do have one of my own regarding matters related to our enigmatic sorceress.." Dr. Sakaki says, making Johannes quite curious as he gestures with his hands to proceed with his request..
"Well, I do believe we should get around to figuring out if Miss Scáthach's abilities can be learned to some degree or if they're entirely genetic in nature, as such I believe we should implore her to begin teaching one of our God Eaters how to use such abilities, assuming of course, they can be taught in the first place.." Dr. Sakaki says, smiling while giving his request as his mind buzzes with the possibilities...
Director Johannes himself also shares such enthusiasm to learn which of the two scenarios is true although he has no desire to cease his current plans regarding Scáthach no matter what the result is as the more her status grows, the more she'll be sought out by those looking to have her for themselves...
Hence why he has been firmly denying requests from headquarters to have her brought to Fenrir Headquarters, he has a strong hunch that these requests are coming directly from the brass in an attempt to try and strongarm Scáthach into either fully enlisting, which would put her under their direct authority, or an arranged marriage in order to trap her that way..
Although he doubts either would work though, hence why he is doing things with a more subtle and natural approach rather than whatever the brass may come up with. With the sheer power Scáthach possesses, such forceful methods would see her as an enemy of Fenrir and he has a hunch that she would be capable of potentially decimating Fenrir should her hand be forced.
"I share your desire to see if Miss Scáthach's magic can be taught and as such I will be assigning New-Type God Eater Alisa Ilinichina Amiella to her on a more regular basis.." Director Johannes says, much to Dr. Sakaki's own surprise as he had expected one of the Old-Types to take center stage, but there are multiple layers of reasoning for the Director's decision here..
One such reason is that due to the fact New-Type God Eaters are capable of switching between Melee Weapon Type and Gun Type God Arcs, Those like Aki Tamashiro and Alisa Ilinichina Amiella who are New-Type God Eaters themselves, are most likely the most capable of benefitting from Scáthach's teachings as Old-Types are limited to one type of weapon rather than being able to switch freely..
Another is that it would further prove the potential of New-Type God Eaters as a whole, making this a very good potential propaganda move for greenlighting the New-Type God Eater process for the newer God Eaters...
And finally, the more hidden motive regarding putting Alisa forward rather than Aki Tamashiro is to be able to have a brainwashed Sorceress under his control. However, this plan doesn't come without risk as the Director realizes that should Scáthach discover the brainwashing through whatever mystical power she holds, her Ire would be directed squarely at him...
Of course, he is more than prepared to redirect said Ire toward the actual brainwasher and would more than likely be killed for his actions, which would be unfortunate but if it serves to ensure he himself can remain alive to carry out Project Aegis, then he is more than willing to allow the good Doctor Oguruma to take the fall for actions he took under his orders technically..
However, if in the end, he is unable to escape Scáthach's wrath from this gambit, then he fully intends to ensure that there will be someone who will one day do what he could not. It is something he has already laid the groundwork for already, all it would take is the right person with the right mindset to discover his potentially unfinished legacy...
Regardless it does occur to him that the contingency may never be needed, but he did not get to the position of power he has today by putting all his bets onto one gambit alone, as appealing as that gambit may end up being in the end.
But there is one thing on his mind that does complicate matters even further, that being the possibility that Scáthach may possess the means to deal with the Aragami once and for all due to her magic, something that would invalidate the need for his Aegis Project.
It is that possibility that has been ever in the back of his mind as of late, that all this scheming and all of this planning, the sheer amount of destruction and death that would come from the True nature of the Aegis project would be unnecessary should Scáthach have the means to combat the Aragami without triggering a Devouring Apocolypse...
The main reason why he hasn't ultimately asked Scáthach if she can cleanse the world of Aragami is both because he is worried he'll reveal his secret plans as well as dreading the possibility that Scáthach lacks the ability to do just that...
"Interesting choice of candidate, however, I myself approve of the choice myself as while I would have preferred suggesting Miss Tamashiro, Miss Amiella will do just fine indeed!" Dr. Sakaki says with delight as either way a New-Type God Eater would be learning directly from Scáthach regardless...
With that settled, all that remains is to run the offer by the enigmatic woman herself and hope that she is willing to humor them on this one. All while the two are unaware that Scáthach herself has already taken a strong interest in Alisa anyway…
Fenrir Far East Branch - The Next Day
(Scáthach's P.O.V)
This morning I was greeted by a particularly interesting situation in the form of Alisa being assigned to me in the same way Soma was previously, only now she's not just being assigned to work with me on the field but also become my apprentice so to speak...
Something that I was intending to have sorted at a later date but only after the Director was dealt with, meaning I can't help but feel like the assignment of Alisa to myself has ulterior motives in mind.
However, it is beneficial to me because it means we have a legitimate reason to hang out now so it won't be so odd if we started to frequently do stuff together as I can just say it's just bonding between master and apprentice…
Regardless today is also the day that the sparring match between me and Soma kicks off, something I am quite eager to do myself as it may help with trying to sort out the fucking rumors between us as well..
This is why right now I am just wandering about the halls to pass the time before the match is to start, taking the time to explore while I can in order to collect my thoughts. However, as I pass around a corner, I bump into someone and we fall to the ground with me deftly catching a coffee cup as it flies in the air..
Immediately my nose is met with the scent of ash and secondhand smoke as I gaze at the man who I had bumped into, Dr. Daigo Oguruma himself. The man groans as he shakes his head before looking to see who bumped into him, eyes widening when he realizes exactly who it is and he says..
"Hey, Scáthach was it, heard you'd be taking the young lass as your apprentice is it true..?" Dr. Oguruma asks as I simply nod, the two of us getting up as I can feel both my shroud of shadows and the Darksteel Varja hidden in my shadow react to the man's presence with the latter of the two growling through the conjunction link..
While at first, I had intended to keep well away from the man, it seems fate has decided otherwise. However it is right there I get an idea, a particularly ruthless one at that as I decide to keep him distracted..
"Indeed I am, considering you were her personal doctor would you be able to give me any ideas for bonding with her, aside from confidential stuff of course..?" I say while trying to sneak a rune on the bottom of Oguruma's coffee cup with a very specific effect to it.
"Tch if you had asked me something regarding any of her previous medical conditions I might be able to help you out, but bonding ideas I'm not exactly the best to ask really.." Dr. Oguruma says as I simply nod in response, almost done with the rune as I soon ask...
"Speaking of which, does she have any medical conditions I should be aware of as training her will be fairly physically draining for her…" My words made Dr. Oguruma take a moment to think, before shaking his head and responding by saying...
"Fortunately nothing like that ails her, just some mental stuff I shall refrain from breaking confidentiality over.." I give a firm nod in response, having only now finished placing the rune at the bottom of Dr. Oguruma's coffee cup, and decide to end the conversation by saying..
"Alright then, thank you for answering my questions regarding Miss Amiella Doctor.." while handing him the coffee cup in my hands, the man quickly remembered that he dropped it and thanked me for catching it, soon heading for the elevator...
All that remains now is to let the inevitable happen and the rune will do the rest..
Fenrir Far East Branch, Testing Chamber - Not long after lunchtime
(Scáthach's P.O.V)
I firmly grip my twin spears as I gaze at Soma opposite me, the two of us just waiting for both Dr. Sakaki and Director Johannes to arrive in the viewing room so we can begin. As we wait I decide to talk with Soma by saying..
"So apparently there are rumors about us, particularly ones that feature us in a more…committed form of bond.." Soma briefly looks confused before his eyes light up in realization before he scowls while blushing, he lets out a frustrated sigh before saying..
"I'm not surprised, considering you tend to prance about in that goddamn bodysuit of yours, part of me wonders how you can stand to walk about in something like that…" Soma's words irked me slightly as I admittedly enjoy walking about in this body suit that admittedly does show off my curves quite well indeed..
Regardless it seems to me Soma was unaware of the rumors until now, making me wonder if said rumors are actually widespread or if they're just not said in earshot of Soma himself. Ultimately I believe it is the latter as his prior reputation may have shielded him from having to hear it before now, either way, it is clear that the rumors need to be dealt with at some point.
Right now though, I can see that Dr. Sakaki and Director Johannes have arrived, meaning the match will begin very shortly. Director Johannes moves to the front of the viewing room and picks up a microphone before saying… "The match between Miss Scáthach and one Soma Schicksal shall begin momentarily.."
I give an excited smile as I am particularly looking forward to the fight ahead, something Soma seems to share as the two of us ready our weapons. It's a tense silence between us as we await for the Director to start the match, however, we don't end up waiting long as soon we are given the signal to begin...
I rush forward with my right-hand lance thrusting forward to try and get an early lead on the fight. However, Soma immediately grips his Buster Sword with two hands and goes in for a heavy-handed horizontal swing that forces me to leap over the blade instead, ruining my offensive for the moment.
I move my left-handed lance to begin the formation of an Ansuz rune in the air, something that Soma is quick to notice as he immediately activates his tower shield just in time to block a blast of flames slamming into his God Arc.
As I land on the ground once more I blur forward in a burst of speed to take advantage of the slower shifting speed of the Tower Shield and after quickly twirling my spear so the butt of it is facing forward, slam the blunt end of my right-handed spear into Soma's stomach which knocks him back while also winding him.
However, despite being winded, Soma quickly brings down his Buster Sword in a downward swing with all of his might, forcing me to perform a cross-guard with my lances to block the bulky blade.
Even with the power I have as an Incarnated servant, trying to block a hulking ton of metal in the shape of a fucking sword is a struggle. With this in mind, I quickly force his blade back while giving a hard kick to Soma's stomach to slam him into the wall.
The moment Soma's body briefly bounces off of the Testing Chamber wall, I throw the right-handed spear to nail him by his own clothes to the Testing Chamber wall and when Soma tries to pull his jacket off in time to get free, I blur forward one final time with my remaining lance in my dominant right hand while my left one is restraining the hand that holds his Buster Sword in his grasp.
I give a smug smirk to Soma as I get close and say... "Soma, you should have long expected this outcome by now considering how I dealt with Captain Amamiya~!". However, instead of any sort of annoyed comeback as I had expected, Soma is quiet and….blushing..?
It's only then, to my own horror and mortification at that, do I realize how this looks to those watching the sparring match unfold. "With the incapacitation of Soma Schicksal, Miss Scáthach is the winner of today's sparring match!" Director Johannes says with a particularly pleased grin on his face as my own face goes bright red with mortified embarrassment.
Fucking hell, I think I may have just added fuel to the fire regarding the rumors…!
Meanwhile, Doctor Oguruma's Office - At the very beginning of the match
(General P.O.V)
Doctor Daigo Oguruma sits at his desk working on his notes regarding Alisa and the latest psych evaluation regarding Alisa, noting that ever since the mission with Scáthach prior, Alisa seemed less tense and showed signs of relaxing around others.
However, as far as he is aware, the brainwashing he put Alisa through hasn't been broken so it would work well enough for when the Director finally chooses to get rid of that snooping Male Amamiya…
He takes another drag of his cigarette as he ponders as to whether or not to put forward an idea to potentially brainwash the sorceress herself if given the chance, but decides to hold off on the idea for now until Lindow is dealt with.
He idly grabs his cup of coffee, noticing how he ended up spending too much time on his notes and he let his coffee go cold. However, he is not one to kick his caffeine intake just because the coffee isn't hot anymore and takes several sips of the coffee.
He does not notice that the moment the first drops hit his lips, the hidden rune magecraft on the bottom of his cup glows faintly before disappearing. The effects are not immediate and after several more sips, Dr. Daigo Oguruma grunts in pain as he feels a strong discomfort in his heart..
"Ugh, might be time to cut back on indulging, don't want to risk having a heart atta—?!" Doctor Oguruma says before he is cut off as he grips his chest tightly, eyes bloodshot and in pain, as he struggles to call for help.
As he tries to scramble out of his seat to get medical assistance, he ultimately passes out on top of his desk with his heart finally giving in. The Autopsy would later cite that Doctor Daigo Oguruma died of a heart attack brought on by his constant smoking habit which was exasperated by the coffee he had earlier.
All while no one would know the true cause of the heart attack being the rune placed on Doctor Daigo Oguruma's cup which had long since disappeared by the time staff had found him dead on his own desk…
And with the death of Doctor Daigo Oguruma, Scáthach has made the next move to dismantle Director Johannes's plan, all while the director himself still remains completely unaware of Scáthach's involvement in Oguruma's death due to the Autopsy report..
Author's note
Hey everyone, I am sorry about taking so damn long with this one as once again IRL has been getting in the way and persistent delays have just made it difficult to keep the intended schedule.
Starting to think I'll only be able to keep the base promise of Two Chapters a month at this rate but I don't want to jinx even THAT so let's cut to the story points.
Alisa and Scáthach bonding
Just some nice fluff between the two since Alisa is Scáthach's first true capture that isn't the myriad of Aragami she caught and sold up til now. Plus some comments to help explain why Alisa is not getting her hidden guardian as intended just yet.
I had to scrap that plot line for the moment since It would be too soon for Alisa to trust an Aragami to protect her as Scáthach does with her Darksteel Vajra. As such I will be putting that idea on the back-burner and swapping it for a more clandestine plot point.
The Director's Meeting with Doctor Sakaki
Again more non-contractor P. in order to help flesh out events that are occurring without Scáthach being aware of it. This is also to help lay the groundwork for stuff all the way in God Eater 2 should we ever return at some point to deal with that, as I highly doubt Director Johannes is a man who would be willing to put all his bets on one horse so to speak.
As to where that will lead for the current world arc, I won't reveal just yet but I can say I am narrowing down the final fate of Director Johannes in this version of events fairly quickly.
The Sparring match.
Oh, poor, Poor Scáthach. Instead of trying to cool down the rumors surrounding her and Soma, her finishing moves for the Sparing match will only serve to ignite the rumors all the more.
Admittedly I was trying to keep in mind Soma's loadout when making the fight but I quickly realized that well..
Soma's loadout kind of puts him at a rather large Disadvantage compared to Scáthach. It also serves to be the reason why his fight is sort of shorter than Lindows as Lindow's Long blade had both the range and speed requirements to somewhat keep up.
Although Soma did put up some resistance, especially near the end with that final downward strike. However, Scáthach was not only too quick for his Buster Blade to handle but she also just had more of a varied skillset compared to Soma in this case.
Dr. Daigo Oguruma's death
If Alisa could be considered the first hidden strike to Director Johannes's true plans, then the death of her personal doctor who is truthfully under the employ of Director Johannes is the second hidden strike.
Plus it also shows the more subtle runes at Scáthach's disposal rather than the singular Ansuz runes she's used so far. I'm going to try to introduce more runes into her repertoire that would fit someone like Scáthach so that I don't accidentally turn her runes into a one-trick pony sort of deal when it shouldn't be.
Now then, Next time on Wrapped in Shadows: Magecraft lessons with Alisa, Dealing with more rumors and Alisa gets complementary colors upgrade to her Shroud!
See you all on roughly the 6th of March!
