Chapter 9 - Revelations of Shadow
Pocket Space of Scáthach - God Eater World - 5 Minutes after the end of the previous chapter
(Scáthach's P.O.V)
I gaze at Alisa who is sitting on a chair in front of me, the two of us have chosen to move into the manor as I began to discuss the true nature of who and what I am, as well as what this means for her as well.
During the entire few minutes I had to give this explanation, Alisa has been silent and has not been asking any of the questions I had expected as she chooses to merely look down at the ground while Idly rubbing her new shroud.
I can tell through the conjunction link between us that she's processing everything she's being told, unknowingly using the conjunction link herself to verify the information from my mind. It was an interesting experience to have due to the fact Alisa is the first human or humanoid being that I've been able to bind with the shroud and her thoughts are chaotic to be sure..
Eventually, she does gaze up at me, directly looking into my eyes as she soon says.. "So, you're not actually from our world but are still hoping to change things for the better, like what would have happened with me if you never….appeared…"
Alisa is particularly shaken as thanks to the explanation and the conjunction link allowing me to compress what would normally be a half-hour explanation into roughly 5 minutes due to the connection between our minds, she knows that had I not bound her, she would have been made to try and kill off Lindow through the drug-based brainwashing she was going through..
"Indeed, still this, unfortunately, does mean that you will eventually need to leave this world along with me since you're part of my…retinue.." I say, unsure how to feel regarding Alisa being the first capture I have in my retinue. Alisa herself can see the uncertainty in my eyes but thanks to the conjunction link she understands it's not anything wrong with herself, but rather the effects her capture will have in regards to the others.
"To think I believed that I was babysitting a non-god eater on some flight of fancy when you were more likely babysitting myself instead…" Alisa says, grimacing at her own arrogance, while she is still not keen on working with Old-type God Eaters still, this entire experience has shown that she is not some super-solider sort of God Eater, just not as limited as the Old-types..
It's a sobering thought for Alisa and due to being bound to Scathach like this, she has now joined a much larger world than her own will ever be. I sigh and gently place a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently as I soon say..
"Listen Alisa, I know that I kind of forced this choice upon you in a bid to stop a madman's plans, but I still want to apologize for doing so regardless.." Alisa looked up and shook her head before saying.. "Don't apologize Mistress, you did what you thought was right….only thing to do now though is seeing this choice through to the end.."
Acknowledging her point with a subtle nod, I go to the kitchen and grab two cans of coca cola before handing her one, the Russian God Eater looking confused before noticing I am cracking open the can and drinking the heavenly soft drink, encouraging her to do the same..
Alisa is surprised at just how sweet and sugary the soda is, considering how limited mass production of this sort of thing is in her world and soon says.. "This is incredibly sweet, far sweeter than anything Fenrir would produce normally, I take this is something from another world..?"
I nod in confirmation to Alisa's assumption as we continue to fill the brief silence between us by taking small sips of the coca cola can before I finally break the silence by saying.. "Alisa, while I know that the events of the last few minutes have completely shattered your worldview, I need to ask if I can count on you from now on as my first companion.."
Alisa's eyes widen at my words, stunned silent as I find myself continuing by saying.. "If it is within your desire to be freed and return to the way you were before, I can do that and modify your memories with magecraft in order to make you forget everything you've experienced so far.."
Alisa is silent for several seconds before she looks at me with a gaze of resolve and simply responds by saying... "Mistress, you wanted to give me a chance to avert the pain that I would inadvertently cause due to my….condition….and even want to help me in turn, so with that in mind I want to stay by your side even though it means I will no longer be able to stay in this world.."
I take a moment to process what Alisa is saying before chuckling and giving her a warm smile, wrapping her in a hug, surprising her by doing so as I soon say.. "Thank you Alisa, you have no idea how much it means to me…" Something that is sort of an understatement as despite having the presence of both my shroud and the Darksteel Vajra hidden in my shadow, I do miss having a true companion to talk to..
After a small amount of time, I break out of the hug as I begin to ponder about what is to come soon and find myself saying.. "Before long, we'll have to do that church encounter mission and I might not be able to technically come on the mission due to my abilities potentially ruining the Director's attempt to have you off Lindow.."
My words have Alisa end up crushing the can in her hands, spilling precious black cola on the floor as she growls and says.. "It truly hurts to know that the Director, who I trusted so much only wants to use me to ensure his mad plan of Salvation comes to pass.." Alisa's expression is a mix of hurt and anger at the betrayal as I keep gently pat the white-haired Russian God eater on the head and soon say…
"We'll deal with him soon, I promise you that much Alisa" Alisa faintly nodded as I continue rubbing the top of her head, eventually I check the clock in the manor and see that the natural black-out effect should disappear soon, meaning it would be best to head back out of the manor before it ends so nothing appears to be amiss.
"It's time to head back out, think you could switch to your regular outfit so no one can tell something is different..?" I ask, while I had intended to have Alisa's body change to my preferences, I ultimately realized that if I did that it would give away the element of surprise I'm going for..
While Alisa pouts as she clearly favors the Shroud of power she has been given, she obeys and switches her cloak for her previous outfit. After that, I quickly open a portal and have us both rush through in order to ensure we don't miss the timing of the comm blackout fading..
Somewhere in the Far East Sector - God Eater World
(Scáthach's P.O.V)
Just as we exit out of the portal, I can hear the comm line start to flicker with static as we managed to just barely make it out of the pocket dimension in time for the communications blackout in the area the elimination mission we were doing before finally dispersing..
Soon enough Alisa is contacted by the operator for the mission who is asking for our status, Alisa gives a basic report about us being ambushed by aragami during the blackout, something technically did happen to Alisa herself rather than both of us.
We are ultimately asked to return to base as we've cleared out the assigned number of aragami and while normally we'd be allowed time to do our own thing before returning, the earlier inability to communicate with us before has spooked the operator and soon we're heading back with no one the wiser of what went doing during the last few minutes…
At least the plan went off without a hitch and I have Alisa in my retinue for good at least, now I just need to make sure Lindow isn't offed in some sort of contingency when the attempt to assassinate him through a brainwashed Alisa falls through completely.
"Hey Alisa, do you think you'll be able to keep up the act of still being the director's unwitting pawn..?" Alisa frowns but nods, seeing the need to keep up the ruse for at most a few more days in order to throw off suspicion for at least until the inevitable church mission occurs.
And as we are heading back, I can feel satisfaction from both the Darksteel Vajra and the Shroud of power I have in regards to having Alisa join us in the conjunction link, the presence of the Darksteel Vajra connected to Alisa's mind does make her both safe and wary due to her past regarding the aragami.
I suppose even the binding can only do so much to ease Alisa's intense feelings regarding aragami and it's only due to her and the Darksteel Vajra being bound under me does Alisa at least tolerate the aragami in my shadow, although I suspect that given enough time to get used to it being around, she'll come around to accepting it in full eventually..
Fenrir Far East Branch - Two Hours later
(General P.O.V)
Dr. Sasaki checks his watch with a smile as he is eagerly waiting for Scáthach to arrive so she can witness the physical prototype testing of her Dual Blade God Arc design, knowing that the woman has no intention of missing this, he can only assume she is being held up..
Soon enough though, Scáthach does arrive while wearing that flattering school teacher outfit that she started wearing as a substitute to the bodysuit for casual attire lately, although Dr. Sasaki can see the appeal to the more hotblooded members of the staff, he has no interest in such things as his only one true passion is studying the aragami and anything related to it!
"So, it seems it's finally time for Cadet Tameshiro to show her stuff as a New-Type God Eater in testing this design of yours, isn't that right Scáthach..?" Dr. Sasaki asks with a ever-present calm smile, with Scáthach responding with a smile and says..
"True, although hopefully, the Dual-Blades will help bridge the gap for Old-types and New-types to be able to have something they can both enjoy.." The sentiment is something that Dr. Sasaki can get behind as he does worry about potentially leaving any Old-types in the dust with the rapid advances garnered by the work of the New-type God-eaters.
Before anything else can be said though, Aki Tameshiro herself comes into the testing ground with the specially made prototype Dual Blade God Arc in her hands. As both Dr. Sasaki and Scáthach both watch the test unfold, Aki Tameshiro goes through the same motions as the simulated God Eater did prior, making sure that simulation and reality have translated well enough for a successful test.
Eventually, the functions of the Dual blades are fully tested, so Aki is tasked with killing an actual aragami with it in order to see if the devour function is working as intended. One basic Ogretail Aragami is released into the test chamber, the aragami being struck down incredibly fast due to rapid swipes from the dual blades and finishing with the use of Glaive mode to twirl the glave form to rapidly hack into the flesh..
After the Ogretail is dead, Aki Tameshiro undoes the glaive function flawlessly before finally attempting the devour state. As the familiar black maw emerges and begins to chew on the Ogretail's flesh for its material, the final test of the Dual Blades is deemed a resounding success.
As the test starts to wind down, both Scáthach and Dr. Sasaki grin as at long last the Dual blades have passed through all phases of testing and can now be put forward as the basis for mass production of brand new God Arcs using the Dual-Blade God Arc design.
With that, the Dual Blade God Arc has come to the World of God Eater several years before they would ever be officially introduced in canon, although whether or not it will have an impact on events to come is currently unclear..
Eventually, Scáthach got up and left, while Dr. Sasaki was talking to the engineers who were celebrating the physical success of the Dual Blades, only noticing that Scáthach has left when he tries to ask her about what she planned to do now.
An hour later
(Scáthach's P.O.V)
I recently had been made aware through the conjunction link between me and Alisa that the doctor assigned to Alisa had tried to put her through another round of brainwashing, thankfully for Alisa's sake the binding ensured she was completely unaffected by it although it still pissed me off that it happened.
While I do hope it doesn't become a daily thing before the church mission, I do know at least one more will have to be faked in order to fool the director so we can ensure that Director Johannes has no need to try and plan a different approach..
I know I'll probably have to reward Alisa for putting up with this somehow, it just really all depends on what I can do for her later down the line I suppose. Regardless as I am walking down the halls of the Fenrir Branch, I end up running into none other than the Director himself as the blonde man smiles warmly at me..
"Ah Scáthach, I am pleased to hear that your project went well in the final testing phase, It bodes well to see that you've inaugurated yourself quite well into Fenrir, I can only hope to see what more you can offer humanity at large.." Director Johannes says before he walks to the elevator and it goes up, likely to his office.
In some ways, I cannot begin to understand how Director Johannes would even begin to consider an apocalyptic level aragami to cleanse the world of both Aragami and most of humanity with only a select handful remaining alive to see the end of it..
But while I can't understand the reasoning around how that train of thought came to be, I can understand how it is still persisting in his head. Men like the Director tend to operate under modius operandi of the greater good so to speak, a twisted form of attempting to better mankind through pushing their vision of the greater good upon them..
It's a common trope I had read in fanfictions in regards to people who hold positions of power and have likely either allowed that power to go to their head or simply believe that their way is the right way..
However soon enough though, I end up running into Soma who seems to be deep in thought. "Something the matter Soma..?" I ask, curious as to what is on the young man's mind as Soma looks startled to see me before he calms down and says..
"Oh, it's just you Scáthach…." Soon Soma frowns while looking at me, hesitating before he asks.. "Considering you allowed Lindow to spar with you before, is it possible that I could be allowed to have my own spar with you..?" While looking slightly hopeful for a positive answer..
The request surprises me greatly, however after thinking about it for a while I decide to smile and simply say.. "Of course Soma, I don't mind sparing with you like I did Lindow, I just hope you don't expect to win~" My smile makes Soma surprisingly give a challenging smirk as he responds by saying..
"We'll just have to see won't we then Scáthach?" Before he walks away but before he does, I do mention that the spar probably won't be able to occur today due to the recent test of the newest Dual Blade God arcs, which has him stopping for a moment before he curses as he realizes that the only time the Test Chamber is available for a spar is in two days from now..
"Alright then, willing to do it in two days' time then Scáthach, or are you busy at that point..?" Soma asks, to which I merely chuckle and say.. "I don't mind waiting two days for our spar then Soma.." My response seems to have perked Soma up, although one wouldn't be able to tell if you weren't looking for the small tells Soma has regarding his mood.
He soon calls on the elevator and heads down to the Den, likely to sort out dinner for the day. As he leaves though, I can hear a familiar voice chuckling behind me, the voice turned out to be Lindow as he says..
"So, I take it you're hooking up with Soma for a Combat date hmm~?" Lindow's tone is light and teasing as his words make me blush and scowl at him with visible annoyance as I respond by saying.. "Not a date Lindow, a sparring match.."
"Perhaps, but there are several rumors going about lately when you're not around that say there is a budding romance between the two of you~" Lindow says as he has this mischievous grin on his face, slight dread filling me as I calmly ask..
"What rumors are you talking about Lindow..?" Which makes the male Amamiya sibling chuckle again and swagger up toward me and say.. "Well, the rumor mill has it that you managed to tame Soma in order to break his infamous curse if you know what I mean~?"
My eyes widen as I find myself blushing the same color as my eyes at the mere thought of doing that with Soma before indignant anger floods my body as I once more resume my scowl as I soon respond by saying..
"Well if that is the case, then please do me a favor and ensure that such rumors are put to rest as there is nothing going on between me and Soma Captain Amamiya.." The pissed tone of my voice made Lindow wince at the Ice-cold fury on my face as he holds his hands up in a surrender motion as he rushes to say..
"H-hey, I'm just repeating what I heard, I'm not the source of it all.." His facial expression is terrified as it's almost as if he can see shadows leaking off my form, but that can't be as that's just some pre-aragami show trope….right..?
"I do hope not, otherwise I do believe your dear sister would be all too eager to let her thoughts be known on that front…" I say with a downright Icy tone, my mood utterly ruined as I intend to head up to my room in order to portal over to my pocket dimension manor so I can play some games..
Although it's only after I am about to open the door to my room, do I realize that part of me actually isn't against the idea of spending time with Soma so to speak. While I do ponder if this is due to the bout of loneliness I felt before binding Alisa still affecting me or not, it doesn't change the fact that for even a brief moment I had considered the prospect…
Great, not only do I have to try to plan out things for finally exposing the director, but now I have to deal with the rumors surrounding me and Soma. I shake my head before heading into my room at last, deciding to put it out of my mind for now..
It's not like things will get even more complicated, right..?
Author's Notes
Oh Scáthach, let us hope you didn't just jinx things..
Right, I do apologize for this being a day late, still trying to organize a proper schedule for all of this due to the domino effect that happened last week. In the meantime let's get the relevant plot points out of the way..
The Discussion between Alisa and Scáthach
This sequence serves two purposes. First is to establish a proper rapport between Alisa and her new Mistress Scáthach and also for Scáthach to finally have someone she can actually tell her entire story to..
The second is to start trying to make more consistent use of Conjunction as a special part of the Shroud of Power's perks, essentially mind-linking through the Shroud. It is not a true psychic ability, but being able to share the thoughts of those bound together under Scáthach..
This particular ability will have a combat utility function tied to it, which we will get into as things go on. Something I am quite keen to explore at that!
The Dual Blades final test
In the end, Dual Blades are now in the God Eater world several years early, what this may impact is still not yet known but it will be interesting to see what ripple effects are created when Scáthach eventually returns to the God Eater World.
Plus Aki Tameshiro gets the Dual Blades instead of the Long Blade, so now every protag from this point can get them!
The Rumours surrounding Scáthach and Soma as well as the lack of the Scáthach VS Soma fight.
Let's start with the former before I get into the latter.
First off, with the Far East Branch being much larger than what was shown in the game, it was inevitable that the God Eaters would start hearing rumors surrounding Scáthach and Soma's dedicated Missions together..
Considering that almost none of the rank-and-file God eaters know that the pairing of the two for missions is a direct request from the Director himself, it inevitably leads to juicy rumors being started although whether or not the Director himself subtly fanned the flames is another story entirely..
As for the lack of the intended fight, time constraints, and the exhaustion I am currently feeling as I am writing this made me ultimately choose to push it to the next chapter, although this time with a bit more tension being involved due to the rumors..
Right then, as usual..
Next time on Wrapped In Shadows: Alisa and Scáthach in the PD Hotsprings, Scáthach VS Soma (For real this time), and Alisa gets her own Hidden Guardian..
See you all on Monday next week hopefully!
