Author's Note: Hello again! As you might tell, I've done some, renovations and some thinking. I think it's waaay better if the chapters are longer, so I've gone ahead and combined all four releases into one big one. Or one standard one, depends on who's asking. I've also gone ahead and done some touching up, such as fixing some dialogue, adding dialogue, and fixing up some unexplained plot points important to Blue Archive. Ahem-haloes-ahem.
Anyhow, besides all that, nothing major to report. As always, leave a review should you feel the need. Happy reading~!
The faint clicking of the Geiger counter, the soft whirring of servo motors, the whistling of the breeze flowing through the air.
Only in brief moments like these can a Stalker find respite in a place as inhospitable as the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. But alas, such moments don't last very long, such is life in the Zone.
Interrupting my brief moment of solitude, gunshots ring out, the whizzing and cracking of rounds flying by wake me up from my trance as I flick off the safety to my RPK-16. A few rounds hit their mark, but are easily defeated by my exoskeleton's defenses. Returning fire in the general direction of my assailants, I make a steady advance, making use of nearby trees and foliage to close the distance.
"Fucker's got an exoskeleton! Keep firing!" one of the attackers yells out over the gunfire.
"Loot on you better be worth it-" another yells before being promptly shut up by 5.45.
Back against the trunk of a tree, I load another magazine and rack another round. Peeking past the trunk, I take count of how many are left. As terrible as they are at shooting and tactics, Bandits were nonetheless Bandits, a scourge in the Zone and a significant threat to inexperienced 'Stalkers'.
"After how many of you I've poached, you'd think they'd get smarter." I mutter under my breath.
"Well, better take out the rest and get back to Sidorovich."
After sending a burst down range, I sprint towards the Bandits, the exoskeleton aiding my strides. Terrified at how quickly I closed the distance, their fire became more sporadic as well as inaccurate. Stowing my RPK, I grab the Saiga-12 magnetically locked to my exoskeleton for close quarters.
12 gauge buckshot proved to be extremely effective against the poorly armored adversaries, spelling their end. I stop and listen for any more to show up, that was a loud interaction after all. A few minutes pass as the Zone's song played once more. I re-lock the shotgun and get to work repurposing the fallen's property, starting with stripping off their affiliating patches before inspecting the quality of their guns and ammo.
With the final one torn off, I've reached my quota for Sidorovich. Bandit hunting isn't for everyone, but that's why I'm here. Even with all the time I've spent in the Zone, I've grown attached to our Rookie Village. After all, we've all began as a rookie, eager to carve out a path and strike it rich in the Zone.
I sigh as I place the usable field stripped components of guns and ammo into my pack. Giving a quick inspection of my exoskeleton, the rounds that did hit didn't break kevlar, let alone the plates in between. Shrugging, I bring out my RPK and start the hike back to the village.
That is, before I was stopped by an uncharacteristic ping from my PDA.
"Strange," I thought to myself, PDA's don't usually display or accept tasks unless you're in a major hub. Switching tabs towards those I've accepted, a fetch task was shown.
"Meadow, huh?" I whisper as I put a hand to my exohelm's chin. Looking over the details, the task giver, whoever they are, as their name was completely missing, wants me to check out an anomalous field within the abandoned compound in Meadow.
"Now this is intriguing." I say aloud, stowing my PDA and making a detour, curiosity getting the better of me.
Truth be told, I was looking for something like this, to adventure once again into the unknown with tasks given by the unknown. After all, I doubt there's much that can top exploring the abandoned facilities littered across the Zone. This also gives me a chance to further explore Meadow, the location holding true to its name, is mostly fields and open meadow, giving little to the explorer to inspect. Perhaps there's more to it given this task?
After a not so brief trek to the compound, I stood in front of its gate. The dilapidated buildings and the occasional "Whirlygig" anomaly gave very little to the imagination, but I pressed on, hoping to find what the task giver wanted me to find.
Lo and behold, within a collapsed hangar, surrounded by gravity-based anomalies, a single "Teleport" anomaly stood in the middle, its white body pulsating in and out of reality. Even with all my time and experience in the zone and with anomalies, anything that bent space and time was out of my league. I give my PDA a re-look to make sure I was in the right place. The marker was placed on top of where the "Teleport" stood ominously. I shudder and give the task another read over.
Finally, where the task giver's name is usually revealed, shown a name. Well, less a name and more of an abbreviation.
"GSC." I read aloud. Racking my brain for which faction went under that, I turn up blanks. Definitely not Loner, Mercs, Bandits, or Monolith, that's for sure. Sounds more like something the egghead Ecologists or Clear Sky might come up with, but they've never had a group or person like that. Not to my knowledge anyway.
Turning off the PDA, I stare back at the anomaly. I know that these things are harmless for sure, I've used one out of curiosity and found myself back at Sidorovich's bunker, much to his surprise. But that was sheer luck, might find myself stuck who knows where with this one.
Weighing my odds, my desire to explore got the better of me. So like any Stalker worth their weight in artifacts, I bring up my exoskeleton's medical terminal on my left wrist and begin selecting and injecting anti-radiation and anti-psychic medications. A slight prick in my arm could be felt as the chilling meds flowed through my veins. I check my pack for my ammo supply, enough for a small skirmish ten times over, give or take. Psyching myself up, I stare at the anomaly once more before walking towards it.
"Audaces fortuna iuvat." I whisper before stepping foot into the anomaly.
As it enveloped me, my vision warped, as if I was staring into a kaleidoscope, before eventually fading into darkness. My body felt weightless, like I was floating in space. Strangely, I could hear a woman's voice speak out to me, but their words were muffled. I try to make out the words before they ultimately stop.
What seemed like eternity passed before I could finally feel my body, but not before the voice returned once more. This time completely audible and with a booming voice.
We thirst for the seven wailings.
We bear the Koan of Jericho.
I awake in a cold sweat, even under all my gear. I reach for my RPK as I pick myself up from the cold metal floor. I check my exoskeleton's terminal for any anomalous effects or injuries, nothing, and the expected timer for the medication I injected into myself before it is completely processed barely passed.
I finally laid my eyes on my surroundings, it was obvious I was no longer in the Zone. Hell, I probably wasn't even in Ukraine anymore.
I rubbed my exohelm's visor to make sure I wasn't seeing things. A vast city with towering skyscrapers, various stores, shops and restaurants dotting the expansive blocks. The faint horn of trains and monorails could be heard in the distance, as well as the occasional honk of a car horn. It was an extreme contrast to the sights of the Zone, even Pripyat couldn't hold a candle to this place's scale. Taking in my surroundings, I shake off the awe and get to work.
Bringing out my PDA, hoping that a map would work here, I was met with bold text that made my heart sink to my stomach.
[DATA UNAVAILABLE]
Concerning, but I pressed on as I kept my RPK at the ready. Occasionally I brought out my Geiger counter to see if there was any contamination. To my surprise, it didn't react each time I did have it out. Even in the Zone, the faintest clicks could be heard pretty much all the time, even in the cleanest areas.
Walking down the city block, I find myself met with a conundrum. All the signs and everything that had any semblance of text was totally unreadable to me. As I stared at a few, I finally made out what language the signs used.
"Japanese." I say aloud as I reached for my pack. After a few seconds of rummaging through it, I brought out a book. Took one of these off a bandit a few weeks back, the depictions inside reflecting the depravity the human mind can come up with, something fitting for life within the Zone. After holding up a page next to the sign, a few symbols matched with each other. I place the book back and mellow over my situation. All the signs point to the fact that I'm definitely in another country, Japan was the most likely of places, judging by the local area. But what tossed a wrench to that conclusion was the various haloes that dotted the sky.
My mouth was agape under my helmet as I took in the sight. A few minutes would pass as my trance was broken by an all too familiar sound.
Gunshots.
A small smile formed under my helmet as I sprinted towards the firefight. In a place full of unfamiliarity, look for the familiar. Turns out gunfire was a comfort for me in this place.
But the unfamiliar only grew in number as I ran.
"People!" I exclaimed as I readied my rifle, only to discover that was not the case as they ran in my direction.
"Dog… people?" I questioned as I watched them dart off behind me, seemingly fleeing from the ensuing chaos. Not only that, those that looked like robots followed suit, some skinny, and some somehow fat. Now I've seen all manner of bullshittery within the Zone, the various mutations of humans, dogs, and even cats alike. Some as far as the dreaded "Controller", or the extremely annoying "Burer".
But this, this was on a whole different level. Shaking the thought, I continued to watch over the crowd. One of the robots trip, only to crawl and huddle behind a lamp post. Taking this chance, I made my way towards them to hopefully get some answers.
Approaching the robot, it was apparent they were scared shitless. Less due to the chaos, and more seeing an individual clad in black with a featureless face with only the visor to look at, wielding a rifle no less. I stop less than a meter away and kneel down.
"You wouldn't happen to be able to understand me, would you?" I ask, my featureless face betraying nothing.
"何?" The robot sounded. "何を言っているのですか?" I think they asked?.
"Shit." I muttered. Putting a hand over my helmet's face, I wipe it and pull out a map. It was an old explorers map back in the Zone for large anomalous areas. I pointed towards it and then to myself, hopefully getting the message across that I needed one.
It took a minute for the robot to put together what I wanted, and pointed towards a kiosk with what looked like a directory. Nodding, I give the robot a thumbs up and toss him a Zone classic, a pack of cigarettes.
Making my way towards the kiosk, the ensuing firefight close by not letting up, I peruse the map laid out on the wall. Taking out my PDA, I take a few pictures of it before stowing it and redoubling my efforts to head towards the fire.
As I closed in on the fight, the scale of destruction increased. Ruined buildings with concrete, rebar and all sorts of detritus strewn about. Cars in various states of destruction littered all over, with a few ablaze, many bearing scars from gunfire.
Slowing my stride, I assume cover behind said destroyed vehicles, peeking over with binoculars in hand. From what looks to be the opposing side, more robots, not too dissimilar of the ones I've encountered earlier, were laying down some hate on what looks like an outpost from the local police, given the sandbags and barriers. What caused me to do a double take were the girls sitting in the back lines, wielding guns of their own in what I assume to be school uniforms, all donning what looks to be some sort of motorcycle helmet. Ignoring the fact for now, I continue my observations.
"Doesn't seem like they're putting up much of a fight." I infer, as there was barely any returning fire from the defenders. That is, until a certain white haired girl with a halo popped out from in between volleys to toss smoke grenades and return fire of her own.
What took me aback about this entire situation wasn't the seemingly young girls in the midst of combat, it was the haloes they had. Others behind her shared the same characteristics, all being female, bearing some sort of halo. Putting down the binoculars, I lean onto the destroyed car and take stock of the situation.
"Haloes, huh?" I question, "Did I up and die, and go to heaven when I jumped into that anomaly?"
I pinch myself on the thigh to question that theory, and as expected, pain flared up upon doing so. Weighing the odds of me interfering and aiding the defending party and being successful as opposed to not, didn't exactly sit well.
What especially didn't sit well with me was shooting young girls. Mulling over it for a few seconds, I made the executive decision to limit my attacks on the robots.
"Odds are never in my favor." I mutter as I watch over the fight. "But then again, when have they ever been?" I say aloud as I get up.
"Been through worse."
Pulling up the medical terminal once more, this time injecting morphine into my system. A slight pin prick followed by numbness washed over my body. Giving my gear one last look over, I sprint towards the robot's backline, grenade in hand.
Assuming cover behind another destroyed car, I pull the pin and lob it in between the attackers. Once it landed, the robots stopped firing before they realized what landed at their feet. Only until they reacted did it go off, shredding four in the shrapnel and dazing two others in the blast. Taking this chance, I rush one stuck in a daze and drive my fist into its chest, the exoskeleton's strength allowing me to punch straight through its front plate, immediately crumbling it.
My eyes eventually landed onto the haloed girls in the backline. My assault being a shock to them, they raised their guns towards me, but held their fire. I trusted that they wouldn't fire as long as they still had friendlies in the crossfire.
The robots on the other hand, now focused on me, return fire, most of which were absorbed by my impromptu shield. The rest landed onto my armor as I felt the impacts of the rounds hit. Thankfully none pierced as I returned some fire of my own, dropping another two before the rest retreated. As I watched the last three robots turn tail, I dropped my "shield" before turning towards the rest of the attackers.
RPK still in hand, I stared down the girls. Part of me hoped they wouldn't shoot, part of me hoped they'd turn tail as well. I'm not beyond killing younger people, hell, I've killed plenty that simply got caught up in the wrong crowd. Be it conscripts of the Ukraine military or the Bandits, there were many younger folks I've ended over a bounty.
But this was different. This wasn't the Zone, nor was this a job. Plus, these were young girls, younger than the ones I've killed, and most definitely not affiliated with factions that want to kill me and people like me.
But my sincere hopes went unanswered as one of the girls raised the muzzle of their rifle in my direction. Meeting their response in kind, one of the other girls grabbed their shoulder, much to my appreciation.
"What are you doing, did you see how that guy tore through our automatons!?" The helmeted girl exclaims.
"But they were expensive! We gotta get our payback somehow!" The hotheaded one replies.
"If they couldn't get the job done, what better could we do? Plus, just look at the guy." Both their heads turn in my direction.
A tall figure clad head to toe in black with gear that was outside their realm of knowledge. Their helmet's visor providing nothing for the imagination as to what the person under all that looks like. Their eyes look further down, prominently at my left hand, oil dripping onto the remains of the robot I tore my fist through.
"If he can do that to pure steel, just imagine getting hit by that." They all shudder following the comment.
I could only imagine what they were talking about as I watched them argue amongst themselves before giving me a final glance and leaving as well. Watching them up until they're out of view, I let out an exhale, appreciating the fact I didn't have to open fire on schoolgirls, armed or not.
Stowing my RPK, I turned around to the defenders, most of which took a step back in response. Most, except the white haired girl, flanked by another with a donut in hand?, who approached me. I watched as they approached, rifle stowed, but close at hand.
"Quite the show you put up there stranger!" The black haired one exclaims before taking a bite out of a pink frosted donut.
Only if I could understand what they're saying anyway. Trying to talk wouldn't do much good, so I gesture with my hands that I'm unable to speak their language. Took them a minute to get the gist of what I was trying to get at. After a few exchanged murmurs between them, the white haired one pointed to herself.
"Ki-ri-no." She mouths out.
"Kee-ree-no." I try to sound out, my accent not helping in the slightest.
She shrugs and motions to her black haired companion. Finishing off the rest of her donut, she wipes off whatever crumbs were left around her mouth.
"Fu-bu-ki." following Kirino's lead.
"Foo-boo-key." I grimace under my helmet. It's like they are trying to teach a damn toddler to talk. I shake my head and hold out my hand for a handshake.
I go out on a limb and try introducing myself, hopefully one of them understands. Maybe get them to sound out my name.
"Artyom." I say, exchanging handshakes with both.
"Arr-tee-um." Both sound aloud. I give a brief chuckle at their attempt.
"It's Artyom." I emphasize.
Both take turns attempting to pronounce my name properly, to no avail. I shrug it off and tap Kirino's shoulder. She looks up expectantly as I point towards the robots I disassembled. Looking over, she sighs and pulls out a walkie talkie and communicates to someone. Probably leadership or something. Leaving her to it, I walk back to the robots, ready to loot-, ahem, repurpose the equipment they had. After all, they won't have any need for it.
I kneel down to get to work on one of the robots, but not before looking back at the crowd that formed from behind the sandbags and barriers, all their eyes on me. I look back down at the robot then back at them and give a brief wave. A few returned the sentiment before running off, while the rest stayed and watched as I skillfully pilfered anything noteworthy amongst the robots.
I took exceptional care when handling the guns they had, they were practically new, and looked expensive, nothing alike to the weaponry back at the Zone, but not outside of my capabilities. Ammo on the other hand, wasn't anything particularly noteworthy, but handy nonetheless. 5.56 FMJ through and through, although I couldn't use it, I could never say no to free ammo. Stacking the magazines to the side, I happily took whatever else looked valuable and placed them into my pack.
I get up to attend to the other robots before I am ultimately stopped by what looks like their leadership.
"士官候補生を助けていただき、ありがとうございました。" One of them says. Presumably leadership, judging by the security detail behind her, I take note of her appearance. Blonde hair, sharp eyes, as well as teeth, and as expected, all were haloed. The most prominent feature was her ears, akin to the dog people earlier, but a lot more human. Of course, I am totally unable to understand her, so I give a simple nod and extend my hand out. Slightly surprised, she returns the sentiment with a firm handshake.
"Artyom." I say mid-handshake.
"Ar-tee-yom." She pronounces. I shrug, close enough for me.
In that instance, an idea came to me, partly because I want to see how people here might react. I hold up a finger, motioning her to hold on while I dig around in my pack. Once more, I pull out a Zone classic, a pack of cigarettes, still in plastic too. Presenting it to her, she looks at the pack, then at my visor. It was blatant that she wanted to refuse, but ultimately accepted my gift. A few murmurs could be heard from her entourage, but were soon silenced as I glanced over.
Shame, looks like smoking isn't well received. They are younger folk, I suppose, a stark contrast to the Zone, where cigarettes are highly sought after amongst all. I sigh, not being able to communicate was starting to become a huge pain in the ass. That is, before I rush to bring out my PDA. Navigating the tabs, I eye one that wasn't there before.
"Translator." I say aloud, catching the attention of a few girls. They surround me, mostly curious about me, some curious about the PDA. Strange, I thought, usually folks are turned away from the intimidating presence a full exoskeleton would exude, but looks like they got used to it fast. Shrugging, I attempt to operate my PDA's new function.
A simple microphone icon could be found in the middle of the screen and not much else. Curiously, selecting it causes it to change from a dull gray to a vibrant green. I stare at it before it changes back to gray.
"Hmm." I sound as I place a hand on my chin. Selecting it again, I decide to speak into it.
"Hello." A few seconds pass as the translator does its thing. Like magic it translated my greeting to Japanese in a robotic voice.
This quickly caught the attention of everyone, as all eyes were on me. Not used to all this attention, I shuffle a little before talking into the translator once more.
"Do you understand me now?" A few seconds pass before the message is relayed. Most of the crowd replies vocally or with a nod. Interesting, maybe this'll work on them. I kneel down and make eye contact with one of the girls. Taking a step back, they look at me expectantly.
"Could you try speaking into this for me?" Another moment passes before the message is translated. As soon as it ends, they give me a nod.
"Great." I say as I hold out the PDA for her to speak into.
"こんにちは、私の名前はさやです!" They exclaim into the PDA.
I wait a moment before it is finally translated.
"Hello, my name is Saya!"
Now this was very intriguing, I ponder as I stare at the PDA. Either someone tampered with it while I was knocked out, or there's something beyond me going on. I recall the moments when I stepped into the anomaly before I brush it off and shrug. I've dealt with things stranger than this.
After exchanging introductions with Saya, the blonde haired leader of this, police force, I presume, taps on my shoulder. I hold my PDA up to her before she speaks. Caught off guard, she stares at the device then back to me, before getting the gist of what's going on. Clearing her throat, she leans in forward a little before speaking into it.
"I'm Ogata Kanna, Chief of the Public Security Bureau. I assume you couldn't catch what I said earlier, so I'd like to thank you again for assisting my cadets," She holds up the cigarettes I gave her, "And, er, thank you for the gift."
I nod before speaking in turn.
"Not a problem, always happy to lend a hand."
As soon as the message was conveyed, Kanna's ears flickered. Curious. I ponder over the animalistic feature before speaking into the PDA once more.
"You wouldn't happen to know a place called Chernobyl or Ukraine, would you?"
She opens her mouth to talk before being interrupted by another uncharacteristic ping from my PDA. I apologize as I look over at the notification, specifically, a message notification. Odd, thought I was well beyond the limits of the Zone network. Traversing over to messages, it was from the same person or faction that tasked me back at Meadow.
The sender, I half expected, was this "GSC". Less expected was what the message held in store for me.
"What the hell is a "Sensei"?" I say aloud, regathering everyone's attention onto me.
Ignoring their gazes, I read through the message.
To: Artyom-Sensei
From: GSC
Hello Artyom,
Or should I say, Artyom-Sensei. By the time you receive this message, you've more than likely have gotten acquainted with Kivotos and a few of its inhabitants. I'll set aside the formalities and tell you the details, Artyom-Sensei. I need your help. Kivotos needs your help. My absence has proven to be… less than ideal for the wellbeing of the city. And for that, I need your help to stabilize and guide the city and its academies. To do so, you will have to assume the role as advisor for SCHALE, an extrajudicial club that holds power comparable to mine to manage the city and its academies in my stead. While you might doubt that your skillset is not tailored for this position, I assure you that you're more than well equipped to help us.
Should you agree, take this message to the General Student Council Headquarters and find Vice-President Nanagami Rin. I left my role in her care, but it has proven to be more daunting for her than expected… She will be able to assist from there.
Effective Immediately, I bestow upon Artyom-Sensei the role of advisor of SCHALE.
This decision was not made lightly, and should not be considered as such.
I'm counting on you, Artyom-Sensei. Kivotos is counting on you.
(P.S. Should Rinny be reading this, please remember to take a break once in a while. :D)
I place a hand on my chin, pondering over my decision. On one hand, I'm not fully on board with this whole "Sensei" and "Kivotos needs you" thing, on the other, my eyes wander back towards the unpilfered remains of the robots. This place does have some nice stuff. I wonder if I'm going to be able to haul all this back.
If I am able to get back.
I doubt I'm going to be able to figure out a way home, if that even exists, on my own. I sigh as I turn towards Kanna, changing over to the translator.
"Think you could guide me over to the General Student Council Headquarters?" I foresee that she's about to ask why, so I preemptively shove the message in her face. A few minutes pass as she reads and digests its contents. It's obvious this letter was distressing as she immediately started barking orders to her subordinates before turning to me. I suppose that my PDA automatically translates according to the user, considering the fact there was no problem with her reading it.
"I have an armored transport inbound." She exhales, her eyes not leaving mine, "If that message is indeed real, we need to get you over ASAP."
"What does this message entail?" I ask, watching the cadets scramble to head out.
"If that message truly is from the GSC President, then Kivotos is on the edge of falling into complete destabilization. But it seems our last hope falls onto you, Artyom-Sensei." She emphasizes the "sensei" in her statement.
She sighs. "For whatever reason, the GSC President gave you the role of advisor for the SCHALE club, this essentially means that all the power she held is ultimately in your hands. I don't mean to pressure, but if you do accept, you will have the entirety of Kivotos under you. I, for one, don't understand why she picked you," She stares deeply into my visor, "But I trust it's for a good reason."
Now this was not what I had in mind. I've led other Stalkers around, sure, even entire squads to wipe out mutant nests and Bandit camps, but an entire city? If it weren't for my helmet, my shock would be on display for everyone.
"I know we've just met, and more than likely you've just arrived…" She pauses to contemplate, "But quite frankly, we're almost out of ideas, and hope. I won't try to convince you, not my place to do so…"
She pauses as if she wants to say more, instead she continues to stare into my visor. I ponder over her words. I mean, shit, out of all the places the anomaly could've sent me, it brought me here.
The sudden addition of an all too convenient translation function to my PDA, the direct message to me from the GSC, hell, even the task all the way back in Meadow.
But I'm sure as shit ain't no godsend.
Although, it does seem like I was brought here for a reason. I sigh as I look back at Kanna. As if right on cue, the rumbling engine of an armored transport comes within earshot.
"Your call, Artyom-Sensei." Kanna says, emphasizing the "Sensei" once more.
"Lead the way."
To say the least, the ride to the GSC Headquarters was a bumpy one. It was no understatement to say that the city was nearing complete destabilization, as the streets were rife with, how I see it, mostly crime. From what I've observed throughout the ride, pretty much everyone owned a firearm, much to my dismay. To that end, all bore a halo as well.
It came to me as a great shock as I watched the young girls turn their firearms on each other before firing. When the first shots rang out, I expected most to drop dead. So, you might imagine how I reacted when the bullets merely impacted and essentially bounce off the girls. Most interesting was the fact that as soon as one was incapacitated, their halo disappeared. I assume this somehow grants the owner a great degree of bullet resistance, as the ensuing scuffles resulted in firefights, but with no one dead, and a whole lot less blood.
This gives me some sort of grim hope. I suppose anyone I shoot can't die, but it doesn't exactly sit well with me that I'm shooting underage schoolgirls. I brush away the thought as I continue to watch through the APC's peephole.
That is, until a tap on my shoulder pulls me away from the view. It was Kanna wearing a stern look on her face.
"We're nearing the GSC Headquarters, we'll set up a cordon around the entrance so you can get in without too much hassle."
I give her a thumbs up as I rise from my seat. Giving my gear a quick overlook, I stumble as the APC brakes before coming to a halt. The hatch drops and Kanna walks out, motioning to me to follow. As I step out of the APC, I'm met with the impressive sight of the GSC building, filling in the skybox as I approach.
The following APCs in the convoy too come to a halt as they deploy their cargo, a bunch of schoolgirls armed with shotguns and riot shields, certainly a strange sight to behold. Never did realize it until now, but many, if not all of the girls look exactly the same, from the haloes to pretty much all their physical features.
Falling in beside Kanna, we approach the main entrance. A camera above the door locks onto us, its beady eye watching us.
"Doesn't seem open." I infer aloud, staring at the camera.
She points to the intercom next to the door, another camera can be seen embedded in its frame.
I walk up to it and press the button, a dim light turns on before a female's voice speaks out. I hold up my PDA in hopes it works.
A sigh escapes her lips as she reads over a document, her desk piled high with paperwork and complaints.
The situation couldn't get any worse. With rising reports of damaged infrastructure, failures in the city's power grid, increases in riots and general discontent and the absolute horror that is the Eden Treaty between Gehenna and Trinity, she's starkly reminded of the various representatives of all the major academies ready to break down the doors and demand reparations for failing to meet their needs.
Following the disappearance of the GSC President, she had left a letter informing that an adult would be able to stabilize the city and restore functionality to the Sanctum Tower should the need arise. That, and they would assume the role as advisor for SCHALE, an extrajudicial club holding authority over all academies and to resolve conflicts within Kivotos.
Problem was, the president's disappearance occurred weeks ago, and the city is barely hanging on by a thread.
Another sigh escapes as she looks over at a photo frame of her, alongside the GSC President.
"A-Acting President Rin!" The intercom comes to life, the voice on the other end states in a haste.
"Go ahead Ayumu." Rin replies as she pinches the bridge of her nose.
"I apologize for interrupting, but there's someone outside the building, requesting permission to enter."
Her schedule was already filled to the brim as it is, any walk-ins would simply have to be turned away.
"Any and all academy representatives I'm aware of have already arrived and have been informed that they will be attended to shortly. Kindly turn her away for me please-"
"B-but Rin, the problem is that they're an adult, an adult male without a halo is waiting outside. T-that, and a hefty escort, courtesy of the Public Security Bureau."
Silence.
"U-uh, Vice-I mean, Acting President?"
"Put me through to them."
"Y-yes!"
"Uh, hello?" I ask, holding up the PDA close to the intercom.
"Please state the purpose of your visit."
"Yes, uh, my name is Artyom, on recommendation from the GSC President, I was told to come here and meet a, uh, Nanagami Rin?" I state, not exactly too confident in my response.
More than a few moments pass as there's no response from the intercom. I begin whistling before turning to Kanna, who seems restless in her shoes.
I move to tap on her shoulder before being stopped by the voice behind the intercom.
"Please follow my secretary, Ayumu, into my office. We have much to go over, Artyom-Sensei."
There's that "Sensei" thing again, I wonder as the doors slide open. I look over to Kanna, who takes a few steps back before looking at me.
"I'll stay out here and get situated, you go on ahead and… deal with business upstairs."
I nod before walking into the lobby.
The place was nice, to say the least, clean, maybe too clean, and with a glaring lack of color outside of white.
So, this was the GSC Headquarters? Hopefully I can find some answers here, and maybe a way back home. First off…
My head turns to the blonde haired girl standing a few meters away, she looks as if she's seen a ghost. Now I've seen everything. A pair of black wings flanked her sides, a stark contrast to her bright blonde hair and white uniform.
I stop staring and take a step forward towards her before she takes a step back of her own. Much to her dismay, she trips over an office plant behind her, taking a tumble as her wings flapped on the way down.
"I-I uh, apologize for that, I am supposed to escort you to the Vice-er, Acting President's office." she says, pushing away her hair from her face and fixing it.
I wonder if I'm cut out for this whole thing. A sigh escapes my lips as I approach the girl, extending a hand out.
She stares at me then my hand before accepting.
"T-thank you." She says meekly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks as she pats herself off.
"Now then, what's this about meeting the Acting President?" I ask, PDA in hand.
"Y-yes, er, right this way." She gestures towards an elevator.
I nod and she proceeds. As I follow, my eyes can't help but stare. Specifically, at those wings of hers, attached to her lower back flanking her sides. Again, I've seen all manner of mutation, but this was surely something.
Like, how do they work? Can they be used to fly? I ponder over such questions as we walk.
Seems she somehow caught me staring, as a deep red flushes her face. I switch on my PDA to apologize as she presses the call button, the doors sliding open. We both step in and face the door. I inspect the inside of the cabin as she moves over and presses another button, this time taking us all the way to the top.
I begin whistling as I watch the LED screen count the floors we've ascended, my eyes occasionally glancing over to the secretary. Seems she's quite flustered at the situation, seeing as she's restless and fidgety. I move to grab my PDA, and that was enough for her to flinch.
I sigh and open up the translator.
"So… the name's Ayumu, is it?" I ask, hoping to break the deafening silence.
"Y-yes." Her reply meek and brief.
Another bout of silence rings out before we finally reach the top. The doors slide open, revealing a vast office space, with windows galore, and extremely clean at that. At the far end of the room sat a few seats and a desk, piled high with paperwork and documents.
At the center of it all sat a black haired girl, ears sharp like one of those fantasy people I've seen in that degenerate book I snagged off a bandit, and as expected, haloed.
She glances over from a document she had in her hands and gets up with haste, placing it back on top of the rest before approaching us.
"I-I've brought him over, Vi-Acting President." Ayumu stammers out.
"I can see that." The Acting President replies, eyeing me up and down, her eyes narrowing as she spots my firearms.
She then looks into my visor, and before she opens her mouth, I hold my hand out, motioning to her to hold on while I set my PDA up. Holding it out, I gesture for her to speak into it. Glancing at it then me, she proceeds.
"I assume you want me to speak into this?" She asks, pointing at the device.
I nod. "I'm unable to speak nor understand the language of these parts, so this here will help smooth things out." I shake the PDA.
"I see…" She pauses as she continues to take in all my features.
I clear my throat. "Ahem, anyways, I hear there's business that needs tending to?"
"Ah, yes." She pushes up her glasses, " As you might tell, the situation in the city is… not ideal, to say the least."
I nod.
"As such, the previous GSC President, gave instructions of an adult that will provide assistance and stabilize the city and reign in its academies." She glances over to me, "I assume she left you a message of sorts?"
Pulling up the message, I turn over the PDA over to her. She takes a few minutes reading and re-reading the message before handing it back over. It's obvious the message is distressing as it causes her to stagger, gaining the concern of Ayumu as she closes in. Rin holds a hand up before pinching the bridge of her nose and looking up to me.
"Effective immediately…" Her eyes narrow as she stares into my visor. "The President hasn't been wrong in her decision making, so you must have quite the skillset or experience to reflect this, I assume?"
"Define experience." I ask as I look out the windows, the vast city-scape is quite something to behold.
"Diplomacy, delegating tasks, reviewing manifests and logistic networks, handling unsavory characters should the need arise." She lists off of her fingers.
I tap my stowed RPK. "I know how to handle that last one quite well."
"And the rest?"
"...I've been told I can be quite charming."
She lets out a sigh and pinches the bridge of her nose.
"I suppose…" She pauses as she looks at me again. "This could work."
She takes a step closer to me with a stern look plastered on her face.
"Artyom-Sensei, will you be accepting the role of advisor for SCHALE, taking up its responsibilities and providing your aid as you see fit?"
I contemplate the question for a few seconds, putting us in a sort of staredown, Ayumu in the background panicking slightly.
I hold my hand out. "Glad to be aboard."
She loosens visibly before accepting my hand and giving a firm shake. A small smile takes the place of her stern look. "Let's get to work then, Artyom-Sensei."
"Also, before that, I've a question."
She re-tenses before loosening up as I ask. "Ask away." She states, gesturing for me to go on.
"Ever since I've got here," I put my hand to my chin, "there's been quite a few things that don't make a lot of sense."
"That being?"
"Well, for one, why does everyone have a gun?" I cut her off before she could answer, "Look, I'm no stranger to firearms and others wielding them, but seemingly everyone has some level of heat on them."
She pauses to contemplate my question. "I'm sure you've noticed that students don't exactly wear armor, despite what you say."
I nod.
"What makes you think 'why is that?'"
"I assume this has to do with your haloes?"
"Precisely, our haloes provide us a significant degree of protection against most forms of damage."
"But not total protection."
"Yes, our use of firearms is just one of our ways of... getting through to one another."
"Ah, I see."
"Does that clarify things?"
"For the time being."
She clasps her hands together, "Let's get to business, then."
"Then, what's first on the agenda?" I ask, setting down and rummaging through my pack.
Taking a tablet from her desk, "First off would be re-taking the SCHALE clubroom, it has been taken over by the numerous gangs that have proven to be a considerable thorn in our collective backsides. If we want to reinstate control over the Sanctum Tower, this will be our first step."
"I see, do we get any sort of back up? I'm not too keen on taking on a gang on my own."
Her face scrunches up. "We will be meeting the representatives of the major academies soon enough."
I look up from my pack. "I take it they're not the best company?"
"They mean well, although their methodology can be a bit… rough-handed."
"Noted, I've handled rougher." I reply, replacing my pack and hooking it back onto my exoskeleton. I notice in the corner of my eye her stare.
"Curious?" I point to the artificial muscles and servo motors outlining my body.
"Ah, yes, I've seen power assisted suits similar to yours, but nothing as elaborate, nor as well defended." She notes, inspecting deeply the details of my exoskeleton.
"It does a real fine job of keeping bullets out, and carrying stuff."
"Intriguing, I've heard that the Engineering Club has been experimenting with projects such as these."
"Anyhow, I assume we've got some representatives to meet?" I change the subject.
"Indeed, right this way, Artyom-Sensei."
Within another room held said various representatives, each of their own unique personalities, more often than not picked up from their respective academy.
Of course, she was more concerned with the Seminar's issues and requests. Hayase Yuuka sat in wait for the Acting President to address the wait and their requests, or demands. Though, she wasn't the only one to have pressing matters and questions.
Her eyes wander across the room, taking note of the various representatives of the major academies.
Sat across from her was a black haired girl dressed in the same shade, a red armband wrapped around her upper arm. The Justice Task Force, she thought, was known for their discipline. Although their representative would reflect otherwise, chatting loudly on their phone for the past hour or so.
Sat alone on the far side of the room sat a silver haired girl from Gehenna, representing the Prefect Team. Their resident expert marksman, though a little cold to talk to and work with.
Sat next to Yuuka, was a pink haired girl who introduced themselves as Sumi Serina, her uniform denoting that she's representing the Remedial Knights, Trinity's in-house medical club.
She crosses her legs and arms, leaning back into the sofa, eyes on the door. A sigh escapes as she wonders how much longer they need to wait.
That is, till the doors slide open. Silence befalls the room as the Acting President steps in and scans the room.
Hayase Yuuka would be the first to step up and put forth their mind.
"Finally! You had us waiting for a while, now, where's the real President? I would like to forward my requests directly." Yuuka demands.
"H-hello, I'm here representing Captain Mine, she has concerns regarding the rise in injuries and hospital visits." Serina presents her point.
"-I'll get back to you later-ssu." She shoves her phone into her skirt pocket. "Yeah, um, reports brought in have stated that there's been a huge spike in black market weaponry and heavy machinery, somewhere around ten to fifteen times the normal amount-ssu?" The black haired girl steps in.
"On behalf of the Head Prefect, I am here to discuss the terms regarding-" Iori attempts to step in but is eventually drowned out by the ensuing chaos that is the other girls talking over one another.
I watch behind the open door as the girls talk over each other about their respective problems. I look over to Rin who merely has a customer service smile plastered on her face, her ears twitching ever so slightly. Ayumu, however, who stood beside me was panicking slightly. I sigh as I look back over to the room. I get ready to be revealed as I place the PDA into a breast pouch, translator on.
A few minutes pass as the talking riles down, giving Rin some time to breathe.
"All done?" She merely asks. This notably puts a sour taste in everyone's mouth as they're visibly shocked.
A heavy sigh escapes Rin's mouth as she pulls up an office chair and takes a seat, quite gracefully at that.
"All done!?" Yuuka exclaims. "Where is the President? I'll add complaints on top of the increasing list of problems."
Rin merely stares down the unruly Seminar representative, who backs down somewhat. She does a final scan of the room before slumping back into the chair a little.
"I suppose there's no harm in informing you all. The President has been… missing for quite some time now. Weeks at that."
Gasps and murmurs could be heard across the room.
"Resulting in that, has been the current problems we all have been facing. As you all know well, our current state of affairs has not been well.
Silence.
"Ahem, as such, the President has introduced me to a person who could possibly revert all that and reinstate control."
Confusion plastered everyone's face.
"Now who could even do all that?" Yuuka asks expectantly with a tinge of doubt.
"Artyom-Sensei, if you would please."
As a show of force, I purposely put weight into my steps, exaggerating the whirring in my servo motors as I stepped into the room. Standing at attention next to Rin, my hands held behind my back, I stared down the girls, my visor betraying no emotion. This puts pause on everyone as they stare back at me, with a mix of fear and curiosity.
'Who is this adult?' Yuuka wonders. 'He looks like some sort of soldier, something like Kaiser?' She looks at the heavy equipment this supposed Artyom-Sensei has on, before moving onto his weaponry. 'What kind of person is this man?'
"This, as I've said before, is Artyom-Sensei. With the power vested in the GSC President, he has been offered the role of advisor for SCHALE, and as extension of the President and her power." Rin explains, I glance down to her and it's obvious she's enjoying the slight terror instilled in everyone. She looks up to me and gestures to the girls.
"Ahem, yes, I am Artyom, and as you may notice, I am not from these lands, and I do not speak the native language here." I pull out the PDA from its pocket. "This device here allows me and you to talk, amongst other things. As the Acting President has stated, I have taken up the role as advisor and will be conducting an operation to retake the SCHALE clubroom and restore functionality to the Sanctum Tower."
I'm not exactly fully on board with leading a bunch of schoolgirls into a firefight, but beggars can't be choosers, I guess.
A few murmurs pass as they continue to study my words and myself.
"Although, this plan hinges on your cooperation."
The loud and complain-y girl holds up her hand. "But how are we going to help?" She looks around and the other girls simply shrug.
"Name?" I ask sternly.
She recoils a little. "H-huh?"
"What is your name, young lady?"
"H-Hayase Yuuka… sir." She replies slightly subdued.
I stare down Yuuka for a few more seconds before looking back up to the rest.
"Acting President, care to explain the plan?" I ask, looking over to my side.
"Of course."
Rin then proceeds to lay down the plan, first with how I came to be the one to reinstate functionality to the Sanctum Tower and my role as advisor for SCHALE, before moving onto the plan to retake SCHALE. This, of course, gave everyone some sort of doubt as to why I, an outsider, became the one to be appointed.
Their murmurs of distrust and confusion was expected, but damn was this tough. A sigh escapes my lips. This is why I like working alone most of the time.
I clear my throat, gaining everyone's attention. "Listen up. It's clear you don't exactly trust me, and believe me, that sentiment is shared. But, I was sent here for a reason, and that was to fix whatever clusterfuck is currently occurring outside. If we don't work together and reclaim the SCHALE clubhouse." I pause to stare into each of their eyes. "I doubt the future of this place."
The girls exchange glances amongst each other before I continue.
"Now what'll it be ladies? Kivotos doesn't have all day."
Pondering over my talk, they weighed out their options.
Surprisingly, Yuuka was the first to speak out, even after I smoked her out.
"I suppose I could work with you on this… uh…"
"Artyom, Artyom-Sensei, or Sensei works just fine."
"I as well." The silver haired girl speaks up next.
"Name?"
"Shiromi Iori, Sensei."
I nod to her before looking over to the pink haired girl. "M-me too, I'll help! Oh, uh, I'm Sumi Serina!"
The final girl popped in, phone in hand. "Nakamasa Ichika, at your service-ssu!"
A slight smile forms under my helmet before I look towards Rin.
"Looks like we got a team assembled, when should we expect boots on the ground?"
"I have helicopters on standby for insertion, but reports say that fighting is rampant, and nearby landing zones are not ideal."
"Just get us close, I have an idea." An even wider grin plasters my face.
It was definitely a new experience, flying in a helicopter with armed, bulletproof, schoolgirls, preparing to hot-drop into a combat zone to retake a clubhouse. But, rolling with it was Artyom's specialty, especially with spending years in the Zone.
The blades of the helicopter sliced through the air above the city, as I watched the numerous structures pass by, many engulfed in smoke and in all manner of destruction. Sporadic gunfire indicated by muzzle flashes could also be seen.
My eyes looked away and back into the helicopter, where my strike team composed of schoolgirls sat in wait. The silver haired girl, Iori, was the marksman of the team, denoted by her bolt action rifle. Although it lacked a scope, she assured that it was unnecessary.
The pink haired girl, Serina, as well as Ichika, both wielded bullpup rifles. Not exactly an unfamiliar sight, but their more complex nature meant more fixing and more cleaning. A luxury not afforded by many in the Zone.
Finally, Yuuka, she wielded a submachine gun, an MPX I presumed. Many weapons have found their way into the Zone, typically smuggled, so I've seen all sorts scattered across in my adventures. More expensive and foreign models though, not so much, but Sig Sauer weapons have found their way in, somehow.
Inspecting my own, I check the magazine of my RPK. Full mag, check. I replace it, the magazine clicking in place. I pull back the charging handle. Round chambered, check.
I'm in the middle of an equipment check before a ping goes off on my PDA.
'A new task?' I wonder as I pull up the taskboard.
The task giver was the GSC again, giving me the job of reaching and clearing out the SCHALE clubhouse.
I shrug before placing the PDA back into its pouch.
"Artyom-Sensei," Rin speaks over the radio linked to my helmet's set. Hopefully my PDA works from here. "I've informed the K.S.P.D in the area of your arrival. You may be acquainted with a few as they've escorted you, but they've been held up from assisting. It seems there are a few of these gangs between you and the clubroom."
"Gangs?"
"Yes, usually, they're at most a minor setback. But reports from the K.S.P.D have stated they are fielding a single Crusader tank. Utmost caution is advised when engaging."
"What kind of armaments are we facing?"
"Small arms and some grenades are to be expected."
I grimace, small arms was no problem, grenades were okay, but a whole tank? I shake my head as Rin continues her report.
"They seriously have tanks?" Yuuka asks, holding her headset and adjusting her mic.
Ichika pops in. "Most likely stolen from our contingent, we had a tank go missing the other day, so this isn't good-ssu."
"That isn't all."
Serina complains. "There's more? I don't think I have enough with me to patch up all the injuries." She looks dejected as she eyes her oversized first-aid kit. Where'd she get that anyways?
"Yes, in addition to the main forces, K.S.P.D also reports the loose criminal to be the Fox of Calamity.
Silence befalls the group, allowing the spinning blades of the helicopter cutting through air to fill in.
Tanks, schoolgirls and criminals, quite the odd lineup if I do say so, but… 'When in Rome', I suppose.
I continue inspecting my gear before Yuuka scooches closer to me. I look up before she opens her mouth.
"Will you be using that?" She points to my RPK.
"Is that going to be a problem?"
"You're not as protected as us, Sensei, there will be a lot of bullets flying in the air." Her face displays genuine concern, as well as the rest of the team.
I pound on my vest twice with my fist.
"This suit isn't just for show, Hayase."
"But-"
"Plus, I'm not gonna let you all have all the fun, right?"
"You could get seriously hurt though!"
"Isn't that what I signed up for? Plus, I think a few of those girls owe me an apology."
A confused look appears on Yuuka's face before Ichika pops in.
"What kind of soldier are you-ssu?" She asks, her eyes opening slightly, revealing a silver hue.
"Not a soldier, an explorer of sorts." I explain.
"An explorer?"
"'Stalkers', we were called."
This put all sorts of confusion on their faces, disgust on Iori's.
I pause before I get what they got confused on. I sigh deeply before I clear things up.
"Not the type of stalking you have in mind. Instead of obsessing over people, us Stalkers explored the unknown, in search of riches and mapping out areas of interest. That, or completing tasks for others who can't get them done themselves."
"But why are they called 'Stalkers'? Seems kind of wrong to me." Iori chimes in.
"That's because it's an abbreviation."
"That means…?" Yuuka asks, gesturing to me to elaborate.
"Scavengers, Trespassers, Adventurers, Loners, Killers, Explorers, Robbers. The term 'Stalker' was just a catch all for those that operated in the area."
"...Killers?" Serina whispers over her mic.
I sigh. "Yes, where I am from, people aren't the kindest folks around." My grip clenches tighter around the handle of my RPK.
"Does that mean…?" Yuuka asks, her eyes focused on my hand as it clasps the rifle.
I let the silence answer for me.
A few moments pass before I look up, my strike team's eyes all on me, their faces displaying a degree of sadness, especially Serina, as well as some fear.
"I suppose telling you this wouldn't hurt, and we have some time till we hit the clubhouse. You'd probably want to get to know your 'Sensei' better, right?" I don't think I'll get used to referring to myself as that.
A wave of nods pass.
I sigh. "Where I am from, Ukraine, holds a special Zone in the city of Chernobyl called the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone. In that area is where these 'Stalkers', and I used to, operate. It is a lawless place full of horrors and very bad people."
"Is that why you came here?" Yuuka asks.
"No, quite the contrary, actually. I stayed because I saw the opportunities the Zone held. It wasn't all bad people who populated the place, some groups operated in the area with purely scientific intentions, some wanted to protect the Zone as it was unique, some wanted to keep it contained as it held horrific things, some simply wanted to destroy it."
"Where did you stand?" Iori asks.
"I wanted to explore what the Zone had to offer in terms of scientific pursuit, but that only came later when I wisened up a bit."
"What does that mean-ssu?" Ichika asks, fiddling with her phone.
"When I first entered the Zone, I was a greenhorn, naive to what the Zone had in store for me and those like me. It's no understatement to describe it as a meat grinder, just about everything was out to get you. After I got some time and cash under my belt, my pursuits expanded beyond just getting rich and adventuring. See, there's these eggheads," This notably gains a few chuckles from the girls, "in the Zone called Ecologists, whose entire purpose was to research and discover how the byproducts of the Zone could be used to benefit 'Stalkers' and humanity alike."
"Medicine, technology, engineering, to name a few, were some of the areas that benefited from their research. After getting some of those advancements into my equipment," I point to my exohelm and exoskeleton, "I started getting involved in their pursuits, bringing in research material and traversing areas their teams couldn't."
"So when you broke down the abbreviation, which did you fall in under?" Serina chimes in, hugging her oversized first-aid kit.
"I guess I would put myself under the 'Adventurer' category. See, the Zone was cordoned off by my country's government, and entry was entirely prohibited save for a few exceptions. I… entered illegally, in hopes of adventure and a chance at riches."
This understandably puts confusion on everyone's faces.
Another sigh escapes my lips. "Yeah, in hindsight that was foolish, but I wouldn't have it any other way. In a place as inhospitable as the Zone, life found a way, and for very few instances, even thrived. I suppose I wanted to protect some of that as well."
"Protect?" Serina chirps.
I pondered whether or not I should continue, I'm not sure how they would handle the topic of death and killing.
"I'll, uh, fill you guys in on that another time." I dodge the question.
"Leaving us on a cliffhanger?" Yuuka rolls her eyes.
"Yes." I turn around towards the cockpit. "Pilot! What's the ETA on the clubhouse?"
"It's within sight, but I don't think I'm gonna be able to land you guys anywhere near, LZ's too hot!" The pilot exclaims.
"What's the number of opposition?"
"I count around twenty, Sensei, and that Crusader the Acting President reported isn't in sight either. Wouldn't want to be on the ground when that rolls around!"
"I have an idea." I say, a wide grin forming under my helmet.
"Oh? I'm all ears' Sensei."
"Get us hovering over them as close as you can, I'll clear us an LZ."
"Eh?"
The same sentiment was shared amongst my strike team.
"Sensei! What do you mean by that!?" Yuuka exclaims.
"I don't think that's a plan, Sensei." Iori points out as she crosses her arms.
"More like a death sentence-ssu." Ichika chimes in.
Serina simply shakes her head.
"What do you say pilot? Think you could do that for me?"
"Uh… it's possible, we might take some small arms fire, but the bird'll hold."
"Sounds like a plan then."
I turn around to meet the disagreeing faces of my team. Before they could get a word in, I set down my pack and got to work fashioning a rappel out of rope and paracord. Testing its strength by stretching it out, exerting my exoskeleton, I nod and tie it down on a loop by the door.
"What are you planning?" Yuuka asks, concern plastered on her face.
"I plan on," I look up from the rappel onto Yuuka, "clearing us out an LZ, by rappelling down and dropping a few grenades to clear em out."
"And you've done this before?" Iori asks.
"Nope."
"But Sensei-!" Serina sputters out before being interrupted by gunfire, rounds impacting the hull of the helicopter.
"I got her as close as possible, Sensei! It's now or never!" The pilot yells.
I slide the door open and stare down at our attackers. Gauging that we're a few dozen meters above them, I drop the rappel down before getting ready to drop.
I turn around to my team before sliding down.
"I'll let you know when it's clear."
I hop out the door before I could be met with any complaints, rappel in hand. A few of the gang members turn their fire from the helicopter over to me, a few rounds hit their mark but are ultimately defeated by the kevlar.
Looping the rappel in between my rig, I pull the pins of four grenades and drop them, waving down to the girls below as they fell. They hold their fire as they watched the four grenades fall. Before they could realize they're grenades, they went off, sending quite a few off their feet and into the pavement. Those just outside the shrapnel were dazed. Taking this chance, I rappel down further, before letting go completely and landing on top of a car, my exoskeleton absorbing most of the shock as the roof of the car caved in.
I look up and wave at the helicopter before radio'ing in.
"Holy moly Sensei, you're crazy!" The pilot exclaims.
"I'll mop up the rest and I'll let you know when to land, till then, keep close."
"Roger that, keep safe Sensei!"
I cut comms as I approached the dazed gang members. They removed their motorcycle helmets as they groaned.
"Ugh, were those grenades?." One of the girls asks, holding their head.
"I think so, also, did you see that! That crazy guy hangin' from the helicopter!? They're the one who dropped them on us!" Another calls out.
"I think most of us are knocked out." Her eyes scanning over her unconscious team.
"Is it just us four left?" They groan as they slowly get to their feet.
"I think so." I answer for them.
Their heads swing in my direction as I tower over them. One of the girls scrambled for their gun before I placed a burst into their forehead, knocking them out.
"Hieeek!" One of the girls cried out.
"Holy crap!" Another yells.
The third simply drops their jaw in shock.
"And now there were three."
"W-what do you want!?" One of the girls asks, staring into my visor.
"I want to know how many of you guys are left in the area." I demand, shoving the barrel of my RPK in the face in one, resulting in them falling onto their ass.
"A-and what makes you t-think we'd spill?" One of the girls yells out.
"Oh? Didn't think I was asking." I reply sternly as I pull out another grenade.
All three pairs of eyes fall onto the grenade, fear plastered on their faces as I took a step closer to one of them.
"Look, I just need one of you for information, the others…" I trace my throat with my thumb, grenade still in hand.
"W-we'll talk! We'll talk!"
I stare down at the one who cried out.
"Name?"
"S-Saki."
"Okay, Saki, give me something I want to hear."
"A-apart from this group, t-there's another t-twelve or so by the SCHALE c-clubhouse." Saki stammers out.
"And what about that tank?"
"I-I don't know…"
"Hmm?" I sound as I push the grenade closer to their face.
"I-I said I don't know! Some of the other girls took it on a joy ride and they didn't say where they were going!" Her eyes were on the verge of tears.
"I see. And what's this I hear about the Fox of Calamity?"
All three freeze up upon me asking.
"Oh? They your boss or something?"
Upon me asking, all three look at each other before looking at me.
"Well that answers that, know where she might be?"
"N-no, she's constantly on the move, and likely watching us right now…" Saki answers, her voice dying down as she finishes the sentence.
I think that's everything that I'll get out of them. Now, do I knock them out or let them go?
"That's probably all I'm going to get out of you three. Question is now, what do I do with you all?" I question as I toss the grenade and catch it.
"I-If it's the Fox of Calamity, I think we'd be better off knocked out." She turns to her friends. "Right?"
They nod in unison.
"Works for me." I say as I release another three bursts from my RPK.
I look up into the air and spot the helicopter before radio'ing in.
"LZ's all clear."
"Roger that Sensei, setting the bird down now."
As the helicopter landed, I watched as the rest of my strike team hop out of the helicopter. Although it doesn't look like they're too happy with the outcome of my plan.
"Sensei! What were you thinking!?" Yuuka exclaims, the other three girls nodding in agreement.
"What? I cleared us out an LZ and you're mad?" I genuinely questioned.
"We're supposed to be a team, right? We can't help out if we're stuck in the air." Iori states.
"And what if you got hurt!?" Serina raises her voice, to my surprise.
I fish out a squashed bullet tip from my kevlar and flick it away. This notably puts a sour taste in Serina's mouth as she watches it fall to the ground.
Not wanting to argue any further, I relent and apologize, though I won't say anything about future occurrences.
"I suppose I should've let you guys in on it."
"You suppose-ssu?" Ichika pops in, her eyes slightly agape.
"Alright, yes, I should've told you guys the plan, and for that, I apologize. Now can we get a move on? I don't want to be around when the tank rolls in or if that Fox of Calamity decides to interfere."
Yuuka sighs, Iori shrugs and Ichika simply smiles, her eyes now closed.
Serina, on the other hand, has her first-aid kit. Again, where the hell does she keep that thing?, and gets closer to me, seemingly to inspect if I have any wounds.
"Are you sure you're not hurt, Sensei?" Her eyes were slightly watery.
I sigh and get down on a knee. "Don't worry about that," I put a fist onto my chest. "This suit was designed to take on the worst the Zone could throw at me."
"Now let's go save Kivotos, yeah?"
She wipes her eyes with her sleeve before giving me a smile and nodding.
I get up and look at the pilot through the cockpit before they radio me.
"All set Sensei?"
"Yes, are you heading back?"
"Yup! A lone helicopter out here is just begging to get stolen or blown up, I'll head back to the GSC Building and resupply. Just give us a call and we'll be right back!"
"Copy that, see you soon."
"See ya Sensei!"
I watch as the helicopter slowly lifts off the ground before heading off in the direction of the GSC Headquarters. My eyes then land on my strike team, all looking at me expectantly.
"The SCHALE clubhouse should be close by, yeah?" The girls give me a nod, "Oh, before I forget," I point in the direction of the still unconscious gang members, "They told me there's still around a dozen or so gang members hanging around the clubhouse, so keep an eye out."
Iori jogs over to my side before looking up to me. "So, you took out all those girls with just four grenades?" She asks with slight surprise.
I pull one out from a reinforced pouch to my side. "Yep," I toss it in the air before catching it, "these were handmade by me, you'll find that they pack a bit more kick than your standard ones."
"Handmade?" Yuuka asks as she takes up my other side.
I hand the grenade over to Iori who curiously inspects the explosive device. "Yes, when traveling the Zone, sometimes you have to get a little creative with your equipment," Iori hands the grenade back to me before I put it back in its pouch, "in this case, a bit more bang for your buck."
"Huh."
"Yup, we get all sorts of nasty things in the Zone, so you take, or make, whatever advantage you can get."
We continue talking about the various items I've tinkered with back in the Zone before I spot a slight glint in an open window across from us.
"GET DOWN!" I yell, grabbing Yuuka and Serina and putting myself between them and the sniper. A few shots ring out before I feel an impact on my back.
I grunt loudly in pain. Fuck, that one hurt.
"S-Sensei!?" Both girls cry out before I turn around and return fire.
"Sniper! Target that window across the street!" I yell, one hand pointing at the sniper, the other on the RPK, laying down bursts at the sniper.
Ichika gets to work laying down some fire behind cover, and Iori is prone, lining up a shot. She fires once before racking the bolt on her rifle and getting up and looking at me with a smirk. We hold our fire in wait for the sniper to return fire. Nothing.
I look back at our sniper and give her a thumbs up.
Although Serina and Yuuka had some other concerns.
Serina was the first to voice them.
"Sensei! W-where were you hit!?" She exclaims worriedly, frantically searching my body for injuries.
"Again! Sensei, you need to stop being reckless!" Yuuka reprimands me, although her face doesn't reflect someone that's mad.
"I'm alright, bullet didn't penetrate my armor, it's just the impact, that round must've been 7.62x54R for it to hurt like that." I state, rolling my arm. Damn that hurt.
"And you know this, how?" Serina asks in a low voice.
"Ahem, anyways, nice shooting there Iori, if you can do that without a scope, I wonder what kind of magic you'll do with one." I praise, changing the subject.
"Not magic, Sensei, skill." She emphasizes, a smile still on her face.
I roll my eyes. "Alright ladies, let's keep those heads on a swivel."
I'm given a wave of nods before we continue towards the clubhouse. That is, before we were rudely interrupted once more.
BANG BANG BANG BANG!
My head turns towards the gunshots. Four bright red projectiles were headed in our direction before I hit the deck, the girls following suit. The impacts behind us shook the ground beneath us, sending concrete and dust all around.
I get up, rifle at the ready, searching for the shooter. Nothing.
"Everyone alright!?" I yell out, my eyes darting across the city-scape.
"I'm okay!" Yuuka yells out.
"I'm- cough -fine too!" Iori coughs out.
"Ichika!" Serina yells out, hurriedly crawling towards the downed teammate.
"Shit, everyone, cover them! We need eyes on the shooter ASAP!" I ordered.
"How does she look!?" Yuuka yells, her submachine gun at the ready.
"She's knocked out, but otherwise fine!" Serina answers as she wraps Ichika's head in bandages.
I'm frantically searching for the shooter till a voice rings out from behind the dust, their silhouette barely visible behind the cloud.
"Ara? I left them but a single task, and they couldn't even handle that."
They approached as the clacking of their heels became more and more audible.
"Ah, it's just you General Student Council rats. I assume you've come to stop me?" The dust finally dispersed, revealing a woman wearing a fox mask, wearing some sort of a twist on what I assumed to be Japanese traditional clothing.
She pulled out a stripper clip of ammo before swiftly reloading her rifle as she stared us down.
"It's her." Iori states, anger lining her voice.
"The Fox of Calamity!" Yuuka exclaims, her submachine gun trained on her.
"I recognize these four," Her eyes pan across my team before locking onto me, "but you. Who might you be?" The Fox asks, her voice sultry and dangerous.
"Just a nobody with places to be."
"A nobody? That's not how I would describe someone who deftly cleared out and interrogated over twenty gang members." She takes a few steps closer, her strides oddly hypnotic.
"Sensei! She's dangerous, get away-!" Yuuka exclaims before she's swiftly dispatched and sent a few meters away flying with a single swing from the Fox's bolt action rifle.
"Wha-" Iori was barely able to sound out before meeting a similar fate.
"Shit!" I exclaim as I lay down some fire, hopefully pulling her away from Serina and Ichika.
"I must insist that you indulge me in this dance, Sensei." She declares, a faint hue of red appearing from the eyes of her mask.
I lay down more fire as the Fox dodges my bursts, her swiftness a surprise as I assume cover behind a destroyed car before slamming another magazine into my rifle.
"Ah ha ha ha ha ha! What tricks do you have in store for me, Sensei!?"
"God damn she's crazy." I mutter.