Unexpected Aragami
Walling Plains
"Guess that was the last one, huh?", Ajira extracted the core from one of the Gboro-Gboro. Those two and some Zygote had been their targets. But the mission was actually: Keep the Walling Plains clean until the Armor is ready again.
It wasn't too easy but also not really hard. It was okay for now.
"Did you notice, too? The Aragami get stronger again. I just wonder why.", the older one gazed at the disappearing Gobro-Gobro.
After Nova had awakened the Aragami got stronger, then weaker and now they got stronger again. He first thought it was because of the moon phase but actually there was no logical connection.
"They do?", the Leader sounded slight surprised. "I somehow noticed. But I suspect it to be my imagination. Because I worked a lot lately." Maybe he should take of a day once again. Besides missions and his duty as leader he only took the important sleep. And somewhere between he ate.
Sakuya had a lot to do with training the rookies so she hadn't noticed yet.
Man, she would lecture him.
So it had to be Soma telling him to slow down again. He of all people.
"We should talk to Sakkaki about it once. Well, let's see if there are any more Aragami.", Ajira shouldered his Scythe and took a step.
BAM!
The ground moved, Ajira stopped immediately and Soma glanced at him.
"What? Don't look like that. It wasn't me!", the Leader raised his arms in defense and stepped back again.
BAM!
"Really!"
"Be serious, Ajira.", following this order the blonde one let his arms fall. "I bet it's an Ouroboros."
BAM!
"Yep. Ouroboros."
"I agree."
BAM!
Every time you could hear the stamp it got louder. "Damn it! We can't let it go near to the Anti-Aragami armor. It's not ready again." Soma was right. But how did an Aragami like that got here without anyone to notice?
BAM!
"We need to fight it. We should have enough Items left.", Ajira took his weapon down and started to run. There was no other choice.
It took them less than a minute 'till they faced the giant black Aragami. It screamed hoarse and tried to smash them whit one of his tentacle.
Soma made a dodge to left while Ajira rolled back, switching to his gun. "Go for it!"
Soma rushed to its feet and slashed these with the heavy Buster Blade of his.
Meanwhile, the Leader fired multiple Bullets at the Ouroboros face. It stared at him with his dozen of eyes. There was still could fear running down his back.
It was insane what they were doing.
The Ouroboros raised its arm and swiped it at Ajira. He quick ducked and rolled twice to the left. The hit missed him only closely. Back on his feet the Leader continued his fire, but a few of the bullets bounced off.
This was one of the most dangerous Aragami.
"Darn it!", Soma cursed. He had to retreat to not get squashed by the Oroborus feet or tail when it turned around.
Ajira already was out of Bullets. He switched back to his blade quick and sprinted right to the Ouroboros. When it lifted its body Soma swept up his shield.
But for Ajira, it was too late when he understood it was about to jump. He only could stop at place but there was no chance to block the shockwave with his heavy shield.
"WOAH!"
But he was lucky that time. The wave lost power before it reached him. The Leader took this chance and continued his sprint. He jumped when he was in front of the Aragami. Three times he slashed its face before he had to let himself fall back again. This time he brought up his shield already in air. The moment he touched the ground one of the Ouroboros tentacle hit him and pushed him back a few yards.
"Kch!", Ajira rushed back and swung his scythe at the Ouroboros tentacles before he jumped to its face to attack there again.
Thank God it was a slow Aragami.
And as long as Ajira attacked its face it didn't notice much of Soma who cut down its tentacles and feet. But Soma had to be damn careful to not get squashed or knocked down when the Aragami moved. And there were a lot of body parts which could do that.
They followed a simple line:
Soma smashed the Ouroboros feet and jumped back when it was about to move or hop a little.
Ajira focused on its face. He attacked, blocked waves and hits and twice he used a stun grenade. He switched to his gun only rarely. He needed a safe chance for that. Since he was just not able of aiming and focus on what happened next to him.
It worked out fine until…
The Ouroboros got enraged.
It screamed even louder and raised three of its tentacle at once. It wanted to crush Ajira finally once and for all. He didn't saw another way to escape than threw himself with his face first into the mud.
The tentacle swept across him and let him feel a 'nice breeze'. Vague he saw that Soma was caught off guard by the tail like thing. It threw him away from the ground, but he cunningly broke the fall with a roll back and was on his feet again. "Damn that monster!"
It must have understood Soma. Because it used his dangerous laser the first time towards him.
Ajira likely was out of riche so he could stand up again. The young Leader saw big trouble coming.
He started to feel exhausted.
"Huh, we better finish that off quick.", he said to himself. But before he attacked again he gave his armlet a short look to check the enemies health points.
And then he was hit by shock.
"Oh hell!", that could not be true.
"Soma!", he yelled out all over the place. They didn't use the mics today.
"That thing hasn't even weakened"
"What!? You can't be serious!", but of course he was.
"You can't be serious! I'm not fucking joking here!", Ajira slashed the tentacles again and was on the same time about to get hysterical. Because he felt panic creeping up all his body.
Nevertheless, Ajira jumped once again but in that moment, he did a fatal error. When he moved to hit he let down his guard.
What happened he only realized the moment he felt a sharp pain at his left side. One of the tentacles had caught him and sent him fly straight on to the rock wall.
"Ajira!"
The next was pain across on his back when he crushed against it.
"Urgh!" because the damned wall had a steep gradient he rolled down and could bare protect his head and face whit his arms. Tears were all he could make out.
But at least he saw the sharp rock coming in time and managed to push himself away soon enough.
The next was… to feel how he hit the ground. He still rolled twice until he finally came to stop whit his face in mud again. Still dazed and dizzy the Leader rolled on his back to try to see something. There was the grey sky that looked like rain and… a big black beam through the middle of it. "Oh, please no…!", Ajira rolled back once more before he would get squashed for real.
Back on feet but still slightly dizzy he heard Soma calling out for him again.
"Sorry! Nothing happened! Ouch! I'm fine!", okay, he wasn't fine but he was not Incapacitated!
"Damn! Do you want to be killed here or what!?"
Even if this was a rhetorical question it really was not needed.
Ajira ran out of the Ouroboros reach and switched to the gun. But he paid attention get close enough to Soma so he could back up the blader.
He fired multiple Divine Bullets and this time he got more hits. But it also brought the Aragamis attention from Soma back to him. Again it raised its whole body but this time it did not only a little hop.
Now it jumped all over the place.
"Oh! Oh! Bloody hell!!", that was so absurd! That thing was downright flying!
Really, there was a reason elephants had not been able to jump, for heavens sake!
It was last second, but Ajira managed to switch back and also block the wave. Unlike his companion.
Soma did block as well, but he was far too close. The pressure blew him away and this time the buster balder could not break his fall.
But after a rough landing he got quick back on feet. He cursed a lot. But there didn't seem to be much damage done. Obviously at least.
"Hey! Take care yourself either!"
There was a scream of the Ouroboros again. Now Ajira snored in annoyance.
"We're not done yet. But how 'bout change this?"
Okay, now he was enraged as well.
Hopefully that would help.
Near the Anti-Aragami Armor
"Damn it! What's wrong here!?", Shun yelled in rage when he slashed down on the Ogretail.
Everything had been fine. The Anti-Aragami armor had been off for some hours to be updated. The defense unit was around if something should happen.
But there haven't been much Aragami lately. And only the Walling Plains and the Forgotten Carrier had to be secured since they were closest to this part of the armor. Soma and the Leader took the first, Alisa and Kota the second.
But how the heck did that many Aragami get here?
The Aragami seemed to come only from the Plains.
"Don't curse! Better focus the fight!", Gina relied and shot the hell on the Zygote. Despite their situation she still smiled her intimidating and slightly sadistic smile.
"And they said they won't need Sakuyas backup! What are they doing!?", Karel joined Gina's fire but there were just too many small Aragami.
"Don't worry! We'll manage that! Just like always! So keep fighting to protect your live, kay?", Tatsumis voice was to be heard through the mics. Right. They needed to fight them off, just like in a normal mission.
No need for panic or anything.
Until the moment the trio heard a pained scram. First this and then a murmuring followed.
"Tatsumi!"
Later At the Den
"They're back.", a really down Gina pointed out the moment the elevator opened and Ajira and Soma went in. They had been the last two out.
"What the ** hell did you two do!?", Shun already was up and yelled.
"Uh!", Ajira twitched in both, pain and shock. "Please don't yell.", his head did hurt already enough.
Soma on the other hand gave Shun a cold gaze.
"It was your job to not let any Aragami to us! How could you fail like that!?", he didn't even notice Ajiras request.
Shun had a lot of injuries. Soma as well, tough he didn't seem to be in much pain. Ajira definitely looked the worst.
"Listen, we just…"
"Damn you two! There was a fucking big herd Ogretails and Zygote attacking us!"
"As I see you failed, too. Getting beaten up like that", it was rather wrong that the buster blader said that now.
"Soma… Don't you…"
"Say that again you bastard!", Shun was about to explode and the young Leader had no chance to stop this fight right now.
"If you both don't shut up right away I'm gonna call for Tsubaki to deal with you."
Ginas irritated voice saved him.
"Tch!", Shun cursed silently and Soma decided to leave via the other elevator without another word.
"Oh, hey, don't just go off like….. ah, forget it.", a little insulted about Soma leaving him in that mess, he turned to Gina.
She sat next to Brendan who hadn't said a word up to now. "So now Leader… what happened? You look pretty bad."
The blond-haired boy sighed in relive. "I'm really sorry. But we had to deal with an Ouroboros right off the bat.", he said when he sat with them.
In that moment, Shuns mouth dropped open. "Impossible! We checked all out yesterday!"
"Please don't yell. And if you don't belief me: You can come with me to bring Dr. Sakaki the core of the Ouroboros.", Ajira said tired. They even got the core. But it was defective.
"What about you? What... did happen?", Gina and Shuns behavior already told him that something really bad had happened.
"We lost two member.", Brendan said plain. "And Tatsumi… He got seriously injured."
"Urgh…", that was like a punch in Ajiras stomach.
"But at least he should be fine. He got multiple ribs broken and a lot of internal bleeding. But he was even on consciousness before."
The Leader relaxed a bit when he heard that. "So he's at the sick bay? I guess also I need to visit Arunja."
Arunja was one of the people taking care of the wounded God Eater. Ajira had the habit to only let her at his wounds. There was no way someone else could ever be allowed this.
Brendan asked him if he needed help when he stood up. But Ajira refused.
"I'll be fine.", he just said and left.
First he would bring the Core to Sakaki, and then he would go and have a shower since he really had too much mud on him. Then He would go to 'visit' Arunja and after that having some dinner, reading a book and then he could go to bed. Though, he maybe should talk to Soma, too. He brought only trouble to himself when he said things like that.
But after Ajira reached the Laboratory, he was sure he had to skip a lot of points.
Or he would drop dead.
