Inmates Ballad: 13th birthday
It was time, I was old enough to be on deployment and fight the Aragami. Gen-1 god-eaters had been the norm by now, as Gen-0 had the highest casualties.
I heard things got bad while I was kidnapped, from the therapist, the majority of refugees outside the branch walls had already pleaded with FENRIR to be housed inside the Branch Walls upon its completion.
The refugee camp was more of a lookout post for Aragami now.
1st Mission: Patrol the outer edges and stand guard for Aragami attacks, no specific targets. Just keep them away from the walls and refugee campsite.
Aloni and the other kids in her class must've got similar missions before they died.
Unlike them, I've expected the absolute worst from the start. The only one older than 13 among our group was the leader.
My Mission; Kill whatever moves to eventually clear a path for long-distance travel for the future. Anything FENRIR issues be damned.
We were riding in the Jeep quietly. No one sat next to me as I held Sameem close to me.
The whole branch knew about my attachment to the god-arc by now.
I paid them no attention, only to the Aragami lying in wait.
They were quick and efficient. The cocoon maidens popped up en masse, spooking our driver. The ogretails lay in wait. Once the jeep braked, they closed in as if to not let us get our bearings.
Including me, we had two melee and two shooters.
The leader used a ranged god-arc conveniently.
They order the melee to stand on either side of the Jeep, to stand guard for their respective shooters.
I stood guard for a fresh recruit who like me was on their first day on assignment.
The leader was paired off with another new recruit, who in contrast to my buster blade, had a short sword.
The leader used a sniper rifle, the other ranged god-eater used a machine gun.
The leader's aim was well-honed and it served to help the looming stress on the melee god-eater.
Meanwhile, I had to pick up the slack for my side.
The young god-eater behind me fired shot after shot at the incoming ogretails, but none of them were clean. All the 'damage' they inflicted was superficial.
When an ogretail got close I swiftly handled it and sub-par relied on my shooter for any given target. It didn't matter if they had to reload or not.
Things seemed to be going well until the leader called they had to reload and this unnerved the melee god-eater.
Up until now, the short-sword users' biggest hurdle was core extraction from limping Aragami.
But now they had to hold the line in earnest even if it was just a minute.
An ogretail approached none too cautiously and seemed like a predictable pattern.
It seemed like even a nervous wreck could handle it.
It 'seemed' that way.
However it happened, the short-sword user lost their weapon and was left vulnerable.
With swarms of Ogretails coming and the leader still reloading, I didn't bother waiting for them to recover.
I split the ogretail in two and kicked the weapon back to the god-eater.
For good measure, I killed the next 3 in line, before I went back to my side.
My shooter was beginning to panic seeing me out of my position, but no ogretail ever came near them thanks to me.
Even after the leader reloaded, the short-sword was only losing more nerve.
They were ordered to keep a tight grip on their weapon.
I only glimpsed and I already knew what would happen the next time the leader reloaded.
Despite my lack of interest in befriending or interacting with the other kids all these years;
I had even less interest in watching them die under these circumstances.
Once the leader called out they had to reload again, I didn't bother waiting to see how short-sword would handle it.
I dashed back and forth between my side and theirs crushing and slashing Aragami.
I never gave the chance for the leader to protest and just killed any ogretails that got close.
The 13-year-old, couldn't decide to be thankful or protest.
This was their first mission like mine. It stood to reason they'd be lacking.
After the ogretails finally stopped, I saw the dirt stir near the Jeep.
The cocoon maidens popped into view and erupted in spikes.
The machine-gun user lost their footing and fell into the Jeep. The leader nearly fell trying to avoid having their knees skewered.
My own initial reaction was to put my back against the jeep and raise my tower-shield, but I saw the short sword wasn't going to be able to react in time.
In a wide arc, I broke the web of spikes around myself and short-sword. After that, I just continued to kill Cocoon-maidens. One by one.
My team members could only loosen their weapons with the lack of targets.
I paid them no mind and just devoured the remains.
Once the leader made sure the area was clear, they ordered us back into the Jeep as they radioed in.
As I let Sameem swallow up the last of the prey, I noticed something overhead.
A bit bloated and one eye big as the human head. Two of them.
Zygotes.
The leader looked in the same direction and panicked.
"Shoot it down!" they ordered.
The leader fired a shot from their sniper rifle and sends his target flying down.
The other gun-user fired shot after shot, but they were all shallow.
As the bullet grazed the zygote's cheek it screeched and the leader silenced it swiftly.
"Dammit! Everyone in the Jeep!" they shouted.
The leader jumped into the driver's seat and tried to start the engine.
The others were quick to listen, but I knew better.
FENRIR didn't pick up on what Zygotes do for the food chain until almost a decade into their discovery.
To put it simply they were scouts.
They'd let out a scream and in came bigger, stronger, Aragami.
Stomp!
Stomp!
Stomp!
The leader picked up on the sound and desperately tried to start the Jeep.
It was to no avail, the Cocoon-maidens made short work of the fuel line and maybe the engine.
"No, no, no!!!!" the ensuing thoughts of the god-eater were interrupted by the growls a ways away from us.
The biggest current threat to god-eaters; the Vajra.
"Everyone hide!!!" The leader yelled, waving towards rock debris.
The machine-gun user and short-sword followed without question.
I stood my ground.
I planned on letting it see me whole-view.
The Vajra mirrored me step for step.
At first, it was a steady pace.
Then a jog.
Then a clash of lightning and thunder.
It struck with its fangs, I took a shot at its arm.
It reared its claw, I went for its head.
It went like that for a while.
Till it had enough.
The vajra erupted in lighting and attempted to hit me with its shoulder.
The muscle looked too thick so I heaved my blade into its clavicle.
It tried to pull back with my blade still inside.
It's first mistake.
Right as it pulled back I tore through creating an opening exposing oracles underneath.
The Vajra pulled back its claws to attack.
It's second mistake.
I pulled up my shield to deflect.
The force shook me, but it did not hinder me.
It only served to add to my velocity.
I dug my buster right between its nostrils.
The impact nearly crushed its whole head.
After I pulled back my god-arc its face sort of 'popped.'
I waited for the Vajra's next move, but it seemed to be in a daze.
With its sight hindered it started pawing at air randomly.
It's last mistake.
I charged oracle energy into my buster-blade letting the Vajra get closer and closer and then…
SLICE!!!!!!
Its upper half was nothing more than a split wedge.
The core was spilling out practically in arms reach.
I transformed Sameem and he took a bite of the insides taking a big chunk of flesh with the core.
When my team finally came out, they were awestruck.
I let Sameem finish eating the remains of the Vajra before I gave them any more attention.
The rookies were taught in the face of a Vajra to retreat and wait for additional god-eaters.
Or just keep running if backup never arrived.
I knew better though, my goal to escape this hellhole could only happen if I cleared the Aragami preventing long-distance travel.
It hounded the Sikkim Branch for almost 3 years and killed a lot of kids. Aloni too I think.
Nothing would change if that Vajra wasn't taken care of.
If all Vajras weren't taken care of.
This was only the start after all.