"This place is so spacious!"
"Bigger than our rooms combined."
The group walked around the quiet chilly building as they tried to locate their target, talking about different things to try and keep their minds out of the imminent danger they could be in at that very moment.
"They're pods; you know?"
"Stone walls make it feel like a dungeon, who knows what's hiding around here?" one of them said as they looked at their surroundings, and the others couldn't help but let out an affirmative hum. The aura that permeated the place was almost suffocating somehow, but no one dared to say a thing about it.
"Guul, something smells really tasty up ahead, maybe like Skelter sauce? There must be a kitchen nearby!"
Everybody's sights then looked up and they noticed the swift aroma of food, something that was slightly spicy and warm. "We are in an old factory – wouldn't be a shock if they still had that sort of product," Guul reminded them all.
"Now remember, we didn't come here to eat – or get eaten."
"Someone cooking at a time like this? Pft, maybe they aren't aware we've infiltrated yet; just what we needed!" said Ganki, a small blonde haired girl in a cheerful way, prompting the other three to all hush her simultaneously due to how loud her voice was. Startled, she slapped her hands to her mouth. To the rest, her short hair resembled a cupcake with a red bean at the center of the head. Her violet eyes shone through the darkness of the area they passed. Behind her, two taller gentlemen and a boy slightly taller than her all followed as she guided them.
They were headed towards an old worn metallic door, standing proud at the end of the hallway. A slit of light glimmered from the corner of its frame.
"It's coming from over here!" At the door, she cracked it a smidge only to grow excited by what was inside. "Aw!" Twinkles filled her eyes and she swung the door open and took off inside, leaving the others to catch up.
Missing her for just a second as he tried to reach out to grab and stop her, Guul watched her disappear with a frustrated sigh. With a whisper, he said, "Ganki! Don't just run in there! There can be enemies!"
The rest seemed just as flustered with the situation. "That girl, I can't believe we're being led by her."
They didn't exactly know what to expect on the other side but when they entered the space, they found only walls of books stacked all around – Ganki was nowhere to be seen. "Ganki, get over here!" Laying at the center of the room and atop of a burned book was a sock puppet that seemed clean, contrasting with the pile it was on. The puppet slumped up, both shocking and welcoming the three.
"Greets says the puppet, welcome to my kitchen!"
"Uh," Guul muttered, unable to look away from the otherwise inanimate object who offered them a crooked smile.
"Oh, it's just a factory Seista," Reet explained calmly after noticing a bolt like piece sticking out of its cheek. He approached it and scanned it closely, the doll not doing anything at all.
"Huh? Seista?"
"They're robots that worked in these sort of factories, but they're quite old so it makes sense it's here; they were used around 2040 until production halted." He stopped for a moment before adding, "This one looks to be a different model. Never seen one like it."
"Ah, that sounds logical," Guul joined him in looking at the puppet with a little smile on his face.
A feline looking puppet, no more than 4ft tall, made its appearance too, with plates held between its large thick paws. "Ohhh, a pie!" Woh stared at the strange looking being that wasn't giving off any threatening vibes. "So that's where the smell came from. Quite the cozy dungeon for a place that's been abandoned for so long," he added, his gaze falling onto a number of patterns and the hundreds of books spread along the room.
"Hello, we're in a tavern on our way to the third floor," Reet kept trying to relay a message. Intermission only showed his voice to be static whenever he replayed it, his own nature of getting it right not allowing him to send it off unless the message was perfect. "We've managed to find what seems to be a kitchen filled with potential useful information."
"Uh, have you two seen a girl? She took off in here," Guul asked the puppets, though he didn't really expect them to give a vocal answer.
The feline only smiled. A candle's shadow flickered across its face, showing its bent whiskers, making it seem as if it had two other unnatural smiles beside the one on its lips. "You're so pretty!" Ganki joyously let out to the dismay of her allies.
"Pretty? That thing's straight out of a nightmare! Look at its face!"
"Aw, no! I'm taking it with us!"
"What smells so good?" Woh inquired with a hum, ignoring the back and forth banter between the other two. His nose led him right to the source on the other side of the room: the delicious scent of apples, half submerged in soup. The alluring aroma seemed to materialize and visibly twirled into his nostrils the closer he brought his face in.
"Woh, you shouldn't do that," he heard Guul say behind him but despite knowing not to, his body sought it on its own.
An armadillo looking being rolled in to join the Seistas but the others didn't question it, though Ganki found it adorable.
"I'm right here!" Ganki popped up again to everyone's relief, behind the armadillo. Crumbs scattered all over her cheeks, she seemed happier than they had seen her that night.
"Aw! Such a cute little thing!" Guul knelt down, petting the armadillo. It apparently enjoyed the display of affection until its body started vibrating, and Guul took a step back in fear. The group then witnessed the puppet emit a strange wave of energy before it turned into a girl, and everyone was left in a state of consternation as she was half naked. She was petite and had a yellow armadillo's tail that circled around her body, keeping her from being fully exposed to them.
With a pout she dropped to the ground, flinching as she lifted her foot. Woh noticed something small on her paw – a needle. While they knelt down to remove the needle, Guul noticed the feline's smile grew uncomfortably long, its tiny eyes illuminating.
"Stay still... there you go," the boy removed the object, handing it to the armadillo girl who took it rather happily. Rather than answer him when he asked for her name, the armadillo girl's eyes shrunk, growing pitch black as if her eyes faded into her eye sockets. She slid the needle to the tip of her tongue, drawing saliva that sprung out too fast for any of them to move out of the shots that tagged all of them. The next thing they knew, they found themselves in a new place. An old brown decaying city center surrounded them, and it felt much like an old trailer park.
A plethora of rancid rubble laid about, and they were surrounded by feline Shiki all coming for them at once. Engaging against the sudden attack, they found themselves separated amongst the crowd of enemies. "Areo!" Ganki cried out in an attempt to get by the horde but the creatures overcrowded the street, forcing Areo to grab onto a lamp post that he escalated. Once at the very top, he spotted Guul being overtaken as Shiki jumped up to attack. He flew back down, creating space in the mass, but he was still too far from the others.
One latched onto his arm despite his attempt at stabbing his saber through its head. More of the Shiki over encumbered Areo, tearing him apart to the horror of the others who were too caught up in their own predicaments to lend a helping hand.
There was no chance of regrouping. Ganki only thought of getting Poh and Guul out safely.
"You two, get over here!" Poh shouted, hopelessly realizing Guul had a crowd on his back eating into him. His hand shivered as he tried to stab his saber against one of the Shiki but it turned around and bit into his arm, shattering his bones instantly. His blood splattered against its face. Poh couldn't maintain visibility of his teammate as others came for him. He could only take Ganki and try his best to flee.
Thus, Poh slashed through every Shiki in his path to her. For a second, he thought he could get through but a Shiki came right at him. It slipped under him as he twisted over midair to avoid it and came back down, only to be tackled with more grabbing at him. Their small sharp teeth tore through the sleeves of his uniform, puncturing into the veins in his arms. The familiar scent of blood registered in his nose – his own blood. "Ganki, find a way out!" Poh shouted over the crunching sound of his bones being broken apart. One of the creatures moved in and clamped onto the corner of his lip, exposing the right side of his teeth and tongue, swaying along his mandible.
Ganki dropped her saber, losing the strength in her hands. Her horrified scream alerted the other Shiki standing around, forcing her to take off. In her second step she slipped to the ground and scraped her knee in the process, but forced herself to stand, swatting her bloodied hand out of a puddle that had her reflection replaced by the dozens of enemies pursuing her.
Her mind raced with only survival. The city street stretched out with only buildings that blended with the brownish dark sky. If felt as if her world were spiraling, a complete nightmare she desperately wanted to escape. She kept going with nowhere to hide, all the store windows blocked off with rigid fencing. Taking a glance back, she watched them get closer hopelessly. An invisible wall kept her from going any further down the street, her only chance being to turn into a single alleyway and hope for the best.
Dead end.
Her heart sank, as did the strong pounding of her head now going down to the stem of her brain. At the end of the alley, there was nothing more than a white trash bin surrounded by foul trash bags riddled around potholes that made the alley uneven.
"Think... think... where do I go?" She ran to the white trash bin, pressing her hands onto its cover. "This is the only way." She did her best to lift the lid but when she lifted it she was thrown back only to see that the feline puppet sprung out, placing its paws on both sides of the bin, swaying its head with the same sinister expression it had given them back in the tavern prior to this whole ordeal. "I found it! I just have to kill it..." Ganki brought her empty hand to her face and dropped to her knees, realizing she no longer had her saber.
Smaller Shiki that resembled the puppet poked their pointy heads out around it; severed limbs were randomly spread about, lodged onto the pointy tips of their heads. Meowing vibrated over the sound of rain, partially striking Ganki's ears. Those severed limbs had the emblems she recognized as different emblems from different regions. Setsu of other regions, past victims. From the corner of the alleyway, the running crowd came in, crashing against the walls like an ocean wave. She turned her head to the dreary chocolate sky, a black orb filling her vision. It matched the dead ambience as black rain came down.
Ganki dropped her head, clenching her eyes tightly. She only hoped her death would be swift.
"St... stop," she heard the feline puppet say eerily, its command obeyed by the wave of feline creatures that stopped inches from her. One had its small rows of teeth close to her neck, its putrid warm breath of decay brushing heavily against her skin.
She trembled in place. "Why... did it stop them?" Her eyesight blurred in and out. The intense breathing behind her continued along with the growling as if the creature had something stuck in its chest.
"I'll let you live... If... You try one of my meals."
"M ... meal?" She tried to understand what it meant, but in her state of mind nothing really made much sense anymore. From behind her, something was being passed around until it landed in front of her in a splat that washed up against her.
It was Guul's upper body, facing her. A twisted, pained expression carved into his face.
The puppet's paw elongated, wrapping around the body and elevated it slightly above Ganki. The choice was hers.
"Why was I running anyway? I have to share their fate..." A nervous giggle escaped her, and she had to stop before it turned into a full-on, unhinged laughter fit. The feline Shiki got close to Ganki's neck, understanding of her desires; with its jaws unhinged, it only would've taken one quick bite for it to get the job done.
Back in the tavern, the four Setsu's bodies all laid around while the puppet turned away, about to go off and resume its cooking. One of its long skinny arms coiled around Ganki's leg and dragged her away. "Cora, send the others to Konbasa; tell him I have more fresh ingredients." The armadillo humanoid only tilted her head.
"Actually, Konbasa was sent to the lower dungeon floor to watch over that entrance way. On second thought... I received word from Neifer, we've been ordered to take our leave," The puppet checked over a file in hand. "Nithilith has summoned us back to our hideout location in Honshu."
The feline hunched over, lapping its tongue against the unconscious Ganki's cheek. "Let us go then. This one will be perfect for me to keep alive. We can send her back and put her to use."
"These three will serve as a gift in our abode for the next two months in Osaka."
"Actually I want to wait, I sense more are arriving, there's one in particular that has a unique vibe..." The puppet looked at it with a raised eyebrow before rolling his eyes and letting out a sigh.
"No, you know Nithilith. She's impatient, she'll have us slaughtered if we keep her waiting too long. It's best we don't push our luck. Our job was only to keep tabs on those Stray's and the Bakafu-"
With one last smile, the puppet caressed the girl's leg again. "Fine."
The puppet giggled, smiling at the armadillo girl.
"Say, do you think we can finally get natural bodies after this?" The puppets question went unanswered by the Armadillo. "Will we get closer to returning to our planet home outside of this as promised?"
-
Swooping down from the grey clouds that covered the evening sky, the Hachi bat craft shifted into a helicopter and descended. From inside the cockpit, Haruna finished tying her new boots and couldn't help but notice what Takumi put on. He fixed his Ikigai uniform, not paying much attention to what was happening around him.
That uniform does really look good on him, I have to admit, she thought to herself, then replicated those ideas out loud. "Looks really nice on you, Tak-uuuumi."
He gave her an irritated eyebrow twitch. "Eh... don't remind me that I'm in it."
"I only gave you a compliment," Haruna frowned as Takumi shook his head. "Shiro, come on."
He stood up from his seat inside of the aircraft and yanked the black door aside. Wind flew in and Takumi stepped over the ledge to look down to the dozens of dark snowy trees they passed over. Only the moon reflected off the vehicle's metallic surface, rotors loudly spinning away. The bat craft scooped towards the open field and in the distance, the top of the factory was visible for a moment before it disappeared into the tree lines as the helicopter touched down.
Takumi gripped his Woshu weapon and maintained his grip on a pipe within the helicopter as he checked out the landscape ahead. There wasn't anything in sight, at least not yet. "We're here! Everyone be on guard – anything can be watching us-," Shiro warned. Haruna jolted off her seat and stretched her arms, cracking her back. Sango found her enthusiasm funny and joined in on the stretching.
"Back in my day, when I was your age I really enjoyed gymnastics. Do you do that as well, Haruna?"
"I, eh, prefer Kendo for the time being," the girl responded politely.
"Everything's ready. More backup should be here but you can leave if you'd like," Takumi heard Shiro tell the pilot. He scanned the area ahead and almost instantly he caught rifts of irregular vibes in the vicinity. These black particles of Retsu travelled with the circulating breeze that mixed in with the grey skies.
"Okay, let's get moving!" Shiro announced after he adjusted his long dark purple cloak, which would help him mask his own Retsu. He made sure it covered his shoulders well. He stepped off and saluted the pilot as he landed in the puffy snow that covered the ground. "The others should be landing soon. We'll be going on ahead to get this operation started," Shiro shouted as he helped Sango off of the aircraft. Neither of the other two heard him over the other aircrafts passing overhead.
"Come on squirt, hurry it up," Takumi grumbled as he watched Haruna go back into the aircraft quickly.
"One sec! I forgot my kendo blade!" she complained, unable to find it. She searched everywhere along the inner seats, only to remember she had left it in Takumi's car. Haruna dropped her head and hopped out, sinking into the snow. "I don't have it," she puffed up her cheeks, shooting glares at the back of Takumi's head. "You didn't tell me all this time! You could have at least reminded me if you noticed dude!"
"So I'm your babysitter now?" Takumi replied, with a faint smirk.
"That's not it! Whatever! I guess I'll have to use these if I have to," Haruna responded, rubbing one of her elbows. Takumi sighed as Shiro went into the parked aircraft.
"Oh right! Miss Hana, you're in luck."
"It's Haruna here."
"I brought something just for you at Miyumi's request," Shiro began and stepped into the helicopter. Haruna raised a brow and waited on him. "I brought you this sweet thing," his voice echoed from within. Shiro pulled up a leather seat; within it, there was a compartment that had a long silver kendo blade. Its ridge had a floral design that started from the hilt and went up to the tip. Once he had it in hand, he stepped out and showed it off. Haruna's eyes automatically landed on the shiny base of the blade.
She fell in love with it instantly. Shiro slid it out and tossed it over to Haruna as she caught it with ease and whacked it around in front of herself to get a feel for it. She let go of Sango's arm and grasped the hilt with two hands. "Woah!" In clean slashes, she swung it twice and then nodded gleefully, tapping the tip of her tongue to the center of the blade.
Takumi glanced at the blade and walked back over to Shiro. "She can't have that..." he whispered. His back was turned to Haruna so she couldn't read his lips.
"And why's that? Are you jealous that a stud like me made her smile?" Shiro's response was followed by a chuckle that was short lived as Takumi shoved his elbow into his gut, forcing the lieutenant to the ground.
"That blade's too sharp for her use; I'm not jealous of an old geezer like you," Takumi placed his feet on the back of the man's head and pushed his head further into the snow before Shiro exploded back up to his feet momentarily furious.
"Old geezer!? I'm only 29, boy! That's still young!" He pointed at his subordinate as Haruna suddenly spoke over them.
"Hello there! I'd use it but I think it's not proper of me yet. Nana has forbidden me from using actual katanas for the time being," Haruna explained as she thought back to when she was younger as she stared at the reflection in the silver weapon's surface.
That particular summer day, she sat in the wooden hall watching practitioners train with one another at the estate. It was the only rare instance she'd been allowed to watch others as her grandmother had been watching the girl restlessly practice with a broom she had in the tower she was kept at.
Moments later, her grandmother had called her in and expressed her concerns of using actual blades. She liked the girl's desire but knew she'd have to train without one due to things she couldn't explain to the child. That had to be earned, Haruna was told. At the age of sixteen, she'd be tested. "That's over two years away since I just turned 14 according to Alto," Haruna mumbled under her visible breath in disappointment. "So I can't use this yet," she added with a sigh.
"Oh, then use this one." Shiro went back in and came back with a blade that seemed blunt. There was a flat surface at the top, no tip. It almost resembled a black bat.
"What else do you have in there? I didn't see any of that while in there!" Haruna hopped in quickly to see if she could find anything else as Shiro laughed. "Well... this will have to do." She made grabby hands as Shiro considered her gesture. "That's much better!" She caught it when he threw it, and to her surprise it weighed a lot. So much so, that it blew snow onto her on impact.
"That weighs eighty pounds," Shiro said slowly. "Are you sure you can handle it?"
"It's fine," she replied, "though I'm usually used to 40." He handed her the sheath and Haruna slid it in and strapped it to her back comfortably.
"Okay! With that out of the way... Ms. Sango!" Shiro ran over to Sango while Takumi and Haruna walked over to them.
Haruna shivered, feeling the chilly snow brush against her calves with every motion. She took in a deep breath and let the cold air fill her lungs. After three seconds she exhaled, allowing her body to adjust to the temperature. "There, much better," she whispered in relief.
Shiro checked out a holographic map with Sango beside him. He knelt down on one knee, checking out the layout thoroughly. "Are there any traps around? Do you remember this place well?" he asked her.
"No, I'm afraid it's been a very long time since I was last here – I don't know about any traps. The weather was never like this though," the woman answered with a grimace on her face.
Shiro powered off the holographic map by clicking his watch and gave Takumi a nod. "We'll go on ahead while miss Hana and Ms. Sango follow at a distance."
"Haruna," she corrected yet again.
"You will use this ride to maneuver, it can jump and help you keep up while me and Takumi defend until we're able to meet up with the other packs." Shiro gripped the handle of the large hover bike that'd help the woman and Haruna traverse the snowy terrain while keeping up. Haruna got on it first, with Sango getting on second.
"How do you use this thing?" Haruna asked, tilted her head aside to stare at the sleek paint symbol along the hover bike.
"That's pretty easy, you move the handles here and press on the gears that'll make the vehicle move forward. Try to focus on following where the indicator is saying; we input coordinates already," Shiro explained, watching Haruna step on the gear as it moved forward a bit. She smiled to herself with Takumi squinting. "Tilt the handle up to rise – now, let's go!" Shiro took off.
Ms. Sango tried to ready herself, wrapping her arms around the girl. "Hang on, Ms. Sango! We'll be there in no time!" Hanami adjusted the googles given to her and watched Takumi dash on ahead. Maybe I can beat him there or... even run him over? Hah, why am I even getting these ideas? She thought, staring at Takumi dive over a small hill as she found the hover craft lifted when she pressed the handle backwards. It actually floated to her surprise.
"Ay, sport, you nervous? Maybe I can give you a piggyback ride until we get there," Shiro offered with a hint of a playful smile on his lips.
"Buzz off. I don't approve of you dating Miyumi," Takumi replied sharply, squinting his eyes.
Feeling a wave of unease and wondering exactly how the kid had gotten hold of that information, he tried his best not to let his smile waver. "Hah, what? Where'd you get that from?" Shiro responded outwardly.
"You're too old for her, geezer," Takumi added.
"For the second time today, I'm only 29!" Shiro tried defending himself, and all Takumi did was snort at the words.
They took quick steps onto a series of boulders and scaled up the rocky wall. They swooped up and landed down on the snow that covered the cliff. The white puffy batch of snow spread back. Shiro took a breath of air about to continue his argument, but looked back over to Haruna and Sango; that's when they saw two black Shiki concealed against the trees, about to lunge at them. Both Takumi and Shiro dove onto trees and flew back to Haruna and Sango, striking the Shiki midair as both broke against the bark of adjacent trees and swooped down, dashing alongside the moving hover bike.
"Ay, scaredy cat, you're not going to pay attention?" Haruna had flinched, having expected to be hit by the Shiki but found Takumi staring at her instead to which she sighed.
"I was until that thing lunged at me – I am not a scaredy cat!" she maneuvered the floating hover bike by trees as Takumi landed back down and she lowered the bike to follow. "Takumi... where'd that come from?" her fists tightened, causing the hover bike to stop as three Shiki rained down from the sky in front of them. Haruna flinched only to soon see Takumi slashing them down as he spun onto a third tree, using his claws to hang on it.
"One after the other, this place is swarming," Takumi passed through the mess of shattered forest in the brisk wilderness, lifting a single hand to block an incoming Shiki. This one seemed spider-like, except it had a person's pained expression.
"Kill! Kill!" it repeated in agony, cackling in a chittering voice. It dove out of the cloudy mist that flowed throughout the surrounding dead oak trees, likely believing it would catch the boy off-guard, but quickly found itself caught and smashed to the ground, Takumi dragging it over and chucking it against another creature that was running towards him.
The two Shiki struggled to untangle themselves. By the time they stood back up, Takumi swiftly came in and finished the two with a single impalement. His black nails elongated, coming together and spiraling back along his arm until it was right under the Hachi emblem of his uniform. Purple flames, erupting from the tip blasted the two past a series of black trees, creating a path of burned ground.
Shiro landed beside Takumi thereafter, gazing up to fumes coming out from massive pipes above the factory. "This is a serious infestation, more serious than I thought."
"I've seen worse, quit complaining," uttered a frustrated Takumi, resuming his walk as Haruna finally arrived; the hover bike landed on a soft bedrock and flew down, catching up to Takumi as he jumped as he leapt over a cliff to lower ground and spotted a Shiki that stared up at them – Takumi raised his right arm up to slash down.
"There are more ahead, maintain the same pace," Shiro called back to Haruna, leading her to slow down as the two once more engaged another horde of Shiki. They were massacred too quickly thanks to Takumi and Shiro's teamwork and slick maneuverability.
"At this pace, we'll be here all night!" Haruna complained, slamming her head on one of the Shikis that had been thrown her way by Takumi.
"As if you could do better," he swooped back down with a smirk. "I thought you cared, now you just want to go home, what a brat."
"All clear?" she asked as she tried not to put any more attention on the boy, receiving a snide remark from Takumi to Shiro's behest.
"You don't see any threats, do you? Other than your own incompetence."
"There you go again! Do you like arguing with me or something? I just asked a simple question, bone head!" Haruna snapped back, completely disregarding Sango doing her best to hold on as Haruna followed to keep up with Takumi and Shiro. The woman clung for her life, looking visibly nauseous from all the movement.
Eventually they arrived at a clear hill that showed the building in the distance and a vast lake now frozen, filled with mist. The rusty factory stood at the other end of the body of water shrouded in mystery that concerned Haruna. They continued until they arrived at a cliff, overseeing a tundra. Snow covered the area as far as they could see. A ghastly hollow. The exceeding winds carried with it a dry dead scent of decay and fresh blood.
The two men surveyed, spotting an unsightly horror.
The two girls walked over to them. "What's up?" Sango stopped between Takumi and Shiro, taking in the view. It'd have been breathtaking if it weren't for the fact that strong winds messed with her eyesight. Haruna tugged her scarf higher up along her cheeks and buried her nose into its warmth, though its relief was only short-lived.
"It's so chilly..."
There were two odd anomalies in the distance. Haruna squinted, unable to get a better view. "There are enemies up ahead. And all of those Ikigai Setsu... they slaughtered them," Shiro found it difficult to stand.
"They're from out of Osaka for sure, rogue Setsu Stray," Takumi said what Shiro already suspected. These enemies felt more menacing than anything they'd encountered so far.
"All of this was never here," Sango shivered, standing beside Haruna. The gates and buildings she remembered weren't there anymore nor was the bright sun. The skies were now filled with endless grey clouds. Only a frozen lake remained, with dead trees stretching around the area.
Glowing orbs shone all around the factory, giving it an even more threatening look. "What are those things?"
"Most likely camera sensors to keep an eye on intruders. For it to be activated, there'd have to be a nexus..." Shiro submerged in thought for a moment while the others just looked straight ahead, their bones chilling with more than just the air around. "We have to get in and negotiate while the other Ikigai members cleanse the factory; the priority is to get Ms. Sango's daughter out safely. Me and Takumi will handle the threats. If anything gets by, you protect yourself and Ms. Sango, miss Hanami."
"It's Haruna for crying out loud! You've done nothing but call me by my actual name," a dejected Haruna tried telling Shiro before something else popped in her mind. "But now that I think about what Miyumi said, this is a chance to encounter and find clues maybe. There may be something related to what happened to my father."
"Your father? Well don't you worry about that, there will be a chance for that. The Ikigai will cover the interrogations later."
"I guess you're right," she responded with a half disappointed frown. Staring down to her brown boots, she noticed the shiny ridge showed her reflection in them. "I don't get why Takumi can't look after Sango instead though. I got her all the way here, he should at least carry her now. I mean, he's much bigger! He looks like a mule too! See?" Takumi heard Haruna say. He could feel her pointing at his back, but despite that he didn't respond; Shiro did before he could.
"Because the strongest has to protect Ms. Sango after all! So, you're the best choice! Plus, a mule is watched over – you're watching his back."
"I can agree with that," she said after a moment of silence, letting out a small giggle. "Still, something tells me it isn't going to be as easy as you make it out to be," Haruna thought, watching the two jump off of the cliff edge. Takumi dropped off and used a series of boulders to scale down to the lower floor. Shiro followed right behind, hopping from stone to stone. "Ah, I'm not cut out for this... but no complaining!" Haruna reached out for Sango to take her hand as they both got onto the hover bike again to follow.
Dropping down to the lower level, they practically disappeared into the lower mist that covered that area, Haruna observed. She moved carefully with the vehicle, picking up on the foul stench mixed into the area. Throughout this silent wasteland of decaying Shiki were sabers scattered all about. Both Takumi and Shiro looked at one another and continued out of the fog. Just as his nose informed him, Takumi spotted more slain Ikigai. Those that got through the fog of Shiki met horrific deaths. "All of them... by those two?"
Farther away from the graveyard of Ikigai sabers, they noticed two figures standing still. The winds carried snow swirls that swooped about. Sabers were stabbed into dozens of slain Ikigai Setsu in different ways; some bodies were buried under the snow, what was left of their blueish skin clinging to the bones. "Be careful, avoid the lumps," Shiro shouted back to Haruna. The sight rendered Sango mute.
"Hmmm... Geira, Bougra, there are more Setsu coming your way," the two Strays heard a voice say within their helmets.
"Ah, that human... the woman on that child's back, could it be? Do my eyes deceive me?"
Geira watched attentively, the anticipation of what was to come making something inside her vibrate. "Capture her, kill the rest." At her request, Bougra's shoulder slightly twitched. The snow that had been piling on his head and shoulders slowly slipped off as he tore a large tool out from the frozen ground.
Haruna maintained a distance of twenty feet from Takumi and Shiro, mostly for safety measures. She looked ahead to the two figures standing guard in front of the factory's gate entrance. For some reason, she felt a tingling sensation within her. A thought came to her as the snow slowly fell around them, sweeping around her ruby hair and eyelashes.
Part of Keichi's Ikigai pack should already be inside searching for Sango's daughter and other hostages, Shiro thought to himself, as he whipped his saber to his side. "Okay, let's go! Stay behind me."
It just didn't feel right watching when the Hasegawa in her wanted to engage in combat. "I'll switch in when I get the chance," Haruna told herself, watching closely.