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The sun was high in the sky, standing as the sole figure across the pale blue void on this unusually clear day, the inky black clouds in the far east roaring with ice and skin stripping winds, barely visible by the mountains, threatening to disrupt this rare standstill. Below a massive forest stretched as far as the eye could see, one of the bigger woodlands of South Takamagahara, its density only being diluted by large clearings before returning to a mesh of tightly packed trees. Few dared venture in these lands, not really due to the local fauna, but because no one wanted to traverse through trippy tree roots and getting lost in a maze of wood and weed, instead preferring to stick to the pre established roads while letting nature do its thing. And yet two Inoshima citizens had chosen to invade these wild lands
Leaves and branches fell to the ground as they were cut by a blindingly fast blade, bamboo like plants gushing with stored water as they were severed in half.
”Haruka-chan….” said Megumi, hands closed tight to her chest.
”Are you sure this is the right way?”
Haruka stopped cutting at the vegetation as she tried catching her breath
”Maybe.” she said with nonchalant tone
Looking behind, Megumi could see the path her friend has carved through the forest, the almost tunnel like structure of it making it seem so alien in this environment
”Couldn't we have just taken the main road leading to Sinshei? It crosses right through the forest and we wouldn’t need to cut through so much.”
”Takahashi-san insisted that the disappearance happened deep in the forest, not close to the road, remember?”, Haruka said.
Indeed, a townsperson had gone missing the other day after venturing into the forest. Most assumed that they’d be back by sunset, but next morning came and no sign of that person, so a search party was sent out to find them, with Mr. Takahashi insisting that Haruka should join as well after the first attempt failed to find anything, and since she didn’t want to do things by herself, she decided to also drag Megumi with her.
”In any case..” she said as she sliced meter sized grass blades with a single slash.
”I think we might be close to a clearing, the trees are beginning to not be so tightly packed. At least I hope.”
The two had digital clocks displayed in their HUD, so they knew that by this point they were well into the afternoon and they had been at it since 10:40 AM, so fatigue was slowly overtaking their bodies. Mr Takahashi had told them that if they found nothing by 4 PM, latest 4:30, they should return back to town, while also advising them to not delve too deep into the forest, and on the off chance they did get lost, head as far west as they could in hopes of stumbling over the Inoshima-Sinshei road. And as the minutes ticked by, the two were considering just calling it quits and head for the road.
”I came here for a rescue mission, not to be a lawn mower...” Haruka grumbled under her breath.
”Maybe we should’ve stuck with Takahashi-san like Megumi suggested, don’t you think?” Aoi’s voice echoed in Haruka’s head.
”Zip it.” Haruka said, annoyed, as her gaze fell to the side.
”We can still turn back and regroup with everyone, since I don’t believe that we’ll find anything if we continue on this makeshift path. And it would be a bit embarrassing if we’d also end up in need of being rescued.”
”Aoi, I-”
But her train of thoughts was interrupted by a shrill sound echoing through the forest. At first she didn’t know what it was, but then a second call resonated, sounding like a bird trying to mimic the sounds a monkey would make. Now she was sure what it was and looking back, her friend was as well, Megumi looking ahead with fear.
”K-...Kinzoryu*!?” Megumi weakly wimped
Right at that moment a shadow flew over them, flying towards the same direction the two were originally heading.
”Ha-Haruka-chan, maybe we should-”
But Haruka was already sprinting forward, Megumi, terrified of being left alone in this jungle, bolted towards her, trying her best to not trip on a root. Cutting through any foliage that dared to appear in her path, Haruka finally arrived at her destination. Indeed, she was right, as they were close to a small opening in the forest, but what she found there wasn’t what she wished at all, immediately ducking into a large bush.
”Haruka-chan, please….(huff)... slow down..” Megumi pleaded as she reached the clearing, but was dragged instantly into the bush by her friend, shushing her as she kept her hand over her mouth.
Confused, Megumi quickly realized why they suddenly needed to hide and her friend was on the edge after looking forward. Three Banshees were feasting on the remains of a corpse, Haruka’s vision zooming in to try to see the body’s face and comparing it to the photo Mr. Takahashi provided them with, but with little luck. Megumi’s eyes became wide circles upon seeing the scene, a shocked gasp almost escaping through her friend’s fingers.
”I had a feeling…” Haruka whispered to herself.
One of the Banshees was pulling at the lifeless Drone’s innards, while another was trying to swallow its right arm whole. Below them were mechanical bugs, feeding off of the oil that had puddled around the body, the third Banshee occasionally plucking one of the bugs before swallowing it whole.
”If a Yokuryuu* is around, its buddies aren’t far behind, there always being a fresh kill somewhere as well.”
”What do we do now, Haruka-chan?” Megumi’s muffled voice could barely be heard.
Haruka simply sat and contemplated the whole situation. She hadn’t found out yet if the Drone the Sentinels were feeding on was the one they were searching for, it could've been unrelated or one of the Fire Brigade members. Either way, she had to find out, one way or another, a case report was still a case report. Looking around, she noticed the mechanical bugs and how the Banshees would occasionally pick at them.
”I think I have an idea.” she said quietly as she removed her hand from her friend’s mouth.
”Aoi”
”You’re actually gonna do it, huh.” Aoi said with a clearly worried tone.
”Yep.”
”Sigh…”
In that instant, Haruka created an AS hologram and focused her view on one specific bug, which then began to glow an intense cyan aura, the poor critter trying to escape its supernatural grasp, but it was in vain as it began levitating. That same instant, one of the Banshees who was trying to rip a leg off saw the curious bug floating in the air, its first reaction being to try and eat it. But Haruka was quick, moving the bug to the right and away from the Banshee’s clamping jaws, an action which caught the attention of one of the other Banshees, who also wanted a bite out of the enigmatic bug. She kept moving the bug back and forth, making the Banshees more and more frustrated, their last dinner buddy finally noticing the weird ruckus. With all three Sentinel’s attention on the little critter, she flung it far into the bushes behind them, the mechanical pterosaurs instantly diving into the foliage to try and find the glowing treat.
”Now’s your chance, hurry!”
”W-WHAT!? Haruka-chan why me!?”
”I have to keep my focus tight and theirs distracted, just snap a quick pic and then come back!”
Despite every wire in her body shaking with utmost fear, Megumi slowly rose from the bush and approached the body, believing in her friend’s plan, despite her processor screaming the contrary. As instructed, she got a full view of the cadavre’s face, oil dripping from its mouth and its chassis splayed open, no core or artificial organs visible anywhere. She could feel liquid rising up her throat, but the sounds of the Banshees snapped her from the momentary shock, allowing her to take a clear snapshot before diving head first back into the bush.
”You got it?”
”Hai!”
”Great!”, in that instant, Haruka’s AS hologram disappeared, the bug being freed from Aoi’s powers, scurrying away as fast as it could as the Banshees kept trying to find it.
”Let’s get outta here.” she whispered to her friend, but Megumi didn’t respond.
”Megumi?”, she asked, but the miko was too focused on the Banshees that had emerged from the foliage.
”Haruka-chan.”
”Yeah?”
”There were supposed to be three Yokuryuus, right?”
”Yes?”
She then pointed at the Sentinels.
”Then why are there only two of them?” the last words escaping her mouth drenched in fear.
As soon as she pointed that out, a guttural murmur could be heard from their left, before six eyes made their presence known in the darkness. There was no need to be silent anymore, as the two drones screamed and bolted out of the bush, leaving the Banshee still with its head in the plant. The Sentinel then let out a deafening shriek, alerting its two buddies before taking flight.
In the woods, the drones were running as fast as they could, Haruka holding Megumi by the hand to make sure that she kept pace with her. The Banshee's characteristic cries echoed from above, letting them know that the pterosaurs were hot on their trail. Fortunately, the tree’s canopy was thick enough to prevent the Banshees from diving towards them, but as they kept running, wider and wider spaces between the trees began to appear, enough to almost convince the Sentinels to try their luck. Panicked, Megumi looked behind to see how close the mechanical pterosaurs were, but one of the Banshees, the smallest of the group, had managed to get a clear view and swooped right in, stunning Megumi with its flashes, causing her to freeze solid.
”Megumi!?” Haruka shouted before tripping on a root, causing her to tumble forward, before getting back onto her feet to see that her friend lay frozen on the ground, the Banshees landing around them. She unsheathed her sword and began swinging wildly, making sure her friend was beneath her, as the Banshees kept trying to bite at her and using their bootlooping flashes.
”HARUKA! We can’t fight like this!” Aoi shouted with panic in her voice.
”You think I haven’t noticed!?” Haruka said as she covered her eyes with her left arm, but still peeking to try and keep a visual proximity of her foes.
As she kept trying to keep the Sentinels at bay, Aoi was devising a plan. She knew they couldn't fight all three of the Banshees while protecting Megumi and they were keeping enough distance from them to avoid her possession, but there was a small window of escape.
”Haruka, we can get away, but we need something to ride on, like a hoverboard!”
In that moment, Haruka stopped her blade swinging and her eyes snapped wide open, looking down at Megumi
”.....Haruka?” Aoi asked, confused as to why she was so still all of the sudden
”Sorry, Megumi.”, she said, as she made the characteristic three fingered symbol.
Bewildered, but quickly connecting the dots, Aoi exerted her powers onto Megumi, making her levitate in the air. Haruka stood on top of her, right foot on Megumi’s cheek and left foot on her stomach, AS hologram held in front like a steering wheel, before the three zoomed right past the Sentinels, letting them confused over what just happened. Haruka kept flying forward, the wide gaps between the trees making it a lot easier to see where they were heading, but she still didn’t dare to look back or up, despite not having heard the Banshees in a few minutes. Suddenly, Megumi’s buffering visor returned to normal.
”Haruka-chan?”
”MEGUMI!?” Haruka shouted as they stopped mid air, the kinetic force propelling Haruka forward into a tree, before falling into a bush, while Megumi fell to the ground.
”Haruka-chan! How could you use me like that!?” the miko said as she looked forward with first on her face.
”BAKA! You’re the one that got bootlooped by the Yokuryuu and I had to get ourselves out of there somehow!!!”
”You could’ve at least been more delicate!” Megumi said as she rubbed at her cheek.
”Oh sorry, would you have preferred if I kept flailing like an idiot until you woke up and THEN made a run for it?”
”Couldn’t you have found something else to make your getaway with at least?” Megumi said with a grumpy expression.
Haruka kept plucking leaves out of her hair while Aoi quietly giggled.
”Haruka? Megumi?” a voice then called from in front of them, revealing itself to be Mr. Takahashi.
”Takahashi-san!?” exclaimed both of the Drones.
”Oh thank the heavens you two are fine, I’ve been trying to call you for the past hour, but I guess you’ve ventured deeper in the forest than I expected.”
Surprised, Haruka then received three consecutive notifications on her HUD, all from Mr. Takahashi, now that they were in an area with proper signal.
”Oh….right….”
”But seeing how you appear pretty ruffled, I imagine that you must’ve found something important.”
“Y-Yeah, we did! Megumi?”
The photo of the body was then displayed on Megumi’s visor, Mr. Takahashi’s expression instantly growing cold.
”Yep. That’s who we were searching for.” he said, now looking with a worried expression at the two Drones.
”Three Yokuryuu. We don’t know how long they were feeding on it, we just rushed to the scene and tried to stay quiet.” Megumi said.
”You two have some real guts to get that close to a Yokuryuu’s dinner, let alone three and escape with no damage. But then again, you two are also the reason Inoshima hasn’t been overrun by monsters, so I shouldn’t be so surprised.”
”In any case, let’s head back to town. We have the necessary evidence to no longer continue the search. Now to inform the possible family members….” Mr. Takahashi trailed off.
The four did so, regrouping with the other Fire Brigade members and heading back to Inoshima, although Haruka and Megumi were trailing behind the group.
”Megumi.”
The miko looked curiously at her friend who was walking with her hands behind her head.
”Sorry for the…..thing I did.”
”No. It’s fine. And you are right, I was the one that got us in that tricky situation. You just made the most out of it.”
”Well at least you admit to it.” she said quietly.
”Huh?”
”Nothing, nothing. But really, I’m gonna try to not do that again. IF I have no choice. Or maybe if I do too….” the last words escaped with a muted tone.
The two’s conversation was cut abruptly by a shrill cry coming from far behind them.
”Oy, you two want a round 2 with those things or something? Hurry up!” one of the fire brigade members shouted to them, the two drones having not noticed the growing distance between them and the group.
”R-RIGHT!” they said in unison as they hurried to catch up.
“Takahashi-san! So now that we're done with the mission, do you think I can…?” Haruka exclaimed.
“Once we arrive in town. I haven't forgotten about your…thing.” Mr. Takahashi said.
“Yay!”
“But, Takahashi-san!” Megumi asked.
“Hm?”
“What are we going to do with the Yokuryuu?”
“So long as no one ventures deep into the forest anymore for a while and uses the main roads, they shouldn't be a problem. They usually avoid populated areas and prefer sticking to the wild.”
“And if they do decide to show their ugly faces again!” Haruka said as she slowly unsheathed her blade.
“We'll remind them why they should keep avoiding us.”
Mr. Takahashi wasn't too impressed by Haruka's sudden bravado, but knowing how she had dealt a number of times before with Sentinels that were too bold for their own good, he was sure that she'd be fine.
“I'm sure you will, Haruka-chan.” he said as he flashed a smile, stars shining in Haruka's eyes.
Far behind them, the three Banshees were flying in circles, scanning their environment one last time. Two of them began flying towards the east, but the last one, once again the smallest of the group, remained in its spot, instead diverting its attention towards Inoshima. They had all flown close to it, using the cover of night to learn as much as they could of its surroundings. The Banshee then flew at a sharp angle in the opposite direction of its buddies. It'd need to find the perfect hiding spot until its next hunt.
After all…
video feed of Megumi and Haruka running beginning to play, showing Megumi turning to look at the Banshee as the POV dives down towards her, a clear expression of terror plastered on her face, followed by a flash
…a good hunter doesn't let its prey escape that easily.
Somewhere else
“Yes I'm on fiiiireee!! Ignited by a burning desiiiireee!” could be heard coming from the laptop, its sound filling an otherwise empty and cold room.
The Disassembly Drone slowly bobbed her head as she listened to the melody. She had heard it before, but this time it was a cover sung by a fairly popular figure on the new internet. She was a bit of a fan of her work, even though she never checked the livestreams. It sure helped her pass the time whenever she worked on something. Opening her eyes and glancing to her side, she saw the painting she had just finished, showcasing a scenery at night, lamps illuminating the road with their soft light and a singular figure walking down the white path, implying that it was winter. She was pretty happy with it.
“GOD! Can you turn that thing off already!!! I think my ears are going to start bleeding.” a voice shouted as its owner walked into the room, resting her hands onto her shoulders.
“Oh zip it, Laki. It feels nice hearing other people's singing from time to time instead of just yours constantly.” the DD said.
“HA!” Laki said as she raised her right hand next to her left check.
“Those backstreet singers could only dream of having a voice as amazing as mine!” she gently caressed one of her side drills.
“And is that why she has like a few thousand viewers minimum on each video while you don't even have an account on this site?” the DD smugly looked at the laptop, then back at her leader.
Laki’s lips puckered as she bawled her hands into fists, rage now clearly visible in her eyes.
“W-We don't need any of that fake fame! The true stars are known and talked about through word of mouth! Those numbers mean nothing when you're a living legend!”
“Is that why we're basically unheard of unless we barge our way into a town, do a show and then eat everyone? Then we go back to being nobody because we didn't leave anyone to talk about us?”
Laki could feel her internal temperature rising.
“You really should just chill for a bit. Here, another song's about to play. Maybe listen to it so you can get some inspiration for better lyrics?”
Still a bit pissed, Laki decided to follow her teammates’ advice, even though she didn't really have a reason to. Her lyrics were always top notch, after all. She could feel herself swaying a bit at the catchy melody, slowly warming up before reaching the main course. But then the lyrics kicked in.
“You’re tough, but it's never been about you!”
“You’re free, but cement your feet a statue!”
“Your rules, but you'd rather make up something!”
“You're dead, you were never good for nothing!”
“RAGH!!” Laki screamed as she deployed a gun, shooting the laptop, its monitor going dark as it sprayed countless shards of plastic everywhere, the other DD taking cover. She didn't stop firing bullets even as the device flew into the wall, pinned by countless hot projectiles as it was torn to shreds. Finally, the gun stopped firing as empty clicks resonated from it, yet Laki kept using it, teeth bare and pure vitriol emanating from her visor. The clicks slowed in frequency until they stopped completely, the gun retracting back into her arm as her hand fell to her sides, fists so tight the plasmetal that made her hands almost cracking from the pressure.
“I'm going to find that TV head bitch and burn her and the entire city she lives in to the ground if it's the last thing I do!” she shouted.
“Talk about fragile ego, you bloody wanker.” the other DD said as rested with her elbow on the table.
“Shut it, Nils!!”
Nils rolled her eyes, waving her wand at Laki in a “whatever” sort of manner.
“Just go find El and Piika and tell them that we're leaving!” Laki said as she pointed at the door.
“This early? Do you already know where our next concert will be?”
“Indeed I do! In fact, we've been sent an invitation to it!”
“Huh”?
Laki took out a phone, putting its screen uncomfortably close to Nils’ face. Squinting her eyes a bit, she began reading the message out loud.
“Hello.
I've heard from my sources that you're a very popular band despite how new to the scene you are and all the waves you've been making. You're quite the rising stars, I have to say.
I'd like to request, if it's possible, a series of concerts that would be held across Takamagahara, the first of which I'd very much appreciate if it could be in a town called Inoshima.
I've included the coordinates further below in case you're not familiar with the land and wish to take upon my offer. Do not worry about payment, I assure you that you'll be very pleased if you accept.”
“Ta-ka-ma-ga-ha-ra? Is this some weird Japanese colony or something?” Nils asked.
“It doesn't matter. We have a new contract and a show to be held! Multiple in fact!” Laki said with excitement in her voice.
“Wow, wow, wow. You actually believe whatever this bloke wrote you?”
“Why wouldn't I? They went out of their way to find us and they're practically pleading for our service! Don't you see, Nils? This could be our biggest show yet! Our chance to be the biggest stars Copper-9 has ever seen!”
Nils squinted her eyes as she stared at Laki. She knew something was fishy with that message, she could tell that it was made to stroke her pillock of a leader’s ego just from the first line. She wasn't exaggerating when she said earlier that they were basically nobody, and yet this random person was calling them popular to the point of even being considered “rising stars”? But no matter what she would've said, she knew nothing was going to penetrate Laki's thick head outside of her own words.
“Fine, fine.” she said as she let out a prolonged sigh.
“We're going to this Takama…gara(?) place. But don't blame me if it turns out to be some sort of trap.”
“Oh Nils, you and El worry too much.”
“Worry too little, you mean.”
“It'll be fine! You'll see. We're going to have a ton of fun and we'll become more famous than we could've ever imagined!”
“Whole lotta assumptions you're making there, don't you think?” Nils said as she and Laki left the room.
Outside, the wind was beginning to pick up, signaling the start of a brutal storm. Nils deployed her wings as she took off while Laki was slowly walking at the edge of the ghost town, heading for their pod. Her right hand was replaced with a wicked set of claws as she softly giggled to herself.
“Takamagahara, here we come.” she said as a smile formed on her face, eyes replaced by a yellow X.
