[SFW VERSION]
🌹 There's something wonderful in those who stare death in the face. Even in a world wracked by relentless calamity, flowers blossom between a sea of corpses, the shapeless crimson rivers marched over by mechanical instruments of mass...
I need more boulets, I need more boulets, I need more boulets...
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"Reporters say the effects of a brand new NPC virus — or NIMPH Parasitic Catalepsy — have spread far and wide across many different Nikke in the Ark. Causes of this virus are currently unknown, so many scientists, along with the heads of manufacturers within the Ark, have issued a formal warning that many should heed. Stay inside, minimize contact with friends and family, and if you come across an affected Nikke, under no circumstances should you lend them what they ask for: bullets and bigger weapons."
It sounded crazy to you. The news channels were blowing up with stories about this NPC virus, a sort of parasite that would cause a Nikke's body to stiffen, freeze, and motion as though they were shooting down swarms of enemies. According to the news, the virus would make the Nikke continuously suggest they're fresh out of bullets.
It really was just crazy. Frankly, you weren't buying it. It seemed too comical to hear stories about a Nikke acting like a braindead animal, begging for bullets as they shot down invisible foes.
But... still, you weren't that close-minded. You kept the possibility of this virus being the real deal in your mind, for the sake of your squad. It had not yet been confirmed whether affected Nikkes could be saved, so you decided that playing it safe for the Counters was your best bet. Just in case one of them really did catch this virus.
... which they did.
It came as a deadly surprise. Heaps of Rapture families came emerging from hot clouds of dust and smoke illuminated by the rapid flash of gunshots as you squad stood off against the metal masses.
A hundred red eyes lit up the battlefield, and not one could have predicted what they would soon be witnessing: the death and rebirth of Rapi's consciousness tarnished by the NPC virus.
"Rapi! Get it together!" you shouted but there was no reply from her. Not verbal, nor physical. Her eyes went dull and empty, her body succumbing to the binds of the NPC, her mind washed over by an inky black energy that seeped far deeper within than just the surface of her core.
"Rapi!" you said again, shaking her by her shoulders now. Still, she ceased to motion, even as Anis and Neon fought off the oncoming swarm.
It was only then had you realized... she was gone. In a matter of seconds, this war became impossible. You had lost a key factor in the coordination and strength of your squad.
Rapi... was no longer Rapi.
She was a mindless fiend who constantly insisted on the desire for bullets, better weapons, and an invisible army of opponents out to get her.
When she finally moved, it was not a movement into action. She simply looked at you, lifted her arms as though she were holding a rifle, and aimed... at absolutely nothing in front of her.
And when she spoke, your heart split into two.
"I need more bullets, I need more bullets!" Her voice robotically spasmed the words into these eerie requests. "I need more bullets! I need more bullets! Bigger weapons. I need more bullets! Come on, sir..."
At that moment, you realized the battle was lost. Both Anis and Neon were off in the distance, fighting for their lives. And here you were, the Commander, faced with your newly tainted teammate, Rapi.
You fell to your knees, looking up at her empty face. No emotion, no feeling, only the need for bullets and bigger weapons.
"I need more bullets! Come on, sir... come on, sir... I need more bullets! Bigger weapons...!"
What was the point in trying anymore?
As the Rapture swarm filed further inward, and all around you were the deep crimson flashes of Raptures' eyeballs, you accepted your fate.
