CALAMITY CORE : FREE THE WORLD

CH.12 'TOKYO DEAD ZONE'

After yet another week of training, this time on his agility, Andrei stood proud atop the walls of the Scavver's Guild settlement. Beside him, Saionji and Shimoda sat, their boots hanging over the wall as they sat on it, kicking aimlessly. It had only been about a month, to Andrei though, this place was already his home. A hollow smile on his face, only tainted by seemingly distant scars of the wasteland outside, he leaned back on his surfboard-sized sword, which itself leaned on the inner rampart of the wall.

The three teens lounged patiently, seemingly waiting for something. When a familiar voice called out from the ground below, Shimoda and Saionji grabbed their weapons and tightened them to their hips, drawing attention to the strange steel tubes on the other side of their belts. Andrei raised a brow, then watched as they fastened a small machine holding a blade on the end to the tops of their gloves. Grappling kits, that was what they had called them when he first questioned them. Remembering back to the meeting that they had before their time on the wall, he let himself be lost in thought for a moment...

He stood at the base of the Guild Hall, Saionji and Shimoda there beside him. They had arrived alongside him, after a small group of about five or six other armored soldiers, not too unlike Inoshishi or Hattori... the yellow-clad man that seemed to be friends with them was among the group, standing close to Ban, who took a center stage as he laid out a plan on a wooden table that had baked in the sun for many months seemingly.

"Alright... We'll be runnin' a joint operation. The twins'll scout ahead alongside our new friend-" The black-clad swordsman looked up and winked at Andrei beneath his sunglasses, offering a smile. "- And they'll do the furthest searching."

An uncertain tone crossed the group at the mention of Andrei, but they were silenced by a glare from the suddenly serious Ban. "To make sure we don't miss this bastard of a 'Mera, I'll take Mustard over there and tail our scouting crew... at 'bout medium range, the rest of you'll follow behind."

Looking between each other, the soldiers seemed to not hate the idea of getting away from the half-Chimera working alongside them. Muttering and whispers were muted when Ban rolled up a yellowed map, pulling open a metal container and placing it within. "If we need support, close crew, you'll be kitted with the flare gun we scavenged from that old army convoy." He pushed up his glasses and stood at his full height, a hand on his sword handle.

"And you, Ban?" One of the men asked. Ban smirked and turned away as the question came up. "Won't be necessary, Matsu, we can handle a little hunting trip."

As Zeshin strolled past the soldiers, 'Mustard,' the aptly nicknamed soldier followed close behind. Once he vanished down the steps to the rest of the settlement, leaving the Guild Hall platform a little more empty, Andrei could feel himself coming back to reality. He blinked, and the sunlight was suddenly quite harsh. Thankfully there were no clouds, which meant no rain for the day. Saionji and Shimoda had already leapt from the ramparts of the wall, taking off as Ban and Mustard walked a bit lazily below.

Taking in a deep breath, Andrei closed his eyes, hoisted a sturdy leather strap over his shoulder, his sword now weighing him down as it hung on his back, and he stepped onto the rampart. Leaning forward, he leapt, bending steel and firing towards the concrete wall of a building to the left, gaining a shocking amount of air. "What the-... Are you sure you can trust that, Ban, sir?" Mustard genuinely questioned the monstrous strength that Andrei held, and Zeshin chuckled, tugging up his hefty leather belt.

"Don't sweat it. That kid's why we don't need a call for help." He replied coolly.

His feet hit the concrete with enough force to leave a zone of impact, and as he dashed glass broke behind him. Taking a moment, he counted his steps. One, two, three, four... He tensed his legs, then counted to five before leaping across the open road and shifting his lower body. He collided with another building and began to gain distance on the still heading Saionji and Shimoda, who grappled between buildings without so much as a flick of their wrists.