CALAMITY CORE : FREE THE WORLD

CH.15 'LIFE'

It was a new day, and the world seemed to warm up with the sun. The once cold steel and rigid fabrics which made up some of the tents in the Guild town turned a brighter, more vibrant orange color, and loosened as the morning ignited. The clouds in the sky were surprisingly thin as early fall had set itself in full upon the ruins of Tokyo. Some small trees barely larger than the people residing beneath them had turned their leaves brown and blown them across the streets.

In the 3-story Zeshin household, not a soul had stirred, though in the neighboring building... the only sense of law in the Tokyo Dead Zone sat, wide-eyed and with a thousand-yard stare. The aged leader of the Guild, who's name had marked the organization for eternity. He sat atop a throne of salvaged materials, and wore massive leathers, his gut exposed to the world. His skin was covered with a thick grey pelt, and his mouth was lined with sharp teeth. He had small, rounded, and black ears. A thick, bushy tail sprouted from behind him, and a thick blade sat in its sheath beside him. The weapon was easily the size of Andrei's own, and if he were there, he would've recognized that... but the man himself, he was easily eight and some feet tall, with an equally large belly about him.

He was a Beastkin. A different sub-species than that of the Guild smith, Hirano, but a Beastkin nonetheless. Unattended by others, he sat motionless for hours until midday, then as the sun rose to the center of the sky, beaming light through the open rooftop of the inverse cone-like building, which was the Guild Hall, he rose to his feet. A frown on his face, he stepped towards a large fire pit in the middle of the Hall, and he held out his hand.

In an instant, lightning arced from his claws to the pit, which had been supplied with wood the night prior while the likes of his commander, Ban, and his underlings enjoyed themselves. The wood lit ablaze, and warm light filled the Guild Hall. Smoke billowed upwards and out of the Hall's highest reaches, a sight which had not been seen in weeks since Andrei had arrived at the settlement, and even some time before. The beast-man's frown grew somber, and his eyes glistened in the red light as soldiers stepped in from right outside. "So, it's true..."

For a moment, the Beastkin's eyes flashed bloody red, and he was reminded of who he truly was.

He was a monster. A different sub-species than that of the newcomer, Andrei, but a monster, nonetheless. His form had been tainted differently; he had seen it. Though that was over a hundred long, bloody years ago. He was no longer his old body, nor his old self. With a heavy sigh, he closed his eyes, and they returned to a dull silver. "Then the time has come. I need to be sure..."

Still muttering, he felt as the soldiers approached him. To him and himself alone, they seemed like a million miles away. "... Are they ready?" Scavver asked himself.

Now midday, Ban awoke with a stretch in his dark, well-sorted room. Below, he heard the murmurs of conversation, and he felt a light smile cross his lips as a twinkle of daylight caught in his eye. Standing up, he felt his bare feet hit the steel floor, and he found a pair of socks before putting on his leather boots and kicking down the ladder. Looking up at the Guild Hall from the window of the top floor, he could just barely notice the smoke, and the light in his eye faded. Uncertainty filled his face.

Between Saionji, Shimoda, and Andrei, who had all received their fair share of injuries in the battle against the mask-head Chimera, Andrei was recovering the fastest to nobody's surprise, but they had been given a shared break from active duty. They took the time to revel in their relaxation... only a two-day break, but a break, nonetheless. Each of the kids had gotten onto the topic of how they would use their time, and their answers seemed quite fair for their situation. "I'll probably take the day to work on my strength... that sword is still heavy in long fights it feels." Said Andrei.

"You know, you don't need to prove anything to us." Shimoda laughed. "We saw it all go down... I think you deserve a break more than training... maybe we head on down to the ramen stand later?"