Chaos of Victory

[enigmaMystere]

There's a pounding in my head, the rhythm of drums that is slowing down in time with my heartbeat. There is a stickiness on my face, a trail from my brow down into my ear. I flinch as gunshots and someone shouting start to filter through the liquid pooling in my aural canal. There is a stifling, uncomfortable heat all around me.

"-zero one down! BA-Zero One…!"

Ah, the bubble of blood must have popped. I can hear her better now. That is a lovely voice, in spite of the desperate tones.

"Useless piece of-"

Oh. I guess she was yelling for a while to get that angry. I try to turn my head to her, but I only get a few inches before a sharp blade of sheer agony pierces through my consciousness.

"Commander! I can't get through to the Ark!"

The Ark? Why does that sound familiar? Agh, the headache got worse!

"…Commander?"

Oh God, make it stop, please, it hurts so much! I barely catch the gasp escaping her lips.

"No! You're going into cardiac arrest...!"

Is this it? Am I dying? When did this angel in blue and white start leaning over me? Is she taking my spirit to heaven?

"A… AED! AED!"

A high pitched whining filters through my fading consciousness. The heat is slowly starting to fade, leaving behind a bitter chill. Heaven's angels are breathtaking…

"Charging…! Clear!"

I suddenly feel like I got dropkicked in the chest by a sumo wrestler. I gasp heavily, eyes shooting wide as my heart is forced back into a proper rhythm. I cough, blinking my bleary eyes free of the tears, staring up not at an angel but a beautiful woman, wearing what appears to be an old-style attendant's outfit. I offer her a smile, some of my memories returning now that I wasn't dying.

Her shoulders marginally relax, but her eyes, a beautiful blue speckled with reddish-brown dots, are still full of concern. "Can you tell me which section you're from?"

I nod, glad that piece of knowledge was one that came back to me. "Central Government. Nikke Management Department." Granted, I don't quite recall what a Nikke is…

"Alright, then," her voice cuts through my musings, offering her arms as she stands up with surprising grace. "Up and at 'em. Raise your arms up."

I oblige, gripping her arms so we can both get me up. What she says next is completely drowned out by a loud, cheerful voice calling out.

Survive a plane crash! Gain one Silver Random Ticket!

The sudden voice in my head nearly caused me to collapse once more. Down on one knee, I start breathing heavier, my mind racing as I start to worry that something went wrong with my brain.

Oh, shoot, you don't remember? That isn't good.

My brow furrows, yet I try to focus on the woman before me. "Try" being the key word here, as I am suddenly hugged by her, my cheek pressed against her belly.

"It's alright, Commander," she says, her voice soft and soothing. "I've got you."

Later, then.

I take a deep breath, centering myself as I carefully stand up. "Sorry. Still have a bit of a headache," I murmur, carefully getting back up to my feet. "What were you saying, Miss?"

She nods, letting her arms fall to her sides as a serious expression crosses her face. "We were attacked en route to our destination. The transport ship is down." She gestures to the left, and I turn to see a large pile of metal merrily ablaze. "Any Rapture within a hundred-mile radius must have heard that explosion and is headed our way."

Raptures. Those were the robots, right? Or were they aliens? I can't seem to recall at the moment.

She must have misread the look on my face, as she places her hand on my upper arm reassuringly. "I realize this is all a bit sudden, but I am now under your command. You're giving the orders." She smiles, and it occurs to me that I don't even know this woman's name, yet she's trying to comfort me in this dangerous moment. "Can you do it?"

In a split second, doubt starts to weigh on me. I, a man who can barely remember anything, am tasked with making sure we make it out of this alive. This lady before me is counting on me to take control of this situation I was thrust into. And yet, when I look into her eyes, see the trust she put into me, I am unable to let her down.

I smile, giving her a small nod as I stoop to grab what's left of my supplies. "I'll do my best."

She brightens up at my response. "Yes, Commander!" She turns, and I see a little half-cape (with pockets?) on her back, fluttering in the wind. "Keep your head down." She looks back at me, one more little smile on her lips. Please don't worry. I will protect you," she pauses as the sounds of screeching fill the air, then turns as she grips her gun, "no matter what happens."

She lifts her weapon, and her presence suddenly seems that much… more. "Marian, activating combat mode."

Marian. I idly muse that she has such a wonderful name.

She snaps her gun up as the first mechanical monstrosity leaps out from behind a dilapidated building. At that moment, I can't help but think she's a goddess of victory.

"Engaging!"

---

We stand there amongst the pile of destroyed Raptures, their spindly little legs twitching as the last of their energy fades from their broken cores. I kick a piece from where it is limply clawing at my leg, actively ignoring Marian's laser-focused stare on my back. I honestly don't understand why she's eyeing me like that, she was the one doing leaps and slides all over the place as she fought. All I did was point out each Rapture so she could shoot them… right before they appeared…

…okay, now I am curious. How exactly did I do that?

Explanation time!

I promptly freeze as the cheerful voice returns to my mind. Maybe the strange thing is some form of imaginary friend?

Rude! My name is Nandi, divine messenger, and I'm running your Chaos Gacha!

My what?

See, if I knew you'd forget all about it, I'd have started you later! Augh, whatever. Here, I'll give you the rundown again! You are part of the system called the Chaos Gacha! Long story short, you are capable of gaining items, skills, and abilities by successfully completing challenges or meeting secret goals!

…one of the challenges was to survive a plane crash?

…yes. Also, you survived your first Rapture encounter! You get one Gold Random Ticket!

My brows furrow. This is not helping me understand things at all.

I'm getting there! So, you have three tickets, one gold, one silver, and one bronze, which is from completing the academy. You can use them at any time, and I'll pull the gacha for you! Now, you've already got an ability and a trait. Here, let me copy these over for you…

I shake my head and turn to ask Marian what we are supposed to do now. It's not like this gacha thing is going to change things too much, right?


[View Air]

|Uncommon Ability|

Allows you to share your senses with the air around you, allowing you to map the world around you through the wind. The base range is 1km but it can be improved with training and base stats.


[Lil' Hercules]

|Epic Trait|

You are unusually strong, even as a regular human without powers you could rip a man in two with your bare hands and are durable enough to take your own punches. This strength scales with your current physical abilities, you are always stronger than you should be.


[Celebrity]

|Minor Curse|

You are great at drawing attention, whether you like it or not. People tend to notice you, and if you ask them to pick out someone random in a crowd, they would pick you more likely than not. Can be useful for gathering fame, but the downsides edge out the positives.

|Resolve: Get 3 stranger class powers or traits.|


I halt just as I start to open my mouth, stunned as I see the list before me. What the heck? What are these abilities? And why do I have something called a Curse!?

That's easy! You rolled Lil' Hercules, realized that you wouldn't be allowed on the frontlines, and got a Curse. It gave you a gold ticket, which gave you View Air!

…so I gained the ability to see about a kilometer in every direction… but I'm stuck in the limelight as a result. I sigh, rubbing the bridge of my nose. Brilliant. Shaking my head, I finally address the woman beside me. "Miss Marian," I begin, only to be distracted by a cut on her thigh. I blink, then let out a curse as I drop to a knee and pull my pack around. I fish out one of the five bandage rolls I have and start to dress the wound. "What happened?"

My voice likely came out clipped, since she flinched before answering. "Uh, Commander… this isn't of much use to a Nikke…" I do not listen, feeling her eyes on me as I complete the wrap. "I… appreciate the gesture." She offers a small smile as I glance up at her, and I have to squint to stop myself from being blinded by her radiance. "Thank you, Commander."

I offer her a half-smirk in response, getting back up and patting her on the head. "Just doing what any decent person would, Miss Marian." I see her blush under the action. Beautiful and cute, that's a deadly combination.

"I thought you'd be a rough and tumble kind of person," she says in a teasing voice, likely trying to direct attention from her embarrassment. She ducks away from my hand and starts turning away. "Let's keep moving. The rendezvous point should be up ahead."

I blink, taking a moment to stretch out my senses with View Air before I nod in agreement. There indeed does seem to be a couple people up ahead… and they seem to be in a rough spot. "Lead the way, Miss Marian, and please hurry."

She gives me a strange look at my request, but she swiftly follows orders, hastening our departure from the wreckage of the plane. I relax, glad she turned those bright blue eyes away. No telling how long I'd get lost in them otherwise.

…crap, more Raptures are trying to cut us off. How smart are these things!?

---

…so maybe I went a bit overboard. I set down Marian and gasp for air, having run past the Raptures as stealthily as possible with her in my arms. Lil' Hercules let me carry her with a bit of difficulty, and View Air let me circumvent any ambushes that were in place. It's not my fault we need to conserve ammo, is it?

Sneak around Raptures! Gain one Silver Item Ticket!

I lean against a building, letting my hammering heartbeat slowly go back to normal as I turn to Marian. "How much further?" I manage to say without wheezing.

Marian gives me that inscrutable look again, staring me down for a good five seconds before answering. "We're almost there. Are you feeling alright?"

"A little dizzy," I freely admit, grabbing a water bottle out of my bag and taking a big gulp of the refreshing liquid. "I'll be fine," I say, my voice not as hoarse as before. I quietly offer her some of the water, which she takes, staring at the mouth of the plastic container briefly before partaking. As she drinks, I reach out my senses once more. "I think I hear gunfire."

She tenses up, capping the bottle and putting it in her cape pocket. "We'd better hurry." She turns and starts running, gun in the low ready position, and I scramble to follow after her. We run for a good mile, pausing in the middle briefly for some unknown reason, and finally catch a glimpse of two women firing at Raptures from behind cover. The two seem to be in an argument, such that one person raising their voice at the other could be construed as such. We manage to catch one more piece of dialog as we get closer.

"This is absurd!" Says the one with short blonde hair, her voice both spunky and frustrated.

"Everyone!" Marian calls out, making the one who spoke before her jump in place, almost catching a laser to the head.

"Ah!" She whips around, pointing a finger accusingly at my partner. "You scared me!"

"I'm Marian," she says, slipping into cover beside her. I duck under a completely different particle beam as I join them, and the lovely lady in blue gestures to me. "The Commander is here with me."

"Are you serious?" She practically hisses at Marian. "How did you survive that explosion?" Her golden eyes dart my way briefly, then leans in closer, trying to drop her voice. Sorry, lady, View Air apparently increases my hearing, as well. "I get you're a Nikke, but isn't that one a human!?"

"Yes," I say, startling the girl such that she bristles like a frightened feline, "I am a human."

She narrows her eyes at me, pursing her lips as the girl with strawberry blonde hair continues to shoot Raptures behind her. "…something's fishy about this. Are you really the Commander?"

I place a hand on my chest, projecting a playful facade. "Yes, I am, Madam. I graduated and everything." Not that I can remember any of it, but I'm not going to tell her that. She can be catty if she wants.

The sound of the last Rapture present dying cuts off any retort from the spunky short- Jesus, how did I miss those jugs? I forcibly rip my gaze away as the long-haired blonde turns towards us, placing her hand on her companion's shoulder. "Excuse me for a moment," she says, shuffling past to stare unnervingly at my face. She is beautiful, but the lack of any change in her expression is uncanny, as if looking at a porcelain doll. "Commander identification code, read."

We sit there in silence, my eyes meeting hers and adamantly refusing to glance down at her outfit seriously what the heck is she wearing-

"The Squad 04-F Commander has been changed," she says abruptly, jostling me out of my thoughts.

I glance to the side as the blonde with shorter hair gets indignant about this. "Rapi, we don't even know him! How could you…"

"Now's not the time to argue!" She says sternly, the first hint of emotion I've seen from the now-named Rapi. "We have Raptures incoming."

The blonde girl listens for a moment before grimacing, reluctantly conceding the point. "Well… that much is true."

Rapi turns back to me, fixing me in place with her stare once more. "From now on, you're in command." She glances towards a lump in drab olive clothes, standing halfway between us and what remains of the Raptures she took out. "As the former commander is unable to issue orders at the present, no formal procedures are necessary to transfer authority." I grimace as the implication sets in, which she must see as she continues. "The situation is urgent. I'll explain the details once the battle is over."

I nod, glad that we are focusing on the pressing matters at the moment. "Thank you," I say, which gets me a raised brow from the shortsta- dang it, stop looking!

As I berate myself, Rapi turns to Marian and asks her, "You said your name was Marian? What branch are you from?"

For her part, Marian straightens up slightly into what might pass as parade rest, despite kneeling behind cover. "I belong to Silver Gun," she says, nodding to her weapon. "I'm a Machine Gunner."

Ah, so it's a machine gun. I really should learn more about the weapons my companions are using. My mind drifts to the gacha system apparently attached to me. Nandi said I could learn skills. Is gun knowledge one such skill?

Just as I'm contemplating whether to use the tickets, the unnamed blonde girl addresses me. "Alright, Commander," she says, looking less tense than she did earlier. "What's the next move?"

I can feel the enemies closing in on us, View Air giving me quite the clear picture. I take a deep, fortifying breath, nodding once as I address them. "Aim where I tell you, and fire right when they come into view. I want us all to make it home."

Rapi gives me a look of mild curiosity, but nods once. "Yes, Commander."

The spunky blonde grins, hefting up her grenade launcher. "Let's get this party started!"

I nod, gesturing out where the largest group of Raptures will come. "Engaging!"

---

Writing this to get back into writing and to improve my writing skills. Yes, I realize I just said "writing" several times just then.

Let me know if there's anything that needs to be improved upon. for now, I

 

[enigmaMystere]

"Single, high, northeast!"

Rapi swiftly turns around and fires a shot through the Rapture's core, sending it tumbling off the highway sign it was perched on. She nods, confirming the kill as she stands ready once more.

"Cluster, low, northwest!"

The blonde bombshell lifts her grenade launcher, shooting a payload that reduces the six that emerge from around the building into so much scrap. She shoots me a cocky smirk, and I just shake my head playfully at her before focusing once more.

"Single, close, south!"

Marian turns and kicks the Rapture in its glowing red eye, making it stumble back. With the distance given, she fires rapidly into its face, piercing its core and making it collapse in a heap. She gives me a beautiful smile in gratitude, and I'm glad I can speak clearly and quickly. I don't like the idea of losing any of my companions.

I reach out with View Air once more, checking again just to be sure, and sighing in relief once I am absolutely certain the coast is clear. "Alright, ladies, I think that was the last one." I sit down on the tattered remains of a car's seat, the majority of its frame lost as collateral in this fight.

The spunky blonde immediately lets her weapon drop, the strap catching on it and preventing it from hitting the asphalt. "That was easy!" She turns to Rapi as the slightly taller woman speaks.

"We're Rapi and Anis," she begins, gesturing between herself and her teammate. "Thanks for the assistance."

"It is of no issue," I say, placing a hand on my chest and bowing slightly. "Anyone should be willing to protect their fellow man."

Rapi and Anis both flinch away as if physically struck. Did I say something wrong? Was my bow not low enough?

Before I can try again, Marian steps forward, her arm stretched out in front of me as if pushing me back. "But why," she starts, eyes focused on Rapi, "did you ask to take the Commander up to the surface all of a sudden?"

The strawberry blonde woman turns her head to the side, staring at that same olive figure, the color slowly being overtaken by a deep red. I grimace, realizing that last Rapture must have run the body over in its mad dash towards us.

Marian must have realized it, as well, as her expression slowly loses its tension. "So…"

"I'm afraid so," Anis says, crossing her arms and pointedly looking in the opposite direction. "Our former Commander is dead." She clearly misses the thunderous expression growing on Marian's face as she continues, "He tried to shoot at the Raptures with a human weapon, hurling obscenities all the while." I blink, looking at the guns in their hands. Those aren't human weapons? I move to examine Rapi's rifle closer, seeing if there is a visible difference. "He knew that those pea shooters can't put a dent in the Raptures…"

"You two failed in your duties," Marian suddenly interjects, and my attention immediately snaps to her. "You let him die."

Anis bristles, glaring at Marian in what I can only hope is annoyance instead of outright anger. "You're wrong! We've always been willing to protect the Commander no matter what, even if that meant putting our lives on the line!" I try to hide my grimace, not liking the idea of anyone speaking so freely about sacrificing themselves. Anis grips the strap of her rocket launcher, the leather creaking under her grip. "But just because we're willing to put our lives on the line doesn't mean he'll always be safe…"

I reach out before Marian can make a response, placing a hand on her shoulder to try and calm her down. She gives me a quick glance, then looks away, a light dusting of pink on her cheeks. I push aside that observation for now, simply glad that she does not look like she will be jumping down Anis's throat at the moment. Maybe we can discuss it when we get back to the Ark?

Anis grumbles, kicking what appears to be the wheel of a truck as their tempers calm. "I was just saying…"

Rapi steps forward, carefully slinging her gun over her shoulder as she addresses me. "Could you tell us your name?"

I stare at her blankly for a moment, as my name seems to be part of what I- oh, there it is. "Flick." I smile and offer her a handshake. "Flick Nexus. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rapi."

She looks hesitant for the briefest of moments before her discipline kicks in, guiding her to grasp my hand firmly and shake it once. "Anis."

I blink in confusion, tilting my head slightly. Anis? Isn't her name-?

"I'm going to do a little digging," the shorthaired blonde says. Oh, Rapi was addressing her. That makes more sense. I try to hide my blush, taking solace in the fact I didn't ask that out loud. "Let me see…" She stares right past me, sending a small chill up my spine for some strange reason. The furrowing of her brows does not help me feel any better.

Rapi notices her expression almost immediately. "Is something wrong?"

"This Commander is a total rookie!" Anis blurts out, pointing a finger in my face that has me holding my hands up in surrender. "He just graduated from the military academy yesterday!"

I did? I glance between the three women before me, slightly nervous. Massive waste of time, that school was. I forgot everything they taught me just a day later. The thought almost drags a smile kicking and screaming onto my face despite the circumstances.

Trust me, it was for the best you forgot what they "taught" you.

I try not to flinch, but Anis leans closer, her eyes narrowing at me. I guess Nandi is here for the long haul?

Duh. Hey, are you going to use any of those tickets you have? They're kind of just sitting here.

I relax slightly, glad that I don't have to speak to her out loud at the very least. You know what? Sure, roll the lowest one, see if it gets me something that'll help.

Alright! Rolling with the Bronze Random Ticket!

I hear a literal slot machine start spinning in my head, and is that not the weirdest sensation? Ow, Anis, that's my ear! Stop tugging!


[Ripen]

|Common Ability|

Allows you to ripen and mature organic objects that cannot or do not resist.


I blink. What kind of ability is that? It's not very helpful, at least at the moment. Maybe she can roll the next highest ticket?

Which one? Silver Random Ticket or Silver Item Ticket?

…yes. Roll them both, please.

Alright, boss! Rolling both tickets!

"Stop ignoring us!" Anis says with a huff.

I grimace as she tugs my ear a bit harder. "I'm sorry, Miss Anis. I'll try to focus better." I try to ignore the slot machine in my head so I can look around the area, reaching out with View Air-


[Eternal Bleed]

|Elite Trait|

Your body holds a virtually limitless amount of blood and you regenerate blood 100 times faster. You can feed a whole clan of vampires for the rest of their lives or be the ultimate bank for a Hemokinetic.


[Butchers Bag of Infinite Meat]

|Common Item|

A bag containing a limitless amount of fresh meat inside of itself, you can only take 100kg of meat out of it every 24 hours, it contains meat from all mundane animals from earth in all cuts, all of it clean, not ethically sourced. Just plunge your hand into the bag of meat, think of what you want and ignore the implication of infinite meat and its source.


-and suddenly find myself holding a bag in my left hand. All four of us stare at the odd burlap sack that absolutely wasn't there mere seconds ago.

Marian is the first one to speak, raising a trembling hand and pointing at the item I just acquired. "Commander? Where did you get that?"

Wow. I… did you immediately summon that in front of these girls? You didn't keep your secret very long, huh?

I summoned it? I thought it was supposed to show up on its own! And is it supposed to be a secret? I just want people to not think I'm crazy, what with the voice in my head and all. Anything past that might as well be a bonus.

You know what, fair. What will you tell them, though?

I nervously swallow and carefully hand the bag over to Anis. "Peace offering?"

She gives me a flat stare, a real "Are you serious" look on her face that makes me feel small despite having at least a head over her. "And what, exactly, am I supposed to do with this?"

I offer a sheepish smile, gesturing toward the bag as best as I can while still holding my surrender. "Uh… you can have any kind of meat you wanted to try?"

Anis rolls her eyes, letting the bag's mouth drop open and plunging her hand inside. "What, you expect there to be some… sort of…" She trails off, eyes widening as she slowly pulls out an uncooked premium wagyu steak from the sack. "…oh wow, that marbling… wait! No, how did that fit in here? It looks empty!" She passes the fresh meat to Rapi, who looks poleaxed by the sudden action, and starts digging for more meat. Ribeye. Sirloin. Pork belly. A whole freaking turkey. Every single item was withdrawn without fail, fresh, raw, and slightly bloody.

She finally stops with a tuna in her hand, staring at the bag in awe. Rapi stands nearby, her arms full of all the meat that Anis pulled out and a slightly annoyed expression on her face. "Perhaps," she says, slightly testy, "we should find somewhere less out in the open to discuss this development."

Anis, for her part, does manage to look slightly sheepish, and follows Rapi to what appears to be the Commercial Street of this town. Good idea, maybe there are still some functioning stoves that we can use!

---

Turns out there are only camping stoves. As Marian starts cooking the steaks on skillets borrowed from rundown diners, I sit down and explain everything I know about this gacha to them.

"So you have the ability to roll for a bunch of stuff that shouldn't make sense?" Anis asks, eyeing the burlap sack as she speaks. "I would not have believed you a few minutes ago," she bluntly says, gesturing to the tuna on the table, "but when I could pull this baby out of an empty bag, I really couldn't argue further."

"And you said you have more that you have rolled?" Rapi asks, her eyes focused on my face. It was a bit unnerving, but I still responded with a nod. "What do you have, exactly?"

"Uh… I have one that makes me stronger…" I say, trying to recall what each one was. Oh, a skill sheet. Thanks, Nandi! "I can see about a kilometer in every direction through the wind, I can make organic objects ripen or mature, and… apparently I hold a virtually endless amount of blood." Naturally, they each had different reactions to my current abilities.

"Oh, so that's how you carried me," Marian absently notes, focused on the food.

"And that's how you were able to figure out where each of those Raptures were gonna pop out!" Anis crows, proud of herself for figuring that one out.

Rapi, meanwhile, furrows her brow slightly. "What use would having so much blood provide?"

I just shrug, scratching the back of my head. "Dunno. Guess I can provide for a blood bank?" What is my blood type, anyways? Would that even help?

You still have one more ticket!

Right, thanks Nandi. "I do have one ticket I haven't used," I offer, smiling at them. "Want me to see what I get?"

"Well yeah!" Anis says, leaning forward with an eager grin as the machine loudly turns in my head. "Tell me you can get some sort of drinks as well. Steak deserves a nice soda to go with it!"

I laugh softly, shaking my head. After all, the odds of something like that are astronomical.


[Wind Alteration]

|Elite Ability|

Allows you to alter the chemical composition and properties of air, allowing you to increase the oxygen concentration to make it more flammable and poisonous or dense enough that it feels like steel among other things.


I blink, reading over the description of the new ability I got. "…so I can do more with the wind, now?" I say, slightly baffled.

Rapi looks at me curiously, a delicate eyebrow raised ever so slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

In response, I try to activate my new ability, only to use View Air instead, much to my consternation. Good to know there aren't any Raptures that close to us, I guess?

Yo, you can only have one active at a time, right now, since you only have three abilities. Switch them out before you can use them.

Slightly embarrassed, I swap View Air for Wind Alteration. When I activate it again, I can actually feel the difference. Instead of my senses opening, expanding to cover a good chunk of the city in my view, it's more like the wind is at my whims, waiting for me to change it in whatever way I wish. Instead of watching someone else play, I am now the one with the controller. I observe the air around me, taking note of the words floating through my consciousness and how each one applies to my surroundings. Almost like I had a notebook that could access the adjectives for the wind and could add or subtract any descriptor I wanted. Let's see, if I can change any property, how about-

The fish before us flash freezes, making Anis and Rapi leap back, pointing their guns at it.

-temperature. Huh. Maybe I should have added more than just "freezing" to that description.

Anis glances between me and the fish-cicle, eyes round in stunned silence. I awkwardly wave back to her, lowering my hand once it becomes clear that my show of power is concerning to her.

"…did you just remove the heat in the air?" Rapi quietly asks, appraising me with that deep stare of hers.

"It's… more like I added cold?" I mumble, slightly embarrassed. "I think I need to be more specific when it comes to this one…" I try switching my powers back, but nothing happens. My brows furrow, and I try again, yet still nothing happens.

Oh, right, there's a five-minute cooldown when switching abilities. My bad.

"Right…" Anis says, interrupting my conversation with Nandi. "So… you can change the temperature of air? I guess you'll never be cold again," she lightly jokes.

"Not just temperature," I correct her. "Any property, and the chemical composition, as well."

"Any property?" Rapi cuts in, eyes narrowed in thought. "Density? Pressure? Refractive index? Humidity ratio?"

I nod along until that last one, frowning slightly as I scroll through the short menu. "…is that under this psychometric heading? Ah, here it is. Yes, but only as long as it still counts as air and not a cloud."

"That… could very well be useful," she admits, tapping her finger on her arm. "You could technically have light bend around us so that we're invisible, or make air dense enough to stop bullets in their tracks."

I look back at my little menu, impressed by the ideas she brought up. "Very likely, though we might end up going blind if I refract all the light away," I point out. "Too bad about the humidity ratio, I could've had a fog bank around us instead."

"All I'm hearing is that the Commander is the perfect air conditioner," Anis says with a cheeky grin. "And with all the free meat - no Splendamin at all - and I may just ask him to let me bunk with him," she jokes, then promptly yelps as a perfectly cooked steak goes flying past her head.

Marian scowls at the busty blonde - gah, do they have a gravitational pull!? Anyways, my cute flight attendant pointedly says, "You couldn't protect your last commander. You have no right making demands of mine."

I wave my hand, offering her a benign smile. "I see no harm in letting her have some meat. It's not like I'll be eating one hundred kilograms of meat every day." Oh. That is an interesting glint in Anis's eye. I guess she loves food?

Earn Anis's interest (for your food)! Gained a Silver Familiar Ticket!

I blink, staring at the unfamiliar word.

Heheh.

I sigh, rubbing at my brows as I berate myself for the unintentional pun. "Okay, so I just gained another ticket. Apparently." I gesture broadly at the text box they undoubtedly cannot see. "Though I don't know what familiar means, in this context. A silver familiar ticket."

Hey, put some respect on those capital letters!

Marian gives me a strange look, as though wondering what creature she's seeing at the zoo. "A familiar, in that context, means a creature that is connected to you."

Right on the money!

I nod absently, drumming my fingers on the table as I consider the ticket. "…you know what, I'm gonna roll it." I lean back and sip at my canteen of water, watching as Marian serves us our steaks, with Anis getting the Wagyu she pulled out of the bag. I smile and accept my ribeye-


[Renamon]

|Uncommon Familiar|

Digimon - Renamon is a strong beastman like Fox digimon with formidable physical abilities, with a focus on speed and agility. Renamon is skilled in Ninjutsu, whether that is using it in tandem with unarmed strikes using her claws cloaked in flame or performing basic ninja spells with it. (evolution does not exist)


-and nearly drop my plate, staring at the screen in utter bafflement. "…so… does anyone here know what a Digimon is?"

"I've heard of them, before," Rapi supplies, surprising me. "I never really got into them due to… circumstances." Ah. She must've grown up poor. That is nothing to be ashamed of, in fact, she should celebrate the fact that she rose up in the world to become a respectable soldier!

You poor, naive fool.

I elect to ignore the messenger in my head and say a blessing over the meal Marian so kindly prepared for us. The others do as well, though my partner does give the frozen fish on the table a curious stare.

 

[enigmaMystere]

The steaks are gone, the tuna is still frozen to the table, and the turkey was stuffed back into the bag. Now it looks like there's something inside, so it will not look weird as we carry it. Then again, who would be able to see all of us here? It is not like some random person is going to appear out of nowhere, right?

…actually, why didn't Renamon appear out of nowhere like the bag did?

That's because I held the familiar space closed while you were eating. Do you want them to choke by having her randomly show up?

Good point, but we are done eating now, I have my bag back so Anis will stop eyeing it hungrily, and we should be safe for a while yet. I pause at that, switch Wind Manipulation back out for View Air, and quickly confirm that there are no Raptures within a kilometer of us. Perfectly safe, for now.

Fine. Your familiar space is available now.

Great! I sit there for a moment, rubbing the burlap sack between my fingers. So… what is a familiar space?

It's a sort of pocket dimension that houses familiars when they aren't in use. You also have an item space specifically for the items you roll, which is why I'm utterly annoyed that you just summoned the meat bag immediately!

Sorry, Nandi. I'll try to be better. I look at the bag and try to will it back into the item space. It disappears between blinks, and Anis looks like a child who was just told Christmas was canceled. I offer her an awkward smile, then start mentally reaching for the familiar space.

Oddly enough, I feel someone reaching back. I wrap my metaphorical hand around theirs and pull.

"Gah!" Anis yelps, jumping back and pointing behind me dramatically. "You scared me!"

"It was not my intention," says a somewhat deep feminine voice behind me. I turn in my seat, staring up at the anthropomorphic fox who is only half a head taller than me while I'm sitting down. I look down slightly and notice a ruff around her neck that I sort of want to bury my face in, it looks so comfortable, then back up to her face. Her blue eyes stare into my own for a second before she nods, relaxing a fraction of the smallest amount. "Greetings. I am Renamon. Are you my partner?"

I smile warmly, reaching my hand out for a handshake. "Hello, Renamon. I'm Flick. It's a pleasure to meet you." I swear that Marian huffs slightly to my right, and I glance her way to see her looking slightly put out. Nodding, I make a gesture with my free hand, since Renamon started shaking my other one. "This is my squad, Marian, Anis, and Rapi. I'm sure they're just as happy to make your acquaintance."

Renamon bows slightly to them, then tilts her head at Anis's disapproving stare. "Is something the matter?"

"I'll say there is," Anis says, shaking her head. "You'll stick out in the Ark like a pickle in vanilla ice cream." She gestures to the fluffy yellow fur on her body. "I can think of no Nikke that looks so much like a fox."

Renamon coolly stares back at her, nodding once before pressing her paws together. "Fox Switch Deception." My jaw drops as a digital wireframe forms over her body, reshaping itself until she looks exactly like Anis. She gives the blonde spitfire a cheeky grin, one hand on her hip as she thrusts her chest out- gah, not you too! I swiftly avert my gaze, my face warming in embarrassment. "Is this better?" Huh. She even sounds like Anis. Neat.

I notice the original's brow twitch in annoyance. "Hey, don't steal my looks! I should sue you for identity theft!"

"Interesting," Rapi says, tilting her head to one side. "Maybe you should try copying one of the mass produced models. That would be much less noticeable."

Renamon observes her own hand, flexing the fingers for a moment before nodding. "That would be wise. Thank you, though I have to ask what that is."

"We can probably discuss it later," Marian points out, gesturing to the distance. "Right now, we still have Nikkes to rescue."

"Right," I say, promptly standing up and turning to the group. "Please brief me on the current situation."

Rapi nods, standing up as well and settling into parade rest. "Forty-six hours ago, we lost communication with a Nikke squad that was patrolling the area. They went completely dark, so we decided to send out a search party." A hint of regret makes its way onto her otherwise emotionless face. "During our search, an accident resulted in the death of our now-former Commander."

"The biggest problem," Anis cuts in, leaning back in the steel chair she's settled in, setting it to groan in protest, "is that the deceased Commander was the only one who knew the coordinates to our destination." She raises an eyebrow at me, crossing her arms under her bust, which I most certainly did not look down at. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"

I rack my brain for what little information I have, yet nothing sticks out in regards to a mission. "No," I regretfully inform her, "I don't."

She sighs, rolling her head back. "I figured as much."

"I know the coordinates," Marian says with a smile.

Anis waves her hand dismissively. "Yeah, I figured that too." I stare at her blankly for the few seconds it takes her to realize what was actually said. I can tell when it does, as she suddenly sits upright, eyes wide as she looks at Marian. "Huh?"

"That information was put into my system when I was sent out on this operation." Oh, that was incredibly lucky. I guess having a soldier memorize the location is more secure than a paper trail, but it's not like those Raptures could read, right? "I'll take the lead," Marian continues, brushing off her skirt as she stands.

"Oh. Okay," Anis says, mildly subdued.

I see Marian about to say something else, her face gaining an expression I could only describe as cold anger, so I reach out and place my hand on her shoulder. Her head turns to me so fast I worry she'll get whiplash, but I offer her my most sincere smile. "Thank you for your help. I would've been lost without you."

Her face turns an interesting shade of pink, and she turns to the table, quickly gathering up the dishes. I guess my honesty must have been embarrassing to her.

I turn to Renamon, smiling warmly. "Since you're good at sneaking around, could you keep an eye on us from above? There should be plenty of buildings to grant you higher ground."

The disguised fox grins and offers a salute, winking playfully. "Can do, partner!"

"I'm not that much of a flirt!" Anis protests behind me.

"Are you sure?" Renamon says, her voice full of surprise.

"Now look here, you furry gremlin…"

I watch the two of them interact, a small smile on my face, when I notice Rapi sidle up to me, her arms by her side yet her hands unclenched but tense. I tilt my head slightly to acknowledge her.

"…I'm sorry."

I blink, confused. "For what?"

"I thought you were a novice, despite how you led us without a single injury among us. I apologize." She bows, her body at a perfect right angle.

Flustered, I raise my hand. "Don't worry about it. We're all entitled to our opinions." I pause as I realize that the others are staring at the two of us.

"He didn't get himself into a tizzy?" Anis says, leaning forward with a small smirk. "This Commander is getting better by the second."

I have no real response to that, so I turn and gesture for Marian to lead the way once everything is packed.

We step outside the store, and Renamon immediately jumps up into the air, bouncing between two buildings until she reaches the roof. She waves down at us, and I wave back to tell her that she's doing a great job.

"Pfft. Show off," Anis grumbles, bending her legs slightly as though testing whether she could do the same. I roll my eyes playfully and start following after Marian.

---

A few minutes pass, and thankfully we come across no Raptures the whole time. We stay ready, guns up just in case one makes it past our overwatch. The tension is thick, as we carefully pick our way closer to the last known location of the Nikkes. It is quite the walk.

Maybe that's why Marian keeps stopping briefly every block or so. Even Anis notices, as she steps up beside her to poke her head into the attendant's view. "Are you okay? You don't look so good."

Marian finally stops walking, touching her head and wobbling slightly. "I don't know what it is, but I feel…"

Rapi steps forward, just as professional as always. "Let me do some maintenance." Now, I may not remember much, but that implies they are at least partially mechanical, right? I consider the implications about how much is needed to be considered human and the ship of Theseus, but my musings are cut way too short by Rapi's next words. "Take off your top."

I jolt as though I touched a live wire, and Marian is not fairing much better, her face turning a vibrant red. "Wh-what?" She stutters, glancing my way. "Right here?"

Anis steps fully in front of her, arms crossed as she regards the brunette with a raised eyebrow. "Is there a problem?"

Still blustering, Marian frantically gestures in my direction. "What I mean is… the Commander's right there!"

Anis lets out a belly laugh, shaking her head at the other woman. "You don't actually think the Commander sees you that way, do you?" She rolls her eyes, gesturing broadly in my general location as though shooing a fly. "Relax. To him we're just emotionless fighting machines." I feel offended by that accusation. They clearly feel just like I do, and I'd have never known they were cybernetically enhanced if they didn't tell me. "The last thing he's thinking of when he sees us is sex, trust me." She looks at me with a wry smile. "Right, Commander?"

My brain promptly short-circuits, and I'm fighting for my life to not imagine these beautiful women in any sort of compromising situation. They are gorgeous, yes, but they are more than just their bodies.

"Well well," Anis says, narrowing her eyes at me the way a lion might look at their next meal, "so you do see us that way! Interesting!"

"Please stop teasing me, Miss Anis," I request, covering my burning face with one hand.

"Promise I get first dibs from your meat," she says, poking my cheek with her finger.

"Deal," I agree immediately, just so I can preserve whatever dignity I have left. "Marian, please let Rapi check you, I don't want to find out the hard way that you are damaged inside."

"Yes, Commander," she says, sounding subdued.

"Good," Anis says, grabbing my shoulders and turning me away from the others. "There. Stay facing this way, Commander."

I nod, a part of my mind insisting that I use View Air to peek. I promptly switch it out for Wind Alteration to remove the temptation.

Respectful guy, aren't you?

Is it wrong to respect people's privacy?

No, but I know there are several men who would've loved to sneak a peek. Or a good long gander.

Those men need to learn self-control. Or at the very least enter into a relationship with her.

Why don't you?

Are you kidding? I'm currently trying to survive out here. The battlefield is not the best place for romance.

I have several romance novels that suggest otherwise!

Right… this is not fiction. This is reality. I am not going to break their trust just so I can satisfy my base urges. I am better than that.

Okay, okay. I won't press further.

Thank you.

"Everything seems okay," Rapi says, cutting my conversation with Nandi short. "Don't turn back around yet, Commander."

"Hey, I saw that!" Anis suddenly says, making me tense in concern. I hear Marian's soft gasp behind me, yet the cat-like grin on Anis's face only grows. "Just kidding!"

"Please don't say stuff that will get me in trouble," I beg Anis, "even if it's just for a joke."

She scoffs, patting my arm as she passes by. "No promises."

Earned the respect of your squad! Gained one Bronze Random Ticket!

…yes, thank you, Nandi. Very helpful. Though I guess it's good they respect me? Why though?

Because you aren't a creep. It's such a bare minimum thing that you only got the bronze.

Thanks? I feel like that's a bit insulting for men, but I guess I'll take the ticket.

"Let's keep moving," Rapi says, marching past me with Marian, who is thankfully completely dressed. I let out a small sigh of relief and move to follow them, hoping that we can get an extraction soon.

As we walk, I consider the bronze ticket currently stockpiled. I consider things for a few seconds before shrugging and letting it spin. I listen to the machine rumble for a bit, keeping an eye out as my cooldown for switching abilities is still active.


[Novice Arms Mastery]

|Uncommon Skill|

You are able to handle all conventional weapons, ranging from knives to swords to axes to polearms to guns to bows to even chained weapons and clubs with basic proficiency, enough to have some familiarity and know how it's used.


…huh. I mean, from what I understand, these weapons are super guns that I can't quite fire without injuring myself, so how useful is this skill, anyways? Normal guns do nothing to the Raptures, so I'm probably going to be stuck in the guiding position for a while yet.

Renamon drops down, her landing somehow not hurting her as she gestures in the direction we are heading. "Several Raptures up ahead. They appear to be waiting for something."

I grimace, taking a deep breath and nodding to my familiar. "Thank you. Would you like to join us?"

"I don't know if I'm strong enough," she admits, looking into the distance, "but I will try."

I smile gratefully, patting her on the shoulder as I turn to the rest of the squad. "Alright, we've got Raptures up ahead."

"Twenty," Renamon supplies.

"A good score of them," I continue, smiling at each of my companions. "Let's show them why we're the ones making it home." I broadly gesture forward, to where the enemy lie in wait.

"Engaging!"

 

[enigmaMystere]

As I direct the others, still limited in my view of the battlefield as Wind Alteration is still in my ability slot, I marvel at how much Renamon is a help to the squad. Sure, her kicks and punches are not doing much damage, but between that and her Diamond Storm (which is enchanted leaves, for some reason), she is perfect for drawing attention away from the girls, who take out the Raptures with surprising ease.

I am no slouch either, making invisible walls of air that block off the smaller arms fire this model fires at us. At one point, a Rapture gets the drop on Marian, and I freeze it by removing the heat in the air around it. With no small amount of satisfaction, I manage to punch the foe that got its lucky strike into pieces, the faceplates and core shattering under my first while the rest of it falls backwards, inert. I look at my fist, grimacing at the small slices across its skin, then promptly ignore it to make sure that Marian is alright.

Defeated a Rapture by yourself! Gain a Gold Random Ticket!

I ignore the message for now and approach Marian as she grips her upper arm. Gently placing my hand on her wrist, I pull it away despite her reluctance to reveal an abrasion where a bullet clipped her hard enough to cause bleeding. Sighing in relief, I pull out another bandage, wrapping the wound before she can lose more blood, or whatever this red liquid is for these enhanced women.

As I finish up, Anis and Rapi come back, as well as a woman I've never seen before. My hands drop from Marian's arm, staring at the stranger for a moment before my eyes light up. "Ah, you must be a new recruit," I say, playing along with the ruse.

The soldier nods, hefting her rifle onto her shoulder as her golden-visored gaze looks into my eyes. My eyes flick upward when the triangular decorations twitch slightly, almost as if they were ears, and I pull my attention back just as she starts speaking. "iDoll Series Model Sun. Nice to meet you."

I smile as I recognize the voice. I look down at her protective gear, then frown as I realize that underneath the bulletproof, pocketed vest was a leotard, her ammo belt the only thing keeping the outfit modest… wait, no, there's the smallest of shorts. I shake my head and address her. "Glad to have you on board." I glance at Rapi, an eyebrow raised. "So is that actual equipment, or did she copy that as well?"

As iDoll Sun wilts upon being found out, Rapi responds, "Renamon found the deceased Nikke, stripped her down to her underclothes, and copied her. We had to put a bandage around where the damage to the neck got replicated, but she now has proper equipment." She glances at the disguised Digimon. "We are not quite sure she can handle the recoil of the gun, however."

I consider Renamon for a little while before nodding, offering her a warm smile. "Well done." I turn away to survey the battlefield, switching out Wind Manipulation for View Air just to make sure that all of the Raptures are down. Once I confirm that the kilometer in every direction is clear, I finally relax, sitting down on the rusted steel of a flatbed trailer. "Alright, I think we're-"

"…do you… copy?"

I blink, hearing a voice in my ears. I reach up and touch the dried blood on my earlobe, grimacing as I scrape it away to find a tiny microphone poking out of a nearly unnoticeable ear bud. Feeling my other ear reveals a matching earbud, and now I understand why the gunfire wasn't deafening me.

"Ark Control to surface. Do you copy? Rapi, Anis?"

Rapi breathes out a response, then presses her hand to her ear. "This is Rapi. Shifty, do you copy?"

"About time we got through!" Says a voice that sounds young, and brings to mind a teenager at her first job. "What's the situation on your end?"

Rapi glances in my direction, as though appraising me, and answers, "The new Commander has arrived. The operational coordinates have been confirmed and we're proceeding as planned." Oh, nothing about my abilities. I guess that the Central Government is a group I'm not supposed to confide in?

For learning discretion is a thing, you get a Bronze Random Ticket.

No need to get snarky, Nandi.

Kidding. I can't give a ticket for that.

Why you-

"Excellent," Shifty chirps, drawing my attention back to the group. "We had quite the scare back there when we lost contact with the transport ship."

Anis draws herself up to full height, crossing her arms and doing her best impression of a scolding older sister. "You took the transport ship straight into the middle of an enemy camp?" She wags her finger in the air at the voice in their coms. "What were you thinking?"

There is a brief pause before Shifty responds, her voice lilting upwards. "What?"

Anis continues berating her, not catching the surprised tone. "It's completely obliterated. With friends like you, who needs enemies?" Hey now, that seems a bit rude.

Shifty takes a moment to respond, the sound of keys clicking on a computer filling the dead air. "…Raptures in that area have no anti-air weapons."

This brings the short blonde's tirade to a halt, staring off into space. "…what?"

Rapi places a hand on her shoulder, taking over the speaking role of our group. "Shifty, can you send me the data for the transport ship's black box?" Her calm tone helps to ground our rising confusion.

Shifty responds almost immediately, pressing keys rapidly once more. "Sure, once I'm done analyzing it. It won't take long."

Rapi gives a single nod, though she does not relax in the slightest. Maybe the idea that a Rapture might not have shot us down is disquieting to her. "Okay, thanks."

"Just a sec." A screen pops up in front of me, much like when I perform rolls in the gacha. Instead of text, however, there is a young woman with blue hair tied up in twin tails and a headset. "Well then… hello, there! I'm Shifty, an operator from the Ark Intelligence Department." Her eyes glance to the side briefly, and I realize that she is still typing. "I will be assisting you throughout the operation from here on out. Nice to be working with you."

I offer her a small smile, even if she can't see me. "I'll be in your capable hands, Miss Shifty."

For a second, I swear that she blushes from the compliment. She perks right up and beams brightly. "Yep!" A red light glints off a screen to the other side, and her gaze quickly turns towards it, her tone returning to professional standards. "High class energy detected ahead, most likely Lord-class."

Anis jumps slightly in surprise, one hand quickly grabbing her grenade launcher. "What? What's something that big doing here?"

Rapi's lips curve down slightly, which I assume would be a heavy frown on anyone else. "I suggest we retreat."

Marian blinks, looking between the two of them, eyes wide with concern. "What about the missing Nikkes?"

Anis shakes her head, looking in the direction we were heading. "We leave them behind." I turn and stare at her, gobsmacked by the lack of concern. "Only 0.2% of Nikkes who go missing are ever recovered." She turns to Marian, who looks thunderously back at her, and points out, "You, of all people, should know these search parties are just for show."

"Well I can't pretend like they don't exist either!" Woah, easy there, Marian, I care too but we are getting nowhere yelling at each other.

I clear my throat, trying to stop any argument before it can begin. I speak the first thing that comes to mind in an attempt to change the subject. "Is a Lord that dangerous?"

Wait, that did not change the subject at all!

Shifty responds anyways, since I did indeed ask the question. "Yes. They are the ones who lead high-level Raptures. Their combat capabilities are unparalleled." I hear beeping through the sound of her mechanical keyboard, and she continues, "Judging from the simulation, our chances of success are high, but there's a high probability of us sustaining heavy losses…" She stares straight into the camera showing her to me, and it feels like her eyes are boring into my soul. "And a 24.35% probability of total annihilation."

Marian, upon hearing the numbers, actually hesitates, turning to me with what's left of her hope. "Commander, should we pull out?"

I consider it for a moment, how those girls must feel, lost, injured, almost certain that no one will be coming for them… I raise my head, my eyes flickering over each of their faces, my mind forcing me to imagine them in the place of those faceless soldiers. I clench my fist, resolve overtaking me. "I don't want to give up on the search."

"Then please give the order," Rapi says, her mouth flattening back into that straight line. "That's all we need. We follow the Commander's orders no matter what."

I furrow my brows, as something about that phrasing rubs me the wrong way. I will be unpacking that later, but for now, there's soldiers to rescue. "Continue the operation," I say, trying to project the facade of someone who has everything under control.

Rapi nods once, her eyes focused on my face. "Yes, Commander."

Anis sighs loudly, drawing my attention to her as she places her hands on her hips. "Commander, you do realize that this could be a suicide mission, right?" I stare right at her, making her take a half step back before she finds the gumption to continue. "So long as our brains remain intact, we Nikkes are no worse off. It's a different story when it comes to humans. You're fine with that?"

I feel my shoulders relax at this information. So they are tougher than they look? That's good. I still refuse to let them be injured in the first place. I nod once, smiling warmly at her. "I'm okay with that. I trust you all."

Anis blinks, then shrugs, her hands moving to grip her weapon once more. "Okay, understood."

Marian sidles up to me as the conversation winds down, looking up at me with a smile. "Commander, please walk behind me. I'll protect you."

I chuckle and pat her on the head before turning to look at Renamon. "Did you have anything to add, Sun?"

She quickly shakes her head, as though taken aback at being addressed. "I'm just a simple Nikke. I have nothing worth adding."

Rapi frowns, gripping Renamon by the arm and walking off to one side, much to her confused protests.

I blink, turning to Anis in confusion. "What was that about?"

She eyes me briefly before turning her head away. "It's not my story to tell."

I groan, but accept the situation. "Alright. I guess I'll just wait until she's ready to tell me." I look at my hand, surprised that it's stopped bleeding, but I guess with how long we have talked it makes sense.

Oh right, maybe that gold ticket can grant healing? I would like to roll it, please. The sound of the wheel fills my mind as I glance over at Rapi and Renamon, who are making their way back over. I wave to them, offering a small smile-


[Orchard]

|Rare Ability|

You are able to create fruits and vegetables out of your own energy. The fruit and vegetables you create are extremely refreshing and can have unique properties depending on your abilities.


-that freezes on my face. This ability… doesn't really seem that useful, right now. I sigh softly, then shrug, figuring I could test it out later, when we aren't about to go into combat. And hey, if nothing else, maybe I can grow trees with Ripen. I check to make sure that Wind Alteration is still in place, and then silently gesture forward so we can see what we're dealing with.

I peek around the corner, a tattered flag covering up enough of my face so I can see the large Rapture without being detected. There, standing several blocks away at about two or three stories tall, was the mechanical creature, two large limbs hanging off the top of its chassis. I nod, then look at the others waiting behind me for my orders.

"Alright, so Rapi and Marian, I want you two finding a vantage point to snipe at its core." I glance at Renamon. "Try to get its attention by peppering it with your diamond storm. We know it won't harm it, but it won't, and will try to target you." I place my hand on her shoulder. "Keep moving. I don't want you getting hurt. Any of you." I let my gaze rest on each of them, focusing on our explosives expert last. "Anis, you have the biggest job."

She raises an eyebrow at me. "And what would that be?"

I give her a sharp grin. "We're going to crack open its shell."

---

Anis and I carefully creep close to our enemy, using conveniently placed broken cars along the sidewalk to avoid its searching gaze. I turn to her, meeting her eyes as she nods back at me, ready to start the assault. I offer her a brief smile before tapping the comms in my ear. "Sun, you're clear to engage."

Barely even a second later, bright white leaves start swarming the Rapture, plinking off the hard metal of its backside. I tense my body, arm already extended to signal Anis when suddenly a blue barrier forms a cylinder around it. My eyes widen in surprise before I bite down on the curse about to leave my lips. I touch my earpiece again. "Sorry, Rapi, Marian, you'll have to hammer that shield for me."

Two streams of gunfire from two different directions strike the hard light, barely making any headway. Not even the leaves are making that much of a difference, aside from making the thing swivel in place, as though not sure where to turn first.

I take a deep breath to analyze the Rapture and its protection, seeing how it extends from the ground to about a meter above its head. A piece of rubble, knocked loose by the cacophony, falls down and lands directly on its head.

Wait a second.

My eyes narrow at the concrete currently resting in pieces on top of the Lord class. Does the barrier only stop bullets? No, it is clearly stopping Renamon's leaves. Does it not block ordinary items? Simple enough to test. I pull out the whole turkey that was stuffed in the bag in my inventory, then use Wind Alteration to form a tube of solid air that will direct it towards the shield. Now for some simple science, one of the odd pieces of my memory that I retained. I drastically increase the density and pressure of the air currently trapped underneath the fowl, then drop the temperature of the air above it briefly to flash freeze the parts it can touch. There, now instead of a potato gun, it's a poultry gun. I chuckle to myself before I let my control of the pressurized air go.

It works exactly as intended. The pressurized air, desperate to expand, shoves the turkey out of the tube at sonic speeds, slamming the bird into the barrier hard enough to form a small crack. The Rapture turns my direction for a pulse-pounding second, but it apparently cannot see me past the busted Ford I am hiding behind.

Holding my breath, I consider the facts before me. The barrier is hard to break. It reaches down to the ground with no visible gaps. It stops everything, yet the big beast was still hit in the head by rubble. Only one conclusion reaches my mind.

"Anis, fire a grenade above the barrier!"

Without a second's thought to process the order, she fires. As it flies, I modify the air around the top half of the Rapture just so. I smile and look up, only for it to drop as I realize that the grenade is going too far. I reach out and twist the air to my whims once more, forming a slide that smoothly catches and redirects the explosive straight down on top of its head.

The explosion is glorious, shattering the barrier as the mass of pure oxygen combusts with the power of ten of Anis's bombs. The monster staggers from the force as parts of the hard outside sloughs off to reveal the core. I promptly point at it and call out to my girls. "Hit it!"

The burst of gunfire nearly deafens me despite the dampening earpieces, but the damage done to the Rapture is more so, shattering its core under several seconds of fire from Nikke weapons. The creature lets out a reverberating cry, lets loose one last stream of bullets, and falls to the ground. We stare for a moment, observing the twitching limbs as they slowly stop moving.

I sigh in relief, my legs giving out to the point I have to hang on to the truck bed to stay upright. "Oh thank God."

The comms come to life as I hear Shifty's voice filter through. "Battle over. Damage report?"

Rapi answers first, like the efficient soldier I've come to know her as. "Minimal damage, all from previous engagements. Sufficient ammo remaining."

Anis pipes up next, almost sounding surprised. "Same here, except I only used a single grenade."

"No damage," Renamon says next, checking her magazine while making sure her gun is pointed at the ground. "Almost out of ammo."

Marian's eyes flash briefly. "Only new injury is from the last stream of bullets, which managed to glance across the left clavicle. Overall damage rate is five percent. Still combat capable." She turns, then jumps as she sees me standing there. "C-commander!?"

I offer her a reassuring smile as I carefully bandage the injury. "You did great. I'm sorry I couldn't keep you completely safe."

"Commander," Anis interrupts, poking her head in from the side, "what on Earth are you doing? That kind of thing is useless to a Nikke."

Marian stares sternly at her, making the slightly smaller woman flinch. "No, it works." She touches her collarbone, her expression softening to a wistful smile. "It feels like I'm being healed… from the inside."

The rest of my squad looks between each other, not quite sure what to make of this. Heck, even I'm not sure what to think of this turn of events.

Wow, and I thought tungsten was dense.

Hey now, that's uncalled for.

Defeat a Lord Class Rapture with help! Gained a Silver Random Ticket!
Use an ability granted in a creative way! Gained a Bronze Trait Ticket!
Upgraded from Marian's crush to Marian's infatuation! Gained a Gold Random Ticket!

…oh. Maybe it was called for.

---

AN: And with that, we're all caught up. Thank you for taking the time to read, so far, and I hope to hear your thoughts!

 

[To-be-hero-X]

Ok I would watch this literally for the canon commander no si or oc commander with meta knowledge just purely commander zero meta knowledge adding chaos gatcha is just icing on the cake

Also Eternal Bleed more like eternal Vapaus my boi doesn't realize he hit the jackpot yet

 

[enigmaMystere]

I follow behind my squad in silence, trying to wrap my head around the fact that anyone could be attracted to me. Me, a rookie Commander who happened to luck into some kind of power lottery. I dryly swallow, chancing a look at my first partner, noticing how she stands self-assured yet remains approachable.

Marian notices my look and smiles, waving her hand as a delightful glint shows in her pure blue eyes. I smile back at her, berating myself for hesitating. If she likes me, then I will ask her out once we get back to the… Ark, I believe it was called?

"We're here." Marian says suddenly, straightening up and turning to look further into the massive concourse. I look up at dilapidated screens on the surrounding buildings, large neon signs and other eye-catching trappings meant to ensnare and overwhelm the senses. The commercial hub had seen better days, but most of this world had as well. If I didn't know better, the place looks as though decades have passed, as the screens are caked with rust and dust.

Anis stops her march just outside of the plaza, her wary gaze searching among the broken cars parked in the middle of the numerous crosswalks. "No sign of any vanguard."

Marian points straight ahead at what is undeniably an empty section of the square. "They're here."

The shorter blonde gives her a rightfully incredulous stare. "What? There's nothing here."

The cute flight attendant haltingly strides forward, her face devoid of emotion. "Let's look around."

Anis looks baffled at this decision, her hands gripping her grenade launcher just a bit tighter. "Hmm? What is she doing?"

"I don't know," I say, carefully picking my way through the rubble, "but I'm not letting her go alone. Sun, on me."

As Renamon and I hurry after Marian, Shifty pipes up over our comms. "…Rapi." She sounds hesitant. Why does she sound hesitant? "I finished analyzing the black box from the transport ship. I'm sending you the report."

"Roger." I glance back at Rapi after she responds, catching the curious way her eyes flash blue briefly. Her mouth flattens to a straight line, her piercing gaze slipping between myself and my familiar. With a deafening click, she points her gun at Marian in the distance, making a dreadful stone drop in my stomach. "Marian, stop right there!"

Marian comes to a sudden halt, turning around with oddly janky movements. "Roger."

Rapi's voice turns pointed, her finger off the trigger since Renamon and I are in the way. "You shot down the transport ship?"

Anis, blindsided by this sudden accusation, can only blurt out, "What?"

Marian mechanically shakes her head, the motion oddly stuttering. Fearing that she has some damage that we missed, I rush forward, inspecting her legs, her arms, her neck, those beautiful red specks in her blue eyes.

…something feels off about that.

The strawberry blonde woman continues, inching to the side to get a clear shot. "There were two explosions inside the transport ship." The blackbox knows that? How? "They were caused by the explosives meant for this operation, which would never go off without an external detonation signal." Now at an angle she will not hit me, Rapi brings her gun up once more, aiming at Marian's head. "That detonation signal originated… from you, Marian."

The accused slowly shakes her head once more, but my hand against her neck tells me just how much she is forcing herself to move. "No."

"What are you trying to achieve?" Rapi asks, shifting closer as her finger finally moves into the trigger guard.

Marian just keeps looking into my eyes, her arms visibly trembling due to how close I am to her. "We're here." What does that mean? I cup her cheeks in my hands, trying to understand.

The suspicious soldier to my right snaps at me, "Commander, get away from her!" She gestures to the side with her head, her eyes never moving away from Marian. "Start talking, or else I'll put a bullet between your eyes."

"We're here," the distraught woman before me repeats herself, tears rolling down her cheeks. "We're here." The red slowly overtakes her irises, turning sapphires into bright, gleaming rubies. "We're here." Her arms start shifting upward, reaching out for me despite the muscles fighting each other in both directions. "Over here." Her voice starts dropping in quality, as if she were speaking through a broken speaker with the microphone right in front of it.

"Marian!" I exclaim, gripping her arms and gently shaking her. "What's going on? Why did your eyes change color like that?"

"Over here. Over here. Over here. Over here."

Shifty audibly gasps, forcing me to pay attention through the blood pounding in my ears. "She's been corrupted!" Corrupted? What? "When did this happen?"

"Hold on!" I shout, refusing to let go of Marian. "What happened? What is corruption?"

"Her central nerve was taken by the Raptures!" Shifty snaps back at me, frantic.

The woman in my arms starts shaking, her fingers digging into my clothes. "Over… heeerrreee…" I grimace, her voice distorting even further.

Our operator is concerned for a different reason. "She's sending out a distress signal! Stop her!"

Rapi growls, lifting her gun up to avoid an accidental discharge. "Commander, move! She's too dangerous to be around!"

I open my mouth to respond, but the ground begins to shake as if there were a stampede rushing toward us. I hug Marian tight, glancing around in search of the cause. "What's going on?"

"I'm detecting a high class energy in front of you!" Shifty supplies, her fingers desperately flying across her keyboard. "Those vibrations… they're… a Black Smith!"

"Over… heeerrreee…" Marian continues, her body close to collapsing in my embrace.

"Please, Marian," I say, my voice pained, "stop calling it!" I turn my attention back to the blue-haired girl. "Shifty, what is that thing?"

"Codename Black Smith," she answers, panicking, "It's a Tyrant! They capture Nikkes on the surface and use them for Rapture parts!"

They do WHAT!?

"Over… heee…"

Suddenly, Marian is wrapped in tentacles reaching out from the largest building in the plaza. On sheer instinct, I grab her and pull back, ordering the others, "Shoot the tentacles!"

Anis responds immediately, shooting a grenade into the mass that blows up, breaking several of them and giving me the leverage to wrench her out of their grasp. "Got them!"

I force the air in front of us to harden, holding the unmoving Nikke firmly against my chest. "Good work!" I call to her, stepping back from the tendrils already trying to get Marian around the wall.

I take a few deep breaths as the Rapture reveals itself, looking like a mechanical mushroom with red spots on top and machine guns on its underside. Spidery legs allow it motion, the red glow of its optic staring right at Marian and I. The red spots extend outwards into human-sized tubes, as though taunting us with the shadowy figures within them.

"Our enemy takes Nikkes?" I ask, still walking back from the disturbing sight before me.

"It appears to hold them in those vats," Rapi confirms, gun now directed at the present danger. "I'm willing to bet that is where we'll find the missing vanguard troops." She considers the red containers before us before glancing sideways at me. "We may be able to save them."

Anis looks at her with wide eyes full of disbelief. "What are you talking about?"

"After the Black Smith captures Nikkes, it keeps them for a while before doing anything. Judging by when they disappeared, there may still be some time left," Rapi explains, eyes narrowing at the Tyrant. "What do you want us to do?"

The shorter blonde immediately blurts out, "Do you have to ask? Let's just get out of here!"

"No!" Renamon protests, gripping her borrowed weapon just a bit tighter. "We should at least get those Nikke back. See if we can save them!"

Rapi boldly ignores both of them, turning to look straight at me. "Commander. Your orders, please."

I stare at the towering Rapture before us, its red eye glowing down at us. I look down at Marian, her chest fallen still as her arms twitch, fighting herself. I imagine those girls, trapped, lost and confused within the monstrosity before us. I make my decision.

I look to Rapi, my eyes firm with resolve. "We have to save them."

Rapi considers me for a mere second before nodding, pressing her stock to her shoulder. "Yes, Commander."

Renamon nods, smiling at me in response. "Thank you for making the right call."

Anis is not as eager to go along with my plea, though. "Are you out of your mind? We're gonna die!"

Rapi turns to the soldier on the other side of me, her tone slightly less cold than usual. "Anis. The least we can do is try. For them."

The spitfire stops in her tracks, her eyes searching the strawberry blonde woman's face. Her annoyance softens into some form of understanding that I have no way to decipher. "…Have you found it?"

Rapi glances at me briefly before turning forward, glaring at the Rapture still futilely trying to grab Marian. "I don't know yet."

Anis sighs, shrugging her shoulders in uneasy acceptance. "Okay, let's give it a shot then." She glances at me, smirking slightly. "You better treat us to a steak dinner for this trouble!"

"I will," I say, my shoulders relaxing as if a weight had suddenly vanished. "I promise."

Rapi, our diligent soldier, starts talking to our operator again. "Shifty, please assist."

"Oh… okay!" I can hear her rapidly typing on her keyboard. "Well, first off, the simulation results are…"

"Stop," I cut her off, forming another barrier to head off even more of the tendrils. "Don't tell me the odds, because we will get this done."

"Yes, Commander!" Despite her pleasant tones, I can tell she is on the edge of panicking. "Tyrant zero-zero-three: Black Smith. Engaging!"

Protect your prospective partner! Gained a Gold Trait Ticket!

Is now really the time for-

I cut myself off, eyes widening as I realize something. That's right, I have tickets! Nandi, quick, what do I have?

You have a Bronze Trait Ticket, a Silver Random Ticket, a Gold Trait Ticket and a Gold Random Ticket.

Roll the bronze first! I grab Marian in my arms and carry her away to cover, puffing slightly as her Nikke body almost overwhelms my muscles on this uneven ground. "Anis, get those Gatling guns! Rapi, try to break its eye! Sun, run distraction and avoid those dang tendrils!"

I get confirmations from all three of them as the wheel starts spinning in my mind. I look down to Marian, smiling reassuringly. "I've got you. You're okay."


[Sartorial Savant]

|Common Trait|

Your clothes are, for some reason, always clean and tidy, even your wardrobe, and small damages seem to even mend themselves.


Okay, I guess that's good to have? Better than wearing bloody clothes, or something. Silver ticket, please!


[2008 Menu #4 Cheese and Vegetable Omelette]

|Trash Item|

The infamous MRE nicknamed "Vomelette" by the troops. It may not be palatable, but it is food, and it is digestible. Restock Timer: 10 minutes


…that is completely useless. I have that sack and Orchard. When would I ever be without meat, fruits or vegetables?

When Anis takes your meat bag and your ability switch is on cooldown.

…I hate that you have a point. Fine, gold trait ticket!

Why don't you respect the capitals?

Because I'm busy fighting for Marian's life!

Agh, point. Counterpoint, just to get your goat: that was the lowest ranking item that ticket could've gotten.

You cheeky-


[Newtype]

|Elite Trait|

Gundam - You are a Newtype, an evolved form of human to adapt to space. As a Newtype, other than having a slightly stronger body, you have greatly increased spatial awareness and mental focus, boosting the potency of all Thinker abilities. You are also naturally capable of sensing malintent directed towards you. With enough training and meditation, you may even be able to unlock the ability to communicate with the minds of others.


I interrupt my own thoughts to grip my head. My mind feels like it is stretching in several directions at once, my eyes quickly catching a tendril trying to catch Anis off-guard. I solidify the air around its tip, pinning it to the ground. "Anis, ground, west!"

I watch with satisfaction as she spins and blasts the wriggly appendage to pieces. She gives me a nod and goes back to the roll I gave her.

Alright, I'm feeling good. Quick, roll the last gold one!


[View Earth]

|Rare Ability|

Allows you to share your vision with the earth, feeling everything the earth feels and knowing the location of everything inside of the earth, the default range is 5km which can be increased with training.


Five abilities detected! Second active ability slot now available!

That's great, except I have no idea what to put in my second slot! Trying to recall my abilities, I slot in Orchard and suddenly feel myself much closer to nature. Baffled, I hold up a hand and imagine the hardest fruit possible.

A large spiky fruit immediately forms, and I struggle to hold its cumbersome form. I set it down on a busted crate nearby, which groans under the weight. "Why is that a thing?"

Don't ask me, durians always confused me. Where did they come from? Why do they fall out of trees? What the heck makes them stink so badly?

Oh, I thought that was from rotting food. I look at the vendor cart we are currently hiding behind, then back at the Tyrant. I narrow my eyes and freeze the air around a tentacle, keeping it from blindsiding Renamon.

This really could go better. I think back to what she said before, then suddenly perk up. Curses! Nandi said I could take on curses to get more tickets!

Are you sure that's a good idea?

Listen, I am willing to take some minor curses to protect my squad. So help me save them. Give me a curse so I can get stronger for them. Please.

…fine. But you can't complain with what you get.

Thank you, Nandi.


[Infertile]

|Minor Curse|

Whatever reproductive organs you have, they refuse to harbour life or help in the formation of life. You cannot impregnate anyone or be impregnated, no matter what.

|Resolve: Acquire a fertility boosting trait or an appropriate biokinetic ability|


…ow. My manhood.

You promised. No complaining.

I did not promise, but I will not complain, so long as whatever it grants is helpful.


[Golden Shot]

|Common Trait|

Your little swimmers are the strongest in the world, any woman you cum inside of WILL get pregnant. Even if they are more barren than the arid deserts, your semen does not care.


THAT IS NOT HELPFUL, GACHA.

Resolved a minor curse right after getting it! Gained one Gold Trait Ticket!

Okay, sure, roll it!

Does it help if I say that Golden Shot even works on Nikkes?

While interesting, that is irrelevant right now. The wheel starts spinning in my mind as I continue blocking tendrils from reaching my squad. Does this ticket help at all?


[Disney Princess]

|Elite Trait|

All animals naturally adore you and are friendly toward you, in addition, all Animal or Animal aligned entities take a liking to you easier and it is easier to earn their affection and bond with them. In addition, you are naturally incredibly good at singing even without training.


No, no it does not. I rub my hand down my face, looking over my friends once more. Rapi and Anis are holding up quite well, and Renamon…

…is acting rather odd, throwing in somersaults and cartwheels as she dodges Black Smith's attacks. Huh. Is Disney Princess affecting her?

Yep! She's acting like a puppy eager to please!

That's mildly concerning. Still, I want to help them directly. Can I please have another curse?

Are you sure? You've gotten lucky for the last two. This could very well break you.

I do not care. These girls need me.

…don't say I didn't warn you.

I nod, wincing as a tentacle smacks me in the face. I try to freeze it, but it is resistant to the cold. I hear a sudden click, my body freezing as the chill of absolute dread starts to fill my body. The screen pops up to my right, and I slowly turn my head to read the words upon it.


[Mortal Enemy]

|Severe Curse|

Someone REALLY strong is REALLY mad at you. The moment you awaken in your world, someone at least Epic Familiar in strength or a target closest to that level is going to be imbued with absolute hatred towards you and will stop at nothing to tear you apart.

|Resolve: Kill or neutralise your mortal enemy.|


Oh. Oh damn. I shiver, realizing just how huge a mistake I made.

Hey, I warned you.

Yes, you did. I groan and cup my face in my hands. This had better be worth it.

As if to rub salt in my wounds, that same tendril smacked me in the head again. Fed up, I reach up and grip it, growling-


[Royal Beastkin]

|Legendary Trait|

Race Change - You are a Royal Beastkin, a powerful beast hybrid that has potent royal blood running through their veins. You possess great physical strength and incredibly honed enhanced senses with slight differences according to the race of your beast side. Your natural fighting instincts are strong enough to compete with trained fighters without having training beforehand. You possess a great affinity toward changer abilities, making them more efficient and easier to control. You possess incredible control over your beast side, being able to completely suppress your beast side or completely transform into it and anything in between. Your royal blood also grants you increased charisma and an authoritative presence, which is far more effective against beast-aligned beings.


-before wings explode from my back and through my uniform, a rip in my trousers freeing a leonine tail that thrashes angrily. My body gets bulkier, my pants clinging to my thighs as I slowly stand. My hand visibly gains the scales that an eagle has on its feet, talons sharp and gleaming in the light of the afternoon sun. I manage a smirk despite the beak forming in place of my mouth, suddenly feeling so much stronger than before.

I stop, my brow furrowing as I realize that my bestial side might be stronger than I anticipated. I shake my head to clear it, then rip the tentacle apart with my bare… talons?

I look at my hands, at my feet (paws?) that seem to have pushed my shoes off during the change, the odd golden feathers and fur that cover my body. I flex a wing, glancing over my shoulder in confusion.

"Did I just turn into a gryphon?"

"Commander!" Anis calls over, having witnessed the whole change. "What happened?"

"I think I just got a boost." I turn to Marian, brow furrowing as I just realize that she hasn't moved an inch in a few minutes now. I pat her cheek, smiling at her. "I'll be back, I promise."

I stand up, my wings extending to their full length. I glare at the Tyrant that tried to take one of my flock. Rolling my neck, I grab the durian, flinging the hard fruit with the speed of a bullet, slamming it into the Rapture's face and making it stumble back. "Rapi! Assist Anis by destroying those guns!" I summon another durian with Orchard, this time combining it with Wind Alteration by surrounding the projectile with solid air harder than steel, flinging it forward and accelerating it with gale-force wind. The girls only react once it shears a couple legs off the mechanical abomination, the fruit moving faster than they can see.

"Commander!?" Anis yelps, her next shot going off target and smacking Black Smith right in its optic.

Rapi, though momentarily taken aback, quickly regains her control and shoots through the last few strands holding the left gun in place. The weapon falls off, going inert now that it isn't connected.

"Concentrate on the optic now!" I say, pointing to our right. "Circle around to the side without the gun!"

"Yes, Commander!" They chorus, rushing to the right as the Tyrant ignores them to face me.

I can feel its malevolence, which is odd because I thought they were basically without emotions. I furrow my brow, folding my wings to my body as I stand in front of Marian, refusing to let it take her. "You will not take anyone I care about," I growl, reaching out and slowly turning all of the air around the Tyrant cold. I get about a third of the way before my body starts twitching. About halfway I start coughing, my eyes focused on the Rapture and not the red liquid painting the ground. Another sixth of the way I fall to one knee, panting heavily as I try to get oxygen despite the blood in my throat.

"Do it."

My hoarse whisper carries on the wind, but the comms pick it up clear as day. As the Black Smith tries to bring its other gun to bear, Anis hits its frozen side with a grenade, shattering the metal turned frail from thermal shock. Rapi, remembering from last time, immediately sets to shattering the visible core with her rifle, setting off a cascade of explosions, red fluid bursting out in random spots as it staggers, stumbles, collapses to the ground in defeat.

I let out a breath, settling down next to Marian, offering her a warm smile. "Looks like we won." I reach out as my body slowly shifts back, my uniform now terribly stretched over my form, yet Sartorial Savant soon fixes it up good as new, not counting the holes in it. "Isn't that great?"

Marian says nothing.

"So what do you want to do when we get back to the Ark?" I ask her, brushing down the fabric of my dress pants. "I think I'd want to spend time with my squad."

Marian continues to stare blankly at the sky.

"Of course," I say, slowly bunching up my pants beneath my fingers, "we would spend time together, getting to know each other more."

Marian's mouth twitches silently.

"Then, once we're close enough," I continue, my surroundings starting to get hazy, "I'd maybe work up the courage to ask a certain kind Nikke out to lunch. Just the two of us."

"…here…"

Tears fall down freely from my eyes, and I find myself staring longingly at the corrupted form of my first friend. "Maybe we could go on more dates. Get one of the pastors I know to wed us…" I trail off, finding it hard to even pretend anymore.

"…over… here…"

"…why?" I ask, looking up at Rapi as the others approach. "Why didn't I…"

"You didn't know," Renamon says, gently placing her hand on my shoulder. "It's not your fault."

"It's definitely not," Anis says, awkwardly bumping her fist against my other shoulder. "You did your best. You protected her with what you could."

Rapi, meanwhile, says nothing, just reaches into her pouch and pulls out a gun. She stares at it for a moment before turning it and gently pressing it into my hand.

I look at the weapon, this black and silver pistol. I loosely hold it in my hand, uncomprehending. "Rapi… this is a Nikke gun," I say, my voice flat, almost completely dead. "I can't use it."

Rapi shakes her head, and I can feel… something… coming from her. Sadness? Guilt? It is not her fault I can't keep my promises. "This pistol is for when we must self-terminate." Why would they want to do that? "Humans can use them as well."

What if I don't want to? The petulant thought works its way into my head. What if I want to stay here, and waste away with Marian?

You know you can't.

But why can't I?

If you don't, she'll become an irregular.

That means nothing to me.

You made Anis a promise.

I made Marian a promise.

You have so many people depending on you.

Marian depended on me.

She would want you to continue on.

You have no guarantee of that.

Oh yeah? Where is your gun pointing?

I blink, the world around me snapping back into focus. I feel soft fabric against my hand, and my arm is in a different position than before. I slowly look down, and my eyes widen.

"Over… here."

Marian smiles up at me, her hand holding the gun up to her own head. Her hand brushes against mine, grounding, reassuring. Her eyes, halfway back to being blue, stare directly into my own. "Comman… der," she manages to say, a single tear trailing down her cheek, "thank you… for your… bandage."

She closes her eyes.

Her thumb tightens around my index finger.

The sound of thunder fills the concord.

Marian is gone.

Corruption

A dreadful thing that can grow in any of us, regardless of our own wishes.
​

…welcome, Commander. Gain one Gold Random Ticket.

---

AN: So we finally reach the end of the in-game chapter. I hope that's this works, as I don't know if this feels… realistic?

Please let me know what you think, I love reading comments; they help me improve.

 

[To-be-hero-X]

Oh I honestly thought he would reroll Royal Beastkin since race change can be rerolled I'm curious how would Newtype would effect his blood

 

[enigmaMystere]

Oh I honestly thought he would reroll Royal Beastkin since race change can be rerolled I'm curious how would Newtype would effect his blood

Click to shrink...

I feel like it wouldn't, but that's just me.
Also I had no idea you could reroll race changes, I just thought they started stacking. Thank you for letting me know!

Oh, right, out of curiosity's sake, who do you think the Mortal Enemy is?

 

[VATSTeen]

I feel like it wouldn't, but that's just me.
Also I had no idea you could reroll race changes, I just thought they started stacking. Thank you for letting me know!

Oh, right, out of curiosity's sake, who do you think the Mortal Enemy is?

Click to shrink...

Chatterbox. No question.

 

[To-be-hero-X]

Oh, right, out of curiosity's sake, who do you think the Mortal Enemy is?

Click to shrink...

chatterbox cause heretics are above epics and I don't see nikke from the ark trying to kill the commander for obvious reasons

 

[enigmaMystere]

chatterbox cause heretics are above epics and I don't see nikke from the ark trying to kill the commander for obvious reasons

Click to shrink...

I could see exactly one Nikke trying to kill him. But said Nikke is also not that strong.

 

[To-be-hero-X]

I could see exactly one Nikke trying to kill him. But said Nikke is also not that strong.

Click to shrink...

You mean crow yeah she not that strong or she actually can't directly try to kill

 

[Qem1ng]

have a Bronze Trait Ticket, a Silver Random Ticket, a Gold Trait Ticket and a Gold Random Ticket.

Click to shrink...

What IS IT with stockpiling Tickets? So many authors do this ..

large spiky fruit immediately forms, and I struggle to hold its cumbersome form.

Click to shrink...

In a Fight He wasted time and Energy to make a fruit...yeah im Out wtf

 

[TempestZeta]

Man, this is great. Love more Nikke fics. The meat sack, infinite blood, and fruits perks will go crazy in the future. As for his mortal enemy, I'm guessing the Queen herself because why the fuck not.

 

[MrSplashy]

Can't wait to see more, especially since it's the SKK and not an SI so I am excited to see.

Also, it seems like they got an unlimited amount of Vapaus now since he got that roll LOL. Something that they can use against the others.

 

[G1 Convoy]

TFTC.

I hope he gets something useful with the gold ticket. It'd be great if he got b!tch breaker or (to a lesser extent) tantric healing later so he could use it on Marian when she returns as Modernia, or (in the case of b!tch breaker) the queen.

 

[enigmaMystere]

What IS IT with stockpiling Tickets? So many authors do this ..


In a Fight He wasted time and Energy to make a fruit...yeah im Out wtf

Click to shrink...

For the first part, he got those tickets at the same time it was revealed that Marian loves him, so I feel it's justified that his chaotic state of mind made him forget about the tickets.

I could say that the durian was justified due to how hard they are, but that would be me trying to justify my own shortcomings as an author. I'll do my best to be better.

 

[BlueCladOne]

This is a promising start. I actually like how you take his mental state into consideration, like panic assigning the fruit ability or not rolling things immediately.

It didn't seem like the actual annoying bit where protags hoard tickets on purpose.

 

[enigmaMystere]

I sit there for a long moment, gently cradling the body of my first friend. My tears fall onto her face, that flawless mask of death marred only by the hole in her forehead. I reach back into my bag, wordlessly pulling out my last bandage roll. Under the watchful eyes of my squad, I wrap the cloth around Marian's head, one last gift for a fallen soldier. I grimace as it is marred slightly by some of the blood seeping from my wounds.

Rapi takes a step closer, hesitantly raising a hand. When I fail to react, she places it on my shoulder, a firm yet cautious reminder that she is still there. "Commander, we should go."

I lift my gaze up to her, noticing her flinch minutely before I respond. "Why?" My voice sounds hoarse to my own ears, so it must sound worse to them.

"We need to get back," Anis offers, my gaze sluggishly sliding over to her. Her brow furrows cutely, and she crosses her arms with a sigh. "Commander, name five things you can see."

I blink, by Brie furrowing as I look around the concord. "…Rapi. Sun. Billboards. You." My gaze starts to fall, but she grabs my cheeks, forcing me to look at her face. "…pretty."

Her cheeks gain a pink tint, but she perseveres. "Now, four things you can hear."

I focus my hearing, which almost overwhelms me. Still, I answer, "Your voice. My heartbeat. Birds. A… coyote?" I tilt my head closer to the noise. "Is that what a coyote sounds like?"

"I don't know," she admits. "I can't hear it." She pats my cheeks, causing the skin to sting slightly. "Feeling better?"

I nod, offering her a small smile. "Yes. Thank you for not continuing." I sigh softly, looking down at Marian's form. "…all of those curses, and I still lost her."

"Curses?"

I immediately tense up at Shifty's voice, forgetting that she was listening in. I quickly turn to Rapi, eyes wide as I wordlessly beg for help.

The strawberry blonde woman nods, touching her ear. "Shifty, requesting communication exception for approximately twenty minutes."

"What? Why?"

Rapi looks at me, her expression slightly less severe, and continues, "The Commander requires time to… process."

Shifty is silent for a moment. "Understood," she says, sounding subdued. "Cutting communications for twenty minutes."

There is a beep, and even the clacking of her keyboard disappears. I nod, then look at my squad. "We're clear."

"Commander," Anis says, leaning so close our noses touch, "what do you mean by curses?"

"What did you do?" Renamon asks, her face falling.

"…I was desperate," I admit, looking down at Marian's body once more. "I didn't get anything that I felt could help. I slotted in Orchard as soon as I got another slot, trying for the heaviest fruit possible."

"That doesn't make sense!" Anis exclaims, poking my cheek with her finger. "Don't you have that thing that lets you see the air? And you can control it! Use both!"

I stare blankly at her for a moment before dropping my head into my hand. "Dang it, that was so obvious…" I try switching them out, but the cooldown is still active.

"Commander," Rapi says, sitting down beside me, tilting her head slightly, "tell us what you have. We will discuss what works together and what doesn't."

"Right." I awkwardly grimace. "Well, after what I told you last time, I got the Orchard ability and the ability to see through the earth, View Earth. That second one's what granted me the extra slot."

"And you panicked, slotting in the fruit maker?" Anis gently teases me.

I quietly sigh. "Yeah. There's also a few more traits, including the one that turned me into a gryphon and-"

"Griffin."

I blink, looking at Renamon in confusion. "Come again?"

"You said it wrong. It's griffin," she tries to clarify.

"No, that's a name," Anis argues, pointing a finger in the air. "It's griffon, which is how the French say it."

"We aren't in France, are we?" I ask, confused.

"No, but it's still the right way."

"No, it's gryphon," I insist.

"Continue," Rapi cuts in, ending the argument.

"Right, so that was Royal Beastkin, and I got another that gave me psychic powers." I quickly rally, not liking angry Rapi. "It says I can sense when malintent is directed at me, and says it's from Gundam; I can't recall the name right now. Oh, and I can also to talk directly into people's minds, if I train enough."

"Great!" Anis says, nodding once. "Less chance of needing private time like this."

The strawberry blonde, meanwhile, stares at me with narrow eyes. "What else?"

"I got a replenishing MRE?" I quickly deflect. I wilt as her stare grows more pointed. "I also got Disney Princess as an ability, which is an increased affinity to animals and improved singing voice."

The bustier blonde perks up. "Singing?"

"You're still holding back," Renamon chimes in, making me look at her in betrayal.

"…fine." I huff, my shoulders slumping. "I can impregnate anyone I have sex with."

Anis has the gall to laugh at this. "That's actually something it gave you? I feel bad for any human you get with!"

"It works on Nikkes, as well. Anyone, not any human."

The plaza goes silent at this revelation, and I search their faces. Anis looks mildly horrified. Renamon is avoiding my gaze. Rapi… looks oddly interested? I stare at the latter, who faintly blushes and nods.

"Thank you for coming clean. Now, what about those Curses?"

Why can she respect the capitals but you can't?

Because it's silly. "Right, the curses." I sigh, running a hand through my messy hair. "So… I started with the Celebrity curse. Gave me View Air." I grimace, but bite the bullet. "Then I got Infertile. It gave me Golden Shot."

"The pregnable one, right?" Anis clarifies.

"That means an entirely different thing," Renamon points out.

"Is there another one?" Rapi asks, preventing any more derailing.

I slowly nod, glancing down at Marian once more. "I got Mortal Enemy. There's someone out there in the world who wants me dead, and the only way to stop them is to kill or neutralize them."

"That… doesn't sound so bad," Anis says with a shrug.

"The enemy is epic rank," I clarify, gesturing to Renamon. "She's uncommon rank."

"…that sounds bad," she corrects herself.

"It likely is." I sigh deeply. "I don't even know what rank that Black Smith was."

That Tyrant was about… Elite rank? Oh, right, speaking of!

Speaking of…?

Defeat your first Tyrant! Gain a Gold Random Ticket!
Defeat Black Smith! Gain a Gold Random Ticket!

"Oh. I got more tickets." I flinch when Anis pokes my cheek again, and gently smack her hand away. "Quit that!"

"Roll them! Don't just let them stagnate!" She prods me both metaphorically and literally.

I roll my eyes and decide to let all three tickets roll. The first one finishes, and I look at the description.


[Greater Headpat]

|Rare Trait|

You were born with hands made for patting the heads of all that is cute. Targets feel much more pleasure from you petting their heads, giving a comforting and comfortable feeling when you do, maybe even arousal if they are kinky. This also helps dispel negative mental effects and build affection. Even the most frigid emo won't be able to fight the power of your palms.


I look at it again. And again. My face twitches slightly before I address the lady in red. "Rapi?"

"Yes, Commander?"

"Corruption… would you say it's a mental effect?"

She blinks, then slowly nods. "Yes, Commander."

"And it seems to be… negative, correct?" I say, my jaw clenching slightly.

"Where are you going with this?" Anis interrupts.

"Let her answer," I say as calmly as a volcano under pressure.

"Yes, Commander, Corruption is a negative mental effect," Rapi says, eyeing me warily.

I gently shift Marian so she is leaning against the food cart that I was using for cover earlier. I stand up, brush off my immaculate clothes (oh, forgot to mention that), and take a deep breath.

I scream into the air, long, loud, wordless, clutching at the sides of my head at just how unfair this world is. I hear Shifty in my ear briefly before the connection cuts again, and I run out of air, collapsing over the counter. "Why. Why didn't I get that sooner?"

"What?" Anis says, and I realize just how far away everyone stepped back.

"Greater Headpats," I say roughly in response, my throat sore from screaming, "looks like it can counter Corruption. It mentions dispelling negative mental effects. And I got it after Marian died!" I cover my face, shoulders shaking in my turmoil.

As they take the time to process this, I hear the next roll end, and drag my palms down my face, staring up at the next notification.


[Full Coverage Insurance Plan]

|Epic Trait|

Your Familiars get a full coverage insurance plan, as long as a familiar is in Familiar space for 24 hours straight, uninterrupted, they are completely and absolutely returned to perfect health. If a familiar dies, they will be resurrected in the familiar space after 48 hours have passed in perfect health.


"Great!" I say hysterically, a great weight off my chest. "At least now I won't lose Renamon!" I turn and pull the startled Digimon into a tight embrace. "I can just put you in my Familiar space, and you'll be back to full health within a day!"

"That's… good…" she whispers out, losing air, before I gently set her back down, apologizing profusely. I help straighten out the armor she's wearing while the final roll hits.


[Familiar Contract]

|Rare Item|

A contract that allows those who sign it to become registered in your gacha as a familiar that you can treat like any other familiar. They must sign the contract while knowing what it does otherwise it does not work.


I blink, staring past Renamon, the screen, the broken billboards of the concord. "…I can make people into my familiars?"

"Whoa, easy there," Anis says, backing up with her hands raised. "Don't use that power on me."

"It's not a power," I correct her, watching as my familiar walks away out of the corner of my eye. My focus shifts forward as I pull out the contract, showing it off to her. "If they sign this, knowing full well what it does, then they can be registered as a familiar for my gacha, with all the insurance included."

"Yeah…" She pushes my hand down, looking weirded out. "…not comfortable with that."

"I was just showing you," I try to recover, blushing brightly as I look over the contract with a nearly endless number of spaces to sign names. I recall the contract into my item space. "It's weird, though. All this stuff I could've used earlier, but I get it now?" I shake my head. "I worry what this means."

Maybe it's overcompensating.

Maybe. I huff, then recall my earlier thought. "Oh, right, I have a different trait that makes my clothes unable to get dirty."

"…well that doesn't seem fair," she huffs softly.

"Commander Flick!" Renamon calls over, waving her arm from the wreckage of Black Smith. "We've got a survivor!"

"What!?" Anis and I yell as one, running over to see what she's talking about.

"We're discussing how to use your abilities later," Rapi declares as she jogs beside me, giving me no wiggle room with her demand. Sure, fine, more importantly, someone survived!

I skid to a stop by the Digimon, staring down in shock at the mostly-untouched form of a Nikke in disassembled fatigues laying half-out of a broken tube. I kneel down, brushing the hair out of her eyes to find… a generic face with platinum blonde hair. I frown, looking up at Rapi and Anis. "Either of you recognize her?"

The shorter of the two answers first, sounding surprised. "That's an iDoll Ocean. She's a mass-produced Tetra Nikke."

"I see," I say, standing up and lifting her up. I hear a wet thump, and look down to see that the bottom half of her body had been sliced off by the glass and other trauma. Likely from our attack. Grimacing slightly, I carry her anyways, heading back to Marian. "Alright, so, what's the protocol for burying our… deceased?" I settle on that word as I cannot figure out a more tactful way to put it.

"Those killed when Corrupted are left without burials," Rapi quietly states. "Just like any other Nikke who dies."

I frown deeply, looking over at the tactically dressed woman without pants. "No exceptions?"

"None. I'm sorry." I don't hear any change in her tone, yet I can sense that she truly means what she said.

I nod, passing Anis Ocean and picking up Marian. "What they don't know won't hurt them."

I carry Marian over past the dead Tyrant, setting her down by a tree and digging her a shallow grave. I grimace at the caliche beneath the dirt, shaking my head and gingerly lowering her inside. I cross her arms over her chest, stand up, and say a silent prayer over her. I feel the others come up beside me, and Anis sets down Ocean, whose head bows in what I hope is just respect. I tilt my head to see her face and realize she's still out of it.

We stay there for a moment before Shifty speaks into my ear once more. "Commander, your pickup is almost there. Please be sure to clear a space for the LZ."

"Of course, Shifty," I respectfully say, turning and heading back to Black Smith. I scowl deeply, drawing my legs back and turning it into my Beastkin form. I kick it hard, sending it tumbling several meters away for a clear section in the center of all these faded crosswalks. I huff and shift back, feeling a bit better about this situation. I turn my head and see a helicopter come into view over a building, nodding once as I exit the landing zone as well.

As the aircraft touches down, I feel the cooldown of my ability switch end, so I exchange Orchard for View Air, testing it briefly to realize that both Royal Beastkin and Newtype (that's the name!) increased the range quite a bit. I feel like I can see a couple miles now.

Noting that all of the Raptures in this section are either retreated or dead, I signal for my squad to head towards the helicopter. I idly note that Anis had handed off Ocean to Rapi, but I don't care as long as we save someone on this mission.

Saved a Nikke from the Black Smith! Gained one Bronze Random Ticket.

…not the reason why I did it, but thank you. Roll it, please.


[Job Application Form]

|Common Item|

"Does this scare you?" An otherwise ordinary looking job application form, that when filled with the correct information and handed to an employer will guarentee that the applicant is hired no matter the job or their qualifications, altough not guarenteed that they will keep the job. The form loses this effect after being used once.


…not sure I'll ever need this. Good to have… I guess? I'll discuss it with the others later.

---

The ride is surprisingly silent, as the earpieces appear to cancel out the sound of the rotor blades as well. In fact, it is this exact feature that lets me hear the quiet voice coming from our handicapped friend.

"H-hello?"

I notice Anis immediately tense up, but gently place a hand on her shoulder before responding. "Hello, there. Don't worry, we'll get you back to the Ark, safe and sound."

Oddly, this gets me a look of confusion from Ocean, who glances around at the other Nikke in the chopper. "Am I dreaming?"

"No," Rapi answers simply.

"Is this a near death experience?" She asks next.

"No, it isn't," Renamon responds next, looking just as curious as I am about her reaction to my words.

"Is this a prank?" Ocean asks, panicking slightly now.

"Shut up!" Anis barks, making every single one of us jump, including the pilot. "No, it's not a prank, the Commander is just that nice of a guy. Much nicer than you ever could be!" She sticks her tongue out at the Tetra Nikke.

The legless woman looks hurt at the accusation, staring at the blonde girl beside me. "What? What did I do to offend you?"

"What!?" She shrieks, hands clenching the air between them. "You- how dare- the nerve of-!"

"Anis," I say, reaching over to pat her shoulder. "Please, calm down. We can discuss this once we're back in the Ark. Okay?" I try to be reassuring, patting her on the head slowly as I speak.

The short woman's anger wavers, looking at me with a strong sense of… is that hurt? Some form of petulance? Whatever it is, she lowers her head, leaning back against the side of the helicopter. She grumbles quietly, something about a children's toy?

Ocean, meanwhile, glances between the two of us, blushing slightly, her visor so damaged that it's clearly visible. "I didn't know Commanders could be so brazen…"

"You wish you had a Commander this brazen," Anis says, sounding a bit like she's drunk… oh crap, Greater Headpats. I immediately stop patting her head, getting a whine from her that is absolutely needy.

The helicopter lands, and our little group gets off and heads towards the hidden elevator. Anis is giving me a wide berth, eyeing my hands warily. Ocean is currently being supported by Rapi, though she has either passed out or fallen asleep by this point. Renamon sidles up next to me, giving Anis a jealous glare.

I turn to Rapi, fighting the blush still on my cheeks. "So, uh, any idea what happened down there?"

"I imagine that the corruption code was acting as a navigator," she muses, glad to get away from the uncomfortable situation by discussing the mission. "A variation that guides Nikkes to the Black Smith."

"What, like some sort of demented food delivery service?" Anis says, starting to recover. "But Marian was acting completely normal before she went all haywire!"

Shifty pipes up in our comms, putting in her own two cents. "That's probably because of the Commander." I furrow my brow, looking down as I think of the revelation I got before the whole fiasco. "A Nikke's highest priority is protecting their Commander and obeying any orders given." That… maybe, but I don't think that's the whole picture? "I'm willing to bet the problem started once she met the Commander." What the heck does that mean? "That's when her priorities were shifted out of order. She was completely defenseless when in close proximity to the Black Smith. That means the corruption was quite severe."

Our group is silent, trying to parse out Shifty's meaning. Rapi is the one to break the quiet. "...when did it start?"

I can hear Shifty react in confusion, as her hands go still on her keyboard. "What?"

The brave woman continues boldly, "When was she first corrupted?"

Our operator takes a moment to consider before responding, "During the operation, I suppose…"

"That makes no sense," I respond, utterly baffled. "If she blew up the transport ship, shouldn't she have been corrupted by that point?"

Rapi nods in agreement. "And that transport ship came directly from the Ark. The black box was quite clear on that."

Shifty audibly gasps, rapidly typing once more. "Not good! Were the Aegis Barriers broken?"

The strawberry blonde shakes her head dismissively. "No, the Aegis barriers are strong. They'd pick up any corruption from the outside in an instant."

Anis looks at her squadmate with trepidation. "...Rapi, what are you trying to say?"

Renamon speaks up for the first time since we got off the helicopter. "Isn't it obvious? Someone on the inside gave her the corruption."

The rest of the ride is silent, trying to grapple with this uneasy turn of events and the frightening implications.

---

AN: Hopefully this addresses some of the issues from the previous chapter? I don't know, I just hope I didn't make any more.

Let me know what you think, so I can improve!

 

[To-be-hero-X]

Ngl gatcha really has sick Sense of humor if my boi had Familiar Contract he would have use it on Marian so even if she died she comes back because of the insurance if he had Greater Headpat corruption wouldn't have worked honestly only thing I could think of right now if he uses Familiar Contract on red hood

 

[TempestZeta]

So cruel that he got all that stuff that could have saved Marian only after she died. Yeah, this really is Nikke.

 

[VATSTeen]

Damn, hopefully he gets lucky next time, like the next time he sees her.

And it goes better than last time, aka canon.

 

[MrSplashy]

Damn, then again there's next time. Still teared up about it though...

Hey, at least Rapi will have another sibling for the future kid that they have(I am sorry, I forgot her name God ).

 

[Zeldomnyo]

I can't wait for someone to find out he could actually make more nikke by impregnating the current ones

 

[BlueCladOne]

This is great so far. Since you asked for criticism, though, I'd have most likely had him tell his squad of the important and emotional stuff right away, and then tell them he'd reveal everything later when they had time (probably at the Outpost, but he'd just think after the mission).

There's a slight tonal dissonance between getting just what he needed slightly too late to save his friend, and talking about awkward Gacha powers. There's also a bit of strange pacing issues caused by it, and flows slightly awkwardly. The scene with the headpats would remain unchanged, obviously, since that is one of the ones that would help Marian.

I want to be clear - this is still good, and I still enjoy it a lot. The pacing and tone stuff is mild enough, and I'm fully aware of just how hard the Gacha makes these things. You asked for criticism, though, so I hope this helps! :]

 

[XxExtremeSamX2]

Well… here's hoping he gets some revival thing soon.

 

[enigmaMystere]

So cruel that he got all that stuff that could have saved Marian only after she died. Yeah, this really is Nikke.

Click to shrink...

You're telling me.

This is great so far. Since you asked for criticism, though, I'd have most likely had him tell his squad of the important and emotional stuff right away, and then tell them he'd reveal everything later when they had time (probably at the Outpost, but he'd just think after the mission).

There's a slight tonal dissonance between getting just what he needed slightly too late to save his friend, and talking about awkward Gacha powers. There's also a bit of strange pacing issues caused by it, and flows slightly awkwardly. The scene with the headpats would remain unchanged, obviously, since that is one of the ones that would help Marian.

I want to be clear - this is still good, and I still enjoy it a lot. The pacing and tone stuff is mild enough, and I'm fully aware of just how hard the Gacha makes these things. You asked for criticism, though, so I hope this helps! :]

Click to shrink...

I will try to keep that under consideration, and hope that the gacha lets the story flow better, next time.

Well… here's hoping he gets some revival thing soon.

Click to shrink...

Likely not going to get it, since the lowest ticket it's available on is Platinum.


Everything said, I'm surprised that no one was questioning Anis's hostility.

 

[XxExtremeSamX2]

Everything said, I'm surprised that no one was questioning Anis's hostility.

Click to shrink...

I figured it'll be explained next time