Scarlet
“Do you think these are enough?” a low pitched male voice asks, worry clear in his tone.
“I doubt it. They went down there with two magi-tech pulse rifles from the lab and still didn’t come back up,” a woman answers him with just as much worry in her voice as the man.
My eyebrows rise at the mention of pulse rifles.
Those things should be strong enough to obliterate up to a level twenty-five demon, if I remember correctly from my research on Allen’s company. And if the people who went down there didn’t come back even with them…
Although, I wonder why they aren’t just hiding in their bunker?
I begin to walk through the floor in the direction of the voices. And as I walk, I open my skill store and purchase the repair skill, which I can now afford thanks to those demon hounds that I killed up above. Then I immediately use it on my jacket and other clothes, reveling in the sight of the holes and cuts and whatnot on them closing themselves up for only the small price of a couple points of mana each article of clothing.
My jacket’s finally whole again! Yippee!!!
I can’t help the smile that blooms on my face at that, only for it to fade after I hear the continued conversation of the people on the floor.
“Damnit, why did the generator have to break down now!”
Oh. That explains why they’re not in the bunker.
Not sure where the generator is for this floor, but most generators tend to support more than one shield. Meaning it’s probably not on this floor, judging by their conversation.
If there’s no generator, there’s no shield for the bunker. And if there’s no shield, there’s no purpose for the bunker.
Not when any demon can just break through the door.
Or most demons at least. I don’t think spawn can break through a solid steel door. Probably.
Also, why aren’t there any demons on this floor?
I walk through the strangely silent floor, outside of the humans on it of course, for nearly five minutes, just slowly navigating towards them as their conversation continues on and on, going round and round in circles with no decision in sight. Eventually, I finally make it to the door that sounds like it opens up into the room they’re in. So I grab the knob and open the door, startling over a dozen people in the process.
Three of them immediately raise pistols to point at me, only to lower it again at the sight of me. Meanwhile the rest all jump backwards, many of them tripping over stuff in the process.
A few seconds pass in silence as we stare at each other.
Of the fourteen people I find in the room, one is a little kid just playing in the corner as if nothing had happened, ten are adults at the very least in their early thirties, one is an old man, and the other two are both teenagers.
Why are there so many teenagers in this building?
The people in front of me look even more surprised for some reason before sharing a glance with each other. Then one of them – who, judging by his voice, is one of the ones I heard talking on my way here – answers the question I had asked in my head, “Well, today was a day that the possible interns from the nearby high schools were visiting to see the office, ma’am.”
I blink in surprise.
Wait, did I ask that out loud?!
Also, did a man over ten years my senior call me ma’am?
“It’s because you’re a ‘Guardian’,” a certain tanuki’s voice echoes in my head, answering my question.
Oh. Right. That.
“No need to call me ma’am,” I tell them with a shake of my head, which somehow draws their attention to my ears. “It makes me feel old.”
“Right,” the guy responds, his eyes quickly returning to my face, unlike some of the other members of their little group who continue to stare at my ears. “Is there some way we can assist you?”
I stare at him for a few seconds, a little surprised by his words.
“Guardians are given the authority of a major in the military during Demonic Assaults, making you the equivalent of a military officer in his eyes,” Tar answers my unasked question again, finally proving his worth beyond just his cuteness as a tanuki.
He snorts at that thought.
“Actually, I had heard you all talking from the stairs and was wondering what had happened?” I sort of half ask, half state with a frown. Because in all honesty, I’m not sure why I came over here to them. Maybe out of pure curiosity?
The man looks surprised for a second before straightening himself out, which seems to snap the others out of their little ‘wolf ear staring’ stupor as he asks, “Um, if I may ask, are you a new Guardian to this Fracture?”
I hesitantly nod my head at that.
This makes the looks of hope that I had seen blooming on his face ever since his eyes landed on me begin to fade away. But the woman and other man next to him – likely the people I heard him talking to about the situation – push him forwards anyways, to his obvious chagrin.
Oh. He wants me to help with their situation.
I look around the group, most of which don’t seem to know how to react to me – except the two teens of course, who are still staring at my ears for some reason.
Why is it that every teenage girl in this building that I’ve heard or seen wants to touch my ears?! I mean, I understand they’re soft, but seriously!
Then there’s the little kid who can’t be any older than five years old. They’re just playing with some toy as if nothing was happening.
Someone’s kid, I guess?
“I- no, we would like to ask if you could help us, miss Guardian,” the man who was speaking to me asks, bringing my attention back to him as he uses an even more awkward title to call me than before.
Should I help?
I stare at him for a few seconds as I think of the benefits and drawbacks.
It’s likely only going to be an hour or two longer before a Guardian or two arrives to quell the Fracture, so I can’t see these people being in too much danger outside of a bunker. Not with me hunting the demons around here, and there not being any on this floor in the first place. Likely due to those pulse rifles now that I think about it.
But at the same time, I’m heading downstairs anyways. I might as well help them out.
“Sure,” I answer with a shrug. “And call me Scarlet.”