Chapter 66: A New Objective

As Kirika struggled to get up to her injured feet, Cyanide sighed in annoyance and crouched down, not wanting to wait any longer.

"Sit still," he ordered calmly, and Kirika's eyes widened a bit.

"Huh…?"

"I said sit still," Cyanide said again for emphasis, voice cold and emotionless.

"Y-Yes!" Kirika yelped in fear, not daring to talk back again. She sat on the fallen log from before, scared at what her companion was going to do next, and trembled a bit.

Cyanide didn't disappoint—he grabbed her ankle roughly with his hand, then suddenly yanked out the sharp rock lodged inside her wound without any hesitation.

"K-Kyah!" The poor girl screamed at the sudden pain, then hurriedly covered her mouth to block the noise as she realized it would attract the other beasts. Cyanide shot her a glare, then tore off a portion of his undershirt and wrapped it around her bleeding wound like a ribbon. It wasn't much, but it would do for now.

With that done, Cyanide rose to a standing position once more, then glanced at Kirika's face.

"Get up. Can you walk now?"

"Um…"

This time, Kirika was more hesitant before answering, having learned from last time. Slowly, she got up from the log, taking careful caution not to fall, then hesitantly took a step forward.

"Ow…" She shut one eye as a throbbing sharp pain hit her ankle where the wound was, but she still defiantly took another step. It was slow, but… she could walk now, at the very least.

But Cyanide wasn't satisfied. Sighing, he stepped in front of Kirika with his back to her, then bent down a bit.

"Get on."

"Wha…?" Kirika blinked in surprise, the pain going away momentarily.

Cyanide narrowed his eyes. "Don't make me say it again. You're far too slow, walking on your own. But of course… if you want to get eaten by the beasts in this forest, by all means."

"Well… I don't exactly feel like becoming food, so…" Kirika smiled and climbed onto Cyanide's sturdy back, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "… Thanks."

"… Hmph." Cyanide snorted as he stood up with Kirika on his back, and began walking.

Why did he decide to do this for Kirika? Well, the answer was simple. Through today's experience, he had determined Kirika a worthy ally. Earlier, he had called her his partner, which was true for today, at least. She worked quite well with him, which was rare—not many could keep up with Cyanide. Hence, the fact that Kirika could meant a lot.

Besides, Cyanide could tell Kirika was also a very loyal girl. Being born from a samurai bloodline and raised in a Japanese sword academy meant honor was as important to her as her life, so Cyanide wasn't too worried about her betraying him, not to mention the whole Oathsworn thing. She was weak enough to not pose a threat, but also strong enough to be a capable ally to have. That was why Cyanide was helping her right now.

In other words, she was a useful tool—nothing more. But Cyanide took care of his tools, and Kirika was no exception.

"Oh yeah… come to think of it, we have yet to name you, huh?" Kirika murmured, looking down at the sabertooth mutant who trotted alongside Cyanide.

"… Yes. Me need name," the sabertooth replied in the form of a low growl.

"Hm… well, what do you think, Cyanide?" Kirika asked. "You're the one who claimed him with that Imprinting thing, so…"

Luna had explained the whole deal with Imprinting to Kirika earlier while waiting for the sabertooth to awaken, so she knew what it was all about. Cyanide, on the other hand, responded in the same way he always did.

"I don't care. You name it. Just keep it short."

Cold, brisk, and straight to the point.

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Kirika sighed deeply. "I'm starting to get what Luna meant by 'you'll get used to it'… anyway. How about… Silverfang? Your scales are all silver, and the most eye-catching part of your body is your two long fang-like teeth."

"… Silverfang," the beast echoed. Then, after a few seconds of hesitation, he continued. "Me like it."

"And you, Cyanide?"

"… A bit long, but good enough."

"Hmph, so picky," Kirika muttered, pouting slightly.

"I'll drop you."

"W-Wait! I'm sorry! Please don't, I'm begging you!"

"Shut up. If the animals in this forest start chasing us, I'll leave you as bait."

"Hrm…" Kirika whimpered like a sad animal and held onto Cyanide tighter than before, as if actually believing his words.

To others, that may seem funny, but when it came to Cyanide, it was wise to take what he said seriously—because he really would leave her behind if the situation called for it.

*****

Soon, Cyanide, Kirika, and the newly-named Silverfang arrived back at Aterra Headquarters, Of course, by now, it was nighttime, but thanks to the power being restored to the city, that was no big deal. Even the streetlights were operating—the ones that were still standing after the apocalypse, of course.

Cyanide sent Kirika down to the basement to get her wound treated by Doctor Finch and also explain everything that had happened, while he himself did a quick check-up of the building like usual. Then, after finding no hostiles, he prepared to head to the basement floor as well, but a voice stopped him.

"Hey, Cyanide."

"… What, Luna?"

"… Am I… useless to you?"

This was not a question he had been expecting.

"What do you mean?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"I-It's nothing," Luna hurriedly said. "Never mind. Forget I asked, sorry."

"…" Cyanide wasn't convinced, of course, but he didn't pry.

Deep down, he actually knew what Luna was referring to. He created her, after all. He knew that she had emotions like humans did, and the only thing she was really missing was a physical body. And during all those years back on Earth, she had been his only companion. Since coming to Endzone, however, Cyanide has first gained Doctor Finch for information, and now Kirika and Silverfang for help in combat.

And Luna? Well… she couldn't help but feel somewhat left out, which was only natural given the circumstances.

Now that Cyanide was surrounded by these new allies, there wasn't much she could do that the others couldn't. If it was simply raw information regarding the world of Endzone, even Kirika's A.R.S.A. could relay it to Cyanide. Luna was useless at this current stage, since she was still being restrained by the administrators of the game system which prevented her from accessing information ahead of time. Cyanide had gone through all the trouble of bringing her here, and for what? Slightly more personality than the A.R.S.A every player was given?

Luna felt weak, useless, and she hated it. Cyanide knew she did. He just pretended he didn't. If he pried about the issue, it would only make matters worse. As much as he wanted to deny it, it was true—Luna really was not contributing much as she is right now. In the past, she was vital to his missions, but now…

In any case, Cyanide now had a new priority objective: finding a suitable physical body to put Luna in. If it succeeded, she would undoubtedly become the best possible partner for him in battle. The two had been together for many, many years, and Luna knew every tiny detail about Cyanide—be it his fighting style, personality, or even his past.

Together, they would be unstoppable. Even if the enemy was multitudes stronger than they were, the two of them could, and would overcome it eventually. That was how much faith Cyanide had in his own creation.

But at the same time, Cyanide was a realistic person.. For any of that to happen, he must first find a suitable host for Luna—and judging from the map… he knew just the place to go.

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