Nishihara struck first, his blade carving through the air with ruthless precision. The knife came down in a blur - Kanesaki slipped left, just barely dodging - only for Nishihara to flick his wrist, slicing a thin line across the Chimera's cheek.
Kanesaki lashed out with a punch, but Nishihara caught his wrist mid-swing, locking him in place. Without a pause, he drove his elbow into Kanesaki's face with a brutal crack, shattering his nose. Blood sprayed out as Nishihara followed through, dragging the knife in a clean, shallow cut across Kanesaki's throat.
A little blood spilled from the wound as Kanesaki reeled from the initial elbow to the face. 'That's the best you got, Chimera?' Nishihara smirked as Kanesaki fixed his nose. His face was bloody but he just wiped it off. He thought to himself, Crap... This guy specialises in dealing with rogue Chimera. He's probably killed ones far stronger than me, I have no chance at beating him, even in sparring!
Kanesaki tightened his grip on the blade, a flicker of irritation crossing his face. He had hesitated, afraid of killing the officer - but now he realized it wasn't himself he should've feared.
Without further thought, Kanesaki struck first, his curved blade whipping sideways in a blur. Nishihara met the attack head-on, parrying with a hardened arm. The clash sent a burst of sparks into the smoky air, the two recoiling from the force, eyes locked, breaths heavy.
He just stopped it with the suit!? Kanesaki thought to himself whilst reeling from the clash. 'You see that, lab brain. That's the kinda output a YNS can produce.' The officer smiled grimly.
Kanesaki lunged forward, swinging hard - parried again. Nishihara slid back a step, steadied himself, then cut upward in a sharp counter, slipping through Kanesaki's guard. The knife buried itself into the Chimera's stomach with a dull, wet thud. Blood oozed out slowly, painting the blade crimson.
Kanesaki stared down at the wound, a grim thought clawing at his mind - he might actually die here.
Before he could brace himself, Nishihara ripped the blade free and unleashed a rapid barrage of slashes, carving across Kanesaki's body in brutal, merciless strikes, too fast for him to block, too fast for him to even react.
Crap... I can't block him! How is he this fast!? The suit can put humans like him on par with Chimera, even stronger than us!
Eventually, Kanesaki forced his way out, seizing a narrow opening to swing downward with full force, kicking up a thick cloud of dust. Nishihara lost sight of him instantly and instinctively leapt back a few feet, eyes scanning the haze. Through the swirling debris, Kanesaki retreated as well, his body marked with shallow cuts and bleeding from a dozen places. None of the wounds were deep, but the blood loss and fatigue were beginning to show.
'You can heal those back quickly, can't ya, Chimera.' A sweat bead fell down Kanesaki's forehead as the officer went on with his talking, throwing the knife between each hand as he did.
'Lieutenant Wachisaka isn't really one for fighting. It's part of why he had me be his assistant officer. I grew up around war, y'know. The revolutionary war hit my home pretty bad so I had to watch friends and family die. Throughout my life, I trained to be able to protect those friends and family across my whole life. Just know, Chimera, I'm not just a man who can fight on par with you...' As he spoke, the officer sped forth, faster than previously. Kanesaki couldn't react in time, the knife was already in his neck. Nishihara continued, '... I'm a man who can kill you.'
Blood poured over the knife and down Kanesaki's neck as his eyes widened. He felt his life slowly ending, his breathing slowed. 'Well, none of the others ever could beat me in the first spar either. I guess you're alright for now, lab brain.'
Nishihara removed the knife and twirled it in his hand like a toy before throwing It into the floor, it stuck itself in the dirt perfectly. He then turned and grabbed a needle before injecting it into Kanesaki who was facing near death. 'This should speed up your healing.' The wound slowly sealed itself, the bleeding had stopped. Kanesaki could feel his breathing get faster, back to normal, and his neck felt better. 'Thank you, officer.'
'It's just part of the job. Don't get touchy.' Kanesaki put the blade away, back into his body before taking a look at his clothes. The coat was all cut up and bloody, same with his trousers. I gotta change these, he thought.
A sudden knock at the door startled Kanesaki. 'Come in!' Nishihara exclaimed as a second officer walked in. It was the second officer with Wachisaka. First-class officer Akio Matsunaga. He was 26, a relatively young age for a first-class. His hair was short with a peachy yellow colour and his eyes were a bright green. He smiled happily as he wandered in before saluting. 'Officer Nishihara, the lieutenant is asking for you.' Scoffing, Nishihara threw on his uniform and cleaned himself off before approaching the door. 'Keep an eye on the Chimera, would ya.' Akio nodded with a simple smile and went to greet Kanesaki. '
Sorry for him, he's a tough guy act personified!' The officer chuckled to himself, Kanesaki smiled slightly in return. 'Anyways, I see you need a change of uniform. How about we get you to your quarters, hm?' Nodding, Kanesaki went and followed the officer to his quarters.
After getting a change of coats (from dark red to darker red of course), Kanesaki followed the officer as two armed guards went to escort them. Are they here to escort me? They fear me that much. Akio noticed that Kanesaki looked slightly off. 'Everything alright, Kanesaki?'
'Y-Yeah, nothing wrong here.' Smiling warmly, Akio faced forward and continued walking. Kanesaki thought to himself again, He called me "Kanesaki", not just "Chimera" or "Lab brain" like Nishihara... This guy seems nicer than everyone else, why? They arrived at the docking station where a transport ship awaited them all. 'You have a new assignment, Kanesaki. A Yatzul was spotted roaming and abandoned mining facility east of here. The facility is placed between grid 34 and 41 so this'll be a joint op. They're sending a Chimera too, as well as an accompanying officer.' Kanesaki entered the ship via the stairs and thought of being able to meet another Chimera. He hadn't known any other Chimera than the ones he grew up around, although he'd never recognise them now. 'I'll be joining you for this one, maybe we could bond over this mission.' The officer grinned happily as Kanesaki stared in slight confusion and discomfort. He's oddly nice, He thought. The ship rumbled as it started to take off before it burst out of the dock and flew across the sky, accelerating as it gained altitude.
Takemoto mining facility- grid 41/34
A wounded man fell back into a dirty puddle, his clothes were torn and bloody. Screaming out he crawled backwards against a wall. 'Leave me alone! Stay back!' A creature watched him from afar. The sound of crunching filled the room. It was feasting on two bodies, mangled together. It was hidden by shadows but the man could see it's head turn to face him again. All he could see was the silhouette of the corpses be thrown behind the creature as it crawled towards him, it lacked eyes but it was clear that it was observing him. 'Please don't kill me...' He muttered under his breath, sweating profusely. The creature reared upwards, revealing it's tall frame before lunging forwards, catching the man as he failed to scream out. The only sound that filled the room was that of crunching bones and tearing flesh. The Yatzul are horrific, inhuman creatures. They are a parasite, created only to kill humanity. No one knows where they came from, but they are the single largest threat to humanity. The only things that can stop them are humanity's own creation, the Chimera.
Chapter three- End