Chapter 6

The dispatched team left with one of the high speed boats, ready to fight the ARDs.

"How's the situation?" - Alisa asked.

"We'll arrive on the crashing spot in one hour. Just a little after they've emerged from the 'capsules'. They won't be far away." - answered Melinda, one of the members of the student counchil.

She was a sort girl with straight, blonde hair and glasses. She was a bit slow in action but was good with strategies.

"OK. 'Cause even if one of those things gets near a populated place, it'll be a blood bath." - Kurama said, he is also a part of the counchil.

He is a boy with black hair and black eyes, what you would say 'normal' , but in fact he has a strong sense of justice and is HUGE fan of the idol Sumi Norfolk.

On the boat were four people dispatched to confront the ARD. The fourth membe was the one driving the boat. He was a youn man in his 20s with broun, messy hair, latino-colored skin and sandals. Although his look he was an excelent fighter, on par with a general. His name was Chuo Mei. On the sky they could see the falling ARDs. They left red lines in the night sky. After a bit they crashed in a forest near the coast.

"Get ready for battle!" - Alisa commanded.

"ROGER!" - the two answered.

"Hai,hai..." - the man driving the boat said with no motivation.

They stopped the boat and got off.

"Melinda, scan the area. Let's see with what type and level ARDs we have a deal with." - she continued with her orders.

Melinda took out a device from the bag she had. It was a small phone-like device with big screen and a few buttons. She pressed one of them and the device started scaning the area.

Didiing! - it made a sound.

"It's ready. Let's see the details..." she looked at he screen with a surprised look "EH?!"

"What's wrong?" - Kurama asked her.

"T...there seems to be something jamming the signal. I can't find their location and types, neither the levels. What do we do now?"

"Ooh. It seems things are going to be interesting." - Chuo smirked.

"Don't panic! Let's think about it. They landed on the ground, so there isn't a floating type. There isn't one flying, so there isn't a flying one. There might be a mixed type, so we'll prepare for it. There is at least one over level 7, an ARD with a stealth ability is of level 6, so be carefull! Let's go!" - Alisa said and headed to the forest with the others.

In the forest was quiet, too quiet. You could hear the chirping of the insects. This silence made everyone alerted because the enemy might be hiding somewhere with a stealth skill. Only high level ARDs had skills, for you to defeat them is not an easy task. After walking for a bit they reached the place of the crash.

"The trees on the west have been broken. That's the way they have headed." (Melinda)

"Let's hurry! This silence is creeping me out!" (Kurama)

They walked again. Everybody had activated their ONE and was ready to attack. Then Alisa, that was leading, tripped and fell.

"Are you OK?!" (Melinda)

"Yes, I just fell. That's........all..." - she said while lifting her head to look what was in front of her.

Everyone looked shocked at the scene in front of them. Alisa had tripped in a long, cut-like line on the ground. On the grassland before them were the traces of a fierce battle. Burnt marks, jiant claw-like deep cuts on the ground and strange lumps. As they were watching Chuo turned aroun and pointed his katana towards the trees on their right.

"What's it?" (Melinda)

"I thougt I saw some sort of bluish ligh, but it was probably my imag..." - he couldn't finish his words.

Flickering an ARD appeared. It had stealth skill, that was why they didn't saw it but there was something strange about it, it was flickering. It appeared and disappeared continuously, while stumbling towards them. It made one final roar and fell dead wit a loud crash on the ground. When they got closer and looked at it they saw it was a level 4. It looked like a mixture of chameleon, crab and some other metalic and orcanic parts. It was 5 metres tall and it was covered in cuts, one of it's arms was missing, it's leg was twisted around in a strange way, deep claw marks could be seen on it's front and back and lastly, it's core had been destroyed.

"Ddon't tell me..." - Alisa said and ran towards the grassland.

Those things she though were lumps of dirt turned out to be the parts of the other two ARDs. They were scattered on the whole field and even in the forest or hanging on some trees.

"What the heck happened here?!" (Kurama)

"They have been defeated before we got off the boat. There is no way we couldn't have heard a battle this destructive." - Alisa said with a grim face.

She knew the one, who defeated the ARDs had a monstrous strenght. The one they saw probably had escaped being thorn apart to shreds thanks to it's stealth. Everyone knew that this kind of ARD was the hardest one to find, even with a radar.

"Who could have done it? Poachers maybe. Recently another, unknown group of ONE users has been defeating ARDs and taking their cores." (Melinda)

"I don't think so." Chuo started "I've seen the work of the poachers. This is too messy for them, they won't leave so many traces. Not to mention that the cores are all here. They should have taken them away."

"You're right. They weren't the ones that defeated the ARDs. The question is..Who did it?" (Kurama)

"We'll think about it later. Kurama, call the clean up team. We have to collect the parts scattered around. We don't want anyone to die because of the toxic body fluids. Melinda, make pictures and scan the area. I and Chuo will guard!" (Alisa)

They did as she said.

=== On the board of the ship ===

I'm late! I got caried away and it's almost past 22:00 , I have to hurry or I'm in deep trouble! - Shin thought while running towards the dorms.

He got in just in the last second before the students shouldn't be outside without a permission. He entered his room and saw Lance sleeping on the other bed. He was moving around a lot in his sleep and was moaning or murmuring something from time to time.

He must be verry tired, so I won't try to wake him up. I'll give him the sweets when he wakes up.

He then left the packet in the fridge and went to bed. Compared to the orphanage, where more than ten snoring and kicking kids slept along with him, the moaning Lance didn't bother Shin and he quickly fell to sleep.

=== The next day ===

"Good morning!!" (Shin and Lance)

"Morning. Have you slept well?" (Petia)

"Yes, the bed was like a cloud." (Lance)

"It's not that soft. There are even softer beds, after all I've seen them." (Blake)

"REALLY?! I can't believe it!" (Lance)

"But it's true. This is ordinary." (Blake)

"Now I'm wondering at what kind of place has he lived to think that the bed is like a cloud." - Shin said.

"So, when will you start training? If you want to, I'll make you a training course after school." - Petia offered.

"If it's OK, I want you to try and attack me in today's class at the arena. We won't share it with other class, so there should be space for a mock fight." (Lance)

"OK, no problem!" (Shin)

"Great! I'll have a chance to let off some steam." (Blake)

"What are you saying?! You can't do it! He's our friend!" (Petia)

"You don't get it, do you?" (Shin)

"I was joking. You take thing too seriously." (Blake)

Lance shook his head for Yes. Then Petia realised and got furstrated.

"I don't care about you anymore!"

Then classes started.

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[Kabaneri]

I made a break in the middle while writing and red some Chinese novels, then I decided to use () because it was getting annoying to always use '-.....said/asked/told...'