||; 声 ;|| —- Aoba couldn't remember when exactly Midorijima had become infested with darkness. It had been there as long as she could remember, lurking around every corner and creeping its way up the cracked infrastructure of abandoned buildings. Within the darkness, creatures hid from the public eye. Those infected with their bile were ostracized by society and risked their safety for their unwilling betrayal. Those who were comprised of such an evil from their birth until their very last breath were seen as opportunities of striking gold, no matter how mortal they could have been.
Some used to call these creatures “vampires” or “demons,” among them old scholars who had researched these creatures for many years. For the past century, however, those who lurked within the darkness simply became known as “Vermin.” They were given this name seeing as so many of these dark creations had appeared in quick succession, as if some unknown source on Midorijima was mass-producing them. It likely was.
Luckily for Aoba Seragaki, the sheer amount of Vermin roaming around the island allowed her to pull in some extra coin. She had a stable job at Weapon Shop Heibon, but sometimes having a little extra on the side could greatly improve her quality of life. Fulfilling bounties was a difficult yet rewarding way of doing so and Aoba was usually up to the challenge. Her priorities still lay among protecting her grandmother and loyal canine, though.
Ren, Aoba's All-Mate and trusty companion, was useful in a number of ways. Aoba could instantly access the web and her email through her wrist-bound Coil, among other digital tasks, but Ren could do a few things her Coil could not do. The most significant among them was his A.I., which allowed him to communicate with Aoba through speech.
“Aoba, are you sure that this mission is safe for you to pursue? Its ranking is two stars higher than the usual two-star bounties you take on.” Ren voiced his concern, trotting along the ground at Aoba's walking pace.
“Well, I'm not sure that it's the safest mission, but the payoff definitely sounds worth it. All of the treasure I can carry? Who would ignore an opportunity like that?” Aoba regarded the digital display on her Coil, reviewing her mission's summary: Defeat the powerful Vermin residing in the ramshackle home in the garbage disposal area just outside the Residential District and collect its loot. It seemed simple enough-- Excluding the whole "powerful Vermin" part. But that was why Aoba had well-prepared herself in terms of artillery and ammunition.
“. . . I understand. Please be careful, Aoba. You don't know how dangerous this one may be.”
Long before approaching the shabby home, Aoba had ceactivated Ren and placed the pup snugly in her bag. Ren's fragile (and sadly, outdated) body would be no match for any single blow one of the Vermin could make. There were advertisements out all over the island for newer and stronger All-Mate models, ones that could physically guard their owners, but Aoba never had the heart to replace Ren. Besides, she knew how to protect her family just fine.
Taking a deep breath, Aoba pushed all thoughts of her kin from her mind as she laid her hand upon the door separating herself from the inside of the building. Part of her wondered if she would see her grandmother or Ren again after this; if she would survive the ordeal. Another part assured her of her own strength and informed her that she had nothing to worry about.
Sometimes she could hear that part's voice very clearly, reverberating within her mind. She could feel its presence in her head and its push against her back. She could feel it just as she entered the threshold. She swore she actually could.
“Vermin! Come out of the shadows and show yourself! I know you're in here somewhere!” Her voice called out of its own accord. But it wasn't Aoba's at all. It was the other voice. It came out at a time like this?! With her life on the line?! Well, sure, she may have been on the verge of chickening out of the mission without it, but. . .
Before she could cower back in fear (as she essentially just taunted the unidentified creature), a loud noise upstairs caused her to freeze in place. Aoba swallowed her fear, letting it bubble up in the pit of her stomach as she raised her pre-loaded crossbow, pointing it at the unlit apex of the staircase. Perhaps it would've been wiser to greet her opponent at a time with more daylight rather than at the crest of sunset.
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