User blog:Redknight910/WWYD Kikimora Spycrab

This makes no sense. What the hell is a kikimora doing on a battlefield? I kneel down next to her, holding my hand out. She flinches and turns away, fearing a strike. When it never comes she turns back to me. A crack in my visor's showing one of my eyes, and when she looks at my face, some of the fear melts away. What is she doing here?

"I... we... I don't..." She's clearly suffering from the continued sound of battle. I know I'm not strong enough to carry her, so instead I ask if she can walk.

"I... um... I think so." She gets up without problem, though she is very unsteady. I ask her to follow me, and continue to walk. After a few minutes I collapse again, and with a groan remove my helmet. I didn't realise how much it was blocking my view. I look around, getting a quick bearing of my surroundings, before I start shrugging more of my armour.

The more I shrug off the easier walking gets. I look back to my new friend, and see she's trying not to look at me. I suppose the undersuit doesn't leave much to the imagination. We continue walking, our pace much faster now that I'm not being weighed down by the inactive suit.

Eventually we reach a forward outpost. I approach, waving to one of the exterior camera's and the door opens. I step in and get greeted by the station chief.

"What the hell happened to your armour soldier?" He demands. It got turned into scrap, just like my rifle. I took it off cause it was just weighing me down. He nods, chin in his hand.

"And who's this? How in the hell did you find a kikimora out on the battlefield?" I look to the girl. In this enclosed space, surrounded by 'enemy' walls, she's even worse. I have no idea what a girl like her was doing anywhere near a battle, and tell the chief as much. I ask if we can spare some psychological help for her. He nods.

"I agree. No kikimora should have to fight more than the odd thug." He walks over to her, putting a kind face on for the girl. It does  not  suit him. "Hey, we're going to get you some help, okay? I promise, nothing will happen to you while you're here." She nods quickly, still very much afraid.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">A doctor comes by after a few seconds to take her to the medical bay. The captain turns on me after she's gone. "So, since you're here, give me a report. How bad is it?" Well, it's not good. The enemy has a small dragoon squadron covering them, and even our best pilots are struggling in the skies. I know I spotted a lich in the fray too, probably the field commander. She wasn't letting anything near her.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">They do still seem to hold their old monster values, though. I saw very few actual casualties, and most of them seemed to be from explosions. The chief nods slowly with each piece of information.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Then that settles it. I think we're dealing with a monster supremacy group encountered before in the first mamono war. They were led by a devil in charge of the Britain invasion." I ask if he's sure. "Certain. She was taken out by a young dragon, and I'm surprised to hear of dragoon's fighting for her again." He shook his head, sighing. "Alright, I'll need to get this information back to HQ. Good work out there soldier." He saluted, and I returned the gesture.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">After that I headed to the med bay to get myself checked over. Once I got there I saw the kikimora, sitting on a bed with a doctor next to her, asking questions.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Do you remember your name?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Shala."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Date of birth?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"10th of the 1st, 2120."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Family?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Two sisters, no brothers. Mother and father are both still alive in Vaecena." The doctor then had her follow his pen, then shined a light in both her eyes.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Well, you don't have a concussion, and you seem to be healthy otherwise. Just stay here for a few weeks, and we'll see if anything develops, okay?" She nodded and thanked the doctor. As he turned to leave I asked if I could get a checkup.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">He looked me up and down, and smiled. "Any pain?" Other than everything aching? No.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Then you're fine. If you had any injuries that needed my attention, you'd be dead by now. Excuse me." That seemed very... dismissive. "Well, some rest will fix the aching. Feel free to take a bed. The young lady would be appreciative of the company, I'm sure." With that he left, leaving just me and the kikimora in the room.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">So. Shala, was it? She nods, the faintest traces of a smile on her lips. I ask how she ended up in this mess. That trace of a smile vanishes immediately.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I... I was meant to be a medic. Off in some remote hospital somewhere. But then they needed field medics, so I was pulled out of the centre I was stationed in and sent out here." She stops for a moment, before taking a deep breath. "I was out there all of ten minutes before I tried to run." She looks up at me, the smile coming back to her face. "And that's when you found me."

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">I smile back at her. Then there's a loud wail of sirens.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Outer perimeter has been breached. All able soldiers report to armoury for briefing." I get up, getting a worried look from Shala. I give her a smile and tell her to stay here, I'll be back soon.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">When I get to the armoury everyone is looking up at the station chief. He's wearing a suit heavy operation armour, a heavy machine gun in his hands.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Listen up! We're going to avoid fighting if we can, but if push comes to shove, we take every last one of them out. Understood?" There was a resound 'yes sir!' among the troops. He looked down at me. "You, get suited up and meet me at the gate.” I nodded, going to get a suit of armour.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">I met him at the gate, armed with a new light rifle, and a incinerator cannon someone had given to me. Together with two others we stepped out into the field, watching as the mamono came towards the station.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Hold! We want to talk!" The chief shouted, using the station's PA system to broadcast the call. There was a loud crackle and then the deadpan voice of a lich.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"You're very well armed to want to speak." The onrush kept coming.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Damnit, we don't want to fight you, but we'll do what we have to if you don't stop!" There were several moments of silence before the mamono stopped, those who'd been flying touching down almost a kilometre out.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Speak." The chief let out a loud sigh.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"I know who fired the first shot. I know who's responsible for the war!" Again there was silence, then a single figure started to walk out towards us. It was the lich, her pale skin and tattered robe obvious to all of us.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">When she was only a hundred meters from us she spoke. "Who?"

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"The same group as the one responsible for the Britain Disaster. Whoever that devil worked for, or someone who was inspired by her. They launched the nukes to provoke a new war, so that they could get new allies to try and subjugate humans." The lich listened patiently, not moving at all.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Where's your proof?" The chief sighed.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Nothing physical. But the fact we're speaking right now means neither of us want to participate in this war, right?" She nodded. "So, why don't we stop? Who's going to punish us for not killing each other?" She looked back to her own troops. "What's the old saying? One pebble can make a landslide?" Her lips quirked at that, and she nodded.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Very well. We will cease hostilities. Do you have mamono accommodations here?" The chief smiled.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Not yet, but I'm sure it wouldn't take long to set somewhere aside." And with that the first step was made.

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:12pt0cm;line-height:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">The word got around fast that one battlefield had gone quiet, and when people found out why, there were calls for peace from all over the place. When a battle continued after those around them were finished, both sides found themselves subdued before long. It took several years, but eventually all the conflicts stopped. Agreements were made, and all remaining nuclear warheads were removed from storage and shot out into space, even hidden stashes were soon found by kunoichi and mindflayer investigation teams.

<p style="font-weight:normal;"><span style="font-size:10pt;line-height:115%;font-family:Helvetica,sans-serif;">This was the end of that war, and the beginning of a new office, known as the MHPF, Mamono Human Peace Force. They were tasked with finding and eliminating threats to the continued peace.