After "The Knight"

[modern_ancient]

The footage of the mission was hard to believe for a number of reasons, but on of them is stomping back into the Sakihama Base hangar: a stone giant, almost 18 meters tall, battered and cut, revealing some kind of green light flowing within. After dropping off it's weaponry in a large semi-truck, it comes to a stop in a clear area, checks to make sure no one is standing too close, and then starts to crumble. The pieces that fall off dissolve into mist and vanish entirely within minutes, and eventually all that is left is Njall.

He's covered in wounds, wounds that match up with the damage done to the giant. Cuts all over his arms and legs, bruises, burns. It had been a fairly brutal fight. Njall shook his head and wiped blood and sweat from his eyes and got out of the middle of the room before someone else coming back from the battle stepped on him. Minutes later found him slumped against a staircase at the edge of the hangar.

"Steak and showers: the two greatest gifts to mankind from the gods."

Comments

[cloningblues]

...Did you just really do that?

[majestic_keiki]

Wouldn't a doctor be better?

...It's incredible that you can even talk normally like that.

[modern_ancient]

No.

[modern_ancient]

I've never gotten along well with doctors. Don't worry, I'll be fine.

[cloningblues]

Then what just happened?

[majestic_keiki]

Right. It's just a flesh wound. I really don't think that's something to be macho about.

[dolorous_sensei]

No... not another one dying in front of my eyes!

[modern_ancient]

What did it look like was happening?

[modern_ancient]

It's not about being macho.

...Well, okay it's a little bit about macho. It's mainly about my regenerative nature.

[modern_ancient]

I'm not dying, I'm just tired.

[dolorous_sensei]

No need to be strong for me. I'm used to it. Steak? Is that your last request? I'll bring it to you. Just... try not to slump your head before I bring it back to you.

[modern_ancient]

No, really. I'll be fine in a bit.

[majestic_keiki]

About your what?

[cloningblues]

That was a rhetorical question. Both of them.

You turned from some kind of stone giant back into a human! How do you do that? Does it hurt?

[modern_ancient]

When I turn back, all the injuries get transferred onto my normal body, so yes that can sting a bit.

But in answer to your first question...I don't actually know how it works. It just kind of...works. It's all intuitive.

[modern_ancient]

Look.

[He holds up his arm, which had a bunch of cuts on it a few minutes ago. Now a lot of the smaller ones are gone completely, and the big ones are noticeably smaller.]

It'll be perfectly healthy in maybe another half hour.

[majestic_keiki]

...How are you doing that?

[modern_ancient]

I'm not. It does itself.

[cloningblues]

Then if you lose an arm as a giant, it's gone forever? That sounds like you need to be extra careful in a fight...

[modern_ancient]

[How much does he want to say here?]

...It's never been a problem before.

[cloningblues]

If you say so...

When you turn into a giant, where does all the stone come from?

[modern_ancient]

No clue. Same place it goes to, I guess.

[majestic_keiki]

What does that even mean? Are you an experimental supersoldier or something?

[modern_ancient]

To be perfectly honest, there's a lot about my past that I don't remember very well.

[majestic_keiki]

I see. I can't imagine that can be pleasant. [There was a slight strain to her voice suggesting that maybe there was more to it.]

Do you at least know why you can't remember?