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It all started when the meltdown alarm sounded for the containment unit of that wretched thing no one even wanted to mention if they could help it.
The team’s chief was off helping with other suppressions happening all around the other departments, and all other remaining agents were new hires who would immediately lose their mind if they so much as laid their eyes on the thing. And if what the chief said about the breaching situation elsewhere in the facility was accurate, it was unlikely they could rely on assistance from other departments.
Lena was the only one who could realistically manage the damn thing before it would rampage and send the rest of the team into a panic. And she would jump out of this containment room and into the next one if she could - but there was one thing stopping her from doing so.
The fairies, flying around her as their green glow descended on her.
Despite their low danger rank noted in the management guidelines, she fully knew what the fairies were truly capable of. It was why she always wore goggles whenever she had to work with them - the sight of what was left of that one newbie who didn’t bother to read the management guidelines before going from one supposedly easy work to another was not something she was going to be able to scrub off her mind anytime soon. And yet, if she didn’t want yet another episode of chaos in the department, she had no choice but to wander into what the fairies would consider a rival predator’s lair.
Suddenly, an idea sprung into her mind. There was no guarantee that it would work, but it was still something worth trying when the alternative was having the rest of the team fall into mass panic the moment that unspeakable abomination broke out of its containment.
After a moment’s hesitation, she rolled up the left sleeve of her E.G.O. suit and thrust her arms out at the fairies, the glint in their eyes unmistakable as they flew even closer.
“L-look,” she said, her voice starting to shake beyond her control, even as she tried to remind herself that she had handled Abnormalities with far higher danger ranks before. “I know you’re always worried whenever I leave you all. But… I’ve always come back each time, right? And… as a sign that I’m not going to completely go off somewhere else…” She waved her arm for emphasis
If the fairies’ attacks are triggered by insecurity over losing their prey, then perhaps she could escape those attacks by subduing that fear.
“Here. You can have a little bit before I go.”
By showing them that she was theirs to consume.
At first, she wondered if her plan was bound to fail, seconds passing silently with the fairies looking at her with puzzled glances feeling like an eternity. But soon, they made their move.
She suppressed a scream as one bit into her forearm, blood spilling from where sharp teeth tore into her skin - and failed to contain the scream when the fairy pulled back, taking a chunk of her flesh off. Just for a moment, she wondered if that would be enough, if the fairies can just share that little piece of her flesh - but of course not, she realised to little surprise, when the fairy simply chewed up the flesh and swallowed it with no consideration for the other fairies, who are now approaching her with equally ravenous looks on their green faces. Reflexively, she pulled her arm in front of her face - but with the amount of blood gushing out, it was practically giving the fairies what they wanted, one clawed hand keeping the limb still as they all chewed into her arm, now a mess of red with a hint of white showing just how much they had devoured of her.
The commotion among the clerks outside grew louder, and Lena could vaguely hear someone looking for her. She needed to get this done soon. Gritting through the pain, she counted up the fairies with fresh blood covering their mouths, and most of them had already gotten their fill - except for one.
Their queen in dark green, dragging her long limbs towards Lena with a loud hiss.
The smaller fairies, sensing their queen approaching, moved to the side, as if to present their prey to their queen. Lena hadn’t exactly been scared of the fairies throughout the time she had been assigned to work with them - cautious of these wrinkly green things with sharp claws and sharper teeth, definitely, but not quite fearing for her life as much as she would when working with some other Abnormalities (such as the dreadful thing likely to soon rampage if she couldn’t manage to get the fairies to release her without literally eating every bit of her). But she still instinctively took a step back as the fairy queen stepped in front of her within arm’s reach. And reach with her arm did the queen, the clawed tip of a finger nudging at where Lena’s left sleeve was bunched up at. As if to tell her to reveal more of her flesh - considering how little flesh remained on her lower left arm, which she could barely even feel anymore, it wasn’t surprising. She was counting on the fairies to do their healing afterwards anyway, and even if they didn’t, it wasn’t her weapon-holding arm.
She rolled up the left sleeve of her E.G.O. suit until she couldn’t lift it further anymore, skin still wrapped taut around flesh unlike the other half of that arm, and the fairy queen definitely didn’t let the sight slide - and before Lena could register it, those claws that was before just tugging at her sleeve was now ripping away her triceps. At this point, Lena couldn’t even tell how much pain she was in, no sound coming out even if she wanted to scream.
She was too dazed from pain to try figuring out what the fairies were trying to do surrounding their queen who was in the middle of the meal, but at least she could somewhat tell that they weren’t unsatisfied. And before she realised, one of the fairies was already by her side, green glow fluttering down on her arm. Perhaps the queen liked her meal so much that she wanted more to last until their next meal time. Which was what she was gambling on in the first place - as much as that arm wasn't her dominant one, she still would rather keep it if she could.
She could faintly hear noises about drawing lots outside - she almost forgot that the wretched thing could also be placated through “sacrifices”. But now that she had herself endured this much, the least she could do was to stop them before someone else got devoured whole.
With the extent of damage done, not even the fairies’ “blessing” could restore her left arm to full function in a short time. But again, it wasn’t her weapon-holding arm, and the main room regenerator should do its part after she deals with that damn other thing. Lena took one last look at the fairies - none of them seem intent on following her for now.
“Well… I’ll see you guys later, then,” she said as she turned to exit with spear on the ready, not particularly expecting any response.