"N-n-never had any problems with ... Nevrons," he says through gritted teeth.

They'd been faring fine, prepared enough to take on the creatures they discovered along the way. Other humans hadn't been in their calculations. Anyone strong enough to survive the Gommage so many times is impossible to prepare against.

Here, though, with his arm effectively useless and no pictos to rely on, he's as good as dead if they run into one.

"We were doing fine."