Geriperi (ゲリペリ Geriperi?) is a former member of the Barjack who had a very close relationship with Den, having acted as his double. He was Chavez's first owner and became one of Koyomi's mentors. Geriperi only appears in the side story Barjack Rhapsody.
Appearance[]
Geriperi's appearance is that of an old, frail cyborg. He is partially bald on the left side of his head, with some hairs on top, but growing longer on the left side. He has a sparse mustache and a short beard. The right side of his head has a metallic plate on it that appears to be secured to his head with metal stitches. Geriperi has thin arms and rickety legs, with only a functional right foot, as his left leg is missing a foot. This necessitates his use of a cane for stability. He dresses in a two part light coloured robe that is secured around his neck. Geriperi appears to be a hunchback, but his actual body which he keeps concealed beneath his robe is revealed to be a highly unique cyborg design intended specifically to pilot one of Den's giant slave bodies. In particular there is a large circular plug in his upper back which gives him his hunchbacked look, while the rest of his body is slim and cybernetic.
Personality[]
Initially coming off as an eccentric, Geriperi is a wise and compassionate person, deciding to rescue Koyomi after her convoy had been attacked and nurse her back to health. He also taught her photography and some other life lessons. He has a sense of justice, as he was opposed to Eakins' plot to recreate the Barjack as a bandit organization and prevented the plan from coming to fruition.
Relationships[]
It is suggested that Geriperi and Den had a close relationship. Den's degree of trust in Geriperi was displayed by allowing him to not only pilot one of his giant slave bodies, but also pose as his double, suggesting that Geriperi had a good understanding of Den and how he would behave.
The relationship between Koyomi and Geriperi was that of student and master, although this was a role that Koyomi did not take to at first. Although she stayed with him for just under two weeks and got sidetracked when she got caught up in Eakins' plot, his appearance at the revival meeting at Farm 3 in the guise of another Den helped set Koyomi on the path to finding her purpose.
Abilities[]
Geriperi battles the false Den.
Geriperi is highly intelligent, having realised that he had become a target for Eakins and his men because he knew what they were planning to do with the slave body of Den that they had found, enabling him and Chavez to escape. He also deduced that they would entice Koyomi into their scheme and that she would cooperate with them.
As a skilled photographer he recogned Koyomi's camera that she had received from B.B. Buick as the Proximus MTG Mark II, which he was able to dismantle after it was damaged. It is suggested that he later repaired the camera himself after procuring replacement parts. He can also take quality pictures of local wildlife such as fish and ducks on the move with just a point-and-shoot camera.
In terms of fighting ability, Geriperi can skilfully pilot Den's slave body and use a replica of Tesshaso, Gen's giant yari, suggesting that he is a skilled practitioner of sōjutsu.
History[]
It is suggested that during the Barjack War Geriperi acted as Den's double on the Barjack's front east of the Scrapyard by piloting one or even both of the copies of his giant bipedal slave body. Both were configured to be piloted by an operator and were stored in different locations in the vicinity of Farm 3. Two former Barjack veterans who were traveling with Koyomi revealed that Den once made consecutive appearances on two different battlefields hundreds of kilometers from each other. This gave rise to the rumours that he had a double, was a ghost, or was immortal. Following the end of the war Geriperi kept the bodies hidden away, but one was found by Eakins' men two months before the events of the side story. By this time Geriperi was living in a shack on the outskirts of Farm 3 with his dog Chavez.
Plot[]
Some of the photos that Geriperi took with the point-and-shoot camera while instructing Koyomi.
Shortly after Kaos and Vector came to an understanding about the Tower of Tiphares in ES 591, Geriperi rescued Koyomi after she was injured in an attack on a Scrapyard convoy. She had been traveling with the convoy to chase down a lead on a resurrected Den, who had himself appeared and attacked during the night. Koyomi's wounds were tended to and she was taken back to Geriperi's shack where she woke up with her upper body heavily bandaged. Geriperi appeared and joked that her brain would leak out from the injury. He was in the process of preparing a soup for her, but Koyomi was not impressed by seeing him put a centipede in it, so she tried to leave. However Geriperi's dog Chavez greeted her warmly by licking her face and stopped her from leaving. Geriperi then asked Koyomi about her camera, revealing that it had been damaged and that he had dismantled it. He mentioned that he knew of a pawnbroker he could get replacement parts from, but this would take time. He also revealed that Den had not been seen recently, having deduced the reason for Koyomi's trip. Geriperi then rummaged in a trunk and pulled out a point-and-shoot camera, suggesting Koyomi's MTG Mark II was not appropriate for her and that they trade. She was incensed at this, but he then suggested that they have a photography contest, and led her outside. Near a small river Geriperi skilfully took some photos of fish jumping and ducks taking flight, suggesting that Koyomi practice on Chavez. However she had trouble getting good shots of him, which was not helped by him licking her. She thus lost to Geriperi on the first day.
Geriperi instructs Koyomi in photography.
The contest continued in the following days, during which Geriperi would distract Koyomi on purpose, telling her that she was too hasty. One night he asked her what she would do after she met Den. She answered that she would get an exclusive interview and a photo opportunity, but then realized that she had lost her sense of purpose in life and broke down in tears, believing that Den would have told her what to do. Geriperi stepped outside his shack and asked Den what he himself would tell Koyomi.
Ten days later Koyomi was returning from a trip to a local farmstead with some apples when a missile was fired at Geriperi's shack, destroying it. The attackers turned out to be the residents of Farm 3 under the leadership of its manager, Eakins, who were scheming to resurrect the Barjack as a bandit organization by using one of Den's giant slave bodies that they had found. They revealed that Geriperi knew of their plans, so they had eliminated him. When asked for her help, Koyomi agreed, coaching the pilot of the slave unit and writing a script for the revival meeting that would be held at Farm 3 on August 15.
Geriperi prepares to pilot Den once again.
However the night before the meeting Chavez appeared outside the window of the house Koyomi was staying at. He was carrying the repaired MTG Mark II and a note from Geriperi, revealing that he had escaped the attack. The note told Koyomi to keep the fee as an endorsement for her future breakthrough and entrusted Chavez to her. The next day Geriperi went to the cave where the second slave unit of Den was and told him that he had to assume his identity once again to stop Eakins. He appeared at Farm 3 in the middle of the revival meeting just after the false Den controlled by Eakins' man appeared. Geriperi used his yari to parry the false Den's attack and disarm him, tripping him before destroying him with a thrust through the chest. He then told the gathered soldiers to assist with the construction of the Tower of Tiphares and dismissed them, telling Koyomi to keep the fee as his endorsement for her future breakthrough before walking away.
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