Author Note:
Sorry for the long delay. Hope you enjoy The Reunion Chapter III.
This chapter was proofread by CrimsonWolf2625
Chapter III: Battle
"All warfare is based on deception."
Infected Detention Facility, Right Flank Defense Line.
The conscripted Ursusian was standing guard inside one of the pillboxes he had been assigned. Next to him was his Corporal, who was carelessly resting on their ammunition cache. But he couldn't do anything about it unless he wanted to face Corporal's wrath.
He gazed out of their pillbox, down toward the battlefield, and only saw the countless Infected bodies lying motionless across the battlefield. Their white uniforms were prominent from afar.
It's the same sight... Always the same depressing scenery. Just how long were they going to stay there, he wondered.
His service with the empire army was over a few days ago. He had already booked a ticket to return to his village in the north. However, he didn't get to leave this city once it happened.
The invasion.
The rebellion.
The infected uprising.
When he was prepared to leave the city, the entire base went into high alert at the last minute when news reached them of ongoing riots all over Chernobog. The local police forces were overwhelmed. The Chernobog administrator went silent. Thus the Colonel took over and deployed them all over the city to assist the police forces and subdue the riot. However, when they arrived at the screen, they realized this wasn't just another infected riot. It was a full-scale invasion.
It was a war.
Countless waves of infected charged at them. They assaulted them with anything they could find; Rusty pipes, knives, swords, crossbows, even with their bare hands; the infected threw themselves at them. It was so gruesome that some of them deserted on the spot until the Colonel stepped in and got their asses out of there.
Colonel understood it was a lost cause to stay and fight the infected head-on, so he ordered them to ran away from the battle. Ran away, they did.
After they escaped from the battle and avoided the catastrophe, Colonel ordered the company to ransack their barracks and seize everything, food, water, ammo, weapons, etc. After evading the infected patrol around the city, they finally arrived at an abandoned facility and settled down there until they could find a way to escape from that hellhole. As much as he hated his time in the military service, he had to admit that the Colonel was one of the most competent commanding officers he had ever served with.
Now-
"Conscript. Are you daydreaming about something?" A voice from behind shook him. His Corporal, now sitting up on the crate, looked at him with disappointment.
"Shit-! How long did I-"
"Front leaning position."
"Front leaning position!" The conscript dropped face down and leaned on the floor.
"Why are you slacking off when it is your guard duty."
"I'm sorry, Corporal!"
"Do you want all of us to die?"
"No, Corporal!"
"You're not doing your job correctly and slacking off!"
"I'm sorry, Corporal!"
"Do you think saying sorry will fix everything?!"
"No, Corporal! I'm sorry, Corporal!"
"At ease."
"At ease!" He pushed himself off the ground and stood up.
"Don't slack off again, you damn conscript. Your incompetence will get us all killed. Don't let your guard down and watch for any movement. Got it?"
"Yes, Corporal!"
"Stupid bastard..." The Corporal grumbled and returned to sleeping on the crate.
'Lazy bastard...' He grumbled in silence. Corporal always treated him and his fellow conscripts harshly. Only a few can tolerate the Corporal...Well, he wasn't one of them for sure. However, when he returned to his post, he saw something on the battlefield. He quickly opened the toolbox and held the binoculars in his hand. He looked through the scope to see a person in white clothes on the field.
Then another person joined in, and now there were two of them. Then more and more joined. The number kept multiplying until he saw hundreds of figures in white hoods running at them...!
"Corporal...Wake up!" The Private alerted the Corporal.
"What is it..." He grumbled.
"CORPORAL, WAKE UP! THEY'RE COMING!"
"W-What?!"
"The infected! They're attacking again!"
"Let me see!" Corporal, who had fully awakened, took a binocular from the conscripted Private and looked through the scope.
"...Shit, they're attacking again!, Prepare the automatic crossbow! I'll go alert the Lieutenant!" Corporal put on his helmet, grabbed his weapon, and ran as fast as possible to alarm the whole company.
"Yes, Corporal!" The conscript stated and immediately turned on the heavy automatic crossbow and inserted the arrows into the ammunition feed chamber. The infected were attacking them again. And now they had to fend off another infected wave once again.
Once he aimed down his iron sights upon an infected in front of him, he pulled the trigger.
"FrostNova? Why are we sending only hundreds of men ahead? Shouldn't we attack as well?" an infected next to FrostNova asked in concern. No matter how you look at it, sending only hundreds of their force ahead was suicidal.
Right now, FrostNova was watching the assault from behind cover. According to the Doctor's plan, he ordered her to send a few hundred strong men ahead.
"We will not. But do not worry, we will call them back very soon. We are waiting for the Doctor's signal to call back our force." She continued, "I believe this is Doctor's plan to divert Ursus' attention. A diversion to spread our enemy force thin. Then... he will use Patriot's force to break through the center defense line unchallenged. He will most likely order the rest of us to attack once the enemy falls into chaos."
"...FrostNova."
"Yes?"
"Doctor will bring a victory to us, right? He will fulfill his promise, won't he?" The infected asked.
"...I believe he will. He will bring a victory to us." FrostNova looked down toward the direction where another battle would take place very soon. While she couldn't see very well from a distance, she could tell that her father would commence his attack very soon.
"Miss FrostNova, Do you hear me, over?" A sound came out from a radio that Petrova was carrying. He quickly turned on the radio speaker and handed it to FrostNova. FrostNova thanked Petrova and took the radio from him.
"I heard you, Doctor. We are waiting for your signal."
"Understood. Our first phase is completed. We will begin our second phase shortly, so please call back your men over."
"Copy. FrostNova out." She turned to Petrova and signaled him to use the flare gun. Petrova loaded a red flare into the gun, aimed toward the sky, and fired away. Soon a red light shined brightly in the sky.
Shortly, their force made it back to the cover. Most of the vanguard forces were wounded. However, some didn't make it back. Those who were lightly injured were quickly healed by the medic with healing arts, while those severely injured were carried away to the field hospital in the backline.
Now they will have to wait and see what miracle the Doctor will bring to Reunion.
Center Defense Line.
"You heard about the infected attacking the right flank?"
"They are attacking again? Cyka-! These infected won't give up, will they?"
"They probably won't. I heard Reunion also attacked our left flank."
"Reunion?"
"That's what they called themselves. The Reunion movement or something like that. They're a group of organized infected working together."
"Ridiculous. The infected working together? Impossible. They couldn't be smart enough even to work together!"
"But considering our position right now… Perhaps..."
"..."
"..."
"Our Ursus empire will not allow these... these infected scum to roam freely-! We were caught off-guard just this once. There won't be a second time-! I'm telling you! They will pay for-" He was interrupted by the conscript.
"Corporal. It seems the infected are coming on our side as well." The conscripted Private, who was looking out for the infected, told the Corporal.
"Dammit," the Corporal groaned. "Can't they just stop attacking us for once?" He got up and walked to the conscript, who handed the binoculars to him.
"Let me see..." Corporal looked through the binoculars down toward the approaching infected. From what he saw, this time, the infected were more prepared than last time. Their heavy, bulky armor was most likely for withstanding ranged weapons and art spells. Their shield would also prove to be an even bigger problem. However, there was something from these infected... giving the Corporal an uneasy feeling. It's as if he saw them before from somewhere...
'...Why do I feel like I have seen those uniforms before...'
The Corporal continued looking over the approaching infected. Each time he saw their uniforms and gear, he grew more nervous. There was no mistaking it. Those infected were using the Ursus' Shielder uniform and equipment. How the hell did they get their hand on that elite unit's gear and weapons...
Finally, his binocular stopped at the tallest figure among the group, most likely the leader. However, he was vastly different from others. The trident he held in his hand, the enormous shield he carried, and lastly, his horn. The Sarkaz horn. The Wendigo horn. There was only one person who had that horn. The only Wendigo who could...
Oh...
By the Emperor...
Now he understood—the Ursusian uniforms. The Ursusian weapons. The Ursusian shields. The only group that carried such things... The only person who could lead such a group-!
"Hey...Hey...!" Corporal shouted, alerting his men. "Isn't that... isn't that Patri-!" Before the Corporal could finish, a large trident spear soared through the air and cut through his head. The spear instantly obliterated his head before it landed and got stuck on the wall behind.
Soon the headless Corporal's body collapsed to the ground, blood pouring out from his headless neck. Those who were near the Corporal watched in horror as their squad leader laid lifeless on the floor.
"...Corporal...?"
"S-Sergeant-! Corporal... He... He-!"
"CYKA! GET TO YOUR POSITION NOW! MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!"
"B-BUT CORPORAL! CORPORAL-!"
"HE'S DEAD! GRAB YOUR WEAPON AND GO NOW! MOVE! MOVE!"
The entire Center defense line soon started opening fire upon the Guerilla force, led by none other than Patriot.
"Sir, the center defense line requested reinforcements again," Captain reported to the Colonel. Right now, they were in the war room that had been set up on the top floor of the facility, allowing them to observe the battlefield from above.
"Situation on our left and right wing?" The Colonel asked. It's been almost two hours now since Colonel, along with his commanding staff, had kept in touch with Patriot's position. The news of the arrival of the Guerrilla force shook him and his battalion to their core.
"According to the last transmission, some infected force was harassing our troops on both sides. Both companies declared that they couldn't spare any force in case of a counterattack from the infected."
"Hmm... Are you sure they cannot spare any more forces?"
"Affirmative, Colonel. They insisted that the infected will most likely attack them again, sir."
"...I have decided. Order both company commanders to send their casters and marksmen to reinforce the center."
"Sir?"
"The assaults on the left and right wing were merely a decoy. The infected want us to spread our forces thin and let the Guerilla force concentrate on the center defense position. If the center collapses, they can easily cut off all escape routes and easily flank the left and right wing. Also, the center force alone cannot hold the Guerrillas and Patriot. We need to give them everything we got to buy us at least some more time until our escape route is ready."
"But sir, if we diverted our ranged units to the center, we would leave both sides exposed to the infected. The pillboxes alone couldn't hold the infected back. They could exploit this weakness and launch an attack on both sides instead. I don't think we can gamble on the centerline alone."
"I understand your concern, Captain. But I already told you. If the center collapsed, the infected could easily encircle our men before they could escape back to the facility gate. Even... Even if Patriot was just a decoy, we could easily divert our troops to reinforce both sides in no time. This is a gamble I'm willing to take."
The Captain wanted to object, but the Colonel stopped him.
"My order is still the same, Captain. Send all casters and marksmen to reinforce the center defense line."
Captain nodded and called for one of the radiomen, "You there?"
"Yes, sir?" One of the radiomen replied.
"Contact the commanders from both the left and right wings, tell them to send all of their ranged units to reinforce the center defense line. This is the Colonel's direct order."
"On it, Captain." The radioman stated and began calling the commanders.
"One last thing," The Colonel interrupted, "Order all mortar teams to relocate their position to the area where they can support the center defense line. We will give them every support we have."
"Yes, Colonel. I'll relay to the mortar teams after this." The radioman continued transmitting the order to each unit.
Left Flank Defense Line.
"Yes, sir. I will see to it." The Lieutenant who oversees the left flank put down a radio on a table.
"So what did the main command want?" Lieutenant second in command, Senior Sergeant asked.
"They want us to send all marksmen and art casters to help the center defense line."
"...The Guerilla, isn't it..?" The Sergeant asked, worried.
Lieutenant nodded. "I'm afraid so. It seems HQ is throwing everything they got at them. After all, they were the ghosts of the northern tundra. Now they are here in Chernobog."
"What about us? I don't really want to gamble on the infected, only being a decoy force over here."
"The Colonel only needed ranged units. They will let us keep the rest of the melee units with us."
The Sergeant sighed. "...I hope Colonel was right."
Lieutenant nodded in agreement. "Same, Sergeant. But if the Guerilla broke through our center defense line, then we're as good as dead. We won't last against Patriot and his men."
The Sergeant nodded in understanding. They weren't sure if the infected they recently repelled were only a decoy or not. But they couldn't ignore the infamous Guerilla force that was marching straight towards the center force. They could only pray that the center defense line would hold against the Guerilla assault.
"Concentrate fire!"
"Aim for their shield! Keep firing!"
"Arrows! I need more arrows over here!"
Right now, the center defense line was filled with non-stop action. Marksmen, casters, and heavy automatic crossbow gunners were giving everything they had. They continued firing at the approaching infected forces, led by Patriot.
When they found themselves fighting against Patriot, they immediately disregarded most of their military protocols. Conserve the ammo? Screw that. They threw everything they had to stop the Guerilla advance toward their defense line. They spent all their ammunition so fast that they had to send someone to bring more ammunition from the other flanks.
"This is the central defense line! We request fire support immediately! The goddamn Guerilla force is closing in on us! We need that mortar bombardment now!"
"We have already received a fire mission request from your first in command, Senior Sergeant. Stay pu-"
"I don't care! Make it double! No!-Triple! Make it triple! I repeat, make it triple! We need that fire support now!"
"...Copy that. Fire support is coming soon. Just hold them ba-" The radio was thrown across the room to the floor.
"FUCK!" Senior Sergeant cursed as he grabbed his crossbow and ran back to his position in the trenches. They had engaged with infected forces for hours now. However, to their horror, the Guerrillas just shrugged it off and continued pushing forward. Their shields held steadily, stopping everything that was thrown at them.
Passing through his men in the trenches, the Sergeant arrived at his position at the center. He stepped on the firestep and raised his head over the sandbags, allowing him to look out over the battlefield.
He loaded his Ursusian standard-issue crossbow with an arrow, then aimed down his crossbow scope, landed the crosshair on his enemy, and pulled the trigger. He sent another bolt forward, soaring through the air before it crashed into Patriot's shield, however, it left behind only a scratch on Patriot's shield.
Frustrated, he loaded another arrow and fired again, getting the same result.
'Dammit-! What kind of shield was that?! How could we even-'
Boom-! Boom-! Boom-!
Looking behind, from a distance, he could see mortar volley trails coming from behind the facility wall. It seemed the mortar team had finished setting up their mortars and started bombarding the battlefield with the high-explosive ammunition, giving them the desperately needed assistance for the center defense line.
"Mortar bombardment is here! Keep firing! Keep firing! They won't last forever!" The Sergeant smiled and continued firing at the approaching Guerilla force. With their mortar support, at least there was a chance they might survive this encounter with the Guerrillas.
"Captain, How long do we have to stay here?" Shielder asked Patriot as he braced for another impact from the art projectile hitting his shield.
"As long as... The Doctor needs." Patriot replied through his mask as another arrow bounced off his shield.
Patriot and his men had been marching through the muddy battlefield. Every step they took closer to the enemy was met with more Ursus firepower. Arrows and arts had been raining down upon them non-stop. However, by divine intervention or pure luck, there were no casualties amongst Patriot's men so far. The same cannot be said for the normal Reunion force, who assisted them from behind. Many of the infected were shot by arrows that passed through a gap in their shielded formation. But they were quickly healed by the medic and escorted away.
Clang-!
Patriot's feet dug into the ground when a mortar shell exploded on his shield. He could feel the fragments all over his shield.
"Patriot, are you alright, sir?" Shielder asked in concern. Another shell landed not far from their formation, sending a chunk of dirt raining upon them.
"I am fine, Shielder." Patriot reassured, "Contact Doctor. Ask him how long... He needs until his plan... Is ready..."
Shielder nodded and ordered one of his men to contact the doctor. Soon the radioman gave them the answer they had been waiting for.
"Retreat! The doctor said we can retreat now, sir! We are now entering the final phase!"
Shielder nodded before he relayed the news to the Patriot.
"I see. We have achieved our mission." Patriot looked at Shielder and gave him order, "Issue retreat order. Our duty here is done."
"Yes, sir!" Shielder immediately shouted out the retreat order, and soon the entire Guerilla force came to a halt. They stood motionless for a moment and slowly took a step back before they began their withdrawal from the battlefield.
"Raise your shield! Do not let the Ursus overcome us-!" Patriot roared.
Patriot and his men then slowly retreated from the battlefield step by step. Returning to their secured area, away from the Ursus.
"Sir, they're retreating! The Guerrillas are retreating!" An Ursus caster pointed out from the trench as they watched the Guerrilla and Reunion forces retreat from the battlefield.
"No way...W-We did it... we actually did it...WE DID IT!"
"WE BEAT THE GUERRILLAS!"
"PRAISE THE EMPEROR, WE DID IT!
"TAKE THAT INFECTED SCUM! HAHAHA!"
The Ursus marksmen and the casters rejoiced once they repelled the infamous guerilla force away. Later, everyone was celebrating their victory against Patriot. However, far from the frontline, not everyone was in a mood to celebrate.
The Colonel put down his binoculars and watched in silence. He wondered why the Guerrillas retreated. Guerrilla, they alone could wipe them out in a second if they wanted, yet, they were running away from them...But why? Why were they turning back now?
"Captain."
"Yes, sir?"
"Get our men back to their positions immediately. Something isn't right. I want all units to stay on high alert."
Captain nodded and held the radio in his hands, but his curiosity got the better of him, "Sir? But they are retreating. Wouldn't that mean we won?"
The Colonel shook his head.
"If what I remember was correct, then the Guerrillas never retreat when they have the upper hand over their opponent. But this time, they did... This means... the infected have prepared something for us. And I don't want to wait around and find out."
True to his words, The Reunion movement had prepared something for them. Something that would change the tide of the battle forever.
Before the Colonel could continue, suddenly, the entire room violently shook, sending some officers to the floor. Gathering his strength, the Colonel made it to the window and looked outside to see what happened.
He saw everything.
The Colonel watched the ground crack open and split apart, revealing the Chernobog mobile city superstructure. Everything on the surface was rapidly devoured by the hole, his men, his trenches, his battleground, his everything. Quickly, the split spread faster and faster. Those who had survived ran as fast as their legs could, screaming for help. But it was a hopeless effort. Eventually, the split caught up with the survivors and claimed them as well. They screamed in horror as they fell into the mobile city's superstructure.
Once the shaking stopped, a tremendous amount of dust quickly followed and covered the area.
Once the ground stopped shaking and the dust settled down. The Colonel patted the dust off his uniform and opened the window again to check what had just happened. To confirm his worst fear.
Everything was gone.
In front of him was an enormous crater so large and so deep that he could see the mobile city's superstructure deep below him.
In an instant, he had lost the entire defensive line to the Infected. The giant empty crater delves deep below the surface is a shred of evidence, mocking the Colonel.
"Incredible..." FrostNova watched in awe as she saw a cloud of dust high in the sky. "So this is what you had been planning, Doctor..."
"Miss FrostNova, do you hear me?" The Doctor called FrostNova from the radio.
She responded, "I'm here, Doctor. We're waiting for your order."
"Prepare your men. We will strike them right now when they are in disarray. However, be aware that not all pillboxes were destroyed. There are still some on your side. Be careful."
"Copy that," FrostNova drew her dagger. "We are waiting for your signal."
"Got it. Standby."
FrostNova handed the radio back to Petrova and signaled her force to prepare for the assault. Though, she didn't have to wait for long when a bright green flare was shot into the sky and shined brightly over the battlefield.
"CHARGE!" FrostNova roared as she leaped over their cover, heading straight into Ursus's defense line. Behind her were Petrova and Nesti, who quickly caught up with her.
"URAAA-!" The rest of the Reunion force quickly followed FrostNova. They climbed over their cover and charged forward.
"...That was your plan, Doctor?" Talulah, who had been standing next to the Doctor since the battle began, asked out loud. She had been watching Doctor commanding the Reunion force. He was giving out orders, coordinating with Patriot and FrostNova. She was already impressed by his tactical skill, but what he did to the Ursus forces took it to another level.
"Yes. I figured that if we cannot break through the enemy lines, then we'll weaken them. Relying on Patriot alone would be too late to save any infected trapped inside the facility... that's why we must eliminate our enemy as fast as possible. With one devastating strike... We'll destroy most of their force."
Doctor revealed what he had planned at the command post to Talulah. Doctor explained that below the surface were countless, enormous sewer systems, spreading out like tree roots, and many were located right under the Ursus defense position. Following his guide, the Reunion combat engineers took every originium dynamite they had and planted it in every sewer system below the Ursus trenches. Once Patriot successfully lured the Ursus force and gathered them in the kill zone, Doctor called for a retreat. Once all Reunion forces had retreated from the area, he then ordered the Reunion engineers to detonate all originium dynamite in the sewer system.
The result was devastating to the Ursus.
By collapsing the large sewer systems deep below the surface, it destabilized the superstructure below the Ursus forces, resulting in the superstructure collapsing on its own, taking everything on the surface down to the bottom.
"So, what are you going to do next?" Talulah asked. She was quite impressed with his plan against the Ursus force so far.
Doctor smiled. "...Fulfill my promise to FrostNova and her men. I will bring a victory to them." He aimed his flare gun to the sky and pulled the trigger.
"The infected! They are back! They are back!"
"Mortars! We need mortars now! Or else we will be overrun!"
"Shit-! Open fire! Just open fire! Hold them back!"
The Ursusian soldiers inside the pillbox powered up their heavy automatic crossbows and opened fire on infected forces in front of them.
Despite countless arrows raining down upon the approaching infected, the pillboxes alone weren't enough against the infected hordes. This time, the Reunion movement forces quickly moved through barbed wire and obstacles placed by the defenders. A few automatic crossbows alone weren't enough to stop them.
"S-Sergeant! They are closing in now!" The Ursus soldier cried out in alarm when he saw more and more infected rushing straight at their pillbox. Their firepower wasn't enough to hold the infected back.
"KEEP FIRING! WE CAN'T LET THE- ARGHH-!" The pillbox was engulfed in ice, and all occupants inside were frozen alive when Petrova threw ice originium to catalyze the people inside the pillbox. Now one pillbox was disabled—only a few more left to deal with.
"This one is cleared. Keep moving!" Petrova ordered the Reunion forces behind him to continue pushing forward. They couldn't waste their time here. Their main goal is the facility entrance.
Without any support from mortars and ranged units, soon, the rest of the pillboxes fell one by one. The Ursusian troops in the trenches could only watch. They were merely just melee units. They could only watch from a distance as their pillboxes that held the infected back for several days had fallen. Now it's their duty to hold the line.
The last line between the infected and the facility gate.
The Reunion forces had successfully destroyed all of the pillboxes in their path. Now they turned their eyes on the enemies inside the trenches. They ran straight into Ursus's trenches and threw themselves at their enemies. Soon, both sides crashed into each other and engaged in bloody close combat.
To their credit, Ursusian soldiers were able to hold back the infected to some degree. Their superior training and equipment allowed them the upper hand over the infected force, who were merely just an armed mob.
However, both sides knew they were throwing everything they had at each other—the infected superior numbers against the Ursus's soldiers' superior skill. Soon, the trenches were filled with dead bodies from both sides.
As the battle continued, both sides were waiting to see which side would succumb to their wounds first. All they needed was to keep fighting until one side reached its limit.
Unfortunately, the Ursus force was the first to reach its limit. Despite their superior combat skills, their numbers were far too small to hold back the massive infected forces.
"We can't hold them back anymore! Retreat! Retreat to the gate now!" The surviving Ursus officer signaled.
"Retreat! Retreat! Move your ass now!"
"Watch our back! Don't let the infected catch up with us!"
Soon the surviving Ursus soldiers abandoned their posts and fled, heading for the facility gate, which slowly closed in to prevent the infected from entering the facility.
"Close the gate! Close the fucking gate now!" The guard positioned near the gate yelled to those in the control room. As much as they wanted to save their comrades outside, they knew that the facility would fall if the gate closed too late.
"Too late." A chilling voice alarmed the Ursus troops.
"What-?"
Before the gate could move further, a single black ice crystal struck the gate. Soon the black ice spread all over it, freezing the facility gate mechanic, and halting the closing process.
"B-Black ice?!"
"Break it! Break it now! We can't let the ga-" The guard was struck down by an armed infected who caught up and slipped through the gate. The rest of the Reunion force soon moved through the gate and secured an area for the rest of the infected forces outside.
The remaining Ursusian soldiers hastily stepped away from the gate and set up a shield formation, aiming their shields and spears at the infected forces in front of them.
FrostNova moved through her men and stepped forward, looking over the Ursus soldiers' rows that held their shields and spears towards her.
"Ursusian," FrostNova called them out, "This will be my last warning. Surrender... or you will die." She warned them.
...
..
.
"We will never surrender to you, infected scum! We would rather die for our motherland!" One of them shouted from behind. As expected of the Ursusians, their pride and discipline wouldn't allow them to lay down their arms easily.
"I see... So that was your answer..." FrostNova calmly replied. She continued casting her art, and next to her appeared several floating black ice shards, ready to be used against her enemies.
"Yeti squads. Surround them." FrostNova ordered.
"Copy." Petrova, Nesti, and the rest of the Yeti squads led the Reunion forces and encircled the Ursus force, Who responded by shifting their formation against the infected encirclement.
"Ursusian... Since that was your answer... Since that was the path you have chosen." The ground around FrostNova now slowly became frozen with black ice. The temperature was now rapidly dropping, nearly reaching the freezing point.
"I will bury you all."
FrostNova finished casting her arts and sent numerous black ice shards cruising toward her opponents. Engulfing them with freezing black ice particles on impact, which frozen them in place.
"Attack!" Along with other Yeti squads members, Petrova seized the opportunity and launched their attack against the Ursus force.
Soon the final battle between the Reunion movement and the Ursus Imperial Army began.
"Sir...the infected, they... they successfully seized the gate control room. Right now, our force is engaging with the enemy inside the facility groun-"
Thump-!
Colonel's fist slammed down on the table. Frustrated by the report from his men. They had been holding the infected back for several days without any disastrous incident... yet...yet... today... in just a few hours, the infected force had already pushed his men back into the facility.
And now his men were fighting the infected forces inside the facility ground.
Once the infected had seized the gate control room, they could bring in as many reinforcements as they wanted.
"Sir...What should we do next...?" Someone asked him. Soon, the rest of the officers and soldiers tensely waited for an answer.
However, the Colonel didn't immediately answer. Instead, he half-heartedly took steps to the window panes, looking outside toward the ongoing fight. "There is no hope now..." He answered solemnly, "We are abandoning the stronghold. We have lost this battle."
"But sir... What about our men holding back the infected? Are we going to abandon them?!"
The Colonel shook his head, "There is nothing we can do for them. The infected have surrounded them... They are as good as dead, and we will join them too if we try to rescue them."
"...but ...but-!"
"We are leaving…" The Colonel repeated, "Issue the order, abandon the stronghold."
"...Y-Yes, Colonel!" Without a further word, everyone sprung into action. Classified documents were immediately incinerated with fire arts. High-ranking officers were the first to leave, followed by medical personnel and any wounded who could still walk—those who couldn't were left behind—both volunteering and not.
Colonel and his Captain were the last groups to leave the facility—all of them headed to the small building behind the stronghold, which connected the facility to the Chernobog underground tunnel network.
Below the building behind the stronghold, when the last Urusian soldiers stepped inside, the basement gate was slammed closed and barricaded to hold the infected back. It wouldn't be long until the infected figured out that they had abandoned the facility and escaped here.
The Colonel was walking with the officer in charge of digging the tunnel. It seemed they had run into a problem with clearing out debris in the underground passage.
"Sir... We're not sure if the explosion will be enough. We dug as deep as we could... but from our calculations, it's still not enough!"
"I don't care! Do it now! If we don't do anything, we will be stuck here and end up dead."
"Colonel, I must insist! We haven't drilled enough holes to open the path through the debris properly. We need more time to drill more holes to-"
"THERE IS NO TIME!" The Colonel snapped, which startled his men.
"Our stronghold has fallen! And the men we left behind are holding the infected back! If we do not escape right now, their sacrifice will mean nothing-! So I will say it one more time, Sergeant! I'm ordering you to do it NOW!"
Once the Colonel had calmed down from his outburst, he repeated his order to the combat engineer again.
"Do it... It's now or never."
This time, the Sergeant didn't object. He gestured to the Colonel and everyone to take cover. Once he finished checking on everyone, he walked over to the detonator his team had set up earlier. Countless wires connected to numerous holes inside the debris in front of them. He took the detonator in his hand and-
Click. Click. Click.
Soon, they heard the sound of various explosions deep inside the debris, and not before long the last explosion cracked open the debris in front of them, followed by flame and a blast of dust that covered the whole underground area.
BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
BOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
"Grr-!" Petrova shielded his eyes with his arm. He was fighting the Ursus soldiers when the ground shook for a moment, followed by a strong gust of wind and dust hitting him.
"What the hell was that?!" Petrova screamed in confusion. Did the Ursus just bomb us? What the hell happened?! He thought to himself.
"It came from that way!" Someone pointed in the direction of the building behind the facility where smoke was coming out.
"...Send someone to check it out! The Ursusian's might be trying to escape!" Petrova ordered. He then shifted his focus back to the enemy force in front of him.
"Yes, sir!" Several infected groups broke off from the battle and headed straight to the area where the smoke was coming out.
"Move, move, move!"
"Get the wounded ahead first! Go!"
"Bring those important documents with us! We can't let them fall into the infected hands!"
"Leave those crates behind! They're too big!"
Inside the tunnel, the Colonel had been directing the troops and continued the evacuation through their freshly made passage. The infected above didn't know there was an underground passage from which to escape. The passage was usually used for transporting wastes to dispose of them outside the facility. However, some parts of the underground passage had collapsed when the catastrophe hit the city a few days ago. So, they had to dig and blast through the collapsed debris in order to make a path for them to head straight to the hangar, untouched by the infected.
However, when they blasted through the debris, the sound and smoke alerted the infected. They had to get out of there as fast as they could. They had blocked the basement entrance, but it wouldn't hold for long.
As time went on, only the Colonel, his Captain, and some of his men were still behind.
"Captain. It's time to go now." Colonel ordered
"...Sir." The Captain calmly spoke. "I'm afraid I will stay here."
"Captain...?"
"...Someone needs to stay here and hold them back, sir. My men and I will volunteer to stay behind." The Captain replied.
"Captain... This is my fucking order. You will come with us."
The Captain chuckled. "I'm afraid you will have to court-martial me, sir. Because I will not go with you."
"Captain..." The Colonel pleaded. "This is your last chance to escape Chernobog. If you stay here...You know what will happen...you and your men..."
"I know, sir. That's why I will stay behind. You have to get out of Chernobog alive... They will only listen to your words. You are the only person who has a chance to convince the empire to liberate this city... Colon- No... Alexeev, You are our last hope."
"..."
"Farewell, Alexeev. It's been an honor to serve you." The Captain and those who chose to stay behind saluted their commanding officer for the last time.
"...Farewell, Maxim," The Colonel saluted back. "May the Emperor protect you." He turned around and walked to the entrance hole in the debris. Colonel Alexeev looked behind him for one last time before entering the passage, leaving Maxim and his men behind.
Once their Colonel left them alone, Captain Maxim turned around and faced his men. "Comrades...You know what to do."
His men smiled in eagerness. "Yes, Captain!"
Maxim and his men spread out and set up their last stand against the approaching infected forces from the surface. This would be their last duty in the service of the empire. To protect and buy time for their brothers in arms.
Once the infected broke through the barricaded entrance, they rushed down to the underground passage, eager to hunt down the Ursusian soldiers. However, they found themselves ambushed by a small group of survivors. Hand grenades and molotovs were used to halt the infected advance. Soon the infected were forced to retreat and regroup. However, the defenders had already used all of their explosives and ammunition.
"That was our last hand grenade, Captain." One of his men reported.
Maxim nodded. They had been holding back the infected force with hand grenades and homemade Molotovs for a while now. Unfortunately, they had depleted all of it in order to take out as many of them as they could.
Seeing no other options, Maxim made one final decision. "Prepare yourselves, comrades." The Captain drew his standard-issue officer sword. "Our time has come!"
"Yes, Captain!" His men readied their weapons, swords, spears, axes, and harpoons were held firmly in their hands.
"It's been an honor, sir." One of his men said, followed by the rest.
Maxim nodded and then shouted, "FOR THE URSUS EMPIRE!"
Followed by his men's roaring, "FOR THE URSUS EMPIRE!"
"GOD IS WITH US!"
"GOD IS WITH US!"
"VICTORY IS OURS!"
"VICTORY IS OURS!"
"FORWARD- CHARGE!" Maxim was the first to leap over the barricade, followed closely by his men.
"URRAAAAAAAA-!"
The Captain and his men charged forward at the Reunion force, who were caught off guard by the suicidal charges from the Ursus soldiers.
"The fuck-? S-Shit! They are charging at us! S-Shield-! Raise the fucking Shi-eld- ARGHH-!?" The Ursusian Captain, who was the first to crash into the infected force, cut down the first infected he saw with his sword while his men picked off the other surprised infected with their spears and axes. The bodies of the infected began to pile up on the floor.
"DIE, YOU INFECTED SCUM!"
"CURSE YOU URSUSIAN DOG!"
"BURN IN HELL!"
"DOWN WITH THE URSUS EMPIRE!"
However, the effects of Maxim's surprise attack wouldn't last forever. The infected who survived his assault retreated and hastily regrouped to counterattack. Maxim and his men's fate were sealed when more and more infected reinforcements arrived.
Yes, they were better trained. Yes, they had better gear and weapons. But none of that matters when they cut down one infected, and three more replaced the fallen one. Gradually, one by one, Maxim's men were taken down by the Reunion forces, who utilized their superior numbers to overwhelm him and his men.
Now, Maxim was the only man standing in the way of the infected. His uniform bloody and battered from all the fights before. The infected bodies lie around him, their blood having stained parts of his uniform a deep crimson. The once shining cloth was now ripped and torn to shreds and his body was battered and bruised, and yet he still stood before them. The last man between the Infected and his comrades.
"It's over, Ursusian. Put down your weapon, and we might spare you!" The Reunion squad leader and his men surrounded Maxim. His heavy defenders raised their shields, and his crossbowmen aimed their weapons at the Ursusian Captain.
'So this is my ending, huh...' Maxim chuckled.
"What's so funny, Ursusian?" The Reunion squad leader asked. "Surrender now. This is your last chance!"
"I refuse." The Captain stated as he pulled out a cigarette from his pocket. "I am no coward... I would rather die than surrender."
"...So be it." The Reunion squad leader gave a signal to his men. All of the crossbowmen immediately aimed at the Ursusian Captain.
'So this is it, huh.' He put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it with his lighter, enjoying his last moment. Then in an instant, Maxim threw away his cigarette and leaped forward at the nearest infected. If this was the end for him, at least… at least in his last moment, he would bring one last infected with him to hell!
"FOR URSUS!"
"FIRE!"
Countless arrows soared through the air and met their target. Followed by the sound of a body that collapsed to the floor.
"All checkups completed. Systems green, we're lifting off now." The Pilots announced from their cockpit as the military heavy transport helicopter rear ramp slowly closed and the main rotor's blade continued to spin and gain enough momentum and speed to lift off.
The Ursusian Mil Mi-26 heavy transport helicopter, with enough speed and power, slowly lifted off from the landing pad and headed straight into the wasteland. With a full originium fuel tank, they might make it to the nearest mobile city. Aboard, the mood in the cabin was solemn. No one dared to speak a word. Everyone remained silent throughout the flight, merely listening to the helicopter engine's sound and rotor blades.
Near the cockpit door, Colonel Alexeev stood and looked out the cabin window.
Chernobog mobile city. Once a Jewel of the Southern Ursus Empire, now ravaged by the infected and a catastrophe. Many parts of the city were still burning, and the large originium meteorite had broken many sections of the city apart. No doubt the city was far beyond saving. The city they once called home was gone forever.
The Colonel made a promise to himself. No matter how long it took, he would seek his majesty, and all of Ursus would learn of the infected rebellion in Chernobog. He would return with the Empire's iron fist to crush these infected rebellions once and for all.
For the Ursus Empire and Chernobog, he would get his revenge.
Once the last Ursus force was defeated, the Reunion force followed the remaining Ursus soldiers that escaped through the underground passage and found themselves in Chernobog's large military hangar. A good amount of Ursus military vehicles could be found along with some aircraft, but most of them were in terrible condition. They would have to find a way to bring all of these vehicles to the surface.
But their most concerning discovery was that one of the military aircraft had disappeared, and the hangar door was left wide open. No doubt the Ursusian soldiers had escaped.
Not that it mattered to them now, they couldn't do anything about it. The Reunion movement could only hope that the Ursusians wouldn't make it through the wasteland.
On the surface, now regrouped with FrostNova, the Doctor was listening to a Heavy Defender Lieutenant reporting his discovery.
"We have confirmed that the stronghold has been secured. Right now, we are interrogating those who surrendered per your order and recovering the… deceased." The Lieutenant remained silent before he continued reporting, "According to our medic, two companies were wiped out and at least three hundred wounded. As for the imprisoned infected... I'm sorry, but-... We were too late."
Doctor heard FrostNova curse next to him. He silently nodded and signaled the Lieutenant to continue with his report.
"Inside the facility… I will spare you the details, but most of the infected were long killed before we arrived. We have already moved their bodies to somewhere else."
"What about survivors...?" Doctor asked. "Did you... Did you find any survivors, Lieutenant?"
"Fortunately, yes. We found an adult and three children. They were hiding in the storage room. We already took them to the field hospital and treated them there."
Doctor was relieved. "Thank you very much, Lieutenant. You can go now."
"Thank you, Doctor. I shall take my leave." The Lieutenant bid farewell and left Doctor and FrostNova alone.
"We're too late..." FrostNova mumbled next to Doctor.
"Miss FrostNova… I... I'm sorry. If I were-"
FrostNova interrupted him. "No, Doctor. It wasn't your fault. They were killed long before you were here. Besides... deep down, I already knew that we might be too late to save them... But I kept denying the truth and clinging to the hollow hope that they were still alive."
FrostNova turned around and glanced over the facility in front of her.
"Besides... Without you, Doctor... The last survivors might have joined the dead. They were saved by you. If you weren't here... Perhaps we would've only found the dead."
"FrostNova..." Doctor was glad to hear her praise him. However, he wasn't sure how to respond, or help her, so he chose to remain silent.
It took a moment but FrostNova quickly realized that she had upset the Doctor and made him feel uncomfortable. She quickly changed the topic, "After we are done here, what are you going to do next, Doctor?" She asked him, hoping that the Doctor would understand her.
He did. Doctor understood FrostNova's intention and gladly went along with her, "I'll go meet Talulah and Patriot later. They will decide whether I made it through their test or not." Doctor answered.
"I see… Personally, I would say you did very well today... I wish you the best of luck, Doctor. Perhaps, we might see each other again." She smiled at him.
"Thank you very much, Miss FrostNova. I hope I will see you again in the future." The Doctor returned his smile.
From a distance, Talulah and Patriot had been watching Doctor and FrostNova talking with each other until they bid their farewell and went their separate ways.
"What do you think, Patriot? I believe the Doctor has proven himself enough to the movement ." Talulah asked, her gamble on the Doctor having paid off. No doubt he had proven himself to Patriot.
"...Indeed," Patriot responded. "He exceeded my expectations. At first, I assumed he. Deceived the enemy with. My men alone. Instead, he destroyed. Our enemy. By collapsing them into the ground. Killing them…" Patriot remarked, "He'll be. A great asset to. Our movement."
"That's why I want him, Patriot. I could see that his potential would bring great success to the Reunion movement. He will help us through this revolution." Talulah looked at Patriot, "Anything else?"
Patriot remained silent for a moment before he revealed, "Assign the Doctor. To FrostNova."
"...Why?"
"He has potential. However, I can tell. He has no experience. Without FrostNova and her men. This operation would drag on. Until tomorrow. And not everyone trusts him yet. He may have earned FrostNova's trust. But not. The movement. He still has. A long road ahead. But with FrostNova, she could assist him. Her experience and her men. Will undoubtedly. Help Doctor."
Talulah recognized Patriot's reasoning, "I'll consider it."
Patriot nodded, "One last thing, Talulah."
"Yes?"
"Do not... Deceive me again."
She glanced at Patriot, waiting for his explanation.
"Your business with the Doctor. Is none of my concern. As long as the Doctor fights for. The infected. Only that matters to me. But if he turns. His back on the movement..." Patriot looked back at Talulah.
"I will end him."
Talulah acknowledged Patriot's warning, "Understood."
Patriot didn't say anything else and left Talulah alone. She watched him pick up his shield and walk away into the darkness.
…
…
.
It seems she had underestimated Patriot. It was quite impressive for him to figure it out in such a short time. But none of that mattered now. As long as the Doctor continued fighting for Reunion... As long as he remained committed to Reunion's cause. Patriot would leave him be...
Talulah turned around to look at the Doctor.
He had finally taken his first step into Reunion. From now on, she would do everything in her power to help him. To let him make his name in the movement. And when the time was right, when he is ready for the fateful day, he will become the next mantle of hope—the next vessel of the Reunion movement.
He will save the Reunion movement.
H̴e̶ ̸w̷i̵l̵l̷ ̶s̶a̴v̴e̶ ̸t̷h̷e̷ ̸U̸r̴s̶u̴s̴ ̷E̵m̶p̷i̷r̶e̴
Rhodes Island's Hangar
Once the Rhodes Island's V-22 Osprey ramp lowered down, Dr. Kal'tsit quickly stepped out and made her way to the exit. It took her more than a couple of hours to finally complete and sign a contract with Lungmen officials. She had to admit that Wei Yenwu was more cunning than she had imagined. However, her experience in Ursus had taught her how to deal with people like Yenwu. Once she finished her business with Lungmen, she immediately headed back to Rhodes Island to see Amiya.
All of her other work could wait. Right now, Amiya needed her more than ever.
One question arose in her mind and there could only be one answer of Amiya's whereabouts, which led Dr. Kal'tsit to the only garden facility in the base, Perfumer's Garden.
When she arrived at the greenhouse, she found Perfumer and Blaze waiting outside the greenhouse. No doubt they were giving Amiya some privacy alone.
"Perfumer. Blaze." She greeted them.
"Dr. Kal'tsit." Perfumer greeted back. "We're glad you're here," She looked at the door, "Right now, Amiya is..."
"I understand. How is she...?" Her main concern was Amiya's mental state.
Blaze cut in and answered her, "Today, she finally left her room. She said she wanted to visit Perfumer's garden. So… I brought her here. However, she insisted that she wanted to be alone inside the garden. So we're waiting outside... Dr. Kal'tsit... Amiya, she... she's very depressed. I've never seen her like this before."
Kal'tsit nodded. "Thank you very much, Blaze. I'll handle this alone." Kal'tsit pushed the door open and entered by herself leaving Blaze and Perfumer outside.
Once inside the garden, Dr. Kal'tsit made her way through the greenhouse belonging to Perfumer. She walked through several beautifully arranged small trees, vines, and flowers. Finally, she stopped behind Amiya, who seemingly ignored her. Amiya, now without her Rhodes Island coat, was sitting on a simple brown garden chair, facing splendidly organized flowers planted into a schematic field.
"Amiya... I'm back."
"Ah… Dr. Kal'tsit." She replied, but her voice was devoid of emotion. "Welcome back..."
"Amiya… Are you alright...?"
"...I'm fine... Dr. Kal'tsit. I just... I just want to get some fresh air."
"...I see."
A silence befell them. Kal'tsit wasn't sure what to say next to comfort Amiya. In the end, she settled with a simple apology.
"I'm sorry."
"...Dr, Kal'tsit?"
"I'm sorry, I wasn't here when you needed me, Amiya."
"...Stop it."
"...Amiya."
"Stop it."
"Amiya. Please... I-"
"Stop it... Stop it...! Stop it! I SAID, STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP IT!" Amiya stood up and slammed her hand on the table.
"STOP TREATING ME LIKE A CHILD! I HATE IT! STOP SAYING SORRY! STOP SAYING ANYTHING! I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT ANYMORE! STOP IT!" Amiya yelled at Kal'tsit. Amiya may not be facing her, but Kal'tsit knew that Amiya was very emotional right now. The loss of the Doctor had affected Amiya far worse than she anticipated. Deep down, she knew Amiya was very close to the Doctor ever since they first met each other in Babel.
Kal'tsit made a decision and stepped forward, she turned Amiya around to faced her, and pulled Amiya into a hug.
"Let me go-! D-Dr. Kal'tsit, let me go n-now!" Amiya repeatedly hit Dr. Kal'tsit, trying to free herself. However, Kal'tsit tightened her hold on Amiya.
"No, Amiya."
"Doctor Kal'tsit… P-Please... let me go... I'm begging you... please… leave me alone..."
Kal'tsit shook her head. She wouldn't leave Amiya alone. She understood what Amiya was going through right now, and she would stay with her.
"Amiya… I'm here with you now." Kal'tsit softly kissed Amiya's forehead, "You can let it all out now. I'll listen to everything you say. I'll stay with you until you feel better."
"D-Dr. Kal't-sit... I..." Amiya clutched onto Kal'tsit's white coat harder, "I failed him... I failed him..." Her eyes blurred once again, "If I didn't hesitate... If I didn't hesitate... I-I would have got D-Doctor out! I...!," Amiya took in sharper and sharper breaths as she continued letting out her frustration. "Every night, I-I still see him… Doctor. H-He was here-! H-He was disappointed t-that I left him behind... That I failed to save him...!" Amiya sobbing again, soaking Kal'tsit's clothes with her tears.
"I'm such a horrible person..."
"You're wrong, Amiya. You were never a horrible person. You did your best."
"NO! Y-You're wrong-!... If I did my best... Doctor. Doctor... h-he would be here... with us… a-and no one wo-ould die."
"No, Amiya. What you did in Chernobog was admirable. You did everything in your power to save the Doctor. However, what happened in Chernobog was beyond your control. The conflicts escalated far beyond what we had anticipated."
She continued.
"Chernobog, Scout's death, those were beyond your power, Amiya. Everyone understood the risks, and they agreed to go through them. All we can do is to respect their decision and help them with our best. Even if they weren't with us anymore, we would continue to cherish our memory of them. Rhodes Island will never forget them."
Amiya sniffed, but she continued listening to Kal'tsit's words.
"Amiya... I know you have been holding back all this time. You held back because you believed you had to be strong for everyone. You believed what happened in Chernobog would happen again. You have been carrying this burden ever since you returned from Chernobog. However, if you keep doing this alone, you will only destroy yourself. You will walk into self-destructive paths if you choose to carry all of these burdens alone…"
"So this time... You can cry all you want. You don't have to hold back anymore. From now on, I'll help you carry this burden, and I'll stay here with you. For you… and for Doctor."
So she did. Amiya continued crying again, mourning for the Doctor whom she had failed to rescue in Chernobog. While Amiya was crying, Kal'tsit wrapped her arms around Amiya and never let her go. Comforting Amiya, supporting her through the darkest time in her life.
Several hours later, Amiya eventually stopped crying and fell asleep from exhaustion. Amiya was tormented by her grief and despair, repeatedly reminding her of her failure and hopelessness.
But tonight, no nightmare came to haunt her. Amiya finally slept in peace for once.