Turn 11: A Mid-Summer Knight
"A player that plays along a rigged game is no better than a piece."
Vials on a rack bubbled around Igor's desk in a soothing way, accompanied by the brilliant piano and voice that make up the hymn. He sighed knowingly as he looked over the crystal hovering on the petri dish, a brilliant dark blue glowing almost clashing with the velvet blue of the office.
Igor and Sherry mused upon the events once more, one of the only things they could do as he went off his journey like all Wild Cards before him.
They are but foreigners in this world, entities of a realm where introspection was something to be sought after. The world he is fighting for sees such actions as worthless, Terra is a place where might makes right who is the strongest will survive and flourish. Like the taxonomy of the wild, Terra is where Darwinist theories turn to into realities.
Igor and Sherry couldn't fault the fallen Liberi, it was true that this world rewards ruthlessness that even the kindest are required to sully their hands to see their vision. Every world has this predisposed rule but in Terra is this not more of a plausible strategy. It was his actions that were reprehensible however.
He missed the point as to why the man stained his hands with blood, how could he when he himself try to gain wealth for its own sake.
"Sherry?" Igor turned to his assistant, her nursing gown fluttered with every pace she took, "Are we doing well?"
"What do you mean master?" It was unlike of her master to be questioning himself, he was always an onlooker of the events to come.
Igor stared at his reflection on the petri dish, even with his long nose his eyes had a hint of uncertainty in them, "It is nothing of importance, I just wondered if our support is enough to guide him." Their current guest had the most arduous of tasks after all and while there is no doubt that he will find an answer, one must question themselves every once in a while.
This was unlike his Master's bet with the Crawling Chaos nor was this the time where death itself was descending to Earth. Nothing was sure in this journey, the cards nay make a cohesive tale and the landscape was all but obscured by fog denser than what can obscure truth. It did not help that they were cut off from the melting pot of all souls and by extension their master.
A game so free yet so restrictive at the same time, if a certain false god he was at odds with would describe.
Sherry fluttered through her Compendium before answering her master, "In my humble opinion, even if it was enough do you think that we should settle with that? Whether we lack in that aspect or not, we should give our all in supporting our guest; he needs all the assistance he could acquire."
"Yes, you are right." Igor was pleased with her answer, "Perhaps I was used to properly pacing our guests, my age is showing...making me senile." He laughed as he once again fiddles with the different apparatus on the desk.
"Even so, who says an old dog can't learn...well anything for that matter?"
0o0
The drizzling rain battered the darkened streets, it was only afternoon but it was as if Reunion's darkness was threatening to swallow Lungmen whole with blackened sky.
Ch'en and Hoshiguma didn't bother to seek shelter as they were just finished slaughtering mooks on their way.
"Scouting is more or less complete and our observation point is stealthy enough." Hoshiguma relayed info that she received, "There's nobody in the warehouse."
Muk Ho Warehouse was in all sense of the word an abandoned warehouse, there were construction materials strewn all about yet the foodstuffs remain undisturbed. Perhaps, some restaurants use this place to evade taxes by shipping the items here. Either way what was more interesting is that there are traces of things dragged around.
"Must be an ambush." Ch'en sharply noted.
"Say Ch'en..." Hoshiguma started, "Is Phal your informant?"
Ch'en raised an eyebrow but nodded anyway, "Yeah, you overheard our conversation?"
"I tried my best not to, but it was difficult since well..."
The dragon lady remember that she all but shouted near the end of that call.
"I've known him for a long time, worked with him for more than a decade." The Oni continued, "There's no way I wouldn't recognize his voice."
Ch'en hummed as she reminisced about her younger days in the force, she was very determined in her goals then but now she wonders if what she was pursuing was the right thing for her. Yet as the pouring rain started to drop heavily she swallowed her doubts.
Her group then marched towards the warehouse hastily, careful to not alert the enemy. Reunion was seeping through every possible place they could think of. However that was what weaklings do, there was not a single iota of tactical knowledge present in most of Reunion's forces.
"Ready if you are Hoshiguma." Ch'en gazed at the path before them, specifically at the hiding spots these jobbers decided to hide themselves in. No agent worth their salt would not see this display as something other than an invitation to being ambushed for all corners.
Hoshiguma grinned as Hannya whirred silently, "That's more like it."
"I'm going to flush them out of their ambush spots, give me..." The Oni then calculated in her head, "Three minutes."
"You're going to do all that in three minutes, that's way too reckless." Ch'en knows Hoshiguma enough to know that to her it was more than possible, "If you show signs of needing help, we will attack."
After coming out of Chernobog she was still on edge about leaving her friends.
"Just give me my three minutes."
Knowing that arguing with Hoshiguma was a losing battle, Ch'en hand-waved her approval for the Oni to wreak havoc.
"All right...here we go."
0o0
"Whoa there." The Doctor finally hit the ground after what felt like a long fall, it was easy enough to land on his feet with the wind current guiding him to the underground pavement.
The place was unexpectedly spacey for something underneath the ruined city, then again perhaps that is why those Originium pieces planted were set up with no issue.
Even so, it was difficult to see in this place maybe the lights they put in the vicinity were destroyed by the warping plates? He scrounged up some flammable material and skewered onto the hook of his sword, calling upon Ifreet to set it on fire. The Doctor had to make sure if the white rabbit was alright, if he follows the cold air then he will probably meet up with it's source.
Namely, said white Cautus.
"Shiki-Ouji!" He shifted Personas just in case the place was rigged with explosives.
The others were probably either fighting the rest of the Yeti Squadron or attempting to rescue as he walked towards their leader.
She was gazing upon the hole in the ceiling, the only light within the dark underbelly of this ruin. As she silently contemplates her actions the Doctor found himself transfixed by the beautiful image before him, he wasn't attracted to the girl however he can sympathize with the tragedy that she embodies. She was like a snowflake and so she embodies its fleeting beauty as well.
The Doctor cast aside the burnt fiber stuck to this sword and unsheathed it, making it clear that he isn't an enemy to her. Well, while they were stuck in this place anyways. It's not like the man can fly with his Persona.
"Hiya, FrostNova." He greeted towards the girl, she was sitting alongside the rubble patiently with only a few wrappers by her side as company.
She made no attempt to acknowledge his presence, she was more interested in savoring the candy that was in her mouth. The Doctor sighed as he took out a thermos, it was freshly brewed coffee but it turned cold after the battles they had. He sipped through the roasted and bitter drink with a satisfied hum.
He sat beside the snow bunny, who did not mind the Doctor's company. She was surprise at how cold he felt as well, and yet there was a strange feeling of warmth that she rarely ever felt.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" The Doctor asked, the fall was long after all he was lucky to come out of that unscathed but he wanted to make sure.
FrostNova was surprised at his question, there were facing off just awhile ago. This was the same man that took her own sword at stuck to her to the wall with it, firing cascades of icicles towards her and her comrades. Yet looking at him, there was no hint of deceit within his words and face.
"I..." FrostNova looked slightly at her ankle, still unwilling to answer him.
"Dia." He quickly muttered and suddenly she felt warmth spread throughout her body for a split second, then she glanced at her ankle only to see the scrape had disappeared. She was so focused on her injury that she didn't see the fading figure of a Pixie.
"How did you-" FrostNova was bewildered at what she just experienced, the pain she was feeling faded so quickly. The Doctor beside her gently smiled at her confusion and put a finger to his lip.
"Doctor's secret."
The man chuckled at her expense, they always make that expression when it was their first time feeling the effects of his power. After a while FrostNova composed herself, looking at him with some skepticism.
"Healing a wounded enemy...are you really that confident in your skills?"
It was more of rhetorical question for FrostNova, she can feel it from him. If the man wanted to kill her he had so many opportunities from before, his sword showed hesitation not because of fear but as if it was holding itself back.
Yet after talking with them for a bit...
"Perhaps...but in all honesty I don't wish to fight you." The Doctor looked at the plush in his pocket, happy that it didn't had so much as a tear in the fabric. FrostNova saw a glimpse of his gentle expression yet even so...
"I'm a leader of Reunion, you are from Rhodes Island as long as that is the case you can't avoid that."
He sighed, the cold air making his breath visible to the naked eye. There was no denying that truth, they are enemies and that's just what enemies do. It was as black and white as it can be, there was no different perspective that could be seen.
Soon after he has to point his sword at another person that could have been saved.
"It's easier to kill eh? Well you're not wrong about that..." Even so, there has to be a way, "Saving lives is harder than stealing them."
FrostNova didn't argue with that, not that she felt she had room to do so. She can only kill and destroy with her power, her ice was nothing but a cold harbinger of death. The ice that the man beside him creates can do more than that, it can heal and protect his comrades as well.
She was jealous about that.
So she decided to sit silently knowing that they would stuck here for a longtime until she unknowingly fell asleep by the soothing chill of the Doctor.
0o0
Nothing but sounds of pain and fear were heard in the span of three minutes, Reunion soldiers trying to run only for their escape to be intercepted by a hulking Oni.
A Reunion soldier swung his ill-maintained sword and it just shattered at her bare flesh, leaving the Oni annoyed as she socked the attacker to the face. The man was easily knocked out by her casual punch.
She looked at the unkempt weapon with apprehension, it was clearly salvaged from its original wielder and that this fool has business swinging around.
"Really? You think that would be enough to stop me?"
The Reunion member was terrified at the sheer strength and durability of this hulking woman, as he was about to plea for mercy he felt a sharp pain goes through his stomach. Seeing how a single punch knocked the wind out of their comrade, the rest of the enemies there were scared beyond belief.
Out of pure desperation and fear they charged at her with a frightened ferocity.
"You lot are not even worth feeding to my Hannya." Hoshiguma kicked another fearful soldier, instantly knocking the wind out of the poor soul. She chopped the neck of another, severing his connection to the world temporarily. An ax kick split the foundations of the next one and they fell like timber on a homestead.
Her superior and fellow comrades were slightly mortified by how casual Hoshiguma was after bashing skulls like it was a child playing with action figures.
"Dear me, she really is a demon..."
Ch'en scoffed, "Just be glad you haven't seen her five years ago..."
There was a reason why "alleyway red" is a common adjective between LGD veterans.
"It's been a while since I saw her fight like this." She then mused, "What about the stragglers?"
"Caught by our various squads." The Guard then turned over to see Hoshiguma's hulking figure, "Madam Ch'en it appears that Miss Hoshiguma is waving at you."
That's their cue that it was alright to advance now so they didn't keep the Oni from waiting any longer.
From what Hoshiguma managed to spill from the Reunion members that she brutalized, she asked if the warehouse was rigged.
Either way they decided to put the beaten down Reunion members one by one if it came to that.
What was more important is that the informant made their way through the warehouse after they got ambushed, Reunion was originally stationed to be in proximity of that landmark but as the whole situation developed their hold on this spot was weakened.
Unlucky that they would be curbstomped by a force of nature hailing from Higashi.
"Won't budge huh?" Hoshiguma sighed as they tried to open the door, "I'll pull on the left you pull on the right Ch'en."
Still won't budge.
"Must be really jammed there, I'll just a cut a hole-" As Ch'en was about to draw her blade a loud thud blasted through the warehouse doors, wood and metal scraps flung from the inside.
"There, problem solved." Hoshiguma just decided to break it down with sheer power alone.
0o0
Ch'en looked over the abandoned warehouse, traces of copper and soot permeated through her nostrils. An abandoned Originium staff on the side and the scattered remains of a sword lingered. On her footstep was the barricade that Reunion made in such a quick fashion, the twigs that made it up were decorating this messy ensemble.
"XR02, XR02!" Ch'en's dialed call echoed throughout the hollowed warehouse, "State your position!"
No one went inside the warehouse except for the spot where the front door used to be, Reunion likely rigged the place after all. The only way they could ever extract the informant was by essentially crane-gaming with a guy and a rappel.
"Madam Ch'en..." He rasped out, still holding on to consciousness after all this time, "I can hear fighting outside...the warehouse door was busted open too...it must be Reunion so..."
"Stop! It's me don't hang up!"
XR02's eyes lit up in surprise, seriously that girl really kept her promise. That was to be expected of her he guessed, she would always try to help others even if there was a possible risk with the mission.
The girl was not fit for police work, her heart was too kind.
"That's a relief, I'm all the way at the back."
With quick precision, the informant was quickly extracted from the ceiling. The man known as XR02 coughed harshly from his sustained injuries, their faces were hardened by the severity of it all.
"That wound...what happened to your eyes?"
He sighed as his touched his face, "Dreadful I know...got hit by an ARTS attack..." He shuffled his jacket and produced a piece of paper, "Don't worry bout' it, here this is for you."
He coughed harshly, blooding seeping from his throat and his wounds still dripping. Ch'en ordered a Medic to staunch his bleeding but he stopped them.
"It's alright Madam Ch'en...I've already accepted it..."
"Quiet!"
"It's true...you have a clearer picture of my state..." XR02, rather Phal had enough of the pain. His body is slowly shutting down and every limb in it was feeling nothing but exhaustion and suffering.
"Take it, Madam Ch'en...S249TA, F106."
"49...got it." Ch'en confirmed as Phal recited the coordinates to her.
"Details are on the paper, Reunion intel was distributed only to one party...there must be a reason as to why they left others in the dark."
That was a surprise, she would have thought that the leaders all had a very clear idea on how they would attack Lungmen. But if only one party was given that privilege then could it be...
Speculation aside, the sooner that Ch'en finds the reason why, the better.
"Anyway...I didn't expect things to go this way...but I guess that's why getting this info was hard." Phal coughed lightly this time, his head getting heavier by the second. The only way he could still communicate with them is through sheer force of will, "Even though I finally made a contribution...really didn't think that this would be how I did it."
"None of us did, Thanks to your bravery we now have a way to stop them."
Phal sighed as he examined the situation with what little mental fortitude he still had, "Me and Lungmen hated each other but at least now I did something for it...haha not bad for a bum like me I suppose."
"You're calling one of the Chung Shui Big Three a bum?"
"We're just bums compared to you and Madam Oni." Phal chuckled through his raspy throat, "So how's Madam Oni doing anyways? She still working as an Inspector?"
Even if Phal couldn't see it, Ch'en nodded.
"She is, she's been my partner for a long time." A reliable wall fight alongside, and a friend that she felt she was lucky to make.
"That's good to hear..." Phal smiled, "Madam Ch'en, Madam Oni is too honest and frank...No one in the gang...dared to challenge her. But she isn't a match to those Lungmen moguls...please keep an eye on her."
Ch'en and Phal both knew that even after this mess, the politicians in Lungmen would try to get an edge. They would use this incident to justify their own agendas and fuel their ambitions. Hoshiguma saw that darkness too but there was always a high likelihood that she would be caught up by the games that those cretins play.
She was already a topic of discussion because of her ties with Higashi and how she used to be a thug rampaging through the streets. Yet, she is a valued member of the LGD, no one in the force could deny her value in it.
"Don't let anyone demean her, I won't let those stuck-up plutocrats demean her just because of her background!" Phal could feel warmth enter his body for a split-second there, "This is the only favor I would ask of you...Madam Ch'en."
"Don't worry about Hoshiguma, no one could ever hurt her."
A tough body with an even tougher heart, that's what Hoshiguma is to her friends and allies.
"Everyone has their limits..." Phal reminded her.
"The whole of LGD stands with her." Ch'en fired back.
"I see...that's good to hear too." Phal breathed his last sigh of relief, "Well then Madam Ch'en, Madam Oni...I have no regrets."
Phal could only feel his life slip away every agonizing second, and yet for some reason his body still clung to life. He was blind, tired and bloodied but his spirit still wanted to fight on.
"Madam Ch'en are you still there?"
"Yes."
"Am I a good person?"
Ch'en paused to think for a bit recalling her first meeting with the man, "A few years ago, a bit hard to say but now...there is no doubt about it. Lungmen is proud to have citizens like you."
Phal laughed, "Can a pathetic Infected be a good citizen?"
"Some people in Lungmen are obsessed with Oripathy so your better off asking that question to Lungmen itself." Although in her opinion, it did not matter to her. Rhodes Island is a good example of how the disease isn't the problem but the fear of it is. Reunion was nothing but a product of that fear turned to the extreme, that didn't mean it was allowed to go on a rampage however.
"How do I do that? Will a city answer me?" Phal chuckled at the far-fetched possibility, he heard of the walls having ears but not it having a mouth.
"I will, on it's behalf." Ch'en paused and smiled, "And it says "I don't mind." "
"Phal, you have always been – and will always be – one of Lungmen's best."
A long bout of silence passed as she said those words, the rain poured louder yet the rainfall never deafened their hearing. They could only look at the beaten man with respect and gratitude, the common folk would never thank him in the first place.
Security and peace is a thankless job truly.
"Madam Ch'en there are two things I want to you to relay to Madam Oni for me." Phal gently asked.
"You should tell her yourself."
"What...do you mean..." Phal laughed, "I see...you should have told me sooner Madam Ch'en."
Hoshiguma stepped forward, "I didn't wanna ruin the moment, but yeah I'm here."
Nothing could have been better for his last moments at this point, acknowledged for his actions and have his Boss witness it. What better ending could there be for a bum like him?
Before Hoshiguma could carry Phal however, a green light enveloped the man. A soothing emerald aura brought relief to aching and tired body. Life began to seep back to his body, as he was about to enter the realm beyond he was slipped back to the world. They turned over the source of this ARTS, pleased with what they had done.
"Apologies, I didn't want to ruin the moment as well." The voice had a graceful accent to it, "Madam Ch'en, Miss Hoshiguma, pleasure to meet your acquaintance."
Phal was curious to the source of the voice, was this another new recruit from the LGD? He looked around to the source only to find a Liberi in a dress.
Hold on, he looked?
"I can see again?" His eyes were not deceiving him, he was relieved of his blindness and more so his injuries were like not even there to begin with. How is that possible no ARTS he knows of could ever manage such a thing, nor did medical science ever came that far.
The Liberi turned towards the injured man and checked on his vitals, "Thankfully your injuries are caused by enemy attacks so it is an easy feat to repair it. Please carry your friend to the Emergency Room now Miss Hoshiguma."
"I...uh...thank you Miss..." Hoshiguma stammered but bowed graciously.
"Operator Ceylon, and don't mention it." Ceylon introduced herself, "I am just doing my job."
"Ah well...thank you for taking care of Swire too." Hoshiguma composed herself, unsure on how to talk to such a graceful lady, "I should be taking Phal to the ER yeah?"
As Hoshiguma exited the scene, Ceylon couldn't help but smile at how the green-haired giant carried the weakened man. It reminded her of the time she overused her Persona during training, being in Schwarz's arms as she frantically worried about her condition.
"Ceylon are you alright?"
"Just tired is all...I overdid my training."
Ch'en on the other hand recognized the face of the girl, the name kind of gave away her identity but that's beside the point. What is the daughter of the mayor of Siesta doing in a Lungmen battlefield? Although seeing her wear a cloak over her dress with the Rhodes logo was relieving, it meant that she's just another Operator under their wing.
"So she's the new user of that ARTS huh?"
Maybe the Doctor recruited her or something, but setting her curiosity aside she was still concerned for the pinkette's safety. Ceylon seemed to be a designated Medic of Rhodes after all, she has no business being in the front-lines.
Unless of course, her Persona is the reason why.
"Madam Ch'en right?" Ceylon asked, "It's nice to finally see you myself, the Doctor and Amiya would sometimes mention you when we spend time on the landship."
"Trace asked the others if they wanted to assist you, so I took it as a chance to come here." Ceylon explained to the confused Lung, "Based from what I have heard, I'd figured that your friend wasn't in the best of conditions."
Phal's condition wasn't something that anyone couldn't have walked away from without Ceylon's help.
"The ER should know what to do with him, even though I fixed all his wounds he might still need a blood transfusion."
Ch'en was slightly stunned as she did not expect anyone to volunteer. Ceylon was another unknown variable to account for, so bracing herself for the worst she had to say something.
"I see...but are you sure you still want to work with us?" Ch'en asked, "I abandoned the Doctor and Amiya at Chernobog...you have the right to abhor us for that."
"I've overheard your argument with Trace earlier and I was briefly informed about their current predicament." Yet Ceylon did not hold it against her, "Still, you had good reason to fall back regardless. You want to protect your home and that is justified, if I condemn you now that would just make me a hypocrite. Not to mention I would be abandoning a patient that I can heal."
That's where Ceylon's strength came from after all, why other reason would there be for her to awaken otherwise.
"Besides, I have faith in the Doctor and Amiya." Ceylon smiled wistfully.
"Alright, you can stay." Ch'en knew when she was defeated this girl is too nice to be here in all honesty, "However, regardless of you having a Persona you need to stay out of the front-lines."
Ceylon smiled; her eyes glinted a brilliant gold, "I'm fine where I am Madam Ch'en, the enemy would rather not deal with me if they wish to avoid getting hurt."
"Confidence is a quick killer on the battlefield Miss Ceylon." Ch'en answered back, crossing her arms.
"You misunderstand, even with my Persona I am not the one they should be worried about."
Ceylon looked at a building above with a knowing look.
"It's my big sister."
0o0
The Doctor looked at the sleeping face of his enemy, such innocence layered under a visage of a broken girl. She was strong yes but her strength came from a place of desperation, it was either that she grew to be powerful or die weak.
Such is the life in Ursus.
"Dad, dad?" FrostNova whispered softly, with an innocent voice that betrayed her cold commanding from before.
The Doctor's face hardened as he had a vague idea on what happened to her before. His fists clenched as he remembered what he had heard about that empire.
"Dad, dad... I'm so cold?"
He only sat there in silence as FrostNova talked in her sleep, and based from what knew she earned a little bit of respite.
"It's cold Daddy! I'm so cold!"
Her face hardened as her body who only knew the feeling of cold, shivered.
"Daddy, don't ever leave me...again."
FrostNova woke up to a cold sweat dripping down her back, she looked to she that her head was beside the Doctor's shoulder. Flustered, she quickly came to her senses and sat back as normal; her flushed cheeks being distinct from her pale skin.
"Are you well-rested?" The Doctor chose to ignore that thankfully, "It seemed that you were having a nightmare there."
It was puzzling thing to ask, any other commander would have took as their chance to kill a high-profile enemy. She was careless, sleeping beside the enemy that she was fighting. It didn't even dawned on the man that he had his chance based on the fact that his sword was still on its sheath, frost coating its handle.
"Once again I ask you, are you that confident in your abilities or are you just stupid?" FrostNova sharply asked, but the Doctor just chuckled at her question.
It wasn't in a mocking sense, the Doctor had every card on the table when the fought that much is apparent. That's what irritated her, he treated them like fragile little children even after hurting their comrades. However she could look at the Doctor as he looked at the ground solemnly, his eyes glazed as he reminiscence about his short meeting with that girl.
"I'm sure you've heard about what happened to Skull- I mean Alex right?"
W came back to Chernobog carrying two urns with her a few weeks ago, she broke the news to every other leader. It was one of the few times where her face didn't carry a hint of mischief and schadenfreude in it. She didn't look too happy to deliver the bad news in the slightest.
"How could I not?" FrostNova answered, "We held a funeral service for him and his sister...poor girl was killed during the crossfire."
"She...she wasn't killed by the crossfire..."
FrostNova had a feeling on what he would say next and the Doctor knew whatever she would do next would be deserved. Nevertheless, she feels like something that deserved to know the truth; besides knowing what happens next this was probably his last chance to tell someone.
"She fought against us."
The Doctor expected her to turn hostile but the icy stare never came, FrostNova demanded an explanation however so he obliged.
"Alex tried to kill me during our last battle with your group and then Amiya instinctively countered to protect me." How could he forget, that was probably the first ever instance of her taking a life. The face of remorse she had that day it was imprinted in his mind forever, "Misha masqueraded as him to stall for some time for his comrades to flee."
FrostNova evaluated his words, he didn't have a good reason to lie about such a topic nor any benefit if he confessed the truth. She decided to believe in the story, besides that would explain why W just came back with two urns. The Sarkaz aren't known for being compassionate towards the deceased after all.
"Did she die fighting?" It was her only question.
"She was strong, if she didn't succumb to her illness we would be in deep shit." The Doctor sighed as he looked at the plush in his pocket, "She was just a child and a friend, and the best way I could help her was honoring her wish to die."
He must have valued the time he spent with the kid even if it was for a little time, FrostNova didn't knew that he was an amnesiac so such memories are naturally, a valuable part of him.
"I don't have a lot that I can still remember but I'll never forget her."
"Memories are something you can't lose even if you wanted to." FrostNova replied, taking in the surroundings herself.
The Doctor chuckled at her reply, if only that were the case he could have remember why Kal'tsit was wary of him. The atrocities he must have committed to earn her ire from before. His memories might even have a clue as to why he felt a connection with W. However most importantly, what did he do to earn the affection and trust of such a sweet little girl?
Sometimes he asked if he truly did deserve to be venerated as such, he had no memory of the time he spent with Rhodes Island so it was hard to get used to it. His face saddens when Kal'tsit flinches whenever he helps her during their work, it brightens whenever he praises the Operators under his command, then it darkens in disgust whenever he sees a chessboard.
If he could only remember why.
"I wish that were true, so far I'm drawing a blank as to who I am." The Doctor's face softened, "May I ask you about your life, I mean before you were fighting for the Infected."
FrostNova must have said something unpleasant she figured, but she might as well given that she is stuck with her enemy commander and he did share something. Out of respect for her foe she might as well humor the man.
"My father as I call him is named Buldrokkas'tee, he once served the Ursus military." The white rabbit started her tale, "However as you can figure by now, he isn't my real father. My biological father died a long time ago."
She said it as if she accepted that to be her life, the name of her current guardian sounded so familiar to him.
"As much I rather not cross swords with my former comrade-in-arms, there is no helping it. Forgive this old man but if you must fight him in my stead, tell Buldrokkas'tee that you are my protege."
The Doctor went silent as FrostNova continued her story.
It was a gruesome tale, the white rabbit remembered it as a faint memory. Like the event was nothing but a small snowflake, strangely beautiful yet as ephemeral as the fresh fallen winter snow.
She remembered how her true father shielded her mother from a crossbow bolt, then how her mother did the same for her. The woman shielded her charge with her own spine, was the woman even her mother? FrostNova figured that it might be, who else would protect her as so?
After all she witnessed it with her own two eyes.
All of it was too much to comprehend, the volleys, the desperation, the fear, and then the death. No one could have faulted her for not processing all of it properly, it was a miracle that she didn't shut down this memory due to trauma she must have felt. If there was any solace to her back then it was that her grandmother recounted the events for her.
How difficult must have been to tell your grandchild that your son and his wife died protecting her.
Yet it did not bother her in the slightest, she had no memory of them at all. The warmth they must have given her as they took care of her, the meals she must have eaten, the songs her father would probably sing to her as she slept peacefully.
Aside from the singular vision, she had no memories of her old home.
She forgot all about them, how can she have feelings over people she had no memory of being with? Yes, those things might have happened before but all she has is a blank not even a faint clue of what her family was like.
Memories of warmth were buried under the snow.
"So...Buldrokkas'tee took in after your grandmother?" FrostNova nodded, he was half right in his guess.
When she was young she lived in the mines outside of any known settlement, she broke ore alongside the other children who were unfortunate enough to be there. Her parents were arrested over a crime they probably were not guilty of, the sin of raising objections to the Emperor's war plans were a grave one after all.
Even so, the sergeant in charge of this acquittal just took some names and pasted it over the document, carelessly sending three people to a fate of despair, her grandmother was taken in as well under the crime of "harboring criminals."
As Originium mines go, it was only inevitable that they would contract the very disease that plagued this damn world.
But as the story goes, they died by a fellow man's hands.
There was a system placed in by the wardens of the mine, they felt like the death rate of the Infected was a tad too slow for their liking. So, in a sick form of entertainment they had the captives draw lots. A red lot would mean that you would be subject to a day without food, a single gold lot would mean that you don't get to work for the day, and the black lot was the worst or the best lot you could have gotten in that hellhole.
Sometimes there were one, sometimes it was two, but either way the black lot spelled death to the lucky recipient.
When she was five, FrostNova's parents were killed.
When she was ten, her grandmother followed suit.
When she became a year older, she too would follow them.
"..." The Doctor went silent as the white bunny noticed small crystals form from the vicinity.
By that point, nobody really cared about their little game anymore. It lost all the entertainment it had for them, they were just going through the motions as if it was any other day.
Then as she was about to executed, that was when her ARTS first awakened as if the bundle-up emotions she was holding manifested as a will to kill. Her power killed the four guards tasked of executing her but it was meaningless. They were planning on destroying the mines anyways as part of the Emperor's new policy, the mine would have crumbled and served as a mass grave for them in order to cover up their sins.
A fact that she later learned was a common occurrence.
Ursus never saw that as a threat, to them the Infected were nothing but ants to be squashed. It did not matter that she killed four, they were ten or so more ready to eradicate her and her only family left.
But that was when they came.
The Ursus guards were the nightmares of the people slaving away in the mine but like all things there was always a bigger fish. They were the nightmare of the nightmare, Baba Yega itself.
They were Buldrokkas'tee's squad.
FrostNova smiled as she recalled that memory, the patriot of Ursus cleaved through every guard in their way. There was a hint of pride as she spoke about that event, but it was all true. The way the squad fought was caring in every sense of the word, they crushed through their oppressors while ensuring the safety of the children that they wanted to protect.
All of the executioners were killed in the end but even though she and her other peers were freed from this hellhole, her less than fortunate companions were killed. Nothing could change that for them, perhaps if Buldrokkas'tee and his squad were earlier many more would survive. But that was just foolish to think about, they were lucky that someone even came to help them in the first place.
The blood of those who were slain and those who were murdered flowed together, and in that instant they crystallize into ice onto the inhumanly white ground. As she saw the flow she realized something crucial.
In the end, they were just following orders.
The screams of pain she heard were the same as the ones who begged for their lives when they were about to executed. These soldiers were fed lies in order to propagate aggression towards the Infected, their animosity was manufactured by somebody else.
It was Ursus who made monsters out of these men, men who probably had loved ones as well waiting for them only to be greeted with a message of their demise.
As FrostNova finished her tale, she sighed as she took out a candy from her jacket's pocket.
"Here, think of it as payment for healing me." FrostNova gave it to the Doctor who hesitantly accepted it, "Relax, it isn't poisonous. Even if it was I have a feeling that you can just expel it easily."
While FrostNova took out another piece of candy, the Doctor examined the one on his hand. The wrapper was simple and looked homemade but as he opened it, the candy itself shined like brilliant amber, sort of like a Tiger's eye.
"It's an Ursus specialty, eat one and there is one less piece in the world." The white rabbit popped the candy to her mouth, savoring whatever taste it had. It was a hard candy after all, it was supposed to linger on your mouth for a long time.
The Doctor put the opened wrapper to his pocket and did the same.
Hellfire.
That's what the candy tasted like or at least felt like, the Doctor's face shriveled up from the intense heat in his mouth. He was tearing up but after a while he calmed down, the candy was still in his mouth as he had gotten accustomed to the heat.
"Ha..." FrostNova looked pleased, "Sorry, I made that joke countless times before so I took the chance to tease you."
The white rabbit had a cute expression on her while she chuckled at the Doctor's expense.
"It caught me off guard not gonna lie." The Doctor laughed, "It's really spicy, then again I think I understand why you would eat this."
Even the touch of her skin would normally deal frostbite but strangely the Doctor could touch her without any issue. He's a user of ice ARTS as well but that doesn't really mean much, so how?
The Doctor had no problems facing that which is colder than winter itself, perhaps it was because he was subjected to a much more different cold? FrostNova could sense the essence of the ice that he uses to fight as there was a tragic beauty behind it. An isolated numbness encasing small motes of hopeful light, trying to desperately cling to it on a frozen horizon.
Yet, it seems like he wasn't aware of it himself.
"The cold is all I ever knew since I awakened to this power, no heat could ever penetrate my body." The fleeting sensation of heat spreading throughout her body, the stream of warmth as she drinks her favorite hot beverages and meals. Mirages of what was once was it may be, it was understandable that she would want to feel those sensations from time to time.
A white bunny who desperately wants to feel warmth once more; only having the power of frigid destruction, and a man who was numb to the cold he feels but was still able to repair and preserve the warmth of hope.
FrostNova wondered if fate allowed them to meet.
If there ever was such a thing.
"Oripathy is a bastard of a disease..." FrostNova chuckled at his words, there wasn't anything that he could do for her. No matter how strong his Personas are, there was no way to cure Oripathy at best he could only lessen the severity of the effects but only they fall in line on what his Personas can do.
As far he knows he has no skill that relieve the status ailment of "being a literal iceberg."
"Yet still, Buldrokkas'tee held my ice-cold body that never experienced warmth close to his chest." The old man didn't even flinch as her very skin dealt unimaginable pain, "He didn't care that I'd frozen his unarmored arms to the point of partial necrosis..."
FrostNova could never understand if it was in the heat of the moment that his emotions infected her or not but what was important was that she was awake and survived through it all. Overtime, the hulking behemoth of a man became her second father and the rest that followed became her third family.
"Maybe subconsciously I even really believed him to be my real father, I didn't really remember my birth father after all." FrostNova admitted, "For a walking killing machine he's very sentimental and stubborn, funny isn't it."
"It really isn't huh...I can't laugh either." FrostNova awkwardly said to the Doctor's silence.
"He was a war hero of Ursus then he retired due to old age, his wife died early in life so he and his son were the only ones left." The white rabbit decided to continue her storytelling with another tale, "They were Sarkaz and not just any Sarkaz, they hailed from the most vicious clan of all: the Wendigo."
Wendigo...The Doctor wondered if that was what Closure was referring to, about a Sarkaz race that can probably handle the same stress the grappling hook was putting his body under.
"His son became a scholar, a Wendigo scholar..." FrostNova paused, "Perhaps the first and only in Ursus history."
The Ursus warrior contracted Oripathy during his last battle, the patriot had his friends and comrades hide this illness for him. He couldn't bear to drag his son in his condition, to have him be affected by his plight only to die in darkest corners of the world.
If he only told his son the truth.
During the "Great Rebellion" of Ursus that same son campaigned for the rights of the Infected, his heroic aspirations came from his father perhaps. Even so, the son so out of touch with his father only saw the man as a puppet for the regime.
It wasn't like Buldrokkas'tee was not without fault however, he was ordered to keep order among his ranks. They were authorized to use force, their weapons and as such conflict erupted like wildfire. The crimson Ursus flag being done justice perhaps, such blood will no doubt please the motherland.
That was what he allowed himself to become.
Up until he saw the son he loved dearly on the street, their body devoid of any heat. FrostNova wondered if she reminded him of that boy, maybe that's why he hugged her so tightly.
Nevertheless, his son fought for the Infected in his own way not calling for the iron gears of war. From FrostNova's words he seemed like a man with an upstanding future yet Ursus stomped at him for not sharpening the wood of his picket sign. Buldrokkas'tee figured that he might as well been the one who had killed his son.
Ever since that day, he and his team left to the Northwest Tundra perhaps they were trying to be the justice that Ursus would not carry out. They were a nothing but a wandering guerrilla force now, silently yet violently rebelling against the land that he once fought for.
The Patriot was still fighting for his land, at least that's what he wanted to believe.
"I wished that he would tell me all of that himself..." FrostNova admitted, perhaps he really did think of her as his daughter, "His men told me, Buldrokkas'tee himself won't speak to anyone about it."
He is a monster, an old man of a monster with a porous heart.
How it must have torn his heart apart when he failed to do what they did for FrostNova's camp. They passed by four mines after meeting the white bunny after all, they saw the buried bodies under the collapsed mines with the soldiers nowhere to be found.
FrostNova felt that she was lucky at the time, one of the more fortunate souls to live through Ursus's waking nightmare.
A long silence followed as the white bunny finished her long tale, "So how is the candy, I'm surprised you haven't spat that out."
The Doctor chuckled, "It's pretty hot but sweet too, I like it."
That surprised the white bunny, but she quickly snapped out of it this man was already strange to begin with. A man with power that can rival her leader yet chose to show restraint and mercy to his enemies, panting over how spicy a candy is too relishing the taste of the sweet.
Ah well, it's not like she wasn't strange herself.
"Alright...I made up my mind..." The Doctor heavily sighed, he turned towards the girl with a glint of seriousness in his eyes, "Do you mind if I tell you a story myself?"
FrostNova was puzzled by what he meant, "It's alright but what do you have in mind."
"A little tale about a dragon and an evil spirit. Or at least what I know about it so far."
0o0
High atop the streets of Lungmen, the green-haired Oni observed the hostiles scurrying around. Like people watching ants build their little anthills, they were building their base at the LGD's doorstep.
They haven't realized that they were surrounded and they have no intention of letting them get away.
"Are you alright?" Ch'en asked her subordinate, "You don't look so good."
Hoshiguma assured her that she was fine, her rested on her shield's blunt side and sighed, "It's nothing...I was just thinking..."
"About Mr. Phal?" Ch'en asked, dropping his designated number in favor of his actual name, "It's a miracle that Miss Ceylon was able to treat him, not only that the intel was pretty spot-on to what they were doing."
From what they've heard Reunion was even invading the wealthier streets of Lungmen, they were planning on taking down any big-shot they could manage to get their hands on. The problem was that they were having little if any success on that endeavor. Now the only thing left to do is fortifying the abandoned territory they acquired.
"I'm grateful for Miss Ceylon but that's not what's on my mind." Hoshiguma sighed, "Well I guess its related to it."
She was prepared to accept that Phal had died, Hoshiguma even figured that he would say something cheeky like wanting to be buried at their old base. Yet, he was spared from that fate perhaps there was something that Phal has yet to do or if the heavens are rewarding him for his years of service.
"I don't hate you for putting him up to that task is all I wanted to say."
Ch'en nodded, looking at her binoculars with one hand while drawing her blade with the other.
Hoshiguma analyzed the situation, seeing the guards sloppily doing their jobs at post, others drinking cases of liquor they raided from a nearby retail store. This was no proper military force, any of the competent leaders they have were nowhere to be seen.
"These soldiers skulking around, some of them even drinking...they are our targets?" Ch'en couldn't believe the lack of discipline these jobbers that somehow managed to take Chernobog had.
"They didn't even notice that we've got them surrounded." The green Oni looked around to see a black-haired Feline take-down one of the enemy lookouts with ease, the Sniper then took a small shard of glass debris and threw it to the lookout parallel to the point with deadly precision, "There were only two Rhodes Islanders in our squad right?"
Ch'en nodded, Miss Ceylon and that bodyguard of hers.
"It appears that my sister decided to be more proactive this time..." A sudden voice came from behind them, Ceylon waved gracefully to them as if this any other day. She held an umbrella on her side yet there was not a single drop of water in her body, she waltzed through the rainy building top as if this was nothing but dry concrete.
The duo had their questions but they retracted it.
"Ceylon, the scouts have been dispatched although I think I was spotted..."
The Medic chuckled, "That was just Madam Ch'en and Hoshiguma, you're still fine. You should regroup with us, Madam Ch'en still calls the orders remember?"
"Understood."
"Thank you, oh and remember to take a hot shower after this okay?" Ceylon told to her foster sibling, "Too much staying in the rain may cause a cold."
"Right..."
They were so casual while this operation was going down that it was unnerving, Ch'en coughed and focused her attention on the Rhodes volunteer. They shared notes about what they have seen through their respective eyes and concluded that this place was the best area to attack.
The area connects through the other Reunion bases like a central hub and confident as they are in their chances are lax in comparison. They were fortifying the area but that was exactly the problem with their defenses, half of their manpower is focused in building leaving their ability to safeguard the point as a whole weakened.
"If we destroy their communication facility then we can deliver a crippling blow to their entire force." Succeeding means that Reunion's chain of command here will fall like a row of dominoes, the domino effect is exactly what they needed to tip the scales in their favor.
Hoshiguma and Ceylon agreed with Ch'en, this is an opportunity that one would think was too good to not be a trap. Every piece in play surrounded the enemy, taking this point would be a devastating loss to them if it weren't for the fact that this was a misplay due to overconfidence they would be wary of touching it.
"Scouting is a critical weakness to Reunion it seems..." They even saw witness to that as Schwarz demonstrated, "Your call."
"As a third party, do you mind if I speak my mind?" Ch'en nodded and she gratefully accepted it, "We already cut off the very little means of security they had, perhaps surveying them would be a better way to know what Reunion gets out of this?" Her words were practiced and elegant, it was like hearing a diplomat speak but they do not carry the edge that Ch'en and Hoshiguma were used to hear from them.
"Actually we are of the same wavelength here Miss Ceylon, they are looking for one of the moguls in this district." It wasn't odd for them to do such a thing alone but given that they are also constructing a forward base while doing so, "We don't know why so we have to hear it from their lips themselves."
Ceylon fits their bill given that she is the daughter of a mayor from another city but seeing that she has a frighteningly efficient bodyguard sister and has one of the most combat-suited forms of ARTS in her disposal, they figured that they were fine.
A loud banging noise was heard from the distance, Reunion soldiers were battering a fortified door like a mob of lunatics. There was no time for them to consider the possibilities, Ch'en and the others quickly mobilized down to capture the enemy.
"Has the target been confirmed already?" Ch'en questioned out loud as they ran towards the vicinity of the household.
Even though it wasn't the time, seeing Ch'en like this was a bit nostalgic and relieving to the Oni. Just a few minutes she was acting like a caricature of their boss and now she was her acting like herself.
"Minimizing the loss of casualties?" Hoshiguma huffed as they sprinted, her shield ready for duty.
"Of course!" Ch'en quickly answered, "Snipers! Fire!"
A javelin of water sliced through the haze of the district, that was enough of a reason for the Reunion soldiers to back off from what they were doing, the weapon slowly dripped back to the water it was made out of; leaving the door with holes as proof of it hitting it.
The Lung and the Oni looked towards the one who threw that polearm, as Ceylon's Persona dissipated another torrent of water formed a trident.
Ceylon pointed her weapon towards Reunion for they have forgotten that they should have bowed down to the queen.
0o0
Reunion tried to flee from the vicinity but there was no running anymore. They've gotten too arrogant to act like the predators this time around, they didn't realize that they were just prey and their enemy has no intention of letting them get away.
"Randy! Call for -" The Soldier was hit by a crossbow bolt to the shin, his knee bleeding heavily as he was then subdued by an LGD Guard. The aforementioned recon unit was quickly knocked out by the momentary distraction of his name being called.
As soon as they were about to flee, a pillar of water blocked their path. The massive column of water cannot be climbed over so a Reunion Caster fired a bolt of explosive ARTS energy. To his surprise it was no use, the water pillar just ate the bolt of energy and let it fade away inside it.
The pillar crashed down on the group like a tidal wave, soaking them in the ARTS made them feel very heavy like their own spirit was hurt by the attack.
"Zan"
Ch'en seized the chance to continue with the assault, the Raythean blade gleamed brilliantly as it slashed through the shields of the enemy. The dragon lady kicked forward, causing them to tumble down to the side and used the broken armament as a footstool to continue her momentum.
"My Hannya will crush you to smithereens!"
The enemy didn't even had the breath to scream in pain, they were devastated by the green-haired Oni's mighty blows. It took more than dull blades to ever hurt the skin of an Oni, their flimsy swords shattered in front of her. Their attacks were happily swallowed by the shield she wielded.
"How...I wasn't hit by anything..." A Reunion Caster from the back-lines suddenly felt the blast of an ARTS attack hit them. The last thing they saw was the gleam of Hannya's eyes.
"We'll hold them off, have the others flee!" One of the Reunion soldiers rallied with his comrades, there were prepared to lose this battle and even die, they have faith that reinforcements will come.
They have to have faith, otherwise...
"So Reunion has people with resolve in their ranks..." The Reunion Soldier gritted his teeth as the Oni praised him, "However..."
"Amphitrite, Malaques."
His face paled as he heard the screams from behind him, he looked over to see a dainty lady in the middle of the wreckage. Water droplets circling around her, she rested her hands on her parasol.
As dread ran through his back he still faced the opponent head-on but before he could question what happened to his comrades, he suddenly blacked out.
The last thing he felt was a sharp pain to his neck.
0o0
There was little fanfare after the dust had settled. Every Reunion member that fought with them was either slain or subdued, those who were captured were interrogated.
"None of them knew anything..." Hoshiguma clicked her tongue, if they only knew what their goals where then it would have made this situation more straightforward. She wasn't really fond of missions with so much subterfuge after all.
Simple grunts that allowed themselves to be nothing but mindless soldiers for a cause that is greater than what an Infected can usually do. Ceylon figured that it was no surprise that Reunion was able to garner so much allies so sporadically, other countries kept pushing the Infected to these kinds of groups.
Ursus may have exploited the Infected but at least they were forward about it.
Ceylon wondered if the leader of Reunion was like her father's former aide, a manipulative fool who used honey-laced words to charm their supporters. Only those types of people were able to amass such support, charisma like that is something she wanted to have only without the destructive consequences.
Queens should be masterful with their words after all.
"Not to be offensive but I'm quite surprised at how well you fight with a polearm Ceylon." Hoshiguma complimented the graceful lancework the Liberi Medic did, "How much combat experience do you have?"
"Ah," Ceylon was taken aback by the Oni's praise, "Actually I only started training for a few weeks, Miss Plume, Miss Grani, and my sister really went their all with their tutoring."
"I never thought a polearm made purely of water could ever exist..." Plume sighed heavily, knowing that she might have to get used to these Spirit ARTS users. Instructor Dobermann should have been the one who taught her on how to fight but they are very few Operators who uses this type of weapon.
"You wish to use it in favor of a traditional spear yes?" Ceylon nodded, "Alright, come at me with that lance."
"You sure, I might accidentally hurt you."
"Even if you do, your ARTS is similar to the Doctor's so you can just heal me." With that their practice bout had commenced.
After that fight, Ceylon was extremely tired. While her body didn't bleed or anything she was utterly battered and beaten, this wasn't like when she fought those Guards who didn't know what was going on, or that Shadow-Possessed Mutant Originium Slug.
Her opponent was one of Rhodes Island's Vanguards, someone who doesn't flinch at whatever they were fighting up against.
"Your weapon is unorthodox so the weight is even, considering it's made of one-hundred percent water." Plume said matter-of-factly, "Even a beginner can pick up a spear or lance and use it with its natural feel, you have to get comfortable with your weapon first before we can spar again."
Plume then listed out a lot of openings that she had, for example when thrusting her weapon she looks away from the opponent. When striking with her polearm she moves more than she needs too, her balance was easily broken causing her to fall.
Nevertheless, they continued their training even though Plume later wondered why water of all things was this durable.
"Ch'en?" Hoshiguma looked to see her partner lost in her thoughts, "What are you looking at that has you so absorbed?"
Ch'en looked at the golden plate of the estate's address with a vacant yet focused stare, curiously analyzing the place without giving it any mind.
"Didn't this used to be University Road?"
"I guess so." Hoshiguma wouldn't mistake the pavement made of wealth anywhere else in Lungmen, "It's name was changed a few years ago though."
The Lung couldn't recall the last time she went to this place, didn't have the best of histories with this area. The stares, the whispering, the kids from other families trying to antagonize them because they were spoiled rotten by their parents.
Still, it was one of the rare times in her life that she could recall with a smile. Her sister was as spirited as they come it was a shame that fate wasn't as kind to the two, but fond memories aside she still had a mission to do.
"I think this is where my home used to be."
"Isn't your apartment at Tai Bo?" Hoshiguma wasn't there in her childhood so this was a first for her, the Superintendent wasn't really keen on sharing her childhood like that.
"This estate belonged to my biological father's clan." Ch'en said with a hint of disdain, "Looks like it's renovated, it's been so long that I can barely recognized this place."
Ceylon can sympathize with whatever childhood the Lung must have had, being grateful that she had the opportunity to reconcile with her family she silently prayed for Ch'en to have such fortune in the future.
"Did you live here before studying abroad in Victoria?" Ch'en nodded as she remembered another friend that can be a big nuisance at times, "I'm aware that you and Mister Wei were born into the Yen aristocracy but it's quite astonishing to see a mansion this big."
The Liberi with them nodded, her home was a modest modern home after all.
"I'd sooner stab myself than be a part of the aristocracy." Ch'en vehemently denied such affiliations, "Just call it the Ch'en estate."
A sharp slash cut through the silent rain, the ornate door fell into two pieces scattered the ruined mansion. Hoshiguma and Ceylon stood their agape at how uncaring Ch'en was.
"Why'd you cut through the door of your own house?" Unnerved, Hoshiguma and Ceylon went through the door anyways.
"I forgot the key." A little smile graced the dragon scion's lips, "Besides, Reunion blasted a hole along the side so we should be expecting some damage.
Catching her expression, Ceylon wistfully smiled understanding the feeling of being a little rebellious every now and then. The abroad scholar life doesn't give you much leeway to let loose every now and then.
"That doesn't mean you should..." Hoshiguma tried to form a response, "Ah forget it."
Deciding to drop the subject the trio of girls went inside the mansion, the tapestries were untouched and no doubt expensive. Ornate sculptures that had meaning in them were arranged beautifully even though some were chipped or flat-out demolished. It would be a dream to stay here even for a single night Hoshiguma figured.
As the two were about to take their shoes off, Ch'en stopped them.
"Really? Ch'en be honest...do you hate your old man that much."
"He doesn't deserve to be my father." Her answer was instantaneous, "Even if he was, I haven't acted out on my daughterly duty to be rebellious prick before."
Her life in Victoria was exhausting to say the least, but even she heard of the audacious things her classmates had done. Jacking their parents' cars, holding parties without consent causing the house to be internally demolished. She would sometimes fantasize about turning into a giant dragon and just turn the estate into ash when she was studying.
An estranged daughter can dream.
"Okay..." If Ch'en feels liberated and happy then there was no point in stopping her, "Didn't you immediately joined the LGD after graduating from Victoria."
"Oh yes, I've heard of that in our college's gazette if I remember correctly." Ceylon added,"Topnotcher immediately joins LGD after graduation or something along those lines, The campus I hail from likes to keep in touch with other colleges. "
"I was living at the dorms." The standard and sometimes even shabby dorms located near the district the LGD Headquarters is, she chose that over the lavish mansion, "Never saw a reason to return here, I don't have any lingering attachments to this place."
"People who say that are usually those who have a lot going on in their mind." Hoshiguma stated.
While Ceylon has no personal stake in this discussion, she can at least empathize with Ch'en. It's not that she wanted to leave Siesta but there were some times in her life prior that longed to leave this solitude behind. No doubt the dragon lady beside them had a more cruel father however.
"Anyways, do you have any leads to who this high-profile target might be?" Ceylon alerted the taller woman, she pointed to Ch'en who didn't even seem to register what the Oni was saying, "Off in her own little world again...alright then."
"Miss Ceylon and I will be waiting outside." The Liberi didn't question her taller comrade, Ch'en must have had a lot of pent-up emotions regarding this place.
Nary a footstep was even heard from the two.
0o0
Keep all the toys orderly.
Do not go outside.
Do not talk to anyone without permission.
Do not make eye contact with adults without permission.
Hui-Chieh started taking orders ever since her childhood, like a soldier she did what was told of her. There was no room to question orders, that too was what was told to her.
Ch'en moved towards her old bedroom, untouched as the day she left this house of cards. The toys that was bought for her were still in pristine condition, the mask she had of her favorite sentai show hanged on the wall. The bed had fresh sheets layered on top of it and her wooden sword painted in red with all its nicks on the side.
Not even a hint of dust in the place.
"How generous of you." She said to no one in the room, "Perhaps this is just a malediction because you see me as bad luck."
She tossed those thoughts aside as she searched for something in her room, maybe she had plans to retrieve it while doing paperwork in the office but given the opportunity, well she couldn't just let it slide.
"Right, the photo...I almost forgot what I came here for."
You shall receive no love from me, not in the slightest
Sorry...I'm sorry, but I can't stand you. Just seeing you makes me want to peel my skin off my arms.
I cannot tolerate any of you. I am too selfish, but I can't live like this anymore.
One day, all of you will understand. If you hate me, then so be it. Because I hate you too, and that is how it should be.
Those were the words of a coward, how does someone expect to understand such a man? From what perspective should it be drawn that his words would be coherent? Till this day, Ch'en doesn't have the answer to that.
"Here it is." Ch'en took the cracked photo frame that she found, if memory served her right it was a prize from a festival that her and her sister where allowed to attend, "A photo from such a long time ago...I thought it had been lost."
Yet her relief quickly turned to confusion, "Wait...could this be what they were searching for?" The possibility was stupid in itself but from Ch'en's point of view then, "What's going on? Why would they be after this? Have you lost your marbles as well!"
There was no one that can reply to her questions and yet Ch'en raged on.
"I'll certainly help you, but what are you thinking? Why here? Why now?" She talked to photograph, its cracked frame taunting her, "Ah...What'd I expect. Of course you won't answer me."
She looked at her old mask and wooden sword and smiled, remembering the very drops of happiness she had. A certain day in August where she get to play Knights and Dragons with her sister, she was the knight and her sister was the princess. Since it was the two of them and her sister didn't want to be the Dragon they made an imaginary friend.
Only Ch'en knew if that photograph was taken or not, perhaps that answer didn't matter.
0o0
Ricky and his compatriots managed to shake off the LGDs that were pursuing them, they were low on ammo and high on adrenaline. The situation was very bad to say the least.
"Gentlemen...can you help me?" A dapper looking gentleman appeared near them, to which he was almost shot by an arrow courtesy of a paranoid trigger finger.
"The hell are ya!?" All of the Reunion soldiers were now pointing their weapons at him with ill intent. They were even more unnerved as the man was still calm.
"I just want to ask for directions good sir." He asked towards Ricky, they can only respond by readying their weapons for a fight.
"Don't move a single inch, are you with them?"
The white coated man was not deterred by their threats and took another step, even raising his hands up in surrender to show his intent.
"I merely wanted to know where-" Another arrow grazed his cheek, his smile ever unchanging.
"Oh screw this! He's just one man!" Every soldier in the squad readied their swords, ARTS, and arrows, "Attack!"
As the mob reached towards him, he could only sigh.
"I just wanted some directions."
- Turn End -
Extra Turn: Hot Spring Hijinks
"Ah..." A sigh of relief escaped from the Doctor's lips, as the hot water opened all pores of his skin he smiled giddily at the sensation.
The investment was well worth the money if the bliss the Doctor was feeling is to be seen. Closure always likes to drag the man into potential sponsors that will earn Rhodes or more specifically her that sweet blue paper. Amiya and Kal'tsit we're too hard-headed to be swayed according to her so that left him, the only Rhodes Islander high enough to hear her out.
For once, the Doctor was glad that he did.
He needed this respite after all the training and work he had to do, working out his combat capabilities for the upcoming Clash Cup. A tourney that Rhodes Islanders organize to satisfy their battle hunger, for the more battle-oriented Operators it was only natural to fantasize a fight against their comrades would be like. The Doctor expressing interest in the event only garnered more fervor and hype for it.
"My throat's so sore..." He was almost tempted to gargle the hot spring water to soothe his windpipes, instead he settled for having the warmth soothe him inward rather than outward.
The hot springs were even better because of the fact that he's all alone in the men's side. What a lucky night.
0o0
For female Operators this new place aboard the Ark was a popular hit, the Doctor was so into the bliss he was feeling that he didn't even notice the noise from the side.
A group of five women went through the doors of to the hot spring itself, it was Kal'tsit, Warfarin, Utage, FEater, and lastly Meteorite. As always Kal'tsit was dragged in by her vampire colleague, mildly intrigued by the new hot springs bath.
How many years was it since she experienced an onsen bath, then again it had been ages ever since she was a vagrant from Higashi.
"That hits the spot..." Warfarin moaned as she took a dip in the hot springs.
"Oh yes...I needed this..." Meteorite came second, already excited to be relieved of her weary body.
"I missed this feeling..." Utage reminiscence of her time in her homeland, a bath in the local bathhouse was a common thing for her.
"You're not kidding Uta...this is great..." FEater approvingly came fourth, smiling happily at the sensation.
Kal'tsit was slightly hesitant to even continue but even though there wasn't any goading from her current companions, their expressions were as persuasive as they can be. Swallowing her hesitations, she finally dropped in the hot spring and in an instant her body felt amazing. It really has been so long since she experienced a bathhouse moreover a proper hot spring, artificial or not this felt great.
"My back feels...great..." She can hear Monst3r grunt in satisfaction as well, what a strange creature.
"So what should we do now?" Meteorite curiously asked, still showing a bit of restraint given that Kal'tsit is with them. She was happy to be invited, even considered it an honor although the activity was mundane in retrospect.
Utage smirked, "What else..."
"Girl Talk!" Warfarin quickly shouted, a bit drunk of the pleasure the hot spring is giving her body.
"So, any crushes with the bachelors of Rhodes Island ladies?" Utage mischievously asked, chuckling at Meteorite's sputtering and Kal'tsit's widened eyes.
"This was a mistake!"
Of course, she should have known by now that anything involving the black-haired or the white-haired vampire will always have a catch.
"Hahaha! Really Uta, that's so cliche." FEater found the whole thing a riot however, the lynx was thankful for her redirecting the topic, "Sides, we all know that the new Rhodes saying..."
Rhodes Island saying? That's a first from Kal'tsit.
"If you say that you don't have a crush, then it's probably the Doctor." Even Meteorite said that phrase in unison with the three. Kal'tsit almost did a spit-take at what they said.
"Hold on...what?" Kal'tsit asked dumbfounded, "I...I don't even know where to begin with that."
"I mean it's true." Utage nonchalantly said, "Everybody in some degree has the hots for him, I even suspect that some of the guys like him." The katana-wielding girl saw him train once, his usual warm expression turning into a cold and sharp focus was very cool for her. Not to mention he was sparring with one of the strongest swordmasters in the Ark, then reverting back to his usual self.
"Yeah...I have to admit I can see why he's a popular topic to discuss..." Meteorite shyly said, having seen the Doctor practicing with Jessica on the target range, his determination to get stronger to protect the Operators under his command. Needless to say after this night, her admiration for the man will only grow.
FEater hummed in understanding, "I remember when he shyly asked me to sign his CD of one of my old movies." He was like a child, star-struck at seeing an actress that was a part of the flick that they liked, "He even repaired some minor damages on my gear during a mission, turns out he asked Closure to teach him how to do some basic repairs. Then he went through every Operator that uses mechanical weapons that have no knowledge on how to repair it."
"So that's why he stayed all night that one-time..." Warfarin continued, "Caught him in his office off hours, said that he needed to catch up with all stuff he missed."
Diligence was something that carried over from his past self that's for sure.
"Even our dear Head of the Medical Department had to intervene with his work-a-holicness" The vampire sighed, "Although Doc Kal isn't much better in the relaxation department."
"What are you on about?" Kal'tsit rebutted, "We sometimes wind down by playing video games..."
That sounds like something she shouldn't have said, given that the four we're staring at her with differing expressions.
It was like she revealed something scandalous.
"Oh dear..."
0o0
The Doctor didn't even hear the door open as two figures entered.
"Hello Doctor." Ansel tried to greet the relaxing man, "Must have been an exhausting day then..."
"I think the Doc knows that we're here but is more interested in relaxing than in conversation." Steward, the male Cautus' companion said, "Best, we leave him to it."
"Alright...rest well then Doctor." Ansel only got a groan of acknowledgment as a response.
Ansel and Steward quickly joined the Doctor in hot springs with them and found relief as well. Still, they wondered what the Doctor went through to not even talk to them. As they were resting in the bath the doors suddenly opened with a loud crash. In a flash, something splashed into the pool. Out came out was a red-haired Vulpo shaking his head in pleasure.
"Hey! Chiave!" Aosta tried to stop his companion but the man wasn't one to listen, "Hot springs aren't pools!"
"Phew...that was hot!" Chiave stated aloud, "Come on Aosta, it's a large pool of water you don't expect me to jump in."
"Please respect the rules of this place man..." Aosta exasperatedly said, "Besides it's a miracle that the Doctor wasn't disturbed by that, not to mention the girls' side is next to us."
Chiave immediately realized how screwed he could've have been as shivers went up his skin, there was a limit to how stupid he can be after all. However, a wooden pail suddenly hit him dead-on on the head from the other side.
"Told ya."
The Doctor didn't gave a damn about the ruckus beside him, he was so delirious on the soothing feeling that he didn't even notice the scrape a piece of the broken pail did to his skin.
0o0
"Honestly..." Kal'tsit sighed as Monst3r retreated back to her spine after flinging the pail.
"Oya, were you annoyed because of the noise or because Chiave might have disturbed the Doctor?" Warfarin teased, the redness of her cheeks not helping her against the nuisance of a Sarkaz.
On the back of the vampire's mind, her curiosity bloomed like a crimson flower. She always wondered what the Doctor's physique is, never getting the opportunity because of her work schedule.
In the field of science one must be willing to take risks.
An aroma then graced the Medic's sensitive nose, something that she was craving for all this time.
"Hey! Warfarcchi what are you doing?" Utage hesitantly asked as the vampire stood up from the onsen and started emanating an aura of some sort. The Sarkaz looked at the wooden wall separating the two gendered baths.
"Warfarin...don't you dare!"
But it was too late, Warfarin was already making progress in her ascent. Her nails bore through the timber walls and with a determined gaze started to prop her up. Her towel all but forgotten as it descended towards Meteorite's face.
"Doctor NO!" In a panic Kal'tsit started to follow Warfarin in an intent to stop her. If she used Monst3r in this situation that would just endanger them and help the horny vampire. The wooden wall separating them was getting harder and harder to climb, the lynx's eyes narrowed as she saw that the fluid was none other than blood.
Blood from the nose to be specific.
"It's in my eyes!" FEater exclaimed in disgust.
"What the hell is happening there!?" Aosta and the others quickly noticed something wrong from the other side yet the Doctor was ignorant of it all.
Meteorite and Utage tried to assist in stopping the vampire by throwing random stuff that can get, shower heads, soap bottles, loofahs, all of them missed and splashed at the opposing bath instead.
"Are they throwing stuff at us?" Steward wondered incredulously, looking over Ansel who was nursing a knocked out Chiave after getting decked in the head by a stone from the sauna.
"What if they accidentally hit the Doctor!?" Ansel panicked, looking over the Doctor who was in Nirvana apparently given how peaceful he seemed to be.
"Uh...Ansel I think that's precisely the reason why..." Aosta look horrified, his fellow brothers-in-arms looked over to what he was staring at and paled in fear.
It was Warfarin's head poking out with the most euphoric of faces.
"Quick, target the head!" Aosta immediately threw a soap bottle of their own, following from his example the Cautus and the Vulpo followed with their own projectiles.
"I got you now!" Kal'tsit exclaimed as she caught Warfarin by the feet, trying to pull the delirious girl down with her. But Warfarin was surprisingly strong her muscles were strong enough to support Kal'tsit's entire body weight.
"Doctor!" Meteorite tried to help by pulling down Kal'tsit's hanging feet but it was still no use, Kal'tsit was slightly unnerved as she can see Warfarin's veins bulge.
"I'm sorry Miss Warfarin!" Ansel threw a showerhead with all his might, missing his intended target but it hitting someone else.
Namely, Meteorite.
Utage followed suit in the vertical tug-of-war pulling down of Warfarin via the Meteorite express, by that she gripped tight on her legs.
"You're tearing me apart Utage!"
"It'll be even worse if I let go Meteo!" Utage was right, it will be like a rubber band if they somehow fail at stopping one horny vampire, "Fe a little help!"
"On it!"
FEater gripped Utage's legs by her torso, she stood on the ground with all her might she can wield two steel allow fists with no issue yet this task was more of a burden to her. She tried pulling back but it was hard to take a step back and keep her grip at the same time.
"S-shit! Hang on Meteo-" Utage can feel her midsection ripping, all of them had foregone the towels too yet that did not compare to what she is feeling right now. In her birthday suit no less.
"Miss Warfarin has no signs of waning!" Ansel fearfully stated, "Men! Cover your eyes!"
Warfarin was about to reach the summit, her chest exposed for all the world to see if not for the mist blocking the view.
"HAAAAAAAAH"
Crash!
A loud crash echoed throughout the hot springs, and as the dust settled it was on full display.
The wall is broken down and Warfarin was knocked out cold, butt-naked.
"OH GOD!" Ansel quickly threw a spare towel to his colleague's unmentionables to save her what little dignity she had left.
Covered with towels, the occupants tried to make sense of the place after the wreckage. No doubt this will be a difficult issue to handle seeing as the hot spring's wall is broken.
The others except for Kal'tsit feared that their paychecks are in dire straits because of this.
As they look for the arbiter of their fate, they saw the relaxing Doctor gone as if he wasn't even there to begin with.
The boys and the girls looked over the mist to see a silhouette amongst them, with dread climbing down their backs the mist slowly dissipated.
It was the Doctor, and by the looks of it he didn't look happy at all.
Even Kal'tsit feared the aura surrounding the man, she was helpless to fight against it. She knows this feeling all too well.
The anger of a man resting.
She could only grit her teeth as the Doctor proceeded to berate them, at least on the bright side Warfarin was punished by forced unpaid part-time Tech Support work.
A fate worse than death.
Extra Turn: The Doctor Among Them
The Doctor is a popular topic of discussion in the landship.
Ever since his awakening at Chernobog, people talked about what exactly the Doctor is. Theories emerged from that he used to be a part of Notarial Hall to he's a former general of Ursus.
None of them were correct however.
Still, it took some getting to use too with the Doctor returning to Rhodes. Many of the older Operators voice their displeasure of him leading the charge once more, Scout was quite vocal about not wanting him to fight anymore before his honorable sacrifice.
They soon heard that the Doctor was training alongside the others, that was quite a surprise for them. The man who was known to play war like a game of chess, was adamant to fight alongside them. When they came to observe him, they noticed that he was green. An inexperienced man crossing swords who do this for a living and to live, yet even though there were so many faults in his fighting they couldn't hold it against him.
His eyes do not hold that hunger for victory anymore, those eyes were ones belonging to a dutiful man eager to return to post after a long absence.
It somehow lit a fire in the more hardened Operators, to see the Doctor revered for his intellect and battle strategies forcing himself to do the humble task of raising a sword was quite the sight.
Like a fire unceasing he used every minute of his life to do something, building bonds with his comrades, re-learning something that he forgot, or garner strength and combat awareness. All of it was unnecessary, yet he pushed through anyways.
The most telling change of all came from a meeting for a skirmish with Reunion.
Lycopene, the demolitionist suggested that she would be a sacrifice to take hold of the situation. It was not uncommon for Operators to nominate themselves for suicide missions, they expected the Doctor to approve of her suggestion given what they know.
Yet, a loud slap echoed throughout the room.
"I don't want you to say such a thing ever again, is that clear Lycopene?" The redhead nodded, unsure on what to feel about being scolded like that, "That goes for all of you, don't make unnecessary sacrifices for the mission."
"You are Operators, not grenades."
Making sacrifice forbidden only entice some of the Operators to do it. But this Doctor clearly stood his ground about such a thing, it was blasphemy to him that they would give up their lives only to make one mission marginally easier. His past self capitalized on smart trades with the enemy he was facing but his current self spat on the notion.
On the subject of changes towards the man's character...
He's a bit doting nowadays?
It was common sight for him to always worry about even the slightest injury or scrape after every battle. Frostleaf embarrassingly took the man's sermon about how cuts lead to even more infections if not properly treated after insisting that she was alright. Or how he was ready to feed Lava after the Caster skipped lunch just to work more on her ARTS, afterwards scolding her about skipping meals of course. Strangely enough the two young women liked the attention he gave them.
He even took up cooking and always has a food compartment in his person all the time. Sandwiches, classic Higashian Bentos, honestly where does he get the time to do all of that? Nevertheless, Gummy was relieved that the Doctor is eager to help her when it comes to cooking. It was a common thing for them to bond over after all, the bladework he learned translated well to using utensils.
"It's like watching a parent and their child cook." Zima said with a hint of jealousy.
After his return, Kal'tsit was able to sleep for more than three hours for once. Even the stubborn as rock lynx was subject to the man's caring nature. Having her rights to the Doctor's coffee revoked if she didn't comply to his whims.
What a cruel man.
Not bad for a man who used to shove instant noodles and hot water to his mouth hole at three in the morning.
Although, there are some things that worry them like how he himself doesn't get a lot of sleep. One could sometimes see his office's lights on because he was studying something, usually something related to politics or Terra's history.
But that's often a not an issue if Amiya and Kal'tsit can convince him to rest.
The real thing that worries the Operators of Rhodes is the times when the Doctor's eyes are glazed. Word travels fast in the Ark, ever since the mission in Lungmen his face was misty-eyed. If you had to fight and watch a friend that would have had a better life die in front of you and then you had to cremate what they left behind, it would be hard on you too.
None of them knew that however.
The Operators didn't like seeing the Doctor sad, as most of them only knew him from his happy and maternal disposition. The younger ones vowed to fight whatever made the man sad, only to be reassured that it was alright. The older ones could sympathize and tried to be a source of comfort for the man, knowing how hard a loss can be.
It only took a few days for him to be his usual self.
The veterans however were the most worried for the man, they can sense what the Doctor is carrying behind his back. They did not knew what it was, all they know was that it is a heavy burden as heavy as Amiya's perhaps.
A looming shadow seemed to follow the man with his every step, the "if" of failing to the duties that he took upon himself. The fear of him long since been gone instead replace with a fear for him, he was trying to secure everyone's well-being but his own. A gentle kind of hypocrisy yet it was hypocritical all the same.
The Doctor among them did not have the luxury of failure, perhaps he was the hardest on himself.
- Turn End -
Player Stats
Ceylon LV 24
Amphitrite LV 24
The Empress
Trait: Guardian Tides
Hydrowave / Aqua Trident / Malaques/ Water Boost
Diarama / Media / Aques /
Affinities: Resists Ice & Water, Weak to Electricity
Personal Skills
Hydrotherapy [Buff]
Tactical Chant [Buff]
Hoshiguma LV 25
Personal Skills
Spinning Saw [Attack]
"Deals heavy physical damage for three to six hits."
Thorns [Passive]
"When damaged, the enemy also takes a portion of that damage."
Bulwark [Buff]
"Increases defense temporarily."
Ch'en LV 27
Personal Skills
Chi Xiao: Unsheath [Attack]
"Deals severe physical damage."
Sheathed Strike [Attack]
"A projectile attack that if connects, stuns the enemy."
Scolding [Buff]
"Other party members AP regeneration rate increase."
Temper Blade [Buff]
Personal Skills cost AP (Action Points)
Author Notes
The next chapter will be the end of Episode 5. After that the battle with FrostNova, will things stay the same or will something change whether it is for better or worse. Yeah, this took a while put out because I am working on other stories and other drawings and not to mention playing Genshin Impact, Arknights, Fate G/O, and Punishing Gray Raven on the side.
School's back so my time is also jeopardized in a way, but I will push through like hell will I sit there twiddling my thumbs while you guys are waiting for my next update. Trying to overcome burn-out and physical fatigue is difficult but I'm trying to live better and sleep better.
As always thank you Kaz for being the beta reader for this story, I always appreciate your insight.
If you have any thoughts about the story, what I'm doing right or what I'm doing wrong leave a review. Those little things are literally the motivating cheese for us writer rats typing away in our little mudhuts.
With that said, I'll probably rest a while and go back to the drawing board with the new Episode 9 deets. I'm WordBound and as always.
"Keep an open mind."
Preview
If fate truly does exist then perhaps the rain can be seen as tears from the heavens. I don't care either way, the mission is clear and the objectives are met. It's time to take back Lungmen!
Next Turn, Turn 12: Falling Down
I'll help you I swear it, so wait for me okay.
