A few hours after the meeting with Shirou.
…
"You can't remember anything? Anything at all?"
That was the 5th team Faust had questioned.
"N-none…sir?"
The small number of Reunion forces stationed around the abandoned hideout had returned an hour behind the two commanders. Both Faust and FrostNova interrogated the arriving teams about the retreat.
None of them could remember what happened during the one hour gap they were incapacitated for. All woke up without injuries and continued on as normal- although slightly confused as to why they were all asleep.
FrostNova clicked her tongue.
The atmosphere around her was colder than usual despite her efforts to weaken her Arts. Clearly, her displeased attitude was affecting the strength of her power.
"How could they all be taken out of action at the same time?"
It didn't make any sense to her. The Reunion forces were split apart over a wide area. Nobody could have knocked them all out in such a short period without at least working in tandem with other teams. Unlikely as it was, it seemed that the Fuyuki Clinic had more than just reconnaissance under their belt.
How could such a small clinic have this much firepower?!
Faust was beginning to think that his idea to build a relationship with the clinic had backfired horribly. He did it out of consideration for their men, but after the meeting with Shirou- he couldn't help but reconsider.
"FrostNova…what do we do?" He was simply stumped. "Do we tell Talulah or not?"
"We play along with him for now." FrostNova answered with a straight face. "We need to find out more about what his intentions are. The longer we interact, the more we can learn about them."
She was tackling the situation personally. Sharing about the issue to Talulah was an option, but if she dealt with it silently, then her and Patriot's faction would have the upper hand.
It only helped that Faust was indecisive and inexperienced in tackling problems like this.
"For now, don't withdraw your men from the clinic. Keep them there so that Shirou knows we're still keeping our presence. Despite how ineffective that has been."
Shirou and the group behind the Fuyuki Clinic had completely routed the Reunion operation meant for them. In other words, a power play. It was the only reasonable conclusion. Intercepting a retreating group to force a meeting was a waste of manpower.
Even if the Reunion declined such a request, most parties would've stepped back and respected the revolutionary's decision. Nobody wanted to piss off the rebels.
"Do we really have to share all the information with District 1? Not even the underworld requests information about a city district in particular. They are only concerned about the Chernobog government."
District 1- Chernobog's Government district. Though for some odd reason, Shirou was interested in not the government- but the area.
FrostNova closed her eyes while contemplating the request.
"If anything, it means that the group behind the Fuyuki Clinic are not allied to Chernobog. Whoever they are, they are after something else inside the city."
But what?
That, they would both have to find out.
Skadi didn't mention the strange event with one of the clinic doctors. Her reports only mentioned observations about the status of the infected population.
On one hand, she had some good news,
On the other, she had everyone's attention.
"The infected in the vicinity of the Fuyuki Clinic are in good spirits?"
"I believe so."
Kal'tsit mentally noted down the information.
"That only supports the rumor."
Skadi hadn't been the only one to report about them. One of the other teams mentioned a rumor going around the infected. In fact, they were the group nearest to her- so it made sense for the rumor to reach them.
"You've seen the clinic. Weren't my orders to avoid the area?"
"They were calling patients from the hospital I was stationed to observe. So I took the opportunity. I didn't allow myself to be spotted in the area."
Skadi didn't follow right behind Sakura. She made sure to loiter around for another hour before heading to the district with another group of patients. She didn't move close to the clinic, but rather walked around the vicinity instead. It seemed that many of the infected in the area had been treated earlier. Many looked brighter, and a number of them even had jobs.
"Nevertheless, the plan still continues forward. All of you have different places to observe tomorrow before I go and meet the clinic personnel."
The operation was to last three days. Two was enough to collect data about the situation in Chernobog, the last day being reserved for visiting the clinic itself.
Only one more day before Skadi would meet the woman in question again.
.
.
.
The team embarked early. An hour before sunrise, the seven Rhodes Island members had positioned themselves in the surrounding vicinity of the clinic. The locations had been scouted the past two days and were decided based on distance. Which meant some had to stay at street level, others on adjacent buildings, and the sniper at the roof at the end of the street.
Kal'tsit and Skadi would be acting as a pair of patients seeking treatment. A part of Kal'tsit's test included the examination of their Oripathy status. Skadi, who was resistant to the disease, and Kal'tsit who's status had never been inspected were to see if the clinic could accurately gauge their condition.
The covert operation started and the two Rhodes Island members lined up along with the other patients. As per the plan, they were somewhat close to the beginning of the line. A quick in-and-out investigation in the morning before organizing the meeting afterward.
Only, it was a Sunday.
To keep suspicions low, they had only talked with a few infected- mostly asking about the Fuyuki Clinic's treatment and price. To most who heard the rumor, it made sense to be suspicious. The first question asked would be how much the clinic is asking for such a treatment.
Surprisingly, it was free.
So when one of the clinic personnel appeared out of the premises carrying a pot of soup- followed by a few other volunteers…Kal'tsit blinked in confusion.
"Patients, please take the line closer to the clinic if you're here for treatment! The second line is for food!" The auburn-haired man yelled. The second line- which Kal'tsit and Skadi joined- moved aside and joined the first line. It looked like they weren't the only ones to be confused with the queue.
They watched as the male doctor helped the volunteers hand out shares while they waited. Apparently, they weren't alone. The rest of the first line- also patients- found themselves slapped in the face with the heavenly aroma. A few patients even returning to the second line for food. The first line shortened and soon the two Rhodes Island members were in front.
The door opened.
"Next, please!"
Skadi- distracted by the delicious smell- suddenly jerked right when the previous patient left the clinic. The Oripathy fragments on her body were gone compared to when she entered. But that was only the second thing on her mind.
The first was the voice of the woman who called them.
Once again, red eyes met purple.
Kal'tsit nudged her forwards and the two entered the clinic. Skadi couldn't tear her attention away from the doctor who called them in.
"I'm Doctor Sakura-" The girl introduced herself with a smile. "Which one of you wants to go first?"
Kal'tsit stepped forward.
"I'd like to go second. Have my friend here examined first."
It seemed that Skadi wasn't the only person who's attention got dragged.
"Not another one…" This time, it was Rin staring at Kal'tsit.
Rhodes Island's leading representative continued unabashed.
"…you see through us."
Rin rolled her eyes.
"We'd like to avoid attention from your type of people. Too bad we've decided to open a clinic." Why oh why did they have to pick Oripathy of all things?! Looking back, they should've done more research into the world's situation. It was too late to back out now with a rebel movement breathing down their necks.
Now a second organization had approached them.
"Hard not to- with all the attention we're getting." Said girl snarked. "Sakura, remind me to get my revenge on Shirou later for this."
"Am I not included? The two of us outnumbered you." Sakura tilted her head.
"Argh! What kind of sister would I be if I punished you?!" Rin pulled on her hair in annoyance. "If there's someone who needs to responsible then it should be him! It was his idea!"
Kal'tsit and Skadi watched as Rin started mumbling about stupid boys and their tendencies to act like heroes.
"Sorry about this…" Sakura bowed at the two.
"It's fine. I understand how problematic impulsive people are." Kal'tsit nodded in understanding. She herself was handling a whole landship of trouble after all.
"Please, can we still have her examination?"
"I'll do it while my sister is currently occupied." Sakura sweatdropped as the dark atmosphere from her sister deepened.
Skadi quickly had her blood collected and sampled.
When Sakura returned, Rin had recovered.
"Your results are amazing. No Oripathy." Sakura smiled while handing over the results.
Rin had quietened down and was simply observing the two from the hallway.
"That's quite the specimen you have there."
Kal'tsit blinked.
"…indeed. Skadi's orundum count in her blood is extremely low."
"Not that."
Skadi stayed silent as the atmosphere changed.
Now, it was the real deal.
"Only for defense I hope? The two of us against the three of you is quite unfair no?"
Skadi frowned.
Three of us?
"Rin…I'm sure they don't mean any harm…" Sakura reasoned with her sister.
"Easy for you to say…not everyone can tell like you do." Rin shot her an exasperated look.
Sakura simply smiled at the inside joke.
"If you're here for the Oripathy treatment secret or service, then we will give you the same reply we gave all the others." Rin acted like the Fuyuki Clinic had been approached by several other interested parties when in truth the Rhodes Island organization was the second.
"We will only continue to treat patients here."
"…even if we can provide better facilities?" Kal'tsit replied.
Rin raised an eyebrow.
"Allow me to introduce ourselves. We are Rhodes Island, a pharmaceutical company and the leading organization in treating Oripathy."
"I'm afraid our circumstances may not be beneficial to your methods." Rin continued. They used magic to treat Oripathy. They haven't tested if they could replicate the same technique with Arts. She wasn't willing to commit to any party because the Fuyuki Trio were supposed to lay low.
Sooner or later, they would have to disappear. They were only staying in Chernobog under the guise of a clinic due to some interests in the area.
"There is no harm showing interest in cooperation." Kal'tsit stated.
Skadi stayed silent. As interested as she was in one of the Fuyuki doctors, she wasn't one to partake in the machinations of geniuses trying to hash out some form of discussion. Already, she could tell that Kal'tsit and Rin were jumping through the hoops and loops of a conversation beginning to grow out of her depth.
Ugh. Smart people.
Skadi looked left as a wave caught her attention.
"Miss Skadi, right?" The purple haired doctor asked.
She nodded.
"Is there anything else you might need?"
Something moved inside her. A presence floated to the back of her mind. The feeling of interest emanating from it.
She wasn't the only one looking to meet the girl.
"Can we…talk somewhere private?" Skadi quietly mumbled after looking at the two geniuses talk.
"Please follow me."
Sakura and Skadi departed for the back of the clinic. While they walked, the bounty hunter peered into the rooms they passed. So far, they looked nothing out of the ordinary. Despite that, her gut feeling, along with that if the other presence felt everything but.
Something was different about the place.
"Is this…something unconnected to Oripathy, Miss Skadi?" Sakura turned to her patient.
She knew.
Skadi needed to make the best out of this opportunity.
Ever since her escape after the bloody war, something had appeared inside her. An unknown presence, one that plagued her mind.
She did not know what it was.
She did not know what it wanted.
All she knows is that it was there.
The first thing she needed to know was what it was.
"...how do you deal with it?"
Sakura's lips thinned.
She knew what Skadi was asking about. The only problem was that their circumstances were different. Unlike her, Skadi had a different kind of problem.
The best she could do was try.
When Sakura's body became the host of the curse, she became one with it. For a brief moment, she understood everything about it. Ever since the Holy Grail War's end, the curse had retreated into her. Still, the empathy within her allowed her to resonate with the experience she once had.
That was the first and strongest defense they had.
Sakura and Shirou understood that the evil curse had never disappeared. Both of them acting as her guards should the curse retake control. But so far, she had managed to rein in the curse by dabbling in it at times.
It was an agreement. An arrangement she struck with her curse.
In exchange for hoarding the darkness of the world around her, Sakura could maintain a cordial relationship with it.
Give and take, as others would say.
At times that Sakura could not restrain the curse, Shirou and Rin would use his world to vent the overflowing evil. The holy weapons and incredible strength of steel withstanding the power of corrosive evil.
But that was only when the first option failed.
"Have you tried talking to it? My experience was…rather inconvenient, but I believe learning more about the other side helps."
Sakura was lowballing just how bad hers was.
Then again, technically Skadi was facing the same problem.
"...I haven't tried."
Skadi was hesitant. She didn't know what it was, but only that it was unnatural.
Sometimes it felt alien.
Other times it felt natural.
"...do you know how?" Skadi asked. For the most part, all her efforts were to drive the presence away, which somehow worked. Each time it appeared, Skadi would repeatedly push the entity down out of uncertainty. The presence would disappear, often with a sad feeling.
Almost as if it wanted to stay.
But that couldn't be possible…right?
"Well, when I talk to mine-" More like when Sakura agrees to let the curse rampage- "I think of it like I'm approaching another part of me. I often picture it as a darker version of me sharing the same body. Just try to imagine yourself walking towards it, best to give it an image you can always connect to yourself."
Just like how Sakura did.
It didn't help that the curse brought out the darkness in Sakura too. Strengthening her already unhealthy obsessions with a certain someone…
She- she didn't have to tell Skadi that. Surely she wasn't dealing with the exact same issue when it came to the independent entity sharing her body.
"What do I do if it's dangerous?"
"If it is, then find us. We have dealt with dangerous foreign entities of all sorts before." Sakura giggled at her own joke. "But if you can't reach us, the best method is to rely on others to help you. I needed help from my friends when I was figuring out how to deal with mine."
Skadi stayed quiet. Outside of one other Rhodes Island operator, she didn't have any friends. Even then, their relationship could be called acquaintances at best. Everyone else was a stranger to her. The only other acquaintance she would endure would be Kal'tsit.
"...what if I find it difficult to approach others?"
Skadi preferred to be alone. She wasn't a land-dweller unlike the others. She was an Aegir. A race who lived in the sea. It felt uncomfortable to mingle with the rest.
"It will take time and patience. But once you find someone to be friends with, it will feel natural." Sakura smiled. "Just give others a chance."
She slipped a hand into her uniform and pulled out a phone.
"Here's my number if you're in the city. Officially the clinic has its own dedicated number for Chernobog, but that's only for the city-wide network."
Unlike Earth, Terra's circumstances didn't allow for a global network. Telecommunication was limited to isolated networks like cities and longer distance connections needed specialized facilities and the like. Even then, Catastrophes commonly disrupted those relay networks between locations. As a result, no true network survived on a national level.
If you wanted to send someone a message in another country, you needed it to be delivered physically through a courier.
Skadi took out her own communications device and logged Sakura's number into it. The contact would be important if she wanted to learn more about her problem.
"Thank you."
When both girls returned to the lobby, they found themselves staring at a peculiar turn of events.
Kal'tsit and Rin were calmly sipping tea. The conversation from earlier had been finished at some point. A peaceful atmosphere- something out of place even for Sakura- came from the two.
Wait.
"Rin…did you open Shirou's stock of tea? We're supposed to be working."
"Mmhmm."
Sakura sighed as she took the special blend away from the table. It was prepared to help the trio relax during off-hours- unless Rin had another plan.
"I think I look forward to meeting with you in the future." Kal'tsit mumbled while taking another sip of the blend.
"To future endeavors and encounters." Rin raised her teacup.
Eh?
Eh?
Sakura and Skadi blinked with wide eyes as the two had apparently established some sort of relationship.
Truly, two like-minded individuals had found someone to share their problems with. Rin and Kal'tsit had their own fair share of experiences and both empathized with one another.
"Skadi, we've accomplished our mission here. We return to Rhodes tomorrow."
The Aegir nodded quietly.
She was still confused at the turn of events.
Shirou clicked his tongue.
Another Reunion member knocked out. The last of an entire team.
He had to commend them. They tightened the security- an attempt to catch him- but Shirou's set of abilities were just too powerful against them. After scouting a few points of the perimeter, he was able to deduct the placement for the other teams based on the blindspots and areas of interest. From there, Shirou broke down their positions and pierced through one flank right after they reported their status.
Now, a small window of opportunity was open for him to capitalize on.
Shirou stepped out into the street in front of the meeting place. He felt the gaze of two people land on him- just as planned. His appearance was expected, but not without their perimeter guards informing them first.
He paced until he entered the small shop- most likely a hidden Reunion base- and walked to the two people within.
The atmosphere was cold, as expected of who he was dealing with.
"FrostNova, Faust." He greeted them both with a nod. "I hope you two are doing well."
The cold gaze the woman shot him was ignored.
Faust simply wanted this meeting over and done with.
"Here are your blueprints." The designs were handed over in a bulky suitcase. They were the District 1 plans Shirou requested from last week. It took a combined effort from the Phantom Crossbowmen and the Yeti Squadron to procure the plans from the Chernobog archives. FrostNova and Faust had to convince Talulah that the plans of District 1 were better captured earlier than later. The city already knew that the Reunion was interested in the area.
Shirou took the briefcase and silently traced the object in front of the two.
Shirou's Tracing allowed him to study an object's history, form, material, and more. He couldn't trace the contents of the paper, but he could at least read the quality of it.
Now, time to double down on the intimidation.
"Nice copy, I do hope I'm not getting a fake here."
FrostNova widened her eyes.
How did he know it was a copy?
It was her idea to keep the original while giving Shirou the copies. It was meant to give her and Faust an idea of what the Fuyuki Clinic, and by extension, the formidable party behind them.
Now, for another magic trick from Shirou the wizard.
If he wanted to maintain a good arrangement…as much as possible anyway. He did practically threaten the two commanders. Shirou needed to give them something of value in return.
A hand reached out into his reality marble and picked up his payment.
It was slightly harder to trace medicinal herbs in his world- particularly because they weren't related to swords- but since they're still common materials used by the Clocktower back on Earth, meant that he could reproduce them easily.
Shirou would find himself overloading his circuits- otherwise known as magical pathways- during his work. So Rin made sure he learned to pick up on concocting medicinal formulas. A little bit of strengthening ingredients here and there, and Shirou could make a pretty potent medicine for himself.
He wasn't the unlimited supply and inventory of the trio for nothing after all.
Shirou smiled lightly while placing two bottles on the table.
"Payment. One for each of you."
FrostNova and Faust stared at the brew.
Shirou picked up one and uncapped it, pouring himself a portion into a glass that magically appeared in his hands and drank.
"If you don't trust me, you can try it now. It should help Miss FrostNova's problem." Shirou stated while glancing at the girl.
Said commander narrowed her eyes and reached out to open the other bottle. Shirou created two more glasses and left each one on the table. FrostNova grabbed one and quickly gulped down a glass.
It was Shirou's on field supply meant for instantaneous relief.
FrostNova's eyes widened as the contents quickly worked on her strained body. The soothing formula rapidly doused the Oripathy and relieved her control over her Arts.
It may not have been from the outside, but FrostNova's Arts relaxed.
"W-why…? Hiding such a medicine…"
They were easily the most powerful group in the world. Governments and corporations alike would stop at nothing to please their every demand.
FrostNova gulped. Her mind was heavily distracted by the delicious flavor, but the gravity of the situation allowed her to focus.
"It would be more trouble for us if we didn't."
The Fuyuki Trio were not here for world domination. They were here because of a certain old man's prank. Probably. Even Rin couldn't understand her own teacher. So far, Rin has tolerated the small clinic's opening because he and Sakura voted on it. But once the situation got out of hand, the trio would disappear.
Once corporations and governments started getting involved, that line was crossed.
Faust poured himself some of the medicine and drank after FrostNova continued to sip from hers. The remedy released a soothing sensation inside him. Just like before, the two found themselves succumbing to the power of Shirou's food.
A few minutes passed before they recovered. When they returned, Shirou was perusing the contents of the blueprints.
His eyes narrowed.
Shirou was confident in his abilities. What the plans showed were different from what he recalled. He investigated the surface of District 1 a few times, sneaking into the underground service tunnels and the like. At a certain depth, enormous energy cables started appearing.
Which made little sense. District 2 was supposed to supply the city with electricity. Yet the cables here were larger than those from the energy district. Something else was supplying these power lines.
These aren't right.
Shirou stayed silent while considering the information.
"Get me the original copy. Next week, same place."
There was a chance these blueprints were wrong, or that the two were trying to fool him. He wouldn't be able to tell unless he saw the real one.
"If you provide me what I want, then I'll give you more of that medicine."
That was the entire reason the trio stayed in Chernobog instead of heading for bigger cities. Rin and Sakura had mentioned the abnormal magic that saturated the city. Shirou himself didn't believe it until he saw District 1.
"With how competent your backers are, we're surprised you haven't scouted District 1 on your own." FrostNova mumbled.
Shirou blinked.
Backers…? Right, let's go with that.
"We don't have the numbers to allocate outside of usual operations."
That…made him sound more suspicious than intended. There were only three of them handling the clinic. They had ulterior motives but in no way nefarious, and the trio certainly had nobody behind them.
So they weren't here to help people. Faust inwardly sighed. It was too good to be true in the first place. For the Fuyuki Clinic to be this virtuous with such medicine on their hands. Shirou's words practically confirmed his suspicions.
"We won't interfere with your interests in Chernobog as long as you don't interfere with ours." FrostNova narrowed her eyes. "But for now, we will continue to assist your information gatheringin exchange for medicine."
Both sides knew that the medicine Shirou just provided was too essential. Particularly in FrostNova's case. It was better to negotiate a deal.
"As long as you don't involve civilians, then we won't." Shirou clarified.
That was his line. Beyond that- and Shirou would step in.
FrostNova paused.
He was willing to step in?
Not many would.
Faust was also going along the same line of thought.
Maybe…they weren't so bad after all.
Operative Langyon tucked the longcoat around himself tighter. The land transport terminal was cold in the early hours of the morning and the vehicle heading out of Chernobog was taking it's sweet time restocking.
It was headed for another location before Langyon would return to Lungmen.
He had been ordered by the LGD to withdraw from Chernobog as soon as possible the previous day.
Why? He did not know. But orders were orders and they always had a reasons behind them.
Langyon sneezed.
Something didn't feel right.
The terminal was quiet before, with only a few people talking here and there while waiting for the transport to finish restocking. Langyon quickly picked up on the sounds of several people arriving followed by hushes coming from the other passengers.
That wasn't normal.
Turning around to directly see the commotion wasn't his style. So Langyon headed for the soda machine and bought a can of coffee. This way, he could observe the new arrivals from the side while also masking his attention.
Not that it mattered.
"Hello, Long Yan."
The can of coffee falling at the bottom of the machine was the last of his worries.
"Mr. Dao."
The worst scenario came to mind.
He was exposed.
His meeting with Mr. Dao was not for another few days. Officially, he was still working for the man- but that was all out the window when he had been found leaving Chernobog.
Except, he never told anyone.
"Leaving so soon? I haven't dismissed you yet."
"Family problem. My sister is calling because our father is sick."
"Ah of course, obligations to the family comes before the job."
…
The sound of clicking behind him told Long Yan everything he needed to know.
"Just like me, I also have obligations to my employers…like protecting their interests."
"What…happened?"
Longyan swallowed the lump forming on his throat.
"One of our facilities have been attacked. We've traced our cargo and found a potential leak on our end."
"I had nothing to do with it."
"That doesn't matter now…we're just cleaning up. Don't take this personally."
Langyon closed his eyes.
…
He was gone before the screams began.
Author's Note
Answering questions.
This plot starts just before the main story. The Doctor is still in a coma.
Well…fuck. I apparently screwed up the Skadi plot timeline. So I'm backtracking and changing her future story for this fic. I'll just make it so a certain "something" is more active. Skadi is simply trying to figure out what the problem is.
For that one important guest with the best reviews,
The Fuyuki Trio are indeed experimenting behind the scenes with the magic in this world. I'm not touching on it unless I need to but there will be some consequences and effects that will appear later on. I won't show it this early because they don't need to rely on them yet. Mages from FATE don't use magic willy nilly when they're trying to stay hidden. Though as you can see from the previous chapter, Shirou is already going non-lethal Magus Killer on the Reunion. You can picture what's going on behind the scenes with him.
Sakura Post-Angra Mainyu keeps the "consciousness" of the curse through the Minor Grail purely for plot. This is to just give Skadi fans their little slice of heaven and connect her to the Fuyuki Trio. Think of it like me pairing them to somewhat counterpart-ish versions. Depressed marshmallow that needs saving = Sakura, Skadi and FrostNova. Super smart leader type = Rin, Kal'tsit and Ch'en. Shirou becomes the automatic universal card because he just wants to save people.
As for Shirou acting "nice", that was more about the way he treated meeting FrostNova. He needed a show of force to make them listen. The clinic is being taken advantage of by the Reunion after all. Shirou still wants to help people- just more tempered now after 10 years from the Holy Grail War. Also more curbed after being leashed by Rin and Sakura. But you can still see his strong-headedness to still act out of their jurisdiction secretly to protect them. I will expand the story more but we're still in the intro and world building to establish connections between Fuyuki Trio and some of the major characters in Arknights.