"You're…not going to stop us?" The surveillance team officer asked with confusion.
On the screen was a white-haited boy surrounded by some large grunts. The odd sight of malformed bodies with crystals growing out of them was alarming to look at.
"Stop you? Fuck no. That kid-" W pointed at the boy on the screen. "-is sick in the head. The world is better off without him. Go ahead and sic Rhodes Island on him." She couldn't care less if the kid was offed by the so-called pharmaceutical organization- or at least their paramilitary branch.
This maniac just waltzed in, killed some of our guys, and was now killing some of her own.
Not that she killed any of the surveillance team so far. Only the guards outside. W needed them to cooperate if she wanted to keep the situation under her control.
One of the operators had an disturbed expression, which matched what many others felt like.
She had every opportunity to stop them. Silence the team before they contacted Rhodes Island, kill the operators once they found the commander, or even just force them to leave their posts.
But she didn't.
This girl's really crazy!
God, she was hot too-
The operator immediately stopped that train of thought.
"Go on. Call Rhodes Island and tell them you have a target." W gestured her hand at the officer.
The leader of the surveillance team hesitantly glanced between his comms device and the Sarkaz captain. He slowly picked up the instrument and contacted Rhodes Island. The comms channel between them and the organization flashed as they answered the call.
"Miss Amiya, we have located one."
"Really?! Please send us his location!" The young leader's voice urgently requested over the transmission.
The surveillance team officer sent over a picture of the camera feed showing the Reunion commander. He also marked it on the map for them to see, along with the coordinates.
"Commander Mephisto. We don't have much information on him I'm afraid."
"That's fine. We'll see what we can do. Thank you for your hard work!" The line disconnected.
The LGD captain lowered the device and received a nod from W.
"Good. Let's hope the little bunny keeps him occupied."
Better if Mephisto was completely taken out. W predicted that Talulah would start being suspicious if her plans didn't have any sort of success. At least one commander needed to fall.
Patriot, a stickler to rules. He'd make the most obvious and sensible decisions for the security of the Reunion. FrostNova, his loyal underling. Faust was a follower too, so W knew the kid wouldn't make his own moves. His friend Mephisto was the opposite. The teen had a hate boner for everyone that wasn't infected. His motives and decisions were based on dishing out the most pain on those he wanted revenge on. SkullShatterer and Crownslayer were the same type as FrostNova and Faust. The only difference was that they were loyal to Talulah.
W could predict their movements to some degree. Most of them except for Mephisto. He was like a wildcard whose actions were based on what he felt. But that was what made him the most dangerous to her. The most volatile of the group- the one who could act unpredictably on a coin flip.
The choice was obvious. If there was anyone W preferred gone, it would be him. The less wildcards in front of her, the more options she had.
"What?" W hissed when one of the Sarkaz mercs under her nudged her side. He jerked his head in the door's direction. She understood the message and followed him outside. It was disturbing the small window of opportunity they had, but it must've been important.
"Whatever this is, it better be more important than-"
Her instincts screamed.
W jerked her head sideways just as a knife tore through the air where her head had been. She moved just in time- the blade would've stabbed through her eye and lodged itself into her brain.
She'd be dead. A forgotten corpse abandoned in the middle of Lungmen.
"Fucking-!"
The Sarkaz she followed rounded on her with a haymaker straight into her stomach.
"Kghh…" W backpedaled into the wall to stabilize herself. She gulped air hungrily after having it violently forced out of her. She hadn't expected it- and hadn't put up a defense.
This time- she was ready.
The Sarkaz girl stepped out of the way as another knife flew out of the darkness and lanced itself at her previous position.
"...so is that how it is?" W coughed after catching her breath. "You betray me?" She glared at the approaching Sarkaz mercenary.
"You betrayed the Reunion first."
"They don't even know Talulah wanted them to fail." W's eyes scanned into the darkness to gauge the second assailant's position.
"If this is about money, then I'll pay you. The Reunion pays me a lot for my services." She bartered. W was the only premier bombs expert shelling her services out to them anyway.
Not going to happen. She couldn't trust this one anymore. W would have to kill him secretly once they exited the LGD base. Isolate him in some dark corner during the retreat and kill him off to make sure he would never be a problem.
"It's not about the money." He took another step forward.
"So you're going to kill me here?" W wasn't an expert in physical combat. She was above average at best- and that was because of her experience surviving in the war torn battlefields of Kazdel. Against another veteran Sarkaz mercenary- all her advantages were negated. Superior strength? Experience? Skill? All out the window. She couldn't use her bombs in such a small hallway either. The close proximity would bring down the floor- if not blow them to bits before that.
"What makes you think you can get out of here alive if you kill me? The rest would make sure you regret murdering their bonus pay grade." W slowly moved back to make space between her and the hulking figure of her backstabber. Some of the mercenaries were under W's employ after all. They only agreed to work for the Reunion when W convinced them with the salary.
"They'll die along with you." He shrugged. "You were never loyal to the Reunion's cause. Today just proved it."
He's pretty confident in whatever support he's got. But who would be strong enough to-
"Crownslayer." W spoke. It was the only person that came to her mind. Reunion's best assassin- and someone who could definitely sneak past all the Sarkaz mercenaries under her control. Crownslayer would be more than capable of dealing with the Sarkaz here.
Judging from the momentary pause of her former ally, then her guess was right.
"Shouldn't you be preparing to assault the rear?"
"I could say the same to you." A familiar voice behind W answered the question.
She spun around and drew her own knife. From the other end of the hallway, one of the Reunion's commanders emerged. Crownslayer walked a few steps into the range of the light while casually spinning a knife between her fingers.
"I was busy securing an objective." W made a half-hearted excuse. If Crownslayer was here, then her current objective was busted.
"Your objective. Talulah was right to keep an eye on you." Crownslayer stopped spinning her knife and pointed it at W. "She ordered me to follow and eliminate you if you deviated from our orders."
"Your stupid orders were going to get me killed." W snapped. "Sending new recruits straight into Lungmen? Talulah didn't even bring Patriot's forces to help us. They're the ones with experienced fighters who could lead our men. Admit it Crownslayer- we were sent here to die. There was no fucking way we'd actually pull off an assault like this against a better trained and better equipped force like Lungmen- even if they're just pussies defending their city- they're still pussies who would beat our average recruit. Not to mention home ground advantage."
"We would've succeeded if you kept to the plan."
"What plan? Throw ourselves at the LGD? Hah-! Like I'd fucking do that. I'm an explosives expert- my fucking bombs would take out our men just as much as it would take theirs out." W growled. Stupid fucking Draco- that Talulah was really banking on her being stupid enough to engage them and get herself killed.
That was if she wasn't killed by those elite ops Lungmen was keeping in the dark. Cities always had powerful cards up their sleeves just waiting to be played.
Above a few of Lungmen's highrises, Wei Yenwu's Shadow Guards had the urge to sneeze. For some reason, they were catching flack for something they hadn't done yet.
W grabbed her pistol and pointed it at the Sarkaz behind her. He stopped moving closer when she aimed at his head.
"Tell me Crownslayer, you're willing to fight up front. But why would you keep a large chunk of the Reunion held back in Chernobog instead of bringing them for the assault on Lungmen? The LGD are practically a paramilitary force compared to the shambles of a defense that Chernobog had."
W couldn't read Crownslayer's expression behind her mask, but her momentary pause was enough to tell the Sarkaz merc captain that the Reunion commander was considering how to respond.
"…backup. Sending the full Reunion force would expose our true strength. Talulah is testing Lungmen's strength." Crownslayer answered.
"A-a-ah~" W waggled her finger at her former ally. She didn't really see Crownslayer as an enemy even after she started deconstructing the lies Talulah wove into her actions. The girl was one of the few sensible members W engaged with in the Reunion. She was just misdirected like many other rebels fighting for the infected's cause.
"Then tell me…why didn't Talulah send at least some of Patriot's veterans? Not everyone. A good number would be enough to act as a force multiplier for us. Good leaders on the battlefield are hard to come by- and Patriot has the best of them under his brigades."
Crownslayer didn't have an answer to that.
"There could be many reasons…Patriot could've been the one to say no."
"Patriot would never compromise the Reunion's survival. He would've sent his captains himself. The only way they wouldn't be here was if someone else had the power to stop his commands. There's only one person with a higher rank in the entire Reunion."
W didn't need to see Crownslayer's reaction. She knew her words were shaking the foundations of the girls trust in her lea-
She jerked her body to the side as a knife cut through the air.
"…so that's your decision?" W unsheathed her own dagger. She wasn't an expert in melee but the knife would be an extra layer of defense if she couldn't dodge the knives.
"…I won't let you sabotage the operation."
Crownslayer already retreated into the darkness, maneuvering on the edge of W's range to a different position. It was her training, her upbringing. Her childhood was spent learning under a Fang of a Signore dei Lupi- representatives of Beast Lords who ruled the wastelands of Siracusa. These Fangs act as proxies for their Beast Lords- hunting and killing each other in a game to decide which Beast Lord would rule the rest.
The skills of those Beast Lords- passed down to their proxies- in turn passed down to her.
The Art of The Hunt.
In this game of theirs, Crownslayer had the upper advantage. W was not an expert in combat- much less someone who could ward off an assassin for long. Not when Crownslayer was in her element.
W sighed. She really didn't want to do this but there wasn't really any other choice. The Sarkaz captain rounded on her former colleague and shot him in the legs.
"Argh-!" The Sarkaz dropped to his knees in pain. It wasn't enough to take him out, but it was enough to slow him down. W rushed in and slammed her dagger straight into his throat.
"Idiot. Crownslayer is an assassin. Killing targets is her priority. Not protecting lives." W snarled as she flicked her dagger sideways to cut through the rest of his throat. She watched the light of her betrayer's eyes dim while she prepared herself to engage the Reunion commander.
She unloaded the rest of her gun's magazine into the darkness while bringing out her radio. Each second bought was time she could use to call on her mercenaries.
Not fast enough.
W was forced to stop dialing when Crownslayer appeared behind her. She swung around and intercepted the stab with her own dagger- glaring down the commander's eyes as they parried each other. Crownslayer quickly disengaged and launched a short kick on W's legs, which she avoided by stepping back.
Too slow.
Crownslayer switched up her assault and slammed her hand at W's throat in an effort to crush her windpipe. W gagged, but superior Sarkaz durability prevailed when she tanked the hit and locked her chin on the hand wrapped around her neck. Crownslayer attempted to break free by swinging her right arm with the knife straight to her face- which was intercepted by a hastily held up defense by W's left arm.
Their swift exchange only lasted a few seconds. In that time, the Sarkaz mercs in the surveillance room had reacted to the gunfire W unleashed earlier. They burst out of the command room and spotted the two fighters locked in place.
"Heh, let's see you try to face all of us." W grinned.
Crownslayer looked at the rest of her reinforcements. Nothing too worrying. She'd make quick work of them.
Her hands were itching.
Ch'en was halfway to jumping out of the command room. She wanted to sprint out there and fight. Watching the LGD hold the lines while she sat pretty in some bunker shouting orders and watching them fight grated on her nerves.
Damn it all.
The eastern dragon gritted her teeth while she listened to another report of the situation evolving in front of her. The LGD were winning- if you call pushing the Reunion back winning. The losses on both sides were catastrophic. There were thousands dead, moreso on the side of the Reunion. Melee combat was expected to be a bloodbath- but seeing it happen in real time from camera feeds inside service tunnels made Ch'en hurl hours ago. The puddle of vomit had been flushed down the toilet, but that did not stop the urge to return and throw up the rest of her empty stomach.
I should be helping.
She couldn't stop looking at them. The piles of bodies when both sides clashed. When a tunnel was plugged with too many corpses, both factions disengaged. The Reunion would search around and find another tunnel that would eventually reroute to another LGD team that was busy defending that access route. It was an endless cycle of death and mayhem. The LGD were trying to collect the corpses of their friends- but even that was eventually stopped when the Reunion took potshots at guards retrieving them.
Why do I have to stay here and watch them die?
Because she had to conserve energy. Because she was their strongest fighter.
Because Talulah was out there.
Ch'en stood up from seat and paced around the empty room. She could assist the frontlines in other ways. Collapsing tunnels wouldn't be difficult if she used Chi Xiao: The Crimson Firmament. Except- she had trouble drawing the legendary Dragon-Slaying Sword of Yan. Wei Yenwu had taught her to wield the sword from a young age. The problem lied within Ch'en's psyche.
She could use Chi Xiao- but the sword's special powers were locked away from her. It was her own shortcoming that held her back. Using Chi Xiao needed conviction and strength. The type of conviction and strength to permanently end someone.
Ch'en couldn't kill. It was against her duty. Guards didn't kill. They protect.
Even if Ch'en somehow drew a small portion of Chi Xiao's power, there was no guarantee Ch'en could summon the energy arcs she used against Talulah. Somehow, the sword just knew when Ch'en was fighting against a true opponent or some random grunt off the street. Wei Yenwu mentioned that the sword was possibly sentient but could never prove how.
Ch'en rubbed her face indecisively. She hated doing nothing. She could continue to help command the LGD, but the commanders were doing a good job on that front. They were adamant that Ch'en rest and prepare for the confrontation with her…
…with her long-lost sister.
Ch'en's mind rumbled. She had a big dilemma. On one hand, it was her sister. Her older sister- kidnapped by the damned Duke Kaschey years ago during his attempt to wrest Lungmen's control away from Wei Yenwu.
On the other hand…
Talulah had become something not even Ch'en could recognize. The girl had turned into the leader of the Reunion- but her methods- the constant attacks and disasters the Reunion became known for…
That…that wasn't the sister she knew.
When Ch'en grew up, she confronted her uncle and demanded answers. Why was her sister taken? Why did Wei Yenwu give her up? The answers her uncle gave only spurred the simmering resentment within Ch'en.
Talulah…was not her sister in full. Ch'en knew that much. What she didn't know was the background around Talulah, her family, and what it meant for Lungmen.
Edward Artorius- the father of Talulah- escaped to Lungmen following the tense political situation from his Victorian homeland. There, he befriended Wei Yenwu and together plotted to usher Lungmen into a golden era. At the time, Duke Kaschey held control over the city and fought the two to keep his hands on it. They successfully drove the Ursus duke out and started to reform Lungmen into the bustling metropolis it was today.
During that time, Edward Artorius met Wei Yenwu's sister and the two fell in love- ending in the birth of their child- Talulah. When Duke Kaschey learned about the illegitimate child, he leaked the information to Victoria and Yan to draw their attention.
Several Victorian factions wanted the royal Artorius bloodline gone, and the Yan Imperial family wished to avoid going to war with the Victorian superpower. So, Wei Yenwu's little brother- the Emperor of Yan- ordered him to deal with the situation by either killing Edward Artorius- or disposing of his sister and her child. Edward Artorius surrendered himself to protect Talulah- and Wei Yenwu was forced to execute his friend. Before Edward died, Wei Yenwu promised to take care of his wife and daughter- a promise he intended to keep.
That promise was shattered when Wei Yenwu had to choose between protecting Lungmen, or protecting Talulah.
To hide Talulah, Wei Yenwu made his sister marry a Yanese nobleman. She hated it- but still gave birth to Ch'en Huichieh for Talulah's protection. In the end, depression took her mother while Ch'en's father left Lungmen. Not that Wei Yenwu could force him to stay. The man was just used to cover Talulah- and now that his supposed wife was dead, he had a reason to leave the city.
And so, Ch'en and Talulah were left in his care.
Running Lungmen while taking care of the two children proved difficult for Wei Yenwu. More often than not, he was locked away in his office doing overtime while Ch'en and Talulah were left at home on their own.
It was all too easy for Kaschey to pull a few strings and activate a few agents in Lungmen to construct an elaborate plan to corner Wei Yenwu and force him into a confrontation.
When that day came…Ch'en lost her sister.
Her thoughts were halted when the radio on her table received a call. Ch'en returned her focus to the situation and picked up the device.
"Yes? Is the situation under control?" While the screens in front of her showed the battlefront, it was hard to gauge the frontlines with how scattered and fragmented the fights were. Lungmen may be technologically advanced, but they weren't that advanced. They couldn't keep track of every operator that entered the tunnels. It was down to the officers up front to send updates to the back. From there, they coordinated with the commanders to conduct operations.
Ch'en wanted to stay on top of everything but there was only so much she could do with the information that reached her. Most of it would've had responses by the commanders who worked closer with the frontline officers.
"We're holding them back for now. They haven't made any breakthroughs."
A sigh of relief left her. Each call was like a piercing blow to the Chief of the LGD. Even if they were doing well, sooner or later, something would go wrong. Not everything would stay the same. Not during a battle, especially of this scale.
"We were calling you about the doctors you had us search for."
She frowned. "What about them?" Last she remembered, they were heading east. Their speed was surprising, but nothing too extravagant. Some of Terra's races could run faster. Still, their speed gave the LGD some clues. Were they Kuranta or some other fast race? There was also the probability that they were simply using some sort of Arts to enhance their speed. Nonetheless, the LGD added the information to the growing portfolio they collected on the Fuyuki doctors.
"Ma'am they're…they're there."
"What?"
"They're at your location- talking outside with the Rhodes Island leader right now."
Ch'en froze.
What?! Why would they be here?!
The eastern walls were the most dangerous location in Lungmen right now. The bulk of the Reunion was here. The leader of the Reunion was here. This location was the furthest place from safety.
Just what the fuck would they be doing here?
Ch'en rushed outside. Just as reported, there were some new faces she had never seen before. 3 figures- 2 adults and a teen- stood in front of Kal'tsit, talking with the Rhodes Island leader.
Training kicked in and she quickly identified the descriptions of the Fuyuki doctors provided to them. Purple hair and eyes on one, black hair and blue on the second. Their facial shape also mirrored each other- highly likely to be sisters. The third person she didn't recognize, but Ch'en had a suspicion who she was.
The LGD only had a few targets with bear-like features, even less so when they were female. Most of them were lawbreakers, but there was a recent one that appeared on their high priority list.
Their attention moved to her when she approached the group. Ch'en stopped a few arm-lengths away and scrutinized the two parties. Kal'tsit didn't look surprised to see the Fuyuki doctors and the LGD objective arrive at their covert location- one of countless bunker rooms spread throughout the defenses on top of Lungmen's walls.
"You lead them to our location." It was a reasonable guess for Ch'en. How though? She did not know. This bunker was chosen at random just after the invasion began. The only party Kal'tsit had contact with was Rhodes Island. Ch'en would've noticed if she reached out to anyone else. "Please warn me next time if you plan to bring others. It would've been dangerous if the enemy had the ability to intercept our comms."
"I didn't." Kal'tsit stated calmly. She shook her head when Ch'en raised an eyebrow at her. "You were tracking them, correct? You can check again."
Well there was no point now. It was too late. Besides, Ch'en had more important things in mind.
"Moving on-" The LGD Chief eyed the last member of the group. Between the three adults, the Ursine teen stood out the least- which made her the most suspect. It was guesswork, but there would've been a reason why the Fuyuki doctors brought her. "-explain yourselves. If I find your answers satisfactory, I shall withhold on arresting you for endangering Lungmen's security.
Oripathy doctors or not, Lungmen's security was still Ch'en's priority. "Hand over Miss Misha and we shall leave the matter be."
"I'm afraid you can't. There are laws on apprehending employees from non-Lungmen based entities. You'll have to provide proof first." Kal'tsit stepped in. She expected this to happen the moment they showed up. She was putting Rhodes Island in the line of fire, but considering the value of gaining the trust of the Fuyuki doctors- the trouble was more than worth it.
Ch'en paused. She stared at Kal'tsit who held up a few papers. "Doctors Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou along with their assistant, Misha, are working under Rhodes Island."
What? Since when?
How did the LGD overlook this detail? They should've noted it.
How did the LGD overlook this? They should've noted such an important detail. A crucial mistake on their part.
If that was even true.
Ch'en was suspicious of the documents and asked for them. "Would you mind if I look? The LGD was not aware you were working with…" Ch'en glanced at the two doctors. "-the Fuyuki doctors. Our last meeting involved some Laterano representatives. At the time, you didn't mention having connections to the doctors."
"They were not involved during the mission." Kal'tsit answered. She didn't know where they were at the time. But just to be sure, she had Ace take a small detour to check the Fuyuki clinic during the invasion. When he reported that the clinic looked like it was evacuated some time before the invasion, Kal'tsit assumed they had left Chernobog.
Ch'en hid her scowl. She understood the value of having Oripathy doctors. They were some of the most sought after specialists in Terra. While nations didn't consider treating Oripathy a priority, the rich people who got infected did. If Lungmen got ahold of the Fuyuki doctors, it would boost their status in Yan and the world at large.
But now that they were taken by Rhodes Island, Ch'en would have to reevaluate her next moves.
She briefly scanned over the document, a pretty simple agreement between both parties. It was a simple contract, comparable to some of the most basic she had seen before.
More importantly, nothing was mentioned about the Fuyuki doctors being locked to Rhodes Island. They were free to entertain other ventures while under contract with the pharmaceutical organization.
There was a chance.
Ch'en backtracked. "I see…my apologies then." There'd be more time to tackle the issue later. She needed to focus on the Reunion. Ch'en would ask her uncle to enter discussions with the Fuyuki doctors at the earliest opportunity after Lungmen's immediate crisis was resolved. She handed back the document to Kal'tsit who met her eyes.
She knows.
Ch'en couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being read like an open book by the older girl. Kal'tsit had been around for a long time from what she heard. Ch'en didn't know how long, but Wei Yenwu admitted that the leader of Rhodes Island was older than him at the very least.
Bzzt.
The Superintendent Chief instantly answered the call.
"Ma'am we need reinforcements! We're being held hostage!"
The urgent tone kicked Ch'en into high gear.
The surveillance team coordinating with Rhodes Island was under attack.
"Skadi, you're taking point."
She ran to the head of the group. In reality, she was holding back to keep pace with everyone. Her special physique would've been too much for them to keep up with.
"Blaze, you're going to act as support for her."
Blaze didn't take well to that.
"Why do I have to be the support?!" She complained on the mic while running behind Skadi.
"You know Skadi can't fight at full strength with someone near her."
"I'm just as capable…" Blaze grumbled. Just because Skadi was stronger than basically everyone at Rhodes Island didn't mean she was any more effective than the rest of them. In fact, the girl was known for making lots of collateral damage.
"It's also because you can trap the enemy commander. If he tries to escape, you can set the street on fire."
Blaze hummed. Amiya was right. With her around, the enemy would have significantly less options available to them.
"Ace, can you lead Skadi and Blaze against the enemy commander? I will be coordinating the other teams."
"Of course. I'll do my best, Amiya." The last member of their group accepted the responsibility. Out of the three, Ace had the most seniority and experience on the battlefield. Amiya couldn't always keep watch over them while she and the Doctor led the others.
The plan was simple. Isolate the commander from reinforcements, then Skadi and Blaze would initiate contact and take him down.
Simple enough. Especially when the enemy commander was only a kid.
Seriously, why is the Reunion putting children this young into these positions?
Blaze saw how young he was. The teen was older than Rosmontis and a tad bit over Amiya. Then again, Rhodes Island also put an adolescent in charge of the organization…
"So what's the plan? We're just going in? Anything we know about this commander?"
"He's always surrounded by these weird guards with crystals on them. He showed up with a small group at the start but they've been steadily increasing in number. Some of them have LGD uniforms, so we're assuming that this is some form of Arts that takes over the host."
"Mutants? He's creating mutants?!" Blaze didn't like the sound of that. It was like a scene out of a horror movie.
"That's most likely the case. We don't know much about their combat ability. Use precaution when engaging him in combat."
Well that was reassuring. Amiya just sent them to deal with an enemy they had little info on.
Not that it was the first time they went in blind.
Blaze's lip curled. If Skadi couldn't deal with the problem, then she'd just let all hell loose.
"Amiya, we're allowed to go all out right?" Rhodes Island had protocols. As long as the mission did not require them to kill, then the operators preferred not to. Normal circumstances applied, if they were under threat, then killing in self-defense was allowed.
"Use all means possible to capture the commander. We need the information."
They were fine as long as they didn't land critical injuries on the commander.
Blaze rolled her fists as they rounded the street corner. Just as reported, a large group of mutants were milling about. There was no sign of the commander, but the scattered crowd of enemies confirmed his location. The Reunion commander should be nearby. The mutants wouldn't be found on any flank without him.
"Ace, do we just go in or…" Blaze looked at her senior. She had her own opinion, but enough experience in the field warned her that jumping in without a plan was not quite the best.
"Skadi, enter the building on the left. We're going to skirt around them until we have visual confirmation of the commander." Ace ordered.
The white-haired operator moved to the left of the street, followed by Blaze and Ace. They snuck into a demolished entrance foyer and Ace peaked through the gaps in the wall.
They repeated the same along the ruined street until Amiya called.
"We've scared back the Reunion fighters at the two avenues parallel to yours. It seems that they weren't willing to move any closer to the mutants."
"I wouldn't blame them. These things look abnormal." Ace grunted.
"Please engage quickly. We don't know how fast they can spread the message. I'm sure they have runners already heading to the other commanders."
The LGD reported seeing no Reunion networks set up as communication channels between all forces. Their citywide system kept scanning all radio waves during the assault and came back with nothing. It was likely the Reunion were running around with messengers instead.
"We still haven't-"
Ace stopped when the mutants started moving. They moved together in a single direction.
Theirs.
"Amiya, I think we're compromised."
Blaze didn't hesitate. She lightly cut her arms and flicked a small arc of blood on the street between them and the hoard. Her arts activated and the blood burst into arcs of fire that blocked the mutants. The hoard didn't flinch at the flames. They continued walking forwards past the burning perimeter.
"What? How?"
"Their commander knows we're here."
Skadi moved in and engaged the enemy. She palmed one on the chest and threw him back a few meters with one push. Unless given permission, she wouldn't initiate lethal attacks.
"Lethal shots allowed. Don't let them surround us." Ace drew his hammer and swung it at an arc to smash one mutant in the leg. It slammed just below the knee, purposely aimed to disable the mutant without killing it. He didn't want to kill unless necessary. They still didn't know if they were facing people or not.
Blaze bit into her arm and started flicking drops of blood at the enemies. Her arts ignited the liquid and sent them burning at the monsters moving closer. They caught on torn clothes and set them alight, but the flames proved ineffective at slowing them down.
"What the hell are these things? They're not even…" Blaze watched as the burning clothes inflicted burns on the moving bodies. "... they're taking damage. But it's not slowing them down."
"High pain tolerance? Maybe they don't feel it." Ace grunted after studying the mutant he attacked. Anyone would've been brought down after getting smashed in the leg with his steel hammer. Not even Sarkaz could ignore the pain, they would've at least reacted to it.
The ones in front of them did not.
"Skadi, don't hold back! Smash through and open us a path!" Ace barked.
Skadi instantly switched from throwing them back to crushing them. She ducked under one swing and wrapped her hand around the knee.
Squelch.
The crushed appendage ruined the mutant's balance and the enemy fell to the floor. The next dozen followed the same fate as they were brutally disabled. Skadi aimed for heads and legs. Heads took them out of the fight completely, while crushed legs stopped them from catching up. The mutants- more like monsters- didn't stop. They dragged themselves using arms despite the critical injuries inflicted on them.
Blaze found her own way to help the team. Her fires melted the concrete and slowed down the slowly moving hoard. Still, the hoard showed no signs of slowing down.
"Ace! You're being fenced in! Go back the way you came and regroup with Rosmontis and her team!"
Ace looked around. He eyed the hoard and identified the flank with the least mutants for them to break through. "Skadi, break through the hoard at 4'o-clock."
Skadi followed instantly and threw a body in that direction. It brought down two others, but the two closest flanks converged and blocked the route.
That didn't slow down Skadi. The elite operator surged through and tore the flank in a bloody shower of guts and limbs. Nothing. There was no reaction. The hoard continued to slowly stifle the group in. Blaze and Ace followed behind the rampaging Aegirian and slipped past the enemies. They fought back the incoming wave as best as they could, but nothing proved effective when the enemy didn't react to damage.
"Skadi!" Ace shouted after his hammer got stuck inside the body of one mutant. He pushed back using his end of the handle, but the monster pushed forward without trouble. Ace realized that his strength wasn't doing much- and simply let the monster surge forward while he dodged to the side. His call was answered when their lead ace operator returned. Skadi rushed to his aid and slammed into the mutant. She tore the hammer out of its stomach and used it to smash through its legs. The monster fell on its back before Skadi stepped over it and crushed the head with her foot.
"Thank you." Ace breathed as his hammer was returned to him. Skadi didn't answer, busy swinging around her greatsword to cut down the threats around them. She carefully stepped around the bubbling mess that was Blaze's attempt to catch the hoard in her minefield of melting concrete. She couldn't melt the entire space around them or else they would lose their escape route.
"How do we get out of here?" Blaze scanned the area. They were getting surrounded in the dozens. Skadi's attempt to breakthrough earlier was partially successful, but Blaze and Ace couldn't follow in the space she made. The ranks closed in and stopped them from keeping up with the Aegir.
"You don't."
The group of three slowed down. The voice didn't come from them, but somewhere behind the monsters.
"Move over, you idiots."
The hoard slowly parted. The operators stopped fighting and looked at the source. It was a young teen grinning at them.
"I had a hunch that Lungmen wouldn't make it easy for us, but to send you of all people? They must be under pressure to let outside parties help." The commander recognized the uniform Ace wore when he spotted them.
"Reunion Commander Mephisto." Ace grunted.
"That's me." The identified rebel confirmed. "Was that your entire plan? To go after me with my hoard around? Look at how easy it was to bait you in." Mephisto raised his arms to show the dozens of new arrivals. Just like the mutants they were fighting, the newcomers were also infected.
"You think we're scared?" Blaze rolled her arms. It was becoming clear that their enemies weren't people. Not anymore. Her fingers itched to draw her chainsaw from her back. With her weapon, she'd be far more effective at disposing the enemy.
"Of course not." Mephisto's expression turned serious. "-but I do find you stupid. No preparation, no support, what were you thinking?" The teen slowly raised his hand. "I'd love to play with you, but I have better things to do." He snapped his fingers.
"Kill them."
The hoard exploded.
Unlike the crawling pace earlier, this time was different. They surged forward at running speed with the intention to eliminate the Rhodes Island operators.
"Shit-" Ace cursed while raising his hammer. They already had trouble fending off earlier, what chance did they have of surviving this time?
The street beneath them exploded.
The concrete crumpled inwards, then broke into smaller pieces. The debris rose up at speed, smashing bodies and throwing them into the air. A large radius around the Rhodes Island operators remained unharmed, giving them space to fight the few monsters safely. The entire street continued to be uprooted, cement, steel, and stone flew into the air.
"Operator Rosmontis, regroup successful." A voice carried over the carnage.
A small girl appeared, escorted by a team of Rhodes Island reinforcements.
W leaned against the wall.
She kept her breath low to avoid making noise. Some distance away, her last ally, another Sarkaz mercenary, shouted for help as their enemy took him down. W glanced at the empty hallway. Once the fight began, nearby Sarkaz mercenaries converged on her location. Numbers didn't prove effective in such a tight space and the Reunion commander slowly assassinated them one by one. The group tried to retreat out of the building, but that didn't stop the speed at which they lost members. As for the LGD hostages, they escaped amid the chaos.
W slowly peaked the corner and scanned the outlines in the dark. She was hiding behind a cubicle in the dark office after Crownslayer damaged the lights. Without the lights, W was at a big disadvantage. She was also separated from the rest of the Sarkaz after Crownslayer managed to split them. Knowing the mercenaries, the Sarkaz chose their own safety and escaped when the opportunity showed itself.
She would've honestly done the same.
Survival took first priority.
W looked back at the hallway. She could make a run for it, but Crownslayer would know her location. The assassin was faster than her. She could move ahead and lay a trap that W wouldn't see. The other choice was to buckle down and wait. The problem was that each minute she wasted helped Crownslayer figure out her location. The Reunion commander knew she wasn't far. Crownslayer split the group at a chokepoint. There were only two escape routes in the hallway and she locked down one of them. The second led back to where the battle started deeper into the building.
What a load of crap.
W had plans. She was supposed to be stopping Talulah. Not one of her subordinates.
'Well, nothing ever went to plan.' W internally sighed. That was just how things go in life.
Crownslayer mentioned that Talulah ordered her to keep an eye on her. Talulah must've been suspicious about her, but for how long? W tried to remember if she made any overt actions that caught the Reunion leader's attention.
Or she could've been naturally suspicious about mercenaries.
It was out of her hands now. W needed to deal with her current situation first.
She slowly snuck behind some desks while heading for another side of the office. Maybe she could wait a few minutes before making a run for the hallway and out of the building. W prayed her luck would pull through for her. After a minute, W moved desks again. She weaved around the room until she reached the other end before doubling back to the hallway. W scanned both directions, but darkness limited her vision.
'I'll just have to run.' W thought after considering her options. It was too dangerous to spend more time inside the building where Crownslayer had the advantage.
One step. Two steps. Three steps. Then she kept going. Her footsteps echoed loudly against the floor but W disregarded it. Her attention was drawn to the environment, her senses on alert scanning for any signs of Crownslayer.
Her eyes widened when movement flashed in front of her.
Instincts emerged and W swung her knife into-
Pain. Blood.
W dropped her knife and hissed as she retreated her hand back. The aim was on point. Her hand was pierced through, a knife lodged in her palm. She backed off from her assailant and retreated a few steps. Her eyes desperately scanned the darkness. Despite knowing Crownslayer's general direction, W couldn't pinpoint her location.
'Damn it.' W had been in numerous life or death situations across her life. Being a mercenary assured that. But those situations were in far more dangerous places. This assault on Lungmen was not on the same tier as the time she was trapped in the middle of a warzone during the Kazdel civil war.
This was nothing compared to a true war.
Was this really how she was going to go down…?
"Fuck no."
W ripped out the blade and cut her own sleeve off to bandage the wound.
Who the hell is this young upstart assassin? Did she really think W would just die that easily?
Fuck no.
If she was going to die…it'd be like all those targets of hers.
In a bang.
She pulled out her detonator.
"Try it. I dare you. Kill me and we both go down." W grinned hysterically. Everyone believed she was crazy. That was how she always acted.
That was how she always acted…
…because it was her best attempt at hiding weakness.
W pretended to rummage the pouches carrying explosives on her body to make Crownslayer hesitate. From the other perspective, W could just be crazy enough to off herself with her enemy.
"Can you escape the blast radius? Even if you could, you'd be too injured to escape the building when the supports are blown~" W sang while picking out one bomb. She used arts and made a show of lighting one up. Glowing orange lines spread throughout the cartridge as the magic took hold and enhanced the bomb's power. If not controlled properly, it could explode in her hands and detonate the rest of her load.
But W was an expert. She had years of using arts to help amplify bombs. The thing wouldn't explode unless she chucked it. If worse comes to worst, she'd have to use the explosive inside the building. This was Lungmen. W doubted a few explosions would bring down the base the city put money into. As for the rest of her bombs, they were relatively safe. The detonator wasn't primed to set them off.
Of course, that was as long as they weren't triggered by impact or something. W would just have to play it safe while moving around.
She heard no reaction from Crownslayer. W continued to watch her surroundings, waiting if the girl decided to continue the she did, then she'd throw the bomb at her.
Movement in the dark caught her attention. W looked forward and saw two dark silhouettes locked in combat.
'Next time, bring a flashlight.' Seriously. Why hadn't W thought of that before? Flashlights were cheap. It would've been a useful tool for scenarios like this.
The two continued to fight until they disengaged briefly.
"What do you want?" W recognized Crownslayer's voice from the right. The same figure who backed off from the other one.
"The girl." The voice on the left answered. This one, W didn't recognize. "I need to talk with her."
"Why?!" The Reunion commander hissed.
"Kal'tsit told me to."
'Kal'tsit?! That old geezer knows where I am?'
Then again, the LGD hostages that escaped must've reported W's location to the authorities. Kal'tsit was someone W expected to have connections to something like Lungmen's leadership. Looking at it, it was an obvious thing to consider.
"Who the fuck are you? Why did Kal'tsit send you?" W barked.
"She sent me…to find a girl." The girl mumbled. W felt a gaze land on her, studying her. "What is your name?"
"Like hell I'm telling you my name."
"Kal'tsit said not to collect them if they aren't the girl she specified…" The girl struggled with the last word, stumbling on how to pronounce it.
'Collect them? What am I? Property?!' W's eye twitched. Her old boss was really pressing buttons in all the wrong ways.
Her gaze moved to the other silhouette in the darkness. If this agent of Kal'tsit left, W would be left alone to fight Crownslayer once again. That was more than likely to end with her dead at the rate things are.
Well…her life was worth more than her name.
"Wis'adel."
W prayed that she was the person Kal'tsit was actually after.
"Come with me."
"She's my target." Crownslayer hissed. She dashed in and reengaged the other figure and the two danced around the darkness trading swings, stabs, and cuts. W couldn't even see them fight once they retreated deeper into the shadows. She only heard the occasional clash of blades when knives parried. After a minute, the skirmish ended and one side backed off.
"You-" Crownslayer growled as she retreated.
"You are not my target." The other interrupted. "You may carry the scent of a wolf…but you are not part of the hunt."
Crownslayer looked between the two. She was close to finishing Talulah's mission, but with her around- it was looking less likely as each moment passed. The girl was simply stronger than her in the areas she specialized in. A head-on fight would result in her death.
With the cards turning against her, Crownslayer was forced to leave.
The Reunion commander retreated, disappearing into the shadows.
"What does that old geezer want from me?" W rolled her right hand. The pain was bearable, but she wouldn't be able to use it in combat for a few days.
"I don't know. She just wants you." The girl emerged from the darkness.
W studied Kal'tsit's agent. Hazel eyes, grey hair, a wolf wearing a thick red cloak.
"...fine. Bring me to her."
Talulah watched the evening sky settle. The Reunion started strong, but the assault petered out after a few hours. Not much progress was made past the initial push when the LGD stopped the main force from breaching the walls. The flank distraction also proved ineffective and were routed by reinforcements. Fortunately, most slipped back to the slums and escaped along with the retreat.
More importantly…
Her eyes landed on the two commanders behind her.
Crownslayer looked at the ground. On the other side, Faust was gripping his fists.
Mephisto and Skullshatterer had been captured. Their fates were now in Lungmen's hands.
Kaschey plan was partially successful. Out of the 4 commanders in the assault, only 2 remained.
Though something felt wrong…
Talulah had suspicions that something else was at play, but she moved it to the back of her mind. Losing two commanders would only make the Reunion hungry for revenge. They would be all the more happy to follow her orders after she explained her next move.
"…what do we do now?" Faust behind her asked. The boy's expression was stressed. News had reached him that Mephisto had been captured. The witnesses said that they didn't see him die, but they knew nothing was certain. The LGD was more like policeforce, but that didn't ensure their commander's survival. If they didn't kill him, then there were other parties who could.
Wei Yenwu would probably send his Shadow Guards to eliminate them.
Kaschey could tell that much. If it was Talulah really leading the Reunion, she wouldn't have known about her uncle's secret force.
"Faust, I'm giving you command. Secure our forces and wait for me to return with reinforcements." Talulah would bring the rest of the Reunion to assault Lungmen. The city was weak and another attack would open up opportunities for them to capitalize on. "Crownslayer, you failed with your mission. So I'm putting you under Faust's command. Don't fail me."
"Yes…ma'am." The hyena commander fixed her stance.
"…what do we do now?" Faust behind her asked. The boy's expression was stressed. News had reached him that Mephisto had been captured. The witnesses said that they didn't see him die, but they knew nothing was certain. The LGD was more like policeforce, but that didn't ensure their commander's survival. If they didn't kill him, then there were other parties who could.
Wei Yenwu would probably send his Shadow Guards to eliminate them.
Kaschey could tell that much. If it was Talulah really leading the Reunion, she wouldn't have known about her uncle's secret force.
"Faust, I'm giving you command. Secure our forces and wait for me to return with reinforcements." Talulah would bring the rest of the Reunion to assault Lungmen. The city was weak and another attack would open up opportunities for them to capitalize on.
Faust looked uncertain. "What if they launch a counterattack while you're away? The Reunion can't defend well." To defend, they needed a strong organization and cohesion between teams.
The Reunion did not have good organization, nor did they have good cohesion.
"The LGD will not attack. Lungmen will be too busy convincing its citizens that everything is under control. The city will rush to cover everything that's happened inside."
Kaschey doubted Wei Yenwu would do something risky now.
"What about the other commanders?" Faust wanted to know what Talulah's plan was moving forward. "How are we going to rescue them?"
"That depends on how long it takes for us to capture Lungmen."
Faust stared at Talulah incredulously. Where did she find her confidence? They were up against Lungmen, a city that was far more secure compared to Chernobog. Every battle the Reunion took had to be a carefully chosen battle. Many factors had to be taken into account when evaluating their chances against such powers.
The Reunion…they were just a small speck in the grand scheme of things. They were nothing like the great powers behind the cities of Chernobog and Lungmen. Ursus and Yan were countries that could crush the Reunion if they chose to. Instead, they were too busy dealing with internal issues if not other nations.
A small seed of skepticism and distrust rooted itself deep within Faust.
Crownslayer, Skullshatterer, and Mephisto. Three of their commanders had been lost- and without anything gained for it. Talulah should've worked together with Patriot. He was a general. Patriot would've stopped this disaster from happening.
"Please hurry." Mephisto was all Faust could think about. His friend was in Lungmen, captured by enemies- if not destined for execution.
"Have faith. Patriot will not leave our comrades in the city abandoned. If worse comes to worst, we can leave Lungmen alone in exchange for the captured prisoners." Talulah tried to soothe his worries, but it didn't soften the worried expression on the young teen's face.
Kaschey was never one for comforting people. He just needed them around for a little longer. Just long enough for his plan to reach the final stage.
Lungmen was now locked in place. The city wouldn't be able to move for some time due to the damages Talulah made on the wheel systems on some of the tiles. If Lungmen decoupled from one another, those tiles would be sitting ducks until repaired. It was safer to lock the city down and repel the Reunion until they could get engineers underneath and repair the systems.
Now, Kaschey just needed Chernobog.
Talulah's eyes left the city of Lungmen and moved in the direction of Chernobog.
Only one last hurdle to overcome.
Patriot and FrostNova.
At lunch, Shirou was asked to meet with Patrio by one of his messengers.
Shirou entered the room and closed the door behind him. FrostNova was there too, leaning against the wall while eyeing him.
Guess she still doesn't trust me.
He'd put that on the back burner for now. Shirou didn't really know how to prove to FrostNova that he could be trusted. He admitted that he was against the Reunion's current path. Joining them and changing them would take too long, so the plan was to help Patriot take over and usher change. Patriot didn't trust Shirou either. At best, they were on a transactional basis.
Give and take.
Shirou didn't plan to stick around for long. Patriot didn't want Talulah to run the Reunion into the ground. Together, both those problems could be solved if Patriot had help overthrowing Talulah.
"Doctor Emiya." The old general greeted. Shirou had already gotten used to that name. The patients back in Chernobog helped it grow on him. He may not have been a licensed doctor, but Shirou picked up a lot of first-aid and other helpful tidbits when it came to fixing up injuries.
Worse comes to worst, nothing a brief contact with the sheath of Avalon wouldn't heal.
Just had to make sure they were unconscious during the "procedure".
"General." Better to keep things cordial in front of FrostNova.
"You've heard of the news, correct?"
"About Talulah returning, yes." Shirou confirmed.
"Good. We're on the same page." Patriot picked up the small notebook and extended it to him. "Here are notes I have on Talulah. Read it. Dispose of it afterward."
Shirou accepted the information. He traced Talulah's weapon when they first met, so he had his own stockpile of information on the Reunion's leader. Still, the information Patriot knew on his supposed ally would be substantial too.
"When Talulah arrives, she'll be suspicious. We're not supposed to let you walk around freely. She will want a meeting."
Ah, so the general was just making sure they were on the same page. If there were any inconsistencies between him and Patriot's words, then there was a chance the Draco would catch on.
"Do you plan to convince her that it was a good idea?"
"No. She was already suspicious of you from the very start. Talulah warned me to keep an eye on you ever since you woke up." Patriot admitted. He could understand the caution Talulah showed. As the Archer, Shirou single-handedly slowed down the entire Reunion. The fighters who engaged him in combat were at a loss on how to deal with him, even with the overwhelming numbers they sent. Especially his ability to face Talulah down.
In the entire Reunion, only Patriot and FrostNova could face her. Patriot was powerful- the strongest member of the Reunion. FrostNova had her ice arts- a direct counter against Talulah's flames.
But…Patriot was sure that Talulah ordered him to watch Shirou for a different reason. Not because he was a threat, but because just like the general- Talulah wanted to know Shirou's stance on the Reunion.
"She will want to talk with you directly…about the Reunion."
Just like Patriot did with him.
"Does she want to win me over?"
"I believe so. Your value as an Oripathy doctor is the key to controlling the Reunion."
That option was out the window when Talulah threatened the civilians and children. Shirou may have worked with criminals at some point, but there was a limit to who he tolerated.
"What do you want me to do during the meeting?" Shirou asked. He doubted they would just let the opportunity go. It was likely their best chance to ambush the Draco.
"I want you to turn the tables on her. Convince her that attacking Lungmen will not solve our problems." Patriot held his hands together.
"You tried. What makes you think I can do it?" Shirou argued. Patriot and FrostNova knew more about the Reunion than he did. They would've had better reasons to convince Talulah with.
"Because you bring hope."
Shirou blinked. He looked at FrostNova who spoke.
"Talulah has a weakness. Something we notice whenever the people are happy. She can't seem to make the same efficient and ruthless moves. But when the people are sad or hungry, she riles them up and directs their anger at the non-infected and the cities." She continued. "There's something there. Something missing that we can't figure out. It's one of the few weaknesses we can use."
Shirou opened up the notebook. If there were other things he could use against Talulah, then it'd be better to ask Patriot and FrostNova while he had the chance.
.
.
.
"Are you sure this is the right idea?" FrostNova asked once Shirou left the room. "We know Talulah would be suspicious of us, but throwing Shirou at her to try and change her mind is impossible. We've tried the same tactic, Talulah knows when we're playing to her weakness."
"…we will only know afterward." Patriot released a deep breath. "Talulah is interested in the doctor. It is possible that her plans could change if she learns more about him. She might try and bring him to her side, but Shirou is smart enough to delay. It will take time, which plays into our hands."
Their goals aligned…for now. Patriot understood that Shirou was only around in the short term. That could last from a week to a month. He needed to maximize moves while they had a third potential chess piece that could push Talulah back.
"But…it's going to be dangerous. Talulah won't let us attend the meeting." FrostNova's worry leaked through. She was disappointed that Shirou wasn't entirely on their side, but still cared about him. "What if they fight?"
"Talulah would not do that. She works behind the scenes." Patriot had been a general swamped in military politics long before Talulah was even born. When he agreed to merge with the growing infected movement, the Draco was nowhere near the monster she was now. Back then, he could read her like a book.
But the past few years erased that mindset.
After Alina's death, something broke within Talulah. She became withdrawn- harsher. Talulah became less tolerant of members who abandoned the movement. Her efforts to recruit infected became more radical. The Reunion changed. At first, Patriot thought that it was simply the group mentality changing on its own.
No. He only started noticing Talulah's prints after the third year.
She was dancing around him, at the edge of his awareness. Talulah was making moves Patriot couldn't see, always a dozen steps ahead. It was on a different league compared to the politics of the Ursus Empire when he held the position of general.
That girl could not be Talulah.
But she was.
Patriot considered bringing the idea to FrostNova once, but couldn't collect enough proof for it. Not that it would've done much. If he couldn't work on the hunch, then FrostNova would have more difficulty putting the pieces together.
"We will just have to do our best."
And hope their efforts weren't going to waste.
After all, Talulah knew all their moves.
Author's Note
This is the end of Arc 3. We're going to Arc 4 and ending this Chernobog-Lungmen Saga soon! (I hope) Also, I'm going to cut down on the cluttered povs. I will write less from other character povs now since it has become too troublesome for everyone.
I'm back to being slow at writing. No excuses on my end. To make up for it, I'm just making my chapters larger. Special thanks to Dovar and Dabbins for their donations!
Each little donation helps me out and motivates me to finish chapters earlier, so it would mean a lot to me to have your support!
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