As the three of them stared at the number on a screen, they each grinned. The fruits of their labor finally realized. While it didn't look exactly like a solar panel from Earth, Evan was grinning ear to ear practically. Meanwhile, Closure was drooling as she thought about how much she could sell this, and she would be right. Originium as a fuel was expensive, but if on a small scale it got substituted for originium dynamos, a great deal of money would be made selling this new technology as an alternative. Then there was Mayer whose eyes were practically sparkling as she thought about how she could modify this device further.
"Alright, so now that this is done we need to send the prototype blueprints to Rhine lab, and-?"
"Hold up," Closure interrupted, not bothering to wipe the drool off of her chin. "If we sell this to Lungmen first, then place an order with the prototype, we have the best chance to make the lion's share. Mayer!"
"Yes?"
"Whip up a demonstration model, I'll book an appointment to Lungmen."
Mayer gave a salute and went over to her corner of the workshop. After that, Closure began walking out of the room to presumably go to her office, which Evan realized would leave him with no orders.
"What should I do?"
Closure stopped dead in her tracks and looked up with eyes wide with some form of panic before she nodded to herself and answered, "How about you go archive the blueprint. Take this drive and have Ptilopsis do the work. Who knows, maybe you'll find Skyfire or one of your lolis in the library."
"What are you implying?"
Closure just laughed and gave a halfhearted wave as she walked away with her back turned. His boss could really be annoying at times. More annoying than that was the fact that when he did reach the library, Ptilopsis wasn't there, so he had to detour over to the Medical Department where he found the owl happily napping at the desk. A few pokes, 'errors', and feather wiggles later her eyes slowly opened, then opened more to their full size which still slightly unnerved him.
"Exiting sleep mode, Operator Ptilopsis online. How may I be of service?"
Evan handed her the small drive that had their data, and asked, "Closure wanted this entered into the database. It's the information on the prototype we finished."
The head feathers perked up and her eyes somehow widened as her pupils dilated like grapefruits. She immediately took the drive suddenly and was working at lighting quick speeds in mere moments. After doing it, she was clearly looking over the files as she mumbled to herself, the screen somehow reflecting in her large, bright eyes.
"I see, according to this data, it is possible to turn light into electrical energy. This Photo-electric Effect also makes mention of 'Atoms'. Would you be able to explain this 'Atomic Theory' to Ptilopsis. She believes the data would be imperative to her investigation."
"That will not be necessary," a new voice said from past the desk. Both heads turned, and Evan swore he heard a snap from Ptilopsis as she proceeded to turn her head past ninety degrees to gaze at the form of her colleague.
"Doctor Silence, greetings," Ptilopsis said with both her feathers wiggling slowly back and forth in the direction she was facing.
"As we know, most information on Evan Carvey is restricted to the highest clearance level. His race, his place of origin, and even his basic background before entering Rhodes Island. Doctor Kal'tsit also has warned you not to go digging further than we already have."
"Ptilopsis comprehends the risks, however, Ptilopsis is interested in the data regardless of what Medical Director Kal'tsit has to say."
"Please, reconsider. Just this once," Silence pleaded with a tone of voice that made Ptilopsis's head feathers shrink before she responded with closed eyes.
"Understood, an attempt to wipe the recent memories archived will be made. Entering sleep mode…"
Once Ptilopsis was snoring softly and they were sure she wasn't going to wake up, Silence turned her attention to Evan.
"You should be more careful about the information you let loose."
"How so?"
Silence gave an exasperated sigh then said, "I can't believe I have to explain this, even with accounting your origins. There are those who would use knowledge that you contain or the knowledge about you with malicious goals in mind."
He could believe it, all worlds had their fair share of nasty people he imagined, but he hadn't necessarily seen anything worrying or been around worrying people. Most who knew of his origins actually zipped their lips quite well, as far as he knew. It also wasn't like he was gaining anything keeping information a secret.
"If I run into those people, I doubt I would be willing to tell them. I don't think Ptilopsis has any malicious goals either, she's just curious."
"The problem is that too much information about you is classified. I will admit, your achievements so far have been astonishing, but it also means you will enter a different arena than academia alone."
"In other words?"
"Be careful who you trust, that's all I'm willing to say for now," Silence took a glance to her sleeping colleague, then continued, "You should go before she wakes up."
He nodded then complied with her recommendation, but after he left the Medical Department, he took two steps before stopping.
"Now what?" he thought to himself. Sure, he could go back to his room and laze around, which was tempting, but he felt oddly compelled to continue being productive. After running through what he could do, he decided lazing around would be the nicest option. After all, he still had stuff to do on some of his games that he had wanted the time to do.
"Now what?" she thought to herself as she stared into the cold tundra. Ever since the Emperor's Blades appeared that one time, the entire camp had been on edge. The Aegis were tiring in their blinkless vigil to make sure the lines weren't penetrated, the Yetis were on edge as well, and it was affecting her too. She closed her eyes and remembered. Images of blackening snow and comrades choking in black energy flashed before her eyes and her fists balled up. The sound of ice crystals rapidly growing brought her attention back to reality and she took a deep breath. Her fogless air expired, and with it a piece of her anger.
"Frost…nova," a raspy voice sounded behind her. She slowly turned her head, and she stared at a hulking figure in old battle armor and a wendigo skull helmet. A creature beyond her comprehension, but one that made even her icy heart feel warm and at ease.
"Father," she responded simply. She suddenly felt warmer inside, and Patriot's gaze felt softer. The old wendigo wasn't her birth father, but she hardly remembers her own parents. Frankly, she preferred the harsh fatherly gaze of the Patriot to her birth father's sad, worried expressions.
"You…should be…with us. Your…presence…comforts…them."
She looked to her feet. She then looked back up and plainly asked, "Is it happening again?"
"...Yes…"
"Understood, I'll return."
With those words, Frostnova turned around and made the trek back to camp. As she walked, her sensitive ears failed to pick up Patriot's heavy footsteps, leading to her checking if he followed. With no presence of the old wendigo heard nor seen, she assumed he was taking time to think.
They all had reason to take space to think these days.
As Frostnova made her way into camp, hushed whispers sounded around her. Of course her sensitive cautus ears picked up bits and pieces. She ignored them as she approached the abandoned cabin where guards stood outside. The lesser guards saluted Frostnova while the Phantom Crossbowmen gave curt nods to recognize her presence. From their getup, she could tell they were of Faust's personal squad, so she nodded back. Being recognized, she knew how high an honor that was among some. It would be disrespectful to not recognize them back.
As soon as she entered the cabin, the atmosphere changed. Various sounds of anguish from grunting to occasional screaming were heard coming from the bedroom, and outside, in a chair sat what initially seemed to be nothing. Then the air shimmered and seemed to glitch around the chair to show the captain of the Phantom Crossbowmen himself. His purple grayish skin speckled with scales identified him, as well as his harsh glare that was as unreadable as ever.
"Faust."
"Frostnova."
More screaming turned their heads to the room as well as a hiss of frustration from whoever was tending to the victim. Their attention soon turned back to each other, and the cautus was first to speak.
"How long?"
"Forty two minutes. They seem to be growing longer."
A sharp 'tsk' escaped her mouth as she showed a rare frown and narrowed eyes. Nothing else was said until the grunts started fading and the doorknob turned.
"Dammit, damn it all," the doctor said as he walked out with his cane slamming into the floor with each step, his usual smile replaced with a much more unpleasant scowl. "As soon as the episode ended, she passed out. There are no signs of illness, no signs of arts usage, nothing points to a proper cause. It's as if these damnable migraines are the force of something trying to possess her! I-"
"Mephisto, calm yourself," Frostnova commanded without a trace of kindness in her voice. This earned her a sinister glare which she coldly returned to the spiteful liberi. Her admonishing gaze won out, however, and he gave a defeated sigh. Mephisto leaned on the wall and held his cane close.
Silence hung in the room like a body, consuming all of their attention. It wasn't until Faust shifted in his chair, an unusual sight in of itself, did the silence break. Both gazes were now on Faust, and he responded.
"This can't go on. Either Patriot takes the reins or we leave the tundra. There's no other choice in this. We can't fight with our leader in this state."
"Faust, are you seriously suggesting-" Mephisto started, only to be interrupted.
"We're at a crossroad, Mephisto. Father led us before Talulah's group joined with ours."
"But leaving the tundra would mean we clash with the army! Isn't that something even the Aegis were avoiding? Admit it, you and Patriot aren't willing to take the losses!"
"You…" Frostnova growled at the little shit. How dare he, how dare he belittle their work on the tundra as avoiding the army. Ice crystals began growing, radiating from her position, causing the two to flinch as the frost slowly enveloped the floor they stood on. "How dare you suggest we never clashed with the army out of cowardice. We faced off against the Emperor's Blades themselves to keep your ilk alive."
Frostnova and Mephisto glared at each other, leaving the third member of the conversation to let loose an open sigh. He looked to Mephisto and said, "Mephisto, I would have thought you of all people would see reason in avoiding picking fights with comrades."
"But-"
"Drop it," Faust snapped back before Mephisto could say anything. Mephisto's eyes widened in shock as he just stood there, slack-jawed like a little kid who had just been scolded by a parent. At this, Faust let loose another sigh and stood up. "I'm keeping watch outside. Please keep quiet, for Talulah's sake if nothing else."
Frostnova shut her eyes and hung her head, ashamed at how she had lost her composure, even for a moment. Her lip quivered and her fists trembled, turned away from Mephisto as she considered leaving.
"Listen, I'm sorry. That…was wrong of me, I know you're still grieving their deaths. I was stressed, and it wasn't right to take that out on you. Go, I'll make sure big sis sleeps peacefully," Mephisto's voice sounded from behind her.
Frostnova's fists came undone and she felt a cold sensation well up in her eyes. Visions of the terrified child hiding behind Faust filled her memory and she let loose a cold, cathartic breath from her nostrils.
"Leave it, it was a pointless spat. Nothing more."
As she left, Frostnova replied coldly with that sentence. She walked out the door, not bothering to look back and see the sadistic liberi's response. She didn't understand. How had the sweet child named Eno turned into such a monster on the battlefield? His tactics earned him a nasty reputation, and it was clear watching him that he enjoyed reveling in the suffering his power created. She remembered Eno's songs, those sweet tunes that helped put even her mind at ease. She still sung some of those tunes to this day, in his place. All that was left after losing his singing voice was Mephisto, a commander who treated the battlefield as a chess board.
"How did it turn out like this?" she thought to herself as she watched the snow fall during her walk. A divide had formed in their movement. At first, Talulah had united the infected of the tundra, and now they had sent the infected patrols running. When the army took a stab, they were more united as Patriot declared his fealty to Talulah's cause in his victory speech. They had done it, they had become the dominant force of the tundra. Everywhere they went, Reunion was hailed as the true defenders of Northern Ursus. Then Patriot's oripathy caught up with him, the old wendigo losing his commanding voice to the raspy, clattering, mutated larynx he now spoke out of. Then, Talulah changed. One day, they lost someone. A kind soul one might see in the background, tending to children, baking treats should the materials present themselves, mending tattered clothing, comforting the many lost souls with her radiant kindness. A true saint among the infected.
For some reason, this one loss among many weighed heavily on Talulah. Their leader went into a depressive spiral of grief. Frostnova only met Alina a scant few times, but she had seen it, the radiant kindness glowing like the sun. Her smile was bright enough to melt snow, her motherly aura threatening to warm even Frostnova's icy breath, her gentle kindness enough to chase away any and all pain. The clothes she made were warm, the food she made was delicious, the songs she sang were hypnotizing.
It wasn't hard to see how their idealist leader fell so deeply in love with Alina. They thought they were hiding their relationship, but if one looked between the lines even a little bit, it was easy to see how deeply they cared for each other. Much like Frostnova was grieving for the brothers and sisters she lost to the Emperor's Blades, Talulah was still grieving Alina's death. They could both function, until the migraines started.
One day, Talulah went out to an isolated village to talk trade. She came back covered in ash and with broken eyes, eyes her father had seen in many soldiers. The eyes of someone who had finally broken. Someone who had seen enough horrors that they would become numb and unfeeling to the hells of tragedies Ursus' wars brought forth, be they a war between sovereign states or a war against their own civilians.
Against her better judgment, Patriot went to investigate. Frostnova hesitantly followed, but what she saw made her wish she hadn't. The entire village had been burned to ash, the charred corpses, the smoldering houses, the sight of a village consumed by wrathful flames.
Only one person in the tundra could create such a sight.
If it hadn't been for Patriot's quick actions, Frostnova was sure they would have lost the Talulah they all knew. That night, Patriot shared his woes to Talulah, the reason he came to the tundra, the reason he turned on the Empire. That was all Frostnova heard from Talulah herself, and the two had grown even closer somehow. They trusted each other.
Ever since that day, the migraines have delayed the push to leave the tundra. Food was scarce, desertions rose, and the Emperor's Blades have put them all on edge. Sometimes, Frostnova would hear the hiss of an oven or boiler and she would mistake them for the monstrous hissing of the Liches' masks that housed their accursed abilities to suffocate even the very earth.
"Frostnova."
The Yeti's leader whipped around and held out her hand rapidly, cold sweat forming as she came face to face with one of her own unit.
"Easy big sister, it's just me."
"Ivan, don't scare me like that."
"I wasn't hiding my presence, are you alright?"
"Yes…I was just…"
"You should take it easy, everyone's been on edge. We need at least one leader in this damned hellhole to keep a level head."
Frostnova gave a light smile and nodded, "Thank you, I'll try to rest up."
"Also, don't be so hard on yourself. Nothing could have prevented their deaths."
Frostnova watched as their first sentry started grabbing his throat, gagging and sputtering as the ground whipped up black miasma and the snow itself shifted to a dark color. Snow enveloped, turned black, and sizzled out of existence. As if he was the snow, the soldier followed the same fate as he became a black statue and pieces of him started to whisk away in the wind. Frostnova turned her head to the other sentries and began barking orders.
"Run! They kn-"
One by one, each sentry fell, gagging as the first one did. Some resisted being killed, but the ground around them became tainted as one lone figure came into view. Black miasma hissed out of his mask as the ground beneath him turned black and snow crumbled with each step.
"Pathetic, so this is the legendary Yeti Squadron? Guerilla masters of the Ursus North? What stroke of luck allowed you to aid in the defeat of one of our glorious armies," a ragged, muffled voice came from behind the mask. As the figure walked, the miasma spread and he looked upon the yetis.
Frostnova felt her heart stop beating as it glared at her. Her breath hitched in her throat, but when she saw the arm of the Blade move, a wave of dark crystals shot forth and speared a caster trying to ambush the blade. He became a pincushion and dark miasma left the crystals, spreading to the snow which began to fall and sizzle on the ground. It was only overtaken by the spread of red as one of her brothers bled out.
"Fall back, don't attempt to ambush!"
"Wise choice. We've already pinpointed your numbers. Now, let's see if the Yeti's leader lives up to her reputation."
His arm waved, and a torrent of black miasma erupted from around him and made its way to her.
"Sister!"
Frostnova woke up to Ivan shaking her. His gloves freezing to his hands as he did. She immediately backed off before she could give her brother frostbite, and his eyes softened as he saw her finally meet his gaze.
"Finally, you're back. Go, get some rest."
"I'll do that," Frostnova replied with a downward tilt of her head.
The commander of the Yetis then made her way to bed, the cold trailing with her a little stronger than usual.
A long puff of smoke escaped into the air, gaze never leaving the paper. For seemingly hours, he flipped through each and every one of the pages, scrutinizing each word, each letter, and even when smoking he didn't stop reading. As she took a ginger sip of tea, Fumizuki found herself becoming more and more curious as to what her husband found so interesting. He only behaved this way when he found something particularly interesting. He would take small glances to her while smoking or close his eyes, perhaps he would take his time flipping a page and intake a larger breath than usual, or maybe he would take a sip of his coffee to keep himself focused.
The fact he wasn't doing these small things to cope with his boredom told her that whatever he was reading caught his attention. So, she decided to take a stab at asking.
"What has captivated your attention so, dear?"
Wei Yenwu grunted in minor annoyance and looked up from the paper to his wife. She waited patiently as he took another smoke to give himself time to think.
"Do you remember Evan Carvey?"
"The otherworldly traveler whose vehicle crashed Miss Swire's car? That was quite the event, it would be hard to forget."
"We've received a proposal from Rhodes Island, an exclusive offer to have Rhine Lab sell their first joint product to us. Specifically, it seems to be targeting the upwards expansion. Apparently, a new technology that doesn't use originium which can generate power from sunlight."
"That…" Fumizuki tried to start, but the words failed her and she looked at her husband with her version of surprise.
"It sounds impossible. But, it is backed by Rhine Lab, and an otherworldly traveler…" he said, going into thought as he gazed at the paper again. "But from the information, it would take impressive amount to match an originium reactor…"
"He did say there were few technologies in his world that could match what we use originium for."
Yenwu scratched his chin a little as he thought about uses for this technology. Surprisingly, the paper talked about how this technology was an amazing small-scale power solution. It could power small low-power electronics, it could power individual homes well, and it could be used to make charging stations for non-originium electronics. The last one didn't make much sense to him, but thinking about it did make sense if someone were to work on moving away from originium power.
"Do you think it would be worth moving away from originium power?"
This earned the aging chief's attention. He looked into Fumizuki's eyes, narrowed slightly and her posture straightened and un-relaxed. He met her gaze as he thought. He thought hard about what she was thinking, and both of them knew it. Fumizuki had her moments where she really wanted him to figure out what she was trying to imply.
"It would certainly help reduce accidents. We lose too many damn engineers to oripathy already."
"And what of your niece, is she lost to us?"
Wei Yenwu's eyes widened suddenly and his gaze swung fiercely to Fumizuki. So that's what she was thinking. He let out an annoyed sigh, earning him a harsher glare from his wife. He met her gaze, his own eyes narrowing and his lips tightening. This earned him a less serious gaze from her, but she still gazed at him with her determined expression.
"I made a vow, I will never give up on her. To that, you have my word."
"I see," she said, closing her eyes and tilting her head downwards demurely. "I hope, for your sake, that is enough."
A low groan escaped his lips and he took a puff of his pipe. He then shifted, unraveling his tall, large form from the floor to leave the room. He had some calls to make. Even so, he gazed back at Fumizuki, she hadn't moved an inch since she last spoke.
After he left the room, he cracked his neck, savoring the brief feeling that something had been set right.
When she woke up, she was in a cold sweat. Shooting up out of bed, she looked around the room of the simple log cabin she sat in. Even though her surroundings were completely normal, she couldn't help but feel panicked. The remnants of her fight stung in her head and had reduced to a mild throbbing, but she could tell. It was still there.
"Damn him!"
As soon as she thought it, a needle of pain shot through her skull. She gazed to her sword, propped up in the corner. Images and memories flooded her head and she held her head. She grabbed her head and cursed him again and again. Mental pain shot through her head, images flashed rapidly before her psyche, amplifying the pain. Tears enveloped her eyes and leaked out the corners.
"Damn you, Kaschey! Vile snake!" she shouted, throwing her bedding with enough force to thump against the wall. That was enough for the door to swing open, leading to Mephisto frantically hobbling to her aid, his cane struggling to keep up with the pace he needed.
"Talulah, are you alright?" he asked with panic in his eyes. He noticed her trying to get out of bed and she felt a hand push down on her core.
"No, let me up. I need to-"
"What you need is to rest! Now lie down or I will force you."
Talulah looked at his face, and what she saw relaxed her muscles. She allowed Mephisto to gently lie her down. After that, she turned away from Mephisto, ashamed to meet his gaze. She felt the bed move, signifying her doctor had taken a seat on the bed. She looked at the bedding and felt her eyes tremble. Her eyes shifted to her hand as it bunched up, fist twitching.
"Some leader I am, huh?" She asked no one in particular.
"That's not true."
"I can't even look after myself."
"Stop it."
"I can't even shake my past, I'm still chained to it…"
"Talulah…"
"At this rate…Patriot should-"
"Enough!" Mephisto shouted. She felt the bed rise behind her. Footsteps and slams of the cane were heard, and she watched as Mephisto's small frame entered her field of view. "Talulah, look at me."
She looked to the sheets below her.
"Look at me!" he commanded, slamming his cane on the ground.
Her eyes met his, a scowl present on his brows with a disapproving frown arched on his lips.
"You're our leader. Patriot didn't unite the tundra, you did. Patriot didn't barter for food and clothes, you did. He didn't give us a chance to fight, you did. Talulah, you gave us a future. You saved the Tundra, and now you're going to give up and hand the torch to Patriot?"
"But-"
"But nothing, where's the Talulah who dreamed? The one who swore she would give us a city, a land, a future? It wasn't that blasted old wendigo parading around the tundra like some folk hero, you made these promises. You're the strongest person I know, and I won't allow you to give up on yourself."
"I see," she said with a warm smile crossing her face. She looked deep inside herself, seeing the embers of her passion and reached out to touch them. Outstanding, there was something left in there after all. By now she had been so convinced they had burned up to nothing but ash. Yet, she saw the embers crackle and glow.
But what could relight it? She looked deep inside her heart. What did she hold dear? She gasped as an image of Alina flashed to her mind and the embers sizzled. Warm liquid streamed down her face and sizzled to steam on the coals of her passion. She tightened her grip, but once she had enough hold to grab Alina she felt something else pull out with it.
Hatred.
Attached to this desire was hatred, wrath, anger. She was angry she had to walk this path without her, wrath flowed in her as she thought about what people would do to her for being infected, she hated those people. She hated them.
A crack sounded as the coals responded to the hatred. Why shouldn't she feel this? They had been wronged, forced to live in hell because they were alive. She hated it. The hatred pulsed in her hands and she dropped it on the coals.
No resistance was given as it began blazing into an inferno.
"Mephisto," she said, looking up to the liberi with a renewed look in her eyes. "Leave the room."
"Very well."
After the door shut, she lifted herself out of bed. She walked to the wardrobe and opened it up. Old and tattered clothes showed, and she looked. As she moved them around, something in the back caught her eye. Reaching out, she removed the old cloth to reveal a dress, neatly folded and kept in remarkably good condition.
Moving it to the bed, she splayed it out and admired it before moving to unbutton her officer uniform. Each button that came undone, she remembered another vile lesson of the snake. Each button felt as though it were a lock on a gate holding her back. Once that gate opened, she donned her new dress.
The old mirror reflected her new form and she looked back to the uniform. She tossed it to the air and snapped her fingers.
In a flash, flames licked and lapped away the cloth to embers and ash. She smiled a little at being free from her past.
Or so she thought.
The door opened to the cabin and she stepped out, the camp's heads turning to see their leader in a new dress, her sword clutched in her hand. She had their attention, good.
"My infected brothers and sisters, I would like to apologize. I am aware that I have worried you, that my condition hindered our push to the south, to a future."
People began streaming in from around camp, listening intently.
"Today, I am glad to announce that thanks to Mephisto's efforts, I have recovered a fading flame. I promised you a future, a path out of this forsaken wasteland they cage us in like animals."
Patriot stood in the trees, like a sentinel. Listening quietly as he took in the words with his expressionless mask.
"Today, I would like to renew my promise. I will lead those willing, out of the tundra. I will show you a new path, a new future. We will no longer live in fear of the patrols and their savagery. Should you have me as your leader, I will promise you that we will not only have a future, but we will have justice for our wrongs. Those of you who have doubts about this plan, you are free to leave. You are free to continue living in the tundra as banished from society. But if you find your backbone, if you're willing, I promise to show you a life with meaning, hope, and happiness."
She paused, and at that moment the old wendigo moved from the trees and walked to her. Those who were ready to cheer halted their celebration. Silence permeated the cold air, leaving only an ominous feeling of foreboding.
Once Patriot was a single step away from Talulah, he stood there, and their eyes locked. Seconds turned to minutes as their breaths crystalized in the cold air as ice. Neither of them said anything for many moments, until a rattling was heard from Patriot's throat.
"The army…waits. Are…you…ready to…face…the loss?"
Talulah straightened her posture and held her arms at her side. She inhaled, gaining some height as she did so. She stared back at Patriot, unflinching, unyielding and responded.
"I am. I am willing to face the losses and the risks of this plan. If we don't try, how can we say we gained anything?"
"...Good. As…a leader…should be," he muttered scratchily to her before turning. When he spoke, his voice was louder, and all across the camp heard it. "The guerillas…shall march. The army…will…face…our might. We…are…Reunion!"
Upon the declaration's end, thumping sound as the earth reverberated. In a synchronization reminiscent to that of war drums, the old wendigo slammed his spear to the earth, making it sing. The guerillas followed suit, the Aegis' shields making the most noise. Chanting soon followed, and the campsite erupted into a chorus of booms and chants.
Inside the newly ignited flame inside Talulah, a sinister grin appeared on the hatred that now fueled her heart, pleased with the outcome.
Author's Note
Ok, so we finally introduced Reunion. To address any confusion about the official Arknights timeline, toss it in the trash. I am re-using the plots to arrange in my own timeline, in case it wasn't obvious enough. Chernobog is going to be a slow, slow, slog of time for anything significant to happen. The main plot in game hasn't even started yet, this is more of my personal prologue. Doctor isn't yet being treated in Chernobog, the riots have just begun, and Reunion is moving south to confront the army to break out of the tundra.
I'd also like to add that Kaschey hasn't yet taken over Talulah fully. He's only latched himself to her hatred and it was Talulah's denial preventing him, thus causing the migraines. I plan to have her transformation to Kaschey be heavily delayed, a slow process in which she doesn't simply roll over and become the Deathless Black Snake. It's not simply going to be a one-sided Kaschey conspiracy to get the Ursus war economy moving against Yan and Lungmen.
Anyways, next chapter we finally get to go back to Lungmen. About two months later in the story's time. Expect exciting things to start, and for some great shenanigans. Maybe some bro bonding about being the only two sane people among a crowd of crazies, get sprayed with durian flavored catnip to end up running from a master of kung fu, or deal with the soap opera rumors of having a dragon and a tiger fighting over you. Anything can happen in this city, especially when the two most chaotic factions are involved. God the animations of those two are something else.
Anyways, I'd like to thank you for reading, and see you next chapter. Expect chaos.