Disclaimer: I not own Arknight just the story.
"Thanks," Eris said, slinging her new weapon over her shoulder and securing the parts. With one last glance around the workshop, she headed back to Lungmen.
As soon as she arrived at Penguin Logistics, she was greeted by Exusiai at the entrance. "Eris? You're back!" Exusiai exclaimed, her usual energy brightened the atmosphere.
"Yeah, I am," Eris responded casually.
"How was Laterano?" Exusiai asked with curiosity.
"Still the same, I guess," Eris replied, shrugging. She glanced at the cargo Exusiai was carrying and pointed at it. "Looks like you've got deliveries to make."
"Oh, right! I almost forgot about these!" Exusiai said, laughing as she realized her distraction. "Tell me all the details when I get back, okay?" She hurriedly loaded the cargo into a car.
Eris nodded as Exusiai rushed off, then made her way to the Penguin Logistics office, heading straight for the room where she could finally unwind. It felt good to be back, but her mind was still buzzing with the events from Laterano. Now she just needed a moment to breathe.
"So, nothing surprising happened there?" The Emperor, the boss of Penguin Logistics, asked as he leaned back in his chair.
"Laterano's Pope kept his word, and the payment from Laterano was delivered while you were resting. Here's your cut." He handed Eris a stack of LMDs.
"Thanks, boss," Eris said, taking the money with a nod.
"Alright, you're free for the rest of the day after your long journey," the Emperor said, dismissing her with a wave of his hand.
Eris took his cue and decided to spend some time on the office rooftop, where she could inspect the new weapon Spuria had given her. She needed some fresh air and a moment to unwind after the chaos of her recent adventures.
"There you are, Eris!" Exusiai exclaimed as she came through the door, her usual cheerful demeanor shining through.
"Done with your deliveries?" Eris replied, looking up from her weapon.
"Of course! All done. Also, I brought some snacks," Exusiai said, holding up a small bag.
"Wow, that's some serious firepower," Exusiai said, walking over to get a closer look at Eris' new custom weapon. She held up the snacks she brought, tossing one to Eris, who caught it effortlessly. "Looks sleek, Spuria outdid herself."
Eris gave a small nod, her focus still on the weapon. "Yeah, I helped her iron out some of the technical issues. She made this for me as a 'thank you'-something personal."
"That's awesome! She's not one to hand out custom weapons easily," Exusiai replied, impressed. She leaned on the railing of the rooftop, looking out over Lungmen's skyline. "So, anything else wild happen while you were there? Other than, you know, solving gun-related science problems?"
"Not much," Eris said with a smirk, though her mind briefly flashed back to Mostima and Fiammeta's tense moments. "Mostly business as usual... and a few emotional messes I wasn't directly involved in."
Exusiai took a bite of her snack and raised an eyebrow. "Emotional messes, huh? Sounds like drama."
"Let's just say Mostima and Fiammeta are working through some things." Eris shrugged, brushing the subject off. "But it's none of my business."
Exusiai chuckled. "Well, it's good you're back. Things are never as fun around here without you."
Eris finally cracked a grin. "Good to know I bring some 'fun' into the chaos."
"Always," Exusiai said. "Anyway, you should relax for a bit. You've earned it. And hey, if you want to test that beauty out, just say the word-I know a few good spots."
Eris glanced down at her new weapon, feeling its weight in her hands. "I might just take you up on that."
The next day, the Emperor assigned a special mission to Eris, Exusiai, Texas, Croissant, and Sora-to help Rhodes Island transport the logistics needed to evacuate the civilians and personnel who had survived the Chernobog incident.
"That was a bit sudden-I just got back," Eris remarked as she listened to the briefing.
"What can we do? We have to do it," replied Exusiai with her characteristic resolve.
After several rounds of briefing and the division of teams, they all set off for Chernobog. Along the way, Eris learned that they were to stop at Rhodes Island first. "Ugh, do we really have to go there first?" she asked, a note of reluctance in her voice.
Exusiai shrugged. "What else? They're the ones with the operation details," she replied. "For now, let's put that aside, okay," she added.
Once they regrouped, Kaltsit took the floor. "Alright, everyone, here is the operation we will carry out," she began, explaining the mission details and outlining several objectives they needed to achieve.
As the plans unfolded, Eris leaned over to Texas, who was standing beside her, and asked, "Who is that?"
"That's Dr. Kaltsit, Amiya's assistant and the most important person at Rhodes Island," Texas replied.
With the mission briefing complete and the team assembled, they set off.
After arriving at their destination, Eris surveyed the devastation wrought upon Chernobog by Reunion. "Hmm... just like Manhattan," she mused, her thoughts drifting back to the days she fought in Manhattan, New York-back when she was still on Earth with her Transcendence comrades.
"What's wrong?" asked Exusiai.
"It's nothing-just a moment of remembering the past," Eris replied.
"Is there anywhere like Chernobog out there?" Exusiai pressed.
"Hmm, maybe... most war-torn places tend to look like this," Eris answered softly.
Once they reached the city, the team immediately set up an evacuation route. Texas and Eris were assigned to oversee the perimeter, working alongside operators from Rhodes Island.
"So, this is Reunion," Eris commented, eyeing the remnants of the enemy-most of whom were now afflicted with Oripathy.
"Nothing personal, just business," she added grimly as she took down several Reunion militants. "How are conditions over there?" a Rhodes Island operator asked over the radio, addressing Texas and Eris.
"We've swept the perimeter around the location, and it seems secure," Eris replied steadily. "I'm moving into the next zone now to locate the agents and surviving civilians."
"Understood, Eris from Penguin Logistics. You are cleared to proceed to the next zone," the operator confirmed.
Eris cut the radio connection and immediately set off, eyes scanning every corner of the devastated area. After about 30 minutes of careful searching, she spotted several rescue objectives trapped in a drainage tunnel.
"Penguin Logistics to all units: Rhodes Island is conducting a rescue operation. Please follow me," Eris called out as she reached the group, holding up her Penguin Logistics ID for verification.
With that, the rescued agents and civilians began to follow her. However, a building suddenly collapsed from an explosion, blocking their path. "What the hell?!" Eris shouted as she quickly altered their route, though tragically, several civilians were crushed under the falling debris. "Fall back and take cover," she ordered firmly over the comms.
Out of the chaos, a mysterious voice crackled over the radio. "I never saw someone like you at Rhodes Island-are you one of that doctor's lackeys?" The voice was cold and mocking, and soon a figure emerged: a Sarkaz Reunion mercenary known only as W.
Eris remained silent, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the threat. "Oh, a quiet type, huh?" W sneered before promptly lobbing a C4 explosive toward them. In a heartbeat, Eris retaliated-her custom weapon roared to life, its precise shots aimed to mitigate the blast's impact.
Not missing a beat, Eris drew her USP 45 to force W to retreat, even tossing a grenade for diversion. In a flash, she closed the distance, engaging in close-quarters combat with her military knife. With fluid, calculated movements, she cornered W.
"Who is this punk?" W thought in disbelief as Eris seemed to anticipate every move she made. Her fighting style was unnervingly precise-the unmistakable mark of a Transcendence. In mere moments, she predicted and countered his every attack, leaving her scrambling in her wake.
The clash intensified, the air charged with adrenaline and the echoes of distant explosions. Eris launched a swift kick at W's left side, but she managed to block it. In the blink of an eye, she spun and thrust her knife toward her stomach, ensuring her spinning kick drove the blade in. While W was preoccupied with that maneuver, Eris seized the opportunity-she grabbed W's own bomb and hurled it back at her. The explosion sent W sprawling, and amidst the chaos, he muttered to himself, "Damn it... What the hell is she a Sankta? I've never seen a Sankta fight so brilliantly and agilely."
Before W could recover, four precise shots from her USP 45 rattled her, effectively subduing her. Determined to take her to Rhodes Island, Eris moved in to secure her-until suddenly, a shadowy figure emerged. It was W's friend, known as ClownSlayer, an assassin with lightning-fast mobility, who arrived just in time to pull W to safety.
Eris hesitated, considering whether to press the attack, but decided it was best to retreat. ClownSlayer smirked as he glanced at W, remarking, "Whew, who is that? If I hadn't intervened, you'd be finished, W."
W, still catching her breath, managed a reluctant chuckle. "I don't want to thank you, but you really saved me, ClownSlayer."
"That's for later," ClownSlayer replied coolly. "For now, let's pull back."
Eris lowered her weapon, watching as ClownSlayer led the injured W away. Satisfied that the encounter was over for now, she silently resolved to report the incident and regroup with her team.
"Eris to base-proceeding to the evacuation point with the objective, over," Eris reported through the radio. Meanwhile, W had already begun healing himself using her Originium Arts.
"What's up with her, ClownSlayer?" one of the Reunion members asked over the comm.
"Ah, W just finished fighting a pretty tough opponent-SkullShatter," ClownSlayer replied coolly to the Reunion operative known as SkullShatter.
"Did anyone manage to corner you? Incredible-what tribe is that Sarkaz from?" SkullShatter pressed.
"She's not Sarkaz-I didn't see her using Arts. She seems to be from Rhodes Island. Maybe she's a Sankta," W answered.
"Sankta, huh?" SkullShatter commented with a tone of grudging respect.
The scene shifted once more as Eris returned with the rescue objectives, joined by the rest of the Rhodes Island team. Their mission appeared to have been a success, and soon they were back aboard the Rhodes Island mothership.
"Thank you, everyone. The mission went smoothly," Amiya announced during the closing briefing. The members from Penguin Logistics then dispersed back to their respective bases.
Later, in Amiya's office, a quiet conversation unfolded. Amiya turned to Eris, holding a file that detailed the encounter with mercenary W. "Eris, according to your report-did you really fight her?" she asked. Seated beside the mysterious Doctor-a figure that stirred something familiar in Eris-Amiya's tone was both inquisitive and authoritative.
"Yes, I did," Eris replied simply, glancing down at the file.
"We thought that W might have sabotaged the operation this time, but your contribution was significant—you held her off remarkably, Eris," Amiya said.
"Hmm, okay. Then?" Eris replied.
"We're considering recruiting you into Rhodes Island as an official operator, rather than through our partner, Penguin Logistics," Amiya continued.
"Hmmm, it seems I have to decline that," Eris answered coolly.
"Why?" Amiya asked, her tone laced with curiosity. Before Eris could reply further, the Doctor interjected, "We respect your decision, but know that if you ever choose to join us, the door to Rhodes Island will always remain open."
"Alright, I request permission to leave," Eris stated, rising from her seat and exiting the room. She quickly made her way back to Penguin Logistics.
As she walked, she muttered under her breath, "Heh, joining forces with a bunch of crazy scientists—no thanks," a final remark that underscored her decision as she headed back to her familiar world at Penguin Logistics...
Hello there FantasiaWillow here. Here's the new chapter like always R/R