Quick Author's Note
To dragonngo, the uhhh Sarkaz curse is currently too complex for me to tackle so I'll just leave it alone for now. Rule Breaker simply "breaks" magic and contracts. The effects and damages Kaschey laid on Talulah's mind is completely separate from the arts he used to implant himself inside her. The effects were made afterwards. Kaschey is able to return to Talulah because Rule Breaker only cut him out earlier, he can use his magic to return again.
Despite her newly returned freedom, Talulah felt everything but happiness.
The weight of her sins weighed heavily on her. Even if it was Kaschey in control of her body, it was her weakness that led to the current situation. Talulah looked around at the devastation around her. The city burning red, fumes of destruction smeared across the glistening early morning sky, and her friend…former friend…facing her like an enemy.
If it wasn't the numb feeling of her powerlessness against Kaschey, then the feeling of the betrayal she put her friends through was enough to bury her deep into the ground.
Patriot approached her slowly, his face wasn't blank like it normally was. Suspicion was etched on it, Shirou's special dagger held firmly in his grip while he took careful measured steps forward.
"Patriot-" Talulah clamped down on herself forcefully. Her tone was shaky, and Patriot caught on.
"Who are you? Kaschey? Or Talulah?" He demanded with a slightly raised voice. The raspy sound of his infected vocal chords were gone and Talulah was surprised at how deep and powerful his voice was. It should've been expected, considering Patriot used to command Ursus armies. His voice alone demanded respect, order, and attention.
"It's me…the real Talulah." She wiped her eyes, rubbing off the watery tears while fighting the urge to break down and cry.
Patriot stopped a couple of steps away from her. His next few words were carefully chosen. "Tell me something only Talulah would know."
"I-I…I can't. Everything I know…Kaschey knows." Kaschey was already in Talulah's head before she met the Patriot and his group. Since the wraith latched on to her body, everything Talulah went through had been seen. It didn't help that Kaschey read every emotion she experienced, using it against her like a weapon.
"Then tell me something Kaschey wouldn't."
Talulah paused. Her mind went over what Patriot said, piecing together the message.
Tell him something Kaschey wouldn't?
What would Kaschey never tell anyone…?
"Kaschey is doing all this for revenge."
"Revenge?" Patriot repeated.
"Kaschey wanted Lungmen…but when my father and his friends took control of Lungmen from him, he kidnapped me and threatened to destroy the city…that was two decades ago." Kaschey told her the story once. He wanted Talulah to understand why her father pissed him off so much.
With Lungmen under Kaschey's control, he could've done more damage to Yan. Sneak agents into the country, weaken the border, infiltrate imperial archives…
The damage would've been massive. Not enough to damage Yan, but enough for Ursus to have sunk their claws into Yan's fringes and clawed out an advantage when war erupted.
"How do you know that?" Patriot wasn't sure how much he could believe, but his sixth sense hadn't gone off yet. It also didn't seem like Kaschey would share anything personal with anyone. Patriot had noticed that Talulah became distant in the past few years, sharing nothing personal aside from her thoughts on matters, and even then they were expertly crafted to push a narrative.
Patriot recognized the telltale signs of politics, since he had also been mired in it during his time as a general in Ursus. Though, he attributed it to Talulah's education under Kaschey.
To think that it was Kaschey in control of Talulah's body…
"Kaschey told me." Talulah was holding herself better now, keeping her emotions in check now that she had something to distract her.
"He told you. How." Patriot demanded.
"We share the body…he's been inside me ever since I killed him. Everything I see and experienced, Kaschey also sees. We can feel each other's presence…hear each other think."
Patriot stared at her for a few moments. Talulah couldn't tell what he was thinking behind the serious expression, but she could see him piece together something.
"Can you feel Kaschey right now?"
"No. Not since that dagger was used on me." Talulah looked at the weird weapon. It didn't look like it belonged anywhere on the battlefield. Too fancy. It looked more like an artifact that would've been stolen and sold.
"How about arts?" Patriot remembered Shirou threatening Talulah with losing all her powers using the dagger. He was hesitant to use it with the implication that it permanently crippled a person's ability to use arts.
Talulah regained control of her breathing, forcing herself to calm down and look inside herself. She could still feel the unmolded energy inside her, mana which was used to fuel her burning flames. There was something new as well, something like a roaring river rushing into her core, flooding her body with energy and power that didn't feel normal. Pushing aside her discovery for later, Talulah focused on casting magic.
Fire begins from a small cinder. A small spark of combustion, before eating fuel like wood and burning oxygen to grow in size. Without fuel and air, fire wouldn't survive. The same could be said for her fire magic. Talulah needed to create a small combustion, a small spark to begin the process before she pumped mana into the spell to strengthen it. Fire didn't burst into existence, it needed to be created then charged.
She funneled mana into her hands, creating a spark of flame.
Patriot was quiet while Talulah was speechless. She believed Shirou after Kaschey disappeared from her mind. She had expected not to cast magic, yet was still able to.
"Shirou said it would take away my arts…" Talulah whispered.
"He was threatening Kaschey. His arts controlled your body." Patriot surmised.
Talulah looked away. She didn't have the strength to tell Patriot that it was all her fault. The Reunion she knew was gone- warped by Kaschey because Talulah couldn't even face him anymore.
Weak. Pathetic. She didn't deserve to live.
The flame in her hand sputtered away, Talulah clenching her fist weakly before it dropped down.
"If Kaschey is gone, then you can help us." Patriot still kept Rule Breaker out. He believed Talulah, but the general in him always kept an eye on everyone- including allies. "Can you put out the fires?" Patriot wasn't going to immediately give her any role near the Shieldguards or Yeti Squadron. They saw her as an enemy. It would be too much too fast. Stopping fires would be a good start to make it easier for his forces to traverse the city.
At the same time, it was to keep Talulah under watch. It could still be Kaschey disguising himself as Talulah…or worse, Talulah acting under his orders. The emotions he saw were true, but it could all still be an act.
Talulah reluctantly nodded and looked around them. Several of the fires she made were still blazing, literally consuming the city around them. She reached out and was surprised at how effortless it was. Normally, the further the fires were, the more she had to focus. For some reason, her perception had improved to further her range and control. The fires in the battlefield around them died in moments, but Talulah was convinced she could reach the inferno a few streets over.
"How will you stop the city?" Talulah looked at Patriot. "Kaschey forced me to melt the key. I don't know how Shirou has a copy, but what if it doesn't work?"
"FrostNova will freeze the engines."
"That only slows down the city, but even her arts won't be enough to stop the city engines." They were simply far too large and too strong. Any ice FrostNova makes would only cool down the engines. They were designed to push thousands of tons for long periods of time. The girl could damage them, but that also risked blowing them up-
"You really sent FrostNova to destroy the engines…" Talulah didn't really believe it. Kaschey predicted that idea and sent a large force to defend the engines, but even Talulah considered it below FrostNova's power to destroy them.
"…"
The message was clear. Patriot fully expected to die if the plan failed. There wouldn't be enough time to escape the city with all the fighting and how close they were to Lungmen.
Talulah understood that the same idea must've crossed FrostNova's mind. The same for that weird archer as well. They were all here fighting until the end.
Fighting until the end.
Shame pooled within her gut, her consciousness weighing heavily on the spirit. If she hadn't grown this weak then all the lives on Chernobog…
"Move." Patriot nodded his head in a direction. "If Shirou's plan fails, we use the engines."
Talulah realized what direction
Maybe, this was the world showing her how she could redeem her sins. She could stop Chernobog from crashing into Lungmen, but that meant sacrificing everyone aboard the barreling city- including herself.
Talulah slowly closed her eyes. This was fine. After all the blood on her hands…she didn't really have a life worth living. If they reached the engines and saw that Shirou had failed to turn them off, then this was the last option. At least after everything, Lungmen would be saved. Kaschey's plan was ruined, and war between Ursus and Yan avoided.
Oddly enough, the thought of death to redeem herself felt fitting.
A spec of movement on the peripheral of her vision drew her eye. Talulah and Patriot both glanced at the grey object in the distance flying over Chernobog at speed. The city fires illuminated its side and showed an insignia they were both very familiar with.
That was the last moment Talulah saw before her body slipped from her control.
Kal'tsit looked around her to assess the state of the operators. So far, no critical injuries have been spotted, but a few sustained damage that would restrict operational efficiency.
"Everyone with injuries remain here." She quickly ordered. They would slow down the others. Better to keep them around to safeguard the ship. "Secure the aircraft and help our pilots repair it. The rest split between Amiya and me."
While Kal'tsit was barking out orders, the Doctor was already sending out drones to patrol the area. They flew above them and started scanning the surrounding streets on his PRTS device.
"We need to deal with whatever shot us out of the sky. We can't leave until it's gone." Rin clicked her tongue with annoyance. She had bigger problems to deal with, but the threat of a servant-level enemy shooting them down came first.
"My team will head for the control tower." Kal'tsit spoke first. "Join Amiya and search for the source of that attack."
Rin shot Kal'tsit a determined expression. "Sakura's in that tower. You're not getting anywhere close. It's too dangerous."
"I can say the same for you. If you go and we lose you, who else do we have who can talk to her?" Kal'tsit argued back. "We can't lose you. You know how to deal with your sister, but we don't. Better to have you close to the aircraft for evacuation." Not that they were evacuating any time soon.
"But…!" Amiya's voice rose. She had lost the Doctor before; she didn't want to lose her other parental figure. "Miss Rin says it's too dangerous!"
"We came to stop Chernobog, Amiya. Everywhere is dangerous. That just means we have to pick our fights. Securing the control tower is our priority. If we don't try, Chernobog will crash into Lungmen."
Amiya bit her lip quietly. She knew what they were getting into. Rhodes Island was going in with a last-ditch effort to stop an impending disaster, and that everyone's lives were at stake. But knowing and confronting it was different. The weight of the situation didn't settle on you until it was right in front of you.
One wrong move and lives would be lost- and not just theirs. Lungmen and its people were just several dozen kilometers away.
"Please retreat if the situation is too dangerous." Amiya mumbled.
Kal'tsit heard the young girl's words and sighed to herself. "Of course. I wouldn't take unnecessary risks." Not to mention who would navigate the fallout for Rhodes Island? They were right next to the disaster. Ursus and Yan would be looking for a target before they focused on each other. The chances of Rhodes Island becoming the scapegoat were high.
She looked at Rin who was in the middle of making a decision.
"Skadi. Specter. Ensure that she stays with the group."
Rin glanced at the two operators. From being the help of Rhodes Island, they instantly became her wardens. She could try to break off, but running in the middle of a battlefield without support was Shirou's thing. Not hers.
"Please tell us anything that can hold back Sakura." Kal'tsit asked.
"There isn't. Everything entirely depends on her fighting the curse. Holy artifacts might help, but they don't last long. They buy you seconds at best." Rin sighed.
Kal'tsit nodded. That gave her more information on what they were up against. It would be valuable for the upcoming danger.
"Everyone, good luck."
.
.
.
Something was wrong.
Kal'tsit looked at her map. She marked several areas where they spotted fires during their flight over Chernobog. These areas were hotspots of activity that she intended to avoid. So far, most of them were confined to major avenues, leaving her group free to navigate the side alleys and streets.
Fires implied there was combat. Likely opposing factions within the Reunion.
The drones flew over empty streets. Judging from the damage she saw, the fights had been going on for a while. Hours from the looks of it.
But there was something missing.
Where are the bodies?
Kal'tsit looked closer at the screen. The video feed showed no casualties. Lots of blood, but nothing that looked anything close to fallen bodies or parts thereof. Battlefields weren't devoid of casualties. There were always unfortunate souls to be found.
What was going on?
It was extremely unlikely that both sides were just cleaning up their dead. Not in the middle of battle. Even after combat, some bodies were still left behind because it was too dangerous to recover them. Enemies were always lurking about keeping an eye on areas.
That was another issue. Kal'tsit couldn't help but feel things were getting too quiet. They hadn't run into any stragglers escaping combat. They were usually in buildings around the conflict zone. Their absence was noteworthy and Kal'tsit was beginning to be suspicious.
"Ma'am, movement spotted." One of her operators notified the group. He held binoculars and was looking through them at a demolished building across their position.
"Ace, with me." Kal'tsit called one of her elites. Ace had the most experience of everyone in the group second only to her. "We're going to check."
"Ma'am?" The same operator asked questionably.
"We're not engaging. I just want to investigate personally. If we find the revolting faction, then it'll be better if we can establish contact or find out what's going on. If it's the Reunion…" Well, Kal'tsit didn't need to say what would happen next. She wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty.
The operators around her understood why she went silent. This was a battlefield. Considering how much the Reunion hated Rhodes Island, their presence was better kept hidden to avoid being hunted down.
"I'll go first then." Ace repositioned to the adjacent wall and peeked through the shattered window. "Other side?" He asked.
"No movement either, sir." The spotter on the other side of the window shifted slightly. Their positions allowed them to peek through in a crisscrossed manner without exposing them outside.
Ace nodded before beginning a countdown. He burst through the broken doorway and ran full sprint across the street. He dived into the building adjacent where the movement was spotted. When crossing was confirmed safe, Kal'tsit followed shortly afterward.
"Kal, you noticed it too right?" Ace shot her a look once they were within safety.
"I'm assuming you mean the lack of bodies. Yes, I did." Kal'tsit followed behind him as they approached the target from another angle. "The lack of combat in the vicinity as well. There are still fires, but we haven't run into small contingents either. The closer we are to the center of the city, the more Reunion members there should be."
Ace nodded in agreement. He was sure that the rest of the operators had also noticed the same details. They continued to sneak closer until a scuffling sound came out from the rooms in the hallway ahead. He raised a hand pointed at one of the rooms while at the same time motioning for Kal'tsit to stay back while he went first. Kal'tsit would've sent her little guardian in first, but in such close quarters, it was likely to bring down the ceiling on them.
He slowly peeked through the doorway with his shield in front. Kal'tsit watched from further back. When Ace froze at the door, she moved closer and peered from behind him.
"All those bodies…" Her companion's voice shook a little.
Kal'tsit didn't know what to say.
Inside the room, some sort of black sludge was on the ground, slowly absorbing two clearly dead fighters, probably locked in combat until their end just a few moments earlier.
"Back!" Kal'tsit hissed. They retreated hastily back into the hallway, but when nothing happened, returned to the doorway to look inside.
"Gone. They're just…gone." Ace mumbled worriedly. The dead bodies a few moments earlier were gone now. The only signs that a fight happened in the room was the bloodstains left behind.
"…we need to reach the city control tower. Now. We're not staying here a moment longer." Kal'tsit ordered.
.
.
.
They raced through the city at speed.
Cover didn't matter any longer. Not when The Reunion and the opposing faction had their hands full with the dark sludge. Fights broke up quickly and both sides were wary to continue after watching their comrades get swallowed.
"Ma'am."
"I know."
Kal'tsit took over one of the drones and sent them to where the sudden flash of yellow light appeared. The camera footage locked on to the area and a recognizeable tuft of blonde hair appeared on her screen.
"Everyone. We are diverting from our route to pick up operator Nearl." Kal'tsit barked out. "East, half a kilometer out."
Surprise shook the group, but was quickly calmed down. Nearl was one of the most skilled operators on the landship. Everyone knew of her. New operators came to her for training, and the former Kazimierzian knight was happy to teach them the ropes. When word spread that Nearl was captured during the Chernobog extraction, numerous members aboard the landship voiced to have the Pegasus rescued. Just like Amiya, Kal'tsit shut them all down.
It took them a couple minutes to jog there. Fortunately, Nearl was busy holding off what appears to be the same dark sludge Kal'tsit and Ace ran into. The knight was swinging a glowing sword at the mud which retreated into the ground.
Nearl's ears twitched in their direction as they arrived. She spun around, holding up the glowing sword filled with her arts at them. Her eyes widened when she realized who they were, and sagged in relief. She looked tired, but that didn't stop her from trying to rescue more civilians from the Reunion camps.
"Kal'tsit…everyone…" Nearl exhaled, her expression carried a multitude of emotions that she couldn't express properly. She shook visibly, her body releasing some of the stress over the past few weeks. Just the familiar sight of the Rhodes Island uniform gave Nearl some relief.
"Operator Nearl. How is your condition? Did the Reunion torture you?" Kal'tsit immediately asked for the knight's status. She rarely expressed worry in such an outwardly manner. Kal'tsit was a strict boss, but she carried a lot of their respect.
"...no. The Reunion didn't do anything…" Nearl looked at each of them, slowly taking in everyone before she returned her gaze to Kal'tsit. "If you came to rescue me, then this is a bad time." It was the worst time. Chernobog was a warzone, and that was not including the sudden appearance of the dark mud. Worse when Nearl couldn't explain what it was. It came out of nowhere and swallowed corpses. Fighting it was impossible until she used her power against it.
"We're heading to the control tower. If you have the energy, then we need your help." Kal'tsit briefly looked over Nearl. She couldn't see anything under the girl's clothes, but the rest of her examination told her that the knight was far from collapsing. From seeing Nearl push back the sludge, she was their best hope so far.
"I'll come with you." Nearl made up her mind on the spot. She last saw Shirou heading for the control tower. During that time, she had freed a couple more camps until the dark sludge appeared.
"Good. We don't have much time. We're heading for the control center to stop the city." Kal'tsit's attention drew to the new weapons Nearl was carrying. The sword and shield looked like nothing she had ever seen before. Did Nearl grab them from the Reunion? The Reunion must've pillaged quite the vault to have collected such unique artifacts. Kal'tsit didn't recognize their appearance.
Nearl noticed the glances the operators were shooting at the weapons she carried. She understood what was on their minds as they didn't look anything like the gear she used.
"These were given to me by Shirou."
"...Shirou?" Kal'tsit blinked. "Shirou Emiya? The Fuyuki Doctor?"
The blonde Kuranta nodded. "They kind of just appeared out of midair." Shirou hadn't told her anything, but Nearl had several guesses to what kind of Arts he used. Maybe some temporal storage? Arts did the impossible on a daily basis.
"You've met one of the doctors. That's good. We last heard that he was at the control tower. It seems like you can push back whatever this sludge is, so help us secure him and the control center."
Nearl didn't even need to weigh her choices. Stopping Chernobog would save more lives than searching for more civlians.
"How fast can you run?"
Ch'en blinked at her new boss.
"Normal pace. I can't run fast like Kuranta." Lungmen's Guard Department were a mix of races, but most of them were more average on the bell curve. A small few could count themselves fast compared to everyone.
"Be prepared to run." Rin wasn't going to stick around after they dealt with the attacker. "We'll have to find a way to shake off the operators."
"Are you sure?" Ch'en was thinking how wrong everything could easily go. They were in unknown territory with threats from all sides. Not up to and including her employer's sister that was apparently hosting some ancient curse or something.
"You left Lungmen to chase your sister, did you not?" Rin fired back at Ch'en.
Touche.
Ch'en couldn't argue with that. She clamped down on her thoughts and began considering how they could escape Rhodes Island. They were heavily outnumbered, and while Ch'en was good at fighting, it wouldn't amount to much against superior numbers. So, escape was the priority. An opportunity would open itself when the aircraft's attacker was found, probably their best chance at running.
Ch'en looked around. Behind her, she saw Skadi and Specter shadowing Rin. Kal'tsit referred to them as elite operators, so Ch'en placed them on top of the list to watch out for. She didn't know how strong they were, but their weapons suggested they fought melee like she did.
They headed in the direction the attack came from. It wasn't far. The Rhodes Island aircraft performed an emergency landing less than half a kilometer away after the hit. Going further was too risky with such an impact. Ch'en doubted the pilots and operators left behind would make much progress repairing the ship. Maybe enough to patch it for a quick flight away from the city, maybe even far enough to escape the explosion should Chernobog reach Lungmen.
What was I thinking…
Talulah. That's what she came here for. Ch'en needed to confront her sister for answers. Why did she do all this? What for. What did Talulah-
Her thoughts were interrupted when the ground shook. The group saw a plume of smoke erupt in the distance, including the familiar sound of an explosion.
"Everyone, spread out! Stay hidden and behind buildings!" Amiya shouted. "Doctor, don't fly the drones close. We can't have them spotted or else we'll be exposed.
Ch'en agreed with Amiya. The drones were a dead giveaway considering the Reunion didn't look like they were employing any. The opposing factions in Chernobog would've marked them immediately as an outside party getting involved.
"Miss Rin, please stay with me and Doctor." Amiya turned towards them. "Doctor will keep us safe."
Ch'en could see the amount of trust the young girl had for the cloaked figure. Considering Amiya was one of Rhodes Island's leaders, then this Doctor must be very capable. That was bad. Rin and Ch'en were trapped between them and two elite operators. But since everyone was splitting into smaller groups, escaping would be easier.
Rin went along with Amiya's request. Ch'en had no choice but to silently step in rhythm behind her. They had little incentive to break their cover now. Act along, and wait for an opportunity. Around them, the other operators grouped up in smaller teams and moved to other flanks while some sort of battle continued ahead of them.
"There's no doubt about it, our attacker is fighting someone." Rin commented while they snuck behind some street rubble. They didn't enter the buildings closer to the fight. Attacks were crashing into buildings every few seconds. Ch'en watched with wide eyes as the one particular building's front collapsed in front of them, superheated and melting with a fiery glow.
"I-It's even stronger than Talulah!" Amiya trembled. "Talulah wasn't able to use attacks that strong this fast. We know because we've met her once before!"
"How strong is Talulah?" Ch'en couldn't help but scramble to find out more about her long lost sister.
"Well, she created an attack on this level once…it melted through an entire building in front of us." Amiya explained. "But it was nowhere this fast…she usually needed to charge if she wanted them stronger."
"There's someone fighting our attacker." Rin's observation drew everyone's attention. "They're at least on an equal level considering that the fight hasn't ended."
Ch'en inaudibly swallowed. Her throat felt dry, and it wasn't even caused by the heat. Just considering how powerful the fighters were made her wary of getting too close.
"Nobody can get closer. It's too dangerous for us to peek at whoever's fighting." Amiya informed everyone while she listened to the comms from the other teams. "We'll have to risk using the drones and hope they don't notice."
"They won't. Not if they're locked in combat like this." The Doctor murmured lowly. It was the first time Ch'en heard the Doctor speak. His words were right. When fighting a strong opponent, all their attention must be on the fight. Spotting a small speck in the sky while trying to fight someone would be very difficult.
"Okay…if you say so…" Amiya crouched beside the Doctor. Ch'en inched closer along with the rest, peeking over their shoulders as the drone flew slightly above the skyline. The screen was quick to show the wanton destruction. Huge swathes of fire, craters, scattered debris, it looked like an Originium storm raged through the area.
The camera skipped over the chaos and zoomed in on the two figures fighting. One was significantly larger than the other, leaping and dashing all over the place. The other-
"How…" Amiya whispered. "Was she holding back before…?"
"You mean-?!" Ch'en stared. Was that really Talulah? She could've easily breached Lungmen's walls within hours. Then again, the turret range of Lungmen would've reached her before she came anywhere within launching distance of her fireballs. Still, the amount of power shown was shocking.
"Do you know who she's fighting?" Rin eyed the other hulking fighter. He was dodging Talulah's shots with leaps and intercepting them with debris. The person shoved their hand straight into hot concrete and flung the slab straight at the girl. Talulah intercepted the large slab with an equally large fireball, causing an explosion where they met.
"That's Patriot! They're supposed to be allies!"
A wave of fire burst from Talulah, but the hulking general dispersed it with a shockwave created from slamming his hands together. He dashed in at the gap, but fell back again when Talulah created a sea of fire around her.
"Amiya, there's a Reunion group coming." The Doctor flipped to another screen, showing the drone footage of white-cloaked figures rushing towards the battle. At the lead was a grey-haired girl with similar features to Amiya.
Ch'en watched Amiya's expression as she fought an inner turmoil before it morphed into a determined one.
"Doctor, let's talk with them."
"What are you planning?" Rin raised an eyebrow.
"FrostNova is aligned to Patriot who's fighting Talulah. I think we can join forces and find a way to beat Talulah together. She's too dangerous to be left alone." Amiya explained.
Ch'en glanced at the explosions happening behind the buildings covering their position. She was hesitant to work with the Reunion, but Rhodes Island didn't have the means to tackle Talulah right now. Even if they jumped in the fight with a plan, the outcome would be all of them getting taken out.
Talulah is so strong…
How did she get so strong? Ch'en felt a little foolish now. She came to Chernobog to confront Talulah, but the power was beyond her league. Ch'en was sure that she was outclassed even if she managed to use Chi Xiao's power against her sister. Maybe if she managed to draw on all of Chi Xiao's power, then perhaps Ch'en could reach Talulah's level. As she was now, Ch'en would be decimated in a battle.
"Skadi, Specter, please don't make any aggressive moves. We have to show that we're looking to work together!" Amiya called out to them. Skadi gave a blank nod, but Specter's face morphed into a wide smile, showing her shark-like teeth. Amiya's expression twitched nervously, unsure if the enemy would consider Specter's attempt at being friendly helpful.
"You shall not worry, Amiya." Specter's soft voice answered with a weird tone. Ch'en couldn't help but feel something wrong. For some reason, the girl seemed at ease on the battlefield. Her friend was just as vacant judging from how the second white-haired girl's expression remained blank. "Good acts will be paid in kind. We will succeed."
Ch'en stared. She observed Amiya's troubled expression, but didn't push the issue. Focusing ahead, she thought about how the young leader would approach the incoming Reunion general. Ch'en was not great at negotiations. Her style was always 'shoot first, ask later' and it's gotten her into some troubling situations over the years. Usually it was the others like Hoshiguma to hold her back, but she was alone here. Ch'en had no choice but to watch all her moves and act safely.
Except her new boss was acting impulsively in her opinion.
…and soon she was about to do the same.
Talulah was right there. Right in front of her. If Rin ordered Ch'en to come along with her, would she?
No.
Ch'en would stay. She needed to meet Talulah. To at least talk with her sister once.
Author's Note
…
February and March was busy…even by my standards. Just one chapter released and I feel disappointed in myself. This chapter was also bad by my standards, I didn't know how to improve this one. Might need to reset my brain with another fic if I want to make Chernobog end with quality. I was stuck at 95% completion for about two weeks before I gave up on polishing this update.
This chapter (and next couple) has been brought to you by Unoriginal Name and Dovar. Very very special thanks to all of you because it really helped me a lot.
Special thanks to beta readers Old Man of The Mountain and Astobi (Theresa's Ex)!
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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