Chapter 19

=== RHODES ISLAND ===

When Mudrock asked to be brought to their leader, she didn't expect to be this way.

The Sarkaz fighter was dragged along in the dust by her captor- the same white-haired operator who smashed through her rock golems like they were sand. Mudrock knew her earthen armor was heavy, it slowed her down considerably when the Sarkaz didn't use arts to manipulate the armor during combat. Yet, the girl just dragged her along at walking pace without looking winded at all.

Seriously, just how strong was this girl?

They were given looks by the LGD personnel as the Rhodes Island operator dragged her behind the lines. They were left alone for the most part aside from one officer who asked what she was being dragged for.

"She's a prisoner." Her captor walked past the LGD officer.

The trip was a relatively short one, but it was enough to destroy her dignity. Mudrock considered how the option of dying was better than being dragged around like a sack of potatoes instead. The suffering soon ended when they stopped in front of two individuals busy standing over a modified station.

The two figures paused from giving out orders.

"Amiya. Doctor." Skadi kept her vice-like grip on Mudrock's collar. "This is the Reunion captain who surrendered."

The captain looked at the two. One was a young female Cautus while the other was covered from head to toe in a medical suit.

She didn't know who was who until one of them spoke.

"Doctor, let me handle this." The smaller of the two stepped forward.

Mudrock's eyes widened within her suit. When she heard that one of Rhodes Island's leaders was a kid, she doubted it. The Sarkaz was convinced that they were fooled.

Not anymore.

"You're...the leader?"

"Yes." Amiya confirmed. "You're a captain?"

"The Reunion was following his commands." Skadi confirmed beside her.

Mudrock always kept her voice neutral. In combination with her mud arts, it didn't come off as anything that hinted she was a girl. Just the way Mudrock wanted it.

"Skadi said you had information."

"I do."

Amiya narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "I'm afraid that depends. The last time we believed in the Reunion, your leader turned on her own words afterward."

She would only take the information at face value. Amiya's mind played the events of their escape from Chernobog for a brief moment before she returned back to the matter at hand.

"I am not like her."

"That remains to be seen. We will still have to confirm your information."

Mudrock didn't have much in the way of proving her words.BShe hadn't planned past this stage. Her priority had been to find Rhodes Island and engage them in conversation. Now that she was captured, it would be suspicious if the Reunion's plans crumbled right after the Mudrock squad deserted.

Wait...

"Once I give you the information, the Reunion will hunt us down once they figure out I deserted."

Amiya's expression hardened.

"The Reunion will kill deserters. Me and my squad wanted to leave for some time now." Mudrock continued. "They'll make us examples- just like the others who tried to run."

With Talulah, it was to the death. There was no other option. Her diehard loyalists took her words to heart, eager to punish deserters on their own.

It was how the Reunion dealt with deserters like them.

"...and if we trust you?" Amiya asked.

"Then you'll stop the commanders from flanking Lungmen's walls."

The Doctor behind Amiya perked.

"Only the commanders Mephisto and Skullshatterer have been spotted so far."

They had considered that the other commanders were outside helping the attack on the walls, or were hiding while they commanded the Reunion inside Lungmen. But the LGD's network had yet to pick up on the enemy radio signals. There was a possibility the Reunion just opted for other less effective means of communication, or had planned for situations ahead to make the forces self-reliant.

"You're missing 2 others. Crownslayer and Faust."

It made sense in Mudrock's mind. Crownslayer and Faust were better at sneaking around compared to the other two. They would be more suited to hitting the LGD from behind.

"This means that the Reunion's main goal are the walls...your attack from the slums was just a diversion?" Amiya ran through what she knew.

"Those were our orders. To attack Lungmen from inside. They didn't tell us much else, so I would think so."

"Talulah...she drew most of the Lungmen's attention to the walls." The Doctor's eyes widened. "It was to cause chaos with the second attack here. They were counting on splitting the LGD before they went all out for the walls."

The LGD would hold the line, but it was still too dangerous not to deal with the threat from behind.

"We need to inform the LGD." They would send the message to Officer Ch'en. She and the LGD commanders would prepare for the attack from the rear.

"There is also another objective." Mudrock added.

"What other objective?" Amiya frowned.

"Rhodes Island knows about the Fuyuki Clinic doctors...right?" The captain clarified.

"We do." They were literally working with the last two doctors inside Lungmen. Doctor Rin and Sakura had an arrangement in place with Kal'tsit for Rhodes Island's assistance.

"All fighters have been shown posters of Doctor Rin and Sakura. Everyone is under strict orders to capture them at all costs." One of the Fuyuki Clinic's patients had a knack for drawing. Talulah gathered all the Reunion's artists to make posters of the doctors and distribute them around.

It wasn't surprising to Amiya and the Doctor. They expected the Reunion to do such a thing. Having more doctors that could treat Oripathy would massively draw numbers to join the Reunion.

There was only one problem with that.

Rin and Sakura's identities were now spreading faster than they'd like to.

Amiya and the Doctor exchanged glances. They'll have to pass the message along to Kal'tsit. She would be the one to inform the two Fuyuki Clinic doctors about the current situation.

"Doctor, we need to recall everyone. The LGD will have to hold the slums on their own." The Amiya weighed their options. The threat here was only a diversion. Rhodes Island needed to support Lungmen where the real danger was.

"But we're sending everyone to where the fighting is the heaviest! It's too dangerous!" The Doctor retorted. Rhodes Island wasn't prepared for large field battles like these. They were only suited to special operations and the like. He made sure to look over Rhodes Island's capabilities during his downtime to orient himself with the organization he was working with.

"I know! But we can't just sit back and watch the LGD handle the situation on their own! They're already struggling as it is! Besides, Kal'tsit is also there! We can't just leave her!"

Amiya wouldn't leave anyone behind. She still wouldn't forgive herself for leaving Nearl behind- even if it wasn't her fault.

"We're not leaving Kal'tsit. We can stop the threat before they reach them." The Doctor explained.

Stop the threat.

"Do you have a plan, Doctor?" Amiya realized.

He didn't have one yet, but there was an idea forming in his mind.

"Yes. But we'll need the LGD to help us."

Namely, information. Live battlefield information.

=== SATELLITE LGD BASE ===

It was the worst situation one would think of in their position.

They were a specialized team of surveillance operators dedicated to CCTV and network. Each of the LGD bases scattered around Lungmen had at least one of them. Their role was to support the personnel on the ground when it came to operations. Since their location was a base, it was expected that they could be targets for the Reunion. Worse, much of the manpower at the base was pulled out to fight out front. Active personnel were replaced with a skeletal team of reserves to provide the bare minimum of security for the several support teams remaining behind.

Their base was located on a different tile from where the Reunion was attacking. Orders from command relocated the second reserve team of theirs to another base closer to the frontline. The decision made sense. Those bases had a higher chance of being attacked.

They weren't so lucky.

The head of the team swallowed nervously as the Sarkaz in front of him idly toyed with her knife.

"What do you say, chief? It's a good deal." The femme fatale smirked while looking at him. Burning orange eyes filled with mania stared him down and the LGD officer rallied his resolve to face her. He'd pictured himself in this scenario many times- in his imagination that is. The attention of the wild and dangerous vixen locked on him.

Except this wasn't a metaphor. She was literally wild and dangerous.

Their guards were dead. Killed by the Sarkaz mercenaries under her command.

A little splash of blood only reinforced how deadly this woman was- somehow sharpening the crazy image she had. The smug grin, relaxed poise, grenade launcher, and large number of explosives on her raised alarms in his mind.

Insane.

Nothing else would describe her.

Behind the grey-haired Sarkaz was a wall of screens showing various camera angles of different areas on one of Lungmen's tiles. The city had thousands of such cameras scattered to track activity. The only exception were the slums where the LGD had no control over.

"Everyone...continue as normal." The LGD officer in charge forced himself to calm down. Just like many other intel operations teams, higher-ups ordered them to keep track of the Reunion as they attacked the inner Lungmen tiles.

That priority was now shelved in favor of securing the lives of his team- which meant bowing to their captor's demands.

"Good boy." The girl spun around to look at the screens. "So, tell me what I'm seeing here."

To the stranger, none of the designations on the screen made sense. They were probably locations, but she wasn't interested in memorizing them.

"We're watching the Reunion's likely route on Tile 21."

Orders were given out just an hour prior regarding the predicted route of the Reunion. The LGD commanders assumed that the rebel group would pick the easiest method and rush for the city center together. Now, satellite network teams like them were keeping track of the Reunion's progress.

The officer accessed his computer and switched some of the cameras. The screen flashed quickly as they showed other areas. Just as predicted, some areas were slowly being filled by the Reunion as they organized into teams before marching deeper. If his team could see them, then other surveillance teams would too. Which meant he didn't have to update the situation to his superior.

"What were you doing before that?"

He paused. He couldn't tell them what their original orders were. The LGD Chief herself warned that anyone who leaked the information wouldn't just be fired. They would be imprisoned with how important it was.

"We were on standby."

"W. We're wasting time. Let's just kill one of them so they follow our orders." One of the Sarkaz mercenaries who accompanied the girl complained. He hefted his axe over one of the other LGD operators and the woman trembled as she backed off.

"Hmmm, we could." She rolled her eyes. "That's what we were going to do anyway. But if you kill them now, how else can we force them to surrender information?"

The Sarkaz lowered his axe.

"Right- let's use our brains for a little bit, yeah? Muscle doesn't mean anything if you can't use it right." W grumbled at him. "Now, back to the topic-" She stopped in front of one operator. "Tell me what your original orders were. Don't give me bullshit because I saw you hesitate."

The team leader slowly watched as the now-named Sarkaz leader held her knife threateningly at one of his members.

"We were just on standby."

"Are your orders really more important than someone's safety?"

"..."

W rolled her eyes. "Fine, let's play hard."

The man cried out as the Sarkaz shoved her knife into his side. He fell over while clutching the wound before he started bandaging it as they were trained to do. The LGD operator closest to him moved forward to help him but was stopped by W.

"Hey now, we wouldn't want a second accident to happen, right?" She grinned while tilting her head. "If your officer won't answer me, how about you tell me? I'll let you treat him."

The LGD operators inside the room fumed. A few stood up but W just raised her knife threateningly.

"Do it. I dare you. We can kill all of you here before you get any one of us." She smirked.

It wasn't guaranteed that the LGD present couldn't take down at least one of her grunts, but she wanted them to second-guess themselves. She wanted them scared to take action.

W didn't know if they bought the ruse or not, but saw that her intentions succeeded when rational thought kept the operators from making any moves.

"Good to see everyone's on the same page." The grey-haired Sarkaz looked at the girl closest to her- the same one who tried to help the man she just stabbed.

If their leader wasn't going to talk then maybe she could find a weak link.

"So girl, what about you? What were your orders before? I suggest you make the right choice because..." W tilted her head to the man on the ground. "Seems to me like your leader prioritizes it over you. The only person who can guarantee your safety now is you."

W hummed while the gears turned inside the girl's head.

"Think about it really really well..."

The operator glanced at her superior.

The LGD officer already knew what her answer was. Between prison and possible death of her or someone else? She was bound to pick her comrade's life over the mission.

"I'm not telling you shit." The girl growled. The team leader warned them what possible consequences an information leak would have. Imprisonment was just the punishment they would receive, but more importantly was what the information would do in the hands of other people.

The world was not ready for them.

W blinked at her. Her superior had the same reaction when his eyes widened.

"Fine then."

She stabbed the man again. This time, one of the others jumped from his seat but was slammed down by one of her mercenaries. The Sarkaz didn't hold back and used his superior strength to clobber the operator down.

"Just as long as you don't kill him." W yawned while waving her hand. "He broke our rules- so just break him."

"You said I was the one getting stabbed next!" The girl shouted.

"Did I? That wasn't what I said." W grinned. She was threading a dangerous line. Push too hard and they could call command down on the base. They'd have to kill everyone and gain nothing from capturing the base. But if she played her cards right, W could get what she wanted.

"Just tell me what I want and I'll stop stabbing him."

The female operator clammed up.

'These LGD folks are really something, huh.'

W was just about to stab the man one more time when a radio buzzed. Her eyes slowly moved up to the officer who stood rigid at the back of the room. Their eyes met and W raised an eyebrow.

"Are you gonna accept that or not? Don't worry. We won't be rude and interrupt the call. That depends if you snitch on us though. Nobody likes a snitch."

Quite ironic that she was trying to get one of them to snitch too.

The leader answered the call.

"This is Officer Jiayi of Tile 17's Surveillance Squad-1." Each base was named after the tile they were located in. Because of the training and skills required to form a surveillance division, they couldn't get a second team for their tile.

"Officer Jiayi, discontinue tracking the Fuyuki doctors. Your squad will now assist Rhodes Island. A new channel has been set up for you and Amiya to coordinate."

The team leader's face paled. That was Chief Ch'en Huichieh's voice. This order was coming straight from the top. His eyes caught the surprised expression on the enemy captain's grin when she overheard the news.

He forced himself to reply calmly despite the situation.

"Ma'am?"

W brought a finger to her lips with a smile.

'Nobody gets hurt if you don't say a word.'

Her lips mouthed the words silently to the officer.

"Is something wrong?"

"Do we still need to track the Reunion and the doctors?" He hid the hesitation in his voice. The gig was up and their captors knew about their orders.

"Only the doctors. Amiya believes that the Reunion is a distraction. She thinks the commanders are planning to assault the walls from inside."

"I assume we are assisting them in searching for the commanders?"

"Yes. They will engage the commanders to stop them."

"Understood."

"Rhodes Island is waiting for you in Channel #EFW64SDF45. Good luck."

The radio briefly cut off once the transmission ended. The tense atmosphere in the room intensified as the operators knew that the cards were not in their favor. Their only option was to go along or warn the LGD and die. The second option was the last card they wanted to use, but would do so if they found no way out.

"How interesting!" W leapt off the table she sat on during the call and sheathed her knife. "See? That wasn't so bad now, right?"

The operator she held back rushed forward to quickly treat her wounded teammate.

W walked back to the commander at a sedate pace. "See? Our goals both align! Who would've known?"

The team leader grimaced as the Sarkaz captain smugly stopped in front of him.

"Go on. Do your job now." W shooed at the officer with her hand. "We're just guests. Don't let us interrupt your work."

The leader pushed down the slight twinge of irritation that bubbled up inside him. The girl's offensive words and smug disposition were taking its toll on him. He focused his effort on the task and keyed his ID into the channel Rhodes Island was waiting at.

A moment later, his radio pinged with confirmation as his device joined the channel.

"A-ah...Blaze-san please stop hugging...the LGD's team could join at any moment."

"It's fine~ They're not here yet!"

Purring and muffled movement could be heard from the other end of the call.

Unfortunately for the LGD's side, the tense situation on their end kept them on their toes.

"Miss...Amiya?"

"Eeep!"

The sound of the device falling was heard from the speaker before someone scrambled to pick it up off the floor.

"S-sorry about that."

The young voice on the other end cleared her throat.

"This is Amiya. Are you the LGD surveillance team Miss Ch'en called?"

"Correct."

"Great! We need your help. How much can your team cover Lungmen's eastern sectors?"

"A majority of it. Slums are out of the question, but we have a lot of cameras everywhere else." The leader of the team could at least admit that the Rhodes Island representative- however young she may be from what they could hear- was quick to get to the point.

"Is there a way to sync visuals? We don't have a detailed map of Lungmen."

Rhodes Island didn't have access to Lungmen's maps outside of the publically available civilian maps online. Whereas the LGD has CCTV networks, live updates, detailed city blueprints, and everything needed to secure Lungmen.

The officer made the decision to skip protocol and grant Rhodes Island access to his screen without requesting permission from his superiors. Assuming that Rhodes Island didn't have a mobile command post given to them, it was only reasonable to show them his screen. Vital information he'd pick would be presented on their end through their channel.

Lungmen was in a dire state. He didn't care about following rules anymore. He'd break as many to keep the city safe. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. One wrong move and his team would all be dead if he slipped up and the mercenaries' presence was found. They'd be dead and he wouldn't have an eye on whatever this Reunion group was after. Better to know their objectives while controlling the information they have.

"Please confirm if your channel feed shows my screen." The officer pulled up a map on his monitor and overlaid it on a corner. "These are the Reunion's real time movements." On the screen showed red areas where the Reunion were heavily active in. Small red dots could be seen showing movement between areas- including another hotspot where the Reunion were organizing together to march toward the city center.

"Affirmative. We can see your screen. Please give us a moment to study the map."

The other network ID mic went inactive. The LGD chief closed his own mic to buy himself some privacy.

The Sarkaz captain whistled.

"Heh, the little bunny's really grown a long way." She swung her legs on top of the nearby desk. W listened to the conversation silently to find out what Rhodes Island was planning. "So while they're busy- let's do mine." She dropped the cheerful personality.

"Show me where the Fuyuki doctors are."

The team leader hesitated.

"Relax, we don't have plans to capture them. We're after something else. I'm just interested to see them after what we've heard of in the Reunion."

"Pull up the cameras from the other surveillance teams." He ordered. The operators under him cycled through the cameras other bases were monitoring until they stopped on one crowded street.

"I'm not going to squint at all that until I find them." W rolled her eyes. She saw the painted posters that the Reunion passed around to show the last two Fuyuki Doctors, but the view on screen showed thousands of people walking around one of Lungmen's plazas without a care in the world.

These people didn't even care about the Reunion attacking the slums. That, or they didn't know.

The team paused the footage, zoomed, then enhanced the image shown on the monitor.

W blinked.

Hold on...what was that girl doing with them?

"Keep an eye on them for me, will you?"

Suddenly the captain's comm device pinged.

"Umm...mister? Are you there?"

"We are." The officer responded immediately.

"Right. Please watch over the cameras in Tile 23. The Reunion commanders will approach the eastern walls from there."

W's interest perked. The commander's mouth curved down.

"Update us once you see these commanders."

His phone received the images Rhodes Island sent. A moment later, the pictures of Reunion's leaders flashed on the screen. They were taken during the Belobog rescue operation by Rhodes Island.

"Affirmative." Then, as an afterthought. "Do you need LGD reinforcements? We can probably draw some from nearby operations-"

"No. We'll engage them on our own. They can focus on defending Lungmen."

Once again, the call went silent.

"Smart girl." W grinned. "I wonder how she found out?"

=== LUNGMEN EASTERN WALL ===

Ch'en kept glancing between her maps and the holograms of the border plates. When the LGD informed her that two Reunion commanders were flanking to hit the rear of the walls, she took over one of the bunkers with an operations team assisting in the defense.

The LGD forces under Hoshiguma have stabilized from the Reunion's early assault. The reinforcements from the other sectors have arrived and established a line of defense that hemmed the slums in.

The walls were in a similar stalemate. The Reunion outside the city have besieged the access tunnels and stairs from below, but the tight corridors and LGD chokepoints kept them from making any progress.

"Any news on their leader?" Ch'en radioed her spotter on the walls.

"None, Ma'am. She's still watching the siege on Lungmen from the hill."

That little bit of good news should've uplifted her mood, even just a tad bit. But no. Talulah watching from behind gave her more time to watch how the siege went, and what her next move was. She couldn't assist directly because it would mean putting her Dragon arts and the Reunion together in such close quarters leading to instant death.

"Good. Tell me if she starts moving." Ch'en lowered her radio. Her attention returned to the map- or more particularly- her rearguard.

The reserves were being mustered to create a defensive line for the incoming Reunion commanders.

"Rhodes Island is on their way to intercept the commanders."

Ch'en glanced at Kal'tsit on the other side of the table. The feline doctor was closing the phone after Amiya and the others updated their status.

"How strong are they? The commanders." The LGD had little information on the commanders outside of their identities. It was difficult to get in contact with their spies in the Reunion, much more difficult to collect information on the abilities of the commanders. They only had profiles on Talulah, Patriot, and FrostNova. Two because of their extensive histories and the last because of her reputation even within the Reunion.

She wasn't called the Wintry Death for nothing. Just from name alone, the LGD had a good idea of what the commander was capable of.

"Unfortunately, we don't have much on their commanders either." Not for a lack of trying. It was just that Rhodes Island didn't have any operators that could fill in the spy role for such a long term infiltration like the Reunion.

"Tsk." Ch'en clicked her tongue. She thought Rhodes Island would've had more info judging from the confidence they had in their intel.

"But-" Kal'tsit continued. "We can fight them for you. Which leaves you undistracted from commanding the LGD's defense."

That was enough for Ch'en. It meant more time to find a weakness for the LGD to exploit and turn the battle in their favor.

"I'll leave you to it."

Kal'tsit walked outside the bunker away from Ch'en and her team. A bird swooped in and dropped a package beside her. It made one circle before perching on her shoulder.

There was only one possibility as to who it was.

The green-haired leader of Rhodes Island picked up the bundled folders. She untied the string holding them closed and opened the first page.

"..."

The note on top explained the situation and the reasons why.

She flipped through the pages for a quick verification before signing on the bottom.

=== FUYUKI GROUP ===

Rin knew that illusions and disguises would only be useful for so long. They were on an uphill battle against a city hunting them down. Against all that manpower and resources? There was no such thing as the perfect cover. Sooner or later, mistakes would be made.

It came sooner than they wanted it to.

When Lungmen declared the Reunion's attack from the east, the news was received with mixed response from the public. At the time, they still didn't know how to respond to it. Most of them continued on with their day- which bought the trio of girls more time to sneak through the city without much difficulty. Slipping between crowds of people made it hard for the cameras to keep track of them.

But when the second alarm came about the Reunion's sudden attack from the slums, everything changed.

It was slow at first. People stopped going about their daily lives to watch the live feed of drones above the slums. When it became obvious that the LGD were being herded back with massive losses, the population slowly became unsettled.

Rin could already see the events playing out in front of her. Chaos would ensue once the civilians started running. They would be left like sitting ducks.

"Move faster! They'll slow us down when they start panicking!" Rin grabbed Misha and stuck to the side of the avenue they were passing.

Sure enough, as minutes passed, panic spread. It went out in full force once the citizens near the slums arrived. Where else could they run? The LGD reinforcements didn't arrive in time to handle the evacuation of the civilians from the city plates closest to the slums. Only the deeper plates in the city could put space between them and the Reunion.

"Rin- the people." Sakura tried to warn her. "They are all running to the west and deeper into Lungmen. There won't be much cover for us if we keep heading for the eastern walls." Her familiars were flying all over the city tracking the movements of the population. From their view, waves of figures were running away from the LGD and the Reunion's battle.

"We can't do anything about it. That's why we're not hiding anymore." Rin stopped and turned to their last member. "Misha, we're going to sprint now. Get on my back."

Misha blinked. She understood the situation from what she heard. But one thing remained on her mind.

"...get on your back?" She asked hesitantly.

Wouldn't that just slow them down?

"It's faster if I carry you." Rin dropped to one knee and gestured for Misha to ride on her back. "Come on. Hurry up."

Misha looked at Sakura skeptically.

"We'll be much faster. We promise." The purple-haired mage encouraged her.

The Ursine teenager took her word for it and awkwardly mounted Rin's back- only to be stunned when Rin immediately stood up like she didn't weigh at all. Misha had only been with them for less than three days, yet she didn't remember seeing much muscle on Rin.

"Hold on."

That was the only warning Misha received before her body jerked backwards. Her mind caught on a moment later that Rin just exploded forwards. She clung on to the older girl's back in panic. Fortunately for Misha, Rin expected her surprise and locked her arms around the girl's legs to keep her from falling off. Her speed was astonishing to the Ursine teen. Misha assumed they were running a few times faster than the pace they had previously.

S-so fast!

Misha couldn't believe such speed was possible. Not unless arts were involved. Thinking about it, the sisters had been showing surprise after surprise while she was with them.

Doctors? These sisters were doctors? These sisters were more like wizards!

With cover no longer an option, the only choice left was speed. Rin and Sakura reinforced their legs and sprinted down the road with their charge in tow. Buildings rushed past them as they made their way through empty streets. A few detours were made to avoid LGD teams in the way, but their journey was uninterrupted for the most part.

Not until they appeared.

...

"Rin, they're moving again."

"They're obviously tracking us." Rin slowed down with Sakura behind her.

"Their left flank is stretching." Sakura watched from one of her bird familiars flying in the sky. "Each time we change route, they start moving to cut us off."

The only way to even track the girls were through the cameras. As far as they knew, those cameras should only be under the control of Lungmen.

So why did these people know their location?

From Sakura's description, it was easy to tell that they weren't LGD forces. They were disguised in casual clothes and carried a large variety of weapons unlike the guards. Some weren't even hiding it as they lugged around greatswords and large shields.

It was beyond suspicious. Even more so when they were moving to intercept the trio for the third time.

"Must be Lungmen undercover agents. Either that, or they are compromised." Rin was only focused on reaching Kal'tsit. The LGD or whoever could track them, but the only problem would be if they attempted to stop the trio from reaching Rhodes Island.

"Rin, they're Sarkaz. Lungmen does not have Sarkaz." Sakura looked through her familiar's eyes. The knowledge they spent time learning about this world was beginning to pay off. The people of Terra were racist to a degree that Earth had long since moved past. Here, it wasn't just common. It was heavily enforced.

"Either Reunion or a third party then. Let's keep moving forward. Use your familiars to slow them down." It was time to turn the tables on them. The other side would've known by now that they were also being tracked. Each time they relocated, Rin and Sakura changed their route.

They continued moving in the same direction with a different plan. The original idea was to outmaneuver enemy forces with pure speed, but this enemy was prepared to counter that. So, a little addition was in order.

Go on the attack. They had the ability to engage them from afar.

Compared to Rin who was a genius- the scientist of the group, and Shirou who was the fighter- a literal nuke, Sakura completed the trio as their cavalry- the support.

Sakura had a few hundred familiars active at all times. They were meant to be her eyes and ears. Out of those, a few dozen were kept nearby for security. To achieve that number of familiars, Sakura had to develop her craft and refine her technique.

She cut the mana cost when she shifted from creating familiars to taking control over small fauna that were readily available anywhere. Rats, birds, insects, any sort of animal she could use was bound under her control. To spread her mana efficiently, she didn't actively control them, but rather let them continue living as normal. It only took a small amount of mana to passively bind them into her web of control- just a light touch. Sakura only needed to activate her control over them when she needed to. When she needed eyes and ears over an area, she just had to tap into dozens of familiars at that location.

Now she was about to actively control a lot of them. Not just dozens.

Hundreds.

It was going to be a little painful, but pain was something Sakura had long since grown strong tolerance to. Zouken Matou's methods made sure of that.

She drew a small amount of the energy in the air around her. If Sakura wanted to conserve her own reserves, then she needed to use some of the environment's- even if it was considered toxic for her. The Originium that would enter her body would be purified when they filtered it out later on.

Sakura felt the dip in the well within her as hundreds of small critters fell under her control. She sent the unexpected force of animals at the identified threats.

Ironically, it was not Shirou who was the most against killing between the three of them. It was Sakura. Shirou had the most kills on his hand, and Rin was more than willing to kill if it was the optimal choice for the situation- like if they were up against enemies like the Reunion. Sakura- for her part- was not so keen on ending lives that easily. Thankfully, all she needed to do was slow them down with her familiars.

It was effective. Sakura stopped the Sarkaz in their tracks. They continued running until they passed the gap left open.

Out of nowhere, the phone in her pocket rang. Rin grabbed the irritating device and shot the number a look. She didn't recognize it. Whoever it was, they chose a very bad time. Rin thought to decline the call, but very few people knew about their number. The person on the other end must've had connections to find them. Unless it was a mistake on some random person's end. Sometimes people just called the wrong number.

"Hello?" Rin slipped into the persona she used when dealing with Clocktower mages.

"I hope you little girls aren't lost. The way back to mommy is the other direction."

The taunting voice on the other end came from a girl. Rin didn't bite the bait and replied blankly.

"Who are you? What do you want?" She wasn't going to bother asking how the girl got their number. It was easy to assume that the LGD was compromised, security was always an issue with organizations. The Clocktower taught her that much. That place was a cesspool of politics and backdoors. You just needed the right connections and the right bribes.

"As I said, do you want to run into the Reunion?"

The girl didn't sound like an LGD operative. Rin knew law enforcement had some rules of conduct when engaging with civilians. Though calling the girls "civilians" would be quite the stretch.

"Are you here to tell us what we already knew?" She deliberately withheld information by dodging the question. "That was your best chance at capturing us. Your leader won't be pleased."

When they reach Kal'tsit, the girls would have the protection behind the bulk of the LGD. Their interceptor lost the opportunity to engage them at their weakest. The other side would be slapping themselves in embarrassment.

"Considering that woman's plans, I'd feel safer having you doctors and Misha far far away from her. Who knows what she would do if she learned you were heading in her direction."

That piqued Rin's interest. The person didn't deny the subtle jab at her allegiance. Though said allegiance now looked doubtful considering her words.

"Moving on, let's cut the crap and make a deal. You have Misha. If she's with you, then you're keeping her away from us and the LGD right? Do you know why she's important?"

"Our conversation is being tracked."

Rin didn't know how right she was.

"Even better. These idiots are underestimating Talulah and her plans. Maybe they'll actually listen and do something about it." The woman's irritation was audible to Rin despite the humorous tone she used.

This girl knew about the Reunion leader's plans? Rin's mind raced with ideas. Most of them were discarded, but some looked promising.

"Go on..."

Misha gulped on Rin's back. What kind of deal was she thinking of? Like most races on Terra, her bear features enhanced some of her abilities- particularly strength, scent, and hearing. She could hear the conversation as clear as day despite the low tone Rin was using and the wind whipping past them as they continued sprinting. Hearing her name from the other end raised alarms inside her mind.

"Do you know why the LGD wants Misha? And no, it's not the same reason the Reunion wants her for."

Rin took a moment to ponder over whether she should answer. Lungmen wanted Misha because she was the daughter of Sergei, a scientist involved in Chernobog's Sarcophagus- whatever that was. Rin couldn't find much about Sergei and the Sarcophagus because not much was known about them. Even Sakura's familiars following LGD higher-ups couldn't overhear much.

It was just that. Misha was just the daughter of some scientist from Chernobog. Rin knew there was more to it, but nothing else came up.

There was little point to hide such small information if you couldn't use it. Maybe she'd learn more if she played along.

"They want Misha because she's is the daughter of the Chernobog scientist Sergei."

"Right." The voice on the other end chuckled. "Now we can get talking for real. I bet you're real interested to know why I'm doing all this?"

"I am."

"Because we've all been betrayed."

Rin frowned.

"We're all going to die here. That's if her plans come to fruition. We'll be lucky if some of our commanders even make it back. Even if we survive, we're just returning to the Dragon's den. As we fight in this city, Talulah watches us from outside- waiting for us to fall one by one."

"You are sure of this?"

"Heh, I'm watching Rhodes Island and their cute little bunny leader hunt down our commanders as we speak."

=== CHERNOBOG ===

FrostNova had mixed feelings about the Reunion's newest member.

On one hand, she was giddy. The Reunion's morale was on a high-note since Oripathy treatment started. Chefs were beginning to cook better food, and many fighters were flocking to join Patriot's forces. All-in-all, things were trending upwards. A happy Reunion was a stronger Reunion, and they were gathering more support for Patriot's plans.

On the other hand...

"What are you planning?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

FrostNova glared at the red-haired chef suspiciously as he cooked up a batch for lunch. The chefs around them had been scared off when the Reunion commander trudged into the camp. Her reputation as the Wintry Death was still prevalent and rebels not part of the Yeti Squadron still avoided her.

"Don't lie to me. You were heavily against us a few weeks ago."

The little rooftop rendezvous a few nights before the Reunion invasion was still fresh on her mind. FrostNova and Faust attempted to

"I'm busy cooking."

Shirou dodged the subject with the elegance of a bull. No one ever said he was good at lying, so Shirou adapted by using situations to his favor.

Except his current activity wasn't really all that important.

FrostNova's fingers twitched. She was tempted to freeze the cauldron and the food- as much as it hurt her delicious food be damned- but remembered she could control her power better now. A quick flick of her hand and the coals below the cauldron froze over.

"Not anymore."

Shirou sighed. He released the ladle and faced the blank-faced rabbit. FrostNova's expression didn't betray her emotions- but the same couldn't be said for her extremities. Her ears stood ramrod straight and he assumed her tail would be puffy underneath her oversized coat.

"What made you change your mind? We aren't good people."

FrostNova had come to accept the Reunion's change a long time ago. They may have started out for a good cause, but Talulah's direction and the new recruits had done too much damage. To many, they were now seen as a rebel movement rather than a peaceful one. Even if some still carried good intentions like her and Patriot, the actions of the majority were damning to their cause.

Shirou had three choices. Tell the truth, spin a lie, or dodge the question. Two of those choices were unlikely to succeed. Running away from FrostNova was his best move, but that wouldn't work. Not when the entire Reunion was on her side.

FrostNova searched his eyes for an answer. Shirou avoided meeting her stare while choosing his next words carefully.

"I didn't change my mind-"

The Cautus commander narrowed her eyes.

"-but I agree with Patriot."

"...what did he tell you?" FrostNova asked. Patriot's plot was a well kept secret between the Yeti Squadron under her and the Shieldguards- fiercely loyal Ursus soldiers who followed his insurgency against the empire. Not even the Reunion fighters assigned to them were in the know.

"That there was only one enemy the Reunion needed to stop." Shirou answered.

One enemy that needed to be stopped.

FrostNova knew what Shirou meant. Patriot never considered the followers under her as threats. They were misguided supporters who went down the path of vengeance. Between her, Patriot, and FrostNova- nobody else came close. That was why she made sure to increase her numbers under the guise of "balance" to keep the strength of each Reunion branch relatively equal.

Patriot had quality. Talulah had quantity.

"...so you decided to help us?"

"If she's stopped, then Patriot can take over." It'll be difficult taking over the Reunion after the chaos, but Shirou believed that Patriot and FrostNova could do it. "This mindless pursuit of retribution will stop. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"What's in it for you?" FrostNova murmured. "What did Patriot offer you?"

"Nothing."

"Nobody does anything for free." The world didn't operate that way. The Reunion had to fight for every meal. They were forced to attack villages to survive. Hunting animals and collecting food in the wild wouldn't support a group as large as the Reunion. FrostNova felt disgusted at herself every time they had to go out and "collect" from villages and towns in the wilderness.

By any means necessary.

More often than not, their targets were other infected. Those who were shunned from cities, forced to create a living out in the wilderness. FrostNova had seen their broken homes and ruined farms in the wake of the Reunion's path. Children huddled behind parents crying at them as they pillaged food and resources. Lives ruined and homes wrecked- all for the sake of supporting their cause.

Sometimes, FrostNova questioned Patriot why they still continued to work with Talulah. Many times, Patriot had been the one to stop FrostNova from attacking the Draco.

One day, retribution will come for her. FrostNova knew it. On that day, will she be prepared to face all the sins she has committed?

"Then I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"...you could say it was an old dream."

FrostNova looked at Shirou critically.

"What kind of dream?"

"The stupid kind. The one I learned to leave behind."

One that kept rearing up its head. Something in this world just kept pressing the wrong buttons within Shirou. Seeing all those people in need of saving...

A world in need of a hero.

Shirou stomped down on that train of thought. He was merely helping Patriot. Once he succeeded, he'd leave the task and return to Rin and Sakura.

They were more important than chasing an impossible dream.

===

Author's Note (Mostly to FFN reviews)

To Guts and Toes asking about Shirou joining the Reunion, he didn't join the Reunion in THAT sense. You'll see it in the next few chapters. He has plans.

primerp65 pointed out that I pushed Shirou's nonsensical food joke on Nearl while she was in a down state and I agree, I overdid it when I look back. I'll write a bit slower to fix moody scenes.

Special thanks to Dabbins, fishy3927, and Dovar. Sorry for the late chapter huhu.

Writing this chapter was a disaster. My mind kept running into blocks while I wrote and rewrote it. Yes, I have another chapter 19 that's like 90% different from this one. It just didn't feel right. I went to update another fic to refresh my brain before going back on this one. Didn't want to write another crappy chapter like ch10.

I'll post the previous ch19 version along with the duped portions. See how bad it is for yourself. It's in my kofi site.

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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