Chapter 18

=== PENGUIN LOGISTICS ===

"What...what did you just do?" Emperor asked when Mostima handed the phone back to him.

"I think we just screwed up." She admitted casually.

"Screwed up what?"

"Our mission."

"Fuuckk..." Fiammetta groaned loudly while rubbing her face. She knew it was a gamble to approach the doctors aggressively. "So, we know they aren't exactly on friendly terms with Lungmen."

"Seems like it." Mostima agreed. "They were adamant on stealing Misha away from the LGD."

"Do you know why?" Fiammetta asked.

"Not really. We only know they were working together with Rhodes Island because they met up after we took the girl and kids out of the slums."

"If the doctors don't want to meet with us, then how about we go meet Rhodes Island?" Fiammetta argued. "They were willing to talk with us the other day."

"I don't think that'd work a second time. They thought I was just another Penguin Logistics member until we met them again." Rhodes Island would be suspicious of her now. Especially when she was a Laterano representative that appeared with LGD's chief at their doorstep.

"Then what other options do we have?" Fiammetta grumbled as she leaned against the wall.

"Oi! You just potentially lost us two paying clients!" Emperor grumbled. "How are you going to compensate us? We're supposed to be a trusted logistics company! How will clients trust us if we're going around compromising deliveries! We don't deal in information you know!"

"Woah- so you can also drop the accent when you're serious, boss." Mostima smiled at him.

"WHY YOU-!" The smaller penguin whaled angrily on the fallen Sankta.

Texas took it all in stride. This kind of chaos was normal when considering where she was working. Normal logic didn't really apply to Penguin Logistics.

That said...

"I agree with the boss here. What you're doing is putting Penguin Logistics at risk. We don't dabble in information and subterfuge. Accepting our client's job from yesterday led us down this hole." Texas looked at Mostima. "You're going to have to explain what's going on to us."

"I'm afraid we can't-"

"If you want answers, then you'll have to work for us." Fiammetta interrupted her partner.

"Fiammeta what are you-" Mostima's eyes widened.

"I will hire Penguin Logistics to help us find Doctor Rin and Sakura." Fiammetta looked Texas in the eyes. "You will only find out if you accept our commission."

"Isn't this a national-"

"Will we be protected? You're putting us in danger by involving us further." Texas stared back.

"You are already involved whether you want to or not. We know that you're connected to Rhodes Island and the doctors, who are both working against the LGD." Fiammetta pointed out.

The threat that they could leak the information to the LGD was left unsaid.

"Fia-"

"Deal. I'll take the job, as long as you don't hire any of the others." Texas closed her eyes.

"Texas, you don't have to!" Emperor growled. "I'm not allowing you to throw yourself off the deep end. Not even I can protect you if Wei Yenwu really considers this a danger to Lungmen."

Fiammetta, Mostima, and Texas all looked at Emperor.

"Huh? Boss, you have connections with Wei Yenwu?" Mostima gaped.

"A-haha...what I meant is that I can't use our business as a good enough excuse if they come asking! Yeah! What will we tell the LGD if they come knocking on our door as to why the Laterano representatives hired us?"

"I mean, I'm both a representative and a Penguin Logistics employee." Mostima deadpanned at him.

Ah- crud. He wasn't doing a good job hiding his cover wasn't he?

"And what if the job involves Lungmen's security?" Fiammetta added. "We are talking about Doctor Rin and Sakura having this girl...Misha. Wouldn't that work in line with the LGD's goal?"

"Hmmm..." The boss of Penguin Logistics held a flipper up to his chin in thought. "Can you guarantee that this won't backfire on us? You're dragging us into a mess."

"You're already in the mess with us, boss." Mostima grinned. "Guess that makes all of us guilty if we're caught?"

"YOU KNOW THAT'S NOT A GOOD THING MOSTIMA!!!" The Emperor whaled on the giggling Sankta again.

"If that's the situation...then I'll take it." Texas nodded at Fiammetta. "If only to help Penguin Logistics out of this troublesome situation. Now tell me what's going on."

"Laterano has detected a phenomenon that originated in the location of Chernobog two weeks ago. They sent us over to investigate, but Chernobog has been overrun by the Reunion. So, we asked Lungmen for help to figure out what happened in the city. We were accompanied by the LGD Chief when we talked with the infected refugees and that's how we found out that Rin and Sakura were known as doctors in Chernobog who could treat Oripathy."

"...I'm assuming you want to meet with them because they can treat Oripathy?"

"No, the timings don't match. They've been in Chernobog for months. The phenomenon Laterano detected happened around the time of the Reunion's invasion. The only other party we know that are likely to have any idea about this phenomenon would be Rhodes Island. They were at Chernobog during the invasion."

"Then why are you...?"

"Hunting down the doctors? Because they are the smaller party in all this. We can pressure them and make Rhodes Island reconsider their options." Fiammetta pulled out her phone. "If we're lucky, we might even get some real information. The doctors were also in Chernobog before the invasion."

"And what if Rhodes Island admits that they don't know anything?"

Fiammetta and Mostima looked at each other.

"We go on from there...I guess?" Mostima suggested. "Rhodes Island is our best lead at this moment."

"We can't waste any more time. Mostima, call their leader. Tell them we want to meet again."

"Right-o." The blue-haired Sankta dialed the number she copied off Emperor's phone.

A few moments later, the call was answered.

"Who is this? How did you get this number?"

Kal'tsit didn't give this number to anyone except those involved in Rhodes Island's off the book activities.

"Hi, its Mostima from Penguin Logistics."

"...I expressed to your leader not to share this number."

"Its...an important matter. Something that involves Miss Misha and Doctors Rin and Sakura. Can we meet in person?"

"You can find me on the eastern wall."

The call ended abruptly.

"Well, that was quick." Mostima hummed. "So, Texas is coming along?"

"Yes." Fiammetta confirmed. "She's acting on behalf of Penguin Logistics."

"NO SHE AIN'T ACTING ON BEHALF OF ANYONE!" Emperor jumped up from his position again. His outburst was once again ignored by the other three in the room.

Suddenly a pattering of footsteps was heard outside the room. The door slammed open and-

"Yo, boss. What's all the shouting for-"

Exusiai blinked at seeing Mostima back.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Wait, Fiammetta's here too?!"

"QUICK, EXU STOP TEXAS FROM GOING WITH THEM!"

Things could just not go smoothly for the two Laterano representatives.

=== LUNGMEN SLUMS ===

"Welcome, Miss Yuhsia." The green-haired Oni greeted the new arrival inside the mobile LGD headquarters at the edge of the slums.

"It is an honor, Officer Hoshiguma." The grey-haired mouse responded in kind.

In any other circumstance, the two would've found themselves uncomfortable. Lin Yuhsia knew that Hoshiguma was a close friend of Ch'en, while Hoshiguma knew about Lin's complex relationship with her old childhood friend.

Thankfully, they didn't have to deal with any of that now.

"Allow me to show you where the LGD believes the Reunion are hiding." Hoshiguma pulled up the maps on the screen.

Lin looked at the maps and quickly started correlating them with the information her father's people collected. All things considered, the LGD's efforts were commendable. The map they presented was not as thorough as the one provided by the underworld, but that was to be expected. The slums were under her father's control. They would've had all the tools needed to root out the Reunion's positions.

"Here. These are where the Reunion higher-ups are located at." Lin circled a few areas among the LGD's maps. "Some of the others are just satellite groups following the orders from these."

Hoshiguma lips perked up slightly. This was the kind of information the LGD would take quite some time to get. Unlike the underworld, the LGD had a no infected policy because the citizens of Lungmen demanded it- if you didn't care to include those living in the ghettos. They would've had to broker information from the infected and even then she doubted they would get as much.

Right now, the slums were providing tremendous assistance with this alone.

"Do you know where most of the officers are?" Hoshiguma asked the underworld princess.

"This one." Lin pointed to a circle some ways off to the side of the center of the Reunion armed presence. "It has a confirmed commander- someone named Skullshatterer. He's been the one heading the operations inside the slums for some time."

"Then we make him a priority." Hoshiguma nodded. "How do we collaborate between the two groups?"

"The underworld excels at smaller individual moves rather than large united fronts. We'll sow chaos while your LGD comes in to smash them. Of course, we pull out once you start rushing in. Just tell us when you're ready to move."

"I'll have all LGD forces under my command ready to move in an hour. We'll punch our way through to that Reunion commander and split the slums in half, wreck as much havoc as you can in that time."

Lin whistled. "One hour? To coordinate all your numbers? Impressive."

Hoshiguma smiled. "Don't underestimate the LGD. We can hustle when we need to."

=== EASTERN WALLS ===

The walls shook as a fireball decimated another cannon tower. The fire melted parts of the steel cannon barrel and some of the gearing mechanisms that controlled the cannon's elevation system.

That was another cannon rendered inoperable. One of the few remaining Lungmen had facing the east.

Ch'en growled as she swung The Dragon-Slaying Sword of Yan- Chi Xiao- at the incoming fireballs.

Despite all her training with the sword, the situation was not one she had ever trained for.

Who trained to hit flying projectiles with ranged energy slashes anyway?!

Ch'en may have intercepted the large house sized fireballs Talulah was sending at the start, but her sister adapted by summoning car-sized fireballs in larger numbers. She lacked the finesse to hit the smaller targets at range and had to cut them down as they got closer to the walls. Even then, she could only cut a few of them at a time. The rest hit their targets and damaged much of Lungmen's large defenses on the wall. The damage slowly accumulated until cannon towers were deemed unusable.

Boom-!

The last cannon tower suffered a massive blow as fireballs smashed into its front, damaging both the gun barrel and the gearing mechanism inside the turret.

"M-Madame Ch'en! The engineers at the control tower have reported that our last cannon has been taken out!" One officer clutched his comms module while informing his chief of their defense's status.

Over two dozen of Lungmen's eastern cannons- all taken out by one individual.

"She really lives up to her name as the Dragon of the Reunion alright." Ch'en growled. "Are the reserves ready?"

"Yes madame! They've been deployed as the third line behind the active guards behind the gates!"

"How about the others guarding the service ducts?"

Lungmen's gates weren't exactly gates. They were access points that allowed people from ground level outside the city to be elevated up to the city floor in large elevator shafts. The control rooms were on the city floor on Lungmen's side, but there were also hundreds of stairs connecting both ends. The goal was to stop the Reunion before they breached the top of those stairs.

"They are also in position!" The guard confirmed.

"Good. As long as we stop them here, then we'll be fine. Talulah can't use her arts to assault the city while her people are fighting in front." Ch'en locked her eyes on the Reunion hoard that began moving forwards.

"What's the status of Officer Hoshiguma in clearing out the slums?"

"Umm...they are-"

Ch'en's own phone buzzed in her pocket. She frowned when checking the number.

Why did a chill crawl up her spine?

"Hoshiguma-?"

"CH'EN THE SLUMS ARE BEING INVADED!"

"What?!" Ch'en clutched her phone.

"They have more forces here than we predicted! The LGD are being pushed back!"

Ch'en could hear sounds of combat and Hoshiguma shouting commands in between sentences.

"How many?!" Ch'en's grip tightened.

"We don't have an estimation- they shot our drones out of the sky the moment they began their attack. Lin's called me just a few moments earlier, the slums are being attacked from all over. They're all pushing for the city sectors!"

They had made a grave mistake. The LGD forces under Hoshiguma were sizeable enough to combat the numbers they estimated during the past week- but if they were being routed now...

"LEAVE 2 REGIMENTS ON THE OTHER WALLS AND SEND THE REST TO CREATE A BARRICADE BETWEEN PLATE 23 AND 18!" Ch'en roared at the unfortunate officer reporting under her.

Plate 21-25 were city segments that the low-class citizens of Lungmen settled on. Multiple plates connected them to the city, but Plate 18 was the focal point to mount a defense.

Ch'en dialed Lin.

"Lin! What's going on?!"

Just like Hoshiguma, Lin's background was full of noise. A different kind of noise- panic. People were shouting and screaming.

"They're causing panic and the people are running towards the city center."

Ch'en heard the sound of Lin engaging someone in combat before the girl returned to the call.

"I don't know what their plan is. I'm too busy coordinating the underworld to slow them down."

"Can you hold?"

"Unlikely, the underworld groups are too fragmented to pose a defensive blockade against them. The LGD are tanking much of the assault, but more Reunion fighters are streaming past them. They're doing all they can to draw as much attention away from the fleeing civilians."

"Those fuckers!" Ch'en hissed while glaring at the approaching formations.

They loomed over Lungmen like an incoming wave.

Ch'en's attention was drawn to a green-haired feline climbing up into the observation deck she was in.

"Superintendent Ch'en."

"Rhodes Island-? What-"

"We have mobilized to help defend the city."

"We didn't-"

"Does it matter now? We are doing this on our own volition." The leader of Rhodes Island stopped in front of her.

"We have operators flying in from our landship. Please don't shoot them out of the sky."

"I'll call you back later." Ch'en ended her call with Lin. She switched over to her radio and contacted the command division. "Whatever you do, don't shoot any aircraft coming into the city. Rhodes Island has sent reinforcements."

She returned her attention back to Kal'tsit.

"Lungmen...thanks you." Ch'en placed aside her pride. Every bit of manpower ushered into the defense of the city would be needed.

"Whatever happens, do not let them breach the gates." Kal'tsit uttered.

"I know."

That was the reason why Ch'en didn't divert any of the regiments manning the eastern walls of Lungmen. If they failed here, then the rest of the Reunion would flood into the city.

=== LUNGMEN SLUMS ===

Mudrock watched the bloody massacre in front of her.

Hundreds of corpses, both LGD and Reunion, filled the space between alleys and roads. For all of Terra's technology, battles were still fought with melee weapons and arts. Severed limbs, scorched corpses, and punctured bodies littered her sight.

The LGD's mission to assault Skullshatterer's base had been foiled.

They fought an organized retreat under an outnumbered foe, proving that their forces were better trained and experienced compared to the average Reunion fighter. Still, being surrounded and assaulted on all sides was too much and the LGD retreated.

Infiltrate Lungmen. Create havoc.

How ironic. Lungmen's underworld tried the same to them. Crownslayer ordered the captains to let the underworld sow chaos on their known forces while the rest prepared to pounce at the LGD forces entering the slums.

Mudrock hefted the large hammer onto her shoulder and trudged forwards.

Now that everyone was more or less split up, and with the LGD distracting them, she was free to do anything.

She prayed that the rest of her squad managed to escape.

As for her? Well, the aircraft flying overhead told her exactly where she needed to go.

Mudrock followed the flying vehicle stamped with the logo of Rhodes Island on its side. Wherever it went, Rhodes Island was sure to be.

=== RHODES ISLAND ===

The Doctor felt like puking after seeing the horrific scenes laid out on the screen of his PRTS module.

"Doctor, breathe..." Amiya tried to calm down the Doctor while they regrouped with the reinforcements coming from Rhodes Island.

"It's...it's just as bad as Chernobog..."

"We're too ill-equipped to deal with this kind of thing." One of BlackSteel's operators, Liskarm, frowned while overlooking the slums.

They were located over a medium-rise building near the ghettos, watching as plumes of smoke and sounds of combat filled the air.

"Just wait a little longer. Our elite operators are coming in." Amiya held a hand up to her eyes. She spotted the small dot on the horizon. "Look! They're nearly here!"

The dot grew closer until its figure morphed into the VTOL aircraft Rhodes Island used.

"Bunny-channnn!!!"

Well, everyone knew who that radio message came from.

"B-Blaze-san..." Amiya sweatdropped. "Is everyone there?"

"Yup!"

Kal'tsit called some of Rhodes Island's best operators available on hand just a few hours prior. The elites suited up and quickly departed from the landship in less than an hour.

"Good. We're waiting on a rooftop marked with a flare." Amiya nodded to one of the operators who immediately deployed the signal. They waited for a few minutes until the VTOL aircraft soared overhead.

Everyone looked up as something jumped out the open cargo door.

"What the..." Franka stared at the falling speck in the sky. "...is that who I think it is?"

The falling figure tumbled in the air for a little bit before maneuvering her fall with bursts of fire.

"Not again..." Amiya whimpered. "She's gonna crash! EVERYONE SPREAD OUT!"

The operators quickly scrambled to the edges of the roof in a panic, others jumping into the rooftop access stairwell to avoid the falling meteor.

"Buuunnnnyyyy-chaaaaaaaannnnnn!!!!" They heard her excited shout as she came close

Jets of flame burst out from the figure in rings, slowing herself down before she impacted. Fire filled the rooftop for a brief moment before elite operator Blaze landed. The surrounding group stared at the crazy scene as the black-haired feline ran straight for Amiya.

"Blaze-sannn-" Amiya complained as the older girl seized her and nuzzled the small bunny affectionately. "We're having a mission-"

"You need to let loose sometimes, bunny-chan." Blaze pinched her cheeks lightly.

"It's not the time to relax." Amiya huffed at her. "We're waiting for everyone else before we start planning."

The VTOL aircraft hovered slightly above them before the other elite operators jumped off at a safer height. Four more figures slowly hovered down until they landed on the rooftop. A grey-haired Lupo wearing a jacket of red, a man with sunglasses carrying a hammer and shield, a small green-eyed feline Amiya's age, and lastly, an infamous white-haired mercenary carrying a large blue sword.

Rhodes Island's elites had arrived.

"Blaze, what did I tell you about following orders?" The man sighed.

"I did follow orders Ace!" Blaze grinned at her superior officer.

"Can't you be more like Rosmontis and Skadi here? They don't cause any problems." Ace grumbled.

"Blaze-senpai..." Rosmontis mumbled disapprovingly. For some reason, her blank expression still somehow managed to express a sense of disappointment at her senior.

"..." Said Aegirian female blankly glanced at the rest of the operators on the rooftop. The rest of them were staring at her in surprise. It was extremely rare to see the infamous Skadi in Rhodes Island. The Aegirian operator was always busy taking missions away from the landship. Most of the Rhodes Island employees haven't actually seen the Aegir. She had garnered a reputation as a lone wolf type of operator, completing missions that required teams on her own.

To see her here operating with the rest of them?

It was actually a relieving thought.

"So...can you brief us quickly over what's going on?" Ace asked Amiya while the girl was still being cuddled in Blaze's arms.

"Alright..."

.

.

.

Rosmontis found herself fighting behind Skadi and Blaze as they reinforced one of the LGD flanks at the border of the slums.

Blaze waved her arm and an arc of fire pushed the Reunion back. As per their orders, they weren't focused on eliminating threats, but to scare them from attacking the LGD contingent. Which meant Rosmontis didn't have to work much. She telepathically lifted some rubble and crushed them into smaller pieces before hurling the barrage of debris at the attacking rebels. Rosmontis would normally just crush enemies with large chunks, but killing was not the priority. Still, if she added a little more power on the pebble-sized projectiles, then they would start tearing into bodies like arrowheads.

That wasn't a nice sight to behold. Bruises would have to do for now.

Her eyes glanced over to the last member of their squad.

Skadi...was something surely to behold.

The Aegir jumped straight into another group of Reunion fighters and swung her sword in a circle. Not a single one managed to parry or deflect the swing. Swords broke and fighters found themselves brutally mutilated. Skadi drove her fist into one of the heavy tanks and broke through his shield, punching his chest and likely to have broken his ribs inward too.

That man wasn't going to live past the day.

She was merciless, executing those who came within arm's distance. A walking disaster- one the Reunion was learning the hard way.

"R-runn!!! Grrkkk-" The man's windpipe was crushed after Skadi jabbed her fist on it. He collapsed and slowly died of suffocation as the Aegirian mercenary continued to march forward into the Reunion's fire. Arrows, bolts, and knives hurled her way but Skadi just smacked them all away either with sword or bare hands.

A wall of rock burst out of the ground and stopped Skadi from further pursuing the Reunion.

The combat lulled as the Reunion cheered.

"Captain Mudrock's here!"

"We have a chance!"

"Let's kill these fuckers!"

The Reunion fighters slowly stopped backing off. The appearance of a captain restored their lost morale.

"Everyone, fall back." A deep voice ordered loudly.

That...wasn't what Rosmontis expected.

"What?!"

"You're joking right?!"

"We've got them on the backfoot! Keep pushing!"

Outraged reactions and roars to push the momentum was halted when the Aegir in their midst broke the earthen wall by ramming through it-

With her body.

The scene silenced the rebels when they saw the thick barrier reduced to rubble in a single moment.

"As I said. Fall. Back." Mudrock's orders echoed louder over the silence of the battlefield. "I will slow them down while we retreat."

Not that they were attacking. Rosmontis and Blaze were limiting themselves to defense. It was Skadi who was going beyond her orders.

"Skadi? What are you doing?!" Blaze shouted as the Aegir launched herself at the Reunion captain.

Mudrock used her arts to crush the floor underneath the running mercenary. Skadi stumbled from the uneven surface and fell into the hole that the Reunion captain created. Mudrock immediately filled the hole by caving in the walls.

She couldn't let the elite operator run rampant on the battlefield.

Her attention returned to the other threats. Rosmontis waved her hand and unleashed a barrage of small rocks to push the captain back. Mudrock raised another earthen wall to defend while creating an earth golem as she retreated.

An explosion of dust and debris burst from Skadi's location and the Aegir was back on the warpath for the Reunion captain. Mudrock tried the same tactic, but Skadi jumped as soon as the ground destabilized underneath her foot. Some arrows were fired from the Reunion, but she smacked them out of the air. Mudrock controlled the golem to grab her and throw her aside as the Rhodes Island elite smashed straight through the golem. The broken golem pieces homed in on Skadi, wrapping her in earth to slow her movements.

"The longer you stay, the longer I'll be forced to fight. Just go!" Mudrock urged the rest of the Reunion's flank.

More earth golems formed out of the ground around her. Mudrock was a Sarkaz, her species blessed with immense physical and magical abilities. That still didn't give her enough confidence to face the monster in front of her.

Her arts were by no means as powerful as FrostNova's, or even forbid, anywhere comparable to Talulah's, but they were still far beyond the average. It allowed Mudrock to control the battlefield around her while creating her golem platoon. In tandem, it was a force multiplier on a platoon level. For this Rhodes Island operator to destroy her arts effortlessly?

Mudrock wouldn't underestimate her.

She split her golem squad into pairs while she backed away. They stepped in between the chasing operator and the escaping captain but were destroyed when Skadi swung at them with her sword. She kept chasing after Mudrock, who's best efforts only slowed down the inevitable.

Skadi reached her.

Mudrock locked her arms together as Skadi launched a fist at her. The impact blew her back several meters.

Skadi flexed her fist after the punch. The texture of the captain's body felt odd. It definitely wasn't skin. The material was probably the same as the golems. Effective body armor in most cases, but not against her. She dashed straight for the recovering Reunion captain. Skadi swung her blade, but was intercepted with a hand covered in two layers of earth. It stopped the piercing power of her slash, but the power behind the momentum was enough to blow back the arm. Earth crawled up her body, but it didn't stop Skadi from hammering away at the earthen armor chunk by chunk. The captain's armor regenerated quickly, but couldn't keep up against the Aegir supersoldier's fists.

Then, the ground around them collapsed.

Mudrock momentarily broke from Skadi's reach as they tumbled into the crater she made. The dust cloud from the small pit was enough to obstruct the view of everyone from their battle.

"Rhodes Island...I have important information you need."

Skadi paused. Was her enemy...?

"That is not my decision to make."

"But Rhodes Island will want to hear me out." Mudrock knew that Lungmen was on the backfoot right now. They were surprised- caught off guard by the numbers of the Reunion within the city.

"Are you negotiating for your escape or...?"

"No, I surrender. I doubt I can escape you."

It was a chilling experience- to fight against someone so out of your league, but not one Mudrock hadn't felt before. Being on the battlefield numbed your senses from the threat of death on a certain level.

"I will call the others. They shall decide." Skadi stood up across the downed Reunion captain.

Unknown to her, Mudrock was relieved.

Her mission...was nearly finished.

=== CHERNOBOG ===

When the guards returned with food the next morning, Shirou had something to say.

Nearl finished the same bland rations with an empty expression, slightly craving for Shirou's cooking from the previous day.

She perked up when Shirou exchanged a few words with their captors.

"Call your commander. I have my answer." Shirou said to them. One of the guards left and returned with the large hulking Wendigo Nearl had only seen two times prior.

She still hadn't shaken off her nerves when she saw the large commander of the Reunion two weeks ago. Seeing Patriot in pictures didn't really hold a candle to his real presence.

Nearl felt something off when the commander arrived in front of Shirou's cell.

"So...have you decided?"

Decided? Decided what?

She didn't like the wrongness of the situation. There was nothing right about a Reunion commander having a conversation with Shirou. The only reason would be if they wanted something from him, but they already forced him into treating their infected.

"Yes."

Last night. Something felt different about Shirou last night. The same atmosphere that carried over to this morning.

Nearl had her questions, but she didn't utter them. Not when the commander was right in front of them.

"Do you agree then?"

Agree?

Nearl's stomach bottomed out from her. A deep pit of suspicion and slowly growing dread when her mind raced to the worst outcome.

No. He couldn't have.

Surely not. He was against the Reunion. Shirou fought to help protect the civilians.

"I do, but I still have conditions."

"We can discuss that away from here."

The cell door opened.

"Shirou Emiya...welcome to the Reunion."

Nearl felt her blank expression slip away.

He actually did...

The question from last night didn't arouse her suspicions when it should've had. Shirou...he was looking for an answer. Nearl just gave it to him...but not in the way she expected it to

"Sorry...Nearl."

Shirou sighed as the blonde pegasi stared at him. The look of disbelief plastered across her face was one he expected since the night before. Nearl was against the Reunion's methods. Him joining them was nigh betrayal.

"I can't believe you."

He didn't like it either, but there was a reason behind his actions. Even if Nearl saw it differently.

"..." Shirou stayed quiet.

Patriot walked out of the prison with Shirou following behind him.

...

Lunch came around and Nearl found herself an apologetic gift.

What else could it have been?

The Rhodes Island operator glared at the meal placed at her cell's door.

The aroma. The beauty. The food.

Shirou was clearly trying to appease her. The meal served was also larger than normal.

No. Nearl wasn't going to fall for it. She was angry Shirou even made an attempt. Like food was enough to compensate for the-

Compensate?

Nearl dug her head deeper into her arms. No, she shouldn't be even thinking about it as compensation. She was disappointed. Who wouldn't? Shirou was strong, the Chernobog invasion showed that much. Him on the side of the Reunion was not going to bode well.

She didn't touch the food. Nearl skipped lunch and thought about what the Reunion offered to make Shirou even consider joining them.

When dinner came, the archer-turned-chef came.

Nearl watched Shirou from the bars while he stared back.

"You need to eat, Nearl."

"Your food won't make up for how disappointed I am in you, Shirou." Nearl closed her eyes.

"I'm not going to fight for them. You know that."

"Your assistance will boost the Reunion's strength. Morale is also a weapon."

Nearl saw how effective Shirou's cooking was. It made people happy. It made the Reunion happy. It was reinforcing their faith in the rebel movement. That the Reunion was doing something right.

Shirou joining them was akin to him believing in the Reunion's goal. His reputation as the dangerous archer during the Chernobog invasion had slowly been replaced as the helpful doctor and chef. Turns out, many rebels were so desperate for treatment- good food was just a bonus- that they were willing to turn a blind eye to Shirou's stance against them at the start.

"There is more to it than just helping them."

He couldn't tell Nearl that Patriot and FrostNova had plans to oust Talulah. To do that, they needed more support. Talulah had a good chunk of the Reunion under her control, more than Patriot did.

The guards on Nearl's cell were part of the Yeti Squad who were loyal to Patriot, but that wasn't going to make Shirou discuss private matters.

"Nearl...at least eat." Shirou sighed.

"If you want me to eat, then I'll take the rations." Nearl was being childish but it was her way of showing disappointment. She knew Shirou cared a lot about his food. Seeing her take the Reunion's rations over his cooking was bound to hit him right where it hurt.

"..."

The sigh from Shirou as he stood up was enough retribution from her point of view. Nearl couldn't help it. She was angry and she wanted someone to vent at, but the only person she could vent to was now someone she couldn't trust.

He left the prison and returned a few minutes later with a can of soup and dry bread. Shirou replaced the food in her cell and brought out the lunch he cooked.

When Shirou didn't return for a few minutes, Nearl picked up the food and sniffed. It didn't smell special, which eased her suspicions. She was half sure that the contents would have been replaced by something he made.

She dipped the bread into the soup and bit into her second meal of the day.

What...

How did he even...

Too late, the food was already in her mouth. Nearl's defense crumbled and she slurped the rest of her dinner.

How did he make stale bread and bland-looking soup taste good?! She was right, Shirou switched her food out.

Nearl cursed her appetite once she finished the meal.

"...that bastard."

She wanted to be mad, but the food was good. How could she be mad at someone who was only trying his best to help all sides? At least, Shirou wasn't using his combat abilities for the Reunion.

Nearl sighed as she leaned back on the wall of her cell.

Just what are you doing...Shirou?

===

Author's Note

Happy 2nd Anniversary to me as a fanfic writer! April 28, 2022 was the first time I started writing my first one. One day I'll get back to fixing that one.

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!

ko - fi .com (slash) w1nterf0x