Chapter 20 - 1

Quick AN.

Chapter 20 is split into 3 parts because it's big. Please tell me if you prefer the 3000~ word format or the 5000~ format.

=== LGD SURVEILLANCE TEAM ===

"You're...not going to stop us?" The surveillance team officer asked with confusion.

On the screen was a white-haited boy surrounded by some large grunts. The odd sight of malformed bodies with crystals growing out of them was alarming to look at.

"Stop you? Fuck no. That kid-" W pointed at the boy on the screen. "-is sick in the head. The world is better off without him. Go ahead and sic Rhodes Island on him." She couldn't care less if the kid was offed by the so-called pharmaceutical organization- or at least their paramilitary branch.

This maniac just waltzed in, killed some of our guys, and was now killing some of her own.

Not that she killed any of the surveillance team so far. Only the guards outside. W needed them to cooperate if she wanted to keep the situation under her control.

One of the operators had an disturbed expression, which matched what many others felt like.

She had every opportunity to stop them. Silence the team before they contacted Rhodes Island, kill the operators once they found the commander, or even just force them to leave their posts.

But she didn't.

This girl's really crazy!

God, she was hot too-

The operator immediately stopped that train of thought.

"Go on. Call Rhodes Island and tell them you have a target." W gestured her hand at the officer.

The leader of the surveillance team hesitantly glanced between his comms device and the Sarkaz captain. He slowly picked up the instrument and contacted Rhodes Island. The comms channel between them and the organization flashed as they answered the call.

"Miss Amiya, we have located one."

"Really?! Please send us his location!" The young leader's voice urgently requested over the transmission.

The surveillance team officer sent over a picture of the camera feed showing the Reunion commander. He also marked it on the map for them to see, along with the coordinates.

"Commander Mephisto. We don't have much information on him I'm afraid."

"That's fine. We'll see what we can do. Thank you for your hard work!" The line disconnected.

The LGD captain lowered the device and received a nod from W.

"Good. Let's hope the little bunny keeps him occupied."

Better if Mephisto was completely taken out. W predicted that Talulah would start being suspicious if her plans didn't have any sort of success. At least one commander needed to fall.

Patriot, a stickler to rules. He'd make the most obvious and sensible decisions for the security of the Reunion. FrostNova, his loyal underling. Faust was a follower too, so W knew the kid wouldn't make his own moves. His friend Mephisto was the opposite. The teen had a hate boner for everyone that wasn't infected. His motives and decisions were based on dishing out the most pain on those he wanted revenge on. SkullShatterer and Crownslayer were the same type as FrostNova and Faust. The only difference was that they were loyal to Talulah.

W could predict their movements to some degree. Most of them except for Mephisto. He was like a wildcard whose actions were based on what he felt. But that was what made him the most dangerous to her. The most volatile of the group- the one who could act unpredictably on a coin flip.

The choice was obvious. If there was anyone W preferred gone, it would be him. The less wildcards in front of her, the more options she had.

"What?" W hissed when one of the Sarkaz mercs under her nudged her side. He jerked his head in the door's direction. She understood the message and followed him outside. It was disturbing the small window of opportunity they had, but it must've been important.

"Whatever this is, it better be more important than-"

Her instincts screamed.

W jerked her head sideways just as a knife tore through the air where her head had been. She moved just in time- the blade would've stabbed through her eye and lodged itself into her brain.

She'd be dead. A forgotten corpse abandoned in the middle of Lungmen.

"Fucking-!"

The Sarkaz she followed rounded on her with a haymaker straight into her stomach.

"Kghh..." W backpedaled into the wall to stabilize herself. She gulped air hungrily after having it violently forced out of her. She hadn't expected it- and hadn't put up a defense.

This time- she was ready.

The Sarkaz girl stepped out of the way as another knife flew out of the darkness and lanced itself at her previous position.

"...so is that how it is?" W coughed after catching her breath. "You betray me?" She glared at the approaching Sarkaz mercenary.

"You betrayed the Reunion first."

"They don't even know Talulah wanted them to fail." W's eyes scanned into the darkness to gauge the second assailant's position.

"If this is about money, then I'll pay you. The Reunion pays me a lot for my services." She bartered. W was the only premier bombs expert shelling her services out to them anyway.

Not going to happen. She couldn't trust this one anymore. W would have to kill him secretly once they exited the LGD base. Isolate him in some dark corner during the retreat and kill him off to make sure he would never be a problem.

"It's not about the money." He took another step forward.

"So you're going to kill me here?" W wasn't an expert in physical combat. She was above average at best- and that was because of her experience surviving in the war torn battlefields of Kazdel. Against another veteran Sarkaz mercenary- all her advantages were negated. Superior strength? Experience? Skill? All out the window. She couldn't use her bombs in such a small hallway either. The close proximity would bring down the floor- if not blow them to bits before that.

"What makes you think you can get out of here alive if you kill me? The rest would make sure you regret murdering their bonus pay grade." W slowly moved back to make space between her and the hulking figure of her backstabber. Some of the mercenaries were under W's employ after all. They only agreed to work for the Reunion when W convinced them with the salary.

"They'll die along with you." He shrugged. "You were never loyal to the Reunion's cause. Today just proved it."

He's pretty confident in whatever support he's got. But who would be strong enough to-

"Crownslayer." W spoke. It was the only person that came to her mind. Reunion's best assassin- and someone who could definitely sneak past all the Sarkaz mercenaries under her control. Crownslayer would be more than capable of dealing with the Sarkaz here.

Judging from the momentary pause of her former ally, then her guess was right.

"Shouldn't you be preparing to assault the rear?"

"I could say the same to you." A familiar voice behind W answered the question.

She spun around and drew her own knife. From the other end of the hallway, one of the Reunion's commanders emerged. Crownslayer walked a few steps into the range of the light while casually spinning a knife between her fingers.

"I was busy securing an objective." W made a half-hearted excuse. If Crownslayer was here, then her current objective was busted.

"Your objective. Talulah was right to keep an eye on you." Crownslayer stopped spinning her knife and pointed it at W. "She ordered me to follow and eliminate you if you deviated from our orders."

"Your stupid orders were going to get me killed." W snapped. "Sending new recruits straight into Lungmen? Talulah didn't even bring Patriot's forces to help us. They're the ones with experienced fighters who could lead our men. Admit it Crownslayer- we were sent here to die. There was no fucking way we'd actually pull off an assault like this against a better trained and better equipped force like Lungmen- even if they're just pussies defending their city- they're still pussies who would beat our average recruit. Not to mention home ground advantage."

"We would've succeeded if you kept to the plan."

"What plan? Throw ourselves at the LGD? Hah-! Like I'd fucking do that. I'm an explosives expert- my fucking bombs would take out our men just as much as it would take theirs out." W growled. Stupid fucking Draco- that Talulah was really banking on her being stupid enough to engage them and get herself killed.

That was if she wasn't killed by those elite ops Lungmen was keeping in the dark. Cities always had powerful cards up their sleeves just waiting to be played.

Above a few of Lungmen's highrises, Wei Yenwu's Shadow Guards had the urge to sneeze. For some reason, they were catching flack for something they hadn't done yet.

W grabbed her pistol and pointed it at the Sarkaz behind her. He stopped moving closer when she aimed at his head.

"Tell me Crownslayer, you're willing to fight up front. But why would you keep a large chunk of the Reunion held back in Chernobog instead of bringing them for the assault on Lungmen? The LGD are practically a paramilitary force compared to the shambles of a defense that Chernobog had."

W couldn't read Crownslayer's expression behind her mask, but her momentary pause was enough to tell the Sarkaz merc captain that the Reunion commander was considering how to respond.

"...backup. Sending the full Reunion force would expose our true strength. Talulah is testing Lungmen's strength." Crownslayer answered.

"A-a-ah~" W waggled her finger at her former ally. She didn't really see Crownslayer as an enemy even after she started deconstructing the lies Talulah wove into her actions. The girl was one of the few sensible members W engaged with in the Reunion. She was just misdirected like many other rebels fighting for the infected's cause.

"Then tell me...why didn't Talulah send at least some of Patriot's veterans? Not everyone. A good number would be enough to act as a force multiplier for us. Good leaders on the battlefield are hard to come by- and Patriot has the best of them under his brigades."

Crownslayer didn't have an answer to that.

"There could be many reasons...Patriot could've been the one to say no."

"Patriot would never compromise the Reunion's survival. He would've sent his captains himself. The only way they wouldn't be here was if someone else had the power to stop his commands. There's only one person with a higher rank in the entire Reunion."

W didn't need to see Crownslayer's reaction. She knew her words were shaking the foundations of the girls trust in her lea-

She jerked her body to the side as a knife cut through the air.

"...so that's your decision?" W unsheathed her own dagger. She wasn't an expert in melee but the knife would be an extra layer of defense if she couldn't dodge the knives.

"...I won't let you sabotage the operation."

Crownslayer already retreated into the darkness, maneuvering on the edge of W's range to a different position. It was her training, her upbringing. Her childhood was spent learning under a Fang of a Signore dei Lupi- representatives of Beast Lords who ruled the wastelands of Siracusa. These Fangs act as proxies for their Beast Lords- hunting and killing each other in a game to decide which Beast Lord would rule the rest.

The skills of those Beast Lords- passed down to their proxies- in turn passed down to her.

The Art of The Hunt.

In this game of theirs, Crownslayer had the upper advantage. W was not an expert in combat- much less someone who could ward off an assassin for long. Not when Crownslayer was in her element.

W sighed. She really didn't want to do this but there wasn't really any other choice. The Sarkaz captain rounded on her former colleague and shot him in the legs.

"Argh-!" The Sarkaz dropped to his knees in pain. It wasn't enough to take him out, but it was enough to slow him down. W rushed in and slammed her dagger straight into his throat.

"Idiot. Crownslayer is an assassin. Killing targets is her priority. Not protecting lives." W snarled as she flicked her dagger sideways to cut through the rest of his throat. She watched the light of her betrayer's eyes dim while she prepared herself to engage the Reunion commander.

She unloaded the rest of her gun's magazine into the darkness while bringing out her radio. Each second bought was time she could use to call on her mercenaries.

Not fast enough.

W was forced to stop dialing when Crownslayer appeared behind her. She swung around and intercepted the stab with her own dagger- glaring down the commander's eyes as they parried each other. Crownslayer quickly disengaged and launched a short kick on W's legs, which she avoided by stepping back.

Too slow.

Crownslayer switched up her assault and slammed her hand at W's throat in an effort to crush her windpipe. W gagged, but superior Sarkaz durability prevailed when she tanked the hit and locked her chin on the hand wrapped around her neck. Crownslayer attempted to break free by swinging her right arm with the knife straight to her face- which was intercepted by a hastily held up defense by W's left arm.

Their swift exchange only lasted a few seconds. In that time, the Sarkaz mercs in the surveillance room had reacted to the gunfire W unleashed earlier. They burst out of the command room and spotted the two fighters locked in place.

"Heh, let's see you try to face all of us." W grinned.

Crownslayer looked at the rest of her reinforcements. Nothing too worrying. She'd make quick work of them.

=== FRONTLINE BASE ===

Her hands were itching.

Ch'en was halfway to jumping out of the command room. She wanted to sprint out there and fight. Watching the LGD hold the lines while she sat pretty in some bunker shouting orders and watching them fight grated on her nerves.

Damn it all.

The eastern dragon gritted her teeth while she listened to another report of the situation evolving in front of her. The LGD were winning- if you call pushing the Reunion back winning. The losses on both sides were catastrophic. There were thousands dead, moreso on the side of the Reunion. Melee combat was expected to be a bloodbath- but seeing it happen in real time from camera feeds inside service tunnels made Ch'en hurl hours ago. The puddle of vomit had been flushed down the toilet, but that did not stop the urge to return and throw up the rest of her empty stomach.

I should be helping.

She couldn't stop looking at them. The piles of bodies when both sides clashed. When a tunnel was plugged with too many corpses, both factions disengaged. The Reunion would search around and find another tunnel that would eventually reroute to another LGD team that was busy defending that access route. It was an endless cycle of death and mayhem. The LGD were trying to collect the corpses of their friends- but even that was eventually stopped when the Reunion took potshots at guards retrieving them.

Why do I have to stay here and watch them die?

Because she had to conserve energy. Because she was their strongest fighter.

Because Talulah was out there.

Ch'en stood up from seat and paced around the empty room. She could assist the frontlines in other ways. Collapsing tunnels wouldn't be difficult if she used Chi Xiao: The Crimson Firmament. Except- she had trouble drawing the legendary Dragon-Slaying Sword of Yan. Wei Yenwu had taught her to wield the sword from a young age. The problem lied within Ch'en's psyche.

She could use Chi Xiao- but the sword's special powers were locked away from her. It was her own shortcoming that held her back. Using Chi Xiao needed conviction and strength. The type of conviction and strength to permanently end someone.

Ch'en couldn't kill. It was against her duty. Guards didn't kill. They protect.

Even if Ch'en somehow drew a small portion of Chi Xiao's power, there was no guarantee Ch'en could summon the energy arcs she used against Talulah. Somehow, the sword just knew when Ch'en was fighting against a true opponent or some random grunt off the street. Wei Yenwu mentioned that the sword was possibly sentient but could never prove how.

Ch'en rubbed her face indecisively. She hated doing nothing. She could continue to help command the LGD, but the commanders were doing a good job on that front. They were adamant that Ch'en rest and prepare for the confrontation with her...

...with her long-lost sister.

Ch'en's mind rumbled. She had a big dilemma. On one hand, it was her sister. Her older sister- kidnapped by the damned Duke Kaschey years ago during his attempt to wrest Lungmen's control away from Wei Yenwu.

On the other hand...

Talulah had become something not even Ch'en could recognize. The girl had turned into the leader of the Reunion- but her methods- the constant attacks and disasters the Reunion became known for...

That...that wasn't the sister she knew.

When Ch'en grew up, she confronted her uncle and demanded answers. Why was her sister taken? Why did Wei Yenwu give her up? The answers her uncle gave only spurred the simmering resentment within Ch'en.

Talulah...was not her sister in full. Ch'en knew that much. What she didn't know was the background around Talulah, her family, and what it meant for Lungmen.

Edward Artorius- the father of Talulah- escaped to Lungmen following the tense political situation from his Victorian homeland. There, he befriended Wei Yenwu and together plotted to usher Lungmen into a golden era. At the time, Duke Kaschey held control over the city and fought the two to keep his hands on it. They successfully drove the Ursus duke out and started to reform Lungmen into the bustling metropolis it was today.

During that time, Edward Artorius met Wei Yenwu's sister and the two fell in love- ending in the birth of their child- Talulah. When Duke Kaschey learned about the illegitimate child, he leaked the information to Victoria and Yan to draw their attention.

Several Victorian factions wanted the royal Artorius bloodline gone, and the Yan Imperial family wished to avoid going to war with the Victorian superpower. So, Wei Yenwu's little brother- the Emperor of Yan- ordered him to deal with the situation by either killing Edward Artorius- or disposing of his sister and her child. Edward Artorius surrendered himself to protect Talulah- and Wei Yenwu was forced to execute his friend. Before Edward died, Wei Yenwu promised to take care of his wife and daughter- a promise he intended to keep.

That promise was shattered when Wei Yenwu had to choose between protecting Lungmen, or protecting Talulah.

To hide Talulah, Wei Yenwu made his sister marry a Yanese nobleman. She hated it- but still gave birth to Ch'en Huichieh for Talulah's protection. In the end, depression took her mother while Ch'en's father left Lungmen. Not that Wei Yenwu could force him to stay. The man was just used to cover Talulah- and now that his supposed wife was dead, he had a reason to leave the city.

And so, Ch'en and Talulah were left in his care.

Running Lungmen while taking care of the two children proved difficult for Wei Yenwu. More often than not, he was locked away in his office doing overtime while Ch'en and Talulah were left at home on their own.

It was all too easy for Kaschey to pull a few strings and activate a few agents in Lungmen to construct an elaborate plan to corner Wei Yenwu and force him into a confrontation.

When that day came...Ch'en lost her sister.

Her thoughts were halted when the radio on her table received a call. Ch'en returned her focus to the situation and picked up the device.

"Yes? Is the situation under control?" While the screens in front of her showed the battlefront, it was hard to gauge the frontlines with how scattered and fragmented the fights were. Lungmen may be technologically advanced, but they weren't that advanced. They couldn't keep track of every operator that entered the tunnels. It was down to the officers up front to send updates to the back. From there, they coordinated with the commanders to conduct operations.

Ch'en wanted to stay on top of everything but there was only so much she could do with the information that reached her. Most of it would've had responses by the commanders who worked closer with the frontline officers.

"We're holding them back for now. They haven't made any breakthroughs."

A sigh of relief left her. Each call was like a piercing blow to the Chief of the LGD. Even if they were doing well, sooner or later, something would go wrong. Not everything would stay the same. Not during a battle, especially of this scale.

"We were calling you about the doctors you had us search for."

She frowned. "What about them?" Last she remembered, they were heading east. Their speed was surprising, but nothing too extravagant. Some of Terra's races could run faster. Still, their speed gave the LGD some clues. Were they Kuranta or some other fast race? There was also the probability that they were simply using some sort of Arts to enhance their speed. Nonetheless, the LGD added the information to the growing portfolio they collected on the Fuyuki doctors.

"Ma'am they're...they're there."

"What?"

"They're at your location- talking outside with the Rhodes Island leader right now."

Ch'en froze.

What?! Why would they be here?!

The eastern walls were the most dangerous location in Lungmen right now. The bulk of the Reunion was here. The leader of the Reunion was here. This location was the furthest place from safety.

Just what the fuck would they be doing here?

Ch'en rushed outside. Just as reported, there were some new faces she had never seen before. 3 figures- 2 adults and a teen- stood in front of Kal'tsit, talking with the Rhodes Island leader.

Training kicked in and she quickly identified the descriptions of the Fuyuki doctors provided to them. Purple hair and eyes on one, black hair and blue on the second. Their facial shape also mirrored each other- highly likely to be sisters. The third person she didn't recognize, but Ch'en had a suspicion who she was.

The LGD only had a few targets with bear-like features, even less so when they were female. Most of them were lawbreakers, but there was a recent one that appeared on their high priority list.

Their attention moved to her when she approached the group. Ch'en stopped a few arm-lengths away and scrutinized the two parties. Kal'tsit didn't look surprised to see the Fuyuki doctors and the LGD objective arrive at their covert location- one of countless bunker rooms spread throughout the defenses on top of Lungmen's walls.

"You lead them to our location." It was a reasonable guess for Ch'en. How though? She did not know. This bunker was chosen at random just after the invasion began. The only party Kal'tsit had contact with was Rhodes Island. Ch'en would've noticed if she reached out to anyone else. "Please warn me next time if you plan to bring others. It would've been dangerous if the enemy had the ability to intercept our comms."

"I didn't." Kal'tsit stated calmly. She shook her head when Ch'en raised an eyebrow at her. "You were tracking them, correct? You can check again."

Well there was no point now. It was too late. Besides, Ch'en had more important things in mind.

"Moving on-" The LGD Chief eyed the last member of the group. Between the three adults, the Ursine teen stood out the least- which made her the most suspect. It was guesswork, but there would've been a reason why the Fuyuki doctors brought her. "-explain yourselves. If I find your answers satisfactory, I shall withhold on arresting you for endangering Lungmen's security.

Oripathy doctors or not, Lungmen's security was still Ch'en's priority. "Hand over Miss Misha and we shall leave the matter be."

"I'm afraid you can't. There are laws on apprehending employees from non-Lungmen based entities. You'll have to provide proof first." Kal'tsit stepped in. She expected this to happen the moment they showed up. She was putting Rhodes Island in the line of fire, but considering the value of gaining the trust of the Fuyuki doctors- the trouble was more than worth it.

Ch'en paused. She stared at Kal'tsit who held up a few papers. "Doctors Rin Tohsaka and Sakura Matou along with their assistant, Misha, are working under Rhodes Island."

What? Since when?

How did the LGD overlook this detail? They should've noted it.

How did the LGD overlook this? They should've noted such an important detail. A crucial mistake on their part.

If that was even true.

Ch'en was suspicious of the documents and asked for them. "Would you mind if I look? The LGD was not aware you were working with..." Ch'en glanced at the two doctors. "-the Fuyuki doctors. Our last meeting involved some Laterano representatives. At the time, you didn't mention having connections to the doctors."

"They were not involved during the mission." Kal'tsit answered. She didn't know where they were at the time. But just to be sure, she had Ace take a small detour to check the Fuyuki clinic during the invasion. When he reported that the clinic looked like it was evacuated some time before the invasion, Kal'tsit assumed they had left Chernobog.

Ch'en hid her scowl. She understood the value of having Oripathy doctors. They were some of the most sought after specialists in Terra. While nations didn't consider treating Oripathy a priority, the rich people who got infected did. If Lungmen got ahold of the Fuyuki doctors, it would boost their status in Yan and the world at large.

But now that they were taken by Rhodes Island, Ch'en would have to reevaluate her next moves.

She briefly scanned over the document, a pretty simple agreement between both parties. It was a simple contract, comparable to some of the most basic she had seen before.

More importantly, nothing was mentioned about the Fuyuki doctors being locked to Rhodes Island. They were free to entertain other ventures while under contract with the pharmaceutical organization.

There was a chance.

Ch'en backtracked. "I see...my apologies then." There'd be more time to tackle the issue later. She needed to focus on the Reunion. Ch'en would ask her uncle to enter discussions with the Fuyuki doctors at the earliest opportunity after Lungmen's immediate crisis was resolved. She handed back the document to Kal'tsit who met her eyes.

She knows.

Ch'en couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being read like an open book by the older girl. Kal'tsit had been around for a long time from what she heard. Ch'en didn't know how long, but Wei Yenwu admitted that the leader of Rhodes Island was older than him at the very least.

Bzzt.

The Superintendent Chief instantly answered the call.

"Ma'am we need reinforcements! We're being held hostage!"

The urgent tone kicked Ch'en into high gear.

The surveillance team coordinating with Rhodes Island was under attack.