Chapter 14: L.G.D and Old Friend

I slowly wake up to find Blaze poking my cheek. As I turn around, I see that Doctor and Amiya have also fallen asleep.

"What is it, Blaze?"

"I just wanted to know what's happening since I'm stuck guarding the pickup spot."

"Not much, really. I'm just realizing how lacking in experience I am."

"That's normal; this is your first large-scale operation after all. But from what I've seen, it looks like you're not quite used to commanding a squad, huh?"

"Yeah, at this point, maybe I should ask Kal'tsit to let me operate solo or work under Amiya or Doctor."

While I want to hold a funeral for the fallen, I don't think we'll have time to rest when we arrive, as L.G.D or possibly the leader of Lungmen has a mission for us.

"Have you heard what mission they gave to Kal'tsit?"

"Nope, but apparently we're getting help from Penguin Logistics and Blacksteel as well."

"Wait, Penguin Logistics? Is the Emperor there? The famous rap god penguin?"

"He's not actually here, but he did meet with Kal'tsit and the others. From what I hear, one of them, Sankta, is asking about you too."

Hearing that, I can only think of two people I know who will join: Mostima and Exusia. If it's Mostima, that means she has just recently become Fallen. But if it's Exusia, time has already taken its toll, as she is still chasing Mostima. If it's the latter, I won't be surprised—it's been two years since we parted ways.

"Well, if it's Sankta, there are two people I can think of, but I dread dealing with either of them. So, what is it?"

I can still feel Blaze staring at me, but she slowly turns her gaze toward Amiya, whose head is leaning against the Doctor's shoulder as both of them continue to sleep.

"Is it just me, or is Amiya acting differently than usual?"

"From what I hear, she and the Doctor go way back. But why are you asking me? Shouldn't you know better than I do? You joined way earlier than I did."

"Well, that's because back then, I only heard rumors about the Doctor from Ace and Scout. I don't know him very well, aside from the fact that he is Amiya's former guardian."

"I can tell you, but even now, I'm not entirely sure why she is so affectionate toward him. It seems like her mental state deteriorates whenever she's not near him. I don't know what Ace or Scout told you, but if you want to know, I can share what I know."

Now that I think about it, how much do I really know about Amiya? I know at least the events leading to her being picked up by the Doctor and adopted by Theresa, but I don't know anything beyond that, like why she has those rings, and so on. One thing is for sure: even if I know everything from the game, this is an alternate universe, so things can be different.

"Well, to start, Amiya's parents died in an attack while they were carrying a module intended for the Rhodes Island ship. Because of that, the Doctor picked up Amiya and became her guardian. Then she came to Babel, where Theresa adopted her as her own child. So for Amiya, the Doctor and Theresa are the closest thing she has to parents. But then Theresa died."

"Which led to her becoming dependent on the Doctor?"

"Probably. I don't know her mental state at that time. After the fall of Babel, the Doctor ended up in a sarcophagus, and Amiya created Rhodes Island, eventually becoming the de facto leader because Theresa gave her the crown. It's no surprise she became dependent on the Doctor. Maybe if she had grown up a little more before meeting him, she wouldn't be so dependent now. But as you can see, she seems like a girl who has finally met her parents after such a long time."

I can sense that Blaze is deep in thought, but I won't say anything more. With her here, the silence feels heavy as I try to go back to sleep.

When Alsia and the others arrived at the temporary Rhodes Island office in Lungmen, Kal'tsit was waiting for them with an angry expression, reminiscent of a wife waiting for her husband to come home late.

She dragged both the Doctor and Alisia aside, lecturing them about their recklessness and reminding them of their responsibilities. By the time she reached the halfway point in her lecture, Alisia had already fainted from exhaustion. Kal'tsit then let her go but continued to chastise the Doctor.

Left alone, Alisia felt guilty about ending up in the medical facility 'curing' Oripathy until someone appeared in front of her.

"Hey, looks like you're still working hard as usual, Originium Saint."

"I don’t want to hear that from the girl who was so reckless that she became a fallen Sankta."

The last patient to arrive was Mostima, but Alisia knew she wasn't truly there as a patient; she was more like a friend visiting for a prank. Nevertheless, Alisia didn’t waste any time and proceeded to 'cure' her just the same.

"So, want to tell me what happened since you took the time to visit me?" Alisia asked.

"Well, I've been thinking about going on a journey, and I'm interested in this Doctor," Mostima replied.

Hearing this, Alisia smiled and patted her hand before suddenly using her new technique to create a pattern on the back of Mostima's right hand.

"What is this?"

"Well, it's a new technique I learned while in Rhode Island. The gist of it is that it should prevent Cell-Originium Assimilation or crystallization when you're infected. Let's just say it's a failsafe in case you have to enter a place dense with Originium. The color starts to fill up depending on the amount of Originium your body can handle."

As Alisia spoke, Mostima noticed a similar pattern on Alisia's hand. In fact, when she looked more closely, she could see that parts of Alisia's body had lines forming a distinct pattern, which were also shining.

"Alisia, you're not pushing yourself, are you?"

Hearing that, Alisia tilted her head, not understanding Mostima's concern at first. But as she followed Mostima's gaze, realization dawned on her.

"Not really. Besides, my constitution is special, so I barely care about it. The more Originium I have, the more powerful I become, so why not?"

Mostima was shocked by what she said, momentarily forgetting that she was only supposed to be there for a short while because Exusia was planning to come too.

"ALISIA, are you here?"

The door to the medical room slammed open as Exusia entered with a big smile on her face, followed by a black-haired Lupo and a group from Blacksteel consisting of Vulpo, Voulvre, and finally a feline girl. Upon seeing the members, Alisia was surprised, as she recognized them.

Exusia's gaze landed on Mostima, and she dashed over to hug her, pulling Mostima out of her thoughts.

"Mostima, I've found you! Now tell me what happened that day."

"Ahhh… I let my guard down because of the shocking news. But let's talk later; I want to meet the Doctor anyway. Still, Texas, you're here too, huh… wait, what about Sora?"

"Yeah, I need to keep an eye on this noisy girl to make sure she doesn't mess things up. As for Sora, she's being guarded by Croissant and Bison."

"Wait, Bison? I thought he was from MountainDash Logistics?"

"Well, we kind of roped him into the job, and forget about Mostima—what did you mean by wanting to meet with Doctor?"

"Because the rumors about him are intriguing, and I want to see him for myself."

As the Penguin Logistics members began chatting among themselves, Alisia approached the Blacksteel members, smiling at them.

"Well, this is our first meeting, right? It's a pleasure to meet you. I am Alisia, an Elite Operator from Rhodes Island. May I ask who you are?"

"Oh, a polite one! It's a pleasure to meet you too. My name is Franka, and this is Liskarm. The timid one over there is Jessica. We're here for our assignment at Rhodes Island as part of an exchange program."

Alisia was not surprised to hear this, as she recognized them, but she was confused about why they were there instead of meeting with Doctor or Amiya. While shaking hands with Franka, Alisia proceeded to cure her, which took Franka by surprise.

"Oh, as expected from an Originium Saint—curing Oripathy in an instant!"

"Well, you are joining Rhodes Island after all, and our mission involves dealing with the infected almost every day, so our operators need to be healthy. But I'm curious why you are here. I have some ties with the Penguin Logistics members, but I don't recall having any connection with Blacksteel members."

"Ah, we have already met with Doctor, Amiya, and Kal'tsit. The reason we're here is that I want to cure my Oripathy. These two are with me because they are worried about me."

Franka patted both Liskarm and Jessica on the head, but Liskarm became shy and released a small electric current. Franka lifted her hand before getting shocked, while Alisia watched them, lost in thought.

(I want that lightning ability to make mine stronger, but Liskarm isn't infected, so I can't copy it.)

Feeling disappointed, Alisia was about to take a seat when someone hugged her from behind. When she turned to look, it was Exusia.

"Alisia, long time no see! How are you?"

"I'm doing fine, Exusia. From what I heard, you took first place in the Patron firearm training. Do you already have a weapon in mind?"

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that! So much has happened."

"Any plans for your weapon?"

As Exusia began to think, Alisia noticed that Mostima had already slipped out of the room, likely to meet with Doctor. Just then, the door opened again, and Lung entered, surprising Alisia since she knew her well.

(Today is still a busy day, as even Ch'en from the L.G.D. is here.)

"Is there anyone here named Alisia?"

"Yeah, that's me. How can I help you?"

"I need your help."

"Sure, lead the way. Oh, and by the way, think carefully about what you want, Exusia. We’ll see you later."

Realizing it was something important, Alisia followed Ch'en outside. Ch'en started running, prompting Alisia to run after her. When they arrived at their destination, Alisia moved Ch'en aside and crouched next to a badly wounded Oni, preparing to heal him.

"What happened?" she asked.

"He was discovered by the Reunion when they attacked the L.G.D. headquarters. Now he’s the only informant left."

After what felt like a while, Alisia noticed a red-haired Phidia watching her. She approached the red-haired Phidia and tried to grab her, but the girl attempted to escape. Alisia held on tightly.

"I don't know who you are, but stay still. You are severely infected with Oripathy."

At Alisia's words, both Ch'en and the red-haired Phidia fell silent as Alisia’s halo and wings began to glow with a golden light. The signs of Oripathy started to disappear from the red-haired Phidia, surprising both Ch'en and the girl.

"You can cure Oripathy?"

"Well, my title as Originium Saint is not for nothing."

"So that Originium Saint was you? Thank you for curing me, and I'm sorry for being rude to you earlier. My name is Nine, and I am a friend of that Ch'en over there."

"Nine, now that you are cured, will you come back?"

"No. Besides the information I have, Reunion is in disarray after the news that someone who can cure Oripathy is here. From what I see, we need Reunion, even though it has a bad reputation recently."

"Then why don't you join Rhodes Island?"

"I can't. Rhodes Island needs to maintain its reputation so everyone can seek their help. As for me, I was planning something else, so this is probably our last meeting. Ch'en, see you."

After saying that, Nine began to leave. Alisia froze in shock at the name she had just heard. From what she remembered from Ch'en's file, Nine was her former senior whom Ch'en looked up to. At the same time, her art allowed her to control herbal toxins and summon poisonous plants.

(Well, that was a jackpot. Even though I don't know her too well, aside from being Ch'en's former senior, she will become the leader of Reunion and is the one who helped Talulah escape.)

Nurl was still processing the information she had received, while Ch'en stood frozen, stunned by what Nine had just revealed.

But time was not waiting for them. Suddenly, an explosion erupted from far away, disrupting the peace inside Lungmen.