Gaze upon the future.
Gaze upon the skies.
Gaze upon the endless.
Bear your rewards in a world with no prizes.
***
Amiya, though having not met up with Dobermann yet, felt seldom guilty for their late arrival toward the designated meeting point. Those were the thoughts swirling in the storm that was her mind, but when she arrived at where the area was—standing once more on railings overlooking a pale marbled room—she felt relieved knowing she wasn't late. After all, if they had been, the group would have received at least a digital message through their communications device that the other group was waiting for them.
The area they were supposed to meet up at, the lower floor from the platform with railings that they stood on, had already been invaded by a large bulk of Reunion's troops. Right now, the team was attempting to keep out of their sights while Amiya supported the Doctor with her back, Defender and Scout making their best observations on the situation while attempting to contact Dobermann. Medic was helping her with supporting the Doctor, while also carrying Guard's crossbow.
Well, she should have been more focused on the task at hand, if his unconscious body hadn't been petting her head.
Why was he petting her head? Was he dreaming?
Well, she wasn't complaining at all.
"Psst, Amiya, where is Dobermann?" Guard turned toward her, cupping his masked mouth. "And... nevermind." He saw the blonde-haired man unconsciously pat the Cautus' head, but decided it must have been some form of sleep-walking, deciding to leave the subject as is.
"I thought you contacted her?" Amiya continued to let herself be patted by the Doctor, confusedly asking Guard.
"I tried. Comms aren't reaching through," he whispered back, pointing toward his device. "Do you think something happened?"
"If something happened, then that can't be good." She felt herself becoming more troubled by the second. "I'll attempt to contact her." Her hands fished for her own communications device. "I don't know if it will be any different."
"Better than nothing." Guard gave her a shrug, turning toward Defender who was scouting out the Reunion members at the bottom, mumbling him a specific headcount of how many of them were present. "Fifteen? Alright," he worriedly sent the message back to everybody else with a hushed voice.
"Understood." Amiya nodded, still feeling the warm hand caress her head. She should have been stricken with a great deal of anxiety and worry due to their unfavorable position and with the amount of Reunion just below them, but the Doctor's hand... really, she couldn't help but be serenely calmed by it.
Medic stared at the two with a complex look on her face.
"Un, no response from Dobermann." Yet, all good things came to an end, and when the Cautus' communications device gave no connection to her, a wave of trepidation washed over her. "This... should we move elsewhere and hope for a connection? Or should we wait here longer?" She gave the best suggestions she could to the team, all of their attention turning to her.
"I think we should stay for... five—" Defender gave his opinion, raising five fingers and then switching to three "—actually, three minutes. Tops."
Guard interjected, "Are you sure?" He cast a worried gaze. "That's still enough for some of Reunion to crawl their way up here to look for enemies, and then we'll be caught like Elafia in headlights."
"Elafia in headlights or not, what will we do if Dobermann actually arrives and we're not here?" Defender gave his next point.
"What if she doesn't arrive at all?" Guard impatiently tapped his arms, the limbs crossing over each other.
"Calm down you two." Medic, becoming the voice of reason, nervously struck the two with her words. "We shouldn't—"
"Do you guys hear that?" Amiya cut them all off, once more catching their attention from her worried words. Though, it was difficult to stifle a chuckle when she continued to be headpatted. "Are those... footsteps?"
All humor eventually left them, just as quickly as it had come to their brains. They all blinked, looking around and focusing their senses, slightly hearing... tremors travel across the ground, their excursion breaching even the walls.
The steady tremors rattled the platform beneath them, traveling like an unseen force along the walls. Amiya swallowed her breath, ears twitching at every subtle vibration.
Then—just as the tension reached its peak—there was movement behind her.
A slow inhale, a shift of weight, the Doctor stirred.
Amiya barely had time to register the warmth retreating from her head before fingers twitched, retracting from her hair. The unconscious patting stopped, and the weight leaning against her shifted slightly. Then, a quiet groan escaped his lips.
She turned her head just in time to see golden lashes flutter open.
For a moment, Jugram's gaze was unfocused, eyes heavy with residual fatigue. Then, as a switch had flipped, the haze vanished, replaced by something far more composed. His back straightened, his posture subtly correcting itself as he took in his surroundings.
Silence stretched between them.
"...Doctor?" Amiya whispered hesitantly.
Jugram blinked once, his blue eyes momentarily vague. Then, in a voice as calm as still water, he spoke, "I see. We are in the field."
Amiya was taken aback by the immediate clarity in his tone. No grogginess, no confusion—just a simple statement, as if waking up in an unknown battlefield was an everyday occurrence.
Guard, who had turned at the sound of movement, leaned in slightly. "Uh... you good there, Doctor? You kinda—" He gestured vaguely toward his own head. "—were knocked out for a bit there."
Jugram breathed, testing the movement of his fingers, reacquainting himself with his own body, becoming familiar with his motor state. "There was... a moment of disorientation. It has since passed."
"Thank goodness," Medic let out a breath of relief. "When we get back to Rhodes Island, I swear, we need to have a deeper look at your body. Field supplies aren't cutting it right now, and... and—" She halted, taking in a deep breath to calm herself. "Sorry for the outburst. Just please... don't do anything that will strain you. Especially with fighting in the frontlines"
He waved her off. "It's fine. I will keep a better awareness of my health. Your words will not fall upon deaf ears"
Amiya wasn't sure why, but something about that answer made her shoulders ease. Even if the Doctor claimed to have amnesia, he still carried that same composed presence. "Thank you, really."
Before she could say anything else, though—
"Uh, guys," Defender interjected with a hushed urgency. "I hate to interrupt the heartfelt moment, but I'd like to remind everyone that there are fifteen Reunion soldiers right below us. And... those footsteps, shit, they're getting louder..."
Amiya sucked in a breath. Right, he was right. No time to dwell on relief. A moment of disordinance or relaxation would tear them apart. Though, a faint disappointment remained that she was no longer being ruffled by the hair and rabbit ears...
Jugram, too, took that information in stride. He adjusted his gloves, his golden locks shifting as he glanced toward the sound of the incoming presence. Then, ever so subtly, he craned his head toward her.
"Understood. Then we hold our position and reassess if necessary," he decided without hesitation.
Amiya blinked. Despite his claim of amnesia, his decisiveness felt... natural. Like slipping into an old habit. Though, granted, she had been becoming very used to such a thing.
I hope so, Doctor, she thought.
Before she could dwell on it, the footsteps finally reached them, bringing their hearts almost to a stop.
"Found you," came a familiar voice to Amiya—and by extension—everybody else present. A woman with a coiled whip by her waist, along with a decently sized group pressed against the wall in order to hide their figures was seen.
"D-Dobermann!" Amiya, still keeping the octaves of her voice regulated, called out toward the woman. "Goodness, we were waiting for some time, and we..."
"Sorry, we ran a little late because of some... setbacks." Dobermann let out a sigh, frustration leaving from it. "But that is in the past. Now, do you have the..." Her gaze traveled across, landing on the blonde-haired Doctor. "Er...?"
"Oh! I forgot, that's the Doctor," Amiya piped up, presenting him with her arm. "He may look a bit different from the reports, but we've confirmed his identity with PRTS and a few other checks—"
"Hey! Did you guys see that?"
A voice interrupted them from below, making the entire group duck down hastily. It came from Reunion
"See what? Hey... actually, I thought I saw something..."
"If you're so worried about something, go check it out. I'm moving to a different station anyways."
Dobermann narrowed her eyes. "If we don't get out of here quick, then they'll find us up here." A silent change overtook her, before she turned back to the group. "I have a few questions I want answered, but now is not the right time. Follow me, I know a route that would get them off our tail."
Wordlessly, everybody nodded in confirmation to her idea.
***
They were in some sort of hidden area, hearing the distant footsteps of Reunion scouts traveling across from a room not too far away. The group, once they saw their white outfits come to pass, finally let out a relieved breath as they steadied themselves. An unspoken request and acceptance amongst all others for a brief moment of rest and getting themselves acclimated had also come to pass.
"That's... the Doctor?" Dobermann blinked a few times, looking up and down, finally being given the time to filter her thoughts. "Well, I can't say I was expecting you to wear so much white."
"Descriptions don't match?" Jugram turned toward her with a side-eye.
"No, they don't. I was expecting black outfit with Rhodes Island's insignia, a hood pulled over your head, and a one-way tinted visor." She placed a hand on her hip. "Certainly, it seems like my expectations were completely off the mark—along with what we've been told."
"Sources of information aren't always infallible. Consider this a lesson learned—life is full of unexpectancy," he commented, tone holding less than an empty book. His expression? Just as vacant as a white scape.
Deep inside, he reprimanded himself for letting his lecturing habits for the Sternritters leak through, potentially offending the other woman.
"...Sure, I'll take that to heart." Dobermann breathed roughly from her nose, shaking her head. "If you're the Doctor, then you're the Doctor, confirmations have already been made if you were brought here." She made sure to drop the last part in, before shifting her attention. "Alright, Amiya—"
"Ah, Dobermann." Amiya cut her off, raising a silent gesture for the woman to stop.
She raised an eyebrow in response. "Have something to say?"
Amiya glanced around the room, the other Operators mirroring the same semblance of uncertainty as her in split reflections. "We, uh... forgot to mention that the Doctor..." she hesitated.
"Well? Out with it." Dobermann crossed her arms, ladening it with a casual demeanor. Maybe to lessen the tension.
"The Doctor has amnesia." Amiya's words trailed out slowly, taking her time while her figure fidgeted slightly. A heavy air hung over the scene, the Cautus feeling the most of it compared to everybody else.
"Pardon?" Dobermann furrowed her brows, face stiffening. "Amnesia? Memory loss?" She flicked toward the blonde-haired man.
"It's as they say." Jugram motioned to them. "I do not recall my time on Rhodes Island, nor do I remember much of my time—in this world—before being placed in that contraption." Eased even while revealing such weakness, he was the epitome of decorum.
"...This complicates things." A hand traversed, finding its place on her forehead and completing the image. "This complicates things, to a considerable degree." A heavy crease could be seen, a low sound of exhausted breathing entering the ears coming along its path.
Jugram tilted his head, golden locks drifting along. "An apt descriptor of how considerable that is would be appreciated."
"To put it bluntly? You were one of the greatest assets to Rhodes Island in the commanding field. Your ability to lead in battle was practically legendary amongst the Operators," Dobermann explained. "If you've been struck with amnesia due to—who knows what happened inside that Sarcophagus—then all of that has just been washed down the drain. Right, did I forget to mention you were the lead researcher for Oripathy treatment?" Quick-fired words exited like machine gun shots.
"...How unfortunate." Jugram's response was simple and nonplussed.
"Ms. Dobermann," Amiya interjected, "Doctor is still adept at leading, and possesses great situational awareness, I'm sure of it."
"And you're basing this on...?" Dobermann's face was one of skepticism.
Her voice became more firm as she stood in-between the two, Jugram giving her a hard-to-see acknowledging look. "We encountered Reunion on our way here, and Doctor handled the situation flawlessly. Defender, Guard, and Medic can testify to it." When she glanced toward the three, they all wordlessly nodded.
Jugram remained a still statue. "Would that be sufficient proof?"
Dobermann exhaled sharply. "Guess we'll find out soon enough." Her gaze trailed across all the other Operators, before turning toward the path down below. "We need to meet with Ace's squad soon. I believe our time here has provided plenty of rest?"
"Affirmed."
"Of course!"
"Ready to go."
"No objections."
"Yes, ma'am!"
An entourage of voices sparked up from the entire team made its way toward the woman. She nodded toward them all in response, motioning for them to follow along. She took a step back, making one final eye contact toward the Doctor.
"A small suggestion, but show a bit more emotion," Dobermann said.
"I don't see the problem?" Jugram replied.
"Although it is good to harden yourself in the face of battle, it makes it hard for your allies to understand you."
"Duly noted," Jugram said, but it certainly did not sound like he was duly noting anything at all. Whether or not it was truly a tongue silked with sarcasm held no reservoir in anybody's current understanding of the man.
"I hope so," Dobermann mirthlessly said.
***
The rest of the journey was rather silent. Only hand motions were given to each other while they made their way through the maze stuck underneath the facility, the same one where Jugram had been found. He had to check PRTS once, more for showing the other members the area's layout, before coming back on course. There was a lingering environment that traveled alongside them, from the past—questions still hanging heavy amongst everybody.
He had already promised to answer them, vaguely, when they had come back to the Rhodes Island landship. What response to come up with, he was still letting it sear upon the stove. For now, the Sternritter Grandmaster had to keep his heart in check as per Medic's demands, because there was something preventing full expression of his abilities and physical potency.
Now they stood at a tunnel, leading to the outside world with the sun peeking through the opening atop. The sounds of relief were palpable, especially with Amiya who stood close by his side. A coded hand gesture from Dobermann then demanded everybody to still keep their caution intact, which had quickly set everybody back on course. A few more commands were given, and now Dobermman, along with Defender, were slowly making their way toward the exit to see the situation for themselves.
Jugram patiently waited for them, knowing that such a process took time, especially with how much Quilge Opie had instilled amongst the Sternritters and Soldats the importance of keeping themselves cautionary—especially when it came to hiding in the Shadows of the Seireitei. However, his complacency wore thin when another uncontrolled bout of The Almighty overtook him.
Dobermann blinked, looking up with a surprised expression, yelling for Defender to retreat back. Her commands were too late, as a barrage of crossbow bolts pelted his body, leaving it no different from swiss cheese, panic overcoming the group who had suddenly witnessed it.
"Don't take another step further." Jugram's eyes returned to normal, calling out toward them with the most authoritative voice he could muster. It worked.
"What?" Dobermann glanced back, raising an eyebrow. "Explain—?"
"Hold your position, do not advance." Jugram called out again, stepping forward with a heavier step. "There are enemies in waiting."
Amiya seemed to have felt something, rabbit ears twitching while widening her eyes toward Dobermann. "Dobermann, please, follow his orders!"
Without fail, Defender was the first one to take a step back, having experienced the Doctor's apparent sensory abilities. Dobermann listened to them after hearing Amiya.
A whistle was heard, objects littering the ground en masse. They were projectiles, coming from the crossbow.
"Damn...!" Dobermann cussed, immediately springing into action, the Rhodes Island squad holding the same reaction as her. "Everybody, get into position!" Her voice was freezing water, splashing over them.
"Five in total," Jugram commented, about to take a step forward and draw his sword, but was stopped by Amiya.
"Please, don't exert yourself." She kept her free hand's palm pointed toward the opening, as all other Operators readied their gear—offensive and defensive alike. "I know you're strong, but... even the strongest foundations crack under too much weight."
"You underestimate my endurance..." He breathed out, watching the Reunion troops drop down, Dobermann and Defender still at the front, but backed away to get away from their crossbows. "Guard, flick your shots left and right."
On instinct, Guard did, and immediately nailed two Reunion troops, just as they had dropped down, immediately came to meet a crossbow bolt hitting their bodies. Not lethal, but is definitely enough pain to make them reel back, disabling them momentously.
Jugram moved Amiya's arm which was charging her Arts, surprising her. "Strike. Don't hesitate." Don't hesitate... it was a line he remembered telling the Soldats and newly acquitted Sternritters.
"Understood! Firing now!" Amiya fired as he had ordered, still slightly disoriented from the sudden movement.
Her Arts made it through, crackling with red and black, razoring in-between the first two Reunion members who had first jumped down, the projectile just being large enough to hit the both of them on the sides. Two half circles were made on their bodies before they could defend against the attack, before a sizable dent was left on the wall.
"Tch... what was that?" Dobermann let out a gape, having felt the projectile, too strong to be Amiya's, pass right by her. She flicked back a gaze to see exactly Amiya—held by the Doctor—having a nervous smile. "Forget it..." She shook her head, priming her whip toward the only Reunion member left.
They were running away. While both of their allies were bleeding out, with another two pulverized, it seemed to have become apparent to him that the odds completely stacked against him.
Sadly, or happily, they were immediately stomped out like an ember upon asphalt, when somebody had dropped down from above. A sledgehammer cracked against their skull, sending their body slamming downwards as the figure made themselves clear under the light, looking upwards to scan the scenery.
"Ace!" Dobermann called out, in tandem with Amiya's voice.
"Am I late?" Ace said, registering the bodies on the floor for only a moment as other Operators were seen dropping beside him.
"On the clock, to be precise." Dobermann walked up to him. "You've already got the message. But we've retrieved the Doctor, and we now need to exfiltrate him. Stat." She presented her hand toward the group, mainly, to the Doctor.
"The... Doctor?" Ace blinked from underneath his sunglasses, the other Operators behind him glancing at him with a confused look. "Are you sure that's the Doctor?" A sense of doubt overcame him when watching the blonde-haired man with a white cloak—far too white to be the actual Doctor's.
"It may not look like it." Amiya stepped forward. "But he's the Doctor. PRTS' identification said so."
"Oh, wow," Ace scratched his back, still assessing him. "No offense, but I never thought of you to be a pretty boy."
"Is that so?" Jugram glanced around a few times, before fixating his eyes toward the bespectacled man.
"You never showed off your face. Mask covering your face, and all. Don't you know?" Ace scrunched his brows.
"Ace, the Doctor has amnesia." Dobermann placed her hands on her hips. "Amiya said so, and he's lacking a great deal of context as it is right now."
A heavy silence fell, unspoken doubts mingling among the Operators. Ace exchanged wary glances with a few others. Even with PRTS' confirmation, something about this Doctor felt off. Eventually, it was shaken off.
"Alright," Ace finally said. "Let's get moving before things get worse." He motioned. "We'll do this like old times, alright? Gotta get that memory jogging."
A chorus of nods were his answer, before they had decided to make their departure.
The Operators secured the area, sweeping through the fallen enemies to ensure no threats remained. Medics rushed in to tend to the wounded, patching up injuries and stabilizing those who couldn't move. Meanwhile, Jugram observed silently, noting their efficiency—the coordinated, decisive actions of a disciplined force that still lacked the raw militaristic edge he was used to.
Noticing Jugram's stillness, Amiya stepped closer. "Doctor, are you alright? No problems?"
"No ailments." Jugram met her gaze with his steady, ocean eyes. "For them, they work well autonomously."
"They're reliable companions, Doctor. You worked well with Ace back then." Amiya nodded, before urging him, "We should hurry."
Before they could move, a distant siren wailed, a sharp, piercing sound that sent a chill through the group. The city of Chernobog was bedridden in chaos, screams becoming a haunting tune to their ears.
"That's not good," murmured one Operator. "Since when did it become like this?"
"Enemy reinforcements inbound!" Guard reported. "They're swarming in from the eastern district!"
"We need to leave—now!" Dobermann barked.
As the group rushed through with precision, a shadow lunged from an alleyway. A lone enemy attacked Amiya with a blade. Before anyone could react, Jugram moved. With a brief flicker of motion, the attacker slumped to the ground in eerie silence.
The Operators paused, the sudden stillness hanging in the air. After a moment, Ace cleared his throat and, in a dry tone, remarked, "When were you able to do that?"
"When I awoke." Jugram only offered a neutral nod and stepped back, his expression unreadable. Amiya and Dobermann exchanged brief glances, then pressed onward with urgency.
"...Awakened Arts?" Ace queried, turning to Dobermann.
"I don't know. I wasn't there." Dobermann admitted, also curious about what Jugram had done.
"Medic and I have come to that assumption, yes." Amiya raised her hand while they made it across a street, keeping eyes peeled for Reunion. "We don't know what happened, but the Doctor has access to Arts now. Straining, but he has them."
"And as you've observed, I shouldn't be utilizing them excessively," Jugram noted.
"Ah, right," Amiya called out. "You really shouldn't..."
"Well, I'll keep an eye out for that." Ace said. "You'll get the hang of it soon, Doctor. Still, would have never expected that to happen to you."
Nobody had.
***
Smog rose toward the sky with its churning bloom, fueled by the bottomless hatred of those once wronged and spewing into Terra the essence of anarchy. Revered was it by the mad, glorified was it by the singers of chaos—for it was the perfect cloth sewn together by the threads of abhorrence.
Their climb was aided by the approach of fiends dwelling just beneath them, crawling across the streets and spilling as much blood as possible. Only when an ocean was filled with gore could those white-masked imps be satisfied, to reimburse vengeance a thousandfold toward their blind enemies.
"This much..." Amiya's voice cracked. "How could they?"
"If Reunion keeps up with this, they'll only be painting a worse image for themselves, and an even harsher one for the Infected as a whole." Dobermann creased her brows, fingers upon crossed arms impatient tapping. "Just great. I can already imagine all the news sources floundering on about the 'dangers' of the Infected."
"Definitely looks like it'll be a tough sort to get through next time." Ace shared the same sentiment, rapping his knuckles. "I'll be damned. Just what's going on in their head?"
"Unruly and undisciplined." Jugram turned toward the city, watching the buildings smolder beneath the breath of Reunion's wrath, a cascading heat engulfing the skyline. "They have no regard for whomever they slaughter, and moreso, they are disorganized." He was guilty of such things before, for he was the leader who orchestrated slaughters of greater scale.
"...That's exactly how it is. Would have never expected this from... the Reunion Movement" Dobermann admitted with a begrudging nod. "Fighting for Infected rights, but to spill innocent blood for it...? Are they truly fighting for justice now?"
"They must have reached a bottleneck with the harsh treatment they've taken over the years." Ace sighed, rolling his shoulders as his eyes scanned the streets below. "We're burning time. We need to move before they lock down the escape routes. But for sure, they've lost their minds."
Dobermann nodded. "Agreed. Scout teams, report." She reached for her comms.
A voice crackled through the comms. "Path's looking rough up ahead. Reunion forces are setting up barricades along the routes we were planning to go. We spotted heavy units—some Casters too. They're digging in for a prolonged fight. A long fight."
"Tsk." Dobermann's expression darkened. "They're making sure no one gets out."
"Then we'll have to find another way," Amiya said, about to come to the Doctor for any suggestions he could give.
Ace stepped forward, analyzing the nearby rooftops. "There's a side path that leads to a lower sector near the outskirts. Risky, but it might let us slip by. Then, we'd be clear to pass through the park, straight to our evacuation zone"
"That'll put us in range of whatever they have stationed down below." Dobermann crossed her arms, weighing the options. "Still, better than walking into a full blockade."
Amiya turned to Jugram, now able to ask for his suggestion. "Doctor, do you have any thoughts on this?"
Jugram closed his eyes for a brief moment before speaking. "If they are fortifying their positions, it is not out of mere defense—it is control. They anticipate movement and will be prepared for an engagement." He looked down at the shifting shadows of Reunion patrols below. "If we are to escape, we must break their formation before they can fully tighten their hold."
Dobermann narrowed her eyes. "You're suggesting a preemptive strike?"
"A decisive one," Jugram answered.
Ace smiled. "That's exactly the plan I'd expect from you." Contrasting Dobermann's disapproval, he showed approval. "But as it stands, can you deal with something like that with your amnesia?"
"The Doctor is still skilled, highly so." Amiya stood up with a firm disposition. "I trust him."
Ace hummed her way, before regarding the Doctor once more. Dobermann kept silent, crossing her arms.
Amiya hesitated, but after a moment, she nodded. "Then we'll prepare an assault. If we break their formation now, we can carve a path for an escape."
Ace set his shield up, lightly tossing his sledgehammer up before catching it. "Alright, let's get this over with. We'll have to make plans on the fly if we want to make it through this mess—"
"No," Jugram denied, turning away, a shadow casted over his eyes as his bangs hung unnaturally over his eyes. The five-pronged symbol surrounded by a circle was seen on his back, presenting itself to everybody.
Everything looked at him with skepticism.
"Doctor?" Ace asked. "Any plans we make right now won't survive first contact. It's best if we improvise in this situation, especially if we want to break through it. Quick."
"I have a plan. Infallible. Undefeatable." Jugram turned around, eyes closed. They opened, yet everybody was met with the same natural blues that he possessed. "If it does not survive first contact as you say, then we'll settle with improvisation. For now, memorize my commands clearly."
Amiya could feel it. Just before, there was a cut off from his emotions, and his presence had vanished entirely. It didn't make any sense, she could feel all forms of life around her, with their emotions becoming clear. This time, back when he alerted Dobermann, back when he had foreseen Reunion's position, and back when he had first woken up and executed a Reunion member with a syringe... they all had the same feeling.
Like staring at a void, filled with nothing but ebony.
***
Everybody was in position, the sound of fire burning and consuming the streets was present in everybody's ears, shaking their eardrums. In the midst, where Reunion was becoming larger in swarms and groups, Jugram stood at the center, walking through the streets without a care in the world. It had led to a few Operators sucking in a deep breath, shutting their eyes and readying themselves—despite his reckless suggestion to take the frontlines.
Amiya had vehemently denied it, arguing with the Doctor. But with time becoming a luxury, she was left clenching her hands into fists as he had decided to fully go with his plan.
So there he stood, catching the attention of the Reunion Movement, his white cloak, golden-silked hair, and impressive height practically being a "target me" beacon. Glints were seen across rooftops, scopes focusing onto his position, alerting the Operators—who recognized it.
It was just as predicted.
Jugram's past voice echoed into her mind, and she was confident it did to everybody present when the situation called for it.
There are crossbowmen stationed on the rooftops, surveying the area. Watch where my finger points and listen closely to what I describe next.
His hand rose high by his side, clenched into a fist. The moment it fell, crossbow bolts shot toward the alleyways, hitting their marks with precision. Amiya watched, stunned, as what were once moving bodies became motionless targets, quickly reduced to corpses.
A swarm hides in the alleyways—three in total. Who will handle them?
In the next instant, his arm retreated into his cloak. Dobermann, standing near an alleyway, snapped her whip into the shadows, sending three figures crashing to the ground.
Without waiting for a response, Jugram flicked his right hand. His cloak parted slightly, revealing a flash of sunlight glinting off the steel beneath, yet the sundial radiance was not drawn. Windows rattled open, and rappelling ropes hit the ground.
Amiya couldn't believe what she was seeing.
I'll be the main target, considering how much I'll stand out in the crowd. Prepare for an ambush, and counter it when it comes.
Those past words settled into her brain, Reunion members charging toward him were swiftly dispatched, their bodies falling without a sound, victims of a one-sided massacre. It wasn't a battle—it was a slaughter, their unprepared bodies no match for his precision.
The Cautus observed it all, as though Jugram was crafting the future from a book, writing the next chapter with a pen and ink. By the minute, existence was held in his hands, standing loftily by the center of his palm.
He snapped his exposed hand, predetermined commands ladened underneath it. They were gouged out with great fervor, the Operators tracing back the canals of their memories and coming upon it once more.
There are more crossbowmen above, waiting for their chance. Once their allies fall, they'll show themselves. Ranged Operators, strike as soon as you spot them.
The crossbowmen, perched on high, were immediately dealt with. Only rapid clicks were heard, deadly contours rippling, and viscera mixed with bones were soaring. The ones baring their fangs toward them barely had time to react before the hail of steel sent their mutilated bodies crashing to the ground.
Amiya, one of the first to target them, kept her attention on the same spot, unable to assist those below due to her role.
Now, gather around me. A flood will break from the streets below. That is the essence of their "intricately" crafted barricade.
The men and women fell into formation around Jugram, shields a bastion, with Ace leading the charge, his team forming a tightly raised defense. There was a sudden surge of energy coming from the opposing fray, one that Amiya recognized immediately—an Arts Caster was preparing to strike—having bought enough insidious time for themselves.
Jugram remained unfazed, his focus unbroken, a form of tempered glass. Before the caster could make a move, they disintegrated, their bodies vanishing from head to waist as if they'd never existed. Amiya's hand still stretched out, winced at the action she had caused.
Even then, she steeled herself, turning back to the main objective. Unwavering focus was injected into her brain, adrenaline all across her body and shut deep into her stratum. A prosperous lode meant for forging soldiers in the heated midst of battle was with her.
Jugram clapped his hands, and the Operators sprang into action. A flood of Reunion members surged forward, charging recklessly toward them. Revolutionary fighters in name—an army of demons in reality.
The troops have incendiary weapons. They're crude, but effective. Take cover or intercept—those are your only options.
Ace, Dobermann, and the rest of the Operators moved with lethal precision. Cars were sent flying by the physically stronger members, erupting into fiery plumes as Reunion soldiers were caught by the blast.
Their improvised Molotov Cocktails had been proven useless, even acting against them. As seen by the hunking pieces of inferno metal crashed into the enemies, splattering their bodies. A macabre stage, yet a stage nonetheless, for all stages needed to be set up in some way.
"Holy shit! Nice work, Ace!" Defender yelled as he bashed a soldier with his shield, clearing the way for Ace to crush another with his sledgehammer.
In his lapse of attention, Defender did not account for a drone to fly around, pointing its weapons at the unguarded side of his body. "Oh—" Thankfully, Ace was able to round back around and crush it for him, sending metallic gore slinging all throughout.
"Keep your head in the operation, Defender!" Ace shot back, his voice sharp. "Let's keep pleasantries for later!" He slammed his sledgehammer into the ground, sending a section of the street flying into the air, scattering debris and sending several Reunion members—and enemy drones—crashing to the ground.
"Y-yes!" Defender shouted, rallying with the other shield-bearers. He made sure not to be caught with his pants down again.
Jugram glanced to the side, noting the opposite street his group was rallying against. It had already been cleared, its defenders swept aside, just as he had wholly predicted.
"We move from here," Jugram called, his voice unwavering. "Splendid work, everyone." Although with a compliment, his tone still fell to a flat professionalism.
"Good work to you, Doctor! Just like old times! " Ace rallied the Operators as the Reunion troops could be seen backing away, not knowing whether to fully retreat or go back into the charge. "Everybody, let's leave this hellhole! Remember the plan!"
Reunion attempted to flank them from the side.
"Don't even think about it!" The closest were met with Dobermann who rejoined the group, her whip cracking with enough force to shatter their necks, leaving them to revulse onto the ground. "Anybody else?!" She slammed it against the ground, cracking the ground and making the rest rethink their actions.
It was enough for her to run back and join in the retreat, the stunned Reunion members only then scampering to see if any of them possessed crossbows, with only a scant few bulldozing the distance without any forethought.
Amiya watched the Doctor move down the street, the rest of the Operators following him. She tailed the closest in proximity, relaying what she had seen before. His commanding skills hadn't deteriorated in the slightest, but it was very much different from what she would have expected.
Of course, he was directly in the frontlines, in the middle of the enemy's line of fire, yet his sheer confidence in not being hit was proven... right. It was foolish, anybody would have pointed that out, yet for some reason, it worked.
He had predicted everything that had happened. It wasn't merely hearing the clamoring of footsteps or the disturbance in the wind through soundwaves, but a miracle! How could all of his hypotheses be proven absurdly correct? Surely, there should have been some factors that couldn't be predicted.
She wasn't complaining. However, PRTS wasn't even used—
A blink of blue static.
The Doctor grabbed her form, bringing her closer to the warmth of his cloak. Amiya let out an, "eep," as a fire bomb exploded at where she was just at, the previous distance having become a distant story from the past. She felt an intangible force caress her face, before realizing it was the wind.
"Be careful."
She blinked, feeling herself be placed back on her two feet, Jugram's hand lingering on her shoulder in order to keep her senses keen in reality. The Cautus realized she had been carried through with imperceptible speeds, temporarily warping the perception of the world around her.
"U-understood, Doctor!" Amiya shook her head and broke off in a sprint alongside him. Somehow, despite halting their steps for a small portion of time when she was set down, they were still ahead of the group.
"Keep up the pace!" Ace called out. "Impressive speed there, Doctor!" he dropped the compliment in, half-forgetting about the exertion the Doctor's "Arts" would inflict upon him.
It was then she came to a realization just how far the burst of speed Dr. Haschwalth executed traversed, making worry blossom in her heart in the form of thumping heart beats. The exertion would come to bite him back, just like all the other times. It was a theory Medic had developed alongside her about the Doctor's condition, and seeing their thesis come to fruition would be disastrous.
"The last prediction occurs now." Jugram kept his sights straight, hands still kept under his cloak.
She nodded, preparing for what he had told them.
At the end, if we congregate toward the street down below, where my finger points...
The stomping sounds of footsteps could be heard, shaking the street. When Rhodes Island had become aware of it, the squad was then quickly bestowed with the final vision Jugram had given them.
...Men clad head-to-toe in black equipment, standing in opposition with Reunion. The Ursus Guards? Yes, indeed, they're the Ursus Guards that you speak of. I would assume so.
The Ursus Guards, banded together in a line forming the spine of their police force, paused when they saw the Rhodes Islanders. Jugram merely kept his gaze focused on them, already knowing what their next actions were.
"Turn to the right, now. We're leaving," Jugram spoke, the entire group hearing his words. "Leave the rest to the law enforcement."
With a flick of his cloak, billowing for all to see, the group executed the plan. Then, with their quick maneuvers, the sight of Reunion chasing from behind became clear to the Ursus Guards, stunning them for a moment, before they rallied themselves. The Reunion forces once chasing Rhodes Island paused at the sight, but eventually gathered their wits to bear arms against them.
Only one thought crossed Amiya.
The Ursus Guards must have been caught off guard.