Ash was currently spending time with Adele and Gnosis, reporting their findings in their research. While Platinum was at the side, just staring at him on the couch comfortably.
"So you're a doctor too?" Platinum thought it was impossible at first. "Not really, I don't have an official doctorate like Adele." He replied while still reading.
She was curious, he was full of mystery. And as an assassin, unknown variables just make her twitchy. So Platinum tasked herself with observing his day to day life.
Albeit in a lazy way that assassins won't really use. "Don't you have better things to do? Isn't this boring? We're researching you know? You must be used to action." Ash sighed at her.
"Not really... I am used to it, but I really like this place. You three are really quiet when you're working." Platinum observed and she was at peace there at the lab. Once they began to work, it felt like a deserted place.
"Then shouldn't you not talk as well?" Gnosis stared at her right in the eye fearlessly. Platinum then shrugged and she shut up.
"That's not a good way to ask people Gnosis." Adele chided him and the cool man just continued with his work.
"It seems that the doctor from Babel has noticed an algorithm for catastrophes. This guy is good at what they do." Ash was impressed and Adele nodded.
"Yeah, I want to meet this professor. They're the leading researcher about originium and catastrophes. Well, they were at oripathy as well. But you've taken that role." Adele chuckled.
"Oripathy is the easiest for me out of the three. I just had the ideas to stop their harmful traits. And if you noticed, it was also the easiest one to research." He shrugged.
"Now, how about catastrophes? Any ideas on how you can stop one?" Gnosis fixed his glasses and he was interested if he had a possible solution.
"Kind of. See, this? Go on and read, we got that from Rhine lab due to Shining." Ash gave them some papers.
It was classified information and it read project chimera. "Are they combining genetics with other people?" Adele frowned and he shook his head.
"I see, they synthesize a piece of originium. Engineering it, then particulate matter in the blood stream will gravitate towards the larger originium transplant." Gnosis nodded at it. Rhine labs were amazing he thought.
"But isn't this invalidated already? Your originium suppressants do this at a molecular level. And is much much safer. It also eliminates originium through urination." Adele raised a brow.
"The chimera treatment is invalid to us yes, but it's a theoretical plan that Columbia would see as a breakthrough in oripathy treatment. And we aren't going to use it as such anyways." Ash took a white board.
He started drawing a simple process and it was like cloud seeding.
"We seed potential catastrophes with synthesized originium. Based on my research, they can gather much more particulate matter in the atmosphere when they're spent. Just like how I absorb their energy." He pointed at the board.
Adele then gasped. "Then wouldn't people who got treated by you personally be more susceptible to originium exposure?"
"No, it was a stroke of luck too. Because the suppressants act as the body's immune system against originium. They're like vaccinated people." He doused her worries and Adele sighed in relief.
"So we drop these synthesized originium on catastrophes that are starting to form huh? Wouldn't that still result in fallout and contamination?" Gnosis considered the high dosages of originium whenever a catastrophe sweeps an area.
"That would be the case normally. Originium would just rain down and cause contamination. But with the chimera treatment, we can consolidate them into much more manageable chunks." Ash told them to read into what Rhine lab experiments do.
"Ahhh, so it will catch the originium and turn it into rocks. But this isn't one hundred percent efficient. What about the remaining particulate in the atmosphere?" Adele questioned.
"We release filters in the area. High power air filters that have meshes to strain the leftovers so it won't cause another catastrophe in the long run." Ash finished his presentation and they thought it would work.
"This is incredible Ash. Even if we can't stop originium contaminants spreading 100%. We could get rid of forming catastrophes and possibly make a settlement on no man's land." Adele was pleased at their progression.
"Yeah, if we set this up in a lot of places. It will reduce oripathy. The only problem is the disease itself. There are tons of infected in Terra." Ash frowned at that.
Gnosis and Adele found out that originium binds to cells more tightly than he imagined while he was in Kazimierz. It was like organic mercury, it gets absorbed into fat, the material is lipophilic.
It gets on nerves and the nervous system of infected. Resulting in extreme pain and the body slowly losing its motor functions. At higher blood concentrations, it crystalizes on other tissue. Resulting in deaths that makes them a vector.
While they were discussing possible treatments, someone slammed on the door. Ash raised a brow and opened it remotely.
They saw a sweating Sonus who was panting. "Ash... My son, my son is in danger. Babel has been attacked by Theresis, the king's brother." Sonus reported and they went wide eyed.
"Tell me more while we walk, go." Ash walked briskly with her and he quickly ordered his special forces to call the operators.
"I sent a message to Babel through penguin logistics. And they reported to me that Babel was sieged by Sarkaz and Theresis. It has been a couple of days since, because our mobile radio towers aren't in the path near Kazdel." Sonus explained and they quickly arrived at the meeting room.
Seeing that they're mostly complete, he furrowed his brows. "We have to help them, they have special people there that exchanges tons of research with us. And they also help with our cause." Ash stated.
"Your orders?" Shining squinted her eyes and thought that this was inevitable.
"We leave with half of our standing army, arm them all with our stockpiled weaponry. Teams of three, one carries a 50 caliber heavy machine gun. And the two would be mobile, arm them with assault rifles. We rendezvous again in an hour." Everybody stood up and began to move.
"Shining, prepare the choppers. We'll heli drop to the location. Time is of the essence. Margaret, Degenbrecher, Sonus, Mudrock, Lappland. Divide the troops and lead a platoon." He barked orders and sighed.
"Thank you Ash..." Sonus bowed at him and he went to Platinum. He gave her an anti tank rifle after checking her strength and durability was adequate.
"If you see this guy, pop his head off." Ash gave her a picture and Platinum nodded, a bit more serious this time.
She knew who was in the picture. And it was a royal of Kazdel, the city was small too. There is a ton of troops running around, meaning they were going to war.
He then went to Specter and she was already awake, looking at the window. "My, my, it's time already to give people salvation isn't it?" She grinned at him and he sighed.
"You'll be my bodyguard specter. This will be your first assignment. I trust that you can do this well?" He raised a brow and she chuckled, walking up to him and putting a hand on his cheek affectionately.
"Kyahahaha! I'll cut them all, cut them and send them to the briney deep." She smiled like a loon and he thought that was good enough.
"Follow me, we leave in a few minutes." Ash sighed and remembered Soleil and Luna that were still in the city.
He quickly went to his house and saw them enjoying afternoon tea. "It seems that something big has happened Ash. Do not worry, we will be supporting you. Though don't expect us to send any soldiers. We are far from home." They nodded at him and he wasn't sure if they would allow it.
"This will just be a simple rescue operation. We just need the assurance." He waved goodbye at them and the troops were all gathered.
Immediately, they began to board the choppers and were in a straight trajectory nearby Kazdel.
"Any contact with your son Sonus?" Ash asked her if he had extra information for them.
"No, Logos didn't receive my letter due to the attack. I hope they're fine though, especially the king. Theresa is good for Kazdel, she actively tries to stop the civil war in Kazdel. We used to have the most land in Terra. But now, we're just a shadow of our former selves." Sonus frowned.
Their regiment was soon to arrive and they saw the Rhodes island landship having some heavy damage. It was on the run, but it was in pretty bad shape.
"Doesn't Closure at least have some anti personnel weaponry on their landship?" Ash frowned at the state of it and they were being chased down by Sarkaz mercenaries that were trying to board it.
"Let me see the situation." Ash jumped out of the chopper and checked if there were any friendlies on the way of fire.
"He went to the lead chopper and asked Shining if she contacted Rhodes island. "I spoke to Closure, they're going to have difficulties in running soon."
Ash ordered through the radio to open fire. Rhythmic machine gun fire started to rain down on the vehicles of the Sarkaz and it sure as hell wasn't rated for 50 caliber rounds.
Hundreds of machine guns opened fire on them and the others circled around, dropping down soldiers with assault rifles. While others used arts in conjunction with their guns.
"Kal'tsit! We received support from Ash, those are his troops!" Closure reported to the feline and she sighed in relief.
They were about to deploy their elite operators, expecting heavy casualties. But help arrived in the right time.
"If only they arrived sooner..." Kal'tsit was forlorn at the loss. Babel has taken a heavy hit.
"Let's just be thankful that they arrived even." Closure checked the camera feeds and they were slaughtering the Sarkaz on the enemy side.
It was a massacre, they were being gunned down like they're in a slaughter house.
With air support from above. And being pincered with arts and heavy assault from the rear, they had no chance.
"Platinum, any sightings on your target?" Ash radioed the pegasus. "Negative, target is not in the field."
"Tch, it seems that they thought these guys would be enough. Well, it maybe would have been." He checked the enemy numbers and they were a good six hundred.
"Fire! Gun them down! Kyahahaha!" Lappland was using her arts while the platoons were gunning them down.
She was obviously enjoying it too much. Meanwhile, Specter that was beside him had a glint in her eyes.
"Fantastic... Simply divine! Master, no! The savior! You're delivering these wretched devils salvation so efficiently. They're dropping like flies!"
She was breathing heavily and Ash's eyes twitched at her reaction. Thankful that it was at least a good one.
"Yeah... These are my special divine weapons. Even Laterano would bow down to its might." He just played along and Specter prayed, singing with an absolutely beautiful voice while the Sarkaz army was getting killed.
"No man left behind! Just be careful if there are child soldiers!" Ash ordered and their army made quick work of the enemies.
After a few minutes, they were completely annihilated. The desert battlefield getting a red tint from all the blood that was spilled.
He took out his sword and absorbed it all. Making it glow in delight. And he noticed that the blade was getting much much stronger.
Shining and Mudrock were frowning after they saw the dead, Sarkaz killing Sarkaz left a bad taste in their mouths.
"Come on, let's board Rhodes island and see if we can give them any support." Ash gestured for them to follow and they were granted entry inside.
"This is a mess." Mudrock noticed that the landship had extensive damage even from the inside.
"Logos! Where are you Logos!?" Sonus shouted loudly inside the landship and they waited right at the entrance for the leaders of Babel.
After a few minutes, Kal'tsit arrived with Closure and Logos. Sonus' son was right behind them, hiding.
"Mother, what are you doing here?" He was a bit anxious because he left the banshee clan with just a letter as a warning, but Sonus just hugged him. Relieved that he was okay.
"Thank you very much for the help Ash." Kal'tsit bowed, knowing that he was a noble of Leithanien. Yet they still risked it.
"It's fine, where are the injured? Medics, follow her and give them some regeneration stims." Ash ordered and their medics followed Kal'tsit with a bag of their special medicine.
After they took care of the wounded, Kal'tsit sat them down and explained what happened.
"We were suddenly attacked by the military commission of Kazdel... The Damazti cluster of the royal court managed to infiltrate us and give away our position." Kal'tsit bit her lip, frustrated.
"That slime?" Sonus frowned. Remembering a member of the royal court. A subspecies of Sarkaz that are a culture of slimes that can transform to anyone they can consume. Even gain their memories, like a souped up ditto.
"Casualties?" Shining asked and Closure shook her head. "Damn, that many?" Ash sighed heavily.
"What about Theresa? I don't see her, she's the leader of Babel right? We received an invitation from her too." Sonus looked around.
"Theresa... Theresa's gone. We had to leave her behind." Kal'tsit spoke difficultly about the fact. When they learned that they were being raided, they fought tooth and nail to get to her.
But when they arrived, she was already dead. With one of the younger members of Babel under her. Severe oripathy on her body.
"I see..." Sonus sighed and thought that Theresis has free reign on Kazdel now. Good thing they've already evacuated the country.
"What are you gonna do now?" Margaret raised a brow. Babel was decimated.
"We'll... We'll disband Babel. W and her mercenary group also left. We will disguise ourselves as a pharmaceutical company." Closure explained.
"Can you help with one more thing?" Kal'tsit furrowed her brows. Depressed that she had to ask for help for that bastard.
"Sure, I guess." Ash shrugged and would just collect their payment later.
"Can you help us in getting something to Chernobog?" Kal'tsit requested and he raised a brow.
"To Ursus? Now why would you go there?" He was confused and Kal'tsit sighed.
"The dokutah, he's the leading specialist in oripathy, originium, and catastrophe research. The one who's been swapping data with you. He's gravely injured... And I made a promise to Theresa." She looked like she swallowed a bitter pill.
If it was up to her, she wouldn't do it. But she made a promise to Theresa. And it won't be right to betray that.
"We already have choppers around. Good thing we're not that far from Chernobog. So go do whatever you will do there." He agreed with it. Kal'tsit and Closure bowed at him.
"Are you sure this is wise Ash?" Degenbrecher raised a brow. They had infected with them. And Ursus wasn't kind against them.
"We'll just go with the elite operators. Send back the soldiers to Paradiso." He ordered and decided to carry the people himself. Because they would run out of fuel for a return trip to Paradiso.
"Where's the guy?" He asked Kal'tsit and they were led to a private room where the so called dokutah was being stabilized because of heavy injuries.
"I'll stabilize him myself. Come on, let's finish this up so you can rebuild Rhodes island." Ash raised his hand and concentrated.
The paraphernalia that was stuck to the gray haired man got taken off and he stabilized his condition with his arts.
"He won't die?" Kal'tsit frowned and he shook his head. "We'll be flying to Chernobog. Specter, stay here and stand guard. If enemies arrive, you know what to do."
"Yes, savior... Hehe~" She gave an eerie laugh and Kal'tsit raised a brow at the person he left behind.
"Sonus, keep her company." He nodded at her and gave her a meaningful look. She understood the assignment and would control her with her arts if she goes out of control. Logos was there anyways.
"Margaret, Shining, Degenbrecher, on me. Lappland, Mudrock, Platinum, support Specter." He began to levitate with the participants of the operation and they went to the direction of Chernobog.
"Can we do this quietly?" Kal'tsit wanted a stealth mission and he nodded. Bending the light around them. They turned completely invisible.
And the sounds coming from them were eliminated by manipulating the sound.
Kal'tsit gave them directions and they arrived at a laboratory. Ash just drank in the surroundings because he thought that Kal'tsit was a secretive woman.
Sensing that there were some things she was hiding from them. Which is fine, but they weren't a true ally of Paradiso that he could trust unconditionally.
"We've arrived." After walking inside the building, they were now in front of a pretty large, black, box.
"What is this?" Margaret looked at it and tapped on the thing.
"It's a... Sarcophagus, he will heal there and Rhodes island will take him back later when we've successfuly rebuilt our landship and forces." Kal'tsit explained vaguely.
Degenbrecher was about to press for more answers, but Ash stopped her and it was a pretty much useless ordeal.
"Do your thing." Ash gave the man to Kal'tsit and the Dokutah was loaded inside of the black box.
She then started fiddling with a control panel on it and he squinted his eyes. It had a different language and looked advanced, too advanced.
"He's been set in. It will take at least two years before we could extract him. That should be enough time." Kal'tsit was thankful for their help and it made things much easier.
"Okay, we'll talk about the payment for this later." Ash stared at her and Kal'tsit nodded.
"I want Closure on my city once you repair Rhodes island." Ash observed the tech inside of their landship and it was pretty advanced. She was even able to create AI robots that basically have a personality that she coded on her own.
And it would be vital to make her teach his engineers and I.T.'s in Paradiso. So they could be much better.
"That's... Yes." Ash hardened his stare at her and she buckled. They could request anything they wanted right now after all. She wasn't sure if they were going to get out of their situation earlier and they came to save the day.
She even made a selfish request right after. And they could delay Closure's departure indefinitely, which still gives them the choice of when to send her.
"Good, let's go." He camouflaged them once again and they returned to Rhodes island.
Once they landed in the landship, they saw Sonus nagging Logos who was kneeling in front of her.
"Sonus, your son is a grown ass man now. I don't think you should be doing that." Ash sighed and Logos looked at him with respect after that.
"Tch, you're lucky. You almost died, this wouldn't have happened if you just stayed in the clan." Sonus huffed and went back to their side. Satisfied that her son was safe and sound.
Logos nodded at Ash and was shocked that Sonus followed him behind obediently. Respecting her even more.
"Kal'tsit, is it him?" A Sarkaz woman wearing a hood looked at Ash and her eyes widened for a split second. Seeing Shining with the Confessarius' signature sword. (pic)
"Yes, he helped us greatly. Ash, this is Ascalon. He's Asmodeus Naumann-Leithanien, the emperor himself." Kal'tsit introduced them.
Ash shook her hand and she was surprised. It was too much of a shock, he is one of the most important people in the world after all. And she looked at Kal'tsit like she grew a second head.
"When we started trading, he wasn't a noble." Kal'tsit shrugged, understanding what she wanted to ask.
"As you heard, I'm Ascalon your majesty. I'm Babel's head of counterintelligence." She bowed at him and he waved her off.
"Just call me Ash like Kal'tsit here. I didn't become the emperor of Leithanien to be called majesty." He led the others and they sat down.
"I'm Margaret Nearl, the grand knight of Kazimierz." Margaret introduced herself and now it was Kal'tsit's turn to gape.
"Degenbrecher, the black knight. A grand knight of Kazimierz too." She introduced herself flippantly.
"Sonus, you already know me Ascalon. We are part of Paradiso now." Sonus was just staring at Logos, looking if he was being a good boy or not.
"Shining." She was as unsociable as ever. Especially in front of a Sarkaz that was a part of the royal court once.
"Kal'tsit... They're some heavy weights. Why do I not know of this?" Ascalon stared at Kal'tsit with a frown.
"I only knew his status and hers." Kal'tsit pointed at Shining who was an obvious Confessarius.
"Well, enough talk for now. We will meet later when it's time to get Closure. Contact us through penguin logistics." Ash stood up and Closure was shocked.
"Kal'tsit... You sold me off to them?" Closure yelled at her and Kal'tsit winced. "It was their condition Closure, sorry."
Closure stared at Ash for a quick second and walked up to him. "Um, can I please have a request then? Before you go?" She fidgeted around and he raised a brow.
"I guess it's fine." He lifted her up and directed her to his neck. She quickly beamed, biting him to drink his blood.
"Closure... I can't believe it. She drank some blood? She's the most unvampire like vampire I've ever seen." Ascalon was shocked.
After a full minute of Closure trying to drain him dry, but he just shrugged it off and Closure separated from him with a far away look in her eyes.
"Sho good~ It had a kick to it this time... It was delicious..." She was high as hell and Kal'tsit immediately pulled her back.
Lappland then jumped on him and was curious, so she licked off the remnants of his blood. "Wow... It is spicy. And like the best thing ever." Lappland was blown away.
"Alright, alright, one vampire is enough. Specter, let's go. Our job here is done." He called for the nun and she walked up to him obediently. But she glared at Lappland and Closure with a bloodthirsty look.
They left the scene and returned to Paradiso after the successful operation. Ascalon then looked at Kal'tsit for answers.
"Don't tell this to anyone Ascalon... But he's a Feranmut. I confirmed it with his blood samples. What kind, I do not know. But he's a juvenile, just a baby of their kind. When he fully matures, I don't know what he's capable of." Kal'tsit explained after she pulled Ascalon to a private room.
"A Feranmut with a clear agenda!? This is bad Kal'tsit, he's strong. Extremely so, I could feel it. In my long life, I've never seen someone with that much vitality, even Buldrokkas'tee." Ascalon frowned.
"He's stable as far as I can see. Let's hope it would stay that way. The great hunt of Yan cost millions of lives. Unparalleled warriors of yore died like flies to Feranmuts. I don't want to see him rampage." Kal'tsit winced just imagining it.
Millions of soldiers, entire armies of the True Lung of Yan marching to defeat the Feranmuts thousands of years ago. The earth shattering due to their awesome might.
It was a battle that Terra does not need. Where rivers of blood were made after every battle with just a single one.
And Ash was building a terrifying army that could mow down battalions with ease. Coupled with his limitless potential, it made her break into a cold sweat.
"We have to give a message to the more temperate Sui siblings. He's too ingrained with humans Kal'tsit." Ascalon could feel a bad premonition.
"I only know of one who we can contact." Kal'tsit furrowed her brows.
"Then that's enough, whoever it is. They can convey the message to the other brothers and sisters. They're the only ones with a chance to convince him if we fought against him." Ascalon felt helpless and massaged her temples.
"Consider it done." But Kal'tsit also had another inkling suspicion. That the nun with him wasn't normal. She felt like one of the firstborn. And Ascalon didn't need to know that for now.
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Thank you for reading everyone, ciao.