Cadence of Retribution: An Arknights AU Story - Arknights Collab Book

Chapter 2 - Inevitable Strife

Beep, beep

"Hello, this is operator Kyrin, is there something wrong?" Kyrin picked up his radio transmitter, which had been buzzing as he tidied up from Silence and Ifrit's visit. Despite the owl's protest, they ended up messing around with the gizmo and lit a number of things ablaze. Swiftly cleaning up and retreating into his room, he turned the device into speaker mode. Sitting down on his bed, he listened.

"Kyrin, there's been further development in Lungmen. I know I told you to stay put but, we need you for this one." A soft yet stern voice came through the communicator, which the Sarkaz instantly recognized as Kal'tsit, "We were right, Reunion is active here. We need you here as soon as possible."

Upon hearing her last sentence, the man went tense. An uneasy feeling welled up in him upon hearing that name; Reunion. There was a bittersweet taste in his mouth as he recalled his memories with it; like watching the gentle child you helped raise being prosecuted for horrible crimes. Kyrin remained silent, his jaw stiffened and eyes dulled.

"I'll take that silence as you're hesitant." An audible sigh was heard over the line. "Kyrin, listen to me, we don't know what they're planning. But what we do know is that people will get hurt. Report to Inspector Hoshiguma of the LGD Spec-Ops Team when you get here, she'll get you up to speed on the situation."

"Yes, Dr. Kal'tsit, I'll be right there."

"Remember, don't do anything impulsive. I know your mind is racing right now, but please, we need you alive."

"Of course."

After turning off speaker mode, Kyrin stood up from his bed and quickly got dressed. As he fastened his scabbard onto his tactical belt, he thought: What happened to her? What caused the change? Eno... Why did he do that? ...I wonder how she's doing. To inhibit himself from getting pulled further into his past, the Sarkaz sternly halted his thoughts and headed for the terminal.

TIMESKIP

A vehicle whizzed into a stop near the outskirts of Lungmen where a group of heavily armored personnel was stationed. Among them was a tall Oni woman with long green hair dressed in a casual tight black outfit. She carried a large triangle shield, its edges sharpened with a glint. The towering woman stood calmly as the landcraft rolled into the plot which her team occupied, the Rhodes Island logo imprinted on the side of it in white. The vehicle carried only one person aside from the driver, the one she was waiting for, the Sarkaz with silver eyes. The said operator climbed out of the passenger seat, his scabbard clanking a bit as his boots hit the asphalt.

"Elite operator Kyrin, right?" The Oni approached the man, her hand extended out as a tactful gesture. "Welcome to Lungmen."

"Yes, that's me. You're Inspector Hoshiguma, correct?" Kyrin took her hand and firmly shook it, unfazed by the strength of her grip. "So the LGD is finally willing to cooperate with Rhodes Island?"

"The current circumstances made it inevitable, no matter how stubborn that Ch'en is. I'm glad Rhodes Island sent an elite such as yourself to aid us if what I've heard is the truth." Hoshiguma inspected the Sarkaz from head to toe, nodding in the process. "I suppose you need a debrief on the situation?" Kyrin nodded as the vehicle that got him here backed out of the plot to return to the landship. "We have confirmed that Reunion is active here and their plans here are connected to what happened in Chernobog. Moreover, there's been a kidnapping of a person of interest to the LGD by the group, so one of our priorities is to rescue her safely. Of course, our main goal is to effectively repel Reunion, as they've already stirred up conflict in the slums."

"...Anything else I should know?" The raven-haired man clenched his hands into fists to refrain from showing his emotions.

"We'll be rendezvousing with the main squad, as well as your fellow operators in around half an hour. They've tracked down the retreating Reunion forces and are awaiting reinforcement for this joint operation." replied Hoshiguma as she turned around, "Any questions?"