Arknights: Reunion's Conqueror Of The North

Our fantasy worlds

Chapter 66.5:

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{He remained silent for what felt like hours. The mention of Rhodes Island sends a reflexive jolt in his stomach as if it was a vulgar word to him. The recounts of the torture he had to go through there, combined with revealing some aspects of his past perhaps may be too much for one night... But they deserved the truth... He shakily brings his canteen up to his dried mouth; the cold water sends shivers down his gut. At least it removed the lump that just formed in the back of his throat}

He trudges back to the lounge area, their eyes locked on him, expectant and nervous to finally know the truth. He doesn't sit with Exusiai this time, he remains to stand, still clutching onto his canteen for dear life as if he's holding it over a balcony. The corners of his lips are still curled in a tight smile, but his creased forehead would tell otherwise of his discomfort. He's not worried about the discomfort of telling what happened to him in Rhodes Island, but rather what they would feel. Most especially Exusiai, whose vengeful opinions would set her on a path he doesn't want.

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Blitz: "Before I start, are you sure you want to know? Because this might be upsetting for you guys."

Exusiai: "Nothing upsets us more than hearing you choke up about what you've been through there, Nathan."

Croissant: "All this time I was working for you as a personal delivery gal... But if I had known you've been... tortured there, I'm..." *She shakes her head and looks down. Her voice turned hoarse and quiet.* "I'm not sure what I'd do."

Texas: "Come on, Nathan..." *She sounds like she's imploring him than forcing him.*

Blitz sighs once more and shifts his weight uneasily: "Alright... So the day I was transferred there for my treatment, things started as tame. They took a blood sample, a tissue sample, a brain sample, and even some personal information. They even conducted some scans on me, and since Dr. Kal'tsit was my doctor there, who is like the director of the medical department, anything she says goes."

Exusiai: "Wait a minute!... Did you say a 'brain sample?'"

Blitz nods: "Yep. They scooped out a small bit of my hitchhiker for testing, and maybe even my brain accidentally. Like she said all those years ago, my disease was nothing they have ever seen before, and they haven't exactly specialized in Blue Originium... Some people there never even heard of Blue Originium. I had my noggin opened and closed several times that I was like a trash can for them. My concoctions that trigger hair growth, as well as hair transplants cover my scars, even though it shouldn't be possible for hairs to grow on a scar. After they got everything about me hung in their labs and put on their files, they put me through tests. Nothing special but typical hospital procedures, right? They prescribed me with a butt ton of sedatives, and injected me with lord knows what after that, just to see what happens."

*He shoots a stern look in Exusiai's direction.*

Blitz: "That is why I was upset when I discovered you've been drugging me behind my back."

Croissant: "What kind of medicines are those, though?"

Blitz: "Just nerve tonics and restoratives, but looks can be deceiving. The first month in Rhodes Island was decent, that I can admit until the crystal in my head went haywire after everything they did. It took over my bodily functions, quite literally controlling me, but since I was taught to resist mind control by Maccready, I ended up not hurting anyone, but I acted like some sort of four-legger making weird howling sounds until they put me in a cell. They treated me as their pet for like thirteen months, all because I wasn't in control of myself. They fed me food through a slot, I drank through those watering containers you see in bird cages, and fortunately, they did not let me do my business in the corner, there was a bathroom if I could even use it right. I lived in extreme isolation, with the only moments where I can get out is when I was dragged away to be tested. Although, there were 'some' noteworthy moments when I mimicked people walking by my windowed cell. I'm talking miming their movement, and frequently Ace and I had 'copy-each-other' contests where we danced, did weird shit, and contorted our faces until Kal'tsit came to break it off, only for me to mimic her as well.