Suffer Not The Radiant

Chapter 24: Uneasy Closure

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The Valorant Legion and the Valorant protocol stood opposite each other, their countenances revealing a range of emotions - pity on one side, and regret, anger, and sorrow on the other.

A profound silence engulfed the scene, with only the personnel from the Alpha Kingdom who bore the wooden coffins adorned with the Legion insignia disrupting the stillness. Ranesk, his helmet still affixed to his head, stood witness to the entire affair.

With arms tightly crossed, he stared down the Legion operatives with an intense gaze that could cut through steel. The damaged helmet, bearing testimony to his recent wrath, remained a grim reminder of his ferocity, causing the hapless agents to quiver in fear.

Despite the gravity of the situation, the meeting concluded without incident, deemed a highly classified event by both Alpha and Omega.

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Valorant Headquarters, Alpha

With a deep and heavy sigh, Phoenix collapsed onto the couch, the hiss of a freshly popped soda can punctuating the air. "Well, that's done," came the words, spoken with weariness and relief in equal measure. Though Phoenix had never wished to take part in the solemn return of the bodies to Omega, a deep sense of respect had compelled the individual to pay their respects.

Jett, too, joined Phoenix on the couch, her head hung low. The enormity of the situation weighed heavily on her mind. While the resolution of Ranesk's actions had brought a measure of closure, the manner in which it had been achieved left Jett feeling uneasy.

As one who had wielded knives herself, Jett was no stranger to the brutality of combat. Yet, she could not shake the disturbing images of carnage and gore that had unfolded before her eyes. The enemy combatants had been left with nothing but their own mangled corpses and their innards strewn haphazardly across the floor.

Though the mission had been accomplished, Jett found little solace in it. The protocols that governed their actions were supposed to ensure that they did not stoop to the level of their enemies. And yet, here they were, their hands stained with the blood of their foes, even though they took no part in it.

Viper got into the room as the others and strode over to the fridge, her eyes scanning the contents within. A bottle of wine caught her attention, and she reached for it with a sense of calm detachment. Unlike her compatriots, the unsettling events surrounding Ranesk had little effect on her. After all, it was not her own self that had been the victim of the havoc, but rather a doppelganger from an alternate reality where fortune had not favored her.

But her brief moment of peace was soon shattered by the obnoxious sound of a Frenchman's voice. Chamber had decided to join the gathering, forgoing his usual displays of wealth and extravagance to be present with his teammates. He greeted Viper with a saccharine tone, his heavy accent grating on her nerves.

"Such a delightful sight you always are, Sabine," he said, his words laced with flattery. Viper's annoyance was palpable, and she made no effort to hide it as she grabbed her wine and moved away from him, heading towards her lab. Chamber simply smiled as she left, seemingly unperturbed by her obvious displeasure.

Ranesk strode into the room with a commanding presence, his voice amplified by the vox in his helmet. "Do you not see that your attempts at wooing her are futile?" he spoke, his words echoing with a sense of finality. "She holds no feelings for you, Chamber. Your actions only serve to make her loathe you even more."

Chamber's eyebrow arched in response, though he maintained his composure. Inside, however, his anger simmered at the audacity of the giant brute before him. "And who are you to say such a thing?" he retorted, his words tinged with annoyance. The other agents in the room paused in their work, their eyes fixated on the tense exchange between the two men.