The Truth Shall Set You Free

Chapter 22 : Fire From Above

CHAPTER 22
FIRE FROM ABOVE
...

Lyudmila did not know if the plan worked. If anything worked. Because she wasn't even told 80% of what should even happen.

She was only entrusted with two tasks. One, was to send Talulah to the meeting place. That she succeeded in, their meeting was unusually short, Alberto spoke his piece, and gave another elusive piece of whatever to Talulah. The information inside? She didn't know, but she hoped it contained the information she heard before.

"Crownslayer."
Lyudmila looked at Talulah. They were walking back. Back to Reunion.
"Tell me how you met them."
Said Talulah, her voice calm and placid.
"I was hunting down the Rhodes Island units that day, to find out the truth of why they were even in Chernobog."
Lyudmila said, sighing.
"They were trying to escape, running away to the outskirts like the dregs they are. Then a bomb exploded."
"Exploded?"
"Yes, I saw one of our men, a simple soldier crawling on the floor, we tried to help him, not knowing there was a bomb strapped on his leg."

Talulah stopped.
"This was when you were chasing Rhodes?"
"Yes, it was."
An eerie gaze that Lyudmila had never seen before from the face of her trusted leader then suddenly welcomed her.
"So how did you meet them?"
Lyudmila instinctively gulped, her voice became unexpectedly sharp. Like a guillotine was hanging over her neck.
"I don't remember what happened, after the bomb, I was the only one that lived. Then the sky was steadily darkening, the catastrophe was coming, so I ran to the nearest safehouse. I remember fainting, then waking up in a hospital bed. Their hospital bed."
"How did you enter this city again, Crownslayer?"
"They had a flying machine."
"Oh?"
"When I was in their base of operations, they tried to keep their organization a secret from me. Little do they know, I already managed to find out who they actually are."
Lyudmila said, her voice was clear.

"What is it?"
"It was a Columbian Logistics company, named Liberty Logistics. I haven't had the chance to investigate them that much, but from what I've seen, they're a newly formed group."
Talulah went silent for a while, then spoke again.
"Why would they take the chance to save you?"
"I'm not sure, I'm not fully aware of their goals."
"I see."
The draco stopped talking.

Lyudmila silently sighed inside, a sigh of relief. Her second task was done. Lying to the leader of Reunion herself was extremely difficult, but she managed. As she had done so before.
They were now walking again, but just as Lyudmila was off the hook, the draco spoke again.

"Crownslayer, do you know what else happened that day?"
"The invasion? No, I don't."
"Curious. In the night of that day, multiple reunion units were cut down in the dead of night. Their lifeless bodies bleeding in the pavements."
"O-Oh, I haven't heard of that."
"The interesting part is, we deduced that the only way they could have entered is with a flying machine, or with a traitor."
"Wait, what are you impl-"

The temperature soared like the sun's glare.
Fire spurned out of the dark like dancing devils.
The dark burned with the might of a dragon's flame, illuminating the area with fiery light.
Lyudmila's ingrained instincts immediately wanted to take a step back, but found that she couldn't.
There was a blade of death touching her neck.

"T-Talulah?"
"Crownslayer, take five steps back."
"Wait! Wh-"
"Now."

Lyudmila followed, with each step her boots shook as she maintained an intense focus on Talulah's figure.

"You will prove your loyalty to me, Crownslayer. Draw your blade."
"W-What? Great leader, I think there's been a misunderstanding!"

Lyudmila didn't have time to explain as Talulah immediately dashed towards her with one step propelling her body like lightning.
Grinding steel clashed as Lyudmila was thrown off her position. She had luckily managed to draw her dagger in time.
"You're weaker."
Said the draco, not giving a single chance for Lyudmila to reply as another blade slash came down on her head.
Lyudmila blinked, successfully using her arts to dodge a few meters backwards, but before she could even say something, a torrent of fire started engulfing the ground beneath her as fire raged behind.