231. Old Friends in Arms

Jury’s appearance was what caused all semblance of fight or flight to disappear. The staggering resemblance she had to the 2nd Apostle caused the Dawn Team personnel to tighten their grip along the handles of their weapons.

This was not because they were prepared to fight. Rather, it was in instinctual response to brace themselves than to entertain the cursed thought of battling with the Apostle that in all likelihood had slaughtered them numerous times in the past during their Atelier War.

However, the illusion was quickly dispelled when they noticed her non-human features. Her ears, teeth and fur proved that she wasn’t the 2nd Apostle, as all Apostles were humans. But it did not change the fact that her entrance had caused them much alarm and caution.

As beautiful as she was, there was a certain innocence and dark mystique about her.

Jury lifted a finger and pointed directly at the impersonating Healer, causing them to gulp as they tried to maintain their façade of innocence. The silent standoff was short lived, because in the very next instant, the tip of Jury’s tail blossomed as a bleeding needle protruded.

Before they could even realize it, every single one of the Atelier Personnel aside from the Manager, impersonating healer and the Captain were stung. Her neurotoxin was a fast-acting paralytic agent that instantly caused them to drop near simultaneously. The resounding thud echoed as she unmasked the caravan, finding nothing but gored bodies within.

“What have you done? These people… why would you kill them?” Jury uttered in horror, bending the window slits which were barricaded with razor-sharp wires. “It makes no sense to me. Why bring back so many bodies? Collecting what?”

The saddest part was that the clothing that remained were the only things untouched. And amongst them she found a particular wear belonging to the Public Defenders of Justica Arms. Each cloth was hung like a trophy along the rims of the caravan, and Jury wondered in anguish what they were doing.

“You hid the caravan’s compartment with weighted sheets to hide this from what? From whom?” There were answers she wished to get, but unlike Frost, she wasn’t one to interrogate. Rather, she simply wanted them dead. Torture was never an option for her. In her heart she could not bring herself to mince them like those in the back.

Because it would not do their deaths justice.

“Us? Me –?” The caravan snapped in half as her tail slashed it like a halberd, killing those on the other end as debris sifted like mere grains of sand by her power.

“What right do you have to come here an investigate us?” The Captain asked, profusely sweating. “This is Scarlet Logic property. Be warned. For eliminating a Collection Personnel, you’ll be hunted by the Blood Moons –!?”

Jury unceremoniously slaughtered those she inoculated with her neurotoxin as the fake healer jumped off, visibly shaking as they crouched over an injured personnel, pulling out a stolen Serum to ‘heal’ them.

“You won’t say a word, will you? No guilt for your actions. Why are you so blind and negligent to what you do for Scarlet Logic?” Jury couldn’t wrap her mind around the notion of allowing oneself to become the slave to enact another’s wicked ministrations. “Is it fear? Anger? Belonging?”

“If you’re asking, then you’re so naïve that it’s pitiful.” The Manager managed to speak through clenched teeth. “Whatever dirt someone has on you. Whatever they’re paying you – I’m telling you right now that it won’t be nearly enough to protect you from our wrath. What we do is not up to us… but from that getup I’m going on a whim that you were buddied up with the Peace Flocks that were wandering around here?”

“They should have known better. March into our territory, peaceful or not, is going to get you killed. Gonna look like an invasion, you know? Heh… Ah… ahaha… What, are you close to them? Do you want to know how they died? Do you think a Dawn Team is capable of fighting them? You’re out of your mind. Ahaha!” The Captain began to laugh insidiously as if finally succumbing to the madness of the situation.

But in reality they were perfectly fine, because in the end, death was but a mere bump in the road.

They lived for moments like these, much to Jury’s disgust. They Cleary understood their disadvantaged position, but so long as they could replicate, then they could afford to run their mouth.

She realized that they severely lacked discipline unlike Cara’s group. Or perhaps this was how they truly were. Nothing but megalomaniacs enabled by an equally twisted entity. It was a breeding ground for skewed perceptions of morality, and only now was it clear how depraved the Scarlet Logic personnel were.

“We’re just doing our job. Scraping what’s left of the uncooperative from the floor. But hey. I guess we aren’t that different from that perspective. A woman dressed like the 2nd Apostle… I could have sworn someone had mentioned you before.” The Manager scathingly spat.

Jury’s heart ticked violently as she marked them all for judgement.

The healer attempted to revive the deceased but to no avail, spilling her Serums clumsily. She could not tell if they were pretending to mimic the panic of a weak healer or were genuinely afraid considering Jury had already seen through them.

So why continue to pretend?

Why do people belittle her intelligence?

“Nothing more to offer. I hope you can one day understand the weight of your wrongs, even if you think of them as rights.” Jury spoke as though reciting a prayer, and with the needle she beheaded the remaining personnel in an instant, leaving behind the healer who fumbled her Serums.

“Agh!? No… nnngh…”

Her body slumped into Jury’s fluffy tail the moment she was injected with the paralytic agent. From what she knew, her neurotoxin could last well into the hours. So long as her targets were adults, there was no risk of what Nav called a respiratory collapse.

The only other surviving member was the Scarlet Wolf. The ‘sinless’ beast was left alone. Jury was not the kind to touch innocent lives, much like Frost. But also unlike Frost, she was less judgmental even if they could be seen as guilty via association.

Jury believed in the notion of an eye for an eye. Therefore, if anyone was going to take care of this ‘healer’, then it would have to be another healer. Using her tail, she wrapped the waist of the woman and effortlessly carried her.

“If I could measure your emotional levels right now then you’d be in the equivalent of the First State. I am making assumptions, however. Not all minds function the same as I’ve found.” Nav stated.

I think I understand what it feels like to be brought down to their level.

Jury was perhaps the most levelheaded person in the group now that Frost’s volatility had grown. But even she understood how easy it was to be swept away at someone else’s pace.

“But you didn’t stoop far. Scarlet Logic’s as despicable as we thought.”

Are they still looking for the Bride and Groom for the ‘Masterpiece’?

“With no finger in sight, I believe that is the last reasonable take. The Archivist watched the Librarians murder those that were unfit for the role.”

Why kill them when they can just leave them?

“It is free biomass for the Crimson Hunger. We have a plethora of caravans to seek answers from. With haste, Jury.”

Mhm. No time to stand around mournfully.

Jury set her sight to the remaining caravan, her eyes sunken at the thought of those that perished for such an outlandish reason. Then, with the healer in tow, she set out to investigate each and every single one of the encroaching caravans.

* * *

“I lived for 12 years warding people away from the Black Forest. By the time I was born and conscious, the same phrase had been running through my mind on an endless loop. All I knew was how to help people in however I could in my limited vocabulary.”

Jury monologued to no one in particular as caravan after caravan was destroyed. If there was a false healer on board, then they were added to her ever growing collection of prisoners. It did not matter how many Scarlet Logic personnel there were, or how many nipped their fear to defiantly stand against her.

The outcome was never different.

“But I understood that no matter how hard I tried, people would ignore the warnings. Hm… Yeah. That’s what I was. A warning. Like a trumpet blaring out only for its song to fall onto deaf ears. I don’t remember why I was in the Black Forest. I don’t remember much of the last 14 years before it.”

The blood-soaked compartments were stone coffins made for those the Collection Team so happened to stumble upon. Stronger individuals were allowed free, but the weak were culled as they, in the words of several Managers, were ‘the likely demographic to contain the high quality romantic bond Scarlet Logic is after’.

Some croaked. Others kept their mouths shut. The majority chose to clamp down onto their tongues and bleed out. The false healers were not given the luxury of death, and before long she had acquired 4 in the course of 25 caravans.

These caravans collected people ensnared by Syndicates or were unfortunate enough to cross paths with them. On the eve of this city’s second night, Jury looked up to the bleak skies with a complicated expression.

“But I remember the darkness. Before, and after, never knowing of a world beyond my forest. Even with the small memory snippet I regained, I was still inside of a forest. Isn’t there a saying Nav? Or a metaphor to describe my perspective as an island? I only knew what laid within and not beyond those oceans. No matter how far I traversed, it would always take me back to the island. In my mind, that was my world.”

With Ignis’ cooperation, they were able to locate the final caravan. It froze in the center of an unnatural clearing. Its surface was smoother than marble, and the field was vast. If she had one word to describe the location, it would be a battlefield.

“Hope filled me. I was giddy. Ecstatic when Frost told me that so much light existed beyond my reach. And she was right. Light was everywhere. I couldn’t be any happier knowing that I was free. But I also witnessed scenery darker than my prison. Wherever I look in this hell I’m reminded of my home.” Jury concluded, speaking with her heart in a reflective light.

Murky gutter water and blood reflected her image as she approached the caravan with her catch in tow. The caravan must have noticed the oddities and had taken every precaution now. It was weird as this was the first time a caravan had taken preemptive measures or shown any semblance of caution.

Her instincts told her this was a trap.

Still, she steadily approached. And as anticipated –

“CHARGED UP AND READY TO SHOOT!” A familiar voice arrived from behind a boulder where a single, inconspicuous bunny ear protruded. “STAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND CLEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAR!”

A rapid barrage of flaming crystals suddenly bombarded Jury. A cloud of flames suddenly engulfed her as she threw the 4 drugged false healers away. They were not going to perish so easily on her watch. The flaming spectacle of shards and streaks of glowing shrapnel made it appear like fireworks as the bunny woman hysterically shouted.

Because of the obstruction, none could confirm whether or not they were successful in eliminating their perceived threat. Jury was entirely unscathed. Not merely because of her immense DEF and HP pool. Rather, this was because of her Passive Skill: Deflecting Feathers II. These allowed her to deflect physical projectiles, and in this case, cause them to explode a split second after they were deflected from her body.

Despite their weapons requiring mana, the actual bullet itself was physical.

“Whew~! Did you get a load of that! They were wearing the same thing as the 2nd Apostle! Here of all places! Manageeeeeer! You think we’re at a war again!?”

“Shut the fuck up Captain and replenish your mana! Don’t be a disgrace to us! Everyone! Surround it!” The manager of this group also carries a familiar voice.

It was not until the volatile particles cleared that Jury was able to decipher them, and to her shock –

“Wait a second – Isn’t that – That’s the Amalgam’s buddy, RIGHT!?” This voice belonged to Usa, the eccentric Dawn Team Collection Captain.

“Cara? Usa?” Jury was surprised more than she was shocked. Seeing such familiar faces in this hellscape was sobering, but it did not dispel the horrors that they undoubtably dabbled in.

She found it difficult to properly greet them for this reason. Her eyes moved to the covered caravan, her intentions made obvious to them.

“Friend!? Whaaaat!? Oh hi~! Didn’t think we’d see you again!” Usa exclaimed, hopping from her boulder as Cara strode until she was underneath Jury’s nose, as if to block her from accessing the caravan.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Cara hissed, but there was an odd glimmer in her eyes.

“I’m searching for the missing Peace Flocks. Cara. Usa. Your team. Are you aware of what’s going on?” Jury wanted to know the extent that Cara was willing to talk, as well as if she too was aware of their heinous acts.

“Aware? Of moving people as usual? It’s protocol and our duty. Failure to comply results in severe punishment. Jury. You should not even be here!” Cara spoke rather quickly. In fact, the Cara Jury knew in the past was significantly different from the present her. Looking at her stats, she noticed that Cara’s death toll had risen from 15 to 45, whilst the others did not.

She was visibly shaken. Usually, Scarlet Logic Personnel became mentally powerful with each cycle of death. Cara was no different, but somehow, meeting with Jury caused her mind to turn to mush. Only Jury could tell this difference, although Usa made a mournful face.

“Still wearing that same getup and wandering through this place, killing us like Justica Arms? Did… ‘Frost’ put you up to this?” Cara avoided mentioning the Amalgam, as if traumatized by the word. Instead, she held her ground, determined to stand in Jury’s way even if it meant dying.

Jury could not help but to pity her. Obviously, circumstances did not allow her to deviate from whatever orders they had from Scarlet Logic. In fact, it appeared that she had already been subjected to punishment, perhaps due to the mention of the Amalgam.

There was no certainty in her conclusions, but considering no one else had died besides herself, it was clear that something happened to her. Every movement she made was near robotic and artificial, almost staged in a way.

“I’m doing this on my own accord. For what’s right. And to fulfill Frost’s promise of striking back against the Scarlet Logic. How can you believe in what you’re doing when there’s dead people in the back of your caravan –?”

“Tch – THEY ARE NOT DEAD!” Cara immediately drew a blade to Jury’s throat, the blade failing to draw blood as the woman trembled in place before she was quickly apprehended by several of her personnel, much to Jury’s surprise.

She would have thought they’d attack her.

“MANAGER! If she’s with Frost then isn’t that a good thing!?” Usa exclaimed. “That means we can deviate from the proposed route and head to S3! Armistice Point wouldn’t be that far off!”

“USA! NOT SO LOUDLY!” The tamer of the group shouted, sinking their face into their palms.

Jury was flabbergasted by the scene. Just moments ago she thought they were going to show each other their hands, but suddenly, it felt like they were rebelling against Scarlet Logic.

“Um… am I missing something?”

“Are you daft? Sorry. You’re probably much different from the girl that slept through when we were all fighting for our lives.” Cara deeply sighed, suddenly breaking her nervous, broken demeanor. “Thought I could gain sympathy from you too. Guess we’ll just get severed from the Pool for good the next time we die now that they’ve heard us.”

“Too? They?”

“Hungry and Scarlet Logic are sharing the same communication channels. Through the creeping ivy, and the smoke up there. Not sure how, but that’s our best guess.” Another voice suddenly spoke from within the caravan. “Our plan was to go looking for inquiries, but we accidentally stumbled upon several Stars mingling with the tongue things. They’ve heard your all loud and clear. No turning back now.”

Once again, this voice was oddly familiar to her. A small gap was made at the base of the heavy curtains, and two figures waved back from within the darkness.

Those two were the Captain and Vice-Captain of the missing 15th Peace Flock. The recently engaged lovers from all the way back in that town beyond the walls of the Nex Megalopolis. Suddenly, Jury realized who the lovers were in this ‘masterpiece’. A part of her believed that she and Frost would be the main ingredient of this abhorrent creation. As relieved as she was, she was immediately suspicious of Cara once again, but that was quickly dispelled when the pale Vice Captain spoke again.

“Jury. Good to see you again. Surprised to see that we’re safe? I know. We all know what’s happened in the other caravans. You’d never believe it, but this old friend of ours decided to lend a hand.”

“Returning a favor. Besides, you two fit the criteria, so we had to let you live in the first place. No to mention I’ve doubled my death count. I’m desperate at this point. Don’t want to die a death by a thousand cuts.” Cara dismissed the woman, although despite their differences, Cara did seem genuine happy that they were untouched. “Seriously… Wanting a bride and a groom for whatever the hell they want. Hah. No point in trying to cover ourselves up now. Calling you by your name already marked us for permanent termination.”

Cara smirked at Jury, pleased to see the gloom in her golden eyes disappear.

Um. Nav.

“Next time, shall I arrange for Frost to allow you to borrow her Coat of Prejudice?”

That’d be helpful. I think this is what they call being on a rollercoaster of emotions. Now I’m thinking of a coatless Frost. It really is a roller coaster.

Jury’s smile was like a beacon of light in their darkest night. Even the most stoic of Cara’s men and women could not help but to appreciate another levelheaded individual, even though they themselves were somewhat missing several screws in their head.

“USA! GET OVER HERE AND GREET HER ALREADY! EVERYONE! FORMATION!” Cara exclaimed, and at once everyone gathered before Jury stood straighter than a pillar, with Usa limping due to the sheer weight of her bulky weapon.

“Rrrrrright here! USA! Reporting in! Best shooter in all the Dawn Teams! And uh… No hard feelings, right Jury. Haha… No really, that didn’t hurt did it? I seriously thought you were someone from Justica Arms! Can’t blame me for preemptively shooting you know –!”

“That being said – Jury! It’s not our place to ask but, is there a safe passage for us to follow back to S3? Our mission right now is to get them out of here. If the Hungry want them, then all the more reason to… You’ve seen how we’ve allowed them to flourish. Anyone with a conscience knows how bad this is going to get.”

“So you being here is good timing! You think it’s coincidence!?” Usa exclaimed giddily, her single ear waving happily as her eyes sparkled.

Jury couldn’t even answer if she wanted to. In the end, she smiled, giggled, and offered her protection knowing that the Peace Flock members were imperative to the ‘Masterpiece’.

The twist was a welcome one. Just when Jury had lost faith in the discretion of the Scarlet Logic’s personnel, Cara proved that there were people willing to resist. They only had basic level of access into Scarlet Logic. There was no telling how many more felt the same way until they were pried open, and had their hearts exposed for all to see.

Jury had struck two birds with one stone.

They had the bride and groom, and rescued what was left of the Peace Flock for the 6th Apostle.

She could only hope that she was correct.