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The sun set upon the makeshift camp. After a particularly rough fight against an unprecedently large Tacet Discord horde, many of the Midnight Rangers were left with injuries ranging from minor bruises to burns and gashes.
A particularly striking figure in the midst of blue-and-black uniforms was darting around, aiding the injured and helping with delivering supplies to the onfield medics.
“General, you really don’t need to mother hen us so much, we’re perfectly capable of dealing with this,” One of the medics said helplessly, the patient they were attending to nodding in agreement.
The teal-haired and teal-clothed man simply tilted his head, speaking in a voice that showed how often he had repeated, “Being a general doesn’t absolve me of my duty to my people.”
The people in the tent seemed to collectively sweatdrop and let out a unified sigh.
“It’s the General, what do you expect for him to do?” One of the patients sitting next to the dilapidated wall, freshly stitched up from a particularly nasty gash against a Spearback, spoke with a ‘what can you do about it?’ tone.
“Take a rest, at the very least. I heard he has decent medical knowledge, so he should know how to take care of himself, at least.” The medic said, staring the General in the eyes.
Jiyan looked away first. “I do. There’s just more pressing issues right now.”
“We’re about 80% done, and the uninjured are setting up camp for the night. We’ll be fine. Get some rest, General Jiyan.”
A resounding chorus of agreement sounded within the open area. Even the uninjured Rangers setting up the tents chimed in.
Jiyan was unprepared to deal with the attention, startled, but smiled at his people’s care of him. “I’m not too tired right now, but I trust you’ll hold down the fort well. I’ll go scout out the surroundings in the meantime.”
The medic sighed, but acquiesced with a nod. They ushered in the next patient, who they exchanged a look with that Jiyan pretended not to notice as he walked out of the corner of the ruins they had set up in for treatment of injuries.
He could hear the bustling sounds of the Midnight Rangers behind him as he ventured into the forest surrounding the ruins they had took shelter in for the night.
The moon was high in the sky, bathing the views in a cold silver. He rested a hand on his greatsword as he walked through with light steps.
As he scouted, he kept his ears open for any strange sounds. It was strangely quiet today. He hadn’t come across any Tacet Discords even after a few minutes. Normally, the Qingloong would appear at the hint of a fight, but it was stagnant and mellow.
Jiyan hesitated for a moment. This could very easily be the calm before the storm. Maybe he didn’t notice the convergence of the Etheric Sea? What if there was a Tacet Field nearby that might threaten the Midnight Rangers, or the people of Jinzhou?
He walked on forward, sharp eyes looking around. The terrain was monotonous and repetitive, the same trees and the same lack of anything at all. He had almost calmed down, when he suddenly felt the winds shift.
Then, he heard it.
The sounds of a battle. It was faint, and a bit far, but it was there, amidst the quiet stillness of the night. The Qingloong appeared faintly at his sudden increase in heartbeat, a gust of wind circling around his arm as it winded around it to rest by his neck.
Jiyan would have thought it to be one of his Midnight Rangers, but they weren’t likely to disregard his notice of scouting by himself and charge out recklessly, especially under threat of admonishment by the ruthless medics they might have to face after doing so. It likely wasn’t the Ghost Hounds either, since Calcharo would have informed him of the possibility they might run into each other in this area.
So it only left a few options: exiles, a Jinzhou citizen, or a traveller.
He picked up the pace until it was nearly a sprint, steps as agile as air, and his greatsword firmly clasped and ready to be drawn at any given moment.
Then, the sound seemed to dissipate. He burst into a clearing where an echo of a Roseshroom remained behind, unclaimed, and no one else.
His head turned at the sound of rustling, catching a glimpse of something red, retreating further into the woods. He made up his mind immediately to follow them.
He chased after the figure, Qingloong’s enthusiasm bleeding into his own at the chase. The little glimpses of red far ahead spurred him to move faster, the thrums of the wind becoming a melodious echo as his target tried to escape–
But Jiyan knew the terrain like the back of his hand, and soon cornered his target.
“What the hell–”
A flicker of flame.
He grasped the wrist of his target, the lighter dropping out of the man’s hand with a clatter.
The General finally had a good look at his target: red hair, red eyes, gold-rimmed glasses, and… a lab coat?
He looked the young man who was struggling to free his wrist from the tight grip. He definitely wasn’t a Huanglong native. Much younger than he expected, too. Judging by the appearance, and the clothing…
New Federation.
The man’s curses were halted by Jiyan’s question: “Are you lost?”
“Huh?”
Noticing the foreigner’s confusion, Jiyan amended quickly. “Ah. My apologies. I am General Jiyan of Jinzhou’s Midnight Rangers.”
The man stared at him. Then looked down at where Jiyan was still holding onto his wrist. “Could you at least let me go before I introduce myself?”
Jiyan let go with slight embarrassment. The stranger didn’t seem that dangerous, seeing his lack of resistance against Jiyan’s grip, but it didn’t mean he was an amicable person either.
The red-haired stranger rubbed his wrist and picked up the lighter on the ground. Jiyan took a step back when the stranger flicked it open, but the man merely ignited the fire a few times, seemingly aimlessly, before flicking it closed and placing it with care into his pocket.
The stranger turned back to him, his demeanor surprisingly calm now. “I am Mortefi. I was heading for Jinzhou, but yes, indeed, I seem to have gotten a bit lost.”
Jiyan oh’ed, “You’re a day off from Jinzhou, then. May I ask why you’re heading there, exactly?”
Mortefi pushed up his glasses, the accessory on it clinking slightly against the metal. “...There’s… someone.”
“Someone you’re looking for?”
“Not exactly. More so where they came from.”
“How are you so sure it's Jinzhou, then?”
“I’m not. I’m interested in Huaxu Academy, though, and it’s worth a shot to check it out.”
Jiyan tilted his head, “Are you a researcher?”
Mortefi’s expression was complicated, but he closed his eyes and sighed. “You could say that. I suppose I was one in the New Federation.”
Later Jiyan would think about this– the youngest genius in the New Federation, “supposing” he was a researcher?
But in the present, Jiyan simply nodded. “I see. The borderlands are still rather dangerous, so, for your safety, the Midnight Rangers could escort you to Jinzhou.”
Mortefi frowned, “There’s no need for them to abandon their duty like that.”
Abandoning their duty? As if the Midnight Rangers would ever do that. Jiyan placed a hand on his hip, a slight frown mirroring the researcher’s. “No, we were going to head back anyway to recuperate a bit. The Tacet Discords haven’t been too much of an issue to need that many people.”
The red-haired man seemed to consider it for a moment, before nodding. “Well then, I’ll be in your care, General.”
As they headed back at relatively swift pace, Jiyan suddenly thought of something. “Ah. Mr. Mortefi, are you a resonator?”
“Just Mortefi, please. What do you mean by resonator?”
Jiyan tried to recall what Beiwang had told him, a long time ago, when he had questioned him about the strange marks that Resonators had. “Hm. Do you have an object you resonate with and can manipulate its frequency?”
Hearing Mortefi’s silence behind him, he switched to a different method, slowing down his pace. He raised the hand that wasn’t resting on his sword to lift his hair, exposing the Tacet Mark on the upper part of his spine. “Do you have one of these marks?”
More silence, then a considering hum.
Jiyan felt a shiver run up his spine when he felt something stroke the mark, face burning at the sudden, intimate touch. The last time anyone had touched that mark was Beiwang, so forgive him for being unused to it even if it was a quite conveniently exposed large area.
“What are you–”
“So this is something all Resonators have?” There was an edge of something that seemed like both curiosity and excitement in Mortefi’s voice.
Jiyan turned quickly, leaving the man’s hand still in the air. He ignored the disappointment in the researcher’s eyes at the disappearance of the mark from view, clearing his throat, “Yes, though it can be of pretty much any size and varies in shape from resonator to resonator.”
Mortefi sighed, “I don’t have one, unfortunately. But, I think I’ve found something I’d like to research further when I have the time.”
“Oh? You’re interested in Wutherology?”
“Not before, but I've heard of it. I’m more a machines and inventions person.”
“Well, I heard the Academy’s Department of Safety’s been studying Tacetite, but they haven’t been able to make much breakthroughs in actually using it.”
Mortefi was easily distracted by the prospect of innovation. “Tacetite?”
Jiyan finally turned to walk again, Mortefi falling into step beside him. “I believe so. Apparently, they think it might be able to be modified into weapons against Tacet Discords.”
The researcher’s eyes seemed to be shining, “Tell me more.”
Jiyan shook his head helplessly, “I’m not part of the Academy,” He watched the man’s expression fall, “But, I could see if I can refer you over? You seem to have an interest anyway.”
Quite the understatement, seeing Mortefi smile brightly at him, falling into thought at whatever inventions or research methods he might be thinking of.
Well, either way, it seemed like something was going to shift in Jinzhou, with the addition of one red-haired researcher to the mix.