Chapter 102 - Insurgency (Patreon)

<---Chapter 101 - War Refugees |Table of Contents|Chapter 103 - International Expansion--->

["The sovereignty of the Versian nation is at stake! Join your fellow comrades in arms, and fight for freedom and representation away from the tyranny of the Emperor!"] The same old announcement blared out into the bustling refugee camp, accompanied by slow, rumbling tremors while the military arctech wagon rattled across the dusty street, its exhaust billowing plumes of dust against cowering refugees who hid their faces from the escorting soldiers.

Lisa groaned, her eyelids heavy as she found herself lying flat on a thatched sheet in the middle of what seemed to be a cramped abandoned shop of sorts, empty pots and jugs dangling from threads hooked to deformed bedframes suspended in the ceiling. Specks of light flickered in through the perforated canopy above, the air filled with the usual stench of muddy earth and decay. She no longer wore the ripped dress in which she had been raped, instead covered by a thick blanket weaved from multiple coarse fabrics, one she recognized to be used for sacks. She tried to move her right arm, but it was as if she was laden with lead in her veins, the muscles sluggish.

A familiar hand rested on her arm, gripping it firmly. Lisa could feel the callouses on the palm rubbing coarsely against her wrist. "Don't move; the more you exert, the more the effects will linger in your body."

"C-Culo..." Lisa found her voice cracking, her throat parched as though she had just traversed a vast desert before. "When did you return?"

"Two weeks ago." Culo gently put the lid of a flask against her lips, letting her sip carefully. "I only heard recently that you guys were at the refugee camp. What happened to the village?"

Lisa tried to respond, but instead began to choke on the water, though she did her best to keep in it instead of letting it spill out of her mouth. Water was precious here, and the sight of Lisa struggle to save every drop made Culo's heart plummet.

"We're going to have to wait here for a bit, let the heat die out before we move. Probably till nighttime, when there are fewer soldiers patrolling." Culo explained while he peered through a crack between the corrugated metal walls of the abandoned shop, eyeing the patrolling soldiers harassing refugees nearby.

Lisa swallowed hard, letting out a relaxed sigh. "The village... we were attacked, our houses burnt from artillery fire."

Culo's eyes narrowed in suspicion while he still kept watch. "Artillery fire? Who told you that?"

"There was a Versian squad who came to us, they wanted us to evacuate-" Lisa's heart skipped a beat as she suddenly saw Culo's angry face swivelling to glare at her.

"That's a lie, the Versian soldiers just wanted to pillage you."

"But we did get bombed later in the day, just as they predicte-"

"Of course it's just as they predicted." Culo spat with a fiery rage boiling in his chest. "They were the ones who bombed you! The military exercise isn't anywhere near enough to be able to hit the village."

"What? How do you know?"

"Look at the refugees streaming into this camp. All of them have the same story - attacked by Raktor soldiers, bombed by artillery fire. Thousands of them all across the region of Ocra. Weird, huh, that there are so many skirmishes happening, but the Versian army is still 'mobilizing'. What a coincidence."

It was a bit hard for Lisa to swallow, but after all of the terrible things that had happened to her in the refugee camp, she was more than inclined to believe Culo. It was far worse to imagine that it was the result of sheer incompetence that her life had fallen to such a stage. However, she suddenly recalled something important. "Culo, your brother, he was hired by Harrison Industries. He was on a wagon to Tenar!"

Culo stared blankly at Lisa, stunned for a moment, before letting out an exasperated sigh. "... shit." He walked back towards a rickety old chair, slumping down into it. "I knew this would happen. What did they promise him?"

"I wasn't there for the meeting, but he said he'll try to get us balloted into Tenar..."

"Another lie." Culo waved his hands dismissively. "This whole refugee camp, the skirmishes, the attacks, it's all a ploy to drive people into here."

"But why? Why would anyone do this? Many of us are suffering here for no reason at all."

"It is exactly that suffering that is being exploited. When times are desperate, people will cling to anything. Anything that can save them. That can feed them. In events like this, the simplest answer to who would have done it is to see who profits the most from it."

Lisa watched as another wagon rolled past the abandoned shop through the boarded up windows, the side of the wagon plastered with big letters. "Harrison Industries. Why is the government not stopping them?"

"The new acting president most likely must be working with Harrison," Culo muttered as he pulled out an unfamiliar rifle from behind his chair, checking its barrel to make sure it was all clean. "What about the rest of the village? Where are they?"

"They are separated into different sections. Selas and Marah were with me, but Selas had been burnt badly by the attack. I tried to buy some healing potions for him-"

"But they were laced with addictive Euria."

"How did you know-"

"We're the ones smuggling them."

"We...?" Lisa mumbled before she realized what Culo had just said, fury rising in her body as she struggled to get up. "You.... you're the ones who made everything worse!" She whispered angrily, still cognisant of their current situation.

"Lisa, you need to rest-" Culo got off his chair and tried to coax Lisa back into lying down, but she swiped off Culo's arm fiercely.

"How can I rest when you are the ones actively hurting the refugees!? Your addictive potions are causing everyone to spiral even harder into poverty and depression!" Lisa tried to smack Culo on the cheek, but Culo caught her wrist mid-air, stopping her weakened arm easily.

"Firstly, I don't sell to the refugees directly. I don't control who sells what. I'm not the police, the military, or the government. I'm just another man, another face in the camp. And as of this stage, morals be damned if we want to achieve what we were sent here to do."

"Who is this 'we' you keep talking about?! Who twisted you, Culo? You used to be -"

"I don't like who I used to be!" Culo fumed in a sharp hushed voice, before relaxing a little. "I was weak. Naive. Blind to how the world works. In this life, if you don't fight for what you deserve, you will never get it. Have you not learned from everything that has happened to you?! The treatment of us half-breeds, the mark they seared into your forehead? Morals won't save you from being raped. Only strength, money, and power will."

Lisa could stare at Culo's face in horror. "Well, the whole reason I was in that position was because of that same potions!" She snatched her wrist away from Culo's grasp, retreating under the blanket in anger.

Culo didn't linger too long, returning to his chair and checking his rifle and other weapons available to him. The silence between the two of them reigned for the better part of an hour, the sounds of fights over rations and lamenting of mothers over dying children washing over the abandoned stall. As time passed, Lisa kept replaying the traumatic scene of last night, betrayed by Hikub and sold off as just another body to be raped, the memories vivid even as she closed her eyes, trying to sleep. Her stomach soon began to rumble, famished from having not eaten anything at all, her rations having been stolen and sold off as well.

A tapping sound and the smell of braised meat caught Lisa's attention, pulling her out of her depressive spiral. She turned to see Culo cracking open a can of preserved beef, pouring it onto a half-cracked bowl, and carrying it towards her. Sitting up reflexively while still clutching the coarse blanket close to her body, she finally broke the silence. "I want to go back. There are other villagers who still need our help.”

“If you follow me back to my hideout, I can get you the money and potions needed to-“

“I don’t want anything from you!” Lisa suddenly burst out again. “Not from you, not anymore! I never thought someone could change that fast, but you have proven me wrong. Let me go back, now!”

“It’s not safe now, the whole camp is crawling with patrols trying to find us!”

“I don’t care! I have nothing to do with whatever self-absorbed fantasy you have. If anything, you’re just as bad as the Versian officer, just one side of the problem!” Lisa slapped the bowl of beef out of Culo’s hand, spiraling out and smashing onto the floor, the food wasted. “Don’t think that just because I’m in shit means that I will turn to crime! I have a village to protect, and I have morals. I can see you have neither.”

“You have no idea what you’re saying – you’re stuck in the past. You really think these kinds of morals will help you to survive?!” Culo shot back, infuriated by Lisa wasting the food. “You going back to the villagers won’t solve the root cause of the problem!”

“If I have to be complicit with drug smuggling and stealing, then maybe you are also part of the problem! LET ME GO!” Lisa shouted angrily, uncaring of the passing refugees who could hear their muffled conversation.

“Fine! But don’t you blame me if shit goes sideways again – you’ve made your choice!” Culo snapped, handing over a pile of shabby stained clothes. Lisa snatched a few, hurriedly changing while Culo fumed in a corner, unable to come to terms with Lisa’s stubbornness. Soon, Lisa was dressed in a garment not unlike the other refugees, leaving the shack without so much as a goodbye to Culo.

Re-entering the blistering heat on the open streets, each step had the soles of her feet burning from the rough gravel and soil as she focused on returning back to her village tents. It took another ten minutes, with a few close calls with Versian patrols clearly looking for her, asking refugees. “Bounty, one hundred tenars for this lady and her lover!” A Versian conscript shouted, holding up a painted sketch of her and Culo, the refugees all alerted to the huge sum of money offered.

Shit! Lisa knew she needed to keep low, Culo’s words echoing in her head. No, I won’t listen to a drug peddler! Not when he’s part of the reason why we’re suffering now! Lisa slinked her way back towards the tent, finally reaching where her belongings were, Marah stirring awake from Lisa’s hectic entry. “Whu… where the hell have you been all night?! I’ve been taking care of Selas this entire time!” Marah accused. “Did you get the money to pay the alchemist?!”

“Uhh…” Lisa didn’t know what to say, this being the second time she had returned emptyhanded. Her heart clenched with guilt and shame, as though every time she left this tent, something terrible were to happen.

“What kind of village chief are you?!” The obviously sleep-deprived Marah snapped at her, furious. “Utterly useless – we are suffering here while you are running around, playing!”

“I wasn’t playing, I was trying to get money!”

“And?! Where’s the money?”

“I… I don’t have it.” Lisa sat down, crestfallen. “I tried, Marah. I really tried…. I tried…” Lisa broke down, tears trickling down her cheeks as she grabbed Selas’ thin hand, holding up to her chest and clutching it tightly. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry… I couldn’t…”

Marah let out an exasperated sigh. “Looks like we have to find another way. I’ll go to the other tent and ask around for solutions. Now stop grabbing Selas’s hand; otherwise, you’ll wake him… what’s wrong?” Marah noticed Lisa’s eyes widening as Lisa grabbed Selas’s wrist, measuring his pulse and putting her finger at Selas’s nose.

“Selas… Selas is not breathing!” Lisa frantically shook Selas’s shoulder, before Marah shoved her out of the way, immediately clasping both of her burly hands over Selas’ chest and pumping regularly, trying to resituate Selas to no avail. The din of the refugee camp drowned out the looming silence as Lisa watched on in horror, Selas’s lifeless body already losing its color.

Eventually, after five harrowing minutes, Marah gave up, exhausted while Lisa tried her best too to revive him. “Maybe, maybe the alchemist can do something! He must be able to do something!” Lisa barely eked out the words while crying non-stop both at his death and her incompetence, until Marah slapped her on the cheek.

“Stop whining! You’re making everything harder in this accursed camp! Wasn’t it you who suggested for us to come to this camp in the first place, you and that stupid Jakub who had abandoned us!”

“He did not abandon us, he’s trying his best to secure a slot for us in Tenar. It just takes time-“

“And when is Selas getting his turn?! Even the aid promised to us has not arrived! If you want to just sit here and cry like a girl, be my guest. But I’m going to solve our situation, by hook or crook!” Marah snapped, storming out of the tent and leaving Lisa with the dead Selas.

Lisa recalled her last conversation with Selas, promising him that there would be help and hope. But I failed. Nothing works. I tried… She curled up into a ball next to Selas, sniffling and wallowing in her own despair. It wasn’t until a few minutes later that an intrusive thought entered her mind. Should I have joined Culo?

She immediately rejected the notion. Selas’ death is partly his fault! Yet even now Lisa found that a stretch – Culo was not the one who had burnt the village nor forced them to move to the refugee camp. It’s okay, as long as we stick together, we’ll get through anything. We can survive as a village-

“Bounty, one hundred tenars for this lady and her lover!” The same call could now be heard approaching closer to the tents, Lisa’s heart stiffening as she scrambled to hide. She could hear the soldiers entering the tents one by one to search for them, but Lisa had nowhere to mask herself. Maybe I should run, I should run before the rest get implicated…

The minutes seemed to last an eternity, as the sound of boots getting closer and closer seemed never-ending, always approaching. Lisa was prepared to flee the tent through the other side by crawling under the fabric. Just as a soldier began to grab the tent's opening, she suddenly heard Marah’s voice calling the soldiers, causing them to turn their heads. “Who are you looking for?”

Lisa’s heart swelled with gratitude, knowing Marah was trying to distract the soldiers away from her tent. Oh thank the Goddess, thank you Marah-

“I know her, I know her! She’s in the tent, dressed in a rucksack with long hair! That damn halfbreed will try to escape from behind the tent!” Marah suddenly shouted. “I want the hundred tenars!”

Lisa did not have time to contend with the sudden betrayal of the very same villagers she had worked so hard to support, the soldiers bursting into the tent and rushing at her. With barely any strength left, having not even eaten since the day before, Lisa’s struggle was futile, only able to watch as the soldiers mercilessly kicked the dead Selas’s body out of the way, grabbing and restraining her. Two soldiers hoisted her out into the open, the other villagers and Marah all gathered around the edges of their tents, while Lisa was forced to kneel in front of a Versian sergeant.

“So you’re the bitch who killed our officer! You think you can just slip away like this, huh? The entire camp is under our control!” The sergeant sneered and grabbed Lisa by her hair, yanking it upwards as the other soldiers laughed. “It’s a shame he died for such a bitch, but at least he left some fun for the rest of us, huh? You, give that lady the hundred tenars.”

The ordered soldier nodded, grabbing a pouch and tossing the coins towards the other villagers, who immediately dived and groveled on the ground, all dignity lost as they scrambled and scuffled with each other for every little coin, once long-time friends throwing fists and kicks to survive. Even Marah, too, shoved and pushed, grabbing as many as she could on the ground while the soldiers laughed at the miserable sight. “That’s right, halfbreeds, fight!”

Lisa’s mind was now beyond broken as she watched her villagers fight each other, torn apart by simple desperation and survival. It was too hard for her to accept the sudden betrayal by Marah, leaving her out to dry. Was I the only stupid one who believed in morals and support? How could I be so naïve…. Lisa’s head hung low, defeated with any sense of belief and ideal that lingered in her dissipating.

“Grab her back to the barracks! Tie her up in the brig, we’ll rotate hours.” The sergeant grinned, having two soldiers haul her off through the streets, Lisa’s feet dragging and being cut up by the rough stones left on the side of the street. Her forehead bore the mark of a halfbreed; one afforded to those staying near the border of Ocra and Raktor, earning her jeers and taunts even from the other equally desperate refugees. Each yell and thrown stone that hit her head only beat the lesson deeper into her soul, her mind nearly going blank as she was hauled through the camp. Only a single thought rested in her mind as she stared up to the sky, blood on her forehead masking her vision as she held a self-deprecating smile at the irony of it all. Culo, how could I have been so stupid? What did we do to deserve this at all?

As if in response to her internal cry for help, she suddenly felt one of her arms released, the soldier that had been carrying her collapsing onto the ground with a pained scream, a pellet having torn through the sinews of his thigh, rupturing the bone into sharp fragments that caused him to keel over. Lisa was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground as the remaining soldier tried to grab his slung rifle, only for a shadow to suddenly appear from within the crowd of now scattering refugees, lunging out with a knife that lodged deep into the ribs of the remaining soldier.

Before Lisa could even register what was happening, the shadow grabbed her, hoisting her up and sprinting as hard as he could. The view was a complete blur, Lisa watching the camp blaze past her in complete disorientation. They finally came to a stop near a tight alleyway, far from the prying eyes of other refugees. A cool liquid was poured over Lisa’s face, healing her quickly enough for her to get her bearings and finally recognize who it was. Culo! Without saying a word, Lisa hugged him as tight as she could for a minute, only silence as Culo returned the hug.

“I’m always here for you, Lisa. You’re not alone.” Culo murmured into Lisa’s ears as they continued to hug. “Not even if the others betray you.”

Lisa sniffled and pushed Culo away, rubbing off the snot that was trickling down her nose. “Just… just get me somewhere safe. I don’t care where anymore.”

Culo nodded, helping Lisa up as they weaved through the myriad of haphazard tents and makeshift buildings, losing any patrolling soldiers before reaching the walls of Ocra. The refugee camp had already melded against the walls of Ocra, only separated by a large trench filled with barbed wire to prevent refugees from scaling the walls.

Instead of navigating through the barbed wire for all the city guards to see, Culo instead diverted towards what seemed like an outhouse, the smell of excretion pooling in a shallow hole forcing Lisa to pinch her nose tight. Culo ignored the stench, going around to the back of the outhouse where there was a small little trapdoor, unlatching it to reveal a ladder that descended into an unknown depth.

"After you." Culo motioned, closing the lid after Lisa had clambered down the ladder. She found herself in a tight tunnel that could barely fit one person's shoulder width, forcing her to squeeze through in the pitch black darkness.

While she groped her way into the darkness, her hands suddenly knocked against something clearly metallic, a door blocking her path. The door opened to reveal two rifle barrels pointed right at her face, wielded by what seemed to be young female recruits nearly the same age as Lisa. Lisa let out a yelp in fear, almost doubling back into Culo directly.

"It's me, stand down. Where's Sasha?" Culo revealed himself, sticking his head beyond Lisa's shoulders.

"What's the code?"

"Geraldine, it's me, Culo, I-"

"What's the code?!" The female recruit jabbed the barrel towards the two of them.

"By day she smiles, by night she smites."

The two female recruits finally let down their guards, extending their hands to help Lisa out of the tunnel into a brightly lit room carved underground, the only furnishing being the tunnel's trapdoor, a single exit door, and the three arctech lanterns above. "Sasha's waiting in the command room. You got a lot of fucking explaining to do," Geraldine answered without emotion, though she scrutinized Lisa from head to toe. "Is this your girlfriend?"

"What?" Culo and Lisa exclaimed in unison.

"Yea, must be." Geraldine seemed self-satisfied with the answer. "Only reason why you would kill an officer this blatantly. Not to mention two more soldiers."

"Urgh...." Culo groaned, dragging Lisa away from the two gossiping female recruits. He swung the exit door open, revealing a small tavern of sorts, the tables, and chairs filled to the brim with similar recruits, all of whom wielded rifles slung to their bodies. Lisa gulped instinctively as they locked eyes with hers, Culo hurriedly dragging her through the tavern before reaching an inconspicuous door, entering the command room.

Lisa had already been surprised at the amount of people living underground, though she was far more shocked at the quality of the food and drinks they had. What surprised her even more was the command room, which was dominated by a large map of Versia placed on a stone table, marked by squiggly handwriting over almost all major cities and towns.

While Lisa was gazing at the map, Culo himself was nervous, his gaze catching that of Sasha who's elbows were resting on the table, her hands clasped as she glowered at him, her mood clear as day. Culo’s original confidence that was on full display before Lisa melted away entirely in front of Sasha, who was the clear head in charge of the forward operation in Ocra.

"Look, I know what I did was wrong..." Culo began, but Sasha didn't respond, merely holding up two fingers that immediately made Culo flustered, far from the confident Culo that Lisa had witnessed over the last few hours. "Two... days? Sorry, I can't interpret your signs and expressions like Merissa, can I- two weeks?! He's coming in two weeks?"

"Sorry, who's coming in two weeks?" Lisa blurted out without thinking, the glare of Sasha now resting on her directly. Culo immediately stepped in between the two of them, smiling nervously.

"Sasha, meet Lisa, my current village chief. She has good potential to be a leader, and with her she can organize and recruit more people. She’s aligned with us, I swear, I knew her all my life. I'll make killing that officer worth it."

The intensity of Sasha's glare weakened, as she got up from her seat, eyeing Lisa from all angles. Picking up a pen, Sasha scribbled quickly onto a piece of paper, handing it over to Lisa, who read it quickly.

Do you seek strength, or righteousness?

"Say ye-" Culo's words were instantly cut off by Sasha, who shoved him aside, forcing Lisa to answer on her own accord.

"I don't want strength for strength alone. I want both. I want the strength to be righteous. I want the strength to force others to be righteous!" Lisa replied with determination, locking eyes with Sasha for a good few moments until Sasha nodded in response, motioning to Culo.

"Right, I'll get Geraldine to train her. Thank you, Sasha. And no, she's not my girlfriend, I can tell from that look." Culo hastily urged Lisa out of the command room, back out into the tavern before Lisa finally had enough, spinning on her heels and forcibly stopping Culo in his tracks.

"I think it's high time that you explain to me what is going on. Who are these people, how did you get involved with them?! Who was that lady, and what are you aiming for? I might have agreed to come here now, but what the fuck do you mean I’m aligned with you?" Lisa shot her questions off in a rapid-fire fashion.

"Okay." Culo sat her down at an empty tavern table. "We're the Ghosts of Versia."

"I figured. What are we aiming to do?"

"Take down the current Versian state, most of all Harrison Industries." Geraldine's voice interrupted them before Culo could continue, Geraldine herself sitting down next to Lisa on the same wooden bench. "Isn't that what you're here for?"

"I'm not here for something as grand as that, I'm just here because..."

"Because you were raped and betrayed by your own villagers for a paltry hundred tenars." Geraldine placed it bluntly. "And you're not the only one here. Look around. Don't you notice that there are more ladies than men in here? That's because the Versian military has been picking up the boys mostly, leaving the ladies to be comfort women or slaving away for a pittance. Well FUCK THAT!" She slammed her fist on the table, earning the attention of the other recruits around.

"Yea, fuck that! We deserve to be free, not under the thumb of the fucking Versian State!" Another recruit agreed, pumping his fist into the air.

"The Ghosts of Versia fights for a free Versia, one without tyranny!"

"FOR A FREE VERSIA!" The rest of the tavern echoed back in a loud cheer, nearly deafening Lisa.

"And it seems that you are our newest comrade. You must have seen it yourself, our people herded like cattle, treated like trash, ripped of everything they own to become another cog in a machine geared for a war that might never happen!" Geraldine wrapped her arms around Lisa. "Don't you feel anger at those who have wronged you? Those who had cast you aside like another sack of meat to rape and fuck?"

The memories of the rape and the betrayal of the villagers came flooding back into Lisa's mind, overwhelming her emotions as she suddenly felt a sense of comradery among the recruits in front of her. Finally, there were people like her willing to fight back against the injustice, to fight against the wrongs, the crimes, and the sins levied against her. "I am."

Geraldine scoffed. "That's all you got to say? Say you're angry! Say it!"

"I'm angry!" Lisa gritted her teeth, her fist clenched as she pictured the officer who drugged her, Hikub who had betrayed her, Akola who had duped her, the lady who had stolen her rations - everything wrong so far scrounged up into her balled fists.

"Not good enough! Say I'm angry as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

"I'm angry as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

"I'M ANGRY AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Geraldine roared.

"I"M ANGRY AS HELL AND I'M NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Lisa too let out all her anger and sorrow into a powerful shout that was followed by cheering from the other recruits who began to pat and swarm her.

"Damn right. You'll be a damn good Ghost once we're done training you." Geraldine grinned as she smacked Lisa's back amidst the crowd.

While the recruits clamored and cheered the night away, Culo returned to the command room, where Sasha was still plotting lines, drawing marking between cities. Sasha eyed Culo from the periphery of her vision, scribbling on a piece of paper and handing it to him.

"No, I didn't tell her the truth. She'll act better as a leader if she doesn't know. We can send her ahead after a week of basic training with Geraldine to Tenar to set up."

Sasha mulled over the potential plan, before tapping another mark on the map, though Culo shook his head. "Desham and Creuliz can be set up later - the most important cities to infiltrate are Tenar and Ocra. Tenar is even more important now that I have this piece of information." Culo retrieved a letter from his inner armor, the letter seal still stained with the blood of the officer he killed.

Ripping the letter, Sasha read it carefully before her eyes widened, raising her hand to mockingly punch Culo, who held up his two hands in surrender. "I couldn't show you the letter with Lisa around!"

That appeased Sasha, but she still moved in a hurry, quickly drawing up a new series of plans, marking random Xs and search areas all around the outskirts of Tenar, before labeling them with numbers. Culo instantly got the gist, nodding his head. "I'll get three teams, we'll have the route ascertained. As soon as Kyle arrives, we'll be in position to take down Harrison in one fell swoop."

<---Chapter 101 - War Refugees |Table of Contents|Chapter 103 - International Expansion--->