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New Murmansk is a coastal port city located in the Arctic Route Union region, spanning an area of ███ km2 across Northeastern Siberia. It is one of the last major human strongholds of the Arctic Circle. The city sits along the freezing waters of the Arctic frontier, a corridor historically contested by submerged Corrupted rising from the seabed and persistent Virus incursions from the surrounding tundra.
Despite the hostile environment, New Murmansk has served as a critical resupply hub and transit node for operations in the northern hemisphere. Its port infrastructure, though aging, remains operational under the Arctic Route Union's authority. The city has periodically sheltered displaced refugees and survivors from collapsed settlements further inland, and its population remains one of the more stable concentrations of civilians outside Babylonia-aligned territories.
On ██/██/████, Gray Raven was assigned to investigate Ascendant activity near the Gangdise Mountains. During the return approach through low Earth orbit, the aircraft came under missile fire from a warship infected by the Punishing Virus. They were forced down over Northeastern Siberia, near the New Murmansk region. The mission objective was redirected to seek shelter, assess the situation on the ground, and rendezvous with the Support Force operating in the vicinity.
Seventeen hours before departure, new eyewitness reports indicate Ascendant activity at the Jijing Monastery, located at the western base of the Gangdise Mountains. The area is reporting a large-scale Punishing Virus outbreak with unusually high concentration readings. Gray Raven departs from L-7 and begins the return approach through low Earth orbit.
Lee selects a longer route to avoid known danger zones in the upper atmosphere. The detour keeps us in low Earth orbit longer than intended. On the descent approach, the aircraft system flags multiple heat sources closing fast. These contacts turn out to be interstellar cruise missiles that have locked onto our aircraft.
We have flown into a minefield. The remains of warships infected by the Punishing Virus are still present in low orbit, and our passage is triggering them. These units are normally configured to target transport-class airships. Lee notes this is the consequence of staying in low orbit too long.
Thirty seconds to impact. Lee activates manual flight control and passes the wheel to me to maintain operational procedures. A missile detonates close alongside the airdrop jet. The shockwave throws the cabin into disarray. I activate optical positioning and re-adjust the engines for ignition. Maximum thrust engaged. Autonomous rotation stabilizes. Lee has two tow lines with counterweights deployed. I sever the connection on his mark.
More missiles close in from both sides. Fifteen seconds out. There is no gap to maneuver through.
Liv reports a contact approaching rapidly from the surface below. Before impact, every inbound missile detonates behind the jet simultaneously. Whatever came up from below intercepted all of them. Liv describes the object as a lance. The shockwave from the detonations reaches us a moment later.
The aircraft enters the atmosphere blackout zone. Silent mode engages. Systems go dark.
We are down in an endless coniferous forest. Celica comms in almost immediately. She confirms our location: Northeastern Siberia, and reports that Babylonia's path has crossed with the International Space Station, which means reinforcements are rerouting and are expected to arrive in fourteen hours.
In the meantime, she instructs us to seek shelter with the locals. She points us toward a city to the north called New Murmansk, where the Support Force is already positioned. The Arctic Route Union has kept to itself since the Post-Pandemic Age and largely opposed the evacuation effort, but Celica assesses them as non-hostile.
[Timestamp: +1h 20m]
We push north through the snow. Progress is slow. Lee notes the footprints around us. Before we can assess, the Corrupted close in from the tree line. The terrain is against us, and more keep coming.
An agile figure drops out of the snow without warning. A lance slices the Corrupted in half in a single swing. More figures leap from the forest and join in. By the time we can react, every Corrupted in the immediate area is down. They are tall and slender, each looking down at us from several feet up. Their frames are fully armed, fitted with sharp, angular equipment: Inver-Devices. Each one has the upper body of a Construct and four horse-like legs below, resembling a centaur.
The lead centaur steps forward and identifies them as the Forest Guards, defenders of this territory, and states that outsiders are prohibited from entering. Lucia identifies us as the Gray Raven task force, explains that we crash-landed, and that we need to pass through to reach New Murmansk. The centaur raises her lance anyway.
A second, taller figure emerges slowly through the snow, carrying a lance; name Rosetta tells the lead centaur, Diana, to halt. Liv recognizes that the lance is the same one that intercepted the missiles. Rosetta confirms she threw it, demonstrating an unbelievable strength by hurling a lance into orbit from several kilometers below ground.
Rosetta tells Diana to take us back to camp.
[Timestamp: Nighttime]
By the time we reach the camp, the sky is fully dark. Diana has brought us to their temporary post since our route runs north. She offers us the night there and goes into the tent to prepare.
Lee and Liv discuss the Forest Guards while we wait.
Diana returns with pine needle tea and berry cakes. Lucia asks about Rosetta. Diana says she is out on patrol. Corrupted numbers across the forest have been climbing recently, which is unusual. At this latitude, Virus concentration should be low, and Corrupted activity should be correspondingly minimal.
Lucia asks why the Forest Guards are forbidden from entering the port. Diana deflects: tradition.
Liv cuts the silence. The northern lights have appeared: Aurora. The sky above us is moving in long ribbons of color. None of us says much. Even Lee is just quietly sipping tea.
A cry from the north. Diana immediately locks onto a human signal, with Corrupted closing in behind it. She identifies the voice before we do and charges into the forest with her companion, Nausicaa. We follow.
By morning, we reach Rosetta at a clearing near a cliff overlooking the sea. A boy named Evan has come through the forest alone to find her, with Corrupted in pursuit. He has a message: Derek is returning to the port. The people there have been gathering weapons. They became agitated when word spread that he was coming back.
Rosetta turns to face us. She says there is no time to spare. She tells the Forest Guards to hold position and stay away from the port entirely. Then she tells Gray Raven to follow her tracks north at our own pace and not to push too hard. She leads the way to New Murmansk.
We advance toward the city at a pace. At the coastal port, a wave of the Corrupted is rising from the ocean. The city defense terminal is offline, leaving the port's defense commands non-functional. As outsiders, we have no standing here, but we move to restore the terminal regardless. The others hold the defense line and protect the defense machines while we work. The civilians watch us from a distance, their eyes filled with fear as the Corrupted invaders approach the port.
[Timestamp: +20m]
After defeating the enemy, a commotion erupts on the dock. A sailor confronts Rosetta in front of the crowd, accusing her of violating the Arctic Route Union's rules by returning to the port. He claims she is protecting the Narwhal at the city's expense, even as the entire port is under threat from the Corrupted.
The boy, Evan, who is leaning against Rosetta's legs, defends her, saying that she always calms Derek, cleans up the Corrupted, and that the Forest Guards have dedicated themselves to protecting the southern forest, even if others fail to recognize their efforts. The port citizens raise their weapons against Rosetta to return to the forest, but she stands there in silence, showing no sign of wavering.
The conversation is abruptly interrupted as a colossal bionic narwhal breaches the surface of the ocean near the port. He thrashes about, his long horn breaking through the water and sending massive waves rocking the berthed vessels.
Rosetta calls for the citizen to stay back and launches her lance from the dock in a long-distance strike at the Ascendant, who is on the Narwhal's back, working to bring him under control. Her entire body radiates heat from the blast, turning the snow beneath her feet to steam. The drawing the Ascendant's attention gives Derek a brief window to dive away.
We recognize the Ascendant from the first encounter with Lucia since City 015. The hair-white Ascendant catches the blast with her bare hand, leaps from the water, and lands on the floating dock. She turns her burning palm toward Rosetta with an eerie smile on her face. Rosetta draws another folded lance from her shield and extends it, ready for combat. She makes her position clear: Derek is her friend.
Their blades clash in a vibrant display of sparks. Rosetta exerts a sudden burst of power into her strikes, pushing the Ascendant back. The fight between them leaves the already devastated port in further disarray.
Soon, the surface of the ocean begins to surge again, and the Narwhal's long horn breaks the surface as he reappears before everyone. Countless Corrupted cover the Narwhal as he wails in pain.
The Ascendant sheaths her weapon and proposes a deal. Given her close bond with the Narwhal, Rosetta must have sensed the approaching tide of the Corrupted in advance. Yet, she did not initiate an evacuation. In the Ascendant's view, this indicates that Rosetta has long since abandoned humanity in favor of Derek. She claims they are similar; both have realized the futility of self-sacrifice for humanity. Her terms are clear: if Rosetta helps her eliminate the interference and surrenders the Narwhal, Derek will be left unharmed.
The port citizens do not wait for a response. A harpoon is fired at the Ascendant from the crowd. She catches it. A second attempt is made, but a red current from her fingertips sends the man flying several meters back, triggering corruption symptoms immediately. Liv moves to treat him over his furious resistance. The serum suppresses the infection. Seeing the result, the crowd raises their weapons and holds their ground.
Rosetta turns to the crowd with a direct warning: New Murmansk is about to be flooded by a tidal wave of Corrupted. She urges them to abandon the port and find a new settlement before it arrives. The citizens respond by opening fire on her.
Lucia requests the Dawn frame. Lee confirms it has entered the atmosphere, with landing coordinates adjusted to the Narwhal's proximity. Liv reports that Rosetta's M.I.N.D. is beginning to destabilize; corruption levels are surging rapidly. The Ascendant repeats her deal and hops onto Derek's back. As Lucia moves to intercept, Rosetta steps in and blocks our advance.
The tidal wave of the Corrupted makes landfall. The port descends into open combat. Under the cover of the chaos, Lucia breaks away toward the Dawn frame drop zone. Rosetta ejects from her centaur frame. A pair of luminescent wings unfolds from her back. Her power output is extraordinary, but her corruption has already reached a critical threshold. She moves toward Lucia. Lee takes the strike to hold her back.
The Forest Guards arrive in time. Diana calls to reform the defense line. Liv and I join the Guards in engaging the Corrupted while Lee manages Rosetta. The Guards push through the landing zone at considerable cost. Nausicaa is severely wounded. The port citizens, confronted directly by what the Guards are sacrificing, raise their harpoons and form a perimeter around the fallen.
Rosetta's assault on Lee does not stop until he is on the brink of death, but she briefly comes to her senses and notices the devastation that the Corrupted have inflicted upon the Forest Guards and the residents of the port.
Diana turns to address the citizens directly, standing over the wounded Nausicaa, who is being tended to by Evan: the Forest Guard came, not out of duty, but out of sympathy for all lives. She demands their names be known throughout the Arctic Route Union. No one argues. Rosetta hears it and says it is too late.
Another wave of Corrupted makes landfall. Rosetta forces herself upright and clears them with a single lance strike. Her eyes cloud over, and she falls beside Derek at the water's edge. The Ascendant moves in and envelops Rosetta in red lightning, declaring that those who have witnessed the truth of humanity have earned the right to ascend. But Lucia's powerful blow disrupts the connection.
The second duel between Lucia and the Ascendant is underway. With the power of her newly upgraded frame, Lucia pushes the Ascendant back, their swords clashing at high speed. However, the Ascendant's true combat prowess still proves to be a significant challenge for Lucia, despite her enhancements. The Ascendant speaks directly to her, intending to elevate Rosetta to the status of an Ascendant. However, due to Lucia's interference, this process will not be completed. As a result, Rosetta will not ascend and will instead become a mindless puppet of the virus.
Lucia is no longer in any condition to continue. The enemy turns to Derek and charges her fingertips for a final attempt at his horn. The fully corrupted Rosetta rises from the ice behind Lucia, attempting to strike her. But unexpectedly, the Ascendant seizes Lucia and carries her into the freezing ocean, where she restrains her, then returns to the surface. The Narwhal slowly sinks into the ocean, no longer resisting.
The Ascendant unleashes her full power. Rosetta locks onto her. The fight carries into a port warehouse. As they reach a decisive exchange, Evan runs between them and refuses to move. The fully corrupted Rosetta charges regardless. In a flash, Rosetta is defeated, losing her mobility and consciousness. Evan is unharmed.
Before leaving, the Ascendant tells Evan she has not damaged Rosetta's core and that survival depends on Rosetta's own strength.
[Timestamp: +15m]
As we reach Rosetta, Liv detects a powerful Inver-Device signal from deep within the ocean. Rosetta's M.I.N.D. begins to stabilize, and her consciousness starts to recover. Lucia climbs back to shore. The crowd is looking past her at the sea. The ARU fleet is on the horizon, with Babylonia transport crafts behind it.
[Timestamp: Recovery Period]
When Lucia regains consciousness, ARU hybrid Constructs are clearing the remaining Corrupted. Bianca is present. Lee's injuries are being assessed. Rosetta has been placed in a Construct bay for transport to Babylonia for a full check-up. Port citizens confirm that the remaining Forest Guards are no longer considered criminals, but request that Rosetta be returned for her trial.
The ARU refitted criminals into Forest Guards and treated them harshly. As the Corrupted threat grew, the port feared the Forest Guards' resentment would eventually turn against them. Rosetta's presence was a persistent reminder of what was done to her, and her bearing made her unapproachable. But the port will no longer harbor prejudice against the Forest Guards.
Bianca addresses the Forest Guards before they can depart. She extends an offer of alliance on behalf of Babylonia against the Corrupted and the Punishing Virus. Diana answers for them: they will consider it, but not right now. Following that, the Forest Guards return to the snowy forest.
The aquatic bionic Narwhal was created during the peak of the bionic restoration era by the Arctic Route Union. Units of this type were released into open waters for natural acclimatization, but the surviving population and original production figures remain undocumented.
Post-engagement analysis of the body module shows that several of its functions, including aspects of its underlying consciousness architecture, display markers consistent with M.I.N.D. research and demonstrate a level of consciousness akin to that of humans.
Derek is one of the bionic narwhals produced during this period. His designation derives from the Derek Strait, where he was first encountered and subsequently rescued by Rosetta and her grandfather.
According to Rosetta, Derek can detect the Corrupted mass forming beneath the Arctic Ocean. To alert humans to the threat, over the years, the Narwhal has returned to the port and exhibited agitated behaviors, such as thrashing, which serve as visual warnings. However, such actions can damage port infrastructure and jeopardize citizens' safety, as the port is unable to operate.
The Narwhal's vocal output is specifically designed to resonate with the frequency of humanoid-hybrid M.I.N.D.s, acting as an extremely powerful Inver-Device signal that stabilizes and prevents them from succumbing to the Punishing Virus. It is also discovered to be a sleeping command intended to soothe Amberia and keep the aggression of the Bionic Tide in the region at bay. This function had not yet been formally documented or fully understood.
New Murmansk remains operational. The Corrupted tide has been repelled through the combined efforts of Gray Raven, the Forest Guards, and the arriving ARU and Babylonia fleets. The port district sustained significant structural damage. Civilian casualties remain unconfirmed.
The engagement has produced a measurable shift in relations between the Arctic Route Union, the Forest Guards, and Babylonia. The Forest Guards' intervention has broken a long-standing barrier of distrust between the port population and the Forest Guards. Criminal classification has been formally withdrawn from all Forest Guard ranks; Rosetta's trial remains pending her recovery.
Bianca's alliance offer was deferred, not refused. The simultaneous arrival of the ARU fleet and Babylonia transports represents the first operational convergence between these parties. Sustained cooperation is assessed as viable and not yet confirmed.
New Murmansk
OPERATIONALLOC-███ // Northeastern Siberia
New Murmansk' Coastal Port
Despite the hostile environment, New Murmansk has served as a critical resupply hub and transit node for operations in the northern hemisphere. Its port infrastructure, though aging, remains operational under the Arctic Route Union's authority. The city has periodically sheltered displaced refugees and survivors from collapsed settlements further inland, and its population remains one of the more stable concentrations of civilians outside Babylonia-aligned territories.
On ██/██/████, Gray Raven was assigned to investigate Ascendant activity near the Gangdise Mountains. During the return approach through low Earth orbit, the aircraft came under missile fire from a warship infected by the Punishing Virus. They were forced down over Northeastern Siberia, near the New Murmansk region. The mission objective was redirected to seek shelter, assess the situation on the ground, and rendezvous with the Support Force operating in the vicinity.
The following logs represent Gray Raven Commandant's personal account. Timestamps are approximate and based on field recollection.
Lee selects a longer route to avoid known danger zones in the upper atmosphere. The detour keeps us in low Earth orbit longer than intended. On the descent approach, the aircraft system flags multiple heat sources closing fast. These contacts turn out to be interstellar cruise missiles that have locked onto our aircraft.
We have flown into a minefield. The remains of warships infected by the Punishing Virus are still present in low orbit, and our passage is triggering them. These units are normally configured to target transport-class airships. Lee notes this is the consequence of staying in low orbit too long.
Thirty seconds to impact. Lee activates manual flight control and passes the wheel to me to maintain operational procedures. A missile detonates close alongside the airdrop jet. The shockwave throws the cabin into disarray. I activate optical positioning and re-adjust the engines for ignition. Maximum thrust engaged. Autonomous rotation stabilizes. Lee has two tow lines with counterweights deployed. I sever the connection on his mark.
More missiles close in from both sides. Fifteen seconds out. There is no gap to maneuver through.
Liv reports a contact approaching rapidly from the surface below. Before impact, every inbound missile detonates behind the jet simultaneously. Whatever came up from below intercepted all of them. Liv describes the object as a lance. The shockwave from the detonations reaches us a moment later.
The aircraft enters the atmosphere blackout zone. Silent mode engages. Systems go dark.
Footage captured before Gray Raven went dark
In the meantime, she instructs us to seek shelter with the locals. She points us toward a city to the north called New Murmansk, where the Support Force is already positioned. The Arctic Route Union has kept to itself since the Post-Pandemic Age and largely opposed the evacuation effort, but Celica assesses them as non-hostile.
[Timestamp: +1h 20m]
Forest Guards
An agile figure drops out of the snow without warning. A lance slices the Corrupted in half in a single swing. More figures leap from the forest and join in. By the time we can react, every Corrupted in the immediate area is down. They are tall and slender, each looking down at us from several feet up. Their frames are fully armed, fitted with sharp, angular equipment: Inver-Devices. Each one has the upper body of a Construct and four horse-like legs below, resembling a centaur.
The lead centaur steps forward and identifies them as the Forest Guards, defenders of this territory, and states that outsiders are prohibited from entering. Lucia identifies us as the Gray Raven task force, explains that we crash-landed, and that we need to pass through to reach New Murmansk. The centaur raises her lance anyway.
A second, taller figure emerges slowly through the snow, carrying a lance; name Rosetta tells the lead centaur, Diana, to halt. Liv recognizes that the lance is the same one that intercepted the missiles. Rosetta confirms she threw it, demonstrating an unbelievable strength by hurling a lance into orbit from several kilometers below ground.
Rosetta tells Diana to take us back to camp.
[Timestamp: Nighttime]
Overnight at the camp with Diana
Lee and Liv discuss the Forest Guards while we wait.
Diana returns with pine needle tea and berry cakes. Lucia asks about Rosetta. Diana says she is out on patrol. Corrupted numbers across the forest have been climbing recently, which is unusual. At this latitude, Virus concentration should be low, and Corrupted activity should be correspondingly minimal.
Lucia asks why the Forest Guards are forbidden from entering the port. Diana deflects: tradition.
Liv cuts the silence. The northern lights have appeared: Aurora. The sky above us is moving in long ribbons of color. None of us says much. Even Lee is just quietly sipping tea.
A cry from the north. Diana immediately locks onto a human signal, with Corrupted closing in behind it. She identifies the voice before we do and charges into the forest with her companion, Nausicaa. We follow.
By morning, we reach Rosetta at a clearing near a cliff overlooking the sea. A boy named Evan has come through the forest alone to find her, with Corrupted in pursuit. He has a message: Derek is returning to the port. The people there have been gathering weapons. They became agitated when word spread that he was coming back.
Rosetta turns to face us. She says there is no time to spare. She tells the Forest Guards to hold position and stay away from the port entirely. Then she tells Gray Raven to follow her tracks north at our own pace and not to push too hard. She leads the way to New Murmansk.
Coastal Port
[Timestamp: +20m]
After defeating the enemy, a commotion erupts on the dock. A sailor confronts Rosetta in front of the crowd, accusing her of violating the Arctic Route Union's rules by returning to the port. He claims she is protecting the Narwhal at the city's expense, even as the entire port is under threat from the Corrupted.
The boy, Evan, who is leaning against Rosetta's legs, defends her, saying that she always calms Derek, cleans up the Corrupted, and that the Forest Guards have dedicated themselves to protecting the southern forest, even if others fail to recognize their efforts. The port citizens raise their weapons against Rosetta to return to the forest, but she stands there in silence, showing no sign of wavering.
The conversation is abruptly interrupted as a colossal bionic narwhal breaches the surface of the ocean near the port. He thrashes about, his long horn breaking through the water and sending massive waves rocking the berthed vessels.
Rosetta calls for the citizen to stay back and launches her lance from the dock in a long-distance strike at the Ascendant, who is on the Narwhal's back, working to bring him under control. Her entire body radiates heat from the blast, turning the snow beneath her feet to steam. The drawing the Ascendant's attention gives Derek a brief window to dive away.
We recognize the Ascendant from the first encounter with Lucia since City 015. The hair-white Ascendant catches the blast with her bare hand, leaps from the water, and lands on the floating dock. She turns her burning palm toward Rosetta with an eerie smile on her face. Rosetta draws another folded lance from her shield and extends it, ready for combat. She makes her position clear: Derek is her friend.
Their blades clash in a vibrant display of sparks. Rosetta exerts a sudden burst of power into her strikes, pushing the Ascendant back. The fight between them leaves the already devastated port in further disarray.
Rosetta vs the Ascendant
Soon, the surface of the ocean begins to surge again, and the Narwhal's long horn breaks the surface as he reappears before everyone. Countless Corrupted cover the Narwhal as he wails in pain.
The Ascendant sheaths her weapon and proposes a deal. Given her close bond with the Narwhal, Rosetta must have sensed the approaching tide of the Corrupted in advance. Yet, she did not initiate an evacuation. In the Ascendant's view, this indicates that Rosetta has long since abandoned humanity in favor of Derek. She claims they are similar; both have realized the futility of self-sacrifice for humanity. Her terms are clear: if Rosetta helps her eliminate the interference and surrenders the Narwhal, Derek will be left unharmed.
The port citizens do not wait for a response. A harpoon is fired at the Ascendant from the crowd. She catches it. A second attempt is made, but a red current from her fingertips sends the man flying several meters back, triggering corruption symptoms immediately. Liv moves to treat him over his furious resistance. The serum suppresses the infection. Seeing the result, the crowd raises their weapons and holds their ground.
Rosetta turns to the crowd with a direct warning: New Murmansk is about to be flooded by a tidal wave of Corrupted. She urges them to abandon the port and find a new settlement before it arrives. The citizens respond by opening fire on her.
Lucia requests the Dawn frame. Lee confirms it has entered the atmosphere, with landing coordinates adjusted to the Narwhal's proximity. Liv reports that Rosetta's M.I.N.D. is beginning to destabilize; corruption levels are surging rapidly. The Ascendant repeats her deal and hops onto Derek's back. As Lucia moves to intercept, Rosetta steps in and blocks our advance.
The tidal wave of the Corrupted makes landfall. The port descends into open combat. Under the cover of the chaos, Lucia breaks away toward the Dawn frame drop zone. Rosetta ejects from her centaur frame. A pair of luminescent wings unfolds from her back. Her power output is extraordinary, but her corruption has already reached a critical threshold. She moves toward Lucia. Lee takes the strike to hold her back.
The Forest Guards arrive in time. Diana calls to reform the defense line. Liv and I join the Guards in engaging the Corrupted while Lee manages Rosetta. The Guards push through the landing zone at considerable cost. Nausicaa is severely wounded. The port citizens, confronted directly by what the Guards are sacrificing, raise their harpoons and form a perimeter around the fallen.
Rosetta's assault on Lee does not stop until he is on the brink of death, but she briefly comes to her senses and notices the devastation that the Corrupted have inflicted upon the Forest Guards and the residents of the port.
Diana turns to address the citizens directly, standing over the wounded Nausicaa, who is being tended to by Evan: the Forest Guard came, not out of duty, but out of sympathy for all lives. She demands their names be known throughout the Arctic Route Union. No one argues. Rosetta hears it and says it is too late.
Lucia vs The Ascendant
The second duel between Lucia and the Ascendant is underway. With the power of her newly upgraded frame, Lucia pushes the Ascendant back, their swords clashing at high speed. However, the Ascendant's true combat prowess still proves to be a significant challenge for Lucia, despite her enhancements. The Ascendant speaks directly to her, intending to elevate Rosetta to the status of an Ascendant. However, due to Lucia's interference, this process will not be completed. As a result, Rosetta will not ascend and will instead become a mindless puppet of the virus.
Lucia is no longer in any condition to continue. The enemy turns to Derek and charges her fingertips for a final attempt at his horn. The fully corrupted Rosetta rises from the ice behind Lucia, attempting to strike her. But unexpectedly, the Ascendant seizes Lucia and carries her into the freezing ocean, where she restrains her, then returns to the surface. The Narwhal slowly sinks into the ocean, no longer resisting.
The Ascendant vs Corrupted Rosetta
Before leaving, the Ascendant tells Evan she has not damaged Rosetta's core and that survival depends on Rosetta's own strength.
[Timestamp: +15m]
As we reach Rosetta, Liv detects a powerful Inver-Device signal from deep within the ocean. Rosetta's M.I.N.D. begins to stabilize, and her consciousness starts to recover. Lucia climbs back to shore. The crowd is looking past her at the sea. The ARU fleet is on the horizon, with Babylonia transport crafts behind it.
[Timestamp: Recovery Period]
When Lucia regains consciousness, ARU hybrid Constructs are clearing the remaining Corrupted. Bianca is present. Lee's injuries are being assessed. Rosetta has been placed in a Construct bay for transport to Babylonia for a full check-up. Port citizens confirm that the remaining Forest Guards are no longer considered criminals, but request that Rosetta be returned for her trial.
The ARU refitted criminals into Forest Guards and treated them harshly. As the Corrupted threat grew, the port feared the Forest Guards' resentment would eventually turn against them. Rosetta's presence was a persistent reminder of what was done to her, and her bearing made her unapproachable. But the port will no longer harbor prejudice against the Forest Guards.
Bianca addresses the Forest Guards before they can depart. She extends an offer of alliance on behalf of Babylonia against the Corrupted and the Punishing Virus. Diana answers for them: they will consider it, but not right now. Following that, the Forest Guards return to the snowy forest.
Bionic Narwhal
Post-engagement analysis of the body module shows that several of its functions, including aspects of its underlying consciousness architecture, display markers consistent with M.I.N.D. research and demonstrate a level of consciousness akin to that of humans.
Derek is one of the bionic narwhals produced during this period. His designation derives from the Derek Strait, where he was first encountered and subsequently rescued by Rosetta and her grandfather.
According to Rosetta, Derek can detect the Corrupted mass forming beneath the Arctic Ocean. To alert humans to the threat, over the years, the Narwhal has returned to the port and exhibited agitated behaviors, such as thrashing, which serve as visual warnings. However, such actions can damage port infrastructure and jeopardize citizens' safety, as the port is unable to operate.
The Narwhal's vocal output is specifically designed to resonate with the frequency of humanoid-hybrid M.I.N.D.s, acting as an extremely powerful Inver-Device signal that stabilizes and prevents them from succumbing to the Punishing Virus. It is also discovered to be a sleeping command intended to soothe Amberia and keep the aggression of the Bionic Tide in the region at bay. This function had not yet been formally documented or fully understood.
The engagement has produced a measurable shift in relations between the Arctic Route Union, the Forest Guards, and Babylonia. The Forest Guards' intervention has broken a long-standing barrier of distrust between the port population and the Forest Guards. Criminal classification has been formally withdrawn from all Forest Guard ranks; Rosetta's trial remains pending her recovery.
Bianca's alliance offer was deferred, not refused. The simultaneous arrival of the ARU fleet and Babylonia transports represents the first operational convergence between these parties. Sustained cooperation is assessed as viable and not yet confirmed.