11-10: Swords Crossed

11-10 Swords Crossed	Episode 11 Previous 11-9 (Story) Next 11-11 (Story)
Before the flames of war catch alight, tranquility brings its own terror.

Characters

Doctor Amiya Ascalon Feist Shining Siege Allerdale Catherine Clovisia Confessarius Closure Golding Hoederer Lt. Colonel Lettou Manfred Molly Salus Sanguinarch of Vampires Confessarius Guard Sarkaz Warrior Self-Salvation Corps Fighter Victorian Soldier

Backgrounds

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“

On the eve of the storm, there are reunions, and there are partings.

”

<Background 1>
[Several Confessarius Guards stand guard.]
Confessarius Guard	Guard this place. Watch your formation, keep an eye on her movements. You know who it is we're facing. Don't be like those stupid mercs. ...Here she comes.
Shining	......
Confessarius Guard	Watch her hands. She could draw her sword at any–
Shining	......
[The Confessarius Guards keep their eyes on Shining as she approaches them.]
Confessarius Guard	Watch the lights and shadows. Don't try to follow the sword.
Shining	......
The Sarkaz with white horns silently carries her sword in her arms. Wordlessly, she keeps moving forward. The guards instinctively step back.
Confessarius Guard	Hold your ground!
Shining	......
She stops. Under the gaze of the guards, she raises her left hand, and takes out a small piece of paper from within her tattered robe.
Shining	I came as appointed, as he wished. No need to be on guard.
Confessarius Guard	......
Shining	Which way to Riverbank Street?
Confessarius Guard	......
???	Shining! What are you doing standing there? Get out of the way! I told you we had a family meeting today.
Confessarius Guard	Understood.
[The Confessarius Guards stand down and allows Shining to pass.]
???	What took you so long, Shining? I've been waiting!
Shining	...Salus.
[Shining looks at the clock.]
Shining	It's not time yet.
Salus	No, it's not. The leader won't be angry. Come in, dinner's ready. Look at you. Have you not had anything decent to eat since you left Londinium? I've talked to the leader. Tonight's menu is being prepared to Royal Victorian Academy of Sciences banquet standards.
Shining	......
Salus	Oh, Shining, Shining! How long has it been since the old days, when we used to chat at the dinner table? Tell me what you've seen and heard!
<Background 2>
Salus	Leader, Shining's back!
Confessarius	Welcome.
Shining	......
Confessarius	Sit. This is your place. We just came to Londinium then... it was a long time ago. It has been empty ever since you killed those poor souls and fled with the test subject. That betrayal chilled the clan to the bone. But I don't blame you. Sit.
Shining	......
Confessarius	......
Salus	I can't wait. I've hardly had a good meal lately, staying all night in the labs.
She pulls a chair and sits by the right hand side of the white-horned Confessarius leader. He stops speaking and sits with his eyes half-closed. A moment later, Shining puts down her sword and walks toward the only chair that is empty by the long table.
Confessarius	Talk about your experiments, Salus.
Salus	Work at the dinner table? Alright, alright. There isn't much to talk about. I'm doing my best to extract emotions from memories, but the voices of the dead don't linger long on my fingertips. I've gotten some results, but only fragments. I'm running into a bottleneck. The information is like branches cut from their tree. You can reconstruct the shape of the tree, but a tree can't survive without its roots, much less grow new sprouts. And I can't capture voices from further before, never mind bringing them back to the present. Like time, life only goes in one direction. A description of its nature must necessarily be abstract and literary. Even the Originium Arts of you and Shining can only capture an instant.
Confessarius	The King of Sarkaz is the exception.
Salus	That knowledge and the technique are like a waterfall, yet we can never find its source, or draw fresh water from it. My research has stalled since Shining's experiments stopped.
Shining	......
Salus	What about you, Leader? Is the Regent planning something big? You've been spending most of your time at Westhaleg or The Shard; you hardly come to my lab anymore.
Confessarius	The Regent's plan is at a crucial stage.
Salus	I'm not sure I understand. From Kazdel to Kazdel, the Confessarii's service to those in power has always been one of pure mutual gain. But you've been so close to the Regent that people on the outside are beginning to think the Confessarius is the Regent's lieutenant.
Confessarius	Since when have we cared, Salus? This is hardly the first time they've misunderstood the Confessarii.
Salus	What's different about Theresis?
Shining	......
[...]
Confessarius	I would not recommend saying that name within earshot of General Manfred.
Salus	That's why I'm doing it in front of family. Like his predecessor, he came from no royal court, and his bloodline is far less pure than yours or Shining's. None of their ancestors have ever caught the Confessarii's attention. We've never gathered memories from their bloodlines. Even if the King of Sarkaz chose his sister, it does not mean that her brother...
Confessarius	Just as I've told you, Salus. Power comes from blood. Blood inherits memory. Memory accumulates sin. Sin forms shackles. Only those unbound by history can truly unshackle power.
Salus	Alright, alright. May the glory of old return to the land under their majestic guidance.
Confessarius	No, Salus. Succeed or fail, the Regent will make an impact on the Sarkaz. This is what is most frequently ignored.
Salus	By the way, the test subject you took... what's her name again? Lisa? Liz? How's she doing?
Shining	...Liz is doing fine.
Salus	Is Oripathy taking its toll on her? She is... unusual. Even if Dame Kal'tsit is at... at... at that medical institution you found, they may not be able to truly help her. It's good that she's back in Londinium. Your lab's still here with everything. You can bring her back anytime.
Shining	......
[...]
Confessarius	Is the food not to your taste, my dear sister?
Salus	It's been such a long time since you've been home. Speak up. If this is about Liz... I apologize. But you know Liz is not your average Infected. Who's responsible for her suffering and consciousness? Who's responsible for her pain and memories? Can you continue to get along after she remembers all that? She's not family. You have to–
Shining	–She's my family.
Salus	...Oh... But... but she's going to become an empty shell if you don't come back to us. Don't forget why she was built that way. If you really care for her, I hope the end won't be too painful. Come back. I'm sure you understand.
Shining	......
[...]
Confessarius	You understand. That's why you answered my invitation, isn't it? From Originium to the truth of the King of Sarkaz. We've reached a clearer conclusion. She's simply an old cage. We could build a new one, if we had to...
Shining	Enough.
Salus	– Sigh. I've never seen you really angry, even when you hurt your own colleagues and took the girl. I guess I don't need to ask what you went through, all these years. What I can see is that... You see outsiders as more important than family.
Salus empties her cup, which contained only water. There was no wine. She does not like drinking, especially at work. Her shadow sways under the light. This was not supposed to be a work day.
Shining	You're not my family. Haven't I made that clear enough?
Confessarius	You have.
<Background 2>
Shining does not look at the untouched food, or the other two Confessarii by her side. She simply stands up, holding her sword in her arms.
Shining	I've asked the men watching Liz to leave. There's no need to send me any more invitations. The next time we meet... I expect it'll be in battle.
Salus	"Asked them to leave." Shining... you really think you're going to just leave like this?
Shining	There's nothing left for us to talk about.
Salus	What if I said I don't want you to leave?
Shining	You can't stop me.
Salus	I think I can make you stay and chat for a little longer. No?
Shining	......
The leader of the Confessarii silently sips his wine. Shining can feel Salus activate her Arts. She could leave by pulling her sword, but what would happen then? Will that really help her save Liz?
Confessarius	Shining.
[Salus channeled her Arts to attack Shining, but the Confessarii leader stops her.]
Salus	Leader! I wasn't really about to use force against Shining. Why did you stop me?
Confessarius	I've allowed you to act on your own. I've allowed you to be absent from my side. But do not interfere with the Regent's plans. Do not hinder the Sarkaz path to our long-awaited future.
Shining	......
Confessarius	Shining, my sister. No one can truly break free from her bloodline, no matter how much she might detest it, how much she might desire to break those shackles. It is meaningless to try to deny the gift of blood.
Shining	...I thought you already knew. Not everything will go according to your plan... Father.
<Background 3>
[Lt. Col. Lettou greets the Sanguinarch.]
Lt. Colonel Lettou	...Your Highness.
Sanguinarch of Vampires	My, my, Lettou. Why such a frown on your face? Is the wine not good enough for you? Or is the flavor of the food too light? Good wine should be paired with the futile resistance of the weak against fate, and the arrogance of heroes who drown in prophecy. Even I am amazed at how they write their own stories for their own entertainment. Unfortunately, our Victorian friends are too reliant on fiction. We've seen better stuff, have we not, Lettou?
Lt. Colonel Lettou	I just saw you feed a nobleman's wife and children to your troops. I support the vetting of potential insurgents, but... Er... Ugh––!
His voice dies in his throat. It is as though all the blood in his body has been forced to his esophagus. He falls to his knees and opens his mouth in desperation, but cannot find any air. A blood mist comes over his vision. He sees the Vampire still sitting in his place, elegant and calm, not even bothering to look at him.
[Several Victorian soldiers show up to help Lt. Col. Lettou.]
Victorian Soldier	Lt. Colonel! Form up! Protect the commander!
Sanguinarch of Vampires	You'll fight me here?
Victorian Soldier	......
Sanguinarch of Vampires	That's not what the taste of your blood tells me. Fear... worry. They're screaming for you to back off, to run away.
Victorian Soldier	......
Victorian Soldier	...Hold the line!
The lips of the soldiers are as pale as their faces. They hold their weapons with trembling hands–sabers, bows, what Victoria has made for them. They are the finest soldiers, unafraid of the Streltsy of Ursus, the Arts of Leithanien, or the broadside guns of Columbia. But they are afraid of the Sarkaz sitting before them.
Lt. Colonel Lettou	Put down your weapons... Stand... stand down...
Victorian Soldier	Lt. Colonel...
Lt. Colonel Lettou	This is an order...
Victorian Soldier	Yes... sir.
The soldiers back off in an orderly manner. It took all of Lettou's strength to give the order. He stops resisting and accepts the eternal darkness that the Sarkaz has prepared for him. Then, he hears the silky voice again.
Sanguinarch of Vampires	Lettou, Lettou. I thought we were friends. Friends should trust each other, shouldn't they I think I've been kind, overlooking those little extra-curricular activities of you and your men. Deals under the table, black markets in the alleys... I've turned a blind eye to them because I don't think greed and desire should be punished. But I expect the same trust in return. Many Gaulish nobles keep fowlbeasts as pets, building jeweled cages for the adorable things, lying them down on soft and delicate cushions. All the fowlbeasts need to do is squawk, and they'll be served the finest food. When the fowlbeasts are in a bad mood and peck their masters, their masters eagerly tell people of the intelligence and personality of their fowlbeasts. But do you think the fowlbeasts have tamed their masters?
Air returns to Lettou's lungs. It takes him some time to stand again, his limbs still trembling, but he does his best to keep that trembling out of his voice.
Lt. Colonel Lettou	Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness.
<Background 4>
[Manfred observes the Kazdelian Sarkaz soldiers move through the avenue...]
Manfred	......
Sarkaz Warrior	March! March! Stay in line!
[...as Hoederer joins him.]
Hoederer	I heard you were looking for me.
Manfred	How are your injuries?
Hoederer	Same as ever. Won't interfere with the mission.
Manfred	Good. I just got a message. Here.
Hoederer	Let me see. Lost contact with the mercs sent to Highbury?
Manfred	They should have been in communication an hour ago.
Hoederer	......
Manfred	The Military Commission is dissatisfied with the recent performance of the mercenaries. Soldiers must pay attention to a greater battlefield. The Regent and I had... high hopes... for the mercenaries.
Hoederer	I'll find out what happened to them.
Manfred	No need. I've made arrangements. There's a possibility that they ran into an old acquaintance of yours. Who could be as concerned about the Sarkaz supply lines as we ourselves? Let me guess, Dr. {nickname} and Ascalon... Are they investigating the Highbury munitions factories, or are they already preparing to attack other hubs with information about the supply lines?
Hoederer	......
Manfred	Tend to your injuries, mercenary.
[More Sarkaz warriors march in.]
Manfred	You don't need any more "wounds" before I find your old friends, one by one.
<Background 5>
[Closure greets the Doctor.]
Closure	Doctor! You're here! Did you get the intel from the factory?
Doctor	Some potential depots. / Half of the puzzle.
Closure	Not bad. I was thinking what I would have to do to extract you and Feist if something went wrong.
Doctor	We had Ascalon. / ...... / We've got Ascalon to thank.
Ascalon	......
Doctor	One more thing, Ascalon. / Can I ask you another favor, Ascalon?
Ascalon	......
Doctor	Can you reach W? / W is in Highbury, right?
Ascalon	She operates on her own devices.
Doctor	That young Sarkaz mercenary... / The Sarkaz mercenary who wouldn't hurt the worker... She may need help.
Ascalon	...W will know.
Doctor	Closure, did you see... / Is it the appointed time?
???	Doctor!
You turn around at the voice. You see a familiar sight coming towards you.
[Amiya runs toward the Doctor.]
Amiya	We're here.
Doctor	Amiya. Long time no see. / Good work.
Amiya	Yes... same here... When you suggested that we split up a few days ago, I knew it was the right call, but... At least we came back together alright. I'm so happy about that.
Doctor	What about your work, Closure? / Closure is key to tomorrow's operation.
Closure	Don't worry, I'm pretty well-prepared over here. I don't know if the defenses share the same weaknesses across Londinium, but there must be common characteristics to the framework. I've updated the drone's intrusion program based on intel from Misery and Horn, as well as the data taken from the artillery control room. Get the drone close to the core of the Defense Force's command tower, and I can break into the system and access traffic records from the past ten days within thirty minutes.
Doctor	Can you do it in twenty? / The quicker, the better.
Amiya	Yeah... tomorrow will be a hard day. We've been probing the responses of the Sarkaz army within Londinium in the last few days. We expect Manfred and the Vampire to show up quickly. Ascalon, Logos and I will do our best to delay them. However...
Doctor	The longer it takes, the more dangerous it is. / We can't give Theresis time to react.
Ascalon	The Sarkaz of the Royal Court could appear at any time.
Amiya	Yes, Doctor. Dr. Kal'tsit is helping us delay the Nachzehrer and Lich, but there's only so much time she can buy.
Doctor	We can't handle multiple members of the Royal Court at once. / It could be very disadvantageous for us. Watch the signal and be ready to pull out at a moment's notice.
Amiya	Understood. Rhodes Island and the Self-Salvation Corps are ready.
<Background 6>
[Siege tells Allerdale,]
Siege	Allerdale, the mercenaries are looking for you.
Allerdale	...... Sorry, I was distracted. What did you say?
Siege	No, I'm the one who should apologize. Maybe we could have saved Ailshie together, if I wasn't so anxious to leave. I know she's important to you.
Allerdale	She's my only family. House Cumberland is no more. One woman does not make a family, eh? Maybe it was something that should have happened a long time ago, delayed until today.
Siege	Don't say that, Allerdale. That Vampire will be made to pay, I promise.
Allerdale	The steam armor was lost in the fire. Maybe that's for the better. That way, I won't have to see it anymore. ...Vina. Can you take me to the Glasgow Gang? I can pretend nothing ever happened. I carry nothing on my shoulders. I'll just be your brain trust. Sorry... I forgot you had Morgan. I'll just be a thug then. We'll bomb the Sarkaz camp together. You light a fire, and I'll kick their commander's arse once there's smoke.
Siege	......
Allerdale	I'm joking.
Siege	I know.
Allerdale	My path is long determined, Vina.
Siege	Why do you say that? You're still with us. The Glasgow Gang has more stories to write.
Allerdale	So...
Siege	The answer is yes. I'll make sure you come back unharmed after kicking that commander's arse. That's my promise.
Allerdale	I see... thanks. Let's leave the jokes at that. I would begin to believe them if this went on. Alright, I've got to go. Totter and the mercenaries are waiting for me. We need to double-check our route. Get ready, Vina. The Sighs of Kings is before us.
[Someone interrupts Allerdale and Siege...]
???	Would you have said yes, if she truly invited you to leave?
Siege	Clovisia?
[...as she reveals herself to be Clovisia.]
Clovisia	The walls of Londinium are tall. Few are able to escape their shadow. But you did. You escaped the palace, and escaped Londinium. Perhaps Allerdale envies you because of that. She has forced herself to carry the Cumberland name for twenty years. But you're different. You thought about leaving your name behind, didn't you?
Siege	...I can't deny that. But I'm here now, regardless of what I thought. Victoria is on the brink right now, and I must fight for her.
Clovisia	...Victoria. Kings, nobles, merchants, soldiers, workers... People often use the word "Victoria" to justify their actions, but it has done nothing to quell the endless conflict over the centuries. Who defines what Victoria is? Is it the sixty nomadic cities and the land around them, the forty million people that live within, or the monarch who rules them? Your Royal Highness Alexandrina Vina Victoria. Why have you come back, when you say you came back for Victoria?
<Background 4>
[Golding stood on the streets.]
Golding	The noble mansions have been burned to the ground. Wonder how many survivors there are... The Sarkaz are planning something big, and the Defense Forces aren't trying to hide it anymore. ...... This street may never be the same again.
Golding knows that the visit from the commander means her identity is no longer a secret. She wanders the streets aimlessly, filled with a deep feeling of helplessness. Perhaps it was always futile for humans to fight the tide. Adams's bookstore is open, but the familiar warm, yellow light is absent. Golding has a bad feeling. The bookstore is empty, but the smell of blood fills every corner, so thick it might as well have taken physical form. Golding realizes that the ground is sticky. Not just the ground. The counter, the cashier, the books on the shelves, and the teapot that Adams always has by his side. Everything has been painted a shade of light red. Blood.
Golding	–
The nausea that has been bothering Golding for days explodes uncontrollably. She runs out onto the streets and begins to vomit.
<Background fades out and in>
???	Are you okay?
Golding	Ugh–*cough* ...Molly.
Molly	You don't look well. Here, take my shoulder. We still have time, Lady Golding. Your part is not over yet. You said that education was your strength, didn't you?
Golding	My strength...
Molly	Let's go back. We've persevered for so long. We'll see this to the end.
<Background 7>
Feist	I'm counting on you.
Self-Salvation Corps Fighter	Don't worry, we'll get our new friends to the base safely.
Catherine	You're not coming with us?
Feist	I have another mission. Your grandson is a pretty big deal in the Corps, after all.
Catherine	Real big deals don't usually boast about it.
[Feist gives his badge to Catherine.]
Feist	Oh, and I have to return this, Granny.
Catherine	Your badge.
Feist	I'm not a worker anymore. I shouldn't be wearing this outside.
Catherine	......
Feist	Being smart isn't enough to fool death. Those who are gone will never come back, and the wounds left behind do not necessarily fade with time. But I don't want to spend night after night in regret, staring at machines with no one to use them. Because... I will go into each and every night. I will carry the torch left behind by those who are gone and keep walking. Until the cold is driven out, and the path ahead is no longer dark. And even then, I'll keep walking. Not for some ethereal hope, not because I'm still waiting for someone to make a stand for us. You said it, that we built Londinium with our own hands. Even if the city is reduced to rubble tomorrow, we'll start rebuilding it the day after.
Feist says all that in one breath. His words are met with silence, but he finds that the silence no longer makes him anxious. A thought comes mind as he gazes upon his grandmother, standing by the production line. When did her hair turn so white?
Catherine	Huff... Go, if your mind's made up.
Feist	Let me see. Bye, Granny.
[Feist walks away.]
Catherine	...... Feist!
Feist glimpses a small card flying towards him from the corner of his eye. It is the badge that he just returned. He smiles.
Feist	I'll be back, Granny. With victory. I know you'll be proud of me, so there's no need to say it. What I really want you to know is... I'll be proud of this factory, no matter where I go in the future. And... you too. Also, I've thought about the question you asked. The things that disappointed you so much, the betrayal, the suspicions, people who just can't work together... I know we'll have to face them again. But if knowing that means we have to abandon our trust in others... then we won't survive this war. We have to face it sooner or later, win or lose.
Catherine	......
Feist	One more thing. I've never seen inside the suit of a Steam Knight, but I'll always remember the silhouette hammering away by the production line. You've always been my hero, and you always will be. Hehe... Bye, for real, before this gets too awkward.
<Background 7>
Bang. Clang. Bang. The production line keeps running, as though nothing has ever changed.
...Brat.
Feist hears a familiar sigh from deep inside the factory. He waves without looking back, and walks into the sunlight outside.