Operation story: AS-9

Operation

Story

Previous AS-8	Next AS-ST-3
Characters
Pepe Lazvar Anat Narantuya Zubayr Ajani Ajazi Medjehtiqedti Aspasia
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5 6

Before operation

Summary Zubayr brings Pepe to the trove and explains his reasons for guarding it. Though Pepe understands, she must fight him to protect the city. Meanwhile, Narantuya and Aspasia argue over who should undertake the most dangerous part of the plan.
<Background 1>
[Footsteps]
Zubayr	Welcome, Pepe.
Pepe	Is this the Shah's treasure trove? It looks so much like the museum...
Zubayr	Your instincts are correct. Parts of the city felt familiar, even before my memories returned. I believe its architects may have been inspired by the mausoleum.
Pepe	What lies here, Zubayr?
[Flames crackling]
The oil lamps on the wall light up, illuminating the hall with rays that meander through the mirror-smooth walls and pillars. Countless ghostly shadows appear in an orderly procession in the hall.
Pepe	So the treasure in the Shah's trove was... himself? Was he a narcissist?
Zubayr	Of course not. My sister missed Father after he was gone, and she had me preserve his visage here. A thousand years ago, historians preserved the words and deeds of my father using ancient technology they discovered, allowing him to appear, in a way.
Pepe	I found something similar in Arsalan. It showed me an image of the Shah in a crystal cave.
Zubayr	I left it as such. I thought a descendant of Nightzmora would find it and follow the trail.
Pepe	You hid it too well, Zubayr. No one else could have found it.
Zubayr	I hid it? I built a massive temple on top of it.
Pepe	I guess it didn't stand the test of time. All I found were some ruins.
Zubayr	But it guided you here, where you awakened me. That is the wonder of time. What seemed trivial at the time could, by fate and coincidence, cause the puzzle piece to fall perfectly into place.
Pepe	There are even images of the Shah without his mask... Arsalan wasn't the only site I've seen images like these. When I was little, while playing hide-and-seek, my brother and I stumbled upon a chamber where the dead lay in their sarcophagi. I knew I would have to come into contact with these things eventually, but it was too much for a child of my age. In my panic, I accidentally activated a mechanism and an image of the Shah appeared. At the time, I didn't know who he was—just some ghost trying to communicate with me. He told me those sarcophagi were history buried in the sand. When those from the future dig them up, they will serve as a bridge across the vastness of time, bringing history and the present together over the great river of time.
Zubayr	I remember the saying... it's what Father said to comfort my sister when our mother passed away. I remember what he said to my sister, after she became Historian. You must not...
Pepe	You must not let escape what made those heroes heroes so—each history has its reverse face.
Zubayr	So you've heard it.
Pepe	It was the last thing the image said. I've never forgotten.
[Pepe turns around.]
Looking upon the image of Lugalszargus, Pepe cannot help but feel a sense of absurdity. She had spent so much time wondering what the Shah's treasure trove held. Now, though, she realizes she has been chasing shadow after shadow. She holds her hammer tight, fighting back the urge to swing it and drive away the visages. But what she fears more is the notion that perhaps her family's duty and legacy are nothing more than shadows too.
<Background 2>
[Hurried footsteps]
Ajani	Medjehtiqedti Hanim, I've contacted all your staff in the directory.
Medjehtiqedti	Anyone else crazy enough to come?
Ajani	I'm not sure. A lot of the answers are very vague...
Medjehtiqedti	Thank you. Get a few more bottles of water for Anat, please.
Ajani	At once, Medjehtiqedti Hanim.
[Ajani runs off.]
[Anat approaches]
Medjehtiqedti	Brave souls like Izaja and Inaja are hard to come by. We only have a couple of hours, Anat. The best thing we could ask of them is to make a run for it outside the city.
Anat	Sorry, Titi, but I'm busy comparing the city survey records and I don't have time to think about that. But you know why I stayed. The same reason as you.
Medjehtiqedti	...Duty. What about the two tourists, though? They have nothing to do with Zubayr's reanimation. They don't even have much to do with the city. But now we're asking them to go into the sewers, do the most dangerous investigation, and try to block the sand from surging in.
Anat	Which is why I must do my best, so that their courage isn't wasted.
Medjehtiqedti	...I'll rub your ears.
Anat	Thank you, Titi. I needed that.
Medjehtiqedti	Look, this construction logbook mentions unusual geological structures.
Anat	I'll mark them down. Say, Titi... I never managed to publish my research on Zubayr, and no one will ever know about our explorations of the subterranean structure of the city... Will Father be disappointed that I died without leaving my "name" behind?
Medjehtiqedti	Blame Pepe. Our dear Princess was just too good at her job—
[Footsteps approach]
Medjehtiqedti	—Lazvar Effendi?
Anat	I apologize, esteemed Overseer, but the museum is not in a position to offer hospitality during this emergency...
Lazvar	Please, no need for formalities. I'm no longer the Overseer; just a humble craftsman, free again at last.
Anat	The museum cannot guarantee your safety at this time. We must advise you to leave the city center as soon as possible, by any means possible...
Lazvar	After I handed everything over, I stood before the flowing sands with Zubayr Effendi for a while.
Anat	You saw him?!
Lazvar	I saw him attempt to repair one clay statue after another using Arts, but eventually he stopped and said to me, "Such is our duty." I understand. Duty is what we uphold to the very end, without ever asking why. To whatever end. What can I do to save the city?
<Background 3>
Narantuya	Alright, it's time to show my leadership skills. Soon you'll realize that you should've listened to me and stayed in the museum to protect the others—
[Footsteps]
Aspasia	We'll end up where we started if we turn left here.
Narantuya	...What the heck is going on? This hasn't happened before, in all my time in these sewers. Let me just say that I've never gotten lost when leading my crew. This isn't an indicator of my incompetence.
Aspasia	I didn't say it was. Perhaps these winding passages were designed to confuse your sense of direction. I overheard part of the conversation as the museum curators were perusing the survey records. They believe these old sewers are just a small part of the city's underground structures, and they might be able to deduce a path to the deeper levels through historical records. They had been assisting an archaeologist, trying to find clues that may lead to the site known as the "treasure trove" in ancient documents. If the former site of another massive building really is hidden beneath this city...
Narantuya	A treasure trove?
Aspasia	...Forget I said anything. You don't seem afraid.
Narantuya	Afraid of what? Isn't our job just to find the sand leak and close the gate to that section? If the gate's broken, we'll just seal it with the boards that we're carrying.
Aspasia	There is a good chance we won't find it.
Narantuya	Well... that would be a shame, since the city is getting buried in the sand, if we fail. But we'll be the first to see the sand rushing up from deep down, and we may have time to call the museum and warn them to run. We'll be dead for sure, of course. Wait... is this why you insisted on coming to the sewers? Because it's dangerous, and you need to be at the front of it?
[Comms buzzing]
Anat	Narantuya, Aspasia, do you hear me?
Narantuya	Yeah, we're together.
Anat	We found a clue. Listen carefully and you should find Lazvar's clockwork fowlbeasts... They're machines that resemble blue fowlbeasts. We've estimated a few possible locations for the deep-level structures. If you can create an opening in the wall, the clockwork fowlbeasts can fly down and gather information. With enough information, we should be able to find exactly where the sand is rushing in. But there is one caveat... The clockwork fowlbeasts are unable to perform heavier tasks like toggling switches and plugging gaps... you will have to go into danger.
<Background 1>
Zubayr	You must have seen it in the memories that I showed you. The circlet you're wearing is the same as my sister's.
Pepe	It was passed down through the family. I wondered why my family was so obsessed with recording the Shahanshah's history. Father had no answer; he simply said it was our inherent duty. But now I see the answer is so simple: it is out of a daughter's longing for her father.
Zubayr	My sister always believed that he would return, someday. She never saw that day. And I never got the chance to say goodbye to her. All I had left for company after my sister's death was my father's shadows.
Pepe	...
Zubayr	Leave your obsession with the City of Gold behind, Pepe. I know how to seal consciousness into a gem, and how to build a body that never decays. You will have life eternal to experience, to discover, to record...
Pepe	I'm sorry, Zubayr... I can't replace your sister and keep you company. I have a younger brother myself. He's the Historian of Shar-Agade.
Zubayr	A shame. It is hardly an honor. They know too much that cannot be put to paper. My foolish brother wanted the historians to document history to his liking, and so he forced my sister to send one of her twin sons into the palace.
Pepe	A thousand years later, coercion has become honor. The Sovereign of Beasts said all historians will have their tongues cut out. Is that true?
Zubayr	I do not know the ways of the current Shahanshah, but it is a proven way to keep a secret.
Pepe	I need to go to the City of Gold and find him, no matter what.
Zubayr	... I knew it. Then leave, Pepe.
Pepe	No... Not yet. I can't leave this city to its fate. I can't allow the constructs to continue wreaking havoc in the city. Spare the city. As you said, the most precious treasures have not been defiled.
Zubayr	I cannot stop, Pepe, even if I wanted to. In our lives, we go through many choices, big and small. One links to another, carving out unique circuits for all of us amidst infinite branching paths. My oaths to Father and Sister have been etched as circuits, preserved for all eternity upon these gems. I can never defy them. Never.
Pepe	Then tell me how to stop the constructs, Zubayr.
Zubayr	I have already told you the answer. The rest is up to you, Pepe. Catch me if you can, like the invading armies so many centuries ago.
<Background 3>
[Water dripping]
Aspasia	There's something I've been meaning to tell you, since talking to Ajazi and Ajani the other day.
[Pickaxe swinging]
Narantuya	Man, this is a hard rock. I hope we have enough time... what did they say?
A blue clockwork fowlbeast circles overhead, urging them to dig through the stone bricks before them. Aspasia is glad that everything is going smoothly. She has only one more task before embarking on the path, if it indeed exists.
Aspasia	I learned why you thirst for wealth. You feel like you owe your past crew.
Narantuya	Oh. When did they start? The night when we fled for our lives? Or the time when I gave away all the treasure?
Aspasia	After you left. I heard many stories from Ajazi and Ajani—how they struggled to use saws properly while logging, often breaking them with brute force. How they tried their hand at bookkeeping but messed up the records. How someone slaughtered their last burdenbeast with a knife, then sold the knife to buy a pot to treat everyone to a feast. ...Word about his cooking spread, and he opened a food stall at the market. Customers flock to his stall till this very day. How someone wrote a novel based on their time as a desert bandit and became published in the local paper. The latest chapters feature your gang traveling back in time to fight for the Shah's throne. Most of your old crew have a house and don't need to migrate with the seasons. If they fix their roofs in time, they won't even leak during monsoon season. I'd say they're all doing rather well.
Narantuya	...Of course I know that.
Aspasia	I respect you, but I don't think you owe them anything. Just as you don't have to save an entire city just to save Ajazi and Ajani. You should get out, go back to see them... then put down your burden, your "duty", and start moving forward again.
Narantuya	...
Aspasia is interrupted by the rumbling of a sliding boulder. The pair seems to have stumbled upon one of the mechanisms of the ancient maze; the etched brick retreats into the walls of the canal, and they hear the sound of falling a few seconds later. The entire wall begins to collapse, but as Anat said, what lies beyond is not sand. Pitch-black darkness indicates that they are staring at the interior of a massive structure. There is no path in front of them. The sound of quicksand is clearly audible from deeper in, as though there is a raging river deep in the abyss. A river from which there is no return.
[Metallic ding]
The pair throw down their pickaxes and draw their weapons at exactly the same time. Kicking up a cloud of dust, they face off less than ten paces apart.
Narantuya	What are you doing?
Aspasia	Stopping you from jumping down.
Narantuya	Wasn't I the one who had to stop you just now? Been wanting to say this, if you came to die, I can't let you go any further. I thought you would be better than those two stooges, but it turns out you need me to save you, too.
Aspasia	...I told you, you don't have to carry this burden.
Narantuya	You've got it wrong. I just want to go down and see for myself. Besides, no one can do it better than me. That's all. I want a mountain of gold, even if I didn't care about letting my crew live a better life. I'm just greedy, plain and simple. "In our lives, we go through many choices, big and small." You call it duty. I prefer to call it my choice. This is who I am.
<Background 3>
Narantuya	Right then. You're a trained fighter who won't walk into a knife. Well, things are about to get real this time. Don't get mad.
Aspasia	I have nothing but sincere gratitude towards you, Narantuya. I need not fear a duel with you. I didn't dare believe my heart, because I had made an oath to my family... about blood and violence, about war being the most just form of violation. But you've shown me how resolved the heart can be. Perhaps there is something to be said about the convictions of the Sargonians. My choices make me who I am. From this day—
[Narantuya tries dashing past her.]
Aspasia	—Hey, wait for me to finish!
[Knife clashing]
Her vision goes black. A black blade fan sweeps past her eyes. She blinks just once, but the only light source has already gone out. She knows that Narantuya has two black knives. They are equipped with special mechanisms and cannot be unsheathed directly. Yet in that instant, all she recalls is the Kuranta Elders known as the Nightzmora—renowned for their relentless marching day and night, devouring the sun at high noon. She charges at where her counterpart should be, relying on her memory—
[Slash!]
—And comes up empty.
[Sand falling]
Narantuya	A little sleight of sand[sic], a simple mirage of Originium Arts. Who said anything about winning the fight? All I need to do is jump first.
Embraced by darkness and illusion, Narantuya takes a step back.
[Aspasia runs towards her.]
Aspasia	Wait, Narantuya! This is not a fair duel!
Narantuya	Another silver medal for you.
<Background 1>
[Hammer smashes into pillar]
Pepe	Are you serious, Zubayr? You're instructing me to attack you, and moving like the wind at the same time.
Zubayr	Give up, Pepe. I told you, it's futile. You can never touch me, no matter how hard you swing that hammer of yours.
Pepe	Hmph, I'll show you!
[Hammer smashes into pillar]
Zubayr	Are you trying to break the support beams to limit my movements? Again, it's futile.
The broken columns and floor are quickly repaired by sand, leaving no trace of damage. Pepe goes through illusion after illusion, seeking Zubayr. Whenever she catches a glimpse, however, he soon disappears behind more illusions and is once again nowhere to be seen.
[Footsteps]
Zubayr	Focus, Pepe.
Pepe	Did you know, Zubayr? Before I turned fourteen, the doctors said I was a frail girl who would never lift a heavy hammer like this.
Zubayr	Quite the difference, the way you're swinging it, despite your diminutive figure.
Pepe	I trained under Sargon's top strongman so that I could penetrate the deserts and jungles, and discover long-lost ancient ruins. By the age of seventeen, I could cross the vast desert on my own, and fight off a dozen bandits at the same time.
Zubayr	That alone is not enough, Pepe.
[Hammer smashes into pillar]
Pepe	I'm not trying to prove myself to you. I'm just telling you, there has never been anything I couldn't do, if I put my mind to it. No matter how hard, how out of reach... as long as I mean it... I can do it!
[Her hammer misses Zubayr again, destroying another pillar and causing the chamber to shake.]
Zubayr	You hold this impression because you have only lived twenty-two years. I had cut down countless foes with my sword when I fought under my father's banner. Their screams filled me with confidence. I believed that there was nothing I couldn't acquire, nothing I couldn't do, given enough time. Little did I know, that my greatest enemy... was time itself!
<Background flashes and fades out>
A golden flash, and Pepe feels an intense pain from her ankle before she could turn around. The staff is much heavier than expected.
<Background fades in>
Zubayr	You must be faster, Pepe. It is etched upon my gem circuit that everyone who violates my father's tomb must die. Your attacks have begun to anger it. It is urging me to put an end to it all.
Pepe	You should not have played this game with me, Zubayr.
Zubayr	This is not a game, Pepe.
Pepe	No, it is...
<Background fades out>
Zubayr	You closed your eyes?
Nothing but darkness. Pepe knows that her eyes aren't fast enough and will only hold her back. She could never catch her agile brother when playing hide-and-seek in the garden. He was like a slippery fin. Until one day, she closed her eyes, and realized she could hear every footstep her brother made on the stone tiles.
[Footsteps]
"I'm ready, sis! Come look for me!" He's right behind me... "Why aren't you coming?" If I turn around quick enough... "Why did you close your eyes? Are you admitting defeat?" I can catch him. Mustering all her might, Pepe turns and swings her hammer. Sure enough, she hears the sound of shattering.

After operation

Summary Pepe destroys Zubayr's gem and stops the constructs' rampage. The treasure of Narantuya's dreams sinks into the crack beneath the city.
<Background 1>
[Sand falling]
Pepe opens her eyes and sees Zubayr's sistrum, inches away from breaking her neck in half. Meanwhile, her hammer is pressed against Zubayr's chest, leaving a long crack in the gem on his chest.
[Zubayr's sitrum clangs to the ground.]
Zubayr	Congratulations, Pepe... You did it. I could never beat my big sister when we played hide-and-seek. Some things never change, even after so many centuries.
[Pepe inches closer.]
Pepe	The gem on your chest...
Zubayr	This time... I think it's beyond repair.
Pepe	What will happen to you if it's completely shattered?
Zubayr	Eternal peace.
Pepe	You'll die.
Zubayr	Yes... I will. As your ancestor, may I ask a favor of you, Pepe?
Pepe	What favor?
Zubayr	Can you take me into that gem?
Pepe	It's hollow? I thought it was just decorative.
Zubayr	No, there is something there that belongs to me, and me alone. Thanks to them, I could say that all the years I spent guarding this place were not entirely for the sake of others. Some of those days belonged to me.
[Pepe puts down her hammer.]
Pepe	I'll help you up...
[Zubayr's ornaments jingle as Pepe lifts him.]
Zubayr	Careful, Pepe, this vessel is heavy. But I'll be free of it soon. Yes, stand beneath it.
[Clunky footsteps]
Pepe helps Zubayr into the middle of the hall, underneath the massive gem. Light and shadows dance, as the massive gem draws all the illumination in the room towards its base, converging at its tip. Though it should be blinding, Pepe feels like she is being wrapped in warm, gentle currents.
<Background flashes>
I see it, young Nightzmora. This is your own dream. Go forward.
<Background 1>
[Water dripping]
Narantuya	...Huh? This feels familiar... as if the beckbeast is stepping on my head again. —Hmm?
[Narantuya stands up]
Narantuya	Hey, Anat, where am I? Aspasia, do you hear me? ...Should have known. The comm's broken.
She sits up underneath a black beckbeast statue. The sound of water flowing echoes through the empty hall. A massive crystal hangs from the dome, and its light reveals numerous images of people, like reflections in water.
Narantuya	Isn't that the shadow I was chasing by the river the other night? Are these shadows what the people of the city see, year after year?
One of the figures stops before her. Narantuya seems to recognize the red hair, and the haughty demeanor of the figure looking down at her. The figure turns around and walks through a closed door at the end of the hall.
Narantuya	Your hair's pretty red, but I had to see your back to guess that you may be someone I knew. After all, the Nightzmora I know all run hard on their paths, never stopping to turn around. What do they say? 'May those who need them find them as its waters rise.' You're the shadows that only appear when the river rises, aren't you? Well, I need to find the leak right now. I'll count on you this once.
[Quick footsteps]
The floor trembles, and the sound of falling water grows louder. Narantuya steps through the flooded hall, running towards the armored figure.
Narantuya	This is—
On the other side of the door is neither another maze passage nor flowing sand. Through a crack in the door, she could see treasures piled up like a mountain, glowing with a radiance that a thousand years could not dull. But she does not even have time to exclaim.
[Rocks falling]
A massive fissure appears on the floor and the entire underground structure of the city trembles violently. The hiss of rapidly flowing sand is louder than ever. Beneath the city and right under her feet, a colossal vortex of quicksand forms.
<Background fades out>
Narantuya	...Come on, that's the "leak" I'm supposed to plug?
<Background 4>
Pepe	... I never thought the insides of this large gem would be anything like this.
Zubayr	Do you see the platform in the middle? It may be hard to see, but it's there in the center.
Pepe	It's dazzling, but I should be able to feel my way... Ouch!
[Pepe trips]
<Background fades out and in>
Pepe	No chance I was going to see that step...
Zubayr	Be careful... there are three more.
Pepe	I found the platform. There is a gem on it. What do I do next?
Zubayr	Could you take the gem from the platform and put it inside me?
[Walls trembling]
Pepe	Water is seeping in...
Zubayr	The structural integrity of the trove has been compromised by quicksand. River water is gushing in.
Pepe	That means this place will soon be submerged.
Zubayr	The river will wash away all... place the gem in my chest.
Pepe	What does the last gem represent?
Zubayr	Emotions. It is my emotions. The centuries of solitude proved too hard to endure, and I had to part ways with most of my emotions.
Pepe	Your gem is broken. Putting this in won't help.
Zubayr	I know. I just want to depart from this realm as a human.
Pepe	You have always been human.
Zubayr	Ah... Thank you... About the City of Gold... there was something that I wanted to tell you...
Pepe	Go on...
[Walls crack and tremble]
Zubayr	...Never mind.
Pepe	Huh? Zubayr...
Zubayr	Let go, Pepe. You must let me go.
As the water rises above Zubayr's face, the broken gem in his chest is shattered and washed away by the surging current. His chest grows empty, but his eyes are filled with contentment. He closes his eyes and sinks into the water with a smile on his face. Pepe holds him by his shoulder, feeling him grow lighter. She realizes that it is not the water that's making him lighter. Golden liquid flows through the gaps in her fingers. It is Zubayr's body, melting away in the water. She instinctively tries to grab Zubayr, but what is left of his shoulder dissipates at the force. Before long, Pepe alone remains in the water, watching as the golden current flows into the distance, carrying white lotus flowers.
Pepe	May you guide his soul to rest, Horakhet.
Water pours down. Narantuya remembers trying to catch an entire rain with the bottles in her pack when she was little. Later, she learned that rain and drought are simply part of the cycle of life. Her tribe migrates with the weather atop their burdenbeasts; they cannot, and need not, carry so much water in their bags. Another tremor sends the structure beneath her feet close to collapsing. Beyond the sturdy door of the trove, gold coins clatter against each other, their alluring clinks echoing the sound of her dreams.
<Background 5>
Narantuya	Wish I could tell those two kitties in the museum that a hole big enough to sink a city isn't going to be plugged by a few planks.
Narantuya remembers how she dreamed about it. If she truly owned a mountain of gold—real gold, not the gilded iron ingots that the lords ameer smelt, or the empty checks they write—the first thing she would do is dance on top of it. That way, all the treasure will be captivated by her, and never leave her again.
Narantuya	Well then, let's dance.
[Footsteps]
Narantuya backs off a little bit and lifts a black beckbeast statue. Then, she charges at the seemingly indestructible door.
Narantuya	Open up—!
[Stone grinding]
Narantuya	—?
<Background fades out>
Slowly, the door opens to her shout, and she glimpses a corner of the mountain of gold through the gap. The mountain of gold begins to collapse as the structure tilts further and further. Treasures beyond reckoning spill out, further widening the fissure as they crash onto the floor.
Water crashing down from above mixes with gold and sand, distorting the walls under its pressure and turning the massive treasure pile into a glittering waterfall. The Nightzmora nimbly throws her knife and grabs onto the rope attached. Like an elegant dancer, she swings through the air, watching as the mountain of gold cascades into the shimmering deluge. She throws her head back and laughs.
Narantuya	It's not quite how I envisioned it... but I knew I wasn't delusional! I really made it to the City of Radiance and struck gold! Honestly, how many in all of Sargon's history have enough gold to make it rain like a waterfall? I'll remember this sea of gold. Just as I'll remember that what I desire, I shall have. I'll amass more gold, then I'll make it rain once more. When that day comes, the deserts of Sargon will remember my name! This—is my choice!
[Ground trembles and collapses]
The glittering begins to dim as the gold falls through the fissure and into the vortex. The roiling sands begin to calm. The sunken treasure has filled the fissure, staunching the quicksand.
Narantuya	*Sargon swearing* Wait a minute. One less piece of treasure or two wouldn't have made a difference, right? Why didn't I at least take one home?
[Water splashes]
Goodbye, Zubayr. ...Huh, so the trove collapsed when its guardian died. Makes sense. So where am I? And how am I supposed to swim myself out when you've gone with the water?
Pepe	... (No...)
Water presses at her chest, rising above her eyes, still gently whirling, dragging her ever deeper.
<Background fades out>
She feels everything grow dark around her. Then, someone grabs her hand.
[Water burbling]
Pepe	(Thank...)
???	Guess luck is on my side after all! One last piece of treasure to take home!
<Background 6>
Anat	H-Has it stopped?
Ajazi	Yes, Curator Anat. Sand isn't coming out of the taps anymore.
Ajani	Neither is water.
Anat	Maybe it's just clogged? Maybe things—
Medjehtiqedti	Don't worry. The jewel constructs have stopped moving. No sign of energy from the Originium circuits... it may never wake up again.
Anat	You were carrying that little pet of yours?
Medjehtiqedti	I trust Pepe.
Anat	Well, we've done what we could...
Aspasia	The chaos in the city has indeed stopped, but we can't be sure if it's over for good.
Anat	Yes. We are still anxious.
Aspasia	...
Anat	...We all owe your friend a great debt of gratitude. I promise that I will honor her deeds and Pepe's in my report, that their names will be known throughout the City of Radiance, and immortalized in the history books for posterity...
???	I don't mind being known throughout the city, but I'd rather not be immortalized in the history books until I'm actually dead.
Aspasia	Narantuya?!
[Footsteps approach]
Narantuya	Hey, give me a hand with this girl here.
Anat	...Pepe?
Narantuya	She probably would've been done for if I hadn't come across her while swimming out. I kept swimming up and ended up here.
[Pepe wakes up.]
Pepe	...
Anat	You look awful...
Pepe	Where's Zubayr...?
Pepe turns her gaze to the pool next to her. May you guide his soul to rest, Horakhet. Let time flow for him again. Let us all move forward once more.
Pepe	Hey! I almost drowned. Of course my face and lips are going to be a little blue. Never mind that. Let me see my accomplishments! The sand's gone from the city, right? And the water's clean now?
Anat	R-Right now?
[Pepe runs off.]
[Water splashing]
[Fountain drizzling]
Pepe	How did you get your face so dirty when you've been inside the museum all this time? Come, let's wash away that dirt!
Anat	N-No! Not getting wet from the rain is the main reason why I don't do field work!
Narantuya	Looks like I saved quite a few lives today. But I guess none of these kitties are competent enough to be my subordinate.
Lazvar	What does a competent subordinate look like in the mind of that Kuranta?
Aspasia	Well...
Ajani	See, I told you Narantuya would be fine! She wouldn't have just left us here.
Ajazi	Sit down, Ajani. The fountain's shaky and it'll fall over if we both stand up at the same time. It's my turn to stand up now.
Aspasia	...Perhaps someone who fears nothing, like herself.
Pepe	You too, Titi! It's such a fine and sunny day, isn't it?