Ascalon: The Ones Who Walk With You
< Ascalon
| Operator Record The Ones Who Walk With You |
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| "If you do not know why you keeping walking, then how will you bear the pain of losing the ones you walk with, Ascalon?" Unlock conditions
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Summary In the wake of Theresa's assassination, a group of Sarkaz who no longer walk with Rhodes Island prepare to ambush the landship on a route that it must pass through in order to stop it. However, Ascalon finds them.
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| <Background 1> | |
|---|---|
| Autumn, 1072 | |
| [Footsteps and wind blowing] | |
| <Background black> | |
| [Blades drawn and clashing] | |
| <Background fades out and in> | |
| <Background 1> | |
| [Blade unsheathed] | |
| The assassin leaps out of the shadows, her broken sword almost cleaving a gash across Theresis's chest. He moves aside and draws his own sword, pressing it against the assassin's neck. | |
| Ascalon | ... |
| Theresis | The angle of the sun leaves a shadow that covers the entire street. You've been waiting for this moment the whole time. This maximizes your advantage, conceals your body, and allows you to approach your enemy. However, during such particular times of the day and the night, your enemy will in turn be more sensitive to changes in their surroundings. |
| Ascalon | Alright, got it. I've tried seven times this afternoon, but failed every time. |
| Theresis | Were you stalking some other quarry, you would have succeeded a long time ago. You've cut the straps of my breastplate... with a longsword I broke. We stop here for today. Tomorrow, we continue. |
| Ascalon | ... Yesterday, two drunken mercenaries burst into our workplace and threw a flask of wine filled with active Originium dust on the floor. At the time, Her Highness was bandaging the wounds of two children in the great hall. It was no accident. |
| Theresis | I know, and I have seen to it. |
| Ascalon | There have been more and more incidents like this lately. The Military Commission... Can't you protect Her Highness and Babel? Are you really unable to stop them, or have you been secretly supporting them this whole time? |
| Theresis | There is no need for you to question me on these matters, Ascalon. I know what is best for the Sarkaz. You do not. |
| Ascalon | But, Master... If there really are people acting against Her Highness, will you act against them?! |
| Theresis | I will. |
| Ascalon | Then, if some others backed you and forced you to fight her, would you act against her too? |
| There is only silence. But the both of them hold an answer in their hearts. | |
| Ascalon | This is the last lesson you'll be teaching me, Master. I haven't figured everything out yet... but from tomorrow onwards, I'll be by Her Highness's side, protecting her. Doing what you should have been doing from the start. |
| Ascalon speaks no more, stooping to pick up the broken sword Theresis had knocked aside along with the scattered, cut straps that she considers her prize. She does not look back as she leaves. | |
| [Footsteps] | |
| Theresis | ... You have chosen one to follow, but not the path that she walks. If you do not know why you walk, how will you bear the pain of losing the ones who walk with you, Ascalon? |
| <Background 2> | |
| Autumn, 1094 Northern Region of Kazdel | |
| [Comms buzzing] | |
| Babelite | The bombs have been placed. Now I just need to stay here and keep an eye out... Remedy, Dawnfrost, there're lots of people onboard who are just as familiar with the navigation routes as I am. If they notice anything off, they'll alter Rhodes Island's course at the first opportunity. Just a little bit longer to go. I'll stay here to make sure the explosives go off when Rhodes Island comes this way— |
| ??? | The people you placed on the perimeter are all dead, Table Salt. |
| [Comms buzzing] | |
| Table Salt | Ascalon... Hah, should have figured that you'd find me. |
| [Footsteps] | |
| Ascalon | ... |
| Table Salt | Considering it was you who taught me everything I know about stealth, hiding from you was a lost cause. Speaking of which, I've always been real curious. You'd always sniff us out with perfect accuracy no matter how well we concealed ourselves. How do you do it? Smell? Sound? Don't tell me you can see the breath coming out of our mouths. What, do you see it as some kind of 'smoke'? |
| Ascalon | ... |
| Table Salt | *Sarkaz expletive* It's really that! Well, guess there's no beating you then. Not like I can stop breathing. Since you've found us all out, mind if I start a fire? These desolate mountains get real cold going into autumn! |
| [Something being lit] | |
| The Sarkaz starts a fire. The wind picks up as he pokes at the fire with his sword, and the flames grow. The crackling of burning wood gets louder, resounding far into the distance. Ascalon does not move. | |
| Ascalon | These Originium explosives are rather crude. |
| Table Salt | We got the info we needed a bit later than we expected. Made them in a rush. When we left Kazdel, I never thought that I'd need to first learn stealth and knife skills from you, then all about explosives. Of course, I'd have to handle those rocks I so hate to make them. To tell you the truth, this is a lot harder than turning the salt deposits by wild salt springs into edible table salt. Speaking of, I should have just punched Beanie in the face to shut him up when he kept yelling 'Table Salt!' at me. This codename's too refined for me — like I can't handle myself out in the field. I made that big guy a nice meal while we were in the wilds on a mission out of the kindness of my heart, and in the end I just got teased for it. Who would have thought you'd end up calling me that too. |
| Ascalon | It rolls off the tongue. Based off the size of these explosives, the blast range could cover several kilometers. You would irreversibly pollute this area just to stop Rhodes Island? |
| Table Salt | ... |
| Ascalon | You should not be doing this, nor should it have been you. Your duty was to purge those traitors, Table Salt. |
| Table Salt | We were in that small town stopping those mercs when Her Highness came under attack. We came back as fast as we could... but in the end, all we could do was purge them with you. How many of those Babelites who participated in that assassination were assassinated by us in turn? By you? Ten? A few dozen? Maybe even more than a hundred? I've forgotten. Those who view what you all do with disdain now do not wish to return to Rhodes Island. And as for me... I've become one of them myself. Traitors, you say? Who are the real traitors here, Ascalon? |
| Ascalon | ... |
| Table Salt | You keep in contact with that Feline called Kal'tsit, right? Don't tell me you haven't heard that they won't be returning to Kazdel — that they won't be avenging Her Highness! It has only been three months. Three short months since Her Highness's death, and they are already going to throw the Babel name away... How many Sarkaz are even left aboard the ship? More than a hundred? A few dozen? Ten? I don't care if that ship and the people aboard it never contact us again, but we must take back what rightfully belongs to the Sarkaz, and what rightfully belongs to Kazdel! That little Cautus always by Her Highness's side, the new King of— |
| [Stabbing sound] | |
| Ascalon fades away in front of the Sarkaz mercenary. The moment he tries to react, her sleeve-blade has already pierced deep into his body, his blood soaking into his clothes. A sharp pain wracks his body the next instant. He sinks to his knees, nearly extinguishing the fire. | |
| [Body dropped] | |
| Ascalon | Your target is Amiya. Her Highness had her plans for this. You should not think on it, or even speak of it. |
| Table Salt | *gurgle*—*cough* *cough* *cough* That year *cough* *cough* when we left Kazdel, I was on your side... Only once you were about to disappear over the horizon, did I decide to chase after you all... I didn't even pack my bags... What I wanted and what Her Highness wanted were not so different... We just wanted everyone's days to be a little bit better... *cough* I knew that Her Highness's goal and the path that she walked were more complicated than what I wanted to do... but with her walking ahead of us, we didn't have to think about that stuff. But now... Ascalon, *cough* you were the one closest to her... You shouldn't be stopping us. You definitely shouldn't be stopping us. You should have led us, told us what to do... |
| He has spoken for too long. The Sarkaz violently coughs, blood bubbling up from the depths of his throat. He can't stop himself from leaning forwards, and the sleeve-blade is driven deeper into his chest. But all Ascalon does is crouch down to keep her eyes on him. Perhaps it's because the fire is about to extinguished, or perhaps the forest has gotten too dark, but he feels like there are too many shadows in Ascalon's eyes, obscuring them from his sight. | |
| Table Salt | Or... After she died, you really were like what the others said. *cough* *cough* You're directionless... You're insane... |
| Ascalon | ... Before you die, tell me. How many others know about Amiya? |
| Table Salt | *cough* *cough* It's too late, Ascalon. I'm about to die, and you can't stop us... |
| Ascalon | —! You weren't communicating with the people I killed here. It was another team doing the same thing you were... Were you here just to distract me? |
| Table Salt | You're only one woman. You can't— |
| Blood clots block up his last words in his throat. The Sarkaz sees a mist-like thin curtain emanating from Ascalon's body, and it looks as though she's unable to control it. The mist acts like a living thing, putting out the fire before blending in with the quiet night. Through the sleeve-blade piercing his chest, he feels Ascalon's hand tremble. Her body seems as if it is suddenly undergoing some form of... collapse, and she is unable to stop herself from shaking. | |
| Table Salt | ... |
| Ascalon | ... |
| In the final moments of his life, the Sarkaz sees an expression on the face of the assassin he had known for many years, one that he has never seen before. Pain. | |
| <Background 3> | |
| Kal'tsit | You have finally returned, Ascalon. |
| [Footsteps] | |
| Ascalon | I have. |
| Kal'tsit | Ace and his team have taken a few people to clear the two minefields thirty kilometers from here. Rhodes Island will anchor here for a while. Those two groups... |
| Ascalon | A hundred and thirty-four people. |
| Kal'tsit lowers her head, taking what Ascalon offers her. It is a pile of cloth strips. Armbands all bearing the name of Babel. Some are torn, while some are stained with sticky blood; the original colors cannot be discerned. | |
| Ascalon | I have dealt with all the traitors who took part in the assassination, along with those who should not have known Amiya's new status. |
| Kal'tsit | You are seriously wounded. You must report to Medical later for a full examination. Your Arts are on the brink of harming you. Based on your current emotional state, I suggest you do not continue to draw deeply on them. |
| Ascalon | Alright. |
| Kal'tsit | What do you plan on doing next? |
| Ascalon | You were the one who recalled me. I should be asking you that question. |
| Kal'tsit | Alright. |
| Ascalon | What news of Her Highness's corpse? |
| Kal'tsit | At nearly the same time as the assassination, a Confessarius appeared in the wastes close to Rhodes Island. There is no doubt a relationship between these two events. We will not give up on tracking it down. |
| Ascalon | How will Rhodes Island regard Theresis? |
| Kal'tsit | Rhodes Island is no longer a Sarkaz government-in-exile, nor do we have the capability to openly stand against the Military Commission. From now onwards, Oripathy will be the main issue that Rhodes Island will combat. As for Theresis... He will be a problem for me, you, and the few others in the know to worry about, or at least keep in the back of our minds. |
| Ascalon | What about the Doctor? |
| Kal'tsit | I know you still harbor doubts about the Doctor. Based on what we saw of the aftermath, Theresa really did use her final moments to protect the Doctor with what means she had left. As things are now, I believe the best course of action is to send the Doctor to Ursus. |
| Ascalon | ...Right. |
| Kal'tsit | It seems you have no further questions for now, Ascalon. As for why I recalled you, Rhodes Island needs to establish a secret organization, completely independent from our operations. I call it the 'Special Warrant Extermination and Elimination Protocol', or 'S.W.E.E.P.' for short. I believe you should be in charge of this organization. |
| Ascalon | 'S.W.E.E.P.'? |
| Kal'tsit | S.W.E.E.P. has two jobs: prevent infiltration, assassination, and sabotage attempts against Rhodes Island. Engage in covert operations employing the aforementioned measures to deal with issues. Just like old times. |
| Ascalon | Just like old times... I was unable to protect Her Highness. You wish for me to stay and do what I was unable to do. You wish for me to atone for her death. |
| Kal'tsit | No, Ascalon, this is not atonement. Babel cannot return from the dead, and yet there are countless eyes watching us. This ship is still struggling to steady her keel. We cannot let such recent events transpire once more on Rhodes Island. You were once Theresis's student and Babel's counter-intelligence expert. There is no one more suited to this work than you. That is all. Moreover, you will not be alone. You cannot be alone. I want you to lead S.W.E.E.P.. |
| Ascalon | ... |
| Kal'tsit | You need not answer me right away, Ascalon. Before you give me your response, I have one request: Go and meet with Amiya. |
| <Background fades out and in> | |
| The setting sun burns a bloody red. Their final conversation is buried amidst a raging sandstorm. 'During the time I have spent by her side, Amiya has already gotten used to the changes in her body... and she no longer cries.' 'Go see her, Ascalon. Perhaps you can understand why Theresa chose her in the end. Theresa's path continues onwards.' 'Perhaps, when the time is right, you will feel as though you belong with us again, and your sleeve-blade will exist with an even clearer purpose.' '...' 'Very well.' | |
| <Background fades out and in> | |