Operation story: JT8-1

Operation

Guide

Story

Previous M8-8	Next JT8-2
Characters
Ch'en Talulah Infected Fighter Ursus Farmer Child Old Man Sentinel
Backgrounds
1 2 3

Before operation

“

Cruelty and ruthlessness become the normal. People fear not judgment in the name of morality. There is no distinction between right and wrong, good and evil.

”

<Background 1>
Infected Fighter	Here we are. ...You don't need to bother yourself with this, Talulah. The tractor's been missing for months. They were probably stopped by the Patrol Unit. There's not much we can do about it.
Talulah	Even if all we can do is find their bodies, we'll at least be giving their families some closure.
Infected Fighter	If the intel recon gave us is correct, this should be the area where they'd gone missing. ...... Talulah, snap out of it! Everything they said is just a load of horseshit.
Talulah	I'm fine.
Infected Fighter	They're just a bunch of heartless bastards... Don't let it get to you! None of them had the willpower to keep going, to leave the tundra! They fought so many battles with you, and they thought you a coward?! You're the most fearless soldier among us! Talulah, trust me. All of us follow you by will! Captain Buldrokkas'tee used to be an Ursus soldier, but we all know he's the most steadfast man we have! All of us trust him!
Talulah	Not necessarily. He's strong. Way too strong. Stubborn, too. The people who didn't trust him were just afraid to speak up. It only takes a brief moment for trust to completely crumble. If all the people who followed Patriot died one day, would the ones who come after them be as steadfast as them? Rumors can destroy us. Before there are rumors, those who are innocent are innocent, and those who are skeptical of others are also innocent. But no one is innocent once rumors begin to spread.
Infected Fighter	But what does your upbringing has to do with anything?! You've done so much for all of us!
Talulah	It's fine. Calm down. Besides, I haven't really done all that much for them.
Infected Fighter	Come on, don't say that. Are you sure you want to go by yourself? Faust has been tagging along with those crossbow guys lately, and he's really getting the hang of it. If the guerrillas aren't around, you could bring them with...
Talulah	Protecting the Infected traveling with us is our top priority. We aren't fighting this war just to fight a war. Our goal is to help our fellow men survive. Don't put the cart before the horse. Protecting them is our top priority. Know this by heart, and make sure everyone else does as well.
Infected Fighter	Well... godspeed.
Talulah	Don't worry. It's just negotiating with the locals. Everything will be fine.
<Background 2>
At a nearby village.
Talulah	...... Before, I probably would've just run inside and started asking questions right away. I wonder when did I become like this. Hiding and sneaking around... It was just being suspicious and cautious at first, but this is practically antagonizing everyone now. I'm not even sure if it is unexpected things that I'm worried about or a repeat of those tragedies. What a rundown place. Looks like they didn't have much of a harvest this year. Everyone looks so tired.
<Background fades out and in>
[Talulah checks the village's entrance.]
Talulah	Weird. It should've been a while since the last time this village resettled, but there's a lot of tractor marks around the village's entrance. There are scraps at the assembly workshop... but I don't think they're from the village's old tractors. The authentication box is gone. If the vehicle belonged to the village, there's no reason to take that out... It's getting dark. I should take a look at the junkyard.
<Background fades out and in>
[Talulah searches the junkyard for any sign of the missing Infected, but to no avail.]
Talulah	This is weird. There's your household garbage, but there isn't much else. No equipment for processing spent Originium here? If it's not in the junkyard, then where? It's winter, so there should be wheat straws and warming grass husks everywhere. Did they run into food problems? ...No... that's not right. They burned them. I need to check out their granary.
Talulah	What's this? What... What happened here? There's Originium residue all over the place... and the ground is dug up all over the place.
Talulah	Claw marks... on the granary's door— Ahh—!
<Background 2>
???	Who's there?!
Talulah turns around. She finds an Ursus farmer standing there with his guard up. The farmer notices how Talulah is dressed and sets his shovel down.
Ursus Farmer	Geez... what's the matter with you, coming inside the village without saying a word?
Talulah	......
Ursus Farmer	Haven't ever seen you before... Are you from the Gendarmerie? You aren't here for the rent, are you? We already paid our Originium tax. Hell, the taxman took our food too while he was at it. There isn't much more we can pony up.
Talulah	I'm here since I'm investigating the Infected.
Ursus Farmer	Oh, Infected? We don't have any here.
Talulah	Has any Infected passed by?
Ursus Farmer	No.
Talulah	We received a message. I know there's been Infected here. If you know what's good for you, spill it.
Ursus Farmer	Urgh, can't fool you, eh. Those scumbags. They said no one knew they were passing through here.
Talulah	...... So they were here.
Ursus Farmer	Damn right they did. They had those scary weapons on them. Scared the life out of us! We didn't have the guts to go against them, and we didn't try to. After that, they even took all of our food, those bastards! Please, you have to get these Infected... these criminals for us!
Talulah	That's not right. That's not right... No! How dare you say that? How dare you say that... How dare you say that!
Ursus Farmer	Huh? What's the matter with you, ma'am?
Talulah	You heard their cries! You heard them crying out for help... You heard them clawing at the door with their fingers!
Ursus Farmer	W-What are you... ma'am... You right in the head? Hey, over here! Any of you seen her before? Where is she from? Right, I haven't ever heard an accent like that before! ...Yeah, that's right! She doesn't have a mask on... If she was here to investigate the Infected, she'd be all decked out in protective equipment! Who are you?!
Talulah	......
Ursus Farmer	Answer me!
Talulah	Infected.
Ursus Farmer	Huh?
Talulah	Just like the people you murdered, I'm an Infected.
Ursus Farmer	...... We've done nothing wrong.
Talulah	You locked them in here. You let them die here.
Ursus Farmer	What are we supposed to do? We don't even have any food left for ourselves!
Talulah	You could've chased them away or just never allowed them in... You could've just attacked them or outright killed them, and I wouldn't be here complaining to you right now. But you tricked them. You lured them into your empty storehouse, locked the doors, and starved them. They were so hungry, they couldn't even use their Arts... They were here only to panhandle. They weren't here to attack you. They didn't even have the strength to fight back. They were just normal people.
Ursus Farmer	Normal? Those Infected? Don't make me laugh! Who are you to reason with me, you Infected scumbag? You're just a freak!
Talulah	You kept the storehouse locked until the Originium crystals stabilized. Then you disposed their bodies with the dried up Originium... They had families, they had friends, they had places they wanted to be... There's not even anything left of them. Infected often die and leave no traces left of their existence behind. That happens way too often, but now there isn't even a way for us to find out where their ashes have gone.
Ursus Farmer	What are we supposed to do? It's not like we've got much to feed ourselves! Life's not easy for us either!
Talulah	Then why did you lie to them?
Ursus Farmer	...... What are you talking about? How could we have known what was going to happen to them? And what were we supposed to do?
Talulah	That's just an excuse. You saw them starving... You knew they had no weapons to fend themselves with. You did this because it was... convenient. From the beginning, you never... No, actually... Ha. Even if they weren't Infected, you would've done the same thing.
Ursus Farmer	...... (Time to get rid of her. Get the sentries!)
Talulah	——
<Background fades out>
You will come to see. These great lands you threw yourself to do not want you.
No. No.
<Background fades in>
Talulah	——
Ursus Farmer	Then what do you want? Look, it's all in the past. We'll even apologize. We can pretend you've never been here, just like those other folks were never here... All you have to do is walk away.
Talulah	Who do you even think they were?
Ursus Farmer	Huh? Whatever you are, that's what they were.
Talulah	You thought them weak, and in that case, that makes me a weakling who knows not how to fight back.
Ursus Farmer	...Ugh... Just get out of here already. We don't want no trouble here!
Talulah	They were here, begging at your feet, and what did you do?
<Background fades out>
[Talulah briefly flashes to the moment when she kills Kashchey.]
You will see your thoughts, your actions, become nonexistent.
No.
<Background fades in>
Talulah	You're despicable. There will be no peace in this world while people like you still walk it. The Infected patrols haven't been to your village in three years. The noble family that controlled the settlements here died long ago during the Great Rebellion. Everything teetered on the edge of chaos, and your village has been left untended for years. And yet... you killed all those people even though you had nothing to gain from their deaths. If you had even a tiny bit of kindness in you... you would've let them go. The whole village heard their cries, but none of you did anything until they died, one after another. If you still had any decency in you, you wouldn't have done anything this wretched. I hate you.
<Background black>
[Talulah flashes to that moment again.]
You will see them spurn all you revered, your life, your dignity and philosophy void of all significance.
[Talulah flashes to that moment yet again.]
No!!

During operation

[Talulah, consumed by rage after finding out that the villagers have massacred the missing Infected, approaches them who are gathering nearby.]
[As the villagers noticed Talulah's arrival and approaches her, the Draco immolates one of them with her Arts, prompting the villagers to run away in fear as Talulah goes after them, the ground behind her burns as she walks.]
[The immolated villager burns to death as the rest find themselves cornered, unable to find a way out.]
[Once Talulah have the villagers in her sights as they desperately begs for the Draco's mercy, she executes them with a fiery, Arts-infused swing from her sword.]
[As everything around her burns, Talulah realized that she just crossed the line which she shouldn't have...]

After operation

“

When one cannot restrain one's hate, when evil rages out of control, the self-proclaimed heroes of justice must face a harrowing truth. She melts into the shadow she has always carried, and the truth consumes her will.

”

Ursus Farmer	...Aaaaaaaaghhh!!! Fire! Fire! It burns!!! Help!!!!!
Child	Dad!!
Sentinel	What's going on?! Quick! Get out of here!
Old Man	My son! My son! You... Infected lowlife!! Ahhh!! The fire! It's too strong! *Cough* *cough*... *cough*... You wretch!!! If I die here... Curse you!!! Curse you!!! My Emperor, I beseech you, lay down your divine punishment on these wretched Infected!!
Talulah	...... Ah... ah...
There is no turning back anymore. Besides Talulah, no one else knows of the events that transpired here. And everything that occurred after that is as good as public knowledge.
<Background black>
But should you recognize me, should you have understood me, should you realize just the sort of world you're stood in... Ursus's future will from then on be in your hands.
<Background 3>
Amiya opens her eyes. Though her tears are welling up in her eyes, she has already seen it all.
Talulah	—— What's a Cautus doing here?
Ch'en	Amiya!! Watch out!!