Lone Ranger

Lone Ranger

A Light Spark in Darkness Previous We will all Go Together Next Something's Gotta Give

Characters
Grani Quercus Susie Bean the Infected Guards' Captain Imposing Black-Suit Infected Citizen Little "Witch" Minnie Loud-Mouthed Man Sly Black-Suit Barman Fire Brigade Member
Backgrounds
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“

Despite her colleagues' opposition, Mounted Officer Grani investigates the arson at the pub. As the suspects flee, they inadvertently set off an explosion.

”

<Background 1>
November 19th, 1097, 7:44 A.M.
Grani	And you don't remember when someone first opened it up?
Bean the Infected	Has to have been two months ago, at least. But we always sealed this part off with planks. A few naughty kids pulled them off to climb in a while back, so it might just be the same story this time.
Grani	Have you seen anyone go in or out?
Bean the Infected	No, it's dark as night down here. Why would anyone?
Grani	Alright... got it. *Sigh* This still isn't making sense... and it's so suspicious. I've already found six abandoned structures up till now where the entryway's started being used again. Plenty of witnesses are testifying about dragging sounds from the underground channels at evening, too. The atmosphere around the Infected community just doesn't sit right. It feels like someone's fiddling about. Not one person's got a reason to be using these entrances again... (Claps face) Forget it, enough of that for now. Both the littlest things and the big stuff the town's survival hinges on are just as important, yep! Let's see what else there is... Oh, yeah... the burglary case at Count Bishmer's. Where do I start investigating that? *Sigh*... Who would it be? Slipping past a noble house's strict defenses and stealing something isn't your standard thief's fare. According to the Count's servants, the burglar pops in and out all over the Infected neighborhood. So, they're either extra familiar with the terrain there, or have special Originium Arts. —Of course, that's assuming the servants aren't lying to avoid responsibility. ...Hmm, I don't think they would though. I've heard a lot of similar reports the last two weeks. All signs say there really is some thief on the run in Caladon City. A very strange thief, special Originium Arts... Whatever, let's drop by the Infected community and see.
<Background 2>
Infected Citizen	Grani, finally found you!
Grani	Mrs. Sunny? Calm down, calm down, what's the matter?
Infected Citizen	My little Pom's run away! I've been looking for two hours already, help me find him! He usually listens so well, he's never run off before, what if someone bad finds him...
Grani	No worries, Missus, I'll help you look right away!
Infected Citizen	Thank you, thank you!
Grani	Did anything happen right before Pom ran away? Have you asked anyone nearby? ...Ah, don't rush, Missus, take it slow...
<Background fades out and in>
An hour later.
Grani	Over here, Mrs. Sunny, I've found Pom!
Infected Citizen	Oh...! Let me take a look. Phew, that's a relief... he's still alright. I'm so sorry to trouble you, Grani, I know you're so busy with work, and here I am making you search for a pet of all things.
Grani	Don't worry about it. If Pom really did vanish, you'd be torn to pieces! I wouldn't call that nothing!
Infected Citizen	But, I heard John next door saying you aren't getting along too well with the Guards, and they even got on your case a few days ago for something or other...
Grani	Hahaha... it was nothing. But if you're going to raise a fowlbeast, Mrs. Sunny, I'd recommend keeping him in a cage... Things would get hairy if he bit anyone.
Infected Citizen	Oh, you've got a point.
Grani	Speaking of, Missus, have you seen any strangers about the Infected community lately?
Infected Citizen	Strangers? Plenty of the people here come from other cities—strangers aren't the strangest thing.
Grani	I mean the sort that... um... might have uncanny Originium Arts, that sort of Infected?
Infected Citizen	Well... You know how the power went out in the neighborhood last month.
Grani	Oh! Yep, the case of some bad actor wrecking the community's generators, right? But we've never found the culprit... I did hear the supply got restored in no time, though. Did someone fix all the generators up?
Infected Citizen	Right! I heard they got this incredible engineering Caster in, and in a few hours, they already had the generators repaired! Question is, when did the community ever have an engineer so great?
Grani	Right... something's definitely odd about that...
<Background 3>
November 20th, 1097, 6:44 P.M.
Grani	Here's my work report for today. If you could give it a look over, guv'nor.
[The captain of the guards read Grani's report...]
Guards' Captain	Hm. Two robberies, an inquiry report on rumors in Caladon... You must be pulling my leg.
[...and slams the table in anger.]
Guards' Captain	What about the burglary at Count Bishmer's?! How long do you think it's been? Get on it!
Grani	Um—isn't that one only a day old...?
Guards' Captain	Is a day not enough?!
Grani	But...
Guards' Captain	I broke my back getting you as a temporary transfer. The Mounted Police were singing your praises as an investigator. And for what? A day's worth of time isn't enough for you? For one tiny case of property theft?!
Grani	(Under her breath) It was the City Council who borrowed me from the Mounted Police...
Guards' Captain	Enough! You don't know respect, you talk back to your senior! Is this how the Mounted Police behave?!
Grani	I'm sorry, guv'nor!
Guards' Captain	"Investigated entranceways of abandoned structures. Turned out to be as suspicious as thought, inquired with surrounding residents..." What the hell is this?! Weren't you told you could leave this be? Caladon City gets strange business day in, day out, and wherever else the bloody day feels like! If every one of the Guards was as suspicious as you, we'd all be dead from the stress!
Grani	But, guv'nor, if we let this all lie, then there's a real chance...
Guards' Captain	Stop with the rubbish, get out and investigate!
Grani	Yes, guv'nor!
<Background 4>
November 22nd, 1097, 10:20 A.M.
Grani	*Pant*... Li'l~ Susie~ Let me give your ears a good rubbie-rub!
Susie	Hahaha! What's the matter, Officer Grani?
Quercus	Something at work, I imagine.
Grani	*Sigh*... Nothing much, just some hiccups lately with my job.
Quercus	Go on, what exactly's happening?
Grani	It's not that big, to be honest... You've all heard the recent rumors in the city, I'm guessing.
Susie	Ah, you mean those urban legends in the paper?
Quercus	Same as ever, I assume. "Sounds can be heard from the city underground," "criminals have infiltrated the Infected community," and so on.
Grani	Right... I was wanting to investigate those. I wrote up a dedicated report over the past few days. But the Guards don't care about any of it! They want me to keep my nose out of things!
Susie	Eh? Do the Mounted Police investigate urban legends, too?
Grani	Come on, that's the wrong idea, Susie! My work experience taught me that when these rumors crop up in a city, usually they come from the criminal activity that hides behind it. Like the "sounds from underground" one. Did you know? There's massive runs of logistics channels lying abandoned under Caladon.
Quercus	Right. In the earlier years, back when the nomadic sectors were being planned, they drafted plenty of channels through the structural layers. But following the city's development, a lot of the old plates' underground ways were too taxing to maintain, so they relinquished them all.
Grani	Yep. For example, plenty of them run under the Infected community. Do you get it now? If those rumors are true, then that means there are people doing something at evening in those empty logistics channels, out of sight.
Susie	Er... this is a bit scary, isn't it?
Grani	It's too bad I still don't have any direct proof.
Quercus	I think you can worry yourself a little less about it. It's meant to be the Guards' job, after all. If something does happen later, they're the layabouts. You've got nothing to fear.
Grani	Well, if you put it that way... *Sigh* It's patrol hours right now, so I guess I'm a layabout myself, sitting here...
Susie	Hahaha... we won't tell anyone.
Grani	Li'l~ Susie~ Let me give your ears a good rubbie-rub!
Susie	Go ahead, but careful of the static, okay?
<Background 5>
November 24th, 1097, 6:15 P.M. In front of the shambles of the "Green Spark" stands a thunderstruck Officer Grani. Before her eyes was that shop full of human warmth—now, with its roof collapsed, walls crumbled, and nothing left but charred black wreckage. She stares blankly at the ruins in front of her, not daring to believe her eyes.
Grani	...But why? Wh... why? Why would...?
[A firefighter walks to Grani.]
Fire Brigade Member	Oh, Miss Grani, you're here now?
Grani	Wh-What happened here? Why is this place...?
Fire Brigade Member	Too much for me to swallow, too. It could only be out of revenge, setting a place like this alight.
Grani	Setting?! Someone set this place on fire?! What about the owner here? Where's that Feline girl? Have you seen her?
Fire Brigade Member	No, we haven't, but no one was in there last night when the fire went up. We're lucky no one's burnt, or worse.
Grani	Who the hell did this?!
Anger. She clenches her fists tight. The pub she visits practically every week, the adorable owner lady, the diverting guests... A moment of rare respite in this city, now turned to charred rubble. The anger flooding Grani's mind is hard to keep in check—rarely is she ever this enraged. She's reached the point of wanting to bring justice to the culprit herself, no matter who it is.
Fire Brigade Member	Hey! No going in! We still haven't cleaned up the debris yet!
Grani	That's fine, I'm looking over the scene of the crime. I might find something in this.
Fire Brigade Member	Don't bother, officer. The Guards came over this morning. They looked all around, called it an accident, and left just like that.
Grani	An accident? But didn't you just say...?
Fire Brigade Member	That's just my opinion as a firefighter. We see a lot of things wherever we're called, and this we've seen.
Grani	What's this... a scrap of explosive?
Fire Brigade Member	Yeah, but the Guards had us keep out of this, so I didn't say much. And nobody cares, really... about the Infected community. It's all less said, the better.
Grani	Can you pass this evidence on to me?
Fire Brigade Member	Sure, it was burning my hand, anyway. Didn't think I should hold it... and you're with the Guards, at any rate.
Grani	Let me see... Wait, hold on... these are shards from a military-grade incendiary! I've seen this sort back in Mounted Police training. Is it just me, or... are these shards familiar?
<Background 6>
November 26th, 1097, 7:15 A.M.
Grani	So we meet again, Mr. Maud?
Loud-Mouthed Man	Th... The Mount?!
Grani	Did they just let you go? I thought they'd keep you in custody for longer than this.
Loud-Mouthed Man	Don't take me in again, officer, I'm begging you! All I am's a handyman! I haven't bothered about with those Infected in recent, I swear!
Grani	Are you sure? Do you still remember that incendiary we confiscated from your loot, a few days ago when I arrested you?
Loud-Mouthed Man	......
Grani	You said you'd only bought one for "self-defense". But military-grade bomb shells have a very obvious unique design. They're not hard to identify even when shattered. Can you guess where I found this little piece? If you're lying, it's another trip with me back to the Guards.
Loud-Mouthed Man	No! I'll tell you! Anything you want! I bought a case, I confess it! I bought a case! But I sold it all on to other people! The Danton brothers! I sold it to the Danton brothers!
Grani	The Danton brothers? Who are they?
Loud-Mouthed Man	Those two Siracusan immigrants! The two mafia henchmen! Go ask the people at the Boil! They know 'em!
Grani	Then do you know why they'd want to burn down an Infected community pub?
Loud-Mouthed Man	I don't know! I swear, no idea! I didn't hear a thing about the pub! I got the firebombs from the—the black market at the Boil, too! I swear, that's the honest truth! But the merchant there said, he's got ways of getting goods done directly at the factory...
Grani	(Factories in Caladon... I think there's only Count Bishmer's manufacturing military supplies...) Do you know where the Danton brothers are?
Loud-Mouthed Man	I... I'm not 100%, I just know they always hang around in the Boil...
Grani	The Boil, huh...
<Background 3>
November 27th, 1097, 6:15 P.M.
Guards' Captain	How many times have I had to tell you? Have you caught the burglar?! Have you finished your patrols?! Only you Mounted Police sideshow jugglers would obsess over the tiniest meaningless business.
Grani	You call this meaningless business?
Guards' Captain	Is it not?! Is a single Infected community pub burning down worth you spending three days to investigate? A short-circuit in the mains, offended a gang, a lightning strike! I can think of a hundred other reasons still. Once you finally discover there was no culprit at all, who takes responsibility for all the cases this has held up? You?
Grani	...... So what about this evidence? These military incendiaries were made at Councilor Bishmer's factory, and were meant as supplies for the Victorian Army! But they circulated into the black market! Doesn't this warrant investigating that factory?!
Guards' Captain	That's Count Bishmer's estate! You're saying you'll sweep a Member of the Council's factory? You've got some brass!
Grani	Military incendiaries! The underground black market! The evidence is all in front of you! Why are you still playing the idiot here? Don't tell me, you get a piece of these black market deals too?
Guards' Captain	You...! Do you know what you're saying? You dare tell me this to my face?!
Grani	Who do you think you're fooling? Count Bishmer's your own relative, isn't he?
Guards' Captain	You... you!
Grani	How did someone like you get into the position of Captain of the Guards? You don't have a care in you for Infected community cases, and you turn a blind eye when gangs from the Boil cause disaster. And now you're not going to look into something this massive? Then what IS your job? You've abandoned your duties! Is there still anyone in the Caladon Guards qualified to enforce the law?
Guards' Captain	So you're going to mutiny?
Grani	I'm a Mounted Police Officer on temporary transfer here by the City Council! Right now, I'm the one in charge of the Mounted Police of Caladon City—you and I are of the same rank! You should have no authority to order me!
Guards' Captain	Fine, then! I just knew you bumpkin lot would... You wait. You just wait until the Duke's back from Londinium. I'll report to him in full detail just the kind of attitude you "Mounted Police" bring to your work!
Grani	Suit yourself! Goodbye!
[Grani leaves.]
Guards' Captain	Lowly circus spectacles, damned backwater blood... You wait until the Duke's back! You'll get your damn dues!
<Background 7>
November 28th, 1097, 7:15 P.M. White House Pub, The Boil, Caladon
Imposing Black-Suit	What are they doin'? That sets us back a whole day!
Sly Black-Suit	You think it's some kinda slip-up at the factory?
Imposing Black-Suit	Then what do we do now?
Sly Black-Suit	We hold on a little longer... If we still don't get news by this evening, we dip out, pronto.
[Grani enters the bar.]
Barman	Is there anything I can do for you?
Grani	Evening, I'm looking for two people they call "the Danton Brothers" and I've heard some say they see them come by this pub sometimes...
Imposing Black-Suit	Shit! What got the Guards in here?
Sly Black-Suit	Don't panic! We're in the Boil, what's she gonna try?
Grani	Ha! Found you!
Imposing Black-Suit	So, what does, ah... a fine Mounted Police Officer want with a pair of law-abiding brothers?
Grani	I'll need you to come with me to the Guards about a case of arson in the Infected neighborhood, early morning on the 24th. I have a few questions I'd like to ask.
Sly Black-Suit	And if we politely decline?
Grani	Please, comply with law enforcement's work, Mr. Danton.
Barman	Easy there, Mount! This is the Boil you're in. Your word isn't law here. Get out. You're not welcome at my bar.
In an instant, the atmosphere in the pub begins to strain. A few bruisers with vicious looks rise from their seats. They pull out weapons, eyeing the pint-sized officer with malice.
Sly Black-Suit	Hahaha, this is Caladon's Boil, signora. You fancy coppers don't fit in here. Go on back to helping the Infected scrub their chamber pots. That sounds about right for you.
Grani	*Sigh*. (Nine people... I've got plenty to write once the report comes...)
<Background 5>
November 28th, 1097, 7:50 P.M. Streets of Caladon
[The two men in black, who are brothers, ran away through the streets.]
Sly Black-Suit	Motor it! Quick, she's right behind us!
Imposing Black-Suit	My hand's broken!
Sly Black-Suit	Suck it up and keep runnin'! This Mount's crazy!
Imposing Black-Suit	We can't beat that shit! Are they all like her?!
Sly Black-Suit	Save it! Go for the Infected ghetto, the layout's all screwy there, we still got a chance!
<Background 8>
Imposing Black-Suit	Did we shake her?
Sly Black-Suit	Shut up, keep it down! She didn't see us. We hide here, we're gold.
Imposing Black-Suit	Son of a bitch, something's wrong with this Mount. How the hell did she even find us?
Sly Black-Suit	You save your breath.
Little "Witch" Minnie	Who are... you?
Sly Black-Suit	Huh?!
Imposing Black-Suit	Where'd the brat come from?!
Little "Witch" Minnie	This is Miss Witch's house. What are you doing in here?
Sly Black-Suit	Shut her up! The Mount's right outside!
Imposing Black-Suit	Stupid little punk, I oughta...
Little "Witch" Minnie	I get it! You're bad people!
The immature witch extends her right hand, and a purple thunderbolt leaps from it.
<Background 5>
[Grani stops after pursuing the brothers.]
Grani	(Shoot, where'd they run?) Hello... can I ask if you've seen—
Just as the Kuranta officer starts talking to a nearby resident, two men dressed in black fly out from the window of a building not far away, hitting a wall with two heavy thuds.
Sly Black-Suit	Hot-hot-hot! Little shit!
Imposing Black-Suit	Cavolo, stupid Infected, I'm gonna get her...
Grani	Great! So this is where you two holed up.
Sly Black-Suit	Shit! Cheese it!
Imposing Black-Suit	Where the hell to?!
Sly Black-Suit	The abandoned section! There's a safehouse there!
<Background 9>
November 28th, 1097, 8:59 P.M. Disused border sector of Caladon The two black-suits huff and gasp as they run through the deserted streets. And the pint-sized Kuranta officer is hot on their tails.
Sly Black-Suit	I think we lost her.
Imposing Black-Suit	My ass we lost her! You think you can lose a Kuranta officer in the city? Keep running!
<Background fades out and in>
[The brothers keep running.]
Sly Black-Suit	How much farther?
Imposing Black-Suit	Almost there! Right up front.
<Background 6>
Sly Black-Suit	Made it. In here.
Imposing Black-Suit	Our contact was here? This safehouse is shot to hell!
Sly Black-Suit	Save it. They said they'd ready up any clothes and fake IDs for skipping town, put 'em here. There's a hidden passage through the old logistics channels. We'll find a way to slip out.
<Background 9>
Grani	Hiding in a building, huh. Not planning to give up? Don't test my patience, alright? We're on the edge of the city. You can't fall back any further now. And let me remind you two, hiding in that building to ambush me isn't going to do anything for you, okay? Keep resisting, and you'll only keep piling on the charges against you. Put down the crossbows and bombs, and surrender this instant.
<Background 6>
Sly Black-Suit	What the hell, where is everybody? The lights are dead?!
Imposing Black-Suit	This room's a goddamned mess! What's all that piled on the ground? I can't even tell.
[One of the brothers bumped into an object.]
Sly Black-Suit	You just knocked something over! What the hell's that smell?!
Imposing Black-Suit	It's too dark! I can't see anything!
Sly Black-Suit	Why'd they pile up all this crap? They tryin' to pull something?
Imposing Black-Suit	This stinks to high heaven! Where's our contact?!
Sly Black-Suit	I don't like this! This building ain't right!
<Background 9>
Grani	If you still won't come out, I'll have to break in by force. About time you witnessed a Mounted Officer's true strength.
The pint-sized officer reverse grips her pike and lowers her body. She lifts it over her head, Originium Arts coalescing at its tip, the pike wholly bathed in a dark red luster in the black of the night.
Grani	I haven't used this maneuver in a long, long time. Don't blame me if anyone gets hurt, alright?
<Background 6>
Imposing Black-Suit	Do something! She's gonna break down the door!
Sly Black-Suit	Don't panic! Calm down! Flashlight! You got it or not?
Imposing Black-Suit	What kind of mook carries a goddamned flashlight around?
Sly Black-Suit	The firebombs! You had one left, right?
Imposing Black-Suit	You gonna burn the place down?
Sly Black-Suit	Dumbass! You throw the bomb in there first, we escape before the fire spreads! The house goes up, and that beat cop ain't gonna follow us! Two fowls, one stone!
Imposing Black-Suit	Makes sense! Let me see...
The imposing black-suit pulls the ring on an incendiary meant for military use, and tosses it into the depths of the pitch-black room. However— The moment the flare lights up is the moment they finally realize just how stupid a decision they've made. Within the cramped, dilapidated room sits a great pile of Originium explosives and hazardous chemicals. The bucket they knocked over earlier was filled with high-concentration raw keton, now spilled all across the floor.
<Background 9>
Grani	I'm going to count from three, and that's your final chance! Three! Two! One!
The collapsible military pike shoots forth like lightning, smashing apart at least ten centimeters' worth of concrete wall and tearing through the structure. But in the following instant... The sound of an explosion as grand as thunder rolls across the entirety of Caladon. Harsh firelight follows a mushroom cloud straight into the skies, shining over the abandoned plate, through the Gododdin night, and across the southwest harbors of Victoria. In the wake of the cabin's explosion, the surrounding ground caves in entirely, crashing down to the city plate's structural layer. And that layer being in deep disrepair, it continues its collapse, dropping down and down, letting out an unending rumbling roar. Where the cabin once stood now resembles a direct strike from a high-speed battleship bombardment. Only a massive pit filled with thick smoke remains to tell the tale. The suspects, the evidence, and the truth are all blown away into the black smog along with the abandoned building, trailing high and away with the wind.
Grani	......??? Wh... What happened?!
Blown head over heels by the shockwave, the Victorian Mounted Officer now stares in bewilderment at the entire sight before her. Nothing that just happened has processed for her yet. November 28th, 1097. Nighttime in Caladon City finds itself exceptionally lively.