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Operation story: M8-7
< M8-7
| Operation | Story |
| Previous R8-9 | Next R8-11 |
| Characters | |
|---|---|
 Rhodes Island Operator (Chard)  Shieldguard  Sarkaz Herd |
|
| Backgrounds | |
 1  2  3 |
|
Before operation[edit]
Summary W finds the Shieldguards and Rosmontis. She makes her stand and manages to gain Rosmontis's trust. At the same time, the Doctor and Kal'tsit approach the core of the sarcophagus, finding a Sarkaz Herd on the way.
| |
| <Background 1> | |
|---|---|
| Shieldguard | All these corpses... have started to rot. They're W's men. A bunch of mercenary devils. This makes no sense. We haven't done anything to these guys. They were lynched, and clearly they were killed off in secret. |
| Rhodes Island Guard? | When did all this internal cleanup begin anyway? |
| Shieldguard | No idea. My guess is it happened within the last few days. One thing is clear, though. Talulah's been planning this for a long time. Damn it. I can't believe we didn't even see through her facade until it was too late. She really strung us along, that monster! |
| Rhodes Island Guard? | Regardless of whether they willingly obeyed her or not, it was Talulah who ordered the Sarkaz mercenaries to fight us. So is there a point to killing them off? What is she even trying to accomplish? Setting an example? No, I doubt it... No one can threaten even a lone Sarkaz, let alone a whole group of them. |
| Shieldguard | Yeah, that's right. They do say that the devils will kill whoever that dares threaten them, and if you ask me, the ones we have in the guerrillas are living proof of that. |
| Rhodes Island Guard? | That makes no sense, then. If these guys were killed because they stuck with W, then whose side is W on? |
| ??? | Well, maybe you'd like to take a little guess? I just might give you a little something if you get it right. |
| Shieldguard | Stop where you are! Put your hands up! |
| Rosmontis | —! |
W calmly approaches the Rhodes Island-Guerrilla forces.
| |
| ??? | Now, now. Let's not be hasty. Keep your weapons to yourselves. Wow. That's a big sword. New blood from Rhodes Island, I presume? |
| Rhodes Island Guard? | ...W...! It was you... You are the one who killed Scout! |
| Rosmontis | Is that her? Then I'll avenge Mr. Scout! |
| W | What are you talking about? Hold on, time out. White kitty, you can kill me all you want, and I'll admit to anything I've done, but I'm not gonna take the fall for something I didn't do. And I gotta remind the Rhodes Island boy in Reunion cosplay over there... Yeah, I can tell it's you. I remember you. Let me make this clear: I let you get away. Think about it, what good would it even do for me, turning you in to the old man? Scout died for Rhodes Island. I took his life only because I didn't have a choice. Listen up. He could easily have gotten out of that without so much as a scratch. He just decided to put on a show with me for the Reunion folks to keep you and the others alive. You think I wanted to kill him? Forget the fact he's a Sarkaz, you really think I would kill one of the last Sarkaz stealth masters left, one of the best elite marksmen out there, and, above all, the guy who could've been the next Kazdel hero? |
| Rhodes Island Guard? | Liar! |
| W | What are you going off on me for?! You little shit, how dare you go off on me?! You know what, now I'll really go off on you. If you were actually as good as you say, you could've killed the dragon lady right there, and we'd be dealing with a lot less dead people! Why else would I even kill Scout, someone I really respected?! You think I'm some kind of a sellsword, don't you? Sure, I'll tell you. Yes. Yes, I am. It's true, but unlike you guys, I rank people by their worth. Scout was... And listen up! To me, he was worth more than anyone else, even back in Babel. I'd even say he's worth more than me. ...So let me ask you again: what is it about you that's actually worthy of his sacrifice? Huh?! |
| Rhodes Island Guard? | You... |
| W | Ugh, ahem, pfft... |
| Rosmontis | Put your hands up, and put your weapon down. I don't believe you. |
| W | ...... Look, I count myself plenty lucky that I wasn't burned to a crisp by Talulah or pinned against a wall and crushed to death by that monster Kal'tsit carries around. So, I seriously mean it, can't you just leave me alone? Having the bigger gun doesn't make what you say more righteous. Otherwise, I'd be the just about most righteous person here, what with how many people I've blown up. While we're at it, Kal'tsit said so herself. We're on the same side right now. I'm on your side. I even have a recording right here. Wanna take a listen? |
| Rosmontis | ...... Why are you in such a rush? |
| W | Huh? What, kid, do you read minds or something? Then how come you still don't believe me? Of course I'm in a rush! If I don't kill Talulah soon, everyone I care about is gonna die! The Sarkaz mercenaries have a fatal flaw. They don't ever give the situation any thought unless they're out to kill someone. Tell them to do something, and they'll do it, no questions asked. They don't care about themselves, and they don't care about other people's lives at all, let alone their own. My point is, if I don't go fetch them soon, they'll all be dead. |
| Shieldguard | You can convince them? |
| W | Let's save that till Talulah's dead. Alright, you've wasted enough of my time already. Move aside, will you? |
| Rhodes Island Guard? | ...... |
| W | You, let me say just one thing. Make his death mean something. |
| Rhodes Island Guard? | —— Do I really have that right? |
| Rosmontis | You do. |
| W | Yeah, you do. You're still around because of everything my old pals did. |
| Rhodes Island Guard? | ...Ah...! Fine, enough! Rosmontis, let her go! |
| Rosmontis | You mean she's telling the truth? She protected Amiya and everyone else? |
| Rhodes Island Guard? | Trust me, and trust her this once. Just this once. |
| Rosmontis | Okay. |
| W | So I'm good to go? |
| Rhodes Island Guard? | ...Scram! Don't ever let me see you again. —Don't ever let me see you again! |
| W | Well, thanks, and don't worry. If I screw this up, you sure as hell won't ever see me again. So, looks like they're fine with it. What do you say, guerrillas? |
| Shieldguard | ...... The Captain told us you can't be trusted. |
| W | I think the old boy's right. I've told way too many lies. Truths, too. It's definitely not easy to pick anything meaningful out of my words. I can't do anything about the way you guys see me, right? But no one wants to blow her up more than I do, I can promise you that. I'll also say this: you should stop staring at other people's backs so much. You don't get it. You have no idea just what went down with the devils. You have no idea what my mercenaries died for. So, don't you dare look at me like that. Ha. Did you people give the dragon lady that look too? |
| Shieldguard | —— Going by your wounds, I can see you've already fought Talulah. |
| W | Haha. Well, look at the eyes on this guy! Only took you about ten minutes. That's right. I fought her. And I lost. |
| Shieldguard | You're pretty heavily injured, you had your ass handed to you. What are you even hoping to accomplish? |
| W | I'm alive. That's good enough. If the Rhodes Island bunny can't deal with her, then I'll give it another go and blow Talulah up again. |
| |
| Shieldguard | You don't stand a chance against her. If you want to die, suit yourself. We won't get in the way. |
| W | Buddy, I know how to take detours. You know I do. I certainly didn't expect to see you guys running around with Rhodes Island, but I actually went out of my way to come meet you here. I'm here to save your lives. Have you seen the bodies of my poor brothers strewn all around the ground here? Take a good look. My brothers, there's more than just civilians and Reunion folks left in the city. The Ursus soldiers are wearing our clothes. |
| Shieldguard | We've come across them already, and we are more than rea— |
| W | More than ready? Seriously? |
| Shieldguard | Go climb a tree. |
| W | I'm just trying to tell you the truth, and you know I don't do that often. You better not be ready to die. If Talulah's doing all this, she clearly doesn't give a damn about Reunion at all. She wants Reunion to die right here. Anyway, this is where we say our goodbyes. If luck's on our side, maybe all of us will still be alive when this is over. And if you don't believe me, then believe in your own luck, by all means. So let's all hope it's good. |
| <Background 2> | |
| Kal'tsit | We're almost to the sarcophagus core. ...... |
| Doctor | Are you worried about something? |
| Kal'tsit | I'm worried I won't be able to protect you. Actually, Dr. {nickname}, there will come a day I won't be able to protect you. First, there's simply far more factions than anticipated fighting against each other. Their penchant for violence is no less destructive than the Catastrophes, and not only will that present unexpected problems, it will also bring with it deaths that we simply could not have anticipated. Even if we knew everything, it doesn't necessarily mean we would be able to change everything. It's precisely this that gave rise to so many tragedies, and it's also the beginning of many journeys. Secondly, Dr. {nickname}... Are you really worthy of my protection? |
| <Dialogue branch starts here> | |
| Doctor | Another one of your riddles?! |
| Kal'tsit | I'm just putting on some pressure with information asymmetry. Of course, Cautuses will bite if it comes down to it. But if I just handed you the answer, it'd only make you be even more suspicious of the truth. You have to either fight for the truth yourself or wait for the answer to reveal itself. |
| <Dialogue branch> | |
| Doctor | ...... |
| Kal'tsit | You won't answer me. I can tell... After all, this is the person you used to be. But you aren't the same. Dr. {nickname}, promise me you aren't the person you once were. |
| <Dialogue branch> | |
| Doctor | You don't think I'm worth protecting, Dr. Kal'tsit? |
| Kal'tsit | Well. Have I ever placed a curse on you, Dr. {nickname}? You broke the curse, and now you're using it on me? Whether you are worthy or not is not for me to decide. Even if you aren't worthy, I will still do it. As for why, I suppose I will just have to tell you later on. |
| <Dialogue branch ends here> | |
| Kal'tsit | —The Herd! |
| Sarkaz Herd | Where you two going? Home? H-Ho-Home? |
| Kal'tsit | ...... One thing is clear. All the Sarkaz mercenaries in the core have turned. All operators, switch your self-cleansing devices on. Protect yourselves before you try to protect anyone else. Amiya... Are you really going to carry the burden of this unfortunate race's fate? |
After operation[edit]
Summary Kal'tsit and the Doctor run into Mephisto, now transformed into a monster, in the core of the sarcophagus.
| |
| <Background 2> | |
|---|---|
| Rhodes Island Operator | This herd is incredibly tough. Not only do these mutated Sarkaz Infected have much better healing capabilities than normal possessed Infected, they are much more intelligent, too. But that still doesn't give us a way to actually talk to them. They all seem so... strange. Like they're all in some place else. Not only that, this type of mutation is an accident waiting to happen. The crystals form way too fast. |
| Kal'tsit | The concentration of crystal dust in the air is the highest right here. That probably means that whoever is controlling the Herd here has most likely taken over the sarcophagus of the Chernobog core city already. Things are always happening in places we don't have our eyes on. |
| Rhodes Island Operator | I really can't even begin to imagine what we'll be facing from here on out. ...I don't mind getting an earful for this, Doctor, but I have to say this. This is way too difficult. What we are doing might just be suicide. And, most importantly, I really don't think we have what it takes to save this city and Lungmen. |
| Doctor | Let's not demoralize ourselves. / ...... / There are still things we need to do. |
| Kal'tsit | Chard, if memory serves, you have a family, don't you? |
| Chard | I'm surprised you remember, Doctor. You got one detail wrong, though. My wife and my daughter don't care about me anymore, so I don't really have one. |
| Kal'tsit | Chard, have you ever thought about seeing them, and start living with them once again? |
| Chard | I dreamed about it. |
| Kal'tsit | The first step to turning your dreams into reality is to give yourself the chance to dream. Stopping Chernobog isn't going to make life any harder for the Infected. Give your daughter a chance, Chard. Give her the chance to see her father again. |
| Chard | ...... I'll do as you say, Doctor. |
| <Background 3> | |
| Doctor | You're just taking him for a ride. |
| Kal'tsit | What I said may have been a lie. I don't think the world is going to become a better place overnight, and there's basically no way the Infected will get to go back to their previous lives. But what I said could also be the truth. Suppose we leave this place right now. He will never have the chance to see his daughter again, regardless of whether his family or he himself die of other causes in the events that will transpire. And suppose we aren't able to solve the problem we are facing right now. Most broader academic research will forever remain theories and nothing more. The successes of those who put in the work is what gives us the right to continue. There are countless people trying to revolutionize the system for the Infected, but all it takes is one failure, and not only will they forever lose the right to try that, we will never again have that opportunity again. If you need a more suitable metaphor, consider the concept, "life". ...Each time a major operation ends in success, we live to see another day. On the other hand, failure means death. There is no such thing as coming back from the dead in science. We only have one chance to save our lives. We will come to face many disasters, and it will be the end of us each time an accident happens. That's both ourselves individually or Rhodes Island as a whole. Disasters like Chernobog are bound to happen again and again. If we fail to solve a problem like that even once, we will die. On one hand, we have to stop the disease before it catches up and overwhelms all of us. On the other hand, we need to save ourselves from within this storm. I'm not singing Rhodes Island's praises. Not too much, at least. It's just, right here, right now, this is a problem that only we can handle. Most of us only get to live once. Once our lives are lost, it's gone forever. |
| Doctor | You mean there are people who gets to live several lives? |
| Kal'tsit | Uh, that's not really what I'm trying to say. What I mean is that there are people who haven't ever treasured their own lives. There are a lot of people who have never been around anything normal ever since they were born. Twisted places will only bear twisted fruits. The reason there is so much malice in Chernobog is precisely because there has always been malice not kept in check there. Malice, or more precisely, all those chains of malice aren't going to disappear on their own. Each destruction, each killing might only have been caused by a modicum of desire. In a lawless land, barbarism is simply left to breed rampantly on its own, and that is how it becomes the law of the land. And this kind of law is much stronger than the law you'd find in the cities. It's simply indestructible. That's violence. The violence that flows in our blood veins comes from the parts of us left untamed by civilization. Listen. Did you hear that...? ...Singing...? How peculiar. Originium Arts don't usually interfere with my senses at all. All operators, put on your protective equipment! Dr. {nickname}, something terrible might be happening. Based on the chaos we've seen along the way, we probably would've reached this conclusion all the same, but I'm afraid what we are about to face might be far worse than what we could ever have imagined. |
| Doctor | Has it ever gone any other way? |
| Kal'tsit | I wouldn't say it's always a foregone conclusion. Perhaps someone has placed a curse on either us or this city. That being said, curses can be broken. If you plant the seeds of evil, the flowers of evil will blossom, bearing fruits of evil. If we water the earth with goodwill, then even if this parcel of land doesn't get any better... at least it wouldn't meet such a dreadful fate and be buried by a tragedy like this. It's a shame... ...... |
| You look in the same direction as Kal'tsit. | |
| ??? | ...... |
| Kal'tsit | It's a shame that, as far as I know, evil is a vicious cycle that will only breed even worse malice, and fate is rarely kind to those who are kind at heart. I can't allow you to bring about yet another nightmare, Infected. |