Operation story: MN-4
< MN-4
| Operation | Story |
| Previous MN-3 | Next MN-5 |
| Characters | |
| "Gałązka" Knight Servant | |
| Backgrounds | |
 1  2  3  4  5  6 | |
Before operation
| “ | A Spokesman surfaces and begins quietly making moves in the knight competition. Zofia finalizes her strategy with Maria: to participate in a grand melee. | ” |
| <Background black> | |
|---|---|
| 3:49 PM \ Clear \ Kazimierz Kawalerielki Alliance, a private open-air loft | |
| <Background 1> | |
| [The formal Kuranta from before welcomes Mob, who has just arrived at the place.] | |
| ??? | ...I see you've arrived, Mr. Mob. |
| Greatmouth Mob | Wait. It's you. I saw you back at the arena and you said— |
| ??? | No. That's neither here nor there. Now, don't be so wound up. Take a seat. Allow me to introduce myself again—please, call me Czarny. I'm one of the rotational managers, currently responsible for a division of the Knights Association. |
| Spokesman Czarny | I'm also an executive of the Mieszko Group Major & Publicity Department, and have had the great fortune to be selected as Divisional Spokesman to the General Chamber of Commerce. |
| Greatmouth Mob | Th—The GCC? Pardon me for my incredible rudeness earlier, Mr. Czarny... |
| Spokesman Czarny | Forego the formality. I'm no critic of your... vernacular, "Greatmouth Mob." Or, perhaps, I should be calling you by your real name? |
| Greatmouth Mob | N-No need... |
| Spokesman Czarny | Haha, I only jest... Now, why don't we take a look outside. Glorious view, isn't it? There are some old types that hate this reinforced concrete jungle, the city of seamless day and night. But if you ask me, it is what symbolizes our strides towards civilization. Our vast forests, grassland expanses, are a priceless part of Kazimierz, true, but our hardy Kazimierz hands built up great skyscrapers where the forests parted. It's something we ought to be proud of. It is the only way we find shelter when a Catastrophe strikes, the only way form a front that can stand firm against our foreign enemies. Kazimierz is now prosperous, a rapidly developing place... Would you agree? Mr. Mob? |
| Greatmouth Mob | Course! You're right on the mark! |
| Spokesman Czarny | But Kazimierz's strides are far from over. The road we have to walk is still long. For example... Mr. Mob, take your hometown, our "City of Saplings and Artisans," Ognisko. In the thousand miles around it, how many deprived villages lie? How many troubled lands unafforded the protection of a city? |
| Greatmouth Mob | Y-You really know your stuff, for sure. I was outta there, like, twenty-plus years ago. Can I, uh, ask why you're telling me all this, though? Truth is, you're kinda bugging me out here... |
| Spokesman Czarny | Your frankness is another part of what draws me to you. I've come to make you an offer, Mr. Mob. One that will take us in joint strides. You've been poached. |
| Greatmouth Mob | ...Me? But I just took a down from the Roar Guards Company... |
| Spokesman Czarny | Please, relax. This contract is confidential, sealed by none other than Mr. Pavel himself. Now, from today on, your employer will be... |
| Greatmouth Mob | S-So I'm a Mieszko guy now? |
| Spokesman Czarny | You could put it that way... but let me nitpick it very slightly. |
| Greatmouth Mob | Yeah? |
| Spokesman Czarny | From now on, you're MY guy, Mr. Anchorman. |
| <Background 2> | |
| Maria | Hiyaaaaaah—! |
| [Maria lands a hit on Zofia during her usual training.] | |
| Zofia | ...Let's stop here for today. |
| Maria | Huh? But I can still... |
| Zofia | Overdoing it will undo you! You only just finished recovering. We're all sturdy Kuranta, but no-one torments her body like do! |
| Maria | Alright... —Could you help me brainstorm about those Arts I mentioned, then, auntie? |
| Zofia | ...Didn't we already go over this yesterday? |
| Maria | I watched this tape of Leithanien Knights battling last night, and I think I could pull from some parts of it to— |
| Zofia | Last night? |
| Maria | Ah... |
| Zofia | So you were up late again! I've said before, you need to get your rest! |
| [Marcin appears.] | |
| Bald Marcin | Looks like someone's back in good shape. Them two old cranks can rest easy now. |
| Maria | Oh! Marcin? Is something up? |
| Bald Marcin | Something? Eh... yeah, you might call this something. |
| Maria | This is, um? |
| Bald Marcin | Sponsors who came knocking at your door. Thirteen, in all. And there's some pretty high ranked corps looking for you... |
| Maria | Whoaahh. Glorious Shield's the weapons manufacturer, right... so even companies like these are into keeping competition knights? |
| Zofia | Oh, they're all Knightclub invitations. They put the numbers there to make you gasp. They're looking to make you a fine puppet, that's all. |
| Maria | ...... |
| Zofia | Maria! You wouldn't let these capitalists lead you by the nose, would you?! Remember your sister here can outbid these and then some, anyway! |
| Maria | Wait... I'm not falling for anything! Just, auntie, you spending money on me like that makes me feel kind of bad... |
| Zofia | Money, my high-heeled foot. If I want to spend it, I'll spend it. I didn't buy this land by agonizing about it, I'll have you know. |
| Maria | (Is that why the "gardens" here are just "fields" now...) |
| Bald Marcin | Hah hah hah... fair to you, I know you turned every last one of them down. Made a fine family out of nothing but your prize money and a few years of retirement. Hats off. That said, I'm only here to hand these papers over. Saves Młynar the hassle. Rest of it's up to you two alone. Think it over and if you're okay, come relax over at the bar sometime. |
| [Marcin leaves.] | |
| Zofia | Well... what do you say? Maria? |
| Maria | I've said before, but I don't want our family crest to become a corporate logo... and I know I can't stand toe-to-toe with the rest of them, either. Not as I am right now. |
| Zofia | ...You're going to press on? |
| Maria | Mm-hm. This isn't just about the money. When I think of "Nearl," the name my grandpa and my parents protected all their lives, I can't imagine it was all just for the numbers and lines of the stock exchange. So... |
| Zofia | Maria... Alright, it sounds like I'll be throwing all of these away, then. If we're going to make the cut for the Major, we need to get a lot more points, fast—that's the biggest hurdle we face, as independent knights without a Knightclub to hide in. Remember Szewczyk? Poor man, taken for a ride by his own sponsor. And yet he built up the points to rival nearly an entire team, just on sprint races, and duels alone. Meanwhile, you had the Knightclubs all wrangling the rules for point transfers, arranging it so their trump cards didn't even need to fight the preselections... |
| Maria | So I'll have to get past all of those Knightclub teams, soon enough... |
| Zofia | That's right. That's why we're going to have to take some special measures... if we're not wasting a single qualifier, we only have so many options. Such as— |
| <Background 3> | |
| Greatmouth Mob | Welcommme, one and allllll, to the Fireblade Arena—! Fifteen teams! Fifteen knights! Today's match is a one-and-done! We'll see plundering! Crazy battles! Tight escapes and desperate chases! Welcome to the third largest arena in Kazimierz, manmade to unleash the deathmatch within every knight! What's that? You say one match only earns you one point!? Where does THAT happen!? Not here, not now! In this match, any valid attack against a fellow knight means a valid score, and that means points! Points, for fat stacks of cash! But who cares if a bunch of point-grabbers play a game!? No, I know! I know what it is you all really wanna see— You wanna watch the heroes fall! You wanna watch the great stars crash to the ground! Thaaaat's right! This season's melee matches have a new rule in the mix, the "Points Off" clause! You hear that, knights? Risk and reward in one! Where's the spice when your points never drop?! In this match, we're following the "Predator System!" Let's keep it simple, sister: when someone goes up one, someone else is goin' down one! Oh, yeah! Believe it, I'm scrapping to see what the do-it-alls do! Our rising stars, swallowed up! It's unprecedented, folks! A match to flip the rankings head to toe! Thought you could qualify for the Major by wining it up in a bubble bath?! You'd better risk it all right here, right now! Get ready to rumble, because the world's watching! |
| [The audience cheers.] | |
| Greatmouth Mob | Don't forget, our sponsored drones from Raythean Industries will be broadcasting every knight's viewpoint non-stop! Our eight registered Knights Association referees won't miss a single detail! Now, the knights are making their final checks, the crew are fitting their armor with the sensory chips! How many stars will be born today, and how many are gonna eat dirt and taste crushing defeat?! We can only wait—for the knights—to enterrrrrr—! |
| <Background 4> | |
| Old Craftsman | What the hell? This guy again? Isn't he supposed to keep to Roar Guards territory? |
| Bald Marcin | Guess he found his own rising star, now. |
| Old Knight | Nah... "Points Off?" They ever have a "Points Off" in the melees before? And they announced this all-new system right before the match started. What, they can just do that?! |
| Bald Marcin | Didn't bet on the Association being all this capricious, did we... and it doesn't bode well. |
| <Background 3> | |
| [The audience cheers.] | |
| Greatmouth Mob | Looks like all fifteen knights are readied at their places! Once the crew are out of the way, the match will officially begin! A full sixty minutes of battle! Unless every knight is down for the count, this battle goes to the very last second! Even if your points for this season take a sub-zero dive, you'll still be in the game! Wanna see backs against walls? Last-gasp attacks? You're in the right place, folks! |
| ??? | Hey, Maria Nearl. |
| Maria | —Who're you? |
| ??? | Mmm... just one of your fans. |
| Greatmouth Mob | Alright—! All fifteen knights are signalling ready! |
| Passing Fan | Let's make it quick. The moment the Brassrust Knight healed up, Ashley—my Ashley—sent him straight back to the hospital. Man, the Ingras have been down on their luck for weeks now. |
| Greatmouth Mob | I declare— |
| Passing Fan | Now, Ashley took me right to the playoffs, so I've been a little panicked. Thought I'd try and make up a few points here. But I didn't think I'd find you too, young Nearl. |
| Passing Fan | —Why don't we go for a little tête-à-tête? |
| Maria | A what? |
| Greatmouth Mob | —Let the Fireblade Melee—begiiiiiiiiinnnnn—! |
After operation
| “ | Maria has a good duel with the Flametail Knight, and finally earns some good points. At the same time, however, Zofia gets some bad news. | ” |
| <Background 5> | |
|---|---|
| [While the free-for-all "Fireblade Melee" bout is ongoing in the arena...] | |
| Greatmouth Mob | And eight remain— No, remain? Flip that around, almost half the Knights in the field have already exited due to injuries! Wait—as I was saying that, it looks like "Hoarhair" has taken a point off "Springwater"—oh! And "Drifter" Dorka barges in to pick them off! Now that's what I call productive! Everyone pulling moves on everyone else—this is the glamor of the Fireblade Melee, folks! 24-carat violence! |
| [Maria fights with all she has got in the free-for-all.] | |
| Maria | Light, heed me—! |
| "Gałązka" Knight | That's all you're capable of? How the hell did you beat Ingra?! |
| Maria | Your swordhand... is nothing compared to my auntie's! |
| [Maria and the "Gałązka" knight enter a duel ...] | |
| "Gałązka" Knight | Heh, I'll tear you right off that scoreboard, "Nearl!" Watch this! |
| Maria | Ah—behind you! |
| "Gałązka" Knight | Uagh—?! |
| [...but the Zalak knightess, a.k.a, Maria's "fan," punches the "Gałązka" knight out of her way...] | |
| Passing Fan | Huh? Fancy seeing you again, young Nearl. You've got nowhere to run now. |
| [...before having a duel with Maria, arousing the audience's excitement.] | |
| Greatmouth Mob | And right after "Gałązka" comes "Flametail"! Whoa, way-way-way, how many times has someone come for the Nascent Nearl now? You gotta get your own show, Maria! |
| Passing Fan | God, I hate that guy. You're too loud! Anyway, we're running out of foes to fight. Looks like we finally get to size each other up, right? |
| Maria | —If all we're doing is measuring, I'll gladly keep you company. |
| Passing Fan | Ooh. Not bad. Your eyes got a lot better since you messed up Plastic. |
| Maria | ...... |
| Passing Fan | Hup— |
| One blink. Open. Shut. | |
| Maria | (Below?!) Gugh—?! |
| [Maria narrowly dodges a surprise attack from the Zalak knightess.] | |
| Passing Fan | Ohh? Dodged that, did you? |
| Maria | (What did she do just now...? She wasn't that fast—more like just too dexterous...) |
| Passing Fan | Ahh. I see how you held up for so long against Ingra and Szewczyk now... you've got a better foundation than I thought. Whislash taught you all of that, huh? |
| Maria | ...... |
| Passing Fan | Nn-huh. You've got a sharp eye too. You know, you learn pretty quick. But— |
| [The Zalak knightess scores a swift, clean hit on Maria.] | |
| Maria | —— |
| Passing Fan | And now you're down one point. I think me and this format are gonna get along just fine. Keep on like this, and every point you got from capping Plastic's gonna go down the drain, you know that? |
| Maria | Hnnfh—! |
| [The "Gałązka" knight interrupts the duel between Maria and the Zalak knightess...] | |
| "Gałązka" Knight | Urrrrraaahhh! You stinking little squirrel—! |
| Passing Fan | Can't you just lie down and bite it for one second?! |
| [...and knocks the latter's sword off her hand.] | |
| "Gałązka" Knight | Hah! Knocked away your weapon! What are you gonna do now, huh?! |
| Passing Fan | Just pick them back up?! Dumbass! |
| "Gałązka" Knight | Don't waste your breath! You'll meet your end right here! |
| Maria | —Watch out! |
| [The Zalak knightess uses her Originium Arts to retaliate against the "Gałązka" knight.] | |
| "Gałązka" Knight | What the hell? Arts—no, you can't be, you're not even armed! No, you... you... you can't be— |
| Passing Fan | Good night. Jeez, Louise...! What a good day to earn some free points... Alright, where were we, little Nearl? |
| Maria | (Here she comes again—!) |
| Passing Fan | D'ja know? Fun fact, I'm Infected. |
| Maria | Huh? Infecte— |
| [The Zalak knightess lands a clean Arts hit at the distracted Maria.] | |
| Passing Fan | And another point. It is SO easy to distract you. |
| Maria | ...... ...But when you said Infected, you weren't just saying it, right? You used your Arts directly just now... |
| Passing Fan | Isn't it a shame? |
| Maria | You mean? |
| Passing Fan | When the Blood Knight took the title, they went "yeah, we'll officially let Infected be knights"—but when the Radiant Knight got infected, they chased her completely out of Kazimierz. Doesn't that suck? |
| Maria | Margaret... |
| Passing Fan | Your debut battle was at the Roar Arena, right? All you needed to do was take your paperwork to the Knights Association, sign for your tournament credentials, and then head backstage to gear up... Do you know how much—how MUCH—an Infected has to do to get here? They think it's funny to lock you in a cage of gloompincer first. They think it's funny to make you trample the blood of other Infected, leaving one footprint at a time... they make you win back your humanity, to prove you're a normal, living, breathing person. Welcome to the bottom line. They weren't gonna give the Infected any respect for a single second. "Just throw them into the machine. Make them one more symbol of our progress." ...Don't you think I have the right to hate it? |
| Maria | ...... |
| Passing Fan | Our sights are set on every noble knight who thinks her opinion means the world... we'll go under their own rules, cut them right where it hurts. Honestly, I'm not here to knock you out of the game... after all, I respect the Radiant Knight from the bottom of my heart. Being Infected doesn't sway me there. Let's call the points I've already taken a fee, and here's a lesson on behalf of "Whislash". From the match where you beat Ingra, I can tell you still don't understand what the actual significance of the Major is. Blind enthusiasm? Riding your own efforts, tuning all the warning signs out? In any ideal scenario, worst is you'd fall flat on your face. But this is the Major. That'll kill you. Keep it up. Whatever. |
| Maria | ...Wait. |
| Passing Fan | Huh? |
| [Maria infuses her sword with her Arts...] | |
| Passing Fan | Light? Same thing as when you beat Ingra... |
| Maria | —Hiyaah! |
| Passing Fan | Are you kidding?! |
| [...and lands a clean hit on the Zalak knightess.] | |
| Maria | That's one point back, Flametail! |
| Passing Fan | Goddamn. Didn't think you were so stupid thirsty for it— —But hey, now you look like the Radiant Knight's sister! |
| We step back, put some distance between us. Our blades face off again. ...This feels strange. We just talked a little, simple as that. Facing her, I can't feel any of the same immense, nauseating pressure Szewczyk and Ingra had... is it just because of her nature? Yet she's so strong. Ngh. And fast. And masterful. | |
| Passing Fan | You're smiling? You're that confident? |
| Maria | ...Am I? |
| Passing Fan | Eh. Give it a try and you'll find out. |
| Maria | Alright, then... |
| [Maria and the Zalak knightess, now known as the Flametail Knight, enter a duel, until...] | |
| Greatmouth Mob | Aaaaaaaand—! Tiiiiiiiime! |
| We stop in our tracks as soon as we hear the announcer. By just a hair—by just the slightest hair, we could've been touching the other's armor. Lightly, like she's just messing with me, "Flametail" taps against my shield. | |
| "Flametail" Knight | Maybe you'd have taken one more point off me here. Maybe not. Who can say, Maria? |
| Maria | Could've been two, maybe. |
| "Flametail" Knight | Hahahaha—you know, from the stands, it's hard to tell just how fiercely stubborn you are, Nearlie. |
| [The audience cheers as the free-for-all ends.] | |
| Greatmouth Mob | And our refs are finished judging! At the end of this free-for-all, only four remained standing! Yo, audience! Here's the deciding moment your wallets have been waiting for! Even if your favorite knight started out getting knocked around six ways from Sunday, don't you lose the light! The Arena's here to welcome you back any time! Fourth place! Earning ten points, the arena was his to walk, and he avoided almost any direct battle! Our survivor with smarts, "Gałązka" Daniel! Third place! Hunted by the whole arena since the word go, and without a moment to breathe, she might be our biggest winner on the points exchange tonight! Our dainty, charming independent knight, Maria Nearl! Second place! In the starting skirmishes, he beat three knights with his own hands! He made the arena's corner his own with his tremendous shields! The walking fortress, "Limestone" Marko! And our champion tonight, with twenty-two fresh points to her name! A near uninterrupted combo of victories! The super-rookie who never drags her feet—"Flametail" Sona! And that win of hers means a mean mountain of money, so let's make some mega noise—! Coming up! We'll be announcing the lottery draws for each prize pool! Tonight, while the knights strike the sky, the audience strikes it big! All at the Fireblade Arena! |
| [The audience cheers after Mob announces the free-for-all's result.] | |
| <Background 6> | |
| Spokesman Czarny | Ah, welcome, dear Miss. Having the fortune to meet the youngest ever to join the Armorless Union, the mighty Platinum, I admit that I, humble Czarny, am profoundly terrified. |
| Platinum | Uh, can we not with the niceness, Spokesman, sir. You're the ones who yelled for me anyway, right? |
| Spokesman Czarny | Hardly, hardly. I'm merely the General Chamber's mouthpiece, working as its directors will it. How could I dare think to command the mighty Platinum? |
| Platinum | You say that, but, like, two of them are just busy and then the three above make everyone else do all the work forever, right? Ugh, this sucks... I hate overtime. I already had enough work before you called me... Seriously, I wanna go on vacation to Sami once the Major's done. |
| Spokesman Czarny | As long as the General Chamber agrees, I can arrange you a Sami countryside villa right this moment. |
| Platinum | I gotta wait until work's over, thoughhh— —What do you want the Armorless Union to do? |
| Spokesman Czarny | We have many problems on our hands, dear Miss. Infected out of line, curious rumors, knights drawing a little too much attention... But I trust that at the nod of the mighty Platinum of the Armorless Union, none of these will be a problem at all. |
| <Background 2> | |
| Zofia | I'm back! Where's the chef? Let's get him going! He's got a big meal to make tonight, and Maria'll be here soon... she needs a feast and then some! Don't say it was me who called for it. |
| Servant | Madam Zofia, you have a guest. One who claims urgent business with you. |
| Zofia | A guest? Now? They can wait until Maria's back— |
| [The corporate Kuranta appears once again.] | |
| Corporate Employee | Ah... apologies, Zofia, for coming uninvited... |
| Zofia | You're the one who... *sigh*... I remember you had your own little company, and then you broke into my place like this, thinking you'd make off with all my sponsorship rights. Well, out with it. What now? |
| Corporate Employee | I, uh, there's some... I have some info here... probably some of it's rumors... But don't tell anyone! True or false, the event plans here are all top, top secret... But I think you've guessed that already... just treat this as me paying you back... and, uh, I hope things turn out well for you... I haven't seen a good knight in a long time... who had a happy ending. |