Operation story: R8-3
< R8-3
| Operation | Story |
| Previous R8-1 | Next M8-2 |
| Characters | |
 Old Man  Old Woman  Infected Patrol Unit | |
| Backgrounds | |
 1  2  3 | |
Before operation
| “ | When the Infected Patrol Unit searches the village for Infected, an old man tries to take the fall for Talulah, only to be brutally murdered. Talulah strikes out in anger. | ” |
| <Background black> | |
|---|---|
| Hui-chieh: From where I left off. I ran for a very long time. Ran into a small village. I didn't think too much about it at the time. I only wanted to find somewhere to hide. I didn't think I'd actually find somewhere to stay. And I think that old couple thought of me as a daughter. Since their own sons and daughters had probably long since lost their lives to Ursus's countless wars. They even kept my secret for me. I'm sure I could've spent a lifetime repaying their kindness. I regret that I never did. January 13th | |
| <Background 1> | |
| Infected Patrol Unit | During our previous routine inspection, one of our people was assaulted. Every household must now submit to a search, both for Infected and the attacker. Should we find them, we will execute them on the spot, and the household that harbored them will be punished accordingly. If you don't want a hard labor sentence, turn them in. No one will come to harm if you do your civic duty, and the offenders and Infected will meet their proper end. Now, we'll start from the first household. |
| <Background 2> | |
| Talulah | It looks like the day came after all. There's no chance I'll make it through this one. |
| Old Woman | Don't go out there, Talulah! Hide behind the shed... they won't look there! We'll tell them you were scared of what was coming and ran away! No one'd blame you for it! |
| Talulah | But they might hurt you for it. I owe you better than that. I've left you some gold coins... from Victoria. Spend them sparingly, and they'll have you warm and well fed for the rest of your lives. |
| Old Woman | Talulah, Talulah! Where are you going? My Talulah... you can't, you can't go to them! Those black-hearted patrolling bugs eat people alive! |
| Talulah | And I can't just stand by and let them torture the men and women of this village. I have to see this through. I'll lure them away, give them a wake-up call, let them know what they've wrought. I know what's right. I'm not letting them punish these people. I'm not letting them murder anyone else. I still remember how the boy next door was beaten to death for chucking a stone. I'll never forget. |
| Old Woman | Talulah... Talulah! You can't... that's enough! |
| [Someone knocks the door.] | |
| Old Woman | Who?! Who's at the door...!? Is it the patrolmen?! Go away! |
| Alina | Ma'am, it's me! |
| Old Woman | Alina! Come in, come in! |
| [Alina enters.] | |
| Old Woman | What's wrong? What's happened? Is there news? |
| Alina | ...Someone told. |
| Old Woman | What? Told what? |
| Alina | The Patrol Unit knows there's an Infected in our village. |
| Old Woman | How could... this can't be... ahh! |
| Alina | I don't know who it was, but we all know what happens to those who harbor Infected. |
| Talulah | ...... |
| Alina | Ma'am, my father passed early, and you took such good care of my mother, you and your husband both. You're like grandparents to me. And at this point, I can't really hide anything... |
| Talulah | —Wait. Miss, where did the Mister go? |
| <Background 1> | |
| Infected Patrol Unit | Bloody old fart, what are you doing here? |
| Old Man | I committed a crime! |
| Infected Patrol Unit | A confession? Ah, yeah, I remember. An old geezer got in our guy's way. Judging by your limp, you were one of the thugs who attacked him! |
| Old Man | Yup! |
| Infected Patrol Unit | ...Not that you look worth the trouble. Go take a bloody hike. No point in dirtying our hands over a miserable little wretch. |
| Old Man | Hold it. Sir, look at my skin here. What's that look like to you? |
| Infected Patrol Unit | —— Infected! You're the Infected? |
| <Background 2> | |
| Talulah | Are you serious?! |
| Old Woman | I realized the moment I helped you change clothes... Talulah, we've known you were Infected for a long time now. |
| Talulah | How— |
| Old Woman | The old man worked the mines, and came back after he'd caught Oripathy himself! You've seen how he never takes off that jacket of his... He's going to go in your place, Talulah...! |
| Talulah | No! But how could he have been... |
| Old Woman | You can't trust the people here like that! The villagers will say whatever they need to, for money or to save their own skins! For the last two years, Talulah, we've been truly happy to have you! You're a good girl... a good girl! We don't have long left to live, but Talulah, even if you're ill, you've still got years yet! You need to live, Talulah, that's what's right... Talulah, don't go! For heaven's sakes, don't go...! |
| [Talulah rushes off to save the old man.] | |
| <Background 1> | |
| Old Man | Take me. Take me then, officer! Look at my skin! I'm the bloody diseased one! |
| Infected Patrol Unit | ...... |
| Old Man | If you don't believe me, then take a look at this! |
| Infected Patrol Unit | A knife? Put that down. You can't touch us, old man. |
| Old Man | No, officer, watch my Arts! |
| The elderly man slices open his own wrist, but no red flows onto the snow. It is instead as mist, scattering into the air. | |
| Old Man | Look, look... Officer! I'm an Infected, tried and true! |
| Infected Patrol Unit | I believe you. |
| [The Infected patrolman stabs the old man in the chest with his knife...] | |
| |
| Infected Patrol Unit | Thank you for your cooperation, Infected. |
| Old Man | Nnf... nnf...! Talulah... |
| <Background black> | |
| Alina | Talulah! Come back! Don't! Is that... fire? What?! Why is the house on— Talulah! Did you— Don't! Talulah! They'll destroy the whole village! |
During operation
| Talulah | The Patrol Unit is threatening the survival of the Infected. You damnable black bugs... |
|---|---|
| [Talulah, the Fighter is highlighted.] | |
| Talulah | I'll need to start from our Protection Objective, and make it to the enemy Incursion Point. I'll stop their attack in their tracks. |
| [The Life Point counter is highlighted.] | |
| Talulah | But if I suffer serious injury by their hands, I'll need to retreat from the battlefield... and the Infected, as of yet untrained, will surely suffer their crazed revenge. Our seals will be damaged. Fighting under these conditions... will be challenging, indeed. ...No matter. Some deeds must have someone to shoulder them. |
After operation
| “ | Alina reveals to Talulah that she is Infected and finally convinces her to fight her anger and leave for a while. | ” |
| <Background 1> | |
|---|---|
| Infected Patrol Unit | Nggaaaaah! Aahh... aaaaaahh! |
| Talulah | ...... |
| Alina | Talulah...! You... ngh...! Is that fire your doing!? You're the one who set them alight... guh! |
| Talulah | Alina, I'm sorry. This will surely mean even worse to come for the village. But I just couldn't stand it. I just couldn't stand this sort of... ...Alina? |
| Facing her, Talulah was taken aback. Alina met her gaze with an expression she'd never seen her wear before. | |
| Alina | There's a fire in your eyes. I knew from the moment you came to this village, you'd never be willing just to stay here. You came from somewhere. Where you came from, you'll go back to. This village can't hold you. |
| Talulah | I won't go back. Don't look at me like that... |
| Alina | But within your eyes, truly, there's a fire. You wanted to set something alight, burn it away, you thought none of this was how it should be, you bore it until you could bear it no more... It shouldn't have been now, Talulah. Not now. The villagers are innocent. Your one flare of anger only served to hurt them. |
| Infected Patrol Unit | What happened—oh, God! What the hell is going on?! Who!? Who did this!? |
| Old Woman | Talulah! Talulah! Run, now, run! And don't look back! Don't ever come back! Blessings, your Majesty, bless this girl like my daughter, bless her to live on, bless her so she can live on! |
| Alina | Talulah, we need to go! |
| Talulah | No... those hideous patrolmen! |
| Alina | We're Infected, but none of the villagers are! |
| Talulah | ...What did you say? |
| Alina | I'm Infected too, Talulah. I'm Infected too. |
| <Background 3> | |
| [As Talulah and Alina runs across the tundra...] | |
| Alina | *Pant*, *pant*... This is... where we'd planned to move. We had everything ready... but... |
| Talulah | They... The old man was... We can't let them do this again... we can't let them... |
| Alina | He saved you, saved me, saved the whole village. You threw... his whole plan into disarray. |
| Talulah | What do you even mean? The villagers were the ones who— ...Wait. You mean the one who turned him in... was... |
| Alina | It was his idea. That way, the Patrol wouldn't come again, and hopefully, that would've been that. No matter how much strength you have, you can't resist the Patrol Unit. |
| Talulah | I can. |
| Alina | And then? What if the Gendarmerie came? What if the city's garrisons and all the nobles' soldiers came? |
| Talulah | We just don't have the firepower. Once we've accumulated enough strength... Because it's not right. It's not right! We can't just look on like this! All these wicked things right before our eyes, but we turn away, just to save ourselves?! That's not right! ...That's selfish. Heartless, even. If righteousness can only be upheld by greater and greater violence, how can it even be considered righteous? |
| Alina | I can't answer these questions of yours, Talulah. You've studied more than I have, that I know. But someone died today in the village. And no more ought to die. You're so clever. You can understand that. Now, go, Talulah! |
| Talulah | ...I'll be back. |
| Alina | Tell yourself that, Talulah. Tell yourself that. |