Operation story: SN-1

Operation

Story

Previous SN-ST-1	Next SN-ST-2
Characters
Bizzare Hunter Elysium Jordi Kal'tsit Alty Saint Carmen Thiago Amaia Cautious/Male Townsperson Nihilistic/Panicking Townsperson Dying Sea Terror Strange Adherent Tight-Lipped Adherent
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5 6

Before operation

“

Even in death, a Sea Terror still tries to observe the land. Everyone who witnesses it realizes that Gran Faro has fallen into a terrible crisis.

”

<Background 1>
[Elysium is having a chat with Alty.]
Elysium	Miss Alty! Your "Refactored Possession" was positively spectacular!
Alty	Really? Color me surprised. I thought that silly little idea I came up with in the jungles of Sargon was a bit too avant-garde. But turns out that doctor had someone like you under her wing? I thought you'd all be as stuffy as her.
Elysium	Haha... So, where are the others?
Alty	Dan's the excitable type, so she ran straight to the beach. Aya and Frost went back to the hotel. Pretty run-down place, but kind of interesting.
Elysium	Interesting? Really?
Alty	So did Kal'tsit tell you anything about us?
Elysium	I only caught a word or two. Seems like you folks have something important on your hands? I was blown away when I heard that the world-famous AUS had personal ties with Dr. Kal'tsit...
Alty	To be honest, I could say the same. But... Still, I'm glad to have fans even out here. Gives this trip some much-needed spice.
Elysium	Finally getting to meet you makes that whole excruciating month all worth it, though. Ah, if it's not too much trouble, could you please sign this poster too?
Alty	...Why'd you even bother coming back to Iberia?
Elysium	That's... rather complicated. And something I sure didn't expect Alty from Alive Until Sunset, of all people, to be asking me.
Alty	You like the name of our band?
Elysium	Like? Nay, I absolutely adore it.
Alty	Appreciate it. So where is she? I figured she'd be waiting here with that know-it-all look on her face, and then end up telling us nothing in a lot of words.
Elysium	Still waiting for Dr. Kal'tsit to contact me. She shouldn't have arrived much later than you all.
Alty	Hope she hurries up then... High tide is about to roll in.
<Background 2>
Male Townsperson	...Outsiders. All outsiders. What happened all of a sudden? Did the Inquisition really loosen up its grip that much?
[A strange man in a robe walks in.]
Strange Adherent	Yes, outsiders, all outsiders. They are very special. They carry the scent of the ocean.
Male Townsperson	Ægirs?
Strange Adherent	Possibly, possibly not. Our brothers and sisters are all afraid. We must make haste. Scarcely has the Inquisition been so negligent... It's too suspicious. Even if the laxity of these waters is a trap, we must continue our relentless pursuit. For the sake of our brothers and sisters, for the sake of restoring the Herald's connection to this land, we must first secure the Eye of Iberia... or destroy it! I do not wish to indiscriminately slaughter the innocent. You were all my family, once.
Male Townsperson	......
Strange Adherent	Go, and have more people join us. We now have the option of choosing a profoundly vast road, greater than what Iberia promised us. Greater than this entire land.
Male Townsperson	Those people... Are the outsiders why our brothers have become restless?
Strange Adherent	It's highly likely, but I can't say for sure. We are all weak and frail. Our brothers are weak and frail. We cannot act rashly, or the Inquisition will exterminate us. We must be... careful. Or there will be too much blood spilled on this soil, and she does not like blood. Neither us nor our brothers and sisters need die in vain.
[The robed man noticed someone walking outside...]
Strange Adherent	...! Who's there?!
[...but he is promptly stabbed from behind and dies, as the assailant breaks in...]
<Background 1>
Alty	I knew it. Cultists, of the Church of the Deep... I step out of Iberia for just a few years, and now their scent is everywhere. Hmm... But I'm actually starting to look forward to seeing her for once. Is she still not here?
Elysium	Yeah. Dr. Kal'tsit mentioned that the Inquisition will probably keep a close eye on her, so...
Alty	That's weird. I'm sure she was there for the start of Iberia's Golden Age. She should at least be able to get an audience with their leaders. Why take such a lame approach?
Elysium	Haha, very funny. Iberia's ascent was centuries ago. Even she can't be more than–
Alty	Seems her long years of experience have taught her how best to navigate this world... Alas, I'm too young and beautiful to get that stuff.
Elysium	Haha, surely you jest, Miss Alty...—So... if something really were to happen to her, would you help her?
Alty	Um... If you're willing to plead on her behalf, maybe.—Is she really that important to your, uh... Rhodes Island, was it?
Elysium	...To be perfectly honest, I really don't understand why she would put herself at risk like this, just to come to Iberia.—But, I fully believe that she willingly took on this responsibility. And if even Dr. Kal'tsit is prepared to risk herself for Iberia, then as an Iberian, I have even less of an excuse.
Alty	I see...—Then you'd better go take a look. Or keep waiting here. Who knows, someone might just barge in here hollering and screaming?
Elysium	Hey, what's that supposed to–
[A panicked man barges into the chapel.]
Panicking Townsperson	Out on the plaza! I just saw one–a monster! There's a monster out there! Huh? Is anyone here?!
Elysium	Wait right here, Miss Alty! I'm going to see what's going on!
[Elysium runs outside.]
Alty	...What a terrible odor. But, Dan was right. The petals in the sea of consciousness fall into a waterfall flowing in reverse. The melody of the scales, the ballad of the rootstalks... are all ready to come forth. Maybe I'll find a few nuggets of inspiration on this trip after all.
<Background 3>
Crowd of Onlookers	What... is that...? Old Pedri was right! My grandfather wrote about these in his diary! It's a Sea Monster! I-Is it... Is it dead? It won't start moving, right?
Elysium	Sorry, excuse me, coming through– –
What little light remains filters through the clouds, partially cloven by the monolithic statue. The light's blood splashes across the ground, forming shadows. A dying Sea Terror rests quietly in the monolith's shadow, like an old man leaning against a tree to find his final respite.
Dying Sea Terror	...... .........
Elysium	Is it... already dead?
Panicking Townsperson	Old Pedri wasn't lying! It really is a monster! A monster from the sea appeared in Gran Faro! I know what it's called! We've seen them before!
Elysium	(So this is a Sea Terror?) (But the coastline is so calm... And how could the Inquisition miss something this blatant?)
Its vacant, lifeless eyes seem to still be spinning, the land a vast, waterless ocean before them. But just as Elysium mistakes it for clinging to life, its gaze once again seems to fixate on a deep, profound death, and its motions halt completely.
Elysium	(It's... staring at me? Or, at something else?)
Crowd of Onlookers	Who's going to deal with the corpse? Just look it! How disgusting! Would it eat people if it were still alive?
Dying Sea Terror	......
The Sea Terror cannot speak, but its deformed husk shines brightly. A large group of people gather around it. Afraid. Suspicious. But nevertheless drawn to it, as if it were lit fireworks. Fireworks, indeed. Its death is just like fireworks. No gashes, no signs of wounds from a handcannon. Death did not choose it. Rather, it chose death.
Elysium	...No, now I'm just rambling to myself. If this is one of those Sea Terrors from the report, then the Church of the Deep must already be closer than we thought.
Crowd of Onlookers	Miss Amaia! Hurry, come take a look at this thing–
[Amaia walks in.]
Amaia	Now now, calm down...
Panicking Townsperson	Could this really be... from the sea?
Amaia	I can't hide the truth from you all. Indeed... this is a monster from the sea.
Panicking Townsperson	Th-Then, this has to be reported to the Inquisition right away! We need to call the Penal Battalion over to deal with these monsters– No, have the Inquisitors themselves come! Otherwise, we're all doomed!
<Background 4>
[Jordi saw people running towards the chapel.]
Jordi	It seems everyone is running towards the chapel?
[As the people runs...]
Thiago	What's going on? Hey, someone tell me what happened!
Panicking Townsperson	Someone found the corpse of a monster out in the plaza!
Thiago	A monster...? The things Old Pedri was talking about?
Panicking Townsperson	That's right, everyone's clamoring to pick a Messenger to go fetch the Inquisition. Do you know what it looks like? I heard it had fangs a meter long, and eight pairs of eyes– Hey, where are you going, Thiago?!
Thiago	Head back and wait for me, Jordi. Don't set foot outside, no matter what!
Jordi	But– Okay, got it...
<Background 5>
Cautious Townsperson	We'd better not get mixed up in all this chaos. Who knows what kind of vile diseases these monsters might be carrying.
Jordi	A monster...
[Jordi remembered the strange creature he saw in the past.]
Jordi	What in the world is going on? Who's there?!
Strange Adherent	......!
[The robed man runs away after being spotted by Jordi.]
Jordi	Wait!
<Background 2>
Strange Adherent	Damn you, Ægir! Accursed Ægir! He actually went and slaughtered one of our kin! Ugh, my wound...
[Jordi walks in.]
Jordi	You're...
Strange Adherent	Jordi?
Jordi	You know me? Who are you?
Strange Adherent	I... You don't need to know, nor do you know me. But I know you, if only because you are an Ægir.
Jordi	Y-You're hurt!
Strange Adherent	Yes, and will you bandage me up? Aren't you the chapel's caregiver?
Jordi	I... I can help you, but you have to tell me how this happened.
Strange Adherent	...Very well.
Jordi	Take a seat.
[Jordi brought the robed man into a bed and laid him down before treating him.]
Jordi	Just bear with it.
Strange Adherent	Nngh...
Jordi	Stop moving! Luckily, you don't have any broken bones or ruptured organs... Is this a laceration wound? There's even sawdust stuck beneath the skin. How did this happen?
Strange Adherent	An Ægir killed my kin. I was involved, but managed to escape.
Jordi	M-Murder?! In a small town like this? You'll have to bring this up with Uncle Thiago right away–
Strange Adherent	Hah... Haha. Mayor Thiago can't control the Ægir. How ironic. Only the Inquisition can punish him now.
Jordi	B-But, he killed someone in your family.
Strange Adherent	We are always being hunted. Out of ignorance, fear, anger... the latter lingering from that disaster. Thank you, I already feel much better.
Jordi	Wait, are you... Mr. Juan?
Strange Adherent	So you still remember my face, Jordi. Have you ever wanted... to gaze into the sea?
Jordi	Gaze... into the sea? Uncle Thiago has taken me to the coast before, but...
The sea was dark. The wind tugged at his hair, and the waves roared. The meaning of a "hometown" varies from person to person. It might be the aroma of wheat, the angle of the shadow cast across an alley, or the sound of wheels rolling over mud and snow. But at that moment, Jordi knew that his life in Gran Faro had already been paid for in advance, with his hometown.
Strange Adherent	The land has already forgotten the ocean's true form, but sooner or later we shall all return to the sea. (Broken Ægirian) Thank you, Jordi. Thank you for your kindness. May infinite altruism fill the void of existence one day. (Broken Ægirian) If you are still Ægir, Jordi, then leave us be. Turn back and return to your life. It is better that way. (Broken Ægirian) Perhaps you too, like your parents before you, will go in search of that lighthouse.
Jordi	Wh-What did you say? I didn't catch that!
Strange Adherent	(Broken Ægirian) My kindred refugees have come for me. But do not worry. Gran Faro has always been a stepping stone. Our destination is the deep sea.
[The robed man dies...]
Jordi	–!
[...as a Sea Terror enters, followed by another robed man.]
Creeping Sea Terror	(Soft slithering sound)
Strange Adherent	Jordi, Jordi. Ægir. We shall meet again.

After operation

“

Kal'tsit finally rendezvouses with Elysium, and meets the members of AUS. At the same time, the death of the Sea Terror has mobilized its deformed kin, causing the entire town to descend into terror.

”

<Background 3>
The sea is black. I was four or five at the time. Old Thiago, the mayor of Gran Faro, took an armed company of adults down to the coast. I still remember what the weather was like back then. It was hazy and turbulent, and colder than most evenings despite still being afternoon. Its coldness was not a temperature, but rather a color. One that had lost its warmth. I found out only later that that was the last time Gran Faro did maintenance work on the Eye of Iberia. Or rather, tried to. The Penal Battalion quickly brought back news. There was dejection in the adults' faces, but I didn't fully understand what had happened. I simply stared at the junction between sea and sky in a daze. The sea is black. It perfectly suits this land devoid of hope.
Crowd of Onlookers	Mayor Thiago is here!
[Thiago walks toward the Sea Terror's remains.]
Thiago	So what old Pedri said was true, Amaia.
Amaia	Even if I wished to deny it, I'd be quickly silenced by the reality in front of our eyes.
Thiago	But, what kind of person could slay a monster, then off-handedly toss it here?
Amaia	I hope you'll let me handle this.
Thiago	That...
Amaia	If we don't dispose of it properly, I'm afraid it could become a danger down the road. Besides, is this not a rare opportunity to study a Sea Terror?
Thiago	...Very well. But I'll be coming with you. None of us know exactly what this thing is just yet, and we certainly can't rule out the possibility that its blood might attract more of its kind.
Amaia	No objections here.
Thiago	With me, lads. Move aside, so I can wrap up this body–
[Thiago grabs the Sea Terror's remains and carries it with him.]
Thiago	...Well, it's not as heavy as it looks. So where to, Amaia?
Amaia	Follow me.
Thiago	Don't just stand there gaping. Hurry on home now, people.
Panicking Townsperson	Are we really not going to report this to the Inquisition? What do we do if more monsters show up?
Thiago	There's no need to get them involved.
Panicking Townsperson	But–
Thiago	I said, we don't need 'em!
Panicking Townsperson	Ugh...
Amaia	Thiago.
Thiago	...... This town doesn't need the Penal Battalion interfering just yet. We'll handle things our own way. If the Inquisition sent its people here and saw this thing, you'd never see another peaceful day in Gran Faro. Do you really not understand that?
Panicking Townsperson	But– Never mind, forget it.
Thiago	Let's go, Amaia.
[Thiago and Amaia leaves.]
Panicking Townsperson	We're really just going to listen to him?
Nihilistic Townsperson	Old Thiago's hatred for the Inquisition goes back more than a day or two, but if something really were to happen without the Penal Battalion here, who's gonna fight the monsters? Us? Plus, there've been more and more outsiders lately. It's like Thiago doesn't even see them. If they were to blend in with the outsiders...
Panicking Townsperson	I knew it, we really should send someone to the Inquisition! How are we supposed to explain all this if someone from the Penal Battalion does show up? I don't want to get branded a heretic!
[Elysium shows up.]
Elysium	Miss Amaia... and what's with that author over there...? Let's touch base with the other members of AUS first. I feel like we can't just ignore all this.
<Background 1>
Alty	Is the chapel normally this deserted? What happened to your God and your faith?
[Elysium returns to the chapel.]
Elysium	Not every Iberian is a practicing Lateran. Miss Alty, the town has become quite dangerous, and I need to ensure your safety until Dr. Kal'tsit arrives.
Alty	Might as well put on a show here then. Some music would help calm everyone's nerves.
Elysium	Haha, that's not what I meant.
Alty	Then calm down. Let me take a stab at what I think happened.
Elysium	Uhh...
Alty	Hmm... I saw... some kind of sea creature. Right, you guys called it a Sea Terror. Whether the Iberians or Kal'tsit were first to call it that doesn't really matter to me. A Sea Terror beneath a cruelly dry sky, its observant and analytical scales with nowhere to belong. It knows very well that this is not its home. It lives, back home. I've got it! That Sea Terror was probably hung high up on that sculpture, and it was singing the latest wave of rock-'n'-roll. Right?
Elysium	...It wasn't hung up there. Nor was it singing. But you got like eighty or ninety percent of it down. You've surprised me again, Miss Alty. Was that your Arts?
Alty	Who's to say that death itself isn't just another kind of song? That's what it taught me. And it's a real travesty of nature that the beauty of it can't be appreciated across species. What do you think?
[Someone opened the door and enters, who turned out to be Kal'tsit herself.]
Kal'tsit	Fortunately, such an artform is not required by all organisms.
Elysium	D-Dr. Kal'tsit! How come I couldn't get a hold of you this whole time...?
Kal'tsit	Long story short, I'm under the surveillance of the Iberian Inquisition in exchange for their trust. We don't have much time, but the task before us is grave. Operator Elysium, go keep an eye on the two who took the Sea Terror's body away. I need to speak with Alty alone.
Elysium	...Understood. Here's a communicator. You should already be familiar with my Originium Arts, so you can also, uh, pass it on to your colleagues.
Kal'tsit	Will do.
Elysium	I know you prefer to keep handovers quick and efficient, but let me say this: I'm so relieved that you're safe and sound. If I discover anything, I'll report back right away. Heading out.
Kal'tsit	Mm. Appreciate it.
[Elysium leaves Kal'tsit and Alty together in the chapel.]
Alty	Long time no see, Doctor.
Kal'tsit	Miss Alty.
Kal'tsit	Sorry for making you come all this way. I understand this involves putting yourselves at risk to some extent.
Alty	So why are you under surveillance? You couldn't just cut a deal with them?
Kal'tsit	Time is short, and Iberia's paranoia masquerading as piety prevents me from meeting with the Inquisition's upper echelons.
Alty	Hmm... Are you in a hurry?
Kal'tsit	The other countries still do not understand what we are dealing with. They are unable to comprehend how a vast, mighty land in its Golden Age disappeared into the Silence. And I... may as well have witnessed it with my own eyes.
Alty	Fair enough.
Kal'tsit	Where are the others?
Alty	We rarely get to go on a tour, so let them enjoy some free time. What you want is right here.
Alty	I came to you for the same reason as last time. That said, I have little love for the sea these days. Especially after hearing what you had to say about it.
Kal'tsit	Hopefully you've had enough time to make up your mind.
Alty	Before we get to that, Doctor... Doesn't it seem like you've been working on... let's call it your bedside manner? Like, uh, an X-ray machine with a voice greeting?
Kal'tsit	......
Alty	Whoops. Put my foot in my mouth again. You should already be used to that though, right? But how quaint indeed. I didn't think anything could possibly change the way you dealt with people. Or should I say, your "personality."
Kal'tsit	There's always something.
Alty	Alright. Maybe I'd rather not pry into your personal affairs...
<Background 4>
Strange Adherent	...He's here. He's still here, and it's not just him. There's more. The scent of the sea. Since when were there so many Ægir in this little town?
[A robed veiled man joins in.]
Tight-Lipped Adherent	The Inquisition planned it.
Strange Adherent	Maybe. Maybe even now, at this very moment, there are still Inquisitors, their heads addled with their ignorant laws, intent on continuing their self-righteous deeds.
Tight-Lipped Adherent	When did you have the time to wrap yourself up after escaping from the enemy?
Strange Adherent	...An Ægir helped me.
Tight-Lipped Adherent	A friend?
Strange Adherent	No, just... an Ægir who loves the sea.
Tight-Lipped Adherent	What do we do about our brother's body?
Strange Adherent	It's currently in the hands of Amaia and Thiago. We'll have to figure something out. We ought to prepare a funeral for it.
Tight-Lipped Adherent	A funeral is a human ritual, not ours.
Strange Adherent	Amaia has said that we should live the way our hearts dictate. Pure in desire, pure in worship, just as those ignorant Inquisitors treat their own faith.
Tight-Lipped Adherent	Would that not make us equally ignorant?
Strange Adherent	Ignorance is a part of our very nature we have yet to throw away. We have not yet become them.
Tight-Lipped Adherent	Sophistry.
Strange Adherent	That, I can't deny. But do you wish to see the land-dwellers torment the corpse of our brother?
Tight-Lipped Adherent	......
Strange Adherent	Long have we lived on land, with no Herald to guide us. All we can do is seek out our own way of embracing the ocean. But before that... we should give our brother a proper burial. We ought to mourn any senseless death.
<Background 6>
Amaia	Who would be able to slay this creature with such ease? Thiago?
Thiago	What?
Amaia	I'd understand if it had been surrounded by four or five Penal Battalion soldiers, or if it took the Flames of Castigation from an Inquisitor's lantern. But... this poor Sea Terror has but a single wound on its body. While I've never personally seen the rumored High Inquisitors fight, I'd imagine that if anyone in all of Iberia could pull this off, it'd be them.
Thiago	Impossible! Nobody has seen an Inquisitor come to Gran Faro!
Amaia	But our little town, which rarely sees any outsiders, has been welcoming visitor after visitor as of late. Surely this can't all be due to the Inquisition's negligence, right?
Thiago	That...
Amaia	Perhaps the marching of the Penal Battalion cannot be hidden from our ears, but what of the Inquisitors? If they changed out of their uniforms and concealed their lanterns and swords, how would we ever know?
Thiago	...... You mean to say that an Inquisitor might already be here? Hidden among the outsiders?
Amaia	I'm saying it's a possibility.
Thiago	...I'm going on a little walk.
Amaia	Thiago! I'm sure even you understand that most people would rather have the Inquisitors help them get rid of the Sea Terrors.
Thiago	I know. Of course I know. I wouldn't hate a beast for no reason. But I WILL hate those people. Those... Inquisitors.
[Thiago heads out.]
Amaia	*Sigh*...
Amaia gently caresses the Sea Terror's corpse. The fate left to it by death was not such a terrible one. By human standards, it certainly appeared deformed and terrifying. But what about from other perspectives? How would the court of nature, of life itself, judge this perfect creature? Alone in the empty pub, Amaia decides to stop pondering this question. Or at least, the pub appears empty. She and Thiago believe it is.
<Background fades out and in>
But the shadows begin to writhe, and something steps out from within, its simple outline etched out beneath the dim light's glow. It is a person. An Ægir.
Amaia	...Was this your doing?
[A bizzarely dressed hunter reveals himself before Amaia.]
Bizarre Hunter	(Ægirian) It has nothing to do with you.
Amaia	You don't look like you're from the Penal Battalion.
Bizarre Hunter	(Ægirian) You cannot deceive me.
Amaia	Wait, you're an Ægir? That makes you even less likely to be an Inquisitor.
Bizarre Hunter	(Ægirian) Silence is the most terrifying sound in the sea. We cannot tolerate it a second time. None of us can.
Amaia	I'm not sure what you're talking about, but I think you should leave–
Bizarre Hunter	(Ægirian) The Bishop of Sal Viento is dead.
Amaia	......
Bizarre Hunter	(Ægirian) I am not as patient as you might believe.
Amaia	I...
Amaia	(Ægirian) I never thought I'd see a living Abyssal Hunter with my own eyes.
<Background 4>
Thiago	Inquisitors? ...No, impossible. How could an Inquisitor be here?
[Elysium walks toward Thiago.]
Elysium	Mr. Thiago! Just now, I–
Thiago	......
Elysium	Mr. Thiago?
Thiago	Get out of this place as soon as possible. You, and the rest of your lot. You're a nice lad, I can see that. Jordi can too. But... There's something sleeping beneath our little town, and there's nothing normal about any of this–No, Iberia's never been normal, not since then.
Elysium	...I hear you. I'll leave as soon as I can. But I think I saw something in front of the chapel just now–
Thiago	Tell me, lad. Are you from the Inquisition? Are you trying to get close to Jordi so you can take him away?
Elysium	Mr. Thiago?
Thiago	Go ahead and lie to me. I'll fight you to the death too, outsider.
Elysium	I'm not. You know as well as I do, if I were really after the Ægir, why would I wait so long?
Thiago	– It's just a single Sea Terror. We're by the coast, and we've seen things like this before, decades ago. There's nothing to get worked up over, outsider. It's none of your business.
Elysium	Mayor Thiago, I'm willing to help you iron out some of the issues in town.
Thiago	You? There's nothing for you to do.
Elysium	Even if it means Jordi's life will be in danger?
Thiago	......
<Background 6>
Strange Adherent	Nobody's here? Why aren't Amaia and Thiago here...? Strange Adherent
Tight-Lipped Adherent	It's his scent!
Strange Adherent	That damn Ægir, he took Amaia away?! How dare he– –No, that's not quite right. Amaia doesn't know how to fight. He wouldn't do anything to her.
Tight-Lipped Adherent	At least our brother's remains are still here.
Deceased Sea Terror	......
Tight-Lipped Adherent	What do we do now?
Strange Adherent	Take it away. This rotting shack is not suitable to be its coffin. After that... We will find it a proper home. Look at it–death is nothing more than a gentle attendant. That is something that Ægir butcher could never understand. Let's go.
<Background 1>
Alty	Hmm... So in other words, we're what? Insurance?
Kal'tsit	To my understanding, none of you have any desire to return to the ocean and fight those monsters. You were born of this sea, and are very powerful. But even if you regain your original forms, you will never be able to rid yourselves of those creatures.
Alty	Oh? It's that dangerous?
Kal'tsit	More than you can imagine.
Alty	To be honest though, we've never cared too much about that. We just do what we want. Most people inhabiting this great land probably think the same thing, right?
Kal'tsit	If the Seaborn can understand language and music, then I'm sure you'll find an audience, even if disaster were to befall Terra.
Alty	In fact, they're more complete creatures than humans, and have greater resistance to all sorts of things. Give them a few hundred years and maybe they'll even adapt to Originium.
Kal'tsit	I'm aware.
Alty	Mm... So answer me this, Doctor. Us, the Ægir, Sea Terrors, the Seaborn–and all our pitiable kin lurking in the depths of the ocean– –How are any of us different in your eyes?
Kal'tsit	You were born much later. There are many things you do not yet understand.
Alty	When Frost awoke from a deep rock formation, her first thought was to get away from those aliens and monsters. There's nobody to communicate with in the sea, and everyone on land eventually hides their original forms and disappears. Fortunately, music can open a crack in the loneliness.
Kal'tsit	If this situation is resolved, I'll have plenty of time to discuss the past. I also hope that none of you actually... get involved with either Iberia's or the Ægir's plans.
Alty	Why not? I thought you were eager for us to lend a helping hand.
Kal'tsit	It's been too long since I've been in touch with the Ægir. The tides are crying out, and a lack of information hampers my predictions. We do not yet know the true origins of this calamity, nor are we able to infer any possibilities. Worst-case scenario, even you won't have any way to– *sigh*... It seems we have uninvited guests.
Alty	...Huh? They already have the nerve to show themselves openly in town?
Someone's knocking at the door. Without a word, Kal'tsit turns her eyes to the chapel's doors. The thick wooden slabs had endured an unfathomable amount of turmoil over the years, each mark upon them a chronicle of the past. She knows there is something outside them, and what it is. What she cannot imagine, however, is that the Church of the Deep's followers would already dare to be so brazen. Or perhaps...
[The two cultists from before opens the door, carrying the Sea Terror's remains with them.]
Strange Adherent	......
Tight-Lipped Adherent	Outsiders. A grotesque scent, belonging to those strange Ægir.
The two cultists step into the chapel. This Lateran edifice, once wrapped in the cloth of faith, now drapes these two faceless figures. In their arms, they hold their "brother," a Sea Terror–or perhaps just a being stripped of all other names, now nothing more than an expired lifeform.
Alty	Look what they're holding in their arms...
Kal'tsit	A Sea Terror. They don't intend to fight.
Strange Adherent	......
The cultist carrying his brother's body passes by Kal'tsit without turning his head, as if he does not even see the two standing in his path. It is as if he has come all the way from the doors of the chapel to step into the depths of martyrdom.
Strange Adherent	(Broken Ægirian) My brother, o brother. Hear me out. (Broken Ægirian) It is our incompetence that led to your untimely fate. It is our cowardice that prevented you from returning to the sea. (Broken Ægirian) Forgive me, my brother. I can yet hear your voice. (Broken Ægirian) The people of this world all believe death to be the terminus of all life, but we understand that once our individual forms are transcended, even death itself is powerless.
He lays his brother's remains upon the ground and draws a deep breath. He falls to his knees, his eyes filled with sorrow.
Strange Adherent	(Broken Ægirian) Until we return to the ocean, I shall be your coffin. I will take you back to the deeps. (Broken Ægirian) Come, my brother. May you slumber eternally. We shall become one.
The oral ingestion of protein is an act of feeding, yet he did not intend to consume his brother. He was simply forced to use a more primordial method of bringing the two together as one. "Chimera."
[The cultist who had eaten the Sea Terror's remains experienced convulsions and spasms.]
Strange Adherent	Urgh... Aaahh–
Alty	What is he doing?
Kal'tsit	–Assimilation. The simplest method of forcefully penetrating his own torso with the Sea Terror's body.
Alty	Should we stop him? It's pretty gross, and totally lacking in aesthetics.
Kal'tsit	Someone will. But not us.
[Another cultist enters the chapel.]
Tight-Lipped Adherent	Juan! What are you doing!
Strange Adherent	Haah... I... It's still alive... I can feel it... What did you say?
Tight-Lipped Adherent	The Inquisition is here!
Strange Adherent	You... Urgh... Graaah...
[Saint Carmen walks into the chapel.]
Saint Carmen	Repulsive. Though this chapel may be deserted, it is still a sacred place to the Iberian Inquisition. And yet, you dare openly blaspheme our laws and creeds.
Tight-Lipped Adherent	Someone from the Inquisition actually snuck in? But what happened to that Ægir?! Juan!
Strange Adherent	You...! Curse you... Hrrgh... Damn Iberian! Kill him!
[Suddenly St. Carmen dashes right at the cultist and slashes him with his sword...]
Strange Adherent	Graaah!
[...killing him.]
Saint Carmen	The Sea Terror of the grim lake crests and troughs as the mountains roiling in the twilight. Carrying the scent of rotting flesh, the traitor nearly usurps the throne of his new home, screeching gleefully. To think that you'd target such a small, inconspicuous town after Sal Viento. Even now, the Inquisition underestimates the scope of the Church of the Deep's influence. Indeed, your taint is pervasive.
Tight-Lipped Adherent	Juan! The Inquisitor! You have to–!
Saint Carmen	You're even weaker than any Church of the Deep remnants I've seen. Why do you insist on staying in this unremarkable town? Answer me.