SN-ST-3: Empty Street

SN-ST-3 Empty Street	Stultifera Navis: Gran Faro Previous SN-2 Next SN-3
Along the uninhabited street, travelers from afar now sing.

Characters
Elysium Gladiia Inquisitor Irene Kal'tsit Skadi Specter Ulpianus Alty Frost High Inquisitor Mon3tr Saint Carmen Amaia Sea Terror Wounded Cultist
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4

Summary: The Hunters encounter AUS and realize that the town is under attack. Elysium is attacked by Ulpianus while protecting the town, and Specter runs into Amaia, believed to have been kidnapped.
<Background black>
High Inquisitor	Irene.
Inquisitor Irene	Yes, maestro... I mean, sir!
High Inquisitor	You seem distracted.
Inquisitor Irene	I... I'm fine.
High Inquisitor	Gran Faro is a tiny town, so small that most maps don't even bother to list it. But this is a request from Lord Carmen himself, and it involves Dr. Kal'tsit and those Ægir.
Inquisitor Irene	I know, sir. I–
High Inquisitor	If you still haven't found your answer, I will not give you permission to join the mission.
Inquisitor Irene	I'd already made up my mind when I first decided to follow in your footsteps and become an Inquisitor.
High Inquisitor	Yes, before you even knew the question. An answer is worthless if it cannot explain what you see and hear. Don't die a worthless death, Irene. You know what we're fighting against. And you must find your own answer.
Inquisitor Irene	I– ...Yes, sir.
<Background 1>
Gladiia	Lady Kal'tsit.
Gladiia's tone does not change, but her footsteps reflect her mood. A blink of the eye, and she is by Kal'tsit's side.
Kal'tsit	Good work, Gladiia.
Gladiia	The Inquisition didn't do anything to you, did they?
Kal'tsit	The fact that Iberia has not yet sunk into the sea is proof that they still retain a shred of humility and vigilance.
Gladiia	You found a way, as promised.
Kal'tsit	Yes. However... Even if Iberia is willing to let go of their fears, what about Ægir? What about you?
Gladiia	If this temporary cooperation is necessary to help us return to the ocean... so be it.
[Alty joins in.]
Alty	Finally, an Ægir with some sense, right? Like the waves themselves, like the rays and texture of the sea. Hello there, special Ægir. I believe you've already met our other members?
Gladiia	Yes. You're also a member of AUS?
Alty	Alty, bassist. Nice to meet you. How are things outside?
Gladiia	The cultists are out in force, but individually they're rather weak. My Hunters can take care of everything.
Kal'tsit	The Inquisition will only work with us once we've taken care of the problems in Gran Faro.
Gladiia	Then there's no time to waste.
Gladiia raises her lance. At the same time, she senses that something is not right.
Gladiia	......!
Gladiia	There, among the Sea Terrors... but how could it be...?
[Kal'tsit receives a call from Elysium...]
Kal'tsit	Kal'tsit here.
Elysium	Dr. Kal'tsit! Their goal is–
[...but it abruptly goes static after a slashing sound.]
Kal'tsit	...Elysium?
Gladiia	What's the matter?
Kal'tsit	One of our operators is in trouble.
Gladiia	Something lurks here.
Kal'tsit	As we discussed, Alty, the members of AUS can stay ashore. We'll handle this as quickly as possible.
Alty	Sure, we can wait. And we'll be happy to provide some BGM for your campaign.
<Background 2>
[Skadi stands in the streets.]
Skadi	...Too weak. They keep coming. Buying time? Or spreading... something. I must find the leader.
Sea Terror	–Gkh–!
[Skadi cuts down the Sea Terror.]
Specter	......
Skadi	Specter.
Specter	...Hm? Ah... Skadi. Long time no see. Something the matter?
Skadi	...Are you alright?
Specter	I'm fine, just a little tired. Yes... We're fighting, right? The scent of the ocean... reminds me of home. But, home? My home... huh...
Sea Terror	Gkh–!
[Skadi finishes off the Sea Terror.]
Specter	The sea. The scent of the sea grows stronger. Are we home, Skadi? Is this the way home?
Skadi	...It will be, Specter. Laurentina. I promise.
Specter	Tell me then... what's that before my eyes?
Skadi	What?
A figure strides down the street, humming a tune. The streets are a mess in the aftermath of the panicking townsfolk, but it hardly bothers Frost as she plucks at the air and imagines music.
Skadi	Hmph!
[The Sea Terrors are somehow pacified by the one singing...]
Sea Terror	(Slithering sounds)
[...as Skadi and Specter watches.]
Skadi	The Sea Terrors keep away from her. No, they ignore her. Is she... playing an instrument?
Specter	Does it sound nice?
Skadi	I don't know.
Specter	Then ask.
Skadi	Wait! [StopMusic(fadetime=2)]
<Background 3>
Elysium	*pant*... *pant*... (Did I shake him?)
[Elysium tries to contact Kal'tsit again, but the communicator is damaged from Ulpianus' attack before...]
Elysium	Dammit?! Was it when we first met? No, he didn't even touch me.
[...who reveals himself.]
Ulpianus	Those documents must be destroyed, Iberian. Obey, and you may keep your limbs. Attached, if you prefer.
Elysium	(Shit, he's fast...) Weren't your friends only burning them because there wasn't time to save them all? With your skills, you could just as easily have taken them yourself. So why the need to burn them?
Ulpianus	"Friends?"
The man growls from the bottom of his throat, a sound born of humiliation.
Ulpianus	We are not "friends."
Elysium	Then what?
Ulpianus	It doesn't concern you. Surrender the documents, and leave this place. Whether you're with the Inquisition, or with another country... ......!
Elysium	(He stopped.)
Ulpianus	Yes... you've always been sharp.
The mysterious Ægir gazes into the distance. "Friends."
Ulpianus	(Ægirian) We may be bound by blood, but you must stay away from Ægir for now.
Elysium	–!
Elysium evades the attack, but it's immediately clear why he managed to. The sword's aura rips the charred papers to shreds, sending the splintered truth drifting into the wind.
Elysium	Crap–
Ulpianus	(Ægirian) They cannot return to Ægir just yet. Allowing everyone to act on their own will only accelerate the destruction. (Ægirian) Even though Ægir has already chosen the path of self-annihilation.
<Background 4>
Saint Carmen	No more Sea Terrors approach. Unsurprising numbers, for the coast. Now, where are you hiding?
Wounded Cultist	You... *cough* No! Not the lantern!
Saint Carmen	Answer me. What do you intend for Gran Faro?
Wounded Cultist	That lantern! Get it off me–
Saint Carmen	Answer me.
Wounded Cultist	Ugh... It... It's...
Saint Carmen	What are you pointing at?
Carmen looks back in the direction that the cultist is indicating. A statue stands in the middle of the square.
Saint Carmen	Ah. Gran Faro. The Great Lighthouse. Of course. You're seeking the lighthouse of Gran Faro.
Wounded Cultist	Stop... stop it... ugh...
Saint Carmen	The nobles once called those great monuments the Eye of Iberia. Dozens of them once stood on Iberia's coastline. Even had the Witch King's Tower in Leithanien not been toppled, it would still have been dwarfed by these guardians of the sea. They are the single greatest mark that human civilization has ever left on this land.
Wounded Cultist	The sea... *cough* the Eye of Iberia... The miracle... destroyed the sacrilege... argh... take that lantern away!
Saint Carmen	The Profound Silence destroyed most of the lighthouses, and disabled the rest. What are you plotting?
Wounded Cultist	......
Saint Carmen	I see. So you knew... You knew that one remained operational. That the goal of the Gran Faro project was to protect what was left of the Eye of Iberia. That's why you've been lurking here, awaiting your chance.
Wounded Cultist	You...
Saint Carmen	I never expected there to be traitors in the very heart of the Inquisition. Where are they?
Wounded Cultist	Ha... hehehe... While you're here... babbling away... Look under your feet... and come face to face... with your pathetic... narrow-mindedness...
Saint Carmen	What?
[Carmen looked at a nearby dying Sea Terror...]
Dying Sea Terror	......
[...that starts to release luminescent substances from its body.]
Dying Sea Terror	(Unsettling slithering sounds)
Saint Carmen	Hm. The Sea Terrors are... glowing? What is this luminescence?
Kal'tsit	Get away from it!
Saint Carmen	Ah–
Kal'tsit	Mon3tr!
[Kal'tsit summons Mon3tr to her side...]
Mon3tr	(Impatient growling)
Kal'tsit	Meltdown.
[...and augments it with her powers.]
Mon3tr	(Agitated roars)
<Background 2>
Specter	Hello.
Frost	(Peaceful riff)
Specter	There is a familiar scent on you... Do you know what it is?
Frost	(Spirited riff)
Specter	A pleasant melody, but not the one that I know.
Frost	Then, how does the one you know go?
Specter	......
When she prayed, the stars ceased to shimmer♪ When she wept, the night let out a smile♪ When she laments, the anguish sprawled upon her madness♪
Frost	...A song of Ægir. A sad song. But I don't like it. It belongs in the past. It lacks passion, and wallows in futile sentimentality–the same as Ægir itself.
Specter	A shame.
Frost	You've come home, Ægir.
Specter	Home? Me?
Frost	Sing. In song, you will rediscover yourself.
Specter	Song? What memories will singing recall?
Frost	Just sing. You will encounter your past. You must eventually find and face your destiny, or it will find you. That's how it has ever been, since I left the ocean.
[Frost leaves.]
Specter	What a strange woman. But I don't mind singing. Then sing. La la la, la la la♪ When she prays, the stars ceased to shimmer♪
...... ...
[Amaia walks toward Specter.]
Amaia	As always, there's such sorrow in your song.
Specter	Who are... you?
Amaia	I never imagined we'd meet again in such circumstances, Laurentina.