Operation story: WD-7

Operation

Story

Previous WD-5	Next WD-8
Characters
Elliot Heavyrain Kal'tsit "Sand Soldier" Sesa Mon3tr Old Isin Black Market Resident Black Market Resident Disheveled Person Homeless Person Sarkaz Mercenary
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Before operation

“

Kal'tsit finds her hiding spot ambushed by a team of Sarkaz mercenaries. A disastrous battle is unavoidable.

”

22 Years Ago 8:05 P.M. \ Cloudy Central Sargon, Ibut Region, Town of Reefsteep, Surroundings
<Background 1>
[Kal'tsit looks at the abandoned courtyard where the fortune teller, now known as Old Isin, lives.]
Kal'tsit	An abandoned courtyard... Is this where you live?
Old Isin	A few years ago, a merchant built the magnificent courtyard before you, but he disappeared without a trace during a business trip. To this day, no one knows whether he met his fate in a natural Catastrophe or man-made tragedy. But whichever the case, this courtyard has become a place of refuge for those of us with nowhere to go.
Homeless Person	Old Isin brought two new faces with him... She doesn't seem all that poor, going by her looks...
Disheveled Person	We need to be careful... Let's head back inside. We shouldn't pry into Old Isin's secrets.
[The vagrants leave.]
Kal'tsit	What's this courtyard called...?
Old Isin	(Sargonian) "The Sleeping Sargon." That's what all those without a home have come to call this place... Just like our fallen homeland, my lady. We sleep on the most extravagant corpse you can find in the whole world. Please stay the night and wait until sunrise. Only then can we leave for the heart of Reefsteep.
Kal'tsit	The land encircled by reefs.
Old Isin	Precisely... Right in the center of the sea of sands.
Kal'tsit	The padishah and lord ameer chose to rebuild their city somewhere with far richer resources, leaving it a forgotten ruin, a land of lawlessness. Be that as it may, to those who once lived in that city as well as their descendants, leaving that place behind is easier said than done.
Old Isin	You can hire underground Messengers to do your bidding there. They will create fake identities for you and help you leave Sargon territory. However, your destination is quite some distance away. Old Isin cannot guarantee you will arrive in one piece.
Kal'tsit	How is Elliot doing?
Old Isin	He is asleep, but it is safe here. You care for him more than Old Isin imagined you would. It is proof of your kindness.
Kal'tsit	He's not going to be happy if he catches you say that.
Old Isin	Oh, Old Isin can see it... The anger lurking in him.
Kal'tsit	I thought you'd have met plenty of people like him. Civil unrests and skirmishes happen often in Sargon, after all.
Old Isin	The world may think there are many brave men with a lust for revenge, but there isn't. Most merely drown in their hatred, their rationality quashed by their anger.
Kal'tsit	I can save him this once, and only this once.
Old Isin	Yes... Old Isin understands... His fate lies elsewhere... and his fate is bound to that gold coin of yours.
Kal'tsit	Why 22 years?
Old Isin	Arts cannot give us so-called prophecies, and no mere mortal can manipulate time. Time is the mother of all fates. All Old Isin likes to do is to wager against time.
Kal'tsit	So you mean... Hm, what's wrong?
Mon3tr	(Dissatisfied hisses)
Old Isin	Ah... What a beautiful creature. Old Isin can tell. The two of you depend on one another. Old Isin can tell... it is your partner. The two of you have traveled a long, long journey together.
Kal'tsit	Let's go, Mon3tr. Let's go see them.
Old Isin	Oh... You communicate... Your hearts are connected. Old Isin can feel that... you have complete trust in this creature... as though it is your one and only friend... Yet... you traveled on your long, arduous journey with no one but this beautiful creature...? Lady, is this glory of yours replete with nothing but loneliness?
Kal'tsit	Loneliness doesn't affect my responsibilities in any way... It seems we've got company. I'll go take care of them. Please stay here. Take care of Elliot.
Old Isin	Of course. Old Isin has ways to hide. After all, Old Isin has been hiding for far too long.
<Background 2>
[Elliot, not seeing Kal'tsit around, goes to Old Isin to ask him.]
Elliot	Where's Kal'tsit?
Old Isin	Enemies are abound. She is fending them off with her trusted partner.
Elliot	You mean that weird creature... Why are you looking into the distance like that? Are you worried about her?
Old Isin	No, Old Isin is not worried. She has a tenacious spirit. Old Isin thinks not even death can stop her in her tracks, that's why Old Isin respects her. Old Isin has a question for her...
Elliot	What do you want to ask her...?
Old Isin	For the past hundred and some years... Old Isin has had the same dream again and again. In those dreams, there stands a magnificent city among the golden sands. The city moves, and the sky seen from its towers is purer and clearer than ever... The young pasha stands next to Old Isin, and there is always a vast, empty swath of land before our eyes. The young padishah would always begin to recount to Old Isin... Yet Old Isin is too old... Old Isin forgets. Old Isin's crimes are unforgivable.
Elliot	(He's talking to himself again...)
Old Isin	Old Isin has always sought this answer. Old Isin has been waiting for someone who knows of the city and its glory. All those who had to do with the city yet live in the dream. Some have forgotten, but a great many of us still look back fondly on our homeland... We built this city with our own hands under the padishah's leadership. A great city. Even if Catastrophes bring it to its ruins, that city is the true beginning of the Land of Reefsteep... The Sargonians of Ibut must never forget anything about Reefsteep... yet... Old Isin has forgotten... Old Isin is unforgivable.
Elliot	You've been waiting for someone... to tell you what you've forgotten in your dreams?
The old fortune teller turns around, his smell ever rotten. His facial features are strange, and his bare fingers certainly do not resemble his actual age. Old Isin smiles happily.
<Background 3>
[Kal'tsit confronts the attackers, who turned out to be the Sarkaz mercenaries from before.]
Kal'tsit	......
Mon3tr	(Roars)
Sarkaz Mercenary	You're the leader of those squads... I remember you. How did you find us, Columbian?
Kal'tsit	Sarkaz... I'm not from Columbia. (Sarkaz Tribal Dialect)
Sarkaz Mercenary	Hmm–?! What's going on... Are you trying to control my mind?! Fire! Stop her Arts.
[The Sarkaz mercs fire at Kal'tsit...]
Kal'tsit	(Sarkaz Tribal Dialect)
[...but Mon3tr shields her...]
Mon3tr	(Shrieks)
[...with its metallic hide deflecting the arrows.]
Sarkaz Mercenary	What...? Not even the highest grade arrows could harm that monster?! We don't have enough info to work with... She seems to be a Caster. Be careful!
Kal'tsit	Sarkaz... The Lord Ameer of Ibut hired you, didn't he?
Sarkaz Mercenary	You think I'm about to tell you?
Kal'tsit	No... The Ibuti Lord Ameer has a deep, personal grudge against Victoria. I only got a brief glimpse, so it's possible I'm mistaken, but the arrows just now were indeed Victorian. Looks like your real employer... The current padishah, Murad, is far more crafty than I expected. A patient ruler, fanning the flames between the different forces without a care in the world. Perhaps he had anticipated the plans of the Columbians and the local lords ameer all along?
Sarkaz Mercenary	Heh, you know about the padishah, and still you dare come to Sargon? I'll never know what's going on in you Columbians' heads. What, you got Originium in your brain? Padishah Murad wants just the box and nothing else. Give it to us, and all of us get to leave this place alive. You haven't destroyed it, have you?
Kal'tsit	Only because it isn't mine.
Sarkaz Mercenary	Heh... You're a stubborn one. The Ibuti Lord Ameer's self-righteousness earned him the padishah's anger. I have no idea who hired those Columbian mercenaries, but I can at least tell you they won't be putting up a fight anymore. This pointless war is coming to an end soon. Padishah Murad gave us the authority to bring all this to an end.
Kal'tsit	If that were the case, why would an almighty Sargon padishah hire mercenaries to do his bidding here, instead of sending his personal guards?
Sarkaz Mercenary	This has got way too much to do with Columbia, after all, but none of that matters to you and me right now. You got a decision to make here, Operations Adviser. All you gotta know is that there's no one coming to save you in this desert.
Mon3tr	(Lightly stretches body)
Sarkaz Mercenary	(Watch out for that creature. No idea what it actually is, but it's gonna be tricky to take it down.)
Kal'tsit	(Sarkaz Tribal Dialect)
Sarkaz Mercenary	–! You– –No, it can't be! This isn't just normal Arts– Devil speak? You're a Columbian! How– (Sargonian) Enough! (Sargonian) Talk to us in Victorian or Sargonian, or else we'll shoot!
Kal'tsit	Are you from Kazdel?
Sarkaz Mercenary	Kazdel...? Just a bedtime story for kids. I have no idea what you have to do with Sarkaz, but this doesn't change anything about the situation we're in. Be quick with it and hand the box over. All the padishah wants is the tech.
Kal'tsit	This will set off the beginning of Sargon's destruction. Padishah Murad is not a scientist. He doesn't understand the devastation it can cause.
Sarkaz Mercenary	He doesn't need to understand, nor do we.
Kal'tsit	Is Sargon your homeland, Sarkaz?
Sarkaz Mercenary	I've lived in Sargon for as long as I can remember. We snuck around in the back alleys and hid our horns, and we lived in the filthiest of places. Picking up arms is the only way we get to eat. It's simple. All of us are practically natural-born Infected. It's do or die, and that's what drives us. Tsk–So what are you saying?
Kal'tsit	Only Sarkaz with a firm will can escape the ancient language's influence. The language itself is a kind of Sarkaz witchery. What's the source of your conviction? Your mission, or your greed?
Sarkaz Mercenary	Well, I gotta admit... Your mind trick might actually have worked. I still haven't ordered anyone to open fire. I'm still chitchatting with you with all the patience in the world, even.
Kal'tsit	All I can see before me is a Sarkaz trying his best to survive using the simplest method he knows.
Mon3tr	(Looks around on alert)
Sarkaz Mercenary	Enough of this crap. I thought you were a Columbian mercenary leader. Stop pussyfooting around!
Kal'tsit	Padishah Murad won't allow any Sarkaz to know his dirtiest secrets. You fought off all the other squads vying for this trophy. Don't you suppose the lords ameer's men were not among them, masquerading as mercenaries? And between the exorbitant amounts in taxes and the lives of a few Sarkaz assassins, what do you think Padishah Murad's choice will be?
Sarkaz Mercenary	Of course we're aware of that, but if we let you go now, does that mean we'll be raking in even more dough, or our Oripathy will be cured right away? Don't get the wrong idea. We live at the padishah's mercy. We don't have a choice.
Kal'tsit	Perhaps I can give you a choice. (Sarkaz Tribal Dialect)
Sarkaz Mercenary	Hmph–You want to turn us against him, and you want us to serve– –Serve Kazdel... a place we haven't so much as seen...? Don't make me laugh, Caster! The Sarkaz homeland? There's nothing there but a bunch of ruins! You bookworm types should know better than any of us just how much is left of Kazdel! (Get the Casters ready. Focus your fire on that monster. You two, we'll take the bitch down the first opportunity we got.)
Kal'tsit	Too bad. Looks like negotiation's not on the table anymore.
Sarkaz Mercenary	This isn't even negotiation–Tsk, what is this even, mercy? You're the one who's surrounded right now! Yeah, you're right... You know how to strike fear, but if we don't give the padishah an answer he's satisfied with by tomorrow, we aren't going to escape death either. Just like I told you, we don't have a choice. Open fire!
[The Sarkaz mercs open fire at Kal'tsit but she uses her Arts (or something else?) to shield herself from the shots.]
Sarkaz Mercenary	What's that behind the smoke...? Is that the monster? Not even a scratch...? You, "Kazdel" Caster. What are you?
Mon3tr	–
Kal'tsit	You didn't have to be someone else's tool.
Sarkaz Mercenary	I want to live. Besides, this is how it's always been. A Sarkaz has no right to dream about the future. Draw your blades! Attack!

After operation

“

Having arrived at the black market, Kal'tsit has begun preparing for her journey with Old Isin's assistance. On the other hand, Elliot is hesitating. He must cut loose his past, and he chooses to remain in Sargon.

”

Modern Day 4:14 P.M. \ Clear Central Sargon, Ibut Region, Warzone
<Background 4>
"Sand Soldier"	I find myself looking back on those events often, during my most difficult times. Whenever I grow tired of striking the iron, whenever I am unsatisfied with inferior materials that result in products less than satisfactory–The events I witnessed that day immediately come to mind.
Sesa	–So you took care of all those mercenaries by yourself–?
Heavyrain	No, he planted those weapons beforehand... and they self-destructed.
Sesa	I'm surprised you could bring yourself to actually do it... Didn't you make all those things yourself...?
"Sand Soldier"	What kind of craftsman has lingering affection for their creations? The reason we pour our emotions into our work is to create an even more refined product, not to be tied down by our feelings.
Heavyrain	So you had it all figured out beforehand, eh?
"Sand Soldier"	I eliminated all the factors unbeneficial to us. What is wrong about that?
Sesa	–Ugh, this burnt smell stinks...
"Sand Soldier"	Don't tell me Rhodes Island claims to be pacifist. Though I can certainly tell you two are not.
Sesa	So... what did you see that day again...?
"Sand Soldier"	Ah, has either of you personally seen her in combat? It is as though she had a birds-eye view from up in the sky. Everything was under her control.
<Background 3>
Old Isin	We're close. Very close. Sarkaz... Devils... She won. She won indeed. Old Isin knew this is exactly how it would turn out...
Elliot	Ahem, do you have to follow me around?
Old Isin	Of course, Lady Kal'tsit asked Old Isin to. Until the moment she steps out of Sargon, her wish is Old Isin's command.
Elliot	Hmm, is that her over there...?
On the other side of the hills, the smell of Originium gunpowder and blood yet lingers in the sandstorm, a phenomenon that has become all but natural to Elliot. A gust of wind blows past, carrying away with it the dust. Under the clear sun, the strange creature's large stature appears as though it is distorting even the sunlight. There, Kal'tsit stands solemnly. She is as calm and quiet as one can be.
<Background fades out and in>
[The Sarkaz mercs' commander lies on the ground, dying.]
Sarkaz Mercenary	*Cough*–
Kal'tsit	You could've become a warrior, nameless mercenary. A Sarkaz Warrior.
Sarkaz Mercenary	My death... is for a greater purpose, Caster. Not going to finish me?
Kal'tsit	Let's see–
[Mon3tr slashes the Sarkaz merc, though it's not enough to finish him off.]
Mon3tr	(Angry low roar)
Sarkaz Mercenary	Tsk... This monster... I'm more than ready to die. Are a few extra scratches that much to ask for?
Mon3tr	(Roars)
[Kal'tsit punches the Sarkaz merc, knocking him down.]
Kal'tsit	Enough, Mon3tr. He's a dead man with those injuries.
Mon3tr	(Dissatisfied hisses)
Sarkaz Mercenary	Hah... Looks like we saved the padishah some trouble...
Kal'tsit	Sarkaz... What's your name...?
Sarkaz Mercenary	Pfft... Which one? Tell me, Caster. The Kazdel you were talking about... How does it look now?
Kal'tsit	Terrible still. But the Sarkaz are rebuilding their homes.
Sarkaz Mercenary	Home...? How could us devils... us Infected possibly have one... I've never left Sargon...
Kal'tsit	The Sarkaz have tried to rebuild "Kazdel", their home for centuries, though they have never succeeded. Everyone has a different idea as to what the term 'homeland' means, but as it stands right now, Kazdel is perhaps as close as you can get to the term's original meaning. The "Teekaz" deserve a home.
Sarkaz Mercenary	Tsk... That does... ...have a nice ring to it...
Kal'tsit	......
[Old Isin walks toward Kal'tsit.]
Old Isin	Poor devil, poor devil. He is gone, no longer with us.
Kal'tsit	You two shouldn't have come.
Old Isin	You made quite a ruckus here. Old Isin thinks this place could use some cleaning to avoid catching anyone's attention...
Elliot	You took all of them down by yourself...?
Mon3tr	(Shakes head in dissatisfaction)
Elliot	Um, okay. You two... took down a whole mercenary squad? How many of them were there?
Kal'tsit	It was no easy task. I would've been in quite a tight spot if they weren't as afraid of Mon3tr as they were. Let's pick up the pace. We've already found ourselves in seven skirmishes since we left Redhorn. And now we have an entire Sarkaz mercenary squad. We'll likely face the lord ameer's guards next or the padishah's elite troops. No matter the case, the more we run, the more fierce our enemies become.
Old Isin	Old Isin gets the impression that you didn't want to kill them?
Kal'tsit	You're not wrong.
Old Isin	You seem to have special feelings for Sarkaz... Oh, pardon Old Isin. Old Isin should not have asked. The sun is setting soon, Lady Kal'tsit. We must bury these bodies right away. It looks like their sand buggy will save us quite a bit...
Kal'tsit	We need to be quick.
<Background black>
Can knowledge be a means to buy over a person's heart? Elliot has never so much as thought about that. He used to be naive, but he was also gifted precisely because of this. Of course, he cannot understand why Old Isin would follow everything Kal'tsit says after that exchange of theirs. It is as though he lives in the distant past. He merely gazes at the far end of Sargon's golden sands, waiting for someone to come give him the answer he has always sought. Is knowing what the answer is all that he ever wanted?
<Background 5>
Old Isin	This... is the entrance to the old market. This is the Reefsteep Town.
Elliot	Yet another Sargon town...
Old Isin	Old Isin knows where the entrance is... The old market is no secret. Anyone has the right to look for that which they want here. Come with Old Isin.
<Background 6>
Black Market Resident	Old Isin...? I thought you died in the golden sands!
Old Isin	Old Isin is fortunate to survive.
Black Market Resident	Hm, are those two behind you Columbians...? Columbians on the run. That box they have gotta be worth some money, then.
Elliot	...!
Black Market Resident	Oh, relax. Why so tense? I'll give you 400 gold coins for that box.
Kal'tsit	Sorry, but it's not for sale.
Black Market Resident	Ah, that's too bad... No worries, I'm sure we'll have more chances to do business with each other. Isn't that right, Old Isin? Haha.
Old Isin	Please don't let it get to you, Lady. This happens often here. She isn't actually that curious about the box...
Kal'tsit	If she actually had her mind set on it, we well wouldn't be getting much sleep in the future.
Elliot	She opened at 400 coins...?
Old Isin	This is the Reefsteep Black Market. The vibrant heart of Ibut.
Elliot	How long are we staying here...?
Old Isin	This will be a long journey. It will take Old Isin time to prepare. Perhaps two weeks.
Kal'tsit	Isin, I'm counting on you.
Old Isin	Mm, what is this for...? Gold coins? Old Isin needs no money at all...
Kal'tsit	Our enemies are still coming after us. We need to get the preparations done as soon as possible.
Old Isin	Old Isin understands, but please keep your coins. Old Isin is in no place to take them... and Old Isin still has much to ask you.
Kal'tsit	Very well, I understand... Feel free to ask me any time. Even now.
Old Isin	Thank you... Old Isin is far too old... Old Isin has forgotten far too many important things. Alas, most of those who remembers what I wish to know have come and gone. That is why Old Isin is looking for clues... Lady, you are young. Normally, Old Isin would not hold out hope for those your age... but you know of that city, the secrets that disappeared in those great winds long ago.
Kal'tsit	What do you want to remember, old Savra?
Old Isin	Old Isin once served a padishah... The Padishah of the Land of Reefsteep. The padishah saw Old Isin as a friend and would even die for Old Isin. An honor Old Isin can never fully repay... Yet... it has been far too long. Old Isin has forgotten the words of the padishah. Before Old Isin dies, Old Isin must remember his words.
Kal'tsit	The disaster that destroyed the city left you directionless.
Old Isin	It has been too long, Lady. Look, you remember even that Catastrophe–
Kal'tsit	The padishah who ruled Reefsteep doesn't show up in the history books much, but, at the very least, the written accounts and folklores do not mention a Savra fortune teller. It will probably take some time if you want to figure out who you are.
Old Isin	Oh, that's fine–Even if you must leave this place behind and there is still a long wait ahead, Old Isin will patiently await your return. Old Isin dares not to die. Old Isin only asks you to remember this.
Kal'tsit	I promise you.
Old Isin	Please, come with Old Isin. Old Isin has a home here. An old dwelling...
Elliot	Umm...?
<Background 7>
Elliot	Isn't this just a normal–Wait, what's this? Pure gold–? You buried a whole mountain of pure gold here?!
Old Isin	These are Old Isin's riches... but Old Isin had no way to spend them. Now, Old Isin is glad to finally give them purpose.
Kal'tsit	That's no small sum you have. Has no one gone after your riches before?
Old Isin	Old Isin was the padishah's favorite courtier. Even if Old Isin had not a bean to his name, Old Isin will always be protected. Old Isin will get started with the preparations now.
Kal'tsit	What do you want to know?
Old Isin	Far too much, my lady... But you possess all the answers.
<Background 8>
[Kal'tsit and Elliot walks outside at nightfall.]
Elliot	It feels pretty empty up here...
Kal'tsit	A black market always starts out as a normal underground bazaar. It's a fairly common sight for areas barraged by Catastrophes. When nightfall comes, the lights are moved underground.
Elliot	......
Kal'tsit	Something on your mind?
Elliot	I've been on the run with you for a while now, but you're still keeping me in the dark for a lot things. Like that old Savra with amnesia.
Kal'tsit	Long ago... there used to be a city here. The only nomadic city in Ibut's vast territory. The building of a city is a miracle in itself, but, before the Reefsteep Padishah, no one had managed to unite all of Ibut. And the symbol of that unity? That city among the golden sands. That was what inspired everyone to unite under his rule. That era was not that long ago, and I believe there are still a fair amount of people out there wallowing in their homeland's former glory. Unfortunately, it was not meant to last. The city met its fate during a Catastrophe. Supposedly, after the padishah had evacuated all his citizens and workers, he simply lamented and lashed out at the gathering storm.
Elliot	Lash out... at the Catastrophe?
Kal'tsit	That's how it was recorded in history, at least, but it most likely actually happened. The Catastrophe laid waste on the padishah's grand achievement in a brief moment. In just one night, all its citizens became refugees. They very well could have built a new home together, but with the destruction of the city... everything was left behind in that sandstorm, forgotten.
Elliot	......
Kal'tsit	Old Isin was among them. The lords ameer and the new padishah didn't want to spend a huge sum of money to rebuild the city. Thanks to that, their descendants likely had no idea where to begin to rebuild their homeland. This filled them with grief, and this is also why they give all those who still respect the "Land of Reefsteep" the same amount of respect.
Elliot	So... Is that why they're helping us...? Because it's like helping out their countrymen? From the looks of it, we'll get to leave Sargon soon, right?
Kal'tsit	If everything goes well, we should be leaving Sargon territory within the month.
Elliot	And we're going to Ursus?
Kal'tsit	That's right.
Elliot	Why? I don't get it. Did you really abandon everything you had in Columbia and came to Sargon just to keep our research from becoming the powder keg that sparks a war?
Kal'tsit	None of you could've possibly foreseen what the chain of events would eventually lead to.
Elliot	And you can...?
Kal'tsit	If you really want me to give you an answer, I'll say yes.
Elliot	It would be so much easier for you if you killed me and destroyed the box now... but, here you are, letting me hold onto it.
Kal'tsit	Do you want me to do that?
Elliot	No... At first... I was really bothered that I was the only survivor, but I don't feel that way anymore. Kal'tsit... If I give you this box now, will you do something for me... for us?
Kal'tsit	You know the Ibuti Lord Ameer was dragged into this mess. From Sargon to Columbia, the accomplices of this conspiracy are everywhere.
Elliot	But I still want them to pay the price... See, this box–It's my one and only trump card.
Kal'tsit	But once it's destroyed, you'll have nothing–
Elliot	–Nothing? Actually... Kal'tsit, ever since the beginning, I've always felt I didn't need this box. I remember all the details, and I can replicate our past results.
Kal'tsit	You...
Elliot	Of course, it'll take a long time, and there's probably going to be lots of difficult issues... but I think I can do it. If, just like you said, there's some kind of way to turn this Originium energy source into a weapon–
Kal'tsit	......
Elliot	This is the first time you are looking me in the eyes, Kal'tsit. The first time you aren't treating me as a kid or someone to be protected, but as a scientist, a Columbian.
Kal'tsit	Perhaps I've been underestimating you because of your age, Elliot.
Elliot	Relax, I won't let these bad guys use the Professor's research as they please. I won't. But I will use it to finish one last thing.
Kal'tsit	You don't understand how Professor Thorne's research came to be.
Elliot	I heard him say before that the basis of the technology came from a set of ancient ruins that archaeologists found in Sarkaz, and it could provide nomadic cities an entirely new and convenient energy source–
Kal'tsit	–I'll say it again. If misused, this could easily bury half of Sargon under its golden sands.
Elliot	Hmm... Well, you were the head of the mercenaries to begin with. You probably have a few other tricks up your sleeve just to be safe, don't you, "Adviser?" Such as... taking me out right now. The way you people like to take care of things.
Kal'tsit	......
Mon3tr	(Happy sounds)
Elliot	......
Kal'tsit	... Go back inside...
Elliot	You–
Kal'tsit	Enough with the tough act, Elliot. With the way you are now, you can't make a sensible decision. You should really think about what it is that you want to do carefully.
<Background 6>
Old Isin	Thank you, thank you. This is all that Old Isin wants.
Black Market Resident	You're going so far away?
Old Isin	Old Isin won't be going... Old Isin will go nowhere.
Black Market Resident	Alright, your call. You got the cash, and I got the goods. It's as simple as that. You need any help packing?
Old Isin	No, no need. We must keep my lady's whereabouts a secret...
Kal'tsit	Isin.
Old Isin	Ah, my lady. The preparations are almost complete. We have medicine, food, water, and a small amount of refined Originium Ingots.
Black Market Resident	This car here's stolen, and it's already been modified about four or five times by the Vouivre. It's kinda beat up, but that's the only downside to it. It's got everything you want in a car, even got a Multi-Grenade Launcher. I heard you guys are going north? Where to? Sami, perhaps? Whoa, will you guys actually make it that far?
Old Isin	As for your compensation...
Black Market Resident	All pure gold? I ain't giving change, you know. That's a pain in the butt.
Old Isin	Just like how we were treated in the old days, Old Isin is never stingy when it comes to compensation.
Black Market Resident	Heh. Well, thanks!
[The black market traders leave as Kal'tsit goes to Old Isin.]
Kal'tsit	Let's call it a day here, Isin.
Old Isin	Very well, my lady... If all goes well, you will be departing on your journey within the next three days.
<Background fades out and in>
Black Market Resident	–Leithanien Arts Units' parts are nice and all, but they're such a hassle to use, and they are usually pretty rough. The Columbians make much better stuff. I got some new wares here... Originium weapons straight from Minos. They... –Once you place the order, you gotta buy it. What about it don't you understand–
Old Isin	How lively... Old Isin doesn't hate this place at all.
Kal'tsit	If you have wealth and status here, why roam the streets elsewhere in Ibut?
Old Isin	Old Isin wants to help Sargonians. This ideal helped Old Isin move forward and helped support his many lifetimes.
Kal'tsit	Compared to the average lifespan of a Savra, you have lived quite a long time. Is this an effect of your Originium Arts?
Old Isin	Old Isin... has forgotten even what his Originium Arts could do... Old Isin can fiddle with this Originium crystal ball, but Old Isin does not remember what kind of tricks it conjured up back in those grand, radiant days.
Kal'tsit	This isn't a normal physiological disease. Your brain and body are under the influence of some kind of Arts.
Old Isin	Lady Kal'tsit... Old Isin thinks that, with the Reefsteep lost to the storm, perhaps there are no more clues to be found anywhere but in the centermost areas of Sargon... Have you been to that fabled golden city?
Kal'tsit	You mean the capital of Sargon? Though its industrial prowess has been advancing day by day, Sargon's capital has never once opted to relocate its nomadic city.
Old Isin	In the winds, the sands ceaselessly beat against Sargon's walls as time goes on and on...
Kal'tsit	Even Catastrophes cannot rock Sargon's core.
Old Isin	Old Isin thinks what he has forgotten is there. Old Isin can remember everything there... but that is a place that Old Isin can never reach...
Kal'tsit	Only the padishahs and a few lords ameer who were granted the royal privilege may see that city hidden deep within the sandstorms. You said you wanted an answer.
Old Isin	Old Isin remembers nothing but a dream... In the dream, amid those boundless hotlands, the armies simply charged toward the horizon devoid of people...
Kal'tsit	–!
Old Isin	All Old Isin remembers of it is that the Iron Heels hoisted a scarlet web and charged toward the southernmost horizons of Sargon. But this has nothing to do with the Reefsteep. Is this perhaps a key that could lead to Old Isin's past?
Kal'tsit	Hang on a second. Could you– Wait... You could not have known that... The conquest of the Kheshigs of Nightzmora took place over a thousand years ago... How does this have anything to do with Reefsteep?
Old Isin	Kheshigs... The Nightzmora's royal debt... Old Isin knows. Old Isin knows... but why?
Kal'tsit	... Did you serve a Nightzmoran offspring? The king of Sargon created a Kuranta of Nightzmoran blood padishah?
Old Isin	Old Isin... seems to... Padishah... Reefsteep Padishah... Old Isin's master a Kuranta? A descendant of Nightzmora?
Kal'tsit	The two of you made for the Watchman's walls together, and he must have recounted to you the exploits of his bloodline... something that he must've taken pride in.
Old Isin	–! Walls, yes, but no mere city walls. It was to the south. Yes, the south! Atop the hotlands that not even Sargonians would set foot on, there stood the entrance to lands yet undiscovered by man–
Kal'tsit	Nightzmora... A Nightzmoran was created padishah, and the Ibut region was once the center of his political exploits. He didn't choose to merely wallow in the luxuries promised to him by the lords ameer. Instead, his thirst for conquest drove him to...
Old Isin	...to conquer these deserts, yes... The padishah wanted to conquer these golden sands. He led the people, and built an entirely new city... A nomadic city...
Kal'tsit	According to the history books, he almost succeeded. As for you, even though he treated you with nothing but benevolence, even though he passed away long ago... you remain lost in his life.
Old Isin	Old Isin... Old Isin remembers now... Old Isin is not a gatekeeper... and certainly not the padishah's close friend... Old Isin was... just a jester before them...
Kal'tsit	......
Old Isin	No... Old Isin remembers now... No, no, no... Was it those summer nights? *Cough*–
Kal'tsit	Please, calm down a little.
Old Isin	...... Right... Age has left Old Isin's memories in a muddle... You are right... Once upon a time, the padishah would hold a banquet at his palace every starry night and address all those in attendance. No... No... *Whimpers*... Old Isin... was undeserving to bask in his glory and radiance... *Whimpers*...
Kal'tsit	You've been under his Originium Arts' influence, and the long nightmare has twisted your thinking... Though this is not something he had done to you deliberately.
Old Isin	His subjects went voluntarily. There was none who could resist those extraordinary fantasies, curiosity, longing, and thirst for knowledge. All of it worked to keep us enthralled by the padishah's charm.
Kal'tsit	You were lost in your own dreams.
Old Isin	No... It shouldn't be... Old Isin shouldn't...
Kal'tsit	......
Old Isin	Please... Allow Old Isin a brief moment of peace... Please... leave Old Isin alone...
<Background 7>
Elliot	...!
Kal'tsit	We're leaving tomorrow.
Elliot	What about Old Isin...?
Kal'tsit	He needs some time to clear up his thoughts. The Nightzmora had been tormenting him for way too long. He's been trying to embrace the past in his dreams.
Elliot	I don't get it...
Kal'tsit	We have no use for the box anymore. It was our final trump card, but now that we are leaving Sargon behind us, it makes no difference to us anymore.
Elliot	This is mine... The last thing I still have.
Kal'tsit	That's why I'm leaving the decision to you... What will you do?
Elliot	...! You're forcing me to make a decision...
Kal'tsit	I'm not forcing you to do anything. Even if you are actually able to replicate technology behind it and break away from its original... form, with where the Originium industries are currently, that will do you no good at all.
Elliot	Tsk...
The young researcher sets the box down after hesitating briefly. He has almost completely forgotten what is inside the box despite the fact he has kept it on his person for the entire journey.
Elliot	This...
The blue Originium crystals are discharging tiny, stable sparks.
Elliot	It's beautiful... Is this... really as dangerous as you've been making it out to be?
Kal'tsit	A simple sample such as this won't help explain why. Once you master the core principles behind it, you will be able to craft from it a grenade capable of wiping out an entire city with ease. What do you think will happen if the Ibuti Lord Ameer or Padishah Murad got their hands on this technology?
Elliot	The technology is still being developed. The bad guys will get their hands on it sooner or later.
Kal'tsit	The truth is... this Originium crystal sample is the only one of its kind. As an Originium crystal, it actually isn't particularly special on its own. It is how it came to take its current form that makes it special. It was found in an excavation.
Elliot	You can always count on the archaeologists to discover new secrets...
Kal'tsit	The Columbians only ever found three Originium samples like this one. Without exception... they all came from the surroundings of a certain Sarkaz ruin.
Elliot	What's going to happen if you destroy them?
Kal'tsit	The sample's explosive range is hardly comparable to the electrical devices we use in experiments. However, because of its nature, it will nonetheless put us in danger–the danger of being infected with Oripathy.
Elliot	Well, alright. You said it's one of a kind? Well, then. I know how to take care of it now.
Kal'tsit	–Wait! You can't–Mon3tr, protect him!
Mon3tr	(Dissatisfied shrieks)
The boy smashed the beautiful crystal to pieces.
In an instant, the bright light of the electric sparks has engulfed everything in the immediate area.
<Background 7>
Elliot	Agh–Why... are you stopping me...?!
Kal'tsit	Didn't you hear me...? This is a piece of Originium! You will get infected!
Elliot	Gah... hah... So what?!
Kal'tsit	......
Elliot	Do you hate the Infected? Do you despise them? Hah. Well, perfect! I don't owe you anything anymore now–!
Kal'tsit	I'm Infected myself...
Elliot	Uh–Wha– Ugh... Argh...! It hurts...! My head...!
Kal'tsit	Those are the symptoms of an acute infection. We need to get you treated right away.
Elliot	I don't–Argh–need it–!
Kal'tsit	I'm just keeping you from turning to Originium dust within the next few hours. You chose the wrong path, Elliot. Even if you were trying to shatter your own fate, this is the worst possible method you could choose.
Elliot	Ugh... Uhh... Eugh!
<Background fades out and in>
Kal'tsit	Elliot Glover... You are now an Infected. This is the fate you chose for yourself.
Elliot	Aghh... Hahh...! Well, this is just the perfect fate for me, then...
Kal'tsit	If you don't want to live a life of suffering, I have many ways to set you on your way.
Elliot	No... I just... guh. Perhaps this... will help me... break away from these shackles... Now I have nothing... to do with my past... Sorry... for dragging you into this mess...
Kal'tsit	I'm surprised you can still apologize.
Elliot	That's because I hate you too, Kal'tsit...
Kal'tsit	I thought you weren't going to treat me like a Columbian anymore.
Elliot	No... That's not why... Do you really think you can decide somebody else's fate for them...?
Kal'tsit	I've never once thought I could.
Elliot	But that is exactly what you are doing, Kal'tsit... even though no one could say you made the wrong decision doing that... *Sigh*... but it's all coming to an end now, isn't it?
Kal'tsit	......
Elliot	Ugh, ha...
Kal'tsit	This doesn't change when I will be leaving, and you need to lay down and get some rest right now.
Elliot	So is this what Oripathy is...?
Kal'tsit	It differs from person to person.
Elliot	So does that mean... I don't need to use those Arts Units to conduct Arts Device experiments now?
Kal'tsit	You haven't received any in-depth Originium Arts education, and it will just kill you even sooner.
Elliot	So you are saying I can do it.
Kal'tsit	......
Elliot	Yeah... That's not so bad.
<Background 6>
Old Isin	Keep going straight, and you will reach another way out of the black market. Only Old Isin knows of this exit. No one has even been here. An altar. A grave. My lady... There will be no obstacles in your way.
Kal'tsit	......
Elliot	......
Kal'tsit	Elliot. I'm going to Ursus.
Elliot	I know that. Why are you telling me this now?
Kal'tsit	That's not important. What I'm asking you is... Are you going to stick with me? You could go back to Columbia to continue your business. Before you make your decision, at the very least.
Old Isin	......
Kal'tsit	Or you could stay.
Elliot	–!
Kal'tsit	Old Isin is right. No one controls fate itself. He will help you.
Old Isin	If that is my lady's wish, Old Isin will offer you his assistance, dear child.
Elliot	You're saying all this now...?
Kal'tsit	I can't decide your future for you. Even if you try to prove to me you're cutting off ties with your past, no matter how extreme your methods, you know from the beginning this is how you've always felt deep inside your heart.
Elliot	......
Kal'tsit	I'm stopping war, I'm stopping the Sargonian civil unrest set off by the legacy of Sarkaz witchcraft, and I'm preventing a large-scale Originium infection–That's my goal, to put it simply.
Elliot	So you're saying... You've already succeeded? And what do you think of all those people who died on your quest? I get it. I know you saved me. You were really there to save us, and I owe you my life–But they weren't just making preparations for war. That's not their crime– –War has already started, Kal'tsit. You've seen it, haven't you? You've been in so many battles on your journey. How many people have you killed? And how many of them were out to kill us? The padishah, the lords ameer. The civil war has started already. If all this come to an end, does it really mean they will gladly set aside their differences and start throwing parties?
Kal'tsit	You don't understand how the Sargon nobles and the lords ameer work. Their corruption and pride will bog them down.
Elliot	So you'll just... come up with some pointless summary and get up and leave? I can't, Kal'tsit. Sorry... but I can't.
Kal'tsit	What do you want to do?
Elliot	I will find every last one of them...
Kal'tsit	......
Elliot	From Sargon to Columbia. All of them.
Old Isin	Ah... Persistence. Looks like the child has made up his mind, my lady.
Kal'tsit	... This is the choice he made, Isin.
Old Isin	Old Isin knows. Old Isin respects both of your wishes. Old Isin is very old, after all. Old Isin wants to leave behind a kindling that will spark a new fire...
Elliot	Will you help me?
Old Isin	To the best of my ability, my child.
Elliot	Thanks... Thanks. Then, Kal'tsit– It's time for us to say goodbye.
<Background black>
Newly awaken from his nightmares, the old man reminisces the glory of the old days as tears well up in his eyes. The young researcher contemplates to himself. The anger welling up in him manages to suppress even the pain of his infection. As for Kal'tsit, she merely stays quiet, saying not a word. The nomad then takes her leave by herself.
<Background 6>
Old Isin	My lady... Please do not forget Old Isin's reward. In some twenty years, you will return with a gold coin to take away with you this helpless soul.
<Background 3>
[Kal'tsit gazes to the vast dunes ahead.]
Kal'tsit	... Mon3tr, it's time to go.