Operation story: WR-4

Operation

Story

Because the original Chinese texts of Who is Real use Classical/Literary Chinese with wordplays that are impossible to be translated into English, some of the following texts may not be necessarily true to the context.

Previous WR-2	Next WR-5
Characters
Kroos Lava Mr. Nothing Saga Shopkeeper (Dawn) Storyteller Little Girl Villager Villager Ink Spirit
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4

Before operation

“

Saga, the wandering monk, displays her incredible prowess, including the ability to comprehend the Ink Spirits. Confused as she is, Lava goes with Saga to clear the field, arriving at a calm pawn shop.

”

<Background 1>
[A villager warn the others of the incoming Ink Spirits.]
Villager	Is there anyone still left here? Hurry over to the storyteller's and hide! To the east, hurry!
[The warning villager rushes off.]
Lava	Ever since we noticed the sky, I've been conscious of how the further west you go, the more nighttime it actually gets...
Mr. Nothing	If so, are we currently heading "from the noon to the twilight?" Quite a poetic ring, actually.
Lava	It's not right. The distance "from daytime to nighttime" is just too short. We've only gone how far?
Saga	The length of the painting's scroll does vary, and its every sight is a strange, wonderful turn. The people in the picture have all set customs for their world, but in the end, it is still artificial. That much is unavoidable.
Lava	And I'm saying– wait, what?
Saga	What?
Lava	What did you just s–
[A distant scream interrupts Lava.]
???	Gyaaaaghh–!
Lava	–! Someone's still here?!
Saga	This way!
[A toad-like Ink Spirit is cornering a female villager.]
Villager	S– Save me!
[Just as the Ink Spirit comes close...]
Saga	Fear not, I am here!
[...Saga comes to the villager's side and sends her away before striking down the Ink Spirit with her naginata...]
Ink Spirit	Gkhaa–
[...causing it to turn into a puddle of ink, though Saga appears to have expected it.]
Saga	Ho, just as expected. Once cut down, it becomes an ink stain. Most strange, most strange.
[Mr. Nothing appears.]
Mr. Nothing	Master, I commend your talent!
Saga	Lower not your guard, good girl, and make haste for the east!
Villager	Got it! You all be careful too!
[The female villager runs off.]
Lava	It looks like quite a few villagers didn't run in time.
Saga	It was likely too sudden, no chance to–
[Another toad-like Ink Spirit is cornering the little girl from earlier...]
Little Girl	Papa? Mama?
[...and Mr. Nothing notices it.]
Mr. Nothing	Th– There's a child there!
Saga	Oh no– get down, now!
Mr. Nothing	She won't make it!
Little Girl	Uwaahhh... waaaaaahh...
[The Ink Spirit approaches the girl, but it was hit by a crossbow bolt from a distance before it could touch her, and it dissolves into a puddle of ink.]
Little Girl	Ahh!
[Mr. Nothing quickly grabs the girl.]
Mr. Nothing	Whoa, there, too close for comfort! Are you okay?
Little Girl	Uwaaahhh... yeah... uwahhh...
[After the coast is clear...]
Mr. Nothing	Just... just now, did something stab that creature in the throat...?
Lava	That would be Kroos. What a tricky angle.
Mr. Nothing	Where– Where is she?
Lava	Don't look, you won't find her. As long as we know she's here, that's good enough. Gotta prioritize ensuring every villager makes it out of the night.
Saga	Ho, quite the profound rapport. My horizons do broaden.
[The girl cries out of fear.]
Little Girl	Wahhh... uwh-uwaah...
Mr. Nothing	B– But how do we bring this young girl with us?
Lava	You take her out of here, and to somewhere safe. Okay?
Mr. Nothing	Verily! As if I couldn't!
[After Mr. Nothing hesitates for a moment...]
Mr. Nothing	However– I really cannot bear to cast off my benefactors and take refuge alone! The fact I cannot accompany my benefactors in lopping off heads and spilling fresh blood is a true shame–
Lava	You can take the child to Mr. Umbrella's place first and then come back to us.
Mr. Nothing	Ahahah... ah... alright, very well now. Very well. Young miss, would you care to come with me?
Little Girl	*Sob*... *whimper*... mister, have you seen my mama...? *whimper*...
Mr. Nothing	I'll take you to find her, okay?
Little Girl	Hic... mm-hm... thank you, mister...
Mr. Nothing	Ahem. Benefactor, shall I depart for now then?
Lava	Yes.
<Background 2>
Storyteller	......
Villager	Sir, will we be safe, relying on just Saga and the three heroes?
Storyteller	......
Villager	Sir...?
Storyteller	No matter.
[A female villager comes along.]
Villager A	What's wrong with him? Is he in a bad mood today? Did he forget to sleep last night?
Villager B	Sir has culture and grace. He's not the temperamental kind.
Villager A	I bet he's tired, worrying all about us. We should give him some space, let him sleep.
<Background 1>
[Saga fights off the Ink Spirits.]
Saga	Cleanse the six senses!
[Saga struck down another Ink Spirit...]
Ink Spirit	Gkhaa!
[...but another shows up...]
Saga	Sever all desires!
[...and she strikes it down.]
Ink Spirit	Gkhaa!
[Yet another Ink Spirit shows up...]
Saga	Aburaage!
[...and Saga strikes it down.]
Ink Spirit	Gkh... gkhaa?
[Lava praises Saga for her prowess.]
Lava	You're pretty strong yourself.
Saga	I grew from childhood in the monastery. It influenced me, and I learned a few ways of the sword. That is all.
Lava	You call that a few?
Saga	Mind not. Stay while I open a path for thee, Lava!
[Saga goes on ahead to clear the path for Lava, which is infested by more Ink Spirits...]
Ink Spirit	Gkh... gkhaa!
[...but they run away upon seeing Saga.]
Lava	Those monsters are starting to fear you... now that I mention it, do Ink Spirits even have intelligence?
[Another Ink Spirit shows up before Lava and Saga...]
Ink Spirit	Gkh! Gkhaa! Gkhaakh ghkaa!
[...but it stands still after Saga approaches it.]
Saga	Ho?
Lava	Why'd you stop?
[Saga listens to what the Ink Spirit "says."]
Ink Spirit	Gkh, gkh-gkhaa, gkhaahgkhaa...
Saga	Hm, hm-hm, hm...
Lava	Wait?! You can understand what it's saying?!
Saga	A bare perception. If thou wouldst observe, this Ink Spirit has not committed any wrongdoing, as if it sincerely regrets, and it will no longer torment the village. We shall let it go, then.
Ink Spirit	Gkhaa!
Lava	Is that okay?
Saga	It is alright. I know it to be proper.
Ink Spirit	Gkh...
[The Ink Spirit that Saga "talked" with just now runs away.]
Lava	It's fallen quiet now... There shouldn't be any other villagers remaining. Can we have a chat for a moment?
Saga	Lava, thou art indeed solemn. Perhaps I have done wrong in some way?
Lava	No, you're fine, it's just what you said before... a painting scroll? It seems like you understand this place.
Saga	Indeed. I am a wanderer, and have been so for some time.
Lava	This place doesn't seem to deserve the word "wandering."
Saga	How large can a single scroll be?
Lava	What do you mean... are we in a picture?
Saga	That is so.
Lava	What exactly do you mean?
Saga	Ah, I understand now. Your party is akin to me, having erred and fallen into these mountains and rivers–
Lava	Huh?
Saga	At the outset, I was only passing through the Kou-wu boundary in Yan. Suddenly, I had the thought that I wanted to visit the posterity of the great artist. The sight under the waterfalls of Mount Hui-ch'i is beautiful beyond comprehension, and I slept one night in a thatched cottage in the mountains. I had never thought that next I opened my eyes, I would be here.
Lava	Hold on, wait. Wait. What do you mean? You were looking for "Dusk" too?
Saga	Dusk? I have never heard tell of this name before... The one I sought was the Yan painter for whom "one stroke crude mounts rose, whence the words, winds, flow." But working out the days, I feared that painter had already left our world of mortals, and thus thought to call upon their former residence. That is all.
Lava	In any case, first you went to Mount Hui-ch'i in Kou-wu in Yan, and then you inexplicably ended up here, right?!
Saga	Ho, that is not false, but why does it agitate thee so?
Lava	And then you said this place is a painting scroll–
Saga	Nothing of this world conforms to reason. Lava, didst thou never realize?
Lava	No, I know that. But why a painting...?
Saga	It is difficult to explain, but I have traveled this P'o-shan Village across... about a hundred or more scrolls now! At least, I am well aware of where I myself am.
Lava	Guh... those people are real, living people, the tea has flavor, the fruit is edible... Is this all just some sort of Arts? But if it was... then what kind of...
Saga	It is completely beyond my reckoning. Had I not the fortune to glimpse the truth of this world, I fear that I too would be unable to realize where I am. No Catastrophe disturbs here, and all living beings follow their own customs, creating their own enclosure, too wondrous for words. Staying here, I have never wanted for ease.
Lava	That's...
Saga	Hah-hah, the look on thine face is all too unavoidable. When I first met that dusken Hsi-o, she took the same look as thee...
Lava	Slow down... who did you say you met?!
Saga	I met a– wait now. Those lights, could they be the merchant's shop? So she never took refuge! We must act!
[Saga rushes off...]
Lava	Wait for me!
[...with Lava following right after.]
<Background 3>
Shopkeeper	......
[An Ink Spirit approaches the shopkeeper, but it holds no ill intent towards her, who seems to understand it.]
Ink Spirit	Gkhaa...
Shopkeeper	Alright, alright. Don't get so excited. Why did you come scare the people? What did she tell you? Ah... I see... she's still the same as ever.
[Lava and Saga rushes into the pawnshop...]
Saga	Shopkeep!
[...spooking the Ink Spirit.]
Shopkeeper	...Go.
Ink Spirit	Gkh...
[The Ink Spirit runs away just as Lava and Saga enter the building.]
Saga	Shopkeep, be thou well?
Shopkeeper	I'm fine... And who is this?
Saga	Oh, this good person is Lava, one of the outsiders who were all the hubbub earlier.
Shopkeeper	Nice to meet you.
Saga	This is the proprietor of this shop. Her sole name is "Dawn," as of the daybreak.
Lava	You didn't get attacked by any weird things?
Dawn	I'm not aware of any such things.
Lava	......
Saga	Young Dawn, I do not know if those Ink Spirits may return again. Wouldst thou permit us to lie in hiding here, to observe for a bare while?
Dawn	Mm-hm. Alright.

After operation

“

Mr. Nothing helps a little girl escape and manages to meet up with Kroos. Saga, Dawn, and Lava take a moment of respite in the pawn shop. Dawn seems to know something.

”

<Background 4>
[Mr. Nothing and the little girl walk through P'o-shan's the alleys.]
Little Girl	Uwhhh, *whimper*...
Mr. Nothing	Young lady, look at how the sky is bright now. We've gone quite a far way, and we'll be there soon. Don't you cry.
Little Girl	*whimper*...
Mr. Nothing	Now, now, I'm here with you. You're perfectly safe. *Sigh*... don't cry, now, don't cry. Look, you can see the garden. We'll be right there.
[Out of nowhere, several Ink Spirits show up, which are somehow unaffected by the sunlight.]
Ink Spirit	Gkhaa!
Little Girl	Yaaahhh–!
Mr. Nothing	Wh– Why are they here?! Weren't they meant to fear the sun?! Come, ride on my back, hold on!
[Mr. Nothing picks up the girl, carries her on his back, and runs away...]
Ink Spirit	Gkhaa!
[...prompting the Ink Spirits to chase after them.]
Little Girl	Mister! Mister, run faster!
Mr. Nothing	Don't– Don't pull on my hair! My glasses are falling off!
Ink Spirit	Gkhaa! Gkhaa!
<Background fades out and in>
Kroos	He runs pretty darn quick, that Mr. Nothing.
Villager	Hero, what are you talking about?
Kroos	Hm? Ah, nothing. You get to the garden and hide quick. Leave the outside watch to me.
[The female villager flees.]
Kroos	Hmm... That miniature Ink Spirit seems a little faster than your garden variety Originium slug... but it also looks like it's gone a little dizzy? Maybe it really can't catch up to Mr. Nothing...? Who'd have thought?
<Background fades out and in>
Ink Spirit	Gkh... gkhaa... gkhaa...
Mr. Nothing	Watch this! Hey! Heh! Yah!
[Mr. Nothing starts throwing things around him at the Ink Spirits...]
Mr. Nothing	Hahah! Can't get us now, can you!
Ink Spirit	Gkh!?
[...but the monsters dodge them with ease and keep pursuing them. ]
Little Girl	Mister! Run a little faster, come on!
Mr. Nothing	I've wanted to do that forever! Pull off a little something when you're chased through the streets, just like all those martial arts stars on the silver screen!
[The crying girl keeps on beating Mr. Nothing's back.]
Little Girl	F– Faster! Faster!
Mr. Nothing	Don't smack me! I'm not a burdenbeast!
[The Ink Spirits stop for a moment...]
Ink Spirit	Gkhaakh–!
[...before taking a detour.]
Mr. Nothing	It went around!? With the sun shining on its ass! Didn't they say these things feared sunlight?
Little Girl	S– Save us!
Mr. Nothing	Tck! Here, young lady, you go on ahead, I'll–
[The Ink Spirits catch up with Mr. Nothing and the girl, but suddenly...]
Ink Spirit	Gkh!
[...someone fires at them with crossbow bolts...]
Ink Spirit	Gkh!?
[...picking the Ink Spirits off one by one...]
Ink Spirit	Gkh... gkh...
[...as they turn into a puddle of ink. Mr. Nothing notices Kroos to be the sniper and lets out a sigh of relief.]
Mr. Nothing	It's Kroos, my benefactor! Dear me, here, good benefactor, come, if you had a free hand, you could've helped me a little sooner! Er, where, where are you?
[Kroos shows herself.]
Kroos	Right here.
Little Girl	Yah...! M– Miss, where did you come from?
Mr. Nothing	Wow! I'd be remiss not to laud your sniping skills as beyond the blue! You slip about like a ghost, land without a whisper! You really are–
Little Girl	Miss! Thank you for saving mister!
Mr. Nothing	Err.
Kroos	Run on back, quick. Your mum's been looking for you for ages now.
Little Girl	Mm-hm!
[The girl leaves.]
Mr. Nothing	Benefactor, why don't you hurry to Lava and Saga's aid? Let me keep watch here, safeguard the perimeter.
Kroos	Didn't you just cross your heart you'd return to Lava to help her?
Mr. Nothing	B– Benefactor, might you have the gift of clairaudience...?
Kroos	Nope. Why've you been holding onto that folding fan the whole time?
Mr. Nothing	Ah, I simply must! This fan is the most precious thing I have, a present to me from my most respected teacher! I'd hate to let it out of my grasp! Moreover, here, clasping this fan in my hand, I look quite refined, don't I?
Kroos	Hmmmgh... Why'd that Ink Spirit get over here just now without any trouble? It counts as daytime, right?
Mr. Nothing	I was wondering too! That cretin chased the wind out of me!
Kroos	Hmm... anyhow, better head for Lava.
<Background 3>
Lava	It's quiet. We're clearly on the fringe of night here. I can only see a crack of dawnlight. Why aren't any monsters charging through?
Saga	I also thought it strange. It has never been so peaceful, has it?
Dawn	Isn't it good that it's peaceful?
Saga	Ha! That is so. I may at last catch my breath!
[Saga is about to lie on the floor for a rest.]
Saga	Huff!
Dawn	Careful you don't crush any goods.
Lava	...... Saga, the Dusk Beauty you mentioned just now... who does that refer to?
Saga	Naturally, the Dusk Beauty of the well-told "Dusk Beauty Flying to the Moon" tale. My word, to this day I cannot forget the sight of the eyes of Dusk Beauty–
Lava	...???
Dawn	Saga, tell it a little slower. Miss Lava's giving you a funnier and funnier look.
Saga	Oh, beg pardon, 'twas my impatience. Lava, thou art also tired from withstanding Ink Spirits, art thou not? Ought we perhaps sit down with some tea, and there make proper talk?
Dawn	Sure. I'll go brew you some tea, then.
Saga	Right, I would like to ask thee first. Young Dawn, dost thou know any way of leaving this place?
Dawn	No.
Saga	Thou dost not?
Dawn	(Lightly shakes head)
Dawn lifts her head, looks to the open door, and along the road to far away.
<Background black>
She dares not speak loud– –for fear of disturbing those above of heaven.
<Background 2>
Storyteller	......