Supply Recovery Plan

Yes... It's very impressive you can pull back this crossbow with your bare hands.

Phew...

What a design. You couldn't tell by looking at it that this crossbow has such tensile strength.

It's a pretty ordinary crossbow. Most Sarkaz can lock it barehanded.

A heavy crossbow with this kind of power... at least than one hundred meters, it won't be that different from a gun. It's just too much work.

...And I already learned the hard way that bit about our physical differences.

That zappy girl over there might be no weaker than me.

Are you talking about Liskarm? She's a Vouivre. They're a strong race, for sure.

Right......

Why the sudden interest in these weapons?

We're expecting a lot of fights soon, so it's time to think about what to do when we run out of ammo.

Without bullets, my gun might as well be a paperweight.

I don't think we can take them hand-to-hand when it comes to that. And our training and experience won't be enough either.

How much do we have left?

Not much over here. Not even four hundred rounds.

Let me show you something.

Is this a... bullet?

It's a bullet that Rhodes Islander named Liskarm uses. They call it an 'etched bullet,' and it's apparently an extremely expensive commodity.

Did you take it apart yet?

What's it made of? What's the propellant?

This chunk of crystal.

Looks like an energy source. Is that a propellant or a warhead?

A Laterano gunsmith once told me that every single etched bullet contains a miniature casting unit that matches up with the structure of a Laterano gun.

That means it's not only the gun, but every etched bullet, is basically a caster's staff. That's why they're so expensive, and why they need such complicated Arts that only Sankta can make much use of them.

Other peoples go with easier ranged weapons.

So Laterano is the name of the country, Sankta is the name of the race. Laterano people are not necessarily Sankta... Got it.

But that's real bad news about the bullets.

Do we have any gun here that doesn't require those 'Originium Arts' to work?

I've never heard about those firearms that don't need Originium Arts.

(Sigh)...

One step at a time. At least everybody can use explosives.

Where did Kötz go with them?

They're in the basement. Still trying to fix the thing that looks like a radio transmitter.

We can't power the comm casting unit.

It's a power problem?

Maybe... I'll have to see.

Okay, you all take a step back. The valedictorian is about to do her stuff.

...Charging...

Oh! Ooh! Oooh!

Was that Arts? It was pretty cool.

It definitely... leaves an impression.

Is it working?

It's on!

Great work. That's my walking power supply.

Don't you have anything better to do than annoy me?

......Hmm......

No good. It's still not connecting.

The crystal electronics unit may be too damaged. Or there may be some damage somewhere else in the circuit we can't see with the naked eye.

We don't have any equipment for repairing Originium circuits here, so we can't troubleshoot.

*Sigh*, sounds pretty hopeless.

Can ordinary people do these Originium Arts too?

Theoretically... almost anyone can learn to do Arts at some level, with enough training.

It's just that studying Arts takes time and effort, and that gets tied up pretty close with talent.

Lots of people master only the most basic Arts, even after pushing themselves a lot harder than others.

I'm a dumb old man, and I've never learned any Originium Arts.

What are you thinking?

Nothing... Just brainstorming about our situation here... some wild, impractical ideas.

Oh, right, Mr. Kötz.

Take a look at this shield here.

What's... what's that on the shield?

I installed a high-powered spotlight and a universal Originium circuit based on the original design and function of your shield. It should work just like you're used to.

Thanks a bundle!

...Oh... But I can't use 'Originium Arts'.

Strictly speaking, a universal Originium circuit is a piece of modern technology that lets people who don't know how to use Arts use it anyway. It is loaded with a few simple Originium Arts.

Of course, the power supply and equipment maintenance still need to be carried out by a trained caster.

All right, let's see. It's still pretty heavy.

...Turn it on... Hit the switch...

All good. I'll give it a try.

Wow! It really works!

But it'll take some getting used to.

I haven't done a shield charge in six months. I've almost forgotten how to use the thing.

How are things looking outside?

The last attack was also the last enemy movement. We haven't seen any probing strikes since. I don't think that's a good sign.

Especially considering what a well-organized bunch of punks they are, I've got a bad feeling about this.

The calm before the storm.

Sure enough.

Where's the doctor?

Resting. He hasn't slept in days.

Give the kid a break.

He shouldn't have to deal with all this at his age.

And we've got another problem on our hands. We're running out of food.

Right. Mr. Occphen told us.

What are you thinking?

I'm thinking whether or not we should take a trip back to the Infected quarter.

I get you.

Oh? You have a plan?

We left in a hurry. A lot of the sick people didn't have time to bring their food from home.

True. We have enough hands here. We could send some people out to get supplies.

Then let's save our talk here. We should be able to get there before the night falls.