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Gunfire in the Night
- Bagpipe
Did she fall down there...?!
- Bagpipe
Leader, did we win?
- Horn
......
- Bagpipe
Oh no, Leader... That wound...
- Bagpipe
Hang in there! I'll help you up. Don't you close your eyes—
- Horn
*cough*, *cough*...
- Horn
Don't... pull so hard. You're shooting pain through my whole body.
- Bagpipe
G—Got it! Leader, as long as you're okay.
- Horn
Right... I can't... go down just yet.
- Horn
The enemy's... still...
- Mandragora
Hoh... Hahahaha... Hahahahaha!
- Mandragora
You think... that was enough to bring me down?!
- Mandragora
Victorian soldier dunces!
- Mandragora
I—I dug my way out of a grave by a bloody wastewater ditch! And I still have a score to settle with you—Victorian blue bloods!
- Bagpipe
Oh? She actually managed to climb her way out!
- Bagpipe
Well, isn't that somethin' odd? Even if my shot didn't blow a hole through her chest, I thought at least she'd be down for the count.
- Horn
...Arts.
- Bagpipe
She knocked my lance a few centimeters off?! She only had a few stones left! Flip, we won't get another shot like that...!
- Bagpipe
Feline... You may be the enemy, but your resolve is rock solid for sure. You've got my respect.
- Mandragora
Pfft. Who needs... your respect?!
- Mandragora
What I want... is your lives!
- Mandragora
Come, Forest of Thorns!!!
- Bagpipe
There's more columns growin' from the ground?!
- Bagpipe
We can't stay here much longer...
- Bagpipe
Leader, I'll carry you. Let's go that way!
- Mandragora
Fleeing?
- Mandragora
Think again—I'd never let down the Leader!
- Mandragora
Wait, what's that sound?
'To the residents of County Hillock and the surrounding towns, this is a broadcast to you in real-time.'
'As you are aware, a great disaster befell this beloved city at noon today, injuring our friends and family, and destroying our homes.'
'Together, we witnessed this heart-wrenching event transpire before our eyes.'
'They have put us through countless tribulations, one after the other, for several centuries—'
'We did not raise our voices then, because we thought they had an ounce of mercy left, and that simply by enduring longer, we would be able to coexist with them on these lands.'
'But today, the Victorian Army pressed its knife against our throats—'
'They blanketed our city in a mist of Oripathy. What they have done is far more merciless and horrifying than any Catastrophe.'
'We do not want war, but they have left us no choice but to fight back.'
'If you can hear this broadcast, if you are willing to rise up and stand with us—wherever you may be, you can become part of our movement.'
'With our flames, we will cleanse this country of the filth that has accumulated over the centuries.'
'With our flames, we will comfort the countless lives lost in the fight against injustice.'
'With our flames, we will burn open a path to a future of freedom and peace.'
'We are not your enemies. We are your friends.'
'We have, and always will be, one family.'
'Remember our name—'
'We are Dublinn.'
- Bagpipe
Is that... the spectre force?
- Bagpipe
Are they broadcastin' to the townsfolk?
- Bagpipe
No, it's not just this city... they've got all the communications bases under their control. The surroundin' cities are receivin' that message too!
- Bagpipe
Now that everyone knows what the barracks did... this is goin' to spread like wildfire.
- Bagpipe
The scariest thing is, most of what they're sayin' is true! We've got no argument, no way against it!
- Bagpipe
And even if we wanted to say somethin', we've got no way to send the message...
- Horn
......
- Horn
We're in the worst case scenario now.
- Bagpipe
Is this why you were tryin' so hard to take the communications center? You had to get news to the outside world, but you wanted to keep the enemy from doin' the same, too...
- Horn
We've lost, Hamilton...
- Horn
Both you... and I. We've failed, utterly.
- Bagpipe
No, we haven't lost yet!
- Bagpipe
They've got their side out first, but it's better late than never for us!
- Bagpipe
The spectre force's tryin' to dress themselves up, but we saw them burnin' their supporters to death all heartless, slaughterin' the townsfolk! We saw that with our own eyes!
- Bagpipe
We have to get the word out! We have to show the true face of their army to the world!
- Horn
......
- Horn
Yes, you're right.
- Horn
This battle... is far from over.
- Bagpipe
Uh... Leader? This Caster, what's she doin'? Is she spaced out?
- Mandragora
......
- Mandragora
Harmonie, Harmonie... you bastard! You fooled me into coming here so you could make that broadcast?
- Mandragora
What gives you... What gives you...!
- Mandragora
What gives you the right to speak on The Leader's behalf while I have to sweep up the rubbish down here?!
- Mandragora
Oh, I'm going to Londinium... I'm going right now!!!
- Bagpipe
Whoa... that's a gust! Why's she so ticked off all of a sudden? Doesn't it hurt when she casts Arts like it's the end of the world?
- Bagpipe
Leader, watch out! It's about to blow over the column—!
- Horn
Ugh... hrnn!
- Bagpipe
Stop pushin' yourself! Your shield's out of energy. You're burnin' your own flesh for it now!
- Horn
Hah... this is nothing.
- Bagpipe
Nothin'? What do you mean, nothin'? You're coughin' up blood—
- Horn
You could wipe that for me.
- Bagpipe
Now's—now's no time for your jokes. And if truth be told, they've never been funny, not for one second.
- Bagpipe
I can't always hide behind your shield... Even if you order me to, I can't.
- Bagpipe
I'll run out right now. I can take a few beatin's. I think I can at least make it to her, give her another taste of my spear... I've still got at least one more shot!
- Bagpipe
She summoned all those columns at once, she should be at her limit, almost... I'll find an openin'!
- Horn
Bagpipe...
- Bagpipe
Let me go! I WILL be insubordinate now! You survive this, and you can punish me with umpteen handstands, you can even get on top of me while I do 'em!
- Horn
She's... Now she's flying.
- Bagpipe
......
- Horn
Ha... You don't know how to fly. You can jump up there, with the rocks as stepping stones, but it won't be easy to hit her at the same time.
- Bagpipe
Won't know until we try...
- Horn
Enough. You remember what you said just now, don't you?
- Bagpipe
Which?
- Horn
We... have... to tell them.
- Bagpipe
Right, we'll definitely get the word out. I won't forget! This is why we need to take her out. It's our only way to make it up the communications tower!
- Horn
Ha... communications tower...
- Horn
They've got agents in the brass... agents of the spectre force. She said it herself.
- Horn
Even if we make it up there... Our message... will never make it to Londinium.
- Bagpipe
It's too early to give up hope, Leader!
- Bagpipe
You're the one who taught me to trust our friends—
- Horn
Right. I... I trust my friends.
- Horn
Bagpipe... that's why... you need to make it out of here.
- Bagpipe
What do you mean?!
Horn lifts her mostly destroyed shield with one hand and tightly grips Bagpipe's arm with the other.
- Horn
Don't waste what energy you have left.
- Horn
Hold onto your spear, activate the catapult, and fly out of here—
- Horn
The city's covered with hostiles. People guarding every exit... but none of them will be ready to stop you blasting out through the air.
- Horn
Bring all the information with you.
- Horn
Find someone you trust, and let out what's really going on with the spectre force...
- Horn
Londinium needs to know the truth behind County Hillock.
- Horn
Bagpipe—get out of here alive!
- Horn
This... is our last chance!
- Bagpipe
—
- Bagpipe
Leader!!!
There is no other way. She knows this.
All the words she would use to argue are stuck in her throat. It feels as though her eyes are about to pop.
She is going to abandon her leader—her one and only remaining friend.
She is a Victorian soldier.
In combat, she has never once disobeyed the orders of the one whom she trusts the most.
- Mandragora
Your bloody cheap tricks...!
- Mandragora
Fine, just one of them slipping off won't change a thing.
- Mandragora
And the one that's left here...
- Mandragora
Heh, you can barely stand. Not going down easy, are we?!
- Mandragora
—Let's get it over with. I'm sick of this place.
- Janie
That's everyone, Uncle Oliver.
- Janie
I've talked to the locals already. They've found us a way out of the city that's safe enough.
- Janie
There are still a lot of hostiles around... Dublinn, that is.
- Janie
The residents all believe what they say, that with the villains defeated, they won't harass the civilians anymore.
- Janie
But we need to stay vigilant.
- Janie
No matter the face they wear, I will never forget who got our good friend—our respected coworker killed.
- Janie
Right, give me another blanket to keep the injured girl wrapped, please.
- Janie
We can't let anyone see her until we make it to the nearest safehouse.
- Janie
We have a long road ahead of us. I'm sure she would wish us a safe journey.
- Janie
Look, Uncle Oliver...
- Janie
It truly is daybreak now.
'Bagpipe, I told you to shy at no cost—'
'What I mean by that is that you must make it out yourself, even if the rest of us die here.'
'Don't look back.'
'Bagpipe, I know you can do this. Only you can do this.'
The piledriver spear tears through the skies over the remnants of the city, and bores into a swath of barren land.
Bagpipe tumbles a few times before standing up.
Then, she plucks her weapon from the ground and grips it in her hand—
She cannot look back.
That's an order.
She takes a deep breath, suppresses all the emotions welling up in her heart, and steps toward the ends of the barren plains.
Straight ahead, the real sun is beginning to rise.
'No matter what happens in our world, the sun will never fail to rise.'
'Even if it is slow to rise, many will yet make their way forward, casting rays of hope with their lives one after another.'
Midnight \ Rainy
County Hillock, Unknown alleyway
- Outcast
Finally. You kept me waiting.
- 'The Elocutionist'
...Sankta.
- 'The Elocutionist'
You are alone. What of the one you rescued? Where is she?
- Outcast
Not something you oughta worry your pretty little head about.
- 'The Elocutionist'
Listen. I know the formidable foe you are. How did she find you, and how did she convince you to protect her? Could she have reached an agreement with Laterano behind our backs?
- 'The Elocutionist'
No, that can't be. They said there was a Victorian soldier working with you.
- 'The Elocutionist'
So she chose to seek Victoria's protection? In that case, who sent you—Which duke?
- Outcast
You sure you wanna waste your time thinking on something as pointless as that?
- 'The Elocutionist'
My comrades are indeed in quite a hurry, but I suggested talking to you nonetheless.
- 'The Elocutionist'
Whatever your employers promised, we can offer you much more. Wealth, power, titles—
- Outcast
Aha, I'm afraid you couldn't give me what it is I need.
- 'The Elocutionist'
Dublinn's power likely far exceeds your expectations—
- 'The Elocutionist'
Please do tell. What is it?
- Outcast
——
- Outcast
Justice ain't gonna dispense itself, what do you think my gun's for?
- 'The Elocutionist'
So you mean to say... you are determined to stand in our way?
- Outcast
Now there's a question worth asking. Should've started with that one.
- 'The Elocutionist'
How regrettable, my lady. This is truly regrettable.
- 'The Elocutionist'
—It's time.
Five other silhouettes emerge from the shadows.
- Outcast
'The Accountant,' 'The Convict,' 'The Immolator,' 'The Toxicologist,' 'The Bandit'—And you, 'The Elocutionist.'
- Outcast
Mighty familiar names.
- Outcast
Far from the first time we've met—
- Outcast
You, 'The Accountant.' You've meticulously worked out the profit this war'll reap you, and you're racking your brains to turn even more lives into bigger numbers, deeper black on your balance sheet.
- Outcast
You, 'The Convict.' You escape from prison again and again only to commit greater crimes, get yourself sent back to prison to repeat the cycle again.
- Outcast
You, 'The Immolator.' Burning single houses and families hasn't given you what you need for a long while. Soon, not even burning a whole city will fill the hole in your heart.
- Outcast
You, 'The Toxicologist.' You call yourself a scholar, but fancy titles don't hide the truth, that you're all caught up in heartless slaughter and one nasty scheme after another—
- Outcast
—And your next betrayal will take a few cities to hell with you.
- Outcast
You, 'The Bandit.' Living up to that name, you're thirsty to snatch anything you can from the hands of others, and not just money, either.
- Outcast
You steal their dignity, and your lust for it will bring whole countries to ruin.
- Outcast
And then there's you, 'The Elocutionist.' You're really into those five dollar words, trying your hardest to turn fancy talk into a political weapon, the kind to spark wars greater and uglier.
- Outcast
If I let any of you through, that girl will die, and all that evil I just talked about gets to carry on, free and clear.
- Outcast
So—
She pops her last bullet into her revolver's cylinder.
- Outcast
It's about time for you to stand trial, for the last time.
- 'The Elocutionist'
......
- 'The Elocutionist'
This is your so-called faith?
- Outcast
You got the wrong idea. My faith ain't exactly the kind you're thinking of—
- Outcast
If I believe in anything, it's my gun.
- 'The Elocutionist'
There is only one of you, and there are six of us.
- Outcast
I got enough ammo. Don't worry, nobody's missing out.
- 'The Elocutionist'
You will die here.
- Outcast
Lucky I won't do it alone.
'Outcast, I understand everything you said.'
'You've walked a great many roads. You've never looked back. You judge people with gunfire, but you know in your heart that the very last one awaiting judgment at the end of the road... is you.'
'I don't want you to get there—I don't want any one of you to get there.'
'Fate is there to be shattered. You may be happy with this ending yourself, but I want to try to change it.'
'Right. Even if the days gone by showed me my failure time and again, even if all of you left me one by one, I don't want to, and I can't accept this.'
'Outcast, give me this chance.'
'Come back alive.'
- Outcast
Aha, old friend... In the end, it looks like I'm not gonna be able to follow that order.
Six bullets shoot out of her revolver at once.
At the same time, six enemies are charging toward her—
One of them is trying to hack away at her with his axe. Another is trying to spray a toxic gas at her. A third is trying to deflect her bullets with his Arts, while a fourth is trying to take the chance to dash past her, toward the other end of the alleyway.
But their actions will forever be frozen at the very moment they began.
Before any of them can cry out in surprise or fall to the ground, they have turned to dust in a holy light.
The moment she fired her gun, their judgment was already complete.
The brilliant gunfire surges fiercely into the sky, illuminating almost the entire city.
Outcast stands still, allowing the impartial flames to engulf her. Starting at her fingertips, they reduce her to ashes.
'This road,
it was always meant to end like this.'
