act10mini

Take that girl away as well.

You behave.

Let go of me. I can walk by myself.

Hurry it up, move! Into the van, is that everyone? Go, take them all to the factory!

Got them all, boss!

Shut the door! Go, go, go!

(It's been a twenty-minute journey, and they've taken turn after turns along the way. These people are on the watchout.)

(These ties are practically insulting, using material as regular as this. I could burn these to nothing in a heartbeat.)

(Now we're at... the factory? It's barren! Where are all the facilities?)

(Strange...)

Why are you taking us?!

L-Let us go! We—I-I've got a family waiting for me to send money back! For Pete's sakes, let us go...!

Shh, settle down! Now stay there!

I'm telling you, someone'll have the police on you, kidnapping all these people in the street!

The sooner you let us go, the gentler they might be on you when the time comes...

You're pulling my leg, the police? You think that scares us?

Now shut your yaps and behave, the lot of you!

Y—You're all Infected too! What kind of business is this?!

You'll be done for in the end if you carry on like this!

You can zip it.

Ugh—

We said be-bloody-have! Okay? Keep prattling and you're done for right now!

I'm warning you lot, don't try anything funny with us. If I find a single one of you even thinking of any Originium Arts, I'll cave your head in, understand?

Now be still!

(These people, honestly... This is the least creative villainy.)

(...I won't let them off easily, soon enough.)

(But just what are they up to...?)

What about that councilor? Where's he? Weren't we nabbing an old man? Why've we got a little miss instead?

Same difference. Old boy, young girl, it's fine as long as we have them.

(So they were coming after Councilor Angst.)

So what now?

We're waiting for the signal from the rest. Just get ready for now.

Did everything end up here?

We only took half.

Then remember, when you head back, drop past the shot building by the old border part of the city. Do away with all the bomb stuff and the chemicals. It's dangerous leaving it there. Don't let it bite us in the arse.

Right! The safehouse and all that. I almost forgot.

And the stuff the Danton brothers hid for getting out of the city. Make sure that's ready to go too.

That's money, clothes, false IDs, and the essential weapons! Don't forget any of it!

Oi, oi, take it easy, they're all listening!

What's the matter? They're dead before they'll get to talk.

Plonk those explosives in place, move it.

You lot watch these Infected, we're off to work.

Righto.

(...Are those all bombs?)

(The factory's got no machines, it's just bombs after bombs... were they all moved here?)

(It looks like I don't need to keep wasting more time.)

(Lucky I'm carrying a reserve Arts Unit, or else things would be very tricky.)

She gives her ring a rub, the black gem's surface emitting a flicker of bright light.

Hey, what happened to your ropes?

Shh, keep it down. No matter what you hear next, just stay put and don't come out.

A... Alright...

Someone's running for it!

How? Who tied the ropes?

Oh, look at you, pretty little kitten! Thinking of scarpering on your own?

Look at that waist, though, heheh. I tell you, you put that in my hands and I could—

Honestly, you people really... sicken me...

*Sigh*...

Boom.

The violent sound of the detonation rings through the entire factory.

Along with the raging flames of the Originium Arts and fragments of the interior walls, several hooligans fall to the ground and are knocked out.

The Originium crystals fall away from their bodies in the heat, dropping to the floor.

Were these... stuck on? No, wait, this is just glass painted black!

(Fake Infected?)

What the hell happened!?

You useless ballsacks, I told you to watch them! Some shit mess you've made!

Who got you to do this? Why are you disguised as Infected?

No, let's be clear... you have no Infected among you at all, do you?

You bloody woman... not half-bad at this, are you?

What's it matter if we do or don't?

You're not getting out of here alive. Who's going to know the truth?

Communicating with you lot is really wearing me out...

What are you trying?

Park yourself on back, now! Else I'm done playing nice!

(It's clear they'll kill to silence, but they're still menacing us into complying using their arms. There's no logic to it at all...)

Just try and threaten me with those weapons, go on.

How many people like you do you think I've dealt with before?

The flames dance across the ground, drawing a brilliant show of firelight.

Piled in a corner, the resin shells of the Originium bombs melt apart in the blaze.

Their crystalline electronic components laid bare, they let out a boom.

The cores of the explosives emit blinding rays of light, then deactivate.

The bombs! The bombs got cooked!

Why didn't they explode? What happened?

Are you thick?! It's Originium Arts! She's a Caster!

Shit! We're in for it, now!

I'm giving you two choices.

First, you surrender nicely. I've got a lot I intend on asking you, still.

I'm not recommending the other choice, because right now, I'm in a VERY bad mood.

Piss off! Who do you think we are?!

Come on, boys, do her in! Do all these Infected in!

Excuse me! Did you not see those Originium Arts just now?!

How many people in Caladon could pull off Arts of that caliber?! Are you still going to resist?

What the hell is running through those brains of yours?!

Yeah, and what's all the fuss?! You're just a Caster!

I've seen a sight and a half, the places I've been! We've got Casters too! Show me what she's made of, go on!

*Sigh* And I've had enough...

Wait! No! We have to leg it!

What now?

Her! I just remembered! She's not a normal Caster!

It's King's Wand! She's that Mountbelan family's...

What?