act10mini

November 22nd, 1097, 10:20 A.M.

*Pant*...

Li'l~ Susie~

Let me give your ears a good rubbie-rub!

Hahaha! What's the matter, Officer Grani?

Something at work, I imagine.

*Sigh*... Nothing much, just some hiccups lately with my job.

Go on, what exactly's happening?

It's not that big, to be honest...

You've all heard the recent rumors in the city, I'm guessing.

Ah, you mean those urban legends in the paper?

Same as ever, I assume. 'Sounds can be heard from the city underground,' 'criminals have infiltrated the Infected community,' and so on.

Right... I was wanting to investigate those. I wrote up a dedicated report over the past few days.

But the Guards don't care about any of it! They want me to keep my nose out of things!

Eh? Do the Mounted Police investigate urban legends, too?

Come on, that's the wrong idea, Susie!

My work experience taught me that when these rumors crop up in a city, usually they come from the criminal activity that hides behind it.

Like the 'sounds from underground' one.

Did you know? There's massive runs of logistics channels lying abandoned under Caladon.

Right. In the earlier years, back when the nomadic sectors were being planned, they drafted plenty of channels through the structural layers. But following the city's development, a lot of the old plates' underground ways were too taxing to maintain, so they relinquished them all.

Yep. For example, plenty of them run under the Infected community.

Do you get it now? If those rumors are true, then that means there are people doing something at evening in those empty logistics channels, out of sight.

Er... this is a bit scary, isn't it?

It's too bad I still don't have any direct proof.

I think you can worry yourself a little less about it. It's meant to be the Guards' job, after all.

If something does happen later, they're the layabouts. You've got nothing to fear.

Well, if you put it that way...

*Sigh* It's patrol hours right now, so I guess I'm a layabout myself, sitting here...

Hahaha... we won't tell anyone.

Li'l~ Susie~

Let me give your ears a good rubbie-rub!

Go ahead, but careful of the static, okay?

November 24th, 1097, 6:15 P.M.

In front of the shambles of the 'Green Spark' stands a thunderstruck Officer Grani.

Before her eyes was that shop full of human warmth—now, with its roof collapsed, walls crumbled, and nothing left but charred black wreckage.

She stares blankly at the ruins in front of her, not daring to believe her eyes.

...But why?

Wh... why? Why would...?

Oh, Miss Grani, you're here now?

Wh-What happened here? Why is this place...?

Too much for me to swallow, too. It could only be out of revenge, setting a place like this alight.

Setting?! Someone set this place on fire?!

What about the owner here? Where's that Feline girl? Have you seen her?

No, we haven't, but no one was in there last night when the fire went up.

We're lucky no one's burnt, or worse.

Who the hell did this?!

Anger.

She clenches her fists tight.

The pub she visits practically every week, the adorable owner lady, the diverting guests... A moment of rare respite in this city, now turned to charred rubble.

The anger flooding Grani's mind is hard to keep in check—rarely is she ever this enraged.

She's reached the point of wanting to bring justice to the culprit herself, no matter who it is.

Hey! No going in! We still haven't cleaned up the debris yet!

That's fine, I'm looking over the scene of the crime. I might find something in this.

Don't bother, officer.

The Guards came over this morning. They looked all around, called it an accident, and left just like that.

An accident? But didn't you just say...?

That's just my opinion as a firefighter. We see a lot of things wherever we're called, and this we've seen.

What's this... a scrap of explosive?

Yeah, but the Guards had us keep out of this, so I didn't say much.

And nobody cares, really... about the Infected community. It's all less said, the better.

Can you pass this evidence on to me?

Sure, it was burning my hand, anyway. Didn't think I should hold it... and you're with the Guards, at any rate.

Let me see...

Wait, hold on... these are shards from a military-grade incendiary! I've seen this sort back in Mounted Police training.

Is it just me, or... are these shards familiar?

November 26th, 1097, 7:15 A.M.

So we meet again, Mr. Maud?

Th... The Mount?!

Did they just let you go? I thought they'd keep you in custody for longer than this.

Don't take me in again, officer, I'm begging you! All I am's a handyman!

I haven't bothered about with those Infected in recent, I swear!

Are you sure?

Do you still remember that incendiary we confiscated from your loot, a few days ago when I arrested you?

You said you'd only bought one for 'self-defense'.

But military-grade bomb shells have a very obvious unique design. They're not hard to identify even when shattered. Can you guess where I found this little piece?

If you're lying, it's another trip with me back to the Guards.

No! I'll tell you! Anything you want!

I bought a case, I confess it! I bought a case! But I sold it all on to other people!

The Danton brothers! I sold it to the Danton brothers!

The Danton brothers? Who are they?

Those two Siracusan immigrants! The two mafia henchmen! Go ask the people at the Boil! They know 'em!

Then do you know why they'd want to burn down an Infected community pub?

I don't know! I swear, no idea! I didn't hear a thing about the pub!

I got the firebombs from the—the black market at the Boil, too! I swear, that's the honest truth!

But the merchant there said, he's got ways of getting goods done directly at the factory...

(Factories in Caladon... I think there's only Count Bishmer's manufacturing military supplies...)

Do you know where the Danton brothers are?

I... I'm not 100%, I just know they always hang around in the Boil...

The Boil, huh...

November 27th, 1097, 6:15 P.M.

How many times have I had to tell you? Have you caught the burglar?! Have you finished your patrols?! Only you Mounted Police sideshow jugglers would obsess over the tiniest meaningless business.

You call this meaningless business?

Is it not?! Is a single Infected community pub burning down worth you spending three days to investigate?

A short-circuit in the mains, offended a gang, a lightning strike! I can think of a hundred other reasons still. Once you finally discover there was no culprit at all, who takes responsibility for all the cases this has held up? You?

So what about this evidence? These military incendiaries were made at Councilor Bishmer's factory, and were meant as supplies for the Victorian Army! But they circulated into the black market!

Doesn't this warrant investigating that factory?!

That's Count Bishmer's estate! You're saying you'll sweep a Member of the Council's factory?

You've got some brass!

Military incendiaries! The underground black market! The evidence is all in front of you! Why are you still playing the idiot here?

Don't tell me, you get a piece of these black market deals too?