act15mini

...Oh.

That's weird.

I was going to ask Simone what the Sami writing on this flagon means.

But I got distracted for some reason.

Well, I'll just put it away for now.

They came back, Ragna.

Your predictions are always so accurate.

Tila came back empty-handed. She's the best hunter in the tribe.

And my youngest son found a bracelet that had been lost for years. As you said, 'Fortune lies in deep water.'

And...

Dark death has befallen our warriors.

Therefore, I must ask you: Why did you do it?

Why did you lead us in the opposite direction, when your scrying pointed towards the north?

...Sorry, I only came back to see my family.

If there are no other funeral arrangements... I'll take my leave.

Ragna!

Let her go.

She is no longer connected to the land of Sami. We need not reproach the poor soul.

How was it, Gitano?

They still don't like you?

I predicted as much.

Well... at least you ran into an old friend on the way. That's pretty lucky too!

I can still hardly believe it. I thought I was hallucinating again when I saw you!

—Er, sorry.

I heard someone died. Could it be...

It's okay. I came back because I divined my brother's death.

We'd been out of touch for a long time. We had our... differences.

But the shamans aren't preparing for a funeral. Don't they have the most important role?

...Your friend is sharp, Magallan.

It's hardly a secret.

People aren't normally so sad just to say goodbye to the dead.

Only when they never get a chance to.

...You're right.

Seven years have passed. I thought new branches would grow from the trees, and that the people would be able to live in peace on this land.

But all I see is my kinsmen suffering from increasingly frequent disasters, and even being forced to move again.

Meanwhile, the shamans argue over whether to hold a traditional funeral.

Hm... but what use is a goodbye if you don't say anything?

In the end, everything flies away like a fowlbeast, never to be seen again.

By that point, it doesn't matter if you were the one to raise your voice and startle them.

I... never agreed to not hold a funeral. Please don't bring that up again.

They were fortunate to return home. How could we leave them to the long, cold nights, trapped by their mortal bodies?

This place will soon stop being our home.

Which is exactly why they need the boat-sinking ceremony, so that the river may carry them home!

Disaster lies before us.

I know—

—And they are part of it.

The rockhorn runs for its life, day and night, until it finally dies of exhaustion. It is a sign. On the northern front, we will blow the horn and stand watch at night.

They are all warriors.

A warrior does not die in peace.

Wasn't that just a rumor?

Fighting on the northern icefields did not darken your fate. Instead, you received Sami's revelation and blessing.

Yet now you want them to stand vigil over their own bodies, until they rot and decay...

Among them lies your favorite student. Even now he is listening to your cold words.

Then let him listen. He is a strong warrior. He will understand.

—You're right.

Why don't we ask the dead themselves?

...It would seem living among the outlanders has given you blind courage.

But you know that we have long lacked a Snowpriest.

No one in the clan has heard the call since Grandma Vali's passing.

Or do you propose that we break from tradition and imitate those tribes that set trials for their Snowpriests, rather than wait for the call?

No.

I... can try to divine their will.

Ragna...

Yes, I'm asking you to entrust it to fate.

I won't take any questions. Just think of me as someone who goes back on her word.

Then I won't stop you from trying.

...Very well, if the clan tree raises its branches and lets you sail through, I won't stop you.

We await the answer of the dead.

Weren't you going to Čappat? I thought you southerners were always in such a hurry.

Like when your tourists come to visit. Their, er, vehicles just drop them off somewhere empty, they all stand around a while, and then the vehicle takes them away again.

You're right, I <i>am</i> concerned about Professor Mary.

But my best bet for now is to gather as much information about Sami as possible, to make things smoother for the rescue team.

Plus, I want to spend more time with Gitano.

At Rhodes Island, they always say that nothing can rattle her except losing at cards.

So I never thought I'd see her looking so gloomy...

What about you, Typhon? Isn't your client down south in Čappat getting impatient?

No idea.

Huh?

I don't actually know who the client waiting for me there is, or what they want me to do.

Probably another one who wants me to help deal with a problem quietly.

You can tag along next time. It's amazing what they'll do to keep things secret.

Like, leaving a message on a wooden board in a hole in a tree. When it was just about removing a dead hornbeast.

The shadow was no longer near the beast, but that just makes them even more scared. So they look to me to take care of it.

Sounds like people trust you a lot.

So do they really keep their distance from you just because they think your bow brings bad luck?

Isn't that just like... Oripathy?

Oripathy? Of course not, it's nothing like that.

Do you no longer respect Simone because she has Oripathy?

But me... I'm not sure I've fully tamed this bow, to be honest.

Hm... but you're the one holding it. If it's not working right, wouldn't that be like when my drones malfunction? You can feel when something's wrong, right?

Of course I can keep an eye on it, when I'm awake.

But what about when I'm dreaming, and my consciousness leaves my body?

Do you southerners have a saying like this? 'The more people speak of doom, the clearer it casts its shadow.'

You don't? Alright.

When I lived in Arges's cave, no one knew of me or my weapon.

But things are different now. The more I help chase the shadows out of Sami, the more people begin to talk about me.

So who can say when misfortune will suddenly catch up with me?

I'm sure your bow will be fine! We've journeyed all this way together with no problems, haven't we?

Although I guess the plural of anecdote isn't data...

Oh, what if you let my colleagues in Engineering analyze it? Maybe they could come up with an explanation I can actually understand.