act15mini

So basically, for the Sami, only the disasters from the icefield are considered enemies?

*sigh*... If only we just could listen in, I wouldn't have to go through all this trouble of sending in a drone up close.

Luckily, you taught me some tricks about camouflaging yourself so you don't alert your prey–

—Whoops. It got shot down.

But it should still be salvageable! Once we get to Čappat, I can probably find a colleague from Rhine Lab to fix it.

...Consider yourself lucky then.

Hehe.

By the way, you're clearly fighting against the same thing, but they treat you like an outsider just because of your weapon?

Mm. Black bow aside, it's probably because of Arges.

A lot of people see her as a madwoman, as they're quite familiar with the Cyclopes who live in seclusion in the Fjal Vetrtonn.

They believe that, as a Cyclops, she should never have walked out of that cave. Should never have made contact with so many people.

(In Sami) One who foresees fate will easily twist the fates of others.

(In Sami) One who... foresees fate... Ack.

In their eyes, I am someone who's had her fate twisted. Like... branches that have been artificially grafted together.

Trees like that will not grow properly.

But you seem perfectly fine to me!

Mhm. I think so too.

Oh, Simone.

Please, let me check if you two are okay.

This birdbrain over here seems fine enough. She just won't stop bouncing around.

Ehh?

Do you disagree? You act as if nothing happened.

Well, I guess that's true.

Oh right, Simone.

What is it?

I didn't have time to answer your question earlier. I'll do it now.

—I <i>am</i> scared.

...Hmm.

But when I'm on the hunt, I have other things to think about.

Where to aim. The speed of the wind. Deducing where my prey will be. When my head is full of these thoughts, I have no time to be scared.

I know that I must overcome, again and again. My resolve will never be shaken.

But just now, when the ice shattered, if I'd been the one to fall through, then that too would be fate's plan.

So are you able to calmly confront the torments of fate... because Arges shared her visions with you?

No, she's never spoken of them.

Haha, that makes me feel better then. The tragic prophecies of a Cyclops should not befall a child like you.

Where's Gitano?

She left by herself.

I don't know where she plans to go, but she said she'll send word to Rhodes Island once she's made up her mind.

...How unfortunate. There was something I wanted to tell her earlier.

But she should already understand by now.

Oh right! Even though I don't know exactly what's going on, I need to thank you all for resolving the crisis! Gitano too!

Wait, what did she do?

She was already exhausted by her Arts. And given the terror caused by the disaster, she wouldn't have been able to do anything rash.

Oh, she sent a request for help to the nearby tribes yesterday.

Just earlier, she told me something in secret... that she felt a vague sense of worry and guilt, so she wanted to ask for help.

—Hello there, Mister Snowpriest! Thank you and the other Treescar warriors for helping us today!

You're all lifesavers!

Child of the Santalla tree, daughter born of the biting cold.

Please do not call me that.

You went after the Ursus.

...So you can see everything.

How did it go?

You once hesitated because you longed for the shade beneath the ancient branches, and failed to become a Snowpriest.

If you still wish to live as the old tree's steward, then I have no further questions for you.

My time is limited because of Oripathy.

That is no reason for you to lose sight of your goals.

You understand this well, daughter of the Santalla Tree.

You understand the futility of revenge better than anyone else. It is precisely because of that futility that it becomes a never-ending task, one that requires a constant search for new lives to fulfill it.

I... am just an outcast. Hardly worthy of your attention.

No one has forgotten the young shaman who was born to command the wind and snow.

Then I'm sure you're quite disappointed now that you've met her in person.

Hatred and stone alike took root within this body. She was robbed of an eye, and naturally became blind.

No.

She is a warrior, just as in the legends of the past.

'Bjoda,' 'Andarsár.'

The will of the All-Father has warned us. All that you see serves as a warning.

The mountains raised by Sami are not enough to protect us from the disaster. Our sole enemy encroaches on our land.

Even so, will you continue to wander the icefield, aimlessly seeking vengeance?

Sorry... I need to go to Čappat with my companions.

Nobody's left.

One more snowstorm, and these fragile houses will disappear.

I only had time to see the ruined end. Is this fate showing mercy, or cruelty?

Brother, I now know what you saw when you turned back.

The wandering Elafia sits at the water's edge.

She leans down, wanting to cup the water to her face to wash away the dirty melted snow.

When she approaches the surface, shadows block the shimmering light, and she suddenly sees a wine flagon at the bottom of the water.

She recognizes the aged flagon as well as the prayer inscribed on it.

'Bestow upon the Myrkwood sacred purity; O Travelers, retrieve your innocent sight, those eyes that discern fate.'

'Bestow upon my home a lasting tranquility; My people, the dreamland is silent as falling snow.'

Sleep now. For one day, we will finally be able to return to that peaceful dream.

Spectacular! Show me another one!

I daresay your skills would be no less impressive in Wrankwood, my friends.

Huh. The guy waving the sign around looks a bit familiar... Was he the one who performed in front of a restaurant near Rhine HQ?

Oh right, being right next door to a fast food joint was the Caravan International Travel Agency's selling point.

But he was flipping that sign around way too fast for me to see what was on it.

Hot springs.

Oh... Uh, have you been there before?

Nope, but I've seen more than enough outlanders shivering from the cold and asking where the hot springs are. That must be why they come here.

Heh, I'm actually pretty interested in those myself.

When you're blessed by the Samivilinn, it's not so difficult to find a hot spring in the forest.

While I haven't been to southern Sami in years, I've also heard that the locals often encounter anxious southerners on the road.

They'll offer handfuls of unfashioned gold bars in exchange for divining the location of nearby hot springs.

And do they get an answer?

Hah. Who knows?

What I do know is that some people mistakenly believe that—because of the southerners' apparent fondness for such ugly ingots—they must never have developed any sense of aesthetics.

Then I guess... they never reached a mutual understanding.

However, they did end up finding experienced people like yourself, and eventually discovered the hot springs on their own.

Take a look at that. The thing that's always singing.

Oh, an advertising truck.

That's right. If you follow it all the way, you'll find another hot spring that they're developing.