act17mini

Alright, Mr. Save It, would you please move inside a little? I would like to sit down too.

The sun sets little by little. Nymph looks at the detector in her hand; it is unclear what she is thinking.

Pohl stands up and sits down again, then stands up again, finally ducking down into a crouch, counting the gravel on the ground.

The shadow of the Furnace passes over the east wall. Blood from the wound seeps through the new bandages and coagulates.

The Infected with the injured arm stands up, draws the knife that he left standing on the ground, and peers at the shadow outside.

I'm going to look for them.

You coming?

Do you know which construction site they went to?

No. I'll check all of them if I have to.

You're just going to march through the streets like that?

A wounded outsider... how about this, I'll go with you, and if anyone asks...

Shh.

Pohl is still staring at the gravel.

He has separated it into four piles, sorted by color and size, which now tremble and collapse in a unique rhythm.

They're back.

Mudrock... they found it...

Thump. Thump.

Thump.

The heavy footsteps stop at the entrance to the alley. Nymph and Pohl soon hear the faint sounds of metal scraping—the sound of blades being drawn.

Mudrock—

I'm alright!

The Child of Soil and Stone walks out from the corner, seemingly oblivious to her friend's call and making no motion in particular, but the Infected who follow her put away their weapons.

Mudrock walks into the battered shack and throws her shovel in a corner.

Come in.

Sit.

Rope.

The three statements flow from Mudrock's mouth in the same tired tone, with virtually no interruption.

Nymph sits down on the stool opposite Mudrock. The Infected stream into the room, leaving behind two holding a rope that stretches into the alley.

A Djall?

Er, hello, Mudrock! Yes, I'm a Djall. My name's Nymph. My mom and dad are both Djaj. I don't know if you've seen my sister at Rhodes Island...

They are here?

Well, no. I came to...

She's trying to chase us out.

Don't interrupt, Stick. Go on.

We came looking for something. Someone ran into a terrifying monster near this shack, and we suspect it has something to do with what we're looking for.

My guess is that it's just a misunderstanding. There's no monster at all...

I know what you mean. We're the 'monster'. That's how the Sarkaz here see us.

No, that's not what I mean.

The Sarkaz here aren't much different from those in the settlement outside. They're here because they don't have anywhere else to go.

As far as monsters go, Sarkaz have been treated as monsters by other races for as long as Kazdel has stood.

You must know what I mean, Mudrock. Please, explain to them...

Mm. Probably not a misunderstanding.

What?

The monster, did it look like that?

Hey, a hand?

Who? Me? Er, okay.

(Anxious roar)

Wh-What the heck is that?

Hold it tight! Drag it in!

One, two! One, two!

With the rope tied around their waists, the Infected wrap it around their shoulders and pull with all their strength.

Pohl looks with astonishment at the thing being pulled out from the shadows.

It is about twice as tall as a man, its eyes blood-red, draped in tattered white linen, with metal wires and ropes tied tightly around it.

The monster.

Tie it up!

What? How? Where? You sure about this? That thing could collapse this rickety shack with a single kick.

Just listen to Mudrock. Tie it up.

How did you catch it, whatever this... THING is?

The detector is vibrating! Is that your colossus, Mudrock?

Yeah, I saw it by the road on the way back.

It was working just fine yesterday, maybe a little slow, but nothing was broken. Then it suddenly ran out in the middle of the night and wouldn't come back.

Couldn't sense it with Arts, either. It's like something was interfering... do you know what's going on?

Maybe it's under the influence of a revenant fragment.

Revenant? What do they have to do with it?

Well... actually, can I see the colossus first?

Be careful. It lashes out at anyone. All my guys here have taken a few hits.

Did it break, uh, Stick's arm?

No, he broke it in a fight over some work at the construction site.

Come on, Mudrock, you wouldn't stand up for me back there, and now you're doing this in front of some outsiders?

Did I not stand up for you? I took all his work. He spent the whole day in the sun without getting a single grain of corn.

Anything else I should know about the colossus?

It seems to be scared of me. It runs away as soon as it sees me. I would have caught it a long time ago, if I wasn't worried that it would topple the furnace if it got into the plaza.

Nothing else, really, Nymph... it's Nymph, right? Be really careful, if it was the revenant that made it go berserk.

There aren't many Djaj in Kazdel. I don't want to get one hurt, as soon as I met her.

A-Alright, thanks for the advice.

Nymph takes out her detector and cautiously approaches the colossus.

One step, two steps... as she takes the third step, the detector emits a screeching alarm.

So that's it!

No, it's not... it's there.

The Djall points to a crack on the colossus. A piece of rubble seems to have gotten lodged in it.

It is fixed to the colossus like a hateful eye, no matter how the colossus struggles.

I sense something strange.

It's pain that has lasted centuries... hatred that has lasted a hundred times longer.

(Hoarse howl)

This is a revenant fragment, Mudrock. I think that's why it went berserk.

People were attacked, but not injured. I didn't think about why that was, but now... I think it just doesn't hurt the Sarkaz.

...I see. The revenant are like Kazdel. They reject anyone who isn't Sarkaz.

We need to get the fragment out. Can you help me, Mudrock? You created this colossus, you should be able to control it.

Make it stay still. Just a little while will do.

Okay.

Mudrock raises a hand to the colossus. It seems to feel the threat and struggles even harder.

The metal wires began to break where they have been weakened by rust, stirring up clouds of dust as they hit the ground.

The red glow in the colossus's eyes grows brighter, and all present hear a cold, eerie voice in their heads.

Oppression... revenge!

Banish! Banish! Banish!

All you see is hatred... you could not even tell Sarkaz from outsider. You still raise your fists?

That is not what a revenant should be. Alright then... let it go.

Are you out of your mind?

...Got it. Scatter on the count of three. Three, two, one!

Banish!