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Alright... Lie down, and stay calm...

Your leg's still out in the Flat. It won't hurt any longer.

We've been looking after you here, Cesc. Don't worry, the surgery was a success. You won't be dying today.

Oh... Oh...

I just cut his leg off. I can't call it surgery.

He's alive. That's surgery enough for us.

Calm down, Elysium. There's nothing to suggest that these bandits have killed him.

I don't want to think too much about the possibility, but... where would we even go to find out?

Weedy does not answer. In the distance, several corpses hang from a pole outside of town, swinging in the wind.

A fowl lands atop it, feasting on the carrion.

Oh, you two are guests of the Inquisition.

Those were bandits caught by the Alguacil. They were hanged, all according to the teachings.

Their bodies will serve as a warning to others of their kind.

Dead if you stick with the bandits, dead if you come back looking like a bandit...

Thorns...

Hey, joven, you still want that paper you're holding?

Nah, I don't need it anymore. Here, take it.

Gracias. Finally found something to stick my bed together with.

Hmm? Isn't this...

What, have you seen him before?

Of course I have. I even sheltered him for a night.

The fleet's heading out into the flat to hunt saltfins in a few days, and I'd like the boy to come along.

We've lost a lot of men this month, and our surgeon and navigator sacrificed themselves to get us out of the Inquisition's trap. I think he can fill in for their posts.

That's how you plan to fix our manpower problem?

I only let him help on the salvage ship because of Teach's guarantee, but did he not almost run away today?

And now you're telling me you want him to join you on a finship.

Señora... I know he's a precious, precious alchemist, but he's great with a sword too and knows his medicine. He'll be real handy during a hunt.

You might as well open the door and let him leave. He'll find no shortage of opportunities to escape out there.

I'm a pirate, Rus. We're not the most kind-hearted sort.

Please, señora, we've lost way too many men in these last few tussles with the Inquisition.

You're not the only one in this fleet who needs him... We all do.

He's far from a good little boy, you know. In fact, he's rather naughty. How will you ensure he does as he's told?

He'd never met Pascuala before, but he still saved her sorry behind when the Inquisition was chasing her down, and saw her safely to town. Didn't ask for a reward, neither.

He could've left Cesc to die, but he didn't. Chose to come back and help us save him.

He... He's a good kid. An honest kid.

As long as we show him how much we need him, he won't just sit back and watch us suffer.

Any other news from the crew?

Nothing yet... Nothing about our food supplies for the next month, at least.

*Sigh*...

Fine, he can go with you.

So the boy was your friend, then?

A fine young man. Such a shame what happened... And in the prime of his youth...

Alright, alright, fine!

I'm going to go find him myself!

Elysium? Elysium!

Weedy, Thorns is definitely out there, waiting for us to save him!

Here, a communicator. You stay in town, I'll head out into the Salt Flat.

Huh... Wha...?

If anything happens here, contact me! We'll keep in touch—

Take care—

ELYSIUM!

Wait for me, Thorns! I'm coming!

Why do you kids never let me finish?

You were trying to say...

It's a shame a fine young man like that would come back to Iberia just to learn a bit of swordplay.

Wouldn't it be better to live out the rest of your days in some other country?

This bread is... burnt.

Should still be edible, at least.

That bunch of useless pricks... I'll cave their skulls in one day, mark my words.

Lucky we didn't lose too much.

(*chews*)

Why're you snacking on a lump of charcoal?

Because I'm hungry.

Toss that out and come with me.

You've got a lot to learn afore you can join a finship crew.

Finship? What finship?

Thank you for dinner, Javi. It was delicious.

Señora Juana... I have some questions.

Go on then, no need to hold back.

I feel it's a little... risky, to be hunting such a massive saltfin with the men we have.

Wouldn't it be safer to go after a school of smaller ones?

The saltfin schools we've reeled in have been far too small. We'll need a lot more alchemical materials for what is to come.

We've already prepared plenty.

Still far from enough. The compass was just the beginning. We'll need so much more once we enter the ocean.

Poz, the last cook, said you like to make some crazy decisions. Most of the time, it makes our blood run hot with excitement.

But other times, it makes our blood turn to ice.

...Yet he was ever-loyal to me, supporting even those decisions that made him freeze up inside.

Is that what you expect from me too?

No. Which is why he's the previous cook and you're the new one.

Do you really wish to spend the rest of your life worrying about your next meal? This is our chance. Seize it, and all our problems vanish forever.

The ocean managed to nurture the entirety of the Golden Age, but our entire fleet can't even compare to your average gang of smugglers.

But the Salt Flat has nurtured us for decades! It hasn't been easy, but you've led us through the years.

The Flat is too barren for us.

And the ocean is too dangerous for us.

Think about the townsfolk. They would like nothing more than to be rid of us, and their net draws ever closer.

You were never afraid of them!

It's not them that I'm afraid of.

It's the Flat. Its ecosystem is about to collapse.

That fissure was just the beginning. Survey teams are reporting that large voids have appeared beneath the Salt Flat, where underground rivers have dried up.

Voids?

The underground rivers are drying up. The number of microorganisms has dropped sharply, and with it, the number of saltfins that feed upon them.

It's been a long time since one of our finships encountered a large school of saltfins.

Why didn't you tell us?

What was I supposed to say? That we're finished if we don't escape this place? What would that accomplish other than causing a panic?

Is this the only way then?

...Yes, it's the only way.

A little to the left... thanks.

Mmph!

Yes... now a little harder.

Mmph—!