act9d0

To the north of Kazdel lies a birch forest.

There, the progression of life unfolds. From Spring it begins, and in Winter it ceases.

And only death thrives in the long winters. All living things make their exodus in unison, leaving only the Originium crystals speckled along the ground to reflect the somber moonlight.

...Pale, withered tree trunks hang lifelessly, their slender shadows intertwining and stacking upon empty expanses of snow.

That is the scenery I saw.

...Ines!

...Ines! Tch!

...Screw you!

If you're not dead yet, then wake up already.

Huh...?

(My head... what is this pain...?)

What's going on... what happened?

Nothing happened, but just in case that fall gave you amnesia, I'll give you a quick summary.

We were ambushed an hour ago. They were quick. Our caster had no time to put up a barrier, and our team got split up. We're the only ones here.

And the comms?

Jammed. I don't know how they're doing it, but we're definitely up against pros. At least more professional than any of our prey before.

But the good news is they didn't go straight for the convoy. Looks like they got a tip or something, but not the details.

...Go ahead. Find a way to meet up with the others.

Oh? I figured you'd doubt me, at least a little.

Guess I'll leave you as bait.

Who do you think would survive if we fought?

Obviously—

Tsk... You really should do something about that nasty personality of yours. You can tell I'm injured that easy?

Oh... so it hurts that bad, huh?

I figured you had some control over your emotions, like you could fake them. Guess I was being more careful than I needed to be.

Do you always scan your teammates with Arts as soon as you wake up? Now that's a mark of trust, boss.

Force of habit.

So that's why, huh? The first thing you do after you open your eyes is surveil your surroundings. What a coward~

Hey! That hurts...!

You said bait, right? Not a bad idea.

No point in dragging along a merc who can't even stand up straight. You stay here for a sec and I'll call in the enemy.

Hope you guys get along nicely. Can't have you dying on me too quickly.

See you later, W.

Oh, one last thing. I never trusted you.

Hey, you little—!

...I found a mercenary. Just one.

Confirmation. It's W.

...That was fast.

Or rather, you've been following us the whole time, huh...?

Letting a few of them go was well worth it if it means we can get our hands on an HVT like you.

Hmph. I was gonna follow you back to the rest of your team. Never expected them to just abandon one of their own.

Tell me everything you know about them and you might get a quick death.

Well there's the trouble, huh? ...I'd love for us to be honest with each other, but the truth is that I don't know anything.

You're badly wounded. And we don't have time to waste. You might die if we torture you on the spot, and I'm sure nobody wants that.

In that case, you should chase down that woman. She knows more than I do.

...Don't you resent her for using you as bait?

You'll have a better time if you work with us.

...Bait, huh?

Say... Have you ever baited Originium slugs with industrial residue before?

...What are you talking about?

It's kind of a Kazdel folk thing. We get Originium slug infestations, you know?

Wild Originium slugs are pretty dumb, and they like Originium—

—But setting that aside, do you know what happens to the poor slugs that are lured over?

Don't mince words with—

They get blown apart, just like your buddies over there.

What?! When did you...?!

Hey, you even said I was bait. Didn't you think that meant a trap?

Probably should've killed me sooner, or ran off, I guess. Here, I'll give you another chance. Let's take it from the top.

*cough* *cough*——

—So fast?! Have you been chasing us this whole time?

You're insane!!

Ugh... Who's... behind...

Hush. No sudden movements.

It's kind of a beginner sword, but I'm not so good with a blade. If my hand slips, you die.

When— When did you get—

I'm pretty close with the shadows. Did you really think you'd be able to catch me without a scout?

Speak up. Who's your master?

I'll... never—

Graaaaahhh!!

Easy there. How's a guy supposed to talk if you turn his organs to mush?

Kazdel will... never... forgive you...

(Kazdel...)

Mm, thank you.

You really suck at torture.

...Damn. You're still alive.

You could've let him kill me first. Too bad you're so impatient.

Hmph. Of course I'd rather kill them first. These insects have taken too much from us.

When the enemy shows you an opening, any merc worth her salt would kill him, no?

...Hah.

You really do have a bit of Sarkaz in you, huh?

Rubbed off on me.

That wasn't exactly quiet. I bet more of them are on the way.

Isn't that what we want? Keep them away from the objective.

He said he let a couple get away... That means the rest are dead.

He wasn't good enough to take down that many of our people. And he was definitely scared. There's... something else out here.

Whew.

...Were you really faking your injury?

No no, you can't just fake an open wound away.

This is all mind over matter.

But let's talk about you. Did you really know that I had a present ready for them as soon as you woke up?

If I didn't wake up, I would've been the bait.

I definitely would've waited for you to die before springing the trap.

Hmph...

If one day, you meet someone who actually could read your mind...

You won't be a match for her.

I guess I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Can you feel around with Arts?

...As if I wasn't going to do that already.

No...

That's the look that usually means we're boned.