Глава 14

Mon3tr, I'm okay. Let me down.

You 'look' terrible. Heh, you can drop the act in front of me.

You want me to believe you can't take this much? I don't buy it.

I'm worried about Kal'tsit...;If Amiya's running into these things too...

I don't remember the cat lady being that fragile. She—

(She doesn't gasp for air much anymore, but she hasn't completely recovered yet... and she sent this little freak here...)

(Dejected howl)

Alright, stop whining. It pisses me off.

Look how peppy you are. That means the old hag is fine.

Ines told me the little bunny's already run into this thing once in Norport.

She's got more experience than any one of us when it comes to dealing with it.

Heh, I bet she's more worried about me offing you rather than the revenant.

(Threatening howl)

Shut up. The old hag isn't here to back you up now.

The little bunny's gonna be fine. Take my word for it.

Standing in the corridor, W subconsciously looks outside the window and freezes for a moment.

Let's get going. We ain't got time for sightseeing.

You come to the window and look at the battlefield beneath you.

The sky is still lit up by the Sighs of Kings's golden glow. Victoria's counterattack must have started.

Victoria's counterattack has begun.;I hope Rhodes Island will be of help...

Down there is a real hell now. No need to look anymore.

Were you... saddened by the battlefield?

...More than enough Sarkaz have died.

Keep up.

I have lots of questions for Her Highness.

(Looks around in alarm)

...Mon3tr?

(Attacks the ground furiously)

A dark current of shadows silently appears at your feet and drags you toward the end of the hallway at an incredible speed.

You can feel the tip of a sharp blade at the back of your neck.

There's more than just the revenant here—!

(Low-pitched growling)

The black tide engulfs the struggling Mon3tr and keeps it from moving.

*Sarkaz expletive*, trying to snatch my mark from under my eyes?!

(Angry howling)

Come back!

You see a flash of light within the darkness at the end of the corridor, followed by a loud boom.

The force coming from behind you is so strong that it propels you out of the darkness and straight into the ground.

Ouch!;The bomb on my back?!

How's that? The latest propulsion unit with tracking. Not bad, huh? And like I said, the explosions are just a bonus.

It'll still make you suffer for two or three days, though.

Hah, we make a great team, don't we?

I never agreed to this team-up!;You could've reminded me beforehand!

It was never your call if or how we were gonna team up.

Hey, you in there. Bet that gave you a start, too?

You haven't changed, W.

You cannot go any further.

And you... <i>Doctor</i>.

You... are alive.

Have we met before?

She remembers the day she returned to Babel.

She remembers that broken door and the blood-stained logo...

And... those assassins hiding under their masks.

They took Theresa's life.

That Theresa.

W finds herself exceptionally calm right now.

You're gonna die.

And it'll be a really horrible death.

You said you won't resist—

You said you want the release of death—

I don't believe you.

She pierces the assassin's chest with her dagger, but intentionally avoids dealing a fatal blow.

She wants to hear the coward under the mask scream.

She slowly spins the dagger, trying to catch one sound, one sign of weakness...

She wants to hear it.

But there is nothing.

I won't let you die so easily...

You took Her Highness—

Death is too good for you...

You said you were prepared to die when you accepted the mission—

I don't believe you.

You want to live, don't you? You want to run away.

She wants them to run. She needs them to run.

That way, she can chase them, hunt them, make them die in despair.

She will drink their despair.

But that is not enough. Not even close. What would be enough?

Hold this grenade. It'll explode soon.

I'm right here. Prove it to me.

You can throw it away.

Do that, and you'll live.

I won't kill you. I'll let you go.

Throw it away!

There won't be anything left of me once this thing goes off, right?

Good.

You should stay away.

She does not believe it. She wants to find a sign, any sign, that this man is bluffing.

One moment of hesitation, the slightest hint of his desire to live—

White light bursts before her eyes, from the hand that held the grenade tightly.

Fire flies by her cheeks, but she feels no sense of satisfaction.

This is not enough...

Enough, W!;There's nothing left of him but ashes!

No, it's not enough.

Not nearly close.

I have more—

W!;...W.

The dark tides recede in the wake of the explosion.

What about the man? Is there no trace left of him?

Did I use too much of my stock?

Who cares, the real waste is if I <i>don't</i> use it.

Are you okay?