lionhd

He's pretty paranoid and likes to keep a firm grasp on his subordinates. The mine guards are probably the same.

But I haven't seen any female subordinates around him... strange.

...Maybe she's watching us from the shadows.

I would've said you were full of shit, if I hadn't seen Ayerscarpe in action.

After seeing him fight a whole regiment, though... I wouldn't be surprised if Cowell had someone like that under his command.

Who knows which of 'em would have the upper hand if they came face-to-face... but I'm guessing a former assassin knows some dirty tricks.

You give me too little credit, Leon.

But that's checkmate isn't it?

If it's someone not even Ayerscarpe can handle...

Wouldn't you be stuck in that mine at Cowell's mercy?

Let's see how the protagonist gets out of <i>this</i> predicament.

Well, that's not the important part... the bodyguard was a ghost who never even appeared. But I made an even more shocking discovery in the mines...

What was it?

Explosives.

Cowell was waiting for Maize Drill to send rescue, then he'd blow us all up together.

Maybe you could have dealt with the guards, Ayers, but could you stop an explosion?

Tch.

Er...

This is getting a little scary...

Zzz... zzz...

Kroos...

Kroos?

She dozed off.

Let her sleep. I feel it's going to be a while before we get to the good part.

Hey, are you implying that wasn't a good part?

An unarmed miner, bravely making a stand against the evil mine owner and his hired muscle!

Inspired by his act of courage, the Catastrophe Messenger heads towards a showdown with the villain!

(Yawns)

Did you just... yawn at me? I sure hope that was the fun kind of yawn.

Oh, sorry, couldn't resist... I must have eaten a little too much...

Ha.

Let them off the hook, Leon.

Isn't tormenting me enough?

So, how did you propose to deal with the explosives, Leonhardt?

He caused a massive explosion.

Hey, spoilers! We're not there yet! Good storytelling is about the journey!

So, this is where the detonation switch should be...

Number 26. Any more in this area...?

Leonhardt...

Oh, you're awake! Does it hurt anywhere?

I'm much better. It's just the arm... There's no need to do all this for me, Leonhardt.

Stay put. You have a broken forearm.

...What're those?

Oh? Well... these are transmitters I use to detect Catastrophe movement.

I used to be an engineer in the army. Those are explosives, aren't they?

Did Cowell do this?

Most likely. There must be seventy, eighty bundles in this hole. Enough to flip this entire place upside down, and us along with it.

Good thing they're not the type that explode on contact...

I can help. I've defused explosives before.

Not with that arm you can't. There are better ways to be a tough guy.

Look.

...Originium Arts?

I can't believe you destroyed the detonators with such precision from such a distance.

Completely undetectable, too. No alarms raised.

But it's all over if they see you fiddling around down here and decide to press the BOOM button.

Head back and join up with the rest. The company will send rescue soon.

But...

Leonhardt...

Will the company really send help?

Most of us are on short-term contracts with Maize Drill.

No one expected this, the whole Catastrophe and vicious competition between corporations...

To tell you the truth, though... most of us in this group are still owed wages.

The workers disappear, no more wages owed, there's evidence implicating a competitor...

Wouldn't that be rather convenient for the higher ups?

No worries, you're talking to a super experienced Catastrophe Messenger here! I'll find a way to get you home.

Listen, Cruise. I've got a plan, but I need your help.

The guards still think you're out cold, so you're the best man for the job.

W-What is it? I'll do whatever I can.

Do you remember the way in?

I'll create a diversion while you go back the way we came.

Wait for Ayers at the entrance. He'll help you get out of here.

And... give him this.

Your clothes? There's blood on them... are you hurt?

Just a little scratch.

Pass on a message, too.

'Stay away, Ayers. Forget the contract. Leave this to me.'

Honestly, I find it hard to picture those words coming out of your mouth.

Hey, I got all the miners out safely! I'm not all talk, I've got the receipts!

So, about the explosion...

Heh, now <i>that</i> was my genius plan!

I overheard the guards say that Cowell kidnapped me because his Catastrophe Messenger died in an accident.

He was really anxious to claim that mine... but the only person in the area who knew about the Catastrophe's movements was me, employed by Maize Drill.

So he knew nothing about the Catastrophe situation. And I happened to be a Catastrophe Messenger. The rest, as they say, is history.

Huh? So you led him into a Catastrophe area?

What? No! I would never! I'm a professional too, I've got standards!

I see...

You were the sole authority on Catastrophes present. So you faked one?

H-Hey, how did you guess my genius plan?!

But how do you fake a Catastrophe?

The explosion. Leonhardt used Originium Arts to cause explosions, then told Cowell that the tremors were caused by a Catastrophe.

Exactly! I was observing the rock formations in the mine while surveying, in order to identify locations where I could create an explosion without compromising the structural stability. And...

There was one more important point.

...What was it?

The explosives.

Ah...

Now this is getting a little interesting.

Cowell may not have felt threatened by the aftershocks of a Catastrophe on their own. He knew, however, that there were explosives set up all around the mine.

B-But what about the workers? Weren't they scared? Didn't they want to flee with you?

The lives of Rim Billiton's miners are threatened by much more than a mere Catastrophe.

Compared to becoming chips... or rather, expendable fodder in the competition between mining companies...