tecno

You don't know anything about art!

Sure, I'm just an ordinary viewer, but viewers have the right to their opinions too.

Clumsy brushwork, rough effects... even a third-rate amusement park's haunted house wouldn't take this crap.

At least now it has some value.

After all, isn't it you artists who say that ashes are beautiful too?

How dare you!

Get out of my way. You can't stop me.

I believe I can.

You're the fireman who came to fight the fire on his own?

So noble! Here's my card. Please, give me a call if you're interested in doing an exclusive.

Now, if you would excuse me...

The scene has not yet been secured.

What?

A comprehensive check is required to prevent secondary damage. We request your cooperation with firefighting efforts.

As far as I know... the fire department doesn't have any personnel assigned to the art community. You're overstepping, don't you think?

And as far as I know, electric sparks don't make clean cuts like these, aging circuits or not. Besides, I don't think our reporters are this... efficient, don't you think?

Hmph.

This isn't over.

Umm, sir? Why did the streetlights go out? It's pitch black here... I'm starting to get the creeps.

This is all the fault of that stupid firefighter. We'll go once we've got our photos of the scene.

Let's see how smug these hoodlums are when photos of their 'artwork' are all over the press.

Hey, where's the club? Did we take a wrong turn?

A musbeast dashes past their feet in the dark alley.

In his fright, the rookie cameraman accidentally turns on the camera light, illuminating a rugged concrete wall.

Sticky red liquid... it's still dripping... C-Could it be...?

Hmph! Those hoodlums splatter a few geometric figures with red paint and call themselves avant-garde. And they say I'm the one who doesn't know anything about art.

Art is not about form, but how it evokes emotions.

Joy, sorrow, anger, fear... true art strips away all the masks that the viewer is wearing, commanding total immersion with its power.

A height these people will never reach.

I didn't know you were such a connoisseur.

You saw how things were during the day. Those artists are like walking Catastrophes. Who knows what they'd do if they caught us?

I've already arranged with the station to get the video on air as soon as the storage card arrives. And we'll get our 'bonus' once Captain Mateo sees it.

Good call!

Wh-What's that sound?!

Come on, boy, look at the time, you should be in bed... my eyelids are drooping...

The fire really spooked him, dear. Be patient.

Look at you, getting all riled up over a couple putting their boy to bed.

The owner of the club said it was arson.

I'll wring the neck of whoever did it. Look how our baby's hair got singed...

Baby...

You're not scared of a little kid, are you?

No... I mean... there's a kid standing on the corner... and it seems to be... glowing?

But the moon isn't out!

Wh-What is it? Why is it looking at us?

S-Stop letting everything scare you! Can't you see it's not moving? Probably some scrap the hoodlums left here.

The words have barely left his mouth when the 'child' innocently cocks its head, at an angle that should not be possible.

One step, two steps... it, or 'he' starts running towards them with an eerie smile on his face.

D-Do normal children run that fast?

L-Let's get out of here for now...

...Intern?

This is not what I expected for my first day on the job!

Why you son of a...! Wait for me! And don't you drop that camera!

You're getting better and better at manipulating your puppets, Tecno.

Got to thank the painter couple that lives on the second floor. They were furious at the fright that the fire gave their pet fowlbeast.

Third-rate amusement park's haunted house, eh? We'll show them what artists can do when they're pissed.

Art is about evoking emotions, eh? We'll show them how art can evoke this little emotion called 'fear'.

Get the boys ready, Sullivan. We're just getting to the good part.

*pant* *pant* I... I wanna go home...

Papá says children killed by fire become angry ghosts! This one must be here for revenge!

Oh, shut up... W-We didn't do anything wrong...

Are you out of your mind? Why are you laughing?! We won't get any pictures if we wake the locals!

It wasn't me! I-It's him... he's coming for us!

I thought our wires burned in the fire. How did you get that sound?

Turrión built a makeshift generator out of an exercise bike.

Cool!

He's not submitting a new work for our project tonight?

He is. The title is 'Turrión on Bike'.

His specialty is performance art, after all.

Dead end... We're done for...

Pull yourself together! It's just some stupid parlor trick. Get your camera ready. We're getting that bonus from Captain Mateo!

Aw! Ouch... Quit hiding behind me!

I-It wasn't me!

I think... there's somebody... behind us...

It is the shadow they see first.

It stretches from their feet to the entrance of the alley, cutting off all possibility of escape.

The reporter can feel his neck go stiff. Still, he cannot help but turn his head to look and see just what terror awaits him.

He spies a horrifying visage, its terrible mouth gaping open, exuding a charred stench.

Its jaw creaks ominously as it opens and closes, delivering a chilling question from beyond the grave—

'Am... I... pretty?'

YESSSEEEEEEKKK—

I see. The sculpture's head is now driven by wind power rather than Originium, but the instability makes it feel even more alive.

Gotta give Turrión his due. The projections wouldn't have worked nearly as well, if not for him on the bike controlling the output.

He should get a side job generating electricity.

And I should thank that reporter too. A complete amateur, but what he said about beauty did give me some new inspiration.

I salvaged the transmission from the club, while trying out some new things with the interplay of light and shadow.

I'm planning to submit this sculpture for next week's exhibit. I think it'll be a smash hit!

Trying out new things...

You know, I've always been interested in all kinds of music.

I know, Tecno, but I don't have the money to pay you back for the tickets right now.

No, that's not what I meant...

What I mean is, are you up for a collab song?

What was that? Why do I feel like someone's whispering in my ear when there's no one there?!

Hey, I like this synthesizer.

M-My brain's all jumbled... Will we ever get out of this place?

Hell yeah! You hear the eight bars of dissonance? Planned by yours truly.

HELLLLLLLP—

Gotta hand it to you too, Tecno... Didn't know you could sound so... guttural!

I see light! We're outta here! Screw Mateo's bonus!

*cough* I've wanted to try that forever.

More into it now? I'll take you to my favorite heavy metal band's next gig. No excuses the next time we vote.