level_act33side_08_beg

Spring, 1094

Rhodes Island of Babel, Kazdel

I knew you'd come, Ascalon.

I'm the only one left.

Indeed.

After a few years here, you're the only one left, out of everyone I knew.

This upcoming mission of yours...

In Londinium. You knew that already.

To tell you the truth, I'm a little bit bothered by it. This isn't my first time going undercover, but...

It's the first time for me to step outside of Kazdel.

I heard you used to travel around for months?

It's not the same as going to Victoria, though.

You are going to be a sleeper agent in Theresis's mercenary army. When the time is right, you'll be provoking an armed rebellion.

Will killing Theresis really solve our problems?

No. The Military Commission is no longer reliant on any one strongman. This is exactly what Theresis wants.

So, the best way for you to accomplish your mission is to cause a disturbance at the right time. It'll sow doubts among the Victorian dukes, and they can do the dirty work for you.

Londinium is the heart of Victoria. They've got nowhere to run. The city will witness the downfall of the entire Military Commission.

And then you guys will beat up the whole Nachzehrer Court and take back Kazdel, right?

Still, Julie, you should—

Oh, don't be like that! I've been undercover before. It's just... you know, having to fool both Theresis and the Victorians at the same time... I've barely met any Feline who can do that!

I've even been practicing my Victorian just for this...

That's not what I meant.

Never mind. Here, for you.

What's this? My old clothes?

My name's been sewn into the lining... Did Her Highness do this?

Her Highness wanted to give this to you in person, but I don't want you two to meet at this moment.

I... would rather she not have to suffer too much.

You know what I mean. You know that everyone involved in this plan is considered sacrificed already.

Her Highness knows this. She wanted to say goodbye to you all in person, but that would only make it hard for her to sleep at night.

So I lied to her. I told her you all left earlier than planned.

I'm sorry, Julie. You might have wanted to meet Her Highness too.

Julie does not reply. She strokes the name sewn onto her clothes with linen, feeling its rough texture in silence.

'Julie'.

She remembers how Her Highness would teach them lessons.

She is more used to killing people than learning things in a classroom. Although she would doze off as she didn't understand a thing, she knew in her heart that everything Her Highness said was right.

That's why she has never raised a question in class.

Who wouldn't want to see Her Highness one last time? But I don't mind it's you who gives me this. I've learned a lot from you in these past few years too.

Ah. You're not thinking that you might be more qualified for this mission than I am, are you?

No, I'm not.

There were some people who actually mentioned you at the meeting earlier, but we all agreed that it's best if you stay in Kazdel with Her Highness.

As for me, I've always been on my own, so I was the first to suggest...

You could go and join Scout's team. I remember you have already applied for it.

That was just because I wanted to learn everything I could from a hero, all so that I could beat you one more time.

We fight more or less in the same way. It's kind of a bummer leaving without having sparred enough with you.

Hmph. I really wouldn't be telling you all this if it wasn't for the fact that I'm about to head off already.

Do you... have anything else you'd like to say?

Nope. I never expected my first time leaving home would also be my last. I also never expected the person sending me off would be the unsmiling, silent head assassin who's always standing by the King's side.

Answer me honestly, Ascalon.

What's it like out there, in the lands beyond Kazdel?

Ascalon does not answer. It seems that Julie did not expect to receive one in the first place.

Julie simply gets up and leaves at a languid pace.

As though she was just heading off to get a bottle of top-notch wine.

Ascalon watches her as she walks off into the distance.

She suddenly feels like there is something unfamiliar about Julie, the same feeling as if she were unable to recognize her own reflection in the mirror.

Three months later...

Village on the outskirts of Londinium, Victoria

Come out already. There's no use hiding.

We received the info while in the city that there's a squad heading off to Kazdel. That must be you lot, right?

We've blocked off all the other roads out of this village, and don't even think about passing through me here.

Got you.

Look at your wounds and all. I doubt you could beat a civilian in a state like this.

She shakes her sword with disdain, flicking off the blood on it.

Or maybe you're waiting for your buddies to come help you out?

...The others are all dead?

As a doornail.

All your friends are dead, so why does it feel like you're breathing a sigh of relief?

Death is but a mercy... my friend.

Who the hell are you guys?

That does not matter.

Ngh... Gah...

Your blade struck true. *cough*...

She hears the assassin break out in laughter under her blade.

Only once he has finally stopped breathing does she peel off his mask.

Julie freezes. She thinks hard for a long while, before finally realizing the identity of the Sarkaz based on the marred birthmark by the corner of his eye.

His portrait had been circulated around the Scar Market's book of bounties before.

He had many aliases, but nobody knew what his real name was. He has been active for far too long, long enough to become the subject of boasts and quips from drunken mercenaries.

But the two horns that marked his bloodline and identity have been cut clean off, leaving eternal scars on his head.

Those other masked nutjobs willing to die for their cause... Did they also like chopping their horns off?

Did you need to go this far to muster enough courage to assassinate Her Highness? Was it because you had to bare steel against the King of Sarkaz, against one of the Six Heroes?

Whatever... I can tell just by looking at you all that you haven't dealt with Her Highness Theresa before.

Well, don't you worry, I'll burn away your faces. Sure, you'll be turned into some real stinky charcoal, but it beats being remembered as a sinner.

You guys can't go back to Kazdel, and this is the only thing I can do to help you. To be honest, I don't think you and I are all that different.

I can't go back to Kazdel either.

Julie and her companions pile up the assassins' corpses, set the grisly pyramid alight, then set off in the direction of Londinium.

The blaze behind them crackles. A thought suddenly pops up in Julie's mind. The furnace in Kazdel doesn't sound like this.

What was it like? She heard it all the time when she was little.

...Can't remember any of it.

Kal'tsit.

Our elites have been deployed to all the key strategic points.

Good. Listen up, there is a clear power gap between us and the Military Commission. Laying siege to Kazdel would have been an impossible operation.

But thanks to the Duke of Cavendish's ultimatum, Theresis has marched to Londinium earlier than planned.

Kazdel now only has some of the Royal Court factions aligned with the Military Commission to oversee it. He has almost abandoned the city.

This has no doubt left both the civilians and remaining soldiers in disarray.

Once the banner of the Military Commission falls, Her Highness Theresa will proclaim that they have abandoned Kazdel, and in turn proclaim the liberation of Kazdel by Babel.

This battle line will be formed by multiple points rather than an entire front. We must strike swiftly and precisely.

Due to the disparity in military strength, almost every single one of our armed personnel who still heeds the command of Babel has been assigned to taking the city.

Thus, the landship's defense will be relatively weak.

Her Highness Theresa will remain on the landship to balance the situation. We will retain a suitable force to guard the ship too, under my personal command.

Once the city gates of Kazdel have been broken open and the path to the Soul Furnace has been made safe, Her Highness will meet with the main army at all speed.

We have six hours to storm the city, else the Military Commission will have the opportunity to organize a powerful counterattack. If that time comes, our weaker Babel forces will be exposed to danger.

By the light of the setting sun, Babel will capture the Furnace and the Royal Court's chamber, and the banner of Babel will rise with the moons.

And when that time comes...

A ceasefire will resound across all Kazdel.

I have faith that we will all succeed.

Phew...

Wonderful organization, Doctor.

Just some big talk meant to boost morale. I'm sure Kal'tsit and our experienced fighters can see right through it.

Babel is going to take heavy losses.

It's not quite Theresis's style, allowing so many flaws to go exposed.

But I trust you, Doctor. I believe that with this price we must pay, we can take back Kazdel.

Theresis is going to fight for the power he most craves in Londinium. If our assumptions are correct, once he tears apart that empire, he will set his sights back on this city.

Is there no room for two Kazdels on this great land?

Perhaps there is. But if we were to split our combined strength in two, then we would not be able to resist the next invasion of our enemies.

Moreover, while the city can always be rebuilt, what the Sarkaz have been truly failed to do for millennia is to unify.

Even the Military Commission failed to gather together all the surviving factions of the Royal Court.

Are you wondering if things would be different if it was Theresis who wore the crown?

No, they wouldn't. The Sarkaz who'd come rushing into the city, escaping from wars and trying to feed themselves, would still band together and fight their King.

To band together... Such a simple and yet unimaginable way to put it.

...Indeed.

According to Kal'tsit's rough calculations, the population of Sarkaz currently living in Kazdel only constitutes thirty to forty percent of all Sarkaz across Terra.

A unification under the banner of hate would be effective yet short-lived. A unification under peace allows us to discuss development and our future.

It is not that Theresis or the Sarkaz does not understand all this, it's just that... the war broke out anyway.

Even if we take Kazdel back, Doctor, perhaps this war will still go on.

But maybe it will do for now.

After our victory, I'd like you to take a look around the city.

It is my home, and the home of many Babel Members... it is also Kal'tsit's home.

You have fought for Babel for so long, yet you have never set foot in the homeland of our memories. I haven't been a very good host in this deal of ours, have I, Doctor?

See how the Soul Furnace brings light and heat to Kazdel, this city built on our pain, and you might see why we are so greedy in our desire for a peaceful tomorrow.

...I will.

Outskirts of an abandoned town, Kazdel

How are things in town, Odda?

We're still pursuing the remaining mercenaries! They have pretty much all holed up inside some abandoned buildings. I'm afraid it'll take a while to root them all out.

Don't be reckless. Pay attention to the time and don't forget what the Doctor said.

Our objective is to clear the flanks, then regroup on the battlefront ASAP.

I know. If not for the Doctor's contingency plan, we most likely would have been gotten by that ambush of theirs.

But... something's strange in this. It's clear that this town's right in the path of the Catastrophe, so why would this gang of mercs risk ambushing us here?

I'm still investigating that myself.

We just need to find their leader then, Ascalon, although I can't guarantee that they'll have answers we need.

I know. Stay safe.

A Catastrophe. Its brutal winds batter Ascalon.

Faint blasts from the horizon distract her, as though they are reminding her—

We are destined to walk along this path.

...It's you.

Long time no see.

You've grown, Ascalon. You really have toughened yourself up on the battlefield over the last few years.

I assumed you would have joined that man in huddling behind Londinium's walls like a coward.

Me? Follow the Regent? Haha, I'm afraid you've got that wrong, Ascalon.

Mercenaries never 'follow' anyone. All we care about is profit.

Here in Kazdel, the only thing that helps you earn that profit is violence. Lucky for us that we have the knack of sniffing it out.

Naturally, I am happy to help everyone see what prospects might show up on this list of jobs in a <i>suitable</i> manner. After all, the Scar Market never makes wrong investment decisions—

Ascalon's sleeve-blade stabs at the giant's back, only to find his hand blocking the attack.

It seems that his hand had been there all along. No movement is detected.

If he thought that you could stop us yourself, then I'm afraid that he's living in a fantasy.

Wrong again, Ascalon.

The mercenaries are here because of the Regent's commission. Yes. And it's none of my business. But have you ever wondered why I am here?

I'm here to see you, Ascalon. A completely unrelated matter.

*Bzzzzz*—Ugh—Ascalon, the town—

*Bzzzz*—Another ambush!

Odda? Odda!

I didn't say you could leave, Ascalon.

The moment those people stepped into that town, their fates were sealed. You can't save them.

Do you still remember the first time we met?

We're already at the confluence of fate.

Here, I see a rather abrupt ending.

I've always wondered, could I change that ending? Perhaps I could dredge up a stone from the rough rapids of destiny...

...And place it wherever I want, to see what ripples would arise that should not exist in the first place...

Could the Cyclopes control prophecy?

Get lost.

Or die.

I already told you, there's no need to try for any surprise attacks. I can 'see' them coming.

Theresis has taught me many things, but there is only one thing I remember clear as crystal.

The blade in my hand can solve most of my problems.

Scareye... Can you see nothingness?

A thick mist, mingled with dust, spreads across the area.

Everything is indistinct. The assassin's figure gradually becomes a blur in the fog.

Doesn't matter if it's fate or prophecy. I've had enough of your tricks.

You believe you can see beyond time—

You believe you can rely on fate to guide you to your profit—

But you're nothing more than an addict playing at fortune-teller in the end, Scareye.

Ascalon's voice fades away. The giant's ears only hear the wind. The giant's eyes only see the mist.

Strange. Even though he can see a hundred different ways of his own death whenever he wakes up, now...

He sees none—

Crack.

His mask shatters.

His eyes had been hidden beneath that mask for nearly a century. He doesn't need them to see reality. Too many people, too many things, all unworthy of his sight.

And as the evening light rushes into the cracks on his mask, seeping into his excited, dilated pupils—

Do you see your death now?

No. He sees a precipice.

The rapid waters of the confluence of fate are flowing over it.

Before we continue this fight, Ascalon, allow me to give you a prophecy, free of charge.

A story.