level_act9d0_04_beg

I know what I said. No one could just watch from the sidelines. There could be no bystanders.

And yet, I still wanted to escape from the war. From Babel, from W, and from Her Majesty...

So I ran.

...What a hypocrite.

Do I regret it? Maybe.

But even if I stayed there, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish anything.

5:58 A.M. \ Light drizzle

Northernmost outskirts of Kazdel, mercenary camp at the edge of the warzone.

A few months after leaving Babel...

This intel...

C'mon, say something. You're normally pretty glib.

...What's there to talk about?

Why are you throwing a question back at me?

...This deadlock has been dragging on for ages. Do you think the scales will tip overnight?

What the hell happened these last six months? Aren't things moving way too quickly...?

We all know something went wrong.

But as to exactly where, nobody knows.

I guess I shouldn't say nobody.

Her Majesty... and the people around her. That never should've happened to them. That's what we all think.

But right now... what about us? Will the same thing happen to us?

Too soon. This war ended too quickly.

Up until last month, we were still working our contract with Babel. Then, they went quiet. We stopped getting any news...

Everyone knew which side we were on, and it's not like we were even ready to leave.

...If that's really the end of things, we have nowhere to run.

Tell the Messenger to start pulling contacts and see what intel we can dig up.

Maybe we'll... have to return to the real battlefield.

I also figured that day was coming.

We all knew it deep down, didn't we?

If we really wanted to wash our hands of the whole thing, we wouldn't have agreed to work with them in the first place.

We could've left on our own, crossed Lake Valendan, and made a killing somewhere else—

Ines, I...

Stop.

It'd be even harder for us to pull out of there. Too easy to get lost in that warmth. We'd get drunk on it.

Maybe we should just abandon Babel and take our people away.

You still have that same old problem. You're getting sentimental again.

I can't tell you how long, but it feels like it's been ages since I've made a good decision that actually helped us.

Maybe we really don't belong on the battlefield anymore...

Enough of that. Which one of us is the Sarkaz here?

Is there a single other place on Terra, like even a wooden shed over our heads, that can handle a bunch of bloodstained Sarkaz?

Don't always blame yourself. We all share the burden.

Also, looking back, I can say that you made the right decision to take in W.

She's made a lot of money for us. And offed a lot of people.

...Hope so.

W... Is she still alive?

I don't think she'd die so easily.

She spent a decent amount of time with Her Majesty as well. Who knows, maybe she learned a thing or two.

We need to get a grasp quick of the situation in Kazdel right now. If we can find her again, things might get a little easier.

Do we really need her to back us up?

Fine.

...What a damn shame.

—There you are. Ugh, you sure know how to run.

You look dead inside. I heard what you've been up to lately, W.

Then, you should also know that you're the last one.

You're right. As you can see, a lot of people died in this battle.

All you're doing at this point is running up the score.

The way I see things, anyone who isn't dead yet has done a lot more than you ever have.

Shut up.

Do you need another reminder?

Theresa is dead. All of Kazdel, all of Terra will know that Kazdel has a new king.

But that was just a decapitation strike. A lot of your core operators are still alive.

Like that commander of yours who never showed up again. They made the right call.

His Majesty didn't completely annihilate you because he wants to put a stop to the chaos. Kazdel needs him to pave a new path forward—

—But what about you? Who are you to lecture anyone about right or wrong?

Of course you won't say it, but I know that's what you're thinking. And while you're thinking, you're trying to erase all those faces from your memory, one by one.

After all, you're just here to vent. Just a petty little mercenary, drowning in her worthless revenge.

You can't beat anyone.

I can definitely beat you, pretty easily too.

Killing me doesn't prove anything.

All you do is run your mouth. Are you trying to read my mind, or just getting some last words out before you die?

A bit of both. I won't deny it.

Ever since that— since I almost choked on the blood of my friends, I haven't been able to hold a weapon.

We've all bled. Splattered it across Babel's palace. What you've seen, I've seen so much more.

But since you found me, I guess my fate is sealed. Hah.

I know.

Save your breath. To be honest... I just kinda wanna kill you. Call it a little relief from the stress of unemployment.

Bah... I really underestimated you, psycho.

Can you really pull that trigger without any anger behind it? Or, are you so far gone that you don't even feel anything?

You're alone now... How many of our people do you plan to hunt down?

Don't you realize... you're not even thinking about Her Majesty Theresa? You're helping him silence us, and...

Will you shut it already? I thought you wanted to die?

If you ran back to your little Regent, do you really think I could butcher my way through Kazdel and drag all of you out one-by-one?

But you won't. None of you will. When you people killed her, you knew that you'd never be able to return to Kazdel again. You'll never go back to the way things were before.

Nobody who actually saw what she looked like would've been able to keep cool. Except for those real monsters.

So you're all waiting for one special person: me, your executioner. I'm here to finally set you free.

And I'm doing it for free too! How great is that?!

Tch... Self-righteous lunatic...

But, what you said is true...

We... We stained our hands with her blood... But even then...

I...

You never should've call that man 'His Majesty.' Theresa is the only one who gets that title. You might've lived to speak a few more words.

I hope the usurper isn't rushing to get fitted for a crown. I mean, he'll be losing his head in a minute here. It'd be such a waste. Just wait 'til Theresa...

*sigh*.

Theresa...

If you don't surrender, you get other mercs on you. Next time, you'll be the prey.

—Well look who it is.

I thought you two left Kazdel ages ago... Long time no see.

...Compared to how long this war has been going on, it was a weekend getaway. But I can't believe how you've grown.

I spooked you? Your hands are shaking.

Just a little rusty.

Our intel did say that you'd be alone here—

But we're almost 200 kilometers out from Taba. What do you plan to do with that rickety corpse of yours?

Or, have you been dragging yourself around like this for months, all alone...?

It wasn't that hard. But I guess there is a lot of stuff that's a pain in the ass to do by myself.

Like if you're rushing to patch yourself up, you could suddenly find your infection getting a lot worse?

It's whatever, as long as I don't die. And I don't die easy.

But that tower... looks familiar. Where are we?

Here? We're on the western battlezone. The coordinates are—

—Oh, right. This is where 'W' died.

And where you joined us.

...This place has been blasted into ruins.

What, were you feeling nostalgic?

Do I look like the nostalgic type? My last target just happened to run over here.

I know you two came for a reason. Just like last time, let's cut to the chase.

...The Regent has united all of Kazdel's armed forces.

The remaining mercenaries will also be united to form a real standing army, to be sent to all throughout Terra.

What a busybody.

It's understandable.

Unless the big shots in Victoria and Laterano are useless pieces of shit with butter for brains, nobody is just going to sit back and let Kazdel rebuild after reunification.

Maybe we can borrow a few of the folks here and stir up some unrest again.

Bad idea, even if you're trying to get revenge.

Don't forget how many of our people with us now fought side-by-side with Theresa.

Sarkaz mercenaries like us never really had a dog in the fight. Most people don't like thinking. They just need someone to give them orders.

So if all the Sarkaz will listen to the Regent, then he's won.

—Ines, did it hurt when you carved your horns to look all Sarkazy? Did they bleed?

...No.

Then your little disguise isn't even skin deep. Keep playing the Sarkaz and you're gonna get yourself killed.

Thanks for the concern. I can hardly contain my bile.

I'm just not in the mood to hear you calling yourself a 'Sarkaz' right now.

I decided to go down this path, and it's the only one I can follow at this point.

W, since Her Majesty Theresa disappeared, Kazdel has changed a lot, completely turned on its head.

Most Sarkaz don't have a choice. Not to mention, it's also a tempting proposition for many others.

...So let me guess, because you didn't have time to make it out, you accepted the murderer's proposal?

We'd be a bunch of icy stiffs if we didn't.

Looks like I'm not gonna be able to change your mind.

I'm not as cruel as you used to be. Why don't we let our swords do the talking... for old time's sake?

Slow up a minute... You might be interested in what I have to say next.

...We're not going back to Kazdel. We're headed to Ursus.

—Now that's a surprise. You should've said that earlier. I was this close to killing you.

But you've got my attention. Let's talk, Captain Hoederer.

Just outside Kazdel, there are some... Infected uprisings.

They're paying top dollar for mercs, and the Regent is looking to manipulate some of the Infected for his own goals...

...the power of the Infected?

But most of their forces are still up in the frozen land of Ursus.

And the Regent's not interested in the dilapidated, vacant throne of Kazdel anymore. He's got his eye on someplace else.

The so-called 'Reunion Movement' is gathering the oppressed and downtrodden of all races. It's a fine piece to put in play for the next required step.

So nobody would get suspicious if we joined this Reunion Movement and left Kazdel far, far behind.

And then what?

...We'll take things one step at a time, W.

You already know what I want. And I also might know what you want.

You're right. That does seem like a better move.

Mm. I am after a real monster here, after all.

And the old woman disappeared too... Maybe there really is no more reason to stay in Kazdel...

...But I'm not letting you two run the show this time. There's things I want to do, choices I want to make for myself. That cool with you?

The Regent will send someone to muster the mercenary army. If it's just between our little group here... that's fine.

We will help you.

Don't worry. I've always been good at 'coping' with my boss.

...All right then.

Welcome back, 'W.'

...Getting away from Kazdel, huh.

W has changed a lot. She should have her own ideas now.

I pushed Ines down this path too, but she's stronger than I expected.

...As for me?

Occasionally, if you climb up somewhere high and look down, you can see the plumes of smoke rising from Kazdel.

Kazdel.

Maybe I'm the one who wants to escape from this place the most.