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I got a report that you spotted a white-haired girl with horns here?

I'm not sure it's the one you're looking for.

Speak.

She's really hurt, right? As in, there's a huge hole through her chest and stomach—

Go on.

A gray-haired Sankta came and carried her away. God, her blood spilled all over the place. It was horrifying!

A Sankta? Are you sure?

I guarantee you I saw a Sankta. Not a whole lot of them here in County Hillock. If it weren't for the glowing halo on her head, I wouldn't have seen her in the dark.

Where did they go?

In that last house there, upstairs. The one with the broken window. She was running up a storm and jumped straight inside.

Over there? She's that close?

P8, R3, this is B9—What were you two doing?! The target's in this district!

Your team should have already searched every last house on this street an hour ago. How come I haven't heard from you?!

What's the funny idea? I'm not getting a peep from you! P8, R3, answer immediately!

Dia ár sábháil!

Do you need me for anything else, sir? If not, I'll be on my way. And, um, I would appreciate those bandages you promised...

Bandages?

You won't need them.

W—What are you doing?!

Orders from the heads. You've got no one to blame but yourself for seeing what you shouldn't have—

Aaarghhh!

Who are you?!

Is that what they do these days? Give names before you fight?

*Whimpers*... Ugh... T-That almost blew my brains out...

You'd better get goin'. I'll take care of this baddie for you.

Th... Thank you...

No need to thank me. All in a day's work.

Piledriver spear... A Victorian!

Quick, tell 'The Bandit'! There are still Victorian remnants in the area!

'The Bandit'? Do all of the spectre force have names that embarrassin'?

I think I just beat up a few screamin' about some boss person called 'The Convict...'

You took down everyone at P8...? Just... you alone?

There were thirty of them!

Well, they were facin' the Victorian Army—

Ant it doesn't change a thing just 'cause I'm here alone.

Form up! Surround her! She's on her own!

Formation again? Well, you've got it together, don't you!

Hold the line and press forward! Watch each other's backs!

And watch that lance charge too! Don't take her on one-on-one!

Oh? Pilin' numbers up to take me down?

Don't you underestimate—my spear!

Aaaaugh! What the-?!

This Vouivre's too strong! She can down two in one strike! Send the heavy defenders! Everyone else, fall back! Get word to the leaders—

Oh, stick around!

Last one!

Bloody hell, the armor's like paper to her!

Fall back! It's now or never!

Huh? Flyin' away on me?

Did you steal our steam jetpacks? Or is it flyin' machines from off foreign?

This lot have a different combat style than the first ones we fought. There's no figurin' this spectre force, is there?

I wish Triangle were here. My spear can't reach anywhere near that high—

They're droppin'?! Is there a crossbowman around? No, those aren't bolts. Are those... stones?

Gosh, that's definitely no crossbow—

Carrying the unconscious patient with one arm, Outcast steps out of an empty house on the side of the street.

Was that you just now? Thanks for the help!

No need to thank me. You saved my ass too, after all.

I've always heard how good Sankta are with guns, but I never knew you could fling a rock so well!

Aha, sorry, little lady, my gunplay tends to draw a crowd.

Right. You don't hear gunfire every day around here.

Is your mate hurt? She doesn't seem so good.

She was hit during the shelling around noon.

Huh?!

Sorry about that... We almost could've stopped that assault. It was a huge mistake, especially with all this innocent folk dragged into the mess.

Ugh, no sense sayin' it now. I'm just tryin' to save as many as I can.

Are these hostiles here for you?

I reckon so.

I saw them huntin' the locals. I'm in a hurry, but I just couldn't stand by and watch that happen.

They'll pay.

Whoa! I just heard 'em say they lost contact with two squads. I ran into one of them, but was the other one your handiwork?

Fine job!

You're mighty fine yourself.

But the enemy's got more than just the few squads. They have an entire army, and there's more and more of 'em pourin' into the city since the afternoon. It's gonna be hard to hold County Hillock.

If you aren't a local, you'd better take your pal and leave the city now.

We've got hostiles watchin' the alleyways. Looks like you'll have to leave the other way—

Or they're all blocked?!

How could there be so much debris in one city?!

Well, they aren't here yet. I'll help you take care of what's blockin' the passageway out back first—

You're not going to retreat?

I'm not retreatin', no.

I'll make my way through the city and regroup with my teammates.

Through the whole city? Crawling with enemies? With most roads cut off by debris?

Good thing I'm already halfway through, eh?

You're all alone, taking them by yourself, and you ain't scared one bit.

Scared? The battlefield's never scared me.

I am pretty worried, though.

I've never seen... a Victorian city in this kind of shape.

Lingones used to be a massive metropolis, many years ago. You could call it the capital of the world. But Victoria and its allies decided to burn it all down. One of man's greatest cities reduced to a raging inferno. It was a hundred times worse than this, believe you me.

Right. Our textbooks make us winnin' the Battle of the Four Emperors seem so glorious. The more glory they paint on, the crueler they are to the Gauls, even.

Victoria's done a lot of terrible things in the past...

It's not until the flames of war are lickin' at your home that you really feel just how painful it is.

We're almost done. Just these fallen columns left—

I'll help you.

Thanks! We just need to push it to the side.

Ugh. One column goes down, and it might just bring another with it.

(Quiet mutter) Who knows what the future holds...

No one knows where Victoria might go until the moment it gets there.

Sorry, I just can't stop thinkin' about all that. You shouldn't be helpin' move columns while you've got that lass on your back there.

The job gets done faster when we work together.

Right, if we all work together, there's still a chance things could take a turn for the better, eh?

Haha, look at me blatherin' on and on about this stuff. What's the difference, even, if we lose the chance? What's so bad about things gettin' worse?

Even if your home's torn apart, does that mean it's not home anymore? You go enrich the soil again with your own hands. Isn't that what all the folk who live here should be doin'?

Phew... Last one!

And the road's clear—

(Quick, the signal B9 sent's down this alleyway!)

(There's debris blocking the way out the back, but send a team around just to be safe!)

(The rest of you, stay and watch the entrance. Don't let anyone out. Our command will be here soon—)

There's more of them!

I'll hold it here, Lass. Take your pal and get runnin'.

That's gonna be difficult, kiddo.

Huh?

You heard what they said, didn't you? Their leaders are coming, and I'm not expecting pushovers like we just fought.

That's all the more reason you should go, isn't it?!

I guess I didn't say it yet—

I'm not one to run from a fight.

Come, my young friend, give me a hand—

Outcast transfers the patient in her embrace to Bagpipe.

Whoa, that's heavy! Is she really a Vouivre?

Hah, not very polite to call a girl heavy.

Huff... Ugh... I doubt anyone else would be able to carry her.

Good thing I have a Vouivre friend, then. She's about your age, and a fairly tough warrior, too.

You mean...

I want you to take the patient to the east side of the statue and hand her over to my friends.

Tell them I'm sorry I can't keep my promise. They'll know what to do from there.

What about you?

I'm gonna stay a little longer. Got somebody to wait up for.

Is she in here?

Uh, yes, sir. Uh, the other officers are here, too?

The intel says there are only three of them... and one of them is both heavily injured and unconscious.

In the case, wouldn't just one of you be more than enough to deal with them?

Two of them took down three squads, and without so much as a scratch.

Are you telling me how worthless you all are, or does the mission matter so little that you don't mind messing up again and again?

No... I wouldn't dare...

Huff... Huff... Are they really that tough?

At the very least, they're formidable enough that you're up and awake.

It doesn't hurt to be a little cautious. Don't forget, we have both the unidentified Sankta and Victorian soldier, and she's there with them, too.

You know what she can do when she's pushed to the brink, don't you?

Huff... I'm starting to look forward to this.

The enemy's... got reinforcements!

Leader! This is Bagpipe, callin' Leader—!

Still not gettin' a signal... Argh! I need to get this girl over there right now...

Ugh...

Huh... You're awake?

No. No...

Still asleep... but why's she strugglin' all of a sudden? Is she having a bad dream?

Bagpipe looks up, as though she feels something.

A few faint silhouettes look down at the commotion from atop a tall building nearby.

Bagpipe hasn't yet realized that the flames around her, unextinguished still, are starting to change color.

A young soldier who had just passed lies on the ground. The purple flames in his lifeless eyes look as though they could surge out at any moment.

She looks back down the street to see yet more hostiles approaching.

It's almost time.

The enemy's gathering over there. We can't stay much longer.

Let's give her a bit more time, Shredder. You know Outcast's always punctual.

Right.

Look! Over there! That's two individuals, incoming!

Outcast, we're over here!

Out—No, it's not her. Who's that running this way...?

Bagpipe?!

Huh? So you're the cool Sankta lass's friend?

That's perfect, then. Come, this girl's your pal too, right? She's heavily injured. The Sankta lass told me to bring her to you—

Outcast...

Where is she?! Did something happen to her?

She seemed like she was doin' alright when we parted ways...

Not sure why, but she told me to apologize to you for her. Said she can't keep her promise, and that you'd know what to do from here.

Then that must mean...

She said it herself. We have to be sure we're safe before we help anyone else!

Because that's how we save... even more...

No—!

Jane! Don't go after her!

The Lass said it. We know what to do from here.

I...

Aye, I agree with him.

Do you trust her? I only met her the once, but I trust in her.

I reckon I knocked out some two dozen on my way here with this girl. Not sure if any of them are chasin' after us.

The soldiers themselves aren't much of an issue, but if we run into their Caster leader... There's no tellin' how powerful she actually is.

So, take your friend, and get out of here.

What's that flash?!

An explosion?

No, can't be. There's not a bomb out there with a flash this bright. Leastwise, not one we'd live through!

So it's Arts?!

But usin' Arts to your extreme in such a short period of time, the Caster herself would...

The blaze... the light... it blew through the clouds...

Did... the rain stop?

That fire's from the west... Is it the alley from just now?

If it wasn't for the direction, I would've thought it was bright out already...

...Right...

The sky's... all bright.

None of them says another word.

The flames, kindling the skies, are still burning bright—

A raging fury that portends the impending end of the darkness above, or perhaps a shining beacon that impresses the brilliance of life on those aiding each other below.

That's the most stunnin' daybreak I've seen...

No wonder she said it'd draw a crowd, haha...

*Sigh*...

Jane...

Huff... puff... I'm okay.

Shredder, is it time?

It is...

Let Uncle Oliver know... we got her.

—Someone seriously infected.