story_erato_1_1

*glug* *glug*—

Hah, how intoxicating the aroma of fine wine is.

Open up, Erato.

Erato—you won't get anywhere even if you shut yourself inside. I suggest you give up.

Everyone and their mother can hear you, you binge-drinking priestess.

I'm merely worried about you, Erato.

Last night, while I was enjoying my wine, by chance I overheard the conversation of a few operators. I heard you've locked yourself in your room for two full days and nights now.

As a priestess, naturally I am concerned. Look, the morning sunlight has only just reached your windowsill, and I am already come to visit.

Visit? ...What's that you're holding?

Fine wine.

O Mountains of Minos, would you grant me your blessings, and keep those with poor taste in alcohol far away?

Seeing how you still have the strength for sarcasm, I take it your new poem is coming along nicely?

...How did you know I'm working on a new poem?

You've been idling about ever since your arrival in Rhodes Island... What are you planning to write?

A long epic. One about a number of heroes with a variety of talents and personalities, who together lead the oppressed in their quest to triumph over their hardships and reach a land of hope... or something like that.

Sadly... writer's block.

Beset by a blank page then?

That's not true! I... I finished the title!

I had three heroes in mind so far: an adept warrior, a genius smith, and a gracious healer...

Maybe because it's been a while since I wrote, but I can't quite grasp the characters, and the story I had in mind is also lacking in realism. I'm finding it hard to establish their characters too... I need more inspiration.

Perhaps we can let the wine flow while we discuss these heroic legends, just like we do back home?

And loosened by wine, surely you'll be plucking inspiration like apples from the tree of wisdom.

Please don't make up excuses to drink that wine you brought.

Maybe leaf through some literature then, or take a stroll outside? No doubt you know the ways of the Minoan poets better than I.

Of course. Can't you see I was getting ready to leave in search of heroics?

Speaking of heroics, aside from our homeland, Victoria and Kazimierz should both be wonderful places for inspiration too. Among your many choices.

I won't be going anywhere that far. I already have a place in mind.

Let's chat another time. I need to hurry.

Hold on.

What else do you want?

I've always been very interested in how you write your poems.

Given how rarely such an opportunity presents itself, surely you wouldn't refuse if I proposed to join you on your journey?

Fine, follow me.

This is my first stop.

What a surprise. So you never even planned to leave Rhodes Island?

Of course not. There's more than enough inspiration on board.

And when it comes to finding masterful warriors, where better than the training room?

But did we come too early? There doesn't seem to be anyone here...

Hah! How about that?

Someone's speaking.

Yes, I also have ears— Hello?

Take this!

Oh, it's Flint.

You're Pallas. And... you're...

You're not very tall, and you don't come to the training grounds often. I don't remember you.

I'm Erato. I spend most of my time on field operations. We've only met a few times.

Oh, hello.

Right, Erato. Wanna fight?

Huh?! What's with this all of a sudden?!

If you don't want to, then never mind.

Sorry. I'm not very good at melee combat, but maybe I can challenge you at archery.

It's fine.

(Turns back to the sandbag)

Ha!

We'd best wait a little longer. Considering the time, there will be more operators here soon enough.

Erato?

I've heard about how strong Flint is, but this is the first time I've seen her fighting form in person.

That valiant posture, those fierce blows... This is exactly what I am looking for...

Flint, no, O Warrior Adept! I wish to learn of extraordinary deeds, and surely a hero such as you has many to her name. Might you indulge me in one or two?

Hero? I don't really get anything else you just said, but I've never even seen a hero.

And these 'deeds' you're talking about... what're they even good for?

I'm looking for heroic deeds as inspiration, to help me write my next epic!

Oh, I see. You want inspiration.

Come here, then.

Hm?

Come. Stand here.

This is a sandbag. Pound it.

Uh... Like this?

That was too weak. Stronger.

Like this?

Still too weak. Try punching it harder.

Hah! Ow... that hurt...

Yes, just like that! Did you feel anything?

Pain...

And?

Just pain...

No way. You didn't feel inspired?

Not at all.

Weird. Whenever I'm sparring I get super inspired, like I'll suddenly think of a feint I can work into a low jab.

Any kind of problem should be solved with your fists. Maybe you just need more practice fighting.

Come on, try it out a few more times.

Wait, let's stop here...

Flint? Flint, are you there?

I'm here.

Ah, Erato and Pallas are here too.

Flint, take a good look at this list of compensation expenses incurred from your last field mission. Logistics racked up a huge bill settling the problems you left behind.

And this one line from your mission report: 'I knocked that tall guy down because he was looking down at me so fiercely.'

You didn't just 'knock him down,' you beat him up so badly he was rolling around in pain and even managed to smash through two doors!

No way, I was holding back. Come on, I only hit him twice...

Anyway, I'm just advising you to be extra careful not damage public property while on missions, because if this happens again—

The sandbag......

Exploded with one punch...

Sorry.

Ah, forget it. Flint, this is for you.

What is it?

A thank you letter from the girl you saved on that last mission.

Oh, okay.

(Stuffs the letter into her glove)

I'll go get a new sandbag.

Phew...

Let's go.

It seems I've made the right choice, Erato.

Accompanying you on your journey has been far more gratifying than pouring myself another drink on the bridge.

Are all you priestesses like this, or are you just this boring, Miss 'Goddess of Victory'?

I'm sure you know just how uniquely unparalleled I am.

We've arrived our next destination.

There's no shortage of brilliant engineers on Rhodes Island, so surely we'll be able to find a—

Hey! Erato and Pallas? Giorno to the both of ya!

Hello, Chiave. Are you the only one in here?

Aosta was just here though? Huh, where'd he go?

Aosta? Where'd you go?

Wait, there's no need for that. I'll just talk to you.

As I recall, you're... quite good at designing machines?

'Course I am. My modding skills are first-class, you could even call me a genius!

Wonderful. I'd like to ask you then, have you ever done anything you would consider heroic...?

Here, hold onto this for a sec.

...A hydraulic clamp?

You're asking me about modding, right? When I was still learning how to fix cars, my mentor once told me that it's nice hearing how great something is, but nothing beats experiencing it for yourself.

No, I just wanted to ask you about your own heroic deeds...

Now hold on tight, I'll give you a demonstration.

Of what...?

Ahhh!

Why, why am I flying?!

What do you think? My latest invention, a self-suspension hydraulic clamp!

I have to deal with a lot of heavy equipment here, and it's such a pain lugging my tools up and down the ladders every time!

But now, with this baby, you can float up with them! No more ladders!

It can fly even higher, so don't let go!

Huh?!

I-Its vibrating quite a bit, is this normal?

Vibrating? ...Did I forget to install the motor rotor? Wait, did I even...

It's going wild, I can't hold on any longer!

Careful! It's flying towards you!

Wha—

Yow!

Ow ow ow! Ugh, my head...

A malfunction? How did <i>that</i> happen? Weird, was the jet engine too powerful? Eh, screw it, I can think about it later.

You were asking me earlier if I've done any heroic deeds?

Yes...

Well, I must proudly declare—

Nope!

An unexpected answer.

Well, it's 'cause I give my all to my modded equipment.

So they're the real heroes, the ones who've achieved plenty of unprecedented feats in my place! They're the ones everyone should remember!

As for me, I invented them, so maybe you can call me... uh... a 'Hero Creator'?

Heh, I like the sound of that.

'Hero Creator'? Tsk.

Aosta! What's that 'tsk' supposed to mean, huh? You don't like it?

What 'heroes' are you talking about? The drill that can sing, maybe the wrench that can dance?

Oh, now we have one more: a hydraulic clamp that can fly.

Hey! How can you disrespect your boss like this?!

According to my statistics, the last time you received a modding request was... three months back?

Hey, you sure about that? I've got the feeling I did a real good job <i>somewhere</i>! Definitely!

Just admit it, Chiave. You're hopeless.

Hey, this helmet on the table... I remember seeing it out on a field mission a while back.

A defender operator was fuming: 'I only asked for my goggles to be fixed, but that guy added a whole bunch of extra functions!'

But during that same mission, the squad encountered an unexpected source of Originium pollution.

They lacked proper Originium detection equipment, but the detector on the helmet managed to work and helped them avert a crisis.

Ya hear that, Aosta? I'm out there saving the day!

Tch.

Then why did they send the helmet back?

Oh, as I recall, it started leaking electricity later in the mission...

Anyway, I'll never give up on my creations, and my genius must stay unburied.

For there will come a day when I myself will be worthy of being called a hero, and not just a 'Hero Creator' or whatever. Just you wait, Aosta!

Oh, I forgot you girls were still here. Sorry, Erato. I didn't have any of those heroic tales you wanted.

It's fine.

But I was thinking, if you wanted to ask someone else, I have someone in mind.

And who might that be?

My dear friend, Lancet-2!

She's been down in the dumps lately, even though she's been working so hard.

And while she's always been the negative sort... maybe she'd cheer up if you let her know all the heroic deeds she's done!

Alright, got it.

Come back and hang out if you have time, and let me know whenever if you need anything modded!

Erato, are you seriously considering Chiave's suggestion?

Of course. As it happens, my original plan also included paying a visit to the medics on board.

Do you think this 'quest' of yours, if you'll permit me such a word, will ultimately prove fruitful for your work?

I couldn't say.

I've previously amassed a collection of legends and stories, and for the sake of preserving them properly, I will do my best to act as an earnest recorder.

The key is to not let any subjective emotions and thoughts pollute the record, so that the stories maintain their original form.

Once this journey has concluded, everything I've seen, witnessed, heard, and recorded will gradually settle down within a few nights.

Then, it flows into poetry under my pen, and through my voice presents itself to the audience.

The 'quest' is not yet over, though, so I can only speculate how it will end.

Recording, creating, eulogizing... you've given yourself far more duties to bear than a simple wandering bard.

I like to think of this as my passion.

Or perhaps it's your liberty.

...But I have a hunch that what I see and hear this time won't affect my creation all that much.

Before I was simply curious about your process, but now I've become quite interested in the poem you will write.

We're here.

What do I do... what do I do?

Hello, Lancet-2... what are you doing?

Hello. Based on the status displayed on my motion module, I am currently spinning in circles.

I can see that, but... why?

Doctor... because of the Doctor.

Did something happen to them?

No, it's my fault.

Because I am incompetent, useless, and can't do anything right.

Hold on, could you elaborate? What happened exactly?

Pallas, so you're saying if I hit her twice like this, she'll be able to speak normally?

You can try.

Checking language module—operation will resume when the process is complete.

The reason is that the Doctor has been so busy recently. They have so much paperwork to deal with every day, and are unable to go to bed until early morning.

If this goes on, there will certainly be abnormalities in the results of their next physical examination.

It's because I'm so bad at taking good care of them. It's all my fault—

Stop right there.

The Doctor has their own duties too, Lancet-2. Their work is very important to all of us here, so it's normal to be busy every now and then.

You've been working hard, so you shouldn't blame yourself for the current situation, alright?

Really? Operator Erato, do you really think so?

Of course, I came here today just to ask for your help. May I ask if you have any heroic deeds to share with me?

Heroic deeds... I have overheard the chatter of the operators I look after, and even have some events saved in my memory module.

No, no, no, not those. I want to know your <i>own</i> stories, especially the heroic ones.

You do such brilliant work, so surely there would be many of them?

My own heroic deeds... No, I don't think anything I've done could be called 'heroic,' and such a title doesn't suit me at all.

In my line of work, you would only be a hero if you could take care of all the operators here and keep everyone healthy.

But I haven't done such a deed; I can't even take good care of the Doctor... Perhaps I'm not even the least bit competent.

She certainly is a negative one.

Alright, alright. How about this: could you take care of me for a bit?

Take care of you, Operator Erato? This is indeed with my scope of work, but... is there a reason why you want me to?

So I can properly judge how good you are at it, and just maybe you'll also realize how useful you are in the process.

Understood. Please hold still for a moment, Operator Erato. I will conduct a full-body physical examination right away.

Sure.

Examination—complete. The test results are as follows: Operator Erato has not slept for 27 hours, 13 minutes, and 27 seconds, and her body is in urgent need of rest.

...A few hours ago, you also ingested a large amount of sugar and fat.

Erato, I seem to recall you repeatedly declaring your intention to lose weight.

...It's all for the sake of the plan, the plan!

How could this happen? How did I not notice this abnormality until now?

I should have noticed the moment you stepped in, but I was so busy handling my emotional module that I neglected you... I truly am incompetent.

No, that's not your fault at all.

I can't do even a single thing right. I should just drive myself over to the scrap area.

Hello, Erato, Pallas.;So the both of you are here too.

Hello, Doctor.

Lancet-2, I'm here for my examination.

You seem upset, something on your mind?

Doctor... I'm sorry, I haven't taken good care of you.

But thanks to you, my results come back normal.

Huh, is that so?

You run the examinations so quickly.

The results are here, and the data indicates—

Everything normal. Wonderful.

See, worrying over nothing.;There's absolutely no need to worry.

(The Doctor's coffee ration has been reduced, but they still consume it regularly.)

You're really great at your work, Lancet-2.

Are you alright, Erato?

Oh, sorry, I was just thinking...

Doctor, I have somewhere else to be, so I'll be going! Bye!

Alright, see you.

A week later

Oh, so it wasn't just me who received an invitation.

An invitation to a 'poetry recital'... I don't get it, what's a 'poetry'?

Poetry is a form of literature that narrates events or expresses emotions in condensed and rhythmic language, and listeners can often feel enlightened by such recitals.

This is the first public recital of Erato's latest work, which is expected to have a positive impact on the mental health of the operators present.

Erato's new poem... Looking forward to it.

*Ahem*

(I did invite everyone, but I didn't expect so many to attend...)

Thank you for coming to the recital of my latest poem. I dearly hope everyone has a pleasant time.

Alright, now let's get right to it. The poem that I will now recite is titled...

(Deep breath)

(Ah, I'm so nervous. The last time I recited a new poem in front of such a crowd was many years ago in Corinia's town square...)

Erato! Erato!

Ahem, without further ado, I will recite my latest creation—

'The Epic of Heroes.'

O distant sky up high,

Let us all sing under you,

The will of the masses.

In the far, far away of the lands beyond,

The mountains are but no more,

All that is left is a wasteland of gold sand and black gravel.

Civilization suffers under the whip,

Struggling like foam in wine,

Beasts unseen devour hearts still live.

On an unexpected summer night,

It happens.

Three heroes,

Rise from their kin who raised them,

And they swore to the sun,

To unshackle them,

And lead their peoples towards a land in full bloom.

Accompanied by the sound of the harp strings and Erato's gentle recital, the stories of the three heroes were told.

They hailed from the masses,

Not mighty,

Nor flawless.

An adept warrior, weak with words and quick to anger.

A genius smith, reckless and full of arrogance.

A gracious healer, low on esteem and high on negativity.

However, when beset with crisis without end,

The warrior is unafraid to face foes over twice their size.

The smith with their miracle tool saves the people from danger.

The healer strives their utmost to help everyone in need.

They hailed from the masses,

Not mighty,

Nor flawless.

Leading them all onwards.

Dawn lifts her veil, and the sun spills its radiance on the land, brushing off her dust-covered visage.

A fragrance wafts from afar, and the people pick up their belongings, persisting on their journey.

Thank you everyone, thank you.

The recital came to an end, and one by one the audience leaves reluctantly.

Well, Pallas. It's been three days since you've heard the poem, do you still have no thoughts on it?

If I heard you right, that was just the first part of it.

That's right.

I must admit, it holds much of your personal style, but I will refrain from any further comments until it is finished.

It must be pretty decent to get the always-chatty Pallas to hold her tongue.

Rather bickering with you any further, I'd like to know how you plan to finish the rest of the poem. The material you've amassed surely isn't enough for the entire work?

Yes, I'm running empty on inspiration for now, so at the moment I'm just entertaining a concept in my head.

I want to create a character based on myself, and walk together with the heroes in the story, to the land of my dreams brimming with flowers.

I understand. Every Minoan dreams of walking alongside the heroes, after all.

No... it's different this time. Remember what I said back then, that this creation wouldn't be the same as my previous works? But my creations have never varied much before, so why now?

While I was writing, I kept wondering where this premonition had come from, and only when I put down my pen did I realize that the change might have already happened, right in front of me.

In my past journeys, I wrote myself into my stories, becoming a character, and anticipated creating the crystallization of my heart and soul, to act as a guide and inspiration to others.

But after coming here and seriously observing everyone on Rhodes Island, I've discovered... that my poetry is resonating like never before.

I think I already am among said heroes, walking alongside them.

...I should write this down.