Canto V: The Evil Defining/Story Episodes/Part II
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We finally made it out of the Waves and into calmer seas.
I briefly wondered if we can finally start smooth-sailing
toward the coordinates…
…and that’s when I noticed a stationary cruise ship floating in the middle of a Lake.
We boarded the cruise ship to gather some intel.
Though it’s littered with gaudy decorations,
I don’t see anyone on board… Something about this whole affair is creeping me out.
I ran into the cabins of the ship in search of Sinclair, who fled
from Hong Lu’s scary tales. Thankfully, I was about to find him without much trouble.
But…
The Cruise was an aftermath of a devastation.
The consequences of breaking the laws of the Great Lake were severe.
… I’ll have to be more careful from now on.
The elusive Lobotomy Corp. Branch of U Corp. finally appeared
from beyond the veil of mist. But… it was completely covered
under a layer of bizarre, white membrane.
I think we’re on the correct path, at least…
The bizarreness continued deep into the Lobotomy Corp. Branch.
That white, pallid membrane was covering every inch
of its interiors. And… we found those
that were shambling around, wrapped under
that very same membrane.
We followed the mysterious butterfly deeper
into the Lobotomy Corp. Branch. A man with a flowing head
was waiting for us in there.
Rim disappeared from our sights
like a butterfly leaving its brief respite
upon the water surface. It was as though
we had all awakened from a dream.
From him we saw that familiar red mark.
… The Mermaids are coming back.
Rim was right. We could not find even a hint
of the Golden Bough from within the Lobotomy Corp. Branch.
… We’ll have to search for the Whale like he said, then.
We were waiting by the entrance when a sudden shock
shook the Lobotomy Corp. Branch. We hurried out and gazed into the mists…
and saw an intimidating-looking vessel emerge.
We were making relatively short work of the ambushing pirates,
but I had a feeling that they were just gauging our capabilities… Now that I mention it,
the largest and gaudiest vessel from their fleet has yet to hook us.
This is nothing short of a massacre. A humiliation.
He kills Ishmael again and again. I keep bringing her back,
feeling that very same pain that killed her.
… This battle is lost. Maybe Faust is right…
Maybe this is where our journey ends.
Blue embers flickered from the old man’s cigar. We didn’t need anyone to tell us
that he was overwhelmingly powerful; we knew instinctively.
Faust, who seemed to recognize the old man, led him to Vergilius
after a quick exchange of pleasantries.
We rowed toward the gray Lake as we previously discussed
with the Indigo Elder. We can see some rocks poking
out of the pale, opaque waters of the Lake.
Looks like we’ll have to maneuver our way between them.
What we thought to be a rock was a Porous Whale.
When its Mermaids crawled out of the holes, we defeated them.
But… This isn’t the Whale we’re looking for,
is it? What is Ishmael thinking?
We waded past the ocean mist and entered the obsidian Lake.
The Lake of legends, as told by Ishmael. Within it…
… Was the Pallid Whale, pale as the midnight moon.
5-20: Cruise Party
I briefly wondered if we can finally start smooth-sailing
toward the coordinates…
…and that’s when I noticed a stationary cruise ship floating in the middle of a Lake.
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
 |
ISHMAEL |
The Lake… |
 | ||
|
|
ISHMAEL |
When I look into its waters… I see my shimmering reflection. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Maybe I’m just as refracted and twisted like my reflection in the water. It doesn’t matter which Lake we’re on… I always look so warped, so unstable… |
 |
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Maybe my distorted reflections were just… me. |
 | ||
|
|
ISHMAEL |
My hands were… peeling… bleeding… |
 | ||
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Saltwater seeped into my gaping wounds. It hurt so much. So, so much that I thought I might faint if I didn’t let go… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
But I couldn’t. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I… |
| ||
|
|
ISHMAEL |
What was I holding on to? |
|
|
DANTE |
<…!> |
 |
OUTIS |
Executive Manager, there is a matter that requires your attention! We are approaching our next coordinates. |
|
|
DANTE |
<O-okay!> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I’ll go see, too. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
What’s up ahead? |
|
|
OUTIS |
The radar’s caught something. We have visual on… |
|
|
OUTIS |
… A solitary ship. |
|
|
OUTIS |
And it looks like we have 3 hours to kill before we're allowed to move on to the next Lake. Unless… |
|
|
OUTIS |
… the Executive Manager would authorize us to weather the Waves once more… |
|
|
DANTE |
<No, Outis.> |
|
|
DANTE |
<The losses were worse than I anticipated… And remember what Ishmael said. We were extremely lucky the Waves that came for us was a relatively manageable one.> |
|
|
OUTIS |
Yes, Executive Manager. |
 |
SINCLAIR |
Ah, what a relief. That doesn’t look like a pirate ship. That’s… |
 |
DON QUIXOTE |
OOOOOOOOOOOHHH! |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
LO! That is a Mini-Cruuuiise ship over yonder! |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
A veritable par-tay ship! A vessel of par-taying! |
 | ||
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
I! LOVE! TO! PARRR-TAY! |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
None shall be vexed, no matter how I frolic at a party! Naught will pay mind to how I leap and run and shout in there! What joy, is it not?! |
 |
RODION |
Vergie… Go easy on the girl, why don’tcha…? |
 |
Vergilius |
…… |
|
|
RODION |
But… mmm. I'm sure they sell local delicacies there, too… Liquor… Treats not found anywhere else in the City… |
|
|
DANTE |
<… Well… Maybe they can tell us something about the nearby Lobotomy Corp. Branch. Or maybe they know something about the LCCB Agents…?> |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Hmm, hmhm~ Hm hm~ |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Heigh-ho!!! Allow me to ask thee and thy fine company a few questions!! |
 |
GREGOR |
Maybe they can’t hear us over the music. Boy, music these days… they’re just too loud for me… |
|
|
GREGOR |
It’ll be faster if we just head over there and ask them in person. |
|
|
DANTE |
<…….> |
|
|
DANTE |
<I guess we can quickly stop by and ask them a few questions.> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… I’d say it's a reckless idea to just row up to a random vessel we don't know anything about, like its owner or its history, but if the Executive Manager insists… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Sure. Let’s 'stop by'. |
 |
HEATHCLIFF |
Now that was a very Outis thing to say, innit? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… It’s just the attitude I decided to adopt. |
 |
FAUST |
Now, this boat will come in useful. |
 |
YI SANG |
Will this boat… not capsize? |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Should I pack some life vests or a buoy? |
|
|
DANTE |
<Don’t worry, guys. Even if you all drown, I’ll bring you guys right back. All right as rain.> |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
…… |
|
|
DANTE |
<J-just kidding…> |
|
|
Vergilius |
Right, then. Drink responsibly, everyone. |
5-21: Cruise Party 2
Though it’s littered with gaudy decorations,
I don’t see anyone on board… Something about this whole affair is creeping me out.
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
DANTE |
<I still don't see anyone on the deck…> |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Wait but a moment. I shall make use of mine lungs to howl a bellow so powerful that they have no recourse but to heed us! |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
HAAARK!!!!! |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Shut it! You'll burst my eardrums. |
|
|
GREGOR |
By the way… is it okay for us to just barge into a… yacht party like this? |
|
|
GREGOR |
We don't have the, uh… an invitation or anything like it, either. |
|
|
RODION |
Puff out your chest, Greg~ The more the merrier, right? They'll understand~ |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I couldn't care less about a party. We're here to gather intel. Waste any more time, and I'm leaving you behind. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Wow… This… this place really is fancy…! |
 |
MEURSAULT |
It appears that this party must have ended very recently and abruptly. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Ah! I spy light shining from the ship's interiors! I shall go swiftly like the wind and verify its sources!!! |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Well, that's one loudmouth gone… Then…! |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Blimey… Now that's a relief. Thought my eardrums were about to burst. |
|
|
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
GREGOR |
Well, it's awful quiet up here now that the music's gone. |
 |
HONG LU |
Oh, this reminds me of a similar story my nanny used to tell me. It's an old story, but… |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
There was… naught… |
|
|
RODION |
What? What was naught? Food? Drinks? Both? |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
There was… no one. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Yet… the lights were left on… With nary a soul to be seen inside… |
|
|
OUTIS |
Ridiculous. It is clear that, mere moments ago, a large group of people were having a party on the deck. How could there be no one aboard? |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
F-for truth! Mayhaps… they are busying themselves with a game of hide-and-seek…? |
|
|
GREGOR |
Can't imagine that the crowd that left all these liquor bottles behind would be the kind that enjoys playing hide-and-seek like kids at a party… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
So what, they just vanished into thin air? Like they were— Wait, did the Waves already…? |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
There is one remaining possibility: the ship's storage space. |
|
|
RODION |
Are ya saying that these party people… left all this uneaten food and liquor behind just to huddle in a cramped storage room…? |
|
|
HONG LU |
Ohh~ I remember now! Yes! The story went just like this! |
|
|
HONG LU |
Once, a huge manor sent out invitations for a grand party. But when the guests arrived, they found the manor vacant and engulfed in deathly silence… |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
H-how about we get the music going again? |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
I smashed the radio, lad. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
If this ship was struck by the Waves, we have to get out of here, now… |
|
|
HONG LU |
Then… Boom! Boom! Banging noises, coming from behind a door slightly ajar…! So, of course, they went in there to investigate, and… |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
And…?! And?! |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
…… |
|
|
HONG LU |
… And there they were! Bodies as stiff as corpses in rigor mortis, arms stretched forward, hopping, up and down…! |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
OH! That's… I-I…!!! I think I'll go check out the storage space!! |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Sinclair, wherefore art thy palms so sodden? |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
It's genetics…! |
|
|
HONG LU |
… Which was the dance that was all the rage back then, apparently~ |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
… The art of dancing… must truly be an art of great profundity… |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Well, that was some damp squib. I thought it was actually going somewhere. |
|
|
YI SANG |
I had thought with quite the confidence that this would be a tale of the living dead. |
|
|
RODION |
Now what'd ya do that for? You scared the kid off… Where'd he go? |
|
|
DANTE |
<… I'll go find Sinclair.> |
5-22: Cruise Party 3
from Hong Lu’s scary tales. Thankfully, I was about to find him without much trouble.
But…
Pre-Battle
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
DANTE |
<It's pretty dark in here…> |
|
|
DANTE |
<Seriously, this place is way creepier than wherever Hong Lu was going with his story…> |
|
|
DANTE |
<Sinclair…?> |
|
|
DANTE |
<You there?> |
 | ||
|
|
SINCLAIR |
…… |
|
|
DANTE |
<Sinclair?> |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
… Uh. |
 | ||
|
|
DANTE |
<… What are you looking at?> |
|
|
DANTE |
<…!> |
|
|
DANTE |
<Sinclair, we gotta get out of here!> |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
…… |
|
|
DANTE |
<Run, NOW!> |
|
|
DANTE |
<Come on!> |
|
|
DANTE |
<Come on, wake up!!!> |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Huh?! The lad's lost the plot! What in the bloody— |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
THEREWASAPERSONFLOATINGINTHEAIRAPERSONINTHEAIRFLOATINGSOMEONEWASUPTHEREJUSTSUSPENDEDINTHEAIR!!! |
|
|
RODION |
… Okay, now I'm actually creeped out. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
That can't be… a person. |
|
|
RODION |
Then that was… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
What, you think we have enough time for a lecture? Prepare for battle. |
5-23: Cruise Party 4
The consequences of breaking the laws of the Great Lake were severe.
… I’ll have to be more careful from now on.
Post-Battle
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
DANTE |
<So they were… Mermaids…> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Yeah. Whoever sailed on this ship… they were probably too distracted by the party to realize that they broke a law of the Lake. So… |
|
|
DANTE |
<So they ended up getting devoured by a Whale.> |
|
|
DANTE |
<And this deserted ship… is the aftermath.> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Even if we stick to every single law of the Lake, depending on the type of its Waves, getting too close to a ship that broke the law could get us swept up in the aftermath. |
 | ||
 | ||
|
|
DANTE |
<So this was the kind of path Ishmael sailed before joining us…> |
|
|
OUTIS |
We have dispatched the Mermaids that descended onto the deck, but lingering any longer may draw the rest of them to us. |
|
|
OUTIS |
This party is over. Let's return to our ship. |
|
|
DANTE |
<So we didn't find anything…> |
|
|
DANTE |
<I made the wrong call. I shouldn't have made such a rash decision.> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
It's okay. At least we're still alive. |
|
|
YI SANG |
It is fortunate, however, that we procured ourselves some ration for the journey ahead. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Hey, the radar's caught something. It's… large. |
|
|
FAUST |
… That is very close to the center of the coordinates. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Then that dot on the radar has to be… |
|
|
GREGOR |
… The Lobotomy Corp. Branch of District 21. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… I'm going out for some air. |
|
|
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… Get your shit together. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Bury your feelings from them. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I have a mission I must see through to the end—my one and only mission. I've sharpened my harpoon for that singular moment. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I… have to be colder. Harsher. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I have… a mission that I can't fail… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
And if anything even dares to stand in my way, I'll… |
5-24: The Calamity
from beyond the veil of mist. But… it was completely covered
under a layer of bizarre, white membrane.
I think we’re on the correct path, at least…
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Vergilius |
Ah… There it is. |
|
|
Vergilius |
Our destination, the Lobotomy Corp. Branch of U Corp. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
You think they're still there…? The survivors Pilot mentioned? |
|
|
YI SANG |
… Unless aught has transpired since then, we still have time aplenty. |
 | ||
 |
RYŌSHŪ |
Ho. Creepy. |
|
|
GREGOR |
That's… the Lobotomy Corp. Branch…? |
|
|
FAUST |
We are as close as it is physically possible to be to the center of the area delineated by the coordinates. The structure's size and appearance match the intel we received as well. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Ah… Ahh… |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
I observe the Lobotomy Corp. logo between the white materials. |
|
|
RODION |
So that's… really… |
|
|
GREGOR |
What the hell happened here…? |
|
|
HONG LU |
Pilot said that the last thing that the Twinhook Pirates said before leaving this place was… |
|
|
HONG LU |
'The Calamity is coming', wasn't it? |
|
|
YI SANG |
This sight summons to my mind memories from the earlier days of this company. The manner in which the organic tissues are… plastered over the walls is quite reminiscent of that experience. |
|
|
RODION |
Eugh… Back at the D Corp. Branch, right? I hope there's no poison gas trap or anything like that in here… |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
At D Corp., there was a traitor in our midst. Thus, it would be false equivalency to use that experience to gauge the intensity of this mission. |
|
|
GREGOR |
Yeah, I… don't think it'll be much better here… if not worse. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Then… Pilot's team is already… |
|
|
OUTIS |
We should consider them lucky if they haven't been turned into Mermaids… |
|
|
DANTE |
<So the Calamity was…> |
|
|
Vergilius |
Well, destruction isn't the only kind of calamity in this world. |
|
|
Vergilius |
The Great Lake is home to five Calamities. Well… four now, I suppose. |
|
|
YI SANG |
Whatever do you mean? |
|
|
Vergilius |
I meant that… Hm. You'll find out soon enough. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
It won't matter how careful you are. At the Great Lake, the Calamities will always find you. The laws of the Great Lake don't apply to them… making it impossible to predict their patterns. |
|
|
Vergilius |
And now's the time to row your way into the ruins the Calamity left behind. |
|
|
Vergilius |
Take the skiff to the Lobotomy Corp. Branch. It's on the Lake adjacent to this one. |
|
|
Vergilius |
I'll be keeping my distance and watching from this Lake, just in case of an emergency. |
|
|
DANTE |
<Isn't that exactly why you should be coming with us?> |
|
|
GREGOR |
Who knows what the guide bud's thinking, eh? |
|
|
HONG LU |
We're getting a lot of use out of this boat. |
|
|
RODION |
Mm, I still don't trust this dinghy… It's too small. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Are Lakes usually this foggy? The Lake earlier was pretty misty, too… |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Mm, we must remain vigilant! Fogged up horizons are climate quite ripe for an ambush! Forsooth, 'tis the number one rule of adventuring tales! |
 | ||
|
|
RODION |
Hey, Dante? Can you… sense it? The Golden Bough? |
|
|
DANTE |
<Not yet…> |
|
|
RODION |
Hmm… You sure about that? |
|
|
RODION |
Ugh, I know I'm the worry wart of the team whenever we gotta check out places like this, but… I have a real bad feeling about this, guys… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
What's the holdup? Aren't you coming? |
|
|
GREGOR |
Don't you feel it? This dread… I thought it would affect you most. You're the one who spent years on the Lake, after all. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
So? That's what's stopping you? |
|
|
GREGOR |
It's… Haah… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Wait by the entrance if you're not going. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
What did you expect, mate? I've given up talking sense into her a while ago. |
|
|
GREGOR |
I thought she'd gotten a bit more cooperative as of late. … Guess I was wrong. |
|
|
RODION |
Well… We do have to go. |
|
|
YI SANG |
What may be this pale, mucous membrane covering the entirety of this structure? |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Some kind of mold… Maybe? |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
I.F.[1] |
|
|
YI SANG |
To identify it as fungi would require it to exhibit characteristics unlike the ones we can observe here… |
|
|
OUTIS |
Hm. I agree. They don't appear to be fungi. In fact… |
|
|
OUTIS |
They appear to be made of organic, living flesh tissue. See the blood vessels here. They've grown into random shapes without purpose or intent. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Ridiculous. I am surrounded by I.F. |
|
|
OUTIS |
What do you mean? |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Art reliant on the chaos of existence cannot create patterns such as these. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Look at the big picture, fool. |
|
|
YI SANG |
Gazing upon the big picture, I only see a pointless disputation that does naught but wastes our vigor. |
|
|
OUTIS |
… Tsk. |
|
|
YI SANG |
You do not intend to stall, no? See thither. Ishmael already walks at a fair distance away from us. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…… |
5-25: The Whaler
That white, pallid membrane was covering every inch
of its interiors. And… we found those
that were shambling around, wrapped under
that very same membrane.
Pre-Battle
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
…… |
|
|
RODION |
See anything interesting, kiddo? |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Here. In the wall. |
|
|
RODION |
Huh…? |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
There is… a person in this wall. |
|
|
RODION |
… M-maybe it's a sculpture? |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
… If there is anyone capable of sculpting something so true to life as this, I'll drop everything and plead the artist to take me in as their student. |
|
|
RODION |
Ahh… |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Hurk… No… Are they the people Pilot was looking for…? |
 | ||
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Hark! Heed mine words! |
|
|
RODION |
Why the heck would ya talk to it?! |
 |
Embedded… Agent |
… … …. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Behold! This man is alive! |
|
|
RODION |
Oh, this is the worst. This is the absolute worst. It's making me real queasy… |
|
|
FAUST |
… Hm. |
|
|
YI SANG |
…… |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Hark, mine friends! This man is alive! We must free him from this bond posthaste! |
|
|
HONG LU |
Mm… Even if we wanted to, looks like it's a bit late for him. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Total disassembly is the only way I see it ever getting out of there. Heh. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Wha… |
|
|
GREGOR |
Well, by now we should be getting used to these failures… |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
The body is firmly lodged in the walls. No ordinary human strength could separate his body from it. |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
With superhuman strength, you risk tearing the body to several parts. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Fie, this is an evil that… cannot go unanswered… |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Impressive… There's no sign of anyone forcing it into the walls. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
This is quite a natural exhibition. As though this was how it was conceived from the very beginning. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
We thought… I thought it would be different this time. We made a promise, gave our word… |
|
|
YI SANG |
…… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Manager, staring at them won't magically summon the Golden Bough to your palms. Say something so we can get a move on. |
|
|
DANTE |
<I guess there's nothing we can do for them. Still…> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
And I've said repeatedly that I don't want to waste time. |
|
|
HONG LU |
We don't have to worry about the laws of the Lake here, so why don't we make this a more leisurely— |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Sure, look around all you want. But you won't find any survivors here. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
A testament against thy claim is right here! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Those things aren't really alive. They're only pretending to be. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Yet… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I recognize these. They're ruin left behind by… the thing. The thing that leaves nothing unchanged in its wake. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
It could swallow the world in the blink of an eye. But it also spews it back out just as quickly. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
And what it spews out… never comes back right… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Isn't it funny? If it's going to spew it out anyway, what's the point of devouring it in the first place? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I don't understand… Why does it try to devour everything it comes across? |
|
|
DANTE |
<Are you… talking about that same Whale you mentioned before…?> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…… |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
In no tales of adventure have I heard one mention of such a terrifying Whale! Is it truly a Whale?! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Then why didn't you listen when I told all of you that we weren't ready? If you did, at least we could've been in the right headspace for the Lake. But no. |
|
|
DANTE |
<So you're saying that… that Whale you met devoured this building?> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Yes. |
|
|
DANTE |
<How can you be sure of that?> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Because… this pale ruin is what that Whale leaves behind. Everything turns pallid… like this building. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…! |
|
|
LCCB Agent? |
W… It… me… div… |
|
|
OUTIS |
I have visual on a suspicious individual. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Maybe it's an Abnormality? We're in a Lobotomy Corp. Branch, after all… |
|
|
RODION |
Y-yeah. Let's just say that that's what it is and chop it down. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… Wait, wait a minute! That might be a survivor! |
|
|
OUTIS |
Well, didn't you say there won't be any survivors left here? Which is it? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I did. And that's why it's… so… incredible… |
|
|
OUTIS |
Hey! |
|
|
DANTE |
<I-Ishmael! You shouldn't get so close to…!> |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Maybe she's being mind-controlled by an Abnormality?! |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
No such signs have been detected. There is nothing out of the ordinary in her eyes. |
 |
LCCB Agent? |
He… Iah. |
|
|
LCCB Agent? |
…. … …… … ……. … |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
That's impossible. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Just now… It was… talking. Like a human. |
|
|
DANTE |
<… Ishmael…> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
You saw it too! Just now, it…! |
|
|
DANTE |
<Ishmael! You have to get away from—> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
No, no. This can't be real. I-if what I've known my whole life about this place is… About the Great Lake… |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
She is experiencing heightened emotions. |
|
|
DANTE |
<Damnit, Ishmael!!> |
|
|
YI SANG |
Dante! You mustn't— |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Oh. |
|
|
LCCB Agent? |
… … ……. … …… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
The membrane… is gone…? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
This… When you approached it, this damn white membrane… it… faded. |
|
|
FAUST |
It appears that the Golden Bough is counteracting its effects. |
|
|
FAUST |
Dante, it appears that the shard of the Golden Bough lodged into your clock is counteracting the infection of this… Pallidification effect to a degree. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… Counter… acting? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Wait, so with a Golden Bough… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
A Mermaid can… Ha ha. A Mermaid can turn back into a human? Is that what you're saying? Did I get that right? Faust? |
|
|
FAUST |
… While that theory has not been properly cross-examined… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Just! … Just tell me if it's possible. |
|
|
FAUST |
… Yes. Although it may be limited to… Mermaids of the Whale that presumably devoured this structure. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Ha… Ha ha… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Manager… Dante… Just what are you…? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Realizing that there was something that I could've done… The memories of that day… the nightmare that I tried so hard to lock away… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
They're coming back right before my eyes. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I can see them, vomited from that Whale, sinking, floating in the briny sea… All of them… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
You hear it too, don't you…? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
You hear how the waves roared that day… |
|
|
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… Once, I was a seafarer. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
A Fixer. A sailor. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I was something in that awkward middle ground… which we called Whalers. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Do you understand? No… Do you see them? |
 | ||
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Do you see the looks on the faces of those who dared to wager everything… and those who had nothing left to wager? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Whaling ships carry people like them across the waves. |
|
|
DANTE |
<So… You've seen it yourself? The Whale that devoured this place?> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
The Whales we've met so far… transform those they devour into something completely different. Into something utterly unrecognizable from who they were before by rearranging and replacing their whole body. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
But that Whale… is different. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Those devoured by the Pallid Whale aren't transformed. They're still themselves… just wrapped in a pale membrane. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Hah. I guess it's a stretch to say that they're still themselves. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Sometimes, we'd sail our ship toward the Outskirts. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
There, we'd see those ships. Those… false ships. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
The ships that have turned completely pallid. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
It's an old wisdom among Whalers that those ships must be avoided at all costs, even if it meant going all the way around the Lake they're in. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Because the sailors consumed by that Whale retain everything, their habits, their skills… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Except they wander the Lake only to attack everything they come across. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
The Captain of 'the Pequod', our ship… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
She had a mission. To hunt that Pallid Whale with her own two hands. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
The entire time we sailed on the Pequod… she sermonized our ears off about what a worthy, honorable mission it was to hunt that Whale. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
It was annoying, and we knew that she wasn't exactly all there, but… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… No. Maybe she just knew how to sink the rest of us to the depths of her insanity. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Her mission soon became our very own. To hunt that Pallid Whale became our salvation. Our destiny. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
That Captain drove everyone on that ship mad. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
When the time finally came to face that Whale, the Whale from which all hatred, all evils of the world spout… |
 | ||
|
|
ISHMAEL |
We were promptly crushed. Devoured. Reduced to a scattered pile of driftwood. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
When I came to, floating in the vast coldness of the sea, holding onto my dear life to a piece of driftwood… there was nothing left. Nothing. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
And when I realized what I was holding onto wasn't a piece of driftwood, but the… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
That's why I can never forgive her… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I'm going to kill her… with my own two hands… |
|
|
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
DANTE |
<Ishmael… We don't even know if that Captain is still alive.> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I was… desperately hanging onto my best mate's coffin. The coffin of someone with whom I'd shared everything. That's when I, through the tempest, saw the Captain. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I saw that fucker standing alone, facing down that Whale as it devoured her ship. Laughing mad. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Her fiercely loyal crew were floating on the surface of the Outskirts sea, powerless to do anything but wait until they too were devoured. But none of that mattered to her. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
That bastard is alive. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
She has to be alive still. She has to be. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
So… I have to find her… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
We have to… not before… we kill the Captain… |
|
|
DANTE |
<Ishmael…> |
 | ||
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…… |
|
|
FAUST |
… That is a butterfly. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Hmph, you think any ordinary butterfly would wander into a place like this? |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
It's like… the butterfly is asking us to follow. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Is it an Abnormality? Finally. I was wondering when they'd show their ugly mugs. |
|
|
YI SANG |
…… |
|
|
DANTE |
<It might be a trap… But we're lost. It's the only thing with any sense of direction we have at the moment.> |
|
|
YI SANG |
I am in agreement. |
|
|
YI SANG |
I am… also quite intrigued by the butterfly. |
|
|
LCCB Agent? |
… … …. … |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
What do you think they are… saying? |
|
|
YI SANG |
I have been lending them my ear, yet none has yet to reach me. |
|
|
FAUST |
They are speaking in a certain pattern, though I am unable to decipher it. |
|
|
FAUST |
It is a code, of sorts. A mix of sound frequencies and encryption patterns. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Ah… |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
I suppose… it is true that without Manager Esquire, there could be no resolution to thy predicament… |
5-26: The Lake and the Butterfly
into the Lobotomy Corp. Branch. A man with a flowing head
was waiting for us in there.
Post-Battle
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
LCCB Agent? |
… … …. … |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
The Mermaids… I think there's less of them now… |
 |
??? |
Quite the arduous journey you've endured. |
|
|
OUTIS |
…! |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
I didn't expect to find any unharmed survivors… |
|
|
DANTE |
<No, wait. Is he… a Distortion…?> |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Oi, clockhead. You friends with that bowlhead? |
|
|
GREGOR |
A Distortion? Like… that Bingbong's Bar & Fryers owner from earlier? |
|
|
??? |
I see that many of you are rather flummoxed by my appearance. |
|
|
??? |
This is but one of the many ways one may choose to understand the journey that is the world. |
|
|
??? |
So, please do not be so wary. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Oooh… Thy head… splishes and sploshes so. |
|
|
??? |
Under the night sky where the stars have gone out, I await the coming dawn. |
|
|
Rim |
Call me Rim. |
|
|
YI SANG |
…… |
|
|
OUTIS |
We're not here to introduce ourselves. So why don't we cut to the chase. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Explain yourself. You must have some reason for coming to this mad Mermaid-infested place. |
|
|
OUTIS |
And we didn't see any other boat than our own by the docks of this structure. So explain how you— |
|
|
Rim |
I have no need of ships should I wish to cross the ocean. |
|
|
Rim |
I am simply here to have a look at all of you. |
|
|
HONG LU |
Wow~ We're really starting to put our name out there! |
|
|
Rim |
You are those who follow the bough's golden ray. |
|
|
RODION |
Okay, if you're here to see us, knowing what we're looking for… |
|
|
RODION |
… No way, are you about to tell us where the Golden Bough is? |
|
|
GREGOR |
Huh, isn't it obvious that he's here to stop us from— |
|
|
Rim |
Yes, indeed I am. |
|
|
GREGOR |
… Man, I'm really off my game. |
|
|
Rim |
To seek the bough within this structure is to understand the futility of time. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Then to where must we journey?! |
|
|
Rim |
I am certain that you are already aware that there are parties other than your own that are interested in the Boughs. |
|
|
Rim |
You have surrendered one to them after toiling for it, in fact. |
|
|
GREGOR |
Tsk… |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
H-how do you know that? |
|
|
Rim |
The Whale, once fated to roam the Outskirts for all eternity… is now drawn by that same incandescent, gilded calling. |
|
|
OUTIS |
You're saying that the Whale came from the Outskirts all the way to the Great Lake of U Corp. for the Golden Bough? |
|
|
Rim |
Quite. And swallowed this structure whole with that delicate Bough. |
|
|
Rim |
The Abnormalities here have also left with that magnificent yet fragile Whale, drawn by that selfsame calling. |
|
|
Rim |
What you seek is no longer to be found here. |
|
|
HONG LU |
Excuse me, why are you sharing this information with us? |
|
|
Rim |
It matters not who lays claim upon the Golden Bough, or to what end they use it. It is no more than a mere fluttering of wings. |
|
|
Rim |
We simply seek to steer the echoes of that fluttering toward a better direction. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
We? Who are you talking about? |
|
|
Rim |
We are those who watch all, those who bide the time. Those who will be sovereigns of a Star. |
|
|
Rim |
Yet, we are those who cannot all embody the same Star. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
…! |
|
|
YI SANG |
Those who watch, you say… |
|
|
YI SANG |
Rim. |
|
|
YI SANG |
Have you also watched the breaking of the League, then? Have you any idea of what fate has befallen our old fellows? |
|
|
Rim |
I do. |
|
|
YI SANG |
Yet you have done… naught but observe? |
|
|
Rim |
…… |
|
|
HONG LU |
Is he one of your old… friends, Yi Sang? |
|
|
YI SANG |
A part of my life that you have witnessed afore. |
|
|
YI SANG |
One of those who left when the League of Nine scattered into the winds. |
|
|
YI SANG |
You have last uttered to me that you would journey to the ocean, yet… |
|
|
Rim |
Indeed, I was one of them. Once. |
|
|
Rim |
I shall answer your question, Yi Sang. You ask whether I have done naught but watch? |
|
|
Rim |
That is a question born of vacuity. |
|
|
Rim |
For you, the League is dead. Yet, for some, its death was but a beginning. |
|
|
Rim |
I am certain that you are… well aware of that yourself. |
|
|
Rim |
When does something end? When does something begin? The distinction is arbitrary and signifies naught. |
|
|
Rim |
The shattering of the League was a beginning for Brother Young-ji as well. |
|
|
YI SANG |
…… |
|
|
YI SANG |
I see… You have cast it aside long, long time ago. |
|
|
Rim |
My eyes were simply opened to the stem of this world. |
|
|
Rim |
The singular, yet all-important stem. |
|
|
Rim |
Once your eyes are opened to it… everything else becomes… |
|
|
Rim |
… As hollow as the fall of wilted petals. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I just need to know one thing. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
If… the Golden Bough is inside the Whale that devoured this place… And if the Golden Boughs can really… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Somehow… counteract the Pallidification effects… |
|
|
Rim |
It can be said that, indeed, what you believe, what you wish to be true, is correct. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I see. |
|
|
Rim |
I hope I have been a useful signpost to you all. |
|
|
YI SANG |
To where do you seek to depart again? |
|
|
Rim |
I was once a mere pond who only knew where the sea, the rivers, and the City were. |
|
|
Rim |
Now I seek to reach there with my wings. |
|
|
Rim |
That is all. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Stop right there… You know too much! Think we're about to let you leave, just like that? |
|
|
Rim |
Pity. Try as you might to hold me now, I flow betwixt your fingers. |
|
|
Rim |
Well, then. |
5-27: The Lake and the Butterfly 2
like a butterfly leaving its brief respite
upon the water surface. It was as though
we had all awakened from a dream.
From him we saw that familiar red mark.
… The Mermaids are coming back.
Pre-Battle
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
LCCB Agent? |
…. … …. … |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
It can be deduced that it was his influence that kept the Mermaids at bay. |
|
|
RODION |
But why…? |
|
|
FAUST |
I can only theorize that their primal sense of certain ebbs and flows of energy remained even as their reason eroded. |
|
|
GREGOR |
You're saying that he scared 'em off or something…? |
|
|
DANTE |
<Sinclair, on his forehead, there was…> |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
… Yeah. |
5-28: The Lake and the Butterfly 4
of the Golden Bough from within the Lobotomy Corp. Branch.
… We’ll have to search for the Whale like he said, then.
Post-Battle
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Looks like Rim wasn't lying. I don't think there's a Golden Bough here. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I don't feel the bough, either. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Now… what will you do? |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
All organic matter other than us in this Lobotomy Corp. Branch have doubtless been infected. |
|
|
RODION |
That Rim guy… If he's got that mark… |
|
|
RODION |
You think he's in cahoots with the flying blue kid from before? … Are we gonna be okay? |
|
|
HONG LU |
Well, he did help us at the end of the day. Even if he approached us very quietly. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
N.W.C.D.[2] What were we supposed to do? |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
I guess so. There was nothing we could've done. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Still… I don't think Demian held any animosity against us. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Not against you, maybe. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Executive Manager. I still remain doubtful of that man's intentions. |
|
|
OUTIS |
He didn't even share with us what their goals were before fleeing the scene. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Oi, you must know something about the bowlhead. You knew that bloke, didn't you? |
|
|
YI SANG |
Rim has changed too much… I cannot even begin to fathom his intentions. |
|
|
DANTE |
<Let's… get out of here first.> |
|
|
DANTE |
<It's pretty clear that the Golden Bough isn't here anymore…> |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
… What fate befalls those who remain? |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
A fate we can do nothing about. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
I am well aware, yet… |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
I think I understand how you're feeling. But sometimes, you just gotta learn to let go. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
If there's anything I've learned from my life… it's that some things are too far gone to be helped. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
… Very well, Sir Heathcliff. |
|
|
RODION |
What's gotten into you, Heath? Didn't know you knew how to comfort someone like that~ |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
… Ugh. I wasn't going to suffer that lass's gloom. |
5-29: Harpoons
shook the Lobotomy Corp. Branch. We hurried out and gazed into the mists…
and saw an intimidating-looking vessel emerge.
Pre-Battle
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
DANTE |
<No Golden Bough, no survivors…> |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
A.T.F.N.[3] |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
No. It was a good chance to observe art crafted from a different perspective. I suppose all that wasn't for nothing. Heh. |
|
|
RODION |
Well~ We're going to be a-okay. A big win always follows a big loss like this~ |
|
|
GREGOR |
We're going to have to scour the middle of the Great Lake to find that Bough… Mm. Maybe I should've learned how to swim… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
If we are to believe Rim, that Golden Bough… is inside the Pallid Whale. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Are we truly journeying in search of the Pallid Whale… |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
A Whale as big as a windmi— I mean, as large as a mansion? Nay, as grand as a castillo? |
|
|
RODION |
Can… we even catch something like that? |
|
|
RODION |
Even if we catch up to it, what then? Ask it nicely to please puke the Bough back into our palms? |
|
|
RODION |
Guys, maybe we should just go back… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Go back? |
|
|
RODION |
Oh, I-I mean~ |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
And then what? What are you going to do after we 'go back'? What, give up the Golden Bough, just like that? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Pretend like nothing happened and just move on to our next mission? |
|
|
FAUST |
…… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I don't know how or when it's become acceptable in this group to throw away a Golden Bough just like that, but… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… not me. I'm not going back. I've endured too much to go back now… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
There was just ONE thing that kept me going in this shitty company. One thing. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
And you know what that is, Faust. |
|
|
FAUST |
…… |
|
|
FAUST |
It is as Ishmael said. Abandoning the Golden Bough retrieval in the present situation is not permitted. Success is still within reach. |
|
|
FAUST |
But… we cannot move at this moment. |
|
|
FAUST |
It would be best that we rendezvous with Vergilius before discussing our next course of action. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Hah, I see. It's that stupid law of the Great Lake again, huh? |
|
|
FAUST |
Yes, it is. We have 2 hours remaining. |
|
|
HONG LU |
Wow! Good work, Heathcliff! You're so smart. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
You little… |
|
|
Sinners |
Woah! |
|
|
DANTE |
<Let’s get outta here first!> |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
W-what madness is this?! |
 | ||
|
|
MEURSAULT |
I observe multiple ships on the horizon, beyond the wall of mist. None of their silhouettes resemble Mephistopheles. |
|
|
GREGOR |
W-what the… Misfire, maybe? |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
W-wait! Look around! |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
The water level… it'll be up to our britches any minute! |
 | ||
|
|
FAUST |
It's high tide. It appears that this Lake's water levels rise and fall depending on the time of day. |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
They have launched something in our direction. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Brace for impact! Here comes another! |
|
|
GREGOR |
So… not a misfire, then… |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Agh… |
|
|
GREGOR |
It's those Twithook Pirates again, huh… Gotta say, I can respect their tenacity. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Those trash are here only thanks to your very stubborn mercy, Dante. |
|
|
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Say not such things… What Manager Esquire did that day was a judgment most noble. 'Twas not an easy decision, forsooth… |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Wait! Just use your noggins for once. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
They're bound to that Lake, just as we are to this one. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Harpoon us all they want, it's not like them sods can drag their ships toward us. So, in the meanwhile… whassit… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
No. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
That's… not what the Pirates use harpoons for. |
|
|
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
DANTE |
<So that's how…> |
 | ||
|
|
Jolly Pirate |
Ha ha, now ye know why they call us the Twinhooks! |
 | ||
|
|
Jolly Pirate |
Are ye ready, kids? Who wants to ride the harpoon?! |
5-30: The Big Brother
but I had a feeling that they were just gauging our capabilities… Now that I mention it,
the largest and gaudiest vessel from their fleet has yet to hook us.
Pre-Battle
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
DANTE |
<We're fending them off somehow, but…> |
| ||
|
|
HONG LU |
That ship in the middle sure is eye-catching. |
|
|
HONG LU |
Things are usually that gaudy for a reason, you know? |
|
|
RODION |
…! Uh… oh… |
|
|
RODION |
T-that guy, standing there at the center… |
|
|
DANTE |
<That weird guy up there? He's been posing like that over there ever since this whole mess started.> |
|
|
RODION |
Posing? That's not what I'm talking about, Dante… |
|
|
RODION |
Don't you recognize his tattoos? He's… |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Hmph. A B.B. of the Middle. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
What's… a B**ch Brother…? |
|
|
RODION |
… I think she meant 'Big Brother'…? |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
…! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…… |
|
|
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
DANTE |
<Sorry about bringing this up now, but…> |
|
|
DANTE |
<What's… the Middle?> |
|
|
DANTE |
<Just a mere mention, or a mere sight of them alone seems to… shock and intimidate a lot of people. Remember how they pretty much traumatized Pilot?…> |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
I heard that, the Fingers, which the Middle is a part of… |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
… are… on a completely different level from your average Syndicates. I've never met any of them face-to-face before, but… |
|
|
RODION |
No. People like us… We're never supposed to meet them like this. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
We're all going to be F.U.B.A.R. [4] |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Time for my one last cig. This is a good day to die, isn't it? |
|
|
DANTE |
<… Ryōshū, even you…?> |
|
|
YI SANG |
… If a trial must be weathered, we will weather it with dignity and tenacity, Dante. |
 | ||
 |
Big Brother |
All right. How was the warmup? |
|
|
Little Brother |
Big Bro's givin' y'all time for a warmup! Appreciate it! |
|
|
DANTE |
<He's wearing Sunglasses? In this gloomy weather…?> |
|
|
OUTIS |
All hands. Prepare for battle. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Executive Manager, this battle… this foe… will not be like any other we have encountered before. Under such dire circumstances, ensuring the safety of the commanding officer has to be our primary objective. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Please, find a safe place to hide. Make sure to stay out of his sight… |
|
|
Big Brother |
Boring. Didn't think you would take this long for a warm-up. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Let us negotiate! If you're seeking to negotiate… we're more than ready to listen. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Negotiate with a villain such as he…? How… |
|
|
GREGOR |
Well, looks like we're the ones begging for our lives now… |
|
|
RODION |
I-I didn't think that a Big Brother of the Middle would be here, in person… |
|
|
Big Brother |
Yeah. But I am. |
|
|
Big Brother |
So… In all those years I've spent as a part of the Middle… |
|
|
Big Brother |
I had this ONE iron rule that I never broke. |
|
|
Big Brother |
… Until today, that is. |
|
|
Big Brother |
Your raid of my personal safe has forced my hand! |
 |
Little Brother |
Hot damn… Unbelievable! What awful mind thinks of doin' something so heinous…? |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
… What? Ain't this about what happened back at the Twinhooks' club? |
|
|
Big Brother |
So here on this day, I declare your sins, o guilty ones. |
|
|
Big Brother |
Your unforgivable sins…! |
|
|
RODION |
Look, we had a little kerfuffle with Ms. Smee, but… |
|
|
YI SANG |
… Your subordinate, she… remains safe and unharmed. |
|
|
GREGOR |
W-wait, no! Stop— |
|
|
Big Brother |
…… |
|
|
Big Brother |
Smee? Who's that? |
|
|
Little Brother |
Oh, uh… whisper, whisper… |
|
|
DANTE |
<… No way. He didn't know…?> |
|
|
YI SANG |
… My interjection may have been unnecessary. |
|
|
Big Brother |
Well then… uh, okay. Let's see… With that sin piled on top… |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
That's 'The Book of Vengeance'. Once your name's written on that book… F.U.B.A.R is also written into your fate. Hilarious. So hilarious that I might go mad… Ha ha. |
|
|
Big Brother |
Listen. We live in a binary world. The world that is luscious… and the world that is bristly. Are you aware of their differences? |
|
|
Big Brother |
The luscious… |
|
|
Big Brother |
Is what flows and wraps gently around your hand when your fingers comb through it… |
|
|
Big Brother |
And the bristly… is what roughly stabs and pokes out between your fingers. |
|
|
Big Brother |
Patience, perseverance, and a delicate pair of talented hands are crucial to becoming the most luscious that one can be. |
|
|
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
Big Brother |
Do you understand? |
|
|
Big Brother |
Do you understand now, the incredible amount of effort that goes into maintaining this hair in the right shape and the perfect lusciousness? |
|
|
Big Brother |
There once was a coupon. A coupon to get the coveted personal hands-on hair care… |
|
|
Big Brother |
… from the director of a top-level luxury hair salon on one of the richest ports of U Corp., the Stingray Portship! Continuously, for FIVE HOURS! |
|
|
Big Brother |
It is said that, with that coupon, anyone could enter the world of the luscious! And anyone with a coupon had the privilege of an appointment-free visit! |
|
|
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Oh. |
|
|
DANTE |
<So… we're being accused of taking his… coupons for a hair salon?> |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
So when you called him a B**ch Brother… |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
I meant that he can be a real Bitch to get rid of once you piss him off. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Damnit… We should've steered clear of these bastards… |
|
|
Big Brother |
They were to be my first steps into the world of the luscious. |
|
|
Big Brother |
Yet, the coupon thief… |
|
|
Big Brother |
… has left me stranded indefinitely in the world of the bristly… |
|
|
Big Brother |
Behold. Behold the testament to your heinous sins. |
 | ||
|
|
DANTE |
<… Heathcliff?> |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
I-I didn't know the safe was his! Look! It's got colorful kitty stickers on it! You've got to be absolutely barmy to assume that it's the safe of the Middle's Big Brother, right?! |
|
|
Big Brother |
Everyone has… different tastes, just like the numerous, colorful Lakes of the Great Lake. |
|
|
Big Brother |
Your blatant lack of respect for diverse, differing tastes will have to be added to the Book of Vengeance as well. |
|
|
RODION |
Someone, please shut Heath up before he adds anything more to that book… |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Hup… |
|
|
DANTE |
<Heathcliff… Did you even know who, what, or where these coupons were for?> |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Of course not… Bloody hell… |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Sob… We are the villains in this tale, then? Have we become naught but little thieving rascals? Wherefore hast thou committed such villainy, Heathcliff… |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Thou hast not once given a second look at a hair salon, yet why… |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
I-I've got my reasons… |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
There is one good news, however… |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
The chance of your absolution, even if you were to return the coupons, is infinitesimal. Infinitely close to nil, in fact. |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
Thus, keeping the coupons will make no difference to the outcome of this encounter, Heathcliff. They are now yours. |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
The bad news… |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
… is that we'll all be O.O.F.-ed before Heathcliff even gets the chance to use them… |
|
|
Big Brother |
And the price of your sins… |
|
|
Big Brother |
Uh… Let's see. Title 8, Section 20 says… |
|
|
Big Brother |
On row A… Line 6… Hair Salon Coupons… |
|
|
DANTE |
<That book has instructions in case someone steals their hair salon coupons?!> |
|
|
Big Brother |
Aha! I've found it. |
|
|
Big Brother |
Complete and total extermination of all involved parties; execute the coupon thief and any and all of their affiliates. Effective immediately. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Hmph. Truly, a B.B. |
 |
Ricardo |
My name's Ricardo, a Big Brother of the Middle. Let my name be the last thing you remember before you perish. Memories are important, after all. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Unsatisfying… I'll get a proper luxury cig next time. … If there is a next time. |
Post-Battle
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Ricardo |
You regenerate… Like nothing happened. |
|
|
Ricardo |
Unlike my hairdo… Which should have received its rightful care that day… and will never recover… |
|
|
FAUST |
Dan… te. |
|
|
DANTE |
<… Speak, Faust.> |
|
|
FAUST |
You must come up with a new plan… |
|
|
FAUST |
My bodily functions will cease again in a matter of moments. This may be my last meaningful advice to you. |
|
|
FAUST |
And sooner or later, that man from the Middle will come for you. |
|
|
DANTE |
<What…> |
|
|
FAUST |
The involvement of an individual affiliated with the Middle… should not have happened. |
|
|
FAUST |
It will not matter how many times you turn the clock… That man will crush your clock as soon as he tires of inventing different ways of killing Heathcliff. |
|
|
FAUST |
There is a button on the back of your head. Tap it … times… Hold it … times… |
 | ||
 | ||
 | ||
|
|
FAUST |
Once you have completed the sequence, you have 30 seconds before the charge in your head explodes. |
|
|
FAUST |
In other words, you can self-detonate. |
|
|
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
FAUST |
That is our last resort—an emergency preventative measure to stop our enemies from getting their hands on the Golden Boughs. |
|
|
FAUST |
While the explosion radius may be small, the heat and the force it generates are powerful enough to melt even the Stars of the City. It should be effective enough to cremate the Golden Boughs as well… |
|
|
DANTE |
<What about Vergilius? He said he'd come help before… my… head…> |
|
|
FAUST |
… I see that you now have the full understanding of our predicament. We have no way of relaying our present situation to him. Even if he did learn of our troubles, he has no means to reach us within the next two hours. |
|
|
DANTE |
<What about the Sinners? When I'm gone, you guys are…> |
|
|
FAUST |
I am well aware of the consequences. My world will meet its end here. That is why this is your last resort. |
|
|
DANTE |
<I-I could keep running away. I'll take the boat and try to stay alive until the laws of the Lake lets Vergilius cross the borders, and…> |
|
|
FAUST |
… There is a chance, yes. But it is incredibly slim. |
|
|
DANTE |
<……> |
|
|
FAUST |
… Even though this may be the end of LCB, the world… no. Limbus Company must continue to exist… Dante, you must make a judgment call. |
|
|
Ricardo |
Look what we have here. |
|
|
Ricardo |
I've torn you to pieces, yet with burning eyes, you still attempt to rise. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Agh… We can't… not here… Not like this… |
 | ||
|
|
Ricardo |
Haha! Tick-tock and bring back the dead, huh?! |
|
|
Ricardo |
What a world we live in. Is that kinda tech even allowed in the City, though? Guess I'll go ask the Great Sister once I get back. |
|
|
DANTE |
<Ishmael, we…> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Shut up. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Stop fucking around and do your job. |
|
|
Ricardo |
Give it another try, why don'tcha? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Kach… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Bring me… back… Again… |
5-31: The Big Brother 2
He kills Ishmael again and again. I keep bringing her back,
feeling that very same pain that killed her.
… This battle is lost. Maybe Faust is right…
Maybe this is where our journey ends.
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Ricardo |
Good, good! You nicked my sunglasses! |
|
|
Ricardo |
Too bad~ You'll have to try again! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… Damn it…! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I… didn't face… all those Waves just to…! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
As long as I can keep trying, I can…! |
 | ||
 |
Ricardo |
… Your repertoire's starting to get old. |
|
|
Ricardo |
How about we just zoom right past that and to the main event? I call this clock bashing~! |
|
|
DANTE |
<…!> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
No…! Dante! Run! Get out of here! |
|
|
Ricardo |
That clock fella's gotta be someone so very precious to you, hmm? Just look at her, hanging onto my leg… after all that beating. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Not the manager… No…! Not Dante…! Not Dante…! |
|
|
Ricardo |
…… |
 | ||
|
|
Ricardo |
But why…? |
 |
??? |
…… |
 |
Ricardo |
Haah… You…! |
|
|
Ricardo |
You old geezer… |
|
|
Ricardo |
Thought you were out there, fishing… What, you think you're some hot shit now that they made you a Color? Just because you hunted the Marlin Whale? Are you challenging the Middle to a hunt like we're some Whale? That it? |
|
|
Ricardo |
You're not the kind of idiot that would attack me without knowing the consequences. |
|
|
??? |
The Middle is no different from a Whale, hm. But that's not why I am here. |
|
|
??? |
I'm just after a fish that got away. |
|
|
Ricardo |
Ha… ha ha… 'Course you are… I'm sure there's no need for me to remind you that the Middle never forgets. |
|
|
??? |
Feel free to write me down in the remaining margins of that nasty little book, if you wish. |
|
|
Ricardo |
Hngh… |
|
|
??? |
Those that do not bend… break. |
|
|
??? |
Not bad. |
|
|
??? |
Would you like to give it another try? |
|
|
Ricardo |
… Fine, fine! I'll leave for now. But… don't you forget. |
|
|
Ricardo |
The Middle remembers. It doesn't matter what I did here; the Middle will remember everyone and everything that dared to turn their back on it. |
|
|
Ricardo |
And the Middle always pays its debts. In whichever form… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…… |
|
|
??? |
I'm looking for the fish that consumed this structure. |
|
|
??? |
Are you two also here to fish? |
5-32: The Indigo Elder
that he was overwhelmingly powerful; we knew instinctively.
Faust, who seemed to recognize the old man, led him to Vergilius
after a quick exchange of pleasantries.
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
Vergilius |
This was unexpected of you, Faust. |
|
|
Vergilius |
For you of all Sinners to be the one to bring aboard a 'big shot' to our humble abode. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Tsk, do you have any idea how many times that prick killed us? The least you could do is— |
|
|
Vergilius |
Yes… that reminds me. I'll have to re-open my personal consultation hours for a certain kleptomaniac among us. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
……… |
|
|
FAUST |
I considered him indispensable to the completion of this mission. |
|
|
Vergilius |
And why is that? |
 | ||
 |
??? |
Because I am the only one who can hunt that Pallid Whale. |
|
|
Vergilius |
… Of course you are. |
|
|
Vergilius |
The Indigo Elder. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Indigo? He is a Color?! Thou meanest to say that I at this very moment am sharing a space with not one but TWO COLOR FIXERS…? |
|
|
Vergilius |
I heard that you were wandering the Great Lake to hunt its Whales. |
|
|
Vergilius |
And last I heard, you hunted one of the five Calamities, the All-impaling Marlin Whale. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
… Hrm. |
|
|
FAUST |
All circumstantial evidence suggests that the Golden Bough was devoured by the Whale stranded at the Great Lake. |
|
|
FAUST |
Yes, that very same Pallid Whale of the Five Calamities, normally observed in the Outskirts. |
|
|
Vergilius |
... Hm. Of course. That's how these things always tend to flow. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
We've wasted much time, so I'll be blunt. I wish to hunt the Pallid Whale. |
|
|
Vergilius |
Yes. And time's all we have. |
|
|
FAUST |
Moreover, we know where the Whale is headed. |
|
|
FAUST |
And I am certain that you have spent a significant amount of time observing and learning that Whale to hunt it. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
…… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I've got a plan. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
And I'll do anything to make it work. Even if you want me there only as bait. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
And this is how we'll do it. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… …… … ……. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
… You're mad. All that thrashing's finally sent you off the deep end. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I'm just going there for my mission. And the Golden Bough just happens to be in the same direction. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I'll leave it up to you. Well, to the manager, since their decision matters the most. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
This Company, me… We're both just trying to find a way to reach our goals. That's all this is. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
…… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Besides, does anyone have a better idea? |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
No. Can't agree to that. We're making a mistake by even entertaining that barmy idea. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
…… |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
I must ask you one last thing. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Will you join us to fish, Red? |
|
|
Vergilius |
…… |
|
|
Vergilius |
I'm not experienced or particularly skilled at hunting marine life, but… |
|
|
Vergilius |
… I have other, more important concerns that prevent me from joining. |
|
|
Vergilius |
So, no. Unless the worst comes to pass, I will not take part. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
…… |
|
|
OUTIS |
Wait… Wait a moment. |
|
|
OUTIS |
We don't need the guide. With a proper plan, we are more than capable of completing this mission. |
|
|
OUTIS |
To give up so quickly is— |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
I never said I am. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
This loud, screaming ship won't do in our hunt for the Pallid Whale. |
|
|
DANTE |
<Screaming? I didn't think Mephistopheles was that loud.> |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
To hunt it, the boat must remain near and covert. A narrow and sturdy boat is what we need. |
|
|
GREGOR |
… Huh? So all you needed to hear was that Vergilius wasn't going to help out? Why? |
|
|
RODION |
Right? This could go much smoother if Vergie was with us. |
|
|
FAUST |
We can prepare a boat that fits your specifications, should you request it. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
That's all right. I'll sail on my own skiff. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
That old dinghy? That Whale could split it in two with a light wag of its tail. |
|
|
OUTIS |
… No. That skiff… It may not look like much, but it is extremely durable. |
|
|
YI SANG |
I see that X Corp.'s alloys have been used in its construction. That could not have been an easy ingredient to come by. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Ooh… another benefit of having a Color bestowed upon thee, then?! I have heard tale of— |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Hrm… |
|
|
DANTE |
<…?> |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
I noticed it in the earlier scuffle. That clock seems to have been you and your crew's lifeline. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
I know not how it works, but I presume it is a Singularity of sorts. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
It will not work against the Whale. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
So start now. Get used to the idea that not everything can be brought back. |
|
|
DANTE |
<Why…> |
|
|
DANTE |
<Why did you accept? Even after Vergilius opted out?> |
|
|
FAUST |
Dante asks why you accepted our request, even after Vergilius opted out of it. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
You ask me the wrong question. I would have denied your request, had Red agreed to take part. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Let's say that Red joined us. We would together battle the Whale in a long and arduous struggle. In the end, the Whale would surely go down—taking one of us with it. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
That is why I would have opted out if Red chose to join us. |
|
|
DANTE |
<…?> |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Because the hunt would no longer be mine. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
Whatever doth thou mean? Thy intentions elude me… |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
I mean that I would not be able to test the limits. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
The limits? What are you even talking about? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Look, to hunt that Whale, we have to prepare with everything we have. And… |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Out of fear, humans drew borders even to the Outskirts that lie beyond the City limits. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Beyond it are stars that lie beyond the edge of understanding, beyond even the concept of fear itself. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
I am but a fisherman seeking to cross the borders and challenge that very understanding. |
|
|
OUTIS |
… Are you talking about what lies beyond the Outskirts? Its outreaches? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
That Whale… devours everything. It brings nothing but calamity… How could you… |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Ah, so you have been a prey once, sailor. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Countless Lakes here also devour. Summon calamities. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
If you find yourself at a crossroads, if you find that your life is worth nothing in the face of what lies before you… |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Recall this conversation. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…… |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
I'm no good with advice. Never was. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Still, I thought I'd part a few words… |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
… as a fellow seafarer. Suppose I felt a bit of kinship. |
|
|
DANTE |
<Ishmael. What do you really want?> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
What I really want… |
|
|
DANTE |
<…!> |
 | ||
|
|
DANTE |
<Ishmael, you…!> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
What? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Come on, let's get going. |
5-33: Rocks
with the Indigo Elder. We can see some rocks poking
out of the pale, opaque waters of the Lake.
Looks like we’ll have to maneuver our way between them.
Pre-Battle
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
DANTE |
<… Something's floating over there.> |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Are those… Islands? There's a lot of them… |
|
|
OUTIS |
They may be reefs. Perhaps that is this Lake's challenge… To navigate it while avoiding them to the best of our abilities. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Well, they sure do look rocky. But… They're too big to be called reefs. |
|
|
YI SANG |
Do you sense aught, Dante? |
|
|
YI SANG |
We may attempt to discover a path that does not lead into an area cluttered with such obstacles, yet that would require us to hazard a path unknown. It may lead to this plan's ruin. |
|
|
DANTE |
<Hm…> |
|
|
FAUST |
If you can sense even the most general direction of the Golden Bough, please relay it to me. I can use that to approximate its location. |
|
|
FAUST |
I can assure you a degree of accuracy, now that we have with us additional data provided by the Indigo Elder. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Huh? Why couldn't you have just been our magic compass to begin with, clockhead? |
|
|
FAUST |
They are able to do this only under the peculiar conditions of the Great Lake, which has very few in the way of obstacles. |
|
|
FAUST |
The urban areas of the City are dense with structures, both high and low, and into the underground. The higher population density also complicates matters. Considering that Dante can detect the Golden Bough only in close proximities, considering that there may be insurmountable obstacles in our way, their sense will not be of much help there. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Tsk. So they're back to being just your usual clockhead anywhere else. |
|
|
DANTE |
<Huh, so that's why… that's why I could feel the Golden Bough here, even when it was so far away…> |
|
|
FAUST |
Confirmed. We will turn the ship around in that direction. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… Oh. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
It's this Lake. |
|
|
FAUST |
Ishmael, do you have any new information to share with us? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… Yeah. Here… I know what to do from here. I know exactly what to do. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Outis, I can't clearly see what's in front of us from back here. Tell me precisely what you see. Their numbers, their sizes, all of it. |
|
|
OUTIS |
… Trying to avoid the wild currents and find a safe path around these rocks? Understood. |
|
|
OUTIS |
About 350 meters ahead. Miniscule, plain patterned, glistening rock. About 500 meters ahead of that is a medium-sized rock. It has a bump on top of it that stands out. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Continue. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Hm. And not so far ahead from there is a large island with a rough, porous surface… Oh, upon closer inspection, it's like an archipelago of three… four similar islands. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Good. |
|
|
OUTIS |
… Good. We've made it past the first rock. |
|
|
HONG LU |
Its texture was a bit… different from that of a normal rock, wasn't it? |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
G.E.[5] That's not the texture of a rock. Or even soil. |
|
|
OUTIS |
We just passed the second one. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Oi, what's so weird about the texture? I can't see over the big boy and the long one. |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
Hmph. That there… is a living, breathing thing. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
What? |
|
|
OUTIS |
… Wait… Swabbie! Watch where you're steering this ship! We're going to crash into that third rock at this rate! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
And that's what I'm going to do, Outis. That's where we get off. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
That rock? That creepy, porous rock over there? |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Oi, feel free to crash into a rock on your free time, but don't take all of us with you! There's not even a single tree up there, let alone a person. What the bloody hell are we anchoring there for? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
You gotta screw your head on in a different direction in the Great Lake, Heathcliff. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
What are you talking abou— |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Do you even know where you're going, woman?! |
|
|
RYŌSHŪ |
… Oh yes, she knows. Huhu. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Wait, that white color… Ishmael? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Yeah. Those aren't islands or rocks. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
They're… all part of a Whale. |
5-34: The Pallid Whale
When its Mermaids crawled out of the holes, we defeated them.
But… This isn’t the Whale we’re looking for,
is it? What is Ishmael thinking?
Post-Battle
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Right… I get it. I get it now. All of these 'rocks' were actually Whales. And I get that Mermaids pop out of those pores. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
But I think it's a loony thing that… Why are we even drawing their ire, huh? We could've just gone around them! |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Looking to let off some steam? Hankerin' for a game of whack-a-mole all of a sudden? Is that it? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Of course not. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
This is just the only method I know. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
… You better be ready to explain what you're talking about. |
|
|
DANTE |
<Ishmael.> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Haah… I also didn't think I'd actually be doing this… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Well… so there's this legend-like tale. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Legend…? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Each Lake of the Great Lake has its own culture, with many wandering and choosing to call those places their homes. So, naturally, there are as many tales as there are Lakes. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
But there's that one tale of a certain Lake that is passed down orally from sailor to sailor. Just like the legends of old. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
The legend of the 'Gloomy Grey Lake of Wafting and Rumbling'. Sailors sang the legend of that Lake, passing it down for years upon years. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Doom, and hew thy veiled path to misty seas. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Begloom, and let Whales draw their pearls in search of pallid hue. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Toom, shall be thy mist-path, heeding the weeping Whales. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
… Whatever does that mean? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
It's simple. Hit the Porous Whales to wake them, draw out and hunt their Mermaids, and the path to the Pallid Whale should clear of the mist. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Do you really believe that? You expect us to just… believe that hogwash? |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Blimey, didn't think I'd ever get to say these words before my deathbed, but… |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Are you stupid? |
|
|
RODION |
… Pfft. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Haah… Listen. What does waking these Whales up have anything to do with getting rid of that thick fog? It's got to make even a little bit of sense, no? |
|
|
FAUST |
Heathcliff discusses the correlation between actions and consequences. This truly is a rare experience indeed. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Shut up, smartarse… I'm serious. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… And you think the law that sends Waves after us if we don't cross the borders at the exact right moment makes sense? |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Huh? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
You think the law that makes us go in circles before reaching our destination, the law that doesn't let us go back the way we came from, makes any sense? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I've been telling you this whole time. Common sense has no place in the Great Lake. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
That's just the way this place works, okay? Just… You just have to accept that. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
… Fine. I'll give you that. But they're like the laws of the City. As outlandish as they are, they're still strict laws that can be calculated into those variable coordinates or whatnot. What you're blathering here is some vague old song. Am I supposed to believe something so absurd? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Yes. Because I've seen it myself. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
…… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Years ago, when a young, stupid, but motivated sailor boarded the ship, she had the most unfortunate opportunity of witnessing this very legend with her own eyes. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Because that's how she saw the Pallid Whale. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
… I really don't like you. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Took the words right out of my mouth. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
I don't like… any of this. But I know that you're not the kind of lass to lie or tell tall tales just to get the upper hand in a petty squabble. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…… |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Fine, let's go all the way to the end. I'll keep whacking those mole-like things with this club. |
|
|
OUTIS |
I can also accept your explanation. But… from now on, I would appreciate it if you could share your knowledge with us first before doing anything. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… I'll try. |
|
|
FAUST |
In a way, I am relieved that we now have a definite path forward. |
|
|
DANTE |
<… Yeah. Well, let's go find our next Whale.> |
|
|
OUTIS |
Yes, Executive Manager. |
|
|
OUTIS |
All aboard, men! |
|
|
YI SANG |
… Truly, the ocean mist is splitting as though a blade has hewn it in half. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Haah… Finally. |
5-35: The Pallid Whale 2
The Lake of legends, as told by Ishmael. Within it…
… Was the Pallid Whale, pale as the midnight moon.
| Speaker | Dialogue | |
|---|---|---|
|
|
MEURSAULT |
The weather there is quite hostile. |
|
|
YI SANG |
Mm… The wild winds have begun to sway the boat… |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
I'm starting to wonder if we can… really do this. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Did we ever let that stop us from trying? |
|
|
RODION |
Ha, I guess that's true~ |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… All right. Heading into the zone. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Are there any laws of that Lake that we must be mindful of? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I don't know the laws of that Lake, nor its Waves. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I remember the way the fog split open. I remember the obsidian sea and the endless tempest. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
But the rest of it… All I remember is that the Captain was excitedly delivering a speech at witnessing the legends come to life, and that we were all busy preparing for the Whale hunt. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… So, what awaits us ahead is a real adventure. We'll be sailing blindly into the night. |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
… Gulp. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Then… we'll have to face everything head-on. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Yes. If the Waves come to claim us, we will face them. Head-on. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… Even the Whale. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… No signs of that Whale yet, though. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Back then, it attacked us mere minutes after we entered the Lake. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Wait, what's… that? There's something there, something tall. |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
A close approach is recommended. I have a source of light to improve our visibility. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
There's… several of them…? |
|
|
GREGOR |
What's that…? Hell, who put 'em there? What are they even for? |
|
|
RODION |
Maybe they're like lighthouses…? |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Lighthouses? Yeah, I can kinda see that… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…… |
|
|
DANTE |
<Do you remember seeing anything like that, Ishmael?> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
No… I don't even have a hazy recollection of it. I've never seen it before in my… |
 | ||
|
|
ISHMAEL |
…! |
|
|
YI SANG |
I-Ishmael. Has the nausea of the swaying sea gotten to you as well? |
|
|
YI SANG |
Your face has grown rather pale… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I see… So that's what it looked like. Even a small part of it is… |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
W-what is it? |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
You'll find out soon enough. Even if you don't want to. |
|
|
OUTIS |
There, a rogue wave ahead…! |
|
|
OUTIS |
All hands, brace! Grab onto what you can! |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
A-ah! Agh…! |
[The following image flashes.]  | ||
|
|
FAUST |
Pah…! |
|
|
FAUST |
… We were lucky. There was a high chance that the following vortex would have dragged the vessel deep underwater. |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
L-lucky? You saw what was down there, that was… |
|
|
DANTE |
<… Everyone okay?> |
|
|
OUTIS |
We have everyone, but… |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
Huh? Huh…? What we just saw down there… were… |
|
|
HONG LU |
They weren't lighthouses… They were… |
|
|
HONG LU |
Tails of colossal Whales…! |
|
|
RODION |
Wow… Okay… I really wanna give up now, ha ha. |
|
|
RODION |
I wanna go back to the time when I didn't know what the Whales really looked like… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
So this is the Lake where the Whales come to sleep… |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Yeah. If they're deep in the water with their necks bent like that… I could see their tails rising tall over the surface. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
But… There's no way they missed this commotion. |
|
|
SINCLAIR |
T-t-t-the ship is… We're… we're keeling over! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… The Whales are waking up. |
|
|
FAUST |
If the Indigo Elder made it here as we planned… |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
WOAAAAAAHHHHH! |
|
|
DON QUIXOTE |
OVER YONDER, I-IS THAT THE WHALE?! |
|
|
MEURSAULT |
…… |
|
|
FAUST |
Looks like things are going according to plan. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Then we'll have to do our part. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Ah! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
There, there! |
 | ||
|
|
OUTIS |
That one's particularly scarred. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Ha, ha ha ha… I've found it! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Yes… He was right. The wounds, the scars that we… the Pequod made… they're all still there. |
|
|
Vergilius |
(Radio)I assume that you have finally located the Whale? |
|
|
FAUST |
I believe so, yes. |
|
|
Vergilius |
(Radio)As always… the chance of success must be miniscule. |
|
|
FAUST |
Indeed it is. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
OARSMEN!!!!!!! |
|
|
DANTE |
<Ishmael…?> |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
ANSWERS, YOU DOGS!!!!! OARSMEN!!!! |
|
|
HEATHCLIFF |
Huh?! A-aye! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Set route to that pallid thing! FULL SPEED AHEAD!!!! ROW! |
|
|
OUTIS |
… Full speed ahead! Row! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Ha… HA HA…! |
|
|
FAUST |
I see light. … It's the Indigo Elder. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Listen well! |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
The rest of the awakened Whales have gone after the bait I've laid for them! |
|
|
OUTIS |
Then the plan worked! Now… Ah…! |
 | ||
|
|
OUTIS |
… It's been so long since I've witnessed anything like this up close. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Oh, how I wished to see you eye-to-eye. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
… Now here's your bait, fish. Bite on it. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
I know you have no other choice. Biting, devouring's all you've ever known. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
OARSMEN!!!!! SPLIT THE SEA WITH YOUR OARS!!!!! |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
I respect you, Pallid Whale. I respect that you have lived years in numbers that I cannot even begin to imagine. I respect that you hail from a place beyond my ken. |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
But… |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
I will take this chance to stand before you, to challenge you. And with this challenge, to the edge of understanding I will row. |
|
|
OUTIS |
Now is our chance! Row on, row on! |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
I've been thinking… ever since then… about what feelings you might dig up from my heart if I saw you again. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
Ha… But this feeling is much more straightforward than I expected. |
|
|
ISHMAEL |
… Nice meeting you again, you FUCKING WHALE! |
|
|
The Pallid Whale |
…! ……! |
 | ||
|
|
OUTIS |
Its maw opens! |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
…… |
|
|
The Indigo Elder |
Go. I will now fish this beast. |
|
|
DANTE |
<…!> |
|
|
Vergilius |
(Radio)Acknowledge. Acknowledge. How goes the plan? |
|
|
Vergilius |
(Radio)Acknowledge. Hey! |
|
|
Vergilius |
(Radio)… Looks like the radio's broken for good. |
|
|
Charon |
(Radio)Mhm. Worrying. |
Story Chapters
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Inferno (Main Chapter) |
|||
| Deviazione (Detour Tales) |
Intervallos | ||
| Mini Episodes | |||
| Story Dungeon | Inferno | ||
| Deviazione | |||