Part 68: This is a taunt we'll have to answer.

Hope you remembered to strip all the guys' gear before you finished investigating the comas last night!



Make sure that Kloe and Schera have Titanic Roar for this one, and whatever earth arts you can get on Estelle and Tita. Put some Sleep and Confuse protection on everybody, too.











-Looking Up at the Sky-







CWO Ashton: ...Men, halt.



CWO Ashton: Estelle, hello. And Scherazard's with you, I see. You're on some guild work, I take it?
Yeah, we are. You see--Wait. Squads coming to guard Rolent! Is that...?
CWO Ashton: Yes, that's us. We'll be protecting the city, along with reinforcements from the Haken Gate.
I see...
Thank you, sir.
CWO Ashton: Not at all. The duty of the Royal Army is to protect Her Majesty's subjects. How is Rolent looking?
Well, the fog's getting thicker, but there haven't been any new coma cases.
Erm! Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Ashton!
CWO Ashton: ...Yes, about Luke. From what I've been told, he simply isn't waking up. There's no threat to his health otherwise. You don't need to avoid the topic for my sake.
B-But...
CWO Ashton: Right now, we both need to focus on our jobs. I suspect that's the best way we can help save Luke.
Mr. Ashton...
That's very true.
Ashton, please take care of the city for us.
CWO Ashton: Absolutely. Leave it to us. Men, listen up! Rolent is directly ahead! I want patrol teams to begin their rounds the instant our boots hit the pavement! Is that clear?
Soldiers: YES, SIR!





Yeah...Mr. Ashton is Luke's father.
I'm sure he's really beside himself with worry, but he's trying not to show it...
He seems like a very strong kind of man.
He is. We'll have to do our best, too.
Come on. Perzel Farm isn't too far ahead, if I remember correctly.



-A Cat Relaxing in the Sun-







Yes, let's go explain the situation to Mr. Perzel. I doubt even Franz would try to go and make a delivery out in this mess...I hope, anyway.
Welllll...knowing Mr. Perzel, I dunno.

_*RINGGG*

-Silence-

That was...!
No!
SCHERA!
Come on!

-Creeping Crisis-









The heck are THESE?!
Monsters made of...fog?!
Whaaa?!
We've no time for debate! Take them down!

-Fight With Assailant-





Weapon attacks don't work well against these.





Dream Smoke can impede, but there are three Alraunes and four of you. One earth art will get through eventually.





-Engaged People in Secret Maneuvers-



Yes, but...they were simply a roadblock. We need to find the Perzels. Now.
Right!



Huh? Why's it locked?
Let's look for another way in.





Mr. Perzel?! Chere! Will!



No...Nooooo...
I'm sorry, Estelle...They're all asleep.
The ones over here are, too...
Nooo...
We...failed again...
Estelle...
I'm sorry...



It looks like whoever did this knew what we were planning.
That woman in black?
There's no doubt in my mind.



Can you show us where their rooms are?
Ah, yeah...

-In My Heart-





I wish I had some idea what to do now, though...
...
Estelle. I know this is a shock, but you MUST put it aside. If you can't, you won't be able to help them.
But...it's all because I'm no good at this...I'm not even half the bracer my father is...I've put everyone in so much danger because I'm useless...
...
Dammit...Dammit! I've acted all strong and confident...But...But it's all just an act! How am I supposed to fix something like this?!
I...I...
...
Estelle.



Huh...?
Ah, Scherazard?!
Estelle!



I make mistakes constantly myself, but that doesn't mean I'm going to give up. Agate, Zane...and yes, even Cassius. We all do what we can, even as we're painfully aware of our own shortcomings.
Even...Dad...?
I wonder...do you remember? How Cassius didn't make it in time when...when your mother died.
Ah...
He's never forgiven himself for that, but he still overcame it to walk the path of a bracer. He never stopped moving forward and always did what he could to protect the people most important to him. Even in the army, he's still striding forward, day by day, even if he's uncertain.
So, Estelle, what will you do?
...
You don't need to overthink it. Just go with what your feelings deep inside tell you.
I don't...really have an answer, but...
I want to keep moving forward. To protect the people important to me...
Even if I'm an idiot right now, I can't stop just because I screwed up!
Hmhm...That's my Estelle.
Sorry, Schera. Guess I'm just an annoying little sister, huh?
Don't worry, honey. Besides, the bigger a pain the kid is, the cuter they are when they're all grown up.
Er...
Heehee!
Haha...
Oh! Uh, sorry, you two. I didn't mean to make a big scene or anything.
Um, I was a bit surprised, but...I never realized how close you and Schera are, Estelle!
Haha! I'm kinda jealous, now.
It was inspiring to watch, actually.
Aww, hey...
But, Schera, really, what do we do? We need to get back to the guildhouse, but...I can't just leave Tio and everyone like this.
It IS a problem...One of us is going to have to stay here, but--
Man's Voice: No worries, I got that covered!



Wha...
Is that...?
Hello, laaadies! It's Kevin! Remember, priest, Gralsritter, mad heroism? Man, we JUST met in Grancel. Wasn't expecting to see you again.
Hand of Aidios at work, I tell ya!
Wh-Wh-Wh...What are YOU doing here, Kevin?!
Ah, well, it's pretty simple. Last night we got a panicked report about fog, illness, and possibly the end of the world from Father Divine.
So, in my capacity as one of the Gralsritter, I decided to pop on over and see what was what. Wasn't quite expecting to have to hack my way through monster-infested, foggy roads. I only got here late this morning.
When I checked in at the local Bracer Guild, I heard Estelle's team was over here workin', so--
Okay, okay, I think I get the idea.
Meaning the 'hand of Aidios' wasn't involved at all and you're being a creepy stalker again.
Haha...Nooo, no, what gave you that idea...?
Putting that aside, what do you mean when you say, 'no worries'?
Oh, right. Well, I did overhear you guys talkin' about staying behind. You all go back. I got this covered.
Huh?
Are you sure, Father?
Hey, this sort of thing is part of a priest's job. I do have some medical training, so leave your friends to me.
Thank you, Father Graham!
Hmmhmm. I'm definitely willing to chalk this one in the 'divine providence' column at this point.
All right, let's get back to Rolent.
Okay! Kevin, please take care of everyone!
Leave it to me!



-Provincial City of Rolent-



Private Harold: Sweet Aidios, don't sneak up on a guy like that! Everyone's on edge, wondering if there are any monsters or whatever out in the fog. Even if there are monsters or suspicious persons out there, we won't know until they get close. Even us guards are on edge...
Private Scott: I can't relax for a second. I feel like the citizens are watching us. I can't so much as yawn by accident! Well, granted, I dunno who can actually SEE us in this junk, but...



Private Domingo: So just chill out, dude! Hahaha! I mean, I'm saying it, so it's gotta be true.
Private Antose: I just wish I knew where Domingo's confidence is coming from. I guess the Haken Gate guys are a little bit different in general, huh? I just hope he doesn't lose it when the stuff hits the fan!



Private Max: If there's anything off, I'd say it's those pigeons eating away in the middle of this soup like the world's just fine and dandy.
Don't let Ricky hear you say that.



Ricky: That is one hell of a patrol schedule, too, looks like. I wonder if something happened. Oh, and don't mind my partner off to the side over there. He's come down with another case of the same old disease. Again.
Anton: Oh, my sweet lady...I pride myself on my sobriety of thought, but this intoxication of love is real!



Private Lacos: It's hard having a quiet type as your partner on missions like these. It really tires you out, having to be so quiet around him yourself.
Private Hopper: .........Nothing to report.........Need something?



CWO Ashton: However, without anything changing, the enemy could strike at us again at a moment's notice. None of us can afford to let our guard down. I slipped out for a bit to go see Luke. He's still unconscious, but he had a very calm expression on his face. Right now, I have to focus on completing my duties, for his sake.

-Silence-



How did it go? I did not think it would take that long.
It went...well, a lot happened.
Agate, have you guys already been to the mine?
Oh, yeah. That was a milk run. They were contacted ahead of time. They were ready to move pretty much the instant we arrived. We got back real quick too.
We were, however, attacked by bizarre monsters on the way back. We were just discussing them with Aina.
Weird monsters?

-Tetracyclic Tower-

Yes, things which appeared from the fog...and melted back into it upon defeat. Hm. 'Fog beasts,' one could say.
That's like-!
Just the same as the ones we fought...
They showed up at the farm, too? Figures...You guys get hurt?
Well, um...we're okay, but...
...
...That look can't mean anything good.
It sounds like something happened. Can you give us a report?
Of course.

I see...Damn, just a moment too late.
The fault lies with me. If we'd gotten there a bit faster, we'd have apprehended the suspect.
No...It's my fault, really, Schera. I'm the one who wasn't able to get it together fast enough...
I don't think anyone's to blame, really. From the sound of things, it seems like you were lured into a trap.
A trap?!
Yes, think about it. You heard the sound of a bell the moment you stepped onto the farm. The fog beasts were waiting for you, and the front door was locked.
It sounds as though it was set up so that you couldn't make it in time.
Wait, so you think it was DELIBERATE? Like, finding Tio and everything?!
Quite. In fact, when combined with the coma cases we know of so far, I'd say our 'woman in black' is very clever. She specifically moved ahead of you to put people you knew and wanted to protect to sleep.
Heh...It seems we really are being taunted now.
I guess...It's so weird, though. I have no idea who this woman could be! And, I mean, I'm upset and kinda scared, but she hasn't really 'taunted' us the same way the others did.
...
Man's Voice: Yo, I'm back!



Oh, Ridge. You were escorting that group to Grancel.
Ridge: Yeah, I left Grancel this morning and just got back. But, man, what the heck's going on? The fog's getting thicker, and now there're soldiers patrolling the city!
Quite a bit has happened since last night...


Ridge: Whoa. Sounds like I missed a lot. Guess I picked a bad time to take a hike. Sorry.
It's okay. With the passenger ships stopped, we gotta keep travelers safe, too.
And we hardly have time to take those kinds of jobs ourselves. Thank you for your help on that front, Ridge.
Yeah, thanks for being lowly enough to take all the menial grunt work that's completely beneath real bracers, Redge!
Ridge: Uh, yeah, no problem! Though...Hey. Back up a step. You said something about the sound of a bell, right? That's like something you heard from the fog, yeah?
Yes, that's about right.
We don't know why it's being rung, though...
Ridge: Huh.
Ridge? It looks like this, uh, rings a bell, if you'll forgive the expression.
Ridge: Kinda. Thing is, I was comin' up the Elize Highway just now, right? I could've sworn I heard the sound of a bell as I was passin' along.
WHAT?!
Ridge, where EXACTLY did you hear it?! This could be vital!
Ridge: Er, whoa! Give me a sec...I think it was...just after I left the Gurune Gate. So it must've come from inside Mistwald.
Mistwald...
That's the forest to the southeast of the city, yes?
Ridge: At first I thought there might be someone there, so I called out in the direction of the sound. I didn't get any answer, though, so I figured I must've imagined it...until you mentioned it.
I wonder if it was rung intentionally, knowing this report would reach us.
In other words...a taunt.
Tch. Sons of...
...Schera...what do you think?
Hmm.
This is so obviously a trap they may as well hang a sign on it, but we've got no choice but to leap into it anyway. This is a taunt we'll have to answer.