It Just Keeps Piling Up

Outta the way! Outta the waaayyy!

Approximately 200 meters to the surface! Prepare for a water landin'!

Impact in three...two...one...

Yaaarghhh!

Huh? What on earth...

A person falling from the sky?

There she is! Velette!

Did you just...plummet from the sky? Are you all right?

Yeah, yeah, a little fall like that is nothin' for a genius like me!

Velette!

There ya are! You're late, Aldo.

I thought I told you not to jump off Synth Hydra like that! It's far too dangerous!

Yeah, yeah, I remember. But listen, I'm takin' safety precautions now, so it's all good. I stop the momentum with a blast, and Gunce is always there to cushion me if I need her. It's a foolproof plan!

Do you know an even more foolproof plan? Not jumping off Hydra in the first place! Now, are you okay, Gunce?

Yeah, I'm fine. I transformed my body to absorb impact before the fall, so I was able to protect Miss Velette.

You...transformed your body? Um, what exactly is the deal with Gunce's body?

Dunno. It's just the way she is.

Now, do you know who's in charge of this town?

I want permission to dig underground. Don't worry, I won't make too much mess. Just a few little explosions...

E-Explosions? Are you out of your mind? Absolutely not!

You're not still fixated on blowing up my humble abode, are you?! If that is your plan, then you and I are going to find ourselves at odds with one another.

This is ridiculous! What's the matter? Aren't you interested in this ancient underground civilization?

Yeah! Have you no sense of adventure?

What's all this racket?

I could hear your yapping from inside my house!

You want to dig underneath Acteul? That's ridiculous! Do you not care about the trouble this would cause?

Eep!

WELL?

I...um... Okay.

Hmph. Very well then. It isn't right to disturb their rest.

Huh. I really thought she'd fight back there.

The thing with Miss Velette, is she can never say no to the elderly. She likes old things too much.

That's...kind of insulting... Don't you think, Velette?

Aldo, I wanna know more about that old man. I'm gonna see what the townsfolk have to say about him.

Um, okay? Since when were you more interested in people than your excavation?

I can be interested in both. Now let's go.

The old man? Yeah, he's always in a bad mood.

He shouted at us when we were out treasure huntin' before.

Told us not to stray too far. But we were playin' near town! I don't see what he was complainin' about...

Okay, so maybe we weren't behavin' as well as we should, but we still didn't deserve that...

The old man, huh? Yeah, he's a bit eccentric. Kinda grumpy, too. I tried talking to him the other day, you know. He was pacing outside of town, looking for something, I think.

And do you know what he said? "Away with you! This is no business of a young scallywag like you!" The nerve!

Everyone does their best to avoid him. With an attitude that foul, who can blame 'em?

The old man? Okay, here's what I know...

He was once a great soldier who served the palace. But he became a bit of a hermit when he retired.

He has no family, and nobody ever comes to visit him. Must be a lonely life.

......

From what the townsfolk say, it sounds like he's a pretty grumpy and reclusive guy.

You don't look happy. Bored already?

I get it. It's a yawn collectin' your information in bits and pieces, ain't it?

Now that you mention it, you looked half-asleep before we'd even started talking to anyone!

Hey! Are ya tryin' to say I wasn't listenin'? 'Cause I was!

He was wanderin' around outside o' town, searchin' for somethin'.

Risky business with all those monsters around. But he's so scary, maybe it's the monsters that are scared of him.

Ya reckon he's that scary? My gramps was way more intimidatin' than him.

As was Aldo's grandpa...

Um, I hate to bring this up... But I thought we were here to dig? Not to investigate some old man.

*sigh* You're right. Curious as I am, it's time we moved on...

'Scuse me!

You still lookin' into that old man?

We are. Why, do you have something for us?

Yeah! He just went to Lake Tiilen.

Alone?

Yup.

Aldo, we're heading there.

What about the excavation?

It can wait! Relics and ruins only improve with age.

People, not so much. That old man's safety is all that matters right now!

What is up with her? I mean, she was acting kinda strange when the old man scolded her before. She must have some real peculiar feelings about the elderly...

Over there, Miss!

Hey, mister! Get away from there! I'll...

You're kidding!

Hmph. It appears you were trying to help, but it is not needed, nor is it wanted.

I may be old, but I was once a commander. Monsters don't scare me.

Huh... Gunce! I need ya!

Aaand off ya go!

Wow... He wasn't kiddin'. That old man is super strong.

Priorities, Velette! You should be worrying about Gunce, not marveling at the old man!

It's all good... I'm...fine... I'm just glad...I could make myself... useful...

That's what gives me strength!

(Gunce can really take a hit.)

If you don't mind me asking, why are you walking around out here? There are monsters all over.

What? I walk where I please. You have a problem with that?

No, we're just worried about you.

Worried? Even if a monster were to get me, nobody would mourn a rogue like me.

You shouldn't say that...

How can ya be so flippant about such a thing?!

Velette?

You said you're just takin' a walk, but that's a lie. I know it. I see it in your eyes. I see the longin'. But not as if you're pursuing some whimsical fancy. They're sad, your eyes. Like you're tryin' to put back the pieces of some lost treasure.

What're ya searchin' for?

I don't owe you an answer.

Talk about rude! Don't waste your time on him, Miss Velette. He's not worth it.

......

Huh? Have you gone into shock? Then I'll make him pay, no matter the...

Oh, shut it!

Change o' plans, Aldo! Summon Synth Hydra!

There's a swamp in your time, right? Take me there!

R-Right...

Um, are you going to tell me why we're here first?

Oh, Aldo. Don't ya know? This is the exact same spot we were standing before, 20,000 years ago.

What? How did you know that?

Please, who do ya take me for?

Between the view from the skies and the excavation the other day, I'd pretty much figured out the area's topographical changes. The plants growin' 'round that lake created a layer of peat, which turned into swampland over the millennia.

Whoa, I can't believe you managed to work all that out! You archaeologists really know your stuff.

Please. Save yer praise for when I've done somethin' to warrant it.

Aha! Look!

A necklace? It looks like it's made out of some creature's fangs... Is it some kind of artifact?

Nope, it belongs to Old Mr. Grumpy. I acquired it when I set Gunce on him before.

Nice work, Gunce!

Yay! I did good!

Acquired it? More like stole it! Come on, we're giving it back this instant!

How dare you! I didn't steal it, I borrowed it!

Anyway, forget about that. Point is, we came here to find this necklace, the thing he was searchin' for.

Erm... You lost me. What do you mean?

Why would he be searching for something he was wearing?

Not very perceptive, are you? Fine, I'll give ya a hint even you can understand.

Hint 1: See this? There are tiny, little names carved into the fangs.

Hint 2: Soldiers on the battlefield never know when they might die, right? So they always have somethin' to identify 'em, in case they fall in battle.

So this is...an ancient ID tag?

Got it in one! I guess I should've made the hints harder.

But there's more than one name here...

Yeah. One for each soldier lost in battle, I'll bet.

Now you mention it, that old man did say he was once a commander. So this necklace must be...

A dead comrade's dog tag. That's my guess. And for some reason, he couldn't recover it. Maybe he got attacked by a monster or something.

And how do you expect us to find something that small? After 20,000 years, no less! We'd have better luck searching Lake Tiilen...

Never underestimate Miss Velette! If anyone can do it, she can!

You got that right! Now look at this. It's my secret weapon, the Emoto-probe! It's an old relic I inherited from my gramps. It detects items with strong feelings attached buried underground. Cool, right?

The thing with this probe, is it's more likely to pick up things once time has passed.

Interesting... So you came all the way to the present to make it work.

All right. Let's get this dig underway!

Um, you better brace yourselves. I know you've never seen anythin' like this before.

Huh?

So this is what it means to be possessed by an artifact...

All accordin' to plan! You can't hope to excavate without a little manpower! Let 'em help!

Whoa!

YESSS! I found it! I FOUND IT!

You really did! It may be fossilized, but that's a fang all right!

It's amazing that it kept its shape for over 20,000 years.

It was buried deep enough to escape the ravages of time. Along with the remains of this soldier...

The fang must belong to them. There's not much left but their skull...

Yeah, that's pretty common in dig sites. No place for the faint-hearted, that's for sure! Okay, let's go back to Mr. Grumpy. He's probably still wanderin' around Lake Tiilen as we speak.

So many enemies...but compared with what they suffered...

Ack...

A fitting end for an old soldier who led so many brave young souls to their deaths.

Commander! Stand up!

Am I hallucinating? No...is it really you? Did the necklace summon you? No, it's not here. Where could it...

I have to find it. It is the only proof that they ever lived. Without it, how will they find peace?

I can't die yet...

Graaaghhh!

What is that odd little bear cub doing?

Nobody would mourn ya if you died, huh? You heard the voices of the dead, didn't ya? Voices tryin' to keep you alive... Voices of those you've known over your long years.

I won't let it end here, with the weight of history on yer shoulders!

Credit where credit's due. We were pretty helpful, weren't we?

In your own way.

Come on, 'fess up. Your life was in our hands back there.

Hey, that's my necklace! Give it back this instant, thief!

I was only borrowin' it. I was gonna give it back anyways...

And look, I even added to it!

How did you... Where did you find that?

Yeah, I bet you're pretty curious about that, huh?

It was sleeping'. Buried in the watery grave of time.

Hm. The bottom of the lake, you mean? Ah. That would explain why I could never find it.

Do you mind if I ask you something? Can you tell me about the people those fangs belonged to?

A youth interested in an old man's tales? Hah. What's next?

Very well, I will indulge you. My story takes place about a decade ago, back when I had many under my command.

They were silly young men. I was not worthy of their admiration, having risen the ranks on strength alone. And yet, they idolized me.

No matter how hard I worked them, they followed me. Trained to fight without fear of death. Before long, they were considered the strongest squad in the whole army.

They followed my teachings to the letter. And it got them killed.

They were taught to never turn from a monster. To fight, even at the cost of their lives.

We...never even found all of their corpses. A monster may have done the deed, but let's face it. I might as well have killed them myself.

I was the only one to survive. I, the one who led them to their deaths.

I thought, if I could just find proof that they lived, maybe I could atone for what happened. I know it will never bring them back, but at least...

Oh my days! I've done my best to keep quiet, but I can't take this anymore! Maybe it makes you feel better to keep blamin' yourself forever, but honestly! Enough with the self-pity!

How dare you!

Listen, I'm stuck with their feelin's swirlin' 'round my head right now, and it's totally drivin' me nuts! Take 'em! Take 'em, before I go bonkers!

I...I...

Looks like they've all gone back.

......{lang-nuance}Looks like they've all gone back.{/lang-nuance}

You see, I love archaeology. That rush of excitement when you discover a relic buried deep underground, there's nothin' better!

Know why? It's 'cause ancient relics contain the history of those who lived and breathed in that era. People who lived in the past become the past. As will people who live in the present.

So don't let yerself be driven to despair. Embrace life and all its wonders.

At least, that's what I hope you'll...

Well, I'll be! I've been on this planet far longer than you, young lady. I don't expect to be lectured!

If ya don't want to be lectured, then do better! And if I ever catch you rushin' toward death again, I really will steal your necklace!

Okay, okay! Whatever stops your jibber-jabbering!

Thank you.

......{lang-nuance}Thank you.{/lang-nuance}

Velette... I'm sorry if I have the wrong idea here... But that old man clearly reminded you of someone, didn't he? Mind if I ask who?

My gramps, the only family I had. He's the one who taught me all about archaeology and excavation.

He was a tough teacher. He never once went easy on me. But it's from him that I learned the joys and wonder of pursuin' the unknown.

And then one day, he was killed in a cave-in. I always thought that nothing could ever do that man in... But I was wrong. And in the end, he was taken from me all too soon.

I think I know why you have a soft spot for older people, Miss. It's because you loved your gramps so much.

Soft spot? How dare you!

Oh, so that's why you broke the habit of a lifetime and actually apologized to that old man before.

So...did you only become an archaeologist to continue your gramps' legacy?

Oh nah. We're not doin' this now! I'm DONE talkin' about my past! Now that the old man's outta the way, we can get back to diggin' up our subterranean civilization!

We're going back to Acteul? I hope you'll let me dig this time!

What's with all the people? What is this, some kinda festival?

It's them! The bombers out to blow up our town!

Uh-oh. Looks like things really escalated while we were away. They even brought in soldiers!

Hold on a sec! I'm an archaeologist, not some terrorist!

Wait!

These people saved my life! Look at them! Do they really look evil enough to blow anything up?

I mean, we don't set off bombs willy-nilly, but we still need to...

Not now, you fool! Can't you see this is NOT the time to be contradicting me?

Eep. M-My bad...

(Wow. She really does have a soft spot for old people.)

Whoa. Guess I was wrong about the old codger. He's actually pretty awesome!

He fights monsters? That's so cool!

He was protecting us all this time, and we never even realized.

Hurrumph. What a racket.

Aren't you going to talk to the townsfolk? They finally see you for what you really are now.

I just want to spend the rest of my days in peace and quiet, and that is what I intend to do.

That was a close one, Velette.

Still, doesn't this mess with your plans? He says he wants peace and quiet, so what are you going to do about the excavation?

Know what? That whole subterranean civilization thing has suddenly lost all appeal. I'm out.

And just like that, the tranquility of Acteul has been preserved.

I am ready to engage! Come at me!