Shattered Veins

It's been a while, Endmin. Are things working out for you?

Good. Then I caught you in time! I hope you still remember the user instructions for Tata.

You're calling it Tata too?! It's a super cute and lovely name, right?

Your habit just rubbed off on me... Back to business. You used Tata in dangerous ways, but that data proved crucial. I tweaked a few performance parameters during repairs. Let's just say, I gave it an upgrade.

You can now use Tata normally to scan for Blight Cores. Now I'll remind you that my baby bot is a delicate prototype, so you better take care of it — Do whatever you can to keep it safe!

Great. Now we don't have to worry about the Blight blocking our path anymore.

Don't celebrate just yet! We should play things safe and avoid unnecessary power consumption. First connect Tata to a Protocom Signal Tower before scanning the entire area for Blight Cores, just like what you did at the Science Park.

I remember that a Signal Tower with the same parameters has been deployed in our next destination, the Origin Lodespring.

That's right. I was just about to tell you that. Please, please, please, take proper care of Tata. Maker mommy's got a ton of tests in store for her wuvly baby bot!

Don't worry. We'll definitely keep it safe.

Let's confirm the map data for the next area before we start moving.

*Happy emote*

Why is Tata so excited? Is it because of its functional upgrade? Do you want to try it out?

*Sweet emote*

I totally understand how you feel! Every time I learn a new move, I start itching for my next fight with a true master!

Of course I can. Tata's emotes convey a rich variety of fine emotions, you know. Come on, Tata, show us what you've got.

*Happy emote*

You're happy to be traveling again! That's what you're trying to tell us, right, Tata?

*Happy emote*

Ooh. And I think Perlica's emote is trying to tell us this: "Enough, team. We should get moving."

Ahem...

These wounds... They were made by a master of the blade.

Blade wounds? I'll need to think about this...

So many Ankhors... I thought you'd only see something like this up north...

Ankhors...

Fiona, give me a scan of the area ahead of us. Focus on the distribution of Aggeloid hosts and clusters.

I'm reviewing the data as we speak... Wait. Is there something wrong with the readings? There ... isn't a lot of Aggeloi in this area.

What is it, Perlica?

It only took a single Ankhor to deal a major blow to our Hub Base. This area has three... The low local Aggeloid count hardly makes sense!

We might be running into a serious problem, Endmin.

What are we up against, exactly?

Those Ankhors took out the freight road of the Logistics Area. We need to find another way to reach the Power Plateau, team.

UWST logs mention a vertical shaft in the Cradle of the Ages. It should grant passage to the Power Plateau, but the Cradle has been sealed away for twenty years...

The Cradle of the Ages... That was where the Endmin—

You ... you're Endfielders, right?

Yes, we are. You seem troubled, do you need help?

I'm ... I'm Alia. We were supposed to salvage the area for supplies. Then all those Landbreakers showed up out of nowhere!

We were lucky that a breaker from the Pack saved us, but ... but the enemy still outnumbered us... I found a chance to make my way here, and I wanted to see if I can find help...

A breaker helping the UWST? Can it be...?

It's quite possible. Take a breath, young lady. Tell us how to reach the rest of your group. We'll head over there immediately.

Oh, thank Talos! Use that elevator over there to reach them. I'll probably get in your way during battle ... but I know this place pretty well. I'll figure out a way to return to camp and get more reinforcements. Please go and save the rest of the crew!

Hmm. We'll need to find out what actually happened. Let's focus on rescuing the others first.

They're still alive. Someone spared them.

Spared them? That doesn't sound like Wulfgard to me.

You know each other or something? Didn't Alia mention someone from the Pack? It can't be this teensy weensy girl, right...?

I am Rossina Wulfperl Luppino — Prima Elite of the Pack, future Capo, and strongarm of the Don! Remember this well!

This is Rossi, Wulfgard's younger sister. Both are members of the Pack and long-time partners of Endfield. Rossi usually spends most of her time at the Pack dealing with family issues.

It's all because of my unreliable brother who neglects family duties. Someone had to clean up all the mess... AH!

I'm so sorry, Endmin! I hope Catello didn't give you any trouble! If I ever got my hands on him...

Thank you for helping the local crew. But why are you here? I don't remember asking the Pack...

Well... It's uh... Oh! Right! It's private business...! I got some private business with Catello! People from Op Team Z7 told me he came to Valley IV.

And also 'cos I ... uh ... I heard the Endmin's around.

But then I found that the locals here needed help. Hmph! The Luppino Family won't just stand by and do nothing.

I, uh ... I got a lot of questions to ask, Endmin... But ... did you really ... lose your memories?

......

It's all true, then? You really ... can't remember those legendary things ... you did before?

How could this be...? Uh, no, no, no. Sorry, just ignore what I said. The most important thing is that you're safe, Endmin.

We can talk about the Endmin later, Rossi. Can you give us a sitrep?

I rushed to this place when I saw the Ankhorfall, and ran into a UWST crew on the way. I joined them and went to their camp.

But a few of the salvaging crew didn't return. I got a little worried so I came out here to look for them. And ... you saw what happened next.

Things are super duper busy at camp! The locals really need all the help they can get with everything. Once they learn you're here, they'll definitely feel a lot safer.

Do you have anything on the overall situation of the Origin Lodespring? There aren't that many Aggeloi here. Something doesn't add up.

Ah, just remembered something! There's a search and rescue crew mate at the clinic... I think he's called Alfass. His SAR team combed through the Old Mines, so he should have plenty of intel to share.

I'm about to help the crew mates move the supplies back to camp. I can take you there.

That'd be great.

I heard something about the Endmin's awakening, so I sneaked... I mean, I intended to pay you a visit.

You unleashed your Originium Arts a hundred years ago and left the Aurora of Talos-II. You forgot about that too?

They say Talos-V shattered because you threw it into the Ætherside... You remember that?

Do you recall going deep underground alone, wiping out two thousand Ankhors in one strike, and leaving a massive crater on the surface?

That means ... you really forgot...

Teensy weensy?!

Kyaaa... Why is the Endmin here?

This area was already a total mess when I arrived. As for your concerns about the Aggeloi... It baffles me as well.

Excuse me, are you Mr. Alfass from the search and rescue team?

It's my fault ... it's all my fault...

We were in the Cradle of the Ages... That woman... She just flicked her hand and the Ankhors...

I've never seen Ankhors of that sort... The shockwave hit the crew like a train... And then ... and then...

They crumpled over in an instant... Never got back to their feet... It's all my fault... I was the one who wanted to check out the Cradle of the Ages!

Don't blame yourself. No one could have seen that coming.

It's just ... something about that place felt wrong... The Aggeloi made by the Ankhors kept swarming over there, but the path was blocked by a strange barrier. We couldn't get to it...

So that's why we aren't seeing that many Aggeloi in the other parts of this area...

I was injured by some Aggelos, so the rest of the team went on without me. It was too late when the shockwaves were suddenly triggered...

And the shockwaves got bigger with every pulse... I had to run... I kept running and running ... all by myself...

The silver lining is that you made it back safely. What you learned out there will save many lives!

But I ... I didn't save any...

Focus on getting better, Alfass. Plenty of people here need your help.

You're right. I won't let their sacrifices be in vain...

Shockwaves... Our database has no entries of any Ankhor-type entities capable of emitting them.

He mentioned seeing a woman... Could that be...

Nefarith... Even if she's capable of directing the site of Ankhorfalls ... why did she go out of her way to strike this place with three Ankhors...?

Are you Medical Officer Yue? I'm Supervisor Perlica of Endfield Industries. Alia told me that you're in charge of directing work at this place.

I am... So you're Endfielders? Good. Since you managed to reach this place, can I assume that situations in other areas are getting better?

That is a safe assumption to make... But as long as that rift stays in the sky, we remain in a state of crisis.

The Æther Rift...

The situation at the Mining Camp is less than optimistic. They say I'm in charge ... but when a surgeon is running the show, it says a lot about the place.

I may not have the best skills for the job, but feel free to let me know if there's anything I can help you with.

You'll find him in the clinic, second floor, the bed further in. Not too hurt physically, but... he's pretty shaken up. Try not to say or do anything that might set him off.

Thank you. Don't worry, we'll keep your words in mind.

Alright. I'll get back to work. Talk to me any time if you need help.

Anything I can help you with, friends from Endfield?

Not too good. The disaster exposed my limitations. The people trust me, but I don't think I'm giving them the proper leadership demanded by this crisis.

From what I see, you've made the best of the situation. The crew mates of this camp are conducting rescue operations in an organized fashion.

Yeah, but everyone's overstretched. I don't know if those strange shockwaves would hit us again. I couldn't let our SAR crew mates endanger themselves.

We have no choice but to schedule and rotate our survey and SAR operations, and expand our search area slowly. Even after doing everything we could, we lost contact with one of our teams...

The strain from hours of SAR operations ... made worse by the sight of friends and families in pain... The crew is reaching their physical and mental breaking points.

We're fortunate to have the young girl from the Pack. She took the most dangerous tasks and significantly eased our burdens.

We've met her already. She's the one who told us where the camp is.

In times of crisis, friends and allies are all we can count on.

I believe you must carry on with your own mission. My place is here to take care of the wounded. Let's hope things turn out better for our endeavors.

They will. We shall soldier on together.

My work? I've been here for about a decade...

I have old friends at Valley IV who work at the Power Plateau. In fact, they were the ones who recommended the Valley as a place to work.

But I didn't go to the Hub nor the Power Plateau... The locals in this area needed my services more.

Valley IV isn't exactly a peaceful place. Most of the camp residents are veterans of the Old Mines.

The youths gradually left for other UWST towns and cities, or places further away. Eventually, old people and young children became the only residents here.

I like this place. The locals treat their neighbors like family. They needed a surgeon, and that is my role.

They've accepted me, so it is my wish to see them through this crisis.

She actually arrived here with one of our SAR teams.

She kept talking about meeting the Endministrator at the Hub Base ... but ended up staying here.

We tried not to give her too much work, but she insisted on helping us. "Letting people suffer and doing nothing will tarnish the honor of the Luppino Family." Her words.

Rossi quickly impressed the crew with her skills and her way of doing things. She's now in charge of the riskier SAR operations.

She took on a significant share of my workload and everyone is thankful. A few still call her a Landbreaker ... but people know who our enemies are, and who we can count on as a friend.

I'll take my leave. The wounded require my tending.

Endmin! You're here.

This is Royle, and this is the Endmin I've mentioned before. So, Royle, go ahead and tell us what happened. The Endmin can definitely help!

Really? Endmin, will you go and save my friends in the team?

Okay, okay... So this is what happened. We were one of the first survey teams to be sent out there to look for survivors... There were three of us, me included.

We knew the shockwave was a threat, so we got ourselves a twenty-minute window of opportunity. Our task was to identify the danger zones, clear a path, and make things easier for the SAR crew and their rescue work.

But ... we were too impatient and pushed too deep... We got really close to an Ankhor.

Close to an Ankhor?

Yes... A senior mate of the crew said he saw an Ankhorfall with his own eyes in his last survey run.

The barrier blocking the way to the Cradle of the Ages appeared after the Ankhorfall... We thought these two events were related.

But then, the Ankhor started giving off shockwaves before we could even get close enough...

Shockwaves? But you got back without a scratch. How did you pull that off?

That's your key finding, Royle. Show our friends what you've found.

I don't know what exactly happened... I just grabbed this branch in a moment of desperation... Here, this one!

An Originium formation shaped like a branch...

This branch suddenly glowed and everything around me flashed... I didn't get a clear look of what exactly happened, but it managed to block the shockwave.

Really? Does that mean we can use this thing to get rid of the Ankhor?

Hmm... No. This branch has gone inert.

We just kept running and running, but the shockwaves demolished the road... I-I was the only one ... who made it back...

But... But I believe they're still alive! Perhaps they found other branches! Endmin! PLEASE! Please head out there and save them!

I understand how you feel, but we must find a way that can reliably negate the shockwave...

This Originium branch has a very unique structure. The only one capable of molding the crystal into this form is...

The Endmin's memories have not returned. There is no way for us to verify this link.

I believe I saw something like this branch! Right in our very own camp!

Really? If we can get a replacement, we'll be able to get close to the Ankhor.

There is a living Originium sapling in the camp, growing on that platform over there. Granny Jenner has been taking care of it for twenty years. She definitely knows something.

A living Originium sapling... Team, there's no time to waste. Let's talk to Granny Jenner. The sapling and the branches will be crucial for our subsequent actions.

I'll take Royle to Surgeon Yue for his checkup.

Please! People! Please find my friends out there!

Is this ... the Originium sapling?

It is. An Originium Arts of such nature... This is your work, Endmin.

Just a fragment of a legacy from a time gone by. It is still too young and delicate. It won't give us the protection that it had once offered.

The youths hardly look at it anymore. They probably couldn't appreciate what this sapling meant to us.

Greetings, I'm Jenner, and I'm the one raising this little sapling.

This sapling... Is it from...?

History only remains in the memories of old folks like us. Time goes on and barely anyone remembers what lay in the Containment Zone, or why it was called the Cradle of the Ages.

Does anyone remember the massive Great Oak that grew at that place? Oh, how it sparkled with gentle glows as it sank its roots deep into the soil. The one who planted it told us this very place would become our new home...

But then came the time when there was no choice but to destroy the Oak ourselves...

It was the day when dark Astarron fell upon the Valley. Hundreds of "bodies" twisted into a burning maelstrom that tore through the land. In its wake lay only desolation...

It was the largest Aggelos ever witnessed in the records of the UWST... The people fought a hopeless battle as they witnessed the unstoppable descent of Astarron. There was nothing to do but close their eyes ... and prepare themselves for the shadow of death.

Really? An ... Aggelos?

Yet the people achieved final victory, and the price they paid ... was everything. They detonated the Great Originium Oak — the giant tree that once gave them their homes.

The shards of the Great Originium Oak tore through the core of Astarron. Of the massive trunk of the Oak, only an empty hollow remains. The shattered Astarron now sleeps within it. What was once our Cradle became a tomb for two "bodies".

Only the old miners still worry ... fearful for the day when Ankhors come screaming down ... and wake the shattered Aggelos...

A day when dark Astarron answers the distant call, rises from its tomb, reassembles its broken body ... and cloaks the Valley once again in a deathly shroud of red...

So ... The Containment Zone between those Ankhors ... is a tomb for a giant Aggelos...?

...If this story were true, we would need to contend with more than that rift in the sky. That Aggelos alone would destroy the entirety of Valley IV.

And that is why we spent all these years taking care of this sapling. It is the only scion of the Great Oak. The Oak once left many of its fragments and traces, but this tiny thing is the only one that survived.

Perhaps it could save us again...

This tree shall protect you.

A day will come when this land becomes your home.

We depended on the Oak to make our living and win our battles. The Originium Veins created by its roots brought wealth, and an outpost started growing around it as prophesied...

Endmin? Endmin! Are you alright?

You don't look so good... Do you need rest?

Stay alert! Those Ankhors have been activated!

Aggeloi?! How did so many of them show up in such a short time...?

This is a very bad sign. We must act right now. Otherwise, the Aggeloi or even just the shockwaves could raze this place to the ground!

Indeed... It's been years since I last saw this many Ankhors.

Let's go, Endmin! We must have faith in these people!

Or the planter of the Great Oak.

What is this?

It's so weird-looking! I've never seen anything like this before! Can we play with it?

*Scared emote*

Don't worry, Tata! Be brave! The children are just curious about you!

Yeah. We won't hurt you! Promise!

*Hesitant emote*

*Serious emote*

And it just said yes to having fun with you!

That's awesome!

I say we leave Tata here for now. The UWST crew will help us look after it and make sure nothing bad happens.

Halt! You can't go this way. It's too early to dispatch the next SAR team, and you definitely don't look like no SAR crew mates to me.

Strange shockwaves started going off outside not too long ago, and killed everyone they hit! If you wanna stay alive, behave and keep yourself safe in the camp.

I don't know when these shockwaves might start again. We have no choice but to apply strict limits to anyone heading outside, and only send out small survey or SAR teams to look for survivors. Please understand why we're doing this and follow the rules.

The last survey team isn't back yet... But it's been over twenty minutes already.

Endmin, things don't look very good outside the Mining Camp. We should gather some intel from this place before making our next move.

The camp looks safe for now. Let's go.

Great job, Tata! You protected these kids!

*Happy emote*

Thank goodness nothing terrible happened. Chen, we must pay attention to Tata's safety.

OK! Leave that to me!

We're here! This is the clinic of the Mining Camp!

The clinic used to be pretty empty with hardly any visitors. But it's now filled with injured people and we're running out of beds.

I can imagine. Our medical staff at the Hub Base also have their hands full... Can your surgeon handle all this work on his own?

Surgeon Yue has been here for years and he hasn't asked for help. He's an experienced medical officer from the HAS (Hongshan Academy of Sciences) and his treatments always work. We have faith in him.

You can find him in the clinic right now! I'm gonna stick around and help our nurse. Extra hands will help get things done.

No problem. We'll split our forces, and share any new findings we come across.

Of course, Perlica, Chen, and ... Endministrator. Catch you later.

You made it back! And there's not a scratch on you! Wonderful!

Heheh. All thanks to our Endmin and friends.

Is Medical Officer Yue inside?

He just took a five-minute break, and he's already back at work...

Okay, get to it. The people here need your help.

Alright then, you guys head in and ask around. I will talk to the crew mates we just saved. They probably have some clues about what's going on outside.

Do you need something? Ah... Are you the ... the Endministrator of Endfield Industries...?

I heard how Rossi addressed you. She said we're lucky to have the ... uhm ... the Endmin, right? Anyway, you showed up in time and gave her a chance to take down the enemies. We have you to thank!

Rossi also told me many stories about you, and she would get really excited during the process. She also said something like ... how this wasn't a wasted trip.

And she couldn't stop talking about it over and over again. But she seemed to be enjoying herself, so none of us pointed it out.

Of course. Rossi has been a great help to everyone.

People were initially worried about her Landbreaker background. But she busied herself helping us out and quickly earned our trust. Everyone would vouch for her now.

Rossi doesn't like being called a breaker or getting associated with the wackos who stick pipes on their masks. She's really different from those raiders as well.

Anything I can help you with, friends from Endfield?

You'll find him in the clinic, second floor, the bed further in. Not too hurt physically, but... he's pretty shaken up. Try not to say or do anything that might set him off.

Thank you, sir. Don't worry, we'll keep your words in mind.

Alright. I'll get back to work. Talk to me any time if you need my support.

The Blight... It's eating right through my eyes...

Get me out of the place... Run, you fools... AAAARRGGH...

A traumatic stress reaction... Just leave him by himself for now, Endministrator.

Hngh ... it hurts ... it really, really hurts...

Can't you see I'm busy...? Didn't even find a chance to eat something.

I can manage, but my patients are having it worse... And the injured and wounded keep coming in. We're desperately short on trained medical staff.

I really hope we'll live till help arrives.