OD-3 Safehouse Battle

Guns? Mercenaries?

What are you babbling about?

I'm telling the truth, Boss! They've got huge guns! They killed Jarman!

Mercenaries with big guns? Are they Sankta?

Are you telling me you blew your mission over four Sankta?

...Erm...

I don't think they're Sankta... probably...?

They're not Sankta but they're mercs carrying around big guns?

If you're gonna lie to me, at least make it believable.

He's telling the truth.

What do you mean he's telling the truth?

He's telling the truth. They were heavily armed, but they really weren't Sankta.

Jarman took one in the brain, but I didn't see an arrow or a bolt. Sarkaz aren't that weak.

These ones weren't part of your plan.

Having to deal with a bunch of fully armed mercenaries was not in the contract, boss, we need a raise.

And where are they now?

They're not in the Infected quarter anymore. Our men are looking for them, but we haven't seen any major movements. They should still be in the area.

......

How's the old bastard doing?

Your father's people are tough. Especially that little sister of yours.

We bumped off some of their fighters, but we haven't been able to breach the manor perimeter.

Your scientist's monsters are doing good work out there, but your casters suck. We lost a lot of them already, without getting much for them.

Those are already the best money can buy.

Until your boss is willing to send us a caster, you're in no position to complain.

Then get your scientist to cook up some more monsters.

Or change tactics. That mansion is a fortress, and a direct attack isn't going to work. And it's not like your sister is an easy target either.

What about the old bastard himself? Is he still holed up in the house?

I haven't seen your father yet. No sign of him at all since we showed up.

Hahaha... I knew it.

I knew something happened to him!

Keep watching the manor. Tell me as soon as you've got news.

What about the 'change our tactics' part? You're getting ahead of yourself.

Call it a Sarkaz mercenary's intuition. The longer you drag things out, the more chances they have to go wrong.

I have a contingency plan. I just need time to put it together.

Confident as I am in the results of my experiments, the look on your face tells me you don't share my assessment.

Come, tell me, where have things gone wrong this time?

I need progress from you.

Would you like to offer something a little more constructive? Or is your pointless needling all you have?

I gave you enough corpses. I need at least twenty monsters.

Originiutants.

What?

These 'monsters' are Originiutants. They have a name.

Mutants, Originiutants, why should I care what they're called?

Give me more monsters.

I gave you so many already. Did you get them all killed so quickly?

I'm curious... How are your minions using the Originiutants? Do they rely on your 'Originium Arts'?

What is it exactly? Super powers? Occult mysticism? Magic? Where does it come from?

Come, satisfy my curiosity. I must speak with your 'casters'.

Just do your job, egghead.

You don't need to be thinking about Originium Arts right now.

Once we're done here, you'll have plenty of time for your own research.

(Russian) I have very little confidence in your project.

But speaking of time, did I not tell you? Yours is, in fact, limited.

What are you talking about?

The lifespan of these Originiutants won't exceed one week. Whatever it is you have to do, you'll have to do it quickly.

What are you trying to pull?!

This is the price for your lack of patience.

You want the Originiutants produced quickly, you want them tremendously powerful, and at the same time you want them to have no weaknesses?

Do you truly believe such a thing is possible?

......

I told you. No tricks, egghead.

I'm busy. I have no time to joke with you.

If you are so dissatisfied with my work, I suggest you take matters into your own hands. Use your own ingenuity to solve these genetic engineering complications that I, as a professional, can't solve in so little time.

Of course, you could bring me more materials, give me more time, and make your own contributions to this vapid family drama you're putting on.

Science is fair. You always have a choice.

That's enough of your slippery talking.

Get back to work, egghead. Don't expect any mercy out of me if you fail.

The price of failure is a slow and miserable death. I'm a man of my word.

Hah hah hah. When you put it like that, what else can I say?

Good luck, my friend.

There's so much smoke and chaos. Don't even need to get close to know what's going on.

Never expected a riot of this scale here...

Butting our horns in is sure to cause problems.

...I'm back.

Oh? What's the situation?

...It's out of control. There's constant fighting around a mansion on the north side of town. Looks like mercenaries on one side.

Things are even worse outside the manor. Bloodstains and collapsing houses everywhere.

There's infected sand beasts scurrying through the alleyways, and there's a lot of them.

If it's gotten that bad, where's the Sargon military? The Lord Ameer's forces?

There are some armed guards in that manor on the north side, but I didn't see any other Sargon soldiers.

So it's been like this for two days? Then I wonder if the watchman at the safehouse is okay...

It doesn't look good.

Let's not jump to conclusions.

...In other news, I found the safehouse.

Some people have taken up guarding it, but they're not Rhodes Island personnel.

It's been occupied by the mercenaries?

No... not exactly. They don't look like typical mercs.

Their defensive positioning is extremely specialized. They have ambush killzones, traps, and decoys all set up.

Most importantly, they've got a lot of townsfolk in that safehouse.

Townsfolk? Just what kind of people do they have guarding the safehouse?

They look pretty much like you. They've got guns.

Guns? Blacksteel mercenaries?

They don't have any obvious markings on them. I can't say for sure they're Blacksteel.

Armed professionals stripped of any identifying markings... with guns.

Oof... my head hurts.

There are a lot of forces at work in this town.

We can rule out a bandit raid.

And if the Lord Ameer's forces are missing, it's not an act of war.

The situation here... Far more complicated than I thought.

If they're willing to protect civilians in the middle of a riot, they can't exactly be evil.

Maybe we should try to make contact?

Let's be careful. There are a lot of possibilities here, even if we just look at them protecting the townsfolk.

I just hope they're the type you can reason with.

What's the situation?

No good. I can't make sense of it.

This thing looks like a circuit board, but it's totally different from any circuit I've ever seen.

If you gave me a month and a technical manual, I'm still not sure I could figure it out.

Screw it. I'm going to stand guard upstairs. I've been squatting so long my back is sore.

Good hustle, Lord.

No good?

None of us have ever seen anything like the tech inside this comms equipment.

I don't think we're going to be able to get it working.

You wouldn't know it from the outside. It looks like your typical transmitter.

Just like with the van back there, the energy they use in this world is unique. All their technology is based on this stuff called Originium.

You're still studying that communicator, huh?

Originium comms equipment uses some really complicated tech. Rhodes Island always had to send engineering casters out to maintain it. I'm not surprised you can't fix it.

You said before you used this device to send out a distress signal?

Oh... I'm not sure if the signal actually got through.

When the rioters attacked the safehouse, I hit the communicator as quick as I could. But they broke in before I got to talk to anyone.

Everything happened so fast, I could barely speak... It could be the Rhodes Island operator who took the call couldn't even hear me.

So the cavalry isn't coming.

I was never waiting for the cavalry.

You don't look worried at all.

You could say we're pretty used to fighting without backup.

Wow. I'm thinking if you had shown up just a little later, I'd be spending the rest of my life in a wheelchair.

Or maybe a coffin.

All I can say is thanks.

Not necessary. You've done a lot to help the civilians yourself.

Well, I wouldn't make a big deal out of that. Treating the Infected is kind of Rhodes Island's business. Hahaha...

...Even if I'm just a reserve Logistics Operator serving as a doorman.

Treating...? Does that mean there's medical supplies here?

But what are these weapons for?

Oh, well...

Rhodes Island is mainly a pharmaceutical company, but this safehouse doesn't actually offer any treatment services.

Safehouses are mostly to provide combat operators with supplies, equipment, weapons and stuff when they're out on missions.

Right......

Hold on. What's this?

Is this a grenade launcher?

Grenade?

Let me see.

Oh, my. Is this a landmine?

And you've got all kinds.

...I thought the people here didn't use thermal weapons.

The structure of this grenade launcher is a little strange.

There's no propellant charge for the grenades. Does it use compressed gas?

Look, here's a model using hydraulic springs.

Be careful! That box is full of Originium explosives! It's dangerous.

Mr. Occphen, do you have ammunition for small arms here?

Small arms...? Do you mean guns? Oh, are you asking about etched ammo?

We wouldn't usually have anything that valuable in a safehouse like this. Rhodes Island combat personnel rarely use guns.

Can we use these explosives?

...*Sigh*...

Just be careful. Originium explosives are very dangerous.

They used to only be for combat operators.

But you look like you know what you're doing. I won't stop you.

Thank you very much.

What about these? What are these wild looking parts for?

Backup casting units. Don't break them.

Casting units...?

Must be for that 'Originium Arts' stuff.

Originium Arts is the technique that lets them throw those fireballs?

We're getting into the weeds here. I'm no caster.

But Originium Arts comes in all kinds of flavors. Every caster has his own specialty.

Would the engineering casters you mentioned before be one of those?

Huh? Have you never seen Arts before?

Well... we haven't seen much.

But how? You've got guns. Aren't you casters?

A gun user who can't use Originium Arts? Now that's rare.

Oh, Mr. Occphen, your leg hasn't healed yet. I don't want you walking around.

I'm fine, I've got my crutches. I can walk a few steps.

Doctor, how are the patients doing down there?

I've got most of the wounded stabilized, thanks to the medical supplies here.

You don't look so hot. Are you okay?

I just haven't slept at all. I'll be fine.

You need rest. We'll be in big trouble if we lose our only doctor.

Don't worry, I'll be careful.

Speaking of Originium Arts.

Don't they have some kind of magic where you say a spooky incantation and there's a big flash of light and... PRESTO! You're all healed up?

Erm...

What are you talking about? Hahaha...

No, then? What about like a healing potion that you drink it and all your wounds close right up? None of that either?

That's the stuff of sci-fi novels.

There are Arts that can heal wounds, but they're a very difficult type of Arts to master.

Before you can master healing Arts, you first have to have a complete understanding of medical science, you have to know the anatomical structures of all the different races, things like that...

Also, most healing Arts users can only stop bleeding or speed up wound recovery.

These Arts are very useful on the operating table, but in my experience they're no substitute for real medical skill.

Doctor, can you use Arts?

I have a little knowledge... not very useful though.

That's boringly realistic... *sigh*.

To think a world with magic could be so inconvenient.

Hold up, did you just say 'sci-fi novels'?

Now I'm extra curious what your world's sci-fi novels talk about.

Would we find a bookstore in a bigger city? Maybe some history books too? Are books expensive?

I've gotten myself all worked up now.

You're a weird bunch.

Where are you from anyway? Columbia? Victoria?

You talk like you're Victorians, but like from a couple decades ago...

Well... I'm not really sure how to answer that one.

Miss Cohen and her friends came from very far away. From a place where Oripathy doesn't even exist.

What??

...Yeah, that.

A country with no Oripathy? Really?

No Oripathy, no Infected, that means no discrimination? A place with no hatred, where everyone's equal?

Lordy loo. What kind of paradise is that?

......

......

*Sigh*...

...Alright then. Your faces say it all. Just pretend I never asked...

!

We're under attack!

Sitrep!

This is just the first wave. They have us surrounded.

They were probing us with those earlier strikes.

We've got more incoming!

Your traps?

All good!

Watch your explosives.

Blitz, keep an eye on the left flank. Don't let them get the drop on us.

Understood.

Lord, conserve your ammo!

No problem. Let them come.

Watch for surprise attacks!

Let's see what they've got.

Here they come!

Hold your fire... let them get a little closer.

Nine o'clock!

Lord, the enemy's up, dead ahead!

Enemy down!

These big guys with the horns are tough. Go for headshots!

Ash! Over there!

?!

What is that?!

Lord! Be careful!

(Russian profanity)!

Alexsandr!!

I'm okay!

Don't worry about me! Hold the line!

What on earth is this!

Watch out for those mutants! Light cover's no good!!

That's a proper formation. Those four know what they're doing.

Sounds like gunfire... No... Those are more intense shots. That's a big, rapid-fire gun.

They're surrounded.

It's the same mercenaries who were attacking the manor.

Those monsters remind me of what we saw in Lungmen.

The 'Host' and the 'Herd.'

But they're not really the same.

Mercenaries carrying big guns and mercenaries commanding mysterious monsters...

The situation is changing. And the balance is about to break.

...What do we do?

Don't hestiate. Prepare for battle.

Those vile beings who drivie this kind of monsters into battles deserve not a single bit of mercy.

Roger.

Thunderbolt!

Aaaagh...! My eyes!

Where are the casters?! Take out that Vouivre!

Don't even think about it.

What's happening? There's more of them?

How?!

We're in a bad way. They've got way too much firepower.

Cut our losses and fall back before this gets any worse.

...I see you...

Augh!

Sniper! !

Shit, where?!!

Forget it! Just run!

...You're not getting away.

Ugh...

Fall back! Quickly! Just run!

They're running!

Sitrep!

You okay, Alexsandr?

Yeah, just a flesh wound.

Those guys are learning.

Don't let your guard down!

We've still got company.

...That's close enough, friend.

I appreciate the help, but let's keep a comfy distance until we figure things out.

Relax. We mean you no harm.

We're a Rhodes Island field team! And you're holed up in a Rhodes Island safehouse.

We're responding to a distress call.

Please identify yourselves.

Calm down! I'm here to help.

It's the Rhodes Islanders?

Hey, the cavalry came after all!

Go get Mr. Occphen.

Got it.

Rhodes Island Operator? Hooray! We're saved! We're saved! !

That's about the size of it.

So those four mercenaries are the ones who set up these temporary defenses?

I'm really sorry. They broke my communicator, and I couldn't protect the safehouse...

I wouldn't blame you if you fired me on the spot...

Don't worry, this old man doesn't have the power to fire anybody.

And the way I see it, you held out this long all by yourself. That's pretty fantastic.

If it weren't for you, these Infected would've met a much worse fate.

How many are they?

Counting the doctor outside, forty-three. All Infected.

And the four mercenaries were protecting them all this time?

Mercenaries going out of their way to look after Infected. That's something you don't see every day.

Mercenaries who not only don't look down on them, but actively try to help them.

Maybe I'm being too paranoid, but where did these saints come from?

I think they may not realize.

From the way they talk, I get the impression they were just protecting ordinary, innocent townsfolk.

I guess it's less that they don't discriminate against the Infected.

And more that they don't care about Oripathy.

But they don't look Infected at all?

I've never seen mercenaries like them. I've never heard of any 'Team Rainbow'.

They've got guns, but none of them look like Sankta?

Unless the Sankta figured out a way to hide their 'Fluorescent Lamps'...

A non-Sankta mercenary group fully decked out with big guns like that is gonna be huge news.

Blacksteel R&D would go nuts if they heard about this.

...Let's not talk about them like they're not here.

Regardless, they saved a Rhodes Island Operator and protected a bunch of Infected.

Until we have some evidence, we shouldn't be doubting their motives.

Our top priority is finding a solution to our predicament.

Let's talk to them.

They've been in there for a while.

What do you think of this Rhodes Island?

I've been wondering about them.

What kind of pharmaceutical company needs a safehouse full of military-grade hardware out on the edge of civilization?

They've got enough arms and explosives to outfit a platoon.

And the employees of this 'pharmaceutical company' all look like professional soldiers.

Either this world's doctors are armed to the teeth, or the pharmaceutical business is a front. Probably both.

They're armed. But they looked well-trained and well-spoken.

It's a night and day difference with the thugs we ran into before.

Also...

Maybe it's just me, but I get a real familiar vibe from them.

You know, I got that too.

They're reasonable, civilized people, at least. Everything I saw before had me thinking this world was an apocalyptic, bandit-ridden hellscape.

I'm finished binding your wound, Mr. Alexsandr.

Thanks, Doctor.

Doctor, are you familiar with this Rhodes Island organization?

...I've heard a bit from the caravans.

They're a group that specializes in critical care for the Infected, as well as an Oripathy research team.

But isn't it an incurable disease?

Yes...

Actually, there used to be a lot of people who claimed to be able to cure Oripathy.

They were mostly shysters who ended up ruined when their scams were exposed.

As for those who just exaggerated the effectiveness of their drugs suppressing the symptoms of Oripathy, they might not reach the level of fraud yet, but even their suppressant drugs are very expensive.

I'd guess so.

I once heard about a lord whose daughter contracted Oripathy, and he spent a lot of money to buy the suppressants from Columbia to save his daughter.

Years later, the lord's money dried up, and his daughter died of the disease.

......

But look at this.

What is it?

This is the safehouse's store of Oripathy suppressants.

These past few days, I injected some of the more serious sufferers with this, and it really did suppress their symptoms. It works better than any drug I've ever seen before.

This medicine... must be insanely expensive, no?

But Mr. Occphen wasn't concerned with that at all. When I told him some of my patients were in critical condition, he gave me the box.

It's not that I don't believe there are good people in this world, but...

Hey, I didn't expect that.

Don't overthink it. Suspicion is costly. Whether you show it or not, it's going to get in the way of our talks with them.

It looks like our goals are aligned, so we can just lay this stuff on the table.

If you say so.

Oh, they're here.

Sorry to keep you waiting.

Now let's skip the pleasantries.

Thank you for saving Occphen. Without you, Rhodes Island would have lost a good worker.

When the mission is over, I'll make a full report, and Rhodes Island will remunerate you appropriately, and compensate you for your supplies.

Remuneration...

Remuneration is nice.

Also, you put your lives on the line for the Infected. And that wins this old man's admiration.

These townsfolk have done a lot for us in our time here. Leaving them to die wouldn't be our style.

So you're mercenaries?

No... We're...

Yes. Yes we are.

We're mercenaries. The super expensive kind.

......

Can you give us the name of your company? Mercenaries like you are a rare breed.

Err... We're... um...

(Russian) Help me think of a name!

(Russian) Polar Bear Logistics?

......

I understand if you're not in a position to say.

We're... We're from a faraway country in... in the south!

That's right! We're from way down south!

The south? South of Sargon? ?

Beyond the foehn hotlands?

Foehn...? Yes, the south. Right.

There's other countries beyond the foehn hotlands? ?

That's... shocking. I've lived a long time, and this is the first I've ever heard of people down there.

In all the records of all the Lords Ameer, there's never been a single report of someone crossing the hotlands.

(Russian) You could've made your story a little more plausible.

(Russian) Plausible like Polar Bear Logistics?

Anyway, warriors with Ursine and Victorian accents, it doesn't matter where you come from.

You're willing to fight for the Infected. And at least on that point, our interests are aligned.

At least for now, we can work together to deal with this situation.

I can agree with that.

So who can tell us what the heck happened to this town?

Sarkaz Mercenary...

Controlling the monsters, should be casters.

They're organized, disciplined, and most importantly, they know when to cut their losses and back down. They're not here for a quick raid.

They are all properly geared up with Columbian equipment. Some of them were extremely tough back when they sieged the safe house.

Judging from the equipments and tactics, they should be professional mercenaries who signed the 'Redmark contract.'

I'm afraid it's a rebellion against the local lord.

But why are they attacking civilians?

They chased us here from the Infected quarter.

What on Earth do these mercs actually want?

The most likely answer is they wanted to silence you.

I'm afraid that's not the only thing they were after.

What do you mean?

When they attacked the Infected quarter yesterday, they were obviously targeting the sick.

They were trying to round them up.

I'm pretty sure that was their goal.

Kidnapping... Infected?

That doesn't make any sense.

The enemy's objectives are a mystery to us, but that's not the most important thing.

For now, the best thing we can do is wait.

Wait?

You may not realize it, but we're standing in the middle of a fait accompli.

We walked into this Lord Ameer's territory without his permission, violating his commandments and the local laws. We've broken a major Sargon taboo.

The town nobility may be in the middle of a war, but they're still the rulers here.

Sticking our noses in anything else at this point would only make our situation even worse.

The local lord set up an Infected quarter. That tells us he's not totally cruel and heartless.

He was willing to let Rhodes Island build a safehouse here. That means he's not an isolationist.

I think he'll treat us fairly.

National law... local government... I get it. That's the best we can hope for right now.

Until the situation changes again, we'll hold out in the safehouse and wait for the riots to die down.

I hope you can help us.

No problem. We need Rhodes Island's professional expertise too.

All right then. I'm looking forward to working with the four of you.