Dropping Grey

Where are we going, Granny?

It's not the right time for you to ask.

Hold tight to your pouch, and stay close to me.

Yes, Granny.

We're almost there.

What's that there?

An arena. Built by bastards from the Grand Knight Territory.

Humph.

Are we going to see a match?

A match? No.

I'm taking you for training.

Do you still remember the things I taught you?

Yes, Granny, I haven't forgotten any!

It's shield up, cannon up, and bombard!

Eyes on the enemy, watch your ammunition, don't let your cannon go!

And, um...

When the cannon fire rings through the air, victory is already within sight!

Very good.

You're a lot more dependable than your father.

At least someone else will remember these before I close my eyes for good.

Please don't be so gloomy, Granny...

Heh. A tree may be a century old, but its roots will all be rotten.

Better to be fertilizer for the new buds than to wither away like this.

*cough* *cough*...

Granny!

It's all right, it was just a little cough. Nothing to worry about.

Your father's generation. Even my few brothers. They've all long forgotten how the Kaliskas came to prosper.

Forestry? That forest was given back to us upon our high deeds, upon our cannon fire!

'When the cannon fire rings through the air, victory is already within sight'... All those bastards, with all their money, can't even remember the saying!

Granny, please don't get angry...

Hmph...

Greynuty, you're a good sprout.

Don't grow twisted.

Yes, Granny, I won't disappoint you!

The Bloodboil Knightclub's—Butcher of the Field—back after nursing those injuries—as ruthless as ever!!

And on—the other—side—

*cough*, *cough* *cough*...

Once the foresting magnate of the south—a name out of the Kaliska Group—

But now an Infected—part of the Pinus Sylvestris Knightclub—

Let's give a big warm welcome to—

Granny?

(Huff... relax. Granny already taught me. I can do this.)

(I'm ready!)

The Ashlock Knight, Greynuty Kaliska!

Man, oh, man, Ashley finally takes the field.

She's never in a hurry. Never gives the audience the time of day, either. Reveling just isn't Greynuty.

That's her selling point. Some people are suckers for that. Look over there.

Greynuty! Greynuty, look at me!!!

Eh... yeah, it works.

There's no faking cheers.

And that posture, the hunker with the cannon, it's got noble written between the lines.

Course I'm still most excited for her to fire off, though.

Well, you're gonna get that. The crowd's gone wild hearing the rumbles.

Just wish there was more to get a kick out of.

What, you want her bashing with the barrel?

Haha. Man, I hope I see it, if it ever happens.

Humongous hatchet meets sturdy shield! Who'll come out on top? We'll just have to wait and see!

Switch your terminals on, make your choice, and give your competitor your support!

And before we forget, the most important part—grab that chance to stuff your wallet full!

Let the match—begiiiiiinnnnnnnn—!

You'd best hope that hunk of plastic holds out.

Oripathic filth.

......

Baah, that's dull. She's not even saying anything.

This isn't your first time watching Ashley compete. It's called being serious. D'ja know what being serious is?

But this is mad boring... if you don't vent your feelings, how're you gonna keep momentum against your opponent?

Knight competitions aren't yelling contests, jeez. The important thing is to look good standing off.

See, just like that. Brassrust's getting forced back, and everyone's on cloud nine, right?

You don't think this match is too calm, though? Barely any active attacks.

You've gotta pick your opponents. With knights like Brassrust who go all in on offense, you wanna put together a good defense to be optimal.

And Ashley can use her favorite move now.

Block with a shield bash, get a shot in. Tried and tested.

(Ashley doesn't seem that hungry to attack this match. What's on her mind, huh?)

It's a shocker! The Butcher's cleaver has nowhere to go before the Ashlock Knight!

Each time he attacks! Each blast he takes! Ingra gives, but he gets nothing!

The Ashlock Knight's defense is perfect, and she's making every step forward hers, squeezing down the space the Butcher has to move!

Without a doubt, this is a battle of back and forth! We won't know who'll wear the victory laurel until the final moment!

Get your terminals out and lay your bets on your knight of choice!

Or buy a water bottle with your contestant's logo straight away, specially provided by the Major, and let the crowd around you know just who you support!

Order now! We're ready to hook you up, right there in your seats!

That's something they do now?

They do, but, uh...

These prices... why don't I just step out of the arena and come back with ten bottles?

Haha...

You wouldn't order one...

Just one. Just to try, heheh.

Can you do anything besides shrink behind that plastic board, hmm?

......

Hah. You'll have time to scream once I shatter it, rock-festered mouse.

A petty firm like the Kaliskas would never collect your corpse.

(Pulls trigger)

Whoa, Ashley's pissed now!

Ingra's being too cruel, though. What's he keep yanking her sore spots for?

Kaliska Forestry used to be pretty well-known, but you don't hear much about it in the news lately.

Can't be something to do with Greynuty.

If they had her doing things, they might still be as big as ever.

Doing piss-poor management yourself, taking it out on the others. Not a recipe for company success.

I heard it was at the table she got expelled from the family. Facing her uncles and aunts. Voted out by all.

Unanimous passage...

So her mom and dad...

Yeah, I hear blackmail had them throwing their own daughter out.

Had the funds for Ashley to head Grand Knight Territory-ways later, though.

But'cha probably figure, y'know. There's your parents, and everything sensible says they oughta be with you. And they put their hands up too...

That's just gotta hurt.

Good thing Ashley's strong enough stuff.

Especially strong.

Uh... she can't be pissed for REAL real.

Lemme look—

We're good, we're good.

It's normal enough to be mad at a time like this, right?

For sure, I'd ream a hole straight through Brassrust before thinking about the rest.

Ashley takes fights too cerebral, and ammo runs out. If she fires a round throwing a fit, she might just be boned.

Still oughta be the phase where she makes Brassrust THINK she's angry.

After all, misleading your opponent's important too.

Look.

I'm floored, and I bet you are too! Ingra's shoulder plates have been blasted to smithereens!

The Ashlock Knight is still pressing forward step by step! Could victory be at hand? Is the proclamation coming?!

Another crack of shellfire! It looks like the Ashlock Knight's got her own personal victory salute covered!

What's this?! Did you see that, everyone?!

Brassrust just cleaved a shell apart with his hatchet! We'd be remiss not to thank our two contestants! You only get spectacles like this on the soaps!

That's right, I'm talking about the classic scene from the Słoma-funded suspense-in-the-city production, 24 Nights in the G.K.T.! Anyone in the audience interested, you can put an order in for the discs straight away!

The first thirty to buy'll get a poster signed by the two leads! First come, first served! Don't miss out!

Glug, glug—phew. Man, this is basically the same as convenience store water.

Didn't I warn you already...

Heehee. Whatever, let's just say I bought it for her.

Forget that. Mob never misses a chance to shill, huh. Really gets on your nerves...

That's his job, isn't it? What else would he do?

Who thought Brassrust could cut a shell clean through, though? Really forced an ad spot right into Mob's lap.

If only Ashley didn't go soft for a moment. Wanted to knock Brassrust down, didn't aim for his head...

Match would've been over by now.

Her magazine's gotta be drying up.

Mmm.

Only one shot left, I think.

Time to swap mags.

Here's hoping Ingra doesn't give our Ashley any trouble then.

(One round left.)

(Gotta push him off, hop back on the recoil, and that should give me enough time.)

(With Ingra's competition style, he shouldn't have any out.)

(This is the moment.)

Is that all you can do?

(He sped up?)

(Shit!)

Is that a—thruster on Brassrust's shoes?

There's a wrench in the plan...

You've got this, Ashley!

*cough*...

You're out of shells. What else can you do?

......

D'ya still have ammo, Ashley?

None. I just used the reserve to block the bolts.

What now, then? Gonna bash with the barrel?

If you need it, I can make a distraction for you.

And then ride the opportunity to take my points like last time?

C'mon, let that go already...

We'd only just met then. Be a problem not having your guard up.

I won't do it again. We agreed on that.

I can trust you not to sacrifice other Infected for your own benefit, Greynuty.

So you can trust Sona here not to stab you in the back.

Right?

Hmph. I suppose.

So how are you gonna face down these knights now?

I can definitely make you a little space. Shout if you need me.

I won't.

I've got my methods.

Fresh from the advantage, the Ashlock Knight has been caught out reloading! Brassrust begins his revenge! Could the Butcher's cleaver taste blood when all's said and done?!

Just how is the Ashlock Knight gonna counter? There she goes—she's thrown her empty magazine at Brassrust, but it's had no—

Oh, wait a moment, sister, she's thrown her cannon down too and is charging Brassrust! What is she up to?!

Ingra's got his weapon up, and the Ashlock Knight only has a shield to her name! Ashlock—Ashlock has blocked the battleaxe, and—ooh!! She's clocked him straight in the head! I heard that all the way from here!

Ooh! Back-to-back and hand-to-hand! It's a barrage! Ingra's on the retreat!

Greynuty's rolled right back to her weapon, swapped and loaded! Not a beat missed! Is Ingra in for another artillery lockdown?!

Ah-ha! We're once again treated to the sound of cannon fire! The Ashlock Knight has the situation back under control!

Might be a little ugly, but... that's a pretty practical way to disengage.

Never dreamt she'd go so fast once she dropped that cannon, though.

Ashley's a Zalak too, y'know. A little agility's par for our course.

So why won't she use a light weapon like yours?

Personal preference, I guess.

I suggested she could switch to a more arena-friendly long-ranger—javelins, crossbows, slings, stuff like that. She's not a fan of any of them. Just likes using that old family cannon.

She can't even put it to full use sometimes, and the maintenance is a pain.

That's stubborn, alright.

You get used to it, y'know.

I think she's down to her last eight rounds.

If she runs clean out, what happens?

I've got no idea. What DOES happen?

I've never seen Ashley use up all her reserve ammo before.

...*pant*, *pant*—Are you toying with me, Ashlock?!

......

Say something—you damned—rock!

(Pulls trigger)

How long do you plan on playing the mute?!

I've had enough—enough of this!

Hrreaaagh!!

Man, Ashley really is another level of horrible.

There's no way she was planning a tug of war with Ingra from the start. Was she?

She doesn't respond, she doesn't go down. She'd get me mad too.

Why?

Oh, Justyna, you made it.

Why is Ashlock bent on humiliating Brassrust?

Thaaat's a long story.

When I ran into Ashley, she was stoked on anger, wrath for all the old knight lords at the top of the stands.

The other Infected knights thought she just resented the old guard, pure and simple.

But if—

If she wasn't an Infected, she'd be a knight noble too.

I've heard.

Post-infection, no-one her generation or above in her knight family showed her any sympathy.

Everyone put the blame for the family's slow fall on her.

Normal people would know that's nothing to do with getting ill.

But that's what they did. Her family, every Kaliska Zalak agreed to strip Ashley of her position and boot her out of the lineage.

She used to trust all the family, so much. She loved sharing fun stories with them. Comparing techniques with them.

But in the end, no one she thought a friend reached out a hand to help.

I heard some were looking to have her disappeared altogether—

It—can't be that bad.

One day, I was there. Helped keep them off Ashley.

......

......

So you can guess why Ashley has such a bitter hatred for the old knight lords.

As for Brassrust Ingra...

Every single thing he does is a deep sting on Ashley's heart.

That's what's going on. I'm guessing it's why she was ready to stand off in a close contest until the end.

To bring a lofty, high-ranking knight straight into the ground.

And to... keep her own anger in check.

......

Hey, Justyna, can you tell how many shells Ashley has left in her mag for me?

Four.

Ooh.

Nearly closing time.

A fierce offensive has not toppled the Ashlock Knight! And Brassrust is beginning to wear out!

He's readying for his final charge!

This marathon back-and-forth is about to pay off!

Ladies and gentlemen, knights and dames, keep an eye on your betting numbers, please! Who knows if you're suddenly in for a prize when the results come in!

This post-match lottery is sponsored by Roar Guards Co., and the rates will boggle your mind! An astonishing zero point FIVE percent! If you still haven't placed your bets, you have one last chance now!

Ingra has lifted his hatchet, the blade of the abattoir!

Greynuty assumes a defensive position!

We're about to see who wins and who loses!

Jeez, Louise! When'd Ashley make off with my moves?!

Brassrust is charging, he's still charging, Ashlock has her shield up, but she's pointed the barrel backwards!

Could she be taking Brassrust for a head-on impact?!

Both are coming in hot, red-yellow-white-hot!

What?!

Ashlock's accelerated with her shelling and has sailed right by Brassrust's hatchet!

Too fast, way too fast!!

She's ditched her shield, the barrel's against Ingra's back, she's pulled the trigger!!

The Brassrust Knight is down! The Ashlock Knight has taken the win!!!

Hold on, now Ashlock is aiming the barrel at Brassrust again! Could it be? The day the tyrannical Ingra is humiliated himself?!

...Rgh. A Zalak shrunken in a shell.

Ashlock... Greynuty... I'll remember... you.

When I'm healed... you... you Infected—will not live to tell one tale!

—You!

(Pulls the trigger)

Kgh...

......

(Aims barrel at the sky)

This shell is an offering to the spectators.

You don't deserve it.

!

You... urgh...

The Ashlock Knight has not dealt a closing blow to Ingra! With a final blast of a shell, she's left alone for the exit!

Greynuty! Greynuty—!

This match's—lottery—prize—

How did you feel on that run?

Not that good, Father. My hand still gets tremors holding the cannonlance for too long.

Do you want to switch to a lighter weapon?

No. The cannonlance suits me. Its might makes up for what I lack in flexibility.

And besides, someday, I might not be fighting in the arena, but somewhere much vaster.

Just like Grandmother.

When that time comes, this weapon will surely be much more practical.

Alright... as you wish.

My little nut.

Father, I'm not a child anymore. You don't need to call me that...

Fair.

......

Greynuty.

You did well in training.

If Grandma could see the strides you've made, I'm sure she'd be delighted.

Grandmother...

Before Grandma left, she made an agreement with some of the uncles. As long as you're willing to learn, they'll continue to pay your fees.

So you don't need to worry about money.

Whether or not you become a knight in the end, or inherit the family business.

Keep practicing, and there'll be a day you become a famed cannonlancer of Kazimierz.

Ah, how many generations it's been since the Kaliskas last had a true cannonlancer.

All your ancestors would be proud of you.

Don't let them down.

......

Yes, Father.

I won't.

Hey, Ashley. Ashley?

Um—muh?

What's the matter?

What were you daydreaming about?

Nothing. Just thinking.

Poor-ass Ingra. Just came out of the hospital and you send him right back.

He deserves it.

And you still fired your last round in the air?

The match was already over. Even if I can't stand the sight of Ingra, I won't do anything else to him.

Otherwise, what would separate me and him?

Shame, I was looking forward to a 'Butcher Suffers Slaughter'-type headline in the papers...

Chances are the Ingra family wouldn't let that news onto the papers at all.

Sona, I've actually been meaning to ask you for a little bit now...

Hm? What's up, Ashley?

What are you—holding there?

An Ashlock water bottle.

Why would you buy something so useless?

It worked out. I was thirsty, I couldn't be bothered to go out to buy water.

Yoo. Our knight returns triumphant.

I'll have to learn from you too, Ashlock, and become stronger.

Justyna, how'd 'that' go?

It's done.

Alrighty. Good work, nice.

Once the reward hits, I'll wire it over to 'that account.' Word is the bank there's already watching frequent transfers.

Can we still use personal expenses for the ruse?

What do you think?

Yeah, fair...

We don't have much time left.

......

But we don't need to think about it just yet.

First, let's go celebrate!