Arknights story · Abnormal Spectrum
16-4 Strength in Numbers
After Eloysius discusses matters with the Grand Duchess, she gives a recommendation to Rhodes Island, but the mistress of the Far North allows only the Doctor to meet with her. Eloysius and the Doctor contend with the Grand Duchess, finally obtaining official permission to enter the Far North's mining district.
2 scenes, 532 lines
1. Before Operation
195 linesWe thank our honored guest for your patience. Please follow me.
You comply with the guard's request, patiently waiting again in the office lobby for Eloysius and the much-rumored Grand Duchess's discussion to come to a close.
The subdued interior has no clock or other timekeeping instrument, as if time is not a right conferred upon its visitors.
You while away the minutes in utter boredom, thinking back to your own discussion not long ago—
Only the Doctor is allowed to meet with her?
I also think that's unreasonable. If something unexpected happens, there's no way for Amiya and I to protect you.
In the end, this is her domain.
It does not seem like she is giving us any room to bargain.
Eloysius said she wanted to introduce us to the Grand Duchess, but we still don't know why she really wants to help us.
My memory bank has no record of a young Ursine noble like her either.
But a woman acting as a special ambassador, who also personally knows the Grand Duchess, must be extraordinary.
She has many secrets.
This relationship between a Grypherburger envoy and a local noble is a subtle thing.
But she did clearly say she wanted us to go with her to the mining district.
We need to cooperate with her, no matter what.
This is the only chance we have to get into the mining district.
But Rhodes Island has stepped into the sights of Ursus, and we have no way of knowing how the local administration views us.
I've had my fair share of past experience.
I've been in this sort of situation before.
I will support your decisions, Doctor, but please be careful.
Take a comms terminal, at least! If anything happens, reach out immediately. We'll come get you right away, even if we have to smash the place up while we're at it!
I will if I have to.
I'll make sure I don't need to use it.
But...
What is this mine lockdown hiding...?
The corridors of the building are exceptionally empty, just like the streets of the city it stands in.
The moment you are led inside, a slight nod is all you are left with. Not a word has passed your guide's lips the entire time.
Perhaps he trusts your intuition will lead you to the correct room, or perhaps he is used to putting visitors to the test.
Fortunately, you had detected the warm scent of applewood smoke wafting off that guard, which takes you to the only door emitting such a smell.
A door that leads to a room tucked away in the corner was once pushed open.
It is as if the looming, imposing stone walls of this chill-gloomed city have come together to hide a spot of sacrosanct tranquility.
The first thing you see is a graceful, ash-blue figure standing at the other side of the room.
Greetings.
Your Imperial Highness, the Grand Duchess Elisaveta Konstantinovna Lacitsara.
......
I can feel your nerves from here. You need not be wary. Please, call me Grand Duchess Elisabeth, as my friends do.
I can tell that you are an individual of keen intellect.
You are to address Her Imperial Highness as Grand Duchess Elisabeth.
Forgive me, Your Imperial Highness. I am obligated to maintain protocol and decorum.
What does it matter?
True goodwill has nothing to do with formality. Allow our guest to relax a little.
Her voice is gentle and innocent, not at all what you expected.
The mistress of the place slowly turns around.
I welcome each and every guest to Bresk with open arms.
Is this not the part where you introduce your friend, Elotta?
Oh, yes, of course. This is the one I was just speaking about, the Doctor of Rhodes Island Pharmaceuticals—
My name is Doctor.
You may call me Dr. Doctor.
It is an honor to be granted an audience.
I hope I am not too bold in paying you a visit.
As I said, there is no need for such formality. Come forward, closer to the fire. My attendant shall fetch us some tea forthwith.
It may be difficult for travelers from afar to adapt to Bresk in this season. Though she may be remote, there are times when she is a warm and pleasant home.
Has your journey here been a smooth one?
I fear I can't describe it as such...
Public Security certainly cares for Bresk.
Please believe me when I say that all you have seen here is in service to maintaining the city's hard-fought serenity.
Elotta has already explained to me in great detail the excellent work her new Oripathy specialist friends have done in the field. Yours is a talent our city sorely needs at this moment.
You require Oripathy specialists?
Ursus... requires Oripathy specialists?
Our young Tsar wishes to bestow his favor equally upon every Ursine citizen. He even wishes for the division of infection to no longer plague his people.
It is for this reason that he labors himself to exhaustion, such that even the most steely-eyed courtier is left heartbroken at the sight.
But rare is the one who truly understands how precious a treasure His Imperial Majesty's innocence is. We who call ourselves his followers must do all we can to enact his will.
Bresk borders the largest mining district in the Far North, but the methods we have available to treat Oripathy fall far short of His Imperial Majesty's ideals. Which means we require some able doctors.
If that is Your Imperial Highness's goal, Dr. Doctor is the best partner you will find here.
I have read Rhodes Island's scientific papers for myself. Unlike those dusty old scholars of the Imperial Universities who simply repeat the findings of others, Rhodes Island leads the vanguard in the field of Oripathy research.
Oh my... I have never heard our proud young officer express such admiration for anyone before.
Has working in Grypherburg changed you? I still distinctly remember your father grumbling to me about the awkward situations you would provoke at the ducal banquets.
A rather embarrassing part of my past, Your Imperial Highness.
If I may explain this admiration further, I have always respected those with true talent and ability, such as Your Imperial Highness, and Dr. Doctor.
I am incredibly grateful for the reminder about my father. I nearly forgot to pass on his regards.
His factories still produce uniforms of the highest quality for every soldier in the Far North. His name can still be heard at every banquet on the frontier.
We had best return to the topic of our friend here.
Let us speak plainly. What plans does Rhodes Island have for Bresk?
We hope you will allow us to enter the Far Northern mining district.
We lost contact with a mobile medical team in the Central Mining District.
Upon hearing your words, the Grand Duchess shows a split-second of surprise, but does not forget herself.
She looks toward Eloysius, and you notice the precise moment the young Guardswoman's gaze turns evasive.
The Grand Duchess lets out a long sigh, as if she were vexed by a terrible burden.
Oh dear, oh dear... Dr. Doctor—that is how I should address you, yes?
If this young lady has provoked a misunderstanding, then I do apologize.
We welcome Rhodes Island building an office in Bresk, and I wish to offer as much aid as I can...
But the Far Northern mines are not open to sightseers at the moment.
If your comrades are lost, then I ask you to leave with me their descriptions and last known whereabouts. I shall deploy every last man I can spare to help you find them.
Pardon my candor, but I believe we need to discuss this further.
I am afraid—
Your Imperial Highness.
What if I invite them to travel with me, under my name?
Oh, Elotta... You always were such a naughty little rascal.
You know that Bresk needs specialist Oripathy doctors.
You know that with your recommendation, I would not consider this a favor to be repaid, allowing your friend to do business here.
Now look here. What is it you wish to do? Drag our esteemed guest into our muddy, snow-laden troubles?
Elotta... You are complicating the situation.
This is not a complicated matter. Pray forgive my bluntness, Your Imperial Highness.
I have never concealed my objective here.
By the Tsar, there is hardly a soul in Grypherburg concerned about the possibility of unrest in your Bresk.
But there are many curious about the closure of the mining district, and the mutations among the Infected.
Those coming here may be idle young nobles, or scientists researching Oripathy, but they can just as easily be an Army captain, or dignitaries from the State Council.
The young Guardswoman's tone remains frivolous, leaving you barely able to discern if the sharpness she speaks with is one of irreverent rudeness, or if there is a prying, deeper meaning to it.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth's eyes narrow.
If they have their suspicions, then let them come and speak those suspicions here.
The Armies see me as a fence-sitter currying favor with the new nobles, while the State Council sees me as some provincial Grand Duchess. I am well used to everyone laying their doubts and curiosities onto Bresk.
So, my dear Elotta, who sent you here to heap more blame upon me?
No, no, no! Your Imperial Highness misunderstands!
You know that this is just a cushy job for me, paying a visit to your demesne.
My only intention was to petition you to grant these Oripathy specialists permission to accompany me into the mining district, that we might investigate the strange happenings surrounding the Infected there.
......
May I butt in with some words of my own?
Pray, speak, my friend.
I would like to clarify Rhodes Island's position.
We are simply a pharmaceutical company trying to address Infected issues.
We are worried for the safety of our lost friends, and must find them as soon as possible.
As for other matters, Rhodes Island will not, and cannot, get involved.
I did not ask this earlier, but my curiosity abounds.
Your colleagues, whyever did they go to the Central Mining District?
They went to address cases of Oripathy.
They are Ursine themselves.
Oh...
Rhodes Island's intentions are pure.
We have no higher power pulling our strings, after all.
We know barely anything about this place, after all.
The moment your words leave your mouth, you suddenly realize that being overly frank could make your promises seem hollow, but this sort of overt honesty also makes it hard for others to believe you are hiding anything.
The Grand Duchess ponders for a moment.
The Grand Duchess, who has been listening intently to you the entire time, finally seems to soften.
She has full control over the expression on her face, but you sense her relax a little.
In short, everything we do is in the service of searching for our friends.
This is our only request.
A young woman I care for, and healers of Oripathy who only wish to find their comrades...
If I were to refuse you, I would seem rather cruel, wouldn't I?
I understand your position. You were just worried for our friends from afar, worried that they would get drawn into danger.
Naturally, I do not wish anyone in my lands to meet with misfortune. If I ever have the time, I would like to send stoves out to every soul who lives upon the frozen earth.
Elotta, can you promise me you will ensure our friends' safety, to the best of your ability?
Your Imperial Highness may trust in me.
Good, good. Go now, Dr. Doctor. Go find your people.
I permit Rhodes Island to enter the mining district of the Far North.
Thank you for your kindness.
I wish that I were so kind, but few are they who appreciate the kindnesses of others.
People revere those who snatch their rights from their hands, and are grateful whenever a portion of those rights is returned to them. But I do not believe such acts can be considered kind.
The winds of the Far North are bitter indeed. You had best pack some warm clothes, Dr. Doctor.
Doctor, Eloysius! You're back!
Indeed. No need to look so excited, Gospozha Amiya.
This is the administrative center of Bresk, not some den of evil. Our chat went rather smoothly, da?
As smooth as silk.
Though with some unexpected developments.
You're still hiding things.
Both from us, and the Grand Duchess.
Alright, yes, I admit that.
But it really was the only way I could create the ideal conditions for discussion. And the results speak for themselves, no?
The Grand Duchess...
What of her?
She isn't what I imagined.
Oh? And how did you imagine her?
Colder.
Harder to persuade.
If you were to only look at how she handled these strange happenings, then you would not be wrong.
After they occurred, the affected Infected were immediately sent to the mining district's research institute, where she tasked the researchers to find the cause within a week, upon pain of exile or deportation.
Soon after that, she declared martial law in the Far North, sealing all the miners within the district and blocking all communications, leaving the outside completely blind to what was happening inside.
Highly efficient, and colder than winter.
But so long as you can pinpoint exactly what she is trying to conceal from you, it is not difficult to persuade her.
The problem is that most of the time, she will leave you no opportunity to find that weak point.
Those Infected, for example. Are they affected by changes in pathology, some new symptoms of Oripathy, or something else?
That's where the issue lies, the lack of details. That is all the information that made it to Grypherburg. The moment the Infected change, they are sent off to be supervised by the research institute.
I have read your paper on the changes in Originium and new Oripathy symptoms, as have research institutes across Ursus, who are already launching their own projects based on that paper.
If these changes were simply those mentioned within, they would not merit this sort of response.
It is highly likely that the abnormalities springing up in the mining district are an entirely new threat.
An entirely new threat...
The institute looking into the cause, the district under lockdown, all the miners isolated from the wider country...
This way, everyone will believe the matter is settled, but in truth?
After the incident, all work in the district stopped, and all communications were cut off. Deity Grypherburg's inquiries have received no response. None is able, and none dares, to look too deeply into this.
If the Grand Duchess wanted to hide things...
Then we would never have been allowed into Bresk.
You have met her, and perhaps this has you believing she truly is a 'kind' administrator.
Of course she would have let you in. After all, this is 'the friendliest place to the Infected in Ursus', 'the Pearl of the Far North', 'Paradise in North Ursus'—
Bresk, capital of Breskenoy.
You didn't see anything unusual in the city these past two days, aside from the lack of people. That is how she runs the Far North.
Like how, since she became governor, nobody has been sentenced to death in the governorate. Has that lessened the number of people here who have met tragic ends? No.
You seem to have a lot of complaints about her.
Oh, you wound me. I promise my assessment just now was not tinged by any personal feelings. I was simply answering your questions.
We are partners now, aren't we?
I understand, Eloysius. Are these abnormal Infected still under the supervision of the research institute in the mining district?
Indeed. To be more precise, they are in the Central Far North Mining District Laboratory.
Isn't that...?
......
That's the first place we need to visit.
Is it now? Having the same destination would make things much more convenient.
Anything else you would like to ask?
You're very straightforward.
You're very eager.
Of course. I never intended to give you the run-around in the first place.
I do have a question, Eloysius.
Ask away.
Earlier, when we were at your friend's house, we had to cut our conversation short. I should have asked you this question first, but I never found the opportunity.
What is it you hope to gain from this investigation?
...If I may be serious for a moment?
I want the truth, the truth about the mutations in the Central Mining District's Infected.
I do not want the Infected miners to suffer unduly, nor do I want the people of Ursus to sit ignorant of a looming disaster.
2. After Operation
337 linesWe're very close to the institute.
But it's been so quiet the entire way... Do people really live here?
Three days ago, the Grand Duchess made a sudden decree that all residents living within thirty klicks of the Central Mining District had twenty-four hours to evacuate the area.
Though the Far North is sparsely populated, evacuating such a large area in such a short time was no easy task.
Not to mention ensuring they all maintain secrecy the entire time...
There are rumors that the Grand Duchess has always maintained absolute control over all affairs in this region of Ursus. Some even say she is revered even more than...
Gosudar-batyushka, I should not be running my mouth like this.
She eventually allowed us in...
Which means she is not worried about our investigation.
That is not necessarily the case.
She can hardly show resistance to a Grypherburger Imperial Guardswoman's face, can she?
Objectively speaking, the Grand Duchess has been acting as lubricant between the Armies and the State Council, making sure the bitterness between the two sides does not devolve into outright conflict.
I must admit, this requires considerable skill.
She gets the favor of both sides, but this also means she must maintain absolute impartiality.
You don't seem averse to discussing this.
I thought you couldn't speak lightly on this topic in Ursus.
Haha... Surprised? You seem to have some misunderstandings about Ursus, Dr. Doctor.
I am simply repeating the sort of gossip you might hear at any Grypherburg banquet.
If you do not know these rumors inside and out, how would you manage to join these dinnertime discussions?
Naturally, idle chatter is one thing, actually trying to leverage this chatter for some upward mobility and putting it into action is another thing altogether.
A rather interesting point of view.
On the other hand, regardless of whether the Grand Duchess is hiding anything, or if she believes everything hidden well enough...
We will certainly find something in the research institute looking into the abnormal Infected.
We can't just sit by and watch.
All hands, prepare a rescue operation.
W-Wait a sec!
I've got sharper eyes, a clearer view!
The ones getting beaten down... are the Patrol Unit?
...What?
Off in the distance where Elysium is pointing, you see two groups of people fighting in a melee, a melee with a few surprising aspects to it.
A Patrol Unit is being routed by a group of Infected miners who outnumber them several times over.
The lackluster equipment in the Patrol Unit's hands is of no use, as the miners' wood-hafted pickaxes strike their bodies over and over.
We need to stop things from escalating.
We need to learn more about what's going on.
Enough! Stop! Stop it!
What d'you think you're trying to do?! Kill us?! Blyat, Ursus will never let you get away with it!
*pant*... *pant*...
So what... So what? Since when have we ever been treated as human beings? We're people too, aren't we...?
We were never going to make it far anyway... might as well take you with us...
Just die already!
My hand—
Wh-Where did you come from?! You monster!
Monster? That's my name, don't wear it out.
Sorry, mister, but could you slow down a bit? We have some questions we need to ask you.
Why? You want to protect these Patrol Unit bastards? You're here to take us in too?
Never, mudak! We're not going to follow you back all nice and quiet!
The angry miner gets even more agitated, lifting the pickaxe in his hands up high.
'Stop.'
A voice out of nowhere floods into his brain, making the weapon in his hands feel extraordinarily heavy, and his legs feel full of lead. Try as he might, he cannot move.
What the—Chyort poberi! What kind of Arts is this?
Sir... Could you allow us the chance to talk things through?
Amiya steps forward, stretching her right arm out towards the miners, exposing the Originium crystals on her wrist that were hidden under her sleeve.
Infected... You're Infected like us.
And with some amazing Arts, too...
You... You must be those 'Reunion' guys!
Whuh?
Oh... My mistake. I thought you were the legendary Reunion Movement.
I knew it... A bunch of Infected coming together to form an organization? It's a fantasy, no matter how you look at it.
May I ask...?
Where did you hear the name Reunion?
What have you heard about this Reunion?
Rankin. It was Rankin who told us about it.
To the south, real close to the border with Kazimierz, there's a group of Infected who founded a place of their own, who take in all Infected who ask for help, and drive out anyone who wants to do harm to the Infected too.
Rankin would never lie to anyone, and I really hope it's true, too! But... Kazimierz is so far away. How are we supposed to get there?
This Rankin, is he a member of Reunion?
Maybe? I'm not too sure, to be honest.
But he's our hero. When he's around, the Patrol Units won't dare mess with us. I heard he rescued those guys who got dragged into the research institute—
Hey, blabbermouth! We still don't know what these people want!
Oh... Right.
So, why're you here?
We lost contact with our friends in the area.
Have you seen a mobile medical team? There are nine of them, wearing clothes with the same logo as ours, and they would have been handing out medicine here.
Handing out medicine... What, like Santa Claus in the fairy tales?
The miners look at each other, as if they have just heard the worst joke on Terra.
So, what was going on here earlier?
(Point at the cowering Patrol Unit)
Poshel nahuy! They are murderers who wanted to kill us! They locked us up and gave us no food, trying to starve us to death!
It must have been because we couldn't dig up anything, so they didn't give us a single bite to eat, right? Stupid bastards! Who the hell even knows what happened to the vein, the Originium just disappeared all of a sudden!
We couldn't take it anymore! We had to run, or we would all die!
Is this true?
Wh-Why are you looking at me like that? What're you going to do to me?
The mining district has had a supply shortage for a while now, more than just a couple of days! We got given about, what, a few loaves of bread this month? We want to know what's going on too!
Don't believe me? Gosudar-batyushka, who even has the time to bother with this rabble? If we killed them, then what, are we supposed to go into the mines ourselves to dig?
Eek—! What are you doing?! Okay, I'll shut up, I'll shut up now!
This isn't just happening in one or two mines... All the Far North, the entire mining district, all of us in it... We've been abandoned.
We heard Rankin was the first one to step up. He got rid of all the soldiers, and led several hundred people on an escape.
And now we've escaped too. We wanted to find his group and leave with them, but they're far away by now.
Okay, we've told you enough. Since you're Infected too, you should get out of the way and let us kill these bastards!
Sorry, but if I may be brutally blunt for a moment.
I can overlook the reasoning of why you have left your mine, and treat you as asylum-seekers for the time being.
But if you actually do kill these unfortunate souls, then things will not go well for you.
(Eloysius! You can't speak to them like that!)
What's with the officer in the pretty clothes? Blyat! I never should have trusted you people!
The appearance of an Imperial Guardswoman relights the flames of the miners' ire. They lift up their weapons once more to fence you in, but in fear of your Originium Arts, they dare not act rashly.
As for the routed Patrol Unit, the moment they see Eloysius, it is as if they have met their savior. They huddle behind her, cowering.
It is altogether a rather awkward, irreconcilable scene.
It looks like if we don't resolve this situation, we cannot continue onwards, can we?
Things being what they are, we have no choice.
Very well...
The Guardswoman pulls out some paper from her coat pocket, quickly writing down a few words on it before sealing it within an ornate envelope and handing it to the head miner.
Listen up. I have a suggestion that will make everyone happy.
Take this letter. The seal on the envelope will ensure that no Patrol Units harass you, so long as you do not provoke them.
Head north, to Bresk's sentry post. Hand the letter to the soldiers there, and they will find temporary shelter for you. As for what comes next... discuss it only after getting there.
Believe me when I say this is the only way to a peaceful resolution. In exchange, can you find it in your hearts to let these poor whelps go?
......
N-No! You can't!
If we don't bring them back, we'll be disciplined!
Enough. You're lucky to be alive as it is.
Why should we trust you?
Do you have anyone else you can trust?
Eloysius!
We...
If we go to this shelter you mentioned, will there be enough bread for everyone?
Rest assured. If bread is what you need, then bread you shall have.
......
The head miner takes the proffered letter, then turns to discuss the offer in hushed tones with the other miners.
They quickly come to a consensus, and with no hesitation whatsoever, the miners form one long line and start heading north, as if entering the mine, just like any other day.
The long stretch of miners slowly funnels through a gap between the huts. All the while, Amiya keeps looking towards the north, the procession fading into the distance.
This is the best outcome we could hope for under the circumstances.
I understand, Doctor.
We can't save... can't help everyone we meet.
But Rhodes Island will keep pressing on... until the last of our strength has left us.
You turn to look at the Imperial Guardswoman behind you, seemingly frivolous yet always able to take the initiative.
We never heard of any supply shortage in the mining district.
This is no ordinary control measure.
Yes, I know what you are about to ask me. Believe me, I know about as much as you do. We are of like mind when it comes to these misgivings.
The research institute is not far up ahead. Let us go and find answers there.
Let's go, Doctor.
As you walk along the corridor, the echoes of your footsteps are swallowed up by its unending length.
Its stone walls lean inwards, as if their grave majesty were about to smother everything upon the ground. Those who walk along it find themselves lowering their voices, then lowering them further.
(Whisper) It's so quiet here...
Rather, it seems there are no Infected here. Or anyone, for that matter.
Which means...?
I've been to several Army research institutes before. They tend to be places of chaos, with plenty of people coming and going. Sickbeds that don't fit in the wards are put in the corridors, not too different from a battlefield hospital.
There is yelling, wailing, screaming from the Infected, but at least they live, at least they struggle on. But here...
Hmph. Nothing.
There are traces of fighting in the corridor.
Was the institute looted?
The entire district appears to be in terrible disarray.
If all the abnormal Infected from the institute have escaped...
The soldiers of the district have been gravely derelict in their duty. Their leader will not shirk responsibility.
Who knows, there may be great change coming to all of Breskenoy...
If the miners have been here, there must be some clues to find.
We need to find out what happened here.
While we have no accurate blueprints on hand, these sorts of buildings usually follow a standard layout.
If things are as expected, this hallway should form a loop, with standardized linked rooms adjoining. Every floor will also have an enclosed observation deck, for easier viewing of what's going on in the mining area.
Are you able to detect any of those 'biosignals' you mentioned earlier?
(Silence)
Sorry, ma'am, but if you were hoping we could trace signals to a specific room in here, then no can do.
The best we can do is confirm signal waves are coming from a certain area. You'll need to go there and inspect things yourself if you want to find the source, like we're doing right now.
Alright, I was simply asking.
This is a big institute, so I'll head down to the basement to have a look. In the interests of efficiency, how about we split up?
It's dangerous to be alone here.
(Look at Amiya)
Sure, sure. I don't mind having someone else helping out.
Mon3tr and I will check upstairs then.
Mantra, you and your team search the ground floor.
Maintain comms at all times.
Prioritize your own safety, everyone.
(Nods)
This is a pretty spooky place, and it's an Ursine research institute. Who knows what strange things are hidden here, like maybe they were experimenting with fusing humans and burdenbeasts...
Mon3tr, if anything goes wrong, get the Doctor out of here pronto, no fighting!
I know, I know!
Mantra.
Report.
I am here.
We have found nothing unusual at our current position.
I have eyes on Amiya. She is safe.
About that biosignal.
We can trace it more precisely than we let on, correct?
Fourth floor, mineshaft side. Target is not moving.
We need to be on guard.
Deception is not your strong suit.
I hope she's the Ksenia Mon3tr mentioned.
We are short on time, Doctor. The target's vital signs are unstable.
You seemed really sure we would find something down here, Eloysius—
Thanks to a little 'laziness', many Ursine government buildings follow the same standardized layout.
If this institute is like the others I've visited, especially when it comes to how they divide up the space for specific uses, then there should be something left in the basement.
The dead cannot get up and leave, after all.
Do you mean this basement is a morgue?
A temporary one, with incinerators equipped to handle the remains of the severely infected.
Aha.
I knew it.
Although power to the freezing mechanism had been cut, the basement was still colder than the snow-dusted outdoors.
The young Guardswoman runs her hand across the coffins, which leaves behind a layer of frosty condensation on her fingers.
These coffins have been used. They must have lost power just before the evacuation. Could you take the right side of the room, Gospozha Amiya? We'll open them up one by one to check—
Eloysius!
What is it?
Oh, how careless of me. You might never have seen a corpse before... Then call someone over. No need to trouble yourself.
No, that's not important right now!
The Infected remains are very dangerous. If they have disintegrated and we open the coffin lids, this entire room might become a high-Originium-dust environme—
Before Amiya has even finished speaking, the Guardswoman pushes open a coffin.
There is no release of Originium dust, yet Eloysius's expression turns grave.
What is going on here...?
......
Eloysius does not answer, instead turning to open another coffin, then yet another.
The corpses interred here...
None of them are Infected.
......
Wait. Stay back, Amiya.
They must have been performing some kind of experiments on the uninfected. That's all I can glean here, and that's all you need to know.
There is no need for you to... personally examine them.
Thank you for your concern, but I... I think I should.
Amiya anticipated something like this. The moment she stepped into the institute, sorrow shrouded her mind.
It chills and clings to her. Suffering is smeared onto every wall in this place. Humanity's frail fingers are too weak to leave any trace on the stone and steel. Not even blood can find purchase here. All that can remain is hate.
Only hate.
Amiya does her utmost to ignore the spectral arms stretched out towards her. In the silence, she listens to the beating of her heart echoing through her chest.
......
A dozen or so corpses, all in abject misery.
Each of them has been twisted into incomprehensible forms. Their skin has ruptured, exposing their viscera and bones. They barely even look human.
It is as if their frames had been subject to some enigmatic force, intent on warping them both inside and out until they neared complete destruction.
Who knows how long they were subject to this agony? Who knows how they suffered during this torment?
......
A-Are you alright?
Amiya does not feel fear.
Rage.
She feels only rage.
...Mantra...
The very next instant, a familiar voice answers.
Eloysius and I are in the morgue in the basement. We can confirm that the institute was conducting large-scale human experimentation. Experimental methods, unknown...
The victims we have discovered are all uninfected. No clues on the abnormal Infected at the moment...
We can say that our earlier worries are more clearly defined now.
The situation here, or rather, in the Far North, is much worse than our intelligence suggested.
The strong emotion attacking me in the institute, alongside everything we experienced on our way here, like the Patrol Units harassing the Infected, and the contamination created by the Royal Guard...
All this goes to show that the issues here extend far beyond the Infected mutations.
Amiya and Eloysius found something.
The institute really was conducting illegal human experiments.
However, we're still unsure of the cause of the abnormal infections.
No matter who our target is, there must be some information waiting.
Hmm... Where is she, anyway?
I've searched all the rooms on the mineshaft side, and nobody was there.
What about the locked rooms?
Same thing. The locks are old-fashioned, easy enough to pry open.
But regardless of the status of their locks, most of the rooms had nothing except for things like empty shelves and cabinets or loose graph paper.
Could she have left?
Or maybe we're looking in the wrong place.
What do you mean?
Eloysius says every floor has an enclosed observation deck.
I never found anything like—
Wait, that can't be. It's regular rooms the entire way around the loop, and we've checked every single one. There's not enough space in this weird building for an observation deck!
Maybe, on the mineshaft side...
There's a hidden door we haven't discovered yet.
A room within a room.
......?......
The voice comes out of nowhere, hoarse and fragmented. It creeps upwards from the ankles of the listeners up to their napes, coming to an icy standstill in the back of their minds.
It sounds human, but it is hard to verify.
......
Did you hear that, Mon3tr?
A voice.
(Whispers) I did. Up ahead. I remember the room.
The lights here are broken, so stay behind me, Doctor.
Behind the door is hidden another, this one unlocked. Though the hands of humanity once left their heat upon its handle, now, it is as cold as ice.
Mon3tr pushes open the small, light door. Within the darkness, the visitors are greeted by feeble candlelight.
The first sound they hear is not the voice of a human, but the wet, squelching sound of viscous liquid.
Molten wax drips, melting into the disorderly, blackening dark-red stains on the floor and splattering onto scattered sheets of paper.
And on those sheets... Next to some handprints, a list of formulae is scrawled out, tremblingly penned like screeches of fear and anger.
Meaningless, it's all... meaningless.
Great Ursus sits atop all creation, but its vast domain lies barren...
Aside from never-ending disaster.
Hah... Professor Ilia...
I finally see that you were right!
You were right, absolutely right! But where are you? Where have you gone?
I tried my best, tried so hard! But in the end, it didn't even matter!
I wanted to look for you all. I wanted to. But now, all I can do is take everything away. Take it all... away.
Then...
I will find you.
......
The woman stretches out her hand, bringing a sheet of paper up to the candle's flame.
The fire soon consumes half of it. She watches it burn with an insatiable gaze, completely unaware of the company by her side.
Mon3tr rushes up to crush the burning paper, extinguishing it with her bare hands before it can grow into an inferno.
She is surprised to find that the slumped-over woman is surrounded by a tangle of wires.
Where do these wires lead? If they had not intervened in time, what would the ensuing blaze have led to?
Did she just say 'Ilia'?
She did, I heard it too!
Is that you, Ksenia? You've grown, you look different from before...
Why didn't you leave with everyone else?
......
No apparent response to sound. She may have entered a dissociative state.
Move her to the side, keep calling her name.
I will...
Find you...
These papers on the ground...?
You gather up all the sheets that were by her feet, flipping through them by candlelight.
They are not what you imagined, not failed formulae or blank sheets of paper. The words written on them are clear, and are in grammatical Ursine.
What I am about to write is not meant to be known by any living soul.
For there is no meaning in leaving behind words about me, or the things I love. What I write here is merely my recollection and repentance, for me to take to my grave.
I believed researching the Sarcophagus was a grand undertaking, with clean energy for the Ursine people close at hand. But the ember of that hope was ultimately snuffed out by our own divisions.
I was fortunate enough to escape that unjust massacre due to my ignorance, but my good fortune was itself unjust, for the price I paid was being forced to live the rest of my life in panicked mediocrity.
I have nowhere to go, no home to return to. The talent I was so proud of is useless. My life has amounted to nothing.
......
It seems that whenever we are given the opportunity to advance, we always find a reason to hesitate.
This interminable failure of a life has made me truly understand those words I read many years ago in a book, words I once scoffed at:
'The reason why Ursus is constantly flooded with sorrow and injustice is because we lag behind other nations in many aspects.'
'No matter how many truths we discover or accomplishments we make, this backwardness will ruthlessly extinguish the fires of our inspiration.'
This appears to be a suicide note.
Still no reaction from her. Does it say where the Sarcophagus ended up after it left Chernobog?
No, but it mentions researching some kind of material.
I think it's describing mutations in Ursine Infected.
Oka should have been a chance to turn things around, but just like every other opportunity that passed me by, it was fleeting...
Was my research wrong yet again? Or is this inexplicable, miraculous substance from the mines truly nothing out of the ordinary?
It clearly contains no energy, yet it so callously tortures those patients who are already suffering from disease, driving them mad, making them act in unusual ways, even allowing them to accomplish the impossible.
I do not know, but I am unwilling to be the one who inflicts even more pain on them! Fortunately, I need not continue... That is all I have to say. Now, all I can do is make guesses using metaphysics, like some sort of poet:
Oka may simply be a part of Ursus's essence buried deep in the ground. It revels in the suffering of those it abhors, all behind a mighty, harmless countenance.
Enough. Stop heaping your egotistical, unfounded learning upon this man-made calamity, Ksenia.
Once more, you are a despicable survivor. You should have died twenty years ago at the hands of those soldiers, or here, at the hands of angry Infected.
But now, it all comes to an end.
Ksenia...
We know for sure that she's Ksenia.
What is 'Oka'?
Oka...
Ksenia?
...can kill... the Royal Guard...
It's dangerous.