Seeker in the Sands

Hm...

This way... no, that way? What did that say again...

......

Should be this way. There's the polluted area.

Let me double-check to be sure...

Hey, wait for me!

Oh, what a coincidence, you were headed the right way.

Like I said, you're needed later, not right now.

But I'm starting to doubt your abilities as a Catastrophe Messenger.

What? Don't talk about things you know nothing about.

The job of a Catastrophe Messenger carries a huge responsibility. Many lives hinge upon being able to accurately determine the movement of a Catastrophe. It's better to be safe than sorry.

Why do you think there are so few of us? You're lucky to have even met me. It's not like you've met any others before, right?

...Cut the crap.

Admit it. You need my help to enter the post-Catastrophe area.

I admit it.

Huh?

Can we continue now?

......

......

So, who's this guy who Cowell kidnapped and took into the disaster zone, what is he to you?

(Inhale)

Hey, don't be so quick to clam up. You know I'm looking for Cowell because I have a debt to settle with him. It'd be a problem if the one you're looking for is actually on his side.

You brought down a whole regiment of Cowell Mining guards, practically laughing while sitting in the electric chair. You're not someone I want to mess with.

So I need to know who he is. We're working together, aren't we?

...He's my employer.

Employer? Are you his bodyguard?

Yes.

We were employed by Maize Drill Inc., Cowell Mining's competitor. You may have heard of the name.

The first company to send a survey team into this disaster zone, right?

They entered from the southeast, quickly securing the ore deposit for Maize Drill.

We were employed by that survey team. The veins they discovered were just the tip of the iceberg. There are indications of more exposed veins at the former site of the central plaza.

The company was going to perform a second survey, this time entering from the north, and had set up a temporary camp on the edge.

I went into town yesterday morning for a shopping trip... edamame... and when I returned, the camp was in ruins, and there was no one to be found.

I tracked my employer's signal to the camp you were at, but found only the tracking device.

And you know the rest.

Well, I admire your professionalism, but I must remind you that Cowell is leading this band personally. Lots of heads are gonna roll on this trip, and your employer's is probably one of them.

This is Rim Billiton. No need for you to get involved.

My contract remains valid until my employer's death is confirmed.

I do the job I'm paid to.

Suit yourself.

There might be another polluted area ahead. Let me check... hey, wait up.

You walk fast.

Stop complaining, Le—

Le-what?

...Nothing.

I'm beginning to suspect that you're hiding something from me.

I'm hiding a lot of things from you.

...I guess, but there's one thing in particular that's concerning me.

You lost contact with your employer, right?

Yes.

Then how do you know the way?

......

Multiple times, you've moved before I said anything, but it always ends up being the right direction.

How are you doing it?

Does it matter?

Could it be that you're with Cowell...?

......

Look here.

At what?

On the ground.

Originium dust, sand, ash... the same mix you see everywhere after a Catastrophe.

That grey stuff is sand, not ash.

Huh?

Tiny particles of eroded limestone that would ordinarily blend into yellow sand.

That's pretty specialized knowledge... but what does it mean?

...It's normally mixed in, but now it's on the surface by itself.

Someone made it happen. On purpose.

Oh!

Separating different types of sand is a special trick of my employer's. He left this as a mark, one that the enemy is unlikely to notice.

So you were secretly following it as a trail this whole time.

Here, there... there's a lot of it.

Sounds like your employer's a pretty smart guy.

Tch.

'Tch'?!

Just a guy who's bad with money... a real jerk.

Sounds like you guys are pretty close.

As close as it takes to punch him in the face.

If that's the case, why would someone like you be working for him? Extortion? Blackmail?

He's my first employer. Changing jobs would be a pain.

Have you ever thought about doing something else? Is there anything you wish you could?

No idea.

What did you use to do?

I... I'd never left home before I started working for Leon.

......

Let's just say—purely hypothetically—that you're on good terms with your employer, and he's dead when you find him...

Now you're no longer bound by your contract. Would you do anything... outside the scope of it?

No. What are you implying?

Well, there's a lot you could do with your skills. Say... taking revenge for him.

That would be meaningless.

Why?

Simple. Anyone who could kill my employer is someone I couldn't deal with on my own. It would be suicide.

The logical thing would be to turn around and leave. The bodyguard contract has expired.

Regardless of whether I was at fault, there's still no reason to stay and make the situation worse.

Even if I had a mind to take revenge, I wouldn't just rush in hot-hotheadedly. I would make a plan, wait for the right opportunity.

Only fools let revenge occupy their minds.

......

Enough delay. We need to catch up.

Over there!

Get down!

Quick! Put on your mask!

Mm.

Looking at the particle distribution patterns, this wasn't caused by aftershocks. It's...

The disintegration of Infected.

There must be many Infected bodies nearby. But why? Did the Catastrophe Messenger in charge of this area not give any evacuation notice?

Unlikely. The situation in the east indicates that there was plenty of advance warning. There should have been enough time to give notice and evacuate.

How could this have happened? Was the Catastrophe Messenger new to the job?

There's another possibility...

Maybe they did give warning in time... but someone intentionally prevented the notice from reaching the population.

By the time anyone realized, it was too late.

Delay the Catastrophe warnings? Why would anyone do that?

This is Rim Billiton. The mining companies run the show.

Catastrophes reveal ore veins, so every time one happens it results in a scramble by the companies to claim the new ones.

Sometimes, this takes the form of delaying the communication of evacuation notices... if you're unscrupulous enough.

Bastards...

Cowell planned this well, but he didn't count on your survey team moving even quicker than he did.

You must have a good Catastrophe Messenger on your side. Anyway, it threw a wrench into his plans.

I guess that piece of fowlbeast dung has turned to kidnapping now.

Leon...

Like I said, you shouldn't be too optimistic about your employer's prospects in Cowell's hands.

We keep going.

Didn't find anything.

You searched the entire area?

I scanned every inch, but nothing. No new markings.

...You're right, the trail ends here.

The prospective mining area was in the south. If that's their target...

Compass doesn't work here.

We'll expand the search radius. You said there were signs of an approaching sandstorm. How far away is it?

20 minutes, tops.

Oh, right! I think I caught a glimpse of a cave behind that hill.

Could be man-made. There might be enemies.

Lead the way.

It's dark...

Do you smell that? Seems like blood.

Keep going.

...Didn't think you'd need someone to scout the way for you. And to think I worked so hard to help you avoid polluted areas and secondary disaster zones.

You were the one who insisted on coming with me.

Fine, fine...

Whoa!

Get back!

Ayerscarpe? It's me!

You're... Cruise Jr.? From the survey team?

Thank goodness you remember me.

Just you here? Where are the others?

...Let me take a look at your arm.

Blunt trauma and some deep cuts... properly treated, though. You'll be fine.

This bandaging... did Leonhardt do this?

...Yes.

Injuring an arm. Cowell's favorite punishment. Can't do anything in Rim Billiton without a good pair of hands.

Where are the others? Where's Leonhardt? Is he with the rest of them?

I'm the only one here. Leonhardt saved my life...

What did he say to you?

He told me to wait here for you... before he died...

What did you say? He died?

Yeah...

Are you sure?

I know it's hard to accept... but no one could have survived that explosion.

Explosion... Tell me everything. I need to know what happened to him.

Every last detail.

Ayerscarpe...

Hey, don't give him such a scary look. He just had a brush with death. Cut him some slack.

Leonhardt told me to give you this.

......

He also asked me to pass on a message...

'Stay away, Ayers.'

I couldn't hear the next part very clearly, but I think he said...

'I'm terminating your contract.'

I see...

Ayerscarpe...

Your employer... your friend. Was he a Catastrophe Messenger?

A decent one. It's a shame, but it is what it is.

I'm sorry.

It's okay. I guess I'm no longer contracted.

I'll get some rest, then head back the way we came.

Okay.

Why are you just staring at me? Sit down.

......

Hey! Where are you going?

Out of my way!

Are you crazy? There's a sandstorm outside!

That's nothing! Leon... he wouldn't die so easily!

And even if he's dead, I'll...

Calm down!

You need to keep a cool head! You won't achieve anything if you don't take stock of the situation.

......

Trust me, no one wants a piece of Cowell more than I do.

We've come so far! There are only so many places he can run, this deep into the disaster zone.

Be patient. We're so close.

Mm.

At least wait for the sandstorm to subside.

The mine exploded as soon as I got out, throwing me off my feet.

I got up and ran without looking back, all the way here.

Just to double-check, towards the south, along that crag, right?

Yeah, that's the way I came.

The sandstorm has mostly subsided.

......

You could stay here, Ayerscarpe, if you need some time to collect your thoughts...

No.

Let's go.

......

The mine entrance is blocked. We can't get in on our own.

Yup.

Tire tracks. They were here.

Not sure if they're leading into or away from the mine. And we can't tell what's inside from here.

Those rocks wouldn't trap him. He could destroy them easily.

But it's sealed shut, and there was an explosion...

If he's still alive, he would have followed them, trying to rescue the others.

If they're looking for new veins... there's only one way to find them. Inside.

But the area ahead is heavily polluted, with high risk of a secondary disaster. Going in by ourselves is a big risk.

They'll have to come back this way eventually, even with proper protection. We can wait here and ambush Cowell.

We keep going.

Can't you just accept the truth already?

What truth? I still haven't seen him with my own eyes.

Your turn. Leon can move through polluted areas unhindered. I'm sure you can manage too, being a Catastrophe Messenger yourself.

I... I'll do what I can.

Wind and sand everywhere. I can't see anything.

Maybe... perhaps... according to my observations...

Shut it!

Er...

Infected creature! Behind you!

Thanks...

This is a bad place to fight.

There's a house over there! We can take shelter.

Mm.

Whew... like I said, this is too much for the two of us.

Here comes the sandstorm again.

Yeah.

You're not a Catastrophe Messenger, are you?

No, I'm not.

I knew the facade wouldn't hold up ever since you mentioned that your employer was a real one. I'm actually surprised it took you so long to call me out on it.

Who are you then?

I'm Tamika. I'm a bodyguard, like you.

Do you still want to travel with me?

Doesn't matter to me.

We could both die here, though. I wouldn't get my revenge, and you wouldn't save your friend.

But like I said, you could stay, and I'll keep going. Could be one less corpse in our future.

No.

Why?

Why can't you accept that your friend is dead? Is it worth giving up your life just to see for yourself?

......

Do you remember what I told you about the Catastrophe warning? The one that was covered up?

The Catastrophe Messenger who sent the warning was my best friend... I was the one who got her the job.

Did you learn about Catastrophes from her?

Yeah. My protective gear belonged to her too.

Then how... Did Cowell kill a Catastrophe Messenger?

Cowell Mining blocked off communications when signs of Catastrophe appeared. The residents never got the warning.

She rushed back when she learned about it. The Catastrophe was very near by then, but she headed straight into the red zone to help with the evacuation.

I was one step too late, just in time to see a cloud of Originium dust swallow her whole...

Just thinking of what she saw in her last moments made my blood boil. I wanted to tear Cowell limb from limb with my bare hands.

Until I met you, someone else who'd lost someone important... Then I understood.

To be honest, I wanted to use you to get rid of Cowell. But I have to admit, you were right.

Revenge isn't worth it.

You're strong enough to survive here. There are many things you can do in place of your friend.

Not like me. I've come too far to turn back... Leave the rest to me.

You're overthinking it.

I would've come here, with or without you. I came because there's something I wanted to see.

I'm doing what I'm doing... because Leon isn't dead.

My employer isn't dead, so I still have a job to do, as a bodyguard.

How can you be so sure?

Leon is a jerk. Talks too much, gets into trouble. Gets me into trouble.

But he knows how to survive, better than anyone. I've lost count of the times we've worked together to get out of a tight spot.

He's the reason I'm having this conversation with you, rather than turning into a dried-out husk in the barrenlands.

I know him. Those words didn't sound like something he'd say. I need to see with my own eyes.

And... he promised me something he still hasn't done. I won't let him off the hook that easily.

Fine, assuming your friend's not dead, how are we gonna find him? Is he just gonna drop from the sky?

No, what you said made me remember...

Leon always drawled on about the properties of Catastrophes.

Tch. So many things floated to the surface when I heard he was dead.

Including these.

You just wait, Leon.

T-That's nuts!

Is that how you and your friend have been avoiding danger in Catastrophe zones?

It was Leon's idea. I had to make do with what's available. Is there a problem?

That's just climbing out the fire and into the frying pan... or is it the other way round? Whatever, doesn't matter. No wonder you were able to penetrate the disaster zone so quickly.

We're here.

Tire tracks... they've been here alright.

Someone's coming!

Cowell's muscles. Much tougher than the ones in the camp. Even you...

We'll need a plan, find a weak spot... Ayerscarpe?

Ayerscarpe?!

Argh—

Help!

R-Run away!

......

No—

I'm back. You said something?

...They're all down?

I think so.

I'm comfortable on the attack. Is there a problem?

...You've got to be kidding me.

Did you find you friend?

Not yet.

If he's really dead... maybe I'll become a Catastrophe Messenger.

You...

Wait, there's another room over there.

Who are you? Guards! Intruders!

Guards!

Shut up.

What do you want? I'm the owner of Cowell Mining! I own these mines! Is it money that you want? I can pay you!

Enough. Just answer my question.

Where's the Catastrophe Messenger you kidnapped?

He... he's inside the mines.

Still alive?

A-Alive! Absolutely alive! He was the one who led us here!

I see.

He's all yours.

Do you remember me, Cowell?

T-Tamika? Is that you? P-Protect me! I'll pay you whatever you want!

I stopped working for you the day you killed Claire. This one's for her...

Claire...

N-No! Stay back!

I-I'm sure we can talk this out! No hasty moves, okay? Please!

*sigh*

Oh, it feels so good to run freely into the sunset.

All these Rim Billiton corporations are the same. I'm getting sick of them.

I want to take a break. For at least a month.

And how will we eat without an income?

...You have savings, don't you?

Don't even think about it.

I guess it's time to think about looking for a regular salary.

Say, there's something I've been curious about.

Go on.

So I told you I was dead, and that our contract was terminated, yet you still came for me.

What would you have done if you'd arrived and found out I was really dead?

......

Hey, say something.

Don't tell me I don't mean anything to you? I mean, I've kept my promise, traveled the world with you... Traveling for work still counts, right?

I mean, it was just a few coins... okay, maybe more than a few... but you're not holding any grudges over it, are you?

......

Say something!