An intelligence contact point disguised as an Infected treatment center, payment made in supplies instead of cash...
Emperor's Blade
All the threads lead to this place, sticking out like a sore thumb.
Emperor's Blade
What are you hiding here? Who are you harboring?
Emperor's Blade
There's one right here. A ghost from the past. Suspicious.
Hellagur
......
Emperor's Blade
Is it you? Have you returned with the incomplete duty of the past, only to abandon it again?
Emperor's Blade
But you are not even carrying a true sword.
Eloysius
Leave him alone! Shouldn't the Royal Guard's top priority be to find the assassin—
Eloysius
Oh.
Emperor's Blade
Trying to change the topic is not an appropriate tactic, Lieutenant.
Emperor's Blade
Hand over the spy.
Eloysius
So you have reasons to believe the spy who let the assassin into the palace is hiding here.
Eloysius
Fine. But I don't know who this spy you're looking for is. Give me time, and I'll get to the bottom of it—
Emperor's Blade
My time is limited, Lieutenant.
Emperor's Blade
If you are unable to give me the answer I want, I shall carry out my mission in the most expedient manner.
Emperor's Blade
It will not take too much effort to clear this place.
Eloysius
Clear? Like how the Fourth Army cleared those miners?
Emperor's Blade
You are confounding justice and injustice.
Eloysius
I'm not questioning your intent. But how can you guarantee that your actions are appropriate, that the source of your information wasn't subject to any misdirection?
Eloysius
It's not just the vulnerable, the outsiders and Infected whom you scorn and suspect. There are also survivors and witnesses to the Grand Duchess's crimes!
Eloysius
You're acting on your own in such an important matter. How can you be sure you're not being deceived into making the wrong decision?
Emperor's Blade
......
Emperor's Blade
Because we do not.
Emperor's Blade
We are only weapons, extensions of the tsar's hands.
Weapons do not measure or judge. In the hands of the Royal Guard, cause does not lead to effect, only wordless bloodshed.
Eloysius realizes that she has made a fatal mistake, treating the demonic creation before her as a being of reason and emotion—
Emperor's Blade
As for you...
Emperor's Blade
Tell me, Lieutenant.
Emperor's Blade
What exactly are you doubting?
The stench of Dominion rapidly fills the space.
It brings fear and spreads despair, as is its natural order—
It seems recent circumstances have driven even your kind to desperation.
Hellagur
Otherwise, your kind would never have taken direct action in Grypherburg, wasting time on chasing uncertain leads.
Hellagur
At the very least, it has not happened for decades, not since the Great Rebellion.
Emperor's Blade
...You cut open the Dominion. You—
Hellagur
The Armies have never truly stood together with the Royal Guard. It seems that their counters against the demonic and eldritch remain effective.
Emperor's Blade
Futile struggle.
Hellagur
Are you any different? It has been a long time since the last Royal Guard was punished for acting without authorization.
Hellagur
His exile to the Far North was upheld, even though it was demonstrated that the individual in question had merely misjudged the situation out of concert for the tsar's safety.
Hellagur
As far as I know, he never returned to Grypherburg. Perhaps he still roams the blizzards of Sami, pursued by his erstwhile comrades as a calamity—
Emperor's Blade
Failure is unacceptable. We are the ones who exiled him, not His Imperial Majesty!
Hellagur
Suspicion has already formed. Many would be glad to see you further alienated from the tsar. Yet you yourselves are in no position to respond openly.
Hellagur
Though you find yourself out of favor with the tsar, you could not point your swords towards him, and so you have engaged in one atrocity after another... Simonch, Chernobog... and others that have remained unknown.
Emperor's Blade
What do you think you know—
Hellagur
Tell me, Blade...
Hellagur
Do your kind know that you are taking a gamble again?
Emperor's Blade
...The last clown who toyed with words has already been put to the torch.
Emperor's Blade
Do you want to follow in his example?
Hellagur
I'm afraid threats don't work on me.
Hellagur
You said I'm a ghost from the past. But I may not always remain that way, if it becomes necessary—though I would prefer that things did not come to that.
Hellagur
And I will draw my sword for everyone in this building under the protection of Rhodes Island.
Hellagur
A thousand times and more, if I have to.
Hellagur
Until those like you are repelled, or until I can no longer stand.
Emperor's Blade
You abandoned Ursus, yet you claim to protect her people.
Emperor's Blade
Hypocrisy, foolishness...
Emperor's Blade
Conceit!
Hellagur
You can deny what I say all you want... but I don't think you'll gamble.
Hellagur
Even if it's betting that you can cleanse this place before I kill you.
Your Imperial Highness, the Messenger has returned, three days earlier than expected.
Voice Outside the Door
Shall I show her in?
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Please do.
Elisaveta stands up and pushes the unread report to one side out of habit.
The tea has already cooled, bitter brown sediment gathering at the bottom. She knocks the cup lightly with her finger, but it makes no sound, as though she is knocking on a solid object.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
......
Outside the door, the servant seems to be talking to someone, but the conversation is muffled and indistinct, unlike the clearly intelligible words a moment ago.
She begins walking towards the door.
Applewood continues to burn in the black stone fireplace, but the fire is no longer cracking. Even the fire itself begins to grow dull, blending into the surrounding black.
The darkness flows towards Elisaveta, shrouding the surrounding walls in black.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Ilyusha.
Voice Outside the Door
Yes, Your Imperial Highness.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
If the Messenger has any concerns, she can come back tomorrow.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Bring me another cup of tea. Linden honey and lemon slices... just like old times.
Voice Outside the Door
......
Voice Outside the Door
As you wish.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
The crack on the map that leads to Grypherburg, and the wriggling border lines...
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
What are you here to remind me for?
Emperor's Blade
Evgeny Andrianov Kuznetsov will be judged. His defeat is imminent.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Oh? Perhaps he was too young, if he staked everything upon a game of unknowable odds, and wasted all his chips and margin on waiting.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
But what does this have to do with me?
Emperor's Blade
You concealed the death of a Royal Guard in your demesne, and assisted the Fourth Army in its attempt to hold Grypherburg hostage under the pretense of eliminating rebellious Infected.
Emperor's Blade
You participated in the entire process.
Emperor's Blade
Your Messenger has told me all I need to know. I even know how much funding and materiel you provided to Kuznetsov.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
I've heard that such threats are simply a tactic you employ to reinforce your public image, in order to become the stuff of children's nightmares, a sword hanging above the people's heads.
Emperor's Blade
Stalling will do you no good, Elisaveta Konstantinovna.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
You do not call me by my patronymic now, the that shares a house with His Imperial Majesty.
Emperor's Blade
Just because you're one of the tsar's last remaining blood kin does not protect you from being put on trial.
Emperor's Blade
You may have picked the right side in the Great Rebellion, but that won't protect you forever.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
I never thought so. I protected the young tsar at the time because it was the right thing to do. I did not seek any repayment or benefits.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
I was and still am the Grand Duchess of the Far North, no more, no less. I have never sought anything else for myself.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
The soldiers of the Far North have fought on the same side as you countless times in the war against the demons, but today I see you with my own eyes for the first time.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
The Emperor's Blade... the Royal Guard.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Tell me, how could your kind have died at the hands of those feeble, frail Infected?
Emperor's Blade
......
Silent Servant
Your tea, Highness.
Silent Servant
Three minutes, lemon and linden honey, as you requested.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Thank you, Ilyusha.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Your service is always impeccable. It reminds me of your sister...
Emperor's Blade
Elisaveta.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Oh, I'm sorry, where were we? Ah, yes, your colleague who died in my jurisdiction—
Silent Servant
Excuse me. If you were discussing this matter and its aftermath...
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
...Ilyusha?
Silent Servant
I believe the full responsibility for this matter falls upon me.
Silent Servant
Her Imperial Highness entrusted me with unfettered access to this place. I chose to go over her head and issue the blackout order to local governments ahead of time.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Ilyusha.
Silent Servant
The tacit approval of the Fourth Army's actions was given during my conversation with their herald.
Silent Servant
And the unanswered letters from Grypherburg were destroyed by these hands.
Silent Servant
Her Imperial Highness knew nothing.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
I said, you don't have to—
Emperor's Blade
Did you think the tsar would believe your story?
Emperor's Blade
I never thought you would stoop so low as to pass off your crimes on a servant, Elisaveta.
Emperor's Blade
But you are still given the luxury of choice. You can choose to end your own life here and now, or face judgment in Grypherburg.
Emperor's Blade
There is little time—
The slender servant suddenly pulls a short sword.
He points it at the impassive entity before him, then—
Silent Servant
The Grand Duchess knew nothing.
Emperor's Blade
Foolhardy.
Before the darkness consumes him, the servant suddenly turns the sword around and stabs himself in the chest.
Feeble Voice
I will... prove...
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
......
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Ilyusha...
Emperor's Blade
Fool. This proves nothing.
The Grand Duchess's expression does not change in the slightest, only a single trail of tear revealing her emotions.
She walks up to the dead servant and closes his eyes.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
You're right. He was a foolish boy.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
He was impatient. I told him there was another way, but he would not wait, even for a moment.
Emperor's Blade
Elisaveta.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Shh...
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
You haven't answered my question.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
But it doesn't matter anymore. I'll answer it for you. What could have killed a Royal Guard so easily, wiping him away like a speck of dust...?
Emperor's Blade
You knew about the Yurodstvo—
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
'It is time, shaman.'
???
(Ancient Sami) 'Sovereign of the beyond—'
???
(Ancient Sami) 'The will torn from the void!'
???
(Ancient Sami) 'I implore, unbound—'
Emperor's Blade
—!
Emperor's Blade
Elisaveta! You have colluded with the Sami in order to control the Yurodstvo—
...The Yurodstvo is suspected to have anchored its identity as a family member of one of the miners.
Silent Servant
...Miner's child... family of four. The father and mother were executed in 1096, and the grandmother committed suicide soon after. She is the only one left in the household.
Silent Servant
She was amongst the miners who escaped. It must be her.
Silent Servant
It seems that a traumatic reaction, or desperate pursuit of some kind of emotion, is sufficient to anchor the Yurodstvo in our reality.
You used her, only to abandon her. This time, I will not allow it—
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Come back, Anastasia! Come back to me, and never leave again!
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Anastasia—
???
(Ancient Sami) 'Fire and blood, my wishes upon ye—'
Anastasia?
......
Emperor's Blade
—Elisaveta! What... what have you done?!
Emperor's Blade
This is wrong... we have failed! Retreat! Retreat!
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Are you... Anastasia? Or...
'You look exactly like your mother, down to the scent of bitter almonds.' That is what she wanted to say, but she could not say it.
The taste of blood fills her throat. Elisaveta gazes at the miracle before her, forgetting to even breathe.
Time passes second by second. No one dares be the first to act.
Emperor's Blade
Ursus...
Emperor's Blade
...does not need an unruly Yurodstvo, nor a princess who never existed.
Emperor's Blade
Elisaveta, you have declared war upon all of Ursus.
Anastasia?
......
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
...Anastasia.
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Shall we help them?
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Help these poor madmen and grant them the blessing of pain, those people who wanted to hurt you, control you, make you disappear!
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
Grant them this blessing, until they no longer struggle. Then, they will realize—
Anastasia?
Auntie...
Grand Duchess Elisabeth
I'm here, I'm here, my dear Nastya!
Anastasia
...Auntie.
Anastasia
As you wish.
She looks up fervently at everything. Yet the smile is concocted, as if there is nothing reflected in her eyes that could make herself happy.
The monster now known as Anastasia raises her hand slowly, pointing behind Elisaveta.
Anastasia
I grant you life.
Anastasia
And grant you death.
Emperor's Blade
Gabrielus, your duty—
Anastasia
Accept it.
The Royal Guards show no fear. They do not attempt to dodge or flee, allowing themselves to be consumed by the asymmetric shadow, tearing apart their humanoid forms—
The dripping blackness constantly crushed and reconstructed...
Until it is filled and replaced by something else entirely.
You saw something terrible tonight.Are you afraid you'll have nightmares?
Amiya
Stop treating me like a child, Doctor...
Amiya
Mm, I know you're just joking.
Amiya
Well... I still have dreams about Dr. Kal'tsit and Theresa... they're not nightmares.
Amiya
You're not going to bed yet?
I'm worried about you.I'm worried about what's to come.
Amiya
Oh... I guess it's my turn to comfort you.
Amiya
It's alright. We can chat if you can't sleep... seems like it's been a long time since we've had time to talk in quiet like this.
We've been very busy.You've had a lot on your plate.
Amiya
I'm not as worried about myself as I'm worried about the other operators.
Amiya
We haven't fully recovered from what happened to the ship, and a lot has happened in the meantime... now, we have another dilemma in front of us.
Amiya
I'm worried that people might not pull through. I want to do more for them, but I don't know how...
You've done so much already.They see you as a leader they can trust.
You've given a lot of people strength.
Amiya
Really? I hope you're not saying this just to make me happy...
Amiya
But... I want to believe that I'll at least be someone you can rely on.
Amiya
......
Amiya
Doctor... do you think we can trust Chairman Witte?
I trust him.
Amiya
I recall that Chairman Witte was a proponent of peace five years ago.
Amiya
But he could not stop the tragedy that happened in the Far North mines... a tragedy that may yet repeat itself.
I'm not sure.
Amiya
He's obviously keeping a lot from us.
Amiya
I understand his position, but the hidden mysteries of Zelgrad remain unsettling.
I don't trust him.
Amiya
But you're still confident that we can work with him to mutual benefit.
The situation in Ursus is complex.
The Zelgrad Sarcophagus is the key.
The research here will have implications beyond Ursus's borders.
Amiya
I understand that we're dealing with a critical issue.
Amiya
I keep thinking... how many things like this has Dr. Kal'tsit dealt with before?
Amiya
What does she think about, when she faces these decisions?
It must be very hard.She must be very strong.
Amiya
Mm...
Amiya
I'm trying to shoulder the responsibility, but sometimes I can't help thinking, if only Dr. Kal'tsit were here...
Amiya
Doctor... actually, I'm beginning to have doubts.
Amiya
At Chernobog and Londinium, we had a clear goal, an enemy to overcome... but who is our enemy this time?
Amiya
We can't stop the fallout of Originium exhaustion, or the deaths brought about by internal strife. People hate each other for reasons beyond Oripathy and race.
Amiya
I can't help but feel... it's the land itself that we're fighting.
Maybe that's what Rhodes Island has always been about.Idealism means fighting this great land itself.
Amiya
I brought this up because I ran into... an unusual girl. She's Cautus too, maybe even younger than me.
Amiya
She asked whether there was any meaning to what we do, if we know we can't save everyone.
Amiya
I said yes, but I can't deny... sometimes, it makes me anxious to see that our dream is so far away.
Amiya
And it's been getting more frequent...
We can't allow the meaning of our actions to be defined by a distant outcome.It's the right thing to believe in our dreams. That's why we do what we do.
Fear of failure is inevitable—But it's not an excuse for inaction.
In any case...
I choose to believe in hope.I believe that Terra has a future.
Amiya
That's the kind of answer I expect to hear from you.
Amiya
Just like the stories you used to tell me when I was little. Every story has a different fantasy, but in the end, all of them—
