The "Razor" Squad, always sharp as a scalpel, comes to an immediate halt.
This doesn't match their mission intelligence.
"Razor": We've lost contact with Investigator Bouanich. Please reconfirm the coordinates.
The contact device responds as an answer flashes on the screen.
"Confirming Investigator Bouanich's final coordinates. Coordinates confirmed. Please proceed with the operation."
"Razor" Soldier I: But, Captain, they're just normal arcanists and humans!
Tourists, vendors, everything in front of them is unchanged.
The crowds bustle noisily.
"Razor": Investigator Bouanich said that she left a door at the coordinates that will take us to the ceremony site.
"Razor": But ...
The soil beneath their feet is trampled and bare.
"Razor" Soldier II: According to the plan, she was supposed to meet us here!
The captain crouches down to examine the soil.
There are some fresh markings lightly obscured by footprints.
Peddler in the Corner: ...
Matilda, Pioneer, and J are tightly bound and kneeling on the ground.
The masked crowd has fallen into a dead silence.
Apostle Matheus: I will leave these uninvited guests to you, Legers.
J: Heh, what a hypocrite. Look who's the domesticated dog now, huh? You enjoy licking the boots of your owner?
Legers: You got me, kiddo.
J feels a sharp, gut-wrenching pain as Legers delivers him a heavy blow.
J: Urgh!
Legers: We're both eyeing the same prey, remember?
"Bang—"
A gunshot rings out, and blood seeps out from J's chest.
J: ...!
His eyes go wide and unfocused as he collapses.
...
Matilda: J!
The Apostle raises his hand, signaling for Legers to lower his gun.
Apostle Matheus: Do not sully the sacred altar! Save your fighting. You may deal with these blasphemers after the ceremony.
Apostle Matheus: We are about to close the door to Elysium forever, and this place will become the exclusive abode of the children of the Sufferer.
Apostle Matheus: Now, let us enjoy THEIR grace.
He raises the golden key up toward the altar.
Apostle Matheus: We plead ...
Apostle Matheus: Let not our joy dissipate;
Apostle Matheus: Let our pain and sorrow fade;
Apostle Matheus: Let our souls ...
"Clink—"
A sharp pain shoots through his palm.
The key falls from his hand and plunges into the dense crowd below.
Apostle Matheus: What?! The body ... What happened?!
Cateye Wisen: Got it, boss!
J: Thanks for making me one of "the dead" for a while, Legers.
J: Sorry, Matilda. I lied to you.
J: I said you have to be brave and decisive.
J: But the truth is, being prepared is even more important.
Apostle Matheus: Damn it! The key was your target from the very beginning!
Becket: Get lost, dickwads!
J: You've been declawed, grandpa.
J: Now it's our turn. These "street rats" are gonna tear you apart.
J: Good job, Wisen.
Wisen waves the key from the back of Becket's arriving motorcycle.
He has gathered together J's friends and allies just in time.
Cateye Wisen: Thanks, boss! Took hours to get the plan through Becket's thick skull, but we nailed it!
J: Put the key away. Mr. Tang once told me an old Eastern proverb, "shoot fish in a barrel."
The rising and falling hum of motors drowns out the crackling torches.
Dozens of motorcycles speed toward them, weaving through the mist.
Their headlights beam through the darkened marketplace, like a row of spotlights.
Apostle Matheus: Impossible! How did they get here?!
He turns his hand to his most devoted believer.
Apostle Matheus: You! How long have you been working with these blasphemers?!
Apostle Matheus: Hah! Say goodbye to your precious "Legers"!
Their leader stands in the distance, shaking his head as he ejects a blank cartridge from his gun.
Legers: You're a little behind on the news, aren't you?
Legers: I am the only "Legers" now, Apostle.
His stare is intense.
Matilda: What?! When did you plan all this?! No one told me a thing!
Pioneer: Calm down, Ms. Bouanich. Time was against us, and we thought that your authentic reaction would be more convincing.
Pioneer: Gio reached an agreement with J before we left.
J: That punch felt pretty personal, though. You almost beat the crap out of me, Gio.
Gio: Hah! I couldn't help myself.
The rider next to J removes his helmet.
Hollick: J, y-you want me to beat him up?
J: No, Hollick! He's an ally now. We gotta look out for our friends, right?
Becket spits on the ground, seemingly only half-convinced.
Becket: Yeah, we're friends. Hah!
Becket: Still, if these sons of b***s don't pay up to fix the garage, I'll beat the st out of them!
Their unexpectedly cordial exchange is yet another disruption in his plans. Yet the Apostle seems unfazed as he raises his hand with menace.
Apostle Matheus: So be it. I have already prepared a surprise for you blasphemers.
Apostle Matheus: Legers, I have exhausted my pity for you. It appears your loyalty is even more worthless than I expected.
Apostle Matheus: Very well. The door to Elysium shall be shut tight. There will be no cracks for you rats to crawl through.
Apostle Matheus: Chosen believers, prove your loyalty!
His most devout believers cast off their black robes.
Manus Believer I: roars
Manus Believer II: roars
Pioneer: This wasn't part of the plan, J!
His newly-forged Bowie knife is drawn from its sheath.
The blade's edge gleams in his eyes.
J: Then make it part of the plan!
COMBAT
Fallen believers have piled up around him.
But many more remain standing.
J: pants Heh. It was about time this knife tasted blood.
Yet, like a forest of dead trees, these devout believers remain a foreboding threat.
And there is no question—if they were to all rush forward, their remaining numbers would still overwhelm them.
Apostle Matheus: I have guided the lost for the sake of the Sufferer. THEY have witnessed my loyalty and devotion.
The Apostle feigns composure, but his steps are wavering and fearful.
Apostle Matheus: This body, this life, is nothing, compared to THEIR great cause!
Apostle Matheus: But we must make the blasphemers pay with their blood!
Apostle Matheus: Children of the Sufferer, awaken your bodies and rip their heads from their necks!
A figure emerges from behind him, moving with deliberate steps.
Soon, one after another, more figures emerge from the shadowy crowd, all heading toward J.
Apostle Matheus: You will die a miserable death! You will get no burial! No, your bones will be made to forever kneel to the supreme one!
However, the masked figures never make their attack.
They walk toward the forest.
Apostle Matheus: My dear believers, where are you going?!
Apostle Matheus: Is that ... our Priestess?!
J: You thought we were finished, grandpa?
Legers: Oh, did I forget to mention? The masks you gave me were old and dusty. I couldn't give them to my kids.
Legers: So I got a new set of masks made, ones that you have no control over. You're welcome.
In the distance, the "Priestess" removes the black robe and gives them a purposeful nod.
Mercuria: In the depths of the woods, where whips and voices cannot reach.
Mercuria: Who is calling?
The voice beckons the figures into the mist.
Mercuria: Not even the most bewitching voice can drown out the songs of the birds.
Mercuria: Those who dance ...
Mercuria: Those who are blinded ...
Mercuria: Breathe in the fragrance of the medick ...
Mercuria: And come with me.
They find themselves within the drifting, elusive fog.