Pursuit 2
*pant* Just a lil' more, and I think we might be able to smash that dang thing to smithereens, but...
Yeah, but it's really hard to focus on one thing with that huge warrior zapping in and out of reality as soon as we make ourselves an opening...
*sigh* It'd make our lives a whole lot easier if we could get rid of just one of them.
The battle seemed to be taking a toll on the Sinners, more so than usual.
It wasn't that we were up against an insurmountable foe - not even close. Not to mention how Ezra and Aeng-du were here to help us out.
But...
Shite! Haven't they had enough? About time they gave up, innit?!
Oi, don't you go leggin' it again...!
That big sword-carrying fella sure is kicking our butts, but... I don't know if they're the key to solving this Distortion...!
We ain't exactly flush with options, are we? Our exit's blocked, and it ain't like we can stop mid-fight to strategize...
With the battlefield constantly shifting and flashing between N Corp. and S Corp., we simply did not have the breathing room to focus on either the projector or Im Gyeong-eop, who was swinging that greatblade with frightening force.
Besides...
... Hnh!
Aeng-du! Go cover his back, too!
It shall be done!
... N Corp. was sending far too many people against us.
There weren't that many at first, but it seemed that the sudden spike in employee casualties in an area so close to the Nest had alerted N Corp. to our location.
... How do we get out of this?
<... Faust, Outis? Help me out here.>
I decided to stop racking my brain trying to navigate a situation I know so little about, and instead rely on the Sinners with possibly more experience in the field.
<First, I need to know if there's any way we can deal with the endless reinforcements N Corp. is sending after us.>
<And second... Will defeating Im Gyeong-eop or destroying that projector bring an end to this Distortion phenomenon?>
If I may speak freely, Executive Manager... It is unlikely that our present force will be sufficient to overcome the current rate of enemy reinforcements.
Not only is this battlefield situated in close proximity to the enemy stronghold, but there is an unpredictable variable in that strange machine that makes neutralizing even a single wave of enemies difficult.
... I regret to be the bearer of bad news, but we are trapped in a battlefield with but a single exit, which the enemies have already blocked; without reinforcements of our own, there is little hope of prevailing through this current predicament.
<... Yeah. Seems that way to me, too.>
<But maybe if we can neutralize the Distortion phenomenon, at the very least...>
... Faust...
... recommends entering the Dungeon of the Fathoms as our exit.
<Dungeon of the Fathoms...? But how can I enter if we can't even talk to the Distortion - >
<... Wait, maybe...>
During the LCB Regular Check-up back at the LCE...
He says that all you have to do is read what's on that note in front of his Distortion. Apparently it's some kind of... a code.
<Right... Keywords!>
This one seems to be a Location-type Distortion... which means that regardless of where the bright flashes take us, N Corp. or the twisted caricature of S Corp., we're still within its range.
In other words... as long as I have the right keywords, I can summon an entrance to its Dungeon of the Fathoms from anywhere within it.
<O-okay, so what are the keywords for this Distortion, then?>
Hohenheim had provided us the necessary keywords for his Distortion back then, but this time... we had to figure it out on our own.
<First things first, one of them has to be "photograph." It's obviously been present throughout the entire phenomenon.>
If I may... Perhaps "Experience" may be one of them.
Yi Sang put his two cents in, having briefly retreated from battle to the backlines.
There is an undercurrent of obsession with experiences staining his every trail; it must have aught in relation to what has caused his Distortion.
Experience... The concept alone lacks... substance.
It must be something more grounded... Something that is at once synonymous with "experience," while maintaining a throughline to N Corp.'s technology that was the core of his obsession.
<Canned Experience?>
... Most likely, thinks Faust.
<Alright, then... Photograph, Canned Experience...?>
... Naught seems to transpire as of yet.
... It didn't, but I could feel it.
<Are these the kind of photographs they use to make Canned Experience?>
<So that's what that strange sensation was... Mentioning that word shook the Distortion and caused that rippling effect.>
But it was clearly not enough to force open the Dungeon of the Fathoms... How many other keywords could there be?
... Scraps.
Sorry?
Oh, I thought we were all taking turns sharing what might've caused him to Distort.
And going by the way you folks were saying your piece one after another, I thought this was to be some sort of a zen riddle.
Uh... Not a zen riddle, no... But where'd "scraps" come from?
See, when enjoying the benefits of slacking off at work, all kinds of mundanities come to possess far more interesting qualities, sometimes even revealing secrets invisible to eyes focused elsewhere.
Take our person of interest, to wit: he has been poking around this area of town with an eye-wateringly expensive camera in tow, so conspicuously that every store owner I'd lightly prodded for information had tales to tell about him.
Each tale added another facet to the long saga of a once-driven man: a man with a can-do attitude, an uncanny ability to pull himself up by his own bootstraps, and a clear path toward Nest residence, who became so bewitched by photography that he eventually squandered his fortune on what was, in the end, nothing more than a pastime.
And that went on until he found himself reduced to a pauper barely making rent on a scrap heap of an apartment.
In pursuit of his ideality, the man has lost grip of fortune and reality.
I sought out his apartment and found a few scraps of his writing.
When cold rain drips through the roof, when mold and tepid humidity together encroach from the earth, the mind begins to wander, lost.
Eventually, madness is evoked in a form indistinguishable from drunkenness. The pauper loses himself.
A shadow darker than any I had seen on Kim's face crept beneath the shade of his eyes.
No - I had seen that look once, in the past...
... Though it would be more accurate to say that I had heard it in his voice that echoed in his fathoms, distorted by guilt and regret.
Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised by the fact that this Distortion has, among the countless people here, taken a particular interest in Bamboo-hatted Kim.
<Photograph, Canned Experience, and... Scraps.>
Like inserting a final piece of the puzzle, the space before us momentarily warped and flashed...
... opening a pathway to the Distortion's fathoms.
<Well, then...>
We will be right behind you, Executive Manager.
Miss Ezra, this is what I had seen then: the gateway to one's Fathoms.
Hyah... This is it, huh? Neat stuff.
But, uh...
Before she could finish, Ezra had to redirect her focus from our discussion back to the battle.
Most of the Sinners were caught in the same predicament. Some managed to disengage from the battle and prepare to enter the Dungeon of the Fathoms, but Hong Lu, Gregor, and several others were still busy holding off the N Corp. employees.
Ngh... They're gonna follow us right in there if we run now, right?
Haha... Probably?
Even those who aren't chained to Dante like we are can travel through the pathway once it's open, so...
Yeah... Let's not drive ourselves into an even narrower corner.
... I'll keep them at bay.
Hearing that, Bamboo-hatted Kim stepped up.
My sword-arm's not what it once was, but it should be enough for this.
Besides, I have little wish to set foot in some ill-omened place and be tangled in such a... bizarre mess. *sigh*
... Is that really what he thinks?
There was something in his eyes that led me to believe this was about more than just staying behind to protect our rear. He was...
W.T.F.
Eh?
What a Terrible Front.
At least try to pretend to be sincere and make it easy for us to believe you. Did you think that terrible excuse was going to fly?
…….
What are you trying to avoid, sword-swinger? You're not some kid trying to get out of doing his homework.
I remember hearing that entering a Dungeon of the Fathoms... will bring one to the spiritual Fathoms the Distortion is gazing into.
Then what lies within must be my very own, for that is what the abomination is gazing into.
It's decided, then. You're comin' with us.
We ain't about to walk in blind to a place we know shite about, mate. Guide us in there, yeah?
Oh, that's...
He keeps it simple. You try that, too.
Learned the hard way that "homework" like summer reading doesn't go away just because you don't look at it. It's still there, even as the summer break comes to an end - ruining the last day of your vacation into an all-nighter.
Arayashiki's scabbard vibrated cheerfully in agreement.
Stop procrastinating. Go do your "summer reading."
What was it you said? Face the homework, save the G.P.A.?
... "Face the sin, save the E.G.O."
It is, after all, the attitude the company expects of its employees.
.......
... Go, Junior.
You guys too, LCB. I can handle them all on my own.
... You will make a lone stand?
Hey, who the heck do ya think I am? Heh, I'll show ya why Team Leader Moses felt safe sending me out alone with you guys.
This was basically a monster-of-the-week situation for Team Leader and me back in our duo days~ I can handle 'em on my own no problemo.
I wanted to see how you guys handle the Inflection Point, but I guess ya can never really have it all.
Ah well~ Guess I'll just have to trust our two OSIR Team newbies to handle that!
Now that I think about it, I think I'm setting a pretty solid example as your team senior, aren't I? Hehe.
... I don't like this, but...
... it seems that I have no choice in the matter as long as this employee card hangs from my chest...
With a sigh, Kim shook his head and joined us, dragging his feet all the while.
I shall take the vanguard.
Ah, Mentor - be warned that the entrance is floating. Take a tall step over, or you may trip.
I can clearly see that, Aeng-du. Bring me a ladder if you're really that worried, why don't you?
... Have you need of one?
... A-a mere jest, you needn't worry.