The 8th Walpurgis Night (before battle)
Can I get 7 number 3 bolts?
Uh... number 3 bolts... ah, bingo. Be right there!
Hmm... Hmmmmm...
Quit lollygaggin' and get crackin', lass! We're swamped here!
Behold hither! I have espied a combination of cracks that much resembles a Fixer's sigil!
Oh, that's right enough outta you, you little - Huh?! Did you just weave outta my smack?!
Hmph! Thy patterns have become far too predictable!
<…….>
About 2 days have passed since we wrapped up Operation Spider Pyre.
The LCE Department was still recovering from the aftermath of the assault, and we were assisting where we could with the restoration efforts.
Though... I wasn't sure what exactly we were doing here with the Facility Management Team.
I hardly expected to see you again so soon after that - some farewell that was.
Well, it can't be helped that the entire Facility Management Team is currently on PTO. We've been loaned some LCCA personnel for the repair project, so let us make do with them.
I'm surprised they haven't all been dragged back to office already, what with everything that's happened.
PTO is their right and therefore must be honored. You can't just cancel their time off after signing and approving their requests.
Then why don't we just wait 'til they get back from their vacays~? C'mon, we were busting our butts out there just a few days ago. How 'bout giving us some time off, too?
Not with multiple containment units still blasted wide open. There's no telling when the Abnormalities reduced to their ovate forms will return, you understand.
Should we face such a case without the containment units ready to operate, the entities will be wreaking havoc on our facility yet again, and we will all be dragged back to work, like it or not.
I would much rather not deal with another containment breach incident so soon... Especially when it's almost certain they will be laying waste to the boxes of snacks we've prepared specifically for your return.
... How many boxes have ya got?
3. All of them 48-by-38-by-34 centimeters in dimension, the largest standard-sized box we have.
... We're in.
Oi, who do you think you are to tell us what to do?
Still, there was no point in arguing with Hohenheim when he was right. No need to needlessly drag out restoring the facility and let those Abnormalities loose again.
Besides, Gregor was still... down for the count.
Alrighty, boys and girls! I got ya some cool drinks, so take a quick breather~
You're full o' beans today, ain't ya?
Hey, what's not to like? They've got snacks I've never even laid my eyes on before! Ooh! And c'mere, look at this...
Ta-da! Look what I found, everyone!
Rodya declared as she triumphantly held up a small can.
What is that?
I don't... I don't think I've seen that before, either.
Seriously? You never had one of these when you were little? Oh, wait, do they not sell this stuff in the Nests?
... Ah? Oh! I know this!
It's that - It's that shaky-then-drinky thing, innit...?
Yeah! I knew you'd recognize this, Heath!
Hah, you're all like bloody sheltered townies, you know that? Right, take a gander at this!
Uhh, you know, that can's gonna blow up in your face if you keep shaking it like -
I know what I'm doin', boatie! Look, I uncap this thing, and... aha! Try a sip!
... Eh? It's turned into jelly!
Heathcliff moved from Sinner to Sinner, confidently handing them each a can of well-shaken drinks...
... and the Sinners all responded with varying degrees of astonishment, some of them even giving the can a double-take.
This is... a condensation of carbonation itself, its structure compressed into pudding-like forms.
Wowzers, it's like they took the juice of a fruit and trapped it in tiny bubbles! It's slightly too sweet, but it's tasty nonetheless!
Hyah~ Now this is what I'm talking about! Say, where'dya get these? I couldn't get my hands on this stuff recently.
As we researchers are all rather positively obsessed with new technology... that fixation translates quite directly to addiction to unique products like these.
The pleasant flavor gives us a nice extra dose of motivation, of course. Sometimes enough to store them in expensive stasis preservation boxes, just in case we end up craving them in the future.
According to our findings, the sudden paucity of this product in the mass market was caused primarily by the significant production cuts of its manufacturing plant. Despite the constant demand, it seems that the maintenance costs were far too expensive to maintain it as a large-scale operation.
And you're just givin' these rarities to us?! Blimey, that's actually the nicest thing someone's done for us in a while!
Oi, you ain't half bad, specs... You're goin' up in my list.
No need to reevaluate the personability of my character on my account, Assistant. They're from Marton's stash, anyway.
... *cough* *hack* *wheeze*
Without an owner to claim them, they were bound to end up collecting dust in a corner of some lost-and-found box. If spirits truly do exist, and if Marton had indeed chosen to haunt this very spot, I'm certain he would have chimed in to say "That seems like the reasonable thing to do, boss."
... Once again, he wasn't wrong, but his palpable lack of concern for the feelings of those around him seemed to suggest that there was indeed no reason for us to reconsider his personality.
Bloody hell, mate, you could've led with that... *cough* Ow, I think some of that went down the wrong pipe.
Of course, food's not there to look pretty~ I agree with Hohenheim. After all, what use are all these delicacies if we just let them sit and spoil?
Totes~ *gulp* We can't, like *gulp* let these tasties go bad, right? *gulp*
<... Is it that good?>
It is good, but not that good, Executive Manager. She is simply a glutton with no regard for flavor.
You know, I do feel pretty bad for Dante every time we get a chance to eat something good... What with being unable to eat and all.
<I don't think it's something to feel bad about. ... Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious.>
Muttering, I looked up to stare at Rodya...
Ohh yeah... That really hit the spot. Somebody stop me, 'cuz I can't~
... downing her third can of the drink.
Hm, that reminds me. I had once cobbled together a Gustation Simulator as a hobby project.
Gustation Simulator?
Well, as we must all be aware, energy gel is the most efficient form of sustenance. It is tiny, highly caloric... yet, unfortunately... makes for quite a flavorless gustatory experience.
So, I have devised a gadget that, once a food item is placed and scanned in its flavor analyzer, it transfers its exact flavor profile directly to its wearer.
It is rather simple to equip and operate, too. Simply wearing it on your wrist should transfer the flavor information to the wearer, but... Hm, I must have misplaced it.
I gotta say, that sounds pretty revolutionary for how... dismissive you are about it, like it's some kind of toy you bashed together.
The joy must come from the invention and demonstration of the technology itself; indeed, my fellows would, following the regular illuminators' conferences, cast their erstwhile prime inventions into boxes of miscellanea.
Decent guess, but you're half wrong. I had indeed intended to distribute it to my team, were it not for that single fault.
What is that single fault, you ask? When worn for too long, the device would start recognizing even the mere act of breathing as "eating."
Every breath I took brought the rush of thick, cloying basque cheesecake flavor onto my tongue. It would normally be a rather scrumptious delicacy, but when it taints the very air I breathe, it inspires nothing but nausea in my mouth - and thanks to that, I ended up uncontrollably emptying the contents of my stomach on the floor.
Ew...
But perhaps that should not be a problem for subjects who are not coerced to breathe by their autonomic nervous system... such as your manager.
<Ooh... Does that mean I'll finally get to partake in Rodya's food-critiquing session during our next team dinner?>
By the looks of it, they seem quite excited about that prospect. Very well, I will begin my search henceforth. Then -
BEEP - BEEP -
... Were these alarms connected to this facility as well?
Indeed. Every location related to Limbus Company is equipped with relevant devices to detect the arrival of Walpurgis Nights.
Once the familiar green light and the accompanying alarm began to blare, Faust, who had been wordlessly leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, slowly shuffled toward us.
She seemed unusually exhausted, so I thought I might ask her if everything was okay, but...
Have the Corridor repairs progressed enough for us to explore this scenario, Hohenheim?
Of course. Contrary to someone who insisted that its frequency is not something we can reliably predict, I had intuited that this odd phenomenon with a taste for green illuminations would be arriving soon, and made the Corridor repairs one of our high-priority goals.
... I see. Thank you.
…?
... maybe now's a bad time.
That response was... indeed most unexpected. Completely breaks the expected behavior patterns.
Dante, let us enter without delay.
<Huh? W-well, okay...>
It sounded as though Hohenheim muttered something at us at the last second, but his voice was soon devoured by the Sinners and their raucous chatter, accompanied by the slurping noise of drinks guzzled down.
B.A.O. Depressing.
Hmmm, yeah. Let's see... we're in the "Welfare Team" section. Maybe it's blue all over because that's their main color?
<This place is pretty big, too... Not as big as Central Command, but this place has got a pretty high ceiling.>
Couldn't they have changed the actual colors or interior design of this hole...? Different lights, sure, but ain't all these hallways samey-lookin'? It's startin' to get a bit old for me.
I think consistency's a good thing, actually! The Library always throws something new at us every visit, and there were times when we got killed before we even knew what was going on...
Forsooth! If our lives be forfeit all the same, wouldst thou not say that they are best spent on new experiences?! New experiences such as witnessing a C-Color with our own eyes~
Hasn't that bloke's blue scythe sliced and diced you more than a dozen times, lass? Don't tell me you enjoyed every single one of 'em...
<Hey... I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't consider your lives to be "forfeit all the same"... More death equals more pain for me, you know...?>
W-well -
Despite their relative predictability, it is inadvisable to underestimate the former L Corp.'s Ordeals, as they are also characterized by progressively intensifying danger levels.
<Danger levels?>
Indeed. The scenarios first began with the Dawn, then it was the Noon, followed by suppression of a WAW Risk Level Abnormality.
It is obvious that the Ordeal following our previous encounter would pose a greater level of danger than the Ordeal of Noon.
Ah, you must be referring to the incrementally progressive pressure we had discussed prior, Miss Faust.
Yes. Following that deductive mode of thinking, this Ordeal must be...
... An Ordeal of Dusk.
Blimey... You've certainly got talent for spectacle. Say, you ain't in the habit of stallin', waitin' for dramatic moments to drop important information, are you?
Faust does not care for such useless, vain theatricalities.
Wha - *cough* I was clearly jokin', lass. You didn't have to be so cross about it.
…….
... I should probably sort out a few doubts for Faust to go over in our next consultation session.
<We'd better focus on the Ordeal at hand first... F-Faust? Mind shedding some more light on it?>
The time will be Dusk, and the color is Amber.
The Food Chain is set to appear in this Ordeal.
The Food Chain? As in that whole natural cycle of eat-and-be-eaten?
Ugh... Why...?
Why's it gotta be bugs again?!!
While I was still mulling over what Faust had just said, Rodya - who seemed to have noticed something squirming in the distance - burst into a disgusted, irritated rant...
Ever since last time, it's just been one thing after another trying to gross me out... Is this also supposed to be one of the goals the so-called "scenario" set up?
... while still holding the can of jelly drink in her hand.
Ugh, there it goes. I've completely lost my appetite.
Either finish chewing before you speak, or wipe that revulsed grimace off your face if you insist on shoveling the jelly down regardless of the creature's sight... One lapse in decorum at a time.
Fortunately, Executive Manager, the entity's movement speed appears notably slow. A meticulous distance measuring coupled with a methodical stratagem should allow us to neutralize the target without issue.
<... Right. There's no need to rush.>
If we can just make sure to move faster than those things do... We should be fine.