A Blade Fiend's Fathoms, part 3 (after battle)

<Ah, the dungeon...>

After a grueling battle, and as we finally managed to drag Bamboo-hatted Kim to his knees...

Like a mirage, the fathoms of ego began to fall apart.

The Monolith had already left the Fathoms of Ego and was back at the center of the office.

Just as the office began to resemble the one we had walked into, the radio I carried began to buzz again.

Hiya! Can you hear me? If you do, gimme a 'tick-tock'!

<Tick-tock.>

Very funny, Dante. You know we just barely survived a deadly encounter, right?

Well, she asked me to...

Perfect! We really don't have much time left. Since it looks like the Monolith's briefly stabilized, lemme teach you how to lock it down.

Don't take too long, or that Distortion's gonna turn into an Abnormality! Follow my instructions to a T, and don't lag behind! It's all about precision and speed!

She seems awfully cheerful for how, uh, dire the situation is...

I followed the radio's instructions and reached out to the Monolith with my palms.

<Ooh... some light came out of it when I reached out with my fingers.>

The voice coming from the radio was pretty nonchalant about all this, but it almost sounded like she could see exactly what I was looking at.

Right, straight down from there. Yep, you're doing good. Now move left... take it slow, now.

I couldn't help but wonder if I was doing this right... but I still followed her directions and drew a trail of light with my hand over the Monolith.

Aagh...

Mentor!

The shimmering black tendrils began to withdraw from Bamboo-hatted Kim's body. Maybe the Distortion is withdrawing, too...?

Good work! Detective, the levels are stabilizing!

Ah, I can't seem to stop calling you Detective, huh. Sorry, old habits die hard, y'know...

Sounds like she's reporting to someone else on the other side of this communication.

Good work, bus dudes! LCA'll be there in a min, so just sit tight!

<Huh? LCA? Not that rude After Team lady from earlier...?>

Well, anyways! Thanks for the assist, everyone! LCD Distortion Task Force Ezra, over and out!

The radio shut off before any of us had the chance to say anything. Again.

And not 5 seconds later...

My, my! They're really piling in, huh?

LCA... the special operations unit.

Orders. Commencing secured item retrieval.

<Uh, right. The item is - >

Custody Target T-276 confirmed and secured.

<Well, looks like our job here is done.>

I didn't even have to say anything (not that they could hear me, anyway) before the uniformed troops marched in and started attaching various tools to the Monolith.

Trouble. T-276-01 unconfirmed. Requesting location.

What are you blathering about?

... Rewording. Where is the Distorted individual?

Ah, I am aware of whom you seek. He sits next to the Monolith -

Huh? W-where hast he gone?

The individual by the name Aeng-du dragged him behind that sofa. Approximate time of event: three minutes ago.

<... Didn't I ask you to tell us if you notice something important going on in the background...?>

... I will make an immediate report should an identical incident occur.

That's when I noticed that the LCA agents were growing visibly uneasy.

Alert. Abnormal reaction detected from an entity in T-276-01's proximity.

And when that agent ran over and kicked over the sofa...

Ah... Ahh...!

Miss Aeng-du!

... There was Aeng-du, her arms tightly wrapped around Bamboo-hatted Kim.

Her hand, holding a blade that dug deep into her mentor's flesh.

I... know not of your painful past. I cannot possibly know in detail what you have gone through.

But... But...! That cannot be a just reason, an excuse for cutting down your very own fellows...!

Miss Aeng-du! That man was not himself!

If the blade has consumed my mentor, turned him into a fiend... then I will end him myself... it has to be me...

... No. Not at all.

It's all... excuses. That's all it is.

If mentor didn't bring some odd 'invitation' to us...

If he hadn't caused us to flee S Corp., our home, to begin with...!

Oh... Yes. I hear you. Your voice is finally... growing clearer...

Mutation. Distortion of the subject entity confirmed.

Suspicion. Phase 1 of the Monolith reactivation process may have been engaged.

We can't just let her be! She's going to Distort...!

<Meursault! Knock miss Aeng-du out!>

... Hmph!

Ah...

Meursault struck Aeng-du hard before the LCA agents even had the chance to do anything.

... Stabilized. Distortion nullified by the Subject's loss of consciousness.

Stab wound confirmed on subject T-276-01. Wound not critical. Will not pose challenge to retrieval and recovery.

I have carried out the task as you have ordered.

<Haah... Thank you.>

Woah... What just happened...?

<Was that caused by the Monolith's influence, too?>

A plausible explanation. The Monolith was properly sealed, but its lingering influence seems to have seeped into her.

Oh! OH! Hey! The levels went bonkers over there just now!

The radio began buzzing all on its own again.

Requesting radio. I will receive LCD's message.

<Uh, okay.>

Acknowledged. Please speak.

Huh? Oh! You're LCA, aren't you? I'm Ezra from LCD, nice to -

Acknowledged. Commencing sitrep.

You know what? You're not the only one who knows how to cut people off. I already got your 'sitrep', okay? I don't need it.

There are two people there, right? Just bring them both over here.

Negative. Exact orders state that retrieval targets are to be -

C'mon, loosen up some, huh~?

Concern. The Monolith alone will be a difficult subject to contain.

Aw~ That's okay. Our very own detecti - I mean, our very own LCD Team Leader said she'll take care of it.

Besides, that Monolith? Detective and I have successfully retrieved that before.

AND, considering that the two of them are both returnees from the Library... considering that the two of them have both been pulled from the edge of Distortion... it'll definitely help us with our records, don't you think?

Understood. However -

What the hell? Are we kidnapping them for some dodgy human experiments or something?

Ookay, so I know that there's been scary rumors of kidnappings in T Corp., but... what we're doing here is completely unrelated, alright? I'd appreciate it if you didn't compare us to the likes of those Backstreets rumors.

Sure, you guys can leave them there. But if we don't take them in, they'll Distort and get killed. And who knows? The Kurokumo Clan or even the Thumb could catch wind of this and pick them up instead.

I suppose you're right...

Anyways... Make sure to bring them in! Both. Of. Them. Okay~?

... Acknowledged. Retrieving now.

The call dropped. The agents swarmed around the pair, bound them, and disappeared out the door. All of it was done in one, fluid, practiced motion.

I don't know when it happened, but they'd already retrieved the Monolith when that LCA agent picked up LCD's call.

Right, so... mission accomplished, huh?

<I guess so.>

Warning. Recommended action for the manager: immediate extraction from the scene. Imminent arrival of the Thumb: highly likely.

So, after the Middle is the Thumb. Heh, what I wouldn't give to see the look on their stuck-up faces.

I think he's telling us to get out of here before the Thumb catches us red-handed...

Correction. Limbus Company was already on a crash course against the Thumb the moment we commenced this mission.

... That makes sense. It'll only be a matter of time before they put the pieces together and realize that we're involved in what happened.

Are you sure that we can handle not only the Middle... but also the Thumb?

... Irrelevant.

A foe is a friend, and a friend is a foe for Limbus Company.

Delayed. Extracting scene first.

With that cryptic message, the LCA agent quickly withdrew from the scene.

He knows something, but won't tell us what it is. At least that was the impression I got from the way he spoke.

I came to meet so many departments of the company in such quick succession - the LCA, the LCD, and the LCCA...

An old question arose once again. Something I'd forgotten as we kept ourselves busy with the missions we've carried out so far.

I really don't know much about this company I'm working for.

And there's this mysterious 'Hermann', and the equally puzzling 'Demian'.

Maybe, in the grand scheme of things, I really don't know anything. Maybe what I know amounts to nothing more than a pinch of knowledge available to the powers that be.

I thought we were pretty deep into our journey, but...

I was starting to feel that, in the far future, if I were to look back on the records of this journey... we wouldn't even be ten pages into the book.

I began walking back to the bus with the Sinners, my head further mired in confusion.

Whewie, we really ran into a lot of people in such a short time, huh?

Well, I'm pretty happy that I got to know more about the workings of this company.

Once we returned to the bus, the Sinners each began chattering away about what had just happened.

... I wonder what's going to happen to Aeng-du or Bamboo-hatted Kim?

That does not appear to be information we are privy to. Though we all work under the same company, all that the LCD shared with us was the name of our contact: 'Ezra'.

T-then, is Limbus Company truly kidnapping people for human experi -

... You don't just start experimenting on humans like that. It's not something that just happens. Remember what that LCD woman said? Rumors are just that: rumors.

Gregor furrowed his brows as though some unpleasant memories of the past began flooding in. He dug into his pockets for a cigarette.

<... There's LCD, but LCA just seems... really out of place. Even when compared to other departments... It's like they're from a completely different company.>

As we made our way back to the bus, I slowly began to organize my thoughts on everything that's happened.

I did know that it wasn't the most productive thing for me to do.

<... Faust, you're not gonna answer any of my questions, are you?>

I apologize. At the present moment, it is difficult for me to disclose any information that does not concern the LCB department.

<Haah...>

It's like impatience is a prerequisite for boarding this bus, manager or Sinner.

Vergilius sighed as he muttered. He must've seen me burying my (clock)head in my palms.

Your journey will inevitably lead to the answers to all of your questions, Dante.

Just follow the path, and it shall all be revealed. You have no reason to rush.

Besides...

Vergilius' gaze fixed, for a brief moment, slightly above my head.

... I wonder if he's looking at my flame.

... It's nothing.

Hah, perhaps your impatience is rubbing off on me. I suppose I shall find out along the way as well.

Vergilius scoffed, muttered something incomprehensible to himself, then turned away from me. It was clear that he had no intention of continuing this exchange.

Let's go, Charon.

Been waiting for vroom-vroom time.

Driving to the famous heights of T Corp.

…….

So...

... the bus took off once again, sometimes bustling, sometimes dead silent.