()||9<黑屏1>0,10BGM_Empty: ()||<黑屏2>468<回忆>:A year ago, Massegis, behind enemy lines. ()||BGM_Sneak:Moving through the enemy position through the stream, we quickly find a suitable insertion point. +After taking down the patrolling soldiers one by one, we invite ourselves into an enemy outpost close to the river.+Lae put great effort in acting as if she was simply carrying on with the mission like before, but I could sense her gaze on me time and time again, swallowing the words she wanted to speak. NPC-Soldier(0)Sentry Droid1||:Area is secure! NPC-Soldier(0)Sentry Droid2||:Clear over here as well! NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Looks all clear here. You go rest, make preparations for what's to come. ()Sentry Droids||:Yes! NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:... ()||:The Dolls disperse, looking for a safe port to use for recharging.+Lae is left with me by her lonesome again. She turns towards me as I wait in silence, expectant of that question she would ask. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:...Captain. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:What is it? NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:When this all ends, what will you do? ()||:She never found it in her, after all. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Go home. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:Home, huh... ()||:Lae rests her head on the munition-scarred wall, her eyes glazing over with nothingness once more. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:I already have nowhere to go... NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Then where do you plan to take Annett's watch? ()||:As I ask the question, I immediately came to understand.+Lae had never sought to return to a nonexistent home. Annett's watch is in an of itself her link to her home, and she holds it in her hand, like the final copper that can buy her passage back home. +Even if on the other end, there was nothing to be found. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:And you?+Do you struggle this hard to live on because you have someone waiting for you at home? NPC-Lae(0);NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Strictly speaking, I have no home and no one waiting for me. NPC-Lae(0)Lae;NPC-Reynard(0)||:We're the same, then. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Yeah. ()||:Lae inclines her head, her eyes prancing around the edges of my helmet, pursuing my eyes. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||BGM_Empty:You can't possibly think that you can simply start over after all of this wrongdoing, right? NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:... NPC-Lae(0)Lae;NPC-Reynard(0)||BGM_NightOPS:If you continue like this, this secret won't be one for long. +While those pieces of work are out of the way, you'd do best to take off that uniform and leave. NPC-Lae(0);NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:And you? NPC-Lae(0)Lae;NPC-Reynard(0)||:I'll stay behind, hold them back, until you've gone far enough. +I'm good at shaking people off, don't worry about me. NPC-Lae(0);NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Where are you going to go after that? NPC-Lae(0)Lae;NPC-Reynard(0)||:... NPC-Lae(0);NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:You don't intend to live on and start over, do you?+The moment you bury Annett's watch, you'll choose... NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:None of this is relevant to you. Just leave! ()||:Ignoring her insistence, I stand up. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||BGM_Empty:I will not run away, Lae. I'll fight until the very end. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:... ()||AVG_Team_Running:The methodical marching of the Dolls grows closer as the shade returns to Lae's eyes. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||<黑点1>:Let's go. The enemy command is not far from here. ()||99<黑点2>Explode:BOOM—+Under the concealment of thundering explosions, we break through one line of defense after another. ()||10082:The majority of the enemy's forces were distributed between laying in ambush in the forest and guarding the main junction. The former will not make it here in time, and the latter has been largely destroyed by the Doll squad. +Even so, we paid a steep price. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||Stop_AVG_loop:... ()||:I behold the bodies of several military T-Dolls as flame clambers upon what remained of them, and the world appears wholly flagrant, red-orange hues engulfing my vision. NPC-Soldier(0)Sentry Droid2||:Apologies, Captain. We won't be able to proceed with the mission any further.+Please continue onwards, and complete our duty. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Of course. NPC-Soldier(0)Sentry Droid2||:Captain Reynard... NPC-Soldier(0);NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:I am here. NPC-Soldier(0)Sentry Droid2;NPC-Reynard(0)||:If it is possible, please... with your authority...+Allow us to return through new... NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:... ()||AVG_whitenoise:Before the Doll was finished voicing its desires, Lae had removed their cores with a click, handing them to me. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:Nothing but unrealistic delusions. Listening will only add to the baggage. ()||:She scavenges the ruins nearby for ammo and supplies, not once looking back as she paces onwards. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<黑点1>:Come, Captain. The place is just up ahead. ()||<黑点2>9GunfightBGM_Empty:As we pushed together steadily, what remained of the defense, subsisting on nothing but courage, fell one by one amidst the gunshots. ()||<黑点1>10213:Losing a war is no protracted process. A tiny moment is enough to make it all come crumbling down like a force of nature.+Crossing over the bodies of the soldiers who chose death over retreat. I finally stopped before the door I had longed to reach for months. ()||<黑点2>15:We saw little save for the remnants of a scattered few who put an end to themselves in the wreck formerly called the command center. It would not be amiss to say that the enemy was broken long ago. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Lae, look around for any valuable intel. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:Yes. ()||AVG_tele_connect:I've sent notice to command that the enemy position has been captured. +The enemy's last holdout is gone, and all that's left is the back and forth at the diplomat's table. +For me, it was over. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Position successfully captured, mission complete.+We can all go home now. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||BGM_Empty:Ha... +Is that so? ()||AVG_21Winter_Phone_Crash:Laughing bitterly with mockery in her voice, she slammed the watch towards the solid wall. ()||10254:Time would stop at this very moment. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Why do this? NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:Captain Reynard... ()||Select:She takes aim at Captain Reynard. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:Put down the gun. Hands up. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:... ()||:This moment came, after all.+As she ordered, I slowly relaxed the grip on my gun. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Do you know what you are doing? NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:... ()||<黑屏1>:She did not answer my question, instead slowly pulling the trigger. +As if in slow motion, she purposely slows down her movements, wanting to give me enough time to respond. +After a split second of uncertainty, the ever-so-slightly trembling void that was the barrel flashes with a brilliance. ()||9AVG_pistol_finalshot_nBGM_Empty3:Bang— ()||<黑屏2>15:The bullet glances off my helmet, shattering the electronic screen behind me with a certain resolve. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:... NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:Are you sure you don't want to fight back? Have you gotten all the way here to die to my hand? +I won't be so merciful this time around. ()||:Lae stays in her shooting stance, finger on the trigger. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Before you shoot, let me ask a few questions. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:What do you want to know? NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Why did you kill Captain Reynard? Is Reynard related to Annett's death? NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:... ()||AVG_Rain2<黑屏1>:Crackle—thunder comes crashing down admist the skies, and a great downpour immediately follows.+In the shattered chamber, the expression on Lae's face grows indistinct as the rain arrives. ()||<黑屏2>GF_Halloween_Wind_loop<关闭蒙版>478<边框>2:Some months ago, the roadside on the path to the Massegis Pass. ()||GF_21summer_avg_Demon<边框>2:After the snow thaws, the mountain road became akin to a marsh, and the troop transport ahead became bogged down, unable to move. +Lae and Annett could only disembark and wait by the side. ()Annett||Stop_AVG_loopAVG_20Winter_Book<边框>2:Lae, stop looking at the battlefield reports! You've gotta relax once in a while. NPC-Lae(1)Lae||<边框>2:The Massegis reports are reassuring, though, because we have the absolute advantage here. +Fine equipment, well-trained soldiers, up against an enemy position that's been surrounded for days and has their supplies cut off.+No matter how you look at it, it should be a simple task. NPC-Lae(1)Annett<同时置暗>||<边框>2:Looks like it'll be finally over! NPC-Lae(1)Lae||<边框>2:Yeah... NPC-Lae(1)Annett<同时置暗>||<边框>2:Oh, Lae, look over there. We're almost home! ()||<边框>2:Pointing downwards at a grey patch far off in the distance, Annett began to clamor excitedly. NPC-Lae(1)Lae||<边框>2:Yeah, Massegis is pretty close to Falzheim, but I hear that the town's been burnt to bits already... NPC-Lae(1)Annett<同时置暗>||<边框>2:It's alright! So long as the people are still here, we'll find home eventually! +This war's nearly over anyway. Maybe we'll even make it back for Christmas. NPC-Lae(1)Lae||<边框>2:Yeah, this is the enemy's last position. If it's gone, we can finally... NPC-Lae(1)Annett<同时置暗>||<边框>2:Go home! We can go home! NPC-Lae(1)Lae||<边框>2:Yeah! ()||<黑屏1><边框>2:Even if she still harbored doubts within, Lae reciprocated Annett's passion. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<黑屏2>15<回忆>:Unfortunately, Captain Reynard could not live up to the expectations she shouldered. +She was nothing but the daughter of a nobleman, placed in her station through the influences of nepotism. Injudicious with the lives of others, rash and headstrong... +She managed to prolong the Massegis campaign massively, turning advantage into disadvantage. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:... NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:You've been in contact with her, no? Shouldn't be any need for a lengthy exchange. A few words would've been enough for you to get it. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:Yes, after my previous commander's death, Captain Reynard took over. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<黑屏1>:Then you must know what happened two days ago. ()||1<黑屏2><关闭蒙版>BGM_Empty:Two days ago, the forest, east of the enemy position. ()||Gunfight<边框>2GF_21winter_avg_betray:After receiving a final deadline from upper command, Captain Reynard, mad with urgency, insisted that a flimsy Doll squad would be responsible for attracting enemy forces protecting the main junction. She would lead a squad composed of the remnants of other detachments to attack the enemy command center from the forested area, where the situation was unclear. ()||<边框>2:Unsurprisingly, not only did the enemy place firepower coverage over the main junction, they placed troops in ambush in the forest not far from their command center. +On uncertain ground, the squad, already dismayed and broken from previous defeats, were scattered like leaves in the wind. NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard0.1||<边框>2:No retreat! Charge! ()||Gunfight<边框>2:Bangbangbang—+The enemy's silhouettes were nowhere to be seen in the forest's funereal quietude, yet the cascade of bullets continued, like birds fleeing their nest. ()||AVG_Bullet_Hit_Body<边框>2:The Captain's fragile squadron was dashed against the rocks, carmine flowers whispering sweet death blooming one after the other. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<边框>2:Retreat! Captain, we need to get to cover! ()Soldiers||<边框>2:Retreat! Retreat! ()||AVG_Crowd_Run<边框>2:The soldiers positioned outside the woods had no cover to hide behind and could only flee toward the nearby trees. NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard0.1||<边框>2:Who's running?! No retreat! NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<边框>2:... ()||<边框>2:Positioned between soldiers seeking cover and the fierce firepower of the enemy, Captain Reynard stood like a steadfast rock in the middle of the raging rapids, unaware of the situation.+She drew her pistol. ()||<边框>2AVG_pistol_finalshot_n:Bang—+A running soldier fell beside her as more and more fled.+A familiar figure fought against the stream, coming to the fallen soldier's side. NPC-Lae(0)Lae0.1||<边框>2:Annett! NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard||<边框>2:No, Retreat! Retreat! ()||Gunfight<边框>2:Caught between the fire of both sides, the ordered retreat gradually became more and more chaotic. +Bangbangbang— NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<边框>2:Why... are you still firing now?! ()||RunStep<边框>2:Lae's eyes were seared with hatred, her path towards Annett sealed. She could only evade the enemy's shots as she slid down the slope, bolting towards a nearby thicket. ()||Explode<边框>2%%type_id=2%%duration=1%%delay=0.1%%range=8:BOOM—Great batteries of war rang out behind her. ()||Explode<边框>2%%type_id=2%%duration=1%%delay=0.1%%range=8<黑屏1>2:As if infected by the Captain's madness, the enemy poured forth all they had... ()||<黑屏2>99<关闭蒙版>BGM_Empty<边框>2:Soon after, the smoke on the battlefield unhurriedly dissipated.+Lae's silhouette, searching for survivors, could soon be seen. ()Lae||<边框>2:Annett! Where are you? ()||<边框>2GF_21summer_avg_Demon:On the marred and ruptured battlefield, Lae finally found her. ()Annett||<边框>2:I... fell... NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<边框>2:... ()||<边框>2:Annett lied beside the formerly wounded soldier, wearing an airheaded smile on her face as if to comfort Lae.+Blood rushed forth from her abdomen. Lae silently placed pressure on the bandage, but Annett took Lae's hand in hers, bestowing upon her her own watch. ()Annett||<边框>2Rope:I'm already... NPC-Lae(2)Lae||<边框>2:You're fine...+I'll take you to the medics, they'll patch you up, you'll be alright, we'll be back together for Christmas, around the cozy fireplace, eating your grandma's fries, we'll talk about stuff, and once the guests get there we'll have all the presents in the world... ()||<边框>2:As Lae muttered to herself, a figure appeared behind her. NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard||<边框>2:She's beyond help, soldier. Leave her, now. The frontline needs you. NPC-Lae(4)Lae||<边框>2Rope:No.... No... NPC-Lae(4)Annett<同时置暗>||<边框>2:Hey, Lae... ()||Select<边框>2:Clack—the sound of a bullet being chambered. +A sound unmatched in its intimacy to their line of work, but bone-chilling nevertheless in this moment. ()Annett||<边框>2BGM_Empty:I want to go home... NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard||<边框>2AVG_Punch:Out of the way! ()||AVG_rifle_finalshot_h<边框>2:Bang—+Still-warm blood made its way onto Lae's face. Her heart fell to absolute zero. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<边框>2:... ()||<边框>2GF_22W_BGM_1:Lae thought that she would fly into a rage, jump to her feet and start firing like a madman, or grapple the Captain, speaking with her fits...+But when the time came, in reality, she only sat by Annett's side, like a sculpture frozen in time. NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard||<边框>2AVG_Cloak_Whoosh:Stand up! Soldier, stand up! NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<边框>2:... ()||<边框>2Rope:Captain Reynard grabbed Lae by her collar and heaved, but her sight remained dead fixed on Annett. NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard||<边框>2:No cure for incompetence! ()||<边框>2:Spitting at Lae, Captain Reynard moved toward the other soldiers rescuing the wounded. NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard0.1||<边框>2:Do not care for the wounded, soldier, go and fight! The enemy before you has no ammo! ()Soldier||<边框>2:... NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard0.1||<边框>2:Away with you! Waste no more time for these useless wounded! Charge, all of you! ()||AVG_pistol_finalshot_n<边框>2:Bang—+Another young life, taken away. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<边框>2:... NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard0.1||<边框>2:Still alive?! Then fight!+You can't stand? Then you are of no use! ()||AVG_pistol_finalshot_n<边框>2:Bang— ()||Heartbeat<边框>2:An incinerating heat sprang forth from the schisms of her heart, driving its way up her veins, her blood flowing like magma...+By the time she returned to her senses, she was already standing behind Captain Reynard. It was then that she noticed just how fragile this figure she once feared was. ()||AVG_Cloak_Whoosh<边框>2:She calmly drew her pistol, taking off the Captain's helmet, a confused countenance turning to meet her. NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard||<边框>2:Who are you?! What rank are you to take off my helmet?! I'm going to— NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<边框>2:...+Lae, Lae Fritsch. NPC-Reynard(0)Captain Reynard0.1||<边框>2:Get out of my way! ()||Select<边框>2<黑点1>:Lae aimed at the Captain's forehead, pulling the trigger... ()||<黑点2>9BGM_EmptyAVG_rifle_finalshot_h:Bang— ()||AVG_rifle_finalshot_3h:Bangbangbang—+On the way away from the battlefield, even if the pistol had been long out of her hands, Lae could still feel her finger pulling the trigger. ()||Select<黑屏1>:Klak—klak—+The sounds of despair resounded.+She walked aimlessly, no endpoint in sight, no home to seek.+Until... NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<黑屏2>15<回忆>:Until you stopped me. ()||GF_21summer_avg_Demon:Lae nonchalantly told me. I knew that she had omitted many details, that vortex of pain and misery sucking up those that slipped her mind. +She raised her gun once more. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||Stop_AVG_loop:Before you die, let me see what you really are. NPC-Reynard(0)Kar98k||:... ()||AVG_Cloak_Whoosh:I slowly remove my helmet, doffing my uniform, gawkily stripping myself of the skin shell that encased me. 98k(3)Kar98k2||:Will that do? NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:Wait, I've never seen you. Who the hell are you?! 98k(3)Kar98k||:I'm No.350109, leader of the 7th Doll Infantry Division. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:You're a Doll... why...+You're not even a military Doll, wouldn't you get away far easier than a human?! ()||:To answer Lae's shaking barrel, all I could do was smile. NPC-Lae(1)Lae||:...Hah.+Be it Doll or human, in death, we are equal.+Come, let's have destiny decide who finds death's embrace. 98k(3)Kar98k||:What are you doing? NPC-Lae(1)Lae||:I'll count down from 3. We shoot at each other, and the alive one leaves. 98k(3)Kar98k||:...+Why can only one leave? We can— NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:We share a deadly secret. No matter who lets it out, the other is doomed.+For safety's sake, only one of us can live. 98k(3)Kar98k||:...+Is that really the reason you're doing this?+If you really want to leave, we have a lot of chances to be by our lonesome, you can simply— NPC-Lae(0)Lae||Select:Catch. ()||:Lae tosses a pistol toward me. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||BGM_Empty:I'm about to start counting. 98k(3)Kar98k||:...+I'd like to use my own weapon. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:All the better. ()||Select:Lae put down the rifle in her hand, loading a pistol and activating the safety. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:Ready? 98k(3)Kar98k||:Yeah. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:3— ()||ClothingUp:My hand reaches for my coat's inner pocket, feeling the weapon I had hidden for so long once more. Its faintest touch brings my mind back to long ago, when I trained with my compatriots... NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:2— ()||:And this weapon was gifted to me while training, from a friend that had sacrificed themselves long before. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||<黑点1>:1— ()||<黑点2>9:As the sound settled in the air, two pairs of arms were raised. ()||AVG_pistol_finalshot_n<黑点1>:Bang—+But only one gunshot was heard. NPC-Lae(0)Lae0.1||<黑点2>15:You... +Are you kidding me?! 98k(3)Kar98k||GF_22W_BGM_2:... ()||:Lae's bullet hit my arm at an off angle, and I instead drew—+A 7.92x57mm rifle bullet, copper in colour.+Scratched on the surface, but likely still usable. 98k(3)Kar98k||:This is what I wanted to give you. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:... 98k(3)Kar98k||:This is something a squadmate gifted to me during training. Her last bullet.+Nothing special, but every time I see it, it brings me hope even in the most adverse of places.+It reminds me, even if only one bullet remains, do not give up hope. ()||ClothingUp:I walk towards Lae, lightly removing her gun from her hand, placing the bullet in her trembling palm. NPC-Lae(0)Lae||:Why...+Why do this? 98k(3)Kar98k||<黑屏1>:Why? That's something of a long story... ()||<黑屏2>313<关闭蒙版>:Today, Falzheim, the bar. ()||:Backdropped by the solemn rain, the Commander put down their cup somewhat heavily. ()Commander||:So those rumors were right; that little position stood for so long because of Captain Reynard's incompetence.+And the one to make the push was you all along... 98k(3)Kar98k||Stop_AVG_loop:Not just me. Those unnamed soldiers who paid the price provided the power that we needed for that final push. 98k(3)Commander<同时置暗>||:...+I'm not sure what to say. 98k(3)Kar98k||:There is no need for words, Commander. I understand. 98k(3)Commander<同时置暗>||:If only I'd have had the chance to talk about this part of your past a bit earlier to help you shoulder it if nothing else. 98k(3)Kar98k||:You saying that is more important than anything else... ()||AVG_20Winter_Cheers:I touched glasses with the Commander again, tasting the still cold beer. ()Commander||:Now, is it time for another perspective and time in the story? 98k(3)Kar98k||:Yeah, now is the time for... my story.+Not me as Captain Reynard, but as No.350109. ()||BGM_Empty<黑屏1>: