Episode 6: The Way of Justice

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Scene: A town square in Landsol.

Christina
Thank you for waiting, ladies and gentlemen! The beloved lieutenant captain of Nightmare, Christina, is here to save the day!

Christina
You have nothing more to worry about! I'll slay these enemies all at once!

Jun
W-Watch it!? Chris, you vanished for a while... Where did you go?

Jun
I'm glad that you're here, but don't take me for an enemy! I'm the real Jun!

Christina
Now, now, I'm just joking... It's rare to be able to see your pretty face, so don't get it all twisted in anger. It'd be a shame for a pretty lady like you to look so unsightly, wouldn't it?

Jun
Ooh... Ahh, whatever, as long as you don't go wild like that! My helmet's by your feet -- hand that back to me!

Christina
Oh, dear, my foot slipped!

Jun
Why'd you kick my helmet away? That's more trouble for me!

Christina
Ahaha! Let me get rid of that troublesome mask for you, too!

Jun
Eeeh... W-What on earth do you think you're doing, Chris?

Christina
Ahahaha! I'm just doing things that make me happy, and avoiding things that make me annoyed!

Christina
There, have a look... It seems like all these enemies are about to grant my wishes!

Tomo
...! W-What's this, the enemy is acting strangely!

Tomo
The fakes, the rampaging enemies, and even the defeated ones are all gathering together, merging into one?

Tomo
Even Miss Jun's fallen helmet is melting into the lot... Ahh, that's grotesque!

Matsuri
Eep, what is that thing? How are we supposed to fight that thing!?

Christina
Heh. I made a detour to that punk Okuto's... or, rather, the home of a knowledgeable acquaintance of mine.

Christina
He specializes in research on monsters, and according to him, it seems that this creature is called "living mail."

Tomo
"Living mail"... meaning, that armor is alive?

Christina
Indeed. That's what the name suggests. To be more precise, it appears that they're microorganisms that feed on metal. Their hunger for metal causes them to infest objects like these, giving them this appearance.

Christina
In times of war, when metal weapons and armor are in mass production, there are occasionally explosive outbreaks of these organisms, it seems. I never knew, but there are records in the history books of it.

Jun
Ah... I remember that my father used to tell me such stories. Of suits of armor walking about on their own at night, or swords waving around and flying into the air.

Jun
I'd thought they were surely just ghost stories.

Christina
It looks like they're real. Truth is always stranger than fiction...

Christina
In any case. Because Nightmare's duties make us similar to an army in wartime... This living mail has been living off of our equipment for quite some time.

Christina
Their numbers spiked all of a sudden, and... they began feeding on the swords and armor in our warehouse, and eventually began infesting and possessing them.

Christina
Once a colony of these monsters grows past a certain size, they most likely send some kind of signal for others to gather nearby as well.

Christina
Once that happened, they began acting out all at once, causing trouble all over.

Christina
The suits of armor that first attacked the beastperson quarters once belonged to those royal knights who persecuted them, all those years ago, right?

Jun
W-Why hadn't I realized that...? Ahh, I should have been more diligent about having our equipment maintained regularly!

Christina
We'd grown lax during this period of peace... But, well, these monsters also avoided rousing our suspicions, usually acting like normal, unmoving weapons and armor.

Jun
Hm... Then, why did they suddenly begin rampaging about now?

Christina
They're living creatures, and they need to seek out new sources of food. As their numbers increased, there wasn't enough food to go around, and the starving ones began setting out on their own in search of metal.

Christina
Left unchecked, they'll gobble up all the metal in this town. And then the infestation will grow... It's a frightening thought, that we'd never be able to cook anything with our metal pots and pans again.

Matsuri
Aunty Christina, do you cook? That's surprising!

Christina
A charming break from your expectations, isn't it? But the next time you call me "Aunty," I'll yank those cute little ears off your head!

Tomo
... This isn't the time for playing around -- though maybe I'm not one to talk here.

Tomo
The living mail seems to be planning to smash us by brute force.

Tomo
It's fused together into a massive metal being! It's even larger than a building... If it runs free like that, the city will be seriously damaged!

Jun
With its tendency to multiply from feeding on metal, odds are that it'll grow even larger while it's consuming the city's metal. We must destroy it here.

Jun
To protect the peace in Landsol.

Tomo
Understood. Thinking about it, the enemy's fusion into a single being may have made things easier for us. If we defeat that, it'll all be over, right?

Christina
Just to be sure, after we defeat it, we'll need to sweep through the city with some sort of metal-detecting magic.

Christina
If there are any survivers that go unnoticed, this could all happen again. And we wouldn't want this uproar to return a second time, would we?

Christina
By the way, I want no part of that tedious operation... I'll leave it all to you.

Jun
Very well. But in return, I want you to help us destroy the giant monster before us. We need your fighting strength, Chris.

Christina
My, it feels nice to be relied on. But how can you be sure that I won't just betray you in the end?

Jun
At the very least, considering that the enemy is driven only by its appetite... I have confidence that you would prefer us to them.

Jun
As beings of intelligence, as companions in arms, and as allies of justice... We of Nightmare shall end this once and for all.

Jun
Soldiers, to arms! Let us clean up these monsters, this living mail!

Matsuri
Got it, Miss Jun! Hi-yaaah!

Matsuri
Take this! Taste the blade of justice...!

Tomo
Stop! Don't act carelessly, Matsuri!

Tomo
The enemy feeds on metal, so if you slash at it with your sword, there's a chance it'll infest your weapon as well!

Matsuri
Ehh, then, how do we fight it? With our fists? But it's made of metal, so if we punch it, we'll just end up with a broken hand!

Jun
Indeed, it would be best to assume that, since we've been fighting with this enemy for some time, our weapons and armor have already been consumed to some extent. I can already feel a difference in weight compared to earlier.

Jun
If the monsters are feeding on our armor, then it's likely that they'll also interfere with our movements in some way. After all of this... we'll need to do a thorough inspection and decontamination of our equipment.

Matsuri
Eww, sounds gross! But now that you mention it, does my sword also feel a little different than it did before...?

Christina
Ahaha. For those of us in Nightmare, who specialize in close combat with metal swords and armor, this is basically the worst possible enemy.

Tomo
What are you laughing for!? W-What do we do? Aren't we at a loss now?

Christina
How cute to see you this dismayed, young lady! But just relax... I cleverly foresaw something like this happening, and obtained a special magical weapon from Her Highness just for this occasion.

Christina
It's only a prototype, so its appearance is nothing special. But it's a magical cannon made of wood, with no metal parts at all... So I'm told.

Christina
I assembled it in a hurry, so it can only fire once, but... It fires a ray of extreme heat, hot enough to melt metal and vaporize the enemy from the ground up.

Christina
You all draw the enemy's attention according to my directions. I'll be adjusting the aim of the heat ray so that no townspeople are hurt.

Tomo
W-Wow, that's a little surprising. I didn't think you'd care about the safety of the townspeople here.

Christina
That goes to show that I have a surprising love for humanity, Tomo. Rarely am I able to find such interesting toys in this dull, dull world.

Christina
... But that's all beside the point. Get moving, before I change my mind. After all, you really ought to listen to what your lieutenant captain says.

Tomo
Understood... I can't stomach the thought of following your orders, but I guess it's inevitable here.

Yuuki
1. "Allow me to help, too."

Tomo
Ah, thanks. I'd been hoping for your assistance, too.

Christina
As had I. You have the power to strengthen your allies, right, kid? I'll need you to give us some of that.

Jun
Yes, please. Grant us your power, young man. Without your strength, we may not survive the harsh battle to come.

Jun
I hadn't wanted to bring a child like you to this place. But rest assured that we will protect you with our lives if we must.

Jun
And we will protect not only you, but the people of this town... And the people of this world.

Jun
That is the meaning of justice. What these weapons and armor were forged for -- and what we were born for.

Tomo
Whoa, this feels incredible! I'm brimming with power!

Tomo
We can win like this! Thank you, Yuuki! Okay, Matsuri, let's start off by running circles around the enemy to draw its attention!

Matsuri
Ahh, got it! I'm right behind you, Tomo!

Matsuri
Hey, hey! Catch me if you can, you big ogre!

Matsuri
If I set off these rainbow firecrackers, that should get its attention, right?

Tomo
Well done! The enemy is reflexively moving towards Matsuri! Heh heh... It seems like you've got all kinds of instincts, but I'd bet swordplay isn't one of them, is it?

Tomo
Allow me to instruct you on the techniques of the Mikuma family! If I grapple its legs, it'll lose its balance!

Tomo
An enemy whose feet are off the ground is an enemy with whom you can do as you please! That's as good as victory!

Jun
That strikes me as excessive... Leaping around the legs of a giant rampaging monster, and even grabbing hold of its legs.

Jun
Bravery isn't a bad thing, but if you make one misstep, you could be crushed, yes?

Jun
Still, I won't let that bravery go to waste! Hmph...!

Jun
(Ugh. With how much my armor has been contaminated, my body feels heavy... But I've been wearing this armor since my childhood days.)

Jun
(I'm used to this weight, and I can turn it into my strength!)

Jun
Chris! I'm going to tackle the enemy at full force to knock it into the air -- aim your cannon there!

Christina
Understood. Ha ha, cooperating on a plan like this isn't so bad, every so often... It's even a bit fun!

Jun
This is work, there's no need for fun... We do what we must!

Christina
Heh heh. Everyone, hurry behind me and take cover. If you get caught in the heat ray, there'll be nothing left of you but bones!

Jun
How frightful... All troops, take cover! Brace for impact! Give it all you have, Chris!

Christina
Roger that! Let's make some fireworks -- in the name of justice!

Begin animated cutscene.

Tomo and Jun work together to send the armor airborne.

Christina
Nightmare Cannon! Fire!

The cannon shoots the armor, vaporizing it in a massive explosion.

Christina
Oh, my, it was even more powerful than I'd heard. It seemed just as hot as the sun!

End of animated cutscene.

Christina
Ugh, but all of this ash is tarnishing my clothes.

Christina
Still, strangely enough, it's not a bad feeling. It turned out to be a great stress reliever.

Christina
Though, when I think about mopping up the remnants and putting out guidance about all the items that have been scattered around town, my head hurts.

Christina
I'll leave all that tedious work to you. I'm glad to have such supportive and irreplaceable companions!

Jun
Companions when it suits you, that is... But in truth, all of us feel the same way.

Jun
Within that brilliant light, along with the monster, all of our doubts, suspicions, and malice towards each other have also been wiped away. So I hope.

Hidden beneath it all... Revealed by the heat ray of the cannon, the mysterious monster, the living mail, glowed brilliantly.

The incident that had caused an uproar in the town had been quelled by the efforts of Nightmare.

After that, with the use of metal detecting magic, the remaining monsters were exterminated. Of course, there were no absolutes in the world, but at least for the moment, all was well.