Story Reader / Floating Record / ER05 Sands of Wrath / Story
Why? Why... Stay away from me!
In a dark corner, a hand can be seen lifting Daemon off the ground against the wall.
C'mon, what's the matter? Thought you were quick on your feet?
Daemon tries—to no avail.
You lousy son of a... Let go!
My apologies, but I never let my prey go.
Ha! Haha! Do you really think you've earned your way back to the Purifying Force just because you have me now? Who do you think they trust? Me or you?
Noctis' grimace, however, only grows more intimidating by the second, reminiscent of a hound bearing its teeth.
I never thought about going back, and I'm not one of them now anyway... I'm just one of the hooligans in this town. Now, let me show you how we deal with people like you here...
With it, Noctis tightens his fist and lifts Daemon up the wall. His chest crackling with the enormous pressure, Daemon can feel the excruciating pain in his M.I.N.D. that's coming from his artificial muscles.
Arghhhh...
We're going to remove your limbs real nice and slow, piece by piece... because, you see, we just don't get our hands on the parts of an authentic Babylonian Construct every single day here...
And we aren't going to turn off your pain receiver, of course. See, we'd hate to see your M.I.N.D. deviate.
And when we're done stripping you clean and have nothing left but your life support device, artificial spine, and that goddamned brain of yours, we're going to put them all into a jar and make ourselves some real nice rum with alcohol-flavor electrolyte.
Daemon has no way of knowing how much truth there is to Noctis' words, but he finds himself petrified down to the bone nonetheless.
H-help...
Noctis loosens his grip, which gives Daemon a few seconds to take in a gulp of air.
Why, though, partner?
Ain't gonna work. People from the Purifying Force won't spit anything. Best if we just smoke him and look into his memory.
When he's done talking, Noctis lifts Daemon up against the wall again—with so much force that Daemon is literally sinking into the wall.
W-wait... Don't kill me! I'll tell you everything you want to know!
In a moment of panic, Daemon completely forgets that a Construct's memory remains inaccessible without clearance of the Construct's commandant, and the Purifying Force even needs authorization from Nikola himself.
Let's start with this one: who are you exactly?
I am... a Forsaken...
In the left pocket of my coat...
Noctis pulls a badge out of the pocket—something he has seen before when he paid the Forsaken a visit.
Watanabe... No... I don't take orders from that son of a...
Who exactly sent you here, then?
Spot on, although I have no idea who he is exactly... All I know is that he's the one leading the resistance against Babylonia...
Wow, sounds like one hell of a hotshot. Where is this Generalissimo, then?
Noctis throws a punch at the wall behind Noctis, which instantly shatters the wall into pieces.
AHHHHHHHHHH!!!
I-in just a few days...
How many days are "a few days"?!
Three! In three days, we'll be spearheading an attack on the town with Hetero-Creatures, and then...
A-and then...
Daemon stops cold, with bizarre laryngeal sounds emanating from his mouth.
Boy, look at you go there! Really had us goin'. Guess we'll have to do this the hard way, then...
Noctis is about to tighten his hand again when he notices that Daemon doesn't seem quite right.
Hey...!
...!!
Pure red blood—or pure red vital fluid that seems like blood—gushes out of Daemon's mouth as it opens and closes.
Hey, I didn't do this!
Noctis starts checking for open wounds on Daemon as his vitality takes a nosedive.
Wait... this guy isn't injured. He's poisoned!
You've never heard of any poison that works on Constructs, and you didn't even see anyone poison Daemon to begin with.
Suddenly, Noctis lets go of Daemon and rushes out of the alley, apparently having recalled something.
Nigel!!!
With no one in sight, Noctis shouts into the air.
Show your face now!
I can't! That son of a gun just poisoned the guy back there, and he's got to still be around now!
With his clenched hands crackling and his teeth squeezed, Noctis scrutinizes every last corner for Nigel.
Nigel... is still alive... I totally knew that, and he just murdered a person right under my nose!
What Noctis is doing now is making himself wildly susceptible if Nigel is actually around.
No, he's gotta be somewhere around, and I'm not leaving until he shows up!
Arrgh...
Letting out a growl of fury, Noctis walks away.
When Noctis is completely out of sight, a figure walks out of a corner where the light of the campfire can't reach.
...
