Story Reader / Event Story / The Meandering Three / Story
Time passes, and the sandstorm seems to gradually weaken.
Dammit... Where did he go...
Noctis can see a dark shape about a few dozen meters ahead of him.
Heading in that direction, Noctis is counting on the fact that a normal person would be seeking shelter in a place like that in this storm.
That is, if said person is still alive.
He can't be dumb enough to miss this shelter, can he—
Bang—
As sand flies above his head, Noctis hears a clear gunshot right ahead of him.
Who's that?
I was going to ask you!
...Come on here.
Beardy?
Yeah, it's me.
Noctis trudges forward knee-deep in the sand, his footsteps covered almost immediately after he takes a step.
Finally reaching the source of the voice, Noctis finds Beardy leaning against a rock, his right hand holding the gun with which he fired his warning shot. Beardy chuckles wryly at Noctis.
****ing hell. What were you thinking, chasing after some petty thieves in this storm? Were you trying to kill yourself?
Ha... I guess...
Beardy struggles to stand up. Sand swoops down his body, revealing two more lifeless men lying on top of him.
What happened?
Two punks tried to take my stuff. I chased after them... and took care of them.
Better... be ready for retaliation in their line of work, I suppose.
You're freezing... Hey, your injury...
Noctis realizes that Beardy is about to go into shock. His trousers and legs are dyed crimson red by blood and the yellow sand.
The storm slowly quiets down, echoing how silently the blood flows into the sand.
I... dreamt about him earlier.
We were in that park... and... he... This is all that's left...
Hey! Hey!
Blood loss and hypothermia are taking his consciousness away.
Although Noctis has no interest in medical knowledge, he has learned some first-aid techniques from fighting side-by-side with Vera over the years.
Yeah.
Beardy squeezes out a smile. He tries to hand his projector and films to Noctis, but his arms are stiff, no longer under his command.
I don't want your stuff. Hold it yourself.
You're a grown man. Don't you die in this shithole like a coward.
Noctis tears down a piece of fabric from Beardy's trousers, wrapping and tying it around the gnarly wound on his thigh.
Hey! Keep your eyes on me! Don't fall asleep!
I'm going to carry you back to Vera, okay? She'll fix you up!
Holding Beardy's head with one hand, Noctis gently slaps his face to keep him awake.
Noctis took part in many covert missions when he was in the Purifying Force. He has taken many lives himself.
He has seen many "final moments" flickering in people's eyes. Some of them showed desperation, some fear, and some rage.
For a second, Noctis also sees the "final moment" in Beardy's eyes.
It is not desperation, fear, or anger, however. It is the relentless hope of life.
**** you... I'm... no coward.
That's right!
Noctis looks around him. The storm has completely ceased.
He confirms Beardy's status one last time. Right as he is going to carry Beardy on his back, he notices a knife stuck in one of the dead bodies.
Noctis pulls the knife out without hesitation. Sand immediately covers where it was over the corpse.
It's yours, right?
Beardy nods.
Noctis puts the knife in Beardy's stiffened hand and squeezes it tight, making sure Beardy is holding onto the knife, his film, and his projector.
Let's go.
Noctis—
The silhouettes of No. 21 and Vera become clearer and clearer under the night sky on the path Noctis came from.
Only now does Noctis realize that the ravaging sandstorm has eased.
Hey, Vera's here.
Noctis slaps Beardy's face again, albeit slightly harder than last time. He knows that a person is likely not going to wake up if they lose consciousness in this state.
...
Beardy no longer says anything, simply nodding.
Beardy and Noctis are here!
Captain, I smell blood...
You owe me twice now.
Vera swiftly takes out the first aid kit and prepares to perform emergency treatment on Beardy.
Who did the bandage?
I did.
Not bad. Far from satisfactory, but it will do for now.
His wound is covered in sand... I have to disinfect it first. Get him something to bite down.
Beardy shakes his head, refusing Vera's suggestion.
The pain... keeps me awake.
Yeah.
Vera does not hesitate any longer and quickly disinfects the injuries, reduces the inflammation, and dresses his wound.
You're a lucky bastard. It didn't touch your femoral artery.
After a simple binding, Vera hangs a bag of artificial blood onto Beardy's body and watches the light yellow liquid slowly drip into him.
Is that it?
That's all we can do for now. Rescuing and treating human patients wasn't part of our mission.
I guess it's still necessary to bring spare supplies with us...
So... how did you two find us?
I smelled Beardy after the storm started to stop.
Standing next to Beardy, No. 21 watches him attentively.
She gently removes a small needle-like object from his shirt. It is hardly noticeable unless one pays very close attention.
What's that?
A locator. You have one on you as well.
What? Me? Where?
Since our mission takes place in a signal blind spot, Captain asked me to bring the locators.
But they only go up to 3 km.
I see...
Why is his temperature and blood pressure still so low...
Noctis, get a fire going. His temperature is dropping too quickly. He's going to die from the cold before he bleeds out.
Tch... I used all the bombs when we were fighting...
Here. I brought you this.
Vera points at the old-school explosives hung on her banner spear.
The man from the garage left it behind.
This thing won't start a fire.
This is black powder... It lights up for a second and goes out immediately. It won't work.
I thought you were good at this.
Yeah, that's why I know it won't do anything.
Rargh—rargh—
Dissonant voices suddenly appear nearby.
Many strange-looking Corrupted crawl out from beneath the sand as if hiding from the sandstorm underground just now. As the storm abates, they rise once more.
Give me a break.
It's not just them. There... are more around us.
...Should we retreat?
Hard to retreat with a wounded man.
I guess we're doing it the hard way.
Noctis instinctively reaches for the bombs around his waist, but he accidentally touches an unfamiliar bottle.
Whisky?
Yeah.
Oh, right. The tavern owner gave it to me.
Isn't it Beardy's?
Looking at the clear, strong alcohol in his hand, Noctis seems to recall something and turns around, crouching before Beardy.
Hey. Are you scared of dying?
...
I... owe Zack my life.
Now... I owe you twice.
Zack? Who's Zack?
Beardy shakes his head, his eyes covered in tears.
I'm not afraid of death.
But I'm going to live.
Pop! Noctis removes the cork from the bottle and hands it to Beardy.
Beardy's hand is still a little stiff from the cold and the blood loss, but he manages to take the bottle from Noctis and takes a sip before passing it back.
Noctis does not say anything else. He pats Beardy on his shoulder before turning around and grabbing the explosives next to Vera.
The wish in Beardy's eyes has been passed to Noctis.
You know the drill. Let's blow them up.
Noctis ties the bomb and the whisky together, and he flings it toward the approaching Corrupted—
Alcohol and fire, iron and blood. They bring death, but they also ignite new hope.
