Speaker
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Dialogue
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Location: Aboard Mephistopheles
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[Sirens blare. Green lights illuminate the bus.]
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Sinner #11 SINCLAIR
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Ah…
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Sinner #8 ISHMAEL
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Woah… how are these green lights still… green?
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Another unexpected alarm. But we all react with measured astonishment, as we'd all grown rather used to the randomness of it all.
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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It is unlikely that it has completely evaded the influence of T Corp.'s Singularity. However, it can be said that this partial retention of color can be attributed to the fact that Walpurgis Night is a transitory moment in which numerous possibilities coincide.
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Manager DANTE
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<Makes sense…>
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Faust nonchalantly walking up to the driver's seat and shutting off the alarm.
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Sinner #3 DON QUIXOTE
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Lo! 'Tis return'd, this Wal-Walpu-whatever night!
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Don Quixote and her eyes that begin twinkling at the smallest bit of diversion after another long-period of idle standby.
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It's all just become a part of the routine.
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Even mysterious things like these 'Walpurgis Nights'.
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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Oh. An additional volatility, aside from the Walpurgis Night, has been detected.
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Manager DANTE
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<An additional volatility?>
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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Indeed. The entrance to a new Mirror Dungeon has opened.
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Sinner #7 HEATHCLIFF
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Oh, yeah. That.
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Heathcliff mutters quietly as he rises from his seat.
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Sinner #7 HEATHCLIFF
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I thought it was about time a new one popped up. It happens every time we go through the bloody wringer. ... Didn't expect it to appear with the green flashes, though.
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Heathcliff lightly struck the end of his club against the floor in visible anticipation.
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… The word that was once engraved into his club had changed.
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A few days ago, I saw him sitting at the back of the bus, busily sanding and carving something into his club.
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I didn't have to ask to know what he meant by that new word, so…
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… I decided to not bring it up to anyone else.
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Only Heathcliff and I retained that memory, after all.
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Sinner #7 HEATHCLIFF
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Thought I was goin' mad from tedium. C'mon, let's go bash some sods.
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Guide
Vergilius
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How nice.
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Guide
Vergilius
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I like seeing some initiative from the Sinners. Miss Faust?
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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Indeed. Let us move without delay.
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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Dante, bring us to the corridor past the Backdoor.
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Manager DANTE
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<… Got it.>
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Trying my best to shake this odd, uncomfortable feeling that Heathcliff's newfound enthusiasm didn't come off as entirely optimistic, I led the Sinners to the Backdoor.
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Location: Bus's Backdoor
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Manager DANTE
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<Two types of doors at once, huh…>
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Two new sets of doors, just as Faust had predicted.
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One set of doors was, as I expected, two metal doors resonant with the sound of wuthering gusts. A new Mirror Dungeon.
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And the other set of doors was…
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Sinner #12 OUTIS
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Are these... papers?
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Sinner #11 SINCLAIR
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It's… all sparkly.
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It was an unfamiliar door, radiating with an odd gleam of light.
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Technically, we did see the weird, radio-frequency-like squiggly lines around the door before, but everything else about it was new.
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Sinner #9 RODION
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I guess this one doesn't connect to the Lobotomy Corporation like the last one did…
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Sinner #13 GREGOR
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Weird. I think I'm hearing… Is that jazz?
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Sinner #7 HEATHCLIFF
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Oi, is this even a door…? It's more like a window than a door, innit?
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Right… this new entrance definitely resembled a large window rather than a door. The window was blurry, and all I could see past it were some globs of shapes moving about.
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Sinner #1 YI SANG
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There appear to be several shambling entities past the entrance…
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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…….
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Faust seemed to have realized something, but she didn't tell us what it was. Instead, she merely looked in my direction without saying a word.
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… I'm starting to get what she means by that look.
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Manager DANTE
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<… Guess I'll have to get in there to see what this is all about. Right, Faust?>
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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You are experiencing regular growth in capabilities. Faust considers this to be a positive development.
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Manager DANTE
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<… Yeah.>
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Location: ???
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A field of green and a wall of tall, great trees appear before us as we enter the door. But at this point, it'll take a bit more than this to surprise us.
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Sinner #9 RODION
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Ah, so nice to have our colors back for once, huh~?
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Sinner #5 MEURSAULT
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Quiet. There's an Abnormality.
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Manager DANTE
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<So these things were what we saw past the window earlier…?>
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Sinner #5 MEURSAULT
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We are yet to be discovered. I recommend that we prepare for combat, Manager.
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I didn't even need to tell the Sinners what they were. It was pretty clear from the get-go that we'd be fighting an abnormality; the Sinners all stood ready to charge into battle at my command.
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But… it's a bit different this time.
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Manager DANTE
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<So… Faust. I'm starting to get the hang of this Walpurgis Night thing. And…>
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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Please, do continue.
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Manager DANTE
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<… I think there's something different about these Abnormalities. Can you explain why?>
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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… Considering the nature of Abnormalities, every encounter with an Abnormality would be equivalent to an encounter with a summoned entity.
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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Nevertheless, there exists a certain degree of difference when we encounter them in a Refraction Railway or a Mirror Dungeon.
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Sinner #1 YI SANG
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That is to say…?
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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We enter a site once known as 'The Library'. A building that inexplicably appeared above the former L Corp. headquarters.
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Location: The Library - A Space Within a Book
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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And this exact location is said to be a space that exists within a book in which the Abnormality resides.
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'The Library'…? Where have I heard that term before? Some Sinners talked about it, that's for sure…
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Sinner #1 YI SANG
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Quite… Yet this 'space' is fairly distinct from the containment units we had witnessed afore at one of the branches.
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Sinner #1 YI SANG
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It appears as though an ideal habitat has been established precisely for that Abnormality's residence. A rather striking difference from the very limited space and unaccommodating environment provided by the containment units.
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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Yes. You may compare this place to a terrarium. The Abnormality inhabiting this place has transformed its environs to a form most suitable for its dwelling.
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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Here are some comparisons that may make it easier for one to comprehend: a fish would fill this space with water, and a worm would fill this space with soil.
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Sinner #1 YI SANG
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Hmm…
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Sinner #9 RODION
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Gotcha. So, as long as the Abnormality exists within this 'book', it can deck this place out with whatever fits its fancy, huh?
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Sinner #2 FAUST
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It would be more accurate to say that an Abnormality, once outside the confines of the Qliphoth Deterrence, can rebuild its environment to fit its needs.
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Sinner #9 RODION
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Woah, that's kinda like free housing, huh…?
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That's when…
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… Don Quixote, who was standing rather far from the group, who was made aware of these revelations only after Meursault had relayed them to her…
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Sinner #3 DON QUIXOTE
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Book…? Our journey hath brought us inside a BOOK, thou sayeth?!
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Sinner #3 DON QUIXOTE
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T-th-th-the Library of legend that vanished like a mirage, for truth…?!
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… suddenly blew up with explosive enthusiasm once again.
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Sinner #5 MEURSAULT
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… I will add a preamble in the future to prevent such outbursts.
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Sinner #12 OUTIS
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We've been detected, Executive Manager.
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Manager DANTE
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<Yeah… Let's get this over with first.>
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