Main Story/Doubts and Suspicions

Doubts and Suspicions
Summary	With tracks leading so deep into the forest, what could be possibly be hidden that deep?
Characters	Stranger Boston Lobster Ichi Master Attendant Rice Amazake
Background Music [[File:]]
4th Day of Clear Skies
Within the forest, the thick canopy blocks the sun, creating a deep shadow even in broad daylight. Under a nearby tree, a Food Soul has fallen to the ground. His lifeless eyes stared skyward as his spiritual essence leaks from his wounds. A figure stands next to the dying spirit, uttering a low disapproving hum. His giant claw burns brightly. Behind him, the mysterious stranger in black silently watches the goings-on.
Stranger	Is he dead?
Boston Lobster	Not dead yet, but do you want to use this body?
Stranger	If time allows...well. I underestimated them. I didn't expect to be caught. I guess we had to kill them.
Boston Lobster	It WAS an easy job, even if we got caught.
Stranger	But we did it for freedom.
Boston Lobster	With this act, you've reached the point of no return; your hands are stained with the blood of the pure. There is no turning back now. You must complete this journey to gain your freedom.
Stranger	I'm tired of constantly bickering with you. It's past time for us to part ways!
Boston Lobster	Ha! That's MY decision to make, not yours.
Ichi	Hey! he's here!
Stranger	You!
Master Attendant	Ichi, the Food Soul over there looks like the one that went missing earlier...
Boston Lobster	What a coincidence. He was your companion?
Rice	Why, why are you guys doing this!?
Stranger	To survive, of course.
Rice	......to survive?
Stranger	That's right. To survive, and it takes the body of a Food Soul to do that.
Ichi	You... Why would you take their bodies?
Stranger	Why? A tool, of course.
Ichi	What......?
Stranger	I will never understand you. The Food Souls have been here for centuries; it's stupid to treat them as though they are human! As these things were made by men, their fate should also be in our hands. Their benefits accrue to use whether they are alive or dead, so it is worthless to have a "relationship" with them.
Ichi	You coward!
Rice	Mr. Ichi, please calm down.
Master Attendant	So you were responsible for the recent attacks, and not the Fallen Angels?!?
Stranger	Fallen? Oh, are you talking about those Food Souls? Well, at this point, there's no harm to tell you the truth. Although you refer to them as Fallen Angels now, they were once the original Food Souls.
Ichi	Food......Food Souls!
Master Attendant	In other words, that person you killed just now was the Merchant's Food Soul?
Stranger	What--- were you looking for them? Did you not realize it earlier? How does it feel to witness the death of a Food Soul?
Ichi	Why are you still here?!
Stranger	It doesn't matter how much I tell you now. Time is running out. Lobster! Help me stall for time!
Boston Lobster	Ah!
Stranger	Aaaah!
The stranger in black thought Boston Lobster was going to help him stall the party, but instead found his neck tightly clamped Boston Lobster's pincer.
Stranger	Bost... on... You?!?
He tries to fight back but he is no match for a Food Soul; Boston Lobster is far too powerful for him.
Stranger	Hey, wait! I am...helping you escape...why on earth...?
Boston Lobster	You think I'm blind and mindless?
Stranger	*cough* & *cough* ahhhh......!
Boston Lobster	I worked with humans for the sake of keeping my promise to you, but you are a scumbag. You make me want to puke! shouldn't your life end as an apology?
Before he can say another word, Boston Lobster's giant claw tightens, and the stranger sags, his body becoming motionless.
Rice	You... why did you kill him?!
Boston Lobster	Oh, aren't you the Food Soul with an empty shell I met last time? How on earth can you have sympathy for a low life like that? You want to be their gatekeeping dog?
Rice	It's our duty as Food Souls to help humans! Have you forgotten?
Boston Lobster	Duty!? ...hahaha, hahahahahahaha!!! How cute!
Rice	......
Boston Lobster	Humans have been fighting side by side with Food Souls for years, but little do they know they have created something that can turn Food Souls into Fallen Angels.
Rice	What? turning Food Souls into Fallens?
Boston Lobster	Why would humans want to do that? Don't you want to know? All right, seeing is believing. Why don't you ask this worm on the ground about it?
Boston Lobster reaches into the robes of the stranger and pulls out a syringe. He then grabs the dead Food Soul off the ground and injects the liquid into its body. Without another word, he turns and disappears into the forest.
Ichi	Hey, wait up! Don't move!
Ichi starts to chase him, but is shocked into stunned motionlessness as the dead spirit, after a sequence of convulsions, lets out a cry of pain. His eyes are terrible to behold, glowing with an unearthly light.
Ichi	This... this is a Food Soul?
Master Attendant	No. This is... a "Fallen".
Complete Mission
Amazake	Heeellooo...Master Attendant...where are you...?
Master Attendant and his companions were able to defeat the weakened Fallen Food Soul, but they realized the war they are fighting... is against one of their own.
Ichi	Good lord, I almost didn't make it!
Master Attendant	......
Rice	Why... why must it be this way?
Background Music [[File:]]
Master Attendant	Rice......
Rice	Are you saying... we are the same blood with the Fallens...? How could this happen?... All this time... I...
Master Attendant	Rice?
Rice	......!
Master Attendant	What did you mean by "all this time"?
Rice	Eh? What did I just say?
Ichi	Did you let out some gibberish because you were too nervous?
Rice	I guess so... Sorry about that.
Master Attendant	Listen up. I don't know what that guy did to the Food Souls, but trust me, as your contractor, I will not do anything to hurt a Food Soul. Never!
Rice	Master Attendant... No, I am fine. sorry for getting you worried.
Master Attendant	......
Ichi	Master Attendant, take a look at this!
Master Attendant	What have you found?
Ichi	This liquid --- this is a major discovery.
Master Attendant	Is this what Boston Lobster used just now? So Food Souls turning into Fallen Angels has something to do with that liquid?
Ichi	See this logo? What's that written underneath...?
Ichi points to a silver embossed logo on the syringe. A line of fine text is printed just below it. [Created by Nevras Academy]
Rice	Academy?
Master Attendant	Rice, you don't know about it? Nevras Academy was once a place for wizards to learn magic. After humans lost their own magical power, they turned to studying magical tools. Among those tools, the crystals we use for signing contracts were developed by the Academy.
Rice	But then, why did they create this horrible thing?
Ichi	That would require a trip to the Academy to find out!
Master Attendant	But the Academy is no open for people like us. What should we do?
Ichi	Maybe Olivia will know what to do. The problem here is resolved. We'll drop a word to the building material company and then do back to the restaurant.
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