Through the Haze

I know this place. Ginny and I used to play hide and seek here...

When those Breakers came, Soth had us block every path and trail. Don't want no raiders to sneak up on us.

Breaker central is up ahead... But I'm afraid we won't be much help beyond this point.

Ginny?

Is Miss Perlica leaving...? I ... I got a small present for you.

Ginny! Weren't you supposed to be resting?

Good to see you back on your feet, Ginny. Looks like the suppressants are doing their job. But make sure you get plenty of rest to fully recover.

Take care of Ginny, Karja. Keep a close eye on her condition. I've left you a prescription and more medication. Ask Mr. Soth if there's anything you don't understand.

Yes! Definitely! I'll keep that in mind. Thank you so much!

Please have this, Miss Perlica. I drew it myself. Wish you the best!

This is such a beautiful drawing! Thank you so much, Ginny.

Remember, boy — family is a treasure. Be a good brother to her.

Alright, guys. This is the ventilation shaft.

Karja, did you find Uncle Mark?

Not yet, Ginny... But we'll try our best to find him.

Yeah. Mark was a good wooster crew mate. He helped us escape to this place and carried Ginny the whole way. That's why she's so worried about him.

So where did Mark go? Is he ... safe?

I ... I don't know. Mark helped us settle in, then headed out with the others. He never came back to the cave.

Standing around guessing won't get us anywhere. We should try our luck in the Landbreakers' territory.

And I hope we don't find Mark there. It's too risky for non-combatants.... Let's move out ASAP, team.

This place feels a little creepy... What have the Landbreakers been doing here?

Blighted waste? Wulfgard, is this part of the Bonekrushers' culture?

The Bonekrushers would use Blighted materials when igniting their denstacks. But clearly, there isn't any denstack here.

The Blight can interfere with all sorts of Originium activities. As of now, we only know of a few ways of "utilizing" it.

The same should apply to the Bonekrushers. In the past, they would simply discard Blighted waste that built up in their denstacks. But this place seems to be stockpiling the material.

So the LBs came up with a new way of using it? They're actually doing science?

So... Any conclusions?

The Blight arises out of Æther. It is natural for them to worship the birthplace of the Blight.

That being said, since this Landbreaker was trying to absorb the Blight ... could it be an attempt to "embrace" the Æther?

The Landbreakers are never short on crazies... But the Æther isn't like Originium. It can't be used directly as a weapon — at least, not that I know of.

They're trying to absorb the Blight... Darn it. I've never seen anything this crazy. Nefarith has turned the Bonekrushers into something very different.

The Bonekrushers never did this before. Maybe we should stop treating them as a warlord faction of bandits.

Other Landbreakers probably hate the Pack more, since we work with you, Endfield.

But, heh. Who cares what they think?

I say we go see for ourselves what they're really up to. Let's go — no point wasting time in guesswork.

Wulfgard, what does "the Deep" mean to the Bonekrushers?

The Ætherside. They have always worshiped the Æther — that's why they avoid using Originium. They would only use devices based on witchcraft, such as denstacks.

They sealed off this entire place with their haze. Fortunately we still have this secret tunnel.

Those smaller denstacks are used for powering the central furnace. Take them out to extinguish the giant denstack, end the haze, and give us a way to reach the Valley Fort.

Alright. Time to demolish some stacks!

——The land abandoned us.

What was that?

...Nefarith.

Don't be affected by her Arts. Let's keep going.

Are you Endfielders? Thank goodness, I thought I was going to die here... I keep hearing that woman's voice in my head...

Why are you locked in here?

I'm Shawna... I lead a UWST construction crew. Many of my crew went missing after the attack on Valley IV. When I heard the Landbreakers were hunting people down, I thought I might find some of my crew here...

Do they have other lookouts besides the ones we just took out?

There used to be more Landbreakers here ... but then they got some kind of order, and half of them went into the Fort. I only dared scream for help when I saw you.

I see... Any other people held here? We're looking for Mark. He was helping evacuate the refugees with his crew mates.

Mark? I saw him following the Landbreakers to the Valley Fort... Damn coward...!

Wha... Did he surrender?

Surrendered...? Your name is ... Shawna, right? Leave the Fort to us. You should head back to the base — it's safe now.

Okay ... but I'm going to look for other survivors first, then make my way back to the base. Good luck, you guys.

No more delays. Let's head straight into the Fort.

The UWST crew mate is covered in wounds and no longer breathing.

In his dying moments, he still clenches an Oripathy suppressant in his hand.