Bellina

Aldred: ......
Aldred: Hmph. Empty. We've wasted our time.

Andromeda: Then the rumor of the Syndicate performing a massive experiment... It was a lie?

Aldred: It doesn't matter. There was a chance, so I had to be sure.
Aldred: All I need is a whiff of Syndicate stink, and I'll drop everything to chase it down.
Andromeda: I know, but you gotta pace yourself, okay? Your body's not as infallible as you like to believe.
Aldred: You can save your worries, Andromeda. There's nothing here to get worked up over anyway.
Andromeda: Yes... Hm? Hold on! I sense a powerful source of mana approaching us!
Aldred: Is it the Syndicate?!
 ???: Wow, right into my trap. I figured a failure like you would be impatient, but that was way too easy.
Aldred: Who are—?!
Bellina: Name's Bellina. I'm here to kill you.
Bellina: You've caused quite a stir with your rise against the Syndicate, you know.
Bellina: Subject Tf-997 of the Synthetic Shapeshifting Project, a guinea pig for artificial shapeshifting—one that scurried off before he could be put down.
Bellina: And now you've got the guts to seek revenge? You shoulda kept running.
Aldred: I'm free to do what I want.
Bellina: Free, huh? Hm...
Aldred: That power... You were a Syndicate experiment yourself.
Bellina: Hey now, don't go lumpin' me in with you. I ain't no patchwork failure.
Bellina: You were merged with a dragon by force, and the results aren't pretty. But me? I got pure mana transferred into my arm, sapped straight from a dragon.
Bellina: I don't need to shapeshift to tap into my full power. It's just there, always, waiting to be unleashed.
Bellina: Still, failure though you may be, they had to call ME in to kill you. I'm hoping that means you'll put up a fight.
Aldred: Give it a try. I'll crush any and all that stand between me and destroying the Syndicate.
Aldred: Stand back, Andromeda.
Andromeda: Please be careful, Aldred...
Aldred: I will destroy ALL TRACES of the Syndicate!
Bellina: Bring it! I'll show you that I'm the strongest of all!
Bellina: Not bad! But I think warm-ups are over. Time to bring it for real!
Bellina: Renegade Queen!
Aldred: Hmph... I see you really were holding back.
Bellina: And you still are. You won't be able to take me on like that!
Aldred: Rrgh! It's taking all I have just to guard!
Bellina: Ha ha ha! You can't beat me if all you do is defend!
Aldred: You'll regret making me use this... WYRMBINDING!
Bellina: Yes, FINALLY! It's been ages since I could use my full power with someone. And believe me, I'm gonna savor it.
Aldred: Rrrgh... Enough! Feel the savage wrath of the dragon within me!
Bellina: I'm the strongest! YOU'RE just a failure! You—
Bellina: Agh!
Bellina: Dammit, not now... Hrrgh! Grrr... Graaaaaaagh!
Aldred: You call me a failure, and yet you can't even control your own power? That's rich!
Bellina: My arm might be unruly sometimes, but at least I don't have a dragon vying for control of my thougths... Ngh!
Aldred: Tch. Enough talk. It's time to end this.
Bellina: Do it, I dare y—AAAAAARGH!
Andromeda: Aldred, the base is going to collapse!
Aldred: We should get clear. Though that may be easier said than done...
Bellina: ...No. Just go.
Aldred: What...?
Bellina: I'm not doing it to be nice, okay?! I just don't think killing you in a cave-in would really prove I'm the strongest.
Bellina: So I'll let you live, till next we meet. And then, you—hrgh... You better be ready!
Aldred: Heh. Yeah, you too. I won't hesitate next time.
Bellina: Nngh...! ...Heh. Heh heh heh... Ha ha ha ha!

Bauer: You're back late, Ij-9. I trust your meeting with Tf-997 was fruitful?
Bellina: ......
Bauer: Ij-9?
Bellina: Thought I told you to quit it with that name, Bauer.
Bauer: Mmm. For such a marvelous weapon, you maintain some terrifically petty quibbles.
Bauer: Now tell me: Have you taken care of Tf-997?
Bellina: No. I let Aldred go.
Bauer: *sigh* You and your bad habits. Still, I assume that means you found him a satisfactory opponent?
Bauer: I recognize your thirst for challenge, but I'll remind you that if your actions result in any opposition to the Syndicate—
Bellina: Don't worry. I'll finish him later.
Bauer: Yes. See that you do.
Bauer: The freedom you so enjoy is a gift of goodwill from the great and powerful Syndicate. Never forget that.
Bellina: I know. And I'll keep proving I'm the strongest so I can keep it.
Bellina: (It's true I owe a lot to the Syndicate. I was in a pretty bad way before they scooped me up for their Refined Draconic Infusion Initiative. Me and all the others.)
Bellina: (They pulled us from all walks. Made us guinea pigs, put us through the ringer.)
Bellina: (And most of us just took it on the chin.)
Bellina: (...But not her.)
Bellina: (She was my one source of light in that hellhole.)
Bellina: ("I will have ultimate freedom." That's what she used to say. And that's why she volunteered for the Syndicate's experiments.)
Bellina: (She was sure that once she obtained the power of Renegade Queen, she'd have everything she dreamed of...)
Bellina: (...And then I stamped those dreams out myself. I beat her, and won the hand of the Renegade Queen.)
Bellina: (I don't regret it. It was either her or me. But...)
Bauer: Is something amiss, Ij-9?
Bellina: ...No. I was just thinking.
Bauer: Ah. Ij-6 again, is it? Please don't tell me your conscience is still troubling you over that.
Bellina: Of course not. I'm just...carrying on her dreams of freedom in my own way.
Bauer: Is that so? Quite surprising, considering your disparate backgrounds; you of the slums, she of the silver spoon.
Bellina: What of it?
Bauer: Well, can such different people truly seek and relish the same type of freedom?
Bellina: I told you, I'm doing it in my own way. I don't have to justify the details. That's part of being free.
Bauer: Quite so. But if you hope to retain that privilege, you must uphold your end of the bargain.
Bellina: I'm aware.
Bellina: The Syndicate picks the targets, and I feed 'em to the Renegade Queen. I prove I'm the strongest, and I stay free.
Bauer: Yes... Although, I fear you may only be "the strongest" for a little while longer.
Bellina: What do you mean?
Bauer: An experiment to produce a modified fiend will soon be complete. It will be like your little sibling, in a way.
Bellina: And you're tipping it to squash me, huh? Interesting. When's it gonna be done?
Bauer: Ij-458 is currently in phase three. Once we solve the lingering control issues, we will proceed with field testing.
Bellina: You can't control it? Hah! The beast's even worse than Aldred, then.
Bauer: We shall find out soon enough.
Bauer: Ij-458's field test will pit it against Tf-997 directly.
Bellina: Oh? Cuttin' in on my turf, huh?
Bauer: This is the will of the Syndicate.
Bellina: ...You knew I was gonna let Alrded go, didn't you?
Bauer: Of course. The Syndicate sees all.
Bellina: Tch...
Bauer: Are you sure you don't wish to come along and witness Tf-997's final moments?
Bellina: It's none of my concern. If he loses to your toy, it just means I misjudged him.
Bauer: ...You don't know the meaning of freedom, Ij-9.

Aldred: ...Show yourself.
Bauer: Pleased to make your acquaintance, you two. And you must be Tf-997, the rubbish from the Synthetic Shapeshifting Project.
Bauer: I am Bauer. I believe our meeting will be short-lived, but I am delighted to meet you.
Aldred: Bauer?! You're a Syndicate executive!
Bauer: Heh heh... You'll find I'm not quite as soft as the Doctor.
Syndicate Soldiers: Aaaaagh!
Aldred: You could number a thousand and still be no match for me.
Bauer: Oh, I know that quite well.
Aldred: What are you up to...?
Bauer: We will now commence field testing of the subject. Men, take your positions!
Andromeda: We're surrounded! Wh-what should we do, Aldred?
Aldred: Just stay close. This is nothing.
Aldred: You think circling up is all it'll take to beat me? You underestimate my power.
Bauer: And you underestimate ours. These are merely the walls of the arena, my mangled friend.
Modified Fiend: Grrreeeeeeeeeaaach!
Aldred: Wh-what is that?!
Bauer: Ij-458. A modified fiend, made using the same concepts seen in Ij-9.
Aldred: Ij-9... That's Bellina!
Bauer: Humanoids like Ij-9 have certain limits to their strength, but fiends are more flexible.
Bauer: Case in point, Ij-9 was only able to accept the dragon mana transfusion in her right arm—but Ij-458 has done so in 14 different areas.
Bauer: As such, we expect Ij-458's abilities to far surpass Ij-9's.
Bauer: Of course, it can still be a bit...unruly. But the data we collect from this trial should help us remedy that.
Aldred: So you plan to feed me to it, like a mouse to a snake.
Bauer: You should be honored to die for the cause of the Syndicate!
Ij-458: Grrreeeeeeeeeeaaaach!
Bellina: So that's Bauer's new toy, huh? I don't care what its stats are on paper. Strength ain't something you can measure with numbers alone.
Bellina: Yet despite that...
Aldred: Hngh!
Bellina: What is he DOING?! I know he's stronger than that!
Aldred: Rrrgh... Don't toy with me!
Ij-458: Greeeeeach!
Aldred: Ngh... Dammit... Guess I have to use wy—aaaaaagh!
Andromeda: Aldred! He's used too much of his power... His body can't take it!
Bellina: Ugh, what's going on?! Can he not use his power?
Bellina: If he gets wasted this easily, imagine how that'll make ME look...
Ij-458: Grrrrreeeeeeaaach!
Aldred: Aaaagh!
Aldred: No... I can still... Hngh!
Bauer: Heh heh. I believe that's the match.
Ij-458: Greeeeeeeach!
Aldred: Hrgh!
Bellina: Oh.
Bauer: Hm? Could it be...?!
Bellina: ......
Bauer: What is the meaning of this, Ij-9? This is hardly something I can overlook.
Bellina: I know, I... I guess my body just moved on its own.
Bauer: I see. So it was just an accident, then?
Bellina: Yeah. My right arm, it just... I don't know. I lost control of it for a second.
Bauer: I see. Well, no harm done.
Bauer: ...Is what you would no doubt like to hear!
Bellina: *gasp*
Bauer: I have no tolerance for those who would obstruct the work of the Syndicate.
Bellina: Hey, come on, I just scratched up your toy a bit! It ain't that big a deal, right?
Bauer: The Syndicate does not forgive treachery, Ij-9. Your freedom ends here.
Andromeda: Oh no, Aldred! We're going to...
Aldred: I know. But first...
Aldred: Bellina. Let me ask you something.
Bellina: Make it quick, Aldred. I don't have time for failures.
Aldred: Why did you save me?
Bellina: ...Ugh.
Bellina: Look, I wasn't TRYING to save you, okay? I just didn't wanna watch you get beat around anymore.
Bellina: Maybe it's because you weren't fit to fight. Maybe it's that army that had you surrounded while you got pummeled. Something just didn't sit right.
Aldred: ...Do you think we can cut our way out?
Bellina: Hah. Weren't you just yelling about how a thousand men couldn't take you down?
Aldred: That...may have been a slight exaggeration.
Bellina: Oh yeah? 'Cause I could take down a thousand guys no problem!
Aldred: If I wasn't injured, I could take out TEN thousand—in only ten blows!
Andromeda: Excuse me, but I don't think now is the time for a battle of boasts!
Aldred: ......
Bellina: ......
Bellina: Yeah, whatever. Come on, let's regroup.
Aldred: You have a plan, I take it?
Bellina: You'll owe me for this. Once we make it out of here and I take care of a few things, I'll turn my sights on you.
Bellina: I'll defeat you and prove that I'm number one—the freest of all. You won't know what hit you!
Bellina: Hyaaaaaah!
Syndicate Soldiers: A dust cloud?! *cough* *cough* I can't see anything!
Syndicate Soldiers: What the—who pushed me?! Stay in formation!
Bauer: Hmph. Clever girl.
Aldred: ......
Bellina: ......
Bauer: They won't have gotten far. Split up and find them!
Bauer: Cling to your freedom all you like, Ij-9. In the end, I hold it in the palm of my hand...

Syndicate Soldiers: Aaagh!
Bellina: I'm baaaaack!
Bauer: Back so soon, Ij-9?
Bellina: Oh, I tried to stay away. But these little insects kept comin' at me, so what's a girl to do?
Bellina: Figured I'd just come destroy their nest and be done with it.
Bauer: You liken us to insects, yet I have lured you here like a moth to flame!
Bellina: It's barely been any time at all since my slipup broke your little toy.
Bellina: Yet here you are, ready and waiting with an army of troops... You're far too prepared.
Bellina: You knew this was how things were gonna play out, didn't you?
Bellina: ...You've been waiting for a chance to get rid of me for some time.
Bauer: ...And?
Bellina: At least tell it to me straight! Enough with the subterfuge!
Bauer: This is what it means to be part of a group. Someone like you, with your mistaken idea of freedom, will likely never understand.
Bellina: I don't want to understand.
Bellina: And I'm done talking! Make them hurt, Renegade Queen!
Bauer: My, my. The damage has reached the anticipated value. Bring out Ij-459.
Syndicate Soldier: Er, but sir, it's still—
Bauer: I am well aware we can't control it. The alternative, however, is our demise—or are you a traitor too?
Syndicate Soldier: N-no sir! As you command, sir!
Ij-459: Graaaaaaaoooowr!
Bauer: Ij-459 has been infused with even greater levels of draconic mana than the late Ij-458. Do you know what that means?
Ij-459: GRAAAAH!
Syndicate Soldier: Aaah!
Bellina: It's another failure you can't control?
Bauer: What it lacks in controllability, it makes up for in strength and belligerence. If you consider strength to be the measure of freedom, then it is clearly freer than you!
Ij-459: Guraaaaagh!
Syndicate Soldiers: Aaaaaaah!
Syndicate Soldier: I-it's going to kill us all!
Syndicate Soldier: Nngh!
Syndicate Soldiers: Aah! Aaaaaaah!
Bellina: You call that freedom?
Bauer: Is feeding your cravings at will not your very definition of freedom?
Bauer: You seek to act however you wish, free of all ties—but there is no value in that.
Bauer: No, the true value of freedom is found in subjugation. The awareness of what binds you, and the strength to overcome it.
Bauer: Until you are able to understand that, you will continue to be but a petulant child, indulging in tantrums. Just like Ij-459 here.
Bellina: ......
Ij-459: Graaaaaaaoooorgh!
Syndicate Soldiers: Eeeek!
Bauer: Well, I believe this is where we part ways.
Bellina: You're just gonna leave your toy behind?
Bauer: ...You accused me earlier of planning to be rid of you, yes? Well, you were only half right.
Bauer: I didn't just want to eliminate you, Ij-9—I wanted to destroy the entire Ij series. The project as a whole.
Bellina: What...? If you were planning on killing this thing to begin with, why even make it?! Cut the crap!
Bauer: Your opinion is of no consequence. The truth of the matter is there is no future for the Ij series.
Bauer: The fact that, after 450 subjects, none have surpassed the now-ancient Ij-9 is proof enough.
Bellina: What? I thought you said Ij-458's scores totally dwarfed mine?
Bauer: The scores meant little. I merely needed something to placate the Syndicate's demands for evidence of progress.
Bellina: So you were full of it from the start... And now you need a way to shut this hideout down too, right?
Bauer: Precisely.
Bauer: A project this well-funded cannot be so easily dismantled, after all.
Bellina: Oh, it's a big job all right. And I'm just another cog in the works.
Bauer: Heh. Catching on, are you? That's right. I knew you would turn traitor. It was the last element I needed to pull my plan together.
Bauer: The Syndicate abhors traitors above all else. So when I sacrifice my subordinates and base to kill this particularly dangerous one? Why, they'll thank me.
Bauer: Is that "straight" enough for you?
Bellina: What—no! You're seriously okay with killing all these people?!
Bauer: Hah. It's rather rich to hear that from such a prolific killer as yourself.
Bellina: ......
Bauer: I am but a lowly farmer whose fields no longer come to harvest. What else is there to do but leave for greener pastures?
Bauer: And so, I take what I can from my old field, to help me on my way. Is that not the natural course?
Bellina: Maybe. But I don't think things are gonna go to plan.
Bauer: You would stop me, would you? Even now you fail to see your freedom is at my behest.
Bauer: You are our puppet, Ij-9. You have never been free.
Bellina: ...Maybe you're right. But that doesn't mean I can't win my freedom now.
Bauer: Hah! You have spunk, if nothing else. But alas, my dear, Ij-459 is far stronger than you.
Ij-459: Graaaaaah!
Bellina: Not much of a talker, huh? Well, you ARE a newborn, I guess.
Ij-459: Grrrrrraaaaaooorg!
Bellina: All right, Renegade Queen, let's show this kid who's the strongest around here!

Ij-459: Graaaaaaoooooorgh!
Bellina: You're a tough one, all right! ...Wait, what the—
Bellina: You can regenerate in a flash, huh? Nothing a few extra punches won't fix!
Bellina: Rrgh, dammit! I see what Bauer meant when he said this thing had me beat.
Bellina: Its attacks and defense are nothing special, but it heals so quickly my attacks are ineffective. I can't keep this up forever...
Bellina: There's no point in conserving my stamina. I've gotta end it fast. One big hit, with everything I've got! HAAAAAAA!
Bellina: There was only ever gonna be one victor, bub. Now, become proof of my strength!
Bellina: ...Heh. Might'a gone a little overboard there.
Bellina: Huh?! Ungh... Graaaaah!
Bellina: Rgh... I'm losing...control...!
Bellina: Calm DOWN, Renegade Queen! Hrgh...!
 ???: Having some trouble?
Bellina: *pant* What's it *pant* to you?
Aldred: Nothing, really. I'm just here to get my revenge on the Syndicate.
Aldred: I'd hoped to destroy their hideout here, but it looks like someone beat me to it.
Bellina: Heh... You snooze you lose! Ha ha—ngh!
Aldred: Big words, from someone in your state. Why not just let your power run free, like you did before?
Bellina: Hah! You don't know what you're saying...
Bellina: My arm is even more juiced up than last time. If I let it loose, everything around me will be gone.
Aldred: You would throw your life away for the sake of the surrounding villages?
Bellina: Who said I was dying? I'm—rrgh! I'm the strongest, stupid...
Aldred: ......
Aldred: ...You helped me before, so I'll do the same for you.
Aldred: Unleash your mana at me. All of it.
Bellina: Hah! *pant* You idiot. I'd blow you away.
Aldred: Don't underestimate my strength. Now, do it!
Bellina: Rrgh...! FINE! Here goes nothing...
Aldred: Wyrmbinding!
Together: RAAAAAAAAHHH!
Aldred: *pant* *pant* There. We're square.
Bellina: *pant* *pant* You've got quite the reckless streak... Ha ha...
Modified Fiends: Graooooorrgh!
Bellina: Aaaaand here come the rats. When you see one, you know there's 30 more coming!
Aldred: Do you want half? Or would you rather sit back and marvel at my power?
Bellina: Don't go gettin' cocky. I'm ready to rumble.
Aldred: Let them taste my dragon's strength! Wyrmbinding!
Bellina: I'll show you who's number one! Renegade Queen!
Bellina: ...Well, that's that. I don't think I'll be seeing any more of my "siblings" after this.
Bellina: And Bauer got away...
Bellina: Which just leaves you. And we have a score to settle. It's time to prove who's the strongest.
Aldred: No.
Bellina: Uh... What?
Aldred: I said no. You're no longer part of the Syndicate. We have no reason to fight.
Bellina: Where the hell's this comin' from?!
Aldred: I reserve my rage for the Syndicate. Fighting you would accomplish nothing.
Andromeda: Aldred!
Aldred: What is it, Andromeda?
Andromeda: I spotted a squad of Syndicate soldiers heading north. Bauer was with them!
Aldred: Then we know where we're heading.
Bellina: You're going after Bauer?
Aldred: Of course. I can't just let him crawl back under whatever rock he came from.
Aldred: What will YOU do, Bellina?
Bellina: I don't...
Aldred: Will you come with us to hunt Bauer? Or is your mind still set on battle?
Aldred: I won't fight you here and now, but if you really want to measure your might against mine, visit the Halidom, in the Mistholt.
Bellina: Huh? Why?
Aldred: You're free now, Bellina. You can forge your own future. And the Halidom is a great place to start.
Bellina: I'm...free. Huh.
Bellina: Ha ha! Bauer kept trying to make it sound oh-so-complicated, but it's simple in the end.
Bellina: Guess I'm on the run now too, huh? Maybe I WILL stop by the Halidom...
Bellina: ...and prove that I'm the strongest there! For now, I have ultimate freedom!