Scene #8038: BDR-3: The Treasurer's Last Stand

Owner	Pose
Cantio	The General has been defeated. Under any other circumstances, the Treasurer of the once peaceful African nation would be celebrating with the only obstacle between them and control of the city dead and buried. Thanks to multiple unforeseen circumstances, including the care taken in removing the General from the rampaging Grand Lancer and in actually keeping him alive, that path to control has become significantly more complicated. At least, it would be complicated if the Treasurer didn't have access to way too much money. The expected opportunity to move on the Treasurer's residence never comes as their forces have instead come to force a decisive battle on their own terms. A ludicrous numbers of cyborg mercenaries and the more heavily armored machines have arrived bearing various PMCs' logos and corresponding IFF signals, easily dwarfing the General's forces earlier. Anyone who's done research into any of those companies would quickly recognize them as some of the most prominent PMCs operating in this area of the world. On the side of the Elites, meanwhile, is only a single PMC: Desperado Enforcement. Perhaps realizing that things would be rather confusing in combat against the Treasurer's forces, they've helpfully provided IFF information to to Elites working on stabilizing the region so as to minimize friendly fire incidents. They've sent some of their best to bolster the Elites' forces, too: Heavily armored giants that easily dwarf the average person, a red-haired cyborg in a black and red coat surrounded by what appear to be sentient arms, and the relatively more common squads of cyborg combatants armed with both guns and high-tech blades. Right now, however, the situation is somewhat dire. The Treasurer's forces hold the numbers advantage as they're coming in to strike at the General's home to the north as well as at the main staging area where all the medical supplies and the like have been set up. The fortifications from earlier are still holding quite well and providing the local defenders with plenty of cover, though, so the staging area is in no immediate danger. Cantio and Desperado are holding the perimeter around the staging area easily despite the numbers difference. It'll be some time before they can break through to the General's manor, however, and spending their efforts there means it won't be long before the Treasurer's forces just end up taking the manor and surrounding the staging area as well.
Arcadia	Politics was nowhere near any field Arcadia was capable in, so for the most part the on-going affairs of the nation had gone right past her. But as soon as there was word the disposing of a potential despot was turning into a boiling over conflict you had the sphinx's attention. Okay that and how destructive civil war can be to pretty much everyone and everything, having ravaged entire civilizations and empires in countless pasts, was enough to get a practical reason behind sending her out on the strike. "I can't tell if they're really dedicated to this cause, or just have decided they have nothing else left to lose," she mutters as she watches the Enemy Count numbers at one side of her magitek visor's HUD constantly ticking upward. And that's just a rough estiment. "Oh well... I have no issue with target rich environments!" She spreads her wings as the various conduits in her magitek armor begin to glow hazily in their greenish 'standby' color. The other side of her readout is already scrolling through the arsenal and boosters she's got loaded and ready to power up... and with that she's off! Rocketing out of the staging area fortifications and into the air, the conduits turn to a more vibrant orange shade as motes flicker and swirl around her hands. "Here comes to the warm welcome!" The swirling motes are brought together into a large ball of flame, which she lobs at the ground below. Only for it to fragment on the descent into smaller orbs that scatter across the amassing opposition and explode violently at impact like incendirary cluster bombs.
Ishirou	Ishirou was without his machine because it was heavily damaged in the attempted invasion. He actually had come to rely on it a lot, but on the same thought, he had made the thing work too hard and pushed it too far...so one might think that was more an indicator of his growth. Still, right now he did feel far too naked without it. With him was the box with arms that floats around with him, the POD as it was called seems to be counting the forces building up. 'Attack initiating.' it drones on in its slightly feminine voice. "Yeah, I see it POD. Let's try and support the auto defenses and the few defenders that are here first, and then try and coordinate from there.." He immediately starts his hacking, attempting to get into the General's defenses and their tactical grid to help coordinate firing solutions. Once this was established, he runs forward. Alright...he's got a few different bladed weapons, a few different programs loaded, and a few ideas at magical attacks that might help. He keeps underfoot one of the General's defending robots, aiming to use it as cover as he moves to whip around and fire a hacking beam at the Treasurer's attackers. The first step is to screw with their operations by sending a nasty virus to mess with their own IFFs and targeting solutions.
Tamamo	Tamamo is again here with Lilian, a little unsure of how well things will go, after last time, if it is still effectively the case that the mercenaries in charge. Hadn't they talked about that topic with the general? But it seems like there isn't much of a better option, just yet. Foreign aid can, too, be a tricky thing on which to rely, but she at least trusts the Paladins. Cantio, somewhat less. "Oh, dear. I suppose, were one quite desperate, one would spend a fortune today for the sake of not losing the same fortune tomorrow. One need not consider keeping all these extra hands, once the greatest share of the work is done, and to scrimp would be to come closer to failure. Still, it is a rather larger number of opponents than I would have liked to face." Tamamo fretfully fans herself before snapping it shut. "Have I mentioned my dislike for facing armies? The more soldiers as are placed together, the more difficult it is for them to hear, I think, any words but what was said prior to their task's beginning." Looking at an available map, she continues, "I would not like to risk traveling through hostile territory with either hurry or stealth, and yet, it would be best to see both this area and that defended. Might you help with this, Lilian? I would far rather rely on your speed, as ever, should it not be too taxing." They were pretty useful last time, and Tamamo is reluctant to use more lethal means, so she's prepared large stacks of baffling charms, today. She hands these out to anyone who is willing to help her, together with instructions on their use and small, smoothly-polished, curved stones on leather cords. "Merely place these talismans on the ground or environs, spaced several feet apart, should you wish their effect to be at its strongest. Those who do not carry one of these stones will find themselves, when they advance on the talismans, to have turned around and charged some other direction." It's a strong confusion effect, in other words, and the corded stones are what mark 'allies' to not be affected.
Cantio	"Both, probably. It's a power grab, but they're throwing this much at us now, so... There's definitely some desperation in there, too. We might be able to just weather it if we can fight them off long enough!" Cantio replies to Arcadia while in the middle of fighting off another squad of cyborgs, backing off when Arcadia's flames wash over a mass of the Treasurer's fighters. Whether it's by intent or pure coincidence, Arcadia's fire attack actually works surprisingly well against the cyborgs, and those larger humanoids from Desperado even start to follow her lead with their arm-mounted flamethrowers set to just fry their opponents. It's not like they're going to be able to simply block or parry fire. Ishirou's hacking finds that, although the General's defenses have been largely cleared in the last battle, there's still a fair numbers of weapons that he can get a hold of to start leveraging into a more potent defensive force. Grounded turrets hit their marks more frequently, a trio of Gekkos emerge to take advantage of the chaos caused by his IFF scrambling through the power of kicking the shit out of the Treasurer's mercenaries. Although they can tell that the Gekkos probably aren't with them by the time they're getting swung at, that still puts them at the mercy of either guessing that they're shooting at an enemy before they can get shot themselves. "You are not the only one, Miss Fox." The cyborg in black and red concurs with Tamamo on her dislike for fighting armies. "It is much more satisfying to test my mettle and my skills against a single known master than a nameless army." She continues in her distinctly French accent, raising an eyebrow at the charms being offered. She tosses one over at Cantio while letting the sentient hands (Dwarf Gekkos) zip around and dispatch the Treasurer's soldiers from the shadows with ambushes from above or grabbing them and pinning them down with pinpoint force to their legs and heads once they start getting turned around by Tamamo's confounding curses. It's certainly making the locals' jobs easier, too, considering that they can even start focusing their fire on those turning around haplessly! Thanks to the efforts of those heading towards the General's manor and the coordinated efforts in rallying whatever's left there, a path has been opened between the staging area and the manor. The Treasurer's forces are still coming on strong from the east at both points, with their own Gekkos and unmanned helicopters starting to join the battle. The helicopters in particular are going to be a nuisance if left alone, as they're already starting to rain bullets down on the Elites and their allies from Desperado while circling around further above to make targeting them even riskier.
Tamamo	"Oh, you may call me Tamamo," says the fox to the frenchwoman. "Ah, please pardon me, for I have not caught your name." It probably doesn't make too much difference, in the end, whether the mercenaries get hit by a lethal curse or confused by a nonlethal one and then shot by another mercenary, but at least it makes Tamamo feel better. It would be very good for holding back an advancing force, but only if someone (or something like the dwarf gekkos) moved forward to lay an advance line of them.
Ishirou	Ishirou makes sure to thank Tamamo for the gift of rock and paper. These were going to be useful as he ran confusing actions on the forces of the Treasurer. Very useful! In fact, right about now, he drops the wards he has, making sure to place them on non-obvious spots. On the back of turned-over cars, on the back of light poles, nearly destroyed buildings. The closer they pushed towards the General's house, the more often they'll be turned around. Leaving them opened up for defenses to tear them apart. However, the bigger problem right now is in the terms of helicopters. Ishirou dives for cover, trying to avoid being hurt even more than he already was. He points up with a hand, firing more hacking beams, but not aiming at the helicopters, but their pilots and crews. He puts new orders into their heads: Go shoot the Treasurer's house.
Arcadia	Fire is working really well. But then other hostile forces blip to life on her readouts. They really were throwing -everything- into keeping them from getting to that manor. "HEADS DOWN!" yowls the sphinx as she abruptly bolts back from the application of pyrotechnics, spreading her wings protectively in front of the other men.. split seconds before bullet fire stitchs across the ground towards them, and flaring about the Guardian's form as the shots impact against the warding barrier of her armor until it fragments apart. By that time the helicopter has made it's pass and is moving to circle around for another go along with others, so she only took superficial damage in the end, for the sake of the Desperados to continue their advance. "I'll deal with the air support!" she calls to the other Elites, before engaging her thrusters fully and blasting off into the air over the fields surrounding the Manor. "At least you brought something more my style." The magitek conduits shift shades as she powers up a different elemental slot, becoming an electric blue-green when she thrusts her hands forward. "RAIDEN ARC" Electricity crackles and booms as it leaps from her, an arcing stream towards one of the helicopters. Which is probably going to provoke evasive attempts out of the vehicle. Except once it connects, the beam of electricity bends and twists to keep channeling into the target, for as long as Arcadia is focusing on that specific attack, preferable until the internals either fry or explode.
Tamamo	"Though our reasons may differ, I suppose that I would far prefer a single opponent, as well. Ah, but a handful would not be quite so bad, at that." Tamamo leaves it unsaid that she'd really prefer a diplomatic approach -- though, in her case, the diplomacy may still be, arguably, 'forceful.' With a path cleared, she calls for an escort to take her from the staging area to the general's place, where she can begin placing talismans that erect hardier wards, able to stand up to some long-distance fire, against which her walls of confusion do very little good. These walls are likewise invisible, though only until struck, after which the intricate, arcane imagery of revolving stars and circles shines briefly into the visible spectrum, like solid gold.
Cantio	"Mistral. A pleasure, Miss Tamamo." The cyborg with too many hands around her replies to the fox, still keeping her own weaponry underutilized for the time being as the sentient hands continue to capitalize on the Treasurer's soldiers being turned around by those curses or even getting distracted by being shot by her other allies from Desperado. "I cannot say that I've seen this sort of... Magic before? No, this doesn't feel as... " She snaps her fingers a few times, with some of the Dwarf Gekkos mimicking her before she (and the mimics) point at Cantio. "Performative." Cantio dies a little inside at that. Ishirou gets to work spreading the effects of Tamamo's curses, and Tamamo herself joining in ensures that the defense of the General's manor is all but guaranteed at this point with not a hole to be exploited without suffering heavy losses. Between not being able to move in the correct direction consistently, knowing who they're supposed to be shooting, or even being able to shoot through those invisible walls, the cyborgs closest to the manor are turned into little more than bullet sponges for those shooting them from all sides. The Gekkos brought in to support the attack, meanwhile, have to contend with firing squads ready to mow them down along with Cantio moving in to start dismembering them with far more aggression than she usually shows. She might still be a little sore about being called 'performative'. The helicopters, weirdly enough, don't seem to actually have anyone manning them. Like the Gekkos, they're actually unmanned machines, but the difference is probably going to be fairly academic considering Ishirou's hacking prowess. The ones in the front turn around on that command, leaving their backs exposed to Arcadia's electric blast. She fries that helicopter's circuitry rather easily, and she's treated to a rapidly spinning helicopter that crashes into the ground in a flaming explosion. The other helicopters in the front that are turning around, meanwhile, start getting shot by the ones further back. It seems as though the AI of these machines have been updated to actually account for hacking like this, although it does mean the Treasurer's forces are losing aircraft faster than they're coming to join the fight. Currently, the defensive line between the staging area and the General's manor appears to have been secured. The Treasurer's combined forces still outnumber Desperado's five to one, but have lost the element of surprise. A battle of attrition looks winnable at the rate things are going, although it would be at a fairly steep cost to the surrounding area and those living in the city where the fighting would be the heaviest at the front lines. Perhaps realizing this after swordfighting what feels like another dozen mercenaries, Cantio finally speaks up. "We... Could take a gamble. If we can break through to the Treasurer's home, we can take them out of commission like we did with the General. But if we do that, then..." She looks back towards the staging area. "Even if the General's home is secure, the people here might not last long if they throw even more troops this way. What do you think?"
Arcadia	"The sooner their command is out of the picture, the less fighting there will be to threaten the masses," Arcadia replies as she hovers back to just above ground level, as the helicopters are now taking care of each other pretty handily thanks to the hacking confusion. "And I don't say that just because I like things fast! We take out their center of authority before they take out ours." And really, her own logic is all she really needs. She cycles to one of her more generic but rapid firing energy weapon settings. "I'll help open a path and keep them occupied!" And like that the sphinx takes off once more, putting her speed to good use. At the same time she opens fire, specifically aiming for those transports the enemy forces were coming in on. Those blow up, they'll clear the area around them. Less people getting in the way of everyone else making a break for the Treasurer's last stand. That or they'll choose to fight, which she's already doing so either way she's already acting.
Tamamo	Slightly before (or possibly over the radio): "Mistral, is it? Likewise." Recognizing the term and assuming it to be a codename, Tamamo doesn't attach 'madame.' Slightly later: "I would rather we avoid harm to either, but there is no path that allows for safety in all directions." Tamamo answers Cantio. "I would remain behind and guard this area, if you believe a strike to their leader to be possible without all there to aid. However..." Her attention drifts over in Ishirou's direction, not quite frowning, but with more than a ghost of concern. Arcadia seems like she'll go ahead whatever the plan is, but she's not had the same run of recent, destructive fights to wear her down, so she's probably fine. And Cantio... seems enthusiastic, at the least, in wielding her sword. If she stays, those who go ahead will be at greater risk. If she goes, those who stay behind face the same. "This would risk you, as well. How do you trust your chances, Ms. Cantio? Ishirou? And -- ah, but she is already off." If only... but no, there is no use lamenting those hands that are not available to help. <J-IC-Scene> Cantio says, "I'm more worried about the people from here than any of us individually. I know I can fight through them, at least." <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou says, "We're outnumbered, sure, but we're likely to be able to win the game of attrition." <J-IC-Scene> Tamamo says, "Would you remain behind, then? I have something in mind that might be better used in the front, should we find the treasurer." <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou says, "Especially between your wards, Cantio's prowess, and my hacking. I guess what's her face can go play assassin?" <J-IC-Scene> Ishirou says, "Sure. I can back up Cantio just fine!" She will need to do this, herself. Rather, there are things that only she can do. Tamamo heads out into the front, and this time, she can't trust any escort to keep up (though Arcadia is already ahead), and she's forced to use her more direct means of combat. It's still not entirely direct, being formations of ice or fire that discourage or block anyone from approaching her, or blasts of wind. She only really needs to focus on getting to the place they believe the treasurer is, rather than fighting everyone along the way. She's rather agile and energetic, filled with energy from her blessings and able to take tall leaps, but not very much 'superhuman fast,' which means this will still take some time.
Ishirou	Ishirou grins ear to ear. The defense was going pretty well. It didn't matter how much money this guy had...the forces were all the same, and he's specifically very well suited to making their lives hell. "Alright POD, let's head back to the forward camp." Ishirou goes into a run, and while he might not be the fastest, strongest, or toughest elite...he still is an elite and can run for pretty far distances at a decent clip. Even if he would be all tired afterward. Fortunately, where he has to go isn't that far. When he comes in, once more he sets up things by trying to make the attackers' lives a living hell. How that he has more forces to work with, he specifically screws up the IFFs for the other forces, to let their mercenary forces manage to get into position and maximize their strikes before pulling out. He also feeds this info toward Cantio, to optimize her ability to maximize damage.
Cantio	It takes some discussion first in the middle of combat, but a decision is made rather quickly in how to resolve this conflict: A focused strike on the Treasurer's residence led by Arcadia and Tamamo while Ishirou remains with Cantio and Desperado to hold the line. Thanks to Ishirou's and Tamamo's efforts earlier in shoring up the defenses at the General's place, their efforts can be focused considerably more on the staging area, and that just so happens to be where the bulk of the Treasurer's forces are focusing on at this point. They're still being turned around and confounded by the curses in the area, and they're still having some trouble telling friend from foe with Ishirou's continued IFF screwery, but the they're also starting to catch on as to which direction they should be firing in (at least in the broader sense). That's still not quite as effective as what the defenders are doing, but it does mean that Ishirou and Cantio will have their work cut out for them. With the extra information he feeds to her, though, Cantio can even get to work sending her own drones out to become their own flying firing squad, floating around and blasting lasers at the less confused-looking cyborgs to aid in Ishirou's chaos tactics. Mistral even joins in the fray actively now, wielding what looks like a long spear made of... Hands? Yep, those are hands, all holding onto the wrist of the next. The ones at the end are holding knives, and she's swinging that grotesque polearm around wildly, carving up more of those cyborgs at the front to help push things back. Things start looking a little dicier, though, as old-fashioned (or at least conventional and not super-high-tech) tanks start rolling up towards the staging area. They're slower than the standard APCs and certainly slower than the helicopters, but it's only a matter of time before they get into firing range! ---- Those opting for the frontal charge, meanwhile, find that rushing right through the frontlines is considerably more difficult than holding the line by virtue of the sheer quantity of cyborgs ready to face them. It's certainly not impossible, though, as having fewer allies around means they don't have as much to worry about as far as friendly fire goes. The transports are surprisingly resilient against conventional gunfire, but Arcadia's energy weapons punch right through it and those waiting inside to ensure that they don't even get a chance to get out. Tamamo's ice and fire magic, meanwhile, helps keep the cyborgs trying to pin them in at bay between the ice being literal walls that they can't quite climb over and the fire being... Well. Fire. They really seem to be having trouble with that fire. Even a regular human might at least be able to go near it, but the cyborgs are giving the flames considerably more distance. The attacking duo's warpath eventually takes them right to the Treasurer's front doors. On the plus side, most of the mercenaries hired by the Treasurer are concentrated on attacking the staging point rather than falling back to the defense this residence. On the other hand, actually finding the Treasurer in their smaller-than-the-General's home is still going to be a bit of a problem with so many guards still standing between them and opening fire or trying to close into melee range to start slicing them apart. <<"Draw them outside and hold them there. I will complete the mission once you do.">> A robotic voice transmits suddenly, then goes completely silent without elaborating further.
Ishirou	Ishirou frowns...low tech tanks. So they are likely starting to figure him out. However, if they are using people in those tanks... Ishirou fires more hacking beams out, but this time aiming for the crew of the tanks. This time, he has them point at whatever tanks he's not able to get to, aiming to try and cause chaos in their back lines. After all, tanks firing at each other over their own forces is going to cause no small amount of problems. Ishirou is also closed in on finally, he tries to stay moving, getting out of melee and trying to avoid being shot at as he continues to upload info for Cantio, and also their handsy ally. When he's not hacking, he's firing blasts of energy from his POD, aiming to try and keep the mercenaries suppressed so that his allies can clean up.
Arcadia	Charging through the enemy forces to get at their central command point certainly is not an easy task. But for Arcadia, who has considerable experience in high speed run-and-gun offensives through hordes of enemies, difficulty doesn't mean undoable. It certainly helps that her phenomenal speed and mobility make her exceptionally hard to pin down. Still she has to pull up from her charge and jet backwards briefly to keep from getting sliced apart when one of the remaining guards tries to both literally and permanently cut her off. Her initial response after juking back is to sweep her wings forward, slamming the guard between them with double concussive force. Then quickly turns her attention back to the rest of the cyborg mercenaries. At this point it doesn't really matter one way or the other to her, getting these opponents out of the fight is a boon. Seeing as fire has worked so well in general... But can she deal with so many potential guards at one time? If you're asking, you haven't seen her in action very often. As she hovers Arcadia spreads her wings and disengages her bits, which buzz into formation around her as she arms her own arm blasters. "Sorry boys, but we're here to really heat things up -- PYREWINDERS FIRE!" Arcadia and her bit formation all start blasting away with fireballs that bob and weave through the air as they home in on their targets, making them obnoxiously hard to judge direction of and avoid. Guards trying to duck back into the building will find that the Pyrewinders won't just chase, they'll bounce off walls to do so.
Tamamo	<J-IC-Scene> Tamamo says, "Oh, no, I have my own mission, as you should know. I would not have come, myself, were it something that could be left to others." Tamamo is offered help from a mysterious, robotic voice. Unfortunately, the thing Tamamo came to do is something she can do, and that a robot likely can't. As rude as it is, she'll have to refuse. Hopefully, whoever it is didn't go too far out of their way to help her. Having fought her way forward through a plethora of delaying tactics, Tamamo even drops more of those confusion charms behind her. She can't quite take the time to cut off this entire space, but she can at least make it very difficult to provide reinforcements, in case her own advance should slow down. And it has to, for her to stop and talk. "Pray, hold your anger and your blades. I have come to speak to your employer. You may trust my word. I mean you no harm. That said, I have not the time to accept objections, nor you the place to make them. Lead me to him, that we may find a better future for all here." A robot might be able to shine like the Sun, but not in the specific way that Tamamo does when she's speaking to hostile guards, that draws in and holds attention on her as a definitively unearthly existence, something that casts doubt on anything one thought one knew merely by its eclipsing presence. It's not quite a 'gentle' tug on their minds. It's just a little mind-melting, a decidedly forceful persuasion, but they'll probably recover just fine. She has to meet the treasurer in person, too, if she wants to convince him, by force of presence, that coming to talk things over, and to compromise his existing plans would be better for everyone.
Cantio	Ishirou's hacking, as expected, doesn't do much against the tanks. They're old models that have probably been upgraded with modern hardware at best, then re-downgraded sometime later. The crew is still very much made of cyborgs or people with various implants in their heads, though, as turning them on each other quickly brings the tanks to a standstill if they're not starting to turn their cannons towards each other. With chaos once again returning to the front lines, Cantio and Mistral can get to work slicing the less-protected cyborgs apart. They're probably trading some kinds of quips about performative combat, too, as though the former hasn't quite gotten over that shot at her from the latter during the discussion about Tamamo's talismans. As the fighting continues and Ishirou lends more direct aid with suppressing fire from his POD, though, it actually turns out... This trio might just be working really well together, with Ishirou providing that suppressing fire, Cantio drawing attention to herself with all sorts of flashy action figure-esque weaponry and high-flying leaps to get around, and Mistral having more hands to swing around than most people have limbs while slicing right through entire groups at once. --- It doesn't sound as though the Elites present are receptive to the mysterious voice's request to keep the Treasurer's guards occupied. It probably doesn't help that the voice doesn't elaborate on what their mission is, though, and it does't seem like that mission will be coming to fruition anytime soon. At most, it might be a little easier with Arcadia drawing so much attention to herself anyway, clapping one of the cyborgs with her wings before taking to the skies and starting to rain down so much fire upon her targets. It's a lot of targets. The flames make an absolute mess of the cyborgs she's opted to blast with those homing flames, turning the unlucky ones into little more than burning hunks of metal. Tamamo's forward thinking in dropping those talismans behind, meanwhile, works wonders in keeping reinforcements off her and Arcadia's t... Backs. It won't hold them back for long, but it might just hold them back long enough as she moves onto the next phase of her plan in actually engaging the Treasurer in dialogue. Despite being almost entirely synthetic, these cyborgs' brains are still very much regular human brains. Pumped full of things to make them fight better, sure, but they're still regular enough that they can be swayed by supernatural means. It doesn't seem the Treasurer has anyone ~~named~~ important enough on payroll to know how to resist this sort of thing, and the time bought by those charms and Arcadia's gunfire are enough to eventually get them to cease shooting enough to get Tamamo inside. --- Predictably, the Treasurer is in the biggest room of the house, a proper office with its own bathroom and bedroom along with huge central air vents and even a big, fancy, and reinforced window overlooking the front lawn where there's a clear view of all that freaking fire from before. She looks and sounds terrified as Tamamo comes in, drawing a heavy pistol and aiming it shakily at her. "What the hell did you do?! Get out before... What're all of you doing just standing there?!" Cantio might want to know about this for less important reasons. The source of the mysterious voice, meanwhile, has not yet appeared.