EX00 Frozen Darkness
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EX00 Frozen Darkness
Main Story
Alpha stands in the middle of the ocean, on top of a mechanical narwhal. Roland informs her that she has entered the Arctic Route Union and will soon arrive at a port called New Murmansk. When Alpha asks Roland to scan beneath the ocean, he finds a huge number of submerged Corrupted. She realizes that the narwhal is trying to warn the humans about this impending disaster.
The Gray Ravens head towards a monastery where the Ascendants were last sighted. While they are on the transport spacecraft, they are attacked by a barrage of missiles from a warship infected by the Punishing Virus. They manage to make a narrow escape when a lance comes flying out of nowhere, destroying the missiles.
The Gray Ravens become surrounded by the Corrupted soon after they land in ARU territory. They are saved by the Forest Guards, a group of humanoid-hybrid Constructs. The Forest Guards are initially wary of the Gray Ravens due to their being outsiders, but their leader, Rosetta, invites the Gray Ravens to their camp for the night. It turns out that Rosetta is also the one who saved them in space earlier.
Their brief respite at the Forest Guards’ camp does not last long. Diana, one of the Forest Guards, detects the Corrupted chasing a boy named Evan.
Meanwhile, Rosetta communicates with Derek, the mechanical narwhal, and reveals that she is considering simply letting the town suffer the impending Corrupted attack as retribution for their harsh treatment of the Forest Guards. Derek, however, disagrees with her.
The Gray Ravens help defeat the Corrputed to save Evan. Evan meets up with Rosetta and tells her that Derek is headed to the port and that the townspeople are getting agitated with the narwhal trashing their ports and the increasing amount of Corrupted activity.
The party is met with hostility upon arriving in New Murmansk. The townspeople deem Rosetta and the Forest Guards criminals and blame them for not doing enough to protect New Murmansk. Before the Gray Ravens can interrupt, Derek emerges from the ocean.
At the same time, Alpha attempts to control Derek, but Rosetta’s attack interrupts her. Derek seizes this opportunity to dive back beneath the ocean. Alpha and Rosetta begin to clash; Alpha realizes that she and Rosetta share the same animosity against humanity and tries to win over Rosetta to her side. Her attempt is interrupted when a townperson attacks Alpha. Displeased, Alpha corrupts the townsperson, who is fortunately saved by Liv injecting them with Anti-Punishing Serum.
As she watches Alpha and Rosetta duel each other, Lucia tells the Commandant that she wants to fight Alpha one more time. Her request is granted by Babylonia, and she is provided with a new frame: Dawn.
Rosetta warns the townspeople about the approaching tide of the Corrupted, only to be met with rejection. Alpha then promises Rosetta that she will guarantee the Narwhal’s safety if she helps eliminate those who get in her way and lets her tame the Narwhal. Rosetta takes Alpha up on her offer and attacks Lucia.
When the massive horde of the Corrupted finally reaches the port, the entire area plunges into chaos. The Forest Guards, led by Diana, arrive to help ward off the Corrupted. She tells the townspeople to never forget their help. Liv moves to assist the Forest Guards. Lee attempts to hold off Rosetta but is quickly overwhelmed.
After a while, Rosetta’s corruption levels rise as her M.I.N.D. nears its limit. Alpha then tries to make Rosetta an Ascendant since she meets the qualifications to become one. Lucia, in her new Dawn frame, interrupts Alpha. Alpha tells Lucia that it is her last chance to save Rosetta, and she proceeds to defeat her with ease.
While Lucia is immobilized, Alpha tries one last time to tame the narwhal. She reluctantly stops when she sees corrupted Rosetta attacking Lucia, as Alpha does not want to have Lucia perish yet. Alpha saves Lucia from Rosetta’s spear by dragging her into the water. She then tells Lucia, “I will wait… until that day comes…” before resurfacing.
Now that Rosetta cannot be turned into an Ascendant, Alpha continues the fight with the intention of finishing her off. Before Alpha can deal the final blow, Evan stands in between them. The corrupted Rosetta tries to stab Evan, only to be slashed by Alpha first. This ends up saving Evan at the same time as leaving Rosetta’s core intact. Derek then emits a signal that restores Rosetta’s consciousness to save her, completely foiling Alpha’s plans.
In the aftermath of the battle, Bianca leads the Babylonian forces to help clean up and to propose an alliance with the ARU. Rosetta is taken away for repairs under Babylonia’s watch while the townspeople begin to reconsider their prejudice against the Forest Guards.
Despite having failed at her main objective, Alpha accepts the outcome and quietly leaves.
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