I found myself near Spichkas hideout. According to the letter I received from him, he has a lead on someone who he claims is the Spreader. He is just a kid so I'm not sure how much of it he's just making up. Still, I'm worried about him living on his own in such a dangerous part of town.
: I have found the Spreader! Tracked him down! Go there quickly, otherwise he'll disappear.Bachelor: Who is it?
Spichka: It's Shabnak, that phantom with transparent skin. I told you about him. That's him. He isn't wearing a body now, but he killed a man with just a look. We need to catch him!
Bachelor: Killed a man with his look? What do you mean?
Spichka: Oh... In the arena near the Apiary, there was a fight. I went out to look, I couldn't resist... Five men fought against two butchers for bread. The butchers won and began to tear the defeated men into parts. Suddenly one of them fell, holding his stomach, and then the other.
Bachelor: And how was the Spreader involved with that?
Spichka: Pale Shabnak, all shining like a ghost, was hiding near the Abattoir, and he looked hard at the butchers. He breathed hard with rage, and his muzzle was all distorted. Then he began to dig at the ground. That's him, no doubt. He's hiding there even now! Catch him before he escapes.
Bachelor: How do I catch him?
Spichka: He's somewhere near the Abattoir. I wanted to rush off and search for you right away, but by a lucky chance I met one of the couriers instead. Look in the Rotten Field to the east.
Bachelor: Let me go and see what kind of beast you've seen.
I'm pretty sure we got all the lens upgrades by now, and we can now use the visor to detect clouds from very far away.
The arsonists are raiding the infected areas, attacking everyone in sight!
I almost ran into one of the plague victims while running from the fire bombs. Just inhaling their foul breath blurs my vision and makes my head ache.
The place Spichka mentioned should be somewhere over here. I think I went this way a few days ago, on my way to the cemetery. Over there is that strange animal pen.
Oh...
This must be the Abattoir, the slaughterhouse... I didn't expect it to be this big! It looks more like a mountain than a building. Hmm, I see someone over in the distance.
What the hell is this thing? It can't be human! Just looking at him makes my head spin.
: What do you want?Bachelor: What in the world are you doing?
Albino: I'm just searching for a body. I am hungry, and I am tired. Don't bother me.
Bachelor: Are you dead? A ghost?
Albino: Yes...
Bachelor: Just who are you?
Albino: Where's the girl? Why didn't she come to let me in?
Bachelor: You're speaking about Klara?
Albino: No... Just leave. Look at the skin on your face. You are already dying. Go now, I want to see the little one. Where is the girl, the Keeper?
Before I came to this town I would have disregarded all legends of demons and ghosts, but now I can see where such legends got started. Come to think of it, this strange creature reminds me of the Worms. They must be some sort of strange mutation. Maybe when this is all over the biologists over at the university will be able to find an explanation.
I am sure this strange being isn't the Spreader I have been looking for all day, though. There's no way anyone could possibly mistake it for a young lady.
All this is giving me a headache.
Just staying near the Albino makes your health drop at a rather quick pace. You just need to talk to him, and through the wonders of game mechanics the game pauses while you are in a dialogue.
It seems like the Albino is waiting for someone from the Abattoir to come through this back gate. I think it's used for shipping out meat. But the gate has been locked down for days!
There is a strangely old-fashioned system for transporting the butchered beef. It runs all the way to the train station.
: I have such an awful headache...Bachelor: Have you seen Klara?
Laska: She is hiding. Probably in one of the infected parts of town. Somewhere near the train station, I think... Tomorrow that horrible person from the capital will arrive to execute her. Klara has been trying to escape from this town. She only wanted to say goodbye to Mishka and Spichka first.
Bachelor: Does Klara have a twin sister?
Laska: Shabnak-adyr has been pretending to be Klara. She visited me once. She spoke to me. At first I did not guess anything, but then I thought... Why is she so tall? I looked down and saw that she had no legs, just fragments of bones sticking out of her boots! And her grin was so terrible. I ran away as fast as I could. I could hear her laughing as I ran.
Bachelor: Did she say anything to you?
Laska: Lots of things. Even about you. She said she was looking for you. She said, I want to lead him into a trap. She said, I'll deceive the doctor, he can be fooled. I tricked everyone else and I will trick him too. She said, I'll break his bones so that he can't bind my hands ever again.
Bachelor: Damn...
Why the hell is everyone out to kill me? Well, I'm not just going to take it. Tonight I'll prepare a special surprise for the Hump and his gang. I don't think the revolver will be enough. Time to pay a visit to Gryph.
Gryph made me a very nice offer for the first sample of vaccine, but I don't think I could come up with an acceptable explanation for, ehm, losing it. I did however get a very good deal on an old army rifle in perfect condition as well as a good supply of ammo.
Hmm, all that is left for now is to find Klara and confront her. Laska said she would probably be hiding somewhere in the infected areas near the train station. I think I will begin with visiting Eve and taking a rest.
Klara! So she's here to pull her tricks on Eve? Well, this time I got her cornered.
: Hello, doctor.Bachelor: Don't you move, bitch...
Klara: Did you look for me? Are you ill? May I touch your forehead?
Bachelor: No. Stay where you are. Now I shall ask you, and you will answer me.
Klara: Well, ask. I know everything already. You were told that I was the reason those people in the Cathedral died, yes? But it's a lie. Believe my words, please.
Bachelor: Yes... Your voice really is wonderful. It gets down to the bones. But it's a trick for the simple-minded. Your charms do not work on me.
Klara: I don't want them to! I see it in your eyes... You are strong, but awfully tired. And you are deceived by those whom you used to trust. I see how you are tormented and you simply want to remain fair up to the end, and to find the truth. that is why such rage is in your eyes.
Bachelor: Enough. Roll up your sleeve and stretch out your arm.
Klara: Right or left?
Bachelor: Either one is fine for me. And keep still.
Argh! I was so sure I had the right person this time.
So there wasn't a Spreader in the first place? That's the only possibility that is left. This plague can hide in you for days and then suddenly spring into life and consume you. I should know, it is growing within me with every minute that passes. Surely even just one of the hundreds upon hundreds of people that we allowed into the Cathedral was infected and we didn't notice. Or maybe one of the guards screwed up. Maybe someone else gave them orders to let someone in with supplies... If so, starting such a rumor would be a way to divert my attention. It's impossible to tell now and it hardly even matters any more. I will have to give the Inquisitor these bad news tomorrow. I just hope I will make it through that meeting alive. If it's really Orf that will arrive on that train from the capital, I can't even be sure of that.
Klara is a mystery. After I've had time to think everything through, I will talk to her again. Maybe she is right. Not about angels and all that, but about me. I don't have anyone that I can trust anymore. Each day the list of people that wants to either take advantage of me or hurt me grows longer and longer. But she seems to understand, and despite making things very difficult for me today I don't detect any actual malice in her words. Just...
Pity.
After a long day of chasing after her, it turns out Klara is clean. She is waiting for us downstairs. It seems like she can turn into our greatest ally in this war against both the Sand Dirt and indeed the town itself... She knows a lot more than she is prepared to tell us.
Well, that's for next time. The only task we need to do before nightfall is fighting off the Hump and his men when they attack the Apiary at ten. We got a rifle and it's time to try it out on someone that really deserves to die.
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