Main Scenario/The Dark Bloods

Verforet Episode
8-1	The Fairy Forest
8-2	Bourse Missing
8-3	View From the Trees
8-4	The Fairy King
8-5	Is Everything the Mist?
8-6	The Dark Bloods
8-7	The Fairy Spring
8-8	It Came From the West
8-9	La Sorcière Sans Retour
8-10	The Guardian of Brocéliande

After the battle at Val Sans Retour, Bourse suddenly collapsed on the spot and complained that she felt unwell. Bourse insisted that she was only lightly dizzy, but the colour of her face said otherwise.
Bourse	"So sorry for the inconvenience. After resting a lot, it's fine."
Putra	"No no, you still look paley, okay? Take it easy and get some more rest."
Bourse	"Just felt a bit shaky. Can stand up, can walk. Don't leave le Bourse."
Putra	"Don't worry. No one's going to leave you. Just look this way for now? Yeah, to the right, then left."
Putra	"Mhm, you're very conscious."
Vivienne	"And you don't seem to have a fever. There's no significant trauma."
Putra	"But you don't look well, Bourse. Why did you suddenly become dizzy? Have you been sick for a long time?"
Bourse	"No. Apart from seeing weird things, was perfectly healthy. Would've told you earlier if really sick. It would be a nuisance to everyone."
Putra	"So it was like a really sudden shock?"
Bourse	"Oui, it was really sudden. Right after petite Queensway defeated the last enemy, it was like there's haze in front of my eyes..."
Putra	"So it's at the same time as the Mist lifted...? The rest of us felt nothing, and it's strange no matter how I think about it."
Putra	"Vivienne, I still really think there could be another cause, you should look into it a bit more to reassure Bourse."
Vivienne	"Yes, true... Putra is right."
Yakutsk	"Then stop dwelling on it! In the meantime, we should examine Bourse's body again more carefully."
Vivienne	"Yakutsk..."
Yakutsk	"Are there any small needles or spikes stuck somewhere? It could be quick-acting poison."
Yoshino	"And there's also sorcery, or some kind of magic, which Yoshino will have to check out. So sorry if touched anything weird."
Vivienne	"Yoshino..."
Putra	"Gosh, it's a bit chaotic now. She just felt a little dizzy. So Bourse says it's okay, it's okay."
Putra	"It's good to be fired up and be responsible, but isn't it wrong to think that you can do it alone, right?"
Putra	"In St. Iris, in Nishiki, in Eisengrad too, we've all helped each other. There is a difference between leading, and managing alone. Just because it's your hometown, you don't have to carry the burden alone."
Vivienne	"......Mhm, that's right."
Vivienne	"Thank you Putra, that cooled my head a bit."
Putra	"I'm glad you did. I like you, Vivienne when you're a bit hot."
Vivienne	"Heheh, what was that for?"
Yoshino	"Everybody, look at this. Found something weird on Bourse's chest. Can feel a very bad power. Maybe this is the cause."
Queensway	"Is it a poison needle?"
Yakutsk	"Or is it a curse?"
Yoshino	"No, it's a kisu maaku."
Queensway	"A K-kiss mark!? You mean a kiss mark, that kiss mark!?"
Yakutsk	"Yoshino, do ya even know what a kiss mark is!?"
Yoshino	"Even Yoshino knows what a kisu maaku is. Not joudan at all. It's honto."
Queensway	"Wha, whawhawaah! What should we do, Miss Yakutsk? How did shee get a kiss mark on her chest!"
Yakutsk	"Eh!? From there!? That's where it's from, Queensway!?"
Queensway	"My handmaiden Rosa didn't give me that much detail..."
Yakutsk	"T-th-that's the thing! What can I say, uhm... Good luck!"
Vivienne	"Oui oui, don't get so excited, ladies. Let me have a look. I think it's probably a bug."
Queensway	"D-did a bug suck her?"
Vivienne	"I don't think they suck, more like they sting?"
Yakutsk	"Queensway, you're saying that on purpose, right?"
Queensway	"Eh? What are you talking about?"
Yakutsk	"...... Nothing."
Vivienne	"Bourse, excuse me for a moment..."
Bourse	"Aah, ma petite Vivi, you're grabbing le Bourse's chest... Ma petite Vivi's coming."
Vivienne	"Just sit still already. Oh, and Monsieur Conductor, turn the other way."
Conductor	Why? In order to figure things out, I need to know about Bourse's symptoms myself...
Vivienne	"Heh, I'll pretend that you're kidding to lighten the mood♪"
Vivienne	"...... Don't make me repeat again."
Conductor	My apologies.
Yoshino	"Vivienne, what do you think? Yoshino thinks it looks like a kisu maaku though?"
Vivienne	"Hmm, this is..."
Vivienne	"...... a kiss mark."
Yoshino	"Oooh-, knew it."
Vivienne	"But it's no mere kiss mark, it doesn't seem like it was an elf or a human who put this on Bourse..."
Yakutsk	"Then who else would have put a kiss mark on her? You sure it's not an insect bite?"
Vivienne	"...... A witch."
Yakutsk	"A witch?"
Queensway	"Sure, there are a lot of witches in Verforet, but even witches are either human or elves, right? I'm told that there are many apprenticeships, and in some areas there are schools for becoming a witch..."
Vivienne	"Of course, modern witches do. Ordinary humans and elves become witches through specialised training. There are many doctors and apothecaries who are also witches, and even witches who specialise in perfume-making."
Vivienne	"But back in ancient Verforet, there was a line of witches. They were born with special powers and could handle arts that elves and humans could not master. In other words... witches who used scary magic, like in the picture books."
Paddington	"You mean the dark bloods!"
Yakutsk	"WHOAAAAAH!"
Paddington	"I like being in the background, Yakutsk."
Yakutsk	"I-I haven't been surprised in a long time..."
Paddington	"Information on the dark bloods is most common on the west side of Brocéliande. They are said to be beings who can open doors to other worlds, and their mighty power cannot be defeated by magic or sorcery."
Putra	"But that's a fairy tale right? It's just like the legend of the Fairy King, isn't it?"
Bourse	"However, recent research has strengthened the view that the dark bloods were real. Some even claim that the roots of modern witchcraft began when humans and elves magically recreated the magic and rituals of the dark bloods."
Bourse	"Then there is also the theory that the term 'dark bloods' is a general term for those who are neither elves nor humans. Those who can draw power from the dark and create strong magical powers are dark bloods - that they are as capable as the witches of antiquity."
Putra	"Does that mean that kiss mark on Bourse's chest is a mark made by an ancient witch?"
Vivienne	"It's too early to say, but I can feel a very strong magic power from these marks. It's not the kind of magical power I would use, it's more like that nasty feeling you get in the centre of the Phantom Mist."
Vivienne	"――Soyez prudent dans la forêt sombre. ――Si vous marchez uniquement à l’ombre, vous serez 'marqué' par une sorcière. ――Marchez dans des endroits lumineux. ――Les anciennes sorcières ne peuvent pas sortir au soleil."
Putra	"What song is that?"
Vivienne	"It's a song about witches from Brocéliande. Mothers sing it to their children to keep them from going to the west side of the forest. The 'marqué' in the song might be this kiss mark..."
Paddington	"Ancient witches used to hide deep in the woods and curse the elves and humans who lived in towns, so maybe the song that Vivienne sang was written by people long ago who were afraid of the dark bloods."
Vivienne	"Bourse was 'marked' by someone. That's why she saw hallucinations much earlier than we did. Whoever that put this on her is still somewhere in Val Sans Retour. If we don't defeat her, this 'mark' won't disappear."
Vivienne	"Let's find the culprit while Bourse is still able to move. If this 'mark' is real, we do not have a lot of time left."
Yoshino	"Yoshino too, agree with Vivienne's idea, Bourse's kisu maaku is like a sorcery sigil. If we don't do anything about it, we never know what will happen. Think it's a good idea to deal with it as soon as possible."
Yakutsk	"There are not many enemies. Good terrain for fortifying defences and running away..."
Yakutsk	"...... I agree. A vote towards Vivienne's idea."
Queensway	"Hear hear."
Putra	"Me too. I don't think it's a good idea to move away from the one who put it on her"
Conductor	It's unanimous. Given the circumstances so far, the connection between the anomalies in Val Sans Retour and the person who put the 'mark' on Bourse is quite strong. Our target is the owner of that voice. We don't have many clues, but we will find them at any cost.
Conductor	However, if Bourse's condition worsens, her safety is our priority. If we don't find anything in Val Sans Retour, we will retreat and send Gendarmerie reinforcements our way.
Queensway	"Understood!"
Putra	"But we should focus our search as much as possible. Shouldn't we gather information before we look for enemy hideouts?"
Vivienne	"That's right. If we move around in the dark, we'll tire Bourse out."
Conductor	For a start, how about retracing Bourse's path? Is there anywhere she stopped before she built that watchtower?
Bourse	"Didn't want to fight alone, so didn't walk around much in Val Sans Retour."
Bourse	"But there was a stop at the Fairy Fountain. We went there to get water to make tea."
Vivienne	"The Fairy Spring is not far from here. Let's go there first. We might find something unusual, and if everything is OK, we can rest there."
Putra	"Bourse, if you feel sick, tell us quickly, okay? We're the ones who have to take it easy for you."
Bourse	"Understood. Will do my best not to inconvenience you all."
Bourse	"Chant de Sorcière... Haven't listened to it in a while. Le Bourse thought it was a song that, being an indoor person, had no connection with, but never thought that the day would come when it would be useful to myself as an adult."
Vivienne	"I was made to sing it when I joined Gendarmerie."
Bourse	"You were made to sing, by your superiors in the Gendarmerie?"
Vivienne	"Mhm. See, I'm an 'outdoorsy' person?"
Bourse	"Wouldn't say petite Vivi's an outdoorsy person."
Vivienne	"...... True. I'm more like a tomboy."
Bourse	"You're not just a tomboy. You're brave, unafraid of danger and fights with all your might to help others. Ma petite Vivi, you are a hero of Brocéliande."
Vivienne	"I'm not a hero. Brocéliande is peaceful, so an offensive magic user like me only stands out. If I went to the Northern Front, I wouldn't be the first one to be called a hero."
Vivienne	"I realised that when I joined the SSS. The enemies Monsieur Conductors fight are the most powerful enemies I've ever seen. The Mist Train has the best Train Knights from different countries on it, and they take down horrible Mist Monsters one after another..."
Vivienne	"Let's stop... or Putra will scold me again."
Bourse	"That's right. Ma petite Vivi, it's cooler if everyone stands in front of you and loudly cheers for you."
Bourse	"Besides, even if ma petite Vivi isn't the hero of this world, you're still le Bourse's hero. If it wasn't for you, petite Vivi, Bourse wouldn't be here now."
Vivienne	"Mhm, thank you."
Bourse	"Uhm... petite Vivi?"
Vivienne	"What?"
Bourse	"Why didn't you tell everyone about le Baiser de Sorcière?"
Vivienne	"......"
Bourse	"If the mark on le Bourse is le Baiser de Sorcière, then le Bourse will die if the witch is not defeated. Also, if one drives a hot iron stake into the place where the 'marqué' is placed, the witch can be killed."
Bourse	"Shouldn't you have told everyone all these facts?"
Vivienne	"......"
Bourse	"You didn't show this mark to Paddington and the Conductor because you didn't want them to know that it was le Baiser de Sorcière, did you?"
Vivienne	"If I have to tell them, I will. But I haven't decided it's the Baiser de Sorcière yet. I don't want people to worry."
Vivienne	"So Bourse, please keep quiet for a while."
Bourse	"...... Understood. Le Bourse will try not to say anything until that time comes."
Vivienne	"Merci Bourse."
Bourse	"No, it is Bourse who should thank you."
Bourse	"Ma petite Vivi, thank you for always helping le Bourse."

Verforet Episode
8-1	The Fairy Forest
8-2	Bourse Missing
8-3	View From the Trees
8-4	The Fairy King
8-5	Is Everything the Mist?
8-6	The Dark Bloods
8-7	The Fairy Spring
8-8	It Came From the West
8-9	La Sorcière Sans Retour
8-10	The Guardian of Brocéliande