Hey, what's got you moping around out here?
Say, I hear you learned how to use your instrument.
Nice work.
Looks like you'll—
It's Gris!
That guy got Gris.
How the hell do you expect me to act?
Up there, I couldn't save the person who saved me.
It's the same way here.
Why?
I start to think I've changed, that I've moved forward,
but then the same damn thing happens again!
Am I just going to be this way my whole life?
Damn it!
Gris knew what he was getting into.
He put his life on the line for his team.
He didn't protect you because you're a Sphereite,
but because he saw you as a kindred spirit who cares about objects and people equally.
Anyway, come on inside.
Give Gris your respects.
Episode 8
"Moving Forward"
Congrats on awakening your power, Rudo!
I'm so glad you're looking well!
Y-You're... alive?
Oh, I get it.
You were all mopey because you thought Gris was dead!
I get it all now!
Don't count me out yet, man.
I'm still going strong!
Well, it's freaking confusing!
You took a claw right through the chest! Anyone could see that's a death sentence!
Oh, it's because of the Cleaners' medical team.
This little lady here was the real star of the day.
Her name's Eishia Stilza, the Cleaners' only Giver with a healing power.
I-I'm not usually useful at all.
It just happened... to be able to be useful... this time.
Eishia's really shy.
Eishia.
You saved me from certain death.
I can't thank you enough.
You too, Follo.
Don't look so down.
You're the one who got me clear of that Raider's berserker fury.
But...
You can't rush your way to becoming a Giver.
Keep going at your own pace.
Big Bro!
And you, Rudo.
You did extremely well.
That guy was really strong, and your teamwork with Zanka kept him in check.
That's a remarkable thing.
Seriously, don't worry about the talisman.
I'm glad that something I took care of could be useful to someone else.
That's the "worth" I assign to things.
Yeah. I get it.
Gris.
I'm really glad you survived.
Anyway...
Looks like the Raiders are actively picking fights with Cleaners now.
Which means trash beasts won't be the only thing
we can expect to scrap with in the near future.
And...
We got some new info.
That Raider mentioned a "border."
It suggests they must be doing research into the Sphere.
Who's that?
The boss.
The boss? Did he say "boss"?
No way.
Then this guy is the Cleaners' leader?
A pleasure to meet you, Rudo.
I'm sorry I missed you on your first day.
I'm Corvus. Arkha Corvus.
I've found myself in the position of the Cleaners' leader.
Y-Yes sir...
I'd heard you were only staying with us temporarily to get information,
and was going to say that we can't let you remain...
But you quickly found the good in our people here,
and put your life on the line to protect them.
You also have access to a power that could very much contribute to our cause.
I don't have a single complaint.
I hereby officially welcome you into the Cleaners!
Come to my room.
I've got a change of clothes for you, and some information.
The "border," as the name suggests, lies between the Sphere and the Ground.
It's said that all who try to reach the Sphere die while crossing the border.
Now, here's an interesting story.
It's said that there's a woman who lives in the No Man's Land closest to the border.
Once, a traveler got lost in the No Man's Land, and the woman helped them.
The traveler asked her, "Why do you live in a place like this?"
The woman replied,
"I'm watching the people who fall from above."
The woman had lived there for many years, watching.
And then the woman said...
There are those who come and go without dying.
There's a chance she's seen people capable of crossing the border alive.
So if I track down one of the people that woman saw,
I could learn how to get up there?
As well as how you made it down here without dying.
Though, of course, it will be a dangerous journey.
Will you go, or stay?
Which will it be?
There's no way I'm not going.
Hey, you got your Cleaner's uniform on!
Looks good on you, man.
Six Hours Earlier
Stop it! Just stop, dammit!
You're not supposed to be going to see the woman in No Man's Land today!
How is he so strong?!
It might lead to a way to get back up to the Sphere!
I've gotta talk to her!
Yeah, but we can't do it now!
Chill out, brat.
You can't just run off into a place like that half-cocked.
You're heading straight into the center of No Man's Land.
You're just gonna run off without getting any info or knowing what you can do?
You got a death wish or something?
Knowing what I can do?
It's nice that you can use your powers on command now,
but we still don't know their limits, their weak points, any of it.
And neither do you.
You're going to come with me, then?
Hell yeah, man.
It's suicide to go into No Man's Land solo.
You were doing it, weren't you?
Besides, the Cleaners' job is as much about researching trash beasts
as it is about beating them.
We've got plenty of our own to gain by going into No Man's Land.
We've got to look out for Raiders, too.
Raiders...
Speaking of, how can those Raider guys become Givers?
Not all people are good at heart.
Not all people are capable of taking proper care of objects, either.
Some people seem good but treat objects like shit,
and some people seem bad but treat certain objects well.
A person's morality is irrelevant to whether they can become a Giver.
Of course, people who don't think highly of Givers
sometimes refer to us as "codependent."
Makes sense in a way, right?
Being too obsessed with a single object probably looks weird to your average person.
I guess I'd gotten it in my head that bad people never took care of objects.
I guess that was wrong of me, huh?
Yeah, but I still hate those guys.
For today, you should probably relax.
It's been non-stop action these last few days, right?
He told me to relax... but how do I do that?
I don't really sleep all that long.
Wish I could pick through some trash...
Hey, Rudo!
I'm gonna show you around Cleaner HQ!
The training room!
The dining hall!
The toilets!
It's kinda run-down, but it's fully loaded, see?
There's a lot more to see than there was in the Sphere.
What did you do up there?
I went with Regto to look at scenery... picked up garbage... got yelled at...
They like to yell up in the Sphere too, huh?
Don't worry. Got plenty of that down here, too.
What did you eat?
Stuff like bread... soup...
Any sweets?
Sweets?
Sweets.
Sweets were only for people with money.
We've got some.
There's a group of people on the Ground called Vianders.
We Cleaners sometimes buy from them.
Oh, he came by to eat sweets?
Yeah. Says he's never had any.
I dunno how it is up there,
but here, sweets are way more popular than drugs.
Don't get addicted.
Rich people food... and so much of it...
Because of all the pollution, it's hard to grow crops down here,
so the Vianders collect Givers who specialize in cooking.
Thanks to them, we might have more sweets down here than they do up there.
Go on. Try one!
What the hell is this?! It's great!
Didn't think he'd take to it that well.
We've got a budding addict.
Never had anything so good before!
I can't stop!
Go easy, man. You're gonna get fat.
What's with this guy?
Don't tell me...
He's after the sweets?
But... I wanna eat more too...
Here. You can have it.
What's with this spoiled brat?!
You're one to talk.
Hey, Dear!
Sorry.
And now—
Riyo, you gotta make up for what you did to Rudo.
There's no way I could've known he'd end up like that...
Anyway, it's nice that he found a thing he likes.
Didn't think he'd burn through our whole stock of sweets, though...
What's that loser gotten himself into now?
Hey... Hey...
We got an invader or somethin' here!
Hey, shithead.
Can't use your instrument again?
Oh, man.
Did you get so high on sweets you forgot how it works?
C'mon, no way...
I thought we were gauging your powers,
but I guess we're gauging the success of your diet.
Glad you can move around again, at least!
What's going on here?
I remember how it's supposed to feel, but...
You liked to fix up things people had thrown out, right?
If that's the basis of your powers, maybe you need garbage...
some kind of broken object for them to trigger.
See if anything speaks to you here.
I did it.
Looks like Zanka was on the money.
Nice work. You're an excellent trainer.
A mediocrity can be more objective than a natural talent.
Don't underestimate the brains of a mediocrity.
Thank you.
Man, you tick me off.
Let's see if you can make multiple weapons. Get to it.
Guess he can.
He did it again!
You're a real cheat—
Yeah, thought so.
He gets a nosebleed if he uses his instrument too many times in a row.
Crazy.
Guess those gloves' quality is so immense, his body can't keep up.
Quality?
The longer an object is deeply cared for,
the more seasoned and superior an instrument it becomes.
We call that "improving its quality."
The better the quality, the more power it can bring to bear.
Quality isn't everything in a fight, of course—
The experience and mindset of the user influences the form its abilities take,
and that also plays a big role.
Both are important, I guess you could say.
Yeah, if he's been caring for 'em since he was a kid, they'll be pretty high in quality.
But would it affect him physically that much?
Or has the "series" got something to do with it?
But then...
Why did the object I turned into a weapon fall apart in the end?
The ones I did now are just fine.
Even when I switch between them, they stay in one piece.
Is there a time limit?
I wonder...
Maybe it's a "purpose fulfilled" kind of thing?
After all, your power's about bringing out the "full and uninhibited worth"
of an object someone broke or threw away, right?
When you recycle them like you do, you're letting them fulfill their true purpose.
That's a really cool thing.
Their true purpose?
That's true. It fell apart when the battle was over and Rudo felt safe.
That could be a part of Rudo's power, yeah.
To draw the full worth of garbage and broken things—
let them fulfill their purpose and lay them to rest.
Yeah, sounds right.
I think Riyo's on target, here.
You didn't break Gris's talisman or the other things you turned into weapons.
You let objects retired too soon go out in a last blaze of glory.
I see.
My power's not about breaking objects.
Though, actually, he said something about your gloves being a "series"...
What was that about?
Series?
So there are more out there like them?
But why would...
Do they have a name?
A name?
Yeah.
The Ripper
When you love something, you name it, right?
Umbreaker
Lovely Assistaff
I never even thought about it.
You're going to have to give them a name.
We're back, boss.
The Cleaners... the City of Art...
The Desert Altar...
Vital instruments... series...
The Watchman series.
Rudo.