Pantomimes/Text

In both Pathologic and Pathologic 2, Pantomimes play an important role in the story. Pantomimes provide summaries of the events that have occurred in the game as well as insights to upcoming events. Every night, different pantomimes will be available in the Theatre, from 12:00 AM to 7:00 AM.

Intro
Bachelor: So, it's all about trickery to you? Wherever have you come from?

Changeling: No, no... I detest trickery. But if we ourselves are to suffer deception, our hands are no longer tied. Where are we?

Haruspex: Well, a muscular contraction is there. Means we're already inside of him. This must be one of the ventricles, right here.

Changeling: What a silly place... it's stuffed! So it's not real for now? I don't think it has started, yet.

Bachelor: Does it matter what it's made of? It's definitely struggling. We need to perform sectio transversalis. Cut the wall. There's no other way out. What else is there to do?

Changeling: I know what to do. Those who favour hard logic and direct action are bound to be misguided. Only a miracle can set us free without us having to destroy something. And I can do miracles. Just let me.

Bachelor: Will you please be quiet? You're a liar and a thief. Who is going to believe you when you keep lying to yourself? The truth is my shepherd. Whatever happens, I will find answers, and justice will be restored. I will perform the operation. Medicum morbo adhibere.

Haruspex: Don't you go all bossy on me clever clogs. You will act justly, but your justice will blind you and become his demise. This calls for the gentle hand of a surgeon. Step aside, both of you.

Changeling: Your gentle hands are used to killing, not giving life. You will inevitably do harm. As for brainy, he has no regard for casualties at all. Neither of you knows compassion.

Bachelor: Yes, it seems unlikely that we'll get along well, but there's only one truth.

Haruspex: Any choice is right as long as it's willed. That's the truth of the matter.

Changeling: Only the heart will show you the right choice. Stop thinking about yourselves, think of the sick. He's in pain. I can't see it yet, but I can feel it.

Bachelor: It's not even a trap... it's a grave. Sub ipsum fumus sumus. Can't say I hold a soft spot for it.

Haruspex: I can see that. You're full of hate. Stuffed or not, it's breathing. I can heal it. It can be healed, rather than killed.

Changeling: You mean you won't become a killer? But you will! Mark my word, that's exactly what will happen. But I can avoid it.

Bachelor: No... we won't ever get along. I suggest we be on our way. The sooner the better.

Changeling: Off we go then?

Haruspex: Let's go. The clock is ticking.

Day 1
Speaker 2 shares a voice with the narrator.

Speaker 1: Today the killer was identified! Its nature turned out to be completely unexpected.

Speaker 2: The enemy is found and named: it's called the Sand Pest. The contagious plague is threatening to ruin everything here.

Speaker 1: How can a killer like this be punished? How can a villain like this be struck?

Speaker 2: It can't. It's impossible. By pulling a knife on it you'll just cut an innocent body.

Speaker 1: I think... I should go. Nothing to be done here anyway.

Speaker 2: You should go! Go then, wherever you please. Shoo!

Day 2
Speaker 1: The rulers had to accept something was wrong. The terrifying discoveries have convinced them. One of them managed to curb the family feud...

Speaker 2: Bad news. The Governor will abuse his power and the rest won't let him get away with this. Nothing's changed.

Speaker 1: The Town was placed in quarantine. From now on the infected districts will be locked down and no-one will be able to leave until the situation is resolved.

Speaker 2: Well it won't be! They won't figure it out!

Day 3
''Note: Speaker 1 appears to be the voice of the narrator, while Speaker 3 appears to be the Bachelor. Speaker 2 and 4 are unknown, but were also present in the Day 3 Pantomime.''

Speaker 1: So?

Speaker 2: It stays away from dead bodies, disappearing from corpses without a trace. It's been established that you can out-wait it - if you're careful and discreet. The glass will keep the best as it's supposed to.

Speaker 1: What does it mean?

Speaker 3: It means we have a fighting chance. The infectious agent only sticks to living matter and is repelled by dead surfaces. Those who remain indoors are more likely to survive. Scurrying and making a fuss means death. All in all, we can fight.

Speaker 1: You self-serving jerk! You've got your own agenda, haven't you? You're always up for a fight, you just need an adversary. What about the people?

Speaker 2: Hush! Don't you get in his way. He seems to have a plan.

Speaker 4: It's all wrong... It's no good at all.

Day 4
Speaker 1: One of them is trying to fight.

Speaker 2: Who?

Speaker 1: This one. The other two will try to thwart their efforts, though.

Speaker 2: Interesting. Will they fall into the trap?

Speaker 1: I wonder... look what they've turned the Theatre into.

Speaker 2: I hope they know what they're doing. Unavoidably, blood will be shed tomorrow.

Day 5
''Note: Speaker 1 appears to be the voice of the narrator, while Speaker 2 and Speaker 3 are the same unknown voices. The Haruspex cannot see this pantomime unless the player waits in the warehouses to avoid arrest.''

Speaker 1: So here we are.

Speaker 2: So much blood was spilled...

Speaker 1: Spilled? You mean by accident? Something you had nothing to do with?

Speaker 2: It had to be done so that we could move forward. We're on the path to victory, don't you agree?

Speaker 1: We are. Now we know how to fight Sand Pest for real. False rumours have been disproven. It's no demon. These are just tiny particles that die quickly if they can't bite into hot blood.

Speaker 3: People fear Katerina's prophecy...

Speaker 1: People only fear bloodshed when it's their blood and their shed. Blood! Blood is nothing but a nutritional medium; he who sows blood reaps a ripe harvest.

Day 6
''Note: Unlike voices from previous Pantomimes Speaker 1's voice is a womans, and appears to be that of the Changeling. Speaker 2 appears to be the narrator once more. Speaker 4 is likely to be the voice of the Haruspex.''

Speaker 1: Someone could have ended up at that stake today. I was lucky to escape execution. Bachelor was noble enough to let me go.

Speaker 2: Unbelievable. Sand Pest is not a person. It's been proven. But... who is the source? It's not the girl, that much is obvious.

Speaker 3: You can escape everyone, even the Inquisitor's vengeful hand. But you can't escape yourself. The Earth's sister is breathing down your neck.

Speaker 1: What shall we do?

Speaker 4: It feels... like the whole world is against me. I can't get this noose off. Is execution unavoidable?

Speaker 3: Stop moaning!

Speaker 2: Calm down! You can remain a tool, or become a rebel. The choice is yours. Men struggle in nooses but puppets... walk free.

Day 7
''Note: Speaker one appears to be the voice of the Inquisitor. Speaker 2 appears to be that of the Haruspex. Speaker 3 is the voice of the narrator.''

Speaker 1: I know how celestial bodies work. I know the logic of numbers.

Speaker 2: Yes, ma'am.

Speaker 1: Solid bodies drown in water; it's a Law. Life breaks into particles and is reborn again; it is a Law.

Speaker 3: Do you see now how many mysteries the Earth holds? The more terrifying the mystery, the deeper it lies and the fewer wells can reach them.

Speaker 1: You can trick anyone. Anyone but me, the emissary of the Powers That Be. I know how this had been built. I know how its life works. I know the Laws it operates under. It's supposed to be very simple, and proportional.

Speaker 2: True! True ma'am! That's what it's supposed to be.

Speaker 3: True! True ma'am! That is what it's supposed to be.

Speaker 1: So let it be. It's not the end of the world. It's just an epidemic. It's gone out of proportion. The Law will prevail. I'll restore the balance, not all is lost. I know where the root of this evil lies.

Speaker 3: Hmm...

Day 8
''Note: Speaker 1 is the voice of the narrator. Speaker 2 appears to be the voice of the Haruspex. The Bachelor cannot see this Pantomime unless the main quest of Day 8 remains incomplete.''

Speaker 1: Do you see now how many mysteries the Earth holds? The more terrifying the mystery, the deeper it lies and the fewer wells can reach them.

Speaker 2: The bowels of the Abattoir turned inside out. There are beasts there.

Speaker 1: It's filled with roots and dirt. The underground doors opens easily, but you can only go through if there is a grave behind it. Hopefully you catch my drift?

Speaker 2: There's nothing to lose anyway. The soldiers will be here tomorrow, let's risk it!

Speaker 1: You're free to go anywhere. To the right... to left... upwards, and even downwards a bit. You're welcome to make sure there are no tricks.

Speaker 2: Who cares! It's all the same in the end.

Day 9
''Note: Speaker 1 appears to be the voice of Alexander Block. Speaker 2 seems to be that of the Changeling.''

Speaker 1: My orders were to destroy every building in this Town and then to shoot everyone who survives the bombardment. The military only comes when there's nothing to fix anymore. I'm keen on breaking that habit though... I know that the people who can change the course of the catastrophe have been working here for some time. We will only destroy the thing pointed at by a Healer who can argue in favour of taking such action.

Speaker 2: How about not shooting at all?

Speaker 1: If we don't shoot anything at all the consequences will be devastating. You wanted freedom of choice? So choose. A massive shelling or a single pin-point strike. One way or another we'll put an end to this circus.

Day 10
''Note: Speaker 1 is the voice of the narrator. Speaker 2 appears to be that of the Haruspex.''

Speaker 1: The law of gravity is tragically incompatible with dream-catching. Illusions have to be let go of in good time.

Speaker 2: There is a tricky way to save the specular tower, but there will be casualties. What do you say?

Speaker 1: The Law demands that we remain silent, as if there's nothing to save but this ridiculous tower.

Speaker 2: There is another tricky way. It allows for saving the town of men, but it also requires a sacrifice to be made. What do you say?

Speaker 1: The Law is impartial. The choice is yours.

Speaker 2: Is there an alternative way to subvert your ridiculously unfair Law?

Speaker 1: We're just doing our job. Why all the fuss? You've got time. Live some more!

Day 11
''Note: Speaker 1 appears to be the voice of the Changeling. Speaker 2 appears to be that of the Haruspex. Speaker 3 is the voice of the narrator.''

Speaker 1: Whatever you do you'll have to sacrifice something.

Speaker 2: Destruction is inevitable. There's no miraculous way out.

Speaker 3: Hmm, so that's what their thought process is, see? There was nothing to hope for from the start. Each of them should simply fulfil their purpose. At least we'll see which one works best.

Speaker 2: Each of them wants to save that which is dear to them. Perhaps they could... get along?

Speaker 3: Out of the question. The meeting chamber is tight with the General sitting at one side of the table and the Inquisitor sitting at the other. Only one of them will decide. The others will die.

Doll Ending
Note: Speaker 1 is the voice of the narrator.

Speaker 1: You did it. It was a free choice. We acknowledge the victory of the player.

Speaker 2: It is indeed miraculous. The exit is clear. It shouldn't have happened. The miracle must be real.

Day 1
Mark Immortell: Please welcome the actor, Artemy Burakh! Let us examine him. The will is present. Emotions… sure, there are emotions. Intellect… well, no one expected a miracle. Not from this specimen—he's no true human, but a larva, just like all the larvae we've seen here lately. Pardon me. I shouldn't have been so rude. You are, after all, the star of the show.

Haruspex: How should I act then?

Immortell: Here's some advice. Actually, the only advice that matters. Try not to die. Do you understand? Like, never ever. At all. Or it'll turn bad. Not just for you, but for all of us.

Haruspex: And why is that?

Immortell: It would wound the world. Irreversibly. And the world, it's not in the best shape as it is. So I'd kindly ask you to do your very best. Work hard. Take care of yourself.

Haruspex: Where are the other two? The bachelor and the girl?

Immortell: They're waiting for you to exit the scene. They want to learn about their fates, as well.

Haruspex: You know the future? What's mine, then?

Immortell: Ugh, I can't help but pity you. Look, there will be a happy ending.You'll even believe that you've won. No guilty conscience, either. So relax, man of fate. Next!

Haruspex: Uh… what do you mean?

Immortell: Next!

Day 2
Changeling: I can work miracles. I just lay hands on a person, and they… you know, if they had cancer, or a tumor, or something in the blood… I'm not very good with terms. But God loves me.

Bachelor: Three years ago, a cure for typhoid was found. Four years ago, for the Blue Death. A year ago, for a strain of smallpox. Science is all-powerful.

Haruspex: Local medicine… can do a lot. Although, while studying, I started to see it as backwards. But it did work at times.

Beak: Well? Satisfied with your boasting? Trying to impress each other like little kids… unbelievable…

Talon: Enough with this ridiculous meeting, you bunch of quacks. No type of medicine will help you here.

Day 3
Talon: Ladies and gentlemen! Please welcome… the outbreak! The Theatre is officially disbanded.

Beak: As well as other conveniences: running water, access to your own children (who never leave their beloved Polyhedron, anyway)... sewage, friendly smiles in the street, any respect for the institution of marriage, food, et cetera, et cetera.

Talon: On the order of that big-city Bachelor, all theatrical costumes are to be handed out to orderlies. You know. Protection.

Beak: By the way, obeying the orderlies is now mandatory, per current laws.

Talon: Is that all?

Beak: For now.

Talon: The Town is doomed. Why bother with any of this?

Beak: Oh… ladies and gentlemen! Please focus on your life aspirations. You have little more than a week now. Make sure your affairs are in order and do your best to pursue your dismal dreams.

Day 4
Talon: Isidor tore this town to pieces.

Beak: A man who made severe judgements. A sawbones, as it were. Yes sir, if the bones grew wrong, he broke 'em.

Talon: Oh, how his son tries to sew it back together. Maybe he'll succeed, and with pretty stitches?

Beak: You're kidding? People like him only care about themselves. They can't connect things, they certainly can't sew anything.

Talon: There he is, look! He came to watch—watch you foam at the mouth. That means he does care about something other than himself! He will bind us!

Beak: Like hell. Connections take more than catgut and steady hands.

Talon: All the while, plague devours the Town!

Beak: Who even cares about some pathetic Burakh—living, breathing, boring Burakh—while a whole four hundred others die this night?

Day 5
Changeling: I fell in love for the first time when I was six. A kind boy with freckles. And you know, these days I… his name was Matvey.

Bachelor: I don't believe you. And I don't like you. Actually, that's too mild a statement. I feel an innate resentment toward you.

Changeling: Ah… it's… well… all right, then. Most people love me.

Haruspex: I don't like you, either, girl of faith. But not just you. I'm not sure I know how to love.

Immortell: Enough. This won't do. It won't do at all. This is a theatre production, not a pity party! You should be ashamed of how you've wasted your time worrying about such nonsense. Go to bed. That's it! Rehearsal over!

Day 6
Inquisitor: Mark Nerchik.

Man: I'm him.

Inquisitor: Go ahead. Talk.

Man: Well, I… when it got started… all right, no use lying, is there? So here I am, confessing. We were robbin' folks. Me and Kitty Cat, Stilts, Knives… all them. Then we wanted to rob that big-city bachelor…

Inquisitor: I see. Northern goldmines, ten years. Alexander Saburov.

Saburov: I. You've heard it all. I tried to instill order. It's instrumental.

Inquisitor: And the outbreak?

Saburov: Outbreaks, earthquakes, the Last Judgement, it doesn't matter… discipline must be maintained. People turn into animals. They need to be reined in. My wife—

Inquisitor: —my sympathies for your wife. Last question: heads or tails?

Saburov: Heads. Always heads.

Inquisitor: I expected nothing else. Still, you're free to leave. Andrey Gofmann!

Woman: I'm his sister, Anna. He didn't wait for questioning… shot himself. You won't punish the rest of us, will you?

Inquisitor: Noted. Next! Victoria Olgimskaya, sixteen. Or is it fifteen…?

Day 7
Man 1: …I wanted to apologise for the lie, I did, but still… I had lied. Betrayed his trust…

Inquisitor: Betrayal means death. Next!

Man 2: I cheated on my wife, but thing is, we've been together for—

Inquisitor: —cheating is betrayal. Betrayal means death. Please stand to the left. Next!

Man 3: …Listen, I understand where this is going! I beg you, forgive me! I'm guilty of betrayal, too, but I will never again—

Inquisitor: —death. Next.

Man 4: See, the circumstances were… I never wanted to betray them, but—

Inquisitor: —death. Look, is there anyone here with a different crime?

Inquisitor: There are no other crimes. There's no such thing as evil, murder, torture, or violent abuse.The only real crime is betraying someone who trusted you. So everyone who has that kind of confession, please stand to the left. Your punishment is death. End of discussion.

Day 8
Commander: "He knows how to protect people." What does it mean to protect someone? You can't lead them, single file, to a place where there are no bombs, no one with murderous intent. Not subjecting them to needless danger, but pushing them to face danger when needed. That's what protection means.

Commander: But… just how needed is it? If you're right, the need is real; if not, it was imaginary. And that is on you, on your conscience. Here, at war, there are no rehearsals, no tryouts. No second chances.

Immortell: General, sir, what are you talking about? We're not at the frontlines. You have a direct order to stop the plague. Meaning your job is the opposite of protecting people. You're here to kill.

Commander: This is a criminal order, and I won't follow it.

Immortell: Yeah. You have a lousy role in all this. But let's try once again. From a different line of yours…

Day 9
Inquisitor: I'm afraid of General Block. Hero of the people. Genius. I've never worked with such material. I feel helpless. What do you say to that?

Haruspex: What can I say? I said everything yesterday. It's strange to hear—I thought you were supposed to be the genius.

Inquisitor: You're joking? I'm more of a machine. Aglaya: This is an unsolvable town, outside my capabilities.

Haruspex: It's outside everyone's capabilities. But I thought that's exactly what inquisitors were for.

Inquisitor: Listen. I have very little time left. If I can't solve the Town, I'll be ampuled. They threw me here on purpose. Victory is impossible.

Haruspex: I get what you mean by "ampuled," but… how do you "solve" a town?

Inquisitor: To "solve" is to… see things through. As Inquisition does. You know? By any means necessary.

Haruspex: Well, we have the panacea. As for the General… cheer up. We'll see how things go.

Inquisitor: We need to run. We need to flee this town.

Day 10
Talon: Everything is of equal value; everything is pregnant with connections.Even things which have nothing in common. Everything has the potential to be connected; this is the way things reacquire meaning.

Beak: All that surrounds us is a living organism with its own blood flow and metabolism. Plague is part of this flow, frightening, but logical. It kills humans… but what is a human? Humanity itself is comparable to a microbe. Just as small, blind, and absurd.

Talon: No. Humanity is a loom. Or its shuttle, to be precise. Humans are actually quite decent. I'll have you know that I like them.

Beak: A shuttle. Whatever. The role of a human is still unattractive. Choosing nothing, moving along a preordained path. Compare and contrast to the plague. It gets into any crack, connects all that there is. So who is the paragon of animals here, I wonder?

Talon: But what about the Town, huh? It is, after all, the next step. Towns come to life. And they're closely connected to the earth.

Beak: Much more closely than people—if they're friends with it. Friends with the blood flow of the earth. If they can bear all it can grant them… Consider an unusual ulcer, which the earth would die without. An ulcer that connects all things—if it left, all would die, leaving behind a machine.

Talon: Towns are built by people. So let people build them as machines! You say towns shall inherit the earth, replacing people, like people once replaced mammoths. I don't believe it. Let's not make hasty conclusions. Children inherit the earth, too. And kids are smarter than their parents.

Beak: I've always hated your grandiosity and silly generalisations. We'll see. Let us stand watch. Let us see what morning brings.

Healer Dream
Changeling: Well, of course it's about the skin. The skin is a connection—it's what you use to touch the world, isn't it? Your border.

Bachelor: Oh! There's the word: border—like the brain. Everything that limits us exists only in the mind. Imperare sibi maximum imperium est.

Haruspex: You're talking past each other. Ah, everyone does. The organs are what matter, and blood. Blood is the bond between us.

Changeling: But touch is transformative. You can only change someone through touch. They'll undergo a metamorphosis, and not even notice.

Bachelor: So it's all deception to you? Where did you even come from?

Changeling: No, I don't deceive people. But I touch things, leaving behind tiny pieces of myself. Then I watch… watch them change.

Haruspex: You can't change someone against their will. Only will matters, which proves this is all about blood.

Bachelor: Blood is only a stream of red and white cells. Sure, they contain information, but how can anything compare to the magnificence of the brain?

Haruspex: Make up your mind. Otherwise, the Town will die.

Changeling: No, it won't. I can perform miracles! Just let me! Let me go! Stop playing against me, both of you!

Bachelor: "Playing"? Do you think this is a game? Nine hundred and fourteen people died yesterday!

Haruspex: Nine hundred and twenty-two. It will be more than a thousand, tomorrow. Nokhoin duun oyrto-o.

Changeling: Yes! This is exactly my point! They're all numbers to you. But what you think of as zeroes and ones are actual people!They've already been touched by someone's will, they've been reanimated!

Bachelor: I don't think we'll ever see eye to eye. We have such little time left. Shall we leave, then?

Changeling: So we separate. As usual. How many days do we have? Eleven?

Haruspex: Let's go. The clock is ticking.