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Cyouni
Sep 30, 2014

without love it cannot be seen

FoolyCharged posted:

If you do a bunch of optional material. All of that d's journal stuff? Vampire buds painting expose? Hints that the orthodoxy wasn't on the level from anyone not conquering the world with sociopaths?

Optional. Missable.

I'm also going to point out that Vampire Castle is super overtuned in difficulty in comparison to everything around it, so it's really easy to just leave and do it later.

And I mean overtuned to the point where the dungeon is really more dangerous than Alternis.

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werbear
Jan 14, 2017

Cyouni posted:

And I mean overtuned to the point where the dungeon is really more dangerous than Alternis.

Which in turn makes it seem a bit like your typical optional dungeon that is harder than the final boss and requires grinding to tackle. Especially since encounters can not be switched off there.

Getting the Vampire Asterisk is a bit strange and there are the empty spots in the codex and the job wheel (for the Dark Knight Asterisk) - but UI spoilers aside the "we aren't done yet"-twist is pulled off ok for the most part.
From a story standpoint there are still some things left unanswered and some characters are in dire need of more backstory. But it's not like Bravely Default would have been a tightly written experience before...
In a way it makes heading to the Pillar of Light without many answers just feel exactly like the rest of the game.
Although I am pretty sure that was not intentional.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
You can turn off encounters everywhere. Vampire Castle is no exception. I made sure to turn that off after I got the Genomes there.

werbear
Jan 14, 2017
Huh, I must have remembered that wrong - my bad.

hey girl you up
May 21, 2001

Forum Nice Guy

FoolyCharged posted:

And? What happens immediately after beating alternis is the twist itself. You go, wait this isn't right and wake up in bizzaro timeline with no explanation.

E: seriously though. All the game hints is that the crystals/orthodoxy are actually bad. None of this time loop stuff, just bog standard "and now we kill god" jrpg fare. The people going wink wink nudge nudge absolutely spoiled it for me.

The Ringabel is Alternis And Probably From Some Time Fuckery was telegraphed hard as hell in the Journal. 10x so if you pick up on the fact that Ringabel is removed from the scene for an incredibly stupid reason when we first meet Din.

edit: my post from right after the Beauty Contest, when I went back and re-read the Journal:

hey girl you up posted:

Ringabel was conveniently elsewhere on the flimsiest of justifications when Alternis came by, so they didn't necessarily know he's with them. Incidentally, that also means Alternis would have recognized Ringabel (or he wouldn't haven been written out of that scene). But Victor/Victoria didn't react at all to seeing Ringabel, so they don't recognize him.

So, the journal is D's journal, and it's clearly written by a Dark Knight who knows and is sweet on Edea. It also somehow tells the future? Yeah, I dunno. I feel like there's got to be a time travel/parallel worlds/etc for all of this to make any sense? The "prophecy" in the journal has diverged quite a bit from what actually happened in the game; the author is already not traveling with the party at this point.

So:

1. Ringabel is Alternis, who had a change of heart, and traveled back in time somehow? We have time mages, so I guess that's doable. Victor/Victoria have never seen him out of his armor. Why isn't he in his armor now? Uh... the game uses Terminator time travel rules, so he couldn't bring his weapon or armor with him, but the journal is leather and vellum so it survived the trip.

2. Alternis somehow sent just his journal back in time, where it ended up in the hands of some lovely, lovely amnesiac pervert, and neither of which is actually aware of what's going on. Alternis wouldn't have recognized Ringabel, but it's hard to hide a book.

3. Ringabel got drunk one night and traded his Dark Knight asterisk to some dude Alternis, the former holder of the Oracle asterisk, for his magic future-telling journal.

4. Ringabel and Alternis are twins. After their home town was invaded, Ringabel escaped to join the Crystal Orthodoxy Resistance, but Alternis fled with his mom to badguyville, changed his name, and eventually rose up the ranks to get the Dark Knight asterisk and run things. Victor/Victoria still haven't seen Alternis out of his armor, which will be convenient when he takes it off to frame Ringabel for regicide.

I would not have expected to have to play the game over from the beginning, though, were it not for all the people in this thread complaining about the second half of the game. A World of Ruin wouldn't merit those complaints.

hey girl you up fucked around with this message at 00:30 on May 18, 2018

Patter Song
Mar 26, 2010

Hereby it is manifest that during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man.
Fun Shoe
Alternis is absolutely not a natural "final boss fight," but it would still be reasonable to expect him to be one of those fake-out "boss before the final boss" scenarios, and not leading into a time warp to the start of the game.

Regalingualius
Jan 7, 2012

We gazed into the eyes of madness... And all we found was horny.




Or there’s an expectation that the Dark Knight does something that disrupts the Holy Pillar just as the party is about to activate it, and the next act involves dealing with... whatever the fallout of such a disruption would be (I.E. the powers of the crystals start going into overdrive and cause all sorts of havoc around the world that the party has to deal with before they can get back to finishing their quest).

Greyarc
Dec 29, 2016

Okay guys, I think this train of thought has gone on long enough and has gone into spoiler territory.

The game isn't done yet, and there's still a ways to go. Discussions about what will or won't happen and how it will or won't happen will have to stop. There is a spoiler policy and it is still in effect so keep conversation to what has actually been shown in the LP. "Wink wink, nudge nudge" has been a persistent problem and I really don't want to have to start taking countermeasures.

ZeusCannon
Nov 5, 2009

BLAAAAAARGH PLEASE KILL ME BLAAAAAAAARGH
Grimey Drawer
If it helps at all I still dont know what the gently caress is going on.

Malah
May 18, 2015

ZeusCannon posted:

If it helps at all I still dont know what the gently caress is going on.
This is actually working in the game's favor now. Suspense of disbelief is so far gone that being able to go in any dumbass direction means that it's relatively unclear which dumbass direction we're going to go.

I don't really care about the Alternis/Ringabel thing. I want to see what asspull we're going to get to excuse what just happened and why there's differences in this playthrough ...

Oh. If this game is insane enough to pull a groundhog day loop, I'm throwing shoes.

Greyarc
Dec 29, 2016

D's Journal: Alternate Writings, Part 1

At the conclusion of Chapter 4, the party witnessed the unmasking and death of Eternia's dark knight, Alternis Dim. Moments before he died, he dropped a book that appeared to be an exact replica of D's Journal.



Ringabel took charge of this second journal. The player can view its contents in D's Journal under the category 'Alternis's Journal'.



Alternis's Journal is similar to Enigmatic Writings -- so similar, in fact, that journal entries with an asterisk next to their date are exact, or almost exact copies of what is written in Enigmatic Writings.

The journal is at first an expanded version of Enigmatic Writings, then later branches off in a new direction. While Enigmatic Writings was comprised of 128 pages, Alternis's Journal contains an entire 240. I'll be covering all of Alternis's Journal here and noting the repeated entries with an asterisk. As with Enigmatic Writings, I'll be editing out some line breaks for readability. For images which were also in Enigmatic Writings, I'll be reusing the Enigmatic Writings screenshots, so don't get confused if the page numbers are off. The journal is also long enough to go over the character limit for Something Awful posts, so the journal will be split in two sections.

Now, let's find out what this lovelorn boyo wrote.

--

Alternis's Journal

9/01


The Council of Six ship Dark Knight weighed anchor today, our destination Ancheim. This marks the first entry in my fourth journal kept since my tenure as an officer began.

My current mission: to collect the airship newly developed in Ancheim's secret shipyard. I am to transport the skystone given to me by the grand marshal and see it installed, rendering the new vessel skyworthy.

I've just set a southeastward course and noticed my coffee's gone cold. I had it cleared away. The view beneath me is a sea of clouds, its eastern edge taking on a ruddy tinge as my fresh cup is brought. Its aroma is one of my day's few luxuries.


9/06
I have come to the Profiteur Merchantry's secret shipyard in Ancheim. Work installing the skystone within the newly built ship I'm to collect is at a standstill. Three days of waiting. The heat is stifling, and the coffee drowned in sugar. I hate this place.

It's to be called the Eschalot. I'm surprised the first word from Edea's lips upon seeing the blueprints has become its official designation.

I'd braced for another night of cat napping in this sweltering dock, but just received word the skystone is set and sealed. The ship's maiden flight is to the Flor-Cheim Sea, where the ship I rode here is berthed. While it lacks the horsepower of a heavy cruiser like the Dark Knight, the ship is nimble and its design pleasing. I find myself quite taken with it.


9/10
Following her test flight to the Flor-Cheim Sea, the Eschalot has begun seafaring tests. I am confident the ship's power, speed, maneuverability, and defenses all meet the requirements laid forth by the Sky Knights.

The airship originally assigned to the Sky Knights suffered damage during the initial incursion into Caldisla and crashed. The mission to tow the newly completed Eschalot to Caldisla's Lontano Villa will commence in one month's time. It will be Edea's first sortie.




9/20*
The steel airlock door creaked shut behind me. Footsteps investigating the noise drew close for a moment, but soon faded. I lowered myself into bed with a sigh. My right hand unconsciously drifted to the back of my head.

There, beneath my pillow, it fell upon a picture frame. Within it, a disheveled room full of scrap iron, oil stains, and a single, beautiful flower...



My beloved Edea...

I pine for the chance to see a smile unfurl across your face set in equal parts courageous fire and innocence. I long to hear your voice, sweet like a spring breeze. Let it speak my name, and I shall die a happy man.

I could hear the nervous shuffling outside my door of someone afraid to disturb me. Not afraid enough, it seems. I returned the photo to its hiding place and answered without bothering to conceal my irritation.

"I'm awake. What is it?"

I skimmed the manual I'd been given, then tossed it on the bed. I returned to Edea's smile, perfectly preserved within the picture frame.

The Eschalot. My lips formed the word time and again as I watched the new ship in tow from my cabin porthole.


9/24
I make for Caldisla aboard the airship Dark Knight. I entrusted a subordinate with the task of towing the Eschalot to duchy waters, and now sail to give word to the Sky Knights.

It was late afternoon by the time we moored at the Lontano Villa's air dock.

"AAAAH, is this our new boat? It's so BLACK and PUNCHY!"

As I descended to the villa roof, I was met with the loudest misunderstanding I've ever encountered.

"Whaaaaat? Why send our new ship back to the duchy? We're here, man! Bring it to us! BRING IT! Or just give us this one. Either or."

Constant shouting aside, Barras Lehr's point is utterly reasonable. To him, at least. One assumes. But he's not getting my ship.

"Hey, kid! You made it!"

When I reached the villa's study, I was greeted with a rough slap to the back from Heinkel, captain of the Sky Knights. He continues to treat me like a boy despite my superior rank. Strangely, I don't really mind. Arguing with him is a waste of time, regardless.

Two hours later, I sat down to a table laid heavy with a feast. What began as a welcome celebration for me ended in a horror show of Barras's inhuman appetite and Heinkel and Holly's tag-team drinking.

"Edea will serve in Ominas's unit."

I was sobering up on the balcony when Heinkel came to deliver that news, leaving me wholly flustered. I could see his grin from the corner of my eye as he raised his glass in a mock toast.

Knight Argent Heinkel. Tales of his feats go back before the duchy's founding. He holds the grand marshal's trust, to the point of once serving as captain of his personal guard. For some reason, this hero has taken an interest in me from a young age. I owe him more than I can hope to repay.




9/25
Heinkel's proposal would have been confusing enough even without the exquisite hangover clouding my brain. I asked if he was mad to suggest infiltrating the Caldislan castle town. His reply came with a laugh.

"You didn't seem to think so when you volunteered for the job."

I should have smelled a trap when he brought that flagon out to the balcony.

"Going under cover all alone for little Edea's sake? Ooh, what a man! I might swoon."

Leave it to Holly to smell blood in the water and join in the teasing... Just leave me alone!

"Yes, YESSS, charge into enemy territory and single-handedly smash everything! STRATEGY!"

Where do I even begin with Barras? Also, his voice is splitting my head in two. And why is he performing maintenance on MY ship!?

It may be black, but my armor is hardly subtle, so off comes the helmet for this mission. I'm leaving my sword as well. Wait, am I seriously going through with this? I was dropped a ways from the city, told to await a smoke signal, and with that, my ship left for the villa once more.


9/26*
I hurried for the capital as the sun dipped below the Norende Plateau. My steps are unnervingly light without my armor, and these clothes hang oddly on me. Most of all, I feel naked unarmed. I was greeted at the city's edge by the sound of a whistle marking the arrival of a merchant ship. Between the merchants and wholesalers, the dock workers unloading crates, the tired crewmen, and the eager children excited by exotic wares, the port was buzzing with people.

As I pushed my way upstream through the crowd and along the avenue toward the palace, I spotted a splendid building, its roof a rich navy. This must be the inn the old fisherman described.

Inside, I found a man with a gentle mien sitting behind a well-polished counter. I asked after any vacancies, but he replied with a chagrined, "Sorry, we're all full up tonight." It feels quiet for a full inn, but I don't suppose I can blame him. A walk-in customer, at this hour. Clearly not a local. No one to vouch for me. Any respectable innkeep would offer some version of the same excuse.

When I inquired after a place to eat, he said down by the port there should be a cheap pub catering to sailors that's open until morning. Lovely. Back down I go... At the hill's bottom I ate my fill at a food cart aimed at drunken sailors. Now it's back up to the inn. I refuse to spend the night kept awake by carousing seamen.

I let myself into the empty house next door to the inn. I'll just have to sleep lightly.


9/27*
I was awakened by the sound of sword practice, shouts of exertion, and the pleasant smell of toast. One of the king's guard, perhaps? Looks about my age, and reasonably skilled. I lay in my makeshift bed, lazily counting his swings.

"Hurry up, Owen. You'll be late."

Upon hearing the innkeep's words, the youth replied and made his way down from the misty hilltop and into the inn. The scent of breakfast coming from next door has me drooling...

One bite of my rock-hard bread brought me back to reality. The bacon burnt coal black and the murky, bitter coffee made me wish it hadn't. I suppose I can expect no more from a shabby stand in the port.

After choking down my fill, I climbed the hill toward the palace. Supplied by a series of lush waterways, Caldisla was once a formidable city-fortress. These days, its hooked central avenue is lined with a magic shop, general store, armory and other businesses. A large gate stands as a vestige of that era, though now it serves mostly as a site for the town bulletin board.

"This year's boar hunt is set to begin once the final slot is filled! *Weapons provided by the hunting committee."

A boar hunt? With the duchy attacking? I was speechless. As I made to leave, I felt someone grasp my shoulder.

"This fellow says he'll join the hunt! We ride today!"

I turned, shock and irritation laid bare, only to find Owen, the young man I had seen practicing in the fog that morning. My initial protests were drowned in a rising cheer, and as the smith handed me a broadsword and buckler, I dumbly accepted. Potions from the town chemist followed. Between their expectant smiles and Owen's grin, I found myself unable to say no.

On the road, I was told a litany of facts I cared nothing about. The search for food to fatten up before hibernating apparently drives the giant boars to local farms, where they raid crops and injure workers. As a result, the city gathers volunteers each year to hunt them. As captain of the guard (I discover), responsibility for overseeing the hunt falls upon Owen. The armorer was slated to participate, but a leg injury has him on crutches. Owen says he was searching for a replacement when he found a promising candidate during his morning practice. Lucky him.

We walked a full, tiring day stalking our prey. First the trader gave out, then chatter dried up between the two young castle guards. Sunset found us upriver from the city, at the entrance to the Norende Canyon. Just as we decided to make camp, a rustling came from the thickets behind us!

The boar that leapt out was indeed a giant--a vicious, one-tusked monster that had survived the last year's hunt. In a flash, it gored one of the guards, then the other, leaving only Owen, me, and the trader. The boar stamped the ground, preparing to charge the old man now paralyzed with fear. I expect we'd all given up hope for the kindly old merchant, when the beast suddenly changed course.

With only seconds to react, Owen landed a mighty blow, felling the monster in a single strike! I set about treating the young guards' injuries. The trader, clearly still worked up, narrated Owen's victory to the two boys. With every reverent word, I felt as though I was being derided as useless.

The others took to sleep, while I sat watch to keep the fire going. Owen rose, and came to sit beside me.

"Thanks for before."

I kept silent, but he pressed on.



"The boar only changed targets because you circled behind me and channeled your energy at it. It's thanks to you we're not carting home a corpse."

He sat waiting, apparently bent on receiving a response. His grin is infectious.

"I took the surest course of action," I replied as I held aloft my broadsword. "I had my doubts this blade was up to the task."

The weapon's edge was chipped in places, its length bent. With a gentle shake, the pommel gave an unsettling rattle. Owen burst into laughter at the noise. Apparently my response passed muster. He continued, his grin never flagging.

"Starting tomorrow, you'll stay at my place. I'll give word to my father to open a room for you."

I was dragged on this hunt, but if it earns me a real breakfast, it's a bargain I'd take gladly.


9/28*
The innkeep's voice and the smell of coffee being laid on the table roused me from my thoughts.

"You're from Ancheim, eh? You'll be wanting extra sugar, then."

Politely declining, I took a sip. Quality beans, roasted to perfection... Exquisite. After the hunt, we'd carried the wounded back to town. We tied the boar to a high tree branch; Owen said the townspeople would come for it later.

After seeing to the boys' treatment, Owen invited me to his home, the inn. "Savior" was the title he used when introducing me to his father. I was mortified. I was on a journey of personal discovery, originally come from Ancheim... They bought my arbitrary lies without hesitation. They welcomed me.

That evening, we dined early, and well. The boar had been carted back to town, and our share of the meat filled the table. Once Owen returned from the palace, we sat down to feast. The innkeep was a brilliant cook, and we ate, drank, and reveled into the night.

"Come by the palace tomorrow. I want you to meet the king."

He repeated himself time and again, words slurred from the wine, despite my pretending to be asleep.


9/29
I stood before the king of Caldisla.

Owen seemed determined to drag me into the king's service. It's a mercy he didn't know he was speaking to one of Eternia's Council of Six. I expect the embarrassment would be crippling.

The Caldislan king lacks any presence. Any fire. Outside and in, he's utterly common. If I were to kill this man where he stands, would it aid Edea? Remembering that I am unarmed, and that Owen isn't, nips any plotting in the bud.

After regaling the king with tales of my valor, he pushes for my appointment to the king's guard. I parry with a roundabout excuse. Perhaps the king mistook my hesitation for modesty, but he did not press the point. The audience ended, and Owen's scheme with it.

I left the palace, surreptitiously noting the number of guards, their equipment, and any other indication of Caldisla's might. To be blunt, Owen is the only real obstacle here. Given Heinkel's strength, I expect he could take the kingdom by brute force, if necessary.


10/03*
I've been in Caldisla a week, with no sign of the smoke signal. I join Owen in his training some mornings, walk the city streets, chat with the elderly, drink with the sailors at the docks, arm wrestle the drunks... Mostly, I just pass the time.

Today was another peaceful afternoon, the same as any other. Owen was at the palace since morning. I was enjoying a cup of the innkeep's coffee.

It happened in an instant. I felt as if someone was set to plunge a knife into my back. I turned, and saw a window. Through it, the northern sky was on fire in a flash of pure white. Moments later, the inn shook. An earthquake? Shockwave?

All of Caldisla trembled.

The innkeep moaned about a set of heirloom teacups breaking. I had my doubts that teacups would be the worst of the damage. Outside, I spied some injured people, but the city and palace stood unharmed. Another flash lit the sky to the northwest. Close. The Norende Plateau, perhaps...


10/04*
It wasn't till the following morning that Owen came home. By the time he finished muttering about his morning training, he was snoring. A knock at his door put an end to that brief rest that afternoon.

"The river's jammed with rubble!"

After receiving the scout's report, Owen wolfed down the late breakfast his father had readied, then turned to me.

"Sounds like I may need a hand later."

I nodded, eyes fixed on the northwestern sky.

The bridge across the Caldisla River has lain in ruin since the duchy felled it. Now, a flotilla of further rubble and countless corpses approach from upstream. Upstream means the Norende Canyon, and the village of Norende at its source. I suppose that's our epicenter.

Owen and I split up and joined the others searching for victims. Owen's team searched the river's mouth, while I gathered men from town to search further upstream. I've a long sword at my side--a new one, this time, in good condition. Seems the smithy's been busy.

The armorer, the old trader, and a dockhand joined me on the shadowy path through the canyon. A few paces in, the armorer spotted something floating by: a young man, floating face up and snagged on the rocks.



We ran to his side.

"He's breathing! The boy's alive!"

While the others rejoiced, I was more concerned with the ominous shadows surrounding us.

"Goblins!?"
"What are monsters doing here?"

There ought not be monsters so close to human settlement. Not in these numbers. The townspeople were clearly overwhelmed. No doubt this was their first such encounter. I hesitated, unsure for a moment. But no, I had to take action.

"When I give the signal, hoist this boy out and sprint for the canyon's mouth. Is that clear!?"

A nod returned from each of them. Sudden movement would distract the creatures for a moment. I hoped that was all I'd need.

"Now! GO!"

Thankfully, both merchants escaped, as well as the dockhand with the unconscious boy across his shoulders. Left alone, I faced a quickly-closing circle of enemies. So be it, I thought. Come closer, then. A bit more... A deep growl emerged from my chest.

"...Black Bane!"

When I emerged from the canyon on shaky legs, I was greeted by three anxious faces.

"It was this fellow that saved me," I said, holding aloft the badly worn longsword. A huge, proud grin threatened to split the armorer's cheeks.

We hurried the boy back to town. I carried him to the inn.

"I need spirits and all the bandages you've got. And gramps, all the potions you've got, too!"

I laid him in a bed by the window, stripped him down, and had a look at his wounds. Thankfully, they were light, though he still showed no sign of stirring. Owen's group returned soon after, a few of his men wounded. They'd run into monsters as well. Leaving men to guard the gates, he made for the palace to report and formulate a plan.

When he came by to deliver the medicine, the old trader remarked that the boy's clothing bore a Norende pattern.


10/07*
Three days the boy has stayed at the inn, and still no sign of waking. The innkeep says he's run a fever the entire time.

This afternoon is a warm one. Now I'm watching the innkeep nod off at the counter. The aftershocks have stopped, and peace is slowly returning to the city, but a shadow lingers over the earth, the sky, and the townspeople's hearts.

Glancing through the window, I saw people motioning toward the port. Another merchant ship, I thought, but no. Their shouts were anxious, not excited.

I stepped outside. Following the gaze of the others in the street, it was a merchant vessel I saw, drifting into port.

But something was wrong. The ship was listing hard, its aft mast broken.

I sprinted down the hill. As I ran, I noticed a dark, heavy color spreading through the water from the mouth of the bay inward.

I caught snippets as I passed.
"The sea's begun to rot."
"Ships can't leave the bay."
"No fish in the last few days."

A few days? Then the change began when the quake hit...

The ship listed further, rescue boats surrounding it. Most of the cargo had already been cast overboard. When the boats reached the pier, a parade of passengers and crew emerged, each looking more exhausted than the next.

By some miracle, there were no lives lost, though most of the freight followed the ship to the bottom of the bay. The merchants mourned their lost profits and the crew their vessel. The seamen had lost their sea, and the passengers were now stranded. Despair ran rampant.

Except for one young girl.



She was full of questions. About the quake four days prior. About the flash that lit the sky. About Norende.

"Did you know someone in the village? Family, perhaps?"

Her jaw set at my query. Was it anger? Fear? She wordlessly shook her head from side to side.

"No? I just figured, hearing you ask about the quake so soon after weathering the sea. I thought maybe you were a friend of that boy's."

"Boy? What boy?" came her reply. Suspicion played on her face. But as the next boat reached the pier, we were shooed out of the harbor.

"Another visitor from Ancheim, eh? You must be tired. Why don't you stay with us till you're settled?"

Hmph. I recall a different sort of greeting. I cast a sour smile his way, and he responded with a grin.

"We've a sick one in the back. I hope you won't mind."

The girl replied with a nod. Her name, I learned, was Agnès. She seems guarded about her past. Not that I can talk.

Conversation continues to be awkward.

She shows interest in what was happening in this country when the quake hit. For my part, I ask her about the sea.

Her ship had left before the earthquake struck. She says about halfway between Ancheim and Caldisla, their pace began to slow. The seawater clouded, and dead fish began to float to the surface. First small ones, then larger.

As they neared port, the wind died. It was pure luck the ship drifted in before going calm. Other vessels they'd passed in the bay, she reported, were less fortunate.

She listened as I recounted what happened in the canyon, the color draining from her face. I told her the village was likely at the quake's epicenter, and that monsters had flooded the area in its wake. We talked late into the night.




10/08
As the morning mists cleared, I saw traces of a smoke signal hanging in the southwestern sky. I ate breakfast, the same as any other day, and saw Owen off to work. I owe him a greater debt than he knows. And a few apologies.

After one last cup of the innkeep's coffee, I departed.

"Out for another of your walks?" asked the old trader as I passed.

"Something like that," was my reply. I handed him what money I had, and asked him to bring whatever medicine it bought to the boy later.

With the city behind me, I broke into a run for the lake to the southwest. Along the way, I encountered three packs of monsters. The longsword I'd been given broke midway through the third. I arrived to find the Dark Knight moored and waiting.

Aboard the ship, I donned my jet-black armor and helm for the first time in two weeks. With my trusty blade hung at my side, I made for the bridge. There, my crew informed me of our return orders.

My new mission is to survey the changes occurring throughout the world, and to report them to the Council. The report on Caldisla had already been sent from Lontano Villa. Their conclusion: that the Great Chasm that appeared beneath Norende was both cause and effect of the quake.

"No threat in region save Captain Owen's blade."

After firing off a wire to Heinkel, I gave the order to return to Eternia.

As we neared the crags, I received an urgent wire from Ancheim. "Wind vestal missing." A description of the ship she was thought to have taken followed, as well as its destination.

Surely not, I thought, but the facts aligned. Agnes, the vestal of wind?

I sent another wire to Heinkel, and a copy home to the Council. In reply, I received word that Edea had been charged with the vestal's apprehension. Their operation begins tomorrow.

I had hoped to send her off on her first mission. A shame...

--

Continued in Part 2.

Greyarc fucked around with this message at 19:07 on May 21, 2018

Greyarc
Dec 29, 2016

D's Journal: Alternate Writings, Part 2

Continued from Part 1.

--

10/25*
An urgent wire from Caldisla came during the night.

"Sky Knights routed. Airship stolen by vestal and accomplices.

"Edea believed among their ranks."




10/26
The Knights of the Eternian Sky, Fourth Division of the Eternian Forces, is lost. More than anything, it was Heinkel's defeat that shook the ranks. Shook me as much as anyone...

As I summarized what information I had, local news reports arrived to provide more detail. One bore the headline, "Vestal Of Wind Breezes Into Caldisla!"

"(10/16) The vestal, joined by Tiz Arrior, survivor of Norende, promised the king they would rout the duchy's Sky Knights. Days later, she thwarted the Eternian siege and beat their men at the lake to the southwest."

Tiz... That boy!

"(10/16) In recognition of her sparing the land from the Sky Knights' cannons, Caldisla's king offered her his full support, swearing to send his full force north to strike the duchy's base pending the bridge's repair."

That battle saw Barras and Holly face the vestal... They were good soldiers.

"(10/18) The wind vestal and Tiz Arrior set out for the ruins of Centro Keep to defeat the mage responsible for torching Caldisla's castle town. Seeing an opportunity in the vestal's absence, the duchy struck the palace by airship, slaying the captain of the guard and abducting the king."

Some days after the keep's fall, the vestal and her three accomplices struck Lontano Villa and absconded with the Eschalot. Eyewitness reports confirm that Heinkel lured them aboard the ship, and that they engaged in combat. The knight's whereabouts are presently unknown.

A guardsman on the day of the attack claims he learned of Black Mage Ominas Crowe's death at the hands of the bloodthirsty vestal through a report from Edea Lee. He opened the gates for her immediately after. Was Edea taken hostage by the vestal and her henchmen?

The Council of Six was called, and I delivered the collected findings of my investigation in Caldisla. Orders for the vestal's arrest were sent to Ancheim's Khamer & Profiteur Merchantry.


11/12
Half a month after giving the order, no word of the vestal's capture has returned. Nor any certain news of her at all, in fact. One report claimed she returned to Ancheim on the 5th, while another suggested she fled its borders again on the 11th.

I've gathered the major reports documenting the changes befalling the world since the chasm's emergence. Multiple sources confirm that, save a few stretches of sea, the oceans all show signs of rot, causing the mass death of marine life and precluding ships from sailing.

Next, reports confirm that the westerlies, trade winds, polar easterlies, and seasonal winds have died. No sea breezes, no currents down mountains or through valleys. No word as to the cause. In civil war-torn Eisenberg, volcanic activity has spiked, resulting in massive casualties. Even within the duchy, reports claim the crags are rising. The effect this bears on air currents is under study, but no conclusions have yet emerged.

Victor has theorized that the crystals of fire, water, wind and earth have all entered a state of quasi-dormancy in the wake of the chasm's appearance.

After delivering my report to the Council, the grand marshal gave me direct orders to investigate Ancheim. At last, an excuse to look into what's befallen Edea! I was packed within the hour, and now write from the Dark Knight's bridge.


11/13*
The Flor-Cheim Inner Sea remains unsullied, and serves now as a holding place for ships from neighboring waters as well. I walked the port asking after the vestal's whereabouts (or those of the ship she stole, at least), but was unable to uncover anything useful. My continued search brings me to Ancheim proper. The ship's almanac has this to say of it:

"A clockwork metropolis, nestled in Harena's sandy bosom. Here time, above all, is sacred. A massive timepiece crowns the kingdom, fueled as all of Ancheim by the ceaseless currents originating from the Temple of Wind to the south."

I crossed the desert and arrived at the city's edge. It seems those ceaseless winds have ceased in the chasm's wake. Deprived of a precious power source, Ancheim's people now suffer under forced manual labor. Those I met were too tired and apathetic to answer my questions. Perhaps motivated by the coin I flashed, one man I asked stammered this through an awkward blush:

"T-try the Yulyana Woods..."

I reached out to hand him the money, but he turned and ran without taking it. Very odd.




11/22
This makes ten days I've run around Ancheim, from the palace to the Temple of Wind, the Harena Ruins, and back to Ancheim... Still no sign of the vestal. No sign of Edea. Even in the Miasma Woods, sole land route connecting Ancheim with Florem, home of the Water Crystal, I found nothing of use. After camping in the desert, I have sand in every crack of my armor, making it screech with every movement...

Ah! Just now, a report from the lookout!

A flash in the southern sky--multiple sources confirm it.

By the time I reached the inner sea, details had arrived from the men I left in Ancheim. Apparently, the light rose from the direction of the Temple of Wind. I have a bad feeling...


11/23*
The air in front of Ancheim's royal palace was taut. The vestal heaped abuse upon the king, then presented something to the agitated masses assembled there. It was a chain bearing an evil sigil. The glassy-eyed mob reached fever pitch...



The vestal pointed south, and the delirious mob turned their eyes to the sky, crying out her name. I moved to approach her, but the zealous crowd was packed tight. Fearing for his life, the king fled into the palace, escorted by his guard.


11/27
Days have passed, and still the people of Ancheim form a human wall around the vestal. It seems this Tiz person guarding her really is the boy we saved. Still no sign of Edea. I've received word that the vestal has been in contact with Prime Minister Dominus Harena.

Fed up with the heat, I shed my armor and patrolled the palace in plain clothes. A voice called to me from the distance, and a shock raced up my spine. It was Edea.

"What are you sneaking around here for, Ringabel?"

Ringabel? Who in blazes is Ringabel? She ran straight for me.

"You called, Edea?" came a reply from behind me. In a moment of panic, I hid in the crowd and fled the area. I emerged near the bazaar, and was choking down a cup of the sugar water that passes for coffee here when the scout I'd put on the vestal's trail sent word. It seems she and her minions make for the Eschalot, moored in the inner sea.


11/28
A full day has passed since the vestal boarded the Eschalot. It's taken time to load the supplies furnished by the prime minister, but it seems that delay nears its end. I boarded the ship alone. None of them suspected a thing. I began with Tiz, striking him unconscious. The vestal screamed. I demanded her name, confirming that she truly is the one from Caldisla. I doubt she recognized me, given my armored state. Then she appeared, from the neighboring cabin. I'd waited so long to see her...

I reached out to Edea, assuring her that her capture at the hands of the vestal was at an end. The words she spoke then were unthinkable.

"I'm not her captive, and she poses no threat. I'm here of my own free will!"

Was she joking? Temporarily insane? No matter how many times I beseeched her, she refused to heed reason. When words failed, she drew her sword on me. Edea threatened to resist if I harmed the vestal. While I had no fear of losing, she's too tough an opponent to subdue unharmed. I could not bring myself to harm the grand marshal's daughter...

At a loss, I decided to content myself with hobbling the vestal. I destroyed the skystone powering the Eschalot and made my escape. Unable to fly, and trapped by the putrid oceans, the Eschalot is now a prisoner of the inner sea.

Edea, a traitor? I must get word of this to the grand marshal immediately. And discreetly... Ignoring the storm of questions and emotions raging within me, I boarded the Dark Knight and set sail.




12/07
Curse my traitorous tongue! What have I done? In one thoughtless moment, what have I wrought? I gave the Council my report on the vestal's actions in Ancheim and the Wind Crystal's awakening. Were I not a fool, I'd have stopped there...

Victoria's idle suspicions gave way to Victor's inevitable question, and I found myself unable to avoid mention of Edea... I ought to have delivered the news to the grand marshal in private, or at very least not in the company of those two! They've ever held a grudge for Edea, and I've delivered them a perfect excuse to torment her. They even pressed the grand marshal for his word that all enemies of the duchy must be killed! And now they make for Florem!?

They spoke of apprehending the vestal, but I have my doubts as to their true intentions. I begged the grand marshal's permission to travel to Florem myself. Perhaps I can enlist Einheria's aid... It's a gamble I must take.


12/08*
Good. They haven't come by... I was worried I might run into them here. That would complicate matters.

I could do little more than beg her help in the broadest of terms, then it was back to my ship and away again.

Though perhaps a bit out of date, the ship's almanac has this to say of Florem:

"True to the old teachings, Florem's women live in chaste humility, in coexistence with the spirits of nature."

And of the land's people:

"Devout Crystalists, they reject war and conflict, instead choosing lives of peaceful reflection."

Sounds like a recipe for carnage if those two heard these words...


12/30
Wracked with anxiety since Victor and Victoria entered Florem, I decided to reach out to them for periodic reports. The response I received showed Victor's cold concision: "Stop meddling." Curse them both!

On the other hand, the reports from Einheria's people on the vestal's doings and the state of Florem are piling up. The vestal was sighted within the city, then in the Temple of Water. Upon her return, she departed once more; witnesses report her party made for Mount Fragmentium in the east.

Only tomorrow remains before this miserable year is over. I can only pray the next brings greater peace. I'll not hold my breath...


1/31* (expanded)
After a month of anxious silence, they finally sent a wire.

"The wind vestal entered the Sacred Flower Festival."

...What?

Einheria was kind enough to elaborate in her report. She suspects the wind vestal's participation in a tawdry beauty pageant is an attempt to make contact with the Vestal of Water, currently in hiding. At least that makes some sense.


2/03
Word came just before dawn that the galleon Grand Healer had ignored traffic control directives and docked atop Central Command. The Grand Healer is Victor's personal airship. Victoria will be aboard as well, no doubt. This stunt they've pulled docking without permission shows the regard they have for the rule of Eternian law.

Any efforts I made to question their intentions were ignored as Victor marched past me to the central elevator, Victoria held in his arms. It seems he made straight for the white magic circulation hub on the ground level. I found the guards standing watch along the way bleeding and unconscious. What madness is this?

The white magic circulation hub stands at the east of the first floor of Central Command. Lined floor-to-ceiling with odd machinery. It has always made me uncomfortable. I found Victoria floating in a chamber of fluids that resembled a great mechanical heart. Victor stood nearby, staring at monitors and muttering.

"The lecture can wait." He spoke without turning to face me. "My report as well. Victoria...try to bear it." He opened some valve, and the color of the fluid deepened...

I took it upon myself to report Victor's return and Victoria's treatment to the grand marshal. I summoned Victor's lieutenant, and got the details from him.


2/05
Victor and Victoria remain ensconced in the white magic circulation hub. Meanwhile, Victor's man offered an account of what had transpired. I added his report to my collected findings on Florem. An official account of the event had this to say:

"(1/28) The vestal of wind appeared in Florem's Sacred Flower Festival wearing full vestal regalia. Though traditionally famed for their piety, the people met her with cold dismissal, and the vestal's pleas were drowned out by the jeering crowd."

Years into the Bloodrose Legion's infiltration campaign, prodigious funds and an aggressive citizen reprogramming effort have won them near-complete control of Florem. The news entity responsible for producing the above report is essentially a mouthpiece of the Legion. Meanwhile, a bulletin from the Orthodoxy struck a different tone:

"As false rites come to close, the babbling brook's voice reaches the wind. Though it blows west, it cannot sense the shadow close behind it."

A coded plea for help from what meager resistance remains. Put plainly, it states that at the Sacred Flower Festival's end, the water vestal sent word to the vestal of wind. The latter left to meet her, but failed to notice the assassins on her trail. A second such notice followed soon after.

"The water rises to meet the demon-child's light, shielding the air as it vanishes into vapor. Left alone, the winds howl in mourning and rage with purpose."

Heh. Demon-child. An apt description. It seems the water vestal was killed protecting her colleague from Victoria. And Victor's subordinate reported that it was in the battle that followed that Victoria succumbed to a fit, prompting Victor to spirit her back to the duchy.

News continues to flood in from Florem, hot on Victor's heels. The same Orthodoxy rag reports that the vestal of wind awakened the Water Crystal, celebrating the return of the world's oceans to purity. Reports from across the globe corroborate this claim. This marks two crystals awakened at the vestal's hands.

Victoria is still out, and Victor is seeing to her around the clock. The council chamber feels barren with only two of the six in attendance. The air hangs heavy.


2/16
We've received word that the vestal has departed Florem, but none of her destination. The purification of the world's oceans has snapped the tether binding her there. There are those who fret she's lost for good, but there are only two places she would go.

The Crystal of Earth is protected by the duchy's crags and the bulk of the Eternian Forces. It's unlikely she'll head there first. That leaves Eisenberg and the Fire Crystal. I sent word to our men there to be vigilant, and received a response from Grandship. From the minutes of a sitting of the Grandship Council:

"The vestal of wind and entourage arrived some days ago. The Council debated for five days' time whether this was to be taken as an official visit or a simple act of tourism. She departed for the westt before a conclusion was reached."

It seems an agent of the Shieldbearers has also come requesting aid several ttimes, but I doubt he'll find the infamous "Sleeping Council" any more forthcoming than the vestal did.




2/17
Eisenberg--the vestal's next likely target, and war-torn theater to Eternia's First Division. These last few days I've been reviewing the notes from my time there four years ago, before my appointment to the Council of Six.

Eisenberg: Situated south of the Eternian continent, Eisenberg is composed of active volcanoes, and susttained by the rich mineral deposits beneath its soil. Mining, refinery, and metal casting are its chief industries, and mythril steel one of its most precious exports.

Mythril Steel: An exceptionally hard metal refined from locally-mined ore. Upwards of 80 percent of the world's mythril originates in Eisenberg's mines. In rare cases, the same veins have yielded orichalcum.

Orichalcum: An extremely precious metal, found exclusively in Eisenberg. Its durability is unrivaled, making it ideal for use in weapons and armor. Also notable is the extreme amount of energy released when the metal is melted under high pressure.

Civil war has persisted in Eisenberg for four years, with the land divided between the Swordbearer and Shieldbearer factions. The Black Blades, First Division of the Eternian Forces, assist the Swordbearers, making up for the latter's vastly inferior numbers and evening the balance of power in the region.



As allies in Anticrystalism, the duchy had an understanding with the dissident faction known as thet Swordbearers for some time. Their declaration of uprising came together with an urgent request for aid.

It was far earlier than we had expected. We were unprepared. Yet Eisenberg was a stronghold of Crystalism, second only to Florem, and the Swordbearers represented the entirety of the nation's Anticrystalist movement. As the philosophy's chief proponent, the duchy could not deny their plea.

The Shieldbearer forces outnumbered the Swordbearers a hundred to one. The war would end in one swift massacre. The grand marshal responded by deploying Swordmaster Kamiizumi's First Division under the guise of a mercenary band known as the Black Blades. The Blades' pre-dawn infiltration of Eisenberg's borders and the subsequent airship raid were successful. Starkfort was ours by the next morning.



That was when I was first approached by Swordbearer commander Yewmire Astrae. He came with effusive thanks for the duchy's support, and none-too-subtle demands that the report I send to the grand marshal paint a glowing picture of the uprising.

But the fact remains that the revel leaders acted in haste, and their imprudence dragged Eternia into a struggle from which it stood to gain nothing.

The commander, for his part, was overjoyed--drunk on the Swordbearers' first decisive victory. I could not conceal my mounting frustration at his oblivious presumption.


2/18
Still no word on the vestal's whereabouts. In the absence of any clues to the way forward, I find my mind again wandering back to Eisenberg.

At the war's start, the Swordbearers (well, the Black Blades) earned exceptional results. With a solid victory at their backs, they then wiped out the 100,000-strong eastern arm of the Shieldbearers within half a month's time.

The good news ended there. It seems the Blades were struggling more than they let on. The turn to the Temple of Fire was forced by one subordinate's unauthorized use of lethal poison, covering the battlefield and making continued fighting impossible. Mount Karka's eruption, it later came to light, was due to another member's assassination of the fire vestal.

By order of the grand marshal, the vestal's death was to be kept top secret. Great care was taken to prevent the news' spread. The Blades remain in Eisenberg today, holding the front while searching for a route into the temple to secure possession of the Fire Crystal.

As the First Division of the Eternian Forces, the Black Blades exist to spearhead the duchy's invasion force. In order to facilitate operations in other Crystalist strongholds, the grand marshal repurposed his personal guard into a newly designated Fourth Division: the Knights of the Eternian Sky. The unit's leader remained Knight Argent Heinkel.

Due to their hasty designation, they were left with an older airship, and spent night and day in training for their pending deployment. In time, they would be sent to Caldisla, only to be defeated at the wind vestal's hands.

At the latest report, all routes to the Fire Temple remain barred by magma. This leaves us unable to secure the crystal within, but at least ought equally bar the vestal's entrance should she indeed come to Eisenberg.

The war continues to be at a deadlock with both sides entrenched at either end of the Eisen Bridge. But the clearing of the sea has restored previously cut supply lines. With the risk of the vestal's intrusion also comes a possibility to crush the Shieldbearers once and for all.


3/04
An urgent wire came from the Black Blades in Eisenberg:

"Wind vestal in Eisenberg."

No more codes. No indirection. This is a public announcement, loud and clear.

It seems the Swordmaster and Edea have already crossed blades. Attached to the report was a message penned by Kamiizumi himself, confirming the danger he feels the vestal poses to Eternia, and forewarning of the possibility that he will be forced to kill Edea in dealing with this danger.


3/22
An urgent report arrived today from Eisenberg. Somehow, the vestal has awakened the Fire Crystal. Swordmaster Kamiizumi is missing, and morale among the remaining Blades wanes by the day.

As this intelligence left Central Command in an uproar, further reports arrived from agents placed in the Shieldbearer camp. I will use this space to gather and sort through them.

(3/06) Wind vestal allies with Shieldbearer commander Goodman, offers to investigate toxic mist. Her party departs, presumably for Grapp Keep.

(3/10) Wind vestal returns to Goodman with mist sample, proposing to cast it into magma. Goodman agrees.

(3/15) Vestal to raid mythril mines. Aid urgently requested!

(3/18) After capturing mines, vestal takes captured orphan from Starkfort. She now makes for the mythril mines again. Purpose unknown.

(3/20) Vestal finds passage to Fire Temple at rear of mythril mines. Signs suggest Crystal of Fire has been awakened. Vestal departs Eisenberg. Destination unclear.


4/24
One month has passed since reports of the Fire Crystal's awakening. All of Central Command has been busy with the fortification of the Earth Crystal's defenses and enhancing the three passages' security.

Victoria is still in recovery.

Testimony from soldiers returned from Eisenberg and reports from agents within the Shieldbearers are piling up. Among them, notice from a mechanic aboard the Swordmaster's airship Yagyu. Fearing attack from the vestal, it reads, the commander of the Swordbearers stole the ship and fled. Kamiizumi must be in a state.

"Sure, he has a bad reputation, but he tended our wounded, and the enemy's, too. That's got to count for something, right?" (Black Blades support member)

"It's our fault. We were tasked with banding together and protecting it, but we lost the concert. Bridge. Whatever." (Swordbearer Guard / Praline Fan Club)



There can be no doubt the vestal will come for the Earth Crystal. With no means of flight, however, the crags bar her entry into the duchy. Words of the vestal's activities has come in from Caldisla and Grandship, albeit sporadically.

One agent in Caldisla offered an especially puzzling update.

"'We'll bring the orphan to the inn we set out from.'"

It seems she traveled back and forth from Eisenberg to present a child to Caldisla's king(?). Meanwhile, Grandship's sinking has accelerated, culminating in a mass exodus of the residents.

Seems the Sleeping Council finally managed a switft decision: their own evacuation.

"Grandship sank overnight!" Our operative there fled along with the residents, sending this shocking notice soon after.

The report continues: "The Council fled, leaving the remaining citizens to panic. Amid the chaos, I saw the vestal and cohorts make for the council chamber. Shortly after, a terrible tremor shook the ship, and I was trampled unconscious by a flood of evacuees. I awoke in a lifeboat half a league from Grandship."

"A loud explosion followed, and Grandship began to submerge. A second blast followed soon after, then..."

The report suddenly ends there. The vestal's condition and whereabouts are still unknown.


5/10
Upon reporting Grandship's disappearance to the Council of Six a few days ago, the grand marshal issued orders placing the entire Eternian Force on high alert.

"Grandship has crossed the crags and entered duchy airspace!"

To think a leviathan barely able to float could fly, let alone cross mountains accessible only to galleon-class airships... I have no doubt this is the vestal's doing.

The vestal and company landed in Southmoor, breaching the Frostpeak Passage with disconcerting ease. Upon receiving word of the vestal's arrival in Eternia proper, the grand marshal ordered the white magic cable valve shut.



Shutting off the supply of healing waves from Everlast Tower into greater Eternia will prevent patients from receiving vital treatment. Among those affected will be the grand marshal's wife, Edea's mother...

Military assets such as the tundra golems and captive dragons notwithstanding, the number of actual Eternian soldiers within the duchy's borders is woefully small. We are unable to make contact with the divisions stationed elsewhere. Even ascertaining conditions in the city is difficult under present circumstances.


5/20
Three passages connect Central Command to the rest of Eternia: west, center, and east. Being the shortest route, manpower, turrets, and other defenses have been concentrated within the central passage. It should be ironclad--the other paths, sadly less so.

Evacuees from the city have brought news from outside. No one remains, military or civilian, and no combat between the vestal and our forces has taken place. The vestal (and Edea) entered the Central Healing Tower, paid a visit to the grand marshal's wife, and now apparently make for Central Command...

Word of their arrival at Eternian Central Command came in the form of cannonfire. Victoria deployed to meet them, with Victor in tow. They were, however, defeated, and retreated to the white magic circulation hub. There, they gave a noble last stand.

He did it. He apprehended the vestal. He had them asleep in an instant, and ordered me to deliver Edea to her chambers and the others to the dungeons before he departed for the council chamber.

I suspect he played some role in the duchy's establishment, the same as the old man. Both hold seats on the Council of Six, though they have stood perennially empty. Did he come to Eternia's rescue in our time of need, or does he bear some other agenda?


5/22
Edea somehow escaped from her chambers. The guard posted at her door claims it did not open once and insists his vigil was without interruption. Now that I think of it, she performed a similar feat once when we were children...

After escaping, Edea freed the vestal and her two companions as well. The old man played a hand as well, blasting open the door to the dungeons before departing Command Central aboard that old airship. What drove him, a member of the Council of Six, to side with the vestal?

Lord DeRosso vanished as well, leaving only myself and the Grand marshal to remain.

Upon their escape, the vestal fled to the city of Eternia before returning to strike Command Central again shortly after. If she passes this point, the Earth Crystal is lost. I made up my mind to fight alongside the grand marshal, swearing to protect him and his ideals at any cost. My resolve was set. And yet...



Leaving the grand marshal alone in the council chamber, I boarded the Dark Knight and set about completing my secret orders.

My hands tremble with regret as I write this, the ship's course set southwest of Eternia.


5/29
Seven days of standing by above the southern sea since I departed Eternia...

I spotted the pillar of light rising in the distance. The Grand marshal has fallen, and Everlast Tower with him. The Earth Crystal is lost.

News of the battle's result came much delayed. As I read of the vicious struggle between the grand marshal and the vestal's forces, and its result, I felt as if my heart were being crushed. I have never known such despair.

It seems the grand marshal lives, by Lord DeRosso's intervention, but he will never again swing a sword. Still, the knowledge that Edea was not forced to slay her own father gives me some solace.

As I awaited the vestal's arrival high above the sea, I saw the Swordmaster's Yagyu fly past below, nearly skimming the water. I responded to its swift approach with a demand for the captain's identity. The thick, grating voice that replied was answer enough: it was Yewmire Astrae, commander of the Swordbearers.

The man who dragged the duchy into Eisenberg's civil war had turned tail and run as soon as his prospects grew faint. A contemptible sham of a leader. When I asked whether the Swordmaster or any Eternian personnel were aboard, I was answered with a hailstorm of bullets. I choked back my mounting rage, giving the order to my gunners to open fire.

Minutes later, the remains of the Yagyu were sinking beneath waves stained blood red by the setting sun. How much longer until Edea--until the vestal arrives at the pillar?

6/16*
How many days have passed since I left his side? A pillar of light has stood above the southern sea for some time now, just as he predicted.

That leaves little room to doubt his second prediction will hold true. Within the coming days, the vestal and her friends will come here. I only pray I have the strength to stop them as I was asked to...

Thinking back, the vestal's followers have been with her from the start. Ever since Caldisla. Agnès Oblige, vestal to the Wind Crystal... I never imagined the young girl I met on that pier would bear such a fate.

And Tiz Arrior. For the boy I pulled from that canyon river to become a guard and ally to the vestal on her journey... It seems on so many counts, I bear the fault for all of this.

A long, harsh journey to erase the Great Chasm. A vestal who crossed the putrid sea and stagnant air to survive. A boy whose home was swallowed. In retrospect, they seem a natural pair. Inevitable, even.

And Edea... I expect you, too, will join the vestal here. You were ever a tomboy. Capricious. Pure and stubborn. Quick to tears... Perfect. I know not what it is you see in the vestal. What spark resonated within you. But I swear this now, I will keep you safe. At any cost.




--

Next: Starting a new journey with the old party.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
In hindsight, I don't think I ever actually read the Alternate Writings.

Time to binge it.

Alxprit
Feb 7, 2015

<click> <click> What is it with this dancing?! Bouncing around like fools... I would have thought my own kind at least would understand the seriousness of our Adventurer's Guild!

That's some powerful stuff. It really re-contextualizes things, but it also makes you wonder what D's Journal originally was. I'm sure the answers will come in time.

Blademaster_Aio
Jan 22, 2017

I don’t think I ever got over the plot hole that Edea doesn’t recognise Ringabel’s face and how Alternis and Braev don’t recognise him... but whatever.

Anyway, the plot still exists, and I’m sure something was explained.

At any rate, I wasn’t burned out by all this, but then again, I played Bravely Default at my own pace so the breaks probably helped.

Plus I liked all the sidequests. I mean, they’re the best part of the game.

SimplyUnknown1
Aug 18, 2017

Cat Cat Cat

Blademaster_Aio posted:

I don’t think I ever got over the plot hole that Edea doesn’t recognise Ringabel’s face and how Alternis and Braev don’t recognise him... but whatever.

I always assumed that Alternis just never took off his mask. Probably to either make himself seem more intimidating or for some other silly reason. And Ringabel has always been absent when Alternis was around before. Or Alternis forgot what he looked like/isn't all that smart. Braev...yeah, he really has no excuse. But he does enough stupid things that this doesn't even rank in the top 10 for him.

Patter Song
Mar 26, 2010

Hereby it is manifest that during the time men live without a common power to keep them all in awe, they are in that condition which is called war; and such a war as is of every man against every man.
Fun Shoe
I kind of suspect that Braev knew the thing about Ringabel's face, but he wasn't really willing to talk about anything else, so why that?

Clarste
Apr 15, 2013

Just how many mistakes have you suffered on the way here?

An uncountable number, to be sure.

SimplyUnknown1 posted:

I always assumed that Alternis just never took off his mask. Probably to either make himself seem more intimidating or for some other silly reason. And Ringabel has always been absent when Alternis was around before. Or Alternis forgot what he looked like/isn't all that smart. Braev...yeah, he really has no excuse. But he does enough stupid things that this doesn't even rank in the top 10 for him.

Ringabel specifically never meets Alternis until the boss fight, iirc. And then we might just assume that Alternis is a little distracted by everything else in his life falling apart.

Clarste fucked around with this message at 17:22 on May 25, 2018

LordHippoman
May 30, 2013

I, frankly, want this smug Jagen to be my avatar on all forms of social media immediately.
I really enjoyed the new D's Journal you get at this part. I'm a nerd who loves to read in video games, and I thought it was a clever idea.

Epsilon Moonshade
Nov 22, 2016

Not an excellent host.

Blademaster_Aio posted:

I don’t think I ever got over the plot hole that Edea doesn’t recognise Ringabel’s face and how Alternis and Braev don’t recognise him... but whatever.

Pretty much this. It's implied that he was childhood friends with Edea, he was adopted young by the Lee family, he took his armor off to spy on Caldisla at Braev's request, his crew has seen him without the armor on, the spy that let him know about the Vestal's movements in Ancheim didn't realize that it looked like his boss was traveling with the party, Alternis didn't react at all to fighting his clone in the "final" battle, etc. etc. etc.

The only thing that makes it make sense is that everyone but the party already knows that Alternis has a horny clone running around the world and doesn't even think it's worthy of mention. Except for the aforementioned plot hole of Edea not recognizing him either. Everyone in the world has prospagnosia, and they can only make the connection when they're seeing them side-by-side? Hell, the only person who had a proper reaction was Ringabel himself, and he's got the excuse because he'd never seen Alternis's face before.

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
The Caldislans definitely should've been able to fill Ringabel in.

Pureauthor
Jul 8, 2010

ASK ME ABOUT KISSING A GHOST
Why else do you guys think the Caldislans were all rolling their eyes at his supposed amnesia and derisively called him Ringabel

Wrestlepig
Feb 25, 2011

my mum says im cool

Toilet Rascal
maybe Ringabel's the only version of him with the pompadour and fancy talking and nobody looks at his face. If you aren't a boss fight the faces are basically the same anyway.

RC Cola
Aug 1, 2011

Dovie'andi se tovya sagain
I am excited to see what's next

Wonderslug
Apr 3, 2011

You don't say.
Fallen Rib

Epsilon Moonshade posted:

Except for the aforementioned plot hole of Edea not recognizing him either. Everyone in the world has prospagnosia, and they can only make the connection when they're seeing them side-by-side? Hell, the only person who had a proper reaction was Ringabel himself, and he's got the excuse because he'd never seen Alternis's face before.

I have no idea what's going on and I'm not going to try to defend the level of stupid operating in the plot, but did literally everyone just skip over these parts?

quote:



Edea turns back to Alternis.

Alternis, your face...

quote:

D's Journal: Ringabel posted:
The dark knight's helm was knocked to the ground, revealing a face identical to mine. He went overboard moments later. Despite the shock I felt, something clicked in my mind. Tiz retrieved a journal that appeared the same as the one I carry. Just then, the ship began to shake more violently. As we returned to the bridge, we were bathed in bright light...

D's Journal: Tiz Arrior posted:
We awakened the four crystals, and approached the Holy Pillar as Airy had bid us. A deadly struggle took place when we were attacked by the dark knight. Upon our victory, I caught a glimpse of his face... As I stood confused and shocked, Grandship began to shake, and we were enveloped in light!

D's Journal: Agnès Oblige posted:
After awakening the Earth Crystal, the Holy Pillar appeared. Led by Airy, we breached the pillar aboard Grandship to begin the ritual to seal the chasm. The dark knight intercepted us under orders from Braev the Templar, but we bested him. I caught a glimpse of his face... It mirrored mine, and he carried the same journal. Confusion followed, then we were taken by the light...

D's Journal: Edea Lee posted:
We entered the Holy Pillar, but as Airy began to meditate the deck started shaking! The dark knight had come to do battle with us at the templar's behest. A desperate struggle ensued, but we emerged victorious. Alternis Dim lost his helm in the melee, revealing a face identical to mine. He then fell from the ship. Before we could take stock of the situation, a light enveloped us...

Nobody is commenting on him looking like Ringabel because they each think he has their face, including Edea. (Okay technically Tiz's entry only implies it.) Which seems like it should also be deserving of comment, but since when has "talking about things that clearly need discussion" been in any of these guys' skill set?

Epsilon Moonshade
Nov 22, 2016

Not an excellent host.

Wonderslug posted:

...did literally everyone just skip over these parts?

Yes. :v:

Wonderslug posted:

Nobody is commenting on him looking like Ringabel because they each think he has their face, including Edea. (Okay technically Tiz's entry only implies it.) Which seems like it should also be deserving of comment, but since when has "talking about things that clearly need discussion" been in any of these guys' skill set?

You know how you're reading over something you think you know well enough and fill in gaps? Yeah.

That's actually really interesting, because no - I never noticed that bit before, even having read the journal multiple times while playing through the game.

Prav
Oct 29, 2011

Wonderslug posted:

Which seems like it should also be deserving of comment, but since when has "talking about things that clearly need discussion" been in any of these guys' skill set?

what are they even gonna say?

"hey ringabel you look a lot like alternis"
"yeah"
"weird"
"yeah, weird"

Blademaster_Aio
Jan 22, 2017

???

Wait, no? Nobody else carries a journal other than Ringabel? And nobody ever mentions his face looking similar to theirs, except Ringabel?

I just assumed they were talking about Ringabel’s face? And the entries were mostly from his point of view.

Blademaster_Aio fucked around with this message at 20:58 on May 27, 2018

biscuits and crazy
Oct 10, 2012
Doesn't Ringabel himself write all the journal entries though, in game? They're all written from his perspective (Just look at the bestiary entries for the Bloodrose Legion soldiers for example), so the "face identical to mine" bit is Ringabel describing it.

Epsilon Moonshade
Nov 22, 2016

Not an excellent host.

Blademaster_Aio posted:

???

Wait, no? Nobody else carries a journal other than Ringabel? And nobody ever mentions his face looking similar to theirs, except Ringabel?

I just assumed they were talking about Ringabel’s face? And the entries were mostly from his point of view.

biscuits and crazy posted:

Doesn't Ringabel himself write all the journal entries though, in game? They're all written from his perspective (Just look at the bestiary entries for the Bloodrose Legion soldiers for example), so the "face identical to mine" bit is Ringabel describing it.

I seem to recall entries in the journal being from different characters' viewpoints, although that may be me getting mixed up with Bravely Second.

Not an edit: Okay, no, never mind. I just fired up the 3DS and flipped through my BD save, and these are character notes written by Ringabel in D's Journal. That, or people like talking about themselves in the 3rd person.

Page 8 of Tiz's entry, page 12 of Agnes' entry, and page 13 of Edea's entry (YMMV, since I'm pretty sure the pages update depending on which story beats you actually get.)

drat you, you almost had me fooled. :argh:

Okay, it would've been cool if Ringabel was basically a face-stealing doppelganger though. :v:

Actual edit:

Prav posted:

what are they even gonna say?

"hey ringabel you look a lot like alternis"
"yeah"
"weird"
"yeah, weird"

I'm pretty sure what was being implied was that Ringabel looked like the other three characters. To Edea he looked like Edea, to Tiz he looked like Tiz, etc.

More edit: And what the hell, I might as well post some interesting stuff from my game while I've got it open in front of me.

Final party:
Edea: Templar/Spiritmaster, Two-handed axe
Tiz: Templar/Dark Knight, Two-handed axe
Ringabel: Monk/White Mage, bare fists
Agnes: Spell Fencer/Spiritmaster, dual wielding swords - no dual wield, but I'm using Pierce M.Defense. I assume I tried it out and the pierce was worth more (on a spell fencer) than the 100 points of attack I lost from not having dual wield.

Everyone level 99 with all jobs maxed. I must have been bored. :v:

But not bored enough to get all the blue magic, because gently caress blue mages. :argh:

Epsilon Moonshade fucked around with this message at 21:21 on May 27, 2018

Blueberry Pancakes
Aug 18, 2012

Jack in!! MegaMan, Execute!
Don't bully blue mages. :colbert:

Greyarc
Dec 29, 2016

The journal entries for characters and enemies are all written by Ringabel.

So in Edea, Tiz, and Agnes's entries, Ringabel is just stating that he (Ringabel) looks like Alternis.

YggiDee
Sep 12, 2007

WASP CREW
I think it could all work if unmasked Alternis didn't have the pompador.

Wonderslug
Apr 3, 2011

You don't say.
Fallen Rib
Ah, okay. So they really are all just morons, then. Carry on!

Blademaster_Aio
Jan 22, 2017

Anime hair has its own laws of physics.

Regalingualius
Jan 7, 2012

We gazed into the eyes of madness... And all we found was horny.




The alternative (:v:) was giving the Dark Knight a hollowed-out horn in the forehead of the helmet to give the pompadour enough room.

...Which probably would have lead to a running gag of everyone in Eternia calling him a “horny idiot”.

Glazius
Jul 22, 2007

Hail all those who are able,
any mouse can,
any mouse will,
but the Guard prevail.

Clapping Larry
"So you’re probably wondering, if the Calamity happened already…What’s to stop it from happening again, after the Bastion does its thing? The answer is…I don’t know."

Greyarc
Dec 29, 2016

Entry 80: Do Over

The kingdom of Caldisla is under attack by the Sky Knights!

Tiz has joined forces with the wind vestal, Agnès, to...

Uh...



Figure out what the hell is going on.



Tiz and Agnès return to town, past the inky black sea.

Edea isn't around, but Ringabel is back at his favorite spot.



Huh? You mean the fire set by the black mage?

No, not that. I was only in this town a short while, but I met many fine women during my sojourn.

These were exciting, passionate encounters, yet no one seems to remember them!



Tiz is speechless on behalf of all of us.

Edea would say you had a one-track mind if she heard that. And I would agree with her.

Er, you are right. Let us keep this between us.

But is it not strange? They did not merely forget our meeting--they were unaware of my existence. It is as if the whole town is playing a prank on me.

I saw the face of that dark knight, Ringabel... He looked like--

Yes, I saw it, too. I'm not ready to confront that particular matter yet, though.

Has any of your memory returned?



Ringabel is lost in thought until Tiz shakes him out of it.

Hey, Ringabel!

I've talked with Agnès. We think we might as well just start again from the beginning.

Start again? Go on another journey to awaken the crystals?

The sea is tainted once more. I would like to check on the crystals.

Very well, then. Count me in.

I'll get to meet all the women of the world again with a clean slate. What more could a man want?

You're taking this well...

Thanks to no memories, Ringabel had almost no ties to the state of Luxendarc. Saving the world was well and good and all, but for him, this situation just makes a good excuse to visit exotic locales with friends and meet exotic people. Again.

Of course, the distraction from thinking about Alternis Dim is welcome, too. Could there be any happy answer for why Alternis looked like Ringabel, shortly before plunging to his probable death?



After Ringabel rejoins them, Agnès and Tiz ask to take a look at Alternis's Journal.



Mm... This can't be a coincidence, Ringabel.

You mean the journal that the dark knight Alternis Dim dropped?

Right. Except for some obvious differences in wear and tear, it looks exactly like that D's Journal we have.

Right, but the similarities don't stop there.

The last half is quite different, but the first half...it's almost exactly the same.

It's as if Alternis's Journal supplements the prophecy in D's Journal.

Are...are they truly so similar?

That they are. Even the handwriting and wording are almost a perfect match.

So, Ringabel, you're saying D's Journal is...is...

Well, we can safely assume Alternis's Journal was written by Alternis Dim himself.

And the portion of D's Journal here that resembles it...

D's Journal... Who...could have... Arrrgh...!!

Are you alright, Ringabel?

I'll be fine... Just give me a little...time to think.

......

Heads up, if you haven't read through the post covering Alternis's Journal, it's got some interesting differences and additions to Enigmatic Writings.



Sure enough, Edea's over by the entrance to the graveyard.



Understandably, she's taking all this a lot harder than Ringabel.

Tiz calls out to her as they approach:

Edea!

Oh, there you are.

It's strange, isn't it? I don't want to believe that everything we've done up to now was just a dream. I went as far as betraying my homeland, and my father, to follow this path.

It was no dream. I remember your struggles.

But...

Does it not seem that my circumstances here are unique? At first I thought time had merely been wound back.

I don't know whether it's a side effect of the darkness being cleansed, or whether some powerful magic was accidently triggered...



I wouldn't worry about that. You are not the only one for whom things don't make sense. If time had been turned back, there are things that would not add up for me, either.



Really?

Don't think too hard about it now. There are too many unanswered questions. All the more reason for us to start again from scratch, I think.

From scratch?

Let us make for the crystal temples.

I see...

Okay, I'll do it! I've come this far, I might as well stick around!

First, let's go back to the inn and compare notes.



[img]https://lpix.org/2703269/agnes_happy.png[img][/img] ...you were the first one to speak to me, Ringabel.

Was I? It seems so long ago.

I do recall going over to talk to you after seeing you on the street corner.

Yes! That was our very first meeting!

???

But the Ringabel who I met when I first set foot on this land...

...and the Ringabel standing before me now...they somehow seem like two different people.

Two different people?

I don't know what to say. But Captain Owen did mention something.

What's that?

He said things like, "Let's go boar hunting again something," or, "Where've you been these past few days?"

But when I told him I had no idea what he was talking about, he let out a hearty laugh and said I was quite the jester.

And then I met you at the Great Chasm, Tiz.

And after that, the black mage Ominas Crowe put the city to flames and all four of us finally met.

Hmm... My memory still fails me.

The only thing I can do now is to compare D's Journal to Alternis's.

......

Tiz continues to keep his thoughts on Ringabel to himself.

One thing seems to be clearing up, though: Whoever wrote Enigmatic Writings also looked like Ringabel, if it wasn't Ringabel himself.

But we have more immediate problems to worry about.



For starters, how's the party going to get off the continent? Guess they can steal the Eschalot again.

Back at the inn, the party forms a plan.



Airy's brooch seems to show that the crystals are no longer awakened. The rite must be performed.

Do you have your vestal garb?

It was safely stored among our belongings.

Along with that bravo bikini.



Ongoing background joke: Edea's way more into the Bravo Bikini than Agnès is. Edea probably feels deprived growing up in snow country when she's more of a beach girl at heart.

Anyway, the existence of these items is more evidence that this is no mere warping of time. We obtained both the vestal garb and the bravo bikini after going to Ancheim.



Ringabel's line of thought is cut off by a huge, rumbling mechanical roar.

...!?

The roaring increases, shaking the inn.



Argh! What's that!?

Everyone down!

Is it the Great Chasm!?

It could be the Eternian Sky Knights attacking!

At the height of the din, someone runs into the inn:



Huh, he's not supposed to be here at this point in time.



As Datz looks around as if searching for someone, the party rushes to the stairs.



What are you doing here, Datz!?

Ah, there you are! This was the right place!

Hold up! So you know who we are, Datz!?



Maybe the party won't have to steal the Eschalot after all.

Well, uh, how do I explain? Oh, are Zatz and the tavern proprietress with you?

Yeah, they're both fine. They're on the airship.

Airship!?

Right. We have the Eschalot all loaded up as well. We found ourselves on the deck all of a sudden, up in the skies to the east of the kingdom.



If we're going to be helplessly lost, at least we can now be lost with a crew and an airship.

[img]https://lpix.org/2703269/agnes_happy.png[img][/img] This is good news! Let's head for Grandship right away, then!

Back on Grandship, the party explains the situation.



I'm just happy the good old Drunken Pig and you lot are both fine.

It's good to have a woman on our side at a time like this. Gah hah hah!

Datz my man, just because we seem to have gone back in time Back to the Future style doesn't mean you have to talk like you're in the 1950s.

Speaking of:



Perhaps time started going backwards for those of us there at the Holy Pillar?

In that case, where are our past selves from this point in time?

I haven't a clue...

No point trying to work this out logically. Let's start by doing what we can! Right, Agnès?

We're lucky to have Grandship. It should be a quick flight to the crystal temples.

Well, let's head to one of the temples and see what is up. Leave the piloting to me.

The party splits up to look around the ship. After a short time Edea heads over to Tiz and Agnès.



He's taking a little break. Said something about not feeling well.

Really? Didn't he just say, "Leave the piloting to me"?

Is something the matter, Edea?

Datz is looking for him. He says the hull's showing wear. He needs some materials to make repairs. I suppose I'll just have to wake him up!

No surprise the ship's damaged after that jaunt in the Pillar of Light. Edea dashes off to find Ringabel asleep in his room.

Zzzzzz... *mumble mumble*

Hee hee, sleeping like a baby. Who knew he was so cute when he sleeps?

...Black... Minus Strike...mastered...up to Black Bane. ...Unleash powerful combo... But even with a thousand lives... Stand ground... Auto-Phoenix... Automatic HP recovery after battle... Is there something else? *mumble mumble* ...The Grand Marshal... Even that move of his... Sure would be nice!

Enough of this gibberish, already.

Wake up! Datz is looking for you!

Tiz walks in.

Aw, what's the harm in letting him sleep a little longer?

Look... Doesn't Ringabel look as happy as a pig in the mud?

You're right, he does. Ha ha.

Either Ringabel's sense of self is screwed up after seeing Alternis Dim, or he remembers more of his past than he thinks. What was his relationship with the Alternis Dim we fought with earlier?



For the moment, there's no use worrying about it. We've got the crystals to take care of! Our path ahead is cl--



...uttered.

Welp. This is going to take some work to clean up. Then again, the Sky Knights are back, so it makes sense the rest of Eternia is, too. And if Eternia's back...

The party's got a second chance. We can try to change things for the better. We've got Grandship and experience on our side this time, too -- it shouldn't take long to see them all.

We can assume that, thanks to Eternia's poor communication skills, going straight to Braev won't do anything to stop the other continents from being terrorized; no strategic taking out the head. Let's start with the Sky Knights. They seem to be as evil as they were before.



Tiz and Agnès met their first asterisk-bearers here, way back. Looks like someone's set up a camp there now!



The moment the party gets in sight of Holly and Barras they put up an asterisk space.

What!? They've already beaten us to a pulp, and now they're back for seconds!?

Huh? Us? Or...



We've learned some things about Holly and Barras since we saw them last. Fifteen years ago, they weren't what you'd call twisted. Holly was a lazy teenager. Barras was just happy to run around and fight.

They'd give you a run for your money, Holly! Ha ha ha!

Watch your mouth, meathead! Would you like a boot to the face!? Oh, perfect. They brought more friends with them this time!

Whoa, there. Hold up! Isn't that Edea with them!?

Hmm. I knew that little hussy wasn't to be trusted. The templar's daughter, of all people!



Whoa, turn the volume down...

I haven't been this riled up since this morning! Ah well, time for round two!

Something's got them real mad!

Might have something to do with already getting beaten up. Just a thought.



But that's strange. Could've sworn we killed them last time...



You forget, I'm a skilled white mage. Hah! I have already healed our wounds completely! Never underestimate your elders!

Ha ha haaa! I'm back in action! Feel my fists of rage!

I'm skipping most of this fight because it's pretty much the same as last time, only scaled up in level.



At low health, Barras's attempts to power himself up cause battlefield-wide explosions instead. This is the only dangerous part of the fight.



The party takes down Barras first.

These muscles of steel...failed me...

You've got to be kidding me, Barras! What are you doing? Stand up! Get on your feet and roar like you always do! I can't get into my rhythm otherwise!

But Barras fades away, leaving asterisk space. Somehow I don't think he'll be alive when we come out.

... You worthless worm... What a dolt... There's nothing worse than a man who lets women down...

Holly's dominatrix shtick is toned down this time around, in favor of something more real. She's cynical, doesn't think much of men or other women, is defensive about her age... she probably hasn't had the best people in her life.



After getting her health down, she has a few last parting words.

What cruel...brats... All that showing off... You really...make me...sick...

Let's rewind real quick and see what happens if Holly's offed first.



H-Holly! Oh, son of a...!

I would tell you to calm down... But I don't think you're capable of it. Without me, who will heal your wounds? You must flee, and find another...partner...

Don't say that! You are the only one I need, Holly! I won't let anyone else touch me!

Hmph. You dunderhead. Thanks...anyway...

And when Barras goes down after:



Yarrgh! Nothing fazes these...muscles of steel! St-steel. ... ......

If both are downed at the same time, it's the same conversation as bringing Holly down first.

Holly and Barras were even more of an odd couple this time. Barras is dependable in his simplicity, and for Holly, that dependability makes him someone she can trust.



You mean they weren't like that?

Not quite, no. And they seemed surprised to see us.

They said something about bringing friends... Last time it was just you and me, Tiz.

Right...

If only they hadn't chosen to fight to the death, we might've left them well enough alone.

The party leaves the lake and heads back to the road.



Understand what, Edea?

Holly and Barras must have run into us a short while ago!

Huh? Us?

Ah, I see what you mean. That would explain their reaction.

They met the versions of us from this world?

Umm... Now I am truly confused.

Come to think of it, I got a completely different impression of those two than the first time we met them.

You mean their hearts weren't black?

I'd say it was more like they were impossible to hate.

Maybe it was because I met them for the first time, but I agree with Edea. They didn't seem black-hearted.

Is that not because they are different from those we met before?

Or perhaps, it is we who have changed?

I wonder... But personally, I don't think I've changed.

...... I agree. You haven't changed one bit, Ringabel.

But that's something you can work on.

......

But if our Tiz and Agnès didn't fight the Holly and Barras here earlier, where are the Tiz and Agnès who did? Or did our Tiz and Agnès just fail to kill Holly and Barras as thoroughly as they thought way back?

It's hard to say. Four fire-forged friends fighting two low-tier Eternians is pretty different from the first time, when Tiz and Agnès were alone and barely out of their farm village and temple, respectively.

Anyway, if there were another Tiz and Agnès around, that means there'd be a Ringabel and Edea, too. Seeing Ominas should clear things up, since Edea should be with him about now.



The party heads north on foot, taking in old sights and new enemies.



The Caldisla region Tiz grew up on was populated by ornery goblins. Strangely, the party doesn't catch sight of a single one.



Instead, they meet tons of these guys, tucked in all the places the goblins should be.



They're a lot tougher than goblins ever were, but no match for the party.



Nighttime brings out a new type of ghost, also harder to kill than the old variant. What happened to Caldisla's native monsters?



The party stops by the Great Chasm one more time on the way north. Airy's comments now change depending on the party's location rather than just where we are in the plot.



North of Caldisla, in the ruins of Centro Keep, the party finds Ominas. The room he's in is open to the main passage this time, and he doesn't even have any guards with him. No Edea, either.

Maybe if we ask--



Oh, right. Ominas is insane.

Edea...with the wind vestal and her followers!? No, that can't be right. Impossible!

What are you talking about?

First I'd like you to answer a question, Ominas. When did I leave the Knights of the Eternian Sky?

Yeah, let's get to the point.



Unfortunately, the best and only time to have a rational talk with Ominas, especially as a woman, is 'never'.

Black Mage Ominas Crowe! Get a grip!

B-be quiet! Don't talk to me! You can't be real, so leave me alone! I know what to do... I'll just incinerate your soul till nothing is left! Eee hee hee!



So if Holly was calmer this time and Barras continued to be Barras, Ominas in contrast has become more delusional.



It's just not right! The cheek of it! Do you d-despise me that much!? I-it was all your fault, anyway! Yeah, that's it. You're the ones to blame!

Unlike Barras and Holly, Ominas doesn't seem to have been in a fight beforehand. In fact, this Ominas doesn't really match up with the one we fought earlier at all. But we aren't going to get any coherent answers out of him, that much is clear.



Ominas, now not even close to in his right mind, is easy to take down.



Aside from fighting normally, you can take advantage of his casting fira every few turns by reflecting his own magic back on him...



To eliminate all damage on yourself and add some extra firepower to your onslaught.



Ominas maintains his innocence to the last. I'm sure that building in Caldisla just spontaneously combusted all on its own.



The party pauses after the battle to think things over.

There should be no more fires in town now...

I was serving under the black mage Ominas Crowe when you first met me, right? It occured to me when we came to this world that perhaps there's another version of me here.

But she's nowhere to be found. I wonder why...

I'm sure there'll be other discrepancies between this world and the last.

For instance, why did Ominas look so afraid of me back there?

He did seem strangely fearful.

I think I have an idea...

Huh? What's that, Ringabel?



She may have given him a sound beating, then left this place.

Ha ha. That sounds like something Edea would do. It would also explain how scared he looked.

I'll admit, even if you had not shown up in the previous world, I would probably still have left the Eternian Sky Knights.



Do not worry, Edea. You may be quick to anger, but your other charms make up for it.

Some compliment that is!

If there were doubles of the party running around, we probably would've met them by now. We didn't even spot Ringabel, and there was no evidence he'd ever been here.

This restart of the journey is getting more confusing as we go, but maybe we'll get some answers if we can talk with the more sane Eternians. If nothing else, we know the crystals are out there waiting for us.


Next: Goodbye Caldisla, hello Harena!

--

Event Viewer
Main Scenario:
You're Taking This Well
It Doesn't Add Up
Of Vestal Garb and Bikinis
Datz Appears
Start By Doing What We Can

Sub-Scenario:
Round Two!
Not Quite the Same
Ominas Shocked
Strangely Fearful

Party Chat:
The Two Journals
The Two of You
Ringabel's Sleep Talk
Who Has Changed?


D's Journal: Ringabel posted:

They came back from the site of the chasm, and it is apparently still there. A part of me was not surprised to discover that the face of the dark knight we unmasked at the Holy Pillar mirrored my own, but my memory remains foggy. I agreed to follow Tiz, though I still cannot give Agnès a clear answer to her questions.

D's Journal: Edea Lee posted:

Despite Edea betraying both family and homeland to awaken the crystals, the Great Chasm still loomed before us... What's more, Edea was still with us, though in this world Ominas Crowe had only just finished setting the town alight. She was left stunned. Tiz said all we could do was start again, and the rest of us agreed.

D's Journal: Barras the Monk posted:

After entering the Holy Pillar and being swallowed by the light, we found ourselves back in Caldisla. At the lake to the southwest, we came upon the monk Barras in the company of the white mage Holly. As I had heard, he was a loud brute of a man. It seemed they had just been in battle with someone, but they set upon us before we could ask. We were forced to vanquish them.

D's Journal: Holly the White Mage posted:

We entered the Holy Pillar, and were sucked into a vortex of light. We awoke in Caldisla, and after heading to the lake to the southwest, we encountered the white mage Holly with the monk Barras. She was as sadistic and provocative as I'd been told. It seems they had fought someone else before us, but they engaged us in battle before we could ask who.

D's Journal: Ominas the Black Mage posted:

After entering the Holy Pillar and finding ourselves back in Caldisla, we tracked the black mage Ominas Crowe to the ruins of Centro Keep once more. He seemed terrified to see us, and in the midst of battle asked us why we despised him so much. It left us very confused.

Greyarc fucked around with this message at 02:49 on May 29, 2018

EponymousMrYar
Jan 4, 2015

The enemy of my enemy is my enemy.
I am getting certain vibes here.

Especially with what Ominas Crowe said.

Perhaps it was not just the time warp that was done again.

Perhaps it was... ANGELUS ERRARE...

But that would make ringabel the chrono trigger and he doesn't have the spikey hair nor lackadaisical attitude for that although he could totally be the assassin of time even though he really sucks at this assassin thing i mean c'mon son, you're a dark knight you should have darknessed the dark out of the party... mumble mumble zeno gaius mumble

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AriadneThread
Feb 17, 2011

The Devil sounds like smoke and honey. We cannot move. It is too beautiful.


there's a lot of about this part of the game i never quite figured out. given how detailed the lp has been, i'm hoping we'll put it together

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