Part 21: Chapter 20: Pursuit

Chapter 20: Pursuit

Loading Excerpt- Personal Logs, C. Bartel
I'm still sort of in shock that Alfman would stoop so low as to flee when his plans fell apart.

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Chancellor! Is it true you're trying to flee the country!?
Flee? That's not a nice thing to say. I...
Shut up!
Who do you think you're speaking to with that tone, Captain?
Who else but you, Chancellor?
Take the gem, abandon this world, and run. I can see you trying to pull that off.
Say what you will. I don't see anything wrong with that.
...You have quite a lot of confidence. I want to know why.
I'm escaping from this world to save the people.
Don't give me that. You confuse the people's will with your own.
18 years ago, the attack on Lady Arshe...
You didn't have to do that. You could have just used Replakia!
Captain Leglius, you are a skilled knight, but you are no politician.



What are you really thinking?
I'm always thinking about this world.
Listen. This world... and the people in it have died a long time ago.
A world enslaved by a Goddess, without the freedom to find happiness. This lifestyle...
Why do we bother to live? What's the point?
Here, humans will never live in the human way.
And by human way, I mean a lifestyle where you can build your own happy future.
In this world, where She has a grasp on both life and death...
How are we to live like human beings?
Yeah, well, what does that have to do with you fleeing!?
Calm down. Rushing things is a bad habit.
When you try to expand the land we live on, She purges us. The population grows, but with less land.
Have you ever though about the future of these people?



It was slightly forceful, but resistance always comes with the breakdown of current conditions.
Think about it that way, and it wasn't a bad idea after all. As you saw, the people were very excited.
But there's no such thing as 100% success.
To not lose everything when it fails, it's the politician who constantly plans the next step.
And so that's why you're fleeing... huh?
It's not fleeing. It's called moving.
Now that Metafalica has failed, this world has no tomorrow.
It's impossible to make everyone happy in this world anymore.
If 100 people are going to suffer from hunger after 100 years...
You might as well create a nation where 10 people are happy, and increase that to 100.
That result will lead to the creation of more happy families in this world.
Give everyone the same amount of pity and everyone will be unhappy!

Alfman moved the topic of his rant from how terrible the world is to new and innovative dirtbag plans for the future.



Our own world, where we aren't tossed around by a Goddess!
......
Um... I think that's... kind of... wrong.
A maiden who can't create land doesn't have any right to speak to me!
......
You can only say what you want after you do what you're told.
Therapists can only think of the person in front of them. How can you unite the people like that?
Do you think you can lead the people all by yourself?
I'm sorry...
You can't even speak. Don't get delusional, just because people treated you special for once.
......
So, what are you going to do, Captain Leglius?
...!?

Alfman had an offer for us.



Unfortunately, Chancellor, I will stay here.
You're right. I don't have any political skills, nor do I have much charisma.
But unlike you, I do have a strong feeling for this world and the people who live here!
I will protect this world the only way I can.
...I see. That's too bad. I guess this is farewell.
Yeah, forever.
...Hm?
I will defeat you, and take back the Heart of Gaea.
...What?
I just told you, I will protect this world.
And this world needs two maidens.
I can't let you take one of them away!
Hah! Interesting! You should know, I will never lose to you!



Boss Battle: Alfman, Chancellor Guard, Chancellor Revyateil
This fight is by far the hardest one so far in the game, especially in Cloche's path. Alfman can dish out some serious damage on your vanguard, including attacks that hit both characters. It's best to wipe out his friends before starting on him, because he won't use his best stuff until his health goes down a bit. His Simultaneous Swipe attack especially is amazingly brutal and if you don't keep your vanguards high in health it can completely wipe you out.

We managed to defeat the Chancellor, though I was amazed by how tough he was.



......
But you know... I won't die here! I shall continue to live!
Because this world needs me.
And I'm not saying that out of arrogance. I'm saying it out of devotion.
Do you know why?
Hmph... I don't even want to know.

The entire ship began to quake after a massive crashing sound.



What's going on!?
Knight: Permission to speak! There was an explosion in the lower control room!
We believe the Sacred Army planted a bomb!
Impossible! Do they plan to abandon their own knights!?
Either way, we need to get out of here!
Wait. The Heart is still here somewhere.
But, there's no time to look for it...
I can't just leave Lady Cloche to die!
......
Let's go! Arguing here is just a waste of time.
We're gonna look for it as long as we can. Until we run out of time...!
Yeah, let's to it!
I'm going to pull through with my own will...
Huh?
Hurry, let's go!

We left Alfman, with the ship crashing his plan is foiled. What I can't figure though is why the Sacred Army would bomb the ship...

Loading Excerpt- Hopes for the Green Land: Collected Writings, J.
You know, there's something so satisfying about a good explosion. And then they just had to go show up and spoil it for me.

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You again? You're so persistent. I didn't think you'd come all the way here.
What did you do with the Heart? Give it back!
Since when did it become yours?
The Heart!
I earned it. I'll do whatever I want with it, to fulfill my ideals.
Indeed. We will use the Heart of Gaea for our plans.
You're going to betray the Grand Bell!?
Betray? We were never even allies. I don't need them anymore, so I just left.
...! Are you the ones who blew up the control room!?
...Hehe. Maybe.
You...!
This isn't good. It's getting smaller faster than I expected...
...What!?
I need to hurry.

What's funny is that Laude was surprised by what came next.



Don't bother me! I don't have time.
I need to fulfill my goal before she disappears.
What do you mean?
Sadly, our playtime ends now.
Although, even if you live, this world is already over.
That's right. Our ideals are not bound to this place.
I'm sorry, but the people of Metafalss shall be sacrificed.
Along with you...
Y-You! What are you!?
Thanks for all your help until now. Farewell!
Crap... Dammit!
Now, how about we get an explanation?

What a sucker.



Grh...
Hey! Let's go after him!
Wait!
We can't chase him now! The ship is crashing, remember?
Luca's right. We need to escape.



Loading Excerpt- Personal Logs, C. Bartel
Jacqli got away, as she always seemed to. Targana wanted to talk to us.



However, Captain Leglius, Croix...
After all, Alfman was your master, of sorts. You laid your hands on him quite easily.
......
......
That's fine. However...
I cannot feel safe making you my own knights, since you took your last boss' head.
......
As expected of you, Croix. You did betray me, after all.
......

I wouldn't have wanted to go work for him anyway to be honest, so it saved me the trouble of declining. We've got more important things to deal with right now.



Yeah...
I still can't believe you were friends with the Imperial Family.
I was surprised when I saw him, too.
When we were young, I thought it was just a joke.
And so, what did you do to betray him?
Oh that? It's probably because...
We made a pact a long time ago to make a nation where everyone can live happily.
But, one day, Targana disappeared.
I was really worried. But... I never saw him there again.
A few years later, I entered the Grand Bell to help Ms. Reisha and Luca.
To him, the Grand Bell is the enemy. So, he sees that as a betrayal.
...I see.
...Lady Cloche.
Damn... Where the hell did Jacqli go?
......



Really!?
Yeah, well, probably. If I go there... Hey, Soope!
...Punya?

Luca figured that she could ask Lady Cloche in the Infelsphere. The Sacred Army dropped us off in Enna.



Cool, I'm sure you'll be able to meet Lady Cloche in the Infelsphere.
Luca, are you okay with going in alone?
Cr-Croix! Geez...
...Uh!
...Hm? What's that supposed to mean?
I need to concentrate, so don't come inside my room.
I just hope Lady Cloche knows where she is...
And...
......
Then I hope she'll still talk to me...

There's nothing worse than waiting around knowing there's nothing you can do.



...Lady Cloche. Please tell us where you are.
By the way... You.
Huh? Me?
Don't you need to go back to the Sacred Army?
Oh come on, that's the old me!
......
Or what? Do you still not trust me? Like, I'm their spy or something.
What are you, stupid?
Everyone, I know where Lady Cloche is!
She's at this place called the Cat Mansion!
...Cat Mansion?
Cat Mansion!? Do you mean... that Cat Mansion!?
You know the place?
Know the place? Everyone in Enna knows about it.



Whoa, a haunted mansion...
Ohh? Are you scared?
N-no!
Alright. Let's go there, now.

What kind of person lives in a haunted house anyway?

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...It's kinda nasty in here.
According to one rumor, every night, you can hear a girl scream, and bombs explode.
Amarie! Don't say stuff like that...
Hahahahaha! And then the other day, when it was raining...
Come on, stop it! I don't wanna hear it!
......

Jacqli's definitely been living here, though. We even found some of her books.



Obviously, someone is living here now.
Jacqli lives in a place like this?
This is... research on Metafalss history. They're Jacqli's notes.
...Jacqli wrote it?
Hey look! It talks about 400 years ago! Wow! This is the first time I've ever read about that!
Is it that important?
Don't you know? When Alfman rose to power, history books became illegal.
Yeah, no one's allowed to know about our past history...
That's why we don't go to school.
...I see. So, what happened 400 years ago?
Well, 400 years ago was when the Infel Pira was completed.



"It was hailed as the technological breakthrough that would make the dream of Metafalica come true."
"However, the Infel Pira did not create any land."
"It was turned into a weapon so powerful, it could even be used to attack the Goddess."
"As expected, a war broke out against the Goddess."
"Though the humans won the war, the Infel Pira was destroyed by the Divine Army."
"In addition, She hid the tower that connected the humans to the heavens."
"After this, the Goddess and the Grand Bell arranged a treaty, and the war ended."
"It has not been revealed what this 'treaty' was."
"However, I found a clue to this mystery."
"At the time, the Kanakana Pier was closed by order of the Grand Bell."
"Something is there... Something that the Goddess and the Grand Bell have hidden..."



The tower disappeared, huh?
......
...Is something wrong?
......
Hey!
Huh? Oh, no. Nothing's wrong with me.
Hey look, this door is open.
There's stairs that go down.
A basement!?
What basement!?
Let's go see. Jacqli might be down there.

Loading Excerpt- Hopes for the Green Land- Collected Writings, J.
I seemed to have forgotten something critical in my haste to return home: Nothing in my stupid life ever goes smoothly. Things weren't going well with my endeavor and what's worse those idiots had somehow found me.

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There she is! And that's... the Heart!
Jacqli! What are you planning to do with it!?
ELMA!

Boss Battle: ELMA-DSRX
And it's ELMA again. This fight is a lot like the last one. ELMA has a bit more offensive capability but his attacks aren't that hard to block for the most part. One good Red Magic attack should down him.

I do so wish I could have brought a better ELMA along with me. Oh well. All worked out in the end.



Jacqli!
This world doesn't make things very easy, huh?
Give back Lady Cloche's Heart of Gaea!
Here you go.
System Message: Obtained Heart of Gaea!
...What?
It wasn't the Heart I was looking for. So I don't need it anymore.
Its level is too low. It's useless to me.
What do you mean?
It's something you would never understand, even if I told you.
So, you're all gathered here with scary faces. What do you want to do to me?
Cooperate with us. Tell us how to crate the true green lands.

I was sort of thrown really, because I'd rather expected them to be angrier than they were. Not that I actually know how to create Metafalica. I mean if I did I wouldn't have needed that stupid heart.



It doesn't matter. I'm sure you know things we don't.
......
Alright, fine. I was once fascinated by your ancestors.
I guess you can think of it as repaying my debt to them in a way.
Yeah, that makes sense.
I'll make this clear, I have no interest in the current Metafalss.
And the current Metafalss can't create any sort of green land.
......
This world is insane. I thought it was just the people, but the Goddess is quite insane, as well.
It's the first time I've heard of a Goddess who interferes with Her own people's prosperity.
And it's just one of three in this world...
One is unreliable, and the other is like this. The world really might be coming to and end...
Um, what do you mean by this Metafalss not being able to create land?



But seeing how these people are now... It's impossible.
Everyone's lost hope. No one trusts each other.
...Oh.
......
But if you still want to try creating land... There's still some hints.
When I first visited this place, Laude always kept saying this...
"We must hurry, or this world will be erased before Metafalica is created..."
Erased!?
"Before that happens, we must go to Kanakana Pier."
...!
And just before this Metafalica was created, he said...
"I think the land can be created in this current situation, but it's incomplete."
Incomplete...

It's important to spell things out to people like this of course. I mean they're not the dumbest people I've ever met but it's best not to take chances. Luckily they took the hint and saved me a LOT of trouble.



Secrets about Metafalica.
Hey, is something wrong?
Huh? Uh no, nothing, I told you.
First things first, you should return "her" to her body.
...What's gotten into you?
I don't like unnecessary deaths, either.
Thanks to this heart being inadequate, she was saved.
But, you should hurry. It's gotten a lot smaller.
Now that you mention it, it looks half the size of when we first saw it.
A Heart of Gaea that's had it's outer shell removed will slowly be eroded by the outside world's waves.
At this rate, within a few days, the Heart will disappear... And she will really die.
So return her to her body. Where is it?
It's at Promise Hill.
Alright, then let's hurry. I'll at least help return her to her body.

So I've joined the forces of good and puppies or whatever. It's novel at least, and they're probably the only people still on Metafalss looking for Metafalica. Who knows? Maybe this hasn't gone to hell after all.



Next Time on Ar Tonelico 2: Rebirth of Aqua