Part 28: Chapter 27: METHOD_IMPLANTA

Chapter 27: METHOD_IMPLANTA

Loading Excerpt- The Melody of Metafalica, C. Pastalia, L. Trulyworth
Having gotten permission to sing Implanter from Targana, we returned to Croix's house. I'm still to this day not sure how she managed this, but Lady Cloche was up and about waiting for us when we got back.

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...Yes. I'm fine. More importantly, how was your duel with Targana?
We still haven't settled it, but we're allowed to sing the Song.
I'm glad...
Let us go then, to the Hill of Metafalica.

Shun and Frelia were still around. It turned out we had all sort of misjudged why Shun was there.



Eh, this is nothing.
I still owe you guys for saving Frelia.
But this goes against Her plan. Is it really okay?
I'm not the ruler of the heavens or anything. I'm just Frelia's guardian.
If She's safe, everything else is a trivial matter to me.
I see.
Well now, do as you did earlier.
Alright.
Cezya Hymmnos
5129 x tarm azit tn IMPLANTA
es tn > (untranslatable)
...Wow, it's so pretty.
The Song... It's flowing from me. I've never felt this way before.
Thank you.. I'll sing my very best.
Are you okay...?
Yes, I'm fine. I can still sing.
Don't push yourself.
I won't.
I think it's hard enough that you're singing with that body right now...

As always, Cloche was the strongest of all of us. Even with a broken body she continued on.



The reason I exist here, the meaning of my life...
Croix... Luca... You both have one, too.
The reason you exist... The world needs you.



Her Song started out weak, but it progressed you could actually see the strength flowing back into her body.





All over the world...



This Song... Could it be... Implanter!?
...Er... mm...
...! Sonia!?
Sonia! Can you hear me!? It's me!
...Chester. I...
Sonia... I'm so glad!



Uncle: Lecita! Ahh, dear...
Lecita: Dad...? Mom...? What was I...
Uncle: Oh, thank you! I'm so glad...



Huh...
I feel like... I slept sooo well. Hrrm...
Puu!
Soope? Haha! It's like I have this happy feeling inside.

For just an instant she stumbled.



I'm fine! I feel so much better than before. I can keep going.
Croix... Luca...
I... want to save this world. So I want to return to the Grand Bell and take leadership...
But, I'm really scared. I don't have the courage to do that right now.
...Lady Cloche.

We rushed back to Croix's house to check on Cocona.



Cocona? I'm so glad you're okay.
Cro... Thanks.

We all returned to the Hill of Metafalica.



Yeah... thanks to you.
I guess I'm in your debt, after all.
What are you talking about? You saved me back then at the airport.
Ah... then I guess we're even.
Lady Cloche, Lady Luca.
...Yes.
I wish to hand over the government to you. Please, save this world.
What? But we haven't settled our duel...
I pretty much fell into the Sea of Death in that duel.
That's when I thought to myself. What was I aiming for with the Sacred Army?
Of course, there's tradition, formality, and pride. But that wasn't it.
The happiness of the people, their joy...
I did everything I could for that. But, the world didn't change.
Lady Cloche.
If what you said in the Pope's Chamber was true, I would like to bet on you.
I would like you to save this world.



A strong will. I feel assured now that I've heard those words.
Now I can take responsibility for my actions without worry.
...What are you doing?
The treasured sword passed down generations as proof of the Imperial Family.
Following the tradition of the Grand Bell, I dedicate this to the two of you.
...!
What!? Something grand's going on here!?
Luca...
...Um, okay.
Do you speak those words with knowledge of what it means?
Of course, I understand.
With this sword, I've caused pain and rudeness to you in the past...
Please, I ask of you to purge me.
What!?

Targana's request took almost all of us by surprise I think. I still don't get the point of a statement like that. While Croix and I were freaking out about the implications of what he has requested, Cloche just continued on as though she had expected it.



...Can I take your word in all true seriousness?
Lady Cloche, not you too!
As a true descendant of the Imperial Line, I intend to at least have decency.
...Understood. For the pride of you and the Imperial Family, I shall take on that role.
...Lady Cloche!
You are prepared, right?
...Yes.
This isn't okay! Why do you have to kill him!?
It's tradition. The Grand Bell will officially move from the Imperial Family to the Maiden Line.
For the Imperial Family, this is an intolerable humiliation.
Whether it was a fall by conspiracy, or chosen by oneself, purging is the only way to purify this.
What kind of...?
That's the final responsibility of the one who stands at the top.
What? That doesn't make sense! Who cares about such an old tradition!?
You said it, too. You wanted to break through the old ideals of the Grand Bell.
That's why you went to war, right? Why you promised the people Metafalica!?

I didn't understand what was going on at all.



What's different!?
That's right, Lord Targana. You said my name earlier too, right?
I don't want this. I won't accept this wish.
Luca!
If he doesn't die here, he has to live a life of burden forever.
I don't understand that!
It's a feeling you would never understand!
.....
......
Are you ready?
...Yes.
I don't care anymore!
Then, let this end!

I couldn't watch. But as it turned out, Lady Cloche had her own plans.



......
What is the meaning of this!?
I acknowledge that I have taken your life.
...!?
From now on, you are no longer Lord Targana, but my servant.
Dispose of all your pride as a Pope, and devote yourself to me and this world.
Lady... Cloche?
And to her... To Luca...
......
As you wish. I, unworthy Targana, shall do as you command, Lady Cloche.
And be sure not to waste that life on your own.
...Yes, ma'am.
Ah, I'm so glad...
Luca...!?
I thought you were really going to kill him. I was so worried!
I'm sorry. I guess I scared you.
No... it's okay. It just surprised me.

Soope began to glow, and once again we were rewarded with an Infelsphere Key. But there was no time to celebrate, things were rapidly falling apart in the world.



An Infelsphere Key!?
System Message: Obtained Sphere Key : 4B!
Knight: Reporting in!
There was a large quake following the last one at the Dreamy Fields!
It seems there is damage in Mint Block consisting of cracks in the ground!
What!?
Tell me the situation in detail!
That's not good. The area beyond Dreamy Fields might fall soon.
What did you say!?
If I explained, it'd take too long. Let's change our location.

We returned to the Pope's Chamber to discuss what had to be done.

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The other day, Frelia lost sense of the Dreamy Field area.



What's wrong!?
The B-Neu area of the Conductor Ring... I can't feel that area...
B-Neu...? That's where Kanakana Pier is.
Yes. The place where I slept until now.



It could be an accident, or it may have been intended. But Frelia has lost contact with that area.
Which leads me to assume that the lift generator is no longer functioning.
Lift generator!?
There is a total of 7 lift generators in the area you know as the Rim.
One of them is inside Dreamy Fields.
If it fails to function, the Dreamy Field area will fall.
Worse yet, the nearby Mint Block and Mikry Forest could be dragged down...
What? No!
Is there any way to recover them!?
Not with the current situation. Frelia doesn't have enough power.
But... we can try to limit the amount of damage.
How do we do that!?
Purge the Dreamy Fields coupler. That way, Mint Block can be saved.
It could have been worse, but at least no one lives beyond Dreamy Fields.

It seemed there was no way around it. There was another problem as well, but Shun had a solution.



That sounds like the only way...
In order to purge Dreamy Fields, you have to operate the control panels.
It's in an area under the field called the Secret Space...
But you probably can't enter without me.
Can we ask you to come with us?
I don't mind. But I have one request.
Can you watch over Frelia at the Grand Bell?
We want to go back to the heavens but we don't have a path. So we're actually camping right now.
What!? But she's the Goddess!
Haha... Isn't it silly? So, I beg you.
That is a very easy request. I will notify them immediately.
Targana, find someone to take care of her, and give her a room.
I'm going to do that?
What? You just swore your loyalty to us.
...Hrm.
First of all, the people here are under your command. It's faster if you do it.
I leave it to you while we're in Dreamy Fields.



...At least you have a job now.
I don't need you to tell me!
Oh, and...
Can you constitute basic guidelines for the Grand Bell Maiden Authority?
And prepare to publicize the governmental system to the people.
......
...What do you say?
...As you wish.
...Amazing.
Revealing her true character.
Aren't you glad you're depended on...
Now, let's hurry to the Dreamy Field underground passage.



And that's how we started traveling with Shun, the Guardian of the Goddess.

Feinne's Fourth Wall Lectures:
Now that we've got our whole party, let's talk a bit about party formulation. Since it really informs who we choose as Vanguards, let's talk Reyvateils. Rather than decouple them, I'll talk about three possible pairings and their variants (and assuming that one of the two is your 'main' Reyvateil).

Cloche and Luca- The classic pairing. The main advantage of either Cloche/Luca pairing is that they tend to have higher Synchronity than either with Jacqli. Luca has better support magic in general, having access to a Blue Magic that buffs the Vanguard. She's also got some Red Magic that is quite strong in its early forms. Cloche's Red Magics meanwhile really require a few turns to evolve to truly shine. This pairing also has Replakia, of course, which is clutch.

Cloche and Jacqli- Potentially the most powerful pairing. The main advantage of this is the potential for pairing Jacqli's incredibly powerful Red Magics with Replakia. The downside of course is lower Synchronity and the relatively large cost of Jacqli's Songs. The classical version of this pairs main Jacqli with Cloche for support, but Jacqli is also a good choice to go with main Cloche, mainly because Those Memories provides you with some serious juice.

Luca and Jacqli- On paper this is the weakest pairing. We don't have Replakia, and we have relatively poor Synchronity. The other side of this is access to a very strong mix of Songs and slightly better stats on average from especially Jacqli. This party also gives us access to some interesting Vanguard choices, as we'll see below.

Now let's talk about the five Vanguards and when we want to use them:

Croix- It's hard to justify a party without Croix. He's got all-around good stats and has an extra tier of end-game gear to further emphasize that he's the main character. He only has a good matchup with the Reyvateil whose ending you have locked, so keep that in mind.

Cocona- Cocona is one of the stronger offensive characters, but suffers from an unfortunate lack of durability. You can pretty much assume she'll have the lowest health of any Vanguard. Her biggest advantage is that she's got a Good match with both Cloche and Jacqli (and indeed is the only person to naturally have such a matchup with her). Just don't match her with Luca, because they don't get along.

Leglius- Leglius is a serious defensive tank, which he pays for with a relatively weak offense. He's got a Good match with Cloche, so he's a pretty strong choice if you're using her with Luca or Jacqli as a main.

Amarie- Amarie is definitely the most unique Vanguard. She's the only one with an attack that can hit more than one target and the only one who can heal. The downside is the only Reyvateil she really gets along with is Luca, and she has almost as poor health as Cocona. Still, she's probably my favorite Vanguard and is a strong argument for using Jacqli/Luca.

Shun- Shun is probably the all-around strongest Vanguard. He can dish out and take hits with the best of them. The only thing that makes Croix stronger in the end-game is his extra tier of unique crafted equipment. The downside is Shun is Neutral with all three Reyvateils.

In my mind the really viable parties then are:

Luca/Cloche- Croix/Leglius, Croix/Cocona, Croix/Shun
Cloche/Luca- Croix/Amarie, Croix/Shun
Cloche/Jacqli- Croix/Cocona, Croix/Shun
Jacqli/Cloche- Croix/Cocona, Croix/Leglius, Croix/Shun
Luca/Jacqli- Croix/Cocona, Croix/Shun
Jacqli/Luca- Croix/Amarie, Croix/Shun

Anyway back to the show.

I was worried about Lady Cloche's health, and Croix shared my concern.



Is Lady Cloche all right?
...I don't know.
As much as she wants to save the world, she's still scared.
Yeah... I wish I could do something for her.
...Me, too.
I wish I could help her.
But... that's not easy. I don't know what I can do for her.
Right... the only thing we can do is encourage her.
...I hope she'll be fine.

I took that advice to heart.



Anyway, I didn't think we could get back together with them safely.
Yeah, I almost gave up on it several times.
Oh, really? Even though you protected me?
Well, it would've been a little too impertinent for me.
It wasn't impertinent of you, but it was pretty manly.
Manly? That's not a compliment.
Hehe... but I'm glad we both came back alive.
Maybe, we are tougher than we think.
Yeah, this made me really confident about my strength.
...But I don't want to go through that again.
Me neither. Although if you protect me again, I wouldn't mind.
Hey, don't tease me.

Loading Excerpt- Hopes for the Green Land: Collected Writings, J.
Croix's been having some long conversations at night with Luca and Cloche. Not that it bothers me or anything.



You and Luca get along so well.
Well, we did live together before.
Oh, like moved in with each other?
It was when we were little. We're not like that.
Oh, is that so... I thought it was recently.
You guys are talking every day. I thought you were secretly seeing each other...
Yeah, right... We only talk, like, right now.
...I see.
...Was that bothering you?



Feinne's Shouts From the Fourth Wall:
Jacqli has the best expressions, and I think this is the first time we see this one.



I can't believe you talk to Cloche every night.
Oh, yeah, I have been talking to her every day.
Knowing her, I thought she would freak out about being in the same room with a man at night.
It's not like that. We just talk.
If I did anything to offend her, you know my head will be chopped off...
I see...
Well she looks like she might give in pretty easily.
Stop giving me ideas...

What bothers me more is that it does bother me and I'm not sure why. There's no reason it should, but it does. Still, it's not like I really care about this place or these people. I'm here for a reason, and I can't forget that.

Next Time on Ar Tonelico 2: Daily Life