Part 54: Dead Men Tell Tales

Entry 51: Dead Men Tell Tales

Last time on Bravely Default:



Just when the party thought their ghostbusting adventures were over.

The glowing light forms into the shape of a Shieldbearer soldier.



Eek! A ghost is trying to get us!



Surprise! On top of everything else, Tiz has a natural knack for sensing ghosts.

But it spoke to us...

It seems to be trying to tell us something.



We had them surrounded, and their spirits were broken... Then that round little commander unleashed the mist.

A green haze began drifting slowly over the battlefield. Then...naught but agony...

The ghost fades away.



That bodes well. At least the ghost didn't attack us.



Not that that's much relief to Airy.



Grapp Keep is the same fortress tileset used in Centro Keep, with a spooky recolor.



Locked doors, inconvenient architecture, oversized switches. The regular deal.



Also, undead not so willing to talk things out.



Interestingly, these fellows died long before the toxic mist.



Why these guys woke up in the first place is a mystery. Perhaps it had to do with mist-related experiments.



Considering the fort was built not that long ago, it must have been an unwelcome surprise to have hostile skeletons swarm the place.



Maybe that's why it's been largely abandoned, left to the dead and undead.



Even at job level 1, pirate hits harder than other jobs. I leveled here a bit since the party could usually defeat enemies before being attacked.



After running around flipping switches and opening doors for a while, the party stumbles into a new area.



There were no allies or enemies... All those on the battlefield writhed in the mud, and perished clawing at their throats.

I'd never known such pain. Every breath felt like fire, and my vision turned blood red... It was as if countless parasites crawled upon my body...

There were no allies or enemies... Together we grasped at breaths, sharing unbearable pain as we met our demise.

After sharing his poem, the ghost fades away.



Although chemical weapons are best known for their use in war, they were also used to perpetrate some of modern Japan's domestic terrorism. These involved a homegrown doomsday cult which twice (first incident, second incident) released sarin in public spaces.

I don't know the exact inspirations for this plotline (there are plenty to choose from, unfortunately), but many Japanese civilians undoubtedly felt personally influenced by the incidents.



Back to the game. Let's find more switches and unlock more doors.



New enemy, who looks considerably fresher than the skeletons.



This fellow probably fell to the toxic mist. Whether he was a Swordbearer or Shieldbearer no longer matters.



Edea finds a new poking stick in a basement storage area.



Afterwards, the party heads up.



Ghost-poet-buddy is waiting for them.



Qada, the salve-maker. That corpulent commander of the Swordbearers... He has returned to these lands once more.

He had those of us who died from the toxic mist carried to this keep. Then, the tests began... Gleeful slicing, all to gauge the effects of his poison!



There were no allies or enemies... All who died to the mist were sealed within this keep, and left to rot.

Who knows how long has passed... With excruciating pain, chilling cold, hatred and despair growing within us...

The ghost fades away. Someday, our buddy's poetry will no longer be enough to keep him sane.



The least we can do is ensure justice is applied, liberally.



Place your bets, folks.



The party continues down the hall.

Suddenly, Tiz motions to the others to halt.



More spirits...?

No... I think it's something else.

Our view pans past the empty hall to the left, to the connecting room...



Which is not so empty.



We have just completed our work. See for yourself. A perfect job, no? Hyah hyah.

It took you three years to cleanse this area. Some weapon that is. Countless meaningless deaths...contaminated land, and what is left? Nothing but lifeless ruin.



To cleanse such a vast area in three years would be impossible for anyone but me. My research on the matter continues, and we may be able to reduce the time further.

......

The master sample of the toxin is in here?

Yes, we have it stored safely.

And there is no danger of it leaking?

Of course not. It is sealed away tight, along with its recipe. Even I, its creator, would not be able to take it from here.

We switch back to the party, who have their ears to the adjoining wall.



What do we do? They spoke of a sample of the toxin. It seems something is stored further in.

That's what we need to get hold of.

They turn their attention back to the wall.



The results? Why, I annihilated a hundred thousand enemy troops, achieving a brilliant victory.

That was no victory. It was a massacre. Our allies caught in the midst, an entire city brought to ruin, turning the area to wasteland for four years...

But without my victory, the Swordbearers would be no more. Of that there can be no doubt.



We sacrificed a thousand to defeat a hundred thousand. Far more effective than conventional war, no?

Do you believe you could have achieved similar results by clashing blades, swordmaster? I highly doubt it.

I admit that would be impossible.

The party turns their attention back to each other.



My master is angered. I have never seen him so enraged.

He's angry? He seems calm enough to me.

What? Can't you sense the rage seething within him? It gives me goose bumps...

The tension is so thick it chokes...



It is to control the crystals and spread Anticrystalism. Do not forget that.

I have no need for an efficient method of killing. I forbade you from using this toxic weapon of yours in the first place.

So you would have me simply let the Swordbearers face defeat? They numbered just ten thousand. Against one hundred thousand Shieldbearers, they did not stand a chance.



I ordered you to hold the front line, not exterminate our foes!

I...I merely saw a chance for victory and...and seized it! I...uh...I knew we would...prevail.

If you thought you ever had a chance against those odds, it only shows you lack a talent for generalship.

Blinded by ambition, you misread the enemy, disobeyed my orders, and then slaughtered both enemy and ally alike.

You slew them all like dogs! You showed no respect at all for the warriors on either side.



That's a damn good question, Kamiizumi. Try asking Edea next time you see her.

Know this: the next time you disobey my orders for your own selfish ends, you will fall to my sword.

I-I understand completely, ha ha ha... I will not let you down...

I shall return to Starkfort. You stay back and see that the wounded are cared for.

Of course...



And as soon as Kamiizumi's out of earshot:

Who does he think he is, spouting such nonsense? What a hypocrite. There is no place for heroism or pride in war. To seek such things is a fool's errand.



The party stops listening once Qada dissolves into a giggle fit.



We should take it back with us.

Right!

Segments of the swordmaster and salve-maker conversation bring up interesting thoughts on the ethics of war, paralleling some of the argument over the use of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki: if a single terrible weapon could possibly result in less future casualties and trauma, can its use ever be justified?

Luckily, the in-game example simplifies matters by making one side of the argument an honorable warrior and the other a guy who looks, sounds, and acts like an incompetent, sadistic toad.

Reducing a complex subject to black vs. white is normal in stories, but considering Bravely Default's central message of 'black vs. white vs. grey', I don't mind giving it some pokes. Especially when it brings up, then immediately dismisses, moral complications. And oh boy, will this not be the last time it does that.



The dungeon's almost over at this point.




Up the lower central staircase is the last unvisited area.



With Kamiizumi and Qada gone, now's the party's chance to steal that master sample.


Next: The ethics of chemical weaponry, continued, and the wartime use of J-pop.

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Event Viewer
Main Scenario:
The Green Mist
No Allies or Enemies
The Corpulent Commander
Swordmaster and Salve-Maker