Part 62: Where the Fire Sleeps, Buried
Entry 59: Where the Fire Sleeps, BuriedFollowing the earthquake, the party manages to climb up out of the newly formed chasm.
You can thank your lucky stars you survived. One wrong step and you all would have been toast! That goes double for you, Agnès. Have you forgotten you are a crystal vestal? Hey, are you even listening to me!?
*gasp gasp* ...Are you alright, Egil?
Yeah... Thanks for saving me...
Heh, you really gave us a scare.
Huh?
We all said we'd help Egil, and yet you leapt in alone... Heh... Ha ha ha!
It's just...your face is covered in mud, Agnès.
What?
And where exactly did you think you were going, Agnès?
That was a shock! You picked a bad time to show you have no sense of direction! Ah ha ha.
The way Agnès caught both of you with those spindly arms of hers is a story I'll pass down to my grandchildren.Thank all that axe-wielding she's been doing. Nowadays she's far buffer than she looks.
It was just the adrenaline... I surprised even myself...
So you acted without thinking whether you could pull it off!? Yes... I'm just glad we're all safe and sound. Uh, Tiz... And Edea and Ringabel...
Will... Will you still stay at my side?
Of course!
Oh, not you, Egil... Ha ha ha! He took my line... Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha! Heh. Heh heh!
Enough giggling. We have to hurry to the Temple of Fire! Come on! Time is running out!Was it right for Agnès to risk herself to save Tiz and Egil? Airy may have terrible charisma, but she does have a point -- are the lives of two people worth sacrificing the world?
On the other hand, as some people have pointed out, what are the chances of Agnès getting to the last two crystals on her own, or even just without Tiz? Their chances are already slim as things are. And that's not even getting into the idea of watching someone, let alone friends, die "for the sake of the greater good" -- easier said than done if you've got any heart at all.
In the end, the choice was up to Agnès alone, despite what Airy or anyone else willed. You could say Agnès's choice was selfish, but for someone who cares so much about those close to her, and who'd already watched one friend die, her decision was hardly a surprise.
Airy, for her part, is traumatized. For a moment, she must've assumed all was lost.
Anyway, she's got a point. No telling how long the area will stay stable.
After all that running and climbing, the party ended up on the western side of the chasm.
Luckily, the path to the north connects the two sides.
The earthquake cleared away the boulders! How convenient for gameplay and story purposes.
The passage past the southern boulder is a shortcut back to the Underflow's entrance. Note the boulder blocking the other end of the shortcut also coincidentally rolled away.
But our goal is through this suspicious crevice north of where Agnès had her moment of truth and Tiz his second chance. Going onwards...
Reveals Tiz's temple radar is spot-on.
The temple's in good condition, though there are signs of a recent scuffle.
Aside from the local demons, there are fire-enhanced, hostile, possible former guardians.
Damage cap reached.
The party's on a mission from
This piece isn't bad, but better to equip once they're out of the fire area filled with fire mobs.
As with other temples, the party can take a closer look around.
......
Unlike the Temple of Wind or Water...this travesty was at the hands of man. So this is where the fire vestal met her end...
The party decides to check the library to the south.
Looks like the Black Blades had fun.
......
It was no accident these were destroyed.
The ones who attacked the temple...It's telling that they went out of their way to destroy harmless Crystalist materials. Further proof the Eternians aren't only fighting for political/sadistic reasons, but due to a genuine hatred of Crystalism.
Last visit is the reliquary.
You're right. They look a lot like your garments, Agnès.
These are her clothes! The fire vestal was wearing these when she came to me in my dream! Strange that only her ceremonial garb would escape destruction... She'll never get to wear them again... ......After the reliquary chat, Egil pipes up.
It's just like my dream. All of it...
...... It feels like time's stopped here in the temple. Yeah? Perhaps because time has stopped for the spirit of the fire vestal.
Agnès... It's kind of hard to breathe. Is time stopping for me, too? Will we be alright?
We're fine. Time moves on... Our time is still moving, Egil. ......
This seems hard on the boy.
Then let us awaken the crystal and be quit of this place.
Last treasure in the temple. Nullifying two types of elemental damage is nothing to sneeze at.
Before moving on to the crystal chamber, there's one last point of interest: a new curmudgeonly bird-friend.
Why not give this a shot?
The party's pretty tough. They'll be able to handle demon-wrangling at this point, no problem.
Train crossing lights, but on fire and in hell. Good start.
In the distance, a train gleams, approaching.
Interesting detail: the summoning movie will flip depending on whether the enemy or the party is casting the summon. That way the summon's attack is facing the correct direction, such as towards the right when attacking the party.
That's a train, all right.
Like most trains, it can open its locomotive to reveal a gaping, draconic maw.
It collects power, vibrating with intensity...
That's a handy way to get blockage off the tracks.
Yeah, pretty impressive.
Wait.
Whoops.
Anyway, thanks to Hobgoblin2099 for the reminder to let the entire party die for extra dialogue. I'm sure the party would thank you, too, if they weren't all dead.
Let's try again, this time with our new fancy Iceflame Shield equipped.
Better.
Prometheus was a Greek Titan who was super great and helpful to early mankind, even when it pitted him against the gods. He is best known for giving humanity the gift of fire by stealing it from Olympus, whose residents wanted to keep it for themselves. Unfortunately, since then he has been gorily and eternally trapped and punished by the gods, which is a fairly routine fate in old myths.
With that, the Temple of Fire has been thoroughly explored.
Next: Lucky crystal number three.
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Event Viewer
Main Scenario:
A Close Bond
Sub-Scenario:
Scars of Ruin
Torn Scriptures
The Fire Vestal's Garb
Party Chat:
A Place Where Time Lies Still
D's Journal: Ringabel posted:
The ground fell out from beneath Egil's feet! We could not grab him in time, and though Tiz rushed to save him, they both fell toward the lava below... Then Agnès hurtled out from the cliff and caught them both! We hauled them up, and shared a relieved laugh when it was clear no harm had been done, aside from the mud on our faces.
D's Journal: Tiz Arrior posted:
Tiz may have been rash to leap in and save Egil, but Agnès was just as reckless to catch them as they fell... We laughed together at Tiz's folly and Agnès's good timing. Things have been tense between us since Florem, but I feel as if the air has now been cleared.
D's Journal: Egil posted:
In the mythril mines, Egil fell after the ground gave way beneath his feet, and Tiz dove forward to grab him. They were both about to fall into the lava until Agnès's quick action saved them. The tension we had felt since Florem melted away, and we shared a tender moment.
D's Journal: Temple of Fire posted:
