Part 94: ......

Entry 86: ......

After awakening the third crystal, the party pauses to let Agnès catch her breath.



The dangers of the crystals and the Harrowing...

The Harrowing...

To think he has studied it for eighteen hundred years and is still in the dark about what it is...

......

I can't help thinking that the Harrowing is what we're going through right now.

You mean right here in this strange world where time seems to have been rewound?

......

Do you think this strange world bears some relation to whatever causes the Great Chasm?

......

......

Ah, well. Who can know? Just like none can fathom the ways of a woman's heart. At least that pursuit, while just as pointless, is more enjoyable.

In both topics, the mystery may come less from the complexity of the topic and more from the investigator's lack of ability to learn.



Speaking of people with the emotional intelligence of a brick, we're heading back to Florem to dig up DeRosa.



We know where his cave is, so we can just kick the door in and stroll on down.



None too soon, either. As the party approaches the full prison cell:



We must set them all free!

Ahh, but that would put me in quite the bind.

DeRosa hops out from behind a wall.



Now that is unfortunate. You could have at least called me "dashing," don't you think? You do realize you are trespassing? I think it's time you ran along.

We know what you are up to. You must stop using these women for your wicked ends.

Oh, do you now, my pretty little thing? Well then, go ahead and tell me what I am doing.

Pheramore toxin.



It never gets old going having the party announce secret plans to a person the moment they meet them.

But DeRosa regains his composure quickly.

Well, knock me over with a feather. Just where did you hear that?

You told us yourself.

I did? Just a second, have I met you somewhere before?

No, I believe you have yet to make our acquaintance.

Hmm... Feigning ignorance, are we? Very well. How much do you know?

You use cologne containing pheramore toxin to trick and expoit women for your own gain.



You do realize the women I woo get something out of this, too, right? My techniques are truly superior. They all leave satisfied.

You filthy old man!

If women really enjoyed DeRosa's company, you wouldn't think he'd need to lie, drug, and imprison them first.



You seem intent on disparaging my little operation, but I'll have you know the Council of Six has given full approval.

What?

Don't you see? Your father has personally condoned this operation that you call filthy.

......

I fail to see how it warrants criticism from his own blood. Have I made myself clear? Good. Now, off you go, children. I have much work to do here.

We're not going anywhere!

We'll not turn a blind eye to this wickedness!

Oh, so that is how you want to play it? I'll warn you, I'm not the kind to roll over easily myself. It looks like I'll have to teach you the hard way.

That's fine, this conversation wasn't going anywhere anyway.



Oh no, DeRosa's attacking. Whatever will we do, help help.

Since you're clearly incapable of managing my nickname... Let's make this formal.



The Red Mage, Old Man DeRosa!

Whoa, hold on there...



The party did hold on.



DeRosa, on the other hand, did not.

After leaving asterisk space the party releases the drugged women, but Edea still looks concerned.



Oh...it's just...

Does it bother you that your father approved of that man's plan?

Yes...

Not to sound like Lord DeRosso... But don't you think you are underestimating him?

Remember, Ringabel's referring to the guy who allowed child slavery during his war effort, so long as it was in foreign territory.



The red mage has stopped at nothing to claw his way up the ranks of the Eternian Forces. You should read them again sometime.

I will.

Turns out Ringabel found two new pages of DeRosa's notes to add to D's Journal:


What a lovely trifecta of crony capitalism, chemical weaponry, and drug-aided sexual assault.

Anyway, not only was Braev in the dark about DeRosa's plan, DeRosa was planning to take advantage of Braev's myopia and do a takeover of Eternia. As incompetent as Braev is, the others would be far worse.



As a bonus for defeating DeRosa, we've gotten our first costume item!



Costumes have a special slot under equipment. They have no gameplay effect, but instead...



Change the character's outfit to the costume, overriding Job outfits. This outfit can only be worn by Edea, so no embarrassing Agnès or seeing Ringabel in all his glory.



We can assume a little story here: Agnès hated the bikini, but Edea thought it looked neat. Edea wanted an excuse to wear the bikini and took it along, then took the opportunity to wear it to find DeRosa's hideout. Unfortunately, DeRosa drugged her and almost did terrible things. Edea held onto the bikini afterwards, but felt too awkward to put it on again, as she associated wearing it with that near-miss incident...

But now that we've taken care of DeRosa -- twice, no less -- she's regained her self-confidence, and can now happily wear her bikini while punching out all the DeRosas of the world!



Before leaving Florem, let's look at the Matriarch again.

Earlier, we spoke to her before awakening the Water Crystal. If you wait and don't speak to her until after the Water Crystal, you get this slightly altered scene instead:

Mm? Who might you be, child?

I am the Vestal of Wind, Agnès Oblige.

Ahh! I see it now! My, but you've grown, dear. Florem is more beautiful for your visit.

...!! I say...

There have been reports that the sea is once again clear. Is this your doing, Wind Vestal?

Yes. Forgive my intrusion, but as a vestal, it was my duty to awaken the Water Crystal.

Oh, how wonderful!



What!? You mean Olivia is...

About six months ago, I am afraid. There was a great earthquake at the hidden village, and she perished protecting her Crystalists...

It cannot be...

Her successor was rejected by the Orthodoxy due to her illness, and there is no other. She was such a talented child, but the Orthodoxy cast her out.

In any case, you have my heartfelt thanks for awakening the Water Crystal.

Despite the Matriarch saying there's no one else, the proto-Vestaling is there with her.



We're done in the city. But guess what? New monsters in the Twilight Ruins! Let's go check 'em out.



Mind-destroying drugs and religious war aside, Eternia's influence on Florem can be seen as representing the corruption of purity. That's how the Orthodoxy presents it.



Under the Orthodoxy, Florem's all-female culture was a bastion of sainthood, untainted by frivolity or dirty thoughts.

But this view, while perhaps nicer looking on the surface, ignores one thing: Women are human. They not only fail at being perfect, but they're often idiot horny neurotic nerds, same as men.



On one side, DeRosa and a society obsessed with the superficial. On the other, the Orthodoxy, valuing purity over women's individuality and desires.



Perhaps one day, Florem will find a healthier balance, especially without the whole religious war/drug thing going on in the background.

Different note: not all birdfriends are friendly. They're also classified as demonkind, no surprise.



Anyway, the drug part has been taken care of. Next is the religious war, because as feared, fighting Braev had no effect on his overseas campaign.



Deep in the Witherwood, the party comes across Einheria. This time, she has no soldiers pretending to be Crystalists. She's alone.



This scene does change depending on if the party's met Einheria before or not. As with the Sage scene, if the party's already met Einheria, they just get a shorter, edited down version of the scene.

Since the version where they haven't met yet adds more lines and takes none away, I'm going to show off that version.

So it is you, Edea. You are the last person I expected to run into here.

You know her?

Yes. She is...

...like an older sister to me.

......

There's nobody here... This is the hidden village of the Crystalists. Why would it be empty?



......

You didn't tell them I was a member of the Bloodrose Legion, Edea?

This place has been deserted for ages. Since well before I was sent to these lands...

What?

This is indeed the hidden village of the Crystalists. I have explored it a number of times, but I never found any trace of people living here.

Now that you mention it... It doesn't look like anyone has lived here for years.

Perhaps they orchestrated their own destruction.

What do you mean?



I would not be surprised if the Orthodoxy's corruption spread here, causing it to collapse from within.

Einheria's views may be biased, but her thoughts corroborate with the idea of the Orthodoxy stifling the women of Florem for the religion's own benefit.



Who could have forseen this outcome? You betray the grand marshal, your own father, and face off against me.

My father was too impatient. He strayed from the ideals he first envisioned.

Do not brand him the same as the rotten Orthodoxy!

But, my father...



Both the Bloodrose Legion and the Eternian Forces would stoop to anything to achieve their goals.

Even so, they are a far cry from the Orthodoxy, which grew fat and corrupt in its thirst for power!

Einheria...

Saving women from a confining religion only to declare open season for assault and abuse... Do the wrongs of one variety excuse wrongs of another variety?



THAT IS A QUESTION I AM CONTINUALLY ASKING THIS GAME.

Just a few years ago, you and I spent our days training under the same master, and shared our hopes and fears. Fate is a fickle mistress indeed...

Heh, I am not myself. Talking with you has brought back memories of the past.



There is still time to change your mind, Einheria. Turn you back on the legion and the duchy.

It is over. Why not start anew? Join with us.

That I cannot do. I cannot.

But why...?



BECAUSE SO LONG AS VIDEO GAME GAMEPLAY CENTERS AROUND BATTLING OPPONENTS AND WINNING IS DONE BY BEING PHYSICALLY STRONGEST FIGHT IS GOOD

Let me walk the path I have chosen. I shall live the ideals the grand marshal held dear to the end.



Ready yourself.

Look how ~Tragic~ this is! Ideals against ideals! Spear against spear!

Ah, the height of Nobility and Honor: fighting to the death rather than admitting life is complicated!



Again and again, our opponents are either comically evil or ~tragic~ but with heads like rocks.

Even armed with foreknowledge of events, even after trying to talk things through, things are still ending up just as they did last time. The only real change was in Caldisla, and for all we know that was thanks to the party's alternate selves as much as us.



Anyway, it's a riveting battle between valkyries.



After combat, it replays the scene from Chapters 1-4 if Braev is already defeated, only this time Einheria doesn't mention her sisters at the end.



We came this | | close to winning Einheria over. What if we hadn't already downed Braev? Could the prospect of continued wrongs push Einheria to our side?

Let's rewind:



I would not be surprised if the Orthodoxy's corruption spread here, causing it to collapse from within.

I served only the crystal, and knew nothing of the world until I left the temple. So I cannot know if what you say about the Orthodoxy's corruption is true.



Regardless of your lofty ideals, this cannot be forgiven.

Yes, you are right. We capture followers and force them to convert to erode the Orthodoxy's power.

We use violence to wrest them away from their beliefs. This is our goal, by fair means or foul. However...I must admit I have grown slightly weary of the legion's tactics.

Weary?



You turned your back on the duchy, Edea... I could not excuse your conduct, but I understood your reasons somehow.

In a way, I envied your ability to take meaningful action.

Then it is not too late for you! Leave the Bloodrose Legion, and come with us!

It would be a boon to have you on our side, Einheria.

That I cannot do. I cannot!

But why...?

You and I learned the ways of the sword under the same master. We have been through much. We swore our blades to the service of Eternia, and pledged to fight for her future.

We swore we would honor the ideals held by the grand marshal, and strive to bring the world he envisioned to fruition.

But the reality we face is quite different from that my father sought. Surely you must see this!?



Then why...?

No ideals can be achieved by following the path of virtue alone.



I must bring his world into being... We shall build a land where all are free from the crystal curse!

I must continue this thankless task... I will fight on to the end!



Genocide, forced conversions, psychotropic chemical weapons, her siblings being driven mad, her leader being overthrown -- none of it's enough.



You feeling down about this, too, Airy? It's like nothing we do changes anything. We kill and kill and kill -- and for what?



...Oh. Right. Mission. Well, you know... We'll get around to it. Eventually.



In the center of Florem Gardens, the party finds a group of fairies peacefully playing in the shade.



Then Mephilia kills them.

What!?

Hmm? Who are you?

Mephilia!

Since we saw Mephilia last, we learned about her summoner training, found all the summons including the elusive Susano-O, and met the ghost of Mephilia's fiance Suleiman, who died trying to find Susano-O for her.

Maybe there's some way we can get through to her this time and get her to regain her sanity.



....Nevermind.

I've never seen so dirty a hypocrite... My sister loved you. Oh, but I'm not blaming you. This is far better than the way you used to be.

It's so hideous. So deliciously twisted... I feel nauseous just speaking to you.

So you're killing fairies again?

These fairies are incredibly important to Florem's people. How can you do this?

Ah ha ha... You've always been this way. Full of platitudes... Happy lies... Always so pretty... So pretty you reek of rot and decay. Keep away, Edea...

Going by this and the way her voice is going through a dozen emotions at once, gonna go ahead and say nope, she's already off the deep end, somewhere below Luxendarc's equivalent of the Mariana Trench.



That girl with you, Edea... That is the wind vestal, is it not? Just how long do the two of you intend to feign trust? How long till the facades drop?

What will it look like, I wonder. The moment all the little platitudes that hold you lot together start to...crumble.



What happened to Mephilia? Is this just the longterm effect of the fairy wings combined with the loss of Suleiman? Did she have a run-in with DeRosa?



Whatever it was, the game provides only one outcome for it.



Good... Knowing that I've sullied you is... enough...

So, where is it...that you hail from?



Where...



Mephilia was a talented individual. She could have been a great help to Eternia's cause, or whatever cause she chose.



Instead, she was thrown in this garden to rot among the fairies. Odd strategy on Eternia's part.

She seemed to know what had happened to us.

It could not have been pure conjecture... If only we could have questioned her further.

......


Next: Yet another interview with our favorite pretend-yet-actually-immortal vampire.

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Event Viewer
Sub-Scenario:
Confronting Old Red
Red Revealed
Olivia is Gone - B
Reunion with Einheria
The Valkyrie's Chosen Path - B
The Valkyrie's Chosen Path - A
Mephilia Revisited
Blood of Another World

Party Chat:
Unfathomable