Part 104: To Go Where No Vestal Has Gone Before

Entry 96: To Go Where No Vestal Has Gone Before

Agnès met Olivia. Edea met her mother and father. Ringabel met his true identity.

Each member of the party is being given a chance to separate from the adventure and live a contented, peaceful life with those they care about most.



Last is Tiz. We've picked up enough hints to know exactly who we're meeting.



Such a disappointment. You'd think everyone would clamor to live next to a gaping, permanently smoking hole that swallowed the previous village whole. Five star view!

Tiz!?

A voice similar but not quite like Egil's pipes up from nearby.



We've finally found Til.

Brother! It is you!

Til, you survived!



Til, rightfully afraid of tripping and falling into the chasm, waits for Tiz to come to him.

Tiz!

Til!

But you died! You tried to protect me, and you...

Til... I never thought I'd hear your voice again.

I've been all alone since I lost you...



C'mon Til, chop chop! You're already ten years old or something like that. The king entrusted you with this! Get your real estate act together!

Airships came after me, and I was attacked by the strangest pair...

Forgive me, Til. Forgive me for leaving you all alone.

Tiz! Behind you!

What now!?

Nice how Til doesn't even feel its worth mentioning how he beat up Holly and Barras.



I'm sure he's in no danger from whatever's attacking now.



...Nope, definitely not.

After the goblin corpses are kicked into the Great Chasm, Til and Tiz resume their heartfelt reunion.



Even Tiz couldn't hold onto his little brother's hand, so you Til couldn't have expected to pull up his older brother. But in a case like this, knowing the facts won't stop the "if only".

I kept playing that moment over and over again in my mind. It's been eating me up inside.

Til...

But you're back again to save me! My big brother. My hero! Please, don't leave me ever again. We'll rebuild the village together!

The king says he'll help! It might take years, but we'll have it back just the way it was!

...Right. Let's do that.

...Tiz.

The sage makes his appearance, calling the party away.



When did the sage find out so much about these guys, anyway? Jeez, man, I know you're a lech, but a little privacy...

If you wish to stay and live here, there is now a place for you--a place where you fit in.

And perhaps your brother will finally be free of the terrible memory that haunts him. A specter you yourself are all too familiar with, I'm sure.

I...I wish...

Your decision needn't be a rash one. Speak amongst your comrades before you decide. I will await you in Yulyana Woods. Come see me when your decision is made.

The sage leaves. Tiz brings Til back to Caldisla to rest, then returns with the others to the ship.



Agnès is the first to make a decision.

That's right! You're the vestal of wind, Agnès! You can't end your journey here!

...And Olivia? You'd be condemning her to the same loneliness and dread you felt in the first world.

The same could be said for you, Tiz. Do you intend to leave your brother all alone?

......

Well, even if you two don't stay, I think Edea should remain here with her mother and father.

What about you, Ringabel? You'd lost your memory for such a long time.

Now you finally have somewhere to go. People who love you. I can't stay here by myself.

Alternis's grief may have struck too close to home for Ringabel. He wants to keep her out of harm's way, even if it means separating from her.



Meanwhile, Edea's father may be more affectionate, but that also marks him as not the same father she grew up with. How else is he different? Does this alternate version really count as her father, and she as his daughter?

It's not only that. Would it be right to abandon the journey? Turn their backs on the world's problems? Abandon Agnès at her greatest trial yet?

I'll go wherever you do, Agnès.

Though the world may change, you never do. Not once since that moment on the brink of the Great Chasm...

We battled the Sky Knights together. Then we weathered the burning of Caldisla.

I asked you to take me with you. Then we met, Edea.

We stole the Eschalot and awakened the Wind Crystal in Ancheim.

Then to Florem and the Sacred Flower Festival. We lost Olivia, but awakened the Water Crystal.

We worked together to save Egil in Eisenberg.

Remember how Agnès's face got all covered in soot?

I...I hardly see how that detail is relevant now...

But it was hilarious!

And then there were all the fights before then, too.

......

......

We've come this far.



We have to see it through to the end.

We have our answer, then?

Yes!

Mm-hm!

Seems so.

Alright, then. Let's go see the sage!

The party heads straight over.



Not that that's quick enough for some fairies. Jeez, Airy, this is the most anxious you've been all journey. Keep your ribbons on, it's only a small detour.



May I remind you, you've been given a chance to live the rest of your lives among those you hold dear?

We know! And those people are right here beside us.

That the four of us met is a fate we all hold dear.

That's right. And that's why we'll go on!

Right. The four of us, together!

Ho ho ho! Well spoken indeed. Now, last but not least, let us assess your growth so far.

Our... Wait. You don't mean--

That is just what I mean. A job--a legend born one thousand eight hundred years past!

That's right:



We didn't do all that running around just for story. Time for a new job!



It's only been -- what -- about five months since the last one.



Isn't Conjurer Yulyana a cute little floaty man? Nice of him to give us a chance to opt out before kicking our teeth in.



As a nice homage to FF4's Tellah, this old man sage uses Meteor to wreck the party's day.



He also smacks fairly hard with his walking/spinning wheel staff, buffing his stats regularly with spells based on summons.



Because he buffs before attacking, one good trick is to use dispel to make him waste a ton of turns recasting buffs.



Once he's had enough, he hands over the final job! Since he created jobs this must be the best job, and in a nontraditional way it is.



And you, Sage. You're quite formidable for a man of your age.

Ho ho ho, yes, well, nineteen hundred years is a rather long span.

Now, I must ask. What shall we do about the memories of those you encountered in the ordeals I prepared?

Just how powerful is Yulyana? Why doesn't he stop the Evil One himself?



I guess once you get to be over 1,000 years old, your power level is whatever is narratively convenient.

...I would ask that you leave them intact, then. Even chance meetings over in a moment can provide a spark to keep a person going.

I leave it to time to claim what memories it will.

That works for you, too?

Fine by me.

Very well, then. It shall be as you wish. Now, it's near time we parted ways. I leave the fate of the world in your hands.

Sage!

Do not look so sad, child. I simply go to see to a meeting I've avoided overlong.

Truly...truly overlong. Now, farewell!

Bye sage!



Have fun being dead(?)!



Ha ha, nah, he's probably just teleported to a beach resort on the coast of Florem.



Now we have all the jobs. The party's made their decision. Agnès has a plan...

But first, it's time to grind everything to max.



For starters, Norende sells two special eggs for more efficient grinding.



The story of the golden egg concerns a goose/hen who lays gold eggs. The farmers who own the bird have no idea how it works, but they guess the bird has even more gold inside, so they kill it. The goose/hen, however, has normal innards, and now that it's dead it's done laying eggs of any sort. Moral: Short-sighted greed can easily doom long-term happiness.



The next step, after leveling up a bit, is getting the Conjurer ability Obliterate. When equipped, this summons a bunch of demons automatically at the start of battle to take enemies 20 levels or lower to hell. Handy!



In addition to ending battles immediately, Obliterate awards full money, experience, and job points!



It also awards full bonuses. It's part of the hard-earned prize for getting our murderous mitts on Yulyana's job stone.



The levelling keeps going, going, going...

Since all I need to do is turn the circle pad to find battles and tap the A button to get through the victory screen, it's the perfect time to watch some shows. I started watching Star Trek! It was fun and the series has held up pretty well for its age. My favorite episode so far is--



Oh.



Well, what do you know?



Looks like we're ready.



And there's nowhere else to go. Okay, Airy. You've got your wish. We're going.



The final blue chest is in Everlast Tower. 'Wonder' in this case is 'wonder what horrific way someone in the vicinity will die next'?



Anyway, we're prepared and the party's made their peace.



Hear that, Airy? Agnès is going to take care of the crystal now.



How many crystals has it been? No, nevermind -- it doesn't really matter.



None of the others mattered. We weren't doing it right. We didn't have the courage.



But this time... This is the final crystal.



We're going to do it right this time.

Please, Agnès! We've worked so hard to save it! Don't throw it all away! Don't you care about your friends? Aren't I your friend, too? So, please, listen to me! Listen to me!

I don't know how this will turn out, but I'm with Agnès to the end.

Count me in, too. I won't abandon her.

This is so nerve-wracking. But...

I trust you, Agnès. Do what you need to do!

We've found the courage to disobey.



This and the next few following scenes only appear if you're breaking the crystal after Chapter 5.





As they watch Agnès, the party thinks back to past events.

The crystals...you mustn't...

Father...!

It was no small thing to drive Agnès to this.



She believed in Airy and the Crystalist teachings whole-heartedly.

I cannot bear to hear of matter so dreadful. For if what you say is true, then I...

Forgive me. I never wished to put you in this position... But I cannot believe Ringabel would lie to me. Not about something like this. That's why--

You trust Ringabel, then?

...I do. I trust Ringabel, along with Edea, and you, too, Agnès. I trust you all.

...Very well. Then I shall trust in him, too.

Thank you.





True colors!? Ugh, rude! I'm--

Enough lies! I've finally remembered everything! The creature I saw slaughter Edea that day...

The "Evil One"...!

Yes! And that Evil One is you, Airy!

She would never have believed Ringabel if it weren't for the long journey they'd taken so far.





Hm hm hm... And you'd all come so far. What a waste, but oh well...





All of her life has centered around the crystals.

...... I...

I intend to...destroy...the crystal!

That is what I must do... Is it not, Tiz?





We are the guides who convey the crystals' revelations to the people.

Yes, well, more simply put, a vestal is one who guides the people.

But what of the crystals?

It's not the crystals that are of importance. What matters is guiding people down the proper path. People are uneasy creatures. They cling to the vestls and crystals to escape their suffering.

To answer the people's prayers, to vestal and crystal both--is that not a vestal's role?

But care must be taken in doing so. As I said, a vestal's task is pointing out the proper path. She is not a passive conduit for the people's prayers. And the crystals are not to be seen as absolute. Such is mine and Lord DeRosso's conclusion after a thousand years observing the Orthodoxy and the crystals.

Bitter decisions full of sorrow may lie ahead, Agnès. Unavoidable choices. But Tiz will be at your side, come what may. Isn't that so, Tiz?

That's right!



Only now, with the help of her friends, does she feel ready to turn against all that which she spent her life protecting.



In addition to the former scenes, if we'd decided to break the second or third crystal of Chapter 6 instead, we'd get the following scene:







Your life belongs to more than just you now! I know it's hard, but stay focused on your mission!

I...

Breaking the second or third crystal of this world would require a lot more guesswork and proactivity on Agnès's part -- much like she showed when Tiz and Egil were in danger outside the Temple of Fire.



Everything after this point occurs in both chapters 5 and 6.



......

This is my last warning. If you don't stop now...

Ngh...

Stop...

Aah...!










Next: Hey, I think we found the bad guy!

--

Event Viewer
Main Scenario:
A Father's Wisdom
The Courage to Trust
Airy's True Colors
The Courage to Act on Your Own
Airy's Lie
An Ultimatum

Sub-Scenario:
Til Arrior
My Hero
A Decision is Made
To the Conjurer
Bid Farewell to Possibility