Part 29: Episode XXV: In Which There Are Flashbacks

Episode XXV: In Which There Are Flashbacks

Music: People Seized with Life


"I'm gonna stop you right there... First of all, I've been to the dwarves' 'forest'. Let's get one thing straight: is a swamp, not a forest. A marsh to be exact. I lived not far from it my whole life. It was a nightmarish shithole that the elders told stories about to scare children from entering because they would get friggin' eaten alive."


"The place is full of two story tall mosquitoes, cannibal trolls, towering octopus abominations that eat fairies for breakfast, and an entire tribe of umbrella wielding natives. All of which I am fairly sure are higher up on the food chain than a foot tall dwarf. And they were all just fine hanging out in the same place these dwarfish folk had been 'driven out by humans' just a couple hours ago..."


"Alright, hold up..."


"Now, you fairies lived just around here, right? Well, here and the caves, yes?"
"Well, we fished down by the pond too."
"Fine, fine... But still, basically you all stuck to the northern part of the island?"
"Yes, this is our home."
"Sooooo that still leaves basically 75% of the island uninhabited?"
"I suppose so."
"But it is human's fault the dwarves decided to steamroll straight where you were staying and started murdering everyone? There was no way you could peacefully co-exist? Did they even try to do this? Don't answer that. It is a rhetorical question."


"Why can't humans live in harmony with nature? Why do you continue to act the way you do?"
"So, we're just going to ignore the dwarves invaded with a friggin' ARMORED DIVISION to conquer your lands? You are going to blame us humans for 'forcing' the dwarves, which again brought a tank with them, for what happened to your home? Not going to even entertain the notion the dwarves were just kind of assholes that wanted a less shitty home and used any excuse to forcefully do so?"
"The dwarves at least knew to live with nature!"


"The dwarves were literally trapping wandering fairies and feeding them to monsters because they thought it was funny..."
"At least our death would have benefited something. Unlike you reckless, greedy humans and your boundless killing."
"Just give it up, Serge. They're gonna shove an environmental message down our arses no matter how dumb it is."


"You crooks, I hate all you wicked humans!! Hurry up and get off this island!"
"Would you like us to help you bury all the dwarf's we slew to save this dump? Or maybe I should go borrow a time machine and prevent human interference from ever happening here! Wouldn't want to taint the island in the first place with their greed! That way you all could live in magical harmony with nature! Ooh! Unchecked dwarves skullfucking a fairy's corpse! The circle of life grinds on!"


"We lost so many of our people and loved ones. Although our village has been saved, no one here thinks kindly of man..."
"Ya know yer soddin' dragon god just blessed my mate Serge here just before...?"
"I can now sneeze icicles because your deity...the one keeping the island alive...has my back..."
"That...doesn't prove anything..."
"Ya know I'm getting' the feelin' we oughta sided with the dwarves..."


The fairies will rue the day they crossed Serge. That day will likely be when we inevitably return here to murder the shit out of that dragon for some reason in the future. You don't even need to spoil that. What video game features an ancient dragon that fails to get its shit ruined during the course of an adventure?


Kid decides she can take no more of the poorly reasoned arguments why humans are assholes and loses consciousness...again... For a loud mouthed tough girl, she is really racking up the fainting tally...






































" What are you hanging around here for? I thought you guys said something about a nice little slide show."











"I think something awful happened here."











"What happened to that kid with the punk hairdo?"











"The Aristocats!"











After the short dream sequence/flashback we rejoin the party resting by a campfire several hours later. Well, Serge and Kid are at least. Doc has apparently wandered off into the woods to smoke a bowl in private.

Kid leaps up startled...


"Always knew listening to too much of that nature hippie rubbish was no good for yer head."


Kid pulls out her knife and examines its gleam in the fire's soft glow. Serge, likely sort of creeped out by the girl he barely know doing the 100-yard stare with a weapon drawn, awakens to see what is up.


"Yeah... There's a lot of that going around lately... Man, just last week I had this crazy dream where I was in this dragon fortress with you and this fat chef and we were going to go kick that cat dude's ass or something. It got weird..."
"Oh yea? What happened?"
"Well, I ended up stab-"
"...?"
"-auuumbling! Stumbling out... of buh...? Bed! Yeah, bed! And waking up. Yeah! I err...can't really remember the details other than the beginning. Just left me with a weird feeling... Yeah... Weird..."


"That must've triggered memories of me own past."
Oh boy... Backstory drama bomb incoming in...3...2...1... Alright, Serge... She's got a knife... Just nod and smile and hope she goes back to sleep...

Music: The Girl Who Stole the Stars
Note: This is yet another remix of a track from Radical Dreamers of the same name and basically identical tune.

Music: The Girl Who Stole the Stars (Radical Dreamers)


"I was abandoned when I was a baby. In a soddin' poorly animated retcon ending in a bad, rushed port no less. There was someone who took me in and raised me as if I were her own little sister... I'm alive here today thanks to her."


"...she was always makin' strange stuff..."
"Heh. I remember there was this crazy robot thin' there. Scared the beejezus outta me when I was little. It'd rise up and start dancing and singin' about its metal joints and stuff. Hehe... Ain't thought about that thing in forever. Anyway..."
"We didn't have money, but we were all happy."


"Lynx raided our house, burned it down, and kidnapped Sis! Sister... never came back... Since then, I've wandered the world and experienced so much pain, just to get by... No one was there to help me. I was always alone."
"Gee, thanks."
"I'm talkin' in past tense, jackass. Could ya shut up and let me finish? You can monologue about yer crummy past next time."
"I lived with my mom in a fishing village. I spent most days sleeping or laying around at the beach. Also I am dead in another dimension. The end."
"Are ya finished...?"
"I said 'the end' didn't I?"


"In this world, the underhanded always gets the last laugh. Only the ones who don't think anything of hurtin' others are the ones who get blood-stained fortunes."
<fakes coughing to cover shoving overflowing coin purse further into his pocket>


"That's the only rule of this world. The great species of mankind... our wonderful world, filled with love and happiness... HA! Don't make me laugh! But if that's how it is is, that's fine with me. As long as I'm alive, there ain't no goin' back. I'll abide by this world's rules, and do what I gotta do, despite the rotten hand of cards I've been dealt."


"I will get even...! No matter what it takes!!!"


Famous last words...






Kid's Flashback




Water Dragon Isle Scene Artwork


People Seized with Life
The Girl Who Stole the Stars (Chrono Cross)
The Girl Who Stole the Stars (Radical Dreamers)

• 
  As previously mentioned, Kid was also originally from Radical Dreamers. Her backstory is pretty much identical. Lucca raised her from when she was an infant. Lynx showed up and kidnapped murdered Lucca at some point after he took power in the region. She became a wandering thief vowing revenge on Lynx just like Chrono Cross. Though, in Radical Dreamers she hung out with Magus Gil during her travels.