Part 35: Episode XXXI: Angst
Episode XXXI: Angst
Welp, other than recruiting Radius and learning all of Arni Village is filled with racist dicks, there's not much left to be done in Serge's home town.
Poshul can be found trotting around town where we initially recruited her insufferable ass. Luckily, she cannot be bothered to travel with Lynx on this leg of the adventure. I am beside myself in disappointment.
Our next stop is Fossil Valley in a repeat of our first adventures in Chrono Cross' first act.
"Our investigation is done. Let's get the hell outta here!" "I wanna go back to Porre!!!"
Fossil Valley is pretty much devoid of anything interesting outside of yet another awful alternative text frame. Though, there is a handful of Mythril material in assorted chests. Mythril is the new flavor of the day in top of the line equipment so it's best to stock up wherever possible.
In any case, our next stop is the port town of Termina. Yeesh...Viper Manor up there has seen better days... We could go visit that now but we'd just get turned away at the gate by soldiers.
Music: Drowned Valley
Huh... Home World Termina is significantly less festive than its Another World counterpart. In Home World, with the whole Acacia Dragoons vanishing a few years ago, Porre has long since rolled in and occupied the El Nido Archipelago. Termina is now under martial law and kind of a shithole.
"Looks like the young 'un's an unwanted guest here, too."
"Humanz are very selfish, non? To t'ink zat zey used to bow zeir headz down to curry favor wit' Monsieur Lynx! Zey're always searching for someone or somet'ing to lay zeir blame on."
"No wonder in this lousy economy."
The old statue of General Viper has been replaced with one of the Porre military's griffon. I...don't even think there were any griffons in Chrono Trigger. I'm not sure where Porre got all this shit from.
In this dimension it seems Skelly has been tossed into fantasy Getmo and hasn't been seen since. Clowns just cannot catch a break in this universe.
The assorted market stalls on the eastern bridge have been replaced by an array of cannons to defend the coast. I guess we'll have to wait for another day to get everyone's fortune. At least hopefully Korcha has been executed for public indecency in this world. One can dream...
The Einlanzer still sits as a grave marker for the late Garai and Dario. Though, it has rusted up and been long since neglected. Radius will express a line of remorse for Garai and ask his forgiveness. I'm sure that will never become an issue later on.
Time for some drafting into the ranks of Team Lynx. Our first mark is Zappa's Blacksmith at the northern edge of town. The place looks like it has seen better days...
Entering the establishment...
"This here forge has always had a fire since aulden times. 'Tis sad to see it without its blaze." "Uhh...this a bad time to do some shopping...?" "Mah apologies... Closing this shop for mah own selfish desires."
"Ah've had to listen to ye for the longest time, and ah dinnae want to hear ye say it's foolish now! Never mind that, dear, so ye' really goin'?" "Aye. Now that ah dinnae have the shop no more, likesay, it's time to finish what we started long ago. Ye stay here and wait for Karsh's return." "Psst... Monsieur Lynx, why are we sitting here listening to zes geezers' chat? It iz a bit awkward, non?" "I've been asking myself that very same question for days..."
"Our best patrons, the Dragoons, disappear, the Porre military gets on our arses... Well, since we've had such bad luck 'til now, ah'm sure things'll be good here on out... Our son's probably fine as well..." "Uhh... Anyone got any ideas on how we can excuse ourselves? Eh... Gramps, don't you know this guy?" "Indeed... Though, how did you know that?" "Lucky guess... Besides, it's a JRPG. Every old timer knows one another. Especially, since you can count the number of 'em in the world on one hand."
"You need not worry about the village... There are bigger things to concern us." "Unless you're a non-human. Then there's a 90% chance of waking up with a cross burning in your yard or a lynching down by Hydra Marsh."
"Do ye ken a thing called the 'rainbow'? It's a superb material that can be forged into anythin'. Ah'm thinkin' of searchin' for this rainbow." "Yeesh, guy... I'm having enough trouble with people being a demi-human. I'm not gonna throw fuel on the fire going all pride parade on top of it."
"Any objections with this one, Harle?" "Non. At least zis geezer doesn't look like he'll blow away in ze zlightest breeze." "Then, welcome aboard, chief." "Aye, great! Then ah'll give ye a wee token. Use this anytime, and ah'll find ye and do mah job, anywhere ye are. ...Ah give mah word!"
Zappa gives us the Smith Spirit key item. We can use this on the world map or any Record of Fate to immediately call Zappa's services as a black smith. Seeing as Scotty here is the best blacksmith in the game, there's basically never a reason to ever visit any other smithy shops.
And so our party gains an angry Scotsman who's built like a brick shithouse and wielding a warhammer. I can get behind that.
Further down the path at the northernmost part of Termina we find...apparently the town's ghetto. I guess the economy really is hitting the region hard.
Heading inside...
Looks like the pun based artist family is still calling this address home. Old Gogh has slimmed down in his Home World incarnation. Starving artist and all that.
Heading into the back room...
Too bad his son is still kind of a twat. The party walks in on him hiding his piggy bank behind a picture frame. Nothing like NPCs casing the joint for us.
Van offers up his services as a tour guide for a small fee. Granted, we've already seen the entire town outside the docks and more than know our way around thanks to the many, many excursions to Termina in Another World. But, let's just humor the lad.
The tour guide business is interrupted by Gogh being harassed in the next room.
The Vincent family seems to be behind on their rent and the bitchy land lord has come to evict them.
"That's none of my concern. I just want to make this place into my personal storage for my precious treasures!" Not to self: Home World Termina full of morons who store valuables in low rent hovels. Profit!
"Hey, wait! I'll pay that debt!" "Well, this is amusing. How is our little Mr. Van today? How much have you saved from your allowance?" "None of your business! This is what I got!"Van hands over roughly $2.73 in small change...
"Tsk! Just wait a little bit more! Then I'll be able to get the money you need!" "What are you planning to do little Van? Don't waste your energy on something stupid." "Judging by his outfit, I'd say it's a bit too late for that one..." "Oh ho ho... Zat is terrible Monsieur Lynx." "Hey, you're the one going on about 'réalité'." "Heh heh. Touché."
"Uhh... Beg your pardon...?" "Ahahaha! Just listen to you! You're pretty bright, but you're still just a kid! It's so naïve of you to believe in such a fairy tale like the Frozen Flame."
"No...we're taking the kid that ain't even had his voice break yet and taking him with us for adventure and treasure hunt at the ends of the earth... Of course we're joking."
"What's that? You want me to play along with you? Sorry, kid. I've got better things to do than play games." "Here, you see! You're not fooling anyone with that trick! How, hurry up and clear out of this house!" "Urgh!"
"There's no use. Van, let's go." "Mom..." <tears up>Van and Gogh mournfully submit themselves to the streets and join hobo society. Van goes on to a life of giving $5 blow jobs behind the Dragon's Paw bar to fund his growing meth addiction. Meanwhile, Gogh is soon knifed on the street for drawing an unflattering caricature of a local Porre sergeant and bleeds out in a gutter... All thanks to Lynx not telling a ridiculously obvious lie.
"You shouldn't have borrowed money in the first place! Ahahahaha!"
Alright, so maybe that's not how we're supposed to do things. Playing along with Van will cause the retarded greedy landlord to give an extension on their loan in hopes that the fourteen year old kid will actually be able to find the legendary magic relic that can alter time and space. So she can get a cut of that action, of course.
"If only we had money, if only we had money, if only we had money this never would've happened..." "Hey, hey, Van. None of that." "Angst!" "At least we have each other speech." "No, fuck YOU dad!" "Apology for not making ends meet." "Angsty outburst claiming he'll go make them money with no worthwhile skills, talents, or abilities."
"There's absolutely, positively nothing here, so there's no point hanging around." "!!!" "Holy, crap... Someone actually called us out on that?! Why has it taken so long?!" "Most sensible folk kno' to jest quietly excuse they selves."Van thanks Lynx for going along with his bullshit story and mopes off into his room...
Music: Reminiscences ~ Feelings Not Erased
Van goes through the longest, boringest cutscene in the game so far before we can recruit the twerp. So let's just heavily abridge it for everyone's sake:
"Fuck you dad for having artistic integrity rather than making a cheap buck so I can continue to live in my nicely furnished room and play with my cat all day!"
"Fuck you dad, I'm going to use the whole $1.50 in my piggy bank filled with money I found left in pay phones and find us a place to live!"
"Fuck you dad, for making this blue paint mixed with sea water. It smells like the sea! We could have sold this and made a fortune! No, dad! Fuck you! I haven't been huffing paint fumes!"
"Fuck you dad, because mommy was better! Mom gave me this sea shell and it's all I have left of her. Which is better than anything you did! Mom found this shell and it sounds just like the sea and makes me think of the sea even though I literally live right next to the sea!"
"Fuck you dad, for making me move out of the house mom lived in! If mom were still here this wouldn't have happened even though she was evidently sick and no doubt a financial strain that likely caused us to end up in debt in the first place! Don't worry, Mom. I'll take care of dad...the fuck-up that he is..."Meanwhile...
"Sorry he's kind of a sarcastic tool. That boy just ain't right."Van storms out of his room...
"You guys need something? Or are you hear to buy some of dad's paintings?" "Actually what you were just sayin'..." "We really are looking for ze Frozen Flame..." "Uhh... Beg your pardon...again...? We are...? I thought we needed the Dragon Tears whatsit...?" "Dragon's Tearz... Frozen Flame... Ze magique plot MacGuffin, oui?" "Ugh... Whatever... What do I know?"
"Oh, I get it. Are you trying to cheer me up or something? Don't underestimate me because I'm a kid! I know that no such thing exists in this world. Or are you all some kind of simpletons?" "...Can we go back and choose not to play along with this assclown? I think I liked that outcome better." "Whether ye believe it or not is up to ye." "...Stop looking at me like that. You remind me of my mom." "???" "..." "Eh...?" "That boy ain't right..."
Van and Gogh have an exceedingly long dialogue which can basically be summed up in Gogh convincing his
"This is...a boomerang!? Dad, I'm not going out there to play! What am I going to do with this toy...?" "This isn't a toy. During your journey there will be danger. This should help you when that time comes. And...a boomerang comes back when it is thrown. I want it to be a reminder of you." "So, it's a good luck charm then. Hmph...alright... I'll take it, I guess."I interpreted that as more of an underhanded insult saying he has no faith in him and he'll end up right back at home... But in any case Van accepts the gift and tosses it into his pouch...
Is that...a gigantic sideways bowtie on the front of his outfit...? In any case, Sokka here is now the first member of Team Lynx's bench warming squad.
I'd just like to note I used Zappa's Smith Spirit soon after this recruitment to upgrade the party with swanky new armor and...look what this little fucker is wearing... Gee, Van... Maybe your family wouldn't nearly be out on the streets if you sold that $2000 armor mail you're wearing?
Anyhow, that was all just side quest material for Termina. The only real reason to enter the town (as far as progressing the plot goes) is to talk to this guard over by the docks. He'll be thrilled to see Lynx is still alive as the furry jerk apparently had dealings with Porre in this world. We now have to go seek a Commander Norris who has just left for Viper Manor if we want access to the docks.
I'm not sure why we want access to the docks... But, off to Viper Manor (or what's left of it...) we go!
Zappa Official Art - The reason why real dwarves are such pussies in this game.