Part 109: Episode LXXXIII: This is a Story About Trolling For an Alliance

Episode LXXXIII: This is a Story About Trolling For an Alliance



New Music: Descendus – Vocals Only



Once upon a time, many moons ago...



There was an Intoner who was infected by a flower.



This Intoner had five younger sisters...



...each of them cursed as well.



Fearful of the flower's immense force, the Intoner began searching for a dragon. A dragon strong enough to kill every last Intoner...



For Zero's Prologue chapter we'll be traveling back a couple weeks short of a full year before the events of Drakengard 3's prologue chapter. The word “prologue” is starting to lose its meaning to me just like the numbers 0-5 now...

Verse 1: The Intoner of Truth
Music: Kuroi Uta – Instrumental Ingame Version



Anyway, at this point the rest of the Intoner sisters only popped out of Zero's face a few months earlier and are off having adventures chronicled in a crappy spin-off manga. The evil lords of the land are still very much reigning in power at this juncture. In fact, this is the only part of the game that actually references a character only appearing in the manga. But don't worry about any of that too much.



It may be a year before Zero goes on any meaningful campaign to save the world via murdering a large portion of its standing military forces. But that doesn't mean Zero won't find herself neck deep in a mess of interchangeable angry men in full platemail armor attempting to kill her right off the bat.



Don't let her escape... Finish her here!
Hurry! Or Lady Caerulia will punish us again.
Gah! Don't remind me. Let's go!
Victory to our leader!
W-We're throwing our lives away here...
Keep pushing!
Are you insane!?



At the same time, I was in constant pursuit of the flower. Specifically, the five incarnations of the flower that had split off from me: my sisters. I had to hunt them down... and I had to kill them all.
And I didn't have much time left.

Much like the Verse 7 flashback, present day Zero will occasionally be chiming in for some narration over the gameplay. Though the Zero during the prologue will also be speaking during as well. Just remember, if Zero has a flower growing out of her eye is is Narrator Zone™ Zero and the flowerless version is gameplay Zero.

A bit of soldier life culling and a trot to the beach later...



To hell with this woman AND our lady!
Amen!
Look... We don't have to just blindly follow whatever Lady Caerulia says.
You mean... it's not true about these guys?



The Lady Caerulia the soldiers namedrop frequently during this mission ruled the Land of Seas and was team leader of the whole evil lords cabal in Drakengard 3's backstory. If you cannot guess by just how her soldiers talk about her on the field—she was kind of an asshole. I cannot remember many specifics of her character as I really half-ass skimmed through most of that crummy spin-off. She did have the anime thing going on where she was actually really old and ugly, so she sucked the life energy out of people to stay young and pretty. Also apparently the narrator from the very beginning of Drakengard 3 killed her...?

Supplementary semi-canon spin-off comics are fucking dumb! Give me a single big fat artbook with a ridiculous amount of unnecessary trivia and the female lead and her evil doppleganger naked on the cover anyday.

Wait...



Further along the beach, we'll finally come to a required infantryman massacre. About 30 troopers will do the trick to appease the whimsy of the cruel arena door lords stalking the Intoners.



B-But you can't even see our faces!
Nnngh! Why am I so goddamn out of shape!?
Are we just cannon fodder for Lady Caerulia?
I wouldn't be surprised. Our leader is HEARTLESS!
Shit. Why aren't these idiots dying faster?



We can have Zero start laying into the mob of disgruntled Land of Seasmen for a bit. But after six or seven slayings of the troops, the battle will be interrupted by a new challenger appearing on the field.



...a dragon!?
Do you humans always attack creatures as they peacefully soar through the sky? My name is Michael. If you enjoy killing each other as much as you seem to, perhaps you'd allow me to join in the fun!



A dragon summon circle now appears on the field. Well, that sure was a quick alliance formation. Or...





You think to give me orders? Me? An 8000-year-old dragon? Witness the power of my fire as I turn you all to ash!



Stand still, girl, so I may smite you! I can't smite you unless you stop moving!
Not gonna happen, dumbass!



Aaaaaah! Dragon! It's a dragon! It's huuuuge!
Run! We're helpless against a dragon!
That dragon's fighting for the girl...?
Is she some kinda dragon tamer?
Impossible! You can't just control a dragon!

Nope, sorry soldier dudes. Michael is actually aiming for Zero during this battle and can damage her with his crimson flames. He just isn't the quickest at belching out balls of fire and he clearly needs his dragon glasses prescription checked as his aim is just awful. Fortunately for Zero, massive explosions of flame don't pick sides when burning people alive.



Once all 30 men on the beach's lives are extinguished as per safety regulations, whether by Zero's sword or Michael's unintentional fire assist, the arena gods will be pleased with the offering and let Zero proceed further into the stage.





Halt! You cannot escape me!

There's nothing to be done about the pissed dragon on the beach at the moment, so we'll just have to continue our retread of the first Land of Seas map. Or re-retread if you count the fact we just did this map in Zero's previous flashback.



But I could really make use of that strength...
I'd rather be killed by Lady Caerulia than this crazy woman!
Does Lady Caerulia know what's going on here?
Who knows? Even if she did I doubt she'd care.



I was short on time, see? I had to finish before the flower stole what little remained of me. I couldn't afford to make another mistake. I had to kill my sisters, and then I had to destroy the flower for good. But in order to do that, there was one critical item that I absolutely had to procure... The strongest dragon in the world.



Our path eventually leads us back to that cavern with the church like structure. Nothing but the same level nothing soldiers along the way we fought down this path all the way in Chapter 1 of the main campaign.





That girl... She's so strong!
But if we retreat... what will our leader say?
Is Lady Caerulia aware of our situation?
How the hell could she be?!
Don't give up... We're just getting started!
What are we even fighting for...?

Once we get to the clearing outside the church, a blood sacrifice of generic mooks' lives is once more demanded and Zero sees another opportunity to poke the dragon hornet's nest and see what transpires. Doesn't seem the best way to gain an alliance with an already irritated fire breathing doom lizard. But what do I know?





Hey! Hey, dragon! I'm still alive, you know!



You death is nigh! My crimson flames shall serve as your funeral FIRE!
It's “funeral pyre,” you moron!
_{Gya! Damn you!} Shut your insolent mouth at once!





Same deal here as previously. We've got twenty soldiers to take care of with Michael haphazardly spewing flames in Zero's general position—as of about five seconds previously. Just running laps and stopping to do in a couple pursuing troops after each explosion is enough to cull the ranks in short order.





Ha ha ha! Over here, you dumb flying ox!



The final area is back on the shipwreck littered beach we fought the very first gigas of Drakengard 3. Nothing as semi-impressive this time around. Just the same old swordsmen, shield bros, and lancers enjoying a day at the beach until Zero stomps in to kick over their sandcastles. Again, we have a dragon summon circle to initiate another round of pissing off Michael to gain his attention.



We've got to keep attacking!
B-But Lady Caerulia ordered us to...
So what!?
There's no sense in staying here and getting pummeled.
I know that... But you heard Lady Caerulia's ord—gaaaahark!

Whatever you say about Five, I don't think she was ever bad enough that the stock soldiers radio plays during battles had mutinies occur to bug out on any of her orders.





Yeah? You can try!





This time around Michael will be sticking to the ground pursuing the taunting Zero. Again, he has about a 5-10 second lag in reaching Zero's position to attack and the time Zero was actually standing in said position. The thirty soldiers in the area have not as much luxury to evade the ancient dragon's deadly spinning in the sands.



Tch. What!?
Why do you cultivate that flower in your body?
Ngh...
Heh heh heh heh...
What do you care?
Ha ha ha ha ha!



At this point Michael chills out in chasing down Zero and just waits on the sidelines, murdering the shit out of anyone foolish enough to run near him but otherwise waiting for Zero to mop up the last of the beach front forces. No sweat!



Heh. Damn right I do. Now kill me, if you can.
.....
Not yet. You and I have much to discuss.



He was stupid. And not nearly as strong as he thought.



And that concludes Verse 1 of Zero's Prologue. Zero's DLC is probably one of the shorter ones. Mostly because the first stage is just the lowest of low level soldiers, the second is an aerial mission, the third is the only real mission with mid-boss tier monsters, and the final is solely the DLC end boss battle. Then again, this whole bit of DLC kind of feels like it was meant to be part of Zero's whole flashback sequence back in the main game and was lopped off when they decided to go with the $30 Sisters DLC bundle.

But what do I know?








Video: Zero's Prologue Verse 1 Highlight Reel