Part 83: Episode LXII: This is a Story About Purging Dissent Militants and Burying War Crimes for Noble Ends

Episode LXII: This is a Story About Purging Dissent Militants and Burying War Crimes for Noble Ends



Music: Strumble

It wouldn't be an Intoner Sisters Prologue without a campfire scene. Decadus and Gabriella join us in today's bonfire side chat proceedings in the Land of Forests. Gabriella will continue on to the next mission. So let's see what Decadus has to say beforehand.



Don't give me that, you pig!
...What?
Listen, Decadus... Just because we're Intoner and disciple doesn't mean we have to do that sort of thing. In fact, because of that, the two of us share a bond even WITHOUT doing that sort of thing!
Yeah, those are some bonds, all right...
You be quiet, Gabriella!
I don't mean to imply that such acts are bad, Decadus. In fact, I consider it a precious and beautiful thing! And that's why it should be saved for a time when true love blossoms.
True... love, my lady?
So you can only screw if you're an infatuated couple crooning about love all day like Two and Cent?
They aren't what I mean. Their love isn't... noble. True love is more subtle. It's... softer. And stronger at its core.
Oh, barf! Did you steal that crap from a greeting card?
Oh, what do dragons know about love? But I know you get it, right, Decadus?
O-Of course, my lady... Uuunnngh...
Oh, he gets something, that's for sure.
.....
Such subtle sadism, my lady, to deny me in the name of true love. I... I can't s-stand it... Ooohhh...

Four, I think he just wanted to take a nap since you've all traveled clear across Inverted Europe since the last mission. I'm starting to see why you're the only Intoner that has never gotten laid.

Anyway, Gabriella will begin the second verse of Four's pious prude party. So let's get on with that...



I just wanted to thank you. You've been very helpful lately.
Well, I'll be damned. A grateful Intoner.
I know my sisters take it as a given when others help them... but not me. I have the conscience--and the common sense--to appreciate your help.
Nice. Still, you DO realize I didn't come here on your account, right?
What do you mean?
I'm only helping you because One sent me. Nothing else to it.
Well, at least you're honest.
Beats empty words of thanks, don't you think?
Hmph.
Don't play the princess with me, kid. It'll never work.
.....
So, where to next?
We're going to the Land of Forests, where I intend to have you offer plenty of help on my account, Gabriella. Though I won't be offering any thanks for it.
Wait, was that sarcasm!? REALLY!? Oh my gosh, did it hurt? Did you sprain something? I hope you're all right!

I'm glad Gabriella is here to clown on Four's prissy bullshit. I don't think I could take an entire chapter of Four putting on a holier-than-thou act and Decadus reforming her statements into the form of a question and moaning.

Verse 2: Cleaning Up Messes
Music: Registance ~ Battleground



We find ourselves back in once more in the Land of Forests. They're not even bothering to flip the recycled map for this DLC go around. Branch B of Zero's adventures already drained that well quite dry. On the positive side of things, I do believe this is the second to last time we ever see a Land of Forests map ever again in the LP. I will not miss this sickly green region one bit.



Gabriella will be joining us as a sidekick for most of the campaign through the woods routing leftover evil lord troops. While she won't quite be cleaning house one-shotting everyone in sight like the very well low level run min-max balanced Mikhail of the tail end of Branch C...



...She can hold her own fairly well just flinging enemies hundreds of feet into a stunned status for Four to mop up in her wake. Decadus is also here for the battle... in theory.



T-There she is... The Intoner!
The horrible maggot... Keep up the attack! Stay focused, this is an Intoner we're fighting!
She's crazy...
We can't let her get away!
All units stay close.
We can't stop her!

As you can see, the last holdouts of the old regime are all thrilled to see one of the liberating Intoners returning for another pass through the district. I wonder if there are any career military families that had their descendants survive the entire through-line of Evil Lord rule to the Intoner regime to Cult of the Watchers possessed fanatics Empire to the gulags under the Union Knights of the Seal. ...Probably not.

A light jog through the woods later...



The first major challenge of Four's woodland purges is to take on an ambush of 30 infantrymen, mostly of the basic sword wielding variety with a handful of archers lending cover support.



Yes, and they have monsters as well, so we'd best be careful.
It... It's her! She killed my brother!
Dirty Intoner!
Look! She's laughing at us.
Out fallen comrades pine for her death.
How can this fight be so one-sided?!
Forget about it, just kill her!
...How can this Intoner be so cruel...
Let's face this now... All men take positions!
I hope you're ready... You damn dirty Intoner!
She's killing even those who don't fight back...
That bastard!
Should we try to surrender...?
No, you fool! She'll just kill us!



Well you weren't wrong, faceless mook #4182. Such is the fate of all those who share the curse of the generic soldiers who cannot even earn a subtitled dialog box.





Following the thwarting of the lackluster ambush, a path further into the woods reveals itself. That was the last of the normal evil lord aligned troops in the area. Up ahead is lousy with Three's zombified Enhanced Soldiers shuffling about. They never did really specify exactly when Three started making meat puppets out of troops under her command so sure... I guess it's alright to sprinkle some in as filler combatants in the forest.



The far end of the zombie tunnel opens up to a field with some new friends of Three's to contend with beyond the disloyal soldier purging.



Ugh. Who are these freaks?
Abominations created by Three.
Are all your sisters nuts? I'm just asking.
Three is... more unbalanced than the rest. Cleaning up after her is always such a production.
Unbalanced? I think the phrase you're looking for is "batshit insane."
...Maybe. I suppose I'm partially to blame for Three. I should have helped her. Any normal little sister would have done that. Tried to help, I mean.

You really could have tried helping, Four. Do you even have the slightest inkling of the time it took Three had to carve up fifty-six people to get satisfactory results in crafting her Greater Gigantes. If you had just pitched in like a considerate younger sibling, she easily could have hit her results in the thirty-two to thirty-seven casualty range. Disgraceful conduct, really.



Four and Gabriella (as well as Decadus... in theory...) are tasked with taking on a pair of undead gigantes alongside a gray cerberus. The field we're given to deal with this unlikely alliance grants more than enough space to coax the trio apart to take down individually.





Failing that, Gabriella will run up and fling any one of the sorry looking mid-boss enemies about 100 yards with her tailspins as well as stunning them for Four to get some nice licks in.





And barring all that nonsense, cerberus and gigas baddies all bleed buckets with every blow dealt. Even with fists and feet as the primary damage sources. So Intoner Mode is a frequent option to shorten the length of the fight and the lives of Three's lovely leftover dolls.







Past another hollowed out tree cave the Gabriella-Four alliance comes to the final challenge of the area. Six imps being their usually irritating little shit selves. Alongside them are twenty rotting meat tin zombies stumbling around to be a minor nuisance while chasing the damn imps flying out of reach from Four's kicks. Jerks.



Oh, she's fine. Still bosses me around like I'm her butler or something.
One has a noble mission. She's trying to give the world a better form of government. You should appreciate her letting us take part in that.
There you go again! More empty words! Lecturing me to make yourself look good... You really are a shrew, you know that?
Well, you're the one who's twisting my words to sound mean and hateful. So who's the shrew now? Not that a dragon would even know the difference.
Yawn!
Unnngh! They wound each other with words and ignore me completely! It's... ecstasy...

So does bitchgrass come in dragon size portions?



Regardless, with a little bit of effort all of Three's rogue imps are swatted from the sky and her most recent war crimes quietly buried and classified before becoming public knowledge. Well, at least as far as we know. It's not like we ever get to see much of the civilian side of a bunch of rampaging magic girls popping up one summer and systematically assassinating all the heads of state and their armies to seize power.





As the last of the imps and the enhanced soldiers fall a path opens up to an abrupt mission ending because we've once more run out of map to cover. Alright then!



Music: Aethervox



Dragons can see the shape of a person's heart.



And the heart of this beautiful Intoner... was full of holes.



A frigid breeze seemed to blow through it. What could have made it so cold? This dragon had no idea.



And that takes us to the half-way point in Four's Prologue. Tune in next time for more adventures of the Ice Queen Intoner and the Dragon Who Could Not Give Less of a Fuck.








Video: Four's Prologue Verse 2 Highlight Reel



Early Four Concept Art - I kind of like the more pirate looking pistol-knife look she had going on.