Part 129: The Penultimate Peril

Update 38: The Penultimate Peril





Yeah. But I dunno if we should be too eager to get to Ginnungagap. If we're going to fight the Calamity, we'll need to be ready.
Um, I want to go to the Grand Duchy first. Ms. Lady was worried about us, so we should tell her what happened.
Was Chloe... thinking about someone else!?
You always stay quiet and hidden when we go to the Grand Duchy... How did you remember who we meet there!?
You two are rude.



You don't have food poisoning, do you?
You're mean, Knight. I can think about other people.
Of course she can! Why, Dame Chloe's heart bleeds for her friends more than any other I know.
Arianna gets it. You other three are useless.
Hahah, why, thank you. I'm certain the Lady will be pleased by your thoughtfulness, Dame Chloe. Now then, shall we report to the Grand Duchy?









I am sure Lady Gradriel will be overjoyed at your return. I shall let her know at once!



Yet though you've found the floating castle and lain hands on the Grail of Kings... your journey is far from over, no? ...I only know of the Calamity's horror from ancient, dry lore. The notion that there could possibly be a power capable of annihilating it is beyond my grasp. But in your quest to resist what we have all averted our eyes from for so long, may the guidance of Ladies past serve you well. It is hardly enough, but please accept this.







Some nice rewards.



My feelings align with my Lady's. I, too, will pray that you find success in slaying the Calamity. Mark my words... Be sure that you return to us safely!





Mhm. We should make sure we're prepared, eat a good meal, then head out.
Yeah. I mean, all we can do is take the fight to 'em like we always do. The best we can do is probably just to take care of our usual stuff before we set out.
...... Um, actually... there is something I would like to say to all of you.



Are you tired?
*giggle* No, I'm fine. I'm actually very confident in my condition now. But...
There is something that I would like to say to all of you. I would like to thank all of you for helping me come this far. We have not yet completed the task, but I believe that I would not be standing here if not for all your help. I must apologize for having involved you all in the fate of my country...
...Perhaps it is wrong to say so, but I am glad that fate has thrown us all together.
If not for all that has happened... I would not have become friends with such wonderful people.
So, please. I would like you all to accompany me until the very end!



We can finally do what we came to do.
Oh yeah, that was our first task here, wasn't it...? We ended up taking a really roundabout path getting here.
*giggle* That is indeed true. However, it was a very fun path.
I had fun too.
Well, this old man's could use a bit of downtime. I'm kind of hoping we'll finally be able to close the book on this one.
And to do that, we need to go into the depths of Ginnungagap.
Yes. We must go even further than where we fought Sir Bertrand. That is the path that leads to the Great Calamity.



Well, let's head on over once we're well prepared, Knight!





Now we can open this door.



And head on down to the bottom of Ginnungagap.





Heavens...

The instant you step into this space, you sense an incomprehensible presence. Something ominous is lurking in the depths of this place. It is no mere hunch, but a certifiable fact, as every instinct within you screams of danger.

It's kinda... overwhelming.
It's this bad already, and we can't even see it yet.
It must be regaining its strength now that Ginnungagap's in decline. Our ordinary strategies aren't gonna work on this thing...
The great Calamity that could destroy the world is not far now...



Are you getting cold feet?
In truth, no. If I had to face the horror alone, perhaps, but with the rest of you...
The Princess of Caledonia will be intimidated by no one!

You look at your guildmates' faces, each in turn, to see where they stand. Each one is filled with determination, resolve, and trust in you.



Let's go forth!
Yes!
You don't need to tell us twice!
Heh, fine...
Leave it to me.

Now that you all stand as one, you begin your journey into the depths of the blue-stained ruins.

There are 2 audio only conversations that can play down here. Here's the first one:

At the outset, I never imagined things turning out this way.
Neither did I. But I want to do my part for a better tomorrow.
A better tomorrow... Yes. That is my goal as well.



Hm? Did I see something move past that broken wall there...?



I-Is that... an eye?

What appears to be a gigantic eye is visible through the crack, and what's more, it is fixed on you. But it shows no sign of coming closer, and is seemingly content on keeping a close watch on your movements. It is unsettling to know you are being watched in this way, but you must do something in order to proceed.



The choice you make here doesn't matter. But let's try approaching it.







Repeat 3 times. Let's get out of that hallway.



This time it fails to grab us.





It's looking for food.
Food... You mean us!?
I'm glad it can't leave the wall. It might have done worse if it could.
I, too, count myself fortunate that we escaped its reach...
This is just a guess, but... we're down far enough in Ginnungagap that it might have been part of the Calamity. But it doesn't matter much what it was. What's important is not getting caught by that thing every time. Let's play it smart and avoid it as we go.
Right. Let's keep a look out for eyes in the wall to try and predict where the tentacle will strike.



Oh...? There's something floating about.

You look in the direction Arianna indicates.



It has an interesting morphology.
I know where you're coming from, but don't let your guard down. It could be one of the Calamity's minions.
Yeah, let's not pick any pointless fights. Who knows what it might do...

Having noticed a powerful enemy afoot, you consider the best way to proceed from here.



Hmm, that FOE happens to be in the path of an eye. I wonder...









Can we chalk this up to whatever weird thing caught us before?
Hmm. When that eye notices us, it comes to grab us, no matter what's in the way...



I feel a little bad for it.
You mean the monster it caught? Well, I guess it did get caught up in our problem, but I'm not too broken up.
Mm-hm. Now that the blue monster's caught, we can move on.
Huh. You're right, now that you mention it. We can use this chance to keep going.
We should watch for both the eyes and the blue monsters from now on.

You make a note to keep track of both the eyes in the walls and the movements of the blue monsters as you go.

Once those FOEs get grabbed, you can get a preemptive on them and they start off the battle fully bound, so that can make them much easier to take down.

The Story party has nothing new to say until we reach the end of the floor, so here's the 2nd audio only conversation that can play here:

Is it just me who's scared to go on?
Even if it's scary, we have to keep going.
Eheheheh. Pretty harsh, Chloe.

Oh, and entering this floor opened up some new town dialogue, so let's go check that out.





Hm? Oh, you see... my daughter's been saying how worried she is about all of you, and it's starting to rub off on me... Make sure you don't do anything dangerous, Knight. You hear me?



I had a... a scary dream...



We're fine.
...Yeah. You guys are all really strong... You'll all be fine...

You're such a baby.
...B-But it was really scary...! If that dream was real... But... you guys did come back safe... I'm just really glad.





In the dream, you flew off to some faraway land, Knight... It felt like a bad omen, for sure. And the thought of you flying, somehow... it's way too bizarre. So what would you like to buy? Some heavy armor? Maybe it'll keep you from floating off... I-I mean...! Forget I said that!





I can't imagine all the burdens you must be carrying. Um... ...Just come back safe. I'll be sure to prepare a little celebration for you when you come back.





Who do yeh think I am? I've been readin' people in this city for years. I know when something serious is up. Lemme guess. Something to do with Midgard? An' those bigwigs at the Grand Duchy... Eh, well. Ain't my business. Well, good luck to yeh. Make sure not to die, though. There's nothing more important than yer life, yeh know? Think carefully on what's really important to yeh... and give it yer all!





I doubt there's anything I can do that would help... but I want you to know that I understand the burden you carry. Trust your comrades, Knight. Do that, and the way ahead will be clear. Well, that's all I have to say for now. I hope you find fortune on your travels.





... Do you remember the first time you arrived here, at the Grand Duchy? I can remember it as though it was yesterday. To think that you young ones accomplished so much, and came so far... Ah, dear me... It appears when one gets old, they become sentimental. I'm... I'm quite overcome with emotion. Good luck... I expect great things from you.

Now that we've heard all those words of encouragement, it's time to take down the Calamity.





Interesting thing about this little hallway here.



It's the very same one Knight traveled down when he had to meet with the Black Guardian both times. There are no encounters in here either. It's just a set piece.

...That means he was placed in front of the final boss' room at the very beginning of the game. Huh.













Whatever the Calamity has in store, we're ready for it.