Part 12: Things Get Weirder

Welcome back. Last time on Exit Fate, we found out that the Elysium army was slated to get its own castle. We were sent to inspect the northern castle and report on its suitability as a defense post, but when we got there, it turned out that some exorcist priest had beat us to the place. Now it's time to figure out just what the hell he was headed to the castle for.



Before we do anything, I finally have the presence of mind to remove Daniel's Stone Amulet and give it to Midian, which brings him to the important MP+ milestone of 11. Why is this an important milestone? Because with an MP+ of 11, Midian now has enough MP generation to cast Shadowcast on his very first turn in every battle, and every two turns thereafter. Considering how powerful Midian already is, this is only going to make him even more incredible.

Now, onwards!



Music: None



We approach the gates and find out we're just in time.




Den of evil...? I am Daniel Vinyard, special officer of the State Army. Are you the priest who received the keys to this castle from the deacon at Credence?
Indeed I am. Hmm... The State Army you say? Allow me to introduce myself. I am Luther, certified exorcist from the Rocaine Holy Empire.



Well we do have a guy with a chain whip. I hear they're pretty good at that whole vampire-slaying thing. Plus I've been practicing! *ahem* DIE MONSTER. YOU DON'T BELONG IN THIS WOR--okay I'll stop.

A vampire? Here? I haven't heard anything about that. I'm just here to inspect the castle.
Vampires are notoriously good at disguising themselves. A novice such as you could not detect them so easily. I have been hunting down this particular vampire for years. At last... the time to purge this evil has come!
So... what makes you think this vampire is living here now?
People in town have heard strange music coming from this castle at night.
... Strange music?



And... this is evidence that there's a vampire?



No. No way. This is a logical fallacy. I'm pretty sure I learned about this sort of thing in my discrete math class. You are not helping your case!

I... see.




I see you understand. Now, if you would excuse me. I have a holy duty to attend to.
Hold on. Since we have business at the castle as well, maybe we could assist you, father?



N-No...
I can sense your hesitation. You don't have to be afraid, my son. Come. We'll venture inside together. I shall protect you all.
Well... whatever works.



Well, that just happened. Luther here is another temporary party member, and like Japser, we're only going to have him for about ten minutes. So he won't see much use here.



Music: Credence Castle - Suikoden II, "The Fugue 'Praise Be To My Master'"

Fittingly, as soon as we enter the castle some organ music starts playing. Well, let's see what Luther here is all about.



Luther is a fairly capable mage, about on par with Ljusalf. He's also decently strong for this point in the game, though that's mainly due to his high level.



He's also kind enough to come with a free Stone Amulet, which I nick immediately and give to Ljusalf, also bringing him to the important 11 MP+ milestone.





Although Luther's weapon is supposedly a "Holy Water Sprinkler," in reality it looks a lot more like a mace. Maybe it has holy water inside it?





Luther also has the Aura special ability, which heals himself and all characters adjacent to him without costing any MP. But it's pretty useless, since the healing is incredibly weak, and you'll only ever be able to heal specific characters with it anyway unless you want to waste turns moving Luther around.





Anyway, the castle itself is fairly run-down and a lot of stairways and doors are blocked with rubble.




And not surprisingly, all of the enemies within are undead or vampiric. The bats here are--you guessed it--Vampire Bats. They're very fast and hard to hit, but they don't do very much damage.




They also will occasionally attack with Vampiric Bite, but despite it's name it doesn't seem to heal the bat or do anything else special. It just does less damage than a normal attack.




The Spectral Mage in the middle is the enemy you really want to watch out for in this dungeon. He's fond of casting Chaos, which inflicts the Chaos status on a target.





Characters in Chaos status will attack someone each turn uncontrollably. Whether that someone is an ally or an enemy is random. Unfortunately we don't have any way of curing Chaos at the moment.





The Spectral Mages also often cast Dark Bolt, which deals a fair amount of magical damage to a column.





Anyway, let's do some exploring. To the right of the main entrance we find a small room with a Studded Leather in it.



I give it to Ayara and prove once again that Kirgard really, really needs to fire the blacksmiths making their armor. At the same weight the Studded Leather provides more PDF than the Kirgard Platemail.





The pathway through the castle is fairly linear due to all the rubble and obstructions lying around. Our destination, rather unsurprisingly, is the top.



We also occasionally have to navigate a few small rubble mazes.



Eventually we run into some zombies.




Zombies hit very hard and are giant sacks of HP.




Their Fetid Touch ability is even worse than their regular attack, since it hits for the same amount of damage while also poisoning the target.





We take a short detour into the basement to pick up a few chests. Another Stone Amulet is always nice, and the Cotton Scarf is an accessory that grants +2 SPD. I give it to Ayara as she's our slowest character.






Upstairs we find some officer's rooms and a few more chests.




Then, on the top floor, we find this room. Ummm... let's just pick a door at random.




Hmmmm...




I'm sensing a puzzle here.



Actually, it's not much of a puzzle at all. To move ahead we just have to keep going through doors without inverted crosses on them. If we go through a door with one, it sends us back to the start of the set of rooms.





Eventually we reach the end and find a free Vigour spell.



Then there's nowhere to go but up.




Your time has come, evil fiend! Prepare to be sent back to the black abyss that spawned you!



Music: None

I wasn't expecting any guests.




See! I told you it was a logical fallacy!

Hold it! ...
Is... this the person you were after?
Well... Who are you, and what are you doing here!?




You fool! Do you know what you were playing!? That was the "Song of the Dead"! It's an evil melody that attracts undead creatures and unholy spirits!
Gosh, really? I just found the music sheets lying around here so I thought I'd try playing it. I'm so sorry if I caused any trouble.
Curses... This means the vampire -was- here at some point. He left that song here just to spite me!



We were told that your uncle had no known heirs left.
Ah, that doesn't surprise me. I barely know my uncle myself. Actually, I've only recently returned to Matrech, and... hmm, I suppose I haven't told anyone around here about it yet.
Oh... Well, that could be a problem.
A problem? How so?
Due to the current threat of a Kirgard attack on Matrech, there are plans to return this castle to active use for my own regiment. It would've been simple if the castle was ownerless, but now I suppose the State Union will have to enter into negotiations with you.



It gets awfully lonely in here at times, you see. It would be lovely to see this run-down old place returned to its former glory.
Well, I certainly appreciate your cooperation. In that case, would you accompany us to Matrech so we can get everything in order?
Certainly!

A few minutes later...



My mission is not over yet! One day I will find that vampire, and I will not rest until that day has come! My blessings to you all, and may we meet again.



Back in Matrech...

Music: Matrech - Suikoden V, "Military Fortress"



Oh no, it's nothing. I'm very happy to be of service.
In any case, we'll agree to your terms. Credence Castle will become property of the State Union. In return, you will be allowed permanent residence there for the rest of your life.
Are you sure this is what you want? Wouldn't you rather move to the city? If you stay, we can't guarantee your safety.
No no, I already feel quite attached to the castle. It will be even more wonderful once all renovations are done. I can't possibly leave now. Besides, I'm already seventy years old. What do I have to lose? It would be a pleasure to help the State Union any way I can.





We're actually going to be in cutscenes for the rest of this update, so I'm going to pause briefly here to introduce our newest party member.



Royston... well, there's really no nice way to say this. Royston sucks. Like, really sucks. Yes, he's level 1, but leveling him won't help. Even at high levels, his strength is garbage, his magic is terrible, he has the physical defense of a wet paper bag, and he's slow. This isn't to say that all his stats are bad; interestingly enough, Royston has--by a wide margin, actually--the highest MP+ in the game, and a magical defense that most characters can only envy. But he has no value as a combat character whatsoever.





Royston attacks by whacking people with his cane, which is admittedly pretty awesome, but good luck ever getting him to do damage with it.

Now, where were we?



We're in a hurry, so we'll start with the renovations straight away. Until work is done, you and your army will be free of any further missions.
Thank you, Captain. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but the final result will be worth it. I'm sure of it.




Elsewhere...




Music: Suspicion - Suikoden V, "Suspicion"



General! We can't wait any longer! We have to catch him before it's too late! What are we waiting for? Zelmony is there for the taking! We can destroy them! General!



W-What? Are you serious?
If you want to ignore all the plans we've made and launch a premature attack all for the sake of personal revenge, then go ahead. You have my permission. But if you fail, you will be the one carrying the responsibility. You will have to explain why you led the royal army to ruin over your injured pride.



Welp, my respect for Keyser just jumped several notches.




Bruce storms out.



Each person requires a different approach, and this is the only one that works with people like him. He needs to learn to be patient.
It's hard to be patient, even for me. I know it's best to wait, but it's making me restless. Well, your time will come soon enough. The genius strategist is about to make his first appearance, right?
Genius strategist...? Save it until we've actually succeeded. The first strike will be the decisive blow.



I can understand his betrayal, but the way he did it... What could his reasons have been? Do we really know the whole story? General Knight, you knew him better than any of us... Do you think he was set up?
Set up? Maybe he was...




And time passed...



Music: King - Final Fantasy Tactics, "Attack Team"



That's right, it looks so much different now. Since we've been here from the start, it really feels like it's "our" place now, doesn't it?
It's going to be our new home. It's important that we feel comfortable here, I think. There are people here from all sorts of backgrounds, but together we are the Elysium Army. Everyone should feel like they're part of a team.
Sir...



What are you thanking me for?
I just felt so lost back at the Kelsinger Pass, when General Leonius told us the news about the attack. I was right in the middle of it, but I still wasn't sure about what really happened. I felt like I couldn't trust anyone. I'm surprised at myself, having taken such a huge risk to meet you. But I really believe now that it was the right choice.





I promise that I'd lay down my life to protect you.
You're a valuable member of our team, Ayara. Remember that. I don't want you to do anything reckless. That's an order.
Sir... Yes, sir!



Elsewhere...



Oh, hi.
Are you still at home? I heard that the new castle is almost finished. Aren't you supposed to go back yet?
I don't know... I came back home because I needed some time to think. I made a really sudden decision to join the Elysium army, and I had to make sure that this is what I really want.
What's wrong? I thought you were happy to be part of that team.
It's kind of weird. I don't really know why I joined the army in the first place. Well, at the time it was an easy job with little danger. I never really thought I'd one day find myself on a real battlefield.





All these new people I've met... I know they'd risk their lives to protect me if I was in danger. Even Daniel himself cares about us and stands at our side in battle. I never feel like I'm on my own. I know that everyone's anxious when we go into battle, but when we're all together, I forget about my own fears.
I'm so jealous. It seems you really found a place you belong. I almost wish I could join myself.



I don't really know what I want to do with my life, but as long as I follow his ambitions, I feel like I have a purpose.
Are you going back then?
Of course! I never doubted it for a second! Oh! The castle's opening will be soon! I'd better hurry before I miss it!




Back at the castle...

Music: Elysium - Chrono Trigger, "Frog's Theme (Orchestral Version)"




I want to thank all the men and women who have done their best to complete the renovations within this brief timespan. Starting from tomorrow, this fortress will commence operation as a vital defensive post for Matrech. Daniel Vinyard will have the command over the Elysium army, and he will be taking orders directly from the Matrech Guard.
Accordingly, we have assigned Mr. Vinyard an official rank.



Thank you, Chancellor Ryan, Captain Erin, for this great honor. And everyone here who helped out these past months, thank you as well. I will not waste this opportunity. I will fight my hardest to achieve my goal, to prevent a Kirgard invasion of Matrech!
Let us raise a toast to the new army, and the brave men and women who will fight for our freedom.





That night...



Music: None



The castle's official opening, a promotion... and no time to rest either. From tomorrow onwards, we'll have to start getting serious.



Hmm, I should look into that first thing in the morning. Even if it's the first night, we can't be careful enough.




Music: Brunhild - Final Fantasy VIII, "Find Your Way"






I'm sorry. Have we met before?





What? Who are you? How do you know me?
Never mind... It's not your fault. You really know nothing. It's all how I thought it'd be, and I can't even hold you responsible.




Wait!






Music: None




Brunhild walks away, leaving Daniel staring after her.



As he stares, a humming sound can be heard, like that of magical energy dissipating. And suddenly--




--everything fades to white...

Music: Sadness - Final Fantasy VII, "On That Day, Five Years Ago"






... and Daniel sees... something...




No, it was my own decision. Of course he supported it, but I'm only doing it because I want to. Do you think I'd do something like this if I hadn't thought it through well? You know me better than that.
I don't understand you anymore, Daniel. First you learned how to fight even though you hated violence...
It was only for self-defense. That's all. I hated violence, so I wanted to learn how to fight so I could avoid it. All for self-defense... It's no different this time, is it?



First Jovian, then Angel, and now you. Everyone's leaving town.
We'll return soon, Brunhild. As soon as we drive Almenga back, I will return.








...

Next time: ...