Part 35: The Power Within

Welcome back. Last time on Exit Fate, we restored Ayara's faith in us, and then received a letter, supposedly from Brunhild, that asked us to come to Bayside. Once there, we found out that the letter had instead been sent by Clint, a banisher dedicated to hunting down Daniel and people like him. He claimed that Daniel was a "gathering of evil forces," and that he had been born in Vanaheim, the capital of Almenga. Based on what we've seen of Daniel, we can't immediately dismiss everything Clint said. But what can we do with this new information? It's time to start finding out.



At the end of the previous update, we were told that we should go sleep on what Clint had told us. But before we head back to our room, there's a quick bit of business we can take care of. First, we put Rock in our entourage...



... and then head over to Ansee.



We find Paris hanging around there. He'll move to Ansee following the Highland revolution.



Talking to him with Rock in the party triggers a scene.

I was thinking the same thing, Paris. I haven't seen you in a while. Not since you abandoned us after the battle of Grunthall.
Abandoned? That's a harsh word. I'm not even from Highland, remember? I think you had the right idea, but I wasn't going to throw away my life for it. I didn't join the Highland army out of respect for you. I'm probably going back home soon.



You've seen what I can do. Are you still having doubts about following me?
What? You want me to come back?
Damn right I do. You came here to fight for me, so you'd better finish the job.
Well... it looks like I was wrong to leave your army, so why not? It wasn't such a bad place to work for.








Paris is a fairly mediocre character. He's got some decent STR, on par with Klaus and Griever, as well as a long-range weapon. The problem, however, is that STR is his only good stat, and he's slow as hell and pretty inaccurate to boot. There are much better options for long-range attackers. That said, he's a commander, so recruiting him means we get another unit for war battles.





Paris's weapon of choice is his javelin. His damage is better than what's shown here, since he's only level 20 at the moment, but I'm not really a fan.




Since we're in Highland, I also make a quick stop in Bergstadt and head to the governor's mansion, where I find this in a side room. This treasure chest was visible when we first visited the city, but until the revolution occurs, there will always be a person standing in front of it. Battle Plan #2 is the plan for the battle at Grunthall.



After that, we head back to our room in Elysium to get some rest. Once Daniel opens the door, the game will take control and fade to black as he's walking to his bed.

The next morning...

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




As soon as we open the door, we find Angel and Jovian standing outside.



Oh, I'm fine... I just spent some time thinking.
I hope you're not too bothered by what that man told you. Your birthplace... even if it was in Almenga, it doesn't change anything.
No, it's nothing like that, I was just thinking about the consequences. At least it explains one thing. If it was my birthplace, then it was also Brunhild's. Almenga was our original home, so it explains why she went back there.



It must've had something to do with what happened between you two before she left.
I know, I came to the same conclusion... but I'd have to remember first. That's why... I've made my decision.
What do you mean? What decision?




You've said it yourself. Recently, I've started remembering things that before, I would just forget right away. Maybe if I return to the place I grew up with Brunhild, I can recover these lost memories. Maybe I can finally do it this time.



I am. Zelmony is done for, and General Eander is coming along with the first legion. They don't need my help at the moment. I understand what you mean. I should probably wait until after the war... but I can't. It's not just for personal reasons. I just don't feel comfortable not knowing what's going on. There might be something important in all this. Remember what this Clint guy said about me being a "gathering of evil forces" that would bring ruin to the world?
You don't seriously believe that, do you? Just because his master said that doesn't mean it's true. He'd never even met you before!
Then what else could you call this... force inside of me? There are too many coincidences lately. I feel like we're missing something important.
I guess there's no stopping you, as usual. But if you're going, I'm coming with you. I can be missed here, and it might help you remember if I'm there too.




Daniel's right. At this point in the war, we're not essential. Besides, we won't be gone for months. We'll return before the war ends. We can leave Bast and Keyser in charge here while we're gone. The Elysium army will be fine without us.
This is crazy. Do you think everyone will just go along with this?



And what about General Eander? How do you think he's going to react when he arrives and finds out that you've run off?
Oh, he'll get mad, no doubt. But I'll be fine. Deep down, he still loves me.
This is no time for jokes...
Trust me. Things will be all right. If something like this were enough to bring me down, I would've never made it to this position.



Don't worry, Angel. We've been through worse. I really appreciate the both of you coming along.
Are we going then? We'll have to cross the Kelsinger Pass to reach Jargo Port City and take a ship from there. I heard the men at the pass were having some trouble with wandering beasts though, so we should be careful. We can at least ask some people to escort us as far as Jargo.
Let's go, then.




Fade to black...



As it turns out, we don't even need to go to Bayside to get to the pass. It's already on our list of teleporter destinations.

Music: Mountain - Final Fantasy VII, "Tifa's Theme"





There's still an army camp here, though as the sergeant says, there's really no reason for it.



Of course, since we're going to be heading through a mountain pass, the game has to give us a reason for there to be some random encounters. Oh well, it's an RPG, this is pretty much par for the course.



Music: Kelsinger Pass - Final Fantasy Tactics, "Apoplexy"

As soon as we head to the next screen, the music abruptly shifts from a peaceful tune to something much more energetic. I'm not sure it really fits, but whatever.




It's not long before we run into one of the requisite encounters.




Hill Giants are a big fan of the Knockdown technique that Joshua used way back when, which stuns the target.




That said, neither Knockdown nor their regular attack does enough damage to really be a threat, especially since they only ever show up by themselves.



We take him down without much trouble.




Then we run into a bunch of ogres.




Unlike the Ogres we ran into back in Highland, who were seriously able to ruin our day, Ogre Soldiers are a joke. Jovian shares an element with the Ogre Soldiers, but even then, they'll never be able to do more than 40 or so damage to our front row.



We take them out and move on.




The Kelsinger Pass is made up of several branching paths, but there's no gimmicks here. Most of them end in dead ends, but also in treasure. More attack items are never a bad thing.




On the way back from this particular dead-end, we run into a Nightmare.




Nightmares can cast Eclipse, though their power isn't great. This is only a serious worry for Klaus with his opposing element and low HP and MDF.




They also have the ability to use Poison Bomb, which poisons an area, but, well... it's poison.





We continue exploring dead ends and come across another copy of Restore, among other things. Handy.




The final enemy group in this area is a few Ogre Soldiers along with an Ogre Chieftan, the recolor in the center, and an Orc Shaman in the back.





And this is why orcs aren't usually mages.






Well, okay, they're not entirely useless. They can also silence characters and put them to sleep, but they're still not too worrying.




Ogre Chieftains have a move called Head Trauma and I have no idea what it does, since Jovian dodged the only attempt I saw during this update. Judging from the name, I'm going to guess it causes either Amnesia, Mindblow, or Stun.




They also have a decent physical attack, but nothing we can't handle.




The Light Turban grants +5 PDF and +4 MAG for 2 weight. This goes to Beau.



We also grab Menu Set #4, the "Hilbert Set," which changes the style of the menus to that of Last Scenario. I'll show it off the next time we're at Elysium.



After that, it's not long before we find a save point...



... and we head to the peak of the pass, but Daniel abruptly stops here.




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





Is that... really you, Brunhild?
Angel, Jovian... It's been a long time.
Waiting for me? What do you mean by that? Are you finally going to give me some answers? I don't understand anything. Why couldn't I remember that you're my sister? Why did you leave? Why are you now commander of the army of the country we were born in?







Even if I told you, you wouldn't accept it. You'll find out yourself eventually.
Why...? Why won't you tell me, Brunhild?
I didn't come here to give you the answers that you already have. I came here to take care of two things. As for the first...




What are you talking about? Do you really want to fight me?
Brunhild! What happened to you? Why are you doing this!?
Because I must! Angel, Jovian... step aside. I don't want to fight you as well, but if you interfere, then I'll have no choice.
Why are you so intent on fighting me? Is this supposed to be our "fate" again!?



I still don't understand any of this, but... If you block my path, then you leave me with no other choice.
You were never given a choice to begin with.

BOSS FIGHT: Brunhild

(no music change; Brunhild continues playing)




Brunhild has no regular attack. Her most often-used attack is called "Cherubim," which, if you know your religious references, is the counterpart to Daniel's sword, Seraphim. It does a decent chunk of damage.





Her other major attack is Bladestorm, which does a little more, and also has a low chance of paralyzing the target, but neither of these attacks are that threatening on their own. Brunhild's main threat is her high speed, as you can see from the turn order. Although she can't do that much damage with a single attack, she can easily attack two or three times and KO someone before you get a chance to heal.



We swipe a Silver Tiara from her, which grants +4 PDF and +5 MAG for 2 weight, but can only be worn by women.





Her repeated attacks also give us an excuse to try out our new Cure spell. This can handle pretty much any damage Bruhild can dish out, but we only have the one copy.




Brunhild also has a third move in Surge Laser, which doesn't do that much damage, but inflicts Enfeeble. It can also hit anyone on the field.







In any case, as long as you keep your HP up, this battle isn't too bad. Brunhild has a lot of HP herself, but with her low damage it's possible to simply outlast her. Just keep an eye on the turn order and you'll be fine.



And that's that.



There's no victory music for this battle; Brunhild's theme continues playing through the end of the fight and into the scene beyond. We land ourselves yet another Diamond Dust as a reward. Maybe I should stop being so stingy with those things...




Daniel Vinyard: ice cold.



Why should I care? It's your own doing. If you refuse to tell me anything, then there's no point in staying.



Well, you did just try to fight us six on one. Have you considered better odds?



I may have lost the fight, but you're still weakened.






Music: Suspicion - Suikoden V, "Suspicion"



They may or may not be Kirgard soldiers. It's not important. What matters is that they have unquestionable loyalty to me.
Wait... Kirgard soldiers? Now I understand... These are the same soldiers as back then! That means...



Oh yes, the incident... I wasn't there to carry it out, but it was originally my idea. I'm very proud of how well it turned out.
Why, Brunhild? Why did you do that to me?



Shut up! You think I'd be grateful to you for all this!? You ruined the life I had! Yes, I rose back up, I built up the Elysium Army and fought successfully against both Kirgard and Zelmony, but that was all my own doing! It had nothing to do with you!
Yes, I ruined your old life. It had to be done. It was a worthless life. You had the potential to be so much more, but you refused to do it. It makes you angry, doesn't it? Being helpless. But, there's nothing you can do. You're outnumbered and outclassed. You will never make it out of here.



No... I won't let that happen again, no matter what.
It's so easy. You just have to desire for it to surface. Just do that, and you can take back control of your life.
Don't listen to her, Daniel! Don't do it!
Do you still need more convincing?





Brunhild! What's wrong with you!?
Stop lying! You wouldn't hurt them. They were your friends. You're just trying to break me down!
Eight years is a long time, Daniel. Long enough to become a completely different person. I am not the ignorant Brunhild you knew from Levier. You killed that Brunhild. I've taken control of my own destiny now. I don't have any attachment to them anymore.




Stop it!
Daniel! Don't let her get to you! I'll...
Jovian!
You're powerless, Daniel. I'll take away everything you care about, and there's nothing you can do.

Music: None







Music: ??? - Xenogears, "The One Who Is Torn Apart"



Jovian...
Yes... That look... It's the same. It's the same as that time.




Finally we have a chance to speak. Why are you not in control?
I should've known you'd only call me out to ask stupid questions. It's because of you.
What is that supposed to mean?



You should already know the reason. I've told you before. You were never meant to exist.
No... that's not...



That's why you had me sent back home? That is why you're denying my existence?
Everything was going fine until you showed up again. Even those two were unable to remind him of you.
...



I thought sending you home was going to be enough, but you and her keep getting in my way.
Do you really think you can still do things your way? Even before I returned, he was already getting too strong for you to control.













Brunhild flees by apparently jumping off the cliff.





You idiot. You ruined everything. You're a bad influence on him, she was at least right about that. I should get rid of you while I have the chance.
Ugh...
Daniel, stop! You don't really want to do this! It's us! We're your friends, remember!? I know you can hear us!



Music: None




Daniel!
Jovian... what's going on? What... I... I'm sorry...
Thank god... You're back to your senses. For a moment, I... I really didn't know what to do.
I never thought we'd meet her again in a place like this...



I don't get it either... but one thing's for sure. She knows more than any of us do.



You want to move on again? Are you sure?
I need answers, now more than ever. I'm not going to find them by going back. Jovian, Angel... I apologize again. I don't know what happened to me, but it was out of my control. All I could do was watch.
I believe you. That wasn't the Daniel I know. Just, whatever it is, promise me you won't let it out ever again.
I promise. You managed to stop me before anything happened, but I can't predict what'll happen next time. I'll do anything I can to prevent a repeat of this.
Brunhild will probably be nowhere to be found by now...



Next time: Well, I've got some good news and some bad news...