Part 8
Update 8: Trash Walking, Trash Talking (Polsy) Music
The Vile Peaks
Hope's Theme
Bestiary
Datalogs
quote:
Nothing but Grief
Their airship damaged during the escape from the army, the l'Cie are forced to make a crash landing in the Vile Peaks.
Accustomed to the rigors of conflict, Lightning immediately sets off to outdistance any pursuit, trailed by Hope.
Exhausted and on the brink of despair, Sazh cannot bring himself to follow. He knows the army will never stop chasing them and even if they do somehow evade capture, they face transformation into Cie'th. How can they complete a Focus they don't understand?
Despite the futility of the situation Sazh cannot leave Vanille behind to fend for herself, and he forces his reluctant legs to carry him onward.
Far ahead of the others, Lightning recalls a conversation with her old superior, Lieutenant Amodar, in which he had warned her not to get involved with anything connected to the lowerworld. She, of course, subsequently chose not to heed his warning, and after confronting the Pulse fal'Cie found herself branded a l'Cie.
Now, anger smolders within her. Anger at her transformation into a l'Cie, anger at being forced to flee like a fugitive, and anger at herself for allowing it all to happen.
quote:
I Want to be Purged
The Sanctum announces the Pulse fal'Cie and any civilians who may have come into contact with its influence are to be deported to the world below.
Knowing that Serah is being held by the offending creature, Lightning reasons that the only way to reach her sister before they are exiled is to board the train and be Purged herself. After coming to this conclusion, she acts without hesitation. She knows the risks, but there are some things you just have to do...
As Hope listens to Lightning's tale, he begins to realize how different they are. He knows he doesn't have the strength to charge into certain danger, even if he has no other choice. Unable to keep up with the battle-hardened soldier, Hope falls into despair.
Meanwhile, Sazh and Vanille fight their way along a different route. Like Lightning, Sazh had joined the Purge voluntarily, but now he simply acts as fear and despair prompt him, his former resolve seemingly forgotten.
quote:
Hope and Despair
As a resident of Palumpolum, Hope should never have been a candidate for the Purge. The radical government policy only concerns the inhabitants of the town of Bodhum.
Unfortunately for Hope and his mother, the Sanctum announces the Purge on the day they are visiting the coastal community — and the Sanctum soldiers rounding up the deportees make no distinction between locals and visitors.
Later, at the Hanging Edge, Hope's mother is killed in the violence which erupts when the true nature of the Purge is revealed.
This indirectly leads to Hope's encounter with the Pulse fal'Cie, and transformation into a cursed l'Cie.
Now, he rails against his cruel fate. He curses the government that started the Purge, the fal'Cie who made him a l'Cie, the army that hunts him like a criminal...
But most of all, he chokes on the hatred he feels for Snow — the man responsible for dragging his mother into that battle that claimed her life.
Sazh wants to help Hope return home to his father. The boy shows little enthusiasm for a family reunion, but Sazh is insistent.
He knows how it feels to be a dad.
quote:
People: Amodar
Amodar is a lieutenant in the Bodhum Security Regiment, and was Lightning's direct superior.
Climbing his way through the ranks with persistence and hard work, he is respected by his subordinates for his fair treatment on and off the field of battle.
NORA's unregulated monster-hunting falls under his jurisdiction, but aside from a few warnings for the sake of formality, he generally turns a blind eye to the group's earnest efforts.
quote:
The Thirteen Days: Day 5 - Euride
There was an accident at the Euride Gorge energy plant located near the seaside community of Bodhum. Details of the accident were not released to the public, but the lack of information sparked widespread conjecture among the populace.
Rumors began to circulate about an act of sabotage by Pulse l'Cie, sending a whisper of panic through a society that has lived in terror of lowerworld invasion for centuries.
quote:
The Thirteen Days: Day 11 - Warning
Assigned to security detail during the fireworks display in Bodhum, Lightning was suddenly released from duty by her superior, Lieutenant Amodar - PSICOM had found something in the nearby Vestige.
Lightning immediately thought of the accident that took place at the energy plant six days earlier. Voicing her concern that the incidents might be Pulse related, Lightning's questions were deflected by the lieutenant, who advised her to avoid anything that involves the lowerworld.
quote:
The Thirteen Days: Day 11 - Mother and Son
Residents of Palumpolum, Hope and his mother came to Bodhum to see the fireworks display. That same night, PSICOM discovered the Pulse fal'Cie slumbering within the Vestige.
The following day, the Sanctum announced the discovery, and sealed off the entire district of Bodhum. Trapped by the quarantine and unable to return home, mother and son were forced to join the other victims of the Purge.
quote:
The Thirteen Days: Day 13 - Volunteering
After discovering that Serah was being held captive by the Pulse fal'Cie, Lightning volunteered herself to be Purged.
The fal'Cie was to be transported away from Cocoon, along with the Purge deportees. Lightning needed to board the train and reach the lowerworld entity before Serah was taken beyond her reach.
Sazh, too, had his reasons for approaching Lightning and joining her as she headed for the Pulse fal'Cie. The train carried them away, bound for the restricted zone known as the Hanging Edge...
quote:
Locales: The Vile Peaks
The Vile Peaks are built of debris the castoffs of material originally lifted up from Pulse by the fal'Cie and used in the construction of Cocoon and later additions of landmass. These towering piles of refuse now serve as lairs for all manner of beasts, including lowerworld mechanical horrors that, intentionally or not, hitched a ride with what became the building blocks of Cocoon. The Sanctum military endeavors to clear out the dangerous inhabitants of the peaks, but some say they leave the job half done to discourage civilians from entering the lowlands.