Part 42: Light, Part 2

So where were we? Nergal is dead, ground shaking...



Ah, there we are.



: ...Dragons?

: Nergal's final warning… This is what he meant!

: What a calamity! If dragons return to this world… The continent will be ash in less than a month!



: Look at the size of them. I've got a bad feeling about this. My… My legs are trembling just standing here.

: There are three of them… I don't know if we can do this. I… We need some kind of help.

: I'll do what I can. I'll halt the dragons. Strike there!



Yeah, let us know how that one goes for you, Athos.



: Lord Athos! Flee! The dragons are getting closer!

: …If we can't stop them here, we are…lost.



Well hey there Bramimond. Someone call for a Deus Ex Machina?



: …OK. I require everyone's strength. Gather here the legendary power!

: Ah! This light…

: Uwaa! What… What is it!?

: Look! There…!





: Let the dragon girl's soul be restored.



: …Ah! Ninian…

: Where… Where am I?

: Girl with the exalted blood of dragons. Use that power to appease them.

: …Ah…it's not …possible. Use my power… in this world…

: Do you not feel it? Your power returning?

: …What? …Ah… …Yes… …I will try.







: I'm sorry… This is not your fault… …I'm sorry.



Well thanks for that, Ninian. Too much trouble to just kill them all? Had to leave one for a convenient final boss?

: No… no more…

: Ninian!

: It's OK. She only fainted. Thank goodness… Ninian…

: One dragon still remains. Leave the girl to me. I shall tend to her.

: Chosen ones! You must stop the final dragon! You must save us all!



Right. Well, the game wastes no time in throwing you into the thick of things once again, so let's talk about the final boss.



First of all, there's a very long ramp behind you with a whole bunch of assholes on either side. Bolting, Eclipse, Purge, Sleep, Silence, and Berserk are all present back there, and as such you don't want to go anywhere near it. Which is fine, because big and ugly isn't going to move anyway, so you don't need to move anywhere.



The far more pressing concern is the rather large dragon in front of us. His weapon of choice, Flametongue, is problematic. It bypasses all defenses, so anyone incapable of taking a 37-damage hit is completely and totally useless in the final battle (unfortunately, this means Lucius ), has a range of 1-3 spaces, and only a full set of avoid supports, Set's Litany, the Uber Spear, and more will give you a decent chance of dodging said attack, no thanks to its 182 hit rate. Also, thanks to its ridiculous defenses, anyone not capable of doing 41 damage or more in a single attack is useless (So Erk, Rebecca, Serra...pretty much everyone without an S-rank weapon, and even some with one). Only 120 HP to whittle down, too. Sound like fun? Of course it is.



Step One: more power for Hector.



"Made to combat wyverns" my ass. Even with an enchanted weapon Lyn's not really capable of helping much.



Well hello there! You look like an agreeable-



OH SWEET JESUS IT BURNS!



Durandal is far more effective than Sol Katti.



Now this. This is how you deal with a goddamned dragon.



Hector just did 70 damage in a single attack to the final boss.



And then Athos goes and one-ups him by doing 90. Well, so much for the "might of dragons." Seriously, that didn't even take an entire turn.



: Eliwood!

: Lord Eliwood!

: I'm here! I'm right here!

: Well done, brave successor to Roland. It's finally over. Finally, everything is…

: Lord Athos!?

I'd like to give a big "Fuck you" to whoever submitted their script to Serenes Forest because it stops right here. Literally, there's a "Scrolling text coming soon" note at the end, and that's it. Everything you see after this point has been transcribed by hand, because apparently overcoming autoscrolling text is hard.



: I… I'll die before you, friend.

: ...I may well follow you soon. For now... I will sleep again.

: Eliwood... Hector, Lyn... I've lived a long, long time, but now...I'm done. Do not grieve. Soon, I will be with long-absent friends. I have no regrets. Now... My friends, my family. Let me give you a parting gift. As I lay dying... I see many things. I see the future... Oh... Why? Why is this not now...? Neither Bramimond nor I...will be here...to help a land in need...

: What do you see?



: All of Elibe will once again be awash in blood... But do not fear. Once again, Lycia brings hope. Children of Fire... Everything...



: Lord Athos... Even at the end, he thought of us...

: Graybeard...

: Look, both of you. Lord Athos... It's almost as though he's smiling.



: But...at the end, a saving light shall rise.

: Ninian! I'm so happy... I can't believe you're back. I feel like this is all a dream. Once I lost you, I knew for sure. I need you. I want you by my side forever.

: Lord Eliwood... I... I must go home...

: What do you mean?

: I'm the cause of all of this. It was my weakness that invited this tragedy... Here on Elibe...we were nurtured for ages in the land of our birth. Even after humans invaded and drove us out... Not a day passed that I did not think of it. I yearned to see it once again... Our homeland... Those children, the fire dragons... They were like me.

: ...

: We knew it was forbidden. And yet we answered Nergal's call and opened the gate. We didn't intend to stay long... Just to see home one last time. But Nergal captured us and...it led to this.

: We humans, we took control of the continent like it was our right. We never considered who or what we drove away... Ninian, Nils, the blame for this was never yours alone. While we can claim ignorance, we still bear some responsibility.

: Lord Eliwood, do you truly believe that?

: I do. If my father were here, he'd say the same thing. Let's work together and think about the future. If the entire continent were made a place where dragons and humans could live together like the hidden city Lord Athos spoke of, Arcadia...

: What a wonderful world that would be... But that's certainly something that won't happen for a long, long time. So we... we can't stay here. The gate is still open. If it remains so, other dragons will certainly pass through. Before that happens, we must return to our world. We must regain our power and seal the gate...from that side.



: Lord Eliwood... I am truly blessed that I have had the chance to meet you. Please, don't forget me!

: Ninian!

: ...Come, Nils. Let us go. We must return to our world...



: It's changed so much from what we knew. No matter how much time passes, our strength will never return. If we stay here, we will not survive long.

: Nils? Why do you...

: But even knowing that your life will be short... Ninian, you truly wish to remain here, don't you? I understand. Stay here. Stay with Lord Eliwood.

I...what? But she was resolved to leave like five seconds ago. Nils, you're just trying to dump her here, aren't you?

: Nils?

: Lord Eliwood... Ninian... No, my sister... Please cherish her.

: I will. I will make her happy. ...I swear it.

: Nils! You... Are you...

: I'm going alone. I want to live a long time. I don't have your curiosity.

: Nils...



: Be well, Nils!

: I'll miss you...

: I'll never forget you.

: ...Nils...



: Don't cry, Ninian. Even if we're apart, if we never see each other again, our bond will never, ever be broken. More importantly, Sister... Live as long and happily as you can.





: Nils!

: Thank you, Nils.



: Beautiful, isn't it? The start of another day...

: Ninian... You'll come with me, won't you?

: Yes!