Part 6: I feel EXCELLENT ♥

MUSIC: Silence

Welcome back to the worst day of Elena's life.



Elena... Are you the only one to make it back? Where are the others? What has happened?

During the... ceremony... Oh, Father...

Oh, child... you have said enough for now. Rest, and speak on these things a later time.

Well, anyway, my job here is done. You've paid me enough - I wasn't exactly the most successful bodyguard.

But what the hell was that ceremony about?

Mr. Ryudo... You must be tired. We shall prepare some warm food for you. Come, please. Come inside... Elena, you as well...



Anyway... we cut out of there pretty damn fast.

Father, I... I had "wings"...

Hush now, Elena. You are tired. Go to your room and get some rest. Understood...?

... Yes, Father.

So the ceremony was a failure... And Elena possessed... by the "Wings"...

You mind filling me in, chief? Try finishing your sentences.

I knew it would be dangerous.



WHAT?

As Granas is the God of Light, so Valmar is the Devil of Darkness. Long ago, the two met in battle, as was ordained.

The Battle between Good and Evil, right? Everyone knows the fairy tale.

Valmar was defeated, yes. But not destroyed. Even now, the foul one prepares for the coming of eternal night.

This is new...

Valmar grows in power with each passing day, seeking to break the seals which, for a time, have kept the Darkness bound. As is foretold in scripture, the Day of Darkness is at hand. The world groans with the heaviness of Valmar's rebirth.

The Devil seeks again to blot out the light of Granas. Valmar will return our world to Darkness. Then, destroy it.

Sadly, even the power of our Pope, Zera Innocentius, is not enough to ward the Seals against the very Darkness itself. Yet, it is the work of myself and my brethren to prevent the advent of that day, when all light shall fade away.



Your daughter...? Tessa...

Her conspicuous possession of a drawn portrait aside, I haven't the faintest clue how Ryudo arrives at this conclusion.

The Sealing Ceremony failed. And if what you say is true, not only did it fail, but Elena has become possessed by Valmar's accursed wings as well.

What happens next?

The Pieces of Valmar devour the soul of those they possess... our dear Elena. Once she is... emptied... the Wings will move on.

On to another host. This is how Valmar feeds, gathering strength to re-enter our world. The fetters will be loosed...



...?

These sad events may yet be made to work in our favor. I wish to send Elena to Granas Cathedral immediately.

It is rumored that his Holiness, Zera, Knows of an ancient sacrament which has the power to cleanse the soul of Darkness.

The rite would free Elena and shield others from the taint of evil. We may again be able to seal the Wings away.

Such an act would delay Valmar's return. However, those that follow Darkness will not sit idly as our plans come to fruition.





No, Ryudo. I wait for you to recognize an opportunity. For your services, you shall receive...say...a statue of gold?

It belonged to the church, but needs outweigh vanity. I believe it would make a pretty enough prize...

... Let me think about it. I can't stand God or women...

The following scene contains Hella Voice Acting and I highly recommend watching the video. If you do, Ctrl+F "Zap Bug" if you want to read more about the massive joke that is the PC port or "Video Ends" to get to the end of the update.

VIDEO: Millenia

Also, any sound desync is the game's fault. I don't recall if it's a PC thing, so I'll give it a pass on the bug counter.

* C R A S H *

What was that!?

Something outside?


(this is probably my favorite song on the entire soundtrack)







What? Tha-that girl did this?



LEAVE AT ONCE!

She deflects Carius' magic as though it were nothing.

What do you think you're doing!? What do you mean by Dark One?

Huh. She has a fair hand with magic.



Ryudo, beware!

Evil takes forms far from foul...

Are you... really one of the Dark Ones?

Huh?

Ugh, just the sight of this place disgusts me! This filthy statue, this church!



And the scum who live here too!

She takes off into the sky.



Careful, Ryudo, she's dangerous!





What have you done?!

A question I would like answered as well, as the destruction of the church is not actually modeled in game.

Ah. Now I feel better. Heh. What's the big deal? It's just a rickety old church.



Hey! What do you think you're doing!? Are you out of your mind?! Or are you just as sick and twisted as you look?

You- you're terrible! What an awful thing to say!! I thought you...

Ah, well. This will tame your tongue!


(new boss music)



There's a lot to say about this fight. It is a scripted, "unwinnable" fight - under normal circumstances, Millenia will cast Burn!, attack once, cast Stram, and finally Zap!, which will paralyze Ryudo and trigger the end of the fight.

Unfortunately, the AI for it will sometimes fail spectacularly, causing her to never cast Zap!, instead just killing Ryudo with normal attacks, which causes a standard Game Over. This is widely known as the Millenia Zap Bug, and one of the best known causes of it is being overly friendly with that gibbering world-eater, the tutorial guy. Should this occur, the only way for a player to continue is to actually win the fight, probably by hacking their save to boost their stats immensely.

For this reason, this is the only fight that the Hard hack makes significantly easier - it chops off most of her hitpoints, allowing you to win the battle by attrition if the game bugs out on you.

I've never actually encountered the bug myself, but if it's famous enough to have its own name, it's going on the pile. Bug Count: 9









Well, well, my dear... You make a rather nice plaything.

Don't toy with me!

I like you. My name is Millenia. Next time we meet, I'll make you mine ♥

Well... practice up! I'll be back, toodles!

She flies away, cackling.

She can fight... for a girl.

Father, I'll take you up on your offer. I want to find out for myself just exactly what is going on...

Video Ends.





He said I'll get to meet that Pope Zera at the Cathedral.

Think about it, Skye! The Pope! If we can get in good with him, we could get our hands on some ungodly amounts of loot.

I'm not a newly hatched "chick", Ryudo. I suspect you have other reasons for your "broad" change of heart...





We get our promised Gold Statue.

... Please take good care of Elena.

Thank you for your help. Shall we go?

Granas Cathedral is a bit of a hike, princess. Better leave your silk slippers behind. Sure you're up to this?

I must go. I do not want the others to have died in vain...

Farewell, Father. Please take care...

Elena, be careful during your travels. I shall pray for your safety...



I will not be a burden. I am quite able to fend for myself!

She means it. As of this update, she is in our party for real.

So the Songstress has spunk... Good. Let's move.

I must get to Granas Cathedral... no matter the cost.




And there you have it. Next time, I'll be showing off that secondary function of inns that I mentioned a few updates ago, after which our long journey to Granas Cathedral will begin.

Official Art: Millenia

New Voice Credits: Jodi Benson (Millenia), and what a job she does.