Part 5: The Fascist-Theocratic-Feudal Kingdom of Darakin

Chapter 4 – The Fascist-Theocratic-Feudal Kingdom of Darakin

Where we last left off, Lang had been captured by the dastardly Elliott and Marienne.



We awake here.



There’s nothing to do in this cell except save the game or interact with the door.



“Now, now, Marienne. She is a Mystic too after all…”

We see Elliott and Marienne pass by the door’s window.



And someone else. Is this the “ugly little witch”? Unlikely, since they’re trailing behind the siblings.

“Grr! You’re too soft-hearted, Elliott! Ugly!...little!....witch…!”



Lang suddenly leaps back after something smacks against the door.

“What? What’s going on…?”



“What the…!! It’s you!!”





“I got permission, you know…Permission to get revenge…”

“Revenge on you for killing my poor Elfin! You’ll taste my wrath!”





You wouldn’t know it, but this is actually a plot point.



We transition to Bubba beating up a Lang, who is doing his best Jesus impression.



“That’s just about enough, Bubba. He’s unconscious already.”

“We’re going to make him our slave…um, I mean, servant, so we don’t want you to kill him.”

“Are you really so upset over losing a pet?”

“If you want, I could buy you a new one.”

“El-Elfin wasn’t…just a pet…”

“Elfin and I…were tied by the bonds of true live…! Elfin…! My poor Elfiiiiinnn!!”

“*Sob!* *Blubber!!* You could never understand! How we felt about each other…!”

This is the first time the game remembers to treat “sob” like a onomatopoeia.

Bubba continues to beat on Lang, until…






“I understand how you feel, but that man is a Mystic. And you know I’ve told you time and again…”

“…that Mystics are the messengers of the gods…”

“Beings sent by the gods to bring eternal paradise to this world.”

“A Mystic’s life is far more important than yours, let alone an animal’s life. Learn your place!!”

“*Grr!*”

Bubba backs off.



“You poor thing! What have they done to you?”

“Well, are you awake now? Here, I’ll have your chains undone.”



“You’re in the town I rule, Darakin. This is my castle, Doplin Castle.”

This guy is called “Bishop Doplin” and his castle is “Doplin Castle”. It’s unclear if Doplin is his first or last name. If the former, he’s gone and named a castle after himself, which is very fitting considering what we’ll learn. If the latter, it implies Darakin is some kind of hereditary theocracy. What a place.

“I’ll have to keep you prisoner for a while.”

“Huh? Prisoner…?”







“We’re now going to train you to be our faithful slave…um, I mean, servant!”

We get to respond. If we were a big wimp, we could cower and beg them not to hurt us. But Cocky Lang is no wimp.



“Is that any kind of way to talk to me?! You’re nothing but a monkey! Chee chee chee!”

“It certainly is a fine mark he’s got there! I bet he holds quite an amazing Origin!”

“That’s the thing, Bishop Doplin…He won’t show us his Origin.”

“Maybe we should have gone a little easier on him…? Ha ha ha!”

“Elliott, you’re too soft-hearted for your own good!!”

“He’s just trying to make fools of us!!”

“If I really got serious, I could make him do anything I wanted! You! Take that!!”

Marienne starts poking Lang. With her underpants showing, as this game delights in ensuring.



“If he gets damaged before we show him to Avalon, he’ll be mad at me! Can’t have that!”

“Avalon…?”

“Yes, the greatest Mystic of all, chosen by the Supreme Origin.”

“He is our leader! He’ll turn this chaotic, impure world into a true utopia!”

“You’ll understand when you meet him. You’ll see his absolute power for yourself!”

“Undo his chains and let him rest in the prison. He’ll be one of us in the future. Treat him well, do you hear?”

Sure, Doplin, just leave it to the people who’ve been torturing Lang in front of you this whole time to treat him well.




“Oh, Velna! Ho h oho! Yes, I imagine Avalon will be pleased!”

“Yes, I’m sure. I’ve made preparations for a celebration in the central building.”

“Oh! A celebration, you say? How delightful! And you lot, come along!”



The game ominously focuses on Velna’s face as Doplin and the siblings walk away.



Guard 1: “Great job, Mr. Bubba! And to think you were once a prisoner under a life sentence!”

Bubba suddenly stops.

Guard 1: “I-I’m sorry! That was rude of me! Please forgive me!”



Bubba dumps Lang on the ground.




“Damn you!! You son of…!! I’ll kill you! Kill you!!”

Guard 2: “Stop, please, Mr. Bubba! If you kill him, we’ll be blamed…!”

“Damn! I can’t stand this!! Can’t take it anymore! You guys take care of him!”



This is also a critical plot point.

Guard 1: “Whew! Mr. Bubba sure is in a bad mood today!”



Guard 2: “Are Mystics really worth all this fuss?”

Guard 1: “Yeah, I wonder. Mr. Bubba broke the door to this room, so we can’t use it.”

Guard 2: “Well, what’re you gonna do? Let’s put him in the room over there.”

Lang is then dumped inside a nearby cell. But he is not alone…



Everything fades to black.






The girl makes some odd movements, as if troubled by something. Then she starts moving her finger on the ground….

Now Playing - Maya



This is our opportunity to name our new party member. Every party member in this game can be named, just like the protagonist. As everyone firmly decided on the default name for Lang, I’m going to go ahead and stick with the default name for Maya.




“My name’s Lang.”

“You…? Can’t you talk?”

*Nods*

“Hey! That power…That power you just showed me! What exactly was that…?”




“Do not be frightened.”



“You, too, are a….Mystic, are you not?”

We’re given a choice of dialogue. We can deny it, ask what a Mystic is, or sort of confirm it. We choose to ask, because who wouldn’t want to know more?

“Please tell me! Just what in the world is a Mystic anyway?!”

“It is a being that holds an Origin, and embodiment of power, and the mark that binds that Origin to him.”

Strangely gendered language, considering Rivas’ Mystic is Maya.

“Embodiment of power? What are you talking about? Can’t you explain it any simpler?”

“It is difficult, I agree. But even if you do not understand with your mind, I am sure your body knows…”

“That mark on your chest…It is a symbol of your Origin.”

“This mark is just a plain old birthmark! It’s not what you say it is! I’m no Mystic!!”

“Stop saying that!! I’m NOT a Mystic, I tell you!!”

“I do understand what you are feeling now. But all the same, you ARE a Mystic…”

“Nobody can change that simple truth. Please accept…”

“Shut up!! Go away!! Just disappear, why don’t you?!”




Rivas fades away at Maya’s behest, and they leave Lang to sulk about how he doesn’t want to be like THEM.



Maya goes to sleep, and sometime later, Lang decides he’s had enough.




He notices the wall. Specifically, where Bubba punched it.



(Hey! Maybe I can break it…!)

Lang rears up to charge into the door…



(I think I’ll give it another try…)

This whole segment makes you repeatedly click on the door. First just to find out it’s wobbly, again to charge at it, and you do that twice more just to break the door open. You’d think they could just make it one big scene?




(Not even Maya noticed and she’s-)



(Oh, there she goes.)

(Now, what should I do…about her…?)

(It’s not my problem!! She’s a Mystic just like they are, anyway!)

(I’ve got to get out of here…fast!!)



(I bet they treat her pretty badly…Just like they treated me…)



Maya seems to hesitate.

“Come on. I’m not gonna leave you here.”



Two gruelling boss battles into the game and we finally have our second character.

We are now free to explore Dolpin Castle.

Now Playing – Decadence and Corruption

(This track first played when Boerto was injured. Odd overlap, don’t you think?)



Or at least whatever isn’t blocked off for now.

Our only option right now is to go into this area’s basement.



”So I figure you wanna hear how I got into this mess.”

”?”

”It’s a pretty epic story, so brace yourself. Anyway, it all starts when I slept in on my first day…”



If we hang around near this cage, this thing jumpscares Lang.



”I sure have been dealing with a lot of weird beasts and pets lately, Maya, let me tell you. First there was this giant crab, but it didn’t look like a crab…”



We get our items back here. The game is kind enough to not force us to re-equip anything.



We find these weird vats in this lab. I’m reasonably sure the one in the centre is a Legaia 1 reference, specifically the first Seru beast you encounter.



You can drink all these coloured vials. The blue one restores MP but damages HP. The yellow one damages HP sevrely. The green one heals everything. The vials respawn upon re-entry, so they exist to let you heal in this dungeon.

We head back upstairs.



”…and Nancy tells me GALVAN claimed to have beaten it up first! Isn’t that the biggest load of bull you ever heard!?”

”…”

”Good talk.”




Welcome to every encounter in Doplin Castle save the boss fight.

If you were thinking these fights would be far easier now that we have a second character, you’d be dead wrong.



Maya cannot attack.

”Quick, Maya! Use your wacky magic to blast the guards!”

”I am a Life Origin. I only give life.”

”Pure embodiment of power my ass….”

Fortunately, the enemies here are no threat whatsoever, so Maya can just guard all day while Lang does the work.

Speaking of these enemies, they’re the first human enemies we’ve faced outside of boss fights. This means they have something more than grunting to do when they die. Commonly, you’ll hear them scream “LORD DOPLIN!” as Lang kills them. The only logical conclusion is that Doplin has enforced a Fascistic cult of personality around himself and inspired his mean to fanaticism. Makes sense, seeing how up his own ass he is.

Click here to have the words “LORD DOPLIN” burned into your memory.

After defeating those guards, we move on and find these two chilling out in a side room.



Guard 2: “That Mystic we found in The Forest Maze? Yeah, she sure has some willpower!”

Guard 1: “Capturing her was one thing, but would she ever really join our side? And how about that guy Elliott and Marienne brought in?”

They then notice Lang is there.



Guard 1: “Hey, you!! How long have you been there?!”

A fight ensues. They are easily beaten, like any other encounter here.



Here we find the first of this game’s readable items. You can access it through the menu, like so…



Darakin Rag: Established to weed out those so-called messengers of God, the unit has succeeded in identifying 2 Mystics this year!

You know, Doplin himself said “the gods”, whereas this Rag says “God” singular.

Darakin Rag: Bravo to Lord Elliott! Lady Marienne is also pleased with her bother. Oh, what a rosy future for our great kingdom!”

Darakin, the kingdom without a king.



We begin a short, crude stealth segment.



The obvious idea here is to dash between hedges until you get to the other side.

Getting caught just starts a fight with two guards. You are then forced back to the start of the maze. At first it seems like fighting accomplishes nothing…




But then, you will see less guards about. Eventually, there will be no guards at all. I have no idea if this is intended to be a crutch for people who can’t figure out how to stealth, or just recognition of you butchering your way through the castle.

Eventually, we make it through to the central building. There’s a few rooms to explore there, but not much to do other than try to leave.




This lever lowers the drawbridge and enables our escape.



Ladies and gentlemen, it is time for the best part of this game so far.

Now Playing - Knight's Kingdom




The man…



The myth….





The legend…






The MIGHTY Balken!

“If you consider yourself a real man…”



This is the first and possibly the last time we’ll get to have a genuine duel with anybody in this saga. Title!

Also, this is the first time your choice will have a meaningful impact on the gameplay. If you accept, you’ll actually fight the MIGHTY Balken alone. If you ignore him, Maya joins you as usual.

Here’s what he says when you ignore him:


But Cocky Lang won’t wimp out on this challenge.




“If we had met under different circumstances, maybe we could have been friends, shared a drink or two…”

“However! As you know…there can be no mercy when it comes to battles…Here I come!!”



Maya is there only as a piece of the background.

Unfortunately, as entertaining as the MIGHTY Balken is, this boss fight is piss easy compared to anything before it. It’s even easier if you have Maya to heal you.

Every round, a cut scene plays, with the drawbridge closing, and the MIGHTY Balken chewing the scenery.



“However! Time keeps slipping away…”

“Hmm?? Hurry! Hurry, I said!”

It takes five rounds for me to defeat him with Lang alone. This lets us enjoy all of the MIGHTY Balken’s scenes.






The MIGHTY Balken is a MIGHTY ham and it is delightful to listen to.




The MIGHTY Balken hits us with this on the third round. Fortunately for us, the MIGHTY Balken is too slow to capitalise on this kind of damage.



“Ever since I was born to the Mesai clan as one of 3 boys…”



If the MIGHTY Balken were a party member in this game, it would have been vastly improved, as far as I’m concerned.



“Have not the young nobles understood? You draw closer to your fated end…”

“I shall speak of this battle, this encounter with the young nobles, for years to come.”

“And now! As the crest of Saint Joprian is my witness…chivalry thrives within this body!”

I could have ended the fight here, but there’s one more scene to see.



“Once the drawbridge is closed, there is nowhere to go!”

“Embark on your journey to death!”



Unfortunately, the MIGHTY Balken will have to tell the dead of himself personally…







As a parting gift to the young nobles, the MIGHTY Balken flattens the drawbridge with his MIGHTY body. A recognition of their feat of bravery and might.

If we were to defeat Balken before the drawbridge closes, however, we get an alternative scene…


Click the below image to see the young noble duel the MIGHTY Balken.




Guard: “Don’t let them get away! Raise the drawbridge!!”





Lang and Maya escape by jumping onto the top of the gate from the rising drawbridge. They can now escape across the rooftops.



“What is it? What an awful lot of noise! Do you have any idea what time it is?”

Guard: “Yes, Highness! Apologies, Your Majesty! But the Mystics locked up in the annex escaped…I thought you’d want to know…”

“Wh…what did you say?! You fools!!”

“*Sputter!* What happened to Balken?! The Mighty Balken?!”



“Looks like somebody escaped, Marienne. Maybe it’s that young man we captured today.”

“*snort* A feeble boy like that? Escape? Ha! The guards or the Knights would just catch him and put him right back in prison!”

“Ha ha ha! Yes, I’m sure you’re right, Marienne…”

We cut back to Lang escaping. Eventually, he finds he has nowhere else to go…



Lang and Maya don’t get far inside before…







Sabrina: “Hey, you two…”

Sabrina: ”Stay right here!”

Sabrina and Nils go downstairs. We have no choice but to follow them.



Guard: “And I say they’re here! We’re searching the place!”

Sabrina: “Hey! Stop! You’re going to scare off all my customers!”

Sabrina: “You’re interfering with my business! Now get out of here, now!”

Guard: “Dammit…! Oh, all right! But you haven’t heard the end of this!”

The totalitarian police state guards give up in the face of potentially damaging commerce.

Sabrina: “Nothing but a bunch of cowards! But they think they can lord it over people, anyway! Hmph!”

Lang and Maya are now free to come out of hiding.

Now Playing – Trust Tomorrow to the Wind



Lang and Maya seem uncertain.

Sabrina: “Honey! Make us some of your specialty, would you?”

The man at the stove signals affirmation.



Lang and Maya still seem uncertain.

Sabrina: “Come on, now! Eat up! There isn’t any poison in it!”

Maya starts eating. Lang follows suit shortly after.

“Wow! This is great!!”

Sabrina: “Ha ha ha! No need to wolf it down! There’s plenty more where that came from. Eat as much as you want!”

The screen fades to black and transitions to a new scene.



“My name is Lang. And she’s Maya.”

“We, um, well, you see…”

Sabrina: “That’s okay. I know. You escaped from the castle, right?”

Sabrina: “The only time those men come around like that is when that Doplin has given them some stupid order or other!”

Sabrina: “What in the world are they doing in that castle, I wonder? Those idiots…!”

Sabrina: “Not too long ago, a whole bunch of young people were conscripted up to the castle! Grr!! It makes me so mad!!”

???: “Yeah, you said it!”



Norton: “That guy took away my job, my house..! He even took my Sandy away from me!! *Sob!* My sweet Sandy…!!”

(Wait, if a bunch of people got conscripted, and this Sandy was one of them, and I killed my way….uh oh…)

Sabrina: “Everybody here hates the jerks up at the castle!”

Sabrina: “I don’t know if they’re royalty or nobles or what, but they think they can do whatever they please! There’s no excuse for it!!”

Not even this game’s NPCs are sure of the nature of Darakin’s government.

Sabrina: “I knew as soon as I saw you two you weren’t like those people up at the castle!”

Sabrina: “Now then! I’m sure they were rough on you up there…Why don’t you stay here tonight? It’s not much, but you can feel at home!”

Sabrina: “Can’t use the room in the back. The door is broken. You’ll have to share a room. But you two look like you could get along okay!”



Basically, get embarrassed at sharing a room with a girl, or just get on with it. Cocky Lang gets on with it.

“Thank you, Sabrina! We would like to stay!”

Sabrina: “That’s the spirit! You’re young! Why hesitate? Seize the opportunity! And have a good rest!”

Sabrina: “Your room is the first one up the stairs. Make yourselves at home!”

Before we go to bed, there’s one last important conversation to be had.



Lang seems concerned.

Eye-Patch Man: “Now, now! Don’t look so scared! I’m not going to give you away to those men outside!”

Joe: “My name is Joe. I’m a kind of information source in this town. If you ever need to know anything, just ask me.”

“Please tell me! Just what exactly is a Mystic?!”

Joe: “Well, I’d usually get paid for this kind of service. But tell you what. I’ll let you try me out for free this once…”

Joe: “A Mystic is a person that can use the power of an Origin.”

”I already knew that much. Do you know anything meaningful about them? Like why they exist?”

Joe: ”Sorry kid, not many know about them at all. Only the people at the castle would know more.”

The conversation is actually a lot different from this, but it retreads information everyone already told Lang (who acts like he didn’t hear it from a ruddy Origin himself), and this update is long enough as it is.

And on the note of this being too long, I’m going to call it here. I generally aim to get between story beats, but the rest will have to wait.

Join me next time, where we will probably do a lot of side stuff, since the game opens up here.