Part 32: ARC III: Part 9: The Spell With The Ominous Name.

ARC III: Part 9: The Spell With The Ominous Name.

The next day...



True.

The Gallia era was much simpler in some ways. They killed non-humans, non-humans fought back. The Third and the Fourth Ages were much more chaotic. I'll need to go over that book again.

We should get to our history class.





Cade was meant to chuckle as she walked away but the boy with a crush on Selene randomly moved into her path during the scene which causes Selene to be stuck until he moved, which also got me stuck in cutscene mode for a little while.

Eventually, I make it to history class.


...





Woo. I get a Miracle Drop for my efforts, which is a revive from KO with full HP item. Tyer also gives out answer sheets for us to refer back to if we ever care to.



"This may be a bit unorthodox, but very few have ever trusted me to adhere to some strict plan of teaching. You will not learn just from listening to me, you will learn by coming to your own conclusions. These past few classes dealing with Gallia have made it clear that though their empire is gone, their legacy hangs over all of us like a dark cloud.

Consider what brought Gallia down. People within its own borders. Oh, they certainly had help from the other races and Arius Sherron's band of warriors, but the final defeat of the empire could not have happened without the rebellion. With that in mind, one can make the assumption that the power of Gallia rested not in the hands of its council, but its citizens. Strength in numbers was how they forced themselves onto the world, and a large part of the community itself became its downfall. My question to you is this...

What took so long? Why did the people of Gallia accept this violent doctrine for four-hundred years?

It's your turn to talk now. Feel free."

STUDENT: They were scared.

TYER: Fear no doubt played a part... But expand on that.

STUDENT: It's because we humans are so intolerant to begin with, even though now and then we pretend we aren't.

TYER: Hmm... I'm not so sure. Let's not forget that the Solendian Knighthood was brought to an end by humans as well.

It was because Gallian leaders always spoke with absolute certainty. After the Rain of Fire, nobody knew what the future held for them. The possibilities were endless. People could have united and made a better world, but Vincent Gallius and the others saw a different kind of opportunity.
They offered a way of life that was uncomplicated. Humans against the world.
They convinced humans that the Rain of Fire was something that only happened to them... and was only about them, even though all of the world's people had gone through it. had it not been for the Rain of Fire, Gallia would have gone nowhere.

She's right. The people were still so stunned from the disaster that they didn't fully realize what Gallia intended to do.
If only someone had been able to get through to them... To expose the distortions and hypocrisy in their words. If only someone had undermined the Gallian leaders to begin with. Not with violence, but with words. With the truth.
And should a power like Gallia rise again... their evil must be cut out at the roots before it spreads. We can't allow anything else if we want to maintain the peace we have now.





...



What happened?

CAPTAIN: The arsonist was found dead in his cell this morning.

What?! How?!

Took his own life, no doubt. What utter cowardice.

CAPTAIN: Actually miss... the wounds suggested otherwise. This was murder.

Who did it?!

CAPTAIN: Impossible to say. The killer did not leave a single trace. Whoever he is... He must move like a ghost.

This has gotten out of hand. We have to find Shroud.



Another poorly timed intermission!

Anyway, Auburn, Vec and Kovak are sitting around a table in the house they're renting when Barry rushes in.




I'm not sure. There's this really creepy guy about to walk in here and he doesn't look happy.



I'm not quite sure why he says this. Danika's the blue haired woman to his left. I think maybe she opened/destroyed/picked the door?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-F85XEb1PXk 'Coma' - Apocalyptica.


Barry gets out of the way and Auburn gets up.



Would you kindly explain why that monstrous killer you keep on a leash brutally murdered Torin Radney last night?



Easy, my friend. I am confident we can get out point across without violence.

What do you expect me to do? Would you prefer he gave our enemies the evidence they need to ruin us?

All operatives of The Hand are trained to resist interrogation.

Oh please. That Torin character was borderline insane. The risk of keeping him alive too great.
Barry's like RIGHT THERE, guys.

I'll thank you not to play Arcadius with the lives of my people! Your feud with these costumed vigilantes has now cost me two trusted agents!

How was I to know that they would venture outside Port Arianna to try and sabotage me further? We could not have been more secretive.
It seems to me that both of your men would be alive if they simply had enough skill to defeat Shroud and Stoic! Arcadius knows, my associates have gotten much closer than yours to that particular goal.

Don, you're a businessman... So I will put this in terms you can understand. When we first began this partnership, you were an asset.
Unfortunately, these days you are becoming a serious liability.

You pompous bastard! Nobody calls me a liability!



Both Auburn and Danika step forward to defend their respective bosses.

You may be angry now... But I promise you will regret this later.
As for you... if you want anything out of this, you will treat us all with respect. We're supposed to be your partners, not your lackeys!

You watch your tongue.

No, she is right. We are doing the work of our enemies for them if we kill each other. However, this destructive conflict with those Port Arianna meddlers must end. If you do think that your agents are more capable than mine, I will allow you to finish this once and for all.

I am confident I can do that. After all, I have many options...


...



Ha ha ha! I'm developing a bad habit of getting carried away during those discussions.

You both argue fiercely.

Selene, you could have weighed in if you wanted. You're smarter than most people there.

... I guess I'm just more interested in what others have to say.

I need to get going. I'll see you all later.





Hmm... I'm not sure.

I must go as well.



Where should we go?

There's an area right near the edge of the forest which is nice. There was once a path from here to Pearlton. It has gotten a little overgrown since then, but there are still some nice spots. What do you think?

Sounds nice enough. Let's go.


...



Get sure.

Cade was pretty clear that he didn't want either of us hanging around there. We don't know what kind of people we could run into.

He'll want to know about this. Now come on.

They begin walking and...



Wha?

You!! What are you doing here?!

What?! What the hell is going on?!



Thinking quick, Cade conjures a duststorm and quickly runs into the trees with Stoic and The Baron.



She runs off looking for him.



What in Arcadius's name are you even doing hanging around with her?!

Huh? Why do you care?!

Hey! Everyone calm down!



This is my costume! I'm The Baron!

Right. I'm still confused.

Me too! I didn't expect to come here and find you taking a stroll with that Robin brat! Care to explain?

Robin?

Yeah. That was Gabriella Robin who just ran off. How could you not know that by now?

I never did get her last name... so she's the one who...

Right. The one who tried to fight me in Fort Drake... and failed miserably, I might add.

That can't be right... She's smart... and caring...

You've been living in that monastery for days and you had no idea?

Come to the think of it... She has made some remarks about the undead.

Exactly. Her family hates the undead. I've had to deal with them for centuries.

... But why would she work for Equipment King and The Hand? She hates Gallia! You wouldn't believe some of the things I've heard her say about them.

Hmm...

What's on your mind?

The Equipment King guys like to keep their partnership with The Hand secret. It's possible she might not have known that Gallian people were involved.

That's got to be it.

Enough of this. This wasn't the reason we wanted to find you.

There's been a lot of stuff going on since you've been gone.

Tell me on the way back to Zala's house. We shouldn't stay so close to the grounds. If the guards find us here, the entire plan could fall apart.



Much more timely but if I don't make this update super huge we'll never finish this school arc.


...



A pity these Hand goons never live long enough to be of any use to us. Since we can't seem to get anymore information out of them, it has become more imperative that you track down some real evidence.

I'm getting close. They keep the real delicate information locked in this tower behind the grounds. I already found a key for it. I was planning to go tomorrow.

Will you need backup?

That is probably a worthwhile precaution. Just be sure to stay out of sight when you're making your way up there. If the guards get suspicious in any way, this whole thing could be ruined.

You don't need to tell us how high the stakes are. This is the only shot we have to strike a real blow against Kovak.

I really should get back there before too long, but while I'm here I could use some help.

With what?

I'm having trouble keeping some of this history stuff straight for my Comparative Religion class.

... You want me to help you with your homework?

Well, why not? You probably lived through most of this stuff, anyhow.

Doesn't matter, though. Tomorrow you're going to be stealing documents from that place. Why bother?

I just want to be able to understand it for my own sake.

Fair enough. What era are we talking about here?

Well, the teacher is really into that time period around the late Third Age and the early Fourth Age.

Now that's ancient. Third Age is before my time. I still know plenty about it, though.

Here we go. This is the part I don't understand. You have General Mephesto fighting the necromancers in the Third Age...

Right. Thaniel Mortrus led the necromancers. He and Mephesto were bitter enemies. They eventually both died at the end of the war.
If you remember Nova's history lesson from Clean Slate, she referred to a 'wave of necromancy' threatening the world that everyone wanted to join the Solendian Knighthood to fight. The Knighthood rejected women and non-humans, which led to the dark knights rebellion, or... the Blacksteele Rebellion as it's known. And Blacksteele turned to necromancy and dark magic and tried to summon Perditia, before being mysteriously killed.

Okay, but then it says in the Fourth Age he got resurrected twice by someone named Thanatos. How can someone be resurrected twice? And who was Thanatos, anyway?

Thanatos is Thaniel Mortrus when he became a lich.

A lich? What's a lich?

A lich is a mage who gets brought back as a skeleton with all of his magical powers intact.

Oh... Why didn't I know that.

Liches are rare to begin with... and there hasn't been a really powerful one in some time.

Can you explain the resurrection thing to me, though?

Sure. Once Thanatos had returned, he wanted to get some kind of revenge on Mephesto even though he had been dead for quite awhile.
So he decided to use his necromancy to bring him back as a skeleton.

That seems risky.

It was... but such was Thanatos's ego. He managed to have his undead version of Mephesto until it was defeated by a young adventurer named Dalton.

He got beat by a kid? This famous general?
During Nova's history lesson, Volrath talked about how a lot of the ancient backstory is based on RPGMaker games he didn't finish. Blacksteele's rebellion is explicitly listed as one of these aborted games (I don't know if Blacksteele was the protagonist, antagonist or something else), and I suspect this Dalton character was the protagonist of an even earlier one.

Thanatos sent him into battle too soon. It's very difficult to adjust to being a skeleton. You no longer have skin or muscles that you've always had.
You aren't able to do much of anything until you really understand how to adapt to the dark magic that keeps you alive... If you can call it alive.

I see... that makes sense. I wish this book could have just said that.

I should write my own history book.

But what about this second resurrection? He brought him back as a skeleton again?

No, he brought him back as a full flesh and blood human.

What?! Nobody can do that!

He could. It is possible, but it takes an enormous amount of power and all the specifics and rituals have to be absolutely perfect. There are only a few times in the entire history of dark magic that this has ever been accomplished, but Thanatos was certainly a powerful enough necromancer to do it.

So Mephesto actually came back as a human being.

Yes, but that became a fatal mistake. Thanatos was certain that once Mephesto was returned to his original human form, he could control him with hypnosis techniques. However, he realized too late that his power was slipping.

Then Mephesto broke free and became a threat.

Exactly.

The rest of that story is pretty clear in the book, but I really had no idea what the double resurrection thing was about. Thanks for clearing that up.

You're welcome. Now go back there and get that evidence!

I should leave soon... Gabriella must be frantic.

For Arcadius's sake... I can't believe that you are so attached to her. What are you going to do next, share a room with Sparrow?

Knock if (SIC) off. You don't really know her. She would never have gone after you if she knew the truth about Kovak. I'll use the documents in that tower to show her the truth.

So we should be near the tower to back you up tomorrow morning?

You got it, Finley.



All this time, Zala's been going back and forth cutting up vegetables and getting more and now she bursts into flames to heat the pot.

What?

Don't use my civilian name when I'm in costume!

*groan* You'll never let me forget that, will you?


...









"getting too upset, I would be grateful. Also... please bless Selene and help her find confidence. I guess you can bless Evrind if you're not too busy. Most importantly, though... I beg you to watch over my friend Cade and keep him safe. I could not find him after that freak gust of wind, and the guards weren't able to track him down either. Please guide him back here. He has too much promise to be lost to us so early."

... I knew I was right about her.



Oops.



No need for that. I just got a little turned around in that dirt cloud... walked right into the woods. It took hours to find my way back.

It's all my fault! That forest is dangerous! I never should have led you down there.

There's something else we have to talk about. Can I come in?

Yes, have a seat.



*gasp* How do you know that?

I'm from Port Arianna, remember? He's famous there. What I'm more curious about is... How do you know him?

*sigh* I guess I should tell you.
A few weeks ago, my father got a request for help from a businessman in Port Arianna.

Do you remember this man's name?

It was... Kovak. Don Kovak.

Ah.

Kovak asked for help with a skeleton that carried some grudge against his business and was terrorizing the town.
My father was too busy to go himself, so he suggested that I go in his place. He said it would be a good learning experience for me... and I guess it was.

But why would either of you go? Why would anyone here want to stick their neck out for a snake like Kovak?

The monastery needs allies, Cade. Being true to Arcadius is not popular these days... everyone just thinks of that extreme Gallia nonsense.
The more friends we have, the better.

You don't want friends like him, trust me.

To be honest, there was more to it than that. My family, the Robins, has always been committed to helping people who are menaced by the undead.
It's no surprise that he turned to us.

Stoic is no menace.

What?

You don't know all the things he's done for the townspeople. He helped stop a group of thieves who tried to rob people... and when some children got kidnapped, he helped bring them all back!

What are you saying? That this skeleton is some kind of... crime fighter?

Yes! That's exactly what I'm saying! Not only that, most of the crime he fights these days comes from Kovak. Kovak and The Hand!

Did... did you say The Hand?

You've heard of them?

Of course I've heard of them! Anyone with a grasp of contemporary history has heard of them!

Tell me what you know.

Not much. They commit these terrible crimes in the name of Gallia... but they might as well be invisible!
Nobody has ever been able to prove any of their evil acts. Patterns emerge, though. And even without proof, one can tell when they're on the move.

What if I told you I have reason to believe that Don Kovak is in league with The Hand, and there could be evidence in the tower to prove it?

You want to go into the tower?! We can't!

I already have the key.





"Will you help me?"

But... but I... What will you do once you find what you need?


I'll take it to the proper authorities. If Stoic is here, I can trust him with it.





"I never had a chance to go to a real school... to learn about history... and religion and how complicated it all really is."

There's a pause here...

I'm sorry to have upset you.

Cade goes to leave.



If I had known that a group of psychotic fanatics like The Hand was involved in any way with the problems in Port Arianna, I never would have helped.
They forced me into going against my own beliefs!





Thank you. With the help of Shroud and Stoic, we'll get back at them.

Shroud? Oh yes, I've heard of him. He's supposed to be Stoic's ally. He must have been that green-haired person we saw with him.

Uh... yeah, maybe.

I'm still very uneasy about Stoic. Something is not right with him.

Why do you say that?

Well... he told me he was 950 years old.
The thing is... The dark magic that keeps skeletons alive gives out after about two or three hundred years.
He couldn't have lived that long... the amount of magic that would take... it's unheard of!
As soon as I heard that, I couldn't even focus on the fight. Looking back, I'm lucky he let me live.

Hmm... I suppose that is odd.

Oh well. No reason to worry about that now. Get some rest and meet me at the tower tomorrow.

Right. I'm so glad I can count on your help.

Night!


...


The next morning...



About damn time.



Hi, Selene. Do you have any plans for the weekend?

I'm going to sit here for a while. I'm not sure what I'll do after that.

... Can I make a suggestion?

If you want.

There's this kid who walks around here in a big hat... I think he would enjoy spending some time with you.

Hmm... Maybe.

I gotta get going. Don't forget what I said.

I have a good memory.


And with that out of the way, we head on over to the Tower of the Sun.



How long have you been here?

Since sunrise. I couldn't sleep... my stomach feels like it's full of butterflies.

Well, let's go then.









You have a more optimistic view of it than I do. Somehow I get the feeling he would not have tried as hard to get through to her if she were a man.
Stoic sure has Cade's number.

That's not very nice.

Let's just hope all this goes off without a hitch. That way we can be finally be done with this place.
That's how its phrased in the game.



"A young knight in years to come
Gave him a new chance to live,
But his old foe from the wars
Was one he could not forgive.

The mighty lich was finally felled,
But never forgotten to those
He raised as undead servants,
They who called him ___________"

The poem just cuts off...





You have to type in the answer yourself. Gabriella's there to ask for help, but if you don't get her help you get a reward.

Anyway, the way to the next floor and poem opens.



"Spoken to by an unseen lord,
He gathered a hungry band
To create a new era
With humans as lords of the land

To the dark beyond
He ordered the unworthy sent.
Founder of a mighty land,
His name was ______"






"Her teachings gave birth
To the dark study of the dead,
Instead of seeking peace in the beyond,
Men sought new life instead.

Now defeared and banished
Centuries after her sedition,
Her presence is a fleeting one,
That wicked goddess _________"





I can't believe I let you talk me into this. Do you realize how much trouble we'll be in if anyone ever finds out we were up here?

There's no sense in being worried about that now.

Hurry up and find the one you want so we can leave!



It could be depending on what you're looking for. These are manuscripts that haven't yet been released as an actual book.
They're sent to the monastery in order to get feedback from the religious scholars here.

Hmm...
It turns out to be useless to Cade. So do the other two chests you can see. The big red one though...



Not sure... Let's take a look.
Wow! I never would have thought something like this would be up here!
You did a good job with those poems... you should have it.



Wooo weapon upgrade.



"*gasp*"



"A New Alliance for a New Era: The Union of Business and Religious Extremism in the Post-Gallia Years."
This is exactly what I need.

Who wrote that?

Someone named Cole Marin.

I've heard of him. He's quite respected among scholars. I wonder how long it has been since he sent this manuscript here.
He would be furious if he knew it was just sitting in this tower.



Take this and hide.
Cade pushes her behind a pillar.





Too late now. Someone has to get caught or they will keep searching.



Why are you here, Evrind?

I should ask you the same thing. I knew you were planning to try this. I've known since that night I found you hanging around outside.

...

Why? Why do this to the monastery?





Gabriella's sneaking down the side there...

If he has something to do with the crimes being committed in my town, then yes. What I'm trying to do will save lives.

I don't understand people like you, Cade. You claim to be so tolerant and open-minded... but when people express ideas that you don't like, you do whatever you can to stifle them.

It's not the idea. It's those who get hurt in its name.

Enough. I'm taking you out of here. Don't make me get the guards.

You've got me, Evrind. I'll come along.



If you're lucky, you'll only get in trouble for trespassing instead of stealing. Now let's go.





Something must be wrong. Be prepared for anything.
Gabriella runs out past these guys so uh... Did they just let Evrind wander in? Or Evrind stealthily infiltrated the place?







You don't know what you're talking about!







Tranquilizer. He won't be out long. Let's go.

I've got your costime.

Thanks, but I can't put that on just yet. There's one more thing I have to do.


...



I don't have time to explain it right now. I've got to take that manuscript out of here before I'm caught again!

I read some of it...

You did?

Yes... and you were right. From what I can see, the basis of Marin's entire argument is the relationship he saw between Equipment King and The Hand.

That's great! I can't thank you enough for your help.

It was the least I could do. If it weren't for you, I would have never realized what I was getting into by helping them.
I just...
I just wish you could stay.

... I do too.
I... I need to go.
Ahhh... Love Interest No. 3. I should start taking bets on who Cade will end up with.

... Goodbye.


...



Yeah. We should hurry.

Zala shows up.


Yeah... I was.



I don't plan things like that... But who knows. It was good seeing you again, Sto--... Bones.

You too, Zala. Farewell.



Yeah! Let's go, guys!



But we're STILL not done with this update.



You're completely welcome to Gino!!!

Only if you learn how to make some guns!

I could probably teach myself quickly if you showed me some designs.

I have plenty of those back in the apartment!

If you do make him new ones, make sure he doesn't test them in the middle of the night!

For Arcadius's sake, B-Man! If you had a stomach, you'd get an ulcer from holding all these grudges!

Ha ha ha!
Everything all right, Cade?

Oh... yeah.

I figured you would be bouncing off the walls. Your plan worked perfectly!

I guess it did.

What's the matter?

Have you ever... just stumbled on something... and then realized it was something you always wanted?

You wanted to stay there?

No... that... that wouldn't have worked out in the long run.

So what's the deal?

Leave him be, Finley. It's clear Cade paid a heavy price for this victory.



"Ugh!"

What the hell is going on?!

We've got trouble.

Everyone get in costume. Gino, stay close to us.



But what's going on? Why would someone just knock her off the carriage like that?

Oh no...







He's carrying the manuscript!







"Shroud, wait!
Don't go after him alone!"





What?!
... Oh.

GUARD: You there! Return the stolen documents and surrender!

Not a chance.

Not like we could even if we wanted to. Looks like we have to deal with these guys. It's up to Shroud now.







I do not have time to play with you now, Shroud. We will have our next battle at some other time.







Next minigame! There's also button mashing to jump cliffs and stuff.



Here's me fucking up dodging debris. Shroud falls off if he hits about five objects. You then have to start the segment over. Same for if you fuck up a jump. Luckily the whole chase is divided into five different segments. Two dodging segments,



Two normal cliff jumping sequences...


One where you quickly have to press the right key to jump to the next pillar... and a last one where you just have to press the right direction key enough times in a short amount of time.









You have something that belongs to me. I want it back.

Headstrong fool! I would think that you would not be so hasty to die after our last encounter!

Don't flatter yourself. You caught me off guard in Fort Drake. That won't happen again.

Brash comments will not save you. You may be confident, but you are careless and inexperienced.
It will take more than a mere swagger to defeat me.

Sure, tough guy. You know, I seem to recall that you were "weary" after our fight. I've only gotten more skilled since then.

Skills or no, your sheer ignorance will still be your end. Do you truly think that a pair of upstarts in costumes will be enough to stop Equipment King? Solest is moving into the future, and they are the most significant archtects of that transition.
Your foolish crusade is like fighting the tide of the ocean or the rising and setting of the sun.

Are you trying to get me into some debate about principles? The guy who helps scare towns into submission?

Idiot! It is not principle. It is simply reality.





What are you doing?! You aren't going to try and make that jump, are you? That's impossible!

Maybe for you.

He's out of his mind. He's going to get himself killed to spite me!
Sparrow, stop! You won't make it! It's insane to try!





"Stop!"





I am a fast learner.

Don't give me that understated cryptic crap! You're not a wind mage, so how did you do that?!

That I will not reveal. Now get out of my sight before I get fed up with you.

All right, that's it!







I love this reaction.

How's that dirt taste?

If you want death so badly, you shall have it.

Just try it.



This fight is set to Path by Apocalyptica, just like last time, though an editted version that skips the build up.



Sparrow turns invisible to become near impossible to hit for a while, but wind magic hits and reveals him.


The ability Evrind taught Shroud is pretty useful unlike most JRPGs implementation of a counter attack ability. That's because counter is a status effect that lasts for a while, anyone that attacks Shroud in that time gets countered.

But this fight is way easier than last time. He goes down pretty easily.



I think not. Time to end this farce.










Sparrow attempts his teleportation knife fighting trick but Shroud repeatedly counters him.

You're done, Sparrow.

Oh, please.



And Sparrow blows Shroud off the cliff. Well.











You recovered the manuscript?

... No.

What?!

I'm sorry... It's as good as destroyed now. All of this... for nothing.
I just can't seem to defeat Sparrow.



How did that creep manage to find us, anyhow?!

He must have been the one who took Torin out. Kovak probably had him patrolling this entire area while he was trying to do business in Pearlton.

Kovak always seems to be a step ahead. It won't be easy to outsmart him.

*sigh* I've let you all down.

Don't despair, chum. There's still Boreal.

Boreal? What's there?

Zala said there might be more information there that can help us.

Oh, cool! I've always wanted to go to Boreal1

Who wrote that manuscript, anyway?

What was his name... Cole Marin.

Somebody in Boreal may also know where he lives.

Good thinking, Gino. If we can't keep our hands on the book, then we'll go straight to the author.

Yeah... Thanks, everyone.

Now let's put these costumes away and you can heal that poor driver.

Right.







Torlin? What the hell are you talking about?!

Don't play stupid. I know he left for Pearlton after you so cowardly drugged me from behind.
Hahahaha, you can't be this stupid, Evrind.

You dare refer to The Baron's prowess as cowardly?! You've got some nerve!

Oh, just shut up and tell me where he is!

...

He's long gone. Went ahead on a seperate carriage.

You planned this together all along... and I thought he was my friend. Well, that's fine with me. I'd much rather settle the score with you murdering scum!

Who's a murderer?!

Stop insulting my intelligence. I'll make you all pay for what you did to my brother. Did you ever think for one second what that did to my family?!

Dican's death wasn't intentional.

This is Dican's brother?!

It was an accident.

You lie!

Fool! We never wanted him dead! We wanted to interrogate him!

I've had enough. I'll see to it that you answer to Arcadius for what you've done!


There's not really much to say about this fight. Evrind and his two bodyguards are durable and that's about it. They don't even get much damage done.









Ketsu arrives...


...



And now for the last scene of this incredibly long update. A scene I've been dying to get to for ages. You might remember a couple Clean Slate updates ago where I briefly mentioned Shurikra, Ivory Aleska and Britsus the kobold pursued the Wyvern Fangs Cult to an island where they found one of the worlds greatest secrets. I didn't go into detail on that because I didn't want to spoil the discussion here.

Anyway, Ketsu enters the room and Solik goes to speak to him. Ketsu's getting a lot of screentime lately... Also his usual theme plays for this whole scene.



Oh, indeed. Some of these accounts I had never had a chance to read until now.

The Hand values history almost as much as you do, Solik. No doubt these volumes would have been destroyed by the rebels had we not secured them.

Historians like myself owe you a great debt. In particular, I am quite fascinated by these journals of Ariel D'eleficent. I thought these were no more.
The first -real- mention of Ariel in this game...

Anyway, a pink haired woman we haven't seen before also enters the room now.



It's perfectly clear now that Ariel did have a concrete idea of exactly how to cast the Forbidden Spell of Rebirth, though she never actually did.
She listed all of the ingredients in her journals... as all true dark mages are expected to do for their successors. As you might imagine, that has been a great help. However, I will have to look at older volumes of my own for more information on the actual procedure.

I have a question I never got around to asking you when you arrived.

What's that?

I was certain that the Forbidden Spell of Rebirth had not been cast since the Fourth Age.

Incorrect. The incident you are thinking of is the most famous one. Cast by the great dark sorcerer Thanatos shortly after his own return as a lich thanks to Sir Volrath Blacksteele.
Now you know where the Volrath name comes from.

Regrettable that we should be treading down a similar path to the one taken by such a disgusting heretic.

Regrettable? Nonsense! I say it is a fine omen! Blacksteele is one of the most influential figures in history!
I suspect that necromancers actually idolise Volrath Blacksteele, but it could just be Solik. But even in the time of their alliance with Gallia, one of the necromancers doing Gallias dirty work was a birdman. I -think- the guild models themselves off of Blacksteeles ideals in that regard.

Influential or not, his betrayal of Arcadius earns him the hatred of all those who believe in the values of Gallia.

As if that carries any weight. You people hate everything.
Lol. Solik's my favourite villain because of certain things like this. There's a close second we haven't been introduced to yet though. Well... we kind of have been...

... How dare you! You will show the followers of Arcadius respect while you are in our employ!

Whatever. Do you want know more about the spell or don't you?

I do.



A kobold? What would he know?
He knows enough that writing it down is one of the biggest fuck-ups that makes Ketsu's plans possible. Good job Britsus.

Quite a bit, as it turns out. You see, he and some of his allies came into conflict with the Wyvern Fang Cult. Do you know of them?

I have heard that name, yes.

Their leader was a woman named Anna Sanora. A real lunatic, that one. She did not think Gallia was extreme enough in their methods.
To her, it wasn't enough to merely punish the other races. She believed that even humans who deviated from the so-called values of Arcadius deserved death. The scariest part of this whole episode was that she found dozens of people who agreed with her.

Where are you going with this?

Anna Sanora was briefly an apprentice to Ariel D'eleficent herself! Is it becoming clearer?

Ariel taught this woman the Forbidden Spell of Rebirth?

Hardly. She stole the information and fled Gallia. The copy you found is actually the second one Ariel had to make. To be able to cast the spell, Anna had to come up with potions and other methods of alchemy to temporarily increase her own dark magic skill. After many years of searching she was finally able to find the Altar of the Abyss. At last she had the means to return fallen members of the Wyvern Fang back to flesh and blood humans.
She actually cast the spell twice on two different leaders of the cult, the second time before the very eyes of Shurika, Ivory and Britsus.

Did... did you say the Altar of the Abyss?!

Your ears do not deceive you. The same altar used by Thanatos and all the great dark mages before him who sought to conquer this forbidden spell.
The altar was said to have been forged by Perditia herself, and has survived all of the various catastrophies in Solest's history.

Agents of mine have been searching for that altar for years! Have you located it?!

Konne does not specify the exact location, but a solid estimate can be found from other details in his narrative.

Well?

He wrote that it only took he and the others a few hours on a raft to reach the cathedral that house the altar at that time.
We know for a fact that he lives in Guardia, so that means that the altar is on an island probably less than a mile from that continent's shore.

An island? How interesting...

During the time of Thanatos, it was likely part of the mainland. The Rain of Fire no doubt changed that.

Excellent. We shall make preparations to travel there.

Let's not be too hasty. After the battle with the Wyvern Fang, the altar's power was sealed off by a elven mystic named Ivory Aleska.
It should be no problem for me to overcome the seal, but these ingredients are hardly easy to come by. I suspect I shall have to make most of them myself.
For that, I will need to spend some time at my laboratory in Rellenia.

That is fine.

Is it? I must say, I expected you to protest.

I might have if I suspected you had another reason for leaving. Does he, Cari?



"he seeks in this library. Information which he will use once he's done with The Hand."

How utterly classless. Letting your mind-reading friend here sift through my thoughts right as I am trying to help you.
What a shameful violation of personal space.

Oh, cease your griping. A man does not get in my position by holding people to their words... Their thoughts tell much more truth.
For now, I have other business to attend to. I am glad to see that you have made such progress.

Then you have no moral compunctions about using the power of an altar meant for servants of Perditia?

Tools of evil can easily be used for the good of Arcadius. Why else do you think Gallia signed the Treaty of Thanatos with the necromancers?

Hmm... yes. Well put. Goodbye then.

Best of luck.

Farewell.







That may be wise. It seems you were unsuccessful in finding a minion of your own.

No... I don't understand it. He and I loved spending time together. Why wouldn't he want to serve me?

Older skeletons have a tendency to become very full of themselves. You're much better off recruiting a skeleton that you create yourself.

I know... You've said that. But... for some reason I am hesitant.

No need for that. It is a simple matter for anyone who has been trained. Simply find a cemetery!

...

Do not be afraid. One day you will have no choice but to call upon your skills.
For now, we must prepare to leave. Once we are in Rellenia, it will take me some time to finish all of the necessary components for this spell.
It will be hard work, but well worth it. As necromancers, our business has always been in finding ways around death.
We've settled for returning the dead to us as skeletons... but now we have a chance to wield total control over life and death.
We shall taste the powers of the gods themselves!

My goodness. You get so carried away sometimes.

I can't help it if I have a flair for the theatrical. Now get your things together. We leave as soon as possible.

Whew. And that's that. Finally done with this little sub-arc about the monastery... And got some information about Ketsu's plans...

Just who does he want to resurrect so badly that he'd expend so much time and effort on this..................................... oh no, oh jeez.

the end