Part 59: Episode LVII: Become As...

Episode LVII: Become As...



Alright, I’ll admit it. Perhaps we were a bit harsh with assuming the church was immediately evil. Sure, it’s a slippery slope from JRPG organized religion to demon worshipping sect trying to summon a Cthulhu or cannibal space babies. But by all accounts, these guys found God like... earlier this week. I suppose we can give them a little bit of a chance before they work their way up to death cult or something. That said, if these guys are led by some little girl robot wearing red and talking in a pack a day smoker voice, we’re purging the whole facility immediately. I ain’t doing that again...


New Music: Wretched Weaponry (Quiet)







The priest of the as of yet unnamed religion’s priest leads 2B and Pascal to the up to this point inaccessible elevator towards the front of the Abandoned Factory (why is it called that when it’s clearly lousy with machines at all times and fully operational?) The priest leaves us behind, giving Pascal and 2B time for a short chat as the elevator descends.



So why are you still here?
Well, I brought you this far, didn’t I? It’s my duty to see this through to the end.
...Appreciated.



After a long descent to the bottom of the factory, we open up on... guys... torches? Really? I get you’re going for a cult aesthetic and all. But c’mon. This place has electricity and functional lights. What are you even playing at?



Door at the end of the hall. Got it. Does His Grace have a name or title...? Who are we meeting here? The Robo-Pope? I’m going to assume it is the Robo-Pope. Is that cool? Do you guys even know what a pope is...? Ah, forget it. We’ll find out soon enough.



Same except when we stabbed that Adam guy to death. You all aren’t mad about that one, right? I know he was administrating half of your network and all, but did you guys even know who Adam was in the first place? Dude was around for all of like a couple months in the 10,000+ years of this war and by all accounts he spent all his time fantasizing about hanging out with humans and unsuccessfully figuring out how to tie a tie.



This dude hasn’t taken up to spinning, flicking flower petals around or randomly going “lalalala” right...? I heard about another cult having an issue with someone like that once. It went poorly...



I think you’re going to have to blow up the moon if you want that to last. Humans are up there, you know? Those guys just can’t get enough of war.



OK, enough yammering with acolytes of this new faith. Let’s go meet the leader and see what his deal is... Seems like modesty isn’t part of the faith given the massive banners and throne encircled by excited worshipers.



I’m here to discuss the... peace treaty?



Meet the leader of this religious order, Kierkegaard – named after Søren Aabye Kierkegaard, a Danish existentialist philosopher from the 1800s who wrote various texts criticizing organized religion and particularly Christianity. He apparently was also a big fan of irony in his writings. So I guess that’s an apt name for a cult leader. At least I assume as much...



It’s going to be hard to ask him considering he’s dead.



Guys, just so you know... we literally just got here. How could we even have time to assassinate your po—





His Grace is a goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood!



...become a god!
His wondrous Grace has become a god!
...become a god!



...become as gods!



...become as gods!



...become as gods!



...become as gods!



...become as gods! We’ll all die together and become as gods!



...Oh dear.


New Music: Birth of a Wish (Become as Gods) (Hey go listen to this!)



Oh CHRIST! The robots have already jumped to the death cult phase after two days of finding religion. Pascal, we’ve got to fucking cheese it out of here NOW, my dude!



I was right. This IS shady! Fascinating, though... I’ve never seen machines with such... unique perspectives. I wonder if there’s a way to collect some samples and—
Less talk. More running.





All the machines in the area have turned hostile. Becoming a god isn’t an opt in thing for this compound. It’s a mandatory service. After all, who wouldn’t want to become a god? And what kind of jerk wouldn’t want to help others become as gods? They’re just being neighborly. Even if 2B is having none of that shit.



We’ve had a run-in with hostile machines in the abandoned factory. We need an immediate escape route.
<heavy static> Op... here. What... 2B?
Communications are currently unstable.
Loop a distress signal!
Affirmative.
Damn it!



The afterlife is wonderful!
Death brings final tranquility!
Die and become gods!
Let us become gods together!
We shall become gods! We shall!





The religious zealots are all just Stubbies with robes and painted purple. But there is an awful lot of ‘em with more flooding into the room to help the non-believer find their path. All we can do for now is hold out and help them become as gods instead. After a couple minutes of fighting...



Let’s check it out.





C’mon, Pascal! We’ve gotta go! This is a bad scene and you don’t fight, so get your jetpack ass on this elevator and let’s go!



So Pascal, you were just going to saunter over here alone if 2B hadn’t volunteered to tag along? Or were you not going to take their invitation until 2B insisted you check it out? Either way, bad decisions have been made on this vent—



ROBOT!



*gasp*
It’s me! 9S!
...9S!?
I hacked into this machine from the Bunker. I’m controlling it! I’m gonna break into this factory’s systems and get you outta here! Don’t do anything too reckless, 2B. We’ll meet up later on.
Appreciated.
<shorts out and deactivates>



Tune in next time as 9S helps 2B and Pascal escape from becoming as gods in Machine Jonestown as NieR: Automata continues. I can’t believe they already went full death cult in under a week. That’s got to be some kind of religion record...






Video: Episode 57 Highlight Reel (Hey go watch this.)





Factory Concept Art – Become as gods via grave OSHA violations.