Part 25: Elendia: The Resurrection

Unravelling the secret of the Ankhs, Ein and company made their way through Mireno and sealed the last of the Accursed.

Ein, believing that Riviera has been saved, hurries back to Elendia in high spirits.



We're back! And we're triumphant! Riviera is safe at last! All hail the conquering heroes!























Well, I'd better report this to grandfather. Have fun, everyone.



Party at our place!









Don't be ridiculous.
I'm telling you, it just refilled itself!
It's your imagination. Somebody must have come by and put some more loaves in while you weren't looking.
No way. I know what I saw. This bread basket is enchanted or something. I'm not kidding.
Honestly, Rebecca. I am getting rather tired of your half-baked notions.





Hey, we actually got a joke!
Truly this is a great day for us all.
I propose a toast!
Ohhh! Two for two! We're on a roll!
We'll be in the upper crust in no time at this rate!
Now you're just buttering me up.
Oh, that one really took the biscuit.
Seriously, though. We had better stop before this routine gets stale.



...so I've basically been digging up crystals for as long as I can remember. I've spent almost all of my life in that damn cave. I'd actually forgotten what it looked like outside until you and Ein came along. I've contemplated suicide dozens of times, but I've never been brave enough to go through with it.
I hate myself for that, you know? It's like, I can't stand living like this anymore, but at the same time I don't have the courage to do anything about it. So...I guess a part of me has started to feel like I deserve it for being so weak.
I just want to be out in the sun and not have to look at crystals anymore. That's all I want. But even if I had that, I'm still afraid that I wouldn't be accepted by anyone. I don't know how to do anything but dig. My hands are all gnarled up and I look like a freak. What is there for me outside of the cave?
Can't face living, can't face dying, can't even face getting what I want. I don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore.
...
Sorry, am I depressing you?
A LITTLE BIT.



Now look. I don't mean to sound harsh, but I refuse to believe that you have never gotten along with each other.
If we ever did, neither of us can remember it.
So what happened? I mean, did you get married and have two kids by accident?
...where are your kids, anyway? You didn't leave them on their own, did you?
Nope. Got a babysitter.





























...Miss?





fiaaaaaa
Yes?






















i invited some of the guys over
Yes. I had noticed.
fiaaaaaaa
Yes?
you're the bestest friend ever
That's nice, but it's not going to get you out of cleaning up this mess.
fiaaaaaaaa
Yes?
you're the bestest friend EVER
...yes. Alright. Thank you.



Is it just me or are we missing a few people?
(Reiche got shot in the head, remember?)
Is it just me or are we missing a few people that I don't hate?
(Oh. Yeah, now that you mention it, we do seem to be a couple short.)
Maybe I'll go look for them. Make sure they know they're invited.
(Whoa. Careful. That almost sounds like something a decent human being would do.)
To the untrained eye, maybe. However, if you look to your left, you'll notice that Lina is about to pass out. I figure if I'm not here when that happens, I won't be the one having to drag her up to her room.





Chappi!
Yo. How's it going?
Didn't you hear? We did it. All the Accursed are dead, and there's a party going on at Fia and Lina's place right now. You should come.
Sorry. Business hours. Maybe I'll swing by later, if it's still going by the time I'm finished. Speaking of which, here's that spear you ordered.



Enjoy the party. Pull a couple for me.
Pints or women?
Whichever, man. Whichever.





sup
just saved the world lol
kewl
*GrIm_AnGeL_EiN has invited you to join "Party at Fia's place."*
im in teh middle of a raid d00d
sux
(GOD WILL YOU TWO PLEASE JUST HAVE A NORMAL CONVERSATION FOR ONCE?)
...
Well geez. There's no need to be like that.
(I'm sorry, but I have an extremely low tolerance for...)
(...wait. You can hear me?)
No. I'm just reading the text.



















(What...what text?)
Say. You wouldn't happen to have Light Moss, a Magic Icicle and a Venoma Bud, would you? It just so happens that I need all three of them for my research.
It just so happens that you're in luck!
Nice. Here, you can have this magic book in exchange.



Sorry I can't make it to the party. Have a nice day.
(What text?)



...seriously? I just got back from saving the world and now you want me to help with your chores?
Oh, yeah. I see. Typical man. Perfectly happy to go bragging about how he killed a hundred demons yesterday or whatever, but mention the prospect of real work and suddenly you can't find him for love nor money.



















...I'll let you keep the broom?
FUCKIN' A LET'S DO THIS



Cower before me, dust! I am the king of sweeping!
Yep. You sure are. Wow. Your prowess is amazing. I'm getting all flustered. Maybe tomorrow you can come by and show me how good you are at washing dishes.








Man. Saved the world, got a broom. This day couldn't get any better.
(...well, at least you're easily pleased. Kind of.)
Alright. Now I just need to find...
(Find who?)



(Ein? What are you looking at?)
You ever see a patch of dirt and think "I really want to start digging through that, with my bare hands, for about five turns or so"?
(...no.)
I knew you wouldn't understand.



Five turns of digging later...




Hey, I found something.
(What is it?)
I'm not sure. It's a weird shape. Looks pretty beat-up, too.
(Well, being buried for years will do that to you.)
Eh. It's probably just junk. Let's leave it here.
(You're the boss.)
I sure am. TOSSED







Hey.
Oh. Hey. You need me for something?
No. It's just that you wandered off on us, and...well, you've been kind of quiet since we got back. Is everything OK?
I guess. Don't get me wrong; I'm glad that we've saved the day and all, but I was hoping we'd run into that woman again. You know, the one who...
...oh. Yeah. I'd almost forgotten about that, actually. You never talk about it.
What's there to talk about? I'm gonna find her and kill her. That's it. It's not complicated.
I meant you never talk about the Arcs.
They're dead. Still don't see what there is to talk about.
Oh, come on. Every single one of your people was killed and you don't have anything to say about it? I mean, don't you miss them? Aren't you sad, being all by yourself?
...
Serene?



...you're gonna be staying in Riviera, right? Now that everything's settled?
What? Well, yeah. I suppose so. I don't think I'll be welcome in Asgard anymore, since I disobeyed orders and everything.
Then I'm not "all by myself", am I?
...
No. You're not.
So like I said. Nothing to talk about.



Shouldn't you be getting back to the party?
Maybe later.



That night...








Ein...
Bwuh?
Ein, heed my words.
Oh, it's you. Listen, I understand that you want to shower me with gratitude and riches and a harem, but how's about doing it in the real world instead of a dream sequence?
You could have had a harem if you'd tried being a little more pleasant.
But girls are supposed to like jerks!
Look, don't sidetrack me. This is important. A Grim Angel has breached our domain of Yggdrasil.
...and that would be a bad thing, right?
Very bad. He is trying to destroy the Aquariums, the heart of Yggdrasil's defence.
You protect your domain with fish?
SHUT UP IT WAS REALLY CHEAP
Christ, it's no wonder everything's been going to pot with you in charge.
Just listen, will you? If they are destroyed, the Sealed One will be able to flow into Yggdrasil. Our confrontation will surely end both of our existences, and there will be no-one to prevent the Retribution. We must protect the Aquariums at all costs.
...
...what?
I assume that by "we", you mean "I".
Well, naturally.



The next morning...




So essentially, you want us to pack up all our things again and go to defend some place that none of us have ever heard of and may not even exist, on the grounds that you had a dream last night?
...I get the feeling that you're trying to make it sound stupid.
Believe me, I didn't have to try.
Ein, you've been adventuring for a long time. It's what you're used to now, so adjusting to the peace might be difficult at first. The dream was probably just your subconscious trying to create a reason to-
It wasn't just a dream, damn it! It was a vision! We have to go and save the Aquariums before it's too late!
Aquariums?
Yeah. Someone's trying to destroy all the Aquariums in Yggdrasil and we have to stop them.
...right.
See, the Aquariums are what protects it. If they all get destroyed, then...



...this isn't helping my case, is it?
I think your case was beyond help anyway.
Oh, for the love of god.



Ursula?!
Everything he said is true. Yggdrasil is under attack and we need your help.
OK. Great. Why didn't you just come and tell us that in the first place, instead of all this dream message bullshit?
well GEE i suppose i just thought you people might TRUST each other enough by now to take a few things on FAITH
(So have you been paying any attention to us? Like, at all?)
Alright, alright, alright. How do we find the place?
Go to the World Tree here in Elendia. I'll open up the path once you get there.
We'll get right on it.
Good. Anything else? Perhaps you'd like to see some photographic ID before you decide whether this is genuine or not?




















...are you offering?
GO.





(You do know it's Ledah, right?)
Yep.
(And you know he's not going to back down, right?)
Yep.
(So you're ready to show me that you don't suck, right?)
Yep.
(OK, then. Just thought I'd check.)







---NEW ITEMS---
Silvia: Spear-type weapon. Ice damage.
Witch Broom: Support item. Reduces wait of one ally. Cierra only.

























La la la, nondescript singing, la la la...



Huh? What's this?



Looks like someone dropped some of their loot over here.
Oh well. Finders keepers!








---NEW ITEMS---
Fanelia: Fanelia





























_{god there were a whole lot of long pauses in this one}