Part 45: The Other Endings

Hey folks! Time for some bonus content!

Here's something I said in the opening post that you may remember:


Well guess what? Mr. Nick Buntline has spared me the trouble by very kindly providing me with a saved game just before the final boss fight, all set up so as to get the very ending to which I refer!

As I said, in order to get this one, all the girls must have low affection for you, but Cierra's affection has to be the least low. It's trickier than all the other endings, because it's hard to be sure if Cierra actually does dislike you less than everyone else, and if you overcompensate then you might end up making her like you too much and receive her ending instead. With the other endings, you don't have to worry about the balancing act; you just please the girl you like and piss off the ones you don't. Or, if you're going for the "bad" ending, just piss everybody off.

But there's more! In addition to this SUPER SECRET ENDING THAT NONE OF YOU HAVE SEEN YET, I'm also going to show you the endings for the rest of the girls!

That's not to say I'm going to do a separate update for each one, though. Apart from a couple of scenes, everything pretty much goes the same way regardless of whom you end up with, so I'm just going to cover it all at once and show where things diverge.

Also, just so that we're all absolutely clear on this, I am not going to alter any of these scenes in any way. My own comments aside, everything you see here is straight from the game, with the exception of a few fabricated screenshots that I had to put together because I only have saved games for Serene and Rose's endings. And even then, they've been reproduced as faithfully as possible.

Are you ready? Let's go!





I still need more souls for Seth's rebirth. Just a few more...



Forget it, Hector! Your scheme ends here!
You still dare to defy me?
Ein! I win!



Malice!!



What are you doing?!


I'm sorry to say it, but that's actually how this happens. She doesn't swoop in and grab one of the girls when she's isolated; she appears out of nowhere, and then the girl in question just kind of materialises in front of her somehow.


Master Hector! Use this Sprite's soul to revive Seth...!
Well done, Malice.
Cierra!
Complete the ritual! For the sake of Asgard! Take what is rightfully yours!
Alright. This will be the dawn of a new era!


(I should mention that I'm also using the same facial expressions that the game does. Come on, guys. This is NOT the time to be using Malice's "indifferent" face.)





Ugh...!
Cieraaaa!
Fina...lly, my fu...ture...has...be...en re...deem..ed... ... ...


(I admit to being pretty liberal with ellipses myself, but even I'm going to say that this is overdoing it a smidge. "Been" is one syllable, for heaven's sake.)




Divergence! As you've probably gathered, the girl that gets sacrificed here is the one who has the highest affection for Ein. Naturally, at this point, they all have some last words for us. Let's hear them!




CIERRA



Cierra...
Ein... ... ...Thanks...for...the adventure...I'm glad...that we met... ...Please...stay...just as you are...That is my last request...
*giggle*You look so much more mature to me, now... ... ...I never told you this, but... ...I...I think I... ...
*cough* *cough* Good...bye...
Cierra! Nooooooo! Cierraaaaaa!!


You know, Cierra, you could easily have squeezed "love you" in there instead of "goodbye". It's the same number of syllables, so it's not like it would have taken more effort.

Mind you, that's assuming that "I love you" is actually what she was trying to say. Maybe it was going to be "I...I think I...actually am a little overweight." Who can tell?




FIA



Ein...Please...Take care of...Riviera...and...Elendia...
I was so...fortunate...to have met you...
I wish I could have told you...how I really feel...
Fia! Nooooooo! Fiaaaaaa!!


And there it is again! Damn it, Fia, it would have been so much easier to just say "I love you" rather than "I wish I could have told you how I really feel." It's like they're leaving the poor guy hanging on purpose.




LINA



Ein...When this is...all over...Let's go play...
I wanna go home...Home to Elendia...
I...want to...go...home...
Lina! Nooooooo! Linaaaaaa!!


This actually does make me a little sad, because it contrasts nicely with the other death scenes. The rest of the girls are, overall, pretty chill with the fact that they're about to die. They just accept it and use their final moments to give a little heartfelt speech to Ein.

Lina, on the other hand, is scared and in denial. It's all too much. She doesn't want to die. She just wants to go home. And she can't.




SERENE



I've always felt...so guilty...Meeting you...being so happy..When...all of my people...were dead...
But now...I can be reunited with them...
Ahhh...It's so dark... ... ...
Serene! Nooooooo! Sereeeene!!


Well folks, here's what you would have seen in the finale if I'd left it as-is.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the speech itself, as such; I just didn't think that this was really the heartwrenching moment it should have been, mostly because of the general lack of response from everyone else. Ein included.

I don't claim to be a great writer or anything, but I do feel that if you want to show someone's death as having an emotional impact on a person, you need to do a little better than "Nooooooo!"

It'd be different if this were a current-gen, 3D game and they had a full range of facial expressions and animations to work with, because then you don't need words to convey emotion. With a good voice and the right body language, a simple cry of "Nooooooo!" can work nicely. However, without those, you need to make do with what you have, and what you have is text. I don't think it's possible to use "Nooooooo!" seriously in written dialogue and not have it come off as weak and silly-looking. Especially if you don't even capitalise it.

Thus, the scene had to change, and since Ein was now responding to Serene instead of listening quietly, the speech had to change too.





The final soul has been sacrificed...Now is the moment I have waited for...Seth's rebirth!



Seth...the Sprite of Death...


Note: Until now, nobody, not even the narrator, has referred to Seth as "the Sprite of Death". I really don't know how or why Ein thinks to call her that here.


I wAnt poWEr...GIvE iT tO mE...POWER POWER POWER POWER!



Behold! She is but a child...A wretched creature that innocently craves power!
You killed <insert girl here> for THIS!?


"hey didja you said that everything here is straight from the game so wouldn't that mean ein actually does say 'insert girl here' dur hur"

Shut up.


*chuckle*
What's so funny!?
Even a false angel had her uses.
What?!
Malice was not a true Grim Angel. She tried to become one, but failed.
What do you mean?!
She lacked the skill...So, I fashioned a Diviner for her...It looked just like the real thing. I needed a pawn, you see. And she thought she was sacrificing her future! Muahahahahaha!


Note: Evil laughter is also impossible to take seriously if it isn't voiced.


She actually believed she was a Grim Angel! I'm sure she was happy to be my puppet. Because otherwise, a failure such as her would have been completely useless!
(Is he out of his mind!?)


"Whoa whoa whoa, Didja Redo. Buddy. BRO. What's all this about Malice not being a real Grim Angel? That wasn't in your version of the scene!"

You're correct. It was not. And no, it wasn't an accident. I intentionally left it out. Why?

Well, first of all, I really didn't like the way Hector just blurts all this out. Nobody asked about Malice, and she isn't especially relevant to what's happening anymore. He's just kind of doing a monologue to show how evil he is. "Hey guys, I tricked this girl into thinking she'd given up her future and made her my puppet! MUAHAHAHA I AM THE VILLAIN IN CASE YOU FORGOT"

Yeah. Look. We already know Hector is evil. He's trying to destroy the world for personal gain, he (indirectly) killed all the Arcs, he sees everyone as a thing to be used, and he just murdered Ein's squeeze. That's enough. You don't have to hammer it home with some random speech about how he also kicked a puppy this one time.

When I write conversations, I try to keep the flow fairly natural. I may not always succeed, but I try. And try as I might, I just couldn't think of a good way to segue into this topic, especially not with everyone still raging about Serene's death. Nobody gives a shit about Malice at this point, least of all Hector. It was his final performance and I needed him on form, damn it.

Secondly, maybe this is just me, but the whole thing feels rather tacked-on. What's the point of Malice not being a real Grim Angel? Aside from (kind of) explaining the "I sacrificed my future" nonsense, it doesn't really affect the story one way or another. In fact, it may actually undermine it a little. If Malice isn't a real angel, how come she's still on par with Ein and Ledah? Why did Ein's Diviner react with Malice's if hers wasn't the genuine article?

If this was actually foreshadowed and woven into the narrative somehow, that'd be OK. Hell, I'd even let it slide if Malice had enough of a backstory for us to really care about her. As it is, all we get is this little "ps malice is a fake OH SNAP" note from Hector. It's never brought up before that, and it's never mentioned afterwards. That's just dumb. And as I'm sure you've noticed, I have no tolerance for dumb things in LPs.





The gods...The Grim Angels...Who needs them? I have no interest in the traditions of old. Nor do I have any use for a world such as Riviera... I shall become an omnipotent god, and I will forge a new world!
Hector! This is insane! It's unforgivable! You're a disgrace to Asgard.
Who are you to judge me?
I'm a Grim Angel...It's my duty to pass judgement! Now, you and Seth shall pay for your sins!


(That's a little harsh, isn't it? What did Seth do?)


What are you babbling about? You think you can win? Once I've merged with Seth, you don't stand a chance!
(What!?)
... ...ughhhhh!



*chuckle* THIS POWER...IT'S EXACTLY AS I IMAGINED...


Yes, Seth-Rah does talk in all-caps. I decided to substitute bold text for that, since I occasionally use caps for emphasis. That and it's a little easier to read.


Hector!
HECTOR NO LONGER EXISTS. I AM SETH-RAH...I AM THE NEW BEGINNING. MY POWER IS ABSOLUTE! I SHALL RETURN YOU TO DUST!




<INSERT FIGHT HERE>





ARRRRGH...! WHO ARE YOU...?
I am Ein. It is my duty to pass judgement on you, as I have done with countless demons. When I became a Grim Angel, I gained more than just Einherjar for my wings...In Riviera, I found friends, as well as the courage to do what's right!
This world doesn't need an absolute god! And it doesn't need the Retribution!
I...WAS...TOO WEAK...I SEE, NOW, YOUR TRUE POWER...THE STRENGTH OF YOUR WILL...MY EXISTENCE WAS BRIEF...SO BE IT...


This isn't really too different from what I wrote; I just decided to tweak things a bit to make Ein sound a bit more badass, and to emphasise the fact that Asgard, with all its bullshit, is pretty much dead to him at this point.

Also, you have no idea how tempted I was to keep the "WHO ARE YOU?" line and have Ein respond with:

i am ein





... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...


(Seriously, guys. One is enough.)


It's over...It's finally over...
The maze's falling apart!
The place is crumbling!
Let's get outta here!
There's nowhere to run!


Omit whichever girl just died, obviously.


(Are we gonna die? It doesn't seem fair. Is this the will of the gods?)
I defeated Hector and saved Riviera, but I wasn't able to protect <insert girl here>...Why does it have to end like this!?
(I just had a horrible thought...What if this was all part of the gods' plan? What if we're just puppets in their show? Do we really have any control over our future?)



Where am I? What happened to us?



Ein...Thank you for fulfilling your promise...Hector and Seth have vanished...There is no one left to actuate the Retribution. Riviera is saved.
Really?
It was a long journey. Only you could have accomplished such feats.
... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
But...I lost one of my friends...
<insert girl here>...All hope is not lost.
Huh?



Cierra!
Ein...why am I...?


(just replace cierra with whoever i am already sick of typing <insert girl here>)


I called her soul back from death. This is my final gift to you and Riviera. I have used the last of my power.
Ursula...
Since my opposite, Seth, has disappeared, I shall soon follow.
But...But who will protect Riviera?
Those who live there...Those who have a future.
I believe in them...And you...
Farewell, saviour of Riviera. You have my blessing, o honourable angel...






Fia! Lina! Serene! Cierra! Rose!
Whew...we're safe.
...huh? I'm alive...
Where are we...?
This is Elendia!
So...we made it back alive.
(Thank goodness!)
It must have been Ursula's blessing.
You're probably right.
Riviera's peaceful now!
Yeah...No more Seth...No more judgement...Riviera's a free land, at last!


At this point, the credits begin to roll in between brief clips of the Elendians.



Master Ein! You're safe! You are a true hero.



Elendia exists today because of you. Thank you, Ein, from the bottom of my heart.



You're our hero!
Umm...Thanks, mister.



I'm glad to know we have a tomorrow.
We need not fear demons anymore.



The winds have calmed...We owe it all to you, Ein.



It all started when you were found on the road...I'm so glad we have a happy ending!



The sun's so nice and warm, nya. Purr...I hope this lasts forever.



Oh, Ein. Beating all those demons...you're so awesome!



Umm...Thank you, Ein.
I guess you're not so bad after all. I may just have to raise my opinion of you...a little.



So, Elendia is saved. I was in the mine, cheering you on.



Knowledge is treasure only after action...Now, tell me everything you saw on your quest.



With the demons gone, I can now focus on my experiments.
Now I can go outside to find ingredients!
In that case, go fetch me three dried bats!
I shouldn't have said anything...



I hope you found my weapons useful. If you need anything, *clang* I'll make it!


End credits.





Welcome home, Ein!



You're late!
Serene, can you pass me the seasoning?
Okay. This one?
This is it: a cake of Elendia's best fruits.
Yummy! It looks so good... ...Just one bite!
Oh no, you don't! Ein gets the first bite...That is my decision.
Why?
W-well...because...
Because why?
Uh...no reason.


You'll get this exchange even if you've treated Fia like dirt throughout the whole game. Obviously she's not the best at taking hints.

Either that or she's poisoned the cake.


Oh wow, the cake's already done? I should probably finish my paella, then.
I need more heat. Fire!
Cierra! The fire...The fire's burning! (She actually says this. I know I already explained that I haven't changed anything here, but I feel like this particular line needs some extra emphasis. She actually says this.)
Oops...Now what? How'd the flood spell go...?
It's going to ruin our house!
Oh dear...
Stop talking until we put the fire out...The whole house is going to burn down!
(It's already been a whole month...It all seems so surreal. I can't believe we made it through alive.)
I know what you mean.
(Still...My voice still hasn't returned!)
... ... ... ...
(So...What are you plans? You gonna head back to Asgard, or...?)
Me? Well...




Divergence! This is where you get your final scene with one of the ladies. If you've received Fia, Lina, Serene or Cierra's ending, you'll get the usual "Ein lived out his days in Riviera" message. If, however, you get the "bad" ending or Rose's ending, you'll instead get the following:





Anyway, let's take a look at the endings themselves, starting with:





NEUTRAL ENDING



Ein, there's been another demon sighting in Riviera.
Alright, it's time to use my Einherjar--
Ein, it's okay. Let the Sprites handle it.
Oh, r-right...
Now, hurry it up! Your report's due today.
Okay. We should do what we can.
Don't worry, Riviera is the Sprites' land, now.



Afterwards, Ein and Rose returned to Asgard and created a study facility. With the Magi's permission, they sought to discover the truth behind the Retribution, legacy of the gods.

Asgard has already begun to move toward a new era...


See, this doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. What exactly does it mean by "discovering the truth behind the Retribution"? As in, how to bring it about? Or what its purpose is? Why wouldn't the Magi already know that?

Moreover, why are they not pissed off with Ein? Sure, Hector was operating purely for his own benefit, but they don't know that. From their point of view, Ein betrayed them, killed one of their number and screwed up the gods' plans. If anything, they should be plotting revenge. POTENTIAL SEQUEL HOOK?




CIERRA ENDING



I've never seen this herb before...I bet I could use it to develop new spells.
Ein, I found something incredible!
An herb?
...With this, magic would advance 10 years.
Really?
I just need to test it...
Huh?



*cough* So...Did it work? *cough*
Huh!? I don't know what the problem is...



Now it's your turn, Ein. (Ein's turn for what?)


Ein remained in Riviera and, along with Cierra, searched the Nelde Ruins for hidden knowledge. In fact, all the spells used today in modern Riviera stem from magic those two discovered...


I don't buy that. Ein's Magic stat is arse. There's no way he could have made any significant contributions to these endeavours. Cierra is the star here. Ein's just along for the ride.

_{not that kind of ride you pervert}




FIA ENDING



Ancient spirits who bind Riviera together, protect our land...
Ein!
You did a good job. I haven't seen a single demon in this area.
No...This is all thanks to you, Ein.
I didn't do anything. It was your mana...
I just pray that this peace will last.
It will, as long as we keep trying hard.
Yes...you're right.



I pray this will last forever, Ein.


Ein remained in Riviera to help maintain the peace with Fia, who became a valiant warrior.

Due to their efforts, it is said, the Sprites of Elendia spent an eternity of peace without any suffering.


All twenty of them. Nicely done, you two. Way to go above and beyond.




LINA ENDING



Ein! Come over here! The treasure's this way!
Be careful, Lina...!
Stop worrying!



Lina!
Hee hee... Oopsie.



Don't worry about me, Ein.


Ein remained in Riviera, where he and Lina became treasure hunters, wandering from ruin to ruin. Thus began a new adventure...

The unlikely pair would later make a grand discovery and become known as the Legendary Treasure Hunters.


But damned if they're going to tell us what that discovery was. Closure is nice, guys. There isn't going to be a sequel, after all.

...is there?




SERENE ENDING





Was that the last of them, Serene?
I think so...
Now the nearby towns can live in peace.
There are still many demons in Riviera. But one day...
...We'll wipe them out completely.
You're darn right we will!



You ready for more?


Ein remained in Riviera and travelled across the land with Serene to rid the world of demons.

One day, the pair's unrelenting 10-year battle will be passed down from generation to generation in the Annals of Riviera.


Now, this? This works. Ein and Serene spend the next ten years killing shit. I have absolutely no problem accepting that this is what happened after the events of the game.

Granted, you could argue that, given what we've seen, it's been proven that not all demons are necessarily evil, meaning that full-blown genocide isn't entirely justified.

This is easily explained.

Ein is a dick.




And finally...




ROSE ENDING



Huh...
Are you done cleaning yet? Let's take five.
That sounds good.
Hm? What's that bottle, Ein?
Cierra gave it to me when we left. It's a magical perfume that grants a single wish.
Sounds like trouble...
You think so? Not that it matters...I don't have any wishes.
Really? You don't have a secret desire?
Well, do you?
...I might, I guess.
Then it's yours...
Here, I'll just spray you with this.
What!? Hey! No, Ein! Wai--





Oh wow, I'm cute.
... ... ... ...
Shucks...So much for my wings...Now I'm normal like you.
Uhh...Rose...? You were a girl!?


How did he not know this? Even if it weren't obvious from her name and her voice, (which it IS) are you seriously telling me that this never ONCE came up in the entire time that they've known each other?

It's not as if he'd even have to ask directly. He'd just need to refer to Rose as "him" or "he", just once, and then she'd correct him. Christ.


Uh--yeah? Why, what'd you think?
... ... ... ... I never thought about it.



Hey Ein, what do you think?


Ein was surprised his Familiar was female (and now human), but they remained an inseparable team.

They kept busy by recording the entire account of the great war, fought by brave Sprites and Angels, in the pages of Riviera's history...












I should mention that, according to the game's creators, this ending is the canonical one. I say to hell with that. Ein and Serene for life.

Now don't get me wrong; I like Rose. She's probably my favourite character overall, actually. I mean, I altered almost everyone's personalities to suit my purposes; Fia is MUCH less cynical and assertive than I made her, Serene is nowhere near as psychotic, Cierra is neither a pyromaniac nor an aquaphobe, and Lina...well, OK, Lina I didn't really change that much. I almost went down the "creepy girl" route with her, but as you can probably tell, it didn't take me long to decide that that wasn't going to work.

But Rose? Rose I didn't have to change at all. I changed her lines, sure, but not her character. She's a snarky bitch in my LP and she's a snarky bitch in the game. She's great. The fact that she's a cat makes it even better, because if you own a cat, you know what they're like, and you know they'd be giving you lip like that all the time.

And that's exactly why I'm not a big fan of her ending. Because I like her as she is. The idea of her becoming human and hooking up with Ein doesn't appeal to me at all, because the BFF relationship that they already have works so well, and it'd be a shame to ruin it.

Plus, wish-granting perfume? Seriously? Where the hell did that come from? Did Cierra have that all this time? Did she find it somewhere after Hector's defeat? Did she make it herself? What?

Here's one way they could have explained it, and how I'd probably have done it in the LP if we'd been shooting for Rose's ending.

If you've fulfilled the prerequisites to get Rose's ending, nobody ends up getting killed. Hector still needs another soul to summon Seth, though. That's when Malice shows up, painfully dragging herself back to Hector like an injured, dying puppy trying to crawl back to its master for comfort...to which Hector's response is "Oh hey, just in time. *shiv*"

(That, incidentally, is how you show that someone is balls-out evil.)

Essentially, Hector just uses Malice's soul to summon Seth. Therefore, when you meet Ursula after beating Seth-Rah, she doesn't have to use the last of her power to bring anyone back to life. Instead, she creates the perfume for you as a reward. Easy!




And from here it's exactly the same as in the video, except for the little exchange between Ein and Rose at the very end.