Part 116: Episode CX: Mistakes of the Past

Episode CX: Mistakes of the Past



<walks up to Karin's side> Where's Yuri?
......
...Huh?
Well...



Hmm. He's still pretty down, huh?
Yeah... Maybe we should get, I don't know, a bench put out here for him to sit on?
A bench?
Yeah, it just seems like it would fit there, you know? Just a weird feeling I have.
Well... I'll see what I can do to help.

Roger trots towards Yuri.



Um, Roger!
Karin, the leader of the Inugami Clan was looking for you.
For me? Are you sure?
Yes, she's at the Fountain of Sukune.
Hmm... uhh...
Just go and meet her. You're not doing Yuri any good staring at him from a distance making concerned noises and frowning.
<frowns> Hmm...

Karin departs as Roger strolls up and sits beside Yuri.



<gets himself comfortably seated> Hmm. Yeah...



You couldn't kill him, huh?
No...
Even though you wanted to, right?
Yeah...
I heard you gave him a good beating. Did that help any?
No...
Hurts, doesn't it?
Yeah...
...Good. That's how it's supposed to feel.
...Hm?


Music: ICARO (Piano Arrangement) ~ Main Theme



He's lost it all. His Iron Soldiers, his mad scientist, Kato, Nicolai, everything. All he's got to look forward to is a short, sad life.
I bet he had one of those ill-defined lingering coughs to indicate declining health on top of it, right? You know the one. I doubt the beating you gave him improved that condition.
......
But it's more than enough time to think over all the crimes he's committed...
The thing is, even he was just... doing what he thought was right.
In a really crappy way. Not that I'm one to talk. I solve most of my problems by punching and kicking them. But...



He was fighting for his country, his grandson.
......
But... What have I been fighting for...? When that kid was staring at me like that, I realized I had no idea.
Just find something new to punch is all I seem to do anymore... The German army... Weird cults... Russian wizards... The Japanese military... And I dunno why...

Music: ENDS



You're fighting for Alice, are you not? I think that you are.
Huh?!
For the world she loved so much? The future...
<glances over at Yuri> And also you. ...Her dreams were very important to you.



......
So I think that maybe you fight to try to help her dreams come true. Am I wrong?


OLD Music: ALICE







Music: ENDS



Alice...
C'mon, you've got to buck up. This isn't like you.
You would usually be getting fired up and rowdy about something by now. Maybe yell "bite me!"
No matter how much you want to, you know you can't change the past!



.....
<nods> I know that. But I can't stop...
No one stops... Sometimes it feels almost like it's way too late to stop...
It's difficult to live a life without having any regrets.

Roger stands up and stretches.



I've been alive for 700 years...


Music: Relaxation Mood ~ Relief



...And I've spent most of that time regretting.
Give or take a couple of centuries slumbering in a coffin. I need my beauty sleep, after all. And look, it did me wonders!
<smiles and chuckles>
Heh. You don't look a day over 500.



That's right. Laugh. Just laugh and go on. That's the best thing to do. Then you can look back at even the saddest things and smile.
......



<stares into the horizon> ......



......
Yuri?
Yeah?

Music: ENDS



I'm going to bring Alice back to you.
What?!



The Émigré magic that Kato used on Ouka... Many famous wizards have tried and failed. Even I've felt its dark call...
I did transcribe the entire tome, after all...
However, I've always resisted its temptations.
<rubs neck> ...Well. Except for that one time I gave myself immortality.

Yuri jumps to his feet.



Uh... But...?!
What is Kato planning? We simply have to find out what his intentions are. Like he said, the secret is in the book!
You're going to... bring the dead back to life?


Music: Serious Mood ~ Unrest



The two of us will. If one of us goes crazy and... turns into a monster... then the other one will be forced to kill him and stop the magic.
......
See, I have already covered all of the angles.
H-have you...?
Undoubtedly!



How about it?
......
...Okay. I want to do it.
Good. Then let's hurry up and take off for Europe. I've got to prepare the tools I need in order to perform the ritual.

Music: ENDS



JESUS FUCKING H CHRIST! What the FUCK is wrong with you, Roger Bacon?! I thought you were supposed to be the smart one in this gang of misfit dipshits! That is the worst possible idea you can ever have to get Yuri over his depression! Using the Émigré Manuscript has a near 100% track record of being a colossally bad idea. ESPECIALLY, when bringing back the dead proper like. The best results so far have been Kato creating Ouka. But she was just a clone that looked (with enhancements) and sounded like Yoshiko Kawashima and not actually the real person brought back to life. And even then she just ended up dying as well sending Kato into pure "fuck it, going to destroy the planet" levels of over this shit depression. And that's the most successful use of the Émigré magic to date!

If you need a series refresher, the two we've seen the Émigré Manuscript directly used to resurrect a loved one the results were:





In Koudelka, after a year of abducting prostitutes and murdering passing Welsh people as sacrifices, Patrick Heyworth managed to resurrect his dead, Elaine! Well, just her body... Didn't quite get the soul returned to a mortal vessel part down... In fact, she turned into a ghost. So the result of the body itself was just a magically infused, animalistic flesh golem that could contort into a nightmare creature. It immediately killed Patrick and anyone else that ventured near. It eventually turned into an unstoppable giant bug monster that literally needs divine intervention from Capital G God to Rapture it out of existence.

Conclusion: This is an insanely bad idea!



In the original Shadow Hearts, a Dr. Jack in London couldn't get over the death of his mother in a very Norman Bates kind of way. Luckily, he got his hands on the Émigré Document from a helpful passing dapper warlock. He then opened an orphanage in order to collect enough stray children as sacrifices to mash into a biopaste in a massive cauldron to resurrect his mother. Yeah... that turned into a soulless giant bug monster composed of orphan biomass... Oh and the guy that performed the ritual struck up the ire of Yuri and his previous band and got punched to death. But not before seeing the monster mash version of his mom and it getting punched to death too.

But surely, the third time is the charm! There is no way we would have to face a grim insectoid revenant of Alice Elliot's corpse. Roger Bacon is a professional. We probably won't have to murder dozens of abducted prostitutes or orphans to bring back Alice!

Meanwhile, at the Fountain of Sukune...





You want to see me?
That is kind of out of the blue. But I'm here.



So, how is he doing?
He's still pretty depressed.
Roger is talking with him now. I'm sure he'll find a decent way to cheer him up.
I'm sure he will be fine soon.
Hmm...
Yes. He is so much like my brother. Inside and out.
Is... is he really?
Spike up his hair some more and throw him in a green coat and they could be twins.


Music: Relaxation Mood ~ Relief



You care for him, don't you?
...Um.
<nods> Yes, I like him a lot.
<nods> I thought so.
You don't spend all afternoon staring at a distance at someone while they're depressed otherwise. It would just be creepy then.
......



A woman like me... Do you... think he could ever love me?
Love you?
I-I mean you'd know... as his aunt.
We are related by blood and he does look like my brother but... we have only been acquainted for a few weeks. You have known him far longer than I.
Yes. But... I don't really know about this kind of thing.
<chuckles> Oh, come now! Don't be silly! Of course he could love you!
<smiles> Thank you so much.
You're welcome, but... What is it exactly that's worrying you?
<looks to the floor> ......
What is it, my dear?
<holds up hands> Nothing. It's just...
Yes?
I know that he doesn't feel the same way.
Are you sure?
<closes eyes and nods>


Music: Past ~ Personal History



He's still in love with Alice.
Alice?
Again, I don't actually know my nephew or his past very well yet.
His lover. She died protecting him.
......
But I love him too! More than anything! I don't think he knows how I feel...
My brother was also rather dense. So that would check out.



But you do plan to fight for him? Don't you?
<nods> ...Yes.
I haven't left the main party once.
That boy was born under a strange star.

Saki uses Instant Transmission to reach clear across the shrine cavern to walk up to Karen.



His whole life, he's been fighting with his destiny...
His destiny?
Yes. No matter what he does, he cannot escape.
Just look at the bizarre adventure he has been on trying to do so.



You too, Karin. You were born with a heavy destiny as well.
Me too?
<nods> Yes...



I called you to this place because I wished to give you this.

Saki hands Karin a picture.



?!
It's a photo of him from just before he went overseas.



We only get to see the back of the photo for now. It's going to be really embarrassing for Yuri when it turns out he used to be one of those people that were fugly as sin when they were young children and had a big glow up after they hit puberty.



I thought that... you might like to see what he look like as a child.


Music: Field of God-Dog ~ Village of The Dog God



Well, that was kind of a strange talk. Speaking of strange, the game dumps us at the far end of the path to the Fountain of Sukune. This would lead one to believe we were meant to guide Yuri over to the shrine as that's where the previous scene with Karin ended. But, nope. That place is empty. Karin and the others have already returned to the fold.



Indeed, there is absolutely nothing to do in the village but leave. I'm not sure why the game didn't just dump us back on the world map. In any event, that concludes our adventures in Azabu Kamiyashiki. Now onward back to vague points in Europe to set out on performing the worst possible idea ever!





That was a fairly short but eventful chapter. And we do have some new entries in the ol' Library.

Monster:



"Guys. I ran out of juice. I'm stuck in here. Can someone get me out of this thing? Guys?"

Of mention, we have defeated the entire Iron Soldiers faction. They're in the defunct villainy pile with Sapientes Gladio. Kato's vague world-threatening plans and Operation: Dumbasses Resurrect Yuri's Girlfriend are the only outlying issues.



I like to think the top of it is just jutting out of the ground at a park with kids climbing over it like a jungle gym.

Character:



Kosuke Ishimura, the bed wetter, joins General Heimann from the Prologue to the game as one of two characters who have an out-of-cutscene lower poly model and character portrait that are NEVER used outside their Library entries. We never see this dweeby child or his grandfather ever again.




Video: Episode 110 Highlight Reel (You should click here for The Bad Idea Zone™)





I do believe we have met every significant named character in the game now. So check out this cute collection of doodle stickers. To get our minds off the TERRIBLE goddamn ideas going down in the plot at the moment.