Part 13: Final Round! Fight!

After rescuing Marina, the party decides to stay at the inn to prevent anyone else from meddling in the Sacred Games. After a short night walk, Frey is woken...



...by...

...uh.



Damn it, I've told you to use a longer stick.

Well... I think you've probably already guessed... I'll have to remember to ask the Princess the secret to awakening Lady Sialeeds...

I think the secret is getting your bodyguard to do it. I wonder if Ferid would get you one if we asked really nicely?

Anyway, you'd better get up or we'll be late for the final match. Everybody's waiting downstairs.

The final match can wait. Let me see that eye.



Looks like it's still attached, at least. I've heard stories.



G-G-Good morning!

Good morning.

What took you so long? You missed breakfast!



There may come a time when we can confront Sialeeds about things, but this really isn't the time.

That's right. And it's your own fault for oversleeping!

Hmph, look who's talking...

What? I don't know what you're talking about. I woke up on my own, unlike some people here...

You hear that, Lyon?



What's all right?

Inn Proprietress: But what a shame, Prince. Marina made her special soup this morning and everything!

...

It was delicious, too, Marina.

Well, of course YOU thought so! Yours was all special, with extra meat and vegetables and stuff.

Ours was good, too, of course, but looks like someone here got the "extra special" soup.

Well, uh...

Inn Proprietress: Now, now, Lady Sialeeds. Belcoot has a match today. He has to eat well to keep his strength up. Right, Marina?

Huh? Oh... Um...

Marina...?

Maybe you're still not feeling very well?

(Lyon uses her regular portrait from here on.)

That wouldn't be a surprise, considering what happened to her just yesterday.

Inn Proprietress: You're not feeling well, Marina? Then you should take the day off and take it easy!

Uh, no, it's nothing... I was just lost in thought, so I was startled, that's all.
Oh my! You'll all be late for the final match if you don't leave right away.

That's true, but...

You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine! Really!

Marina...

Inn Proprietress: I'll be looking after her, so don't you worry. You should all be on your way now.

...All right. We'll see you later, then.

Good luck, Belcoot!

After that slightly suspicious exchange, we're free to go, but as usual...


Oh, the poor girl. I can't imagine what she's thinking.

The proprietress doesn't get much screen time, but it's still clear she does care a lot for Marina.

Proprietor: Well, Prince, all that's left now is the championship! To think, one of my guests might actually win! This place'll be famous!

This guy is a little more business minded.

D-Don't worry about me. I'm... okay. J-Just cheer extra loud for Belcoot, okay? No matter what happens.

And Marina herself... still seems awfully suspicious.



The NPCs also have new lines, but apart from this one, it's mostly along the lines of "wow, that sure is a final match coming up!" so fuck 'em.

Time for the final battle!

Lyon isn't much better, but at least she has a portrait so she can get away with it.



Speaking of portraits...

You don't think that kind of thing could happen again, do you?

Lady, you have a leopard. I don't think you have much to worry about.

Rrrrr!

_{please don't eat me}

And finally...

Damn, this is the final match of the Sacred Games! I can't lose Lym like this!

Dude, you never had her. And that's really all there's to Stormfist right now; even Egbert doesn't have anything new to say, so we'll head for the arena.



Belcoot will take his leave before we can get inside.

Okay. Go get 'em, tiger!

We're not supposed to favor any particular competitor, so we can't root for you out there. Sorry.

That's okay. Just knowing you're thinking of me means everything.

That Childerich guy seems pretty scary if you ask me. Please be careful.



Ah... I never even thought about it before, but you're right. If I win, we'll be brothers. It would be a great honor. Now I have even more reason to win.



Belcoot bows and walks away.



We have some time. I'll just grab a quick snack here...



As before, most of the NPCs don't have anything really interesting to say. This one does have a relevant line...

Noble: Your Highness understands, of course, that an effective leader requires the blood of fine nobility.

...but she's a bit of a dick just like everyone else.



We'll stop wasting our time on those morons and take our seats.



Just in time! (music)







Belcoot's movements are slow and unsteady.



It's obvious even from the spectators' seats.



What's the matter with him?

Maybe he doesn't feel well...

He seemed fine a little while ago!

He made it to the arena, so he must be well enough to fight. Let's see what happens.



Predictably, the fight is a one-sided affair. (music)





He's nothing like he was yesterday. What's the meaning of this?



Belcoot soon loses his sword...



...and Childerich prepares to deliver a finishing blow.



We can't reach them from up here.



So we'll have to use something that can.



Frey quickly assembles his staff...



...and throws it hard enough to embed it in the arena.



"What the fuck, man?"



"Just try it! I have plenty more blunt objects up here!"



Childerich doesn't look pleased...


Childerich!

...but he can't do much at this point.



Gizel, on the other hand, looks... well, actually not much more smug than usual, but then his default expression is already cranked up to eleven.



This means bad things for all involved, but that's all long term. Right now, we have more urgent concerns.

Take him to the infirmary! Is the doctory standing by?!

Referee: Y-Yes, Your Majesty!

Prince!

Frey!

It really seems as if there's supposed to be something more at this point, but instead we just cut-



-straight to the corridor outside. We can't even go back out and hear what the others have to say, because...

Prince! Belcoot is in the infirmary! Not that way!

...Lyon is being a tyrant about it. And here I thought I was in charge!



She's right, though. I don't think Belcoot is going anywhere, but we need to figure out what just happened, and how.



Although, if you're reading this, you've probably figured out the basics already. (music)

Is he all right?!
I said, "How is he"?! Is he going to be all right?!

Could be a translation mistake, but it could also be that Sialeeds is a bit distressed and not keeping track of the exact words she's using.



Either way, we're being rude.

Uh, right... Sorry.



I-I see...

Thank goodness!

But, it looks like he was put to sleep with magic or a drug.

What?!

Is that why he was so unsteady?

But it couldn't have been magic!

True. The Rune Keepers keep a close watch, so if magic was used, they'd know right away. So the only possibility left is a drug. But I don't see any evidence of that, either.

What do you mean? Aren't doctors supposed to be able to spot something like that?



Even if it was a drug, who gave it to him, and when? Belcoot was with us all morning...

It couldn't be!



???: Wait! Hold on, you!







Marina...



Guard! Stand down!

Patrol Guard: Y-Yes, Your Highness! Pardon me!

(music)


Belcoot... Oh, Belcoot...! N-Nooo...

Calm down, Marina! His injuries aren't as bad as they look. He'll be fine.

I'm sorry... I'm so sorry! They told me he'd be asleep before the match even started...

Marina... You didn't...

The soup you gave him for breakfast!

Impossible! Such a drug couldn't possibly exist...!


It's completely odorless and tasteless, so nobody could even detect it... And once you've taken it, you'll just look like you're sleeping normally, even to the most trained eye.

Lyon, how do you...?

But... that drug should no longer exist... as far as I know.

Then did Marina really...? But why...? Why would you do such a thing, Marina?

When I thought of Belcoot winning and marrying the Princess... When I thought about him being out of my reach forever and ever... I-I... That's why I...

Is that what they told you to say?

What...?

Those thugs from yesterday... They told you to say that, didn't they? Are they the ones that gave you that drug, too?

Only the nobility could get their hands on a drug like that. Maybe the guys from yesterday are working for a noble...

N-No! You've got it all wrong! I did it on my own! Honest! Please believe me! If you don't, the proprietor and the proprietress will be...

Aha... Now I'm starting to get the picture here.

*sobbing*

Oh, Marina...

Hmm. I don't like this one bit... Everything and everyone is starting to look shady to me now... I'm going to go talk to Zegai!



Sialeeds runs off towards the dungeon, alone. Before following, Frey can talk to the others...

I-I'm so sorry... I panicked... I'm okay now... It was someone at the hut, a young man. He was... kind to me. He was the one who gave me that... that drug. I think he was gone by the time you came to rescue me... Maybe he was a servant for one of the nobles. I... I didn't pay much attention. All I cared about was Belcoot...

Marina is just a tool. She might be able to point out Dolph if she saw him again, but she obviously doesn't know anything useful.

That drug... Why...?

Lyon, however, does, but she's not ready to talk yet.

Zegai? Yeah... Something smelled fishy about that whole thing.

And as for Georg...

It might be best if you paid him a visit.

...he's just being his usual self.

I'll take care of this person. You go do what you have to, Prince.

If he has survived this far, he's probably not in any great danger any more, so it should be fine leaving him like this.



Lyon is still our bodyguard and won't let us go off without her.

You're going to see Zegai, too, right? I'll go with you!

Then, we can go after Zegai.



A generic guard is waiting below.

From His Majesty Ferid?

Official: Yes, Lady Lyon!
"The blessing of the victor and the closing ceremony are about to begin, but don't worry. We'll cover for you, so do whatever you believe is most important right now."
That is the complete message from His Majesty, Your Highness!

He runs off.

Nothing gets by Ferid, does it?

Frey remembers all those times he tried to sneak sweets out of the kitchen and shakes his head.

How could...? Wait, first we should find Zegai...

Lyon has one more line if you talk to her before you reach the cell, but she's still not saying anything of great importance.



We'll just head after Sialeeds as quickly as possible. (music)

So, Zegai! What's the deal? You didn't have anything to do with those Armes spies, did you?

No.

What?!

They started speaking to me. I could not tell you why. What they said was of no interest to me, but they gave me no opportunity to excuse myself.

That's what I thought...



It doesn't matter. I was born in Armes. To most of these people, that makes me a spy.
I was a baby, too young to even walk, when I left that country. My only homeland is the battlefield.

I see... I think those Armes spies were being used, to. They had information passed off on them... Like how Zegai was born in Armes or how to get to the underground passage that leads to the arena basement.

To get Zegai falsely accused and disqualified from the Sacred Games?

Not exactly. Think about it... How could anyone have predicted what those Armes guys would do? And it was mere chance Shoon heard those voices... This was just some half-baked plot with no real outcome planned. I bet Zegai getting disqualified was just a matter of chance...

Just a matter of chance...? That's horrible...

It's that bastard... He lays schemes, then just sits back and watches how they unfold. He gets a kick out of watching people get caught up in his plots. Just look at what he did to Belcoot. There must've been an easier way, but he had to go and get poor Marina's hands dirty, too... I bet he thought it'd be more interesting that way.

More evidence that our crew has more than two brain cells to rub together. As much as I enjoyed the scene with Gizel and Dolph, I think these events would have been more effective if it hadn't been spelled out for us before the fact. It does suffer a bit from being overly obvious, in case the reader doesn't have more than two brain cells, which is sadly a bit of a problem with video games in general. However, I also enjoy the echo effect we get here because of that scene, with Sialeeds basically repeating what Gizel said.

That's awful...

I've seen plenty of complaints about how awful this intro is, but I really enjoy it, even though I've seen it before and mostly know what's going to happen.

Gizel loves schemes the way Kyle love women. He'll try anything, as long as he thinks it'll be amusing. And he almost always gets what he wants in the end.

I suspect the reason I like it so much is the same so many others don't like it, which is the whole scheming backstabbing political theme, which is fairly unique in computer RPGs. Political scheming is often present in other games, but rarely to this degree.

Victory... in the Sacred Games?

I still feel like I don't comment enough on it, but all I can really do is repeat what I said in the beginning.

I told you before, didn't I? That's the kind of guy he is. Or rather, I should say... that's the kind of guy he's become. In fact, this is exactly what I'd expect from him.

It may not be the best thing you'll ever read, but the writing stands on its own and mostly doesn't deserve mocking or require elaboration, and just sitting here ranting on about how much I like the characters like some kind of overly affectionate drunk wouldn't help matters either.

Gizel, damn you... Damn you to hell!

So for the most part, I'll just allow the game to speak for itself.



Unlike the kidnapping situation, this isn't something we can solve by breaking a few noses. We could get in Gizel's face, but he could just laugh it off. Annoying as it is, we have to admit that he has won this round.

Th-That's right! Let's hurry up and tell Her Majesty! ...Or else the Princess will have to marry that man!

And Zegai... He's going to be executed, and he didn't even do anything!

If death is my fate, then so be it.



Hmph...

In any case, we have to inform Arshtat. Come on.



Zegai has nothing more to say, just dots. And in the infirmary...

Don't worry about Marina and Belcoot. I'll check in on them.

Oh, poor Belcoot... How can I ever ask his forgiveness...?

Belcoot will end up forgiving Marina long before Marina herself does.



The queen and Ferid are waiting in their quarters. (music)

So, how was Belcoot?



Where do we even begin?

This looks like it's going to be a long story...

Frey nods, but the exposition takes place off screen. (music)



But...

We understand. Your guesses are probably correct. Thank you for finding out so much in such a short amount of time.

But... There's still no proof of who was behind all of this... Isn't that right?

That's true, but...

But even if it is the truth, we can't take action based on conjecture.

Arshtat!



I... I am not a god. I might be able to make accusations, but without proof, there's no chance for justice. If I could punish certain Senators, I would have done it long ago...





It's faint at first, but the Sun Rune is shining. (music)

Arshtat?


All I have to do is become a god! After all, I am omnipotent! And I have powers befitting a god!



Your Majesty!

Ah ha ha... To begin with... I must bring down judgment upon Lord Godwin, for making a mockery of me -- and my beloved children!











(music)

*sigh*
No, it's all right, my dear.
Sorry about this...

*sigh*
Let me discuss this further with Ferid. All of you are excused. Be very careful not to tell anyone about this. And please be especially careful Lym doesn't hear about it! She's still too young to know about such sordid things.


We certainly can't take the life of an innocent man!



Frey and Sialeeds leave the room. Lyon, however, lingers...

Your Majesty... About... that Dark Arcanum...

Yes, I know. I'll see what I can do.



But to find out what exactly that means, we will have to wait for another time.


Bonus Material:



If Frey doesn't do something about the situation in the arena, Ferid will do it instead.



The shots are almost identical, and from here it continues with the same dialogue.



I felt like putting these in the main update would break the flow, but you can talk to everyone else before Ferid and Arshtat. Lym still has no idea what's going on.

Yikes! You look like you're ready to start a war, Prince!

It's debatable what Miakis knows, but she can probably guess most of it.

Whatever's on your mind, it's gotta be bad news. Lemme guess! You'd rather the Princess not hear this discussion, right? Okay, be quick!


But all that matters is what's best for Falena. And a Godwin is obviously superior to some foreign commoner.

If she wasn't such a douche about it, I might even have to agree with her. As good as Belcoot's intentions are, does he really have what it takes to help run a country, especially one that has people like Gizel running around fucking everything up? He's a good guy, but he is still kind of dense. The Senate would run circles around him.

That is a dark look upon your face, Your Highness. There must be serious trouble afoot. Her Majesty and Commander Ferid are in their chambers. I imagine you want to discuss the matter with them.

And so we did, but by the time you read this, we already have.

Next, we say farewell to Stormfist for now. Coming up... hussies?