Part 72: Crazy Druid

Last time, we finally found out the truth about Ferid's last stand.



Georg did indeed kill Queen Arshtat.

(music)

However, had he not, Prince Frey and Princess Lymsleia would surely have perished. And the Sun Palace itself may well have been obliterated... if not the entire Queendom of Falena.

It doesn't come as a surprise. But the scene is one of the best in the game, and well worth the wait.



Why'd Georg keep it a secret, though? He should have said something!

But that would mean revealing that His Highness' mother killed her beloved husband. Such a revelation would have devastated the Queendom. It would have devastated the royal family. For the good of our nation, Georg has kept the truth to himself.

...Oh, how will Georg EVER forgive me?! I wouldn't have thought TWICE about killing him!

Miakis, I know that you, above all others, needed to know the truth as soon as possible. However, the Godwins had me under constant surveillance following their takeover. It was impossible to communicate in secrecy... And for that, I ask your eternal forgiveness, Miakis!

*sniffle* *sob*
I forgive you, Galleon!

I speak the truth, Your Highness. It is imperative to your cause that you not think Georg a traitor! You may trust him with your life, Your Highness! I assure you this! ...And I assure you as well, Miakis.



---



Meanwhile, Sialeeds arrives in Sol-Falena.

(music)



So it seems while the Queen was on the front line, the most excellent Commander of the Queen's Knights was relaxing here, huh?

The Queen and I can't both leave the Sun Palace at the same time, you know. We do have the responsibility of ruling this country, after all.

...Yeah, right.



(music)

Your Majesty, welcome home. I'm so glad to see you back safe.


I will never, EVER forgive you!




Take her to the Sun Palace. And remember to be courteous.


Your Majesty, this way, please.

I said, "DON'T TOUCH ME"!!!



If you're having regrets, why switch sides in the first place?

I don't have any regrets. And I never "switched sides," either.

I see...
Well, that's fine. In any case, I'm just glad we're after the same thing now.

Dream on, Gizel.



---

Back in Salzburg, our first priority is to go check up on Lyon.



Lady Lyon hasn't yet opened her eyes.

Doc, what the hell's wrong with her?!

...What isn't?
There's no reason she should have survived the attack. To be blunt, she should be dead right now. Galleon told me the Dawn Rune was the only thing that saved her. I have to agree.

Yeah, that's exactly what happened! Lyon was dying, but the Dawn Rune suddenly started glowing, and she seemed to stabilize!


Ya gotta do it, Prince, ya gotta try it out, ya gotta find a way to s--

Calm DOWN, Roy! I don't think we can just "do it again." The Rune was acting all on its own!

Frey agrees.

So you can't just use it whenever you want to... I see. That complicates things. But Roy is right. If we can get the Rune to work again, it's definitely worth trying. We really have no other options. So, my advice is to find someone who knows a lot about Runes.

That would be--

That crazy lady in black! She's always babblin' to herself 'bout this Rune or that Rune! ...But she's nuts!

Prince, what do you think? Should we try to talk to the lady in black?

It's not gonna work.



And of course I'm going to take every opportunity to remind people what a douche Zerase is.

Yeah, she's crazy! An' real mean! An' I swear, I bet she's a ghost! I mean, ain't no way someone's THAT pale!

Now, now, Roy! That's not very nice.

The only other option is the lady in white. She's nicer, but HER crazy talk makes the lady in black sound normal!

But we don't know where the lady in white is... Looks like we'll just have to talk to the lady in black, then!

*nod*

Okay! It's off to the lady in black we go!

The other choice just skips to this line.



Let me accompany you till Lyon's all better! I'll do my best to cover for Georg, too! I can't even BEGIN to make up for what I owe him, but it's a start!

As if anyone could say no.



Miakis is taking over bodyguarding - and exposition - duties for now. Normally I'd feel bad about this, but... well, she kind of is an upgrade over Lyon. Miakis gets her third rune at the same level Lyon gets her second. (This also happens to be the level she joins at.)



No reason to dawdle.

Hey, lady in black! Have we got some questions for YOU!

"Lady in black"? Very creative.


You've only harnessed half of the Dawn Rune's power. But that's your problem. There's nothing I can do about it.

What? Why are you being so MEAN to us?!

I'm merely telling you the truth. There's nothing more I can do. And if that's all, I'll take my leave.



And you people wonder why I don't like her.

Well, THAT was a heapload of help! What are we supposed to do now...?

Throw her in the river? It should lighten things up somewhat.

Why not try the Western Ruins?



METAL Gwait fuck it.

We don't know what connection the Sindar ruins have to the Dawn Rune. But it triggered that vision the first time we came here, and the power of the Dawn Rune was unleashed. Perhaps the same thing might happen in other ruins as well?

I dunno.



Although it wouldn't surprise me if you turned out more helpful than Zerase, you are still kind of suspicious.

I won't deny that I'd like to learn more about the ruins. However, what other choice do we have? Why not at least give it a try?

Where are the Western Ruins, anyway?

Like before, the other choice just skips a couple of lines and we go directly here.

West of Doraat, there's a place know as the Deep Twilight Forest. You'll find them there.

Oh, that place!

You're familiar with the Western Ruins?

Well, I went there to explore, but I had no idea what I was in for! Not only did I not find anything, they practically chewed me up and spit me out!
...But, I'm willing to go back if there's a Rune involved. Let me come along!

Both Zweig and Lorelai join the party.



What? We totally could! All we have to do is get walking.



Well, at least if we weren't characters in a JRPG.

Lucretia! Let's see... Where should I begin...?

Miakis has mastered the art of the Exposition Fade.


...But the tactician in me says, "no."

"No"?! Why NO?!

Let me be as blunt as possible. I apologize in advance for any unintentional offense.
Lyon is not the only one who has been injured in this war. Pursuing this mission would make it appear as if His Highness cares only for his own selfish interests.

Hey, I'll have you know there are plenty of people who appreciate Lyon around here! It's practically a community service!

...granted, most of them are the wrong kinds of people and appreciate her for the wrong kinds of reason, but...

Were this only a mission to save Lyon, I could understand your point of view. However, solving the mystery of the Dawn Rune is in the best interest of the entire Iodine in Hell Army.

You do realize the tide of battle won't change with but a single Rune, don't you, Zweig?

...You are brutally frank. As usual.

Well, that is my job, after all. However, this decision is in His Highness' hands. I cannot force him to stay away from the Western Ruins.

This is one of the times...



...where I think it's better not to intentionally say the thing Lucretia doesn't want to hear.

Prince...

Thank you for understanding, Your Highness.
Lady Lyon is in Dr. Silva's capable hands. I'm sure she'll be fine in the end.

Frey nods.

...Oh, and Your Highness, I have a request to ask of you. I would like you to travel to the castle of the Feitas Dragon Cavalry and meet with their commander, Craig Laden.

The Dragon Cavalry? Why? They won't lift a FINGER to help us unless a foreign nation attacks!

Exactly.
We have the Godwins backed into a corner. They are certainly desperate enough to beg a foreign power for help. We must be prudent and plan ahead in the event of such a desperate measure.

Hmmm... You're right. We shouldn't let the Godwins join forces with any foreign nation, but I don't really--
Oooooooooooooooh! NOW I get it! THAT'S what you mean! THAT'S why we need to meet with them!
Prince, let's go! Come on! Hurry up!



Uh

Uh, wait! What does she mean? Why DO we need to meet with them...?

I can't help those who are naturally dense.

Your Highness, I cannot stress enough the importance of this meeting. I wish you the best of luck.
Good luck to you as well, Lady Miakis.

Got it!



Okay, I guess?



Ah, what a shame. We'll just have to explore the ruins without you, then.



The Dragon Cavalry's base is in Sauronix Castle, near the Deep Twilight Forest.

So? I know that!

It boggles the mind to think that someone so thick-headed could have discovered any ruins at all...
Lucretia simply meant that she wouldn't mind if we stop by the ruins after meeting with the Dragon Cavalry.

I... I knew that!

She did...?
...Why didn't she just say so?!

My suspicion is...
...she wanted to thin out the fools.

C'mon, c'mon! There is no time to argue! The Dragon Cavalry 's castle and the Deep Twilight Forest are a LONG ways to the west, so there's no time to waste! Let's go!

I actually like this a lot. It's a human moment for Lucretia, and of course a party with Miakis, Zweig and Lorelai in it is never going to get dull.



We have one last thing to take care of before we can head out, however.



So, where are you going, Galleon? When should we expect you back?

It's not a matter of "going" anywhere. I'm leaving. And I shall not return.

Leaving?! WHY?! A knight as experienced as YOU brings so much to the Prince's cause!

I came here to place Lyon under Dr. Silva's care. And, I wanted His Highness, you, and Kyle to know the truth about Georg. Now that I've accomplished both of my goals, there's no further reason for me to stay.

No, Galleon! You can come fight with us! We'd LOVE to have you! Right, Prince?!

Of course.



You don't want my Queen's Knight collection to have a gaping hole in it, do you?!

Your Highness, it would be an honor far beyond what I deserve. Nevertheless...
My utter inability to protect the Falenan royal family has led to much sadness and suffering. I've no right to even call myself a Queen's Knight anymore. Staying by the Prince's side after my failures would be far too pleasant a fate for a failure such as myself.

Galleon...

???: Typical, typical, typical...


You haven't changed a bit in twenty years.

I... haven't?

Please put your personal feelings aside, Galleon. You're no failure! And even if you were, that's not the issue! Look at the Prince. He may be young, but he's kept on fighting the good fight despite countless difficulties.
Why do you suppose he's able to do that? Because he's the Prince?
No! It's because there's an enemy that must be defeated for the sake of Falena and her people.
Are you going to abandon Falena and her people just because you think you've "failed" the Queen's Knights? Are you going to run from the enemy? Because if you are, then you would truly be "failing" Falena.


Your Highness, can these old bones be of any service to you?

That's what I've been trying to tell you all along!

...Your Highness, I am most honored and humbled. I love this nation with all my heart. If the Prince fights for Falena, then let me take up arms for the Prince!





WOW, Dr. Silva! Galleon can be a stubborn old geezer, but you got him to wilt in NO time!

Nothing new for me.

Huh?





Yes, welcome aboard!

And so Galleon joins the party. He is not as obviously overpowered as Miakis or Georg, but once you have him you've essentially won the game because Galleon is effectively immortal. Even your dodge/parry monsters are susceptible to magic, but Galleon is prepared to facetank shit like that all day without even slowing down.

His weakness is his damage output, as he only gets two runes and one is a permanently locked Knight Rune, which causes him to protect other characters when low on health and is terrible. A Firefly Rune would be ideal (it's basically Knight but good) but if you give him one, you can't boost his damage at all.

This is also where you see the difference in offensive boosting runes - Galleon doesn't want a Power Rune, which halves his massive defence for a 50% damage increase. If he's getting a boosting Rune, he wants Double-Edged, which doubles the damage he takes after subtracting defence from it, which is going to be a whole lot less.

Anyway, we have some recruiting to do before we can get on with the plot. Before doing that, however, we'll see if there's any new mail.


Some of Lord De Beers' books are still in the mansion, so I thought I'd have old Alhazred take them away. But he told me he didn't want any of them, that they were all "worthless, common paperweights."
It would be such a pain to throw them all out. I almost wish they were all just burned...

Send them to Gizel and I'm sure he'd be happy to do it for you.


I told Luserina I'd go steal it back for her, but she told me, "No thank you!" She just won't admit how badly she wants it. Ah ha ha ha ha!

Regretting recruiting you already.


Roy put his costume on again and called Moroon a whole bunch of mean names. I'll go make him apologize...

...and kind of regretting him, too.


I've met Jeane before. Lots of times. In lots of different places. I wonder why we keep bumping into each other...

It must be fate plot.




There! That outta do it!

There you go! Keep practicing.


I'm not going to warn you again.

God damn you're slow. Last time I had you investigated was hours ago!


With my limited vision, I could not begin to critique him. He is further beyond me than even Josephine. For all our sakes, I'll leave it at that.

This mail box...


You have to send exact copies of this letter to twenty-seven people within twenty-seven days.



...is everything I dreamt it would be.


Bonus content:

The other choice with Galleon...



...leads to a couple of different lines.

C'mon, Prince! We NEED him!

No, Miakis. I do not deserve to even consider serving His Royal Highness.

After that he goes on to his utter inability to protect the Falenan royal family, same as the other choice.

The main difference is that that one gets you a Galleon point, while this one doesn't.