Tales of Graces f Part #42

Part 42: CH42: Dust

CH42: Dust

: I don't know what the plan for landing the shuttle was, since Poisson would have no way to do it. I guess they were hoping the Fodrans would do it, but no such luck.

: I still have trouble believing that everyone made it through that.

: Is everyone okay?

: Sophie!

: Did we make it? Is this Fodra?

: Should be.

: Once we cleared the aquasphere, it felt like we were falling.

: Yeah, Fodra has a stronger gravitational pull than the world we're used to, hence it yanked us right in.

: Let's get off the shuttle and see where we are.

In the back of our shuttle we have this. It sells the same stuff as the next shop we'll find.

: It looks like a great battle was fought here in the past. There are signs of combat throughout the landscape.

: It's so cold and desolate. There aren't even any plants.

It's really hard to make out Ephinea in this shot.

: We couldn't see Fodra from there, but we can see our world just fine from here.

: That's all quite fascinating, but I have a more immediate concern: Will this shuttle ever fly again?

: Ummmm...yeah, I dunno. That landing really did a number on it.

: Wait, are you saying we're trapped here?

: What?! So even if we manage to help Sophie, we can't take her back?!

: We still have to find a cure for Sophie, right? We'll just add fixing the shuttle to our to-do list.

: I suppose we don't have any other options.

: Yeah. Curing Sophie has to be our first priority. We can deal with the other problems later.

: We need to get the lay of the land. I wonder if there's a town nearby?

: Hey! Come look over here!

: Well, lookie there. I bet that's a city.

: That's incredible...

: Maybe we can find someone to help us.

: We'll never know unless we try. Let's check it out.

: By incredible luck, they'd crashed in the right place.

: That happens to heroic parties all the damn time. Just roll with it.

: Oh I do.

The wildlife here is relatively tough, but nothing to write home about even on Chaos now. Also the overworld battle music here is great. I'll link a fight later.

Skit: A Question of Priorities

: Just gimme oooone sec here... Let's see... Maybe if I tried this... Ooh! How about that?!

: Did you fix it?

: Mmm, I guess not. We're gonna need to find some way to fix it here...somehow.

: That's not good. We could be stuck here forever.

: Then why not just make a home on this planet? It could be fun!

: Pascal, c'mon, this is no time for your terrible jokes!

: Actually, to be completely honest with you, if it meant Sophie getting better... I'd be willing to take that deal.

: What? Wait, don't tell me you're giving up already?

: Of course not! It's just a question of priorities. I now know what's important to me.

: All the more reason to investigate that city-like place we saw earlier. And if that doesn't work out, we'll just try something else.

: Right! Let's get Sophie fixed up!

: Yes.

Skit: No End in Sight

: Hey, Sophie. Pascal says that distant ball in the sky might be our world. Isn't that amazing?

: ......

: Sophie? Asbel, Sophie isn't responding!

: Hey! Hey, Sophie!

: Lemme see her! ...Okay, she's fine. You two can chill now.

: Really?! I mean, right...of course! Of course she is.

: But if we don't hurry, she'll keep getting worse.

: Dammit! Why?

: I don't know. Don't ask me?

: I promise we're going to save you, Sophie. Just hold on for a little longer...

: Eventually they found a teleporter to the city.

Incidentally I think the loading thing there might be the Foselos.

There too.

: Looks like this really is a city. Or at least it used to be...

: What a mess. Do you think we'll find anyone here?

: I don't know. This place looks as empty as everything else we've seen here.

: Hey! There's somebody on the floor!

: No, but the resemblance is uncanny.

: I don't know! I just touched her and then, poof!

: Stop! Wait! Don't go!

: Well, at least we know someone's alive.

: Come on. Let's find them and start asking questions.

The thing above Malik's head in the shots above is a vending machine we can also use as an "inn".

WEAPON UPGRADES Ok technically I have better weapons than this, but I'm not supposed to. Anyway there's a pair of optional scenes you get here for resting before you find that dude.

: ...It's hopeless. This is the best my equipment can do. Pascal was right. The technology is still incomplete. What if... What if I had actually used this on Forbrannir? I nearly destroyed an entire city because I was jealous of my sister... And yet, she managed to stop me. She saved my career. ...And my life.
What if she doesn't come back?

: I've prepared a meal for you, Fourier.

: ...Thanks. I'll eat it later.

: Aw, cheer up! Pascal will come back to us. I know it. And when she does, you'll need a full belly to give her a proper sisterly greeting! Who's going to take care of her if you collapse from hunger, hmm? I certainly can't do it. She would drive me crazy before the day was out.

: ...Heh. You're right, Poisson. Thank you. This is Pascal we're talking about, after all. I'm sure she'll get obsessed with some Fodra bauble or another and forget everything else. I bet all she's eating are bananas. And I'm sure she hasn't bathed! When she gets back, I'm going to make her eat some vegetables and force her to wash up.

: Hee hee! That's a great plan.

: Pascal, you better be safe. Promise me you'll come back...

: Now she's sleeping HERE? ...I give up.
Get up, Pascal. You'll catch a cold if you sleep here.

: Pascal?

: Big... Sis... *Sniff!*

: Huh, she must be dreaming.

: Mmrph...
Ah... Aaaah... AH-CHOO!

: ...If you're going to sneeze everywhere, at least cover your mouth!

: Huh? Oh, hey, Little Bro... WHA-CHOO ...Oh, man. I think I have a cold. I just had this crazy dream where my sister threw me in a stewpot with a bunch of vegetables or whatever... It was really chilly when I got out of the pot and onto a plate. ...Maybe that's why I'm sick.
I really like Pascal's stuffed-up-nose voice.

: ...Is that why you were crying?

: Huh? I was crying?
Oh, hey. I have been crying, huh? Ha ha! How silly.

: Pascal...

: My sister's amazing, you know? She kept up with her studies even though she took care of me when I was little. That's the only reason I was able to dive into my research like I did... And nothing's changed. We wouldn't have made it here if it wasn't for her. I'll always be in her debt.

: Maybe you should tell her that when we return.

: ...I s'pose. Yeah, all right. We're gonna make it outta here and get back to my sister! Woo hoo! Come on, Little Bro! Time's wasting!

Skit: Sticking Together

: Come on! Let's chase that person we saw earlier.

: Maybe we should split up.

: That sounds reasonable. But splitting up my cause additional problems.

: No, we need to stick together. We have no idea what lies ahead of us.

: I agree. And we should all be together to protect Sophie as well.

: Asbel's becoming a better leader.

Skit: Still Rancid After All These Years

: Disgusting.

: Something must be rotting.

: I'll never get this out of my clothes!

: Oooo, yum! Somebody's fermenting soybeans!

: Soybeans? Why?

: You can make all kinds of goodies out of soybeans if you vary the fermentation level.

: Fermentation level?

: Yeah, it's a lot easier than you think it is. All it really boils down to is the amount of time you spend fermenting them.

: So are you saying these soybeans are going to become something else?

: Maybe. We should try some and see.

: Pascal, how can you tolerate this smell without holding your nose?

: I like this smell!

: How could- Ugh!
We get some miso here. Depending on how long you go between coming back here and looting, different things can pop up.

Skit: Ghost in the Machine

: A clock? Mmm, maybe not. ...Actually, the Overseer used to have something like this.

: Its presence suggests that a great many people did inhabit this location at one time.

: And now it's all lonely and stuff.

: Hmm?

: Machines were built for humans to use, so now this one has no purpose. It's totally sad.

: I'd expect you to say that.

: I wouldn't go so far as to say machines have souls, but still…

: Your sentiment does have a point.

Not a very impressive description for all that.

Incidentally you see a lot of that symbol we've seen holograms of when the Amarcian computers boot up. I think it's some kind of Fodra government sybmol.

Skit: A World Without a Pulse

: What is it?

: I felt like something was missing-I mean, besides all the people. But I couldn't put my finger on it.

: And now you have?

: It's hard to put into words, but... See, on our world, you can sense the life in any living being. ...Even monsters.
But the monsters here aren't like that. They lack a certain...spark, I guess.

: I get what you mean. I think we've all felt something similar ever since we landed here.

: Plants and animals, or any other kind of lifeform, barely exist on this planet at all. I guess that must be why this is here.

: Yeah, it makes sense that the people who once lived here wanted to perserve any kind of remaining life.

: I can't imagine what they must have gone through. Our world is so full of life. Being here makes me realize how much I take it for granted.

: I guess all we can do now is to honor the past and make sure the same mistakes aren't committed again.
We have to make sure Ephinea doesn't suffer the same fate as Fodra.
This is a slight plot hole, since they learn that their ~~planet~~ moon is called Ephinea later this update.

On the bottom floor we have the Shuttlebay. Also there's a book here that halves all your stats except accuracy, and gives some sort of bonus that I stopped reading because fuck that.

: On the bottom floor, they finally caught up... with Psi.

: What's going on with that machine?

: Hey! It's a person!

: I got to admit, it's hard to be objective dealing with her. I just... it's hard ok.

: She's not breathing, and she has no pulse. But... I don't think she's dead...

At this point there's a lot of shaking that doesn't show up in screenshots.

...and our mysterious woman stops glowing.

: Did you bring these people here, Psi?

: *Nod*

: She is alive!

: And who might you all be?

: My name is Asbel Lhant. My friends and I came here from a different world.

: A different world? Do you mean Ephinea? Does that mean the seal has finally been broken?

: ...Ephinea?

: *Shakes head*

: No? How odd. Then how, may I ask, did you arrive here?

: We flew here in a shuttle created by my ancestors. Although it kinda broke when we landed...

: I see. So you must be an Amarcian?

: That's me! But how do you know about the Amarcians? Is there some kind of connection between us and Fodra?

: There is, yes.

: So are you a...Fodran?

: Yes, I am. My name is Emeraude. Forgive me for not making introductions sooner. I never dreamed that I might one day speak to people from Ephinea.

: Ephinea must be their name for our homeworld.

: I appear to have been asleep for quite some time.

: Do you know how long, exactly?

: Around a thousand years, I believe.

: Holy crap!

: I had planned to awaken when the chaos on Fodra subsided. I had no idea it might take this long.

: I'm sorry to be so forward, but we have an urgent question: Do you know this girl?

: That is Protos Heis, is it not?
It also appears to be malfunctioning. Did you bring this all the way from Ephinea?

: What do you mean, malfunctioning?

: ...Could it be that you don't know about Protos Heis?
Protos Heis is not a human being. It is an artificial humanoid soldier created by Fodran scientists.

: ...Humanoid?

: Constructs that resemble people, but are not.

: Not people...

: That would explain why she didn't age during the seven years she was missing.

: Well, I don't care. She's still Sophie. She's still our friend. Sophie is sick, Emeraude, and we came here to find a cure. Do you know a way to treat her?

: Protos Heis is equipped with a self-healing module, but... Hmm, yes. That seems to be malfunctioning as well.

: This unit can be repaired, but we must take it to the Humanoid Research Center. However, the center had been overrun by monsters even before I went to sleep. I imagine it's much worse now. Going there will put your lives in grave danger, and Protos Heis will be unable to defend you. Also, even if you reach the center, there is no guarantee that its equipment will still function. It's quite possible that this unit is simply beyond repair.

: N-No...

: Knowing all that, are you still willing to risk your lives for Protos Heis?

: Yes. Sophie's our friend, and we'd do anything to save her.

: Very well. In that case, I will not attempt to dissuade you further.
There is a machine in the research center that should be able to repair this unit, although I do not know if it still functions. However, you will be unable to operate the machine without my help, so I will accompany you on your journey.

: We appreciate the help.

: I will also see that your shuttle is repaired in the meantime.
Psi, please get the shuttle to the launch bay and see that it is fully repaired. It would not do to have our guests brave the research center only to be stranded here in the end.

: The shuttle's in pretty bad shape, so feel free to whack it around or whatever.

: Thank you, Emeraude. You've already been a tremendous help.

: Yes, well. I suppose we should be off.

Emeraude is now hanging out with the party. Maybe at some point she'll pull her own weight hahahahahaha.

Skit Video 2

Skit: The Knowledge to Save

: They are similar, but fundamentally different. These are eleth-powered, civilian-use humanoids. Just like Psi.

: So the ones that can fight are called Protos Heis...es?

: Strictly speaking, that is not correct. When we reach the laboratory, you'll understand.

: Wow, Emeraude, you know stuff even Pascal doesn't! It makes me really confident that you can help Sophie.

: I assure you that I will.

So earlier in the thread I was embarassed because I identified a song playing during a fight wrong. I blamed being barely able to hear it over all my special attacks. Now with the volume on those turned down a bit maybe we can hear the music.
Sample overworld battle.

Oh also Hubert now has a rather nifty ability.

Once per battle, he can pull out his level 1 Mystic Arte! It works like this: you have to have a certain number of hits in your combo and the skill trained, then press the L1 button and BOOM!

Some of these are huge bitches to get. I do not have all of them, at all.

: The Center wasn't far.

: I will warn you again: If you value your lives, please use extreme caution while inside this facility.

: I just hope their machines still work so we can help Sophie.

: Come on. Let's get inside and see.

: Meanwhile...

: All I can hear is my heartbeat...
But...I'm still alive...
Trust...will only betray...
Hope...will only disappoint...
We must remove all hope and return it to the planet...