Part 110: Northeastern Hypionia

Last time, we were about to inspect the source of the rumbling.

Watch the cutscene!



Wait! That's where Aspio is!
What's going on?!

























What the hell is that thing?
...Tarqaron.
Huh?
The spirits are telling me that's the Tower of Tarqaron.
...Duke. It's got to be him.
He's going to try to use that against the Adephagos.





What do you want?
Some people with the knights wanted me to tell them if I saw someone with your appearance. They said they wanted to talk to you about Flynn, the new Commandant of the Imperial Knights.
What?!
I believe you are the right person?
Yeah.



Huh? Oh...yes, I suppose so.



So can I wait at the Inn?
Yes. That's fine. I'll call them.


Watch the cutscene!







Yuri... Lowell...
...Sodia?
So what's up with Flynn?
Oh! Right. Many people have fled this continent since that monster covered the sky. But some opposed using a guild fleet to protect the empire. Flynn could not abide that. A fleet attacked by monsters landed on Hypionia. We fought, but they kept gaining.
We alone were sent for aid... But all the knights are spread all over the world...
We have no other choice but to ask for your help.





What did you say?!



I...I did it all for Commander Flynn!



Humph. You talk about doing it all for Flynn. But you're just whining.
You gave up. You forgot your resolve.
Resolve...



Y-yeah...
All right. I'll be back soon. All of you get ready to go to Tarqaron--



Yeah, me too. You keep forgetting us.





I don't think Ba'ul will listen to you, either.
All for the guild and the guild for all... Right?







Woof!



All right, Sodia. Let's reform the support units!
O-okay...




Watch the cutscene!





I... I tried to kill you...
Oh, I'm not letting it go.



I haven't given up...
No? So why haven't you gone to help Flynn, even alone?





Please...



Please...



?
I'm a criminal. I could be killed any time. Flynn is the perfect knight. A perfect leader. He doesn't need a criminal by his side.
...
I'm just standing in until the right person comes along.
Yuri...


I love this whole exchange between Yuri and Sodia.



Skit: Flynn in Danger
Flynn always seems to put himself in danger.
He's always that way. He doesn't mind getting hurt if it means protecting others.
Yeah, he gets a little crazy sometimes.
Like you're any different. Birds of a feather, right?
Oh, I'd say we're all like that.
Like what?
We all stuck with Brave Vesperia. Even when the goin' got rough.
Hah hah. I guess none of us can just let things go.
Right. So we can't just let Flynn go either.
Yeah. Exactly.
Well since we can't let it go, I think it's time we get a little crazy.





Now, we just got a major plot point! Tarqaron appeared! That means a whole lot of sidequests unlocked, right? Well, yes, they did.





But fuck that, the upcoming sequence is awesome, we're doing it right now!




That's some cloud of dust. Are those all monsters!?
This seems to be a counter effect of Astal's losing control. It's as if the monsters of the world all came and gathered here.
Is Flynn really down there somewhere?
Probably.
What next? Are we gonna fight every single one of 'em?



Ya gonna blow them away like doing it to the Adephagos?
Right... Applying directivity to the power of spirits and forming a barrier-like force field to eliminate the monsters...



But this was made to be used against the Adephagos, right?
But this is our only option now.
Could you let us use it? Please?
I beg you too. The Dein Nomos... I want to believe it can save mankind...



Alright. Let's do it.
It's rare to hear Yuri ask for a favor like that.
It's our chance to do Yuri a favor!



So what's our plan?
Activate it in the area where the monsters are all concentrated. That's it. Simple, right?
Yeah it is.
No kidding...
Why don't we give it a name? We can't just call it the Rita Dein Nomos...
Huh? ...I'll leave it up to you.



I should have known better...
It's got a nice ring to it. Besides, it's nice n' simple.



Even Ba'ul will need to keep some distance. I'll land at a place.
Okay, let's do it.





What a mess...
We're going in...
Look! Over there!



Flynn!
Hey, looks like he could use some help.
We won't be surrounded if we move along the side of the cliff.






The 360 version just cuts from this straight into the next cutscene.




The PS3 version, for whatever reason, added this. I don't know why.




You really just run towards the top of the screen for half a minute, occasionally avoiding an enemy. It's pretty dumb and pointless, if you ask me.



Oh well.




Watch the cutscene!





This is the end...
You idiots! Stop your whining!

















Yuri! What are you doing here?!
Thank your second-in-command for thinking of you.
Sodia?! Huh...



We have a little special something.
What?



Then, watch it go boom!



Come on, it's us! This is nothing.
Woof!





Keep things going here!
Just you two?! Are you stupid?
We cannot let our guard down here. If we can't defend this place, we lose the very reason for taking out the monsters.
This isn't to defeat the monsters. This is to protect the people.
That's right.
Understood. Leave it to us!
Take care, you two.



Right!
Woof!










Whoa, what? We have Flynn in our party? And yes, this is still the 360 version.



It's pretty neat, except, if you just look a little close -- like, say, change Flynn to manual and control him yourself -- it becomes obvious why he's not actually a party member in this version. He's unfinished. He only has six artes, a pretty bad three-hit combo... and that's it. He can go into overlimit, but has neither Bursts nor a Mystic, and he can't Fatal Strike either. Still, it's cool for the novelty alone.



Listen to the full conversation! (yes do this if you're not watching the video)

Hey, don't go getting yourself ripped apart.
You'll get yourself killed if you keep watching me fight!



Haha, come on! I'm just in awe of the great Flynn Scifo!
Sh-shut up!



Hey, this isn't the time to get worked up.
I am NOT worked up!



It's okay, don't hide it.
Would you be serious for once?
I am serious!



I can't concentrate with you talking all the time!
Well, I can't concentrate without talking, so... we're kinda stuck!



Probably my favorite conversation in the entire game.

Apart from Flynn here, this is a pretty regular battle, except enemies keep spawning in. It's not timed, but simply an endurance run: After a certain amount of enemies they stop spawning and you win.




Watch the cutscene! (same video as before)



I'm still up for some more fighting!
Heh, you look like you're actually having fun in the middle of all this.
Heh heh. You do too.
Woof woof!
































Watch the cutscene!





Knight: Th-thank you so much...



Don't push yourself, OK?



Don't mention it.
There are more serious injuries than I thought. Estelle has saved their lives, but they shouldn't move for a while.
I guess we have to stay and defend them for a little more.
So why not just make this a fort?





I guess the mercenaries I hired weren't sufficient. Sorry for the trouble.
I'm sure the guilds are in chaos right now, too. Thank you for your help.
It won't really make up for things, but I'll help with the defense.
You're going to fight?
Oh no. I'm a merchant. Just watch.



Witcher! ...Is something wrong?



Judging by the crests, it's absorbing some kind of power. In addition, all residents throughout Ilyccia have reported feeling strange.



...Duke.
Life is a very pure mana. Does he intend to use it to attack?
This is what he meant by exchanging all human life to destroy the Adephagos.
The formula is expanding in stages. At this rate, it could affect the entire world...
No...!
We can't just stand around.
But the spirits' power alone won't be enough.
What? But it took out all those monsters!



Several hundred...? That's gonna be tough...
...I guess we have no choice but to change the cores to spirits.
Wait. Could you explain what you're talking about?
Oh, yeah. We meant to talk to you all about it. Hey, Flynn. We want to tell Ioder and the guilds too. Can you call them here?





You never change.
What?



In exchange, you all go talk to the people of the Union and Palestralle.
Okay.



Yeah. Mind giving us a ride?




In the PS3 version, a small bit of dialogue is added regarding Rita's fancy weapon:










There's a ton of NPCs here, but apart from that, nothing really interesting.



Be sure to save at this save point though, it's missable and you'll hate yourself if you're going for the 'save at every save point' achievement and miss this one.



Anyway, let's leave.





Thank you... for um, saving... Flynn. ...





...Why?
Because I can understand why you tried to kill me back there. There's something you just want to protect, even if it means dirtying your own hands. You lose your senses in the heat of the moment and find yourself doing things you'd never imagine.
...



It would have been easier if you'd blame me for this.
Don't flatter yourself! Don't think I'm here doing this for your own good.



W-what...should I do...?
I have no intention of lecturing you about rights and wrongs.



...



As Flynn's friend, I'm grateful for the loyalty you've shown towards him.






Skit: Sodia and Yuri
Yuri's not too fond of young Sodia, is he?
I can see where he's coming from, though.
Everything about her feels hard as a rock. That's not exactly easy to like.
Aw, cut her some slack. Knights are all a little square.
She has a stubborn nature that quick-to-act folks like you and Yuri don't. And that's a good thing.
Stubborn is good...? You totally lost me there.
I figured I would. That's why we can't talk without gettin' on each other's nerves.


And that's mostly it for today! Check below for a deeper look at Flynn as a party member in the 360 version. Other than that, next time: Sidequesting!