Part 84: Into Zaphias

Last time we left off, Yuri had the incredibly smart idea of going after Alexei himself. Let's see how that goes.





Deidon Hold's gate is closed, so the only way we can go is through the Quoi Woods.


Watch the cutscene!





Come to think of it, it's been a long time since we've been on our own, huh pal? I haven't been feeling like myself, even when I'm fighting. ...It's like I'm tired, all of a sudden.



Woof.


Yuri falls asleep...




...
...Yuri, you...
...?
IDIOT!!





What the? What? Karol?!



Hey, hold on a sec!
You trying to be some stupid lone wolf or something?!
Lone wolf... Wait, I...!





For now you can drop dead!!





...Maybe.
Well it looks like you're awake now. How nice.




He led us right to you, like a good boy. He's pretty clever, you know.



Do you guys know what's going on? Do you really understand what has to happen after this?



Karol.



What were you tryin' to prove? How far did you think you'd get without us?
What it boils down to is... It's no fair keepin' all the fun and glory to yourself.
Would it hurt for you to believe in us a little bit more?
Yeah. I mean, we're your friends!

...You got me, guys.



Right!
Um, duh.
Woof!
So let's go do this thing!
Once we leave the woods, the capital is just right there.


Skit: Worried about Estelle
*Sigh...* *Sigh...*
A double sigh?
Knock it off.
We have to make up our minds about Estelle.
! !
From what people who fled from the capital said, it's probably already too late...
Stop it!
...Don't say that.
I think Yuri has decided where he stands already.
How would you know that...?
You mean...the reason he tried to go alone was...
...We have to make up our minds, too.
I know what we have to do... But still...




Leaving Quoi, we can already catch a glimpse of the capital in the distance. It doesn't look very nice.



But before we go there, we're gonna take a short side trip to Deidon Hold.




Watch the cutscene!



It seems you were not able to stop her...
What're you talking about? We're just getting warmed up. You just sit and watch like a good boy.
Yuri... Don't be rude! He lent us the sword...!
Yeah, you're right.
Why...?
...? "Why" what?



I'm just a wild and carefree kinda guy.
Foolishness...



...Let's go.



...?
On the outside, he might not get angry, or flustered, or cry, but...we can tell.
And right now, he's so frustrated it's all he can do not to scream.
But Yuri keeps all that hidden away, so it looks like there's nothing wrong. And for me, now, when I see no hope at all...his attitude is why I can still stand up and fight.
...



I'm coming!



...Yeah, you're right. Someday I'll tell him myself. Someday...



However, the time will come when hope turns to despair...


Cryptic as always. And I bet most people who played the game didn't even realize this scene existed, because you really have no reason to go here at this point in time.

Anyway, back outside, we can just head straight for the capital.




Skit: All in the Same Boat
Hey.
What's up, old man?
I wanna hear what you're plannin'. Ya know, about Estelle.
!
We're all floatin' in the same boat, right? Care ta share?
...I'm not sure I won't lose my nerve if I start talking about it now.
You're just gonna have to bear with me 'til the time comes.
...You're prepared to do what's necessary, but you haven't given up hope.
...That about sums it up.
I guess that's your style... But don't try to take it all on by yourself, all right?
Heh, it's weird hearing kind words from you, Raven.
Hah, true enough.







Unless you're playing the PS3 version, that is. There's a new event on the way to the capital.

Watch the cutscene!





It seems they're at a standstill. I wonder what happened?
Hey, Yuri. Don't you think it'd be a good idea to have Flynn come with us?
He's busy leading the knights. I don't think he could come.







And Lady Estellise? She's still in Zaphias, isn't she.
Yeah. For now, anyway. And what are you doing, hanging around here?
The Royal Guard is in battle formation up ahead. We've sent scouts to find out what their plan is before we make our move.



No need to worry. We don't plan to stick around.
You're going to the capital too, aren't you.
Yeah.
There's something I'd like to discuss with you alone. Is that all right?
Captain!
It's all right, I'll be right back. If there's any movement, let me know. Let's go.




Prince Ioder informed me of what's going on. He told me about Lady Estellise's powers as well. In the worst case scenario, we might have to...



I know that. And I'm talking about the worst possible outcome.
I've already made my choice. Did you forget?
I know.
I've already prepared myself for the worst. But I'm going in hopes of finding a better solution. What are you going to do?




Where does the boundary between good and evil lie?
After much thought, I came to the conclusion that I cannot make a clear distinction. My belief that law is necessary hasn't changed. Nevertheless, I can't call you evil. Thus, it was my hope that, at the very least, I could make a world where history wasn't doomed to repeat itself. And yet, once again, look at what's happened.



Then why don't you come with us? The capital's full of aer, so I doubt all your knights will be able to get in. We can't get everyone through, but we should manage a few people.
With Dein Nomos?
To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what's going to happen from here on out. You're going to have to choose what you want to do on your own.
I...



What?!
!





I can't believe they were hiding so many of their forces!



It looks like we might need to break a few bones to get through.
This is gonna be more than a little rough. We're gonna be a mess by the time we reach the capital.
We don't need to take all of them head on.



Hm... There are enemies everywhere I look. This is starting to look hopeless.
But we're so close!





Knight B: Hey, don't you think it'd be a good idea to withdraw to the fortress?



Captain...





You're going to the capital to stop Alexei. And also... You're going to save Lady Estellise, right?
...Yeah.
In that case, no matter what happens, I believe you will find the best possible outcome.
Flynn...
Go!








I will not tell you that this will be an easy fight. I will not blame you for wanting to run away.





I will not force you to stay here! However, if any of you share my will, let us fight this battle together!












In another example of lazyness on the world map, the battle is represented by a few clouds of smoke. Great.



You can't go straight through them, so you have to make a minor detour around.




In the 360 version, the way from Deidon Hold to Zaphias is rather uneventful. That said, you might want to run into a couple fights anyway, because some (five, to be specific) of the enemies here have changed into "Aersick" versions:



These count as a separate enemy entry in the monster book, and they disappear later in the game.

While I'm getting those entries, Karol learns Devil Rage Rise:






Pardon the lack of a good screenshot, but it's really just a upwards swing that throws enemies into the sky. You can kinda see it in the background here:



I suppose I was occupied with getting all the missable monster book entries when I recorded this, so getting a good shot of this attack must have slipped my mind.


Skit: Out of Time?
The capital's like this, and Estelle's power's been released. ...The world might be done for...
Oh, the gloom! Rita darlin', how can ya be so gloomy?!
Okay, first... Never call me "darlin'"...
Second, excuse me for not being as optimistic as you...
...Hey now. Old Raven's not without his own worries.
Oh, really...?
Sure. But what's the point of getting all down?
We're doin' all we can ta make this work out, right?
Ya just gotta believe in yourself...
Wait, that's basically a Rita trademark, ain't it?
...Okay, fine, you're right!
Ooh! How could I let YOU outsmart ME?!
There now, there's hope for the world yet. As long as our little genius doesn't lose that attitude.


With that done, it's time to enter Zaphias.




Watch the cutscene!





The plants are all overgrown... It's gotta be the aer.
It's so dense... Too much of this stuff would kill anybody.
We'd definitely be in trouble without that sword.
Yeah, stick close to me. Especially you, old man.
Hey, I've been on pins and needles since we got here. ...Hold my hand, would ya?
Gimme a break.
Look, monsters got in here!



They look like they're goin' crazy, like the ones we saw back at Keiv Moc.



Yuri, what is it?
Huh? Oh, it's nothing.



?
The lower quarter's at the bottom of that slope. It's his home.



...It's...it looks like it's been overrun by the plants...
...



Skit: Yuri's Changed
...
You'd think he could stand to be a little less cold and prickly all the time. I mean, I know he's worried about the lower quarter, and we all want to wring Alexei's neck, but still.
Oh, I'd say it's all right from time to time.
What's all right about it?
The fact that he acts like this knowing the tension it causes is a sign that he's softened.
The old Yuri would never have let us see that he was upset about something.
...It's hard to stay emotional when your friends analyze you like you weren't even there.




Despite the chaotic look, there's only one path available, which leads straight into the castle.










Look up there. I might be able to squeeze through.
Nice. You can go through there and open it from the other side.





Hey, we're out of time. Why don't we just blow it open?
Just 'cause there's nobody out here doesn't mean nobody's in there. It'd be a pain if we were discovered.
The aer is all over the city, isn't it? It's gotta be in the castle, too.
Alexei must have taken some sort of precautions against that.

The gate slides open.





Good work. Okay, this is it, folks.








Huh? There's no aer in here.
He must have figured out how to use Estelle's power to do this.
It may have been that the outer barrier was to keep the aer in.
That hunch you had is looking more likely by the minute, old man. We're gonna have company before long.
Why is it I'm only ever right about the bad stuff happenin'?







Alright, let's start exploring! If you think back to the beginning of the game, this is the same castle. So if we go right here,



we end up where we first met Estelle. Further right are the prison cells, to the north we can reach a bunch of hallways that we went through to reach Flynn's room.



The game makes sure you come here first by giving you messages like "I'm more concerned about what's over there..." and "Hm? I hear someone over there..." when trying to go anywhere else. Oh well.


Watch the cutscene!







Huh?!







Yuri?! It's Yuri!






Hey, that's my line!
Why are you inside the castle?!
Yeah, you all too.



However...I realized that the inhabitants of the lower quarter were nowhere to be found. It wasn't part of my orders, but, you see...
The exit collapsed, and a strange fog covered the ground. We were in quite a fix! Thanks to these knights we escaped the fog and came here. They saved our lives.
I-I am prepared to recieve punishment for violating my orders!
I say, we will take the same punishment!
We will take the same punishment!



Anyway, isn't it the duty of the Knights to protect the citizens? ...You did well.



Don't call me Captain! I'm just Raven!
Sir! I apologize. Sir Just Raven!



Looks like somebody respects you.
I never would have believed it...



Huh, I forgot how tough everyone was. What was I worried about?


Did you see the former Commandant?



The Sword Stair?
That really tall thing we got blasted off of.
So that means he's still up there.
The problem is, only important people can get to the Sword Stair. There's some special mechanism.
I can take care of locks, Rita can take care of formulas. We can do it!
You said it.




Skit: The Lower Quarter Is Safe
Isn't this great?! Now everyone in the lower quarter is safe.
Yeah. Now all that's left is crushing Alexei and saving Estelle.
You must be so proud that your men are finally doing some actual work.
I've tried ta tell ya, I don't have any "men."
How can someone respected by so many be so cold to his friends?
All right, Raven's startin' ta think he's had about enough of these shenanigans.





Alright, I think that's enough for now. Next time, we're gonna actually tackle this dungeon.


----

After this update HelloWinter was inspired and posted this fantastic image edit:


Thanks a lot!