Part 8: The Tartarus (Part II)
: “Luke, wake up!”
: “...Where am I?”
: “In a cabin, onboard the Tartarus.”
: “That's right... Monsters attacked, and then...”
: “All right, we need to get out of here and rescue Ion.”
: “It looked like they took Ion away...”
: “We'll ambush them and rescue him then.”
: “W-wait! If you do that, there'll be more fighting!”: “Yes, what about it?”: “We might end up killing people again!”
: “That can't be helped. They'll kill us if we don't kill them first.”
: “Wh-what are you saying?! We're talking about human lives!”: “Yes. Human life is a valuable thing. But if we sit here and do nothing, a war will start, and even more people will die.”: “Right now, this is our battlefield. There's no good or evil here. Just life or death.”
: “...!”
: “Those who lack strength do things like hire mercenaries, band together, and travel by coach. Those with the strength to fight, do. Sometimes even children. They do what they must in order to survive.”: “That's got nothing to do with me! I didn't know anything about that, and I didn't come here because I wanted to!”
: “Astonishing. What kind of environment must one grow up in to be this ignorant of the situation...?”For those not watching the videos, don't be fooled into thinking this was meant as snark. Jade's VA read of this line is that of almost detached curiosity. Almost like a scientist observing a specimen. It's just a tad unsettling.
: “Ever since the Malkuth attempt to kidnap him, he's been forbidden to leave his manor for his own safety.”: “I see... then I suppose it's natural for him not to know anything about the world...”
: “It's my responsibility that all of this happened, so I promise I'm going to get you back home.”: …: “In return, don't get in our way. If you're not willing to fight, you're only going to be a burden.”: “...I didn't say I wouldn't fight! I just don't want to kill anyone!”
: “It's the same thing. Right now, fighting means fighting against the human beings who took the Tartarus. If you don't want to kill the enemy, then stay behind us.”: “...I'm just saying, let's not fight any more than we have to. I don't want to die, either.”
: “So you're going to fight? I'll be counting on you as part of our force.”: “I said I will.”: “Good.”
: “Power systems down! Controls down! The Tartarus is completely inoperable!”
: “Wow...”Yeah, this is a pretty good start point for understanding Jade's mindset. His entire warship gets taken from him, his crew killed, and he's thrown in jail. It's cool though, he's got a backup plan.
: “Where should we head from here?”: “Go to the port hatch. During an emergency shutdown, that's the only one that will open. The oracle Knights holding Ion should try to enter from there as well.”: “But they took away our weapons...”: “They're probably still nearby. Let's look for them.”Another Tales series staple: There will always be a point in the game where you are captured and your weapons taken. Once you've broken out of your cell, you will find your weapons in a completely unguarded chest, no more than 50 feet from where you were imprisoned.
Skit: Fighting for our Lives
: “Luke, get a hold of yourself! Your life depends on it.”
: “I said I'm fighting! It's just... I feel bad, that's all.”
: “Feeling for those you've slain is an admirable trait, but only if it doesn't become a hindrance.”: “Shut up...”: “Are you afraid?”: “I said shut up already! You want to know if I'm afraid? If I'll get in the way? Let's go and I'll show you!”: “If your performance lives up to our words, I'll have no complaints whatsoever.”
Immediately across the way... yep.
Making fun of your genre conventions does not excuse you from using them to the letter, Namco.
: “So we just have to move these boxes, yes?”
: “That's right. By the way, Luke. I can't say that I think much of you forcing a woman to do the heavy lifting.”
: “Or do rich aristocratic boys lack any muscles? *sigh* And here I thought even your brain was made of muscle.”: “What did you say?!”
: “Wait a minute. You're a guy, too. You help out.”
: “No, I'd rather not. You're younger than I am after all. At my age, all my joints ache...”: “...Fine, whatever. Out of the way. I'll do it.”
: “Th-thanks.”
: “You can do it Master!”: “I thought I told you to shut up!”At the risk of repeating myself:
All of that was really just a tutorial to the obligatory block pushing mechanics. Before we move on in the plot though, I run back to another room that has a slightly more 'complicated' puzzle that reaps a few items including some gald, a life bottle, and Styl, a new Capacity Core that gives +2 Physical Attack and, more interestingly, a +1 Enhancement effect, our first and currently only Capacity Core to do so. I throw it on Luke, since he'll appreciate the P. Attack bonus anyway, and +1 Enhance is better than the +1 P. Defense his current capacity core is giving him.
Anyway, back to the plot.
: “This is your 'something fun'?”: “Colonel, is that gunpowder?”: “Gunpowder?! Why is THAT here?”: “A group of soldiers aboard the ship had been pilfering supplies to sell on their own. I discovered that they'd been hiding gunpowder there. Though this commotion has made my investigations pointless.”: “I see. So we're going to ignite this and destroy the wall.”: “Are you serious? You sure that's going to be okay?”: “We'll be fine as long as we're not caught in the explosion. Now, let's hurry.”: “Do we light it with a fonic arte?”: “No, we light it with Mieu. You're on, Mieu!”: “Yes, sir!”: “Whoa! Wait a-”
: “Jeez...! You could've waited half a second!”
: “Mieuuu.... I'm sorry, Master.”: “No, that was perfect Mieu. Now, let us be going.”: “R-right...”
The Long Sword Is a better sword for Luke. So he gets it, naturally.
Skit: The Six God Generals
: “Let's get moving. We don't know how many of the Six God-Generals attacked the Tartarus.”: “Are there more here besides that Largo the Black Lion you took down before?”: “At least three. One controlling the ligers and griffins, and the ones that attacked us at the bridge.”: “We have no chance against them like this. Granted they took us by surprise, but we were still both downed in an instant...”: “If we can take them by surprise instead, like with Largo, things would be different... but we can't count on that happening again.”
Having blown a huge hole in the wall and made our escape, we proceed to the port hatch.
The deck is still crawling with monsters, so we're forced to plow our way through.
The port hatch is not that far away, however, so we make it after only a minute and maybe two fights.
Skit: Why are they doing it?
: “What are these guys trying to accomplish by kidnapping Ion?”: “Well, Ion is working towards avoiding war... so perhaps they're trying to disrupt the peace talks?”: “Given Ion's influence in both Kimlasca and Malkuth, his presence is critical to the peace process. Preventing him from reaching Baticul would certainly be the most direct and effective method to disrupt that process.”: “But attacking a Malkuth military vessel just for that...? It makes me wonder.”: “You think there could be more to it?”: “Enough idle conjecture. Let's discuss this after we've taken care of the present situation.”Yes, let's.
There's a lot of good action in this cutscene that is hard to screenshot. Watching the video is highly recommended on this one.
: “Have they realized the Tartarus did an emergency shutdown?”: “I'd be rather surprised if they hadn't.”
: “More importantly, we can't use fonic artes. There's no time for casting.”: “It's not like you can use any decent fonic artes , anyway, with that fon slot seal.”: “How can you say things like that? The Colonel's been working hard to undo the fon slot seal.”: “I don't mind, it's the truth.”
: “Right away.”
: “Jade Curtiss... You're a force to be reckoned with, even with your fonic artes sealed.”: “That's quite a complement. I'm honored. Now, throw down your weapons.”
: “Tear! Your fonic hymn!”: “Tear...? Tear Grants!”
: “Master, we're surrounded...”: “Arietta! What's happened to the Tartarus?”
: “It's still inoperable... I was only able to get this far because my friend tore open the wall.”: “Good work, restrain them and-”
: “Aah!”: “Arietta!”
: “You're next. Take your monsters inside.”: “Fon Master, I... I..!”
: “Please, do as he says, Arietta.”
: “All the hatches should stay closed for awhile.” 
: “Whew. Thank goodness... Good timing, Guy!”And a flawless introduction.
: “I looked all over for you. Never thought you'd turn up in a place like this!”: “By the way Ion, where's Anise?”
: “The enemy stole the emperor's letter. Anise went to get it back, but a monster knocked her out of a porthole. But I heard soldiers say that they couldn't find the body, so I'm hoping she's all right.”If Guy could survive jumping off the mast of a 50 foot high battleship, I think Anise can survive a tumble out the window.
: “Then let's head for St. Binah. That's our rendezvous point with Anise.”: “St. Binah?”: “It's a city to the southeast of here.”: “Okay, we just need to make it there, right?”
: “What about your troops? They're still inside this ship, right?”: “I can't imagine there being any survivors. If they left any witnesses, it would lead to war between the Order of Lorelei and Malkuth.”: “...How many people were on board?”: “This was a secret mission, so only half the usual number- around 140.”
: “Over a hundred people were killed...”: “Let's get going. If we get caught here, the war that follows will claim the lives of many more.”
We now have a full party, at least in terms of combat since only four units can be fighting at a time. Rollin' deep.
If you can't guess Guy's gimmick, let me help you out: Look at his physical attack score. Now look at his agility score.
Yeah.
Skit: Luke's Grand Adventure
: *sigh*: “Looks like things have been pretty tough for you, huh, Luke?”: “Yeah, no kidding. It's just been one thing after another.”: “Heh heh heh, 'Luke's Grand Adventure'...”: “Hey, this isn't a joke here!”: “Well, everything's mostly taken care of, right? We'll have you back in Baticul in no time.”: “I sure hope so...”
: “Ion... you used Daathic fonic artes aboard the Tartarus, didn't you?”: “That thing you did back at the cheagles' place?”: “I'm sorry, my body just isn't built to use Daathic fonic artes... A fair bit of time had passed, so I thought I'd recovered but...”: “Let's rest for a while. At this rate, we risk shortening his life.”
: “But why would Mohs want to start a war anyway?”: “I'm afraid that's confidential to the Order. I can't talk about it.”: “Oh, come on.”: “Whatever the reasons, war must be avoided. We won't let Mohs interfere.”
: “You've sure gotten yourself wrapped up in a mess here, Luke...”: “By the way, who are you?”: “Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm Guy. I'm a servant in Duke Fabre's manor.”
: “Aaah!”: “Guy doesn't like women.”: “I'd say it looks more like a phobia.”: “S-sorry... it's nothing personal... it's just...”: “If it helps, you don't have to think of me as a woman.”
: “Sorry...”: “If you serve House Fabre, you must be from Kimlasca. Did you come looking for Luke?”: “Yes, under orders from Duke Fabre. We knew he'd disappeared into Malkuth territory. I went by land from Chesedonia, while Dorian General Grants crossed the sea and started searching from Kaitzur.”: “Master van's looking for me, too?!”: “...My brother's here?”: “Your brother? You mean...”
: “Th-those are people...”: “Luke, stay back! You know you won't be able to kill them!”: “You won't get away!”
I'm playing as Guy for this fight to mix things up, but he's rather underleveled at this point and only knows a single arte: demon fang. That's right, it's actually the secondary fighter who gets demon fang here, not the protagonist!
: “Luke, finish him!”
: “Luke, snap out of it!”
: “...You idiot.”
...I'll get right on equipping that one.
Well, that was certainly an eventful day.
: “You're a civilian, so I think your hesitation and concern are to be expected.”: “Does it... not bother you that your subordinates kill people? Isn't your job to save people?”: “It can't be helped. Sadly, the Order of Lorelei has stopped being a religion of life. You'll see soon enough.”
No, I'm not making a batman joke. Go away.
: “Why did you become a soldier, Jade?”: “Are you afraid of killing people?”: …: “I think your reaction is really quite natural. The world could probably benefit from having fewer soldiers anyway.”: “I don't know what I should do...”: “Relax. You'll be protected until we arrive at Baticul. We'd be in quite a bind if you died on us.”: “Stop making fun of me!”: “But I'm not. There's no shame in running or protecting your own life. Live a safe life inside a safe city, and hire guards when you're forced to leave it. That's how normal people live.”
: “I... I had no idea things were so bad outside the city.”: “Sometimes, you can earn bounties for killing monsters or bandits. Outside the towns, killing people isn't considered a crime, as long as it's not proven to be for personal malice.”: “How many people have you killed?”: “Who knows? Less than that soldier right there, I'd imagine.”: “...Aren't you scared?”: “Of course I'm scared. That's why I fight. Because I don't want to die. I still have things to do.”: “Like what?”: “Revenge.”: “...huh?”: “...Just kidding.”
: “Are you sure you're all right?”: “Huh?”: “The fighting was hard on you, wasn't it? I knew you were a civilian, but it seems I didn't really understand what that meant.”: “I'm sorry.”: “Wh-why are you apologizing? You're the one who got hurt.”: “As long as I'm a soldier, it's my duty to protect civilians. Getting injured in the process merely means I wasn't strong enough. That's all.”: “You're weird. To me, it sounds like you're just trying to sound tough.”: “Th-that's not true!”: “Uh huh...”
Anyway, enough naval gazing. Let's hit the sack.
Skit: Diary of Mieu
: “Master, are you writing in your diary again?”: “...Yeah, but not because I want to. It's because Mother and everyone else will get all worried if I don't.”: “I'll help too!”: “Huh? How the hell are you going to help?”: “I know how to write the Fonic alphabet.”...No really, they just added the word 'fonic' in front of alphabet and called it a new language. This fucking game.
: “...All right, let's see it.”: “Umm... Today...Master...called...me...'Thing'...38...times.”: “...Hey, Thing! You're not supposed to keep count!”: “Mieuuu... make that 39...”Again, that skit was automatic.
I know I've already said it once this update, but I highly suggest watching the video. Aside from the voice acting, there are some very good close up shots and emotional face work that screenshots can only do so much justice.
: “It's time to get going.”: “Are you all right to be moving around?”: “...Yes, thank you for your concern.”
: “You'll stay in the center with Ion and defend yourself if necessary.”: “What?”: “In other words, you don't have to fight, Luke. Come on. Let's get going.”
: “What is it?”
: “Aren't you afraid of killing?”: “...Of course not!”
: “You shouldn't force yourself, Luke.”
: “If I have to fight to survive, then that's what I'll do. I'm not gonna hide in the corner!”: “I'm so proud of you, Master!”: “Would you shut up! Anyway, I've made up my mind. From now on, I fight. Without hesitation.”
: “...And it can earn you the hatred of others.”
: “Can you face that responsibility? Without running away? Without making excuses?”: “You said yourself, you aren't killing people because you want to.”
: “But...”: “I don't see any problem with that. We'll give Luke a chance to show us his resolve.”
Synopsis:
When I woke up in a cell, Jade and Tear started talking about rescuing Ion
and escaping from the Tartarus. That means we'd have to fight people again,
but they don't even blink at that... And they even started saying I was a
burden, so I decided to fight too. I mean, it's not like I want to swing a
sword at other people, but I can't stand them making fun of me like that.
Jade broke out of the cell and activated an emergency shutdown system he'd
put in the Tartarus. But before we can escape, we'll have to get back our
equipment that was taken from us. I wonder where it is...?
We found our equipment pretty quickly. Now we just have to find Ion and
get out of here. We're heading for the port hatch, where we can get Ion back.
Let's hurry.
We waited in ambush for the Oracle Knights to show up again, and
eventually a woman named Legretta came back with Ion. Apparently Legretta
used to be Tear's instructor.
Come to think of it, Tear was with the Oracle Knights too, wasn't she? How
come they're all fighting each other? I remember her saying something about
factions...
Anyway, just when it looked like we were going to be able to get away,
another Oracle Knight named Arietta appeared, and we almost got captured
instead. But then Guy came from out of nowhere and saved us. He said he'd
come looking for me after I disappeared from the manor. That's Guy for you!
Ion said that when Anise came to rescue him, she got into a fight with an
Oracle soldier and got thrown out of the Tartarus. He didn't know whether she
survived, but if she's still alive she should be heading for a town called
St. Binah.
On the way to St. Binah, Ion collapsed. Talk about a wimp, sheesh. Oh
well, I guess we'd better take a rest now.
While I was explaining the situation to Guy, some Oracle Knights attacked
us all of a sudden. We managed to take care of them, but I couldn't get
myself to kill a real live person...and Tear ended up getting hurt because of
it. We ended up staying overnight here to let Tear's injury heal.
Everybody says that I don't have to fight, that it's perfectly normal for
civilians to be afraid of killing.
But what they're really saying is that I'm just in the way. I don't want
to be treated like that, so I decided I'm going to make myself do it. I don't
want to kill people, but if I have to do it in order to survive, then I guess
there's not much choice.
Everyone accepted my resolution and now we're off to St. Binah again.