Part 33: Episode 32: The Dragon Never Sleeps

Well, we have survived our first batch of too many words. When we left out Librarian Ute was about to give us some sweet FMV action to tell us about the Dragon Campaign. This update is going to be a bit of a monster but I wanted to get the payoff for all these stuck in. And by god the payout is worth it!



Haschel: "Are you acting superior again?"

Librarian Ute: "Of course. I am superior."

Haschel: "I prefer being a hit with girls over feeling superior."

Haschel knows what is most important in life.

Librarian Ute: "I don't care about those things! It seems you are interested in the Dragon Campaign. Winglies, Divine Moon Objects, Dragons and Dragoons. These all had something to do with the Dragon Campaign."

Dart: "Then Lloyd has something to do with the Dragon Campaign?"

Librarian Ute: "The Dragon Campaign is my specialty. Maybe I can be of assistance."

Dart: "Tell me."

Albert: "We only know fragments."

Librarian Ute: "I see. This is the legend of the Dragon Campaign that I know...”


Click to Watch

Librarian Ute: “There were 7 Dragoon warriors in the legend of the Dragon Campaign, dragoons reputed to be the incarnations of Dragons. With Dragons at their side, the dragoons fought boldy. However, in the age when the legend was reality, the Winglies dominated all, even the gods.


Some of the psuedo-historical paintings in this are pretty good actually. But dear lord that face.

Librarian Ute: “The gods answered to dictator Melbu Frahma's prayers and granted him ultimate power; but, the power was abused.“


Librarian Ute: “The earth of Saint Imperial Gloriano was scorched by the gods' fire and became ashen.”


Librarian Ute: “The anger and sadness of the people was the fuel for the dragoons' cause. Then at last, they freed the gods.”


Librarian Ute: “Without the gods' power, the Winglies perished and our age, the Human Age, began. Thereafter, the gods floated in the sky.”


Librarian Ute: “For 11,000 years, they have been looking over the world as the Moon That Never Sets. That is the story.”


Librarian Ute: “Did you find out something related to Lloyd? Oh well, that's unfortunate. You are already here so you might as well check the Reference Room upstairs."

Man. Rose must REALLY hate religion. Spending 11,000 years just to make sure the gods can’t chill out and having a vacation down on the ol’ homeworld.

Dart: "Are there more books?"

Librarian Ute: "No. It contains the historical material of Mille Seseau. For other people, it may seem to be mere trash; however, for our country, they are all historical objects. This is something left by the Black Monster that brought an inferno down on this country."

Dart: "The Black Monster!?"

Librarian Ute: "It has already been 18 years. It is surprising a young man like you knows about it."

Dart: "I was born in Neet!"

Librarian Ute: "God! Are you a survivor from the village!?"


Librarian Ute: "This is the stained glass of the church in Neet. Do you remember seeing this?"

Dart: "Yes. Faintly, but I do remember."

Librarian Ute: "It was really a monster. These are the only things that survived the black flame."

Dart: "Do you know anything about what happened to Neet back then? Any survivors or...."

Librarian Ute: "I know only one."

Dart: "Who is that!?

Librarian Ute: "The Second Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau, Sister Luanna. It seems you don't know her. However I can tell you a little about the Black Monster. There is a legend about the Black Monster and the Moon Child. Would you like to hear it?"

Naw, man. It’s cool. I’ve only spent my entire adult life hunting down any scrap of information on it futilely. And thanks to the power of flashbacks for people that weren’t even in our party, back on disc two we ran into another of the Sacred Sisters. Wink, who is #3. She was randomly getting her assed saved by Lloyd. Maybe will find out what was up with that when we hit the castle up in a bit.

Dart: "Yes please."


Click To Watch

I’m not sure these FMVs could possibly get any more exciting. I mean, zooming in on stained glass? That is pretty fucking brutal if you ask me.

Librarian Ute: "It is ironic, but.... The people who visit the church in Neet pray for their own happiness by looking at this stained glass which shows the legend of the Black Monster and the Moon Child. Why did the gods created him? The Black Monster.”

Probably for the best Rose is off screwing around somewhere else right now. She’d probably be twitching violently.


Librarian Ute: “He appears in various legends, as a demon who rebels against and devours the gods, an evil plague that rejects peace in the world, the god that is the Moon That Never Sets. The Moon That Never Sets glows red every 108 years.”


Librarian Ute: “It is a sign that a herald will be sent to earth, a herald is known to us as the Moon Child. The legend says the Moon Child revives the gods on earth and purifies the world.”


Librarian Ute: “The Black Monster abhors, hates, and despises it, and kills the Moon Child. This sad karma is endless. This god stays forever in the sky, and the world is in never-ending chaos."


Ok, I’ll admit this is a pretty sweet, if inaccurate picture of the Black Monster. Rose might at least get a chuckle out of that. And from here on out we just get some dramatic music and scrolling over some art.


This is less sweet. And speaking of Rose, why don’t we see what are resident immortal god slayer is up to.


Rose: "Nothing has changed." (Am I...hesitating?) "It's silly."

They’re right. They always come back to the scene of the crime.

????: "Mother.... I am back."



Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "Mother, it's been a while. Since the tragic day, I lost my sight. I am able to see today, thanks to the love of many people like Setie here.”

NOTE: See is rather metaphorical here. She’s as blind as a bat physically.

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: “May the Divine Tree bless all the victims of the tragedy. Who is it?"


The guards rush in between the Sister and Rose as she just casually strolls in.

Rose: "I didn't mean to surprise you."

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "You are?"

Rose: "Just a traveler. Please don't be alarmed."

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "There are people of Neet, and my mother, sleeping here."

Fourth Sacred Sister Setie: "Are you here to visit the grave too?"

Rose: "I guess so."

Fourth Sacred Sister Setie: "Then you know about Neet!?"

Once could certainly say that.




At this point if you didn’t figure out the whole Black Monster thing is where you really need to consult your doctor. I’ll give some leeway earlier, but they really throw it out there now.

Knight of Mille Seseau: "I will never tell you! UUURRRGGGHH!!"

As a reward for beingi stubborn the Black Monster sucks the life out of him and tosses his body to the ground.


Luanna's Mother: "Don't come!!"

Black Monster: "Where is Princess Louvia? Where did you hide the Moon Child?"

Luanna's Mother: "We don't know!! What kind of spitefulness do you have toward our village!?"

Black Monster: "You want to die with your daughter?"

Second Sacred Sister: "Mom, I'm scared."

Luanna's Mother: "Princess Louvia left for the sea. This must be enough to satisfy you! Now leave this village!"


Black Monster: "It's the time of birth when the moon glows a blood color. The newly born Moon Child has a magic power. That magic power changes everyone around into an evangelist for the god, a servant to help prepare for the descending of the god."

Well, we don’t know why she has to murder the fuck out of the Moon Child once every century, but at least we know the collateral damage isn’t just for no reason.


Apparently the reward for telling her what she wants to know is the same as not telling her. Woops.

Black Monster: "My objectives will not be satisfied until I kill every single person who was present as the Moon Child passed through."

The Black Monster walks out leaving Luanna alone with her dead mother. What a nice person she’s turning out to be.

Luanna: "Mom...? Answer me...? It's hot!! It's burning. Mom.... Mom...."


Rose: "I see. Then you were blinded back then?"

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "Yes. However, the god imparted me with something else."

Fourth Sacred Sister Setie: "Sister Luanna can see people's souls! But, she can feel their pain too. Because of this, Sister Luanna has suffered."

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "Now I can appreciate this power that I have. Because, it allows me to heal the pain in people's hearts. If you need to heal the pain in your heart, please tell me. I can help you."

Rose: "That's not necessary. By the way, are you done?"

I think it is for the best for everyone that this doesn’t occur. I can’t imagine the shock of soul scanning someone that has killed thousands of people in cold blood.

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "Yes. I will go back to Deningrad soon."

Rose: "May I join you? Even if you are with knights, the forest is filled with dangerous monsters. I can protect you from them."

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "I see. Then I'll ask you to come with us."

Oh god Rose is going to kill them all in the woods and finish the job.


Well, it’s probably less dramatic than that. I hope. So let’s check in on Meru and her trip to her parents’ house. This has to go better, right?”

Meru: "It's been a long time! I wonder if everybody is doin' all right? I wonder if they feel lonely without me? Wow!"


And then someone lobs a fireball at her. Maybe it won’t go so smoothly.

Meru: "Hey watch out!"

????: "Who is this coming through the boundary!?"

Meru: "Wh, who are you, not knowin' me!?"

????: "?? Meru? Is that you, Meru!?"


And here is where those injured in the head as a child figure out for sure that Meru is a wingly. Strangely, I don’t think she ever uses her wingly wings. Which is funny because they can actually be used all the time unlike Dragoon form.

Meru: "Guaraha!? Long time no see! You look great!"

Guaraha: "Do you think I am really 'great'? How could you leave without telling me! Where have you been!?"

Meru: "He.... Hey! I came all the way back here! You don't need to yell at me! Aren't you happy to see me!?"

Guaraha: "I am very happy to see you!! But leaving through the forest is our taboo! You left the forest, so I don't know if everybody else in the forest will forgive you, Meru."

Meru: "Who cares about taboos!? Everybody in this forest!? And the Humans outside!? Both of us are living in the same world. How come we have to draw a line and lock ourselves in like this!?"

She may be a total fucking goof ball at times, but Meru is far willing to see what others choose not to sometimes.

Guaraha: "That's what I wanna know. I have been living in this forest forever. I wish I knew."

Meru: "I'm gonna ask the Ancestor! I won't ask you anymore!"


Oh how the Winglies have fallen. From colossal flying cities to cancerous looking tree forts. No wonder why they are all so pissy.


Meru: "I'm home! Oops, it seems I'm not that welcome."

Wingly A: "It's Meru."

Wingly B: "Meru is back!"

Meru: "This is my home! I can come home at any time!"

Wingly A: "Such selfishness is not tolerated!"

Wingly B: "There is no place to come home to, Meru!"

Meru: "But...."

????: "That's true!!"

I don’t think this is going quite how Meru hoped it would.


Younger Bardel: "You are the black sheep of the proud Winglies! How dare you shamelessly come back!"

Older Bardel: "I thought you were satisfied with your decadent human life, weren't you?"

Meru: "Bardel?" What are you talking about?"

Older Bardel: "Go back to the Humans."

Younger Bardel: "And wait there, for the moment we destroy the Humans!"

????: "Stop it!!"


At this point the town elder decides to check out why the whippersnappers are out and making so much god damn noise.

Ancestor Blano: "You left the forest on your own volition. How come you have come back?"

Meru: "I just wanted to see everybody."

Ancestor Blano: "Leaving the forest is an unforgivable mortal sin. Didn't you know that when you left for the world of Humans? As well as that, you could never come back here."

Meru: "Yes I did!! But it's strange!! The world is one hundred times bigger than this forest! There are, of course, bad Humans! But there are many good Humans too!! You never met them and you shouldn't hate them!!"

Ancestor Blano: "There are people who hate and dested Humans just because they are Humans, but their number is few. We just want to protect our life. That's all. Humans have always been afraid of the magic power of Winglies. The fear eventually turns itself into a need to tyrannize us, and take some action. Either to subjugate or kill Winglies. That's why we need our own world, like this forest, where Humans cannot enter. Go back to the other world. Your existence angers the others."

Meru: "I understand. I'll leave."

Basically the Winglies have fallen so far they are scared to FUCK of humans and basically locked themselves away in their own self-inflicted ghetto. Even without the Dragoon spirits Humans are apparently capable enough of putting down a Wingly enclave.

????: "Meru!!"

Meru: "Mother!"


Her mom swoops down, but her dad follows her over and blocks the way between them.

Meru's Father: "Leave the girl alone!"

Meru: "Father, you must be kidding?"

Meru's Father: "That's the rule. We are going."


Her dad flies off while her mother waits a second staring at Meru before heading out herself without a word. Way to kick a girl while she is down.

Meru: "Mother.... Father...."

Ancestor Blano: "It must be hard for you, but you must go back, Meru."

Younger Bardel: "Get out of our forest at once!!"





Meru heads back to the entrance where she is snatched up by Guaraha. I’m pretty sure he never got the lesson from his mom telling him not to date girls crazier than himself.

Guaraha: "Quiet. I want to talk between just the two of us. It seems you received a horrible welcome."

Meru: "It's nothing to me."

Guaraha: "Stop talking tough. Meru, it was just bad timing. Everybody is feeling tense lately."

Meru: "Is that my fault too?"


Meru: "I've been feeling it a little. The animals in the forest are all acting savage. This must be the cause. But, what is this?"

Guaraha: "Ancestor Blano said that it is the omen of a Dragon coming back to life. And, it is not the usual one. Even our ancestors who had much stronger magic power couldn't defeat it."

Meru: "Wh, what kind of Dragon is that?"

Guaraha: "It's the strongest Dragon of all. The King of Dragons, with seven magical eyes. The Divine Dragon."

Meru: "Divine Dragon?"


Meru: "B, but!! We have a Dragon Buster and a Dragon Block Staff, don't we!?"

Guaraha: "The sword for killing Dragons, the Dragon Buster, has been lost."

Meru: "It, It wasn't me!"

I wonder what kind of nonsense Meru got up to as a child that she immediately feels the need to declare her innocence on the theft of a powerful magical item.

Guaraha: "We know. Because it was hidden with the staff in a place that only the Ancestor could open."

Meru: "And...the talk you wanted between just the two of us is about the Dragon?"

Guaraha: "That too. But what I really wanted to tell you is something else. Meru, don't leave me! I want you to be at my side! I can protect you if everybody opposes you!"


Meru: "You are kind, as always. But if you do, you will be hated as well. I gotta go. Everybody's waiting for me."

Guaraha: "You...have friends."

Ahaha. What a dick Guaraha. Someone isn’t getting a goodbye kiss after that.

Meru: "They are all cool. They show me and teach me many things. Ciao!"

Guaraha: "Meru!!"

Well, at least Meru can hang out with her new friends now that everyone else she knows except her kind of boyfriend has told her to go fuck herself.


Click To Watch. You really should watch this.

And now for an FMV that ISN’T a total waste of space!


This place looks REAL pleasant. I’m sure there is no ancient evil that the winglies feared above all else locked up here.


It’s, uh, just a dog. A big dog that is waiting for its master to come back.


With the eyes of a dragon.


Apparently the winglies took no truck with the more traditional magic sigils or anything. They apparently just tranqued the Divine Dragon and chained it up to a fucking volcano. Where it has been alive and well, if not happy, for the last 11 millenia waiting for them to rust enough to bust out of.




I’m pretty sure eyes do not go there. Not at all. Also you seem to have some sort of chin penis.


That..is probably a bad sign.


And since we haven’t jumped around locations enough this update, back to Deningrad.

Librarian Ute: "What are you going to do? Are you going to pursue that man, Lloyd? When you get time, go visit Neet. You cannot change the past, however, you can face it. By facing it, maybe you can find out where you are from and where you want to go."

Haschel: "I guess he wasn't just a snob."

Dart: "Well we have to wait for Rose and Meru. ...!?"


The music drops out and we get a dramatic sound effect as Dart suddenly leans over and starts gasping for air.

Shana: "Is anything wrong!?"

Dart: "N...no. I just felt a little shiver, that's all."

Albert: "I feel...something is wrong."

DEFINITELY not a good sign. The crew shrug it off for now though and head towards the entrance of town.


Where conveniently Rose is just returning with the Sacred Sisters. I guess Rose figures if the world hasn’t ended in the last 18 years from her failure to kill everyone, it’s cool.

Rose: "Did you find out anything about Lloyd?"

Dart: "No, there is no trace yet."

Rose: "I just happened to meet them. This is Luanna and Setie."

Dart: "...?"


God it isn’t nice to bring it up when someone is going through puberty.

Dart: "What are you talking about?"

Town Dweller: "Sister Luanna!! Sister Setie!! Thank you, Sister Luanna! Now I can walk outside! How can I thank you?"

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "It is fine. That is what we, the Sacred Sisters, are for."

Albert: ("I would like to talk to you. Can we go someplace else?")


Albert: "You are...the renowned Sacred Sisters of Mille Seseau, Sister Luanna and Sister Setie. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Fourth Sacred Sister Setie: "It is my pleasure to meet the heroes who defeated the Sea Dragon in Illisa Bay! I was really lucky to follow her from Neet."

Dart: "Sister Luanna, I heard about you from Librarian Ute. We have something in common, we are survivors of Neet."

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "So you went through that tragedy."

Dart: "Do you remember anything!? About other survivors...or the whereabouts of the Black Monster, or anything!"


Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "I am sorry. I don't think I can help you."

Dart: "I see. But...it's okay. The fact that somebody survived that tragedy means I can have hope that continuing my journey will someday lead to the Black Monster."

Shana: "I am with you too. Oh, does that mean you went to Neet too, Rose?"

Rose: "I told you, I just happened to be there."

Fourth Sacred Sister Setie: "Um, Sister Luanna. What about the health of Mr. Dart?"

Dart: "Yes. What do you mean the unusualness of my body?"

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "I see that you people have strong powers. A power that is beyond Humans. It seems that the source of your power is in turmoil. Another power that has influence over you is anticipating the liberation. That is what I see. That is all I can tell. If it confuses you more, please forgive me.”

Dart: "!!"


Dart leans over again like he’s about to keel over from a heart attack. And Luanna follows right after him.

Fourth Sacred Sister Setie: "Oh no! Sister Luanna!"

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "This is.... The answer to your question.... You may find out the truth about the entity that has influence over you now!"


Humans fight by making themselves enter insanity. It is...the same for revenge. This is a tool to amplify the insanity. And this insanity is the source of the power of Dragoons, the Dragon Knight. Someday, something will happen, and if you cannot chasten your insanity, I wonder if you will be able to endure it, given the meagerness of your spirit?

If you are really paying attention, the quote is actually a little different than last time when Rose told us it on the Queen Fury. Out there she said “given the size of your spirit.” A bit of a different implication here.

Shana: "Dart!?"

Dart: "I...I'm fine."

At least for once Shana gets to worry about Dart instead of the other way around.
‘

YOU SHOULD REALLY WATCH THIS OK

Somewhere in the distance a peasant is pondering the meaning of life when a huge shadow suddenly runs over him. Probably just a cloud or something, pff.


...Very low, fast moving cloud.


Or possibly the King of All Dragons broken free and PISSED. One of those two options.


Aerodynamics don’t give a fuck when you are the most legendary thing alive on the planet. I’ll have four wings one side and three on the other if I god damn want to.


The Dragon makes a low, fast sweep over Deningrad leaving a wake of debris and destruction behind him.


He swings by the Crystal Palace shattering parts of it that have stood strong since time immemorial.


Where doesn’t this thing have eyes?


And for those counting at home that looks like seven small eyes to me and one big one in its mouth(?).


Just to be a dick it makes another low pass over the town which is already in pretty bad shape.


And then fucks off into the distance until it feels the need to be part of the plot again. Well, I think you can all guess our big boss of disc 3 at this point!


Meru: "Heeeey buddies!! Omigod omigod!! Could it be?"

Rose: "The arrival of the 'One who glares through seven diabolic eyes, and who crosses the sky with seven wings'. It's trouble. It's the King of Dragons. The Divine Dragon."

When you put it like that it has a nice Old Testament end of the world vibe to it.

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "The legend was true, 'The King of Dragons sealed by the long gone Winglies rests in the ground of Mille Seseau. Once it awakens again, it shall bring terror to the world.'"

Albert: "Again.... We are facing a Dragon."

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "What are you people?"

Dart: "We are the Dragoons."


Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "Dragoons.... The legendary Dragon Knights!! That is the reason why I feel a strong power in you. But, why did the Dragoons come to this country? Is it because of that Dragon!?"

Dart: "No. We are here to pursue a man. He is a sneaky, dangerous man even for those with the strength of us Dragoons."

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "What did that man do?"

Albert: "He engaged in secret maneuvers during the Serdian War, and formed a conspiracy for a coup d'etat in Tiberoa."

Second Sacred Sister Luanna: "Is he going to bring evil to Mille Seseau? Oh! Is that the Dragon!? Please see Queen Theresa. It seems that we need the power of you Dragoons.”

Well, I don’t know if this was part of Lloyd’s plan but things got real exciting here on disc 3 after a slow start.

Bonus! Divine Dragon concept art.