Part 45: Update XXXV - The Clan Of Really, Really Incompetent Warriors

Update XXXV - The Clan Of Really, Really Incompetent Warriors



♪ BGM: Asgar's Castle - blood009.mid ♫

Alright, we're back at Asgar's castle, doing our usual stuff.



We get another success in torturing, which is always welcome.

No, please, have mercy! I am... an old man!
We will leave you alone when you finally tell us where the last two keys are!
One of them is...
Yes!?
Inside an icy cave...
Where is that cave?
South... of Jhalum!
I see we're making progress! And now, please the location of the last key!
No, please... I...
He's passed out...

Alright, one more on the pile, and one more to go.



We drop by the Children of the Apocalypse, and you'll note they've upgraded their gear.



If you really need money, you can use it...
Nice.
The more vampires you create, the more powerful we can become...



So here's where we can make some extra money from fighting enemies. We can exchange souls for a specific amount of Filar per soul. How is the value calculated? Well, it's pretty simple. All it does is take Valnar's level and multiply it by 4 on Easy, by 3 on Normal, and by 2 on Hard. So Valnar is level 8 right now, meaning we get 2 * 8 = 16 Filar per soul, which is kinda shit. We can always use souls for something, so we don't really need to trade them for paltry amounts of money.



Lord Mandrake has also expanded his assortment, so now we can also get blood flasks.



Time to put the nose back to the grindstone. More mercenaries for the mercenary god.

Ongoing Costs: 35500 + 5500 = 41000 Filar



Next stop, cleaning up that unfinished business on Castle Horan.



56 mercenaries vs. 23 knights is a matchup that's far more in our favor.



And indeed, we win.

Mercenaries Lost To Global Domination: 224 + 19 = 243



So now, we've completely taken out all of the Clan's castles. And then, once we leave the menu...



♪ BGM: House In The Woods - elfen.mid ♫

...we cut to Nyria, Sir Aaron and that knight dude, having just used another teleport stone.

They've completely overrun us! How could that happen!
Did you see the way they were fighting? Unbelievable!
We can consider ourselves lucky that we were able to escape!
I can't believe it... what the hell happened there? How could my brave warriors just get eviscerated like that? We have to get away quickly, Castle Horan is lost...

This part doesn't exactly make a lot of sense with us just employing Soviet-style mass attack tactics with common mercenaries and not at all using the much stronger supernatural beings we have access to. Less "unbelievable, the way they were fighting" and more "holy shit, how many of them were there".

Where should we go then? Castle Ardos?
No, there is a better place for us to think about our next move. There is a secret cave west from here, and our strongest warriors and mages are stationed there.
A secret cave? For what?
Those soldiers serve as a special task force. Should one of the castles be conquered, said task force is prepared to take back the castle. And thereby completely surprise the enemy, since they obviously don't know about that additional support!

Given that we've already conquered every single castle of the Clan (and the Elras have taken their share as well), they're not doing a good job at it, Aaron.

All right, then let's get those soldiers to help us. I only hope that Asmos is all right. Maybe we shouldn't have sent him to Castle Faryn after he had recovered.
Asmos is a very good leader; the soldiers at Castle Faryn need his strong leadership. Furthermore, he wanted to visit the grave of his father, in order to gather new courage.

Yeah, he's doing a bang-up job of that whole "strong leadership" thing, what with him rotting in our dungeon.

But you should worry about other things, like for example, how we are going to take back Castle Horan. Let's go west to the secret cave... I'm afraid I am too weak to assist you in battle. But you two have been doing very well. I trust that you will be able to take us to the cave safely.
Of course, Sir Aaron!
These 5 Healing Flasks will definitely be useful to us.
5 Healing Flasks received!



And here we go - it's time for another Nyria segment! I bet there's going to be a few out there amongst those that have played this game that once again completely forgot about this segment. These Nyria segments really just come in all of a sudden, they're really short, and all of a sudden they're just over again. It's weird.



Anyway, here's the area we're working with. We start on the right, and our destination lies to the left. However, there is something else to be found here, and if you've been paying attention, you might already know what. Anyway, onwards!



We find an amulet that's pretty useful. No, I didn't end up messing up my pausing and resuming for recording again and missing the part where I actually opened the chest that amulet was in, why do you ask?



We get to fight some big bugs that can cause Blind, which really sucks when your only real damage output is physical attacks...



...and some butterflies that just attack.



We need to keep going west. If we go north, we'll be taking a detour.
All right, if you say so... although, a small detour surely wouldn't hurt...

It's nice when the game actively points out where you have to go, so you can be sure that you've explored every other part of the map before you move on. So, off to the north we go! And what do we find there?



A house! I wonder who lives here?



A regeneration potion lives here!



Hm, I don't recall ever seeing a house here.
Perhaps we should take a look inside?

Let's!



Hm, looks familiar somehow...



Who reads something like this?





Even more agility gear! Now, what's that sparkling thing over to the right?



Looks like something like a piece of paper.
Hmmm, seems to be some kind of diary or something like that.
What does it say?
...it says: "...even today, I can't forgive myself. I was hoping the pain would eventually fade away, but it seems that stigma will haunt me for the rest of my life..."
Sounds very soapy...
There's more: "...I am so sorry, Celen, that things turned out like this. No night passes by that allows me to sleep without worrying about you and your daughter."
Doesn't seem to get better...
My mother's name is also Celen... I hope she's all right...
Is she still alive?
I don't know. But I hope so. I miss her a lot.
Just like the writer of this journal misses that woman.
"It wasn't easy for me to hide our love from your husband. The village would have been indignant if they knew we were together. But I know that I am not the father of your daughter. And your husband and I were always friends. But fate wanted it that way. That's why we eventually fell in love... I love you, and I love your daughter Nyria..."
Nyria!?
Is... it possible!?
Keep going!



EXTREME FLASHBACK!



♪ BGM: Fated Love - daughter.mid ♫

My heart threatened to burst. And so I made the disastrous decision to confess everything to your husband. He was my friend. My best friend. But he stood between you and me. I couldn't let it continue like this. Something needed to happen..."



Oh, hello Raron!
Pssst, don't scare the deer! It'll be our meal today! Come here and help me catch that thing.
Kerilian, look at me. It's important!
What could possibly be more important than a delicious meal!?
Love.
Love?
How many years have we known each other? How many times did we go hunting and laughed together? Drinking and celebrating?
That's impossible to count, Raron! We always had a lot of fun. And now, go hide already! Or that deer will see us!
That's why the following words hurt me even more.
Did you wake up on the wrong foot today? You seem to be so weirdly stern and serious somehow. Doesn't seem like you at all!
Kerilian, I love Celen! For many months now. And she loves me.

♪ BGM: Silence ♫

Is this a joke? What's this about, Raron?
Celen and I have a relationship. She's going to leave you...
This is NOT funny, Raron!
I'm not joking, Kerilian. Whether you want to accept this or not. Destiny has decided this. I will leave with Celen and Nyria. Forever.
Have you been drinking? Do you even understand what you're saying here? Am I supposed to believe you? That Celen has fallen in love with you?
I am sorry. But our love is real. Forgive me, my friend.
I've been married to her for four years now. She was always happy with me! We both have a daughter together! Why would she give up all of that?
You can't do anything against destiny. It is as the gods have destined things to be. Celen and I will have a future together. Together with Nyria...

Raron starts walking away, but...

Raron!



♪ BGM: Megalomania - Laughter2.mid ♫

I often wish it was one. But against my feelings, I am powerless. I'm sorry...
Raron, you will NOT leave!
Please don't make me do this, Kerilian. I have always been the better swordsman amongst the two of us. You don't have a chance. I don't want to hurt you. Out of respect for our yearslong friendship.
Respect? RESPECT!? How dare you just call yourself my friend, and at the same time, steal my wife and daughter behind my back!

Dude's got a point. Raron's kind of a massive dick.

I'm serious! Put your blade away, Kerilian!
Turn the hell around, you BASTARD! I want to see your disgusting face when I cut off your head from your shoulders!
It doesn't have to come to this, Kerilian!
You insidious backstabber! NEVER will you leave with Celen and Nyria!
I'm sorry...



Kerilian...



♪ BGM: Silence ♫

"...but only a few seconds later did I realize what sort of never-ending tragedy I had just started. I killed him. Because of my love to you. All of a sudden, I felt so unimaginably guilty. My sword was full of blood. Full of blood spilled from my best friend. Never will I be able to redeem myself for this. Never again will my soul be at peace again. I had done something no human being should have ever done. I killed for love. May the gods have mercy on me... on the same day, I buried him. I picked up the amulet that I had cut in half with my sword.
What... have I done!? ...his amulet...

Raron goes and picks up the pieces of the amulet.

Kerilian... I never wanted this...



♪ BGM: The Other Grave At The Other Cliff - TNT31.mid ♫

the blood of my actions. For hours, I just stared into the sky. My heart filled with anger and sorrow. What have I done? I didn't want it to end like that. I am sorry, my friend. You were always at my side. And now, there was a young woman between us who was not only punished by fate with a dead husband, but also his murderer as a lover. My actions were unforgivable. And so I decided to punish myself, in order to serve justice. During the same evening, I went to visit you, my beloved Celen, and gave you one last smile. Full of worries, you asked me what happened. I said Kerilian had been fatally wounded by a bear during a hunt, and I wouldn't rest until I had found and killed that bear. I gifted one half of the amulet from her father to your daughter Nyria. The other half shall forever remind me of the guilt I have to atone for. And so I had left you, forever. I was to stay in this small hut, lonely and atoning for my sins until the day I die, hoping that I would still be allowed to enter through the gates of heaven in the end..."
Lady Nyria, I barely dare to ask, but could it be you who possesses the other half of the amulet?
I... I always carry it with me...
Oh God, so this is the house of the man who murdered...
...my father...



So here's a twist I don't think many saw coming. It seemed to be clearly foreshadowed that Raron would turn out to be Nyria's father, but nope! Turns out he's the guy who murdered Nyria's father instead! I genuinely forgot this twist was a thing - I was completely sure that Raron would turn out to be her father. Though I guess that kinda just speaks to the fact that I haven't played this game in ages.



And once more, our old friend blood text makes an appearance.

"JUST THIS ONE QUESTION
IS ONE ALLOWED TO KILL FOR LOVE?
WHAT GUILT
WILL ONE BURDEN?
IS IT POSSIBLE
TO CHANGE ONE'S OWN FATE?"



And then a bat flies past. I don't think this is foreshadowing anything, it's just a random bat.



the lives of Celen and Nyria. How is Nyria going to grow up without a father? Will she ever be able to laugh? Will she ever be able to become happy? My wrongdoing... is competely unforgivable. My burden... unbearable! May God have mercy on my soul!



He was the killer of my father...
And he's still carrying the amulet he stole from your father!
He destroyed my life! And that of my mother and sister!
You have a sister?
That girl back in Castle Johlar was my sister...
Ah, I had forgotten! We wanted to talk about that, as well!
I don't understand it, either!
And as if that wasn't enough, your sister now fights side by side with the killer of your father!? Inconceivable...
...
But why doesn't the journal mention anything about your sister?
She hadn't been born yet when my father... died.
Wait a second, the attack on Castle Zharas, and after that, the storming of Castle Horan... you were always there. And the leader of the Elras is your sister. You have betrayed us!
No, please believe me! It's not true! She attacked me just as much as she attacked you! She has turned insane!
I believe you, Lady Nyria!
Hm, we shall see. But it seems that Raron guy doesn't even know who it is at his side. The daughter of his beloved.
And she doesn't know that Raron is the murderer of her... of our father!
Excuse me, but we really should be going now! Sister or not, she will soon attack the other castles, as well! And those wretched creatures from hell seem to have allied themselves with her. They are after our castles, as well! We should get to the secret cave!
You are right! We will continue the discussion of this matter there! For now, let's get going!

Well then. Nyria sure drew a completely shit lot in life. She just has no fucking clue what is going on, has to escape death on a constant basis, and basically that one knight guy is the only friend she has in all this. Beats Asmos's current lot, but not by a lot.



♪ BGM: House In The Woods - elfen.mid ♫

Anyway, we make our way to the left side of the previous area without further incident.



♪ BGM: Unknown World - tears.mid ♫

We're automatically marched to a spot slightly to the northwest.



♪ BGM: Temple Mountains - Naatktha.mid ♫

Alright, let's take a look then.



How do we open the entrance?
The switch is located near the tree stump at the wall to our right.
All right, then let's activate it. I hope the soldiers in the hideout will be able to help us.
They are our most experienced and strongest men. Of course they will be able to help us!
Right now, it doesn't look good for us. I hope the tide can still turn in our favor.
The most important thing is to not give up!
I'm not giving up that easily, don't worry!

Then, let's trip that switch.





Onwards, to adventure!



♪ BGM: Disaster - AftertheStorm.mid ♫

This doesn't look good at all!
But the entrance was closed! How could someone have intruded here?
Quickly, let's find out what happened here!

Let's explore.



Man, that's a lot of money. Haven't ever found a shop with Nyria yet, though. Hopefully that will change, because otherwise I think I just stumbled into a location that both Nyria and our vampire crew will visit at some point and I just screwed myself out of 8000 bucks.



Dead bodies abound in this place. And at the end of the cave...



What!?



DUN

DUN

DUNNNNN

Welcome... I congratulate you. You were faster than your opposition.

I just took a look in RPG Maker, and yeah, our vampire crew will also visit this place at some point, and Jinnai would point out in this conversation that Nyria and her group were slow if our vampires were here first. So I did probably just screw myself out of 8000 Filar. Consarnit.

Even though, ironically, they were the reason why you are here in the first place...
What are you even talking about? What is this all about? Why is everyone dead?
In my great wisdom, I have foreseen all of this. You can see, my abilities as a prophet are unparalleled...
YOU have killed them!
Tststs, don't you know the proverb: "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"?
Damn it, what's going on here? What's the meaning of this?
Your highly esteemed Sir Aaron is by no means a blank slate, my dear.
What are you talking about!?
I know EVERYTHING about you... your treacherous deeds are all well-known to me...
Excuse me? What is that supposed to mean?
He's insane! The prophet is the traitor!
Shall I jog your memory a little bit? But with pleasure...



FLASHBACK TIME!



♪ BGM: The Dark Lord Exdea- ...Elras - death.mid ♫

...huh. This is different.

Never before was I so close to my goal... endless power! The destruction of the Elras! And my rule over this world!
You will never use that spell!
What was that? Who dares?



We, the brave warriors of the Clan of Holy Warriors!
You really dare to do this? I have killed dozens of Elras, and you miserable wretches are bothering me at this very moment? The moment of my triumph!? Flee, or this will be your end!
Do not hesitate, Agaleo! Attack!
You pitiful wretches! Die!
Careful, he's attacking!





Once more, combat ensues.

Curse you!







ARRRRRRR...





ROAAAARRRR...



NOW, AGALEO!



AAAAAARRRRRGH...
DIE, YOU HELLISH CREATURE!
NOOOOOOOOO!



And off goes his head!

We did it! He is dead!
It is over... Ustra is dead! Defeated once and for all!
Aaron... this spell must never be cast... destroy the stone tablet!
...
Aaron! DESTROY THE STONE TABLET!
...NO! The Elras are not defeated yet! This spell will grant us the power to destroy the Elras once and for all!
Are you insane? That is way too dangerous! This spell will destroy humanity!
You don't even know WHAT the spell does! It will give us power!
No, it is going to destroy all of mankind! Be reasonable! Destroy the stone tablet! Now!
I'm afraid you don't see what kind of possibilities this stone tablet offers us. It will give us the power to end this never-ending war against the enemies of mankind once and for all.
You can't do this...
I'm sorry, Agaleo...
What!?



...Aa...ron...
Forgive me, my friend. But this here is more important than your life...







♪ BGM: Disaster - AftertheStorm.mid ♫

How... do you know about that!?
HARHAR! I am a prophet. It is my purpose to know about such things!
I... had to do it...
You killed Asmos's father!? Because of the stone tablet!?
Pfff, that fool. There were two things he didn't know. The two reaosns why the stone tablet shattered after trying to use it only a few minutes later!
You... you tried to USE the stone tablet!?
What? No!
For basically every Elras spell, souls are required. Souls are pure energy. If the Elras spell doesn't require any souls, then you have to use something else for compensation. Special blood or something like that. But Aaron had neither souls, nor something that could act as compensation for the souls. And so, the spell of the stone tablet didn't work. Instead, it shattered because of Aaron's sordid ignorance. Despicable!

So there's an answer to one of the questions that came up quite a while back - "why could they only break the stone tablet into an arbitrary number of pieces and not actually destroy it?". The answer in this case being that the tablet wasn't supposed to be destroyed - instead, it just broke due to incompetence, and Aaron kept the pieces around because he probably still wanted to cast the spell at some point.

I can't believe it...
You better believe it, Lady Nyria... but that doesn't matter. Let's keep the past in the past. I have something very special I intend to do with you.
I wanted... to save humanity...
HARHAR, but you failed miserably at that. But I was the one who wiped out the Elras. Even before you destroyed the stone tablet. You fool!
...
But now, please follow me...
No, I...



But all protests are pointless, as Jinnai continues to teleport whenever the hell he wants...



...and with a flash of white, this segment is officially over. Next time, we will be returning to Valnar and the gang.