Part 46: Mimir's Well

Last time, Doc had an angsty moment, but came back more awesome than ever.
But it turns out that Beatrice has caught Pearl's dad, and we have to track him down...


Update 46: Space Corp Directive 195



As Pearl expected, there was a clue left in Boot Hill, in the same spot where she had been finding Tiny Flowers - her mother's grave.

MUSIC: Leave then Return Again




(A letter from Daddy... Mimir's Well... and... this mission he entrusted to me. I'm scared and anxious, but I have to trust Daddy and continue forward...)

We have a quest then, but... where the hell are we supposed to go? Werner's not left us the location of Mimir's Well.
And not one NPC or book in the game knows. That information does not appear anywhere in the game's script. The closest thing to a clue you get is that it is maybe somewhere near Yggdrasil, but that circular continent around Yggdrasil is one of the largest landmasses in the game. Hell of a big area to search.

If you're lucky, you might think to check the letter out again. It's an item in your inventory.
Help text appears if you put the cursor over an item and hold Triangle. The location is hidden in the Last Letter's help text.



Apparently Werner wrote it on the back of the envelope or something? If you miss this clue, be prepared to spend a lot of time going around in circles or looking up a FAQ.



The coordinates lead to a ruin due west of Yggdrasil.
The scene inside is... not good.



VIDEO: Mimir's Well cutscene (recommended)

MUSIC: Live with Me Forever

Daddy!?



She runs over to him, but her hands just phase through his body...

N-NO...!



A giggle is heard, and Beatrice teleports into the room.


Surprised? Heehee... You sure look it.
The dream-demon... Beatrice... Is this your doing, too!?
My doing? Oh, puh-lease... You've been calling this phony 'Daddy,' all this time.



Werner is getting up. At least he seems to be alive and fine.

You don't have it in you to destroy Mimir's Well. You're not capable of sealing Hyades...
How can you be so sure!?
Well, if you really want to know, why don't you ask that phony directly?



Beatrice creates a key, and drops it in front of the Drifters.

But if you do destroy this place, I'll be waiting for you in the castle of dreams... The final grand ball is approaching. Don't be late... You'll be one of my distinguished guests...

Beatrice teleports away, and Pearl and Werner get to their feet.



Daddy... What did Beatrice mean by that? I won't be able to destroy Mimir's Well or Hyades? What does she mean?
Answer me, Daddy!




I am not your father... Your father Werner passed away that fateful day ten years ago... during the Yggdrasil incident...
Wh-What...? What are you talking about, Daddy...?
Let me repeat. I am not your father. Your father died ten years ago.
I-I-I don't understand... I don't understand at all...
If my father's dead... then who are you!? I thought it was my father who supported me all the way here. Who are you!?
If you are willing to face the truth with open eyes and accept it... follow me...



Asking who I am is the wrong question. I am the whole personality data of Werner... The one he saved inside Hyades, before the Yggdrasil incident... Yes, I possess his memories up until that point.



In some ways, I am your father Werner Maxwell, but at the same time, a different entity. A deep-seated delusion... A remnant thought...? These may be the appropriate terms to call me now... Properly speaking, the suspended terminal projects a hologram based on Werner's records, which were written inside Hyades... Furthermore, mass and repulsion are simulated through gravitational manipulation, enabling a projection of a virtual image. In other words... I am like a ghost with mass, and...
That's enough...
Then, that ability you used to save us on a number of occasions was...
It was the repulsive force being expanded and deployed for a brief time, acting as a barrier...



Do you remember the incident at the Sacrificial Altar?
How could I forget? That dream-demon took advantage of my innocent little brother...
She was probably trying to release the high density energy generated by the Surge of Gaia... I believe she planned to gather the energy needed to create her own planet... In order to inject the Yggdrasil System's generator with a high-level life force energy...
Which means Beatrice still hasn't carried out her plan...
For the time being, no... But she will make her move before long. ... If the 'final grand ball' is to take place in the castle of dreams, then we do not have much time.



Werner inputs a password into the computer.

T.O.M.O.R.R.O.W...?
Yes... The password is 'TOMORROW.' It was also our mantra - the successive Council of Seven, who yearned for the tomorrow of Filgaia inside this facility... It is ironic how we utilize the artifacts of yesterday to seek a tomorrow, yet we find ourselves entwined in its heavy chains...



Daddy...
You would still consider me your father?
Daddy... It was you who placed these flowers on Mom's grave... So Mom wouldn't feel lonely, right? You were always so kind and caring... That's unmistakably the Daddy I know...
Forgive me, Pearl... I just wanted to deliver a tomorrow for you and your mother...



Pearl and Werner head into the next room, but Doc thinks they shouldn't be disturbed.



Though I may have died physically, my spirit and my heart lived on... That day ten years ago... Filgaia's spawn had miraculously survived the incident. I took Billy to a similar laboratory with a nurture pod, and reconfigured him so that he may interact with people. After that, I embarked alone in search of the cause of the accident. And then I met you... I had no intention of revealing my identity, but... Since our paths kept crossing, I figured I couldn't hide any longer... I want to hunt down Beatrice, and stop this calamity from happening. At the very least, I consider this an atonement for my sins. However...



He drops to his knees

Daddy!?
The suspended terminal that makes up my current structure seems to have been damaged by Beatrice... I don't have much longer... Pearl... This is my last request to you...



I want you to destroy this facility, so that the point of contact between Filgaia and Hyades can be severed...
But... but.. If I do that now... and sever the connection between Filgaia and Hyades...
Yes... As a memory existing only within Hyades, I will no longer be able to exist in this world. But either way I'll be gone. The suspended terminal is damaged... That is why I entrust this task to you, my beloved daughter... So that your last memories of me will be the sealing of Hyades...



No... No... I can't... I can't do it!!
I am already a fragment of data stored within Hyades... Nothing more than a mere memory... I am but a shadow of the past... Your hesitation may cost the memories of those who live and exist for today. Do not let me waver your decision.
For as long as Hyades is in contact with Filgaia, the threat will never end. You must sever the connection, now! Cast away your hesitation! Face the truth with open eyes!! Pearl!!
Once you cock your ARM, do not be afraid to pull the trigger...
Daddy...



Why did you teach me how to shoot ARMs? ... And don't say because you wanted me to shoot you...
... I wanted you to think for yourself, to know what it meant to have the power to harm others... By doing so, not only does it make you a kinder person... I wanted you to have a strong heart... One that would lead you to do what you believed was right, no matter how confused or doubtful you may be... Be strong, Pearl... Do what you believe is right...

Be strong...
Rrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaagh!!!



She pulls the trigger, and the screen whites out.



A metal ball falls to the ground, and rolls away.



It rolls past young Pearl, and she chases it.





Daddy...
I put you through hardship, yet again...
And made you cry, too...
Long time ago, I cried so much I thought I was going to shrivel up... And I'm doing it again... All the tears I've been holding back must have all gushed out at once... See...?
I was a terrible father. It may have better had I not come to you...



No, that's not true... Even though I was overwhelmed with grief when you disappeared... the joy I felt when we reunited doesn't even compare... I was so overjoyed, I couldn't express it emotionally or with words...
And yet, I sadden you once again...
I'm okay... Well... maybe not really, but...
I'll hang in there. You told me to be strong... That's what will keep me going. No matter the obstacles that I face, I'll do my best and be strong...



Do you really have to go...?
At some point, memories are meant to fade... If not, people would not be able to establish a future.
But even so, memories will live on in my heart... So that they may guide me in the future...



Uhhh... Here... But it's not to say goodbye. This is a handshake that signifies our bond, so that we'll be together, no matter how far apart we are...



They shake hands as Werner fades away.



All that's left is a smooth metal ball - the suspended terminal that projected Werner's image.



MUSIC: Ready! Lady Gunner!!

There's a new grave on Boot Hill.

This may sound cliche, but my father is alive... a memory inside my heart. I can say that with confidence now.
But there's someone out there who's trying to take this dear memory of my father away from me. Not just mine, but everyone else's precious memories, too! It might not be as grand as saving the world... But my goal right now is... to protect everyone's memories. That is my reason to fight! And my reason to live on Filgaia! If that's okay with you all, I need to ask for your support!



You really need to bring this up now and ask for our confirmation? Gimme a break! C'mon, you're embarrassing me.
I guess it cannot be helped... We shall accept your mission. As for our reward, we would like a world that will carry over our memories into the future.
We are the ones who make our own memories. They're ours! No one's gonna take that away from us!!
To protect all our important memories... We must defeat the dream-demon, Beatrice!

Right! The only question is... how the hell do we do that? We can't harm her, she can't directly harm us. We don't know where she is and we have no way of drawing her out to where we are.
Are we, in fact, boned?

On the way out of town...



W-W-Wait. Hold up a sec...
What's up?
I've got a plan. If all goes well, we might be able to find out where Beatrice is.
Really?
We'll see... But let's stop by Baskar Colony first. Heh, I'm pretty sharp today.

Lets not do that first. First I want to take a trip back to Mimir's Well. Since Werner led us through the hand through the place we never got a chance to explore it, and it's well worth doing that.



MUSIC: Fallen Shadows of the Fallen (Sinful) Trees

Most of the Well is one long corridor, but there are some side-rooms we walked right past.



... OK, most of the treasure here is better than this. Like the 30000 Gella in the next room over.



Most of the treasure rooms in here look like this. We need to push and pull boxes out of the way to reach those stairs. We can Bomb the boxes to destroy them, but if we do the stairs will raise, so that's best for getting out quickly.



Shuffling the empty space into a 2x3 formation gives you plenty of room to work your way toward the stairs. There's a Duplicator here. Useful since a number of other rooms here are behind sealed doors.



There are a couple of other block-pulling rooms, but they're all defeatable with the same basic 2x3 principle. Rewards are Adventure 9, a Holy Root and a Tiny Flower. Yeah... worth the effort.
Well, the real reward is in the next room anyway.



Returning to the room where the link to Hyades was...



Lets us access these two treasure chests we could see during the cutscene. Inside there's a Full Carrot and the awesome Full Libra!
Similar to the Prism Crown, the Full Libra gives complete immunity to ALL status effects (including Fallen) for a mere 20 PS points. It would be 40 if you equipped all of them separately. Since Doc's mediums only naturally protect him against one Status (Disease) he's the easy choice for who should get it.

With that done, we'll be free to head for the final dungeon... next time.

Next Time: It's only a model


A Day A Day

Today is April 5, Knuckle Day. Once there was a pianist who cracked her knuckles so much, she couldn't play the piano without some cracking first. Although it sounds sad, they say that watching her bashfully crack her knuckles was an adorable sight to see.