Part 141: Episode CXXXVIII: You’d Think Someone Would Have Mentioned...
Episode CXXXVIII: You’d Think Someone Would Have Mentioned...Music: Shevat, the Wind is Calling
At that time, the earth quaked and shook. And, from the location where the Merkava crashed, a giant object appeared. It was Deus' final form. The Merkava was merely its vessel. Deus evolved through the use of Krelian's nanomachines into a planetary scale weapon and began terraforming. It was attempting to convert this entire planet into a weapon... We retreated back to the base at the snow plains to form a new strategy... We decided to go back into Deus. Time was running out for us. ”So...is that it? Can I finally get out of this lousy chair? My ass is KILLING ME!”
And as we fade out from this slide, this chair beneath a spotlight, and this swinging pendant...we bid farewell to the Narration Zone for good. Yup. That was the final one! Weesa freeeeeeeee!
After the much celebrated finale of abridged content we are unceremoniously dumped into a random bedroom with a save point. Alright then... You know there hasn’t been a save point since before we fought Grahf the final time. And prior to that the last save point was just after the Merkava fiasco and Fei being frozen in carbonite. That is a pretty long haul...
So outside the random bedroom we find a bearcow. Remember those from Lahan forever ago? If we leave the cow in peace and tread further into the cavern we emerge in...
...Shevat? Err... Huh. Well, it’s nice to finally arrive at a proper town for the first (and only) time in Disc 2 but I feel like we’re missing something in the narrative here... Let’s ask the natives what’s going on...
“Anyway, we’re using a fallen piece of Shevat as the main base... But you probably could have guessed that, huh. If we can take out Deus even one day sooner... We can’t hold out much longer like this.”So... Shevat got friggin’ blown out of the sky between scenes and nobody mentioned it. That sort of sounds like the thing you’d want to talk about during rambling narrations. In any case, the last surviving remnants of humanity are huddling together in its wreckage trying to eke out a meager existence as several global extinction events swirl around outside. Kind of a depressing place for the final town, really.
There is quite a bit to do here in the ruins of Shevat. But we’ll take a look at that next time. For now, let’s hit up the solitary plot point in the makeshift town. It’s just past the old Shevat librarian burning his collection for warmth.
...And past the despair filled doomsayer crouching in the snow down the hall...
Shevat crashed near the southern ice cap. So it’s a wee bit chilly in these parts. If we ask around, the Queen Zephyr is up above ground feeling sorry for herself. I suppose we should check in to see what’s up with her first.
It’s rather hard to tell given it’s covered in a blanket of snow, but this is the top of Aphel Aura (i.e. the place where Chuthulhu had its ridiculous ass transformation.)
Fei and the gang climb to the top of the tower...
“Our sorrow, our defilement, our mistakes... If only we could wipe away these things as easily as that... What have we... have I... been doing... been pursuing... for these past 500 years?" ”Good question. One I’m pretty sure is answered with a ‘not much of anything’.” *turns to the group* "By the way... How is the person you rescued from Merkava? I heard he recovered consciousness..."
*nods* "Yes, well, at first, he had lost faith in himself but now he is better. Kahr has revived himself, and has found some real meaning in his life. If he decides to fight on our side, then our total fighting power shall be greatly increased." ”Huh? Ramsus is joining our party now?” “...Not exactly. No.” “Then why would you even say something like that?! You’re just going to get people’s hopes up and send them on wild goose chases to recruit him!” *adjusts glasses and ignores Fei*The narration may be over, but the flashback will never end...
Music: The Treasure Which Cannot Be Stolen
“Right now, we must forget about being friend or foe. We all must support one another, regardless... Right now, we need your help!"
"... I... am... just trash... a... reject..."Citan dashes over and PIMP SLAPS the taste out of Ramsus’ mopey mouth...
"Hyuga!? What are you..." "Trash... Reject... You can take pity and call yourself that all you want, but what about them!?"The camera rotates to reveal the Elements, whom are all probably feeling quite uncomfortable at the moment...
“The reasons why you helped the girls, who had no one to turn to, may not have been that noble...” ”Indeed, knowing you, it was probably a touch creepy...” “But in spite of that, they stuck with you. Do you know why?" *turns to Ramsus* "They know you better than anybody else. They know the true kindness that exists inside your heart. They know because they want to be loved. That is why they won't leave you. Kahr... Do not make them into the trash or rejects that you speak of."
"Commander..." "All of you..." "Needless to say, you are not trash or a reject... We know that better than anyone does." "I... I didn't realize that what I've been looking for... was so close to me... I'm... sorry... for not realizing sooner!" "Oh, Commander...!!"
And so we fade to
”Mostly involving me kicking his ass. Again and again.” “When this battle ends, I want to face Ramsus one on one in sport, not war, as a martial artist." "I am sure he wishes the same thing too." *nods "Perhaps..." ”Though... I am pretty sure he still wouldn’t feel too down if he killed me in battle.” "Fei... May I ask you something? About Elly... What if, even if we break Zohar's spell, she doesn't return to normal..." "Elly will be back to her usual self! I will go on believing that. But even if that doesn't happen... I will still...... Well, let's just say I'm prepared for that, too!" ”I mean, I’m not really into purple haired chicks but meh... I can deal...” "You don't have to do this if you don't want to, you know. Your opponent is the person you love... If you decide to quit now, no one will blame you."
”Who the hell are you, lady? Queen Demotivator?! Goddamn!” "To quit would be meaningless. All that I have fought for, and all that I live for, would come to have no meaning at all... People should be free. With no one bound by others, and no one binding others... Inside of me, there is a part of me that desires that freedom, and a part of me that gives me hope. So, I shall fight to win true freedom! For we are still alive! We fight to live. That is the reason why I fight. It's proof I'm human. I promised my father, and myself too, that I would free Elly from Deus' binds, that I would save her..." ”Plus my Gear got upgraded by the closest thing there is to a God. My hands are kinda tied with this one...”
”...” “...” “Good lord, lady! Howabout an ‘I believe in you’ or ‘I know you can do it’ or something? It’s gonna take a *miracle* to succeed?! Tch. You know what? I’m friggin’ GLAD your stupid hippie Cloud City UFO got shot down! You Shevat people are just...just the WORST everything ever! You never help when you ought to. You make everyone else do your fighting for you while you sit around getting baked. And even then there's a chance you backstab everyone when you succeed. And even when you're not actively screwing over nations, you're still fucking up. Hey, remember your adviser, Wiseman? Yeah. That guy was my dad, Kahn, wearing a funny mask. And it was also GRAHF! Your top adviser was goddamn GRAHF! 'I used my POWER to kill everyone on the planet' Grahf. That is how goddamn awful a ruler you are Zephyr. So I’m now to go kick Deus ass. Why don't you go trip into a carbonite freezing cage or something so after this ends I can stick you in some courtyard somewhere as a monument to the biggest fuck up ruler the planet has every seen! Thanks for fucking NOTHING, Queen of Shevat.”
“Holy crap, dude.” *grumble* “I’ve been holding that one in for like a month... C’mon. Let’s go do some sidequests or something...”