Part 117: NGAE: ~/magenta/betray/red/betray sigma\$ dio.exe
VLR OST: [Sublimity]
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
Looks like a desert.
I can see that! The question is which desert!
I don't know.
I can tell you what day it is, though.
Huh?
This must be a total lunar eclipse.
Oh yeah, I remember you talking about that in the lounge.
That doesn't mean the Moon just disappears or turns black, though.
It actually reflects light that's passed through the Earth's atmosphere.
...But this makes it appear to be red.
Essentially what's happening is that the Moon is reflecting the sunset.
...
That's what the magazine said, at least.
So today is December 31st.
Wait, shit, if I got grabbed Christmas morning, then that means I've been here six days?!
Looks like it.
...
...
Okay... And where would that be?
There has to be one around somewhere.
Even deserts have some towns, whether they're in the Mojave, Sahara or Gobi...
That's not what I'm worried about, though.
What are you worried about?
...
...
Forget it. Doesn't matter right now.
Oh come on! Tell me! I'm curious now!
Impossible as it might seem, I could have sworn I heard her frown.
If Alice was right about the virus...
Are you saying humankind might be extinct?!
...
What the hell! No way! That's impossible!
A whole species can't just die out in six days! That's--
I hope it's not the case, of course. But there's the possibility...
...
Whatever. We should get moving. There's still four people stuck in there, including Quark.
We need to find help and come back for them.
...
...
Okay.
[Music fades out]
I turned to take a step--
There was a rough crackle over the radio, and the sound of someone falling.
I turned back to see Phi on the ground.
I ran over and helped lift her back up.
She fumbled for a second then clambered to her feet.
VLR OST: [Consternation]
Her voice was low and rough.
Ah, I see. Hm.
This timeline...
Timeline...?
She didn't respond. I was about to begin a more irate line of questioning when she suddenly grabbed me by the shoulders.
D-Dio...?
Oh yeah... I haven't seen him since we got out.
I'm sure he was with us when we left...
Shit... We need to split up and find him!
Wh-Why...?
Because he needs to tell me something!
Why are you asking me this?!
...
...
...What?
Don't tell me you forgot--
Wait... maybe not...
He must not have made this jump...
She wasn't making any sense.
Damnit! Look, forget about that!
Just find Dio!
O-Okay...
Damn... Don't see him anywhere...
Where the hell'd that guy go?
I was looking around, trying to decide where to go next, when I heard them.
The signal must have degraded, but I could still make out a few words.
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
----ey----hell are you----ing? ----e, Dio.
VLR OST: [Strain]
Their voices were cutting in and out, but... I'd heard that last word clear as day.
"Dio". Sounded like Phi had found him.
I spun around and took off in her direction.
(Transmitter...?)
----see---- Phone----ome?
Bet Free----Soul's anxious----from you.
----hell do you----?
Heh... I know ev----about you.
----know you're---midons.
The transmission was getting clearer.
I had to be getting closer.
Never mind that. I----ask you something.
What's the password for the number zero----
("Number zero"...?)
---the hell---you, man?
I am no man.
How the hell can you crack jokes right now?
You haven't given me my answer.
What's the deactivation code?
...
...
...
...
Hey, what're you--
Rgh--! Stop!
Shit! That didn't sound good!
I sped up, and quickly crested the hell in front of me.
[Music fades out]
There they were--
I went down the hell as fast as I could, half running, half sliding.
With the suits on, I couldn't tell who was who, but I had to stop them!
I clambered to my feet, slightly winded from my ordeal.
The suited figure I'd slammed against lay on the ground next to the other one.
VLR OST: [Sinisterness]
His eyes were closed, almost like he was just sleeping.
My tackle must have knocked him out.
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
No sweat.
What's this transmitter you were talking about?
You heard, huh?
Yeah.
Well, it's right over there.
See that briefcase-looking thing?
Where the hell did he get it?
Probably had it hidden somewhere.
Wait... hidden?
Yeah, probably.
My guess is he came here, hid the transmitter, and then snuck into the building.
Snuck in...?
I wasn't quite sure what to make of that, so I decided to take a closer look at the transmitter.
There was a screen on the upper part with a bunch of numbers that looked... well, like nothing.
What the heck is this?
Is that some kind of phone number?
No, it's too long for that. It's twenty-five digits.
What is it then?
Don't know.
I assume it's some kind of code, but I don't see a key to decode it with.
I heard an odd crackling noise in my helmet.
It took me a moment to realize it was a voice... Dio's voice.
What's so funny?
Sorry, haha, you guys just had it so fucking backwards I couldn't help myself.
You can't find the key to decode it?
Well no shit.
The key's right in front of your face.
What...?
The message is somewhere else. You need those twenty-five numbers to decode it.
None of what he was saying made any sense to me.
Who were you trying to call with this thing?
What, you don't know?
At least one of you is appropriately ignorant...
...
Fine. Whatever. Might as well tell you.
I don't really have any reason to hide my identity now that my mission's a success.
Besides, she'll probably tell you if I don't.
Might as well hear it straight from the horse's mouth.
[Music fades out]
Dio shifted his hands behind his head, but didn't bother to get up.
VLR OST: [Clarification]
Then again, from their point of view I suppose we might be. We're trying to tear down the corrupt world they've built, after all. But when the sun dawns for the first time on our new world, we'll be hailed as saints--holy messengers who cleansed the filth from a dying planet. Well, only a handful of people will really become saints. Not even all of the Myrmidons will be guaranteed sainthood. First you have to be raised with the teachings of Free the Soul from birth. Then you have to be chosen to join the ranks of the elite, and achieve great things. Returning from this mission would secure my position.
Free the Soul is built around the teachings of a man named "Brother", who founded our order many years ago. His teachings are too profound for ordinary people to understand, but you could say that the core ideas of his doctrine are to separate oneself from worldliness, to destroy greed, and to divorce the soul from the body to cleanse it.
Those who follow his teaching with discipline and devotion will be reborn as a new form of human. Only this new species will be able to live in equality, in a world without war or salvation.
Brother was born into a poor family. I've been told he didn't know his father, and that he lost his mother at a young age. The only family he had was his younger brother, a boy named "Left".
They say Brother had a special power, and that he was able to touch the thoughts of other people and see into them. It left him constantly exposed to the filthy greed of mankind.
When Brother was sixteen, Left was found dead. His body was covered in bruises, but the police only made a cursory investigation, and quickly ruled his death a suicide. Later Brother would find out that the killer had paid the police a massive bribe to keep the truth hidden.
He burned with rage, but also found himself immersed in cold despair. Eventually he received a divine revelation. Mankind was thoroughly corrupted by greed. They had to be purified, and a new world created... God had given Brother his mission.
That was when he began to teach others the truth, and at the age of twenty-six he started Free the Soul.
Our DNA comes from Left, Brother's younger brother. That means we all share a face. And we are all given the same name: "Left".
Some people think that's weird, but individuality seems much weirder to me. If everyone looks the same, there's no such thing as race, or even individuality. With cloning, you don't even need different genders. How could you get more equal than that?
Still, there's a little random deviation, and other factors can influence a clone's development. I was the best of my generation, so I was chosen to lead the Myrmidons. I was probably sent here because Brother noticed the calibur of my skills.
My mission was to infiltrate this facility. When I was given my orders, I thought this was going to be my chance. In all my life, I've only ever once been punished for breaking our laws. It had to do with... women. I had come in contact with someone unclean, and I was considered corrupted. Even if I was punished harshly and purified my soul, my dishonor remained. I wanted to prove my loyalty to Brother, so I was determined to be successful on this mission, no matter what.
My entire purpose is to be part of the foundation of Brother's new world. Now that I've fulfilled that purpose, for the first time in my life I understand what true happiness is.
[Music fades out]
Listen in: [English/Japanese]
My sacred mission is at last complete.
With these two hands, mankind is saved.
I am your will made flesh.
In your name, I give thanks.
His voice had taken on an almost reverant tone, and as he finished speaking he made some sort of odd sign over his chest. Phi shoved his hands away.
999 OST: [Chill and Rigor]
You did this to us! Now we're going to... to...
She grabbed the rock he'd held over her only minutes ago, and lifted it over her head.
Uh... Phi... What are you...
Shut up!
...
You still haven't answered my question. I'm going to ask you one more time.
What is the password for the number zero bomb?
B-Bomb?!
Goddamnit! Didn't I tell you to shut up?!
...
Now. Tell me. What's. The. Password.
Wait! Okay, okay! Fine!
It's not gonna do you any good, though.
I completed my mission. What are you going to do with the password at this point?
Not your problem! Just give it to me!
Otherwise...
...
...
...
Fine. No skin off my back.
The password for the number zero bomb is...
[Music fades out]
Phi tossed the rock off to the side.
You heard that, right, Sigma?
...Huh?
The password.
I'm going to try my best to remember it, but I won't know if I managed to until after I make the jump.
There's a chance I won't remember anything...
So you need to memorize it. Just in case. Got it?
VLR OST: [Demise]
Go where?
Not sure, but I think he does.
Get up.
Phi grabbed Dio's arm and hauled him to his feet.
He jerked his arm away petulantly and began to walk.
Yeah. Well, not really a city, I guess. More like a shelter.
Some people who survived the disaster live there.
Disaster? What disaster?!
Just shut up and follow me. You can see for yourself.
I looked up. It must have been a clear night, because there were more stars than I'd ever seen before. I thought I could even see the band of the Milky Way.
And in the middle of that field of stars shone the full moon...
A giant red orb looming in the center of the sky. Had it always been so big...?
Credits!
VLR OST: [Virtue's Last Reward (Piano)]
They are accompanied by this lovely track, which due to its, er, bipartite arrangement wouldn't work very well as BGM but is nevertheless a great arrange of Morphogenetic Sorrow.
Due to the very bizzare ways in which voice actors' unions work, or for some stupid reason, the English cast are not credited anywhere in the game. This is a damn shame, because, as I keep saying, they're really good, and VLR is one of the very few Very Japanese Games that I would rather play using the English dub than the original. (I know this is kind of a lost cause, but the bounty on G-OLM's identity is still live, by the way.)
Know who else isn't credited in the EU version? Anyone at Aksys Games, and especially not Ben Bateman and Karen McOscar, whose excellent editing job is a huge part of this game's appeal (even if they missed a few "chocie" typos). Not only did Rising Star erase the English voice track, they also basically cribbed Aksys' script without crediting them. Capital fucking work, gentlemen. What exactly did they do?
...
...
...wait.
Credits?
That's right folks! We finally stumbled our way into an ending!
It only took us 115 updates, a year and 4 months of real-life and 23:17:06 of in-game playtime, but we've finally seen 11.1% of the endings!
...Okay, so it's not quite as bad as that sounds - if VLR's story has a flaw, it's the same flaw that basically every Uchikoshi story has; it is hella backloaded. It's not quite as bad as, say, Ever17, and he's gotten better at remembering to include some payoff before the Big Final Ending, but VLR's structure - namely, Plot Locks - do kinda necessarily result in having a lot of build-up stuffed in the front.
...You did write down that password, right? It's cool if you didn't; you can jump right back to before Dio blurts it out. What a considerate game.
Anyway, where should we go from here? I don't have a screenshot of the top of the flowchart this time but I'm sure you can imagine the details.
cd ~/magenta/ally/red
After successfully allying with Luna, go through the Red door with Alice and Clover
cd ~/magenta/ally/blue
After successfully allying with Luna, go through the Blue door with Alice and K
cd ~/magenta/betray/red/ally
Ally with Clover after escaping the Pantry
cd ~/yellow/ally/green
After being betrayed by Tenmyouji, go through the Green door with Clover and Quark
cd ~/yellow/ally/blue
After being betrayed by Tenmyouji, go through the Blue door with Clover and Tenmyouji
cd ~/yellow/betray
Betray Tenmyouji after escaping the Infirmary
cd ~/cyan/betray/blue
After successfully betraying Alice, reject Alice's suggestion and insist on taking the Blue door with Luna and Alice
cd ~/cyan/betray/green
After successfully betraying Alice, reject Alice's suggestion and insist on taking the Green door with Luna and Clover