Chapter 7: Reawakened Memories
Chapter 1: World in Discord | Chapter 2: Troubled Heart | Chapter 3: Footfalls of Tomorrow | Chapter 4: Light and Darkness | Chapter 5: Truth Behind the Mask | Chapter 6: Dark Premonition | Chapter 7: Reawakened Memories | Chapter 8: Eternal Bond
More warnings: italics abuse this time.
Fun fact for anyone else who might be reading this: while Presea is doing her awesome "curse of the iron maiden" bit, NPCs can be seen in the background running into trouble and getting frustrated with the Vanguard's checkpoints. That said, Presea gets them through said checkpoints and to Altessa's.
But wait! If the last six chapters weren't already enough indication of how bad the Vanguard supposedly was Magnar comes back to show everyone that yeah, the invasion of Luin was their fault too. Then they beat him. The whole thing is very uneventful considering that Magnar is one of the causes for Emil's "banishment" from Luin in the first place, but instead Magnar just provides exposition and then Altessa ties him up. Huh. However, Emil's development (also leading up to the confrontation in Mizuho) is pointed out in a skit where Marta's worrying about what the Vanguard has become:
Marta: It's like our roles are now reversed.
Emil: (?) Huh?
Marta: When I first met you, I was always the one trying to cheer you up. Now I'm the one with no confidence, and you're getting stronger.
Emil: Maybe, but it's only thanks to you and everyone else. I'll lend you my strength when you're feeling down.
After that they go to Mizuho and reunite with Raine and Genis to form new plans to save Altamira--but even though the plan is to capture Marta's father, Raine wants Emil to stay behind and keep Marta safe. Marta's uneasy about this whole thing, so Emil confronts her. As usual the full version is here and this is edited a bit--still long, but I don't care so much this time because personally this is one of my favorite scenes in the entire game.
Emil: Then why did you go to the trouble of running from the Vanguard?
Marta: What?
Emil: You said that you could never forgive your father's way of doing things. You were a member of the Vanguard yourself, and yet you're letting others do the most important work for you. Are you really okay with that?
Marta: Then are you saying I should go fight my own father?!
Emil: No, I'm saying you should try talking with him! Just because he didn't listen the first couple of times doesn't mean there's no hope at all. Brute's your father. If someone else captures him, then that's it, that's the end. Are you really gonna be okay with that? He's still your father.
Marta: ...
Emil: Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality. Courage is what helped me make true friends. That's why I'm giving my courage to you. Let's go to Altamira. Regal's there, and Sheena as well. They both saved us when we needed them. And you need to talk to your father.
And then during the Vanguard assault right after that, with Emil in Ratatosk Mode:
Emil: There's no end to this.
Marta: ...
Emil: They were after you like this the first time we met.
Marta: You remember?!
(Battle)
Emil: And you've been running ever since. You were running because you thought once you wake up Ratatosk, the Vanguard won't be able to do anything. But Brute has Solum's core. You won't be able to wake up Ratatosk if you keep running from Brute.
(Battle)
Emil: Are you still going to keep running?
Marta: Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality. I want to see Daddy one more time... I'm afraid. But Emil shared his courage with me. Emil and the "other" Emil, too. Thank you.
Yeah, that's it. Emil just gave Marta his own speech about courage and not running away from problems. With both personalities, in full agreement. This is a huge example of just how far he's come since the first chapter.
Emil, of course, has his own family issues to resolve--and that's in the next chapter, when he makes amends with his aunt and uncle. But for now they go to Altamira and start with the plan.
When Alice comes to Emil and Marta asking for help, Emil chooses to trust her and go along with what she wants because he knows they need Solum's core, and he wants to hear what Decus has to say for himself about his deeds in the Blood Purge. This...backfires and Marta ends up abducted again, while Emil is stuck in a room with a raving mad Decus. He's trusted a little too much here of course, I actually believed her too but I believed every stinking other trick they had in this game down to the ending because I am that gullible and it's backfired.
But that Eau de Seduction forced on him ages ago? Conveniently clatters out and the smell restores a bit of Decus' sanity so that at least he's not trying to kill Emil; instead he thinks Emil's a fanboy again. Um. This doesn't stop Emil from trying to confront Decus about his parents' murder, though!
...And then Colette and Zelos drop in. Mood breaker! Any concerns about avenging his parents are promptly dropped as they drag him away, physically, to go save Marta. Turns out they've been sent by Lloyd. Emil blames himself for Marta's capture because was the one who convinced Marta to follow Alice, but the others remind him that she needs to be rescued first. Apparently Zelos thinks being betrayed by a girl makes Emil a real man in a skit, though!
They look for Marta in some really unlikely places before Sheena hops in and shows them where Marta's being kept. Emil has a sort of deadpan moment as Colette flies with Zelos, but again the main focus is finding Marta. He blames himself for letting her fall into that trap again when they do get her back, but she blames herself too.
After that it's time to face Marta's father and take Solum's core, which Emil would rather happen peacefully because he doesn't want to pit Marta against her father without needing too. But...yeah, Brute's really just kind of gone at this point and is threatening Regal's lif--wait a minute, that's Lloyd Irving saving Regal and enabling Emil to fight! A boss battle ensues, of course, after which Brute (sane) reveals that Richter is the real man behind Brute's former megalomania! He gave Solum's core to Brute, twisting Brute's mind, and convinced him to become king of a new dynasty.
In a skit afterward Emil's both concerned and confused about Richter's motives, and he feels bad because Marta's father is in really bad shape because of what Emil and the rest of the party did to him; Presea points out that they had to stop him and that they needed to get help for him above all.
...But forget about that doctor for Brute, here's Richter versus Lloyd! Richter's using the power of the demonic realm? What's he been up to? Emil asks him a hugely broad question, because he just has that many questions to ask--"Richter, why?" Richter's response? "I don't care what you look like anymore, I'm going to kill you." This only makes sense once Emil fires off an Ain Soph Aur due to plot-induced stupidity (he already countered it at the Temple of Darkness and if you try it in battle he has his own built-in counter there too--seriously, why would you try that?) and Richter reveals the truth:
"This arte. This timing. So indeed, you are Ratatosk!"
And as Richter deflects the attack back at Emil in convenient slow motion, so Emil--"normal" and Ratatosk Mode alike--stare the truth of what Emil is right in the face.
(This was also the point at which I stared at the screen and just went "...What. Whaaaaaaat." Seriously, this is the only major revelation in ages that I never got spoilered for beforehand.)
Then Emil remembers: Richter and Aster awakening him, asking him to restore the mana balance. The rage that followed. The plan to kill all humans and half-elves so they wouldn't damage the world any more, and killing Aster for real. As if swatting a bug, I killed him, Emil writes.
That's the full version of the waking dream I've been having.
I was the one who had killed Richter's friend.
And then the ending, which Emil remembers all too well: Richter turning his blades on Emil and killing him.
The line between the "normal" Emil and Ratatosk Mode Emil is thin right now--he's switching to "normal" and back, but he's too tired and hurt to fight anymore. But Richter--
"I will avenge Aster's death!"
Marta defends him. Lloyd Irving defends him, despite all Emil's said against him in the past and even though he seems to have known Emil is Ratatosk for some time now. Lloyd doesn't even seem to care about that:
"I can't let you kill Ratatosk! ...At this moment, I'm going to stop you as Emil's friend!"
His friends are there for him, and it's a stalemate in the end because when Richter can't beat them he gets away--and that's the last thing Emil remembers before he passes out.
...And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I want a Richter and/or Lloyd at thedollsyhouse.
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Chapter 1: World in Discord | Chapter 2: Troubled Heart | Chapter 3: Footfalls of Tomorrow | Chapter 4: Light and Darkness | Chapter 5: Truth Behind the Mask | Chapter 6: Dark Premonition | Chapter 7: Reawakened Memories | Chapter 8: Eternal Bond
More warnings: italics abuse this time.
Fun fact for anyone else who might be reading this: while Presea is doing her awesome "curse of the iron maiden" bit, NPCs can be seen in the background running into trouble and getting frustrated with the Vanguard's checkpoints. That said, Presea gets them through said checkpoints and to Altessa's.
But wait! If the last six chapters weren't already enough indication of how bad the Vanguard supposedly was Magnar comes back to show everyone that yeah, the invasion of Luin was their fault too. Then they beat him. The whole thing is very uneventful considering that Magnar is one of the causes for Emil's "banishment" from Luin in the first place, but instead Magnar just provides exposition and then Altessa ties him up. Huh. However, Emil's development (also leading up to the confrontation in Mizuho) is pointed out in a skit where Marta's worrying about what the Vanguard has become:
Marta: It's like our roles are now reversed.
Emil: (?) Huh?
Marta: When I first met you, I was always the one trying to cheer you up. Now I'm the one with no confidence, and you're getting stronger.
Emil: Maybe, but it's only thanks to you and everyone else. I'll lend you my strength when you're feeling down.
After that they go to Mizuho and reunite with Raine and Genis to form new plans to save Altamira--but even though the plan is to capture Marta's father, Raine wants Emil to stay behind and keep Marta safe. Marta's uneasy about this whole thing, so Emil confronts her. As usual the full version is here and this is edited a bit--still long, but I don't care so much this time because personally this is one of my favorite scenes in the entire game.
Emil: Then why did you go to the trouble of running from the Vanguard?
Marta: What?
Emil: You said that you could never forgive your father's way of doing things. You were a member of the Vanguard yourself, and yet you're letting others do the most important work for you. Are you really okay with that?
Marta: Then are you saying I should go fight my own father?!
Emil: No, I'm saying you should try talking with him! Just because he didn't listen the first couple of times doesn't mean there's no hope at all. Brute's your father. If someone else captures him, then that's it, that's the end. Are you really gonna be okay with that? He's still your father.
Marta: ...
Emil: Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality. Courage is what helped me make true friends. That's why I'm giving my courage to you. Let's go to Altamira. Regal's there, and Sheena as well. They both saved us when we needed them. And you need to talk to your father.
And then during the Vanguard assault right after that, with Emil in Ratatosk Mode:
Emil: There's no end to this.
Marta: ...
Emil: They were after you like this the first time we met.
Marta: You remember?!
(Battle)
Emil: And you've been running ever since. You were running because you thought once you wake up Ratatosk, the Vanguard won't be able to do anything. But Brute has Solum's core. You won't be able to wake up Ratatosk if you keep running from Brute.
(Battle)
Emil: Are you still going to keep running?
Marta: Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality. I want to see Daddy one more time... I'm afraid. But Emil shared his courage with me. Emil and the "other" Emil, too. Thank you.
Yeah, that's it. Emil just gave Marta his own speech about courage and not running away from problems. With both personalities, in full agreement. This is a huge example of just how far he's come since the first chapter.
Emil, of course, has his own family issues to resolve--and that's in the next chapter, when he makes amends with his aunt and uncle. But for now they go to Altamira and start with the plan.
When Alice comes to Emil and Marta asking for help, Emil chooses to trust her and go along with what she wants because he knows they need Solum's core, and he wants to hear what Decus has to say for himself about his deeds in the Blood Purge. This...backfires and Marta ends up abducted again, while Emil is stuck in a room with a raving mad Decus. He's trusted a little too much here of course, I actually believed her too but I believed every stinking other trick they had in this game down to the ending because I am that gullible and it's backfired.
But that Eau de Seduction forced on him ages ago? Conveniently clatters out and the smell restores a bit of Decus' sanity so that at least he's not trying to kill Emil; instead he thinks Emil's a fanboy again. Um. This doesn't stop Emil from trying to confront Decus about his parents' murder, though!
...And then Colette and Zelos drop in. Mood breaker! Any concerns about avenging his parents are promptly dropped as they drag him away, physically, to go save Marta. Turns out they've been sent by Lloyd. Emil blames himself for Marta's capture because was the one who convinced Marta to follow Alice, but the others remind him that she needs to be rescued first. Apparently Zelos thinks being betrayed by a girl makes Emil a real man in a skit, though!
They look for Marta in some really unlikely places before Sheena hops in and shows them where Marta's being kept. Emil has a sort of deadpan moment as Colette flies with Zelos, but again the main focus is finding Marta. He blames himself for letting her fall into that trap again when they do get her back, but she blames herself too.
After that it's time to face Marta's father and take Solum's core, which Emil would rather happen peacefully because he doesn't want to pit Marta against her father without needing too. But...yeah, Brute's really just kind of gone at this point and is threatening Regal's lif--wait a minute, that's Lloyd Irving saving Regal and enabling Emil to fight! A boss battle ensues, of course, after which Brute (sane) reveals that Richter is the real man behind Brute's former megalomania! He gave Solum's core to Brute, twisting Brute's mind, and convinced him to become king of a new dynasty.
In a skit afterward Emil's both concerned and confused about Richter's motives, and he feels bad because Marta's father is in really bad shape because of what Emil and the rest of the party did to him; Presea points out that they had to stop him and that they needed to get help for him above all.
...But forget about that doctor for Brute, here's Richter versus Lloyd! Richter's using the power of the demonic realm? What's he been up to? Emil asks him a hugely broad question, because he just has that many questions to ask--"Richter, why?" Richter's response? "I don't care what you look like anymore, I'm going to kill you." This only makes sense once Emil fires off an Ain Soph Aur due to plot-induced stupidity (he already countered it at the Temple of Darkness and if you try it in battle he has his own built-in counter there too--seriously, why would you try that?) and Richter reveals the truth:
"This arte. This timing. So indeed, you are Ratatosk!"
And as Richter deflects the attack back at Emil in convenient slow motion, so Emil--"normal" and Ratatosk Mode alike--stare the truth of what Emil is right in the face.
(This was also the point at which I stared at the screen and just went "...What. Whaaaaaaat." Seriously, this is the only major revelation in ages that I never got spoilered for beforehand.)
Then Emil remembers: Richter and Aster awakening him, asking him to restore the mana balance. The rage that followed. The plan to kill all humans and half-elves so they wouldn't damage the world any more, and killing Aster for real. As if swatting a bug, I killed him, Emil writes.
That's the full version of the waking dream I've been having.
I was the one who had killed Richter's friend.
And then the ending, which Emil remembers all too well: Richter turning his blades on Emil and killing him.
The line between the "normal" Emil and Ratatosk Mode Emil is thin right now--he's switching to "normal" and back, but he's too tired and hurt to fight anymore. But Richter--
"I will avenge Aster's death!"
Marta defends him. Lloyd Irving defends him, despite all Emil's said against him in the past and even though he seems to have known Emil is Ratatosk for some time now. Lloyd doesn't even seem to care about that:
"I can't let you kill Ratatosk! ...At this moment, I'm going to stop you as Emil's friend!"
His friends are there for him, and it's a stalemate in the end because when Richter can't beat them he gets away--and that's the last thing Emil remembers before he passes out.
...And this, ladies and gentlemen, is why I want a Richter and/or Lloyd at thedollsyhouse.
Previous Chapter | Next Chapter
Chapter 1: World in Discord | Chapter 2: Troubled Heart | Chapter 3: Footfalls of Tomorrow | Chapter 4: Light and Darkness | Chapter 5: Truth Behind the Mask | Chapter 6: Dark Premonition | Chapter 7: Reawakened Memories | Chapter 8: Eternal Bond