Let's Play The Spirit Engine 2
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Chapter 5: The Hereafter
Part 3: From Above
Time to GTFO!
We gotta escape... but something's in the way!
No cloud child has ever been seen below cloud level over Lereftain. To my knowledge, no human has ever come this close to one and lived to tell the tale.
It's just standing there, watching us. And it's blocking the gate! What does it want? What should we do?
The same thing we've done to everything else in our way. We kill it and we move on. I think we owe it to the people of Porto Vale to bring down at least one of these monsters before we leave their city.
That doesn't sound like your regular philosophy, Ionae. Aren't you afraid?
Almost too terrified to move. But I'm even more angry. I'm tired of running and I'm sick of seeing what these creatures have done to this city and its people. I want to fight.
BOSS BATTLE
Cloud Child
Not sure what this thing can do yet, so keeping it simple and anti-Large.
Notably, our attacks aren't reducing its HP - they're reducing that blue number below HP.
Also, it's just standing there.
Oh, never mind.
Blue reaches zero, and down it goes!
Now we can hurt it, but the blue number is rapidly climbing again.
Okay, I think we made it mad.
This part is making me very happy that PyanPau knows Aurora.
At great pain to Denever, we've made it to another attack phase!
Could have done more damage, probably, but healing Denever is important right now.
That's looking better!
Now continuing Operation Hurt.
Kill it with fire!
Okay, one more cycle oughta do it.
Fun fact: Ionae's dodge chance has exceeded 50%.
RECKONING TIME
Mmm, revenge.
We made it! We made it out!
This is surely our country's darkest huor. Your report, Captain? What can you tell us?
I don't know if I can find words to do justice to the scale of the disaster, parliamentarians. We know so little at this stage.
Three days ago, an explosion was reported within the city limits and a towering pillar of flame rose up through the clouds.
Then the temperature began to plummet. Ice arced along the estuary. Dark, crimson clouds accumulated overhead, snow began to fall and the Cloud Children descended from their migration routes to feed.
God help us all. The Yaegarans have just committed the worst atrocity that Medea has ever seen, and we let them do it. This is the price we pay for losing our grip on the nation's security.
Our troop numbers have been depleted, oru borders left open, citizens allowed to walk our streets unrestricted and unwatched. If our governors had only given more attention to the Loyalty bill...
Now is not the time for politics, Henley, especially in the presence of our governors. We don't know that the Yaegarans are responsible yet.
I'm afraid we do, Kamelea. We received intelligence detailing their intentions from across the border only a few days ago. But it was too late to stop the attacks on Porto Vale and Kelstarin.
The current Yaegaran regime clearly intends to wage war without bounds. I would advise against inaction, honorable leaders. The people will demand retribution for this atrocity.
Indeed, war may be upon us whether we seek it or not, and our independence is at stake. Who else other than the Yaegarans has an alchemic corps capable of developing such a terrible weapon?
They have made many attacks upon our great nation in its history. This can only be the sinister prelude to another. Time is short, and they may already be marching their armies across the border zone.
No,w e can't speak like this! We must open dialogue with the Yaegarans. It isn't so long since the Malamara peace accords broke down. We still have channels through which to approach them. We must talk, negotiate...
This is no time for chatter, woman! This is war, the likes of which Medea has never before seen! The destruction of Porto Vale is a cowardly first strike, and we have been caught off guard because we have grown weak and complacent.
If our nation is to survive, we must strike back. We need instruction from the Rakari and we need it now, before it is too late. Otherwise we must organize the defense of the Union ourselves.
We are considering our response to the crisis, Parliamentarian. Find peace for now. You will be patient as you wait for our instructions.
I will be patient, yes. Forgive me, wise governors. I don't know what came over me.
Captain, honored guests. We've found survivors form the very center of the city, fleeing down Armistice Road. We thought you might wish to speak with them directly.
(Ionae! PyanPau! You must kneel! These people have the highest authority in all Lereftain. Even the Rakari have made an appearance! You must show them your respect.)
Why? The ground is dirty and dusty. I refuse to lower myself before these people and these creatures. They should be beneath me.
Your obedience is not required, lonely exile, nor your respect. Only your cooperation.
You... You know who I'm here?
These things are transparent to us, as is your destination. We know through you and your independence will serve the greater peace. Stand and address the parliamentarians. What word to you bring them from inside the city?
The only news we have is bad. Porto Vale lies in ruins, and the only other people we encountered on its streets seem to have been transformed into shambling monsters.
We were able to fight our way out, but not without great difficulty. The city is overrun with horrors, and the Cloud Children there appear to be spawning.
It is as we feared, then. The city is lost. Flatten it with artillery and drive the Cloud Children away.
Wait! We survived for days by sheltering in a bunker. There may be more like us, still hiding in the ruins. If you shell the city you'll kill them!
Regrettable, but more will die if we allow the Cloud Children to gain a foothold on our warm ground.
These creatures are dangerous. We should have warred against them from the beginning instead of tolerating their presence.
Representatives, excuse us. We are receiving reports of massive Yaegaran troop deployments along the border zone. This should not be. Responses must be considered.
We leave to mitigate. Parliamentarians, you should return to survey what remains of Kelstarin in our absence. Trust in our wisdom.
This is absurd! We can't afford to waste any more time watching this disaster unfold. Precious hours are being lost whilst we wait for the Rakari to perform their shadowy consultations.
Do not worry, Parliamentarians. As per emergency doctrine, all the forces our great army can muster are already being assembled in the west to counter the threat from Yaegara. God willing, their bravery will secure them victory.
The courage of our soldiers is beyond doubt, Captain, but I fear they're being pushed out into the unknown, as are we all. The Yaegarans have the initiative now, and we are at their mercy.
Someone must raise the possibility of a settlement. If things go badly in the coming weeks, waht overtures will be make to them? What price are we willing to pay to secure peace?
Capitulation? Never! By God, man, if you so much as mention the notion before me again I will wring your neck myself. The Lereftese will never surrender to foreign aggression!#
My carriage was held up by the sheer number of refugees on the road to Tolkesworth. What discussion have I missed?
Precious little. Our governors came and watched and left. Their only action was to order the destruction of one of our greatest cities and now they leave to 'consider'.
I'm sorry to hear that. Their flight is hardly surprising. When have they ever shown compassion towards our people? I would not expect them to start now. We are like cattle to them.
I'll tell you why they left, Parliamentarians. They are afraid. They're finally losing their iron grip on the people and their command of this situation. They have no response to give.
Your blatant disrespect for our governors shames us all, Batiste! Now more than ever we need to wait calmly for their guidance. You should keep your ridiculous conspiracy theories to yourself and your friends.
Poor, poor Kamelea. They play you like a fiddle. They play us all. If you spent as much time away from Parliament as I do and allowed your own thoughts to flourish, you would see just how helpless we are.
What do you care for Lereftain's future, Batiste? I'm surprised you even left Amara to come and see the devastation for yourself. This conflict is unlikely to ever reach your corner of the Union.
Suffering and injustice conern us all. I am not my father, Price.
I spend so much time absent from the Parliament of Stars because I know that whether I attend or not, my voice counts for nothing so long as the current state is upheld.
But this is our chance as a Parliament to make your own decisions for our people. Indeed if we do not, we may not exist as a Parliament for much longer by the time the Yaegarans are through with us.
Batiste may be right. We cannot afford to wait for their response. The Rakari watch over us from a lofty height, and they have guided us with wise hands for so long.
But I fear that at such a distance, this crisis is moving too fast for them to handle. It is humans who are suffering down here, and we must act to protect our people.
This is the new face of war, Parliamentarians, and I fear that we have not yet seen the worst of it. We must do whatever is necessary to ensure that the Union survives the coming trials...
We head south, like Jaques said, and make our way to the Institute for Higher Learning. Let us pray that he's telling the truth this time.
And on the way out, a drop by the world's most trustworthy shopkeeper!
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Parliamentarian Batiste, representative for North-Eastern Amara.
You must be the man offering the reward for the apprehension of the Keepers. It's nice to meet you.
Ah yes, that I am. I had been trying, along with a number of other representatives, to pass legislation through Parliament to outlaw their sinister cult before this latest series of outrages.
They have been involved in attacks on a great number of my constituents. Alas, I have had little success in gaining any meaningful support for action against thtem from my fellow Parliamentarians.
Their minds are clouded at the best of times. The otherworldly things that whisper in their ears care little for the dignity of men. I dare not speak their name here, but I think you know of whom I speak.
Ultimately, I have little power inside Parliament, especially given the legacy of my father. There is little that I have been able to do to fight this insidious conspiracy.
Wait. You must be the three vigilantes who stepped in to save the girl in BlueFeather Forest. Hah, what are the odds? So small that this cannot be anything other than fate guiding us into happy union.
I believe you've met one of my assistants, Shala. She's been in close pursuit of one of the Keeper cells for many months now.
The lady in the white armor? Yes. We helped her save Isabelle. She looks a lot like...
...Her sister, doesn't she? It seems blessings come in threes. Shala is a little abrupt, as you might have noticed, but do please excuse her. Her heart is in the right place, and her dedication is unquestionable.
My Prince? You must come. There's a report of a contact heading north from Tolkesworth, and Julius says that we must move quickly.
Of course, I must return to my constituents. My place is home in Amara, where I can inform and comfort them. Though I doubt we'll see each other again, it was a pleasure to meet you all. My thanks to you.
He was only eleven when his father was killed, and he watched his home and his people, his inheritance, burn around him.
Parliament installed him as one of the state's sonly six representatives to try and appease the Amarans.
It is perhaps the poorest part of Lereftain, and the responsibility on him must be difficult at such an age.
The poor boy. He must have a lot to deal with right now.
End of chapter five!
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