Radiant Historia, Part 32
Once again, it's time for "Let's Play Radiant Historia!" with Lady Nighteyes. Last time, we prevented an idiot from getting himself killed and dragging the entire city of Cygnus down with him. Now that we've finally gotten rid of most of the obstacles that would result in this battle being lost before it started, we'll be moving in to actually fight it.
I'll be skipping past the cutscenes we already saw last week, as most of them remain unchanged.
The scene with Dias is much shorter now, however; since Hedge is too scared of us to rat us out, Dias never gets the information that would lead him to do anything other than stand around and gripe.
...And consequently, once we reach the wasteland, the area that was unexpectedly full of Dias's soldiers is now completely deserted.
Stocke: Oh... Just making a quick survey for any enemies around. ...But never mind that. Aht, Eruca... if you want to head back, now's your chance.
Eruca: No... I can't shirk my duty.
Aht: I won't run either!
Stocke: ...All right.
Raynie: You two've really got guts.
Eruca: This is a small but necessary step from a small revolt to a true battle.
Stocke: You're sure?
Y'know, asking over and over isn't likely to make her change her mind, dear.
Eruca: ...Very.
And once again, he is forced to give up because Eruca ALWAYS wins the, "You should be somewhere safe!" "I don't WANT to be somewhere safe!" argument.
Stocke: The Dias Knights should be in the northern area of the wasteland. ...Let's go.
Anyway, here we are.
There's a merchant hanging around here who has some good stuff. I wind up spending a fair bit of cash on equipment upgrades for everyone before moving on.
Great. More badly-aimed ballista bolts.
Stocke: It's an ambush!
Raynie: Wh-What...!?
Eruca: Ballistas...! I can't believe they're here! Dias's bowmen must have brought them along!
Raynie: If they had such large-scale weapons ready to go...
Eruca: ...Then they were planning to attack Cygnus from the start. Either way, we must do something about the ballistas! If we don't, the main forces from Cygnus won't be able to advance!
Stocke: They'll find us more slippery than they expected, but the main force will be sitting ducks...
Good thing I advocated sending in the sneaky special forces guys first, huh?
Stocke: We need to find and destroy those ballistas before the main force arrives from Cygnus. And don't let yourselves get hit by the arrows while you're at it!
The bolts pretty much fall randomly (leading me to question the competence of the ballista operators even further), but there's a black shadow on the ground before they hit, which makes it fairly easy to avoid them most of the time. As such, I make it to the next screen uneventfully.
Sounds like a plan.
Here's ballista #1.
As you can see, the ballistas work a lot like the shield "enemies" we've seen in the past, applying a defense boost to the squares behind them. However, unlike the shields, ballistas can fight back by shooting at you. Still, not very hard when Holy Arrow can annihilate both the ballista and any poor saps hiding behind it.
And here's the other one. I destroy it in about two turns, and completely forget to screencap it in the process. Taking it out starts another cutscene...
Dias: Well? Has the refuse of Cygnus been disposed with?
Soldier: A-About that... The ballistas that the bowmen to the west brought have been destroyed.
Dias: What!?
Heheheh.
Dias: ...It seems I've been too lenient. Deploy the eastern ballistas with all haste!
Soldier: At once, High Colonel!
Uh. We know, Eruca.
Raynie: But the boulders are still in our way! Even if Garland and his men get here, we're stuck!
Boulders...? Oh, you mean the ones I didn't go anywhere near because I was heading for the ballistas?
Stocke: We have no choice. Let's go back for now.
I take a moment to double back and check this area out properly now that there are no random soldiers or ballistas trying to kill us. To my surprise and disappointment, despite being rather large, it is completely devoid of treasure.
...What the heck is this?
...This is such a terrible idea.
Whaaat.
Whaaaaaat.
Mystery guy: My Master spoke of you. He said you would be here, from the battle between Cygnus and Granorg...
Stocke: ......
Mystery guy: But the battle is still raging. Can you return here when the battle has come to an end? I have a message from my Master to relay to you.
Whaaaaaaaaat.
I... think I'm just going to steal this and leave.
Back on track:
Why can't people ever give ME high explosives as presents? :(
Garland: I got word from my men that those bastards set up boulders to block your way. It doesn't matter how strong you are if you can't get near the enemy.
Raynie: Geez! What were you gonna do if you got attacked carrying those explosives out here!?
Garland: You can't expect me to sit back and watch while you guys march into danger.
Way to dodge the question, Garland.
Garland: (looking around) All right! Let's hold off Dias up north! Our surprise will be showing up soon!
Eruca: So the whirlwind is nearly here...
Raynie: I'm kinda looking forward to it. Anyways, we just gotta hold off Dias until then!
Yup, that definitely looks like it's going to require explosives. Let's go grab some.
Ta-da!
The ballista operators over here can't aim, either.
Oh, go AWAY.
Thank you.
Ohey, a cave.
And this is sitting at the end of a little side-path.
Garland: If you take too long, you'll miss all the excitement.
Not pictured: Evil grin.
Raynie: The excitement, huh?
Eruca: It's not missing it I mind so much as the danger of being caught in it ourselves.
Dangit Eruca, if you hadn't said that, I could have made obnoxious comments pointing it out. Now it wouldn't be any fun.
Aht: So let's beat them real quick and hurry back here!
Excellent plan. I approve.
Raynie: Then we just need to take out the enemies up ahead?
Garland: That's right. We have to hold this area. I'll leave the other side to you.
Well, you heard 'em. I head out.
Ballista Number 1: Located.
Sorry, Dias, but even three ballistas aren't going to do much good when one fire spell or Holy Arrow can take 'em out.
I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry
...Aaand there it is.
Looks like this fight is going to be a lot harder than the previous ones.
Though admittedly, it's already looking better with two of the three ballistas down.
God I love this skill.
Ta-da!
Dias is not having a good day.
Dias: That Garland... He's suspiciously skilled for an ex-mercenary!
Soldier: The enemy will soon be at our base. Your orders, Sir?
Dias: No more parlor games!
If your parlor games involve ballistas, you must have some pretty epic parties.
Dias: We'll intercept them here! Reinforce the perimeter guard!
Soldier: Yes, Sir!
Meanwhile...
Stocke: I believe so. All right, let's get back to Garland and the others.
Once again, I do a quick check of the area before heading back. Have to clean up the things people leave lying around, after all.
I know there's a boss fight coming up, so I use one of my mostly-untouched supply of Mana Crystals to make sure my party is in decent shape. Then I go talk to Garland.
Garland: Good! Now we wait for the whirlwinds to come...
The screen starts shaking, accompanied by a rumbling noise.
Garland: Oh...! Here they are!
Dias: If they break through here, they'll gain enough momentum to proceed to Granorg! We must hold the line!
This is, of course, the cue for more rumbling and screen-shaking.
The rumbling has now been replaced by the sound of loud wind, and when the dialogue changes, you can see the bottom of a tornado on the top of the screen.
Dias: This is--! Garland has played us for fools!
As the screen fades to white...
Dias: Aaaaaaaaagh!
A white AND a black screen later...
Dias: That Garland... This was his aim from the outset!
Dias: Ngh...! I can't believe I was taken in so!
"Appreciating the look on your face right now."
Dias: I see... So that is where things stand... No wonder our most diligent searches failed to unearth your whereabouts... I would never have foreseen your joining forces with Cygnus.
Then you were underestimating Eruca even worse than I thought, 'cause it's kinda the obvious choice for her to make.
Eruca: Dias... the tide has turned against you. Lay down your weapon. It benefits no one to continue fighting.
Dias: ......
Dias: I haven't a hope of victory, you say? And here I thought the betrayal of your homeland was grand jest enough for one day, princess!
Eruca: I cannot tolerate my stepmother's tyranny any longer.
Dias: So you intend to take her place? Fie to you! I'll show you the folly of taking that tone with me, you--
Palomides: You must retreat for now to devise our next operation. We will carry out the rest.
I find it oddly amusing that Palomides has a much better grasp of the situation than Dias does.
Dias: ...Very well, Palomides. I leave this in your capable hands.
Palomides: Hm? You in the red... I feel as though we've met before. It's the strangest feeling...
I can't possibly imagine why that would be.
Raynie: Stocke...? Have you ever met him before?
Either Raynie can't see the glow from the Black Chronicle, or she has really strange priorities.
Stocke: Yes... It was a while ago, but the Executioner taught me a valuable lesson or two.
And I bet also gave you a REEEALLY impressive scar.
Stocke: But it won't happen twice.
Palomides: Ngh... I don't know why, but I can sense... You are an opponent not to be taken lightly! I must defeat you at all costs!
Freaking Black Chronicle Guy making Palomides all enthusiastic about this. >:(
And here we are. A boss 30 updates in coming: fighting Palomides the Executioner for real.
His palette-swap minion, Gardner, heals and throws out the occasional buff spell.
And, making him more annoying to get rid of, he also has much higher magic defense. Given that G-Frost and G-Fire currently do FAR more damage than any physical attacks the guys can dish out, I find this irritating, to say the least.
On the plus side, both of them are weak to lightning and I easily manage to poison them. On the downside, Gardner has planted himself on that Heal Zone and moves back every time I knock him off it.
Not cool.
Luckily, since Gardner was the one responsible for that obnoxious Heal Zone, getting rid of him gets rid of it as well.
I still have to deal with Palomides himself, however.
Of course, given that it's now one against three, it's fairly trivial to set up this huge combo.
Sorry, Palomides, but after those spiders, you don't look nearly as scary. Oh, and we stole your armor.
Revenge is sweet.
Oooh, I think he just broke the record for "Longest period from creepy black glow to Sand-Plague-ing"! Well done!
*sigh* Marco, please get with the program.
Marco: Wh-What's wrong, Raynie?
Raynie: Dias is gone! He got away!
I blame Garland and the two non-active members of my party for not chasing him down while the rest of us were busy killing Palomides.
Marco: We couldn't help it. Our hands were full dealing with Palomides...
Marco, you are a LIAR.
Garland: But we have won the day! It's a shame that their leader escaped, but I wouldn't follow him too doggedly.
Yeah, I could tell by the way you didn't follow him at all.
Garland: You never know what kind of ambush he'll have left for us along his escape route. No, we should return to the castle and prepare ourselves for the next battle.
Eruca: Indeed, I couldn't agree more.
Stocke: Then let's hurry and treat our wounded.
"Marco, you go stand way over THERE."
Stocke: Once that's done, we'll return to Cygnus.
"Can I come near yet?" "NO."
Gee, THAT'S unexpected.
We killed two whole regiments of their knights and sent Dias home crying. I think that's usually considered an act of war by pretty much anyone you ask.
Stocke: If you hadn't met me or Eruca, you might not have found yourself an enemy of Granorg.
Dear, this is GARLAND. I would have thought you knew him well enough by now to realize he doesn't mind that in the slightest.
Garland: That's ridiculous. I'm set in my ways. This would have happened before long regardless. Plus... it's not such a bad thing to have Princess Eruca owe my nation a debt of gratitude. I'll be repaid in kind after she's coronated queen of Granorg, I'm sure.
Stocke: ...I see... I have a favor to ask.
...You do? Why didn't I know about this?
Stocke: ...Will you take care of Eruca and Aht?
...Oh, don't you DARE.
Garland: What do you mean?
Stocke: We're planning to march into Granorg by ourselves.
...Of course you are.
Garland: Hey now...! What's this about?
Stocke: The keys to this coup are the three major figures of Granorg. Queen Protea, Count Selvan and his assembly, and the military leader Dias. If they all need to be dealt with, then the three of us can handle it ourselves.
Because that went so well last time.
Stocke: We won't go looking for fights. All we'd need is backup to help get us in the door. It'll help keep your casualties to a minimum, as well.
Garland: I see your point, but... sneaking into the castle? That's too risky.
Stocke: Not necessarily. That's what we've been trained to do.
And yet that training did not include PLANNI-*is shot yet again*
Marco: Remember that Princess Eruca will be ruling Granorg in the near future. When you consider that, we can't bring her along in good conscience. As for Aht, she has no reason to be involved in this.
Garland: Still...
Raynie: There's no point trying to stop us. We do this kind of thing all the time.
Garland: Then I'll come too! I can't just let you all--
Stocke: If you're gone, who will unify Cygnus?
Also, while you are awesome, you're not a party member. Only party members are invited.
Garland: ......
Garland: ...You really won't reconsider?
Stocke: I believe this to be the best way.
Raynie: Thanks for everything!
Marco: Please look after the princess!
I was reeeally tempted to end this update there, but let's go just a little further.
Out of the city we go, triggering another cutscene.
I think Stocke is dreading turning around.
"Yeah, didn't really think that was going to work."
Aht: I'm gonna go wherever you go, Stocke!
Stocke: ...You can't.
I thought you'd gotten past that whole "being a jerk to try to get Aht to go away" phase?
...That's a bit immature.
And the pitched battle wasn't?
Marco: That's why we three are the only one who are going. You understand, don't you?
Raynie: We'll make sure to come back for you once the job's done. ...Sorry, Aht.
...Does that really surprise anyone?
Stocke: Nothing good can come of you traveling with us.
Aht: That's not true! It's not...
Stocke, when are you going to learn that arguing with either Aht or Eruca is futile?
Not sure if adorable or creepy.
Aht: *sniffle* *sob*
Stocke: ......
Don't bother. We all know you're too nice to be able to ignore a little girl crying.
See?
Stocke: I understand. You don't need to cry.
Aht: *sob* *sniffle*
It's so cute how you still haven't figured out you're not going to be able to ditch them.
Eruca: King Garland told me everything. Stocke... You're too self-centered. I know I sought your help, but I never intended for you to do all the work!
Stocke: ......
I think this time, the "......" isn't an eloquent look, he's just completely at a loss for what to say to that.
Eruca: This isn't just a matter of governance, about who'll be the one to succeed the throne... it concerns the extermination of this entire continent. It affects everyone of all races. So tell me... Why do you insist on carrying such a tremendous burden yourself?
I guess the problem with knowing that the fate of the planet hangs on your actions is that you occasionally forget that other people need to do stuff, too.
Stocke: ......
Still don't have any response, huh?
Eruca: We're on your side. You can lean on us more than you are.
You know, you're going to have to talk SOMEtime.
Stocke: Aht, Eruca... We'll go together.
Not that they gave you much choice.
Eruca: ...Thank you, Stocke.
Stocke: ......
Not sure if that's his usual reaction to thanks, or a look indicating that he finds a level of irony in her thanking him for something she blatantly guilt-tripped him into.
Eruca: Oh, by the way... Could we stop by the town of Skalla up ahead? I'm supposed to meet someone there.
Stocke: "Someone"...?
Eruca: There's no need to worry. You can trust them. If we can gain their cooperation, we'll have quite an advantage against Granorg.
Stocke: There's no need for that. We're going to assassinate Protea. Once the three key figures, Protea included, are eliminated, the war will be over.
Eruca: That won't do. Even if the queen is assassinated, nothing will change by acting in secret! All they have to do is claim that her health prevents her from appearing, and we gain nothing.
She has a point there.
Eruca: Worse, if those three were to die, others would soon take their place. The status quo would remain. To prevent that, we must fight in plain sight so that the people will know who the victor is!
Stocke: (I see... Eruca is keeping a sound perspective on all this. For a better tomorrow, it may be necessary to do this the hard way...)
Hey, cheer up. We might still get the chance to sneak around and stab people in the process of taking the city back.
Stocke: ...All right. Skalla it is. Let's get moving.
End of chapter time!
Lippti: You've returned, Stocke.
Lippti: Consequently, you saved that man's life as well. Keep up the good work, Stocke. ...Let us now add a new chapter to the White Chronicle.
All right, that's it for this update. Next time, I get distracted again. Nighteyes out.
P.S. I think I'm going to start updating this twice a week from this point on. Just FYI.
I'll be skipping past the cutscenes we already saw last week, as most of them remain unchanged.
The scene with Dias is much shorter now, however; since Hedge is too scared of us to rat us out, Dias never gets the information that would lead him to do anything other than stand around and gripe.
...And consequently, once we reach the wasteland, the area that was unexpectedly full of Dias's soldiers is now completely deserted.
Stocke: Oh... Just making a quick survey for any enemies around. ...But never mind that. Aht, Eruca... if you want to head back, now's your chance.
Eruca: No... I can't shirk my duty.
Aht: I won't run either!
Stocke: ...All right.
Raynie: You two've really got guts.
Eruca: This is a small but necessary step from a small revolt to a true battle.
Stocke: You're sure?
Y'know, asking over and over isn't likely to make her change her mind, dear.
Eruca: ...Very.
And once again, he is forced to give up because Eruca ALWAYS wins the, "You should be somewhere safe!" "I don't WANT to be somewhere safe!" argument.
Stocke: The Dias Knights should be in the northern area of the wasteland. ...Let's go.
Anyway, here we are.
There's a merchant hanging around here who has some good stuff. I wind up spending a fair bit of cash on equipment upgrades for everyone before moving on.
Great. More badly-aimed ballista bolts.
Stocke: It's an ambush!
Raynie: Wh-What...!?
Eruca: Ballistas...! I can't believe they're here! Dias's bowmen must have brought them along!
Raynie: If they had such large-scale weapons ready to go...
Eruca: ...Then they were planning to attack Cygnus from the start. Either way, we must do something about the ballistas! If we don't, the main forces from Cygnus won't be able to advance!
Stocke: They'll find us more slippery than they expected, but the main force will be sitting ducks...
Good thing I advocated sending in the sneaky special forces guys first, huh?
Stocke: We need to find and destroy those ballistas before the main force arrives from Cygnus. And don't let yourselves get hit by the arrows while you're at it!
The bolts pretty much fall randomly (leading me to question the competence of the ballista operators even further), but there's a black shadow on the ground before they hit, which makes it fairly easy to avoid them most of the time. As such, I make it to the next screen uneventfully.
Sounds like a plan.
Here's ballista #1.
As you can see, the ballistas work a lot like the shield "enemies" we've seen in the past, applying a defense boost to the squares behind them. However, unlike the shields, ballistas can fight back by shooting at you. Still, not very hard when Holy Arrow can annihilate both the ballista and any poor saps hiding behind it.
And here's the other one. I destroy it in about two turns, and completely forget to screencap it in the process. Taking it out starts another cutscene...
Dias: Well? Has the refuse of Cygnus been disposed with?
Soldier: A-About that... The ballistas that the bowmen to the west brought have been destroyed.
Dias: What!?
Heheheh.
Dias: ...It seems I've been too lenient. Deploy the eastern ballistas with all haste!
Soldier: At once, High Colonel!
Uh. We know, Eruca.
Raynie: But the boulders are still in our way! Even if Garland and his men get here, we're stuck!
Boulders...? Oh, you mean the ones I didn't go anywhere near because I was heading for the ballistas?
Stocke: We have no choice. Let's go back for now.
I take a moment to double back and check this area out properly now that there are no random soldiers or ballistas trying to kill us. To my surprise and disappointment, despite being rather large, it is completely devoid of treasure.
...What the heck is this?
...This is such a terrible idea.
Whaaat.
Whaaaaaat.
Mystery guy: My Master spoke of you. He said you would be here, from the battle between Cygnus and Granorg...
Stocke: ......
Mystery guy: But the battle is still raging. Can you return here when the battle has come to an end? I have a message from my Master to relay to you.
Whaaaaaaaaat.
I... think I'm just going to steal this and leave.
Back on track:
Why can't people ever give ME high explosives as presents? :(
Garland: I got word from my men that those bastards set up boulders to block your way. It doesn't matter how strong you are if you can't get near the enemy.
Raynie: Geez! What were you gonna do if you got attacked carrying those explosives out here!?
Garland: You can't expect me to sit back and watch while you guys march into danger.
Way to dodge the question, Garland.
Garland: (looking around) All right! Let's hold off Dias up north! Our surprise will be showing up soon!
Eruca: So the whirlwind is nearly here...
Raynie: I'm kinda looking forward to it. Anyways, we just gotta hold off Dias until then!
Yup, that definitely looks like it's going to require explosives. Let's go grab some.
Ta-da!
The ballista operators over here can't aim, either.
Oh, go AWAY.
Thank you.
Ohey, a cave.
And this is sitting at the end of a little side-path.
Garland: If you take too long, you'll miss all the excitement.
Not pictured: Evil grin.
Raynie: The excitement, huh?
Eruca: It's not missing it I mind so much as the danger of being caught in it ourselves.
Dangit Eruca, if you hadn't said that, I could have made obnoxious comments pointing it out. Now it wouldn't be any fun.
Aht: So let's beat them real quick and hurry back here!
Excellent plan. I approve.
Raynie: Then we just need to take out the enemies up ahead?
Garland: That's right. We have to hold this area. I'll leave the other side to you.
Well, you heard 'em. I head out.
Ballista Number 1: Located.
Sorry, Dias, but even three ballistas aren't going to do much good when one fire spell or Holy Arrow can take 'em out.
I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry
...Aaand there it is.
Looks like this fight is going to be a lot harder than the previous ones.
Though admittedly, it's already looking better with two of the three ballistas down.
God I love this skill.
Ta-da!
Dias is not having a good day.
Dias: That Garland... He's suspiciously skilled for an ex-mercenary!
Soldier: The enemy will soon be at our base. Your orders, Sir?
Dias: No more parlor games!
If your parlor games involve ballistas, you must have some pretty epic parties.
Dias: We'll intercept them here! Reinforce the perimeter guard!
Soldier: Yes, Sir!
Meanwhile...
Stocke: I believe so. All right, let's get back to Garland and the others.
Once again, I do a quick check of the area before heading back. Have to clean up the things people leave lying around, after all.
I know there's a boss fight coming up, so I use one of my mostly-untouched supply of Mana Crystals to make sure my party is in decent shape. Then I go talk to Garland.
Garland: Good! Now we wait for the whirlwinds to come...
The screen starts shaking, accompanied by a rumbling noise.
Garland: Oh...! Here they are!
Dias: If they break through here, they'll gain enough momentum to proceed to Granorg! We must hold the line!
This is, of course, the cue for more rumbling and screen-shaking.
The rumbling has now been replaced by the sound of loud wind, and when the dialogue changes, you can see the bottom of a tornado on the top of the screen.
Dias: This is--! Garland has played us for fools!
As the screen fades to white...
Dias: Aaaaaaaaagh!
A white AND a black screen later...
Dias: That Garland... This was his aim from the outset!
Dias: Ngh...! I can't believe I was taken in so!
"Appreciating the look on your face right now."
Dias: I see... So that is where things stand... No wonder our most diligent searches failed to unearth your whereabouts... I would never have foreseen your joining forces with Cygnus.
Then you were underestimating Eruca even worse than I thought, 'cause it's kinda the obvious choice for her to make.
Eruca: Dias... the tide has turned against you. Lay down your weapon. It benefits no one to continue fighting.
Dias: ......
Dias: I haven't a hope of victory, you say? And here I thought the betrayal of your homeland was grand jest enough for one day, princess!
Eruca: I cannot tolerate my stepmother's tyranny any longer.
Dias: So you intend to take her place? Fie to you! I'll show you the folly of taking that tone with me, you--
Palomides: You must retreat for now to devise our next operation. We will carry out the rest.
I find it oddly amusing that Palomides has a much better grasp of the situation than Dias does.
Dias: ...Very well, Palomides. I leave this in your capable hands.
Palomides: Hm? You in the red... I feel as though we've met before. It's the strangest feeling...
I can't possibly imagine why that would be.
Raynie: Stocke...? Have you ever met him before?
Either Raynie can't see the glow from the Black Chronicle, or she has really strange priorities.
Stocke: Yes... It was a while ago, but the Executioner taught me a valuable lesson or two.
And I bet also gave you a REEEALLY impressive scar.
Stocke: But it won't happen twice.
Palomides: Ngh... I don't know why, but I can sense... You are an opponent not to be taken lightly! I must defeat you at all costs!
Freaking Black Chronicle Guy making Palomides all enthusiastic about this. >:(
And here we are. A boss 30 updates in coming: fighting Palomides the Executioner for real.
His palette-swap minion, Gardner, heals and throws out the occasional buff spell.
And, making him more annoying to get rid of, he also has much higher magic defense. Given that G-Frost and G-Fire currently do FAR more damage than any physical attacks the guys can dish out, I find this irritating, to say the least.
On the plus side, both of them are weak to lightning and I easily manage to poison them. On the downside, Gardner has planted himself on that Heal Zone and moves back every time I knock him off it.
Not cool.
Luckily, since Gardner was the one responsible for that obnoxious Heal Zone, getting rid of him gets rid of it as well.
I still have to deal with Palomides himself, however.
Of course, given that it's now one against three, it's fairly trivial to set up this huge combo.
Sorry, Palomides, but after those spiders, you don't look nearly as scary. Oh, and we stole your armor.
Revenge is sweet.
Oooh, I think he just broke the record for "Longest period from creepy black glow to Sand-Plague-ing"! Well done!
*sigh* Marco, please get with the program.
Marco: Wh-What's wrong, Raynie?
Raynie: Dias is gone! He got away!
I blame Garland and the two non-active members of my party for not chasing him down while the rest of us were busy killing Palomides.
Marco: We couldn't help it. Our hands were full dealing with Palomides...
Marco, you are a LIAR.
Garland: But we have won the day! It's a shame that their leader escaped, but I wouldn't follow him too doggedly.
Yeah, I could tell by the way you didn't follow him at all.
Garland: You never know what kind of ambush he'll have left for us along his escape route. No, we should return to the castle and prepare ourselves for the next battle.
Eruca: Indeed, I couldn't agree more.
Stocke: Then let's hurry and treat our wounded.
"Marco, you go stand way over THERE."
Stocke: Once that's done, we'll return to Cygnus.
"Can I come near yet?" "NO."
Gee, THAT'S unexpected.
We killed two whole regiments of their knights and sent Dias home crying. I think that's usually considered an act of war by pretty much anyone you ask.
Stocke: If you hadn't met me or Eruca, you might not have found yourself an enemy of Granorg.
Dear, this is GARLAND. I would have thought you knew him well enough by now to realize he doesn't mind that in the slightest.
Garland: That's ridiculous. I'm set in my ways. This would have happened before long regardless. Plus... it's not such a bad thing to have Princess Eruca owe my nation a debt of gratitude. I'll be repaid in kind after she's coronated queen of Granorg, I'm sure.
Stocke: ...I see... I have a favor to ask.
...You do? Why didn't I know about this?
Stocke: ...Will you take care of Eruca and Aht?
...Oh, don't you DARE.
Garland: What do you mean?
Stocke: We're planning to march into Granorg by ourselves.
...Of course you are.
Garland: Hey now...! What's this about?
Stocke: The keys to this coup are the three major figures of Granorg. Queen Protea, Count Selvan and his assembly, and the military leader Dias. If they all need to be dealt with, then the three of us can handle it ourselves.
Because that went so well last time.
Stocke: We won't go looking for fights. All we'd need is backup to help get us in the door. It'll help keep your casualties to a minimum, as well.
Garland: I see your point, but... sneaking into the castle? That's too risky.
Stocke: Not necessarily. That's what we've been trained to do.
And yet that training did not include PLANNI-*is shot yet again*
Marco: Remember that Princess Eruca will be ruling Granorg in the near future. When you consider that, we can't bring her along in good conscience. As for Aht, she has no reason to be involved in this.
Garland: Still...
Raynie: There's no point trying to stop us. We do this kind of thing all the time.
Garland: Then I'll come too! I can't just let you all--
Stocke: If you're gone, who will unify Cygnus?
Also, while you are awesome, you're not a party member. Only party members are invited.
Garland: ......
Garland: ...You really won't reconsider?
Stocke: I believe this to be the best way.
Raynie: Thanks for everything!
Marco: Please look after the princess!
I was reeeally tempted to end this update there, but let's go just a little further.
Out of the city we go, triggering another cutscene.
I think Stocke is dreading turning around.
"Yeah, didn't really think that was going to work."
Aht: I'm gonna go wherever you go, Stocke!
Stocke: ...You can't.
I thought you'd gotten past that whole "being a jerk to try to get Aht to go away" phase?
...That's a bit immature.
And the pitched battle wasn't?
Marco: That's why we three are the only one who are going. You understand, don't you?
Raynie: We'll make sure to come back for you once the job's done. ...Sorry, Aht.
...Does that really surprise anyone?
Stocke: Nothing good can come of you traveling with us.
Aht: That's not true! It's not...
Stocke, when are you going to learn that arguing with either Aht or Eruca is futile?
Not sure if adorable or creepy.
Aht: *sniffle* *sob*
Stocke: ......
Don't bother. We all know you're too nice to be able to ignore a little girl crying.
See?
Stocke: I understand. You don't need to cry.
Aht: *sob* *sniffle*
It's so cute how you still haven't figured out you're not going to be able to ditch them.
Eruca: King Garland told me everything. Stocke... You're too self-centered. I know I sought your help, but I never intended for you to do all the work!
Stocke: ......
I think this time, the "......" isn't an eloquent look, he's just completely at a loss for what to say to that.
Eruca: This isn't just a matter of governance, about who'll be the one to succeed the throne... it concerns the extermination of this entire continent. It affects everyone of all races. So tell me... Why do you insist on carrying such a tremendous burden yourself?
I guess the problem with knowing that the fate of the planet hangs on your actions is that you occasionally forget that other people need to do stuff, too.
Stocke: ......
Still don't have any response, huh?
Eruca: We're on your side. You can lean on us more than you are.
You know, you're going to have to talk SOMEtime.
Stocke: Aht, Eruca... We'll go together.
Not that they gave you much choice.
Eruca: ...Thank you, Stocke.
Stocke: ......
Not sure if that's his usual reaction to thanks, or a look indicating that he finds a level of irony in her thanking him for something she blatantly guilt-tripped him into.
Eruca: Oh, by the way... Could we stop by the town of Skalla up ahead? I'm supposed to meet someone there.
Stocke: "Someone"...?
Eruca: There's no need to worry. You can trust them. If we can gain their cooperation, we'll have quite an advantage against Granorg.
Stocke: There's no need for that. We're going to assassinate Protea. Once the three key figures, Protea included, are eliminated, the war will be over.
Eruca: That won't do. Even if the queen is assassinated, nothing will change by acting in secret! All they have to do is claim that her health prevents her from appearing, and we gain nothing.
She has a point there.
Eruca: Worse, if those three were to die, others would soon take their place. The status quo would remain. To prevent that, we must fight in plain sight so that the people will know who the victor is!
Stocke: (I see... Eruca is keeping a sound perspective on all this. For a better tomorrow, it may be necessary to do this the hard way...)
Hey, cheer up. We might still get the chance to sneak around and stab people in the process of taking the city back.
Stocke: ...All right. Skalla it is. Let's get moving.
End of chapter time!
Lippti: You've returned, Stocke.
Lippti: Consequently, you saved that man's life as well. Keep up the good work, Stocke. ...Let us now add a new chapter to the White Chronicle.
All right, that's it for this update. Next time, I get distracted again. Nighteyes out.
P.S. I think I'm going to start updating this twice a week from this point on. Just FYI.