WAXF Script
< Act 2 - A Tale of Two Princesses >
< Act 2-1 >
-Elesius Castle-
-Council Chamber-
[Eisen steps into the room.]
Roayl Knights Captain Eisen: We've just returned from border patrol.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: As soon as the knights are rested and preparations are complete, we will depart on our next patrol.
[Charlton grimaces.]
Charlton: Why do you waste my time with this farce, Captain?
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Whatever do you mean by that, Sir Chairman?
Charlton: ...
Charlton: Mobilizing the full complement of Royal Knights to go on routine border patrols... It's really quite clever.
Charlton: With your Royal Knights tying up the military budget with unanticipated expenditures, you've left us unable to mobilize enough Martial Guard troops to put down the rebellion.
Charlton: Rupert was grumbling earlier that .you can't win a war on an installment plan."
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Since this term's maximum military budget has already been set by the King, I'm afraid we're left with no recourse.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: I'm afraid Rupert will have to find a way to accomplish more with less.
Charlton: I never imagined you could be so brazen...
Charlton: I had heard that the Captain of the Royal Knights was a man of great integrity, but...you have proven to be unexpectedly devious.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Oh, not at all. I merely make use of the experience I have gained from this Council.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: But with all due respect, Sir Chairman, these border patrols should not have caught you by surprise.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: We Royal Knights serve at His Majesty's pleasure, and follow but one order: Protect Elesius!
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Whenever there's turmoil within the kingdom, there will also be threats from outside the kingdom, as enemies seek to take advantage of our weaknesses.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: We are simply complying with His Majesty's orders to protect Elesius from outside invasion. It's the obvious response.
Charlton: ...
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Therefore, the border patrol continues. Now, I must report to His Majesty, so I shall respectfully take my leave.
[Eisen turns and walks out. Charlton gnashes his teeth.]
-Richala Rose-
[Clarissa hangs her head. A cut-in shows a gravestone with a lone dandelion placed upon in.]
Clarissa: ...
Labyrinthia: Your Highness...
Ragnar: We can't afford to waste time mourning th dead. I'm sure you already know that.
Clarissa: You're probably right...
[She raises her head.]
Clarissa: But despite that... No, because of that, I want to do as much as I possibly can.
[She turns as Felius walks up to her.]
Felius: Then I will protect you, and fight by your side. And not just me...
[Levin stops next to him, a hand on his heart.]
Levin: That's right, Your Highness! We'll all fight beside you!
Clarissa: Thank you, everyone...
Clarissa: As we had planned, Chevalet Blanc will now set forth to the capital--
Clarissa: To reclaim Elesius from the tyrannical grip of the Council... To bring peace back to the people!
Labyrinthia: In order to reach the capital, all that's left is to cross the mountains to the south.
Labyrinthia: But that doesn't mean we can afford to relax. Indeed, we're crossing into the very heart of the Council's turf.
Labyrinthia: As a tool of the Council, the Martial Guard will undoubtedly fight tooth and nail to keep us away from the capital.
Labyrinthia: I presume you understand why?
Clarissa: Because I'm...well, because I'm "me", I would imagine.
Labyrinthia: That's right. It's not just gossip anymore...
Labyrinthia: As more and more people learn that their princess really is alive, it becomes harder and harder for the Council to appropriate the power of the monarchy...
Labyrinthia: And we bring more and more hope to the oppressed people of Elesius.
Clarissa: ...
Labyrinthia: So the Council will focus even more effort toward destroying Chevalet Blanc...
Clarissa: ...In order to send me back to the grave I'm supposed to be in...right?
Labyrinthia: I know that's not a pleasant thought, but it'S the reality we must gird ourselves for.
Clarissa: Let's go, everyone...
Levin: Let's go, Your Highness!
Labyrinthia: With this first step on the southern path, Chevalet Blanc begins its march to the capital city of Elensia!
[On the world map, several locations have appeared, from Richala Rose to Elensia. The first stop to there is Frightful Abyss, marked with a red !.]
-Richala Rose-
(Shop)
Orvan the Clerk: This is Richala Rose...the Breakwater of Hope. Please, Princess! For the sake of those who died in vain, show Elesius the path to freedom!
Orvan the Clerk (Talk): So it was all an ARM booby trap... I apologize for doubting all of you.
---
Bamburgh: Why did something so tragic have to happen? Is someone actually willing this on our town? Well? Are they, Princess?!
---
Kurt the Drifter: Chevalet Blanc is going to head south toward the capital, right? Well, a word of warning might be in order, then.
Rasalom Keep is situated in front of the capital. It's a giant fortress built alongside a sheer cliff... As the city's main line of defense, it's formidable.
If you wish to break through it, make sure you have enough manpower for the job, both in terms of fighters and equipment. I wish you the best of luck.
(Synth. Shop)
Martilo III: Welcome! I inherited this shop from my grandfather. We may be self-taught forgers, but when it comes to synthesis, I can do anything you like.
Martilo III (Talk): Richala Rose was so lively just a little while ago, and yet now it's quiet as a winter's day...
...Sorry if this sounds strange, but have I met you a long time ago? No, I'm not trying to hit on you or anything...
It's just that, well, I've got the weirdest feeling...
---
Vigorous Man: It's all true...Elesius sprung war upon its neighbors just so it could expand its own borders. An imperialist kingdom!
Elesius' army was literally unstoppable. Ever since it began invading its neighbors 600 years ago, it has never faced defeat in a single battle.
The final war it waged was 20 years ago, against Glasscap, a nation across the sea.
Hrathnir became king for his valorous fighting in the war, and his dramatic reforms brought about the Elesius we have today.
---
Mist the Drifter: So if I download a new class to my ARM now, I may end up like Stronach and his band...?!
Or is that what'll happen to me if I use any new ARM at all?
Or, or maybe...maybe my very own ARM's already signed my death warrant!
There's no way I can use ARMs like before after seeing something like that! Being a Drifter just isn't worth the risk...
(Inn)
Drifting Barkeep: Even after everything that's happened, we've still got people volunteering for Chevalet Blanc work. You game?
Drifting Barkeep (Talk): ...The sun still comes up every morning; the wind still blows through Filgaia.
We're all living beings...but if we never moved at all, it'd be like we were all dead.
If we can't even make a smidgen of progress, we'd be disappointing all those who've passed away.
---
Daniel: Stronach was such...such a brave and kind person...
Why did it have to end that way...? I just can't believe this!
---
Injured Drifter: I feel so impotent... All I could do was look on... I don't care if I'm hurt, I could have done something, anything...
I've lost all my self-confidence...
(Quarry)
Wistful Woman: Yes...Elesius was a nation of imperialists. Richala Rose wasn't always Elesien territory, either. We were gobbled up with all the other towns.
The graves you see at the outskirts of town belong to the warriors who fought off the Elesien invasion...and paid for it with their lives.
There's an old saying about being doomed to repeat history, but when it's a tragic one, it just makes watching it unfold all the more painful.
Do people ever change at all? Or can they?
---
Nostalgic Man: Elesius didn't renounce its warmongering policies until twenty years ago, when King Hrathnir took the throne. Not everyone appreciated that, though.
If you made your living off war, losing your battlefield would mean losing your way of life. Even if it's for good, sudden change brings out the worst in people.
[Upon entering Frightful Abyss, Chevalet Blanc comes across a group of guardsmen.]
Martial Guardsman Diego: Ragnar...so that's were you've been, huh? I heard you defected from the Guard... Now you're in with that crazy rebel gang, huh?
Ragnar: Diego! Is that you?!
Clarissa: You know him?!
Ragnar: I...yeah. Drifters run into each other on battlefields all the time...and not always on the same side, either.
Ragnar: But this is bad news... Diego's crew it the Guard's special force.
Ragnar: They're the elites of the Guard, paid handsomely and outfitted with top-level weaponry. Problem is, their missions all have the lowest survival rates...
Clarissa: The elites...? And they've been sent to crush us...
Martial Guardsman Diego: I heard something about you, Ragnar...
Martial Guardsman Diego: You said you volunteered to join the Martial Guard because you wanted to tear apart Elesius as much as possible, or some such.
Martial Guardsman Diego: Sounds like something you'd do, huh? That, and get kicked off the Guard for that stupid crap you pulled.
Ragnar: ...
Ragnar: I wasn't kicked off. I left the Guard of my own volition.
Martial Guardsman Diego: Heh heh! Oh, really? Well, forget I ever said it, then.
Ragnar: Diego... I don't want to fight you. I know you too well for that. Could you just...leave here, for me?
Martial Guardsman Diego: 'Fraid that's not an option today. I'm getting my usual salary for this mission... That, and a little extra, too.
Ragnar: --What?
Martial Guardsman Diego: You heard me. Apparently, if we defeat you guys, we'll earn ourselves permanent citizenship in the capital.
Martial Guardsman Diego: Pretty crazy, huh? Bunch of tumbleweeds like us, finally getting a country to call our own.
Ragnar: You're actually listening to that crap?!
Martial Guardsman Diego: Whaddya mean, "that crap"? We both lost our homelands, and now that I can get another one, you dismiss it as "crap"?!
Raganr: But we're talking about Elesius! Land of imperialism! Your homeland...my homeland... They brutally crushed them both!
Ragnar: They dangle citizenship inf ront of your face, and that's enough for you to become their lapdog?! That's pathetic, Diego!!
Martial Guardsman Diego: You can say whatever you want, Ragnar. It doesn't change the fact that I want a home... I want a place to belong.
Martial Guardsman Diego: Isn't that all you want, too? You know...deep down, inside your heart of hearts?
Ragnar: ...
Martial Guardsman Diego: When I lost my homeland to war, all I had left was war itself... Until I get another homeland, war is the only substitute I have!
Martial Guardsman Diego: And don't tell me you aren't the same... Why else are you making your living as a Drifter, huh? You're right smack in the middle of this war!
Martial Guardsman Diego: And you're not the only one, all right?! I'm just like you!
Martial Guardsman Diego: Hell, just take a look around you... Every one of us! We're all over the place!!
Martial Guardsman Diego: You listen to me, Ragnar... War creates more than just victims. It creates the victimizers, too! The bad guys the next time around!!
Martial Guardsman Diego: Hah hah hah hah!! It's all just too perfect!
Martial Guardsman Diego: So you're not gonna catch me whining about how I've been victimized! Screw that nonsense! I'm gonna enjoy this ride as long as it lasts!!
Ragnar: You've changed, Diego. You weren't like this before... Something's changed you.
Martial Guardsman Diego: Oh, gee, I wonder what it could be...? --It's the war, you fool! What else?
Martial Guardsman Diego: First you gave me that "victim" crap, and now you're acting like you're some kind of innocent bystander! Which is it, Ragnar?!
Martial Guardsman Diego: We've all been swept up into this war! You, me, all of us! And there's no getting out of it!
[The guardsmen all brace themselves for battle.]
Ragnar: So...there's no avoiding this battle, is there...
[Chevalet Blanc ready themselves as well.]
=D.E.R.=
Labyrinthia: Let's take a look at the Tactical Map we'll be fighting on.
Labyrinthia: We'll be starting here...
Labyrinthia: And the enemy line looks like this.
Labyrinthia: We're dealing with a squadron of Martial Guard special forces... And that's not the only threat, either.
We appear to be in the territory of the Vodianoi, a monster that lurks in swamplands.
Labyrinthia: Vodianoi are fearsome opponents, aggressively attacking anyone who ventures onto their stomping grounds.
I imagine the swamp area on this map serves as their territory. Exercise due caution when entering the marshes.
Labyrinthia: Fierce monsters, elite Guardsmen... Frankly, we lack the warpower to deal with both opponents at once.
Classes and skills will play an important role, but tactical maneuvers are your number-one priority here. Don't take any unnecessary risks!
Martial Guardsman Diego: Sometimes Drifters fight together...sometimes they're on opposite sides. It comes with the territory--and I can't say I'm complaining!
[When four enemies have been defeated...]
-Reinforcements appeared!-
[The battle ends when all enemies but the Vodianoi have been defeated.]
-King Hrathnir's Chamber-
[Eisen visits Hrathnir.]
King Hrathnir: ...
King Hrathnir: I see. I owe you a debt of gratitude, Eisen.
Royal Knights Captain: There's no need for that, Your Majesty. We Royal Knights are doing nothing more than fulfilling our appointed duties.
King Hrathnir: You too are fighting for Elesius. So why can't I? It's pathetic--I do nothing more than lay in bed and gnash my teeth.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: ...
King Hrathnir: Time is not a one-way street. Occasionally, it can stand still, or even reverse itself.
King Hrathnir: That is precisely what is happening in Elesius. This country's future may be regressing to the Elesius of twenty years past.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Your Majesty...
King Hrtahnir: I didn't want Elesius to be feared as an aggressor state.
King Hrathnir: So I strove to dismantle the institutions and practices that made us this way...
King Hrathnir: Perhaps in my zeal to destroy, I failed to create.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Ah, but Your Majesty has created something--twenty years of peace for the people of Elesius.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: You have ended the wars of conquest and spearheaded troop reductions. But even more significantly...
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: You completely banned the sale and production of the once-prevalent ARMs that had been fanning to flames of war throughout Filgaia.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: It is an undisputed fact that in twenty years of your administration, far less blood and far fewer tears have been shed.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: None can deny that it was you who create this great treasure and bestowed it upon Elesius.
King Hrtahnir: it is kind of you to say so...but just as certainly, there are those who have no appreciated these last two decades.
King Hrathnir: Did I truly go about things the right way? I can't help but doubt myself as I lie here staring at the ceiling.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: You must find your strength, Your Majesty!
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: As men who have stared down death on the battlefield, you and I both surely understand the incalculable value of peace.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: The ones who are striving to turn back the hands of the clock are coward who do not understand what it means to spill blood.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: The more you let such people plant doubt within you, the more fragile the ideals Your Majesty has championed will become!
King Hrathnir: Forgive me, Eisen. Your encouragement has always helped me keep to my path.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: The peaceful ideals that Your Majesty has embraced are born int he battlefield and raised in the minds of the people.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: If you allow them to be so easily broken, those with whom they resonate--myself, and the people of Elesius--will surely lose our way.
[Hrathnir smiles faintly.]
King Hrathnir: You're probably right.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Indeed, Your Majesty.
King Hrathnir: ...
King Hrathnir: Hey, Eisen...
King Hrathnir: ...
King Hrathnir: I've heard that Alexia is alive. Is that true?
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: ...
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: At the very least, it's true that someone who strongly resembles Princess Alexia is fighting in the resistance.
King Hrathnir: Fighting, huh? She really is like me, right down to her temperament...
King Hrathnir: Katrina always resembled her mother, but Alexia...that poor dear. Hah hah hah...
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: ...
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: That makes you laugh, Your Majesty?
King Hrathnir: Is it so strange to laugh when thinking of your children? I may be the King of Elesius, but first and foremost, I'm a father.
King Hrathnir: As a father yourself, I would think you would understand.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: I do understand, Your Majesty.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: It's just that it's been a very long time since I've seen Your Majesty laugh.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: It must have been Princess Alexia and Princess Katrina who gave you your vitality.
King Hrathnir: Even when I know it's flattery, you embarrass me with your praise.
King Hrtahnir: How is your son? He must be nearly a man already.
[Eisen closes his eyes.]
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: No, he is still very much a child. And yet he flails about, fighting for the things he believes in.
King Hrtahnir: Is that so...
King Hrathnir: ...
King Hrathnir: ...Hey, Eisen...
King Hrathnir: I want to give the children of this world a better future.
[Eisen smiles under his mustache.]
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: That is a hope you and I surely share with the parents of all children.
[The screen fades to black and the player is prompted to save.]
< Act 2-1 >
-Elesius Castle-
-Council Chamber-
[Eisen steps into the room.]
Roayl Knights Captain Eisen: We've just returned from border patrol.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: As soon as the knights are rested and preparations are complete, we will depart on our next patrol.
[Charlton grimaces.]
Charlton: Why do you waste my time with this farce, Captain?
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Whatever do you mean by that, Sir Chairman?
Charlton: ...
Charlton: Mobilizing the full complement of Royal Knights to go on routine border patrols... It's really quite clever.
Charlton: With your Royal Knights tying up the military budget with unanticipated expenditures, you've left us unable to mobilize enough Martial Guard troops to put down the rebellion.
Charlton: Rupert was grumbling earlier that .you can't win a war on an installment plan."
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Since this term's maximum military budget has already been set by the King, I'm afraid we're left with no recourse.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: I'm afraid Rupert will have to find a way to accomplish more with less.
Charlton: I never imagined you could be so brazen...
Charlton: I had heard that the Captain of the Royal Knights was a man of great integrity, but...you have proven to be unexpectedly devious.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Oh, not at all. I merely make use of the experience I have gained from this Council.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: But with all due respect, Sir Chairman, these border patrols should not have caught you by surprise.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: We Royal Knights serve at His Majesty's pleasure, and follow but one order: Protect Elesius!
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Whenever there's turmoil within the kingdom, there will also be threats from outside the kingdom, as enemies seek to take advantage of our weaknesses.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: We are simply complying with His Majesty's orders to protect Elesius from outside invasion. It's the obvious response.
Charlton: ...
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Therefore, the border patrol continues. Now, I must report to His Majesty, so I shall respectfully take my leave.
[Eisen turns and walks out. Charlton gnashes his teeth.]
-Richala Rose-
[Clarissa hangs her head. A cut-in shows a gravestone with a lone dandelion placed upon in.]
Clarissa: ...
Labyrinthia: Your Highness...
Ragnar: We can't afford to waste time mourning th dead. I'm sure you already know that.
Clarissa: You're probably right...
[She raises her head.]
Clarissa: But despite that... No, because of that, I want to do as much as I possibly can.
[She turns as Felius walks up to her.]
Felius: Then I will protect you, and fight by your side. And not just me...
[Levin stops next to him, a hand on his heart.]
Levin: That's right, Your Highness! We'll all fight beside you!
Clarissa: Thank you, everyone...
Clarissa: As we had planned, Chevalet Blanc will now set forth to the capital--
Clarissa: To reclaim Elesius from the tyrannical grip of the Council... To bring peace back to the people!
Labyrinthia: In order to reach the capital, all that's left is to cross the mountains to the south.
Labyrinthia: But that doesn't mean we can afford to relax. Indeed, we're crossing into the very heart of the Council's turf.
Labyrinthia: As a tool of the Council, the Martial Guard will undoubtedly fight tooth and nail to keep us away from the capital.
Labyrinthia: I presume you understand why?
Clarissa: Because I'm...well, because I'm "me", I would imagine.
Labyrinthia: That's right. It's not just gossip anymore...
Labyrinthia: As more and more people learn that their princess really is alive, it becomes harder and harder for the Council to appropriate the power of the monarchy...
Labyrinthia: And we bring more and more hope to the oppressed people of Elesius.
Clarissa: ...
Labyrinthia: So the Council will focus even more effort toward destroying Chevalet Blanc...
Clarissa: ...In order to send me back to the grave I'm supposed to be in...right?
Labyrinthia: I know that's not a pleasant thought, but it'S the reality we must gird ourselves for.
Clarissa: Let's go, everyone...
Levin: Let's go, Your Highness!
Labyrinthia: With this first step on the southern path, Chevalet Blanc begins its march to the capital city of Elensia!
[On the world map, several locations have appeared, from Richala Rose to Elensia. The first stop to there is Frightful Abyss, marked with a red !.]
-Richala Rose-
(Shop)
Orvan the Clerk: This is Richala Rose...the Breakwater of Hope. Please, Princess! For the sake of those who died in vain, show Elesius the path to freedom!
Orvan the Clerk (Talk): So it was all an ARM booby trap... I apologize for doubting all of you.
---
Bamburgh: Why did something so tragic have to happen? Is someone actually willing this on our town? Well? Are they, Princess?!
---
Kurt the Drifter: Chevalet Blanc is going to head south toward the capital, right? Well, a word of warning might be in order, then.
Rasalom Keep is situated in front of the capital. It's a giant fortress built alongside a sheer cliff... As the city's main line of defense, it's formidable.
If you wish to break through it, make sure you have enough manpower for the job, both in terms of fighters and equipment. I wish you the best of luck.
(Synth. Shop)
Martilo III: Welcome! I inherited this shop from my grandfather. We may be self-taught forgers, but when it comes to synthesis, I can do anything you like.
Martilo III (Talk): Richala Rose was so lively just a little while ago, and yet now it's quiet as a winter's day...
...Sorry if this sounds strange, but have I met you a long time ago? No, I'm not trying to hit on you or anything...
It's just that, well, I've got the weirdest feeling...
---
Vigorous Man: It's all true...Elesius sprung war upon its neighbors just so it could expand its own borders. An imperialist kingdom!
Elesius' army was literally unstoppable. Ever since it began invading its neighbors 600 years ago, it has never faced defeat in a single battle.
The final war it waged was 20 years ago, against Glasscap, a nation across the sea.
Hrathnir became king for his valorous fighting in the war, and his dramatic reforms brought about the Elesius we have today.
---
Mist the Drifter: So if I download a new class to my ARM now, I may end up like Stronach and his band...?!
Or is that what'll happen to me if I use any new ARM at all?
Or, or maybe...maybe my very own ARM's already signed my death warrant!
There's no way I can use ARMs like before after seeing something like that! Being a Drifter just isn't worth the risk...
(Inn)
Drifting Barkeep: Even after everything that's happened, we've still got people volunteering for Chevalet Blanc work. You game?
Drifting Barkeep (Talk): ...The sun still comes up every morning; the wind still blows through Filgaia.
We're all living beings...but if we never moved at all, it'd be like we were all dead.
If we can't even make a smidgen of progress, we'd be disappointing all those who've passed away.
---
Daniel: Stronach was such...such a brave and kind person...
Why did it have to end that way...? I just can't believe this!
---
Injured Drifter: I feel so impotent... All I could do was look on... I don't care if I'm hurt, I could have done something, anything...
I've lost all my self-confidence...
(Quarry)
Wistful Woman: Yes...Elesius was a nation of imperialists. Richala Rose wasn't always Elesien territory, either. We were gobbled up with all the other towns.
The graves you see at the outskirts of town belong to the warriors who fought off the Elesien invasion...and paid for it with their lives.
There's an old saying about being doomed to repeat history, but when it's a tragic one, it just makes watching it unfold all the more painful.
Do people ever change at all? Or can they?
---
Nostalgic Man: Elesius didn't renounce its warmongering policies until twenty years ago, when King Hrathnir took the throne. Not everyone appreciated that, though.
If you made your living off war, losing your battlefield would mean losing your way of life. Even if it's for good, sudden change brings out the worst in people.
[Upon entering Frightful Abyss, Chevalet Blanc comes across a group of guardsmen.]
Martial Guardsman Diego: Ragnar...so that's were you've been, huh? I heard you defected from the Guard... Now you're in with that crazy rebel gang, huh?
Ragnar: Diego! Is that you?!
Clarissa: You know him?!
Ragnar: I...yeah. Drifters run into each other on battlefields all the time...and not always on the same side, either.
Ragnar: But this is bad news... Diego's crew it the Guard's special force.
Ragnar: They're the elites of the Guard, paid handsomely and outfitted with top-level weaponry. Problem is, their missions all have the lowest survival rates...
Clarissa: The elites...? And they've been sent to crush us...
Martial Guardsman Diego: I heard something about you, Ragnar...
Martial Guardsman Diego: You said you volunteered to join the Martial Guard because you wanted to tear apart Elesius as much as possible, or some such.
Martial Guardsman Diego: Sounds like something you'd do, huh? That, and get kicked off the Guard for that stupid crap you pulled.
Ragnar: ...
Ragnar: I wasn't kicked off. I left the Guard of my own volition.
Martial Guardsman Diego: Heh heh! Oh, really? Well, forget I ever said it, then.
Ragnar: Diego... I don't want to fight you. I know you too well for that. Could you just...leave here, for me?
Martial Guardsman Diego: 'Fraid that's not an option today. I'm getting my usual salary for this mission... That, and a little extra, too.
Ragnar: --What?
Martial Guardsman Diego: You heard me. Apparently, if we defeat you guys, we'll earn ourselves permanent citizenship in the capital.
Martial Guardsman Diego: Pretty crazy, huh? Bunch of tumbleweeds like us, finally getting a country to call our own.
Ragnar: You're actually listening to that crap?!
Martial Guardsman Diego: Whaddya mean, "that crap"? We both lost our homelands, and now that I can get another one, you dismiss it as "crap"?!
Raganr: But we're talking about Elesius! Land of imperialism! Your homeland...my homeland... They brutally crushed them both!
Ragnar: They dangle citizenship inf ront of your face, and that's enough for you to become their lapdog?! That's pathetic, Diego!!
Martial Guardsman Diego: You can say whatever you want, Ragnar. It doesn't change the fact that I want a home... I want a place to belong.
Martial Guardsman Diego: Isn't that all you want, too? You know...deep down, inside your heart of hearts?
Ragnar: ...
Martial Guardsman Diego: When I lost my homeland to war, all I had left was war itself... Until I get another homeland, war is the only substitute I have!
Martial Guardsman Diego: And don't tell me you aren't the same... Why else are you making your living as a Drifter, huh? You're right smack in the middle of this war!
Martial Guardsman Diego: And you're not the only one, all right?! I'm just like you!
Martial Guardsman Diego: Hell, just take a look around you... Every one of us! We're all over the place!!
Martial Guardsman Diego: You listen to me, Ragnar... War creates more than just victims. It creates the victimizers, too! The bad guys the next time around!!
Martial Guardsman Diego: Hah hah hah hah!! It's all just too perfect!
Martial Guardsman Diego: So you're not gonna catch me whining about how I've been victimized! Screw that nonsense! I'm gonna enjoy this ride as long as it lasts!!
Ragnar: You've changed, Diego. You weren't like this before... Something's changed you.
Martial Guardsman Diego: Oh, gee, I wonder what it could be...? --It's the war, you fool! What else?
Martial Guardsman Diego: First you gave me that "victim" crap, and now you're acting like you're some kind of innocent bystander! Which is it, Ragnar?!
Martial Guardsman Diego: We've all been swept up into this war! You, me, all of us! And there's no getting out of it!
[The guardsmen all brace themselves for battle.]
Ragnar: So...there's no avoiding this battle, is there...
[Chevalet Blanc ready themselves as well.]
=D.E.R.=
Labyrinthia: Let's take a look at the Tactical Map we'll be fighting on.
Labyrinthia: We'll be starting here...
Labyrinthia: And the enemy line looks like this.
Labyrinthia: We're dealing with a squadron of Martial Guard special forces... And that's not the only threat, either.
We appear to be in the territory of the Vodianoi, a monster that lurks in swamplands.
Labyrinthia: Vodianoi are fearsome opponents, aggressively attacking anyone who ventures onto their stomping grounds.
I imagine the swamp area on this map serves as their territory. Exercise due caution when entering the marshes.
Labyrinthia: Fierce monsters, elite Guardsmen... Frankly, we lack the warpower to deal with both opponents at once.
Classes and skills will play an important role, but tactical maneuvers are your number-one priority here. Don't take any unnecessary risks!
Martial Guardsman Diego: Sometimes Drifters fight together...sometimes they're on opposite sides. It comes with the territory--and I can't say I'm complaining!
[When four enemies have been defeated...]
-Reinforcements appeared!-
[The battle ends when all enemies but the Vodianoi have been defeated.]
-King Hrathnir's Chamber-
[Eisen visits Hrathnir.]
King Hrathnir: ...
King Hrathnir: I see. I owe you a debt of gratitude, Eisen.
Royal Knights Captain: There's no need for that, Your Majesty. We Royal Knights are doing nothing more than fulfilling our appointed duties.
King Hrathnir: You too are fighting for Elesius. So why can't I? It's pathetic--I do nothing more than lay in bed and gnash my teeth.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: ...
King Hrathnir: Time is not a one-way street. Occasionally, it can stand still, or even reverse itself.
King Hrathnir: That is precisely what is happening in Elesius. This country's future may be regressing to the Elesius of twenty years past.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Your Majesty...
King Hrtahnir: I didn't want Elesius to be feared as an aggressor state.
King Hrathnir: So I strove to dismantle the institutions and practices that made us this way...
King Hrathnir: Perhaps in my zeal to destroy, I failed to create.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Ah, but Your Majesty has created something--twenty years of peace for the people of Elesius.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: You have ended the wars of conquest and spearheaded troop reductions. But even more significantly...
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: You completely banned the sale and production of the once-prevalent ARMs that had been fanning to flames of war throughout Filgaia.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: It is an undisputed fact that in twenty years of your administration, far less blood and far fewer tears have been shed.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: None can deny that it was you who create this great treasure and bestowed it upon Elesius.
King Hrtahnir: it is kind of you to say so...but just as certainly, there are those who have no appreciated these last two decades.
King Hrathnir: Did I truly go about things the right way? I can't help but doubt myself as I lie here staring at the ceiling.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: You must find your strength, Your Majesty!
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: As men who have stared down death on the battlefield, you and I both surely understand the incalculable value of peace.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: The ones who are striving to turn back the hands of the clock are coward who do not understand what it means to spill blood.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: The more you let such people plant doubt within you, the more fragile the ideals Your Majesty has championed will become!
King Hrathnir: Forgive me, Eisen. Your encouragement has always helped me keep to my path.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: The peaceful ideals that Your Majesty has embraced are born int he battlefield and raised in the minds of the people.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: If you allow them to be so easily broken, those with whom they resonate--myself, and the people of Elesius--will surely lose our way.
[Hrathnir smiles faintly.]
King Hrathnir: You're probably right.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: Indeed, Your Majesty.
King Hrathnir: ...
King Hrathnir: Hey, Eisen...
King Hrathnir: ...
King Hrathnir: I've heard that Alexia is alive. Is that true?
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: ...
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: At the very least, it's true that someone who strongly resembles Princess Alexia is fighting in the resistance.
King Hrathnir: Fighting, huh? She really is like me, right down to her temperament...
King Hrathnir: Katrina always resembled her mother, but Alexia...that poor dear. Hah hah hah...
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: ...
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: That makes you laugh, Your Majesty?
King Hrathnir: Is it so strange to laugh when thinking of your children? I may be the King of Elesius, but first and foremost, I'm a father.
King Hrathnir: As a father yourself, I would think you would understand.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: I do understand, Your Majesty.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: It's just that it's been a very long time since I've seen Your Majesty laugh.
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: It must have been Princess Alexia and Princess Katrina who gave you your vitality.
King Hrathnir: Even when I know it's flattery, you embarrass me with your praise.
King Hrtahnir: How is your son? He must be nearly a man already.
[Eisen closes his eyes.]
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: No, he is still very much a child. And yet he flails about, fighting for the things he believes in.
King Hrtahnir: Is that so...
King Hrathnir: ...
King Hrathnir: ...Hey, Eisen...
King Hrathnir: I want to give the children of this world a better future.
[Eisen smiles under his mustache.]
Royal Knights Captain Eisen: That is a hope you and I surely share with the parents of all children.
[The screen fades to black and the player is prompted to save.]