Mission: The Warrior’s Path (Chains of Promathia, ch.7)
-Mission text about heading to the fifth mothercrystal: “Will your path be intercepted by Nag’molada? The dreadful wyrms? Or a completely unexpected opponent…?” By the way it’s phrased, I’m guessing the answer is the “completely unexpected opponent.”
-Our fleet sets sail. No wyrm attack yet, so Mildaurion must have started her distracting attack.
-Up ahead, we see Phoenix’s guiding light.
-Someone fires a warning shot across our bow. Bahamut? Nah, he’s not the “warning shot” kind of dragon.
“Attention! Your most prized possession is now the property of the Chebukki Samurai Sky Pirates!”
THE TARUTARU? NOW? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?
-The Trio warps me to their “Chebukki Samurai Sky Pirates” flagship. Their boss now is….
…TENZEN??? UHHHH
“The mothercrystals… the origin of all life, and the destination for spent souls… all return to the light of the closest crystal… I have long awaited this moment. The moment you were bathed in the glow… The light of the fifth mothercrystal beckons you!”
Why the FUCK is Tenzen attacking me?
-As I fight Tenzen, the Tarutaru trio cheers and helps him on the sideline, healing him and such.
-He goes down, and the Trio despairs. “We’re doomed!” “Our samurai life is over!”
-Afterwards, Tenzen says he “expected nothing less from the light of hope.” That’s me I guess.
-Prishe jumps from her airship to Tenzen’s. She seems to know what’s up.
Apparently, Tenzen is following Phoenix’s orders. “The flaming bird knew everything from the start, but failed to let you in on the facts. Why should you follow her orders now?” Prishe, you rebel.
So Tenzen seemed to think Phoenix’s orders were to kill me, Detolilla, for some sort of crystal-saving sacrifice. Prishe doesn’t want that. She wants me to help without dying.
-We’re drift right next to the Phoenix light, and it warps us to the fifth mothercrystal. We’re here.
-Are we too late? The air here is cold, and the crystal glows yellow instead of the usual blue.
???: “(The crystal is not a part of Vana’diel.)”
-It’s Selh’teus. This crystal was torn away from Vana’diel when Al’Taieu was torn from Vana’diel, but the separation was incomplete. Now both the crystal and Al’Taieu are being drawn back to Vana’diel, and the Keeper would come with them.
PRISHE: “The crystal was losing the power it needed to sustain Al’Taieu in the other dimension.”
The crystal was being used to keep Al’Taieu separate from Vana’diel. But when Jeuno started drawing power from the crystals, it also drew power from this crystal, making its job harder.
-So if we restore power to this crystal, then the Keeper of the Apocalypse’s arrival to Vana’diel will be prevented. Okay.
-AHA!!! THAT’S why Selh’teus was sapping the light from the other four crystals. He wanted to pour that energy into this fifth crystal and sustain Al’Taieu’s separation from Vana’diel.
SELH’TEUS: “(However, I am a child of darkness. I could never bear that light. I needed a worthy receptacle for that power. I needed [Detolilla].)”
-That’s why Selh’teus gave the amulet to me. On my trips to the four mothercrystals, the amulet gather the crystals’ light to me, made me a vessel for that light.
TENZEN: “Phoenix referred to you as the ‘Vessel of Light.’ Fated to be smashed open before the fifth mothercrystal…”
-Wait. So am I the noble sacrifice that has to happen? I have become a battery of light, and now I have to be “smashed open” to recharge the fifth mothercrystal and save the world.
Fuck it. Let’s do this. I mean, it’s me or the world, right?
SELH’TEUS: “(Your journey has been for the sake of the crystal. Your adventure is now at an end.)”
Better me than Prishe tbqh.
SELH’TEUS: “(Return, Detolilla. Return to the light of the crystal. Your death is the only way to save both Vana’diel and her people.)”
Selh’teus holds out his hand, beginning to shatter me.
???: “Like hell!”
PRISHE!!! SHE IS A FUCKING BOSSSSSSS
PRISHE: “If you mean to save the world and everyone in it, then someone inhuman like you or me should be sacrificed!”
I mean, not that I don’t appreciate it, but I’m sure Detolilla doesn’t mind being the sacrifice that saves Vana’diel.
And yet, I adore and respect Prishe’s principles.
-I love the trippy landscape surrounding us.
-Prishe wants Selh’teus to somehow pour the light of the four crystals into me so that I can go to Al’Taieu and take the Keeper head-on.
-Selh’teus considers this a long time.
THEN MOTHERFUCKING NAG’MOLADA ENTERS THE FRAY.
He knocks Prishe aside, picks up her amulet. He also wants the way to Al’Taieu opened.
NAG’MOLADA: “Didn’t you say the same thing once before, Selh’teus? ‘I will prevail against the deity that dwells beyond the Gate of the Gods. Open the way to Al’Taieu.’ Weren’t those the words you used?”
Was that Selh’teus’s core sin? Going to Al’Taieu, attempting to take out whatever god dwells there (Promathia? Someone else?) and failing?
-Nag’molada uses the power of the amulet on me somehow.
I don’t know what’s happening. Opening the way to Al’Taieu maybe.
-Flashback.
-Cardinal Mildaurion and someone else unknown are standing in front of a mother crystal. The mystery person is reciting the Memoria de la Stona, the origin song. That the mythical crystal light banished emptiness and brought forth gods. Paradise was created.
-But paradise didn’t last. The jewel was split into five parts (the mothercrystals) and the paradise degraded.
-The speaker, “???” still, is at Delkfutt’s Tower, the nexus where the Zilart planned to gather and focus the energy to reopen a gate to the lost dimension.
-The mystery speaker is Eald’narche, the Zilart prince we killed in the last expansion. Eald’narche is talking to Selh’teus in this flashback.
-Eald’narche is asking: why did this initial shattering happen? Why did the initial mothercrystal shatter into five?
-Another flashback now. We see the Ark Angels – the five bosses from the last expansion who represent the five sins of the races of Vana’diel – blasting a crystal.
-Beneath them, the Dawnmaiden Yve’noile. “The people of this world have evolved into five unique species, each harboring a distinctive darkness. Crystal warriors. Thou wert created to destroy those evils. Yet even thy strength canst not prevail against this darkness.
“Emptiness. Tis the ever-present shadow of blessed light. If this phenomenon represents complete death, then one could argue its presence was inevitable in a complete world. Thus thou split the crystal for thy children’s sake…
“Is this not so, Great Goddess Altana..?”
I still don’t understand Dawnmaiden Yve’noile’s role in all of this.
-Scene change. The present. Nag’molada and I are in Al’Taieu.
NAG’MOLADA: “Ahahaha! Who would have thought that the plan to open the Gate of the Gods would succeed?”
-He’s happy. Ecstatic. Until he’s not. Nag’molada wanted to reach Al’Taieu to regain the whisper of the soul, but he can’t hear the whispers of the Zilartian people or the Dawn Maiden.
Why not? Two possibilities jump out to me: either he’s so corrupted that the amulet doesn’t restore his whisper of the soul, no Zilart remain in Al’Taieu.
NAG’MOLADA, turning to me: “Your unruly thoughts are clouding my mind!” Hey, don’t blame me, Broseph!
-He looks up. The rest of our party were drawn into this world. Yay! The others aren’t present, but they’re at least here in Al’Taieu too.
-Nag’molada wishes to visit the Grand Palace of Hu’Xzoi. Sounds like final boss territory to me.
-Title screen over the spires of Al’Taieu.
-Chapter 8: Emptiness Bleeds.
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Next time: Al’Taieu.
