Sorry about the long delay. My birthday was Saturday, and I got the LUCT remake. I have to say, it is absolutely amazing. It's everything LUCT was, and more. I also got the cool deck of tarot cards (I thought they only came with pre-orders, but apparently not.) If there's one complaint I have, it's the stupid classmarks. Oh, and there should be more class exclusive support skills. Other than that, I'm incredibly impressed. Good job, Square Enix, and thanks for reviving one of my favorite games of all time. Hopefully that wasn't all we'll see of the series.
Anyway, fangushing over. Let's continue.
I have to say, it's weird playing this game and not having to worry about support skills.
Eleanor and Belgger stand on top of a volcano.
◊
"This heat... is there no other way?" Belgger complains.
"This is the shortest route."
Monsters appear at the bottom. I forgot to take a screenshot of my position.
"We can't allow the White Fang Troops to arrive before us. Watch your step. There's lava everywhere." Gee, I didn't notice.
Eleanor will run around as a guest, so be sure to keep her safe.
Jeez, going back to this kind of music after the beautifully done music of the LUCT remake is... weird. So is not having to walk backwards just to shoot at nearby people with bows. And having to meticulously make sure all my individual units get EXP, instead of each individual class. And bows not being awesome. And quicker battles. And heal having a much large range.
We get 200 Goth, a Mirror of the Gods, a Cup of Life, a Healing Leaf, a Sword Emblem, and a Sorcerer Cup. We also get a Cup of Tinnea, for quest mode.
Belgger and Eleanor meet up on a cliff.
◊
"This is it... somewhere in this area... east of Aquila, where the mid-summer son warms the ocean..." Eleanor says.
An offscreen familiar voice says, "Alright, Belgger. Hand her over to us."
What a surprise.
◊ Hello, Rictor.
"Rictor... how...?"
"You're Eleanor, aren't you? Father Hamen asked us to find you. He's been very worried since you disappeared." The father emerges.
"Father..." Eleanor whispers.
"Eleanor, please come home," he pleads. "You haven't done anything wrong. That man must have said something to you, right? Come on, let's go back to the church together."
Eleanor bows her head.
"...Eleanor, do you want to go back?" Belgger asks.
"Don't say anything to her," Hamen says. "This is between me and her. She's like a daughter to me. You have nothing to do with this in the first place. Why did you tempt her in the first place?" He pauses. "Listen, Eleanor. I hated the idea from the very beginning, but you were so kind that you insisted we save the man who had washed up on the beach."
She looks up. "Forgive me, Father. I'm not going back to the church. I am thankful for what you have done for me, but... I want to be with him."
Father Hamen slaps her. Wow, what a jackass. "Aaah, poor Eleanor. You're confused because of him. Please snap out of it. Don;t you realize I love you more than anyone else?" He prepares to slap her again.
"Stop it! Think about what you're doing!" Belgger shouts. Eleanor runs away from Hamen.
"Why do you come between us?! I do this because I love her. I don't want to have to chastise her. This is what's best for her. Now, give my Eleanor back to me."
"Do you think you can change her mind with violence? There's no way I'll let you have her! She came here of her own free will, and I'm glad she's by my side... you can't change that."
"And what about you military men?" Father Hamen growls. "You've always determined people's futures by force..." He starts to walk towards Rictor. "Commander Lasanti, please. She's my daughter. Please take her back from that reckless youth."
"Calm down, Father Hamen," Rictor tells him. "I understand your concerns. But the wind here is strong and dangerous. Please stand back and leave this to us." Father Hamen walks away.
"I was looking for a girl who knew about mermaids, and here I find you again," Rictor tells us. "Listen. I don't know how much information you have, but if the stories I've heard are true, then the Sacred Spear, Longicolnis, is no ordinary spear.
"Longicolnis?"
"Ha! You don't even knows the name of that you seek! That woman has not been truthful to you. The Sacred Spear, Longicolnis... the legendary spear created by god from the horn of a fallen angel. It has pierced even the Sacred Demon. Mermaids are unworthy of holding such power."
"...How do you know so much about the Sacred Spear?"
"Did you seriously believe that our mission was to investigate and drive out the White Fang Troops that invaded this island?" Rictor scoffs. He holds out his hand. "Just give her to me already. You don't want to cause trouble, do you? Maybe you've taking a liking to her, but we need her more than you. You may not know this, but her mother is the one who stole the Sacred Spear."
"Eleanor...?!" Belgger shouts. "The child of a mermaid...?!" A soldier heads toward Eleanor, who backs away. "Eleanor!
"Have you forgotten my warning? Get in the way, and you'll be considered an enemy." The other soldier attacks Belgger.
"No!" Eleanor shouts. Suddenly, her necklace flashes, and the soldiers and Rictor collapse. She falls on her knees.
"Eleanor..." Belgger says. "The light... is that from your necklace...?"
"Oh, no...! Belgger... I... I..."
Rictor gets up, and more soldiers arrive.
"Great! There are them coming!" Belgger shouts. Eleanor and Belgger retreat to the very edge of the cliff. They look at sea and hold hands.
"Can you swim?" Eleanor asks.
"I'm not much of a swimmer."
They jump into the water.
It seems they have been rescued by a mermaid.
◊ Belgger awakens.
"The golden mermaid... Berevra...?" he whispers.
"You protected Eleanor. Thank you."
"...Tell me. Are you really Eleanor's mother?"
"Well, perhaps the time has come to tell you the truth. Eleanor, you are not my daughter. You were born a human child."
Eleanor says nothing.
"400 years ago, during the war, I met a man who was opposed to the war. He was honest and kind. But, he was still a human, enemy of the mermaids. I feared for his life, so i took the Sacred Spear in hopes of ending the war... I sacrificed many mermaid lives to do so." She pauses. "Back then, passion overruled my reasoning. I abandoned the home of mermaids and lived with my love, Lucius." She shakes her head. "It was not long before he died. The lifespan of humans is much shorter than ours. After his death, I left that place, taking the Sacred Spear with me. It was too difficult for me to remain in a place that reminded me of him... however, since I had betrayed my kind, I didn't have anywhere to go. I lacked even the courage to take my own life. I wandered the eastern sea, looking for a way to repent. For the last few hundred years, I have lived her alone."
"For hundreds of years... all by yourself..." Belgger whispers in disbelief.
"About 10 years ago, soldiers landed on the south side of the island. They surrounded a nearby town and burned it down. As the town burned, I heard crying... I found a newborn baby wrapped in a blanket."
"That was... me...?" Eleanor whispers.
"Holding you in my arms... you were so adorable... but, I was afraid she wouldn't be able to adjust to society if I raised her. I knew I couldn't keep her, so I asked a couple in a northern village to look after her."
"I don't remember well... but the scent of the ocean and the sound of crashing waves... when I saw you at the beach in the ocean, you seemed so familiar..."
"I didn't think you'd remember since you were so small. I used to hold you and watch the dawn from Aquila Beach. Eleanor, I'm sorry you had such a hard life."
She shakes her head. "...Don't be. My step-parents in Sotavento treated me very kindly. Thank you, Berevra..."
"Eleanor told me that you're looking for the Sacred Spear. I've also heard that the island has been getting many visitors recently. Can you tell me why you're looking for it?"
- I seek it's power.
- Because of a promise.
To get a unique item from Eleanor, we need to select the second one.
"Because of a promise I made to someone...someone who I have a lot of faith in... many people are fighting to gain control of the spear. For that reason, the lives of this island's inhabitants have been threatened. I can't let anyone have it. I promised to bring the spear back to Galius before it's power could be abused."
Berevra pauses. "I hid it in a small shrine at a beach north of here. Since you saved Eleanor, I'll in trust the spear to you. Please don't misuse it."
"I promise not to, Berevra. And... I have a message... from the leader of the mermaids. She said to tell you that they are no longer angry... and they await your return."
Berevra starts to sob. "Oh... Chloeri..."
Fade out. The game asks us if I want to save my progress. I do, even though I'm using an emulator.
This is the closest this game has to the end of a chapter.
Rictor Lasanti, visiting as a representative of Felis, announced in the month of Oceano that the White Fang Troops of Rananculus had withdrawn from Anser.
◊ Although the plans of the Batraals and their troops were never discovered, since they had retreated, the issue was assumed to have been resolved.
◊ For the time being, the Order of the Sacred Flame was stationed in Scabellum, preparing to return to Felis.
◊ Meanwhile, after meeting with the golden mermaid, Berevra, Belgger, and Eleanor rejoined with Cybil.
◊ Belgger and the others were stationed at Formido, the former stronghold of the troops of Rananculus, researching the history of the spear.
◊ The Batraals have a long history on the island. They rose to power after the war with the mermaids and relocated to the north part of the island.
◊ It would come as no surprise if the heirs of the Batraals knew of the Sacred Spear.
◊ The island's stormy season was coming to an end, and it would quickly be replaced by calmer autumn weathers.
◊
Next time: we continue the game! Remember when I used to write these 'next time' blurbs regularly?
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