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xiashtra 03d949abaf 7.45 follow-up (#99)
* Update cn

* 7.45 follow-up
2026-03-03 21:04:14 -06:00

50 KiB

10TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000010_ALISAIEI'm glad you've come, though I'm afraid there's little in the way of good news.
21TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000020_ALISAIEAfter you left, we reached out to both the Alchemists' Guild and Stillglade Fane, and attempted all manner of treatments...
32TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000030_ALISAIEBut the results were always the same. Whatever the answer is, it's not alchemy or conjury...
43TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000040_ALISAIEWhy did it have to be Y'shtola and Urianger, and not me? Out of all of us, they are the ones who could feasibly have solved this puzzle.
54TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000050_ALISAIEAnd Alphinaud's still missing. Gods, it's all going wrong... Where do we even start?
65TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000060_KRILE(-???-)A grave situation, indeed. Might I be of some assistance?
76TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000070_ALISAIEKrile! I thought you busy delving into the mysteries of Eureka...
87TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000080_ALISAIEKrile! I did not think you well enough to travel...
98TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000090_KRILEWhen word reached me of the plight of our friends, I could not well stay away. As a fellow Scion, not to mention your erstwhile mentor, this is one of those times you should feel free to call on me─regardless of my personal circumstances.
109TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000100_ALISAIEI... Yes, I should have thought of that.
1110TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000110_ALISAIEThank you for coming, Krile. We would welcome your insight.
1211TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000120_KRILEAnd I should be happy to provide it. Now, what's this I hear about Alphinaud heading into imperial territory? That boy always did have some funny ideas. Do you remember the speech he gave when he was accepted to the Studium?
1312TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000130_ALISAIE“My life's goal is naught less than the salvation of this star!”
1413TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000140_KRILE[LAUGHTER]
1514TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000150_ALISAIE[LAUGHTER]
1615TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000160_KRILEThat particular grand pronouncement has been a source of great embarrassment to him, as you know. But the fact of the matter is, he meant every word, and has lived his life accordingly.
1716TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000170_ALISAIEYes, he remains altruistic to a fault. But I'm worried he was too fixated on his goals to see the dangers, as has happened before...
1817TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000180_KRILEYou needn't be so concerned. Though his values remain the same, Alphinaud is not the blinkered boy he once was. Slowly but surely, his eyes have been opened─thanks to a certain someone.
1918TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000190_KRILEA certain someone whom he'd be mortified to learn had heard about his little speech. Mum's the word, eh?
2019TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000200_KRILERight, I had better have a look at our patients. They're in the infirmary, I assume? I'll need absolute quiet, so it would be best if I did this alone. If you'll excuse me...
2120TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000210_KRILEAll three are in fine physical health. At a glance, I would say they were merely sound asleep...
2221TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000220_KRILE...Except for the fact that I couldn't sense the slightest trace of “them” in their bodies. It's as if their souls have taken leave of their physical forms.
2322TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000230_ALISAIEAh. Yes. The Elder Seedseer made a similar observation.
2423TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000240_KRILEI've read the report. When you heard this mysterious voice, you described feeling as if you were “somewhere else,” yes?
2524TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000250_KRILEIf we assume the aether which comprises your essence is being drawn to some other place...
2625TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000260_KRILEThen it may be possible to follow the trail it leaves behind, just as we did in our search for Thancred.
2726TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000270_ALISAIEI wasn't around for that. But I can't imagine it was easy.
2827TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000280_KRILEOh, it wasn't. But that's no reason not to try. I will have need of Master Matoya's Crystal Eye if I'm even to make the attempt, so I suggest we pay her a visit.
2928TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000290_MATOYACome to disturb my peace again, have you? I hide myself away in a cave, and *still* you people insist on pestering me with your problems.
3029TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000300_MATOYAOh. I mistook you for young what's-his-name, but I see now you're the sister. Weren't you supposed to be the lively one? I've seen happier faces at a rain-sodden burial.
3130TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000310_ALISAIEWell, I'm sorry to dash your expectations, but the situation isn't exactly conducive to gaiety.
3231TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000320_MATOYAAh, that's more like it. Shtola used to spit and hiss like a wildcat, too. Better for a young thing like you to be filled with fire, and leave the doom and gloom to your elders.
3332TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000330_MATOYANow, what exactly does this tragic situation of yours have to do with me?
3433TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000340_KRILEIf I may, Master Matoya, we have need of your Crystal Eye once more...
3534TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000350_MATOYAAnd Shtola is one of the afflicted, is she?
3635TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000360_MATOYAVery well. She may be an ungrateful stray, but she's *my* ungrateful stray. And I'll not see her buried before I am.
3736TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000370_KRILERight. Let us see what we can see.
3837TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000380_KRILEI'll begin from where our friends first fell, and cast my senses out from there...
3938TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000390_ALISAIE...What is it? Did you find them!?
4039TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000400_KRILETh-This doesn't make sense. How is it even possible...?
4140TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000410_ALISAIEHow is *what* possible!? Krile, what did you see!?
4241TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000420_KRILETh-The threads, they just...they just ended. And, no, I didn't lose track of them─I followed them as far as they went. It's as if─ It's as if they were cut off.
4342TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000430_ALISAIECould their aether have dissipated? If it had─ Oh gods...
4443TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000440_ALISAIETheir bodies are just husks. It's like the broodmother's daughter all over again...
4544TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000450_KRILENo, no, this is different. The Qalyana girl was already dead, body and soul, when Lakshmi effected her resurrection.
4645TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000460_MATOYAAye, let's not jump to conclusions. If their physical forms yet breathe and show no signs of wasting, then it follows that their souls must still be intact somewhere.
4746TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000470_ALISAIEBut *where*!?
4847TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000480_MATOYAThat's the question, isn't it, girl? Death has not taken them to the aetherial sea, yet there are no tracks left for us to follow.
4948TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000490_ALISAIEWe're no closer to an answer than when we started. But knowing their souls are still out there is progress of a sort. We just have to keep looking.
5049TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000500_ALISAIEPray excuse me a moment.
5150TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000510_ALISAIEYes? ...I remember, but─ ...What, to *Ala Mhigo*!? We're on our way!
5251TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000520_ALISAIEThat was Lyse. Apparently, a group of Populares have defected to Ala Mhigo, and Maxima─the envoy Alphinaud left with─is one of them!
5352TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000530_ALISAIEI'm sorry, I realize we've barely begun here, but...
5453TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000540_MATOYAGo, child, go. You've made up your mind, and life's too short for dithering.
5554TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000550_KRILEI'll do some digging in the meantime, and see if there isn't some other method we could use to continue the search.
5655TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000560_ALISAIELet's be off, then!
5756TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000570_MATOYABah, not again... The enchantment barely seems to take, these days. I'd chalk it up to old age, but I rather doubt it's that simple.
5857TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000580_ALISAIEBefore they...took ill, Y'shtola and Urianger were sharing notes on a “thinning” of the aether. It seems to be happening all over.
5958TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000590_MATOYADoes it now? And here I was, all set to blame my woes on that creaking mountain of refuse clogging up the Thaliak.
6059TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000600_MATOYAI fear something has gone awry. Still, there's naught to be gained from starting at shadows. You can only do what can be done, and that but one thing at a time!
6160TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000610_LYSEI'm sorry to drag you halfway across the realm, but when Maxima mentioned Alphinaud, I thought you'd want to hear the news in person.
6261TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000620_MAXIMAAh, we meet again...though I was hoping our reunion would be under more auspicious circumstances.
6362TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000630_ALISAIEWhat happened to my brother? Where is Alphinaud?
6463TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000640_MAXIMANever fear, my lady. Your brother was in fine health when I took my leave of him, and I have no reason to assume that has changed.
6564TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000650_ALISAIEYou *assume*!?
6665TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000660_MAXIMAIf you will allow me, I shall endeavor to explain events.
6766TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000670_MAXIMAOur troubles began not long after we departed Doma. While crossing the Burn, we were fired upon by the Emperor's personal guard, and forced to make an emergency landing.
6867TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000680_MAXIMAAs we stumbled from the wreckage, our attackers fell upon us again, and we would have perished there and then were it not for the intercession of a third party... A band of mercenaries whose leader claimed to pursue a vendetta against the Ascians.
6968TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000690_MAXIMAThis “Shadowhunter,” as he styled himself, then escorted us out of the wastes to relative safety.
7069TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000700_MAXIMAUpon arriving back in civilization, I gathered my Populares colleagues and prepared to flee the Empire. Master Alphinaud, however, declined the invitation to join us, preferring to continue his investigation into the Ascian threat.
7170TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000710_ALISAIEWell...at least he's not lying in a heap in the Burn.
7271TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000720_ALISAIETell us more about these Ascian hunters. Who are they? And is Alphinaud still with them?
7372TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000730_MAXIMAHe is. As to who they are, I am afraid I have nothing to tell you. Beyond the fact that they root out and destroy Ascians, they were unwilling to divulge anything which might serve to identify them.
7473TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000740_MAXIMAThey would not even reveal their next destination...but Master Alphinaud asked to accompany them all the same.
7574TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000750_MAXIMASince parting company with your brother, we've been engaged in a game of cat and mouse with the Emperor's guard. We made our way through province after province, finding the army busy “restoring order” wherever we went, until we finally arrived here in Ala Mhigo. I cannot thank Commander Aldynn enough for giving us such an unexpectedly warm welcome.
7675TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000760_RAUBAHNI'm not inclined to turn away refugees, no matter which land they call home. And if they can tell me how things lie in Garlemald...all the better.
7776TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000770_MAXIMAOn that subject, there is much I would tell you. During the course of our journey, we heard tales that an entire rebel army had been slaughtered in the space of a single night.
7877TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000780_MAXIMAIt would seem my former comrades grew tired of putting down uprisings in the conventional manner, and chose instead to bring a formidable new weapon to bear. Details were sparse, but the rumor alone was enough to dampen the flames of rebellion.
7978TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000790_MAXIMAI have also heard reports that several companies have withdrawn from their designated provinces and begun marching westward. It is my assessment that the Empire's forces are mobilizing for a large-scale military engagement.
8079TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000800_LYSEWestward? You mean they're getting ready to invade Ala Mhigo!?
8180TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000810_RAUBAHNWe knew this was coming. But not that it would be so soon.
8281TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000820_LYSEWe've barely even begun to shore up our defenses! They won't stop an invading army!
8382TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000830_RAUBAHN...No, they won't.
8483TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000840_RAUBAHNDispatch messengers to the Alliance leadership requesting reinforcements. And send word to our officers in the field to hasten completion of those border fortifications. Prepare to meet the imperials head-on!
8584TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000850_RAUBAHNNo matter how quickly we act, we still want for time. When the enemy comes into view, our best recourse will be to open negotiations with their commander, and see that the ensuing proceedings take as long as possible.
8685TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000860_LYSEWould you and Alisaie head to Doma and let Lord Hien know about this? I'm sure he'll want to hear about Alphinaud too.
8786TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000870_ALISAIEConsider it done. We'll send word when─
8887TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000880_MYSTERYVOICE...Untold sorrow... Must be changed...
8988TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000890_MYSTERYVOICEAhead looms a calamity...
9089TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000900_MYSTERYVOICEEon become instant. Throw wide the gates.
9190TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000910_ALISAIEYou heard it too?
9291TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000920_ALISAIEWell, at least we're both still standing.
9392TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000930_LYSEOh, thank the gods─I thought we'd lost you for a moment there. Why does this keep happening!?
9493TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000940_ALISAIEI wish I knew. Nothing we've tried has brought us any closer to an answer...
9594TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000950_ALISAIEWe'll keep working on it, but first we need to go and see Lord Hien.
9695TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000960_HIENIt seems the engineers have matters well in hand.
9796TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000970_HIENShould the barrier work as we intend, Doma will be free to reinforce her allies in Ala Mhigo without fear of weakening her own borders.
9897TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000980_HIENHonored friends, the time has come to put your hard work to the test! Start the generator!
9998TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_000990_IRONWORKSENGINEER04500Node one is operational. Nodes two to eight are reporting similar energy levels. The barrier is forming!
10099TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001000_IRONWORKSENGINEER04500...One thousand yalms. Two thousand. Three thousand. Expansion remains smooth. No fluctuations detected.
101100TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001010_IRONWORKSENGINEER04500...Four thousand. Five thousand! Target altitude reached! The barrier is holding steady at five thousand yalms! We've done it!
102101TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001020_ALISAIE...Is that an imperial airship? Of all the rotten timing...
103102TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001030_HIENBut this is a gift, Mistress Alisaie. They can test our new wall for us!
104103TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001040_HIENSeems solid enough. Though I was hoping for a fireball.
105104TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001050_ALISAIEBy the gods... It's Alphinaud!
106105TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001060_ALISAIEWhat are you─ Let me go! He has my brother!
107106TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001070_HIENLower the barrier!
108107TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001080_SHADOWHUNTER(-Shadowhunter-)Be at ease, girl. The lad is not dead─merely locked in slumber.
109108TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001090_ALISAIENo, not him too...
110109TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001100_SHADOWHUNTER(-Shadowhunter-)We could identify no cause and found no remedy. Thus I sought to return him to Doma─and into the arms of Lord Hien himself, it would seem.
111110TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001110_SHADOWHUNTER(-Shadowhunter-)It is a day for fated reunions...
112111TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001120_SHADOWHUNTER(-Shadowhunter-)Would you not agree, adventurer? Or should I address you as the “Warrior of Light”?
113112TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_Q1_000_001_NONE_VOICEWhat will you say?
114113TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_A1_000_001_NONE_VOICEGaius van Baelsar...
115114TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_A1_000_002_NONE_VOICEThe Black Wolf...
116115TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001130_SHADOWHUNTERAye. Gaius van Baelsar, the Black Wolf. That was the title I was given. One I have long since relinquished.
117116TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001140_SHADOWHUNTERStand down. The legatus of the XIVth Imperial Legion died in Castrum Meridianum. I am no more than Gaius Baelsar, a man without rank or allegiance.
118117TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001150_ALISAIEImpossible! There's no way you could have survived!
119118TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001160_SHADOWHUNTERDo you remember how it unfolded?
120119TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001170_SHADOWHUNTERHow I was deceived by Lahabrea? How I was convinced that reviving the Ultima Weapon would allow me to bring peace to Eorzea?
121120TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001180_SHADOWHUNTERThe Ascian used me, as he used so many others─all to further the restoration of his wretched god.
122121TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001190_SHADOWHUNTERYet even with the might of Allag at my command, you bested me. And as the Praetorium went up in flames, I was content to burn along with it...for a moment, at least.
123122TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001200_SHADOWHUNTERA moment of folly. To surrender my life thus would have been to betray all who died for my cause. It was for them that I dragged myself free of the rubble, and swore vengeance on the Ascians.
124123TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001210_SHADOWHUNTERThe Black Wolf has shed his pelt, never to return to Garlemald or her legions. I live now only to exact revenge.
125124TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001220_SHADOWHUNTERMy principle quarry was to be Lahabrea, whom I gather you have since ushered unto oblivion.
126125TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001230_SHADOWHUNTERBut so many more remain. Long has their kind lurked in the shadows, laboring to sow chaos throughout our world. I would see each and every one dragged into the light and put to the sword.
127126TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001240_SHADOWHUNTERAre the Scions not of like mind?
128127TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001250_ALISAIEIn this single respect, perhaps...
129128TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001260_SHADOWHUNTERThen I shall continue the partnership the boy began, and share what intelligence I have acquired.
130129TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001270_SHADOWHUNTERAmong the Ascians, the black-masked ilk are subordinate to those who wear red. This, you already know.
131130TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001280_SHADOWHUNTERYet among the red there exists a hierarchy. Those set adrift with the shards clearly stand below those still joined to the Source.
132131TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001290_SHADOWHUNTERNabriales, who once dared to intrude upon the Rising Stones, belonged to the former group. And while he was indeed a dangerous foe, his powers were inconsequential next to the Paragons of the Source.
133132TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001300_SHADOWHUNTERThe first was Lahabrea, who plagues us no more. There is also the white-robed Elidibus; and the elusive Emet-Selch, about whom little is known.
134133TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001310_ALISAIEWe have files on Lahabrea and Elidibus, but I believe this “Emet-Selch” is new to us...?
135134TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001320_ALISAIEAs I assume my brother told you, we have evidence to suggest that an Ascian now walks in the body of the crown prince. Have you identified this interloper?
136135TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001330_SHADOWHUNTERElidibus seems the most likely culprit. As “emissary,” it is his role to maintain the equilibrium between Darkness and Light.
137136TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001340_SHADOWHUNTERYour many deeds in Hydaelyn's name have upset the balance, and I believe he seeks to restore it by throwing his considerable power behind the Empire. As a leader of the Ascians, he is one of our primary targets.
138137TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001350_SHADOWHUNTERIt was on the trail of this very prey that the boy and I came across the scene of a failed uprising. In the absence of a single Garlean casualty, we inspected the bodies of the rebels, and the lack of any external injury drew my immediate attention.
139138TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001360_SHADOWHUNTERThey had been slain by Black Rose─an alchemical invention of the imperial army. When I yet served as legatus, I ordered its production halted and all stockpiles destroyed. Toxic gas is not a tool of conquest, but of extermination.
140139TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001370_ALISAIEToxic gas!? This must be the new weapon Maxima warned us about─something deadly enough to sweep away all resistance in a matter of hours.
141140TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001380_ALISAIEGods, you don't think they're planning to use this in Ala Mhigo, do you?
142141TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001390_SHADOWHUNTERPut your fears to rest. We infiltrated the production facility, and destroyed all existing stores of the chemical along with the plant itself. Even should they rebuild the operation, they will not soon manufacture another batch.
143142TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001400_SHADOWHUNTERRegardless, I would draw your attention to a directive we discovered in the plant's records. The document was marked with a recent date, and authorized with the signature of one Zenos yae Galvus.
144143TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001410_HIENA dead man signing the death warrant for thousands. 'Tis bad comedy.
145144TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001420_SHADOWHUNTERBut the tale does not end there─within that same facility was a chamber filled with devices of Allagan design. Cloning technology, we realized.
146145TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001430_SHADOWHUNTERAnd what should we find in each and every incubator...but a young Emperor Solus.
147146TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001440_SHADOWHUNTER...All of which prompts the question: were the Ascians responsible for these abominations? Or was it the will of the Emperor?
148147TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001450_SHADOWHUNTERI must know which hand guides the Empire. Though I have given up my rank, I am yet a son of Garlemald...and I will fight for the future of my homeland.
149148TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001460_SHADOWHUNTERIt is time I returned to the hunting of shadows. We should focus on our common foe─to reopen old quarrels now would serve no purpose.
150149TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001470_ALISAIEYou saved my brother's life, so I'm willing to let sleeping dogs lie. But in truth, it's not my decision to make.
151150TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_Q2_000_001_NONE_VOICEWhat will you say?
152151TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_A2_000_001_NONE_VOICEYou're right. There are more important matters at hand.
153152TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_A2_000_002_NONE_VOICEWe'll settle this another time.
154153TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001480_SHADOWHUNTERThere was a time when I scorned those who placed their faith in false gods─even as I, in my blinkered conviction, placed mine in Ascian promises.
155154TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001490_SHADOWHUNTERUnlike yours, my strength of will─and my restraint─was found wanting. We shall meet again, Warrior of Light.
156155TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001500_HIENSo that was the infamous Black Wolf. An unexpected ally, to say the least...
157156TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001510_HIENWell, I am content to leave the fine-tuning of the barrier to cleverer minds. Let us bid our friends from the Ironworks farewell and see what can be done for Alphinaud back in Doma.
158157TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001520_SYSTEM_NONE_VOICEMeanwhile, at the Black Rose chemical plant...
159158TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001530_IMPERIALENGINEEROur supplies of Black Rose have been ruined, but the new plant is already under construction. We should have the first batch ready in time for the offensive, Your Radiance!
160159TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001540_VARISSee that you do.
161160TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001550_SOLUSZOSGALVUSAh, yes! The infamous “Black Rose.” If I recall correctly, Gaius did not much care for the invention.
162161TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001560_SOLUSZOSGALVUSA ruthless and indiscriminate weapon indeed, this airborne poison. It seems you *are* capable of making decisions worthy of your bloodline.
163162TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001570_VARISWith no gift for sorcery, we Garleans must look to magitek to even the odds. If it spares the needless deaths of our soldiers, and serves the cause of this empire, there is no method I would not employ.
164163TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001580_SOLUSZOSGALVUSHow very noble of you.
165164TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001590_SOLUSZOSGALVUSTruly, though, I must commend you for embracing your role as emperor. You play the part of the determined ruler well. Sometimes, even *I* catch myself believing!
166165TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001600_SOLUSZOSGALVUSA silent agent of death... Now that I think on it, Black Rose may well possess the perfect aspect.
167166TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001610_SOLUSZOSGALVUSSlowly but surely, the deluge of Light has worked upon the aether here in the Source, and the gas should be most susceptible to its influence...
168167TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001620_SOLUSZOSGALVUSWell, I shall leave you to your own devices. Go forth and bloody the land with your grand and glorious war.
169168TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001630_VARIS...While you do what, precisely?
170169TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001640_SOLUSZOSGALVUSNeed you ask? I will be doing what all Ascians do.
171170TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001650_VARISI am well aware that your kind exists only to usher in the next calamity. But you seem oblivious to the harm your singular agenda causes to the Empire.
172171TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001660_VARISYou cannot have forgotten the events which followed your mortal demise.
173172TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001670_VARISOur homeland was plunged into civil war for your failure to name a successor. The edifice you so carefully constructed was but a hair's breadth from collapse!
174173TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001680_SOLUSZOSGALVUSAre you truly so naive?
175174TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001690_SOLUSZOSGALVUSYou thought me oblivious to the consequences? Of a departure so painstakingly timed?
176175TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001700_VARIS...It was by *design*!?
177176TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001710_SOLUSZOSGALVUSWell, of course it was! Though I will admit the resulting panic exceeded even my wildest expectations. But how can you be surprised? Throwing the world into disarray was the very purpose for which this nation was, as you say, “so carefully constructed.”
178177TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001720_SOLUSZOSGALVUSNow, if you have no further questions, I must be on my way.
179178TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001730_SOLUSZOSGALVUSSince we may not meet again in this lifetime, it would be remiss of me not to offer a word or two of gratitude.
180179TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001740_SOLUSZOSGALVUSI really must thank you for this surplus of vessels. I can mold any host into my own image, but having bodies tailor-made for me in this fashion is so much less tiresome!
181180TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001750_SOLUSZOSGALVUSYou dabbled in Allagan cloning techniques, yes? It certainly is a compelling─not to mention entertaining─field of research.
182181TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001760_SOLUSZOSGALVUSAnd of all the options available, you chose the founding father on whom to experiment! You have a twisted streak to you, Varis. Like grandsire, like grandson, eh?
183182TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001770_SOLUSZOSGALVUSIf events play out as planned, this will become something of a family enterprise.
184183TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001780_SOLUSZOSGALVUSYou will be the capstone of this world; I, the anchor in the shard. And together, we will give the lie to this star's fraudulent existence!
185184TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001790_SOLUSZOSGALVUSHm hm hm...
186185TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001791_SOLUSZOSGALVUSHah hah...
187186TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001792_SOLUSZOSGALVUSAhahahaha!
188187TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001800_LYSEWelcome back, you two. Greetings, Lord Hien! Glad you could join us!
189188TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001810_HIENGlad to be here. I would have come sooner, were our own defenses not in question. But I am pleased to report that our soldiers are assembling for deployment to Ala Mhigo as we speak.
190189TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001820_RAUBAHNWe are grateful for your support. Thanks to the efforts of our allies, it won't be long before we've established defensive positions on this front as well.
191190TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001830_ALISAIEAhem, we have some good news too... Alphinaud has come back to us. As for the bad news...
192191TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001840_LYSESo, Alphinaud won't wake up, Gaius van Baelsar is alive and hunting Ascians, and the Empire is planning to poison us all with toxic gas. Does that sound about right?
193192TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001850_LYSEOrdinarily, any one of those things would have left me in shock, but the way things have been lately, it's all starting to seem pretty normal.
194193TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001860_LYSEGetting back to your report, are we sure this “Black Rose” is the weapon Maxima was talking about?
195194TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001870_RAUBAHNIt fits the description. And it seems we have Alphinaud to thank for sparing us an early demonstration of its effectiveness. I've a feeling this won't be the last time his bravery in the Empire will serve us here in Eorzea.
196195TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001880_RAUBAHNThe threat of an unknown weapon has had us all on edge... But now that we know what we're dealing with, we can take steps to defend against it.
197196TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001890_RAUBAHNAs for Gaius...I'm not sure what to think. Am I happy he's alive? Not in the slightest. Am I happy he's hunting Ascians? Aye. I'd have to say I am.
198197TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001900_LYSEOh, speaking of Garleans-you-didn't-expect-to-see, we have a tale of our own, as it happens. When we sent envoys to the imperial army to request talks, they returned with the message that “Varis zos Galvus” would be attending.
199198TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001910_HIENThe Emperor himself? Well, Varis did sanction the Populares' peace mission...
200199TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001920_HIEN...But knowing that an Ascian walks in his son's skin, I do not see how we can trust him or anyone from that nest of vipers.
201200TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001930_RAUBAHNThe Alliance would proceed with negotiations regardless, if only to give ourselves more time to prepare. We do, however, require your cooperation...
202201TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001940_LYSEAh, right, yes... So...as a condition for the talks to go forward, the Empire has requested that a member of the Scions be present. There'll be a representative from each Alliance nation, of course, but I'm afraid we have to ask that you come along too.
203202TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001950_ALISAIEGods, Lyse...you know how much I hate politics. But then what choice do I have? Alphinaud and the others aren't going to do it...
204203TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001960_ALISAIEVery well. I shall attend as the Scions' representative.
205204TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001970_LYSEIn case you're wondering why I didn't ask you, the Empire also requested the presence of “Eorzea's champion”...
206205TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_Q3_000_001_NONE_VOICEWhat will you say?
207206TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_A3_000_001_NONE_VOICEI'll be there.
208207TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_A3_000_002_NONE_VOICEI'm not fond of politics either...
209208TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001980_LYSEThat's settled, then. We don't know what Varis means to bring to the table, or why he wants you there, but having you close at hand will make all the difference.
210209TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_001990_LYSEOh, you're not, are you? Come on. If Alisaie can put on a brave face, then so can you. Now, we don't know what Varis means to bring to the table, or why he wants you there, but having you close at hand should make all the difference.
211210TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002000_RAUBAHNThe meeting will take place on the border. Anticipating an early assault, we mean to position the bulk of our forces nearby.
212211TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002010_LYSEThe Alliance leaders should already be on their way. Once you're ready, we can head out and join them.
213212TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002020_VARISEsteemed representatives of the Eorzean Alliance─on behalf of the Garlean Empire, I thank you for inviting me here today.
214213TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002030_VARISAs this parley was convened at your request, I invite you to speak first.
215214TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002040_NANAMOULNAMOVery well, Your Radiance. I, Nanamo Ul Namo, seventeenth in the line of Ul, should be pleased to oblige you.
216215TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002050_NANAMOULNAMOAs recent events in Ala Mhigo and Doma have made plain, the subjugation and exploitation of neighboring nations is not a sustainable policy.
217216TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002060_NANAMOULNAMOShould this day end in war, you may very well defeat us, but you will never extinguish the people's desire for freedom. Though it may not be in our lifetime, there will be another revolution, another war, and the cycle will continue.
218217TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002070_NANAMOULNAMODoma has entered into a concord with the nations of Eorzea. A partnership wherein we recognize one another as equals.
219218TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002080_NANAMOULNAMOGarlemald could be afforded similar treatment. You need only set aside your ambitions and join us in paving a path towards peace.
220219TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002090_VARISHmph! You will not win me over with sophistry, Your Grace.
221220TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002100_VARISAs you know only too well, this *alliance* lacks the strength to keep the peace within its own borders. Even now, your struggles with the beastmen continue unabated.
222221TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002110_VARISDivided, you sow this fertile soil with the seeds of your differences and reap naught but discord and chaos for your trouble. Eorzea must be united under one leader, one purpose. I would offer you both and bring an end to your strife.
223222TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002120_LYSEWith all due respect, Your Radiance, the only thing that you offered the people of Ala Mhigo was fear and hopelessness.
224223TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002130_HIENThe citizens of Doma can also attest to the meager alms of imperial rule. There is no purpose to be found in a life of oppression, each day more uncertain than the last.
225224TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002140_LYSEOur people are willing to die for their freedom. A great many already have. And countless more will, if we don't put an end to this madness here and now.
226225TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002150_VARISWe brought order and stability to your lives. This madness and bloodshed is of your own making. You broke the peace, not Garlemald.
227226TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002160_RAUBAHNPeace? Order? You kill our peoples, despoil our lands, take everything that is ours. And what? You expect us to lick the boot that grinds our faces into the dirt?
228227TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002170_VARISI expect you to weigh the costs. To recognize that countless lives have been lost on both sides in pursuit of a greater good─and to not squander all we have achieved in a fit of petulance.
229228TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002180_AYMERICYour Radiance, I fear I can personally attest to the dangers of pursuing one's vision with such righteous fervor.
230229TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002190_AYMERICFor a thousand years, the Holy See of Ishgard waged war with dragons.
231230TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002200_AYMERICA thousand years of sacrifice, of sorrow and hate, in which we bathed in the blood of friend and foe alike. Had it gone on any longer, we may well have drowned.
232231TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002210_AYMERICYet we have chosen to raise ourselves out of this bloody spiral, and have since made peace with our former enemy.
233232TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002220_VARISSo I understand. No doubt the dragons were more receptive to your overtures in the wake of their leader's demise.
234233TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002230_VARISYou speak of peace, yet use war to achieve it. Your father would not have bothered to obscure his intent with honeyed words. He understood that strength is all that matters in the end.
235234TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002240_VARISWithout his clarity of vision, I can but wonder what will become of Ishgard and her people.
236235TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002250_VARISThere was a time when Garlemald too lacked a leader of conviction. Weak and unable to wield magic, we were at the mercy of the strong, from whom we sought refuge in the bitter cold of the north.
237236TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002260_VARISWere it not for the discovery of ceruleum, and the subsequent development of magitek, we might never have gained the power to take back that which was rightfully ours.
238237TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002270_MERLWYBYou speak as if your people were the first to have been driven from their homes. Limsa Lominsa was built by wayward souls in search of a place to call their own.
239238TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002280_MERLWYBOn the shores of Vylbrand we found it, and from those humble beginnings did we grow and flourish. And all without robbing our neighbors of their liberty.
240239TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002290_VARISSo sayeth the pirate. Am I to believe that you simply asked the kobolds to yield up their lands, and that they were happy to oblige you? That you did not drive them out like rats in the hold of one of the many ships seized by your “privateers”?
241240TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002300_VARISI will concede that, after centuries of exile, reclamation may be mistaken for invasion. Nevertheless, it is not─and those who till stolen soil have no right to object when cast out in turn.
242241TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002310_KANESENNAYour uncompromising nature rivals that of the Ixal.
243242TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002320_KANESENNAThey too lament circumstances which they themselves perpetuate. Were they but to embrace peace, we would welcome them with open arms. Indeed, some few have done just that, and now receive of the Twelveswood's bounty.
244243TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002330_KANESENNAWould that your people might learn from their example.
245244TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002340_VARIS[LAUGHTER]
246245TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002350_VARISYou would dare compare us to the birdmen? You who thought to invoke the Twelve and threaten all of creation?
247246TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002360_VARISI came here in the hope of finding some speck of common ground, but I see now these discussions will accomplish nothing.
248247TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002370_VARISDespite what you people may believe, I am not wont to choose the sword over the olive branch. 'Tis but a pity men are loath to accept one without first being shown the other.
249248TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002380_ALISAIEWait, I beg you! This meeting was supposed to be a chance to find a way forward together, not to bemoan the missteps which brought us here.
250249TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002390_ALISAIEPlease─if you truly consider violence a last resort, there must be a way we can come to an agreement.
251250TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002400_NANAMOULNAMOAs Mistress Alisaie says, we did not come here to bicker over the past, but to discuss how we might strive towards a brighter future.
252251TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002410_NANAMOULNAMOEmperor Varis, may I suggest a short recess, that all present might compose themselves prior to beginning anew?
253252TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002420_VARISVery well. I pray this intermission will suffice to move these talks in a more constructive direction.
254253TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002430_VARISNow then. Who would have the floor?
255254TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002440_NANAMOULNAMOBefore we resume, I wish to offer you an apology. After you graciously accepted our invitation to discuss an armistice, we have done naught but rebuke you at every opportunity. I believe I speak for all of us when I say we are deeply sorry for our discourtesy.
256255TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002450_MERLWYBI'll admit, your familiarity with our affairs surprised me─and served to remind me how little I know of yours.
257256TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002460_RAUBAHNI think all here can understand the desire to reclaim one's homeland. But why expand further─that is my question.
258257TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002470_HIENIf I may─the answer can be found in the imperial doctrine they took great pains to impart to my people.
259258TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002480_HIENRecognizing the threat eikons pose to the world, Solus zos Galvus decreed that they were to be eradicated. To this end, he began a campaign to unite all lands under the Garlean banner.
260259TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002490_HIENOr so we were taught. Yet the Emperor only reached the Burn─the barrens said to have been laid waste by eikons─after conquering all the lands that lay between. What is more, I am quite certain the practice of summoning was not nearly so widespread in the days before the Empire's founding.
261260TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002500_LYSEWhen you put it like that, it all starts to sound like an excuse, doesn't it? But to distract from what? Why are you really waging this war?
262261TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002510_VARIS...Finally, you ask the right question.
263262TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002520_VARISI can but hope you heed mine answer and at last accept the righteousness of our cause.
264263TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002530_VARISMy goal is this: to return the world to the way it once was. The way it was always meant to be.
265264TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002540_VARISIn doing so, mankind will be made whole once more.
266265TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002550_VARISNo longer will we suffer from the dissension born of our differences.
267266TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002560_VARISThere will be but one race─a perfect race─as we were when time began.
268267TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002570_LYSEWhat in Rhalgr's name are you talking about?
269268TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002580_VARISI am talking about the origins of this star. Of the Source, and its thirteen reflections.
270269TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002590_VARISAt the instant of the great sundering, 'twas not only the world that was shattered, but mankind itself. Thus were we divided into myriad races, each with its own unique imperfections.
271270TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002600_VARISThat is why man looks upon his neighbor and feels fear and hatred. Why he wages war. Why he kills his brother.
272271TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002610_VARISYou all in your own way have proven as much today. The peace you seek is but a fleeting solution to a fundamental problem. One which calls for more drastic measures.
273272TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002620_VARISTo bring about everlasting peace, our worlds must be rejoined.
274273TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002630_VARISThat is the goal the Empire would see realized─the glorious future unto which we shall one day shepherd mankind.
275274TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002640_MERLWYBA rejoining of worlds...?
276275TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002650_KANESENNAI have heard this tale of the Source and its reflections before...
277276TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002660_NANAMOULNAMOAre these not the selfsame desires as the Ascians?
278277TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002670_AYMERICEmperor Varis! Do not trust in their words. They will lead you to your doom.
279278TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002680_AYMERICMy father thought to use them, but in the end he succumbed to their temptations. He embraced summoning like so many other pawns before him. Do not tell us you mean to do the same!
280279TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002690_VARIS[LAUGHTER]
281280TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002700_VARISTo be a pawn, free from the burden of choice, would be a blessing...
282281TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002710_VARISBut I foreswore that privilege the day I learned that the Garlean Empire was built by the hand of an Ascian.
283282TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002720_ALISAIEWhat!?
284283TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002730_VARISYes. My grandsire, the former emperor, is of their number. And who better to build an empire capable of bringing about the calamitous change we desire?
285284TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002740_VARISWould you condemn me for this alliance, for bowing to the will of these shadowy masters, when the prize is true and lasting peace?
286285TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_Q4_000_001_NONE_VOICEWhat will you say?
287286TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_A4_000_001_NONE_VOICEYour prize is a lie. Your masters, demons.
288287TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_A4_000_002_NONE_VOICEI will stop you and the Ascians. No matter the cost.
289288TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002750_VARISI come not to conquer, but to liberate─to free man from the prison of divergence.
290289TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002760_VARISImagine a world united. One perfect race beneath a single standard.
291290TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002770_VARISAn army before whose might these servants of Darkness and Light would fly as leaves in a storm, never again to meddle in man's affairs.
292291TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002780_VARISWe would be the masters of our own fate!
293292TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002790_VARISI bid you join me! Not as subjects of Garlemald, but of a new nation! And together we shall win freedom for ourselves and generations yet unborn!
294293TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002800_LYSEYou want to trigger another half-dozen calamities? You can't be serious!
295294TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002810_RAUBAHNHave you forgotten how many died? There will be no one left!
296295TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002820_MERLWYBDo you truly imagine we would aid you in your bloodletting?
297296TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002830_KANESENNAIt is unthinkable! Unconscionable!
298297TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002840_VARISAnd what is the alternative? To be as cattle waiting for slaughter. I would have us work together, that we might take fate into our own hands.
299298TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002850_ALISAIEInto *your* hands, perhaps...
300299TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002860_ALISAIEBut what of the other worlds, Your Radiance? With every calamity, you obliterate a star and every soul that dwells on it!
301300TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002870_VARISTo the Ascians, we are all but tiny, momentary specks within an indifferent universe. We cannot hope to oppose them until we have been made whole once more.
302301TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002880_NANAMOULNAMOAre these truly the words of Garlemald's ruler?
303302TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002890_NANAMOULNAMOThe flaws and foibles which you so abhor are what make us who we are. Every nation─even yours, Emperor Varis─is made whole through the combination of these imperfections, the strengths of one compensating for the weaknesses of another.
304303TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002900_NANAMOULNAMOWhile it is true that man succumbs all too often to anger and avarice, he may yet overcome his baser instincts through the forming of bonds with others, fostering community and cooperation.
305304TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002910_NANAMOULNAMOThat the protector of an empire should not only reject these fundamental truths, but seek to change them at so dear a cost to life is indefensible.
306305TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002920_NANAMOULNAMOSuch a man is not fit to govern.
307306TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002930_VARISAnd you, Warrior of Light? Would you refuse me as well?
308307TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_Q5_000_001_NONE_VOICEWhat will you say?
309308TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_A5_000_001_NONE_VOICEI cannot condone such a loss of life.
310309TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_A5_000_002_NONE_VOICEWe can defeat the Ascians as we are.
311310TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002940_NANAMOULNAMOIt would seem the Alliance is of one mind on this matter.
312311TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002950_VARISYou Eorzeans never cease to disappoint me.
313312TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002960_VARISThough I suppose I have only myself to blame for expecting more from savages.
314313TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002970_VARISThis discussion is at an end. I bid you make ready for our next meeting. It will not be at the negotiating table.
315314TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002980_LYSEI'm not sure what I was expecting from our meeting with the Emperor, but it wasn't that. Still, at least we know now what he's really after!
316315TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_002990_RAUBAHNAye, a future built on a mountain of bodies. I too want the Ascians dead─but not at any cost.
317316TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003000_HIENThe last of the reinforcements from Doma arrived not long ago. I pray it will be enough. Given the Emperor's stated goal, this is a battle we can ill afford to lose.
318317TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003010_RAUBAHNIf the Garleans come in force, we may not have much say in the matter...even with our combined strength.
319318TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003020_HIENWe knew from the first that the odds would be against us. But if there is even the slightest chance of victory, we must do everything in our power to seize it.
320319TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003030_RAUBAHNWe must seize it, full stop.
321320TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003040_HIENHear, hear!
322321TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003050_RAUBAHNThe two of you are to join an irregular unit and support the main host. I won't bother asking if you're minded to fight.
323322TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003060_ALISAIEAfter coming this far, how could I not?
324323TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003070_ALISAIEAnd for once, there's no one around to countermand me. Not that they would. Not even my brother.
325324TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003080_ALISAIEBut we all know who'll really make the difference. Ready to frighten some Garleans?
326325TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003090_RAUBAHNI wouldn't want to be on their side.
327326TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003100_HIENMight I ask you to accompany the Doman contingent? They are strangers here, and your presence would do much to raise their spirits.
328327TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003110_ALISAIEWe would be honored.
329328TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003120_YUGIRIWhen our people stride out with you in their midst, I daresay the Eorzeans will feel an ilm taller themselves. High spirits have a way of spreading.
330329TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003130_RAUBAHNAh, what I wouldn't give to join you. But my duties as field commander will not allow it. I leave the front lines in your capable hands.
331330TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003140_RAUBAHNComrades! Ready your arms! The hour of battle has come!
332331TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003150_RAUBAHNMay the Crystal guide us to victory!
333332TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003160_ALISAIESince the others couldn't be here, we'll have to fight twice as hard. If Alphinaud wakes to find the imperials have won, I shall never hear the end of it.
334333TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003170_ALISAIEIt's strange... I thought I would be terrified when the fighting started.
335334TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003180_ALISAIEI *should* be terrified. But with you at our side, I can't help feeling everything is going to be all right.
336335TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003190_ALISAIESo please...
337336TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003200_ALISAIEDon't you dare leave me alone.
338337TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003201_ALISAIENo matter what happens, we have to survive. Together.
339338TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003210_ALISAIEWe did it! I daresay they'll be reeling from this!
340339TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003220_HIENYou were truly inspiring in battle, my friend. I'm determined not to be outdone, but there seems to be no one left to fight...
341340TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003230_YUGIRIA tactical withdrawal, perhaps?
342341TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003240_ALISAIEWe should give chase. Finish them off while we have the chance.
343342TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003250_ALISAIEImagine the others' surprise when they wake to find the war already won.
344343TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003260_MYSTERYVOICEThe Light...will expunge all life...
345344TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003270_MYSTERYVOICEOnly you...can forestall the calamity...
346345TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003280_MYSTERYVOICEThrow wide...the gates...
347346TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003290_ALISAIENo! Not now... Not...like...
348347TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003300_HIENOh no, don't tell me...
349348TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003310_HIENAre you all right?
350349TEXT_VOICEMAN_04500_003320_HIENQuickly! We must get her back to the encampment.