Beyond the Beyond: Update 53: Aftermath (Marion Castle redux)

[ladyabaxa]

Beyond the Beyond: Update 53: Aftermath (Marion Castle redux)

Our last scene had a rather abrupt end with Ramue and Shutat using a powerful spell to blind everyone around them and teleport away amidst the confusion. With a fade to black it's almost certain that they escaped unharmed. Now to see if the rest of Bandore joined them in their full retreat.

The very next thing that happens in the game is that it fades into the throne room of Marion Castle with Sir Samson finishing a mercifully skipped recap of what happened to bring the king up to speed.

...As I've said, with Zalagoon's help, we saved Marion.

Inside the throne room is quite a selection of characters. There's the team, of course, with the king and the king's advisor as well as Sir Galahad with two troopers representing Marion and Sir Piat with two troopers representing Zalagoon.

Hmm, quite a story. I am sure you won't wind going over the details this evening.
Of course not, your Majesty.
Good. I still have many questions.

The king turns his attention to Sir Piat.

Today however we celebrate and honor our distinguished guests. Sir Piat. Your efforts and those of Zalagoon, were admirable! [sic] We appreciate it tremendously!

Sir Piat walks forward to accept the king's accolades.

Although we regret that Sir Bison could not make it we would be delighted if you and your officers would join us for dinner tonight.
Of course your Majesty.
I understand that Zalagoon has had troubled times of its own.
It was nothing compared to what Bandore did here. Hearing Marion, Zalagoon's ally, was in peril, it was only proper that we come to help. Listen to me rattle on. You should congratulate the ones who came to notify us of Marion's crisis. They are the real heroes here.
Oh yes. That's right.

As Piat returns to his spot the king turns to the team.

Let me congratulate you people on your outstanding achievements. I'm considering how to reward you.

I hope it's tasty!
Steiner that's the king in front of you. Don't interrupt!
He's not my king, human.
Aargh!

Advisor?
Your Majesty?
I believe that while we were in captivity we were joking about what we would do to reward someone who granted us our freedom.
Are you sure about that your Majesty?
Yes. It does no good sitting around in the castle. I think they have earned it.
Very well. If that is your wish then it shall be so.

The advisor walks up next to the king to address the team directly.

You may take whatever you like from the Marion treasury.

Pictured: Finn actually being given permission to raid the castle for goodies. It's not like he needed permission but he's got it anyway.

Uh, thank you, your Majesty. We were just doing what any good citizen of Marion would.
All in a day's work, right?
You don't need to be so modest. You did a great job!
The mages of Simone are happy to have been of assistance.
Or they would be if they knew what you were doing in their name.
Eh, I'll fill them in later.
Would that be before or after you build your evil lair?
Hmm, depends on if I find a good spot for it before this is all said and done.

The advisor returns to his spot as the king turns to Galahad.

By the way... Galahad! What's the current status of Marion?
Your Majesty. There is still some confusion, but gradually the kingdom is getting settled.
Mmm... good.
Another thing... Lord Kevins is nowhere to be found. I heard that Bandore's troops captured him in their retreat.
I thought he had been captured in a battle before that. *pauses* Oh, er, eep! *awkwardly shuffles his feet*
Huh?
Father, Finn here is Lord Kevins' son. He speaks only out of concern for his father.
I wasn't aware that Lord Kevins had a son or any children for that matter.
Your Majesty Finn has been fostered by my household since he was very young.
My mother died when I was a baby and I guess my father felt he could not raise me and be a good knight at the same time.
You seem to be a rather accomplished swordsman for your age. Who saw to your training?
At first Annie and I were trained by Sir Galahad's wife, Sonya. When he retired he helped her instruct us. For the last two years my father has given me monthly lessons in swordplay.
*murmurs something under her breath*
*suppressing a laugh* Uh, my apologies for the interruption your Majesty. I did not mean to derail a discussion with Sir Galahad.
No it's quite all right. Marion owes you and your friends a great debt. You may speak freely. *pauses* Galahad was Lord Kevins ever planning on presenting his son to the court?
I believe so your Majesty although I don't think he had decided on when that would happen.
And I take it, young lady, that you are Galahad's daughter, Annie?
Yes your Majesty.
It seems my son was in good hands. Now then, Finn, what you heard about Lord Kevins being captured in battle was correct. In fact your father was trying to create an escape route for myself and his fellow knights when the generals of Bandore converged upon him. Lord Kevins fought valiantly but was overwhelmed. I had feared he had been killed but apparently he was taken prisoner instead.
The reports of what happened during Zalagoon's assault are somewhat conflicting but there are eyewitnesses to the fact that Lord Kevins was being moved as part of the evacuation. He attempted to escape during an attack on the convoy but was recaptured.
How terrible... Kevins was taken by Bandore... We will get him back, but we need someone to act as Commander of the Marion forces in his absence. [sic]

The king spins around in a pretty ridiculous 'looking around the room' animation. (Just trust me on this.)

Sir Galahad, will you act as the Commander in Kevins' absence? [sic]
Me? Are you serious?
Yes! You were the Commander before Lord Kevins. [sic] You have the expertise we so desperately need at this time. So, will you do it?

I'm not...
*nods knowingly*
_{Of course you of all people would...}
My dad as leader of the Marion Knights again?
You have to admit there's nobody in Marion more qualified.
That is so true it's almost painful to admit.
And we'll be there to back him up no matter what his decision is.
That's right!
*chuckles*
Hey don't forget about me. I could annoy him into accepting the position!
That's... that's quite all right, Steiner.
You take all the fun out of this sometimes.
That's quite enough out of you three. Marion's need is great. I guess... Well... until Kevins returns... I will gladly offer my services.
Good!

The king turns to the advisor.

Henry draw up the paperwork as soon as possible.
Yes your Majesty.
Well, Commander Galahad, what should our next move be? Should we send troops to Bandore immediately?
Bandore is in retreat. *glances at Finn* But I'm not sure that is a wise move.
Sir Galahad...
Sending troops to Bandore... We must first rebuild the country and our forces. Then, we can send the troops. We should do what's best for Marion first.

Edward, who had been listening to the conversation in polite silence, suddenly steps forward and turns to Galahad.

What?! Our losses are great, but I'm sure Bandore's losses are greater.

Edward turns to the king.

If we don't take this opportunity now, we may never get it again. We must send troops to Bandore right away!

Edward looks around the room as his words are met with silence.

What's wrong with everyone? Why are you so quiet?

Samson! Say something!
...
*puts hand on Edward's shoulder* Galahad is right. First we need to see to the security of Marion, then we'll worry about invading Bandore.
But...!
I understand how you feel, Edward, but we can't just rush into Bandore.
...

Defeated, Edward returns to his spot.

Samson! I want you to stay with Edward from now on.
As the prince's bodyguard you can count on me to protect him.

With that the group reforms minus Edward and Samson. Those two are safely back at home so I suppose this is mission accomplished. It's hard to complain about them leaving when so much of the game has been about getting them to this point.

Uh, Edward, sorry about not backing you up but...
This is kind of over our heads.
I know. I'm not angry with you.
I'm surprised you're so eager to turn around and leave, human. You just got home. Don't you want to enjoy it for awhile?
I have missed this place. I just want to sleep knowing that Marion is truly safe once again.
It will be.
I understand the necessity in having troops rebuild Marion... but we are so close to defeating Bandore... We should do something.
I wish we could go to Bandore immediately, but if the King and Sir Galahad say so... I must stay with the Prince here in Marion. Finn, I'm sorry.
Hey you don't have to apologize! You're doing your job!
(2) Since Marion is not invading Bandore, I guess we can return to Zalagoon.
Sir Piat I trust you will give our regards to Sir Bison and the royal family of Zalagoon.
Yes. I am sure they will be happy to hear how quickly peace was restored.
(1) I believe we showed Bandore our strength. They won't come back here soon.
It's the soon part that I'm worried about.
Zalagoon stands ready to supply whatever aid Marion will require. When Marion decides to send troops to Bandore, we will help. You can contact me at Zalagoon.
Prince Edward do you really think Bandore will strike again?
Yes. *looks at Finn*
*awkward laugh* Come on you don't really think that Shutat guy would launch another invasion just to make good on one threat do you?
He seemed pretty damn eager to kill you, Finn, so my guess is yes he would.
You guys know how to make a guy feel safe and secure you know that?
Finn that's something that's been bothering me ever since Glade's... death. Why would Shutat order a demon to kill you in particular?
I honestly have no idea. I had never met the guy before today.
Maybe he just wants to stick it to Lord Kevins.
I guess that makes some sense. From what I've been hearing Lord Kevins was making himself quite a thorn in Bandore's side with the rebellion.
...and Shutat is definitely the kind of guy who'd go after someone's family.
I guess you'd better keep one eye open while you sleep from now on.
That is so not funny!
Hey relax! You've got the great and powerful Tont to watch your back, remember?
Well Shutat has Lord Kevins now so he might just decide to hole up in Bandore and bide his time.
That is exactly what I'm worried about!
Prince Edward please calm down. No one is suggesting we let Bandore rebuild its army so it can attack us again.
*mutters something under his breath*
We'll come see you later. Ok?
All right.

With Edward at least somewhat placated Finn and company can turn their attention to Sir Galahad.

I'm sorry about Kevins, but we must reconstruct Marion before sending troops to Bandore. Sending troops first would be pointless. I'm sure that's what Kevins would want.
I know Edward's upset but I understand.
I'm sure you'll figure something out, Dad.
(2) I saw Lord Kevins get taken away but I was unable to help him. We must save him.
(1) There are not enough forces left in Marion to defeat Bandore and protect Marion. I'm sure Commander Galahad considered that in his decision-making.
I did indeed. Trying to rescue Kevins now would only be throwing lives away to no effect. Enough people have died today.
What do you want us to do?
You've done enough for one day. Go enjoy what remains of it.
Finn I do believe Sir Galahad just ordered you to go goof off.

The king and the advisor are just sorting of milling about for they apparently have nothing pressing to occupy their time with.

I was surprised to find out that the prince's rescuers were a group of children. The Kingdom of Marion is in debt to you.
To be fair Sir Samson did most of the work in the actual rescue. We just sort of tagged along for support.
You needn't be so modest. From what I have heard none of this would have been possible without your courage.
Out of curiosity what's in the treasure you gave us permission to raid?
Weapons, armor, and tools from a previous age that have been kept and passed down by the royal family for centuries.
Hey, Finn, we need to save kingdoms more often if this is the kind of stuff we'll be rewarded with!
We are of course incredibly grateful to you your Majesty.
Annie...?
What? Edward's not here so somebody had to take up the slack.
I hope Edward understands that we are doing what is best for Marion. We should reconstruct Marion as quickly as possible and then head to Bandore.
He's not stupid so my guess is yes he does understand.
Sir Samson seems to have placed his confidence in you so I trust you will not do anything foolish such as... trying to convince the prince to attack Bandore.
I don't exactly want to try. Edward was kind of the brains of the group. I bet he could argue circles around us.
All of us at the same time no less. That's... actually that's kind of sad.
Well Edward has been trained to do just that.
Don't worry! If it comes down to it I'll just give him the cold stare that Samson always uses when he doesn't want to argue.
Sir Samson is damn good at that too. Hey, is that part of knight training?
Oh no that's just Sir Samson being himself. He's always been like that. I don't know where he gets it from.
Well wherever it comes from Edward's getting better at getting a response out of him.
I wouldn't worry too much about it. Sir Samson was always a bit, hrm, withdrawn even when he was a young squire. Mind you he was always well behaved despite all the controversy around him. I don't know how he took it all in stride. I guess having nowhere else to go will do that to a boy.
What do you mean by "nowhere else to go"? Surely he had family he could return to.
Sir Samson became a ward of the knights at a young age. Terrible tragedy but the kingdom did eventually prevail and Sir Samson has quite obviously thrived since then.
Huh, he never mentioned anything like that.
I'm not surprised. It was practically a lifetime ago. He might not remember much of those days.

I have to wonder if different scenes in this game were translated and/or edited by different members of the localization team who didn't have much of a central design document to work from because there are distinct differences in the ways characters refer to each other. A good example here is that no one ever refers to Galahad as Sir Galahad even though the old knight is commonly referred to by his title elsewhere. I can understand the king not using it because his rank is so high he doesn't need to. (He does refer to Piat with the proper title because Sir Piat is a guest and an official representative of Zalagoon. Not using the title would be pretty insulting.) This scene then introduces a new title: Commander which was never mentioned before. Kevins was never referred to as Commander Kevins after all. It's all very sudden, out of the blue, and isn't really elaborated on.

Another good example goes back to the Lord/Sir variations for Kevins. In the very first cutscene in the game it is always Sir Kevins. It can be excused by the fact that Kevins is around personal friends. I do wonder though if it was originally going to be Sir Kevins all the time but he got bumped up to Lord later as the localization progressed.

Having said their piece and goodbye to their former companions the kids head out. When they're almost out of the room Finn suddenly stops as the camera starts to pan over to Galahad. Also, for some reason Edward stops animating from what is probably a bug.

Finn, hold on!

Galahad walks over.

I'm... not in trouble am I?
No. I just need to ask you something. What's your plan? Are you going on to Bandore?

As shown in the screenshot above this is actually a Yes/No question but this is not a But Thou Must situation like previous Yes/No questions in the game. There are entirely different branches of dialogue here. There's no mechanical effect on the game and as before I will be combining them into one conversation.

I don't know. We just got back to Marion. It's kind of soon to plan a trip elsewhere.
Then I guess you're going home. I'll be busy here for a while. Please return to Isla with Annie and cheer up Sonya. She is really worried about Percy.
Did you hear anything about him, Dad?
I heard that he'd been captured. He wasn't found in the castle. Have you seen him?
...
Annie?
I'm not sure.
What does that mean?
It means we walked in on the sorceress Ramue using her magic to bind someone to her will and teleport them elsewhere but we don't know for sure if it was Percy.
By Arawn I hope not.
If we do go to Bandore on our own, and I'm not saying we will, we'll try to find out where Ramue sent him.
I can't stop you since you're not a Marion soldier. On the other hand I also can't help someone who is going against the King's wishes. Finn, with your power alone, you must save Kevins. Do you still wish to go?

There's another branch here. Choosing No would jump to the end shown above.

With Finn's power alone? Kevins is a dead man then.
We're not talking about an invasion, Steiner. If anything we'd just try to sneak across the border and get him out when the enemy least expects it.
Sounds like you've put some thought into this, Finn.
We've known for awhile now that Kevins had been captured.
With the luck I've been having I figured I might need a contingency plan or two... or ten.
All right. I can't stop you. If that's what you want, then go to Bandore.
I... I will go with Finn! Is that all right, Dad?
...

Annie rushes up to Galahad.

Please Dad! I made it this far! I'm sure I can help Finn.
Help Finn? I'm pretty sure we'd all be dead several times over if you weren't around, Annie.
Dad?
I'm not so sure.
Finn you could help me out here!
*smiles coyly* My dear Annie. I didn't realize how much you've grown... all right. Do as you like.

Annie jumps for joy. No, seriously, she actually jumps for joy. (Okay so she actually hops twice in game rather than uses the "jump in the air and spin" animation but she's clearly pretty happy.)

Thanks, Dad!
And one more thing.
Wha...?

Before Annie can finish her statement her father embraces her in a firm hug.

You come back to me in one piece.
I will, Dad, and I'll bring Percy home with me.

Galahad walks up to Finn.

Finn, please take care of Annie and save Kevins.
I hate to break this to you human but Annie's the one who's been doing the taking care of things.
I already knew that, Steiner. Contrary to what it might seem like I do know a thing or two about my own daughter.
It's ok. I do owe her for everything she's done. Sir Galahad you have my word that I'll do what I can to get her back safely.
Finn...
Regardless of whether or not we're able to save Lord Kevins.
Hey! Don't forget about me!
Something wrong, Tont?
Looks like I won't be changed back for a while. Can I go with you, Finn?
Of course you can.
If we're serious about sneaking into Bandore we're going to need all the help we can get.
I'll be busy reconstructing Marion. Please take care of Sonya.
Gonna be hard to do that while we're in Bandore.
You know what I mean, Steiner!
We'll go see her as soon as we can.

Continuing...

Update Fifty-two | Index | Update Fifty-three point five