Beyond the Beyond: Update 9.4: More of that Scene of the Crime Business

[ladyabaxa]

Beyond the Beyond: Update 9.4: More of that Scene of the Crime Business

When last we left our... protagonists they were wasting time wandering around town, having again ditched Percy. To be fair, it was better for Percy's blood pressure to leave him in town. Fortunately the Bandore soldiers around town, flustered by Samson's show of might, have yet to arrest them for being painfully obvious spies. Assuming they've made that connection yet. I'm not exactly holding out hope in that regard.

We get to see what Marion Castle looks like on the inside. I must say I'm not initially very impressed. Finn was going to visit this place as a reward for a daring, death-defying magic water retrieval service?

The Emperor of Bandore is very upset. Not only did Samson escape, but Edward as well.
I'm sorry, you said something?
Don't mind me. I was just thinking out loud. Are you kids with the cleaning detail?
Sure.
They'll be expecting you upstairs.

Of course the first door we check, the one that has goodies plainly visible on the other side, is locked and we are without any means of opening the door. We'll just have to keep this little detail in mind for much later. There's a soldier wandering just off screen to the right.

Brrr... Lord Shutat is upset because of the Prince Edward situation. Brrr...
Are you cold? You're trembling an awful lot.
No. I was just thinking about Lord Shutat. Just the thought of him being angry makes me tremble...
Then stop thinking about him.
I wish I could! Lord Shutat was very upset when he heard the prince had escaped. He'll be even more furious if the search parties don't turn up something soon.
Why are you worried? You don't have anything to do with either of those things.
You just can't understand what it's like. You're not from Bandore.

The castle kitchen is one of the largest rooms in the castle and is pretty well stocked for a low-detail jrpg set piece. We've got two stoves, an oven just barely visible in the shadows, and three jars holding water and oil, respectively. Knives and pans hang from a wall rack. There's still no indication of where food is stored pre and post production or even the slightest hint of a mess hall for this castle. I guess everyone just eats in the courtyard or up on the battlements.

Hi we're here... to help.
To help?
Yeees?
*sigh* Whatever. Mistress Ramue told me to bring her another lizard. I think she uses them for some sort of spell!
I know I'm going to regret asking this but... how do you know she uses it for a spell?
Well she wants them brought to her live then she tears the head off and pours the blood-
NEVERMIND! I DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYMORE!
If you kids find any lizards in the castle catch as many as you can and bring them to me, ok?
Sure thing.

That's it for the east wing of the ground floor. Marion Castle is not a large place in game. The first room we come to in the west wing has two soldiers trying to sleep in their beds. Also, we can find a strength enhancing potion by searching the table in here. If you haven't already figured it out you should search every table in Beyond the Beyond (and beds, bushes, pots, vases, etc.). Before they can reach this room, though, there's a guard milling about just off screen to the south.

Halt, citizen! State your business!
BY...
GREAT...
ARAWN!
... What?
We're just amazed a guard actually stopped us.
The security lately has been kind of... uh, well, lax.
Oh, that. Uh, it's just been a rough day, okay? Now why are you kids wandering around in here?
We're part of the hired help.
Oh well why didn't you just say so. I think the stablehands need some help out back.
Stables, sure thing.
Just between you and me I don't think the search parties are going to find anything. I have a feeling that the people who rescued Edward are still around. That's what my gut tells me.
Well if we see anybody suspicious we'll be sure to tell you.
*waves* Bye, kids!

...

Now we can go goodies hunting!

I can't believe that just worked. Is everybody just going to blow us off as a bunch of harmless kids?
Finn, you say that as if it's a bad thing. Humans blow me off all the time and I've turned out fine.
Well, that's not... argh!
There's a bottle of red liquid under the table in here. I wonder what it is.
This isn't more of that bait stuff is it?
*sniff, sniff* It smells of magic.
Magic? Do you think it's dangerous?
Hmm, smells a little rank but I don't think it's dangerous. At least, not right now.
(2) Who's there? Huhh, ahh, who's making all that noise? Is that you, Bill?
(1) ZZzzz... Zzzzz...
(2) huhh. Let me sleep. I've got to get up in a couple of hours for the night shift.
Whoops we're waking up the soldiers.
SHHHH! Maybe if we slip out now they won't notice us.
Right.

But what should I do with this bottle of magic stuff?
*sigh* Just put in your pack for now, Finn. Sheesh. You can wrap it in the herbs.

We are now one Source of Power richer. I am thankful this isn't Xenogears and Grahf isn't running about. Otherwise he'd teleport in, bore us with ten minutes of monologue, initiate a series of back-to-back boss battles, then throw us into a cutscene that would make no sense.

The wounded Marion soldier is still alive but has no new dialogue. We'll just ignore them and focus on the brand new guard patrolling the hallway.

For some reason just seeing this puddle again is making me nervous. What's up with that?
Hi there! Don't mind us. We're just here to... see if any of the cells need cleaning.
Oh yeah, sure. That drunk buzzard in cell six threw up again.
So is there any particular reason to patrol the dungeons?
Not that it concerns you citizens but we had a prison break earlier today.
Oh, so you-
I'm sure that if we keep watching the prison, we'll catch the person who helped the Prince to escape. After all, don't criminals always return to the scene of the crime? Hahaha. *pause* I'm waiting...
Cell six you said? We'll take care of it.
I know those criminals will return eventually...

(And now you know where this update's title came from.)

The drunken soldier is still passed out in that cell. Two cells down is the not-so-secret passage that is apparently still a secret since none of the soldiers even hint that they understand how the prison break was successful. The passage is blocked on account of the cell door being closed and impassable. It's not locked, it's straight out an impassable tile where searching yields nothing. I wonder who locked up after we left?

With the mystery of the completely obvious but still hidden secret passage behind us we head up to the third floor. Why? So these soldiers can proceed to name drop NPCs we haven't met yet. We actually ascended the staircase just barely visible at the bottom of the screenshot. The other staircase going down leads... somewhere else.

Hello!
(1) Good evening kids.
Wow there are a lot of soldiers up here.
Finn, keep your voice down.
Oh, sorry.
(1) Don't worry about it. There's a meeting going on in the throne room right now but Lord Shutat always uses his magic to make sure nobody can eavesdrop. On the plus side they can't hear anything going on out here.
Is that so?
(1) Yup. I've only been with the Bandore army for about four months. You get used to their quirkiness pretty quickly, though.
You're not from Bandore originally?
(1) Nah I was born and raised in Gebergheim*. There's not much wealth or glory to be had working a farmstead your whole life so I hopped a boat to Bandore and joined the army. I hear Lord Shutat and his followers came from the Aridia continent. There are many monsters in Aridia, but it is the monsters who fear Lord Shutat.
But aren't there many monsters on all the continents?
(1) Yeah but not like what lives in Aridia. There's a reason so many of the world's best warriors come from Bandore and the lands surrounding it.
You said Shutat and his followers are from Aridia but so is all of Bandore. What makes Shutat so unusual?
(1) I'm not entirely sure. It was just the way the other soldiers talked about it. I guess it's a dialect thing? I kind of got the impression while I was there that the locals didn't really think of Bandore as part of Aridia.
This is getting confusing. If you don't mind I think I need to let my brain cool off.
(1) Ok. It was nice talking to you. See ya around.

Hi we're new members of the cleaning crew. What's up there?
(stairs) These are the quarters of Mistress Ramue, Sir Dagoot, and Sir Yeon. Unless you have permission you cannot enter.
Ramue's quarters? Does all of the top brass have to bunk together?
To be honest Sir Dagoot and Sir Yeon don't spend much time in their quarters. The emperor seems to favor Mistress Ramue. He gives her more leeway than most of his other followers. She's used that leeway to decorate the place to her liking. I don't think her comrades care for the decor.
Her liking? Does it involve lizards?
I don't know anything about lizards but Mistress Ramue does have a taste for exotic animals.
Who are Sir Yeon and Sir Dagoot?
Look, I'm a guard not a tour guide. Don't you kids have work you should be doing?
Yes. We're going back to it... right after our break.

(guards) The Emperor of Bandore and Lord Shutat are having a meeting inside. You cannot enter.
We were just wondering what's going on.
Yeah, yeah, I heard. You're on break? Do those always include suspiciously walking up to everyone you see and asking them a bunch of questions?
We'll be going now! Come on, Finn.

(2) I heard what you were talking with Jeff about. He's a mercenary so he just doesn't understand.
What doesn't he understand?
(2) The Emperor of Bandore's decision to make Lord Shutat a general was a wise one. Because of Lord Shutat, Marion is now part of the Bandore Empire.
This is a good thing... because?
(2) You don't understand either! You haven't grown up in a kingdom that's had to struggle and fight just for daily survival! Unless all humanity is united into one mighty kingdom we'll always be at the mercy of the monsters that roam the land. The emperor is the only one with the will to make that happen.
Well look at the time! We'd love to stay and chat but we really should be getting back to work.

(*Ha! The continent-that-was-not-named now has it's own name to go with Greenheim and Aridia. I thought it would be fitting to call it mountain land when Aridia has more mountains since Greenheim, the green land, is just under half desert and Aridia, the arid land, has lush jungles in the lands that aren't in rain shadows. I can't take the name Aridia seriously anyway after playing Phantasy Star 3.)

The team narrowly escapes some maniacal laughter and waxing philosophical about planetary conquest just to run into two bored guards patrolling the lower battlements who continue our train of not-at-all creepy dialogue about the game's main villains. We can also see two guards on the upper battlements but we can't get there during this trip.

(west) Mistress Ramue is a beautiful sorceress who specializes in nasty curses. My wife is scarier, though.
(east) Shut up George. You're not even married. Even if you were that joke still wouldn't be funny.
(west) Well the part about Mistress Ramue is still true.
(east) Man you've fallen so hard for Ramue it's embarrassing. It is true, though, that Lord Shutat and his three generals are extremely strong. They are the reason we crushed Marion so easily.
(west) I... haven't fallen for Mistress Ramue.
(east) Sure you haven't.

(1) Have you seen Sir Yeon's magic? It's so powerful that I don't think anyone can survive it.
Who is Sir Yeon?
He was mentioned by that guard back by the staircase.
Oh yeah. So, he's a magician then?
(1) I... think so. With his great magic he's the strongest of Lord Shutat's three generals.
(2) What?! You've got to be kidding! Sir Dagoot could totally kick Sir Yeon's ass blindfolded.
(1) Keep dreaming!
(2) Sir Dagoot's crossbow is so powerful that it can penetrate rock. I don't think I could even load that crossbow. Sir Yeon would never even get his first spell off.
Uh, yes, this is fascinating and all but we'll just be moving on now.

On the battlements we find two towers reachable only by stairs. This cannot be an efficient use of building materials unless the lower sections of these HUGE towers are also being used and we just aren't being allowed to enter them. Also try not to think too hard about the height of that staircase and what sort of incline it must be at. I'm starting to wonder if Marion Castle didn't start out as The Two Towers and the rest of the castle just sort of sprang up around them over the centuries.

Inside the tower is, of course, a small room devoid of any visible reason for its existence.

Hey, Annie, do you think this Dagoot guy is as strong as Sir Samson?
You really want to ask that right now?
I was just thinking that if it takes great strength to load that crossbow and Sir Samson's strength is truly unmatched then could he load and fire it?
Finn, I think Sir Samson would be more likely to stab people with the crossbow bolts and use the crossbow itself as a blunt instrument.
What makes you say that?
Have you ever seen a crossbow?
No.
I rest my case.

The east side of the battlements is a mirror image of the west side with the exception that the staircase to the tower is blocked by a guard on duty. Even if the guard wasn't there or we could get past them we still can't get into the tower because the door is locked.

Hey kids. Wandering about looking for trouble?
Uh, no, no. We're just seeing who needs help.
Ahh, don't worry about it. I'm not going to bust you. It's not worth the trouble to begin with.
We're always interested in gossip if you know anything juicy.
Gossip? Hmm. Just between you and me, I think there is something strange about Ramue and the other generals.
The desire for live lizards, long pointy ears, and reputation for cursing people didn't tip you off about Ramue?
What's so strange about any of that?
Err, uh, nevermind.

Hi there!
Oh, hello. *yawns* There is an important hostage being held in this tower. I was ordered to guard it. How boring.
An important hostage? Who?
*shrugs* I don't know. I was ordered to guard the tower not ask questions. As long as nobody's trying to break this prisoner out I don't care who it is.

Back inside we head down that staircase on the second floor I mentioned earlier. It leads here.

Hello there. Is there any chance we could get through here?
(Guard) No. Prince Edward must be long gone, but the emperor still wants this gate closed.
But how can we reach the stables if we can't open this gate?
(Guard) That's not my problem.
(Soldier) What business do you children have in the stables?
We're part of the cleaning crew.
(Soldier) Oh well I'm afraid you're out of luck then. Top brass is coming down hard on everyone. That damn Prince Edward. Lord Shutat is punishing us all for his escape. If he's in the castle, I'd just like to see him try to pass by here. I'd catch him so fast...
Well since we have to find another way we'll be going now.

There's no way to open that big gate right now so this concludes the last tour we'll have of Marion for quite a long time. Exhausted from all the walking they've done the trio return to the inn.

So what did you three learn while you were in the castle without me?
DAMMIT!

Update Nine | Index | Update Nine point seven