Rigel Plains

Soldier: Jerome, sir? My report. The Deliverance forces will reach these plains momentarily.

Jerome: Hmph. So the peasants made it here after all. Bring me Ezekiel!

Zeke: I’m here, sir. You have need of me?

Jerome: The Zofian rabble will be upon us in due time. Prepare to intercept them. …And mind your allegiances wisely. If I smell even a whiff of betrayal, you know what will happen.

Zeke: ……

(If Tatiana is present)

Tatiana: Ah, Zeke! It’s you!

Zeke: Tatiana? But how?!

Tatiana: It means you don’t have to heed another word Jerome says!

Zeke: Men! Set your sights on the target! We march on Jerome’s army! Prepare to attack!

(If you rescued Tatiana)

Alm: You must be General Ezekiel.

Zeke: How do you know my name?

Alm: Tatiana told me about you.

Zeke: You know Tatiana as well?

Alm: We rescued her from Nuibaba. You should have no further cause to follow Jerome’s orders.

Zeke: I am reluctant to trust in these times. Yet, how else would you know all this? You have my thanks for saving her. Allow me to show my appreciation in deed as well as word. Men! Set your sights on the target! We march on Jerome’s army! Prepare to attack!

Jerome: You dare?! I didn’t think you fool enough to betray me, Ezekiel. You know what fate awaits the girl now that—

Zeke: She’s free. And now so am I. You’ve ground the people here under heel and threatened my love. Prepare to answer for your crimes!

(Versus Zeke)

Zeke: Forgive me—it is not my wish to fight with you. I pray you’ll bear me no grudge in turn.

(Zeke defeated)

Zeke: Forgive me, Tatiana… Ah… Then you’re… Good. That’s…

(Versus Jerome)

Jerome: You upstarts have brought death upon yourselves!

(Jerome defeated)

Jerome: H-how is this… I am a blue blood… A general! I’ll not lose to…such…

(After the battle–if Zeke survived)

Zeke: You must be Alm. Let me thank you again for helping Tatiana.

Alm: We’re happy to help, General. I heard you were opposed to this war. Will you lend us your strength? Not a man among us wishes this conflict to last any longer than it must.

Zeke: …… I’m afraid I cannot offer you an answer here and now. There’s a village a ways ahead. I’ll await you there. Until then.

Alm: Ah…

Rigelian Village

(If Zeke survived)

Zeke: We meet again, Alm.

Alm: General Ezekiel. Have you given any more consideration to what we spoke of before?

Zeke: …… Now that I have turned my lance on Jerome, Rigel will not have me. But neither can I offer that lance to you. I still have no recolection of who I am or from whence I came.

Alm: You’ve lost your memory?

Zeke: I have. All I know is that I washed up on the shores of Rigel grievously wounded. I was thrown in prison and accused of being a spy or worse. But Emperor Rudolf saved me. He gave me a name and took me in. He raised me as a father would his own son. And yes, I may have betrayed him… But never would I help you do him harm.

Alm: I didn’t know. I’m sorry. Forgive me for asking so much of you.

Zeke: You are not in the wrong. *gasp* Alm! By the gods!

Alm: Wh-what’s wrong?

(Image of Zeke looking at Alm’s Brand)

Zeke: Where did you get that mark on your left hand?

Alm: What, this? I don’t know, actually. I’ve just always had it.

Zeke: Is that so? Some time ago, Emperor Rudolf gave me what I thought was odd advice. He said that if I met a man with a mark on his left hand, I was to follow him. “For that man is chosen,” he said. “He shall save all of Rigel.” “And with it, all of Valentia.”

Alm: That’s…very strange.

Zeke: I agree. But now that I have met you, I must heed my emperor’s words. I am yours to command, my lord.

(If you refuse)

Zeke: I see. I would do as my emperor commanded, but if you are not of the same mind…

(If you talk again)

Zeke: Allow me to join my strength with yours. The emperor wished for this.

Conversations

(If Zeke survived)

Man: Oh, look who’s here! Welcome! You don’t have to feel uncomfortable. I don’t care what land you hail from! You got rid of that rotten Jerome, and that makes you a hero around here. He and Nuibaba from up Fear Mountain have caused us nothing but suffering. And who came to our aid? Not the emperor, nor the Duma Faithful! The only one who fought for us was General Ezekiel. Doesn’t matter who he was or where he’s from—he’s a good and noble man.

(If Zeke was defeated)

Man: Keep walking, you dastards! You’ll find no welcome here! You killed General Ezekiel, you…you monsters! He only sided with those scum because they took his woman hostage! In truth, he fought this whole time to shield us from Jerome and his tyranny.

(If Zeke survived)

Young Man: I got no love for Zofia, but I s’pose I owe you a word’a thanks anyway. …Eh? Why do I hate Zofia? ‘Cause I pour m’blood and sweat into workin’ this here barren land, is why! You Zofians have Mila’s blessin’ or bounty or whatever blasted thing it is. You eat yer fill without workin’ a day! Life’s just one big party for you lot… Makes me sick, it does. Pah!

(If Zeke was defeated)

Young Man: …Hmph. What are you lot doin’ here? Emperor Rudolf’s a good man. A hero. Not that you lazy pigs over in Zofia’d know anything about it.

(If Zeke survived)

Old-Timer: Are you all headed to Rigel Castle? I see, I see… Perhaps that’s best for His Excellency as well. But the mountain ahead is cursed with a blight of fell beasts. Necrodragons spawn there without end, or so the travelers say. Even if you’ve the luck to elude them, eruptions often bury the path in stone.

(If Zeke was defeated)

Old-Timer: Hrmph… So you beat Jerome. A petty tyrant. Who cares for such deeds?! You’ll still never cross Mount Dragonsblight! Your proud little band will march right down a necrodragon’s gullet.

(If Zeke survived)

Young Woman: Ezekiel says he has no memory of his past. Tatiana found him washed up ashore one day, badly wounded. She was nursing him back to health, when… Well, you’ve seen his face. Wasn’t a fortnight before she was in love. Don’t suppose I can blame her.

(If Zeke was defeated)

Young Woman: I always loved Ezekiel, I did, though I never had the courage to tell him… Fie on you all! I hope you rot in the belly of a necrodragon!

Blacksmith: Have you ever seen a dracoshield before? They soften physical blows, mitigate magic, and can even heal you! It just so happens my family has forged these shields for generations. My grandfather even presented one to the emperor himself. You can’t make them without dragon scales, though. No sir! You need no less than four dragon scales to make a proper dracoshield. If you happen to find four and want to try the shield of shields, come see me. I’ll make you the finest dracoshield you ever did see!

(If you hand over 4 Dragon Scales)

Blacksmith: Great galloping gargoyles! You found enough dragon scales! Sounds like someone wants me to make a dracoshield right here and now. Well, bad news—super ultimate dracoshields don’t just HAPPEN. You can come pick yours up at a later date.

(If you refuse)

Blacksmith: …Huh? You don’t want a dracoshield? What’s wrong with you?!

(If you don’t have 4)

Blacksmith: Sorry, but it looks like you failed to scale. You haven’t got enough. I need four dragon scales. Come back when you’ve got ’em.

(If you talk again before the shield is ready)

Blacksmith: Sorry, but your dracoshield isn’t ready yet. Don’t be pushy, now! Come back another day and we’ll see if I’ve finished it.

(If you come back after a few days)

Blacksmith: A-HA! There you are! I’ve got your brand new dracoshield right here! Ready? …Ta-daaah!

(If you talk again)

Blacksmith: If you manage to scrounge up four dragon scales, bring ’em here. I’ll make you the finest dracoshield you ever did see!

Scholarly Man: Are you familiar with a delicacy called ambrosia? It’s valuable stuff. Some even go so far as to call it the food of the gods. Some say Sage’s Hamlet in Rigel is the only place it’s made. But I’ve studied the subject for years now, and I can say beyond a doubt… that I’ve discovered the secret recipe for ambrosia and can make it right now! …Mmmm? How about that? Is your stomach growling yet? I’m just missing a few ingredients: yogurt, Duma moss, and an orange. Bring me those three things, and I will whip up some legendary ambrosia.

(If you bring all the ingredients)

Scholarly Man: Ah, you’ve brought what I need. Now watch as I cook up some food fit for the gods themselves!

(If you refuse)

Scholarly Man: Really? Are you sure? This stuff is the food of the gods, I tell you! Well, it’s your choice, I suppose. Don’t come crying to me later.

(If you don’t have all the ingredients)

Scholarly Man: Alas, it seems you don’t have all of the ingredients yet. I need yogurt, Duma moss, and an orange. Got it?

(If you talk again)

Scholarly Man: I only need three ingredients: yogurt, Duma moss, and an orange. Bring me those three things, and I will whip up some legendary ambrosia.

Leaving the Village

(If Alm spoke to Zeke)

Alm: ……

Gray: What’s wrong, Alm? You get some bad pottage in the mess tent again?

Alm: Hmm? Oh… I was just wondering what this mark on my left hand really means.

Gray: No surprise, what with Zeke’s speech about saving Valentia and all. “He shall save all of Rigel. And with it, all of Valentia.” Heh. No pressure there!

Alm: No kidding…

Gray: Wait, you don’t actually BELIEVE what he said, do you?

Alm: What? No. No, I don’t harbor any delusions of grandeur. But it’s true that we’re fighting to save Zofia, at the very least. So I got to wondering if that wasn’t part of helping all Valentia.

Gray: Huh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense… in a messed-up kind of way. Celica has one of those too, right? That mark?

Alm: She… Yes. She does.

Gray: So maybe you guys are destined to save the world together or…whatever. I mean, It has to be fate or something that the you two of you met, right?

Alm: Fate? I don’t know about that, Gray. It’s a coincidence for sure, but…

Gray: Kidding! I was kidding! …Sheesh, man. You’re really starting to worry me here. If you don’t laugh it off, it makes me sound like a lunatic for saying it.

Alm: Heh. Sorry. You’re right. I’m not sure about the rest of it, but me and Celica meeting really could be fate. …I’d like to believe it is, at any rate.

The Dragon’s Maw

Clair: Heavens, what is that infernal noise?

Alm: It sounds like…

Alm: Earthquake! Everyone, take cover!

(After Celica has reached the top of Duma Tower)

Alm: I don’t believe it… That last quake cleared out some of the rocks—the road’s passable again.

Clair: Goodness! What a stroke of serendipity. Come now, Alm. Let’s hurry across before the next tremor hits.

Alm: Right…

Clair: Hmm? Is something the matter?

Alm: It feels strange, is all. A little TOO convenient. It’s almost like I can feel someone’s intent behind it.

Clair: An intentional rockslide? Really, Alm, you worry too much. Now chop chop! One mustn’t dawdle. I’ll await you on the far side.

Alm: …… I don’t like this at all. I hope you’re all right, Celica…