I died once. Let's Play Vacant Sky

Maybe Vastale has a case of Legion Voice?TvTropes YES. And that's why his text box shakes? Is this game voiced?

After seeing Vastale's handiwork with the elevator, eradicating moving a few crates should be easy, but



I can only assume he found this out by knocking a few guards into them.



Weapon takes one last look at Lord Vastale.

Regardless

Not this bit, unfortunately, but that's probably the case.

Ah, Television Tropes. Providing so much information, stealing so much of my time.

Like Sandarga, Weapon has a few things to say if you examine the men he killed.





Why don't you just finish the job and put him out of his suffering?



Excuse me?



It sounds as if you enjoyed killing them.

Now that they've found Weapon, it's time to find the circuit breaker. We can't reach the lounge where the circuit breaker is located from either the second or third floor from our current position. So let's head up to the first floor and see if we can't find a way down from there.



And as if expecting us, we're confronted by a group of guards as soon as the elevator doors open. The soldiers flee when they see Vastale, leaving their captains behind to fight. They all die, of course, but they gave it a valiant effort.

By the way, our 100th screenshot was Weapon saying, "Suck it." Forgot to mention.

Going down the hallway from the elevator, we enter Cell Block A and find a guard at the end of the hall.



He's obviously terrified to have been found by the fugitives. Each one of them have managed to take out several guards on their own, and he's been cornered by all three of them.



Weapon immediately turns the situation into something of a game.



Seeing a ray of false hope, the guard leaps at it by shoving his money into Weapon's hand.

... Are you fuckin' with me right now?

Weapon shares my sentiment.



The guard is desperate, just like Lieutenant Abraham after Micheal transformed. There isn't a chance in hell two credits are going to be enough for his life to be spared, but he might have other assets.

Weapon has his sword out before the guard can even react. A second later, he's dead.

And now I cry for nameless Guard and his daughter.

Didn't see that coming. Christ.

Now that Weapon's had his fun, it's back to matter at hand: finding a way to the staff lounge so that we can disable the circuit breaker. We leave Cell Block A behind and head down the hall. It isn't long before we're met with the guard.



What's more, we're surrounded. Sandarga quietly curses under her breath. The fools simply keep coming. It's not as if they're a threat, but these constant skirmishes are slowing them down. She sighs and says



Contrary to his partner, Weapon welcomes another opportunity to fight, especially since they're outnumbered—the more the merrier for him. He begins with his trademark technique, Shadow Wave, while Vastale takes advantage of the distraction.

Vastale disappears. The guards are shocked for a moment, but confusion quickly gives way to fear. Their eyes began darting around the room, looking for the slightest sign of Vastale. Sandarga turns around to see two deep, red gashes cut into one of the captain's torso.



It happens so fast she almost missed it, but she catches the white of his eyes as they widen while his body falls to the floor, blood flowing freely from his wounds.



One of the fallen man's comrades shouts his name (much to Sandarga's annoyance), wailing so loudly she almost doesn't hear Weapon leap away. It's hard to say who's killing the guards faster.



One of the younger officers runs away, but Weapon is quick to take chase. The last man standing is Cursed by Vastale, his life ending much more peacefully than any of the others. Shorty after, Vastale reappears in a flash of light.

Between Lord Vastale and Weapon, Sandarga didn't even have to raise her blade. She can't help being a little smug as she says





Vastale pauses for a moment. It's impossible to read anything from that white mask, but Sandarga got the feeling he wasn't amused. Nevertheless, he commands

There's an explosion in the distance and the ground shakes a bit.



Sorry about the gifs. I had to make them super short or they'd be too big to upload anywhere :c

We'll be coming up on the end of the prologue with the next few updates. Hope everyone's enjoyed our time as the bad guys, because after this we'll be shifting over to our heroine's perspective. To prepare, I was doing a little research about the first act, and I found out there was a sidequest in the prologue that I'd missed the first time through. It's pretty well hidden, so it makes sense that I missed it before. In fact, I found the clue that starts the quest on accident. Almost wished I hadn't now.

To make a long story short: I got the the end of the quest and got a message saying that I had received something called "We Are Forever." You can't open the main menu in the prologue, so I had to wait a bit before I could even take a look at it. Turns out it's an extra title screen. I return to the main menu real quick to see what it looks like, and this is what I'm greeted with.



How is that supposed to be a reward?! Worst part is that now it won't go away.

o.O It's like Big Brother, he's always watching you now.... eep.

Sandarga and Vastale make their way to an elevator at the end of the hall. This lift should allow them to bypass the explosive crates and barrels between the Staff Lounge and Cell Block E. Weapon joins them just before the elevator doors begin to close, well aware that neither Vastale nor Sandarga would have any qualms about leaving him behind. They arrive at the third floor without encountering any more resistance and reach the Staff Lounge.

While Sandarga is disabling the power, Vastale walks to the far side of the room with Weapon in tow. They stand in front of a wall, waiting for Sandarga. She only takes a second to power down the first floor, joining them as soon as the lights go out. And she's not the only one.



Shrouded in darkness, it's impossible to see his face. Sandarga can just barely make out his light blond hair. Nevertheless, she knows this man. She's been expecting him.







It might have been more direct to simply threaten him outright, but that wasn't Sandarga's style.



And it certainly isn't professional.

The blond gentleman takes his leave. They're ready to open the gate and leave the facility, but first Weapon has something to ask.



He slyly glances at Vastale. Of all the times for him to actually remember the details... With an amused and curious look on her face, Sandarga repeats,





Vastale sounds almost as confused as Weapon. It is no matter. As no one seems to have an answer, Vastale begins opening the gate. There's a brief, bright light before a portal is projected onto the wall in front of them. Vastle doesn't hesitate to enter first, leaving Sandarga and Weapon to follow.



She takes a moment to admonish her inferior. The tone of her voice suggests doubt about his grasp on the situation.





Killing and drinking, apparently.

With Weapon's question dismissed, Sandarga steps into the portal. Weapon follows, now more annoyed that he'd been scoffed at than he was curious or confused. The portal closes behind them, leaving no trace of their escape. All that's left to testify to the infiltration are the corpses strewn down the halls.

And so concludes the prologue. To sum things up, I'm going to explain a bit of info I found from one of the creators, since the prologue dumps a lot of information on you and not all of it is explicitly stated. Spoilered to save space.

One thing I should warn you about this game: the storyline has a chronological order, but it isn't all presented in said order. There's a flashback coming up that explains a bit more about our heroine, but for the moment we're going to be thrown into gameplay without a very clear idea of what's going on. Don't worry, almost everything is explained one way or another, and what isn't will likely be addressed in Act II. I'm going to try and use the narrative as a way of painting as clear a picture as I can, but like I said, some things are intentionally vague.

Also, one thing I should warn you about my writing: my grasp of grammar has always been loose at best. So I may not always have a pristine and perfect narrative. There might be run-on sentences, unnecessary semi-colons, etc. If it bothers anyone to the point that they simply cannot tolerate it, feel free to correct me. In fact, feel free to correct me even if it doesn't really bug you much, but you just feel like pointing it out.

But enough rambling. Onward!

A small rowboat slowly drifts across the sea. Inside sit three young adults: two girls and a boy around their age. The boy sits with his back to the bow, rowing the boat, while the girls sit opposite of him. The two of them are crammed together on the seat without much room to move, but it can’t be helped. Even if the boat was a little bigger, it would still be too small to sit comfortably.

At first it was fine, but it isn't long before Auria begins to feel her legs ache. Her discomfort keeps her quiet. For a while all she can hear is the repetition of the oars as they were dipped into the sea lifted out again; the soft sound of waves lapping against the side of the boat; the occasional creak of an oar grinding against the rowlock; a few birds now and then. Neither of her companions speaks much. Zaqris is busy rowing and Seri seems content with the silence. Besides, there really isn't anything to discuss until they reach Banivia.

* * *

Auria stands and steps out of the boat almost as soon as Zaqris has it tied to the dock. With her back turned, he briefly shakes his head, half-heartedly rolling his eyes at Auria’s impatience. Seri doesn’t seem to mind it, though. She gives him a sympathetic smile before he helps her out of the boat.

Zaqris is the last off the boat. He scans the village as he steps on to the pier.

It's obvious that he doesn't plan on lingering in Barette for long, but Auria isn't ready to begin traveling again.

Zaqris looks like he's about to object when Seri chimes in.

It doesn't make much difference to Seri either way, but she can see Auria is a little fatigued. At any rate, they have plenty of time to make the trek to Ciel before nightfall, barring any unforeseen roadblocks.

Ever ready to leave, Zaqris reminds Auria that they’ll be departing from the north gate.

Oooo~ Look at those pretty face tattoos <3

Since Seri has spoken, Zaqris is keeping his reservations to himself. Still, it's obvious he isn't happy about the idea of staying in Barette any longer than necessary.



And he doesn't hesitant to voice his opinion when Auria speaks to him directly.



No matter where they are, Zaqris is always on-guard, constantly reminding the girls of the threats they face. It annoyed Auria when she first met him, but in the short time since then she'd gotten used to it, more or less. Still, it's a little strange.



It isn't as though Auria knows much about them in the first place. She knows Zaqris is escorting Seri safely from their home country of Alibaas to live with her uncle in Ciel. That's why they had been traveling to Banivia. Simple enough, but it doesn't explain Zaqris' wariness. Maybe he's just too uptight. Maybe he's trying to impress Seri.

Whatever his reasons are, he's not sharing them with Auria.







Auria glares at him. Zaqris meets her gaze, his face as inscrutable as ever.

Eventually exasperation gets the best of her, and Auria scowls at Zaqris before walking away. Trying to talk to him always seems to end in frustration. Only when she asked for information did he take her questions seriously. Even then, he'd only talk about potential threats and what remained of their journey to Ciel. If she asked about anything too close to home, Zaqris would avoid the question, as he did just a moment ago.

Whatever. Auria didn't know what his problem was and she didn't care. If she wanted to talk to someone, she could talk to Seri.



Blind optimism irritates Auria on principle, but Seri doesn’t bother her as much. Maybe that’s because, as positive as she is, Seri is also sensible. Or maybe it’s just because that’s what Auria wanted to hear right now. Either way, Seri already made her feel a little better.



If Seri and Zaqris hadn't found her in Alibaas and agreed to help her get back home, Auria would have been shit out of luck. She might have managed, but it would have taken a hell of a lot longer, to say the least.



Auria mumbles something along the lines of "me too" and tries to smile, but she looks more embarrassed than anything else as she shuffles her feet. It might have been natural for Seri to say something sweet like that, but for Auria it would have sounded strange.

Seri, sensing Auria's discomfort, deftly changes the conversation topic.







She shrugs and dismisses the issue, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. She didn’t mean to complain, it just sort of slipped out.





Seri smiles patiently. To someone from the United Provinces (such as Auria), the culture of Alibaas might seem primitive, but it didn’t occur to Auria that neither Zaqris nor Seri felt that way. Not that she could blame Auria, really. It was simply a reflection of each culture’s differing norms, and so Seri took no offense.

This town is quiet. There isn't anyone walking around. Most of the shops and homes are boarded up.



It's weird, really. The place looks deserted, but not entirely abandoned.

One of the first open buildings that Auria comes across is a small shop.

The woman at the counter introduces herself as the shopkeeper's wife.



Auria can't help but sound somewhat hopeful.





Of course it wouldn't be that easy. Auria sighs and Catherine sympathetically suggests

The next building Auria wonders into happens to be a house. The woman who lives there is obviously surprised to have someone just waltz through the front door unexpectedly. More than that, though, she seems on edge. There's anxiety in her voice when she demands, "Who are you? Why are you in my home?"

"Sorry," Auria said, holding her hands up to show that she's not a threat. "I guess I just couldn't resist."

It isn't as though there's much to explore in Barette.

"I'm Auria. I'm from the UP."





Lovely. Still, the woman's warning doesn't faze Auria much.

"Well, okay then. I guess I'll get going." After seeing if she could find out anything more about these Blackguards, that is. Auria begins to turn away when she remembers something. "Oh, I didn't catch your name."

The woman introduces herself as Elizabeth Blackwood. She asks Auria to send word to her husband.



Well, they're heading north anyway. Might as well. Besides, Elizabeth seems upset. She must be worried about making it out before the Blackgaurds come.

But who the hell are these Blackguards?

You could say that.



Seriously? You, too? You're supposed to be the mayor!

What's going on around here, anyway?



Why does everyone keep talking about these stupid Blackguards?

And who are the Blackguards?



Oh. So what about Barette?



So you guys are just going to take cover until the they've left with whatever they can carry?

You can't just let them raid your village every month. What kind of leader retreats with his tail between his leg? You're supposed to be the mayor! Call for reinforcement. Send for some soldiers to guard the place.

"What about the government?" Auria demands. "There's got to be something they can do!"



You have to be joking.





So instead you just let yourselves be regularly attacked? And you just try to adjust your lives around that? How does anyone in this town ever expect to get out of this if all they do is cower and hide?

"You're so damned hopeless!" Before the mayor can respond, Auria turns her head away hand holds up her hand. "No, you know what? I'm sick of talking to you."

(Personally, I feel like the mayor has a pretty valid point, even if his idea of a solution is piss poor at best. Still, I think this is supposed to characterize Auria, so I just wrote the dialogue as it was.)

Auria's had enough of Barette and the morons who call it home. She meets with Zaqris and Seri at the northern gate and they set off into the wilderness. Before they leave, though, Zaqris has a word of warning.



Auria rolls her eyes and barely listens to to what he's saying. After all that panic over the Blackguards, she couldn't care less about bandits.

(Those black spots on the map aren't holes, they're enemies. They move around the map, and it Auria walks too close to one she'll get in a fight. At this point they're all pretty weak, so getting some EXP wouldn't be a bad idea, but I'm going to try and avoid the enemies for now. We won't have any boss fights for a while.)

Naturally, since we're trying to avoid the bandits, Auria runs into a group of them almost immediately.



Oh well. It's a good chance for me to explain about Reactions. You see the sword, shield, and boot icons above everyone's heads? That's the Reaction they're currently set to. The sword puts you on the offense, shield puts you on defense, and the boots make you harder to hit.

Of course, we're no where nearly as strong as we were in the prologue, and there are times when those damn bandits dodge more times than we manage to hit 'em. But after more rounds than I cared to count



Ginger Ale looks like some sort of potion, so I'm gonna go ahead and bet that we can safely assume it's some sort of restorative. But what are we gonna use duck tape for?

I love duct tape. Except now I'm imagining using it as an impromptu bandaid and then having to pull it off your skin later and argh. Ow.

Duct Tape can revive people?

I mean, it can keep a car together, and repair a lot of other things.

All of those graves sure do inspire confidence. Either there are more bandits here than Zaqris let on, or those Blackguards really are that dangerous. Doesn't matter, since we have to go though the cave to get to Ciel either way.

Of course, it's crawling with bandits, but inside the cave are also two treasure chests and a man. Auria has a pretty good idea who this is.

"Are you Kasch Blackwood?"

"Yes," he replies. He doesn't seem very surprised that a stranger knows his name. "I presume you've met my wife, Elizabeth."





He says this with something of a sigh. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that there's a problem. And here Auria thought she was helping the Blackwoods. She asks Kasch if something's wrong.



Oh?



Oh. That sounds serious.

"Well, uh, I guess that's something for you two to work out."

Kasch nods. "Thank you for bringing her message to me. I shall speak with her."

It's none of her business, yet Auria can't help but worry about the young couple. What she said to the mayor keeps repeating in her head. That was before she had known anyone was willing to fight, but now that she'd found someone, she wasn't quite sure if she felt good about it. The guilt gnaws at her. They haven't even left the cave by the time she's turning back.

"I'm gonna go check on them. I'll catch up to you guys soon."

Zaqris looks slightly annoyed, but it's Seri who speaks up.

"It's dangerous to travel alone. We will go back to Barette with you."

Zaqris looks very annoyed now. Auria knows he didn't have any intention of turning back, especially after they lingered longer than necessary. He doesn't argue with Seri's decision, though.

Once they arrive, Auria heads towards the Blackwood abode while Seri and Zaq wait at the pier. She raises her hand and hesitantly knocks at the door. The Blackwoods don't hear her, but she can hear what sounds like an argument inside.

Against all better judgement, Auria takes a deep breath and opens the door.



Neither of them even notice Auria sheepishly stepping inside. Even once they have, they continue discussing the matter at hand, caught up the moment, each trying to make the other see their point of view.





As soon as Kasch says that Auria feels another pang of guilt. It was just like what she'd said to the mayor. Expect more eloquent and less hostile.



Auria's stomach lurches a bit when she hears this. Of all the people to try and defend the village...



But Kasch doesn't waver in his determination.



It'd be admirable if it wasn't so tragic.



And here Auria does what virtually every RPG protagonist does from time to time: stick her nose into something that is really none of her business. It's practically the definition of a sidequest. But I shouldn't complain, since it provides us with our first choice.

Should we encourage Kasch to fight back against the invaders,or should he seek shelter with his friends and family?

Ah, my feels.... I always hate choices like this... It'd me more in character to tell him to fight back, but he's going to have a kid that's going to need him soon. He should be there for him and seek shelter with his friends and family. Pride isn't gonna do you any good when you're dead.