Chapter 10 Episode 11: Sacrifice Dialogue 2

Things pick up with narration describing Avarga as a former wrestling coach in Yoyogi. He now works as a drill instructor, and his full name is given as Dalai Avarga or whatever. It’s a famous name in all of the world of Xanadu, one feared even by the rowdy prisoners at the prison school.

 

Anyways Avarga is heading towards one of the central parts of the prison, eventually stopping in front of a solitary confinement cell a step away from the very center and opening the lock on it. The game makes a point of saying that the central most section is the one place in the school that people cannot simply enter or leave on their own. It is a sign of how dangerous the one held in this cell is, as well as a sign that said person chose to confine themselves there.

 

A giant of a man is in this cell, mentioned to be on death row. Normally, he’s under complete lockdown, including bindings on his hands, feet, mouth, and eyes. These restraints were also placed by his own will, yet it does nothing to mitigate how dangerous he is. The act of him opening his eyes is enough to kill many in the prison.

 

Despite being contained for so long, this man’s body has not atrophied at all. This is noted to be a racial trait as well as a special trait as one born to be a king of war. Due to that many fear him, and hardly anyone stops by to visit. Avarga however shows no signs of fear as he removes the man’s gag and talks to him. The man’s name is Balor, and Avarga says it’s time for them to go.

 

Time skips a little to Balor standing outside on the prison grounds, taking in a breath and saying it’s the air of the outside world. He’s accompanied by other death row Transients who start stretching themselves. They cheer for General Balor, and narration says that Balor is one of the most important parts of the Warmongers’ military strength. He is one of the 23 World Representatives, the Representative of Tir na Nog.

 

Avarga talks to Balor saying it’s time for work, then asks if he understands what it is. His expression remains the same, and narration notes that all the Warmongers soldiers know. Balor leaving the prison means that the death toll is going to explode.

 

Since the other factions making up the true big three guilds are predicted to move, the guildmaster has approved of his departure. There is a possibility that both the enemy ranks and their own ranks will collapse due to his presence, and the guildmaster doesn’t care. Avarga still keeps his poker face on, and narration says he has another reason for being in the Warmongers and go to the battlefield.

 

Avarga and Balor aren’t the only ones, as everyone in the Warmongers has a specific opponent they want to fight. No matter what sin they bear, they’ve prepared themselves and know. Avarga thinks of his archenemy Arslan as he glares into the distance, then shouts his name.

 

Scene shifts to the inside of the prison where you and the others are heading towards the central part of the place that can be thought of as the control area. Shennong puppeteered by Tezcatlipoca leads the way for you, and the cells you pass are noted to not be locked. The prisoners within make no attempt to escape and cower within. You ask if this is also a prison and note it’s different from where you were held.

 

Shennongpoca tells you that these are special cells for the more criminal types they have in the facility. For ease of understanding he says these are comparable to prisoners with life sentences or death row inmates, and the game points out that it’s both Shennong’s and not Shennong’s voice answering you.

 

Anyways he continues on by explaining the further in you go, the heavier the crimes of the prisoners held there, which in turn means they need that much longer to be made to remember the old memories. It’s closer to where Tezcatlipoca is, and he seems to be the one who arranged for them to be in those cells. You wonder if Taurus Mask, the other Berserkers, and the Outlaws are around too.

 

You take a look around, and anyone close to making eye contact with you clams up and retreats further into their cells. They shake as if trying to bear the weight of their sins. You ask if this is because they remembered their crimes and if this is why they seem even more afraid than the others. You also call this a horrible act.

 

Shennongpoca toys with the idea as he asks why it’s considered cruel to make someone remember what they’ve forgotten. Tezcatlipoca then tells you that in his opinion, your own memories are things no one can infringe upon, possessions that only you have that will guide you. He also feels that forgetting your past sacrifices is never a good thing. He believes that knowing what you did, reflecting and understanding it is crucial. Whether you fear or defy it is up to you.

 

R-19 is listening to this conversation and seems to have his own opinions about it, though he doesn’t share. Tezcatlipoca stops saying anything as well as he leads you all on ahead. The darkness gets thicker the further you go, which you either comment on, ask R-19 to hold onto Jacob, or ask Jacob to grab your hand.

 

In B, R-19 agrees as he turns on his infrared vision and tells Jacob to be careful. Jacob thanks him and gives his heartfelt thanks. In C he thanks you. In any case R-19 has a question for you both. You ask what it is or ask what Jacob thinks.

 

R-19 asks how humans define their “selves” or identities. He also asks why being yourself is seen as so important. Jacob asks why he thinks that, so R-19 says that in Utopia, it’s possible to move and replace organic bodies. He’s also heard that in Tokyo, artificial skin, bones, organs, eyes, nerves, and other such things can be done with transplant surgeries.

 

Jacob says he’s heard of stuff like that happening in Kamata and Ueno. He’s been asked why he hasn’t gotten himself new eyes, though Jacob just thanked whoever asked for their thoughts. R-19 asks why since he doesn’t understand why you guys do so. If part of your body doesn’t work right and the technology to replace it exists, why not? And when it comes to bodies and memories, you can expand or delete them as you like. Why suffer under your limits?

 

R-19 brings up that the memories you and the gang hold so important can be regained through the World Pillars, but Utopia has the technology to transplant memories too. Everything someone has done and thought of in the past is data that can be moved. R-19 then tells you that he was created and had some human boy’s memories uploaded to him (despite him still talking in robospeak). In terms of his appearance and action log preservation, he’s a complete back up plan for that boy.

 

Jacob thinks on the questions and says he can’t answer for everyone, but he can give a personal opinion. He starts by saying he committed a serious crime way back in the past, which led to his blindness. He then says that he believes that losing his sight is the price he paid to remember that crime. It’s possible he might undergo a transplant surgery one day, but Jacob wants to stay as he is for now so that he won’t forget that memory. It is simply what he wants, though he admits it’s caused lots of problems for others.

 

R-19 finds this irrational. Jacob says that what anyone wants is something they decide, rationality be damned. The same goes for you and all the prisoners here. No matter what body or memory you possess, no matter how they’re given or taken, all you ought to do is decide as you are in the moment.

 

R-19 asks if you agree with Jacob. You either shake your head or shrug. Jacob adds that people will forget about this and the fact that they had other options. The same goes for him, and it’s because of this that he feels that making people who don’t realize or have forgotten this to be an act of love in itself. This is how he moves forward, no matter what sort of wilderness it takes him to. Knowing that someone else does the same is what brings him courage.

 

Jacob smiles and thinks about Maria as she talks about how she decides the path she’ll take, so she asks him to stop. Jacob then says that maybe R-19 has preset motives and that there’s someone out there that looks like him. Either way, he says R-19 can decide to carry on those thoughts or to not do so.

 

R-19 says he can’t answer because he wasn’t given the functions to think on it. Jacob answers that R-19 still wants to know despite that, and he takes the question he asked earlier as proof of this. R-19 says nothing in response.

 

Anyways, Shennongpoca leads you all through many secured doors. They lock behind you, and eventually you reach some war room that you look around and ask about. Tiger Man and a bunch of mobs put on a welcoming show as they declare themselves Tezcatlipoca’s elite guards. You react with shock that this is happening again and recognize Tiger Man.

 

Tiger Man greets you and says he’s not the lead this time, then prompts everyone to get ready for the appearance of their shining sun, their superstar! Tiger Man pulls a shining stone fragment that looks like a black sun and holds it up, which then belches out a bunch of smoke. Shennong is released from Tezcatlipoca’s puppeteering as he coughs and collapses. You go to him in concern and can hold him up.

 

Shennong calls you an idiot and asks why you didn’t leave the prison. He says you’re now dragged into the inescapable war he compares to a swamp. It’s a war that will ruin and harm all. He tried to get you out because of his worry for you, so he’s baffled you chose to walk in here. You say you have reasons you can’t go home yet, say you were worried about him, or say he’s the same.

 

Shennong says it’s stupid, even if you stayed for someone else’s sake. And if that’s really why you stayed, he says you’re the kind of idiot he hates, then sighs about hating people who’d happily hurt themselves.

 

Anyways Tezcatlipoca materializes himself here and laughs and asks if you’ve been waiting for him. At last you two can meet, and he calls you both his friend and sibling. His dark shining eye fixes itself on you as he smiles, then he calls you the hero exiled from El Dorado, Quetzalcoatl. And on that note the episode ends.