Grace/Stories

General Stories Misc

Quotes

On Sortied

Will you send me to his side?

On Entering a Room

Let us lay them to rest.

When Quest Begins

Let us go forth, to further pile up our sins...

Make careful preparations to avoid needless loss of life.

Response to Beginning of a Quest

My journey of mourning continues apace.

I pray we all survive.

When Controlling Character in Quest

I'll not lose anyone else.

When Receiving a Heal

My gratitude.

I...survived.

When Entering a Boss' Room

Our final enemy approaches. Let us bring an end to this.

The time for sinners to atone for their crimes is at hand!

Response to Entering a Boss' Room

Oh, I'll not let anyone die.

I shall take them on as though they are my husband's foes!

Upon Getting to Low Health

I grow weak...

Is this what it means to fear death?

Upon Opening a Chest

My heart is pounding. What could be inside?

This is the reward for our hard work.

Boss on Low Health

They're poised on the cusp of death. Now for the killing blow!

Let us see them to the grave.

Boss Enters Break State

It's off-balance—just as I am.

It leaves us an opening, and we must take advantage.

Rare Enemy Spawns

A predestined meeting.

Does this fair luck come from him...?

Upon Death

I go to be with him...

It's finally...over.

Upon Revival

My life lingers ever on.

When Using Weapon/Shared Skills

Behold death.

My hatred escalates.

May love abundant be yours.

Life is brutish and short.

I'll not let you go.

Death eludes me.

Player Uses Damaging Skill

Ah, wonderful...

How strong you are.

When Shape Shifting is Ready

The power of the dragon rages within!

The dragon and I shall be one.

Shape Shifting into Dragon

I shall mourn as the dragon.

Idle During Quest

It's only sensible to not live recklessly.

I've been waiting for him for so very long...

Quest Clear

To be alive is a thing to be celebrated.

Quest Failure

This was not the end I sought.

Home Screen Walking

I continue to mourn.

I wish only to be at his side.

I can't help but think of him always...

Why must I alone live on?

I thought I sensed his presence just there!

If I could go back to that fated day...

Home Screen Inside

No matter how much one swears their love, there is no proof it will last. Now is all that we have.

The death of my husband was my punishment for all the lives I ruined while with the Syndicate.

Taking a life that you may live? Ah, but we are all sinners alike in this harsh world.

I feel I used to smile more when he was with me, but I cannot swear to such with certainty.

The pain I feel when I remember never dulls. It is the only way I have to love him.

When young, I spent all my time on study. He was my first love— and my last.

Home Screen Portrait

We fought as any would, but I can say with certainty that I loved everything about him.

The sword my husband left behind was his most precious possession.

I'll never forget him, I don't wish to forget him. This is what it means to love.

Do you too have someone you can never forget? Tell me more.

Collection Portrait

I cling to my memories, retrace them in my mind... I will never forget.

I should have spent more time with him no matter the cost.

I know he'd rather I forget him then continue to suffer in such misery. Ah, but he was kind.

My work with the Syndicate brought misfortune to so many, yet I still yearned for my own happiness. What a fool.

At The Halidom

He is gone from my life...

Was my hat askew?

This is a peaceful place, and ill fit for my sorrow.

New Mana Circle Unlocked

How I dream of being at his side.

On Mana Circle Fully Unbound

My sorrow is such that I would welcome death, yet I've come to realize I must live for his sake.

Adventurer Story Episodes

Episode 1

The Color of Sadness

...... Are you all right, my child? ...Hmm? You appear to be weeping. Oh. I see you also wear a mourning dress. Has someone close to you perhaps gone home to Ilia recently? My husband. He died as punishment for my sins. Punishment? I brought misfortune to so many. I treated them as animals. As things. And yet, I still believed I could find happiness. Ah, what a fool I was. Salvation begins with belief, my child. Won't you join me in prayer? I shall not. My heart is beyond salvation. For my love for him is far too strong... A sword...? My child, no! You mustn't! Be calm. I am not considering adding the sin of self-slaughter to my tally. Not here or now, at any rate. I wish only to see my dear husband again, and I would have that young man send me to the place where he now is. How did it go, Aldred? Did you find some new information on the Syndicate? Former Prisoner of the Syndicate
Andromeda
No. The trail went cold here. But I'm not giving up! Young Man Sworn to Vengeance
Aldred
They took everything from me, and my journey won't be over until I've put every last one of 'em in the ground! ...Ah. There you are. You know me, lady? I do indeed know you, Tf-997. My name is Grace, and I have come to you with a request. How do you know that name?! Are you with the Syndicate?! If I say yes, will you take my life? ...What? I want my death to take place by your hands alone. Um, are you all right there? I am not "all right." Nothing is "all right." Ever since I lost him, I have been near to madness with grief and pain. Please, Aldred. End my pain. Surely you are capable of such. What the hell are you talking about? Do it. End me. I know you can. After all, you killed my only love. Sorry, I did what? You don't even remember...? I see. To you, he was insignificant... But to me... I won't demand you bring him back. All I ask is that you send me to meet him. Will you end me as you did him? ...... Why will you not do this thing?! WHY?! DO IT! END MY WRETCHED LIFE!

Episode 2

Past Sins

An unknown woman in a mourning dress appeared
before Aldred and asked him to end her life.
Her behavior bewildered Aldred and Andromeda,
who believed she must have gone mad.
Hey, so that's a mourning dress, right? Did someone close to you die? My husband. He and I worked together with the Syndicate. So you ARE with the Syndicate! No wonder you knew that damn name. My husband and I were involved in the Synthetic Shapeshifting Project. The project that gave me this body! The very same. I can see the hate you hold for me. Unleash that fury now. End me. ...... Finish me. Grant me salvation. You ask for salvation after what you did to me? Shameless. Pathetic! And yet, it is all I can do. Fine. In that case, tell me about yourself. Every last detail. If I decide that you deserve salvation, I'll give it to you. Very well. My husband and I were employed in research as to whether a certain kind of magic could be used for medicinal purposes. What magic is that? Fusion magic—the combination of one living creature with another to bring about a wholly new organism. My husband thought this magic might make it possible to replace limbs lost due to war or disease. By which you mean you'd transfer limbs from beasts to people, right? That's a seriously sick idea. Most believed as you do now, which is why his research was rejected. But the Doctor thought otherwise. The Doctor! Yes. He invited us to join the Syndicate, with the promise we could continue our research uninterrupted. It was an offer we could not refuse. It did not take long for us to realize the Syndicate was engaging in practices most inhumane. But as we knew our research could benefit countless numbers of people, we did not stop. ...Until we saw the Tf-series. What difference did seeing us make? The Tf-series, created through the Synthetic Shapeshifting Project, was the fusion of human and dragon. The moment we saw you, we knew our research would be twisted for evil ends no matter how much positive potential it might hold. After that dark day, we changed the direction of our research. But soon thereafter, some of our experimental subjects escaped. My husband was killed in the chaos. Laid low by one of the escapees. And by "one of the escapees," you mean me. I do. Which is why I want you to finish your work. End me as you did him, that I might join him in a new life. ...... Oh, this is all so sad. No. I won't kill you. Why not? Do you not hate me? Do you not seek to end all who took the side of the Syndicate? Oh, I hate you, all right. I hate you with absolutely everything that I am. So why would I give you salvation? You can suffer until you drop dead in a ditch, lady. I don't give a damn. Wait! Look at this sword! Oh my gosh... It's practically bursting with mana! If you do not honor my request, I will cause the mana in this sword to run wild. It will easily destroy this entire town. Would you sacrifice so many simply to see me suffer a little longer? Not gonna work, lady. What do I care if you decide to wipe out a few random townies? Wipe out the town. Hell, wipe out two! I'm still not going to kill you. ...... I have no other path to salvation. If you do not do this thing, I will know endless suffering. That night at the inn...
What are you going to do, Aldred? About what? That woman. She followed us here. What are you going to do about her? She's locked herself in her room, but she clearly still wants you to... you know? Do that thing? If being alive means she suffers, I hope she lives a thousand years. She was with the Syndicate—I wouldn't give her a cup of water if she was on fire. What ought I to do? (He killed someone I love dearly.) (And yet, I was the one who wronged him first by taking his future and freedom.) I know I have no right to salvation. And yet, I wish it above all things.

Episode 3

Desperate for Salvation

Five days have passed since Aldred
and Andromeda encountered Grace.
No info on the Syndicate today, either. Why don't we ask Grace? Hmm. I guess she might have something. Then we should go see her! C'mon! Why do I get the feeling you're trying to hook the two of us up somehow? She hasn't come out of her room since she arrived at the inn. She's not taking meals, and she won't answer if you try to talk through the door. I just... I don't know. I guess I feel bad for her. Yeah, well, I ain't as nice as you. That lady's Syndicate—she can die and stink up that room for all I care. No, I get that—but I ALSO get that her life was upended by the Syndicate just like yours and mine were. ...Right? Tch. This whole thing is a damn pain... Hey! Lady! You dead in there or what? ...... Right. I'm comin' in. ...... What's with the mime act, lady? Why ain't you talking? Kill me. Look, I'm gonna go grab dinner. What? I'm hungry. It's dinnertime. If you wanna talk or whatever, meet me downstairs. I'll hear you out there. Liar. C'mon, Grace! Let's go eat! ...... You're one stubborn son of a fiend, ain't ya? Well, come down or don't. I'm gonna grab some chow. Why am I...? I want to die, and yet all I can think about is my empty stomach. My heart cries out for release, yet my body screams to continue. Why is it so desperate to live? I don't really get your deal, lady—and I sure as hell don't care for your attitude. You're one of those people who tries to push all their problems on someone else. Aldred! Don't talk to her like that! She's clearly troubled. If you really want to do this thing, you should eat up, regain your strength, then come at me with everything you got. In the physical and mental state you're in now, you wouldn't be enough of a threat for me to need lethal force. Oh, Aldred... Listen, Grace. He may be rude, but he's also right: You should eat something and try to get your strength back. You're asking me to live in order to be killed at a later time? ...Very well. So how long are you gonna follow us? Until you kill me. You don't know when to give up. Hello, pot. This is kettle. Nice to meet you. ...Speaking of, where ARE we going next? I got some info that the Syndicate set up a research facility beyond the mountains. If you wanna follow us there, lady, I won't stop you. Just stay the hell outta my way if you do. ...... Just a little more. Once we head down the mountain... Look! Syndicate goons! Didja really think we'd let ya run free forever, freak? This was all a trap to lure ya to this mountain! So the information itself was fake?! You think you guys caught me? Wrong! You just saved me the trouble of hunting you down! Behold the dragon that slumbers within. You will never forget this power! Don't matter how many of you useless flunkies come at me, I'm gonna... Hrrrgh! D-damn! M-my arm! You're overusing the dragon's power, Aldred! You have to stop! Nnngh! Don't try to suppress the dragon's power by force! Feel the flow. Let it stream through you. That is the purpose of wyrmbinding! Grace?! Aldred needs time. Let us stay here and protect him until he learns to control his ability. I'm good with that, but you— No time. They are coming! How's it going, Aldred? You calm? Yeah. When I try to use the power now, it actually feels sort of...good. Yay! Also, it looks like the Syndicate has pulled back, so I think we can take a little break for the moment. So, uh, Grace... Yes? Why did you help us? It would be a problem for me if you died. You cannot very well end my suffering if you are not alive to do so. Are you STILL on about that? You guys really are two peas in a pod. If you've got time to flap your gums, you've got time to walk. We need to get some miles in before we lose the sun. Ah, my dear Grace. I've found you at last. I WILL save you. I swear it.

Episode 4

A Dying Wish

I've found you at last, Grace! Parker? Why are you here? Because we are old, dear friends! You must have known I would come looking for you when you vanished. Come, Grace. Let us go back together. There is nothing for me in the Syndicate. Not without him. The only place I wish to go to is where he resides now. Oh, my dear Grace... But very well! I accept your terms. I will abandon the Syndicate with you. What are you talking about, Parker? Surely you are aware of what happens to those who leave that organization. I am aware—and it's a risk I accept. ...H-huh?! I love you, Grace.  ! I have loved you from the moment I first set eyes on you. Parker, I... I know you have lost someone you love and are trapped in the depths of grief. We bear a similar pain, you and I, for I grieve at the loss of a dear friend. Should we not join our lives in that case? A pain shared is a pain halved, after all. I am sorry, Parker, but I cannot. I am simply not strong enough to bear the enormity of his loss. You could if it was shared! With my help! Come with me, Grace, and I will show you how to leave that pain behind! Ah, but I do not want to leave it behind. I wish to keep this pain inside me. When I remember him, my heart aches. And yet, the only way to free myself from this torment is for his memories to fade. I do not wish that. Instead, I seek to go to him while his memories are yet fresh. What would he say on hearing such things? Do you think he wants this for you?  ! Do you think him the kind of man who hoped his love would blindly follow him off into oblivion? The kind of man who would reject happiness for his beloved if it came in a world he no longer inhabited? That's... I don't... Do this for him, Grace. Come with me for him! Graaaace! Where aaaare you? Y-you must leave, Parker. Now! Hmm? Why are you so flustered? You are still with the Syndicate. If Aldred finds you, there will be great trouble. Please, you must go. Very well. But think about my proposal, won't you? I will come for an answer soon. Who was that guy? A traveler asking directions. Nothing more. ...... Where are you going, Grace? I wish to be alone for a while. You two should get some rest. Hey, you do you. But just so you know, we're crossing that mountain tomorrow. If you're worn out because you didn't sleep, I WILL leave you behind. Be careful, okay? Who knows what kinds of things lurk around here at night. I will. Thank you. (...What would you have me do, my love? As Parker says, you would never have desired my death to join with yours.) (And yet, I wonder if you know just how empty and shallow a world is once the person you love is no longer in it?) (I cannot go on in such a state. And yet...) ...Grace? Parker. You followed me all the way here. I told you I would come for your answer. My answer, Parker, is no. I simply cannot do it. Grace, I know what happened in his final moments. What? When Tf-997 and Tf-999 escaped, your husband was attacked by Tf-997. I knew as soon as I saw him that his wounds were beyond healing. Even so, I tried. As I set in to heal him, he said four words: "Take care of Grace."  ! While my love for you is true, I did not come here simply to sate my own desire. His last wish was for us to be together, and I seek only to honor it! He truly said that? He did. So please, Grace, come with me. I cannot live with myself if I let you get killed at the hands of that failure! By failure I take it you mean Aldred?! And Andromeda as well?! Why are you upset? They ARE failures— everyone at the lab called them such. ...You are a liar, Parker. And your claims of my love's last words are also a lie. Grace, no! What are you saying?! My love never used the word "failure." Not for them. Instead, he said that we were the failures. He said that if we researchers had been better at our jobs, the test subjects would not have had to suffer as they did... And I agree with him: We stole everything from them. Their bodies. Their souls. That is a sin WE must bear. How can you say this about mere test subjects? "Mere test subjects"? "Failures"? No. My husband would never have wanted me to be with a man who carried such thoughts as these. And I, too, cannot love one such as you. That is one thing I can say with certainty. Oh, Grace. Oh, my dear. If you will not walk beside me... ...You will die by my hand. Syndicate soldiers! If you will not obey me, then you are a traitor who must be disposed of. Urrgh! You could have been with me, Grace, and instead you cast it all aside. You are a hopeless fool. And you're a selfish piece of crap. Tf-997! Why are you helping her?! Oh, I'm not. But one look at those masks, and I couldn't hold my arm back. Are you okay, Grace? What are you two doing here? Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. My standing with the Syndicate will only rise if I also deal with you, Tf-997! Careful. Your mouth is making promises you can't possibly keep. Oh, but I can. For you see, your own strength is about to devour you. With the power of this crystal... No... Aldred, RUN! The hell...? Nnngh! M-my body is... GRAAAAGH! Aldred!

Episode 5

Holding on to Hatred

Graaagh! I'm losing control of the dragon! AAAAAAUGH! Aldred's going berserk! What are we gonna do?! This crystal was made to stimulate activity in a fused body, and I must say, I'm rather delighted with the results! How could you? Do not blame me, Grace—it is but another fruit of you and your husband's research. Our design only stimulated activity in a fused subject in order to help those whose lives were in danger. It was NEVER meant to force a person into a rage like this! Ah, but every tool has its use. This crystal, the failed experiment...and your husband. What are you talking about? Would you like me to share your husband's TRUE last words with you, my dear? "How could you?" No. That cannot be. That means his killer... Was ME! Yes, exactly! I took advantage of the chaos wrought by the failure's escape and killed him with my own two hands! Oh, how I loathed that man. He took everything I wanted and lived his life in blissful happiness. But even once he was gone, you STILL rejected me! So if I cannot have you for my own, I will have the joy of ending you! Grace! ...No. Oh? What now? Have you not been praying for death this entire time? Yes—but not at your hand. That's why I'm going to release the power stored in the memento he left me! That's the sword with all the mana! Grace, no! If you release that mana, it will destroy everything for miles! Worry not. I'm not planning to involve any innocents in my own end. Now behold the true power of the sword! It's...drawing the dragon's power...! Aldred's back? What is going ON?! This sword is a memento from my late husband—one which serves to control the magic of wyrmbinding. Even as we worked for the Syndicate, my husband and I advanced our own independent research so that we might atone for our crimes! You think that makes you good people? Absurd! The crimes you have committed can NEVER be forgiven! Die, Grace! Die, die, DIE! Urgh...?! You mind, Grace? I mean, seeing as how he's with the Syndicate and all. I do not. It is time he atoned for his sins—with his very life. ...... Here you are. I have many things to repent for. My tally is so very long. And I am sorry to burden you with even more sin. If you're talking about that guy, it had nothing to do with you. The Syndicate is my enemy, so I killed him. That's it. I disagree—it DOES have to do with me. Your hatred begins with me and my sins. There's plenty of sin to go around. Plus, sounds like you and your hubby actually tried to save us test subjects in your own way. That sword? Your research? I'd be dead without 'em. You're surprisingly cute when you smile. Wh-what?! Now then, will you continue your journey of revenge knowing that your body can be rather...unreliable? Revenge is all I have, and my fight won't end until I've ripped out the still-beating heart of the Syndicate. Even though that revenge will not return your lost happiness? Even though you only stand to lose even more in the end? My past is all I have. I don't know another way. We are very much alike, you and I. Yeah, maybe so. I don't want to forget about him. But if I am to go on living, I want to do so hating everyone and everything that stole my husband from me. I want to hold onto that hate until the day that I die. So please let me continue to hate you. Let me hate you so the pain in my heart will never be healed and my grief can continue unabated. You should hate me—if I didn't escape, your husband would still be alive. So I'll own that. And you may hate me, as well. However, I think I know a way to help atone for my sin. You're talking about the power in that sword, aren't you? Yes—and so I will continue my research into it. Even if there can be no salvation from grief, I will use my remaining life in an attempt to atone for my sins. Anyway, I think this is where we part. Thank you for everything. If you don't have a destination in mind, you should strike out for the Halidom. The Halidom? Yeah, there's a real bleeding heart of a prince there. He'll help you. I see. Thank you, Aldred. Let us meet again someday. (We are beyond redemption. Not even a god could save us.) (But it is that fact—that hopelessness— that gives us the path on which we must continue our lives.)