No More Nightmares

Raid Event: Scars of the Syndicate

Episode 5

No More Nightmares

Previous Quest

Nothing Else Matters

Next Quest

Light Manticore Assault: Expert

Summary

The Syndicate is running roughshod over the village, which brings up painful memories for Aldred. However, after the prince and friends help him rediscover his drive, they set off to defeat Aspidochelone for good.

Dialogue

Move it! Wh-where are you taking me?! Who ARE you people?! You dare question the Syndicate?! I'm gonna break a new hole in these guys' faces and feed 'em their own teeth! This is just like what happened when the Syndicate came to my village... We have to help these people. Gaaah! How can you hurt innocent people like this, cretin?! What is your purpose here?! Speak, before I drag the truth from you! You're the people with the prince... The Doctor warned us about you. And our purpose is to secure villagers for fusing with manticores. Wait. If you fused people with manticores, that means... Aaah ha ha ha! Did you not know that you've been fighting your own family?! I thought that manticore said something, but... No. Oh no. Taste my loathsome power! Urooooargh...b...ther... Aldred... Brother... No... My sister! NOOOOO! That manticore was your SISTER?! What have I done...? I don't know what to say. Ain't nothing TO say right now, boss! We gotta find the Doc and end him before more folks get hurt! You're right. Andromeda, can you please take care of Aldred? You got it. Hey! Ugly! Guess who's back?! Be careful, everyone. There is no telling what manner of tricks or traps that brigand has set for us. Tsk. You have such little faith in me. ...Or wait. Does that mean you actually have EXTRA faith in me? Ah ha ha! There's a magic circle at our feet! A wall of light?! Hrk! We're trapped! Ain't no magic wall of light what can hold ol' Ranzal. Time to smash this sucker! Uh, or maybe not? I am not such a fool as to erect a barrier that could be shattered so easily. This time, Prince, I WILL see you fused with Aspidochelone. But we took that beast down! Incorrect. What you did was not nearly sufficient to bring about its total ruin. Instead, you merely sent it into hiding. And my manticores are now creating tears in space throughout this area. Dammit! You're already done making more manticores?! Indeed! While it may be an unrefined product not yet fused with a person, it is still more than sufficient for making a few holes in space. I imagine Aspidochelone will be with us again before long. And when it is, I will use the power of the magic circle to carry out a fusion between it and the prince! We must escape this place. Haaaah! Useless. Even a shapeshifter lacks the power to destroy that barrier from within. ...From within, eh? Thanks for the tip, Doctor. Aldred! Are you...all right? No. Not when I was the one who... Damn it all, my sister is gone because of me. But that's all the more reason not to let the Doctor here off the hook. It won't bring her back, but at least it's something! What are you planning to do, rubbish? If the barrier can't be broken from inside, we'll just come at it from both sides! I imagine a pair of shapeshifters should be enough to do the trick. Well, well. Look who has spotted a weak point in my plan. Very well, Aldred! Allow me to propose a modest transaction with you. If you look the other way and allow me to fuse the prince with Aspidochelone... I will give you my life. Your life? Indeed. All you need is to stand by and do nothing, and my life is yours. C'mon, this is CLEARLY a trick! Even I can see that! I told you I am evil, but I do not think you fully understood what that means. Evil, my friends, is resolve! The resolve to make whatever sacrifices are necessary to move forward—including my life. The Aeonian Record will be complete so long as the fusion is carried out! It will afford control of all knowledge! Against that, what is my own life? I am also aware, Aldred, that you lack the remaining strength to shapeshift numerous times. Nothing gets by you, eh, Doctor? If you use what little of your strength remains to aid this prince, you will never have your precious revenge. Do not be a fool! Take the deal! I admit, it's a tempting offer... Aldred, no! You can't! I would have your response now, Aldred— although be aware any reply other than yes will be the same as choosing nothing. My answer...is no. I ain't taking your deal! But do you not seek my life?! Did you not yearn for revenge?! Oh, my goal is most definitely revenge. But I want something else, too... I want the memory of that day to go away. I want to purge the nightmare of my parents being murdered and my sister being taken from me. If I let these people die and just ignore Aspidochelone, it will mean the birth of an entirely new nightmare. And then someone else will end up feeling what I did on that grim day! You tell him, Aldred! My fight is with the whole Syndicate, not just you. And so long as that group is still around, I'll KEEP fighting! I won't let that tragedy happen again! I won't let that kind of nightmare come about for me or anyone else! A shame. I truly felt you had the resolve to sacrifice everything for your aims. That you had the resolve for evil. Had we met under different circumstances, we might have even been a sort of friends. I used to think like that—I thought sacrifice and "evil" were necessary to see what I wanted accomplished. But the prince and his people are trying to protect what's important to them—and that means they want to save EVERYTHING! Such idealistic nonsense is the foolish prattle of those who lack resolve! Do you think people without resolve could stand against your titan fiend for the sake of the entire world? You're the one who's mistaken, Doctor! You think evil is hard, when it's actually the easy and lazy path! Sacrificing things is easy—standing up and fighting for what's right is hard! THAT is resolve! Enough. ENOUGH! Let's go, Euden! It's shapeshifting time! No, Aldred! You're too weak! I can't back down now. So if you're worried about me, then HELP me! All right. If that's what you want, then we'll face this fight together! O dragon, give us your strength! Time to crush the Syndicate! Haaah! This isn't for revenge, Doctor— it's to protect everything! Haaah! Time to turn in your medical license, Doc! Hrm. I had hoped to avoid this, but I'm left with no choice. Stop, Doctor. It's over. No. I have one last card to play... I will fuse with Aspidochelone and become the Aeonian Record myself! Great. That means we can finish off both of you at the same time! Then do it, if you can! Once I become an undying repository of knowledge, my first task will be to absorb YOURS! Wrong again, Doctor! We'll defeat you both! Yeah! (Come on, body... Just a little longer...)