Judgment Night
The crew meets Aoidos, an amnesia-afflicted musician who is successful but unsatisfied with his music. Taken by Rackam's bass playing, Aoidos makes the helmsman join his band and in turn becomes part of the crew.
At a venue on an island somewhere, blaring music and shouts can be heard as the audience works itself into a frenzy.
Female Fan: Aoidos! Take me to heaven!
Male Fan: Woo-hoo! Heaven me, bro! Heaven! Heaven!
When the song ends, the man on stage pauses to catch his breath and then turns to his audience.
Aoidos: I can still... I can still feel it.
Aoidos: The wind was icy that day. I was chilling at my favorite restaurant.
Aoidos: It's a cool place. The sorta place where you can mend your broken wings.
Aoidos: But they were taking forever with orders that night.
Aoidos: A couple of the other customers got up and left. Finally the owner saw me and laughed.
Aoidos: She was like, "Oh, was someone there?"
Aoidos: ...
Aoidos: It's a cruel world out there. It's constantly beating you down, kicking you as you lay there, and laughing at you the whole time.
Aoidos: Heh-heh... And yet I feel awesome.
Aoidos: And why wouldn't I? Pain, despair, and loneliness are my bread and butter. They keep me coming back to this stage.
Aoidos: Okay! Now who's ready to blow up the world with me? Time for Judgment Night!
The man begins shredding on his guitar, rocking the venue with an explosion of sound. And then he starts belting out the lyrics.
Aoidos: Final night! Staring at a scarlet rose.
Judgment time! You gotta kill or be killed.
Aoidos: Terror in the eyes: the sign of prey.
Bones on bones! Treasure from the sky.
A sepia world! Judge me and hold me.
Aoidos: Aahh!
Meanwhile, the crew heads to the market to buy supplies for the airship.
Vyrn: Hey, hey! We can get apples too, right?
Rackam: Sure. It'll be a while before we get to the next island after all.
Vyrn: Cool! Lyria asked me to pick up a few things too.
Rackam: Whoa! What's the big commotion?
Vyrn: Maybe the guy on that poster over there? Hmm... The Aoidos Eternal Heaven Tour.
Rackam: That's a mouthful and a half. Eh, anyway, let's head to the market.
Aoidos: ...
Manager: Nice, Aoidos. You rocked the house once again.
Aoidos: Just another gig. I mean, it's hard to top perfection.
Manager: Then let me rephrase: as usual, it was the best performance in the skies.
Aoidos: Yeah.
Manager: Huh? What's up, Aoidos? You getting burned out?
Aoidos: ...
Aoidos: I just... I really feel like something's missing from my music.
Manager: Oh, here we go again! How many times do I have to tell you you're a—
Aoidos: I know, I know. I'm a genius! The looks, the talent, the total package! Even the gods must be jealous!
Aoidos: But my music... It doesn't rock. Sometimes it doesn't even feel like it pebbles.
Manager: Nonsense... You're the perfect solo artist.
Manager: Your incredible tunes and your charisma on stage won you fans all across the world. There isn't a soul alive who doesn't know your name!
Aoidos: But no one knows the real me. Heh... Not even I do.
Manager: Ah, you mean the amnesia.
Aoidos: It's already been a year since you found me wandering around town and helped me out.
Manager: You helped me too. My record company's business is booming like your music!
Aoidos: Those memories are what matters! I know they've got the extra juice my sound needs.
Aoidos: But I can't remember a thing! It's almost too much for an artist to bear.
Aoidos: I...
Aoidos: Aahh!
Manager: W-wait, Aoidos!
Vyrn: Heh-heh! If it isn't Siero!
Sierokarte: What a lucky coincidence! I'm here on the island doing business right now.
Rackam: It's lucky for us too. But you've got some weird stuff today. What's this big thing?
Sierokarte: It's a bass, a rare musical instrument from an island far to the west.
Vyrn: An instrument? How are you supposed to get sound outta that thing?
Sierokarte: Interested? Here, Rackam, just put this strap over your shoulder, and pluck the strings like this.
Rackam: Hmm... You mean like this?
Aoidos: Wh-what's that sound!
Rackam: Huh? Who the heck are you?
Aoidos: That sound! That's what I've been searching for!
Aoidos: Huh?
Vyrn: Hey! You okay, Strummer Boy?
Aoidos: Ugh... What am I seeing?
Aoidos: A trio? Did I used to rock out with two other people as a trio?
Aoidos: ...
Rackam: Hey, can you stand up? You look paler than Lyria when she sees a ghost.
Aoidos: Oh, I'm fine... But what was that sound?
Sierokarte: That was my bass. You're Aoidos, aren't you? Are you planning to form a band?
Aoidos: A band? What's that?
Sierokarte: You don't know? That's where three people perform together with a guitar, bass, and drums.
Aoidos: Three people? A trio... That's it!
Rackam: Um, are you sure you don't need fixin' up? I know a doctor if you need one.
Aoidos: Be in my band, Vermillios.
Rackam: Huh? Why would I do that? And who the hell is Vermillios?
Aoidos: That's your stage name. Now all we need is one of those drummers... You there, you look like you know something about the music game.
Sierokarte: Hee-hee. I have a bit of experience to tell the truth. But the Knickknack Shack needs me.
Aoidos: Humph... So destiny's only half-smiling on me.
Rackam: And I'm not smiling at all! We're skyfarers after all, not musicians.
Aoidos: Skyfarers? Radical idea, Vermillios! We'll sail the skies in search of a drummer.
Aoidos: And you're the captain, right? I want you to set up a rehearsal space on your ship. The rest of the crew can just heaven it up.
- Sure.
- What does heaven mean?
Choose: Sure.Aoidos: Wonderful. You'll be the first to hear my next song.
Choose: What does heaven mean?Aoidos: Heh... Only you can figure out what heaven means to you.
Continue 1Vyrn: Wow, it looks like this guy really wants to travel with us.
Rackam: I don't know if this is such a good idea.
Aoidos: What I mean to say is, I'm hitting the skyway to form a band. The tour goes on hold for now.
Manager: Well, I guess that's that then. Promise me an intense heaven when you get back, okay?
Aoidos: Heh-heh. Believe in my pathos.
Manager: Captain, look after Aoidos for me, all right? And one more thing, if you don't mind...
Manager: Maybe I'm being paranoid, but don't let him get his hands on any swords. I'm not sure why, but once before—
Aoidos: We ready yet, Captain? My soul's a sail that wants to feel the breeze!
Manager: Sorry, but just keep that in mind, okay? Good luck!
Aoidos: Aahh!
Thus Aoidos embarks on a journey to form a band.
His explosive music and mighty vocals will surely rock the skies.
Bloody Garden
While Aoidos is forcing Rackam to practice the bass, the crew is attacked by pirates who recognize Aoidos as one of the Vicious Three. The crew fights off the pirates without having the chance to ask more about Aoidos's past.
While searching for a drummer, Aoidos convinces the crew to stop at an island with a booming music scene.
He makes Rackam practice the bass on the way, but Rackam is more skilled with driving airships than driving tunes.
Rackam: ...
Vyrn: Ha-ha, you're a total disgrace to the bass!
Aoidos: Try it again from the top. You need more practice, Vermillios!
Rackam: Rackam. The name's Rackam. And what do you expect from me? I'm trying to pilot the airship.
Aoidos: Well lay off the piloting, then.
Rackam: Sure, and we'll all crash! Besides, I never asked to be in your band!
Rackam: Why did it have to be me anyway?
Aoidos: Good question. You might not have any musical talent...
Aoidos: But you do have a cool vibe. And that's way harder to pick up than any musical skill.
Rackam: A cool vibe?
Aoidos: You stick out your tongue at the system, and you stick to your guns. That's the sort of rebel you are.
Rackam: Huh. You really think so?
Aoidos: That vibe isn't worth crap in most places, but it's exactly what I need in my music.
Rackam: What do you mean, not worth crap! Are you complimenting me or insulting me?
Vyrn: Hee-hee. Don't let it get to you. You can do this, Vermillios!
Aoidos: Now get practicing. You debut tomorrow.
Rackam: Who died and made you king!
Vyrn: Whoa! What was that?
Pirate: Ha-ha! This ship is ours!
Rackam: Crap, pirates! They were hiding in the clouds!
Aoidos: I got this. You just keep practicing.
Pirate: Hee-hee! You think you can take us on alone, boy? All you're gonna get is bloody!
Pirate: W-wait! You're one of the Vicious Three!
Aoidos: What?
Pirate: Time to bust out the big guns, or we're all dead meat!
Vyrn: Yikes, that's a whole lotta pain pointed his way!
Aoidos: I haven't been in a mosh pit like this in a while.
Rackam: Cut the crap and fight! C'mon, (Captain)!
Bloody Garden: Scene 2
Aoidos wonders what the pirates meant about the Vicious Three. Vyrn shows up with a possible drummer for the band, but Aoidos and the drummer get into an argument that turns into a fight.
Having taken care of the pirates, the crew reaches its destination and breathes a collective sigh of relief.
Aoidos: ...
Rackam: Hey there, what's wrong? You're looking pretty down in the dumps.
Aoidos: Am I?
Rackam: So they were calling you one of the Vicious Three.
Rackam: It's too late to ask them what they meant, but we could ask around if you're curious.
Aoidos: Ha! Like I care what a bunch of tone-deaf pirates call me.
Aoidos: I'm more interested in hearing your thoughts on a new tune of mine.
Rackam: That's good and all, but still...
Aoidos: ...
Aoidos: I can't say my memories are zero.
Aoidos: My manager said I always had this guitar with me. It's the one thing I still have from before I lost my memories.
Aoidos: My axe is the source of all my music. And if it's my link to the past...
Rackam: So you're gonna have to face it if you want to keep being a musician.
Aoidos: I guess so.
Vyrn: Hey! I found a drummer!
Drummer: I've been dying to show off my skills! You're Aoidos, right? I'll give you beats that'll blast you through a wall!
Aoidos: Is that so? I'll be the judge of that.
Aoidos: When I'm on stage, I expose the world for what it really is, and that takes pathos. So can you send the audience to heaven?
Drummer: Um... Pathos? Heaven?
Rackam: You mean that's not music jargon?
Drummer: Look, I have more experience in the music industry than you. Isn't that enough?
Aoidos: Heh. So the past is all you have to be proud of? Then I can see your future.
Drummer: What the hell! You lookin' to get your world blown up?
Aoidos: That does sound amusing. Show me your pathos!
Drummer: Oh I'll show you, all right! Come on outside and see!
Vyrn: Hey, that's no way to make music! Why fight over this?
Bloody Garden: Scene 3
No sooner has Aoidos formed a band than the drummer leaves. As Aoidos wanders around a forest in despair, he picks up a sword and seems to go crazy. Rackam manages to snap him out of his trance just as a monster attacks.
The crew defeats the drummer, but Aoidos approves of his physical prowess and concludes that the band is ready to make its debut.
Aoidos: I was always... I was always so alone.
Aoidos: But now I've got a band. Sometimes we butt heads, and sometimes we lift each other up. These guys have filled my sepia world with color.
Aoidos: On bass, we have Vermillios!
Rackam: Sigh...
Aoidos: On drums, we have Gigantios!
Drummer: Y-yeah, man!
Aoidos: All right! Now who's ready to blow up the world with me! Time for Bloody Garden!
The band members play like their lives depend on it, and their explosive sounds begin to combine.
As the melody reverberates through the air, a grin of confidence creeps over Aoidos's face.
Aoidos: Blue blood drained, I close my eyes.
Too tired to sigh, I strain to listen.
But even your smile is silent.
Aoidos: Pierced by icy winds, my punishment.
Waking in the sun, my only crime.
Bloody Garden!
Aoidos: Aahh!
The performance is a huge success, but the drummer complains of physical pain when it's over.
Aoidos: You want to quit the band?
Drummer: Sorry, but my back is killing me.
Drummer: I love the song, but no human being could ever drum like that for long!
Aoidos: What...
Drummer: I'm not willing to die for music. But good luck, dudes. See you!
Aoidos: ...
Vyrn: Hmm... Well, it is a pretty intense song.
Rackam: Even I could tell it was dangerous. Nobody could drum like that without getting injured. So now what, Aoidos?
Aoidos: Heh... I guess the show can't go on.
Vyrn: Hey! Where are you running off to now? Rackam, what are we gonna do with this guy!
Rackam: ...
Aoidos: What a joke. So the music of my dreams is just that—an impossible dream.
Aoidos: Should I take it down a notch? But wouldn't I only be fooling myself?
Aoidos: I just don't know. If only I had my memories back...
Monster: Groooar!
Aoidos: Heh... So is this a random act of fate, or are the gods jealous?
Aoidos: Come then. I'll dance the endless waltz for you.
Aoidos: What?
From out of nowhere, a sword flies toward Aoidos and pierces the ground at his feet. It's almost as the sword is inviting Aoidos to pick it up.
Aoidos: Who did that? Show yourself! What is the meaning of this?
Monster: Groooar!
Aoidos: ...!
Vyrn: Aoidos! Where are you!
Rackam: Did he get lost? Sheesh, this guy is a handful!
Vyrn: Look, someone's there! Hey! What do you think you're doing?
Rackam: Hold it, Vyrn!
Aoidos: Bleh-heh-heh...
Vyrn: Hey... Seriously, what are you doing? That thing—is it a monster?
Rackam: It's gonna cut us up! You're taking this whole bad boy image thing too far!
Aoidos: What?
Vyrn: Whoa! He's coming this way!
Rackam: Something's wrong with him. Snap out of it, man!
Aoidos: ...
Vyrn: It's no good! He's not listening! He totally forgot who we are!
Rackam: Wake up! It's Rackam! Um... I'm in your band.
Aoidos: Bleh-heh-heh...
Rackam: Damn it! It's me, Vermillios!
Aoidos: Huh?
Rackam: It's gig time! Or are we breaking up? I didn't realize your pathos was so weak!
Aoidos: Uh... Argh!
Aoidos: Huff... Huff... Where am I?
Vyrn: He's back! Are you all right, Aoidos?
Monster: Groooar!
Rackam: Ack, the monster's back for revenge! Aoidos, get up!
Aoidos: Aahh! I know the gods are jealous, but enough is enough!
Bloody Garden: Scene 4
Aoidos continues to agonize over the lack of band members, but then it occurs to him that Vyrn would make a great drummer. He forces Vyrn to join his band and continues his journey with newfound hope.
After dealing with the monster, the crew returns to town to rest.
Aoidos: I really don't remember. The sword came out of nowhere, and there you were standing beside me.
Rackam: I see. Well, get some rest for now. You were seriously bummed out about the drummer leaving, huh?
Aoidos: ...
Vyrn: Hey, guess what! That guy left his drum set behind! He said we could have it!
Aoidos: That's nice of him, but what are we supposed to do with it now?
Vyrn: Well, we can't just throw it away. Let's take it to the airship. Ba-dum-bum!
Aoidos: Hey, what was that?
Rackam: Hold it, Vyrn. How did you do that just now?
Vyrn: Huh? I just used my tail. Why?
Aoidos: How could I have overlooked this? A drum part no human being can handle? Ha! Piece of cake for you!
Aoidos: Heh-heh! Our band is back in business!
Vyrn: Wha? Hold your horses! You can't add me to your band just like that!
Rackam: Ha-ha! Looks like you're one of us now. But what's his stage name gonna be, Leader?
Aoidos: Dandelios.
Vyrn: S-stop it! I ain't no Dandelios!
Aoidos: Our goal is to perform at the Auguste Festival! We will heaven up the entire sky!
With the addition of Vyrn, Aoidos's band is complete, so he sets his sights on a major goal.
But the crew still has no idea just what sort of a past is lurking in the shadows of his dreams.
Special Jam Session
Just as he's trying to jazz up his sound, Aoidos meets Mimlemel. The two musicians share a polyrhythmic jam session. Aoidos invites Mimlemel to his next gig, but she declines. The pair's new music confuses (Captain) and the crew.
It's a peaceful afternoon.
(Captain) and Vyrn have gone to buy supplies, while other crew members wait aboard the Grandcypher.
Mimlemel: ...
Mimlemel: Tootle-too!
Mimlemel: ...
Aoidos: ...
Mimlemel: Hm?
Aoidos: Sigh...
Mimlemel: ...
Aoidos: How to amp things up?
Aoidos climbs onto the deck, hardly noticing Mimlemel.
Aoidos: I've really earned my chops during this tour across the sky.
Aoidos: But now that I've got Vermillios and Dandelios, it's time to start playing in a new key.
Aoidos: It's just a matter of how.
Mimlemel: ...
Aoidos: I know I can take my sound to the next level.
Aoidos takes his guitar in hand and begins to play.
Aoidos: Heeeeey!
For a while, Aoidos picks his guitar and hums.
Aoidos: Hmmm... It's not bad, just a little played out.
Aoidos: I don't know. It's like the answer's right under my nose.
Mimlemel: Tootle-too!
Aoidos: Wow!
Aoidos's eyes dart over to Mimlemel.
Mimlemel: Too-too-toot!
Aoidos: ...
Mimlemel: ...
The musicians lock eyes and nod.
Aoidos: Okay. And a one, and a two, and a...
Aoidos: Aaaaaah!
Aoidos: ...
Mimlemel: Sigh...
Aoidos: That totally rocked! Even the birds were cheering Haven!
Mimlemel: Nice.
Aoidos: Jamming with you was something else. We just gave a whole new meaning to polyrhythm!
Aoidos: Hahaha! I've got to put some of this into my new tracks. It's groundbreaking.
Mimlemel: Tootle-too!
Aoidos: I really owe you one! We've got to play together at my next gig.
Mimlemel: Too-tootle-too!
Aoidos: Oh? That's a letdown, but I understand.
Aoidos: You march to a different drummer, anyway. I know you'll shine brightest when you go solo.
Mimlemel: Too-too-too!
Aoidos: It's cool! It's cool! The music's already put us in tune with each other.
Mimlemel: Tootle-too!
Aoidos: So what do you say? Willing to harmonize one more time?
Mimlemel: Toot-toot!
Aoidos: Thanks!
Mimlemel: No biggie! Toot-toot!
Aoidos: C'mon, let's jam! It's our time in the limelight, Tinydos!
Mimlemel: Okeydoke.
Aoidos: You ready?
Mimlemel: Tootle-too!
Mimlemel: Too-too-tootle!
Aoidos: Aaaaaah!
Vyrn: What in the sky's name are those two doing?
Lyria: And what's a polyrhythm?
Vyrn: I don't know. This whole thing has me confused.
Lyria: It looks like Mimlemel and Aoidos are having a great time together, anyway.
Vyrn: They sure are! Talk about your strange musical duos, though.
At first, (Captain) and company are unsure how to react to the peculiar melody.
But as it echoes through the Grandcypher, they can't help but tap their feet.