Koku/Lore
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| Game | Strategy | Lore | Voice |
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This page is a Lore stub. Please help us expand it by contributing relevant data. See Meta:Manual of Style/Character Pages/Lore for more info. |
Official Profile
| Age | Unknown (We've most certainly lived longer than you!) |
|---|---|
| Height | 140 cm (We're actually much bigger!) |
| Race | Other |
| Hobbies | Making charms and masks |
| Likes | Omuri... n-never mind! |
| Dislikes | Huanglong, the sky realm |
Character Release とある島で受けた調査依頼が一段落し、昼食を食べようと食堂に向かった主人公たちは、店主に首根っこを掴まれ叱られる子供に出会います。 その子供は「我は死滅の化身、コク様ぞ！」と名乗っており―― |
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- Source [1]
- * This is an unofficial, amateur translation.
| Age | 不詳(貴様らより断然長く生きてるんだからな！) |
|---|---|
| Height | 140cm(本当はもっとでかいんだからな！) |
| Race | その他 |
| Hobbies | まじない、仮面作り |
| Likes | オムライ……な、なんでもないッ！ |
| Dislikes | 黄龍、空の世界 |
Character Release とある島で受けた調査依頼が一段落し、昼食を食べようと食堂に向かった主人公たちは、店主に首根っこを掴まれ叱られる子供に出会います。 その子供は「我は死滅の化身、コク様ぞ！」と名乗っており―― |
|
- Source [1]
Background
Events
Trivia
Special Cutscenes
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Spoiler Alert! These tabs contain special event cutscene scripts. View these tabs at your own discretion. |
| Happy Birthday Cutscenes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Link | Text | ||
| 1 | ✔ |
Hmph. It has come to our attention that it's your birthday. |
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| 2 | ✔ |
Ah, (Captain). We can easily guess why you've come. Unfortunately, we bear ill tidings. |
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| Happy New Year Cutscenes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Link | Text | ||
| 1 | ✔ |
Sigh... How have we allowed these skies to see yet another year... |
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| 2 | ✔ |
The morning sun dazzles us, (Captain). Happy... |
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| Valentine's Day Cutscenes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Link | Text | ||
| 1 | ✔ |
Here, (Captain). Have this Valentine's chocolate or whatever it is you call it. |
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| 2 | ✔ |
Hehehe... your intent is plain. You seek chocolate from the great Koku, do you not? |
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| Gift |  2nd year:  |
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| White Day Cutscenes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Link | Text | ||
| 1 | ✔ |
Pardon? Thank you for Valentine's Day? |
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| 2 | ✔ |
(Captain)? Wh-what do you want? We are busy devising the destruction of the Sky Realm. |
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| Trick or Treat Cutscenes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Link | Text | ||
| 1 | ✔ |
Trick or treat! If you're thinking we'll pull some measly prank on you, think again! Prepare to be cursed! |
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| Happy Holidays Cutscenes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Link | Text | ||
| 1 | ✔ |
Hmph... The great Koku, tasked with decorating a tree... How did it come to this? |
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Fate Episodes
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Spoiler Alert! These tabs contain full Fate Episode cutscene scripts with major spoilers about the character. View these tabs at your own discretion. |
Koku, Annihilation Incarnate
(Captain), Lyria, and Vyrn discover a mysterious stone while investigating an unusually long downpour. On the way back, the three look for a place to eat, where they run into Koku, a mischievous child with a massive ego. The restaurant owner suspects that Koku is lonely and asks that the crew accompany them—to which the trio agrees.
Once upon a time, among the filth of a wasteyard, a soul was born.
Deranged Astral: Gwahahaha! O god of destruction, may the heavens and earth—and all the creations therein—come to know your full glory!
On the periphery of a quiet village, a lone Astral's hysterical laughter echoes throughout the empty wasteyard.
Deranged Astral: To the skies that so disgraced me—may you suffer destruction, ruin, and death.
The man, in his insanity, is unperturbed by the mound of primal remains at his feet.
Deranged Astral: From death were you born, for death do you live, and within death will you thrive! Now, annihilation incarnate... Be free!
Qilin: ...
It was a birth undesired and without cause for celebration—for no one should wish such a being into existence.
???: Another dream...
???: Our duty remains unfulfilled... But the next ritual, surely it will be the one...
The child rises, only to immediately be swallowed by darkness.
Lyria: It's definitely raining harder the closer we get to the ruins!
Vyrn: This isn't just rain—it's a full-blown storm! We're at the edge of the island, so be careful not to get blown away!
Having received a request to investigate the strange downpour from a local village chief, (Captain), Lyria, and Vyrn head deeper into the ruins.
Lyria: Is this some kind of altar?
An ornate, carved stone glistens at the center of what appears to be a newly crafted altar.
Vyrn: I mean, this shiny rock sure looks pretty, but it's kinda suspicious if ya ask me...
Vyrn gives the stone a poke with one of his claws; it responds with a burst of blindingly white light.
Vyrn: Whoooa!
Violent winds erupt from the pedestal, sending Vyrn careening toward the edge of the island.
Lyria: Vyrn!
In a flash, (Captain) dashes toward the altar and removes the shining ornament.
Vyrn: Phew... I thought I was a goner for sure! Did that stop the wind?
Lyria: I think so. It calmed down as soon as we took the stone out...
Hoping to learn more about the mysterious decoration, the crew decides to take it back to town.
Vyrn: It's so sunny out—maybe that storm was all in our heads! Anyway, let's grab some lunch!
(Captain), Lyria, and Vyrn make their way toward a restaurant, where they soon find its owner holding a child in the air by the scruff of their collar, berating them.
Restaurant Owner: Enough is enough, you brat!
???: We demand that you unhand us! Know your place, you cretin!
Koku: We are Koku, annihilation incarnate! Our appearance may be as such, but our time in these skies vastly outnumbers yours!
The child, despite being dressed down by the shopkeeper, continues to make all sorts of pompous proclamations before turning to see (Captain).
Koku: Hm? And what's this?
Locking eyes with (Captain), the child lets out an arrogant huff—all while still being suspended in the air.
Koku: Hehehe... To think you'd be the one to come to us... This makes things easier.
Restaurant Owner: Oh, are you this shrimp's siblings? C'mon, you oughta keep a better eye out.
Koku: Pardon? We would never consider such inferior species to be our family!
Vyrn: Naw, we haven't even met. Was the little rascal causin' ya trouble?
Restaurant Owner: Don't get me started. It's been nuisance after nuisance since this monster showed up.
Koku: You want to see a nuisance? Fine—mark our words, mortal...
Koku: If you continue to defy us, we'll wipe your sorry excuse of a town from existence.
Lyria: Wow, how much did he defy you to deserve that?
Restaurant Owner: Nothin'—the little scamp's just talkin' about the nonstop rain. I hung a charm outside the shop to ward off the bad weather.
Restaurant Owner: Maybe it's a bit of a superstition, but I figured it'd help lift the mood around town.
Koku: O curse of inversion, summon the darkest of clouds and bring about eternal submersion. We only had to reverse the charm...
Koku: And voila! Unending rain, which will drown your crops and lead to the inevitable death of your precious village!
Koku proudly points to the storefront. Sure enough, the rain talisman has been retied upside down.
Vyrn: Um, let me get this straight. The kid just messed with your charm?
Restaurant Owner: Yep.
Vyrn: That's it? I mean, did ya really have to get mad over something so small?
Restaurant Owner: This isn't the first time this happened—and it isn't the only thing either. The brat moves my flowerpots and bothers my customers...
Vyrn: Guess it makes more sense why you'd wanna kick the kid out now...
Koku: The sheer audacity... Watch your mouth, you lowly lizard!
Vyrn: Y'know, normally I'd get mad about being called a lizard, but you're hogging all the angry vibes.
Koku: What's that!
Vyrn: I'm saaaying calm down. This rain isn't doin' anybody any favors. You gotta quit it with the pranks.
Koku: You think this is a mere prank? Well, think again—this is a well-known curse from ages past.
Koku: Without our true power, it's nothing more than a meaningless ritual. However...
Koku: By observing the proper process, unseen energies coalesce into an unstoppable force, causing the curse to come to fruition.
Lyria: I-in that case, assuming the upside down charm actually works, then...
Koku: These skies will be enveloped in a sea of dark clouds, forever drenched in a never-ending rain. What you see now is just the beginning.
Hearing such a sinister omen, Lyria and the others worriedly turn their gaze upward.
Vyrn: Sure feels nice to see the sun again...
Lyria: Yep, not a cloud in the sky! It looks like the worst of the storm is behind us!
Koku: What!
Koku: Why? Why does this always happen! We must regain our power!
As Koku laments the weather's comically poor timing, a young girl comes running in the crew's direction.
Village Girl: O great Kokuuu! Make me another reverse rain talisman!
Clearly on the verge of tears, the girl hands Koku a small white cloth.
Village Girl: Now that the rain's gone, Daddy and Mommy have to get back to work... Sniffle...
Koku: Sigh... How can you feel abandoned again... Just quit making that face. It's depressing.
Koku plucks a strand of their own hair and ties it around the cloth, reproducing a cute, ghost-like talisman.
Koku: Hmph. One reverse rain talisman, as ordered. We even used a part of our vessel, so it's sure to be extra effective.
Village Girl: Thank you, Koku! I'll go home and hang it upside down!
The young girl grabs the charm, wipes her face of tears, and dashes off as quickly as she had arrived.
Lyria: The prank you pulled at the restaurant... Was it for that girl?
Koku: You're imagining things. It was simply a convenient means of destroying you!
Koku: Curses! If only we had our original powers... Then we wouldn't have to live among these pesky skylings!
Vyrn: Original powers? The kid keeps sayin' the weirdest things. What do ya think, Lyria—another primal?
Lyria: I dunno... I'm not feeling anything...
Koku: Hmph. Don't lump us together with those beasts of mediocrity. We are a unique creation born of pure genius!
Koku: The fact that you fail to recognize the vestigial powers that slumber within us speaks to your dire lack of experience.
Vyrn: Ah, that reminds me... Earlier, you were talkin' like you already know us, right?
Koku: Indeed, we do. For the ones who downed the cardinal beasts so many—
Lyria: Ah, sorry about that... It's just we're standing next to a restaurant, and everything smells so good...
Vyrn: Come to think of it, we came here to grab lunch, didn't we?
Koku: You ingrates—we were in the middle of a sentence!
Vyrn: Yeah, yeah. I get the feeling this is gonna take a while anyway, so we might as well talk over a good meal.
Restaurant Owner: If y'all don't mind, how about grabbing a bite here? It's on the house—even the little rapscallion's food.
Lyria: We'd love to, but... Are you sure?
Restaurant Owner: I don't know the whole situation, but it doesn't seem like the kid's got any family.
Restaurant Owner: Keeps wandering around my restaurant late into the night. I was suspicious at first, but the poor thing's probably just lonely.
Koku: Us? Lonely? Preposterous!
Restaurant Owner: My only condition is you keep this one company. Even better if y'all are quiet.
Vyrn: We can do that much, right? It's not every day we get a free meal!
Koku: You deign make light of the great Koku...
Koku: As if we'd ever bow our head to lowly skylings! Keep dreaming!
Choose: C'mon, don't be shy.
Koku: Hrk! We are not a child!
Choose: Chop-chop. Get moving.
Koku: Gah! Y-you accursed mortal! How dare you address us like that!
Continue 1Lyria: Why turn down a perfectly good invitation? Let's hurry up and head inside—I'm starving!
Lyria and (Captain) each grab one of Koku's hands, quickly finding that the child is light as a feather.
Koku: Hrgh... If only we weren't stuck in such a diminutive vessel!
Koku: Curses! One day, you and the skies you inhabit will meet your end by my hands—I swear it!
Koku continues to rebuke their captors, even as they're dragged inside.
An unphased (Captain) and Lyria plop the mighty child in a chair before sitting down to cheerfully peruse the lunch menu.
Impossibly Delicious
The crew orders Koku omurice at the restaurant, and Koku ends up clearing their plate, shocked by how delicious it is. Out of guilt, Koku braids a talisman to attract customers, delighting everyone despite Koku admitting it has no actual power. However, upon learning that (Captain) cannot perform a wake, Koku storms out.
Having successfully dragged Koku inside the restaurant, (Captain) and the others enjoy their late lunch together.
Lyria: Wow... This beef stew looks amazing!
Lyria: So, Little Koku—no, that's not right... What to call you? Okay, just Koku! Your kiddie platter looks really good, huh?
Koku: Hey, who gave you permission to call us by our name? And why did you even order this for us?
Koku: We, the great Koku, have never dined on the same food as you skylings—nor will we ever!
Vyrn: Whoa, chill. Y'know, usually the more someone complains about the food, the more they end up liking it.
Lyria: C'mon, doesn't it smell really good? Give it a try, Koku!
Koku: Hmph. So you insist on using my name. Very well, I see how it is.
Koku: Now, explain what this yellow dish is supposed to be...
Lyria: It's omurice! The egg is super fluffy and yummy!
Koku: Yes, we've heard of omurice—it's a dish consisting of fused eggs atop boiled grain. Perhaps it deserves a taste...
Koku scoops a tiny portion onto their spoon before carefully taking a bite.
Koku: Nom... Hngh!
Lyria: Well, Koku? What do you think?
Koku: I-impossible! How can such inferior beings create something so delicious? Munch, munch...
Vyrn: Haha, I told ya. Wolfin' it down.
Koku: Silence... You've left us with no choice but to give this small hamburger steak a try as well!
Koku: Nom...
Lyria: It tastes great—right, Koku?
Koku: So grea—wait, no! You heard nothing!
Although the irate Koku's expression remains unchanged, the masks surrounding them quickly swap around, shifting from one color to the next.
The yellow mask appears to represent joy.
Vyrn: So the kid's got a foul mouth and looks mad all the time, but those masks make it so obvious—not that it'd be hard to tell even without 'em.
Lyria: Hehe, you're right. I'm just glad Koku enjoyed the food.
The masks continue to alternate—purple for amusement, navy for sorrow, red for anger, green for relief, and azure for surprise.
Mere moments later, Koku has completely cleared out their kiddie plate.
Vyrn: The owner was nice enough to treat us to lunch. The least you can do is say thanks, Koku.
Restaurant Owner: Haha, don't worry about it. A clean plate is thanks enough for me. Besides, the rain was keeping my regulars away.
Koku: ...
Koku retrieves a knotted red string from their pouch, grumbling as they untangle it and retie it into a new position.
Koku: Hang this talisman outside your restaurant. It will draw in customers.
Restaurant Owner: A talisman?
Koku: Yes. Normally we invert them to cast curses, but by undoing the inversion, they produce blessings.
Koku: If the blessed does their utmost, their determination will amplify the talisman's powers, perpetuating their good fortune and bringing great profit.
Restaurant Owner: Haha, thank you. I'm sure business will boom now.
Vyrn: If you can make talismans like that, why not give one from the start?
Koku: You left us with no choice! Under normal circumstances, we wouldn't even consider helping a skyling!
Vyrn: No choice, huh? C'mon, the old man loves your lucky charm. Wouldn't kill ya to keep spreadin' that joy.
Lyria: Yeah, Koku! Doesn't it feel wonderful making others happy?
Koku: Why would we feel wonderful wasting our energy for a mere mortal?
Koku: Besides, it's not like we put any of our actual power into the talisman. In reality, it has no use whatsoever!
Restaurant Owner: Oh, that doesn't matter. It's the act of doin' something for somebody else that makes 'em happy.
Vyrn: Yeah, it's the thought that counts for these kinda things—right, (Captain)?
Seeing the captain nod vigorously in agreement, Koku lets out a disgruntled complaint.
Koku: You skylings are always like this—getting worked up over the most pointless things. This is why we can't stand such lowly beings...
Koku: Listen up: The great Koku acknowledges your cuisine. We suggest you relish that honor... for it is the only one we shall bestow upon you before we annihilate the Sky Realm!
Hearing such a grand proclamation, the kind restaurant owner can't help but laugh. He ruffles Koku's hair before heading back into the kitchen.
Vyrn: You're lucky he's so nice, Koku.
Koku: Silence, lizard. You're the last who should be addressing us so lightly. In any case, there are more important matters at hand...
Koku: You there—you possess the yupei, correct?
Reminded of the Cardinal Saints, (Captain) shows the yupei to Koku.
Koku: Curses! Still nothing...
Koku: Haven't you been performing wakes! That Excremane has bestowed you with his favor, right? What's your excuse!
Koku: We demand that you perform a wake—right here and now! It's the only reason we appeared before you in the first place!
Vyrn: You say that, but it's really not that simple...
Lyria: A yupei? What's that?
Koku: Are you telling me seasoned adventurers such as yourselves have yet to acquire a yupei? Why did we even bother seeking you out!
(Captain), Lyria, and Vyrn exchange troubled glances with each other.
Koku: You really can't perform them then? Even though you reek of that foul-smelling Excremane?
Koku: Curses! This calls for a change of plans...
The crew waits in silence, watching the irritated young child mutter under their breath.
Koku: ...
Lyria: Koku... What was that just now? It felt kind of... ominous...
Koku: Hm? What's the matter?
Lyria: I-it's nothing... Never mind!
Koku: Very well... The blame falls solely on us for obsessing over this yupei plan. What a total waste of time and effort...
Koku: We've no need for you any longer. There are better places for us to be.
Koku: As for you, shopkeeper—you nourished us, so consider your debt repaid!
Lyria: Koku, wait!
In a huff, Koku storms out of the restaurant alone.
Blood-Boiling Happenings
Sensing an ominous presence, (Captain) and the others decide to pursue Koku and end up at the ruins on the outskirts of town, where Koku performs a ritual to regain their true power. When the crew intervenes, Koku is reminded of their previous failed attempt at restoring their power by using the Cardinal Saints.
Lyria: Oh... These are the ruins we were investigating this morning.
Vyrn: Why would Koku come here?
Koku: Ahem. Care to explain why you're following us?
(Captain) and company have decided to trail Koku, who ends up leading them to some familiar ruins on the outskirts of town.
Vyrn: I mean, c'mon...
Lyria: Um... I was concerned about that strange presence I felt from you earlier...
Koku: Hmph. You're lucky we're stuck in this sorry excuse of a vessel. Otherwise, we'd slaughter you all in an instant...
Despite the crew's presence, Koku begins openly pulling a few items from their pouch.
Lyria: Eep! Koku, is that what I think it is?
Lyria can't help but shriek when the callous child produces a skull among the items.
Koku: We use it for rituals.
Lyria: I-is it... real?
Koku: What do you think?
Vyrn: What kind of ritual needs a skull?
Koku: If we revealed its purpose, you would just laugh.
Lyria: No way! We'd never!
Koku: Hmph. It doesn't matter. Even Astrals would consider it a joke.
Choose: We won't laugh. Promise.
Koku: Fine, but you will never understand.
Koku: We won't deny your persistence, however, so very well... We shall reward you for your curiosity.
Choose: Explain yourself, Koku.
Koku: Hrk. How dare you speak to the great Koku in such a manner!
Koku: You just don't know when to give up. Curses...
Continue 1Koku: It is here at these ruins where we shall perform a ritual of utmost importance—one to reclaim the true power stolen from our previous vessel.
Koku: As we cannot do anything in our current state, we require sacrifices to draw out even a modicum of vestigial power.
Koku: However... when the great Koku finishes the ritual, we will rain destruction upon these skies.
Vyrn: You serious about that?
Koku: It is our oldest ambition.
Lyria: Um... I think the restaurant owner would be disappointed if he found out that's what you wanted.
Koku: Hmph. You skylings always repeat the same things over and over again. We'd rather deal with Astrals.
Vyrn: Wait, so you've also met an Astral before?
(Captain), Lyria, and Vyrn tell Koku about the Astrals they have encountered in their adventures thus far.
Koku: Estalucia? Island of the Astrals? Perhaps the key to unlocking our powers is there!
Vyrn: Y'know, ya don't have to constantly be thinkin' about gettin' your powers back or destroyin' the world and stuff.
Lyria: Yeah, it might be nice to live a slow life—kind of like we saw back in the village.
Koku: We are not so weak of make that we would toss aside our duty at the first sign of difficulty.
Koku: However...
Koku: You're right in that we've allowed these skies to exist for far too long.
Koku: This very well may be a mistake that is beyond our fixing. But even if it takes us hundreds or thousands of years...
Koku: We will put an end to these skies.
Vyrn: Y-you keep sayin' that...
Koku: Silence. This time, we will see it through.
Koku: Oh? There's already an altar here. They're a pivotal aspect of rituals, possessing the ability to amplify the flow of powers unseen.
Koku: Alas, we sense Qilin's presence... Is it coming from here? But there's no reason for that husk to have visited a place like this...
Koku: ...
Lyria: It's that ominous feeling again!
Koku: O curse of malignity, return to us all that was wrongfully usurped by antiquity. Now to tap into the power of these ruins...
Vyrn: No, Koku! Don't do it!
Koku: Hmph. What do you know of the suffering we've endured? You will not command us!
Lyria: Then tell us, Koku! What exactly happened to you?
Koku: Where do we even begin? Just thinking about it makes our blood boil.
Koku: (Curses, that time was the absolute worst—why did it have to happen right after we were separated from Qilin?)
Koku: Why! Why aren't the four of them moving! All that time and effort spent preparing for this moment... Gone! Wasted! For naught!
Koku: Accursed Saints... How will they perform wakes if they can't even best the cardinal beasts.
Koku: First things first, we must learn how dire the situation has become. What could they possibly be doing?
At the back of the shrine, Koku takes a beautiful ornament out of a small wooden box and stares into the hole in its center.
Koku: Excellent, we can see them clearly... Conditions today are wonderful.
Chichiri: Okay, the blanket's all spread out! Time for everyone to share the yummy dishes they made for today!
Uruki: I'll go first! I made a cold potato potage!
Ami: I brought a no-bake cheesecake. It's the best I could do without an oven, and I figured it'd be the perfect dessert for a picnic.
Koku: Those bumbling fools! They would shirk their duties for a picnic!
Reflected within the stone are the four negligent Cardinal Saints—Chichiri, Ami, Shushuku, and Uruki—whose supposed mission is to slay the cardinal beasts.
Koku watches with pure frustration as the girls, oblivious to their observer, continue to banter lightheartedly.
Shushuku: Urk... Uruki, this soup has parsley in it...
Chichiri: Oh? I didn't know you were so picky. Do you still need a binky, Shushuku?
Shushuku: Ngh! Like you're one to talk! Remember the haunted house at the festival? You were crying your eyes out!
Chichiri: Well, weren't you the one pushing me the whole time because you couldn't handle it!
Shushuku: Ooh, forgive me for being a little spooked at a haunted house! You were the one bawling, Chichiri, not me! If anybody here needs a binky, it's you!
Ami: Stop fighting, you two...
Uruki: It'll be okay. Only real friends could speak so honestly with one another.
Both: 🗯️🗲! ♪@💀♪🗲✰?!
Uruki: Huh? Sorry, I couldn't catch what either of you said.
Cardinal Saints: ...
Koku: Hm? They've grown quiet...
Ami: So, um... I've been having a lot of nightmares recently...
Shushuku: Wait, really? Me too!
Chichiri: Same, actually... I think...
Uruki: Now that you mention it, I might have been having a lot of bad dreams too.
Koku: Ah, that's it! Our rituals are working! Your dreams must be full of nothing but yupei and cardinal beasts.
Koku: Shushuku may be beyond saving, but surely the others will now perform the wakes and fulfill their duties!
Ami: Only problem is I don't remember anything about the dreams...
Koku: Huh?
Shushuku: Me neither!
Uruki: You too, Shushuku? Wait, but you never remember your dreams anyway, so maybe nothing weird is going on.
Chichiri: No, but I'm forgetting them too! It's like you see them happen in real time, but when you wake up, you forget everything.
Chichiri: Say, Ami... You brought this up because the awkward silence was making you antsy, right? You dumb-dumb, worrying us over nothing.
Ami: Nuah... How'd you know?
Koku: They're chatting about our nightmare ritual... over a picnic?
Koku: After hiding from monsters, traveling by airship, and circling each of their abodes ninety-nine times with nothing but a candle and our own two feet... This is what we get?
Koku: Curses! We even had to start all over after Qinglong's Saint almost caught us on the ninety-third lap!
Shushuku: Look, you made poor Ami cry! Say sorry, Chichiri!
Ami: Narg! I-I'm fine! How could you possibly think I'm crying!
Ami: Besides, you'd better watch what you say, or else Chichiri will—
Chichiri: ...
Uruki: Should we get out of the way? We probably should.
Koku: Hm?
Chichiri: I'm sorry for getting so carried away, Ami!
The Three: Ahhh!
Attempting to apologize, Chichiri slams into the ground in a highly dramatic bow, causing a blast of dust to block Koku's vision of the party.
Koku: Hrgh, this is exhausting...
Koku: (We can't let the captain and crew know our plans have gone awry—we would die of embarrassment!)
Koku: That's it! Stuff happened, our blood boiled—end of story!
Lyria: O-okay, we won't pry...
Koku: Good! Now, stand there, bask in our glory, and witness the moment we regain our true powers!
(Captain) and the others watch as Koku resumes the ritual, the air around them growing ever more sinister with each passing moment.
Qilin, Instrument of War
Koku, failing to regain their true power, opens up to the others. In doing so, the child discovers a new source of resolve and tries the ritual again, using their own body as a sacrifice. Suddenly, the stone in (Captain)'s hand begins to glow, and the crew witnesses the moment of Qilin's defeat at the hands of Huanglong.
At the shrine, Koku continues the ritual, hoping to reclaim their true power and destroy the skies.
Koku: O powers dark and true, once usurped from our very being, we beseech your return!
Vyrn: Koku, you gotta stop!
Just as the crew ready themselves to leap at the chanting child, the ominous aura begins to dissipate.
Lyria: Huh?
Koku: Grr... Failed again...
Vyrn: Again? You were expectin' to fail?
Koku: O-of course we were! These results were well within the great Koku's predictions!
Vyrn: Then why go through the trouble in the first place? You had us panickin'.
Koku: What choice do we have...
Koku: How would you feel if a gold-maned buffoon had stolen your powers? The ones you had spent hundreds of years cultivating, all absorbed back into their original vessel?
Koku: You see, these childish rituals are the only way to access our former glory.
Vyrn: Doesn't seem like they're really cuttin' it though...
Koku: Sigh... Fine. We admit our failure.
Koku: (Perhaps we've taken too long? We have spent decades—nay, centuries—performing these rites.)
Young Shushuku: I don't care about being a Cardinal Saint! I could keep at it for a century and nothing would change!
Qilin: (Nothing... would change. We, too... cannot change...)
Koku: (Ugh, why must we recall such a pathetic moment?)
Koku attempts to shake off the memory and regain composure.
Koku: No, we mustn't let such setbacks be the reason we abandon our duty.
Koku: We aren't like you inferior beings; we were born and configured with a singular purpose in mind.
Lyria: Koku, you make it sound like you're a primal.
Koku: You deign compare us with those simplistic beasts?
Koku: Before we assumed this form, we were Qilin—a resplendent instrument of war, born to bring death to the skies.
Koku: But now we find ourselves bereft of purpose... and unable to fulfill our mission.
Koku: Argh, curses! You lowly skylings always find a way to distract me with your nonsense!
Koku: We shall succeed if it's the last thing we do! We just need the requisite fervor!
Bag in hand, Koku frantically retrieves a dagger and thrusts the blade into their own thigh.
Lyria: Eek! Koku!
Koku: Your crew, the villagers, even Shushuku—so vexing, the lot of you!
Shushuku is a crew member
Lyria: Did you say Shushuku?
Koku: You all ruin everything!
The fiendish child slaps Lyria's hand away, but the motion causes Koku to double over in pain.
Vyrn: Oh no, Koku!
Koku: Ngh... We are the great Koku!
Koku: The exalted weapon, unique in our purpose, made from primals uncountable!
Koku: What are a hundred setbacks—a thousand failures, even—to such a resplendent being!
Koku: Despite the impossibility or the improbability or, or... the implication... We shall not stop!
Facing the altar, Koku raises their hands to the sky. Moments later, a light begins to shine from (Captain)'s pocket, and a fierce wind whips across the ruins.
Lyria: Oh no, that can't be good!
Vyrn: Ngh, (Captain), that light is coming from the thing you took from the altar!
The captain checks and, sure enough, finds the stone gleaming brightly.
Koku: No... Why do you have that!
Lyria: We found it embedded in the altar. When we took it out, the storm suddenly calmed.
Koku: So Qilin's corestone was here of all places? Absurd.
Koku: Gaaaah! Curse that Excremane!
Koku: Blasted Huanglong, this is where you so proudly hid it—and constructed an altar, no less!
Filled with rage, Koku grabs (Captain)'s shirt.
Koku: Hand it over! Within that corestone sleeps Qilin's power!
Koku: We've spent many agonizing years gathering energy from the yupei! It's all in that stone!
Koku: If we can draw its power back into this body, we can be free of these silly rituals! We can be free of Cardinal Saints and foolish wakes!
Vyrn: Calm down, Koku! We had no idea what this stone was! Promise!
Vyrn: But you just said it contains Qilin's power, right?
Vyrn: If we hand it over, you'll get all your power back, and then the skies are finished? No way!
Lyria: We won't let you do that, Koku!
Koku: Just give it to us!
Koku reaches desperately for the stone in (Captain)'s hand, only managing to land a single finger on its surface.
Qilin: ...!
Suddenly, the stone transmits an image into the minds of (Captain), Lyria, and Vyrn. They witness a golden figure descend before an ominous beast.
Huanglong: ...
Qilin: ...!
Four skydwellers surround Huanglong, who collectively charge at Qilin. The resulting collision splits the fearsome entities' power into the four cardinal beasts.
Qilin: Huanglong... Why fight alongside these skylings?
Qilin: You forsake our sacred duty, entrusted to us since genesis, and for what?
Next, the crew watches as a lone Astral man peers down at Qilin as he abandons his creation to a wasteyard.
Qilin: ...
Soiled furniture, broken umbrellas, and rotting foodstuffs—Qilin awakens to find itself lying amongst articles long since forgotten.
Qilin: The useless. The soiled. The broken.
Qilin: Is that... what we are?
Cynical Astral: I heard he built this miserable thing on a whim. Can you believe he actually thought it was powerful enough to recreate the Sky Realm? What a joke!
Composed Astral: Indeed. It's not even a primal beast. Merely the product of a deranged mind.
Qilin: You're wrong... We are Qilin, the exalted weapon...
Qilin: We must fulfill our duty.
A resolved but broken Qilin crawls from the refuse, only to be caught by enterprising skydwellers soon after.
Nervous Merchant: What is this creepy thing! I won't pay money for such an unsightly creature!
Monster Poacher: Gah! And here I thought it'd fetch me a pretty rupie!
Nervous Merchant: Not in a million years! When a monster like this appears, you know you've got bad luck coming your way!
As their bickering continues, the skydwellers fetch more hands to carry Qilin to the edge of the island, where they toss it over.
Nervous Merchant: Ugh, even as it falls it looks like it's staring at me. How eerie.
Monster Poacher: Yeah, somethin's off about those eyeballs. It was the right call to trash that thing...
Qilin: Our duty... Must destroy... the Sky Realm...
Qilin thrashes its forelegs in search of support, but try as it might, it finds only the hollowness of a cruel sky beneath it.
Qilin: The sky is... just beyond our grasp...
Having found a kernel of determination, the battered weapon is able to unfurl its creaking wings and successfully fly to a nearby island.
Finally, with the last remains of its power, it sets to altering the cardinal beasts' yupei.
Huanglong's power stored in the yupei would now be restored to Qilin instead of dispersing when a wake is performed.
Vyrn: (Captain), did you see that too?
Lyria: Was that who Koku was before?
Koku: Hah! Got it!
(Captain) looks down to discover the stone is missing.
Koku: Finally! Qilin's usurped power will be ours once more!
Koku clutches the ornament, drawing out its power.
Koku: Huh? I-it's cracking!
Koku: This isn't right... Why... is it absorbing... our power...
Drained of all energy, Koku collapses just before a violent burst of wind escapes the stone, blasting the child's tiny frame across the ruins.
Lyria: No! Koku!
Lyria calls out in desperation, but the sudden squall drowns out her voice.
The Might of Koku
As Koku learns that the ornament is actually their own corestone tempered with by Huanglong, the stone emits a burst of light, summoning Qilin. Its ensuing rampage sends Koku flying off the island, but (Captain) quickly comes to their rescue. Although shaken, Koku prepares to sacrifice their own body in order to put an end to the sinister husk.
After being blown back by a burst of wind, Koku tries to stand but is unable to find the strength.
Koku: Ngh... augh...
Koku: Curses... We must have hit our head on a giant rock. This vessel is far too vulnerable...
Koku: (Can't even feel our legs...)
Koku: Is this the end?
Koku: (If so, what were we even made for?)
Scenes of Koku's life begin to flash before their eyes.
Village Girl: Thank you, Koku!
Shushuku: Koku, I came to visit!
Shushuku: Hey, Koku! You taking a nap? Time to wake up!
Shushuku: Oooh Koku, guess who brought you treats!
Koku: Why must you be so irritating!
Koku: (Gah, Shushuku comes to mind at a time like this? She's the most vexing skyling we know!)
Koku: Curses, but there was more to her too...
Shushuku: Since you won't tell me your name, I guess I'll have to give you one. Oh, how about Koku!
Qilin: Koku... This pleases us. But does it suit our being? Why this particular appellation?
Shushuku: Hey, if it fits, it fits!
Qilin: A-absurd!
Koku: That was only the start of our nightmares. Afterwards, we were separated from Qilin, and this corestone appeared...
Shushuku: Koku, you can't just break the stone! I'm sure it's really important to you!
Koku: It distracts us from our duty! Every time we hold it, our heart begins to race!
Shushuku: But you were holding it when you took your mortal form—it's gotta have some kinda greater purpose!
Koku: As if a fool like you who shirked her own mission would ever understand! Now let go!
Shushuku: ...!
Koku: Try as we might, Shushuku will not leave our thoughts. Perhaps we were wrong to have called out to her five years ago.
Koku unfurls their clenched fist, revealing the stone.
Koku: (Qilin's corestone, huh? Even when we were that cursed beast, we had no idea this thing existed within us.)
Koku: Excellent, we can see them clearly... Conditions today are wonderful.
Koku: Why did this stone absorb our power? Is it because it possesses the same design as our corestone?
Koku peers through the hole in the stone. Slowly, the faint outline of a man grows visible.
Koku: Who is this?
Man in the Stone: One wonders if you've flown to some remote maw merely to evade me.
Koku: It's... Huanglong!
Huanglong, taking the form of an unassuming skydweller, seems to waltz into Koku's den. He soon spots a wooden coffer and pulls it closer for inspection.
Huanglong: Not being able to destroy one's own corestone is meddlesome. Truly, one has underestimated the genius of our creator.
Koku: The wooden box looks brand new. Are we seeing a memory located within the stone? How many years ago was this?
Huanglong: Ah, this must be your corestone. How curious that it appears like mine, even in your tiny mortal form. And how unfortunate that it shall not sprout into an auspicious beast.
Koku: It won't?
Huanglong: You must forgive me, Qilin. One must ensure our certain demise.
With a calm hand, Huanglong takes Koku's corestone and gingerly swaps it with a replica.
Huanglong: One suspects you of tampering with the yupei. If so, then this will be nothing more than deserved retribution.
Huanglong: Let the stone guide you until you've sought and retrieved your powers. Hah, meanwhile, one must craft an altar in benediction.
Koku: So the corestone we found in the box was an imitation?
Koku: Then the one we now possess... Could it be?
More cracks appear in the stone in Koku's hand, causing light to escape its nucleus like smoke rising to the sky.
Huanglong's Voice: ...
Koku: We can feel it. You're suffering. The cracks in our corestone have proven too much.
Koku: Which means... if it sustains much more damage, you'll perish. And if you perish, so will we.
Koku: We always thought it was curious, how we could scry the four Cardinal Saints from that stone—even though their power was derived from your light.
Koku: Of course, you swapped the stone while we were unaware.
Koku: Huanglong. Though you were created after us, how is it that you remain forever one step ahead?
Unable to express emotion through the shedding of tears, Koku's body turns to its only method of release.
Koku: Augh... blegh...
Koku: Cursed Huanglong, once more you force us to dance in the palm of your hand.
As Koku muses, the light escaping the stone acts as a beacon, drawing an unwelcome guest.
Qilin: ...!
Koku: Thus appears our empty shell.
Bereft of its faculties, the rampaging Qilin stamps the island's surface. The resulting quake causes a sinkhole to appear beneath Koku, sending them falling.
Koku: ...!
They reactively reach for the lip of the hole, but their arms are too short.
Koku: (Again, we fall...)
Koku: Ah, the sky... It's so far away...
Racing forth, (Captain) dives headlong over the edge of the island, reaching out toward the freefalling Koku.
Koku: Wh-why...
The dark child is rendered speechless by the captain's show of heroism.
Koku: (Why save me?)
Vyrn: Nnnngggh! Guys, my wings are gonna pop off!
(Captain)'s feet are hooked to the edge of the island, with Vyrn and Lyria pulling on them with all the strength they can muster.
Lyria: Oooh... (Captain), we're losing our grip!
Choose: Hurry!
Koku: ...!
Koku, too, finds a measure of resolve and finally crawls up (Captain)'s arm to safety.
Vyrn: Yeesh, I thought we were all about to fall over...
Koku: Why save us? Did you not try to stop our ritual?
Vyrn: That was a completely different situation!
Koku: We will never understand your skyling ways. Truly, what compels you...
Lyria: Eek!
Vyrn: Everybody hit the deck! It's going insane!
Koku: Gaaah—curses! Thanks to you lot, our chest is filled with palpitations!
Koku: Such inferior beings, saving us? It's an affront! You shall know our power!
Lyria: Wait, that means you re-absorbed your powers from the stone!
Koku: No, that was a failure.
Vyrn: Oh, thank goodness...
Koku: However, within the depths of this vessel lies a remnant of our former glory. So long as a sacrifice is made, we may access it.
Koku: Better yet, the powers that we—the great Koku—collect into this vessel grow based on the size of the sacrifice.
The diminutive Koku, a picture of bravery, stands before Qilin—even tossing the bag of ritual tools aside—and begins chanting.
Koku: O curse we mend, use this vessel as your athame, and awaken the dormant power that lies within. We are Koku; give us our due!
Koku: Gah!
Lyria: Koku, you're hurting yourself!
Koku: Keep your distance! We shall make this husk cower, bow before our might!
A force of impending doom emanates from the tiny frame. Within it, Lyria senses world-ending potential.
Lyria: This... is just a remnant?
Vyrn: We're all gonna be okay, right? Koku's our friend... right?
Qilin: ...!
Koku: Hmph. You oppose us on bestial instinct alone.
Koku: Allow the great Koku to kindly end your hollow existence, you miserable shell!
Unacceptable Benediction
The corestone is filled with an obsidian crystal, causing Koku to overflow with power and make another attempt at destroying the Sky Realm. Although nothing happens, the captain pretends to be in pain, sending Koku into a panic. (Captain) and the others then invite their new friend aboard the Grandcypher in order to keep an eye on them.
Having exhausted every last morsel of power, Koku successfully annihilates Qilin.
Lyria: Thank you, Koku! We were in big trouble back there...
Koku: Hmph...
As the exhausted Koku lets out a disinterested huff, the stone in their hand begins to glow.
Koku: What? My corestone's reacting.
Brighter it radiates, until a flash reveals a beautiful obsidian sheen.
Koku: (What's this? The palpitations again...)
Koku: Wait, it's... it's our power!
Lyria: Oh no! Koku, what's happening? I sense that scary aura from you again!
Koku: Hehehe...
Koku: Mwahaha! Our power has returned—no sacrifices or rituals necessary!
Koku: Now, cower skylings, for the very Sky Realm itself will burn at the great Koku's hand!
Vyrn: Cut it out!
Vyrn: Wait a—
Koku: Huh?
Lyria: Um. Nothing's happening.
Choose: A-actually, I think it's working...
Choose: Help, c-can't breathe...
Koku: Ah!
The captain, eyes rolling back, begins to shake violently.
Koku: Ngh, curses! We've cursed the captain, but there's no time to perform an anti-curse!
Koku: Argh, curse this cursed bag! Where did we put the tools for the proper blessing? Hold on, (Captain)!
Choose: Just kidding!
Koku: Why... you!
Lyria: Wow, (Captain), you're such a good actor! I was panicking too!
Koku: H-how dare you!
Koku: You dare mock us! Mock our power!
Koku: Curses upon curses! Yes, the great Koku shall curse you to hell and back for your insolence!
Vyrn: You still haven't given that up? We all know how strong you are—so how about usin' that power for good for a change?
Koku: For good? Why would anyone want to please you skylings?
Koku: (Wait... The palpitations, they've shifted.)
Koku: (But somehow it feels... comfortable? Not unlike our stomach when we ate that omurice.)
Koku: (It's... the same as when we used our powers to save these skylings.)
Koku: (Darkness take us, does this mean we can only access our powers when it benefits another!)
Koku: We will not accept this!
Vyrn: You sure do yell a lot... C'mon, we've got places to be.
The crew turns to head back to the village—this time with Koku in tow.
Village Chief: Thank you for your assistance, (Captain). With that pesky rain stopped, our crops should be safe and sound.
(Captain) explains how the torrential downpour was caused by Koku's stone.
Village Chief: You don't say... But what was that awful noise by the old ruins? Did something happen?
Vyrn: Long story short, part of the island broke clean off, and the ruins aren't doing much better.
Village Chief: Oh my... Well, those ruins were bound to crumble sooner or later. At least this way, everyone is safe...
Village Chief: I'm just overjoyed our little problem child was able to help you folks out!
Koku: We are not a child!
Vyrn: Yeah, but that stone was originally yours, so in a way, this was all kinda your fault. You've got a lot of apologizin' to do, little bud!
Koku: Why would someone as resplendent as the great Koku apologize to inferior skylings...
Choose: It's the right thing to do.
Choose: Koku, where's your "I'm sorry"?
Koku: Ngh...
Koku: Forgive us!
Vyrn: Didn't sound like you meant it at all...
Village Chief: No, no. That's just this child's way of expressing sincerity.
Koku: Curse you, (Captain)! We won't soon forget this treatment!
Vyrn: So, Koku was Qilin all along. At least we can keep an eye on 'em this way, but...
Vyrn: I know somebody has to keep an eye on this kid, but...
Vyrn: Uh, Koku? Why are you movin' those flowerpots around?
Koku: It's a blessing to calm the nerves. But also we would hate for your airship to come crashing down.
Vyrn: Looks like you're just causin' more mischief.
Lyria: I'm just glad you're one of us now, Koku!
Koku: If we keep journeying with your crew, it's possible that we find a way to sever our vexing connection with that horrible Excremane.
Koku: Besides, Qilin will likely reappear elsewhere in these skies. We won't let our husk run amok.
Lyria: Koku, are you sure you don't want to say goodbye to the villagers?
Koku: Why waste the breath?
Shushuku is a crew member
Koku: (That's right... Shushuku is also a member of this crew.)
Shushuku not in crew
Koku: (Shushuku...)
Shushuku: You've got a duty too, right? You can spare me the details, but I'm rooting for you!
Koku: (She knows nothing of our plight... That imbecile...)
Koku: (But we shrouded Excremane's other three with nightmares. Perhaps an apology is in order...)
Koku: (Even though we've never directly met before...)
Chichiri: Hey, shorty!
Ami: Back off.
Uruki: Uru's gonna spray you with waaater!
Koku: If we do, we won't show them the slightest weakness!
Elsewhere in the sky, at that very moment...
???: ...
A lone man wanders through a desiccated wasteland, without so much as a footpath to guide him. He peers to the sky above.
???: ...
A new sensation strikes him, and he draws a breath. He turns and continues his march into the distance.
Side-scrolling Quotes
| JapaneseThis is an official transcription. | EnglishThis is an official translation. |
|---|---|
| コク様の力に恐れ慄くがいい！ | Tremble before the might of the great Koku! |
| くはははは！見たか、我の大いなる力！ | Mwahahaha! Witness our awe-inspiring power! |
| コク様に滅ぼされるまでは好きに生きるがいい | Live life as you so please. In the end, death comes for all. |
| このコク様が敗走するわけにはいかん | We would never turn in the face of adversity. |
| フン、勝つのはコク様だからな！ | Hmph, the great Koku always comes out on top! |
| さっきは危なかっ……な、なんでもないッ！ | That was a close one... Wait, no! You heard nothing! |
| 忌々しい黄龍め、繋がりさえ断てれば…… | Curse that annoying yellow dragon... We've had enough of him! |
| シュシュクは常に鬱陶しい奴だ…… | Shushuku is constantly getting on our nerves... |
| (主人公)、怪我は？死なれては困るからな | Are you hurt, (Captain)? No dying until we say so. |
| (主人公)に我の力を認めさせてやる | We must get (Captain) to recognize our true power. |
References
- ↑ Granblue Fantasy Official Blog Post, 新キャラクター「コク」紹介！