Scenario:Geisenborger - Dignity of Warrior & Star
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Dignity of Warrior & Star
Geisenborger, apparently still alive, suddenly appears before (Captain) and company. He tries to shred the card in the crew's possession, but when (Captain) tries to hold him off, The Star appears and entreats Geisenborger for a renewal of their pact. With a little convincing, Geisenborger accepts and then joins the crew.
Freed from the restraints of the primal beast, Geisenborger regains the sensation of pain!
Geisenborger: Ah, how I've longed for this sensation... To experience this once again... is a supreme honor!
Geisenborger: I have returned!
Geisenborger: More... More... Try and hurt me more!
Geisenborger: Bring me paaiiin!
(Captain) and company stand dumbfounded at the sight of Geisenborger being engulfed by the tumult of war, a masochistic grin streaking across his face.
By the time the thick clouds of dust finally settle...
The crew find themselves aboard the Grandcypher.
They look down to find a card covered in sand.
(Captain) picks it up to find the soot that covered the illustration earlier no longer present. It's a card depicting The Star, surrounded by a brilliant arrangement of celestial bodies.
However, the card has lost its glow and Geisenborger is nowhere to be found.
It isn't until the passing of a few seasons that the war-loving Draph is seen again.
Lyria: That's a lot of them!
Vyrn: Darn it! They're after our cargo!
The crew has taken on an assignment to deliver supplies to a nation in the midst of a war.
A swarm of monsters has caught them off guard midflight.
Nuts! There's no end to 'em!
Eep!
(Captain) is not the only one to respond to Lyria's scream.
Grwaagh!
A massive silhouette descends upon them, bum-rushing the monster swarm.
Vyrn: What's going on here!
Geisenborger: Heh heh... After riding all the way here on a wyvern's back, I must say that was quite the welcome.
Vyrn: What the... It's Wrench Armstrong!
Lyria: Geisenborger, you're okay!
Choose: You had us worried.
Choose: Glad to see you're well.
Vyrn: Thanks for the help. But what brings you here anyway?
Geisenborger: ...
Geisenborger simply takes a step toward (Captain) without answering.
Geisenborger: Show me the card I handed you before. At once.
Vyrn: Card? You mean...
Though confused, (Captain) produces the card of The Star.
Geisenborger wastes no time in snatching it.
Geisenborger: So I see the drawing has revealed itself...
Vyrn: What's the meaning of this!
Paying no heed to the crew's apprehensions, Geisenborger prepares to rip the card to shreds.
Geisenborger: Haaagh!
(Captain) snatches the card back before any damage can be done.
Vyrn: Whew! Talk about a close call!
Geisenborger: Haha... Your skill never fails to impress.
Geisenborger: Young you may be, but you are as battle-hardened as any seasoned warrior.
Vyrn: How about you tell us what's going on already? Why would you try to tear the thing to shreds?
Geisenborger lets out a sigh and begins to describe the events that transpired after they last parted.
Geisenborger: I sought one battlefield after another.
Geisenborger: In every war zone I dropped myself into, I made no distinction between friend or foe and merely relished the fight for what it was.
Geisenborger: After all, it had been far too long since I had last felt such a sensation. Every day was a fulfilling one.
Geisenborger: It was in those days that a voice suddenly called out to me.
Vyrn: What voice?
Geisenborger: It belonged to none other than that wretched star.
Lyria: You mean...
Geisenborger bursts into laughter upon seeing Lyria focus on the card.
Geisenborger: Your instincts are as sharp as ever, girl. Indeed, my pact with that blight never ended!
Geisenborger: Knowing the stars twinkled over my head made every drop of blood in my body boil like a burning kettle!
Geisenborger: It was time to free myself of these insufferable chains once and for all!
Lyria: So that's why you came to us, seeing as we have the card...
Geisenborger: Correct. The anguish I feel is proof of its very existence!
Geisenborger: The silence has been broken... Show yourself, starbeast!
The card shimmers with great luminosity.
The Star: Thy prayer... makes the stars shimmer...
Vyrn: What the... You're alive?
The Star: It has been a while... Valiant Chariot.
Geisenborger: Hah! I've no words for a reunion with the likes of you!
Geisenborger: You must pay for all I've had to endure!
The moment Geisenborger takes a step forward, The Star raises its hands.
The Star: ...!
Geisenborger: Rgh!
Geisenborger loses balance and collapses on the deck.
Geisenborger: Why, you!
Geisenborger: You rob me of the sensation in my legs, hoping to see me crawl?
Geisenborger: How far must you go to defile my dignity as the Chariot!
The Star: I must... expound... the truth... of the world...
Geisenborger: Like I give a hoot!
Geisenborger: I'm going to crush you so hard, you'll never emit the faintest bit of light ever again!
Lyria: W-wait! Shouldn't we at least see what he has to say?
Vyrn: That's right! We might be taking a risk, but let's not be too hasty!
(Captain), being in full agreement, stands between Geisenborger and The Star.
Geisenborger: Out of my way! That cretin can never be forgiven no the matter the cause!
Vyrn: Geez, cool it already, Wrench! He only did that to your legs 'cuz you can hardly stay still!
Lyria: Yeah! I don't feel any malice behind The Star's actions!
Geisenborger: Ngh!
Geisenborger finally regains a sense of calm.
Geisenborger: That naivete will be the undoing of you kids someday.
The Star: Brave, young warriors... I thank you...
The Star begins to speak about itself.
As Geisenborger mentioned, The Star is but one of the eleven primal beasts who was tasked with creating a new world.
It was The World who created the other primal beasts known as the Arcarum.
The Star: The World... It bears the name of the cosmos... Perhaps you have a memory of it...
Vyrn: Wait a minute. You mean that thing from the picture in Amalthea was The World?
Lyria: He said something about destroying the world to create it anew for themselves!
The Star: Correct... That is The World's wish...
The Star explains that he cannot defy The World's orders.
The Star: We once perished... during the War...
The Star: It was The World... who reconstructed our cores.
Vyrn: What, so you're just another lackey for him?
The Star: No...
The Star: The situation changed... when thou brought me harm...
The Star: My pact with the Chariot has weakened... So has The World's hold over me...
The Star explains that it can free itself of The World's clutches by reinvoking its pact with Geisenborger,
Lyria: So that's why you called out to him...
The Star: Correct... Now is the time to restore my dignity...
The Star: Chariot... Stand with me... so that we may together overthrow The W—
Geisenborger: You fool!
The Star: ...!
Geisenborger manages to graze The Star's nose with a rising uppercut before the momentum causes him to plunge his fist against the floor of the deck.
Geisenborger: Don't you dare take my silence for compliance!
Bursting with anger, he finally musters the strength to stand on both legs.
Lyria: Huh? I thought you couldn't feel your legs...
Geisenborger: Humph, I'm not much of a chariot if I simply lie like a sleeping dog!
Geisenborger: Listen well, starbeast! I'll show you what is meant by the dignity of a true warrior!
Geisenborger: The innumerable hardships that accompany a march to battle... The immeasurable pain suffered on the battlefield... The triumphant exaltation earned from burying the enemy...
Geisenborger: The lingering bitterness from every loss... The sweet wines procured from every victory...
Geisenborger: When emotions drive the body to act, when the stench of death makes one feel alive, when pain turns to pleasure!
Geisenborger: Dignity is when you've fought and lived through countless battlefields and experienced all of this as I have!
Geisenborger: Which is why it falls to me to end our pact and become a true warrior!
Vyrn: But if we don't help take down The World, the sky as we know it is gonna be done for!
Geisenborger: What happens to the sky is none of my concern! I live solely for myself!
Geisenborger: Politics, principles, and what have you! Please, feed that to the policy-making dogs!
(Captain) and company find themselves speechless before the maddened Geisenborger.
Geisenborger: I'll bury you right this moment! Or do you have something to say for yourself?
The Star: The stars... accept your words... as prayer...
A brilliant light overtakes the surroundings.
Vyrn: What the... It's that battlefield again!
The crew once more find themselves in the midst of the War.
Only this time, the battle cries and death throes they heard before are replaced by mountains of corpses in the dead of night.
Geisenborger: What are you plotting, starbeast!
???: Oh, glorious stars of the heavens...
(Captain) and company look to the pleading voice to find what appears to be a primal beast on the verge of death.
???: Let us revel together... in glory once more...
Geisenborger: ...!
Geisenborger: Stars, blazing across the heavens... Listen to my ode to thee... See me returned gloriously to my kingdom...
Geisenborger: (This is no different from how it was with me...)
???: Bright asterisms above... Hear my prayer...
Both Geisenborger and (Captain) turn their attention to the night skies.
The stars gradually fill with light, illuminating the battlefield below.
The luminosity grows in intensity.
Lyria: What was that!
The Star: That was a memory from my core... in a past life...
The Star: The World granted my wish that day... And thus I became The Star...
The Star: I lost my shine... And became a puppet for him...
Geisenborger: Was forging a pact with me part of The World's plan as well?
The Star: At the time... I had little recourse...
The Star: But now... is the time to rise up...
The Star: Chariot... Let us take on The World together...
Geisenborger: Heh heh... Don't make me laugh.
Geisenborger: You would have us join hands on what you purport to be a common enemy?
Geisenborger: Preposterous!
Geisenborger: But I have need of neither passenger nor comrade. I will ride into battle as a lone chariot and dominate the battlefield!
Geisenborger: Be it the stars or The World, I have no fear!
Geisenborger: Be gone with you, starbeast! You have no place here if you cannot fight your own wars!
Geisenborger raises a fist to The Star.
But (Captain) intercepts and parries the blow.
Choose: You really think you can fight alone?
Geisenborger: Come again?
Lyria: No matter how strong you are, going at it alone is reckless! You're no exception, Geisenborger!
Vyrn: What she said! That World guy doesn't seem like a joke either...
(Captain), too, speaks up.
Geisenborger: ...!
Geisenborger: Heh heh, fine.
Geisenborger: I do owe you one after all. I suppose I'll follow you for the time being.
The Grandcypher has flown past the sea of clouds, and islands are now visible from the deck.
With Geisenborger in tow, the crew stops by the city they've come to deliver supplies to.
They lug the shipment of goods to the center of town and call it a day.
Geisenborger: Is that all? What did you intend to accomplish by doing this?
Vyrn: Hey, check it out! Those are some crazy crowds over there!
Vyrn: Looks like a victory parade to welcome back troops who just scored a major win!
Rows of soldiers march to the tune of triumphant music.
The streets are lined with overjoyed throngs of people waiting to congratulate a returning platoon on a job well done.
Man 1: You did it!
Woman 1: Keep up the good work!
Geisenborger: This is by no means an end to their war. The populace is much too carefree.
Celebratory cheers and compliments are heard from every direction.
Soldier 1: I'm back! I'm so glad to be home!
Girl: Papa! Welcome back!
Woman 2: Oh, how I missed you so!
Soldier 2: Whoo! Are we having a feast tonight or what? Come with me and I'll tell you all about my heroics!
Shopkeep: I like the sound o' that! Why not have it at my shop? I won't charge you a single rupie!
Boy: Mister, I'd like to listen in too!
Husband: Whew! That was a mighty fine swig!
Wife: Sigh... You just never know when to keep your drinking habits in check, dear...
Wife: But we can make an exception today!
The rapturous gaieties around Geisenborger manage to twist the corner of his mouth into a grin.
Geisenborger: Humph, they celebrate as if they fought and bled in the battle themselves...
Vyrn: Well, it's kinda like they're together in heart, you know. I mean, some of them even mentioned having to ration to provide more supplies for the army.
Geisenborger: Heh, it makes no sense to me.
Geisenborger: Soldiers are soldiers. Why would they want to wallow in their success with the common populace...
Lyria: Were you a soldier too, Geisenborger?
Lyria: Weren't there times when you won a battle and shared the joy of that victory with everyone?
Geisenborger: Heh heh... Not once did that ever happen.
Geisenborger: Though I had thought of it, of course—
An all-too-familiar scene plays out in Geisenborger's head.
A nighttime desert, the stench of blood and guts, a starry sky, his body tattered and broken...
Geisenborger: I was a man who held no faith in a higher power—who had lived his life through brute force alone. But now I found myself in tearful prayer.
Geisenborger: Stars, blazing across the heavens... Listen to my ode to thee... See me returned gloriously to my kingdom...
Geisenborger: (Humph, the memory alone makes me nauseous!)
Geisenborger: (But then... At the time...)
Geisenborger: (Why did I wish to return to my false comrades in the kingdom, even after they had forsaken me?)
Choose: Because no one can fight alone.
Geisenborger: Huh?
Vyrn: I don't really get the sensations of war that you brought up earlier...
Vyrn: But there's something else we can tell you!
Geisenborger: Hm... Let's hear it.
Lyria: Fighting alongside friends not only lets you share the pain, but there are so many great things can come from it!
Lyria: Right, (Captain)?
(Captain) offers an emphatic nod.
Geisenborger: Humph... You can drink alone, or you can drink with a motley crew—but wine is still wine! The taste does not change!
Geisenborger: Only when a warrior is able to stand alone on the battlefield does his true worth shine!
Vyrn: Well, look what happened to you...
Geisenborger: ...!
Vyrn: Wrench Armstrong, it's okay to be true to what you really feel deep down, you know?
Geisenborger: (Drat!)
Geisenborger: (What is it that I truly think?)
Geisenborger turns to the rejoicing crowds, desperately searching for his answer.
His ears perk up at every word being spoken.
Geisenborger: (Ngh... Why! Why do the soldiers and populace act as they do...)
Geisenborger: (Why do they commend their victory with the selfsame geniality?)
Geisenborger ponders to himself while walking along the crowded streets.
Even as the crew comes to the end of the road, Geisenborger remains silent.
The Star makes another appearance.
The Star: Valiant Chariot... I must ask again...
The Star: Join me... in fighting The World...
Geisenborger: Enough!
Geisenborger: I do not seek the guidance of the stars... I'll bury you and The World with my own two hands!
The Star: The stars always side... with the supplicant...
The Star: My wish... and your prayer... are drawn to each other...
The Star: Making us essentially one...
Geisenborger: I'm not one for some wretched beast's delirious ramblings.
Geisenborger: But I'll entertain you.
Geisenborger places his left hand on his right elbow...
And twists his shoulder joint backward.
Vyrn: Hey, why'd you go and do that for?
Geisenborger: ...!
Geisenborger: Does that hurt, starbeast? Because it should if we're "one," as you say.
The Star: All pain... is yours alone... I feel nothing...
Geisenborger: ...
Geisenborger: Pff... Gwahahaha!
Vyrn: Umm... I don't get what's so funny...
Geisenborger: I've changed my mind. I'll renew the pact.
Lyria: Huh? Just like that?
Geisenborger: Heh heh, the starbeast is going to merge with my body.
Geisenborger: Meaning my strength will continue to be my own.
Vyrn: Erm, I don't really see how that works, but as long as you're cool with it...
Geisenborger: But don't let this get to your head, starbeast.
Geisenborger: Never forget that our pact is solely for the purpose of defeating The World.
The Star: As you wish... Your prayer... is my prayer... Your wish... is of course my command.
Geisenborger: Heh heh, just as I thought.
Geisenborger: Well then, youngsters... Till we meet again.
The crew stops Geisenborger before he can walk off.
Vyrn: Wait up, Wrench Armstrong! We'll do what we can to help you take down The World too!
Geisenborger: Quite the persistent bunch, aren't you? Have I not made it clear that I have no need of comrades?
Choose: We're not gonna let you go out there alone!
(Captain) speaks boldly, looking straight into Geisenborger's eyes.
Geisenborger: Heh heh, that twinkle in your eyes always did remind me of the stars...
Geisenborger: ...!
Geisenborger suddenly pictures himself raising a toast with (Captain) and crew.
Basking in the glory of a hard-fought victory, his expression is one of great satisfaction.
It is all too similar to the people of the city shouting cries of jubilation.
Geisenborger: (Heh, was that the starbeast playing tricks on me?)
Geisenborger: (Or was it myself?)
Lyria: We should treat your right arm first! Let's head back to the ship!
Vyrn: Geez, you need to learn to take it easy!
Geisenborger: Tis but a scratch. Nothing a pat on the back can't fix—
Vyrn: There's no way a pat on the back's gonna fix a dislocated shoulder! Let's go already!
(Captain) and company prod Geisenborger all the way back to the Grandcypher.
Along the way, he mutters something to himself.
Geisenborger: I have no intention of becoming your comrade, but having a base of operations will be useful...
(Captain)'s face breaks into a grin at the statement.
Categories:
- Scenario Character: Geisenborger
- Scenario Character: Lyria
- Scenario Character: Vyrn
- Scenario Character: The Star
- Scenario Character: ???
- Scenario Character: Man 1
- Scenario Character: Woman 1
- Scenario Character: Soldier 1
- Scenario Character: Girl
- Scenario Character: Woman 2
- Scenario Character: Soldier 2
- Scenario Character: Shopkeep
- Scenario Character: Boy
- Scenario Character: Husband
- Scenario Character: Wife
- Character Fate Scenario