The Weeping City script
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Stacia
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[Player Name]! I was just about to fly out to Ishgard and track you down.
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Stacia
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You remember Cait Sith, that Mhachi familiar? We've been workin' with him on a plan to find Diabolos and the Queen's Coffin.
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Stacia
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There've been voidsent sightin's from pirates all over, so we know that bat-winged bugger is hidin' someplace in the sky─we just don't know exactly where.
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Stacia
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And as for goin' about pinpointin' the location, Leofard and the feline are bickerin' over just exactly how...
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Stacia
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That's where you come in. If you've a spare moment or two, we could use a third opinion to break the stalemate.
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Stacia
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Besides all that, Leofard's eager to have another hand to help in the search, so come on over to the Parrock as soon as you're able. You know the way from here, don't you?
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Stacia
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Come on over to the Parrock when you've a spare moment. I'm tired of hearin' those two arguin', and that's the gods' honest truth...
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Stacia
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Thanks for comin'. The captain and the cat are inside, still havin' their “discussion.” Talk to Leofard, will you, before I strangle the both of them.
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Stacia
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Like squabblin' children, the pair of them. Help Leofard settle this, would you?
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Cait Sith
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Ah, [Player Name]! A rational mind such as yours is most welcome! Pray reason with this wind-addled brigand!
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Leofard
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If you're here to ask about the Queen's Coffin then you'd best turn around and walk straight out again. This aggravatin' furball's turned my mood sour as month-old aldgoat milk.
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Stacia
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Leofard! [Player Name]'s come all this way to help us─at your request, I might add! She/He deserves to hear where we stand on the search, at least!
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Leofard
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...The “search” is givin' me ulcers, is what it is. By all reports, Diabolos is lurkin' somewhere in the heavens, buildin' up his forces. But the sky is a vast dome, as high as the ocean is deep, and we've not the pirates to scour every damn floatin' rock.
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Leofard
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That's when I tried my luck with Radlia. You remember her, don't you? Captain of the Talons? Blonde hair? One eye? Stole our bloody compass?
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Leofard
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Well I've been eavesdroppin' with that linkpearl I slipped into the casin', hopin' to catch somethin' useful. But all I've heard from her and her sorry crew is snorin', grumblin', and japes about the archbishop's holy nethers.
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Leofard
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In the end, it seems we've no choice but to do this the hard way...but a certain mewlin' annoyance refuses to acknowledge the truth of it.
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Cait Sith
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You cannot possibly hope to investigate the entire sky with this meager handful of ne'er-do-wells! I find my suggestion to seek aid from your fellow pirate gangs a perfectly reasonable one under the circumstances!
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Leofard
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Ah, stow it, you mangy alley cat! You've not the faintest idea of how sky pirates operate! Best case scenario, we'd be locked into a deal to hand over any treasure we find─and that's assumin' we weren't laughed out of the room to begin with!
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Cait Sith
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You cannot assume that every man and woman shares your base morality! If we but made the attempt, I am sure we could convince some few of the nobility of our cause!
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Stacia
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And so it goes, 'round and 'round...
Knowin' pirates as I do, I find myself sidin' with the captain on this. But what of you, [Player Name]? Any thoughts on the matter?
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Leofard
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See there!? Even [Player Name] agrees with me. We proceed as we have been, and try to cover as much sky as possible.
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Leofard
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What!? You're sidin' with the furball!? I would've thought you'd learned a thing or two about sky pirates by now...
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Leofard
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Hmph. Seems that even the great Warrior of Light has no simple solutions for this problem.
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Leofard
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...However we tackle things, though, we've a long road ahead of us. I'll see if I can't think up a better way to shorten it.
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Leofard
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You might as well head back to your adventures, [Player Name]...unless you're willin' to lend us your experience in another matter, that is.
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Leofard
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Utata, our chief engineer, has been mumblin' about the Void Ark and cursin' under her breath for days. Might be as you can provide some insight into her dilemma.
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Cait Sith
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She is conducting her research in the Sea of Clouds, yes? Well, I should rather discuss the properties of the Void Ark than continue with this fruitless debate! I shall see you down there, [Player Name]!
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Stacia
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Leofard is right in not trustin' aught to our fellow pirates, but we could spend years trawlin' through the clouds. There has to be some other way...
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Leofard
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Head into the Sea of Clouds and see what's botherin' Utata. Might be as you can shed some light on her problem.
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Cait Sith
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While waiting for word on Diabolos, I have been spending my time learning to pilot the Redbills' little airships. Thankfully, it seems I've mastered enough of the basics to manage this little jaunt.
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Cait Sith
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Hmmm, mayhap I could make contact with some other pirates without Leofard's mediation...
Ah, but let us first address Mistress Utata's woes, shall we?
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Cait Sith
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What troubles you, Mistress Utata? We were told that some matter regarding the Void Ark was causing you no small measure of grief...
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Cait Sith
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Mistress Utata! What are you─ Oof! Urk!
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Utata
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Ah, I feel so much better now!
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Utata
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My apologies, Cait Sith. You had the misfortune to enter my field of view just as I felt the intense desire to squeeze something warm and furry.
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Utata
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It's this damnable ectocompass...
I made another one, you see, identical in all respects to the first compass that Radlia stole.
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Utata
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But look! It points in a completely different direction to where the Void Ark should currently be! I don't understand what I did wrong! I used the same plans, the same parts...
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Cait Sith
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I can imagine that would be infuriating. And you are certain there are no flaws in the design or the materials?
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Utata
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Positive. I've tweaked and adjusted and replaced every single piece, but it refuses to function as intended. I'm on the verge of tossing the blasted thing over the edge! What do you make of this, [Player Name]?
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Cait Sith
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Yes, I am inclined to agree. Judging by your previous work, it would seem unlikely that the compass itself is defective. We must consider other factors.
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Cait Sith
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Yes, the cause may indeed lie outside the compass itself. We must consider this dilemma from a broader perspective.
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Cait Sith
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Hmmm. If you are unable to detect any defects with the compass, then it is unlikely that [Player Name] or I could do so either. Mayhap we should consider this dilemma from a broader perspective.
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Cait Sith
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Might you explain to us the principle by which the ectocompass tracks the Void Ark?
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Utata
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It all comes down to aetheric signature. I discovered that the Void Ark is encompassed by an energy of rather peculiar composition, so I simply tuned the compass to follow its unique trail.
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Cait Sith
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An energy of peculiar composition, you say...
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Cait Sith
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Of course! The ark was propelled by the siphoned energies of voidsent! Could it be that the compass was tracking not the vessel itself, but the aether of the entities imprisoned within?
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Cait Sith
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That would certainly explain why the compass now points in a different direction than one would expect! After all, Diabolos and the Shadow Queen are no longer on board the ark!
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Utata
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...Are you implying that if we plotted a course based on the readings from the ectocompass, we would arrive on the demon's doorstep...so to speak?
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Cait Sith
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Just so, Mistress Utata! Assuming my theory is correct, we no longer require outside assistance to pursue our elusive quarry!
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Utata
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Oh, Stacia! What perfect timing! You won't believe the wonderful discovery we've just─
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Utata
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Talon airships have been spotted en route to our nest! If it's revenge they're looking for, we'd best head back and make ready for them!
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Stacia
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I'm glad you're here, [Player Name], but I don't think they're spoilin' for a fight...
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Cait Sith
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It would not appear that these pirates have come with murder and pillage in mind. Quite the opposite, in fact...they seem rather bedraggled and beaten.
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Utata
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I don't like this, [Player Name]. Why have the Talons come here without their captain? Where is Radlia?
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Subordinate02204
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We made it, thank the gods...
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Subordinate02204
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Truce, Redbill! We need your help to save Captain Radlia!
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Leofard
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You... You're one of Radlia's favorites. You threaten my crew, steal our compass, and now you come crawlin' to me for help? What kind of unholy mess have you cretins stumbled into?
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Subordinate02204
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Aye, we took your damn compass, but it didn't show us to the ghost ship. We ended up at some moldy, old ruins, lousy with voidsent...
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Subordinate02204
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Before we knew it, some sort of spider demon was knockin' our ships out of the sky. The two of us managed to pull away, but we saw what happened to them as got caught on the ground... If the captain survived the massacre, she's stuck there with no wings to fly out again.
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Stacia
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Why don't you give that linkpearl a listen, Captain? Might be as we can learn if Radlia is alive or dead, at least.
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Leofard
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...Ugh, so much buzzin'. Can't hear a blasted─ Wait. I'm gettin' some words...
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Leofard
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“They're after...Mhachi artifact. Damn demons are searchin'... Hide!”
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Leofard
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...And then a bunch of screamin'. Seems Radlia's still kickin' for now, but who knows for how long.
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Leofard
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If those screams were an act, then consider me fooled─I don't think the Talons are layin' a trap here.
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Leofard
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I've half a mind to leave Radlia to her fate, but I never turn my back on an adventure! Especially when the scent of treasure is in the air, eh? Now, tell me where you found these ruins!
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Subordinate02204
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...You'll help us, then!? You're a good man, Redbill! We left the captain in the Yafaem Saltmoor, just northwest of Mor Dhona.
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Cait Sith
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In Yafaem, you say!? Then you must speak of the ruined shell of Mhach itself! ...By Shatotto's black heart! Could they be after the Nullstone?
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Leofard
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What's that, puss? You think you know what those fiends are after?
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Leofard
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Right. Utata, see that these Talons are patched up, then have the Raimille ready to fly. And don't spare the oil─you know I love to hear her purr.
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Leofard
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[Player Name], Stacia. Bring the furball to my quarters, and we'll have ourselves a chat about our impendin' trip to old Mhach!
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Stacia
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You know, we've never been friendly with the Talons, but that don't mean we can just sit back and let them be torn to shreds by cacklin' voidsent.
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Cait Sith
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I never imagined Diabolos would seek to enter the old city. Ah, but I should have suspected as much when I learned that the floodwaters had receded and left Yafaem exposed...
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Subordinate02204
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P-Please! You have to rescue the captain!
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Utata
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When Leofard asks me to pay special attention to his airship, that's a sign he's fully committed to his next adventure! He had the same spark right before he left to board the Void Ark.
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Utata
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...You're wondering why his ship is named “Raimille”? Hm. I never gave it much thought, but I'd wager it was the name of his first love...or maybe it was a pet!
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Leofard
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Right, furball. Let's hear about this artifact that Diabolos is lookin' for.
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Cait Sith
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...If I am to speak of the Nullstone, then I must first explain the method by which Mhachi sorcerers would bind the voidsent into service.
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Cait Sith
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The more powerful the voidsent, the more difficult it is to manifest its presence in this world. Their own immense strength weighs them down like an anchor, you see, preventing them from breaking the surface of our dimension.
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Cait Sith
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And that is why they “cooperate” with mortal sorcerers. A mage can provide a suitable vessel for the summoning, or rip a large enough hole in the fabric of reality for the entity itself to step through.
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Stacia
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...And let me guess: the mage forces the voidsent to agree to a pact in return for the invitation into our world?
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Cait Sith
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That is correct. But it would be foolhardy to expect such devious and malevolent creatures to abide by the spirit of even the most carefully worded contract.
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Cait Sith
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Thus did the Mhachi magi construct an occult device that would more securely bind the voidsent to their will─a safeguard of sorts, that to the best of my knowledge yet lies entombed within the remnants of the ancient city.
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Cait Sith
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The Nullstone was seen as a last resort! Should a voidsent break its pact and turn on its summoner, the mage could use the relic to disperse the very essence of even the most potent entity, obliterating it completely.
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Leofard
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I can't see the “royals” of the void takin' too kindly to a threat like that. Seems those sorcerers were just as ruthless as the monsters they summoned.
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Cait Sith
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When it came to the glory of Mhach, the ends justified the means...
In any event, we can be certain that Diabolos seeks to secure the Nullstone before it falls into mortal hands, and thereby ensure that Scathach will reign unopposed.
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Leofard
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All right, so we know what the fiends are after. But what I don't understand, is why such a valuable relic was left behind when the mages knew a colossal flood was on the way.
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Cait Sith
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Its value was the very reason they chose not to risk its relocation. The Nullstone is kept within a structure constructed for the purpose, secured behind powerful wards and protected by deadly guardians.
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Cait Sith
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And with the rising of the waters, they reasoned that the artifact would be sunk along with the city, far beyond the reach of vengeful voidsent.
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Leofard
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But now that Yafaem is more swamp than sea, the demons only have the wards and the guardians to deal with. And I doubt they'd be wastin' their time down there in the mud if they didn't have some trick to break through the wards.
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Leofard
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Aye, this's become a race to see who can nab the treasure first─which is just the sort of contest a sky pirate lives for!
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Stacia
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So we slip into the ruins, pinch the relic, then rescue Radlia right from under the fiends' noses!
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Leofard
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...Well, I suppose we could save her while we're pokin' around for loot.
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Leofard
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I'll grab the new compass from Utata so we know where we're goin'. Check your weapons, pack your smallclothes, and meet me out by the landin' when you're ready to fly!
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Stacia
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So, all we need to do is rescue Captain Radlia from a mob of nasty voidsent, then retrieve a dangerous artifact from the magically defended ruins of an ancient civilization. Easy, eh...?
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Cait Sith
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I shall join you in this endeavor to recover the Nullstone. Though after fifteen hundred years, I wonder what remains of the city I once knew...
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Leofard
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We'll fly directly to Yafaem from here. Once we arrive, you forge ahead with your band of adventurers as you did on the ark, [Player Name]. Just keep slicin' into the depths until you reach that Nullstone.
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Leofard
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Hmmm. We don't want to risk gettin' knocked out of the sky like the Talons, so we'd best land a little ways out from the ruins and head in on foot.
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Leofard
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The furball says he knows the place well enough to guide you, so me and the Redbills will follow behind on rescue duty. You concentrate on smashin' a path through to the artifact─we'll check the nooks and crannies for Radlia and her crew.
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Leofard
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Don't let your guard down once you reach the ruins, though, eh? There's likely golems and such in there what are worse than the fiends outside, and we wouldn't want our hero losin' her/his head now, would we?
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Leofard
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Your job is to carve a path to the vault where they keep the Nullstone. The Redbills will come in behind, and scour the area for Radlia and her crew...and whatever shiny baubles we can get our greedy hands on.
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Leofard
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...So this is the heart of the ruins, eh?
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Stacia
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You've done a fine job dismantlin' the defenses, [Player Name]. I only wish we could say we had the same success, but Radlia and her Talons were nowhere to be found.
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Cait Sith
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Yes, it is quite distressing, but we must focus on claiming the prize at hand. The Nullstone is ours!
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Ferdiad
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Mwahahahaha! You've left me such an inviting trail of destruction to follow!
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Ferdiad
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Well, well, well! If it isn't the adventurer I've so longed to dismember! Praise Lord Diabolos for this opportunity─I shall gift him your head in gratitude. Ah, and speaking of gifts, I've brought a present to celebrate our gleeful reunion!
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Ferdiad
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I see you've found the relic, then. Wonderful! Lord Diabolos will be so pleased! And look here! I've brought you a gift as thanks for all your hard work!
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Ferdiad
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This is the lovely lass you've been oh-so-desperately seeking, isn't it? Unless you wish to see her rent limb from limb, then you will hand over the Nullstone!
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Leofard
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You think I care about her worthless limbs? That woman's done naught but cause us grief, and I just thought to crow over her grave!
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Leofard
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Don't give me that look, Radlia. What? You thought I was here to save your sorry hide?
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Leofard
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You've never been aught but an obstacle to me. Do you remember the first time we met? You were roarin' with laughter at the sight of all them Allagan relics until I used your pretty blonde head as a steppin'-stone!
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Radlia
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Damn you, you selfish bastard! And damn me for expecting you to act any different! If I had my weapons, I'd blow a bloody hole in your belly!
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Leofard
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Have you forgotten how awful a shot you are? Not much of a threat when I've seen you miss the side of a cathedral at ten yalms.
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Ferdiad
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Silence, you grinning fool! You've ruined my moment, and now I'll ruin your smirking face!
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Leofard
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Now, puss!
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Ferdiad
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What─ Aaargh! It burns!
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Cait Sith
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This world is not your stage, unholy harlequin! Begone from our realm!
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Ferdiad
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Grrr! A clever farce, mortals! But the show is not over...not until you scream!
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Leofard
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...The bugger got away. And I think we'd best do the same.
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Stacia
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Aye, it all worked out in the end, but I've had just about enough of Leofard's folly.
...Ugh, I must've said that a hundred times by now.
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Cait Sith
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The lady pirate is saved, and the Nullstone is ours! That all went rather well, did it not?
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Leofard
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Now that was some excitement, wasn't it, [Player Name]! Probably a little too much for Radlia, but we gave her a bed to sleep off the worst of her ordeal. She'll likely be back to her usual cheerful self in no time.
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Leofard
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Quite a successful jaunt, all told. You and me, we make a pretty good partnership!
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Leofard
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...But I've got words for you, furball! You said that relic would obliterate a voidsent “completely.” Seems to me that foppish fiend just got scorched before he slipped away.
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Cait Sith
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Oh, that? That was scarcely a fraction of the Nullstone's true power. Once I have learned how to unleash its full potential, such demons shall be consumed like gnats caught in a bonfire.
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Leofard
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So you're tellin' me our secret weapon ain't ready for battle? You might as well be wieldin' a blunted sword...
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Cait Sith
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Might I remind you that this “blunted sword” stung our foe sufficiently to free the lady pirate? A result we could not have achieved with your blustering words alone!
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Leofard
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Bah, I was ready to flee without Radlia if things took a turn for the worse.
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Leofard
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...But you're right. You had the presence of mind to take advantage of my bluff, and it was your actions that saved her in the end.
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Cait Sith
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(★未使用/削除予定★)
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Leofardsconspirators02204
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(★未使用/削除予定★)
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Quest complete.
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