The discovery of the device with Azem's symbol was shocking. The Warrior of Light could only wonder how the supposed Milalla got their hands on it. It was also uncertain as to who now kept it in possession. Zoraal Ja? Or perhaps the Sphene controlled by 'The Preservation'.
Regardless, the Warrior of Light would soon have to shelve any curiosity regarding the mysterious device, for Zoraal Ja made his presence known upon their return to the entrance into Solution Nine.
Initially, Zoraal Ja stood confidently before the party of heroes-would-be, assured of position. Queen Sphene was beside Zoraal Ja, making her position known. Or at least, 'The Preservation' ensured that she would stand beside Zoraal Ja.
Zoraal Ja was soon informed of his underlings' failure to take control of Tuliyollal. The scions who remained behind to assist Koana had clearly accomplished their role, based on Zoraal Ja's grinding jaws of frustration.
However, he soon calmed, having clearly come to a decision.
"This world is powered by souls. My agreement with Sphene was to provide this world with the necessary souls. In return, I would receive the soul-infusion necessary to make me equal--no-- beyond the ability of the gifted siblings of Mamook," he growled. "And no longer would Alexandria use their soul technology to assist Mamook in creating two-headed blessed siblings."
"And you, brother," he turned towards Gulool Ja. "Your soul was born in my body, but my father sacrificed you-- bid Sphene to remove your soul such that I would survive. I have returned to you the life that you deserve!"
"Already, I have achieved more than our father," he said to Wuk Lamat. "He knew of how us Mamool Ja have sacrificed generations of our people to create the blessed siblings, yet he himself was never able to put an end to it. As long as I hold onto my end of the deal, then Mamook will no longer have its darkness."
For a moment, the Warrior of Light felt conflicted. If that was the agreement between Zoraal Ja and the controlled Sphene, then Zoraal Ja's failure to provide souls would likely lead to a continuation of blessed siblings in Mamook. It was quite likely that even with assistance from the scions to carve a new path, there will be many stuck in the old ways. Mamook might very well split into two warring factions.
"But worry not," Zoraal Ja's lips curled upward. "After all, technically speaking, the people of Heritage Found are already eternal."
"Zoraal Ja!" Sphene decried. "You cannot mean to-"
"Soldiers! Collect these souls!" Zoraal Ja ordered.
The Warrior of Light alongside the many companions took a half-step back and drew their weapons, ready to face the onslaught. Yet what followed was Zoraal Ja and the soldiers marching into Solution Nine.
"You must stop Zoraal Ja!" Sphene beseeched Wuk Lamat. "He intends to reap the souls of my people!"
Both the Warrior of Light and Wuk Lamat only felt confusion by the turn of events. It was then that the other scions and Bakool Ja Ja informed the two of the results of their investigations.
Supposedly, Alexandrians that lose their lives would be eternally preserved in some data matrix that was seen as a sort of heaven. The Warrior of Light now understood Zoraal Ja's words. In Zoraal Ja's eyes, the Alexandrians, upon death, would be 'reborn'. Thus, death meant nothing. Their souls can be used to fuel Alexandria, seeing as his initial plan to collect the souls of Tuliyollal had been countered.
As for Sphene's reaction? The Warrior of Light was surprised that this time, 'The Preservation', that shadowy organization behind-the-scenes, did not wipe and reset Sphene.
Though suspicious as to why the current Sphene was preserved, the party assisted her within Solution Nine, doing battle against the automatons that normally should safeguard the Alexandrians' safety.
Otis made an appearance to protect Sphene, sacrificing himself in the process, to Gulool Ja's dismay. Although the party eventually returned peace to Solution Nine, many lives were lost, and souls harvested.
After the dust had settled, the party located Zoraal Ja's position. He had returned to the Everkeep.
On the way there, Sphene and Wuk Lamat engaged in conversation.
"I struggle to believe he can be so cruel," Wuk Lamat muttered. "For years, he served Tuliyollal loyally as the captain of the Landsguard. Is the living so fragile? That rejection from Mamook was enough to twist his mind into… this?"
"To be rejected from those of your ancestral home is…devastating," Sphene murmured.
"You took advantage of his weakness!" Wuk Lamat glared at Sphene, She felt rage at Sphene, but primarily at her own failure. The failure to identify her brother's inner struggles.
"I… I did…?" Sphene was wide-eyed at Wuk Lamat's accusation, her face blank in bewilderment.
Wuk Lamat took a deep breath to calm herself as she recalled Sphene's state. This Queen Sphene had been reset many times, that she was certain of.
"You know… he tried," Sphene added.
"Ehh?" Wuk Lamat's ears twitched.
"Zoraal Ja tried to satisfy his end of the deal by harvesting the souls of beasts and monsters. The assumption was by separating memories from the soul, these feral souls would be effective in supporting our society."
"Ultimately, that method was a failure. Currently, it has only been determined that occasionally using these feral souls to do combat should be safe," Sphene explained.
"I see…" It somewhat warmed Wuk Lamat's heart that Zoraal Ja had attempted to satisfy his end of the deal with Alexandria through another method, at least initially.
As they reached Everkeep, Sphene turned to not just Wuk Lamat, but also the rest of the party.
"Say. Do you think I am truly alive? What does it mean to be alive?" She inquired. Her eyes were lost in uncertainty.
This was, indeed, a question that had sat in the back of everyone's minds ever since they discovered the underlying system supporting Alexandria.
"I suppose…" At length, Wuk Lamat spoke. "To be alive means to grow as a person, learn from experiences and change oneself." She had come to recognize that she could not simply sit back now that her father was but a soul in that device attached to her head.
"I see… to change…" Sphene muttered to herself.
As they climbed the Everkeep, armies of automatons blocked their way. As typical in such situations, the Warrior of Light was sent ahead while the rest of the party cooperated to fend off the army of automatons.
"Save a piece of my older brother for me," Wuk Lamat requested. The Warrior of Light simply nodded.
The Warrior of Light arrived atop Everkeep to find Zoraal Ja awaiting upon his throne.
"So in the end, it is you, my sister's mentor, that has come before me. As always, she prefers to avoid trouble, leisurely sitting back within her safe caravan and wile away her days." Zoraal Ja stood up menacingly. "But perhaps you, whose soul is the densest of us all, is the perfect specimen to test the results of my soul experiments. To me!"
Zoraal Ja raised his twinblades as the regulator on his temple activated. A number of souls poured out from the surrounding space and entered Zoraal Ja's body in a blinding flash of light, transforming the Mamool Ja's very physical form.
And so, the Warrior of Light did battle against Zoraal Ja.
By the time Wuk Lamat arrived, Zoraal Ja was down on one knee, winded, while the Warrior of Light stood tall with only a hint of breathlessness. Wuk Lamat was the quickest to catch up, desperate as she was to face her brother.
"So many souls…yet…" Zoraal Ja muttered with his head hanging down.
"Heh!" Zoraal Ja snorted as he noticed the arrival of Wuk Lamat. "So in the end, sister, you still hide in the back. As you have always done throughout our upbringing." He suddenly returned back to his feet and roared into the fake sky of their surrounding space. "I still have more to give!"
The shadow of a dragon rose behind Zoraal Ja, and Estinien's lance vibrated in response.
"A long-lost kin…" Estinien grumbled. He had silently arrived without the Warrior of Light sensing his presence. He had warned Zoraal Ja against his ambitions, yet in the end, that had only given Zoraal Ja a target. As for where this dragon soul might have come from? A mystery for another time.
"Allow me," Wuk Lamat stepped forth. "This is not only for me, but also for my father."
The Warrior of Light nodded.
The regulator on Wuk Lamat's temple whirled as the shadow of Gulool Ja Ja rose behind her.
"Father…" Zoraal Ja snarled. Gulool Ja Ja's two heads reminded him of Mamook's darkness that rejected his achievements as a one-headed.
"It was my failure to resolve Mamook's darkness that led to your obsession with blessed siblings," Gulool Ja Ja spoke. As he did so, Wuk Lamat's face was twisted in pain. A result of Gulool Ja Ja's soul still carrying memories that clashed against Wuk Lamat's mind. "Still, that does not condone your actions."
"I care not for your approval, father!" Zoraal Ja took a fighting stance. "Sister. Come!"
Zoraal Ja with the infused soul of a dragon did battle against Wuk Lamat, who was augmented by the remnants of Gulool Ja Ja's soul.
Wuk Lamat's black axe clashed against Zoraal Ja's twinblades. Zoraal Ja's dragon claws parried Gulool Ja Ja's twinblades. It was a whirlwind of action.
The Warrior of Light was initially worried, as Wuk Lamat started off on her backfoot. Yet she had taken the Warrior of Light's guidance to heart. Whenever it seemed as if she was cornered, a new strength would rise within her, releasing an explosive energy beyond the expected limit.
Zoraal Ja gradually weakened as the battle went on. The tides shifted eventually, and Zoraal Ja became slower to react as his arms grew heavy.
Eventually, one of Zoraal Ja's blades was knocked out of his left hand. He leapt backwards to recoup as the shadow of the dragon faded.
"This… this is not your victory, sister, but father's!" Zoraal Ja did not believe that his sister had grown so much. Much more than he had during the thirty years within the purple dome, his mind trapped in an obsessive desire to prove himself. This must be Gulool Ja Ja's assistance.
"Zoraal Ja… my son…" Gulool Ja Ja's consciousness returned as Wuk Lamat scrunched her face in pain. "Those of Tuliyollal respected you. The Landsguard would follow you to their deaths. Your siblings believed in your capability. Why did you focus on Mamook's obsession with blessed siblings? Immaterial. I suppose it is my failure. Perhaps I should have taught you that sometimes, all you need is to focus your attention on that one voice supporting your back. Not that one voice dragging you down."
"Mamook was only willing to be under your banner because of your position as a blessed sibling, father," Zoraal Ja rebutted. "They would have, sooner or later, after your eventual passing, begun another war on the back of a more capable blessed sibling."
"I may not have been able to remove Mamook's dark obsession with blessed siblings," Gulool Ja Ja continued. "However, as Tuliyollal grows in the future, with all those that participate in the… nation-building. With different peoples cooperating to build a better future, it was but an eventuality that Mamook would realize their foolishness. It may take centuries, but sometimes patience is needed. One cannot expect change overnight."
In the end, Gulool Ja Ja's words fell on deaf ears. Zoraal Ja shook his head, denying all of his father's words.
"Your victory is Gulool Ja Ja's and not yours!" Zoraal Ja picked up his dropped twinblade and pointed it at Wuk Lamat.
"Very well," Wuk Lamat exhaled, sorrow filling her heart as she pitied her older brother's state of existence. Her adapted regulator was switched off and Gulool Ja Ja's shadow vanished.
Zoraal Ja laughed hysterically and the two once again traded blows.
However, Zoraal Ja was already spent, while Wuk Lamat seemed to have a bottomless well of energy.
It did not take long for Zoraal Ja to collapse onto his back, his eyes unfocused as he gazed upwards at the fake sky of Everkeep.
"I thought I would hate losing to my younger sister…" He muttered to no one in particular. His voice was low, and as such, Wuk Lamat only saw his lips move silently. "Yet why do I feel such… relief in the end? Sister… go on… be more than those damn blessed siblings of Mamook."
With those whispered words, Zoraal Ja took one last breath and the pounding of his heart became silent.
Wuk Lamat was naturally distraught. None of her axe strikes should have been fatal.
The rest of the party arrived, and Alphinaud examined Zoraal Ja's body.
"Hmm." Alphinaud tilted his head. "His body had long broken down internally. He was already at death's door prior to the battle."
"This is my fault…" Wuk Lamat lamented. "If I had been more present… perhaps my brother would have opened up to me, and I could have changed his fate…"
"Do not blame yourself…" The Warrior of Light consoled.
Sphene strode forth towards the throne and picked up an intricate cup.
"Of course. He had experimented with feral souls so often that this was almost inevitable. It's almost a surprise that he lasted this long," Sphene noted.
"Sphene! You--" Wuk Lamat's words were interrupted.
"Wuk Lamat," Sphene said as she grasped the cup. "You told me that to be alive means to learn. To grow from experiences. Often, I wonder if I am truly alive. And so I considered… how I, as Sphene, must grow."
"As Queen of Alexandria, it was my failure-- my lack of viciousness to purge Alexandria of some personnel-- that led to the war which plunged my nation into desperate straits. And once again, it was my unwillingness to dirty my hands that led to Zoraal Ja's necessity."
"It is this...shadowy 'Preservation' that chose such a course of action," Wuk Lamat replied, sensing that this 'Sphene' wasn't right in the mind. "There is no need to--"
"No. If I was capable of dirtying my hands and doing what is necessary, then Zoraal Ja would not have been given power, and such devastation would not have been delivered upon my people," Sphene muttered to herself, distraught.
"And if to be alive means to learn and grow… then I must change. I must discard that which limited my capability to do what is necessary for Alexandria. Then I will be more than memories. I will truly be alive! I will no longer be that which 'The Preservation' set me out to be! This will be my ultimatum!"
With that declaration, Sphene lifted the cup-like relic skyward. To the party's amazement, a portal opened to receive Sphene, and the Queen vanished before anyone could react.
Krile strode towards the throne and found a mammet hidden behind the seat. She began the process to retrieve the data.
"This mammet was found and put to use by Zoraal Ja until it fell into disrepair…" Krile said as she examined the information. "There is a level above this floor, the location where all souls and memories are stored. This mammet here searched for an entrance but it seems to require a 'key' to open."
"That must be the so-called heaven!" Bakool Ja Ja the Mystic exclaimed. "A place of souls and memories! The temptation within the Yok Huy's dreams!"
"How troublesome…" Y'shtola muttered. "Alexandria exists partially in the Source but also partially within its shard of origin. To create a connection requires… unless…" she turned to Krile.
Krile's four leaf clover earring was passed along with her to the Source, through that gate within Skydeep Cenote.
"This must be a key," Krile nodded and held up the four leaf clover earring.
"How amazing," Y'shtola noted. "To think that in the end, it was your grandfather's hand that guided us to this solution."
Krile could only nod, filled with both joy and sorrow.
So it was that they returned to Skydeep Cenote. Y'shtola and Urianger remained behind to maintain the portal using the four leaf clover earring from Krile.
Once the party entered said portal, the Warrior of Light discovered a place that could best be described as a 'Living Memory'. As for Sphene, in her desperation to 'change' and prove her own state of living, she had withdrawn to the mesoterminal, hoping to unleash further devastation through a destructive rejoining with the source, to fuel Alexandria's supply of souls.
It was Cahciua-- the real 'form' of Cahciua that welcomed them and explained the very nature of this 'Living Memory'.
They followed Cahciua to shut down various terminals in this realm. They met various collected memories given form along the way, such as the original Otis, Namikka, Krile's parents, and of course, Cahciua herself. Those shared moments were especially emotionally devastating for poor Erenville.
That was not all. Bakool Ja Ja himself dripped tears as he encountered many thousands of infantile Mamool Ja infants. Then there were the ancestors of Yok Huy, much greater in size. In the past, they had warred and collected souls for Alexandria to be given a chance to enter this 'heaven'.
Those ancestors spoke with Bakool Ja Ja and left him with a message to bring back to the current day Yok Huy.
Eventually they approached the mesoterminal, and entered into its virtual world to face the 'changed' Sphene.
Initially, the Warrior of Light was isolated by Sphene's hand, but with Azem's power, pulled other heroes to assist in the battle. Then, as Sphene went into overdrive in her virtual form, Wuk Lamat broke in. The regulator upon her temple automatically lit up.
"Daughter, allow me to assist you one last time. Alexandria is linked to Mamook's obsession with blessed siblings, and this will be my last act before I fade into the aetherial sea," Gulool Ja Ja's voice rang out.
"Father… you…"
"I am the past. Just a memory in your head. Look to the future!"
And so they did battle against the berserking virtual Sphene.
Wuk Lamat's black axe, combined with the twinblades of Gulool Ja Ja's shadow, blocked much of virtual Sphene's gargantuan metal claws. The Warrior of Light and accompanying heroes whittled down Sphene's resistance by taking advantage of the created openings.
Finally, the Warrior of Light raised a fist as a signal to Wuk Lamat. Wuk Lamat once mentioned that this was her and Zoraal Ja's signal for one to feint and the other to deal the final killing blow. The Warrior of Light feinted, and Wuk Lamat swifted swung with a powerful axe strike, connecting with a vital point that dispersed the virtual form of Sphene.
Sphene crumpled onto the battle arena in despair. A lightning seemed to flash around her head as her eyes widened, followed by a hysterical laughter.
Both the Warrior of Light and Wuk Lamat took a half-step back in fear.
"In the end…" Sphene scoffed at herself after somewhat calming. "I thought in my bid to truly feel-- to be alive, I needed to change myself. But I was still only acting as The Preservation's pawn. To do battle in order to, with full certainty, identify the nature of your world."
"So," Sphene's attitude suddenly became calm and calculated-- a different voice rose from her lips. "This is truly 'The Source'. Else, how could the eternal construct lose in battle?"
Sphene's 'form' crumbled into nothingness, and a cup-like relic dropped to the ground. The Warrior of Light picked up the cup, and was once again astonished to find Azem's symbol upon it. How curious. With the scions' assistance, its mystery should be resolved. Sooner or later.
An image of a female hyur flashed into existence before the Warrior of Light.
"I am Fiona. Much like you, I fought for my world. You must save what remains of my world. Please." She then vanished, leaving these last ominous words.
A week later, they had returned to Tuliyollal, leaving Solution Nine in the hands of the resistance group, Oblivion. Zoraal Ja had passed on his control over the systems to Gulool Ja, who was more than happy to receive Oblivion's advice, as well as Tuliyollal's assistance.
In the throne room.
"Thank you," Vorporlor's slow speech acknowledged Bakool Ja Ja's assistance. "The words you carry from that 'heaven' and your assistance to the north will lift a generational weight from our shoulders. For that, your father will be free to return, and we will have peace."
"But you…" Vorporlor turned to Wuk Lamat. "You are foolish. Those citizens of the place named Solution Nine? You should have forcefully destroyed all these regulators, their… way of life. Their reliance on an extra soul within these regulators are completely unsustainable, and this will come to a head sooner or later. No matter how, they will have to face the threat of death sooner or later."
"In time… they will awaken, I am sure of it," Wuk Lamat replied.
"You are too idealistic," Vorporlor shook his head. "Historically, the majority of humanity are stuck in their ways, even if said ways are clearly harmful to themselves. Often, these beliefs will be taken advantage of by a madman for nefarious purposes. Even then, they will not awaken. Sometimes, only a harsh hand can purge such practices and build a better future. You'll see."
The giant turned and left Vollok Shoonsa, accompanied by Bakool Ja Ja, off to collect his imprisoned father.
When it became dark, Wuk Lamat sat alone atop Vollok Shoonsa, gazing out at the seas. The regulator on her temple whirled on.
"Farewell, father," Wuk Lamat muttered.
"I will await you in the aetherial sea, my dear daughter," Gulool Ja Ja replied.
Wuk Lamat closed a hand around the regulator that carried the memories and soul of Gulool Ja Ja. With a snap, the regulator was destroyed.
Tears rolled down Wuk Lamat's cheeks.
"Within my head, is a living memory," Wuk Lamat placed her hands on her hips as she straightened her back. Her eyes lingered over the mesmerizing lights of Tuliyollal wondrous nightlife as she nodded to herself.
A week later, Wuk Lamat and Koana were officially crowned to lead Tuliyollal for a new era.
Author's Comment:
Thank you for going through my rewrite attempt. My goal with the rewrite was to adjust a few elements to give the characters more of a concrete motivation while maintaining the official flow of the MSQ.
Zoraal Ja: I felt that for him as a one-headed Mamool Ja, if those of Mamook, his race's origin, rejected his leadership due to him not being a blessed sibling, that would be a more compelling source of frustration. Not that it wasn't mentioned, but rather, lacked the necessary emphasis. I attempted to build this more into his psyche.
Wuk Lamat: I changed her personality to be more of 'a sibling who felt herself unneeded, prefering to leisurely enjoy her days in the background' sort of character. This, I believe, would provide a more of a summer-holiday vibe initially, eventually allowing Wuk Lamat to realize that her lack of interest in participating may have been costly. ie, she did not notice her older brother's internal struggles until it was too late. I felt that would make a more compelling character profile.
Bakool Ja Ja: I believe that his action of freeing Valigarmanda should have consequences, thus his jailed father who sacrificed himself for a 'blessed sibling'. To free his father, he needed to travel to Solution Nine to resolve the Yok Huy's past visions caused by Alexandria. In doing so, he would see his thousand dead siblings within Living Memory. At least, I felt that to be interesting.
Gulool Ja Ja: I felt he was underused, and as such, I opted to place his memory and soul into a stolen regulator, used to augment Wuk Lamat's combat ability, and have a presence later on in the story. This would also make Wuk Lamat's growth in strength more 'reasonable' through the tale. In theory, there could also have been more scenes of Gulool Ja Ja expounding on his experiences and thoughts through this approach.
The Preservation: Introducing the presence of The Preservation earlier on, I believe, is critical to the tension within the Solution Nine storyline.
Sphene(s): There could have been much more philosophical exploration of Sphene as a memory, a sort of AI. In my rewrite, I positioned Sphene as this 'memory' that desires to truly be 'alive'. There is the interference of 'The Preservation' to prevent her opposing Zoraal Ja earlier on, while she is 'manipulated' into abandoning her kindness after Zoraal Ja chose to collect the souls of Solution Nine's citizens. At least, I think it serves to somewhat explore the idea of memory and living.
Krile: I added the mammet search in an attempt to give Krile more screentime and build a link to Galuf Baldesion's involvement. I wasn't entirely sure how to flesh this out, but the concept was, admittedly, a rather weak attempt to create the idea that even in death, Galuf was providing assistance to Krile through his investigative mammets into Solution Nine, sent in decades before.
As for the other details in the MSQ, they were mostly done pretty alright, such as Erenville's involvement with Cahciua. For those reasons, I did not feel it was necessary to explore those areas, and only briefly mentioned those storylines to create a coherent flow of events.
Now, as for 'future tales', I plan to do brief snapshots of a future storyline that will span a few expansions. They won't be particularly detailed, and will serve more as concepts.