53 The DDR Radar / The Soldier Witnesses Humanity’s Bonds of Flame

Fire burns deep in my heart. Fire connects us all.

Fire. Fire is the bond that connects us to God.

-DDR Stream/VOD Part 6-

I’m scared. Ahhh, I’m so scared! Too scared to go to the bathroom, so I’m focusing on the battle. I’m the kind of guy that gets nutrients from the battlefield! Probably! Dual-wielding atop my horse, I slash and slice! Every strike of my Flame Blade grants certain death! Charge, my steed... uh... Chocolate Pudding! I’m really dying for something sweet right now! I’ll be sure to buy some chocolate bamboo shoot biscuits from the convenience store later! The more bamboo shoots, the better! None of those mushroom ones, please.

So, what is going on with this battle? I just sorta charged in without thinking. The vampires and humans are locked in hand-to-hand combat, pushing and pulling each other down. Not to mention the humans are literally on fire, devil-red and skin the color of mocha. Doesn’t the heat wear them out? Come on! Livin’ la vida loca.

Furthermore, there are vampires hiding under the dead bodies of monsters, like some sort of zombies or weird ninjas. See? Over there, too! I’ll just toss my spear and... strike! Now you’re all livin’ la vida loca. So easy.

I mean, you can’t hide from my mini map’s radar. It’s pointless to wait in ambush there. Actually, I feel a little bad now. Like I just ruined a surprise birthday party.

“Damn, the ape Apostle! I’ll send her crying home with some flying lava!”

Hey, a named enemy. Something-something Barebow. She wields a warhammer, huh? That pretty much guarantees she’s an earth mage. What are her stats?

“Guh! That glint in her eyes creeps me out! And I’m never creeped out! Forget it! Run! We did our jobs, damn it!”

The earth rises and great walls of stone rise up, cutting off all paths forward. Ah, I see. So it’s standard practice for them to throw out Earthen Wall and Stone Shield like it’s going out of fashion against mounted fighters. Unfortunately for them, magic is still magic. Hup! As you can see, my Flame Blade cuts through it all. In a clash of magics, it’s always the stronger spell that comes out on top... hm? Wow, they’re fast runners. Who are you, Usain Bolt?

I could chase them down, but... this battle is pretty much won. That cavalry charge down the center was the clincher, I think. It was so cool and cinematic how they split the vampire forces in half. And then those hand-grenade-looking things they tossed over and over? That must have dealt a lot of damage.

I was thinking the vampires weren’t so impressive because it is the middle of the day, but even so, the humans have gotten really strong. And fire is extremely effective against vampires. I doubt we would have won against the elves under the same conditions. They’d just blow away our fire with their wind and water, and any grenades would be shot down with arrows.

Hm... Does that mean this DX version has a lot of anti-vampire mechanics in place? I felt this during the battle against Golden, but when the humans and elves team up they can make quick work of the vampires. Water for defense, fire for offense. And this might just be me being pedantic, but why are vampires the only ones with a weakness? No other race is weak to an element, but they can’t cross flowing water and are weak to fire... Well, if you think about it as the game being loyal to traditional vampire lore, then I guess it works out? Honestly, though, isn’t that loyalty in the wrong sense?

All in all, I have a nagging feeling I can’t get rid of... Maybe they get special treatment because they’re the strongest race? In order to balance them, perhaps the devs gave them weaknesses. Come on, devs...

Anyway.

After a little bit of Dynasty Warriors roleplaying, here we are: the vampires have lost and are running away. It’s an overwhelming human victory. Wow, they’re really cheering loudly. The rabbits are hopping about, too. So fancy. The cavalry aren’t giving chase, either. That’s the right choice, I think. Whether it’s against vampires or elves, chasing them into the forest is like trying to fight a shark underwater.

Besides, the main vampire force is closing in just on the other side of the forest. Where are they now, exactly? Let’s check for Thunderstorm on the overworld map. Hmmm... yep, I can sense them taking the long way around through the south. On the contrary, Absolute hasn’t moved. Mmmh...

Does this mean the elven army hasn’t caught on to Thunderstorm’s movements? It’s a possibility. For example, they could have left ten thousand or so vampires behind as a distraction. Apostles, for all their great strategic importance, can be very light-footed. Such a diversion would certainly be possible.

Thinking about it that way, this system that allows me to see Apostle locations is kind of like a cheat. I-Is that okay? Is this information even accurate? U-Um...? Thunderstorm’s marker disappeared. Was it because I complained? Is this some kind of new service that instantly responds to player feedback, similar to what happened with Sira’s viewing window? I’ve got a lot to deal with in real life already, so can you not? Damn, I’m getting scared again. Please stop, PotatoStarch Observing Company. Stalking is a criminal offense. Unngh... huh? The marker’s back. Stop toying with my emotions!

Wait, now it’s Crumbling Mountain? Not Thunderstorm? And why is the marker in that location? That’s the southern corner of the western front. The only place I can think of over there is the mountain range that splits the human territory into north and south: the Sacred Shield Mountains, more commonly called the Iron Wall. Nestled in its center is the fort, which protects the human safe zone. It’s the whole reason no one has ever tried to attack that location before; it’s a complete dead end to the west.

So why is he there? At the foot of the mountain is the biggest human city. Why is Crumbling Mountain’s marker slowly moving its way south? Whoa, whoa... this is bad. What’s going to happen to the city? What is this Apostle doing? Hey... Hey, hey, hey! Why isn’t he stopping?! It can’t be... It can’t be!

-Soldier Mulaso II-

“Mulaso! Hey, you alive?”

I reach out towards the sound of the sergeant’s voice and touch something. I tap it. It’s all I can do to breathe. Talking’s impossible. I can hardly see, either. I’m half-buried in rubble and can’t move. And my arms... are just an arm now.

The attack was so sudden. On the horizon, a cloud of dust appeared, and from it came a horde of charging vampires. I’d never seen such numbers. The sergeant shouted something about thousands, and someone else shouted back about tens of thousands. There were just so many. It was obvious from the moment I saw them that it was useless. We were all going to die. I even forgot how to breathe, and ended up just continually sucking in air. It was painful.

Nevertheless, I remembered the sergeant’s words and ran. I did what I could, and tried to warn as many people as possible. “Head to the underground shelters and cave rooms!” I yelled. I urged them to hide. While carrying an old lady on my back and pulling a child by the hand, I did what I could.

I am a soldier; I will die. It is my destiny. But the people who aren’t soldiers don’t have to suffer the same fate. It’s my job to sacrifice myself so they can survive. With that thought in mind, I ran around doing my job. Eventually, my chest began to feel hot. Tears dripped from my eyes, but I kept doing the best I could.

Later, I grabbed my spear along with my brethren and stood against the vampires. We were going to be brave and perform our duty as an army. We would fight, even if we knew we wouldn’t win.

However, I’m not cool like those knights... so I got taken out really quickly. One of them grabbed my arm, flung me about, and tossed me. I hit something; it hurt like hell. I nearly fainted. I was paralyzed. I could only listen to the sounds of my brethren fighting. I’d mustered up my courage, prepared myself for death... and then this happened.

I couldn’t even become kindling for the fire. I’m so lame.

“Mulaso, lad... a job well done.”

Ah, he’s going to scold me until the end. Whatever, it’s fine. As long as I don’t have to die alone... I’m so happy to feel human contact.

“Your spear hit true. It was impressive.”

I... feel like this is praise. Is the sergeant smiling?

“The vampire you fought was a big deal. An Apostle! A beast named Crumbling Mountain. That monster leveled homes, walls, and mountains... yet your spear hit true.”

Really? I got taken out so quickly, though... Was I at least a little helpful, then?

“You can pass on with pride. You did all you could. You, me, the other men... we’re all gonna die here, but God will praise us. He’ll tell us we did a bang-up job.”

His voice is strained, like he’s suffering. The convulsing I’d felt in my fingertips has now disappeared. Oh, the sergeant... and the others... Our army is gone.

What about the citizens? What happened to that old lady? What happened to the children? Come on, voice, I need to ask, or I’ll never be able to pass on in peace.

“...The citizens will be fine. The vampires seemed to be in a hurry.”

Good. I can only hope that’s true. Please, let it be true. Otherwise, it would be my only regret.

Oh, God. You who so love Lady Kuroi; the God of Humanity. I know I pray and ask for a lot, but this is the last time... Please, please, give your blessing to those who are suffering. Bless those frightened children. Create a world where they can all live happily... Deus Ex.

Ah... I can see a flame. A warm, beautiful flame...

It’s my turn to join you.