AEHU/Plot/Plot Sketch Chapter 23
"Schala's Choice"
- The next morning the Gurus fascinatedly study the dream creatures that have just come into being, but they evoke a powerful despairing response from Grishe. Melchior bestows the Masamune to Grishe, who promises to use it for the just cause of eliminating Po'hjol's threat to Earthbound and Zealian alike. Melchior then gives the Pendant to Schala; Beck reported that Queen Zeal has been placed under house arrest by Seith for her overnight excursion, so the pendant should be in Schala's safekeeping. Since nobody's too keen on following Seith, the gurus submit to Schala's authority as true provisional monarch.
- Schala holds a strategy session to figure out what to do next. Now that Pengalaan has been activated the situation has grown more complex. If they go after Cassio per the original plan, Pengalaan could indiscriminantly destroy a ton of Earthbound civilians; Beck attests to its capabilities. On the other hand, if they try to prevent Pengalaan from being unleashed, Cassio could potentially destroy the rest of the Zealian army and leave the skyways vulnerable to Po'hjol's rebels. As a fun fact, Belthasar adds that the Sun Stone is already very worn out, so Cassio couldn't produce more than one or two more bursts of the magnitude they witnessed the previous day. Plus, the party is worried about being completely ineffectual if they split up evenly. There are two courses of action:
- Option A: Beck advocates heading to his former sky island laboratory and preventing Pengalaan from being released (actually destroying Pengalaan is a process in and of itself that they won't have time for yet). The cost is a possible invasion of the sky islands, and Grishe vows that he will head off on his own to destroy Cassio and Po'hjol.
- Option B: Dalton, confident in his own judgment, pressures Schala to go after Cassio and get Grishe close enough to it to weaken its armor with Masamune. Information on Cassio's power requirements is unavailable; if it could squeeze even three or four more energy bursts out of the Sunstone, there will be hell to pay. Besides, Pengalaan would be useful in disposing of it if the monstrosity is indeed as powerful as Beck suggests. To everyone's surprise, Raqh says he's going to the sky island laboratory regardless.
- Option A: Beck advocates heading to his former sky island laboratory and preventing Pengalaan from being released (actually destroying Pengalaan is a process in and of itself that they won't have time for yet). The cost is a possible invasion of the sky islands, and Grishe vows that he will head off on his own to destroy Cassio and Po'hjol.
- The rest of the chapter flows differently depending on Schala's choice.
Option A
- Grishe helps his father overthrow Po'hjol's fledgling revolutionary government while creatures from Beck's old lab swarm Po'hjol's army and attack indiscriminantly. Alpha Pengalaan is unleashed and the havoc it causes makes Cassio look like child's play.
- To put an end to the havoc, Grishe agrees to abandon his search for Po'hjol and take on Cassio with the Masamune. Schala & co. retreat after Cassio's armor breaks, and Pengalaan easily finishes off Cassio in a clash of the titans.
- Pengalaan is recaptured and brought to Beck's lab, where Korrus augments it into Omega Pengalaan at Seith's request. The aim is apparently to wipe out the routed Earthbound entirely for the kingdom's everlasting safety. The party finds that Raqh has dismantled the Lavos Spawn held in the lab, digging out its Core for his own keeping.
Option B
- Schala & co. minus Grishe join Raqh to slaughter the more powerful creatures being released from Beck's lab. They split up; Raqh leads one party to take on the Lavoid and Schala leads another against Alpha Pengalaan, which they bar from leaving the area. Korrus drops in and enacts the process that will convert Alpha Pengalaan into Omega Pengalaan; Seith has ordered this to combat Po'hjol's forces now that the Zealian army has been nearly completely wiped out.
- Schala & co. fight back Earthbound rebels that have taken the skyways and overrun Shikar. On the surface, Cassio is able to harness far more power from the Sunstone than previously thought possible and Grishe rushes it suicidally. Grishe strikes the Sunstone itself as Cassio draws power from it, causing Cassio to explode. Masa and Mune shield Grishe from the blast.
- Whatever Schala decides, the chapter ends with the realization that Pengalaan can't be left running around. Schala & co. seize control of the Blackbird and defeat Omega Pengalaan in a midair boss battle. Beck reverses the conversion process Korrus enacted earlier, separating Pengalaan into its constituent pieces. They are dragged to various locations for temporary sealing until Beck can figure out a way to dispose of Pengalaan. Raqh seems much impressed with Pengalaan's capabilities.
- Schala wanders around to take account of the day's havoc. Realizing the full extent of her decision's effects and how it resulted in countless deaths on one side or the other, she suffers a nervous breakdown when Derben congratulates her on a job well done. It seems nobody can console her, and Schala ends up wandering around until she encounters Raqh, now busy fashioning Levantine after breaking into Melchior's forge. Only Raqh seems to understand her pain. Beck interrupts their conversation to summon Schala to another secret meeting. Raqh slips away with Levantine.