Epic of Remnant II: The Woman of Agartha - Prologue & Section 1 Summary
It's also short summaries this time around, there'll be some details missing here and there, so don't rely on it too much.
Prologue
You start off going to the command room for a meeting with Da Vinci. There, you can choose to flatter her saying she's as beautiful as the Mona Lisa this morning too, which causes her to wonder who taught you to be so glib. But it's all buono to her, and she gives you a stamp of approval. Although she's pursued the ultimate beauty, it's nice to reconfirm every now and then that she is still beautiful.
Mashu asks Acting Commander Da Vinci-chan to get the conversation back on track. You're here because they've detected a similar singularity reaction as with Shinjuku, a singularity related to one of the surviving demon pillars. Da Vinci says that this particular singularity is a bit weird, since it's unthinkable there could be one in such a place. But no matter how much they analysed it the results came back the same.
Because of the difficulty and the risk, it was judged that the greatest chances of success could only be obtained by sending the one Master in Chaldea with the most knowledge and experience of strange singularities. That would be you. Mashu seems a bit reluctant to let you go this time.
Well, it's not like there's any other suitable candidate. It'll be yet another lengthy expedition after Shinjuku, but you'll just have to deal with it. Mashu still doesn't like it but there's no choice. She's feeling down that she can't be there to fight alongside you like before.
You reassure Mashu, and she says that she'll always be watching over you.
Mashu: I'm always watching over Senpai from the perfect position. What I can see with my eyes from here. What I can hear with my ears from here. All of these are to eliminate the dangers that approach Senpai before they are close. In other words, I have now devoted all of the observational instruments of Chaldea as a shield to you, Senpai.
Da Vinci says that besides front-line work, support is also important after all. Also, you have Servants that you can rely on as a trump card when the going gets tough. Anyway, she officially declares an Order for you to investigate this sub-species singularity.
She talks a bit about the Demon Pillars fleeing the final battle and how it's Chaldea's responsibility to clean up the trash. That's why these expeditions into sub-species singularities are called Remnant Orders.
Your destination this time is in Central Asia, the year 2000. Like with Shinjuku, it's in the modern age. There aren't any wars or incidents that particularly stand out in that region, but it's undoubtedly the location of the singularity. Which is underground.
A giant, mysterious, underground space underneath Central Asia. That's your next destination.
Section 1: A Welcome to the Underground World
You arrive at your destination safely with no complications. Fou has come along this time. Mashu gives you the all green on your physical and mental state, detecting no irregularities. Being a bit overly concerned, she still asks if you are feeling alright.
Mashu: If you have any headaches, stomachaches, numbness in your limbs, loneliness from not having your kouhai at your side, etc--- please feel free to seek help from me!
Da Vinci wonders if Mashu isn't being too protective here, since everything looks fine from the screen, but Mashu insists that things are not always as they seem on the monitor. You are now in a place where no man has ever been after all. The preparatory investigations that they could do were limited. Da Vinci agrees that it is weird to see such greenery in an underground land. Very much unexpected for a world that is supposed to be several kilometres beneath the earth. Temperature and pressure should usually be a problem at these depths but everything seems perfectly, strangely 'normal'.
If there is air you can breathe, there are plants, if there are plants, they must be photosynthesizing, and if that is the case, where is the light coming from?
Though one might see the underworld deep beneath the earth, that would be a phenomenon from the Age of the Gods, not something you would encounter in 2000 A.D. Her genius self is positively stoked at this discovery and is extremely interested.
Taking a closer look at your surroundings, you discover that the moss on the ceiling is actually shining. You wonder if that could be the source of the light. Da Vinci explains that they merely act as lenses to gather light from other sources. They cannot be a replacement for the sun, even if they are misused that way in fiction.
It's a very mysterious place, in short. Very different from the underworld you visited in Uruk. It also feels different from the underworld that Quetzalcoatl spoke of. That place sounded ethereal, while this land seems more real, in a sense. Da Vinci warns you not to take the laws of physics for granted in this place even if it does look normal, and asks you to treat it as another world altogether. From now on, this place will be called Agartha, after the stories of the underground world with the same name. You wonder what Mahatma Helena-chan would say about this..
Speaking of her, Da Vinci remembers that she did write a book about Agartha in life. The utopian underground, the center of the world, the core of the hollow earth--- all of these were important elements in the tales of Agartha. Though Da Vinci is not clear what it had to do with the objective of Helena's research.
This reminds Mashu of something. The report had slipped her mind, but at the moment that the Agartha singularity was detected, several Servants vanished from Chaldea.
Helena was amongst them.
Da Vinci whistles. She wonders if Helena heard of the singularity and shifted there on her own, or if she was automatically resummoned away for some other reason. After all, she's known for getting involved with unidentified flying objects and the occult. Perhaps she was pulled to Agartha for some inexplicable cause.
You raise the issue of there being "several" Servants that disappeared. As it turns out, Heracles, Fergus & Drake also disappeared. Da Vinci can't see the connection between them. She wonders if they broke the contract on their own and left now that the incineration of the human order was revoked, but no matter how she thinks about it, it can't be unrelated to this singularity. So she asks you to keep an eye out - besides Helena, there may be a few other Servants wandering about this place.
If you find traces of them you should meet up since they are comrades that you know and will likely lend a hand. Mashu says that Helena would also know more details about this underground world, and be able to provide information more efficiently. With respect to your safety, it would be best if you could meet up with her as soon as possible.
Then Astolfo pops up, telling you not to worry. No matter what dangerous situation or place you find yourself in, he's always a Servant you can count on, he says. Fou gives him a couple of kicks.
It seems that Astolfo found things interesting, so he registered himself as a support (Servant).
Astolfo: Mashu, thank the staff in charge of the Coffins for me☆ Thanks, for helping me stow away!
Mashu: Understood. Thank you, Mr. Muniel. Of course, you understand that this will result in a penalty. Although there will be no punishment because it has helped the Master, this will surely be taken into account when it comes to assessing your bonus.
Muniel: Yahoo! But if it's a request from Astolfo, I have no regrets!
Anyway, Astolfo says an expedition into unknown places like this is perfect for him to show what he can do, because he's a Heroic Spirit used to explorations and adventure. Though it was almost always because he was dragged along by Roland.
Just as Mashu is about to reluctantly accept it, yet another Saint Graph reaction appears, with the mysterious silhouette asking who it was that decided there would only be one bodyguard along for this trip. Mashu is quite irked by this, saying that sneaking 2 Servants along for the rayshift would mean that the bonus would be completely gone.
Muniel: Oh! Ouch! But if it's d'Eon's request, something like a bonus can go screw itself!
D'Eon thanks Monsieur Muniel for his bravery. Again, d'Eon repeats that they are here to guard you, as when it comes to protection their blade is unrivaled. Right now, they are treating you as the French royal family. Mashu feels comforted that Chevalier d'Eon will be at your side to protect you. Leaving aside the matter of stowing away, that is. Astolfo says that Mashu seems to be implying that she doesn't have confidence in him to be at your side. Mashu replies that's not particularly the case, but anyway, with the two of them there you have the strength of a hundred people.
Right after this, you are plunged into battle as monsters attack.
Astolfo is pretty gung-ho about showing you his strength. Blushing, he starts rambling about wanting you to say to him things like: "Oh, Astolfo, you're so reliable! You are so helpful in all ways! If it's you, I'll call you Assistolfo instead!"
Meanwhile, d'Eon is prepared to fight beautifully and dazzlingly.
Da Vinci says that it's as if you have a flower in each hand, though if you include her and Mashu, that means a flower for each limb. Mashu stammers that you don't need to include her. Da Vinci comments that Mashu's showing restraint here, and that it seems she has not become conscious of that yet.
Guda: (A flower for each limb? No, that's... if Mashu wasn't around, wouldn't it be... a 100% rate of male flowers!?)
You fight the enemy and defeat it.
D'Eon says that with Astolfo flanking the enemy while they defend, they've found an unexpectedly good balance to the team. Still, you're lacking someone who can deal damage. D'Eon finds that the damage from Astolfo's NP is a bit... lacking. You need one more strong vanguard. They begin running off a list of names. Sanson would be too gentlemanly against other people. Marie is the same type of Servant as d'Eon, and Amadeus... is out of the question.
Anyway, it's time to move on and start exploring. After analysing the region, Da Vinci gives you a geographical report of your surroundings. The conclusion is: it's strange. The topography doesn't line up properly. It feels more like a patchwork of various terrains joined together, like a mosaic. Da Vinci likens it to an anthology authored by multiple writers. Still, the real problem isn't the lay of the land, but the demon pillar that you are searching for. At the moment you are unable to narrow down the demon pillar's location, but it should still be somewhere in Agartha.
At any rate, because of the unreliability of the scanning, you will have to map and explore Agartha manually - this will allow Da Vinci to continually receive the correct observations from your vicinity, as the topography appears to only be fixed by using yourself as a reference point. There are traces of artificial construction detected, so it is possible that there are humans in Agartha. Such places would offer the highest density of information.
Astolfo runs off to lead the way... but immediately comes running back, with beasts chasing after him.
After you fight them off, it seems that the beasts were actually fleeing. Tracing their tracks, you should be able to find other people in this land. As you do so, you come across someone injured, perhaps trampled under the beasts' hooves. It turns out to be a Servant. A purple haired young boy, who thanks you for saving him. The boy says he was summoned here, but besides knowing that he is a Servant, there's nothing else he is able to tell you. He says he was immature and caught off-guard by the stampeding beasts. Though those were demonic boars, something that every Celtic warrior would fight at least once in their lifetime.
It might be a bit unbelievable, but as it turns out, the polite and well-mannered young boy is Fergus, as a kid. He offers his aid to you on your journey.
Posted Jun 29, 2017, 4:42 PM UTC · edited