Of Devils and Angels



Saga: Suzaku arc

Prerequisites: Completion of Intimidator arc

Summary: This mission starts by accepting a completely unrelated side-mission, but the route to its starting point leads through the place this one starts, making it unavoidable. Psi finds a city under heavy attack by a somewhat demonic looking army and decides to help out - before long it turns out that Suzaku and Lynness are behind it. Midway through the mission, Sooku appears and offers to help, and Suzaku decides to split up rather than face a direct 2-on-2 confrontation, summoning a boss fight to buy him some time. Afterwards, Sooku leaves to track Lynness down, leaving Psi to persue after Suzaku. Psi finally catches him on the rooftop of a nearby hospital, and again, rather than face a straight fight for now, Suzaku uses a distraction to escape, crippling the foundations of the hospital and capitalizing on Psi's heroism to leave him behind. The player then races against time to save as many people as possible from the building before it collapses - there's no specific requirement, but the player recieves a seperate grade based on how many people they got out alive. Sooku then appears on the scene just in time to see the hospital fall, expecting to be able to treat a wounded Lynness there. While an on-scene doc tries to treat her, Sooku explains what happened since the previous split-up, in a seperate mission.

Script:

[As the player walks into the city, panicked NPCs run past in the opposite direction as the player presses on. After a while, the player is stopped in his tracks to initiate ingame dialouge.]

Psi: Waitwaitwait, hold up. What the hell is going on? Where's everyone going?

Synn: It would seem as though they're running away from something.

Psi: Well it can't be something good, then. We should probably drop what we're doing and check it out.

[As the player advances further into the city, various explosions and outbursts are heard before the Nightmare Legion makes its first appearance. Through further advancing inwards and defeating enemies along the way, an occasional skyward burst of Sooku's buster shots are seen in the background, usually launching an imp away each time. Over time the source of the shots gets closer before moving into a building immediately adjacent to the player, then puncturing straight through with a charge shot and taking out a group of imps with it. Sooku then helps deal with the remainder of Psi's enemies before aiming his buster at him.]

Sooku: You ain't the one I'm looking for...

[Sooku lowers his buster and runs further ahead.]

Psi: Hey you, wait! Aww, damn it.

Synn: Looks like he knows what's going on. Call me crazy, but I'd even say he saw this coming.

Psi: You think I don't know that!? I was trying to... ugh. Looks like we'll just have to catch up to him.

[Some more level progression and imp-bashing later, Psi meets Sooku again. This time, he's squaring off with Suzaku and Lynness. Psi butts in before anyone is able to land a blow.]

Suzaku: Well well, what do we have here? Looks like you brought a friend this time!

Sooku: Actually, we just met. Take it you're after Mr Big And Demon Looking too?

>Psi: Why do they look like humans?

Sooku: ...the heck is a "human"?

Psi: Nevermind. Sure, I'm here to help.

>Psi: Not really. I'd just say this is more a case of "Wrong place, right time".

Sooku: Oh, so it's one of those deals. No sweat, we all get that from time to time.

Suzaku: Well sorry to say, old nemesis, but there's no time for us to cross swords today. Never fear, though - I saved the main course of this assault specifically for you.

[An imposing red horizontal portal appears before Psi and Sooku, and one of Suzaku's large, balrog-like Greater Demons drops through it onto the asphalt below, visibly denting and cracking the surrounding grounds apon impact. Shortly afterwards, Suzaku flaps his wings to lift himself into the air.]

Suzaku: Have fun, now.

[Suzaku flies offscreen further in the direction the player was progressing earlier. Lynness in the meantime, still having not spoken a word yet, teleports repeatedly across several background objects, heading loosely in the exact opposite direction.]

Psi: Shouldn't we follow them?

Sooku: See, that's what he'd want us to do. He does stuff like this as a distraction to get away, but if we just ignore the problem at present it usually ends up breaking something bad. Lesser of two evils and all that.

Synn: Looks like it'll have to wait, then. Let's worry about saving this city first.

Sooku: That's the spirit... hey, did your voice just change?

[Gameplay resumes. The Lesser Demon is most vulnerable to strong attacks from behind, which causes it to stumble and take damage from both sides for a brief period of time - as such. it's in the player's best interests to get behind the demon while the AI Sooku holds its attention from the front, and Sooku will even suggest this approach if it takes the player too long to come to the conclusion. Every now and then the demon will switch targets, resulting in the player having to hold the its attention while Sooku works on stunning it from behind. Once the demon is defeated, Psi and Sooku regroup to talk about their next move.]

Psi: Phew, that was a tough one.

Synn: So what now? They must have made quite some distance from us by now. We can't go after both of them.

Sooku: WE can't. But as long as we take one each, there probably won't be any problems.

[Sooku cocks his buster after a few adjustments.]

Sooku: Incidentally, the girl's mine. I got a score to settle with her.

Psi: ...you plan on telling me exactly what the heck's going on between you and these two?

Sooku: Maybe later. We're kinda short of time right now, y'know?

Synn: Point taken. I guess I'm going after the big guy, then.

[Sooku takes off in the same direction Psi approached from, leaving the player to continue further into the city in pursuit of Suzaku. Enemy resistance from this point is relevatively light to emphasise the Nightmare Legion's general weakness when forced to engage without other minions to combo between. The path ends at the hospital, at which point Psi spots Suzaku on the rooftop and flies up to meet him.]

Suzaku: You again. For one so small, you certaintly are persistent.

Psi: HEY! Was that a crack about my height!?

Suzaku: Oh my, this one is full of fight! That explains what happened to the demon I summoned on you two.

Psi: Listen to yourself! How can you act so casual about all this? You're responsible for a slaughter today, and one way or another we're bringing you in!

Suzaku: So young and reckless, too. Well, I'd really hate to squander all that lovely enthusiasm you have, but I have places to be.

Synn: Running away again? You're not a coward, are you?

Suzaku: Not exactly. In your tongue, I supppose you could say I'm something more of an asshole.

[Suzaku unsheaths his sword and casts Shattered Sky in between himself and Psi, creating a massive hole all the way through to ground level and visibly crippling the building from within, but not entirely destroying it immediately.]

Suzaku: Have fun cleaning that up.

[Suzaku flies off again, laughing to himself. As the rooftop begins to buckle and shift, Psi can only growl briefely in response before jumping straight into the hole Suzaku just created. Gameplay resumes inside.]

Synn: Psi, what the hell are you doing? He's getting away!

Psi: Do you not see the bloody building about to collapse? These people will die if they're not evacuated!

Synn: Hmph. If you insist. The able bodied ones can help themselves out, though - what we need to focus on is the ones who can't walk.

Psi: Right!

[Sure enough, all NPCs that are able will gradually make their way out of the building on their own. A handful of bedridden NPCs can't move, and have to be carried out with Psi's telekinesis, bed and all, within the time limit. While it's not strictly necessary to save everybody, or to be outside the building when the timer expires, the player's ranking improves based on how much got done in the time given. If the player is inside when the building collapses, Psi simply blasts his way outside in mid-collapse, falling to the ground in exhaustion outside. Either way, Sooku is waiting outside as the hospital falls, holding a gravely wounded Lynness in his arms.]

Sooku: Damn it, what the hell! Are there any doctors out here? This girl's really hurt!

Psi: Um... what? You mean you weren't trying to kill her?

Sooku: No, that wasn't what I...!

[A doctor walks in from offscreen, gesturing to Sooku to put Lynness down. Sooku obliges, and the doctor treats her with white magic as the conversation continues.]

Sooku: Uh, thanks.

Psi: So you plan on telling me what exactly's going on here?

Sooku: Well, guess I owe you that much, 'specially now seeing as you're involved and all. Let's start with how I ended up right here.

[Mission ends here, and tweens directly into the next one as a continuation.]