WEBVTT

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Hey pants people, I just want a quick second

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here to bend your proverbial ear or proverbially

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bend your actual I don't care. This episode and

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this podcast is a huge, huge pride point for

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all of us here. Now, I know we aren't exactly

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a big fish in the podcast sea, or like even a

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regular -sized fish. We're a minnow, damn it.

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But we're a minnow with 100 main episodes, and

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we've had a blast recording with an incredible

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community of folks that have become part of the

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story of Fancy Pants, as well as the story of

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Fancy Pants, if you know what I mean. Seriously,

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from the bottom of our hearts, thank you all

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for listening and for believing in the little

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podcast that could. I gird your loins, one and

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all, for episode 100 of Fantasy Pants. of sharing

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with y 'all so many incredible things. We've

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seen the rise of new brave souls stepping into

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the role of luminary adventurers. We've seen

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the end of Taif's civil war and the revolution

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of the downtrodden on Sansatyan. Worlds shaped

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by the deeds of the righteous and the kind. But

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there has been tragedy too. Tithers never hangs

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on our hearts. I'm getting distracted though.

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What I really mean to say is thank you. Seriously.

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Thank you. Every one of you listening to me now,

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every one of you that has heard my stories and

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followed my words, our worlds are filled with

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incredible folk doing incredible things. But

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outside of their direct effects, these acts amount

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to little without being heard. They inspire nothing,

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and they fade away. By tuning into our show,

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you're spreading the word, and you're giving

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a second life to these stories. So, yeah. Thank

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you all so much. Anyway. We shall bring it on

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to our next story. For a minute there, I thought

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you were going to say, like, I want to thank

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you all, but I'm retiring. There's twists to

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come in episode 100, but that's not one of them.

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Episode 100! Episode 100! New theme song! New

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theme song! Yes! This calls for a fear -abration.

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I already opened my thing. Hey, oh, sorry. Jesus

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Christ, David. Whoa, easy there. Hey, hey. Prost.

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Prost. Prost. Yeah, we did it. 100, baby. What

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a wild day. And actually, after this, we're going

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to wrap up episode 100. We're going to go home

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to our separate lives. Jeremy's going to stay

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here because it is home. Yeah. I'm already in

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my PJs, man. We're going to jump into an interview

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with Hunter. Yeah, that's going to be super cool.

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Hunter has a couple of shows. What we didn't

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mention was that one of his shows, his third

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show, or fourth or fifth, this guy's crazy busy.

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He does interviews. And we're on one. So what

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a wild night this is going to be. And what's

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the name of the show? What's the name of Hunter's

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show? Yes, Hunter's interview show, Over the

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Table. Over the Table, yes. Okay, tip my tongue.

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Yes, yes, yes, yes. We'll be recording that tonight.

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We don't know exactly when it's going to come

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out, but stay tuned, watch our spaces, and we'll

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share it with you. Yeah, hell yeah. And thank

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you again, Hunter. Can't wait to talk to you

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later. Or a few weeks ago or some time ago. I

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don't know what this lines up with when you're

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listening to the show when we're talking. Anyway,

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yeah. It's all relative, man. Time is relative.

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Time is weird. It's a flat circle. We got to

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talk a lot about time. Before we talk about time,

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what do you want to talk about here in episode

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100? I got a little thing. I feel like I got

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a thing. What do you guys got? It's been a ride.

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It's been a ride. It's been a ride. It's been

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a crazy ride. I can't believe we are here. Danny,

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no. Oh, Danny, Danny. Danny really wants to pull

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my mic over. yeah man I can't believe we're at

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100 it's really weird I'm but I'm excited about

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what the next 100 looks like yes yes and like

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I'm not saying anything set in stone but I've

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put it out there a few times to the guys that

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like I don't know where we are in the story exactly,

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right? But we're moving pretty fast, and there's

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some arcs that I might just decide to, yeah,

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skip. Because I'm so excited to, like, move into

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where we are now. The plot's really coming together.

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100 episodes in, and we know what the plot is.

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Isn't that crazy? Isn't that exciting? Right.

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We're getting to figure it out. Well, you know,

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now that we're so deep into this plot and things

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are starting to come out, it would be weird to,

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like, go do a pepper -eating contest right now.

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We'll see. You know what I mean? I mean, I'd

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be down for round two. Let's do it. Let's just

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do that. Damn, you son of a bitch. Episode 100

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and you still haven't learned. But I was going

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to say, I was going to say, before I silence

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my phone, maybe, just maybe, 200 will be the

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end of our show. Maybe not long after. I don't

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know. We could be 50%, 50 % through this incredible

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story. I don't know. I'm blown away. I'm excited.

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It's nice to like get a gauge, be like, okay,

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this is maybe sort of kind of sort of where we're

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at. So if you listen to the first hundred, I

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hope you stick around for the second hundred.

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And then who knows what's after that? It's not

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like I don't think any of us want to disappear.

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So I've got plans. What happens after episode

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200? Stay posted on Discord, Instagram, all that

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good stuff. We start our rap career after that.

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Yes. Gentlemen, I have a question for you. Yeah.

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Clearly, this is monumental. This is very exciting.

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Everything we've been doing with the show has

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been such a wild, crazy thing. And we're like,

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we've got so much crazy stuff to do and see and

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experience. But I want to know in your personal

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lives, you know, because I'm thinking about how

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we're here. We're hitting the peak of our show.

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When did you peak? When did you personally peak

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in your life? What was your big moment? What

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the fuck kind of question is that? I'll let you

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know. I guess I'll let you know. You're wording

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it like it's already happened. It has. Oh, okay.

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Well, then you tell me yours. I will tell you

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mine. Oh, it's easy. Easy answer. The day of

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my wedding. Wait, it's not what you think. So

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corny. No, it's not what you think. My wife's

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going to kill me for not instantly saying that.

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Hold on. There's a reason why it was so good.

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And it wasn't the wedding part. So on the day

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of my wedding. Look at my wife's eyes. It's beautiful.

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All that. Cool. But anyway, as we're about to

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walk down the aisle to leave following the ceremony,

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I get to pick all the music. And I had the DJ

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play up the opening number with the main theme

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song from Dragon Quest VIII. And hearing those

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trumpets blare, I had my friend hand me a cane,

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and I strolled down that aisle with a cane listening

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to the Dragon Quest VIII theme, and I have never

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been more cool. Dude, I knew you were going to

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say a game that I have no idea what the hell

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it is. Dude, he always talks about Dragon Quest.

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You have to know what Dragon Quest is. Do you

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know what Dragon Quest is? It's so good. Yeah.

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I love Dragon Quest so much. It's like my thing.

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I don't know. I certainly won't call it my peak.

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It's not as cool as mine. It was still pretty

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cool, though. My wedding party walked to the

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RuneScape theme song. Oh, that's right. I was

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in that. You were there. I was going to say,

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I was like... Oh, that was really cool. That

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was really cool. Yeah, that was a good one. That

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was a good one. Not my peak, though. Not your

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peak. Peak? Jeez Louise. Yeah. Criminy. I don't

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know. Jeremy, you next. You've had a really boring

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life. It's fine. Yeah, I guess so. You played

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checkers once. That was your peak. I think in

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a couple of years, I'm going to step it up to

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chess or Chinese checkers. Oh, damn. We'll see

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how brave I'm feeling. Jeremy Wolf. Oh, it's

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nice to know that you're doing a... Podcasts

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with two best friends on the decline. Yeah. Yeah.

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I guess I'll be the one to carry us forward because

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my peak's still to come, baby. Oh, come on. Come

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on. Yeah. Be honest with the pants people. Okay.

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Well, how about this? How about let's rephrase

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it a little bit because I have something that

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I think is pretty cool for me, you know, in my

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life, but I certainly wouldn't call it my peak.

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Give me like a life. Not even life -changing,

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but like a life -defining moment. Like something

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that really makes you. Okay, I'll do mine first.

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I'll do mine first. I just threw my phone off.

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Holy shit. And I dropped it. Have you guys ever

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truly, genuinely entered what they call the zone?

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Every day. You're going to have to be a little

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more specific. What kind of zone is this? um

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you hear you hear athletes talk about it a lot

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it's like when everything like slows down and

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you're just like oh yeah it's on rocket league

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all the time i know legitimately i feel that

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when i dm sometimes really i'm really hot in

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a session i'm feeling really good about it and

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like and it's like it's almost like an out -of

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-body experience It's almost addicting when you

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really kind of feel like you're improv -ing and

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pieces are coming to you really well. It's like

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the rare Once Upon a Blue Moon. I'm not a good

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improver. But when it lands, it's amazing. I

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think it's like love. I think it's like you know

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it when you're there sort of thing. You know

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what I mean? One time in my life. Okay. I was

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in the zone. Okay. All right. I was a lad. Eighth

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grade. Oh, I think I know this story. Oh, you

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certainly know this story. With a corncob pipe.

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I was a student athlete, and I did track and

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field. And in eighth grade, every single track

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meet, I got second place to Zach. I don't remember

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Zach's last name or anything much about him,

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but I remember he was my frenemy. If you're listening,

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Zach, screw you. My bitter rival. Yeah, Zach

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from... Somewhere in southern New Hampshire.

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Yeah. Find him, people. And both Zach and I,

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who were at the sort of like top of the ticket,

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made it to our, you know, middle school state

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championship. Ooh. That's a big deal. That's

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a big deal, Steven. Yeah, it was pretty cool.

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It was pretty cool. So it was my last throw,

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my last put, excuse me, nomenclature, words matter.

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And I entered this zone. Everything really like

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slowed down and it almost felt like I was like

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out of my body and everything just went perfectly.

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And I beat Zach. Yeah, it was great. It was fantastic.

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The banner with your name still hangs in our

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elementary school. Because you peaked in middle

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school. See, that's what I was trying to avoid.

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No, I'm married now. I'm a homeowner. I just

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came back from this wonderful vacation. I'm doing

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cool stuff at work. I've got upward trajectory.

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I'll never beat Zach again. Fuck Zach. With all

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the depression out of the way. Any other stories,

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any anecdotes? Do you want to get to our next

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peak? Yeah, sorry. I took up like a bunch of

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time. Episode 100. That was cool. It's a cool

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story. We're just like 25 minutes in. We're 12

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minutes in. Oh, well, that's, you know. We'll

00:12:01.610 --> 00:12:04.850
just call the Blanche scenes. We'll go for it.

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You guys ready for this? We skipping over Jeremy?

00:12:09.769 --> 00:12:12.649
Yes and no. What? I said, if you have any more

00:12:12.649 --> 00:12:14.429
stories, right? I gave you the option. Do you

00:12:14.429 --> 00:12:16.129
want to jump in? No, well, okay, if Stephen's

00:12:16.129 --> 00:12:18.029
going back to middle school. Yeah, yeah. Fuck

00:12:18.029 --> 00:12:19.289
it, I'll go back to middle school sports, too.

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I know you have a wild history. This doesn't

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have to be peak things. Like, I mean. I'm going

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to pick on you, though, after you say it. I was

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playing football in junior high. you were a football

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guy that's that's surprisingly i was kind of

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i kind of was like forced into it i'm just trying

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to imagine like emo band jeremy oh dude you're

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playing football too yeah yeah but were you still

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i was terrible at it i had no idea what the hell

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was going on i didn't know you had to memorize

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plays so the coach would just say hey go out

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there and i'd run out there and just stand there

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cool where did i go were you still like six nine

00:12:51.179 --> 00:12:56.330
though at this time like yeah no six eight Just

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shy of pro. No, this kid that was like bullying

00:12:58.250 --> 00:12:59.830
me a little bit. We were playing against him

00:12:59.830 --> 00:13:03.690
and his team. And I saw him running at me. And

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I'm like, shit, he's coming for me. I'm like,

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but I'm going to come for him. Nice. And I got

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into the zone. Fucking leveled him. What was

00:13:12.610 --> 00:13:16.409
his first name? No. No? You don't know his first

00:13:16.409 --> 00:13:18.190
name? No, I'm not going to say his first name.

00:13:18.230 --> 00:13:22.190
It was Zach, wasn't it? Zach from... What was

00:13:22.190 --> 00:13:25.330
it this time? Chicago? It wasn't Chicago at this

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point, right? Michigan. Michigan, that's right.

00:13:26.889 --> 00:13:29.870
Yeah. Zach from Michigan, we're coming for you.

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Did you say Jack and Zach at the same time? We

00:13:34.090 --> 00:13:38.649
don't know what his name is. Covering two bases.

00:13:39.929 --> 00:13:42.590
Gentlemen, are you ready for this? I want this

00:13:42.590 --> 00:13:45.350
to feel like a season finale of sorts. It's going

00:13:45.350 --> 00:13:46.710
to be a little narrative. We're going to do some

00:13:46.710 --> 00:13:49.730
fun stuff. We're going to close the loop on some

00:13:49.730 --> 00:13:53.429
of our backstory threads, I think. We're going

00:13:53.429 --> 00:13:55.389
to have a lot of fun, and we're going to see

00:13:55.389 --> 00:14:00.610
what comes next. But first things first. Imagine,

00:14:00.750 --> 00:14:04.389
if you will, an image of the Radiant Citadel.

00:14:04.970 --> 00:14:08.269
A city standing upon a twisting serpentine fossil.

00:14:08.590 --> 00:14:12.789
A fossil far larger even than any of its enormous

00:14:12.789 --> 00:14:16.110
kin we've seen throughout the world. And wrapped

00:14:16.110 --> 00:14:20.580
around a shining diamond. Around this structure,

00:14:20.779 --> 00:14:24.620
24 colorful gemstones orbit, locking into a never

00:14:24.620 --> 00:14:28.120
-ceasing dance. Only halting their movements

00:14:28.120 --> 00:14:30.639
when they are called to port to dock at the passage

00:14:30.639 --> 00:14:33.460
of respite that makes up the head of this fossil.

00:14:34.100 --> 00:14:36.320
Beyond all of this, an ethereal mist drifting

00:14:36.320 --> 00:14:40.179
away into a vast nothingness. And beneath the

00:14:40.179 --> 00:14:43.360
citadel. The caning gloom, the dark, roaring

00:14:43.360 --> 00:14:46.539
clouds of an endless storm, building into a vast

00:14:46.539 --> 00:14:50.179
cyclone from which nothing can return. Lightning

00:14:50.179 --> 00:14:54.019
cracks against the storm wall, and the pit that

00:14:54.019 --> 00:14:57.259
makes its center seems to drop off far into black

00:14:57.259 --> 00:15:01.539
eternity. We look upon this image, and because

00:15:01.539 --> 00:15:05.220
this is Hollywood, baby, we hear a voiceover.

00:15:06.460 --> 00:15:11.720
Time is a cyclone. It's wind. Obliterates all.

00:15:12.039 --> 00:15:15.159
Drying oceans and grinding mountains to dust.

00:15:15.500 --> 00:15:19.659
Its rain washes all. Rinsing all worlds clean

00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:24.039
of memory and history and truth. Its lightning

00:15:24.039 --> 00:15:29.419
burns all. And no being, even a god, can survive

00:15:29.419 --> 00:15:35.000
the wrath of the storm. Yes. Time is a cyclone

00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:38.789
doomed to revolve and repeat in a circle. perpetualized

00:15:38.789 --> 00:15:41.250
by ignorance and giving way to a vast spectrum

00:15:41.250 --> 00:15:46.230
of horror and pain. A cyclone that can tear worlds

00:15:46.230 --> 00:15:50.389
apart, scatter their fragments, and then, in

00:15:50.389 --> 00:15:53.970
the discerning gaze of its eye, pull them together

00:15:53.970 --> 00:15:59.409
anew. What is that old adage again? The one with

00:15:59.409 --> 00:16:02.289
the butterfly in the hurricane? I quite like

00:16:02.289 --> 00:16:05.590
that one. The implication it carries, that all

00:16:05.590 --> 00:16:08.490
acts, even small acts, can mark the beginning

00:16:08.490 --> 00:16:13.669
point of their own storm, their own story. Of

00:16:13.669 --> 00:16:16.409
course, it would take a great many flapping butterflies

00:16:16.409 --> 00:16:19.350
to truly build to the howling winds of a hurricane.

00:16:20.090 --> 00:16:23.309
But is that not true as well for most grand stories?

00:16:23.990 --> 00:16:28.610
Is there ever just one beginning? And imagine

00:16:28.610 --> 00:16:32.549
now, if you will, a great fortified shrine at

00:16:32.549 --> 00:16:35.519
the edge of the sea. showered by the dark gray

00:16:35.519 --> 00:16:40.659
clouds of a weeping sky. Perhaps you see these

00:16:40.659 --> 00:16:44.960
sort of shimmering black walls, a grand sort

00:16:44.960 --> 00:16:50.860
of archway gate that slowly creaks open. We are

00:16:50.860 --> 00:16:54.639
on the world of Umizu, the reigning world, this

00:16:54.639 --> 00:16:58.019
grand sort of island nation surrounded by endless

00:16:58.019 --> 00:17:01.529
water reaching ethereal borders. And we're going

00:17:01.529 --> 00:17:03.529
to zoom in just outside the shrine as this door

00:17:03.529 --> 00:17:07.529
slowly opens to a figure, perhaps huddled against

00:17:07.529 --> 00:17:13.210
the rain, waiting, waiting. We see Blanche Trudeau.

00:17:13.750 --> 00:17:16.730
A very different Blanche Trudeau, I imagine.

00:17:16.890 --> 00:17:20.210
A Blanche Trudeau at the start of her journey,

00:17:20.349 --> 00:17:24.869
her change. Much like the aforementioned butterfly,

00:17:25.250 --> 00:17:28.069
this Blanche has yet to enter her cocoon. Blanche,

00:17:28.250 --> 00:17:33.299
describe how you look. Here in this moment. When

00:17:33.299 --> 00:17:38.920
Blanche first arrived at Amizu, she was younger.

00:17:39.319 --> 00:17:46.079
Not young. I think in her 30s. Plainly dressed.

00:17:46.680 --> 00:17:52.059
Calloused hands. From working. But she has the

00:17:52.059 --> 00:17:56.099
same sharp eyes with hope and determination.

00:17:57.180 --> 00:18:00.400
She's... She's excited to have arrived here.

00:18:00.440 --> 00:18:05.180
It was, I imagine, not easy to get here. She's

00:18:05.180 --> 00:18:09.160
eager to meet Ozen. A true fish out of water.

00:18:09.940 --> 00:18:12.319
This is, I believe, your first time ever leaving

00:18:12.319 --> 00:18:16.059
your world or possibly even your pool. The pools.

00:18:16.200 --> 00:18:22.279
Yeah, certainly. Wow. Truly far -traveled. I

00:18:22.279 --> 00:18:24.000
can't remember if you mentioned it, but Blanche,

00:18:24.039 --> 00:18:25.960
we know, at the end of her time with Ozen was

00:18:25.960 --> 00:18:28.500
in her sort of middle -aged years. How old is

00:18:28.500 --> 00:18:32.339
Blanche now as she's about to meet her future

00:18:32.339 --> 00:18:36.039
mentor? I feel like Blanche is in her 30s now,

00:18:36.140 --> 00:18:42.079
maybe her later 30s. Okay. Okay. She's looking

00:18:42.079 --> 00:18:45.440
to start a new adventure or any venture at all,

00:18:45.460 --> 00:18:49.619
really. And starting late. She's got a lot of

00:18:49.619 --> 00:18:52.039
catching up to do. Yeah. If she wants to be an

00:18:52.039 --> 00:18:54.819
adventurer. With that eagerness, we see Blanche

00:18:54.819 --> 00:18:59.029
looks up, excited. As the gates to the Shrine

00:18:59.029 --> 00:19:01.250
of Storms opens, you know you are not allowed

00:19:01.250 --> 00:19:04.890
to go in. Nobody is allowed to go in here. You

00:19:04.890 --> 00:19:07.190
see a number of warriors stand perhaps at the

00:19:07.190 --> 00:19:09.529
front of the gates. Or maybe just behind them

00:19:09.529 --> 00:19:12.349
as they open. Wearing a similar garb that we

00:19:12.349 --> 00:19:16.890
saw with Ozen. A sort of black samurai -like

00:19:16.890 --> 00:19:20.269
armor. Kabuto helm mask. They do not have the

00:19:20.269 --> 00:19:23.369
lightning bolt style horn coming up from the

00:19:23.369 --> 00:19:28.210
closed off eye. Missing eye. And you can make

00:19:28.210 --> 00:19:30.309
these comparisons very easily because between

00:19:30.309 --> 00:19:34.029
two of these guards for the shrine, you do see

00:19:34.029 --> 00:19:36.829
the storm eye. Once a guard here himself, the

00:19:36.829 --> 00:19:41.630
lore states, begins to move out the gate. Kind

00:19:41.630 --> 00:19:43.170
of maybe laughing, he pats one of them on the

00:19:43.170 --> 00:19:46.109
back and kind of laughs heartily at something.

00:19:46.329 --> 00:19:49.289
He's sort of stepping into the mud, splashing

00:19:49.289 --> 00:19:51.730
up onto his shining armor. He doesn't seem to

00:19:51.730 --> 00:19:53.849
care at all. And he's sort of moving forward.

00:19:54.230 --> 00:19:58.720
And he... perhaps stops very suddenly, and his

00:19:58.720 --> 00:20:04.259
one eye, one true eye in his mask turns and takes

00:20:04.259 --> 00:20:08.140
in this figure that's been waiting for him. Oh?

00:20:08.940 --> 00:20:12.599
And who might you be? Man, how do I do, like,

00:20:12.619 --> 00:20:15.859
not old lady Blanche? Oh, that's interesting.

00:20:18.599 --> 00:20:22.440
I'm Blanche Trudeau, and I'm here to deliver

00:20:22.440 --> 00:20:27.789
my intentions to be... Your student. Uh, you

00:20:27.789 --> 00:20:29.950
can't see much behind the mask, but you get the

00:20:29.950 --> 00:20:34.630
impression that the eye is smiling. Oh, deliver

00:20:34.630 --> 00:20:38.250
them yourself. Now, why would you do that? I

00:20:38.250 --> 00:20:41.670
believe I requested that you simply have letters

00:20:41.670 --> 00:20:46.109
delivered to me. Well, I knew you would get many

00:20:46.109 --> 00:20:50.369
letters, and I hoped not few delivered in person.

00:20:50.730 --> 00:20:54.339
And she produces a letter. from her pocket and

00:20:54.339 --> 00:20:56.980
reaches to Hannah's toes. I think his hands are

00:20:56.980 --> 00:21:00.319
a slides forth and he's, now we must be careful.

00:21:00.980 --> 00:21:05.740
There is an implication that perhaps I spurred

00:21:05.740 --> 00:21:08.880
you to break the laws of our conquered world

00:21:08.880 --> 00:21:12.779
and smuggle yourself somehow into the world of

00:21:12.779 --> 00:21:17.019
Omizu, which of course I would not intend for

00:21:17.019 --> 00:21:22.349
that as some form of test. Small, like, laugh

00:21:22.349 --> 00:21:26.609
as he takes the letter. Well, God, I kind of

00:21:26.609 --> 00:21:28.309
want Blanche to be a little bit playful. I kind

00:21:28.309 --> 00:21:31.029
of want her to try to, like, sleight of hand,

00:21:31.130 --> 00:21:33.529
move the letter out, you know, as he tries to

00:21:33.529 --> 00:21:35.950
grab it. Go ahead. Like, just kind of show him

00:21:35.950 --> 00:21:38.930
that she's got, I don't know, some spunk or something

00:21:38.930 --> 00:21:42.849
and some skill, maybe. Well, D20, I'm going to

00:21:42.849 --> 00:21:44.750
say you have a plus two and I have a plus six.

00:21:45.150 --> 00:21:51.180
Okay, cool. So it's a 14. It's a 10. Whoa, yes!

00:21:51.279 --> 00:21:54.099
She looks cool! I wanted to do something cool!

00:21:54.740 --> 00:21:58.720
So as Blanche, like, flicks her wrist and moves

00:21:58.720 --> 00:22:02.000
the letter aside, she says, well, if you won't

00:22:02.000 --> 00:22:06.160
ask how I got here, then I won't tell. I think

00:22:06.160 --> 00:22:09.240
just a long sort of pause, this appraising eye

00:22:09.240 --> 00:22:13.579
kind of scans you. Hmm. It is very interesting

00:22:13.579 --> 00:22:17.140
to see one of your kind here. Turtle of the Golden

00:22:17.140 --> 00:22:21.099
Bay. From my understanding, your people never

00:22:21.099 --> 00:22:24.720
leave your region, let alone your world. How

00:22:24.720 --> 00:22:30.720
curious. I got bored of fish and thought that

00:22:30.720 --> 00:22:34.539
maybe fighting would suit me better. I have found

00:22:34.539 --> 00:22:39.079
that those with sharp minds grow easily bored.

00:22:39.680 --> 00:22:43.299
And I can see that you have a sharp mind. That's

00:22:43.299 --> 00:22:46.160
very good. A blade well sharpened can cut through

00:22:46.160 --> 00:22:49.900
any foe. A mind well sharpened can cut through

00:22:49.900 --> 00:22:52.720
any problem. You can imagine that the latter

00:22:52.720 --> 00:22:57.119
is far more versatile. Come, let me lead you

00:22:57.119 --> 00:22:59.960
to the grounds of our dojo. You are accepted,

00:23:00.059 --> 00:23:06.400
of course. Got it. I knew it. Honestly, you're

00:23:06.400 --> 00:23:08.319
holding the letter and he didn't take the letter.

00:23:08.480 --> 00:23:10.319
Sure, okay, he doesn't care. He doesn't care.

00:23:10.819 --> 00:23:14.579
He realized being here was perhaps all you needed

00:23:14.579 --> 00:23:18.599
to do. you're you're you're showing here uh he's

00:23:18.599 --> 00:23:22.660
just impressed this may be a man to whom words

00:23:22.660 --> 00:23:27.819
mean very little actions over words sure which

00:23:27.819 --> 00:23:31.119
is which is great because i was a little worried

00:23:31.119 --> 00:23:32.940
i was like i'm gonna hand this guy the letter

00:23:32.940 --> 00:23:35.299
and david's gonna be like what does the letter

00:23:35.299 --> 00:23:39.109
say um And then, guys, he's starting to, like,

00:23:39.170 --> 00:23:42.269
he turns and somewhere, like, far to the east

00:23:42.269 --> 00:23:44.230
of the Shrine of Storms, you see, like, rolling

00:23:44.230 --> 00:23:46.769
sort of hills build up. He sort of gestures way

00:23:46.769 --> 00:23:49.410
out to maybe, like, the small, like, structures,

00:23:49.809 --> 00:23:51.849
like, buildings, not far from the shrine, but

00:23:51.849 --> 00:23:55.450
not really on the same property of it, where

00:23:55.450 --> 00:23:58.210
Blanche is going to spend many years eventually

00:23:58.210 --> 00:24:02.029
with others, too, including our buddy Amirath.

00:24:02.470 --> 00:24:06.710
Amirath. As... He begins to move that way. I

00:24:06.710 --> 00:24:08.769
think you hear the Shrine of Storm's gate starts

00:24:08.769 --> 00:24:13.470
to close. Perhaps you look over. Maybe in the

00:24:13.470 --> 00:24:16.170
moment before it closes, you hear a sound of

00:24:16.170 --> 00:24:19.970
rolling thunder emanating from the shrine, but

00:24:19.970 --> 00:24:21.769
it's strange because the sky, while weeping,

00:24:21.769 --> 00:24:26.069
is not a stormy sky. It's just a light sort of

00:24:26.069 --> 00:24:29.369
gray haze. Your eyes will be turned over there,

00:24:29.470 --> 00:24:33.220
and Ozen sort of playfully spins around. I'm

00:24:33.220 --> 00:24:36.420
afraid you can't go in there. Very, very few

00:24:36.420 --> 00:24:39.660
are allowed. Important dignitaries may get a

00:24:39.660 --> 00:24:42.240
pass. And I myself used to work as a guardian

00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:44.539
of the shrine, a great honor, here on Omizu.

00:24:44.920 --> 00:24:46.980
While I do not currently hold that title, it

00:24:46.980 --> 00:24:49.900
is still a place of great reverence for me. Kind

00:24:49.900 --> 00:24:51.880
of looks back at the door, sort of musing to

00:24:51.880 --> 00:24:55.339
himself almost. One day, perhaps, I may be chosen

00:24:55.339 --> 00:24:58.559
as keeper and be allowed knowledge of the shrine's

00:24:58.559 --> 00:25:01.609
innermost sanctum. But I would not be allowed

00:25:01.609 --> 00:25:04.049
to leave the shrine after that. Not until my

00:25:04.049 --> 00:25:07.170
death, so I'll hold off on that for a while.

00:25:08.009 --> 00:25:14.309
We gotta get to that shrine. Imagine the secrets

00:25:14.309 --> 00:25:17.109
held within. You did say your name, correct?

00:25:17.250 --> 00:25:18.769
I believe he introduced you. Yes, she introduced

00:25:18.769 --> 00:25:21.849
herself as Blanche Trudeau. Come, Miss Trudeau.

00:25:21.970 --> 00:25:24.849
And he kind of gestures and begins to move with

00:25:24.849 --> 00:25:28.650
haste. Yeah, Blanche follows those and, you know.

00:25:29.099 --> 00:25:32.019
Her head's going left and right, taking in the

00:25:32.019 --> 00:25:35.660
sight. I can tell this is going to be a lot of

00:25:35.660 --> 00:25:39.680
fun for you. And for me. I've had little personal

00:25:39.680 --> 00:25:43.940
experiences. It's been rather daunting all these

00:25:43.940 --> 00:25:47.960
years. As a luminary traveling about, meeting

00:25:47.960 --> 00:25:51.700
so many but building few true bridges. Yes, and

00:25:51.700 --> 00:25:54.640
in addition to learning much, I hope to have

00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:59.720
much fun. Have... any others arrived yet you

00:25:59.720 --> 00:26:03.019
are in fact the first though i've received many

00:26:03.019 --> 00:26:06.619
letters and there's like a pile of junk mail

00:26:06.619 --> 00:26:10.400
we cut to his room and it's just yeah literally

00:26:10.400 --> 00:26:18.740
just a trash bin full of letters yes you may

00:26:18.740 --> 00:26:22.059
uh you may reward yourself the honor of being

00:26:22.059 --> 00:26:26.160
the first pupil of the storm i damn that is so

00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:29.440
shit he's some music and he's he just does this

00:26:29.440 --> 00:26:30.960
a lot you kind of know this in his time it's

00:26:30.960 --> 00:26:33.859
he's just very like wanders his mind wanders

00:26:33.859 --> 00:26:36.599
and he has to speak where it goes um like it's

00:26:36.599 --> 00:26:40.640
like the wise mentor but he can't shut up and

00:26:40.640 --> 00:26:44.319
it's a skill in its own to like keep up and yeah

00:26:44.319 --> 00:26:46.920
you know as the as the conversation changes he's

00:26:46.920 --> 00:26:49.059
like half jogging while speaking to this calm

00:26:49.059 --> 00:26:51.339
voice and you're kind of keep up with him uh

00:26:51.339 --> 00:26:55.289
just Yes, the Storm Eye. It's a very cool name,

00:26:55.390 --> 00:26:58.549
isn't it? Though I do have one single reservation

00:26:58.549 --> 00:27:01.190
about this title. I've heard it said they call

00:27:01.190 --> 00:27:03.710
me the Storm Eye because when I arrive in a crisis,

00:27:03.930 --> 00:27:08.130
the crisis is at its end. All danger past. Now,

00:27:08.150 --> 00:27:10.730
the sentiment is quite sweet, but it kind of

00:27:10.730 --> 00:27:13.630
turns a sort of wagging finger. Any amazing sailor

00:27:13.630 --> 00:27:15.390
could tell you how incorrect that description

00:27:15.390 --> 00:27:19.369
is. For the storm will hit again, and it will

00:27:19.369 --> 00:27:22.400
hit with force. Its true wrath withheld for its

00:27:22.400 --> 00:27:27.460
second coming. So you see. He's fully, he's jogging

00:27:27.460 --> 00:27:32.119
backwards now. Gesturing towards you. When you

00:27:32.119 --> 00:27:34.680
find yourself in the eye of the storm, in the

00:27:34.680 --> 00:27:37.539
false calm, you should not relax. You should

00:27:37.539 --> 00:27:40.960
not celebrate. Rather, gird yourself. Speak your

00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:45.839
prayers. For the worst is yet to come. Never

00:27:45.839 --> 00:27:50.109
let your guard down otherwise. Yes, yes. My apologies,

00:27:50.190 --> 00:27:52.809
I've gone off on one of my tangents. I tend to

00:27:52.809 --> 00:27:55.589
do that. You'll, uh, I dare say you'll get used

00:27:55.589 --> 00:27:59.589
to it. I think this may have been our first lesson.

00:28:01.230 --> 00:28:05.430
The first of many. I think he stops very suddenly,

00:28:05.509 --> 00:28:08.150
skidding into the mud, splashing kind of up behind

00:28:08.150 --> 00:28:13.190
him. And he actually bows to you. Whoa. Okay,

00:28:13.390 --> 00:28:19.730
Blanche bows lower. His bowing form just kind

00:28:19.730 --> 00:28:25.470
of shakes. I just laugh. And maybe in this moment,

00:28:25.549 --> 00:28:27.470
when we see these two bowing towards each other

00:28:27.470 --> 00:28:31.009
and we pan away from this, we pan up and up and

00:28:31.009 --> 00:28:34.490
we pan through time, through many years of harsh

00:28:34.490 --> 00:28:39.789
training, through many years of a close kinship,

00:28:39.789 --> 00:28:42.890
a friendship being built. And I want to jump

00:28:42.890 --> 00:28:46.930
ahead to a different time, to a different world.

00:28:47.660 --> 00:28:51.039
perhaps to an older Bladstradow, fresh from her

00:28:51.039 --> 00:28:54.359
training, standing on a beach of white sand and

00:28:54.359 --> 00:28:58.779
looking towards an arena of stone. Perhaps you've

00:28:58.779 --> 00:29:01.940
just heard word, maybe a relative sent you a

00:29:01.940 --> 00:29:05.680
letter, informing you that Master Defense, the

00:29:05.680 --> 00:29:11.740
current Master Defense is leaving his post in

00:29:11.740 --> 00:29:15.839
the Golden Bay, and this next tourney will likely

00:29:15.839 --> 00:29:19.250
lead to the... choosing of the next one yeah

00:29:19.250 --> 00:29:26.750
so this absolute nobody you know past her prime

00:29:26.750 --> 00:29:32.730
sort of just lady from the pools shows up to

00:29:32.730 --> 00:29:37.730
compete as you stand upon these sands of this

00:29:37.730 --> 00:29:40.170
beach as you look towards this arena as you hear

00:29:40.170 --> 00:29:42.970
trumpets blaring and see turtles all around you

00:29:42.970 --> 00:29:47.029
uh moving towards it many of them looking Like

00:29:47.029 --> 00:29:49.210
fierce, fierce competition, fierce warriors.

00:29:49.789 --> 00:29:52.849
Does Blanche perhaps say or mutter or think anything

00:29:52.849 --> 00:29:56.289
in particular? Does her eyes focus on the prize

00:29:56.289 --> 00:30:00.869
ahead? Yeah, she's very singular. At this point,

00:30:00.970 --> 00:30:03.750
you know, she's fresh off her training, so she's

00:30:03.750 --> 00:30:11.049
just sharp and focused, focused within, and doesn't

00:30:11.049 --> 00:30:15.470
really care about her opponents. I guess it doesn't

00:30:15.470 --> 00:30:17.180
really matter. There's no sense in worrying about

00:30:17.180 --> 00:30:18.380
it. She doesn't know who they are. They don't

00:30:18.380 --> 00:30:22.220
know who she is. She just has that one singular

00:30:22.220 --> 00:30:26.359
drive to win. Hell yeah. To finally prove herself

00:30:26.359 --> 00:30:31.039
as something. Here we see Blanche Trudeau push

00:30:31.039 --> 00:30:37.059
forward towards that coliseum and into our story.

00:30:37.940 --> 00:30:40.380
Now let's go somewhere else. Somewhere a little

00:30:40.380 --> 00:30:46.859
less sunny. The... tower of authority, pillar

00:30:46.859 --> 00:30:48.180
of authority, I can't remember which one it was.

00:30:48.980 --> 00:30:52.119
The tower belonging to the... I'm pretty sure

00:30:52.119 --> 00:30:53.599
it's tower. Tower of authority, look at that.

00:30:53.799 --> 00:30:58.480
The tower of authority that looms over the city

00:30:58.480 --> 00:31:02.000
of Cerule, over the world of Tythos, has many

00:31:02.000 --> 00:31:05.759
floors. And there are quite a few that have these

00:31:05.759 --> 00:31:08.960
grand, grand, empty chambers that seem to just

00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:11.079
like fade off into blackness, almost like...

00:31:11.900 --> 00:31:15.400
These vacant spaces themselves are meant to state

00:31:15.400 --> 00:31:17.900
something about the sheer power of the LaRoche

00:31:17.900 --> 00:31:21.500
family. We're going to cut to one of these where

00:31:21.500 --> 00:31:27.279
we see, we hear a bellowing sort of laugh. Perhaps

00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:30.119
we hear the sound of like ringing steel, ting,

00:31:30.200 --> 00:31:34.680
ping, ping, ping, and then a blunted sword biting

00:31:34.680 --> 00:31:37.920
into maybe like a light suit of armor. Maybe

00:31:37.920 --> 00:31:41.569
no armor, maybe just cloth and flesh. We cut

00:31:41.569 --> 00:31:43.849
to an image of Jules LaRoche getting knocked

00:31:43.849 --> 00:31:46.130
backwards, already looking quite beaten, quite

00:31:46.130 --> 00:31:50.109
bloody. As standing above him, we see Jessenth

00:31:50.109 --> 00:31:54.210
Kellig, a younger Jessenth still training, but

00:31:54.210 --> 00:31:57.329
quickly becoming one of the most loyal of the

00:31:57.329 --> 00:32:02.650
LaRoche men. We hear a voice just say, No, no,

00:32:02.730 --> 00:32:09.700
that's enough. I think my son has learned his

00:32:09.700 --> 00:32:15.039
lesson. Haven't you, boy? As we pan to Jules.

00:32:15.680 --> 00:32:18.380
We see Jules at this point in time, as early

00:32:18.380 --> 00:32:22.339
in his 16th year. Now, in prior scenes, as a

00:32:22.339 --> 00:32:26.420
reminder, Jules, late in his 15th year, some

00:32:26.420 --> 00:32:30.460
months before this, was led to his mother's office

00:32:30.460 --> 00:32:34.079
high, high, near the top of the tower, where

00:32:34.079 --> 00:32:37.920
his... Palm was pressed into the nail of this

00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:41.480
fossil, a black wax sort of dripping into his

00:32:41.480 --> 00:32:45.920
hand, sucking down, becoming a part of him. This

00:32:45.920 --> 00:32:49.720
agony that lasted for days seemed to leave his

00:32:49.720 --> 00:32:51.420
hand, felt like it was on fire, like it was tearing

00:32:51.420 --> 00:32:56.640
apart. But in the aftermath of this, Jules, you

00:32:56.640 --> 00:32:59.920
gained some abilities. Abilities that nobody's

00:32:59.920 --> 00:33:03.400
aware that you have. At this point in time, you

00:33:03.400 --> 00:33:06.259
have access to invisibility and inflict wounds,

00:33:06.480 --> 00:33:11.099
your shadow -touched features, innate power given

00:33:11.099 --> 00:33:12.980
to you from the demonic elements that have been

00:33:12.980 --> 00:33:17.039
placed into your blood. As you perhaps sit there,

00:33:17.099 --> 00:33:20.900
sort of beaten and bloody, behind Jessenth, you

00:33:20.900 --> 00:33:23.420
see a very kind of, I imagine putting on a very

00:33:23.420 --> 00:33:27.900
stoic face, but with just the most trace amounts

00:33:27.900 --> 00:33:30.500
of just like wanting to step forth, wanting to

00:33:30.500 --> 00:33:33.980
just like wring his brother's neck, Dresden stands

00:33:33.980 --> 00:33:38.619
there, sort of at parade rest. And Dresden, too,

00:33:38.740 --> 00:33:41.519
not long before this, also gained an ability.

00:33:42.059 --> 00:33:45.079
Some fragment of fossil embedded in his back,

00:33:45.140 --> 00:33:49.839
a wish to see Jules protected. These factors

00:33:49.839 --> 00:33:53.900
combined to create this echo that he can summon

00:33:53.900 --> 00:33:59.200
and create, move around at will. Perhaps in these

00:33:59.200 --> 00:34:01.460
last few months, the two of you have been...

00:34:01.930 --> 00:34:09.170
planning. Justin kind of moves back. Yes. I think

00:34:09.170 --> 00:34:12.550
he learned his lesson well. Didn't you, Welp?

00:34:13.210 --> 00:34:17.349
Sword slides back in. Shit, I didn't practice

00:34:17.349 --> 00:34:22.630
Jules' younger voice. Yeah, sure. He just kind

00:34:22.630 --> 00:34:26.269
of smirks at that, not even realizing the sarcasm.

00:34:26.369 --> 00:34:29.050
He just kind of turns away, sort of grinning.

00:34:29.940 --> 00:34:35.079
Well, well, I suppose. Ah, the boy is late to

00:34:35.079 --> 00:34:39.019
meet Zavar and his mother. Who will take them?

00:34:39.420 --> 00:34:44.079
Who? Come now. And a number of, like, hands sort

00:34:44.079 --> 00:34:46.519
of go up. I think Dresden and Jesden kind of

00:34:46.519 --> 00:34:48.659
line up. A few other guards move forward. I think

00:34:48.659 --> 00:34:53.360
four in total. And the rest will carry me. I

00:34:53.360 --> 00:34:57.380
have grown quite. hungry. A bunch of figures

00:34:57.380 --> 00:35:00.519
moving around. A fucking pig. Yeah, he has them

00:35:00.519 --> 00:35:02.139
moving through a throne that they have to carry

00:35:02.139 --> 00:35:04.400
around, so they kind of reach the end, you know,

00:35:04.400 --> 00:35:06.599
reach their rod jutting out and kind of lift

00:35:06.599 --> 00:35:10.099
him up with a heavy sort of, and he kind of,

00:35:10.139 --> 00:35:15.639
whoa! Move along, then. I'll see you later for

00:35:15.639 --> 00:35:21.179
your next lesson, boy. And you watch your father's

00:35:21.179 --> 00:35:25.510
ruddy face grinning as he's turned away and led

00:35:25.510 --> 00:35:28.269
uh sort of one direction in the darkness i think

00:35:28.269 --> 00:35:30.130
maybe you're he's going one way you're going

00:35:30.130 --> 00:35:33.110
the other you know that uh there are elevators

00:35:33.110 --> 00:35:36.050
your father they give the magical elevators here

00:35:36.050 --> 00:35:37.849
which is kind of the direction you're going uh

00:35:37.849 --> 00:35:39.449
your father always says they make them feel kind

00:35:39.449 --> 00:35:41.949
of motion sick so he's gonna have the guys carrying

00:35:41.949 --> 00:35:45.789
up the stairs oh my god i hate him so much the

00:35:45.789 --> 00:35:48.769
bagel hall is 15 floors up so i mean to be fair

00:35:48.769 --> 00:35:54.869
i did this i said this is how he is You created

00:35:54.869 --> 00:36:00.510
this monster. So I think you see, like, two guards

00:36:00.510 --> 00:36:03.230
step in front. You see Jessin kind of grabs you

00:36:03.230 --> 00:36:05.409
very roughly by the arms, yanks you up, pushes

00:36:05.409 --> 00:36:08.110
you kind of, like, behind them. Dresden sort

00:36:08.110 --> 00:36:10.769
of stands up beside him. The two of them are

00:36:10.769 --> 00:36:13.369
kind of behind you. Jessin behind your left shoulder,

00:36:13.610 --> 00:36:16.550
Dresden behind your right. Two other figures

00:36:16.550 --> 00:36:18.710
in armor, you know, their silver armor, their

00:36:18.710 --> 00:36:21.519
blue and white tabards. and they begin to march

00:36:21.519 --> 00:36:26.300
you down through this long, pillar -filled, black,

00:36:26.460 --> 00:36:29.599
sort of empty chamber to where it opens into

00:36:29.599 --> 00:36:33.519
an elevator shaft. And I'll just keep asking

00:36:33.519 --> 00:36:35.079
you, because I don't know how this is going to

00:36:35.079 --> 00:36:38.539
go. This is your game plan. Do you make any moves

00:36:38.539 --> 00:36:42.099
here, or do you go into the elevator? Sorry,

00:36:42.179 --> 00:36:44.179
I'm opening up D &D Beyond on my phone, because

00:36:44.179 --> 00:36:47.860
I might need it. Okay. Interesting. Okay, describe

00:36:47.860 --> 00:36:50.449
again where we're at. Exactly. So you're in this

00:36:50.449 --> 00:36:52.809
large, very dark, sort of dimly lit chamber.

00:36:53.210 --> 00:36:55.949
Okay. Huge pillars line this room from front

00:36:55.949 --> 00:36:57.989
to back, kind of vanishing off into obscurity.

00:36:58.510 --> 00:37:01.809
And you are moving towards one of the walls in

00:37:01.809 --> 00:37:03.489
this chamber where there's a door set into it

00:37:03.489 --> 00:37:06.489
that leads into this small circular chamber.

00:37:06.570 --> 00:37:08.949
It's basically an elevator where there's a stone

00:37:08.949 --> 00:37:12.449
floor that magically just moves. It's like this

00:37:12.449 --> 00:37:15.949
grinding. You can hear it sort of grinding down.

00:37:16.559 --> 00:37:18.360
moves into place. And outside of the door behind

00:37:18.360 --> 00:37:22.659
us, what's just outside that door? Uh, essentially...

00:37:22.659 --> 00:37:24.139
Outside of the chamber. Essentially nothing.

00:37:24.380 --> 00:37:26.739
You know, your father's being led one way. I

00:37:26.739 --> 00:37:28.340
mean, I'm gonna describe the hallway room, like,

00:37:28.460 --> 00:37:30.920
describe the layout of what is outside the door

00:37:30.920 --> 00:37:34.519
behind us that we came in. Uh, this is all in

00:37:34.519 --> 00:37:37.300
one grand open chamber. There's no, like, other

00:37:37.300 --> 00:37:40.340
rooms. You are here kind of getting your regular

00:37:40.340 --> 00:37:43.519
sort of training sessions with your father. Right,

00:37:43.519 --> 00:37:45.619
so how do we get into the chamber then? Elevator.

00:37:46.139 --> 00:37:48.300
That same elevator that's coming down? There's

00:37:48.300 --> 00:37:49.980
an elevator on one side, and there's stairs on

00:37:49.980 --> 00:37:51.960
the other, very far apart. That's what I'm asking.

00:37:52.139 --> 00:37:55.219
Yes. That stairs. Your father and his guard are

00:37:55.219 --> 00:37:59.340
moving there. Okay. What's beyond the stairs?

00:38:01.079 --> 00:38:03.739
Anywhere. A path to any floor. This is basically

00:38:03.739 --> 00:38:06.179
just one huge, this entire floor is just this

00:38:06.179 --> 00:38:09.960
one grand, open, empty room. The LaRouche family

00:38:09.960 --> 00:38:12.750
does this, almost like... having these your father

00:38:12.750 --> 00:38:15.070
loves to kind of surround himself like seeing

00:38:15.070 --> 00:38:18.110
this this massive space that could belong to

00:38:18.110 --> 00:38:20.389
anybody belonging to him and being used for nothing

00:38:20.389 --> 00:38:23.690
just delights him endlessly needless opulence

00:38:23.690 --> 00:38:26.769
exactly um literally the two ways out of this

00:38:26.769 --> 00:38:28.329
room are the stairs he's taking in the elevator

00:38:28.329 --> 00:38:33.130
they're going to take you up okay okay describe

00:38:33.130 --> 00:38:37.860
how each character is laid out jewels is in the

00:38:37.860 --> 00:38:39.960
center of four figures, right? Imagine if you

00:38:39.960 --> 00:38:44.820
had a five -foot grid. Imagine the dots on a

00:38:44.820 --> 00:38:48.500
five, on a dice. Does that make sense? Okay.

00:38:48.719 --> 00:38:52.519
That is the most needlessly... Yeah, Jules is

00:38:52.519 --> 00:38:53.940
in the center. There's a square of four guards

00:38:53.940 --> 00:38:55.679
around him. Exactly. That's a better way of saying

00:38:55.679 --> 00:38:58.639
the thing I was saying. Okay, and where are Dresden?

00:38:59.469 --> 00:39:02.869
On Jessent. Dresden is behind you on your right

00:39:02.869 --> 00:39:04.550
shoulder. Jessent is behind you on your left

00:39:04.550 --> 00:39:07.090
shoulder. The two other men in front of you are

00:39:07.090 --> 00:39:09.750
guards. You probably know their names. I don't.

00:39:10.150 --> 00:39:15.030
They're Amos and Bigsleeve. Okay. Give me one

00:39:15.030 --> 00:39:19.710
second. Okay. Okay. I'm going to try to explain

00:39:19.710 --> 00:39:22.269
this as best I can. Okay. What I want to do.

00:39:22.489 --> 00:39:26.510
Okay. This is all happening simultaneously. Does

00:39:26.510 --> 00:39:29.539
anybody have his hand on Jules? No. Or is Jules

00:39:29.539 --> 00:39:30.940
just in the middle of them? Just in the middle.

00:39:31.099 --> 00:39:36.559
Just in the middle. Yep. Okay. Jules casts invisibility

00:39:36.559 --> 00:39:39.420
on himself. Okay. What's the reaction from the

00:39:39.420 --> 00:39:41.360
guards? I think the first thing is you're over

00:39:41.360 --> 00:39:44.380
there, and you basically say something out loud,

00:39:44.460 --> 00:39:45.800
like maybe whisper an incantation as you kind

00:39:45.800 --> 00:39:48.079
of touch yourself. You touch yourself. Gross.

00:39:49.699 --> 00:39:51.400
You whisper something, and I think you just kind

00:39:51.400 --> 00:39:54.840
of hear Jesslyn say, What is that, prince? Something

00:39:54.840 --> 00:39:57.409
wrong. And you just vanish. And he's, what, what?

00:39:57.530 --> 00:39:59.489
He just screams. The guards in front spin around,

00:39:59.650 --> 00:40:01.550
looking around. In that moment of realization,

00:40:02.050 --> 00:40:07.530
Dresden will manifest his echo behind Samuel

00:40:07.530 --> 00:40:10.409
and the others that are carrying him and will

00:40:10.409 --> 00:40:13.929
have his echo deliberately run under him being

00:40:13.929 --> 00:40:16.610
carried, knock over a couple of the guards so

00:40:16.610 --> 00:40:19.909
everything collapses as a distraction. So what

00:40:19.909 --> 00:40:22.809
he's doing, and his echo is just going to continue

00:40:22.809 --> 00:40:24.409
up the stairs until he's 30 feet gone, it disappears.

00:40:25.019 --> 00:40:29.059
So what I'm hoping is that the guards will see

00:40:29.059 --> 00:40:32.840
Jules disappear, see this commotion over there,

00:40:32.960 --> 00:40:36.599
and think that Jules has run that way. I love

00:40:36.599 --> 00:40:38.260
it. I will say, so you're just barely moving.

00:40:38.420 --> 00:40:40.260
The stairs wouldn't be close to disappear around,

00:40:40.400 --> 00:40:42.860
but you could easily have the Echo move under

00:40:42.860 --> 00:40:44.840
them as they're just moving away. Go behind a

00:40:44.840 --> 00:40:46.820
pillar and gone. Exactly. They're not going to

00:40:46.820 --> 00:40:49.400
be looking directly at that area immediately

00:40:49.400 --> 00:40:51.019
when Jules disappears. And they said it's dark

00:40:51.019 --> 00:40:54.199
in here. Exactly. Hell yeah. And then, yeah.

00:40:54.909 --> 00:40:58.949
That's... What is this? Samuel just really...

00:40:58.949 --> 00:41:04.090
Help! Help! Seize the boy! His guards drop him

00:41:04.090 --> 00:41:07.550
a little bit. No! They start running. Justin

00:41:07.550 --> 00:41:09.449
spins around. No, no, no, no, no! Starts running

00:41:09.449 --> 00:41:12.909
after you. And as all of them run, Jules is getting

00:41:12.909 --> 00:41:16.190
into the elevator, and so does Dresden. He goes

00:41:16.190 --> 00:41:19.389
with? Fuck no. That would be way too fucking

00:41:19.389 --> 00:41:23.489
suspicious. Oh, yeah. Yeah. Fuck. I mean... I

00:41:23.489 --> 00:41:26.869
didn't think that far ahead. Oh, no. You're invisible.

00:41:27.030 --> 00:41:29.510
If you get in there alone, that might be it.

00:41:29.650 --> 00:41:33.110
I'm invisible, yes. Dresden turns around as the

00:41:33.110 --> 00:41:37.130
other guards are going and says, I'll try to

00:41:37.130 --> 00:41:39.869
head him off at the main entrance. And Dresden

00:41:39.869 --> 00:41:42.789
also gets in the elevator and they go down. Okay.

00:41:42.869 --> 00:41:46.650
And Dresden rarely talks. This is like, in this

00:41:46.650 --> 00:41:47.949
moment... Oh, yeah, that wasn't young Dresden.

00:41:49.070 --> 00:41:52.440
Whoops, I never practiced that. Yeah. Hell yeah.

00:41:52.559 --> 00:41:56.320
Hell yeah. So he yells and he runs in. Boom.

00:41:56.559 --> 00:41:59.920
You begin to slide down. No one questions that.

00:42:00.539 --> 00:42:05.800
The elevator begins to descend quite quickly.

00:42:05.900 --> 00:42:09.000
It's probably like some sort of spinning kind

00:42:09.000 --> 00:42:12.059
of mechanism. You kind of crank to whatever floor

00:42:12.059 --> 00:42:14.360
you want to go to and it begins to follow that.

00:42:14.679 --> 00:42:17.199
So now I have a question of what does Dresden

00:42:17.199 --> 00:42:21.679
know? Does Dresden know what to expect on the

00:42:21.679 --> 00:42:25.239
first floor when this elevator opens? The first

00:42:25.239 --> 00:42:29.480
floor is, again, quite open. It's the floor that,

00:42:29.480 --> 00:42:31.679
you know, people are coming in to. Dignitaries

00:42:31.679 --> 00:42:33.860
might come in and they might stay on the first

00:42:33.860 --> 00:42:38.460
few floors. So it is. unbelievably opulent. There's

00:42:38.460 --> 00:42:42.000
just furniture pretty well cluttered. This floor

00:42:42.000 --> 00:42:43.480
is actually more structured. There are rooms

00:42:43.480 --> 00:42:47.699
and carpets lining the hallways between them.

00:42:47.820 --> 00:42:49.639
But when you get off this elevator, it will basically

00:42:49.639 --> 00:42:52.079
just be a beeline right down this long hallway

00:42:52.079 --> 00:42:56.940
between various offices and whatever guest rooms.

00:42:57.159 --> 00:43:00.139
It will lead to the front. There will be a good

00:43:00.139 --> 00:43:03.679
number of guards, but these guards are not expecting

00:43:03.679 --> 00:43:07.570
invisible jewels. Okay. So we'll go all the way

00:43:07.570 --> 00:43:12.389
to the first floor. Okay. Sets. And the elevator

00:43:12.389 --> 00:43:18.230
opens and Dresden walks with haste toward the

00:43:18.230 --> 00:43:20.769
front door. People look up, kind of curious,

00:43:21.030 --> 00:43:24.010
seeing this maybe like, you know, Dresden's not

00:43:24.010 --> 00:43:26.329
supposed to be here. There's some haste. Excuse

00:43:26.329 --> 00:43:29.389
me. He recognizes that. Anybody see anyone come

00:43:29.389 --> 00:43:32.369
down here? No, sir. No problem. Are you sure?

00:43:32.750 --> 00:43:34.949
No, yeah, no, no. And he walks to the front door,

00:43:35.030 --> 00:43:37.789
and as he's saying this, he opens up the front

00:43:37.789 --> 00:43:41.690
door, steps out to the front, knows that Jules

00:43:41.690 --> 00:43:44.110
is coming around inside of him, and he looks

00:43:44.110 --> 00:43:47.849
around like looking for somebody. And he turns

00:43:47.849 --> 00:43:50.809
around and says, Fuck! One of the gay guys is

00:43:50.809 --> 00:43:53.750
kind of, What's happening? What's going on? Be

00:43:53.750 --> 00:43:56.289
on the lookout for Jules LaRoche. Shit, Jules?

00:43:56.730 --> 00:43:58.210
Oh, well, fuck, don't let me. He's somewhere.

00:43:59.989 --> 00:44:01.710
Everyone's kind of turned around like, Double

00:44:01.710 --> 00:44:04.349
up on the guard on each exit. Jules does not

00:44:04.349 --> 00:44:07.010
leave. Cerise's orders, Jules does not leave.

00:44:07.150 --> 00:44:09.349
Everyone kind of like lines up. People start

00:44:09.349 --> 00:44:12.050
swarming around. Perhaps barely like figures

00:44:12.050 --> 00:44:13.690
are moving from like, you know, towards the gate.

00:44:13.750 --> 00:44:16.190
Barely like almost nudge Jules. Just kind of

00:44:16.190 --> 00:44:18.150
sliding his body one way or the other to kind

00:44:18.150 --> 00:44:19.949
of get between them. Kind of locking up behind

00:44:19.949 --> 00:44:22.690
Dresden. But the door is still open and Jules

00:44:22.690 --> 00:44:26.349
slides out. I imagine there's a moment as Jules

00:44:26.349 --> 00:44:28.849
steps onto that first step. The light outside

00:44:28.849 --> 00:44:33.280
like. bathing him, that he looks back and Dresden

00:44:33.280 --> 00:44:38.260
knows that he's looking back. And unbeknownst

00:44:38.260 --> 00:44:40.000
to Dresden, but maybe he feels that the two lock

00:44:40.000 --> 00:44:43.480
eyes. Because as Jules is about to go and meet

00:44:43.480 --> 00:44:46.980
new people and go on new adventures, for this

00:44:46.980 --> 00:44:50.559
plan to work, Dresden must stay. Must misdirect

00:44:50.559 --> 00:44:53.900
and feed information to you and commit himself

00:44:53.900 --> 00:45:00.260
to perhaps a lifetime of solitude. I also think

00:45:00.260 --> 00:45:03.539
that was the first time he spoke in a very, very

00:45:03.539 --> 00:45:06.480
long time. Like, I think maybe that was the moment

00:45:06.480 --> 00:45:08.920
that he decided to start speaking again. Because

00:45:08.920 --> 00:45:11.579
it was so important. He has a job to do now.

00:45:11.820 --> 00:45:15.739
Yep. That job requires him to use his tongue.

00:45:15.780 --> 00:45:17.960
The silver tongue of Jules LaRoche isn't there

00:45:17.960 --> 00:45:21.460
to back him up anymore. He's on his own now.

00:45:22.159 --> 00:45:25.880
And perhaps then, there's one final nod shared

00:45:25.880 --> 00:45:29.360
as Jules turns, leaving perhaps the... greatest

00:45:29.360 --> 00:45:32.880
friend in the Concord world's behind to watch

00:45:32.880 --> 00:45:38.820
his back from the shadows of the tower. And here,

00:45:38.940 --> 00:45:42.559
I want to montage through the events that follow

00:45:42.559 --> 00:45:48.099
the next few years. Not long after this, evading

00:45:48.099 --> 00:45:51.159
the guard and living on the streets, having a

00:45:51.159 --> 00:45:53.800
hard time adapting to life outside of his prison,

00:45:54.000 --> 00:45:59.619
there's a day where Jules, after... A barely

00:45:59.619 --> 00:46:02.519
successful attempt to steal some bread gives

00:46:02.519 --> 00:46:05.780
it away. And his hunger is offered another piece.

00:46:06.559 --> 00:46:09.619
Meeting a young boy who would soon become his

00:46:09.619 --> 00:46:12.940
closest confidant and guide to the city. A young

00:46:12.940 --> 00:46:17.880
Chester. Hey, Chester and Jules, right? Jules

00:46:17.880 --> 00:46:22.000
and Chester. And for two years it was. Evading

00:46:22.000 --> 00:46:25.760
guard again, just playing it safe. Jules swiftly

00:46:25.760 --> 00:46:28.639
learning the ways of the streets. The two of

00:46:28.639 --> 00:46:30.440
them running games and pickpocketing, finding

00:46:30.440 --> 00:46:34.019
dry places to drink and sleep and laugh. With

00:46:34.019 --> 00:46:37.500
Dresden's help and his friendship carrying on

00:46:37.500 --> 00:46:42.119
through notes and misdirections, you survive.

00:46:42.760 --> 00:46:46.300
And where you feel the absence of that first

00:46:46.300 --> 00:46:49.960
close friend, you do forge this deep bond with

00:46:49.960 --> 00:46:52.980
this new, younger companion. Perhaps there's

00:46:52.980 --> 00:46:55.579
a day, again, like two years after their first

00:46:55.579 --> 00:46:57.380
meeting as they are moving through the streets,

00:46:57.980 --> 00:47:00.619
And you're assailed by two figures who just,

00:47:00.679 --> 00:47:05.539
boom, jump out from an alley before you. A portly

00:47:05.539 --> 00:47:08.980
young boy and a sort of lanky, awkward elf. A

00:47:08.980 --> 00:47:10.820
dwarf and an elf kind of stand before you and

00:47:10.820 --> 00:47:14.980
then sort of waving a little. I think the elf

00:47:14.980 --> 00:47:17.000
you see is waving this like very obvious fake

00:47:17.000 --> 00:47:19.300
kind of wand. He's about to do something real

00:47:19.300 --> 00:47:21.579
magical and crazy. Their faces are both covered

00:47:21.579 --> 00:47:24.300
in like a cloth and just kind of give us all

00:47:24.300 --> 00:47:28.840
your books and notes on magic. Books and notes?

00:47:29.239 --> 00:47:32.340
We can't eat books. We agreed to roll them down

00:47:32.340 --> 00:47:36.400
for food. Food, Fybro. Get it together. Right.

00:47:36.699 --> 00:47:39.260
Fine. Give us all your food, then. And if you

00:47:39.260 --> 00:47:42.239
have any books, I'll trade you some food back

00:47:42.239 --> 00:47:48.760
for the books. Right? Fybro. You see, young Mulligan

00:47:48.760 --> 00:47:53.800
and Fybro. Maybe the worst, worst muggers in

00:47:53.800 --> 00:47:59.489
the city. Just a bunch of little criminals. Just

00:47:59.489 --> 00:48:02.550
a bunch of little criminals. It's my share. I'll

00:48:02.550 --> 00:48:04.949
give them my share, Mulligan, okay? Oh, well,

00:48:05.030 --> 00:48:07.710
that's fine then. It's like I give you a book

00:48:07.710 --> 00:48:10.909
or food. Which one do you want? Well, first you

00:48:10.909 --> 00:48:13.690
give us... Hang on. First, you give us food.

00:48:13.989 --> 00:48:15.710
Okay. All your food. And then I'll give you back

00:48:15.710 --> 00:48:17.550
some of your food, but for any books you have.

00:48:17.889 --> 00:48:20.489
So it's an even sort of trade, because books

00:48:20.489 --> 00:48:22.849
are pretty important. It's a good trade. You

00:48:22.849 --> 00:48:26.099
should do it. What do you got for food? Okay,

00:48:26.139 --> 00:48:28.559
well, how about I give you these rolls? Okay.

00:48:28.800 --> 00:48:31.699
Yeah, yeah, you give us those rolls. Wait, does

00:48:31.699 --> 00:48:34.239
that stick at you? There you go. You can have

00:48:34.239 --> 00:48:38.739
them. Yeah, this is good. This is easy. Yeah,

00:48:38.780 --> 00:48:41.300
I worked better than I thought. Kind of maybe,

00:48:41.360 --> 00:48:43.260
like, the young fireman sort of reaches out for

00:48:43.260 --> 00:48:45.239
one. He has, like, a little bag, like this leather

00:48:45.239 --> 00:48:48.179
satchel that, like, one of the very worn straps

00:48:48.179 --> 00:48:50.579
just snaps. And the satchel opens up in a bunch

00:48:50.579 --> 00:48:52.800
of pages of, like, magical notes. It just spreads

00:48:52.800 --> 00:48:54.880
in the cobblestone streets. And, nah, beans!

00:48:55.320 --> 00:48:57.280
He just reaches down and, like, snatches them

00:48:57.280 --> 00:49:02.219
up. No, no, no! Hang on! Just don't run away!

00:49:02.460 --> 00:49:05.739
We're gonna figure this out! Nah, I got you.

00:49:06.719 --> 00:49:08.619
And then Jules bends down and starts picking

00:49:08.619 --> 00:49:12.860
up the... Picking up the sheets. Well, I guess

00:49:12.860 --> 00:49:15.239
I can trade you back your food for my own magical

00:49:15.239 --> 00:49:19.760
papers. Nah, you can keep it. Sounds like you

00:49:19.760 --> 00:49:22.639
need it. Jules, Jules. Don't tell me you're getting

00:49:22.639 --> 00:49:24.579
attached to these guys, the idiots. Jules, come

00:49:24.579 --> 00:49:26.559
on, come on. Jules and Chester, don't do it.

00:49:26.679 --> 00:49:31.659
You can see something in your eyes. And you see,

00:49:31.719 --> 00:49:33.199
like, when you're hearing that, these two look

00:49:33.199 --> 00:49:36.119
up at you and their scarves kind of fall over

00:49:36.119 --> 00:49:38.059
their mouths kind of awkwardly and they just...

00:49:38.329 --> 00:49:41.369
You just see these two very, very pathetic. Like,

00:49:41.409 --> 00:49:43.789
you're like, these two will not survive another

00:49:43.789 --> 00:49:46.510
week on the streets. Chester, all I'm trying

00:49:46.510 --> 00:49:50.329
to do is what you did for me. Oh, come on. That's

00:49:50.329 --> 00:49:55.230
not fair. You're, um, you're the prince, right?

00:49:55.650 --> 00:49:58.730
No. Oh, right, of course. We don't talk about

00:49:58.730 --> 00:50:03.329
the prince. Um, but you are the prince. We don't

00:50:03.329 --> 00:50:06.769
talk about the prince. Oh, sorry, sorry. Um.

00:50:06.869 --> 00:50:11.619
I'm Jules. Fibrosis. Fibro's better. I don't

00:50:11.619 --> 00:50:14.659
know why my name is that. Yeah, I'm just gonna

00:50:14.659 --> 00:50:18.219
call you Fibro. I'm Mulligan. Mulligan's Fuligan.

00:50:18.320 --> 00:50:21.579
At least you wish you was. Hey, Mulligan. Yeah,

00:50:22.079 --> 00:50:25.159
here's another roll. Oh my god. Let me see, let

00:50:25.159 --> 00:50:29.260
me hands shake as another two more companions

00:50:29.260 --> 00:50:33.159
join your little group, your cherry delights,

00:50:33.199 --> 00:50:37.179
your new small family. And for another four years,

00:50:37.300 --> 00:50:41.079
these Sorry, for the two years these four work

00:50:41.079 --> 00:50:43.500
together. Until one fateful night where their

00:50:43.500 --> 00:50:46.219
stores were raided by a half -orc child. We saw

00:50:46.219 --> 00:50:48.659
that story. You can torture me all you want.

00:50:48.699 --> 00:50:52.900
I won't tell you anything. And with Miskin sort

00:50:52.900 --> 00:50:56.179
of joining the ranks, their family grows even

00:50:56.179 --> 00:50:59.559
larger. They possibly move one year beyond that

00:50:59.559 --> 00:51:03.380
meeting with Miskin. One day when the full crowds

00:51:03.380 --> 00:51:05.719
in the streets, Miskin obviously kind of sneaking

00:51:05.719 --> 00:51:07.940
around, scouting somewhere ahead, hiding under

00:51:07.940 --> 00:51:12.179
ladies' skirts and wherever he can find. Not

00:51:12.179 --> 00:51:15.320
in a weird way. He's just good at hiding. You

00:51:15.320 --> 00:51:20.360
said it. You made me. Band of armed robbers and

00:51:20.360 --> 00:51:22.860
perverts. As they're kind of moving around, maybe

00:51:22.860 --> 00:51:24.360
discussing, Jovi, what they're going to do this

00:51:24.360 --> 00:51:27.820
day, you hear like a voice ring out. Hey, you

00:51:27.820 --> 00:51:29.880
stumbled into me, you did. Didn't even apologize.

00:51:30.809 --> 00:51:36.010
You little runt! You guys look up to see, and

00:51:36.010 --> 00:51:37.550
you're coming to know this now, that in this

00:51:37.550 --> 00:51:39.349
city, there are two kinds of people. Those who

00:51:39.349 --> 00:51:42.630
stare into the despair that they face every day

00:51:42.630 --> 00:51:45.110
and push beyond it and try to make the place

00:51:45.110 --> 00:51:47.309
better, try to make the city better for everyone

00:51:47.309 --> 00:51:49.489
that lives in it. But there are also those who

00:51:49.489 --> 00:51:52.610
give in to this despair and try to dole it out

00:51:52.610 --> 00:51:55.489
twice as hard to anyone they see. You see some

00:51:55.489 --> 00:52:00.110
large, like, mason be like, staring down at this

00:52:00.110 --> 00:52:04.010
one, like, small child, like, dark -skinned boy

00:52:04.010 --> 00:52:05.989
who doesn't really, like, he's almost, like,

00:52:06.010 --> 00:52:08.110
maybe fallen over. Like, you get the image and

00:52:08.110 --> 00:52:09.889
he ran into this guy and then fell over and the

00:52:09.889 --> 00:52:13.329
guy's now yelling at him. And another very young

00:52:13.329 --> 00:52:16.730
girl sort of runs out, sort of dives out on top

00:52:16.730 --> 00:52:19.730
of the boy and just, no, please, he doesn't mean

00:52:19.730 --> 00:52:22.590
it. He can't speak. He doesn't really talk. It

00:52:22.590 --> 00:52:27.940
was an accident. We promise. Accident, aye. I'll

00:52:27.940 --> 00:52:30.539
show you an accident. Kind of like raises his

00:52:30.539 --> 00:52:34.280
foot out to kick. Jules runs over. In between.

00:52:35.139 --> 00:52:38.179
He stops dead as you kind of step there. You're

00:52:38.179 --> 00:52:40.940
standing there in front of this young boy who

00:52:40.940 --> 00:52:43.420
looks up with wide eyes. This young girl who

00:52:43.420 --> 00:52:45.820
stands there. Maybe as you're kind of doing your

00:52:45.820 --> 00:52:48.019
thing, you feel their presence come right behind

00:52:48.019 --> 00:52:50.059
you or right beside you. Chester taking a spot.

00:52:50.300 --> 00:52:52.559
Kind of glances back at the girl. Glances back

00:52:52.559 --> 00:52:54.800
at you. Puffs out his chest a little more. He

00:52:54.800 --> 00:52:59.579
wants to look cooler. Yeah. Yeah. You better

00:52:59.579 --> 00:53:02.239
back off, buddy. Jules just stares him in the

00:53:02.239 --> 00:53:07.039
eye. Don't do it. Whoa. They'll scare you a little

00:53:07.039 --> 00:53:10.920
once. I think I'm terrified. And then Chester

00:53:10.920 --> 00:53:12.719
looks at you and just, Jules, say the thing.

00:53:13.480 --> 00:53:14.800
Say the thing, Jules. I don't know what that

00:53:14.800 --> 00:53:18.699
means. What the fuck does that mean, David? What

00:53:18.699 --> 00:53:21.579
the fuck does that mean? I don't know. I got

00:53:21.579 --> 00:53:23.219
into my... All right. Jules gets all intense.

00:53:23.579 --> 00:53:32.380
Oh. Looks and says, The thing. And the guy holds

00:53:32.380 --> 00:53:34.500
his breath waiting for something to happen. I

00:53:34.500 --> 00:53:36.159
don't know what you want from me, David. I don't

00:53:36.159 --> 00:53:39.500
know. I don't know. I have no idea. Yes, and?

00:53:40.619 --> 00:53:43.659
You feel two more presences come up beside you

00:53:43.659 --> 00:53:46.980
as you're kind of like staring this figure down.

00:53:48.159 --> 00:53:52.179
Fibro. Mulligan. Each taken aside. And finally

00:53:52.179 --> 00:53:55.280
popping up somewhere from like down low. Miskin.

00:53:55.880 --> 00:54:00.480
The cherry delights forming ranks. The two newest

00:54:00.480 --> 00:54:03.099
members kind of staring on the figure. This man

00:54:03.099 --> 00:54:05.880
kind of looks around, realizes maybe he isn't

00:54:05.880 --> 00:54:10.019
worth his time and sort of storms away. And your

00:54:10.019 --> 00:54:13.300
family turns around. Chester kind of gives you

00:54:13.300 --> 00:54:17.179
a look like, oh, no, no, not again. As he sees

00:54:17.179 --> 00:54:19.000
that look in your eyes, he sees the look that

00:54:19.000 --> 00:54:23.420
they share. This small child, Paul. Chester,

00:54:23.420 --> 00:54:26.320
come on. There's room for everybody in our family.

00:54:27.019 --> 00:54:31.019
All right, well, welcome to the Cherry Delights.

00:54:32.099 --> 00:54:34.579
After that, Jules will lean down to Jeans and

00:54:34.579 --> 00:54:36.920
Paul, and he'll look over at Paul and say, what

00:54:36.920 --> 00:54:41.699
were you going after? Eh, eh. Kind of gestures

00:54:41.699 --> 00:54:45.820
up, and there's a guy on the corner who has a

00:54:45.820 --> 00:54:48.920
guitar. He was singing or playing a street thing,

00:54:48.980 --> 00:54:50.760
which is the normal kind of street bum that sort

00:54:50.760 --> 00:54:52.889
of has a... Case in front of him, people filling

00:54:52.889 --> 00:54:55.849
it. It's barely anything inside. You can see

00:54:55.849 --> 00:54:58.789
he just wants to be near the music. He loves

00:54:58.789 --> 00:55:04.869
music. He's Paul. I'm James. Thank you. It's

00:55:04.869 --> 00:55:07.630
been rough lately, the two of us. Been together

00:55:07.630 --> 00:55:09.849
for a little while, and I don't know what happened

00:55:09.849 --> 00:55:12.230
to his family. What you talking about? We're

00:55:12.230 --> 00:55:17.550
your family. And this sort of reserved smile

00:55:17.550 --> 00:55:20.610
kind of breaks out, and the boy just looks up

00:55:20.610 --> 00:55:25.400
at you. His eyes that look both blank and yet

00:55:25.400 --> 00:55:31.519
so full of depth. And he just says, family. And

00:55:31.519 --> 00:55:36.440
perhaps here, with your family gathered and merely

00:55:36.440 --> 00:55:40.260
a year, the last of your crew, round stuff will

00:55:40.260 --> 00:55:43.860
be found in one of your stores, hungry, willing

00:55:43.860 --> 00:55:48.539
to accept your hand. And some years later, the

00:55:48.539 --> 00:55:52.139
storm. will set in the skies of Tythos, and your

00:55:52.139 --> 00:55:58.960
new adventure, your story, will begin. And with

00:55:58.960 --> 00:56:04.440
that, let us return to our story, return to where

00:56:04.440 --> 00:56:07.679
we last left off, in the preserve of the ancestors,

00:56:07.679 --> 00:56:11.420
surrounded by this tropical salt marsh, looking

00:56:11.420 --> 00:56:14.760
out into this glistening sea that ends upon a

00:56:14.760 --> 00:56:18.059
wall of diamond, cascading waterfalls. flowing

00:56:18.059 --> 00:56:21.519
into it like some sort of great fountain and

00:56:21.519 --> 00:56:27.719
bursting from the water here. This Bastite caiman,

00:56:27.860 --> 00:56:34.340
a dawn incarnate formed by floating sort of stones.

00:56:34.980 --> 00:56:39.719
This mossy green with streaks of red. This creature.

00:56:40.409 --> 00:56:44.590
With the sound of echoing thunder somewhere emanating

00:56:44.590 --> 00:56:46.969
in the air around it. This oppressive gravity

00:56:46.969 --> 00:56:50.789
seeming to just... What's the word here? I already

00:56:50.789 --> 00:56:54.849
said emanate. Put forth. There we go. Seem to

00:56:54.849 --> 00:56:57.289
be putting forth from it. I don't know. I don't

00:56:57.289 --> 00:57:01.329
care. It's Columbus week. I'm very tired. This

00:57:01.329 --> 00:57:15.239
thing thunders onto the sands. Hello. Come to

00:57:15.239 --> 00:57:23.280
greet me. A useless gesture. You luminaries do

00:57:23.280 --> 00:57:28.699
what you want. No one cares for the will of the

00:57:28.699 --> 00:57:35.800
incarnates now. Speak your peace and let me rest.

00:57:37.480 --> 00:57:43.239
Great caiman. If you hold so much distaste for

00:57:43.239 --> 00:57:47.579
us luminaries, then why do you meet us? Because

00:57:47.579 --> 00:57:52.320
it is one of the few things still expected of

00:57:52.320 --> 00:57:58.719
my kind. Cocks a giant gemstone head. Another

00:57:58.719 --> 00:58:06.760
turtle. I met one of your ilk recently. He was

00:58:06.760 --> 00:58:16.030
quite rude. I am sorry to hear that. I'm not

00:58:16.030 --> 00:58:21.250
all that surprised, though. What was expected

00:58:21.250 --> 00:58:26.869
of you before that is no longer? We would guide

00:58:26.869 --> 00:58:33.510
and dictate. We would choose the speakers. We

00:58:33.510 --> 00:58:41.780
would steward your words. to the proper place.

00:58:42.780 --> 00:58:48.539
But let us not dwell on matters that no longer

00:58:48.539 --> 00:58:55.139
exist. You have long since left the control of

00:58:55.139 --> 00:59:00.440
the incarnates. Only one amongst your speakers

00:59:00.440 --> 00:59:07.199
has respect for us now. They can still exist.

00:59:08.300 --> 00:59:11.820
I seek your guidance now. Will you give it? Will

00:59:11.820 --> 00:59:15.460
you answer my questions about our world and the

00:59:15.460 --> 00:59:19.659
origins of it? Thunder emanates forth. You feel

00:59:19.659 --> 00:59:22.380
like that gravity sort of pressing down on you,

00:59:22.420 --> 00:59:24.039
almost pushing your feet a little deeper into

00:59:24.039 --> 00:59:30.019
the sand beneath you. What questions? How did

00:59:30.019 --> 00:59:34.559
the incarnates come to be? Did it happen that

00:59:34.559 --> 00:59:39.980
thousand years ago? I can speak not of these

00:59:39.980 --> 00:59:48.099
matters. The vows hold. Can you speak of... Before

00:59:48.099 --> 00:59:52.920
this world, can you speak of Shadrakhan? Gravity

00:59:52.920 --> 00:59:54.960
again. Boom, pushing. You feel like your back

00:59:54.960 --> 00:59:59.280
sort of almost bend a little bit. You... What

00:59:59.280 --> 01:00:06.199
do you know of Shadrakhan? We know... Struggling

01:00:06.199 --> 01:00:08.780
against the weight. We know about the serpents.

01:00:09.039 --> 01:00:14.800
It was their world before ours. Yes. It's fractured

01:00:14.800 --> 01:00:21.139
now. Yes. This was our world. I knew it. I fucking

01:00:21.139 --> 01:00:26.340
knew it. You came to us from your other world,

01:00:26.420 --> 01:00:31.880
you tiny mortal beings. You came and you stayed

01:00:31.880 --> 01:00:40.340
and we came. To love you. We led you, cared for

01:00:40.340 --> 01:00:45.340
you, protected and served to see your every need

01:00:45.340 --> 01:00:51.099
satisfied. But your tiny minds could not stomach

01:00:51.099 --> 01:00:55.719
satisfaction. You turned a jealous eye towards

01:00:55.719 --> 01:01:00.699
your own, found disgust in even your most minute

01:01:00.699 --> 01:01:05.329
differences. You armed yourselves with tools

01:01:05.329 --> 01:01:11.210
of steel and magical arts and you killed. And

01:01:11.210 --> 01:01:17.150
because we loved you, your war became our war.

01:01:17.409 --> 01:01:23.110
Your hatred poisoned our kind. Dracon clashed

01:01:23.110 --> 01:01:27.469
in the skies, wet crimson tears. Countless souls

01:01:27.469 --> 01:01:32.610
drowned in the blood of serpents. We gave you

01:01:32.610 --> 01:01:38.980
all. and you soaked it in death. The gravity

01:01:38.980 --> 01:01:42.440
around you begins to sort of lessen as if this

01:01:42.440 --> 01:01:46.139
great weight just lifted from your backs. Great

01:01:46.139 --> 01:01:50.619
caiman, I seek to provide an ebb to this flow.

01:01:51.139 --> 01:01:55.880
If we don't find some way to work together, whatever

01:01:55.880 --> 01:01:59.400
is left of our world will be, well, it'll be

01:01:59.400 --> 01:02:06.059
gone. We are aware. We are the stewards he left.

01:02:06.579 --> 01:02:12.139
But you are not ready. You are farther and farther

01:02:12.139 --> 01:02:18.960
every day from ready. You cannot be united. Else

01:02:18.960 --> 01:02:25.460
the war will come again. Who was he? What war?

01:02:26.739 --> 01:02:32.000
Amongst us, Drakon. There was one who many would

01:02:32.000 --> 01:02:37.340
call our king. A being of vast size and power,

01:02:37.780 --> 01:02:43.519
dwarfing nearly all others. A being of incomprehensible

01:02:43.519 --> 01:02:47.960
wisdom and heart whose true name is too great

01:02:47.960 --> 01:02:53.000
for your ears. The mortals would know him as

01:02:53.000 --> 01:02:56.380
he who parted the cloud and night and threaded

01:02:56.380 --> 01:03:01.579
the light of dawn to the sky. Now the echoes

01:03:01.579 --> 01:03:04.099
of his deeds have granted him the simplified

01:03:04.099 --> 01:03:10.960
title of the Sunweaver. It was he who formed

01:03:10.960 --> 01:03:15.780
the plan to save Shadrakhan. It was he who found

01:03:15.780 --> 01:03:18.280
the auroral diamond and imbued it with his immense

01:03:18.280 --> 01:03:22.260
power, whose body now wraps around the diamond,

01:03:22.500 --> 01:03:27.000
a base for your city, and whose soul lingers

01:03:27.000 --> 01:03:34.079
ever below. Soul lingers below. Holy shit. Do

01:03:34.079 --> 01:03:38.559
you mean the Keening Gloom? Why can't I do Blanche?

01:03:39.159 --> 01:03:43.300
I'm Blanche Trudeau. I'm Blanche Trudeau. Yes,

01:03:43.300 --> 01:03:44.980
you should have introduced yourself. Steven,

01:03:45.019 --> 01:03:47.159
you are Blanche Trudeau. No, I just couldn't.

01:03:47.179 --> 01:03:50.860
I got out of it or something. Do you mean the

01:03:50.860 --> 01:03:55.780
Keening Gloom? Thunder roaring out. Almost like

01:03:55.780 --> 01:03:59.719
you feel approval in this. As if this is... the

01:03:59.719 --> 01:04:05.199
sound of a nod to this thing. Is he pulling the

01:04:05.199 --> 01:04:11.739
worlds back together? He used the diamond as

01:04:11.739 --> 01:04:16.920
a focus, breaking Shadrakhan and binding the

01:04:16.920 --> 01:04:22.199
pieces ever, forging a means of indirect communication

01:04:22.199 --> 01:04:25.639
through the worlds, a means to build relationships

01:04:25.639 --> 01:04:32.210
and garner peace. It cost our king his life and

01:04:32.210 --> 01:04:34.809
caused the death of nearly all of our kin whose

01:04:34.809 --> 01:04:38.909
souls remain trapped within the bones of most

01:04:38.909 --> 01:04:45.190
man after centuries of lingering death. We can

01:04:45.190 --> 01:04:53.949
reunite. It is his eventual will. We incarnates.

01:04:54.599 --> 01:04:58.679
We were the Drakkon most loyal to the Sunweaver,

01:04:58.840 --> 01:05:03.599
one for each civilization of an old world. We

01:05:03.599 --> 01:05:07.860
came with him, removed from our bodies and granted

01:05:07.860 --> 01:05:12.260
these avatars of stone. We are his eternal stewards,

01:05:12.659 --> 01:05:16.079
set to watch the fragments of our worlds, judge

01:05:16.079 --> 01:05:21.440
their people, and when the time is right... It

01:05:21.440 --> 01:05:28.519
is our responsibility to bring Shadrakhan back

01:05:28.519 --> 01:05:33.579
together. From what world does the Turquoise

01:05:33.579 --> 01:05:38.599
Incarnate represent, and why did they choose

01:05:38.599 --> 01:05:45.440
Sholay? We all chose Sholay. The Turquoise represents

01:05:45.440 --> 01:05:50.619
Ankarim Sengar. Time had passed. dangers had

01:05:50.619 --> 01:05:55.380
grown. We knew we must enact the plan. Create

01:05:55.380 --> 01:06:02.019
a bridge. A safe bridge between the worlds. Sholay

01:06:02.019 --> 01:06:10.179
seemed the most efficient option. Ruthless and

01:06:10.179 --> 01:06:15.780
just. We watched our worlds, but she was the

01:06:15.780 --> 01:06:23.599
one. we called upon to be our champion. 250 years

01:06:23.599 --> 01:06:35.179
now. And who chose Atash? Atash! If the Sunweaver

01:06:35.179 --> 01:06:37.840
is dead... Because you asked that, I'm gonna

01:06:37.840 --> 01:06:39.909
go back. I was gonna like... Cut the scene, and

01:06:39.909 --> 01:06:41.170
I'm like, shit, that's a pretty cool question.

01:06:41.730 --> 01:06:45.090
It's a really cool question. The angel appeared

01:06:45.090 --> 01:06:50.469
only 50 years ago from a plane of radiance connected

01:06:50.469 --> 01:06:54.849
to Anker and Sengar. I believe he served a different

01:06:54.849 --> 01:06:58.349
master before, but he was awed by the radiant

01:06:58.349 --> 01:07:03.769
citadel, by the glory of our king. He took for

01:07:03.769 --> 01:07:07.070
himself the moniker of Hand of the Sunweaver

01:07:07.070 --> 01:07:10.590
and made it his quest to see our Lord's wishes

01:07:10.590 --> 01:07:15.190
fulfilled. Shah Drakkon connected the world at

01:07:15.190 --> 01:07:19.050
peace. He came before all of us and caught us

01:07:19.050 --> 01:07:24.170
offering his aid, but he is arrogant. He could

01:07:24.170 --> 01:07:28.320
not tolerate our patience. and now views us as

01:07:28.320 --> 01:07:32.300
traitors to the Sunweaver's will. He knows nothing

01:07:32.300 --> 01:07:41.119
of us! So Atash is, like, trying to force the

01:07:41.119 --> 01:07:46.199
peace. Huh. I got the question, too. Who are

01:07:46.199 --> 01:07:52.079
you? You know who I am. This is my valet. No,

01:07:52.079 --> 01:07:57.780
I'm just kidding. He looks up. Brief pause. Zomate

01:07:57.780 --> 01:08:04.360
Shab. Where did they come in in all this? You

01:08:04.360 --> 01:08:08.219
are hit with such a powerful force of gravity.

01:08:09.099 --> 01:08:11.719
I think the two of you almost fall over. The

01:08:11.719 --> 01:08:14.579
two of you almost like bow. Almost like fall.

01:08:14.619 --> 01:08:19.529
Collapse to your knees. Six on the die. I just

01:08:19.529 --> 01:08:21.649
wanted to roll into that. You have old knees.

01:08:21.909 --> 01:08:26.689
It hurts. You kind of fall into the sand. The

01:08:26.689 --> 01:08:32.630
Great Betrayal. One amongst all kinds that nearly

01:08:32.630 --> 01:08:36.710
match the size and power of our king. His true

01:08:36.710 --> 01:08:43.350
name will never be uttered again. But you would

01:08:43.350 --> 01:08:48.010
know him as Zomati Shab. The first spilled -up

01:08:48.010 --> 01:08:51.689
line of fellow Drakanists spurred on the war,

01:08:51.970 --> 01:08:56.729
both yours and ours, driven mad by a twisted

01:08:56.729 --> 01:09:03.409
love for his subjects. His creed to see all peoples

01:09:03.409 --> 01:09:07.770
freed from our salvation. During the time of

01:09:07.770 --> 01:09:11.609
war, the Sunweaver defeated the betrayer, tearing

01:09:11.609 --> 01:09:15.659
open a hole into the abyss. and sealing him away

01:09:15.659 --> 01:09:21.659
over the millennia. I believe he has been changed

01:09:21.659 --> 01:09:28.600
into something monstrous. But even now, he can

01:09:28.600 --> 01:09:33.140
only return to our world through avatars of his

01:09:33.140 --> 01:09:43.399
creation. Avatars like you! I can feel him. Feel

01:09:43.399 --> 01:09:46.920
his presence. I'm not going to let that happen.

01:09:50.899 --> 01:10:02.020
Luckily, we vowed not to kill. Whoa. Did this

01:10:02.020 --> 01:10:04.199
dude just say that he would have killed you if

01:10:04.199 --> 01:10:05.680
not for this vow? Sounds like it. Sounds like

01:10:05.680 --> 01:10:11.159
it. Don't worry. I'll kill him for you. I have

01:10:11.159 --> 01:10:15.460
one more question. And Blanche looks to Jules,

01:10:15.539 --> 01:10:20.119
knowing that this question, I mean, you know,

01:10:20.119 --> 01:10:24.239
asking about the demon lord is obviously very

01:10:24.239 --> 01:10:27.000
hard, but maybe this is a different kind of hard

01:10:27.000 --> 01:10:31.779
and Blanche wants to do this for Jules and just

01:10:31.779 --> 01:10:36.640
hear David make this voice more. My throat, my

01:10:36.640 --> 01:10:40.359
poor throat. What do you know about Calapsania's

01:10:40.359 --> 01:10:44.600
mate? Dude, his eyes. Dude, did you just see

01:10:44.600 --> 01:10:49.100
the pure panic in his face? That is interesting.

01:10:49.100 --> 01:10:55.500
Open mouth, wide eyes. It's actually interesting.

01:10:55.960 --> 01:10:58.920
You might expect, from my reaction, the gravity

01:10:58.920 --> 01:11:01.479
to push down on you harder, the storm to rage

01:11:01.479 --> 01:11:05.579
louder, but instead it seems to fully ebb, the

01:11:05.579 --> 01:11:08.939
gravity almost pulling away. Like you are feeling

01:11:08.939 --> 01:11:11.100
this effect of no gravity for a half second.

01:11:11.180 --> 01:11:14.859
This thing almost like. Recording diamond. Recording

01:11:14.859 --> 01:11:17.500
diamond. Alarmed. And I just say those words.

01:11:17.600 --> 01:11:19.020
Like I think you have this moment of inspiration.

01:11:19.039 --> 01:11:20.920
You say that. But I'll say like after you say

01:11:20.920 --> 01:11:22.859
those words, it's already starting to flood away

01:11:22.859 --> 01:11:24.779
from you. If you pull out the recording diamond,

01:11:24.960 --> 01:11:28.539
it is not working. It does not work in the presence

01:11:28.539 --> 01:11:30.779
of these things. It wouldn't work this entire

01:11:30.779 --> 01:11:32.960
time. He's revealing truths that cannot be known.

01:11:33.119 --> 01:11:35.260
But this thing, it almost like it's surprise

01:11:35.260 --> 01:11:41.710
sort of. steps back this incarnate takes a step

01:11:41.710 --> 01:11:44.850
back and as you say like I said you had this

01:11:44.850 --> 01:11:47.270
moment of inspiration but those that line though

01:11:47.270 --> 01:11:49.829
that thought is already starting to flee before

01:11:49.829 --> 01:11:52.510
you like in this moment before this thing you

01:11:52.510 --> 01:11:54.130
could feel it she like already forgot the question

01:11:54.130 --> 01:11:57.390
that she just asked and it fixes you with its

01:11:57.390 --> 01:12:03.270
past tight eyes and you hear a strange humming

01:12:03.270 --> 01:12:10.520
alarm suddenly just ring out emanating from all

01:12:10.520 --> 01:12:12.880
around and above you. The crystal ceiling which

01:12:12.880 --> 01:12:14.960
is projecting an image of a cloudless blue sky

01:12:14.960 --> 01:12:21.779
suddenly shifts to a deep, pulsing red. The incarnate

01:12:21.779 --> 01:12:25.420
turns from you, looks to the sky, and you hear

01:12:25.420 --> 01:12:36.329
it moan out, No! No! What are your initial reactions

01:12:36.329 --> 01:12:41.770
here? What the fuck? Kind of like that. Wow.

01:12:44.689 --> 01:12:48.170
Blanche's initial reaction is... Something's

01:12:48.170 --> 01:12:52.810
happening. ...is to leave. Are you leaving? Blanche

01:12:52.810 --> 01:12:55.390
looks to Jules like... Jules is just staring

01:12:55.390 --> 01:12:58.609
up. Just a blank, almost defiant expression.

01:12:59.170 --> 01:13:03.460
Her face washed in red light. Blanche, perhaps

01:13:03.460 --> 01:13:06.439
you turn, understanding that something is happening.

01:13:06.460 --> 01:13:09.520
Perhaps action must be called for. You spin and

01:13:09.520 --> 01:13:11.939
you hear one last sort of roaring voice from

01:13:11.939 --> 01:13:22.520
behind you. It is happening again! And now let's

01:13:22.520 --> 01:13:24.680
let our mental screens return to our original

01:13:24.680 --> 01:13:29.119
image. Because time is a cyclical cyclone and

01:13:29.119 --> 01:13:32.500
shit. The radiant Cyadell hang over the Keening

01:13:32.500 --> 01:13:35.359
Gloom, and we see now that the entirety of the

01:13:35.359 --> 01:13:37.880
world diamond has taken on that same shade of

01:13:37.880 --> 01:13:41.380
pulsing red. And because this is still Hollywood,

01:13:41.520 --> 01:13:44.779
baby, we hear another voiceover. This one, an

01:13:44.779 --> 01:13:48.939
echo of lines spoken to a young, or not so young,

01:13:49.000 --> 01:13:53.159
tortle many years ago. I've heard it said that

01:13:53.159 --> 01:13:56.119
they call me the Storm Eye, because when I arrive

01:13:56.119 --> 01:14:00.260
in a crisis, the crisis is at its end. The danger

01:14:00.260 --> 01:14:03.779
passed. Now, the sentiment is quite sweet, but...

01:14:03.779 --> 01:14:06.279
And we cut to the streets of Saint -Cityan, to

01:14:06.279 --> 01:14:08.920
a busy square in Fiesta Town, where a giant,

01:14:08.939 --> 01:14:11.659
projected image of Storgela Orin furiously gestures,

01:14:11.699 --> 01:14:13.960
speaking to the populace, to every populace,

01:14:13.960 --> 01:14:16.880
warning them with wide and tearful and terrified

01:14:16.880 --> 01:14:20.020
eyes. Beneath the screen, shining with a radiance

01:14:20.020 --> 01:14:22.619
of his own, we see Speaker Ardavasda, the blue

01:14:22.619 --> 01:14:26.319
-skinned Pari angel, right hand to Atash, speaking

01:14:26.319 --> 01:14:30.129
solemnly to a crowd of terrified onlookers. Gabriela

01:14:30.129 --> 01:14:32.789
Cortez, Dance Macabre, stands amongst them, looking

01:14:32.789 --> 01:14:34.630
for all the words like she is ready to drop into

01:14:34.630 --> 01:14:37.069
a fighting stance. Her dark eyes reflect the

01:14:37.069 --> 01:14:41.750
speaker and celestial, and they narrow. Any amazing

01:14:41.750 --> 01:14:44.430
sailor could tell you how incorrect that description

01:14:44.430 --> 01:14:49.170
is, for the storm will hit again, and it will

01:14:49.170 --> 01:14:53.109
hit with force, its true wrath withheld, for

01:14:53.109 --> 01:14:57.380
its second coming. And we cut to Noiri, to a

01:14:57.380 --> 01:14:59.260
banquet hall in Zinda where Jean -Francois and

01:14:59.260 --> 01:15:02.100
Ledoux Montelio watch Oren's printed image as

01:15:02.100 --> 01:15:05.560
well. Their mouths hang open, their hands firmly

01:15:05.560 --> 01:15:08.840
interlocked. The makings of a dinner party surround

01:15:08.840 --> 01:15:11.220
them and their hosts, Margus and Zeni Aruba,

01:15:11.359 --> 01:15:14.359
as well as Amos and the recently revealed Larissa

01:15:14.359 --> 01:15:18.979
Neer, stand in shock at Oren's words. Harlan

01:15:18.979 --> 01:15:21.039
Burnshadow stands besides Fyodor in the back,

01:15:21.039 --> 01:15:25.159
the two men looking grim and sickly. So you see,

01:15:25.380 --> 01:15:28.539
when you find yourself in the eye of the storm,

01:15:28.739 --> 01:15:33.920
in the false calm, you should not relax, you

01:15:33.920 --> 01:15:38.560
should not celebrate. Rather gird yourself, speak

01:15:38.560 --> 01:15:46.109
your prayers, for the worst is yet to come. And

01:15:46.109 --> 01:15:48.590
now I want to take us back in time before the

01:15:48.590 --> 01:15:50.510
meeting with the Bastite came in, before the

01:15:50.510 --> 01:15:52.750
diamonds shifting red and the humming alarms

01:15:52.750 --> 01:15:55.289
and the terrible news that swiftly spread throughout

01:15:55.289 --> 01:15:58.590
all the Concord worlds. And I want to take us

01:15:58.590 --> 01:16:03.369
back to Omizu. We look upon the Shrine of Storms

01:16:03.369 --> 01:16:05.829
once again, now many years older than when it

01:16:05.829 --> 01:16:09.489
was first seen by a younger Blanche. But it is

01:16:09.489 --> 01:16:13.250
largely unchanged now. And here, as we linger

01:16:13.250 --> 01:16:14.970
just outside the gates of the shrine, perhaps

01:16:14.970 --> 01:16:17.649
on a beach of dark sand where low waves crash

01:16:17.649 --> 01:16:20.949
against the shrine's black walls, we hear a different

01:16:20.949 --> 01:16:24.529
alarm. A sound akin to many sets of ringing glass

01:16:24.529 --> 01:16:29.210
chimes. Perhaps we hear a scream escape the walls

01:16:29.210 --> 01:16:33.770
of the shrine, a brief and sharp, And we see,

01:16:33.810 --> 01:16:36.029
standing on this beach just outside the grasping

01:16:36.029 --> 01:16:40.810
waves, Dresden Kellig and Crispin Dubois. It

01:16:40.810 --> 01:16:44.250
seems that Sholay's intel was good. Events are

01:16:44.250 --> 01:16:46.850
transpiring just as she said they would. You

01:16:46.850 --> 01:16:48.770
never saw the assailants enter, yet the Shrine

01:16:48.770 --> 01:16:52.369
of Storms has been taken. And it is up to you

01:16:52.369 --> 01:16:56.430
two to take it back. And I know you have, like,

01:16:56.430 --> 01:16:59.789
no context yet about what's going on with these

01:16:59.789 --> 01:17:02.090
guys. But do you want to say something cool?

01:17:02.770 --> 01:17:08.850
No. Even better. Backshot of Dresden and Crispin.

01:17:09.789 --> 01:17:13.029
standing side by side. Between them, you can

01:17:13.029 --> 01:17:18.289
see the gates, and Crispin just reaches up for

01:17:18.289 --> 01:17:23.770
a little fist, for a fist bump. That's like an

01:17:23.770 --> 01:17:28.189
action hero! Well, yeah, of course Dresden fist

01:17:28.189 --> 01:17:32.470
bumps back. Hell yeah, hell yeah! Dresden's arm

01:17:32.470 --> 01:17:35.149
slowly moves up, just a little bit, because Crispin's

01:17:35.149 --> 01:17:38.729
short as fuck. It's true! He is reaching, like,

01:17:38.810 --> 01:17:42.489
above his head. Oh, I love that. Gives him a

01:17:42.489 --> 01:17:45.689
fist bump. We see this. Boom. Our camera focuses

01:17:45.689 --> 01:17:48.670
on that. And as you get to work, our camera zooms

01:17:48.670 --> 01:17:51.810
back from these bumping fists, farther and farther

01:17:51.810 --> 01:17:54.189
from Dresden and Crispin, and from the shrine

01:17:54.189 --> 01:17:56.909
until our screen lingers on a nearby hilltop

01:17:56.909 --> 01:18:00.470
that overlooks this entire scene. And here, the

01:18:00.470 --> 01:18:04.800
ringing sound is quite faint. Faint enough. that

01:18:04.800 --> 01:18:06.899
we, the audience, can easily hear the sounds

01:18:06.899 --> 01:18:10.199
of armored footsteps approaching. Ch -ching,

01:18:10.300 --> 01:18:14.659
ch -ching, ch -ching. Followed by a familiar

01:18:14.659 --> 01:18:23.159
voice. Ah, I had suspected so. Very clever, Shourei,

01:18:23.239 --> 01:18:26.739
but I'm afraid you have only forced my hand in

01:18:26.739 --> 01:18:32.239
this. Ch -ching, ch -ching. Ozen Yoshikatsu steps

01:18:32.239 --> 01:18:35.380
into our screen. We see the black armor of his

01:18:35.380 --> 01:18:37.779
Kabuto helm shine beneath the golden light of

01:18:37.779 --> 01:18:40.000
the curving lightning bolt that rises from his

01:18:40.000 --> 01:18:43.399
mask. His long silver hair and beard sway with

01:18:43.399 --> 01:18:48.439
a suddenly rising wind. His hand gently and grimly

01:18:48.439 --> 01:18:51.819
hovers above the handle of his katana. The skies

01:18:51.819 --> 01:18:54.880
above, already gray, begin to darken as Ozen

01:18:54.880 --> 01:18:57.989
looks down upon the Shrine of Storms. A low,

01:18:58.149 --> 01:19:01.250
rumbling sound mingles with the ringing chimes.

01:19:01.670 --> 01:19:08.970
The sound of thunder. First, the fall of Tythos.

01:19:09.250 --> 01:19:16.909
And now, Umizu's time has come. And we'll call

01:19:16.909 --> 01:19:17.329
it there.