The scene might look the same, but the Inquisitive (tm) player will note a certain different perspective that Codexia has on her surroundings.
Club Eternox. A haven for rich spoiled kids rebelling against how good they have it.
A line of kids with dead eyes and dead minds.
The bouncer holds the tide of kids at bay, waiting for you to take over. As usual.
Hey, we're with the NYPD.
Oh yeah? You got any proof or something?
Yeah, we've seen this before.
Codexia flashes her badge as usual. Blablabla Bruce Lee. In we go.
BLABLABLA UPDATED MY JOURNAL. I'll be here if you need me.
Though the dialogue is again the same, Codexia's impressions of her surroundings once again differ.
Expensive liquor. To be purchased by college kids using their parents' money.
You want to shoot that angel in its inscrutably smug face.
Lol, so much bottled up rage in this Codexia. Guess you can take only so much decline before you snap.
Might as well go up the stairs.
Morino's up there. Waiting for what's coming to him.
Why don't you stay down here and talk to the owner for a bit. I'll go up and grill Morino.
Uh-oh, that's not how it went last time. Back then Vicki told Codexia to go up outright.
Jesus, Vicki, I've GOT this. Don't worry.
You sure?
Birdies gotta leave the nest sometime.
Well, go and fly. See you when you're done.
Suspicious!
Oh, it's you.
@_@
Yeah, it's me, you damn IDIOT.
What?
You just had to get THREE people at once. Do you have any idea what this looks like?
YOU HAD ONE JOB, MORINO
I'm only doing what you told me to do. Using the book.
I wanted you to use your BRAIN. Three at once? I'd better make sure they are all right before things get REALLY ugly.
that's pretty x-treme commander
Well... okay, they're right over there. I'll be here if you, you know, need me.
You've done enough.
Poor Morino just can't get a break.
Franco Morino looks desperate and pleading. You always knew he was weak.
Another group of kids with dead eyes, dead minds and dead futures.
Let's interrogate them... for whatever reason?
Hey.
Actually, you were, I couldn't even talk to more than 1 of the 3 fags
So, Morino, you got a pretty good collar here. Three of 'em, in fact.
Oh, shit, you know everything, don't you?
Critical morale failure
Huh? Know what?
Morino...
I can't take it anymore! I'm sorry!
Sorry about what?
I just did what she said! She told me to do it! She gave me the book, she told me what to do!
Oh God DAMN it, Franco!
CODEXIA WAS DARTH REVAN ALL ALONG
AND NOW SHE'S PACKING @_@
Use the book! Mindwipe her!
What? No...
NOW.
Can someone tell me what the hell is going on here?
Vicki the Oblivious who just frowns in the face of mindwipe threats and drawn guns will one day make an excellent agent of the Unavowed.
I'm... sorry.
You should recommend me for a promotion. And, uh, forget all about this?
... yeah. Yeah, good job, Morino. Never knew you were such a bad-ass. I'll... I'll just go and call this in.
Exit Vicki.
You're gonna kill me, aren't you?
I will if you don't kick over the book.
Look, I'll kick it over to you. Just... put the gun down.
Sure, whatever.
Take it. Just take it. I... I don't even know why you gave that to me anyway.
To prime the pump.
Huh?
The PUMP, Morino. Some low-level magic to get things started. That, and some good old fashioned blood sacrifice.
Power demands sacrifice.
Well then.
Multi-kill!
FUCK! What the hell?!
Oh, great Melkhiresa! Spirit of knowledge! Come to me! I give to you this body as your refuge in this world!
This spell is known as "Melkhiresa's Arcane Barf"
What... what was that?
Nothing you need to worry about.
So long, Franco.
What the HELL is going on? What about the kids? Are the kids okay?
Nope. Dead.
BOOM
Yeah, that's actually a really lousy shoulder shot right there, Codexia.
What? What's going on?
Oh, hello. Melkhiresa, is it? Welcome to... my brain, I guess.
I'm so confused. Who am I? Who are you?
Yeah, the book warned me that might happen. You share your knowledge with me, and I share my memories with you. You're like... an encyclopedia. You have data, but you don't know how to THINK. I can do that for you. Speaking of, is there REALLY a dryad trapped in the North Woods? Amazing.
A long pause.
Is... something wrong?
There's blood on my hands.
Oh, don't worry about THEM. They had it coming.
No, I'm a murderer. It's my fault.
You didn't do anything. It just feels like you did because we're sharing memories. Besides, you're an incorporeal DEMON with no mind of your own. Why do you even care?
Ah, poor Codexia, for this is not a mere demon, but a daimonion!
They were INNOCENT.
You know, if Melkhiresa is so bothered about people dying, maybe it shouldn't DEMAND BLOOD SACRIFICE to be summoned?
Okay, LOOK...
Send me back to the darkness, PLEASE!
No, I am in control here, not YOU. You can re-write memories, can't you? Yeah, you can. I can SEE it. Remember this night however you want to. Whatever makes you live with yourself.
"live"
As for me? I have... business to take care of outside.
The vision fades.
Oh dear. Don't tell me this is like a looped game restart on end or something.
Let GO of me!
Hm, guess not.
DOPEFISH LIVES
In the name of myself, my witness, and the soul whom you hold captive... I CAST YOU OUT!
@_@
NOW, Kaykay! Turn it on NOW!
We are the Unavowed and we dun need no stinky bestowers.
Did... did we get it?
Oh yeah, we got it. We frigging got it.
{Player_Character} gets up.
So. How do you... feel?
Yeah, are you... you?
We need to talk.
Um, can it wait? Nasty demon in the subway tunnels. We probably should do something about it.
Um, goys? Are demons supposed to look... human?
What do you mean?
This demon, it looks like...
Me. It looks like me, doesn't it?
Um, yeah.
What?
Yeah, care to tell us why?
Answer the damn question, "partner".
I am Melkhiresa. I've been Melkhiresa since you met me.
YOU'RE Melkhiresa? But that means...
Morons.
No, Codexia. YOU ARE THE DEMONS!
You're... not the demon?
He gets it! I'd clap, but, you know.
But HOW? It shouldn't be POSSIBLE to exorcise a human soul. You'd fry it.
Lucky for me that you suck at this.
Indeed.
In-fucking-deed.
So, let's sum it up:
- The Unavowed were on a wild demon chase when there never actually was any demonic possession to begin with. This took them a whole year.
- This is obv also ignoring the fact that they never picked up the scent of Morino and the Evil Book (tm), however long that was going on.
- They then didn't manage to capture the "demon" properly.
- Then they were oblivious to the actual demon in their midst.
- Obvious multiple other fuck-ups along the way.
Actually, this raises a rather important question. How did they even get the idea in the first place that there was "demonic possession" at work here? Obviously nobody could tell them. And given that over this year they didn't even have the faintest idea what they were dealing with, since "Melkhiresa" was brought up only now during the course of the game, and apparently they never really encountered any examples of Codexia's prior activities given that during the vignettes in the game they go ZOMG!!!!! FOUL DEMON... is there a single thing that makes sense in this game?
Is there?
You be quiet.
Eli, the words in that exorcism spell. They do not actually specify "demon", do they?
No, it's broader than that. The exact words were...
... wicked spirit.
I know your mind, Codexia. You don't care. About anything or anyone.
Yeah, well, I always WAS good at pretending. Even on the force, I did nothing but pretend. Pretending I was SORRY for some stupid housewife who let her husband beat her. Or mustering up sadness when some junkie teenager overdosed. Hell, even my PARTNER thought I was a "good cop".
What the holy fuck.
Oh, hey Vicki, long time no see. I thought I shot you dead. Iced all the other ones, though. Bam bam bam, perfect shots. You taught me well.
You're... insane.
No, this is who I am. This is who I always was. When I got my body back, I thought I could pretend again. Go back to living a normal life. But that's not possible, is it? And maybe that's a good thing. I'm so sick of pretending.
Oh God, shut UP already. Logan? Can you and the kid zap her into the afterlife or something?
Um, I don't think so. She's not actually DEAD is she?
What do you think I am? Some helpless ghost? I have learned a lot from you, Melkhiresa. I still have my power at my disposal, body or no body. See you soon.
There she goes. Another successful job by the Unavowed.
Fade to black.
Oh, um, hey. You're up. We were taking turns watching you. You know. Just in case.
Did I glow? Or float? Or chant in my sleep?
Don't joke. If you did anything like that I might have shot you. Look at you, I TOLD 'em you'd say something like that. But... you're not really YOU, are you?
Which brings another good point.
Sure, this plot twist is a good enough bait-and-switch, but... does it really change anything? Like, for real? There's still "good cop protagonist" vs "evil demon antagonist", and Codexia's "pretending" in the past to be a goody-two-shoes doesn't make the protagonist any less "good cop" than she was prior to the reveal. MMmmmmmmeh.
I remember when that picture was taken.
Do you remember anything about that day?
It was just after our first collar. Drug store robbery. I tackled him and you cuffed him.
I tag 'em, you bag 'em.
Yeah, your first day as a detective. I was damn proud of you.
Or, you know, that other you. The lady in the picture. But anyway, my POINT is that... her and me... we worked well together. From the start. But it wasn't real, was it? She HATED me. Hated everyone. How come I didn't see it? Do you remember anything? Somewhere in that brain of hers? What the hell makes someone like... that?
Oblivion.
If there's any hatred left in Codexia's brain... I don't have it. It all went with her.
Okay. That's all I needed to hear. See ya downstairs.
Exit Vicki.
Nothing downstairs, just Vicki going into the study.
Can't even go into Eli's basement. Only way ahead is right.
It's the only thing that makes sense.
Yeah, it doesn't sound right, but maybe it's the best way.
Hey, she's here.
Ah, you'd better... get over here.
Yes. We have come to a decision.
The judgement of the elders.
Let me guess, you're firing me.
Jesus, don't be so overdramatic.
Indeed, we were only discussing the trains.
Yeah. The F train is down, so we're gonna have to take the 6 and then transfer.
It's the only way to get over to Brooklyn.
Especially at this hour.
That... wasn't funny.
You are lying.
Listen, so you're not really my old partner. From what I just learnt, that's a GOOD thing. She's out there doing god-knows-what. You're here trying to take her down.
In terms of the big picture, nothing has changed. Our goal remains the same. Assuming... you are still with us?
Yes! This is the perfect occasion to finally ditch these clowns!
Hell YES I'm still with you. Codexia needs to be stopped.
That's what we like to hear.
So... what should we call you?
Yeah, we can't keep calling you by the same name.
You never called me by my name.
Call me Mel.
Simple, I like it.
Craving simplicity, I can understand. A fine choice. Mel.
So am I human?
You are if you want to be. That's really all there is to it.
What exactly am I?
This is a question I have asked myself my entire life. I have yet to find an answer.
That's not exactly encouraging.
It is the only truth I can offer.
No, I get it. EVERYONE is trying to figure out who they are. Some more than others.
Human or not, you are just like everybody else alive.
Er, sorry, KayKay.
Let's get back out there.
We're ready to go when you are.
Interestingly enough, we can still chat up Bandana before leaving.
I feel like this shouldn't be here, but eh.
My memories of being Codexia have got me all mixed up...
Yes, I can see how that might be... confusing. Some unsolicited advice, from one half-spirit to another? There IS no right answer. Your only option is to just let yourself BE yourself. You are you. No more, no less.
Should we start a meeting?
A meeting is not necessary. We know our mission, we know our destination. When you are ready to proceed to the subway, we will follow.
Any thoughts on that last mission?
I am not without sympathy for Kevin's plight, having... recently lost a parent myself. But torturing and potentially murdering that innocent creature was a step too far. It was the right choice to refuse him.
Last time you had different things to say...
I'll leave you to it.
Thank you.
Off we go.
Final spot of demonic activity left to investigate.
Specify BROS to take, as always.