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A Plague Tale: Innocence
A Plague Tale: Innocence
The Other Castle
Season 9 Episode 2 Tom & Andrea hope you don't have an aversion to rats as we take on A Plague Tale: Innocence. Listen in as we tour around…
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Aug. 21, 2024

A Plague Tale: Innocence

A Plague Tale: Innocence

Season 9 Episode 2 Tom & Andrea hope you don't have an aversion to rats as we take on A Plague Tale: Innocence. Listen in as we tour around Europe as Amicia De Rune and her little brother Hugo during the terrifying Bubonic Plague. But rats aren't...

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Season 9

Season 9 Episode 2

Tom & Andrea hope you don't have an aversion to rats as we take on A Plague Tale: Innocence. Listen in as we tour around Europe as Amicia De Rune and her little brother Hugo during the terrifying Bubonic Plague. But rats aren't the only problem, as there are people who want to take Hugo away from Amicia for good! What mysteries does Hugo hold? For a five year old, a whole lot. 

Thanks for hanging out with us! Connect with us directly on all the things:

Website: www.theothercastlepodcast.com

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Discord: https://discord.gg/YDVUSq5twm

Youtube: @TheOtherCastle

Instagram: @TheOtherCastle

Email: TheOtherCastlePodcast@gmail.com

 

And don't forget - please rate & review us to help grow the show so we can all nerd out together. 

 

 

Transcript
WEBVTT

00:00:17.213 --> 00:00:19.653
Hello, everyone, and welcome back to The Other Castle.

00:00:19.653 --> 00:00:20.893
The Other Castle, I'm Andrea.

00:00:20.893 --> 00:00:21.813
And my name is Tom.

00:00:21.813 --> 00:00:25.813
And here on The Other Castle, we do the plot, lore and more behind all your favorite video games.

00:00:25.813 --> 00:00:31.153
That means we cover the production, the creation, the release and the actual story of the game itself.

00:00:31.153 --> 00:00:31.773
Yes, we do.

00:00:31.773 --> 00:00:35.473
And if you want to hear more, you can check us out over at our website, theothercastlepodcast.com.

00:00:35.473 --> 00:00:37.173
That's the othercastlepodcast.com.

00:00:37.173 --> 00:00:38.873
So like you can check out our old episodes.

00:00:38.873 --> 00:00:40.753
Like last week we did Death Stranding.

00:00:40.753 --> 00:00:43.433
You can check out our Patreon, where we recently covered Limbo.

00:00:43.433 --> 00:00:47.713
We've covered World of Warcraft, which was one of my favorite Patreon episodes that Tom's done.

00:00:47.713 --> 00:00:55.673
And there's also links on our website to our Instagram, where we post reels, fun facts, some behind the scenes stuff, occasionally selfies, whatever.

00:00:56.053 --> 00:00:57.373
Don't come for me.

00:00:57.373 --> 00:01:00.093
And has links to our Discord.

00:01:00.093 --> 00:01:01.673
Yes, our Discord is very fun.

00:01:01.673 --> 00:01:05.233
Apparently we are very active creators on our Discord.

00:01:05.253 --> 00:01:08.033
Apparently a lot of places the creators don't get very active.

00:01:08.033 --> 00:01:08.553
Really?

00:01:08.553 --> 00:01:10.793
Yeah, I guess we are considered active.

00:01:10.793 --> 00:01:12.133
Is that embarrassing for us?

00:01:12.133 --> 00:01:15.653
No, it's just like, you know, we interact with you guys a lot, so come join us.

00:01:16.133 --> 00:01:19.773
Why was my gut reaction, should we not be reacting to anyone?

00:01:21.013 --> 00:01:27.413
I just, you know, the people in our Discord post really spicy beams and stuff, and I really enjoy it, and a lot of them are really fun to talk to.

00:01:27.413 --> 00:01:30.273
Yeah, it's a nice place to have everybody kind of in one place.

00:01:30.273 --> 00:01:31.093
I learned some things.

00:01:31.093 --> 00:01:40.893
They were talking about migraines, and one of the people in our Discord was saying, oh, try ginger ale, and I was like, I've only had ginger ale for stomach aches, and I have some ginger ale in my fridge, and I'm gonna try that next time I have a migraine.

00:01:40.893 --> 00:01:41.513
Very smart.

00:01:41.513 --> 00:01:42.473
Migraines suck.

00:01:43.833 --> 00:01:45.473
But this game doesn't suck.

00:01:45.473 --> 00:01:50.973
This week, we're going over A Plague Tale Innocence, which I believe did also come up in our Discord.

00:01:50.973 --> 00:01:52.713
I believe this was one of the requests.

00:01:52.713 --> 00:01:56.153
Yeah, so in our Discord, we also have a section where people can suggest games.

00:01:56.153 --> 00:02:05.813
Most, if not all of the games we're covering this season are from our Discord or from our email requests, because we love you guys, and frankly, I'm getting overwhelmed.

00:02:05.813 --> 00:02:12.633
So I need help figuring out what games to play, and this one was a fantastic one, and I'm super excited.

00:02:12.633 --> 00:02:14.453
Now, are you aware of this game existing?

00:02:14.453 --> 00:02:16.953
I absolutely am aware of it, never played it.

00:02:16.953 --> 00:02:19.133
Okay, wasn't aware of it, have played it.

00:02:19.213 --> 00:02:20.393
Oh, okay.

00:02:20.393 --> 00:02:21.393
Kind of the inverse.

00:02:21.673 --> 00:02:26.953
I might have seen something peripherally, but someone mentioned this, and I started looking into it.

00:02:26.953 --> 00:02:40.833
I do look through all of our game suggestions that come through on Discord, and I think you check the email more than I do, just because I'm so team empty inbox that that email gives me anxiety to open it, because there's so many unopened ones, and I'm like, mm-mm, nope, nope, nope.

00:02:40.913 --> 00:02:42.693
I'm going to do this for my mental health, can't do it.

00:02:42.693 --> 00:02:43.793
We get a lot of spam.

00:02:43.793 --> 00:02:45.093
Yeah.

00:02:45.093 --> 00:02:49.113
Or just like confirmations of like, this posted, and I'm like, yeah, I know.

00:02:49.113 --> 00:02:50.453
It posted yesterday.

00:02:50.453 --> 00:02:51.653
You're telling me now.

00:02:51.653 --> 00:02:57.133
But I do check all the games that come through our game suggestions part in Discord.

00:02:57.133 --> 00:02:58.653
And I look up at least the trailer.

00:02:58.653 --> 00:03:04.533
Sometimes I do look up like a gaming Henry video or a lore video just to kind of get a sense of it.

00:03:04.533 --> 00:03:07.753
Some of the shit you guys suggest is super fucking dark.

00:03:07.753 --> 00:03:07.993
Yeah.

00:03:09.653 --> 00:03:12.813
I promise you, I do look into every single one.

00:03:12.813 --> 00:03:15.213
Some of them fucked me up where I was like, why?

00:03:15.213 --> 00:03:17.193
No.

00:03:17.193 --> 00:03:20.313
But this one I looked into and I was like, oh, this is kind of cool.

00:03:20.313 --> 00:03:21.693
But good kind of dark.

00:03:21.693 --> 00:03:22.253
Yeah.

00:03:22.253 --> 00:03:22.453
Yeah.

00:03:22.453 --> 00:03:24.893
Where it's just like, oh, I need to turn the brightness up.

00:03:24.953 --> 00:03:26.213
That's fine.

00:03:26.213 --> 00:03:30.153
I can't turn the brightness up in my heart without my fucking fluvoxamine.

00:03:30.153 --> 00:03:32.533
So it's different.

00:03:32.533 --> 00:03:36.473
But we're going to talk about Plague Tale, which is a creepy crawly rat game.

00:03:37.033 --> 00:03:40.013
If you don't like rats, this isn't for you at all.

00:03:40.013 --> 00:03:41.913
Guess who doesn't like rats?

00:03:41.913 --> 00:03:42.913
At either of us.

00:03:42.913 --> 00:03:43.153
Yeah.

00:03:43.153 --> 00:03:45.713
I found out I didn't like rats.

00:03:45.713 --> 00:03:46.553
I've seen rats.

00:03:46.553 --> 00:03:49.353
I've been to New York City, so obviously I'm familiar with them.

00:03:49.353 --> 00:03:50.093
Right.

00:03:50.093 --> 00:03:55.093
I saw two fight in a subway, both touch the third rail and survive somehow.

00:03:56.913 --> 00:04:00.733
Which is, that means I'm a real New Yorker, I guess?

00:04:00.733 --> 00:04:01.433
In a visit.

00:04:01.433 --> 00:04:01.893
Wow.

00:04:01.893 --> 00:04:02.573
Yeah.

00:04:02.573 --> 00:04:04.593
One stole a pizza out of my hand.

00:04:04.593 --> 00:04:05.493
Oh, that's Pizza Rat.

00:04:05.493 --> 00:04:06.013
He's famous.

00:04:06.253 --> 00:04:11.273
So is the Naked Cowboy, you know, there's celebrities around every corner of Manhattan.

00:04:11.273 --> 00:04:13.033
But yeah, I didn't think a lot about rats.

00:04:13.033 --> 00:04:17.553
You know, my best friend had a rat when we were kids and I was just like, oh, whatever, man.

00:04:17.553 --> 00:04:21.013
But I don't like rats now.

00:04:21.013 --> 00:04:22.153
So this fucked me up.

00:04:22.153 --> 00:04:29.373
I apologize if it fucks you up, but also you have the freedom of choice to walk away from this episode if it grosses you out.

00:04:29.373 --> 00:04:31.153
I'm not discouraging you to not listen.

00:04:31.153 --> 00:04:32.813
Actually, I'm gonna take all this back.

00:04:32.813 --> 00:04:33.653
Hang out with us.

00:04:33.653 --> 00:04:34.893
Please enjoy this episode.

00:04:35.073 --> 00:04:36.253
And like it and subscribe.

00:04:36.253 --> 00:04:37.893
All that stuff.

00:04:37.893 --> 00:04:44.273
A Plague Tale Innocence launched on May 14th, 2019 and was developed by Asobo Studio.

00:04:44.273 --> 00:04:46.613
Asobo has kind of an interesting origin.

00:04:46.613 --> 00:04:54.233
They're a French game studio who mainly worked on licensed properties, you know, classics like Garfield, A Tale of Two Kitties.

00:04:54.233 --> 00:04:55.313
Oh my God, really?

00:04:55.313 --> 00:04:56.673
Yeah.

00:04:56.673 --> 00:04:57.593
You got to start somewhere.

00:04:58.253 --> 00:05:01.733
Facts, and Zoo Tycoon, the ultimate animal edition.

00:05:01.733 --> 00:05:03.793
OK, though, that's a legit series.

00:05:03.793 --> 00:05:07.333
And probably actually led to all the rat stuff.

00:05:07.333 --> 00:05:08.513
They learned a lot about animals.

00:05:08.513 --> 00:05:09.753
Yeah, I don't know.

00:05:09.753 --> 00:05:12.573
They also had one original IP game that they did.

00:05:12.573 --> 00:05:18.833
It was a racing game called Fuel that came out in 2009, but that kind of came out to lackluster reviews.

00:05:18.833 --> 00:05:22.533
I was going to say, I think I remember seeing it and never played it.

00:05:22.533 --> 00:05:25.133
I don't believe you see all these games come through.

00:05:26.273 --> 00:05:35.233
After putting out their own IP in 2009 with Fuel, it wasn't a needle mover, so they went back to licensed games like Monopoly Plus and Disneyland Adventures.

00:05:35.233 --> 00:05:37.473
Monopoly Plus is legit.

00:05:37.473 --> 00:05:39.913
You do like Monopoly, unironically.

00:05:39.913 --> 00:05:41.433
No, I have a copy of Monopoly Plus.

00:05:41.433 --> 00:05:42.113
That's a great game.

00:05:42.113 --> 00:05:44.593
When we were young, we used to play Boozopoly.

00:05:44.593 --> 00:05:45.013
Yes.

00:05:45.013 --> 00:05:47.853
Which one time ended in me trying to punch someone.

00:05:47.853 --> 00:05:49.113
It's fine.

00:05:49.113 --> 00:05:56.593
But the team at Asobo was like, I get it, it's paying the bills, but I'm not being fulfilled creatively, which I fully understand.

00:05:56.593 --> 00:06:03.893
They are eager storytellers forced to regurgitate the stories of others through their lens, and it frankly just wasn't enough.

00:06:03.893 --> 00:06:15.293
At the time, the mid-teen years of the 2000s, the landscape of gaming was shaken up and innovated by our West Coast friends here at Naughty Dog, with 2013's The Last of Us.

00:06:15.293 --> 00:06:16.993
I've heard of that.

00:06:16.993 --> 00:06:20.333
We may have covered it a couple of times.

00:06:20.333 --> 00:06:30.893
The Last of Us Part 1, obviously, has been cited as the inspiration and the impetus for so many games, we might as well start some sort of bio-shot for it like we do with our other shit.

00:06:30.893 --> 00:06:39.113
At this point, it may almost feel cliché because it's established so many cornerstones of storytelling that are used in other games.

00:06:39.113 --> 00:06:43.153
But remember, 10 years ago, this was absolutely groundbreaking storytelling.

00:06:43.153 --> 00:06:51.293
The emotional weight of the story paired with engaging gameplay and immersive world-building built a runway for other games to exist in this gaming space.

00:06:51.293 --> 00:06:58.773
Asobo's creative director, David Dedene, has said of The Last of Us, It's such a great game, but it's weird to claim that we've done the same thing.

00:06:58.773 --> 00:06:59.893
And that's not the case.

00:06:59.893 --> 00:07:02.073
We wanted to do something different.

00:07:02.073 --> 00:07:15.293
What I'd like to say about The Last of Us is that I like the way it opened doors even for the publishing world, because it's this type of experience that I'm not so sure we would have found a publisher-like focus to create this type of experience.

00:07:15.293 --> 00:07:16.573
End quote.

00:07:16.573 --> 00:07:17.813
That makes a lot of sense.

00:07:17.813 --> 00:07:22.653
The door was open for these kind of darker games about two people traveling.

00:07:24.713 --> 00:07:25.993
If you want to boil it down, yeah.

00:07:25.993 --> 00:07:35.493
And it was that horrible quote when HBO series is coming out where they're like, before The Last of Us, it was only platformers and a few pews and you're like, that's not it.

00:07:35.493 --> 00:07:36.393
Shut the fuck up.

00:07:36.393 --> 00:07:43.533
But the gaming world has evolved incredibly on itself, more compound than any other medium known to man.

00:07:43.533 --> 00:07:45.133
Like eat farts.

00:07:45.133 --> 00:07:58.573
But I understand that The Last of Us is a groundbreaking, innovative piece of media that brought so much storytelling to the forefront of gaming and popularized it and showed how profitable this could be if you cared about scripting.

00:07:58.573 --> 00:07:59.953
Right.

00:07:59.953 --> 00:08:12.673
In addition to giving The Last of Us their flowers, Asobo has also cited Brothers, A Tale of Two Sons and the Studio Ghibli movie, Graveyard of the Fireflies as deep inspirations for A Plague Tale Innocence.

00:08:12.673 --> 00:08:16.353
If you're familiar with Grave of the Fireflies, we actually talked about this on our Discord, the movie.

00:08:17.033 --> 00:08:20.453
You know that it's about to be so fucked up and heartbreaking.

00:08:20.453 --> 00:08:22.733
Right.

00:08:22.733 --> 00:08:32.893
Just if you haven't seen the movie, very high level, Grave of the Fireflies is a 1988 Ghibli movie about two siblings who are surviving after an American bombing during World War II.

00:08:32.893 --> 00:08:33.613
Oh, wow.

00:08:33.613 --> 00:08:37.333
Already that is starting off with the darkest possible plot line.

00:08:37.333 --> 00:08:39.953
I would start with My Neighbor Totoro.

00:08:39.953 --> 00:08:42.953
If you want to kind of explore this world, maybe Ponyo.

00:08:42.953 --> 00:08:44.953
That's about a fish who eats ham sandwiches.

00:08:44.953 --> 00:08:45.433
Oh, okay.

00:08:45.593 --> 00:08:47.093
Yeah, that sounds...

00:08:48.333 --> 00:08:58.413
The team behind A Plague Tale Innocence was only 40 people deep, and they got started on writing this devastating, rat-infested, beautiful story of love and innocence.

00:08:58.413 --> 00:09:06.313
The core story and the heart of this game is the sibling relationship with protagonist Amicia and her five-year-old brother Hugo.

00:09:06.313 --> 00:09:07.473
Sorry, Amicia?

00:09:07.473 --> 00:09:09.193
Isn't that such a beautiful name?

00:09:09.193 --> 00:09:10.413
It's such a unique name.

00:09:10.413 --> 00:09:12.373
I do not hear Amicia.

00:09:12.373 --> 00:09:13.373
That is gorgeous.

00:09:13.473 --> 00:09:15.933
Oh my God, I'm going to name a cat Amicia or something.

00:09:15.933 --> 00:09:17.473
Like that is so pretty.

00:09:17.473 --> 00:09:18.073
Yeah.

00:09:18.073 --> 00:09:22.093
Amicia is played by an actual teenager, Charlotte McBurney.

00:09:22.093 --> 00:09:28.013
She came from the Young Actors Theater and she really didn't know about video games prior to entering the industry.

00:09:28.013 --> 00:09:35.833
After she got representation, literally just like booking an agent as an actor, Plague Tale was the first audition they sent her on.

00:09:35.833 --> 00:09:41.673
Prior to getting acting representation, she was a nanny, which she said has kind of helped her form this big sister relationship with Hugo.

00:09:42.713 --> 00:09:49.853
So she goes out, she's like, I want to be an actress, gets an agent, goes on one thing, and books a protagonist role in a video game.

00:09:49.853 --> 00:09:51.293
That's incredible.

00:09:51.373 --> 00:09:54.773
Honestly, well-deserved, incredible performer.

00:09:54.773 --> 00:09:56.193
That's awesome for her.

00:09:56.193 --> 00:10:05.313
Her little brother, Hugo, is played by Logan Hanan, who is still too young to legally buy either games that he has starred in, both this and the sequel.

00:10:05.313 --> 00:10:06.473
That is so cute though.

00:10:06.473 --> 00:10:08.273
They used an actual child though.

00:10:08.513 --> 00:10:09.053
Yeah.

00:10:09.053 --> 00:10:10.433
Holy shit.

00:10:10.433 --> 00:10:13.733
He was only seven years old when he started working on Hugo.

00:10:13.733 --> 00:10:15.533
Wow.

00:10:15.533 --> 00:10:26.953
Charlotte McBurney is British, but because the game is set in France, she based her voice and accent on her former French teacher, which feels so sweet to be like, I'm going to take this and I'm going to give it into my performance.

00:10:26.953 --> 00:10:27.573
I love you.

00:10:27.573 --> 00:10:29.013
There's something very sweet about it.

00:10:29.013 --> 00:10:30.053
Yeah.

00:10:30.053 --> 00:10:34.633
She did say she loves the emotional weight of the character and performing as Amicia.

00:10:34.633 --> 00:10:43.013
She went on to win the Navigator Award for best performance in this game, Innocence, and would be nominated for a BAFTA for her performance in the franchise's sequel.

00:10:43.033 --> 00:10:44.233
Hell yeah.

00:10:44.233 --> 00:10:49.773
She did end up losing that award though to Christopher Judge for his Kratos performance in God of War Ragnarok.

00:10:49.773 --> 00:10:50.913
Makes sense.

00:10:50.913 --> 00:11:01.493
If you are curious and you want to get to know her more, you can see her do a full playthrough of both A Plague Tale Innocence and the sequel A Plague Tale Requiem on Anna Dumertou's channel.

00:11:01.493 --> 00:11:06.193
Anna is a performer who actually is in the sequel and is very good friends with Charlotte in real life.

00:11:06.613 --> 00:11:07.873
Oh, that's sweet.

00:11:07.873 --> 00:11:12.233
The game was generally praised and not just for Charlotte McBurney's incredible performance.

00:11:12.233 --> 00:11:17.853
A Plague Tale Innocence was released in May 2019 across PS4, PC and Xbox.

00:11:17.853 --> 00:11:21.673
And in a little over a year, it sold 1 million copies.

00:11:21.673 --> 00:11:28.593
Overall, it got around like an 8 out of 10 across the board and was nominated for a ton of awards, including the ones I just mentioned.

00:11:28.593 --> 00:11:38.333
2019 was a banger year, obviously, with our friends Death Stranding from last week and the other Castle alums like Control and Disco Elysium.

00:11:38.333 --> 00:11:40.053
They all hit the same awards cycle.

00:11:40.053 --> 00:11:45.593
So A Plague Tale Innocence, frankly, did get a little buried because it's such a good year of gaming.

00:11:45.593 --> 00:11:50.293
But it was still celebrated enough to get a sequel that came out in 2022.

00:11:50.293 --> 00:11:53.653
And people just really largely fuck with this franchise.

00:11:53.653 --> 00:11:59.773
There are rumors of a third installment or some sort of expansion on the world, seeing what else is going on with the fucking rats.

00:12:00.473 --> 00:12:01.493
Okay.

00:12:01.493 --> 00:12:07.393
And I'll just say, sometimes I do hit a wall and do research on what kinds of games I should play for the show.

00:12:07.393 --> 00:12:13.993
I'll watch those YouTube roundups from like what culture or game ranks, saying, hey, here's games with great stories.

00:12:13.993 --> 00:12:15.933
Here's games that people have overlooked.

00:12:15.933 --> 00:12:19.293
Here's games that you should be playing and you're not kind of shit.

00:12:19.293 --> 00:12:21.033
Top 10 most slept on games.

00:12:21.033 --> 00:12:22.713
Yeah, I don't do WatchMojo.

00:12:22.713 --> 00:12:23.073
No.

00:12:23.073 --> 00:12:25.853
But I do a lot of the other ones.

00:12:25.853 --> 00:12:28.633
And this game does come up a lot.

00:12:28.873 --> 00:12:29.773
And so does it's sequel.

00:12:29.773 --> 00:12:37.353
And I'm really excited to play Requiem after the season's over because I have so many games to play over the next few weeks.

00:12:37.353 --> 00:12:38.653
I really did enjoy this.

00:12:38.653 --> 00:12:40.433
I played it on a PS5 recently.

00:12:40.433 --> 00:12:46.373
And about midway through, I did turn to Tom and I said, this feels like a medieval Naughty Dog game with no guns.

00:12:47.433 --> 00:12:51.273
And if you'll remember, I think I said, and I say that respectfully.

00:12:51.273 --> 00:12:59.773
And he went, I'm actively trying to not watch this because you're going to explain everything about it to me on mic at some point.

00:12:59.773 --> 00:13:01.073
I went, yeah, I will.

00:13:01.073 --> 00:13:01.913
We're in it now.

00:13:01.913 --> 00:13:03.313
Okay.

00:13:03.313 --> 00:13:12.913
And I also, I love The Last of Us so much and getting kind of a stealth-based, story-driven adventure with desperate stakes rooted in unbreakable bonds and disgusting enemies.

00:13:12.913 --> 00:13:16.693
Like it all really came together for someone who's a fan of that game.

00:13:16.693 --> 00:13:22.613
This game earnestly unlocked a new fear in me with rats and I'm unwell, so.

00:13:22.613 --> 00:13:25.473
Oh yay, now we have scorpions and rats for you to be scared of.

00:13:25.653 --> 00:13:28.453
I fucking hate both now.

00:13:28.453 --> 00:13:33.193
It's crazy to have learned new fears in your thirties, but fucking here we are.

00:13:33.193 --> 00:13:34.653
This sucks.

00:13:34.653 --> 00:13:37.933
I'm so sorry that you had to unlock new fears out of this game.

00:13:37.933 --> 00:13:38.233
Yeah.

00:13:38.233 --> 00:13:41.713
And like again, seen rats, whatever it eats, it's gross.

00:13:41.713 --> 00:13:41.993
Yeah.

00:13:41.993 --> 00:13:46.773
But seeing the way rats are portrayed in this game was so well done.

00:13:46.773 --> 00:13:48.553
I have a new phobia.

00:13:49.893 --> 00:13:52.733
So let's go down the rabbit hole because it kind of sucks.

00:13:52.893 --> 00:13:54.753
But the rat hole, the rat hole.

00:13:54.793 --> 00:13:57.453
Oh, that's my least favorite bar.

00:13:59.313 --> 00:14:02.613
This is A Plague Tale Innocence.

00:14:02.613 --> 00:14:04.673
It's 1348 in France.

00:14:04.673 --> 00:14:07.473
In our world, the real world, we're like, I live.

00:14:07.473 --> 00:14:11.193
This is around when the Black Death began.

00:14:11.193 --> 00:14:20.233
The Black Death or the Bubonic Plague would rage on for four years and eventually claimed the lives of about a third of the population of Paris.

00:14:20.233 --> 00:14:21.273
Holy shit.

00:14:21.713 --> 00:14:30.173
It was a rampant disease that was largely spread by rats as a result of Pope Gregory IX declaring war on cats.

00:14:30.173 --> 00:14:31.293
I'm sorry, what?

00:14:31.293 --> 00:14:35.953
He was spreading propaganda that cats were an extension of the devil.

00:14:35.953 --> 00:14:37.933
But guess what, Pope Greg?

00:14:37.933 --> 00:14:39.633
No cats, more rats.

00:14:39.633 --> 00:14:41.233
Oh my God.

00:14:41.233 --> 00:14:42.453
This is a joke, right?

00:14:42.453 --> 00:14:45.893
More rats, more fucking plague, Greg.

00:14:45.893 --> 00:14:46.973
No, hold on.

00:14:46.973 --> 00:14:52.393
I've heard of the Black Plague before, the bubonic plague, the fucking rat plague.

00:14:52.393 --> 00:14:53.513
Yes.

00:14:53.513 --> 00:14:56.773
It started because one guy didn't like fucking cats.

00:14:56.773 --> 00:14:57.813
One pope guy, though.

00:14:57.813 --> 00:14:59.293
He's a very powerful guy.

00:14:59.413 --> 00:15:01.493
OK, yeah, like a very powerful person.

00:15:01.493 --> 00:15:03.813
But that's what started it.

00:15:03.813 --> 00:15:06.153
OK, so cats are kind of brought over from Egypt.

00:15:06.153 --> 00:15:08.053
There are there's a shit gang of cats in Egypt, right?

00:15:08.053 --> 00:15:08.653
They were worship.

00:15:08.653 --> 00:15:10.093
They were like, holy shit, these things are beautiful.

00:15:10.093 --> 00:15:10.933
And they purr.

00:15:10.933 --> 00:15:11.233
Awesome.

00:15:11.233 --> 00:15:11.613
I love it.

00:15:11.613 --> 00:15:12.013
I get it.

00:15:12.013 --> 00:15:13.313
I'm a cat person.

00:15:13.313 --> 00:15:15.213
The cats come over in boats from Egypt.

00:15:15.213 --> 00:15:16.613
They're like, oh, yeah, spices.

00:15:16.613 --> 00:15:17.693
We love salt and shit.

00:15:17.693 --> 00:15:18.293
Oh my God.

00:15:18.293 --> 00:15:18.653
Cats.

00:15:18.653 --> 00:15:19.253
Cats are great.

00:15:19.613 --> 00:15:22.493
Cats are also on a lot of ships at the time.

00:15:22.493 --> 00:15:26.153
And afterwards, cat having a cat was good luck.

00:15:26.153 --> 00:15:28.633
In some cases, often calicoes, which is what we have.

00:15:28.633 --> 00:15:30.953
I love my cat very much.

00:15:30.953 --> 00:15:33.513
So cats end up in Europe and they're kind of cruising around.

00:15:33.513 --> 00:15:35.553
They're fucking everywhere.

00:15:35.553 --> 00:15:41.233
I don't know what the fuck happened with Pope Gregory the Ninth, but he released a declaration.

00:15:41.233 --> 00:15:44.673
And I actually have part of the declaration from the Internet.

00:15:44.673 --> 00:15:45.513
So forgive me.

00:15:45.513 --> 00:15:51.913
But from his words, allegedly, allegedly for legal reasons, like don't come for me.

00:15:51.913 --> 00:15:58.353
He has said, some kiss this creature, talking about the cat, on the hindquarters and some on the mouth.

00:15:58.353 --> 00:16:02.493
They receive the tongue and saliva of the beast inside their mouths.

00:16:02.493 --> 00:16:05.833
The novice kisses him and feels cold like ice.

00:16:05.833 --> 00:16:11.653
And after the kiss, the memory of the Catholic faith totally disappears from his heart.

00:16:12.353 --> 00:16:19.733
What the flying fucking serious like I have never heard of this and I grew up Catholic.

00:16:19.733 --> 00:16:21.153
Like what the fuck?

00:16:21.153 --> 00:16:23.633
Well, you grew up in a Catholic household with dogs.

00:16:23.633 --> 00:16:25.713
I mean, yeah, that's true.

00:16:27.913 --> 00:16:34.573
So you'd never had the opportunity to have the Catholic faith, quote unquote, totally disappearing from your heart, end quote.

00:16:34.793 --> 00:16:40.413
But this literal virgin, and I say that because they take a vow of celibacy, not making fun of him.

00:16:40.413 --> 00:16:42.973
No, but he's a literal virgin who can't drive.

00:16:42.973 --> 00:16:46.393
He had a cat like make biscuits in his lap one day.

00:16:46.393 --> 00:16:50.653
He felt un-fucking comfortable with how that went down for him.

00:16:50.653 --> 00:16:52.473
So he banned cats.

00:16:53.733 --> 00:16:56.033
Literally.

00:16:56.033 --> 00:16:58.673
The most action he ever had in his life.

00:16:59.733 --> 00:17:01.193
And he said, that is the devil.

00:17:01.913 --> 00:17:03.633
Oh my God.

00:17:03.633 --> 00:17:08.013
And caused the fucking bubonic plague as a result.

00:17:08.013 --> 00:17:09.073
Exactly.

00:17:09.073 --> 00:17:09.993
Oh my God.

00:17:09.993 --> 00:17:11.393
So don't ban cats.

00:17:11.393 --> 00:17:18.953
There are some sites of like other things, like obviously there was sickness from the traveling, you know, just traveling period gets you sick.

00:17:18.953 --> 00:17:23.233
Whenever I go to a convention, I think I need to take two to three days off afterwards just to be sick.

00:17:23.233 --> 00:17:29.633
Cause I know regardless of how many people I've interacted with, whether I've been inside a booth or not, I'm sick the next few days.

00:17:29.633 --> 00:17:29.933
Right.

00:17:30.113 --> 00:17:32.553
I think I was sick for like a week after New York Comic Con.

00:17:32.553 --> 00:17:37.573
I literally just laid down and was like, Tom, please feed me soup through a boba straw.

00:17:37.573 --> 00:17:37.873
Yeah.

00:17:37.873 --> 00:17:39.833
They call it the con flu for a reason.

00:17:39.833 --> 00:17:40.413
Fully.

00:17:40.413 --> 00:17:43.793
But we also have a cat, so I'm fine.

00:17:43.793 --> 00:17:47.873
But he learned the lesson of don't fuck with cats.

00:17:47.873 --> 00:17:50.113
I thought you were going to say fuck around and find him.

00:17:50.113 --> 00:17:51.513
I mean, he did.

00:17:51.513 --> 00:17:57.213
But yeah, with that, people would like torture cats and like kill them or like shoot them out of their homes, like not welcome them.

00:17:57.653 --> 00:18:01.953
There was unfortunately a lot of animal violence on cats, which I hate.

00:18:01.953 --> 00:18:03.233
I hate that so much.

00:18:03.233 --> 00:18:06.773
It was also specifically black cats, which why I got to be black cats.

00:18:06.773 --> 00:18:09.793
Is that why there's the superstition of black cats now?

00:18:09.793 --> 00:18:10.893
It adds to the lore.

00:18:10.913 --> 00:18:13.373
Certainly again, this is the mid 1300s.

00:18:13.373 --> 00:18:19.653
So like that has absolutely translated over the hundreds of years to the negative stigmas about black cats, which are beautiful.

00:18:20.333 --> 00:18:23.153
ACAB, all cats are beautiful.

00:18:23.153 --> 00:18:25.233
1312, baby.

00:18:25.233 --> 00:18:31.713
So within removing the cats, the rats are uprising because they don't have anyone to eat them.

00:18:31.713 --> 00:18:34.413
Cats are very helpful with eating rats.

00:18:34.413 --> 00:18:36.213
They spread all this disease.

00:18:36.213 --> 00:18:38.213
They're in everyone's fucking homes.

00:18:38.213 --> 00:18:39.473
It's crazy.

00:18:39.473 --> 00:18:52.633
It's estimated that worldwide, the Black Death or the Bubonic Plague may have taken up to 50 million lives across Europe and parts of Asia, which was somewhere between 60 to 65 percent of the population at the time.

00:18:52.633 --> 00:18:53.593
Oh my gosh.

00:18:53.593 --> 00:18:59.233
You said a third of Paris first, but this is like the global population now?

00:18:59.233 --> 00:18:59.453
Yeah.

00:18:59.453 --> 00:19:08.753
So within Paris specifically, about a third of those people had perished due to the Bubonic Plague, but worldwide when we look at it, it absolutely ravaged the world.

00:19:09.093 --> 00:19:16.393
And in comparison, based on data from April of 2024, COVID has claimed about 7 million lives worldwide.

00:19:16.413 --> 00:19:17.473
Shit.

00:19:17.473 --> 00:19:29.773
In addition to the rampant disease and sickness, this also lands us time-wise near the early years of the Hundred Years War between France and England, which started in 1337.

00:19:29.773 --> 00:19:31.373
How long did it last?

00:19:31.693 --> 00:19:35.653
I have no idea how long the Hundred Years War lasted, Tom.

00:19:35.653 --> 00:19:36.053
Fuck you.

00:19:37.293 --> 00:19:45.653
In our game world, we're in France in 1348, and we see a man and his 15-year-old daughter out in the woods on a walk.

00:19:45.653 --> 00:19:51.193
We meet Amicia, a fresh-faced French girl with a long braid tied in a bun.

00:19:51.193 --> 00:19:56.113
She is a daughter of privilege with pale skin untouched by the outside world.

00:19:56.113 --> 00:20:01.273
Her father is a big beefy beef boy with broad shoulders and strong arms.

00:20:01.273 --> 00:20:05.473
He is Lord Robert de Rune, a French knight, the Knight of the Tree.

00:20:06.433 --> 00:20:11.093
The Knight of the Tree's family crest necklace is a large tree with deep roots.

00:20:11.093 --> 00:20:15.373
It somehow looks like him with his like wide and powerful stature.

00:20:15.373 --> 00:20:17.313
Yes, he's hot.

00:20:17.313 --> 00:20:22.153
And Charlotte McBurney has also admitted, yes, he's hot.

00:20:22.153 --> 00:20:29.833
He's fully fucking baggable, just wide shoulders, nice eyes, great jaw that looks like just great seating, if you know what I mean.

00:20:29.833 --> 00:20:32.853
The two are out with Amicia's dog on a sunny November morning.

00:20:33.513 --> 00:20:38.013
Amicia is eager to show her father how she's been practicing her slingshooting.

00:20:38.013 --> 00:20:42.413
She has big dreams of being a knight herself and future leadership roles.

00:20:42.413 --> 00:20:46.993
They wander through the autumnal grace as leaves flutter down from the trees.

00:20:46.993 --> 00:20:49.613
Her dog runs ahead on a hunch for food.

00:20:49.613 --> 00:20:54.313
They talk about Amicia's mother who's back home tending to her baby brother.

00:20:54.313 --> 00:21:01.633
Amicia has been looking forward today because she hasn't seen her father in a really long time and honestly she sees her mother even less.

00:21:02.553 --> 00:21:07.313
Her mother's been taking care of her five-year-old brother, Hugo, for a long time now.

00:21:07.313 --> 00:21:10.153
Gosh, Hugo got the much easier name.

00:21:10.153 --> 00:21:10.793
Hugo?

00:21:12.233 --> 00:21:14.073
Yeah, Hugo's is short and simple.

00:21:14.073 --> 00:21:15.273
You're not going to fuck that up.

00:21:15.273 --> 00:21:16.733
Yeah.

00:21:16.733 --> 00:21:24.573
When Hugo was born, he was sick from basically baby birth and has been sick ever since and it's to the point where Amicia barely even sees him.

00:21:24.573 --> 00:21:28.753
They are strangers in the same castle with the same parents.

00:21:28.753 --> 00:21:33.833
On her walk with her dad, Amicia shows off her skills with her sling, which was a gift from her father.

00:21:33.833 --> 00:21:36.993
Their dog runs through the woods and Amicia runs after him.

00:21:36.993 --> 00:21:45.813
The dog finds a boar and begins hunting him, which is super exciting because Amicia and Knight Robert De Rune are like, fuck yeah, we're going to have a ham feast tonight.

00:21:45.813 --> 00:21:47.353
Hell yeah.

00:21:47.353 --> 00:21:55.073
As Amicia hunts the boar, she notices a blood trail coming from the boar and she's like, oh hell yeah, I'm going to get this bounty.

00:21:55.073 --> 00:21:59.333
She stops hearing her dog barking after the boar and figures, oh shit, he must have caught up to the boar.

00:21:59.833 --> 00:22:01.073
Hell yeah.

00:22:01.073 --> 00:22:05.853
Deeper and deeper into the woods, Amicia comes up on the boar's dead body.

00:22:05.853 --> 00:22:07.753
Oh shit, I was expecting the dog.

00:22:07.753 --> 00:22:09.813
But it doesn't look like it was killed by the dog.

00:22:09.813 --> 00:22:10.673
Oh shit.

00:22:10.673 --> 00:22:13.873
It's been torn apart and its bones are showing.

00:22:13.873 --> 00:22:17.473
You can see the flesh as it's sticking to the fucking ribs.

00:22:17.473 --> 00:22:21.193
And she knows her sweet baby angel dog could never have done that.

00:22:21.193 --> 00:22:22.653
And like that quickly.

00:22:22.653 --> 00:22:23.693
Yeah.

00:22:23.693 --> 00:22:27.253
Amicia gets worried and calls after her dog, but she doesn't hear back.

00:22:28.193 --> 00:22:32.533
She comes up on her dog wounded and lying partially in a ditch.

00:22:32.533 --> 00:22:37.353
As she and her father approach the dog, it whines and then it's pulled underground by some force.

00:22:37.353 --> 00:22:38.393
What the fuck?

00:22:38.393 --> 00:22:42.093
Knight De Rune pulls out his sword and asks, what devilry is this?

00:22:42.093 --> 00:22:45.213
Before taking Amicia back to the castle.

00:22:45.213 --> 00:22:51.053
Upon arrival home, Knight De Rune tells Amicia, he was a good dog just to comfort her.

00:22:51.053 --> 00:22:54.953
He says he'll organize a hunt and sends Amicia off to get her mother.

00:22:54.953 --> 00:22:56.833
Amicia is absolutely heartbroken.

00:22:56.913 --> 00:22:58.133
This was her fucking dog.

00:22:58.133 --> 00:22:59.453
It was her best friend.

00:22:59.453 --> 00:23:02.173
She is basically a stranger to her family in her own home.

00:23:02.173 --> 00:23:03.893
This was like everything.

00:23:03.893 --> 00:23:04.453
Right.

00:23:04.453 --> 00:23:07.113
And her knight father couldn't do shit about it.

00:23:07.113 --> 00:23:09.093
He pulled his sword and then went, oh no.

00:23:09.093 --> 00:23:09.553
Yeah.

00:23:09.553 --> 00:23:11.793
This was actual devilry.

00:23:11.793 --> 00:23:13.753
She traverses her family's grounds.

00:23:13.753 --> 00:23:17.413
It's actually a really nice expanse of campus because he's a knight in France.

00:23:17.413 --> 00:23:19.093
Like he's doing pretty well.

00:23:19.133 --> 00:23:19.513
Right.

00:23:19.513 --> 00:23:20.913
So she is a nepo baby.

00:23:20.913 --> 00:23:21.393
Yes.

00:23:21.393 --> 00:23:22.373
Okay.

00:23:22.373 --> 00:23:23.493
And they have staff.

00:23:23.493 --> 00:23:26.073
Like it's not like a singular maid or nanny.

00:23:26.233 --> 00:23:29.873
Like there are people that's entire jobs or grounds people and they have a team.

00:23:29.873 --> 00:23:32.173
You know, this is a huge fucking area.

00:23:32.173 --> 00:23:35.793
It sounds like Hugo is putting the baby and nepo baby.

00:23:35.793 --> 00:23:36.713
He's five.

00:23:36.713 --> 00:23:37.073
Okay.

00:23:37.073 --> 00:23:38.273
But sick five too.

00:23:38.273 --> 00:23:39.333
Yeah, he's a sick five.

00:23:39.333 --> 00:23:42.573
So he's not like sick, like he's cool as shit on a scooter.

00:23:44.033 --> 00:23:45.433
He's sick like cough, cough.

00:23:45.433 --> 00:23:46.273
Help me, Mimi.

00:23:46.273 --> 00:23:47.253
Got it.

00:23:47.253 --> 00:23:59.873
Amicia makes it to a wing of the house that's been dedicated to Hugo, who again, sick ass nepo baby, keeping him safe and secure in his sickness while Lady Beatrice De Rune, Amicia's mother, has tended to him.

00:23:59.873 --> 00:24:05.493
Amicia enters to find her mother, my girlfriend, Lady Beatrice working diligently.

00:24:05.493 --> 00:24:06.993
Oh, okay.

00:24:06.993 --> 00:24:08.233
She's so fucking hot.

00:24:08.233 --> 00:24:08.533
Really?

00:24:08.533 --> 00:24:11.273
Both parents sound like they're just super hot.

00:24:11.273 --> 00:24:12.413
Yeah.

00:24:12.413 --> 00:24:13.673
Holy shit.

00:24:13.673 --> 00:24:15.733
I fucking love that.

00:24:15.733 --> 00:24:19.693
She has a long brown braid with green ribbons throughout.

00:24:19.693 --> 00:24:28.133
Amicia hurriedly tells her mother what happened, but Lady Beatrice is alerted to noises and tells Amicia to stay here with her brother while she tends to something.

00:24:28.133 --> 00:24:35.473
She seems worried and runs out, leaving Amicia alone with Hugo, a child she barely knows.

00:24:35.473 --> 00:24:41.933
Amicia looks over bottles and books and sees that her mother has been studying potions to hopefully help with her brother's affliction.

00:24:41.933 --> 00:24:42.533
Oh, potions.

00:24:42.533 --> 00:24:43.493
Okay.

00:24:43.493 --> 00:24:47.213
Hugo is hiding in a small tent in his bedroom playing with toys.

00:24:47.213 --> 00:24:52.953
He's small even for a five-year-old because he's been sick, and I think he might be allergic to the sun or some shit.

00:24:52.953 --> 00:24:55.313
He's definitely overly doted on.

00:24:55.313 --> 00:25:03.093
The number of games that portray children that build little tents inside of their bedrooms is just outrageous.

00:25:03.093 --> 00:25:07.093
We did just cover this in Little Nightmares, the last game I covered on the main series.

00:25:07.093 --> 00:25:09.893
I was thinking Detroit Become Human did it as well.

00:25:09.893 --> 00:25:12.613
I have seen it in a large number of games.

00:25:12.613 --> 00:25:15.513
In Little Misfortune, it's literally like her safe, happy place.

00:25:15.573 --> 00:25:17.713
This is her little tent in her bedroom.

00:25:17.713 --> 00:25:19.693
And she does look really small for her age.

00:25:19.693 --> 00:25:20.613
Yeah, all right.

00:25:20.613 --> 00:25:21.953
Movies do it too, to be fair.

00:25:21.953 --> 00:25:24.853
Hey Tom, do you remember the first time you ever came to my apartment?

00:25:24.853 --> 00:25:26.093
Yep, you had a tent in your bedroom.

00:25:26.093 --> 00:25:27.153
I had a little tent.

00:25:27.153 --> 00:25:28.653
It wasn't in my bedroom.

00:25:28.653 --> 00:25:29.513
Okay, it was the living room.

00:25:29.513 --> 00:25:33.093
It was in my living room, and it's where I hid my whiskey.

00:25:35.173 --> 00:25:36.613
Okay, so it's accurate.

00:25:36.613 --> 00:25:38.493
What?

00:25:38.493 --> 00:25:39.433
Yes, it was.

00:25:39.433 --> 00:25:41.113
Relatable.

00:25:41.113 --> 00:25:50.373
Amicia draws back the curtain of Hugo's tent, and she says, hey, it's me, your sister, Amicia.

00:25:51.553 --> 00:25:54.553
Formally, Hugo says, hello.

00:25:54.553 --> 00:25:55.793
My name's Hugo.

00:25:55.793 --> 00:25:59.153
They're clearly not comfortable with each other.

00:25:59.153 --> 00:26:02.693
Amicia hears some noise outside the window and looks out.

00:26:02.693 --> 00:26:10.293
A bunch of English Inquisition soldiers have made it past the castle gates and have her father held at sword point.

00:26:10.293 --> 00:26:12.353
Oh shit, like the opening of Rogue One.

00:26:12.553 --> 00:26:13.533
Yeah.

00:26:13.533 --> 00:26:19.793
A large soldier, the second in command of the Inquisition, Lord Nicholas is there in full armor.

00:26:19.793 --> 00:26:22.713
His face is covered by an armored helmet.

00:26:22.713 --> 00:26:25.953
He tells Knight De Rune, I won't ask again.

00:26:25.953 --> 00:26:29.013
Where is your son?

00:26:29.033 --> 00:26:31.253
Oh, Knight De Rune doesn't let up.

00:26:31.253 --> 00:26:35.193
And Lord Nicholas slashes his sword across Knight De Rune's throat.

00:26:35.193 --> 00:26:38.373
Oh, you're not going to get any fucking answers out of him that way.

00:26:38.373 --> 00:26:39.513
At least not now.

00:26:39.513 --> 00:26:40.733
Oh shit.

00:26:41.633 --> 00:26:46.493
Amicia watches as her father's dead body crumbles to the ground.

00:26:46.493 --> 00:26:50.233
She doubles back in fear, realizing she is obviously in imminent danger.

00:26:50.233 --> 00:26:50.713
Right.

00:26:50.713 --> 00:26:55.833
And she takes Hugo in her arms and through the castle to escape and find their mother.

00:26:55.833 --> 00:27:00.453
As they do, English Inquisition soldiers are slaughtering the house staff.

00:27:00.493 --> 00:27:02.353
Oh shit, the staff?

00:27:02.353 --> 00:27:12.733
The two kids watch as the people who have raised them from birth and loved them with all their hearts and kept them safe their entire lives are cut down by the English soldiers.

00:27:12.733 --> 00:27:15.053
All who are asking, where is the boy?

00:27:15.053 --> 00:27:17.453
Holy shit, where's the panic room?

00:27:17.453 --> 00:27:18.653
Girl, you'd think they'd have one.

00:27:18.653 --> 00:27:22.133
Jodie Foster had one in the movie The Panic Room.

00:27:22.133 --> 00:27:25.513
These people are definitely more well off than Jodie Foster in The Panic Room.

00:27:25.513 --> 00:27:26.813
Right.

00:27:26.813 --> 00:27:32.233
Amicia guides Hugo out and they run into Lady Beatrice, where Hugo runs into her arms.

00:27:32.233 --> 00:27:37.973
Amicia asks her mother what's happening, and Lady Beatrice just doesn't have an answer, but assures them they'll be all right.

00:27:38.613 --> 00:27:41.973
As a parent, I'm sure that is fucking terrifying.

00:27:41.973 --> 00:27:47.373
Amicia takes Hugo's hand and follows Lady Beatrice to get out of the castle's boundaries.

00:27:47.373 --> 00:27:50.633
The three make it to a gate where one of their servants has been hiding.

00:27:50.633 --> 00:27:56.613
He sees the family and flags them down, brings them over to a door, and leads Amicia and Hugo off campus.

00:27:56.613 --> 00:28:04.553
As Amicia and Hugo step off of the grounds, Lady Beatrice tells Amicia to take Hugo to Laurentius.

00:28:04.553 --> 00:28:09.533
She hears a horse coming and she and the servant square up to fight the Inquisition.

00:28:09.533 --> 00:28:19.393
Lady Beatrice insists Amicia and Hugo, just run, don't worry about us, just run, and tells Amicia she doesn't need her mother anymore, and then shuts the door.

00:28:19.393 --> 00:28:28.613
Amicia begs her mother for a fucking crumb of contacts because I haven't seen you in three weeks, and this is rough, and just like, also come escape with us.

00:28:28.613 --> 00:28:29.093
Yeah.

00:28:29.093 --> 00:28:31.573
We're on the other side of the door, open the fucking door.

00:28:31.573 --> 00:28:36.573
But as the door shuts and Amicia starts banging on it, a sword is shoved through the door.

00:28:36.813 --> 00:28:37.633
Oh.

00:28:37.633 --> 00:28:42.993
It's miraculous that it doesn't hit Amicia, but she looks down and sees it is covered in blood.

00:28:42.993 --> 00:28:43.973
Fuck me.

00:28:43.973 --> 00:28:50.713
Amicia watches as blood pours through the door where her mother stood two seconds ago.

00:28:50.713 --> 00:28:51.813
Fucking run.

00:28:51.813 --> 00:28:55.793
She and Hugo are now fully alone.

00:28:55.793 --> 00:29:02.673
Amicia takes Hugo's hand and they run through the woods, her mother's last words ringing in her head to find Laurentius to help her brother.

00:29:03.733 --> 00:29:08.533
Hugo, again, is five and he's confused and he's like, what's happening?

00:29:08.533 --> 00:29:09.473
Why are we being chased?

00:29:09.473 --> 00:29:10.373
Where are we going?

00:29:10.373 --> 00:29:11.953
Like, can I get a snack?

00:29:11.953 --> 00:29:12.753
What's happening?

00:29:12.753 --> 00:29:13.253
Yeah.

00:29:13.253 --> 00:29:15.753
Poor Hugo has less context than you have.

00:29:15.753 --> 00:29:16.133
Yeah.

00:29:16.133 --> 00:29:18.953
Neither of them have fully formed brains at this point.

00:29:18.953 --> 00:29:20.533
Yeah.

00:29:20.533 --> 00:29:26.133
Through tears and fears, Amicia says she doesn't know, but they have to keep going.

00:29:26.133 --> 00:29:29.433
Amicia and Hugo evade the Inquisition and make their way into the town.

00:29:30.113 --> 00:29:33.493
The town, however, feels completely empty.

00:29:33.493 --> 00:29:36.653
There's food stands and storefronts, but no one is working.

00:29:36.653 --> 00:29:39.753
All the food in the food stands is rotten.

00:29:39.753 --> 00:29:43.293
No one is on the streets and all the windows are closed.

00:29:43.293 --> 00:29:50.173
Amicia calls out to adults hoping that someone can help, but no one answers her, even when she starts banging on their doors.

00:29:50.173 --> 00:29:53.733
Hugo tries to help and goes, Yeah, we're hungry.

00:29:53.733 --> 00:29:55.873
Please help us.

00:29:55.913 --> 00:29:58.473
Amicia is like, We just saw our fucking parents die.

00:29:59.153 --> 00:30:00.933
You can wait.

00:30:00.933 --> 00:30:05.153
Hugo sees that some of the doors have been painted with big Xs across them.

00:30:05.153 --> 00:30:09.733
Amicia tells Hugo that, Oh, those people are sick and we need to leave them alone.

00:30:09.733 --> 00:30:15.293
She scolds him to stay by her and they come up on bodies being chained to pillars and being burned.

00:30:15.293 --> 00:30:16.333
What the fuck?

00:30:16.333 --> 00:30:20.193
There's some villagers around the bodies who see Amicia and Hugo.

00:30:20.193 --> 00:30:28.873
One of the villagers blames Amicia and her family for bringing what they say quote is, the black thing, to the village for getting everyone sick.

00:30:28.873 --> 00:30:32.273
And Amicia is like, I'm literally just a girl.

00:30:32.273 --> 00:30:33.113
What do you mean?

00:30:33.113 --> 00:30:34.533
And then they just take off.

00:30:34.533 --> 00:30:36.973
So she and Hugo start running.

00:30:36.973 --> 00:30:43.273
The angry villagers are just chasing them, looking for their privileged heads to roll in exchange for their suffering.

00:30:43.273 --> 00:30:44.213
Eat the rich.

00:30:44.253 --> 00:30:45.793
Fully.

00:30:45.793 --> 00:30:46.533
But not the kids.

00:30:46.533 --> 00:30:48.253
The kids aren't at fault though.

00:30:48.253 --> 00:30:49.173
These are children.

00:30:49.173 --> 00:30:52.533
Anastasia is not fucking to blame for the Russian Empire.

00:30:52.533 --> 00:30:53.033
Right.

00:30:54.473 --> 00:30:57.613
They are not the Rasputin in this situation.

00:30:57.613 --> 00:31:02.573
Amicia and Hugo tear ass through the village, evading the furious working class.

00:31:02.573 --> 00:31:10.213
They are persisted mercilessly until a small old village woman, Claire V, opens the door and offers them shelter.

00:31:10.213 --> 00:31:14.953
She is a cast favorite character and Charlotte's absolute favorite character in real life.

00:31:14.953 --> 00:31:15.753
Okay.

00:31:15.753 --> 00:31:20.213
She's tiny and she keeps Amicia and Hugo safe until the villagers move on to a new area.

00:31:21.093 --> 00:31:26.273
She even offers Hugo and Amicia a fresh set of clothes and helps Amicia upgrade her sling.

00:31:26.273 --> 00:31:27.233
We love her.

00:31:27.233 --> 00:31:28.933
Sick.

00:31:28.933 --> 00:31:32.493
Inside, Hugo starts to get antsy and asks for his mummy.

00:31:32.493 --> 00:31:35.853
Amicia is like, hey, chill, we just need to find Laurentius.

00:31:35.853 --> 00:31:36.973
That's all we need to do.

00:31:36.973 --> 00:31:37.833
We'll figure it out later.

00:31:37.833 --> 00:31:39.393
Okay, buddy?

00:31:39.393 --> 00:31:43.073
Claire V talks to Amicia and Hugo and asks where their parents are.

00:31:43.073 --> 00:31:45.473
Hugo says, their parents are at home waiting for them.

00:31:45.473 --> 00:31:46.433
I don't know why we're here.

00:31:46.433 --> 00:31:47.273
This sucks.

00:31:47.273 --> 00:31:48.033
Oh my God.

00:31:48.033 --> 00:31:49.093
So he doesn't know Jack.

00:31:49.433 --> 00:31:49.913
Shit.

00:31:49.913 --> 00:31:51.013
Oh, this fucking...

00:31:51.013 --> 00:31:52.213
Oh, this is gonna suck.

00:31:52.213 --> 00:31:58.333
Amicia winces hearing this because obviously she saw what happened to both of them with her own eyes.

00:31:58.333 --> 00:32:04.093
Hugo starts to get antsy and picks up a mallet, swinging it around on surfaces saying, I want to see mummy.

00:32:04.093 --> 00:32:05.273
Bring me mummy.

00:32:05.333 --> 00:32:07.033
Oh no.

00:32:07.033 --> 00:32:13.013
Frustrated, Amicia screams at Hugo, telling him to shut up because mummy is dead.

00:32:13.013 --> 00:32:17.553
Claire V goes to comfort Amicia and Hugo runs off saying, Amicia must be lying.

00:32:18.973 --> 00:32:20.933
This was Charlotte's first film scene.

00:32:20.933 --> 00:32:22.413
Oh God.

00:32:22.413 --> 00:32:25.013
And honestly feels like really emotional for your first scene.

00:32:25.013 --> 00:32:27.933
You'd think it'd be like, oh hello, I like to eat apples.

00:32:28.473 --> 00:32:29.633
Yeah, welcome to work.

00:32:29.633 --> 00:32:31.933
We're gonna give you the hardest fucking scene to deal with.

00:32:31.933 --> 00:32:34.833
You're gonna have to scream at a five year old that his mother is dead.

00:32:34.833 --> 00:32:36.853
Yeah, oh my God.

00:32:36.853 --> 00:32:38.473
Also she was 16.

00:32:39.873 --> 00:32:40.693
Welcome to acting.

00:32:40.713 --> 00:32:42.853
Yeah, and it's her first job.

00:32:42.853 --> 00:32:46.893
Amicia chases Hugo in the streets, apologizing and begging him to come back.

00:32:47.313 --> 00:32:50.633
Scared for his safety and desperate to not be alone.

00:32:50.633 --> 00:32:57.553
She comes up on a villager who's about to attack Hugo, and using her sling, she hits him in the head with a rock.

00:32:57.553 --> 00:33:02.613
And as David did with Goliath, the villager is knocked to the ground, dead.

00:33:02.613 --> 00:33:09.493
Hugo runs off after and is cornered by a villager, this time who is in full metal armor, which is much worse.

00:33:09.493 --> 00:33:10.113
Yeah.

00:33:10.113 --> 00:33:15.593
Amicia runs after him and using her sling, defeats the armored villager in the game's first boss battle.

00:33:15.933 --> 00:33:16.613
How the fuck?

00:33:16.613 --> 00:33:19.153
What does this sling do?

00:33:19.153 --> 00:33:20.793
I think you're familiar with a sling.

00:33:20.793 --> 00:33:21.293
Yeah.

00:33:21.293 --> 00:33:22.713
It slings rocks.

00:33:22.713 --> 00:33:23.413
Exactly.

00:33:23.413 --> 00:33:24.033
How the fuck?

00:33:24.033 --> 00:33:25.613
She's taking out armored dudes?

00:33:25.613 --> 00:33:26.013
Yes.

00:33:26.013 --> 00:33:32.233
Piece by piece, Amicia knocks his armor off with rocks and eventually kills him with a well-placed rock to the head.

00:33:32.233 --> 00:33:33.813
Damn.

00:33:33.813 --> 00:33:41.853
As his body crumbles, Amicia cradles her sling in her hands, realizing she has started to take life from men.

00:33:41.853 --> 00:33:44.313
Hugo runs to her, holding her and hugging her tight.

00:33:45.173 --> 00:33:51.373
But she has no time to mourn or process this horrific realization about her capabilities for violence.

00:33:51.373 --> 00:33:57.293
She takes Hugo to hide in a church before the rest of the villagers rage on this pair of children.

00:33:57.293 --> 00:34:00.333
In the church, it's quiet and it's empty.

00:34:00.333 --> 00:34:05.493
Amicia and Hugo light a candle for their parents before going deeper into the monastery.

00:34:05.493 --> 00:34:11.153
They see one monk, Father Thomas, who tells them to go away because it's dangerous here.

00:34:11.153 --> 00:34:12.593
They say, no, no, no, we need help.

00:34:12.593 --> 00:34:15.973
And he just scutters off because he's like, well, I'm not interested in that shit.

00:34:15.973 --> 00:34:18.353
I didn't get into religion to help people.

00:34:20.253 --> 00:34:23.433
Also, it sounds like they were religious people that came knocking on your door.

00:34:23.433 --> 00:34:25.913
I don't think you want to be running into their arms.

00:34:25.913 --> 00:34:27.433
Fair enough.

00:34:27.433 --> 00:34:34.353
Amicia and Hugo try to follow his trail, but Hugo gets distracted when he sees some carnations sprouting in the courtyard.

00:34:34.353 --> 00:34:36.273
He runs over to look at them.

00:34:36.273 --> 00:34:39.993
Hugo, being an indoor kid, loves flowers.

00:34:39.993 --> 00:34:41.973
He thinks they're so pretty and so cool.

00:34:42.933 --> 00:34:48.113
Amicia goes to his side to get him to get his shit together because we just lost our parents an hour ago.

00:34:48.113 --> 00:34:49.513
Come on, buddy.

00:34:49.513 --> 00:34:54.633
But Hugo takes the time to pick a flower and place it in Amicia's hair.

00:34:54.633 --> 00:35:02.713
Even in the face of danger, fresh off of her first two kills, Hugo found a way to make Amicia smile and feel very pretty.

00:35:02.733 --> 00:35:03.873
Oh.

00:35:03.873 --> 00:35:11.153
Throughout the game, the terror, the sickness, the sadness, Hugo will find flowers bursting from the earth and take the time to appreciate them.

00:35:11.993 --> 00:35:18.533
And as he does, he will always take one to place in Amicia's hair so she too can feel this bit of joy.

00:35:18.533 --> 00:35:19.733
That's really sweet, actually.

00:35:19.733 --> 00:35:26.613
Yeah, it's the one moment of grace they share to show their love of each other and find ways to keep their heads up.

00:35:26.613 --> 00:35:34.413
Amicia and Hugo keep exploring and find a dormitory room for the monks where all their beds have been broken and the room is completely trashed.

00:35:34.413 --> 00:35:37.753
Hugo says, maybe they're building bigger beds.

00:35:37.753 --> 00:35:40.213
And Amicia says, I don't think that's it, buddy.

00:35:42.313 --> 00:35:52.153
Deeper in the monastery, they catch up with Father Thomas again, who is insistent that they leave until he notices that they're wearing the tree pendants of the De Rune family.

00:35:52.153 --> 00:35:54.613
They say that, yeah, we're the De Rune children.

00:35:54.613 --> 00:35:58.733
And then he starts listening to them, now that he knows they're the children of knights.

00:35:58.733 --> 00:35:59.533
Right.

00:35:59.533 --> 00:36:06.233
He becomes soft and sympathetic, but still very much insists that they have to fucking leave.

00:36:06.233 --> 00:36:15.293
Father Thomas goes to put them on a path towards Laurentius' farm like Lady Beatrice wanted them to, and helps them escape the village through the underground canals.

00:36:15.293 --> 00:36:24.793
Father Thomas tells them about the plague and all the death and all this shit, and as they move forward, he tells them to stay in the light of his torch.

00:36:24.793 --> 00:36:30.413
In the depths, Father Thomas looks for the only other person who's left in the church, Brother Moral.

00:36:30.413 --> 00:36:40.373
Father Thomas hands the torch to Amicia and wanders out of the light of the torch, and as he does, Hugo gets visibly nervous.

00:36:40.373 --> 00:36:45.973
Then, all at once, big black rats pour in through the church.

00:36:45.973 --> 00:36:55.653
Father Thomas moves as fast as he can back to Amicia and Hugo and the light, but he simply isn't fast enough, and a wave of rats crash and engulf his entire body.

00:36:55.913 --> 00:36:57.253
Oh, shit!

00:36:57.253 --> 00:37:00.813
There are easily thousands of moving rats on screen at once.

00:37:00.813 --> 00:37:07.753
They move quickly and erratically, shaking and squeaking with glassy white eyes lighting up their soot-black bodies.

00:37:07.753 --> 00:37:15.153
Amicia and Hugo are left alone, huddled under a burning torch surrounded by a lake of rats.

00:37:15.153 --> 00:37:19.373
They move forward through the church tunnels using the light to wait off the rats.

00:37:19.373 --> 00:37:24.753
As they make it through, they find half of the body of Brother Moral, also torn apart by rats.

00:37:25.133 --> 00:37:26.313
Jesus!

00:37:26.313 --> 00:37:31.153
Amicia realizes, oh my god, this is the plague the villagers were dealing with.

00:37:31.153 --> 00:37:34.113
This is where the illness and the deaths are coming from.

00:37:34.113 --> 00:37:37.073
I don't think this is how the bubonic plague went.

00:37:37.073 --> 00:37:40.733
Well, I don't want to be the one to break it to you, but this is a work of fiction.

00:37:40.733 --> 00:37:44.153
Okay.

00:37:44.153 --> 00:37:45.773
I'm pretty sure it was just a disease.

00:37:46.153 --> 00:37:47.133
This is fucked up.

00:37:47.133 --> 00:37:51.453
You're like, I thought it'd be more coughing rather than like immediate eating of the body.

00:37:52.753 --> 00:37:59.973
Hugo clings to Amicia as they navigate through the church, moving along with the light to avoid the barrage of bastard rats.

00:37:59.973 --> 00:38:05.973
They get through the church, then through its connected crypt, and finally out into the outside world again.

00:38:05.973 --> 00:38:12.993
They're chased by rats and as they finally make it outside, they are taken in by sunlight and safety.

00:38:12.993 --> 00:38:20.853
As Amicia lays on her back, catching her breath, letting the sun kiss her skin, Hugo sadly says, I want to see mummy.

00:38:20.853 --> 00:38:23.073
I don't want her to be dead.

00:38:23.073 --> 00:38:24.393
Too bad.

00:38:24.413 --> 00:38:26.213
Oh my god.

00:38:26.213 --> 00:38:27.253
You're a big sibling.

00:38:27.253 --> 00:38:28.233
You would not say that.

00:38:28.233 --> 00:38:29.533
No, I wouldn't.

00:38:29.533 --> 00:38:33.733
Amicia sits up and reaches out to hug her baby brother.

00:38:33.733 --> 00:38:36.973
Amicia and Hugo trudge on towards Laurentius' farm.

00:38:36.973 --> 00:38:40.893
Unfortunately, they run into another English Inquisition Patrol.

00:38:40.893 --> 00:38:47.553
This patrol is huge and has taken over a long stretch of road, a bridge, and a small area of the village.

00:38:48.613 --> 00:38:59.213
In the midst of looking for Hugo De Rune, the Inquisition is also making time to loot other people's homes and businesses, taking advantage of the chaos the plague has inflicted on France.

00:38:59.213 --> 00:39:00.173
Those fuckers.

00:39:00.173 --> 00:39:01.573
I know.

00:39:01.573 --> 00:39:04.833
Amicia sneaky sneaks her way through with Hugo.

00:39:04.833 --> 00:39:09.833
Hugo overhears that the soldiers were under orders to find Hugo De Rune and keep him alive.

00:39:09.833 --> 00:39:11.293
And he's like, that's my name.

00:39:11.513 --> 00:39:14.073
Yeah, but why, though?

00:39:14.073 --> 00:39:19.773
Once Amicia and Hugo are safe, Hugo asks Amicia why they're looking for him.

00:39:19.773 --> 00:39:21.713
He doesn't know what he did.

00:39:21.713 --> 00:39:24.973
Amicia tells him, no, no, no, you didn't do anything wrong.

00:39:24.973 --> 00:39:26.633
And reassures him that they'll be okay.

00:39:26.633 --> 00:39:28.773
They'll figure it out.

00:39:28.773 --> 00:39:34.573
After sneaking past a majority of the troops, Amicia and Hugo get back to the road to find Laurentius.

00:39:34.573 --> 00:39:37.953
Hugo makes them stop holding his head in his hands.

00:39:37.953 --> 00:39:39.533
He tells Amicia his head is hurting.

00:39:40.253 --> 00:39:42.893
He probably could use some ginger ale.

00:39:42.893 --> 00:39:49.193
Amicia worries, knowing they can't just stop here in the middle of the road, and asks Hugo what Mummy would do.

00:39:49.193 --> 00:39:52.373
Hugo says, well, Mummy would give me medicine.

00:39:52.373 --> 00:39:55.833
Amicia doesn't have any fucking medicine, and she doesn't know what he was taking.

00:39:55.833 --> 00:39:59.973
So she's like, well, what if I give you a piggyback ride?

00:40:02.613 --> 00:40:03.713
Sickness cured.

00:40:03.713 --> 00:40:05.433
It's close enough, right?

00:40:05.433 --> 00:40:07.373
Hugo tells Amicia that he misses Mummy.

00:40:08.193 --> 00:40:12.953
Mummy says he shouldn't leave the house, and that's probably why he feels so funny.

00:40:12.953 --> 00:40:20.173
Amicia is working so hard to be good, but even in this moment, she bitterly says, well, at least you got to see her.

00:40:20.173 --> 00:40:23.353
Hugo doesn't understand, so they just keep trudging on.

00:40:23.353 --> 00:40:27.873
They keep going, and they do see Laurentius's mill in the distance, and they're like, oh, thank God.

00:40:27.873 --> 00:40:30.133
This person is supposed to be safe.

00:40:30.133 --> 00:40:34.133
Amicia puts Hugo down so they can focus, especially as night is starting to fall.

00:40:35.153 --> 00:40:40.813
As they approach, there are huge hogs all dead on the road.

00:40:40.833 --> 00:40:42.113
Oh.

00:40:42.113 --> 00:40:47.233
As they get closer, the ground erupts and a volcano of fat rats pour out into the road.

00:40:48.553 --> 00:40:57.013
Amicia holds Hugo's hand as they navigate between loose fiery torches lighting the way, and, well, waves of fucking rats.

00:40:57.013 --> 00:40:59.993
It's almost like they're using other animals as bait.

00:40:59.993 --> 00:41:01.273
That's exactly what they were doing.

00:41:01.493 --> 00:41:02.073
Oh, shit.

00:41:02.073 --> 00:41:11.413
You're skipping ahead, but yeah, they were leaving dead pigs and stuff out in the road so the rats would go after those corpses and hopefully be distracted enough to leave the humans alone.

00:41:11.413 --> 00:41:12.493
Oh, I was thinking the other way around.

00:41:12.493 --> 00:41:16.393
I thought the rats were leaving the corpses out so that way humans were like, Oh, check out that hog.

00:41:16.393 --> 00:41:18.133
And then they were attacking the humans.

00:41:18.133 --> 00:41:19.773
Okay.

00:41:19.773 --> 00:41:20.433
No.

00:41:20.433 --> 00:41:27.653
As a human, if you saw a big ass dead hog on the road rotting in the middle of dirt, would you approach it?

00:41:27.653 --> 00:41:28.633
Sounds like Amicia did.

00:41:28.833 --> 00:41:31.653
But she has to get to the fucking mill, Tom.

00:41:31.653 --> 00:41:34.913
But if you're just going out like, Oh, I'm gonna go buy my medieval apples.

00:41:34.913 --> 00:41:36.813
Oh, look, a bunch of corpses.

00:41:36.813 --> 00:41:40.453
Would you A, go towards it or B, mind your business?

00:41:40.453 --> 00:41:41.753
Yeah, I'd probably mind my business.

00:41:41.753 --> 00:41:43.013
Yeah.

00:41:43.013 --> 00:41:45.353
Or you wouldn't last very long in the plague.

00:41:45.353 --> 00:41:46.353
Nope.

00:41:46.353 --> 00:41:47.233
Already dead.

00:41:47.233 --> 00:41:48.713
No, immediately dead.

00:41:48.953 --> 00:41:49.973
What happened to Tom?

00:41:49.973 --> 00:41:53.693
He checked out a bunch of dead corpses and was surprised when he was added to the pile.

00:41:58.033 --> 00:42:03.073
Amicia grips Hugo's hand and dashes under the shield of fire to evade rats.

00:42:03.073 --> 00:42:09.613
There are tons and tons of dead pigs, all their bodies punctuating the path to Laurentius' farm.

00:42:09.613 --> 00:42:16.493
Amicia and Hugo make it up to the farm where they see some living pigs and horses and loose chickens, which is a good sign.

00:42:16.493 --> 00:42:20.893
This area is well protected from the rats and has fires and light illuminating the area.

00:42:21.773 --> 00:42:25.353
Amicia and Hugo enter the farm house and they hear coughing.

00:42:25.353 --> 00:42:28.673
They run to the room with a coughing and burst open the door.

00:42:28.673 --> 00:42:32.713
Inside is an older man, Laurentius, coughing in bed.

00:42:32.713 --> 00:42:36.593
At his side is a small boy who's probably about 14 years old.

00:42:36.593 --> 00:42:43.593
The boy whips his head around at the intruding Amicia and Hugo and tells them to stay back because Laurentius is contagious.

00:42:43.593 --> 00:42:47.613
Laurentius looks up and immediately asks, is that Hugo?

00:42:47.633 --> 00:42:48.533
Here?

00:42:48.533 --> 00:42:49.973
What the fuck?

00:42:49.973 --> 00:42:58.173
Laurentius realizes Amicia and Hugo did in fact make the journey specifically for him and he knows that cannot be good.

00:42:58.173 --> 00:43:04.453
He tells Amicia and Hugo that an ancient evil courses through the De Rune family veins.

00:43:04.453 --> 00:43:07.453
In Hugo's blood, there is a curse.

00:43:07.453 --> 00:43:11.273
Laurentius worked with Lady Beatrice to slow the process of the curse.

00:43:11.273 --> 00:43:16.253
With the rat plague coming up though, they have been unable to slow the process.

00:43:16.253 --> 00:43:21.773
Laurentius tells Amicia that she must continue their work, that Amicia must protect Hugo.

00:43:21.773 --> 00:43:31.933
Amicia cries out that her parents are both dead and it happened this afternoon and I'm having a bad day and she doesn't know shit about any of this and she's scared and she's wildly overwhelmed.

00:43:31.933 --> 00:43:37.013
Hugo reaches out for Amicia's hand, but she swats him away and tells him to leave her alone.

00:43:37.013 --> 00:43:42.193
It's a sibling moment for her, but a heartbreak for Hugo as his big sister denies his comfort.

00:43:43.693 --> 00:43:49.593
There's clanging and banging outside and Laurentius tells them all that it must be the Inquisition looking for Hugo.

00:43:49.593 --> 00:43:57.493
He tells Amicia that they must make it to a castle called Chateau Dombrage, because that's where they would be safe.

00:43:57.493 --> 00:44:01.653
Laurentius looks at the small boy at his side, Lucas.

00:44:01.653 --> 00:44:06.173
Laurentius instructs Lucas to go to his barn and finish the ignifer.

00:44:06.173 --> 00:44:08.713
Lucas comforts him and tells him to save his strength.

00:44:09.733 --> 00:44:16.573
Lucas then turns to Amicia and tells her, Hey, I'm sorry about your parents, but you're not alone anymore.

00:44:16.573 --> 00:44:19.913
But we do have to move fast, so get your shit together.

00:44:19.913 --> 00:44:23.673
He tells them to come and help with the ignifer, and it'll help with the rats.

00:44:23.673 --> 00:44:27.313
Lucas is extremely rational and level headed, and we love Lucas.

00:44:27.313 --> 00:44:28.073
He's awesome.

00:44:28.073 --> 00:44:29.153
Okay, good.

00:44:29.153 --> 00:44:34.093
Amicia reaches out for Hugo to take him with them, but Hugo rejects her hand and sadly walks on.

00:44:34.093 --> 00:44:35.073
How do you like it?

00:44:35.073 --> 00:44:36.473
Yeah.

00:44:36.473 --> 00:44:43.053
As Amicia, Hugo and Lucas leave Laurentius' side, they see a wave of rats have infiltrated the house.

00:44:43.053 --> 00:44:49.753
Amicia helps lead the boys through the rats, and they make their way to Lucas' alchemy laboratory in the barn.

00:44:49.753 --> 00:44:54.553
Lucas explains that Laurentius is a doctor, but he's also a great alchemist.

00:44:54.553 --> 00:44:59.793
Lucas has been working under him and studying under Laurentius for the last most of his life?

00:44:59.793 --> 00:45:00.533
Years?

00:45:00.533 --> 00:45:02.433
It's been a long time.

00:45:02.433 --> 00:45:10.533
Lucas isn't blood related to Laurentius and is most likely an orphan or was abandoned and just kind of ended up in his care.

00:45:10.533 --> 00:45:15.073
Amicia helps Lucas create a compound called Ignifer, which creates fire.

00:45:15.073 --> 00:45:17.733
And Amicia is like, holy shit, I did an alchemy.

00:45:19.033 --> 00:45:23.153
Lucas makes a comment that, oh, you know what, you're a natural just like your mom.

00:45:23.153 --> 00:45:27.713
Which is kind of a bummer because Amicia is like, I barely know my mother, why do you know this about her?

00:45:27.713 --> 00:45:29.233
God damn it.

00:45:29.233 --> 00:45:31.233
Were you raising other kids and not me?

00:45:31.233 --> 00:45:31.613
Fuck you.

00:45:33.093 --> 00:45:36.773
Amicia, Hugo and Lucas go back inside to see Laurentius.

00:45:36.773 --> 00:45:40.593
Hugo is still like, pouting and refusing to hold Amicia's hand.

00:45:40.593 --> 00:45:46.693
Amicia takes a moment to try to comfort him, but as she does, the rats erupt in the homestead.

00:45:46.693 --> 00:45:54.933
Lucas is concerned for Laurentius because he's so sick and attempts to run in to save him, but Amicia stops him from running into the wall of rats.

00:45:54.933 --> 00:46:00.793
They watch as distilling tanks topple and hit the lit torches in the home and burst into flames.

00:46:01.653 --> 00:46:08.713
The house is quickly swallowed up by fire as Lucas watches his mentor die alone in a straw bed.

00:46:08.713 --> 00:46:15.153
Amicia knows there is never time to mourn in this world and quickly ushers Lucas and Hugo away from the flaming farm.

00:46:15.153 --> 00:46:16.673
Never fucking time.

00:46:16.673 --> 00:46:24.773
They manage to get to a boat and slip quietly into the river, away from the rats and towards the castle Laurentius told them about.

00:46:24.773 --> 00:46:29.233
In the early hours of the next morning, Lucas tells Amicia about the sickness Hugo has.

00:46:30.213 --> 00:46:34.153
He tells the story of something in blood called the Prima Macula.

00:46:34.153 --> 00:46:38.113
It's an affliction that silently travels in the blood of certain families.

00:46:38.113 --> 00:46:44.753
But recently, after the great break, the breakout of rats, the macula woke up in Hugo's blood.

00:46:44.753 --> 00:46:46.593
See Tom, it's all connected.

00:46:46.593 --> 00:46:47.473
Clearly.

00:46:47.473 --> 00:46:55.753
Lucas tells Amicia that the macula has no agenda, but follows the host's lead, and that in the right hands, it could change the world.

00:46:55.753 --> 00:47:01.373
Lucas tells Amicia how hard Laurentius and her mother had worked on a cure for Hugo.

00:47:01.373 --> 00:47:04.493
The three arrive on a riverbank and Hugo wakes up.

00:47:04.493 --> 00:47:09.073
Hugo hears the sound of frogs, and it is immediately energized with joy.

00:47:09.073 --> 00:47:14.553
He never really got to see frogs from behind the castle wall, so he's super excited to see them hop.

00:47:14.553 --> 00:47:19.153
He literally just runs over and he's like, hop, hop, hop, hop, hop.

00:47:19.153 --> 00:47:20.613
Good frog.

00:47:20.613 --> 00:47:24.653
Hugo follows the frogs and runs off a bit, and finds an English shield.

00:47:25.353 --> 00:47:27.333
It's probably not foreshadowing.

00:47:29.713 --> 00:47:32.433
I just figure a five-year-old knows one thing about frogs.

00:47:32.433 --> 00:47:33.333
Got to see it do it.

00:47:33.333 --> 00:47:35.313
Yeah, you got like one thing.

00:47:35.313 --> 00:47:36.433
You better fucking hop.

00:47:36.433 --> 00:47:37.113
Right.

00:47:37.113 --> 00:47:42.213
Down the path, they see an entire army of English soldiers covering the roads.

00:47:42.213 --> 00:47:47.333
There are easily hundreds and they're all dead, ravaged by rats.

00:47:47.333 --> 00:47:52.973
The death is so thick, they have no choice but to walk over and through corpses to make it across.

00:47:53.533 --> 00:47:55.333
What the hell?

00:47:55.333 --> 00:47:57.453
Hugo even asks, are we hurting them?

00:47:57.453 --> 00:48:00.193
And Amicia has to explain how death works.

00:48:00.193 --> 00:48:00.973
Fuck.

00:48:00.973 --> 00:48:02.013
Oh my god.

00:48:02.013 --> 00:48:03.953
It's really horrific.

00:48:03.953 --> 00:48:05.213
Are we having fun?

00:48:05.213 --> 00:48:07.153
Yeah, right.

00:48:07.153 --> 00:48:12.953
Amicia grabs Hugo's hand and Lucas trails along tightly as they make it through an aqueduct.

00:48:12.953 --> 00:48:19.033
Unfortunately, as they do, the sun begins to set and the rats wake up to take over the darkness again.

00:48:19.293 --> 00:48:20.853
Oh, shit.

00:48:20.853 --> 00:48:27.213
Amicia and Lucas partner on some puzzles and keep each other safe from rats as they make it out of the carcass pathway.

00:48:27.213 --> 00:48:31.153
Sorry, you said they had to do some puzzles, so I'm just picturing them doing literal puzzles.

00:48:31.153 --> 00:48:32.853
Like a Rubik's Cube?

00:48:33.933 --> 00:48:40.093
They're playing Hangman and then they have to like, all right, we can walk over this dead body now.

00:48:40.093 --> 00:48:45.833
The three come up on one living English soldier who's walking alone with a lantern for the rats.

00:48:45.833 --> 00:48:48.633
The boys give Amicia the idea to shoot out his lantern.

00:48:49.173 --> 00:48:50.273
Which she does.

00:48:50.313 --> 00:48:54.853
This destroys his light and the rats eat him up where he stands.

00:48:54.853 --> 00:49:03.913
It is the game's first really devious moment and frankly, it's, I'm gonna be real, it's so fucking fun every single time to hit someone's light out and let the rats eat them.

00:49:03.913 --> 00:49:05.533
It's devious, but fun.

00:49:05.713 --> 00:49:08.793
But very, very fun and satisfying.

00:49:08.793 --> 00:49:16.813
There's more English soldiers who actually are alive patrolling the roads, but eventually Amicia, Hugo and Lucas make it to an abandoned road.

00:49:17.793 --> 00:49:25.253
They're all just about in the clear when they come across a soldier harassing two 16 year olds, twins, a girl and a boy.

00:49:25.253 --> 00:49:29.853
The boy tells the soldier to back off his sister, then shouts out, What about them?

00:49:29.853 --> 00:49:33.933
And calls out Amicia, Hugo and Lucas, who are trying to sneaky sneak away.

00:49:33.933 --> 00:49:35.473
What the hell?

00:49:35.473 --> 00:49:37.693
This distracts the guard enough to turn around.

00:49:37.693 --> 00:49:41.393
And that's when the twins start beating the soldier to death with their bare hands.

00:49:41.773 --> 00:49:43.273
Bare hands, though.

00:49:43.273 --> 00:49:44.193
Hell yeah.

00:49:44.193 --> 00:49:48.593
The soldier moans as he gets his shit kicked in and attracts more guards.

00:49:48.593 --> 00:49:53.093
The twins take off and Amicia declares, All right, we're following them now.

00:49:53.093 --> 00:49:57.053
All five kids run down the road when Hugo trips and falls.

00:49:57.053 --> 00:50:01.133
Amicia obviously stops to run after him and tells Lucas to follow the twins.

00:50:01.133 --> 00:50:05.673
Lucas obeys and disappears into the night with two strangers.

00:50:05.673 --> 00:50:08.493
Amicia runs to Hugo, who's picked up by an English soldier.

00:50:09.173 --> 00:50:12.453
Amicia goes to save Hugo when she's knocked out by a different soldier.

00:50:12.453 --> 00:50:13.413
Oh shit.

00:50:13.413 --> 00:50:15.473
Immediately captured.

00:50:15.473 --> 00:50:20.753
In the morning, Amicia wakes up in a brass cage on an English encampment base.

00:50:20.753 --> 00:50:25.273
A guard taunts her saying, he knows who she is, Lady De Rune.

00:50:25.393 --> 00:50:26.393
Uh-oh.

00:50:26.393 --> 00:50:30.693
He tells her to shut up because the better you look, the higher the ransom.

00:50:30.693 --> 00:50:33.753
Which is just code for child trafficking.

00:50:34.853 --> 00:50:35.933
And I don't like that.

00:50:36.273 --> 00:50:36.813
No.

00:50:36.813 --> 00:50:38.433
And I'm like, also, your parents are dead.

00:50:38.433 --> 00:50:40.033
Who's doing the ransoming?

00:50:40.033 --> 00:50:42.993
Yeah, because Amicia is even like, what ransom?

00:50:42.993 --> 00:50:44.053
I'm an orphan.

00:50:44.053 --> 00:50:45.233
Yeah.

00:50:45.233 --> 00:50:48.193
He tells her to cork it and walks away.

00:50:48.193 --> 00:50:53.613
Amicia calls him a mangy dog under her breath because she's still like, fuck you.

00:50:53.613 --> 00:50:59.993
In the quiet after the soldier is gone, the boy twin from earlier comes up and unlocks her cage.

00:50:59.993 --> 00:51:02.433
He holds his finger to his lips to stay quiet.

00:51:02.433 --> 00:51:03.573
And Amicia understands.

00:51:04.293 --> 00:51:11.253
He runs off and climbs up to one of the lookout towers in the fucking campus while Amicia sneaky sneaks out of her cage.

00:51:11.253 --> 00:51:14.333
And as she runs, she sees the girl twin.

00:51:14.333 --> 00:51:17.533
The girl twin explains she's Mellie, her brother is Arthur.

00:51:17.533 --> 00:51:19.793
Now please shut the fuck up.

00:51:19.793 --> 00:51:21.733
Mellie leads Amicia through the camp.

00:51:21.733 --> 00:51:30.813
As they do, Mellie will signal to Arthur who is traveling via the towers and pillars above to make a distraction and make space for Mellie and Amicia to escape.

00:51:30.813 --> 00:51:39.213
Amicia is adamant that they get to Hugo now and Mellie is adamant that Amicia shut the fuck up now so they don't get goddamn caught.

00:51:39.213 --> 00:51:44.833
On the way, Mellie likes to steal supplies and random shit, which confuses Amicia.

00:51:44.833 --> 00:51:46.613
She's like, why are you stealing?

00:51:46.613 --> 00:51:48.213
We have to focus on the mission.

00:51:48.213 --> 00:51:48.913
Yeah.

00:51:48.913 --> 00:51:55.793
Mellie says, well, I need this rescue mission to be profitable, so get off your fucking high horse, Princess.

00:51:55.793 --> 00:52:01.613
Deeper in the most dense part of camp, they see Hugo in his own cage crying out for his sister.

00:52:02.313 --> 00:52:06.333
The soldiers taunt Hugo, who's again, a five-year-old boy.

00:52:06.333 --> 00:52:09.053
Like, how hard are you to be like, are you scared?

00:52:09.053 --> 00:52:09.833
Yeah, he's scared.

00:52:09.833 --> 00:52:11.853
He's fucking five, you freak.

00:52:13.613 --> 00:52:20.493
But then the soldiers are alerted by another soldier that the girl is missing, Amicia.

00:52:20.493 --> 00:52:27.073
The soldiers are on high alert for Amicia now, who's sneaky sneaking around as she runs around to get Hugo free.

00:52:27.093 --> 00:52:31.273
Once the girls get Hugo free, Amicia takes his hand and doesn't let go.

00:52:32.493 --> 00:52:35.913
Meli follows the reunited pair, stealing things along the way.

00:52:35.913 --> 00:52:40.353
She's about her ROI and we will never fault her for that.

00:52:40.353 --> 00:52:44.333
So this section is high stealth and I watched three different run-throughs.

00:52:44.333 --> 00:52:48.693
And somehow, all three of them were like no kill or low kill runs.

00:52:48.693 --> 00:52:53.553
But when I played, I killed every single soldier on the map.

00:52:53.553 --> 00:52:56.673
Because that's what I thought you had to do to progress the game.

00:52:56.673 --> 00:53:01.513
And it was it was complex, but it was rewarding and I fully didn't have to do that.

00:53:01.553 --> 00:53:03.353
It was just a slaughter fest.

00:53:03.353 --> 00:53:06.153
I there was blood everywhere.

00:53:06.153 --> 00:53:09.973
But I obviously watched like Charlotte McBurnie's playthrough.

00:53:09.973 --> 00:53:15.593
I watched a different playthrough that was like the movie version so I could take notes on like dialogue and stuff like that.

00:53:15.593 --> 00:53:17.533
And I think I watched one more.

00:53:17.533 --> 00:53:22.713
And every time they found ways to kind of sneak around the soldiers and I was like, I really thought you're supposed to kill all of them.

00:53:22.713 --> 00:53:23.473
Oh, my God.

00:53:23.653 --> 00:53:26.913
And you're over here like AKAB, All Nights Are Bastards.

00:53:28.953 --> 00:53:31.833
Yep.

00:53:31.833 --> 00:53:42.933
As Amicia, Hugo and Mellie approach the gate, it is opened wide to reveal Lord Nicholas, the ironclad English knight that was at the decimation of the De Rune family compound.

00:53:42.933 --> 00:53:44.133
The one that slit your dad's throat?

00:53:44.133 --> 00:53:44.633
Yeah.

00:53:44.633 --> 00:53:45.853
Oh, this fucker.

00:53:45.853 --> 00:53:49.113
The three kiddos look up at the massive murder night.

00:53:49.113 --> 00:53:55.673
Lord Nicholas gives the camp shit saying, He paid for a ransom and he still has to catch them his god damn self.

00:53:55.673 --> 00:53:57.973
This is fucking amateur hour.

00:53:57.973 --> 00:54:02.213
Amicia gives Mellie quick lore saying, That's the guy who killed my family.

00:54:02.213 --> 00:54:04.153
And now he's going to kill us.

00:54:05.573 --> 00:54:07.273
Sorry, I love the exposition.

00:54:07.273 --> 00:54:08.993
That she turns around and is like, here's some lore.

00:54:08.993 --> 00:54:09.933
Right.

00:54:09.933 --> 00:54:12.613
Thankfully, the three kids have a secret weapon.

00:54:12.613 --> 00:54:14.093
Arthur.

00:54:14.093 --> 00:54:18.453
With death from above, Arthur is holding a barrel that is on fire above his head.

00:54:18.873 --> 00:54:19.533
Shit, yeah.

00:54:19.533 --> 00:54:21.233
He yells, Melly, run.

00:54:21.233 --> 00:54:23.033
And he throws the barrel.

00:54:24.053 --> 00:54:28.293
Amicia, Hugo and Melly sprint out of the camp and find another way out.

00:54:28.293 --> 00:54:31.233
Melly is like, what the fuck did you guys do?

00:54:31.233 --> 00:54:33.493
Why are there people trying to kill everyone?

00:54:33.493 --> 00:54:35.833
Amicia reiterates, they want Hugo.

00:54:35.833 --> 00:54:38.213
And Hugo did nothing wrong, sweetie.

00:54:38.213 --> 00:54:39.713
You're perfect.

00:54:39.713 --> 00:54:40.113
Yeah.

00:54:40.113 --> 00:54:40.493
Right.

00:54:40.493 --> 00:54:41.613
Like you.

00:54:41.613 --> 00:54:44.493
How do you explain to a five year old they have done nothing wrong?

00:54:44.693 --> 00:54:45.113
Yeah.

00:54:45.113 --> 00:54:49.433
Especially when all of England is trying to capture and kill them.

00:54:49.433 --> 00:54:49.813
Right.

00:54:49.813 --> 00:54:54.933
Like so many people are dying in front of him, over him, for God knows what reason.

00:54:54.933 --> 00:54:56.693
Fully.

00:54:56.693 --> 00:55:01.893
The camp begins to burn as Amicia, Hugo and Melly barely escape.

00:55:01.893 --> 00:55:04.473
On the road, the three of them catch their breath.

00:55:04.473 --> 00:55:10.413
Melly says she and Arthur have a safe house nearby and that Lucas is going to the chateau that Laurentius told them about.

00:55:10.413 --> 00:55:12.913
Melly says, we're on the right track, but we're not safe yet.

00:55:13.033 --> 00:55:15.333
So we have to fucking go now.

00:55:15.333 --> 00:55:19.113
Melly also asks about the Inquisition and why they want the little dude.

00:55:19.113 --> 00:55:22.633
Amicia is very complimentary of Arthur saying, Oh my God, he was so brave.

00:55:22.633 --> 00:55:24.333
I can't believe he threw a flaming barrel.

00:55:24.333 --> 00:55:25.913
Like that was fantastic.

00:55:25.913 --> 00:55:26.713
He's so helpful.

00:55:26.713 --> 00:55:28.433
I love that he can do parkour.

00:55:29.673 --> 00:55:35.673
Melly tells Amicia, well, don't fall in love with Arthur because he will absolutely break your heart.

00:55:35.673 --> 00:55:37.333
Amicia goes, that's crazy.

00:55:37.333 --> 00:55:39.993
I'm not trying to fuck your brother.

00:55:39.993 --> 00:55:40.833
Is he single, though?

00:55:42.453 --> 00:55:44.313
Arthur's a fuck boy.

00:55:44.313 --> 00:55:49.173
Honestly, Amicia lands for me as so sheltered, she forgot that she could have crushes on people.

00:55:49.173 --> 00:55:49.573
Right.

00:55:49.573 --> 00:55:51.153
But that's just me.

00:55:51.153 --> 00:55:52.733
She didn't know a plague was happening.

00:55:52.733 --> 00:55:53.873
Yeah.

00:55:53.873 --> 00:55:56.553
Melly, on the other hand, weirdly horny.

00:55:56.553 --> 00:55:57.413
Oh.

00:55:57.413 --> 00:56:01.873
Sometimes she'll just be like, Oh, Amicia, are you trying to impress me?

00:56:01.873 --> 00:56:02.533
Oh.

00:56:02.533 --> 00:56:03.973
Like the energy is confusing.

00:56:03.973 --> 00:56:05.733
And Amicia doesn't really shoot her down.

00:56:05.733 --> 00:56:08.973
She's like, no, I just want to move this barrel and solve this puzzle.

00:56:10.933 --> 00:56:14.773
Hugo has another macula atacula and begins to crumble.

00:56:14.773 --> 00:56:18.173
His head is aching, his legs are shaking, and he is scared.

00:56:18.173 --> 00:56:20.933
He could really use a ginger ale.

00:56:20.933 --> 00:56:25.453
Amicia picks him up and takes him piggyback the rest of the way to the twins safe house.

00:56:25.453 --> 00:56:34.253
Once inside, Melly lets it slip that Lucas told the twins that the De Runes are rich and they could get a payout if they saved Amicia and Hugo.

00:56:34.253 --> 00:56:38.313
It's clear Lucas embellished a little bit because, you know, why wouldn't he?

00:56:38.713 --> 00:56:42.913
He just needed to get Amicia and Hugo out of there and like honestly good for him.

00:56:42.913 --> 00:56:45.593
He did what he needed to do to get his friends help.

00:56:45.593 --> 00:56:47.713
Melly's like, well, god damn it.

00:56:47.713 --> 00:56:49.213
At least I stole a bunch of stuff.

00:56:49.213 --> 00:56:50.733
Fuck you.

00:56:50.733 --> 00:56:51.833
And then they go to sleep.

00:56:51.833 --> 00:56:52.873
I like these twins.

00:56:52.873 --> 00:56:54.633
They're I love the twins.

00:56:54.633 --> 00:56:56.573
They're fucking awesome.

00:56:56.573 --> 00:57:01.753
In the middle of the night, the three wake up to footsteps of soldiers breaking into the safe house.

00:57:01.753 --> 00:57:06.693
Silently, Melly leads Amicia and Hugo out into the night where they run into more soldiers.

00:57:07.393 --> 00:57:12.473
Amicia is solemn and is so sorry to Melly that Arthur hasn't shown up yet.

00:57:12.473 --> 00:57:14.813
Melly's like, whatever, it's fine.

00:57:14.813 --> 00:57:15.393
He's a big boy.

00:57:15.393 --> 00:57:16.413
He can take care of himself.

00:57:16.413 --> 00:57:18.693
Don't give up hope yet.

00:57:18.693 --> 00:57:24.573
There's heaps more soldiers and the gang overhear some of them talking about capturing a boy who helped the De Runes.

00:57:24.573 --> 00:57:27.733
And Melly's like, well, that's definitely fucking Arthur.

00:57:27.733 --> 00:57:32.773
They mention having him held at base camp and being interrogated about Hugo.

00:57:32.773 --> 00:57:34.413
Melly's like, well, god damn it.

00:57:34.413 --> 00:57:35.853
Now he's being captured.

00:57:36.353 --> 00:57:37.573
He's being detained.

00:57:37.573 --> 00:57:39.173
He's probably being tortured.

00:57:39.193 --> 00:57:41.673
Oh my god, this fucking sucks.

00:57:41.673 --> 00:57:45.353
Amicia tries to comfort her, but Melly fully brushes her off.

00:57:45.353 --> 00:57:52.213
On the edge of the soldiers footpaths is one soldier who's taking a small boy to the Inquisition base camp.

00:57:52.213 --> 00:57:56.113
They all recognize him as Lucas and go on to knock out the soldier.

00:57:56.113 --> 00:57:59.873
They take Lucas back and now he's reunited with Amicia, Hugo and Melly.

00:57:59.873 --> 00:58:02.153
And Hugo tells Lucas that he was in a cage.

00:58:03.193 --> 00:58:07.293
The teen rat squad head toward the chateau Laurentius told them about.

00:58:07.293 --> 00:58:10.033
Chateau d'ombrelache.

00:58:10.033 --> 00:58:14.653
Lucas does apologize for lying to Melly about getting them a payout for saving the de Rune kids.

00:58:14.653 --> 00:58:17.593
He says he was just so scared of losing them.

00:58:17.593 --> 00:58:22.193
Melly says, it's fine, it's in the past, but I want to be very clear.

00:58:22.193 --> 00:58:26.153
Once we get to this fucking castle, I get first dibs on anything I want.

00:58:26.153 --> 00:58:27.893
She wants to rob a fucking castle.

00:58:27.893 --> 00:58:30.773
Lucas fully agrees to these terms and is like, yep, that's fair.

00:58:31.973 --> 00:58:38.053
Upon reaching the campus of Chateau d'Ombrage, the kids are met with waves of rats.

00:58:38.053 --> 00:58:42.293
Amicia is tasked with lighting the way as they run through the night to safety.

00:58:42.293 --> 00:58:53.433
In this section and only in this section, the game does the coolest shit and allows flashes of light from lightning bolts to dispel rats, making escaping the rats a timed event.

00:58:53.433 --> 00:58:54.993
Oh shit, that's really cool.

00:58:54.993 --> 00:59:05.153
I was so bummed this never came back around as a mechanic during any set pieces because this was really fucking sick to be like, okay, I hear thunder 123 flash of light run.

00:59:05.153 --> 00:59:07.113
It was so cool.

00:59:07.113 --> 00:59:07.873
That is awesome.

00:59:07.873 --> 00:59:12.773
I love when games can incorporate something like that just out of the blue and then just not use it again.

00:59:12.773 --> 00:59:14.193
I don't like that they don't use it again.

00:59:14.193 --> 00:59:24.713
I really could have used more of this because I thought it was a really fun puzzle mechanic because it was like, you're kind of going around the woods and there's a part that kind of wraps around a mountain and there's an edge and you got to like sprint.

00:59:24.713 --> 00:59:25.333
So fun.

00:59:25.333 --> 00:59:26.493
That's really cool though.

00:59:26.493 --> 00:59:36.733
Chateau d'Ombrage has a very intricate rat defense system made up of fires and braziers and ramparts and other castle terms that I am blissfully unaware of.

00:59:36.733 --> 00:59:42.453
Mellie and Amicia, being the two oldest here, clear the courtyard of rats for the safety of the castle.

00:59:42.453 --> 00:59:45.213
There are just lakes and lakes and lakes of rats.

00:59:45.213 --> 00:59:46.833
It's almost like an ocean.

00:59:46.833 --> 00:59:51.113
But Amicia hypes them up saying it's two girls against thousands of rats.

00:59:51.113 --> 00:59:57.993
And she narrates their actions saying, Amicia the Amazon and Mellie the Stealthy have conquered the Chateau d'Ombrage!

00:59:58.793 --> 00:59:59.553
Already.

00:59:59.553 --> 01:00:03.373
Mellie thinks Amicia is a fucking virgin who can't drive.

01:00:04.733 --> 01:00:05.613
That's the Pope.

01:00:05.613 --> 01:00:07.413
That is the Pope.

01:00:07.413 --> 01:00:08.613
She's like, you're just like the Pope.

01:00:08.613 --> 01:00:10.453
You're so fucking corny.

01:00:10.453 --> 01:00:16.633
As they finally get rid of the last bit of rats, though, Mellie calls herself, Mellie the Fury.

01:00:16.633 --> 01:00:18.793
Amicia is like, oh, hell yeah, you're doing it.

01:00:18.793 --> 01:00:20.233
And Mellie says, you don't know me.

01:00:20.233 --> 01:00:21.973
Shut the fuck up, virgin.

01:00:23.133 --> 01:00:30.573
Lucas immediately lights a fire in the castle as soon as they get in, and the four gather around, settling into their home for now.

01:00:30.573 --> 01:00:34.473
The next morning, Hugo wakes Amicia up from a bad dream.

01:00:34.473 --> 01:00:38.033
He's eager to show his sister the castle and what he's found.

01:00:38.033 --> 01:00:45.833
Downstairs, Lucas found a laboratory and stayed up all night rebuilding it, so they could work on something for Hugo's macula.

01:00:45.833 --> 01:00:49.853
Upstairs, they find Mellie, who pulls Amicia aside to chat real quick.

01:00:49.853 --> 01:00:56.793
Mellie tells Amicia, she's going to go out and she's going to go look for Arthur, and Amicia tells her not to leave without saying goodbye.

01:00:56.793 --> 01:01:01.413
Hugo runs off and finds a bunch of white butterflies, which he gleefully chases.

01:01:01.413 --> 01:01:06.453
Amicia comes up on Hugo, playing by a tree with his new butter friends.

01:01:06.453 --> 01:01:13.233
She looks at this great big tree, the symbol of her family, and she hangs up her de Rune family crest necklace.

01:01:13.233 --> 01:01:15.433
I'm sorry, she's giving up the family necklace?

01:01:15.433 --> 01:01:18.373
She's just like, am I still like a princess or whatever?

01:01:18.373 --> 01:01:19.493
Probably not.

01:01:19.493 --> 01:01:21.693
I don't have family anymore.

01:01:21.693 --> 01:01:22.133
Fuck.

01:01:22.613 --> 01:01:28.233
She picks up Hugo and he hangs his family crest tree necklace up with hers as well.

01:01:28.233 --> 01:01:32.273
Hugo looks to Amicia and he apologizes for being sick.

01:01:32.273 --> 01:01:35.813
She holds him and reassures him that they'll find a cure for him.

01:01:35.813 --> 01:01:42.713
Lucas comes out to see them and looks down at Hugo, as the veins under Hugo's skin begin to shine black through the pale.

01:01:43.313 --> 01:01:44.233
Gross.

01:01:44.233 --> 01:01:47.553
Amicia tells Lucas that Hugo is getting worse.

01:01:47.553 --> 01:01:50.353
Lucas tells her it's the macula spreading through his blood.

01:01:51.093 --> 01:02:02.153
The books he's seen on macula say that there are several thresholds that the carrier experiences, and at each threshold, the carrier may be lost, and Hugo is nearing the first threshold.

01:02:03.633 --> 01:02:14.273
Lucas says Laurentius and Lady Beatrice were working on an elixir to slow down the process, and that their work was inspired by a forbidden book that's locked in the local university basement.

01:02:14.273 --> 01:02:21.753
Mellie enters the conversation and is like, well, it's chaotic as fuck, so we could probably run into the university now and no one will notice.

01:02:21.753 --> 01:02:23.813
Like, they're all busy with the rats.

01:02:23.813 --> 01:02:27.953
Oh my gosh, this is why she was studying fucking potions and shit.

01:02:27.953 --> 01:02:33.893
Mellie offers like, hey, I'm going out that way anyway to go save Arthur, so if you want, I'll walk you into the city.

01:02:33.893 --> 01:02:36.113
We could do a little mission, have some fun.

01:02:37.913 --> 01:02:41.733
Amicia tells Hugo to stay here with Lucas and she'll be back soon.

01:02:41.733 --> 01:02:46.393
That book is the key to helping her brother, and she's going to do everything in her power to keep Hugo safe.

01:02:47.693 --> 01:02:54.513
As Amicia and Mellie go to leave, Lucas tells Amicia there should be a path of roses in the university leading to the book.

01:02:54.513 --> 01:02:57.073
So I guess look out for flowers.

01:02:57.073 --> 01:03:00.693
Amicia says, roses, forbidden book, city ravaged by enemy soldiers.

01:03:00.693 --> 01:03:01.173
Got it.

01:03:01.173 --> 01:03:02.873
I'll be back in 20 minutes.

01:03:04.793 --> 01:03:10.273
Amicia and Mellie go on their girls trip into town, where Mellie tells Amicia to always aim between the legs.

01:03:10.273 --> 01:03:12.453
That's the key to taking down a motherfucker.

01:03:12.453 --> 01:03:13.173
It's true.

01:03:13.173 --> 01:03:14.553
It'll work almost every time.

01:03:14.553 --> 01:03:15.733
Every time, baby girl.

01:03:17.053 --> 01:03:20.933
On the way in, they see townsfolk being evacuated due to the plague.

01:03:20.933 --> 01:03:26.473
Mellie is horrified to see a thief that she used to run with, dead in a wood pillory.

01:03:26.473 --> 01:03:32.933
Mellie then just shakes it off and cracks open a door to the downtown area for Amicia to go get her book.

01:03:32.933 --> 01:03:36.533
Amicia looks at Mellie and asks if they'll ever see each other again.

01:03:36.533 --> 01:03:39.233
Mellie says, I hope so.

01:03:39.233 --> 01:03:40.653
You owe me.

01:03:40.653 --> 01:03:43.153
That means you're not allowed to die.

01:03:43.153 --> 01:03:48.333
It's as kind and caring as Mellie is capable of, so let's take it.

01:03:48.333 --> 01:03:55.873
Over their last moment together, before Amicia's path splits off from her own, Mellie tells Amicia, good luck.

01:03:55.873 --> 01:04:02.913
Amicia realizes this is actual true care from her first best friend in her life, and she says, you too.

01:04:04.113 --> 01:04:05.913
She does not know how to interact with another person.

01:04:05.913 --> 01:04:08.413
No, this kid is so fucking sheltered.

01:04:08.413 --> 01:04:10.673
She doesn't know how to speak to anyone under 30.

01:04:10.673 --> 01:04:11.833
Oh my God, that's crazy.

01:04:11.873 --> 01:04:14.013
These are like street rat kids that have had to survive.

01:04:14.153 --> 01:04:17.233
Fully street rat kids, yeah, who run with other street rat kids.

01:04:17.233 --> 01:04:18.473
Yeah.

01:04:18.473 --> 01:04:30.173
Amicia now has to navigate a rat ravaged town that's simultaneously overrun by English soldiers to get a book that's been hidden away in a university basement in the restricted section.

01:04:30.173 --> 01:04:31.653
Quick in and out 20 minute venture.

01:04:31.653 --> 01:04:32.553
Right.

01:04:32.553 --> 01:04:40.413
There's tons of soldiers and tons more rats, and Amicia even out loud questions if this book even fucking exists because this feels ridiculous.

01:04:41.013 --> 01:04:44.493
But nevertheless, she gets to the university.

01:04:44.493 --> 01:04:49.773
The building is completely trashed with books laying across the ground and everywhere.

01:04:49.773 --> 01:04:52.173
Amicia's like, all right, roses.

01:04:52.173 --> 01:04:53.713
How the fuck am I going to find roses?

01:04:53.713 --> 01:04:55.873
This place is garbage.

01:04:55.873 --> 01:05:01.993
And then she looks over a doorway and sees a banner of roses, and it goes, oh, damn, I see you.

01:05:02.273 --> 01:05:02.633
Okay.

01:05:02.633 --> 01:05:03.393
That was easy.

01:05:03.393 --> 01:05:04.553
Yeah.

01:05:04.553 --> 01:05:07.473
She immediately is like, okay, well, my problem was solved.

01:05:08.633 --> 01:05:12.753
There are several soldiers inside talking about Vitalis.

01:05:12.753 --> 01:05:17.953
Vitalis is the Grand Inquisitor and the leader of the Inquisition who are invading France.

01:05:17.953 --> 01:05:20.353
I thought it was a hair growth pill.

01:05:20.353 --> 01:05:23.913
It does sound like there's collagen in it.

01:05:23.913 --> 01:05:29.133
Amicia knows this means he is the man after her brother and the man who had her family killed.

01:05:30.273 --> 01:05:37.433
Deep in the library, Amicia hears some of the Inquisition soldiers are also looking for the same alchemy book she's after.

01:05:37.433 --> 01:05:41.313
It at least means they haven't found it yet, so she still has a fighting chance.

01:05:41.313 --> 01:05:50.173
It also makes sense that they're after the same book, because if they're after Hugo because of his macula, and this book unlocks the secrets of the macula, of course they have the same goals.

01:05:50.173 --> 01:05:51.813
They need the same materials.

01:05:51.813 --> 01:05:54.553
Secrets of the macula sounds like it should have been the subtitle of this game.

01:05:55.593 --> 01:06:01.313
It almost, it's giving secrets of nymph sequel, you know, like there's something there.

01:06:01.313 --> 01:06:08.173
Amicia watches as the English soldiers drag in a prisoner, a blacksmith, into the depths of the library.

01:06:08.173 --> 01:06:13.813
She's hiding and she watches as the prisoner is brought into a room with Vitalis himself.

01:06:13.813 --> 01:06:19.153
He's an old decrepit man whose skin is starting to blister and break off of him.

01:06:19.153 --> 01:06:23.713
He's a million years old and has thin wispy lips and a dying man's breath.

01:06:24.873 --> 01:06:29.373
There's a door in the university that the Inquisition has been unable to open.

01:06:29.373 --> 01:06:36.093
The soldiers were able to find the blacksmith who built it, but he refused to help Vitalis and was tortured to death.

01:06:36.093 --> 01:06:40.153
So Vitalis had his men bring in the blacksmith's son.

01:06:40.153 --> 01:06:41.773
This is my favorite character.

01:06:41.773 --> 01:06:42.753
This is Roderick.

01:06:42.753 --> 01:06:49.873
He's about 18 and he's a beefy blue collar brute boy with gigantic forearms and really cool guy hair.

01:06:49.873 --> 01:06:53.013
This whole game is a very big departure from what we saw.

01:06:53.273 --> 01:06:59.613
You know, they say like Last of Us was a big inspiration, but that whole generation is like dads running around with kids.

01:06:59.613 --> 01:07:01.193
Yeah, these are kids running around with kids.

01:07:01.193 --> 01:07:03.153
Yeah, these are just kids running around with kids.

01:07:03.153 --> 01:07:08.793
And I love that we've now seen two sets of brother sister couples that are not creepy and weird.

01:07:08.793 --> 01:07:10.713
Yeah.

01:07:10.713 --> 01:07:17.433
They knew how to do this in a very appropriate way where nothing feels a little creepy.

01:07:17.433 --> 01:07:22.053
They even managed to make one of the characters really horny and not make it creepy with the brother.

01:07:22.433 --> 01:07:26.353
Yeah, if anything, she's like, he would break your heart and break you in half, bitch.

01:07:26.393 --> 01:07:28.353
Don't try.

01:07:28.353 --> 01:07:29.513
But you could try with me.

01:07:29.573 --> 01:07:30.173
Right.

01:07:30.173 --> 01:07:31.393
Like, experiment.

01:07:33.153 --> 01:07:35.753
And Roderick is the oldest of the teens we've met again.

01:07:35.753 --> 01:07:38.093
He's kind of nearing 18.

01:07:38.093 --> 01:07:41.313
He knew his father was taken by these people and killed.

01:07:41.313 --> 01:07:43.813
And these people have also been ravaging his hometown.

01:07:43.813 --> 01:07:47.813
And he's fucking furious and he is not eager to help them.

01:07:47.813 --> 01:07:49.633
Vitalis tells Roderick to open the door.

01:07:49.873 --> 01:07:55.293
And Roderick tells Vitalis he and his father built that door to keep scum like you out.

01:07:55.293 --> 01:07:56.433
Ooh.

01:07:56.433 --> 01:08:02.273
Vitalis is on an emperor throne and is carried out by soldiers like he's in goddamn 300.

01:08:02.273 --> 01:08:11.213
Amicia looks down and follows the same path Roderick is being led, assuming that the soldiers are taking him to the door that has the book Amicia needs.

01:08:11.213 --> 01:08:13.913
He's being held by two big guards.

01:08:13.913 --> 01:08:18.553
Amicia follows and manages to drop a chandelier on one of the guards that was taking Roderick.

01:08:19.413 --> 01:08:28.393
Roderick takes the chaos opportunity to jump the other guard, and he pounds his French fists into this guard's fat face and says, I've been wanting to do this for two days.

01:08:28.393 --> 01:08:29.513
Oh, hell yeah.

01:08:29.513 --> 01:08:31.173
I fucking love Roderick.

01:08:31.173 --> 01:08:32.293
Immediately.

01:08:32.293 --> 01:08:39.913
After beating a man to death with his bare hands, Roderick politely introduces himself to Amicia and thanks her for helping him get away.

01:08:39.913 --> 01:08:42.953
Just imagine like bloody knuckles like, Hi, holding out his hand.

01:08:42.953 --> 01:08:44.073
Hello, miss.

01:08:44.073 --> 01:08:44.633
They're all French.

01:08:44.633 --> 01:08:48.753
He's like, Oh, la, la, mademoiselle.

01:08:48.753 --> 01:08:54.133
Roderick takes her and they begin to escape in the depths of the university and get her into the basement.

01:08:54.133 --> 01:08:59.893
Amicia tells Roderick she needs this book, and Roderick is like, What the fuck is so special about this fucking book?

01:08:59.893 --> 01:09:02.253
My dad died for that book.

01:09:02.253 --> 01:09:08.113
Amicia tells him that her parents are dead too, which is like a really aggressive way to bond with someone you just met.

01:09:08.113 --> 01:09:09.593
Yeah, right.

01:09:09.593 --> 01:09:13.393
They make it to a secret library for forbidden books deep in the university.

01:09:14.173 --> 01:09:19.273
Amicia knows the book must be here, and Roderick points out an area with a bunch of rose banners.

01:09:19.273 --> 01:09:21.213
Sour she blows.

01:09:21.213 --> 01:09:27.453
This is a very uncharted-esque puzzle for Amicia to solve as she gets to the book, which is just a love letter.

01:09:27.453 --> 01:09:28.193
I get it.

01:09:28.193 --> 01:09:29.113
Naughty dog's great.

01:09:29.113 --> 01:09:29.733
Yeah.

01:09:29.733 --> 01:09:38.873
Amicia asks Roderick who commissioned the door to guard these books, and he says, I don't know, it was just a bunch of monks who didn't really talk, which is so fun.

01:09:38.873 --> 01:09:44.353
Amicia actually does find the book, and she is completely amazed that she actually has it in her hands.

01:09:44.353 --> 01:09:50.793
The joy is cut short, though, by the entrance of several heavily armed guards and Vitalis himself.

01:09:50.793 --> 01:09:58.173
Vitalis focuses his beady wet eyes on Amicia and says, I know you, Amicia De Rune.

01:09:58.173 --> 01:10:01.413
Fuck, she is famous without ever having left her fucking house.

01:10:01.413 --> 01:10:04.613
I'm really glad you just interjected, so I wouldn't have to do the voice anymore.

01:10:06.033 --> 01:10:09.613
We've been watching your family waiting for your brother to be activated by the macula.

01:10:10.353 --> 01:10:14.333
I've watched you grow up, which I never want to hear from a really creepy dude.

01:10:14.333 --> 01:10:15.233
Right.

01:10:15.233 --> 01:10:18.793
Amicia is defensive and immediately starts reaching for her sling.

01:10:18.793 --> 01:10:24.513
But Rodrik, her new best friends, stops her in her tracks and goes, hey, we're outnumbered as fuck.

01:10:24.513 --> 01:10:30.533
Please don't start a fight with the Grand Inquisitioner's personal bodyguards with a fucking sling, you child.

01:10:30.533 --> 01:10:31.753
Yeah, not right now.

01:10:31.753 --> 01:10:33.393
Yeah, she doesn't know timing yet.

01:10:33.393 --> 01:10:34.673
Rodrik is blue collar.

01:10:34.673 --> 01:10:36.693
He grew up like working class.

01:10:36.693 --> 01:10:37.793
Amicia is a princess.

01:10:39.053 --> 01:10:42.333
He's like, you need to know what fights to walk away from, dipshit.

01:10:42.333 --> 01:10:43.333
Right.

01:10:43.333 --> 01:10:48.553
Rodrik pulls Amicia down a small hallway and takes her through a secret exit from the basement.

01:10:48.553 --> 01:10:51.213
Rodrik is like, well, you two know each other.

01:10:51.213 --> 01:10:54.493
And Amicia goes, he destroyed my life.

01:10:54.493 --> 01:10:57.533
Rodrik agrees, saying, well, I know what that's like.

01:10:57.533 --> 01:11:01.693
Amicia and Rodrik run through the university, taking out soldiers in tandem.

01:11:01.693 --> 01:11:07.153
Rodrik is able to stealthily take down fully armed soldiers, something that impresses Amicia a bit.

01:11:07.893 --> 01:11:11.453
She really hits him with a, damn, do you do that a lot after his first kill?

01:11:11.453 --> 01:11:14.253
Which is like, okay, she's really starting to blossom as a woman.

01:11:14.253 --> 01:11:15.713
Yeah.

01:11:15.713 --> 01:11:19.953
Rodrik says, well, I don't do that a lot, but I think I'm starting to like it.

01:11:19.953 --> 01:11:21.113
Which, all right, buddy.

01:11:21.113 --> 01:11:22.633
Ooh, the bloodlust is real.

01:11:22.653 --> 01:11:24.073
Yeah, calm down.

01:11:24.073 --> 01:11:26.113
He might or may not have a joker tattoo.

01:11:26.113 --> 01:11:27.373
Like.

01:11:27.373 --> 01:11:28.473
He lives in a society.

01:11:28.553 --> 01:11:29.613
He does.

01:11:31.833 --> 01:11:33.433
We love he's gone through trauma.

01:11:33.433 --> 01:11:35.113
Okay.

01:11:35.113 --> 01:11:38.413
Part of the university has now caught on fire fully.

01:11:38.413 --> 01:11:43.233
Rodrik takes advantage of the chaos and gets Amicia and the book out of the building safely.

01:11:43.233 --> 01:11:52.133
The university and all its knowledge and history burns up behind them as they run back to the safety of the Chateau d'Ombrage.

01:11:52.133 --> 01:11:57.233
The next morning, Amicia and Rodrik finally make it back to the Chateau and deliver the book to Lucas.

01:11:57.913 --> 01:12:03.773
Lucas immediately flips the book open and finds the writing he needs to help Hugo with his blood macula.

01:12:03.773 --> 01:12:09.753
Rodrik, being also recently orphaned, moves in with Amicia, Hugo and Lucas.

01:12:09.753 --> 01:12:15.553
Meli hasn't come back yet, but they all know she can handle herself, so no one's really worried in her absence.

01:12:15.553 --> 01:12:23.473
Three weeks later, in December of 1348, Rodrik has made himself useful, exploring the castle and keeping fires running.

01:12:23.473 --> 01:12:32.073
Amicia has been doing target practice with her sling, and Lucas has been working on potions and other alchemy endeavors to help Hugo manage his macula.

01:12:32.073 --> 01:12:39.413
Unfortunately, Lucas has not seen any positive improvements on Hugo's end, and in fact, he's getting worse.

01:12:39.413 --> 01:12:45.993
Lucas says he needs a proper lab to get shit done, and Amicia offers her mother's lab from her old homestead.

01:12:45.993 --> 01:12:53.113
They make some loose plans to go back to Amicia's home when Rodrik calls out saying, hey, those weird twins are back.

01:12:53.113 --> 01:12:54.133
Oh, hell yeah.

01:12:54.133 --> 01:12:57.973
He hasn't met them, so he's like, I'm assuming these are your friends.

01:12:57.973 --> 01:13:01.653
Amicia and Lucas run out and are reunited with Mellie and Arthur.

01:13:01.653 --> 01:13:07.653
Mellie finally rescued Arthur, who was being held hostage and tortured for being affiliated with Hugo De Rune.

01:13:07.653 --> 01:13:11.593
That's so fascinating that that adventure happens completely off screen.

01:13:11.593 --> 01:13:14.513
Yeah, and it's a three week adventure that Mellie's on.

01:13:14.513 --> 01:13:15.633
Oh my gosh.

01:13:15.633 --> 01:13:18.073
You could almost do a spinoff of her.

01:13:18.073 --> 01:13:21.553
I would love a DLC of like, get Arthur back.

01:13:21.653 --> 01:13:21.813
Yeah.

01:13:21.813 --> 01:13:23.913
That would be so awesome.

01:13:23.913 --> 01:13:31.713
Mellie and Arthur tell Amicia that when Arthur was imprisoned, he saw Lady Beatrice De Rune being held in the same prison.

01:13:31.713 --> 01:13:32.793
Their dead mother.

01:13:32.793 --> 01:13:33.573
Fuck.

01:13:33.573 --> 01:13:35.633
Wait, how?

01:13:35.633 --> 01:13:37.873
Well, we didn't see her get stabbed.

01:13:37.873 --> 01:13:39.513
She got stabbed off screen.

01:13:39.513 --> 01:13:40.733
No, we saw the blood though.

01:13:40.733 --> 01:13:41.333
Yeah.

01:13:41.333 --> 01:13:43.033
She was there with one of her house people.

01:13:44.413 --> 01:13:45.653
Well, shit.

01:13:45.653 --> 01:13:49.573
Looks like the house person got stabbed and she stepped out of the way.

01:13:49.573 --> 01:13:50.013
Okay.

01:13:50.013 --> 01:13:51.573
Well, now we got to go rescue mom.

01:13:51.573 --> 01:13:53.473
Yeah.

01:13:53.473 --> 01:13:54.413
Not an orphan anymore.

01:13:54.413 --> 01:13:57.173
We can't bond over that.

01:13:57.173 --> 01:13:59.553
The privileged kids still get to keep one of their parents.

01:13:59.553 --> 01:14:01.573
Are you fucking kidding me?

01:14:03.873 --> 01:14:08.553
Of course, the fucking nepo baby gets to keep nepoing about.

01:14:08.553 --> 01:14:12.713
Arthur does tell them that Lady Beatrice was very important to Vitalis, the Grand Inquisitor.

01:14:13.153 --> 01:14:16.473
Probably why she wasn't killed on-site.

01:14:16.473 --> 01:14:21.373
He also tells them that she is being tortured by Vitalis personally.

01:14:21.373 --> 01:14:28.293
And Vitalis spends a lot of time questioning quote-unquote Lady Beatrice, which really sucks.

01:14:28.293 --> 01:14:35.393
Amicia makes the teens promise not to let Hugo know because she doesn't want him to hold out hope if they're just going to end up killing her mom anyway.

01:14:35.393 --> 01:14:36.233
Yeah.

01:14:36.233 --> 01:14:40.853
She doesn't want Hugo to call out for his mother and never get to see her again and have to mourn her twice.

01:14:41.353 --> 01:14:42.693
She just wants to protect him.

01:14:42.693 --> 01:14:43.253
Oh my god.

01:14:43.253 --> 01:14:45.453
Doing the full like, don't give me hope.

01:14:45.453 --> 01:14:47.293
Fully, fully, fully.

01:14:47.293 --> 01:14:54.353
Just then, Hugo's eyes are open and from the next room, he has overheard all of this.

01:14:54.353 --> 01:14:59.173
But then he starts shaking and screaming and has a really violent macula atacula.

01:14:59.173 --> 01:15:04.193
They all rushed to his side and Amicia and Lucas set off for Amicia's homestead immediately.

01:15:04.193 --> 01:15:06.453
They have to figure this out right now.

01:15:06.453 --> 01:15:07.013
Right.

01:15:07.013 --> 01:15:11.133
Amicia and Lucas arrive at Castle De Rune and it takes Amicia back.

01:15:11.133 --> 01:15:16.133
She hasn't been home in like a month and she is heartbroken at how destroyed everything is.

01:15:16.133 --> 01:15:19.713
It's dark and the night is setting in, which means the rats are out.

01:15:19.713 --> 01:15:28.093
In addition to the rats, there are still a few English Inquisition guards still on site, guarding in case any of the De Rune children came back home.

01:15:28.093 --> 01:15:33.913
While going full sneaky sneaks, Lucas and Amicia see something wild and it's the first time we see this in the game.

01:15:33.913 --> 01:15:37.293
It is a full tornado of rats.

01:15:38.013 --> 01:15:41.233
I'm sorry, a tornado of rats.

01:15:41.233 --> 01:15:53.613
So there's this big pit of rats and the rats are all moving around like a wave pool, forming a full tornado, just all of their ever moving bodies layered on top of each other with their beady little eyes shining through.

01:15:53.613 --> 01:15:56.653
They're like, we'll give you our Rat King?

01:15:56.653 --> 01:15:58.313
Because like, holy shit.

01:15:58.313 --> 01:16:00.033
Our Rat King is the weather.

01:16:00.033 --> 01:16:01.413
Oh my god.

01:16:01.413 --> 01:16:02.233
I hate it.

01:16:02.233 --> 01:16:04.613
This fully made me realize that I'm not into rats.

01:16:04.613 --> 01:16:14.013
Like the way their beady little eyes shown in the light, like their little tiny clicky clacky claws, the way their bodies fuse together over time, it's fucking terrible.

01:16:14.013 --> 01:16:16.753
I've seen all sorts of tornadoes depicted in media.

01:16:16.753 --> 01:16:21.693
I've seen dirt tornadoes, wind, just normal, fucking lightning.

01:16:21.693 --> 01:16:26.513
I've seen fire tornadoes, a rat tornado.

01:16:26.513 --> 01:16:29.373
I love that you named a bunch of weather and then fire.

01:16:29.373 --> 01:16:31.153
Yeah.

01:16:31.153 --> 01:16:33.193
But no, it's a fucking rat tornado.

01:16:33.193 --> 01:16:42.213
And like also as a note, this perhaps speaks to the effective audio team and how well they did this, but the foley on this and all the rats is disgusting.

01:16:42.213 --> 01:16:44.613
Their little squeaks and like the way the sound is layered.

01:16:44.613 --> 01:16:46.973
So, you know, there are hundreds of rats at a time.

01:16:46.973 --> 01:16:53.913
It fully fills the audio in so much that even if you close your eyes, you still feel completely surrounded by rats.

01:16:53.913 --> 01:16:54.933
It is fucking disgusting.

01:16:54.933 --> 01:16:57.173
There are thousands of them on screen at a time.

01:16:57.173 --> 01:16:58.073
And I just hate them.

01:16:58.073 --> 01:16:59.273
I think they're really gross.

01:16:59.273 --> 01:17:01.773
And I really, I feel Amicia in her anger.

01:17:01.773 --> 01:17:03.113
Like, why are there so many?

01:17:04.353 --> 01:17:06.873
Genuinely, why are there so many?

01:17:06.873 --> 01:17:07.553
Fuck.

01:17:07.553 --> 01:17:09.813
That they are fucking a tornado now.

01:17:09.813 --> 01:17:12.673
They're a tornado and I hate it.

01:17:12.673 --> 01:17:13.793
Just...

01:17:13.793 --> 01:17:15.153
All right, rat tornadoes now.

01:17:15.153 --> 01:17:15.913
Rat tornadoes.

01:17:15.913 --> 01:17:17.893
Cool, we got rat tornadoes.

01:17:17.893 --> 01:17:26.953
So just like everything, her home being destroyed, being reminded of the murders of everyone she's ever loved, and now the rat tornado, it all gets to Amicia.

01:17:26.953 --> 01:17:28.753
Yeah, I don't fucking blame her.

01:17:28.753 --> 01:17:30.113
That would get to me.

01:17:30.113 --> 01:17:37.413
She's completely just furious and ruthless as she manages through her homestead to get to her mother's lab with Lucas.

01:17:37.413 --> 01:17:40.973
Lucas and Amicia come up on a fatally injured man laying there.

01:17:40.973 --> 01:17:42.033
He's an English soldier.

01:17:42.033 --> 01:17:43.333
He's almost dead.

01:17:43.333 --> 01:17:46.513
He's like, please, for the love of fuck, like, help me.

01:17:46.513 --> 01:17:48.133
And she's like, absolutely not.

01:17:48.133 --> 01:17:50.473
Amicia sticks a bunch of rats on him.

01:17:50.473 --> 01:17:52.633
Hell yeah.

01:17:52.633 --> 01:17:53.953
Oh my God, that's so awesome.

01:17:53.953 --> 01:17:57.693
It's really great because she's like, you motherfucker trying to kill all of me.

01:17:57.693 --> 01:18:00.933
You might be the, I don't know who did it, but a bunch of people killed a bunch of people.

01:18:01.013 --> 01:18:02.933
It's probably you, fuck you.

01:18:02.933 --> 01:18:05.673
And he's completely incapable of defending himself.

01:18:05.673 --> 01:18:10.033
And he uses his dying breath to beg for mercy while Amicia watches on.

01:18:10.033 --> 01:18:12.433
She's like, see, I like killing too.

01:18:14.013 --> 01:18:20.373
She screams at these rats to get off her lawn while she sends a caravan of light barreling down pathways.

01:18:20.373 --> 01:18:21.093
She's pissed.

01:18:21.093 --> 01:18:22.293
She doesn't give a fuck.

01:18:22.293 --> 01:18:24.233
She is in her revenge era.

01:18:24.233 --> 01:18:25.273
Hell yeah.

01:18:25.273 --> 01:18:32.773
Lucas, again, level headed sweet angel Lucas is like, hey, are you good?

01:18:32.773 --> 01:18:33.413
Nope.

01:18:33.413 --> 01:18:33.613
Yeah.

01:18:33.613 --> 01:18:34.953
She's like, I'm not.

01:18:34.953 --> 01:18:36.973
I'm really fucking angry.

01:18:36.973 --> 01:18:42.073
Upon arriving at the house itself, the walls have rotted with rats.

01:18:42.073 --> 01:18:54.493
The walls themselves are black and molding and have growths all over them from rats multiplying and infecting the whole home floor to ceiling with disease and fusing together and sinking into the walls.

01:18:54.493 --> 01:19:05.293
These mountains of rats have knotted the corpses in the house and moved them around in the month since Amicia has been home so much that the skeletons are permanently transfixed into walls.

01:19:05.333 --> 01:19:07.793
Jesus.

01:19:07.793 --> 01:19:09.593
It's so bad.

01:19:09.593 --> 01:19:11.633
Like the progression.

01:19:11.633 --> 01:19:12.813
Yeah.

01:19:12.813 --> 01:19:17.793
Amicia comes up on a man whose body lay cinematically untouched.

01:19:17.793 --> 01:19:21.213
As she gets closer, she realizes it's her father.

01:19:21.213 --> 01:19:29.353
She looks at him and moves towards him before the rats collapse like a wave over what's left of the great knight Robert De Rune.

01:19:29.353 --> 01:19:32.913
Amicia wishes him peace as she and Lucas trudge on.

01:19:32.913 --> 01:19:34.093
Was he bathed in lights?

01:19:34.093 --> 01:19:35.173
Did they never touch him or something?

01:19:35.173 --> 01:19:36.553
A little, yeah.

01:19:37.233 --> 01:19:40.053
He wouldn't have been, but you know what I mean?

01:19:40.053 --> 01:19:41.513
It's just enough.

01:19:41.513 --> 01:19:43.533
It's cinematic.

01:19:43.533 --> 01:19:50.553
Amicia brings Lucas to Hugo's room and shockingly, it is completely untouched.

01:19:50.553 --> 01:19:54.813
Unlike the rest of the castle, Hugo's room has no rot, no rats.

01:19:54.813 --> 01:19:56.973
It's just a little dusty.

01:19:56.973 --> 01:20:00.393
Amicia out loud says, Lucas, why would his room be untouched?

01:20:00.393 --> 01:20:02.333
What would keep the rats from this space?

01:20:02.333 --> 01:20:04.133
That's so fucking weird.

01:20:04.133 --> 01:20:10.033
Lucas kind of blows her off because he's like, I am on a mission to get in, do science and get out, baby girl.

01:20:10.033 --> 01:20:11.673
We have a limited time span.

01:20:11.673 --> 01:20:12.673
Yeah.

01:20:12.673 --> 01:20:14.553
He can't find what he's looking for in this area.

01:20:14.553 --> 01:20:20.353
And he asks if Amicia's mother had a lab or like any areas that she worked on stuff with.

01:20:20.473 --> 01:20:23.633
And Amicia just goes, she didn't tell me anything.

01:20:25.413 --> 01:20:28.633
But as she unpacks trauma at her friend.

01:20:28.633 --> 01:20:30.833
I was going to say, deal with your mommy issues.

01:20:30.833 --> 01:20:31.353
Yeah.

01:20:31.353 --> 01:20:32.113
She's good.

01:20:32.113 --> 01:20:36.033
She's kind of trauma dumping on Lucas in a way we haven't seen her do with anyone else.

01:20:36.033 --> 01:20:39.653
And again, Lucas thankfully is the most level headed person in this game.

01:20:39.653 --> 01:20:42.153
So he's like, I understand you're in pain.

01:20:42.153 --> 01:20:42.653
Yeah.

01:20:42.653 --> 01:20:45.553
I need you to understand that there's a rat tornado outside.

01:20:47.393 --> 01:20:48.453
The rat tornado.

01:20:48.453 --> 01:20:50.773
And I need you to get your shit together.

01:20:50.773 --> 01:20:55.693
So they kind of chat and they are like, oh wait, there's an area that my mom said to never go to.

01:20:55.693 --> 01:20:57.193
That's probably her secret lab.

01:20:57.193 --> 01:21:00.233
And he's like, that was great critical thinking.

01:21:00.233 --> 01:21:01.513
I think you did a great job.

01:21:01.513 --> 01:21:02.953
I understand this is rough.

01:21:02.953 --> 01:21:03.693
Where are we going?

01:21:03.693 --> 01:21:05.313
See, we took a few deep breaths.

01:21:05.313 --> 01:21:06.453
Yeah.

01:21:06.453 --> 01:21:09.813
Lucas would be great, like a fantastic mediator.

01:21:09.853 --> 01:21:10.813
He's wonderful.

01:21:11.033 --> 01:21:12.193
I was going to say therapist.

01:21:12.193 --> 01:21:14.773
Yeah, but he wanted to do science instead.

01:21:14.773 --> 01:21:16.393
And he's like, all right, so where is it?

01:21:16.393 --> 01:21:19.673
And Amicia goes, well, it's in the Roman bath houses.

01:21:19.673 --> 01:21:23.313
And Lucas is reminded how different they grew up.

01:21:23.313 --> 01:21:24.653
Roman bath houses.

01:21:24.653 --> 01:21:28.173
Amicia's family had Roman bath house money.

01:21:28.173 --> 01:21:28.873
Holy shit.

01:21:28.873 --> 01:21:30.333
What was dad up to?

01:21:30.333 --> 01:21:32.393
He's a knight.

01:21:32.393 --> 01:21:33.393
He's having night parties.

01:21:33.393 --> 01:21:35.553
He's doing night shit.

01:21:35.553 --> 01:21:38.213
So Lucas is like, all right, that's perfect.

01:21:38.213 --> 01:21:43.773
I don't know where the Roman bath houses would be in a compound like this because I grew up in a barn.

01:21:43.773 --> 01:21:45.273
Please lead the way.

01:21:45.273 --> 01:21:47.553
I wasn't allowed in those parts of the house.

01:21:47.553 --> 01:21:49.113
You guys had baths?

01:21:49.113 --> 01:21:50.673
You had whole houses for your baths?

01:21:50.673 --> 01:21:53.433
I was in the servant quarters when I was in places like this.

01:21:53.433 --> 01:21:54.753
Yeah.

01:21:54.753 --> 01:22:00.113
The path to Amicia's mother's secret laboratory is paved with rot and rat tornadoes.

01:22:00.113 --> 01:22:03.833
But nevertheless, Amicia and Lucas move forward.

01:22:03.833 --> 01:22:13.893
Deep in the on-campus Roman bath house, Lucas and Amicia find a huge tiled mosaic that depicts a great sickness falling upon the people.

01:22:13.893 --> 01:22:22.473
Lucas takes one look at this and says, that's a Roman fresco of Justinian's plague, a huge massacre of the people in the sixth century.

01:22:22.473 --> 01:22:28.153
And Amicia confirms, saying, oh, well, you know, this house was built by a Roman governor in the sixth century.

01:22:28.153 --> 01:22:30.333
Also, you're a genius.

01:22:30.333 --> 01:22:31.813
What the shit?

01:22:31.813 --> 01:22:31.993
Yeah.

01:22:31.993 --> 01:22:33.853
So Lucas also knows art history.

01:22:35.753 --> 01:22:37.353
Six hundreds.

01:22:37.353 --> 01:22:37.613
Yeah.

01:22:37.613 --> 01:22:39.873
And for him to also just be like, well, that's a fresco.

01:22:39.873 --> 01:22:42.073
Like, no one's been here to clean in a month, dude.

01:22:42.073 --> 01:22:42.353
I'm sorry.

01:22:42.353 --> 01:22:43.613
Is your nickname Wikipedia?

01:22:43.613 --> 01:22:45.393
A little bit.

01:22:45.393 --> 01:22:46.273
That wasn't real yet.

01:22:46.273 --> 01:22:47.493
He was just encyclopedia.

01:22:47.493 --> 01:22:50.153
Yeah.

01:22:50.153 --> 01:22:57.773
The plague of Justinian is actually a real plague that happened in our world that occurred in 541 to 549.

01:22:57.773 --> 01:23:09.273
Some historians believe the first plague pandemic was one of the deadliest pandemics in history, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 15 to 100 million people during two centuries of recurrence.

01:23:09.273 --> 01:23:11.453
There were that many people to kill?

01:23:13.933 --> 01:23:14.593
At the time.

01:23:14.593 --> 01:23:15.833
That's just fucking everybody.

01:23:15.833 --> 01:23:16.913
Yeah, there was everyone.

01:23:16.913 --> 01:23:17.513
Yeah.

01:23:17.513 --> 01:23:21.433
That's why the Romans ended up out fucking here because they're like, well, there's a bunch of people dying out there.

01:23:21.433 --> 01:23:22.933
Holy fuck.

01:23:22.933 --> 01:23:30.113
Now, none of this is by accident, of course, as we know by the macula blood plague flowing generationally in certain bloodlines.

01:23:30.113 --> 01:23:44.813
I kind of love that they used real plagues to tie in to the generational bloodline of it, like talking about this crazy Roman one, the Justinian, and then getting into like the bubonic plague with the current generation of kids, because it does open the door to plague tale COVID.

01:23:46.353 --> 01:23:47.313
God, I hope not.

01:23:47.313 --> 01:23:52.533
And the idea of like, you know, in The Last of Us, when it opens, you get that newscast talking about the outbreak.

01:23:52.533 --> 01:23:59.153
I'm just also thinking of the fact that like they're talking about how these were plandemics in the fucking past and shit like that.

01:23:59.153 --> 01:24:02.233
Like, it's people were at fault for the other one.

01:24:02.413 --> 01:24:07.293
So it's like, no, no, no, let's not do one about COVID where people were planning the whole fucking thing.

01:24:07.293 --> 01:24:10.633
Well, as we know in the historical documents, it was Randy Marsh.

01:24:10.633 --> 01:24:11.153
That's right.

01:24:11.153 --> 01:24:14.653
And he is the carrier of the maculine.

01:24:16.853 --> 01:24:18.413
He is a descendant of that bloodline.

01:24:18.453 --> 01:24:19.173
Yes.

01:24:19.173 --> 01:24:20.713
God, he would be.

01:24:24.533 --> 01:24:28.213
Oh my God, I hate that he would be though.

01:24:28.213 --> 01:24:30.473
I am Lord, I bring death, la la la.

01:24:32.033 --> 01:24:38.613
Amicia and Lucas find Lady Beatrice's secret laboratory beneath the bath house, which is where the Romans would go just to sweat.

01:24:38.613 --> 01:24:40.033
I am so jealous.

01:24:40.033 --> 01:24:41.033
Yeah, just to sweat.

01:24:41.033 --> 01:24:42.633
That's what they were doing.

01:24:42.633 --> 01:24:47.933
Yeah, that's what the Romans do in the enclosed area naked, historically.

01:24:47.953 --> 01:24:52.193
Once they find Lady Beatrice's laboratory, Lucas is blown away.

01:24:52.193 --> 01:24:57.473
Obviously these rich people have all top tier alchemy shit and there's a ton of space to work.

01:24:57.473 --> 01:25:05.653
Lucas spots some ancient paintings of what looks like the same macula affliction as Hugo, but Amicia says these paintings are hundreds of years old.

01:25:05.653 --> 01:25:09.213
Lucas is like, yeah, Amicia, that's right.

01:25:09.213 --> 01:25:10.773
This isn't the first time this has happened.

01:25:10.773 --> 01:25:13.113
We just talked about this in front of the fucking fresco.

01:25:13.113 --> 01:25:13.633
Right.

01:25:13.633 --> 01:25:15.973
I need you to be a little smarter.

01:25:15.973 --> 01:25:21.773
Lucas looks over Lady Beatrice's notes and thinks he has a good shot at completing her work to help Hugo.

01:25:21.773 --> 01:25:24.073
Unfortunately, here come the rats.

01:25:24.993 --> 01:25:33.333
Amicia protects Lucas as he works and keeps the rat tornadoes at bay, because now we're getting a lot of rat tornadoes and they're going to be a lot more common going forward.

01:25:33.333 --> 01:25:35.073
Why are they so fucking common?

01:25:35.073 --> 01:25:36.653
And it's like waves of them.

01:25:36.653 --> 01:25:40.393
Amicia has to shoot them down, aim lights around.

01:25:40.393 --> 01:25:44.173
It's fun and it's also terrifying and the sound is so creepy.

01:25:44.173 --> 01:25:46.233
I was scared to play this with headphones.

01:25:46.233 --> 01:25:46.473
Yeah.

01:25:46.473 --> 01:25:48.853
How do you do a fucking sound effect of a rat tornado?

01:25:49.173 --> 01:25:49.553
You know what?

01:25:49.553 --> 01:25:50.253
I don't want to know.

01:25:50.253 --> 01:25:51.313
I can show you clips.

01:25:51.313 --> 01:25:52.133
No, I'm good.

01:25:52.133 --> 01:25:52.953
It kind of sucks.

01:25:52.953 --> 01:25:54.793
I'm not going to lie.

01:25:54.793 --> 01:25:57.613
The rats are raging and Amicia runs out of ammo.

01:25:58.013 --> 01:26:00.813
And as she does, Lucas finishes the macula potion.

01:26:00.813 --> 01:26:02.453
Thank God.

01:26:02.453 --> 01:26:12.373
Interestingly, the moment the potion is fully mixed, the layered sounds of squeaking grind to a halt and all the rats stop and stare.

01:26:12.393 --> 01:26:12.993
Oh.

01:26:12.993 --> 01:26:17.953
They move out of the way of Amicia and Lucas as they walk through unharmed.

01:26:17.953 --> 01:26:19.593
Well, that's convenient.

01:26:19.593 --> 01:26:20.133
It works.

01:26:20.133 --> 01:26:21.433
It's great.

01:26:21.433 --> 01:26:31.073
Lucas says the potion is tied to the macula and the macula is tied to the rats and the rats must sense the potion or know it or have reverence for what we're doing.

01:26:31.073 --> 01:26:32.613
So that's just how that works now.

01:26:32.613 --> 01:26:34.473
The rats have reverence.

01:26:34.473 --> 01:26:35.953
Yeah, they're plague rats.

01:26:35.953 --> 01:26:41.133
Back at the castle, Roderick and Arthur spot Amicia and Lucas returning overnight.

01:26:41.133 --> 01:26:44.413
Amicia is so proud to say, we have the elixir.

01:26:44.413 --> 01:26:48.013
Roderick is extra proud of Lucas and gives him a beefy pat on the back.

01:26:48.013 --> 01:26:54.153
Again, Roderick about twice as big as Lucas, so Lucas kind of does, oh shit, I got slapped real hard on the back thing.

01:26:55.413 --> 01:27:01.573
Because again, Lucas, tiny science boy Roderick is like a several generations in blacksmith.

01:27:01.573 --> 01:27:05.273
Yeah, I've been the little guy on the receiving end of those pats on the back before.

01:27:05.273 --> 01:27:06.273
It's a little humbling.

01:27:06.273 --> 01:27:07.033
Yeah.

01:27:07.033 --> 01:27:09.633
Inside, Hugo is sitting by the fire.

01:27:09.633 --> 01:27:13.493
His veins are fully black coursing through his pale skin.

01:27:13.493 --> 01:27:17.513
Amicia shows Hugo the elixir they made and sends it right down his throat.

01:27:18.233 --> 01:27:21.413
Hugo swallows and asks, Am I cured now?

01:27:21.413 --> 01:27:27.613
Then Hugo looks up at Amicia and asks, Okay, will we ever see Mommy again?

01:27:27.613 --> 01:27:35.153
Amicia immediately says no, but she does reassure him that she is not in pain and everything's okay.

01:27:35.153 --> 01:27:38.073
And when he wakes up tomorrow, he'll feel a lot better.

01:27:38.073 --> 01:27:43.233
Amicia curls up next to her brother to watch over him and falls asleep.

01:27:43.233 --> 01:27:50.593
The next morning, Amicia wakes up to Mellie screaming, Amicia, you'll never believe.

01:27:50.593 --> 01:27:53.513
Roderick beat Arthur at sling.

01:27:53.513 --> 01:27:54.133
Wait, what?

01:27:54.133 --> 01:27:56.413
That's their teens, you know.

01:27:56.413 --> 01:27:57.653
That's what she was screaming about.

01:27:57.653 --> 01:27:59.533
She's screaming at the top of her lungs.

01:27:59.533 --> 01:28:00.393
Oh, my God.

01:28:00.393 --> 01:28:02.333
Amicia is like, I was asleep.

01:28:02.333 --> 01:28:03.353
Why are you screaming?

01:28:03.353 --> 01:28:04.713
Wait, where's my brother?

01:28:04.713 --> 01:28:07.793
And she starts to look around and realizes Hugo isn't there.

01:28:07.793 --> 01:28:12.353
All the teens start looking for Hugo and Amicia runs out to the tree, the family tree.

01:28:13.453 --> 01:28:16.453
She sees only her family De Rune necklace hanging.

01:28:16.473 --> 01:28:17.273
Oh.

01:28:17.273 --> 01:28:19.973
Knowing now Hugo took his and ran off.

01:28:19.973 --> 01:28:22.333
Well, yeah, the family is still there.

01:28:22.333 --> 01:28:29.833
Amicia runs into the nearby woods screaming for Hugo when she falls down a ditch and passes out and the screen blacks out.

01:28:29.833 --> 01:28:31.653
Oh, that's not a good thing to do.

01:28:31.653 --> 01:28:36.913
Amicia enters a dark dream world in the woods as she runs looking for Hugo.

01:28:36.913 --> 01:28:38.913
The woods turn into a village.

01:28:38.913 --> 01:28:44.533
The village leads to Claire V's home, the first home to show her comfort since her parents' death.

01:28:44.533 --> 01:28:50.593
Claire V reminds Amicia to be careful looking for Hugo, because children don't just run away.

01:28:50.593 --> 01:28:57.073
Amicia enters a doorway and sees Laurentius' farm lined with dead pigs to keep the rats at bay.

01:28:57.073 --> 01:28:58.733
Laurentius here isn't sick.

01:28:58.733 --> 01:29:04.453
He's standing and is well enough to yell at Amicia for losing Hugo and not keeping him safe.

01:29:04.453 --> 01:29:08.013
She runs off to find Hugo and ends up back at the De Rune home.

01:29:08.013 --> 01:29:13.713
She comes face to face with her mother who tells Amicia that Hugo doesn't need Amicia anymore.

01:29:13.713 --> 01:29:18.793
Amicia finally comes up on Hugo who screams, why didn't you tell me mummy is still alive?

01:29:18.793 --> 01:29:20.173
Why didn't you tell me?

01:29:20.173 --> 01:29:22.473
You're jealous of me.

01:29:22.473 --> 01:29:28.273
Then Hugo pushes her over and Amicia passes out and the screen blacks out.

01:29:28.273 --> 01:29:32.693
Amicia wakes up in the ditch and swears she can hear Hugo calling for her.

01:29:32.693 --> 01:29:37.613
She runs and finds Hugo for real in a cage, being held hostage by two English guards.

01:29:38.393 --> 01:29:42.633
She kills them immediately and she lets Hugo out of the cage.

01:29:42.633 --> 01:29:45.053
She does not care about killing people anymore.

01:29:45.053 --> 01:29:46.453
She's like, I've killed many men.

01:29:46.453 --> 01:29:46.773
Yeah.

01:29:46.773 --> 01:29:48.473
She had a moment with her first kill after that.

01:29:48.473 --> 01:29:49.333
She's like, all right.

01:29:49.333 --> 01:29:51.373
Like she's a virgin, but she has a body count.

01:29:51.393 --> 01:29:53.353
Right.

01:29:53.353 --> 01:29:58.313
Hugo holds Amicia and tells her that he thought he heard mummy, so he left to find her.

01:29:58.313 --> 01:30:04.973
Amicia continues to tell Hugo, mummy is dead, but she isn't in pain and she isn't coming back and we're orphans now.

01:30:05.213 --> 01:30:08.213
So this is our life, we have to accept it.

01:30:08.213 --> 01:30:11.333
And Hugo goes, damn, that sucks.

01:30:12.433 --> 01:30:15.653
Like she is so kind of wanting to be an orphan, I feel.

01:30:15.653 --> 01:30:17.193
Oh, all her friends are orphans.

01:30:17.193 --> 01:30:17.853
Yeah, right.

01:30:17.853 --> 01:30:18.513
I guess so.

01:30:18.513 --> 01:30:21.473
She wants to just fit in with the crowd.

01:30:21.473 --> 01:30:25.273
Amicia grabs Hugo's hand and they run back to the chateau.

01:30:25.273 --> 01:30:31.093
On the way, Hugo swears he heard mummy's voice and he wriggles out of Amicia's grip to chase it.

01:30:31.093 --> 01:30:33.133
Hugo screams, mummy, where are you?

01:30:34.173 --> 01:30:38.753
Hugo sprints faster and faster and goes down into a tunnel of rat rot.

01:30:38.753 --> 01:30:44.433
Amicia begs Hugo to stop and come back, please, but he sprints faster and faster.

01:30:44.433 --> 01:30:50.673
The rat rot begins to reveal it's built on top of the bodies that have died at the hands of the plague.

01:30:50.673 --> 01:30:56.113
And then those bodies become those that have died at the hands of Amicia.

01:30:56.113 --> 01:31:01.833
From the rat rotted tunnel, the voices of men Amicia has killed along the way ring out to haunt her.

01:31:03.013 --> 01:31:08.953
This nightmare continues, and Amicia is faced with the mountains of bodies she has killed to protect her brother.

01:31:08.953 --> 01:31:14.893
They reach out to her, calling to her, and she sobs saying, she'll kill them all again to keep Hugo safe.

01:31:14.893 --> 01:31:16.373
Hell, yes, she will.

01:31:16.373 --> 01:31:20.913
The end of the tunnel blackens with rats as Amicia runs straight through them.

01:31:20.913 --> 01:31:29.693
Amicia eventually emerges in an ocean of rats and sees Lord Nicholas taking Hugo away, telling Hugo he can see his mother if he goes with Lord Nicholas.

01:31:30.733 --> 01:31:40.113
Hugo agrees, and as they leave, Amicia screams and reaches out for her baby brother one last time before passing out and blacking out again.

01:31:41.233 --> 01:31:50.853
Back in town, Hugo is in a large cathedral under the watchful eye of the English Inquisition working for Vitalis, the Grand Inquisitor.

01:31:50.853 --> 01:31:55.453
Hugo speaks to an alchemist of the Grand Inquisitor who takes some of his blood.

01:31:55.453 --> 01:32:00.353
Hugo asks to see his mother now, but the alchemist says, that's up to the Grand Inquisitor.

01:32:00.353 --> 01:32:05.073
Hugo's well, god damn it, I missed my fucking mummy.

01:32:05.073 --> 01:32:11.333
At Hugo's feet, a single rat runs by into an open cupboard that connects into the next room.

01:32:11.333 --> 01:32:20.933
Hugo, being five years old and sickly, is incredibly small and can go really sneaky sneaks as he navigates a church looking for his mummy.

01:32:20.933 --> 01:32:29.173
The church is a heavily trafficked building with lots of soldiers, alchemists and general laborers working on some potions for Vitalis.

01:32:29.173 --> 01:32:45.053
Over the course of Hugo trying to find his mummy, he overhears some people talking about how Vitalis has been injecting himself with a compound that is used by alchemists to attract the rats, and how Hugo's blood can help balance the macula.

01:32:45.053 --> 01:32:46.553
What in the hell?

01:32:46.553 --> 01:32:50.753
Hugo knows fuck all because he's a tiny child, so this means nothing to him.

01:32:50.753 --> 01:32:52.593
It hardly means anything to me.

01:32:52.593 --> 01:33:01.173
But as a player, it is interesting to hear Vitalis has been trying to get macula into his own blood, believing he can control rats with it.

01:33:01.173 --> 01:33:02.733
Yeah, that's insanity.

01:33:03.933 --> 01:33:05.713
You're like, that's not how blood works.

01:33:05.713 --> 01:33:06.293
Right.

01:33:06.293 --> 01:33:08.053
You're going to get diseases.

01:33:08.053 --> 01:33:10.413
You're not going to get rat powers, my guy.

01:33:10.413 --> 01:33:12.693
Doesn't turn you into a rat man.

01:33:12.693 --> 01:33:14.753
Now you're thinking portals.

01:33:14.753 --> 01:33:20.293
Along the way, Hugo sometimes has a small macula tachyla and gets sharp migraines.

01:33:20.293 --> 01:33:27.173
Little Hugo has to stop here and there to manage his pain and hold his head, and I feel you migraines are the fucking worst.

01:33:27.173 --> 01:33:28.513
Just needs some ginger ale.

01:33:28.513 --> 01:33:30.133
Apparently.

01:33:30.133 --> 01:33:39.353
Hugo overhears how one monk is reading up on the past plagues, and one child macula carrier ascended during the Justinian plague.

01:33:39.353 --> 01:33:42.873
Another monk says, maybe they're a relative of Hugo De Rune.

01:33:42.873 --> 01:33:48.753
And Hugo, out loud to himself, says, they're talking about me.

01:33:48.753 --> 01:33:52.233
Again, he's five, but like, dude, shut the fuck up.

01:33:54.133 --> 01:34:04.293
Another monk says that once Vitalis ascends and reaches the full power of the macula, he'll banish the rats and be granted immense political power for saving the world.

01:34:04.293 --> 01:34:06.613
Again, nothing to Hugo.

01:34:06.613 --> 01:34:10.513
We accept this as, oh no, he's trying to weaponize the plague.

01:34:10.513 --> 01:34:11.473
Right.

01:34:11.473 --> 01:34:17.353
If this works, again, he's injecting himself with weird rat shit into his veins.

01:34:17.353 --> 01:34:18.493
This guy's insane.

01:34:19.353 --> 01:34:26.333
Hugo watches on as an archbishop of Pope Clement VI arrives to talk to Vitalis.

01:34:26.333 --> 01:34:34.193
The archbishop keeps reminding Vitalis that he's worked for the Pope and is essentially like, hey, what the fuck are you guys up to over here?

01:34:34.193 --> 01:34:35.353
We're all curious.

01:34:35.353 --> 01:34:37.453
Like, no one's checked in with us.

01:34:37.453 --> 01:34:39.073
You guys are just kind of going off grid.

01:34:39.073 --> 01:34:40.013
Are you good?

01:34:40.013 --> 01:34:41.713
This is a rogue team.

01:34:41.713 --> 01:34:43.013
It's kind of rogue, yeah.

01:34:43.093 --> 01:34:43.953
Oh God.

01:34:43.953 --> 01:34:47.973
The Pope is sending people to check on him because he's not getting the reports back.

01:34:48.333 --> 01:34:48.673
Right.

01:34:48.673 --> 01:34:51.933
And he's like, I'm hearing pretty fucked up shit coming out of France.

01:34:51.933 --> 01:34:53.113
What did you guys do?

01:34:53.113 --> 01:34:56.793
Yeah, I don't think they were going to involve the Pope in him taking over the world.

01:34:56.793 --> 01:34:59.573
We don't call the Pope, he's busy fighting cats or something.

01:34:59.573 --> 01:35:00.033
Right.

01:35:00.033 --> 01:35:02.013
I know this is a different Pope.

01:35:02.013 --> 01:35:02.493
Still.

01:35:02.493 --> 01:35:04.293
You would hope.

01:35:04.293 --> 01:35:09.773
Vitalis is interrupted with a vial of Hugo de Rune's blood ready for injection.

01:35:09.773 --> 01:35:18.413
Vitalis confirms his super villain plan is to make himself a carrier of the macula and unlock this connection to the rats.

01:35:18.413 --> 01:35:21.993
The Archbishop is like, what the fuck is wrong with you?

01:35:21.993 --> 01:35:26.213
You were supposed to read stories to the kids in church on Sunday.

01:35:28.013 --> 01:35:29.913
This is fucking crazy, dude.

01:35:29.993 --> 01:35:35.213
You're supposed to do an Easter service, and now you think you can control rats?

01:35:35.213 --> 01:35:40.913
This is not what the Pope intended in last month's fucking, you guys should empower your church squad shit.

01:35:40.913 --> 01:35:41.853
What are you doing?

01:35:41.853 --> 01:35:42.233
I don't know.

01:35:42.233 --> 01:35:47.653
I heard about a guy over in Ireland who controlled snakes, so I wanted to control the fucking rats.

01:35:47.653 --> 01:35:49.433
And that dude got sainthood, okay?

01:35:52.973 --> 01:35:59.133
The Archbishop is like, you are injecting stolen child blood into your body.

01:35:59.133 --> 01:36:01.273
You are fucking crazy.

01:36:01.273 --> 01:36:02.433
And you know what?

01:36:02.433 --> 01:36:03.973
I'm going to take my power.

01:36:03.973 --> 01:36:08.573
You are officially excommunicado, John Wick.

01:36:08.573 --> 01:36:11.693
Oh no, they actually excommunicated the guy though?

01:36:11.693 --> 01:36:12.853
That's a big deal back then.

01:36:13.213 --> 01:36:13.953
Yeah.

01:36:13.953 --> 01:36:15.653
That's a huge fucking deal.

01:36:15.653 --> 01:36:16.773
It really is.

01:36:16.773 --> 01:36:19.113
And Vitalis kind of doesn't give a shit.

01:36:19.773 --> 01:36:25.353
He is like, all right, he shakes his little bootleg blood transfusion as he addresses the Archbishop.

01:36:25.353 --> 01:36:33.053
And he's like, well, one can excommunicate a man, Archbishop, but not a saint.

01:36:33.053 --> 01:36:35.673
And now I have a list of five saints that were excommunicated.

01:36:37.473 --> 01:36:38.953
Joan of Arc, St.

01:36:38.953 --> 01:36:43.793
Christosim, Leo I, Althanius and Columba.

01:36:43.793 --> 01:36:47.393
These are all saints who were excommunicated, but still have sainthood.

01:36:47.393 --> 01:36:47.753
Wow.

01:36:47.753 --> 01:36:48.513
Well, good for them.

01:36:48.513 --> 01:36:49.333
Thank you.

01:36:49.333 --> 01:36:50.073
No, good for me.

01:36:50.073 --> 01:36:50.973
I did a lot of research.

01:36:50.973 --> 01:36:51.673
You did.

01:36:51.673 --> 01:36:52.713
You're not Catholic.

01:36:52.713 --> 01:36:53.573
You never were.

01:36:53.573 --> 01:36:55.493
No, my dad was.

01:36:55.493 --> 01:36:57.993
So that doesn't make me genetically Catholic.

01:36:57.993 --> 01:36:58.673
That's not a thing.

01:36:58.673 --> 01:36:59.453
I'm just Irish.

01:36:59.453 --> 01:37:01.273
No, it's not like Jewish.

01:37:01.273 --> 01:37:10.413
No, I'm just half Irish and have heard horror stories about growing up in Catholic Church from my father, which I think is why he wanted nothing to do with Catholicism raising me.

01:37:10.413 --> 01:37:11.873
And your husband.

01:37:11.873 --> 01:37:12.653
Also you.

01:37:12.693 --> 01:37:14.293
Yes.

01:37:14.293 --> 01:37:18.473
The Archbishop leaves saying, your Inquisition is over.

01:37:18.473 --> 01:37:30.033
And because he's a dog ass bitch who has to have the last word, Vitalis says, meaning a new era commences, one where puppets such as yourself will kneel and beg me to save them.

01:37:30.493 --> 01:37:31.253
Oh, God.

01:37:31.253 --> 01:37:37.453
Which is such a dumb ass thing to yell, because he's like, you are fired, your shit is over.

01:37:37.453 --> 01:37:41.213
And he goes, when one door closes, a window opens.

01:37:41.213 --> 01:37:46.313
Well, calling other people puppets is basically like the calling people the NPC of that day.

01:37:46.313 --> 01:37:47.393
Literally NPCs.

01:37:47.393 --> 01:37:48.533
Yeah.

01:37:48.533 --> 01:37:52.053
The Archbishop leaves and is replaced by Lord Nicholas.

01:37:52.053 --> 01:37:54.973
Lord Nicholas reports that they have Hugo De Rune.

01:37:54.973 --> 01:37:56.633
Vitalis says, okay, good.

01:37:56.633 --> 01:37:58.953
Go see if Lady Beatrice has regained consciousness.

01:37:59.813 --> 01:38:02.833
Hugo goes, Lady Beatrice is my mummy.

01:38:02.833 --> 01:38:04.053
I will follow him now.

01:38:04.073 --> 01:38:05.253
Oh no.

01:38:05.253 --> 01:38:09.173
Hugo sneaky sneaks along with Lord Nicholas back to his mummy's cage.

01:38:09.173 --> 01:38:13.093
Once he gets a clear path, Hugo runs to be reunited with his mummy.

01:38:13.093 --> 01:38:23.833
She is completely emaciated, laying on the ground of a dirty cell when Hugo comes up and says, hello mummy, Amicia said you were dead, but you're not.

01:38:23.833 --> 01:38:35.653
Immediately tattling on your sibling as the first thing you do when you see your parent after a long time is fucking dead on.

01:38:35.653 --> 01:38:36.173
Really?

01:38:36.193 --> 01:38:39.513
Oh my God, that is amazing.

01:38:39.513 --> 01:38:41.253
I yelled at the screen when he did this.

01:38:41.253 --> 01:38:43.513
It was like, you little fucking snitch.

01:38:43.513 --> 01:38:44.013
Yep.

01:38:44.013 --> 01:38:47.573
That is such younger sibling behavior.

01:38:47.573 --> 01:38:48.813
That was, that's incredible.

01:38:48.813 --> 01:38:49.273
Really?

01:38:49.273 --> 01:38:49.553
Okay.

01:38:50.133 --> 01:38:50.993
Good writing, guys.

01:38:50.993 --> 01:38:53.273
Well done, Asobo.

01:38:53.273 --> 01:38:55.813
Bewildered beyond belief.

01:38:55.813 --> 01:39:02.513
Lady Beatrice stands up and rushes to him, probably just to verify if she's having a hallucination or not from being beaten and shit.

01:39:02.513 --> 01:39:03.333
Right.

01:39:03.333 --> 01:39:07.053
She tells Hugo, you have to go because you cannot be found here.

01:39:07.053 --> 01:39:08.633
This is bad.

01:39:08.633 --> 01:39:12.453
Then she notices Hugo was bleeding and asked if they took his blood.

01:39:12.453 --> 01:39:18.513
Lady Beatrice panics knowing what Vitalis is doing, and then agrees to leave once Hugo gets the keys to her cell.

01:39:19.193 --> 01:39:29.313
Hugo goes on a fun sneaky sneak mission that at sometimes does feel more neuter than the MJ and Spider-Man missions, but at least it's pretty quick and it's certainly not as arduous.

01:39:29.313 --> 01:39:30.513
And you are in control of him?

01:39:30.513 --> 01:39:30.793
Yes.

01:39:30.793 --> 01:39:32.213
Oh, that's pretty cool.

01:39:32.213 --> 01:39:42.073
And it's also kind of nice because he's so much shorter than Amicia, your entire worldview is lowered, kind of like when you play Torbjorn in Overwatch and you're like a full two inches lower than everyone else.

01:39:42.993 --> 01:39:46.573
Hugo returns with the key and Lady Beatrice is actually really impressed.

01:39:46.573 --> 01:39:50.173
Like, oh, I thought you were kind of useless because I've babydew your entire life.

01:39:50.173 --> 01:39:52.113
But good job, little buddy.

01:39:52.113 --> 01:39:56.553
Hugo's hard work is rewarded with a big mom hug.

01:39:56.553 --> 01:40:00.853
Hugo tells his mummy that he can hear something asking to join in his head.

01:40:00.853 --> 01:40:04.333
Lady Beatrice goes, ah yes, the first threshold.

01:40:04.333 --> 01:40:13.573
She tells Hugo to harness the voice that's been giving him migraines and guides him into embracing this voice and fully joining them, whoever they are.

01:40:13.573 --> 01:40:21.233
As Hugo agrees and joins the voice in his head, he becomes able to control the rats.

01:40:21.233 --> 01:40:24.053
What?

01:40:24.373 --> 01:40:25.593
Now this is his power?

01:40:25.593 --> 01:40:27.093
Yes.

01:40:27.093 --> 01:40:29.233
Sure.

01:40:29.813 --> 01:40:31.773
It sounds like he should have had that the whole time.

01:40:31.773 --> 01:40:33.413
Yeah, but he had a migraine.

01:40:33.413 --> 01:40:35.913
Oh.

01:40:35.913 --> 01:40:38.113
Once that's gone, it's rat time.

01:40:38.113 --> 01:40:39.013
It's rat time.

01:40:39.693 --> 01:40:47.593
Hugo reaches out and with his mind, is able to gather all the rats from that area in one place and control where they go.

01:40:47.593 --> 01:40:54.413
Lady Beatrice holds Hugo around the shoulders to guide him, as Hugo dispels the rats around Lady Beatrice's cage.

01:40:54.413 --> 01:41:02.893
Lady Beatrice and Hugo work together to move the rats, sticking them after soldiers or simply moving them out of the way so they can sneak through safely.

01:41:02.893 --> 01:41:05.393
Hugo asks if the rat power is his disease.

01:41:05.773 --> 01:41:09.293
Lady Beatrice says, hey, hey, hey, it's a gift.

01:41:09.293 --> 01:41:14.553
We just have to be careful with it, because with great power comes great rat responsibility.

01:41:16.473 --> 01:41:17.693
Nice.

01:41:17.693 --> 01:41:20.633
Hugo asks, why do I have this power?

01:41:20.633 --> 01:41:23.453
Amicia doesn't have this power.

01:41:23.453 --> 01:41:26.453
Lady Beatrice says, it's not up to you, it's up to your blood.

01:41:26.453 --> 01:41:31.793
It's, I can't tell you why your sister doesn't have magical rat powers, buddy.

01:41:33.213 --> 01:41:34.973
Oh no, one of you is not related to the other.

01:41:37.833 --> 01:41:42.973
Which is sad, because their dad was so fucking hot, I would hop on that shit and make one, god damn.

01:41:42.973 --> 01:41:46.133
Well, what do you think they were doing in that fucking bath house?

01:41:46.733 --> 01:41:48.373
There it is.

01:41:48.373 --> 01:41:51.633
On the way out, Lady Beatrice and Hugo get caught.

01:41:51.633 --> 01:41:58.613
They're brought directly to Vitalis, and Lady Beatrice demands that he's taken what he wants, so he should let them go now.

01:41:58.613 --> 01:42:01.173
You got my kid's blood, we're good.

01:42:01.173 --> 01:42:03.113
Vitalis says, absolutely not.

01:42:03.933 --> 01:42:08.293
Your son picked the macula and it's not done with him, so neither am I.

01:42:08.293 --> 01:42:11.713
And she's like, again, honey, it's not your fault.

01:42:11.713 --> 01:42:14.393
This is just your blood, it's okay.

01:42:14.393 --> 01:42:21.993
Lord Nicholas is there and he encourages Vitalis to finish this, AKA, please let me kill this woman and her child.

01:42:21.993 --> 01:42:26.473
Vitalis says, no, we are not gonna kill the woman and her child.

01:42:26.473 --> 01:42:27.773
Calm the fuck down.

01:42:27.773 --> 01:42:29.533
First reasonable thing he said.

01:42:29.533 --> 01:42:38.133
Truly, he's been screaming at the archbishop all afternoon and then he's like, what if we don't murder people in this moment specifically?

01:42:38.133 --> 01:42:38.813
For now.

01:42:38.813 --> 01:42:39.973
For now.

01:42:39.973 --> 01:42:46.813
Then Vitalis addresses Hugo directly, telling Hugo they're bound by blood and now their family grows larger.

01:42:46.813 --> 01:42:51.873
You know, because I injected your blood loosely into my stream, we are brothers now.

01:42:51.873 --> 01:42:53.413
That's not how family works.

01:42:53.413 --> 01:42:54.493
Nope.

01:42:54.493 --> 01:43:00.393
Lady Beatrice, clearly disgusted by this, begs Vitalis to let Hugo leave at least.

01:43:00.913 --> 01:43:03.253
Vitalis says, no.

01:43:03.253 --> 01:43:08.613
Lady Beatrice calls Vitalis a monster, and Vitalis is like, bitch, you have no idea.

01:43:09.673 --> 01:43:14.753
Then Vitalis unleashes a river of rats down on Hugo and Lady Beatrice.

01:43:14.753 --> 01:43:15.673
River.

01:43:15.673 --> 01:43:21.533
The rats pile on top of each other in small hills that surround Beatrice and Hugo.

01:43:21.533 --> 01:43:28.253
Wave by wave by wave, Vitalis sends soldiers down with one instruction, kill her.

01:43:29.333 --> 01:43:35.353
One by one, soldiers descend, and Hugo sends rats to eat them all up before they can reach his mummy.

01:43:35.353 --> 01:43:41.753
Lady Beatrice, malnourished and physically abused for a month is on her knees exhausted.

01:43:41.753 --> 01:43:45.333
Hugo falls to his knees exhausted from moving the rats around too.

01:43:45.333 --> 01:43:46.973
Okay, so that does tuck her out.

01:43:46.973 --> 01:43:54.273
Yeah, he's little, he's five, he doesn't really get it, but yeah, it does physically exhaust him to move the rats around.

01:43:54.273 --> 01:43:59.573
It's not on a cool down necessarily, but characteristically, he's just so little.

01:43:59.573 --> 01:44:04.393
Vitalis says, okay, he did good, but he's not hitting the next threshold yet.

01:44:04.393 --> 01:44:09.273
Lady Beatrice hears Vitalis say this and says, oh shit, it's Amicia.

01:44:09.273 --> 01:44:10.173
Oh.

01:44:10.173 --> 01:44:17.813
For a macula holder to ascend to the next threshold for their powers to grow, there must be a triggered event, and that is usually loss.

01:44:17.813 --> 01:44:22.993
Vitalis was kind of hoping that if he got the mom killed, that Hugo's powers would really kick up a notch.

01:44:22.993 --> 01:44:31.213
But Hugo was so brave under the assault of rats on himself and his mother, it was not enough to trigger the next threshold like Vitalis wanted.

01:44:31.213 --> 01:44:37.153
Lady Beatrice realizes this, and she's like, well, what's one thing that would stress Hugo out enough to ascend?

01:44:37.153 --> 01:44:39.753
Ah, the death of Amicia.

01:44:39.753 --> 01:44:41.133
Now my other kid's in trouble.

01:44:41.153 --> 01:44:41.533
Oh, God.

01:44:41.533 --> 01:44:43.933
The one I don't even fucking like.

01:44:43.933 --> 01:44:46.433
That mom really did not care for this girl.

01:44:46.433 --> 01:44:48.753
She has golden child syndrome with Hugo.

01:44:49.653 --> 01:44:54.653
Holy, I mean, granted, he's got special blood, so kind of is the chosen one.

01:44:54.653 --> 01:44:56.633
Yeah, but Amicia's not a bad kid.

01:44:56.633 --> 01:44:57.153
No.

01:44:57.153 --> 01:45:00.653
She's actually very sweet, you know, she's caring and she's very driven.

01:45:00.653 --> 01:45:02.433
She's always like, I want to get shit done.

01:45:02.433 --> 01:45:04.733
I want to be a badass night, look at my sling.

01:45:04.733 --> 01:45:07.953
And her mom's like, I could not give two shits about you, my darling.

01:45:07.953 --> 01:45:09.313
But what about Hugo?

01:45:09.313 --> 01:45:10.473
Yeah.

01:45:10.473 --> 01:45:11.993
Think of your five-year-old brother.

01:45:11.993 --> 01:45:15.573
And she's like, I do every day because I've never seen you, mom.

01:45:15.573 --> 01:45:15.933
Fuck you.

01:45:16.813 --> 01:45:21.393
Vitalis says, Hugo is close and they have other pawns they can play.

01:45:21.393 --> 01:45:26.993
And Lady Beatrice is swept away as an exhausted Hugo crumbles to the ground.

01:45:26.993 --> 01:45:32.873
Vitalis says he will take care of Hugo and makes sure he will ascend in his macula powers.

01:45:32.873 --> 01:45:36.073
Hugo passes out and the screen blacks out.

01:45:36.073 --> 01:45:41.733
Amicia wakes up suddenly, screaming for Hugo back in the Chateau d'Ombrage.

01:45:41.733 --> 01:45:44.073
She's surrounded by Mellie and Lucas.

01:45:44.073 --> 01:45:50.793
Lucas tells Amicia that she's been gone for three days and almost died before Mellie and Arthur tracked her down.

01:45:50.793 --> 01:45:56.313
Amicia knows she lost Hugo and simply tells her friends to leave her alone.

01:45:56.313 --> 01:45:59.413
We time jump a month to January of 1349.

01:45:59.413 --> 01:46:00.353
Holy shit.

01:46:00.353 --> 01:46:04.673
Amicia looks out at the snow and figures they need to light up the fires soon.

01:46:04.673 --> 01:46:10.153
Lucas is trying to open a case that's been frozen over now that the winter has gotten particularly bad.

01:46:10.153 --> 01:46:14.013
Amicia heads out to see Roderick and finds a flower.

01:46:14.013 --> 01:46:20.213
She thinks of Hugo and places it in her hair, remembering how he'd always pick the pretty ones out for her.

01:46:20.213 --> 01:46:25.373
Outside, Mellie and Arthur are fighting over staying at the castle or leaving the castle.

01:46:25.373 --> 01:46:29.293
Arthur wants to go, but Mellie has gotten a little comfortable at the chateau.

01:46:29.293 --> 01:46:33.313
Mellie calls Arthur a pain in the ass and goes to help Lucas open the frozen over case.

01:46:34.273 --> 01:46:39.353
Arthur spits at Mellie, which also feels so aggressively sibling.

01:46:39.353 --> 01:46:44.153
As she leaves, Arthur spits at Mellie, which feels so aggressively sibling.

01:46:44.153 --> 01:46:47.473
And then goes to help Amicia light all the rat fires.

01:46:47.473 --> 01:46:50.693
Amicia tells Arthur she's been feeling so old lately.

01:46:50.693 --> 01:46:53.713
She's almost 16 and a half.

01:46:53.713 --> 01:46:56.993
He tells her she looks pretty good for an old person.

01:46:56.993 --> 01:47:08.953
These two might be having a moment right now, but Roderick starts screaming at the top of his lungs that he hates machinery and fully kills the vibe.

01:47:08.953 --> 01:47:10.573
I love Roderick so much.

01:47:10.573 --> 01:47:12.773
They're really like, oh, well, you don't look so bad.

01:47:12.773 --> 01:47:15.773
And Roderick is in the background going, fuck this shit.

01:47:16.573 --> 01:47:18.593
And it's 1300s machinery.

01:47:18.593 --> 01:47:20.093
It's not complex shit.

01:47:20.093 --> 01:47:23.413
No, and he's a blacksmith by trade generationally.

01:47:23.413 --> 01:47:24.753
So he knows how everything works.

01:47:24.753 --> 01:47:25.233
Right.

01:47:25.233 --> 01:47:26.513
Come on, buddy.

01:47:26.513 --> 01:47:34.133
Roderick is trying to fix some of the castle's moving fire pits and ends up nearly kicking the machinery in because he's like, if it ain't fixed, break it kind of guy.

01:47:34.133 --> 01:47:36.313
Yeah, we love Roderick.

01:47:36.313 --> 01:47:37.533
And he's like, well, you know what?

01:47:37.533 --> 01:47:38.893
I'm going to go hit the showers.

01:47:38.893 --> 01:47:41.573
Stay fresh, cheese bags.

01:47:41.573 --> 01:47:43.573
He's perfect.

01:47:43.573 --> 01:47:48.793
Just as Amicia and Arthur almost get all the lights up, the rats start coming in waves.

01:47:48.793 --> 01:47:52.733
They crash up on the wall like the ocean splashing on the rocks.

01:47:52.733 --> 01:47:56.973
Arthur and Amicia work together to get through the onslaught of rats and back to the safety of the chateau.

01:47:58.113 --> 01:48:03.513
Mellie and Rodrick stand from safety and watch in horror as their friends get trapped by the rats.

01:48:03.513 --> 01:48:08.133
The rats here look like an anthill descending on an unattended spring picnic.

01:48:08.133 --> 01:48:14.833
They are absolutely everywhere and crawl on top of each other in layers to accommodate for their sheer density.

01:48:14.833 --> 01:48:22.373
The rat tornadoes blow through the battle arena as Amicia and Arthur navigate the ever-changing landscape of rats together.

01:48:22.373 --> 01:48:25.413
Arthur has never seen the rats this bad and neither has Amicia.

01:48:25.993 --> 01:48:29.833
And Amicia is like, it's so bad it almost feels like they're trying to attack us.

01:48:29.833 --> 01:48:32.673
Like these rats feel fucking personal.

01:48:32.673 --> 01:48:33.513
Vindictive.

01:48:33.513 --> 01:48:34.433
Yeah.

01:48:34.433 --> 01:48:36.193
And she's like, why now?

01:48:36.193 --> 01:48:37.253
It's cold.

01:48:37.253 --> 01:48:38.213
Leave me alone.

01:48:38.213 --> 01:48:40.113
Why is this happening?

01:48:40.113 --> 01:48:44.673
Arthur and Amicia rejoin the others, Roderick, Mellie, and Lucas inside.

01:48:44.673 --> 01:48:47.793
They are all bewildered by this ridiculous wave of rats.

01:48:47.793 --> 01:48:49.473
No one's ever seen it this bad.

01:48:49.473 --> 01:48:52.073
And this castle was said to be rat resistant.

01:48:52.073 --> 01:48:54.053
Laurentius said we would always be safe here.

01:48:55.153 --> 01:49:00.753
Just as they're all screaming and trying to scramble to figure out what to do, the door flings open.

01:49:00.753 --> 01:49:08.593
A single layer of rats pour inside and surround the feet of Hugo De Rune and Lord Nicholas as they enter the castle.

01:49:08.593 --> 01:49:10.193
Oh, what the shit?

01:49:10.193 --> 01:49:15.313
Roderick, Mellie, Arthur, and Lucas see this and immediately take off sprinting.

01:49:15.313 --> 01:49:21.253
Amicia stands alone, looking at her brother paralyzed at the sight of him.

01:49:21.253 --> 01:49:27.913
Roderick wraps his beefy hand around her wrist and drags Amicia away before blocking the door behind him.

01:49:27.913 --> 01:49:32.893
Roderick leads the teens out of the castle with Amicia begging them to let her talk to her brother.

01:49:32.893 --> 01:49:40.993
Lord Nicholas manages to get the drop on Amicia and Arthur and punches the shit out of both of them, knocking Amicia and Arthur out completely.

01:49:40.993 --> 01:49:42.653
Jesus.

01:49:42.653 --> 01:49:47.473
Amicia wakes up being dragged by Lord Nicholas and dropped at Hugo's feet.

01:49:47.473 --> 01:49:54.253
Lord Nicholas tells Hugo, get to work, kill her, or I will kill your mother in front of you.

01:49:54.253 --> 01:49:59.153
What the shit that's basically saying, do one thing that's the exact same as the other.

01:49:59.153 --> 01:50:00.993
Someone's going to die.

01:50:00.993 --> 01:50:02.233
You better figure it out.

01:50:02.233 --> 01:50:05.673
She's been a mother figure to you or your actual mother.

01:50:05.673 --> 01:50:10.253
Amicia looks at Hugo and just says, I'm your sister.

01:50:10.253 --> 01:50:18.993
Hugo approaches Amicia slowly as Amicia begs Hugo that she's been waiting for him and she's been looking for him and, please, please, please.

01:50:18.993 --> 01:50:27.893
Hugo says nothing as Lord Nicholas pushes Hugo to kill Amicia to unlock his powers and ascend to the next phase of Macula.

01:50:27.893 --> 01:50:38.813
Lord Nicholas is impatient and as Hugo says nothing, Lord Nicholas is like, fuck this, I got it, and starts intimidating Amicia, forcing her to walk backwards and backwards.

01:50:38.813 --> 01:50:44.233
Amicia cries out to Hugo, but Lord Nicholas pushes her closer to the rats so that the rats will eat her.

01:50:44.473 --> 01:50:45.873
Oh, shit.

01:50:45.873 --> 01:50:54.993
Amicia stumbles and is at the end of Lord Nicholas' sword when, from above, Arthur releases a flat of stones that all land on Lord Nicholas.

01:50:54.993 --> 01:50:56.533
Shit, yeah, Arthur.

01:50:56.533 --> 01:51:01.193
Arthur jumps down and is like, we got the bastard, let's do this.

01:51:01.193 --> 01:51:05.733
Amicia and Arthur look over to see Hugo, surrounded by rats circling him.

01:51:05.733 --> 01:51:13.473
Arthur goes to make sure Lord Nicholas is dead because he knows he's in a video game and is like, well, I'm not going to let anyone die off screen, let's make sure this is good.

01:51:13.733 --> 01:51:14.433
Right.

01:51:14.433 --> 01:51:19.313
And give Amicia time to talk to Hugo also because he doesn't want to be involved in this.

01:51:19.313 --> 01:51:26.853
Amicia approaches carefully and tells Hugo, hey, Lord Nicholas is dead, no one can hurt you now.

01:51:26.853 --> 01:51:33.093
Hugo makes the rats circle swell and get bigger and yells at Amicia for lying to him.

01:51:33.093 --> 01:51:40.393
Amicia says she just wanted to protect him, but Hugo in rage covers Amicia in a rat tornado.

01:51:40.393 --> 01:51:41.293
Oh my God, no.

01:51:41.873 --> 01:51:48.493
The rat tornado grows above her and around her and becomes so thick that she can't be seen through it.

01:51:48.493 --> 01:51:55.173
Then as the rat tornado hits its peak, the rat tornado falls apart and the rats rejoin the crowd.

01:51:55.173 --> 01:51:59.113
As Amicia is shown holding Hugo deeply in her arms.

01:51:59.113 --> 01:51:59.853
Oh.

01:51:59.853 --> 01:52:02.953
The siblings now reunited embrace.

01:52:02.953 --> 01:52:06.913
Arthur watches on smiling at seeing the two back together.

01:52:06.913 --> 01:52:13.753
And the love between siblings makes Hugo's heart grow and triggers him into the next threshold.

01:52:13.753 --> 01:52:14.673
Oh.

01:52:14.673 --> 01:52:16.713
So it doesn't even have to be like a negative thing.

01:52:16.713 --> 01:52:18.573
It can be a positive thing.

01:52:18.573 --> 01:52:20.773
Power of love.

01:52:20.773 --> 01:52:27.253
Then Lord Nicholas sinks his sword directly through Arthur, killing the young boy.

01:52:27.253 --> 01:52:28.213
Fuck.

01:52:28.213 --> 01:52:29.433
No.

01:52:29.433 --> 01:52:30.313
I hated this.

01:52:30.313 --> 01:52:30.993
No.

01:52:30.993 --> 01:52:32.953
That's some Rufio shit.

01:52:32.953 --> 01:52:37.933
I hated this so much and he specifically was like, I'm going to make sure he's dead, be right back.

01:52:37.933 --> 01:52:39.713
And he wasn't.

01:52:39.753 --> 01:52:42.613
Oh, fuck.

01:52:42.613 --> 01:52:44.073
Not a fan favorite.

01:52:44.073 --> 01:52:46.273
That sucks.

01:52:46.273 --> 01:52:52.533
Arthur doesn't get a lot of screen time, but he's so fucking cool that you're like, oh, god damn it.

01:52:52.573 --> 01:52:52.973
Shit.

01:52:52.973 --> 01:52:54.873
Well, sorry, Arthur.

01:52:54.873 --> 01:53:02.513
Amicia and Hugo run hand in hand in the Lord Nicholas boss battle, which I'm going to say is absolutely the hardest one of the game, or at least the hardest one for me.

01:53:02.513 --> 01:53:04.093
I had so much fucking trouble with this one.

01:53:04.093 --> 01:53:05.233
This one fucking sucked.

01:53:06.453 --> 01:53:11.413
Because of his heavy armor, Lord Nicholas can get swarmed by rats and not die.

01:53:11.413 --> 01:53:19.333
He can also use his sword as a flint to make a fire sword, rendering the rats fully useless around him because of the light of the fire.

01:53:19.333 --> 01:53:19.773
Right.

01:53:19.773 --> 01:53:20.433
Holy shit.

01:53:20.433 --> 01:53:29.793
It's a whole ass thing to unlight his sword and hit him with rats and also hide from him because he has a one-shot wonder and you immediately die if he gets you, which fucking sucks.

01:53:29.793 --> 01:53:31.993
Well, yeah, it's giant flaming sword.

01:53:31.993 --> 01:53:34.373
Versus teenage girl and five-year-old boy.

01:53:34.813 --> 01:53:35.473
Yeah.

01:53:35.473 --> 01:53:37.233
Flinging rocks at you.

01:53:37.233 --> 01:53:43.873
She's really just throwing rocks at him being like, I got this and being like, hey, baby brother, please send the rats out.

01:53:43.873 --> 01:53:45.753
Literally David versus Goliath.

01:53:45.753 --> 01:53:45.953
Yeah.

01:53:45.953 --> 01:53:57.993
But what's interesting here is that now that they're reunited and Hugo has better power over his rats, within Amicia's weapon wheel, she can wield the rats and say, Hugo, send the rats here.

01:53:57.993 --> 01:53:58.453
Nice.

01:53:58.453 --> 01:53:59.193
Which is really cool.

01:53:59.193 --> 01:54:04.173
So you can move between your sling to set things on fire, put out fires or whatever else.

01:54:04.593 --> 01:54:07.833
To saying, hey, baby, Hugo, put rats over here.

01:54:07.833 --> 01:54:17.573
So you take his power that you played him solo and blend it in, which feels very natural and gives you a really cool, comprehensive battle set.

01:54:17.573 --> 01:54:22.993
That makes Hugo way more dynamic than any sidekick we've really had so far then.

01:54:22.993 --> 01:54:25.553
Ellie did not do this shit in The Last of Us.

01:54:25.573 --> 01:54:27.993
No, I would say Ellie never did.

01:54:27.993 --> 01:54:29.873
Elizabeth never did.

01:54:29.873 --> 01:54:33.013
Even Atreus, I mean, yeah, he fought by your side, but not in this way.

01:54:33.473 --> 01:54:36.533
Yeah, and like, Elizabeth could give you potions.

01:54:36.533 --> 01:54:37.393
Right.

01:54:37.393 --> 01:54:38.153
Shit like that.

01:54:38.153 --> 01:54:41.173
So it's more of like, it helps you recharge things.

01:54:41.173 --> 01:54:50.333
But the fact that you can personally wield the powers of Hugo as a me, as the player, excuse me, but through Amicia is really cool.

01:54:50.333 --> 01:54:51.133
That is really cool.

01:54:51.133 --> 01:54:52.413
Yeah.

01:54:52.413 --> 01:54:57.173
Also, this boss battle is in a really small arena with very limited resources.

01:54:57.173 --> 01:55:01.533
And it's kind of a crafting heavy system to be able to use your full scope of weapon wheel.

01:55:02.113 --> 01:55:03.613
So it's wild.

01:55:03.613 --> 01:55:04.853
I got my ass kicked.

01:55:04.853 --> 01:55:06.193
This sucked.

01:55:06.193 --> 01:55:06.973
I'm not going to lie.

01:55:06.973 --> 01:55:09.653
I played this for a minute, put it down and said, not today.

01:55:09.653 --> 01:55:10.533
It's not happening today.

01:55:10.533 --> 01:55:12.213
Had to do it another day.

01:55:12.213 --> 01:55:20.073
By the end of the boss battle, Lord Nicholas is on fire from the waist up on a rampage to kill two small children.

01:55:20.073 --> 01:55:21.833
Like a real man.

01:55:21.833 --> 01:55:30.233
Eventually, Hugo and Amicia work together to get Lord Nicholas finally torn apart and eaten by rats now that Hugo has better control of his powers in the threshold.

01:55:31.793 --> 01:55:33.553
I fucking hate Lord Nicholas.

01:55:33.553 --> 01:55:34.773
Fuck Lord Nicholas.

01:55:34.773 --> 01:55:37.193
All my homies hate Lord Nicholas.

01:55:37.213 --> 01:55:42.473
Once Lord Nicholas is for sure dead and it's safe, Roderick, Mellie and Lucas come out.

01:55:42.473 --> 01:55:49.573
Mellie is immediately on a rampage, screaming that she'll kill every single one of the Inquisition because she lost her brother.

01:55:49.573 --> 01:55:50.173
Hell yeah.

01:55:50.173 --> 01:55:53.613
She makes her kill bill ass list and she is inconsolable.

01:55:54.853 --> 01:55:58.413
They got her brother, Roderick's dad, Amicia and Hugo's father.

01:55:58.953 --> 01:56:01.013
Everyone is fucking dead.

01:56:01.013 --> 01:56:04.013
They're going to kill us all if they keep going.

01:56:04.013 --> 01:56:09.533
Mellie says she's going to find and she's going to kill every last one of them.

01:56:09.533 --> 01:56:10.613
Hell yeah, she is.

01:56:10.613 --> 01:56:12.533
I want to go on that adventure with her.

01:56:12.533 --> 01:56:14.233
She should be the protagonist.

01:56:15.933 --> 01:56:18.693
Amicia is like, you're goddamn right, we're going.

01:56:18.693 --> 01:56:22.533
Roderick says, what, the five of us against the entire army?

01:56:22.933 --> 01:56:23.773
Goddamn right.

01:56:23.773 --> 01:56:25.773
Yeah, Amicia says, yeah.

01:56:25.773 --> 01:56:30.613
The five children put their arms in a circle and rally to the death.

01:56:30.613 --> 01:56:31.793
Let's fucking go.

01:56:31.793 --> 01:56:33.433
They also control the rats.

01:56:33.433 --> 01:56:38.673
Yeah, I mean, it's not really a numbers game when one of you is really OP.

01:56:38.673 --> 01:56:40.053
Right.

01:56:40.053 --> 01:56:43.133
The five children enter the outskirts of the city.

01:56:43.133 --> 01:56:47.493
Mellie is reckless and ready for blood and runs off, bringing Lucas with her.

01:56:47.493 --> 01:56:51.413
Roderick, Amicia and Hugo end up separated from the two and blocked off by soldiers.

01:56:52.313 --> 01:56:55.973
Roderick watches on and goes, Well, I hope they make it.

01:56:55.973 --> 01:56:57.673
Good luck.

01:56:57.673 --> 01:57:04.213
Roderick takes great pleasure in doing muscle-bound drop-down takedowns of soldiers on their way into the city.

01:57:04.213 --> 01:57:11.153
The path becomes a best-of sequence of navigation where Hugo controls the rats, both offensively and defensively.

01:57:11.973 --> 01:57:23.033
Amicia sneaky-sneak-snipes slingshots of soldiers, and beefy beef-boy Roderick expertly executes the English soldiers and drops fun one-liners like, You're gonna pay when he attacks.

01:57:24.153 --> 01:57:27.473
Hugo tells Roderick, I wish I was strong like that.

01:57:27.473 --> 01:57:32.793
Roderick looks at tiny Hugo and says, Mate, you've got an army of rats.

01:57:32.793 --> 01:57:35.573
Amicia is really quick to give him a Roderick.

01:57:35.573 --> 01:57:39.713
But then they move on before she can scold Roderick for goading her rat-controlling baby brother.

01:57:40.953 --> 01:57:45.073
Amicia, Hugo and Roderick spot Mellie and Lucas but can't get to them.

01:57:45.073 --> 01:57:51.253
Mellie and Lucas warn the rest about more soldiers but say, if they can run through that burning house, maybe we can all meet up again.

01:57:51.253 --> 01:57:56.373
Roderick clarifies, Hi, you want us to run into that house that's actively on fire?

01:57:56.373 --> 01:57:58.073
Mellie and Lucas go, yeah, that one.

01:57:58.073 --> 01:57:59.973
I think there's a path back there.

01:57:59.973 --> 01:58:02.653
And he's like, got it, cool.

01:58:02.653 --> 01:58:04.853
These are the best friends I've ever had.

01:58:04.853 --> 01:58:05.873
Hey, there'll be no rats.

01:58:05.873 --> 01:58:06.913
Yeah, true.

01:58:08.013 --> 01:58:14.353
So Amicia, Hugo and Rodrick head into the on fire house, disposing of more English soldiers on the way through.

01:58:14.353 --> 01:58:19.653
The three navigate the burning building and come up on where they can meet back up with Mellie and Lucas.

01:58:19.653 --> 01:58:25.573
The area is heavily guarded with archers, so it's impossible to sneak past undetected.

01:58:25.573 --> 01:58:30.393
Rodrick finds a cart and offers to push it so they can use it as cover from the archers.

01:58:30.393 --> 01:58:35.173
Amicia tries to help him push, but he shoves her off, telling her to keep an eye out for guards.

01:58:36.213 --> 01:58:42.633
Rodrick is a full bull and pushes this heavy ass cart, keeping Amicia and Hugo safe from the archers.

01:58:42.633 --> 01:58:47.973
A wave of foot soldiers also show up that Amicia makes quick work of with her sling.

01:58:47.973 --> 01:58:52.913
As she's defending Hugo from the nearby soldiers, Hugo calls out to Rodrick.

01:58:52.913 --> 01:58:55.453
Rodrick has been hit by one of the archers.

01:58:55.453 --> 01:59:01.513
Rodrick screams out and tells them to keep going because they have to keep Amicia and Hugo safe.

01:59:01.513 --> 01:59:04.233
More and more archers hit Rodrick as his health wanes.

01:59:05.033 --> 01:59:10.633
Amicia finally kills the last foot soldier and the cart has gotten them safe through the archer area.

01:59:10.633 --> 01:59:16.713
Rodrick slumps in the shadows of safety and says he just needs a break, just needs to catch his breath.

01:59:16.713 --> 01:59:19.893
Through a nearby gate, Lucas and Mellie look on.

01:59:19.893 --> 01:59:24.173
Rodrick leans on the cart with three or four arrows actively sticking through his body.

01:59:24.173 --> 01:59:25.213
What the fuck?

01:59:25.213 --> 01:59:27.253
You're not supposed to be able to survive that.

01:59:29.073 --> 01:59:30.313
Yeah.

01:59:30.313 --> 01:59:35.113
He sighs heavily and then catches up with Amicia and Hugo at the gate with Lucas and Mellie.

01:59:35.113 --> 01:59:42.573
With his last bit of strength, Rodrick lifts the gate long enough for Amicia and Hugo to go under and rejoin their friends.

01:59:42.573 --> 01:59:46.673
Just as Rodrick goes to get through the gate, he collapses.

01:59:46.673 --> 01:59:49.873
Hugo reaches out to hold Rodrick as he passes.

01:59:49.873 --> 01:59:55.513
Rodrick looks in Hugo's eyes, knowing he is unable to go on and apologizes to him.

01:59:56.613 --> 02:00:01.973
Rodrick looks at five-year-old Hugo and simply says, I'm sorry.

02:00:01.973 --> 02:00:08.893
Rodrick dies at the gate, riddled with arrows, knowing that he helped them make it a little further.

02:00:08.893 --> 02:00:10.853
I fucking hate this.

02:00:10.853 --> 02:00:12.033
That's awful.

02:00:12.033 --> 02:00:17.133
I was, I kind of wasn't as crazed about Arthur's death because we didn't-

02:00:17.173 --> 02:00:18.493
I didn't see him a lot.

02:00:18.493 --> 02:00:23.573
But I feel like we got to know Roderick so well, and he was so helpful as this huge, brute force.

02:00:23.573 --> 02:00:25.053
And selfishly, I just loved him.

02:00:25.053 --> 02:00:28.093
I loved his voice lines, I loved his performance, I loved his character.

02:00:28.093 --> 02:00:30.693
I thought he was such a great add to the group.

02:00:30.693 --> 02:00:36.333
And the fact that he sacrifices himself to get the De Runes through really extra broke my heart.

02:00:37.393 --> 02:00:42.353
Arthur dies in a sneaky, sneak, bastard way where some asshole stabbed him through.

02:00:42.353 --> 02:00:50.473
Roderick sacrifices everything, knowing that this will help justify the death of his father and bring his family peace, and it ruined my day.

02:00:50.473 --> 02:00:56.113
There are few things more badass in the world than being filled with arrows.

02:00:56.113 --> 02:00:57.153
Oh my God, right?

02:00:57.153 --> 02:01:00.233
And using your last bit of strength to help somebody else.

02:01:00.233 --> 02:01:05.353
Like, yeah, you're always gonna be viewed as the biggest badass in the world for that.

02:01:05.353 --> 02:01:06.533
He was 18.

02:01:07.853 --> 02:01:13.533
Amicia holds Hugo close to her chest as Hugo softly cries after losing his friend.

02:01:13.793 --> 02:01:14.493
Yeah.

02:01:14.493 --> 02:01:19.493
Mellie is screaming, saying, We're going to kill all of them, every last fucking one of them.

02:01:19.493 --> 02:01:20.953
They can't keep killing us.

02:01:20.953 --> 02:01:22.613
We must rise up.

02:01:22.613 --> 02:01:23.933
Fuck yeah, Mellie.

02:01:23.933 --> 02:01:27.613
Hugo says, I'll help you if you help me save mummy.

02:01:27.613 --> 02:01:28.693
Mellie agrees to the deal.

02:01:28.693 --> 02:01:31.333
She's like, absolutely, as long as I get to kill people.

02:01:31.333 --> 02:01:33.093
Let me ride on top of a rat tornado.

02:01:33.093 --> 02:01:34.573
Let's fucking go.

02:01:34.573 --> 02:01:36.473
She's raging on it.

02:01:36.473 --> 02:01:41.473
And then there were four remaining rat kids that run to the cathedral where Vitalis has been hiding out.

02:01:42.293 --> 02:01:45.593
The entire campus is ravaged with rat rot.

02:01:45.593 --> 02:01:51.353
Amicia and Hugo face off with some of Vitalis' personal army right at the doors of the cathedral.

02:01:51.353 --> 02:01:55.353
But with Hugo being the rat king, they aren't too much trouble.

02:01:55.353 --> 02:02:00.973
Inside the cathedral, Vitalis has been taunting Lady Beatrice, who is in a cage hanging from the ceiling.

02:02:00.973 --> 02:02:02.533
Oh my god, like a go-go girl.

02:02:02.533 --> 02:02:03.713
Yeah.

02:02:03.713 --> 02:02:07.333
It is not sexy the way, like she's really hot, but this is not a sexy scene.

02:02:07.433 --> 02:02:08.493
Right.

02:02:08.493 --> 02:02:13.333
Lady Beatrice sees her children and screams to run because Vitalis has crossed the threshold.

02:02:13.333 --> 02:02:15.673
That weird motherfucker can control rats now.

02:02:15.673 --> 02:02:17.373
You guys gotta go.

02:02:17.373 --> 02:02:20.193
Amicia is like, well, hold my hand, Hugo.

02:02:20.193 --> 02:02:21.973
We're going to kill this weird dude.

02:02:21.973 --> 02:02:24.673
Mellie says, well, she and Lucas are coming too.

02:02:24.673 --> 02:02:28.313
Lucas doesn't really say anything, because again, he's just a sweet little angel baby.

02:02:28.313 --> 02:02:30.533
I keep forgetting Lucas is even here.

02:02:30.533 --> 02:02:32.253
He's a scientist, damn it.

02:02:34.113 --> 02:02:35.173
He's not a brawler.

02:02:35.173 --> 02:02:39.253
He's like, I can rub some lavender together, and it's a really soothing blend.

02:02:39.293 --> 02:02:40.373
Right.

02:02:40.373 --> 02:02:44.753
The four of them walk down the pews of the cathedral to Vitalis.

02:02:44.753 --> 02:02:52.393
The pews hold the decaying corpses of followers of Vitalis who have been sacrificed to the rats and experiments.

02:02:52.393 --> 02:02:59.293
It is rows and rows and rows of bodies of people who lost their lives to this man's megalomania.

02:03:00.433 --> 02:03:02.473
Vitalis is like, get over here.

02:03:02.473 --> 02:03:08.033
I'm going to kidnap Hugo back, so I have a little rat buddy, and I'm going to kill you meddling kids.

02:03:08.033 --> 02:03:11.533
Vitalis then unleashes an army of white rats.

02:03:11.533 --> 02:03:16.973
Now, we've only seen black rats to this point, so it's like, oh, that's right, they do come in other colors.

02:03:16.973 --> 02:03:22.413
He calls them his army of angels, his angels of the new world.

02:03:22.413 --> 02:03:27.833
Hugo can't control the white rats, only the black ones, which is the conflict of this fight.

02:03:27.913 --> 02:03:28.613
Oh, okay.

02:03:28.993 --> 02:03:33.693
Vitalis' white rats regroup to attack Amicia and Hugo.

02:03:33.693 --> 02:03:38.273
Mellie screams, she's coming back with them, and she's going to kill that old motherfucking man.

02:03:38.273 --> 02:03:41.973
Amicia says, thank you for attending, but please stay back.

02:03:41.973 --> 02:03:42.713
This is our blood.

02:03:42.713 --> 02:03:44.013
This is a family matter.

02:03:44.013 --> 02:03:44.353
Right.

02:03:44.353 --> 02:03:46.793
You can cheer me on from here, okay, babe?

02:03:46.793 --> 02:03:48.953
Mellie and Lucas are like, okay, that is valid.

02:03:48.953 --> 02:03:50.693
We will be here, but we support you.

02:03:50.693 --> 02:03:50.953
Right.

02:03:50.953 --> 02:03:52.613
We're going to cheer from the sidelines.

02:03:53.013 --> 02:03:54.133
Go, team, go.

02:03:54.133 --> 02:04:01.573
Amicia and Hugo use the black original recipe rats to fight off the tornadoes of Vitalis' white angel rats.

02:04:01.573 --> 02:04:06.213
Lady Beatrice yells to Hugo to be careful, Hugo, and only Hugo.

02:04:08.513 --> 02:04:15.353
And Amicia looks up at her mother, who even in this moment only has eyes for her golden child brother.

02:04:15.353 --> 02:04:23.273
Amicia's oldest sibling rage subsides as she sees Mellie and Lucas wave from above and promise to take care of freeing Lady Beatrice.

02:04:23.273 --> 02:04:26.213
So they're still going to be very, very helpful in this, thankfully.

02:04:26.213 --> 02:04:27.493
Okay, so they're not just watching.

02:04:27.493 --> 02:04:28.733
Yeah, and they're not on the battlefield.

02:04:28.733 --> 02:04:33.753
They're like, we're going to sneaky sneaking for your mom, since you don't want us to fight with Vitalis and the rats.

02:04:33.753 --> 02:04:34.393
Totally get it.

02:04:34.393 --> 02:04:34.973
We respect it.

02:04:34.973 --> 02:04:36.613
We'll be over here.

02:04:36.613 --> 02:04:44.153
Amicia and Hugo come face to face with Vitalis, who sends wave after wave of rat tornadoes at Amicia and Hugo.

02:04:44.153 --> 02:04:52.073
Some rat tornadoes are easily 20 feet tall and form giant towers that rise and fall all around Amicia.

02:04:52.073 --> 02:05:01.753
Vitalis also sends the rats underground to attack Amicia from under the floor beneath her feet to keep her running around and moving through the battle arena.

02:05:01.753 --> 02:05:11.553
As Vitalis becomes a Goliath, held up with the power of his white rats, Amicia knocks him back to earth with her humble sling.

02:05:11.553 --> 02:05:20.433
Vitalis, battered, bruised, and bleeding from multiple rock shots to the face from Amicia, falls to the ground.

02:05:20.433 --> 02:05:29.493
Hugo is calm while watching the old man die at his feet, covered in the blood he had worked so hard for.

02:05:29.493 --> 02:05:39.073
Vitalis dies staring into Hugo's eyes as Hugo witnesses the soul of the excommunicated Vitalis leave his body.

02:05:39.073 --> 02:05:43.853
Sorry, this five-year-old staring into your eyes as you die is just so fucked.

02:05:43.953 --> 02:05:45.213
That's not a good way to go.

02:05:45.233 --> 02:05:49.193
No, and the five-year-old watching it happen equally as fucked.

02:05:49.193 --> 02:06:00.953
The five-year-old knowing that this man killed so many people just to capture him, suck on his blood and do some weird vampire-esque shit, just to die because his sister threw a bunch of rocks at him.

02:06:00.993 --> 02:06:02.273
Oh, God.

02:06:02.273 --> 02:06:09.513
The only other person known with the macula, the same powers as Hugo, died at Hugo's feet.

02:06:09.513 --> 02:06:10.173
The credits roll.

02:06:11.893 --> 02:06:17.593
Three days after the death of Vitalis, Amicia and Hugo are at a farmer's market.

02:06:17.593 --> 02:06:21.313
Amicia was picking up some items for Lucas and heading back to the road.

02:06:21.313 --> 02:06:25.113
Hugo says he's excited to see the next castle they get to live in.

02:06:25.113 --> 02:06:30.933
Amicia tries to tell him to level his expectations because might not be living in a castle anymore.

02:06:30.933 --> 02:06:33.853
I know you've been pretty privileged in the past with castles.

02:06:33.853 --> 02:06:34.993
It might be a manor.

02:06:34.993 --> 02:06:36.233
Be real, it might be an apartment.

02:06:39.553 --> 02:06:43.933
As they leave town, a street vendor tells Amicia and Hugo to go check out the fair.

02:06:43.933 --> 02:06:47.333
There's an event going on to celebrate the third day with no rats.

02:06:47.333 --> 02:06:49.473
And it's not a Renaissance fair, it's just a now fair.

02:06:49.473 --> 02:06:51.073
It's just a now fair.

02:06:52.493 --> 02:06:54.313
We just call it a fair.

02:06:55.633 --> 02:07:00.233
At the edge of the fair, two guards say that Hugo and Amicia cannot come in.

02:07:00.233 --> 02:07:06.473
They heard there's a small boy with his sister wanted by very powerful people, and they don't want to need trouble.

02:07:06.473 --> 02:07:10.133
Amicia goes, okay, heard, got it, I'm leaving.

02:07:10.133 --> 02:07:12.933
And takes Hugo's hand and leads him out of town.

02:07:12.933 --> 02:07:15.333
Hugo is like, I want to go to the fair.

02:07:15.333 --> 02:07:17.253
There's going to be apples.

02:07:17.253 --> 02:07:19.793
Amicia, I fucking love apples.

02:07:19.813 --> 02:07:24.573
Yeah, and funnel cake, and like really good root beer.

02:07:24.573 --> 02:07:26.593
There's always a dude like playing a loot.

02:07:26.593 --> 02:07:27.993
Come on.

02:07:27.993 --> 02:07:30.873
Amicia is like, I know, I know, but not today.

02:07:30.873 --> 02:07:31.993
We have to get back to Lucas.

02:07:32.933 --> 02:07:38.933
To distract him, Amicia challenges Hugo to a race back to the cart, saying the winner gets a bunch of apples.

02:07:38.933 --> 02:07:44.293
They run through the rest of the village and catch back up to the cart with Lucas and Lady Beatrice.

02:07:44.293 --> 02:07:49.313
Lucas takes the reins of the horse cart and Lady Beatrice is resting, laying down in the back.

02:07:49.313 --> 02:07:52.953
She is incredibly fucked up from the kidnapping and the torturing.

02:07:52.953 --> 02:07:53.773
Right.

02:07:53.773 --> 02:07:56.633
In the cart, Hugo and Amicia sit next to each other.

02:07:56.633 --> 02:08:04.733
Hugo talks about how the people in town look at him funny, how Mellie looked at him the same way, and that he's sad that Mellie left because she didn't like him anymore.

02:08:04.733 --> 02:08:05.633
Oh.

02:08:05.633 --> 02:08:08.473
Amicia says, no, no, it's not that Mellie doesn't like you.

02:08:09.333 --> 02:08:10.573
She's just like a street rat.

02:08:10.573 --> 02:08:11.693
She has other shit to do.

02:08:11.693 --> 02:08:12.093
Right.

02:08:12.093 --> 02:08:13.953
She's got her found family.

02:08:13.953 --> 02:08:16.033
Hugo is sad again on the cart.

02:08:16.033 --> 02:08:25.733
Amicia looks at her baby brother, who's had the weight of the world on his shoulders at the age of five, and decides she just wants to be silly with him.

02:08:25.733 --> 02:08:28.553
She makes a silly face and asks Hugo if he thinks she's pretty.

02:08:29.173 --> 02:08:32.213
Hugo screams, You're as ugly as a fly.

02:08:33.453 --> 02:08:34.593
That's a little brother response.

02:08:34.593 --> 02:08:35.493
Hell yeah.

02:08:35.493 --> 02:08:39.233
The two siblings giggle and giggle in the back of their cart.

02:08:39.233 --> 02:08:43.073
Fugitives of the state, but still together.

02:08:43.073 --> 02:08:47.113
And that is Plague Tale Innocence.

02:08:47.113 --> 02:08:47.873
Fantastic.

02:08:47.873 --> 02:08:49.293
Thank you so much, Andrea.

02:08:49.293 --> 02:08:50.493
I hate rats.

02:08:50.493 --> 02:08:51.393
I do too.

02:08:51.393 --> 02:08:52.053
Fuck rats.

02:08:52.273 --> 02:08:54.033
And rat tornadoes.

02:08:54.033 --> 02:09:00.793
Rat tornado was the most upsetting shit I've seen since Rat King and Last of Us 2.

02:09:00.793 --> 02:09:01.393
Yeah.

02:09:01.393 --> 02:09:05.113
So yeah, I just don't think I like rats, just the way the rats were flowing.

02:09:05.113 --> 02:09:11.793
The sound was so good, it was upsetting, which is just a testament to how great of a job the studio did.

02:09:11.793 --> 02:09:12.873
It was fantastic.

02:09:12.873 --> 02:09:14.213
I really, really enjoyed this.

02:09:14.213 --> 02:09:15.733
I didn't think I would like this as much.

02:09:15.733 --> 02:09:18.853
I thought this would be kind of mid, but I really liked it.

02:09:18.853 --> 02:09:21.713
It seems a lot more fun than I was ever going to give it credit for.

02:09:22.253 --> 02:09:24.673
Yeah, no, it truly was.

02:09:24.873 --> 02:09:27.113
I thought it would be like a six or a seven to be real.

02:09:27.113 --> 02:09:30.513
Honestly, in my heart, it's a high eight, low nine.

02:09:30.513 --> 02:09:31.433
Wow, okay.

02:09:31.433 --> 02:09:34.473
Yeah, I had a great time and I'm really excited to play Requiem.

02:09:34.473 --> 02:09:36.733
It may be for the show or it may just be for me.

02:09:36.733 --> 02:09:38.453
I haven't decided yet.

02:09:38.453 --> 02:09:39.733
Oh, no, this episode is going to pop off.

02:09:39.733 --> 02:09:41.233
You're going to definitely do it for the show.

02:09:41.233 --> 02:09:48.093
And if you guys want Requiem, please justify it by letting me know in the comments because I haven't seen it on PlayStation Plus yet, so I'd have to buy it.

02:09:49.713 --> 02:09:52.113
Which I can justify if it's for you guys.

02:09:52.113 --> 02:09:58.513
So let me know or if you see it on PlayStation Plus, just tag me and I'll know to go download it.

02:09:58.513 --> 02:10:00.473
So I really enjoyed it.

02:10:00.473 --> 02:10:01.873
I love Amicia.

02:10:01.873 --> 02:10:03.473
I love all the kids.

02:10:03.473 --> 02:10:04.913
I love Roderick so much.

02:10:04.913 --> 02:10:18.053
And it was really important for production to want to have child performers, to blend the authenticity of child actors doing child performances and letting these children be kids within the world.

02:10:18.073 --> 02:10:23.473
So, you know, it was really fascinating to hear that they were that true to form on everything.

02:10:23.473 --> 02:10:24.873
I really enjoyed that.

02:10:24.873 --> 02:10:27.153
I just I like this game a lot.

02:10:27.153 --> 02:10:28.213
I think this is fantastic.

02:10:28.213 --> 02:10:31.953
And it does kind of suck that it came out in 2019 when there were so many good games.

02:10:31.953 --> 02:10:32.633
Oh, my God.

02:10:32.633 --> 02:10:37.333
So many good games and a lot got buried and days gone and days gone.

02:10:37.353 --> 02:10:38.333
I I'm sorry.

02:10:38.333 --> 02:10:43.133
I don't mean to shit on that game twice in a row, but twice in a row, I will say that it's better than people gave it credit for.

02:10:43.393 --> 02:10:44.893
I really enjoyed that Death Stranding.

02:10:44.893 --> 02:10:47.253
Obviously fantastic control.

02:10:47.253 --> 02:10:48.773
Obviously fantastic.

02:10:48.773 --> 02:10:55.733
I didn't mean to hit us with two episodes about brothers and sisters and like one of them has special blood and shit like that.

02:10:55.733 --> 02:10:57.253
Like in 2019.

02:10:57.253 --> 02:11:00.093
Yeah, we did not intend for that to happen.

02:11:00.093 --> 02:11:02.773
Two episodes in a row, but it happens all the time on this fucking show.

02:11:02.773 --> 02:11:04.913
We just accidentally arrange it that way.

02:11:04.913 --> 02:11:13.653
It kind of sucks that pre-COVID we had so many games come out about plagues and rampant sickness that have caused so much pain and death.

02:11:13.653 --> 02:11:18.473
And then three months after they all come out, we are all on lockdown.

02:11:18.473 --> 02:11:19.673
Like that's wild.

02:11:19.673 --> 02:11:23.753
There was that TV show, The Last Man on Earth, that was out right around the same time.

02:11:24.653 --> 02:11:25.913
All that crazy shit.

02:11:25.913 --> 02:11:26.693
I loved that show.

02:11:26.693 --> 02:11:28.813
That was fantastic.

02:11:28.813 --> 02:11:36.993
Anyway, so if you enjoyed that, please make sure you like us, you subscribe to us, you tell everybody you know about us.

02:11:36.993 --> 02:11:37.333
Yeah.

02:11:37.333 --> 02:11:43.653
And if you want to rock some stuff, get some stickers or shirts or anything, we do have a merch store on our website, theothercastlepodcast.com.

02:11:43.653 --> 02:11:45.513
That's the othercastlepodcast.com.

02:11:45.513 --> 02:11:50.173
We've also got links to everything like our Patreon, and our Patreon is what keeps the lights on.

02:11:50.173 --> 02:11:52.653
That's why this episode is presented ad free.

02:11:52.653 --> 02:11:55.033
So we'd like to thank our patrons now.

02:11:55.033 --> 02:11:55.293
Yes.

02:11:55.293 --> 02:12:00.813
So we have Unuseful, Michael, Anubhan, Matthew, Ubonks.

02:12:01.493 --> 02:12:04.493
Then Autumn, Alex, Sid.

02:12:04.493 --> 02:12:08.333
Jutsu, Mozart, Tamiya, Ian.

02:12:08.333 --> 02:12:12.793
Danny Boy, Zira, Ari, Big Cat PDX, Chase.

02:12:12.793 --> 02:12:19.973
Alfredo, Micolaj, Teremek, Amber, Berserk Panda, QM1993.

02:12:19.973 --> 02:12:24.533
Damien, That Chonky Boy, AJ, Paul, Omar, Aaron.

02:12:25.053 --> 02:12:29.193
Cerise, Molly, Krisha, Mollymauk, Jackie.

02:12:29.193 --> 02:12:32.753
Jacob, Ellen, and Steamed Hams from Albany.

02:12:32.753 --> 02:12:34.373
Thank you all so much.

02:12:34.373 --> 02:12:35.853
We really appreciate it.

02:12:35.853 --> 02:12:37.553
We love seeing this grow.

02:12:37.553 --> 02:12:40.393
We love talking to you every single week.

02:12:40.393 --> 02:12:40.773
Yes.

02:12:40.773 --> 02:12:48.753
And for those patrons specifically, I have a Patreon episode coming up and I put on a poll on our Discord for some upcoming Patreon episodes that I'm playing with.

02:12:48.753 --> 02:12:54.493
So if you want to get in on the vote of driving what kind of content goes on the Patreon, let me know.

02:12:54.493 --> 02:12:56.173
I'm going to let you know right now on this episode.

02:12:56.173 --> 02:13:07.853
I'm between doing an episode on the history of Tamagotchi or sponsored games like the Pepsi Man game and other games that came out as a result of corporate greed.

02:13:07.853 --> 02:13:12.413
And we remembered recently that you were directly involved with some sponsored content one time.

02:13:12.413 --> 02:13:13.553
What?

02:13:13.553 --> 02:13:15.093
I forgot we talked about that.

02:13:15.093 --> 02:13:16.093
Yeah.

02:13:16.093 --> 02:13:16.413
That's right.

02:13:16.413 --> 02:13:22.733
The other day in the car, I was like, oh, when I worked at Loot Crate, we did this integration with this game and you went, aren't you going to do a Patreon episode?

02:13:22.773 --> 02:13:24.473
I was like, I might if they want it.

02:13:24.473 --> 02:13:25.873
I don't know if anyone gives this shit.

02:13:25.873 --> 02:13:36.453
And you're like, but that's funny that you can like Instagram DM some friends and get like actual scoop on this and cooperate your stories to like get down to what happens in a sponsored game.

02:13:36.453 --> 02:13:37.773
So that might happen.

02:13:37.773 --> 02:13:38.973
They're both probably going to happen.

02:13:38.973 --> 02:13:40.673
I just wanted to see what people wanted to hear first.

02:13:40.673 --> 02:13:49.453
Either me talking about sponsored games and the history of those or the world of Tamagotchi and cleaning up digital shit, because that's funny to me.

02:13:49.453 --> 02:13:51.553
Honestly, you'll probably just do them both eventually anyway.

02:13:51.713 --> 02:13:58.593
I will, but whatever you want to hear first, get in the Discord and vote, and I will deliver it to you on Patreon as soon as I can.

02:13:58.593 --> 02:13:59.073
Excellent.

02:13:59.073 --> 02:14:04.633
Well, anyways, Goombas, thank you so much for listening, and this is Tom and Andrea reminding you.

02:14:04.633 --> 02:14:06.853
Rats are fucking gross.

02:14:06.853 --> 02:14:08.613
And don't skip the cutscenes.

02:14:10.053 --> 02:14:10.333
Bye.