Underground Crime

Underground Crime is the third part of .
==Steps==
# Go to Rawat's private lab
# Enter the underground lab
# Search deeper
# Look for a way to go deeper
# Head into the deepest part of the lab
# Subdue the fugitive
# Get out via the way you came
# Head to Potton's destination
# Enter Potton's mother's residence
==Gameplay Notes==
* During steps 3–6, a trial Sigewinne joins the party.
==Trial Character==
==Dialogue==
;(Approach the marked location)
: Paimon: It's Officer Morgane, they're already here!
: Morgane: We came as soon as we heard the news... I can't believe we were so careless. The most crucial information of all was hiding right there, in that room, and we missed it...
: Sigewinne: Don't blame yourself. Right now, we need to focus on finding a way in.
: Paimon: There's a mechanical door over here... Hopefully the instructions in Rawat's journal will help us open it.
: Morgane: It's open. Let's go in.
;(Approach the enemies)
: Lazare: How did they get in here?
: Dupont: Captain, up ahead! Those look like our fugitives!
: Morgane: So they found this place too... Don't let any of them escape!
;(After defeating the enemies)
: Dupont: Captain! According to our list, many of the fugitives aren't accounted for. There may be others hiding deeper inside the facility.
: Morgane: Ah. So these guys were just the lookout crew...
: "Odilon": The Marechaussee Phantom? How did they find this place!?
: Paimon: Wait... it's that guard from the Fortress...
: "Odilon": That's right, I'm on your side! Uh... I mean, the Duke sent me. What's the matter? Some sort of mixup?
: Sigewinne: Mr. Odilon, didn't I tell you a few days ago that you need to stop all field work until you've recovered?
: "Odilon": Ah, well, y'know... Gotta help His Grace out, share the load! *coughing*
: Sigewinne: Officer Morgane, this man is an impostor. The real Mr. Odilon has no recent health issues.
: : What? But, I...
: Morgane: Looks like the Head Nurse was right about the face-swapping method... Arrest them all!
: Morgane: Dupont, stay here and keep guard — and watch the exit. If we're not back soon, call for reinforcements.
: Dupont: Got it!
;(Talk to Dupont, optional)
: Dupont: Don't worry, I got this covered.
;(Proceed deeper into the lab)
: Paimon: So many jars. Was this some sort of production facility?
: Sigewinne: This scent... It's probably the ingredients used to make Butterfly Dew.
: Paimon: How come they're all empty? Did it sell so well that he ran out of supplies?
: Morgane: How strange... Why would Rawat choose to manufacture a popular product like that in such a difficult-to-reach location?
: Morgane: Given our suspicion that he may have been coerced into the illegal drug trade, I would have thought that any production facility we find here would be used for illicit purposes.
: Sigewinne: Perhaps Butterfly Dew is itself an illegal drug.
: Morgane: Do you have any evidence for that claim?
: Sigewinne: No, just a guess. We need to find Rawat as soon as possible. He has all the answers we need.
: Morgane: Understood. Well, let's not linger here. Let's go, come on!
;(Interact with the Production Log, optional)
::Production Log
::...
:: 
:: 
::Been receiving less and less of the source fluid. Is it because of the flood after all? At least we'll be able to make our scheduled release after this batch is ready.
:: 
:: 
::...
;(Approach the door)
: Paimon: Doesn't look like we're gonna get this door open... Let's find another way around.
;(Approach the second door)
: Paimon: Gah, this one's closed too... Hmm, what's with those carts and tracks?
: Paimon: Oh! Maybe it's one of those doors that opens when it senses cargo passing through?
: Paimon: There's a right over there. Let's bring it to the door and give it a try!
;(After 1 minute passes)
: Paimon: Seems like this thing is for switching tracks. Let's bring the cart onto it.
;(Approach the device)
: Paimon: This room's much smaller than the others.
: Sigewinne: Judging by the implements on the table, this looks like a potion-making lab.
: Morgane: Head Nurse! Over here!
: Paimon: Let's see... Huh, Rawat's clothes? Why would he change here?
: Sigewinne: Hmm... Perhaps they stripped him down, left the clothes behind, and disposed of him somewhere else?
: Paimon: Yikes, Sigewinne, where did that come from!?
: Morgane: What a tragic way to go... Especially with such a bright future ahead of him...
: Sigewinne: There's a path leading further on, Officer Morgane. Let's keep up the pace.
;(Interact with the Experiment Log, optional)
::Experiment Log
::...
:: 
:: 
::The supply of the source fluid has completely dried up. Though that means this final batch'll be able to fetch a good price, finding a new way to refine the liquid might be a better use of it.
:: 
:: 
::...
:: 
::No, it's too late.
:: 
:: 
::...
;(Approach the next room)
: Paimon: Shh! There's a whole bunch of people in there!
: : Are you serious? You're telling us that within a day, our faces are going to rot like yours?
: Potton: Fontainian physiology changed dramatically after that great flood, and it's not as compatible with this face-changing solution as before. The side effects are as you can see.
: "Houilles": Why didn't you say anything before we all used it!?
: Potton: Look. My plan got you all out of prison, didn't it? You'd have much bigger problems to worry about right now if the Marechaussee Phantom found out about your other crimes... Consider an ugly mug getting off lightly.
: "Houilles": Ugh, you're just lucky we didn't leave you in there, after you disappeared on us with no warning! We only let it slide 'cause we're former partners... and now you have the gall to pull a stunt like this?
: Potton: "Partners"? Make no mistake, each of us is only looking out for himself. If you place too much trust in others, well I'm afraid that's your problem.
: Potton: You hid things from me, too. Remember how you each had a spare potion, yet kept quiet about it until we planned the prison break?
: "Houilles": Oh, and you didn't have a secret spare? Then do you wanna explain how you melted your face off before all this?
: : Guys, that's enough, calm down. It is what it is. Arguing won't change anything.
: "Erick": What's the plan, Potton? I'm assuming you brought us here for a reason?
: "Houilles": There is no plan! We followed him here on the promise of more juice, but it turns out there ain't a drop here!
: "Houilles": Besides, what does it matter now anyway? He already said, even if we did get our hands on more of that stuff, switching faces again solves nothing. They're still gonna melt off eventually.
: "Erick": I said, enough arguing! Potton, tell us the plan.
: Potton: Hmph. The most practical solution is to continue using the potion. Keep switching to a new face before the ulcers can start forming.
: "Houilles": Are you kidding me? This stuff was hard enough to get hold of even when we had a supply. Now you're asking us to use it like skin lotion, after the flood all but wiped the supply out!?
: Potton: Well, there is another option. But you'll have to make a deal with me first.
: "Erick": Okay, now we're talking. What's the deal?
: Potton: I have a document I took from that researcher that details how to make a replacement. Just give me one bottle of the undiluted fluid, and I will get to work.
: "Erick": Uhh...
: Potton: What's the problem? I thought you always kept reserves? Or did you really just have one spare bottle each?
: "Houilles": What do you think? That we were shipping them into the Fortress of Meropide by the basketload?
: Potton: Well then... say hello to never showing your marred faces in public again!
: "Houilles": Gah, I've heard enough! Get him! Let's see if that document even exists!
: Morgane: Freeze! Marechaussee Phantom!
: Potton: What? Who let them in?
: Sigewinne: Officer Morgane, before anything else, please find out Rawat's status.
: Potton: Rawat...
: Morgane: I don't see him... Hand over the hostage now, if you want any chance of avoiding an extension to your sentences.
: Potton: Hahaha... Spare us your condescending attempts to coax us back to our cells! You think we're looking to negotiate? Rawat is dead!
: Sigewinne: Potton...
: Morgane: Arrest them all! Don't let anyone get away!
;(After defeating the enemies)
: Morgane: Gotta say, I never expected to see the head nurse in combat...
: Sigewinne: Some patients respond better to a more aggressive treatment plan. Did we get everyone?
: Dupond: Captain, we've finished the headcount — Potton's missing...
: Paimon: Over there! The door's closing!
:
: Potton: Hah, one group trying to arrest me, another trying to hunt me down... Good, I get to kill two birds with one stone.
: Morgane: How did he get up there? There must be a secret passage somewhere. Find it!
: Potton: Don't waste your energy. I already sealed it off.
: Morgane: How naive. We have more people outside. If we're not back out by the agreed time, they'll come to our rescue.
: Potton: Well then, you'd better hope they get here in time!
: Sigewinne: There's some kind of gas leaking from the pipes... Be careful, it's poisonous.
: Potton: This is our distribution center, where we store the product derived from our source solution. We had to use special fire prevention methods to prevent contamination.
: Potton: The pipe network here was designed to emit a gas for firefighting. One little modification later, and it makes an efficient death trap.
: Sigewinne: Why would you do this? Your partners are here too.
: Potton: Oh, please. If they can't supply what I need, they're of no further use to me. Besides, I can't have them exposing my potential whereabouts.
: Paimon: He's a maniac... C'mon, we've gotta find a way to open that door!
: Potton: Go ahead, struggle in vain. Once the last of you croaks, no one will ever find me again. So long!
: Sigewinne: Are you sure you're ready to leave, Potton? You haven't changed your dressing today.
: Potton: ...You can't cure my face. Just give up.
: Sigewinne: And what if I could?
: Potton: Hmph... Nice try, you're just trying to stall me. Don't you worry about me, I'll find a way to cure my face once I get out of here.
: Sigewinne: Oh, I doubt it. After all, Fontainians can no longer dissolve in Primordial Seawater.
: Potton: What the... How did you...!?
: Sigewinne: The key component of the face-changing potion is the fluid left behind by dissolved Fontainians. It might look like ordinary water, but it has some unique elements in it.
: Sigewinne: Before the flood, all Fontainians were Oceanids, physiologically speaking.
: Sigewinne: A potion made from that fluid could dissolve and reconstruct the face of a Fontainian, in much the same way as Hydro Eidolons change form.
: Sigewinne: Theoretically, it could give someone any appearance they wished.
: Sigewinne: But since the flood, Fontainians have become true humans. They can no longer provide the source material for this potion, nor reap its benefits.
: Morgane: Are you saying... this potion is made from Fontainians dissolved with Primordial Seawater? Then their crimes are far worse than I thought...
: Potton: How could you know all of this? No, wait... Hahaha, of course! Well, well. So that's why you have a human appearance.
: Sigewinne: It also means that I have a formula you're unaware of. *cough* ...The air's getting thicker... It's getting hard to breathe.
:
: Potton: Heh, I might get to make a deal today after all. Alright, keep talking. How do you intend to give me the formula?
: Sigewinne: Oh, it's not a formula, but a finished product. I have a bottle of it right here.
: Potton: What?
: Sigewinne: When I tried Rawat's skincare product, I noticed it had a certain special component in it. So I had my friends gather some other ingredients for me, and sure enough, a little experimenting later, I'd produced the potion.
: Sigewinne: I'm guessing his skincare lotion contains the fruits of your joint research?
: Potton: Huh. Impressive guesswork. Yeah, we were his supplier for some of the raw ingredients.
: Paimon: *gasp*
: Potton: But it only contains a tiny amount of the active ingredient. The effect is miniscule compared to the undiluted fluid.
: Sigewinne: Well, I found a way to reverse the dilution process, giving the skincare lotion a similar effect to the fluid it is derived from.
: Potton: That's impossible...
: Sigewinne: If I tell you some of the ingredients, I think you can figure it out. First, you need to combine Tainted Hydro Phantasm tissue with Transoceanic Pearls at a ratio of around three to seven.
: Potton: Tainted Hydro Phantasms and Transoceanic Pearls? Ah, I see... Can't believe I never thought of that...
: Sigewinne: So. Can we make a deal?
: Potton: Sounds good to me. There's a delivery pipeline beneath this window. Drop the potion in, and I'll release you all.
: Sigewinne: Nope, not trusting you that easily. You're like those naughty kids who try to hide their illness. Open the sluice gate first, then I'll hand you the potion.
: Potton: Hmph. Even if you're not bluffing, your potion won't cure my face permanently... You really think you have any leverage here?
:
: Potton: I'm not closing the valve this time. Clock's ticking.
: Sigewinne: Fine, then I'll just stand here with the potion in my hand. And when I faint from the poison, I'll drop it and it'll be destroyed.
: Potton: No...
:
: Paimon: It's open!
: Morgane: Disable that sluice gate! Jam it! Don't let it close again!
: Sigewinne: That's more like it. In that case, a promise is a promise.
:
: Morgane: Head Nurse, there's too much poison gas in here. We have to leave, now!
;(After leaving the domain)
: Paimon: Phew... That was too close! That Potton is a real nasty piece of work...
: Sigewinne: Don't be too quick to sit down. Moving around a little will help relieve the soreness.
: Sigewinne: Same goes for you, . But Paimon, you should be fine, right?
: Paimon: Flying fast is pretty tiring too, actually! Anyway, that's not important right now. Paimon's still shocked to learn that there was a whole criminal operation going on behind that skincare lotion.
: Sigewinne: Shame I ended up giving the improved version to Potton after finally making it for you... I'll make you some more, I promise.
: Paimon: No no no, please don't... Paimon doesn't wanna use that stuff anymore. Still, it was a pretty good job that Paimon wanted to buy some in the first place, huh? It ended up saving everyone's lives! That's gotta count for something.
: Sigewinne was the one doing the saving.
: Paimon: Yeah, yeah, Paimon was just kidding...
: Morgane: Head Nurse, I've done a final headcount of our team and the criminals. Everyone's here and doing fine. We're ready to escort the fugitives back to the Fortress of Meropide.
: Morgane: It's a shame that we didn't find Rawat. At this point, I'm afraid he's probably deceased.
: Paimon: *sigh* What a horrible bunch. Especially that Potton guy. If he hadn't made good on that deal, we'd all be dead because of him.
: Sigewinne: No we wouldn't. I always keep a whole of bunch antidotes on me for emergencies, and one of them neutralizes that poison gas. We'd have been fine, even if he hadn't opened the gate.
: Paimon: What? Then why did you give him the potion?
: Morgane: ...If this is true, I must concur. Sorry to be blunt, but I think you made a bad decision by handing him that bottle.
: Morgane: If he changes his appearance and flees Fontaine, it's unlikely that we'll ever find him, no matter how cooperative his accomplices are when we question them.
: Sigewinne: No, you don't understand. I gave him the potion precisely so we could be sure where he'll go next.
: Morgane: What do you mean?
: Sigewinne: We gotta hurry. She won't last much longer.
;(Approach the house)
: Ceasth: Don't move a muscle! I might be short, but I pack a mean punch!
: Ceasth: Captain? You're just in time. While I was lying in wait, I spotted this crook snooping around, trying to find a way in. So I detained him.
: Intruder: Hmph...
: Paimon: Whoa, his face...
: Morgane: Are you... Potton? So this is where you were heading, huh?
: Paimon: What?
: Morgane: This is how Potton looked before his face was marred. His current appearance matches the mugshot on his arrest warrant.
: Sigewinne: Hmm... I see.
: Paimon: Wait, so what's going on? Wasn't the whole point of the potion to disguise himself and escape Fontaine? Why would change back to his original face and run right into our trap!?
: Potton: Enough of this nonsense! Let me in!
: Ceasth: You better pipe down! There's an old lady in there who's very sick. No way are we letting a crook like you inside!
: Potton: Ugh, to heck with it... Listen to me! I'm Rawat! That's my mother in there!
: Paimon: He's gotta be lying, right? Rawat was a victim in all this, he was forced into it against his will... How could he and this monster be the same person?
: Potton: Forced again his will? Hahahaha... That's the funniest thing I've heard all day.
: Potton: Back when I was being coerced, everyone thought I was colluding of my own free will. And then when I actually became a criminal in my own right, you all suddenly thought I must be under duress!
: Potton: Amazing what a difference a handsome face makes!
: Morgane: Save us the speech. Explain yourself!
: Potton: You want an explanation? Fine, I'll tell it how it is.
: Potton: When I was just Potton, the whole world treated me with contempt.
: Audree: Ew. What do you want? Get away from me...
: Potton: Women despised me.
: Antibes: Collaborate? Pff, you don't look like much of a researcher to me...
: Potton: My peers scorned me.
: Enri: Mr. Potton, was it? I'm most interested in your research. Consider my offer carefully — I doubt you'll find other investment opportunities.
: Potton: Only villains would work with me.
: Gascon: You want out of the game? Forget about it. Turns out I slipped up a little — left your picture with some Marechaussee Phantom officers... Easy mistake to make. Now they've listed you as an accomplice and drawn up an arrest warrant.
: Gascon: So I suggest you put any thoughts of running away to rest.... If you get caught by the Gardes for being in the Sinthe business, you ain't ever seeing the light of day again! Hahahaha...
: Potton: There was no way out for me...
: Potton: Until... I could stop being Potton.
: Audree: Mr. Rawat, I, um... I have something I'd like to tell you.
: Rawat: I became popular with women.
: Antibes: This new potion you've developed is fascinating — genius, in fact! Would you consider working with me? I'd be happy to sign a licensing agreement...
: Rawat: My peers looked up to me.
: Enri: I'm very interested in your research, Sir. You must no doubt have offers from countless investors, so far be it from me to ask for a full collaboration, per se — I merely wanted to express my interest... No pressure at all, naturally.
: Rawat: And the villains even began to fear me.
: Rawat: Becoming Rawat showed me what a superficial world we live in.
: Rawat: But I did not hold a grudge. After all, this superficiality could be made to work in my favor.
: Rawat: Or so I thought... But alas, the world seemed bent on finding a reason to make me despise it.
: Rawat: Mother, I'm back! How are you doing?
: Sick Old Lady: ...Hmm... Who are you?
: Rawat: I bought the best medicine Mora could buy, but nothing would cure her illness... In the end, I hoped at least that she could see her son one last time before she passed, but...
: Rawat: ...When everyone else rejected me, the only person who cared about me was my mother. Then, when I became a rising star in the Fontaine Research Institute, I was unrecognizable to her.
: Potton: I have to let her see me again, even if it means donning my own wretched, ugly face...
: Potton: ...Well? Is that enough explaining for you? Now do you understand? Let me inside already!
: Morgane: Have you ever considered if you'll even be able to look your mother in the eyes, after what you've done?
: Morgane: You found a way to completely change your identity. You could easily have escaped from them... But no, you chose to keep working with them!
: Potton: Hmph, why would I want to give up on such a lucrative business? The profits were dozens of times that of the Sinthe business, and it was all above board!
: Paimon: So you kept being a villain just for the money!
: Potton: Villain? By what standard? Is doing evil deeds really what makes someone a villain in your eyes, or does it all come down to the way they look? None of you saw a villain when I was wearing my other face, did you?
: Potton: You have no right to judge me! You're all just fake people living in a hypocritical world. I regret nothing! My mother would understand!
: Paimon: You... You're a villain to the core! But especially that tongue!
: Sigewinne: Honestly, I don't see a villain when I look at your current face, either.
: Potton: Don't humor me. You don't seem surprised by my confession in the least. How long have you known the truth?
: Sigewinne: I didn't know anything for sure until you chose to take that potion bottle and spare our lives. But if you're asking when I started suspecting you, it was the first time you came to see me at the infirmary.
: Sigewinne: I had to confirm my suspicions. That's why I chose to join this investigation.
: Potton: Are you kidding me? A young, promising researcher and a wretched criminal? What on earth gave you the idea that they could be one and the same person?
: Sigewinne: Well, there were no visual clues — this potion's face-changing effects are very powerful. Even as a Melusine, I couldn't see through the disguise.
: Sigewinne: But I believe I understand humanity a little better than most of my kind. Humans have certain fundamental qualities that do not change with their appearance.
: Potton: Fundamental qualities, huh? So, you think you're the one who's seen through me, do you?
: Potton: Most people probably don't know this, but I think I can guess what your deal is. Melusine constitutions are very close to that of water, so it stands to reason that the potion should work on them, too.
: Potton: You used it yourself, didn't you? That's why you have a human appearance.
: Paimon: Sigewinne?
: Sigewinne: Yes, you're right.
: Potton: Haha... I'll bet it was back in the days when Melusines were discriminated against because of their appearance.
: Potton: It was either carry on living in the gutters as part of an alien race cast out by humanity, or become the Head Nurse of the Fortress of Meropide, revered by all. Not a hard choice to make. It's a no-brainer.
: Potton: So you see? You and I, we're the same! And I'm the one who saw through you!
: Sigewinne: That's not important right now. You came here to see your mother, didn't you? Well, I can grant you your wish.
: Potton: Huh...?
: Morgane: Head Nurse, I'm not sure that's a good idea in his current state.
: Sigewinne: Don't worry. Back in the warehouse when I traded the potion for our lives, I was doing it to test him.
: Sigewinne: He was willing to risk sacrificing his only chance of escaping capture by opening the gate in exchange for the potion, all so he could see his mother again. If nothing else, his concern for his mother is genuine.
: Morgane: I see...
: Sigewinne: So before you arrest him, please allow him to see his mother one last time. and I will accompany him — you have nothing to worry about.
: Morgane: Alright. I understand.
;(Talk to Ceasth, optional)
: Ceasth: I don't trust this guy much. Be careful.
;(Talk to Morgane, optional)
: Morgane: Join the Head Nurse inside. If he tries anything, anything at all, shout.
;(Enter the house)
: Potton: Mom? It's me, Potton, your son! You recognize me now... don't you?
: Sick Old Lady: *cough*
: Potton: Mom...! What's wrong?
: Sigewinne: I'm sorry, but I have some bad news. I examined your mother last time we were here, and it appears that due to her prolonged fever, she's... lost her eyesight.
: Potton: What?
: Sigewinne: Your appearance no longer has any bearing on her ability to recognize you. But... there are always other ways to remind our loved ones who we are... wouldn't you say?
: Potton: No no, it can't be... Please, Mom, open your eyes! It's me, your son, Potton! If... If you really can't see my face, then... here, take my hand... Tell me you feel your son's hand!
: Sick Old Lady: Hmm...
: Potton: I've done so much to get to this point... Please, you have to recognize me...
: Sick Old Lady: *cough*
: Potton: No, no, no... No!
:
: Sigewinne: Hm, the temperature of his palm must have changed. ...I'm sorry. It seems I couldn't bring him back to you after all.
: Sick Old Lady: ...Ahh, it's you... Thank you.
: Sigewinne: Oh... Of course.
: Potton: Mom... Why will you answer her, and not me? Why? Why!?
: Sigewinne: No more questions, Potton. She's gone.
: Potton: Mom! Mom...
: Sigewinne: I'm sorry to say this, Potton, but you and I are not the same.
: Potton: Hmph... *sigh*
:
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