Chapter 4A: Ashes to ashes

THE FOLLOWING PAGE IS JUST A DRAFT AND WORK TO EXPAND IT IS CURRENTLY UNDER WAY. THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IS HIGHLY FRAGMENTED AND FOR THE MOST PART INCOMPLETE. VIEWER DISCRETION IS THUS A MUST, ALSO BECAUSE OF THE INEVITABLE SPOILERS.\*\*\*

Chapter 4A "Ashes to ashes" is one of the three possible final chapters the game can end with. It can only be unlocked if the player avoids shooting Pandora at the end of Chapter 1, meaning no Emily Route exists for it. In order to unlock it the player must also refuse the offer of Lee Graves at the end of Chapter 3.

Since Dry Drowning features a choice based system that influences both how the plot evolves and specific dialogues that take place within it, some parts of this page have been *\*\*\*labeled with asterisks and set to Italic, implying a different version of a given dialogue also exists\*\*\**. The Alternative Dialogues sections below provides a full list of the possible alternatives.

## A Ending (spoilers):

Two months have passed since Mordred and Hera discovered the disheartening truth behind Pandora. Both the police and the media found it so disappointing they didn't even entirely believe it, which led them to relentlessly press Foley Investigations for more information. As a result, both Mordred and Hera have been continously interrogated by the police and tormented by the newspapers ever since.

*\*\*\*As if this weren't enough, violence in the city has done nothing but rise ever since the Black Bands' new president succeeded to Baker, prompting Hera to regret her and Mordred's decision to help the party due to the electoral ripercussions of Baker's exoneration. Hera is also disheartened due to how little most citizens seem to care, but Mordred is less surprised as he believes Nova Polemos' population actually found in Baker's death the excuse it had long been looking for in order to freely vent its accumulated frustration.\*\*\* (BLACK BANDS Dialogue, triggered if the player exonerated Baker at the end of Chapter 1)*

*\*\*\*Mordred can't help but also regret not having destroyed AquaOS as Hera points out both parties have done nothing but exploit its influence to intensify their respective fake news campaigns.\*\*\* (AQUAOS Dialogue, triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut)*

The straw that broke the camel's back however was an incident that took place a few days earlier, in which Hera herself almost ended up being assaulted and was ultimately rescued by Mordred: tired of being forced to live in fear, she openly tells Mordred she is fed up. Moved by her words, the detective concludes the time has come for them to flee Nova Polemos together. Surprised by this decision, Hera can't help but feel a bit concerned nonetheless, as everything they built would be left behind and they effectively know nothing about that cities and life are like in Europe. Mordred however invites her to think about it: if Nova Polemos invested so much efforts into suppressing both immigration towards the city and local turists venturing outside, it must have been to prevent citizens from finding out life is much better elsewhere, which would have ultimately caused an unsustainable brain drain. Hera however points out that even assuming this is true, the city's border patrol would never let any regular citizen simply leave as if nothing happened, let alone two controversial individuals like them. Mordred reminds her that fortunately they still have allies they can ask help to. At first Hera thinks Mordred is merely referring to Freya, but the detective immediatly makes clear they also need help from someone much more influential, which leaves David as the only viable option.

*\*\*\*Hera asks if this has anything to do with the lawyer's mysterious plan, as she believes they should have never trusted it blindly. Mordred confirms her fears, as he is confident the plan was likely intended to help them flee the city safely ever since the start. Nevertheless, Hera remains suspicious due to Freya's past warnings on David, also claiming the two of them could use the help of someone more influential such as a politician.\*\*\* (DAVID'S PLAN Dialogue, triggered if the player accepted David's offer during Chapter 2)*

Mordred admits his plan is a risky one, but ultimately also their only possibility. He thus tells Hera to start packing as the two prepare to leave for David's office.

## Alternative dialogues:

* **BLACK BANDS:** *\*\*\*As if this weren't enough, despite having lost the elections the Black Bands still seem to have a firm grip on the city's political narrative, as they were apparently successful in tricking many people into believing their loss was caused by a conspiracy. The worst aspect however remains the fact Baker hasn't been heard of ever since he was jailed, prompting Hera to fear he might have spent this time planning his revenge against her and Mordred. \*\*\* (triggered if the player refused to exonerate Baker in Chapter 1)*
* **AQUAOS:** *\*\*\*The only thing Mordred is happy about is that ever since AquaOS was shut down there was finally an end to the government's endless stream of propaganda and fake news. Hera however curbs his enthusiasm once again, pointing out another consequence was the complete loss of control over the city on part of the police, almost as if Nova Polemos' citizens had to be leashed in order to make them behave.\*\*\* (triggered if the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut)*
* **DAVID'S PLAN:** *\*\*\*Hera can't help but question Mordred's line of action: the detective himself always claimed David is a lot more dangerous than it looks and openly refused to trust him the last time he tried to involve them in his machinations. Moreover, they could use the help of someone more influential than a simple lawyer.\*\*\* (triggered if the player refused David's offer in Chapter 2)*

## Catastrophic Aftermath (WayOut):

      If the player ended Chapter 2 with a WayOut, Neo Europe's news network will transmit a special edition to report the discovery of an android near the superpower's eastern border. This android is allegedly very different from the ones produced by the NeoEuropean government as it's self-conscious and refers to itself as Thalia. According to the news report, it apparently received instructions from a certain Eugene Smith, allegedly a very important figure within the Hephaestus Tech company, which incidentally controls the universal information system of Nova Polemos known as AquaOS: information protected by the AquaOS system is believed to include state secrets, classified documents and all private communications of the Nova Polemos government. The special edition will end with the wish of such an event not compromising the diplomatic relationship between Neo Europe and Nova Polemos. Unfortunately that won't be the case as the devastating effect of the information hidden in Thalia's memory will exceed even Eugene's predictions: many cases of espionage, manipulation and even targeted murders against Neo Europeans will finally emerge, together with consistent evidence that proves how closely Nova Polemos is actually tied to many of Neo Europe's enemies. The ultimate consequence will be a declaration of war on Neo Europe's part against Nova Polemos, which in turn will prompt the city-state's totalitarian allies in Asia to immediatly rally to its defense, planting the seeds of world war three.

## Catastrophic Aftermath (BlackOut):

       If the player ended Chapter 2 with a BlackOut, Nova Polemos authorities will alert the population with an emergency communication issued through the news network, claiming unknown terrorists are trying to spread fake news aimed at discrediting the city's institutions. They will also specify that citizens are to listen exclusively to transmissions and messages broadcasted by known and trusted sources, ignoring any other information: those who do not comply shall incur severe ripercussions. The government's efforts will however prove be useless, as the information leak orchestrated by David and Julie will ultimately succeed at sowing the seeds of distrust among the population. Shortly after, each citizen will start to receive strange messages that will progressively become more and more disturbing: for the very first time since the city's foundation, people will find themselves exposed to information produced by unofficial channels, believing every word of it just as usual. Allegations related to chronic corruption and the government's attempts to control the city's population will prompt hundreds of thousands to flood the streets, eventually causing the uprising predicted by David. Nova Polemos will ultimately burn in a revolution that has no clear outcome aside from widespread violence.

## Trivia:

* Completing Chapter 4A will let the player unlock the "A Ending" Steam achievement.