CHAPTER 14 . DAWN OF THE CHRYSALIS: Difference between revisions

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{{Chapters}}<!--maybe a splashscreen thumb under the mini-table -->
{{Chapter|14}}
[[Category:Added value]]
Having wrapped up her personal business, [[Konoko]]'s final mission is to stop her brother by assaulting a [[Syndicate Mountain Compound|secret Syndicate base "deep in the mountains"]]. This occurs on Dec. 3, the date Muro's plan is set to go into motion.
=Syndicate Mountain Compound=
The mission takes place at a secret Syndicate base "deep in the mountains". Its approximate position was given by the tracker Konoko planted on Muro's VTOL plane in {{C5}} (possibly [[Griffin]] was hiding that information to keep Konoko from going after Muro, for the same reasons as in {{C7}} ). Konoko reaches the place in some sort of aircraft ([[Steve Abeyta]] said it was a plane on {{OCF}}) and jumps down in a state of [[Daodan]] overpower.


Konoko lands on an airfield surrounded by watchtowers, and soon finds most of the installations are underground. She jacks an armored truck in the cargo bay and breaks through the blast doors, reaching the heart of the complex: a giant computer room, next to which is a silo with a concealed emitter. This system is supposed to uplink to an array of satellites and send a pulse to the [[ACC]]s worldwide, as the final phase of Muro's project [[STURMANDERUNG]].
==Summary==
Konoko reaches the compound in some sort of aircraft and jumps down in a state of [[Daodan]] overpower. She soon finds that most of the installation is underground. Once inside, she hijacks an armored truck and breaks through some blast doors, reaching the heart of the complex: a giant space which houses a supercomputer, next to which is a silo with a concealed satellite dish.


...
She learns that the system controls an array of satellites which are to be used to send a pulse to the world's [[Atmospheric Conversion Center]]s, as the final phase of [[Muro]]'s project [[STURMANDERUNG|Sturmanderung]]. Muro has altered the ACCs to pollute the air instead of cleansing it, a disaster from which only the [[Chrysalis]] could save humankind. Konoko theorizes, "He's planning to kill everyone who doesn't sell his soul to him for a Chrysalis." Konoko sees no other option than to sabotage the signal that is about to be broadcast to the ACCs in order to destroy them before they can begin spewing polluted air into the Cities.


Konoko reaches the mountain compound of Muro's group in the Syndicate, [[STURMANDERUNG]]. Surging with Daodan power and anger, she cleans out floor after floor of Syndicate troops, discovering the progressive phases of STURMANDERUNG's plans from consoles along the way.
Having done this, she heads to the rooftop on the satellite dish's elevator to face Muro. Scenario A takes place if [[Griffin]] was killed by the player in the previous chapter; otherwise, scenario B occurs.


She realizes that Muro is planning to reroute the Atmospheric Conversion Centers to pollute the air instead of cleansing it; a disaster from which only the Chrysalis can save humankind. Konoko theorizes, "He's planning to kill everyone who doesn't sell his soul to him for a Chrysalis." Konoko sees no other option than triggering Muro's plan prematurely, causing only some ACCs to fail and giving humanity longer to survive. She sabotages the dish that is supposed to broadcast the signal to scramble to ACCs.
A: Muro faces her one-on-one, and transforms to his Imago state, the next stage of evolution of the Chrysalis inside him. He proves to be monstrously powerful.<br>
B: Muro chastises her for coming alone, when suddenly Griffin (in [[Black Ops]] armor) and three Black Ops soldiers disembark from a helicopter. Konoko, Griffin and his men face off against Muro and many of his best subordinates.


Then, she heads to the rooftop to face Muro.
Upon Muro's defeat, the sabotaged version of Sturmanderung occurs, the results of which are depicted in the Mission Complete screen and the ending animated cutscene.


A: Muro faces her one-on-one, but transforms to his Imago state, the manifestation of the Chrysalis inside him. He proves to be monstrously powerful.<br>
==Added Value==
B: Muro chastises her for coming alone, when suddenly Griffin (in Black Ops armor such as he once wore regularly) and two Black Ops soldiers disembark from a helicopter. Konoko, Griffin and his men face off against Muro and many of his best subordinates.
*Griffin's reserve status as a member of TCTF Black Ops was mentioned in [[Quotes/Consoles#Terrance Griffin|this console]]. Thus we shouldn't be too surprised that he can fight alongside his men.


=Added value=
*Players are never told where Konoko falls from at the start of this Chapter, but in a Q&A session on {{OCF}}, animator [[Credits|Steve Abeyta]] said it was a plane. Clearly her power has increased considerably with the further development of her Chrysalis (although it should be noted that she is in Daodan overpower mode at the time, and her basic strength does not appear to be greater as one plays this level).
It's surprising just how difficult the killed-Griffin scenario is. Singlehandedly facing un-transformed Muro and all the henchmen he summons in scenario B would be easier than the fight is with just Imago Muro. This could be seen as karmic retribution for Mai's actions (or a statement of morality by the game designers); she kills Griffin, and now she has no one to help her. But it's difficult to explain within the story why Muro transforms in ending A and not in ending B. How does Griffin being dead make a difference in whether Muro can/wants to transform? If anything, one would expect he would be more likely to try to reason with her in his normal form if she killed Griffin, since she might have a better chance of joining him. His Imago state would be more logically be used against a Mai who stood totally opposed to Muro's wanton killing, and thus would be used in scenario B against Mai, Griffin, and his Black Ops team.


Also, here is where we see what a person looks like if they have Muro's nature, since Kerr told Mai that one's nature determines the outcome of the transformation. It's not pretty. It does, however, resemble Barabas, albeit to a more extreme degree. There is also a possible tie-in, however unlikely, to the notion covered [[Oni (demon)|here]], that a person taken with rage can become an oni, or demon (monster). This is Muro's true nature.
*It seems odd that Konoko knows where to look for Muro. True, she does write in her diary, "The tracker readings from his plane project him touching down somewhere deep in the mountains." So one can assume that she rents or steals a plane and goes looking for a compound. But if she could infer this on her own, then why couldn't the TCTF? Perhaps they did, as the B variant of the fight with Muro has Griffin showing up to help. Whether he tracked Konoko or followed the same projected course for Muro's plane, we'll never know. Even if the general location of the Compound was suspected after {{C|5}}, Oni's story is a fast succession of events, and perhaps only now are Konoko and Griffin ready to fight Muro, or aware of his exact location.


For more discussion of Muro's ultimate motives, see [[Muro|his page]] and [[STURMANDERUNG|this one]].
*Although Muro's choice to transform in the killed-Griffin scenario may be a statement on karma by the game designers ("Look at the monstrous results of giving in to one's anger", or something along those lines), it's difficult to explain within the story why Muro transforms in scenario A and not in scenario B. How does Griffin being dead make a difference in whether Muro can/wants to transform? One might think Muro would be more likely to try to reason with Konoko in his normal form if she killed Griffin, and his Imago state would be more logically used against the combination of Konoko, Griffin, and his Black Ops team. However [[Quotes/Speech#Mutant_Muro_.28Griffin_dead.29|Muro's dialogue in the A scenario]] indicates that he wants to show her his Imago state in order to impress her and win her over as a fellow Daodan symbiote, so apparently he thinks turning into a hideous monster is a good persuasion tactic.


Finally, we never see Mai's Imago state. Why not? She's had her Chrysalis about as long as Muro's had his, as far as we know. We can only speculate as to whether her transformation would be so monstrous, or so dramatic, or whether it would resemble the original Mai more closely, since she was not nearly as savage as Muro. Still, she wasn't a saint, so if one expects the Imago state to reflect how "pure" one is, she might well turn out to have a somewhat frightening appearance, if not so drastically as Muro did. It's possible that morality in any absolute sense is not a factor in the Imago state's appearance, but even if it is simply a matter of how much killing a Daodan host does, and the Chrysalis adapting to that life to make the host a more efficient killer, you could still expect Muro's nature as a wanton killer to make him more monstrous than Mai, even if she herself changed in a similar way.
*Also on the subject of the B scenario, here is where we see the result of a Daodan transformation if the host has a vicious nature, since Kerr told Konoko that one's nature determines the outcome of the transformation. It's not pretty, but this is Muro's true nature. It does, however, resemble Barabas, albeit to a more extreme degree. There is also a possible tie-in to the [[Oni (myth)|myth about oni]] which says that a person taken with rage can turn into one. (For more discussion of Muro's ultimate motives, see [[Muro|his page]] and [[STURMANDERUNG|Sturmanderung]].)


=Next...=
*In the end, we never see Konoko's Imago state. Possibly it's because she's had her Chrysalis a shorter time than Muro, or she has been through fewer physical trials than he has. Perhaps it's because she fears the transformation and Muro welcomes it. We can only speculate as to whether her Imago form would be so monstrous or whether it would resemble the original Konoko more closely. She was nowhere near as savage as Muro, but Konoko certainly has plenty of violence and anger in her recent past, so if one expects the Imago state to reflect one's true nature, it's an open question – particularly if she chooses to kill Griffin.
Link to outro here (via splashscreen thumb).
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====Outro====
Some time later, Konoko is shown roaming the ruins of a city, and monologuing to herself that many have died from the sabotage of the ACCs. The Chrysalis may yet save the survivors, but the ultimate effect that its introduction will have on humankind is unclear. "Let's hope it's for the better."


'''Added Value'''
[[Category:Events]][[Category:Added value]]
 
There is already a fair amount written [[STURMANDERUNG|here]] about the questionable wisdom of Mai's rash actions in 'blowing the processors'. Was the "horrible cost" of so many dying avoidable? Should she have tried to defeat Muro first and then taken the time to carefully reverse his scheme before it was implemented? How could she know she would survive a fight with Muro? Perhaps the only course she could take (acting alone, after all, with no one to sound her ideas against) was to take immediate action while she was there and could still do something, rather than retreat and come back later. With the TCTF as her enemy, she would not be able to assemble any support for a raid, and thus may have figured that this might be her only chance.
 
In the epilogue, Mai notes two large changes in society that are taking place: dealing with the situation of the poisoned planet openly, and, most intriguingly, the Chrysalis 'changing us all'. Apparently it may be necessary for everyone to have a Chrysalis to adapt to the pollution, with the ACCs unable to keep up the holding action against the outside world. How can this be done? Is there time and money for every man, woman and child to get their own Chrysalis? Can they be cloned generically from a host like Mai? Will the privileged and wealthy get them first? What sort of upheavals might this bring about? Will everyone be subject to Daodan spikes, and even Imago transformations, in time? Where will this lead civilization? Those are the sorts of unsettling issues that Oni leaves us to ponder, with no easy answers.
 
 
=Images=
==Intro==
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==Outro==
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Latest revision as of 02:09, 12 April 2023

CHAPTER 14 . DAWN OF THE CHRYSALIS
CHAPTER 14 . DAWN OF THE CHRYSALIS.png
Intro screen
Chapters of Oni 00
01 02 03 04 05 06 07
08 09 10 11 12 13 14
Speech | Consoles
Objectives | Diary
Act 3 .MISSION FAILED.png Chapter 14 .MISSION COMPLETE.png
Failure screen Success screen
CHAPTER 13 . PHOENIX RISING.png Outro frame 365.png
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Having wrapped up her personal business, Konoko's final mission is to stop her brother by assaulting a secret Syndicate base "deep in the mountains". This occurs on Dec. 3, the date Muro's plan is set to go into motion.

Summary

Konoko reaches the compound in some sort of aircraft and jumps down in a state of Daodan overpower. She soon finds that most of the installation is underground. Once inside, she hijacks an armored truck and breaks through some blast doors, reaching the heart of the complex: a giant space which houses a supercomputer, next to which is a silo with a concealed satellite dish.

She learns that the system controls an array of satellites which are to be used to send a pulse to the world's Atmospheric Conversion Centers, as the final phase of Muro's project Sturmanderung. Muro has altered the ACCs to pollute the air instead of cleansing it, a disaster from which only the Chrysalis could save humankind. Konoko theorizes, "He's planning to kill everyone who doesn't sell his soul to him for a Chrysalis." Konoko sees no other option than to sabotage the signal that is about to be broadcast to the ACCs in order to destroy them before they can begin spewing polluted air into the Cities.

Having done this, she heads to the rooftop on the satellite dish's elevator to face Muro. Scenario A takes place if Griffin was killed by the player in the previous chapter; otherwise, scenario B occurs.

A: Muro faces her one-on-one, and transforms to his Imago state, the next stage of evolution of the Chrysalis inside him. He proves to be monstrously powerful.
B: Muro chastises her for coming alone, when suddenly Griffin (in Black Ops armor) and three Black Ops soldiers disembark from a helicopter. Konoko, Griffin and his men face off against Muro and many of his best subordinates.

Upon Muro's defeat, the sabotaged version of Sturmanderung occurs, the results of which are depicted in the Mission Complete screen and the ending animated cutscene.

Added Value

  • Griffin's reserve status as a member of TCTF Black Ops was mentioned in this console. Thus we shouldn't be too surprised that he can fight alongside his men.
  • Players are never told where Konoko falls from at the start of this Chapter, but in a Q&A session on Oni Central Forum, animator Steve Abeyta said it was a plane. Clearly her power has increased considerably with the further development of her Chrysalis (although it should be noted that she is in Daodan overpower mode at the time, and her basic strength does not appear to be greater as one plays this level).
  • It seems odd that Konoko knows where to look for Muro. True, she does write in her diary, "The tracker readings from his plane project him touching down somewhere deep in the mountains." So one can assume that she rents or steals a plane and goes looking for a compound. But if she could infer this on her own, then why couldn't the TCTF? Perhaps they did, as the B variant of the fight with Muro has Griffin showing up to help. Whether he tracked Konoko or followed the same projected course for Muro's plane, we'll never know. Even if the general location of the Compound was suspected after CHAPTER 05 . HOT PURSUIT, Oni's story is a fast succession of events, and perhaps only now are Konoko and Griffin ready to fight Muro, or aware of his exact location.
  • Although Muro's choice to transform in the killed-Griffin scenario may be a statement on karma by the game designers ("Look at the monstrous results of giving in to one's anger", or something along those lines), it's difficult to explain within the story why Muro transforms in scenario A and not in scenario B. How does Griffin being dead make a difference in whether Muro can/wants to transform? One might think Muro would be more likely to try to reason with Konoko in his normal form if she killed Griffin, and his Imago state would be more logically used against the combination of Konoko, Griffin, and his Black Ops team. However Muro's dialogue in the A scenario indicates that he wants to show her his Imago state in order to impress her and win her over as a fellow Daodan symbiote, so apparently he thinks turning into a hideous monster is a good persuasion tactic.
  • Also on the subject of the B scenario, here is where we see the result of a Daodan transformation if the host has a vicious nature, since Kerr told Konoko that one's nature determines the outcome of the transformation. It's not pretty, but this is Muro's true nature. It does, however, resemble Barabas, albeit to a more extreme degree. There is also a possible tie-in to the myth about oni which says that a person taken with rage can turn into one. (For more discussion of Muro's ultimate motives, see his page and Sturmanderung.)
  • In the end, we never see Konoko's Imago state. Possibly it's because she's had her Chrysalis a shorter time than Muro, or she has been through fewer physical trials than he has. Perhaps it's because she fears the transformation and Muro welcomes it. We can only speculate as to whether her Imago form would be so monstrous or whether it would resemble the original Konoko more closely. She was nowhere near as savage as Muro, but Konoko certainly has plenty of violence and anger in her recent past, so if one expects the Imago state to reflect one's true nature, it's an open question – particularly if she chooses to kill Griffin.