[Vaan awakens in a sandy chamber on the ground. Balthier sits nearby.]
Balthier: You’re awake.
Vaan: Where are we?
Balthier: Prison, where else? More a dungeon, but it’s really all the same.
[Vaan walks curiously toward the open doorway. Someone outside screams. He draws away, reviled, and almost trips as he steps backward. He looks around to see the body of a bangaa sprawled in the dirt.]
Balthier: It’s just a corpse. Jump at every little thing down here and you’ll wear yourself out. [yawn] It’s not even a proper dungeon. They just sealed off the bottom level of the fortress. Take a look around. We’re not the first they’ve thrown down here.
Vaan: Where’s Fran?
Balthier: She’s off trying to find us a way out.
[Vaan looks cautiously at the doorway again.]
Balthier: Remember what curiosity killed. Just a friendly word of advice. This is all the water we’ve got. I’d save your strength if I were you.
[Vaan turns and walks away. Balthier looks vaguely surprised, and then simply smirks.]
Balthier: Looks as though our belongings were carted off by the Imperials. Ah, perhaps they’ve brought our things up to our rooms. How kind. No sense strutting about at a time like this. Save your strength, and stay out of trouble.
No. 691: Ah, new arrival? Welcome to the famed Nalbina Dungeons, boy. We’re all equals here. Stripped of everything by our kind friend the Empire. All we got is our bones, and those’ll be theirs soon enough! Har!
No. 691 (x2): You’re in with us, which means you’re in here for a long, long time. You’re lucky. You get to die slow. If they were going to kill you quick, you’d be down in the oubliette.
No. 691 (x3): Don’t even think about going back to see the oubliette, boy. They’d as soon toss you in there as look at you.
No. 278: Room back there’s the corpse pile. That’s where they’ll throw me when I pass on. You, too.
No. 278 (x2): I wonder why they say “imprisoned for life,” when it’s for death we’re waitin’.
No. 474: My friend and me were just going to the cathedral to pray for Lady Ashe and Lord Rasler, when some Imperials arrested us! Said we were part of some royalist movement! Can you believe it? They had no proof at all! And my friend, he… (sniff)
No. 474 (x2): What have I done? All I did was pray for Lady Ashe’s peaceful repose…
No. 823: Tell me, boy, you still have hope?
>Of course.
Eh heh… good, good! Man can’t live without hope. Here’s another bit of hope: the Empire’s fated to fall, you know. Not too long from now… Should be any day…
>None at all.
Eh heh… I see, I see… Too bad, ‘cause I’ve got hope. You see… the Empire’s fated to fall. Shouldn’t be too long now… Might be today… might be tomorrow…
No. 823 (x2): The Empire can thrash about all it wants, there’s no escaping fate. Eh heh. Eh heh heh heh!
No. 381: O-ow… That surly tart!
No. 381 (x2): Ach… So overjoyed was I to see my lass once again, I went to give ‘er a kiss… …And got a fresh slap in the face for my affections! I can’t be blamed for mistakin’ that viera for my bonnie lass… Been a year since I saw a lady. Should’ve known one tough enough to survive down here long’d be cast of iron. Grr… Blasted viera…
No. 381 (x3): What! If you’re fixing to have a staring contest, let’s end it right now. There, I lose. You happy?
No. 102: Unh… ahh… W-water…
No. 102 (x2): W-why bother giving us this brackish swill… A man can’t drink that…
No. 102 (x3): Please, just a taste… Cold, clear water… A taste…
No. 124: You Dalmascan, boy? I once fought at this fortress to save the King of Dalmasca. It’s true. Seems an age ago, now, down here.
No. 124 (x2): Listen, boy. No matter how hard it gets, don’t forget your pride in Dalmasca, and your hatred of the Empire! They’re all we got.
No. 124 (x3): Accursed Captain… I hope he’s burning in the pits of the underworld…
No. 982: Ah, fresh blood! If you want to make it out of this place in one piece, you’ll do whatever Daguza tells ya to, got that?
No. 982 (x2): You’ve the face of one looking to start something. Start all you want, but I guarantee, you won’t much like the end.
No. 546: The man you came here with had a familiar look to him… Might be I saw him somewhere? Might be a wanted man… In fact, I think that’s it. He were a bandit… No, a sky pirate, he was. Seem to remember a hefty sum on his head…
No. 395: Escape? There’s plenty of folks down here wanting to do that. Never heard of anyone succeeding, though.
No. 395 (x2): I always heard Nalbina Fortress was impenetrable. Just never thought it worked both ways…
No. 395 (x3): If you’re thinking of trying to escape, better stop thinking. The lucky ones get thrown in the oubliette.
No. 643: What did you do to get in here, boy? You don’t look none too bright. Throw a stone at some Imperial, or something?
No. 502: They don’t need a reason, them Imperials toss people in here when they feel like it. Criminals, free-thinkers, bad singers…
No. 643: Keeping from dyin’ is a full-time business in here. But if you ain’t alive, you’ll never get out.
No. 643 (x2): Call it what you will, we’re an occupied state. What the Empire wants ain’t “shared prosperity,” or “self-rule.” It’s a herd of nannas to milk.
No. 502: You’ve heard about the lower levels? Sounds like all manner of vile nasties are lurkin’ down there… When it gets dark, they get to movin’ around… I’d stay out of there, if I were you.
No. 643: When night comes, you hear the voices… Like demons weeping in the deep…
No. 502: That sound, it’s like something from the pits of hell… or worse.
No. 502 (x2): I’m scared… I’ll admit it, I’m scared…
No. 281: Er… Annngh… Damn swine…! What’s he talking about “spy hunting”? What gives him the right…
No. 281 (x2): That Daguza… Swine thinks his manure’s made o’ gold.
[When you walk through the doorway past 281, if you’ve talked to him…]
No. 281: Look, take my advice, and stay out of there!
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