[Note: "MGS FIVE: Sins of Libertine" is my own imaginary sequel to the videogame Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, and is meant to be taken as fan-fiction, not an actual product. It is not affiliated in any way with Konami, Kojima Productions, or the Metal Gear Series; however, it is presented here as if it were.]
Part A - Part B - Part C - Part D - Part E - Part F - Part G - Part H
PART B: VILLAGE AND GRAVEYARD
== The Nightmare Approaches ==
-- Foggy Village --
[There are approximately 40 houses and huts in the village, mostly along the road, but with several smaller dirt alleys between. Nobody is in the streets, and the fog makes it a surreal area to walk through. There are food and medical items hidden around. Eerie music plays.]
[Listening in by windows and doorways will allow the player to hear the following types of responses.]
"Please, God, don't let it be us today...!"
"I wonder who it will be this time?"
"No! Not again..."
"Take somebody else, Lord! We've been good!"
[Knocking on houses will prompt reactions from inside.]
"What? Go away, whoever you are!"
"Stay out! Don't kill us!"
"Please... please... please, no!"
"Shh! Keep quiet, children! Keep praying..."
[Eventually the player will see what looks like a young boy in the fog ahead. Father tells you to follow him, but he runs away as soon as you approach. The player must outrun and follow the boy until he sees him climb under a certain house. The house is elevated off the ground, but the hole in the floor is now covered. Knocking on the front door triggers a cutscene.]
-- Death Draws Nigh --
[Inside the house, a woman and a boy can be heard arguing. Fix tries to open the door but somebody pushes it shut instantly.]
FIX: "I'm a patrolman from Tower One, open the door."
[No sound from within. The door is still being held shut.]
FIX: "Did you know your boy was in the streets? Let me talk to him."
WOMAN: "Liar! You're the messenger of death!"
FIX: "What are you talking about? Why is everyone so frightened?"
WOMAN: (quieter) "Stupid boy! Do you see what you've brought to our home?"
FIX: "If you're in danger, I want to help you. I just need to know what's going on. Please!"
WOMAN: "Death is coming! Nobody can help us!"
[Fix tries to push on the door one last time, but it's still held shut. He turns the doorknob and stands back.]
FIX: "That's it. On the count of three I'm pushing this door in. Stand back. One, two --"
[Just as he is about to ram the door with his shoulder, an arrow bursts through the thing wooden door, narrowly missing his head and scratching his nose. Startled, he hits the door awkwardly, pushing down the middle-aged woman who was crouched behind it. The boy is sitting on a dresser across from the door with a shortbow, loading another arrow and aiming at Fix on the floor.]
FIX: "Wait! I'm not a guard! I'm not --"
[The boy shoots again, but Fix squirms out of the way at the last moment, and instinctively pounces towards the boy, grabbing the weapon. The woman grabs Fix's ankle, trying to pull him off balance.]
FIX: "Stop it! Both of you! I'm not here to hurt you, I just came to ask you some questions!"
WOMAN: "Don't you know that Death is coming?"
[Ripping the bow from the boy's hands and freeing his ankle from the woman, he closes the door.]
FIX: "What 'death'? What's gotten into everyone? Who's coming to get you?"
BOY: "Every time it rains in the village at night, Death visits us."
WOMAN: "If you were from around here, you would know that!"
FIX: (hesitant) "You're right. I'm not from around here, and I'm not one of the guards. I snuck into the village to find answers about what's going on around here, but everyone's too afraid to answer the door. What do you mean when you say Death visits you?"
WOMAN: "You'll see. He'll be here any minute to take one of us away, never to be seen again!"
BOY: "No! I'm going to kill him this time!"
WOMAN: "Shush! Do you want to end up like your poor mother?"
BOY: "I don't care! I'll face Death himself for taking her!"
FIX: "Your mother? Is somebody systematically killing villagers?"
WOMAN: "Not 'somebody'. The Grim Reaper himself takes them, never to be seen again."
[From the village's raised loudspeakers, the sound of static grows louder.]
BOY: (scared) "He's here!"
WOMAN: (hushed) "Stay quiet, everybody! If he comes to the door, don't resist him!"
FIX: (looking out the shuttered window) "This is lunacy! I need to find out what's going on."
[The boy slips under the bed and through the hole.]
BOY: (crying) "Mama! I'll kill him!"
FIX: (exiting door) "Damn it!"
[Fix runs after the boy through the fog towards the graveyard, still holding the short bow. As he reaches the gates, ravens begin cawing and flying around. The boy is standing in the center of the place, on top of a tombstone.]
BOY: (crying) "Mama! I'm sorry I couldn't protect you! Forgive me! I'm coming to be with you mama!"
FIX: "What are you doing!"
[On the far side of the graveyard stands a large ominous tomb, overgrown with grave moss. Sinister music builds as its doors open, releasing smoke and wind. Fix's concentration drops to "Low" as he watches a hooded Grim Reaper exit, with scythe in hand. His black cloak is blown by the wind, but his face remains concealed with the exception of a protruding white beard. Chains hang from his one wrist, attached to a metal ball. The ravens caw madly as the doors close, and the static from the speakers becomes louder than ever.]
[Fix runs to the boy, who has fallen to his knees in tears, and carries him back to the entrance. When he returns to face the frightening figure, he aims his revolver, though it is clearly shaking.]
FIX: "What in the hell... it can't be...!"
[The Reaper stands stooped, with head tilted. But as he points his skelton finger at Fix, he begins to grow several feet in size, with freakishly stretched limbs. His arms and legs are clearly that of a skeleton, and turn from white to blood red as he grows. A demonic, low voice is heard through the static of the loudspeakers, garbled and unintelligible.]
CALVO: "What's happening, Fix? What is that sound?"
FIX: (in a trance) "Calvo! It's him... The Grim Reaper himself..."
CALVO: "Who? Snap out of it, Fix! Tell me what's going on!"
FIX: (slapping himself) "I can't describe it..."
CALVO: "Your father wants to talk to you, Fix! Concentrate!"
[Fix shakes his head and his concentration meter returns to Normal. His father is heard again.]
FATHER: "Damn it, soldier, what are you waiting for? Shoot him!"
[Fix pulls the trigger, but it does nothing. The looming figure is approaching steadily.]
FIX: "It won't shoot!"
FATHER: "Your ammo is wet! What else can you use?"
FIX: "I have this shortbow I picked up from the kid..."
FATHER: "Good enough! You know how to use it."
FIX: "Aren't you seeing this, Father?"
FATHER: "So it's Death! Are you afraid of Death, soldier!? Rip him a new asshole!"
[The first Boss Fight begins.]
-- Fighting Death --
[Here is how to fight the Grim Reaper...
- During the fight, players must use bow and arrow against the Grim Reaper, who moves with steadily and with fluidity through the graveyard, right over smaller tombstones. He dodges arrows if he sees the windup, so the player must pop out from a corner to shoot.
- His arm is able to stretch a significant distance to grab Fix, at which point he will pull him down to the ground for a killing swipe; the player must press buttons and shake the controller to get free.
- He also uses swiping attacks, and will swipe downwards to hit Fix if he is hiding behind a tombstone for too long. The ball and chain is also used as a weapon, and will smash through stone and stun the player.
- Dodging the blade correctly will cause his weapon to get stuck for a while, allowing a clear shot. There are several empty graves which the player can fall into and climb out of.]
- Staying too far away from the Grim Reaper will cause him to target the boy, who is curled up at the gate and in shock. The boy has a small health meter and will only start moving once the Boss' health meter is low. The boy gives you extra supplies of arrows if you run low.
[When enough damage is inflicted the fight ends and another cutscene occurs. By the end of the fight the full moon is shining through broken clouds. The deathly figure shrinks to normal size, and his bones turn white again. He stumbles towards the large tomb, filled with arrows. The static fades from the loudspeakers, and the ravens fall silent as well. The tomb door begins to open.]
FIX: (aiming another arrow) "Going to hell? Let me help you with that!"
[He fires the shot into the figures back, causing him to fall to the ground and crawl.]
FIX (aiming again): "What, am I too much for Death to handle?"
[This shot hits the back of the figure's neck, stopping him completely. Fix kicks him into an empty grave nearby, and the hood falls back to reveal the head of an old man.]
???: (Russian accent) "Oof! Please... shut up."
FIX: "Ha! What did you say!"
???: "I said stop talking, you ignorant fool."
[Fix lowers his gaurd and kneels down, confused.]
???: "So you beat me. I've died many times before, you know..."
FIX: "Are you really the Grim Reaper, then...?"
???: "To these people... da. I am Death."
FIX: "..."
???: (groaning) "How shall I say it... Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. I was not always so... You can call me White Dwarf."
FIX: "White Dwarf? Is that a code name? So you're human."
DWARF: "Da. I was once a man like you... or, a man at least."
FIX: "What happened? And how did you come to work for Azogue?"
DWARF: (breathing strained) "I am your enemy. You want to hear story, or do you want to kill me?"
FIX: "If there's time for both...."
DWARF: "Ha. You are a silly man. Very well..."
[Illustrated flashbacks play over the dialogue.]
DWARF: "For the first sixty years of my life, I was human. Raised by the State, I was given away by my parents. No name given. The State gave me one, and put me in a lost boy's home, to fight and starve with the other unwanted boys.
DWARF: "It was the beginning of the Cold War, and when it was time for me to become a man, I found out that I was—how you say—a dwarf. A little man, weak and useless. My arms and legs didn't grow, and I was beaten half to death more times than I can count... That is how the weak are.
DWARF: "We were given duties such as clearing minefields, testing drugs, et cetera. But without physical prowess, I could never advance to a higher rank. That is when I decided to turn my mind to science."
[Camera shows the characters again. The smoke has stopped fuming out of the Tomb.]
DWARF: "I read about men like Einstein, Oppenheimer, and Firmi. I found a world worth living for, where size and strength were useless, and a great mind was prized above all. For once, I didn't hate life. I studied, researched and experimented in various State projects until I was fourty years old, in the 90's. What do you think I was most interested in?"
FIX: "I don't know, growing pills?"
DWARF: (smiling) "Correct! Genetic engineering, drug enhancement, and cybernetic augmentation were my fields of interest. But for all my work, I had completed nothing worthwhile. I wanted to stand out, one way or another... but it seemed my mind was too small as well. It was my childhood all over again. Beaten by the competition, I volunteered to become a cybernetics test subject. I wanted to know what it felt like to have long arms and legs!"
FIX: "You got your wish, I see."
DWARF: "Not without going through hell, first. The tests were poorly funded, poorly conducted, and, under the haze of the drugs, I lost all hope. It was like a nightmare of torture. My body was shutting down, and I saw my last hope of gaining a name fade into nothing."
DWARF: "As Death visited me, I was taken in by the Desyat Chasov — a secret organization specializing in creating experimental soldiers. I don't know why they chose me, or how they did it, but the next time I woke up I was truly nameless... No records remained. But in a way, I had gotten my wish."
[Drawn images accompany once again.]
DWARF: "All of my major organs had been replaced with machinary, and my limbs were robotic. They said I had been unconscious for half a year, and could match any American cyborg in the field. The test was a success, and before long I was around the world, killing and being killed. Death followed me always, unable to finish me off. Eventually I got an upgrade, thanks to biomechanics, and became internationally known as White Dwarf, Red Giant.
DWARF: "As for the General, we know him as 'Loyola'. He took us in when the private armies broke up our special units, and I was happy to be his Grim Reaper. We are all broken men, from broken units."
FIX: "Who is 'we'? And what is General Azogue after?"
[Back to in-game cinematics.]
DWARF: "We're called The Broken. But... he didn't tell me his plan, because I didn't care to ask."
FIX: "Damn it. What was the flying object in the sky last week? Are they working on something?"
DWARF: "That... That was truly the Angel of Death."
FIX: "What do you mean? What is it?"
DWARF: (wheezing) "No. It's no use. Kill me, and bury me. Death has waited long enough."
[Fix stands up.]
FIX: "This is your chance to serve mankind for the better. Help me stop them!"
DWARF: (faint) "Stop? You're... not one of the guards?"
FIX: "I guess my looks were deceiving as well."
DWARF: "...Whoever you are... you can't... stop them..."
[Fix takes aim, and fires the arrow.]
FIX: "Don't rest in peace."
[The boy walks up from behind, nervous. Fix turns to see him.]
BOY: "You killed him? You killed Death?"
FIX: "See for yourself."
[The boy peeks into the grave, then backs away quickly.]
BOY: "Does that mean, nobody will die in the village tonight?"
FIX: "Not at his hands."
BOY: (teary-eyed) "Mama..."
FIX: "I need to talk with some of the villagers as soon as possible. Can you help me with that?"
[Camera pans out as the boy nods his head and leads Fix away by the hand. As the screen slowly fades to black, ravens are seen landing in and around the grave. The player now has the "Short Bow" weapon and a limited amount of arrows (# depends on difficulty setting); the weapon is "silent" will cause enemies hit in the torso to enter "injured" status. Head and limb shots are same as firearms.]
Part A - Part B - Part C - Part D - Part E - Part F - Part G - Part H
