At the market, Claire says she just bought something by herself for the first time. It was some kind of sponge cake someone was selling near the fountain. A bunch of people were eating sweets over there so she joined in with them… She couldn't believe how good they were. What a great experience that was for her! She thought it was unbecoming to eat away from the table like this, but there are some tastes you can only experience this way.
Time to hit the central market - just inside we speak to Claire (no relation) who says she's been living in Bose her whole life, but this is the first time she's actually come to the market. Where to start? There are goods and stores all over the place. She coughs, and says there's dust everywhere too…
Definitely a sheltered young local woman. Kudos to Roarian for making an LP thread more informative (and searchable) than any of the wikis.
Notable trivia: Liberl doesn't have a de jure noble class outside the royal family's courtesy titles, but it does have a pretty relevant haute bourgeoisie who fall into some of the same tropes.
Notable trivia: Liberl doesn't have a de jure noble class outside the royal family's courtesy titles, but it does have a pretty relevant haute bourgeoisie who fall into some of the same tropes.
Does make you wonder how the nobility withered away over the years while still keeping the royal family intact and actually in charge instead of a mere figurehead.
Does make you wonder how the nobility withered away over the years while still keeping the royal family intact and actually in charge instead of a mere figurehead.
I have great news about the worldbuilding in the next chapter......although that's the mythologized version. The actual reality seems to be more related to the Von Auslese family holding the loyalty of the army and several industrial monopolies.
I have great news about the worldbuilding in the next chapter......although that's the mythologized version. The actual reality seems to be more related to the Von Auslese family holding the loyalty of the army and several industrial monopolies.
I dunno, I quite enjoy ToCS, even if it has worse anime clichés (the 2010s were just plain worse for those than the 1995-2005 era Sky draws from for everything except the main plot which is very obviously from a particular 1986 Ghibli masterpiece). Sky is still the all around fave for characters, admittedly.
I dunno, I quite enjoy ToCS, even if it has worse anime clichés (the 2010s were just plain worse for those than the 1995-2005 era Sky draws from for everything except the main plot which is very obviously from a particular 1986 Ghibli masterpiece). Sky is still the all around fave for characters, admittedly.
I mean, setting your plot in an Anime Battle School kind of invites the clichés, I would think... I only know a few things about the Cold Steel games, but I'll probably give them a try at some point... but if I'm sticking to chronological, that'll probably be in like a decade.
Before we head to our next main destination, a few more sidequests have opened up, so let's tackle those real quick.
Escort Request
Term: Short
Client: Hardt
Pay: 1000 Mira
Difficulty: High
"I am searching for someone who can escort me to the Krone Pass Checkpoint. Please see me at the Friend Hotel ASAP."
New Ansel Path Monster
Term: Medium
Client: Bracer Guild
Pay: 1500 Mira
Difficulty: Medium
"A ferocious monster known as an Amber Turtle has been spotted roving New Ansel Path. Bracers from this branch are requested to deal with this threat immediately."
Side Job: New Ansel Path Monster
Once again, these 'kill a monster for me please' quests are very simplistic - in this case we're asked to take on an Amber Turtle, a creature which is just a common mob inside the Amberl Tower, not even actually a boss. Here, though, we'll have to contend with six of them at once! This basically means that relying on AOE attacks and fire-based arts is the obvious way to go. Since we don't have a tagalong this time, it's actually a lot easier to handle this fight - there's no risk of knocking out an NPC and instantly failing here!
For this task we get 1500 mira and 5 BP - not too shabby!
Side Job: Escort Request
There's a reason I did this task second… You know how I just mentioned dealing with a pesky escort NPC in the back? Yeah… We can find Mr. Hardt in one of the hotel rooms, and he's surprised we saw his request on the bulletin board. Ah, we finally came, huh? He's been waiting around here forever! He needs to get to Ruan ASAP, so he's looking for an escort to take him to the Krone Pass. Can we handle that? While this is a somewhat treacherous road, we agree to take him along. Hardt is glad - we're his saviors! He hears the mountain trail has a lot of monsters, so he's too scared to walk it alone… Estelle wonders what he'll do after reaching the checkpoint, but Hardt assures us the guild will handle that too. A bracer from the Ruan branch is coming to meet him there at the checkpoint to take him the rest of the way.
Joshua wonders if everyone's ready to go, then? Scherazard cuts in and suggests we should meet up somewhere else later, since we still need to prepare for the trip. It's fine by Hardt - he'll be waiting for us at the west gate, so once we're ready we should come find him. After he walks out, Joshua muses that to reach the west gate we should leave town by the mayor's residence. Schera and Joshua say we should get to work! With no real other duties right now, I just walk straight there and speak to Hard to get started. We're good to go, and Hardt has also prepared for the journey - he'll leave the rest up to us from here on out. Schera warns us it's pretty far, so we should not get careless along the way…
Schera wasn't kidding - first you have to traverse the entire West Bose Highway, past the path leading to Ravennue Village, only to eventually reach the Krone Trail, which is considerably more treacherous than the path so far. This is mostly because the area is full of pretty tight corners and lots of weird cul-de-sacs with monsters in them, so you have to dodge and weave more than usual. With four people in the party that's not an easy proposition, and getting ambushed with an NPC in the party is a pretty dangerous scenario since that guy can not take many hits before croaking. Save-scumming is pretty useful here, though I didn't end up needing it for the actual trek up towards the Krone Pass. I somehow dodged all the mobs this time around…
Towards the western side of the Krone Trail we walk across a rickety wooden bridge, only for Estelle to pause. Huh…? What was that? She could have sworn something moved…
Sure enough, a quartet of large sheep-monsters roll their way off the mountainside and into our path! Joshua wonders if this is an ambush…? Two more sheep drop down behind us, confirming that. Hardt worries about what we're going to do now that we're surrounded, but Schera promises we've got him covered. Estelle muses that there's monsters in the front and the rear now, so it's time to…
We can pick between charging onwards through the front or protecting the rear. Charging is much more up Estelle's alley, I feel, so we take on the larger group of weird sheep first, to get those out of the way. Schera immediately confirms that's a good call, since it could be dangerous to get split up.
[Boss: Creepy Sheep*4]
The sheep are not too terribly difficult, but you have to watch that Hardt stays safe back there. After the first batch of sheep go down we quickly dash to the far side of the bridge, then turn around. Schera warns us that there's only a few left now, but we shouldn't get careless. Surprisingly, the smaller group in the back is the exact same size in combat, leading to a fight with four more sheep. The approach here is identical to before, since it's the same exact encounter repeated. At least we've already got practice, right?
When the last sheep dies, Estelle lets out a sigh of relief, and Joshua and Schera say that somehow we managed to get them all… Hardt is amazed, and says we really saved his hide there! Scherazard smiles and reminds him she told him everything was going to be alright, didn't she? Hardt can't believe we came out of this in one non-bloody piece… Bracers are something else! It was amazing how we took care of those monsters like that. Estelle twirls her staff proudly and says that when it comes to her skill with a staff, it's all over for these monsters! How about she give a free performance while she's at it?
Schera just tells her we'll have to pass - but maybe another day? Let's clear out of here quickly, since we could get attacked by monsters again if we stay much longer. Hardt is fully in favor of leaving pronto, and repeats to himself: 'I will not be a monster snack, I will not be a monster snack…' Estelle is a bit put out by everyone just hurrying her along, but Schera assures her the checkpoint is up ahead, so we should be extra careful until we arrive there.
We're only a stone's throw away from Krone Pass, where Hardt is glad we've finally made it. Estelle comments that it was a pretty rough climb, huh? Joshua says at least we can breathe easy now… Scherazard mentions that Hardt's escort from Ruan should be here any time now. Speak of the devil, look who's here! A brown-haired bracer, Melvin, compliments our work and introduces himself as a junior bracer registered with the Ruan branch. Schera compliments him on his own good work - we'll be transferring our client into his care from here. He should make sure Hardt makes it to Ruan safely. Melvin promises he'll do that, and asks Hardt to follow him - he'll get him where he needs to go! Hardt looks at the wired kid and wonders how much coffee he's had? Eh, whatever, he'll count on the kid to get him where he needs to be.
After we all say our goodbyes and wave the two off, Estelle comments that this Melvin guy was really over the top energy-wise. Joshua muses that he mentioned being a junior bracer, right? That means he's a trainee just like us, working out of a branch. Schera confirms we're not the only ones - all junior bracers do that. They're working hard to become senior bracers. Estelle muses that it looks like she's going to have to work harder.Joshua agrees that it wouldn't be right of us to just rely on Schera all the time. Scherazard is pleased that meeting Melvin stimulated our motivation a bit. For now, how about we head back to the guild and report in?
For completing the task we get 1200 mira and 5 BP. Seems charging through the front of the sheep line gave us a little extra over the usual rewards.
Ravennue Village Mission
We head up the Ravennue Trail, retracing our steps from that monster-hunt we got in the first batch of sidequests. On our way over, though, a red-haired guy meets us from the other direction and recognizes Scherazard - it's another one of her bracer colleagues. He muses this is an unlikely place to run into the 'Silver Streak', and Schera says that she can say the same about him. She thought he was in the Royal City! Is he here to look into the airliner incident, then?
The redhead says he's just here on some chump errands, but speaking of that incident… he heard it's the work of sky bandits. If we're on the job, he guesses he doesn't have to worry about that himself… Schera remarks that he must have heard about Cassius being taken hostage, right? The red-haired guy thinks that's hilarious, actually - Cassius Bright taken hostage? Don't make him laugh! That old man's not going to get beaten by the likes of some sky bandits! Anybody saying that is severely mistaken! Schera says she'd like to believe that too… Estelle and Johua wonder who this guy is, but figure he fits the mold for a bracer…
Red-haired guy wonders who the two of us are, tagging along behind Scherazard. Looks like a couple of newbies to him! Schera laughs and says he'll surely be surprised to learn that these brats… are Cassius' kids! The redhead is shocked - so we're the old man's children, huh? Hard to believe… He walks closer and inspects Estelle, who wonders why he's looking at us like that…?! The redhead muses that the boy with the black hair is one thing, but the girl really looks like an amateur. Is she really Cassius' daughter? Estelle testily wonders if he wants to try saying that again with her staff in his teeth? Joshua affirms that Estelle is the bona fide daughter of Cassius Bright, and her bite is as good as her bark… He describes himself as 'just his adopted son.'
Red-haired guy takes that in, then decides it doesn't really matter, much to Estelle's frustration. He turns to Schera and tells her to take it easy, and not to let these brats drag her down! Schera just tells him not to rush into any trouble himself, either. He agrees, laughing it off, and then asks if she was the one who took care of that monster near the mine? Schera confirms that it was us, but the guy dismissively says he doubts any number of trainees would have made much difference, so Schera is the one who gets the credit. Anyay, good luck on that bandit search! As he takes off, Estelle wonders what was with that guy? He really pisses her off!
Joshua recognized him, stating he's 'Heavy Blade Agate'. Estelle thinks that's a stupid name… Schera explains his full name is Agate Crosner, and he's a senior bracer in the guild who works in all regions and isn't affiliated with any specific branch. His massive blade is said to be capable of slicing monsters in two with a single slash… He's one tough customer! Estelle scoffs at that. Whatever! She doesn't care how tough he is, he's still a rude jerk! How does he know our dad, anyway? Joshua observes that Agate seems to think highly of dad's ability, but even so he didn't seem to like him all that much. Schera says there are a number of things in his past she can't get into, and those things are the reason why he feels that way about Cassius. Estelle doesn't care about someone rude like that, and says we should just keep heading towards Ravennue Village…
As we enter town proper, Schera concludes that we should see what we can find out about the sighting. Estelle wonders if we should just go talk with all the villagers? What does she suggest? (Guess she didn't learn that much, huh?)
Joshua thinks that would be suspicious of us if we did that all of a sudden, so he thinks we should talk to the village elder first and see what he has to say about it. Naturally, I speak to everyone else first.
Fran wonders if we're visitors? If we're looking for the village elder's house, it's just up that hill in the back of the village. Vince mentions that Lewy hasn't come over recently, and wonders if something happened…? Inside the item shop, Emile says the village lies close to the border, and was one of the first places to be occupied during the war. There were so many victims back then, and the deep wounds in peoples' hearts still have yet to heal over.
At the inn, Apple says she'd like to recommend the squeezed juice in the bar on the second floor. We should give it a try if we like! Upstairs, Limon welcomes us to her bar and says if we're here for a drink, she recommends we try their various types of fruit wines! The ingredients here are the freshest and finest in all of Liberl. Schera says that sounds great, but if she doesn't mind her asking, this place wasn't around before, was it? Limon confirms that it was opened just recently, so she hopes we'll come to visit often! Schera asks for a recommendation, and Limon notes the pomegranate wine and apricot tart set is delightful! Estelle dryly suggests we should be investigating things first, but Schera says that's what she's doing… Speaking with local residents can net us some information as well. We don't need to be in such a hurry… Estelle wonders if she's really serious about what she says, and Joshua laughs at that. Who knows? Whenever it comes to her and alcohol, her credibility isn't that great…
In one of the houses, Orange says that if we're looking for her husband, he's always in the orchard. Even when she calls him for meals, he ends up coming an hour later, and the food has long since gone cold. In another house, Figaro wonders if we've visited the grave site in this village? The large tombstone is dedicated to the victims who died in the Hundred Days War. Even today, he still sees that horrific scene sometimes in his dreams…
Down by the orchard, Gray mentions he's been growing fruit here ever since the village was alive with its mining industry. When it comes to growing delicious fruit, he has no equal in this village. Melony says her husband Pesca is really dedicated to his research, and he works by day in the orchard while researching various means of cultivation by night. Pesca says he moved to this village a number of years ago because he wanted to be an orchard farmer, and even purchased a new set of orbal farming equipment which he's been studying how to use all his life. He's going to grow and produce more fruit than anyone else!
Lore mentions he's actually looking to get out of the orchard business and start again as a merchant in Bose. There are still a number of problems hanging over the village, though, and if they can't find a way to resolve them, he just won't be able to leave with a clear conscience. That's why his wife and son have gone ahead to Bose without him. At the pier, Lewey sniffled that nobody believes him…
At the elder's house, Birnette recalls the heat of the flames burning flesh and the charred smell of blackened bones amidst the screams and cries of the villagers and their children… No matter how many years pass, the terrible events of the war remain ingrained in her mind. If he'd let her know he was coming, she could have cleaned up the house for him. (...Is she talking about Agate, maybe?)
Speaking to Elder Reisen in his home, he wonders what brings us here today? Here for a visit? Schera explains that we're here on business… Although, if it's possible, she'd really like a glass of the fruit wine! The elder chuckles, and says things in the world never go like you expect, huh? He never got a chance to ask until now, but Schera doesn't happen to be one of Agate's companions, right? Scherazard explains that we're all members of the same guild, but we're not companions exactly. We know him by face, that's about it. The elder muses that he's traveling by himself as usual, huh? He closes his eyes for a moment as a look of sadness passes over his aged features. Estelle is confused, but the elder says it's nothing - pardon his expression. (This is Agate's dad, I'm gonna guess.)
Anyway, he quickly changes topics and wonders what brings us here, then? There's not another dangerous monster that's shown up in the area, right? Joshua says that's not it. We're actually in the middle of an investigation concerning the missing airliner. We came here because we heard there was a sighting of some kind of flying object. The elder notes that the Royal Army came by and investigated the other day, searched the area, and left empty-handed. Estelle wonders what happened with the person who saw the flying silhouette in the sky? The elder explains it's actually one of the children in the village, a boy named Lewey. He apparently saw some suspicious shadow making its way across the sky on the night of the incident… He's a kid any way you think about it, so he may just have imagined the whole thing while he was half-asleep…
Estelle questions that conclusion, while Joshua suggests the best thing to do is to just ask him directly. Estelle thinks that's fair, and thanks the elder for his assistance. The old man waves it off, and says that if there's anything else he can help us with, we shouldn't hesitate to ask. Lewey should be somewhere here in the village. It's rather small, so he's sure we'll be able to find him without any trouble.
Lewey can be found on the far eastern side of town, on a small pier over a small inland lake. He doesn't seem to recognize us - hasn't seen us around here before, at least. Are we merchants here to buy fruit? Estelle explains we're actually here for a different reason - in fact, we're bracers! Lewey wonders if we're like Agate, then? He's not sure, Estelle doesn't look all that strong to him… especially 'cause she's a girl! Estelle sighs, and tells him to say what he really feels… After seeing her great skill with the staff, though, can he still call her weak?! Estelle does a dramatic spin, and Lewey is amazed - it's like a tornado! Estelle smugly declares that he has hopefully learned his lesson that looks can be deceiving! She proposes another demonstration, but Joshua cuts in and reminds her she hit herself in the face just yesterday doing these tricks…
Joshua turns to Lewey and confirms that we're dealing with the right kid, explaining that we heard about him from the village elder. He said Lewey saw some kind of flying shadow…? Could he tell us a little bit more about what he saw that night? Lewey points out that the soldiers from the army already searched the place and didn't find anything… Joshua says we're not worried about that, it's fine - could he just stick to what he saw? In as much detail as he can remember, please. Lewey nervously agrees, and explains that sometimes he likes watching the stars at night. So he often sneaks out of his house to come out here and look at the night sky. The other night when he was out here, though, he saw two shadows moving across the sky…
Estelle pauses him there. Hold on now, two shadows? Lewey confirms that's what he saw, and that they were different sizes, too - kind of like a mom leading a kid. Estelle muses about two differently sized shadows, while Scherazard states that this is consistent with an airliner and the sky bandit airship, if you think about it. Joshua agrees that the aircraft we ran across in the woods in Rolent was definitely smaller than a typical airliner. Lewey explains that the shadows kept flying north until he couldn't see them anymore. Schera points out there's a trail that continues northwards behind the village which leads to an old Septium mine which was abandoned some time ago.
Lewey explains that the soldiers supposedly searched that trail, but they didn't come up with anything… That's why they said he must have been dreaming. Then they laughed at him like he didn't know what he was talking about! Tears spring into the boy's eyes, but Estelle quickly reprimands him - he's a boy, right? Boys don't cry! Anyway, we don't think he's telling a lie, and we're going to prove it! Just leave it to us! So no more crying, okay?
Lewey says Estelle is actually a really nice person… Schera and Joshua muse that as ever, Estelle's got a knack with the kids… Maybe it's a virtue? Estelle just wonders why they're looking at her like that? Joshua says we should focus on the task at hand - we've got stuff to do. Let's follow the trail behind the village and see what we can find!
Fran muses that she thinks it's just like he says… She's heard that when their fathers were children, there was a dragon still around here somewhere. She'd love to see a dragon for real, even if only just one time. Vince says it's partly Lewey's own fault that people don't believe him. When he first talked about seeing some suspicious silhouettes, he said he thought they were dragons! Dragons are creatures from ancient times, right? So saying something like that is not going to help believability…
Item shop owner Emile mentions that even young children were victims of the Hundred Days War… At the elder's hut, Birnette says it's a daily routine for her and her husband to pay their respects to the deceased. They don't ever want those who lost their lives during the war to feel that they've been forgotten. Elder Reisen muses that the silhouette that Lewey saw flying in the sky… He wonders if it could be 'him'...? No, it couldn't be… it's been decades since anyone last saw him…
Apple comments that when it becomes the right reason, people can come and experience picking fresh fruit from the trees here. Estelle is pleased - did Joshua hear that? We can come and pick fruit! Could we come here again sometime so we can gorge ourselves on all the good stuff? Joshua figures she'd say something like that.. Anyway, it seems a little early for that. Apple agrees that it'll still be a few months before the fruit is ripe. Estelle sighs - why would she say something like that? She got all excited for nothing… Well, let's go back when it's picking season, alright? Joshua points out that she said the same thing about shopping in Bose. Upstairs, Limon wonders if she should increase the number of dishes that use fruit in them - she'll have to discuss it with Apple later.
Orange says her husband Gray is stiff as a board and stuck in his ways. In fact, he may just be stuck in his old ways until the day he dies. It seems like recently he has had a difference of opinion with one of the young men in the village… Figaro wonders if Lewy is still off crying somewhere by himself? He said something about a shadow flying through the air the other night, but any normal person would think he mistook an animal for what he saw!
Lore mentions that Gray and Pesca were at each others' throats again today. There are a number of things that Gray is unwilling to budge on. Gray complains that these youngins' ways of cultivation are nothing less than crude. Thinking only about production instead of quality of taste! It's utterly deplorable in every sense of the word… Pesca says that Gray thinks the only reason why he wants to use machines is so he can be lazy. He completely misunderstands him. Melony agrees that it's as her husband says, Gray just misunderstands them. She thinks that if they had a chance to really sit down and talk to him, he would understand where they're coming from…
We've already explored behind the town during an earlier sidequest, so all that's needed here is just to retrace our steps to the far northwest and find the entrance to the local mine, heavily padlocked and inaccessible. Inspecting the lock, Joshua confirms this leads to the abandoned mine, and Estelle comments that it kind of reminds her of the Malga Mine, except for the fact that it's all deserted. Scherazard agrees that it seems to have been abandoned quite some time ago as the padlock and chain are rusted, and it doesn't seem to have been opened recently. Joshua concludes that there's no possibility the sky bandits entered through here, then, and wonders if that's why the army never investigated this place?
Estelle guesses you're probably not going to find clues searching around in some old mine, that's for sure… She suddenly pauses, and Schera asks what's going on? Estelle asks if she's imagining things, but… does she feel any air flowing out from here? Joshua gets closer to investigate, wetting the tip of his index finger and holding it out, and confirms Estelle's perception - it's subtle, but there's air flowing out of the mine. Schera comments that sometimes Estelle's senses are surprisingly sharp. Maybe she got that from her father?
Estelle declares her dad doesn't have anything to do with it! Never mind that, though, aren't the others more interested in what's inside the mine, now? It has to connect to somewhere, so it's probably worth checking out… Estelle proposes busting the lock off, but Schera tells her not to even think about doing that! For now, she suggests, we'd better head back to the village and talk with the elder, as he might have the key. Estelle huffs and says Schera is no fun at all.
After retracing our steps to the village, we discover the elder isn't in his house - his wife Birnette mentions that if we're looking for her husband, it's currently the time of day when he's up at the grave site on the hill, saying his prayers for the deceased.
Upstairs at the inn we can discover Anelace at the bar, who greets Scherazard. She wonders if Schera is here on a job with the guild, too? Seems they're all bogged down with work, huh? One more thing, she says - we should be wary, since the region has become really dangerous lately.
Limon mentions she started this inn with her childhood friend Apple, and of course she was the one to invite her to join in this venture. Apple is a bit of an introvert so Limon wasn't sure she'd be up for it, but she was surprisingly eager to give it a shot. Apple admits she may be a bit shy, but she loves doing this job. They get people from all over with interesting stories about the world, and it makes her feel all warm and tingly inside hearing them. She's so happy when someone who stayed here before comes back again…
Outside, Lewey wonders if we found out anything? Estelle admits we can't be sure yet, but she doesn't think the thing he saw was a dream. She promises we're going to do a little more investigating, so he should give us a little longer to see what we come up with. He wishes us luck! Vince heard this from Lewey, so he asks us not to be mad if he's wrong, but are we really from the Bracer Guild? That's awesome! So even girls can be bracers too, huh? He always thought you couldn't be a bracer unless you were tough like Agate. Fran wonders what Vince's new theory is now…? This is the time for women to shine! Even Lore's wife is the queen of the house, and for heaven's sake they even have Her Majesty the Queen! In the item shop, Emile says he had his own store in the Bose Market at one time, but feels more comfortable in his hometown. Unfortunately this place is out of the way, and sometimes it's difficult to get products in stock. Still, he has fond memories of Bose, and what he learned there…
Orange says that she doesn't think her husband Gray is wrong in his opinions, because the fact is that he grows the most delicious fruit in the entire village. That said, she doesn't think it would hurt to try accepting new ways of growing fruit. Figaro comments that Lewy seems to be rather upset, and wonders what's wrong…? Gray grumbles that Pesca relies too much on those orbment-run machines. Look at what it's brought him: fruit that tastes much less delicious than his! He just doesn't know how he feels about shipping out something like that from Ravennue Village… Lore says he gets what Gray is trying to say, but he thinks Pesca has the best idea. He thinks they should sit down and discuss this, since it's really important to the whole village.
Pesca comments that it's not like he wants to turn everything into a mechanized civilization...
Orchard cultivation is difficult to do with machines anyway, so even if they used orbal machines to help out, a large portion of the work would still rely on doing things by hand. As it stands, there's not enough people here in the village to do everything manually… That's why he thinks they should use machines where they need them. He's tried to discuss that with Gray on multiple occasions. His wife Melony says she really loves raising fruit herself, so she's glad that she came along with her husband. It's been a while coming, but gradually they've been able to confide in the other villagers. Gray is someone they've never been able to get close to, though…
At the back of the village we can find the graveyard, dominated by one huge headstone. Elder Reisen is paying his respects there. Schera comments that it seems a rather extravagant grave for a small village like this, and the elder explains that it was erected to mourn all those souls the village lost ten years ago. Since the Bose region is nearest to the Empire, it was in the thick of the fray and this village lost a number of good people in the hostilities.
Estelle morosely says that's terrible, but the elder says there's no need for her to get somber too. These days, he explains, cleaning this monument is just one of his daily routines. He guesses we wouldn't have come up here to find him if there wasn't something we needed his help with, right? Estelle confirms there is something, but before that… would he mind if we paid our respects as well? Joshua says we don't have any flowers to give, but we can at least offer up a prayer. The elder says he's sure all those looking down from above would be overjoyed by the gesture…
Later, we pick back up in the elder's home, where we've already informed him of our visit to the old mine, and that we think there might be some clues inside. The man acknowledges that he at least knows for sure that the soldiers never went in. Estelle explains that after hearing Lewey's story, it got her thinking - she'd like to check the place out just in case, so would he mind lending us the key to the entrance? The elder muses about the key to the padlock, then hobbles over to a cupboard and rummages through - he swore he left it here somewhere. Ah, yeah, there it is! Estelle comments that the key looks ancient, then thanks the elder, and Joshua chimes in with the same. The elder says we shouldn't mention it - they're always indebted to the Bracer Guild for their help, so it's only natural to return the favor. Schera thanks him, and says if only everyone we dealt with were as cooperative, it would make our lives a lot easier. We promise to let him know of any developments, then go on our way.
If we speak to her before we leave, Birnette explains that when the mine was in use, the village enjoyed a period of economic growth. In fact, this place was so lively with miners and merchants that you could have almost called it a small city instead of a town! Following the war, though, this place became quite lonely... Elder Reisen hopes we manage to find what we're looking for in that mine.
Next: Let's delve into the mine proper, and see what's hidden there...
A major war ten years ago still has serious consequences on the survivors now, huh? Go figure.
Also I think there's only two kinds of places you really run into outright, unsubtle sexism in Zemuria, and one of them is "little kids in the middle of nowhere", which I think is delightful.
Heading back up the trail towards the mine, we can now try the key on that big padlock, and sure enough the entrance swings open. Whew, that's one heavy gate! Joshua wants to head inside, but Schera warns that she's not sure about sky bandits, but she can definitely sense monsters in there. Walking inside we spot… crabs. Between Malga Mine and this place, what's up with the subterranean crab population in this land, exactly? Anyway, the cavern is large but also very empty. Some directions lead to nothing but long looping hallways full of crabs… and nothing else. Good for grinding, I guess, but not much else. These 'Murder Crabs' are weak to basically every element and can also summon more buddies into battle, so they are clearly a way to bulk up before the inevitable boss fight.
Speaking of which, heading westwards inside this cavern leads you to a large outside area rather quickly - honestly I expected at least some dungeon, but the intended path is very short. Estelle complains that it's bright in here, before spotting something with amazement. Hey, isn't that the…?! Joshua hushes her quickly, while Schera whispers that it looks like we've hit the jackpot!
The camera shifts to reveal that this large secluded area inside the mining complex is currently taken up by two airships - the sky bandit one we saw in the Mistwald, and the airliner Linde! It has had most of its cargo removed and scattered around the vehicle. Near the center of the area stand a quartet of sky bandits and their blue-haired leader, the guy who picked up Josette. The blue-haired guy, Kyle, tells his minions to forget about the heavy things and focus on the food provisions and valuables. And they should hurry up, yeah? It's only a matter of time before someone finds this place. The four bandits shout 'Roger that!'
Estelle wonders what an airliner is doing in a place like this? Guess that kid wasn't seeing things after all… Schera concludes this was an area that used to be used for strip mining, and it turns out to be great for hiding something of this size. Joshua agrees that nobody would have thought to look here! He observes that the bandits are loading airliner cargo into their own ship… Estelle says we should worry about that later. For now, we should figure out a way to bag these guys before they get away again!
The camera shifts back again, and Kyle comments that this is their third trip already - man, Don can be a real slave-driver sometimes. Oh well, once this is all taken care of, they'll be able to sit back and negotiate a nice, fat ransom… That's when Estelle jumps into frame and tells him to hold it right there! She then dramatically declares that the scorching flames of justice shall never fade away as long as evil thrives in this world… The League of Extraordinary Bracers has arrived! Everyone just pauses for a moment, and Schera calls her a bonehead who always gets carried away. Estelle nervously wonders what's with the others? Now she just looks like a big fool for saying that stuff all alone!
Kyle recognizes us as the ones Josette had a run-in with back in Rolent. This can't be right - we're not supposed to be here this early! Estelle wonders what the hell he means by that. What is he talking about? Schera announces that in accordance with the laws of the Bracer Guild, the bandits are hereby under arrest and charged with the hijacking of an airliner and its passengers. He hopes for their sake they'll come quietly… Kyle tells us to hold on a minute, and asks if we're trying to tell him only the three of us came here to arrest them? Estelle wonders if the bandit boy sees anyone else around? Kyle concludes we're not involved with the others then - that simplifies things. He commands his subordinates to attack alongside him. Let's get them, boys!
[Boss: Kyle Capua, Sky Bandit x4]
This is honestly an easier fight than the one against Josette in my experience, because I knew what was coming (sort of.) Just like before the regular foot soldiers can poison people, but that's something you can plan for. Kyle himself is pretty weak to pretty much all magic, but he has an AoE bomb attack which can blind people, though it needs to charge up - which means you can use some abilities to impede him and break his concentration. By this point both Aerial and the Hell Gate attacks are pretty good for whittling down the crowd. Compared to some of the sidequest bosses, this is peanuts.
After taking Kyle down, he admits we're tougher than he thought, so it's no wonder Josette got beaten by the three of us. Estelle smugly says that sweet-talk won't get him anywhere, buddy! It's time to surrender and let those passengers go! Kyle laughs - we really don't know anything, do we? What was it we called ourselves? The League of the Exceptionally Dim or something? Estelle wonders if he's really making fun of her awesome team name? He's dead! Kyle grabs for something in his pocket, and Joshua warns the others to look out! Kyle then detonates a smoke grenade at his feet and blocks out our sight… you gotta be kidding me! From somewhere in the blank nothing Kyle laughs, and shouts that it's too bad the rest of the cargo will have to stay here, but they'll just have to live without it.
The smaller airship takes off, while our party coughs and gags from the smoke - some of it got in our eyes! Thankfully it's not poisonous, Joshua concludes, just a typical smoke canister. Schera scans the skies, but the airship is already out of sight. This is really getting old - it's not once but twice now that these bandits have gotten away! If she gets demoted for this at the guild, there's not much she can say in her defense… Estelle tells her to quit acting like it's all her fault. Joshua agrees that we're responsible as well. If we've got the time to kick ourselves over this, though then there's got to be something more constructive we can do. Schera comments that he sounds like a senior bracer already - well, at least we were able to take back the airliner, so how about we have a look? The passengers may be inside.
The rather enormous Linde is now open for exploration, its side hatch open while numerous large cargo containers are stacked up outside, presumably looted for supplies already.
Estelle comments that it's pretty bare inside, since all the cargo has already been removed. Joshua guesses the bandits made off with it all, judging by the looks of things. Schera decides we should still do a thorough investigation of the place. Just inside we can find a forklift, just like the ones used at the landing port, which was probably used to move the cargo around. We can also find an orbal engine control panel nearby, and Schera notes that it seems the flow of orbal energy has completely stopped…
One level up, at the front of the ship, we can find the captain's seat up on the bridge. Estelle says if these were any other circumstances, she'd love to sit there. Joshua warns her not to even think about it. We can also interact with the steering wheel, used to pilot the ship. Where did the pilot go…? Another level up there's a passenger lounge at the front, where a lot of light is streaming into the ship. There's a poor potted plant in there which looks like it's not gonna make it. Estelle calls the bandits 'a bunch'a plant murderers!' beyond that we can look around outside and around the top passenger level, but the place is entirely deserted.
At some point, when exiting a door to the outside deck on the top floor, Estelle concludes that we checked over the entire Linde, but it looks like there's nobody inside. Joshua says there's a high possibility that the passengers were transferred to the sky bandits' airship, and then to wherever their hideout is. Estelle says this sucks - right when she thought we had some clues, we're back to zero! Scherazard tells her to cheer up already - it's not like every clue has completely vanished. Why did the sky bandits hide the airliner in a place like this, she asks? As far as she can tell, the orbal energy in the ship has completely stopped, which means the engine was stripped from the aircraft. Orbal energy in an orbment gradually recharges over time, so there should be some. Furthermore, the sky bandits made multiple trips to carry off a large amount of cargo. Considering the time and risk involved, doesn't it seem like it would have been more effective to just take the entire airliner to their hideout…?
Estelle admits that does seem a little odd. So, why did they hide the airliner here, then? All she can think of is… We get a choice here between motivations: we can guess they did it to sort the cargo, to move the hostages onto their own ship, to steal the orbal engine, to keep clear of the search party… or to ditch the Linde entirely, because their hideout is somewhere weird. That last one stands out as the only one that's really an explanation rather than just repeating what we already knew, and Schera agrees that we got it exactly right. Schera's guess is that the bandits are hidden in a slightly peculiar place, maybe only 10 to 15 arge in size, where only a small airship like the bandits' own could feasibly land. Joshua wonders if it might be in terrain covered in extreme differences in height, like mountains and ravines? Schera agrees that she's been thinking the same. Still, if that's the case, we may be unable to do anything else, since there is the possibility that they're in a place we can't reach by foot…
Estelle wonders what we can do, then? Schera says she hates to admit it, but we may have to share our conclusion with the army, and ask for their cooperation, since they're the one with patrol ships. Estelle angrily wonders if she's trying to tell us we should go crawling back to the army and ask them for help?! Joshua points out that either way we should inform them about our discovery of the airliner. Personally speaking, he still thinks we should cooperate, whatever their attitude may be, if it helps bring the hostages back safe and sound. Estelle admits he may be right. This isn't the time and place to let her personal feelings get the best of her. Schera says that for the time being we should return to the guild and report our findings to Lugran. We should be able to contact Haken Gate if we use the orbal telephone there.
Heading back through the ship and exiting through the side of the vessel, though, we are suddenly faced with new… visitors. A contingent of army troops await us just outside the doors. What the heck? Joshua admits he didn't expect this - great. Schera wonders if we should be glad, since they've saved us the trouble of having to contact them…?
It's revealed that an army patrol vessel landed nearby, and a royal army officer steps up and declares that they've found a suspicious armed group - us! We should put our hands in the air! What's this world coming to? A woman and two kids are the sky bandits…? Though that girl does look shifty… Estelle remarks that's just rude - and who are they calling sky bandits?! Can't they see the shiny emblems on their chests? An old man's voice recognizes the bracer emblem, but says he hopes we don't think for a moment something like that proves our innocence! General Morgan then reveals himself and steps in front of his army contingent…
General Morgan explains that after looking over the reports of his men, he found this place to have been insufficiently investigated, so he came to see for himself… Who would have thought we were conspiring with the sky bandits? Schera asks the general to stop with the accusations - we simply managed to find this place one step ahead of his men. Morgan asks, if that's the truth, where exactly the sky bandits are? Are the hostages in the airliner? Joshua admits we almost had the bandits, but they managed to escape, and there are no hostages to be found here. Morgan scoffs - looks like the truth has come out. Most likely we notified the sky bandits to let them know the army was coming! Estelle shouts that he should wait a minute, and cut with the crap! Morgan shouts back that these are his thoughts exactly! He then commands his men to take us into custody…
Prisoners of the Law
The camera fades back in to reveal Haken Gate - we've been put into the prisons beneath the base, previously accessible but empty. A royal army soldier says the general will be questioning us himself on the morrow, and if our innocence is proven we'll be released in two or three days. For the time being, this cell will give us a place to cool our heels. After the soldiers leave, Estelle sighs - this isn't even funny. Tossing us in a place like this without even listening to a word we have to say…
Joshua muses that if the army managed to arrest the sky bandits, then he's sure we'd have our names cleared, but with the way things are at the moment, that may not be possible. We remember what the sky bandit leader we fought said, right? He mentioned that we weren't supposed to be there so early, if Joshua remembers right. Estelle asks if he meant the army by that? Joshua's not sure, but he would bet that's what it meant. Schera concludes that means the bandits have a mole in the army, or a collaborator who is leaking information. Estelle guesses that if that's the case, they'll never get caught. We're the only ones who stood a chance of nabbing them! Schera wonders how our father would get around this little setback…
A voice from the next cell over speaks up - my, my my, don't we all seem to be in a bit of a fix? Estelle at first thinks Joshua was saying something, but he denies it. Schera says it came from the next cell over, and almost sounded familiar. The voice wonders how she could say something so heartless? His lustrous voice should be recognizable to anyone! Estelle asks if that this unfounded self-confidence and tone of absurd narcissism could belong to…? Scherazard recognizes it must be Olivier! The camera shifts to reveal him, and Olivier is glad we do recognize his dulcet chords. To think we'd meet again in a place like this! Seems we are bound by destiny… Estelle asks why he's here? Wasn't he in Bose? And yet now he's locked up in a place like this? What the heck did he do?
Olivier tells us not to worry about the little details. He's got his reasons, which are deeper than the deepest oceans and higher than the highest peak! Estelle resolves that she's definitely not asking now, since she's sure we'd just get tired while he talked our ears off. Joshua admits that it's some coincidence that he happened to be thinking the same thing… Schera confirms we really don't care to know. Olivier talks so much that she'd probably be an old woman by the time he was done, and she's not ready for wrinkles yet! Olivier laughs this off and tells us not to be like that. He'll fill us in on all the details of the tragic incident which befell him. Estelle whispers that we don't want to hear about it - didn't the dummy listen…?
Olivier explains that it all began after we last parted ways. He did some window shopping in the Bose Market and then moved on to the Anterose Restaurant. You see, once he'd heathen to his heart's content, he began to play the grand piano to feed his artistic soul. Upon doing so, the restaurant manager was overcome by his skill, so he was asked to stay and work as the professional pianist for the restaurant. Estelle comments that's great and all, but wasn't he supposed to be a lutist? Olivier dismisses that - a musical genius is not limited to just one instrument. Anyway, back to his story - after negotiating a few of his own conditions, he accepted the job offer. Those conditions were, of course, food and wine for free every day instead of mira. Joshua remarks that it's certainly very Olivier. Yet, he's not sure how that relates to him getting thrown in jail… This, Olivier explains, is where the real sob story begins.
See, that night he'd been enjoying a plate of sauteed duck he'd had the chef prepare… but the blood-sauce which had been used was a little too overbearing for his palate. Consequently, he began to feel that normal red wine was not satisfying enough. Estelle says that the more she hears Olivier talk, the more she wants to hit him… Go on, though - she's curious despite herself.
Olivier explains that he went and borrowed a bottle of wine which seemed good from the cellar. Something called 'Grand Chardonnay' from the year 1183. Schera, booze-hound that she is, recognizes that immediately - that's the legendary vintage wine auctioned off in the Royal City! Olivier says she's well informed. He heard a rumor about it too, so of course he was interested in having a drink for himself. Estelle takes in that it was auctioned off, and wonders how much mira they're talking about here…? Scherazard says that from what she heard, it went for somewhere in the neighborhood of five-hundred thousand mira. Half a million?! For just one bottle? Joshua says that's truly out of this world… Olivier didn't, right? He laughs and admits he opened the bottle and had a sip. Its sweet-smelling fragrance tickled his nostrils, its luxurious mellow taste caressed his throat, and can you believe what else? A rose-tinted vignette of time and space existed within that very bottle… Estelle can't listen to this any longer, and Joshua admits his ears are bleeding from listening to such stupidity… Schera is dumbfounded too.
Oliver continues, explaining that the sad thing is that after taking a sip of such excellent wine, he began to feel the food was lacking. While he was having the chef cook him up something else to match the wine, the restaurant manager returned. Since he's not a stingy fellow, he cordially invited him to join for a drink. For some odd reason, though, he got rather upset. In fact, he got so steaming mad that his face looked like a ripe tomato. Before he could say another word a group of soldiers came filing in, and one thing led to another… He can't say another word about this tragedy of being dragged all the way here without coming to tears. Let us all weep together as we sympathize with his dilemma…
What Olivier hears back is just Estelle and the others snoring - though Schera still manages to call him an idiot in her sleep. He kept going until deep into the night… He wonders if his ears deceive him? He could have sworn he heard a 'zzz' and 'zzzz' and even an assuredly misheard 'idiot' coming from the other cell. Are they listening? Because this is where the story gets really interesting! See, several further trails awaited Olivier after he was brought here. Hello, is anyone still listening…?
The next morning, a royal army officer knocks on the cell door to wake up our trio. Estelle yawns, while Joshua wonders what's wrong? Schera asks if we're really being interrogated this early in the morning…? It's a little early even for her! The soldier says it's the opposite, actually - we're being released. Estelle is confused - why are we free, all of a sudden? Is there a reason? A woman's voice from off-screen says she'd like to consider herself that reason. It's Mayor Maybelle! Schera admits this is an unusual place to be meeting her! Maybell is really sorry about everything that's happened to us, but assures us our names have been cleared.
General Morgan is also there, and gruffly states that he doesn't completely agree with everything, but this is a request from Maybelle herself, so we'd better remember to thank her. Estelle wonders if the mayor stood up on our behalf, then? Maybelle says that's not exactly it. She just explained our situation to the general. 'Our situation…?' Estelle wonders. Morgan has one question for Estelle and Joshua - are we really the children of Cassius Bright? Estelle is caught off guard, but Joshua confirms that she's Cassius' daughter, and he's his adopted son. Morgan admits that now that we mention it, Estelle does slightly resemble Lena. Estelle is astounded that Morgan knew her mother! Morgan says he enjoyed Lena's cooking on several occasions when he visited our home in Rolent. In fact, he even met Estelle once when she was just a baby!
Estelle is amazed - hold on, General Morgan is a personal acquaintance of her dad's? She knew he used to be in the military before, but… General Morgan says he doesn't know Cassius Bright, the bracer - he only knew the one from the service. He was a rare strategist… He just can't imagine what Cassius saw in the Bracer Guild… It makes him angry just thinking about it! We'll have to excuse him! He then runs off, and Estelle wonders what's wrong with him…? Mayor Maybelle laughs and says it seems like our father was a brilliant officer in the military. He's heard from the general that he tried several times to get our father to change his mind about retiring. Estelle didn't know that, and somehow feels that hard to believe… Scherazard guesses that if that's the case, the general's hatred for bracers may stem from Cassius leaving the army. From the vexation of being left by one of his most promising men. Joshua got the same impression.
Estelle muses that what they're saying is that our lives are such a pain because of our dad. That dirty rotten scoundrel! Maybelle chuckles and suggests heading back to Bose now. With the airliner found, the situation has taken a turn, and there are a number of things she'd like to discuss with us. Estelle pauses, then admits that while she's definitely ready to get out of here, she feels like she's forgetting something. Joshua and Schera agree - but what could it be? This is when Olivier pipes up - oh, how callous people can be sometimes! How could we forget about a companion who spent the night with us in a cold, hard cell? How lamentable, how pitiful! He then pulls out his lute and starts strumming it. Estelle concludes he's still there, and Schera admits she completely forgot about him too. Joshua says there's not much we can do for him…
Maybelle asks if this is the musician she heard about, the one who chugged that bottle of Grand Chardonnay without a second thought? Olivier admits that was him. Yet, he declares, he would be heartbroken if such a fair lass would take his intentions the wrong way. For you see, he perceived it as an advance payment for the exquisite services that he was about to render! Maybelle chuckles and says he's quite the interesting character, and says she'll see what she can do to bargain with the general for his release. Olivier is amazed - really, truly? She would do such a kind service for a man such as himself? Estelle thinks that might be asking a bit much, and Schera says that if the restaurant takes this to trial, there's going to at least be a lawsuit. The mayor says there's no need to worry about that - since she's the owner of the restaurant! (Called it!) That Grand Chardonnay was the one she bid on. That being the case, she's fairly confident there won't be any other problems over the matter.
Later, we catch back up with everyone at the mayor's residence, where Estelle still can't believe Olivier was released! Schera says it's like a stroke of bad luck… Olivier himself laughs and asks us to please not lay on the complements so thick. Still, it pains his soul that he partook of such a fine wine without paying a single mira. Shall he play the piano in the restaurant per contract to remedy that? Maybelle says she's going to have to pass on that. After what happened, she thinks it would be a bit awkward having him back there. Estelle whispers that she doubts Olivier would mind a bit, and Johsua agrees that he seems to have some thick skin.
The mayor suggests thinking of this as an unfortunate incident, but Olivier doesn't think he can just let things go like this. He notes that we're investigating something at the moment, right? How about he lends his assistance in return for the wine? Maybelle admits that sounds interesting, and suggests he should help us bracers with our work. Olivier assures her he can do so. It's settled! Let this new working relationship bloom like a magnolia at the height of spring! Estelle wonders what we did to deserve this…? Schera comments that general weirdness aside, simply having an amateur around is honestly going to be a pain. Is he confident he won't be a drag on our work? Or our sanity?
Olivier assures us he's confident in his marksmanship and magic, but of course he'd be distressed if we tried to list his musical genius in the same group. Estelle says that kind of line gets her really worried… Joshua figures we could use an extra hand, though. As long as we can't count on the army to help us out, he has the feeling we'll be short on manpower. Scherazard says it's all right, then - we'll use him for what he's worth. If happen to conclude that he's not worth his weight, though, he'll be dumped from the party. Olivier doesn't mind, and promises he won't let us down. Estelle admits that her expectations of him are pretty much at rock bottom anyway, so she knows he won't let her down.
Maybelle is glad things are settled between us, but has something to tell us. Scherazard admits the town did seem pretty noisy as we were headed here - what's going on? Maybelle explains that truth be told, last night there was a large-scale burglary in Bose's south block. The weapon shop and orbal factory were targeted, as were a number of private residences. Joshua wonders if it was the work of sky bandits, and the mayor says that while that's unknown at this time, it seems highly probable. A unit of the Royal Army is currently conducting an investigation. Schera concludes we'd better do an investigation of our own, then. The Mayor agrees - she'd like to formally request that we do just that. She'll send a payment over to the guild for the work we've done so far, and we should make use of that for the current investigation expenses.
As we head for the door, Estelle comments that she's got a feeling the army is going to get in our way again. Guess when that happens, it happens… Joshua decides that whether they get in our way or not, he doesn't think we should be forthcoming with the army about any information we come across. If there really is a spy in their midst, they'll just leak it to the sky bandits. Schera says that though she's reluctant to say it, she also thinks it's best to keep quiet about our findings. Let's act with prudence. Olivier declares that all-righty, bosom companions, let's head to the south block! Estelle wonders who made him king of the show…?
Next: The mother of all Bose exploration segments, plus some southern burglars!
Right, time to start on our next mission! We head back to the Bracer Guild first, where Lugran is surprised we're back already. We all gave him a big surprise! It was unprecedented to hear that some of this branch's bracers were taken into custody during an investigation! That General Morgan… Scherazard apologizes for making him worry like that, but Lugran waves it off - he's just glad we're all back safe. He was even considering protesting in the Royal City through our main branch! Mayor Maybelle managed to smooth everything out before that could happen, though.
Estelle wonders if it was really such a big deal? Schera tells her to think about it - in the Liberl Kingdom, the Bracer Guild's right to investigate crimes is recognized by law. Therefore, the general's actions would be in direct defiance of the system of rules that governs the kingdom. Lugran is glad things have settled down. At any rate, we should probably just focus on investigating this string of burglaries for now… We'll probably have to deal with the army again, so we should act with prudence. Before we leave, checking the boards here reveals a single new sidequest:
Stolen Ring Term: Medium Client: Launa Pay: 2000 Mira Difficulty: Low
"I was burglarized the other day, and my Jeweled Ring was found to be among the missing items. It's quite valuable to me, so if anyone happens to find it, please let me know. I live on Bose's South Block."
Seems like something we'll deal with during our main quest, not something to tackle right now. Before we get into the actual story content, this is also the time to see what a Post-Ravennue Bose looks like. You know, everything north of the South Block, at least. Heading south now locks you into story events which end with everything changing again - because of course it does.
If we speak to Mayor Maybelle before we leave, she says she's got a female friend by the name of Mirano, and her father was on board the airliner that went missing. She's sure there are a lot of other people also worried about family members who still haven't returned. There's a high possibility these burglars and sky bandits may be one and the same, so she hopes this investigation can yield some important information about the group.
Butler Mayner says she's recommended to the mayor that she should take a break from her labors, but she's stated that alleviating the citizens' concerns and bringing back peace to Bose comes first. He couldn't be more happy that Mayor Maybelle has matured into such a fine young woman, but he wishes she would take better care of herself sometimes. Lila heard we had a stroke of bad luck, and the mayor received a message from the Bracer Guild about what happened. Estelle says it was kind of unavoidable, but she's still ashamed to say it happened. Joshua says it was out of control to begin with, and he can't say the Royal Army was necessarily at fault either. Estelle swears that if any of the sky bandits can hear her, they should just wait until she gets her hands on them!
On the streets outside, Elegia says with all the soldiers flooding the south block, there's not much room to do any shopping there. She'd planned to go see some orbment engraving work, but she guesses she'll go to the Bose Market instead. Lucas hopes these burglaries and the missing airliner incident get resolved soon, as nothing good has happened around here for the last several months. Jacob remarks that it's odd so see the border garrison directly involved instead of bracers… Does it have anything to do with those other incidents?
At one of the benches Letta mentions that Fannie wants to dine at the Anterose again, but it's just not a place they can afford all the time. He's going to have to work a part-time job to save up some money. Fannie says that whenever she eats good food she feels so happy - the much-praised food at the Anterose was beyond her wildest expectations so she'd love to indulge herself there at least once a year. Harry tells Mina he's thinking about becoming a merchant and opening his own shop. Mina responds that having a goal is always a good thing, so now all he has to figure out is how to do so. Harry agrees, and Mina promises to help out - within reason. Harry admits this might be the first time she's said anything kind to him…
At the hotel, Barlowe says that in the past employees worked together in an effort to gain customer satisfaction, but the way young kids think these days has sure changed… In one way or another, things often don't go as expected. Dina says she doesn't care what the manager says, today she's leaving on time and going shopping! She needs to blow off some steam from the last time he made her work overtime!
At Kirsche's, Platina mentions that it looks like the bandits had enough sense to know they'd be a lousy target here, and they'd do more harm than good to attack them. There are a lot of larger shops and shopkeepers in the south district, but once the sun goes down the roads are practically deserted. If Kirsche's got raided, all they'd find are a bunch of leftover ingredients. Only a mouse would be happy with a haul like that! Lyndon is still on about the ancient dragons that lived before the Great Collapse, and says it's almost as if they removed themselves from the land of their own volition! Warner has heard that the southern district got trashed by bandits, and guesses it's all because Bose is rich. You get money, you get robbed, been that way for as long as he can remember. Cornelius says that his workshop seems to have been attacked by the bandits as well - have they no shame?! He's a bit worried about one of his workers, a man named Nigel. Sure hope he's okay…
Upstairs at the Bracer Guild we can meet Anelace once again, who notes that Scherazard seems to have run into a bit of trouble, huh? She can't believe we were tossed into prison without a shred of conclusive evidence. She wonders what that old bearded general was thinking? Schera says it turned out to be one of those situations of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That aside, was it her who let the mayor know about the situation? Anelace confirms Schera is right on that one - she just happened to run across the mayor while she was on a job at the village. Schera laughs, and kind of feels bad for all the trouble she had to go through for us. Anelace says it's not a big deal. Now, this is a little off subject but… she heard the new recruits were Cassius Bright's kids…? Alice warns us that we won't be super bracers like him just because we're his kids, but she's still excited to have the chance to meet us in person like this. Estelle and Joshua conclude Anelace must be another one of their dad's old friends, then…
Inside Anterose, Manager Lechter stutters when he recognizes Olivier - he's sure of it, he's the guy… from before…! Olivier asks what's up, oh good managerial sir? Thanks for the meal last time! Lechter wonders if he didn't have him arrested already? Guess he'll just have to report him again! Olivier tells him not to do anything brash, friend… This restaurant is actually quite blessed! To have an owner with the eyes to recognize the value of an artful man such as himself is quite wondrous, truly! She is an exquisite beauty too, isn't she? Like a flower in bloom! The future of Anterose is as bright as a field bathed eternally in the noontime glow of a crisp spring day! Joshua decides to play along, saying he can't believe Lechter would defy the owner like that - what kind of manager is he? Lecher says we should consider this a managerial failure on his part, and apologizes to the owner…
Alta muses that whenever a man in uniform shows up, she can't help but think of the past. It's been a long road for Bose… Shaque complains that just pushing good on him without ever sweetening the pot does not make for successful negotiation! Given the situation, he thinks a discount is entirely appropriate. Caron sighs and says she just can't make a deal here. Why can't he close a deal to save his life?! Is it his haircut? Bad body odor? Great Aidios, does he smell? Lenore says not long ago, a very important and very valuable bottle of wine was completely downed by a customer. A non-paying customer, mind you! That was the first time in a while that she's heard the manager let out his, uh, special cry of dismay. It's a shriek, really. Sounds just like a little girl… or someone who's been kicked very smartly in the bagpipes.
Citron is not sure what to do now - his lovely 'Grand Chardonnay' was downed completely while he was on break. The owner simply laughed it off, but he does feel responsible for not safeguarding it better. Head Chef Ross heard a shrill scream from the manager the other day, the stuff nightmares are made of… Wonder what happened this time? He often hears that subdued shriek from him when new staff members arrive, actually. He supposes it's nothing to worry about.
Gwen says their prized 'Grand Chardonnay' was drunk, in full, free of charge. The owner didn't seem to care at all! She's about her age, so how could she have her head so high in the clouds about this?! The manager, by contrast, practically swallowed his tongue. She's never seen anyone turn such an unholy shade of red! Guess such an unnatural color is a pretty natural reaction, all things considered. Poor guy…
Horace says like anywhere else, this place was reduced to rubble during the Hundred Days War… but it was also the quickest to rebuild after it was all over. There's a reason for that - the merchants all got together and pooled their profits to fund the revival effort. Sure, Bose merchants all love the freedom to earn and spend at will… but when push comes to shove, they'll band together every time. He's proud to live his life as a Bose merchant. Marian says she doesn't care much for soldiers, as they tend to be boorish and overbearing. Why must they behave so? Why can't they just act their ages? She knows they're not all like that, but still. Norche understands where she's coming form, but finds it hard to agree with her assessment. Though they're soldiers like anyone else, she finds the members of Her Royal Highness' personal guards to be the most polite and understanding.
Over at the chapel, Sarah wonders why military personnel have to be so arrogant? Bracers are much nicer, that's why she likes them. Anyway, she's here to pray in the mayor's place today…. Father Holstein comments that it seems to be rather noisy outside. Did something happen? Sister Rosa also comments on the clamor - they're trying to conduct worship services here, but it's certainly loud outside! This town never really seems to quiet down all year long.
Inside the Bose Market, Claire sniffles and says her mom caught her sneaking into the market and yelled at her. Felicia explains that her husband was the one who said 'let's start this business' to begin with, then at the last minute he shoved everything on her and ran back to the village by himself, leaving her to shoulder the burden. What in the world was he thinking when he cut and ran like that…? Pomme wonders if his mother wants to see his father? Sometimes he can see this look of loneliness in her face…
Meissen mentions it appears they've got the army coming and going here in town now - he can't stand that repugnant group with their pretentious attitudes! Spence says there's even some members of the Royal Army here in the market. Is there some sort of trouble…?
Emmy says it doesn't look like there's anything in particular on sale at any of these stores today - but this is no time to shirk her duties. This is for the future of her home budget! Who knows, there may just be a bargain in here somewhere. Edel says that due to airliner flights being canceled, she'd had way more than her fill of shopping. It looks like her husband's about to have a heart attack after seeing how much she bought! Seagaro says that it looks like flights have started up again, so now they can finally head to Ruan. He's really got to start keeping an eye on his wife's shopping habits… Personally, he thinks people should live a little more modestly than she does.
Minuet heard the city was hit up by some burglars - what a despicable bunch, trying to make a profit stealing from others! She hopes someone soon catches those crooks. Libro wishes the shop owner would take better care of the antique books - maybe he should put in a word or two about it? Gantz mentions that the girl working at the confectionery shop has been looking a little blue recently. Is she worried about something? There sure have been a lot of disturbing things happening lately… Katrina says she heard a rumor that the army found the missing airliner, but she wonders what happened to her missing fiancee. And what about the other passengers…?
We can buy a new issue of the Liberl News at the book shop:
Article:
[Liberl News: Issue 3]
[Breaking Story] The Linde Saga Continues! Ransom Request Received!
A Royal Army representative reports that the Grancel Liberl Orbalship Corporation and Liberl Royal Family alike have received letters claiming responsibility for the Linde incident. The criminals refer to themselves as the [Capua Family], and demand a hefty sum of money (rumored to be in the millions of mira) to secure the passengers' safety.
Who Are the Capua Family
These so-called [Sky Bandits] are a group of marauders operating from Imperial airspace all the way into the Bose Region. Their exact numbers are unknown. but they're believed to be around two dozen strong.
The Need for Cooperative Efforts
With the incident quickly turning from search and rescue to hostage negotiation, collaboration between the Royal Army and the Bracer Guild seems the best possible course of action. When questioned on this subject, a guild representative stated that the relationship between the two parties has seen worse times, but is still less than civil. Given this idealistic divide, a partnership seems extremely unlikely. Bose's mayor, Ms. Maybelle, has launched an independent investigation through the guild, but still laments that the Royal Army won't share their information. 'This is no time for jurisdictional disputes,' she says. 'Both parties need to work together!' Having inherited the mayorship from her late father at only 21, Ms. Maybelle is known as a very wise young lady. Whether or not either party will heed her advice, however, remains to be seen.
[Technology] Enter the Arseille!
At long last, this high-speed cruiser takes to the skies! With rigging a whopping 42 arge in length, the pride and joy of the Zeiss Central Factory has finally been completed, and transferred into the stewardship of the Royal Guard. Watch out, do-badders! Although not airborne just yet, the Arseille is scheduled for an operational test flight within the next few days, to the excitement of all involved. Due to delays in its orbal engine development, however, only a basic performance evaluation will be conducted at this time.
[Culture] The Hundred Days War - Book Review
Ten years have passed since the war, and I'm sure we all remember the endless reports of casualties and destruction, making an objective assessment of events a ludicrous proposition. That's exactly what this book sets out to do, however, by compiling accounts from virtually every possible source to paint a crystal clear picture of what happened behind the scenes, and how the war came to be. History demanded a book like this to be written, and on this dubious anniversary, I think everyone should give it a look.
[Travel] Finding the Perfect Getaway
The Maple Leaf Inn, nestled in the corner of Elmo Village in southern Zeiss (within walking distance of the Republic's borders), is the most luxurious hot springs resort this reviewer has ever seen. Its tranquil Eastern aesthetic, abundant natural springs and outstanding Eastern cuisine are nothing short of dazzling, but the true reason to visit is, indeed, the soak itself. For you see, the Maple Leaf Inn, is renowned for its open-air baths -- an understandably embarrassing prospect to some, but those who succumb will be glad they did. Taking in the warm waters while gazing up at the starry sky is truly a breathtaking experience. And best of all: Towels are optional!
Paul explains that some burglars broke into his house last night. Unfortunately, at the time only his wife and daughter were at home. Though no harm came to them, they were rather shanken up by the whole ordeal. His wife sent him off with a smile this morning, but he's still worried about them and the house. Buck says the westward bound airliner has finally resumed flights, so he'll be able to stock up on vegetables from Rolent, finally. Time to stock up and sell, sell, sell! Lyril says there were a bunch of scary men outside - what happened? Carol is indecisive about her food again - meat, vegetables, fish… what should she make for supper? She's got to think about what to do for a side dish whether they have to deal with burglars, the Royal Army, or whatever. She wonders if the queen would ever entertain the idea of making a holiday where you don't have to think about side dishes? Trayton heard about the burglaries down where all the well-established shops are…
Up at the Landing Port, Berna mentions that it seems the airliner landed in Ruan, but the Royal Army's patrol ships are here in Bose - wonder if they're here to investigate the string of burglaries? Receptionist Ted explains that only flights for the counter-clockwise looping Cecilia have resumed. All those passengers who are boarding should make their way to the gate! They finally received an explanation from the mayor about the missing airliner, as she mentioned the disappearance was due to being hijacked by sky bandits. He's worried about the passengers. Aldan the plane spotter points out that one of the airships here is a patrol ship belonging to the Royal Army - they were used in the war ten years ago and are famous for achieving great military results! Airships are awesome, aren't they?
Lakely the mechanic mentions that the Cecilia, which had been standing by in Ruan, has finally arrived. What's more, it appears that the patrol ships from Leiston Fortress have come too! He'd like to say that this is the most excited he's felt in a while, but he's feeling a little rusty. Norm comments that he'd better take care of the basic inspections for the patrol ships while the boss is looking over the Cecilia… .He's going to blow his top again if he doesn't hurry and get his work done! Even if he's busy or not, he's always getting yelled at!
At Haken Gate, Carlos mentions that he was finally able to get all the paperwork done to leave this country, but during his layover here he used all his travel money eating and drinking. Then again, he's always lived his life on a whim. Whether someone is happy in life or not, it's all based on how satisfied they are, right? In the local drinking hole, Amelia says the colonel, who's rumored to be an elite strategist, came here for a meal the other day. He was a perfect gentleman, unlike the rugged soldiers who work at the fort. She may have fallen for him - it's unbelievable to think that there is such a paragon of a man in this world. Nolan says she thought they only had one guy in the clink for that petty eat and run crime, but he's heard they've got the guys who attacked the airline in custody too. What's that, they don't have them…?
Talking to the sentry at the gate, he recognizes us as those bracers who were tossed into prison not that long ago, right? Estelle wonders why he's making us remember the bad things, and he laughs it off - at least we were cleared of wrongdoing, right? Another sentry wonders if we've got business with the general? A guy on top of the wall mentions that ten years ago there used to be a village called Hamel that sat just beyond the border, and he heard it could be seen from all the way here. It seems as if that village completely vanished during the Hundred Days War. However, since the Liberl Army never invaded the Empire's borders, he doesn't understand how that could have happened… Another sentry says they hit a brick wall in the search for the sky bandits again. They've been using patrol ships to search the northern mountainous regions but came up empty handed.
We can find a few more soldiers inside the base, with one saying he'd rather sleep than eat or take a shower right now - man, he's beat! Another says that after a good night's sleep he feels refreshed. He'd better hurry and grab a bite to eat while he still has time! Guess these guys are in different shifts? General Morgan wonders why we're still loitering around here? He's only going to tell us this once: this incident is under the jurisdiction of the army. If we interfere again, we won't find any clemency here. Estelle muses that the general is looking rather pale in the face, so he must be really tired. Joshua thinks they've been giving their all in the search as well.
Traveling eastwards to Verte Bridge, Private Antose says the border garrison seems to have arrested a number of suspicious individuals - there was a maniacal group of women and children, and even an odd con artist, but none of them were the criminals… Private Lacos says it seems the westward circling airliner has resumed flights, and thanks to that the number of travelers passing here has decreased. He wonders when the eastward circling airliner, the Linde, will resume flights? Warrant Officer Dyne is glad that the missing airliner has finally been found, but he's received no command to cancel security checks here. What's going on? He needs concrete information.
Heading westwards to Krone Pass instead, Private Cutinger has heard the missing airliner was found too, but since the criminals weren't apprehended, the security checks are going to continue for a while.
Private Usher mentions this area is covered with monster-filled mountains, not to mention big and vicious ones roaming around. Daily training is an essential part of being a soldier here. CWO Zelste says that General Morgan has narrowed his search area to the northern mountains - so the sky bandits have been lurking somewhere along the border, huh? Warrant Officer Serose says all soldiers are allotted at least six hours of sleep because they can't fight to their full ability if they have insufficient rest…
Returning to Ravennue, we can find Lewey near the entrance to town. Estelle greets him cheerfully, and the kid admits he was shocked to see the army haul us off after we went up to the abandoned mine. Especially since we didn't do anything wrong, either! Are we okay? Did those soldiers do anything bad to us? Estelle apologizes for worrying him there, but assures him we're okay - as he can see we're alive and kicking. Lewey is relieved, and asks that we found out that what he saw was actually an airship, right? He thanks us for proving that he wasn't just telling a tall tale! Estelle says the Royal Army would have proved his story sooner or later, so she's got mixed feelings about the whole ordeal since we were mistaken for bandits and arrested. Joshua points out that even if she didn't go out in style, at least she kept her promise. Isn't that enough?
Fran says Pesca just moved here recently - usually he's kind and serious. Vince mentions that old man Gray and Pesca were just fighting again… They've been seeing those two going at it a lot recently. Emile says some members of the Royal Army showed up, and he wonders what's going on? He heard they didn't find anything in their last investigation. Whenever they see anybody dressed up in military uniform coming in and out of this place they get a bit nervous…
Apple says she sometimes wonders if Limon is okay by herself running the bar… If it looks like she's busy, she wants to help out too! Speaking of busy, it seems like the upstairs is packed - Lore mentions they're going to have the village elder open a meeting to discuss policy regarding orchard cultivation. Hopefully there will be some sort of development. He also wonders how his son Pomme is doing - hopefully he's getting along well in Bose. Pesca says he doesn't think they should just continue on in the old ways, but find a more inventive approach where they can achieve a constant output of products. Everyone can see how all of the fruit producing trees are short, right? That was something he suggested. He figured that if they didn't have to deal with high places, they wouldn't need so many hands to do the work.
Melony really wants people to somehow be able to understand her husband's ideas - she thinks in the end it's in the best interest of the village. Limon admits today is a little more crowded than she expected, and shouts for Apple to give a little help, please! At the elder's place, Elder Reisen is surprised we came back - he was really worried after he saw us get led away by the Royal Army. It's almost unbelievable to think that the airliner was hidden up there in the mine… The army is now watching the place in the event the sky bandits decided to come back. Birnette admits that whenever she sees a soldier it causes her heart to skip a beat and reminds her of what happened here ten years ago. She really doesn't like them coming to the village…
Orange mentions that the army came back and was looking for something else. These new soldiers are a lot more energetic about their work than the last ones who came… She's sure that probably has something to do with their leader. Gray says raising fruit naturally on trees one by one is the best way as far as he is concerned, and it's because he takes so much care and time that the fruit is so delicious!
Figaro mentions that Lewey was born after the war had already ended, and he hopes that we'll never have to experience something as horrible as that. We can also revisit the mine, where a soldier warns us that the area is off limits to all civilians - we're not allowed inside! If we don't leave the premises, he'll have no choice but to place us under arrest.
It's time to head south and deal with this burglary business. As we descend the stairs into the southern part of town, Scherazard says we should ask around and see what we can come up with. We can't actually go back north now, not until we finish this particular task. We can go exploring the houses as we like, but there's a few mandatory locations to visit here before the game shunts the story forward - I had to save and make sure I got to everywhere before that happened.
In the orbment shop, Marco says that it looks like this store was hit by the burglars as well - guess this isn't the time to be talking about business deals… Even still, when we've got reporters already on the scene, why doesn't somebody hurry up and call the Bracer Guild? Nigel desperately says his factory and all his goods - they're gone! He's got to report this to either the army or the Bracer Guild! But, hold on a minute… if either one of those groups saw what was written in that stolen ledger… Yikes, he'd be in for a world of hurt. (Interesting…)
Sein says his shop was ripped off by a bunch of thieving criminals who took off with every last one of his pricey goods. Why did this have to happen to him at a time when there's hardly any goods around to begin with…? Upstairs in the orbment shop, Nial says that thanks to our shenanigans, though, the pages of the next Liberl News issue are going to be filled with gripping headlines, so we should let him know any further scoops! Dorothy adds that the newest model of camera on display here was stolen, so she wonders if the thieves have some interest in photography? Carrie admits it looks like the burglars made off with nearly everything, but she could have sworn the boss locked up last night…
We can also talk to Mirano, who despairs that now they've got burglars running amok in the city? What's happening to Bose?! She's just glad they left this house alone, though she's baffled as to why! They certainly didn't do their homework on this city… Modena similarly comments that this house was untouched, but it's at times like this that it makes her feel uneasy when there's no man at home. She's just glad that Mirano brought Simon over to watch the house! Simon says he was shocked when he heard about the burglaries since Mirano's mother was all alone here…
Royal Army soldiers march through the streets, and asking them what's going on gets us mostly irritated responses - they can't believe these sky bandits managed to circumvent their search and just walked right into town to burglarize a bunch of places! Another reluctantly allows us to look into things because the mayor authorized us, but tells us not to get in the army's way. A third compliments General Morgan - he's running the show, and he's a capable leader, as expected from someone who defeated the Imperial Army in the war a decade ago. What gets him is why he's having so much trouble this time around, though… A fourth mentions that the group of sky bandits in the old mine consisted of two females and a male, and rumors are there were even kids in the mix! Hold on, those people weren't sky bandits? We can run into a few more soldiers trying to interrogate the locals, like the house of the bickering couple, and they are thus inaccessible at the moment.
More soldiers are present at the house in the southwest, where they comment that they'll be done with questioning soon enough, so how about we sit tight? Oh, are we bracers here to ask a few questions ourselves - it's a mess for both of us, huh? If we then enter the upstairs section of the orbal refinery, we can see that it's completely empty of orbal equipment - but Nial and Dorothy are there! Dorothy is snapping pictures, and cheerfully says that one of them turned out really cute. She asks if this is how Nial wanted it, and he agrees it should be something like that… He comments they really got screwed, though… Joshua steps up and asks them if they're working on another story, perhaps? Estelle guesses they're on the trail of a scoop!
The two greet us, and are glad to see we were let out of the clinker! Nial heard all about us getting arrested by the army up at the old mine, so we had him worried. Estelle wonders why he's acting like he had nothing to do with it? It was his info which led us to that village in the first place! Nial wonders what that face is for - Estelle is not blaming him for this, right?
Joshua wonders if the two ended up checking out the mine themselves, and Dorothy confirms they went over there yesterday, but that was after we'd been hauled off. Nial grouches that they could have had a really great shot of us getting arrested if they'd been there. It really guts him that they missed such a perfect opportunity for a great shot! Estelle swears that people in the news business are something else… Scherazard asks if they think these burglaries look like the handiwork of the sky bandits? Nial confirms it looks that way to him, and it seems the army is sniffing around for clues as well… Honestly, though, it looks like there's nothing to be found here anymore. Schera says that does make things more difficult.
Olivier speaks up, and tells Mr. Reporter he should answer a question of his, then. Does he know from whence the sky bandits entered town? Nial says that according to witness statements, they were seen leaving through the west gate… Olivier comments that's awfully strange, since the mayor's residence and Bose Market are right through the west gate, and it seems like attacking those two places would be far more lucrative! Nial admits that it makes sense if you put it that way, but then asks who the heck he is anyway, if he doesn't mind the question? Olivier is glad he asks, and dramatically introduces himself as the wandering bard and gifted musician Olivier Lenheim! He's surely heard rumors about him, right?
Dorothy acknowledges that he's the guy who drank wine without paying at that classy restaurant! Takes guts to stiff such a big bill - it's an honor to meet him! Olivier laughs and says she's making him blush, and he promises he's ready for his interview any time, so don't hesitate to ask! Dorothy is pleased, but Estelle says she's getting a headache listening to this crap… Joshua thinks Olivier and Dorothy are very much alike, while Nial doesn't even want to ask how this guy wound up with the rest of us. Schera agrees that's for the best…
After checking in on the accessible locations, exiting a door to the outside triggers a scene - a Royal Army officer at the head of a squad of soldiers yells out at us, and says he'd better give us a word of advice. Even if we are representing the mayor, at the end of the day we're still just civilians. They can't have us wandering around here in the middle of their investigation! Estelle wonders who he thinks he's talking to? Joshua comments that this 'advice' sounds more like a threat, and the officer does nothing to counter that perception, claiming he's just saying we need to know our place…! If we're so adamant about investigating the matter, then we can do so after they've cleared out of here. If they get any more trouble out of us, he's going to have to give us a personal invitation… to jail! Schera says Estelle should forget about it - there's no use arguing with these… gentlemen. Olivier declares that for an ass in a lion's skin, this soldier sure knows how to throw his weight around! The officer, furious, wonders what he just said?!
An off-screen voice asks what's going on here? The soldiers turn to watch a pair of fancily-dressed people descend the stairs behind them - a blond man and a pink-haired woman in a hat. The officer recognizes the first as 'Colonel', and said black-clad colonel states that for a soldier in the prestigious Royal Army to be threatening citizens is an outright embarrassment to them all! He's another portrait character, by the way! The officer argues we're not just civilians, though, but members of the Bracer Guild! The man in black is surprised, then asks what's going on here - he won't ask again. The army is supposed to be working closely with the guild, is it not?
The officer argues that as far as the general is concerned… The man in black cuts him off - ah, yes, that side of the general really concerns him. He'll take over the investigation from here, so he tells the officer to take his men and clear out. They've been here since early this morning, so presumably a sufficient investigation has been conducted by now, right? He'll smooth things over with the general later, so is there anything else they wish him to address? The officer buckles and quickly runs off with his soldiers - back to Haken Gate!
The man in black then turns to us, and says it looks like that's that… The army personnel were rather impolite to us, so he'd like to apologize. Scherazard appreciates the gesture, but admits we made some slightly inflammatory remarks as well, so how about we let bygones be bygones? The officer in black agrees, and says that as he stated before, they're supposed to be working closely with the guild… He thinks our two organizations working together grants them each the ability to make up for the other's shortcomings. He's looking forward to any progress we make with this recent series of events. Schera thanks him, while Estelle and Joshua think this guy's a decent sort - but who is he?
The female officer finally speaks up - another portrait character - and tells the colonel it's almost the appointed time. The colonel apologizes for departing so quickly, but it appears he must take his leave. Before he goes, though, it looks like he hasn't properly introduced himself. He is Alan Richard, a colonel in the Royal Army. If there is anything he can do to assist us, we should not hesitate to contact him.
After he leaves, Estelle muses that she thinks she's heard about Colonel Richard before somewhere. Joshua mentions that Nial mentioned his name earlier, and said something about him being a sharp, young officer who leads the Royal Army's Intelligence Division. Estelle remarks that for someone in the military, he sure knows how to listen to others! Schera concludes that he's probably in his mid-thirties, and not hard on the eyes either… Seems like he's more fit to be a politician than a service member in the army!
Nial and Dorothy walk out of the orbment factory at this point, and Nial wonders who the guy in the black uniform was that we were just talking to? He could have sworn he'd seen him somewhere before… Estelle wonders if he's saying he didn't recognize him at all? That was Colonel Richard of the Intelligence Division, the very guy he mentioned earlier! Nial wonders if we're pulling his leg? Estelle says that would be fun, but… nope. Joshua points out he introduces himself, so we're fairly confident he is who he says he is. Nial is shocked the legend himself would show up here, and yells at Dorothy that they can't wait around here like this any longer! Let's see if they can catch up! Dorothy agrees, though she's really not sure why they're chasing after anyone…
After the two dash off, Estelle notes that Nial's eyes really lit up there - is he going to do an interview or something? Scherazard laughs and says that anyone else in the army would surely brush him off, but she's sure the colonel will oblige him. The only person who seems less lighthearted about all this is Olivier, and Estelle wonders what's the matter with him? He looks so serious, and that's rather creepy coming from him. Olivier says he was just thinking about the colonel. He'll be the first to admit that he's quite the specimen of a man, but…
Joshua prods him to continue, at which point Olivier gets back into character and blithely declares that he can say with confidence that Alan Richard doesn't stand a chance against Olivier himself when it comes to the ladies! He'd like to see him try just a little harder, as it's no fun without a romantic rival! Estelle wonders why Joshua had to ask, and he says he'll regret it for the rest of his life… Schera mentions that with the soldiers gone, we should just continue our investigation… starting with talking to all the people we couldn't reach earlier because the soldiers were busy being menacing. Estelle thinks that's a good idea.
Most characters still keep the same dialogue at this point, but a few new people are now available to talk to. Launa says she was putting her son to bed last night when suddenly some masked men kicked in the door and came storming in! She didn't tell her husband because she didn't want him to worry, but her ring was taken - the one from her mother… Elke says that a bunch of strangers came into the house without asking… Mom and her were scared, so they hid under the bed!
Borden declares that by the Goddess, first an airliner goes missing and now they've got a bunch of burglaries… What'll be next? The Cecilia resuming flights is about the only good thing happening… Although as long as the international lines with the Empire don't reopen, the merchants can't reopen their businesses… Rionne remarks that she got a real surprise last night. When she went to open the window and let in some fresh air, there was some masked man staring right at her! He wasn't alone either, there were a bunch of others with him. Alvelle mentions the burglaries too, and that his mom saw the culprits. The army was asking about it until just a little while ago!
If we head into one of the western houses, that one with the bickering couple, Cecile recognizes us as the bracers who came by to ask questions a while ago, when those soldiers were around. Estelle acknowledges that, and Cecile apologizes for being unable to talk to us then. So, what did we come to ask about? About what happened last night, right? Joshua wonders if this is a good time, and she says it's as good a time as any. She takes a seat at the table, and explains that it was the middle of the night when she heard a noise coming from outside. She, of course, thought it was her husband coming home at such a late hour, so she opened the door and started yelling. It turned out to be a group of masked men coming out of the orbal factory across the road! She thought her heart was going to stop right then and there! It turned out the burglars were rather surprised by the yelling, and they ran away towards the north.
Estelle guesses those were the sky bandits, huh? Joshua concludes that what she's saying is that this house didn't incur a loss of any kind? Cecile agrees that thankfully she was spared. Schera has another question - did her husband coming home late mean that he went to the bar? Cecile says if it was just that, it'd be forgivable… but no, in addition to being a no-good drinker, he's obsessed with this! She then makes a dramatic casting motion, which Schera doesn't understand at all, but Estelle immediately recognizes that to mean fishing, right? Cecil agrees her husband loves fishing more than life itself. Just yesterday he said something about catching some smelt and took off towards the lake in the south! On top of that, he still hasn't come back. Estelle wonders if that means he knows nothing about the incident? Cecile agrees, and when that good-for-nothing husband of hers gets home, he's going to get what-for, she assures us!
By virtue of convenient timing, that's when the old man, Kuwano, gets home. Whew, what a day he's had! He was fishing patiently all morning, but he has nothing to show for it! Oh, what's this? There's guests? Cecile shouts that he's a senile old man!
Kuwano wonders what fiery tempest has gotten into Cecile, goodness? Doesn't she think it's rude to act like that in front of guests? Cecile declares that if anyone's being rude, it's him! She's dumbfounded that her own husband can just take off to do what he likes at a time like this! Kuwano asks what that's supposed to mean, so Joshua decides to explain…
After getting the cliffnotes, Kuwano is astounded - burglaries by sky bandits? Now that is terrible! To think they hightailed it out of here after his wife hollered at them is hilarious, though… Guess they got to experience the 'Cecile effect' first-hand, haha! Cecile asks what he just said?! Estelle tries to calm the situation down, and everyone settles back. Kuwano muses that to think these bandits came in the night like they did and then just disappeared again… he wonders if that has anything to do with that thing he was talking about the other day…? Joshua asks what he means, and Kuwano realizes that obviously we don't know him - he's his fishing buddy! The guy is staying at the inn down the lakeshore to the south of here. If he remembers correctly, he said something about seeing a strange bunch near the place the other night…
Scherazard says this certainly sounds interesting - can he tell us a little more about what he's heard? Kuwano doesn't mind, but admits he's just going to tell us up front that this is all hearsay. From what he heard, his fishing buddy just happened to see them by chance while he was out fishing during the night. He saw them leave by way of the inn's front door and then out onto the road. However, when he asked around at the inn in the morning, it turned out that no one like that had stayed there the night before… Joshua agrees that's odd, and wonders if there was any type of burglary at the inn? Kuwano says there was nothing of the sort. It's quiet there, the meals are great, and it's… well, a place he'd recommend to anyone! Best of all, it's a prime fishing spot…
Having exhausted our avenues of inquiry, we gather outside. Schera says that while there weren't any definite clues related to the incident, we did manage to hear a few interesting bits. Olivier remarks that he especially liked the one that described all the delicious foods at the inn! Estelle says that's not what we were talking about… although she did find the fishing part to be rather interesting. Unfortunately, if there's nothing going on there, then she guesses it wouldn't be worth investigating… Joshua thinks it's the opposite - if someone had been careless and caused a problem, the army would have thoroughly investigated the place. Conversely, the possibility of the sky bandits appearing where there's nothing happening is rather high…
Estelle guesses that's one way to think about it. Schera says that in light of this series of incidents, there's either a spy in the army, or the sky bandits are a really clever bunch of thieves. It'll be extremely difficult to corner them only by investigating the incidents which have occurred. We need to get a step ahead of them by tracking their movements. Estelle decides that what she's saying is we should take an offensive stance rather than a defensive one. Olivier proposes we should get going, then - off to beautiful Valleria Lake, extolled in many a rhyme as the 'pearl of Liberl!'
With that, the world opens up again… including the north side of town, and all the previous areas. And everyone has new stuff to say, of course… (You know, this is gonna make every other RPG feel underdeveloped, heh.) Go figure, I once again ran out of room to include that stuff...
Next: Let's head down to the lakeshore and catch some fish! And maybe do something plot-related, possibly.
With that, the world opens up again… including the north side of town, and all the previous areas. And everyone has new stuff to say, of course… (You know, this is gonna make every other RPG feel underdeveloped, heh.) Go figure, I once again ran out of room to include that stuff...
Certainly a change from hearing 'Do you get to the Cloud District very often? Oh, what am I saying, of course you don't.' as you go from Rags McHobo to Lord God Skullkicker with a small army at your back and gold dripping off of every piece of clothing.
Before we get to our actual content, let's tackle the mother of all exploration rounds...
Nigel at the orbment shop says his account ledgers were confiscated by the army… This is bad, really bad! Now hold on… maybe he's not in as much trouble as previously thought? Thankfully those sky bandits took off with the one that could have gotten him in the most trouble… The game's not very subtle with the hints here...
Carrie says her boss seems to be more on edge than she's ever seen him before. She wonders if it's the shock from being burglarized like that? She's really only interested in pursuing her own creative interests, so as long as there's an environment for her to do that, she couldn't care less about anything else.
Launa mentions that a very important ring was taken by the burglars, and she doesn't care if it's the army of the Bracer Guild who takes them in, she just wants these crooks caught! With these sky bandits on the loose, she doesn't think she can live without being in fear every day… Elke wonders if her dad will come home soon? Mom looks really upset about something… Sein wonders if the army found the crooks who did this to his shop? He sure hopes they catch them no matter what they have to do to them! He's seething with anger over what happened!
Cecile says that no matter how many times she yells at her husband about his addiction, he still takes off to go fishing again. She's just about ready to give up. There's something that really gets her goat about seeing him come walking through the door with such a carefree look on his face… Kuwano mentions that the Kingfisher Inn can be reached by heading south from town and following the New Ansel Path. The structure's been built right on the lake shore, so we'll know it as soon as we see it. Simon remarks that Mirano had an errand and went to the mayor's residence. They're actually good friends, and have been for as long as he can remember. Modena says she knows her husband is always out and about, but not having him around makes her feel a little insecure…
Borden says he feels like he's going insane without Trino being here in Bose! They've been fighting since they were kids, so it's weird not having him around. Though he's a business rival, they seem to have this strange sense of solidarity. He's actually pretty proud of the fact that the two of them built up trade like they have in Bose, though he's sure if Trino heard that, he'd laugh off the notion. Rionne really hopes this city will settle down soon. The stock market's cooling down, and at this rate she's going to show a big deficit this month on her financial report. Just when she'd beaten out the Trinos last month, too… Alvelle wonders when he should tell his parents about wanting to enter the royal academy… Right now doesn't seem like a good time, unfortunately. If he can't get his parents to cover his tuition, though, he can't pay… It really puts him in a bind.
On the north side of town, Jacob mentions there's a place called the Nebel Valley in the northeast Bose region, and given its complex geography of mountains and valleys it's quite the strange spectacle to get a look at. Lucas says that people have been saying the missing airliner was the work of sky bandits, and on top of that he's heard they demanded a ransom from the Royal Family… What an outrageous bunch! Elegia says there's really not much good to talk about these days, so maybe she'll go shopping to get her mind off depressing news. Harry asks Mina if she wants to be anything in the future? Mina wonders if he really wants to know? She wants to be a wife who's filthy rich! Letta says he's looking for a part-time job now so he can eat at the Anterose again. He guesses the Bose Market is probably the best place to look. Fannie wants to get a part-time job too - She can work like nobody's business if it means she can eat more delicious food because of it!
Butler Mayner recalls the city of Bose being destroyed and occupied by the Empire in the war of ten years ago, however Mayor Maybelle's father, the previous mayor, took the helm and made extensive efforts to rebuild the city with the help of other merchants like himself… For merchants who generally only care about making a few quick mira, this was the first time in history that so many came together like this. It seems as though it was at this time that Mayor Maybelle made the decision to follow in her father's footsteps! Sarah says the mayor looks really busy, and she hopes this incident will be resolved sooner rather than later. After things settle down and there's some free time, Lila and her have promised to go shopping together!
In the mayor's office, Mirano says that according to Maybelle, the missing airliner appears to be the work of the sky bandits. If it's a ransom they're after, then it's probably a pretty safe bet to say that her father is still alive. Hopefully her mother won't be so worried after hearing this. She's heard us bracers are investigating this, right? We should bring back her father safely! Mayor Maybelle mentions that Mirano was just asking her about the situation in the Bose Market, as it appears the effects of the missing airliner incident are farther reaching than she had imagined.
By the looks on our faces, she guesses we've found something… Estelle immediately wonders if she could really tell that by the look on our faces? Well, we didn't get anything for certain, but we did manage to gather a little information. Joshua promises we'll give a full report in the future, and Schera admits we might be swinging at empty air on this one, but she'd like her to hold on just a little longer while we see what we can dig up… Maybelle promises she'll await our report with anticipation, but tells us to be careful - she's really had it up to here! Not only is she drowning in work, but now she's got all these burglaries to deal with too!
At the hotel, Barlowe understands what his young employees are trying to say, but it appears he's old and stuck in his ways… Dina states that she's here to work for herself, and not for the hotel. The manager says they should act only after considering the effects of their actions on the hotel as a whole, but worrying about the entire hotel is supposed to be the manager's job, right? Besides, she's not here to be an apprentice! Is she wrong to be thinking this way?
At Kirsche's, Platina says she knows there's still some serious stuff going down outside, but everything seems fine and dandy in here. It's all thanks to the manager's policy: take it easy, 'cause this here is the place to unwind! Things get a little boring sometimes as a result, but she'd rather be in here than out there!
Lyndon mentions that the last man to have ever seen an ancient dragon is from Bose, that's why he's come here. He supposes the first order of business - as always - is to speak with the locals and see what answers can be found. Warner states that we live in lawless times, it seems, as the violent incidents just keep on coming right after one another! He wishes it would all just stop and they'd let him live in peace… Cornelius says they took Nigel to Haken Gate - they actually sent someone to question him about it a little while ago, asking about his workshop's finances. Guess old Nigel was cooking the books…
At Anterose, Manager Lechter says there's lots of bad tidings these days… He wonders if they should hire some protection around the restaurant? If anything should happen to one of the customers, they'd be in serious trouble! Alta says she's here again, eating at this restaurant like always - she feels like that man on the other end is making her eyes at her, though… Shaque is still haggling, stating that it's not a bad price, per se… Caron guesses this is just not in his nature, and decides that - fine - how about this price? Is that better? Lenore says she's been commissioned by the head chef to go to Bose Market after closing to purchase the necessary ingredients for tomorrow.
Citron is glad that with the airships running again, he'll finally be able to get his wine shipments delivered. The items were on the order list, yet due to the embargo they've run out! That simply won't do! Head Chef Ross mentions Gwen has got high hopes, so she may yet carve a true niche for herself here at Anterose… That's the impression he's getting, anyway. Gwen says the chef actually let her make the soup recently, for the first time since she came here. She kept making and re-making it over and over… and all that time he stayed by her side…
Horace always thinks of days long past whenever he visits the Bose Market. Every time he goes, it seems like another son or daughter has inherited the family business. The shopkeepers just keep getting younger! It's heartening to see. Marian says when she first came here from the capital, she traversed Valleria Lake. During that voyage she saw a quaint, charming-looking inn along its banks. Ever since she's wanted to spend a night there, if only she could remember its name… Norche says her stay in Bose has been unexpectedly prolonged by delays from the airship incident. But when in Romn, right? She fully intends to enjoy her forced vacation time!
In the chapel, Lila mentions the mayor has been working into the night day after day and now she has these burglaries to deal with too. She's got to look out for her health… Father Holstein muses that there sure seem to have been a wave of incidents occurring lately. Maybe he should raise his voice to the heavens on behalf of the citizens? Oh Aidios, who art in heaven, please bestow thy blessings and thy guidance upon these souls… Sister Rosa says it's unbelievable to think that normal homes were burglarized too… Maybe she should go visit the victims of these incidents later on.
At the Bose Market, Claire says her parents don't like her coming there, but she just loves the atmosphere of the place. So much so, in fact, that she just can't help sneaking off to come here. It's just so boring sitting around the house that she'd rather be at the market any day. Felicia says it would be nice if her husband worried about them for once and showed his mug around here! Sometimes he can be a real jerk, and she wonders why she chose him to begin with! Pomme muses that he's pretty sure his father had his reasons for returning to the village. That's because he was the one who was looking forward to opening the shop the most…
Meissen says he's heard they make all kinds of porcelain in countries to the east of the Republic. He'd sure like to go on a journey in search of those porcelain goods someday. Spence says his shop has been gradually getting busier and busier. He's been thinking of hiring somebody, but he always enjoys connecting with customers face-to-face… That's kind of what has him hung up about it. Emmy mentions she came shopping with a coupon today. Buying quality goods for cheap, that's one of her passions in life! Let's shop like a budget-minded housewife! Carol muses that maybe they should take turns at home deciding what to do for the side dishes, too. Better yet, maybe it would be best to decide on what to do about them every other day of the week!
Lyril cheerfully says she can go shopping all by herself now! She still hasn't bought anything except cabbage, though, so she's got to be more like a grown-up… Minuet mentions her supply of goods is finally back to normal, so now she's thinking about using this opportunity to expand her selection. She's not the type to pass on potential profits when they come knocking on her door! Libro explains he came by the bookshop to buy the next chapter of the novel series he's been reading, but it's still not in yet. Once he reads a book, though, he almost never reads it again. He's done with the last one, so we can have it. With that, he drops Carnelia - Chapter 4 in our laps.
Article:
[Carnelia - Chapter 4] - Human Fodder
Sister Carnelia spoke to me in a tender tone as she sent a wave of immense pain rushing through the whole of my right hand.
'I won't have any trouble with you, now will I, Toby?' she asked.
Far from eyes just brimming with tears, I nodded my head in consent as the salty streams of water ran down my face. Satisfied with my answer, she loosened her grip, and I felt the pain vanish as if it had all been some sort of illusion.
With a wry smile, she further added, 'Don't get me wrong, Toby. I've been sent here to protect you by the Goddess, herself.'
This is what she said while instructing me to keep my eyes focused on what lie beyond the window glass. Yet, there was something about the way she pronounced the last syllable of my name that really rubbed me the wrong way.
Little by little, the line of passengers slowly began to flow out of the train car. Prodded on by Sister Carnelia, I inched forward while keeping my gaze on the platform through the passenger car window. Down the stairs which led to the front ticket gate were the figures of those men from earlier this morning, the three thug-like passengers who had been loitering near the large horse head emblem of tile at the imperial station.
A muffled laugh echoed from her throat as she, too, noticed them. 'Well, isn't this a warm reception party you've got going on.'
Cocking my head, I quietly pleaded, 'Give me back my orbment!'
Sister Carnelia said nothing.
Members of the crew bid us farewell as we stepped through the exit to disembark the train onto the lead-colored platform below. Angrily, I thought to myself, 'Dammit! What's wrong with these fools? Can't they see what's going on?'
I shut my eyes halfway to protect them from the drizzle whipping against my face, and I unhurriedly descended the wet set of stairs, a half pace at a time. Sister Carnelia moved along behind me at precisely the same length of stride. Below, the group of thugs waited expectantly at the bottom of the stairs. Waited for me, no doubt.
Contemplating the rate at which I was going, I ultimately believed it was only a matter of time before I would be handed over to the enigmatic group. I caught sight of their soured faces as the distance between us grew smaller and felt the heat of my left hand tightly gripping my bag grow in intensity until my palm began to sweat profusely. Hitting the midway point on the stairs, Sister Carnelia suddenly whispered in my ear, 'Keep your eyes on the ground, Toby.'
I did as I was told and cast my gaze down upon the tips of my boots, stained to a darker shade by the rainwater. Then, right at the moment I let out my breath, I felt a deep sense of pressure just below my shoulder blades as I was forcefully shoved forward.
Droplets flew from my saturated fingers and my world turned upside-down as I tumbled down the stairs and slammed back first into the group of hoodlums. With a muffled crunch, I felt the painful sensation of my ribs crumple under the weight of my body and then return to normal from their severely compressed state. Two of the seemingly military men who were hit as I toppled down the stairs (like an avalanche unleashed on a a pair of young saplings) absorbed the transfer of force and were thrown into a large puddle collecting on the ground nearby. Shrieks erupted from startled passengers nearby, more shrill than the high-pitched sound of the railway brakes from a decelerating locomotive.
As my world spun wildly about me, I lay there, the chill of the tiles seeping into my back. With a concerted effort I rolled my eyes to the left where my arm remained in an outstretched state.
By some act of the Goddess I had managed to keep my tight five-finger grip on the bag I had been carrying. In an effort to get up, I slid into a prostrate position, keeping my chin in contact with the ground. Making a low visual sweep of the vicinity as if my life depended on it, I noticed the military-like physiques of the men had vanished from view. The only figure I saw standing above me now on the platform, was that of Sister Carnelia. And on her shoulder, as if she were merely hefting a sack of grain, was one of the men.
Turning in the direction where the train sat in its motionless state, she lobbed the unfortunate man down onto a set of empty rail tracks below. By this time, I had risen to one knee while keeping the other planted firmly on the ground in a half-standing position. The world in front of me was still swaying, undulating in my wavering eyesight. My head slowly rocked back and forth with it as the double vision of Sister Carnelia's boots approached me. Then, with a strong grip, she tugged on my hand. For some strange reason or another, when she did this, I failed to notice the unpleasant feeling that her hand wrapped tightly around mine brought.
'Let's go, Toby,' she instructed in an authoritative voice. Nearly dragging me, she pulled me to my feet and before long, we were hightailing it out of there.
The onlookers made quite a commotion as they moved hastily out of the way in a determined attempt not to be caught up in the middle of our flight path. The bag in my left hand swung helplessly, knocking against my thigh. After clearing the ticket gate, Sister Carnelia finally let go of my hand, but a sickening slippery sensation came with it. Looking over at her, I realized that the stomach-churning, slimy feeling on my hand had come from the bright red blood which stained both of hers.
I peered back over my shoulder in the direction of the platform as I continued to run, but the figures of those three men who had been waiting for me at the station were nowhere to be found.
Libro also mentions that the lady who owns the shop recruited him to work there not long ago. He wonders if she hired him because he was always putting in his thoughts about her merchandise? (Good job getting hired in this economy, my man. Nominative Determinism wins again.)
Marco says he's decided to stay in Bose until he can start doing business again with the orbal factory that was burglarized. That's because the orbments in Liberl are just that fascinating - then again, all he's done is wait ever since he arrived in Liberl! Ah well, patience is a virtue for merchants in any case... He'll just take his sweet time and wait until things blow over. Katrina says customers have really started pouring in, and business is picking up. She's sure her fiance is going to be happy when he hears about this! Hopefully he'll be back soon… Gantz also comments on the confectionery shop's popularity - he thought that might happen, because the girl here is working so hard!
Buck says the barricades on the roads have been lifted, and though it's only the westward bound airliner, flights have resumed. Business has started to pick up again! Trayton also mentions the missing airliner and the string of burglaries… There sure is a lot of disturbing news going around these days. Luckily Mayor Maybelle runs this city, so he's sure she'll do something about it. Paul wonders if his wife and daughters are feeling insecure right now? When he thinks about them dealing with another burglary, he starts to feel worried and can't seem to focus on his work. Ah, he knows what to do! He'll just close up shop for the day and head home.
At the Landing Port, Berna says she heard that the Linde is still out of commission. Though it may be a big detour, she wonders if taking the Cecilia to the Royal City is the fastest way to get there… Receptionist Ted says the Cecilia just departed for Ruan - now all that's left is getting the Linde back up and running. It appears to have been found intact, but it seems like it's still under the army's supervision. Flights are expected to resume once it is returned to the Orbalship Corporation. Lakely says that even though they found the Linde, it's still unable to return to the skies. Considering the captain, crew and passengers haven't been found, it's no wonder. The whole thing's got him on edge…
Aldan says he's just waiting on the Linde to come back, but it's taking forever! Actually though, what he really wants is to get a shot of the Arseille, the airship which belongs to the Royal Family. Rumor has it that its state-of-the-art design is awesome! Norm explains that though none have arrived just yet, this is a stop for Imperial merchant ships too - they mainly come here with goods to be sold at the Bose Market. For that reason there are two runways at the landing port - the only other place like that is the Royal City in Grancel. Having two runways alone makes this landing port twice as busy as others, but there's something about this job that makes seeing an airliner take off safely extremely fulfilling… The job can get really stressful at times, but somehow he feels he's cut out for it.
Over at Haken Gate, there's a new guard at the gate to the Empire - it turns out it's actually Carlos, who explains that he's been thinking about traveling to the Empire but he ran out of money so he joined the garrison here. Why did he do that? Obviously because he lives his life on a whim! He doesn't regret his choice either!
The other guard says that when the sky bandits are in custody, the red alert status will be changed. The garrison is conducting a full-scale search at the moment! At the local watering hole, Nolan mentions that those in the military sure have a tough life. Though the captured airliner has been found, nobody has a clue where the criminals responsible are. It seems that General Morgan has been leading the investigation on no sleep… Amelia says that recently the army has been going in and out of here even after dark. Thanks to the noise she can hardly sleep… If her skin gets wrinkly from that, she's gonna give the soldiers who come in for a drink a piece of her mind!
The sentry on top of the gate says that thankfully it doesn't seem like there's any military movements building on the Erebonian side, but he guess that's to be expected since they've signed a mutual nonaggression pact. Even so, it's difficult to relieve tensions. Another soldier mentions that General Morgan said he plans to change the way the search is being conducted, as it seems he's going to rely on the newly established Intelligence Division… Inside, a soldier mentions that tomorrow morning they'll be using patrol ships to search the mountainous regions, so he'd better get some sleep while he can. Another says that soldiers who were supposed to be off duty tomorrow were called up, so this is probably going to be a full search…
Over at Verte Bridge, Private Antose is surprised to hear that Bose was hit with a bunch of burglaries. What's this world coming to? It makes him want to rush there right now! After seeing the border garrison's airships, though, he imagines they're already investigating the matter. Sky bandits and now burglaries, it sounds like someone is doing whatever they please… He doesn't want to work at a checkpoint, he wants to work on the front lines! Private Lacos says that though flights have resumed, the security checks will continue, but he hopes things go back to normal soon.
Warrant Officer Dyne says that this hasn't been confirmed, but it seems the border garrison and the newly formed Intelligence Division are on the move. If this goes on much longer it'll look bad for the army, so we'll just have to let them do their work…
At Ravennue Village, Lewey mentions that there was a big war in this area a long time ago, and a lot of people died. He wishes they could just get along with the Empire, since he hates it when people are sad… Fran thinks that since they all live in the same village, they should try and get along… Vince agrees that even adults have their own kinda problems, so it must be tough being a grown-up sometimes. Emile muses that this village is pretty peaceful, except for the occasional argument between Gray and Pesca. It's the same as it was right up until the Imperial Army invaded the place ten years ago. That's why they can't help but think that maybe someday their peace will be shattered again…
At the inn, Apple mentions that Limon will come and help her to do the cleaning in the morning, and she'll come to help Limon in the bar when it gets crowded during the evenings. Limon says that if she remembers right, there's a village meeting going on today. The village elder came by this morning and he seemed to have a lot on his mind. She hopes he doesn't worry too much, because it'll start eroding his health! Elder Reisen mentions that this village looks peaceful at first glance, but theyré actually dealing with a number of problems. Well, he guesses the only thing they can do is deal with them one at a time. Birnette says she knows it's painful, but they shouldn't forget what happened here a decade ago in order to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again. They need to tell their children about the war…
Figaro says the entire village oversees all the orchards in Ravennue Village, though originally everyone operated on their own. Since the orchard farmers were shorthanded, though, the village decided to manage the cultivation of orchards together with everyone. Orange mentions it might be a good time for Gray to sit down and speak with the other villagers. Then again, he's always been a stubborn one, ever since his younger years… Hopefully there's someone who can be a good mediator between them all. Gray says he's going to have to keep his eye on these young upstarts and their ways of cultivating fruit…
At the orchard, Melony says she's always on her husband's side. It's because they can trust in each other like this that they can live as a couple. Pesca says that maybe he should suggest his own ideas at the village meeting this time? He knows things always turn into a big argument with Gray, but he thinks they need to sit down and talk with cool heads for once. Lore hopes that Pesca and Gray can come to an understanding at the village meeting, since he thinks if those two could learn to cooperate, the village orchards would become more prosperous!
Way over at Krone Pass, Private Cutinger says the border garrison often comes here to investigate - that's because the Bose region is covered with mountains, so it's the perfect place for criminals to hide. Private Usher says that with the garrison's investigation carrying on this long, he's sure they're tired. Hopefully they'll find a lead soon… CWO Zelste says it appears the border garrison requested reinforcements for the headquarters, so it looks like the general is planning to make his move sometime in the near future. Warrant Officer Serose says that no matter how experienced a traveler we are, we shouldn't be hiking around in a place like this at night. The trail is steep and there are a lot of monsters out there! That reminds him, as strange as it sounds, that they've seen a lot of organized packs of monsters recently… He's never seen anything like it until now.
(That sounds like foreshadowing!)
After scouring the land for new bits of dialogue, it's time to continue the story by heading south from Bose City towards the waterfront. We get a scenic introduction to the inn on the shoreline, since it's possible we've never been here before.
Estelle similarly seems surprised by the location. It's certainly peaceful and quiet around here! Joshua comments that the inn doesn't look too shabby either. Schera adds that she's stayed here before during another job - the wine is great, the rooms are nice… it's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a place like this. Estelle thinks it's unfortunate this isn't a pleasure trip, while Olivier is surprised it's not - he, for one, intended to toss his cares to the wind for a while! Taking catnaps in a rocket boat by day and filling his belly with food and wine by night… It's heaven! It's what vacation is all about!
When he gets several deadpan stares for his trouble, Olivier quickly clarifies that he was only joking. We can enjoy vacation any time, but right now is the only time we can enjoy taking care of some would-be thieves! Even Olivier Lenheim knows enough to get his priorities straight! Estelle says this doesn't have anything to do with enjoyment. Schera laughs it off, and says that as long as Olivier does his share of the work he's here to do, it doesn't matter. Let's go see if we can find the old man staying here that loves fishing… Joshua recalls that he's the guest who said he saw some suspicious individuals here two nights ago, right?
Before heading inside, if we walk down the waterline to the furthest dock, we can find a man fishing - Estelle tries to ask him something, but he seems deaf to her yelling. Schera is amazed he's not responding at all, and Joshua concludes he must really be into his fishing… Olivier guesses this is what a fishing maniac looks like, what a unique breed! Estelle muses that he's not as 'unique' as Olivier is, that's for sure…
The area is pretty void of NPCs at the moment, but there's a few. Anette explains that her mother and her come here every year on vacation around this time - it's a tradition in the family. Her mother seems to look forward to it, every time. She kind of feels bad for her father, though, as he always gets left behind. Elke explains that the Kingfisher Inn in Bose and the Maple Leaf Inn in Zeiss are her favorite places to stay. Sophina welcomes us to the inn, and asks us to let her know if we want to stay.
If we speak to the inn's cook, Lenard, he welcomes us, and asks if we want something? Estelle says it's yes and no - we're looking for someone, see. Joshua asks if there's any guests around who really like to fish, and Lenard admits that applies to pretty much everybody who stays here. Schera explains that he would be a friend of the old man who stayed here just yesterday. Lenard guesses she means Kuwano? If we're talking about his fishing buddy, that'd be Lloyd. He's a professional angler who came all the way here from the Royal City. Seems he's a member of the Fisherman's Guild there. Estelle says he sounds like a pretty amazing guy. So, that must mean he's that old man fishing out back? Lenard confirms that's probably the guy we're talking about. We might be able to get his attention if we call his name out really loud… He should be over at the south pier.
Revisiting the man fishing at the south pier, he still completely ignores us. Estelle asks him if he's Lloyd from the Royal City? When no answer comes, Joshua says he seems really focused, so he's tuned out everything but fishing. Olivier thinks his skills will come into play here, then… Estelle wonders what he means? Olivier just tells her to sit back and enjoy, then leans over and with a smile that leaves all kinds of things up to interpretation, he blows into the man's ear. Lloyd jumps in shock and yells out: 'Oh-oh-oh my goodness! What in the…?!' What the fuck, Olivier.
The fisherman turns to the party in surprise, discombobulated, and wonders who we all are? Where did we come from?! Estelle just turns to Olivier and says that was a dirty trick to play on the man! Schera agrees it was pretty low… Olivier ignores them and wonders how the good sir Lloyd is doing this evening? He explains that we tried calling out to him a moment ago, but we could see that like a true professional his attention was fixed upon his task. Joshua wants to confirm he's Lloyd, and he confirms that he's the one we're looking for - but how do we know his name? Schera explains we heard about him from a certain old man, and wonders if we can speak for a moment? Lloyd concludes we heard about him from Kuwano, then. Ah, it's about that strange pair from two nights ago, then? Estelle asks for more details, but Lloyd pauses for a moment and asks if we're all bracers or something? Is this related to some crime? Joshua admits we can't say for sure, but there does appear to be that possibility…
Lloyd is happy to help us out in that case, and explains it all happened the other night when he was out fishing on his boat. He was just returning to the inn, dead tired after a day of battling it out with this lake's Guardian. It had gotten late into the night, and it was about the time when everyone at the inn was asleep in their beds…
Schera asks him to pause and asks about this 'Guardian'...? Lloyd is so glad she asked! See, the Guardian is this giant salmon that swims the murky depths of Valleria Lake! It has been the feared king of the waters among fishing-lovers for over a decade! Schera whispers that she shouldn't have asked, while Joshua says she threw a log onto the maniac's fire… Estelle wonders if it's really that huge of a fish?! Lloyds says it certainly is, and he's been chasing the darn thing for the last five years of his life… It comes and goes in different parts of the lake and changes its feeding spots on a whim. He heard from a buddy that it had appeared in these parts, so he came running from the Royal City…
Olivier says that's what you call passion, and he can completely understand where Lloyd is coming from. Whenever he finds something he likes, Olivier says he stops at nothing until he gets ahold of it! For example, a bottle of Grand Chardonnay and such… Estelle points out in his case 'steal it' is more accurate. Schera coughs, and asks Lloyd to get back to his story. So, what exactly happened when he came back from fishing that night?
Lloyd recalls that he put his boat away and was on his way over to the inn when he saw an odd couple head out onto the road from the grounds behind the building. Joshua is surprised they'd head there in the middle of the night, and Lloyd confirms that he has no doubt they were headed out on the New Ansel Path. At first he thought they were a group of people visiting from the city heading back home, but it was too late for something like that, and when he asked at the inn the next day, nobody knew a thing about it. He thought maybe he'd seen a couple of ghosts or something! Estelle warily asks if there's r-really g-g-ghosts out here?
Lloyd laughs and plays into this, explaining the two he saw were just a young couple, so maybe they were two lost souls who committed a double suicide after not being accepted by those around them…? Estelle, creeped out, asks Lloyd not to tell her any more! Oh brother… Schera muses that the thought of a bracer who's afraid of ghosts is laughable. The guild is doomed! Joshua adds that Estelle's habit of always wanting to hear more ghost stories and other bizarre stuff just adds to the mess! Olivier comments that Estelle being scared is attractive in its own right - not sexy, perhaps, but cute nonetheless! Like a kitten shivering in the cold. Estelle, miffed, tells him he'd better watch out because this little kitten bites!
Lloyd returns to his story once again, explaining that he was kidding about the whole ghost thing - but this couple did, in fact, seem to be one with a purpose and reason. He says this because the girl was wearing some rather odd clothing. He saw her only from behind, so he couldn't say for sure, but it looked to him like she was wearing some kind of school uniform! Estelle gapes in disbelief - it couldn't be, right? Joshua asks if the uniform was from Jenis Royal Academy? Lloyd remarks that he really knows his stuff! Schera says this whole event just got a lot more interesting. Estelle agrees - it was her, Josette! That lying tomboy from before, we're finally onto her trail!
Surprised that we're familiar with this person, Lloyd suggests that while we're at it, we should tell her and the boy with her not to fret and rush into anything they'll regret later on. If his mind isn't failing him, he could have sworn they said something about coming again tonight. 'We'll meet back here in two days' is what the young man said, and his tone seemed rather serious, so he couldn't help but think about it. Schera appreciates the valuable information, and tells him to leave the rest up to us. We won't let them get into any more trouble than they already are. Lloyd is relieved, as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders - with that off his chest, he feels like taking a boat out to go fishing again! There's no time to lose, so he'll leave us youngins to our work! As he rushes off, Estelle says she doesn't measure up when it comes to that fishing nut… Joshua admits he's curious about this 'Fisherman's Guild' too, and wonders what that is.
Olivier, who wasn't around for the events in Rolent, asks the others how this mystery couple is involved in the missing airliner affair...?
Schera gives him a quick infodump about all we've found so far, and Olivier guesses that means we'll want to be around tonight to catch this person when they return, right? Schera confirms we should probably arrange for a room at the inn and stick around, since we'll be in for a late night. Estelle suggests we speak with the receptionist to arrange for a room to stay…
Anette comments that this Lloyd fellow who came from the Royal city is an odd apple. It seems that if you try to talk to him while he's fishing, he completely tunes you out. He's a rather friendly gent if you meet him during dinner, though. Elke wonders if she should bring her husband here next year? He always stays at home to watch the house while she's gone, so she feels kind of sorry for him. But she's bonding with her daughter, just the two of them, so that isn't a bad thing either. Lenard wonders if we were able to find Lloyd? If we like what we see here at the Inn, then we should please stay the night… There was a cancellation just now, so there is an open room.
Speaking to Sophina about a place for the night, Joshua warns Estelle that when we sign in here, we'd better make sure we've taken care of everything, because he doesn't want to head back to Bose after we've gotten a room.
This is an unsubtle indication that this is a point of no return, so it's best to do all sidequests and other miscellaneous things first.
Next: Fishing! Also dramatic anime heart-to-heart speeches and increasingly funny Olivier and Scherazard interactions.
Over at Haken Gate, there's a new guard at the gate to the Empire - it turns out it's actually Carlos, who explains that he's been thinking about traveling to the Empire but he ran out of money so he joined the garrison here. Why did he do that? Obviously because he lives his life on a whim! He doesn't regret his choice either!
I'm done with the Chapter 1 stuff, hence why I'm posting them now. So far, Chapter 2 is a bit of a lower key and less interesting chapter, but I'm only around halfway through that.
So the Libral army just lets people join up right away and give them a gun and a uniform with no training, huh?
The army does come across as a bit dodgy, between their animosity against Bracers for doing a better job than them and the ineffectual 'investigating' they keep doing which don't actually yield results until someone else figures it out first, at which point they might just jail other investigators. So far the only one who seems pretty competent is that Colonel Alan Richard guy we just ran into in the South Block, mostly because he's apparently got a reputation for getting shit done.
Given the general sense of paranoia and generational trauma from living next to Erebonia that somehow makes sense to me. Or at least as much sense as the singular gated checkpoints between every province of the kingdom.
The army does come across as a bit dodgy, between their animosity against Bracers for doing a better job than them and the ineffectual 'investigating' they keep doing which don't actually yield results until someone else figures it out first, at which point they might just jail other investigators. So far the only one who seems pretty competent is that Colonel Alan Richard guy we just ran into in the South Block, mostly because he's apparently got a reputation for getting shit done.
Honestly a lot of the root cause of the issue there (besides the anthropic principle telling us we wouldn't be playing this game if Estelle and Joshua weren't the ones moving the plot forward) is the General's personal animosity toward the Bracer Guild. Liberl doesn't have what you'd call a modern police force and traditionally relies on the Guild for things requiring criminal investigation. The Guild being on the political outs with Morgan means he's trying to make the army be a square peg in a round hole doing policing duties, which really is not the skillset of a volunteer military force that exists mainly to start shooting at Erebonian tanks if they up and invade again.
Sure is a good thing the Intelligence Division is around to bridge the gap, huh?
It gets really interesting when you get to Zero and Azure and see this from the other direction - Crossbell does have a genuine modern civil police department which the main characters work for, but everyone thinks they're a joke compared to the Bracer Guild which has much better PR (and Crossbell's generally hilarious levels of corruption which hobble most of their state institutions even when individuals want to do better).
Then I guess we come full circle with Erebonia in Cold Steel where the PCs work for the military in a country that's largely purged the Bracer Guild entirely, but Erebonia's got so many structural broken stairs I'm amazed they can collect a sales tax, let alone constantly threaten their neighbors with invasion.
Trails in the Sky (Part 25) - Heart-to-Heart on the Pier
At the end of the last update I was asked whether I wanted to rest up until nightfall - given that I've done all the optional content so far, that seems like a fair idea. Sophina guides us to our room, with four large beds to accommodate all of us, and says that's where we'll be staying. We should relax until dinner is served! After she leaves, Joshua comments that this is quite a nice room - it has a certain atmosphere that you just don't find back in the city. Estelle adds that it wasn't that expensive either!
Scherazard wonders what to do now…? How about we relax until dark? Olivier thinks that's an excellent idea, and Estelle admits she'd be more than happy to do just that, but is it really okay to take it easy? Schera points out that resting when you can is also part of the bracer job - this is our free time, so let's enjoy a meal, take a stroll, or something else!
Estelle and Joshua walk out of the inn towards the lakeside, where Estelle admires the picturesque view. The entire lake looks like it's glowing! Joshua says it's too bad we can't see the Royal City on the opposite shore because of the haze… From here, it's easy to tell that this is the biggest lake in the kingdom. Estelle says this lake is like a fisher's dream come true, so she bets it's a blast to throw a line in these waters. Joshua wonders why she doesn't just… do that, then? It might be a nice change of pace!
Estelle admits that she might, and wonders what Joshua's going to do? He muses for a moment, then admits there's a book he's been meaning to read, so maybe he'll just sit in a chair over here and relax. Estelle wonders how old he is again? Only geezers talk about sitting back and relaxing! Young boys are supposed to get out and move their bodies! Joshua leaves that part to Estelle, then walks off. Estelle muses that sometimes he can be such a drag…. Ah well, let's hurry up and decide on a fishing spot! Somewhere around the nearby pier seems like it'd make for a good spot…
Inside the inn, Scherazard and Olivier are having a drink of chilled fruit wine together. Estelle wonders if she should really start drinking again when it's only noon? No matter how light the liquor is, drinking too much is bad for your health, right? Schera argues this stuff is just like water, while Olivier says that sometimes we all need to take a breather. He understands her concern for Schera, but says she can leave her with him. Estelle remarks that Schera is not actually the one she's concerned about, which confuses the hell out of the bard. If asked, Olivier explains he invited Schera for a friendly drink, and she readily agreed. It seems she's finally been taken in by his charm! Estelle muses to herself, while still smiling, that this brash self-confidence might cost him his life… Olivier just comments that after Schera gets wasted, he'll be the one to take good care of her! Heh heh heh! Estelle muses that it's scary how much he doesn't know…
If we talk to Schera again, she asks what happened to Joshua, actually? Did he dump her or something…? Estelle confirms that he did, which clearly shocks Scherazard - really?! Estelle carlifies that she invited him to come fishing with her, but he brushed her off for a book! Doesn't that seem a little cold-hearted? Schera wonders if that's all? She had her going there for a minute… Scherazard recalls that Estelle has liked fishing ever since she was a kid, right, even though it's a hobby for boys? Estelle says it shouldn't matter if she's a boy or not, she just likes the things she likes!
Lenard says he's got some good fish in today, so we should please look forward to our meals! Sophina explains that people come here to enjoy fishing. If we'd like to borrow a fishing pole, they can loan us one, all we need to do is ask. Upstairs, Anette wonders what's for dinner today? She's so excited she can barely wait! Elke wonders if we're staying here too? Let's enjoy this wonderful place together! Outside we can talk to Joshua again, and he points out the pier we can use to fish. Estelle asks him why he's not joining in? He's not so bad at fishing himself, you know? Joshua says he's not as good at it as her, so he thinks he'll just sit here and watch if all her practice has paid off…
Heading out onto one of the small piers, Estelle calls out that this looks good - definitely the best fishing spot! Now let's see about casting a few lines. This is, in fact, a tiny minigame! The moment we try to start it, though, Estelle remembers she didn't actually bring a fishing pole. Crap! She wonders if somebody at the inn has a spare she could borrow…? We can run back to Sophina real quick to ask, and she confirms they have several stashed nearby, and they're free to use for anyone lodging here. We borrow a 'Progressive Rod' and Estelle muses that it's a pretty nice one to be loaning out to everyone. She'll put it to good use! She asks about good fishing spots, and Sophina says there's a small island close by where you can catch a lot of fish, but she'd say around the pier is the most highly recommended spot. The lake bed has quite a few hidey-spots there for the fish, so there are a lot of them swimming around in that area.
Returning to the pier, the minigame actually starts - and it's essentially a guessing game. Estelle first asks which direction to drop a line - either to the west around the pier, to the south where the sun is hitting the water, or to the east where the shade reaches. She then asks about bait - whether ot use a lure, to use live bait, or to use a fly. She casts out a line, and after a few moments she gets a bite, at which point you get another choice about how to bring up the catch. You can either reel it in all at once, wait a bit before reeling it in, or wait until the fish gets tired before reeling it in. There's no timing or anything here - depending on your choices, you get any out of a variety of possible catches & the same combination always gives you the same catch. You get up to ten fishing opportunities, so a bit of save-scumming is useful to find all the possible results.
The first result I get is a Smelt, a little fishie. Estelle comments that Joshua is gonna make fun of her if she sees this! Should she eat it right away to hide the evidence? My second catch is some Holey Boots - curse you, this victory is yours! (Funnily enough, despite being pretty crappy defense-wise, this equipment actually has great movement stats, so it's useful for giving a character more mobility in combat.) The third catch is a Liberl Carp - Estelle says this one is just her warm-up. Next is a Rainbow Trout - now this is quite a catch! What follows is a Tiger Rockfish, and Estelle declares this one's a biggie, and she believes a little bragging may be in order! The grand prize is catching a Salmon, at which point Estelle yells out in victory and declares she's the GODDESS of fishing! What a haul! This may just beat the record for the size of her best catch to date! She thought for certain it was just a regular fish by the way it tugged on the line…
After fishing ten times (or by choosing to quit early) the color grading of the scene shifts to twilight, and Estelle remarks that it's already starting to get dark. She ended up with a pretty good catch after all! She turns to show Joshua what she caught, but he's no longer on the upper deck of the inn. Estelle goes to check where he previously sat, and finds Joshua's book is still there - a history book on the 'Hundred Day War.' She picks it up, and wonders if Joshua forgot it here. For being so sharp, he sure can miss things sometimes! Guess she'll have to bring it to him! Now where did he take off to…?
Incidentally, we can have a quick read of the book at this point to get some historical context:
Article:
[The Hundred Days War]
<Outbreak of War>
In spring, 1192 of the Septian Calendar, a single cannon-shot shook the Haken Gate, situated in the northern part of the Liberl Kingdom. This marked the beginning of an invasion later known as the Hundred Days War, and the moment in which the raging golden stallion assailed the noble white falcon.
During this time, the Haken Gate was little more than a reinforced medieval rampart. It easily succumbed to the round fired by one of the Empire's Reinford Company-built orbal tanks, leaving a section of the aged barrier fractured beyond repair. And as the Liberl Kingdom's other defensive walls were hit in succession by a fusillade of cannonballs, they too fell under the explosive impact and were reduced to a mountain of rubble.
<Declaration of War>
At about the same time that the first cannon-shot was fired, a single letter from the Erebonian embassy located in the Royal City was delivered to Queen Alicia. More specifically, it was a writ containing a declaration of war by the Erebonian Empire upon the Liberl Kingdom.
In terms of diplomatic wisdom, the propriety of the declaration was established by being handled prior to the preemptive strike, but in this instance, there was hardly a difference in time between when the two occurred. In short, firing the first shot at the exact moment war was declared on the Liberl Kingdom made it possible for the Erebonian Empire to guise their preemptive strike as one of legitimacy when the first bombshell hit. This could be referred to as a new diplomatic war tactic, though one incapable of being employed without a meticulous level of planning used in concert with an orbal communication system.
<Blitz Tactics>
After the destruction of the Haken Gate, the Imperial Army began its invasion of Liberl in earnest. Overall its troop strength was made up of thirteen divisional units. This proved to be roughly half of the Empire's entire military force, and was such a massive deployment that it exceeded three times that of Liberl's entire Royal Army.
Within a month after the outbreak of war, the Imperial Army had occupied nearly all of the Liberl territory. Only the Grancel region and Leiston Fortress, situated just off the shore of Valleria Lake, remained in opposition. So rapidly were these blitz tactics carried out that even the Calvard Republic, an ally of the Liberl Kingdom and long-time rival of the Erebonian Empire, never had the opportunity to dispatch auxiliary forces to aid its partner. However, in a following attempt by the Imperial Army to take direct control over the Zeiss Central Factory and Malga Mine, they instead found themselves on the verge of being forced to surrender to Queen Alicia, who remained entrenched within the Royal City.
<Staging a Counterattack>
Two months following the outbreak of war, the battle situation was altered in a way which no one could have previously anticipated. Unbeknownst to the Erebonian army, three patrol ships were quietly being developed behind the walls of Leiston Fortress. Upon completion, they were put under the direction of veteran commander, General Morgan, and a large-scale counterattack was launched.
These patrol ships, shielded by armor far superior to the tanks of their imperial counterparts and mounted with a substantial amount of high-performance orbal weaponry, had also managed to boost their speed to over 1800 selge per hour. Using these crafts -- an independent mobile force lauded as the elite of elite -- Liberl's forces mounted an attack and quickly recaptured the checkpoints connecting the various regions. And as this strike was underway, they simultaneously launched an amphibious attack from Leiston Fortress and, one by one, defeated the remaining isolated imperial divisions.
<The End of Hostilities>
After just three months following the outbreak of war, the larger part of the Imperial Army's remaining divisions finally surrendered. However, as capitulation was at hand, there were indications of a surge of further reinforcements from the imperial homeland -- a move which galvanized other continental nations to follow suit and join the Calvard Republic in supporting Liberl. Together they lambasted the Empire, and a formidable group of allied forces began to materialize.
Amidst all the chaos the Septian Church, in cooperation with the Bracer Guild, called for an armistice, and after approximately one hundred days from the start of the war the hostilities came to an end. In the following year of 1193, in the Erbe Royal Villa on the outskirts of the Royal City, a peace treaty was signed by both the Liberl and Erebonian sides. Although no indemnification was made, an official apology was offered up by the imperial government as they expressed that they had, '...made a grievous error attributed to a tragic incident occurring within (their) borders.'
Why do I get the feeling that Joshua left this book behind because it brought back unpleasant memories...?
Before we go hand that book back, though, let's head back into the inn real quick… Inside, a rather sloshed Schera and Olivier are still busy drinking. Schera remarks that Olivier can hold his liquor, huh? Heeheehee, she thinks she's changed her mind about him! Come on now, drink up! Olivier seems less than pleased with that suggestion, and wonders if they're not getting a little ahead of themselves with this pace? It could interfere with tonight's…
Schera wonders what he's whining about now? Come on and drink, you third-rate musician! Or is he saying he can't keep up with her?! Olivier, his eyes little more than swirls, gulps and asks Estelle to stop sitting there and watching, and to do something! Estelle apologizes, but once Schera gets started there's no stopping her… Not to worry, though, Scherazard never gets plastered. Olivier wonders if she shouldn't be worried about him?
Speaking to Schera, she says things are sure starting to heat up here! Maybe she should strip down naked? Estelle warns her that if she takes off anything else, we're all really going to be in trouble! Schera lets out a heart bubble and muses that Estelle sure is cute when she talks like that! How about giving her a kiss? Estelle says she'll do no such thing! Olivier wonders if Schera is always like this? Estelle remarks that whenever she's on the job, she manages to behave herself, but when it comes to having a drink, even her dad can't keep up with her… Olivier admits he's kind of interested in seeing her go wild, but he worries that he's just going to pass out from the drinks first…
Lenard asks how our fishing went? If we happen to catch anything good, he'll cook it up for us as part of the service! Sophina says the dishes here use fish purchased straight from the fishermen themselves, so we can look forward to the freshest fish there are! We ask about Joshua, and Sophina muses that the boy we came with hasn't come in here. Upstairs, Elke says she was able to spend another day relaxing here today, as it's important to get away from your daily routine when you're worn out… When she returns home reality is waiting for her, so she'd better enjoy herself while she can… Anette remarks that there are a lot of people who come to this inn to fish. Just a while ago an old man came here from Bose and spent all day fishing before going back home! She's thinking of giving it a try herself…
Heading over towards the far side of the beach where we first met Lloyd, Estelle notices Joshua brooding on that distant pier. 'Hey there, laddie!' she calls out as she approaches, and she wonders what he's doing whittling away the evening in a place like this? Joshua admits he's not doing much, and wonders if she is done fishing, or is she heading back into battle with the sea life? Estelle admits she's had her fill, but it's sure been a while since she did! Which reminds her… She shows him the book she found on the table earlier, and remarks that Joshua claimed he was going to read, but he ended up leaving his reading material behind. He should be more careful! Joshua stares at the book, then says he already finished reading it. His eyes were starting to feel a bit tired, so he thought he'd take a walk for a change…
Estelle grumbles for a moment, then steps closer and accuses Joshua of lying. He's hiding his feelings again, isn't he? She can tell that's what he's doing. Joshua, caught out, admits nothing. Estelle states that's not really fair - he always finds a way to cheer her up when she's feeling down, and while she may not be as reliable as Dad… she can still give him a shoulder to lean on. Joshua eventually says sorry, but Estelle states that in times like these he should say 'thank you', not apologize! Joshua may be smart, but sometimes he doesn't seem to know what's most important. He admits she's probably right about that, and then genuinely thanks Estelle. She remarks that that wasn't so hard, was it? Oh, and in return… how about playing her a song on his harmonica? Joshua asks if 'The Whereabouts of Light' is good for her, and Estelle confirms that's exactly the one she wanted to hear!
As Joshua plays the melancholic tune from the beginning of the game, which somehow has already become nostalgic to me, we get a montage of other people hearing it - we see Lloyd out on his boat in the middle of the lake and Scherazard and Olivier in the inn - before we return to the pier. Estelle wonders why it is that when she hears the sound of his harmonica in the evening light like this, it makes her want to cry? Joshua, after being silent for a moment, wonders if she's still not going to ask? About his past, he means. Estelle reminds him that they promised, remember? He was going to tell her when he felt like it, and she wasn't going to ask. Considering that five years have passed since then, it doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore.
Joshua turns towards the water, and muses that it really has been five years already, hasn't it? How can she just live with him for that long and not have a million questions? That day her father came home with this beat-up kid… Some random stranger who never says a word about his past. Why'd she take him in like that? Estelle steps up next to Joshua and says that it just seemed like the obvious thing to do. Besides, he's family now! And, like she said before, she knows him pretty well. He loves books, he's a weapons geek, and he's got a serious knack for just about anything that comes his way. He's kind and fair, but he's also got a way of not letting others inside by using politeness as a shield… and he's caring… and lonely.
Of course, Estelle doesn't know everything about his past, but if he wants to make comparisons, she doesn't know a whole lot about her father's past either. Doesn't mean that the two of them aren't still family, right? Being a family for them has more to do with her knowing his personality, his habits, the food he likes… You know, the kinds of things that only she would know firsthand. Joshua is no different in that regard. Joshua is struck silent for a few moments, and then admits Estelle makes it nearly impossible to argue with her. It's been like that ever since the first time they met, and she gave him that flying kick to the gut while he was lying in bed… wounded, he might add.
Estelle, surprised by this callback, wonders if she really did that…? Joshua confirms that yup, she hit him while he was injured and all - more than once! Estelle laughs nervously and is sure it was all just a bit of childish play… Uh, he should blame Dad for her lack of social graces! Joshua sarcastically mutters that's a nice excuse. Anyway... he pauses and seems to rethink his words, finally just deciding that the two of us should make sure to solve this whole airliner mystery. He's not sure if father's been captured or anything, but we should resolve this with our own hands! Estelle agrees, that's exactly what she intends to do! Joshua suggests heading back to the inn, then… supper is probably ready by now. Estelle argues the two of us will need to eat our fill so we're ready for tonight!
As we head up the short steps to the inn, Estelle remembers that she grabbed Joshua's book earlier - she showed it to him earlier, but never actually gave it back. Joshua says he's already done with it, and at this point it'd just end up being bulk weight. What should he do with it…? Estelle can ask if she can read it herself, or suggest giving it to someone. I've technically already read it, but I choose to keep it, and Estelle nervously admits that it looks like a pretty difficult book. She asks Joshua if he thinks she'd understand it if she spent some time with it?
Joshua assures her she'd be fine, as there's already a lot of stuff in there she already knows. Estelle declares she'll give it a shot, at which point we get the book (again?)
This entire segment was actually pretty great, and Estelle is legitimately Best Girl. She didn't seem particularly enthused about everything back in the game's introduction, but clearly she adapted to the situation quickly, and her genuine care for Joshua and willingness to let him keep his secrets if that makes him comfortable is... just great. I also appreciate that the game brings up Joshua's mysterious past, since it's been a vague background notion for most of the game, so it's easy to forget that was all kind of sketchy. All I really know thus far is that Joshua is probably an Erebonian child soldier or something like it, judging by a few of his reactions throughout the game. We'll see how that turns out, I suppose...
Lenard remarks that Schera and Olivier certainly drank a lot - he's going to have to put in another order from Ravennue Village for some fruit wine! Sophina says she's not sure if we'll believe her, seeing as she's family, but her brother's dishes made with fish are something to be reckoned with! Please look forward to a meal like no other! Upstairs, Elke says that during the evening, the entire surrounding area is bathed in a beautiful orange color. Anette says it's almost meal time, so she wonders what's on the menu today? The food here is the one thing she can always look forward to.
Returning to the inn, we can check in with the rest of our party - and if you haven't been back here to look in on them during exploration, it's probably a bit of a shock to find Olivier and Schera entirely surrounded by empty bottles of fruit wine that they have imbibed with reckless abandon. Olivier, his eyes full-on cartoon squiggles to reveal his inebriation, begs us to help a fellow out. He can't take another drink…! Estelle says she just reconsidered her opinion of him, and Joshua agrees - it's pretty rare for anyone to still be conscious after a night of wine with Schera.
Schera singsongs that the two of us came at a good time, heh! How about having a drink together? We're good for that, right? Estelle says we're going to eat dinner now, so the answer is no! Schera angrily snaps that come on now, when she says 'let's drink,' we drink! We're going to make her veeeery angry if we don't sit down for a glass with her!
Estelle observes that great, it seems that Schera has already reached Stage 2: Rage Mode! Joshua tells Schera not to worry, since Olivier said he's goot for another couple rounds. How about having him keep her company? Schera scoffs, then turns back to Olivier and asks him in surprise if can really still drink more? Olivier, dismayed, asks Joshua how he could just give him to her like that? He can't, he can't…! Estelle wonders if Joshua doesn't feel sorry for the guy? Joshua wonders if he should. Olivier remarks that Joshua is like a little demon… and cute at the same time too… Hee hee, at least the fish are polite here… -hic- Estelle guesses he'll be fine, and Joshua agrees - let's go find a spot at the counter, shall we? He'd hate to bother the drinkers…
After the two walk off, Olivier pleads with Schera to please stop - he's asking her, and the fish, to stop pouring him another glass! Schera, of course, immediately puts a new glass of wine in front of him, and Olivier sighs in despair. I have to say, I think this entire drinking binge sequence is one of the more entertaining cases of updating background dialogue I've run into yet!
As the color grading shifts to night, we move to the bedroom upstairs, where Olivier is sprawled out on one of the beds, swirly-eyed and moaning in discomfort as he sleeps off his intense binge. The rest of the party stands around the bed, and Estelle declares that he's totally plastered. It looks like even a guy who takes his sweet time for everything couldn't stand up to a drunken Schera! She seems completely sober, incidentally, and says that was a great night of drinking - she's been so busy lately she hasn't been able to enjoy herself like this for a while! Joshua points out she's not even red in the face from all that alcohol… Is she sure she didn't take some sort of special training? Schera admits it could have been all the bizarre liquors she drank while she was in the troupe - you know, like the ones with scorpions and asps in them. She might have built up her resistance that way, but who knows?
Joshua doubts that's the case, honestly. Estelle wonders what Schera plans on doing with Olivier now? He's pretty much useless this way… Scherazard argues we should just let him sleep. He looks so peaceful now, and we wouldn't want to disturb him. There's a high possibility that we'll have a direct encounter with the sky bandits tonight, and getting a civilian wrapped up in the middle of it all wouldn't be a good idea. Estelle belatedly concludes that Schera got Olivier drunk just so he wouldn't be able to go along with us, didn't she?
Schera blinks, and quickly covers for the fact that she totally didn't think of that by claiming that yes, that's totally what she intended. He'll thank her for it in the long run, too! After his raging hangover, anyway. Estelle figures that this means she was just toying with him the whole time, wasn't she? Schera ignores that accusation and says it's getting late, so we should hurry up and begin our stakeout around the inn. Estelle asks her not to skate around the issue, but she snaps for Estelle to be quiet! Anyway, for now, let's circle up to the far pier…
Before leaving, there's a last bit of incidental dialogue to catch:
Olivier is talking in his sleep, asking Schera that he really can't take another - it seems his binge continues in his dreams. Over in another room we can find Lloyd, back from his fishing trip, staring at a map of Valleria Lake that he's put on his table. He remarks that there are hardly any structures on the west side of the lake, and he didn't get many bites either. All he's getting on the east side are small-sized fish, so the Guardian probably won't appear in either of those two places… He guesses the best thing he can do is to continue fishing from shore. He's going to catch it this time for sure!
Elke enjoys seeing another group of lodgers here, and she'd love to keep our company if that would be all right. Anette says her mother seems to be enjoying the atmosphere here - she was the first person to recommend this inn to her, and now she's invited to come here with her every year. Downstairs, Lenard asks if we're going out? If we're going to fish at night, we're going to need an orbment light or we won't be able to see. Sophina says the gentleman with us seems to have drunk a lot - is he going to be alright? She can go bring us some water, if we like…
Next Time: We'll track down those dastardly Capua bandits once and for all... and maybe run into the local Illuminati?
The Whereabouts of Light do be like that. Also harmonica music in general. Also Falcom music in general. But seriously, it's distilled essence of vaguely sad folk song and perfect for how it's used in the story.
Also I'll refrain from gushing too hard about Estelle and Joshua here since it's still early, but just...you gotta love those anime battle heroes who just love effortlessly and without restraint, you know? Estelle definitely is one.
Trails in the Sky (Part 26) - Skyjacking the Skyjackers
In search of the sky bandits we head back to the spot where we had a heart-to-heart with Joshua earlier, but Estelle sighs when she doesn't see anyone. She doesn't know what kind of business those siblings could have here, but do the others really think they'll show up? Joshua admits there's no guarantee, of course, but if Lloyd's information had any truth to it, his best guess is that they'll be here. Schera notes that if we move around too much there's a possibility we'll be seen and they'll take off, so we should find a place to hide out. The sky bandits are supposed to come from the road, so it might be a good idea to watch that area. Estelle wonders where we should watch from, then? Joshua suggests looking for a place where we can see the road without being noticed ourselves…
We're left to find the spot in question ourselves, and logically speaking there's not a lot of possible options. The road leads north from the inn, but obviously standing out in front of the building wouldn't work. There is, however, a balcony on the second level of the inn where we can take shelter behind some flower-filled planters and keep an eye on the road. The moment we duck down, of course, two familiar figures walk in from the road - it's Kyle and Josette Capua! Kyle remarks that they're a bit early. Josette says it seems that way, and muses that if it were the middle of the day, they could have gotten a bite to eat on the way. Kyle tells her to quit talking nonsense - they're outlaws, remember? Let's hurry and keep moving.
As the two make for the far pier, Estelle grumbles that she should have known it'd be them. Scherazard suggests following quietly and seeing what they're up to, but to make sure not to get noticed. Schera, Estelle and Joshua soon duck behind a wall near the stairs to listen in, close enough to make out every word. The camera shifts to the pier, where the Capua siblings are waiting for something. Kyle says he should have figured 'they' wouldn't be here yet, since they always come exactly on time. Josette says she really hates those guys, since they act like they're so superior, and honestly they're kinda scary… Kyle agrees there's no doubt about that - they're quite the clandestine bunch. There's not much they can do about it, though, since this is an order from Don...
Josette, after a moment of quiet, asks Kyle if he thinks Don's been acting a bit strange recently? It's just not like him if you'd ask her… You know, the whole hijacking of airliners thing. While she admits it was lucrative, now they've got the army clamping down on them full scale, not to mention those annoying bracers. Now Don's gone and taken hostages too, and demanded a ransom in return. No matter how she thinks about it, it seems like Don has gone way overboard this time! Kyle grumbles that in the end, she'll always be just a girl. Deep down, she's just not cut out to run with the bad crowd. 'Excuse me?!' Josette demands incredulously, and Kyle quickly apologizes for the wording - he meant it as a compliment. If things are getting too tough for her, she's always welcome to try salvaging a life back home… It shouldn't be too hard to get by as long as she doesn't set her sights too high. Admittedly, it is a bit colder there than in Liberl…
Furious, Josette wonders if Kyle really thinks he can just treat her like a kid without her getting angry? She'd like to see him get by without her, what with his crap cooking and all! Not to mention the laundry! Does he really want to go back to burnt toast and turning his underwear inside out?! (Ew.) Kyle winces, and says that he sees her point. He's really sick of toast, burnt or otherwise. Anyway, she should think about what he said before it gets too late for her to back out… Getting back to what she said earlier, though, he does agree that Don's been acting kind of weird. Does he really expect them to keep fishing for ransom? They should take what they can get! He'd like to think Don is smart enough to see that… Josette mentions that he started acting strange about the time 'that guy' showed up. That's the only thing she can think of as to why he started acting like this. Kyle notes that 'he' was the one who introduced them to these other guys too, so he might have even gotten Don to buy into his ideas…
Estelle, just like me, wonders what all these references are about - 'they, 'that guy', 'he' and 'those other guys'? Schera agrees that's a good question. Joshua spots something on the water - it looks like whoever the Capuas are waiting for has finally shown up. A small dinghy carrying two figures sails closer - and both of the people on board are wearing elaborate face-covering helmets and full sets of armor. The multiple spots or eyes on the front of them make me think of Shinra helmets from FF VII, but given that the front guy has a black cap with a red mask, I'll probably stick with calling them Ascians until I get a proper appellation for these Evil Empire-looking guys, since that was came to mind first. The guy in the back has a similar set-up, but their mask is silver and without a vertical segment.
Kyle remarks that they've made it on time, as usual. Josette mutters that they could have come a little early for a change… or even late! They're definitely not her type, that's for sure! The black-clad soldier with the red mask says that they're trained to be punctual. Now, if that displeases her, then he'll offer his sincerest apology. Josette snaps that she was just being sarcastic, so relax! To herself, she thinks she now knows these guys are definitely not the type she wants to be around. Kyle tells Josette to knock it off, and wants to get down to business. Have there been any developments since last time? The soldier confirms that yes, Her Majesty has finally made a move. She intends to contribute to the ransom from her own assets. Kyle is astounded by that - they're really going to get paid out of the queen's own pocket, seriously? Guess they're pretty close to getting the money then, right?
Josette asks about the Royal Army - is there any indication that they've figured out where the hideout is? The soldier says that they haven't yet, but it's only a matter of time before they do. They've received reports that members of the Bracer Guild are on the move as well. At any rate, on the morning of the payoff the Capuas will need to leave this hideout behind. Kyle says there's no problem there - they just happened to run into that temporary shelter by chance. Don shouldn't have any regrets about it either.
Estelle sighs, and says there's way too many suspicious types involved in this… She asks Schera what she wants to do here. Should we just storm in, shoot 'em all and let Aidios sort them out? Schera has a much better idea, actually. Those two siblings appearing here means that the sky bandits' airship should be parked somewhere nearby, right? There's not much we could do if they got away again, so how about they try and take that out first? Estelle concludes we'd be taking away their means of escape, and she's down for that. She turns to Joshua, but he's scowling at the strangers on the water. Estelle wonders what's wrong? His face looks really tense all of a sudden… Joshua claims it's nothing - he's sure it's just his mind playing tricks on him. Estelle is not sure what to make of that, but Schera insists there's not much time, so we should head out onto the road and look for the airship before this meeting is finished… (Okay, Joshua and the Ascians definitely have history...)
Rushing out towards the road, the party searches the immediate area for the location of the airship and discovers it's set down next to Amberl tower, with sky bandit minions holding the fort.
Our party hides behind a large rock and Schera mentions this is definitely the perfect palace to land, since it's just off the main road. Joshua wonders if we should subdue the men, and Schera admits that's one way to go about things… but there's more than double their number since the last time we encountered them. Estelle argues that even twice as many guys are no match for us, so we could take them all at once…
That's when a man's voice suddenly remarks that he's not sure that's the best way to go about things. Aw yeah! To the party's utter shock and surprise, a perfectly sober Olivier shows up and apologizes for keeping them all waiting. Estelle is about to shout his name, but is quickly shushed by Joshua since they might be overheard by the sky bandits. Scherazard admits this really is a surprise - she can't believe he's standing here after the state he was left in before. His tolerance is… impressive! Olivier wonders if she knows who she's talking to? Rather than miss a minute of her fair company, he dutifully puked his guts up and dumped a bucket of cold water over his head! Voila, he was good to go! As everyone seems kind of appalled by that, Estelle remarks that she's not sure he's good to go just yet - she's pretty sure she can hear his liver screaming somewhere in there. Joshua admits that he's got some serious tenacity. Olivier points out that he couldn't let us enjoy all the fun ourselves, right?
Olivier recalls that he had just come out of the inn when he saw us hit the road, so he came running from behind to catch up with us. Schera concludes that she went a little too easy on him after all, so maybe she should have had him down all that brandy at once… Olivier, dismayed, says she'd have put him to sleep for good if she'd done that! Anyway, getting back to the topic at hand, fighting the sky bandits here would lack finesse, wouldn't it?
Estelle thinks finesse is hardly the issue here, but Olivier insists he's serious. Even if they subdued them all and managed to arrest the siblings, there's still a chance they wouldn't reveal their hideout's location. They might even use the hostages as leverage to demand their release. Schera opines that there's a risk involved with any action we take - unless he has a good plan on how to avoid taking such a risk? Olivier promises he does, oh does he ever! Estelle mutters that if it involves blowing in her ear, she's seriously going to punch his lights out… (Ha!)
Some time later, we watch Kyle and Josette return from their meeting and greet their sky bandit crew - their minions are glad to see them back, as they didn't think they'd be gone so long. Kyle confirms that the talk took longer than expected, but they're nearing the end of the negotiations. They also managed to get a great deal of information about what's going on with the Royal Army. Josette confirms that they'll be getting the ransom money within a few days, and they'll finally be one step closer to making their dream a reality! The crew celebrates, but Kyle warns them to cool it - it's too early to get excited just yet. For the moment they need to head back to base and report to Don. Pack up everyone, and let's get out of here! 'Roger that!'
Inside the ship, Josette goes through preflight checks - the temperature is 69.8 degrees with 15% humidity, there's a south-southwest wind blowing at a speed of 12 arge, and there's no orbal reactions in the surrounding area. Kyle concludes the army is not patrolling around here, so it's time to activate the orbal engine and transmit orbal energy to each section of the airship. As the systems activate, we see snapshots of the ship's interior - the orbal floater starts, then the orbal driver, then the stabilizers all go green, each overlooked by various crewmembers. Time for lift-off! As the headlights of the airship turn on it flies into the sky, where Kyle commands a drive rate of 40% after which they will maintain cruising speed. He warns the crew to be ready to switch to battle speed at any time, though… Josette concludes they'll be back home by morning, and Kyle says he's ready for some shut-eye, but he'll have to report to Don first…
Meanwhile, in the back compartment, Ryan - one of the bandits - hears something, but his coworker Lyall didn't. Ryan could have sworn it came from below deck… He heads down to check it out, wondering if maybe it was a mouse or something? The place is cluttered with stuff, so he muses that he should clean it up sometime. As he heads upstairs again, we can spy Estelle hiding beneath the stairs, with a sliver of Schera's face visible as well… The airship soon makes its way to a very misty area - it's Nebel Valley! Remember way back when, back when I first got there, that I mentioned a weird offshoot that ended in an apparent boss arena? Turns out that's where the secret base of the sky bandits is located! The ship flies into a secluded grotto and all the bandits quickly get out, rushing down some nearby stairs.
Lyall and Ryan stay behind for a moment, and the former yawns loudly and admits he's tired - ever since they came here, his nights and days have been completely reversed. Ryan says they've just got to tough things out a little longer and then they can say goodbye to this horrible life… With Don as their leader, nothing can go wrong! Lyall points out Don's been acting a little strange lately, and he's kind of scary to talk to these days, but Ryan tells him to knock that crap off! If Kyle or Josette heard him talking like that, they'd beat him upside the head! Lyall tries to restate his point, but Ryan is sure he's just tired from lack of sleep, so let's just get some rest… From offscreen, Estelle yells that they're welcome to take a rest now if they'd like! As the two sky bandits freak out Estelle announces that they're too late, and goes in for a preemptive strike.
After quickly mopping up these grunts, Olivier says that it looks like we were able to get in here without any trouble. Schera is amazed his little plan actually worked - guess we all have him to thank this time! Estelle admits she was getting pretty nervous, and wasn't sure what they'd do if they got caught stowing away… Joshua reasons that even if we had been discovered, though, we could have just taken control of the airship. We would have had an advantage fighting against this lot in tight quarters, since superior numbers mean nothing without room to maneuver in. Joshua concludes Olivier thought that far ahead, , taking all of those factors into account... Olivier says that he didn't think of any of that in a million years, he just thought it'd be funny to infiltrate an enemy base! Estelle mutters that they'd have been better off if he hadn't said anything at all. Schera asks her to give the guy a break - at least we were able to get in here without incident!
Schera observes that we're somewhere in the Nebel Valley, near the border between Bose and Rolent. Estelle figures that explains why it's so misty outside, and Joshua says this is definitely terrain covered with extreme difference in height which would prevent the landing of any large aircraft, so Schera's guess was right. She complains that it didn't seem to help us much in getting here, though. Anyhow, we don't have time to hang around here chatting. We'll need to subdue the sky bandits, and ensure the safety of the hostages being held captive here - and our father Cassius too, of course. Right! Let's go!
Before heading in, we can actually backtrack onto the nearby aircraft and head back inside to rest and save up, since the sky bandits keep a mobile orbment recharge station on their ship. Afterwards, it's time to head inside and explore the base proper. The first few rooms are empty, and I pick up a Scorpion whip from a chest there, a nice upgrade for Schera. Further down we find a few more items, including a Jeweled Ring - this is a piece of equipment, but we were sent here to find a stolen ring, so we neatly completed that task as well. After a bunch more empty rooms - seriously, barring a random monster wandering around, this place is mostly deserted - we find a door behind which voices can be heard. Joshua thinks it sounds like some of the grunts… Should we rush in? We can't actually leave the room to skip them, since Scherazard suggests not leaving enemies behind us before heading further in, so off we go…
Rushing inside, we discover a whole bunch of grunts drinking, eating, and napping - we've caught them at break time, clearly. One of them asks if we're new around here, and Estelle wonders if he's for real? In his freaking dreams! The sky bandits wonder if we're not new here, then who are we? Are we supposed to be… intruders? Olivier says 'Bingo!' to that. Joshua announces that we're with the Bracer Guild, so it'd be best if they all surrendered… The sky bandits quickly say no to that, and get ready for a fight, and we're promptly thrown into a fight against six of the buggers.
Honestly, as long as you make sure you can't be poisoned via your equipment, these guys are pushovers. After the last goes down, Estelle demands answers from one of them - where are the hostages? If he doesn't start talking there are going to be serious consequences involving a whip! The sky bandit says we can do what we want, but he won't talk! Schera wonders if that's true, and asks for permission to handle this. Estelle allows it, and points out she did warn the bandits about this… Schera whips the guy good, and says she's actually being quite gentle with him. He shouldn't think for a second he's allowed to pass out yet! If he starts talking, though, she may be kind enough to let him… The sky bandit gulps, then quickly breaks - they're down below! Some of the rest of the crew are guarding the hostages!
Schera asks about the ringleaders next, and the sky bandit clams up again. She concludes he won't sell out his leaders, huh? Then there's only one thing left to do. With a mighty whip-crack she sends the guy flying through the room until he impacts with a bed and just lies there. 'Holy Strega!' Estelle exclaims. Schera's as unforgiving as ever… Scherazard mentions that she's been far more unforgiving than this, and Olivier remarks that any masochist would be thrilled to make Schera's acquaintance! Schera says her whip would be thrilled to make his acquaintance too, and Olivier says he'll consider it some other time… Joshua is focused on the hostages below, so let's hurry!
As we head through the next few rooms and take out some more vermin, Estelle asks if anyone has a clue what this whole place even is? It's way too big to have been built by these sky bandits, and it seems pretty ancient judging by the stonework. Schera says that it feels like a stronghold of some sort, and she agrees that it must be pretty old. She wonders if people used hidden forts like this as hideouts back then? Olivier adds that as far as he's heard, the turmoil following the Great Collapse continued on for several hundred years, so it doesn't seem strange to him that something like this is still around.
Estelle asks about this 'Great Collapse', and Joshua explains it's the collapse of the ancient Zemurian civilization which existed more than 1200 years ago. It's said that a huge natural catastrophe wiped them out. Estelle recalls that Professor Alba mentioned it before. Schera muses that for being a place this hard to find, someone's got seriously bad taste in hideouts… Not to mention there's monsters lurking around here too. Is this how all men like to live…? Joshua and Olivier share a look and wonder what sort of men she hangs out with...
In one of the siderooms I grab some new shoes for Estelle and a 'Bear Assault' gun for Olivier - it's an orbal hunting rifle. In a room further down the hall we can find another point of interest, one I would probably have missed if not for the mysterious 'vacuum' note on my checklist. Sure enough, there's a random vacuum cleaner stashed with a bunch of other loot in one of the rooms. If you inspect it, an object which doesn't even seem like it would be interactable, Estelle wonders what it is. Joshua explains it's the newest model of orbal vacuum cleaner, so it's probably been stolen. Estelle inspects it more closely and discovers something stuffed inside - it's a black notebook filled with strange numbers. What's this? What's it doing in a vacuum? Schera guesses it's probably important, so suggests holding onto it for now. If you've been keeping up with exploration it's pretty clear what this is about. Hidden quests with hidden objectives, huh? You're not fully completing this game without some kind of guide…
A little further along the hallway there's another room full of sky bandits, and once again we rush in - and once more these idiots have no idea what's going on. Schera concludes that there's actually another room beyond this one, and that's probably where the hostages are being held. She tells the bandits to surrender, but they naturally refuse, and we're faced with another battle against six grunts, which is exactly as easy as last time around. They even grouped up in this case, so I could AoE them to death! So helpful…
As we finish off the last of the chaff, we get a look inside the room with the hostages. Trino, whom we've heard about during exploration, wonders what's going on out there - is there fighting? Captain Grandt says it seems a bit loud for just an internal squabble. Moments later Estelle runs into the room and asks if everyone is alright? Schera announces that we're with the Bracer Guild, and we're here to rescue them. Trino is astounded by this - seriously, they're s-saved?! Joshua explains that we've already taken care of the guards, so they don't need to worry about anything for the moment. Grandt explains that he's the captain of the airliner Linde, and he doesn't know how to express his gratitude for what we've done here today… Estelle just says he can thank us after he's safely out of here.
Estelle has a look around, and is rather confused. Joshua confirms her conclusion - he's not here! Captain Grandt wonders who they're looking for, and Estelle asks if all the hostages are accounted for? Grandt confirms that everyone is here, crew and passengers both. Estelle says that can't be right, and Joshua mentions that a man named Cassius Bright was supposed to be on the flight, a member of the Bracer Guild.
Grandt recalls hearing that name somewhere, and Crew Member Clare confirms that he was that passenger, the one that got off right before they left! Grandt recalls that, right, now that she mentions it, there was one passenger who did get off. He had been on board since the Royal City, and he did seem to have the name Bright if he remembers correctly… Since he left right before they departed, though, there wasn't any time to document the changes, that's why he was still on the passenger manifest. It would have been handled on arrival in Rolent, but they were attacked en route and things were left as they were…
Joshua concludes that that's what happened, huh? He thought it would have been awfully strange if Dad had been captured by the sky bandits… Scherazard agrees that it seems one of our questions has finally been answered. Olivier thinks it's quite ironic! Estelle tells everyone to wait a minute, though - then what exactly is Dad doing? With something this big going on, why hasn't he contacted us!? Joshua tells her to calm down, and admits he's just as curious as her to know the answer, but thinking about it now won't get us anywhere. Our focus should be on securing the hostages. Estelle admits he's right, and that we'll need to forget about it for now. Schera tells the room that we're going to go after the sky bandit leaders and arrest them. While she knows how they must all feel, they'll need to sit tight for a little longer.
Grandt wishes us luck, and Trino says they'll prepare for the worst. Their lives are in our hands, now… We shouldn't let them down!
Burrell says this was the first time he'd ever ridden an airliner - and to think something like this would happen… Prometheus says he'll finally be able to get home to Zeiss! Blaue is amazed they've been saved - he must be dreaming or something. Atget, a young girl, wonders if we're 'bray-zers'? Are we going to arrest the nice guards? Her mother, Ruvie, says that she's glad to know that Atget's been saved, more than herself. Finel wonders what's going with his store right now… Lenore thanks us for coming to the rescue, as she'll finally be able to get home! Sylvie says those sky bandits ripped off everything she bought at the Bose Market! We should make sure to get it back! Trino admits that all things considered, he's surprised we were able to find and get into this place… Being a bracer must be a tough occupation, huh?
Legaro says he'll finally be able to get back to his travels now. Being stuck here has put a real kink in his plans. Colton says he thought this was the end of them for sure. There was something just not right about the look in that sky bandit boss' eyes… Clare says all of the passengers are safe and sound, and nobody is sick or injured either. She thanks us for saving them… Duncan mentions that after the way they ripped out Linde's engine, which he'd kept in such good repair all this time, he'll never forgive them… Timon says he's glad they're safe, but what happened to the airliner? They were blindfolded, so they never exactly saw what happened. Parker knew we'd come to save them! Captain Grandt says he's pretty sure the sky bandit leaders are somewhere on the lowest level of this place… We should all be careful.
Near the place where the hostages are kept there's a staircase that leads to nowhere - inspecting the rock wall at the end reveals a secret passage leading directly to that 'boss arena' location in the Nebel Valley, and thus to the outside. Using this, we can now head over to the hermit's place and rest up or do some trading, or grind against local monsters, but we can't actually leave the Nebel Valley itself.
Olivier says the secret door was quite a neat little trick, but he wouldn't expect anything less from a secret fort! Joshua wonders if we should use this to help the hostages escape first, but Schera argues we'll need to take out the bandit boss first lest we get attacked while attempting to escape. There's no way we'd be able to protect that many people. Olivier suggests getting back in there, then, and having a face to face chat with the gentleman running this fine operation!
Next: Time to take down the Capua family, once and for all!
