Suikoden II Part #31 - The Absent Mayor

Part 31: The Absent Mayor

Oh my, a secret passage.

It leads back to, surprise! The academy.

Dammit Flik.

I honestly have no idea, the goons wanted you here for some reason.

Like he's been doing the PAST FEW DAYS, we have to ONCE AGAIN reiterate that Flik was tailing Shin, but lost him again.

Gosh darnit I love Wakaba. Anyway, for the fifth time in an hour, Flik rejoins our party.

I swear to god, Luc is channeling me playing this game

Naturally, the switch is the obvious as fuck statue alone in its corner.

There's a small forest path with marginally harder enemies to traverse. We get some palette swaps, yay. If you wanted another Dryad Rune, the HollyGirls drop it here occasionally.

Oh boy, an out of the way cabin! Nanami immediately assumes it's the ghost's haunted shack.

If you choose the joke option, you'll eventually have to choose the first one.

Cool name for a sword.

Just then, Pilika does something for the first time at all in the plot – cry, which makes Shin relent.

Teresa finally makes her presence known. We tell her about who we are, and that we're not here to capture her.

: Lord Azure, why have you taken such trouble to see me?

>>> We've come to save you

: You came to... save me? Why?

: Why? Our army's military strength is fairly slight. Even with the aid of Two River, we're not in a position to wage a war against Highland's main army. So, Lady Teresa, we need your strength.

Basically, Teresa feels incredibly incompetent and unable to do jack shit as a leader, so she can't help us right now.

Suikoden 2 Tunes – A Prayer to my Mother

She then tells us about the first attack on Greenhill.

: At first, everyone rejoiced, without knowing the true reason for the soldiers' arrival...

: There were skeptics, but most of the citizens assumed that there must have been a Highland commander or other that wanted a fair fight. More than anything, the increase in military power due to the Muse soldiers was invaluable to the morale of the dejected citizens. Before long, the Highland Army appeared, and the citizens prepared for battle. However...

: The Greenhill citizens thought, 'this is food for Greenhill', but the Muse soldiers considered it food for fighting.

: It seems obvious now that the Highland soldiers must have given the Muse soldiers back their weapons for just this purpose. And then... we... right in front of the Highland army, we... were defeated without even having fought.

: All that remained in us was distrust for each other... and I... as acting mayor of Greenhill, could not have prevented this... forgive me. Lord Azure, I cannot help you. Please, please... return home.

This went well.

You didn't even take a single class. Silly Wakaba.

Between now and just before our return to that secret forest path, you have one chance to sharpen your weapons to level 8. Otherwise, you'll be waiting for some time for the chance.

Time to leave, I guess. Wakaba asks Flik if he'll go talk to Nina, but he tells us she's been suspiciously absent...

Well that doesn't seem so easy now.

: 20,000 Potch and the right of Highland citizenship will be awarded to whoever captures Teresa, former acting mayor!

The people aren't so easily swayed.

And Jowy makes his great appearance as a Highland soldier to Azure, Nanami, and Pilika. He says that the people who committed the unlawful investigation (Rowd's company) are being punished.

: There is, however, one condition. Teresa must be delivered alive... no reward for a corpse.

Pilika busts through the crowd to see him.

Fitcher is awesome. Using the crowd to distract the soldiers.

: Rowd will take care of it. Leave it to him.

Highland soldiers...

Whether we want to or not, we're forced back to Teresa's hideout.

Suikoden 2 Tunes – Reminiscence ~ Ensemble Version

Beyond the outright ditziness, Nina's been working with Teresa all along.

: We've come to get you, Lady Teresa, and escape. The situation has changed. This time, if we must, we will use force...

: Nina has already informed of what is happening.

: No... I will not run. I will not be the cause of more suffering for my people. Once they have captured me, Highland's oppression of Greenhill will end... I have no other options.

Stubborn as fuck.

: My lady, I will accompany you.

: Then... please bear witness to the end of my life.

: We knew the food supplies were low!! And yet, even after that... you didn't wish ill on the soldiers of Muse! I can't stand by and let someone with such a kind heart die!!

time to run through the forest path AGAIN..

Time to step in and slap some sense into Teresa. Another couple fights with a stiff breeze later...

Shut the fuck up.

Nina rallied up all the people of Greenhill.

: You think everyone will be happy? Lady Teresa, at least believe in us the way we believed in you, fought for you... everyone, everyone... when we lost... when we led Greenhill to defeat with our own hands... that battle wounded us inside!! Knowing that, will you still hand yourself over to the Highland army?! Will you really cause the citizens of Greenhill more pain?! You may lose battles... you may even lose your town... but there is something more important that that you CANNOT lose! Please, please do not lose that, Lady Teresa...

I'm glad super ditz became motivational speech maker overnight

Teresa snaps out of her stupor and vows to protect Greenhill. But first, we must escape.

With Teresa in our convoy, we run BACK through the fucking forest again

I'm getting just about as tired of Rowd as I already was about Nanami, Pilika, and Nina.

: My loyalty lies not with the office of mayor, not with the House of Wisemail... but with you, Lady Teresa.

Before Teresa can do anything else, Flik sucker punches her in the stomach. Sorry I didn't capture this at the best moment.

Shin is awesome.

We're now in the back part of the forest, and there's a couple items to be found, including the Chimera Rune. This Rune transfers the negative statuses on a character to another ally. It will remove positive statues but will not transfer them. Once again, it's another Rune found only in this game.

Suikoden 2 Tunes – Reminiscence ~ Ensemble Version

>>> Jowy, why are you...

: Azure, I give you this advice as a friend. Relinquish leadership of the Dinosaur Army, and run away. The victor in this war is already decided. Anything you do now is in vain... you will only be prolonging the suffering. I will not allow Luca to have his way with Highland and the City-State...

This is pretty much what Jowy will be doing for a while, telling us to give up, run away, stop fighting, etc. It gets old hat really fast, due to both the repetition and the condescension.