Part 4: Chapter 3: Grathmeld

Chapter 3: Grathmeld

Welcome to the Tower of Ar Tonelico Public Access Terminal Network!

Initiate search, personal logs and surveillance records, Lyner Barsett.

Searching... records found.

Commence playback, chronological order.

Playback commencing.

Personal log: Lyner Barsett:
Jack and I headed back to town. He figured we should rest a bit before heading out to the forest to find the Blue Wolves. I still don't know why he's suddenly acting so differently.




The Blue Wolves are a pain.
Ever since they showed up in Cello Forest, I haven't been able to return to Nemo.
...Nemo?
It's a city. Anyway, we gotta take out those Blue Wolves.
When we're ready, let's head out to Cello Forest.

We headed out to the Cello Forest, but were in for a rude surprise. The Blue Wolves were made out of some kind of mist or fog or something, and physical attacks passed right through them!





These are the Blue Wolves!
Let's take care of them quickly!
Huh!? My sword isn't hurting them at all!
...Damn. No wonder the villagers were having so much trouble with them.
My gun's not as effective against them, either. We better head back.
Heh, they ran off, too.
We gotta chase them!
Why? We just found out our weapons don't work on them.
Oh... right...



We gotta go back to the village and come up with a plan. The inn's a good place to start.

We went back to the inn to plan our next course of action. Luckily, Jack had an idea.



But my gun worked a little. Hmm... maybe Fire Attacks hurt them the most.
...Fire Attacks?
You know, attacks that are hot, like a fire ball, my gun, or even a bomb.
But, by the look of it, I doubt you have any of those types of weapons.
You're right, I don't.
But, if I put my heart in it, I know I can beat them to death with my sword.
What are you, dense!? I already told you, that doesn't work.
Well, you never know until you try.
But you tried it earlier!
If you can't hurt them, then I may as well fight them by myself!
Besides, you'd only get in my way.
Wait. It'll work if I put in all my fighting spirit!



...From what I've heard, you're supposed to be a lot smarter than this.
What!? You've heard of me? Has someone told you about me?
...! Um, no! Of course not! Who the hell knows both of us?
...?
Okay, look, I need to get my airship back. Otherwise I'm screwed.
If I can't beat them by force, please tell me what I can do!
Have you ever heard of a technique called Grathmeld?
If you can master this technique, you can make anything, from bombs to medicine.
Awesome! Let's do it!
Huh! So, do you know how to Grathmeld!?
Nope!
Argh! Hold on! It's not as easy as you might think.
I don't care how hard it is, I have to do this.
......



Really!?
...Mr. Pochoma?
You've never heard of Mr. Pochoma!? He's the most famous Grathmeld Master.
They say that he can teach anyone to be a skilled Melder.
Really!? Then we better go meet him. Where is he?
Inn: Well... he's at the café at the top of the column.
The top of the column? Damn... I hate going up there. Say, Lyner, why don't you go by yourself?
Inn: He moved up there with his grandchild not too long ago.
They wanted a place with a view, so he opened a store up there.
But, having a store up there can't be safe. I just can't understand that city girl...



Uh, Lyner... C'mon, let's go!
...What? You told me to go alone...
Look, I'll handle his grandkid. That way, you can learn all of his Grathmeld techniques without being disturbed.
Oh, okay...

We went up to the top of the tower. The store was perched precariously on the edge. Jack decided to chat up the girl at the counter while I found the old man in the back.



Oh, you're that city girl, right?
Girl: Wow! How did you know that!?
Oh, I can tell a lot about a girl just by looking at her. Especially the pretty ones. So, what's your name?
Girl: Oh, well, my name is Noelle.
That has a nice ring to it. Like a seductive little spell...
Noelle: Oh, my. You're making me blush...
Old Man: Ah...ahhh...ahchoooo!!
......



Oh, right...
I heard that your grandfather is a famous Melder. Is that true?
Noelle: Yes. I know he doesn't look like it, but he used to be world-famous.
Does he still teach his Grathmeld techniques?
Noelle: Yes. I think he loves it. He has a lot of free time on his hands now.
Why don't you ask him yourself?
Oh, okay. I'll do that.

I asked the old man, and he agreed to give me a one-day course on Grathmelding.



It seems to Grathmeld something all I need is a camp, a recipe, and materials. He showed me all the technique, and we practiced by making a weak medicine. He then gave me homework, to create a Missile. This couldn't have come at a better time, since we need bombs to battle the wolves.



Grathmelding... Interesting. So the Lower World retains some knowledge after all...

Grathmelding is this game's version of Alchemy. You use component material items to produce items of all types. It's simplicity itself to use. There's some tricks that become available later, which we'll see as they come up.

I managed to make the Missiles with no problems. The old man was impressed, and so was Jack. He seemed ready to go. Turns out he's not as smooth as he seemed.



...Who said that!? See, someone did tell you about me.
Stop being so paranoid! Nobody told me anything!
But, if you have a Missile, we have a better shot at winning that battle.
...I'm expecting good things from you.
Oh, by the way, how'd it go?
...Huh? What are you talking about?
You know, with that girl... What was her name? Noelle?
...Just forget about her.
...Ah, she dumped you.
Shut up!
Yeah, that's too bad.
Let's just go back to Cello Forest.

Record available: Data captured from Virus, type War Phantom



VIDEO_RECORD_LOAD





Virus deleted.




The Blue Wolves aren't a threat at all. The first couple 'bosses' are just to introduce game mechanics. This ends after the next boss we face.

Record available: Crash Site Surveillance Log.

Display log.



Yup. If you don't believe him, go to the Cello Forest and check for yourself.
I did what you told me, so give me back my airship.
Mayor: ...Oh, yes. Of course.
Alright! That's one less thing to worry about...
Mayor: You saved us.
Tenba only works for money, so it's hard for a poor village like ours to rely on them.
But, it wasn't always like that. Tenba used to be a company for the common folks.
I don't know what happened to them...
......
Mayor: Sorry, I don't mean to complain to you.
We're grateful for what you've done. We'll do anything to help you.
Great! Then, can you fix my airship?



...Airport City... Nemo?
Mayor: Go through the Cello Forest. Airport City Nemo is just on the other side.
It is the biggest city in the lower world. They say that the unattainable is unknown in Nemo.
...Really!? Thanks!
Mayor: Anyway, our village is poor, so we can't give you much... but, please take this.



Mayor: Yes, I don't mind. And, you can leave your airship here.
We shall watch over it until you can repair it.
Thank you! That's a great help.
Well... everything's going well.
Hey Jack, didn't you say you were going back to Nemo?
Yeah, now I can finally go back.
Can I really find anything I need there?
Oh yeah. It's like the capital of the lower world. The only limit is yourself.
...Okay...
So, shall we go?
Sure. I might even find some information about the crystal.
Alright! We gotta head through Cello Forest to get to Nemo.

Record ends.

Resume log playback.

Resuming...

Personal Log: Lyner Barsett:
Jack stopped us on the way to Nemo. He decided we should camp out for the night. We had an interesting talk.



Even if we keep going, it'll be midnight before we reach Nemo.
Look, why don't we camp out here and get some sleep? I'll go get some firewood.
Okay, great! And Jack... thanks.
For what?
Thanks to you, I'm actually getting things done.
I barely did anything...
Well, yeah, but I was kinda lost all by myself. You helped me find some direction.
Say, what's the big hurry anyway?
...Oh, that...
Hey, you don't have to tell me if you don't wanna.
No... it's not that...

I told Jack what had happened in Platina.



Okay, okay! I believe you now...
So, what brings a lordly Apostle of Elemia down here to slum it with us low-worlders?
I have to find the Hymn Crystal Purger and bring it back.
Hymn Crystal? The treasured crystal used by the legendary Holy Maidens to save the world?
That's the one.
...Take a look.
What is this? It's awesome...
This is the Purger. Do you know anything about it?
No, I've never seen the Hymn Crystal. Sounds like you got your work cut out for you.
...Yeah.
So, even if you do find the crystal, you can't take it back up with your damaged airship.
I'll find a way to fix it. I hope I can find an engineer in Nemo who can repair it.



...R, right...
......
Then, can I get back by climbing the tower?
Climbing the tower!?
...Yeah, I guess not...
Well... it is possible.





The Teru Tribe. They're a tribe that lives in the middle of the tower.
They hate humans. In fact, they built a huge gate to block humans from going up.
Damn... there goes that idea.
......
Well, I still have to find the Purger first...
Yeah, well, I can't help you with that. But, you may be able to find out about it in Nemo.
Great...
Well, it's getting late. I'm crashing out.
...Okay.
Hey, Lyner...
Yeah?
...Ah, never mind.
...?

I went to sleep. I think Jack walked off for a bit. I had a dream, remembering when I became a Knight.



...He might know something. I should just ask him casually.
...I'm coming, Misha.



Did I do something wrong!?
...Commander. Lyner has met every requirement for becoming a Knight of Elemia.
I don't see any reason why he hasn't been passed.
Lyner. You can't play with swords forever.
I knew it! You always do this!
You are coming of age. It's time for you to drop the sword and pick up a pen.
You need to mature into a man who is great enough to govern Platina. You shall be my successor!
Stop making my choices for me!
You're always sneaking around, trying to control everything! Why should I be like you?
Well, you can't force me into politics. And, I'll never change my mind!



Whatever your reason, you cannot justly deny his achievements.
......
Hmm... Out of respect for Lady Shurelia, I'll let you pass this time.
However, some day, you will go into politics.
......



You're not a morning person, are you? C'mon, get ready. We should get going.
...Y,yeah... okay...
(I hate having bad dreams. I hope Lady Shurelia and Ayatane are okay...)
We're almost there. Once we arrive, I'll give you a tour of the city.
Oh, and don't let anyone find out you're an Apostle of Elemia.
That's a pretty big deal down here. Some people might try and take advantage of you.

So we're about to head into Nemo. I hope I can some information there, or maybe a mechanic.

Record ends.

Airport City Nemo... Computer, Airport City Nemo is declared Omega Class Virus Threat. You are authorized to terminate any possibly contaminated inhabitants.

Confirmed.

Open a link to the following channel. I need to make certain this is dealt with. He should be sufficient for the task...

Link opened.

Log off this terminal and delete all records of this access. Leave link open by remote terminal.

Confirmed. Logging off system and deleting records. Thank you for using the Ar Tonelico Public Access Terminal Network, [USER REDACTED]!