Part 58: Update LV: An Adventurer and the Tragic Village

Well, fair warning, but this update will contain virtually no gameplay. It's almost entirely going to be a story update, but that's only fair when the first, and by far most important video for it, runs more than 18 minutes. This is actually going to be the last update of the game proper.

I'll mention it again when it's a bit more relevant, but now that I've reached the Frontier Village before the extra two years are up, I've for all intents and purposes beaten the game. Anything we do after is overtime, but there's so much overtime, beating the game hardly feels like an accomplishment. But all that said, let's rock.

As soon as you enter the Frontier Village for the first time, this scene plays.Here it is: the big scene of the game.



Music: Village of the Fleeting Snow







Hello.

Music: Hepatica

Y-Yeah, hello. Um...

Who are you?

I'm Totori. What's your name?

I'm Piana. Where did you come from, Totori?



Don't have much to say about Piana that won't end up a spoiler for future events, so I shall hold my keyboard until then.

I came from a village called Alanya. It's really far away. I came on a ship. I guess you wouldn't know it by name. Well, um...



Um, yes. Do you know my village, Piana?

Uh-oh! Grandma! Grandma!

*Piana leaves*

Wait! If she knows my village, maybe...



After that line, you resume control, but there's nothing to do in the village right now, except for stopping by that grave in the distance (right side of the screen). I'm...not liking where this is going... Not one bit...

Anyway, as soon as you stop by the grave, the next part of the scene plays.



I should ask around... But I only see strangers here.





Wahh! Oh, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have...

Don't worry. If you are from Alanya Village, you may know her.





No...

Huh? Wh-What are you saying?

You resemble her in some ways. She did mention having two daughters of her own. I can only offer my deepest condolences.

Please stop! You're joking, right? This isn't funny...

I'm sorry.



...

No...



No matter how much I looked for her, I couldn't find her. So I thought... Maybe, just maybe...



Goddamit...we failed. All that time, all that effort, for nothing...

Tell her to come to my hut after she calms down. She's a precious guest of ours.

Hm? Okay.

*fade to black*



Do you feel better now?

I'm sorry for making a scene...

That's all right. It's only natural. I suppose I haven't introduced myself. I am Pilca. Some consider me the leader of this village.



Well, she falls squarely in the "Kindly old female village chief" character role, but she does have an occasional mean streak to her. But mostly that's around a certain someone.

Oh, I'm Totori. I'm Mom's... I mean, I'm...

Totori. I've heard of you. I must tell you about Gisela. About her last moments.

...!

You don't want to hear about it now? We can do this when you're ready.

I'm fine! Please tell me.





It caused quite a commotion in the village at the time.



Grandma, we have trouble. Someone not from our village is here!

A person? That's impossible. Who would come to this village in the middle of nowhere?





N-No! Don't come in here without permission!

It's fine. Who are you and why have you come here?

Oh, I'm Gisela. Nice to meet you. Anyway, do you have food? I've barely had anything to eat for about two weeks now.



That doesn't answer my question. I asked why you are here.

Huh? I asked for some food. C'mon grandma, you senile or somethin'?

I'm not that old yet!



I almost got it, but it busted a hole in my ship before running away. I went through hell to make it all this way. The spot that busted open must be where I helped build. I guess I shouldn't have done it without asking. There's no other reason why my husband's ship would sink.

Ah, so the reason the Flauschtraut was beatable in the first place was because Gisela already did quite the number on it. Nice to know.

Just shut it! Listen to me!

What else do you want to know?! I just want some food! Food! I'm hungry! Food!



S-Sure.

Yay! I love you, old lady! You're nice.

Shut up! Just be quiet for a minute!

*fade to black*



Everything about her was extraordinary from the moment we met.

I'm...sorry.

She asked if she could stay until she finished repairing the ship. I didn't have the will to refuse. Because of her personality, she fit into the village right away. She was terrible with detailed work, so the repairs were painfully slow. After about six months passed...

*fade to black*



Kinda hard to communicate in a screenshot, but the screen rumbled quite a bit before Gisela starts talking again.

Whoa! Another earthquake? Those seem pretty common here.

...

Why so quiet all of a sudden? You got wax in your ears, but are you growin' wax on your tongue, too?

Stop treating me like an old hag! And what does that even mean?! Wax on my tongue?!



Huh? What's up with that? You promised I could stay until my ship's repaired. I guess it's taking a while since I fix one thing but break two more every single time.

The circumstances have changed.

Then I'd like these circumstances explained. I'll consider leaving depending on what they are.

This is no ordinary earthquake.

An earthquake is an earthquake. Don't tell me. You the superstitious kind? Like you think there's a giant monster causing it underground or something?





These earthquakes grow in number every few decades when the devil tries to free itself.

What? The devil? You really are senile...

This is serious!



Clearly. Now where was I? Oh, yes. This village is inhabited by those who will be sacrifices for that devil.

Sacrifice? I don't like how that sounds.

No matter how many seals are placed, it escapes from the tower once every few decades. Each time, nearby towns and villages fall prey to its bloodlust. That's when it was decided to offer sacrifices to reduce the damage done.



Oh. So all of you are those abandoned babies? I get it now. Yeah. Now that you mention it, I don't see any men in the village.

You just noticed?



If you do, then please leave before you get caught up in all this.

No.

What? You said you'd leave if you heard the circumstances!

No, I didn't. I said I'd leave depending on what they are. I don't get it. You were born to be eaten and you still stay here? You women should just get up and leave.

If we leave, others will replace us.

Well, aren't you the martyr?



We're all women here. Even if we wander off, we'd likely starve to death in the nearby woods.



We're not the same as you!

Just because I can turn my back to it doesn't mean I want to. Fine. I'll take a stab at it.

Where are you going?



What?! Stop! You'll just die in vain!

Be quiet. I don't like you.

What?





It's been our destiny since birth.

Screw that. You have young kids and babies here, too. As a mother of two daughters, I can't just stand by and watch this.

Daughters? You?

You wanna hear about 'em? They got all the good bits from my husband and me.





You seem the type to spoil your children.

If you saw my kids, you wouldn't be able to help yourself, either. Aw, now I miss them. It's time for me to beat up that devil, fix my ship, and get back home!

Wait! If you have children, it's all the more reason to...!

*Gisela leaves*





Then...was Mom killed by the devil?

If she died, none of us would be here.

Then she won?

Gisela said it was a tie. She couldn't defeat it, but she managed to push it back into the tower.





Stop talking. Can't you shut up even at a time like this?

I'll die even if I shut up. I'll feel better if I keep talking.

You're not going to die. The villagers owe you their lives. We will save you.

Don't make promises you can't keep. None of you are doctors here.



Don't give up! After all that big talk, at least live up to your words!

Well, you people gave up without ever trying. As for me, I got to do whatever I wanted in life.

Gah... It won't stop bleeding. What am I supposed to do?

Hey, old lady. Do me a favor.





Fine... What is it?

Can you take me to the ship I came on? I can barely walk on my own.

What are you going to do there?

Leave me there. I don't want to be buried in a village full of irritating people.



If it makes your face twist in pain, I'd love to bury you in this village.



Is there anything else I can do for you?



A tall tale about some punk adventurer with a bad mouth. It'll make a terrible story for the children.

Heh, you got quite the mouth on you, old hag.

Your abrasive personality is contagious. I better get you out of here quick.



Be patient with me just a little more. I'll gather the villagers right now.



So that grave...

Everyone built it in Gisela's memory.



I see...

I'm sorry. Your mother died for our sake. I don't expect any forgiveness.

...



Are you laughing?

I-I'm sorry. I'm really sad, but I just...



I suppose. Looking back, your mother didn't even give us time to mourn.

I guess not. Hehe... Oh, no. I shouldn't laugh. But it's just so like her to end up that way... Hehe...

...



I'm sorry, but can I cry a little more?

Go ahead. Cry as much as you want.





Phew, well, that was a doozy, but that's how it happened. You can talk to Pilca, Piana, and all the villagers, but there's really not much they say for now. The only other noticable landmark in the village is a well that gives out 100 quality Water, so stock if you're into that sort of thing.



Goodbye, Mom... May we meet again in another time, another place...



But are things really alright? That devil is still there...

Well, we can worry about that later. This much shorter scene takes place after you try to leave. Video goes until the screenshot of Piana.



Yes. I need to tell my dad and sister right away.

I see. It will be a difficult task for you.

It'll work out. Thank you very much for telling me about my mom.



I definitely will.

*Totori leaves*





So after that scene, before you return to the world map, if you saw that previous event with Mimi and the Flauschtraut and discovered Gisela's fate with her in the party, this scene plays. Video goes until the screenshot of Mimi being glad for Totori.



I'm sorry about your mother.

Yeah... I haven't cried so hard in a while. It's kind of embarrassing.

There's nothing embarrassing about it. It's a perfectly acceptable time to cry.



Is your mother also...



Oh...

When I was younger, I was sickly and bullied all the time.

No way!

Why don't you think that's true?

S-Sorry. I just couldn't imagine you like that.





There, there. You're such a crybaby.

But.. But...



Huh? Aristocrat? What's that?

People who are great from birth. Because we are supposed to be great, we must act so people will respect us.

*sniff* I don't understand...

Hmm. Maybe it's too complicated for you.



You'll feel energized and it will help you endure anything.

Really?

Yes. Do you think you can do it?



That's the spirit. Haha...



When I grew up, I figured out the aristocrat title meant little. But if I admitted that, it would turn what Mother said into a lie.



Oh... Thank you, Mimi.

I don't see why you should thank me.

You've been trying to comfort me the whole time.

Think whatever you want. Gahhh...

What's the matter?



I do really like the subtle detail of the CG actually changing when Mimi says this line. For some reason I never noticed that before now.

Wow, your face is all red.

Agh! F-Forget about it! Erase it from your memory right now!





I won't tell anyone. You told me and me only.

Why do you keep... Bah! Never mind!



Are you trying to say I'm normally ugly? But if you've cheered up, I'm glad I told you about it.



I can't leave you because who knows what you'd do when left to yourself. Are you sure you shouldn't be steering the ship? You'll never get home if you let it keep drifting along.

Oh, whoops!

*Totori leaves*



Another pretty great scene, I must say.



So, we *could* sail back to Alanya. However, that takes nearly a month of just sailing, so screw that. What's a better option is going to the location Totori is standing on, using the Warp Gate to head back to Atelier Totori, and trigger the next scene that way. I'm personally a fan of the latter option, I dunno.

Anyway, this triggers as soon as you make it back. Video goes until Totori says "Is this gonna be okay?"



...Okay. I better tell Ceci and Dad.





I'm home, Ceci.

Huh? Totori? Totori! Is it really you? Is it really, really you?

Yeah, it's me. Do I look funny?



Calm down. Why're you making a fuss?

Why shouldn't I?! I was so worried about you. It's been so long, I thought somehting might have happened to you...

I'm sorry for making you worry. So, where's Dad?



Wahhh! When did you get there?

I was here the entire time. Long before you came through the door.

O-Oh. Ceci, is Dad...

Yeah. Back to his old unmotivated self.

I kind of liked him when he was working so hard.



You found something out?

Y-Yeah. But...

*fade for exposition*





Ceci...

Sorry. I shouldn't. I gave up long ago, so I shouldn't cry now.

But...

...

Where are you going, Dad?



Okay. See you tomorrow.

*Guid leaves*

*sniff*







Wahh! G-Gino?

Oh, did I come at a bad time?

N-No, it's okay. What's up?



Puny one?

Let go! Let me go!

Piana?! Why are you here?



You know her?

Yeah. She's from the village I told you about. You shouldn't have followed me. Everyone will be worried about you. You have to go back!

No! I don't wanna go back!

Hey! Stay still!



Uh-huh.

I'm Ceci. Nice to meet you.

Che-Chi?



Sure!

I'll make you something right away. Wait just a bit.

C-Ceci, are you sure?



Dinner! Dinner!



*Ceci leaves*

Hmm. Is this gonna be okay?

Whew, just from typing that was quite an update. Well, next time we get into overtime.

As for me, I haven't played this game for about a week and a half now. Should probably get to correcting that.





Tragic Discovery
Flashback Pilca
Flashback Mimi
Aristocratic Love


Village of the Fleeting Snow
Hepatica