Part 21: Part XVII: Hear the Rumblings of a Fate

Part XVII: Hear the Rumblings of a Fate




For the record, Full Swing is another mechanic back from Meruru. When Ayesha swings her staff on the field now, it'll glow green and automatically destroy any enemy group of significantly lower level than her level.





What!? Gh-Gh-Ghost?

Yup. From what I've heard, she appears all over this hill.

Hyaaah...! M-Maybe somebody just mistook something for a ghost...

On his way home from work, late one night, someone saw a girl.



But the girl totally ignored him and just kept looking the other way. At first, he just thought she was being rude, so he tried to get her attention again. But then... He realized that the girl was standing above the hill, in mid-air...

Hyaaah! So, she was just floating there...!?

Yup. When he took a closer look, he noticed she looked kind of blurry, and seemed to be bathed in a gloomy light. And then, the girl muttered something about medicinal herbs and candy, or something...

Th-This is too scary! ...Wait, medicinal herbs and candy?

The guy got so scared, he ran right home, but... Since then, eyewitness reports have been flooding in. I heard she even appeared...right in front of this shop. People have heard the ghost murmuring "Sis", too... How scary is that!?

...Sis? Could it be...?

Ayesha, you better be careful. After all, you do live alone.

Oh, okay... But that girl...maybe not be a ghost...

Huh? How would you know? Do you know her or something?



(Nio, other people are starting to see you... I'm sure you don't meant to, but you shouldn't scare people like that...)

Mr. Harry also gave me a book on alchemy he had called World Treasures. It's totally something Mr. Harry would like to look into, but these alchemy recipes are pretty amazing. I've gotten so many books from Marietta and Mr. Harry, I can't even remember all the ones I got. I went to go get Bell so we could go look for treasure together, but when I came back to the shop to get some stuff, I heard someone talking.



Hmm, I see. I wonder if I got stopped somewhere...

It's hard to say. I'll let you know when we find out anything. I've got to get going now.

Okay. Thank you. Oh, goodness gracious. Working with an unfamiliar supplier is hard at a time like this...

Did you not get a package delivery?

Yup. I couldn't get in touch with the caravan I always use... So I was gonna have it delievered via several different points, but... It went missing at some point. Urgh, I shouldn't have done something I wasn't used to.

I guess not getting items is a matter of life and death for a store...

And deliveries getting delayed have been happening more frequently these days. Ugh, it's so much trouble. I guess I have to go to each transit point and... Wait, maybe I should go to the original supplier...

Oh, I don't want to get in the way of your work, so I'll just be going...

Hold on! ...Ayeshaaaa, you're looking very cute today.

Wh-What's with the sudden change?



Huh? Oh, I see, so that's what it is.

Sorry. I just want you to go ask the supplier about the situation.

I'm not sure when I'll be going there, but if that's okay, then I'll do it.

Yup, that's totally fine. It's nothing super urgent.

But wouldn't it have been better if you asked that delivery man?

Don't worry, you're much more suited for this. You'll know why once you get there. Okay, I'm counting on you!

I've get to get going with Bell to find the treasure. She said she'd like to go to the depths of the Glass Factory, but I don't remember seeing anything very valuable that I could carry. I don't think Bell is looking for something like I gave to Mr. Harry...



If we can somehow take this off... Hmm...hmm...

I-I wonder. I don't think even Pana will be able to carry this...

Hmm, okay... Maybe this is too pretty to be a treasure... The one Marietta showed us looked like junk.

Actually, yeah, it did...

Okay, let's go search for something that looks more like weird junk!

Hmm, where could a treasure be? If Pana can't carry it, neither me or Bell could do it. I sure hope Bell knows what she's doing... Treasure?



Wow, it looks deep... It's dark, and I can't see too clearly, but it seems like a hidden room. It seems like we can barely fit through. Should we go in?

Of course. I have a hunch that something's inside.

Okay, well it's too narrow, so Pana, you stay here.

Oink moo!

Keep an eye on our stuff. Let's go!



Video linked above starts here.

Y-Yeah, I can't see anything. Hey, Ayesha. Are you still there?

I'm right next to you, Bell. Why, what's wrong?

N-Nothing. I'm totally fine. Ayesha, if you get scared, feel free to let me know that you're scared, okay?

Okay... Oh, Bell, right there...

Hyah! What is it!?

No, no, by your feet. There's gonna be a little bump, so be careful.

D-Don't scare me like that... Hey, Ayesha... Can we hold hands?

Sure. It's scary when it's dark. Hehehe, now we'll feel safer.

I guess Bell is scared of the dark. I guess I am, too...I never like being in really dark places like this. I hope we can get some light soon.

...Yeah.



Wow! I didn't think we'd really find something... So, there really was treasure in this place.

It's surprising how no one found it until now. I knew my keen sense for pinpointing locations was pretty good. An ordinary person never would've been able to spot that natural-looking crack! Well, let's carry these out!

Yeah...but how?

Huh? Naturally, we'll just carry them together and go back through the crack... Ohh...that's not gonna work. Then how did people get these in here in the first place?

Yeah, we won't be able to do this. Let's head back...

I guess we should tell Marietta what we found, but Bell still hasn't found anything that will prove she's a great witch to her great-great-grandmother. I wonder what she'll think of next.



It's been a while since I was in the Tunnel. Regardless, the reason I'm here is because I haven't done the "Travel: Tunnel" stuff yet, and it's been on Ayesha's notebook for a while now. In addition, there's a notice called "Alt. Tunnel", which means there's a new enemy that shows up somewhere in the map you have to defeat. The plus side for this is that you'll get more experience in battle from completing these requests, and memory points, of course. In addition, when you get these notices, sometimes new materials will spawn in locations you've already been to.

In the Tunnel's case, there's a white slag near the entrance to the third part of the Tunnel that you want to defeat.



I've had this ability for a while, but when Ayesha has two support moves charged up, she can use a special ability called Searching, which means she'll just go out into the field and gather a random ingredient. What you'll get depends on where you are, what enemy you're fighting, or just dumb luck.

There's a couple boss battles where this ability is super helpful for getting some great ingredients, but those won't be for a while. As a final note in the Tunnel, make sure you check the extremes of bridges. Even if they lead to a dead end, you'll come across treasure chests with neat stuff inside, including a recipe book I should have had a long time ago.

All that said, we are headed south to Riesengang now. The pride of a hunter



Yeah. I can sleep anywhere, as long as I have a blanket.

You can't do that. It gets cold at night, so you might get sick. You should take this spare blanket, too.

Oh, it seems like they're in the middle of something... Are you busy?

Well, since the calves are big now, and I'm okay on my own...

I was thinking about heading back out to hunt.

I always pack for my brother. If I didn't, he would only take the bare essentials. Sorry, Ayesha, but I'll talk to you later.

...That's right. Ayesha, there's something I need to tell you... I heard you helped Nanaca before with her calf. I don't think we've ever paid you back for that.

What? There's no need to pay me. I can't accept payment for something as little as that. Besides, Nanaca is my friend.

i figured you might say that, but I can't let that stand. It's customary in my family to give thanks, and not just with words, but also with actions.

But, I really can't accept money. I'd feel really bad afterward.

Hmm, I see... Then how about this? I've been hunting for a while now. I consider myself to be trained in the skills needed to protect myself.



Oh, really? That'll really help me. (Having Juris come with me would be really reassuring. Maybe I should ask him sometime.)

Juris is pretty great in-battle, especially at this point. He's pretty powerful, and even better, he has a skill that's not only very powerful, but also has a good chance of causing an insta-KO. Of course, that doesn't work against bosses, but it has a high enough success rate that it comes in handy.

Anyway, we're going down to Riesengang, of course, to take care of a number of requests. Gotta bring in those memory points.






Since Regina opened up that path, I can get to Hornheim really quickly! Juris told me to meet him there if I wanted to hire him, and Marietta asked me to do something. I definitely can't refuse a request from her, even if she does mostly tease me...



Hello. Excuse me! ... Maybe no one's home...

Argh! Whattaya want!? It's not even noon yet!

Hyah! He sounds so scary... I-I'm so sorry.

Who are you, missy?

Um, I'm sorry. Marietta from Harry's Trading House asked me to come here...

Ohh, so you're from Harry's. Sorry for yelling at you.

No, no. I'm looking for the package that she ordered.

Oh, that. The usual trade route was flooded... So I ordered a detour, but we used a passage that we're not too familiar with. I mean, it'd be weird if the package was delivered on time...

Oh, I see. Umm, what should I do?

Well, don't worry. I'll take care of it!

Huh, you will?



Hahaha, I'm not that amazing! Well just leave it to me! So it might take some time, but just keep waiting.

Wow, thank you so much. Then I'll let her know, as well!

Hehe, that was pretty easy. I'm glad it's nothing serious, but I should let Marietta know as soon as I can. I wanted to bring Juris along with me for a while, because I'm probably going to have to journey to some dangerous locations soon, but when we were passing through the swamp, we heard a tremendous roar in the distance!



No... Get down and stay quiet.



I-Is that a dragon!?

That's...a dragon! Amazing... This is my first time seeing one!

Plus, it was an adult. Looks like it was out hunting today.

Huh? How could you tell it was hunting?

His claws were tainted with blood. Plus, his stomach was slightly swollen.

Wooow, I didn't even notice. Juris, you have really good eyes...

Being sharp-sighted is a huntsman's ultimate weapon. I can distinguish a person's face from the next mountain. We would've been in danger if he was hungry. Looks like we narrowly escaped from death. We should leave this area just in case. There's a strong possibility that he'll be back.

Oh, okay...! That dragon sure looks big and strong... It nearly scared me half to death. It was just like the dragons I saw in storybooks when I was younger. Do you know "The Dragon and the Girl"? It's about a girl who rides on the back of an old dragon, and they go traveling around the world... I used to admire that girl. I hoped I could be just like her and ride on a dragon's back one day. That was my dream, but now that I've seen a real one, I'm not so sure about that anymore...

Yeah, you should probably give up on that dream. Dragons, as individuals, are tyrants... They proudly display their prominent strength to the world. For dragons, they consider all living creatures, besides other dragons, to be food. With one slash, their claws can tear up an entire herd of cattle, and the fire they breath can burn down a village. But you'll only be hunted if you carelessly approach them. Thankfully, though, it's been a long time since they've caused any real damage to people.

I-I see. I guess I really shouldn't think about riding on their back...

My goal is to eventually defeat him. As one who was born into my family, he's the one I must challenge.

Huh!? That's impossible, even for you! He's too big!

It's not impossible. As a matter of fact, my family has fought many dragons. A few of them even succeeded in hunting them. Slaying dragons is closely tied to my family's fate.



But, it's still too dangerous, so you shouldn't do it!

Well, I'm aware of my situation. I don't plan on losing my life, leaving my sister all alone.

The next time you see Nanaca, she gives you a cute blanket (like the one she gave Juris in the scene where he joined), that has a very unique property: any Treasure Contest you enter it in, you are guaranteed to win. With special items like the Salt Flower we got from Tanya, and the blanket from this scene, you can register them and buy as many as you want from shops (Regina can handle the Salt Flower, but she only makes one when shops restock). Easy money, but I want to try winning Contests without entirely cheesing them.

The real reason you want to see Nanaca at this point in the game is to initiate a short little sidequest to get another special flower. I want to get the last two we need before I wrap up this update, even though I got a bunch of scenes in Vierzeberg before I got this scene. Next time.



Oh, Nanaca. What's wrong?

My Poro went missing. What should i do? Juris told me to be careful...

Poro... That's the calf that has a big appetite, right? Hmm, I haven't seen her. Where did you last see her?

On the way here from Hornheim. I lost sight of her before I even knew it. She's a mischevious calf, but I still can't leave her by herself yet... If stray dogs or wolves got her, I don't know what I'd do...

I'll look for her, too. If I find her, I'll catch her.

Thank you, Ayesha. Please do. Her name is Poro. But if you call her name, she'll start running away, so be careful.

It seems like it'll be hard to catch her without calling her name...but, I'll do my best.

Poro is somewhere near Vierzeberg and Hornheim. I have to make sure to get Poro back before anything happens. I'm glad Pana has never run away, but I can't even imagine how troubled Nanaca is right now...



Oink moo.

Oink?

Huh? I think that cow looks bigger than Poro... It's a different person - I mean a different cow. Sorry to interrupt you while you were eating.

Oink, oink moo!

Whoa, don't get mad! I really didn't mean any harm.

Oink moo, oink moo?

Hey, Pana! That's the other cow's grass. Come on, let's go.

Oink!? Oink moo moo, oink moo moo moo!



Whoa! Why are you picking a fight!? C'mon Pana, stooop! Hyaaah! I wonder if cows have their own territory, too...

Pana can get pretty aggressive when it comes to delicious grass, but I should still keep searching for Poro.



Heeey, Poro! Come here!

Moo?

Ah! She runs away when you call her name... Shoot! Wait, Poro!

She's headed to the swamp. I have to hurry after her! Disappearance into light



What's wrong, Pana? Have a tummyache?

Oink moo. Mooooooo...

That reminds me, maybe this is where Poro, the calf, got sick... I wonder if she's around here... Poro!

Oink moo.

Huh? Over there? It has to be...that's Poro. Heeeyyy, Porrrooo -! Oops, I forgot, she always runs away when you call her name. Okay, let's creep up on her slowly and catch her...

Moo, moo?

It looks like she's teetering... Maybe she's...sick again... Or maybe she's injured...





What's wrong? Not feeling well?

Moooo...

Are you hurt? Or maybe you're hungry... Don't worry, I'll take care of you.

Nio!

Oh, Sis, it's you. I'm happy to see you, but... I need to go back now...

Wait! Where are you going?

I'm going back to the place I'm staying at. I don't know...where that place is, though. But it's a nice place. It can even heal her condition real quick.

Wait! Come home, Nio! Come home to our workshop!

Workshop? I miss it, but... Sorry, Sis. I don't really know how to go home... I'm always sleepy, and even now, I feel like I'm dreaming...

Nio!



Nio said she didn't know how to come home... Just wait for me. I'll find a way to bring you back. But before that, I need to tell Nanaca about Poro...

Poro disappeared right in front of me, because the glowing flowers appeared. I guess it's expected, since it's around the ruins, but still... I better take one of these flowers, in case it really is one of the special flowers.

Just one remains. Now, for this next flower, I have no idea how you'd know to get it without getting it by accident. You have to go back to Hom Town, even if you have absolutely no reason to do so. But, let's get our final needed special flower. Life and death



Huh? Looks like something's going on here today...

Welcome, Ayesha.

Oh, Homunculus! Umm, is something happening today?

Today, special day. You came good time.

Oh, I guess I did. Are you having a festival?

Today is day of sending off and welcoming. Is important ritual for close friend. Ayesha is friend. Please join.

I'm a friend? That makes me so happy! In that case, I'd love to stay!

Follow, follow. Start soon.



He lived five years, and yesterday, reached his final day. He lived very long.

(I was right... This is a funeral.)

He is fortunate. Has friends here to watch over departure.

Yes. Had a good life.

He really enjoyed sweet sparkles... Yes, sweet sparkles Ayesha and Marietta brought us. Said would be treasured memory before imminent departure.

What...? I didn't think that was going to be his last... *sob* If I knew that was gonna be the case, I would've brought more candy...

No need to be sad. He was happy. Said he got nice gift. We get lots of flowers to send him off. He be very satisfied.

Actually, these flowers... What are they?

Special flowers for ritual.

Important flowers. Connect departures and arrivals.

(Those aren't ordinary flowers. It's just a hunch, but they've gotta be related to Nio...)

Ayesha, here. For final farewell to him.

Oh, okay. Are you sure I'm allowed to be here right now?

Of course. Ayesha is a friend. He is happy, too. Now, for final farewell. Take good look at his face.

Okay. I'll see him off.



This brief good-bye till then. Farewell.

(No... This is so sad...) *sob* *sob* Good-bye. Please rest in peace...

Ayesha, no cry. Tears not needed for departure. Path of life continues from yesterday to tomorrow. If keep looking back, he not feel at ease when departs.

Okay, okay...I understand... I won't cry anymore...

Now, we send him off.



His life now returned to side of the Mother. Much happiness and sadness he brought us. We never forget him.

Egh...ngh...ugh... Thang gyu tho mudge...

Now, we welcome him. Ayesha, look. See? He coming back.

Huh...? Coming back...?



U-Ugh. Is that...Nio?

Two Ayeshas. For welcoming, the more, the merrier.

Yes. Very delightful.



Music: A Flower Blooming Nearby

Nio's theme, and the best character theme in the game. It's so cute and girly, a song for a beautiful, but delicate, flower, like Nio.

Welcome back. That fast.

Huh...huuuhhh!? A dead person revived!?

We live several years, then die several days. Then we born again. Cycle repeats.

Oh, I see.. I was...just so surprised... But, I'm glad Homunculus came back.

It nice funeral, thanks to Ayesha being here, watch over me.

Yes. Thanks to two Ayeshas being here.

That's right, where's Nio...!?



Homunculus, would it be okay if I just take one of these flowers?

Ritual is over. You can take flower.

Thank you. I'm going to take one.

I've found so many flowers...and I made the essential oil. I should go see Mr. Keith as soon as possible about my progress. But...I still have a few things to take care of before then.