Part 12: Chapter 3-4: A Mysterious World
Part 3-4: A Mysterious World
Music: Forest in Turmoil -Lydie-
The Spooky Forest: Intro and Curse
Wow! This is amazing! Nothing like the last world we visited!
Oh, Mathias! No, I mean, outside! Nothing like the world outside, ahaha!
Yes, well, that’s true. This is quite different from a normal forest.
…Ugh… Sue? Is something wrong? You don’t seem your normal cheerful self. I’m scared… Huh?
Ah, I should explain. Sue’s weaknesses are ghosts and bugs. That’s a bit unexpected. This forest is going to be like this all the way through, though. What do you want to do? Go back on your own, Sue? No. I’ll go with you… I’m scared, but I can’t leave Lydie alone. Very well then. I understand you, believe me. This place is pretty freaky. Let’s start by finding Lucia. Looking for someone might help you get over feeling so scared. Sure… Thanks, Mathias. Don’t think anything of it. But don’t drop your guard either, okay?
Hmm… Hum-de-dum-de-do…
Heheh! I was scared at the beginning, but actually it isn’t all that bad in here! There we go! That’s the Sue I know and love!
Look at that. What does it say? I’ll read it, hold on. “To the one reading this sign.”
Uwah!
Hey, Sue! Wipe those tears from your eyes, okay? It’s just some dumb old sign…
Hyaaaaah! G-G-Ghosts? No way! Get away from me! Monsters! Watch out, girls!
Looks like a Bomb will work wonders… take this!
There we go! It’s like they never came… Sue? What’s the matter? Lydie… I want to give up… I’m going to be cursed for the rest of my life! C-Cheer up, Sue! Remember what it said on the sign! Come to the graveyard if you want the curse to be lifted. So that’s all we have to do! You’re right. Of course, you’re right! You gotta be right, right? Why would that sign be there otherwise? False hope? Part of an elaborate trick? There’s nothing to say that sign was telling the truth… Oh no… Mathias! Please don’t make things any worse! Oh, my bad… Lydie… Sue, you’ll be fine. Come on. We’ll all head to the graveyard together! OK, Sis. Sniff… I’ll try… First, we have to find our way to the graveyard. Let’s start by going right…
We found a bunch of these weird Ripple Stones, but it doesn’t look like there’s anything further this way. So let’s turn back! Now! The materials here are something special, though. We certainly can’t find anything like them in the woods near Merveille… they really could help us become the best alchemists in the country! I get it, but what are we waiting for? Let’s turn back already! We can get more of the good stuff elsewhere in this world! So we’ll have to take the left fork in the road, then.
Bingo. Looks like we’ve got a bridge to somewhere here.
These mushrooms are so bright! Like a bunch of lanterns! But it’s still a dead end. There was a path to our east, right? You lead the way, Lydie…
There sure are a lot of jack-o-lanterns everywhere. As far as the eye can see. Whoever made this painting really committed themselves to an aesthetic. It’s dark, the lighting is scary, and there’s spooky pumpkins everywhere! And we got attacked by ghosts! And we got tricked into reading a sign that cursed us! What was wrong with the painter?!
Oh! To our northeast there’s a path deeper into the forest! Let’s-
The Rival Accursed
Was that Lucia screaming just now? She’s the only one who screams like that… Sue, we must check this out! Looks like Lucia is up ahead in the… Whispering Marsh. That sounds lovely. Lydie! Over there!
I taste terrible, I’m telling you! I’m so slim, there’s almost no meat on me, either! Lucia, are you alright?! What! Lydie and Sue?! What are you two doing in here?! Long story. Anyway, it looks like you could use a hand! Let’s g- whooooooooa!
Ah, be careful! That black monster is really strong! Why didn’t you say so sooner?!
At least we got the drop on it! I’ll start with a Craft!
I’ll draw its attention!
My turn with the Craft!
Looks like that didn’t finish the job…
Whatever! I’ll handle this!
He’s sturdy, if nothing else…
Whew! A job well done.
Phew! I really thought I was about to become a lunch for a moment there! You don’t look badly hurt, anyway. Thank goodness. What’s the plan? Do you want me to take you home? I’d very much like to take you up on that offer, but there’s a reason I can’t leave… Oh, don’t tell me… I read this sign by the side of the road back there, and now I seem to be cursed. What! You too, Lucia?! We read the same sign! Oh my, you too?! I definitely don’t want to remain cursed… You said it. How about we work together to reach the graveyard? That sounds like the best option in this situation. Let’s break this curse together! That said, I’m really not much of a fighter. No need to worry about that. Just stick near me and I’ll keep you safe. You will? In which case, I’ll tag along. Thank you, all three of you.
Let’s go up this pathway to the northwest. You know what? The faster we go, the quicker it’ll take my mind off everything around us.
Well, we hit the end of this fork in the road. But I must ask… what do you all think is with this shed? And that boat in the corner? Don’t tell me… maybe the painter’s ghost lives in that shed? And he takes that boat out for joyrides? Sue… Let’s turn back now, Lydie! Before his ghost bursts out to get us!
If that way didn’t work out, then this way is our best bet. Let’s keep going down until we hit something… But not to that house! That obviously haunted house!After some twists and turns…
The Trees’ Trials
There’s something beyond these branches!
Hold it right there!
Wicked Trees, is it? Just who painted this picture? Talking trees! This place really is like some sort of nightmare! No way. This isn’t happening. Talking trees? Impossible. I didn’t see a thing. Not a thing! You think you can extort us for passage? A few quick bombs will clear this up!Lucia chucks some bombs.
See, girls? Worked like a cha-
Grow, my thorns! Block their path completely!
No more bombs! Lucia, what were you thinking?! Fine, don’t make a big deal of it! I make mistakes sometimes, you know! Like we said. If you want to come through, feed us! Bring the best fertilizer you can find! They’ve got us over a barrel. A wooden barrel! Seems we have to do what they want. Heh, glad you see things from our perspective. Go on, find us some of the good stuff! Fertilizer is for plants. Which means… You can find it in the ground. Hurry!
A spot like this!
The Trees’ Trials Mk. II
I can smell it from here! That’s some quality fertilizer! Get it on my roots, quick! You kept your end of the bargain. Use those silly legs and waddle on through, then!
Phew, it all worked out in the end. I wasn’t warned about greedy trees! You’re just as bad though, Lucia. Trying to blow your way through… H-Hah! You don’t have to remind me! Let’s get moving, anyway. I want to break this curse as quickly as possible. Past these trees is… the Fearsome Graveyard! We made it! I hate that I sound happy about that, but… Now that we’re here, we’ll finally be free!
But it looks like we’ve a ways to go before we actually reach a graveyard. Don’t tell me… we’ll have to trawl through the dark and mist?The party does so, until…
Lucia’s Plan and Sue’s Choice
Ah! Sue, Lucia! That looks like the graveyard to me! Yes, you’re right! This is where it said to come to break the curse. So here we are… Hey. There’s another sign over there. I’m not going anywhere near it! I won’t either! Mathias. You read it. Me? Why? Gah… Very well. I guess I don’t have much choice.
Really? Even if it breaks the curse, that sounds like a bit of a hassle. Don’t say that, Lucia! If you want to break the curse, you have to do this right! Lydie is right! This is all to break the curse! You don’t want to be like this forever, do you? You’re right, of course! Very well, I’ll do it! I’ll sprinkle water like you wouldn’t believe! Ohohoho! Get ready, graves! I’m going to drench you all in water! I don’t think we need to go that far, unless you are asking to be cursed even more… I bet we can draw the Holy Water we need from that well.
There’s a lot of graves in this graveyard, though… All the more reason to get to it! And a one… and a two… and a-
Stick with the plan, Lucia! We need to break this curse! I’ve had an idea about that, actually. Spraying each grave separately is just taking so long. So why don’t we spread it all around so that it will reach every single grave? Huh… Ohohoho! The ultimate idea! This is your chance to get on board, Sue?
So you heard them. It’s a hassle spraying our hard-foraged Holy Water on each and every one of these graves! Maybe Lucia’s onto something here. But on the other hand, Sue’s got a bad feeling about cutting corners here, and hell, Lucia just caused some extra trouble for everyone by trying to blow up the wicked trees instead of just giving them some damn fertilizer. Still though, menial work is menial work, and a shortcut sure sounds tempting…
With that, help Sue here make a decision. Do we agree to Lucia’s plan, or do this the long and hard way like the spooky sign said to do?
