Part 13: Through the Silence, a Single Punch

Entry 11: Through the Silence, a Single Punch



This is the standard line the Adventurer gives before boss battles.



Going down the stairs leads to the room adjoining Edea and the black mage. Let's go say hi.



How are you here? Is no one under me competent!? Bah, f-fine! My f-ff...FIRE will make ash of the lot of you!

What? Ominas! Our orders are to take the vestal alive! Besides, if you loosed your spells in here, you'd--





N-no! Gwaaaugh!

He's attacking his own people!

Are the Sky Knights sent on away assignments to keep them as far from domestic affairs as possible?



Black Mage Ominas Crowe!



What!? You're t-t-turning traitor?! You'll make your f-father a laughingstock!

This has nothing to do with him. All that I hold true denies everything that you are!



Who, us!? But we--



Well, maybe not my real name, but certainly my... Anyway, what's in a name, really? Don't you agree, Edea?

What!? How did you...?

Enough. Conversation can wait!

Aaargh, enough! No more! I'll not be made a f-ff...FOOL any longer! I'll see you all charred black! I swear it!



Black Mage Ominas Crowe is the second boss of the game. But there's a first with this fight...




We have a full party.



Being a black mage, Ominas is an offensive spellcaster, using fire and negative status effects such as poison and sleep.



Here he uses the unusual technique of silencing my monk.



Agnès is the star this battle. Monks have low magic defense and high physical attack while black mages have low physical defense and high magic attack, but unlike Ominas, Agnès has healers on her side.

The fight doesn't last long.




The team,



the spoils,



and the man.

But what about this new party member?



Still, I've no regrets. My conscience spoke, and I followed it. ...Into the life of a deserter, it seems. I trust there's room in your little band for one more?



Unacceptable. What bond of trust can exist between a sky knight of the duchy and a vestal?



But of late, it seems things are rarely cut quite so cleanly. Behaving as the Sky Knights did makes a person wicked. That lot is black as they come. And what other lies have I been told, then?

The only thing for it is to see for myself. What is black, and what is white? Your actions will tell me the color of your heart, vestal.



Side note: I was curious how Edea's black vs. white notion was expressed originally. Turns out she actually says 'shiro' (white) and 'kuro' (black) in Japanese.

That was...rational?

I'm always rational! That scum Crowe just had me seeing red before.

Ahh, the type whose claws come out when she gets hot-headed. I'll jot down a note not to anger you.



They don't seem like bad people to me.

Yes, but how a thing seems and how a thing truly is often differs.





And what are we to make of that?

That we're about to steal ourselves an airship. ...One assumes.

Just what is that book of yours?







Will they turn their cannons on us?

Not by that course. They make south...!



Let's hurry!

As the party makes their way to the fort entrance, they find time to chat:



Going by the look of it, I'm the youngest one here...

Is it best if I stuck to sir and ma'am?

Please, just Tiz.

...And Agnès for me, if you please.

Really? Even though you're a vestal? Shouldn't it be Lady Agnès or something?

I would really rather you didn't...

Besides, it's best we didn't go around shouting "vestal" too loudly.

Ooh, right. Almost forgot she's a wanted woman.

In that case, just Agnès is probably smartest.

Thank you.

Yes, that's certainly wise. Especially considering the volume of our Edea's voice.

What's wrong with my voice!

You said her voice was gentle as a spring breeze before, Ringabel.

Yes, well. Spring has a way of giving over to summer.

And breezes build. Up close, it's more of a torna-- Don't think I'll finish that thought.

Ooooooh! No, I think I'd like to hear this! Speak up, Ringabel!

Ah, I've remembered an errand. A very pressing, very distant errand.

Hey! You get back here this instant!

Ha ha ha... She sure got on familiar terms with Ringabel pretty quick.

Also, it's never an inappropriate time to talk about Norende, according to the game!



I know nothing is going to get done overnight... But we're taking that first step! I feel like the future finally looks bright.

Still, building a whole village from scratch is a huge undertaking.

You're taking a first step on a looong, hard road, Tiz.

She's right. There's no denying it will be tough. What's more, there's no guarantee that success awaits you beyond all that hardship. It could be an uphill struggle that doesn't get you anywhere.

Come on, don't talk like that. I've already got no confidence as it is... All I have is...faith, I guess? Or the sense that I've got to do this. It has to be me!

That is all you need, Tiz.

Your quest to see Norende rise again is no different than our journey to be rid of the chasm. We've no assurance of success. We may be walking a thorny path to no avail. But we must press onward just the same. We must believe in our actions!

Right!

There was a backlog of three Norende cutscenes since they weren't accessible until Edea joined (they're triggered by progress on the minigame), but the other two can wait. Now, what were we doing--



...Oh yeah, enemy airship.

The party exits the fort, while we switch to see what's going on in Caldisla...



Hrm.





Ahhh! Why is this happening!?



Or, if you'd prefer, I can come down and pluck her from the last building I leave standing. The choice is yours. Entirely.

Speaking with the guards and reading D's Journal, it's pretty clear Caldisla doesn't put much emphasis on its military force. Although it's a great place in peacetime, we're now seeing the downside.







Hmm? Ahh, yes...

Owen, Captain of the Caldislan Royal Guard!

Knight Argent Heinkel, Knights-Captain of the Eternian Sky!

The stories paint you Caldisla's greatest hero. I hope you will not disappoint me!

Looks like it's up to Owen and the party, now.



Tiz is going to be a black mage, though he won't be much use until he has black magic to cast.

Edea is staying as freelancer for now...



Because she has this. True to the reverence it received in the opening movie, Ise-no-Kami is quite a good weapon for this stage of the game.



Lastly, time for another segment of Let's Learn Jobs. Today's topic is Support Abilities.



They come in a wide variety, but white mage level 2 has a simple one: increasing magic defense by 10%.

As mentioned earlier, the limitation for equipping support abilities is their cost. Right now, everyone can only equip one slot worth of support abilities. Although M.Defense 10% Up costs only 1, many abilities will cost more.



The amount the characters can equip will go up as the plot progresses. Mixing and matching support abilities with different jobs is key to making full use of jobs, and lends this game a healthy amount of tactical variety.


Next: Caldisla's been better -- will the party make it back in time? Also, info on the Jobs collected so far.

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Event Viewer
Main Scenario:
At Patience's End
Black or White
Caldisla in Crisis
Heinkel's Attack

Party Chat:
Talk of Titles
Norende's New Beginning









So long, Ominas.