Part 25: The Vestal and Her Guards

Entry 23: The Vestal and Her Guards




We begin on a fresh new morning in the Needleworks.



The sage lets us rest in his house for free.





Was the sage using these to keep his caught fish cold? Hopefully he won't mind if we take one.



Outside, the Adventurer and a bunch of animals are just hanging out. Idyllic.



Apparently some animals in this world are sentient and can speak. Okay, then.



Unlike Ancheim, fuzzy guy here's got the whole set of Eisenberg mythril in stock, plus other upgrades.









Some new mythril gear, and Tiz is now dressed as a furry.



West... right?



I've marked your map. Try not to lose your way.

West.



There is no way to get to that pig. I want to give it a pat on the head.



So, in order to reach the correct cave, we head... east. Along the way, nothing but forest and another obelisk.




Then circle around the lake until the southwest side. Our goal is the place where Tiz got left behind earlier. Making the game's directions even more confusing, there is a cave directly west of the Needleworks, but it is not the cave we want.



It'll be obvious when you've found the correct cave.



Are we certain we'll find this thread in here?

I wouldn't put it past that sage to be pulling our leg. A slippery old fox, that one.

Said the slippery young fox.

The sage has aided vestals in their service for at least two generations. Let us trust in him for now.

Then we've no reason to stand around debating. Let's press on.



Majority rules, most of the party is in agreement to check around here.



The visual layout for this dungeon has a neat trick: the black space between walkable areas is incorporated with the design and doesn't block line of sight. The result is an effect like you might find in a storybook.



The local enemies specialize in debuffs but otherwise aren't tough.



The Dark Lantern tries and fails to intimidate Edea. Edea proceeds to beat its face in.





The vestal trial involves not only physical but mental toughness.



Complete map of ground floor. This place is straightforward, no traps.




Second area. The treasure still visible on the map is a blue chest. Heading down the left stairs...



Leads to a dead end with this. Apparently you can apply magic deterrent like sunblock.



The Vestment Cave is the nicest looking dungeon so far. The colors are easy on the eyes.



Complete third area. The stairs ahead lead down to...



Our good friend. Past him, there's something incredibly shiny at the end of a long, narrow corridor. We'll encounter no trouble there, I'm sure.



Is the thread just... sitting there on the ground? Like it grew there? Or like something/one put it there?



Whatever it is, must be a lot of it to create enough material for a dr--



Despite his foppish demeanor, Ringabel is consistently the most alert of the crew.







Oh look, a dragon snuck up on the party.

Despite his size, this guy's a mini-boss. Agnès steals one of his fangs, which is always a pretty badass thing to do to a living dragon.



Its signature move is a hard-hitting attack on the party member with the lowest HP. Default when needed and heal up.



The knight defeats the dragon.




Everyone levels, and they dig a salvageable accessory out of the body.







The total spoils. Agnès, where exactly did you pick up that fang?



Its page in the bestiary is listed under Dragonkind, not bosses.



No one said anything about a monster! Did the old man know about this? If he knew and didn't tell us, he's awful! That would be lying!



Be calm, Airy. Perhaps this was a trial of sorts. A test of my resolve and skill as vestal. Regardless, we've found what we came for. Let's return with the thread.



The dragon really seemed to shock Airy. Luckily Agnès is keeping a calm head. It wouldn't do to antagonize the guy making her clothes.

Before wrapping up, here's a look at the long-ignored Summon Friend feature.



It's been available since Entry 6, when Agnès explained her pendant to Tiz. By choosing 'Summon Friend' from the battle menu, you can exchange battle actions with other players.



When sending an action, the character does their action and holds up the pendant.



Resulting in a beacon of light showing the action is sent.

When summoning someone else's action, the character again brings out the pendant, there is another beacon of light...



Some sort of portal opens...



And your friend buddy pal pops out to do a move before departing. It's a neat effect.


Next time: Battle for the Crystal of Wind.

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Event Viewer
Main Scenario:
The Vestment Cave
The Sacred Rainbow Thread
Thread Acquired