Part 27: The Wind, Awakened

Entry 25: The Wind, Awakened

Last time:



We're a good listener, so once Airy said to stop, we stopped.

It is possible to disobey by continuing to press X, but after Airy gives us another warning, Agnès will stop on her own to prevent, dunno, her own death or something.



...Did it work?

Tiz, if the crystal were any shinier it'd burn your eyes out.

The Rite of Awakening was a great success! You were amazing, Agnès! I never dreamed it'd go this well!



The ritual clearly took a toll on Agnès. She sounds winded.

That was supposed to happen, then? My heart nearly stopped. I thought something had gone wrong and the whole thing was exploding.

I'll bet they saw that flash from Ancheim.



Your memory's returned?





Are you alright, Agnès? Anything we can do?

I'm fine. Thank you.

Oh, look! Look! One of the gems on my brooch is shining!



That's proof of the Wind Crystal's release!

Then the entire brooch will look like that? Once we've finished with all four crystals?

That's right! Only three to go!



Well, for now let's head back to town. The wind should be returning, right?



For successfully awakening the crystal, the party's awarded a gameplay upgrade.



With two ability slots, you can start mixing and matching or equip a 2 cost ability.



I'm sure the people of Ancheim will be happy!

Yes, with the wind returned, the kingdom can go back to its former, peaceful ways.

Let's hurry back and report. I want to see that lousy king squirm!

I'm still mad at what he did to you before, Agnès.

Mark my words, he's black as tar!

You agree with me, don't you? You have to!

Not all of us are so set on seeing the world in terms of black and white, Edea. Our task was to awaken the wind crystal, and so we have. It has nothing to do with making anyone squirm.

Just watch, though. I bet he'll try to make everyone work just as hard, even with the wind back.

What? But that's not...

Still, isn't it better if we head him off before he gets the chance?

Head him off how?

Step one is making it darned clear that it was Agnès that brought the wind back.

And how do we do that?

Talk is cheap. We show them proof!

...Ah!

Wonder what the party's plotting?



Let's see how their plan shakes out.



Sounds like a large, angry crowd. Also, the windmills and the wind still aren't moving. Off to a good start.



Oh, no.



After abandoning our kingdom to its fate, the vestal then came slinking back to these borders to beg my forgiveness. And forgive her I did, for I saw naught to be gained from excoriating a girl for her egregious failures.

My clemency was met with willful pride! She promised to return the wind to motion single-handedly!



The vestal failed to restore the wind, and brought still greater calamity upon our heads! As proof, look no further than the stagnant air around you! I can but blame my own wishful ignorance for this latest turn of events. I ought never have entrusted this matter to a relic of a bygone era!

The Crystal Orthodoxy is a dream of the past. The vestal, obsolete! Her inability to ensure the crystal's function is manifest! Join me, my people! Let us rely upon the vestal no longer! It is our own efforts that will see this kingdom saved!

The labor service is your sacred duty--your pride as citizens! All who work beyond twenty hours a day will receive a royal commendation! And in the wake of this tribulation, Ancheim will emerge a new land! Our new history begins now!



Agnès, come to save the day. No one else would be so effective at shutting him up.







Lying witch! Then why does the air remain still!





The king may be right...

......

Oops. Guess the party's plan didn't extend that far.

Don't be afraid. The footsteps you've carved will be a guide to these people, Agnès. They just need a light to show the way.

...A spark of hope. Please, give me the courage...

......



The winds that washed over this land without end for so long stopped. A vast darkness split the earth in the kingdom of Caldisla. An entire village was devoured.

The seas fester. Fish wash up upon our shores, twisted and lifeless. Even ships are unsafe from this corrosion. All the world's people--all life is crying out in pain. Your suffering is mirrored in every corner of existence. I was dispatched by His Majesty to leave these borders and survey the damage first-hand.

My conclusion is absolutely certain. The four crystals have been clouded over with a powerful darkness. On my return, I found the Crystal of Wind in the clutches of a terrible monster. Its influence had sealed away the crystal's light entirely.

Bah! You reward our patience with fabrications and fantasy! Utterly ridiculous!



I present this to you as proof!



Wait, this whole scene seems familiar.

...



...

That explains where the party got their plan.



That can't... It's only a legend! A story from the old Crystalist scriptures!

Unfortunately, one we never hear in detail.



Then Orthros was no legend. And the vestal's slain it!

Preposterous! The chain's a fake, like your ridiculous story! There's still no wind!

The wind is coming! Two thousand years the vestals have prayed. Their lives have been the crystal's nourishment. And now...







She's right. The wind...

The wind has returned!

Ahh, the winds are back!

The Grand Mill! It's turning!

The vestal's done it!

She's saved us all!



Of course you did! And they love you for it. They've found new hope in your words!

You were amazing, Agnès! And vestals are a force for good. That speech struck any doubt from my mind!



They're all calling out to you. Go on and answer them!



You're a savior to the kingdom, Lady Vestal. A savior to all of us!

And at such a young age! The vestals are a blessing upon this world!

Forgive us for failing to aid you when the winds stopped. We were lost!

Please, continue to guide the winds, and this nation's people! Lead, and we will follow!



But I fear I cannot stay.



I must join with the other vestals and see that all mankind is ransomed from this terrible threat. That is my duty as a vestal of the crystals.

It pains me to leave your side again so soon. I ask your patience, and your forgiveness.

......



We thought only of our own misfortunes, but the vestal...

Lady Vestal! Know that you go with all our prayers! Please, help them! Help the others as you've helped us!

Be strong, Lady Vestal!

I thank you... Your faith moves me beyond words. I shall see this task complete, and then return to you. I swear!



I am king! KING! And a king does not forget his enemies! Aughhh...

After some time, the crowd disperses and the party regroups.



Just look at the sky! The clouds are practically racing along!

Mmm, that breeze feels incredible!

Doubly so, after a job well done!

All of Ancheim's people were so thankful...

One girl said that thanks to the wind, her father is able to come home again.

I heard, "We can all eat as a family again"!

Or, "Now we can fly kites!" You should have seen the kids' grins.

"All the skirts ruffling in the breeze make me feel alive."

Gee, I wonder who said THAT.

Ha ha ha! In any case, we've got the wind at our back, now!

There are a lot of people around with all the excitement. Let's see how happy they are for ourselves.



The wind has returned to us, just as you have. You've saved us all, Lady Vestal.

Lady Vestal! Please, show us the way. I beg you!



All this is thanks to you, Lady Vestal. I am more grateful than I can say.



The wind is back, thanks to the Lady Vestal! I can't thank you enough! I'm liable to get fat from lack of exercise now, ha ha ha!



Welcome, Lady Vestal. You are ever welcome here.



This story arc's wrapped up in a tidy bow. Another town saved.



Is there some secret inside they don't want us seeing?

Wh--this paranoid lady again. C'mon, we've solved every--

...



...

Oh, right. Maybe we aren't done here.

We're overdue to have a private chat with the king.





I haven't seen His Majesty since...well, since the Lady Vestal's speech, I suppose. I wonder why not...

So, the king's busy having a tantrum. We'll come back later and see if he's recovered.



Nothing more to do in Ancheim for the moment. The party heads out of town.



It's the king's right-hand man. Haven't seen him outside the palace before.

Forgive me. I am Prime Minister Dominus Harena. Your words to the people shook me to my core. Between you and me, I suspect they rattled the king's cage as well. He looked positively deflated.

Small wonder. Having his little speech so thoroughly derailed must have been a blow to his royal ego. It will recover, though. It always does. Meanwhile, where will you go from here?

Looks like someone's ready to change political alliances.

To Florem, Land of Radiant Flowers, and the Water Crystal.

I see. But how will you manage the journey with the seas unnavigable?



You might travel by land, but the forests along the way are suffused with a noxious fog. The path is most dangerous.

Seems we're blocked on all sides. Any ideas?

No, but the sage of the Yulyana Woods may know some way.

Then it's to the airship, and to Yulyana and beyond! Say the word, Agnès, and I shall lend wings to your every whim!

Just to Yulyana, please.

After chatting a bit longer with the Prime Minister, the party leaves.



Hm? What did he give us? It's...a piece of paper. Great.

Don't be silly, my angel. This is the bill of goods. They'll be sent to the ship later. First off, there's the food. He's arranged for bread, cured meat, salted grassbeans...

Fruit celery, green turnips, two barrels of pickled pink eggplant, Clocktower brand Firaga sauce...

Then a brand of Ancheim's most tooth-rotting desserts. They do like their sugar.

There's at least two weeks' provisions here.

Past food, there's... Ah! Berthing permission for the Eschalot! That'll come in handy.

We can take on water, oil, even ammunition. Truly, the man is a bureaucratic wizard.

Sounds like we'll have a little party waiting for us at the ship!

A party? We must make for Florem as soon as humanly possible.

Well, as soon as possible is at least half a day from now, given the time to load all this.

Right. I think we've all earned at least that much of a rest. Let's enjoy it while we can.

The logistics of how Ancheim is related to the port are never clearly explained. Despite how they appear on the world map and are described in D's journal, the game's script doesn't act like the two are a desert apart.



Now that we're on the world map, suspicions are confirmed: we aren't done in Ancheim. The ship can wait; we're going back to town to get some answers.


Next: Agnès Oblige, hero of the people by day, dispenser of vigilante justice by night.

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Event Viewer
Main Scenario:
The Wind Crystal Awakened
Lengthening Labor
Sit and Stay are Tricks for Dogs
The Vestal's Voice Finds a Home
A Heroine's Departure

Party Chat:
Proof, Not Promises
The Wind Returns
The Minister's Generosity