Part 47: The Grand Old Ship

Entry 44: The Grand Old Ship

Sailing, sailing over the--



Looks like no one's up for singing at the moment.



-one! Feast your eyes upon this!



......

Agnès turns to look.



In the middle of the ocean blue, days west of Florem, the party finds their next, unexpected destination.



Here's a fun game: Chapter 1 was about capitalism, and Chapter 2 covered women's issues. How long will it take to guess Chapter 3's hot topic, and what corrupted personifications will the party punch to death as a ham-handed analogy for justice this time?



A ship, perhaps? But it's too big...

And it's not moving.

I'll wager the women there frolic around in bathing suits all day long.

In your dreams, Ringabel...

Ringabel is a man committed to one joke, and damned if he's going to abandon it three chapters in.



Unacceptable. We've no time for distractions. We must awaken the Fire Crystal.

I am the one at the helm here, no? I'll make the call. Thank you very much.

......

Harsh.

Being so openly mutinous is out of character for Ringabel. Given everyone's state of mind, stuck on a boat together for days at least, Ringabel's true intention is likely to force Agnès to take a breather -- and give the rest of them a break as well.



Flirting with women is just icing on the not-mealy-biscuits cake.




The vessel appears to be friendly, and Ringabel gets permission to dock.



Is it a ship? An island?

Have we chanced upon the forbidden sanctuary of the bikini tribe!?

Here's hoping they're cannibals with a taste for philanderer.

From its look, it has to be a ship. Some luxury cruise liner, maybe?

A luxury what? Crew who? What are you talking about, Edea?

It's like a super-duper huge boat with every extravagance imaginable!

Every cabin's a king's bedchamber, every meal a five-star feast, you name it, they have it aboard!

Whoa, such a thing really exists!? And here I've never seen anything bigger than a crabbing ship!

Tiz, please. You're getting bumpkin all over my feral bikini woman fantasy.

As if depression wasn't bad enough, the party's come down with a bad case of cabin fever.

With the Eschalot secured, they stumble over each other to get out and explore the new place.





Reassuring verb.



I can feel us rocking. It's floating, alright.

......

Edea, Agnès, and Tiz walk on.



Ringabel takes a moment to realize they're gone.



Luckily Tiz's red outfit stands out in a crowd. And it looks like someone else has spotted the team.



Then the seas must have cleared up everywhere, and not just here. Excellent news. Say, have any of you seen a lad by the name of Zatz?

He's hurt, and supposed to be staying off his feet, but he wandered off. If you see him, can you bring him back to the tavern?

He's a scrawny, fidgety little fellow, so you can't miss him. Thanks in advance.

A few seconds onboard, and we've already met a friendly face gotten a fetch quest dumped on us by a complete stranger.



Let's get on the good side of the resident barkeep and hunt this fellow down.




Like Florem, the ship's divided across two outdoor areas. Every town so far has had three screens total (not counting special areas like the Grand Mill or DeRosa's lab).



Maybe we arrived at a bad time.



Datz? Any relation to this Zatz guy we're looking for?

Am I the only one to think there are fewer people about? Has the shaking driven them off?

How did this ship survive while the water crystal was out of order? It'd be no surprise some people set out for dry land as soon as the water cleared up. This place is lucky they didn't turn to dehydration/starvation and rioting.



The lady who gave the fetch quest is the proprietress of this tavern. Maybe she can give more info on the missing person.




Not much business at this hour.



Why are you treating us like your best friends? How do you make money?

At least with Karl the Innkeep it made sense to care for a newly homeless orphan and the people who tried to save his son.



"And best of all, everything's free!"



Let's take the proprietress up on her offer and help ourselves to the stock.



Also known as Dionysus. In short, he's a patron god of drink, free love, and unimpeded id.



Don't mind us we're just paying for our tab by cleaning up the pub.



Who dropped this? A worshiper from Eisenberg, maybe?

We're done in the tavern. Heading back out...



Considering the whole rotted water thing, it's lucky this place's still floating at all.

The party continues their search onto another section of the ship. Ahead, they spot a rat-like man talking excitedly.



We need your help! Anything will do: resources, manpower... Please aid us. I've traveled far to make this plea.

The old guys stare apathetically into space.

......

Yeah, he's not getting anywhere. The bearded elder twins eventually walk away.



"Little"? You're about eight inches in height, Airy. Anyway, he's still milling around nearby, so it's worth a shot.




But first, market.



"And all the food and drink's free!"

Grandship's so-called "Sleeping Council" is infamous for never getting anything done.

All considered, the ship is holding up remarkably well at the moment. You know, despite the mass exodus and sinking into the ocean thing.

There are all kinds of shops here.

The ship must get lots of traders on their way between the continents. Let's take a look.



Probably leftover from a pirate crew that tried to attack Grandship.



Osafune was an area in Japan once famous for making swords. No doubt mythril steel isn't as great as the original method, but this version will make do.



"Comes with a souvenir bloodstain from the original owner"



The adventurer has a real poetic side.

Now to see the guy from earlier.



You wouldn't happen to be Zatz, would you?

Yeah, who's asking?

The tavern proprietress wanted us to find you. Let's go.

...Alright then. I'm coming. What a mess...

Back to the tavern.



What were you thinking, roaming around in that state!?

Like I said, it's not that bad. Just a little bruise on the ribs, that's all...



Aid. We need their support. I'm from the city of Eisenberg, far to the west of here.

Eisenberg... That's where the Fire Crystal is.

That's right. There was an uprising, and now we're in the middle of a civil war.



So these Shieldbearers are the faction you're aligned with?

That's right. The Shieldbearers have served as the protectors of Eisenberg for centuries.

But a few years ago, a group called the Swordbearers rebelled. We've been at war ever since. They are but few in number, truth be told...

What? Why are the Shieldbearers losing to a smaller force?

The Swordbearers we can handle, but they have powerful foreign mercenaries on their side.



They wouldn't happen to call themselves the Black Blades, would they?

Yeah, that's them. Wait...are you with those mercenaries as well!?



Edea, are these Black Blade mercenaries linked to the Eternian Forces?

Yes... The Black Blades is the moniker of the first division of the Eternian Forces...my master's unit...

...... Zatz, can you tell us what happened to the fire vestal? We heard she had perished...

Yeah, the Swordbearers got hold of her around three years ago.



Assassinated. When the bloody conflict reached an impasse, the Swordbearers raided the Temple of Fire.

Sacrilege! What of the vestaling, the fire vestal's successor?

There was one, but she met the same fate...

How awful...

It falls to me, then... We must hurry to the temple.

You're going to the Temple of Fire? You won't get anywhere near it now, I'm afraid.

A few weeks ago Mount Karka erupted, and the whole temple is a sea of lava now.

Nevertheless, we must find a way... Let us hurry to Eisenberg.

I don't suppose you could take me with you? My friends are waiting for my return.

Have you given up on finding support here?

The war will be over before too long. I can't afford to wait any longer.

Are you okay with us taking him aboard, Agnès?

Very well.



This sure did work out nicely. Sounds like the Shieldbearers are about to get their own four-man personal army.


Next: Exposition party!

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Event Viewer
Main Scenario:
The Colossal Ship
The Sinking State, Grandship
The Pip-Squeak's Plea
Meeting Zatz
Eisenberg

Party Chat:
The Glamorous Life