Part 3: The Mystery of the Northeast Cave

(Kiefer) Let's go to that cave... Hey! What's this?

Someone left a Tiny Medal lying on the ground here.
(Deckson) How wasteful!
Well, the cave's right over there...

Heeey, don't say thaaat! Pleeease make an exception for your little Alissa?
Guard: Stop your flirting. I have no interest in children!
Blast this old man! Urgh! I'll remember this! If I can't pass through here, my dream of becoming a witch will... Hmmm... What to do? What to do? Maybe I should get help...
Guard: Hey hey, you there! You got permission from the elder?
Yep. No trouble at all, really.
Guard: I pray that your wish might be granted, but be careful. Monsters lurk ahead, and they're fairly strong!
Of course! Now let me charge recklessly ahead!
Aw yeah! Now's my chance!
Guard: That girl seems a little confused... I wonder if she'll be okay?
We'll keep an eye out for her, I suppose.

What a pleasantly colored tunnel!

(Ripple) Ewww! A Giant Worm! It's large... and wormy... no real special characteristics either.

Giant Slugs, too? Ewwww! I wish I never came on this trip!
And a candle with a knife?
(Alex) That candle seems more mad than anything else - I'd just call him a MadCandle.

Well then, I'm off to pursue becoming a witch! Byebye!

(Luin) the camp! Grandpa Gyavan and the others should be right behind us!

Soon, Gyavan and the others arrived, and Kiefer and his crew began setting up the camp. Kiefer and his crew set the whole thing up!

Lazy asses.

Just 'okay'? Screw you!
(Gyavan) So now, where do we start from here...? Perhaps Kiefer and Luin should talk about this before we decide.

Doubting Caravaneer Instead of looking for medicine, he's chasing after dream orbs. Seems wrong to me.
(Slalon) The monsters wandering around outside realize that we're friends with humans... But they don't seem to like it. That's why they aim at us. Well, if it means that I have to defend the wagon, so be it.
Luin and Randol, as well as all of the other children, seem to be having the same dream about the Orbs of Loto...
(Randol) While looking at the map, I saw that there's a small village north of the camp. If we go there, we might be able to get some information. Go there with Luin! By the way, I have a very important request... The truth is, I'm looking for my lost brother and sister!
Then I'll keep an eye out for them!
The two of them are Mappers, just like me!
So, just as useless as you in combat - gotcha.
While searching for the orbs, let's search for them too...
Red-headed Stepchild Orbs of Loto? What's Loto? Is it the name of a place or the name of a person?
Some sort of legendary hero, I think.
Red-headed Stepchild So, somebody named Loto is looking for Orbs and granting wishes? I don't know much about it, heh heh.
Caravaneer It must have been hard for Luin to have to leave his mother and father. But Luin's face is so bright and full of hope... We all know that he's being strong for his mom and dad's sake.
If we come to a new area, we'll meet new enemies there. Don't let your guard down, Kiefer.
So, new things to see when we go to new places. Gotcha.
Did Randol tell you that there's a village to the north?
That he did.
Well, let's try going there Kiefer!
So the camp was from Luin's caravan after all, huh? I didn't realize Luin was there while I was passing through the cave...
Alissa? Why are you here?
(Alissa) Umm, I thought maaaybe we could be allies. Traveling alone is way too tough! I can use my attack magic! It's powerful! So take me along!
Is that okay with you, Kiefer?
Sounds good to me. It means that we can move Leela back to... camp duties, keeping her safe. How does that sound to you, Luin?
I don't mind!
Yay! I'm one step closer to becoming a Witch Master! I'll make your journey a lot easier! ...Ummm, where should I sit in the wagon?
Oh, wait! That'd be five people. Alissa can't fit! What should we do, Kiefer? Let's ask Grandpa Gyavan.

If that's the case, you'll need to choose which allies go on the wagon. That's what we call forming the caravan. I know this is sudden, but I think you should try forming it now, Kiefer.
Explain more, please.
Formation refers to the allies who ride in a caravan's wagon. Every ally can offer their own helpful power during the journey. For example, a Warrior can strike down enemies... And a Mapper will allow you to view maps of the area. However, wagons have seating and weight limits. A wagon has room for a maximum of one Guard Monster and four allies. One wagon can hold a weight of up to ten points. But weight is not the only thing you should be looking at. You should consider the strengths of each individual and decide. Well, that just about explains it. What are you going to do now?

Okay, goons! Voting time!
Slalon weighs 1, and he's required at this time.
Personnel are:

Alex: Hits things with an axe. Weight 4.
Randol: In combat, improves Speed. Out of combat, he allows us to look at the world map. Fairly useful. Weight 1.
Deckson: Heals Slalon. Weight 3.
Ripple: She dances! It's quite pretty. It can distract enemy monsters for a round. Weight 1.
Alissa: She's a mage, so she can set things on fire. Weight 2.

Possible parties are:

Alex (4) + Deckson (3) + Randol (1) + Ripple (1)
Deckson (3) + Alissa (2)+ Randol (1) + Ripple (1)
Alex (4) + Alissa (2) + Randol (1) + Ripple (1)
Or any other party that has less than a total weight of 10 (because Slalon counts).



Next time: A new town!

Author's note: Really, it picks up soon. This is mostly exposition.