Part 26: The Icebox

"Damn, when they said the cave was to the south they weren't kidding. You'd think you could see it from the castle."

"They probably had to find a spot that was unusually close to the frozen core of the earth."

"The earth's core is frozen? Really?"

"Well, it's only logical. Haven't you noticed how the ground always feels cool even in summer?"

"Makes as much sense as anything, I guess..."



"Those are some seriously bad tempered livestock."

"I'll bet if you fried their little wings up in some kind of sauce you could have a really great restaurant.. I think bison wings sounds like a great idea for food."



"Holy crap, it really is frozen here! Brey was right!"

"You know, there was a reason I was chosen to tutor the princess. I'm just glad you listen a bit better than she did."



"Ych, freaky fish guys."

"They're giving conjurers a bad name."



"Huh.. wonder what's up with these things.."



"Whee!"

"Let's do it again!"

"I think I'm going to be sick.."



"Hmm. Was this stored here for growth later? I wonder if we could get an agility plant?"

"We're going to have to cross those slides again, aren't we?"



"You could stay here with the Vamp Dogs if you want, Sis."

"Alright, I'm coming!"



"Is that..?"

"Princess!"



"Yeah, you're the jerkass who told me to find my own party. And yet you still had space for somebody else when you got here."

"Sorry we couldn't let you join us then because we were full."

"Were full? What happened to your other guy?"

"We.. don't like to talk about it. It was kind of messy."



"I'm sorry to break this to you, but you're destined to fail."



"It's.. not really a competition. If you find it first, we'll be okay with that."

"Yes your highness, all that matters is making sure Cristo is well."

"Brey, you're here too? Did you ditch Cristo back at the inn?"

"Eh.. kind of?"

"That's okay, I don't blame you. He'll be fine."



"I'm no expert, but based on the shape of this room I'm guessing that the seed is in there.. we just have to get to it."



"Huh. Yeti. Should have seen that one coming."

"At least he looks more at home than the one in the desert did."



"These are nice and all, but I'm hoping for one damn treasure in this place that isn't a seed of some kind."

"I knew I liked you for a reason."



"All I ask is for one good night, and now I've got two."

"Unfortunately, they don't seem all that interested in one dancer."



"Much better."



"There's no way this is going to end well."



"Might be a quick way downstairs.. if we don't break a leg somewhere."



"Young man, I think you could sell ice to people living in igloos. We might find out soon."



"Oh, fuck me."

"This might take a bit."



"Huh. What's in the chest upstairs then?"

"Bllaaaaargh."



"Not again!"



"This is worrisome.. a phobia of treasure chests could be problematic for an adventurer."



"Quick Lamarck, smash it while it's too busy laughing!"

"RAAARGH!"



"I think she might have gotten over it."

"I do feel better. Thanks Taloon."

"No problem, I've got a million of them."



"Oooh! Mine!"

"Fair enough. I think we've cleaned this place out."



"Hurry! Plant the seed in this field! Yes, Padequia grows instantly."

"Wait, it grows instantly? So how did you run out before? Why didn't you just collect a barrel of mud and water and plant some more when you realized you were having a problem?"

"Just take your seed and go. And, you know, thanks for saving our country."

"I think the princess has probably already headed back.. let's try and catch up again."



"How.. it has 8.. did you?"

"One leg at a time. Very very fast."



"I swear this trip has taken a lot longer on the way back than on the way there.."

"It's just because we're going to deliver some medicine rather than going to find a cave or something."



"I couldn't find it myself and returned empty handed. I'm grateful!"

"If you'd just went with us to look for it this would have gone a lot smoother."

"Quick! Cristo needs the Paedquia!"



"Umm... Ha! Princess!"



"Yes, that is the way it's supposed to work. If you keep this up I'll fire you and find another chancellor."

"Please! I won't get sick again!"

"Princess, that's a bit harsh considering he nearly died."



"What's the matter? Huh? Lamarck too.. Necrosaro.."

"Yeah. Pretty much the entire village."

"I heard Necrosaro destroyed the Hero's village. Is Lamarck the...?"

"At least according to the cards and everything else we can figure."



"Oh, and you're coming too Cristo. Don't try and play sick."



"I didn't know Lamarck was the Hero who will save the world!"

"Yeah, we're actually trying to keep that kind of quiet so we don't draw attention to ourselves.."

"A man named Ragnar, searching for the Hero, once stayed at this inn."



"Hmmm.. Keeleon? Weren't you two from..?"

"Yes, yes we are. Sis, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I think I am. We'll get the bastard this time."

End of Update Snapshot



At this point Lamarck is probably the single baddest dudette on the team, with more HP and attack than she really knows what to do with. She'll keep this status for a while, especially since she's the only person you can control.



Nara's come a decent way since we got her, and is still a pretty solid choice for a party member. Now that Cristo's come along, however, we might want to re-evaluate that a bit..



Brey's a bit under-leveled at the moment, but DW4 is merciful in that it gives you leaked experience so he'll catch up. The best thing about him is that massive MP pool. He's several levels under Mara but has more MP, meaning he's got more endurance for dungeon crawling.



Taloon's antics have been entertaining and more than a little bit useful, which is a trend that will continue in the near future. He's got plenty of HP and decent attack, but his equipment selection is going to start to tell pretty soon.



Alena's probably the biggest threat to Lamarck's throne. HP is a bit low, but a few levels will cure that. She's got only one less attack power despite being several levels lower, and the only reason she's got less agility is because Lamarck is wearing a Meteorite Armband. We're going to have to do something about that defense, though.



Cristo's suffering from low levels too, but he's still a credible character with more durability than Nara. It's a pretty good toss-up which one to use at any given time... or if you really want a cleric that badly in the first place. He's also in dire need of some new equipment.



Finally, Mara has the third highest HP in the group right now and some righteous defense for a mage. She's more durable than Brey, but has less magic to sling around. One thing helping her is that she's recently learned how to steal MP from enemies, which the AI is smart enough to exploit when low on MP.