Grandia Part #69 - Valley of the Flying Dragon 2

Part 69: Valley of the Flying Dragon 2

Welcome back!

: Justin!

: Huh? Sue...?

Motherfucker, he ate an entire pot of dragon stew?

... Maybe that's why he's so big.

: Who, uh... who are you...?

: This is Dr. Alma. She rescued me after I passed out in the forest.

: Dr. Alma is a very kind lady. She's just like my mother!

: I'm Dr. Alma. I have a clinic in Dight Village, up the road from here. I was surprised to hear a young man like you crossed swords with Gadwin, the greatest swordsman of Dight.

: Alma, you're insulting this young man. Even at his youthful age, he's a fine swordsman.

: His skill with the long sword belies his age. It was a long and interesting fight. Don't you agree, Justin?

: Oh, dear... Gadwin, you haven't changed a bit since we were kids. I guess that's just the way you are.

: Well, I think Sue is fine now. So I'll be returning to Dight. I'll leave the rest to you, Gadwin.

: Alma, what's the rush? You seem to be in a hurry.

: Is it because of the rain?

: Yes, that is one reason. Already some people have fallen ill. I may have to work all night tonight.

: She's gone... and I didn't even thank her.

: Well, anyway, I say it's time to get some rest. OK, everyone?

: I'm sorry, Gadwin. I jumped to conclusions about you. Thanks for helping Sue.

: A ha ha ha! When Justin misunderstands, he does it all the way! ♥

: Hey, I wasn't the only one! Feena fainted when she saw the cauldron.

: Her eyes rolled up like this!

: Hey, come on, I didn't do that! Don't be foolish, Justin.

: Wah ha ha ha. OK, no big deal! Everyone makes mistakes, right?

Well, that was some tasty not-flying-dragon-stew, time for bed.

: Um, Justin? Shouldn't you ask Gadwin some more questions about the world on this side of the wall?

: I'm thinking we might need to know what we're doing on this adventure.

: Even so, we now know that the wall is not really the end of the world, but it sure is impressive.

: And bow was I surprised to find out that people are living here on the other side of the End of the World!

: Well, I was quite surprised myself. I'd never dreamed that people would come from the other side of the wall.

: And then try to beat me up for some stew.

: Well, it seems to me you've got what it takes to do my kind of work.

: What do you say? Will you try to master the way of a man?

: Uh, wait a second! Why are you asking this of Justin?!

I, uh... I don't quite know how to respond to that, so let's go talk to Sue.

: After I passed out, Gadwin kindly carried me here to his place.

: When I tried to carry her, this round one here tried to kick me away. Wah ha ha ha ha!

: Puffy was just trying to protect me. Right, Puffy?

: Puff! Puff!

: By the way, Gadwin, why do you live by yourself in this place where it seems only dragons live?

: And those weird Slipple things.

: Don't forget those fugly moldy-bird creatures.

: And those demons. Can't forget the demons.

: Whoa!

: Why, for training, of course. Adult dragons can be difficult. People have been killed fighting them.

: My way is the warrior's way. Though warriors often face life-or-death situations, I believe in this way.

: So, Justin, is it true that the three of you crossed that huge wall?

: The End of the World? Of course it's true! We came on an adventure, looking for ruins of the Angelou Civilization.

: Hmm, that is hard to believe, but... we're comrades who've dueled together. Your eyes tell me it's the truth. I'll help in whatever way I can. Is there anything else you want to ask?

: Is Dr. Alma your girlfriend?

: No, Alma's been my friend since we were kids. To train well, I must live alone, away from towns and people. Alma comes out here sometimes, but only to mend my clothing or to bring me some medicine.

: Uh-huuuh? Sounds to me like she's not just an old childhood friend.

: Yeah... but I think maybe Gadwin's not too sensitive to her signals.

: By the way, I noticed that Dr. Alma looked very grim about something. Did something happen in her village?

: Yes... recently, Dight Village has had a bit of trouble. Something happened.... Dight Village is a fishing village along the coast up the road from here. It used to be a prosperous village with lots of good fish to eat. I'm no good at telling long stories. Maybe you should hear the details from Dr. Alma when we get to Dight.

: Is a place called Alent near here?

: Hmm. I dunno if it's what you guys are looking for, but I heard that there are large Angelounian ruins, even larger than my village, which are located far to the south of here.

: Oh! Really?! That's gotta be Alent! Feena, Sue! Let's get going right away! Come on, we need to get ready!

: A ha ha! You're amazing, Justin! You think Alent is going to run away?

: Ha ha ha. Those ruins are quite a few days' walk from here. A very distant place. Maybe you should come with me to Dight Village. I'll show you around, and you can get supplies for you long trip.

: Tell me more about this strange place.

: This is the Valley of the Flying Dragon. It's the place closest to the End of the World, and it has the world's steepest mountains. It's a good place to sharpen your sword and your skills as a warrior.

: That's right. From this side of the wall, this area must be seen as the End of the World. So, it's like what the Misty Forest is to people on our side of the wall.

: You can imagine how I felt when I found an unconscious young girl here. Surprised the heck out of me! Wah ha!

: Gadwin, you've been such a big help to us, and especially to Sue. We must somehow repay you! We'd like to help you in any way we can, if you ever need our help.

Gadwin sure is hung up on this whole "man" thing.

: Well, not exactly a formal promise.

: Those are the only kind of promises I trust. A man must never make a promise that he cannot keep.

: What, can't we just pinky-swear?

: Gadwin, you sure are a stickler for formalities.

At which point we loop back to the choice.

: Of course! A man-to-man promise!

: That is the way it must be! I will not accept anything less. Good! Now that we've made a man-to-man promise, I consider you my friend. Friend, I will take you to Dight tomorrow. You should rest today.

: We're going with Gadwin to some place called "Dight"? That sounds great!

: Are you sure this is OK? When you make such a promise so quickly... I get bad premonitions.

: Well, time to get some sleep. Tomorrow I'll show you Dight Village.

: Dight, huh? I wonder what that village is like? Isn't this fun, Feena? Sue?

And finally, Gadwin officially joins the party here.

As you can see, Captain Explosionsword here pretty much has "Temporary Party Member" written on his forehea- hang on.

Is his sword named Himmler?

Nevermind, fuck this dude. Nazisword Von Explosionface III can spend the trip face-down in the dirt.

... Eventually. He's got a lot of HP and armor, so killing him off is tricky, doubly so if you're trying to avoid him getting any XP.

Unless you remember one particular mechanic.

That's right. For the first (and hopefully last) time, we'll be running the fuck away.

Before the deed can be done, though, we pick up a Mana Egg.

There we are.

Stepping into the middle of this plant will cause it to wrap up around you and start dealing damage.

It takes a while.

It also takes a while for this guy to decide to attack Gadwin. But finally, the deed is done.

Get used to those stats, as they ain't gonna change.

With Gadwin dead, we can go back and finish off all those monsters we skipped, and gather up all that treasure.