Part 71: Dight NPC Chatter 1

Welcome back!

As you may have noticed, we've arrived at a new town. With new NPCs.

Oh well. I suppose a month of not having to do this is enough of a break.



Incidentally, have I mentioned how glad I am that Working Designs didn't localize this game?

: Ol' Gadwin's always had a one-track mind about training. He's never been very interested in girlfriends.

: Hmph! Gadwin happens to regard us as invaluable WOMEN!

: Gadwin is a powerful man who is worthy of his title "Hero of Dight". There is no better warrior than he. People make fun of him because he is perhaps a little too serious and somewhat unrefined.



: Captured? You've got that part wrong, mister.



Jeez, lady, I hope you're not looking for a job at Wal-mart.



In retrospect, I should've rotated the camera so this guy was visible. Oh well.

: Yeah, that's right. Why, is something wrong?

: No, I was just thinking how unusual it is for Gadwin to have company. He usually trains by himself. Anyone who's with Gadwin is more than welcome in the Village of Dight!



C'mon, man, spoilers! I haven't posted that update yet!

: The Typhoon Tower? No, I haven't.

: It's northwest of this village. Lately, it's been deserted. The trees and flowers there are dying off. Some people say that the poor fishin' lately is somehow caused by Typhoon Tower.



I wonder how many text boxen could be saved just by actually filling up the three lines alloted for each?

: landscape, which appears only to the eyes of those who are protected by the Spirits. My grandmother said it is the landscape of the Spirit realm. According to my grandmother, there are houses made of stone and incredibly large ships there.

But... aren't the houses in Dight made of stone?

: We're hardly catching any fish lately. What we do catch is all skin 'n bones. Hardly any meat. Nothing like this has ever happened, not since the Village of Dight began. What in the world is happening here?



: Being able to catch fish is a point of pride for the People of the Dragon. My grandpa and daddy both told me so. Now my boyfriend's losing his pep. It's just so painful to see that happening to him, or any man. Until recently, my boyfriend would always be talking about fishing. "Look at this big one I caught today" or "Tomorrow we'll try that new spot". I'd think "Oh no, fishing talk again".



Yeah, Dight can be kind of a depressing place.



: Gadwin, on the other hand, was a very calm and quiet child. In spite of his looks, Gadwin is not only a great swordsman but a scholar, too. Gadwin has always been the type who focuses on just one thing and works hard at it. He's sincere to the core.



: But since the rain started falling at the Typhoon Tower, the fishermen have not caught much, if anything. We Dragon Folk have always thought our ability to get food by fishing is a blessing given to us by the Spirits. Now we wonder what we could have done wrong. We cannot go on like this.



: The other one is the Dragon's Nest. It's a legendary warrior's rock. They say a hero's weapon is hidden there. I dunno if it's true or not, but it's become a sacred spot for our village. Whether the legend is true or not, it feels so good to be up on that rock. Maybe it's 'cuz we're the Dragon Folk.



: That's funny, you're starting to sound like Aunt Lilly.

: Oh, yeah?

: Really, now! Justin, don't you remember anything she taught you?

: I don't know who Lilly is, but she sure says nice things. Anyway, drink up! This is river water.

: ... ... Ugh! It's real acidic. It burns a little.

: It's been this way ever since the rain started over at the Typhoon Tower. No wonder the fish have fled. So now the fishing's no good. The few fish that get caught are too polluted to eat. What'll we do?



: Wanna hear it?

We're given the option to refuse, but why would we?

: Yeah, let's hear it.

: OK, here's a sad tale for you. Long ago, back when the sea and sky were still linked, a baby whale somehow got into the sky. The gods noticed how blue the sky over Dight was, so they pulled the sea and sky apart.



: The baby whale's mother got frantic over her lost baby. Her baby who had been pulled so far away. She came to this beach, trying with all her might to get closer to her poor lost baby. She cried and cried. Finally, her sorrow was so deep that she turned into Whale Rock. Even now, the whales sometimes cry in memory of the poor mother and child. They also say that the baby whale cried for her mother that night, and so there were lots of shooting stars.

: My, what a sad tale.

: Did you know that there's a Little Whale Rock next to the big one? It was put there by our ancestors so the mother whale wouldn't be lonely.



Huh. That would explain why everyone's freaking out over the rain. In addition to all of the dead fish and whatnot.







: We do our best to catch fish, but we can hardly catch enough for us to eat. Oh, what'll we do?

: The water is polluted? It doesn't look dirty or anything.

: As it is, we're trying to catch fish, but there just isn't enough time. Unless you bring back that spear....

C'mon, man, we don't hear about the spear until after your dialog changes!



: Hmm... what's this...?



Thrilling.



: Pu-Puff. Puff?

: Yikes! Magnificent spirits?! ... Doesn't look that way....



Wait, how would this guy know what humans are? Aren't they all stuck on the other side of the wall? And how are we speaking the same language? Do these guys speak the same language as the Luc humanoids? Did the Communique Nut allow us to speak every language? ^{_{How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? What's the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?}}

: Never seen that face round here before. Where're you guys from, anyway?

: We come from the other side of the End of the World. Haven't you ever heard of the famous adventurer Justin?



So much screenshot-worthy dialog this update. Like, damn.

: Adventurer? I dunno about that, but it sounds kinda sinister. Us guys here, we're fishermen. We'd really like to treat you a seafood feast here, but....



: Well, I'm not particular. Anything that tastes good is fine with me. Why are you so frustrated about it?

: Oh, right. I can't just serve the same thing every day 'cuz it tastes good. The children must have some variety. But we have to be careful about fish. A while back, my son Datt ate some fish that made him very sick. Adults who ate the same fish were OK, though. I wonder if that sort of thing is going to happen more and more now. We might as well stop eating fish. But it'd be boring to have just fruit, nuts, and dried foods everyday. Oh, I wish we could catch healthy, fresh fish every day like we could before. Then I could feed my family something different each day.



: What's this? What are you doing?

: Oh Turtle, I am crying out to you. Here's a spell, so bring out the sun! ... No, dang it, that's not it at all. Hey, don't talk to me now. I'm trying to conjure up a spell to clear away the clouds. Since they say the rain is dangerous, I'm using my best spells to clear away the clouds. I also have other spells, like the ones I recite to find a lost item or to ask a favor of the Spirits.

: I have some spells too! They set people on fire and cause earthquakes!

: Wow, that's mighty useful! So, do you have a spell that will let me fly across the sky like a bird?

: I doubt there's a spell like that.

: This game is pretty heavily-scripted. Being able to fly around and sequence-break would probably mess everything up.

: I've been trying out cloud-clearing spells for a while now, but so far the clouds have only gotten worse. It's very strange.





Even the goddamn signs here are worth talking to.



At least he's looking better after the bad fish.

: Really? Hey, wait a minute!

: Huh?! What are you doing?!

: Sssssstrange! What a strange face! Better run away!

: Stop it! That was very rude, you know. That's why I don't like kids!

: Hey... hey, you! Where you guys from, huh?

: We're from Parm, far west of here. It's got a railway, some mines, and a port. Also, the Seagull Restaurant.

: A very pretty lady named Lilly cooks yummy food at that restaurant.

: I'll be like her someday soon.

: Uh, what? You? A very pretty lady? Ha! Impossible! You're talking nonsense!

Damn, kid, I know you almost died to some bad fish, but jeez.

: Maybe you could learn to cook yummy food, though. Next time I catch some fish I'll ask my Mom to cook 'em up, so you can learn what good cooking is.



There are three kids running around this area with the exact same sprite, plus Datt, standing still there.

: I've never seen this rain before. Is it really such a bad thing?

: No, it's not so bad. Gadwin's been acting odd about it. What's the rain like here?

: Everybody's depressed. Nobody's interested in having fun.



: But it was OK, 'cuz Dr. Alma was there. You know, no matter what the illness is, go to Dr. Alma and she'll make you better real soon.

: Dr. Alma? Oh yes, I know! I've been to her once already, right Justin?

: And when I got sick, Dr. Alma helped me get better. I just love Dr. Alma! She's a very kind and gentle person.

I think this update's long enough.

See you next time!