Part 3: First Steps of the Journey

Last time our hero was married to Mahbu and introduced to his role as a Cocoon Master by High Priestress Garai. Today we’re going to have another chat with the Villagers that haven’t fallen into a deep slumber by the Onibubu attack as well as take our first steps into the Beetle Forest. Let’s start our village exploration at our own home.







: Being a Cocoon Master is tough, but you keep at it.

: I can teach you many things in place of your father.



Let me cut her explanation for the first three topics short since its pretty basic and uninteresting stuff. You can buy weapons and equipment from the village’s blacksmith (Kelmar’s father). Items can be bought at the town shop.
Now money is a bit more interesting. Defeated minions won’t drop any money so in order to raise money you’ve to let Mahbu spin cocoons. This means that you will lose the minion in question as the cocoon it is in is spun to silk which can then be sold off.
This leaves the topic about minions. Let’s see what she can tell us about them.



: ...they are really just agents of Elrihm, God of the Forest. The Cocoon Masters and Nagi people are wise in the ways of the forest.

: In fact, we have a term of respect for the creatures there: we call them forest minions.

: People of the village call them abominations, monstrosities... All because they look horrific and terrify us.

: Even our town elders, like the venerable Jibara, have more contemptuous names for them.

: But they all refer to the same thing.

: They say, “pure words beget a clean heart.”

: You should mind your language, too, my son.



Let’s head over to the blacksmith and see if he has something in stock for us.







: This is just great... Where could he be running off to now?

: Come back some other time if it’s a strong weapon ya want.

: It’s been so long since I made a weapon for a Cocoon Master.

: But even if you had one, would you know how to use it?





: I’m sorry Levant. His hands are skilled but his tongue is not.

: Our son will never find a good bride with a father like you.

: They’re both so stubborn... Aren’t you even listening to me!?







We already got a Dagger from Garai as part of our journey supplies and don’t have enough money yet for the Bronze sword. Most weapons while raising your attack also decrease your own speed. Consider this when choosing your weapon especially seeing how Levant isn’t meant to do the killing.



Same thing applies to Armor. We already got a Leather Vest (despite what the stats say) and stronger armor tends to be heavier and thus decreaes your speed as well in exchange for higher defensive stats.



We could buy a Leather Headband however. I did so after the update.



: Maybe I’ll have something ready by then.

: The quality of a blade’s edge depends upon the skill of the blacksmith.

: No matter how dull the blade, I can craft it into its finest edge.

: Don’t ever think you’re better just because you bought a more powerful weapon.

: You won’t know its true power until you start swinging it around. You know that, don’t you?

: Buying new weapons is fine and all, but a Cocoon Master isn’t a warrior.

: Don’t let your powers go to your head.

Let’s talk to Ada next



: If you ever need weapons, come again.

: By the way, those clothes look really good on you!

: You look just like Riketz did when he was your age.

: You’re so different from our good-for-nothing son.

: It drives me crazy... Both my son and my husband are so narrow-minded...

Next Stop: Town shop!







: Let me know if there is anything you need.



Mugwort is the basic healing item for Levant. I won´t buy them for now for a reason shown later in the update.Shab Liqour is the healing item for your minions healing both HP and mana. Valerian Powder is the antidote of the game.

: Where has my boy gone off to now? Maybe he went to listen to the minstrels in the village square...

Onwards to the Chief’s Estate.





Nice house.



We enter the visible door on Levant’s right side.



: I will stay here and care for them until you retrieve the Calabas herb.

: Even an old bag like me can care for the sick.

: But only a Cocoon Master can enter the forest.

: You must do your part for the sake of us all.

: Without a way to get silk thread, it would be the end of Syrus...

: So we musn’t give up the mill, even to care for the sick.

: And without any men in the village, we can’t tend the fields...

We leave the sick people, return to the courtyard and try to enter the Hall of Judgement



: This door leads to the Hall of Judgement. If you have come to visit the sick, the entrance is over there.

: Enough already! Do you really think I enjoy standing here?

Nothing more to do here for now so let’s head over to the silk mill



: I know she wouldn’t stay home just for no reason. Hehe, all the other scary hags are here today, you know?

: I guess their families were affected by the locusts...

: Bunch of chatterboxes in there, You’ll hear nothing decent... Better not go inside.

: You know, the mulberry fields were devestated by those insects... We’re done for...

Let’s talk to the other two hanging out in front of the mill



: There’s nothing I can do for you, but good luck.

: Of all the Cocoon Masters of Syrus, what generation are you?

: The Lion of Parel was a great Cocoon Master. Try not to disgrace his name...



: Surely you will not let my son die?

: The demons won’t just lay down before you because you are the son of Riketz.

: Dear me! Can a boy such as this really save our village?

I´m really feeling appreciated here. Anyway let’s head into the den of the gossip ladies



: So, he is to be the one who will search for the herb... I hope he’s up to it.

: A little worried, huh?

: What do you expect? My own son has fallen ill, you know.

: Yeah, but... So it will be Mahbu who performs purifications then...

: Yes, yes. That’s the problem. And that strange sickness... I wonder if that’s a curse too?

: No, we shouldn’t talk like this. It’d be terrible if someone heard us. We could be struck down by magic!

I prefer physical violence myself ladies. So don’t worry

: Now that would be unfortunate. I bet your husband wouldn’t mind if that happened!

: Aha, ha, ha, ha, ha....

Against any better judgement we approach the 3 ladies to talk to them some more.



: Your family has it hard too don’t they? What with your father lost to the forest and you soon to follow...

: I feel sorry for you. But being born in a Cocoon Master’s family leaves you no choice...

Thanks for the vote of confidence

: We lost a lot of workers because of what happened. We’ll take any help we can get.

: Here... I know it isn’t much, but take this.

She hands us a Mugwort herb.



: My, My! So your husband falls ill, and already you’ve abandoned him for a younger man? Hehehe...

: Hey! That’s enough of that... Sorry, Levant. You’d better be on your way.

: My husband has fallen ill. I really want to go care for him, but since there aren’t enough workers here at the mill...

: I used to think that he was a useless pig, but now I can’t make do without him...

: Those poor sick people... I wonder if they still see dreams?



: You know, my son fell ill yesterday, too...

: My husband has not left our son’s side since, futile though it may be...

: Our lives are in your hands. Do your best, for all of us.

With this we leave the silk mill and head over to Nam’s house



: Still, it could be worse. At least no one in my family has taken ill...

: Hurry and find that herb or whatever it is.

: Without enough men, we can’t tend to the fields.

: I heard those insects are called Locusts of Apocalypse...

Another house down. Let’s go over to Musa’s house.



: We’re counting on you. You are our only hope!

: But why my son...

: Those insects will be the end of this village...

: That damn Garai... I’m sick of hearing about her magic arts. She was useless...

: There is nothing else I can do... I’ve tried everything, but he is as still as a rock...

: Sleeping like the dead...

Let’s head over to the village square and talk to the minstrels.







: We came to sing happy songs, today being the festival.

: But such a terrible thing has happened.

: We shan’t leave this village with things the way they are.

: We shall stay here until the trouble subsides.

: How can you say that? I’ll not say here and die with them.

: By the way you’re dressed, you must be a Cocoon Master.

: What’s this? Is not the Lion of Parel the Cocoon Master here?

: So... The rumors are true.

: Well then, a lot of people are counting on you aren’t they... But you are still so young, aren’t you...



: We turn lessons into rhyme, then sing for all to hear.

: Once a ballad is in your head, you’ll start singing it yourself... Such is the wisdom of the ancients.

: Bragging again! You only write the words. It is I who put them to music.

: Of course, of course. You also play very nicely... But everyone knows that you’re tone-deaf!!

: What was that?!

With this we leave them and move to the last not plot relevant part of the town for now. The Cemetery







: Those clothes become you. You look just like Riketz when he was a young lad.



Poto is the resident storyteller and is responsible for filling out the back story for this game. Strap in folks it’s getting wordy



Legend of Arcana



: Once upon a time, Prince Menek, son of King Karis, set out with his vassals to hunt in the forest.

: But in the forest, they were enveloped by a thick fog, and the Prince lost his way.



: Thereupon he heard the sound of sobbing, but he knew not from where.

: He found a maiden sitting all alone. She was weeping by the marsh.



: And then she looked up at the Prince. He was overwhelmed by her beautiful eyes.

: The maiden stole his heart that day. It was truly a fateful meeting.

: Thereafter, the Prince made frequent trips into the forest. Undoubtedly, he was paying visits to the maiden.



: Before long, there began a terrible rumor that the Prince’s heart had been stolen by a witch...



: But the brilliance of that cloth cast a shadow upon the Kingdom...

: The King was so enthralled by the fairy silk that he send his soldiers into the forest where they ravaged for fairy cocoons...

: The fairies, still in their cocoons, were boiled alive. The king killed them so he could have their silk.



: Prince Menek was charged with treason and imprisoned in the King’s deepest dungeon. He was never heard from again.

: When the maiden learned of the Prince’s death, she cursed her fate and lamented the foolishness of Man.



: As she started to drown, a voice from nowhere whispered to her.

: “I am Elrihm. I shall grant you your wish. Tell me what you want,” said the voice.



: The maiden said, “ Greed bears destructive knowledge. Its wicked power shall be the end of the forest.”

: “All hope is lost. The beasts of knowledge shall never live in peace with the forest.”

: “The one light of hope who I so loved has perished at the hands of the beasts... I now go to where my love Menek awaits.”

: Thereupon Elrihm spoke again...



: “ When light is swallowed up by darkness, I shall unleash ruin upon the land, returning all to the nothingness from whence it came.”

: “ I have a firm grip on the darkness in your heart.”

: From that day forward, demons appeared in the forest, terrifying all they came upon.



: The demons that haunt the forest now are the beasts spawned by the greed in Man’s heart...



Now it’s finally time for plot advancement. Let’s grab the Beetle Key from Lui. To the Watchtower



: But, I don’t like any of it ! I mean, you of all people? Just because Riketz is your dad?

: You’ll just go into the forest and get eaten by monsters!

: Is yer flute really that powerful? That’s so lame.

: Hmph! I’ll go get the Calabas herb myself! Just wait right here!





: You can seek your revenge at some other time.

: Besides, you know how scary the forest is , right? And how little we can do there.

: Fine… Kelmar is right... You can go do it.

: Here’s the Beetle Key. The Chief gave it to me to look after. With it lies the fate of the village.

Why would you give Lui, who has some sort of revenge motive against the creatures of the forest the key to safeguard it? Chief you suck at your job probably because it’s hereditary as well given this village.

: Use it to enter the Beetle Gate.

: The cottage of Master Koris is deep inside the forest.

: He’s a powerful Cocoon Master. And he might know something about that herb.

: Now what?! Get out of here before I change my mind!

Let’s talk to Kelmar to finish up our village business



: Ever since his parents were killed in the forest, all he’s ever though about is slaying those monsters.

: He may be cocky, but in his own way, he’s just trying to be a man.

: So, Levant, he’s now a magnificent Cocoon Master!?

: It’s all happened so fast... Take good care of Mahbu!

: If you ever make her cry, hehe, I-I’m coming after you buddy!

Now let’s get out of this village and enter the Beetle Forest







: I feel sorry for you, so I’ll lead you there just this once. Don’t forget how to get there. And try to keep up!

The way is literally a straight road. They don’t have much faith in me





: The Beetle Gate is the one to the far right. From there on out, it’s all up to you.





Well time to finally start our journey into the forest







Koris voiceacting



Well finding Koris was surprisingly easy

: If you are a real Cocoon Master, show me by playing that flute. Slowly now.





: If the son of Riketz has been sent into the forest... The village must be in danger.

: Tell me what has happened in Syrus.

We do that in a classy fade to black

: I see... So the Onibubu have reached Syrus as well...

: And you came to search for the Calabas herb, eh...

: But, your flute playing, hehe... You don’t know anything yet, do you?

: Your father would never forgive me if I just let you go into the forest to die...

: I am Koris, the Blue Cocoon Master. On behalf of my comrade Riketz, I shall initiate you to the arts of the Cocoon Masters.



Tutorial time. We’ll start at the top and work ourselves to the bottom. On the topic of Attack and Defense

: The minions of the forest are full of melancholy, and are thus very dangerous.

: It is our task to capture them. But first they must be weakened.

: It is for this purpose only that you would attack with a weapon.

: Let’s have you learn the basics by actually fighting a minion.

: First, you must follow my instructions in combat. Are you ready?

: Have you any mugwort herb?





Remember how he said we shall follow his instructions? Disobeying him during it let’s you repeat the tutorial and receive another herb. I’ll amass 20 this way before continuing. This is also the reason why you won´t need to buy any in the Village at this point.



Now that we stocked up on herbs we follow his instructions

: Attacking is the basic tactic for damaging the enemy. But it will not stop a counterattack.

: And it will especially do no good if you are fighting multiple opponents or a single powerful enemy.



: By defending you decrease the damage you receive. But doing only this lets the enemy attack at will.

: Balancing attacks with defense against your enemies is crucial.

: Now then, how can you fight without losing health?



: Now try using your mugwort herb during combat.

: No matter how much you attack, sooner or later you will lose all your health if you keep taking damage.

: But using a mugwort herb will help you recover.

: Understand?



: Continue to battle while restoring your strength, as long as you still have mugwort herbs.

: However, if you run out of mugwort, and your health is running low...

: ... then it is better to retreat than defend.

: These are the basic rules of combat.



: No matter how furious or violent a minion may be, you must not kill. Killing will bring you nothing.

He isn´t kidding either. Levant will get absolutely zero experience point for killing a minion by his own hands. However since we basically have to spin minions to earn money as well as to level up or own minions we’re still going to do plenty of killing.

Koris then hands us a Mugwort herb to replace the one we used during the tutorial and this finishes this particular lesson. Let’s move on to capturing.



: Let’s have you learn the basics by actually fighting a minion.

: First, you must follow my instructions in combat. Are you ready?



: The minion rages uncontrollaby. The sound of your flute cannot touch his heart like this.

: First you must let him know who’s boss. Attack him.











And with that we succesfully captured our first minion.



: And, the only way to improve is to imprison as many minions as you can.

This basically means that Levant levels up by catching minions as opposed to killing them.

: You won this time because i used a weak minion.

: In reality, you won’t have it so easy. Train hard and work on your flute playing. In time, capturing minions will become easier for you.

: And, you can only carry so many empty cocoons with you. Each time a capture fails, you lose one.

: It would be wise to return to the village if you run out.

: The minion you just captured is my gift to you.

: However, it is useless until it is purified.

Onward to the topic of purification



: It requires purification.

: If you are a Cocoon Master, you must have taken a Nagi woman as your bride in the Sacred Union.

: Have your wife purify a firefly cocoon. It will then become a white cocoon.

Once it becomes a white cocoon, you can summon the minion in battle.

Just two more topics left... Next up summoning





: ... mesmerized by the sound of the flute. After all, we are but beasts of knowledge, no match for the minions deep in the forest.

: That means we must fight minion with minion.

: However, you may only take three magical beasts with you at a time.

: Each minion possess one of four distince elemental properties. Keep the following relationship in mind:



: Know your opponent, and develop a strategy first.

Finally the last topic a glimpse at merging.



: And by merging different beats together, they will become even stronger.

: Try it out, once you’ve obtained a few.

. Be warned that while merging passes on characteristics of both beasts...

: ...elemental properties and special abilities can either strengthened or weakened.

: For this is one thing I cannot teach you. You must master this process yourself.

And by the end of this thread we will have mastered it



: My cottage is deep inside this forest.

: If you arrive there safely, you shall receive my approval.




Next Time

An introduction to the breeding aspect of the game.