Part 34: The Coming Darkness

Today…

Video- “Sulpher”

Watch A Sick Cat

Yup. Now we wait for the end-of-the-year ceremony.
……
Sulpher… Are you sure you’re okay? You haven’t been looking good…
…Sorry. It looks like… I’m not gonna make it…

Sulpher collapsed, he was barely breathing.



…What?
Did he…die?
It’s impossible for a Mana to die. But…
He looks really weak.
What should I—
Calm down. This is beyond us. We must rely on the teachers this time.
Y-yeah… Let’s take him to Mr. Zeppel.
Alright…

We rushed Sulpher down, but even Mr. Zeppel didn’t have much idea what could be happening.



Hm, what’s wrong? Why is everyone so pale?
It’s Sulpher…
……
What…happened here?
He’s been feeling sick for a while now. And then he just…
Hmm. I’ve never heard of a Mana becoming this weak…
So you can’t save him!?
Do something, you third-rate educator!
Th-third-rate…?
It’s only natural for your position to be doubted in times of emergency.
…Let’s see. Maybe a medicine that recovers a Mana’s powers will work.
Oh, so there is a way! What is this medicine?
I don’t have any right now. It has to be made.
You’ll need a Moon Flower that blooms far deep in the Old Schoolhouse…
My instincts tell me we should inspect the Old Schoolhouse. Let’s go!

We had to leave Sulpher behind, though, and that meant I wasn’t going to be much help…



Yes, of course. It’s a dangerous place, so you guys be careful.
Okay. Oh, but…
What’s wrong?
Without Sulpher, I…can’t fight…
What are you saying? Don’t be so modest.
You can leave it to us. At least this time…
Thank you, everyone…
Alright, let’s hurry!

Everyone else was willing to give it their all, though.



Vayne, don’t force yourself. Just watch from the back.
Oh, okay…

Professor Feinne’s Alchemy 200: Old Schoolhouse Closed Area
So, until the end of Chapter 8 we don’t have Vayne. This means we can’t Analyze, and we don’t have the Variable Strike. We still have Finishing Burst, though, so it’s all good.

Meanwhile…

Video- “Students of Isolde”

Watch an Interlude

……
That cat…
Yeah, he’s not feeling too well. Vayne left him in my care.
I see… Where are they?
Getting a Moon Flower. I was thinking of making a Mana remedy.
I see… If you’d like, I can take care of the cat.
Oh, are you sure?
I know quite a bit about taking care of cats.
Then that’d be great. I’ll prepare to make the medicine.
Mew…



Yeah, of course!
Was it obvious? I thought we hid pretty well.
Were you listening to our conversation?
Yeah, I understand. You want us to interfere with ‘em, right?
No, not this time…

We eventually reached the depths of the Old Schoolhouse, where the Moon Flower was supposed to reside.

Video- “Flower and Monster”

Watch the Battle

Alright, let’s split up and find this flower.
Hey, are you daydreaming?
Oh… I just thought it was very strange…
Strange…? What is?
Is it normal for a Mana to weaken like that?
Well, I guess. I mean, Sulpher’s doing it right now.
…I used to have a cat when I was small. When she passed away, it was…
Ahhhhhhhhh!!
That was Jess!
Quick, let’s go!!

Jess had found the Moon Flower.



That was a loud scream. Are you alright?
I found the flower, but… Over there.

The Moon Flowers seemed to attract monsters.



That’s a large number…
Should we?
Hmph, need you ask? We’ll take ‘em all on!
Stay back, okay Vayne?
Be careful, everyone…

And I was powerless to help…



Boss Battle: Chimera
So, we don’t have Vayne for this fight, which prevents us seeing his health bar or knowing what he’s particularly vulnerable or immune to. He’s not actually vulnerable to anything, though, so it’s not a real problem. Chimera’s big thing is that he uses a lot of Time Effects, so Roxis is pretty strong on this fight for his ability to Purify them. He does have a few relatively normal moves, but nothing’s really threatening. You’ve still got big attacks like Dancing Blade Chaos, Flay’s big attacks, and low-health No Bullying even without Vayne, and they’re plenty enough to deal with this guy.

They defeated the big monster, but there were still swarms of little ones around.

Video- “Unexpected Help”

See How it Goes

Grrr! This is annoying!
It’s right there in front of us, too…

We thought we were in trouble, and a voice behind us just made us even more worried.



Not now…
We don’t have time to play with you.
Whattaya—You, I mean, we…
Okay, calm down. Let’s just do what we came here for.
Grh, why do I… Bahh!
Huh? But, why?
Hey, what are you doing?
We were told to help you guys. Now hurry up and get that flower!
…Is this another ploy?
We’re so not trusted. Though after all we did, I can’t really blame them.
How the hell can we plot something like this!? Just hurry up!
Oh, okay.

I’m not sure why they helped us, but we got the Moon Flower.



I got it. Um…
Hmph. There’s no need to thank me for anything.
Are you alright? Do you need help?
She’s right. You can’t handle this alone.
Don’t underestimate us. And there’s no way in hell I’d fight alongside you!
That’s what you say, but I think I know better.
Shut up! If you want to argue, we can do it at school!
They’re right. We must get back as soon as we can.
Yeah… Excuse us!
…Umm, maybe you shoulda been honest and let them help.
Don’t be stupid! Coming to their rescue to ask for help? That’s just uncool.
You’re so stubborn… I kinda like that.
Now’s really not a good time for that! Fight seriously for once!
If you insist.

We rushed back with it to Mr. Zeppel.



We got the Moon Flower!
Yes, that’s the one. Alright, let me make the medicine…
Huh? Where’s Sulpher?
Oh, he’s…
Right here.

I’m still not sure what Ms. Isolde did, but Sulpher was alright!



…Sorry to worry you.
Oh good. You’re better now!
A moment’s relief.
As you can see, you don’t need that medicine anymore.
I suppose… But, how did you cure him?
Just an hour on an IV.
IV? Of what medicine?
Who cares!? He’s better now.
Thank you very much.
…I care for this cat’s well being, as well.
Huh?
Don’t get me wrong, he has improved, but he’s on borrowed time.
…What does that mean?
Who knows?

I wish I knew what she meant, though…



It sounded like she knows Sulpher, too…
And her parting words… I have a strange feeling about that.
It’s not a bad feeling, more like… something is about to happen…