Part 16: An Exercise in Futility, Part 2
2Yr. 3Mo. 3Wk.
Guess what, gang? The douchebaggery continues!
Apparently Cesare has enough pull to get me into the Togle competitions, but that's not good enough for this toffee-nosed prat. So he turned us out on our ear.
As if to rub it in, we ran into Teetee outside. Thankfully, she hadn't heard about our little issue, so she didn't stop to mock.
Unfortunately, she wasn't insulting Rio...
...because she was too busy crippling some old lady in the street. We helped her get home.
Much to our mutual surprise, it turned out to be Philia's home too. We exchanged small talk for a bit; apparently she'd been worried I'd given up on ranching and was glad to see that wasn't true.
Then she mentioned that her grandma could really use some healing mushrooms... at which point Rio dropped a bombshell.
...we've been in there, like, nine times! You couldn't have said something sooner? Geez...
Ah well. Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more. Not much to say about the trip itself:
- Natsu gained level 11, passing up Water Lore. (I'm not sure what it does, but it can't be better than Wind Lore.)
- iScream gained level 11, trading in Hyper Beam for Eagle Eyes (better accuracy against high-speed opponents).
- And many monsters felt the horrible lash of my fetch quest rage.
So Rio found the mushrooms we were looking for. Unfortunately, something else found us too.
Unfortunately for it, that is. Charge plus Break Shoot equals pain.
Yup, that's a mushroom, all right. Now all we have to do is head back to Ryuwn, drop off the mushroom, and... well, I haven't worked out the step before 'profit' yet. Maybe Philia can pull some strings.
2Yr. 3Mo. 4Wk.
So we headed off to Ryuwn with our prize this week.
Philia's granny had apparently expected our return with the goods, because she'd already arranged a reward. Of sorts. A letter from Mr. Karnab, FIMBA President...
Mr. Karnab posted:
Dear Phayne: I heard about you from Mauro, and you sound like a truly admirable lad. And an excellent fighter! If anybody deserves a breeder's license, it's you! But the real world is not a simple place. So, listen to my proposal.
First, I must ask you a favor. Have you heard of the Kalaragi Jungle? Well, it's a very odd place. The jungle is littered with these gadget thingies, well, more like junk... And I want to investigate them!
So, would you please retrieve the "Junk"? Then, if you pass a little test, I'll give you your license! So, what do you think? Sound good to you?
Well, mister President, I'll tell you how it sounds to me. In order to get a FIMBA license, apparently I need to:
Sail to Ryuwn in order to make an appointment to speak with someone.
Sail to Ryuwn again in order to have that appointment canceled due to lack of credentials.
Happen to bump into a little old lady with some political pull who needs a favor done.
Do said favor, which involves prowling around monster-infested caves.
- Go into an even more dangerous, completely unfamiliar monster-infested region looking for something specifically called junk.
- Pass a 'little test', about which I have been given no information whatsoever.
As before, the library provided a tiny spot of cheer in an otherwise annoying trip. I found another ancient manuscript in the cave, and Doyle was kind enough to translate it:
- Cox's File 1: A long time ago, the people in charge of monster training and regeneration were called Tochika. Fleria and Gadamon, who appear in the myths, were probably two of the Tochika. =P.J. Cox=
So it's back to the ranch for now, to get ready for the expedition. Wish me luck getting to the end of this path of bullshit!