Part 15: Stone Cold Sheep Austin

Stone Cold Sheep Austin

Music: Town (Day)


Let's see what Raven's up to today.


And get some recognition for beating up a tanuki raccoon.



...
Ummm...
...I'll be back soon.
Hm...ah. This iron is being stubborn.
Let's go.
What? Really?
This is part of the job.
Job? Oh, today's request?
We repaired Sofia's item, so we're going to deliver it.
I see.
Let's go already.
Oh, okay.

Raven has joined the party!

On the way there...



Wait, you did what?

I guess that's one way to let us know about her birthday.



This pendant...!
I fixed it, so I brought it back.
My! How terrible! I'm very sad right now!
Ha ha...
It is a very important pendant. I'm so unhappy it's fixed. Thank you, Raven.
...It's just my job.
But why is Link with you? And you said that you never make deliveries.
What? Is that right?
...
...I'm going home.
Oh, okay.

Raven doesn't leave yet, since we have to walk her back for...some reason.



Hmmm...ah, I see. Interesting.
You're actually pretty earnest.


That right there is the face of "you done fucked up".

Oh...ha ha ha.


Well, this has been a weird quest, but Raven's back to work, so I guess we should lea-

Wait a minute.



What?
Your reward. You helped me.
Th-Thank you.
...
...Thank you.
Huh...?
...


I'm not sure how we helped, but free ore is free ore.


Might as well grab the last crafting stations while I'm here.

We'll build it right away, then.
Will it be done by tomorrow?
I told you. We'll build it right away.
Um...O-Okay. Thank you...
Oh, and take these, too...

Buying the forge gets us a few free weapon breads. Too bad the pharmacy and workshop didn't do something like that.



We'll build it as fast as we can.
How long will it take?
As long as it takes.
I... I see. Thank you.




Spoilers: It's another fishing quest.



Very good then! So why don't you show me how you've improved. I'm sure you're still pretty bad, so...You can just bring me 2 types of summer fish. You can catch them in Sol Terrano Desert. But be careful of the monsters. That's all! Now get to fishing!
What?! Already?
Of course! Your master's words are absolute! Now hop to it!

*PUNCH PUNCH*

Ouch! Okay...
I look forward to seeing how much you've improved! See ya!
I really feel pressured.

Yes, Carmen's punches take off 2 HP this time too. I have no idea who decided to put such a minor detail in the game but I kind of love it.


Thankfully you get a fishing spot in the first screen of the desert. Get rid of the monsters & spawner and you're good to go.


Good enough.


Some cucumber seeds drop as I clear the nearby field. These are a summer crop, and like strawberries, they keep producing after harvest. Might as well plant them since I'll be running through here so often anyway.



Good work! Well, here's a treat from your master!
Thank you.
Keep on practicing! Now, dismissed!
(Ha ha. What a scary master...)


Food's always a good reward.

And now it's time to get some monsters.

Music: Privera Forest

How to make friends with monsters:


Step one: Have a stack of some nearly-worthless item. (It can't cause damage when eaten or else it won't count as a gift, so no using weeds for this!)


Step two: Shove that stack in the monster's face. For monsters more aggressive than a Wooly, you may end up throwing it. Repeat until...


...the RNG decides to let you have a monster.


Step three: Give it a better name than whatever dumb one the game suggests.


Some monsters are ridable, but the option shows up whether or not the current one actually is. It's...something.

I send Micah back to the barn so he doesn't die repeatedly while I try to tame some Buffamoo.


This idiot buffamoo poisoned itself by walking on a poison tile. Let's help it out.


Bessy? Hmm, no, we can do better.


There.


I tried to get a second one, but I started running out of trash items & it was getting late. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Head back to the fields after getting some monsters, and...


Does nobody in this town sleep?

Yep!
You're just like Raven, Link. Monsters seem to like you guys for some reason. Oh, that's right...you only know how to befriend monsters. You don't know anything else, like how to take care of them, right?
That's correct.
All right. Well, today I'll teach you how to take care of monsters, then.
Thanks!
But I'm bad at explaining things. I don't know where to start. So, um, what do you want to know?



tl;drs of each one:

How to raise: Give gifts to them to raise their stats. Only the first gift each day helps.

How to befriend: Feed your monsters every day. If you don't, they won't like you, their HP won't recover, and they won't spawn their products(ie. a Wooly won't make wool). You need one piece of grass per room of monsters per day. Also remember to brush them once a day.

How monsters help you: Monsters can be brought with you to fight in dungeons. Some monsters let you ride them. You can also assign monsters to work in the fields. Sowing seeds costs money, watering & harvesting are free. (I'll probably only use the watering help, since I like knowing what's growing in my field & what's getting shipped) Monsters work better the more they like you.


Oh, that's right. Raven wanted you to have these.
What are they?
It's a Brush and Clippers. They're for taking care of your monsters.
How are they used?
The Brush is used for brushing your monsters, and the Clippers are for shearing fur from woolies.
Sh-Shearing...?
Hm? You look like you're shaking, Link. Is something wrong?
Oh, um...it's nothing.
Okay. Anyway, you should brush your monsters frequently. All monsters seem to enjoy a nice brushing. Oh, and here's some Grass for you, too.
Thank you very much. Oh, and please tell Raven that I said thanks for all the help.
Sure thing.


This gives me plenty of leeway to buy some grass seeds and get them growing. I sell the clippers since I already had one from a Wooly drop.


Monsters spawn drops once a day. If they're newly tamed, they'll produce their wool/milk/whatever too. I have no idea how Buffamoo make milk in nice little cartons, but it beats having to lug around a milker.


On top of the daily wool production, you can shear Woolies to get a couple extra pieces of fleece. They don't seem to mind it as much as Link does.


The notebook in the barn is where you check monster friendship levels, stats, and assign them to work in the fields. Salisb starts at a higher level than Micah, but neither of them are really intended for combat.


Speaking of monsters, the Wooly festival is coming up. Clearly Link is a shoo-in here.


But that's tomorrow. For now, let's check out our new crafting stations. I'm not sure of the wisdom of having a forge in the middle of a literal tree house, but Wells insists it's fireproof, so...


One nice thing about the non-cooking stations is that failures don't waste your ingredients. This will be very handy for grinding skills later on.


You can make base weapons with simple materials, but more advanced weapons need you to make lower-level weapons first.


The hell are you doing out here! Get back in your hovel!

(Monsters will let themselves outside sometimes. They won't do anything unless you assigned them a job, so this is just an annoyance.)


Today's round of Buffamoo wrangling goes much more smoothly.


If you ride a monster, your attack is replaced with its basic melee attack. Sorry, no jousting from cowback.


Oh, yes. Yes we are.

Every villager has a unique reaction to seeing Link in his Wooly form. Thankfully none of them involve trying to murder him.


Not sure what I was expecting there.



Bah.
... (I probably shouldn't...)

A lot of these are just variations on "oh, cute, a wooly." I'm sticking to the most interesting reactions.





I think someone needs a break from forging.


If you remember, Shara saw Link's Wooly form in the intro of the game. Seems like she still recognizes it.


Excuse me, but this Wooly is actually a judo master and



Wait, or is it a golden Wooly Furball?
Bah?!


Uncute? Are you even trying, Sherman?

How about it? Would you like to enter our town festival and get shaved?
B-Bah. (I-I'll pass.)


Marjorie, you were supposed to be the cooler old person in town. How could you do this to us?



And by "cute," I mean TASTY! Time to DIG IN, baby!
Baa?!

OK, maybe one of these involves attempted murder.



I wonder if human shots work on Woolies...
Bah?!



...?
So cute! But the color could be better. I'll dye you rainbow colors!



Music: Sol Terrano Desert


Aaaand running the hell away. I should check in on my new monster friends, anyway.



What is it?
I wanted to ask you to run an errand for me.
An errand?
Yes, an errand. Can you do it?
Umm...
Oh, you do not have to if you do not want to.
That's okay..I'll do it.
Thank you. You would be a great help.
I'm not really familiar with the paths around here.
Do not worry. I will send a guide. Have you met Zaid?

>Yes

Good. I have already talked to Zaid. Please go see him when you are ready.
Okay.

But first, it's naptime.







Then let's go!
Okay!
First we're going to get some Dragon Bones! We'll find them in the southeast part of the desert. Let's go!


Zaid is really just coming along as a crutch character, since the player likely hasn't had time to get Wooly form combat up to speed yet. His level is in the mid-20s, so he can hold his own here.



But we'll need to beat the monsters first.
You got it. Alright, Link Get to it!
What?! Just me?!
*sigh* ...Fine. I guess I'll help.


Link's kind of a glass cannon since I haven't upgraded his armor yet. Everything here hits hard, but combos and throws make short work of enemies.


Once you've cleared the room, you can grab your prize.

Found it?
I think so. Is this what we're looking for?
Bingo! Let's go take it to Kuruna!



Yes, it's a flower that grows on a giant cactus southwest of here.
And that's what we need to get? Okay!
Thank you. I'm counting on you too, Zaid.
No problem!! You've got the right dwarf for the job!


In this screen, you can find fish. In the sand. Don't ask questions.


Mind your step around the sheep-eating plants.


I could, or...


...I could dash right to the chest, which has a spell in it. I have no idea if this is a good spell or not, because I don't really bother with magic in any of the RF games. (I'll show it off for the LP, at least)


Everything here easily kicks my ass anyway. Luckily, this 'quest' doesn't have a time limit and it doesn't block the normal mailbox/bulletin board quests. It can wait until I craft some better gear.


Zaid is not amused.