Part 36: Hey! This is My Story!

"That's the Mana Stone. Sealed inside it is a powerful being, the God-Beast…

"Soon, it will be released from the stone, and the world will return to darkness…"

"That's just incredibly disturbing to hear said straight out like that."



"Relax, we'll make sure that doesn't actually happen… and the first step is finding Jinn."

"Think these footprints might have anything to do with him?"

"Alright, when did you become a tracking expert?"




"…"

"Grrrrr…"



"Buh! Stupid bird! Come back here!"

"I've got this one. Gem Missile!"




"I've really got to learn some magic one of these days."

"I'd offer to teach you, but I'm an even worse teacher than I am a student."



"Jinn, hang in there…"

"Phew! I'm saved!"



"That jerk took my energy and used it to summon a monster!"

"Hmm… he wants the eight Mana Stones, too…?"

"Jinn… we need to ask you a favor… can you help us?"



"Now that's gratitude! Er… sorry we punched you so hard getting rid of that thing."

"Don't mention it. Now, let's blow this joint!"




As a note, you can try to class change now if you want, but you just get a little note about how you need experience. Unfortunately, you aren't told at this point what level is required, so I could see a confused person coming back here repeatedly which each level trying to class change.



"Welcome back!"

"Did you talk to Don Perignon?"

"Yeah! Watch…!"




"That's… great and all, but what exactly just happened?"

"Now, everybody takes a nap!"

"All things considered, that's only fair."



"I was awake when they used the same trick to invade the castle."



"Hey! Lise! They're not all asleep!"



"She really needs some friends to help out with things like this."

"I'd say she's pretty liable to get herself in trouble this way."



"Why do you sound so surprised?"

"I thought it was just gonna be ninjas… they're a lot more fun than monsters."



"Wait, listen! I'm Hawk… I used to be one of them, but now they're after me!"

"A girl named Isabella put everyone under a spell… I'm here to stop her!"

"Uh… I guess we can let you go ahead if that's what you're here for.."



"Isabella… or 'Bigieu' as she calls herself now… was responsible for my friend Eagle's death."

"She also put a curse on his sister, Jessica. If Bigieu dies, Jessica dies as well…"

"Please, if you ever meet Bigieu, don't kill her, just capture her… I know that sounds selfish, but…"

"Sure. Whatever."

"Wait, really?"

"Well.. yeah. None of us have ever heard of this Bigieu."

"We really don't give a shit what happens to her. It's all the same to us if we capture her or kill her."

"Thanks!"



"Someone's here."

"Alert Bigieu…"



"Wait here… leave to us!"

"Thanks…I wish I could go further…"



We've seen this guy before, but observant readers should realize that there's a problem right now. It's daylight, and that's a bit of a disadvantage with Kevin.



The answer is Dreamsee Herb, which was practically ignored last time. Switching day and night means a lot more when one of your characters is a freaking werewolf. As a note, it can only be used outside of battle.



"Imitation is sincerest form of flattery… but that won't stop me from punching your head in!"

"Crap crap crap, get the wolf before he sees it!"

"Wait, what!?"

"Hey, look! A doorway where the monster was!"



"Combine!"

About 12 seconds later… (Really, it was that short. I didn't think about recording it until it was too late. Kevin is a monster.)



"You should be. That was just pathetic."



"Oh, Hawk you're such a ca… wait, who the hell are you?"

"We asked you first!"

"Hahahaha… I am Bigieu. I serve the Dark Prince…"

"Kevin. Heir to the Beast Throne. This is Carlie, grand-daughter of the High-Priest of Wendell, and Angela, Princess of Altena."

"Well, you're certainly a higher class of visitors than I was expecting… did you see Hawk on your way in here, perchance?"

"He asked us to handle this and capture you. Now are you going to give in?"



"W…wait!"



"You're welcome, but.. aren't medals customary in a situation like this?"

"But… It won't bring back Father…"

"This might not have been the best time…"



"She took my kingdom, my father, and my brother… she will never be forgiven…"

"I don't like her… and she seems like the kind who'll come back as soon as you turn around."

"You going after her, Lise?



"Lise… you don't have to. If you want to search for Eliott by yourself, we understand…"

"Eliza… everyone… For my kingdom… I will find Eliott and the Sword of Mana."

"Until I get back… take care."

"Miss Lise! Be careful!"



"Well… good luck with that…"

"Hopefully we find you in better circumstances next time."

"Now that we have the wind spirit's help, let's go back to Forcena!"



"This is your fault!"

"Yeah!"

"Come here, you…"

"N… no! Don't pick on the weak!"



"You remember me?"

"All right… Anybody who hurts that cat will answer to me! Understood?"

"How do we know YOU'RE not one of them, too?"

"Aw, to hell with them both. Let's go!"



"Bigieu used her magic to control everyone… people who tried to resist it were just killed…"

"Jessica was already cursed, so the spell didn't work on her. Bigieu had her put in jail…"

"Then, they fortified the walls. I couldn't do anything about it… They put me under the spell too."



"Bro… I let you down… I couldn't defend Jessica…"

"Wait, how did we end up in the inn?"

"The story was just that riveting. Innkeep, another round!"

"It's not your fault… And don't even think about going back for her! Too dangerous!"



"I guess… back to Forcena?"

"That's about our only option at this point."




"You seem awfully enthusiastic about the Amazon army, old man…"

"You start to get creative thoughts when you're on a boat for months at a time, lass."

"Pervert."



"Free boat rides are even better than regular boat rides!"

"Wait, why is this boat ride free?"

"We got a cargo of rum, and a couple barrels are gonna fall overboard en route, if you catch my drift."



"Oh, god… Kevin, use one of the jars!"

"I thought you liked boats?"

"Urgh… gotta get some fresh air...



"Waaah! I'm scared!"

"Bunch of scaredy cats…"

"I don't like this…"

"Me either! I wanna go home!"



"You mean… There's a spirit on this ship?"

"That's kind of what I said… let's go and find out."

"As long as I get to punch whatever we find, I can't argue with that plan."



"DieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDieDie"



"Good eeeeevening…"

"Hi, I'm Mataro… expert on paranormal activity!"

"Can you believe it!? I'm really a ghost now! And I'm on the Ghost Ship!"

"I've been waiting for this my whole life! Wait till I tell the guys back home…"



"!?!"

"Gah! G… ghost?!"

"Hmm… it looks as if he's transferred his curse over to you. In order to leave the ship, you have to pass it on to someone else…"

"Someone else…?"



"You run away! You be mean to me…!"

"You weren't thinking of sacrificing your friend here, were you?"

"Hahahaha! Of course not… but seriously, Carlie, come over here."

"Waaah! I don't wanna be a ghost!"

"Just stand here and wait. We'll sort this out in a jiffy."



Somebody's watching you… seriously, I love how wonderfully creepy this ship is. It's one of my favorite environments in the game.



There is only one way out…"

"Hah! Just because you're dead doesn't mean I can't kick your ass up over your shoulders!"


So Much Easier

A good supply of Light Coins and someone who can cast Holy Ball turns this from 25 minutes into a bit over 6. It's a pretty dramatic difference. As for the aftermath… well, if you've read this far you know where this is going. We'll pick this up on Bucca.