Part 11: Juno

Chapter 6- Juno

Tuesday

Afternoon

Well, that could have gone better. Yeah, we could have wiped them out. You know that's not what I meant.

Well, we headed towards the Oceanside where we had been told the Nereids would be. We ran into some trouble on the way, though...

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You're horrible! I can't believe you'd try to leave me behind again!
You told us to go on ahead...
Hey kid, did you hear all that snoring as we were leaving? Who was that, do you remember?
I was just exhausted, that's all!
Which is your fault, for making me do all the work around here!
You'll sleep your entire life away, cow.
Do you guys always act like this?
It's how we show we care...
Must be pretty tough...

That was when a little kid came running out. I still have no idea what his deal was.



Yo, who's the brat?
Oh, um... I found him a ways back. It seemed dangerous so I figured I'd bring him along.
Danger- what's wrong with you?! It's even more dangerous here!
Did you forget that we're about to go to war?!
War...?
Don't waste your breath, pal. Nothing between her ears but the wind.
Well how the heck was I supposed to know?! Nobody told me about any war!
So then, who are we supposed to be fighting?
The Nereids.



We don't have a lot of people, so I think we're gonna try a surprise attack.
Ooh...
Hey, hey! You've got some time, right? Why not play with me a while?
I'm gonna run away, and you guys try and catch me!



Hey, don't go that way!
Didn't you hear the part about us and war?!
Hahaha! Catch me if you caaan!
Ahh! Somebody save me! Oh no! I'm gonna get tagged! Hahaha!
Hey! Hold on!
Just let him go. He'll leave us alone if we ignore him. Gah!

Levin and Danette ran off after the kid. And right into a band of thugs. I'm going to call it now, those cows are going to keep doing this as long as you're traveling with them. Oh, now that's not... You know I'm right. Yeah, probably are. I'm still not leaving them behind, though.

Anyway, we chased the kid for quite some time...

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Y-you... you're the Nereids!
We're not in the business of kidnapping brats, lady!
In fact, you can think of us as... Nereid exterminators.
Exterminators?
And you were hired by those royal monkeys, I suppose?
Not exactly.
Right. Well, who cares who sent you.
It's clear you're nothing more than hired muscle.



Is that supposed to frighten me?
You must have thick skulls indeed to challenge us with such a puny force.
Everyone, to me!



There were an awful lot of Nereids. They were more powerful than I'd have expected, even if they were no match for my strength. Levin and Vitali really pulled their weight here. They displayed some kind of crazy combination attack.



Feinne on Soul Nomad:

There are a few types of combo skills. Certain story characters have combo skills with other characters (mostly with the main character, although as we see here Levin and Vitali have one. There are a few other characters like this as well). There are also combo skills unlocked by having a certain number of a single class in a unit. These are often extremely powerful, and I'll be showing off a few of them for sure later on.

Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

After we'd beaten about half the enemy force, it seemed they'd had enough. Is everyone you fight a worthless coward or is it just me?



Ng... what interest do you outsiders have in our affairs?
This is between us and them, you understand? It doesn't concern you!
We're here to destroy the World Eater. Why would you get in our way?
Wait, what? They're trying to kill the World Thingy too?
I think I understand...
Maybe these people aren't our enemies...
Everyone, retreat!
We must regather our forces!
Oh no you don't! You're not getting away that easy!
Levin, do not push ahead too far.



Hey! They're getting away!
Dammit! What was that all about?
Who the hell was that?
And how'd they get the drop on us?
We were supposed to ambush them!
God, you're friggin' dumb.
Must run in your stupid cow blood.
...Why are you looking at me like that?
I know how they caught us off-guard.



What?! You think that sweet, harmless little child ratted us out?
But... he was a boy! And boys can't be Nereids!
Wow, I'm shocked... You actually remembered a whole fact!
Quiet, you...
I remember all kinds of stuff.
But no, the kid isn't a Nereid. But if that thickheaded jerk hadn't chased after him, we wouldn't have been caught.
Hey, moron. Are you always like this, or did you just wake up on the wrong side of stupid this morning?
Sh-shut your hole!



Holy crap, I didn't even see you there.
Wh-who cares?! Let it go! Stop living in the past! We gotta figure out what to do now. Do we go after 'em?
We can't go into the ocean, but we can probably catch up to their reinforcements.
With my speed, there's no way they'll get away from us!
Oh yeah! I was always good at running!
Oh, sure. You go on ahead. We'll be right behind you.
We should head back.
Whaa?



So we headed back to Astec. You know, I have to admit that Vitali guy is way less of a failure than the cow twins. Yeah, he even manages to sneak up on you. I was, um, not paying attention. I'll catch him for sure next time.

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Roughly half their force escaped unharmed.
Oh, that's fine. I had no intention of exterminating them all.
Was that really the right thing to do?
What do you mean? Of course it was. They were a threat.
Anyway, thanks for your help. We couldn't have done it without you. And now, for your reward.
Oh, and I've also prepared a little parting gift.
Ohh, more hotpods! Come to papa!
Hey gramps, you're an alright guy!
Don't just scarf them down! You have to savor them!
And you, stupid cow! Don't go getting' any ideas! These are all mine!
If you so much as touch them, you'll wake up with one less tongue.



By the way, it seems you folks have your sights set on the World Eater. Is that correct?
Where did you hear that?
Hehe... You forget, I'm paid to know things. Never underestimate my reach, young one.
Heh. You're pretty slick for an old guy.
Anyway, my point is... When I found out, I was deeply moved.
I didn't think there was anyone in this day and age who would have the courage to attempt the impossible.
It would be my honor to assist you and help in any way possible.



You think I want you to get devoured? I'm crafty, yes, but not devious.
It's quite simple. My town and its business would greatly benefit from the removal of that monstrosity.
Let me think... what would be a proper sign of good faith?
Ah! To prove that I'm serious, how about I let you keep the servants you took with you?
Eh?!
Now hold on just a damn minute! You said this was temporary!
Now you're tellin' me I gotta leave my home and go traipsing around with these goons?
And you're askin' me to leave my sister behind...



Your talents are much better spent with them than sitting around here worrying about your sister.
But she means more to me than anything!
To try and force me to abandon her now? That's just... just... cruel!
Come now, Levin. Calm down.
Has she not grown stronger recently? You must stop using her as an excuse and venture out into the world.
B-but...!
Hold on just a sec, gramps. We haven't even said yes. Why the hell would I take this two-cent chump with me?
I mean, at least if he wasn't such a yellow-belly coward who wets himself at his own shadow, I'd think about it.



In fact, I'm the best martial artist in all of Astec! You can ask anyone!
And just what the hell is wrong with loving my sister?! Why should I feel ashamed of that?
It's my job to take care of her! She needs me! I can't just pack up and take off!
...
Would you still feel this way even if your sister wanted you to go?
What? What're you talkin' about?
She wants you to go and see the world beyond the castle gates.
Even if she can't go herself, she wants you to experience what the world has to offer.
You know what I think? You're just trying to pawn this useless sack of cow crap onto us.



Uh huh. So you're not just trying to get rid of your bed-wetting, sister-loving, retarded bag of manure? Suuure.
I think he stopped listening...
*mumble mumble* For real? She really said that? But why...? Sis...
Dammit, fine! I'll go! I'm freakin' gone! You happy now?
But I'm telling you right now. You better take care of her. Promise me!
Of course, I promise.
Damn. Guess I better get used to the smell.

It was then that another earthquake hit. They've been getting more and more frequent, as I'm pretty sure I mentioned earlier. Yeah, that's a surprise. Heh. Wait. Do you know anything about it? How would I know anything? I've been cooped up in a sword for two hundred years.



Hm, I see. I just assumed it was the World Eater tossing in its sleep. Hehe.
Servant: Pardon the interruption...
Master Christophe... *whisper whisper*
Chistophe: Hm. This should be of great interest to you, I think.
The World Eater has awakened. It's gone berserk.
Will you go to it?
We'll leave immediately.
Alright! That's the spirir! The sooner the better, I say!



Ugh. Is that all you think about?
Mrg... *gulp*
There, now there's no more hotpods! Now let's get outta here!
You... you animal!
What the hell have you done?!

So, let me sum up what we did today. We got led into a trap by a little kid because Levin's legs are faster than his brain, we got in a fight with people who should probably be on our side, and then we found out the World Eater's awake. Don't forget that not only did we not get paid, we got stuck with even more dead weight. Although I gotta say, the hotpods were worth it.

And that's where we stand. I really hope Feinne's calmed down by the time we get there, I can't see a second round with her going any differently at the moment. Well duh. She's one of my World Eaters. I know. I know. You don't have to keep belaboring that, Gig.

Oh, and we've got a few new options to consider for recruitment since we arrived in Astec.

Bareknuckle



Bareknuckles are Sepp martial artists. Levin's a particularly strong one. They seem to focus more on being tough and hitting hard than defense. They're otherwise pretty similar to swordsmen in practice.

Bandit



Bandits are Sepps that have fallen on hard times. They make up for their lack of defense by being hard to hit, and units they lead have the ability to fade from view. This can make tracking them down a pain, although it's not impossible.

Archer



Archers are humans with incredible ranged skills. They especially excel in the middle rank, where they can pepper an entire enemy rank with arrows. They're fragile, although not as bad as a Pyremage.

Well, we're breaking camp and continuing on to Raide. Hopefully we can get to the bottom of what's going on and solve the problem before the World Eater wrecks everything. No big loss if we can't, though.