Part 115: Pterobronc, Patty's home, and a Gate into the past

Hey there! Today, we'll finish up the sidequesting for now.

First we have the next part of the Guild Quest events, starting in Dahngrest.



Dyne!
Who might this be?
I'll do the introductions. This is Dyne from the Hunting Blades. He really took care of me while I was in that guild. These are the rest of my guildmates in Brave Vesperia.
I'd heard you started up a guild of your own after our darling Nan gave you the boot. So? Things going well so far?
Yeah, we're getting by.
Karol...
Huh...? What's up?
You sure this is okay...? You've got a bit of a rocky history with the Hunting Blades, don't you...?
I what...? Oh, Dyne's not like that at all.



Not me though. I was a fair bit like him when I got started, so I could relate.
Huh.
Glad to see you seem to be getting along just fine with your new group here.
Yeah, we're giving it our best shot.
...Oh, say, I actually have a bit of a favor to ask you all.
What is it?



The Chief and Tison are off on another job, so I can't ask them.
So you want us to help you out?
That's about the half of it, I guess.
Well, should we take the job?
Oh yeah, you'll do it?
Sure, a friend of Karol's is a friend of ours. Just let us know what you need done.



Whoa, Karol, listen to you sounding all grown up. All right then, you all'd better make sure and get yourselves good and ready. This guy's the real deal.
Right.
My client's waiting for me at Mantaic, so I'll go on ahead.

Dyne leaves.

He did say Mantaic, right?
Yeah. Anything odd about that?



But Phaeroh's already become Efreet...
So basically, if Phaeroh does turn out to be the target for this job, we'd be better off not taking it.
We have already said we'd do it though, and it is Dyne...
Let's get ourselves to Mantaic. That should help us decide on a course of action.
Sounds good to me.
Let's make sure we have everything we need before we set out.
That's probably not a bad idea.

Off to Mantaic!



While we're here, let's trigger a skit. With the recent recipe from Nam Cobanda, we can create the Udon Noodles Hot Pot recipe.



Cooking this in the desert leads to...

Skit: Hot Food, Hot Sun
Who the hell decided to pan-fry noodles in the middle of a searing hot desert?
People should really give more thought to these decisions...
Yeah. And it's not just hot--this strong taste really dries out your throat, too!
*Woof, woof woof*
I feel like the more I eat, the weaker I get...
I can't stop sweating. Damn it, I can't stop!!
Yuri, you're more worked up than usual...
...Let's just say ya owe us one, boss.
Owe you one?
I see what yer doin', gettin' all worked up.
Ya said yourself yesterday that ya wanted some noodles.
So did ya make 'em yerself? Did ya ask someone else ta do it? Hmm?
...Sorry. I guess fried noodles really aren't good for eating in the desert.
*...Whine*


Anyway, we're here for a sidequest.



Maybe we just got here ahead of him.



F-forgive me. Me and my guys are pretty much done for...
What happened?! Did you already go up against the monster...?!



I'm not too much the worse for wear, but the others are lucky if they can manage to stand up...
Sucks to be you guys.
You're telling me...
We'll just have to cool our heels here until you guys are feeling better.
Fortunately, there doesn't seem to be any sign of the monster.
That's actually a bit of a problem.



Okay, now this is officially a mess.
And I have a suspicion our client is the type who's never really held a sword. I can only hope he's still all right... I'd like to go to his rescue right now, but in this condition...
Which way did the monster go?
He flew off straight north from here.
Flew...?
Going north from here would take us right to Mt. Temza.
Could it be that huge monster the last time we were there?
...Just might be.
...Oh no, my stomach...! I've gotta run... Good luck...!



So, Mt. Temza. Let's go see what we can find out.
Right.


The monster in question isn't very hidden.





Dang! That thing's huge...! That's gotta be the monster that chased us when we were here for the Everlight...
And what about the kidnapped client...?
He's nowhere in sight.
Ya don't think he ended up as a snack, do ya...?
Maybe we'll get a better idea if we take a closer look.
You're right.



Nobis?! That guy is Dyne's client?
He's the one with the Soul Smiths, right?
We should probably help him out before he becomes lunch.
Here we go!

Watch the battle!



It's a Giganto! It's also not a very exciting fight.



















My...my Everlight. Is it safe...?
You're kidding. You mean you haven't given that up yet?
Some people never learn.
No matter how important it might be to you, you'd have to be crazy to face a monster like this on your own. This isn't something worth throwing your life away for!
Come on Estelle, cut him a little slack.
But he was hurt as it was, already, and he came here despite that...
Please...forgive me... But I must...take this back with me... Aah...!
Nobis, hang on!





Wait, we need some evidence that we beat the monster... It's all about evidence... Here, this oughta do.



Nobis may not make it if we don't hurry. Are we finished here?



We took him down, check it out!
That confirms it. Nice work, kid.
Is this guy your client?
Yeah, that's him. I just don't get it. He really had it in for that monster. Not that he ever had a snowball's chance in hell of winning.
He must have really wanted that Everlight badly...
What is it about Everlight that would make him risk winding up like this? Not that he's in a position to tell us at the moment.



I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious myself, though. At least he ended up getting what he wanted. Hopefully this means his days of being a nutcase are behind him.
And how are you feeling?
Me? I'm fit as a fiddle again. Afraid I can't say the same for my buddies yet, though. You really saved our butts this time. Hope this shows you guys how much we appreciate it.

8000 Gald!

I'll look after mister reckless here, myself. Thanks again, Karol. You've really learned a thing or two.
Take care of yourself, Dyne.


And that's it for 360 sidequests. Before we switch over to the PS3 version, I'll make a quick trip back to Relewiese to pick up the treasure chests we couldn't get before.







With the Sorcerer's Ring Level 4 we can burn this plantlife, making this place even more brown.







We can also burn these rocks...? Uh sure I guess.















And that should be everything.






No Skills.
















PS3 wise, our first stop is Zaphias, where we stay a night in Yuri's house.







Having trouble sleeping?
Mmm? Not exactly...



Will you go back to the castle when that happens?
Yeah, I'll have to. ...What are you going to do?
Help with the reconstruction of Aspio, I suppose.
Well then, I'll go and help, too!
A princess can't exactly go wandering around doing whatever she wants.
Oh, I forgot...

...Will you still be my friend after I go back to the castle?



No, I won't!
Even if His Dumbness becomes the emperor somehow, you won't exactly have your hands free. Running a kingdom is a lot of work. You won't be able to just do whatever you want. You'll have new stuff coming up day in and day out, and you'll be up to your neck in people's problems. And in the meantime, all of those memories you have of me will be thrown to the farthest reaches of your memory, like sand on the wind...
B-but...



What...?
I said, I'll go and visit you!
Rita...!
Don't misunderstand me. It's not because I'll be lonely or anything.
I understand. ...Rita, you're a good person!
Will you cut that out? I'm not anything like a good person!
All good people deny being good. Just like that. Only good people act like bad ones. Like you, for example.
You could really say that about a lot of people in our party, couldn't you?
Ah ha ha, come to think of it, everyone's like that, aren't they?
...Do you mind if I ask again? ...Will you always be my friend?
So long as you don't forget about me.
I won't!



Forever?
Forever and eeeever!
Oh boy... That sounds like a long time...



Aww.

This event exists on the 360 disc, but is unused. Not sure why.


Next stop is spending a night in Capua Torim's inn.




Karol is so annoying...
...Tired...so tired...
Is he talking in his sleep again?
Yeah...
Jus' give 'im a whack on the head. Serves 'im right.
No, that's mean. I've got a better idea. One that will work for both us and Karol.
What is it?
...No, look out... Everyone, it's dangerous... Come on...



Come back after you've had more training, I say!
Get lost, you filthy curs!
Damn it... If only...he were here...
It's okay... I'm sure... he'll come soon...
...Let's call him... Let's call his name...
...Karol... Karol... Come quickly...!
...We need...your help... ...At this rate...we're finished...

I have to go... I have to go save everyone! If I don't get out of here... Everyone's in danger...!








Ow ow owww...



...I, uh...everyone...? Where is everybody?

...Hmmm... ...You know, this isn't half bad...



*Whistle*





You're all so mean... And I was going to save all of you, too...
That's the first we've heard of that, dreamin' boy...
Hey, no sweat, right? It looks like you've taken a fancy to that getup, too.
A f-f-fancy?! That's not true!

Oh Karol, don't hide it! Haha. This event also exists on the 360 disc in an unused form.


While we're here, let's pay a visit to the town's lighthouse.





Patty! Where have you been?
Sorry for being a stranger. I've been traveling to get my memory back.
You disappeared so suddenly, we were all worried.
Who are they?
They're the ones who picked me up while I was wandering around after losing my memory.



I'm not sure if you'd call us friends or maybe just fellow travelers.
We're friends, right?
He's my husband.
Oh, my goodness! I'm happy you found someone for you. Does that mean your memory has come back?
Memory is like a boisterous wave. It comes and goes as it pleases.
Is that... so? Well, anyway, it's nice that you found some friends. Oh yeah, your room up above is just how you left it.
Thank you.



Um, has she told you everything about herself? You know, she's...
What do you mean, everything?



You mean, about Aifread?
Yes, yes. That's right. I see. Despite all that, you're still traveling with her?
We just don't consider that enough of a reason to leave her behind.
Aren't you the same? You lent her the second floor of your house.
Yes, well, you see, the guilds have a lot of influence over this town.
Yeah, people from the guilds treat her poorly because they see Aifread as the man who stepped all over their beliefs.
That's exactly why I always told her that she shouldn't tell people about who she is. I really think there's something up with that girl, though, to quibble over such small things all the time.
Got that right.
Anyway, you can all consider yourselves at home here too.
Thanks, Ma'am.

This scene confused me until I realized that the woman is not talking about the Patty Is Aifread thing, but rather about Patty being related to Siren's Fang and Aifread. Just in case anyone else did that as well.

You can actually trigger it way earlier than I did here it seems, since there's alternate lines for Patty's reply about if she got her memory back.


If we go up into Patty's room, we can examine a couple of her things.



Aye. Feel free to relax.




Oh, I think it's cute!
Right on, Judy, you really get it!
What is wrong with you two?




This is Siren's Fang's crest, ain't it?
The design is a combination of an anchor and a skull.
Hm, I feel like I've seen that part at the top. The part that looks like a pair of spread wings.
Yeah, now that ya mention it...




Aye. There are stairs that lead right up to the top of the lighthouse.
What?! I wanna climb up!
Unfortunately, it's off-limits to the general public.
Aww... That's too bad...
It's still nice, because it's a way to get outside. It's great for getting a nice breath of fresh air. You can smell the ocean.




Say, doesn't this picture look a lot like Seifer? The guy we saw on Atherum?
Pretty sure that's actually him.
Aye. I was always looking for him. I was under the false impression that he was my grandfather.
So you thought that Seifer was your grandfather and that he was Aifread, but it turned out you were really Aifread and... huh?



But how did you originally end up thinking that?
I suppose I must have picked up some bad information somewhere.
Siren's Fang was a pirate guild, so they had limited contact with people on land. Seifer's job was to take care of relations on land. So most people probably thought he was actually Aifread.
What great skills of deduction you have, old man!
What's stupid is that Aifread herself thought Aifread was someone else at all.
Aye, got that right.
She's talking about you, you know.
Huh? Oh, I guess you're right. But what could I do? My memories were a mess. I thought that if I found the Maris Stella, I could see Aifread.
Now that ya mention it, guess the Maris Stella wasn't one of yer hidden treasures at all.



You're still talking about yourself, you know.
But still, that means the Maris Stella meant a lot to you.
When did you get your memory back, anyway? I couldn't tell at all.



You mean the grave site inside the cave on the beach with the red flowers?
That long ago? I didn't notice at all...
So Seifer was the one who made those graves.
Aye. Back then, I was such a mess that I couldn't do a thing. Now that I'm better, I'll have to go back some day. I'll pray for everyone there, in Seifer's place.
Sounds like a plan.


"I'll have to go back some day", huh? Well, let's do just that.





...Hey, Patty. There's something that's been bothering me. Do you mind?
What is it?
So, Seifer made this graveyard, right?
Aye, that's gotta be it.



Why did everyone on board turn into monsters?
I've put some thought into it since we met Seifer. I've read about cases where a strong, sudden influx of aer was run through a specimen's body, turning them into a monster of sorts. It's rare, but I think that could have been what happened.
But who would do such a thing? And why?



Never thought his name would come up again...
Originally, Siren's Fang was guarding the Black Hope by Alexei's request. Alexei probably used some formula at that time.
So Alexei used the people on board as guinea pigs.
How horrible...
I see. Now everything makes sense.
How so?



He must have needed a Child of the Full Moon as powerful as Estelle to resurrect Zaude.
You're saying all those people were turned into monsters for Alexei's ridiculous scheme? Seifer was forced to take up his sword against all those people, because killing them was the only way to stop their suffering!
And that's why Aifread had such a bad reputation.
You don't need to worry about me. The people on board Black Hope suffered the most. What's more, Seifer and all my shipmates took the brunt of everything.
Compared to them, I... I should have been the one to do it. But I was injured and couldn't... It's so frustrating.
Patty...
But, Alexei's dead now. Everything's been taken care of.



Aye.
So, in other words you could call this place Seifer's Graveyard.
Seifer's Graveyard?
Maybe Seifer wanted to erase himself from the world completely when he took on that form.
Which would mean he was digging his own grave here at the same time.
Seifer...
Are you going to cry again?
I'm not going to cry. "When the going gets tough, the tough don't cry!" is my motto, you know!
All right then, let's get going.






And lastly, let's check out a new thing that was added over in Nam Cobanda.





Battle after battle, what do the strong seek to protect? What will they sacrifice for that power?



M-maybe he's a fortune teller?
Oh, I love fortune telling.
Nay. I cannot tell your fortune.
You can't? Oh, I see. You read palms, not fortunes. Rita, let's get him to read our palms!
How is palm reading any different from fortune telling?
Allow me to open the gate to the darkest memories sleeping within your heart, that you may test yourself against them.



Huh? This costs chips?
One gate, 300 chips!!
Wha-what a shock.
Test ourselves against some dark memory? Do you mean you're selling us the ability to fight some enemy we've already fought before?
Correct. Additionally, once you have paid to open a gate, there will be no charge to enter it again.
So we pay you once per gate, and then we can fight whatever's behind it as many times as we want? Might as well give it a shot.
Right now, we're giving all newcomers a free trial. If you like what you see, come partake in our services again! For 300 chips.
Oh, a deal for newcomers? Well, why not? Let's do it!
Now then, choose which darkness you shall face.



This works pretty much as you'd expect.



You can use whatever party in whatever battle you want.



Boss stats are entirely unchanged, and in-battle events still happen as if you were at the right point in the story.



And also, you get no experience, money, or items from this. So you may wonder, what's the point?



But it looks like we don't get any experience or money for fighting them. Seems kind of pointless.
Well I don't think that makes it pointless.
Got that right. We might just get a trophy for achievin' somethin' great here! Seems like a pretty good attraction ta me!
Huh? What?
Guess everyone's got their own way of looking at it. Well, the option's always here if we ever feel like it.
The toll to open another door will be 300 chips.

Well, Raven kindly hinted at it: You can use it to get the Secret Missions you missed. Which is pretty useful!

That said, I'm not sure if getting the missions here counts for the 'get all missions in one playthrough' sidequest event, I'd have to test that. I assume it does, though.






And that's it for today! Next time, we gather up the important people of the world and start preparing for the final battle.