Part 13: Aspio

Watch the cutscene!



It looks like this is Aspio...
It's so gloomy and damp here... It's giving me the chills, too.
It's because the city is in a cavern.
I wonder if the lack of sun drives the people here to do shady things... Like stealing blastia cores.



Aspio is a pretty small town, but seemingly fairly important if the Empire has guards stationed in front of the gate. Let's try to enter.



Our...passport?
Knight B: This is an Imperial facility. We can't just let anyone inside, can we?
Passport? You don't have one of those, do you?
An associate of ours is inside. Could you please let us through?
Knight B: If you filled out the official visitation paperwork, then you ought to have gotten your passport from this "associate" of yours.
This is the first we've heard, though. If you won't let us in, perhaps you could call him to the gate for us?
Knight A: What's your associate's name?
Mordio.




Knight B: W-we can't help you. You'll need to mail in a request and have a passport officially issued to you.
Damn, don't budge an inch, do you?
Excuse me, but did a knight by the name of Flynn happen to stop by here?
Knight A: All information about the establishment is classified. We cannot share even small details with outsiders.
So you can't even tell me why Flynn was here?
Knight A: No, of course not.
...So what you're saying...is that Flynn really did come here!



Knight A: I-I don't know who you're talking about! A knight named Flynn? N-never heard of him!
Could we at least leave him a message?
Give it up, Estelle. We'd have more luck asking a brick wall for help.





But Flynn's inside...
What, we're just going to give up?
I'm not going to give up! I'm going to see Flynn!
And I'm going to take back that blastia from that thief Mordio, and give him a beating he won't forget.
So can't we look for another way in?
Of course we can. Let's take a stroll around, why don't we?




There's only one other way to go, to the left.



Apart from a door, we can find this weird thing:



Examine it, and...




It's the Wonder Chef!


Wonder Chef: Ke ke ke... Ah Ha ha ha ha ha ha! At last! Someone found me!! I've been waiting!! I'm Wonder Chef. I travel the world far and wide, seeking gourmet food and travelers that appreciate the importance of fine dining. You'll usually find me in disguise. A food connoisseur should have no problem seeing through it though. Call it a test if you will. And it seems like you're one of them! Hehe...you've got potential. For that, I'm going to reward you with a recipe!

Learned the recipe for "Salisbury Steak."



Whenever we find the Wonder Chef in a weird, out-of-place object, he'll teach us a recipe. Salisbury Steak is a pretty basic recipe that raises our physical attack a bit for the next battle.

Wonder Chef: I'll give you this so you can practice!

Obtained 3 sets of ingredients for the recipe.

Wonder Chef: For the love of food! Bon appetit! Bwah ha ha ha ha ha ha!

He's a bit insane if you ask me. Anyway, let's check out that door.




I guess we'll have to climb over the wall and open it from the inside.



Let's wait for Flynn to come out, then.
Even if Flynn comes out, it's not like he's going to bring Mordio out with him.
Well, if Flynn comes outside, we can just ask him to let us in, can't we?
He'd never go for a plan like this. He's far too much of a goody-goody.



Karol, what are you doing?



Huh...? Y-you can't do that!
...Your guild specializes in hunting monsters, right? Or are you guys into thieves' guild-type stuff, too?
Heh, umm, yeah... Well, I'm pretty much the only one who can do anything like this.
Well, good job! Shall we?
No, that's bad! We should just wait here for Flynn.
I don't have the patience to wait for Flynn to just happen to walk out of this town by chance. It was unquestioning obedience to laws and authority in times like this that made me quit the Imperial Knights in the first place!
But, but...



Wait, but, but, umm...!! I-I'm going with you!




Man, there are a lot of Mordio look-alikes here, aren't there?



Mage: Wh-what do you want?
Would you happen to know if a knight named Flynn Scifo has come through here?
Mage: Flynn? Ohh, that guy, he was saying something about going to catch someone who'd been vandalizing ruins...
Where is he now?!
Mage: I couldn't say. My research keeps me too busy to pay attention to things like that.
I-I see. ...I'm sorry to interrupt you.
Mage: I'll be taking my leave, then.
Hey, wait up. Tell me one more thing. Is there a famed mage named Mordio around here?



So I was right. You know Mordio?
Mage: ...No, uh, I don't know anything at all. I don't associate with people like that...



Yuri grabs the mage to keep him from leaving, causing him to drop his book.

Mage: What! What is it!
Tell me where the mage is!
Mage: Mordio lives alone in a shack back that way. Go and see for yourself if you want!



Are you sure about this?
Hmm?
Everyone seems to get all out of sorts just from hearing that guy's name. It's weird.
Yeah, doesn't it bother you?
Well, he's a blastia thief. It's no wonder people don't like him.


Skit: An Ex-Knight
You know, Yuri... Your attitude, your behavior, they don't seem very...knightly.
Where'd that come from?
I mean, we're entering the city through a back entrance, like thieves...
This coming from the guy who picked the lock...
I'm just tagging along to find Flynn...and now you've turned me into a thief!
We haven't stolen anything! Sheesh.


There's a shop and an inn here, in case you need them. We can also find this guy here:



Kozakura hangs around most shops in the game and informs you of new things you can synthesize, along with what you need for them and where to get the ingredients. Can be useful, but I usually ignore him and just check the store itself and look through the lists.



Leaving this house into the town proper, we reach the center of town.



The stairs in the back lead to a locked house that's, as far as I know, completely pointless and can't be unlocked. There's also stairs back to the entrance, and a side path, which we're gonna take.




Watch the cutscene!



I guess this is the place...

Yuri tries opening the door. It's locked.

I think people usually try knocking first...
Looks like no one's home. What should we do?
No point in hesitating when you're heading into a den of thieves.
No. I don't want us to commit any more crimes.
I guess that means it's my turn, then.
What...? Your "turn"...? We shouldn't do that either!



Yuri thinks it's completely fine and just enters.

Wait for me!
Please wait! Why does he always do that...?




This is crazy... Who could live in a place like this?
You can pretty much live anywhere you can eat and sleep, if you set your mind to it.
Yuri, don't you have something to say first?
Uh...Hello? We're coming in.
And the door?
Karol here opened your door. Sorry 'bout that.
Honestly, Yuri... Excuse us, is anyone home?
It's a good thing no one's here. That means we get to look for evidence.


Skit: Lots of Books (I think this skit is supposed to show up in the inn/store section of town, guess I wasn't there long enough.)
This city sure has a lot of books.
I'm not really too crazy about reading. I'm gonna have a hard time sleeping in this place.
[ Yeah, you seem like you're too jittery to sit still and look at something for too long.
You're one to talk.
Hey, what happened to Estelle?
She's been over there reading books ever since we got here.
...
Estelle! Time to get going!
...
Once she starts reading, you can't pull her away.
Huh? Did you say something? This seems to be literature from an ancient civilization!
She's not even listening.


We can examine a few things around here:




Oh, check this out. It's a blastia model.
Mmmm... Whoever made this was pretty talented.
It's a model of a grand blastia. It's not working, though.
Grand blastia?
"Grand blastia refers to especially large types of blastia, including but not limited to barrier blastia."
Read that in a book too, huh?




The person who lives here must be quite an ardent scholar.
Just because someone studies hard, that doesn't mean that their actions are right or just.
Hey, the cover's about to fall off this one!
Treat books with respect! Priceless information is written on their pages!
Y-yes...




That's a blastia formula.
Feel free to step inside, if you'd like. Aren't you cold?
I've had enough crimes for today, thank you.
Meh, it's not such a big deal.
Not a big deal? "Breaking and entering is a crime punishable by at least a year in prison and a fine of up to 10,000 Gald!"
Did you notice how messy this writing is? I can write nicer than this!
But they say people with bad handwriting have good hearts.
Well, I have good handwriting and a good heart! How about that?
Estelle, do you know what this formula means?
It resembles a magic circle that uses fire, but I'm not sure...
...But at least you understand it a little bit. It means nothing to me at all.


However, to proceed, we have to examine the pile of books right in the middle.

Watch the cutscene!



Someone emerges from below the books!




Gyaaah! Wh-wh-what is that?!
???: ...Shut up...
Huh? Hey, hold on!
???: Thieves...



No, what're you... Wait!










Huh? Skipping town? Why would I need to skip town?
For stealing the core of a blastia from the lower quarter in the capital. What else?
What? You're calling me a thief. Have you ever heard of "common sense"?
Sure.
So you break into a home, call the owner a thief, and wave a sword in their face. What the hell kind of sense is that?!



And you! Kid! Give him back!!
What do you mean?
The blastia, the blastia!! Give him back to me!



My name is Estellise. We're terribly sorry for barging in on you like this! ...Yuri, Karol, you too.
S-sorry.
So...? What do you want?
Well, you see... Yuri has followed a blastia thief here all the way from the imperial capital.
And?
And that blastia thief...



Was short! And their name was Mordio! So...
Hmm, well Mordio is certainly my name. Rita Mordio, to be exact.
And the height matches up, too.
What do you have to say for yourself?
I told you, I have no idea what you're... ...Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Follow me.
What? Maybe you didn't hear me. We're not finished here...
Just follow me, would you? There's talk that some thieves have turned up in the Shaikos Ruins.

Rita starts going towards the back of her house.




Do you think that knight might have been Flynn?
...It's gotta be. Looks like she shot him down, though.
Hey, remember what that guy outside said about someone vandalizing the ruins?
Which means, the thief who stole the blastia core could be there.
Hmm, maybe...



Rita comes back, with a new (and quite ridiculous) outfit!



Finished chatting? Let's go.
All right, but don't even think of making a break for it.
You don't have to come. If you want, I'll just call the guards.
Why don't we give it a try? It sounds like Flynn might even be there.



Okay, okay. We'll go with you.
The Shaikos Ruins are even further to the east, once you leave the city.

Rita joined the party!

This update's getting a bit long, so we're gonna try out our new party member and go to the Shaikos Ruins next time. Until then!