Part 11: Ingredient Gathering in Quoi

On the way back to the woods, a skit pops up.

Skit: Karol and Repede
Wh-what's the matter, Repede?
Grrr...
Wh-why are you mad?
H-hold on! You...you don't want to eat me, do you?!
H-help me, Yuri!
Something the matter, Karol?
It's...it's nothing. Heh, ha ha ha ha...
Talk about mood swings...




Watch the cutscene!



Hey, I've been wondering... How come you guys--and Repede too, I guess--all have blastia? Aren't bodhi blastia pretty rare? I didn't think many people had them.
You have one too, though.
I belong to a guild. Sometimes we get a chance to get one. And Ruins' Gate keeps finding more. That's a guild that excavates blastia.
Huh, there are even guilds that dig up blastia from ruins?
If there weren't, then the empire would control all the blastia. Normal folks wouldn't get any.
"The empire regulates the ancient blastia artifacts due to their potential danger" I think that makes sense. If blastia weren't regulated, anyone could use dangerous magic.



Uh, I don't know about...

So anyway, what's your story? How'd you get yours?
I used to be in the Imperial Knights. This was a going-away present. Repede got his as a keepsake of his old owner.
A going-away present? Sounds more like you stole it to me. ...So, what about you, Estelle?
Uh, I got mine from, uh...
Look at her. She's a noble. They all have these.
I knew you were a noble! Well, at least one of you has some class.
Yeah, yeah. Let's go get that nia fruit.


The dungeon is exactly the same as before, so not very interesting. We have to make our way to where our party rested earlier.


Skit: Getting to Know Repede
...
Do you mind if I scratch behind your ears?
...
Oh, I'm sorry. I guess it's still too soon for me to pet you.
Let's start over by getting to know each other a little better.
...
So then...

Repede starts to walk away.

My name is Estellise. You knew that already, right?
Huh? Repede...?
Introducing yourself to an invisible friend?
Ohhh, I won't give up!


Estelle learns two new artes here:




One is Star Stroke, which is pretty much a slow Demon Fang: A shockwave that travels along the ground until it hits an enemy, or has travelled a certain distance.



The other is Barrier, a spell that raises one character's defense temporarily.


Skit: Eat or Be Eaten
Monsters are easier to beat than I thought...
Isn't that better than being harder than you thought?
But I feel sorry for them...
*Whiiine*
...You're way too nice.
I don't particularly enjoy being someone else's dinner.
You're right... This is different from inside the castle... The strong eat the weak.
Well, we're not gonna be eating any of these monsters.
*Woof!*
...I...I won't hesitate to defeat any monsters!
But I will never forget what I fought or where I fought it.
Well...suit yourself, I guess...
Then, when I return to the capital, I will make graves in memory of all the monsters I've killed.
I...uh...I guess you could do that...
...I don't understand this girl at all...
*Whiiine*


Once we reach the place where we rested, Yuri picks up a Nia Fruit on the ground there.



Obtained Nia Fruit.
Next up is the eggbear claw.
Are we going to walk around the woods and look for an eggbear?
No, we'll never find one that way.
Yeah? What'll we do then?
Hand me a nia fruit, would you? I'm going to use it to lure out the eggbear.
The eggbear has very unusual tastes, you see.

Yuri throws him the fruit.





Jeez, you smell horrible!
ME? The smell isn't coming from me!



Please tell us when you're going to do something like that.

Repede collapses.

Oh, no! Repede!
Everyone keep a lookout! An eggbear could come out anytime now. And they're famous for their terrible ferocity.
So then, Captain Karol, I'm assuming that you're going to lead the charge against this terribly ferocious monster?
Of course! But I could use a hand from you, Yuri.
I'll help too. Oh, and Repede also.
Well then, how about we have a bit of a walk around the forest?




Skit: A Nia Fruit? Here?
Why would a nia fruit be lying on the ground in the forest? I didn't see a nia tree nearby...
Oh, that'd be the monsters in the forest. It's how they mark their territory.
Can we really just take it, then? ...I suppose there's no way for us to ask permission.
Yeah, I don't really speak "monster." Karol, they don't teach that in your guild, do they?
The Hunting Blades hunt monsters! We don't need to waste time making friends with them!
...That's a shame.


Just a few steps ahead...

Watch the cutscene and battle!



Suddenly, we hear some rustling in the bushes up ahead.

B-be on your guard, everyone. It's r-really ferocious...!



The star always performs the finishing blow, everybody knows that!

And a monster appears!





Aaah!
T-that's an eggbear...?
Well, I have to hand it to you, Captain Karol, operation stink bomb was a smashing success.
Hey, d-don't go giving my plan weird names.
Stand up straight when you say stuff like that.


Miniboss time!




This guy is really uninteresting, he doesn't even have a single named attack. The monsters he brings with him are random encounters from the woods, so overall this is a fairly easy battle.



He does hit kinda hard, but nothing Estelle or an Apple Gel can't cure.



He goes down before too long.



See? You see what I did? That was nothing!
*whine*
Repede helped too.
...Thanks.




What?! A-anybody can do that. It just comes right off.
Here, let me help too...
...Ugh.
Estelle, why don't you guard the perimeter.
R-right.
Y-you're sure it's totally dead, right?

Karol moves towards the eggbear, while Yuri steps back.




Wow, Captain. If I didn't know you were just goofing around, I'd swear you were really scared.



Yuri goes ahead and fetches the claw.



Obtained Eggbear Claw!
How's the nose, Repede? All right, let's head back..


Skit: Imperial Chef
Yuri, the food you cooked was so delicious! It might even be better than the chefs in the castle!
*Woof!*
Flattery will get you nowhere, you know.
Yuri, how about you become a cook in the castle? I'll write you a recommendation!
*Woof, woof*
You really know how to compliment a guy, Estelle.
You would have to do something with your hair, though. The kitchen staff is very strict.
Just how serious are you?

And that's all we can do here. Let's head back to Halure...




You've gotta be kidding me. Leblanc followed me all the way outside the barrier?
Uh, what? Who followed you?
Oh, just some guys from the Imperial Knights...
Hah hah, yeah, right, the Knights are chasing their own former member.



Wait, seriously?!
(offscreen) I-I say, c-come out now, will you?
(offscreen) Sh-show yourself now and we-we'll spare you a pummeling!
(offscreen) Shaking in your boots at mere rumors...and you call yourselves knights of the Schwann Brigade.
...So, what're they after you for? Vandalism? Fraud? Smuggling? Robbery? Murder? Arson?
Umm, it's really just for jailbreak... Anyway, let's bolt!



We can't do that! It'll get in the way of other people passing through!
Who's gonna be passing through? These woods are "cursed," remember?

Yuri, Estelle and Repede start to leave.

Waah, wait up!


Skit: Barrier Blastia
Even though Deidon Hold was struggling without a barrier, they'd have had issues even with one.
Yes, barriers really do have a big impact on people's day-to-day lives.
Well, they keep people safe from monsters just by being there. It's no surprise it changes things.
I want to help heal Halure's tree as soon as possible so that everyone can feel safe again.

Next time, we'll go back to Halure to heal the tree!