Part 87: Sidequesting before Zaude, Part 1

Estelle is back! And she even brings some new equipment with her, the stuff she had in that battle against her:


Guardian: Reduces damage taken by allies when they are guarding.


Defend 3: Increases physical defense by 15%. Increase due to equipment not affected.
Resist 3: Increases magic defense by 15%. Increase due to equipment not affected.

Stepping onto the world map, this skit immediately triggers:

Skit: The Meaning of Monsters
We sure have fought a lot of monsters.
Yes, I thought by now they might be more scarce, but...
Heh heh... That sounds like something you'd think, Estelle.
If we could wipe out all the monsters ourselves, we wouldn't need anything like barriers anymore.
But why are there monsters, anyway...?
So that people can defeat them, of course!
I think that's a little extreme...
Well that's the only thing they're good for.
I wonder... It seems there would be some good reason why they exist...
There's no use thinkin' too hard about it. Get started on that train of thought, and you'll soon be askin' yerself why humans exist.
Yes... That's a good question, too...
There you go. Making things more complicated old man.
I was tryin' ta get ya ta stop thinkin' about these things, not think about 'em more...


Alright, now it's sidequesting time! Our first stop is over at Mt. Temza.





Watch the cutscene!



...Bad memories of the Great War?
Yeah, there're those too...



Ah... What are you...?
I mentioned I had a friend that liked this flower, right? My friend is here.
Why would you have a friend here...?
You mean a friend from the Knights...?



...Your friend died in the Great War.
Yeah. Humans...what a sad bunch.
Oh, I didn't realize...
Way better knight than me. Always used the family's famed bow. Man...such a brave knight... Never did find out what happened ta that bow...
Maybe it's still somewhere here in this field...?
Could be. Findin' it would be pretty tough, though. *Sigh*... Thought maybe if I just bummed around, Casey'd get mad enough to come back, but... Heh.
That's so sad...
...Hey hey hey. Don't go gettin' all gloomy on me.
What are you talking about? You're the one who started this sob-fest.
I, uh...sorry.
Anyway... Rest well, Casey. I know you're in a better place.



Hey, something's falling out of the sky.
Huh...?

Raven catches it.

Wh-what is it...?
Oh, you gotta be kiddin'...
So what is it?





But how...?
The ghost of your friend must be watching over you.
Ghost...?! That's impossible! It was just a coincidence!
You call this a coincidence?
Like maybe a bird picked it up, and then dropped it by mistake! Yeah, that's gotta be it!
So...was this Casey friend of yours a woman?
Woman? What? Ooooh, a lady from the old man's past?
Now, Rita, remember your blood pressure...
Oh come on, I want all the juicy details.
Sorry, there ain't much. For starters, another guy already had his heart set on her.
A tale of unrequited love, then?
A love on war's fickle sea... A lady gone too soon... Oh, such a tragedy...
Okay, that's enough... You guys go ahead and think what ya like, though.






Next, a skit about Rita's Mystic Arte triggers:

Skit: Th-thanks...
Rita, that magic you used was amazing!
Wh-what do you mean... That wasn't really anything special!
Are you kidding? It was special! That was really, really cool!
E-enough already. It seriously was not anything special! ...Compared to you...
Oh... I was thinking how lucky I am to have a friend who's so gifted with magic...
R-really...?
Yes, really!
Th-thanks...

Estelle technically hasn't even seen Rita use Ancient Catastrophe. The game kinda doesn't check that when it comes to battle-related skits.


The next event is pretty evil, I believe you have until entering Zaude to get it (a rather short timeframe!), and it's required to unlock the bonus dungeon in the postgame. They fixed that in the PS3 version by, from what I remember, leaving it available for the rest of the game.



It's over in Phaeroh's Crag.

Watch the cutscene!



So why are we here, again?
Don't we have other stuff to do?
Well, we've come this far. It wouldn't hurt to just go and say hello to Phaeroh.
I'm hoping he won't be around...


I like how even the characters can't think of a reason why we would check here.

Well, let's go forward...

Watch the cutscene!



It's like a hole just opened up in the sky...
Oh that... It is a phantom rift. Phaeroh made it.
What the hell is a phantom rift?
Yormgen, the town where we met Duke, was an illusion that Phaeroh made.
There wasn't anything left but ruins that second time we went there...
It kinda makes sense if what we saw in Yormgen was from the same time as the ghost ship.
Besides Duke, that is.
Yeah, that's probably what happened.
And you say Phaeroh made this thing...?
Yes.
It seems like...Phaeroh's not around here anywhere...
...He's not responding to my calls, either.



No!



That stupid kid!







I-I'm okay. That was crazy...



Or, the illusion of it that Phaeroh made.
There's no one around...?
Could Phaeroh be here?
Perhaps.
Let's have a look around.




Yormgen is, indeed, pretty empty. There's no one here, not even in the shop or inn.


Skit: Money Goes 'Round
Money seems to disappear before you know it...
No. It disappears because you use it.
Sure, but if you only use a little at a time, you don't realize how much you're spending.
I guess we've been spending a little too much...
What do you mean? We need to spend more!
Really? But why...?
The more Gald we spend, the more it comes back to us...and it brings its friends, too!
R-really?
How interesting!
Huh...? Rita, your name's on this money...
Exactly. I've been writing my name on our Gald so we'll know when it comes back to us.
And when it does comes back, I bet it'll have doubled, at least.
So go on! Use it!
Heh. What a lovely little fairy tale.




There's someone in the sage's house though!


Watch the cutscene!



We're just travelers passing through.
I'm sorry, but there is no longer an inn or any shops in this town.
Are you here alone?
Yes. It's just me.
...You wouldn't happen to be the sage, would you?
The humans of this town once called me that.



Shh...
This is an illusion Phaeroh made, right...?
So that would mean this is actually the Yormgen of a thousand years ago...
Yeah. I wonder if the lack of a barrier blastia is the reason everyone else took off.



The Children of the Full Moon should never have signed the pact with the Entelexeia.
Pact?
They agreed to bury most of the blastia, with the Children standing watch over the rest.
In order to protect against the Adephagos.



Well, I thought you were perceptive, but now I see you actually know nothing.
Wh-what...?
Supervising the use of blastia... Doesn't that remind you of the empire today?
Well, Estelle is a Child of the Full Moon, not to mention one of the heirs to the throne.
Wait...! So then, the Children of the Full Moon must have founded the empire...
Please, there's no need to speak in hushed tones. The pact will surely be forsaken. Unless, that is, all blastia can be done away with for good.
But people couldn't live like they do now without blastia.
A certain type of life can be led, even without blastia.
Yeah, the inconvenient type.
So it has always been. They come to depend on anything that eases the burdens of life.
Yet even knowing that, you helped the people of this town to build a barrier blastia?
I, too, was poisoned by the desire for greater things. I couldn't ignore the convenience.
Now what kind of a sage does that?
To be a sage means only to be rich in knowledge. I too belong to the society of people.
Being a saint isn't a prerequisite for leadership, then, huh...?
Well put. And the Children of the Full Moon are no different. The role of supervisor will turn into one of absolute authority before long.
Wh-what does that mean?
It's pretty clear if you look at what the Empire's become.



You are welcome to stay the night, if you don't mind the ramblings of an old man.
Thanks.


We'll of course accept that offer. But first, a skit.


Skit: Grown-up Kids
Hey, do you mind if I have a gel?
Karol, I don't really think you should eat those unless you need them.
But I can't stop thinking about how good they taste, or the smooshy way they feel between my teeth!
I noticed we've had fewer gels lately...
You've been snacking on them, haven't you?
I want them so badly I can't sleep! And here you've been eating them while we weren't looking?!
I haven't been doing anything like that!
...Wait, Rita, you were losing sleep over gels...?
...N-no! Of course not! Ah hah, wh-what are you talking about...?
They're not snacks, ya know. They might be small, but they're pretty expensive.
I can't say I like their taste or texture very much...
Perhaps they're not too pleasing to a princess's palate.
No, that's not it. I don't think they're that good either.
I'm addicted to their simple taste. You just don't get it...
...Gels were made sweet and soft so they'd appeal ta children, after all.
...Are you saying my sense of taste is...childish?
What's the matter with that? You ARE both children...


Resting here just fades the screen to black, then puts us back outside.


Watch the cutscene!



I feel kinda dizzy...
I can't believe he kept us up all night tellin' those stories...



This is a reference to Lilith from Tales of Destiny, by the way.

...Estelle, it sounds like you want to hear even more stories.
Yeah, well you can count me out...
Anyway, this is quite impressive for something that's just an illusion.
It's so weird... It's an illusion, but we can talk with people, and everything feels so real...
Perhaps it's because these things really did exist at one point in the past.
Humans could never give up blastia completely... Which has brought us to where we are today...
The empire was only meant to monitor the blastia, but they started digging them up and studying them.
The Entelexeia despised the blastia, but humans just can't let them go.


We can go back in to talk to the sage again.




What have you been doing in this town since all of its people left?
As my fellow Krityans left for their new home in the sky, I too needed a place of refuge.
You didn't go with them?
I got left behind in the commotion. Didn't that happen to you, too, young lady?
It must be so lonely, being here all by yourself...
On the contrary, a pleasing calm settled over this place after everyone had moved on.


Alright, that's all we can do here.



No, we can't actually rest again.


I'm not entirely sure which parts of this whole thing are required to unlock the bonus dungeon later, but it's another sidequest dick move by the developers. Some interesting information in there at least.

Let's go back to our ship.


Skit: Estelle Comes Back
So now we've got the gang back together.
I'm so glad to be with you all again.
Same here.
You must take care not to strain yourself.
Ya know, one step at a time.
Woof!
I...
Huh? What's up?
I think Repede just welcomed me back!
...No, Repede's already off over there.
...Should've seen that coming.


Skit: Ba'ul Is Back
It looks like Ba'ul is back to his old self.
There's plenty of aer for him to absorb. He seems to have used it to heal his wounds.
For all the trouble Alexei's caused, he's helpin' us out in some unexpected ways.
That's not gonna get him off the hook, though.
He can go wherever he likes. With Ba'ul to help us, there's no place we can't follow.





Next stop: Mantaic. Remember that weird cow kid and the ant lion man? Yeah.






Ah, you're back again, again! You just can't get me off your mind, eh?
I'm getting tired of hearing your rambling...
What's got your britches in a bunch, Flatty?
Okay, I've had about enough of your crap. You trying to start something?
Hey, lay off, Rita. I don't much feel like seein' a catfight break out between a coupla kids.
A kid? Who's a kid? I'm grown up and glorious!
Uhhh...you sure about that? You look like a kid to me. You're tiny!
You're one to talk, you swooshy-haired midget.
Ahh ha ha! Swooshy-haired midget... *Snicker*
Now, for the main event! Today's item du jour is... Dadum dadum dadummm... DUM!



Why's it up to three items all of the sudden?
Mmmm... Why don't you keep your nosy questions to yourself, Little Miss Innocent?
Little Miss Innocent? What does that mean?
Ignorance is bliss, honey, and what you don't know won't hurt you.
So then, whenever's convenient for you, feel free to hand them over! ♥
You'll give up somethin' nice in exchange, right? ♥
Sure, sure, don't worry about it! Thanks!





Here ya go!
Ant Lion Man: Oh me, oh my! Thankee, again! Oh ho heh heh heh.



I don't know if I'll ever get used to seeing that thing pop out of there.
I don't blame you. That's just messed up.
So, we gave ya three things... Now what'll ya give us?
Ah, right. Today I'm going to give you... Humina jumina...









Th-three of the same thing?
Isn't that enough? You want me to give you more?
Who'd want a buncha copies of the same thing?
R-really...?! B-but I thought that they'd come in handy out in the desert...


Yeeesss! Yay! We're so happy! Right, Karol? Right?
Oh, yeah, yeah! I'm so happy! Oh boy, too happy for words.




Still pointless stuff, but believe me, there is a payoff for this.


Skit: Don't Mess With Zaude
When someone as strong as Phaeroh tells ya not ta go messin' with Zaude, it makes ya wonder.
I wish he'd use regular words when he talked, though.
Definitely. If it's really all that dangerous you'd think he'd want to make himself clear.
Maybe it was something Phaeroh had difficulty expressing, in his own way.
He did take the time to warn us. That shows at least some concern for our well-being. Right?
You mean that maybe he's warmed up to us a bit.
Yes.


Next, a skit about Judith's Mystic Arte:

Skit: Let's Go All Out
I didn't know you could fight like that.
Yeah, neither did I, actually. That was my first time.
Really? You sure put on a good show.
*Woof!*
Heh. I thought it might be better to go all out, you know?
*Howl*
Ba'ul agrees.
Hah hah, I'm sure he does. We're counting on you, Judith.
And I'm counting on you.

I kinda have the feeling they didn't really think about when you actually get those mystic artes when making this and Rita's skit. Oh well.


Next stop: Myorzo. Unlike what the game wants you to believe when you first go there, Myorzo isn't always near Egothor Forest. Instead, it randomly floats around the world map. It's marked on the map though, so it's not exactly hard to find again.



Our destination is the elder's house.

Watch the cutscene!





Oh, you've returned! Look what I found when I was cleaning my dresser.
You had a sword in your dresser...?



This isn't just any old sword... It looks like...you know.
Yeah.
No kiddin'. Not so much the shape...but the vibe it's givin' off.
Just what kind of sword is this?



You mean the weapons spawned by the 14-headed monster from the fairy tales?
Hmph, I don't know how the story is told below, but here the legend is as follows: At the height of the ancient blastia civilization, an attempt was made to produce special weapons. Eventually, this led to the creation of armaments of untold power, seven in total.
So these weapons're a legacy of the ancients... Well, Dein Nomos is real. Maybe this story is too.
Is Dein Nomos one of these fell arms, then?
I'd say it's possible if what the Elder said is true.
But if this really is one of the fell arms,...



I can't remember for the life of me. It's been decades since I've cleaned this thing out.



...If these weapons are really as powerful as they sound, it might be a good idea for us to get a hold of them before they fall into the wrong hands.
Yeah... There've been quite a few sets of wrong hands out there, lately, too.
Might we take this with us, Elder?
Huh? Oh, fine by me.
You're giving it to us just like that?
To tell the truth, I'm glad it turned up, but I'd been wondering what I'd do with it. I've got no real use for it. Besides, it would be a shame to just leave something like this lying around. I figure you are just the ones to put it to proper use.
Do you know anything about the other fell arms?
Let me see here... According to the legend, the seven weapons share a common bond.



But Dein Nomos hasn't reacted at all.
Hmm... Then perhaps it isn't a fell arm after all.
Then how are we supposed to find them...?
Well, there's no point thinking it to death. So long as we have one of them, the bad guys won't be able to get them all, right? Maybe that's good enough.
I agree.
All right then, Elder. We'll take it off your hands. Thanks.
Ho ho.


No Skills

Well, this is a Team Symphonia Tales game, so of course there's a set of 'evil' weapons, one per party member, to collect. One down, six to go! And yes, in the PS3 version, there's nine of them instead of seven.

Sidenote, this event has some alternate lines, suggesting that you can do this without Estelle, but with Raven. I have no idea what point in the game that would be though, you lose Estelle and Raven at the same time and once you get Raven back you're locked out from your airship until you get Estelle back. Unused content, maybe? The alternate lines are voiced, too.


I think that's enough for now. Next time: More sidequesting!