Part 34: Chapter XXIX - And they wail so loud, already, it’s as if my head would burst

And they wail so loud, already, it’s as if my head would burst


Your Triumph Belt is impressive… Yet it would be even more so in my possession. What do you think?
…Sure, you can borrow it.
You have my eternal gratitude. It shall be used spectacularly.

Rush, I have need of a Large Feather. Have we the time to obtain one?
Sure, no prob.
Thank you. Then let’s not waste any time.




What kind of task?
Do you know the Catacombs in the nation of Elysion? It’s said they hold a treasure hundreds of years old. The treasure is an ancient book, outlining the forbidden process of how to bring back the dead. Legend has it that the Forest Maidens were so worried of the book’s misuse that they sealed it away, deep within the Catacombs. You see what I’m getting at?
Yeah…
I’d appreciate your discretion… To certain persons, this may seem distressingly like grave robbery, I fear. Both our participation and mine in this endeavor would need to be kept secret.
I’m not sure this is really my thing.
I realize it seems lower than low to not do the deed myself, but… Were I to enter the Catacombs, I would have to face… them.




… “Them” who?
How can I face them, after- And they wail so loud, already, it’s as if my head would burst… It is too much for me to bear. …That’s why I need you to retrieve the Forbidden Tome. Certainly, you’ll be amply rewarded. What do you say?
Sorry, I’m no tomb raider.
…Perhaps you do not realize it, but my time is short – and worth more than you can imagine. Accept this task before I change my mind on offering it to you. Believe me, that is something you would soon regret.

A wise decision. You can never trust an Albic.
…if I don’t get it, he’ll just find someone else. Maybe if we find it we can drop it down a chasm or something?

Alright… I’ll get the book.
Ohh! I’d hoped from the look of you that you’d understand my need. You surpass even my expectations. The Forbidden Tome is hidden deep within the Catacombs. It’s said that many fierce and fearsome beasts have taken the area for their lairs… Be certain to stay on your guard.
Accepted quest: A voice from the Past

Music: Creeping Shadows





- Quest Video: A Voice from the Past


A white qsiti wants me to get him the Forbidden Tome that's been sealed for hundreds of years. Apparently, it's in the Catacombs somewhere.



Looks like there’s a new path open.




The rubble blocking this door has now been cleared off.






This place is similar to the eastern area, but more complicated.




These lizards are typically very aggressive, and there’s little room to dodge, so I’m just going to save myself the headache and fight them on my terms.




And I even got a bonus albic into the mix.







This missed everything else – as I said, the range is pretty short.



This attack is new. Clearly it has a chance to inflict paralysis. Even though the status only seemed to land on one unit, that looks like enough to disable it for the union.






Still, any chance to improve Rush’s Remedies is welcome. I believe your progress to the next art in the chain is improved by using arts which are higher-level than the base, so a cast of Refresh will help a lot more than Restore V.






Blocter learns a new 1H art. I’m trying to get him into the Warrior class, which requires both skill with One-Handed and Power Grip.






Because of this block, we were unable to finish off this union with Gabriel’s weak-ass 122 damage attack.




Those guys must be pretty frickin’ weak!

That’s a surprising amount of damage for a caster unit to do with a melee attack. Shape up or ship out, Gabe.

has learned Cutting Lunge!




This room has some frogs, some debris, and two possible exits. The south-west one leads to a dead-end.




It has the map for this half. Yay.




The western half generally goes in a downward direction the farther in you get. Here’s a ladder.




Doors are never places to take chances with enemies. This guy seemed stuck, so I have to fight him.

class changed to Adept Mysticknight!




Oh good, the no-running gas is back.




A treasure chest is teased up ahead, but before that is a pretty obnoxious section.




There are a couple rooms full of gas and enemies that we have to walk through. That means fighting is unavoidable, so time your Timeshifts well to make sure you get an enemy before it runs out. Nothing good happens from letting enemies touch you, and it breaks your chain, lowering your rewards.

class changed to Adept Cavalier!




Just some herbs.




I’ll fight him too because I can’t take chances in the fog.




This dungeon has been great for getting Pagus upgrade materials.




The chest just has some crafting materials that my eyes glazed over. Most likely something I’ll never use.




Eat a dick, lizard. Too slow! Anyway, this is basically the end of this section.






This is really just the one large room at the end.




In the distance I think I can see a Millipede, which will also drop the thing Loki wants… but we can’t get it yet…






Mission: Defeat the Souleater!




This guy is nothing to write home about.






Let’s get the morale moving in the right direction.






Okay, sure that did 1600 damage, but so what?




6159 damage from that critical Cascade Strike.






Oh sure, THAT’ll save you.









Well fought!

That takes care of him.

learned Nimble Knee Splitter II!
learned Smash III!
learned Switchback!
Sonofa – I need the other one, THE OTHER ONE!

Damn straight you do, Loki. (EDIT: In case you don't get it, Loki is specced as a Mystics-user, and I turn off all Combat Arts for them.)




Where’d you guys come from?




But thanks to you destroying the beast, we can finally pass on to Elysion.

There’s absolutely no explanation what the Souleater is, where it came from, why these guys souls ended up here trapped by it.




Uh… have you guys seen any tomes lying around, forbidden or otherwise?
Wh-what? You’re here looking for the Forbidden Tome!?
Mmmmaybe?
Don’t tell me. You were sent here by a white qsiti with piercing red eyes, right?




Obviously, being truthful will get us more information.

Yup, that’s him.




Once, he was the squad leader of the army division we were attached to. He was a warm and kind person, up until that battle…
Which battle?
In a battle ten years ago, on the Holy Plain, our division was completely destroyed. Only the captain made it out alive. We were on the front lines… it couldn’t be helped. But the captain was devastated, and took all blame for our deaths onto himself. We’re afraid that while we’ve been trapped down here, the captain’s soul has been eaten away. He has nightmares every night, and is tormented by phantom voices… It’s destroyed his spiritual balance. I’m sure he figures that if he can get the Forbidden Tome, he can use it to bring us back to life… that’s why he hired you.
I think so.
But that book no longer exists – not as anything but a memory, anyway. It’s been hundreds of years. The book is nothing but dust. To think that the captain is still searching for it, after so many years…




Please, could you give this to the captain? And tell him – tell him we have no regrets, so he doesn’t need to have them, either.
Okay.
Captain… Please, don’t lose yourself. Let us go…








Sorry… that book’s been dust for hundreds of years.
What!? The Forbidden Tome no longer exists!? Do not test my patience, boy! Without that book, it’s all wrong, all wrong… How am I to bring them back…!




Don’t sweat it, captain. They told me that they had no regrets, so you shouldn’t either. Here, this is for you.
That… that picture!




T-take this… take it and go! I don’t want to see that picture again, please…! My head… the pain…
Reward: 2500 G.
Obtained Picture of the Second Brigade!
Picture of the Second Brigade – A photo of Melphina’s Second Brigade. They look jovial, with their arms around each other’s shoulders.
Completed quest: A Voice from the Past

The Forbidden Tome had rotted, but I showed the qsiti the picture of his ex-comrades and he freaked out! I wonder where he's headed now.

Surprisingly, we do NOT get a Salia Stone from this quest.

So, in the end, the guy who looked like a psychotic necromancer turned out to just be a war vet with really bad PTSD. Kinda sad, really.




New Arts Summary
has learned:

• Cutting Lunge!
  
• Smash III!

class changed to Adept Mysticknight!
class changed to Adept Cavalier!
learned Nimble Knee Splitter II!
learned Switchback!



Quest: A Voice from the Past


Next time is a pretty special quest, with a LOT more dialogue – almost four full pages, single-spaced. And that’s ignoring the challenging boss battle in there as well. I doubt I would be able to fit it into this chapter, so we’re cutting this out here.

Discussion question: Who do you think says the “I'm giddy as a schoolgirl!” quote in the next chapter? (Feel free to provide fan art to bolster your claim.)

Next Time: I'm giddy as a schoolgirl!