Part 94: Well, I guess the world ain't gonna end if we take a breather.

-Crushed and Scarred-



The Bladelord is bold, if nothing else.
No kiddin'.
And I really screwed up in lettin' him get away...Sorry, guys. I've got no excuse.
No. You made the right choice in letting him go. A graveyard is no place for the living to settle their arguments.
Hamel, though...Why's that causing an itch in the back of m'skull?
Yeah, didn't Loewe mention that before?
Do you know anything, Kloe?
I don't, I'm sorry.
I imagine Grandmother would know something, but...Given that it seems to be some kind of state secret, she may not be willing to tell me until I'm older.
Argh. Good point.
How about you, Olivier? Hamel's in Erebonia, right?
It is, although...
Even we don't speak of it much, so it's always a surprise to hear it brought up in conversation.
Oh. Why's that?
Hamel was a village in the southernmost reaches of the Empire, near the Liberlian border. I say 'was,' for you will find it on no map of the Empire today.
Huh?!
It's not gone, is it?
The village was demolished in a landslide some time ago. A number of the residents lost their lives then. As I understand it, it is now little more than empty ruins and ghosts.
That's awful!
So that's it, huh?
B-But still, even if a lot of people died, that's no excuse for his actions.
I have...undersold the scale of the disaster, I think. Rumor says that VERY few of the villagers survived. Only rescue units saw precisely what happened. But few living these days can claim to know a Hamel resident.
It was that bad...?
It's not unheard of for landslides to swallow entire settlements.
They're sometimes called 'mountain tsunamis' because of how they create waves of pure rock and earth.
It's an odd thing to suddenly bring up in context, however.
I mean, what in the world could Hamel have to do with Her Majesty and General Morgan? Or Liberl at all?
Alas, at this point we don't know enough to confirm or deny anything.
Mmm. Let me poke my old nose around the various corners of the guild to see what I can find out.
And enough about Hamel for now. We've got other business! First of all, let me give you payment for all you've done.

Immunity to every ailment, including deathblows. Yeah, Estelle's probably never taking this off.
You went through quite a lot with this dragon mess! You've done the name of the guild proud.
Ah-haha...You really think so?
We still didn't stop whatever experiment they were runnin'. Don't think we can claim much of a victory on this one.
This also means they've conducted experiments in all of Liberl's major regions. We have to figure out what the society plans to do next as soon as we can.
Yes, about that.
Why don't you all take a break for a little while?
Huh?
Rest? But Schera just said--
Oh, I heard, but I'm serious. You've been running around from Ruan to Grancel to here, solving case after case with barely so much as time to sleep. If you don't take at least a single moment to unwind, you'll snap your springs!
But we can't just take a break in the middle of something so important.
We need to be able to get out there if they pull something. I dunno if we can just slack off, but the old man does have a point.
The army's patrols have kicked into high gear thanks to all the dragon shenanigans. They should be able to handle any immediate danger, I think.
And I've been meaning to mention...It seems Kurt's team has found IT.
HUH? 'It'? Wait, like--
You mean they found Ouroboros' base?!
Yes. Kurt reported they got a solid lead a few days ago.
If they can pinpoint the base, you'll be busy again soon enough. So I really think it would be a good idea to rest while you can.
Yeah, I see...Hrm...
In that case, I'll take you up on that, Lugran. Remember, part of a bracer's duty is to ensure he can keep performing his duties. Getting rest is a part of that.
True enough.
Well, I guess the world ain't gonna end if we take a breather.

-Commercial City of Bose-

Bracer wisdom prevails again. Zane, you are a sage and a gentleman!
Still, Lugran, given that you're suggesting a break...I assume you have a destination in mind?
Heh heh! Sharp, Olivier.
Truth be told, I got a little something nice from Mayor Maybelle. She wanted it separate from your normal pay for the dragon business.
Huh? What else could she be paying us with?
Oh, just a reservation at the Kingfisher Inn on the lakefront to the south. She's paid for all of you to stay there for three days.
SERIOUSLY?! SWEET!

Ah! The hospitality of Bose's beautiful mayor once again shines like a beacon through the fog of weariness!
Haha. Yes, it's just like Maybelle to do something like this.
So we're going on a vacation, right? To the Kingfisher Inn?
Mmm-hmm! That's right.
It's a luxurious inn with a fantastic view of Valleria Lake. They're famous for their food, fine spirits, and they provide boats for going out onto the lake.
Hee, that sounds great!
This does sound like a nice little vacation.
Yeah, if we gotta take a load off, Kingfisher's close to the best place in Liberl to do it.
You got that right!
Let's not waste Maybelle's kindness, guys! C'mon!



You get an actual chance to swap out the whole team's equipment here, because the three characters you don't pick will be briefly unavailable until you meet them down at the Kingfisher Inn. I'm at a loss as to why they didn't just do this for the whole game.





Thanks for doing this, guys. Make sure we all get checked in!
Lugran called ahead of us, so I doubt we'll have TOO much trouble getting rooms for everyone.
Leave it to us, Estelle.





I mean, the whole dragon mess has died down, but it might've kicked up some other issues, and I'm still kinda worried...
Well, Lugran did have a point earlier, remember. There IS some wisdom in not overdoing it and simply going to enjoy the lakefront.
You have a point...
All right, let's just tie up the loose ends and head to Valleria Lake!
Let's.

There are a couple new jobs but SCREW THAT, WE'RE ON VACATION



Jacob: The flights and shipping's resumed, so everything is as it should be again. Hoho! Ah, what a tough old town Bose is.

WOOOOO VACATION



Butler Mayner: My only remaining concern is the young mistress' health. We shall take care to ensure she does not overwork herself.



You have my most sincere thanks for helping Miss Maybelle.
Uh, yeah...I kinda feel like YOU'RE the one who suffered the most in all this.
Are you sure you're okay?
I am fine. Please do not worry on my account. More importantly, I believe you are heading to the Kingfisher Inn on Miss Maybelle's invitation? You have been working very hard, between the dragon case and other things...
Please, enjoy this chance to relax. Miss Maybelle worries after you greatly.
Aww, thanks! We'll enjoy ourselves, trust me.



If you're wondering about the goldia crystal, don't worry; I'll use it very carefully.
By the way, has Lugran told you about the arrangements I made?
Yeah, he just told us. We'll be glad to, uh, abuse your hospitality, if you don't mind!
Abuse it to your heart's content. I know it isn't much of a holiday, but do try to get some rest.
Oh, we intend to.
Yeah! Don't worry, we'll take it easy.
Hmmhmm. They do say resting is part of a bracer's job. Have a good holiday, everyone.



Sting: I should be able to cover Bose now. Sorry you had to spend time filling in for me.
Oh jeez yeah try not to strain yourself after all that help you helped us with

Sting, more like Stink



Minuet: I've got top-class carpets from the Republic for just 500 mira! Just 500 mira! And you know what else?! As part of our return to business campaign...You get another one of the same carpet for freeeeee! What a deal!



Man, this is all old news.



-A Cat Relaxing in the Sun-



Wha...?!



Ooooh, it's a long and harrowing story!
We met Mr. Kevin on the road here. We invited him to come, too!
On the road? Why were you traveling again, Kevin?
To be honest, my goal was to investigate the Amberl Tower. After we said our goodbyes in Rolent I've been runnin' around looking into all the towers.
All the towers?
Have you already visited the other towers, Father Graham?
Yep, I've been busy with that, pretty much. That's why I was kinda AWOL during the whole dragon business...Sorry I couldn't give a hand with that.
I figured you guys might come out here for a break after that, so...
That makes sense.
Well, then! Should we have a sit-down right now?
Howsabout we do it over dinner? That'll help the, uh, information flow freely, y'know?
Oh, yeah!
...Er, so you're really staying here, Kevin?
Hahaha! Wellll, from what I hear, this is a pretty famous inn, right?
Like your friends said, I figured I'd join in the festivities...if you don't mind.
That's, uh, kind of out of the blue.
You have helped us out a LOT, though...What do you think, guys?
I ain't got a problem with it.
Hmmmm, it IS a nice way to settle our debt to the good Father.
Heehee...Yeah, I want him to stay too!
I see no reason to object.
Haha...I wonder if it's fate bringing us together?
Well, if he's here, let's have some fun!
Thank ya!
Ain't much in the way of thanks, but if you've still got stuff that needs doin', I'd be happy to tag along. Abuse me as much as you need!



Sure! Well, if you want to help with something, Kevin...

The Kingfisher is where you can switch out your team for the first part of this chapter.

Now I feel like doing something ZANY and RANDOM. Like making sure Father Kevin is leveled up as much as possible, and his orbment is fully upgraded.



SUCH WHIMSIES



With this group, Estelle gets to be the beatstick.



I could have replaced one of those Lucks with Petrify, Poison, or Mute to get Titanic Roar, if I'd been paying attention at all.







-Commercial City of Bose-





Okay good vacation everyone now get back to work