Part 17: The League of Extraordinary Bracers

Welcome back. Last time, we took care of business all around Bose. All sorts of business. We delivered a letter. And killed an evil floating shark monsters. But the letter was the real accomplishment. On our last quest of the day we were surrounded by monsters and had a choice: Charge forward, or Protect the rear.





Goon consensus has spoken! We’ll charge forward, like the intrepid bracers we are. Those monsters are going to have to brace themselves.

But was it the right call?














Yes it was! This choice is actually pretty tough, I almost exclusively fuck it up when I play.

Right!
I’ll take care of the monsters in the front!
Okay!







We’re forced into a fight with four of the Creepy Sheep. If we’d chosen to protect the rear, we would have fought all eight at a time, and we would have started surrounded.



The Creepy Sheep, are simply put, quite creepy. They have a couple different moves: Here, we see them going loco, reducing one of our units’ defense and increasing their strength.





They can, uh, also use baaaad touch.



It’s creepy. Not that damaging though. Except to our psyches.



Here’s Schera showing off Lightning, and more importantly, showing off line AoE artes. Lightning lets you choose a tile to target, instead of an enemy, which is more versatile than the alternative.



Lightning is also pretty strong, mostly because capturing multiple enemies in a line is harder to set up then in a circle.



This really isn’t a tough fight, the Creepy Sheep just aren’t that strong when you’re only fighting four of them, and when you’re not surrounded.





Then we do it again. It’s literally the exact same fight, so there’s really not much to say.
[/i]





Somehow...
We managed to get them all...

Hardt: Oh man! You guys really saved my hide.

Hey! I told you everything was going to be all right, didn't I?

Hardt: I can't believe that we came out of this in one, non-bloody, piece... I gotta say, bracers are something else. That was amazing how you took care of those monsters just like that.



How about I give you a free performance while we're at it?



Estelle draws her staff. It’s not that visually interesting, so no gif.

All right, all right, Estelle. Unfortunately, we'll have to pass, but how about another day? Let's clear out of here quickly. We could be attacked by monsters again if we stay here much longer.

If you made the wrong choice earlier, Schera will get somewhat mad at your showboating instead of just shrugging it off.

Hardt: Yes! I'm in favor of leaving! Let's go go go! I will not be a monster snack, I will not be a monster snack, I will not be a monster snack...

Come on, Estelle. We're moving out.
Tsh, fine.
The checkpoint is just up ahead, so let’s be careful until we arrive there.

I hate to break it to you Hardt, but you might just be a monster stack. Because nuts to our escort duty...



We’re going monster hunting!



This is actually a pretty tough fight. Wisdoms basically have two moves. First we have:



Absorb Nutrient, which does pretty poor damage, and heals the Wisdom for equally poor damage.



And they can cast Shadow Spear, taking off around half a character's health with a 20% chance of instantly killing them.

Guess which of these moves is more dangerous!

This fight is as hard as the Wisdoms make it, if they choose to cast Shadow Spear a lot you’ll be in for a rough fight, while if they lean on Absorb Nutrients you’re golden.



For the most part, I’m lucky and get the latter.



Of course, it’s not all fun and games.



Still, we can revive, and Shadow Spear rarely gets cast, so we can keep on top of their damage fairly easily. Just try and get them close together so you can devastate them with AoE arts and Dual Strike.



The Pearl Earring prevents seal. Which is kinda bad, to be honest. The thing about status effects is that there are a lot of them, and there’s not many enemies who both use status effects, and only use one. There’s an accessory that prevents all status effects, which is amazing, but preventing individual status effects is basically only useful in very rare situations.







Whew, that was a pretty rough climb, huh?
Well, we can breathe easy now.
I think your escort from Ruan should be here any time now.
...And speak of the devil. Look who's here.



Ha, his name is Melvin.

Melvin: I'm junior bracer, Melvin, registered with the Ruan branch!

It fits pretty well.

Good work, yourself. This is your client, Mr. Hardt. Please make sure he gets to Ruan safely.

Melvin: Will do! Just follow me, sir! I'll get you where you need to go! I'm your man!
Hardt: By Aidios... Just how much coffee have you had, young man...?!

Only three cups! _{in the last hour.}

Hardt: But whatever, I'm counting on you to get me where I need to go. All right, thanks for getting me up here, everyone.

Have a good one!
Good luck with your work.

Hardt: Ha ha. Right. I'm already late as it is, but I'll see what I can do. Okay, have a good day, fellow bracers!!



That guy was really over the top energy-wise.
He said he was a junior bracer, right? Which means he's a trainee just like us working out of a branch...
Yep, you're not the only ones. All junior bracers do that. They're working hard to become senior bracers.

Sadly, he doesn’t have a portrait, so he’ll probably never make it.

Oh man, it looks like I'm going to have to work harder.
That's right. It wouldn't be right of us just to rely on Schera all the time.

Don’t be too modest Joshua. You’ve basically been the MVP of the murder game since the chapter started.

Ha ha. It looks like that bracer stimulated your motivation a bit, didn't he? Let's see now... How about we get back and report to the guild?



Beforehand, we can check out the Krone Gate, although we can’t cross over into Ruan just yet. That said, the Krone Gate is also Boring as Hell, so we just heal and bail.

WIth that done, we’re done every sidequest for chapter 1 (except one that both hasn’t opened yet, and is for the most part completed as a part of the main game.) So with all that behind us, we’re free to finally head to Ravennue Village.





Unless, of course, we find ourselves interrupted by Plot.



Plot, as it just so happens, looks like it just stepped out of FFVII.

If you can’t see it, there’s a giant sword strapped to his back.



Scherazard, is that you? Well, this is an unlikely place to run into the [Silver Streak].
Right back at you. I thought you were in the Royal City, but are you here to look into the airliner incident?
No, I'm here on some chump errands...
But speaking of the incident, I hear it was the work of the Sky Bandits. Anyway, if you're here on the job then I guess I don't have to worry about it myself. Good luck to you.
Is that all you've got to say? I'm sure you've heard that Cassius might have been taken hostage, right?
Cassius Bright? Taken hostage? Ha ha ha, don't make me laugh! That old man's not going to get beaten by the likes of some Sky Bandits! Anybody saying that is severely mistaken.

The more I hear, the more convinced I am that when we find the Linde, all the Sky Bandits are going to be knocked-out, and the only reason it disappeared was because Cassius decided to go for a joy-ride.

I'd like to believe that too, but...
(I wonder who this guy is...)
(I don't know...but he seems to fit the mold for a bracer.)
By the way...who are those brats you've got tagging along with you? They look like a bunch of newbies to me.
Ha ha. Well, then I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear that these brats...
...are Cassius' kids.



Yeah, that's a surprise all right... So these are the old man's kids, huh? Hmmm... Hard to believe it...
Wh-why're you looking at us like that...?!
This boy with the black hair is one thing...but the girl really looks like an amateur.

Yeah, well you look you’re compensating for something.

Are you sure she's really Cassius' daughter?



You wanna try saying that again with my staff in your teeth?!
She's the bona fide daughter of Cassius Bright, and I have to warn you, her bite is as good as her bark. And I'm just his adopted son.
Hmm, is that a fact?
Oh well, it doesn't really matter.
What do you mean [it doesn't matter]?!
Well, take it easy, Scherazard. And be careful not to let these brats drag you down.
Yeah, yeah. And make sure not to rush into any trouble yourself, either.
Ha ha, I'll keep those words in mind.
Oh, by the way, Scherazard. Was it you who took care of that monster near the mine?

I presume this is the reason you need to do the Ravennue quest before going to Ravennue - if you don’t, Red here presumably beats you to the punch.

Yeah. Well, actually it wasn't just me, it was us.
Ha, I don't think any number of trainees would have made much difference.

God damn man, what part of nearly the same level do you not understand?

Is it the part where you’re not a dick?

But anyway, good luck in your search for those Sky Bandits. Later.



Wh-what's with that guy?! He really pisses me off!
I see...so that was [Heavy Blade Agate], huh?
[Heavy Blade Agate]? What a stupid name...

Haha, I’m glad someone said what we’re all thinking.

Agate Crosner. Senior bracer in the Bracer Guild. He works in all regions and isn't affiliated with any specific branch. His massive blade is said to be capable of slicing a monster in two with a single slash. I'll just tell you right now, he's one tough customer.

I find it funny how a lot of people in this game have weird first names, and completely normal sounding last names. We’ve got Scher..Scherezor... whatever Harvey, and Agate Crosner.

Whatever. I don't care how tough he is. He's still a rude jerk. Come to think of it, how does he know Dad anyway?
He seems to think highly of Dad's ability, but even so, he didn't seem to like him all that much.
There are a number of things in his past I can't go into... And those things are the reason why he feels that way about your father.
Hmm... Well, I could care less about someone rude like that. Anyway, let's hurry to Ravennue Village!





That was fast!

All right... Let's see what we can find out about the sighting.
So what do you suggest? Should we just go talk to all the villagers?
People would be suspicious of us if we did that all of a sudden. I think we should talk to the village elder first and see what he has to say about it.
Okay.



Elder Reisen: Hmm, I see you’re all together. What brings you all up here today? Are you here for a visit?

No, not exactly. We're actually here on business. Although, if it's possible, I'd really like a glass of your fruit wine.

Be an alcoholic on your own time Schera. We’ve got a red-haired guy to show up.

Elder Reisen: Ho ho ho. Things in the world never go like you expect, do they? By the way, I never got a chance to ask you until now, but... You don't happen to be one of Agate's companions, do you?
Well, we're all members of the same guild, but we're not companions exactly. We know him by face, and that's probably about it.

Elder Reisen: I see... So he's traveling by himself as usual, huh?

The village elder closed his eyes for a moment as a look of sadness passed over his aged features.

??? What's wrong, sir?

Elder Reisen: It's nothing, really. Please pardon my expression. Anyway, what brings you to this rural village of ours? Don't tell me that you're here to take care of that monster I sent the request to the guild for.

This is an usual oversight on the part of the writers. Normally, most scenes have multiple version with small variations to account for potential differences, but here there doesn’t seem to be any different dialogue for having already done the sidequest.

No, actually we're in the middle of an investigation concerning the missing airliner. We came here because we heard there was a report of some kind of sighting.

Elder Reisen: Ah, I see. The Royal Army came here and investigated that the other day... However, they searched around the area and ended up leaving empty-handed.

Really, is that so...? Well, what about the person who saw the flying silhouette in the sky?

Elder Reisen: It was one of the children in the village here. A boy named Lewey. He apparently saw some suspicious shadow making its way across the sky on the night of the incident... But he's a kid any way you think about it, so he may have just imagined the whole thing while he was half-asleep.

Imagined it, huh?
I guess the best thing we can do then is ask him directly.
Hmm, you're probably right about that. Thank you for your time, sir.

Elder Reisen: Don't mention it. If there's anything else I can help you with, don't hesitate to ask. Lewey should be here somewhere in the village. The village is rather small, so I'm sure you'll be able to find him without any trouble.

Like he says, and unlike our drunken reporter friend victim, he’s pretty easy to find.



Actually, no. We're here for a different reason. As a matter of fact, we're bracers!

Lewet: Bracers? You mean like Agate?

Hell no. We’re actually cool

Lewey: I don't know, you don't look all that strong to me...especially 'cause you're a girl.



But after seeing my great skill with a staff, do you think you can still call me weak?!



Lewey: Wow! That's amazing! It's like a tornado!



Now how about another amazing demonstration with my staff...
Estelle...be careful. Wasn't it just yesterday that you hit yourself in the face doing that? Anyway, are you Lewey, by chance?

Lewey: Uh, yeah... But how do you know my name?

We heard from the village elder. He said you saw some kind of flying shadow. Do you think you could tell us a little bit more about what you saw that night?

Lewey: Sure, if you want... But the soldiers from the army already searched the place and didn't find anything...

That’s alright. They’re dumb. We are less dumb. Staff-face mishaps aside.

That's fine, we're not worried about that. Do you think you could just tell us what you saw? In as much detail as you can remember?

Lewey: O-Okay, I'll try... You see...I like watching the stars at night. So I often sneak out of my house at night to come here and look at the stars. And the other night when I was out here looking up at the stars I saw two shadows moving across the sky.

Now hold on a minute here... You say you saw TWO shadows?

Lewey: Yeah, that's right... And they were different sizes, too. Kind of like a mom leading a kid.

Two shadows, two sizes...
That's consistent with an airliner and the Sky Bandit airship, if you think about it.
Yeah, the aircraft we ran across in the woods was definitely smaller than a typical airliner...

Lewey: And the two shadows just kept on flying north... Until I couldn't see them anymore.

So, north is...
There's a trail that continues behind the village. And it leads to an old Septium mine which was abandoned some time ago.

Lewey: The soldiers from the army supposedly searched the trail, but didn't come up with anything... That's why they said I must have just been dreaming... And then they laughed at me like I didn't know what I was talking about.

The little boy's eyes started to well up with tears.

Ah, enough of that. You're a boy, right? And boys don't cry!
We're not like those stupid soldiers. We don't think you're telling a lie either, and we're going to prove it!

Lewey: R-really...?

Darn straight! You just leave it to us! So no more crying, okay?

Lewey: O-Okay... You're a real nice person!

(Ha ha. As usual, she's got a knack with the kids.)
(Yeah...maybe it's a virtue.)
Huh? Why are you looking at me like that?
I-it's nothing. Let's focus on the task at hand. It looks like we've got stuff to do!
Right! Let's hurry and get onto the trail behind the village and see what we can find!





If we head a little past where we fought the monster, we find the abandoned mine.

This looks like the entrance to an abandoned mine.
It kind of reminds me of the Malga Mine... Except for the fact that it's all deserted.
It seems that this place was abandoned quite some time ago. The padlock and chain are rusted. It doesn't look like this gate has been opened recently.
Which means that there's no possibility that the Sky Bandits entered through here... I wonder if that's why the army never investigated the place.

And yet again, villains get off scott free with the ol’ rusty padlock trick.

You're probably not going to find any clues searching around in an old mine, that's for sure...
...
What's wrong, Estelle?
Maybe it's just me... But do you feel any air flowing out of here?
When you say [out of here,] do you mean the mine?
Yeah, that's right.
Let's see...

Joshua wet the tip of his index finger with his tongue and held it out.

...



You're right, Estelle... It's rather subtle, but there is air flowing out of here.
Just like I thought, huh?
Sometimes your senses can be surprisingly sharp, you know that?
I wonder if you get that from your father.
My dad doesn't have anything to do with it!
But forget about that. Aren't you more interested in what's inside this old mine?
There's certainly a possibility that it connects to somewhere. It's probably worth checking out.
Well, in that case, let's bust this lock off...
Hey! Don't you even think about doing that!
For now we'd better head back to the village and talk with the elder. He might have the key.

Seriously? You’re just the worst.

Hmph. You're no fun, Schera.

Anyway, if head back to the elder’s house in Ravennue we will find it conspicuously empty. Instead, we head to a small graveyard next to his house.





Elder Reisen: Oh, it's you young bracers, is it?

Well, this is a rather extravagant grave for a small village like this, isn't it?

Elder Reisen: It was erected to mourn all those souls we lost 10 years ago. Since the Bose Region is nearest to the Empire, it was in the thick of the fray... And this village lost a number of good people in the hostilities.
That's terrible...
...

Elder Reisen: Ha ha. There is no need for you to get somber too, though. These days, cleaning this monument is just one of my daily routines. But I guess you wouldn't have come up here if you didn't think there was something I could help you with, right?

Oh, right. There was something we wanted to talk to you about. But before that...
Would you mind if we paid our respects as well?
I know we don't have any flowers to give, but we'd at least like to offer up a prayer.

Elder Reisen: Oh, I see... No, of course I don't mind. I'm sure all those looking down from above would be overjoyed by the gesture.



Elder Reisen: I know for certain that the soliders didn’t check inside...

After I heard Lewey’s story, it really got me thinking... We’d like to check the place out just in case, so would you mind lending us the key to the entrance?

Elder Reisen: The key for that padlock, huh? Give me a minute here...



Elder Reisen: Okay, this should get you inside.

Received Abandoned Mine key.

Many thanks, Elder Reisen!
This will really help a lot.

Elder Reisen: Don’t mention it. We’re always indebted to the Bracer Guild for their help.

Hmm-hmm-hmm. If everyone we dealt with were as cooperative as you, it would make our lives a lot easier.
We’ll be sure to let you know if we find anything.

Before we leave, we can enter the inn and find a very special NPC.



It's nice to see you again. I haven't seen you since the last time you were here during your training.
If it isn't Anelace. What are you doing here?
Well, we had a request to exterminate a monster in this area.
Oh really...? So how has your swordsmanship been coming along? Have you started mastering the use of that weapon?
Ah ha ha... Uh...let's avoid that subject right now. I'm still working on it.
By the way, Scherazard, are you here on a job for the guild?
Yeah, something like that. Although the job's a little different from the one you're handling.
Is that so... Well, this region has been becoming more dangerous recently. Make sure to be careful.

I like how you run into various other bracers and NPC doing their own things in the world. It makes the world seem more realistic and fleshed out, instead of some static nightmare where things only happen when you’re there. Instead (and this is pretty consistent throughout the game as a whole), you feel like you’re only one part of a greater whole, there’s a lot of interesting stuff going on in the backdrop that you’re not a part of.







I don’t know about Sky Bandits, but I can definitely sense monsters in here. Everyone stay alert.



There are monsters, but the only Murder that’s going to go down is their own.



They kinda suck.



Hell yes

Flicker is amazing, but I didn’t actually realize I learned it at this point, so I’ll wait until I use it to explain. Also, I normally don’t get Flicker until Chapter 2, so, uh... whoops!

Anyway, this dungeon is literally only once zone, it’s super short and easy.





Huh? Isn't that the...
(Quiet, Estelle...)
(It looks like we've hit the jackpot...)



And hurry it up, will ya? It's only a matter of time before someone finds this place.

Too late



(What's an airliner doing in a place like this...? I guess that kid wasn't seeing things after all...)
(This looks like an area that used to be used for strip mining... It certainly turned out to be a great place to hide something of this size.)
(Yeah, who would have thought to look here? Look at that. Aren't they loading the airliner cargo into their own ship?)
(Let's worry about that later! We've got to figure out a way to bag these guys before they get away again!)
So this is our third trip, huh? Man, Don can be a real slave-driver sometimes.
Oh well, once this is all taken care of we'll be able to sit back and negotiate a nice, fat ransom...





The scorching flames of justice shall never fade away as long as evil thrives in this world...









Huh?
The [League of]...what?
You bonehead. Why do you always get carried away like that?
What's with you two...? Now I look like a big fool saying that stuff all alone...
You're...the ones who Josette had a run-in with back in Rolent! This can't be right! You're not supposed to be here this early!
...It can't be right? We're not supposed to be here this early...? What the heck are you talking about...?
In accordance with the laws of the Bracer Guild, you are hereby under arrest and charged with the hijacking of an airliner and its passengers. I hope for your sakes you'll come along quietly.
N-now hold on just a minute! Are you trying to tell me that... only the three of you came here to arrest us?
You see anyone else, bandit boy?
So you're not involved with the others then, huh? Then that simplifies things... Let's get 'em, boys!





Alright. Time to throw down against Kyle and the gang.



Kyle really only has one move. He prepares a bomb, then he throws said bomb. Note the red circle around Estelle: All enemy AoE spells and crafts show their effective range and their target unit while they’re being cast.



This screen is me getting super lucky. Estelle’s Blind quartz manages to proc on Kyle. Since his bombs are physical attacks, they’re affected by blind, and so he’s basically been neutered for the fight.





Which makes things easy for us, because he’s the only real threat. I might be somewhat over levelled here.



This is Kyle for the entire fight.



Also, Kyle is nowhere near as ripped as his sister, and can’t take weapons to the face with the same aplomb she can. For shame Kyle.





It's no wonder Josette got beat by you three.
Sweet-talk won't get you anywhere, buddy!
It's time to surrender and let the passengers go!
Ha ha ha! You really don't know anything, do you? What was that you called yourselves? [League of the Exceptionally Dim] or something?

That hurts

You making fun of my awesome team name? ...You're dead.
Look out...!



What...is this?
You've gotta be kidding me... another smoke screen?!

Smoke screen me once, shame on you, smoke screen me twice, shame on you still. Don’t smoke screen people. Don’t be that guy.

Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha! It's too bad about the rest of the cargo, but we'll just have to live without it! Later, bracers!





*gag* *cough cough* Ow ow ow... Some of it got in my eyes...
Don't worry, it's not poisonous... It looks like it was a typical smoke canister.
Their ship is already out of sight...
This is getting really old. It's not once, but twice now that they've gotten away. If I get demoted for this at the guild, there's not much I can say in my defense.
Oh, Schera... Quit acting like it was all your fault.
We're responsible for letting them get away, too. If we've got time to kick ourselves over this, then there's got to be some other constructive things we can do.
Hmm-hmm-hmm... You sound like you should be the senior bracer.
Well, at least we were able to take back the airliner, so how about we have a look? The passengers may be inside.

Right...!



Wow... it’s pretty bare in here.
Evidently, the Sky Bandits managed to make off with it all.
At any rate, we should do a thorough investigation of the place.

I’m not sure what exactly you need to do the proceed. I think you just need to enter every zone on the Linde, but I’m not 100% sure.



If these were any other circumstances, I would love to sit here...
Don’t even think about it.



I wonder where the pilot could have gone...?









There's a high possibility the passengers were transferred to the Sky Bandit's airship. And then to wherever their hideout is...
Agreed. But this sucks... Right when I thought we had some clues, we're back to zero.
Come on, cheer up already. It's not like every clue has completely vanished.
Why do you think the Sky Bandits hid the airliner in a place like this?
Huh...?
As far as I can tell, the orbal energy in the ship has completely stopped. Which means that the orbal engine was stripped from the aircraft. I know this because the orbal energy in an orbment gradually recharges over time.
Furthermore, the Sky Bandits made multiple trips to carry off a large amount of cargo. Considering the time and risk involved, don't you think it would have been more effective just to take the entire airliner to their hideout?
Yeah, that does seem a little odd that they didn't... So, why'd they hide the airliner here then?
Um, all I can think of is that they did it in order to...



Yes, that's exactly right.
From my guess, I would imagine that their hideout is in a slightly peculiar place. Maybe 10 to 15 arge from here... In short, a peculiar place on which only a small aircraft like the Sky Bandits' airship could land.
Interesting...
How about terrain covered with extreme differences in height, like mountains and ravines...? That seems like a likely place for the Sky Bandits' hideout.
Yes, that's what I've been thinking, too.
However, if that's the case...then we may be unable to do anything else. There's the possibility that their hideout may be in a place we can't reach by foot.
Th-then what CAN we do?
Well... I hate to say it, but we may have to share our conclusions with the army and ask for their cooperation. Because they're the ones with the patrol ships.
What...? Now you're trying to tell us we should go crawling back to the army and ask them for help?!
Either way, we still have to report to them about the airliner. Personally speaking, I still think we should cooperate with the army, whatever their attitude may be. Especially if that means bringing the hostages back safe and sound.
I guess you're right... This isn't the time or place to be letting my personal feelings get the best of me.
For the time being, let's get back to the guild and report our findings to Lugran. We should be able to contact the Haken Gate if we use the orbal telephone.

Music Cuts out:



Wh-what the heck?!
Ha ha...now this was something I did not expect.
Hmm, I wonder if we should be glad, since they've saved us the trouble of having to contact them...







Well... shit.

National Guardsman: Put your hands in the air! All of you!
National Guardsman 2: What is this world coming to? A woman and two kids are the Sky Bandits...? Though the girl DOES look shifty...

Singling out Estelle for some reason is hilarious to me. Mainly because she’s really not any more shifty then the rest.

Hey now...that's just rude. And who are you calling Sky Bandits?! Can't you see this shiny emblem on my chest?!



Old Man's Voice: I hope you don't think for a moment something like that proves your innocence.



And then things got worse.

Why are you here...?
After looking over the reports of my men, I found this place to have been insufficiently investigated, so I came to see for myself... Who would have thought the lot of you were conspiring with the Sky Bandits?
Might I get you to stop with the accusations, General? We happened to find this place one step ahead of your men.
If that's the truth, then why don't you tell me where the Sky Bandits are? Are the hostages inside that airliner?
We almost had the Sky Bandits, but they managed to escape... And there are no hostages to be found here.
Hmph! It looks like the truth has come out... Most likely, you notified the Sky Bandits to let them know we were coming!
W-wait a minute here! How about you cut with the crap!





Next time: I like to kid about it, but this time we actually do all go to jail. They’ll never keep us down!