Part 21: Her Majesty has finally made a move.

Welcome back. Last time, we made our way to the Valleria Shore. According to our lead, the Capua siblings are coming back to the shore tonight, so we wasted the day away fishing and drinking. Now it's almost night, and almost time to get spying.



Here's your book, Joshua...

It's more like a pamphlet, but whatever.

Oh, right.

Estelle held out the book she found on the table.

I'm actually done with it... And at this point, it'd just end up being bulk weight. I wonder what I should do with it.



It looks like a pretty difficult book, but...do you think if I spent some time with it I'd understand?
I'm sure you'd be fine. There's already a lot of stuff you know in there anyway. So do you want to take a stab at it, Estelle?
Sure, I'll give it a shot.

Received [Hundred Days War].

This doesn't really matter for anything, but unless you read it between picking up and meeting Joshua, you'll never get a chance to read it if you give it away.

Anyway, let's head back and see if Olivier hasn't died.



I-I can't...take another...drink...

Farewell Olivier, we hardly knew ye, and we're okay that.

Wow, I think I've just reconsidered my opinion of you, Olivier.
It's pretty rare for anyone to still be conscious after a night of wine with Schera.



How about having a drink together? You're both good for that, right?
W-we're going to eat dinner now, so the answer is no!
Come on, you two. When I say, [Let's drink,] we drink! You're going to make me veeeeery angry if you don't sit down for a glass with me!
Oh great, she's already reached Stage 2: Rage Mode...

I imagine the five stages of drinking are actually the same as the five stages of grief.

Only Bargaining (one more drink), Depression (I've had too much), and Acceptance left to go.

Don't worry, Schera. Olivier said he's good for another couple rounds. How about having him keep you company?
...Tsk.
What? So you can still drink more, can you?
Eeek... J-Joshua...how could you just give me to her like that? I can't...I can't...
D-don't you feel sorry for the poor guy?
I don't know, should I?
You're...like a little...demon... and cute at the...same time too... Hee hee hee... At least the fish are polite here...*hic*
Ah, I guess he'll be just fine.
How about we sit at the counter? I'd hate to bother the two of them.
Right, good idea.

Sorry Olivier!

Please, Schera...I'm pleading with you...you and the fish... Don't pour me another glass...
Ahhhhh...









Sorry again, Olivier.

Ohhh...Ugggggh... Uhhh...Gehhh...
Oh, he's totally plastered. It looks like even a guy who takes his sweet time for everything couldn't stand up to a drunken Schera.
Oh, wow. What a night of drinking. I've been so busy lately I haven't been able to enjoy myself like this for a while.
And you're not even red in the face either from all that alcohol...
Are you sure you haven't had some special kind of training, Schera?
Um, it could have been all the bizarre liquors I drank while I was in the troupe. You know, like the ones with scorpions and asps in them.



I'll just stick to rum and cokes, thanks.

I might have built up my resistance that way, but who knows.
Somehow...I don't think that that's the case.
By the way, what do you plan on doing with him? He's pretty much useless as he is.
Let's just let him sleep. He looks so peaceful now, and we wouldn't want to disturb him.
There's a very high possibility that we'll have a direct encounter with the Sky Bandits tonight. And getting a civilian wrapped up in the middle of it all wouldn't be a good idea.
Don't tell me you... You got Olivier drunk so he wouldn't be able to come along, didn't you?
Well... ...
Of course I did.

Sure you did. And I'm as funny as I think I am.

And he'll thank me in the long run, too. After his raging hangover, anyway...
And so that whole time...
You were just toying with him, weren't you?
Let's see... It's getting late. Let's hurry and begin our stakeout around the inn.
Don't skirt around the issue, Schera.

This is still easily my favorite face in the game.

Quiet, you! For the time being, we're going to circle up to the far pier.
Understood.
All right then, let's go!



Welp, too bad, pack it up, let's go home.

I don't know what kind of business those siblings could have here, but do you think they'll really show up?
There's no guarantee of course, but...if Lloyd's information has any truth to it, my best guess is that they'll be here.
However, if we move around too much, there's the possibility we'll be seen and they'll take off. Since the Sky Bandits are supposed to come from the road, it might be a good idea to watch the area.
Right...so where should we watch from?
We need a place where we can see the road without being noticed ourselves.
A place like that would be ideal.

There's really only one place that fits:



Behind the sign!

No, wait, bad idea.



The balcony! That's a better idea.



Just on time if you ask me

Well...it looks like we're a little early, huh?
Yeah, it seems that way. You know, if this were the middle of the day, we could have gotten ourselves a bite to eat on the way.
Quit talking nonsense. We're outlaws, remember?
Now let's hurry up and get moving.
Ah, wait for me, Kyle.





I wonder what they intend to do.
Shall we take a look and find out? Let's try to get as close as we can without being noticed.

Sneaking our way toward the pier (and by that I mean moving toward the pier as unsubtly as you please):



They always come exactly on time.
I really hate those guys. They act like they're so superior...and to be honest, they're kinda scary.
No doubt about that...they are quite the clandestine bunch. But there's not much we can do about it. This is an order from Don.



They're behind a small fence.

Flawless.

(Yeah, we can hear every word they're saying, too...)
... Hey, Kyle... Don't you think Don's been acting a bit strange recently?
...
It's just not like him if you ask me. You know...the whole hijacking of airliners thing. While I admit it was lucrative, now we've got the army clamping down on us full scale... Not to mention those annoying bracers are now involved... And he's gone and taken hostages, and demanded a ransom in return... No matter how I think about it, it seems like Don has gone way overboard this time.
In the end, you'll always be just a girl... Deep down, you're just not cut out to run with the bad crowd.

Please. While you were whiffing bombs like a chump she was taking hits like a champ.

Excuse me?!
Okay, maybe not the best wording... but I meant it as a compliment.
If things are getting too tough for you, you're always welcome to try salvaging a life back home. It shouldn't be too hard to get by as long as you don't set your sights too high. Although admittedly it is a bit colder than Liberl.
D-do you think you can just treat me like a kid and I'm not going to get angry? I'd like to see you get by without me, what with your crap cooking and all. Not to mention the laundry! Do you really want to go back to burnt toast and turning your underwear inside out?!



But anyway, think about what I said before it gets too late to back out.
Now getting back to what you said earlier... I do have to agree that Don has been acting pretty weird. Does he expect us to just keep fishing for ransom? We should take what we can get! And I'd like to believe that Don is smart enough to see that...
Don't you think he started acting strange about the time that guy showed up? That's the only thing I can think of as to why he started acting like this.
Yeah...he was the one who introduced us to those other guys, too. He might have even gotten Don to buy into his ideas...

Damn it! Proper nouns! Use proper nouns!



I don't know. Maybe we'll have to talk to “that man” and use “that item” to find out.

Getting Xenogears flashbacks here.

(Hmm, that's certainly a good question.)
(Huh? What's that over there...?)
(What's what?)
(It looks like whoever it was they were waiting for finally showed up.)







Hmph. You could have come a little early for a change...or even late! Definitely not my type, that's for sure.



Now if that displeases you, then let me offer my sincerest apology.



R-relax! I was just being sarcastic! (Now I KNOW you guys are definitely not the type I want to be around...)
Enough already! We don't have time for that.
Now...how about we get down to business? Have there been any other developments since last time?
Yes. In fact, Her Majesty has finally made a move. She intends to contribute to the ransom from her own assets.
S-seriously...? We're going to get paid out of the Queen's own pocket...? I guess we're pretty close to getting the money then, right?
How about the Royal Army? Is there any indication that they've figured out where our hideout is?
Not yet, but it's only a matter of time until they do. We've received reports that members of the Bracer Guild are on the move as well. At any rate, on the morning of the payoff you'll need to leave your hideout behind.
Yeah...no problem there. We just happened to run into the temporary shelter by chance. Don shouldn't have any regrets about it either.



(What do you want to do, Schera? Should we just storm in? Shoot 'em all, let Aidios sort them out?)

I swear, I try to say more interesting things then just but c'mon



(Hmm...I've got a much better idea.)

But that was the best idea.

(A better idea?)

Estelle is shocked, because she too knows, there is no better idea.

(These two siblings appearing here means that the Sky Bandit's airship is parked somewhere nearby. There's not much we could do if they got away again, so how about we try taking that out first?)
(I see...take away their means of escape, right? I'm down for that. How about you, Joshua?)
(...)

He just whispered an ellipse.

JRPG characters around the world are in awe.

(Joshua...?)
(Oh, right... Take out the airship first, right? Yeah, I think it's a good idea, too.)
(What's wrong...? Your face looks really tense all of a sudden...)
(It's nothing... Yeah, I'm sure it's just my mind playing tricks on me.)
(...?)

Not to be outdone, Estelle whispers a questioning ellipse.

We're seeing history in the making here folks.

(We don't have much time... We've got to get out onto the road and start looking for that airship before they finish their meeting.)





And...







This is definitely the perfect place to land since it's off the main road.
So what do you want to do, Schera? Should we subdue them?
Hmm...that's one way to go about things... But there's more than double their number since the last time we encountered them.
Don't worry. Even with twice as many guys they're no match for us. So how about we take them all on at once...





Sorry to keep you all waiting.
O-Oli...!
Keep it down...or they're going to hear you.
...
Well, isn't this a surprise... I can't believe you're standing here after the state you were in before. Your tolerance is...impressive.
Heh. Who do you think you're talking to? Rather than miss a minute of your fair company I dutifully puked my guts up and dumped a bucket of cold water over my head. Voila, I was good to go.

That's some dedication. I'm impressed, Olivier.



That's some serious tenacity...
Come on, I couldn't let you enjoy all the fun yourselves, right? I had just come out of the inn when I saw you guys hit the road, so I came running from behind to catch up with you.
I guess I went a little too easy on you... Maybe I should have had you down all that brandy at once.
You'd have put me to sleep for good if you'd done that, Schera...
But anyway... Fighting the Sky Bandits here would lack finesse, don't you think?
I don't think that's the issue here!
No, I'm serious. Even if you subdued them all and managed to arrest the two siblings... There's still a chance they won't tell you where their hideout is. And they might even use the hostages as leverage to demand their release.
Well, there's a risk involved with whatever course of action we take...
...or do you have a good plan on how we can avoid taking such a risk?
Hmm-hmm-hmm, boy do I ever. Listen up, everyone.
Okay... But if you blow in my ear, I'm seriously going to punch your lights out.





Lonnie: It's good to see you made it back! I didn't think you'd be gone so long.
Dino: So talks took longer than expected, huh?

Yeah...but we're nearing an end with our negotiations. We also managed to get a great deal of information about what's going on with the Royal Army.

Lyall: So what you're saying is...?

Yep, we'll be getting the ransom money within a few days. We'll finally be one step closer to making our dream a reality.



Ryan: Sweet!

Cool it down, guys. It's a little too early to be getting excited yet. For the moment, we need to get back to the hideout and report to Don.
All right, everyone! Pack up and let's get out of here!



---





The temperature outside is 69.8 degrees with 15% humidity. There is a south-southwest wind blowing at a speed of 12 arge. There are no orbal reactions in the surrounding area.
It looks like the army isn't patrolling here. Activate the orbal engine and begin transmitting orbal energy to each section of the airship.

Lonnie: Aye, sir. Orbal engine activated.





Ryan: Orbal driver started. Stabilizers all green!



Lift off!

Lonnie: Aye-aye, sir!







However, make sure that we can switch to battle speed at any time.

Lonnie: Aye, sir.

It looks like we'll make it back before morning.
Yeah. I'm ready for some serious shut eye myself, but I've got to report to Don first.



Ryan: ...Huh... Did you just hear something?
Lyall: No, I didn't hear anything...
Ryan: That's odd. I could have sworn it came from below deck.



Can you see it?

Ryan: I'll have to clean up the place when I can find some free time.



Sky Bandits: 0; Us: still technically 0 but we're getting there.



We cut to a familiar location: The Nebel Valley.













Lyall: Ever since we came here my night and day have been completely reversed.
Ryan: We've just got to tough things out a little longer and then we can say goodbye to this horrible life.
Lyall: With Don as our leader, we can't go wrong. But...don't you think Don's been acting a little strange lately? I mean, he's kind of scary to talk to anymore...
Ryan: How about you knock that crap off? If Kyle or Josette heard you talking like that, they'd beat you upside the head!
Lyall: B-but it's just that...
Ryan: I'm sure you're just tired from lack of sleep. Let's hurry and finish up here and get some rest.



Estelle's getting good at one-liners. I'm so proud



Lyall: You... You're those...

You're too late!







If you lose this fight, you really should be ashamed. You get a preemptive strike, so everyone in your party will get one or two turns before they move, and there's only two of them.



While they're fairly hardy against physical attacks...



They don't fare as well against magic.



And like I said: Two of them, four of us, and we have a massive action advantage.

And Joshua still deals out crushing damage with his Katars.



I'm amazed that this little plan actually worked. I guess we all have you to thank this time.
But seriously, I was getting pretty nervous. I wasn't sure what we were going to do if we got caught stowing away.
Well, even if we were discovered, we'd just have to take control of the airship. And we would've had an advantage fighting against this lot in those tight quarters. Superior numbers mean nothing without space to maneuver in. Olivier...so you thought that far ahead, taking all of these factors into account, huh?
Not in a million years. Are you kidding? I simply thought it would be fun to infiltrate an enemy base.



Give the poor guy a break. At least we were able to get in here without incident.
Anyway...this looks like somewhere in the Nebel Valley.
The Nebel Valley? Like the one on the border of Bose and Rolent? Well, that explains why it's so misty outside.
And this is definitely terrain covered with extreme differences in height which prevent the landing of any large aircraft... It looks like your guess was right, Schera.
Yeah, well, it didn't seem to help us much in getting in here. But anyhow...we don't have time to be hanging around here. We'll need to subdue the Sky Bandits and ensure the safety of the hostages being held captive. And of course, your father, Cassius, too.
Right!
Understood!

Next time: We infiltrate their HQ. On our own