Trails in the Sky the 3rd Part #14 - !☆⯅?⭗¥#\$⯁?!

Part 14: !☆⯅?⭗¥#\$⯁?!

-Cradle Where Feelings Rest-

Younger Girl's Voice: Hey... Come over here for a minute.
Elder Girl's Voice: Honestly... How many times do I have to tell you not to run off without telling me, Ries? I had the fright of my life when I turned around after finishing my shopping to find you weren't there. Don't do that again, okay?
Younger Girl's Voice: I just smelled something nice from the stall over there... But hey! I found something weird.
Elder Girl's Voice: ...Weird?

Elder Girl: Oh, goodness...
Younger Girl: Do you think he's dead? Or maybe he indulged in excess gourmandizing?
Elder Girl: I'm...almost certain it's not the latter... I swear, what are they teaching children in school these days...? ...Never mind. I suppose that should wait.

Elder Girl: Hey there. Can you hear us?
Boy: ...
Elder Girl: Whew... It looks like he's conscious, at least. What's the matter? I can't see this being a very comfortable place to sit.
Boy: ...
Elder Girl: Umm...
Younger Girl: Maybe he's just hungry? When you're really hungry, sometimes you don't have the energy to talk.
Elder Girl: You might actually be right, there...and you'd know better than anyone. Well, then! I think I've got just the thing.

Younger Girl: ...! When did you get Quincy Bell chocolate?
Elder Girl: I bought this for you, originally, so I'm sorry, Ries. Do you mind if he has this?
Younger Girl: O-Okay...
Elder Girl: Heehee. Good girl.

Elder Girl: Come on. Why don't you try some? I think you'll like it. Especially if you like sweet things.
Boy: ...
Younger Girl: Quincy chocolate's the best there is. There might be a brand that tastes nicer, but they've got the best balance between taste and cost.
Elder Girl: See? That's a glowing review coming from none other than my darling little sister. The taste should help warm you up a bit, too. Go on! See what you think.
Boy: ...Get...st...
Elder Girl: What was that?

Elder Girl: Oh...
Younger Girl: ...!
Boy: ...I said...get lost... Just leave me alone. Please...
Elder Girl: ...
Younger Girl: What should we do?
Elder Girl: So you're not going to take me up on my offer, huh? I guess I'm left with no choice.

Younger Girl: Why're you eating it...?
Elder Girl: *munch* Mm...

Boy: Mmmfff?!
Elder Girl: ...Mmm...
Boy: !☆⯅?⭗¥#$⯁?! ...Ngh...*gulp*...
Younger Girl: Whoooa...

DISCLAIMER: four out of five doctors recommend against make-outs as a treatment for exposure and malnutrition.

Elder Girl: ...Whew. That should be enough.
Boy: ...Gah...*cough*...

Boy: Wh-Wh-Wh... What the hell was THAT for?!
Elder Girl: Haha. Looks like that did the trick. See? I told you that sweet things are great for perking you up.
Boy: That wasn't the chocolate! That was YOU being a maniac! What kinda girl does that to a kid they just found on the street?! A-Are you some kinda p-pedophile or something?!
Elder Girl: Oh, my...The Sunday School curriculum really seems to have changed since I went there. But where else could you and Ries be picking up these fancy words, I wonder?
Younger Girl: I don't think that's really the problem...
Boy: Y-Yeah, what she said! Wait a sec... Your clothes look familiar...
Elder Girl: Heehee. Oh, come to think of it, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?

Elder Girl: My name's Rufina. Rufina Argent. And this is my little sister, Ries. How about you? What's your name?

-Silence-

Voice: Kevin... Kevin, are you listening?

...!!

-The Hermit's Garden-

...Oh.

Sorry about that. Must've spaced out a bit.

Are you all right?

It's understandable, really.

After all that's happened, it's no surprise you're feeling tired.

Maybe you should rest up some before we keep going?

Haha. Nah, don't worry about me.

Anyway, we were about to start going over all the information we've gathered so far, right?

Yes, but...

He may not be our ally, but our encounter with that 'Schwarzritter' turned out to be quite illuminating.

We finally have the name of this strange place we've found ourselves in, for one.

That's right. He called it 'Phantasma,' right?

Yep. Interesting name it's got.

Not sure where it came from, though. As far as I know, it's nothing from the church's scripts.

I've never heard it before, either.

Then there's the existence of his 'lord.'

Well, judging by how that guy spoke of them, that must be the big boss around here. They seem to know a whole lot about us, too...

Incidentally, there was one thing that knight mentioned which made me curious. It mentioned you having a sister, Ries?

...

Oh, my. I didn't mean to pry into your personal affairs. Should I not have asked?

Nah. I don't blame you for being curious.

As he said, I did indeed have a sister.

Her name was Rufina. She was one of the Gralsritter just like I am now.

Ries...

I take it that your use of the past tense means...?

Yes. She fell in the line of duty during a mission. Roughly five years ago, to be precise.

...

I see...

But in that case, how could that man possibly know so much about her skills?

...I wish I knew. I don't really know much about the work she did.

What about you, Kevin?

...

Sorry. I can't think of how she might have met him, either.

Still, she was known for being one skilled knight. And not just in terms of strength in battle--her judgment and negotiation abilities were both top class, too. The details of her missions are as much a mystery to me as they are for Ries, but it's not a stretch to think she could've met him during one of 'em.

I suppose...

We've little more than conjecture to go off of. I suppose the matter will have to remain unsolved for now.

...My apologies. I should never have asked. All I did was bring up painful memories for the two of you.

Don't sweat it.

We still learned something out of this, and that's that our enemies are keeping a pretty close eye on what we do here.

We're gonna need to be careful every step of the way.

So it seems.

Shall we get back to our ever-cautious trek, then?

We'll have to go back to where we met that guy and keep going from there, right?

Yeah. I saw another warp at the top of the stairs. Thankfully, the cube can get us back there in no time flat once we're up for it.

lol I completely forgot to upgrade Julia's orbment, good thing Bennu didn't have any adds that were only vulnerable to arts or anything

Before we go, there's something to find back at the bookshelves where Kevin and Ries first woke up.

Trails in the Sky's various book collections will pop up around the Hermit's Garden as you progress through the game. There's one set in each chapter, and they'll disappear if you don't notice them.