Part 9: The Lady Arabica

Update 9 - The Lady Arabica








MUSIC: Act 3












MUSIC: The Bard and the Pirates





Ahoy land lubbers and welcome to the Lady Arabica! Act 3 is where the game starts to come into its own and really shine. The game does a really good job of pacing, and only gets better and better from here on out.

We'll start off the act by checking in with Miriam.


Wow!! A real pirate ship!

Is this going to go for the entire trip?

It might. Pirates are really cool, Miriam.


Bard is right on this Miriam. Pirates are, indeed, really cool.


Do you think Manny and Viola and Ash are doing okay?

Who's that? Your band? We... just left. I'm sure they're fine.

Oh...well do you want to play a game? Like "I Spy?"

No. Why don't you, like... explore the ship or something?


Hmm, that's a good idea Miriam! Let's go do that!







The arrow leads to the lower decks of the ship, but we've still got business on the top deck.





Like with the captain, for instance! We finally get to learn that his name is Lucas. If that's a first, last, or nickname - we don't know that!



SFX: YAR




Yeah!! This is so cool! Where are we going?

Tatango Island town!

Are there more pirates there??

Aye. You really like pirates, eh?

They're pretty neat.

Want to be a helpful part of arr crew?

How

Fetch me a coffee.



Haha, okay. Weeee.

I wasn't kidding about that coffee. I could really use some.


Hooray! We got our first fetch quest


Being a pirate is fun, right?

Tis a wonderful world to be a part of, matey.


Tis indeed. It seems we're done with the top deck, so let's head down to the lower levels.





First though, here's a nice view of the entire ship. It's a real nice... hey wait. Is that... someone in the Crow's nest?





I nearly missed this my first time through, but you can totally climb these little steps to the top.





Oh hey! It's Nina from Delphi!




Sorry, only cool people are allowed up here.



Just kidding. You're cool. Hehe.


Nina's pretty damn awesome, combine that with her being a pirate and she may be the most awesome person in existence.


Everyone said I was too short to be a pirate, but being short doesn't really matter. See? I just stand on this box, and I'm good as anyone.

This view's really nice, huh? Being a pirate is super cool.


It is in fact a really nice view. The color pallete of this area is a much more tropical one, and our bard himself is sporting a bit of a sunsoaked color.





With the top deck thoroughly searched, we can now investigate the cabins of the ship.





...Uh oh.




I hope you realize you're never getting those beans.

That's okay! I didn't really want them. I also still have no money.

Right.


Well that was at least solved... amicably. Though without our 69000 beans

Anyway... now that our bean issue is solved, let's just talk to Penny and see what's going on.


I'm sort of the public face of the crew. Y'know. Sell the beans, make the deals. I'm good at it because I'm so cute. Well anyway, welcome aboard, or something. And stay out of the cargo. You want coffee, you can talk to Lou in the mess hall.


Fair warning, Act 3 will make you want a cup of coffee. Particularly if you have some good beans or blends.


Being a pirate isn't all fun and games. We've got a serious business enterprise here. People pay top dollar for coffee beans, y'know?


I do like the idea of pirates just running around selling coffee beans to people. Though they did refuse my mere request of 69k beans







Here's the bedrooms hammockrooms. They look cozy.





Those chandeliers have to be breaking the fire code standards of this ship.

Also, hi! New person!




Meaning I keep us pointed in the right direction, and that goes beyond the literal. I don't tolerate silliness.

...

Heh! Me neither! I'm on a serious adventure.


Your lying could use some work there Bard.


...

You seem like the silly type to me. Of course they just let you on the ship without consulting me. I mean, that's fine. Just please don't break anything.


Don't worry! Bard will be on his best behavior while on the ship full of dangerous pirates with scary faces.


Ugh, I'm so tired. I can't even remember the last time I slept... So why do I still want more coffee?


Caffeine addiction is a thing Francisco! Caffeine always seems to work on me only when I don't want it. Need to be alert? Nah, it's got other things to do. I'd really like some sleep, remember that second cup of coffee you had? Because my brain does!

Ugh, anyway...





How dangerous are you guys!? This guys missing an eye from being a coffee pirate! What? Did the Folgers guys make a boarding strike?









A nice warm cup of joe for the captain! The pirate chef is named Lou, but we can't talk to him as of yet. We'll have to do it later, after we give the captain his coffee.





Before that, let's continue to explore the ship and get our bearings of the area.





Upstairs seems to be a spare hammockroom, or somebody's room that we are going to have to share with.





Downstairs is the cargo bay. Despite being told by Penny to not come down here, there isn't anything to mess with. So let's head back up to the top deck and give the Capt his coffee.






So you did!





SFX: YAR


It's SO GOOD!!



A song coming on...




A song eh? Good thing you've got Bard here!!!



VIDEO: The Crew of the Lady Arabica













MUSIC: Late Night Coffee





Jeez, there's love of coffee, and there's drinking it all day and then having some before bed. How do these people function? Well, I guess Francisco already said he doesn't.

The lighting in this part is really great! The colors look fantastic in a game that already had its colors pop.

Anywho, let's talk to these scallywags starting with Penny on the far left.


It's too bad my part of the song was interrupted... I had a real showstopper ready, let me tell ya. Whatever, I'm over it. I've got my coffee now. In case you couldn't tell, we don't do a whole of sleeping on this ship. Everyone's kind of a lunatic, but in a good way.


That would be a great tagline for the game.


Nothing like a cup of coffee after a long day. Hopefully everyone got all that singing out of their system. I'll sleep great tonight. Ha ha, just kidding. Nobody sleeps on this ship.


Your face very much agrees with that statement.


Hah!! Great singing out there today, matey. Something about you really lights up the music in my heart.

Uh. Neat!

Let me know when ye want some coffee.


Coffee, is also code for "Progress the Story." Which we are not ready to do, since we haven't talked to everyone yet.





Continuing our way towards the right with Lou...


It warms my heart to see everyone with a nice cup of coffee.




That... isn't... creepy at all Lou


I been on this ship a long, long time... The things I seen...

So what'ja think of my cookin, anyway?

Oh! Uh, it was... Uh...



Good!! It was good.


Lou scares me. I hope we aren't bunking with him.


Yeah!!! Coffee!!! Heh heh. Love coffee soooo much!!Drink it erryday!! Hey, where'd your witch friend go, anyways?


Yeah, Miriam doesn't seem to be down here with everyone else. Where could she be?





We can see part of her hiding up in the spare room. Probably hiding from Lou, to be honest.




Yeah yeah, great job with the singing today. As if these pirates weren't obnoxious enough already.

You should try having fun sometimes, Miriam.

_{Yeah, I'll show you fun sometime.}

Why don't you want to hang out?

Today's been long enough. I'm kinda not in the mood.

...

_{I haven't been so far from home before.}

Are you homesick?

Ugh. I guess, if that's what this is. I just hope my grandma is okay and junk. Whatever, have fun with your new pirate buddies. I'd like some me time now.

Meeee tiiiiiimmme.


Aww, Miriam is starting to confide a bit in Bard. Before no time at all, she'll be singing and dancing just like Bard does.

It's time to head back to the party and get some coffee!





"Yeah!!"



SFX: YAR






Ahhhh! I love me some caffeine! Really gets me BUZZIN!!

So tell me, matey...



Groan

Not this one again...

AH SHUT IT, YA SCALLYWAGS!!

Have you?



Ahhhh! I was just a lad, a no-name on some crew... When we found arrselves... In the worst storm ye ever heard of!



We didn't stand a chance. The ship went down. I was drownin. I saw my life flash before my eyes!!



As my vision faded... A beautiful voice, singing from the deep. When I came to, I was safe on some shore. She saved me!!! Her music... is the music of my heart. My mermaid savior...



'Course, after that, they all vanished for years and years. Say, matey...



Oh! Hah, yeah. I was totally distracted. And also, a little nervous... I've never had this stuff before...



Matey, you've never LIVED! Give it a drink arready!

Um. Ok!


Bard is going to have his first coffee in his life! What...could go wrong?






VIDEO: A Cup of Coffee




















SFX: Bard Snore







I'll feel less guilty about waking up Bard this time, at least. If only because he's got to face the music on what he did.







On that note... let's go see who else is awake.





Oh... good... alone with Lou. Fantastic.


So, finally awake, eh?

What happened??

What HAPPENED was, you caused a real ruckus, is what happened. And you ain't never








That seems fair, no more coffee, no more ruckuses!


Anyway, we're docked safe on Tatango island now. Why don't you get outside and stretch those legs.





...

Are you coming outside too?

No sirree. I'm just dandy here. Go on, now.


Our terrifying time with Lou is over, and it's best to go before he decides to spend more time with us.

There's nobody else in the bowels of the ship, so let's head topside.












We're placed on the docks outside of the ship next to our very good friend Miriam! Who isn't mad at us at all.


Well helloooooooo there, sunshine. Feeling calmed down now?

Yes.

Well thank Eya.

Is the nexus point here?

No. We still have to find the... guess.

Overseer song?

This time I really have no idea who would know it. The nexus point is just on some uninhabited island. This island's got people on it, though. So I guess... go ahead and do your... people... thing.

Talking?

Yeah, that.


Before we go do this mysterious art of "talking", Miriam has more to say.


Apparently the pirates sell their coffee beans here.

...

_{But I wonder where they get the beans from...}


This is... a good point. Where are they getting all their coffee beans? Were they the ones boarding the Folgers ships!?


Bleh. It's hot. I can't tell if it's worse out here or back inside the ship... Please find that song soon.


You got it Miriam!







The town is just this way, just a few more steps and we'll... say... what's that sign up there say?





A fortune teller!? Well now we gotta go there!!





The fortune teller is to the right, but if we head to the left...





We get a nice view of this area. Each area having it's own color pallet and artwork makes the game more fun and varied to go through. You never feel like assets are copy pasted... even though they probably are, they're just being color swapped.











Alright! We made it!! I can't wait to have our fortune read!



MUSIC: Calliope's House of Fortune





Huh, this place is a bit spooky.




What are you doing here?

Do you know about the Overseer song?

...Overseer...?

NYA ha ha! Funny time to ask! I hate to tell you this, but...




...We know?


That's why I'm packing up my stuff. Gonna go chill on a beach till it all goes down.

I know about that already!

Huh? About the beach?

No, about the world ending! That's what I'm trying to stop!

...

NYA ha ha ha! That's not gonna happen. But sure. I can divinate just about anything. What are you looking for? Overseer's song?

Yeah!



Hmmmm...

GOT IT!




...Wait the mermaids are real? The Captain wasn't just blasted on booze caffeine?


Which is too bad... Since they vanished years ago and all. Even I couldn't tell you where they went...

Oh... So you can't really divinate anything, huh...?

Tuh! Hey! I'm the best in the biz, okay?? But it's not that simple! A divination like that would require... hard to find stuff!!

Like what?

Nya ha ha... you're serious, huh? To actually locate the mermaids... I'd need no less than the Mermaid's Tear.

Huh? I have to make them cry?

NO no no no, it's a jewel, you dummy. Something they left behind. You could go looking for it in the Ruins, I guess...

But be warned! It's a heroic sidequest thing!


Ooh! We just did one of those and put together a band!


A wha?


The Tear is destined to be found by a hero.

Not... a weird song dork.


Good thing we are a hero and not a weird song dork.


But if you can get the jewel, then I can find the mermaids.

Okay! I WILL find it!! And then we'll see who the hero is!!

Good luck finding that jewel! I'll wait around and see if you do. The payoff would be pretty sweet... That jewel would be worth a fortune. And you WOULD have to hand it over, by the way. Mo' money, better beach for me when the world ends. Nya ha ha ha...


Alright! We know what we have to do next! We didn't even have to go into town...!

But uh... we do kinda need to go into town if only to fetch our crew again. Plus, where would we be if we weren't spending an eternity talking to every npc? Not this game, that's for sure!