Part 19

Frida: Very well.

Jarkko: I was joking, I was joking! If you don't work, no one cares! The boat's not going to sink because of it. Look, it's me who does everything. Ha ha ha! Come now, I'm teasing you. I'm funny, no? Ha ha ha!

Frida: Hmm. Yes. Well, I suppose we can't help it. Alright then, see you later.


Frida: Hmm... No, thanks.


Frida: (blush) Frida... Sorry, but I have to go...

Peter: (he laughs) You are sweet! Don't go! Where do you come from, Miss Timid? Where are you going? I am curious!

(Looking closer, it seems that Peter is rather handsome. Even very handsome.)

Frida: I... I come from the mountains to the east of here. I am on the way to Sapphire Bay...

Peter: (His eyes don't leave yours.) Sapphire Bay, really? Incredible! I am not going so far, but it would be a pleasure to do a part of the journey in your company... Miss. (He takes you gently by the arm.)

Frida: (Removes her arm firmly.) Yes, thank you. Well, see you later.


(You stare at the ceiling for several minutes. You do not feel very well, but you could not say whether it is the day's events or the continuous movement of the boat. Little by little, your eyes close. You finish by falling asleep. Before losing consciousness, you think you see a shadow close to your bed. A big one. It smiles at you. You shiver.)


[There is an Inferno tile that will transform us into the Pyre Princess for five turns... but to get to it we have to pass through the Viscous Shadows, which can kill us in one hit if they get next to us. Time for Doors+Betrayal+running.]


Shadow of the Seid: There you are again, traveler. Do you remember me? I have watched you, all this time. I have observed you on the tundra. I have followed you through the mountain—I have slept with you on the river. I am the Inspector. It is I who searches for truth; it is I who comes to shed light. I am not glorious. No. No, I am the Crack.

You have made good progress, little princess. You have made good progress. You no longer back away when I approach. You no longer back away when we look at you. You no longer back away when we encircle you. You have made good progress. Look at your feet: the ground is no longer the same. The ground changes, the ground moves; the ground is no longer made of solid earth. Where have you put your feet?

(Frida wakes up sweating coldly, but relaxes as soon as she sees Ven reading across the hold.)




Frida: No, why, should I be?

Livari: Really? What a surprise! Normally, the first time people set foot on a boat they spend the whole time throwing up. Do you come from a family of sailors or what? (He laughs.)

Frida: In a way...

Livari: You are surprising! People often have difficulty the first time they leave dry land... Well, anyway, I don't have any work for you but I know that Jarkko needs help in the kitchen. Go and see him. You know where the kitchen is right? It's at the end of the hold.

Frida: Very well, Captain. I'll take care of it.



(Some time later...)

Jarkko: Voila! A nice salmon soup—isn't it nice? Eh? You didn't do so badly, sailor! Quick, give it to the passengers while I clean the kitchen. It's always nice to be served by a pretty girl, ha ha ha!






Frida: Uh... Your meal, Peter.

Peter: Oh! It's the pretty young lady... (His face lights up.) Sorry, I'm a bit of scatterbrain. Ah, the meal. Did you make it?

Frida: Yes. Ok, cheers.

Peter: (He grabs you by the arm when you are about to leave) Heh, wait! I have not even had the time to thank you!

Frida: (Shivers) It's... Not worth it.


Frida: Hmm... Let it drop, ok? Well, see you later.




Shadow of the Seid: You have made good progress, little princess. Do you want to face the Beast now? Do you want to face the Beast's servants? They will be here soon. Soon, you will recognize them.

Frida: Let them come. They will discover the folly of tormenting one of the volur.

[This time, we have to get through the shadows to escape. Again, there's an Inferno tile, but it won't last long enough to kill all three shadows. I lure one into a Doors loop, and use Repulsion to push them away and reduce their psyche until they can't cast any spells (thanks to one of its upgrade Skills). The reason I don't use Pyre Princess is that Repulsion is crucial to victory here, and it's one of the skills that gets replaced when you transform. It's a trade-off.]

(It is still early in the morning when the dream finally ends. Frida walks above deck to catch a very familiar sight: snow.)




Frida: I've never done it.

Jarkko: Don't worry, I'll show you. It's not hard. The knots we use for the mast are like this. You pass this here, like this... (later) Do you understand? Quick, hurry up. Come to see me when you're done. I'll take care of the end.

[For this quest, we have to figure out which knots need retying, and in what order. Only the Huntress can get the best possible score and the most xp, but our Memory bonus will make up for it as long as we don't fuck everything up...]


(Frida leaves this one alone.)


[This is actually a double knot, and I didn't get a screenshot of the first description.]
(Next, Frida undoes the second knot to retie it.)


(Frida tries to redo the knot.)

(As you free the rope to redo the knot, the force takes you by surprise. You try to resist, but the rope slips through your hands, laying you flat on the ground.)

Jarkko: What are you doing, wretch? (He runs towards you yelling.) Get out of the way, I'll do it... (He sighs.) There, it's repaired. You're not helping me here! Quick, hurry up and finish.

Frida: Hey, I'm a woman, and not very physical...


Frida: Yes, that's it. It wasn't without problems.

[The game actually gives us the “best” dialogue even though we screwed one up and we're not a Huntress, so I changed Jarkko's reaction a little bit.]

Jarkko: Not bad, actually, aside from that one. Are you sure it's your first time on a boat? You can go rest now.


(After greeting Ven, Frida smells food cooking from the kitchen.)


Frida: Peter? Can we talk?

Peter: Oh, hello Frida! How are you? (He comes closer.)

Frida: Very well. Are you doing the cooking?

Peter: I am on duty today. I have found some mushrooms and some vegetables, so I am making a soup. I hope you will like it. (He smiles.)

Frida: I... I'm sure I will. See you later.

(As you are going to get into bed, you hear Peter coming from the kitchen with the meal.)


Frida: Ah! Thank you very much, Peter.

Peter: (He looks at you mischievously.) Do you want me to take a rest with you? Your bed seems to be more comfortable than mine...

Frida: Ah, it's tempting... But I am very tired. Perhaps another day, who knows...

Peter: (He does not get flustered.) Ok, ok... See you later then!

(You drink your broth with mixed feelings. Peter attracts you, that's obvious—in fact, you are astonished sometimes by your audacity. You have little experience with men in general. There has only ever been your father in your life, and when other girls were rapidly starting their amorous experiences, you have the impression of never having truly matured. The thought of your father makes you suffer. You lay down and try to think of other things.)


[I hate those waving tentacle things so much. One of the abilities they disable is Flight, making it harder to get away from them.]


[Thankfully, we have this to help us find the hidden seals, which are quite difficult to detect.]


Shadow of the Seid: You have made good progress, little princess. You have made good progress. Look at your feet: the ground has changed. The ground is no longer the same. Here, you are in my kingdom. Here is the truth. There is the moss—there the humidity—do you remember this place? It is where the Beast lives. It is here that you must look for him.

Search, traveler. Search for the entry into the stomach of the Beast. Search for the entry into his dwelling. Search for the entry into the invisible kingdom. Hidden in the mists, between the roots, it is here, very close. You must first see it—then, you will be able to approach it.


[I was going to show Betrayal's form for this chapter earlier, but I figured it would be more thematically appropriate to do so here, hence the background from the first encounter. Interesting dialogue choice for it, though marred a little bit by missing words, like a lot of lines. It turns us into... this thing:


Yeah.]

(Frida activates the seals, and catches a brief glimpse of a well-like hole in the landscape of the Seid [which went by before I could screencap it, but we'll see it later] before waking up to loud voices coming from above. It seems more passengers have boarded, judging from the number of new voices.)


Jarkko: Hey, young lady! You're needed, come up here! (He turns his head to someone you can't see, but you figure it to be Livari) Is everyone on-board? Do we have the cargo? Ok, perfect, we're leaving... I'm going to the helm.