Part 5: Chapter 1-5: Oddjob(s)

Chapter 1-5: Oddjob(s)

Shortly after the Swordsman's death, our NPCs decide to have a talk with us.

http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387483/





- I was told long ago that trust is useless. When I'm with you guys, I realize that that is wrong. I feel like this is the team where I belong. Just like that Swordsman said, you're the leader from now on. I'll be relying on you.

The quest for Ricardo is over.



- He sacrificed his life to execute his duties. And without fear of death, he taught us new techniques. His spirit was trained to be as solid as steel. No matter how much I train, I would never get close to being like him.

Kyo had a solemn look. The thought of death ran painfully in his mind.

- As long as I don't give up, I know I can get close to being like that Swordsman. Sorry Sagoon. I may be a nuisance, but please bear with me.

The quest for Kyo is over.



- I've never told anyone this... but, I have a dream. I want to help those people in town who are sick and wounded. Those who have money and power are able to live in Duhan, but... the reality is... there are people who can't even go to the temple. That is the reason I became a priestess. I know that your goals are different from mine, but I still hope we can get along. I'm countin' on you, leader.

- Now, a brief lesson on Trust! Trust represents the strength of the bond between you and your comrades. Your comrades will be dissatisfied with their lack of trust, and vice versa.

(Their lack of trust will be dissatisfied with my comrades? )

- If you want to know how your comrades feel about you, view their status. The meter in the upper right of the status screen will indicate trust. Your part rank is (Jap Symbol). You have plenty of potential in qualifying as a respected leader.

(I may already be a winner.)

- But, beware of becoming too arrogant. Your true worth will be tested starting here. Good luck.

Phew. I really hope that's the last time I have to type out one of these.

Anyway. From the antechamber we're in, we can go up a spiral staircase. We can also explore the room, but there's nothing on this level.



We pass this doorway on the way up. It leads to the broken bridge from the beginning of this area, and serves as the jump-off point back where Gotz is. It's the mini-shortcut, basically. A better one will be available soon.



Going up several more stairs...



And we come to a door.



Inside is a chest with another ? Gauntlet which turns out to be, you guessed it, a regular Gauntlet. Let's jump down the hole. It leads down to a two-tile platform.

http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387595/



A hobbit thief is scrutinizing something.

Thief - Huh?! That's odd.

It gives us the option to speak to him. Sure, why not? Rui was cool.

He looked annoyed when you spoke to him.



Is... is he giving me the finger?

- Can't you see that I'm busy?!

You were shooed away by the Hobbit thief.

I want to point out that this jerk forces me off the platform. And into a battle with two giant toads and four slimes. Dickhead.

Returning to that broken bridge passage we passed on the stairs takes us to another door.



Behind which is a rather beautiful waterfall, and the stairs down to B2.

Yes, the way down is finally in sight. But don't get too excited.

There's an elf warrior accompanied by several soldiers in front of the stairs leading down to the basement. The elf warrior notices you and walks toward you.



He put his hand out, but nobody in the party had a pass. The elf warrior looked your way and knew from the look in your faces.

- I will allow those with a pass from the chief of the Queen's Guards.

- Oh, but nobody was in the room.

- Newcomers, huh? Unfortunately, Sir LeDua, the chief guard has gone into the Labyrinth. He shall not be returning for some time due to an investigation of an abnormal occurrence of the Undead. It would be of no use to head to the Imperial Quarters. I will be reprimanded by Sir LeDua if I were to allow you newcomers to die. It would be best for you to return to town and come back later. Sir LeDua should be returning by the time you have rested and are ready for a fresh start in the Labyrinth. Is that understood?

It gives us a Yes/No choice here, but I'm not sure why. It doesn't affect your alignment either way and you can't continue right now either way.

- Hmm. We shall meet after you have obtained your pass. Return to town, and after you have rested, you are to go to the Imperial Quarters.

The elf warrior left as he waved his hand.

I know what it says, but trying the stairs down again reveals that elf repeating his directions. Oh well, back to town.



How do these things open doors?

Anyway, we make it back to town... eventually. Let's go sleep at the inn.

http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387545/



As you entered the Lodge, a female warrior was leaving.

Innkeeper - You fought many monsters yesterday, didn't you?! I can tell you have grown strong, building experience.

Female Warrior - I have gained many things. I'll venture even further today.

Innkeeper - Take care.



The female warrior glares at you.

- Do you have a problem with me? Do you actually have pride? Stop joking around. You adventurers are all satisfied with just taking the treasure from the Labyrinth. If you ask me, you're the same was Kobolds scavenging for carcasses.... Anything to refute?

You just glare into her eyes.

- Then prove yourself.

After whispering that, she exited the Lodge.

...So, who wants to level up?



I actually did this backwards this time. You should usually go to the bar after the Labyrinth, then the inn. The reason being, sometimes you'll gain experience after completing quests, and that can end up gaining you a level or two. So, it's better to get all the experience and then rest up.

Let's check out the Guild.

http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387566/



Girl - Huh, Allied Action?

The nervous girl was questioning the clerk wonderingly.

Girl - Wh... What's Allied Action? A new type of spell?

Clerk - You don't know?

Girl - I... just want to learn spells...

Clerk - Hmm, this is tough. I'll register you anyways, but...

The clerk was talking in a kind tone.

Clerk - I don't think you're cut out to be an adventurer.

After thanking the clerk, the girl turned around. Your eyes meet.



The girl ran away, embarrassed.

Hahaha, what an amusing girl.

Next to you stood a knight dressed in splendid armor.



- Confronting the Labyrinth without even knowing what an Allied Action is.

From his appearance and behavior, he is most likely from a distinguished family.

- Allied Actions (AA) are group skills. Teamwork can overcome anything. It is such a simple idea. This is no longer the same style of fighting as in the past. They not only look for courage and strength in a leader, but trust as well. A bond is formed only when there is a trusted leader. You seem to know the importance of having AAs, having people with you...

Another multiple choice. Either I know the importance of AAs, or I don't. Obviously, since the game has crammed it down my throat a few times now, I do.

- In order to conquer the Labyrinth, you need to take more precautions. Come back here after you develop more trust. When you do, you should be able to master new AAs.

The man suppressed his laughter as he walked away.



The Guild menu is now fully opened to us.



As you can see, Warren won the vote, so we'll be making him a member of the party. I got lucky on this one, as I got 20 bonus points within about five minutes.



These are Warren's initial stats.



We also get a few pre-made custom characters. They're largely useless.



We can also purchase new AAs from each category as they become available.



In this case, Rush is the only new AA we can master. It's not that strong right now, but it's a guaranteed hit on every member of the enemy part as long as they don't use something like Front Guard. Not sure yet if they can. I guess we'll find out later. In any case, Rush makes dealing with previous floors a breeze, since eventually you can just Rush each large monster party once and kill it outright.

Let's try the bar.

http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387493/



When you entered the Tavern, a bunch of men approached you.



- We heard from Kasta! He said you whooped Virgo's ass. You're great. People will beg to be in your party now.



- She attacks you just because your eyes meet. Look away and she throws a spell at you... You wouldn't believe all the troubles she's caused all of us adventurers. She's scarier than the demons there. I wanna make a toast to you!



After hearing that, everyone in the Tavern started speaking.

Well isn't that pretty amazing? Being hated by Virgo, man!

Yeah. Everyone hates Virgo, but it's hard to be hated by her.

- Hahaha, you're right! That just shows how much skill you have. So now, you can get more jobs from the townspeople. We're counting on ya!

The entire Tavern cheered and toasted.

Oh... kay... I guess we're popular now. That's good.



The Recruit menu is fully open now. We can pick either NPCs or PCs with the touch of a button.



There's Warren, along with the pre-made characters.



Too bad his starting spell list is significantly shorter than Tallgeese might like. We'll work on that.



Warren goes right behind Kyo, and I decide to put the generic priest into the party for a little extra support. Better than an empty space, right?

Don't answer that.

Before checking out the new jobs, let's stop by Vigger's really quick.

http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387539/



- A freshly made Magic Stone is just so pretty.

The female thief Rui was gazing at a beautiful Magic Stone. Will you talk to her?

Absolutely.

She turned around when you spoke.

- Hmm......? We meet again, huh? So how's it going? I'm doing pretty good. See, I just got a new Magic Stone.

Saying that, Rui showed off the Magic Stone she was carrying.

- Magic Stones are important to us adventurers. I mean, we can't use spells without them. Even sorcerers and priests need Magic Stones to learn new spells. When I was a sorceress, I used a lot of Magic Stones and learned lots of spells. I still get excited when I get a Magic Stone.

...You know what, that one's too easy.

- Of course, now that I'm a thief, I can't learn any new spells.

Rui's eyes glittered.

- I just thought of something. I'll test you on your knowledge of Magic Stones. Is that okay? Aww, come on.

- Okay, question #1. How are Magic Stones made?

They are made by...

Mixing medicine
Combining materials
Casting a spell on a stone

I really wish it were the last choice. It'd make things so much easier. But, it's the second choice, obviously.

- Correct! A bit too easy, huh? Like you just said, Magic Stones are made by combining Materials. You can get Materials by beating monsters. Stuff like Slime's Goo, and Pixies' Wing are Materials for Magic Stones. If you bring those to Vigger's Shop right here they'll combine them and make a Magic Stone.

Rui smiled.

- Here's something that most people don't know...... Magic Stone making is influenced by the moon. Depending on the phases of the moon, the Magic Stone being made might mutate. Remember that it's most likely to mutate on a Crimson Moon.

- A brief lesson on the moon!

These are never brief!

- The moon changes phases depending on the amount of time passed. The moon will change phases as you wander the Labyrinth. The phase of the moon is displayed next to the status panel.

- Alright, next question. You can use Magic Stones to make new spells......... But are there classes that can't learn spells?

Well, are there?

There are
There aren't

Considering Sagoon and Ricardo have been incapable of learning them so far, I'm inclined to say yes.

- Uh-huh, that's right. Thank heaven! If you didn't know that you'd be in big trouble. It's common sense that warriors can't learn spells, right? Thieves and ninjas can only master a certain amount of spells. Samurais and knights can use more spells, but they can't use Level 7, the strongest level of spells. The best spell users are priests and sorcerers. A bishop can use the spells of both a priest and a sorcerer, but... The training they have to go through is pretty rough...

- Alright, next question. What is the use of a Magic Stone that has a spell you've already learned?

That Magic Stone is...

Useless
You can power up a spell
You can use it in battle

It powers up spells.

- Everytime you use a Magic Stone, you can power up that spell. That's right. I see you understand that. Leveled up spells are incredibly powerful. It's important to use it.

- And that ends your quiz. Hey, you got all of them right! You'll be a great adventurer! I'll guarantee it. As a prize, I'll give you this Magic Stone. I don't need that stone anymore.

Rui pulled a Magic Stone from her pouch. You got a Spleem Stone!

Ouch, my spleem!

- See you later.

Rui left the store.

Don't get too excited about that Spleem stone, by the way. All it does is try to put a row of enemies to sleep. There's usually better things you can be doing with your turn.

Okay, after using up my Materials, giving out Magic Stones, and identifying/selling stuff, it's time to go back to the bar.



As the quest list fills up, you can easily see which ones you haven't completed yet. Active quests get a mark next to them.

Here are the three new quests we can do:







Being introductory quests, they're pretty easy. One girl wants Pixie Wings, another wants us to talk to her boyfriend, and another wants us to get paralyzed. Let's go ahead and meet them.

I'm going to try and give each quest it's own complete section in updates when the option is available. When it's not, I'll try to make each quest remarkable in multiple updates. Thankfully, these early quests are all simple.

Lisa's Quest:

http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387612/

A girl trotted toward the counter.



- Pixie's Charm is a ceremony that fulfills love. I need a Pixie's Wing to perform that charm.

She smiled embarrassingly as she said the charm.

Her name was Lisa Cassandra. She was a medicine woman.

- I fell in love. It has been one-sided for many years. His name is Raddock. His family is the head of the Imperial Knights. Of course, he is a knight himself. He saved my life from a monster when I was still a student. It was love at first sight... Ever since then, I couldn't stop thinking about him... You can feel like this just thinking about someone you like... I feel like I forgot this feeling for a long time, like I was in a deep sleep.

Lisa closed her eyes as she was moved by her own words.

After a short while, her face clouded and she looked down.

An elite Imperial Knight and a nameless medicine woman.

"It was never meant to be..." She whispered in a faint voice.

- Would you give me some courage? There's a legend I've heard about. You shine the light of a full moon on a Pixie's Wing immersed in sweet nectar. Then you write the name of the person you like on it in rouge and bury it under a big tree. If you do, your feelings will reach the person you love... That's the charm.

We can't give the Pixie's Wing to Lisa right away. We have to leave and reenter the tavern first.

- You brought a Pixie's Wing!

Lisa took the Pixie's Wing and wrapped a handkerchief around it.

- It's just a charm... I know that, but this is all I have to rely on... I'm jealous of you, being able to take action. I have to go now. I must gather some nectar before the next full moon.

You got a Lapis Ornament.
You got 300 EXP!



Well, that was easy. Next up is Lydia.

Lydia's Quest:

http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387738/



A woman you have never seen obstructed your path.

- Nice to meet you. I am Lydia. I saw you taking my quest. You probably already know this, but my boyfriend has started a stupid business in the Labyrinth. I want him to quit, but he doesn't listen to me... We both used to be teachers at the school for bishops in this town, but when the school was destroyed in the Flash, he changed. He starts a dumb business, doesn't do well, and quits... He's been repeating this loop. Now he is capturing monsters and selling them at his Monster Shop. It's so pathetic that I can't stand it!

Lydia sighed deeply.

- I know that it won't work, and he'll just quit again. So I want to make him give it up now, but I don't know how to make him quit. I'll let you handle it, so please make him stop his Monster Shop. I'm so thankful that someone would take this pathetic job. Please keep this quest a secret from him.

In order to advance this quest, we need to go back to the four-way split where we met Sara and did portions of Kyo's and Ricardo's quests.



Merchant - Come on by! Take a look!





- Hey, you're new here. So, how about a portable Orc? What? You wanna know if you can carry them on your arm? Man, you're so old school! They're not birds, ya know. You carry these guys on your body. You can make it your pet, terrorizer, or just a plain Orc! Having an Orc in the house is going to be a fad!



(I swear to god, that's what he says.)

- I have a special gift for a limited time! A horn of a monster! I think. So how about it? I have other stuff for sale too. Wanna take a look?

Will you take a look?

What the hell, sure.

- All right then! Take your time!



I've... seen better shops. Sadly, I've also seen worse. Obviously, this is a joke shop menu, so let's try buying that million gold Orc.

- Hey! You don't have enough money!

(Can someone confirm for me whether or not we can even have gold in the millions? I'm kind of curious as to whether we could actually buy this Orc if we farmed a mil from the newbie monsters around here.)

[ - Sorry, but this Orc is a display item with a premium. So I can't give you any kind of discount.

- I's a... treasure...

- Uh oh! Time for me to go! Just give me a holler when you wanna buy something! By the way, I also have a Monster Shop! It's straight up that path going to the left. Come by if you have time!

- I's gonna... take off too...

Next, we go back into that room that housed the corpse of Ricardo's friend.

- Oh well... There goes another day...

A merchant you've seen before sat on a rattling wooden box and sighed.

Gazing at him, your eyes met as he raised his head.

At this time, his depressed expression started to become cheerful almost immediately. He stood up and shouted.

- Hey! I remember you! Come on over! This is a Monster Shop! We sell live monsters that were caught! Then, all you have to do is finish 'em and get their materials. In other words, you can collect the materials you need, efficiently. Just think of me as your assistant! Would you like to buy something and check it out? Oh! And just a warning! These guys are really energetic, so be careful! They'll definitely attack you right when you let go! Stay on guard! So, which one will it be?



I've got a good feeling about this.

- Here are your 3 Bogey Cats. Thanks a lot!

(Again, I'm kind of curious. Does something happen if you can't afford any of these?)

The merchant laid his hand on the wooden box. The rattling seemed to have come from the violent monsters inside the box.

As the monster gently opened the wooden box, the Bogey Cats jumped out and suddenly attacked you!

And then I had to fight three Bogey Cats. And they had a surprise round to beat the crap out of Sagoon. Fortunately, I got to test out Warren's new spells on them. Judging by the video, he needs a little more work.

You approached a Bogey Cat's body and tried to strip its fur. But, its fur was nearly bare, and useless as material

- Woah! It wasn't supposed to turn out like that... Man! You gotta take it easier...

You glared at the merchant who was trying to give lame excuses.

- Haha! I'm just kidding! Don't fret, I'll refund your money!

- Darn... I thought my monster shop was going to do well. 'Cuz nobody has a material business. I had confidence that it'd do well from now on.

The merchant let out a deep sigh. At that time, you heard a door open from behind you.



An Orc was acting hesitantly.

- Huh? What's a little squirt like you doing here?

- It's almost be... my friend's, Catherine's... birthday... Oh... Catherine's be a... be a... Rot... Rotting... A girl... Rotting Corpse...

...You can't be serious. Ugh...

...It's a JRPG...

- And... Catherine says... she be wanting... a present...

How would that even work? Does a rotting corpse celebrate its birthday or the day it died and became a rotting corpse in the first place?

- But, I's... I's... gots... no allowance... That's why... I's... wants to... sell these...

The Orc pulled several broken swords out of his pants.

What the hell, man? This quest is making me nauseous.

- I's... really... weak... so... humans... tease me. So... I's... always... gets my swords broken... many... broken. These swords be... broken... b, buts... When you throw's them... they be... Fire Spells... So... I's hear... humans... wants them... I's wants... to go to town... but, there's be... full of... humans... Bad humans... picks... on me... I's.. too scared... to go to town. I's want to... sells... each one... for 100 G...I's have 5... so 500 G... Wills you trades... with me? Pwease...

(Sheesh, that block of dialogue took me ten minutes to copy over properly.)

The Orc was desperately pleading with teary eyes.

- Hmm... OK, I'll take care of you! 500 G, right? Why don't you hand those swords to me... I'll buy 'em.

The Orc started bawling as soon as the merchant said he would buy them.

- Huh?! Reallyz...?!!... I's... I's.... I's... I'S REALLY HAPPY!!!

The Orc, dripping with tears, threw himself into the merchant's arms.

- OK, OK! Just don't wipe your snot on my clothes!

The merchant forcefully separated himself from the clinging Orc.

- What's your name?

- I's... I's... Francois... Francois... My... my mother...... named me... It's... it's be... a beautiful name. No human... name be as beautiful... I's... don't... look it right now. But... one day... I's will... be as attractive... as my's name.

- Francois, huh?! Here's your 500 G!

The merchant handed Francois 500 G. And the orc also handed the merchant the swords he was holding.

- Th... Thanks...

- No problem! Just bring me whatever you wanna sell, anytime!

- He... he's be a good human... I's... ha... happy...

The Orc carefully put away the 500 G into his pocket. He then marched out of the room.

- Buying... hmm... OK, I've decided! I'm closing down the Monster Shop! I've finally got it...I owe it to that Orc! I've gotta close this place down and get ready for my next business! I'll be opening up another shop soon. So come by then! Catch ya laters!

The merchant left in a good mood. Lydia's quest has been completed. Go to the Tavern to get your reward.

Finally. God.

Back at the Tavern...

- Ah...! I was just looking for you.

Lydia's expression didn't change, but her voice had much more enthusiasm than before.

- I heard! He's going to quit his Monster Shop business! Thank goodness... It's all thanks to you. He'll probably be running around again... But I'm sure that he's probably getting ready to start an honest business. I can finally sleep well at night... I just wanted to say thank you. Of course, I wanted to give you your reward as well. I hope we can meet again somewhere. Goodbye.

You got a Feal Stone.
You got 350 EXP!



Ugh. This update's running pretty long already. Let's finish up the chapter on the next update. See you then.

Videos:

True Worth - http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387483/

Meeting Daniel - http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387595/

Prove Yourself - http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387545/

More on Allied Actions - http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387566/

The We Hate Virgo Club - http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387493/

Rui's Quiz - http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387539/

Lisa's Quest - http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387612/

Lydia's (Ridiculously long) Quest - http://miketopus.blip.tv/file/4387738/