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Ten - You are one weird girl.



The prologue is over, and the first chapter, "Those who have no name", begins.



The game celebrates by informing us we have more skills to choose from! I could show them all, but there are like, a lot. More than you could possibly take in one playthrough even with max Memory. So I'll just show the ones we end up taking.



Wait, where did that old lady come from?



Yep.

Erja the Volva: (She smiles.) Oh! Of course... But all children didn't have the chance to be lulled to sleep with these stories... Heroes, Norns... Norns, yes... All this is slowly disappearing... And yet, it is rooted in our daily life, do you know? Everything we do, every day, everything brings us back to the Norns...

I like to think this character's broken English is because she is from a far away place and doesn't quite speak the local language, rather than because she is part of a DLC that was released much later and so didn't have as much proofreading time. But then, I'm an optimist at heart.

Really?

Erja the Volva: You will understand when you will be older! But pay it special attention. If you listed, you will see... Sometimes the life is indifferent as Skuld; sometimes it verify us, as Verdandi do... Sometimes it brings us to ourselves, as Urd do so well... if you listen, you will see... (She smiles.) So... Good luck, young woman... Good luck.

Uh, thanks?



Well, that was odd. Moving on. When we reach the edge of this screen, the world map pops up.





So there's only one place to go for now.



Between each of the house icons, our stamina runs out and we have to camp out in the wilderness.



Well, at least it has... Uh... Some sacks for pillows? In any case, when we click the sleep icon, the screen fades to black and the dreams begin.



New chapter means new enemies.



Ones that aren't just vaguely menacing shadows will come eventually.



Also eventually they will get new abilities, but for now the Creepy and Disturbing Nameless just use Terror to push us around and Harassment to do light (to us) damage.



What is this game trying to tell us by always hiding the traumas in the most direct path?



We don't strictly need Frida for this battle since we can take that trauma to the face easily, but it's a new chapter, so let's say hi!







Oh dear, I think the exposure is getting to poor Haþuwīgą already, she's making even less sense than usual.



Frida Death Count: 10



Note that our stamina bar didn't fill completely from that sleep. I guess I can see why sleeping on straw and getting snowed on might not be 100% restful. That's too bad. Now we can resume our journey to the first actual shelter.



Hey, it has an actual roof. Jackpot.



Hey, it's empty! What do you say we give up this walking thing and just live our days out here? ...No?

Going to sleep since surely no bears will show up to find us sleeping in their beds.



Ooo, secrets.

Music - Burn

This music actually plays for just about every battle during this chapter. Which is cool on one hand because it's the best, but on the other it might start to feel overplayed. So I'll put it here since this is the most appropriate time for it.



It's a little hard to tell, but these tiles actually have multiple traps layered on top of each other. They are getting serious about us not just tanking to the exit every fight! Not that it matters to us since we can also heal ourselves.



I mean, not that secret since it's glowing orange, but I can see how you might miss it. When we step on it.



Oh yes. No more purely defensive combat for us!



We are made of battles.





This might seem like a lot, but even these lowly enemies have thousands of EP. As mentioned, this game loves big numbers.



Even so, despite there being no flashy effects, or really anything except raising our arms, it's very satisfying to see those red numbers float over an enemy for once.



Get owned.



Very helpfully, the game keeps track of how many enemies are left.





Been pushed back and forth so many times that the traps on the first couple tiles have disappeared.



Blam. :blastu:





No bears, nice.



On the road again.





Once again we have to make do with a shit shelter. Shilter?



More dreams.



Oh no, a Violent one!



We definitely need to watch out for these new traps, because if we step on them we lose 30 PP, preventing us from casting any abilities for the turn. And yes, being pushed onto or through them counts. They also affect enemies, though that's an advanced strategy that isn't really needed for a fight this simple.







~Teeming with happiness~ is pretty good.



Look, Frida lived to the end! Frida Death Count: Still 10!



I never really noticed before that these little shitlers are arranged differently inside. This one has a barrel! Nice.



Nice... fence?





Oh darn, an actual person lives here.



Ase? Who's Ase? *looking around, worried* I don't see anyone else but you here.

Do you have an imaginary friend too?

Eevert: Ase? But it's my short caliber. A Beyond-Pawlowsky 9mm with cylinder. I found him on Gallic soldier fifteen years ago, and we've been inseparable ever since. You can sleep soundly, we'll keep an aye on you!

Oh, it's way worse.

I... I suppose it's reassuring.

Oh well, it's a bed, so.



Trail Shadow: Do you have the choice anyway? Coming back is a failure, going forward is a painful ordeal... It is a very straight path; it is a very straight sentence... Did you ever have the choice? You could only ever choose the default option. You live by default.

That 595 experience in the log is from the conversation with Eevert. We do still get xp from talking, not just encounters.

Only a couple of steps before the shadow stops us.



Trail Shadow: Are you afraid of them? They are violent, they are shut down, shut down like the door of the village; shut down like the silence, which slips between the words of the old weavers. Anonymous passers-by, lost drunks from other latitudes, they cross your path, they cast long glances towards you, they spy on you; they are solitary; they are enemies.



Now the battle begins, and assholes appear to chase us. You know what time it is.







Still not sure if that Humor options qualifies as "taking it well" or not.



Trail Shadow: They have no name. They barely have a face. They come and go; they hide; you never know when they'll come back, when they'll take you.



Just wanted to show this very gnarly tree. Reminds me of this one in the official art.





Trail Shadow: Did you ever have the choice? Run, little girl, run... They are hungry. They are strangers.

I wish this game had running animations, this might have made for a good chase scene.



Trail Shadow: You are always fleeing, forward, again and again, like a criminal, since you don't know anything else... Where do you want to flee like this? They are everywhere. You are in their kingdom. You have to live with them. You have to endure them. Did you think it would be that simple?



I have no idea why, but the skinny-looking Traitors always creep me out the most.



Frida Death Count: 11

That's enough xp for a new level!





Don't say we never gave you anything, Frida. (This is one of the aforementioned newly-unlocked skills we can take.)



Even in a bed, sleep isn't very restful.



I like how she can hear the capital-B. Blech.



Bye forever, have fun with your gun.





Halfway there!



Oh dear.



Uh... While we could possibly do that and survive, there must be another way.



Oh, there are some green tiles.



That's... better?



Not pictured: me accidentally picking Frida dialogue options I've already shown.



Forty turns is definitely doable, but that gives more time for Frida to die.



Oh wait, she died anyway.



Sad.



Frida Death Count: 12

After one very unrestful sleep, we can finally make it to the next house.



Another very well maintained fence.



Lisakki? Feels like we've heard that name before. :thinking:



Err... Good day?!



I guess I should leave you alone, shouldn't I? In any case, I am exhausted.

Nikolai Lisakki: Yeah, that's right. Run. Go hide in your dreams. Try to sleep, and forget the cousin Nikolai. You seem to be pretty good at forgetting, just like the others!

Nikolai... You're the cousin of the Lisakkis, is that it? I thought you were... well, you had disappeared.

Nikolai Lisakki: You've got quite a lot more to learn before you become a woman, young girl. To begin with, don't ask questions when it's none of your business. Or with discernment. Do you think I live away from the others to grow poems? Ha ha ha!!!

Ha ha. Ha. See you around! (run away)

The line says run away, but we need to stay here to sleep. Awkward!



Ah, so beds are the difference between 10 rounds of bad dreams and 1000. Relatable.



These guys have a new attack, Wound, but it's basically a more damaging version of Harassment.



And these guys have some crazy range, making it pretty much impossible to win this by moving around a lot (you know, if we needed to do that).



Alright, *now* I remembered to show the last imaginary friend conversation path for this chapter.





Pretty fucked up to just mess with her memory like that, Haþuwīgą! That's some Black Mirror shit!



The Aggressive Faceless certainly live up to their name.



Frida Death Count: 13

But not even all four combined can defeat us!



All the creeps we keep running into just might, though.

Let's wash that taste out with some walking and fighting.




The best fence we've seen yet! The people who live here must be really on top of things.



Ah, there's two of them. That explains it.



Err... As a matter of fact, my name is Haþuwīgą.

Uuno Matkustava: Don't you see he's not in the mood for this? What sort of creature are you to show so little respect for someone's pain? Go away! You've got nothing to do here! Nothing! (To Allti You should just ignore her, honey.

Jeez! Zero to in three seconds flat.



Come on buddy, at least let us sleep here.



I like that instead of turning towards us like most characters do when we talk to them, this guy specifically turns in the opposite direction.



Snout...? Oh, their dog died or something. Still, that's no excuse to be so rude.

Luckily, they don't actually stop us from sleeping on their floor. It figures though that the first non-creeps we meet blow up at us for no reason. So much for having an Aura of Benevolence.

We will see what dreams may come... next time.