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Part II: The Festival of a Blade
Ah, a pleasant nearby forest. Where any good JRPG starts out. Seriously, it's like *every* JRPG starts there, excepting the protagonist's home village. Well, in any case, welcome to Aroundight Forest. Yes, as you may have been able to gather already, Zestiria was also quite keen on the Arthurian references, but this one's a bit more obscure to me. Aroundight or Arondight is, apparently, the name of Lancelot's sword. I'm not sure who decided that, but the first English references to his sword having this name seem to originate in the late 19th / early 20th centuries, so that's what they're going with. Most of the other Arthurian references in this game are much less obscure, particularly Ladylake from last update, but we'll revisit that later this update.
If these boys are gonna blend into human society, you have to wear the right outfit for it, right? Nobody will ever see it coming. The forest itself, for right now, is very straightforward. While there are small branching paths, covered with vines that can be cut by Sorey's sword, these only hide minor treasures, and you'll find many major paths blocked by large boulders that nobody is breaking any time soon. Soon enough you'll clear the forest and emerge in...
A very wide open field map outside of Ladylake.
While we can't access the top half of this map because of sentries posted on the only bridge, and the other route is blocked by a boulder, we do have a straight shot to the one bridge leading to Ladylake. Well, the one bridge that's in this game, anyway. You'd certainly think a city on a lake would have more than one point of ingress. You can stop by the nearby save point to trigger another save point skit about the dangerous world these boys find themselves in, but other than that there are a few points worthy of note.
Like this Lookout Rock, near the top of a waterfall. The description for this one...
Natural Lookout Point posted:
A point in Lakehaven that offers a beautiful vista of the capital and the lake. It's pretty high up, so standing at the rocky precipice is not recommended for the faint-hearted.
And of course, a skit. I do hope Mikster learns to let his hair down at some point. Metaphorically, of course.
By getting into fights around here, you can trigger little tutorials like this, but do be advised: wolves are highly dangerous right now and fighting a group of 3 on Hard is very likely to leave you with severe injuries, if not Game Over. I wouldn't recommend it.
But these two dialogue boxes here? This is the reason I'm not doing a NG+. No, it's not because of these two in particular, it's because of the fact that, unlike every other game in this series, at least the ones I know of, the party feels the need to comment on all the generic enemies in the world. Or at least the vast majority of them. I don't know why this feature was added, I just know that it's great and once we have more personalities bouncing off each other in both the plot and gameplay, these only get better. I believe they can only trigger once per save file, hence the New Game, you see.
For no other reason other than I find them amusing, I'll transcribe these dialogues as I run into random enemies out in the world, even if I don't cover the encounters themselves if there's nothing to talk about.
Yes, getting Stunned against these wolves is very bad. I did manage to recover and win this fight, but as I said, heavy injuries. It's such a pain, too, because the wolf is almost dead. Oh, and the school uniforms also give you a unique battle theme, but it's just a sort of vaguely school-y sounding song.
That could have very easily gone the other way. Once you get to the star icon on the mini-map...
It's great to have a field trip and all, but try not to get us lost, please.
Hahaha! We'll be just fine. I've got us a map!
Oh? You mean the one that's in the Celestial Record?
It's kinda old, though. I'll probably need to redraw parts of it as we go along.
And we get access to our world map, to see where things are located in relation to each other. As mentioned previously, the continent of Glennwood / Greenwood is a mishmash of Eastgand, Midgand, Westgand, and a small part of Islegand. The ever-convenient excuse of the whole balance of the world being disrupted because of the Elemental Empyreans being awakened so violently is responsible for the current state of affairs. Over the eons, much has changed, some things have stayed the same or at least direct threads leading back to Velvet's day. The continent is roughly divided between the Kingdom of Hyland, where this Alisha we're in pursuit of hails from, and the Rolance Empire, which appears to be some kind of successor state to the Holy Midgand Empire. The countries are none too friendly with each other, which is what Alisha was referring to last time when she was talking about the dismal state of the world with Sorey.
Well, let's hope whatever's going on can be resolved without too much issue. Not much point in Mikleo going in on his own. Actually, that does raise a good point. Would objects attached to a seraphim be invisible to most humans? You'd think if the objective was just returning her dagger, Mikleo could handle that on his own, but it certainly stands to reason we might wanna check out this Sacred Blade Festival, too, so Sorey's gotta come.
A nice aesthetic for this fairly impractical capital. As soon as you get close the caravan...
I accidentally cut this little pop-in conversation off, but yeah, Mikleo's not a Dog Person, and animals can detect the presence of seraphim.
I do hope these two keep their "husband and wife" banter stuff for a while yet. Anyway, let's see what's going on. Traveling merchants
We're the Sparrowfeathers, a traveling caravan of merchants.
I'm Eguille, the captain. She's Rose. Nice to meet you.
I'm Sorey! Nice to meet you too!
You finally learned how not to be a creeper.
*whispers* Shut it. Oh hey, so, if you're a traveling caravan, where you are traveling to?
We're going all over the world!
Wow!
We're protected by a free trade treaty. Meaning, we have a free pass to pretty much go anywhere we please.
Sure, we get asked to smuggle all sortsa crap, but for us, trust is first and foremost!
If this girl's voice sounds familiar, then you're probably right. Her English voice actress is Caitlin Glass, one of those dub voice actresses who has met very few roles she didn't like, evidently, and she's in just about everything in some capacity. She also frequently works as an ADR Director. Among her other notable roles is the current English voice for Street Fighter Cammy / Decapre.
Dishonorable trade is fine for dishonorable people, but we do things our own way!
And we're damn proud of it!
This must be the famed "capitalism" of humans.
Sure seems that way, yeah.
We're planning to stay in Ladylake for a while. If you need anything, give us a holler.
Yeah!
We will. Thanks.
Though they really ought to focus on their cart before drumming up business.
Heh heh.
Well, I don't think he was asking for a sales pitch, but they seem nice enough. Doesn't uh...let us get into the city any easier, though. Let's talk to them again.
So you get an option to sell Alisha's knife here. It seems like the wrong choice, but if you want a special something, actually take her up on this. You can skip a little bit later this update if you keep the knife on-hand, and, again, selling someone else's property hardly seems like the kind of thing a would-be Shepherd does, but work with me. Even if you say no, though, you can offer to sell it to her again, so looks like we'll need to talk to someone else to actually get into town.
Then we have a deal! Pleasure doing business with ya. Thanks a bunch! Let me know if there's anything else.
Oh I'm sure we'll meet again. For now, let's try to find...another way into a lake city. Maybe there's a boat.
"Princess" Alisha, huh.
Phew, sounds like she made it back safe.
Glad to hear that fox freak didn't catch up to her. But still, to think that she was royalty!
No kidding. A straight-up princess?!
A princess, a knight, and she explores ruins on the side? How'd she wind up with that gig.
Won't know until we ask her.
That's true. Besides, Foxy Loxy might be in town waiting for a chance to get at her.
Yeah. We've got to let her know!
But before we do, we have lots to see, both in and outside the city. The only thing between us and the streets of Ladylake is talking to a sentry on the bridge who will escort you past the caravan.
Also, all the same, monolith, I'll just stick with Semi-Auto. It's kind of the default option in Tales games, but it's a default for a reason, and I'm not trying to show off or anything. There's just something...I dunno, *off* about the 3D in these games that makes Manual hard to get used to. Near this monolith, you can also wander off to the rainy Falkewin Hillside. You'll quickly encounter a dead-end in this direction, and we WERE headed to the capital.
This Discovery Point is definitely hard to see with clouds passing overhead, but yeah, it's that butterfly you can just barely see. Luckily, it always hangs around this little field. Also, the Parnassius Mikleo mentions in the skit is indeed a real species of butterfly. We also learn that malevolence can indeed corrupt non-humans / seraphim, including this butterfly. We actually heard about random animals being possessed by malevolence in Berseria, including a cat in Taliesin and Orthie and Russ, hence why they became therions, so this checks out. The menu description...
Beautiful Butterfly posted:
Believed to be a type of Parnassius butterfly. It has beautiful white wings and lives in cold regions.
I should also note that Running works differently in this game. In Berseria, you had to run along the edge of the battlefield long enough, or pointing the control stick in a direction while you were "controlling" a KO'd character to Run away. Here, it's a menu button. Much simpler. But now it's time to get back to the plot. The floating capital
All right, I'll be right on it!
Hey everyone! Sorry about the hassle. *caravan moves into town*
Well, that was well-timed. Welcome to Ladylake!
Holy moly! So this is what Ladylake is like! I can't believe it!
Gosh, you'd think so!
Just remember, this isn't a sightseeing trip. The real question is, do we try to find Alisha first, or look for that fox-man?
So let's have a look around town for now.
Good call. Let's gather information.
Welcome to Ladylake officially, everyone. Ladylake is, of course, named after The Lady of the Lake, usually known as the figure tasked with bestowing upon Arthur his Excalibur, probably the most famous sword ever. The Lady of the Lake, if you look it up, is actually a pretty complicated story, in that there are several women associated with lakes in Arthurian mythos, and whether they have names or they're just known by their epithets, that also very much depends on who you ask. For example, one Lady of the Lake is supposed to Lancelot's fairy-godmother and guardian while he was a child (hence his occasionally-used title, Lancelot of the Lake), while another gives Arthur Excalibur, who is either Morgan, Arthur's sister and hot and cold enemy, or the sorceress Nimue, or Viviane, who enchants Merlin, or doesn't have a name at all. As I said, there's no definitive source for the mythology, so lots of fun things can happen then with precisely identifying who's who.
As far business in town goes, you'll notice there are actually several stars on the map. Well, this is another bit of non-linearity. To continue the story, you just need to continue up those big stairs all the way to the market, then approach the big-ass church you can't miss. If you do that, and don't see either of the other two stars, you'll get one version of the next skit. But, we do need some information, so let's check out that alley first. This video will contain all three of this small, voiced scenes. Hellions in town, Part 1
Oh? Is that cheap?
Sorey. Behind him.
Oh! Should we give it the what-for?
And have everyone think you're attacking the street vendor? You want to tour the inside of a human jail cell? To everyone else, he looks just like an ordinary human.
Oh yeah...
So yes, hellions seem to act a bit differently compared to how they were in Berseria. In Berseria, humans who turned into daemons were prone to attacking anyone in sight and this could happen in a moment (like those guys who attacked the doctor convoy in the first act of the game, or when Melchior turned those malakhim into small dragons in an instant in Lothringen), but here, as we can see, Sorey and Mikleo can detect them but they don't seem to impulsively attack people. I don't remember if the game *exactly* explains what's going on here, but for now, I'll just theorize that Sorey can see the malevolence starting to take root in someone's heart and what form they'll take if the malevolence in them continues to grow.
It could also be that the malevolence in Berseria was much more concentrated and tended to turn people toward violence much faster without someone like Laphicet-as-Maotelus around to purify it and mitigate the effect somewhat. I'd be satisfied with that explanation, too.
Finally, we get some equipment with new traits on it. I don't believe that equipment with 4 slots are a particularly rare thing.
Well, that's a good place to find a noble, indeed. But that's not where we're going.
That IS, however. But first... Hellions in town, Part 2
Shut up, old man, you smell like farts! *runs off*
Well, it's not normally our business, but let's follow the brat into a nearby alley.
Not even *remotely* what I meant.
Whoa!
What, you got a problem? Oh hey, mister... You smell like you'd be mighty tasty!
Hey, let's get outta here!
This place... Well, maybe we can enjoy a bit of the architecture. That waterwheel, for instance.
We learn an interesting detail in this skit, that even water can carry malevolence. Just seeps into everywhere. The log book entry...
Ladylake's Great Waterwheel posted:
A great waterwheel built in Ladylake. Its size makes one wonder how any group of people could have possibly installed it.
But now we're back on track.
This skit for this Discovery Point is unique based on whether you saw either of those previous two hellion scenes or not. There's no third version if you just saw one of those scenes, for the record. It seems for all the love of the Shepherd in this town, hence this shrine, it's all just facade and this town is none too pleasant for Mikleo. There's a massive crowd out front, which is why the front door is out of the question, but there is a back entrance. Before you go, though, there is a monolith in front of the church. For this latest landmark...
Great Sanctuary of the Sacred Blade posted:
A great sanctuary dedicated to the Sacred Blade of the Lady of the Lake. That said, few worshipers come here.
Deeper in town... Hellions in town, Part 3
Hyaaargh!
Can't even swing a fist right! Hah!
That's...different.
Indeed. We'd best not get involved.
Quite. From that kid's reaction earlier, seems would-be hellions get a little...antsy, when they can sense someone with resonance nearby, and we're not in the business of fighting tiger men. This fight will eventually break up, though, exposing a monolith those guys are fighting in front of.
Damn, looks like they're more serious about security than I would thought. The guard you can talk to basically just shoos you away, telling us to use the front entrance. Would if we could, but that does kinda leave us at a dead-end, huh. Well, since we heard from that rando that Ailsha is in the royal quarter, why don't we had there? There's nothing explicitly pointing you in that direction, by the way. If you missed that little pop-up, or didn't think it had any particular relevance, well, you might need to do a little exploring.
Like jumping back in time a bit. Yes, before we go any further, let's handle those two Discovery Points I missed back in Elysia. First, as I mentioned, the Elysian Goats we just barely missed the Point for, and the Elysalark nest. This one's a bit harder to find, but it's up on Gramps' roof. Just take the staircase to the right of the front door and follow the path up a bit and to the left to find it.
For these two...
Hyland Goat posted:
A type of goat found in Elysia. The milk this breed provides is a highly-prized commodity, but its meat makes for a rather unpleasant meal.
Elysalark Nest posted:
A nest made by a species of lark found in Elysia. The chicks have already flown, and now it is only an empty nest.
It seems the establishment doesn't like Alisha's gallivanting about, but she was kind enough to explain to Sorey why she was doing it, after all. Let's just hope we can catch up to her before too long.
This is actually Alisha's estate, but she's not home. There is a dog getting angry, though, but for all we know it's just barking. Dangerous encounters
He's here!
*jumps off the wall*
No mistake, that's the fox man!
After him!
So this brief chase with the dog leading the way, which leads back to the alley behind the church, can end a bit differently. If you don't follow the dog closely enough, the fox man will kill the dog, which doesn't affect anything, but we don't want a dog to die on our watch, do we? Never a good start to a hero's career.
Looks like he cornered it.
Are you ready?
Of course.
Argh!
Your chicken-hunting days are over, fox! *both draw weapons*
So! You're really that eager to die, are you?
Sorey's endearingly awful taunts aside, we have our rematch against the fox. There's no new gameplay mechanics in this one, but the fox has been pretty considerably buffed in terms of parameters and is a much bigger than threat than he was in Elysia. The worst thing that can happen is his attacks hit both you and Mikleo, so try to spread out and attack from different directions. This is easier said than done because of the cramped environment and flippy camera, but it can be done.
Otherwise, it still has a weakness to Water artes, so use Heavenly Torrent to pile on the damage. By the way, this screenshot indicates a successful Quick Step, dodging an attack and recovering a large amount of SP. At least at this stage in the game, 20 SP is a fourth of the entire bar, so it's a pretty good way to quickly recover, especially if you're already recovering SP from blocking or whatever. If you need to, don't be afraid to throw around some Life Bottles or Apple Gels to give yourself an upper hand.
Dang! He's a lot stronger than I remember!
Whe we fought him back in Elysia, he must've been weakened by Gramps' blessing!
I'll burn you to cinders! Take that!
Mikleo!
Heh heh heh... Oh, I'm going to enjoy this! A fitting end for worms who dare to wriggle at a god!
Quiet. *kicks him down*
Arrrrrrgh!
Wh-Who are you?
We won't warn you again. Be silent.
Have you forgotten our code, Lunarre?
*shakes head*
You're all out of second chances. Understood?
*nods*
Go.
*drags Lunarre away*
The assassination order was a mistake. Princess Alisha will no longer be our target.
You expect me to believe that?!
We have our honor. Stay.
*jumps away* You have bigger problems than who we are or what we do. I suggest you hurry to the pedestal where the Sacred Blade is kept.
Why are you telling me this?
Honor.
So I guess I should be thanking you for saving us?
Heh.
*wakes up*
Hey, are you all right?
Wha... What in the world...
Looks like we were saved by an assassins' guild.
By a...what?
They were after Alisha by mistake, or something. They took that fox guy away with them. But more than that, it looks like Alisha's not out of danger yet.
"Looks like"? What's going on?
Hey, I don't get it any more than you do! Let's just hurry to that pedestal!
Indeed. If you forgot about the crowd in front of the church and return there, you can get this bonus scene. I really did forget how much alternate stuff there is when you first go to Ladylake. I don't think the rest of the game does this in any meaningful capacity, so it just makes me think this first trip here was more like what Zestiria was formerly like.
There's gotta be some way!
Well, I didn't say it was a long scene. Just that it was a scene. Anyway, looks like the back is really the only way to go. Let's hope those sentries have vamoosed.
Or...not. Wheeling and dealing
What gives? You're letting HIM through!
Well, that's because I'm festival staff.
That's right. Authorized personnel only! Everyone else, move along!
But it's urgent! Can't you do anything?
Fraid not!
*hangs head, leaves*
Man, dead-ends all over the place here. Let's talk to that merchant guy again.
You look like you're in a bind. I bet you want to get at that pedestal now, don't you?
Yes! Alisha could be--
They don't need to know that.
I-I mean, if you can help me out, it'd really make my day!
Sure thing. But we'll need some cash.
Cash?
Yup. Remember the guard back there? He's not averse to a little grease on his palm, if you know what I mean. We can get you through.
How much?
Let's see... I think 1000 gald oughta cover it.
Sorey and Mikleo sure are getting a crash course in human society today, aren't they? Another bit of non-linearity. If you sold Alisha's dagger to this bunch, you do have the opportunity to pony that up to pay this guy's fee, but if you want that special something I mentioned, don't do that. Instead, find something to barter with.
As you might guess, the Sparrowfeathers won't be too impressed by a Prickleboar Hide, or even by the (alleged) glove of the Shepherd. If you try either of those...
Mmmmm, I can't really see us parting with 1000 gald for something like that.
Yes, the answer is to hand over Gramps' pipe (I should just go ahead and officially say his name is Zenrus, a malak we heard about a couple of times in Berseria). He's apparently incredibly old even by seraphim standards.
Whoa, this is one swanky-ass pipe. This is easily worth over 1000 gald. You should probably get it appraised first.
Forget it. I just need your help right now.
Well alright... Works for me!
I know you're in a hurry. Let's go. *the two march off toward the back door*
Well, shall we?
Yeah.
Back up the stairs...
*walks up*
This is the guy. You good?
*nods* Alright then, I'll be taking your sword. Let's have it.
*hands over his sword, continues past the guards*
Well, that was easy. By the way, that pipe you gave me is worth way more than 1000 gald, no question! Be sure to come and see me again when you're done. I wanna give you a fair deal.
I appreciate it. Well then, we gotta get back to work! Thanks so much!
We actually got a bonus 500 gald out of that arrangement, but I can't wait to see what she thinks is a worthy repayment.
So again with the opening act's strange non-linearity, all this plays out pretty differently if you didn't sell Alisha's knife. I believe I did this on my first playthrough, but what happens is that, after the fox guy gets nabbed, Sorey will approach this guard and use Alisha's knife as a way to get him an "in" into the church, since obviously someone in possession of the princess' property is legit. Definitely more straight-forward but having the Sparrowfeathers help out is the more interesting path. The place of beginning
"We went through all that trouble and we can't see the pedestal!" Is that what you're thinking?
Heh heh...well, sorta.
*begins walking away*
Hey, what are you doing?
Heh heh. Being invisible has its benefits!
Seriously?
Hey Sorey, come over here!
What is it?
Sorey?
Is that you, Sorey? Welcome!
And who may this be?
This is Sorey.
Ah, yes, the one who rescued our princess way out there in the ruins.
Sorey, this is Lady Maltran. She's been appointed as the committee leader for the festival this year. She is also the one who taught me the way of the spear.
Nice to meet you! I'm Sorey.
It is my pleasure.
By any chance, did you come here to attempt the Trial of the Blade?
Not just that. To tell you the truth...
The three left to the back of the church to talk about this...
What this mysterious organization has told you is true. There are indeed those who think less than favorably of me. But even so, I cannot live my life in fear of them.
But... But Alisha--
Thank you so much, Sorey. I really appreciate your concern. Soon the finale of the festival, the Flames of Purification, will begin. Please enjoy yourselves. *Maltran and Alisha leave*
So this is what statespeople deal with.
She didn't even flinch. Oh, that's right! Check out the pedestal!
Oh, right.
So in this little interlude, let's talk about the obvious reference here. The episode of the sword in the stone truly marks the beginning of Arthur's legend and is a widely-depicted event, and is one of the few events that's almost always portrayed the same way. The usual telling goes that Arthur had been sent to live with the good Sir Ector and his underling, Sir Kay, believing his birth was of no particular consequence. Arthur during this time served as Sir Kay's squire, basically being his personal servant.
A few years after Arthur began living under Ector, they heard about a remarkable festival being held, where a sword was found stuck in an anvil or stone that could not be removed by anyone. The mount for this sword stated that whoever removed the sword was the rightful heir of Uther Pendragon to the throne of Britain. Many knights had tried and failed to remove the sword, believing that mere strength would suffice. In actuality, the sword had been enchanted by Merlin such that only Arthur could remove it and prove his birthright. While Arthur, Kay, and Ector were at the festival, Kay forgot his sword for a competition, and ordered Arthur to go find a replacement. Unable to find Kay's sword, he instead stumbled upon the sword in the stone. Not realizing why it was important, Arthur removed the sword effortlessly and returned to Sir Kay, who was with Ector at the time. Kay, realizing it wasn't his sword, asked where Arthur had gotten it, and the boy stated he pulled it out from a stone. Ector, realizing the significance of those words, ordered Arthur to return to the stone and do it again.
Ector, Kay, and Arthur did just that. Before an assembled crowd, Arthur returned the sword where he found it, then, again, pulled the sword out without any effort. Ector and many of the crowd immediately dropped to their knees to swear homage to the new king, believing that the long years of war and instability following Uther's death were at an end. Let's see just how many parallels to all that we can spot with this blade festival.
If no one else can see her, does that mean she's a seraph?
You probably can't remove the sword unless you can speak with her. Meaning no ordinary person can do it.
Incredible! So that means the legends were true! Hey, say something to her!
Me?!
Unless you want me looking like a total weirdo!
But still...
Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow citizens of Ladylake. For the past several years, we have abstained from our beloved festival in light of the general state of the world. But this year, thanks to the grace and assistance of our Lady Alisha, the Sacred Blade Festival can be held once more.
We yet live in a time of crisis. Violent weather. Geopolitical tensions. Pestilence. Famine. The list goes on. However, I believe that it is precisely times such as these that make our cultural traditions and celebrations all the more vital to maintain!
*most of the crowd begins clapping*
O wondrous Lady of the Lake! Show us your power!
O merciful Lady of the Lake, hear our plea, cleanse us of our sins and woes with your flames of purification!
Citizens of Ladylake! This jubilant festival shall be as a prayer to the heavens that we may know peace and prosperity!
This "prayer" of yours gonna give us our jobs back?!
The council already seized the crops and weaponry trades for the state--they might as well declare war and get it over with!
Hey, lady, you tryin' to kill us?!
This ain't nothing but the council giving itself a pat on the back! Well, we're not gonna stand for it! Find someone else to lick your boots!
Enough!
It's hard to see it, but that little black thing next to the soldier's helmet was tossed from off-screen.
Hah! Serves you right!
This whole riot was a setup!
Look at that guard!
This must be the work of the Chancellor!
I can't believe they'd involve the citizens they swore to protect in a power struggle! Are we really so corrupt?!
Sorey! Get to safety!
Such emotions will breed hellions!
He turned into a hellion?!
The evil in people's hearts gives rise to malevolence. And once it reaches a certain point...
Lady of the Lake! Can't you do something? You have the power of purification, do you not?!
A seraph? And you can see me?
That's not good.
Mikleo, put those flames out!
The black flames are part of the hellion itself! The most I can do is manage the regular ones!
Okay!
Sorey... You really CAN see seraphim, can't you?
This isn't looking good. The hellions are coming out of the woodwork!
The power of purification is not my own. It is a power given to those who would draw the Sacred Blade and become my sword.
Then I'll do it! *runs toward the sword*
Sorey?!
To become my sword is to serve as a vessel for me to dwell in, and to assume the Shepherd's burden. Blessed with the power of purification and abilities beyond human ken. Cursed to be scorned by others and wrought with despair. To protect this land from the hellions means a constant stream of agonizing decisions. It is a lonely battle, the likes of which you can scarcely imagine.
That's the burden of the Shepherd? And you want Sorey to take all that on right here and now?
It is not to be done lightly.
May I ask you your name?
Oh, of course. I am Lailah.
Lailah... My dream is to investigate ancient ruins all over the world! I believe that the legends of the past hold knowledge about how humans and seraphim might one day live in harmony together! I must find a way to make that happen! To bring humans and seraphim together again, as it was in the days of yore! If purifying the hellions will save both humans and seraphim... Then... Then it's the best chance I'll ever have to make that dream a reality!
Are you really okay with this?
Sorey...
That's why...
I've waited long for this moment. For one is pure of heart and free of corruption. A shining vessel to whom my words will reach.
Now, Sorey! Take up the sword!
You got it!
A new legend
Sorey...
... Sorey...is that really you?
Get back, Alisha!
Hey! You'll be able to handle the hellions, right?
Yeah. Just take care of the rest of the flames!
*nods, gets back to work*
All right! Now let's do this!
Would if I could, Lailah. Yes, our first battle as the Shepherd is against a werewolf and three slimes. Of course. You might be thinking that since we got an awesome new sword in our arsenal, this fight is mostly a cakewalk. Well, the slimes themselves are very easy and can be defeated quickly, but the werewolf is fairly hardy and does decent damage. Everyone here is weak to Fire, so Sorey can't currently exploit that, but Lailah can. She's a bit more aggressive than Mikleo is and can provide valuable fire support and healing, so this isn't an overly hard fight, but definitely don't go in thinking you're invincible. Can't kill the mood by getting a Game Over, right?
No!
Are... Are you really...
Yup. I am the Shepherd now.
Calm yourselves at once!
Chancellor Bartlow.
Lady Alisha. We received word that there was a civil disturbance among the commoners.
Indeed. However, it has already been quelled. *gestures toward Sorey* By the appearance of the Shepherd.
The Shepherd, you say? Citizens of Ladylake, I hereby announce that this year's Sacred Blade Festival has come to a close.
You heard him. Clear out at once!
Milady, I should like to ask the cause of all this at a later time. Lady Maltran, your presence is also requested. *begins leaving* The Shepherd, of all things... Tch!
Now then, it is time for me to return to my place within you.
Oh, yeah. I am the vessel, after all.
*teleports inside Sorey*
Now that's a creepy sight.
*collapses* What...the...
Sorey?
What's wrong?
It's because I have entered his body. I'm afraid he'll have a high fever lasting about three full days.
What? Why?!
Presumably, the human body is reacting to the sudden presence of unknown powers inside of it. Those who make a pact with a seraph usually wind up bedridden for a time.
So that's what happens to one who becomes a vessel.
I don't...feel so good... *stumbles again*
Hey! Are you all right?!
Not...really... I think I'll take a nap...for about three days...
It's been quite a day. Let's let the kid rest, shall we?