Chapter Text
Tipa
[The screen opens on the village and the houses. Lylia is sitting in the middle of her yard, and the trees around her are growing their first flowers and leaves. Lylia is writting inside the caravan’s journal set on her knees.]
Year 991, Germa, Day 4
Today is the start of a new journey.
This year, Délia, Roy and Linitaa are looking for a way to save Ramsey. In the meantime, Weylin, Luu Kah and I are about to resume our quest for myrrh.
A new caravanner, Edan, will travel with us.
Despite the sorrow of being separated from our friends, we will do our best to come back home with a chalice full of myrrh, as we always do.
- Lylia.
[She raises her chin to gaze at the sky with a wistful expression. A few sun rays shine through the clouds.]
*
[The screen reopens in the village’s main square; Lylia, Weylin, Luu Kah and Edan are standing in front of Roland and the crystal of the village.]
Roland: Good morning, dear caravanners. Weylin, Lylia and Luu Kah… You are now accustomed to these departures each year. We should thus welcome Edan, who is joining the caravan for the first time.
[The camera focuses on Edan for a moment. He stands straight, looking proud.]
Roland: Edan, I am counting on you to make good use of the training sessions you have been through. Do not hesitate to rely on your older teammates, too. This is the beginning of a long journey, and everyone here wants you to come back home safely.
Edan: Yes, sir!
[Roland looks over the others.]
Roland: This year will be somewhat special… Not only because of Ramsey’s condition, but also because of a request I have for you. Weylin shouldn’t be surprised.
[Lylia and Luu Kah raise an eyebrow and glance at Weylin.]
Roland: If you have enough time left, I would like you to gather a fourth drop of myrrh before coming home. With Weylin’s parents, we would like to study the myrrh further and try to understand some curious phenomenons.
[Lylia, Luu Kah and Edan look both curious and confused.]
Roland: I prepared a specific vessel ready for this use. You will find it inside the caravan. But remember to go for this fourth drop only if you have enough time left before the myrrh festival.
Weylin: Very well.
[Roland steps forward and hands the chalice to Weylin.]
Roland: I wish you the best of luck. Please come back to us safely.
[The team bows to him before leaving.]
On the road
[The camera opens on Edan, sitting inside the moving caravan and cleaning the blade of his spear. When he’s done, he stands up and moves to the front of the caravan where Weylin holds the reins. A mix of plains and forests extend before their eyes. Edan takes in the view a bright smile before raising his chin to observe the caravan’s structure.]
Edan: This caravan is pretty spacious. We can carry a lot of supplies for traveling, it’s a good thing.
[Luu Kah and Lylia are walking silently alongside Sally.]
Weylin: Yes. I had made a request to Roland for a larger caravan when our group grew bigger.
Luu Kah: … Which isn’t exactly relevant anymore.
[Edan glances at Luu Kah.]
Edan: Well, it’s still useful anyway.
[A silence ensues.]
Edan: So, what kind of monsters have you fought until now? What were your hardest battles?
[Edan waves his fists in the air before jumping on Sally’s back; the latter flinches with a growl and stops walking.]
Luu Kah: Hey, don’t do that! Papaopamuses don’t like having people on their back. It’s bad for them.
Edan: Huh? Well, that sucks.
[Edan jumps off Sally’s back. He walks alongside Luu Kah as Sally starts dragging the caravan again.]
Edan: So? Any answer to my question?
[After a short silence, Lylia shrugs.]
Lylia: Well… The Lynari desert, the last place we went to, was a pretty tough one. We had hard battles there. There was also the Veo Lu sluice, with the stupid golem that slowed us down…
Edan: Oh right, the desert. That is where the Clavat guy, Ramsey, was left. Right?
[Lylia looks down while Luu Kah sends a wary look Edan’s way.]
Weylin: Yes.
Edan: I see… But how did it happen, by the way?
Weylin: Well… Ramsey was cursed by a basilisk. It’s a monster that turns people into stone if you meet its gaze. The curse is known to be irreversible… for now.
Edan: Oh… Well, that sucks. But why didn’t he avoid it? If one is careful enough and always on their guard, they can spare themselves a lot of problems. To think that Ramsey beat me in our duel at the village. Well, I don’t like remembering that… But it seems just like him. I mean, he was fighting without a shield even though he’s a Clavat. I guess he was the reckless type and that’s what got him in the end.
[Luu Kah stops walking and brutally grabs Edan’s arm.]
Luu Kah: What did you say?!
Edan: Hey, calm down!
Luu Kah: You’re going to calm down!! You don’t even know what you’re talking about!
[Weylin stops the caravan. Lylia sends a death glare at Edan.]
Weylin: You two, stop that. Luu Kah, let him go.
[Luu Kah keeps his eyes locked on Edan for a moment before shoving him. Edan rubs his arm and sends a pissed look at Luu Kah.]
Weylin: We have just left Tipa. This isn’t how things should start.
Luu Kah: Did you hear what he said?!
[Weylin looks down.]
Weylin: I know. Edan, we should avoid talking about Ramsey for now. He is a precious friend to us. A friend that we’ve lost. I’m sure you can understand.
[Edan glances at Weylin, still angry.]
Edan: … Alright, let’s not bring him up again.
[Edan walks to the rear of the caravan and jumps inside. Lylia and Luu Kah exchange a furious gaze, while Weylin lets out a sigh and entices Sally to resume walking.]
*
[Some time later, the team stops at a crossroads. Weylin is out of the caravan and stares at the information sign.]
Weylin: Hmm…
Lylia: What’s up?
Weylin: I wanted us to go to the river Belle, but it looks like there’s still no myrrh drop there. Apparently, a caravan came recently and didn’t find anything.
Lylia: Huh? How is it possible?
[Weylin points to an island on the map, to the west of Tipa’s peninsula.]
Weylin: We could go to Kilanda. It’s easy to access by taking the boat from Tipa’s port. It’s not too far from here.
Edan: Kilanda? It’s that volcano island, right? I’m ready for it!
Weylin: Yes. Few caravanners usually bother to make the trip. We should be able to find a myrrh drop there.
Lylia: I hope so…
[The game resumes on the worldmap. Tipa’s region can be visited freely. The next destination is Tipa’s port to take the boat to Kilanda.]
Kilanda
[The camera opens on the island and shows a high volcano, half hidden by the lava smoke around. Various paths lead to the peak and numerous monsters are flying around. The screen then focuses on the sea and the boat that moors at a makeshift quay at the foot of the island. The team jumps off the boat to look at the scenery.]
Lylia: Okay, so… We’re gonna have to climb all the way up.
[Edan brings a hand over his forehead and squints his eyes to try and spot the volcano’s summit.]
Weylin: Indeed. The myrrh tree is said to be found at the highest point.
Lylia: With all the monsters on our way.
Luu Kah: It’s not a quest for myrrh if there’s no challenge…
*
[Edan is now a playable character. He fights with a spear and his default stats are balanced similarly to Lylia, with high strength, good defense and low magic. His stats’ level is synchronized with the average team’s level.]
[The dungeon’s exploration starts. In some places, some water pots have to be dropped inside tiny craters in order to raise bridges.]
*
[A cutscene shows up at the end of the first zone. Edan buries the tip of his spear in the ground, panting.]
Edan: Damn… It’s way too hot around here! My throat is burning.
Luu Kah: Well, yeah, we’re near a volcano.
[Edan sends a death glare at Luu Kah.]
Edan: Let’s hurry and gather the myrrh drop before we melt.
[Lylia whispers to Luu Kah.]
Lylia: He’s the one who made us stop…
[Weylin steps forward.]
Weylin: Yes, let’s keep going. But be aware that the monster that waits for us at the top, the iron giant, is very powerful. He has solid defense and fights with giant swords. Or so I’ve heard from my parents, who came here in the past.
Edan: An iron giant? Wow, I’ve heard that it’s a powerful monster indeed. Well, we just need to show him who is the strongest!
Luu Kah: Heh… If you say so.
*
[At the start of the second zone, a goblin is walking up the path toward the top, carrying a giant sword. If attacked, the monster releases the weapon and flees toward the summit. The goblin opens the path to the boss area by raising a bridge.]
*
[When reaching the boss area, the iron giant is already there, standing in the middle of the crater. The ground looks hot and unstable. As the team approaches and looks hesitant to walk over the crater, the boss notices their presence and grabs his sword.]
Edan: Damn, he’s spotted us!
Lylia: Well, time to give it your all!
*
[The battle starts and goes on until the boss has lost a tenth of his health.]
Lylia: This guy’s hard to deal with in close combat… His hits are too dangerous!
Luu Kah: Yeah, and our hits feel like knocking a wall with a stick.
Weylin: We could try using fused magic like Holy!
[After the tip, the battle resumes until the boss’ health is very low.]
*
[The cutscene resumes with the iron giant falling on one knee.]
Edan: He’s done for!
Weylin: One last Holy should do it. Ready, Luu Kah?
Luu Kah: Alright!
[Edan sprints toward the boss with a long roar. At the last moment, he leaps off the ground with his spear aimed at the boss’ chest; when hitting it, the tip of the weapon stays stuck inside the monster’s thick skin. As Edan hangs down with his hands still holding the spear tightly, the iron giant grabs him with one hand and throws him to the ground. The monster uses his second hand to pull the spear out of his body before raising his fists; he gets ready to crush Edan who lays on the ground, paralyzed by fear. A sudden Holy magic stops the action and the boss stumbles backward, before crashing and breaking through the fragile ground. As the iron man disappears into the lava, Lylia rushes to grab Edan and move him away from the breaking floor.]
Lylia: Why did you do that?! You knew that physical hits sucked! Weylin said they were going to finish this with magic!
[Edan looks at Lylia with his mouth open, anger soon twisting his traits.]
Edan: The monster was almost dead! I could’ve finished him!
[Weylin and Luu Kah get closer.]
Weylin: It doesn’t matter. Magic was the safest way to go. Weak as he was, we had enough time to cast magic without taking any additional risks, like what you just did.
[Edan growls while Lylia crosses her arm.]
Lylia: Who was talking about recklessness the other day?
Edan: That’s it, I get it! I just wanted to get this battle done quickly, okay?! Now I wonder if you chose to come here on purpose, knowing that it was a hard place and that I’m just a beginner!
[A silence ensues.]
Luu Kah: Are you done saying bullshit?
[Weylin raises an arm before Luu Kah and speaks louder.]
Weylin: Edan, we came here to avoid losing time and quickly gather our first myrrh drop. Traveling is time-consuming and with myrrh seemingly becoming scarcer, we won’t always have the luxury to choose the place where we get myrrh from.
[Edan gets on his feet and frowns at Weylin when the floor starts shaking.]
Lylia: OK, let’s get outta here immediately!
[Edan picks his spear and the team runs away as the remaining pieces of ground progressively sink into the lava. The team looks at the crater from a safer place above. Weylin turns to Edan.]
Weylin: We need you to follow our advices for now, Edan. So that you don’t end up hurt, or worse.
[Edan briefly glances at her and looks back toward the lava without a word. Luu Kah crosses his arms and speaks lower.]
Luu Kah: And we don’t even get a thank for saving him.
[Weylin clears her throat as to cover Luu Kah’s words.]
Weylin: Let’s go now. The myrrh tree is close.
[Holding the chalice, Weylin leads the way toward a little path that goes atop the mountain.]
*
[The team reaches the myrrh tree and Weylin places the chalice on the pedestal to harvest the myrrh drop. Edan stares at the scene with wide eyes.]
Edan: So this is what it looks like…
[Lylia briefly glances at him with her arms crossed. The team stays silent.]
*
[The mailmoogle brings a letter from De Nam if his sidequest was started.]
“I made it to Conall Curach a while ago. This place is a dangerous one. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any clues. My research on the miasma and monsters has come to a halt. Maybe I should stop here.”
[The artifact screen ends the dungeon.]
On the boat
[Luu Kah and Lylia are sitting at the rear of the ship. Lylia is sewing two pieces of cloth together while Luu Kah is mashing some steamy potatoes inside a large bowl.]
Luu Kah: Hey, Lylia. What are your thoughts on Edan?
Lylia: Is this a serious question?
[Luu Kah snorts and Lylia looks at him with a smirk.]
Lylia: He’s a pain in the ass. I thought he was ready to behave like an adult since he’s finally made it in the caravan, but it’s too hard for him, apparently!
Luu Kah: Heh, I guess so. But if he wants to stay, he’ll have to stop doing shit.
Lylia: Yeah, but in the meantime, we have to bear with him…
[Luu Kah growls and a silence ensues. The camera shows the sea and the sky covered with many gray clouds. Luu Kah eyes Lylia’s work.]
Luu Kah: By the way… You know, you found your dad last year. Do you still really want to be a caravanner?
[Lylia stops sewing.]
Lylia: Well, it’s true that it was one of my main reasons to be a caravanner, but… What, would you be okay with me leaving you and Weylin alone in this? It’d be even more of a hassle!
[Luu Kah chuckles.]
Luu Kah: Well, my brother could have taken your place.
Lylia: Oh, you would rather have that, huh?
[Luu Kah shrugs with a smirk and Lylia glares at him. She then lowers her gaze on her work.]
Lylia: Finding my dad last year was a big step forward. But… given the situation, I wanted to stay in the caravan. I mean, how could I keep leading a carefree life in the village, knowing Ramsey’s condition? I’m more useful here, especially with Délia, Linitaa and Roy gone, too.
[Luu Kah stops his work with the food.]
Lylia: And it’s not like it’s new to us. We’ve been on the roads for years now!
Luu Kah: True. I feel better on the roads than in Tipa, anyway.
[Lylia glances at him.]
Luu Kah: But… It’d be better if Ramsey was here.
Lylia: I know… I miss him.
[Luu Kah looks away sadly.]
Luu Kah: I don’t know if the others have made progress on their research… But next time we stop in a town, I want to look for information too. I checked some books in Tipa and I couldn’t find anything. It makes me mad, doing nothing about it.
Lylia: Do you wish you’d gone with them?
Luu Kah: Well… Yeah, definitely. It’s funny, actually… that I refrained from being selfish and went home with you.
[Lylia glances at Luu Kah with a tiny smile.]
Lylia: I guess that you couldn’t bring yourself to leave Weylin and I alone in this, either.
[Luu Kah chuckles.]
Luu Kah: If you say so.
[The camera zooms out and moves toward the pinkish, darkening sky before going over the deck. Edan is sitting here alone, holding a quill and a paper in his hands. He raises his chin and stares absentmindedly at the sea and the horizon that spreads before him.]
Edan: I thought I’d feel more satisfied after gathering my first myrrh drop…
Jegon River - East bank
[A few days later, the boat moors at the pier and the team cautiously drag Sally and the caravan out of the ship.]
Lylia: Alright, so… Where are we going now?
Weylin: We should go to Marr for now. Then we can figure out which myrrh trees are available in the region.
Edan: Great! We’re gonna see a Lilty town!
[The game resumes on the worldmap, in Marr’s region.]
Marr
[The screen opens upon Edan running toward the heart of the town.]
Edan: Damn, it feels so good to move without having to stay near the chalice. This is my first town!
[He jogs toward a few giant swords dug into the ground on the sides of the path.]
Edan: This is so cool! It really is a blacksmith town! I’m gonna take a look at what they make here!
[Edan leaves the team.]
Lylia: Okay… We should let him hang around, then.
Luu Kah: Right, he’s from a blacksmith family… Well, if he likes it here, we could just leave the town without him.
[Weylin turns to Luu Kah and crosses her arms.]
Weylin: Come on.
Luu Kah: I didn’t say anything, Lylia just mimicked my voice.
Lylia: Seriously?
[Lylia and Weylin stare at Luu Kah in silence.]
Luu Kah: … Well, at least I tried.
*
[Marr can be explored freely. When going to the east of the town, the trio finds Edan, who listens to a discussion between Marr’s caravanners and the town’s inhabitants.]
Lilty man: Wait, what are you saying? Our crystal will no longer protect us?
Rolf: It’s not like that. Well, I think. The elder just said that our safe area is becoming tighter lately.
Lilty man: But why? If it gets tighter and tighter, we won’t have any protection anymore!
Rolf: I don’t know, I don’t think it’ll go this far! We’ll just keep bringing myrrh, and…
[Another man turns toward him.]
Clavat man: Yes, maybe we just need more myrrh than before! You could do that, gather one more drop than usual!
Leuts: Hey, it’s easy to say! Our journeys are hard enough as they are. On top of that, there’s a rumor that myrrh drops are becoming scarcer.
Lilty woman: What? We aren’t going through a myrrh shortage, are we?
Lilty man: What the hell? What’s going on all of a sudden? Miasma isn’t going to kill us all, huh?
[The group keeps chatting as the trio gets closer to Edan. He turns to them.]
Edan: Here you are.
[Luu Kah glances at Weylin.]
Luu Kah: Do you think what they’re saying is true? I mean, we did see that the myrrh drop from the river Belle was weirdly late, but still…
[Weylin holds her chin.]
Weylin: So the news is already spreading…
[Edan, Lylia and Luu Kah all turn to look at her.]
Lylia: Do you know something, Weylin?
Weylin: Not much more, but… Let’s talk somewhere else, if you will.
*
[The team stops in a quiet square.]
Edan: So, what’s going on? Are we really gonna have some myrrh shortage?
[Luu Kah, Lylia and Edan look at Weylin intensely.]
Weylin: Where should I start?… Over the past few years, my parents have been taking measures of the area that’s protected by the crystal in our village. They do it every year, right after Roland restores the crystal. And what we’ve seen is that this safe area is becoming tighter. The loss remains within the range of a few feet for now, but still… What we don’t understand is why, since we bring the same amount of myrrh each year, and that the crystal is restored at the same date.
[Lylia looks at her with wide eyes.]
Lylia: Really? We didn’t even notice…
Weylin: It’s not something you would notice easily in daily life, since we avoid living too far away from the crystal. But last year especially, the loss was greater than the years before. I warned Fum’s elder about it when we were there, and the villagers reported some similar observations to her. It seems to be happening to Shella, too. And I wrote to Marr’s elder a little while ago…
[Luu Kah crosses his arms.]
Luu Kah: So it seems to be pretty solid news. But why didn’t you tell us?
[Weylin starts pacing.]
Weylin: I figured it wasn’t relevant to talk about it as long as there was no emergency. With my parents and Roland, we thought it would be safer to keep this information for the elders of the other places. If the news starts spreading now, I’m afraid that a general panic will take place.
[Weylin stops walking and the team stays silent for a while, thinking.]
Luu Kah: It’s hard to believe. We never saw anything like that before. Why now?
Edan: That’s right! There has to be a way to stop it!
Weylin: For now, I don’t know. But this is why Roland asked us to gather a fourth drop of myrrh. My parents would like to analyze it and try to understand what’s going on.
Lylia: Well… At least, if our safe area doesn’t get tighter too fast… we should have time to find a solution, right?
Weylin: I hope so. But the simple fact that the problem exists may worry a lot of people, especially if we experience myrrh scarcity at the same time.
Luu Kah: Right, things can easily turn wrong…
[A silence ensues.]
Edan: Damn, I’ve barely become a caravanner and new problems are adding up. That’s not fair!
[Lylia snorts.]
Lylia: Right, you’re pretty unlucky on this one.
[Edan crosses his arms.]
Edan: Well, whatever. I’m not gonna give up so soon. We will find those myrrh drops for Tipa!
[Luu Kah and Lylia stare at Edan.]
*
[The screen reopens inside an inn’s room, at sunset. Weylin is sitting on a bed, reading a book, while Edan is lying on another one. Lylia stares through the room’s window when Luu Kah comes in the room.]
Lylia: There you are. I knew you’d come back for dinner.
[Luu Kah glares at her.]
Luu Kah: You’re one to talk.
[He closes the door behind him and walks to a chair before crashing on it.]
Luu Kah: I went and looked for some information about Ramsey’s curse… But it was useless. Well, the others must have tried it here already, too…
[Weylin glances at him.]
Weylin: I’m looking for something in this book I found, too… But I don’t see anything.
[Luu Kah hangs his head and Lylia walks toward him and Weylin with a letter in hand.]
Lylia: Wait, speaking of the others, we just got a letter from them! We were waiting for you to read it.
Luu Kah: Really? Let me see.
[Lylia hands the letter to Luu Kah, who opens it right away.]
Luu Kah: That’s Délia.
[Délia’s voice narrates the letter.]
“Hi, everyone. Thank you for your last letter. I hope you are doing well and that your new journey as caravanners will go smoothly. As for us… It took a while before reaching Shella. We don’t travel as fast as with the caravan and Sally. But we’ve finally got there and… We have some good news to share.”
Luu Kah: Oh?
Lylia: Really?! Go on!
“We met a researcher and the captain of Shella’s caravan, who gave us some important clues! The gold needle. We could try it to save Ramsey. It’s an old specific cure for petrifaction that isn’t produced anymore, so we are going to look for the ingredients to make one.”
[Weylin stands up and places a hand over her chest.]
Weylin: This is good news.
Lylia: Damn!!
[Lylia makes small jumps where she’s standing. Luu Kah keeps his eyes on the letter with a smile.]
“We’ll need some gold, some lamia’s blood and some stone sahagin’s blood. We’ll have to get those bloods fused together as a special orb by an alchemist, and a blacksmith forge the gold needle while integrating the orb inside. We’ve already checked on where to find those ingredients. We might have some trouble finding a raw chunk of gold, though, and I’m afraid that buying some will be off budget.”
Luu Kah: Yeah, bet. But there has to be a solution for that. Heh, this is why money is so important!
[Lylia glares at Luu Kah, although smiling.]
“In any case, we’ll find a solution. For now, these clues are a glimpse of hope and push us to keep going forward. You can leave it to us. Best of luck to you for your journey.”
[Luu Kah eventually folds the letter back.]
Weylin: Hmm… I hope things will be alright for them, and that they won’t be faced with too many dangers…
Lylia: Yeah… But they’re stronger now, after three years of being caravanners with us!
Luu Kah: Right. Now we can hope to see Ramsey again!
Lylia: I can’t wait!
[Edan looks away with a wistful expression. Luu Kah turns to Lylia.]
Luu Kah: Now with that good news in mind, I challenge you to a food contest!
Lylia: I’m in! Let's see who's got the biggest belly!
[Luu Kah gets up from the chair and Weylin watches the two of them hastily leave the room.]
Weylin: They’re going to regret this. Anyway, we should go, too.
[Edan stares at the open door with a frown.]
Edan: … Alright.
