Update 19: That Kills Somebody

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Mmmmmaaaaauuuuhhhhh...
Still sleepy-like?
Mmyeah. Mornin', Wynne.









Wait. Hang on. Something's not right.
Didn't sleep good? Dat'd explain da yawn.
Mm. Yeah, kinda. Thanks, Wynne.









Wynne.
Yeahs?
What're you doing here?
Oh, Ray'n I had a sleepover last night. Dat alright?
I mean, yeah, you're welcome aboard, was just kinda surprised. Aren't you manning the atelier at...basically all hours of the day?
Nothin' says I can't take a night and mornin' off if I wanna.
Your parents don't mind if you just go sleep at some guild's skyship for the night?
Parents...? Oh, my folks. Don't got 'em, 'least as far as I know. Boss's raised me far back as I can remember.
Oh, shit, sorry.
For what?
Usually when you assume someone who doesn't have parents has parents, that's rude on the assumer's—
I don't got folks, is dat a problem? I ain't bothered by it.
...Well, if you're not bothered by it, I won't be. Still, uh, change your parents to your boss. They don't mind?
I mean, if I was goofin' off and yakkin' it up with some randos dat'd just gotten outta da Old Forest Mine, maybe. But, uh, y'know dat your guild's our best customers, yeah? Unless ya drag me inta a labyrinth, boss's cool with it.
...Long as I ain't leavin' da shop without its, if I do say so myself, lovely an' talented saleswoman for more than a day or so.
Right. I just, uh, hope no-one needed to buy anything last night. Or this morning.
Eh, dey can wait. Sure, we sell gear, dat's real important, but no-one's gonna croak because we were closed at da wrong time. We ain't Dalla's inn.
That's... Yeah, that's fair.
...You're not coming with us on today's exploration, though, right?
Pretty sure I'd freeze ta death if I went out to da mountains wearin' dese duds. Which are pretty much da only duds I've got. I'll be...whatever dat fancy word for gettin' off a ship is in a bit.
Disembarking?
Yeah, dat! Ship talk is fun.
Gotcha. You told Ray thanks and goodbye, then?
Nah, she's out cold. I'll tell her dat next time I see her.
Fair enough. Don't forget to, though, it's only polite.
...You feelin' alright, Shells? Never heard ya sound dis mom-like.






Never tell anyone of this.
Let me pilot da ship for a bit someday, and ya gotta deal.
Deal. On another note, I've got rounds to make around town. You wanna come with?
Sure.
Bwaaaaaagh!
Good morning.
H-Hiya, Harp...
Stealthy girl...



Oh, Shelly, Harper, and Wynne? What an unusual combination.
Mornin', Dalla! I'm taggin' along with dem.
D-D-D-D-D-D—
Hi, Dalla.
So, tell me, dearies, I've heard you've met another new group of people recently. The Sentinels, if I remember correctly?
Big furry warrior people, like Naijou, yes.
Ahh, so that's what he is. Hmm, he is very big, yes, but my guests have been describing Sentinels as big enough to crush a skyship in one hand. I guess they were exaggerating.
Naijou could crush a lot of stuff in one hand. But not a skyship. Especially not our skyship.
Indeed. Still, if the other Sentinels are like Naijou, they must still be very big. And if they're very big, they must eat a lot. I need to prepare for if some of them come by the inn, so... I wonder if it's time to break out that one dish again...
Oh, don't let me distract you, dearies. Have a good day!
You have a good day too, Dalla.
Y-Y-Y-Y-Y—
She's stuck. Help me push her, Wynne.
Uh, yeah, sure.



Ah, good morning, you two. What is it that brings you to my establishment to this day?
Two?! Hey, I'm here, too!
...Oh, so you are. My apologies, Wynne. The bar is quite tall, you see...
You sound upset. Did something happen?
Mm... Another guild I knew is lost.
...Oh.
No, please, do not misunderstand! They are still in good health.
Oh. Good.
Still, some internal strife had caused them to doubt their skills as explorers. Thus, they chose to disband last night. Right here in the Dancing Peacock...
Better than ending up monster chow, but still. That can't be fun to hear.
You understand my feelings. I am thankful that they still live... But I hope that Guild Daffodil does not share their fate.
I'm going to keep everyone together until we get to Yggdrasil. We have a lot of adventure left ahead of us.
I am glad to hear that.


Gggh, ow...
Man, ya look like hell. What happened ta ya?
Oh, you're the girl from the shop... See, I took a request from a Vessel to get some ice up in the Underground Lake, but I... No way around it, I slipped on the ice. Feels like I broke every bone in my body. Sure hope someone else took that request on...
The, uh, perpetual ice one? Yeah, we took that.
Oh, you're explorers too, thank the gods. I felt really bad about having to welch on that. Best of luck. Oh, and don't slip on the ice.
Ah, another archer. Are you an explorer?
Mhm. Are you?
I'm part of a guild of Vessels, yes. We're testing our skills against the outside world, now that the High Arcanist has managed to talk the elders into letting us go exploring. We're making our way through the mountains right now, though the scales in the Golden Lair are a very annoying impediment.
The Boiling Lizard's scales.
I heard a Sentinel use that same name, "Boiling Lizard." So that's what's leaving those accursed scales all over. Once we reach it, though, I think we Vessels will have nothing to fear from it.
We're going to fight it soon, for an important mission. But maybe you'll get to fight one of its babies.
...If you're going to beat us to the punch, then I've got more time to get used to those human skills I learned from that scroll than I thought...
Hey, you okay? You look really pained.
Oh, don't worry about me. I've just been holding this ice stake so long, I've got an ice burn... Ironic for a fire specialist like me, no?
Ironic, and also, I don't get what that has to do with deliberately giving yourself an ice burn. Why?
Our guild doesn't have anybody who can use manipulate ice runes, so when we fight fire monsters, we need these ice stakes.
There's...other people like Xiaohu now?
I don't know who that is. All I know is that the Mark Grand Court started offering lectures about this new form of magic. I was an alchemist before I came to Tharsis, so I figured I could take it up pretty quick. Anyway, it's very annoying when throwing these ice stakes is the only thing I can do in battle... But just show me a plant monster or an oil monster, and then you'll see me really start to cook...
Well, I hope the ice burns don't get in the way of that.
Hey, you three. Are you familiar with the lonely hunter Dylan? Heh, that's right. You're looking at him.
Ya didn't even let us respond.
Why would you need to? Everyone knows me. But do you know the icy pincer? It's a big, powerful praying mantis that flies around the Sacred Mountains.
Oh, trust me, I know them. Friggin' pain in the ass to fly around.
They look scary to fight, too.
That's the thing. Parts from a monster that tough sell for a bundle to collectors. That's where I come in; I got hired to collect the icy pincer's, well, icy pincers. Now, uh, I went out for some recon, and that thing looked impossible.
You got hired to kill one of those things without having ever met one?
My clients know how good I am. But, uhhhhh, see, there's power in numbers, especially when taking on a thing that big. I don't do groups, though, I'd just get slowed down most of the time. So I put out a request for whatever guild takes it up to bring me a frigid sickle instead.
Oh, we're the ones that took that request.
I see. Well, you've got your job, right? Get hunting!
...



Giving up the smithing life for the adventuring life, Wynne?
Not in a million years. Just out with dese two gals.
I see. Well met, Shelly and Harper. I trust Guild Daffodil is still making good progress into the Golden Lair.
We've got a couple of requests to take care of, but last I heard, our previous active group managed to get to the third floor.
If previous patterns hold, then the way to opening the barrier to the north isn't far off. Keep up the good work.
Patterns...
Yes, patterns. You've obtained a way to advance to new lands at the third floor of each large maze, and with each new land so far, you've met a new race of people. This can't be a coincidence, can it?
...I'm not sure. Probably not.
Gotta wonder what's comin' up after you beat dis big, what was it, cookin' lizard?
Boiling Lizard. All I can say is that Yggdrasil's getting closer and closer with each new land we discover.
Depending on how long the passage to the next land is, perhaps you'll reach the great tree sooner than you think.
Man, that'd be nice. The sooner the Medium can get to Yggdrasil, the sooner we can get a better idea of what it's worried about, and the sooner I can quit fretting about what we don't know.



Huh, Shelly and Harper. How's the exploring life treating yeh recently?
We've got a mission. We're doing good, but having a mission is stressful.
Hmm. Sounds stressful. If I may give some advice: don't overcompensate. If yeh think yeh're in trouble, even if yeh've got a mission, take some time to explore the smaller caves. We tell that to every guild, but that doesn't make it any less true.
We've got some requests that are going to take us into the two caves in the Sacred Mountains we haven't explored yet, so...already ahead of you on that one.
Heh, well, I ain't gonna grouse about yeh taking my advice without me having to give it. Good luck.



Dat's a lotta papers.
What? Oh, Miss Wynne. And...Shelly and Harper, as well. What an odd trio.
Just making the rounds around town before we get to exploring some caves. Anything interesting going on with you today?
Well, compared to your daily lives, mine must seem dreadfully dull, haha!
...Jokes aside, I'm reading through written accounts of both the Vessels' and the Sentinels' legends of the Titan. Two very disparate tales, with both sides insisting their version is true... And yet, they are impossible to reconcile. One, a tale of a holy tree. The other, a tale of a demon dwelling within the great tree.
Both stories don't make sense with each other. Maybe there's a third version that gives the missing pieces, though.
I had hoped that there would be some account of the Titan from us humans' perspective in our archives, but alas, nothing has turned up. I almost wonder if there's some other human settlement that does have their own story...but, of course, we are the only human settlement for quite some distance. How vexing all of this is.
blink
All of this must sound like gibberish to you, huh?
I got "humans," "Vessels," and "Sentinels" outta dat. Dunno what's going on with da rest of it.



Welp, back ta my usual stompin' grounds. Tanks for lettin' me tag along for a bit!
No prob.
What's that giant thing on the workbench?
Ooh, ya noticed! Dis...is a giant boomerang! I made it outta scrap. Whaddya think?
Uh...
I'm happy with my bows.
Dag, not going for it, huh? Whaddabout...dis paddle-ball flail?!
I'm not sure I'd want to play paddle-ball with something that could really mess up my face.
Man, ya sound like a mom again— Wait. Ah, crap.
Again?
Don't worry about it, I think she just misspoke.
Y-Yeah, don't worry about it, Harp! It's, uh, just like when ya call ya teacher "mom!" Dumb mistake!
My moms were my teachers. And Uncle Ranger too. I don't remember calling him "mom" though.
Bah, fuhgeddaboutit! I gotta get ready ta sell stuff again. G'luck with da caves!








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Before we take care of the requests, I looked over our treasure maps, and...as weird as it sounds, I think some of them are right in the middle of tornadoes. Only a few, though.
No reason not to get them, I guess. Just hope the dowsing rods won't get ripped off by tornadoes...



Well, wouldja look at that, another one'a the real good shivs.
Ah, good! Wynne will appreciate not having to reforge the same knife over and over again, I'm sure.





Well, we've got the drop on this overgrown bug, but I'm still pretty nervous here.
Just gotta hope we're good enough to kill it. What happens, happens.






Can't do much more than scratch this thing, but when's that ever stopped me?


Oh. Okay.


...Well, that was worth a shot, at least.


Not even close, bud.


Thank you for not moving.

Oi, Shelly, you about ready yet?
Would my rapier be covered in this red gunk if I wasn't ready?
Just checkin', lass. Ready when the rest of you are.






Heh. Funny just how much a few scratches can do.
I'm certainly not complaining.



Didn't even hurt.


Shelly.
Already on it!


I think the nerve toxin wore off. Ugh...
Why does everything we fight have to be really healthy?


Oh, shit, it's aiming for my head.
No!


...What the fuck was that? I didn't even feel anything, its pincer just bounced off me.
I...think I did something? I don't know what I did, but it was...some kind of runic thing?
Runic, huh? Remind me to thank Xiaohu later.
And, uh, you as well.
You could thank me right now.
I could.
Thanks.



Oh yeah, I'm really feeling the—


...Power.



Bit of an anticlimax, sure, but look on the bright side: the bug's dead.



All that remains is to deliver it to the client, Dylan, without losing it. Then the request will be fulfilled!
...Someone go get Naijou, we're gonna need help carryin' this thing aboard.



Hey. Here's the ice mantis's pincer.
...Oh. Oh, you guys are... You actually...got it.
Sure did. Hell of a fight, but it went down in the end.
No-one in your guild got...hurt, right?
Cocky bastard tried going for my head once, but some magic stuff made it just bounce off.
Your...head... Man, you guys... What's your guild's name?
Daffodil.
Guild Daffodil... Got it. You guys sure are something. I, uh... Thank you. You've been...extremely helpful. Fulfilled my request with style. I'll fill out my report. The bartender's already got your reward.
Are you alright? You look real pale.
I...feel really... No, it's nothing. I'm sorry I bit off more than I could chew. Excuse me...


Sounds like he'll think twice before subcontractin' a dangerous hunt next time.
I assume you're referring to Dylan's request.
Aye. Don't think the kid knew just how dangerous those frozen mantises really are.
Clearly not. At least your guild was able to accept it before anyone else, and you seem no worse for the wear.
Eh. The thing nearly took my head off, but Shelly did...something that stopped it.
...It nearly... I see. I may need to change my policy about subcontracted requests involving dangerous monsters... But that's a matter for me to resolve. Here is your reward.


...This was not worth the trouble.



At least it's a good experience, mate.
For some value of "good," I guess.






Pooka. Right next to us. Pooka.


Man, these guys'll eat anything.
...Do they actually eat? This one seems content to just sit and look at the veggies.
A mystery for the ages.


Goodbye, red pooka.



So much nicer to be able to just fly up to a cave and not have to deal with tornadoes or FOEs or whatever headaches this place feels like throwing at us. It's downright relaxing.





I see why that man at the bar needed so many bandages now.
Icy floors, icy pillars, ice as far as the eye can bloody see.
Something's frozen in the middle of one of the pillars right in front of us.


Gotta remember to check the other side of the wall later.


Deaugh!
I almost feel bad for the beastie, that can't be pleasant.
Being frozen is bad, but would you actually feel being frozen?
Unless you get thawed out with some really special magic, if your body's somehow still capable of functioning after you get unfrozen, you'd probably be lucky to have all of your limbs not succumb to frostbite. At minimum.
...Nnn.
Harper shivers in discomfort.
Didn't mean to freak you out. C'mon, let's move. At least we won't get harrassed by these giant bats.


I can see somethin' behind all the ice... What is that, a giant torch?
Either that, or some kind of cauldron.
Alright, everyone back up, lemme try something.
After backing up to get a running start, Ace dashes towards the ice in an attempt to smash it!
...Unfortunately, their efforts result only in them rebounding off the ice and onto the floor, causing a loud crashing sound to echo throughout the cave.
Oof. Well, it was worth a shot, at least. That's some damn thick ice.
Normally, just letting the Boiling Lizard's giant scale pile come back melts the ice in the Golden Lair, but... I don't think that's going to be an option here.
Probably don't want to melt the ice before we take care of that Vessel's request, but... Well, gotta hope there's nothing we want—or worse, need—behind these ice walls.


...Me and my big mouth.
It's just a treasure chest, lass. Doubt there's anything important in it.
Yeah, but... It's a treasure chest. It's right there. It's taunting me.
It's tantalizing.
See? She gets me.


Oy, more stuff entombed in ice. Can't even tell what's in it this time.
...I...think that's maybe an animal corpse? Or parts of it, at least. The angle makes it really hard to see.
If it's a corpse, I'm in no rush to figure out of what. Let's move on.


A lone tortoise waddles along in this frozen cave.
Wonder what it feeds on.



I don't like how that mushroom looks like it's always screaming.
If I was a walking mushroom, I would probably scream too.

Smart.


Guuugh...
If there's one thing I hate more'n pollen, it's poison pollen.


Screaming until the end.
Poor thing.









Did the other group make any notes about these tortoises in the Monstrous Codex?
...Doesn't look like it.
I suggest we fight this one, then. This is as safe a place as any.
Less busy than the Golden Lair. Yes.
I'm fine with that.





Just hope I don't run out of swords. That thing's shell looks sturdy.

Something tells me this thing's not going down easy, so get comfortable, you two.


WOOOOOOOOOOGH I'm okay. I'm standing. I'm okay.
...Help...


Didn't flinch much. That's a bad sign.



I don't like this thing.


Doesn't hurt anywhere near as much when it's not spinning like crazy.


Huh, that actually seemed to bother it. Go figure.



Finally...



No more spinning.


Hahhh... That's cathartic.


No more spinning. Forever.



...I'm exhausted.
I'd say a quick jaunt back to town's in order, eh?


Well, if dis ain't da thickest monster shell I've ever seen. Where'd it come from?
A really rapidly spinning turtle.
How'd ya get it ta stop spinnin' long enough to hit it?
No, it wasn't, like, spinning the entire time.
I don't want to think about what that turtle could do to us if it was always spinning.

♪ No music ♪


Got another idea: how about we go talk to the Vessel that wants this ice? Maybe they've got some kinda clue to where it is.
None of the ice in that place looked particularly special, so... Yeah, agreed. Any clue'd be helpful here.



One Vessel comes out to greet you with a surprised look.

That bag... Are you the ones that accepted the request I filed with that woman in Tharsis?
Sure are, lad.
One strip of paper has so much weight there... That bar is no ordinary place. Ah, that aside, was there something you needed?
You got any idea where this unmeltin' ice might be in that cave?
No, I'm sorry. I haven't actually been there, I was just told about it. I didn't have time to check it myself... I need the ice for my mother, you see. She's come down with a fever, and I need something that can help cool her down, as soon as possible. We don't have any ice in Vessel Town.
Mm. Well, we'll be quick about it, then. Don't want to let your poor mum suffer.
I appreciate your efforts.
The Vessel bows his head to you respectfully. He then withdraws to the village to care for his mother. You, for your part, set out on the request.



Kinda nice to have a place that's so straightforward to explore, even if it's colder'n the lowest circle of hell.
Deffo.


It is constructed to allow wind to pass through it. You can tell that it is meant to hold a flame.
Got a couple of matches, let's see if... Nope.
Maybe if I try hitting it with a burning sword...
...Nope.
Looks like this isn't any normal torch.
I think we need a special fire to light it.
What the hell could be special about a fire? A fire's a fire.
No, no, I think she's onto something.
We've seen weirder things than a "special fire," I wouldn't rule it out.
Even you, Meri? Welp, guess I'm overruled on this.
Might not have any special fire with us, but we've gotta leave with some special ice. Let's check around here.


That's not ice.

Perhaps the shimmering ice is due to its location in the very center of the labyrinth...
I think I've got something here.
Alright, where'd I put that pickaxe...


Done. Let's get back to Vessel Town pronto.



Here.
Thank you, thank you!
...Amazing. Just as I was told, this ice has barely melted. This should quell my mother's fever.
Go tend to her then, lad. Glad to have helped.
Thank you, everyone. I hope the reward I left is sufficient.


Not the most exciting request in the world, but hey, we did a good deed.
Gotta suck to have a fever with no way to cool off. Hope that guy's mom gets well soon.



Ah, you've returned. A Vessel came by earlier to inform me that you've delivered the ice.
That was quick. We only just got back after coming straight here from Vessel Town.
Maybe that lad's got a friend here in Tharsis with a linkpearl, eh?
Sure, that's plausible.
It was a friend of the client that informed me, yes. Hopefully more Vessels will stop by here to put in requests, perhaps even have a drink. I would like nothing more than Vessels and the people of Tharsis to find common ground in requests. But enough about my hopes, here is the reward the Vessel provided.


































Man, after all the twists and turns things've taken lately, the past few days've been nice. Go here, kill this bug, go there, get this thing.
I couldn't agree more. I...kind of miss when we were just starting out, sometimes.
All of, what, three months and a bit ago?
Three months is a while! But even if we treat it as not that long ago, you have to admit that it's felt a lot longer than that.
Don't gotta tell me twice, heh. That week we were rushing through the lower floors of the Misty Ravine to get to the Hollow Queen probably took a couple years off my lifespan.
Same. I didn't know seven days could last that long. But back to my point, most of our time in Guild Daffodil has been on a dire time pressure. First it was saving Xiuan, and now it's getting to Yggdrasil before that "deluded darkness from the sky" does.
Yeah... At least I function alright under pressure.
You function more than "alright" under pressure, I would say.
If'n you say so.
Ahaha... Take the compliment, Ace.
I'll gas myself up once we're done with all this and we, I dunno, get a big trophy from the Count. Maybe the Vessels and Sentinels'll give us big trophies too.
Maybe Yggdrasil will have one.
Turn one of its branches gold and let it fall down onto us. It's the great tree, it's probably capable of that, right?
...I actually do wonder what would count as the end of our exploring, though.
All the other Yggdrasil cities make it easy. Make it through the tree, make it through that last bit that's either above or below it, and you get officially recognized.
Meanwhile, we get to fly from land to land, exploring every small cave and big labyrinth. It almost feels like we could go on forever.
...I kinda hope not. I like exploring, I like everyone here, but I don't wanna just stick around this Yggdrasil. There's a lotta places I've gotta visit, all of them pretty far from here.
Ah. That's fair enough.
How about you? I know we're in the thick of it right now, but you've got an idea of what you wanna do after we finish, yeah?
Mmm... Not really. I guess I'll see what everyone plans to do after we wrap up, and just...ask if I can come along.
...Your family makes it hard to plan for the future, don't they?
You've...hit the nail on the head, yes. Even that non-plan I gave just now, it worries me. I fear that anyone I travel with would be put in danger.
Well... I mean, look at it this way, you've been MIA for a few months, but no sign of them yet, right? If I were them, I would've come after you when we were all freaking out about the Hollows kidnapping Xiuan.
I did worry about that for a little bit right after it happened, and I'm thankful it didn't come to pass. But...what if they thought that I would think that? I know how my family functions, and maybe they're using that against me. Maybe they'd strike when I think it'd be too obvious.
It's mind games all the way down. I hate that.
I take solace in the fact that some of my more impatient family hate it as much as you do.
If one of them ever crosses me, I'll let them tell me how much they hate this infinite mind games bullshit, I'll tell them I agree, and then I'll smash their face in.
Ahaha! I'd give everything I own to see that.



















Hey, Meri?
Hmm?
I can't promise anything for certain, but whenever we call our time as a guild done and disband, if nothing else comes to you before then... I, uh, wouldn't mind having you tag along with me wherever I end up going. Or wherever you want to go, if you've got a better idea than me.

I...I honestly don't have anything else to do after we're done. I came here to get stronger and, well, prove I could take on one of the Yggdrasils. We haven't gotten to go into the tree here, obviously, but everything we've been doing counts just as much as if we'd been going through one of the other labyrinths, I think. I hope that makes sense, it probably doesn't. I was probably gonna just look for work as a mercenary after we were done, but... If you can travel around without worrying about your family, you can probably come up with some good ways to spend our— Uh, your limited time on this planet. And I'd... Even if I gotta be a bodyguard, I'd want to be there.
...Terra?
Yes?
I would like to date you. Would you like to date me?

What you've offered me, and please correct me if I'm wrong, is incredibly generous: indefinite service as a bodyguard. That usually comes at a very hefty price, especially from someone who just professed a desire for future mercenary work.

If you're offering me that peace of mind free of charge... I, um, I think most people would assume you'd do that because you feel a lot of affection for your "client." If that's the case...then, well, the feeling is mutual.

...My mouth ran so much faster than my brain that I forgot to say the most important part, huh?
Ehehe, it appears so.
Leave it to me to bungle that...
You've bungled nothing.

Pfahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... Gimme a sec, gotta let my guts depressurize...
D-Deep breaths, Terra, deep breaths!

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