Disclaimer: I don't own the Legend of Mana or any game series.
UltraZeta120: I'm glad you liked the last chapter and thanks for the review. The version of Biggs and Wedge that appears in the story is from Final Fantasy 8. It's been a while since I've played the game, but they are minor enemies that you run into in three different instances throughout the game. They are mainly comic relief.
Chapter 7: Norwich
Day 5: Dryad Day: 8:00 AM
It wasn't until the next morning that Sean returned home. He and his party members, as well as the police, decided that the best course of action would be to remain in town till after sunrise on the off chance that there were more tribe members in hiding outside of town.
The entire night wasn't spent fruitlessly, however. Sean took out his notepad and opened a window to look through all of his quests, both current and finished.
Earlier…
"Okay, so I just completed the Robbin' Hood quest," Sean thought as he pointed at the quest's entry under 'Finished.' "That leaves me with five other quests all together."
He wrote the name of each quest down with a pencil and put a dash next to each name. Sean then put his other hand on his chin and furrowed his brows in rumination whilst his pencil hovered over the quest entry for 'Bring Home the Bacon.' "Doing Daily Quests should fulfill the requirements for this one now that I have access to them and talking to Trent will probably complete Plant Care 101."
He jotted down this information next to their entries before moving onto the next two. "I can't really do much about the Restore the Tree of Mana quest right now and 'Polly want a Smacker?' isn't that important." Sean paused on 'The Petrified Potioneer' and a look of uncertainty passed over his face. "And then there's this one."
He stood up from the wooden bench he was sitting on and entered the inn, where Mark was reflecting quietly in one of the first floor's rooms. The older man was sitting in a chair away from the window with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Mark would rather have been on the second floor, where fewer people could see his inner turmoil, but he wanted to be close enough to give assistance if trouble arose.
"What should I do?" Mark wondered worriedly while doing his best to fake a stoic visage. "My little girl is out there all alone somewhere, but Duelle is a good friend of mine. Should I trust that he sent her somewhere safe or should I try to find her?" Mark let out a tired sigh and rubbed his face. "And my Jennifer is still angry. Should I try talking to her again?"
Sean put his head up against the door to the room and listened closely for any crying. Not hearing anything, he slowly pushed it open just a crack and peeked inside. Sean almost retreated before stopping himself. He wasn't the best person to be around if someone else was upset, something he was well aware of, but the subject of the statue couldn't wait. That doesn't mean he wouldn't be tempted to bolt if the waterworks started.
"Excuse me, Mark," the father heard, causing him to open his eyes and look at his visitor. "Do you think you could tell me where you got that statue in your shop from?"
Mark blinked. "What sta—Oh! You mean the one of the Magic Academy student?" The father happily welcomed this inquiry to ease his fears. "Why, Niccola sold it to me when she came to visit Teapo one day."
"Do you know where Niccola got it from?"Sean asked calmly.
"She said she found it near Lake Kilma," Mark replied, far less jovially than normal. "Niccola told me that the statue would bring good luck to my family and my sweetheart seemed to be interested in it, so I simply had to have it."
"And have you had any good luck?"Sean asked slowly, showing he found luck to be kind of stupid. Then again, he did now have a luck , of course, didn't pick up on this like others would have.
Mark shook his head. "Well, no. But as long as my family is happy and healthy, aren't I the luckiest man in the world?" the father ended with a smile. His face then visibly deflated. "At least they were happy," Mark murmured.
Sean coughed into his fist. "I don't suppose you know where Niccola is right now?"
Mark shook his head again while gazing down at the floor. "I'm afraid not, my good man." He replied slowly. "Niccola is a travelling merchant so she moves around a good deal."
Sean kept a straight face to hide his disappointment. "Well, thanks anyways."
He didn't receive a response, but Sean's eyes widened when Mark covered his face, expecting the crying to start. He quickly backpedaled to the door and let himself out. Sean closed the door quietly and made a hasty retreat outside.
"Holy fuck. That was awkward."
Sean gave himself a brief breathing period before moving to the next item on his list.
"Hey, Wedge, can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Certainly," the Lieutenant responded. "What did you need?"
Biggs was presently in Amanda & Barrett's helping himself to some of their stock. He would have grabbed himself a bottle of vodka and made himself a cocktail, but as a Police Major, Biggs was expected to show a certain degree of professionalism which he held himself relatively well to.
"Can you follow me over this way, please?" Sean asked.
Wedge looked perplexed, but still followed him away from the parked police wagons until they were just past the town entrance. Sean stopped and looked at Wedge with a straight face. "I apologize if this question is a little invasive, but what did you and Biggs do before you two became police officers?"
The Lieutenant blinked at the question. He didn't expect to be asked that, but answered anyway since it wasn't too personal. "Biggs and I, prior to this, were travelers much like many other people you'll find in this land." Sean nodded even though that didn't give him much. "We've fought some monsters, but we mainly stuck to helping people out with little things that Biggs insisted was a waste of time."
"Okay, how about this? Where did you move from?" Sean asked patiently. "I spoke with the Inspector earlier and Boyd told me that you two just appeared out of nowhere one day."
"We used to live in Polpota Harbor for a couple years before moving to our current residences," Wedge informed politely. "I don't mean to be rude, but why are you curious to know."
"It didn't occur to me at first, but I'm positive I've seen the two of you before," Sean replied. Since he's played Final Fantasy 8, Sean was technically telling the truth.
"Perhaps you saw me before while I was on duty?" Wedge supplied, but Sean just shook his head.
"No, it wasn't recent. This was from years ago." Sean paused and his heart rate picked up since he wasn't sure how Wedge would react to these next questions. Then, slowly, he asked, "Do the words 'SeeD,' 'Balamb Garden,' 'Guardian Forces,' 'Galbadia,' or the name 'Edea' mean anything to you?"
Wedge tilted his head and he raised his right hand with the index finger pointed up. "I believe that a 'Guardian Force' is just another name for conjured creatures."
The Lieutenant's answer was wrong since the term 'Guardian Force' had no correlation to conjuration, but Sean didn't bother to correct him. "Those words don't hold any significance to you at all?" Sean asked with a hint of disappointment.
Wedge shook his head. "No. Why? Should they?"
Sean exhaled. "It may not make sense right now, but please remember those words." The younger man almost begged. "Here." He tore a sheet of paper from his notepad and handed it to the Lieutenant. "Please don't lose this."
Wedge saw that the words Sean just said were written down on the paper. "Very well." He nodded, pocketing the paper. "But I'm still not certain what connection they have to me."
"Do you know of anywhere we could meet up?" Sean asked calmly so he wouldn't spook the Lieutenant. "I'd like to explain what each of those words mean to see if you remember anything."
"We could meet at The Wandering Specter later. Perhaps around 11:00 AM," Wedge replied. "I have a couple matters to attend to, but they shouldn't take me too long."
"The Wandering Specter. Why does that name sound familiar?" "That's fine." Sean nodded, eager to see if he could trigger any of Wedge's memories. He handed his notepad and pencil to Wedge. "Could you write down the directions? I've never been to Norwich before."
"Certainly," Wedge replied, taking the pencil and drawing a rudimentary map. He then handed back the notepad and writing utensil to Sean.
After the sun came out, something of interest happened when it came time for the police to leave.
"Once again, I want to thank you gentlemen for your assistance with this matter," Inspector Boyd said before puffing on his pipe.
"Think nothing of it, good sir. I was more than happy to help." Mark replied, not seeing the need to be rewarded for something any good person should have done.
Sean, meanwhile, stayed quiet. He started to hear the pulsing noise from before and he was trying to see if he could pinpoint it. Sean kept his eyes on the Inspector so no one would receive the wrong impression. It wouldn't do well for others to think he was hearing things.
Inspector Boyd reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two badges. "I know you two said you didn't want to be police officers, but I'd still like to reward you for your service."
"I don't need anything. I was mainly just a bystander here." Duelle spoke truthfully.
Sean, on the other hand, observed both of the badges and received a notification.
[Legendary] Artifact: Officer's Badge
Rightfully earned by an individual's strong sense of justice and duty, this badge has been imbued with a strange power and acts as an emblem of safety against the wickedness of the world.
Allows the artificer entrance into the town of Norwich.
Observe Lvl 8 → Lvl 9
"I'll take this one," Sean said. He took the artifact from Boyd's hand and gave it a brief examination. There didn't seem to be anything special about the golden-colored badge at first glance other than its resemblance to the Interpol badge from Sly Cooper. The badge consisted of a star placed over a shield in the shape of a downward-pointing pentagon. Still, Sean didn't question it and pocketed the badge.
Boyd raised his eyebrow while some of the other officers gave Sean strange looks at the eagerness he displayed while looking over the badge. The Inspector then brushed it off and simply put his hands back in his pockets since he's come across many strange and bizarre characters in his line of work who Sean came nowhere close to in terms of curiousness.
"Is that an artifact?" Duelle asked. So far, only the onion warrior knew of those objects.
"Artifact?" Boyd voiced his confusion. Sure a police badge was important to have on the job, but otherwise he didn't think it had a great amount of significance.
"Yep," Sean replied, slipping the badge into his pocket. He then turned to Boyd. "You've given me a greater reward than you know. Thanks."
Inspector Boyd nodded and took another puff from his pipe.
Mark's eyes widened at the word "reward," the term bringing to the forefront a reminder.
"Speaking of rewards, I almost forgot...," the proud father trailed off. He reached "somewhere," a place that Sean was sure he didn't want to know about judging by the brief look of disgust that passed over his face, and pulled out a small bag filled with 500 Lucre.
The coins clinked in the bag as Mark offered it to Sean with an outstretched hand, but there was no way he was touching that thing.
"Uh, you know what, Mark? Why don't you keep it?" Sean said. "I think the town would benefit a lot more from that money than I would."
"But my wife—," Mark started before Duelle cut him off.
"Mark, hold onto the money. Your wife isn't gonna care. Trust me." Duelle said frankly.
The father's expression became strangely subdued, but he put the money back away. "Very well," Mark replied before bowing his head to Sean. "I thank you for your generosity, Sean."
"It's not a big deal," Sean replied. It really wasn't, especially since he already received a lot of great rewards, along with the 500 Lucre, from completing the 'Robbin' Hood' quest.
Due to your kindness, your Reputation has changed.
Mark: +50
Duelle: +50
Town of Domina: +100
Inspector Boyd: +50
Norwich Police Department: +100
Reputation System
The Reputation System is a game mechanic that shows how the user is regarded by numerous individuals and by various groups. Depending on the player's actions, their reputation will go up or down. However, these actions are not strictly limited to "good" or "bad" as each individual and group will not necessarily share the same views. An action one person or group likes, another may not.
There are 11 ranks which comprise the Reputation System, although under certain circumstances, special ranks can appear to take the place of existing ones.
The 11 ranks are the following:
Rank 1: Neutral (-499 to 499 points)
Rank 2: Friendly (500 to 1999 points)
Rank 3: Unfriendly (-500 to -1999 points)
Rank 4: Trusted (2000 to 3999 points)
Rank 5: Hated (-2000 to -3999 points)
Rank 6: Honored (4000 to 6999 points)
Rank 7: Reviled (-4000 to -6999 points)
Rank 8: Exalted (7000 to 8999 points)
Rank 9: Hostile (-7000 to -8999 points)
Rank 10: Sworn (9000 to 10000 points)
Rank 11: Targeted (-9000 to -10000 points)
Current Reputation:
Duelle: (Friendly: 700/1999)
Mark: (Friendly: 500/1999)
Biggs: (Neutral: 230/499)
Wedge: (Neutral: 320/499)
Inspector Boyd (Neutral: 300/499)
Town of Domina: (Friendly: 800/1999)
Norwich Police Department (Neutral: 400/499)
Luon Highway Chobin Hood Tribe (Loyal) (Neutral: -100/-499)
Luon Highway Chobin Hood Tribe (Traitors) (Unfriendly: -1200/-1999)
Sean glanced over the Reputation screen, but didn't pay it too much attention since the others were still around. "It's strange that one group likes me more than the other. Wonder what happened."
"Hey! We're burning daylight here! Are we getting a move on or what!?" Biggs called from where he was sitting at the front of one of the paddy wagons. Wedge exhaled through his nose and looked ahead with the Chocobos' reins in his grip.
Inspector Boyd cast a glance at the wagons before saying, "Well, if you'll excuse me, I have to get these criminals processed. Good day."
Boyd boarded the front of one of the wagons and Sean disbanded his party before the police left for their headquarters, in Norwich presumably.
"Wouldn't want Biggs and Wedge getting crushed against the barrier," Sean thought, glad thathe remembered to disband the group in time. "Despite Biggs being a bit of an ass." He then turned to Mark and Duelle. "What are you two gonna do the rest of the day?"
"I thought I might hang around town, but eh," Duelle grimaced at what would be the end result of that decision. "The barrier that Reverend Nouvelle placed around the church should come down pretty soon and I don't want to deal with Jennifer's misplaced anger when it does."
Mark frowned. "She's just worried about Rachel as any mother would be."
Duelle shook his head. "I'm not saying that Jennifer doesn't love Rachel, but neither one of you understands her at all." His tone was firm and carried a hint of annoyance. "She's sixteen-years-old, Mark. She needs to develop into her own person which won't happen with you smothering her all the time and Jennifer's constant absence."
"But a child needs their parents," Mark argued weakly.
"Only for so long," Duelle replied. "The best thing to do right now is for you to calm your wife down, spend some time with her, and actually have some faith in your own daughter because I'm not going to talk about this with you anymore."
Mark slumped over with downcast eyes and Sean, meanwhile, remained silent, standing there awkwardly. He heard the short conversation, but stuck to watching the clouds drift by in the sunny sky.
"I think I'm gonna go now," Sean said with his thumb pointing over his right shoulder.
"Mind if I go with you?" Duelle asked.
Sean nodded. "Yeah, sure." It didn't take a genius to know that Jennifer would be on the warpath once she was released.
"Thanks. I just need to go grab my stuff." The onion replied before entering the inn. Despite being friends with Mark and his family, Duelle never stayed at their place nor did he want to.
The two left the father behind and travelled to Sean's house via the World Map.
Present…
Inside his house, Sean took off his hauberk and placed it in his inventory and Duelle set his few belongings by the front door. All they consisted of was a small backpack that only looked large enough to store the necessary toiletries and a few articles of clothing.
"That backpack's pretty small," Sean couldn't help but point out. "Are you really able to keep everything you need in there?" Seeing that it was his fifth day in Fa'Diel, Sean wasn't completely acclimated to magic yet and he was sorely lacking in the knowledge department.
"The bag's been enchanted to hold more things," Duelle informed, taking off his bandolier since he didn't need it for the moment. "I'm surprised you don't know that. Your house should work the same way."
"Yeah, 'my house,' sure." "I'm far from being an expert at magic," Sean responded truthfully. "I really only know how to cast a few spells and summon Remora."
Duelle looked at Sean in bewilderment. "But that's basic Mana Manipulation," the onion said in a raised voice. "Sure, enchanting is much more difficult, but you shouldn't be able to cast spells without a good foundation in how to control mana. That's something first year students in Geo learn."
Sean shrugged. "I don't know what to say other than that I just can."
Duelle shook his head before asking, "Do you have anything to eat in this place?"
"I haven't had the time to stock my kitchen yet." "An issue I should take care of soon to get the Cooking skill."
"Is there anything to do around here?"
Sean pointed at the door to his library/study. "I have a bunch of books in there you can read."
Duelle nodded and took Sean up on his offer.
While the onion perused the small selection of writings, Sean went up to his room to go over all of his rewards from the Robbin' Hood quest along with anything else of note.
"Hello, Li'l Cactus," Sean said warmly.
With his ever-present smile, the cactus replied, "Merry men!"
Knowing that Li'l Cactus had a new entry to add to his Cactus Diaries, Sean left his bedroom and waited outside with the door closed. It wasn't long after that he heard the pitter-patter of tiny feet across the wooden floor. Sean waited in the upstairs hallway for 10 minutes before reentering the room to find Li'l Cactus back in his flowerpot and still as a statue as usual.
Sean stepped over to the leafy diary pages hanging from a nail in the support beam and read the two new entries.
Going Ape
Today I heard about an angry monkey in the caverns. Why's a monkey in the caverns? There are no bananas there.
Sean nodded. "That's a valid question."
Robbin' Hood
Hooded mice tried to rob Domina, but my master stopped them with fish. This story sounds silly.
Sean smiled at the child-like writings before he sat down on the edge of his bed and took out the Numb Spell Book.
Numb (Active) Lvl 1 [0%] Cost: 50 MP
This spell allows the user to numb and remove all sensation from a part of the body. Can be particularly useful when used prior to casting the Restore spell. At higher levels, this spell can affect the whole body.
Effect: Has 5% chance to successfully numb the targeted area.
Sean winced from absorbing the new information and rubbed the side of his head. "I don't think that's getting any easier."
Next, he pulled up his list of titles which so far only consisted of his Artificer title and his new one, Town Defender.
Title Gained!
New Title: Town Defender
When equipped, this title grants the user a 25% boost in all stats while fighting in the defense of a town, city, village, or other settlement.
Since the Artificer title took effect whether or not Sean was using it, he unequipped it and attached the Town Defender title instead.
The Equipment and Item Encyclopedias didn't appear in his inventory when Sean completed the Robbin' Hood quest. He came to the assumption that they were most likely down in his study like they were in the Legend of Mana.
Blue Magic he didn't bother much with since Sean didn't have any spells yet in that area. He did, however, look over the entry for it.
Blue Magic
Also referred to as Blu Mag, Enemy Skill, Blue Bullet, Ronso Rage, Lore, or simply Blue, Blue Magic is a skillset consisting of abilities used by enemies and monsters. These skills and spells are different from normal ones in that they are only learned from enemies and cannot be found in spell or skill books.
To learn these abilities, the user normally must be hit by said ability. With ?, however, this requirement can be bypassed.
"I'm just glad I don't have to eat anyone." Sean spoke aloud in relief. In Final Fantasy 9, Quina could learn Blue Magic by eating specific opponents when they had less than 25% of their max HP left.
Finally, there was the Perk Shop which Sean felt the most excited about.
Perk Shop
The Perk Shop is where the user can spend any perk points they've earned to buy perks. Perks are normally passive abilities that only in certain circumstances can be leveled up. The user should keep in mind that many perks can be obtained through other methods. The time taken or amount of difficulty may vary by how the user decides to go about acquiring them.
The points used in the shop can be gained by leveling and by completing certain quests or consuming special items. Having a high reputation could grant access to these quests and items.
Perk Points Available to Spend: 30
Sean glanced over the options available to him and found with little surprise that most of them were out of his price range.
Available Perks:
Night Vision: Ability to see in the dark (Cost: 10 Points)
Aqua Lung: Ability to breath underwater (Cost: 25 Points)
Clear Headed: Immunity against Confusion (Cost: 30 Points)
Antibody: Immunity against Poison (Cost: 50 Points)
Insomniac: Immunity against Sleep (Cost: 50 Points)
Auto-Potion: A potion is automatically used from the inventory when HP is below 25%. (Cost: 75 Points)
Bright Eyes: Immunity against Darkness/Blind (Cost: 75 Points)
Jelly: Immunity against Petrify and Gradual Petrify (Cost: 100 Points)
Locomotion: Immunity against Stop (Cost: 100 Points)
Body Temp: Immunity against Frozen and Heat (Cost: 150 Points)
Zombie Proof: Immunity against Zombie (Cost: 200 Points)
Loudmouth: Immunity against Silence (Cost: 500 Points)
Semi-Immortal: Immunity to Instant Death and Doom (Cost: 500 Points)
Cosmic Breath: Ability to breath in space (Cost: 500 Points)
Auto-Life: Automatically returns the user to life with full health if HP reaches zero. This can activate once per day. (Cost: 750 Points)
There were other perks listed, but Sean shook his head and decided it'd be better to just hold onto his points for the time being.
He spent a bit more time in his room just lying on his bed and going over his stats and abilities before he heard a knock on the door. Duelle was on the other side with a massive tome in his hands.
"Is this the danger you were talking about before?" The onion asked while holding the book up to a particular page. "About there being 'countless deaths' if you didn't get the Jade Egg artifact?"
Janna's End
The angels gave up on retrieving Janna, and chose to fight for the Jumi. With help from the Wisdoms, they built a ship to confront Janna, and joined the war. The angels defeated the leader of humans and Zuf'ben, who had become an evil Faerie, and sealed Janna in the dimensional gap. Then they remained in Fa'Diel.
Sean shook his head once he finished the passage. "No. This is just ridiculous." "Though that dimensional gap is definitely something to look into." Sean closed the book and handed it back to Duelle. "What I was talking about was more along the lines of an idiot destroying the world out of 'love.'" Sean did air quotes with his hands since he felt the love appeared kind of one-sided. "And another idiot committing genocide to protect someone."
"Both of those sound far-fetched," Duelle replied.
"How so?" Sean asked.
"I mean surely the Wisdoms would do something about it if there was really that kind of danger," the onion answered. "I just can't see these people succeeding with how many powerful people there are out there to stand against them."
Sean scoffed and responded, "Yeah, good luck getting help from the Wisdoms."
Duelle tilted his head. "You don't like the Wisdoms?"
"Not two of them," Sean replied. It was one thing to merely watch events transpire, but to allow a potential mass murderer to carry out their actions and even reward them is something Sean couldn't let go.
"There are still others like Mazus and the Geo professors who are pretty powerful in their own right," Duelle stated to move the conversation along. "I've personally met a few of them."
Sean nodded in agreement. "That's true, but only if they're made aware of these problems."
"I didn't see Geo on the World Map."
"Yeah, I don't have access to it yet. I don't even know where the artifact for Geo is."
"They probably wouldn't listen to the words of a complete stranger in the first place," Duelle stated truthfully.
"Guess I'll just have to build up my reputation then." He paused. "Do you know anything about plant care?"
"Other than that they need water and sun, no. Why?" Duelle asked in a confused tone. The question came out of nowhere.
"Just an idle thought." "Probably have to wait until Trent shows up to complete that quest."
Sean scratched his head. "How long do you think it'll take the police to get back to Norwich?"
"It should take them around an hour at an even pace," Duelle answered. "Are you going there?"
"Yeah. I need to talk to Wedge about something and maybe get some new armor." Sean reached into his inventory and pulled out his Menos Hauberk. "Because this thing isn't gonna cut it." He dangled the armor in his hand with a loose grip to show its lack of value.
There wasn't a need to say anything else between them, so Duelle took the World History book back downstairs where he continued reading it. Sean closed the door to his room again and flumped onto his back on the bed. He stared at the ceiling for a short time before a thought struck him and he went outside with a new skill in mind.
Wedge POV
Upon arriving in Norwich, Wedge and the others traveled along the cobblestone streets to the police station.
The building was two stories tall and constructed from red brick. The windows were all framed with white-painted wood. Smooth, grey concrete framed the front entrance and above the front doors, the words "Norwich Police Station" could be read in thick, black letters. Over the name of the station, there was a coat of arms consisting of a green shield with a white cross on it. There were two griffons with their wings opened proudly on either side of the shield.
Wedge and Biggs led the detained Chobin Hoods off the wagons and to the holding cells. Most of them went with little complaint, but the two who were captured by the church tried to escape only to be stopped by their fellow tribesman. Neither one of them was particularly strong and both were still muzzled so it was relatively easy to push them along.
They glanced balefully at their traitorous peers, but were easily cowed when the largest of their group stared the two of them down. The Chobin Hood's eyes promised terrible consequences if they both didn't shape up.
It wasn't like the tribesmen could have done anything with no weapons and they were still injured from Sean's attack. He did try to heal them, but Sean was denied the chance. Inspector Boyd felt like none of them needed medical assistance and promised that they would be well taken care of to assuage the younger man's fears.
"Glad these twerps have been taken care of," Biggs said smugly. The Major pushed the last tribesman into the cell and slammed the barred door shut. He strutted into the hallway while Wedge offered a sincere apology to their prisoners. "I'm about to head out of here and hit the sack."
"But, sir," Wedge said, catching Biggs' attention. "We still have to write our reports."
Biggs waved him off. "Eh, what's the point? We all know what happened." The Major said, not in the least bit caring. "The thieves showed up, the punk did his little magic trick, and then we made the arrest. Case closed."
Wedge took a short breath through his nose and exhaled. "It would still be best if we completed them, sir. We'll likely have to interrogate some of them later as well." Wedge perked up some. "I'm actually curious to find out what made them change their recent behavior."
Biggs snorted. "What's to figure out? They likely got greedy and overconfident from their success elsewhere and decided Domina would be a good target."
"There's also the matter of the town guard," Wedge reminded calmly. "We need to check in with them to see if there were any more monster sightings or tremors and record the findings."
Biggs grumbled irritably with his back turned. "Right. There's still that. Thanks for remindin' me," the Major replied sarcastically. "Anything else?"
Wedge nodded. "Someone also needs to put up the new notices and bounty posters on the board in town."
"I'll head over to the marketplace later," Biggs replied. "You can talk to the town guard. I'm going to go hit the sack." The Major then walked off.
Wedge simply shook his head and left the station once his friend was gone. The Lieutenant walked to the western part of town where two of the town guard's members were located. Having lived in Norwich for a year now, Wedge had no trouble navigating the streets until he happened upon a dojo.
The building was two stories tall and was clearly German-influenced with its white, wooden exterior and brown framework. The roof was shingled with red tile. Even more interesting was the yard around the side of the building where Wedge could hear a series of loud thwacks.
In the grass, there were straw training dummies set up a short distance away from the main building. There was a storage area in the dojo itself that could be seen from the yard and there was other training equipment as well as weapons like spears and bamboo swords inside.
There was also a rock garden in the yard with some large stones bordering its perimeter. A few feet away from the garden, there was a koi pond filled with koi fish in a variety of colors such as red, white, and gold.
The loud thwacks were caused by a young woman punching one of the training dummies.
She wore a sleeveless, blue-edged, pinkish-orange Chinese fighting dress which only came down to her hips at the front while the cloth material at the back traveled down to above her knees. The 17-year-old wore a pair of very short, blue shorts to maintain the freedom to move her legs around while fighting. There was a white sash around her hips where her dress and shorts met.
She wore leather arm and leg bands and a pair of lighter brown, closed toe sandals. Her hair was a beautiful shade of red and possessed a pair of bright teal eyes over which rested a brown headband.
Emily wiped her forehead with her arm and smiled at the progress she's made. Her training dummy was still mostly intact, but there were visible signs of damage done to it. Wedge cleared his throat to get her attention.
"Oh, hi Wedge, what's up?" Emily asked, not in the least bit tired from her training. "Did you come here to get in some practice?"
Wedge shook his head. "Maybe some other time. Have you seen Juan around?"
Emily frowned. "Ugh. I have no idea where that lazy bum is." She spoke exasperatedly with a raised voice. "He was supposed to help me work on training my legs today, but he's probably off sleeping somewhere."
"Could he still be around the dojo?" Wedge inquired calmly. He thought Emily was a nice, young lady, but he felt it best to get on with his business. "I would like to know if there have been any monster sightings recently. Or, if there have been any tremors or quakes."
"I haven't felt any tremors lately," Emily replied, before taking on a victorious smile. "There were a few monsters who got close to town, some weird, one-eyed things, but they weren't that hard to take care of." She then punched her fist into her palm. "Piece of cake."
"Well then, I thank you for protecting the town." Wedge replied evenly.
Emily's smile disappeared in place of a thoughtful expression. "Juan's likely not here since he ran out of hiding spots. He's pretty good at disappearing to other places when it comes to his nap time."
"If you do see him, then could you please let Juan know that we need to speak about another matter?" Wedge asked while holding perfect posture. "It's very important."
"Instead of me telling him, why don't we both go look for him? Juan's got to be in town somewhere." Emily supplied helpfully with a grin.
"I'm not sure that's nece—" Wedge tried to say before Emily grabbed ahold of his arm with a steel grip and started pulling the reluctant Police Lieutenant along.
"Nonsense," Emily replied cheerfully. "There's not much else to do at the dojo and we'll have a better chance of finding him between the two of us."
"But, but…" Wedge futilely tried to argue, but was helpless against the young woman's strength.
A while later…
Emily threw her hands up in frustration. "I was so sure he would be in there," she said as the two exited the library. "That's the fifth place we've searched."
Wedge shrugged. "Perhaps it was a bit too obvious of a hiding place." The Lieutenant let his gaze wander as he tried to think of more locations where Juan could be. "Leona might have seen him."
Emily raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to go to the tavern?"
Wedge nodded. "I'm certain everything will be fine." A small part of him was doubtful though.
The two ventured onwards to the tavern which was a 10-minute walk. The building was two-story tall with the first floor acting as the tavern while the second was more of a residence.
The bottom floor's exterior was built using dark brown wood. There were two large glass windows allowing light inside and above them, the name of the establishment, "The Wandering Specter," was spelled out in golden letters. The second floor was simply built using red brick with white stone running along its base above the dark wood and between the second floor windows which were framed by white-painted wood.
Since it was still morning, the tavern wasn't too busy when Wedge and Emily entered.
The inside was pretty typical. There were tables arranged around the place with a few patrons enjoying breakfast. The Lieutenant's stomach rumbled hungrily at the smell of cooked bacon and sausages since he hadn't eaten anything all night while he was on duty.
Standing at the bar, the owner, Leona, just finished serving a glass of juice to a customer when she spotted Wedge and Emily approaching.
She was a woman of at least partial Asian descent with black hair styled to loop to the right side of her face. On the left side of her head, there was a large, dark amber-colored flower placed in her hair. Leona wore a red Qipao dress which opened at the corner near her left thigh to show off her legs. A light blue cloth hung loosely from her shoulders which traveled down past her waist, leading the eye down to her black heels.
Leona's seductive blue eyes were looking right at Wedge and the makeup and red lipstick she wore only served to enhance the effect she had on him.
"Hello, Wedge," Leona said with a flirtatious smile. "How have you been?"
"Fine," the Lieutenant answered a tad too quickly. "Have you been doing well?"
"Oh, I've been just fine. Business has been a little slow this morning." Leona replied. "What brings you to my tavern? Is this just a business call or did you come to see me?"
Wedge coughed into his fist. "Has Juan come into the tavern anytime today? We've been trying to find him."
Leona feigned disappointment. "That's a shame. I thought you'd enjoy a nice home-cooked meal." Wedge blushed, but maintained his composure. "He only popped in for a moment. He wasn't here any longer than a few minutes."
"Did he say where he was going?" Emily asked, not wanting to listen to Leona's teasing.
Leona shook her head. "He didn't say, but have you checked Kathy's ranch? That would make a good napping spot since it's farther away from the rest of town."
Emily nodded. "Great idea." The young woman then grabbed ahold of Wedge's arm again. "C'mon, lover boy."
"Wait." Wedge put his foot down and said to Leona, "There's a young man by the name of Sean who was instrumental in defending Domina. He has black hair and green eyes." Wedge described. "Could you let him know that I can meet him later in the market? There was something we needed to talk about."
Leona nodded. "It's no trouble at all."
Emily pulled Wedge away from the bar to the exit. "We need to get moving before Juan takes off again," she said. "Who knows how long he's going to be there."
Leona waved bye to Wedge and went back to tending the bar.
Sean POV
Two hours after the police returned to Norwich, Sean and Duelle stood on the World Map with Sean holding the AF "Officer's Badge" in his hand. Sean placed the artifact on the glowing white spot just south of his house.
The artifact let off a golden glow upon contact before becoming transparent and disappearing. A spinning red and blue light took its place like those found on the top of squad cars. The bright lights lit up the darkened buildings of the town and revealed that Norwich was a good deal bigger than Domina. Finally, the lights themselves went away with the town now visible and amongst the buildings, the police headquarters could be seen.
Sean felt like he could run a marathon with the surge of mana that he received from the artifact.
The young man's body shook from the jolt of energy and he coughed after recomposing himself. "Man," Sean simply said with a smile on his face. "That's the stuff."
Cartographic Ambition Lvl 3 → Lvl 4
Norwich was reminiscent of an English-style town.
Unlike Domina, where people walked on dirt paths, all of the streets were paved with cobblestone. The buildings were constructed using both brick and wood rather than just the latter material and all of the rooftops were properly tiled or shingled. Some of the buildings were painted white over the brick while others were red and yet others went unpainted and remained their brownish hue.
There were also German-style buildings interspersed amongst them like the dojo where Emily was training.
Lamp posts dotted the sidewalks on either side of the roads and some of the store fronts had windows where passerby could look through to see what kinds of wares were being sold. Directly ahead of the pair, there was a tall clock tower which just turned to 11:00 AM. The bell inside of the tower bonged eleven times before falling silent.
There was even a sign at the town's entrance which read, "Welcome to Norwich."
Sean had never been to England back home, or even out of the country for that matter, so being here brought a certain sense of satisfaction. In this new world, Sean could travel to various places and enjoy himself, an opportunity that was denied to him before with his work and other responsibilities.
Perhaps even more fascinating was the staggering amount of diversity in the town's population.
The Legend of Mana had a multitude of unique characters, a reason why Sean enjoyed the game so much, but there were races here that never appeared in the PlayStation 1 title.
There were not only other humans besides himself strolling about, but also Moogles, Lupins, Bangaa, Argonians, and Seeq wandering about. Sean even saw some Kobolds walking the streets and a few anthropomorphic characters of the same or similar species to Niccola.
Race: Moogles
Description: These mysterious beings tend to flock around humans and are characterized by their distinctive cry of 'Kupo!' along with their fluffy appearances, the wings on their backs, and the pom-poms emerging from their heads.
Normally only a few feet tall, Moogles are very intelligent and industrious and are commonly found to have a keen interest in the field of engineering. They are capable of flight, for those of them who properly train their wings and they are very sensitive about their pom-poms being touched.
Observe Lvl 9 → Lvl 10
Lvl 10: The user can now see what perks the target has.
Race: Lupins
Description: A race of wolf-like beings known to produce great warriors. Many of them also specialize in the study of medicine and have made great contributions to the field of health.
They are a relatively peaceful group of people and some are said to be able to commune with nature.
Race: Bangaa
Description: The bangaa are a lizard-like race who are characterized by long faces, scaly skin, and tough limbs. Be careful referring to them as 'lizards' since many bangaa see this word as a terrible racial slur.
They have two long ears dangling from each side of their heads and have an exceptionally sharp sense of smell and hearing. Bangaa are also physically powerful and of tall stature though their vocal structure makes it difficult for them to perform certain types of magic.
Race: Argonians
Description: The Argonians are a reptilian species who are capable of breathing underwater and can often be found inhabiting watery areas such as marshes and swamps. They also have a rich culture and are known to create some of the best alcohols and brews, but they are often misunderstood. This is the result of them being painted with the same brush as the Bangaa, many of whom are pirates and thieves.
Observe Lvl 10 → Lvl 11
Race: Seeq
Description: The seeq are a pig-like race who come in a variety of colors and sizes. Seeq also possess long ears with one on each side of their head. Many of them sport tattoos on different parts of their bodies. The seeq have often been discriminated against due to their appearance, perceived lack of intelligence, and speech patterns and have been treated as lower-class citizens as a result.
Sean shook his head. "That was a lot of information, but at least my Observe skill is going up." He then turned to the onion. "Duelle," Sean said. "Do you know where the market…is?" He finished awkwardly since Duelle was nowhere in sight. The onion warrior slipped away to see someone while Sean was busy taking in the environment.
Sean sighed. "Lovely." He then looked up at his mini-map and saw that it was blank with the words "Map Unavailable" on it in white letters. "Even better." Sean reached into his pocket and pulled out the crudely drawn directions that Wedge gave him. "Well, at least I have this." "Hopefully I don't have to ask for directions."
The map was poorly drawn. It was merely a series of arrows pointing down nameless streets with an asterisk to mark where the tavern was.
Sean's breathing became slightly panicked, but he managed to keep his cool as he made his way up the street, carefully weaving around and trying not to bump into passerby. The young man wasn't used to crowds and he didn't do well in environments with too much stimuli. Sean wasn't sure if it was due to his lack of social interactions or something else, but he never felt comfortable around large groups of people.
Sean arrived at a T-fork up the road from the town entrance and he took a right and then a left.
With his focus on the sheet of paper, Sean almost missed the commotion headed his way.
An orange and white Shiba Inu ran through Sean's legs with a chain of sausage links in his mouth. The dog had a green, cloud-patterned scarf wrapped around his neck to form a bag behind his neck.
"Koroku?" Sean wondered. The dog ran away too quickly for him to observe it.
The Shiba Inu was being chased by a big, angry man with a beer belly and a face in desperate need of a shave.
"You damn mutt, get back here!" The man angrily shouted. He was presumably the guy from whom the dog took the sausages. Personally, Sean thought the man was an idiot since the dog shouldn't have been able to steal the food had the man used proper storage procedures and kept a watchful eye.
Sean watched them disappear before shrugging and continuing onto The Wandering Specter.
When he stepped inside, Sean immediately froze when he saw who was standing at the counter.
The man was decked out completely in black ninja attire with his hood up and mask on. This hid all of his facial features except for his piercing red eyes and the bridge of his nose. There was a blue, metal plate above his eyes overlaid with gold in a plant-like pattern. A scarf-like piece of black cloth hung limply from the back of his hood. A small dagger with a blue sheath was attached to the gold belt (?) around his hips and he wore a pair of blue and golden-colored shoes.
Next to him, there was a Doberman Pinscher who waited patiently for his master to finish his drink so they could depart.
Name: Shadow
Race: Human
Title: ?
Age: ?
Level: ?
Description: A mysterious man for hire with a hidden past. Some say he'd slit his mama's throat for a nickel.
Name: Interceptor
Race: Dog (Doberman Pinscher)
Title: ?
Age: ?
Level: ?
Description: A well-trained dog who loyally follows his master, Shadow, everywhere.
Sean shook his head and approached the bar. "Just stay calm. He has no reason to attack you and no one here knows who you are." Even though Sean was wary, there was also a small measure of annoyance at all these familiar faces and information he now needed to keep up with.
The proprietress noticed Sean and welcomed him with a smile. "Hello. You must be Sean."
Name: Leona
Race: Human
Title: Bar Owner/Bartender
Age: 32
Level: Lvl 7
Description: A flirtatious woman who loves children and enjoys conversing with her patrons.
"Yes, I am, but I don't think we've met before," Sean replied. "At least in person like this. I'm pretty sure you're from a game as well."
Leona shook her head. "Oh, no. We've never met, but Wedge was in here earlier and he mentioned you."
"Only good things I hope," Sean replied in an even tone. If other people were spreading the word about him, then it would save Sean half the trouble of building up his reputation. Not to mention the faster rewards that'll come his way from his rise in street cred.
"He just mentioned how you helped Domina and that you were coming here to meet him," Leona responded conversationally. "Now, what do you want?"
Sean kept the slight frown off his face at her wording. Part of him felt the way she asked was rude, but her calm facial expression didn't indicate any meanness on her part.
"Do you know where Wedge went?" Sean asked. "We were supposed to meet up here."
"Wedge is busy looking for Juan," Leona answered while wiping a glass clean. "Juan is good at hiding so Wedge won't be able to see you for a while."
Sean sighed. "Do you have a map of the town lying around?" He asked. "This is my first time in Norwich and all Wedge gave me were directions to this place. With him being busy, I might as well get some shopping done." Sean replied.
"I don't have one in the bar," Leona replied while preparing other customers' drinks. She took Shadow's empty glass and served him a full one. Sean was tempted to watch Shadow drink to get a better look at his face, but decided against it. "But I am sending Gengen out soon to check on an alcohol shipment. You'll likely find one if you go with him."
"Gengen?" Sean murmured, rolling the name around in his head. It was like eating something with an unusual taste. He wasn't sure if this was good or bad.
From the backroom, a Kobold emerged.
Name: Gengen
Race: Kobold (Dog-Type)
Title: "Captain"
Age: 17
Level: Lvl 12 Next Level: 12,245/29,000
HP: 700/700
TP: 1875/1875
MP: 175/175
STR: 33
VIT: 28
DEX: 42
INT: 7
WIS: 8
SPI: 7
LUK: 5
Synchro Effect: [Might of the Kobolds Lvl 1]
Effect: When fighting in a group, Gengen's stats increase by 5% for each person. His stats increase by 10% for each Kobold in that group including himself.
Stat Points: 60
Perk Points: 24
Description: He is a proud Kobold who dreams of one day becoming a great warrior and a police chief.
If Sean took a guess, he'd say that Gengen likely had some Collie in him. The Kobold's fur was a light brown around his muzzle while the rest of his head was a reddish-brown. His hair was the same color as his muzzle and his eyes were forest green. Gengen's tail was reddish-brown until the tip which was light brown.
Gengen wore a green military uniform with two front chest pockets and a red patch was sewn into his uniform near his left shoulder. The patch showed that he was a member of the Norwich Town Guard. The uniform was vaguely reminiscent of that of a scoutmaster's. There was a piece of red cloth tied in a loose knot at the front of his uniform collar.
The Kobold also wore a pair of red gloves and a black belt with a golden buckle. A short sword was attached to the belt on his left side and the blade rested in a black scabbard. Besides the uniform, Gengen wore a pair of brown shorts and a pair of red, black, and white shoes with orange socks.
"What Leona want?" Gengen asked, his tail wagging behind him. "You want Gengen to go now?"
"Gengen, would you mind having this man go along with you?" Leona asked kindly. "He's new here and could use someone to show him around."
The kobold turned away and huffed. "Gengen brave warrior. Gengen not tour guide."
"Don't be like that," Leona replied softly with a smile. "A fine Kobold warrior like you should honor a lady's request."
"Aaah…" Gengen uttered resignedly with his head bowed. "You are right, my lady." He then turned to Sean with renewed vigor. "Let's go now, stranger! Follow Gengen."
The kobold stepped out from behind the bar and left the tavern with Sean following after him.
A short ways up the street, Sean decided to strike up a conversation.
"So, what do you do around here?" Sean asked. "Do you just work in the bar?"
Gengen shook his head. "Gengen is a proud member of Town Guard. Me protect town and fight many monsters."
Sean nodded. "That's pretty cool." "Though you constantly speaking in the third person is gonna get annoying." "Are we heading towards the market?"
"Yes, but market less market and more of a shopping area." Gengen replied.
"Then why call it a market?" Sean couldn't help but ask.
The Kobold shrugged. "There be some stands there, but there are also many stores."
"I'm just glad you're not as bad as Jar-Jar." Sean wanted to shudder, but controlled himself. It was then that he ran into a sudden thought, "Should I ask him?"
"Hey, Gengen," Sean started. "Have you ever met a Viktor, Flik, or Riou?" Sean silently hoped he'd say 'yes.'
Gengen shook his head. "Gengen never meet those people. Who are they?"
"No one in particular," Sean responded in disappointment. "Those three would've been a great help. I really need to start gathering allies since things are gonna pick up pretty soon."
Quest Alert!
Searching for Friends
With restoring the Tree of Mana, fighting monsters, and facing various other threats on your plate, you're going to be quite busy. Find people to help you so you won't be overwhelmed. There's no way you can do this alone.
Success: Reward dependent on number of allies gained
Failure: Potential Game Over, Potential Destruction of Fa'Diel
"Preaching to the choir on that one," Sean thought wryly.
Gengen suddenly tilted his head up and started sniffing the air. The Kobold's muzzle scrunched up before he let out a loud sneeze.
"Something wrong?" Sean asked.
"Ugh," Gengen said while wiping his nose with his sleeve. "Gengen smells cheap perfume. Reeks too strong of roses."
The marketplace was just ahead of them which was evidenced by all the stands and storefronts scattered about, not to mention the sight of money being exchanged between hands. Sean looked amongst the crowd, but no one stood out to him. He did get a faint whiff of the rose-scented perfume though.
Sean followed Gengen through the busy area until they arrived at a liquor store run by a male Argonian.
Before entering, Sean said, "Thanks for leading me over here, Gengen. I think I'm gonna go look for a town map." The alcohol shipment wasn't his business so why walk inside.
Gengen nodded. "Me thinks you can find one over there." The Kobold pointed at a store across the street from them.
The building clearly stood out amongst the rest and Sean was a little surprised he missed it.
There was an old movie theater sign bolted to the building above the entrance. It read, "Kupo" on it and seemed capable of lighting up. It became very obvious that a moogle ran the place.
"What level of technology does this world have anyway?" Sean's house came equipped with a washing machine and dryer and he could've sworn he heard Niccolo, in the video game, use the word "tank" somewhere.
The store itself was on a street corner and shaped to match. The front of the building where the entrance was located was round while the left and right sides traveled until they met their neighboring places. There was a window on each side of the entrance and when Sean got closer, he could see how unique the shop truly was with various trinkets and collectables on display.
When he entered the store, the moogle sound effect from the Final Fantasy games traveled throughout the place. Sean smiled at the dose of nostalgia and started exploring the store.
Despite its cluttered appearance, the inside was very clean.
"It must have been done recently." All of the displays and countertops were polished and had a nice sheen, the floors were swept and the windows were clean, and everything was positioned to where Sean didn't have to squeeze his way through the store's goods. He even smelt a pleasant lemony scent.
Sean didn't see anyone else around and shrugged. He wasn't able to spot any maps either. Still, while he was there, Sean approached a wooden barrel that was probably used to carry booze once upon a time and started digging through it.
Sean found an old doll, a small knife that was stuck in its sheath, and…a dog's chew toy? He picked up the red, squeaky toy before shaking his head and placing it to the side. "No idea why that's in here," Sean muttered.
Not finding anything of worth, Sean moved onto the next barrel. The findings from the first one confirmed that the store was a junk shop. "Which is probably why there're no other customers in here."
The second barrel didn't yield anything either. Sean glanced up and didn't see anyone showing up yet. Feeling slightly irritated, he moved onto the third barrel. At first, Sean figured he wouldn't find anything cool in the third barrel either. However, when he dug down to the bottom, with his arm up to his shoulder stuck inside, he felt something round.
"Hmm?" Sean hummed and wrenched his arm out of the barrel with the object in hand.
The item was a red orb that was warm to the touch. A roaring fire burned inside the sphere and Sean could actually hear crackling.
[Rare][Summon Sphere] Bomb
Using this item gives the user access to the Bomb summon. It is one of the weaker fire-elemental summons.
Observe Lvl 11 → Lvl 12
Sean stared at the sphere with a wide grin on his face. He couldn't believe how lucky he was to have found so rare an item in a junk shop.
For finding a rare item, you have gained +1 LUK
LUK: 4 → 5
There was even a price tag on the orb, marking the item worth 50 Lucre. "Holy shit! That's nothing."
While Sean was busy marveling over the orb, a female Moogle with indigo eyes appeared whose head came up to his hips. She had light pink fur and the characteristic red pom-pom emerging from her head. On her back, there were two bat-like wings colored pink on the inside.
From her cheeks, there sprang a few white whiskers and she wore a green, sleeveless top along with a pair of blue jeans that were embroidered with floral designs. On her feet, there was a pair of leather sandals.
"Oh, hello, kupo!" She said in surprise. Many people simply glanced at her store before moving on with more "important" things. "How can I help you?"
"Do you have a map of the town available for sale?" Sean asked. "This is my first visit to Norwich and I don't know my way around."
"Sure, just let me grab that for you, kupo!" She replied happily. The moogle flew through the air and landed behind the counter. Sean did a quick Observe of her before she started rummaging through the drawers.
Name: Soiree
Race: Moogle
Title: Store Owner
Age: 23
Level: Lvl 31 Next Level: 25,383/377,000
HP: 1375/1375
TP: 4750/4750
MP: 1250/1250
STR: 82
VIT: 55
DEX: 108
INT: 50
WIS: 45
SPI: 39
LUK: 11
Synchro Effect: [Healing Plus Lvl 2]
Effect: Increases the effectiveness of all healing magic by 60% when within 40 ft. of a party member.
Stat Points: 155
Perk Points: 62
Description: The owner of the Kupo junk shop. She wasn't the one to pick the name, but still loves her store. She just wishes she would get more customers, something the store is sorely lacking.
"Damn. I wasn't expecting her to be that strong."
"Here you go, kupo!" Soiree said, flying up to her stool. She placed the map on the counter. "That'll be 30 Lucre."
"I'd also like to ask about this," Sean said, holding the summon sphere up. "Do you have any other objects like this lying around?" He kept a straight face when he asked, making sure to keep his eagerness in check.
Soiree adopted an adorable thinking expression, trying to recall any similar items in stocks. "No, I'm afraid not, kupo!" She answered. "Will that be all today?"
"Yes, I think I'm—""…you shouldn't be able to cast spells without at a good foundation in how to control mana. That's something first year students in Geo learn." "On second thought," Sean said in response to the memory. "Do you have any spell books for sale? I'd like to find one on Mana Manipulation."
Soiree suddenly looked uneasy. "Is that the only book you're looking for?"
"I'd like to go through the others if you have any more." Sean replied. "Why?"
Soiree sighed. "There have been a few incidents with our spell books in the past where a customer got hurt," she responded. "Now I keep them upstairs where only I can grab them, kupo!"
"How bad are we talking?" Sean asked. With spells like Ultima and Meteor out there, Sean had a pretty good idea of just how much damage and destruction could be caused with magic.
Soiree flapped over to a spiral staircase that didn't exist before and she flew up it with Sean ascending step-by-step behind her.
"One customer purchased the Spring tome, kupo!" Soiree replied, wincing at the memory. "The spell is supposed to make any surface it's cast on springy and bouncy. The man used it on his shoes and broke his arm when he landed on it after messing up a jump, kupo!"
Sean shook his head. "That just sounds like the guy didn't know what the hell he was doing." "Which is something I don't have to worry about thanks to The Gamer." He gave a friendly smile. "I wouldn't beat myself up over it."
Soiree returned the smile. "Thanks, kupo!"
At the top of the stairs, there were shelves and displays completely filled with spell books. Sean's mouth hung open in amazement at the vision of pure beauty before him and he was only snapped out of it when he heard giggling. Sean closed his mouth feeling slightly embarrassed.
"Sorry, kupo!" She apologized. "I've just never seen anyone react that way before."
"I'm pretty new to magic," Sean replied while grabbing the Mana Manipulation book. Or at least he tried to. His hand passed right through the tome as if there was nothing there.
"Here," Soiree said, handing the book to him. "I did say only I could grab them, kupo!"
"I didn't think you meant the books were intangible," Sean responded, hoping that she wouldn't keep certain tomes off limits to him.
Skill Book Obtained!
[Common] Mana Manipulation
Would you like to learn this spell?
"Better wait till I actually buy it lest she thinks I'm trying to rob the place."
Sean walked around the alphabetically arranged room and skimmed through the shelves starting with the letter "A." Most of the spells he found weren't any he's ever heard of and some were rather strange. A few good examples were the Wax, Garb, and Stitch spells. Not all of them were new to him. Sean also found the spell books for Sleep and Slow. Of particular interest was the Rejuvenate spell which restores TP.
Observe Lvl 12 → Lvl 13
Lvl 13: The user can now see all of the target's titles.
"Man, I really hit the treasure trove here." Sean thought in excitement. While at first using magic to protect himself, Sean actually found it pretty cool to be able to shoot lightning from his hands and heal people. It gave him a sense of power and importance that he never really felt before. "But how much will these all cost?" None of the books were priced. Sean guessed it was due to past accidents and keeping the store from legal liability.
"Although come to think of it, the Spring spell would probably be useful with my new skill." The first time Sean ever ran into the ability was in Final Fantasy 4 where it was a vital part of Kain Highwind's move arsenal.
Jump (Active/Passive) Lvl 3 [33%] Cost: 0 TP
This skill allows the user to take the basic action of jumping to new heights. At higher levels, the player can propel themselves to altitudes never before thought possible.
Effect: The gamer can jump 5 feet into the air.
Sean decided to stop perusing Soiree's selection since there were well over 100 books on display and turned to the moogle to ask, "Can I buy the Spring spell book from you?"
Soiree gave him a look. "You shouldn't get ahead of yourself, kupo! It takes a lot of experience and knowledge of magic to perform it correctly."
"Is it enough that I can do this?" Sean held his right hand palm up and summoned a floating sphere of clear blue water. Soiree poked it with her little finger to find that it was indeed real.
She rubbed off the moisture on her pants and looked at Sean in confusion. "How are you able to do this? Are you buying the Mana Manipulation book for someone else?"
Sean shook his head. "No, it's for me," he replied, sending the water away. "A friend of mine had the same reaction as you. I can't explain how I'm doing this."
Soiree pondered recent events before replying, "Tell you what. I'll sell the Spring tome and other books to you, but only if you can demonstrate a certain level of expertise in previous spells, kupo!"
Sean wanted to sulk like a child, but instead nodded his head. "That's fair." Most of his abilities were under Level 10. "But I can still buy the Mana Manipulation book, right?"
"Of course, kupo!" She ushered Sean downstairs and followed him to the front counter. "That book is used by first year students in Geo."
Sean placed the book on the counter next to the map and the Bomb summon sphere. Soiree rang him up on the cash register with the total coming to 200 Lucre. Sean handed her the correct amount and she quickly bagged his purchases.
Lucre: 5000 → 4800 L
"If you get anymore items like this in the future," Sean said, holding up the red sphere. "Can you please hold onto them for me?"
"I'm not even sure what that really is," Soiree responded honestly. "Muto just dug that up outside one day when he was helping out at Kathy's ranch, kupo!"
Sean mulled it over. "She seems nice enough." "This is a summon sphere." He answered honestly, seeing no trouble in telling her. "By using this, I'm able to summon a creature or being to help me with various activities. This is not conjuration." Sean stressed the last part with a raised voice when he saw the question forming on her lips. Personally, it sounded much more dangerous to him than summoning. "Like a rabid dog on a leash."
"Those sound incredibly dangerous, kupo!" Soiree stated with concern. "Should you really be messing with them?"
Sean shrugged. "Well, I figure that they're better in my hands than someone else's and I am taking proper precautions." He informed, remembering Mark's presence when he summoned Remora. "And, I already have one summon, so, yeah."
"Can you show me the summon?" Soiree asked. "I'd like to hold onto those items for you, kupo! But other people may come in looking for them and I need to support my store."
"You have a point." In the time Sean's been in there, no other customer showed up.
"Okay, how about this?" Sean started. "I will gladly show you Remora to show that I'm not full of it and I'll pay you to keep the spheres secured." He could already picture the carnage that would result from Irwin or Drakonis getting their hands on Neo Bahamut. "Along with any other rare or unusual items you think might pique my interest."
Soiree wanted to accept the offer, but felt things were a little suspicious. Sean noticed her hesitation and, in response, he reached into his inventory, something the moogle wasn't too surprised by, and placed 2000 Lucre on the counter.
Lucre: 4800 → 2800 L
Soiree's eyes boggled at the amount of money before her. "This is more than I make in a week, kupo!" "I can't accept this." She replied reluctantly, pushing the money back.
Sean didn't bother taking it back. "Keep it," he replied calmly with a straight face. "This isn't a bribe or prepayment and I'm perfectly fine with you charging me for future purchases." "I can't afford to dance around this." "This is just to hold onto those items for me. And, I'm sorry if I'm coming off a little weird, but I cannot have them fall into certain peoples' clutches."
"What if you are one of those people, kupo?" She asked evenly.
Sean put his arms in front of himself in an x-formation with his hands open and spread his arms apart on the word 'whatever.' "Then I'll do whatever it takes to prove that I'm a good guy." He then gave her a soft smile.
New Reputation!
Soiree: (Neutral: 200/499)
She ruminated on Sean's words. "All right." Soiree nodded with a smile and pulled out a sheet of paper. "You can start by helping rid the town of the Chocobo Eater, kupo!"
Sean took the notice from her and looked it over.
Quest Alert!
Monster Mash
In order to prove yourself, Soiree's tasked you with helping slay the Chocobo Eater, a monster that, you guessed it, eats Chocobos. Defeat the Chocobo Eater before it becomes an even bigger issue.
Success: 5000 Exp, 3000 Lucre, Chocobo Summon, Increased Reputation, New Title
Failure: Potential Death(s), Destruction of Chocobo Ranch, Decreased Reputation with Norwich, Decreased Reputation with Various Characters
He lowered the paper slightly and peered at her over the top. "Were you waiting for someone like me to come along?"
Soiree shook her head. "No, but we need all the help we can get. The monster has a nasty habit of running away whenever we get too close."
"Are the people in town not strong enough to stop it?" Sean hoped this wasn't a repeat of Domina. "There has to be at least 1,000 people in this town. Surely some of them can kill this thing."
"That's not the problem," Soiree replied. "The main issues are the creature's armored hide and the other monsters that show up with it. The Chocobo Eater uses the other monsters as a distraction so it can feast undisturbed."
"Doesn't that monster have a weak point if you knock it on its back?" Sean vaguely remembered before sighing. "If this is what it takes, then I'm happy to help."
"Wonderful, kupo!" She clapped her paws together adorably with a smile.
"Did you want to see Remora now?" Sean asked. "Because I'm not doing anything else at the moment." "Since Wedge is preoccupied."
"Sure, just let me finish up here," Soiree responded. She put the 2000 Lucre in the cash register and made the spiral staircase to the second floor disappear. She then flew over to the front door with Sean walking behind her and opened it only to stop.
"Not again, kupo!" Soiree sighed.
"What's the prob—Uh, oh," Sean said at the sight before him.
Directly ahead of them, there was an angry Biggs standing by the town notice/quest board with a haughty woman in a skimpy outfit and a large, muscular man with the weirdest hairstyle Sean's ever seen standing next to him. The muscular man's shit-eating grin only pissed off the major further and in his hand was a stack of papers. He waved them in Biggs' face, taunting the shorter man into jumping for them.
Sean knew well enough from his time in school that a fight was about to break out and he moved closer, ready to assist if shit started.
Author's Notes: Here's Chapter 7. I wanted to get this out in time for Christmas, but obviously that didn't happen. I'm probably going to go back and delete the update notices I left in the previous chapter.
The designs for the Moogles in this story are mainly from their Final Fantasy 12/Final Fantasy Tactics appearances. Other races, like the Seeq, will not look as ugly as they do in Final Fantasy 12. The design for the Chobin Hoods in this story comes from the game Children of Mana.
I introduced or mentioned a number of video game characters this chapter. Can you recognize them all? I've also been trying to come up with more passive skills for Sean to pick up when his stats reach different points. If you have any ideas, then please let me know.
Thank you all for being patient and for the follows, reads, faves, and reviews. It really means a lot to me and I'm glad that people like reading this story. Please leave a review.