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Previously...
OLDERION FEDERATION - THE STRATEGIST NICHOL - ARGUS PLAINS OPENING
(Rain and Lid are standing on the ground next to an airship.)
Rain: We were lucky, weren't we, getting to borrow an airship in Dilmagia. The army's not so bad after all. They weren't that tough to convince.
Lid: Only because you're Knights of Grandshelt. Those soldiers were gawping at all those medals hanging off your chest like pasties; don't you doubt that for an instant.
Rain(?): You think so? I rather had the impression it was you they were gawping at, Lid.
Lid: Me? (Now that I think about it, though, that was kinda weird... Why would they lend us a valuable airship so easily?) (I may have told Rain it was only 'cause they're Grandshelt Knights, but I feel like there's something else going on here...)
Rain: But are you sure you're all right to come with us, Lid? You've got your workshop to worry about, don't you?
Lid: It's fine; don't worry about it. I wanna find out more about the first Cid, see? And I can't just forget about the Invincible either, now can I? And besides... If we catch up to the Invincible, probably we'll find him too.
Rain: Him? You mean your brother?
Lid: Yeah. That guy. Me and him, we're like two airships made in the same workshop. Maybe they've got the same basic design; same kinda parts and all... but no two airships are exactly alike, you know what I mean? The hum of their engines and the quirks in their steering... And over time, those little things have a big effect, and those two shops become more and more different.... Even so... I never expected the differences would end up this big...
Rain: Yes... The two of you don't seem much alike. I think I understand what you mean. After all... I've been stuck with Lasswell since I was a kid, too.
Lid: Yeah. You guys do seem more like brothers than just old friends. Lasswell is definitely the older brother type, huh. Always worrying and looking out for you.
Rain: It's just as you said: things change with time. Lasswell hasn't always been like that.
Lid: What, seriously? He wasn't?
(Lasswell passes by on the deck of the airship as Rain speaks. He gets a ! over his head as Rain talks about him.)
Rain: Lasswell says I'm destined to be the greatest knight in Grandshelt. I don't know... Maybe he really believes that hearing that would make me happy. He's a serious fellow, but sometimes he hasn't a clue.
(Lasswell gets (...) over his head at this.)
(Fina approaches Rain and Lid on the ground outside the airship.)
Fina: Look! There's a bunch of people over there!
(The scene pans way down to show an army fighting monsters. One of the soldiers has fallen.)
Lid: Those are Olderion soldiers.
Rain: They look like they're having a hard time, too. Let's go and give them a hand!
(Rain, Fina, and Lid rush off. Lasswell, who has come down from the airship's deck, gets a (...) and shakes his head, then rushes off after the others.)
---------------
OLDERION FEDERATION - THE STRATEGIST NICHOL - ARGUS PLAINS 1
Lid: Olderion soldiers! It is I, Lid, the hero who saved you all!
Rain: Do you really have to introduce yourself like that?
Lid: If you save people, they usually give you a reward, right? Like money, or gold, or... or money.
Rain: ....
(Wave 1 of battle commences. Afterwards, the scene drops out of battle. A man approaches with two soldiers, and speaks to the party.)
???: You two are Grandshelt knights, or at least you appear to be. Your strength is impressive; quite formidable. Unfortunately, strength without subtlety is totally in vain, like an apatosaurus trying to do embroidery. If I may say so, you fight like fools.
Lid: Hey, what!? You guys were getting beaten into a fine paste until we showed up. And we're the fools?
???: A fine paste...? Perhaps it seemed that way to an interloper with a headless turkey's sense of strategy. We were luring all of our enemies to a single location, to eliminate them in one blow.
Lid: Excuse me? headless turkey!? And, just exactly who are you supposed to be, huh?
???: Of course; how remiss of me. My name is Nichol. I am one of Olderion's tacticians... and a Warden of the Waters.
Lasswell(!): A Warden of the Waters?
Lid: Lasswell? You actually know who this jerk is?
Lasswell: I have heard that Olderion's Water Shrine has a protective barrier upon it, maintained by a priestess who is chosen from among the elite Wardens of the Waters.
Lid: Why would one of those wardens be here fighting, then?
Nichol(...): The waters that flow through the Aquapolis Olderion are so beautiful and clean that they also serve as the holy water in our rituals.
Lasswell: It is said that the sacred purity of those waters is also the reason that Olderion is never beset by monsters.
Nichol(...): This is true. Yet recently we have found that are waters are being defiled, from somewhere outside the city..
Lasswell: Defiled? What was happened?
Nichol: I fear that something may have befallen the Water Priestess as she offered up her prayers at the headwater.
Rain: Oh.... So you all are on your way to check on the Water Priestess, then?
Nichol: That is correct. So I trust you will forgive us for continuing on our way at once.
(Nichol and the soldiers walk off.)
-------------
OLDERION FEDERATION - THE STRATEGIST NICHOL - ARGUS PLAINS 2
Nichol: ...Hold on a second.
Rain: What is it, Nichol?
Nichol: It's nothing about me. Why are you all following us?
Rain: Don't fret. Good company makes the road shorter, I heard.
(Wave 1 of battle commences, and leads to wave 2.)
Nichol: Please do not joke. You're just going to get in our way.
Lasswell: As long as you're with us, we're stronger. Surely the same goes for you all, as well.
Nichol: ...Then by all means, do as you please.
(Wave 2 of battle commences, and leads to wave 3.)
Nichol: It's thanks to the waters of Olderion that we've been able to prosper as we have.
Lasswell: People can prosper anywhere, so long as they don't have to worry about monsters attacking.
Nichol: That's why if our water is even the slightest bit impure, it sends everyone into a panic.
Fina: There don't seem to be many places like that, though.
(Wave 3 of battle commences. There is no further dialogue afterwards.)
-----------------
OLDERION FEDERATION - THE STRATEGIST NICHOL - ARGUS PLAINS ENDING
(Nichol looks around in all directions.)
Nichol(...): Has the front line moved on so far already? I do not see any sign of the main force....
(He shakes his head.)
Nichol: This is doubtless because of your ham-handed interference ruining our strategy.
(Lid shakes her head at this.)
Lid: Well, excuse us! IF it makes you feel better, I'm genuinely sorry that we ever tried to help you.
Nichol: The power you used during that battle, though... In my position as a tactician, I often study the methods used in wars and battles of the past. There are records of warriors using the power of such visions. Though they are rare.
Lasswell: And your records... what do they tell of this power?
Nichol: Those who bring warriors forth from crystals... are servants of the darkness. Pawns used by demons. That's how they are described in our records.
Rain: Darkness? Demons? Wh-what kind of strange books were you reading?
Nichol: You must tell me... How did you come to obtain this power?
(Rain and Lasswell look at each other. Both get (...) over their heads.)
Lasswell: How? That is not a simple question to answer.
Rain: Yes, it mightn't go over well if we tell him that a magical naked girl in a crystal appeared out of nowhere and told us to save the world. He seems like a real hard-ass.
Nichol(...): I can hear you, you know. And you are absolutely correct that I will not be taken in by such an under-cooked mishmash of worn out storybook clichés....
(Nichol gets ! over his head and runs off.)
Rain: Hey! What is it? What's wrong!?
Lasswell: Rain. There is a ship there. Or did you not notice? Nichol appeared to be heading in its direction.
(The four rush after Nichol.)
Next entry....
OLDERION FEDERATION - THE STRATEGIST NICHOL - ARGUS PLAINS OPENING
(Rain and Lid are standing on the ground next to an airship.)
Rain: We were lucky, weren't we, getting to borrow an airship in Dilmagia. The army's not so bad after all. They weren't that tough to convince.
Lid: Only because you're Knights of Grandshelt. Those soldiers were gawping at all those medals hanging off your chest like pasties; don't you doubt that for an instant.
Rain(?): You think so? I rather had the impression it was you they were gawping at, Lid.
Lid: Me? (Now that I think about it, though, that was kinda weird... Why would they lend us a valuable airship so easily?) (I may have told Rain it was only 'cause they're Grandshelt Knights, but I feel like there's something else going on here...)
Rain: But are you sure you're all right to come with us, Lid? You've got your workshop to worry about, don't you?
Lid: It's fine; don't worry about it. I wanna find out more about the first Cid, see? And I can't just forget about the Invincible either, now can I? And besides... If we catch up to the Invincible, probably we'll find him too.
Rain: Him? You mean your brother?
Lid: Yeah. That guy. Me and him, we're like two airships made in the same workshop. Maybe they've got the same basic design; same kinda parts and all... but no two airships are exactly alike, you know what I mean? The hum of their engines and the quirks in their steering... And over time, those little things have a big effect, and those two shops become more and more different.... Even so... I never expected the differences would end up this big...
Rain: Yes... The two of you don't seem much alike. I think I understand what you mean. After all... I've been stuck with Lasswell since I was a kid, too.
Lid: Yeah. You guys do seem more like brothers than just old friends. Lasswell is definitely the older brother type, huh. Always worrying and looking out for you.
Rain: It's just as you said: things change with time. Lasswell hasn't always been like that.
Lid: What, seriously? He wasn't?
(Lasswell passes by on the deck of the airship as Rain speaks. He gets a ! over his head as Rain talks about him.)
Rain: Lasswell says I'm destined to be the greatest knight in Grandshelt. I don't know... Maybe he really believes that hearing that would make me happy. He's a serious fellow, but sometimes he hasn't a clue.
(Lasswell gets (...) over his head at this.)
(Fina approaches Rain and Lid on the ground outside the airship.)
Fina: Look! There's a bunch of people over there!
(The scene pans way down to show an army fighting monsters. One of the soldiers has fallen.)
Lid: Those are Olderion soldiers.
Rain: They look like they're having a hard time, too. Let's go and give them a hand!
(Rain, Fina, and Lid rush off. Lasswell, who has come down from the airship's deck, gets a (...) and shakes his head, then rushes off after the others.)
---------------
OLDERION FEDERATION - THE STRATEGIST NICHOL - ARGUS PLAINS 1
Lid: Olderion soldiers! It is I, Lid, the hero who saved you all!
Rain: Do you really have to introduce yourself like that?
Lid: If you save people, they usually give you a reward, right? Like money, or gold, or... or money.
Rain: ....
(Wave 1 of battle commences. Afterwards, the scene drops out of battle. A man approaches with two soldiers, and speaks to the party.)
???: You two are Grandshelt knights, or at least you appear to be. Your strength is impressive; quite formidable. Unfortunately, strength without subtlety is totally in vain, like an apatosaurus trying to do embroidery. If I may say so, you fight like fools.
Lid: Hey, what!? You guys were getting beaten into a fine paste until we showed up. And we're the fools?
???: A fine paste...? Perhaps it seemed that way to an interloper with a headless turkey's sense of strategy. We were luring all of our enemies to a single location, to eliminate them in one blow.
Lid: Excuse me? headless turkey!? And, just exactly who are you supposed to be, huh?
???: Of course; how remiss of me. My name is Nichol. I am one of Olderion's tacticians... and a Warden of the Waters.
Lasswell(!): A Warden of the Waters?
Lid: Lasswell? You actually know who this jerk is?
Lasswell: I have heard that Olderion's Water Shrine has a protective barrier upon it, maintained by a priestess who is chosen from among the elite Wardens of the Waters.
Lid: Why would one of those wardens be here fighting, then?
Nichol(...): The waters that flow through the Aquapolis Olderion are so beautiful and clean that they also serve as the holy water in our rituals.
Lasswell: It is said that the sacred purity of those waters is also the reason that Olderion is never beset by monsters.
Nichol(...): This is true. Yet recently we have found that are waters are being defiled, from somewhere outside the city..
Lasswell: Defiled? What was happened?
Nichol: I fear that something may have befallen the Water Priestess as she offered up her prayers at the headwater.
Rain: Oh.... So you all are on your way to check on the Water Priestess, then?
Nichol: That is correct. So I trust you will forgive us for continuing on our way at once.
(Nichol and the soldiers walk off.)
-------------
OLDERION FEDERATION - THE STRATEGIST NICHOL - ARGUS PLAINS 2
Nichol: ...Hold on a second.
Rain: What is it, Nichol?
Nichol: It's nothing about me. Why are you all following us?
Rain: Don't fret. Good company makes the road shorter, I heard.
(Wave 1 of battle commences, and leads to wave 2.)
Nichol: Please do not joke. You're just going to get in our way.
Lasswell: As long as you're with us, we're stronger. Surely the same goes for you all, as well.
Nichol: ...Then by all means, do as you please.
(Wave 2 of battle commences, and leads to wave 3.)
Nichol: It's thanks to the waters of Olderion that we've been able to prosper as we have.
Lasswell: People can prosper anywhere, so long as they don't have to worry about monsters attacking.
Nichol: That's why if our water is even the slightest bit impure, it sends everyone into a panic.
Fina: There don't seem to be many places like that, though.
(Wave 3 of battle commences. There is no further dialogue afterwards.)
-----------------
OLDERION FEDERATION - THE STRATEGIST NICHOL - ARGUS PLAINS ENDING
(Nichol looks around in all directions.)
Nichol(...): Has the front line moved on so far already? I do not see any sign of the main force....
(He shakes his head.)
Nichol: This is doubtless because of your ham-handed interference ruining our strategy.
(Lid shakes her head at this.)
Lid: Well, excuse us! IF it makes you feel better, I'm genuinely sorry that we ever tried to help you.
Nichol: The power you used during that battle, though... In my position as a tactician, I often study the methods used in wars and battles of the past. There are records of warriors using the power of such visions. Though they are rare.
Lasswell: And your records... what do they tell of this power?
Nichol: Those who bring warriors forth from crystals... are servants of the darkness. Pawns used by demons. That's how they are described in our records.
Rain: Darkness? Demons? Wh-what kind of strange books were you reading?
Nichol: You must tell me... How did you come to obtain this power?
(Rain and Lasswell look at each other. Both get (...) over their heads.)
Lasswell: How? That is not a simple question to answer.
Rain: Yes, it mightn't go over well if we tell him that a magical naked girl in a crystal appeared out of nowhere and told us to save the world. He seems like a real hard-ass.
Nichol(...): I can hear you, you know. And you are absolutely correct that I will not be taken in by such an under-cooked mishmash of worn out storybook clichés....
(Nichol gets ! over his head and runs off.)
Rain: Hey! What is it? What's wrong!?
Lasswell: Rain. There is a ship there. Or did you not notice? Nichol appeared to be heading in its direction.
(The four rush after Nichol.)
Next entry....