Happy Birthday to me~!
We made it to San d’Oria juuuuuuuuuust in time for my birthday. And then, and then, lots of interesting things happened! Well. “Interesting”, at least.
Oh, but first, before we got to San d’Oria, we stopped by Valkurm Dunes to find that song. We had to search reeeeeaaaaaally carefully, and, well, at least we kinda expected it to be somewhere hidden. It went through another weird tunnel that went to the middle of nowhere, and it was in another pretty, pretty beach.
And the minstrel guy was there again! Along with that mopey bard. Apparently, that minstrel is actually really, really famous. I guess it explains why he knew so much about these songs and… well, singing in general. And he actually managed to calm down that mopey bard! Well, I guess he was already calm. But he cheered him up? Kind of, at least. Guess Mr. Mopey gave up on whatever girl it was to sing now.
Hehe, well, that’s ’cause singing’s fun. There’s something about it that makes it feel so… powerful. I wonder if it’s fun to be a bard, wandering around all the time, singing to people… Mm, kinda makes me wanna try.
Well, back to the original story! We got to San d’Oria on my birthday, so! We went to dance in the tavern! I mean, that’s what we went there for to begin with, right? And the owner was really nice and all, and, I mean, it was my birthday! Of course he was going to let us dance!
Us meaning me and Jenare, of course. I mean, I didn’t reeaaaaaaally know what to do, and it’s not like I’ve ever danced before, and I’ve heard you’re supposed to have two people or something, and, and, anyway, I was scared, okay? So Jenare ended up dancing with me!
…Kinda.
I guess we weren’t very good at it. But, but! What’s important is the fact that we did it, right? I mean, it’s not like Laila said we had to be good, and anyway, if we were already good enough, there wouldn’t have been a point in learning how, right?
…Right?
W-well, whatever! She’d better agree now!
Okay, I give; it wasn’t such a bad idea looking for those song runes in Buburimu Peninsula. I mean, they were totally in a stupidly hard to find place. Who the heck got the idea to hide them at the end of a tinytiny beach in the middle of nowhere after going through a tunnel no one could even see? Geez.
But, but. It was worth it, after we found it. Everything was so… beautiful. I guess maybe it’s a good thing it was so hard to get to. Maybe.
We met some wandering minstrel while we were there! He was… mm, interesting? He said the song was about the story of two lovers torn apart. And that it’s the job of minstrels to give shape to desires, even broken dreams…
It sounded nice.
’Course, that stupid whiny guy in Jeuno was still stupid and whiny. Feh.
Apparently, there’s another set of lyrics in Valkurm Dunes, with the other side of the story! I guess it’d be in a secret place there, too. I mean, we’ve spent more than enough time there, and I haven’t seen anything even vaguely like it. Jenare wants to see that one, too. Of course. A-and, okay, maybe I’m just a liiiiiittle curious too…
So, that aside!
Before we left Jeuno, we ran into a bunch of dancers putting on a show! They looked really cool! I tried to ask if we could join – er, well, I mean, if they could teach us – but Laila, their leader, was kinda mean about it.
But, but! She said that if we became famous dancers, she’d teach us! And wanted us to go dance at Lion Spring Tavern in San d’Oria!
Shouldn’t be a problem, right?
Right?
Whew, things have calmed down for a bit, I think. No running off to weird places, no weird requests, no dangerous monsters. I’m almost expecting something horrible to happen now just because.
Well, nothing’s happened yet, and we stayed in Windurst for a few days, where I managed to brush up on cooking and fishing! They’re calling me a recruit now, hah!
…Not that that’s much, I guess.
Fishing’s always been fun, but, yeesh, cooking sure is hard. S’not like I did much of it back before. Kii was good at it, and she liked doing it, so it made sense to just let her cook, right? Right? Saves me trouble, and we’d both have a yummy meal to eat. Except now, Jenare kinda expects me to be able to cook – probably? – and stuff and blargh! What am I supposed to do with all this food sitting around? Sure, I’m selling some of it and eating some, but, geez, it’s not like I have a galka’s stomach or something.
Maybe I’ll start giving Jenare food. Who knows, I mean, he might even like it. And besides, it’d be a Kii thing to do, right? And I definitely haven’t done enough Kii things lately.
I really, really haven’t, have I. But it’s such a bother to be nice to everyone. I mean, some of them are really irritating, and some are just plain stupid. Or pathetic. Like that bard from the other day. Argh, that was annoying. I totally managed to forget him until now.
See, we were in Jeuno, minding our own business and enjoying the general Jeunoness of it all, and Jenare had the brilliant idea of visiting the Merry Minstrel. And it would have been a brilliant idea for once, except the stupid bard just kept moping. Anyway, some mithra there told us about some song carved into a stone in Buburimu Peninsula that was supposed to cheer up broken-hearted people.
Like that’d help any. Meh. Whoever she was, she probably left him because he spent all his time crying instead of singing, anyway.
But, noooooooo, Jenare wants to go see. I guess we might as well. Where is it, anyway? I don’t remember ever seeing anything like that.
Today, we went to see Chieftainness Perih Vashai!
We finally left Kazham, so of course I had to go see her. I didn’t bring back anything from Kazham after all, either for her or for mom. Didn’t even mention we went, actually. I think that’s for the best. I bet they’d know, anyway, but it’s not something any of us needed to talk about.
Anyway, we came back to Windurst, and I wanted to see the Chieftainness. Even in Kazham, they still talked about her skills, and, I mean, I knew she was good with a bow – she was the Chieftainness! – but I didn’t know she was that famous.
She was very kind and granted an audience to both Jenare and me. But… she didn’t actually talk about archery or anything like that! She talked about nature and stuff, and submitting to it. And then she wanted us to meet the “fanged king of the beasts” and to bring back one of his teeth, but we had to respect nature and wait for it to accept us.
We had to find some tiger graveyard way in Sauromugue Champaign, and we found the old tiger there! It was… I don’t know, it’s hard to describe. But the sight of it, massive and once so powerful…! And then to watch it as it died… It was sad, a little.
It was a little strange, y’know? I’ve wanted to be a ranger for so long. And now, I finally had the chance.
…Nah, that sounded weird. Like I refused or something. I didn’t! I signed up. I kinda wonder if that was the right thing to do. Aren’t I being less and less like Kii?
But, but. This was more than learning how to shoot a bow. I’m really ready now.
Kazham! We’re here! We’re really, really here!
We got our airship passes and everything and I don’t think Jenare even believed we actually would but we did! Hah!
…But what’s that guy want with so many keys, anyway? Well, whatever, I guess. Weirder things have happened. And keep happening.
So, so, airship! We rode an airship here, and it was cool and you could see everything from up there! We even saw the Star Tree! And it’s so fast, too! I mean, I mean, it makes ferries and chocobos seem like crawling. And walking! Hah, might as well be standing still! Too bad the normal airship passes to the three nations is so pricey. Wish we’d get some weirdo deal for one of those, too. Ah well…
So! Kazham! We’re here! It’s so warm and beautiful and comfortable, mmmm~! And everything is mithra height, it’s great!
Everyone seems pretty different from the mithra in Windurst, though. Even I feel kinda out of place. But most of them aren’t nearly as rough.
I think mom mentioned she was born here, but went to Windurst a little before the Crystal War. It’s been a while, but I wanted to see if I could find her old house or something. But… I couldn’t find anything. Most of the people I met were too young to have known her anyway, and the older ones… well, they wouldn’t even talk anymore after I mentioned she left. Someone finally told me that once a mithra leaves Kazham, she could never come back. I guess that’s why mom never talked about it much. I wonder if I should get her a souvenir, or if that’d just make it worse.
Oh, but, everyone – er, well, almost everyone – is friendly to Jenare and me. Adventuring sure has its perks, huh? It’s like we get special recognition everywhere.
Speaking of adventuring, we met another adventurer today, and he’s staying at the same place as us. At least I think he is one? He was really… noticeable, at least – er, well, that’s to say, he’s elvaan. Hehe, I thought Jenare would be the only tall weirdo here right now. Anyway, Magriffon – the elvaan we met, I mean – was certainly a lot more talkative than a certain travel companion of mine. He even offered to help us with whatever we needed.
…What do we need help with, anyway? Ah well, I guess it’s good to keep in mind.
I wonder how long we’re gonna stay in Kazham. I kinda like it here. It’s even warmer than Windurst, and there’s a constant smell of sea and lots of plants I don’t recognize. Everything’s green and flowery, and they all glow at night! And they’re all natural, not like the Rhinostery’s experiments. Every day seems so peaceful, hunting, fishing, harvesting…
How did everyone manage to bring themselves to leave, anyway, knowing they’d never, ever be allowed to come back? Mom, and the Chieftainness – ours, I mean, Windursts’s – and so many other mithra of their generation.
I guess it’s a bit like the reason I’d never settle down here, no matter how much I like it. The world needs us! Even if it’s an arrogant thought, we’ve still gotta do everything we can. And besides, there’s still practically a whole world we haven’t seen yet!
But, but! We can still come here whenever we want. Mom and Perih Vashai and them… they can’t, not ever. Even though everyone talked about the Chieftainness’s exploits. Even though they did so much. They still can’t go home…
Even if it’s not the same, I don’t think I’d be able to stand leaving Windurst forever. How strong was their need?
Well. No point worrying about that. Let’s all try our best!
…Moogles.
Again.
ARGH.
Actually, I guess it really wasn’t that bad this time. But, really, what were they thinking? Were they even thinking?
Okay, backing up.
I woke up a few days ago to see moogles. Er, well, I guess that’s not too big a surprise. I mean, there’s one in my Mog House. But, but! I woke up and saw moogles outside, with huuuuuuge crowds gathered around them. Yep, another festival. Our lives seem to be made of festivaling, then almost dying, and getting something shiny; rinse and repeat.
Anyway, this time, they were handing out eggs. Not just any eggs – eggs with letters on them. And we were supposed to trade them with each other to make words, and get rewards for said words.
Pretty nice, I guess. I have no idea how this is supposed to help bring the MHMU out of debt, though. Because, I mean, even I’ve figured by now that that’s what all these festivals were supposed to do.
Moogles are weird.
On an unrelated note, we’re at Bastok again. Jenare wanted to check up on his friend there, and we needed that key from the Palborough Mines. Y’know, that place with that scary dragon that I totally said I’d never go to again. I think I said that about a whole lot of places by now, and it never actually applies.
Well, anyway, we got our key.
…Wait. We. We got our key. We have all of them now!
KAZHAM, HERE WE COME.
Whew, we spent a lot of time in San d’Oria. Well, I guess we didn’t actually spend that much time in the city. Just… around. And running errands for everyone there.
First, there was that key from Fort Ghelsba. We got it! We’re so close to Kazham, I can almost see it~! Although it really wasn’t that easy, considering. I mean, everything there feels kinda weak now, but it was still something, storming a fort full of orcs. And then they didn’t carry keys. Yeesh. We fiiiiiiiinally managed to get one after going really deep in.
But the most important thing is that we have them now. One more to go!
Meanwhile, we had other things to do, too. Actually, they were all kinda… at the same place, it was weird. Sometimes, I wonder if Lady Luck – or, uh, Altana – really likes us or something. Or really hates us, because we keep getting thiiiiiiis close to getting killed.
So! Three things!
First, there was that old guy who made me a squire. He wanted to give us another test this time. Something about a riddle. Jenare seemed to know where he was going, though, so we ended up running around the city a bit. And then we got another riddle, and even Jenare didn’t know anymore.
And then he received a mission, so of course he had to go get the briefing. And it turned out we were – well, he was – to go to Davoi to get a report from someone.
And then! Well, actually, this wasn’t exactly after. I mean, it’s not like I was sitting around twiddling my thumbs while Jenare was getting his mission, right? So, so, I ended up finding out about an old woman whose cough could only be cured with a medicine made out of a special moss from Davoi.
Yeeep, Davoi again. When I heard about Jenare’s mission, well, it was like killing two birds with one stone!
Three birds, actually.
Because, apparently, that was where that old dude’s riddle led, after all!
So first, we got his report.
Then we found an old well with some weird sword in it to take back to prove we solved the riddle. These elvaan, sheesh. Why couldn’t we have just said the answer instead of nearly getting killed?
Speaking of which, we really did nearly get killed grabbing that moss.
But then again, “nearly getting killed” is kinda obligatory in adventuring nowadays, it seemed.
Oh, and we got made knights. Whoopedeedo. That took long enough. Why am I a knight of San d’Oria, anyway?
At least that old lady feels better now, I guess.
I~! Got new stuff!
We went to Jeuno again, and someone was selling some nice things really cheap at a bazaar by the Auction House. I managed to get a pair of earrings, a couple of new rings, and a fancy new fishing rod!
So of course I don’t have money again. This “adventuring” business is really draining on the wallet… I’m sure glad Mog Houses are free.
Oh, oh, but that’s not the most important part. We were looking around a goblin-run store, when a nice goblin offered to make us clothes if we could get him—her—I—I don’t know, something—special, magical patterns. And, apparently, they were in the Maze of Shakrahmi! In treasure chests! Why the heck would they be there, anyway? Well. I guess I can’t complain. It’s probably not the hardest thing we can do.
It feels like we’re gonna be killing monsters for keys forever, though. I mean, there was that one from Giddeus, and then the other ones we need for airship pass to Kazham, and then this now. Why do monsters carry keys, anyway? And you’d think they’d use them to open treasures or… or something, at least. But, no, they just walk around with them.
Er, well, I guess it doesn’t really matter why. We eventually got some keys, and those patterns, and I really never wanna go there again. Ugh. But that’s kinda what I said last time, too, I bet.
But the clothes were worth it! They’re cool and comfortable and magical, and really make me feel stronger. Although I still say Jenare’s got the better end of the deal. I mean, he actually got clothes that covered everything. Mine are… mine are a bit… ummm… But, but, they’re traditional mithra garb! So it’s okay, right? As long as we don’t go anywhere cold again? And besides, mine look better. So there.
The lost art of summoning… Did we really…?
So there was that ruby, right? And Carbuncle? And something about colors of the sky?
Well. When went outside of town, there was a voice that said something about the orange light. I mean, I didn’t see anything orange, but when we got to Tahrongi Canyon, there was a huge wind, and the voice talked about a green light. And then we figured it meant the weather: red for heatwaves, purple for thunderstorms, blue for rainstorms, yellow for sandstorms. Something like that. We were kinda missing one, though. Er, well, more than kinda, we were missing one. Turned out it was snow.
So we went up north, as if Jenare’s stupid San d’Oria isn’t cold enough already. Yeesh.
And then we almost got killed by bats.
And then, and then there was snow! If it weren’t so cold, I think I’d like it. It’s white and sparkling and beautiful.
And cold. Really, really, really cold.
I mean, how was I supposed to know the piles of snow weren’t really solid? I thought it’d be like a sand dune or something! Except, no, I fell through it. And it was cold.
Did I mention cold?
Jenare had to scoop me out. It was embarrassing! But… he was really warm…
A-anyway! The voice told us to go to La Theine Plateau, and it felt kinda nice there in comparison, and we found Carbuncle! And he wants to lend us his strength!
Actually, some of the things he said sounded really worrying. But we knew bad things were happening already, didn’t we? I mean, there’s the rise of the Shadow Lord, and unrest amongst all these monsters…
And anyway, if things are going to happen, then it’s better if we have a warning. And if we’re stronger.
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