Let's play Star Ocean 3! Part 5

[paranoodle]

Time to go run around the forest!



There isn't anything notable in here: no chests, and the enemy types are all pretty trivial to help teach you the ropes. If we go to the northwest-most path of the forest, where there's a couple people, this guy stops us:


Unsavory Character: I won't tell anyone if you turn around and get outta here right now.
Fayt: I'd like to go past. Can you let me through, please?
Unsavory Character: What kind of fool are you!? What, you expect me to nod my head, say 'yes sir' and let you through!? We're guarding this road to make sure nobody gets through. If you still insist, then I don't mind teachin' you a painful lesson. Just say the word.
Fayt: Grr...
Fayt: (They're inhabitants of an underdeveloped planet, with no martial arts training at all. I think I can probably take them, but there're too many to pull any punches.)
Fayt: Alright. I'll follow your advice.
Unsavory Character: Yeah, see? We understand each other. Alright, scram. I don't wanna see you back here again, ever.

Turns out the bunch of guys holding knives and looking vaguely menacing weren't friendly. Who could've seen this coming. You can still try to walk past them a couple times and the guy just gets more annoyed at you but nothing comes of it. Our actual destination is at the end of the northeast path of the forest.


Fayt: Whew, that was farther than I thought. Looked so close... ... on the scanner.



Girl with Bobbed Hair: Oh no! Niklas! Nicklaaas!!!

Fayt sees Sophia and his parents standing in flames, where they're shot down by Vendeeni and he screams after them. I'm not posting screenshots because there's a lot of different visuals in a row without much else happening.


Fayt: (Wait... I'm on a backwater planet... Did someone rescue me?)
Girl with Bobbed Hair: Aa-!


Girl with Bobbed Hair: Niklas!


Fayt: I... think I'm fine, thanks. Were you the one who rescued me?
Niklas: No, I just carried you here. My sister... Meena, she insisted.
Fayt: I see. So you were the one who rescued me. Thank you, Meena.


Fayt: I guess I should introduce myself. My name's Fayt. Fayt Leingod. How about you?
Niklas: I'm Niklas. Her name is Meena.


Niklas: Fayt... You said Fayt, right? Your clothes... and your ears... Are you one of Norton's men?
Fayt: Norton? Is that a person's name?
Niklas: Yes.
Fayt: I don't really understand the situation here...
Niklas: You don't know Norton?
Fayt: Uh, no, actually, I've never heard of him. Who is he?
Niklas: If you do not know who he is, then please, never mind. I apologize for the odd question.

Meena stops hiding behind Niklas and runs over to the side of Fayt's bed.

Niklas: You still need to recover your strength! Feel free to rest here a while. We cannot do much, but we do have food.
Fayt: I'm fine, no, really!
Meena: No! You should stay in bed!
Niklas: Please, rest. Don't worry - it is our way to help each other in times of trouble.
Fayt: Sorry... thanks.
Niklas: It is no problem. Meena, let him get his rest.
Meena: Okay!

Niklas walks out of the room.

Fayt: He looks so young, but he seems so mature for his age... just like Sophia.


Meena: Who's Sophia, huh? Tell me! Tell me!
Fayt: Haha...

The screen fades to black and it's implied they talk for a bit and Fayt goes back to sleep.


Fayt: (Ahh... ouch... Hmm, it hurts a little, but I can move. I'd better figure out more about this place. No telling how long I'll be stuck here...)
Fayt: (Hmm? Wait, where's my sword?)
Fayt: (Niklas must have it. It must have made him nervous. All right, it's not like I need it right now, anyway. I'll let him hang onto it.)

Adoption status: two elf children. We're in their house right now, and we're limited to the village while we have no sword, but we're free to visit that at least. We can talk to Meena or Niklas before we go outside, and they both ask how we're feeling and recommend we take it easy.

If we go around and talk to the townspeople, they're all suspicious and distrustful of us, but some mention that it's not personal and they just don't trust strangers. If you examine props/items, Fayt mostly comments on how backwards the technology is here, which is really rude honestly, given that all everyone here seems to have to work with is dirt and sticks.


Fayt: Huh!?
Adolescent Girl: Oh... I thought it was someone else.
Fayt: Oops... Sorry. I didn't mean to barge in.
Adolescent Girl: No, don't worry about it. I'm not supposed to be here, either.
Fayt: Huh?
Adolescent Girl: You see, this is not really my house, I'm really just an uninvited guest.
Fayt: Uninvited? Well then, whose house is this?
Adolescent Girl: No one lives here now. But there was someone living here until recently. But look, the place would get all dirty unless someone took care of it. So, I thought I'd at least come and keep it clean.
Adolescent Girl: That way, I thought it would make things easier for him when he returns.
Adolescent Girl: You're that traveler, right? Our village has been through a lot, and more than a few people are saying rather ill things about you. Still... it's not everybody, and they don't bear any malice towards you. We really are quite a gently folk. Please, I hope you at least try to understand that much.

We have one more place we need to visit before we go back to see the kids, and it's the village chief's house:

Village Chief: Recently, a sinister stranger settled to the west of our village. Our Lord refuses to send soldiers to such a remote village as ours. Perhaps the stranger knows this. We have constantly been at his mercy. That is why the people here are so wary of strangers. I am sorry they are treating you so brusquely, but you must understand our situation.
Village Chief: Even some of our young folk have gone off with that stranger. Honestly... What fools they are.

With that, time to get back to the kids, since we've seen just about all there was to see in this tiny village.


Meena: It's my treasure box! Daddy gave it to me on my birthday.
Niklas: That music box was passed down through our mother's family, it is the only thing we have left from our parents. But, alas, it is broken now, and does not make a sound.
Fayt: I see... Can I have a look?
Meena: Sure!
Fayt: (The gearbox is broken... but I bet I could fix this. If I can get back to my pod, I should be able to synthesize parts. I don't think the UP3 prohibits repairing the existing devices...)
Fayt: Yeah, this shouldn't be too hard. Want me to fix this for you? It'll be my way of paying you back for rescuing me.
Meena: Really? Can you fix it, Fayt?
Niklas: Can you really do that? It is an expensive music box. They told us it would cost a great deal to fix it.
Fayt: (True, with this planet's level of civilization, the parts for this wouldn't come cheap.)
Fayt: If I can get my hands on the right parts, yes, and I think I know where to get them. It's a little ways away but I'll go get them later.
Niklas: But, we cannot ask you to do something like that for us!
Fayt: You save my life. It's the least I can do to repay you!
Niklas: Still...
Fayt: And I'm sure that Meena wants it fixed, right?
Niklas: Thank you... good sir.
Fayt: In return, do you think I could get my sword back? I won't be able to go through the forest without it.
Niklas: You swear you are not with Norton and his gang?
Fayt: That I'm not. What... you don't believe me?
Niklas: No, I trust you.
Fayt: Thanks.
Niklas: But be wary. If you are not one of Norton's gang, you will be in even more danger outside the village.
Fayt: I know - I'll be fine.

And we have our sword back! We can run back into the forest to replicate those music box parts. If we try the northwest path again, it's still blocked by that same group so it's not like we have anywhere else to get distracted by.


Fayt: What happened? The pod's parts and equipment have been stripped!
Fayt: (There's no way the inhabitants of this planet know what this stuff is. It'd make sense if they had just smashed it up!)
Fayt: (No use wasting any more time here. I better get back to the village.)

Well, so much for those music box parts :( I guess we'll head back to Meena to tell her the bad news. Nothing eventful happens on our way back.


Niklas: What a relief, you are well! Norton's gang was lurking around the forest in the direction you left in. We were worried.
Fayt: Niklas... Could you please tell me more about Norton and his gang? Who are they?

Niklas shakes his head.

Niklas: I do not know everything myself. He... Norton appeared suddenly in our village about half a year past. He ordered the village to supply him with food. Of course, we refused at first. The village needs its supplies to survive the harsh winter. Norton was in fact ordering the village to die. But when people refused him, he called upon this mysterious light, and those it touched disappeared, one after the other! Carl, Sirin, Kurt... All gone. And our father, who resisted until the very end. Of course we told our lord, but he said the idea of people disappearing into thin air was nonsense, and didn't want to hear about it. Now some of the villagers have even joined Norton's gang!
Fayt: A mysterious light, that makes people disappear...?
Fayt: Niklas... When you first met me, you asked me about my clothes and ears, right?
Niklas: Ah, yes- Norton wore clothes made out of a strange material that was neither linen nor cotton - just like the clothes you wear. And his ears were shaped like yours... That is why I did not trust you at first. I apologize.
Fayt: Don't worry about it.
Fayt: (Hmm... Can it be...? That would explain the light, the clothes, and the ears... And it would explain why someone would steal pod parts that nobody on this planet should recognize.)
Niklas: Is... something the matter?
Fayt: It's nothing, I was just thinking...
Fayt: (But thinking isn't going to help anything. He may be dangerous, but I'd better go meet this Norton guy. I might even find a way off this planet.)
Fayt: I'm really sorry, but it's going to take me a little more time to fix your music box. Can you wait just a little longer?
Meena: Okay!
Niklas: That thing Norton's gang carried off - did it belong to you?
Fayt: No - I thought it might be, but it wasn't. Don't worry, I'll fix your music box.
Meena: Niklas, I'm hungry! Let's eat!
Niklas: Ah yes... Very well, let us eat.

We stay over for another night, then wake up to find Meena in her room by herself.


Meena: I don't know.
Fayt: Has he gone somewhere?
Meena: When I woke up, he was already gone. I hope he hasn't disappeared, too... Just like Mama and Papa.
Fayt: Niklas would never leave you like that, Meena. It'll be all right. I'll go find him for you.

If we talk to her again after this, she starts crying because her brother's gone :(( But Fayt reassures her that it's okay and that he's going to go find Niklas.

When we ask around the village, most people haven't seen him since last night, but a couple of them mention having seen him head towards the ruins in the morning, which is where Norton's gang hangs out. As you can guess, that's the spot that was blocked off by the Unsavory Character, so we'll be heading there to find out what's up.

Next time: we visit some ruins (first dungeon of the game, whoo!) and go meet this "Norton" fellow.