Table of Contents
Introduction:
Masteria Through Time:
The Rise of PULSAR:
MONAD: Omen: Crimson Snow and Shadow:
Tales of Zipangu:
The Sengoku Era:
Legacy of Masteria:
Introduction
Foreword:
GMS-verse is the unofficial name that I had given to the shared universe between Masteria, MONAD, the Sengoku Warriors, Jett, Beast Tamer, and several other storylines. However, GMS-verse is only a subset of overseas storylines, and not the entirety of it, as there are plenty of other storylines, such as Mo Xuan, Lynn, Malaysia, and many other overseas content that are completely unrelated to this shared universe.
While Maple World is the common setting for these different factions, the main plot remains firmly in the background as a new story unfolds in its place. For many years, these were all disparate storylines that had no relationship to each other. In Summer 2018, the MONAD blockbuster was released, which intrinsically tied together all of these individual stories to the lore of Masteria, the linchpin of GMS-verse.
Over several years, MONAD was slowly removed across different overseas regions. In November 2022, MONAD was removed from JMS and GMS, and is now permanently inaccessible. Its removal has significant impact on GMS-verse, as MONAD was the only connective tissue that tied together the overseas universe. What this means is that GMS-verse as it once stood no longer exists, and the different storylines of each overseas region will remain separate from each other.
Despite MONAD’s removal, certain characters and settings from the blockbuster still persist in the Masteria storyline, which indirectly maintains the lore introduced in MONAD. Several storylines in MapleStory have been presented as sequels to removed content, such as Kerning Tower and Mushroom Castle continuing the stories of Kerning Square and Mushroom Kingdom. Based on this precedent, it’s possible that MONAD will remain canon and have its story continued, despite its removal in the game.
With that being said, however, certain other storylines in GMS-verse, including classes like Jett and Beast Tamer, have also been removed with regularity from the game, making it extremely unlikely that we’ll get any more stories that continue this shared universe. Nevertheless, I’ve decided to keep the GMS-verse portion of this site as a way of preserving the integrity behind this shared universe project taken up by the overseas writers.
With that being said, I have two important notes about GMS-verse before getting to the actual content. The first is that throughout this site, I’m making the assumption that the protagonist of GMS-verse is the same across all storylines, similar to the Adversary in the main story. The only exception to this is the Neo Tokyo protagonist, and I’ll give my reasoning for that at the beginning of the Neo Tokyo section.
There are several mentions of there being a common protagonist between individual stories (such as Mushroom Shrine Tales and the Asura Crisis, or MONAD and Masteria), and while it’s not explicitly confirmed that the Asura Crisis protagonist and the Masteria protagonist are the same, for instance, I think it’s easier to assume that they’re the same, given the nature of the setting being a shared universe.
The second note is about Masteria and the way that I’ve presented its story in GMS-verse:
Those who’ve played the original story of Masteria are likely familiar with its grand origins and regrettable collapse. I myself only learned about the story of old Masteria in my research for this site, which gave me great appreciation for its lore, as well as a better understanding of the many grievances about the direction that Nexon decided to push the story in.
For those who aren’t aware, Masteria is one of the oldest pieces of GMS-exclusive content to have existed, and its incredible story and iconic characters have made it quintessentially the face of GMS, similar to how Zipangu is the face of JMS. The story of Masteria was one of great intrigue and mystery, with a vibrant personality that drew in many people since before the main story with the Black Mage had even begun in KMS.
Much of Masteria’s success was thanks to the efforts of NxProse and his team, who wrote the story of Masteria while working at GMS Nexon. Though NxProse did write a majority of this content, he always emphasized that it was a team effort. During this era, NxProse would frequently interact with players, tease new content, and expand the lore in little ways. This was a rare time of communication with the story writers, the likes of which we’ll probably never see again. It was clear from these interactions that there was a highly-developed (if not complete) plot conceived ahead of time, and that there was a plan to slowly unravel the mystery of Masteria.
Unfortunately, NxProse left the company before he got the chance to finish the story. Since then, he’s confirmed that GMS Nexon had the drafts of his story and had every power to follow his proposed ideas. However, this is when the history of Masteria turned sour, as GMS threw away his drafts in favor of their own plot. In a left-field move, they added a completely unrelated alien invasion subplot and removed a huge chunk of the original maps, although they restored the maps after receiving heavy criticism for it.
Though the aliens remained, Masteria was left alone for many years until the Masteria Through Time blockbuster was released in 2015, which was received extremely heavy criticism for retconning nearly every part of the original story, ungracefully lifting much of the mystique surrounding the lore, and needlessly changing the characterization of many characters for the worse.
The biggest example of this was Naricain, the main villain of Masteria. Originally, he was conceived as a powerful demon of darkness on par with the Black Mage until he was defeated by Subani, a great magician of light. The Masteria revamp retcons Subani as the crybaby brother of Naricain, both of whom were adopted by Crimsonheart, a legendary warrior who had no relationship to either of them in the original lore. Naricain goes from being a demon of unimaginable power to a Kylo Ren-esque figure who hates Crimsonheart because he was never around when Naricain was a kid, resulting in his mother being killed when thieves came to steal the Antellion, an infinite power source that Crimsonheart was sworn to protect.
Granted, this is some mitigating nuance, much like with Kylo Ren’s story, but the fact remains that Naricain’s motives are presented more as angsty teenage rebellion than anything else. If you want a comparison for what the magnitude of these changes mean, you can view it as the Black Mage’s motivations suddenly being retconned from him wanting to restore free will to the world, to wanting to destroy everything because “daddy issues”.
Since the blockbuster, Nexon had been trying their hand at making their rendition of Masteria more interesting by taking the pieces left behind by NxProse and using them only in name while changing everything else about them, almost like bad fanfiction. They’ve also ambitiously tried to incorporate all their overseas content into a single shared universe tied together by the Antellion, which transcends space and time.
The exact nature of how they intended to tie everything in is still unknown, as it was only briefly teased in MONAD, whose removal has put into question the future of GMS-verse. However, I will say that some aspects of the more recent Masteria updates were fairly interesting, mainly because they took large chunks of NxProse’s old story and wrote around that skeleton, making it slightly more bearable than their original entry for the new Masteria lore.
With all of Masteria’s rich history, a lot of which has been removed, I was originally hesitant about covering the current lore without having any understanding of what came before. I especially didn’t want to misconstrue anything since I know that this guide might be people’s first and only exposure to the story.
Fortunately, I’ve had a fun journey learning as much as I could about old Masteria, as well as the other aspects of GMS-verse like the Sengoku Warriors, Jett, MONAD, etc. I’ve been fortunate enough to have gotten in contact with people like PirateIzzy and Saught, both of whom were incredible resources in making this guide. Because of them, I’m much more confident in presenting this guide - perhaps not 100% comprehensive as I’d like, but still highly informative nevertheless.
Unlike the main story writeup, I’ve structured this guide into arcs. Most of the chronology isn’t established, and so many arcs could technically have occurred in any order besides the one that I presented, although I’ve tried to structure it in a way that lets the story flow in a way that makes sense.
Another unique decision I’ve made is that I wanted to present the original lore of Masteria as part of the prologue for this writeup. I generally don’t add non-canon content in a writeup that’s meant to cover canon events, but I ultimately decided that it would be a disservice to present GMS-verse without the foundation that shaped it into what it is. I would highly, highly recommend reading it before jumping into the main writeup. Not only is it one of the best stories in the game, but it’ll help give context for you to form your own opinions about the long-standing debate about the Masteria story.
I hope that y’all enjoy learning about these stories as much as I did while writing this guide. As always, if you have any questions, find any errors, etc, feel free to let me know!
Original Masteria Storyline:
(A/N: Unfortunately, the entirety of the original Masteria storyline has been removed and is now permanently inaccessible. I’ve included the original storylines for New Leaf City, Phantom Forest, and Crimsonwood Keep PQ, as well as a serialized version of NxProse’s drafts for future Masteria content.
The old Masteria lore was unique in that many details that furthered the lore also came from developer interviews, item descriptions, and even the old MapleStory iTrading Card Game, but I decided to only keep it to the sources that I listed above, as there’s no way that I could gather every possible source of lore for old Masteria, and this section is really just to provide a contrast to the revamped versions of those storylines.
There was one particular storyline set in Masteria that I omitted, which was the original Haunted House, also known as the Prendergast Mansion. While it’s a great story, it’s not strictly relevant to the main Masteria lore, and so I chose not to include it. However, I’ll be sure to include as many links to old Masteria resources as I can at the end of this section for those who might be interested in learning more tidbits that I didn’t include here.
Finally, one thing that I want to mention is that for some of these storylines, especially the old New Leaf City one, the quests don’t have to be done in the specific order that I presented them here. I was using PirateIzzy’s video of old Masteria quests as a reference, but the actual story just presents several quests at once and you can do them in whichever order you want.)
A traveler heard rumors of a continent called Masteria, which had sunk beneath the ocean a thousand years ago and had recently resurfaced, and so they decided to investigate. They took the subway from Kerning City to New Leaf City, where they met the mayor, Icebyrd Slimm. (A/N: Icebyrd Slimm was based on NxProse himself.)
The traveler began asking the mayor about why he had built the city, to which Icebyrd explained that he had always hoped to create a place where people could live their dreams. He told them that when he had first arrived in Masteria, the island had only been a jungle with scattered machinery. However, he revealed that someone had helped him construct the city in exchange for a favor, though he remained coy about the details.
He then began to tell the traveler more about Masteria, explaining that it was said that the continent took its name from the warriors who had come there to master their fate. With Masteria having resurfaced after a thousand years, Icebyrd explained that they were making new discoveries every day as they explored the region.
He also revealed that New Leaf City had been built atop the ruins of Olde Sapp Village. The traveler was interested in learning more about Masteria and how it had resurfaced, but Icebyrd told them that it was an old fable that likely wouldn’t interest them, though he offered to tell them more if they agreed to help out around the city.
The traveler first helped Lita Lawless, the sheriff of the city, in cleaning up the monsters in the area. After helping her, the traveler recognized that she was a thief and asked to hear her story. Lita explained that she had once served as a thief under the Dark Lord in Kerning City, and that she had made a deal with him to leave his service if she could pass his test.
The Dark Lord had challenged her to touch him once with her weapon, and though she had quickly realized that the Dark Lord was much stronger than the clone which she had fought during her job advancement, a stroke of luck had allowed her to succeed. After leaving his service, Lita had promised to help others train as he had once helped her. She then revealed that she had come to Masteria at Icebyrd’s request, where she hoped to discover her fate.
As the traveler continued helping Lita and Icebyrd with clearing out the monsters at the city outskirts, they soon encountered a man named Jack Masque. Jack explained that he hailed from Amoria, and that he was competing for the love of Princess Restless with a man named Prince Vince.
(A/N: Jack Masque is one of the few NPCs who isn’t really relevant to the story, instead just serving as a tie-in to Amoria, which NxProse had also worked on. Jack Masque, Princess Restless, and Prince Vince all have the first part of their names rhyme with the latter half.)
He then explained that while on his first date with the princess, a Wolf Spider had interrupted their kiss. Though he had managed to fight off the beast, he had sworn to wear a mask in shame until he could return to Amoria with his honor. To help him, the traveler eliminated the nearby Wolf Spiders in the area so that the same incident wouldn’t befall him again.
Soon after, they encountered an old man named Professor Foxwit, who asked them to help collect materials for his robot, T-1337. After helping Foxwit, they ran into a pale, hooded man named Elpam Gorlab. Elpam introduced himself as a researcher from Versal, a parallel dimension to Maple World. H
e explained that he had come several times to visit Maple World, which contained many familiar yet different things from Versal, but that the recent appearance of Amoria had thrown his calculations off, causing him to be stranded in Masteria. To help him recalibrate his compass, the traveler collected Elpam Magnets from Fire Tusks.
(A/N: Originally, you had to obtain the magnets from Barnard Grays in Omega Sector. You also note that he smells like old cheese, to which Elpam says that it’s from a cologne that he’s wearing, which is apparently popular on Versal.)
They then asked Elpam more about Versal, to which he explained that Versal was a mirror dimension to Maple World.
(A/N: Versal being a mirror dimension to Maple World is why everything on Versal is backwards, including the script. His name, Elpam Gorlab, is actually Maple Balrog spelled backwards. He explains that he’s been trying to learn the language of Maple World, which is how he communicates with us. Even the customs on Versal are backwards, as cheese cologne is highly popular there, even though cheese would be an awful scent for perfume on Maple World. Versal being a polar opposite to Maple World only exists in the old Masteria lore, as this concept has been removed in the revamp.)
To elaborate, he pointed out that his surname, Gorlab, was the name of a benevolent monster in his world, and that it was a mark of honor to be associated with such a creature. In contrast, Balrogs of Maple World were highly feared. The traveler then helped Elpam collect Temporal Pieces from Electrophants in order to help him travel back to his home. (A/N: Originally, you had to go to Ludibrium and collect them from Tick-Tock monsters.)
After giving him the pieces, the traveler asked to hear more about Versal, and so Elpam told them that Mushmom was the most dangerous monster in his world, whereas it was laughably weak on Maple World. He also told them that his skin was pale because the sun only shined on Versal for the equivalent of three months on Maple World. When the traveler asked if there was a way for people from Maple World to travel to Versal, Elpam told them that he would let them know if he figured out a way to take others with him.
(A/N: Mushmom on Versal is revealed to be named Crushmom in NxProse’s drafts for future Masteria content. The story of Crushmom and Versal’s sun was revealed in a holiday event called Versalmas. The Versalians used to grow their crops by worshipping the sun. As the monsters attempted to eat their crops, the Versalians made a deal with Crushmom, offering a portion of their crops in exchange for protection from the other monsters. Because of this, they were able to have a huge surplus of crops, and as a result, they stopped worshipping the sun, causing it to grow weaker.
Eventually, Crushmom grew unsatisfied with receiving its usual share of crops when the Versalians had so much more, and so it threatened to devour them if they didn’t increase their tribute. It continued asking for more and more, and its hunger eventually grew to the point that nothing would satisfy it, and so it devoured the sun itself, causing the skies to grow dark.
As the Versalians’ crops withered and the monsters, once held at bay by Crushmom, began to attack, a group of brave hunters fought Crushmom and forced it to regurgitate what was left of the sun. However, because of its time being digested, the sun shone much weaker than it used to. The villagers then resumed their worship of the sun, causing it to shine for 99 days in a year, which eventually dwindled down to 30. These days of light would become celebrated as Versalmas.)
The traveler then decided to explore Bigger Ben, a large clocktower in the center of the city. There, they encountered John Barricade, who explained that he was part of the world-famous treasure hunting corporation, the Barricade Bros. After helping him defeat the nearby monsters to clear out a path, John explained that his brother, Jack Barricade, was investigating Aqua Road while he was searching Masteria.
He also explained that he and Jack had found the Fountain of Youth after graduating college and spending three years investigating, and that it was the discovery that had first made their names. As the traveler continued helping him, John asked whether they had heard of the Dark Scrolls. He explained that the scrolls were related to a demon named Naricain, who had been defeated by Subani, a powerful magician of light who had sacrificed himself to seal Naricain away.
(A/N: Subani and Naricain are central figures in the lore of Masteria, almost like deities of light and darkness. Whereas these two figures are almost made out to be god-like in the old Masteria lore, they’re changed to be regular adoptive siblings in the new Masteria lore with no particularly remarkable traits like what these legends seem to imply. It’s also said that Subani created the White Scrolls, just as how Naricain made the Dark Scrolls. These two types of scrolls were actual in-game scrolls used for item upgrades, although the Dark Scrolls weren’t created in GMS, instead being ported over from a different region (possibly JMS). The two scrolls were then tied into the Masteria lore.)
Though there were many Dark Scrolls around, John explained that what he was really looking for were relics of Subani, and that he had heard from the Glimmer Man in Amoria that the MesoGears would be a good place to start his search.
(A/N: The MesoGears are the inner workings of Bigger Ben. The Glimmer Man is an NPC in the Amoria PQ and he was likely namedropped here as another tie-in to Amoria. In the current Masteria storyline, the Glimmer Man has a much more prominent role, although I won’t spoil it here.)
After heading deeper inside, John and the traveler discovered several strange markings. John explained that they would need Hyper Glyphs, objects that could decipher other languages, in order to learn what was written. As each Hyper Glyph could only translate a single character, the traveler collected many glyphs from the nearby monsters.
After helping John, the traveler asked to know more about the Barricade Bros, and so John told them that he and his brother had discovered King Moloson’s Mines, solved the mystery of Stonegolemhenge, found Lord Pirate Kidd’s gold horde, and unearthed the trove of the Knights Templar of Time, the lost El Nathians’ Gold Mine, the Yeti Sphinx Chamber, and countless ancient Ossyrian galleons.
The impressed traveler asked what John expected to find in the MesoGears, to which he explained that he believed that Subani had left something important there. He also revealed that while exploring the Yeti Sphinx Chamber, he had discovered an old legend that was similar to that of Subani and Naricain.
(A/N: The Yeti Sphinx Chamber is one of the many background details in New Leaf City, which all share a theme of being based on familiar landmarks in the real world. Some other ones are the Statue of Liberty with a mushroom head and Mount Rushmore with the original four Explorer job instructors’ faces. The Yeti Sphinx Chamber is implied to have significance to Subani, whose name is an anagram of Anubis, the ancient Egyptian god of death. The MapleStory iTrading Card Game also has a special code card that lets you redeem an item called the Subani Ankh. The Ankh’s description notes that Subani had many such items, and that it’s said to have protective powers and the ability to ward off darkness.)
John explained that the legend spoke of a different world and contained a prophecy that foretold that the act which had created the Dark Scrolls was not the final battle between Subani and Naricain. The traveler then remembered that Elpam was from another world and wondered whether he knew anything.
Some time later, the traveler returned to the MesoGears to visit John, who explained that he had borrowed robots from Foxwit’s secret laboratory without permission in order to help him decipher the markings. However, as soon as he had finished, the robots had gone haywire and had run off with the pieces of his MesoGears map.
(A/N: The robots were sabotaged by Dr. Krakia, the archnemesis of Professor Foxwit, and it plays a significant role in the Phantom Forest storyline. We don’t get exposed too much to Dr. Krakia in these storylines, as he’s only ever mentioned in the game’s holiday events. However, Dr. Krakia does have a significant role in the lore in his alter ego.)
After helping John recover the pieces, the traveler asked him whether he had spoken with his brother, to which he explained that he hadn’t heard from Jack in a while. The traveler then asked whether they might be able to travel to the other world described in the prophecy of Subani and Naricain, though John simply told them that it was a better question for Elpam or the Glimmer Man.
The traveler then began to explore the MesoGears and encountered several gravestones. The first one that they encountered was the Sunstone Grave, which said, “Tempt Fate. Discover the path.” Continuing through the MesoGears, they soon encountered the Moonstone Grave, which said, “30, 101, Hidden.” Finally, they discovered a third gravestone that was built atop an unexpected grassy hill within the MesoGears, which stated, “Here lies Christopher Crimsonheart, the immortal warrior.”
(A/N: These graves were part of a larger mystery within the original plot of Masteria, and it was said by NxProse that their meanings would be solvable once the next area of Masteria was released. Unfortunately, he left Nexon before it could be released and the revamped Masteria storyline removed most of the mystery, leaving only the final gravestone in the game.)
The traveler then returned to the surface, where they encountered a girl with a tiger, who greeted them in a strange language. She then introduced herself as Corine, and her tiger as Khafre. (A/N: The Masteria revamp changed Corine to have blue skin like from James Cameron’s Avatar. The way that she greets us is by saying, “Salu o’kahari!”)
She explained that she was a ranger descended from the Taru tribe of ancient Masteria, and that she had greeted them in the language of her ancestors. She told them that she spoke in the Taru language whenever she could in order to keep their traditions alive. Though she was originally from Henesys, she had come to Masteria in order to visit the homeland of her ancestors.
The traveler asked to know more about the Taru, and so Corine explained that the Taru were a tribe of warriors that lived in the Krakian Jungle. Though their martial prowess was great, they were a peaceful people that strived to live in harmony with the jungle. The Taru had believed that every human soul had an animal counterpart, and so each Taru had been bonded with an animal at birth, with their bond strengthening through shared experiences, to the point that it would manifest in the power of their weapon.
Corine explained that she had been raised by her grandmother, who had bonded her with Khafre and had raised her in the traditions of their people, though she had never revealed their Taru heritage until her death. On her deathbed, her grandmother had given her an ancient charm that had once belonged to a legendary chieftain named Teharu and had told her to follow her birthright. Almost prophetically, Masteria had risen from the ocean the very next day, after which Corine had gone to seek her destiny.
Corine then explained that when a Taru infant was old enough to crawl, the tribe would place an array of weapons before them, with the one that the child picked becoming their weapon for the rest of their lives. She showed her bow to the traveler and explained that it was called an Akhamagna. She told the traveler that Taru weapons were created from the Krakian Jungle, and thus, they carried the Spirit of the Jungle within them.
The Taru warrior and their animal companion would eventually undergo the Spirit Quest, after which a ritual would be performed that would allow the spirit to recognize the stronger bond between warrior and companion, helping it attain a more powerful form that would enhance the weapon. The first Spirit Quest that the warrior and companion would undertake required one Spirit Feather to upgrade the weapon to its Suma form, and the second Spirit Quest requiring two Spirit Feathers, which would enhance the weapon to its ultimate Magna form. Corine explained that she had first upgraded her base weapon, which was named Akha, to an Akhasuma, and then to an Akhamagna.
When the traveler asked about the fate of the Taru, Corine explained that the tribe had vanished even before the disappearance of Masteria, as it was said that the native Krakians had wiped them out, despite the Krakians being peaceful creatures that had coexisted in harmony with the Taru for centuries. (A/N: In the current Masteria lore, the Taru have been retconned as a tribe of Krakians, rather than being completely separate races.) Corine explained that she could feel the calling of the Jungle Spirit within her blood, and that she had undertaken the Spirit Quest of learning the mystery behind the disappearance of her people.
Soon after, the traveler returned to Icebyrd Slimm, who thanked them for helping the people of New Leaf City. The traveler then reminded Icebyrd that he had promised to reveal the origins of New Leaf City, but Icebyrd told them that he still couldn’t reveal such a major secret. However, he agreed to answer other questions about the residents of the city. When asked about his relationship with Lita, Icebyrd revealed that he and Lita were merely friends. The traveler then asked about the other world, to which Icebyrd explained that there was a rumor that a portal to another world could be somehow opened from within the city, though he wasn’t sure how it was possible.
When the traveler asked Icebyrd how he, the builder of the city, knew nothing about the portal, Icebyrd reminded them that he had merely rebuilt the city, as the foundations and the ancient technology that the traveler had seen outside the city had all pre-existed. He explained that some of the technology that was used to power the city functions was so advanced that even Professor Foxwit couldn’t make sense of it. He also told the traveler that he was wary of using the ancient technology, as the legends of Masteria about immortal warriors, a mad scientist, and a threat from the stars was extremely ominous, with even Subani and Naricain being said to have originated from a part of Masteria.
Realizing that the traveler was still persistently asking questions, Icebyrd revealed that Masteria from centuries ago had once been a sprawling utopia that was highly advanced in technology. However, its people’s ambitions had eventually exceeded their control of their technology, resulting in an accident that had caused Masteria to sink beneath the ocean for a thousand years until Icebyrd had made a deal with someone to raise the continent and establish the city atop the ruins of Olde Sapp Village. When the traveler asked who had raised the city, Icebyrd told them that it was his burden to bear, though he promised to let them know more if the need ever arose.
(A/N: This marks the end of the original New Leaf City storyline. This next part is the original storyline for Phantom Forest.)
Several months later, the traveler visited John in the MesoGears, where John explained that his brother, Jack, had been radio-silent for too long after having set out to explore Crimsonwood Keep. He told the traveler that Jack usually sent a letter every week to report on his status, with his last letter, which had been sent months ago, stating that after weeks of wandering in circles around the haunted Phantom Forest, he had finally made it to the base of Crimsonwood Mountain, where he had discovered the fabled Valley of Heroes. As he was still busy with his work in the MesoGears, John asked the traveler to check on Jack in the Phantom Forest.
On their way to the Phantom Forest, the traveler encountered Lita Lawless, who explained that she and Icebyrd were offering bounties on several dangerous monsters inside the forest. She then began telling the traveler the legend of the Headless Horseman of the Phantom Forest. She explained that he had once been a man named Killian, a feared warrior of the Keep. It was said that his fury on the battlefield was such that he would even inadvertently injure his comrades with his custom-made spear and mastery over fire magic, with which he could release flames from his spear or even encase his head within a column of flames to terrify his enemies.
Despite his fury, he was normally calm within the Keep, smitten by the enigmatic sorceress, LeFay. Even after LeFay had left the Keep, he would continue visiting her in a secluded area of the Krakian Jungle where she lived. However, when the war between the Keep and the Krakians had begun, he had been unable to visit her for many years, causing his fury to grow to restless proportions until the Grandmaster Warrior had allowed him to see her.
Killian had then fought through hordes of Krakians, only to discover that LeFay’s house was in flames as the Krakians loaded her onto a torture rack at the command of the Alchemist, who was smitten with LeFay himself. Furious, Killian destroyed the Krakians and attempted to fight the Alchemist, who easily defeated him. Intrigued by Killian’s unique ability to withstand fire, he offered Killian a choice to become a test subject or watch LeFay die. Killian eventually agreed to come with the Alchemist, who took him and LeFay to the Polis of Krakia for over two years, eventually succeeding in replicating Killian’s rage to create a legion of fire-infused Krakians.
Still unsatisfied, he ordered Killian to lead the new legion of Krakians against the Keep’s heroes or watch LeFay die. Unwilling to choose between his lover and his comrades, Killian set his own head on fire in an attempt to kill himself. However, the Alchemist merely took an old pumpkin and combined his technology with one of LeFay’s own spells in order to create the Headless Horseman, a being powered by rage that knew neither fear nor empathy.
Having unlocked the secret behind LeFay’s chaos magic, the Alchemist realized that he had no further use for her, and so he transformed her into a pink horse to serve as the Horseman’s steed. A creature of science and nature, the unleashing of the Horseman became the turning point of the war until the Archmage Rafael cast a spell on the Horseman to force him to chase his true head forever, leading him to wander away from the battlefield on a fool’s errand for all eternity.
After hearing the story, the traveler used the New Leaf City taxi to enter the Phantom Forest, where they fought past the evil spirits and soon discovered a camp of rogue-looking people in Dead Man’s Gorge. Their leader, Taggrin, told the traveler that they were trespassing, and upon learning that the traveler was looking for Jack Barricade, Taggrin dismissed Jack as a plunderer and told the traveler to leave if they were affiliated with him. Laughing when the traveler asked if they were bandits, Taggrin told them to collect Phantom Seeds from the nearby Phantom Trees in order to prove themselves first. After the traveler returned, Taggrin admitted that they had made the forest safer and welcomed them into the camp.
The traveler then asked whether Taggrin had seen Jack, to which he begrudgingly admitted that Jack had come by some time ago. He explained that he and his comrades had spent weeks mapping out the forest by marking different paths with throwing knives on the trees, which denoted several shortcuts.
After Jack had learned about the map, he had continued pressing Taggrin about it, explaining that he was searching for Crimsonwood Keep. Believing him to be a common treasure hunter, Taggrin had rebuffed him and had sent him away. However, the next morning, Taggrin had discovered that Jack had stolen the map. Taggrin explained that without the map, they were as stuck as they had been at the start of their mission and told the traveler to let Jack know that he was coming for him.
When the traveler asked about the forest, Taggrin explained that the forest hadn’t always been withered, as the crimson trees that gave Crimsonwood its name extended down the mountain from the Keep, blanketing the area all the way to the gates of New Leaf City. He revealed that the forest used to be known as Crimsonwood Forest before it had become the site of a long, protracted war which had turned it into the Phantom Forest.
Taggrin explained that the Krakians, a peaceful, ancient race of sentient flora creatures, had once dwelled in the jungles east of the forest and had coexisted peacefully with the Taru tribe. However, the Krakians had inexplicably undergone a dramatic change, which had caused them to grow insane and attack Crimsonwood Keep, ignoring all attempts at communication.
The heroes of the Keep had attempted to repel the sudden attack, which had sparked a terrible war that raged for years, resulting in the decimation of not only the Krakians and the guardians of the Keep, but the forest itself. Taggrin also explained that the spirits of the fallen Krakians had attempted to return to nature, which had caused them to possess the husks of the dead trees. Upon being destroyed, the trees would drop seeds that gave rise to new trees.
Taggrin told the traveler that he hoped to break the endless cycle by destroying the seeds of the trees, though he couldn’t say whether it would have any effect. When the traveler asked who Taggrin and his group were, Taggrin laughed and simply told them that he and his comrades were on a secret mission.
The traveler then continued through the Phantom Forest and eventually ran into a warrior surrounded by strange monsters. The warrior introduced himself as Lukan de Vrisien and explained that the strange monsters around them wore the same armor of his brethren, though he claimed that they were imposters that called themselves Stormbreakers. To test the traveler’s combat prowess, Lukan asked them to defeat the Stormbreakers and bring their badges as proof.
After the traveler returned with the badges, Lukan thanked them for their service and explained that he was a Stormcaster of Crimsonwood Keep. The traveler was surprised to learn that Lukan was from the Keep, as Masteria had been gone for a thousand years. Lukan was shocked at their words, though he knew that there was some truth in them, as nothing around him resembled the Crimsonwood Forest that he knew. He told the traveler that part of his memory had been lost, as he had no idea how he had come to arrive in the forest, and so he asked them to leave him as he pondered his situation.
(A/N: In the Masteria revamp, Lukan is one of the four Grandmasters of the Keep, although he’s just a high-ranking soldier in the old one. After the release of the Masteria Through Time blockbuster, Lukan was replaced by a hooded version of himself and was renamed as the Nameless Warrior. Eventually when the old Phantom Forest storyline was removed and replaced by the revamped version, the Nameless Warrior became an entirely separate entity from Lukan in the new canon.)
Before they left, the traveler asked Lukan more about the Keep. Lukan explained that the Stormcasters were one of the master guilds of the Keep, a group of warrior-magician hybrids that used spears and polearms, from which they shot lightning spells. However, he noted that the corrupted Stormbreakers, though they used the same skills, were not the Stormcasters of his order, as he couldn’t believe that such monsters who indiscriminately attacked passing travelers hailed from the Keep. He believed that in the thousand years that Masteria had disappeared, a villainous imposter had stolen the teachings of not only the Stormcasters, but the other guilds as well.
When the traveler asked about the other guilds, Lukan explained that aside from the Stormcasters were the thief-archer hybrid Windreavers, the archer-magician Flamekeepers, and the warrior-thief Shadowknights, as well as the Bosshunters, a special guild composed of members of the other guilds that hunted powerful monsters. Lukan told the traveler that he had encountered corrupted members of the other Crimsonwood guilds: the Windraiders, who behaved like nothing more than common highwaymen, the Firebrands, who fought chaotically without the Flamekeepers’ discipline, and in particular, the Nightshadows, who used their powers of stealth to kill indiscriminately.
When the traveler asked Lukan whether he could recall anything from his recent memories, Lukan explained that he remembered that a few days ago, he had been summoned by the Grandmaster Council for an urgent secret mission, which they would not tell him anything about. He also remembered rushing to the Keep and arriving in the Council Hall in the dead of night, with his memory going blank until he recalled awakening in the Phantom Forest.
The traveler wondered whether Lukan had been transported from the past and explained that Professor Foxwit might know more about it. Lukan recalled that his old friend, the late Grandmaster Mage Delgrund, would often say that anything was possible with great magic and sorcery, and so he believed that traveling from the past could be possible as well.
The traveler then asked about the Keep itself, to which Lukan explained that it had stood proudly for over six hundred years, establishing itself as a center for learning and training towards mastery over one’s chosen profession. He told the traveler that many would travel from the farthest reaches of the world in order to train under the four Grandmasters.
Regarding the Grandmasters, he explained that each held utmost mastery over their discipline, and that there were always four, with a new Grandmaster being chosen upon their predecessor’s death. However, he explained that before the Grandmasters had existed, there was Christopher Crimsonheart, the founder of the Keep.
Lukan explained that Crimsonheart had already been a legendary warrior before building the Keep, though he had become even more renowned when he had achieved mastery in all four disciplines, becoming an expert warrior, mage, rogue, and archer, thereby becoming untouchable in battle. (A/N: The original Masteria lore predates pirates, which is why there are only four branches that are talked about.)
Lukan also told the traveler that a large statue of Crimsonheart had been erected in his honor in the Hall of Mastery. Lukan believed that there were new Grandmasters leading the corrupted soldiers, though he called them unworthy scoundrels. After learning as much as they could about the Keep, the traveler asked Lukan about how to get there. Lukan explained that in the old days, the first challenge of those who wished to train at the Keep was to find it, though he noted that the forest had grown more convoluted since those days, with even he himself having become lost, despite knowing the old paths by heart.
He told the traveler that after making it through the forest, they would reach the Valley of Heroes, a sacred ground that commemorated the Keep’s most valiant heroes with statues that lined the cliff walls. He also warned the traveler of the Menhirs, giant moving columns that would cause grave injury with a single touch. Lukan explained that the Menhirs served not only as a defense mechanism for the Keep, but also as a lesson in humility for those who wished to reach the Keep in order to learn from the Grandmasters.
He revealed that it was possible to access a path created by the statues with an artifact called the Marker of Heroism, though he told the traveler that that path was blocked to them, as he had lost his own Marker and had no knowledge of how to obtain another one. He then continued to explain the journey and told the traveler that past the Valley of Heroes was the base of Crimsonwood Mountain, from which they would need to climb to the summit amidst precarious rocky ledges.
He also warned the traveler that one path up the mountain would lead to a nest of Typhons and recommended that they avoid the area, as mother Typhons were extremely protective of their young. Having learned all that they could, the traveler decided to return to New Leaf City. There, they met with John Barricade and asked whether he knew anything about the Marker of Heroism, explaining that they had learned that the Marker would allow one to use the statues in the Valley of Heroes as teleporters.
John revealed that he and Jack had recreated a Marker based on their knowledge of the original artifact. He agreed to give it to the traveler if they could bring back materials for him to make a new one. He told them that he would need a Power Crystal, Gold Ores, and Typhon Feathers. He explained that the feathers were the key to the artifact’s power, and that he had originally obtained them from a rogue who had claimed to have gone through the Typhon nest while climbing up the mountain.
The traveler then obtained the materials and brought them to John, who thanked the traveler and gave them the Marker. Using the Marker, the traveler survived the journey through the Valley of Heroes and climbed up the mountain. They soon encountered a cave, inside which they found several corrupted Keep soldiers and Jack Barricade.
After learning that the traveler had been sent by his brother, Jack explained that he had been captured by the soldiers, though he had managed to escape. The traveler decided to return to New Leaf City in order to let John know about what had happened, and so Jack asked them to deliver a letter to John as well. (A/N: Why are we so okay with just leaving him in a dangerous cave, he’s probably dehydrated and starving.)
Before the traveler headed out, Jack explained that he and his brother had been interested in Crimsonwood Keep for a long time, as it was one of Maple World’s greatest mysteries regarding how an entire continent, one which held one of the greatest troves of knowledge in the world, could have vanished. He told the traveler that the Keep had been built to safeguard an object of great power called the Antellion, which was likely responsible for the Grandmasters’ strength. Though many believed that Masteria had sunk because of a disaster, Jack believed that the power of the Antellion had caused Masteria’s disappearance.
He explained that shortly after his capture, he had been brought to the Keep’s Inner Sanctum, where he had been led to the Council Hall of the Grandmasters. There, he had discovered the four Grandmasters arguing in a strange language, though he had picked up a mention of the Antellion. Jack explained that he had observed them gazing at a mirror-like device with glowing symbols.
Before one of the Grandmasters had shut off the screen, Jack had committed many symbols to memory and had written them down in his notebook as soon as he could. Believing that it was some sort of code, he asked the traveler to bring the symbols to John, who was better at deciphering ancient languages. He then gave them a map of the Phantom Forest, which he had taken from Taggrin, in order to help the traveler traverse through the forest faster.
(A/N: There’s a small mistake in this storyline, which is that it forgets to reveal that Jack had actually won the map fairly in a game of Omok against Taggrin. When you meet Taggrin again, you have knowledge of this, as there’s a dialogue option in which you tell him that you know the truth, but Jack never explicitly tells it to us.)
The traveler returned to John and told him about their meeting with Jack. John read through Jack’s notes and realized that the symbols were strangely familiar, even though he had never seen them before. When he asked where Jack had come across the writing, the traveler explained that Jack had been imprisoned by the evil Grandmasters of the Keep, and that the symbols may hold a clue as to their plans.
John attempted to use his leftover Hyper Glyphs, but when they returned gibberish, he asked the traveler to show the symbols to the other experts of the city while he continued attempting to translate them himself. The traveler then asked Elpam Gorlab about the symbols, who immediately went white and explained that the symbols were letters of the Versalian alphabet.
When the traveler explained that they had found the symbols in Crimsonwood Keep, Elpam told them that it was something that he and other Versalians had feared. Though the message was only written in fragments, with some portions incorrectly transcribed by Jack, Elpam translated the message as, “…acquire immediately… Noille Nalle… remains… chamber… key… city… new… Village Sapp… center incarnadine of… place resting… learned spies my…”
The confused traveler asked Elpam what it meant, to which he explained that the Noille Nalle was known to the Versalians as the Star of Night, a cursed object that had brought misery to their realm. Though he was unsure about the rest, Elpam urged the traveler to return the translated letter to John as soon as possible.
The traveler brought the letter to John and explained that it was written in Versalian. As John skimmed through the translation, he noted that “Village Sapp” likely referred to Old Sapp Village, or perhaps even New Leaf City, which had been built upon its ruins. He also noted that “incarnadine” was another word for “crimson”, causing him to realize that the message was actually backwards, with “center incarnadine” actually referring to “Crimsonheart”.
Filling in the blanks, John roughly read that the letter actually said, “My spies have learned that the resting place of Crimsonheart is in Olde Sapp Village.” However, he was surprised that the writer of the message knew about Crimsonheart’s grave, which John had only recently discovered. Just then, he realized that the robots which he had borrowed from Foxwit to help him translate the symbols in the MesoGears had likely been sabotaged by the one who had written the letter, which explained why the robots had gone haywire.
(A/N: Like I mentioned before, the robots were sabotaged by Dr. Krakia, the nemesis of Professor Foxwit, who has an alter ego that gets revealed later on. I believe that Dr. Krakia was first mentioned in the Turkey Commando event for Thanksgiving.)
Looking through the rest of the message, John translated it as, “…new city… the key to its chamber…” Though he wasn’t sure about the key or which chamber it was in, he noted that the final words, “acquire immediately”, were ominous and signified that there was something in the MesoGears that bore significant importance to someone.
When the traveler asked why Crimsonheart’s grave would be important, John replied by asking why such a central figure in Masterian legend would have such a simple headstone. He then wondered whether the grave led to the chamber, or perhaps served as the key. While he worked on learning more about the MesoGears, John asked the traveler to return to Jack with the translation and bring him up to speed about what they had learned. He also told them to let Jack know that he was right about Subani’s influence in the MesoGears, explaining that Jack would know what he meant. (A/N: When he says that “he was right”, he means that he, John, was right.)
The traveler returned back to the Phantom Forest and set off for the Keep. On their way, they ran into Taggrin and his camp. The traveler then revealed to Taggrin that Jack wasn’t just a treasure hunter, but rather, he was hoping to learn the mystery behind Masteria’s disappearance. This intrigued Taggrin, who asked what Jack had learned.
The traveler explained that Jack had been captured by the corrupted warriors of the Keep, though he had managed to escape before investigating what the evil Grandmasters were up to. They also told Taggrin that they knew that Jack had won the map fairly in a game of Omok, and that Jack had taken it because his mission was so pressing.
Impressed by Jack’s fortitude in reaching the Keep, Taggrin conceded that he had behave irrationally because of how competitive he got over Omok. He was then surprised when the traveler returned the map to him and considered it an honorable gesture. To reward their trustworthiness, Taggrin decided to explain who he and his camp were. He revealed that they were the Raven Ninja Clan, and that they hailed from an island called the Isle of Vigilance off the northern shore of Masteria.
He explained that the clan traced its lineage back to the Shadowknights guild, and so they considered the Keep their ancestral home. He told the traveler that their clan was investigating the reason for Masteria’s disappearance and return, which he believed was related to what Jack was investigating at the Keep. He then gave the map to the traveler, believing that Jack may have been right to entrust them with it.
Taggrin then asked the traveler if they had encountered the Elder Wraiths in the forest, noting that they were as strong in death as they had been in life. When the traveler expressed confusion, Taggrin realized that he had never told them about how the war that he had mentioned during their last meeting had ended. He explained that even in spite of the unparalleled skill of the Keep’s soldiers, the sheer numbers of Krakians had proved to be a relentless, insurmountable force, dragging the war out for ten years before the Krakians ultimately overwhelmed the Keep.
Without proper burials, the heroes of the Keep who had fallen in battle had become mindless undead monsters, doomed to wander the site of their demise. Believing that it was unforgivable for honorable warriors to sacrifice their lives without receiving their dues, Taggrin asked the traveler to collect the ashes of the fallen, so that he could give the warriors their proper last rites in the hope that just as with the seeds of the Phantom Trees, it would break their cycle of suffering. After bringing the ashes to Taggrin, the traveler was recognized as an honorary clan member.
With their newfound status, the traveler asked to learn more about the clan. Taggrin explained that the Shadowknights had kept a secluded stronghold called the Watchtower, which they had used in conjunction with their guild hall in the Keep. When the Krakians had driven out the guilds from the Keep, the Shadowknights had retreated to the Watchtower, which no one but their guild knew how to reach, and had continued their fight to retake the Keep. From there, they had launched many missions to try to discover the inexplicable reason behind the Krakians’ attack.
Several months after the fall of the Keep, a heroine named Lireni had led a band of her fellow Shadowknights into the Krakian Jungle, where they reached the Krakians’ hidden city, the Polis of Krakia. There, she had discovered that the Krakians had been corrupted by a mysterious man known as the Alchemist. (A/N: The Alchemist is the same one responsible for creating the Headless Horseman.)
Lireni had returned to the Watchtower, and though it was unknown whether the Shadowknights ever discovered the identity of the Alchemist, they had been unable to take action, as one moonless night, a massive vortex had appeared in the skies above Masteria, followed by a blinding flash of light, after which the entire continent had vanished.
The disappearance of Masteria had caused massive tsunamis, which had destroyed nearby villages and even much of the Watchtower, resulting in the destruction of many ancient Shadowknight records and relics. Following the disaster, the Shadowknights had splintered into different groups, with only a few following the ancient code, such as the Raven Ninja Clan. Taggrin likened themselves to ravens that watched over the departed, swearing to watch the sea for the return of Masteria, and to discover the reason behind its disappearance.
The traveler then returned to the Keep and met with Jack, who was surprised to learn about Crimsonheart’s grave being the key to something important. He noted that it was strange that such an influential figure had no mentions of having a grand funeral. However, he also noted that Crimsonheart had been known for his humility, which may have accounted for him having a simple grave. However, he wondered why the Grandmasters didn’t have knowledge about Crimsonheart’s grave, to which the traveler asked why the ancient Grandmasters would even understand Versalian.
Jack then realized that the Grandmasters whom he had met were actually Versalian, and not the ancient masters of Masteria whom he had initially believed them to be. When he wondered how Versalians could have arrived in Masteria, the traveler pointed out that Elpam Gorlab had recently arrived in New Leaf City and supposed that others like him could have followed. However, Jack told the traveler that intradimensional travel required immense power, meaning that the Versalians were either inherently powerful or they had the help of a powerful being.
Suddenly, he realized that all the Versalian soldiers training at the Keep in the style of the ancient guilds was likely part of their plan to attack New Leaf City and reach Crimsonheart’s grave. After considering it, Jack concluded that the only way to stop the attack was to defeat the Versalian Twisted Masters masquerading as the four Grandmasters. Though they would need an army of soldiers of their own, Jack told the traveler that they would first need to find a way to get past the energy field blocking the Inner Sanctum.
In order to get past the field, the traveler sought out Lukan and revealed that the twisted soldiers were part of a Versalian army. The term ‘Versal’ sounded familiar to Lukan, who briefly had glimmers of memory related to it, causing him to wonder whether he had been there himself, though the memory quickly faded. Nevertheless, Lukan told the traveler that he had a Keystone for the Inner Sanctum Gate, as his position often required him to help the Grandmasters.
He offered to give the Keystone to the traveler if they could first weaken the Keep’s defenses. After they cleared out the Versalian soldiers, Lukan gave them the Keystone, though he told the traveler that they would still need to find a way to disable to energy field. The traveler returned to Jack and gave him the Keystone, after which he promised to keep looking into the energy field.
(A/N: This marks the end of the original Phantom Forest storyline. This next part is the storyline for the Crimsonwood Keep PQ. Unfortunately, this content was removed from the game and I’ve only found one source in my thorough search of the Internet that shows any dialogue because everyone else was dumb and held spacebar during the whole thing. However, even that video had some skipped parts, and so keep in mind that this section unfortunately doesn’t cover 100% of the whole thing.
Crimsonwood Keep PQ was removed from the game shortly before Masteria Through Time came out because they said that they wanted to redesign it with the new aesthetic. While they promised to open it up again soon™, it’s been over six years and we’re all still waiting like clowns. Before starting the PQ, the party leader needed to have twelve Crimson Hearts, which were dropped from the nearby Crimson Guardian monsters. It could be done in a group of 10-20 people and you would need at least two members of each job, preferably one from each branch of that job.)
The traveler soon gathered a band of allies and entered Crimsonwood Keep with Jack. The group then made their way into an old storage room in a different wing of the Keep. Jack explained that he had read about such types of rooms, some of which had been sealed because of the nature of the magical artifacts within them, which were either too dangerous or impractical for training.
He noted that the old Grandmasters must have left a way to get in and out of the area and soon discovered a Sigil, which he explained was a major part of the Keep. He told the group that the Antellion made many things possible, from providing the energy to power the Keep, to opening portals to other dimensions for training, to imbuing certain warriors with incredible power.
He explained that Crimsonheart was the one who had understood the Antellion the best, and though he had vanished long ago, knowledge of certain ways to use the Antellion had been passed down through the ages. Eventually, Ridley, the master Elite Mage, had been granted permission to study the Antellion, with which he created artifacts that would be useful to the Keep, of which the Sigils were some of the most notable.
(A/N: Ridley actually appears in the Crimsonheart Castle theme dungeon as a statue and helps you evacuate the demon children trapped inside. KMS lifted many Masteria assets from GMS and implemented them in the Tynerum storyline.)
The traveler and their allies then worked together to activate the Sigils while avoiding the Menhirs, using specific skills of their jobs in order to activate them.Eventually, the group made it to the Grandmaster Council Hall and faced the Twisted Masters. After a fierce battle, the Versalian warriors were defeated, allowing the group to enter the Inner Sanctum.
(A/N: The Twisted Masters also drop an equippable pendant called the Mark of Naricain, which proves their allegiance to him.)
Inside, they discovered a map of Masteria, which had arrows tracing a path from the Keep to New Leaf City, as well as a hologram of Naricain.
(A/N: Naricain appears as a large demonic beast with a mane, six arms, and a tail, which is quite unlike his boring human appearance in the revamp.)
Jack then found several Versalian foods, such as Sugar-Coated Olives and Ssiws Cheese, leading him to believe that he was right about the Twisted Masters being from Versal. He then noted that if the Twisted Masters were so powerful, then their master had to be even more terrifying. Based on the map in the room, he realized that the Versalians were indeed fixated on Crimsonheart’s grave, though he couldn’t be sure of what kind of secret it held.
The traveler then brought up Dr. Krakia, Foxwit’s nemesis, and asked about his role. Jack noted that there were many legends surrounding the fabled Polis of Krakia and the Alchemist, whom the Krakians had worshipped long ago, and wondered whether Dr. Krakia and the Alchemist could be the same person.
The traveler then told Jack that they had heard voices throughout the mission, to which he explained that he had also heard a voice, which had helped him escape his imprisonment by the Twisted Masters, and that the same voice had brought him from Aqua Road to Masteria, with John having noted similar voices in his letters. Based on their experiences, Jack wondered whether there was someone looking out for them.
The traveler then returned to Icebyrd and asked him for more answers, as they still felt as though he was keeping something hidden. Icebyrd told the traveler that he often wondered about the paths that people took and whether they were fated to make the same mistakes across history. He told the traveler that that very question was what had led to his sacrifice in establishing New Leaf City, and that he had been sworn to secrecy until the truth could be revealed.
Because of the traveler’s actions in protecting Masteria, Icebyrd decided to tell them the full truth. He explained that long ago, he had woken up in a different place, and that a being of light that called itself Subani had offered him the chance to stop the coming reign of terror. Subani had explained that a mystic anchor was needed to bring a fabled lost continent from Versal, a world which could not be helped, as the being that threatened it was too powerful. However, the sole condition for the deal was that Icebyrd could never leave Masteria, to which he had agreed without hesitation.
He explained that when he used to live in Kerning City, he once had a nightmare in which he had seen everything in Maple World working in a twisted sense of order, with everyone having a vacant look upon their face as the sky had turned black. He had also seen a terrifying beast with endless arms, pure misery that had taken over the world, and his friends enslaved to the beast, as well as Subani’s voice telling him that he could stop it.
Icebyrd had then been teleported to Masteria, which had been restored by Subani, who had helped him construct the city, with Subani’s light growing dimmer as the city grew. Upon its completion, Subani had ordered Icebyrd to never tell a soul about what had happened until the time was right, and to act as though he knew nothing. Subani had then vanished, promising to return when he was needed the most. Icebyrd then told the traveler that they had the strength, courage, and honor to be a new hero of Masteria, and to face the coming storm.
(A/N: It’s implied that this voice belongs to Subani. There’s a similar concept echoed in the new Masteria lore regarding Subani and his guiding light. This also marks the end of both the Crimsonwood Keep PQ and the last Masteria arc released in the game. PirateIzzy reached out to NxProse over LinkedIn and asked him about his drafts for the next expansion in the Masteria storyline, which he was gracious enough to answer. He shared a summary of his ideas, which I’ve serialized as best as I could. It’s pretty barebones, since we just have the plot summary, but I’ll try to include relevant details in the author notes and link the original post in case anyone’s interested in hearing it in NxProse’s own words.)
Professor Foxwit reached out to the traveler and asked them to find his assistant, Gori. The traveler went deep into the jungles and discovered him inside the Polis of Krakia. Gori revealed that Foxwit, having gone senile in his old age, would always forget his real name, Rogi. Rogi explained that he wanted to keep Masteria safe by calibrating the continent to remain anchored. In order to do so, he asked the traveler to activate the various beacons around the jungle.
(A/N: These beacons are actually the various pods and technological structures scattered in the background of the Masteria maps, which now become interactable with this update.)
The traveler successfully activated the beacons while fighting off the Taru spirits throughout the jungle and returned back to Rogi, who thanked the traveler and directed them to the final beacon. Upon arriving, however, the traveler encountered an enormous cybernetically-enhanced jungle ape named K.K. After a difficult battle, the traveler managed to stun K.K. and flee, though the enraged ape continued roaming the jungle in order to find them.
(A/N: K.K. is actually a boss fight meant to be undertaken in a party. After he roams the jungle, he becomes a field boss like the Headless Horseman and Bigfoot, although you can only stun him for items that are meant to come from those who weren’t as lucky, as K.K. is unkillable. K.K. is likely also a reference to King Kong.)
Having escaped, the traveler decided to confront Rogi about why he had led them into a trap. They returned back to the Polis, where they entered his hut and discovered a disguise, a strange device, and a note written in Versalian. They took the note to Foxwit, who asked them to bring it to Elpam Gorlab for him to translate. Upon reading the note, Elpam was horrified and told the traveler that the note said, “Continent now ready for transport, Master. Reporting back to Octoplex.”
Elpam asked the traveler where they had obtained the note, and upon learning that it had come from Rogi, Elpam revealed that Rogi was the loyal servant of the Alchemist, and that Rogi’s name would actually be reversed as Igor in Maple World. The shocked traveler then returned to Foxwit and told him what they had learned. Foxwit realized that Rogi was the assistant of Dr. Krakia, meaning that the Alchemist and Dr. Krakia were indeed one and the same.
Foxwit asked the traveler to revisit the beacons that they had activated in order to learn what Rogi had really planned with them. The traveler returned to the jungle and fought past the Taru spirits before checking the status of several beacons. Upon reporting back, the traveler was told by Foxwit that Rogi had lied to them about anchoring Masteria, and that the traveler had really calibrated the exact position of the continent for the Alchemist and Naricain to transport Masteria back to Versal. He explained that Naricain would have his army use Masteria as a staging ground, after which the continent would be teleported back to Maple World for their invasion to begin.
Horrified at what they had done, the traveler resolved to make up for their actions by stopping the Alchemist. In order to learn more about the Krakian Jungle and the Octoplex, Foxwit asked the traveler to speak with Corine. Corine gave the traveler a token that would allow for safe passage through the jungle and told them to go back to the Polis of Krakia, where all would be revealed.
The traveler then returned to Rogi’s hut and turned on a strange machine that they found there. This freed five Taru spirits who appeared before the traveler. The spirit of the Taru Chief explained that they had been attacking the traveler earlier because they knew about the true purpose of the beacons, which had wiped the Taru out, and so they had believed that the traveler was an enemy when they had tried to activate them.
After presenting the token and explaining what had really happened, the traveler was marked as an ally. The spirits then agreed to help the traveler find the Octoplex, though they warned that the Krakiatoa, the ultimate weapon which had destroyed Crimsonwood Keep, awaited them inside. The traveler then proceeded deeper into the jungle, where they discovered the Krakian army. Battling through the strange warriors, they discovered the entrance to the Octoplex, which recognized that they were not Versalian and thus denied them entry.
Puzzled, the traveler returned to Foxwit and Elpam, who came up with a plan for the traveler to disguise themselves. The traveler then returned to the Phantom Forest and collected gear from the Versalian soldiers, which they then took to Magatia in order to synthesize. In Magatia, the traveler spoke to Dr. DeLang, who revealed that the Alchemist was a time traveler who had learned from the most powerful scientists and magicians in history, from Professor Foxwit to the Black Magician himself.
(A/N: Dr. De Lang is an alchemist whom you meet during the Magatia town quests. The Magatia town quests also told the story of the Black Magician, an evil wizard who had ruled Ossyria for hundreds of years. The Black Magician and his story were later adapted into the Black Mage when the main story of the game began. It’s revealed in the Magatia town quests that the town was build atop the Black Magician’s laboratory.
The main story takes this idea and retcons it into the laboratory of the Black Mage, although the town quests still call it the Black Magician’s laboratory. During the Magatia town storyline, we end up finding Dr. De Lang’s journal, which contains some information on the Black Magician. GMS actually made an addition to one of the journal’s pages to include a reference to a secret disciple of the Black Magician, which was meant to tie into the lore about the Alchemist.)
Dr. De Lang also explained that the Alchemist had allied himself with Naricain in a bid to reverse the destruction of his world. In particular, his plan involved the Antellion, whose immense power had been responsible for teleporting Masteria to Versal a millennium ago. However, Subani had intervened and had made the deal with Icebyrd to return Masteria to Maple World before the Alchemist could finish his research.
DeLang also revealed that the Antellion was only one of the two items that the Alchemist needed to restore his world, with the second item, still unknown, being located at the grave of Christopher Crimsonheart. After Dr. De Lang synthesizing the Versalian gear, the traveler used it to fool the sensors and enter the Octoplex.
(A/N: This next portion would need a minimum of four people and a maximum of twenty, although the group can only enter in subgroups of four people. The Octoplex would have been a special party quest that has eight random stages out of 32, with each having a different challenge required to unlock the Launch Site corridor for the next part of the story. The challenges would also change every week.)
After infiltrating the Octoplex and entering the Launch Site, the traveler encountered the Krakiatoa, a gigantic robot which had destroyed the Keep.
(A/N: This boss fight would start at the Launch Site and then teleport us around to special versions of the Masteria maps, from the Krakian Jungle to New Leaf City, then to Crimsonwood Mountain, then to Crimsonwood Keep, and finally to the Heart of the Keep, the place where the Antellion is been kept. The players would need to beat each of Krakiatoa’s forms on the different maps as it tries to obtain the Antellion and fails, as well as to destroy each piece as it crashes into the Octoplex.)
Upon destroying Krakiatoa, the traveler encountered the Alchemist himself, who was furious at their meddling.
(A/N: The fight with the Alchemist would have taken place on one map. The Alchemist would have had the usual AoE attacks, weapon/magic cancel, damage reflect, etc. However, his time travel and dimensional travel abilities would allow him to summon any four of the following bosses at once: the Twisted Masters, Black Crow, the third job advancement instructor clones, Manon, Griffey, Papulatus, Ergoth, Bigfoot, and K.K.
At half health, Rogi would enter the fight and begin shooting a large laser cannon that the players would have to dodge. At 75%, 50%, and 25% health, the Alchemist would warp us to a different prison map. He’d send us to Aqua Road at 75% health, then Crimsonwood Mountain at 50% health, and then a dark dimension at 25%. In the prison maps, we would need to find and destroy an anchor in a limited amount of time to escape.
After the Alchemist is defeated, he reverses time and drops the player into his sanctum, where the reward chests are, while he escapes somewhere else for us to challenge again once a day.)
Upon defeating the Alchemist, the traveler emerged at the Launch Site and returned back to New Leaf City, where they reported their success to Foxwit. Foxwit told them that he would research on finding a way to break the Alchemist’s time travel abilities and asked the player to continue defeating the Alchemist until he could find a solution.
Soon after, the traveler discovered the Isle of Vigilance, which contained the ruins of the Shadowknights’ Watchtower, and encountered Unife, the leader of the Raven Ninja Clan. Unife told the traveler that the clan had found a strange temple in the woods, but they didn’t have the numbers to mount an assault, as the Dragon Ninja Clan had additional reinforcements and strange new powers.
(A/N: We don’t know much about the Dragon Ninja Clan at this time, aside from speculation that they’re a splinter group of the Shadowknights that didn’t adhere to their original mission.)
The traveler then infiltrated the Temple of the Elementals and found a captured Rafael.
(A/N: NxProse actually wrote Raphael, although I believe that this is actually a typo. Rafael is the mage who stopped the Headless Horseman by enchanting him to go on an eternal search for his head.)
After the traveler defeated the leaders of the Dragon Ninja Clan, True Ocelot and True Phoenix, Rafael led them to the Chamber of the Antellion, where he decided to become its guardian. He then offered to show them just how powerful Naricain was and gave them a single-use device, which he told them to use after defeating the Alchemist once again.
Upon using it, the traveler was teleported to Versal, where they encountered Elpam Gorlab’s father, the leader of the Versalian Resistance against Naricain. However, before Elpam’s father could warn them, the traveler was drained of nearly all their vitality and their armor disappeared. (A/N: What actually happens is that your whole party’s HP/MP gets drained and your items get unequipped.)
Terrified, Elpam’s father summoned Subani, who cast a spell on the traveler to send them back to Maple World. However, the instant that he succeeded, Crushmom appeared and leapt at Elpam’s father, leaving his fate unknown. (A/N: Crushmom’s story was told in the Versalmas event. According to NxProse, Crushmom would basically be a black and red version of Mushmom.)
Back in Maple World, the traveler returned to Rafael and told him that they now understood the magnitude of the threat that they faced. Knowing that Naricain would stop at nothing to obtain the Antellion, the traveler realized that they would need Crimsonheart’s help to aid the Versalian Resistance in defeating Naricain.
Rafael then revealed that he had discovered Crimsonheart’s location, and that he needed Foxwit to build a device to bring Crimsonheart from across time to the present. He explained that Crimsonheart’s grave was a portal that led to a new land where he had been last seen, and that once the traveler found Crimsonheart, they could have him lead an all-out assault on Versal.
(A/N: Unfortunately, this is where the writeup ends. NxProse mentions that Versal, as a ruined parallel dimension, was going to be a twisted version of the most popular Maple World maps. It also would’ve spanned multiple acts to weaken Naricain over time before we would finally be able to kill him. The war against Naricain would’ve required us to kill his anchors and totems, with the final fight being released in an update that he had named “Shadow of Versal”. I really wish that we could’ve gotten the whole story, but I’m at least glad that we got to learn more from NxProse, although it just leaves me wanting more.
With that, here are all the links that I compiled about the old lore of Masteria:
PirateIzzy’s playlist of the old Masteria stories (featuring their new Masteria story counterparts)
IsaacGS’s summary of Masteria factions
PirateIzzy’s post about NxProse’s original drafts
SlipySlidy’s post containing interview transcripts from the Masteria writing team
Saught’s video on the original Haunted House (Prendergast Mansion) storyline
Saught’s video on Tynerum vs Masteria (Not strictly on old Masteria but still kinda related)
GMS-Verse
Masteria Through Time
Call to Masteria:
(A/N: This section isn’t actually part of the Masteria Through Time blockbuster, it’s a small set of introductory quests to Masteria that serves as a sort of prequel to the blockbuster. These quests were actually added some time after the blockbuster came out. I also mentioned this in the foreword, but my assumption is that the protagonist of this section is the same protagonist as all the other sections, with the only exceptions being Neo Tokyo and the class storylines for Hayato, Kanna, Jett, and Beast Tamer.)
A traveler received a package, which contained a walkie-talkie. From it came the voice of Icebyrd Slimm, who introduced himself as the mayor of New Leaf City. (A/N: I’ve mentioned this before in the previous section, but Icebyrd Slimm was based on NxProse himself.) Icebyrd began rambling about the meaning of life and soon came to the point by explaining that the answers to all such questions could be discovered in New Leaf City. He explained that after the traveler’s voice had rung through, he had a feeling that they would be drawn to adventure, adding that he himself had been an adventurer in his younger days.
(A/N: One major issue that I have with the new Masteria storyline is the way that it retcons and ruins the personalities of pre-existing characters, all of whom become caricatures of their old selves. In this case, Icebyrd is relegated to being a bumbling idiot, which honestly seems like an insult on the writers’ part, given that Icebyrd was based on NxProse.)
Icebyrd explained that New Leaf City was built on the continent of Masteria, which had risen from the sea after a thousand years. Intrigued, the traveler visited New Leaf City, where Icebyrd greeted them and asked Lita Lawless to help the traveler out, though Lita merely flipped Icebyrd off. (A/N: Here, Lita has become a standoffish, rude character, rather than the outspoken and fair sheriff that she originally used to be.) Icebyrd then laughed and told the traveler that Lita was the sheriff of the city, and that he had grown up with her in Kerning City.
The traveler then asked more about Masteria, and so Icebyrd explained that the legends of Masteria stated that the continent was where great armies that thirsted for power had collided and met their ends, with ancient Masteria meeting its own end at Olde Sapp Village, upon which New Leaf City had been built. He told the traveler that Olde Sapp Village had been much smaller and more primitive than New Leaf City, with nothing left but foundations and cornerstones when he had first arrived.
He explained that he had called in every favor and had invested every asset that he had earned over his lifetime after making a wish. He told the traveler that he had always longed to create a place where people could fulfill their dreams, and that his wish had been granted in exchange for a great responsibility that he believed might be too much for him to handle.
When the traveler asked what he had been asked to do, Icebyrd laughed and told them that it hopefully wasn’t something that they would need to worry about. He then explained that he had been sending walkie-talkies to as many adventurers as he could, but that the traveler was the first to have answered the call.
With that, he invited them to explore Masteria, and to learn more about it. He told them that recently, a scientific team called the Masteria Research Lab had arrived, although they had holed themselves up in several rooms of Professor Foxwit’s laboratory, where they mostly kept to themselves. He then introduced the traveler to Foxwit, explaining that the 97-year-old professor was their resident genius who had agreed to help New Leaf City after Icebyrd had saved him from man-eating plants in the jungle.
He then showed the traveler a special pod that would teleport them to Foxwit and told them that even though Foxwit was eccentric, he was a good man who would help them get started on their adventures in Masteria. The traveler then used the pod and introduced themselves to Foxwit. However, Foxwit told them that he already knew their story, as he could detect nearly every signal that moved through Masteria. The traveler was amazed, though they were concerned about the legality of such an action.
Foxwit dismissed the notion and told them that he had permission from the mayor and the sheriff, although he added that there were some stipulations about ethics and security that meant that he could only share the information that he gathered with Icebyrd. Though the traveler was certain that it was illegal, they nevertheless asked Foxwit how his system worked. Believing that it would be more efficient for them to experience it, Foxwit gave them a headset to put on, with which they were able to hear the buzz of insect wings and a waterfall.
As Foxwit began explaining that they were hearing the sounds of the jungle, the traveler heard a girl crying out for help amidst the sounds of vicious monkeys. The traveler immediately rushed to the source of the cries in the jungle and fought off the monkeys attacking the girl. The girl thanked the traveler profusely and introduced herself as Becky, a member of the Masteria research team.
She explained that she had come into the jungle alone to study the ruins of ancient Masteria, since the other researchers continued to remain in the lab, as they only placed importance on artifacts of practical value, rather than learning the culture and legends of the ancient people of Masteria. She told the traveler that the researchers were likely slacking off, as Dr. Jang, their team lead, was away. (A/N: Dr. Jang plays a major role in the Masteria Through Time blockbuster.)
As the traveler continued trying to calm Becky down, she asked them whether they could accompany her in her exploration of Masteria, as she was terrified of being attacked by monsters again. Feeling bad for her, the traveler agreed to escort her during her investigation. Becky thanked them and explained that she had been able to scout up to the Krakian Ruins, and so it would be unlikely that they would encounter the monkeys there again.
When the traveler asked about the Krakians, Becky told them that the Krakians were the aboriginal people who had once been native to Masteria. She explained that she was researching their ruins and attempting to analyze the ancient Krakian language, which showed many similarities to the ancient language of El Nath.
The traveler was impressed by her work, to which Becky proudly proclaimed that Dr. Jang was the first person to have performed a deep academic analysis of Krakian writings. She then explained that according to what she had learned thus far, the Krakians had a close relationship with foreigners called Versalians, who had visited the western reaches of Olde Sapp Village, and that the strong cultural exchange between the two groups of people was the reason for the inconsistencies in the architecture of the Krakian ruins.
In order to learn more about the Versalians, Becky and the traveler began to head west and soon found themselves in the Phantom Forest. They quickly discovered several hostile entities and began to flee. They soon encountered a mysterious light that guided them to safety. (A/N: The actual chasing and the light guiding them happens off-screen for some reason, with only their discussion about what had just happened being what we see. The light is most likely that of Subani.)
They continued onward up Crimsonwood Mountain and soon discovered several ancient structures. Becky told the traveler that she had never been to the region that they were at before, noting that the vegetation and soil were completely different from what she had observed elsewhere. She then attempted to read the writing on one of the structures, and though she noted that it was different from the Krakian text that she was used to, she also noted that it still had undeniable similarities to the ancient script of El Nath.
(A/N: The fact that they specifically chose to specify El Nath makes me wonder whether there’s some connection between Masteria and the Abrup Basin, a part of El Nath that we see in MONAD.)
After translating the writing, Becky told the traveler that it roughly said, “Only those who are qualified may ascend the mountain.” Suddenly, corrupted monsters appeared and began to attack the pair. After fighting them off, the traveler took Becky inside a cavern, where they discovered more monsters. (A/N: The corrupted Keep monsters from the original Masteria storyline have a new look, with all of them having the same red and black color scheme and weapons for their job class, rather than each of the four types having a unique color scheme and appearance.)
After the traveler defeated the monsters, Becky thanked them for accompanying her, as she would never have been able to survive alone. The traveler replied that they needed her as well, as they never would have been able to make any progress in exploring without her knowledge of ancient languages. Becky then began translating another writing in the cavern, which she read to be, “To the ones who seek truth through knowledge…”
However, she found that she was unable to translate the literal text, and so she summarized by saying that it had been written by Subani, the Magician of Light, instructing others in having the right mindset towards study and training. She told the traveler that Subani was the first disciple of the Grandmaster, explaining that the Grandmasters were the greatest champions of their age, and that they had built Crimsonwood Keep on the summit of the mountain in order to safeguard an object of great significance called the Antellion. (A/N: The Grandmaster that Becky is referring to is Christopher Crimsonheart, who was the founder of the Keep and the adoptive father of Subani and Naricain.)
Realizing that they would need to keep climbing in order to learn more, the traveler and Becky continued scaling the mountain and eventually reached the Keep. Inside, they discovered an enormous statue and a slate with writing.
(A/N: The statue was created in the likeness of Crimsonheart. The statue of Crimsonheart from the original storyline depicted him having four hands with weapons of each job type. Later on, the statue was updated to have five hands in order to reflect the addition of pirates. The current statue only has two hands, although he still has five different weapons to signify the five jobs.)
Becky translated the writing and explained that it said that the Grandmasters had reached the pinnacle of their might through the power of the Antellion. However, when the Archdemon Naricain, who was meant to become the Antellion’s protector, had come in search of it, a time of tragedy had roiled the land. (A/N: Archdemon is a pretty grand title for someone as unimpressive as Naricain, which you’ll soon see in later sections.)
The traveler wondered whether the writing was alluding to the war of destruction that Icebyrd had mentioned. Becky confirmed their speculation by explaining that Naricain was the cause of the war, with Subani fighting against him, hypothesizing that their battle was likely the reason why Masteria had sunk into the ocean. She also read that the Antellion was said to be “like the brilliance of a star, never diminishing”, and wondered whether it was a sort of animating force or a source of perpetual energy. Suddenly, the ground began rumbling and the traveler quickly led Becky outside the Keep to safety.
One week later, Dr. Yoon arrived at the Masteria Research Lab and told Dr. Jang that he would be ending support for any research that hadn’t yet yielded useful results, which included operations near the Keep. Dr. Jang conceded that a good scientist needed to look towards the future, but she also noted that researching the past gave the understanding to determine how to shape the future, and so she declared that she could not comply with his orders.
She told Dr. Yoon that she believed that not only was the Antellion real, but it also existed somewhere in Masteria. However, Yoon cut her off and explained that the decision had already been made by upper management to reduce her budget and headcount. He also urged her to go along with it without her usual fuss and theatrics.
After he left, her fellow researchers began agreeing with Dr. Yoon, claiming that there was no point in putting so much effort towards researching the Antellion if there was no hard evidence of its existence. As Becky attempted to argue with them, Jang decided to go along with the order to shut down operations in the Keep, though she reaffirmed her belief in the importance of researching the past.
She decided that she would appeal to upper management and asked the researchers not to give up, as she was adamant that the way to fight back against the threats to Maple World was hidden somewhere in Masteria, believing that the power which had sunk Masteria and sealed away the Archdemon was lying in wait to be rediscovered. In order to keep operations going, she ordered the researchers to write a report on the value of Masteria by using the soil analysis data that they had gathered.
Soon after, Becky sought out the traveler and thanked them for all their help in her research. Suddenly, she began crying as she told the traveler about the cuts to their budget. However, she remained hopeful that Dr. Jang would continue fighting on their behalf and promised to keep them updated. Some time later, Icebyrd reached out to them and asked how their adventures were going.
The traveler told him about how they had helped Becky with her research, to which Icebyrd asked what they had learned. The traveler explained how they had learned about the war between Subani and Naricain, and that their battle had caused Masteria to sink. They then asked Icebyrd about who had asked them to build New Leaf City.
Since they were the first one whose adventures in Masteria had brought them closer to the truth, Icebyrd agreed to reveal his secret, though he asked them to keep it to themselves. He then explained that it was a being of light, or perhaps a voice within the light, which had told him to build New Leaf City in order to prevent an Archdemon sleeping in Masteria from reawakening. He believed that the light was Subani, who had raised Masteria from the ocean and had set things in order. He then reminded the traveler to keep the information to themselves as they continued searching for the truth.
Forgotten Battles:
Some time after their visit to Masteria, the traveler telepathically heard a desperate plea for help coming from the Phantom Forest and rushed to help. After fighting through a horde of Typhons, they encountered an injured warrior named Lukan and defended him from waves of monsters before asking whether he was the one who had sent the distress call. Lukan thanked them for answering his plea and asked where he was.
When the traveler told him that he was in Masteria, Lukan explained that he had never heard of such a land, adding that he had awoken in the forest with no memories of how he had gotten there. However, he realized that his comrades may need him and asked the traveler how to escape. The traveler decided to take him to New Leaf City in order to help him regain his memories.
On their way out of the Phantom Forest, they ran into Professor Foxwit, who had come in search of the one who had projected the call for help across Masteria. Lukan asked how Foxwit could have picked up his call, as he had projected it to only those who possessed great inner strength. Foxwit explained that he kept tabs on all transmissions across Masteria, and that he had picked up Lukan’s message on his sensors, which had led him to find them.
Realizing that Lukan had amnesia, Foxwit took the pair back to his laboratory, where Lukan was shocked at the unnatural lights and machinery. Foxwit then showed them one of his machines, which could read and analyze brain signals in order to decipher memories. Lukan then asked Foxwit why he wanted to help them, to which the traveler concurred and asked why he was analyzing transmissions across the continent to begin with, if not to spy on everyone.
Foxwit defended his actions by claiming that he was only acting under the mayor’s orders, explaining that Icebyrd had ordered him to help Lukan after he had reported the signal. Though Lukan was hesitant, he trusted the traveler’s judgement and agreed to follow Foxwit’s orders. The two then each stood in a pod, after which Foxwit explained that the pods would allow the traveler to enter Lukan’s memories and learn what he had forgotten.
Meanwhile, a researcher at the Masteria Research Laboratory brought Dr. Jang the Masteria soil analysis reports that she had requested. (A/N: This is a continuation of the plot thread that was introduced in the Masteria prequel quests, in which Dr. Jang had asked them to create the reports in order to secure funding for their research.)
When the researcher and several others stood in place after she dismissed them, she asked whether they had anything else to say. The research hesitantly asked Dr. Jang whether there was any point in researching Naricain, as their purpose in coming to Masteria was to learn what had caused it to return from the ocean.
He pointed out that the only records of Naricain and the Antellion came from a few writings in the Phantom Forest, and that Dr. Jang’s obsession with Naricain had limited their knowledge of Masteria to having only learned that the continent had once been called the Krakian Jungle. (A/N: This is a small error, as the continent itself was called Krakia, though a large part of it was covered by the Krakian Jungle.)
However, Dr. Jang told them that they were all ignoring what the writings had revealed to them, which was that the Antellion was an infinite power source, with Naricain’s search for it having implications of leading to a link with the Black Mage.
(A/N: Something weird in the storyline that was later fixed is that Naricain is sometimes spelled as Naricaine. This is so inconsistent that at one point, Naricain introduces himself as Naricain while his NPC name is misspelled as Naricaine.)
When the researcher implied that her research was pointless, Dr. Jang asked him to assume, for the purposes of her argument, that Naricain was evil like the Black Mage, and that both he and Subani, who had sealed him away, were real. She explained that the existence of such powers could be critical in their struggle against the Black Mage, declaring that it was their responsibility to uncover any weapon that they could in their fight against such great darkness.
However, the researcher pointed out that they still had no proof of anything, and that their role as scientists was to uncover facts and to answer the questions posed to them, not to chase fairy tales. Dr. Jang countered that the duty of a scientist was to create a brighter future for all, and that the best way to do so was to look into the hidden past of Masteria.
Unwilling to entertain her policies any longer, all the researchers in her lab immediately quit. Though left alone, Dr. Jang remained convinced that Naricain had to be real and decided to return to Crimsonwood Keep in order to search for traces of him. Dr. Jang traveled to the Phantom Forest and headed for the Keep, once the home of the Grandmasters, the greatest warriors of all time. As her research indicated that they had ties to Naricain, she believed that she would find clues about him with a thorough search.
While looking around the Keep, she was surprised to discover a glowing stone floating in the air and wondered what could be so bright in such a dark, abandoned place. (A/N: This is a fragment of the Antellion that Naricain had severed from the main body.) Suddenly, she heard the voice of a man, who was intrigued to learn that she was the sole person who believed in his existence.
Surprised to hear the voice, Dr. Jang continued forward and found a statue of a man bound in chains. The voice spoke to her again, telling her that her belief in his existence was what had awakened him. Dr. Jang was unnerved at the statue speaking to her, just as the voice offered to show her what it was that she really believed in.
Suddenly, she was transported into a dreamscape, where she found herself face-to-face with the man from the statue. When she asked the man who he was, he simply laughed and told her that she already knew. Immediately recognizing him, Dr. Jang spoke aloud that she could couldn’t believe it, but the man then told her to say his name aloud, to which she finally called him by his name, Naricain.
(A/N: Dr. Jang: I know what you are.
Naricain: Say it. Out loud. Say it!
Dr. Jang: …Vampire.
Naricain: Are you afrai- wait, what?)
Naricain then told her that he was neither the figment of imagination that her peers thought him to be, nor the master of evil that she assumed that he was. Rather, he claimed to be a simple magician who had searched for knowledge and sacrificed everything for what he had believed in, adding that he was much like her in that regard.
Dr. Jang realized that he was referring to the Antellion and asked why it was so important to him, whether it was to gain ultimate power or to rule the world. Naricain replied that she knew of him, but nothing of his goals, as he had never told anyone what he had gone through centuries ago. He then told her that he wanted to share his experiences with her and used his powers to transfer his memories.
As a shocked Dr. Jang processed the truth about Naricain, he told her that she now knew that he wasn’t merely obsessed with the Antellion as the legends claimed. He explained that in the end, he had been trapped in Crimsonwood Keep, in a limbo somewhere between life and death, and that it had been her voice that had pulled him from the darkness and brought him back.
Dr. Jang confessed that she hadn’t planned to free him, to which Naricain told her that it had to have been fate. She then told him that while she sympathized with his situation, his actions had scared many people, and that from their perspective, he had been trying to take the Antellion for himself. She attempted to reason with him by pointing out that the Versalians likely saw him in the same way that he saw them.
Naricain merely replied that the Antellion needed to be controlled, and that someone needed to bear that burden, as sharing the power would only reveal the weaknesses of everyone. However, Dr. Jang interrupted him and claimed that it didn’t matter to her, as the only thing she cared about was his story and what had happened, as it might be what they needed to fix the present.
Naricain then offered to help her in exchange for her helping him escape his prison and claim the Antellion, adding that she could figure out how to do so with the help of the Antellion fragment that she had found in Crimsonwood Keep. He then beseeched her to help him right his past wrongs, to which Dr. Jang asked why she ought to take such a risk.
Naricain pointed out that she needed him as much as she needed her, as she could finally let Maple World know of his existence and prove herself to those who had ignored her faith. He then promised to give her unlimited knowledge and everlasting peace after getting the Antellion back. As Dr. Jang began to waver, Naricain added that he was currently weak and had nothing, and that he needed someone with her wisdom to help him find the Antellion.
An appeased Dr. Jang laughed and called him a poor thing, explaining that he must be truly desperate to need someone like herself. Naricain then corrected her and said that he needed her, not someone like her. Though Dr. Jang warned that she couldn’t promise anything, she told him that she liked what he offered and agreed to help on the sole condition that he stay out of Maple World after obtaining the Antellion, as she couldn’t risk such a threat being brought into the world. Naricain agreed, though he added that it pained him that they would never truly meet. (A/N: And this is the beginning of their cringe romance.) Dr. Jang then returned to Crimsonwood Keep, where she resolved to help Naricain change the past.
Meanwhile, the traveler entered Lukan’s memories and found themselves in the Krakian Jungle of ancient Masteria. Suddenly, they heard the voice of Professor Foxwit, who explained that they had arrived in Masteria from a thousand years ago, which meant that Lukan had come from the past. He then warned the traveler that Memory Motes had appeared, which had been created by Lukan’s unconscious mind, adding that he had never managed to work out that kink while building his subconscious reading device.
(A/N: This is similar to when we go inside Orchid’s memories during Black Heaven and fight past the Pop Jelly monsters that her mind had created to protect herself from unwanted intruders. At the time, we had a bunny doll that served as her memory guide, but in this case, I guess we have Professor Foxwit.)
After fighting past the motes, the traveler soon encountered Naricain and his foster father, Christopher Crimsonheart, who was guarding the Antellion. Foxwit spoke to the traveler and explained that the memory sequence was just like watching a movie, with the traveler being an invisible spectator to the unchangeable events of the past.
(A/N: These are supposed to be Lukan’s memories, and so it doesn’t make sense for us to be able to witness the confrontation between Naricain and Crimsonheart when he wasn’t there. Even though this is probably in the name of artistic license, it still technically counts as a plot hole.)
Naricain cursed his father, claiming that Crimsonheart had been responsible for his mother’s death. He then accused Crimsonheart of being unable to control the Antellion, leaving it to rot in Masteria instead, and asked how anyone could trust him with such power. He then spat out that he detested Crimsonheart, who merely told Naricain that taking the Antellion would not ease the hatred in his heart. He pleaded that they could heal Naricain’s soul together, but Naricain claimed that no one could heal his soul, least of all Crimsonheart, and that all he wanted now was the Antellion, with which he would control the world and eradicate evil.
However, Crimsonheart told Naricain that he would be stealing people’s lives from them, as a world dominated by a single ruler was one driven by evil, no matter their intentions. He added that Naricain would make Versal his plaything, and its people his pawns, calling Naricain by his nickname, Naric, to which Naricain snapped at Crimsonheart not to call him that. He then told Crimsonheart that his mother and siblings had loved Crimsonheart, because of which he hadn’t wanted to fight his father, but he warned that he would do what he must if Crimsonheart stood in his way. He then used dark magic to attack Crimsonheart, who refused to defend himself.
Surprised, Naricain mockingly asked if Crimsonheart had been stuck in Maple World for so long that that he had forgotten how to pick up his sword. When Crimsonheart remained silent, Naricain demanded him to speak, to which Crimsonheart claimed that he had nothing to say, adding that if a child grew into a monster, then it was the fault of the father.
He then added that what had happened was not his intention, but Naricain interrupted and said that his intentions didn’t matter, as his legacy lay in ruins. He then vowed to give Crimsonwood Keep to his minions to lord over the place, laughing that he knew that Crimsonheart had locked away some poor soul to serve his purposes. (A/N: I have no idea what he means by this.)
When Crimsonheart claimed that it wasn’t true, Naricain told him to deny that he had used the Antellion to lure warriors out of Versal. He then asked if doing so had been to protect the Antellion from some threat, and whether Crimsonheart believed that threat to be him. Naricain then laughed and asked if Crimsonheart had really thought that he was the only one who desired the Antellion’s powers, adding that Crimsonheart could never keep it away from those who wanted it, even if he hid it at the very ends of the world. (A/N: This line gets referenced in MONAD, and it plays a role in future Masteria content.)
He then shared his belief that the reason that Crimsonheart had adopted his children was to hide his pathetic self behind them. When Crimsonheart remained silent, Naricain demanded him once again to speak, asking who he planned to sacrifice, noting that he had already gone through so many. Crimsonheart then told Naricain to end him if it would ease his fury, though he asked Naricain to let it end with his death, and to go no further.
He added that he now knew that he was a failure of a father, but nevertheless, he beseeched Naricain to leave the Antellion alone, claiming that he spoke not as the protector of the Antellion, but as Naricain’s father, adding that such power should not even exist. However, Naricain snapped that Crimsonheart had no right to dictate what to do. He then claimed the title of the Antellion’s protector before unleashing a powerful dark spell that mortally wounded Crimsonheart, seizing the Antellion and pocketing the fragment that he had stolen from it long ago.
As the traveler attempted to follow Naricain, Memory Motes appeared to stop them. After defeating them, the traveler saw that Crimsonheart’s other foster son, Subani, had rushed to the scene with the four Grandmasters: Lukan, Lireni, Numenal, and Delgrund.
(A/N: In the original Masteria storyline, Lukan was a high-ranking member of the Stormcasters, though he’s now the Warrior Grandmaster in the revamp. Lireni was mentioned in the original Phantom Forest storyline as a hero of the Shadowknights, with no mention of whether she was a Grandmaster, although she’s now the Thief Grandmaster. Delgrund was mentioned as a former Magician Grandmaster who preceded Rafael. I believe that Numenal is a new character, as I couldn’t find any records of him in the old Masteria lore.)
The five huddled around Crimsonheart and worriedly asked what had happened. As the Grandmasters expressed their shock, Subani attempted to take his father back to the Keep, though Crimsonheart stopped him and explained that his end was coming. As Delgrund sobbed and asked who could have defeated the most powerful warrior of Versal, Crimsonheart asked Delgrund not to cry and told him that his soft heart was his greatest weakness. He then asked Subani and the Grandmasters to do everything in their power to keep the Antellion out of Naricain’s hands.
Subani then asked if Naricain was the one who had bested him as Delgrund vowed to destroy him and avenge Crimsonheart. Crimsonheart told them that Naricain already had the Antellion, and so he couldn’t follow through with his original plan to send Naricain away, lamenting that he never should have revealed its location. He explained that however powerful Naricain had been before, he was now unstoppable, adding that with both the fragment and the full Antellion, not even the combined powers of the Grandmasters stood a chance against him.
Lireni then asked how Naricain could have mortally wounded him, as Crimsonheart could have easily stopped anyone with his martial prowess. Crimsonheart replied that his own son had challenged him and asked how a father could ever fight his own son. He then gave his final order to the Grandmasters and told them to destroy the Antellion, as it was too dangerous to exist.
Though Delgrund refused to leave Crimsonheart’s side, Crimsonheart ordered them to depart immediately, as Naricain was likely heading to the Keep in order to amplify the Antellion’s powers. He also beseeched Subani to forgive Naricain, reminding him that his brother had suffered much. Lireni was surprised that Crimsonheart didn’t want revenge, to which he replied that he hoped that there could be peace between the two siblings, even if there could never be peace between himself and Naricain, reminding Lireni that revenge would solve nothing.
With his last words, he entrusted the task of destroying the Antellion to Lukan, know that Subani could not think rationally in his grief, passing away soon after.As the Grandmasters mourned the death of their leader, Subani declared that Naricain was no longer his brother and took off for the Keep, with the others following behind him. The traveler, having learned Lukan’s identity, attempted to follow them and fought past the Memory Motes before seeing that Lireni, Numenal, and Lukan had stopped.
Lukan and Numenal realized that Lireni was shaking with fear at the prospect of facing someone as powerful as Naricain. Lukan acknowledged her fear, though he reminded her that they needed to work together. Numenal then promised that he would protect her from harm. Lireni confessed that all she had ever wanted was to see new worlds, as she had only ever known Versal as home, adding that perhaps the Antellion could have been her excuse to leave Crimsonwood Keep and Krakia and simply go. (A/N: Krakia is what Masteria was called during this time period.)
Lukan pointed out that as long as they remained in Maple World, they were bound to protect the Antellion, reminding her that their purpose in borrowing its power was to protect it. However, when he told Lireni that she ought to know that more than anyone, she replied that she also knew that her heart was not in it, as she was unable to bear the weight of an entire world. As she ran off, Numenal called after her while Lukan told him that there would be a reckoning for her betrayal.
(A/N: This is another instance of character assassination, as Lireni is retconned from being the brave hero of the Shadowknights who continued fighting after the Keep’s fall to being a deserter and a coward.)
Numenal and Lukan then continued on, leaving the traveler to wonder whether Lireni was truly a coward. The traveler then fought past the Memory Motes through a cavern before arriving at the entrance of Crimsonwood Keep. Both the traveler and Foxwit marveled at how grand it was in its prime before heading inside.
To their surprise, the traveler found that the Keep was starting to collapse. Making their way past the falling rubble, they found the Grandmasters confronting Naricain. However, Naricain merely laughed that they could not hope to stop him, as he possessed the full power of the Antellion. Suddenly, he realized that Subani was missing and asked whether his older brother was cowering behind someone’s cape, just as he had done so often with their father.
To his surprise, however, Subani teleported behind him and used his light magic to bind Naricain in chains. As Lukan began charging up his attack, Naricain told Subani that he could not claim the Antellion, as he would have no idea of how to wield it. However, Subani revealed that he had no plans to wield the Antellion, explaining that his goal was much different than Naricain’s selfish plot. At Lukan’s command, the Grandmasters combined their powers and attacked the Antellion.
A shocked Naricain commanded them to stop, warning that destroying the Antellion would destroy them all. However, Subani merely told him that they were prepared to give their lives to right Naricain’s wrongs. The traveler then decided that they wanted to help as well, but Foxwit told them that they were merely an observer, and that the memory was of events which had already happened. Nevertheless, the traveler attempted to destroy the Antellion, which shattered under the combined power of the Grandmasters.
(A/N: Our character is an idiot. Even though we have an action prompt to button mash in the actual game, I have no idea whether our actions actually made any difference at all. Given how ridiculous it would be for us to directly affect the memory, I’m guessing that all we did was punch thin air since this is all happening within our own mind.)
Though the Grandmasters succeeded, the power of the Antellion which had been expelled with its destruction inadvertently warped spacetime, causing the three Grandmasters to be scattered across time. The traveler and Foxwit then realized that Lukan had been sent to the present because of the power leak.
Having understood everything he needed to, Foxwit ordered the traveler to return to the present. However, the traveler refused, as they wanted to see the fates of Naricain and Subani. Foxwit told them that the memory gate was about to collapse, as Lukan had not witnessed it, but the traveler explained that Lukan was a faithful follower of Crimsonheart, and so he deserved to know what happened. Exasperated, Foxwit allowed the traveler to remain, though he warned them to leave before the gate collapsed, which would leave the traveler trapped for all eternity.
(A/N: Foxwit even mentions that we shouldn’t be able to see anything when Lukan isn’t there, but I guess being self-aware about its own plot holes is a classic tradition of the game.)
A furious Naricain demanded to know what had compelled Subani to resort to such madness, as the destruction of the Antellion had doomed the entire continent, claiming that the resulting chaos would spread first across Maple World before reaching Versal. As Naricain continued shouting, Subani merely declared that they were no longer brothers, and that he now only sought revenge for Naricain’s unforgivable actions.
Naricain then mocked Subani as the same sad, pathetic weakling he had been on Versal. However, Subani ignored him and used his light magic to seal Subani away in a limbo between life and death, with his physical body turned into a statue. Having seen how the story ended, the traveler barely managed to escape Lukan’s memories before the dimensional gate collapsed with the sinking of Masteria.
(A/N: In the current Masteria storyline, the continent actually sank into the ocean. However, the old Masteria lore stated that the continent was transported to Versal.)
Though Foxwit admonished the traveler for their recklessness, the traveler excitedly pointed out that they had learned that the Antellion’s destruction was what had sunk Masteria. Lukan then awoke, his memories restored, and thanked the traveler and Foxwit for their help. The traveler then asked if he knew about the Antellion and Naricain.
Lukan explained that the Antellion was a stone of infinite power, one that could shape space and time at will. He told them that Crimsonheart and the Grandmasters hailed from Versal, the holy land of warriors and magicians, and that the Antellion had been created out of the sacrifice of the most powerful heroes of Versal from long ago, in the hope of protecting their world from the chaos that threatened it. With its infinite power, it had become the ender of all conflicts.
As every person in Versal was tapped into it, all Versalians gained great power and a responsibility to others. He explained that Crimsonheart, the greatest warrior of Versal, had been selected to be its chief guardian, ensuring that peace reigned across the realm for ages. However, Naricain lusted for greater power than what he had received from the Antellion, and so he had stolen a fragment of the Antellion for himself. In order to prevent Naricain from claiming the rest of the Antellion, Crimsonheart had crossed over to Maple World with the Antellion and the Grandmasters, building Crimsonwood Keep in order to keep it safe.
Lukan then explained that the Grandmasters were the four strongest warriors of Versal who had come to Maple World: Delgrund the Magician Grandmaster, Numenal the Bowman Grandmaster, Lireni the Thief Grandmaster, and himself, the Warrior Grandmaster. He revealed that many Grandmasters had preceded them, and that many more should have followed.
When the traveler asked about Lireni, Lukan vehemently denounced her as a traitor who had betrayed both Crimsonheart’s faith and the Grandmasters’ pride. As it had been a thousand years since his time, Lukan hoped that any descendants of Lireni would be saddled with guilt for her betrayal. (A/N: As a matter of fact, the Raven Ninjas of the current storyline are descendants of Lireni and are hoping to atone for her cowardice.)
When the traveler asked if Subani and Naricain were brothers, Lukan explained that Crimsonheart had taken in many children who had nowhere to go and raised them as his own, with Subani being his first foster son and Naricain being brought in soon after. Lukan explained that Naricain had insisted that he needed to control everyone with the power of the Antellion, demanding complete obedience and turning into a tyrant after falling from his original goal to stop the wicked.
Troubled by the return of Masteria, Lukan asked if Crimsonwood Keep still stood, as he wanted to check if Naricain was still trapped, and so the traveler began to lead Lukan to the Keep. After they left, Foxwit contacted Icebyrd and explained that he had helped Lukan regain his memories at the mayor’s command. Icebyrd was pleased and called Lukan the key to everything. Foxwit then asked what it was that Icebyrd was planning, to which the mayor laughed and said that Foxwit didn’t need to know, as all he needed to do was to continue following orders.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jang met with Naricain in his dreamscape prison, where she reported that she had finished her work. She then asked Naricain if he was sure that he wouldn’t regret his decision, as they still might not be able to change the future. Naricain replied that it was entirely up to her, as she had already made a discovery that could change the world, adding that it was why he held her in such high regard.
Dr. Jang turned away in embarrassment and claimed that it was unnecessary flattery, to which Naricain told her that he truly did have great respect for her. Dr. Jang then told Naricain that she wouldn’t have been able to build her Time Portal without his Antellion fragment in the first place. Naricain smiled and countered that if it hadn’t been for her, he would still be trapped as a statue.
He then declared that they would return to a thousand years ago, back to the day he had failed, and correct history together. Though he acknowledged that she might be scared or hesitant, he beseeched her not to stop, not for his sake, but for hers, and for her desire to learn the true history of the Krakian Empire. He then reminded her of his promise to bestow infinite knowledge and help the people of Maple World prosper as good and wise beings.
Dr. Jang noted how heavy-handedly he was attempting to convince her, adding that he really couldn’t do anything without being manipulative, to which he told her that he otherwise would never have met her. However, Dr. Jang rebuffed his advances and claimed that she had her own reasons for helping him. Naricain then bid her farewell and asked her to say hello to his past self, after which she returned to the real world and entered her Time Portal in order to travel back to the past.
1000 Years and Counting:
Using the Time Portal, Dr. Jang traveled back in time and met Naricain of the past in the Krakian Jungle. There, she explained that she was a time traveler who had come a thousand years from the future in order to give him a warning from his future self. In order to convince him, she told him details of what would happen the next day, with Naricain hoping to seize the Antellion by confronting Crimsonheart and ultimately destroying him.
Naricain was surprised that Dr. Jang knew about his ambitions, but he noted that he had no plans to kill his father, adding that he would never even think to consider it if Crimsonheart were to surrender or even just come to understand him in the least. Dr. Jang called Naricain a poor thing and claimed that his dilemma was why she didn’t understand family, as she wondered why Naricain would ever expect the man who had always stood in his way and driven him from his home to Maple World to listen to him.
Naricain simply told her that if she could not comprehend the bonds of family, then he could not explain it to her. Unimpressed, Dr. Jang continued and told Naricain that in spite of seizing the Antellion and killing his father, he would ultimately fail because the Grandmasters would destroy the Antellion, rather than let him have it.
To her surprise, Naricain approvingly called it a fine plan, causing her to remind him that the Grandmasters would end his ambitions and trap him in a statue for a millennium. Naricain merely laughed and apologized before asking her to continue. Dr. Jang then told him that Subani would trap him inside a purgatory, which surprised Naricain, as he believed that his brother was a coward. When Dr. Jang explained that it would cost Subani his life, Naricain wondered whether Subani and the others had sacrificed everything because they believed in their cause, or whether it was simply because they hated him that much.
He then thanked Dr. Jang for traveling to the past and told her that he would have made the same choice as his future self. When Dr. Jang asked which choice he meant, Naricain told her that it was the choice of keeping such a beautiful and wise advisor by his side. (A/N: Please kill me.) He then asked her whether she could help him alter his plan, after which they began to work together to change the future.
Back in the present, the traveler and Lukan fought through the monsters of the Phantom Forest and made their way inside Crimsonwood Keep. As Lukan surveyed the old interior, he suddenly had a strange sensation, which he described as the same feeling of creeping dread that he had felt when Crimsonheart had fallen.
As the traveler searched the room, they came across a faded journal that described how Crimsonheart had brought the Antellion to Maple World with the Grandmasters. In the next several pages, they read how the native Krakians had brought offerings to the people of the Keep, and how Crimsonheart had decided to share the blessings of the Antellion with the Krakians for their benefit. The next pages were difficult to read, but hinted at a user of dark magic in Krakia.
(A/N: I’d assume that this is likely a reference to Naricain himself. The other possibility is that it’s a reference to Dr. Jang, who’s going to change the past by using her scientific genius to corrupt the Krakians. Since the people of ancient Masteria have no idea what science is, they’d likely attribute it to dark magic.)
Realizing that the rest was too faded, the traveler continued on and noticed that there were several clean boxes and a desk, which stood out against the rest of the dusty room, as though they had been used by someone recently. Just then, they noticed that there was light seeping out of cracks that had appeared across Naricain’s statue. Lukan realized that Subani’s seal had nearly vanished and wondered how it could have happened.
The traveler pointed out that the Antellion had been destroyed a thousand years ago, and so the world would still remain safe even if Naricain escaped. However, Lukan noticed a portal nearby and pointed out that it was being powered by the fragment of the Antellion which Naricain had stolen. Realizing that someone was helping Naricain, the traveler decided to search around for clues. Inside the new-looking boxes near the desk, they discovered books about the languages of Versal, with Dr. Jang listed as the owner, though the traveler was unsure of who that was.
(A/N: Becky was literally worshipping Dr. Jang in the intro quests, I’m pretty sure that we ought to know who she is. Becky also doesn’t show up here because the intro quests were added several years after the blockbuster.)
Searching through Dr. Jang’s desk, they discovered that it belonged to the Masteria Research Institute and contained the blueprints for the device. The traveler was shocked to learn that the machine was a Time Portal powered by the Antellion fragment, whose power spanned across spacetime, and that it had only been calibrated to travel back to the past, not the future.
Lukan immediately realized that Naricain wanted to prevent the Antellion from being destroyed. Vowing to stop Naricain and Dr. Jang, Lukan decided to enter the Time Portal. Though he tried to dissuade the traveler from following, claiming that they had already done much by helping him, the traveler told him that it was their responsibility to act when anything threatened Maple World, regardless of the time period.
The pair then entered the portal and the traveler soon awoke in the Krakian Jungle, where they realized that they had gotten separated from Lukan. After fighting through the jungle monsters, which had strange mechanical devices strapped onto them, the traveler reunited with Lukan at the entrance to Crimsonwood Keep.
(A/N: We emerge to a point several days after when Dr. Jang landed. Naricain was meant to execute his plan the day after Dr. Jang landed, but her changes to the original plan resulted in it being delayed enough that it still hasn’t been carried out by the time that the traveler and Lukan arrive. The mechanical devices on the jungle creatures are hints at Dr. Jang’s new plan.)
The traveler was surprised to find that Lukan’s injuries from his time in the present had vanished, leaving him restored to his original state from a thousand years ago.
(A/N: Note that Lukan never meets his past self from this time period, even though there ought to be one, since our Lukan hasn’t been displaced at this moment in history. This is a hint at an important revelation that we get towards the end of the latest Masteria storyline expansion.)
The traveler asked Lukan about the presence of the nearby monsters, to which he explained that he was just as confused, as the Keep was meant to be a safe haven. The two then entered the Keep and met with Crimsonheart, Subani, and the other Grandmasters. Lukan immediately grew emotional upon seeing his leader alive, much to Crimsonheart’s confusion.
Upon seeing Lireni, Lukan immediately grew furious until the traveler reminded him that Lireni’s betrayal had not yet happened. Crimsonheart then asked Lukan who the traveler was and how they had managed to break past the barrier on the Keep. Lukan explained that the traveler was a hero who had saved his life, and that it was because of them that he could warn the others of events yet to come.
After Lukan explained the full situation, Crimsonheart noted that the traveler seemed to fit with Lukan’s story, as he had never seen such strange clothing before. When the traveler explained that they had come from a thousand years in the future, Crimsonheart realized that Naricain’s ambitions were truly timeless.
Lukan then added that Naricain’s ambitions had only grown, and that he was being helped by someone who also came from a thousand years in the future. He explained that she had built the Time Portal using the Antellion fragment, causing Subani to note that Naricain’s ally was truly formidable. Lireni wondered whether his ally was the mysterious Dr. Krakia, to which the traveler told her that they only knew that Naricain’s ally was a scientist named Dr. Jang.
(A/N: In the original storyline, Dr. Krakia was the archnemesis of Professor Foxwit. In NxProse’s drafts for future storylines, it was revealed that Dr. Krakia and the Alchemist, the man who was helping Naricain invade Maple World, were the same person. Here, Dr. Jang has the name of Dr. Krakia as an homage, although virtually all the backstory of the original character has been retconned. This is one of my least favorite parts about the storyline, as Dr. Krakia/the Alchemist was a much more compelling villain that Dr. Jang.)
Delgrund asked what a scientist was, to which Lukan explained that they were magicians of the future with mysterious powers, such as the ability to use magic without spells, instead using only scrap metals and flashing lights. Upon hearing Lukan’s explanation, Lireni told them that many of the local creatures had recently changed, having been seen with suspicious machines strapped to them.
She explained that the people of the Krakian Empire were whispering about a person named Dr. Krakia, who had been seen around the area recently, and so she wondered whether Dr. Jang and Dr. Krakia could be the same person. The traveler replied that it could be possible, as they had noticed that the machines outfitted on the enhanced creatures they had fought had come from the future.
Crimsonheart then asked if it was true that Naricain would kill him, which Subani pointed out seemed even less likely than Lukan’s story of time travel. Though he admitted that Naricain was proud and covetous, Subani refused to believe that his brother was evil. Lukan insisted that it was true, as both he and the traveler had seen it with their own eyes.
Crimsonheart then wondered whether he was not he guardian that he had thought himself to be, as he found it shameful that he would be deceived by Naricain. However, he noted that it changed nothing but their alertness, as their duties were still the same as they had always been. As he and the other Grandmasters began to head out to augment security around the Antellion, Delgrund noticed that Subani was deep in thought and told the boy to mind himself.
He explained to Subani that he likely wouldn’t be able to succeed in persuading his brother if Crimsonheart couldn’t have brought himself to do it. Subani sadly told him that he had once been close to Naricain, whom he fondly called Naric, and wondered whether Naricain would stop if he were reminded those memories.
However, Delgrund told him that obsession destroyed happy memories, and that Naricain only cared about the Antellion. As someone who had watched them grow up and viewed them as sons, Delgrund told Subani to remember that he and Naricain were different, and that they always had been, warning him that thinking otherwise would put him in grave danger.
Elsewhere, Dr. Jang reached the end of the lake that was upstream of the Krakian settlements and polluted the waters with a chemical substance. (A/N: In a future storyline, we learn that the substance is called Naricain’s Blood, which contains a trace of the Antellion’s power.) As the polluted waters flowed downstream to the Krakian Empire, the native Krakians were corrupted and transformed into monsters.
As the people of Krakia devolved into beasts, Dr. Jang and Naricain walked through the ruined villages and surveyed the situation. Dr. Jang told Naricain that with the corruption of the Krakians, he now had an army to attack Crimsonwood Keep. A pleased Naricain called Dr. Jang a true genius, noting that the Keep would easily fall. He then admitted that his original plan seemed crude in comparison.
As he turned to look at her, he noticed that her hair was disheveled after getting caught in the jungle. Though a flustered Dr. Jang claimed that it was a mess, Naricain admitted that he found it quite fetching. (A/N: If I have to suffer through this trainwreck of a romance any longer, I’m gonna inject Naricain’s Blood straight into my veins.) He then decided that they ought to move on to other business, as the sacrifice of the Krakians wasn’t something that he took pleasure in.
Back at the Keep, the traveler helped the Grandmasters clear the enhanced jungle creatures around the area, which made them certain that the machines on the monsters had been built by Dr. Jang. They then noticed Subani leaving the grounds alone and decided to follow him, believing that he was acting on his own. The traveler followed Subani far from the grounds of the Keep and discovered him confronting Naricain.
The traveler immediately hid and observed the two speaking. Naricain greeted Subani and noted that it had been so long that he had almost thought that Subani had forgotten their secret, that they could communicate with each other through dreams. Subani replied that he had wanted to talk to Naricain as well, and that he knew that Naricain would hear him if he spoke through their dreams.
Naricain softened and asked if Subani still knew that he was the only person that Naricain could trust. Subani confirmed it and replied that Naricain could tell him anything, adding that their father would forgive him if he truly repented. Naricain then confided that he had been angry and confused, and that he had felt as though he had crossed a line that he could never return from.
Subani entreated his brother to turn back, explaining that it was never too late. However, Naricain then added that there was only one thing stopping him, which was that he now knew that he was right. Suddenly, he unleashed a powerful attack of dark magic upon Subani, who collapsed in pain. As Subani reeled from the betrayal, Naricain explained that he hadn’t wanted to do it, but he knew that Subani was going to be his greatest obstacle, and so he was willing to turn on his brother if it would allow him to succeed.
Subani begged him to stop, reminding him that they were family, but Naricain reminded him that it hadn’t been by choice, and neither was having a family and losing it. He then explained that without Subani and the others, his actions would not pain him so, adding that it was precisely why he needed the Antellion, as he could end that sort of suffering and ensure that he would never lose those who were precious to him.
As he moved to unleash a final blow, Subani begged him once more to stop, calling him Naric, to which Naricain told him that he hated to be called that. Just as Naricain unleashed his attack, the traveler rushed forward and blocked his dark magic. Though he had no idea who the traveler was, Naricain claimed that he didn’t care and shot another dark spell at the traveler, who was overwhelmed by Naricain’s power. As Naricain unleashed the finishing blow, Subani jumped in front of the traveler and took the full attack, instantly killing him.
(A/N: Not that Subani did much in the original timeline besides seal Naricain, but he does even less here, existing only as a stepping stone for other characters’ development. It’s such a shame when you think about what they could’ve done with this story instead of making it a conflict between angsty teenage brothers.)
A twinge of regret hit Naricain, who asked Subani to forgive him, even though he added that he couldn’t forgive Subani for the same. The furious traveler confronted Naricain, who asked why they opposed him, claiming that his plan was to create a peaceful world. He then asked the traveler once more not to oppose him, summoning a horde of corrupted Krakian warriors as a warning.
As Naricain retreated, the traveler fought through the waves of Krakians until Crimsonheart and the Grandmasters arrived. The shaken traveler apologized, claiming that they could have protected Subani from Naricain if they had been stronger. Crimsonheart told them that there was no blame, but asked the traveler and the Grandmasters to give him some privacy.
As Crimsonheart stared sadly at his fallen son, his mind turned to the day that he had brought Naricain home, scores of years ago on Versal, where he had introduced him to Subani and his wife, Glona. As Subani had turned away in embarrassment, Glona had told her husband that he was being shy. However, Crimsonheart had ordered Subani to present himself proudly. As the two boys introduced themselves, Crimsonheart had reminded them that brothers were expected to support and protect each other.
Back in the present, in the Krakian Jungle, Dr. Jang asked Naricain what had happened upon his return. After a pause, Naricain told her that the plan had gone perfectly, though she noted that Naricain did not appear happy. When Naricain remained silent, she asked whether it was another mysterious aspect of family. Naricain then changed the subject and asked about her plan to destroy the Grandmasters. Dr. Jang explained that she had enhanced the compound which she had used to mutate the Krakians, which was now strong enough to infect the Grandmasters, pleasing Naricain.
The Man From Versal:
Having enhanced her compound, Dr. Jang traveled to Crimsonwood Keep and corrupted the warriors guarding the gate, transforming them into monsters. (A/N: These monster designs were once the same ones as the corrupted Versalian warriors from the original Masteria storyline, but they were updated to match with the current canon’s new red and black design.) Meanwhile, Naricain forced his way into the Keep amidst the chaos and seized the Antellion.
In the Krakian Jungle, the traveler and the Grandmasters rushed to stop Naricain when the corrupted Krakian warriors caught up to them. As the Krakians began attacking, Lukan realized that something was amiss, as the people of the Krakian Empire were peaceful. Delgrund sensed an evil power within them and warned Lukan that the Krakians were no longer the people that he once knew.
Realizing that it would take time to defeat them, the traveler decided to hold them off and told the Grandmasters to go on ahead. As the traveler held the Krakians at bay, the Grandmasters entered the Keep, where they were shocked to discover that the corrupted soldiers and Krakians were overwhelming the remaining warriors.
Terrified at the sight, Lireni attempted to flee, but was stopped by Numenal, who refused to allow her to abandon her duties, reminding her that they held a portion of the Antellion’s power because they had been sworn to protect it at all costs. However, Lireni told Numenal that she had something that she needed to do, and so she couldn’t afford to die so soon.
Numenal told Lireni that he hadn’t initially believed Lukan and the traveler when they had spoken of her betrayal, entreating her to fight alongside the Grandmasters for the Antellion and Crimsonheart. However, Lireni merely apologized and brushed past him. Numenal then reminded Lireni that Crimsonheart had ordered traitors to be punished, to which she turned around and invited him to try, claiming that if she were to die, then it was better to die at his hands. Just as she had expected, Numenal was unable to strike her down, allowing her to leave unimpeded.
Meanwhile, the traveler continued fighting past the Krakians as they slowly pushed forward towards the Keep. Crimsonheart then arrived to reinforce them, lamenting that even Krakia had fallen to Naricain. He turned to the traveler and told them that all of the destruction around them had stemmed from his own failure, adding that he had paid the price for it in the original timeline, while Subani had in their current one.
Though the traveler attempted to console him, Crimsonheart sadly told them that he had never imagined that Naricain would ever harm his own family. Resolving to focus himself, Crimsonheart led the traveler onward to the Keep, hoping to stop Naricain’s machinations if they arrived in time. At the entrance to the Keep, they discovered a ferocious battle ongoing between the remaining warriors and the corrupted forces of Krakia and the Keep. One soldier told Crimsonheart that they would hold the line and urged him to stop Naricain, adding that there was a woman aiding him.
The traveler explained that she was Dr. Krakia, to which the soldier told them that she was the one who had corrupted the people and the animals against the Keep, and that she needed to be stopped. As they moved deeper into the Keep, the corrupted Krakians continued pursuing them. Realizing that they needed to block the entrance, the traveler decided to hold them off while Crimsonheart went after Naricain.
Crimsonheart confessed that he had feared that people would grow more foolish as time went on, but the traveler had given him hope for the future. With that, Crimsonheart pushed ahead while the traveler held the line. As the traveler continued defeating the Krakian reinforcements, Dr. Jang arrived and confronted the traveler, mistaking them as a Grandmaster because of their strength.
Recognizing her as Dr. Jang, the traveler told her that they weren’t a Grandmaster, revealing that they had come from the future in her Time Portal. However, Dr. Jang was unconcerned and explained that Naricain had already taken the Antellion, and that he was now unstoppable. When the traveler told her that Crimsonheart would stop him, she simply asked why they even bothered, claiming that Naricain was right in his belief that people were free to be as corrupt and evil as they wanted.
She explained that a single leader ruling everyone would remove suffering, asking why the traveler would stand in the way of achieving peace. The traveler pointed out that people would naturally try to resist being controlled and asked how many people Naricain would have to destroy in order to achieve the so-called peace that she spoke of.
Dr. Jang vehemently replied that such people were fools who deserved their fate. She then confessed that she wanted simplicity, explaining that Naricain was the only one who had needed her when neither her parents nor her peers wanted her. The dumbstruck traveler realized that Dr. Jang was in love with Naricain and asked how she could possibly love someone who was asking her to help kill his own family. Dr. Jang retorted that Naricain’s family was standing in his way, adding that such a family was meaningless if they didn’t support him. She then claimed that Naricain had every right to kill his family if they were trying to deny his dream.
(A/N: As much as I hate Dr. Jang, I did notice that some of her behavior lined up a little with some traits of borderline personality disorder. Her talk about how no one needed her except Naricain made me wonder whether that lined up with a fear of abandonment. She also seems to demonstrate instances of splitting, which is basically categorizing things in absolute terms, such as love/hate, good/evil, etc.
Another trait that she exhibits is a dramatic change of personality, going from wanting to do everything she could to stop the Black Mage to being willing to subjugate the entire world for Naricain, a man whom she met literally two days ago. One of the symptoms of BPD is also having a volatile sense of self-image that includes shifting goals and values.
There’s also some behavior that I thought lined up with some other symptoms, such as outbursts of anger and reckless behavior, although that might not necessarily be indicative of BPD itself. I also want to give a disclaimer that I have no psychiatric education and I could very well be completely off. These are just a few things that I picked up from the things I already know about it, which I though was worth noting.)
When the traveler continued protesting, Dr. Jang realized that she would never convince them, instead vowing to defeat them and ensure that Naricain would succeed. She then summoned a horde of Krakian warriors and corrupted Keep soldiers, explaining that she had simplified things by making them fully obedient to her and Naricain. When the traveler asked how she could do something so evil, Dr. Jang snapped at them to stop with their moralizing and vowed to crush anyone who got in her way in order to ensure the everlasting peace that she and Naricain had sought their entire lives.
She then retreated, leaving the traveler to fight through the waves of enemies. Eventually, they caught up with Dr. Jang, who demanded to know why they even cared about stopping Naricain, as it had nothing to do with them. The traveler retorted that anything that threatened Maple World was their business, and that it was she who was interfering where she didn’t belong. However, Dr. Jang then revealed that they had walked into a trap and sent them into a different space.
As the traveler wondered where they had been sent, Dr. Jang appeared to them in a hologram and explained that she had trapped them inside a virtual world created in the image of Versal, the original home of Crimsonheart, Naricain, and the Grandmasters, in order to help them understand Naricain’s pain. The traveler then noticed an enormous crystal, which Dr. Jang revealed was the whole Antellion, much larger than the one in Crimsonwood Keep, explaining that the stable Antellion had allowed the Versalians to create portals similar to her Time Portal that led to other points across space and time.
(A/N: This is just my personal theory, but I feel like the Versalians had used the Antellion and visited all the other universes within GMS-verse, which would be the entry point for the stories of Jett, the Sengoku Warriors, and the rest to be connected.)
Just then, the traveler noticed two thieves attempting to steal the Antellion, hoping to claim its power for themselves. Suddenly, Crimsonheart appeared and effortlessly defeated then. He then noticed that his wife, Glona, had appeared and told her that more and more people were coming to claim the Antellion for themselves, wondering whether he was strong enough to protect it.
Glona reminded him that the Antellion did not care for good or evil. Though they couldn’t stop others from becoming stronger, she told Crimsonheart that he could become stronger than any, adding that his limitless potential was why he had been appointed as the protector of the Antellion. Crimsonheart then told Glona that he was to depart for another world tomorrow, where a great darkness loomed, and asked what could be done if someone were to attempt to claim the Antellion in his absence, to which Glona told him that the children they had raised to be strong and wise would protect it in his stead.
However, Crimsonheart told Glona not to joke, claiming that the children were still too young. He then confessed that he worried about her, as she had been put in danger many times because of his responsibilities as the Antellion’s protector. Glona reassured him that it ought not to concern him as long as she was alive, adding that she trusted him to do what was right by fulfilling his duty to protect others from the darkness.
When Crimsonheart asked what to do with those who sought to take the Antellion for themselves, she told him to show them the error of their ways as a father would do with his children, reminding him that they would never turn away a child in need. Crimsonheart confessed that he couldn’t understand her compulsion to take in such children, noble as it was, and asked whether the two more she now had with Subani’s adoption was enough for her. (A/N: This is a continuity error, as Subani was said to be the first child that they adopted.)
Glona merely laughed and reminded Crimsonheart that there was no end to their love. As she and Crimsonheart walked away, the traveler noted that people like Glona were rare. Dr. Jang also admitted that Glona was a wonderful person, and that Crimsonheart loved her without question because of it. She also added that she had come to understand families more after learning about her. Suddenly, a horde of Krakian warriors from the real world arrived to attack the surprised traveler, with Dr. Jang explaining that even though she hoped to convince them, it would still be better if they were to simply die.
After the traveler defeated them, the scene changed to show a young Naricain and Subani. Naricain told Subani to stop crying, reminding him that Crimsonheart would scold him. He added that their father was right to do so, as one of them would one day become the new protector of the Antellion, and so they ought to train twice as hard in order to be ready for that day.
Subani, who continued crying, told Naricain that Millard was the oldest amongst them, and so there would be no need for him to become the protector. However, Naricain reminded him that only the strongest warrior in Versal became the protector, regardless of age, adding that he doubted that Millard would ever earn the position. (A/N: Millard is only seen once in this storyline as these flashback sequences progress, and he’s pretty irrelevant in the overall lore.)
Subani then told Naricain not to say such things, calling him Naric, as someone could overhear him. However, Naricain merely asked why he ought to be ashamed for speaking the truth. Subani, who slowly stopped crying, asked whether Naricain thought that he could become the protector, to which Naricain reassured his brother that he could if he studied and trained hard. (A/N: Subani’s asking whether Naricain thinks that he, Subani, could be the protector.)
Subani then asked whether the reason that Naricain was working hard and gaining their father’s trust was to become the new protector, though Naricain denied it and told Subani that Crimsonheart trusted them all equally. When Subani asked why Naricain worked so hard, Naricain told him that he wanted to be strong enough to protect their mother, citing the time when he had been unable to stop the intruders who had come to steal the Antellion, with only Crimsonheart’s timely arrival saving their mother from harm.
As the two brothers vowed to become strong enough to protect their mother, Glona herself appeared and told Naricain that he was very noble. She then told Subani that she had heard that Crimsonheart had scolded him, which was why he had been crying, and asked what had happened. When Subani admitted that it had been because he hadn’t been training hard enough, Glona asked him whether he knew why the people of Versal had been blessed by the Antellion.
She explained that the Versalians had a duty to protect not just Versal, but anyone who was being threatened by darkness. Though she appreciated their desire to protect her, Glona reminded them that she also had a duty to protect others. She then told the two brothers that the power they gained from training came with a duty to others, reminding Naricain that he needed to use his great power for good.
Suddenly, the scene changed to show a horde of thieves circling around an injured Lukan, who was attempting to protect Glona and Subani. Glona stepped forward and declared that she could not allow them to pass, as the Antellion could not fall into the wrong hands. As the traveler watched the scene unfold, Dr. Jang explained that Crimsonheart fought a never-ending battle with those who would misuse the Antellion’s powers.
When the traveler asked where Crimsonheart was, Dr. Jang explained that Crimsonheart could not always be there for his family, as much of his time was spent helping other worlds across space and time, at the cost of his own. The traveler asked why people would want to take the Antellion when its power was shared, to which Dr. Jang explained that the power was only shared amongst the people of Versal, though it was diluted by being spread so thin.
The traveler then turned to watch the scene as Lukan told Glona to take Subani and escape while he held the thieves off. However, Glona noted that Lukan was injured and told him that the responsibility to protect the Antellion fell to her. Glona then prepared to cast a powerful spell, just as Naricain rushed to the scene. Realizing what his mother was doing, Naricain begged her to stop, to which she merely apologized for not being able to see him grow up.
The traveler suddenly felt a shake as Dr. Jang amusedly explained that her virtual reality channeled portions of what it played out, adding that Glona’s spell had been so powerful that its very simulation might kill the traveler. The traveler then shook off the effects of the spell and turned to see that Glona had created an immensely powerful barrier, though she had expended so much of her magic that the effort ultimately killed her.
As the frantic thieves wondered how they could get past the barrier to steal the Antellion, a furious Naricain unleashed a devastating dark spell, one that even affected the traveler through the virtual space, and brutally struck down the thieves. Naricain then angrily confronted a crying Subani and berated him for being too afraid to stop their mother from dying.
Suddenly, Crimsonheart rushed in and discovered Glona dead on the floor. As Lukan began explaining what had happened, a furious Naricain demanded to know why Crimsonheart had taken so long to appear, blaming him for Glona’s death, and for never being around when they needed him. Declaring that he hated Crimsonheart, Naricain stormed off.
The traveler then watched as the scene changed to one set decades later, with Lukan and Delgrund telling Crimsonheart that they were receiving new reports about Naricain’s illicit activities daily and asked what could be done. Delgrund noted that Naricain was a fool, as he coveted the power of the Antellion, despite knowing first-hand the tragedy of seeking it.
Lukan reminded Delgrund that Naricain was merely a boy who had lost his mother, and that his actions were how he was dealing with the loss. He then suggested giving Naricain time and then appealing to his wisdom, hopeful that he would come to his senses by then. However, Delgrund countered that it had been decades since he had run off, claiming that any senses he would have come to were long gone.
He then told Lukan that Naricain wasn’t merely a troubled boy any longer, but a deeply disturbed man, one whose insidious plots had allowed him to be the first to seize a fragment of the Antellion in all the history of Versal. He then turned to Crimsonheart and asked what he would do as the protector of the Antellion. Lukan then began arguing with Delgrund, asking how he could expect Crimsonheart to take up arms against his own son.
As the two continued bickering, Crimsonheart broke up their fight and explained that Naricain sought the Antellion to end the cycle of greed and destruction that had cost him his mother. He then ordered the two to resume their duties, promising to have a decision ready soon. As they walked away, Dr. Jang noted that in the span of a moment, Naricain had become branded as a villain to everyone, even those who had once considered him family. The exasperated traveler then reminded her that Naricain was a villain, as he threatened everyone around him. However, Dr. Jang pointed out that they themselves had seen that Naricain had a reason, adding that he could have set everything right with the power of the Antellion, and that he deserved it after everything he had been through. (A/N: This woman has officially lost it. I don’t think I’ve hated a character this much since Orchid.)
Suddenly, Subani appeared and Delgrund immediately asked him to convince Crimsonheart to listen to reason. After the two Grandmasters left, Subani asked his father whether it was about Naricain again. He also noted that Crimsonheart hadn’t come to Glona’s grave with the rest of them for the anniversary of her death. Crimsonheart claimed that he had forgotten, but Subani told him that he didn’t need to lie, noting that he counted each day since her passing.
Knowing that Naricain also missed Glona, Subani suggested that they could use it as common ground to speak with him. However, Crimsonheart told him not to humor such notions, as he knew from the countless times that he had met Naricain that his heart was a stone. Subani reminded Crimsonheart that tolerance over Naricain’s actions was wearing thin amidst the people, and that someone might take arms against him before long.
Crimsonheart then confided that Naricain held a special place in his heart, even as he loved all his children, and explained that he had always planned to make either Subani or Naricain the next protector of the Antellion, adding that he would have had to choose between a guardian of kindness or power. Knowing that even Naricain wouldn’t be the end of those who sought the power of the Antellion, Crimsonheart explained that he had made arrangements with the council to move the Antellion to a remote world, where he and those he trusted the most would relocate.
When Subani pointed out that Naricain could use the Antellion fragment that he had taken to follow them, Crimsonheart vowed that if the time came, he would use the Antellion’s power to send Naricain away forever, asking Subani to tell others that Naricain had fallen in battle if such an event came to pass. Against Subani’s protests that Naricain would never hurt his family, Crimsonheart told him that they needed to be prepared for it, as Naricain wasn’t holding back.
As the scene ended, more Krakian warriors appeared that the traveler defeated before turning back to the new scene that was unfolding. Naricain approached his siblings, Millard and Henne, and demanded to know where the Antellion was. Henne ordered him to stop his quest, claiming that they didn’t want to harm him, even though Crimsonheart had left it to them to stop him.
As the traveler lamented how the power of the Antellion had torn such strong bonds between family apart, Dr. Jang dismissed their comment by saying that the pair had chosen to ignore Naricain’s dream. The traveler then demanded to know why Naricain was always the victim to her, reminding her that he had a choice too. However, Dr. Jang merely told them that they would never understand him.
Meanwhile, Naricain laughed that neither Millard nor Henne could defeat him and promised to end things if they told him where the Antellion was. When they refused, Naricain unleashed powerful dark magic that the traveler struggled to resist through the simulation. Realizing that Millard would never tell him willingly, Naricain threatened to kill Henne, causing Millard to begrudgingly reveal that the Antellion was on Maple World. Satisfied, Naricain allowed his two siblings to live as he set off for to Maple World.
As the simulation ended, the traveler realized that Naricain would eventually kill Crimsonheart and take the Antellion, though the Grandmasters would destroy it while Subani sacrificed his life to seal Naricain. A surprised Dr. Jang asked them how they knew that, to which they explained that they had seen Lukan’s memories.
Dr. Jang explained that she had seen Naricain’s memories and felt his pain and isolation, with his suffering becoming hers. She then noted that the traveler, a hero of Maple World who had risked their lives countless time for what they had believed in, was the same as Naricain, who sought the Antellion, not for personal gain, but to achieve peace. She explained that the only difference was that no one bothered to see his side of the story.
(A/N: Here, you can either choose to say that Naricain’s pain doesn’t justify all the suffering he’s caused while pursuing his dream, or you can say that you understand why Naricain did what he did, and that you don’t think he’s evil. Neither choice affects the story at all, as choosing the second option has you say that despite sympathizing with Naricain, his actions are unforgivable and you still intend to stop him, effectively making it the same as the first choice.
As most people know, the only thing that changes based on your decision are the rewards that you get at the end of your first playthrough, with the first choice giving you the Crimsonwood Warrior chair and the Subani-Roid, while the second choice gives you the Dark Follower chair and the Dr. Jang-Roid.)
The traveler then returned to the real world, where Dr. Jang told them that hearing their opinion on Naricain had cemented her belief that she needed to completely and utterly destroy them. She then appeared before them while riding her ultimate weapon, a large panther-like robot. (A/N: I know it was unreleased, but this was a missed opportunity for them to call it the Krakiatoa, the ultimate weapon which had destroyed the Keep in the old lore.)
Fall of Crimsonwood:
In the Grandmaster Hall, Crimsonheart confronted Naricain, who asked whether his father was in despair after sending off Subani, spitefully adding that Subani had always been his favorite. After a pause, Crimsonheart reminded Naricain that Subani had still been his brother, to which Naricain replied that Subani would have remained so if he hadn’t gotten in the way.
Crimsonheart revealed that Subani had always believed that Naricain would return home, both while in Versal and in Maple World. Naricain admitted that he had never wanted to hurt Subani, but Dr. Jang had told him that Subani would be his undoing by sealing him in a purgatory between life and death. Crimsonheart replied that he had heard how Naricain would have killed him originally, which had driven Subani to such lengths. An angry Naricain then spat out that he hated Crimsonheart, adding that his father was the one responsible for everything.
Meanwhile, Dr. Jang confronted the traveler with her ultimate weapon. She explained that she had designed it to use against Crimsonheart, but the traveler’s actions had made her realize that they were just as much of a threat. She then told the traveler that if her machine couldn’t stop them, then it certainly wouldn’t stop Crimsonheart.
After a fierce battle, the traveler managed to destroy the machine and told Dr. Jang to leave Naricain in the past and go back to her life in Maple World. They added that they held no grudge against her, as she had merely gotten caught up in the machinations of a powerful being. However, Dr. Jang merely laughed and explained that it wasn’t that simple.
She told them that at first, she had just been happy to be wanted, as she had no family or friends during her childhood, with only her books, and later, her research. Being alone and stubborn, she hated losing and couldn’t tolerate the shortcomings of others, furious that no one respected her for working her whole life in order to become as intelligent as she was.
She then admitted that after meeting Naricain, she was finally happy, as there was someone out there who looked out for her and even needed her. She then told the traveler that they could never understand, as they had the strength to look out for others, and because she didn’t, she needed that. The traveler sympathized with her loneliness, but explained that they were sure that there was someone out there who appreciated her that wasn’t trying to conquer the world. (A/N: Becky literally worships the ground that Dr. Jang walks on, maybe she ought to start there.)
However, Dr. Jang told them that she didn’t care, as all she wanted was to be right about Naricain’s existence, his words, and his heart. The traveler acknowledged that she was smart and powerful, but entreated her to start over, promising to tell everyone that she had disappeared. However, Dr. Jang explained that she couldn’t do that, revealing that she had rigged herself to explode in case she couldn’t stop them.
As the shocked traveler processed her words, Dr. Jang explained that even though she couldn’t stop Crimsonheart, she could at least destroy them, the one person who had foiled her otherwise perfect plan. The traveler attempted to stop Dr. Jang, fighting through the Krakian warriors who had arrived to prevent them from reaching her.
Just as she was about to press the self-destruct button, however, Lukan appeared and stabbed her, saving the traveler’s life. Though Lukan was glad to have stopped Dr. Jang’s evil scheme, the traveler noted that Dr. Jang herself wasn’t truly evil, but merely misguided as a result of her difficult circumstances.
(A/N: Here, we get a flashback to Dr. Jang and Naricain speaking in the dreamscape where he’s imprisoned. Naricain asks Dr. Jang what she’ll do once their plan is complete, dismissing her correction that it’s actually his plan by saying that they’re making the journey together. He adds that he has the power to grant her dreams and says that there’s one thing he wants to do, which is to find a land without people, war, anger, or sorrow, where there’s only simple grass and trees. He then asks if she knows what he’s saying, to which she says that she does. She then begins to say that even though she would love to go with him, which is where she trails off and the scene then cuts away to her dead body.)
As the traveler and Lukan headed towards Crimsonheart, Lukan noted that he hadn’t seen any of the Grandmasters except for Numenal, who was holding off the invasion army at the castle entrance. The traveler immediately suspected that Lireni had deserted, but held the thought for Lukan’s sake. As more enemies appeared, the traveler decided to hold them off and told Lukan to go ahead and help Crimsonheart fight Naricain.
In the Grandmaster Hall, Crimsonheart and Naricain were battling, with Naricain telling his father to stop resisting and to surrender the Antellion, which Crimsonheart had seized back from Naricain. When Crimsonheart told Naricain that Glona wouldn’t want the world that he was trying to build, a furious Naricain told Crimsonheart that he didn’t have the right to say her name, to which Crimsonheart asked whose name he could say, as he had no one left.
Though he had accepted that a guardian could not be there for every battle, he explained that he had missed a crucial fact, which was that there needed to be an end to the constant struggle. He then declared that for the sake of their family, he needed to put an end to the cycle. Naricain laughed and invited Crimsonheart to try and kill him, an offer that Lukan immediately took up on as he arrived.
As he and Crimsonheart began to gain the upper hand, Naricain summoned the corrupted warriors of the Keep to push them back. The traveler soon caught up and joined the battle, much to the delight of Crimsonheart, who realized that they had defeated Dr. Jang. A shocked Naricain immediately claimed that they must had fled, believing that there was no way that they could have defeated her.
As the traveler declared that Dr. Jang and her ultimate weapon had both been defeated, Lukan noticed the effect that their words had on Naricain and asked him whether the loss of his minion was too much for him to bear. Upon hearing Lukan calling the love of his life a mere minion, Naricain’s fury resulted in him channeling unprecedented levels of darkness as he processed her death.
Amidst the dark energy, the traveler managed to create a diversion, allowing Crimsonheart to shoot chains from his sword that bound Naricain. Amidst Naricain’s cries begging his father to stop, Crimsonheart used his magic to seal Naricain inside a statue once again and teleported him to another dimension.
Suddenly, the Keep began to rumble as the force of the battle unsettled it. The three fought past the enemies as they escaped the Keep and arrived in the Krakian Jungle. Crimsonheart reassured them that the Keep would stand, as the warriors of Versal had built it to last. However, he mourned the countless soldiers who had fallen in the battle. (A/N: One big difference from the old lore is that the battle lasted for ten years in the old canon, whereas it lasted for probably a few days here.)
Just then, Numenal arrived with the surviving soldiers and explained that they had retreated when the Keep had begun to shake. He then asked about the outcome of the battle, to which Crimsonheart explained that he had managed to save the Antellion and seal Naricain away, banishing him to a great void beyond time and space.
When Lukan asked what would happen if Naricain escaped, as he had done in the traveler’s time, Delgrund appeared with the surviving Krakians and explained that Crimsonheart hadn’t made the same mistake as Subani, as Naricain’s banishment would leave him frozen in a vast expanse of nothingness.
He then explained that Lireni had been right about Dr. Krakia infecting the river to transform the people of the Krakian Empire into an army, as he had confirmed her theory while gathering the survivors. Crimsonheart then thanked the traveler for all their efforts in thwarting Naricain. He also noticed that Lireni was absent and asked Numenal about it, who paused before claiming that Lireni had been killed in battle.
As the Grandmasters mourned her loss, the traveler asked Crimsonheart what he would do with the Antellion. Lukan and the others asked whether they would finally return home to Versal, to which Crimsonheart cryptically told them that some of them would. Adding that he couldn’t speak of his decision in their present location, he asked where the center of Krakia was, to which Delgrund explained that it was a village named Olde Sapp Village.
The group then traveled to Olde Sapp Village, where Crimsonheart revealed that he would remain behind with the Antellion, as he knew that Versal would be threatened by danger and despair if he were to take it back. When Lukan declared that he would remain as well, Crimsonheart explained that Lukan misunderstood, clarifying that Maple World was not safe for the Antellion either. The others immediately understood what Crimsonheart was saying as he confirmed their suspicious by declaring that he would destroy the Antellion at the cost of his own life.
The Grandmasters immediately protested, claiming that with Naricain’s defeat, they could work together and protect the Antellion as they always had. However, Crimsonheart pointed out that they had barely managed to defeat Naricain, with no way of knowing whether someone more dangerous than him would appear to claim the Antellion’s power. He added that Naricain had already mentioned that another force desired the Antellion, perhaps more than Naricain did himself. (A/N: This is a reference to the line that I mentioned was referenced in MONAD, which was basically Naricain saying that those who sought the Antellion’s power would never rest.)
When the traveler asked if Crimsonheart really had to sacrifice himself, he told them that it was the only way to preserve the future that they hailed from. He then turned to the Grandmasters and explained that he had tasks that he needed to entrust to them. He told Numenal that he would send him back to Versal, where he was to ensure that the people of Versal, both now and in the future, knew of the Antellion and the sacrifices made to protect it, as well as to take care of his remaining children as their new father, being there for them as he could never be.
Though he explained that Versal would never need a protector, nor would its people travel across space and time, he entrusted Numenal with leading the warriors of Versal. He then used the power of the Antellion to send Numenal and the remaining warriors back to Versal, after which he told Delgrund to watch over the surviving Krakians, whom he planned to send to a new, safe land in Maple World.
Though the Krakians asked Crimsonheart whether they could stay in Krakia, as the roots of their entire civilization lay there, Delgrund explained that Dr. Jang’s corruption of the continent would prevent them from living safely, as the corrupted Krakians and Versalians still roamed the fallen land. Crimsonheart then apologized to Delgrund for keeping him away from Versal, to which Delgrund declared that Maple World would be his new home.
After Crimsonheart used the Antellion to transport Delgrund and the Krakians away, he entrusted Lukan with the most important task of all, which was to return back to the future with the traveler, as the fragment of the Antellion that powered the Time Portal still remained there. He tasked Lukan with being the protector of the fragment, permitting him to hide it or destroy it as he saw fit, but mandating that no one except he may possess it. The traveler then asked whether the piece would even exist, as Naricain had never severed it from the main body in their current timeline.
(A/N: This doesn’t make any sense, as Naricain took a piece of the Antellion while they were on Versal, well before the time-travel shenanigans. Otherwise, how would he have even traveled to Maple World in the first place?)
However, Crimsonheart explained that since the Antellion transcended space and time, both it and its fragments remained anchored wherever they fell, and that even changing the past wouldn’t affecting the Antellion in the future. He then thanked the traveler for proving that great heroes could exist even without the Antellion, which left him confident in his decision to destroy it. After saying their farewells, Crimsonheart used the Antellion one last time to send the traveler and Lukan a thousand years into the future before shattering it, ending his life and sinking the continent into the ocean.
Lukan and the traveler unexpectedly appeared in Crimsonwood Keep of the present, where Dr. Yoon and several researchers encountered them. The pair were shocked to learn that Masteria had resurfaced, as Crimsonheart’s sacrifice was meant to have sunk it forever. Dr. Yoon noted that it was an interesting theory, which fit with how Masteria had recently resurfaced. Lukan then remembered the Antellion fragment and rushed to the Time Portal against Dr. Yoon’s protests to keep away.
The traveler noted that the fragment was still there, just as Crimsonheart had said, but they were surprised that the Time Portal also remained when all traces of Dr. Jang should have been gone. The traveler then removed the fragment from the Time Portal, which broke the device, and gave it to Lukan, who decided that he would hide it somewhere far away, as he had doubts about his ability to break it and the consequences that would follow if he succeeded. However, he promised the traveler that he would not allow it to trouble them or Maple World.
(A/N: Here, Lukan notes that even though Crimsonheart had ordered that only he could possess the fragment, Crimsonheart had said nothing about sharing its power. He then uses the Antellion to leave a gift for us, which is basically the set of rewards we receive for completing the blockbuster. I have no idea whether this section is canon, and so I’ve just placed it in an author note.)
The traveler and Lukan then said their farewells as he prepared to embark on his journey to hide the Antellion fragment. After Lukan left, Dr. Yoon and the others rushed over to find that the traveler had destroyed the Time Portal, which they claimed had been their greatest discovery. Dr. Yoon then demanded to know the traveler’s name, but upon hearing it, he was surprised and explained that they had discovered an ancient book in the Keep, which held records of the final days of the continent before it had sunk into the ocean. Though the book had been written in the ancient language of Versal, they had been able to make out the traveler’s name in the writings, though the traveler denied having any relation to it.
(A/N: This is basically the end of the blockbuster, although we do get to see records of the book, which was Lireni’s log that Dr. Yoon talks about. It plays a role in future Masteria stories, as you’ll see later on. The first entry has the traveler’s name and says that they appeared with Lukan and summarizes the story that you tell them about being from the future. She notes that she doesn’t believe that she would betray her comrades and desert them. The next log has her talk about Dr. Krakia, whom the Krakians claimed was surveying the lay of the land, as well as the river and the water supplies.
She begins to have doubts about her ability to fight in the upcoming battle and explains that she wants to flee. The next log has her record Subani’s death and her fear of being next. The one after that talks about how she is gonna flee because she needs to ensure that she, the last of her family, doesn’t fall. The final entry has her state her betrayal and leaves the log behind as a testament of her cowardice for others to discover, so as not to make the same mistakes as her.)
The Rise of PULSAR
The Spirit Walker and the Bladed Falcon:
(A/N: Sengoku Japan doesn’t actually take place on the same Earth that we know in the main story. The world that the Sengoku Warriors come from is called Sokoku, with their nation itself being called Hinomaru. The word Sokoku means ‘homeland’ in Japanese, while Hinomaru means ‘circle of the sun’, referring to the national flag.
The Sengoku period of Japan’s history refers to the mid-15th century to the beginning of the 17th century, which was a time of constant military conflict and social upheaval. A lot of characters from the Sengoku storyline are named and modeled after actual people from that era, including Oda Nobunaga, the main villain of the storyline.
Also, for those who aren’t aware, surnames in Japan are ordered before first names. To use Oda Nobunaga as an example, Oda is actually his surname, while Nobunaga is his first name. This is also the case for the other characters in the Sengoku storyline. The way that GMS handles this is a little weird, as it refers to virtually everyone by their first name, which is pretty uncommon in Japanese culture.
Typically, first names are only used by people whom you’re close with, which makes the GMS translation even weirder because they refer to Oda Nobunaga as Nobunaga, which would likely never even happen in American culture, let alone Japanese culture. It would almost be like having the characters refer to Gerand Darmoor as simply Gerand. For the sake of remaining consistent, I’ll be referring to characters the same way that GMS does, which is basically by using everyone’s first name, except they refer to Oda with his surname for whatever reason.
As an additional disclaimer, I’m basing this writeup on the GMS localization of the Sengoku storyline, which is vastly different from the original text - especially in the way that it changes the characterization of many characters and adds stupid jokes that don’t exist in the JMS text. I’ve had lots of problems with the GMS localization of KMS lore, but this localization takes things to a whole new level of dumb.)
In the Sengoku era of the world of Sokoku, the Great Diviner, Abeno Seimei, had a premonition that a being would appear in the nation of Hinomaru with the power of the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, threatening the entire realm. However, Abeno Seimei also had a premonition that five skilled heroes would rise to oppose Oda. These heroes were the Children of the Five Stars, each bearing a mark somewhere on their bodies that showed proof of their heavenly vessels.
(A/N: Hayato and Kanna are both Children of the Five Stars, although we don’t have confirmation about Ayame. The whole concept of the Children of the Five Stars was introduced as part of the background writeup that Nexon had released with the introduction of the Sengoku classes, but it plays an almost non-existent role within the scope of the lore, only being vaguely alluded to with the Will of the Five Planets questline at the end of the Hieizan Temple story.)
Centuries later, a warlord named Oda Nobunaga appeared and planned to become the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven. With an overwhelming military force, Hinomaru was quickly seized into hegemony. For the Demon King Ritual, Oda required a special sacrifice. Princess Sakuno was the first daughter of the Matsuyama clan and held an immense font of mana within her body.
On Oda’s orders, Sakuno was kidnapped and the Matsuyama clan was wiped out. Oda then brought Sakuno and his army to Honnou-ji, where he planned to perform the ritual that would grant him immortality and untold power. Hoping to stop him, a united military force of daimyos, composed of the great lords Mouri Motonari, Uesugi Kenshin, and Takeda Shingen, formed an alliance called the Sengoku Warriors and led their armies to Honnou-ji Temple in order to put an end to Oda’s ambitions.
(A/N: Daimyos were feudal lords who owned large portions of land. They commanded armies composed of the citizens of their territory and pledged their service to the shogun, the ruler of the entire land. The real-life battle at Honnou-ji was actually an internal coup, in which Akechi Mitsuhide, one of Oda’s generals and the other antagonist of this storyline, betrayed him.)
Uesugi Kenshin arrived early with the great Onmyouji, Tsuchimikado Haruaki, and his apprentice, Ayanokouji Kanna.
(A/N: In real life, Kenshin was believed to be a man, although there’s a lot of debate about whether he was actually a woman posing as a man. The strongest piece of evidence for this is that Kenshin would routinely suffer stomach cramps every month, even going so far as to plan his campaigns around it, making it possible that he might have been a woman hiding her periods. Furthermore, his cause of death was listed as uterine cancer by a doctor who had made virtually no other mistake in the book that he had written it in. Because of this, a lot of media that portrays Kenshin depicts her as female.
What’s undisputed, however, is that Kenshin had an intense rivalry with Takeda Shingen, a dynamic which was carried over in this storyline. Onmyouji was an official government position that referred to experts in divination and the supernatural. Abeno Seimei, who divined the prophecy of the Demon King in the game, was an actual person and was widely regarded as one of the greatest Onmyouji who ever lived, becoming a legend in Japanese folklore. In GMS, Onmyouji is translated as Spirit Walker. Both Haruaki and Kanna are original characters, with no real-life counterparts.)
Haruaki told Kanna to stop the ritual in the Western Wing, explaining that it would cause the power flowing into the temple to cut off. However, he warned that in order to fully stop the ritual, she would need to destroy the altar in the basement. Kanna arrived in the Western Wing, where she disrupted the flow of power, causing the barrier to weaken. She then fought past Oda’s Spirit Walkers with her mystical fox, Haku. As she continued on, she noted that the barrier was continuing to collapse as a result of the other warriors succeeding in destabilizing it.
Outside the temple walls, Takeda Shingen was rallying his soldiers as they prepared to face Oda’s army. A samurai named Anegasaki Kenji, known better as Hayato the Bladed Falcon, told Shingen that his hands were shaking with anticipation, claiming that the disgrace of the Matsuyama clan would haunt him no more.
(A/N: I’m guessing that Hayato is probably a nickname, they never really explain it during the storyline. Hayato explains this later, but he was retainer to the Matsuyama clan, of whom Princess Sakuno is a member. A retainer is basically a warrior who served a lord, tasked with keeping their seat of power safe. Hayato failed to protect his family, which is why he wants to redeem himself. Both Hayato and the Matsuyama clan itself are original creations in this storyline.)
Shingen told Hayato to keep his emotions in check, though Hayato claimed that the only emotion that he and his weapon, the Mist Cutter, felt was a thirst for vengeance. Shingen laughed at Hayato’s seriousness and ordered him to begin the attack by attacking the Eastern Door so that the cavalry could be let in. Hayato joked that there would be no enemies left for the horses to trample by the time that he was finished and proceeded to scale up the wall. After defeating the Oda soldiers, Hayato opened the gate to let Shingen and his men inside.
(A/N: You’ll notice throughout all the Sengoku sections that I refer to Oda’s men as Oda soldiers. The reason for this is because they belong to the Oda clan, and so I call them Oda soldiers, or soldiers of the Oda clan.)
Hayato reported that the Uesugi troops had likely barged in too early, and that they would need assistance. Shingen commented that it was typical of Kenshin to be unable to control her men, though it was unusual for her to be early. Regardless, he refused to break their momentum and ordered his soldiers to charge into the temple.
As Hayato continued into the temple, he encountered Akechi Mitsuhide, whom he mistook as a woman because of his feminine appearance and dress. Hayato declared that he was the eldest son of Anegasaki Tomonobu, retainer to the Matsuyama clan, and that he had come to avenge his family and rescue Princess Sakuno.
(A/N: By family, he means the family he serves, not his literal family. As I’d mentioned previously, Akechi was a real person and defeated Oda’s forces during the real life counterpart to this battle. I wasn’t able to find any records of his feminine appearance and dress, and so I’m guessing that these characteristics are unique to the game version of him.)
Mitsuhide laughed at Hayato mistaking him for a woman and claimed that he vaguely recalled an unimportant family with the name Matsuyama. Hayato raised his blade, but before he could attack, Shingen arrived and told him to put his blade away, claiming that there was no need to waste his time on such a trivial matter. Shingen recognized Mitsuhide as one of Oda’s Four Heavenly Kings, causing Hayato to realize that Mitsuhide was the man who had wiped out the Matsuyama clan and kidnapped Princess Sakuno.
(A/N: The Four Heavenly Kings, or the Four Guardian Kings, were four of Oda’s generals who were heavily attributed as integral to his rise in power, both in the game and in real life.)
Realizing that Mitsuhide was the one who had started the rebellion against Oda, Shingen offered an alliance with Mitsuhide, though an enraged Hayato refused to ally himself with the man who had destroyed his family and instead prepared to attack. However, Shingen reminded Hayato that rescuing the princess was his priority and told him to hurry into the temple while he himself handled Akechi. As Hayato rushed off, Akechi vowed to deal with Shingen before finding Oda, raising his blade to attack.
(A/N: In the game, the reason that Mitsuhide betrays Oda is because he hoped that unifying all of Hinomaru would finally result in peace. However, Oda’s thirst for power remained unquenched as he sought to become the Demon King, which made Mitsuhide realize that Oda was nothing more than a power-hungry tyrant. The real life Mitsuhide’s motivations are unknown to this day, remaining a topic of great debate.)
At the entrance of the temple, Hayato ran into Princess No and asked her to step aside, claiming that he had no quarrel with her. However, No chastised Hayato for speaking so familiarly with her and introduced herself as Kichou, daughter of Saitou Dousan and the lawful wife of the Demon King.
(A/N: In real life, Princess No was renowned for her beauty and cleverness. Her proper name was Kichou, but since she came from the Mino Province, also known as Noshu (or No for short), she was more commonly referred to as No-hime. Hime means ‘princess’ or ‘lady’, and so she was essentially known as the Lady of Noshu, or Princess No in English.
Despite her intelligence and beauty, there are few records about her, and so most of what we know about her life comes from legend and speculation, many of which postulate that she was a spy for her father, who wanted her to kill Oda since she was skilled with a sword and several martial arts. She was said to have died in the flames of Honnou-ji while clashing blades against Mitsuhide’s soldiers, but there’s rumors that she survived and lived for some number of years. While Princess No in the game is fiercely devoted to her husband, the real Princess No had a loveless marriage with Oda.)
As No raised her gun to attack, a perfect shot from Ayame, hidden from a distance, disarmed her. As No was taken aback at the impossible shot, she immediately realized the identity of the mysterious shooter. Hayato also recognized that the shot had to have come from Ayame and thought to himself that he owed her his life.
(A/N: Ayame was indirectly introduced through this sequence since Hayato’s release, although we never learned the identity of the sharpshooter until the release of Hieizan Temple, which introduced Ayame’s character and explained her backstory. Ayame had been taken in by Princess No from a young age, and so she had No’s trust. She eventually came into the service of the Matsuyama clan and was ordered to spy on Princess No at the behest of Matsuyama Nobukane, the head of the clan and Princess Sakuno’s father. While Ayame was away on missions, Sakuno was kidnapped and Nobukane was killed. Ayame eventually discovers this and rushes to Honnou-ji, where she openly betrays Princess No.)
Hayato entered the temple, ignoring No’s cries for him to stop. He then confronted Oda and began to fight him, just as Kanna discovered the entrance to the basement hidden by magic. She easily dispelled the glamour, scoffing that such weak spells couldn’t hinder her. Proceeding into the basement, Kanna discovered her former classmate, Mori Ranmaru, conducting the ritual to link Sokoku with the Demon Realm.
(A/N: In real life, Ranmaru was a highly trusted attendant to Oda and a talented samurai who was responsible for setting fire to Honnou-ji on Oda’s orders when it was clear that they were going to lose, thus allowing Oda to commit seppuku without the fear that Mitsuhide would claim his head as a trophy. There's also a lot of evidence to suggest that Ranmaru and Oda were lovers.
Ranmaru was said to be both highly feminine and beautiful, having been taken in by Oda at the age of six. At this time, ‘shudo’ was a common practice between an older samurai and a younger boy, in which the older samurai would serve as a mentor while the two engaged in a sexual relationship until the boy reached adulthood. This is extremely similar to the pederasty of Ancient Greece and Rome, even down to the same age-based dynamics corresponding to the dominant and submissive roles in the relationship.)
The two Spirit Walkers began dueling, with Kanna attempting to destroy the altar and Ranmaru defending it. As the battle dragged on, Kanna realized that their powers were too evenly matched for her to be able to destroy the altar in time. With no other choice, Kanna used her full power and had Haku unleash a devastating series of magical attacks. Though Ranmaru blocked most of them, a single attack was able to slip past his defenses and destroy the altar, causing Princess Sakuno, who was being used as a conduit to the Demon Realm, to awaken.
At the same time, Oda managed to easily defeat Hayato and shattered his Mist Cutter. Oda then noticed Sakuno attempting to disrupt the ritual and warned her of the consequences of doing so when the link to the Demon Realm was nearly complete. However, Sakuno merely told Oda that she was unconcerned with the ramifications and disrupted the ritual, creating a large beam of light that engulfed the temple and transported everyone to Maple World.
(A/N: Both Hayato and Kanna’s storylines cover nearly the exact same content, with only minimal differences in the way that the storyline is executed. Originally, I expected it to be like Kaiser and Angelic Buster’s storylines, in which both of them do their own things and each of them offers a different perspective as the same events unfold. However, these two stories don’t happen in parallel, they’re the exact same events with slightly different interactions. You can almost think of it like Luminous’ light and dark paths, in that they both lead to the same end, just with some differences in dialogue.
Because of this, I can’t interweave their storylines like I did with Kaiser and Angelic Buster, and since it’s impossible for them to have canonically completed these same quests together, I’m instead gonna present them separately, just like how I did with Luminous’ light and dark storylines. Also, you’ll see this pretty early in the story, but for some reason, everyone who got transported from Sokoku to Maple World had their arrivals staggered, meaning that some people arrived earlier than others.)
Kanna:
In Maple World, Kanna awoke in Zipangu to the sight of Haku. Soon enough, she encountered a man named Naoe Kanetsugu, who explained that the battle had been chaotic, and that he had seen someone fighting Oda, although he had no idea no way of knowing who it was. (A/N: Kanetsugu is a real person who served as a kosho, or page, to Uesugi Kenshin. They actually did a really good job with recreating his armor in the game.)
He congratulated Kanna for disrupting the ritual and told her that Mitsuhide had planned to betray Oda and take all of Hinomaru for himself. He explained that Mitsuhide had fought for hours as he attempted to reach Oda, though a large beam of light had erupted from the temple before he could enter, which had teleported them all to an unfamiliar world.
He told her that he had arrived a few days ago, and that he had discovered her while searching for Kenshin. He then told her that those who had arrived earlier had set up a base nearby. Kanna wondered whether destroying the altar had caused the ritual to fail, though Haku told her not to blame herself, as she had done everything that she could. Kanetsugu then escorted her to their base, Momijigaoka, which he explained had been established by Mouri Motonari, one of the three leading daimyos of the alliance.
(A/N: According to the dialogue, Momijigaoka means autumn’s blood-red leaves, a reference to the maple leaves around them. However, I looked into a bit and found that it actually only translates the first part, ‘momiji’. With the disclaimer that I don’t know a single word of Japanese, my search for what ‘gaoka’ means returned 'the word ‘hill’. Thus, Momijigaoka would actually mean ‘maple leaf hill’.)
Kanetsugu then told her to go on and meet Motonari while he continued searching for Kenshin. Inside the base, Kanna approached Motonari and introduced herself as Haruaki’s pupil. Unable to recognize her, Motonari immediately grew angry at Kanna inviting herself into the base, calling her a fool blundering in. Kanna was taken aback and explained that she had been sent by Kanetsugu.
Motonari immediately apologized, though he asked her to first prove that she could handle herself, as the physics and energy of the new world was much different from their homeland. After training to recover some of her strength, Kanna was deemed fit to carry out missions by Motonari. (A/N: Motonari is a closet perv who keeps making comments about how perfect Kanna and Kenshin’s bodies are after training, though he unsuccessfully tries to correct his slip-up by rambling on about how he meant to say that she’s improved.)
Nevertheless, Kanna still felt that her strength had diminished greatly, though Haku noted that he felt perfectly fine and couldn’t understand why everyone kept saying that they felt weaker. Kanna then decided to find her master and Princess Sakuno, as she feared that Oda had also come to the unfamiliar world.
Just then, Motonari told Kanna that soldiers in dark armor had appeared in the area, though the strange light had left them lightly armed and disorganized. Kanna defeated the Oda scouts and collected some of their reports for Motonari, who was pleased to hear that Oda’s forces were weakened by new world as well.
(A/N: The Ninja Spy Journal that she collects has a lot of stories about the Sengoku Warriors who landed on Maple World, as well as their interactions with groups like the Black Wings. I’ll cover all the details of the journal at the end of this section.)
After venturing outside again, she ran into Kanetsugu, who was on the same mission. Believing that Motonari had meant for them to complete, Kanetsugu ran off to win the supposed contest. After being egged on by Haku, Kanna rushed to defeat as many Oda scouts as she could, although Kanetsugu defeated her nevertheless. He then asked Kanna to return ahead to camp without him, as he wanted to find Kenshin as soon as possible before she starved in the wilderness. Refusing to be outdone, Kanna decided to find and defeat the high-ranking soldiers, hoping that it would force the scouts to retreat.
As she proceeded deeper into the woods, she was surprised to encounter Kenshin, who was battling Oda’s advanced scouts. Hoping to impress her, Kanna fought as many scouts as she could, ignoring Haku’s protests that she couldn’t compete against Kanetsugu, let alone someone as strong as Kenshin. Nevertheless, Kenshin was impressed and claimed that Kanna would have made a better pupil than Kanetsugu. She then asked Kanna whether she knew what had happened after the flash of light, to which Kanna told her that they had set up a base. She then escorted Kenshin to Momijigaoka, where Kanetsugu was both relieved and flustered to see Kenshin safe.
Shingen then noticed Kenshin and remarked that Oda wasn’t the only swamp rat to have made it through, calling Kanetsugu a lapdog when he jumped to defend Kenshin’s honor. Motonari then broke up the quarrel and began explaining the details of the battle in the temple, as well as details about the new world. He then ordered them to put their rivalry aside, as they needed to focus on building their alliance to defeat Oda once and for all. (A/N: I mentioned this once before, but Kenshin and Shingen had a legendary rivalry.)
Motonari then told Kanna that the Oda army had discovered the base, and though their forces were still weak, their numbers would soon overwhelm the base. As Kanna prepared for battle, she sensed a faint, familiar energy near the Oda base, Momijigahara. (A/N: My Google search for ‘gahara’ showed that Momijigahara roughly means ‘maple leaf plains’, although someone please correct me if I’m wrong because I found a lot of technical details about ‘ga’ in ‘gahara’ that didn’t fully make sense to me.)
Surprised that the Oda army was already building a camp, Kanna decided to investigate what the army had brought with them to generate such energy. Fighting through the soldiers, Kanna discovered a mysterious foxtail and brought it to Motonari, who explained that warriors who had participated in the raids against the Oda forces had returned with similar tails.
Suddenly, Kanna’s master, Haruaki, emerged from the foxtail, much to everyone’s surprise. Haruaki explained that he had arrived before everyone else, having been being transported at the same time as Oda and his forces. In order to avoid being discovered by Oda’s men, Haruaki had disguised himself as a number of foxtails, though the Oda soldiers had taken a liking to the foxtails and brought them, and thereby him, straight into their camp.
Having been rescued by Kanna, Haruaki began explaining the true purpose of the ritual. He explained that Oda had sought to conjure the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven from the Demon Realm, a world that was as different from their homeland as Maple World was. He explained that much like how it was possible to contact Maple World, Oda had sought to make contact with the Demon Realm through an ancient ritual.
Upon discovering the Demon Realm, Oda had devised a plan to create a portal to the Demon Realm in order to bring the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven into their world, which was why Haruaki had launched the mission at the Honnou-ji Temple. Though he congratulated them on interrupting the ritual, he explained that no one could have predicted the consequences, which were that the gate to the Demon Realm had been warped, causing them to be transported to Maple World instead.
Kenshin and Shingen both immediately resolved to defeat Oda, though Motonari reminded them that they needed to first regain their strength. Haruaki then took Kanna aside and confided in her that Princess Sakuno was not among them. Kanna was worried that Oda’s men may have captured her, but Haruaki reassured her that Oda needed her alive, as the ritual required the blood of her lineage. He also reminded her that she needed to be ready, as the fates of both Sakuno and Oda rested on her shoulders.
He then noted that the Oda men were well-nourished, whereas the people of Momijigaoka were struggling to obtain food. In order to remedy this, Haruaki decided to send Kanna on a mission to make alliances, regain her strength, and find a way to create a supply route. He instructed her to find a nearby town to the south of the camp, though he warned her that the enemy had likely created a pathway to get to it. Kanna then fought her way past the Oda forces and soon arrived at the Mushroom Shrine, where she encountered Kino Konoko.
After exchanging greetings, Kanna asked Kino whether she had noticed anything strange in the area. Kino told her that a group of suspicious people had recently been spotted near the Mushroom Shrine. Kanna decided to investigate and encountered several Mecha Warrior Prototypes. After defeating them, she reported back to Kino and told her that they were likely not an immediate threat to the Mushroom Shrine. Kino then asked whether Kanna could investigate the mechanical ninjas in the area, whom Kanna determined to be hostile, numerous, and appearing to be searching for something. (A/N: During the Asura Crisis storyline, we learn that these robots were made by Niwa Nagahide, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.)
Realizing that the robots were a threat to the Mushroom Shrine, Kino asked Kanna to investigate several robots wielding guns. After defeating them, Kanna warned Kino that the gun-wielding robots were even closer to the Mushroom Shrine than the mechanical ninjas, and so she warned Kino to be cautious. Kino resolved to seek out long-term help and agreed to answer Kanna’s earlier question about strange occurrences in the area. She explained that there was a constant influx of dirt blowing into the area, as well as a storm near the shrine, which she noted was an uncommon occurrence.
Kanna realized that Oda must not have made contact yet and asked Kino to point her to the nearest shogun, explaining that she was a skilled Spirit Walker who could offer her services. Unsure of Kanna’s strange question, Kino explained that the closest person to a shogun in Maple World was Empress Cygnus in Ereve. When Kanna was confused about what Ereve was, Kino jokingly asked whether Kanna wasn’t from Maple World before giving her a book to help get acquainted with her new surroundings.
Regarding Maple World itself, Kanna read that a suspicious aura had been reported near the Mushroom Shrine, exuding a sense of immense power surrounded by darkness and greed. Kanna wondered whether it could have anything to do with Oda Nobunaga. She also read about the Transcendents who maintained balance over the fundamental laws of light, life, and time. Kanna speculated that there might be other Transcendents that were yet to be discovered and wondered whether they could help the Sengoku Warriors return home.
On the next page, she learned about Grandis and its three major races, the Flora, the Nova, and the Anima, as well as its three Transcendents and their statuses. Finally, she read about the Interdimensional Portal that connected Maple World and Grandis, lamenting at the possibility that there truly might not be a gateway that could return them home. Kanna then thanked Kino and resolved to visit the Empress. Believing that Kanna had greater need of it, Kino allowed Kanna to keep the book about Maple World.
Before she could head out, however, Kanna received a letter from Haruaki ordering her to return to Momijigaoka immediately, as they had discovered the location of Princess Sakuno. Kanna immediately rushed back to base, where Haruaki told her that their scouts had sighted the princess imprisoned deep within the eastern wing of Honnou-ji.
Though she fortunately appeared healthy, she was under tight watch by the Oda guards. Kanna immediately declared that they needed to launch a rescue operation, but Haruaki told her that they didn’t have the strength, reminding Kanna that both she and the rest of their military forces needed more time to recover. Though he conceded that they had made several allies in Maple World, Haruaki explained that they couldn’t draw them in so soon and risk fighting Oda with exhausted forces.
Shingen then interjected that he agreed with Haruaki, adding that they couldn’t risk their forces for a single person, even if it was Sakuno herself. However, he claimed that there was still a way and proposed sending a small group of elite warriors to infiltrate the enemy camp. With the other daimyos in agreement, Shingen planned for the group to enter through the western Honnou-ji walls, but Motonari then suggested that they attack from the east, as Oda wouldn’t expect them to strike at the same place that they had during the original Honnou-ji raid. Kanna volunteered to go, explaining that she was nimble and didn’t wear armor. Kenshin agreed and ordered Kanetsugu to accompany Kanna.
With the plan finalized, Kanetsugu moved in first to scout while Kanna followed. After she arrived, she rendezvoused with Kanetsugu, who told her that the security around the eastern wing was lacking, just as Shingen and Motonari had anticipated. He then left Kanna to rescue the princess while he secured their escape route, though he warned her to be cautious, as it was possible that the enemy’s frail security might be a trap.
Kanna covertly infiltrated Sakuno’s prison and rescued the princess, but just as they were about to escape, an Oda guardsman discovered them and began to attack. After defeating him, Kanna led Sakuno through the escape route, where Kanetsugu met them and escorted them back safely to Momijigaoka.
Back at the base, Sakuno met with the leaders of the Sengoku alliance and thanked them for the rescue operation. Having met them for the first time, Sakuno introduced herself as Matsuyama Sakuno, the eldest daughter of Matsuyama Nobukane and the acting head of the clans. The other daimyos noted that Sakuno had a commanding presence in spite of her young age and remained hopeful that she would have the ability to lead the Sengoku alliance.
Haruaki then asked Sakuno whether she had learned anything about Oda while she had been in his custody, as their own intel was severely lacking. Sakuno explained that even though the only person she had spoken to was the guardsman who delivered her meals, she had seen that Oda had been surrounded by many Spirit Walkers and conjurers, although nothing had seemed out of the ordinary. Haruaki then asked Kanna whether she had any questions for Sakuno.
The princess was pleased to see Kanna again and noted that Haku had grown since their last meeting. Kanna began reminiscing about when she and her grandfather had first moved to Matsuyama territory. She recalled how Sakuno had always been desperate to leave the castle, noting that she herself would have traded everything to stay there for even one night, though she had been sent away to train as a Spirit Walker before she ever got the chance. She then pointed out the irony in Oda reuniting them and hoped that something good had come of the journey after all, with their victory over Oda finally allowing them to return to their homeland and resume their normal lives.
Soon after speaking with Sakuno, Haku noted that Kanna’s true skills were returning, adding that it was good because he was getting tired of doing all the work. Kanna amusedly asked Haku what he did besides sleep, to which Haku claimed that he did all sorts of things when he had enough mana, which he pointedly remarked that he was still waiting for. Kanna then realized that she ought to release some of the mana that she had stored up, as the weak magic that she had been using thus far wouldn’t do for the difficult journey ahead.
After releasing a small amount of her mana, Haku demanded to know whether Kanna intended to starve him, as he was nothing more than a house cat without mana. Kanna claimed that she wanted to be careful with how they used mana in Maple World, as there was no way of knowing how it would interact with the new laws of the strange land.
However, she silently noted to herself that she had released as much as she could, acknowledging that it was hardly enough to defeat Oda and resolved to grow more powerful. Deciding that she needed to learn more about Maple World before making her next move, Kanna began to explore Victoria Island and soon made her way to Henesys, where she met Athena Pierce at the Bowman Instructional School.
(A/N: For some reason, Athena Pierce’s characterization in the GMS localization has been completely changed from her usual serious self to acting like a ditzy airhead. It might have been done to inject some humor into the story, but it comes across as just really weird. For example, she writes a note to Grendel to help Kanna, which says: “Dear Grendel, please help figure out how to fight the scary demon guy. XOXO, A-Peezy.”)
Kanna greeted Athena and explained the situation which had led to her being transported to Maple World. Though Athena sympathized, she told Kanna that she had no idea about how to help and instead referred her to Grendel the Really Old, to whom she sent a note outlining her request for him to help Kanna.
Kanna then traveled to the Magic Library in Ellinia, where Grendel greeted her and recognized her from Athena’s note, which indicated that Kanna was facing the threat of a demon. He asked what sort of demon she was facing, citing Balrog, the Black Mage, and Pazuzu as many possibilities of the Demon King whom she was hoping to defeat.
(A/N: Pazuzu comes from ancient Mesopotamian religion, in which he serves as the king of the demons of the wind. Ironically, even though he’s an evil spirit, he’s actually also a protective deity worshipped to ward off other malicious spirits and protect against misfortune and plagues.)
He then gave Kanna a list of books to read through, although she discovered that none of them had the answers she sought. Grendel apologized for not being able to help, though he hoped that she would find her answers when the time was right. Just then, Kanna received a letter from Athena Pierce, which stated that a suspicious man who seemed like he had come from Kanna’s world was speaking with the Black Wings at the Golem Temple. Athena also wrote that he had a feminine appearance and a large sword.
Kanna immediately headed to the Golem Temple and infiltrated Francis’ hideout, where she fought and defeated the Puppeteer. She then asked Francis to tell her everything he knew of the strange man who had arrived earlier. Francis told her that the man had asked to join the Black Wings, though he had explained that he wasn’t the one who made the decision to accept new members, and so he had passed the man’s request on to the leader of the Black Wings. When Kanna asked him what the man’s name was, Francis struggled to pronounce it and butchered it as “Akechyou Mister Heydey”.
Puzzled, Kanna left the hideout and soon realized that Francis had meant to say that the man’s name was Akechi Mitsuhide. She was surprised that Mitsuhide wanted to ally with the Black Wings and realized that Oda’s ambitions had grown to the point that he sought to control both Hinomaru and Maple World. She decided to return to the Bowman Instructional School and reported what she had learned to Athena, warning her that Oda sought to conquer Maple World.
Athena replied that even though she didn’t know much about Kanna’s enemies, anyone who allied with the Black Wings was a threat to Maple World, and so she couldn’t sit by and watch idly. She then pledged her support to Kanna as a citizen of Maple World and promised to spread the news and gather support from the people to come to her aid.
Soon after, Haku told Kanna that their spiritual power was beginning to return, enough that he could maintain his original form. However, without a way to store the spiritual energy, Haku asked Kanna to seek out Kobayakawa Takakage for help. (A/N: The dialogue actually says Mouri Takamoto, but this might be a typo, as Takamoto is actually the Storage Keeper, whereas Takakage is a merchant from whom we need to purchase the item needed for the mount quest.) Kanna obtained a Spirit Shroom from Takakage, which she fed to Haku, allowing him to grow strong enough to let Kanna ride him.
As Kanna continued to grow stronger, she decided to seek out Empress Cygnus in Ereve. After arriving on the island, she spoke with Neinheart, who noted that he had never seen someone with as peculiar clothing as she was wearing, which reminded him of a report he had recently received from Zipangu from an informant that reported that a terrible storm had recently occurred there, with its aftermath bringing forth a new land.
Realizing that Kanna was from that new land, Neinheart asked whether she was a friend or foe. Kanna reassured him that she was an ally and explained the story of how her land had been transported to Maple World, as well as the threat of Oda’s army. Neinheart told her that he believed her, as her story lined up with the reports of the shift in the Black Wings’ operations.
He then allowed Kanna to meet Cygnus, who told Kanna that Oda’s threat meant that the people of Maple World would need to rally together to defeat him. She also explained that she would need the full cooperation of the Sengoku Warriors and asked Kanna to deliver the message. Before Kanna could return to Momijigaoka, Neinheart reported that remnants of Oda’s army had been sighted near El Nath and asked her to meet with Alcaster, who would provide further details.
Kanna arrived in Orbis on her way to El Nath, where she encountered Kanetsugu, who explained that he had been sent by Haruaki to collect information from various places in Maple World. After he asked her about her tally of how many monsters she had killed, Kanna made up that she had killed 5,000 enemies, though Haku quietly scoffed that she had hardly killed 500. Impressed, Kanetsugu wished her well and continued on with his mission.
Kanna then proceeded with her own and traveled to El Nath, where Alcaster informed her that Oda’s forces were preparing for a ritual, and that one of them had the same outfit as hers, only black. Fearing that he was Mori Ranmaru, Kanna proceeded on and soon encountered several Oda Spirit Walkers with a Black Wings henchman. She noted that Ranmaru wasn’t present amongst them, and that they had enchanted several of the monsters nearby. The Black Wings henchman asked the Spirit Walkers who Kanna was, to which they claimed that she was an enemy and moved to attack her.
After Kanna defeated them, she returned to Alcaster and reported that Oda had used spells to provoke the monsters from afar, as he was likely aware that she was tracking him. She also reported that she had encountered a rabbit-like creature and asked what it could be. Alcaster explained that it was a member of the Black Wings, adding that nothing good could come of Oda’s alliance with them.
Haku noted that Oda seemed to be making a spectacle of his schemes, with evil auras and menacing monsters loudly proclaiming his intent. Kanna replied that he had never been known to ally with other before and wondered why he needed such power, even going so far as to incorporate the monsters of Maple World into his plans.
On her way back to report to Momijigaoka, Kanna ran into Kanetsugu and explained what had happened in El Nath. Kanetsugu explained that he had found similar evidence in Aqua Road and noted that Maple World was in grave danger. He offered to bring Kanna’s report to the base along with his, allowing her to continue her investigations while he got to see Kenshin again. (A/N: This man is such a simp but he’s also really wholesome.)
Kanna then continued growing stronger until she was contacted by Haruaki, who explained that the Empress wanted to speak with her. Kanna traveled to Ereve, where Cygnus explained that the Black Mage, who had once threatened Maple World, had returned again. Believing that the Black Mage would soon turn to attack other worlds, including Kanna’s homeland, Cygnus extended an invitation to join the Maple Alliance. Kanna explained that it was the duty of a Spirit Walker to stop the evil spirits that tormented the people and declared that she would stand with Cygnus.
As Kanna continued regaining her strength, Princess Sakuno passed along a message from Neinheart, who had requested for Kanna’s assistance in investigating Oda’s army near Mu Lung. Kanna traveled to Mu Lung and spoke with Tae Sang, who explained that a group of suspicious people had passed through near the Peach Farm, and that they wore similar clothing to Kanna.
Kanna then headed to the Peach Farm and spoke with Tae Soo, who explained that the Peach Monkeys and Reindeer had gone berserk after the suspicious group had passed through. Fearing that they would ruin the harvest, Tae Soon asked Kanna to calm the monsters down. After Kanna defeated the monsters, she returned to Tae Soon, who wondered why the group wanted to disrupt the harvest. He then sent Kanna to Do Gong at the Mu Lung Temple, as he kept watch over everything that happened in Mu Lung.
Do Gong explained that Maple World’s energy flowed strongest in Mu Lung, likening the town as the piece the held together the whole puzzle. Because of the threat to Mu Lung, Do Gong believed that Maple World’s energy was the goal of the perpetrators. Their actions at the Peach Farm had led Do Gong to believe that they would soon be upon the forest, where the energy of Mu Lung flowed the strongest. He told Kanna to defeat the Sage Cats in the forest, who had been warped by Mu Lung’s energy. While fighting the Sage Cats, Kanna found Oda’s Clan Seal teeming with dark energy, which she brought to Do Gong.
Do Gong realized that Oda’s forces had been planning to warp the monsters of Mu Lung and realized that they were likely heading to the Goblin Forest, which was a sinkhole of energy. Inside the forest, Kanna was shocked to find Mori Ranmaru and demanded to know what he was planning. However, Ranmaru countered by asking what he or Oda stood to gain from corrupting the monsters and allying with the Black Wings.
Puzzled, Kanna began stammering that Ranmaru caused chaos, but as she continued wondering what the reason for it was, Ranmaru snapped at her, asking her whether she was blind and whether there had been chaos at Honnou-ji. His words caused her to recall Akechi Mitsuhide’s rebellion, after which Ranmaru told her that Mitsuhide had left with a troop of Oda soldiers on a supposed reconnaissance mission moments before the battle at Honnou-ji had begun, explaining that Mitsuhide had hoped to use the chaos created by the battle for his own ends.
Kanna then realized that Mitsuhide had been behind everything. Ranmaru explained that he had been sent to Mu Lung in order to deal with Mitsuhide, although he had found Kanna instead. Though he wished that he could defeat her, Ranmaru said that he had more important business and warned her not to cross paths with him again. He then disappeared, but before Kanna could chase after him, King Sage Cat appeared and decided to punish her for trespassing into his territory.
After Kanna defeated him and escaped, she was troubled to know that Mitsuhide was yet another threat that they had to face. Soon after she sent a letter to Momijigaoka detailing what she had learned, she received one in response from Princess Sakuno, who thanked Kanna for uncovering the truth and reminded her that they needed to defeat both he and Oda.
(A/N: This section is the prequest for Mori Ranmaru. Technically, you can complete this before the Mu Lung quests, but since Kanna refers to the events of Mu Lung in the prequest, it wouldn’t make sense to have it set before the Mu Lung section.)
Some time later, Princess Sakuno contacted Kanna and explained that Mori Ranmaru had been discovered. Kanna noted that she had seen him in Mu Lung and wondered what he was up to. Sakuno noted that Ranmaru was once Kanna’s classmate and asked whether it was difficult to face a former friend in battle. Kanna explained that she had never liked him from the beginning, which annoyed Haku, who asked why Sakuno could ask such a question when it would be considered impertinent for him to ask.
Sakuno then told Kanna that Ranmaru hadn’t been seen near Honnou-ji in some time, though Sanada Yukimura had reported that he was preparing for a ritual deep in the mines of El Nath. Kanna traveled to the El Nath mines and spoke with Yukimura, who explained that Ranmaru was preparing for an unknown ritual. He wondered whether Ranmaru was planning to open the link to the Demon Realm, though he noted that it would be impossible without Princess Sakuno. Though Kanna dismissed Ranmaru as foolish, Yukimura reminded her that in spite of his youth, Ranmaru had great power and knowledge, as Oda accepting him into his ranks was proof enough. Kanna then confronted Ranmaru and put an end to his ritual.
Soon after, Sakuno contacted Kanna once again and ordered her to return to Momijigaoka immediately, as Shingen had summoned the entire alliance. Back at the base, Shingen addressed the Sengoku Warriors and explained that Oda’s forces had been broken, having lost Akechi Mitsuhide and several lesser generals.
With Niwa Nagahide missing, only two of the four Heavenly Kings remained: Shibata Katsuie and Takigawa Kazumasu. He also explained that he had just received word that Oda had moved his base out of Honnou-ji, and though Shibata was possibly in the area, Shingen expressed his confidence that they could take Honnou-ji for themselves.
The daimyos resolved to take the temple and sent their forces immediately. At the southern gate, the daimyos gathered together, where Shingen told Kanna that because of her accomplishments in Maple World, she was the only one whom he could trust to create a diversion for their forces to charge in. Kanna entered the battlefield and fought the soldiers, allowing the Sengoku Warriors to follow.
She then proceeded deeper and fought the samurai captains in the temple plaza. Shingen then asked her to defeat Kazumasu and claim victory for their forces. Inside the temple, Kanna encountered Kazumasu and urged him surrender, claiming that there was no reason for him to throw his life away for Oda. Reminding her that he was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Kazumasu rushed to attack.
After a fierce battle, Kanna managed to defeat him. Kanna then demanded to know where Oda was hiding, but Kazumasu laughed that he didn’t know, as Oda would not be so foolish as to reveal his plans to mere footsoldiers. He explained that the only thing he knew was that Honnou-ji was worthless, collapsing soon after. (A/N: I’m not sure whether he’s dead or just unconscious.)
News of the alliance’s victory quickly spread amongst the troops as they all celebrated having retaken Honnou-ji. In Momijigaoka, Haruaki congratulated the alliance, though he noted that there was more work to be done, as Oda was missing and his base’s location remained a mystery. He lamented that the only thing they had learned was that Honnou-ji once had great spiritual power, though it seemed to be gone. He speculated that if Oda had left Honnou-ji to find a new base, he would likely be looking for a location of great power.
(A/N: Here’s Kanna’s exclusive cutscene from Black Heaven. I don’t really know where all of GMS-verse fits within the chronology of the main story, and so I’m just including this in case anyone’s interested.)
Several days after the operation to rescue 10 Boogies, Princess Sakuno addressed the entire Sengoku alliance. Sakuno explained that a few days ago, she had received a letter from Neinheart that Maple World was being confronted by an incredible menace, and that the entire Alliance was moving to combat it. She added that Neinheart had also closed his letter with a request for help from the Sengoku Warriors. She then told the soldiers that even though Maple World wasn’t their home, they had learned to appreciate it, as it had much of the beauty and tranquility of their homeland.
In the name of the Matsuyama clan, Sakuno then ordered the Sengoku Warriors to claim an honorable victory over the Black Wings. Motonari, Shingen, and Kenshin immediately moved to mobilize their troops as Sakuno took Kanna aside and explained that Empress Cygnus had bestowed a special mission upon her.
She told Kanna that Cygnus valued her spirit and powers, and so the Empress wished for Kanna to join her on the front lines. Though Kanna was grateful, she began asking whether her place was Sakuno, though the princess reminded her that it was a great opportunity for her to bring honor to the Sengoku Warriors. Kanna then swore on her family name of Ayanokouji that she would bring victory.
(A/N: There are a couple of errors in this cutscene. First off, when Sakuno swears on her clan’s name, she says that she’s swearing in the name of the Sakuno clan, which doesn’t make sense since Sakuno is her first name. Her surname is also misspelled as Matsukaya instead of Matsuyama. Finally, when Kenshin has her dialogue, she has her old illustration with black hair, rather than her current illustration, which correctly depicts her hair as teal.
Moving on, here’s Kanna’s Aftermath cutscene. In the Labyrinth of Suffering, she hears the voice of Haruaki. The White Mage also gives her the title “Fated Master of Spirits” at the end of Limina. The Sengoku Warriors were also said to have fought at Tenebris alongside the Alliance, the Nova, and the Temple Keepers.)
Several days after the victory at Tenebris, Princess Sakuno addressed the Sengoku Warriors at Momijigaoka. She told the soldiers that when they had first joined forces with the Alliance, their goal had simply been to vanquish Oda Nobunaga, and that they never would have suspected that their battle would have taken them to Maple World, where they would meet new enemies and allies alike. Having fought with the Alliance, she proudly proclaimed that they had vanquished the Black Mage, whom she called the greatest evil of all. She then congratulated the troops for their dedication before presenting Kanna, whom she described as having led the battle with courage and honor.
As the soldiers cheered Kanna, Shingen noted that the time for celebration was upon them. Yukimura also proudly told Kanna that she had been impressive, and that he could learn much from her. Kenshin warmly told Kanna that she had become a blade of justice to cut down her foes, though Kanetsugu stubbornly reminded her that she still wasn’t as great as Kenshin. Haruaki then told Kanna that she had exceeded all expectations, even exceeding his wildest dreams.
Motonari proudly noted that the Sengoku Warriors were now feared and renowned worldwide, which was an excellent position for them. However, Sakuno then reminded the crowd that the path ahead was still difficult, as Oda Nobunaga, Akechi Mitsuhide, and the villains of Grandis were still enemies that they were yet to face. However, she proclaimed that their unbreakable bonds of unity would see them prevail the battles ahead. With that, she declared that they would celebrate their victory in Kanna’s honor.
Later that night, Kanna was standing amidst the cherry blossom trees when Haku pointed out Hayato standing on the castle balcony with Princess Sakuno. He then proposed that they sneak up and eavesdrop on the conversation, though Kanna scolded him for suggesting it, reminding him that eavesdropping was wrong, and that it would be rude to Sakuno. Haku pouted over Kanna worrying about Sakuno, asking when the last time was when she had tended to his needs by feeding him Star Candy. Amused, Kanna fed several pieces of candy to Haku, who was placated.
Just then, Haruaki found Kanna and approvingly noted that she was enjoying the party. He then commended Kanna, explaining that she had saved the world and honored the ways of the Spirit Walker in the process. He then asked how she had found her way when she had entered the heart of chaos, where evil flowed freely. Kanna admitted that it had been difficult, as there had been times at the darkness had been so great that she could no longer see the cycles of the spirit.
However, as she had continued stumbling blindly, a single light had pierced through the darkness, which had embodied the hopes, dreams, and determination of everyone who had been counting on her. As an afterthought, she added that Haku had helped as well, to which Haku wagged his tail and proudly proclaimed that he had indeed. Haruaki warmly smiled and noted that he couldn’t have done a better job himself. However, he added that her journey as a Spirit Walker was far from over, as there were still many evils in the world. With that, he excused himself, explaining that he was needed elsewhere.
Hayato:
In Maple World, Hayato awoke in Zipangu and immediately wondered where Princess Sakuno was. He then saw that the Mist Cutter had been shattered and lamented that Oda had destroyed everything that he had. However, he quickly picked himself back up and began recalling everything that had happened. Realizing that he was in an unfamiliar place, he began exploring the area and soon encountered a man named Yamanaka Yukimori, who introduced himself as a retainer to the Amago clan.
(A/N: He actually says the Amako clan, but this might be a typo since all future mentions have him say Amago. Just like Kanetsugu, Yukimori is a real person and they did a good job with replicating his armor, which features an upward facing crescent moon on his helmet, as he was born under a harvest moon and wore the crescent ornament as a token of good luck.)
Hayato introduced himself by his name, Anegasaki Kenji, causing Yukimori to immediately recognize him as the master of Battoujutsu. (A/N: Battoujutsu is an old term for iaijutsu, a combative quick-draw technique of the katana.) He then began to explain that the strange light had transported them to a new world and led Hayato to their base, Momijigaoka.
(A/N: According to the dialogue, Momijigaoka means autumn’s blood-red leaves, a reference to the maple leaves around them. However, I looked into a bit and found that it actually only translates the first part, ‘momiji’. With the disclaimer that I don’t know a single word of Japanese, my search for what ‘gaoka’ means returned 'the word ‘hill’. Thus, Momijigaoka would actually mean ‘maple leaf hill’.)
Realizing that Hayato had no weapon, Yukimori gave him one before taking his leave. Proceeding into the camp, Hayato encountered Mouri Motonari and introduced himself. Motonari greeted him and explained that he and his sons, who had been the first to arrive, had set up a base of operations and asked to work together to adjust to the new world.
When Hayato asked Motonari what he meant by adjusting, Motonari asked him to move as he normally would. Hayato quickly found that he had a hard time controlling his muscles and wondered whether it was because of his injuries. Motonari explained that the rules of the new world were different from their homeland, as the shift in spiritual energy had weakened even the strongest amongst them.
After training to recover some of his strength, Hayato was deemed fit to carry out missions by Motonari. Nevertheless, Hayato still felt that his strength had diminished greatly and resolved to grow stronger so that he could be of use to the Sengoku Warriors. He hoped to find Oda Nobunaga as soon as possible in order to rescue Princess Sakuno from his torment, as well as to prevent his evil from spreading to the people of the new land.
Just then, Motonari told Hayato that soldiers in dark armor had appeared in the area, and though they likely had not yet discovered the base, Motonari asked Hayato to dispatch them before they stumbled across it by blind luck. Hayato defeated the Oda scouts and collected a familiar four-diamond crest. Though he was fairly certain that the scouts’ erratic movement meant that Momijigaoka was safe, he was troubled by the crest, whose pattern was that of Takeda Shingen, as it meant that his men were in danger.
As Hayato began searching for Shingen, he ran into Sanada Yukimura, who was relieved to see Hayato. Hayato noted that Yukimura was exhausted, to which Yukimura explained that he had awoken dazed and weakened after the bright light. He told Hayato that the Oda scouts had attempted to take him down, though he had managed to fight them off. He also told Hayato that he had been separated from Shingen during the battle with the scouts. As he was too weak, Yukimura asked Hayato to rescue Shingen in his stead. Hayato agreed and prepared to head out. Before he left, he told Yukimura about Momijigaoka and asked him to get to safety.
Hayato proceeded deeper down Maple Hill Road and soon ran into Shingen, who was glad to see him. As Shingen was exhausted from the battle, Hayato cleared a path through the Oda scouts in order to escort him to the base. At Momijigaoka, Yukimura was relieved to see Shingen safe, although Uesugi Kenshin wasted no time in throwing insults at Shingen.
Motonari quickly broke up the quarrel and began explaining the details of the battle in the temple, as well as details about the new world. He then ordered them to put their rivalry aside, as they needed to focus on building their alliance to defeat Oda once and for all. Motonari then told Hayato that Oda’s army had discovered the base, and that their numbers would soon overwhelm them. Hayato agreed to lead the assault and proceeded to fight through the soldiers, discovering a mysterious foxtail along the way.
Believing that it belonged to Tsuchimikado Haruaki’s fox, Hayato brought it back to Motonari, who explained that warriors who had participated in the raids against Oda’s forces had returned with similar tails. Suddenly, Haruaki emerged from the foxtail, much to everyone’s surprise. Haruaki explained that he had arrived before everyone else, being transported at the same time as Oda and his forces. In order to avoid being discovered by Oda’s men, Haruaki had disguised himself as a number of foxtails, though his soldiers had taken a liking to the foxtails and brought them, and thereby him, straight into their camp.
Having been rescued by Hayato, Haruaki began explaining the true purpose of the ritual. He explained that Oda had sought to conjure the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven from the Demon Realm, a world much different from their homeland as Maple World was. He explained that much like how it was possible to contact Maple World, Oda had sought to make contact with the Demon Realm through an ancient ritual.
Upon discovering the Demon Realm, Oda had devised a plan to create a portal to the Demon Realm in order to bring the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven into their world, which was why Haruaki had launched the mission at the Honnou-ji Temple. Though he congratulated them on interrupting the ritual, he explained that no one could have predicted the consequences, which were that the gate to the Demon Realm had been warped, causing them to be transported to Maple World instead.
Kenshin and Shingen both immediately resolved to defeat Oda, though Motonari reminded them that they needed to first regain their strength. Haruaki then took Hayato aside and confided in him that Princess Sakuno was not among them. Hayato was worried that Oda’s men may have captured her, but Haruaki reassured him that Oda needed her alive, as the ritual required the blood of her lineage. He also reminded Hayato that he needed to be ready, as the fates of both Sakuno and Oda rested on his shoulders.
Noting that Oda already had great knowledge of Maple World, Haruaki decided to send Hayato on a mission to make alliances and regain his strength. He instructed Hayato to find a nearby town to the south of the camp, though he warned that the enemy had likely created a pathway to get to it. Hayato then fought his way past the Oda forces and soon arrived at the Mushroom Shrine, where he encountered Kino Konoko.
After exchanging greetings, Hayato asked Kino whether she had noticed anything strange in the area. Kino told him that a group of suspicious people had recently been spotted near the Mushroom Shrine. Hayato decided to investigate and encountered several Mecha Warrior Prototypes. After defeating them, he reported back to Kino and told her that they were likely not an immediate threat to the Mushroom Shrine. Kino then asked whether Hayato could investigate the mechanical ninjas in the area, whom Hayato determined to be hostile, numerous, and appearing to be searching for something. (A/N: During the Asura Crisis storyline, we learn that these robots were made by Niwa Nagahide, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.)
Realizing that the robots were a threat to the Mushroom Shrine, Kino asked Hayato to investigate several robots wielding guns. After defeating them, Hayato warned Kino that the gun-wielding robots were even closer to the Mushroom Shrine than the mechanical ninjas, and so he warned Kino to be cautious. Kino resolved to seek out long-term help and agreed to answer Hayato’s earlier question about strange occurrences in the area. She explained that there was a constant influx of dirt blowing into the area, as well as a storm near the shrine, which she noted was an uncommon occurrence.
Hayato realized that Oda must not have made contact yet and asked Kino to point him to the nearest shogun to whom he could offer his services. (A/N: The dialogue here was duplicated from Kanna’s storyline, and so Hayato erroneously claims that he’s a Spirit Walker.) Unsure of Hayato’s strange question, Kino explained that the closest person to a shogun in Maple World was either Empress Cygnus in Ereve or Athena Pierce in Henesys. (A/N: She doesn’t mention Athena as a shogun in Kanna’s storyline.) When Hayato was confused about how to get to Henesys, Kino jokingly asked whether Hayato wasn’t from Maple World before giving him a book to help get acquainted with his new surroundings.
Regarding Maple World itself, Hayato read that a suspicious aura had been reported near the Mushroom Shrine, exuding a sense of immense power surrounded by darkness and greed. Hayato wondered whether it could have anything to do with Oda Nobunaga. He also read about the Transcendents who maintained balance over the fundamental laws of light, life, and time. Hayato speculated that there might be other Transcendents that were yet to be discovered and wondered whether they could help the Sengoku Warriors return home.
On the next page, he learned about Grandis and its three major races, the Flora, the Nova, and the Anima, as well as its three Transcendents and their statuses. Finally, he read about the Interdimensional Portal that connected Maple World and Grandis, lamenting at the possibility that there truly might not be a gateway that could return them home. Hayato then thanked Kino and resolved to visit Athena Pierce. Believing that Hayato had greater need of it, Kino allowed Hayato to keep the book about Maple World.
Before he could head out, however, Hayato received a letter from Haruaki ordering him to return to Momijigaoka immediately, as they had discovered the location of Princess Sakuno. Hayato immediately rushed back to base, where Haruaki told him that their scouts had sighted the princess imprisoned deep within the eastern wing of Honnou-ji.
Though she fortunately appeared healthy, she was under tight watch by the Oda guards. Hayato immediately declared that they needed to launch a rescue operation, but Haruaki told him that they didn’t have the strength, reminding Hayato that both he and the rest of their military forces needed more time to recover. Though he conceded that they had made several allies in Maple World, Haruaki explained that they couldn’t draw them in so soon and risk fighting Oda with exhausted forces.
Shingen then interjected that he agreed with Haruaki, adding that they couldn’t risk their forces for a single person, even if it was Sakuno herself. However, he claimed that there was still a way and proposed sending a small group of elite warriors to infiltrate the enemy camp. With the other daimyos in agreement, Shingen planned for the group to enter through the western Honnou-ji walls, but Motonari then suggested that they attack from the east, as Oda wouldn’t expect them to strike at the same place that they had during the original Honnou-ji raid. Hayato begged to be sent, claiming that he needed to regain his honor after failing to rescue the princess the first time. Shingen agreed and ordered Yukimura to accompany Hayato.
With the plan finalized, Yukimura moved in first to scout while Hayato followed. After he arrived, he rendezvoused with Yukimura, who told him that the security around the eastern wing was lacking, just as Shingen and Motonari had anticipated. He then left Hayato to rescue the princess while he secured their escape route, though he warned Hayato to be cautious, as it was possible that the enemy’s frail security might be a trap.
Hayato infiltrated Sakuno’s prison and rescued the princess, but just as they were about to escape, an Oda guardsman discovered them and began to attack. After defeating him, Hayato led Sakuno through the escape route, where Yukimura met them and escorted them back safely to Momijigaoka. Back at the base, Sakuno met with the leaders of the Sengoku alliance and thanked them for the rescue operation. Having met them for the first time, Sakuno introduced herself as Matsuyama Sakuno, the eldest daughter of Matsuyama Nobukane and the acting head of the clans.
The other daimyos noted that Sakuno had a commanding presence in spite of her young age and remained hopeful that she would have the ability to lead the Sengoku alliance. Haruaki then asked Sakuno whether she had learned anything about Oda while she had been in his custody, as their own intel was severely lacking. Sakuno explained that even though the only person she had spoken to was the guardsman who delivered her meals, she had seen that Oda had been surrounded by many Spirit Walkers and conjurers, although nothing had seemed out of the ordinary.
Haruaki then asked Hayato whether he had anything he wanted to add. The princess was pleased to see Hayato again and asked how he was. Hayato replied that the journey had been difficult, but he had borne it for her sake, as he didn’t want their fifteen years of friendship to end in tragedy. He then explained that his family, though small, had served the Matsuyama clan for generations, with his father and brothers working in her government while he himself had left to study the ways of Battoujutsu.
Upon returning, he had found himself stunned by her beauty and purity and confessed that she was the reason that he fought. He added that after Akechi Mitsuhide had destroyed their families, the only hope he had left was that she still lived, and so he had pledged his service to Takeda Shingen in the hopes of finding her again. With her safe return, Hayato expressed confidence that he would defeat Oda and restore her to the throne.
After speaking with Sakuno, Hayato noted that even though the battle was not yet over, he felt a sense of peace as he realized that Maple World was not so different from his homeland and hoped that he would master his old skills once again. Deciding that he needed to learn more about Maple World before making his next move, Hayato decided to meet with Athena Pierce in Henesys.
(A/N: For some reason, Athena Pierce’s characterization has been completely changed from her usual serious self to acting like a ditzy airhead. It might have been done to inject some humor into the story, but it comes across as just really weird. For example, she writes a note to Grendel to help Hayato, which says: “Dear Grendel, please help figure out how to fight the scary demon guy. XOXO, A-Peezy.”)
At the Bowman Instructional School, Hayato greeted Athena and explained the situation which had led to him being transported to Maple World. Though Athena sympathized, she told Hayato that she had no idea about how to help and instead referred him to Grendel the Really Old, to whom she sent a note outlining her request for him to help Hayato.
Hayato then traveled to the Magic Library in Ellinia, where Grendel greeted him and recognized him from Athena’s note, which indicated that Hayato was facing the threat of a demon. He asked what sort of demon Hayato was facing, citing Balrog, the Black Mage, and Pazuzu as many possibilities of the Demon King whom he was hoping to defeat.
(A/N: Pazuzu comes from ancient Mesopotamian religion, in which he serves as the king of the demons of the wind. Ironically, even though he’s an evil spirit, he’s actually also a protective deity worshipped to ward off other malicious spirits and protect against misfortune and plagues.)
He then gave Hayato a list of books to read through, although he discovered that none of them had the answers he sought. Grendel apologized for not being able to help, though he hoped that Hayato would find his answers when the time was right. Just then, Hayato received a letter from Athena Pierce, which said that a suspicious man who seemed like he had come from Hayato’s world was speaking with the Black Wings at the Golem Temple. Athena also wrote that he had a feminine appearance and a large sword.
Hayato immediately recognized the man as Akechi Mitsuhide and rushed to the Golem Temple. He then infiltrated Francis’ hideout, where he fought and defeated the Puppeteer. He then asked Francis to tell him everything he knew of the strange man who had arrived earlier. Francis told him that the man had asked to join the Black Wings, though he had explained that he wasn’t the one who made the decision to accept new members, and so he had passed the man’s request on to the leader of the Black Wings. When Hayato asked him what the man’s name was, Francis struggled to pronounce it and butchered it as “Akechyou Mister Heydey”.
Realizing that Francis had meant to say that the man’s name was Akechi Mitsuhide, Hayato decided to leave. He was surprised that Mitsuhide wanted to ally with the Black Wings and realized that Oda’s ambitions had grown to the point that he sought to control both Hinomaru and Maple World. He decided to return to the Bowman Instructional School and reported what he had learned to Athena, warning her that Oda sought to conquer Maple World.
Athena replied that even though she didn’t know much about Hayato’s enemies, anyone who allied with the Black Wings was a threat to Maple World, and so she couldn’t sit by and watch idly. She then pledged her support to Hayato as a citizen of Maple World and promised to spread the news and gather support from the people to come to her aid.
Soon after, Hayato was passing through Momijigaoka and ran into Shingen, who noted that he was looking much stronger. He explained that he had prepared a gift for him, a great horse, though Hayato would need to get fitted for a harness. Hayato obtained a harness from Kikkawa Motoharu and brought it to Shingen, who presented Hayato with the great horse Onikageh.
As Hayato continued to grow stronger, he decided to seek out Empress Cygnus in Ereve. After arriving on the island, he spoke with Neinheart, who noted that he had never seen someone with as peculiar clothing as Hayato was wearing, which reminded him of a report he had recently received from Zipangu from an informant that reported that a terrible storm had recently occurred there, with its aftermath bringing forth a new land.
Realizing that Hayato was from that new land, Neinheart asked whether he was a friend or foe. Hayato reassured Neinheart that he was an ally and explained the story of how his land had been transported to Maple World, as well as the threat of Oda’s army. Neinheart told Hayato that he believed him, as his story lined up with the reports of the shift in the Black Wings’ operations.
He then allowed Hayato to meet Cygnus, who told him that Oda’s threat meant that the people of Maple World would need to rally together to defeat him. She also explained that she would need the full cooperation of the Sengoku Warriors and asked Hayato to deliver the message. Before Hayato could return to Momijigaoka, Neinheart reported that remnants of Oda’s army had been sighted near El Nath and asked him to meet with Alcaster, who would provide further details.
Hayato arrived in Orbis on his way to El Nath, where he encountered Yukimori, who explained that he was glad to be away from the base, as there were many unpleasant people there. Hayato laughed and asked whether he had found himself rivals in Maple World, though Yukimori clarified that the grudge had come from their homeland. He explained that he had served the Amago clan until the death of his master, and that he had traveled as a ronin ever since.
He then revealed that just as Hayato’s clan had been broken by Oda Nobunaga, his own had been broken by Mouri Motonari, and that seeing Motonari lauded in the base made his blood boil. However, he reassured Hayato that he would continue serving the alliance with all his might until the day that he could return to their homeland and seek out the successor to the Amago clan.
(A/N: In real life, Yukimori served the Amago clan and spent a number of years trying to restore them after the Mori clan toppled them from power. He even asked Oda Nobunaga for help, although Oda merely used him as a tool so that he could claim the Mori lands for himself. Eventually, Yukimori surrendered and his master, Amago Katsuhisa, killed himself. As a reward for his surrender, Kikkawa Motoharu, the second son of Mori Motonari and the guy from whom Hayato just bought a harness for his mount, awarded him a small castle. However, this was a trap, as he ordered his soldiers to assassinate Yukimori on his way to the castle. A pretty depressing ending if you ask me.)
Yukimori then asked Hayato why he had come to Orbis, explaining that he himself was planning to head to Orbis Station in order to board a ship to Ludibrium at Haruaki’s request. Hayato told Yukimori that he was on his way to El Nath in order to meet Alcaster and investigate the sightings of Oda’s forces. Yukimori pointed him to Orbis Tower and explained that he could reach Alcaster by climbing to the bottom of the tower.
Hayato then traveled to El Nath, where Alcaster informed him that Oda’s forces were preparing for a ritual, and that one of them had the same outfit as Hayato’s, only black. Fearing that he was Akechi Mitsuhide, Hayato proceeded on and soon encountered several Oda Spirit Walkers with a Black Wings henchman. He noted that Mitsuhide wasn’t present amongst them, and that they had enchanted several of the monsters nearby. The Black Wings henchman asked the Spirit Walkers who Hayato was, to which they claimed that he was an enemy and moved to attack him.
After Hayato defeated them, he returned to Alcaster and reported that Oda had used spells to provoke the monsters from afar, as he was likely aware that Hayato was tracking him. He also reported that he had encountered a rabbit-like creature and asked what it could be. Alcaster explained that it was a member of the Black Wings, adding that things would be a lot harder if Oda had sided with them.
Hayato noted that Cygnus was right about Oda finding allies in Maple World and wondered whether his forces were weaker than anticipated if he needed the Black Wings’ power. He also recalled that it was unlike the Oda clan to dilute their own power with underhanded deals, with even the use of dark magic to cause chaos in Maple World being completely unlike the rigid, structured warlord that he knew Oda to be.
On his way back to report to Momijigaoka, Hayato ran into Yukimori and explained what had happened in El Nath. Yukimori explained that he had found similar evidence in Ludibrium and noted that Oda’s alliance with the Black Wings did not bode well. He offered to bring Hayato’s report to the base along with his, allowing Hayato to continue his investigations.
Hayato then continued growing stronger until he was contacted by Shingen, who asked him whether he had ever heard of Empress Cygnus. When Hayato explained that she was the ruler of Maple World, Shingen told him that Cygnus had sent an invitation for a meeting. He then asked Hayato to go to Ereve as an envoy of the Sengoku alliance.
Hayato traveled to Ereve, where Cygnus explained that the Black Mage, who had once threatened Maple World, had returned again. Believing that the Black Mage would soon turn to attack other worlds, including Hayato’s homeland, Cygnus extended an invitation to join the Maple Alliance. Hayato agreed with Cygnus’ assessment and asked her to reach out whenever she needed them, promising that the Sengoku Warriors would stand with her.
As Hayato continued regaining his strength, Princess Sakuno passed along a message from Athena Pierce, who had written that Oda’s troops had been sighted in Mu Lung and requested him to speak with Tae Sang.
(A/N: If you’re curious about how out-of-character Athena Pierce sounds in this letter, I’ve transcribed it word-for-word here:
“Hayato! How come you never visit me now? I got word that old Nobu-nobody’s troops are in Mu Lung. That’s no good for the pandas! You need to go see Tae Sung in Mu Lung. He’s grumpy and wrinkly, but he’ll help you. I’ll get my allies to do a little investigating while you’re there. PEACE OUT!”
-Athena Piercina (yep, that’s how she spelled it)
Sakuno wonders what manner of creature Athena is, as she speaks with “the cadence of a sea troll”, and yet she shared valuable information.)
Hayato traveled to Mu Lung and spoke with Tae Sang, who explained that a group of suspicious people had passed through near the Peach Farm, and that they wore similar clothing to Hayato. Hayato then headed to the Peach Farm and spoke with Tae Soo, who explained that the Peach Monkeys and Reindeer had gone berserk after the suspicious group had passed through.
Fearing that they would ruin the harvest, Tae Soon asked Hayato to calm the monsters down. After Hayato defeated the monsters, he returned to Tae Soon, who wondered why the group wanted to disrupt the harvest. He then sent Hayato to Do Gong at the Mu Lung Temple, as he kept watch over everything that happened in Mu Lung.
Do Gong explained that Maple World’s energy flowed strongest in Mu Lung, likening the town as the piece the held together the whole puzzle. Because of the threat to Mu Lung, Do Gong believed that Maple World’s energy was the goal of the perpetrators. Their actions at the Peach Farm led Do Gong to believe that they would soon be upon the forest, where the energy of Mu Lung flowed the strongest. He told Hayato to defeat the Sage Cats in the forest, who had been warped by Mu Lung’s energy. While fighting the Sage Cats, Hayato found Oda’s Clan Seal teeming with dark energy, which he brought to Do Gong.
Do Gong realized that Oda’s forces had been planning to warp the monsters of Mu Lung and realized that they were likely heading to the Goblin Forest, which was a sinkhole of energy. Inside the forest, Hayato was shocked to find Akechi Mitsuhide, who vaguely recognized him. Hayato demanded to know what Mitsuhide was planning by corrupting the monsters of Maple World.
Mitsuhide amusedly claimed that he was hoping to spread chaos. He explained that it was a matter of misdirection, as two forces who met on the field of battle did not pay attention to the snake in the grass. Hayato noted that Oda must be more cowardly than he had first presumed for him to be using such tactics, but Mitsuhide laughed and revealed that he had left Oda’s service long ago, and that he had just been borrowing Oda’s name for his goals.
He then disappeared, but before Hayato could chase after him, King Sage Cat appeared and decided to punish Hayato for trespassing into his territory. After Hayato defeated him and escaped, he was troubled to know that Mitsuhide had orchestrated the invasion and realized that he could be more of a threat than Oda. Soon after he sent a letter to Momijigaoka, Hayato received one in response from Princess Sakuno, who thanked him for uncovering the truth and reminded him that they needed to defeat both Mitsuhide and Oda.
(A/N: As I’d mentioned in Kanna’s section, you can do the Mori Ranmaru prequest before the Mu Lung quests, but for the sake of consistency, I’m placing them both in the same place in the guide.)
Some time later, Princess Sakuno contacted Hayato and explained that Mori Ranmaru had been discovered. Hayato vaguely recognized the name, and so Sakuno explained that he had been one of Haruaki’s students before serving Oda Nobunaga, having performed the ritual to open a link to the Demon Realm.
Sakuno told Hayato that Ranmaru hadn’t been seen near Honnou-ji in some time, though Sanada Yukimura had reported that he was preparing for a ritual deep in the mines of El Nath. Hayato traveled to the El Nath mines and spoke with Yukimura, who explained that Ranmaru was preparing for an unknown ritual. He wondered whether Mori was planning to open the link to the Demon Realm, though he noted that it would be impossible without Princess Sakuno.
Hayato realized that if Ranmaru was the one who had facilitated the connection to the Demon Realm, it was entirely likely that he was the one who had masterminded the destruction of the Matsuyama clan. Yukimura told Hayato that his theory may be correct, as Akechi Mitsuhide had attacked the Matsuyama clan and kidnapped Princess Sakuno, though Ranmaru had ordered it in the first place.
Hayato then vowed to defeat Ranmaru as soon as Mitsuhide had been dealt with. However, Yukimura cautioned him not to give in to personal vengeance, as he would surely fall to ruin. Hayato then calmed himself down and apologized. Yukimura noted that Hayato wasn’t so far gone and told him to stop Ranmaru out of duty, not vengeance, as the stain on his heart would be lessened. Hayato then confronted Ranmaru and put an end to his ritual.
Soon after, Sakuno contacted Hayato once again and ordered him to return to Momijigaoka immediately, as Shingen had summoned the entire Sengoku alliance. Back at the base, Shingen addressed the Sengoku Warriors and explained that Oda’s forces had been broken, having lost Akechi Mitsuhide and several lesser generals.
With Niwa Nagahide missing, only two of the four Heavenly Kings remained: Shibata Katsuie and Takigawa Kazumasu. He also explained that he had just received word that Oda had moved his base out of Honnou-ji, and though Shibata was possibly in the area, Shingen expressed his confidence that they could take Honnou-ji for themselves.
The daimyos resolved to take the temple and sent their forces immediately. At the southern gate, the daimyos gathered together, where Shingen told Hayato that because of his accomplishments in Maple World, he was the only one that Shingen could trust to create a diversion for their forces to charge in. Hayato entered the battlefield and fought the soldiers, allowing the Sengoku Warriors to follow. He then proceeded deeper and fought the samurai captains in the temple plaza. Shingen then asked him to defeat Kazumasu and claim victory for their forces.
Inside the temple, Hayato encountered Kazumasu and urged him surrender, claiming that there was no reason for him to throw his life away for Oda. Reminding Hayato that he was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Kazumasu charged to attack. After a fierce battle, Hayato managed to defeat him. Hayato then demanded to know where Oda was hiding, but Kazumasu laughed that he didn’t know, as Oda would not be so foolish as to reveal his plans to mere footsoldiers. He explained that the only thing he knew was that Honnou-ji was worthless before collapsing. (A/N: I’m not sure whether he’s dead or just unconscious.)
News of the alliance’s victory quickly spread amongst the troops as they all celebrated having retaken Honnou-ji. In Momijigaoka, Haruaki congratulated the alliance, though he noted that there was more work to be done, as Oda was missing and his base’s location remained a mystery. He lamented that the only thing they had learned was that Honnou-ji once had great spiritual power, though it seemed to be gone. He speculated that if Oda had left Honnou-ji to find a new base, he would likely be looking for a location of great power.
(A/N: Here’s Hayato’s exclusive cutscene from Black Heaven. I don’t really know where all of GMS-verse fits within the chronology of the main story, and so I’m just including this in case anyone’s interested.)
Several days after the operation to rescue 10 Boogies, Princess Sakuno addressed the entire Sengoku alliance. Sakuno explained that a few days ago, she had received a letter from Neinheart that Maple World was being confronted by an incredible menace, and that the entire Alliance was moving to combat it. She added that Neinheart had also closed his letter with a request for help from the Sengoku Warriors. She then told the soldiers that even though Maple World wasn’t their home, they had learned to appreciate it, as it had much of the beauty and tranquility of their homeland.
In the name of the Matsuyama clan, Sakuno then ordered the Sengoku Warriors to claim an honorable victory over the Black Wings. Motonari, Shingen, and Kenshin immediately moved to mobilize their troops as Sakuno took Hayato aside and explained that Empress Cygnus had bestowed a special mission upon him. She told Hayato that Cygnus valued his courage and skills, and so the Empress wished for Hayato to join her on the front lines.
Though Hayato was grateful, he began asking whether his place was with Sakuno, though the princess reminded him that it was a great opportunity for him to bring honor to the Sengoku Warriors. Hayato then swore by the name of Battoujutsu that he would bring victory. Sakuno approvingly noted that he wouldn’t let her down.
She then admitted that her heart was beating faster ever since the Empress had called upon him and wondered whether it was jealousy. An embarrassed Hayato began spluttering as Sakuno laughed at his expression, telling him that Shingen had suggested that it would help relieve his tension. She then told Hayato to travel safety, reminding him that he was her sword.
(A/N: There’s a couple of errors in this cutscene, just like in Kanna’s version. First off, when Sakuno swears on her clan’s name, she says that she’s swearing in the name of the Sakuno clan, which doesn’t make sense since Sakuno is her first name. Her surname is also misspelled as Matsukaya instead of Matsuyama. Finally, when Kenshin has her dialogue, she has her old illustration with black hair, rather than her current illustration, which correctly depicts her hair as teal. The last scene with Sakuno pranking Hayato is entirely exclusive to his story, as Kanna’s ends before that.
Moving on, here’s Hayato’s Aftermath cutscene. In the Labyrinth of Suffering, he hears the voice of Sakuno. The White Mage also gives him the title “Honorable Warrior” at the end of Limina. The Sengoku Warriors were also said to have fought at Tenebris alongside the Alliance, the Nova, and the Temple Keepers.)
Several days after the victory at Tenebris, Princess Sakuno addressed the Sengoku Warriors at Momijigaoka. She told the soldiers that when they had first joined forces with the Alliance, their goal had simply been to vanquish Oda Nobunaga, and that they never would have suspected that their battle would have taken them to Maple World, where they would meet new enemies and allies alike.
Having fought with the Alliance, she proudly proclaimed that they had vanquished the Black Mage, whom she called the greatest evil of all. She then congratulated the troops for their dedication before presenting Hayato, whom she described as having led the battle with courage and honor. As the soldiers cheered Hayato, Shingen noted that the time for celebration was upon them. Yukimura also proudly told Hayato that he had been impressive, adding that he had also taught him much. (A/N: English is a dumb language so just to clarify, Yukimura is saying that Hayato had taught him much.)
Kenshin warmly told Hayato that he had become a blade of justice to cut down his foes, though Kanetsugu stubbornly reminded him that he still wasn’t as great as Kenshin. Haruaki then told Hayato that he had exceeded all expectations, even exceeding Haruaki’s wildest dreams. Motonari proudly noted that the Sengoku Warriors were now feared and renowned worldwide, which was an excellent position for them.
However, Sakuno then reminded the crowd that the path ahead was still difficult, as Oda Nobunaga, Akechi Mitsuhide, and the villains of Grandis were still enemies that they were yet to face. However, she proclaimed that their unbreakable bonds of unity would see them prevail the battles ahead. With that, she declared that they would celebrate their victory in Hayato’s honor.
Later that night, Hayato found Sakuno in her chambers. Sakuno once again thanked Hayato for the crucial role he had played in their victory. Hayato dismissed her words, claiming that he had only done his duty, though he apologized for not being able to stay by her side during the battle. However, Sakuno waved away his apology, noting that he had far more important things to be worrying about at the time.
She then recalled how they had known each other for a long time, and how, even when they had been young, he would throw himself into danger without a second thought if he believed that it was right. She then proudly noted that in their adulthood, he had become the savior of Maple World and the hero of the Sengoku Warriors. She explained that by defeating the Black Mage, he hadn’t merely protected her, but the entire world.
She then told Hayato that he had always been her noble sword, and that she knew that he would continue to be so. Moved by her words, Hayato proclaimed that she was his light, and that the memory of her voice was what had saved him when he had been swallowed by the darkness. He then declared that his sword would always serve her. Sakuno graciously thanked Hayato and told him that if he was prepared, she had a new quest for him. She then asked Hayato to gaze up at the moon and tell each other stories of home. Though Hayato was flustered by her request, he nevertheless obeyed.
(A/N: I mentioned earlier in Kanna’s section that I’d cover the contents of the Ninja Spy Book here. The book itself was written by three of Oda’s ninjas: Taro, Ringo, and Saburo. Taro is in love with Kanna, even though he’s on the opposite side; Ringo believes herself to be the cutest ninja in Oda’s army; Saburo is very reserved and talks in as few words as possible. These three have been spying for quite some time, meaning that some of these events are from when everyone was still fighting Oda in Hinomaru.
Here’s a summary of all the records they’ve gathered:
Kanna’s Big Night: Taro basically follows Kanna and simps over her while spying. Kanna is preoccupied and Haku teasingly asks whether she’s worried about Hayato. Kanna tells Haku that she’s not gonna feed him any more Star Candies at this rate. Taro wishes that Kanna would feed him Star Candies.
Saburo’s Sweet Tooth: Saburo observes the day that Kanna and Haku became partners. Haruaki is impressed with Kanna’s improvement, while Mori Ranmaru gloats that he’s better. As a congratulatory present for her improvement, Haruaki gives her a fox. Ranmaru is jealous until Haruaki amusedly asks if he thinks that he needs a fox to match Kanna’s skill. Haku introduces himself as Youkohakugen, the Phantom Haku. To his annoyance, Kanna decides to call him Haku for short. Saburo notes that Ranmaru’s expression reminds him of Oda’s.
Kanna is Pretty! Hayato Sucks!: Taro discovers that Sakuno’s two biggest allies are Hayato, whom he hates, and Kanna, whom he refers to as his darling Kanna. He also draws an unflattering photo of Hayato and a nice photo of Kanna.
Operation Hot Talk: Taro spies on Hayato and Honda Tadakatsu making weird grunting noises and assumes that it’s a secret code. In the original storyline, Tadakatsu and several others defect from Oda’s side and join the Sengoku Warriors. However, this plot thread was removed from the game, and so they’re only mentioned in the journal.
Deadeye: Saburo spies on one of Sakuno’s vassals, a sharpshooter. He witnesses an argument between Hayato and Kanna, with Hayato getting mad at her for commenting that she doesn’t like the princess’ dress. Kanna snaps that Sakuno could wear a potato sack dress and he’d call it pretty. Just then, an unknown woman (she has a weird black silhouette for her illustration, but she’s meant to be Ayame) breaks up the fight.
Haku then says that the two would get along if Kanna accepted how she really felt about him. Ayame says that she’ll plant a spear in the ground and shoot it from fifty paces away, and if she hits it, they both have to make up and go shopping with her. Haku says that’s too close, and so she changes it to be 200 paces away. Everyone is shocked when she makes the shot and drags them away. Saburo notes that it was an amazing shot, and that Oda doesn’t have a sharpshooter like that.
Kenshin and Shingen: Ringo discovers that Kenshin and Shingen are joining together in an alliance. After a toast, Shingen proposes that they visit the hot springs together. Kenshin is shocked at his audacity, but Shingen asks what the problem is, claiming that a dip in the hot springs will cement the alliance between the two most powerful men in Hinomaru. Kenshin is furious at Shingen mistaking her for a man and vows to destroy him, thus sparking their rivalry. Ringo is pleased, since the end of their alliance is good for Oda. This interaction is likely a reference to the fact that the real Kenshin was a man.
The Flood: Taro discovers that Kenshin and Shingen are meeting to talk about their alliance. He then notices Kanetsugu and Yukimura, the right-hand men of Kenshin and Shingen, respectively. They start politely talking and soon getting into a polite argument about each of their leaders being better than the other. It’s hilarious the way that they’re respectfully savage and at the same time, they just make up stories like Shingen defeating Oda’s army by roaring and Kenshin setting Oda’s camp on fire with a single glare.
Yukimura claims that they managed to flood Oda’s army by using Shingen’s spit. Kanetsugu begins to make up a better story with Kenshin’s spit when she appears and smacks him for telling unseemly stories about her. Shingen laughs and challenges Kenshin to a spitting competition. Kenshin is mortified but refuses to back down. Taro is dumb and believes the stories, returning back to Oda in order to warn him immediately.
Kanna, Help!!!: Ringo is spying on Motonari when she discovers Kanna, who was just teleported to Maple World by the flash of light. Haku is panicking because Kanna got knocked out by the light. He then notices that her clothes are in a terrible state. Kanetsugu appears while patrolling and notices her. Haku then finds a sack of clothes and puts them on Kanna before Kanetsugu arrives. It’s revealed that Ringo was the one who had covertly placed the sack of clothes there, as she felt that it was inhumane to leave Kanna half-naked, even if she was the enemy. However, she’s upset because she needed those clothes as a disguise to sneak into Momijigaoka.
World Leaders: Saburo discovers that the Black Mage is Maple World’s tyrant and sneaks into a meeting between his Commanders. Orchid is annoyed by Arkarium’s summons and wants to know why she was called all the way there. Arkarium tells her that out of the new people who recently appeared in Zipangu, Oda Nobunaga has a formidable aura, and he wants to know if Oda will be a friend or foe to the Black Mage. Orchid tells Arkarium to investigate it himself and asks why he even called her.
Arkarium attempts to intimidate her by explaining that he knows that she has recently hired a new underling, and that she has no secrets that he doesn’t know. Orchid is supremely unconcerned and tells him that she’s charging him the next time that he wastes her time. Arkarium silently resolves to figure out what Orchid is really up to. Saburo notes that the Commanders possess enough power to match Oda.
This story is interesting because even though the Sengoku Warriors are non-canon, it implies that Orchid actively participated in the Commanders’ plans while commanding the Black Wings. It also implies that Arkarium had no idea what Orchid’s real goals are, even though it seems pretty obvious to everyone who did the most minimum investigation that she was planning to bring Lotus back.
The Three Arrows: Taro is excited because he caught Motonari’s sons – Kikkawa Motoharu, Mouri Takamoto, and Kobayakawa Takakage –in the middle of an argument about whose plan is better. An angry Motonari breaks up the fight and asks who he can trust to lead the clan after his death if they can’t work together.
As the three argue again about who’s best suited to lead the clan, Motonari presents an arrow to each of them and orders them to break it. They easily break their arrows, after which Motonari gives each of them three arrows and asks them to break the arrows all at once. When Takamoto and Takakage can’t break them, he goes into a lecture about how the three arrows don’t break when united, but suddenly, Motoharu breaks the three arrows through brute strength, much to Motonari’s annoyance. Taro gets the message and excitedly tries to do the lesson himself, but finds that he's too weak to break even a single arrow.
The Silent Crusade: Saburo notes that the Silent Crusade is aware of the Sengoku Warriors’ arrival in Maple World. He spies on a meeting between Wence, Crow, and Starling discussing the arrival of the samurai. Wence tells them that the boss wants them to investigate Oda and eliminate him if he seems to be a threat. Crow asks whether the boss wanted both him and Starling to go, adding that the rookie should be fine to go alone.
Starling notes that Crow seems to have a lot of interest in the rookie, but Crow snaps that he's only trying to keep his eyes open in case the rookie gets in his way. He then claims that it’s Starling who’s interested in the rookie, which she flatly denies. Crow then asks Wence why he has to work with Starling, to which Wence says that he’s just the messenger, though he tells them to consider it a team building exercise. Crow says that’s fine, as long as unit #5 stays out of the way, which Starling concurs with. They then head out, both of them claiming that they work better alone. Saburo is left to wonder who the rookie could be, although we know that the rookie is the protagonist of the Silent Crusade storyline.
Kanna’s Biggest Fan: Saburo is interested in knowing why Kanna uses a fan. He spies on Haku asking Kanna why she uses a fan, as it’s fairly rare for Spirit Walkers to use them. Kanna explains that her fan had belonged to her late father, which make both Haku and Saburo feel bad.
Orchid and Mitsuhide: Ringo is excited to have discovered the traitor, Akechi Mitsuhide. She then spies on a meeting between Mitsuhide and Orchid, who decides to meet Mitsuhide after Francis tells her about him. Mitsuhide is surprised to see that Orchid is a little girl. Orchid gets annoyed and attacks Mitsuhide, who barely manages to deflect it.
Orchid is impressed and decides to forgive him because he’s good-looking like her. However, she warns him to henceforth refer to her as Ms. Orchid. She then tells him that Francis will explain everything he needs to know and orders him to keep quiet until then. Mitsuhide is impressed at Orchid’s strength and believes that even Oda couldn’t beat her in a fair fight. He resolves to put her strength to good use.
Akatsuki Weapon: Ringo has discovered Momijigaoka near Oda’s base and heads in to investigate. Motonari is worried that Shingen and Kenshin are missing and summons Takakage. He tells his son that finding them is their highest priority and laments that short of soldiers falling from the sky, they’re on their own.
Takakage notes that they’ll need powerful weapons and says that a renowned blacksmith works for him. He resolves to have the blacksmith make new weapons for the soldiers and Motonari decides to name the great weapon that the blacksmith will create as Akatsuki to signify a new dawn. Ringo is scared of how powerful that weapon will be.
Tears of a Princess: Ringo spies on a conversation between Hayato and Princess Sakuno. Hayato asks Sakuno not to go to Takamatsu castle with “him”, although we don’t know who he’s referring to. He offers to escort her, but Sakuno tells him that he has his own duties to take care of. Hayato realizes that he stepped out of bounds and tells her to have a safe trip. As he turns to leave, Ringo notes that Sakuno has started crying. I wonder whether “he” is supposed to be Mitsuhide, with this serving as the prequel of him kidnapping the princess.)
Chase and the Critter Champs:
(A/N: As of 2024, Beast Tamer - known as Chase in GMS, and May in all other regions - has been retracted from all regions, and she’s been replaced with a new Beast Tamer class named Lynn. Lynn and Mo Xuan - who replaced Zen - both share the same starting region of Jianghu, and their stories are connected together independently of the other overseas content that makes up GMS-verse. Because of this, I won’t be covering Lynn or Mo Xuan in the GMS-verse writeup, but I’ll still be keeping Chase’s story here because her character remains alive in GMS-verse through Stellar Detectives.
Unfortunately, Chase’s removal means that there are a lot of aspects of her story which remain unknown. For example, we still have no idea what Chase’s species is. When she was introduced, she was labeled as an Anima, but her race was changed to Beast Tamer upon Hoyoung’s release. Keep in mind that her initial release had been around the time that the Anima had first been introduced in Shade’s storyline, making me believe that Nexon had just been using Anima as a catch-all term for humans with animal ears and tails. Since Beast Tamer was first introduced in CMS, they likely didn’t know about KMS’ plans for the Anima to be established as a Grandis thing, and so Chase just falls into this weird limbo of being an Anima lookalike.
However, we do know from the Explorer storyline that Rondo has Anima features, and that he lives in Maple World, just like Chase. Rondo’s existence might potentially hint at there being Anima that crossed over from Grandis to Maple World, similar to how Havoc crossed over from Tynerum to Grandis, and so it might be possible that Chase does have Anima ancestry that can be traced back to Grandis.
Something interesting to note is that Chase is the only Anima-presenting person in her town, as the others are all this weird species that look a lot like the Halflingers of Leafre, including her grandmother, leading me to believe that she was an Anima who lost her parents, just like Rondo, and that she was adopted and raised in Arboren by the villagers.)
In Canopy Town of Arboren, a young girl named Chase dreamed of becoming just like the legendary Heroes of Maple, whom she idolized greatly. As a child, her Granny Rosanna would tell her stories of the five heroes who had sealed away the Black Mage, which had inspired her dreams of becoming a hero. (A/N: Can we get an F in the chat for Shade.)
One day, while she was singing about her dream, she overheard commotion and immediately rushed over, believing that it was an opportunity for her to be a hero. However, she realized that it was only Ms. Hilga, who had fallen into a hole that Chase had dug as a prank. Granny Rosanna scolded Chase for the prank that she had pulled on Ms. Hilga and told her to apologize immediately, adding that a true hero was never afraid to apologize. Chase gave a sincere apology to Ms. Hilga and asked for forgiveness.
Though exasperated, Ms. Hilga noted that Chase was still young and forgave her, though she warned Chase not to do it again. She then told Chase that she had noticed Bran crying and asked whether Chase knew anything about it. When Chase began giving a shifty answer, Ms. Hilga chided Chase for treating her friends poorly and told her to apologize to him.
Once again, Chase apologized to Bran and promised never to pull another prank on him again. Bran then asked her why she was so obsessed with becoming a hero, and whether she was even cut out to be one. Chase proudly noted that she was going to become a legend like the Heroes of Maple, though Bran merely laughed at her words. Frustrated, Chase asked Bran what she could do to prove herself to him, to which Bran dared her to go inside Wolf Forest on her own, where even the adults feared to enter.
Chase proceeded into the forest alone, where she discovered a cat stuck inside a cage. The cat asked Chase to help her break free from the cage, with Chase excitedly noting that talking cats were the sort of thing that true heroes stumbled across. The cat introduced himself as Arby and explained that he had been stuck inside the cage for days without food.
After breaking open the cage, Chase asked Arby whether there was anything else that she could do, to which Arby told Chase that he had lost his bell in a nearby tree and asked Chase to fetch it. After Chase got the bell, Arby thanked her and introduced himself as a member of the Critter Champs. He explained that even though they were just starting out, the Critter Champs would soon be famous enough that all of Maple World would be singing their praises.
Suddenly, a pack of wolves arrived and began circling the hill that the pair were on. Chase lamented that she didn't have a weapon to fight, though Arby pointed out that she could use a tree branch. Chase then heroically leapt down and defeated the wolves. She returned to Arby, who was impressed by Chase's skills. Arby then elaborated on the Critter Champs, explaining that they were four members on an adventure to become great heroes.
Chase excitedly told Arby that she was also on a mission to become as great as the Heroes of Maple. As the two began bonding over their admiration for the Heroes, Arby suddenly invited Chase to become a member of the Critter Champs as their fifth member, which would make them just like the five Heroes. Chase pointed out that she wasn't a critter, offended when Arby noted that she had animal features. Nevertheless, she agreed to join after considering it. Arby then told Chase to head back to Arboren while he gathered together the other members.
(A/N: There was an official webcomic released alongside Beast Tamer that revealed some of the backstory to the Critter Champs and Chase’s predecessor, Sherry. However, there’s one detail in Chase’s storyline that contradicts the webcomic, and so its canonicity is a bit shaky. The webcomic starts with the four Critter Champs - Arby, Eka, Fort, and Lai - performing at a circus as the Commerci Choir in Dawnveil, having lost all their powers. While performing, they see Sherry in the crowd and chase after her, with the circusmaster and his thugs in pursuit in order to get back their performers.
Sherry then blows a whistle to give the Critter Champs back their powers, allowing them to defeat the ringmaster. After reuniting with the Critter Champs, Sherry reveals that she had left them behind in order to protect the World Tree, as she had believed that it would be too dangerous to take them. She also reveals that she had perished in the battle, which was why the Critter Champs had lost their powers. She explains that the World Tree had brought back her spirit so that she could give the Critter Champs back their powers, after which her spirit disappears. The comic then fast-forwards to Arby being caught in his cage, ending with him meeting with Chase and asking her to join them.)
Chase returned back to the village, only to find that a horde of Kobolds were attacking. As several Kobolds advanced on her, a snow leopard rushed in and defeated them. The panther greeted Chase and explained that Arby had told him about her, introducing himself as Lai. He then presented a Guardian Contract to Chase and asked her to sign it, explaining that it would allow her to tap into the power of the Critter Champs for her own use.
After fist-bumping to complete the contract, Chase channeled Lai’s powers and used him to defeat the Kobolds attacking the village. Though they defeated the first wave, Lai smelled another wave of armored Kobolds invading and noted that they were much stronger. Nevertheless, Chase and Lai worked together to defeat the entire horde.
Before they could celebrate their victory, Lai smelled yet another group of even stronger Kobolds and told Chase that it would be better for him to handle it alone. However, he quickly discovered that he was unable to pierce through their armor with his soft paws and decided to leave it to another Critter Champ. Just then, a large bear stumbled in and introduced himself as Fort.
Fort then threw a massive punch that sent a Kobold flying into the air. Lai told Fort to perform the Guardian Contract with Chase so that she could use his power to defeat the Kobolds. The two then bumped fists, after which Chase used Fort’s power to fight the Kobolds, though another wave quickly appeared. Realizing that the enemy wasn’t planning to stop, Lai suggested evacuating the town by having them climb up the trees. Chase then rallied the townspeople and had them evacuate, after which Lai told her to head to safety as well.
After climbing up the tree, Chase asked what their next move was, as they couldn’t stay up there forever. Fort suggested lowering the watchtower door in order to block the entrance to the town. Chase told him that it was a good idea, except that there were too many Kobolds for them to reach the lever. Just as Chase wished that she could fly, Bran toppled over the edge of the tree and began falling. Suddenly, a large hawk dove down and grabbed Bran, setting him back up on the tree. Fort and Lai greeted the hawk, whose name was Eka, though Chase noted that Lai was acting strangely.
Eka demanded to know where the hero that Arby had mentioned was, to which Lai timidly pointed at Chase. Eka was thoroughly unimpressed by Chase and was surprised to know that both Fort and Lai had signed the Guardian Contract with her. She reminded them that they had been waiting for a century to find the perfect master to sign the contract with, chiding them for wasting it on a child. (A/N: This line contradicts the webcomic, which makes me believe that the webcomic might not be canon.) Chase then told Eka that they first needed to save the town. Lai agreed and told Eka that the only way to do so was by signing the contract and flying Chase to the watchtower.
Though Eka reluctantly agreed, she made it clear to Chase that she didn’t approve of her. After the two signed the Guardian Contract, Chase told Eka to fly her to the watchtower, to which Lai nervously told Chase to watch how she spoke, as Eka refused to take orders from anyone. Though irritated, Eka agreed to do as Chase said just once, though she told Chase not to get used to it. After flying Chase to the watchtower, Eka told Chase that she was sealing her power away, as Chase was too weak to use it in her current state. Chase then pulled the lever, shutting the gate to the town.
With the remaining Kobolds trapped inside, Chase and the other warriors of the village climbed down and prepared to fight off the enemy. Just then, Arby arrived and told Chase to quickly sign the Guardian Contract with him. After bumping fists, Chase used Arby’s powers to boost the strength of the warriors, allowing them to easily defeat the Kobolds. Suddenly, Chase found herself losing consciousness as the other Critter Champs rushed to catch her.
Three days later, Chase awoke and learned from the Critter Champs that she had fallen unconscious after being overwhelmed by their powers. Chase then decided that it was time for her to begin her hero’s journey and began to say her farewells. She went to say goodbye to Granny Rosanna, who was sad to see her granddaughter go, though she accepted it when Chase pointed out that she had been the one to inspire Chase to become a hero.
Chase promised to visit the townspeople, who all cheered her on her journey. Granny Rosanna then put a whistle around Chase’s neck, explaining that she had made it while Chase had been unconscious. After heading out of town, Eka chided Chase for sleeping for three days, ignoring Arby’s reminder that she had been by Chase’s side the entire time without sleep.
Arby then told Chase that he and Eka were temporarily leaving for the spirit realm, as their powers were too strong for Chase to handle. He explained that Fort and Lai would also be coming with them until summoned, as Chase would quickly tire out if they remained with her all the time. Chase then made her way to Stump Town, where she met with Woodrock, the chief of the town. Chase began warning him that there was a great threat approaching, but Woodrock dismissed her words, claiming that she had fallen victim to Bluffing Tom’s lies.
In order to prove her words, Chase set out into the forest and defeated the nearby Kobolds, bringing back one of their wooden clubs. However, Woodrock claimed that she had merely purchased it from the store, and so Chase decided to speak with Bluffing Tom. Tom noted that she must be powerful to have obtained a Kobold’s club and suggested that she bring back Kobold swords as proof that he was telling the truth. She then brought the swords to Woodrock, who merely dismissed them as kitchen knives.
With no other choice, Tom told Chase to collect Spear Kobold’s Claws. Chase fought several Rotting Kobolds, but was unable to find their claws. She decided to venture deeper into the forest and obtained the claws from the Kobold Pokers. After she presented the claws to Woodrock, he immediately accepted them as bear claws and asked Chase to bring him more.
As Chase began to head out, she found Tom stopping his grandmother and his father from leaving the town, warning them that Kobolds were in the forest. However, his grandparents chided him for lying before heading out. Chase then proceeded to collect more claws and brought them to Woodrock, outraged when he declared that he would use them to decorate his room. However, Woodrock reassured her that even if Tom was telling the truth, there was no way for the Kobolds to enter the town.
After telling Tom what had happened, Chase decided to deal with the Kobolds herself. After defeating the Kobold Pokers and finding a Kobold den nearby, Chase returned to let Woodrock know, who urgently told her that he had seen the Kobolds while tracking down several people who hadn’t returned from the forest.
He then begged Chase to find Tom’s family, adding that he should have listened to her. Chase discovered Tom’s grandmother, his father, and Tom himself, who claimed that he had fought through the Kobolds while searching for his family, though Chase knew that he was bluffing, true to his name. After returning back to town, Chase told Woodrock about the Kobold den. As she headed out to infiltrate it, Tom asked her to collect Red Pouches from the Kobold Shooters there, as one of them had stolen something from him in the forest and placed it in their pouch.
However, even after Chase obtained the pouches, Tom was unable to find his missing item inside, and so he asked her to collect Blue Pouches from the Kobold Zappers. After Chase brought back the pouches, Tom discovered his mother’s handkerchief. He explained that his mother had been missing for a while, and that he had been out searching for her when he had run into the Kobolds, though no one had believed him. However, he was confident that the Kobolds had kidnapped his mother and asked Chase to rescue her, believing that she would be in the deepest part of the den.
Chase entered the den and soon found Tom’s mother locked in a cell. After freeing her, the pair quickly returned back to town. Chase then began asking her about the Kobolds in the prison, to which she explained that she had only seen King Kobold at the end of the prison. Realizing that eliminating the king would rid them of their leadership, Chase let Woodrock know about what she had learned. Woodrock asked her to eliminate the king, but when Chase arrived at the entrance of his room, she found it blocked, along with an overpowering stench.
She returned back to Woodrock, who explained that the legends said that Kobolds were protected by a strange power and asked her to speak with Tom’s mother about it. Tom’s mother explained that she believed that the Kobolds used special smells for their powers and asked Chase to collect Kobold items so that she could prepare a special scent that would allow Chase to enter the throne room.
Chase collected Spear Kobold’s Claws, Red Pouches, and Blue Pouches, with which Tom’s mother prepared Kobold Musk. Chase then applied the musk and entered the throne room, defeating King Kobold before returning back to town. After Chase reported her victory, Woodrock proclaimed her a true hero and apologized for not believing her.
He added that she reminded him of the legend of the Heroes who had defeated the Black Mage, causing Chase to gleefully note that she looked up to them. Woodrock explained that someone on Victoria Island would likely know how to get in touch with the Heroes and suggested heading to the harbor outside town in order to get there.
Chase headed to the harbor when she met three suspicious individuals. One of them, a woman named Vicky, asked Chase whether they were on Victoria Island, to which Chase innocently replied that they were in Arboren. The woman chided Victor, one of the men that she was traveling with, telling him that they weren’t on Victoria Island after all. As Victor retorted that it was what he had been trying to tell her all along, the other man, Vincent, asked him why he hadn’t spoken up about it earlier.
When Chase asked if they were also heading to Victoria Island, Vicky invited her to join them, explaining that they were treasure hunters. She then turned to her companions and whispered that Chase seemed highly gullible. After the ferry came, Vicky attempted to take advantage of Chase by explaining that there was a tax to board the boat, which she claimed belonged to her.
Chase offered to pay with Spear Kobold’s Claws, which Vicky accepted, believing them to be valuable. (A/N: For some reason, this quest also has us defeat Disgusting Kobolds, even though they don’t drop the claws.) Chase collected the claws and brought them back to Vicky, who was disgusted by their rotting stench. Nevertheless, she allowed Chase to climb aboard. Soon after setting sail, the boat was attacked by a Grosso Polpo.
(A/N: This was actually a really cool detail. Back when the continent of Dawnveil was still in the game, there were three regions that existed there. Arboren was the southmost area of the three, with Commerci being north of it, and Tynerum being at the top, right below Leafre at the border between Dawnveil and Ossyria. Chase would’ve had to sail up from Arboren through Commerci, which is where the Grosso Polpo resides during the Commerci Voyages.)
Suddenly, Lai appeared and asked Chase what was happening. Vicky immediately noticed the talking snow leopard and realized that they could make a profit off of capturing them. Fort soon joined them and the two Critter Champs quickly made short work of the kraken with Chase’s guidance. Soon after, the boat was picked up by the Nautilus, with Chase and Vicky being brought aboard to see Kyrin.
After learning that Chase was on her way to Victoria Island in order to meet the Heroes, Kyrin asked whether Chase knew of Evan, the successor of Freud. Chase excitedly told her that she had memorized all of the Dragon Master’s trivia. Laughing, Kyrin suggested that she visit Henesys, as it was Evan’s hometown. In Henesys, Chase was thrilled to run into Evan and told him about her dreams of becoming a hero.
Evan laughed and noted that she very well could become one, as he certainly hadn’t been one when he had started. He then told Chase about all the major events that had happened, such as the five Heroes, the Black Mage, Empress Cygnus, and the arrival of the Sengoku Warriors. He then promised to let Empress Cygnus know about her and noted that he looked forward to the day that they could stand shoulder to shoulder.
(A/N: Beast Tamer’s storyline gets abruptly terminated here. During her initial release, she had a billion quests in her storyline, many of which were arduous fetch quests. In fact, there was a whole questline set between us meeting Kyrin and finding Evan that was cut as well. After Chase and Evan meet, Evan puts in a good word for us to Cygnus and Neinheart.
However, Neinheart is really out-of-character in this storyline and acts like a snobby elitist. He says that Chase is too young and unremarkable to join the Alliance and the other Heroes go at it with him constantly throughout the storyline because he makes remarks like Phantom’s opinions mattering less because he hasn’t been in the Alliance as long as the others.
In order to see whether Chase is worthy of joining the Alliance, he orders her to complete tests set by the five Chief Knights. During this process, Victor, Vicky, and Vincent – the Triple Volts – attempt to capture the Critter Champs, essentially serving as Walmart discount versions of Team Rocket, except even more incompetent.
I’m not lying when I say that this storyline was perhaps the most convoluted, out-of-character, and tedious one out of every storyline in the game. I haven’t personally played the original storyline, instead having only read the quest descriptions that only exist on HiddenStreet now, but I can tell you confidently that it would’ve taken me half a year at least to write it all up.
Naturally, people rightfully complained about how arduous it was, but instead of just simplifying the storyline, Nexon decided to cut out literally every single quest between Chase meeting Evan up through Chase joining the Alliance. While I’m glad not to have to suffer through the original story, I really hate when lore gets removed from the game just for the sake of Nexon not having to put in effort to just improve what’s already there.
Because of the changes, Beast Tamer has literally no story and Triple Volt just become non-factors, despite appearing prominently in her animated short. I came up with an idea for a potential revamp of Beast Tamer’s storyline, in which Triple Volt are mercenaries hired by PULSAR to steal Chase’s animals.
You’ll see in Stellar Detectives that PULSAR is stealing animals from Maple World in order to experiment on them, and so I thought that it would be a neat way to have Beast Tamer’s storyline tie in with the PULSAR stuff, especially if the end of her class storyline shows a plot twist with Triple Volt not being the true villains and instead cutting to the PULSAR leaders or something, which could serve as the organization’s introduction.
Regardless, I doubt that Nexon would ever revamp Beast Tamer’s story or reimplement what was already there. I tried looking to see whether there was a way for me to cover her old story, but most of it is unfortunately inaccessible, aside from a couple of incomplete videos on YouTube, whatever client-side data that exists in the WZ files, and the HiddenStreet quest log data.
As it stands now, we essentially just get two more pseudo-job advancements at level 30 and 50, in which we unlock Eka and Arby, respectively. After that, we get nothing until level 140, which was the final quest in her original storyline. I would include it within the actual guide itself, but it makes absolutely no sense within the scope of her currently available quests because it directly references the cut story content.
Basically, we get to see the ceremony in which Neinheart and Cygnus formally induct her into the Alliance, with all the Heroes except Shade (naturally), the Chief Knights, and the Critter Champs in attendance. Neinheart apologizes for his rude behavior that I still consider to be totally out-of-character, while the Heroes congratulate her for becoming a new hero. Neinheart then gives you your final secondary weapon whistle and a medal, as well as a hefty 100 fame. Ironically, despite becoming a member of the Alliance, you still don’t get the Will of the Alliance skill or the Alliance medal, making you and Zero the only two classes not to get them.
Anyways, here’s Beast Tamer’s exclusive cutscene from Black Heaven. I don’t really know where all of GMS-verse fits within the chronology of the main story, and so I’m just including this in case anyone’s interested.)
The day before the Black Heaven operation, Chase and the Critter Champs returned home to Arboren, as Chase wanted to meet her friends and family from Canopy Town before the battle. The town was overjoyed to see Chase after so long and greeted her as a hero. Chase was surprised to see everyone prepared for her arrival and asked her grandmother how everyone knew that she was coming. Granny Rosanna explained that Eka occasionally flew in and told the town about her adventures, though Eka had warned them to keep it a secret. Eka was irritated with Rosanna divulging how much she secretly cared about Chase and dismissed Chase’s gratitude.
(A/N: Right after this, there’s a dialogue error where Eka accidentally gets Rosanna’s line. When Chase says that she needs to get going, Eka says, “I know you do, my precious baby. Don’t let anyone get the better of you out there!” and it’s hilarious to see Eka say this with her tsundere personality.)
After saying her farewells, Chase had Eka fly her straight to Ereve for the Lumiere’s launch.
(A/N: Interestingly, Beast Tamer is the only class in which we skip the tiny scene where we board the Lumiere, instead just cutting to the cutscene of the airship taking off and continuing with Act 2. It’s likely because Eka probably just flew us directly aboard to Lumiere, but it’s still a bit sad that we don’t get to walk past the cheering crowd.
Moving along, here’s Beast Tamer’s Aftermath cutscene. In the Labyrinth of Suffering, she hears the voice of Eka (though she says something like “Eka… everyone!”, implying that the others were there silently in the background. The White Mage gives her the title “Hero of Nature” at the end of Limina.)
After the battle with the Black Mage, Chase and the Critter Champs returned home to Arboren, where she visited the people of Stump Town and the people of her hometown, Canopy Town, who had traveled there to meet her.
(A/N: When she arrives, the people of Stump Town greet her with those speech bubbles that disappear after a few seconds. I was surprised that the speech bubbles have them call her the Adversary, rather than just her name. Even though every class is given credit for having personally defeated the Black Mage in their individual cutscenes, this is the first time that I’ve ever seen a class being explicitly referenced as the Adversary.)
After a large celebration and a sumptuous feast, Chase said her farewells and headed to the port. There, she told the Critter Champs how relieved she was that Arboren was as peaceful as ever. Arby joked that he wouldn’t call the extravagant party a sign of peace, though he added that it wasn’t every day that a true hero like Chase came through. Lai concurred and told Chase that only a true hero could have brought Maple World back from the brink of darkness.
Chase then confessed that after having met so many great people and facing down the greatest threat that Maple World had ever seen, she had realized that she could never be like the legendary Heroes of Maple because they had done everything by themselves, while she had learned that no one could save the world on their own, as it was a team effort.
She then told the Critter Champs that they were the real heroes and fondly called them her friends. Eka then corrected her, admitting that Chase was just as important to the team as them. Arby then asked Chase whether she remembered the day when they had first met. He explained that ever since Chase had freed him from his cage, he had always known that Chase would be a real hero.
Chase grinned and told the Critter Champs that they were right. She then swore as the hero of Maple World that she would always protect its people, adding that she could only do so with the Critter Champs’ help. The Critter Champs eagerly agreed as they all looked ahead for their next big adventure.
The Bounty Hunter:
(A/N: Jett did have a revamp, but she merely received a backstory between herself and her partner, Burke, rather than there being any major overhauls to her lore.)
On the distant planet of Cerberus, two children named Jett and Burke were best friends. One day, the two children were playing a game, with Jett pretending to be a vicious space criminal and Burke attempting to capture her. To block Burke’s make-believe laser, Jett summoned a make-believe shield that the royal guards used in order to defend herself.
Burke noted that it was strange for a criminal to be using a royal guard shield, but Jett proclaimed that she didn’t want to be a criminal or space pirate, instead deciding that she would become a royal guard that lived in the castle and protected the king. Burke asked why she would ever think of becoming a royal guard when her family was the most famous bounty hunter crew ever, adding that her parents likely wanted to take her on all sorts of adventures.
Jett explained that though it was cool, it quickly became tiring, adding that there were times when she simply wanted to find something that she truly loved and hold on to it for as she could. She also added that she was tired of being left at home while her family vanished on distant missions, though Burke claimed that he thought that her family was cool, as they chased down villains all across space. However, he lamented that he didn’t have a family or anything as powerful as the Core in order to follow in their footsteps. Jett told Burke that her father’s Core would someday be passed down to her and vowed to use its power to destroy the pirates who had killed Burke’s family.
Many years later, Jett returned back from her fifth failed attempt at passing the entrance test for becoming a royal guard, as she was unable to work in a team, believing that others only got in the way during fights. Burke then appeared and asked how the exam had gone, to which Jett lamented that she didn’t know what she was lacking, as she even had the power of the Core. She wondered whether her constant failures were a sign that she ought to have followed in her father’s footsteps as a bounty hunter.
Burke told her to think of her failure as an opportunity and offered her a place in his bounty hunter crew, persuading her by explaining that hunting down dangerous criminals was merely a different way for her to protect the king. Jett thanked Burke and said that she owed him, but Burke told her that he was the one who owed her, as her family had taken him in after his own family had been killed by pirates, with their exploits as bounty hunters fueling his own dream of becoming one.
After Jett joined Burke’s crew, she spent many years working with him to capture villains from across space. During one such mission, the crew brought in a group of criminals, one of whom cursed Burke and noted that he was nothing without Jett and her Core. Jett immediately ordered the criminal to shut up and told the crew to escort them away. She then consoled Burke, reminding him that everyone viewed him as the true captain of the crew.
As Jett walked away, Burke found himself growing jealous of Jett and the Core, though he attempted to keep his emotions in check, reminding himself that Jett was his best friend. He then walked outside, where he found his crew discussing how powerful Jett was, noting that she ought to be the captain instead of Burke, as they would be better off, since the king trusted her.
A few days later, Burke was leading his crew on a mission to capture several criminals, refusing to call for backup when a crew member suggested it. The crew member then pointed out that they might be walking into a trap, reminding Burke that Jett had to save them the last time it had happened. Burke immediately lashed out, claiming that there was nothing special about Jett without the Core, and reminded the crew that he was their captain.
Suddenly, the criminals ambushed the crew, laughing that the rumors of Burke losing his edge were true. However, Jett quickly arrived at the scene and single-handedly apprehended the criminals. Soon after the mission, Jett worriedly asked Burke whether he was okay, as his decision to put himself and the crew in danger was unlike him. Burke dejectedly confessed that he had only wanted to be as good as her, to which Jett promised him that she wasn’t as good as everyone said, as all her power came from the Core, not her own abilities.
As she began to remind him that she had never wanted to be a bounty hunter, Burke stopped her and explained that it angered him that despite her never wanting to be a bounty hunter, she had been the one to end up with the Core, his voice trailing off as he began saying that it wasn’t fair. Realizing that he was stressed, Jett told him to get some rest while she took care of the crew.
After she left, Burke attempted to calm himself down when he suddenly received a mysterious transmission from someone in Maple World. (A/N: The transmission came from Baroq the Master of Disguise.) Noting that he had heard of Maple World before, Burke asked the voice what they wanted. The voice told him that in order to revive their master, they needed the power of the Core.
Burke asked why he would betray his friend to a stranger, to which the voice asked whether someone who was ungrateful and trying to steal his position was truly his friend. Burke realized that the voice had bugged their ship, to which the voice laughed that it hadn’t been difficult to find their ship, adding that the Core was more powerful than they would ever know.
The voice then told Burke to bring the Core to Maple World, after which Jett would lose her powers and he would be at the top again. Though Burke was intrigued, he asked how he would even get Jett to Maple World. The voice then suggested eliminating the king and framing Jett, which would result in the Cerberus government chasing her across the galaxy.
Burke conceded that he had no love for the king, who had ignored his plight when his family had been killed, and who constantly fawned over Jett. He then asked the voice whether they could guarantee Jett’s safety, promising only to bring them the Core alone, to which the voice agreed. Burke then set out to eliminate the king by taking Jett’s outfit, silently hoping that his friend would forgive him.
Several hours later, a crew member rushed in and informed Jett that the king had been assassinated. Suddenly, Burke arrived and showed her a wanted poster of herself, with the caption noting that she was to be brought in dead or alive. Though Jett was shocked at the baseless accusation, Burke noted that there was no time, as the royal guards were likely already on their way. However, Jett refused to run, claiming that it would only convince them of her guilt.
The crew member then told her that there were witnesses that had seen her, noting that the people of Cerberus were furious. Though Jett was aghast, Burke reminded her that it was unsafe to remain and promised to clear her name. Suddenly, the crew member received an alert that the royal guards had arrived and told her that they would hold the guards off. Jett refused to let them fight for her, claiming that she would fix her own mess without dragging others in, but the crew member explained that they were merely returning the favor of her saving them countless times.
Burke and Jett then fled the scene before encountering several robotic guards which had already eliminated the rest of their crew. Though Jett managed to defeat them, Burke noted that one of the guards had stolen the master key and fled to the control room. Jett rushed to the control room and eliminated the guard, bringing the key back to Burke.
She then told Burke to disappear after escaping, as he would otherwise be implicated as an accomplice. However, Burke refused to abandon her, claiming that they were family. As Jett began boarding an escape craft, Burke contacted the mysterious voice and reported that they were en route, asking the voice once again whether it could truly bring them down over Maple World. The voice laughed and reassured Burke that their power was great.
Burke and Jett then boarded their ship and began speeding away from Cerberus. However, the royal guards’ airships remained hot in pursuit and managed to shoot Jett and Burke down. Their airship was then mysteriously teleported across the stars, crash landing on Maple World near Nautilus Harbor. Soon after, Jett awoke and found that the airship was completely wrecked. As she began recalling the pursuit, Jett realized that the royal guards’ volley of fire had likely ruptured the ship’s photon lines and caused a backlash wormhole.
Suddenly, she noticed that nearly all of her strength had vanished and realized that she had lost the Core. She also realized that Burke was missing and began searching for him. While looking around, she came across Black Bark of the Nautilus, who was annoyed that she had crashed her ship and made a mess of his beach. Jett asked him whether he had seen another survivor of the crash, to which he told her that he had seen someone with red hair and black clothes leave the crash site. Realizing that Burke was likely scouting the area for enemies, Jett proceeded ahead in search of him.
Soon after, she encountered Burke standing on a hill wearing a cloak that disguised his face. As she began asking why he was wearing such a suspicious outfit, she noticed that he had recovered her Core. Happily calling him the best captain ever, she asked Burke to toss it over so that she could get them off the strange planet. However, Burke merely asked her whether she felt powerless without the Core, as though she couldn’t really make a difference in the world.
He then proceeded to attack Jett, who was shocked by his betrayal. Jett angrily ordered him to hand over the Core before she reconsidered their friendship, to which Burke asked whether she had really thought that they were friends, explaining that he had always walked in her shadow because no matter how much he had trained, he had never been able to surpass the power of her Core.
He then added that letting her live the life that he had been forced to lead was his last gift to her as a friend. Jett retorted that he already knew that no one outside her family could use the Core, and that it would be nothing but a useless rock to him. Burke merely replied that it would then be a useless rock to them both, allowing them to finally be equals, the way that it had always been meant to be.
As he turned to leave, Jett desperately asked him to tell her that he wasn’t the one who had assassinated the king, but Burke merely told her that it was a secret that he wasn’t yet ready to surrender. He then turned to leave, just as Jett began to lose consciousness. Soon after, Jett awoke to the sound of voices around her, finding herself in a bed aboard the Nautilus with Kyrin and Black Bark. Delirious from having just regained consciousness, Jett mistook the pair as royal guards and exclaimed that she was innocent.
Kyrin calmed her down before introducing herself and explaining that she was captain of the Nautilus, the ship that they were on. Noting that Jett had come from space, Kyrin asked why she had come to Maple World. Jett silently noted that she had never even heard of Maple World, and that it likely had to be quite out in the boonies if it had been left off the galactic charts.
She decided that she would lay low and let the pirates think that she wasn’t a threat, noting that despite them saving her life, her large bounty might result in them turning on her. She then made up a story that she had been on a vacation when her ship’s converter fan had stopped working, and so she had landed on their nearby world.
Kyrin silently noted that she was right about the ship not being Maple World technology and wondered how much she could make by selling a real alien. (A/N: This is such an out-of-character moment for Kyrin. Despite her being a pirate, I highly doubt that she’d ever consider trafficking an actual person.) She then told Jett to explain how such a small ship could generate such power, noting that it could be possible that she might be trying to cover up a secret government experiment.
(A/N: Kyrin, you’re literally one of the leading members of the Alliance. If you really wanted to know about any secret government projects, I’m sure Cygnus would tell you everything.)
Jett explained that her people had figured out focus-beam propulsion a century ago, to which Kyrin gleefully noted that she could appropriate that technology onto the Nautilus and become rich. She then told Jett that the Nautilus crew would help repair the airship and offered a place to rest in the meantime. Black Bark then gave Jett back her belongings which he had stolen, including her gun and a glowing chunk of rock that Jett realized was a fragment of the Core. Though she lamented that it was only a piece, she noted that it would be sufficient in helping her find the rest and regaining her full powers.
Kyrin then told Jett that she ought to stop by the Navigation Room in order to meet the rest of the crew once she had rested. After getting ready, Jett met with Kyrin in the Navigation Room, where Kyrin told her that she would have to prove herself in order to gain the respect of the crew. She also added that Jett would need to follow her orders in order to do so. She then instructed Jett to meet with Athena Pierce in Henesys, who would help her get started on her journey. Jett traveled to the Bowman Instructional School and met with Athena, who introduced herself and explained that Henesys, being one of the safest towns in Maple World, would be a good place to stay until she grew stronger.
(A/N: She tells us to meet with Camila, but that’s just to start the regular basic Explorer quests with the pie ingredients and such. These quests were removed for Explorers in the Destiny update, since they have their own streamlined storyline from levels 1-30. You now need to get to level 20 on your own in order to continue with the storyline.)
As Jett trained to grow stronger, she was soon contacted by Kelm, Abbes, and Gal, who explained that they were the only surviving members of the crew, and that they had been searching for her. After they beamed her back to their ship, the crew asked where Burke was. Jett told them that Burke had killed the king and framed her in order to steal the Core, and that she suspected that someone had put him up to it.
She then explained that she planned to get stronger in Maple World and recover the rest of her Core before proving her innocence on Cerberus, as she believed that whoever was behind Burke’s plot was planning to use the Core for evil. When her crew asked why she was so concerned with Maple World, Jett explained that its people had helped her greatly, and so she considered Maple World to be a second home. (A/N: And after only fifteen minutes of being there too.)
Though she blamed herself for the rest of their crew being killed, the others told her that it wasn’t her fault, and that they were fully behind her, even having built their current ship on a budget after their old one had been shot down. They then unanimously agreed to make Jett their new captain.
Soon after, Jett was contacted by Bart, who explained that Kyrin had asked him to deliver something that the Nautilus crew had found in the wreckage of the ship while repairing it. Hoping it to be another fragment of the Core, Jett was disappointed to find that it was an empty box. She asked Bart whether he had encountered anyone during his trip to see her, as she believed that someone else had taken its contents. (A/N: How do you just not notice that your box suddenly became empty?)
Bart admitted that he had travelled to the North Rocky Mountain in Perion on personal business before getting to her, but he assured that no one suspicious would be there. Jett decided to investigate the area and found obscure sets of footprints that had been overwritten by the nearby Stumps. As the only thing she could deduce was that there had been at least two people in the area, she decided to investigate the Stumps for clues.
While defeating the Stumps, Jett obtained a plain black envelope, which she believed may have been sealed with a stamp, though it was hard to make out. She then obtained a black glove, which she believed someone had tossed away a while ago, as it had no warmth anymore. She also noted that she had seen other gloves just like it before.
Next, she discovered red hair that had been cut by something sharp, which reminded her of Burke’s. As she continued hunting, she discovered a paper with strange code and drawings, which she believed to have been written in the fairy language. (A/N: I have no idea why she would recognize the fairy language when she’s literally never even met a fairy.)
Finally, she recovered a bloody handkerchief, which she believed had been tied around a small cut, leading her to believe that its owner had been injured. After obtaining all the items, she wondered whether the red hair meant that the items belonged to Burke, though she reminded herself that many people had red hair.
Based on the fairy writing, she decided to head to Ellinia in order to follow the trail. In the forest, Jett met with Fanzy, who noted that she had the scent of a distant stranger. When Jett lied and told him that she came from the Nautilus, Fanzy replied that he detested lies and explained that her scent was far more exotic, similar to the scent of another stranger who had recently passed through the area.
He noted that the stranger had worn red and black, and that he had left soon after disturbing the forest with loud noises. Jett asked where the stranger had gone, to which Fanzy told her that he hadn’t followed them, though he recalled that the stranger and the others with whom they had been speaking had left after throwing their trash in the forest.
(A/N: Fanzy teleports you to this jump quest area, and I had the worst time navigating because your speed and jump don’t get reduced in this map, making it impossible to get back up if you fall from the top of the map where you start. I never figured this out until much later, but you actually don’t need to move anywhere for this quest. Instead, there’s an invisible spot at the left-most side of the screen from where you start, and you just have to click on it.)
Fanzy then teleported Jett deep into the forest, where she discovered that the trash that the stranger had dropped was actually a fragment of the Core. Realizing that it was the item that Bart had been delivering, Jett wondered whether the stranger had intercepted it while knowing beforehand that it was a Core fragment.
She also wondered why the stranger would have thrown it away and supposed that they had likely realized that such a small fragment would have no real power, and that the Core itself was useless if someone from her family wasn’t wielding it. Based on her observations, she concluded that the stranger was trying to prevent her from obtaining it, as they knew that she was the only one who could use the Core.
Though she strongly suspected that Burke was the culprit because of the red hair that she had found, she realized that she didn’t have any concrete proof. Nevertheless, she decided to let Kyrin know about what had happened, believing that it would be easier to track down the thieves with the Nautilus’ intelligence network, rather than chasing after them on her own.
Jett then contacted Kyrin and explained the situation. Though Kyrin was irritated that someone had the nerve to steal her package, she was pleased that Jett had managed to recover it on her own and promised to help her investigate, reminding her that pirates were strongest together. (A/N: This is such a complete 180 on her original stance, unless she’s just trying to help Jett get the Core so that she can sell it or something.)
Soon after, Kyrin contacted Jett and asked how her training was going. When Jett explained that she was hoping to move on to bigger things, Kyrin realized that she had an idea about to help. She explained that she had recently met a talented blacksmith who had fixed her gun to the point that it could shoot through a steel hull, and that it was said that he could fix anything. Because of his talents, she believed that he would be able to help repair the Core and sent Jett to meet with him.
Aboard the Nautilus, Jett met with Gere, the Master of Smithing from Ardentmill. Though he was unfamiliar with the alien atomic structure of the Core, Gere believed that he could repair it and asked Jett to collect Blue Ore, which would act as an energy barrier to hold the Core fragments together. He then sent Jett to the Blue Ore Cave, where she obtained the material from the monsters inside. Using the melted Blue Ore, Gere was able to bind the Core fragments together, making the overall Core much stronger.
Jett continued using the Core to grow stronger, but soon realized that there were cracks developing on it from strain, to the point that it was beginning to fall apart. She returned to Gere and told him what had happened, to which he realized that Blue Ore wasn’t strong enough to handle the Core’s immense power output, and so they would need stronger bonding agents to harden the coating. He suggested using Fire Ore, which had unique strengthening properties, and sent Jett to the Blast Furnace in order to obtain some.
Jett collected the ore from the monsters and brought the pieces back to Gere, who excitedly claimed that he could create an alloy from them that could break diamonds. Using the ore, Gere enhanced the Core’s coating, such that he claimed that it would be nearly indestructible. Jett also noticed that the Fire Ore’s heat energy had mingled with the Core, augmenting its power.
(A/N: The quests with Han the Broker below are actually prerequisites for your 4th job advancement, although they take place around level 80.)
With the augmented Core, Jett continued training in order to grow stronger. Soon after, she was contacted by Han the Broker from Magatia, who explained that he urgently needed her help in order to make a deadline for his client. Though Jett was dubious about the type of scheme he was running, Han promised that he was being honest, though he added that he needed her to be discreet about the matter.
He explained that several days ago, he had received an order from a secret organization to create a Matter Disassembler, based on an old alchemy manuscript which the client had found. He asked Jett to collect Pieces of Steel, Hardened Pieces of Steel, and Wires for him to bind together with magic in order to create the device. Jett noted to herself that Han’s client seemed dangerous and resolved to investigate them.
After she collected the parts, Han asked her to deliver them to Bedin, who was working on assembling them with the alchemy book provided by his client. Jett went to meet with Bedin, who explained that he had been working sleeplessly for several days in order to meet Han’s demands. He told Jett that the Matter Disassembler was capable of sapping the entire output of a power plant and displacing it at the user’s leisure. Though it was powerful, he noted that it was also very specific.
He also wondered about the stone that the device was meant to be used upon, as he was unaware of anything in Maple World that would fit with the device’s calibrations. Jett was disturbed by the news, but nevertheless gave him the parts. Bedin then finished the Matter Disassembler and gave it to Jett, who passed it along to Han. Han was pleased and asked Jett to deliver it to his client by traveling through a portal in the Desert of Dreams.
While traveling through the desert, Jett noted to herself that if the Matter Disassembler could work on the Core, then she ought to toss the device away, rather than risk it falling into the wrong hands. After throwing away the Matter Disassembler, she entered the portal and entered a dark cave, where she found Burke speaking with Baroq the Master of Disguise.
Baroq greeted Jett, mistaking her as Han the Broker, though Burke and Jett immediately recognized each other. Nevertheless, Burke attempted to keep up the charade and referred to her as Han, asking where the device was. Jett refused to hand it over, to which Baroq gleefully noticed that since he was free to attack, he could gain access to the device’s power without even having to pay for it.
Panicking, Burke attempted to convince Baroq to allow him to handle the situation, to which Baroq approvingly claimed that Burke’s initiative would help him go far in the Black Wings. Jett attempted to provoke Burke, noting how far he had fallen from being the captain of the bounty hunter crew to becoming some stranger’s lackey.
An angry Burke immediately attacked Jett, who fell unconscious. Jett awoke some time later and discovered that both Burke and Baroq had vanished. Though furious, she wondered why Burke hadn’t simply killed her and vowed to track him to the ends of the galaxy. She then decided to visit Han, though she knew that he would be upset at her throwing away the device. Just as she had expected, Han was furious at her breaking the deal and costing him a fortune.
Some time later, Bart contacted Jett and explained that they had received a letter in her name aboard the Nautilus, though there was no return address. Jett opened the letter and immediately realized that it was from Burke, who had written that the Black Wings knew that she was the only one who could activate the Core, and that they knew exactly where she was and where she had been, warning her to leave immediately.
Believing it to be another scheme, Jett resolved to track down Burke and settle things once and for all. Bart suggested meeting with Eurek the Alchemist, who had delivered the letter in the first place, in order to see if he knew about Burke’s whereabouts. (A/N: I’m so shook, I thought that Eurek was a woman this entire time.) Jett met with Eurek and asked him about the person who had asked him to send the letter, to which Eurek explained that the man had crimson hair and offered to teleport her to him.
Jett then found herself in the same dark cave where she had first encountered Baroq and Burke. She discovered an injured Burke lying on the ground, who immediately yelled for her to escape. Suddenly, Baroq arrived and smugly noted that Burke had fallen for his trap because of his weak-hearted sympathy, as his very warning to Jett was what had drawn her out. He then declared that he would show Burke what he did with traitors, piquing Jett’s interest.
Baroq revealed that the power of the Core was wilder than he had expected, and that it had taken him some time to tame its more ferocious tendencies. He explained that after learning that only the Core’s true owner could fully control it, he had been searching for Jett, though Burke had been misdirecting him for a long time in order to stop him from capturing her. He then summoned several Black Wings henchmen and ordered them to seize Jett, who quickly made short work of them.
Surprised, Baroq sealed the exit of the cave with a magical barrier and disappeared in order to make the preparations to unlock the Core’s power. A dying Burke told Jett to leave him behind and save herself, ignoring her protests to get up and walk away with her. Burke weakly told her that he had wanted the Core in order to be as powerful and special as her, and that his blind jealousy had allowed the Black Wings to manipulate him in order to learn everything about the Core.
He revealed that the Black Wings had initially ordered him to kill the king, who was nothing more than a pawn in their scheme to bring the Core to Maple World. Jett then asked why he had let her live, knowing that she was the only one who could use the Core’s power, to which Burke told her that he only hated her power, not her. He revealed that he had done everything that he could to prevent the Black Wings from enslaving her and begged her not to let his sacrifice go to waste.
He then began telling her that the Black Wings’ true goal was to revive someone, but began coughing painfully before he could finish his sentence. Drifting away, he confessed that he had hoped to return home before dying, adding that he wanted things to go back to the way they used to be, when all they had needed was each other. Jett promised to save him, but Burke told her to hurry, as Baroq would soon learn that he had hidden the real Core at Steep Hill.
With the last of his strength, he used his power to break Baroq’s magical barrier, sacrificing his life in the process. Jett immediately rushed to Steep Hill, where she found where Burke had hidden the Core. Though she noted that it had disintegrated, its powers had condensed together without compromising its strength. She then reclaimed her full power, reminding herself that the Core now held the legacy of her parents, her fallen crew, and Burke.
She also realized that with Burke’s death, there was no one who could clear her name, meaning that there was no way for her to return back to Cerberus. Nevertheless, she vowed to protect the Core and fight for Maple World, which she accepted as her new home. She then silently promised Burke that she would ensure that his sacrifice wouldn’t be in vain. Suddenly, Jett felt a strange being calling to her and found herself being transported to Maple Island, where she stood before the Goddess of Maple World. (A/N: They call her the Spirit of Maple World here, just like in the old Explorer storyline.)
Jett asked the Goddess if she was the one whose voice had been coming from the Core, to which the Goddess explained that she was the spirit of Maple Island, and that though she had no true body, she had become part of the Maple Tree over time, supporting the Explorers of Maple World in the hope of maintaining peace. She told Jett that despite her not being from Maple World, her genuine care for the planet was clear. She then explained that the Core had combined with her spirit that resided within Maple World’s gemstones, allowing her to appear before Jett.
(A/N: The whole gemstone thing is a throwaway line that they never explain properly. I know that it’s likely not what they were intending, but I wonder whether it could be retconned into having something to do with the gemstones in the hands of the Goddess Statues at the Outpost.)
She then promised to watch over Jett and allowed the bounty hunter to call upon her strength in order to help bring peace to Maple World.
(A/N: Just like how Shinsoo’s Call is a prerequisite for getting the Call of Cygnus skill on Cygnus Knights, this quest is a prerequisite for getting Maple Warrior on Jett. I like the inclusion of this quest as a way of explaining why Jett gets to use the skill when she’s not even from Maple World.
Here’s Jett’s exclusive cutscene from Black Heaven. I don’t really know where all of GMS-verse fits within the chronology of the main story, and so I’m just including this in case anyone’s interested.)
The night before the Black Heaven operation, Jett returned aboard her spaceship and met with her crew. Kelm told Jett that there were rumors of a war happening in Maple World and asked whether she was getting herself involved. When Jett was surprised that they had heard about it, Abbes added that they routinely intercepted transmissions from across the planet, allowing them to be even more informed than her about what was going on.
Jett confirmed that she was planning to fight, as the ones pushing the war were the Black Wings, who had forced Burke to betray her. However, Kelm pointed out that since she had recovered the full power of the Core, she ought to go back to clearing her name. Abbes agreed, adding that since they had just come to Maple World for Burke and the Core, there was nothing keeping them there anymore.
Jett pointed out that Burke was the only one who could’ve proven her innocence, adding that she didn’t want to return to being a fugitive with a high bounty on her head. Abbes then asked why she would want to draw attention to herself in that case, as many people would notice her if she were to join the war, with the possibility of rumors spreading off-world. Kelm conceded that he sympathized with her desire for revenge, but noted that it would be bad for her image if people on Cerberus were to learn that all her actions on Maple World had been solely for vengeance.
Jett agreed that the bounty hunters of the universe would all converge on Maple World, but explained that she wasn’t acting merely out of revenge, but because she viewed Maple World as the home that she never had, as she had never felt like Cerberus or her ship were where she truly belonged. She added that the people of Maple World had been incredibly kind to her when she had been powerless without the Core, but Kelm and Abbes pointed out that there were other ways to repay their kindness without involving herself in the war.
Jett retorted that there would be nothing left if the Black Wings won the war, and that her duty to uphold justice across the galaxy was still valid on Maple World. Hearing her conviction changed her crewmates’ minds, who promised to support her decision and intercept anyone who might learn about her location if she were to be discovered during the war. They then claimed that if Maple World was her home, then it would be their home as well.
(A/N: Here’s Jett’s Aftermath cutscene. In the Labyrinth of Suffering, she hears Burke’s voice. The White Mage gives her the title “Far-flung Avenger” at the end of Limina, making her the only Special Explorer who doesn’t get the regular “The One Who Walks the Path of Adventure” title that all other Explorers get.)
After the battle with the Black Mage, Jett returned to her crew, who were glad to have her back. They explained that Maple World was abuzz with stories of her role in defeating the Black Mage and joked that she must have gotten a huge bounty for it, to which Jett apologized for being away for so long. She then pulled out the Core and, staring intently at it, noted that she had been through a lot on Maple World, and that the planet was growing on her.
Clenching her fist around the Core, she noted that because of her experiences and the time she had spent with others, she had come to realize that having people that she could rely on was more powerful than any Core. However, she lamented that it had taken her too long to realize it, as so many good people had been lost in the war. Nevertheless, her crew eagerly told her that there would never be another hero like her, adding that she had done them all proud. They then asked what came next, to which Jett amusedly told them that there were still many criminals for her to hunt down and bring to justice.
Captain Vaga:
(A/N: This is a very tricky section. I normally wouldn’t have included it since removed content isn’t generally considered canon, but this is a special case. Whereas most removed story content is generally because it doesn’t fit with the current story anymore, Captain Vaga was removed because, in Nexon’s own words from their Maple Memo, “…some features in this content may cause some technical conflict with our future updates.”
Putting aside speculation that Captain Vaga was also removed because of how difficult and tiring the story mechanics were, the main thing to note is that it wasn’t removed because of any story contradictions. This isn’t to say that Captain Vaga is definitely canon or non-canon, but since it was meant to be a direct prequel to Stellar Detectives and there’s currently nothing in the story that contradicts anything from it, I personally feel that there’s value in covering it within this guide. In the future, if there’s new lore added that contradicts the events of this storyline, I’ll be sure to remove it and archive this section to somewhere else for posterity.
There’s another major problem with this section, however, because there’s no complete video for Captain Vaga out there. It makes me upset because it feels like between Crimsonwood Keep PQ (which was removed for a revamped version that never came), the entire Beast Tamer storyline, and now Captain Vaga, overseas content has a much higher rate of story removal than the main storyline, which is frustrating because it gets referenced later on and it’s lost to people, similar to how Kerning Tower and Mushroom Castle reference Kerning Square and Mushroom Kingdom, with newer players having no idea what the backstory to them are.
My personal grievances aside, the only complete record of Captain Vaga that currently exists is on MapleWiki. I debated about doing this for a long time, but I decided to just copy the contents from the wiki directly into this section. This was definitely a last resort option because I really wanted to personally cover everything in this guide myself, both for completionism’s sake and because I feel like I’m plagiarizing someone else’s content, even in spite of getting PirateIzzy’s (the author of the article’s) permission and heavily disclaiming that I didn’t write this section.
However, I ultimately came to the conclusion that this section is pretty integral to the overall story and it wouldn’t do to just briefly summarize it. Because of that, I’m choosing to copy over PirateIzzy’s writeup and just making minor changes like switching to past tense for consistency. Once again, I’d like to emphasize that not a single word here is mine, with all credit going to PirateIzzy.)
Duster and Lapis were life-long friends and vagabonds who would eventually end up settling on a desolate planet named XB-22. While Duster dreamed of being able to travel into space and find something better, Lapis was content with their situation, offering to support Duster along the way. Eventually, a spaceship from a big research corporation landed on their planet looking for new recruits.
The duo, realizing that the corporation would have a lot of money, attempted to rob the ship, only to be spotted and mistaken for potential recruits by an officer named Dima. Not wanting to draw any unwanted attention, they played along and waited in line, only to learn from another candidate in line that they could get paid by the organization and travel the galaxy. Duster was enticed by the prospect and convinced Lapis to apply, seeing an opportunity to escape planet XB-22.
The application required candidates to defeat the organization's lowest-ranked member in combat. Duster was selected first and easily won the fight, with Lapis winning shortly after. As they received an assignment to wipe out local lifeforms attacking one of the company's outposts, Lapis remained skeptical about the organization, while Duster was relieved to be leaving XB-22.
The duo soon completed their first assignment of wiping out giant bugs and received payment, only to learn that their payment needed be spent towards upgrading and maintaining their mission equipment, rather than spending it on luxuries. While off to a rocky start, Duster rose up in the ranks very quickly and took on enhanced and larger bugs, while Lapis took up a new role as a mission operator after getting injured during an offense mission.
(A/N: Some of these enhanced bugs are Elite Flying Bugs and Red Flying Bugs, which are stronger versions of Flying Bugs. The Flying Bugs are basically identical to the Krakian Flying Bugs from Masteria and were likely recycled assets, rather than being hints at PULSAR having a hand in creating some of Masteria’s life forms.)
Duster soon met some of the higher-ranking officers, including Miro, the daughter of one of the organization's captains, who gave Duster a hard time by having him perform extra missions with no compensation. As Duster gathered research samples for Miro, he came across a document within a laboratory that laid out a plan to fight giant bugs as part of an experiment.
Duster was surprised by it, but pretended not to have noticed it, lest he drew Miro’s ire. As Duster reached the Elite rank, the highest rank available in the organization, he was asked to meet with the organization's Space Pirate Commander, who promptly filled him in on their true mission while revealing that the organization was actually PULSAR, which worried Duster. (A/N: This is revealed in Stellar Detectives, but PULSAR is an acronym that stands for the pirate code of conduct: Pillage, Unnerve, Loot, Shoot, Argue, and Repeat.)
The giant bugs were also revealed to have been created by PULSAR, which had escaped from their laboratories. Instead of seeking and destroying the bugs, the organization had hired recruits to defeat the bugs, while their scientists would discreetly monitor the evolution and development of the bugs, resulting in countless sacrifices.
Having been contracted to create bio-replicant weapons – life forms that could easily be cloned for combat – PULSAR decided to apply their research on more powerful creatures that would be captured from Maple World, with their penultimate goal being to capture a creature they knew as Shinsoo, hoping to use her power for those weapons, as well as for their other purposes. (A/N: I have no idea whether they’ll follow up on this again in future content, although it’s definitely an interesting premise.)
Duster later met with Lapis and revealed the truth to him. Remorseful for helping PULSAR in their goals of taking over the galaxy, Duster planned a mutiny during his promotion ceremony, in which he would reveal the truth to the other mercenaries in his fleet and take over PULSAR. Though he did reveal the truth during his promotion speech, things didn’t go as planned, as Milo overheard the speech and unleashed a swarm of giant bugs on the group.
Duster, Dima, and Lapis led a group towards the escape shuttles, but found themselves outnumbered. Lapis offered to sacrifice himself by bringing down the blast door, much to Duster's sorrow and regret. Duster hesitated to let Lapis sacrifice his life, but Lapis left him with words of encouragement: “Our comrades have already lost so much. They need you to lead them, and you need to understand their pain. We are at our best when we overcome our pain.”
Duster remembered Lapis’ words as he made his way toward the escape shuttle, setting course for the free spaceport of Libertaria. While on the shuttle, Dima suggested that Duster change his name so that PULSAR would not look for him, and so Duster chose to call himself Captain Vaga. As Dima left to notify the crew of this, Vaga promised to honor Lapis' memory by destroying PULSAR. Later on, he ended up buying his own planet and naming it Lapis.
Stellar Detectives:
(A/N: I’d really recommend playing this storyline as anyone who’s not Jett, Hayato, Kanna, or Beast Tamer. The reason for this is because throughout this storyline, you’re essentially following along in a diary that you found, which was written by Chase. At the end of the storyline, you realize that you also took part in the events of Stellar Detectives and lost your memories at the end, which you regain after finishing the diary.
Nexon did a terrible job with handling these circumstances for the main classes that participated in the storyline. Far from having any class exclusive dialogue, you’ll find that in one scene, in which you seek out Jett after having regained your memories, if you’re playing as a Jett, you’ll end up talking yourself, which I find hilariously bad. Because of this, I’m gonna say confidently that the main character of GMS-verse who goes through Stellar Detectives, Masteria, MONAD, and the rest isn’t one of the overseas classes.)
While adventuring through Maple World, the traveler found an old diary inside their bag and wondered when they had gotten it. Though their memory was hazy, the diary somehow seemed familiar to them. Inside, the traveler discovered that it was blank, aside from a few scribbles. However, they were intrigued to find that near the end of the diary, there was a single line that said, “PULSAR must be stopped!” Noting that it seemed important, the traveler decided to investigate what PULSAR was.
They realized that much of the diary had been erased and decided to visit Grendel the Really Old in Ellinia, as he was an expert in divining the past and interpreting dreams. They presented the diary to Grendel, who sensed that a tale of great weight had been written upon it, as there was a distinct feeling of adventure and hardship, and noted that the diary was of great importance. He explained that there was a spell that would allow the traveler to experience the events written in the diary firsthand. After Grendel cast the spell, the traveler began reliving the first entry.
In Arboren, several residents of Stump Town were playing with a frog named Tutu, who was soon left to rest for the night. An hour later, they heard Tutu croaking and rushed to find that several armored soldiers had taken him away. In a panic, the residents summoned Chase, the hero of Arboren, hoping that she would be able to rescue Tutu.
After Chase and the Critter Champs arrived, the townspeople explained what had happened and pointed her in the direction that the kidnappers had gone. Eka noted that Victoria Island was in that direction and wondered why the kidnappers would have taken Tutu there. Chase then promised that she would recover Tutu and took on the mantle of Detective Chase. With that, the traveler returned back to reality and noted that the diary’s first page had been restored, learning that it had been written by Chase.
The traveler then turned to the second page and continued reliving Chase’s journey. Chase arrived in Henesys, believing that someone from the large town must know about Tutu’s whereabouts. She decided to post flyers advertising Tutu’s disappearance in order to find an informant. With the diary ending there, the traveler wondered whether following in Chase’s footsteps would help reveal more.
They traveled to Henesys and posted fliers about Tutu’s disappearance, just as Chase had done, which restored the second page of the diary. The traveler then read that even after some time had passed, no one had responded to Chase’s fliers. Undeterred, Chase had decided to take a more active approach in her investigation.
The traveler then flipped to the third page and began reliving Chase’s adventures once again. Chase went to see Chief Stan and asked whether he had seen the kidnappers who had stolen Tutu. Stan scolded Chase, explaining that young people always looked for figures of authority in order to solve their problems, adding that he had his own issues to deal with. In order to alleviate his troubles, Chase agreed to help him in exchange for information on Tutu. Stan approved of Chase’s initiative and asked her to investigate several monsters outside of town which had grown unusually aggressive.
Following in Chase’s footsteps, the traveler decided to defeat monsters around them in order to reveal the next diary entry. (A/N: You need to defeat 50 monsters near your level for this part.) They then resumed witnessing Chase’s adventures and watched her report back to Chief Stan that the aggressive monsters had small crystal fragments sticking out of them.
(A/N: They don’t explicitly confirm this, but the crystal fragments are likely to be parts of the crystal devices that PULSAR placed on Tutu and the other stolen animals at the end of this storyline, which are responsible for controlling them.)
Having completed her end of the deal, Chase asked Stan whether he had seen any frogs around. Stan was irritated that she was asking about a common frog, adding that young people loved to exaggerate when Chase explained that Tutu was the size of a person. However, he recalled that Mrs. Ming Ming had mentioned something about a lost animal and suggested that Chase ask her.
Returning back to reality, the traveler read through Chase’s summary of the events that they had witnessed in the third page of the diary. They then flipped to the fourth page and immersed themselves once again. Back in Henesys, Chase asked Mrs. Ming Ming about Tutu’s whereabouts, and though Mrs. Ming Ming didn’t know anything about Tutu, she mentioned that she had heard rumors of the unusually aggressive monsters.
Nevertheless, she promised to ask around town in order to check whether anyone else knew about Tutu. Chase thanked her and promised to do anything in return, to which Mrs. Ming Ming asked Chase to pick up the trash that had blown away when she had tried throwing it away. In order to follow in Chase’s footsteps, the traveler also began picking up the litter that they found around them, after which they continued reliving Chase’s adventures. (A/N: For this part, you need to collect 10 pieces of litter from monsters near your level.)
Mrs. Ming Ming told Chase that no one in town had seen a frog, but Maya had met someone who had lost a turtle. She also told Chase that she had heard rumors of someone in Perion selling rare animals. The traveler then returned back to reality and noted that the fourth page had been restored, which revealed that Chase planned to speak with Maya about the new leads she had discovered.
The traveler then turned to the fifth page and witnessed the memory of Chase entering Maya’s house and asking her about the missing turtle. Maya told Chase that the person who had lost the turtle hadn’t given any details, merely asking whether she had seen the turtle around. She also revealed that the person was still in the area and suggested that Chase talk to them.
The traveler was then sent into a different memory of Hayato and Kanna in Momijigaoka. Kanna told Hayato that she had rushed over as soon as she had heard that Nene was missing and asked Hayato what he was doing back at the base. Hayato told Kanna that he thought that it was about time that he stopped by, to which Kanna called his bluff, claiming that he never came back without a reason. Hayato dodged the question and instead suggested that they continue searching for Nene.
They returned back to base, where Yamanaka Yukimori confessed in a panic that Nene had disappeared after he had looked away just briefly. Though he apologized profusely, Kanna told him that there was no need, as it had been Hayato’s job to look after Nene. However, Hayato retorted that he had never agreed to look after the turtle, though Kanna reminded him of how Princess Sakuno had entrusted Nene to him, as well as her witnessing him gradually coming to love the turtle over time.
Soon after, Yukimori reported back that after searching the area where Nene had disappeared, they had found traces of an intruder. Though Kanna believed that Nene had been their target, Hayato asked what use someone could have for a simple turtle. He then asked Yukimori what else the intruder had stolen, believing them to have some grander scheme. However, Yukimori reported that only Nene had been stolen, to which Kanna reminded Hayato that Nene’s disappearance was their responsibility.
However, Hayato dismissed Kanna’s concerns and told her to simply go buy another turtle from a pet store. Kanna glared at Hayato and reminded him that Nene wasn’t an ordinary turtle, but rather, he was a mystical creature with special powers. She added that just as Nene could do good in the right hands, terrible things could be done should he fall into the wrong ones. She also admitted that she had also failed in her responsibility, as Sakuno had asked her to watch Hayato.
Hayato protested the arrangement, which he hadn’t been informed about, but Kanna told him to contradict her claim that he would have brashly used Nene to defeat the Demon King. When Hayato remained silent, Kanna told him that the best thing that they could do for Nene was to leave him alone and allow him to choose whether he wanted to share his gifts with them. The two then set off to begin their investigation.
(A/N: The whole thing with the missing animals is a bit strange because they had to invent a bunch of rare animals with unique properties that had never been seen before and likely have no role in any future stories beyond just serving as McGuffins for Stellar Detectives. One thing that’s disappointing is that the whole original storyline for Beast Tamer involved Triple Volt trying to steal her animals, and so there really shouldn’t be any need for them to have to invent Tutu and the others when the Critter Champs are right there.
However, since Chase is a playable character and the Critter Champs are integral to her playstyle, they have permanent plot armor, just like all the other classes in the game. It’s a bit disappointing because it severely limits the writers’ ability to drastically alter those characters’ story paths through killing them off, having them switch sides, etc.)
The scene then changed back to Henesys and the traveler witnessed Chase seeking out Hayato at Maya’s suggestion. Chase asked whether he could tell her about their missing turtle, though Hayato dismissed her as a naïve child. Nevertheless, Chase insisted that she was a proper detective on a case, to which Hayato asked whether she was up for the task when the kidnappers were likely hardened criminals.
Believing that Hayato wasn’t planning to work together, Chase decided to set off on her own, but Hayato stopped her and clarified that he meant to ask whether Chase would give up at the first sign of hardship. Though offended by her retort that he was being mean, Hayato agreed to reveal what he knew and explained that Nene had been abruptly kidnapped from Momijigaoka by an unknown person. Hayato then introduced himself, though he suggested that Chase stay out of the investigation, as it was likely to be fraught with danger.
Suddenly, Kanna appeared out of nowhere and told Hayato to let Chase decide what was too dangerous for herself. She then introduced herself to the startled pair and told them that her theory was that the kidnappers had stolen Nene for his mana, even though only she and Hayato were the only two who knew about Nene’s mystical properties. Chase then explained that Tutu was also a mystical creature, as he had the power to make it rain. Realizing that the kidnappers were likely stealing mystical creatures, Chase asked the pair to join her, giving them the codenames “Agent Swiftblade” and “Agent White Fan”.
With the diary’s fifth page restored, the traveler read on and was transported back to the scene. Chase decided to call their group “Chase’s Agents”, though Hayato refused to associate himself with the name, and so Chase decided to continue thinking on it. Hayato then asked Kanna whether she could sense Nene’s aura, to which she told him that she could sense a weak aura near Perion, though she couldn’t say for sure whether it belonged to Nene.
Chase then remembered that Mrs. Ming Ming had told her about someone selling rare animals in Perion, to which Hayato vowed to slice anyone who dared to sell Nene in two, though he was embarrassed when Chase noted how much he cared about the turtle. Before they could head off, Kanna told them that she wanted to be sure that the aura which she was sensing really belonged to Nene. She explained that Nene had a tremendous font of mana, and that he left trace amounts of mana particles behind everywhere he went. Because of this, she believed that if any monsters had absorbed the mana that Nene had left behind, she would be able to verify whether it belonged to him.
The traveler then realized that in order to continue restoring the entry, they would also need to collect mana particles from monsters, though they hoped that there would still be some left. (A/N: Here, you have to collect 20 Mana Particles from monsters near your level.) After collecting the particles, the traveler was immersed into the memory and saw that Kanna had successfully determined that the aura belonged to Nene, noting that it grew stronger as they went closer to Perion. With the diary’s sixth page restored, the traveler read that Chase and the others had planned to interrogate the animal merchant in Perion, and so they decided to follow the detectives’ footsteps there.
Upon flipping to the next page, the traveler entered the memory and found that Chase, Hayato, and Kanna had noticed a stranger wearing unique clothing. Believing them to be the animal merchant, the group approached the stranger, who was actually Jett, and asked who she was. They noted that she was unusually nervous, to which she explained that she was a bounty hunter, and that they had picked up on the false rumor about the animal merchant she had been spreading in order to draw out a particular group of criminals from deep space.
Kanna was surprised to realize that Jett had come from much further away than she had initially suspected. Jett explained that bounty hunters like herself collected bounties on vicious criminals from protected space, as the Galactic Authority didn’t have enough manpower to police the entire territory. She added that in spite of having a bounty on her own head after being framed, she still hadn’t forgotten her job, and so she had continued hunting down criminals while remaining hidden in Maple World.
Chase was shocked to know that Jett herself was a criminal and asked how she could believe anything that Jett said. However, Jett reminded Chase that she had been framed, after which Hayato asked who the criminals that she was hunting down were. Jett noted that the detectives were overly curious and explained that the organization she was tracking called themselves PULSAR. When Chase expressed confusion, Jett elaborated that PULSAR was a group of space pirates that dealt in smuggling, kidnapping, and illegal trade, adding that not only did they kidnap people, but special animals as well.
She added that PULSAR had recently escalated their initiative to capture animals with extraordinary abilities, with rumors that they had been performing inhumane medical experiments on the kidnapped animals. She explained that she had begun spreading rumors of a merchant selling rare animals, as she had tracked PULSAR to Perion and believed that she could draw them out with the story, though she noted that the detectives had appeared instead.
Having finished the latest entry, the traveler’s missing memories slowly began stirring as they recalled what PULSAR was. With the seventh page restored, the traveler read on, hoping to recover more of their lost memories. Back in Perion, Chase told Jett that they had been following the false rumor because they were in search of their missing special animals. Kanna asked Jett whether it was possible that PULSAR had stolen Tutu and Nene, to which Jett noted that it was definitely a possibility.
Chase then suggested that they all look for PULSAR together, but Jett immediately rebuffed them, claiming that she was a professional bounty hunter who had no need of amateurs slowing her down, and nor did she intend to split the bounty. Hayato huffed that it was for the best, as he had no intention of working with someone whose only ambition was money, to which Jett hotly told him that she had been chasing PULSAR long before the organization had started their activities in Maple World.
Chase then pointed out that Jett hadn’t made any progress by working alone, which Kanna followed up on by asking what she had to lose by accepting help. Hayato grudgingly agreed, adding that there was no shame in taking aid when it was offered. Jett began wavering and told them that she was uncomfortable with the arrangement, as she believed that stopping PULSAR was her fight, and so she didn’t want anyone else getting hurt because of her. However, the others dismissed her concerns, claiming that they were strong enough to handle themselves. The group then left in search of valuable loot in order to hire Jett’s services.
Following in Chase’s footsteps, the traveler obtained valuable loot from the nearby monsters, allowing them to resume the memory. (A/N: You have to collect 20 Valuable Loot from monsters near your level.) The detectives paid Jett, who finally gave them her name. Chase then gave Jett the codename “Agent Ironsight” and introduced the entire team, including the traveler. (A/N: I find it hilarious that we’ve been in these cutscenes all this time, except our sprite isn’t there and we don’t say a single word.)
Jett then reluctantly agreed to join the detectives, though she told them that her terms were that she would get the entire bounty, and that they would part ways as soon as they rescued the missing animals. She then explained that she had come to Perion after a reliable source from within PULSAR itself had tipped her off about the organization’s operations in Maple World. (A/N: It’s probably not Captain Vaga since he’s not part of PULSAR anymore, but it would be a cool tie-in.)
She then asked the others to collect payment in order to buy more information from the informant, as she was reluctant to leave her post in case PULSAR showed up. When Chase asked if they were to simply attack monsters and collect their loot, Jett noted that it was a good idea, as her informant seemed interested in strange trinkets. The three then set off to collect more loot while Jett remained at her post.
The traveler then decided to follow in Chase’s footprints and collected loot from nearby monsters. (A/N: Here, you have to collect 30 Awesome Monster Loot from monsters near your level.) Back in the memory, Chase gave the loot to Jett, who contacted her informant in order to buy information. The diary’s eighth page was then restored, with the traveler reading that the informant had reported that PULSAR’s next target was in Ellinia.
Back inside the memory, the detectives spotted a strange individual and asked him whether he had lost an animal. The stranger was surprised that they knew about his predicament and asked how they had figured it out, to which Kanna told him that it was evident based on his pained expression. Chase then introduced themselves as the “Chase Detective Agency”, noting each agent’s codenames, with her own being “Detective Chase”. She also pointed out the traveler, whom she called her special assistant, and added that she was able to understand animals. (A/N: We actually do get a line here, except it’s just us saying “um…” Our sprite still doesn’t show up in the scene.)
The stranger then introduced himself as Zen and explained that he was looking for his friend, Lingling.
(A/N: For those who aren’t aware, Zen was a Special Explorer released in CMS, just like how Jett was released in GMS. At the time of release, both classes were completely identical, as their skills were all functionally the same. The only main different was in their aesthetics, some skills’ sprite frames, Jett’s link skill, and the story.
Whereas Jett had a space theme, Zen had a martial arts theme. They were both Special Explorer pirates and used Guns as their primary weapons and Fists as their secondary weapons, although Zen’s was called a Martial Fist. However, Jett went through some revamps and now has completely different skills. From a story perspective, Zen was the son of Zhi Zun, a commander with expertise in martial arts who protected the Emperor. Zen was trained by Zhi Zun’s assistant, Suha, who’s also his job instructor in the game.
After improving his skills, Zen returned back to his homeland and found that the palace was in chaos, with his father fighting the Emperor, who was being controlled by an unknown dark force. The Emperor, realizing that he couldn’t beat Zhi Zun, saw Zen and tried to kill him, though his father shielded Zen from the attack. Suha then took Zen on a boat to safety, with his father succumbing to his injuries.
Suha then gave Zen a box that Zhi Zun had given to her to pass on to Zen, which contained a treasure that gave Zen the power needed to get his revenge. At that point, they hit a storm and their boat almost sank, although they were rescued by Kyrin just in time. After that, Zen went on a mission to avenge his father. I did look into his story a bit and realized that there was almost nothing else after his intro, and what little there was made no sense to me, and so I won’t even try to explain the rest.
Zen was available in CMS, TMS, and MSEA, but the class itself was completely removed from the game after several years, instead being replaced by a completely new class called Mo Xuan, who exists in his own separate group as a pirate, similar to Zero, Kinesis, and Beast Tamer being in their own category, rather than being a Special Explorer.
Interestingly, CMS and TMS allowed Zen characters to be converted to Mo Xuan, while MSEA urged players to Job Transfer into another Explorer pirate, with all Zen characters who didn’t change jobs being deleted in April 2021. Because of this, Stellar Detectives is the only content in which Zen still exists within both the canon and the game. I have no idea whether they’re ever gonna replace him in Stellar Detectives with Mo Xuan, but part of me wishes that they would keep Zen in as a reminder that he once existed.)
Zen explained that Lingling was a tiger and his best friend, and that he would destroy whoever had stolen her. When Chase asked whether Lingling had any special powers, Zen told her that Lingling was merely an ordinary tiger, though she was the first friend he had made after arriving in Maple World and finding her wounded in the forest, after which he had nursing her back to health. However, he had recently returned and found armored soldiers placing her inside a vat of green fluid before disappearing into the sky.
He explained that he had recently found someone dressed like the kidnappers wearing a mask and a robe. Chase then asked him to join their group in order to find PULSAR and save their animals, which Zen agreed to. He then told the group that while following the robed person, he had found fur that belonged to Lingling, with the trail growing as he entered the forest. The group then decided to head deeper into the forest in order to follow the trail.
With the ninth page of the diary restored, the traveler followed in Chase’s footsteps and collected tiger fur along the detectives’ trail in order to reveal the tenth page, which allowed them to resume viewing the memory. (A/N: You have to collect 5 Strange Animal Fur for this part.) While following the fur trail, Zen asked the group whether he would also get a codename and suggested “Agent Dragonfury”. Chase agreed readily and told the group that despite not having met under the best circumstances, she was glad that they did.
She then decided that they needed to finalize their team name and suggested the Maple Detectives. Hayato suggested the Blades of Truth, though he quickly told them to forget that he said anything after realizing that it was lame. Kanna noted that they could do better, as they needed something more relevant to their fight against PULSAR.
Chase suddenly had an idea and asked Jett whether PULSAR stood for anything, to which Jett told her that it stood for the pirate code of conduct: Pillage, Unnerve, Loot, Shoot, Argue, and Repeat, adding that PULSAR was nothing more than a group of common pirates from space. Chase then suggested naming themselves the Stellar Detectives, and though it received mixed reception, the group ultimately agreed.
With the tenth page restored, the traveler flipped to the next page and returned to the memory. As the Stellar Detectives approached the entrance to PULSAR’s hideout in the forest, Kanna sensed a powerful energy ahead, filled with emotions such as anger, sadness, and hatred. The group then entered the clearing and found an enormous ship, which Jett recognized as belonging to PULSAR, cloaked to blend in with the forest. She then realized that PULSAR was planning to take the stolen animals back into space.
The eleventh page of the diary was then restored, in which Chase noted that the Stellar Detectives were planning to board the ship and rescue the animal. Flipping ahead, the traveler resumed watching the memory of the Stellar Detectives entering the ship, where they discovered a large Hyperspace Cube. Jett reminded the others that PULSAR was an interstellar crime organization, and as such, there could be any number of unusual traps waiting throughout the ship. As they proceeded deeper, they encountered a number of PULSAR soldiers, as well as powerful laser beams.
(A/N: Even though you don’t typically show up in the memory, this sequence has you fighting alongside the other Stellar Detectives as yourself since you were technically there at the time of the original events.)
The traveler and the others fought past the soldiers and avoided a number of traps, including dangerous plasma coils, toxic chemicals, and several clones of Tutu. The group then entered the laboratory and discovered an unconscious Tutu inside a test tube filled with green liquid. Chase immediately rushed to Tutu’s side and attempted to revive him.
To everyone’s shock, however, Tutu transformed in a large mutant monster, breaking free of the small test tube. Jett immediately noticed a strange jewel on Tutu’s forehead, which had glowed shortly before his transformation, with Kanna observing that the jewel was draining Tutu’s mana and affecting his mind. Hayato and Zen noted that all they had to do was shatter the jewel, though the traveler told Chase that they may need to hurt him, and so they left the final call to her. (A/N: Oh wow, look at that, we get actual dialogue in the memory.)
Chase agreed with the others, believing that it was a necessary risk to save Tutu. After a fierce battle, the group managed to shatter the jewel on the mutant Tutu, returning him back to normal. Chase then interpreted Tutu’s croaks as him saying that he was grateful to them coming to save him, though Hayato noted that it was too early for thanks, as they still needed to defeat PULSAR.
The diary’s twelfth page was then restored, after which the traveler flipped the page and resumed watching the memory. The group proceeded ahead and found large mutant clones of Nene inside giant test tubes filled with the same green liquid. Realizing that PULSAR was experimenting on Nene in the same way that they had been on Tutu, Kanna told the others to hurry so that they could save Nene. The group made their way through the Hyperspace Cube, dodging electric drones, gravity chambers, and incinerators while fighting past PULSAR soldiers and small Nene clones.
They then arrived at the room where Nene was being held. Much like with Tutu, a strange jewel glowed on Nene’s forehead, transforming him into a large mutant. After the traveler and the others shattered the jewel, Nene returned back to his old self. Just then, Eka emerged from the spirit realm in order to see what was happening, confused when Nene asked her to save Lingling, as she had no idea what was going on. Realizing that Lingling was nearby, the group immediately set off to rescue her.
With the diary’s thirteenth page restored, the traveler flipped the page and entered the memory. Back at the Hyperspace Cube, the traveler and the others dodged past a weapons test while fighting fully-grown tiger clones of Lingling, after which they encountered another mutant creature. Hayato immediately rushed to cut it down, but Chase stopped him, as she could understand what it was saying.
She was surprised to know that the creature knew Zen, causing them to realize that it was really Lingling, though she didn’t have the same jewel that the others did. (A/N: This is likely because Lingling isn’t a special animal.) Zen approached the docile Lingling as Kanna noted that the tiger’s mana had been nearly depleted. Chase translated Lingling’s words to Zen, explaining that she was trying to tell him that she hoped that he still recognized her without her stripes, and that PULSAR had tried to erase her memories of him.
Zen broke down crying, promising that he would help her. Suddenly, however, Hayato sensed that something was wrong as Lingling grew savage and began attacking them. After they defeated Lingling, Chase told Zen that Lingling was saying that she had never given up hope that he would come for her, and that she had waited for as long as she could. She also told Zen that Lingling was saying that she would never forget their time together, to which Zen cried that they still had plenty of adventures left. As Lingling began to close her eyes, the others gently told him that the time for him to say his goodbyes was coming upon him.
(A/N: Here, you get presented with two choices that you can pick between in order to choose Zen’s actions. You can either choose to let Lingling sleep or try to help her. If you choose the latter, Zen cries and apologizes to Lingling, while the second choice has him cry and say that he’s not going anywhere and begs her not to go, to which Lingling softly growls.)
Lingling then quietly passed and faded away as Zen sobbed uncontrollably. Kanna gently told him not to cry, adding that she could sense that Lingling’s spirit was at peace. Jett agreed, telling Zen that he couldn’t blame himself, as he had done everything that he could. Chase then sadly told Zen that Lingling’s final words had been to say thanks for remembering and for setting her free. Zen then angrily vowed to get his revenge on PULSAR for what they had done.
The diary’s fourteenth page was then restored, after which the traveler flipped to the next page and resumed the memory. The Stellar Detectives continued on and noted that there were still many animals left to save, wondering how PULSAR could be so cruel. Jett suggested that they take Tutu and Nene to safety first before coming back for the others. The diary’s fifteenth page was then restored, with Chase noting that they had freed all the animals that PULSAR had kidnapped from around the galaxy. The traveler then flipped to the next page and resumed the memory.
The Stellar Detectives successfully captured all PULSAR agents inside the ship, with Jett even calling in Kelm and Abbes, two of her bounty hunter crew, in order to help. Chase arrived from dropping off Tutu and found the others, who explained that Jett was interrogating the remnants of PULSAR about their leader before handing them over to the Galactic Authority.
Jett told the pirates that the Galactic Authority would be lenient if they cooperated, but the pirates refused to betray their leader. Annoyed, Jett decided to take a more uncomfortable approach and began torturing one of the pirates until he cracked. (A/N: She basically just tickles him, which technically counts as torture, I guess.)
The pirate revealed that he had never met the PULSAR leaders before, and that he had merely been following orders. He explained that they had been flying around the galaxy in search of animals with mana, after which they had been using the laboratory technology in order to drain the mana and grow clones, as the PULSAR boss wanted to build an army.
Jett demanded to know who the boss was and why he wanted to raise an army, but the pirate swore that he knew nothing else. Jett realized that they had no other choice but to take down PULSAR’s leadership, though she told the pirates that they were all going to prison, telling the pirate who had confessed that he would get the punishment that he deserved when he asked whether he would get a reduced sentence for cooperating.
She then handed the PULSAR soldiers off to her crew, who noted that the total number of pirates was unusually small. Jett told them that some of the pirates had fled when they had begun the assault on the ship, though she promised to track them down. She then accepted a portion of the bounty, giving the rest to her crew.
Before Jett could leave, Hayato stopped her and asked whether she was planning to depart without saying goodbye. However, Jett told him that she wasn’t done with her work yet, and that she wasn’t good at saying goodbye anyways. Chase agreed, adding that the Stellar Detectives couldn’t disband until their work was done.
Unexpectedly, Jett told them that she wanted to split the bounty, despite what she had said before. She then asked what they were going to do next, explaining that she herself was going to keep fighting PULSAR until they were gone, noting that even now, their ship was still making clones. Zen told her that he would join in her mission, as he wanted to avenge Lingling.
Hayato told them that he needed to first inform Princess Sakuno of what had transpired, to which Kanna declared that she was planning to join the others and stop PULSAR. Hayato asked whether she would really have him return back alone, but Kanna replied that she was being considerate, as she knew that the first thing that he would want to do upon returning to base was to play with Nene, causing Hayato to stammer that he wasn’t a child. Chase then told Jett that despite having solved the case of the missing animals, she wouldn’t rest until she caught all the villains behind the plot.
With that, Jett told the others that they ought to be off, but Chase stopped her and explained that they ought to spend a moment and reflect on their triumph as the heroes of the day by singing the Stellar Detectives theme song that she had come up with during their adventures. After Chase finished singing alone, the group once again prepared to head out when the Space Pirate Commander himself appeared, much to everyone’s surprise. (A/N: This is the same Commander who appeared in the Captain Vaga storyline.)
He then told them that in spite of them having caught his men and foiling his plans, PULSAR had fought greater foes than them and escaped unscathed. Zen merely scoffed that his words only meant that he had done a lot of running away before unexpectedly rushing forward and punching him in the face, causing his hood to fall off. (A/N: That was so savage, and the punch in the face makes it twice as good.)
Though Zen vowed to get vengeance, with Chase confidently adding that PULSAR was finished, the Space Pirate Commander merely told them that “his” army would continue to grow before using a device that began wiping their memories and sending them back to their homes one by one. (A/N: I have no clue who “he” is.) Feeling her memory dwindling by the second, Chase shoved her diary inside the traveler’s bag and told them to keep it safe before everyone was sent back to where they came from.
With the entire diary restored, the traveler regained their memories and understood why they had been wiped in the first place. Realizing that PULSAR had to be stopped, they decided to rush back to the spaceship in order to stop the pirates from building their clone army. (A/N: Are we gonna get our own version of the Clone Wars too?) Soon after, they were contacted by Jett, who explained that she and the others had recovered her memories and asked if they had as well.
(A/N: This is the part that I talked about at the beginning of this section. Even if you’re playing as a Jett, you’ll end up having a conversation with yourself.)
She told the traveler that PULSAR’s leaders had escaped after wiping their memories, though the good news was that the Stellar Detectives had taken over their ship. She then asked whether they would help investigate the ship and the animal clones, which the traveler agreed to. Upon arriving at the ship, they accessed the Hyperspace Cube Control System and learned that they were on a research ship, which PULSAR had stolen for their own purposes. They then began their investigation of the laboratory soon after. (A/N: This is the beginning of the Hyperspace Cube missions that you can do for rings and stuff.)
Jett’s Farewell:
Jett received a letter from Mune, the only son of the late King of Cerberus. Mune explained that thanks to her renowned exploits on Maple World, which he described as a distant place in the universe, he had finally been able to find her. He told Jett that though she may not remember him, he certainly remembered her, as he had watched her many times in her trials to become part of the royal guard.
He explained that he hadn’t - and still didn’t - believe that she would ever hurt his father, adding that someone had even anonymously claimed that they were actually the one who had killed the late king, and that they would soon return to Cerberus and turn themselves in. He told Jett that she would be able to safely return home once that person turned themselves in, though that person had not yet come forward. Though he couldn’t yet prove her innocence, he nevertheless asked her her help.
(A/N: It’s implied that Burke admitted to his crime shortly before his death. I like to believe that there’s some wiggle room to interpret it as Burke still being alive if that claim had been made recently, but that’s probably just my wishful thinking.)
He explained that after he had succeeded his father, he had been too young and weak, which had caused him to lose the throne. Since then, Cerberus had fallen to chaos, seeing endless civil wars and rebellions in the wake of the power vacuum. In the midst of their anarchy, Cerberus had faced all kinds of crime and plunder from space pirates, for which Mune requested that Jett use the power of her Core in order to bring peace to the universe once again, claiming that she was the last hope for the suffering people of Cerberus.
Realizing that she was needed back home, Jett decided to leave Maple World and return to Cerberus. After putting her affairs in order, Jett went to Nautilus Harbor and began looking out at the sea, reminiscing how the view had been her first when she had come to Maple World and noting that it was fitting that it would be her last. Her crew then arrived and noted that she had accomplished all the work that she had set out to finish in Maple World, with everything that she had experienced there - all the knowledge and know-how that she had acquired - being recorded into the database.
Jett thanked them for helping her compile together the database and expressed her hope that it would be of some help to another adventurer in the future. As she set out for the spaceship, her crew asked her whether she really didn’t want to say goodbye to anyone, to which Jett reluctantly replied that she rather wouldn’t.
Just then, Cygnus, Neinheart, Kyrin, and several Alliance soldiers arrived as the crew prepared the spaceship. A surprised Jett asked them how they knew that she was leaving, to which Neinheart explained that he had received an urgent message from her crew, who had helped rush them over to her spaceship, causing Jett to express her surprise that her crew would go behind her back to arrange everything.
Cygnus told Jett that though her heart was heavy, she was happy to hear that Jett could now return back to her home. Jett apologized for leaving when there was so much left undone, though Cygnus told her not to be sorry, as she had already helped Maple World more than she would ever know. Kyrin explained that when she had first picked her up after she had collapsed near the Nautilus, she had wondered what kind of person Jett would be, and whether or not she could trust her. However, she added that after knowing Jett, she could say with certainty that it had been an honor to fight alongside her. She wished Jett godspeed and safe passage on her voyage through space, just as she had across Maple World’s oceans.
Neinheart agreed, adding that all of her heroic deeds in Maple World would live on in everyone’s hearts. Cygnus asked Jett not to forget the journey that she had in Maple World, explaining that while it hadn’t been easy, she was certain that Jett must have made some beautiful memories. She added that she herself would never forget Jett’s journey either. Before a touched Jett could reply, Abbes reported that they were ready to take off. Cygnus told Jett that she ought to go, as there were many more people out there who needed her help.
Jett thanked everyone for placing their trust in her as a colleague, despite her having come from a faraway place, adding that she would never forget them. After bidding farewell to everyone, Jett and her crew took off and launched into space. Aboard the spaceship, Jett told her crew that it was time for them to go home. Kelm reminded her that she was still a wanted fugitive, and that it wouldn’t be an easy journey for the falsely accused. However, Abbes pointed out that compared to what Jett had been through on Maple World, avoiding capture ought to be easy by comparison, causing Jett to laugh.
She then took out the letter from Mune and read through it once again before thinking of Burke, hoping that his soul had returned home. She then asked him to wait for him, promising that she was also on her way back to defend their home. At her words, Abbes told her that they would set off with full power, to which Jett smiled and declared that it was time for them to return back to their home, Cerberus.
(A/N: RIP space pirate - gone but not forgotten. There’s not really a specific placement for when this storyline takes place, but I thought that it would be easier to just keep here at the end of the GMS-verse class storyline arc. I’m still holding out hope that Jett might show up in future stories as an NPC, but given how uncertain the future of overseas lore is as a whole, I probably shouldn’t hold my breath.)
MONAD: Omen: Crimson Snow and Shadow
Refugees:
(A/N: Until its removal in November 2022, MONAD was the primary connective tissue between the different storylines of GMS-verse, incorporating Stellar Detectives, Masteria, and the Sengoku storylines together into an interconnected universe. Alongside MONAD’s removal, many other overseas storylines and classes, such as Beast Tamer, Zen, Jett, Captain Vaga, and Stellar Detectives (in all regions but GMS), have also been removed from the game, making it very unlikely that the concept of GMS-verse will ever continue in the future. However, MONAD in itself - aside from its many bugs - was a very well-written story that introduced many different kinds of interactive features in its story presentation that made it one of my personal favorites.)
The traveler received a letter from an old woman, who wrote that they were her last hope. She explained that she and her granddaughter lived in the deep forest of Abrup Basin, beyond the El Nath Mountains, where people were disappearing from the valley and the creatures of the forest were growing strange and vicious, with her granddaughter being one of the many who had vanished.
As the people of the valley had turned their backs on her, and even each other, and with a terrible force looming in the distance, the old woman explained that she had sent a message out, hoping that a hero would answer the call. The traveler decided to help the old woman and began their trek through the El Nath Mountains. As sunset drew near, the traveler discovered an abandoned test and wondered whether it was a temporary base camp for hunters. As the cold of nightfall was approaching, they decided to rest there for the night.
After clearing away the snow and starting a campfire, the traveler decided that they would explore the valley after making it down the mountain in order to meet the woman who had sent the letter. Warmed by the fire, the traveler soon fell soundly asleep. Elsewhere, a girl named Alika had a dream of another girl with blue skin and white facial marks being chased through a forest, as well as a girl with pink hair lying in the snow. The girl with blue skin soon encountered an old man, while a stranger watched them in the shadows. Meanwhile, red snow began falling around the girl with pink hair as the snow around her grew red as well. Alika then awoke with a start and opened her windows to see that the village was on fire.
(A/N: Okay, so I know that I wrote the snow is red, since that’s what they keep insisting on during this storyline (with the subtitle of MONAD: First Omen even being “Crimson Snow and Shadow”), but I can swear to you that it looks pink in the game and I’m convinced that it’s a censorship thing. Just to clarify, since it’s hard to piece together all these new characters just from a text writeup, Alika is one of the primary protagonists of the story, the blue girl in her dream is Blanche (the old woman’s granddaughter), the pink girl is Julieta (the boss of the blockbuster) and the old man is Rookhowell (Alika’s father). All of this gets revealed in Act 2, but I wanted to mention it here for context.)
Soon after, the traveler was awoken by the sound of a drunk man shouting from the edge of the cliff. As the traveler attempted to get him to move back from the edge of the cliff, the man pointed at the flaming village while speaking incoherently. The traveler immediately began to scale down the mountain, where they encountered wild wolves. Surprised at how the man had managed to climb all the way up the mountain, the traveler realized that he would likely get eaten if he followed them down, and so they decided to clear out the monsters along the way for his sake.
(A/N: It’s extremely obvious that the guy is an alcoholic, but once again, I’m convinced that censorship strikes again because they bend over backwards constantly in this blockbuster to find creative ways to say the words ‘alcohol’ and ‘alcoholic’ without actually saying them.)
As they fought past the monsters, they noticed a large, tentacled monster at the outskirts of the village, as well as the cries of a girl screaming in fear. The traveler discovered the girl surrounded by monsters on the path down the mountain. After they defeated the monsters, the girl thanked them for rescuing her and explained that monsters had swarmed the village, which were larger and more terrifying than the ones on the mountain.
The traveler escorted the girl to the base of the mountain, where they saved a village archer from a large wolf. The archer explained that Fembris, one of the wolves of legend, had arrived to burn their village to the ground, and that it was calling more monsters to help. The girl explained that the Fembris of legend was a massive wolf that devoured the sky, fated to end the world in flame and misery. She noted that though the Fembris attacking the village wasn’t as large as the Fembris of legend, it was still able to breathe fire.
The traveler then entered the battle, helping several knights and villagers defeat the monsters in the village. Along the way, they helped several villagers who were trapped underneath rubble before encountering Fembris. Just then, a knight arrived and introduced himself as Cayne before aiding the traveler, using his magic to create a golden shield that blocked Fembris’ flames. Together, the traveler and Cayne were able to successfully defeat Fembris, just as the traveler noticed several people - including Alika - trapped on top of a burning guard tower. The traveler bravely scaled atop the fiery tower and brought the trapped people to safety.
As the knights began putting the fires out, Cayne rushed over to Alika, while another villager rushed to grab her son. Just then, Butler, the Vice Captain of the knights, demanded Alika to explain herself, demanding to know what use a scholar was atop a burning tower, and reminding her that he had told her countless times to stay safe.
(A/N: Butler’s official rank is Vice Captain, but the title written beneath his NPC is Afinas Dispatch Commander. Although this could be a discrepancy, I think what they meant was that Butler is the one who’s commanding the mission, hence the NPC description of ‘commander’, but his actual rank itself is Vice Captain.)
Alika retorted by asking where she could have gone to stay safe, to which Butler replied that she could have found a safer place than an inferno, asking what the knights would do if she was injured, or worse. Cayne then attempted to diffuse the situation, pointing out that Alika was just fine. Butler immediately turned on Cayne, berating him for failing in his duties to protect Alika. He then ordered the knights to follow him in repairing the village, though he told Cayne to first take some time to ponder his failure.
As Butler and the other knights walked away, Cayne told Alika that he had thought that she had still been inside the house, reminding her of her promise to him that she would stay safe. He then apologized, realizing that he never should have left her side. However, Alika told him not to apologize, as she had been the one who had told him to leave her side and help the villagers. She then turned to the traveler and thanked them for their help as Cayne asked them for their name, recognizing that they weren’t part of Afinas.
The traveler introduced themselves and thanked Cayne for his help as well, to which Cayne then introduced himself and thanked them for saving Alika, whom he called his goddess and muse. He declared that he was forever in their debt, to which the traveler told them that they were even, as he had helped them in the fight against Fembris as well. Cayne agreed to their praise and immediately began to marvel at his own prowess, though Alika quickly pulled him out of his bravado and pointed out that the villagers still needed help.
(A/N: Here, you get a choice to either help the villagers or look for the old woman who sent the letter. If you choose the second option, Cayne pauses and calls you over, prompting another choice between the same two options. Even if you choose the second option again, Cayne takes you with him anyways. Although your choices don’t change the overall story, it’s nice that we get the option to choose between helping others and acting in self-interest, especially since it’s such a big theme in this story.)
The three then encountered a woman named Shulla, who was lamenting over her missing daughter’s photo and hat. Cayne told the traveler that Shulla’s daughter had gone missing some time ago, and that Shulla had been carrying her daughter’s photo and hat ever since. (A/N: Shulla also has a son who we rescued from the burning guard tower alongside Alika.)
Upon hearing about Shulla’s missing daughter, the traveler recalled that the old woman in the letter had mentioned that her granddaughter was missing as well. Because of this, they decided to help recover Shulla’s belongings before asking her about her daughter’s disappearance. The traveler found the missing items in the rubble and returned them to Shulla, but before they could question her, the chief of the village, Kan, arrived and thanked everyone who had come together to help the town, though Cayne told him to hold his thanks, claiming that it was the sworn duty of Afinas to serve as protectors. He then introduced the traveler, whom Kan thanked on behalf of their village, Kaptafel.
As Kan began to leave to check on the wounded, he noticed Shulla clutching her daughter’s belongings and reminded her that though he knew that she was in pain, she could not afford to lose herself to despair, as many others were managing their suffering and coming together for the good of the village. Cayne was immediately annoyed by Kan’s callousness, to which Alika gently suggested that they give Shulla some space.
As they began walking away, Cayne noted that it was freezing and asked the traveler whether they agreed. When the traveler told him that it wasn’t too uncomfortable for them, Cayne believed that they must be native to Abrup, though was surprised when he learned that it was their first time there. Cayne then began asking them what their reason for coming to Abrup was, as he doubted that it was merely for sightseeing. Though Alika attempted to get him to drop the subject, Cayne merely laughed that the traveler must be just as curious about Afinas’ mission as he was of theirs.
The traveler then asked why the knights had come, to which Cayne explained that he himself had been given few details, as the knights had only been dispatched to Abrup recently in order to investigate the unusual monster activity, and to address the situation before it went out of hand, though he noted that the latter hadn’t panned out as he had hoped.
He told the traveler that the investigation was being handled by Alika, whom he explained was the youngest and most talented Scholar of Afinas, though Alika dismissed his praise and told the traveler that she was merely an apprentice. However, Cayne expressed great confidence in her abilities and reassured her that she would soon have the title to match.
Turning back to the subject at hand, Cayne told the traveler that the knights had been completely unprepared for how dire the situation was, and that they were ill-equipped to deal with the kind of full-scale invasion which they had faced last night. However, he explained that even in spite of explaining the situation to their commanders, they had been ordered to continue aiding the residents as best as they could.
Alika told Cayne that he was being too cavalier, reminding him that the reputation of Afinas was at stake. Cayne admitted that she was right, but pointed out that even she couldn’t call their last battle ideal. He then told the traveler that when they had first arrived in town, he had noticed that the villagers were tense. Upon looking into it, they had learned that dozens of people had gone missing all at once about six months ago.
The traveler then asked what had happened to the giant tentacled monster which had been attacking the village. A confused Cayne told them that the largest monster which he had seen during the attack was Fembris. Upon hearing Cayne’s words, the traveler wondered whether they had been mistaken, or whether they really had seen something huge moving in the smoke. Nevertheless, they noted to themselves that it was fortunate that it hadn’t attacked the village in any case.
Wondering whether anyone else had seen the monster, the traveler decided to ask around the village. Alika then waved at a large man with an axe named Peytour, who greeted them and asked the traveler to introduce themselves. He was surprised when the traveler explained that they had come at the behest of a letter, wondering who could have sent it amidst the chaos. However, he put aside his curiosity and asked them if they were willing to help with the repairs. (A/N: You can either agree to help or say that you have other matters to attend to, but Alika makes you help anyways.)
Cayne explained that he couldn’t afford to leave Alika’s side, but Alika insisted that he help Peytour, claiming that she would be safer when the village was in a better state. Cayne then ordered a knight to stay by Alika’s side until he returned, after which he followed Peytour and the traveler into the forest. Cayne and the traveler then hunted the Petreefied Eyeful monsters and began collecting their wood. As they fought, Peytour grew fatigued and decided to take a break, to which Cayne insisted that he and the traveler could wrap up while Peytour rested, so that he could return to Alika faster.
The traveler noted that Cayne cared deeply for Alika, to which he explained that he was like her Prince Charming. Dismissing his lovesick musings, the traveler asked how important an Apprentice Scholar was to warrant such protection. Cayne explained that Alika was special, as she was a prodigy and the youngest of the Afinas Scholars. Peytour then spoke up and mentioned that he had heard that Alika was the daughter of a high-ranking Scholar as well. Cayne attempted to wave away the comment, but at the traveler’s insistence, he admitted that he owed a great debt to her father, Rookhowell, though he insisted that he was doing it all for Alika’s sake.
Soon after, they finished collecting enough wood and began heading back to the village. On their way back, Cayne realized that his brooch was missing and wondered whether he had dropped it in the forest. Peytour laughed and explained that there was a creature in the forest which was notorious for thieving, which was why the villagers usually didn’t take their valuables with them while going into the forest.
The traveler then noticed the drunk man from the base camp and was relieved that he had made it back to the village safely. The man, who was still drunk, greeted Peytour as the village’s wise advisor and jokingly asked whether he could advise on where to find something to drink. He then began incoherently rambling about a giant shadow, which had he explained had been behind the snowstorms and the attack on the village.
This intrigued the traveler, who noted that they had seen the shadow as well. The man was relieved to know that the traveler had also seen the shadow, drunkenly rambling on in excitement about it. Peytour looked on the man in pity and introduced him to the others as Aruhi before telling them that they could go on ahead while he got Aruhi settled. Though the traveler wanted to question Aruhi about the shadow, they decided to wait until he sobered up.
Just then, Ullan, the chief’s daughter and the girl whom the traveler had saved at the mountain near the base camp, arrived and thanked the traveler for rescuing her. She then revealed that Aruhi hadn’t always been a mess, explaining that she believed that the monsters and disappearances had made him break down and lose his mind, drinking his troubles away and putting on a jovial act. She added that though Aruhi had tried to clean up a few times, he would always go back to drinking. However, she noted that Peytour was nice enough to continue looking after him.
The traveler asked Ullan whether Aruhi had lost his family, to which Ullan told them that it would be difficult to find anyone in the village who hadn’t lost a family member. Realizing that she had gotten side-tracked, Ullan then asked the traveler whether they had seen Pete and Elle, whom she explained were her two pet Shrelephants, whom she explained were both tame. The traveler and Cayne told Ullan that they had only seen wild Shrelephants in the forest, to which Ullan decided to head out in search of them.
The traveler and Cayne then went on to meet Alika and Peytour, who had laid Aruhi on the ground for him to rest and sober up. Peytour thanked the pair for bringing him the remaining wood before asking the traveler to bring him rope from Slaka the archer. On their way, the traveler was stopped by Butler, who noted that the traveler wasn’t native to the Abrup Basin before asking why someone so powerful would come to Abrup.
Upon learning that they had received a letter asking for help, Butler asked them to show it to him. After reading through the letter, Butler told them that the letter hadn’t been sent by a resident, though the traveler merely ignored his provocations and replied that they had other matters to attend to. Before they left, however, Butler asked the traveler whether they intended to stay any longer, which the traveler confirmed, explaining that they had a duty to ensure that the sender of the letter was safe.
The traveler then began walking away, to which an irritated Butler retorted that that he hadn’t finished speaking to them yet. He then told the traveler that if they intended to stay, they would need to follow his orders for the duration of their time in Abrup. However, the traveler merely replied that it wouldn’t be a problem, so long as his orders lined up with their plans. Before an angry Butler could retort, Slaka rushed over and warned the villagers of an incoming snowstorm.
As the villagers gathered at the town square, Butler demanded to know why there was so much panic about a simple snowstorm. Slaka rebuffed Butler for his ignorance and explained that it seemed to be the biggest snowstorm in recent memory. Peytour reminded him that they didn’t need a panic, while Butler declared that they needed to repair as many buildings and set up as many tents as possible before it arrived.
However, Slaka pointed out that Butler’s plan would kill them all, as none of their buildings were in any shape to weather a storm of such magnitude. Peytour agreed, explaining that they couldn’t set up a shelter in the few hours before the storm hit. Alika then suggested evacuating to another town, to which Peytour asked Chief Kan for his decision. Kan agreed and ordered everyone to pack up and head out immediately.
As they had good relations with the town across the river, Kan was hopeful that they would take the people of Kaptafel in. Shulla worriedly asked if they were abandoning the village, but both Kan and Peytour reassured her that they would return after the storm and rebuild the village so that their missing loved ones could return to see it just the way they remembered.
Meanwhile, Butler asked one of his soldiers whether Afinas headquarters had responded to their request for reinforcements, to which the soldier replied that headquarters had told them to await their response, which had not yet arrived. The traveler then began heading over to speak with Peytour when they overheard an argument between him and Chief Kan. Noticing the traveler, the two immediately stopped arguing and broke up.
When the traveler asked what was wrong, Peytour reluctantly admitted that they had been discussing how to carry the injured, as all the wagons in town had been destroyed in the monster attack. Kan noted that the wagon outside of town had likely been missed in the attack, though Peytour believed that it was too small. The traveler then suggested that they gather wood to enlarge the wagon and offered to help collect some.
While the traveler collected wood, an Afinas Knight named Gillie and several other soldiers arrived to aid them. The traveler then brought the wood to Peytour, who asked them to check on preparations while he worked on the wagon. While walking through the village, the traveler overheard several villagers talking about an unfavorable decision that Kan had made, with some noting that he was behaving like a dictator.
When the traveler approached the group and asked if they could help with anything, one of the villagers noted with resentment how Kan was forcing the traveler to run around town doing his work for him. When the traveler pointed out that Kan was preparing a wagon for the injured, the villager told them that he was sure that it was Peytour who was preparing the wagon, not Kan.
The traveler soon encountered Kan scolding a villager for working on his house instead of packing. The villager began explaining that he was fixing his house because Kan had mention that they would soon come back, but Kan told him that he could repair the house after returning, as they had to leave before the snowstorm arrived. The villager grew upset and explained that he had nothing to pack and no family to tend to, to which Kan told him to help the others. The villager confessed that he didn’t want to leave, though Kan merely replied that all Kaptafel villagers were mandated to leave.
The chagrined villager told Kan that he had merely wanted to explain himself, adding that he would comply, despite disagreeing with Kan’s decision. He told Kan that he had been fixing his house to cope with having to abandon his home, but Kan explained that he couldn’t risk others following his example and waste time, adding that the villager ought to rest if he didn’t want to help the others. Irritated with Kan’s behavior, the villager replied that he hadn’t realized that Kan was so cold.
After the villager stormed off, Kan noticed the traveler. Feeling ashamed, he told the traveler that he could tell that they were probably thinking that he was being too harsh. He defended himself by explaining that he was responsible for all the villagers, and that everything would fall apart if even one of them were to ignore his orders. The traveler noted that it must pain Kan as well, but Kan sadly replied that he had no time to feel.
(A/N: This next quest to help Ullan actually becomes inaccessible if you don’t do it before helping Shulla.)
The traveler then ran into Ullan, who told them that her Shrelephants, Pete and Elle, were still missing. The traveler agreed to help and promised not to tell her father, Chief Kan, as he would be mad at her for wasting their time. The two then headed to the outskirts of Kaptafel and began calling out for the Shrelephants. Ullan believed that Elle had gotten scared and run off, with Peter chasing after her. The traveler noted that the Shrelephants seemed intelligent, to which Ullan explained that they were different from other Shrelephants, and that Pete, especially, seemed as though he could read her mind. She also added that Pete was the fastest Shrelephant in Abrup, while Elle’s immense strength would allow her to pull the wagon.
As they prepared to go further out, Chief Kan appeared and stopped Ullan, scolding her for being so obsessed over her pets instead of preparing to leave. Furious at the way her father was dismissing Pete and Elle, whom she regarded as family, Ullan ran off. Kan apologized to the traveler for Ullan’s behavior, though the traveler merely told him that it was alright and decided to chase after her.
The traveler caught up with Ullan, who told them that she was upset at her father’s dismissive attitude towards Pete and Elle. She explained that she had found the two Shrelephants during her first expedition with the hunters when she was ten. She revealed that the pair had lost their mother to werewolves, and that she had discovered them hiding between the rocks. Though Kan had been against her adopting Shrelephants, her mother had sided with her and had taught her how to take care of them, even helping her name them.
Ullan then began tearing up, explaining that she couldn’t afford to lose Pete and Elle after having lost her mother. However, she realized that her father was right about helping the village and decided to go back, hoping that the Shrelephants, with their intelligence, would catch up. The pair returned back to the village, where the traveler encountered Shulla looking for something. The traveler asked her what she was doing, to which she explained that Kan was right, and that she couldn’t afford to give in to despair. She told the traveler that she was trying to prepare food for the journey, as she knew that the weak and wounded would have difficulties with the trek to the next village.
The traveler decided to help Shulla look for food, though they were only able to find bread which had been charred by the fires. They then decided to speak with Peytour in order to find another means of obtaining food. Just then, the wind began picking up as the snowstorm started approaching. Kan decided that they would have to make do, believing that they could go without food for one day. However, Peytour pointed out that the sick and injured couldn’t survive without food, rebuffing Kan when he declared that they would have to tolerate it.
After a pause, Kan decided to lead the hunters, with the traveler agreeing to go with them. As the party headed towards the village gates, Slaka found them heading out and refused to join, believing that they couldn’t outrun the storm if they delayed any further. Alika and Cayne then appeared to see what the commotion was about. When the traveler explained the situation, Alika replied that she could see both sides and noted that Kan hadn’t explained the situation properly to Slaka. She then offered Cayne to help them, ignoring his protests.
Slaka then reluctantly agreed to join the group, though he noted that he would only stay for ten minutes. With so many people, the party was easily able to obtain Shrelephant meat and quickly returned back to the village, where the villagers were ready to head out. Ullan then told the hunters to stand down, as they were scaring Elle, who had recently returned with Pete. The caravan then headed out on their journey to the other town.
(A/N: The vast majority of the remainder of this section involves the player making decision after decision as we lead the caravan to the other town. Since there are way too many moments that involve us choosing different options with different consequences, and since this act takes around an hour and thirty minutes to complete, I decided not to experiment with each and every option by replaying this story a few dozen times for the sake of my own sanity. Instead, I’ll just list which options we have available to us.)
Right at the start of their travels, Butler told Chief Kan that he would take command, as the Afinas Knights were protecting the caravan. However, Kan retorted that since the villagers formed the majority of the group, he would remain in charge, explaining that Butler ought to keep his focus on matters of defense, since he was unfamiliar with the land and the weather. Butler countered by asking Kan whether he had ever led so many people, though Kan swung back by asking if Butler had ever led his dispatch through a snowstorm as strong as the one that that they were facing.
Just then, Slaka appeared from the rear guard and chided them both for arguing when there were monsters chasing after the caravan. Believing that they couldn’t outrun the monsters, Slaka explained that they could either fight or dump some of their food as a distraction. The traveler immediately voted to fight them off, though Butler believed that they ought to dump their food in order to hasten their pace. Annoyed at Butler wanting to throw away their hard-earned food, Kan told him that they would send the hunters and the Afinas Knights to face the monsters. As they continued arguing, the traveler realized that they would have to make a decision.
(A/N: Here, the player can either choose to send the knights to defeat the monsters, dump some of the food, or volunteer to lead their combined forces in order to defeat the monsters.)
After dealing with the situation, Alika, Peytour, and the others explained that they had been deciding who would lead the caravan, and that they had reached a consensus that it ought to be the traveler. Though the traveler was hesitant, as they knew little about Abrup or Afinas, Alika reassured them that Chief Kan would help them manage the people while Vice Captain Butler would help them manage their enemies, adding that they were the best choice specifically because they were an outsider, and thus had no personal attachments to any group.
Realizing that everyone unanimously agreed, the traveler agreed to take on the role of leadership. Kan then began telling the traveler about their mission, explaining that the distance between Kaptafel and the next town required nearly a full day’s travel and involved crossing the Frozen River. He told them that food was their primary concern, as their weaker members might not survive without it. He also pointed out that every decision that the traveler made would have consequences and affect others’ opinions, which might cause them to leave.
(A/N: There are four separate factions that the player has to manage: the Authoritarians, the Egoists, the Defenders, and the Residents. Because the situation is completely dependent on the choices we make, there’s no set canon way of completing the rest of this act. Because of this, I’ll just make a mention of which choice I made in the author notes instead.)
As the caravan continued, Butler confronted the traveler and angrily noted that they hadn’t mentioned that people had gotten injured in the battle.
(A/N: Here, the player can either say that they’ll treat the wounded immediately, which reduces the Authoritarian Morale, ask Butler for advice on how he would handle the situation, which increases Authoritarian Morale, or say that the situation isn’t serious and decide to carry on, which reduces both Authoritarian and Defender Morale.)
In order to treat the wounded, Butler called upon an Afinas Devata named Janyt, who had remarkable healing abilities. Janyt told the traveler to have no fear, claiming that the protection of Afinas was upon them. The traveler thanked Janyt for her help, to which Janyt replied that she was but a humble servant who shared the blessings that she had received from Afinas. The traveler noted that it was still impressive for someone as young as her to have such powers, though Janyt merely told them that it was all thanks to Afinas.
(A/N: It’s explained in future storylines that Devatas are like saints of Afinas, who wield a holy power that they simply call ‘the divine protection of Afinas’ in order to heal others. Because of this, Devatas are highly respected within Afinas’ ranks. In Hindu mythology, the devas are gods, while devatas are a type of smaller, more focused devas. For instances, they might be village deities, family deities, or even deities of rivers, caves, mountains, etc.)
Cayne then approached the traveler and asked them what Butler wanted. The traveler explained that they had asked him for advice on how to handle the injured, to which Cayne told them not to rely too much on him, warning the traveler that he might use them to accomplish his mission.
(A/N: Here, the player can either ask him what he means, or claim that they don’t trust anyone, which reduces Defender Morale. I think that either way, we end up hearing the explanation no matter what.)
Cayne explained that Butler’s mission was on the verge of failure, with his dispatch being left in shambles, meaning that he couldn’t report back to Afinas headquarters in such a state. He added that Butler likely felt that Abrup was a massive trap with no way out, and that the traveler’s sudden appearance and capable leadership skills was a way for him to salvage the situation by using them.
The caravan then continued onward, with the traveler soon being approached by Slaka, who noted that the snowstorm was letting up. He then told the traveler that since the caravan was keeping ahead of the storm, the traveler could relax for a bit, adding that they ought to take it easy when they could, especially since they were the one in charge.
(A/N: Here, the player can either tell him that they can take care of themselves, or tell him to keep his eyes on the snowstorm, both of which reduce Egoist Morale. They can also thank him for the tip and say that they might take his advice, which increases Egoist Morale. I picked the last option, which make Slaka tell us that we’re a better leader than Kan and Butler.)
Soon after, Chief Kan told the traveler that it had been half a day since the caravan had left Kaptafel and suggested that they stop and give everyone a break in order to eat.
(A/N: Here, the player can either choose to stop and let everyone eat, which increases everyone’s Morale and reduces the caravan’s food supply, ask him why everyone needs to eat now, or decide to push on, which reduces Resident Morale.)
After the caravan stopped for a meal break, Alika asked the traveler whether they could make sure that the children and the wounded got their portions first. However, Kan warned the traveler not to let their emotions sway their judgement, as they might end up losing everyone’s trust that way. He explained that it was tradition in Kaptafel to allow the hunters to eat first, which guaranteed their strength to continue hunting, and that it was a tradition which had kept their village alive through many harsh winters. To this, Alika asked that the children at least be allowed to eat first.
(A/N: Here, the player sees a screen with four people, each representing the four factions, and three pieces of meat of varying sizes. We have to drag the meat to the group that we want to feed, although some groups will obviously get a smaller portion of meat, and one group won’t get anything at all. I chose to prioritize giving the larger pieces of meat to the groups with the lowest Morales. In this case, I gave the biggest meat to the Residents, the second biggest to the Defenders, and the smallest to the Egoists, leaving the Authoritarians with nothing.)
After the meal break, the caravan began moving ahead when a loud noise rang from the rear, with Slaka and Peytour rushing to check what had happened. The traveler caught up and found the pair arguing, with Slaka demanding to get more food, claiming that he had risked his life to get their food supplies before the caravan had headed out Chief Kan angrily noted that even Slaka couldn’t ignore how cold and hungry everyone was.
Just then, Slaka noticed the traveler and asked them whether they were the one who had decided upon the food distribution. Peytour defended the traveler’s decisions by telling Slaka that they had been making difficult decisions as leader. He then urged Slaka to sacrifice just a little for the good of everyone, to which Slaka demanded to know why he needed to be chained down to everyone else, adding that he would rather take his chances on his own than being dragged down by everyone else.
(A/N: Here, the player has the choice to either tell Slaka that he can have more food, or tell him to stop arguing and remind him that they to conserve their supplies. If we give more food to Slaka, he tells us that we should’ve done it from the beginning. Kan then tells us that we’ll regret our decision, as we’ve undermined their values. If we tell him to back down, Kan backs us up and reminds Slaka that we all need to rely on rules, not emotions. Slaka then asks whether we really think the caravan stands any chance without his help.)
Soon after, Peytour came up to the traveler and apologetically explained that Chief Kan used to be a great chief, but that he had been overwhelmed by the situation, which was why he had fallen back on discipline and rules as a result. He told the traveler that he didn’t expect them to understand or agree with him, and that he simply thought that they ought to know. Upon hearing Peytour’s words, the traveler noticed that he appeared very sad about Kan’s change.
(A/N: Here, the player can either say that they understand how Peytour feels, or they can say that they understand how Kan feels, both of which increase Defender Morale. They can also say that they don’t have time to worry about it, which reduces Defender and Resident Morale.)
The traveler then realized that Peytour might know about the old woman who had written the letter, as he was a lumberjack and the old woman had written that she lived in a cabin in the forest. They showed the old woman’s letter to Peytour, who read through it and smiled, noting that he had known that she was strong, and that he was glad to hear that she hadn’t given up. The traveler asked him to tell them about the old woman, to which Peytour explained that her name was Sanaan, and that she lived alone in the forest with her granddaughter.
He revealed that six months ago, people had begun disappearing all over Abrup, and that soon after that, Sanaan had visited Kaptafel in search of her granddaughter. Because Sanaan had mentioned the monster attacks in her letter, Peytour believed that it had been written recently. The traveler asked Peytour whether he knew where she was, to which he admitted that he didn’t, though he added that from the last he’d heard, she had been planning to go to another village in order to look for her granddaughter. However, he noted that she had been planning to go months ago, and that she might have returned back home to her cabin in Windsleep Forest by now.
The caravan then continued moving ahead until an Afinas Knight rushed up to the traveler in fear, explaining that monsters had come out the fog, and that they were covering everything they touched in frost.
(A/N: Here, the player can either help the knights hunt the monsters together, which increases everyone’s Morale, or they can send the knights to hunt the monsters alone, which reduces the number of people in the caravan. I’m not sure whether you’re forced to help no matter what, but the appearance of a mini-boss in this battle makes me believe that you are.)
The traveler fought the monsters alongside the knights and soon discovered an enormous Yeti chasing several villagers, which the traveler realized was responsible for creating the snowstorm that was chasing after them. The traveler fought and defeated the mysterious Yeti, allowing the caravan to continue on. After the battle, Butler approached them and explained that he had been watching their actions throughout the journey. He then admitted that he had misjudged them and compared the traveler to the finest Afinas Knights.
(A/N: Here, the player can either tell Butler that his words mean a lot, or they can ask him about Afinas, which increases Authoritarian Morale. I’m not sure whether the first option leads into a different dialogue tree, but I’m gonna assume that we get the information about Afinas one way or another, since it’s fairly important to know about.)
The traveler asked Butler more about Afinas, to which he explained that Afinas was a gathering of great Scholars, who were protected by an accomplished cadres of knights. As Butler described Afinas, the traveler noted to themselves that it was clear that Butler was proud of his role and allegiance, to which they replied that Afinas sounded impressive.
(A/N: Telling Butler that Afinas sounds impressive is the only dialogue option, and it further increases Authoritarian Morale.)
After Butler left, Slaka approached the traveler, who quickly surmised that he had been eavesdropping on their conversation. Slaka then told the traveler that the monster which they had fought earlier was a Yeti, and that he had seen it at the monster raid on Kaptafel. He noted that the Yeti seemed to avoid fire, adding that because of its ice powers, he had decided to name it ‘Frostflail Yeti’.
(A/N: Here, the player can either tell him to keep his eyes on the snowstorm, or to say that it all seems obvious, both of which reduce Egoist Morale. We can also thank him for the information and add that it’ll be sure to help, which increases Egoist Morale. I decided to pick the last option, which causes Slaka to give us a secret tip that he’s never given anyone else before, which is to always fight a Yeti up close because its thick fur and hide is a natural defense against ranged attacks, which he’s learned the hard way as an archer.)
As the caravan continued on, Alika approached the traveler and worriedly asked them if they were tired.
(A/N: Here, the player can either tell her that they’re okay, but that they’re trying to act tough in order to keep everyone happy, which increases Defender and Resident Morale, or they can dismiss her by saying that they’re busy, which reduces everyone’s Morale. I chose the first option, although I suspect that Alika replies the same way no matter what we choose.)
Upon hearing the traveler’s words, she reminded them that they didn’t need to carry the burden alone, as there were many people around them who were ready to help. She also admitted that she herself struggled with leadership, and that she suspected that Kan and Butler did as well. The player thanked Alika for her honesty and her reassurance, after which the caravan continued moving ahead.
(A/N: Thanking Alika is the only option we have, and it increases Defender Morale.)
Soon after, a knight reported that there were monsters on the path ahead and advised the traveler to clear them out.
(A/N: Here, the player can either go with the knights to hunt them, which increases everyone’s Morale, say that they’ll take the monsters out when after the caravan gets closer, which reduces Authoritarian and Egoist Morale, or decide to take a detour around them, which reduces Resident Morale. I chose to go with the Knights in order to hunt them, and based on the way that the story plays out, it’s likely that you’ll be forced to fight the monsters, even if you try to take a detour around them.)
The traveler decided to move ahead with the knights and fought alongside them to dispatch the monsters. As the knights finished clearing out the monsters, Alika watched disapprovingly as Cayne began showing off his flashy moves. As Alika confronted him, Gillie attempted to defend him by claiming that he had merely been trying to light up the mood, noting that he was quite considerate and amazing.
After the battle, Cayne rushed back to Alika, while Gillie turned to the player and complimented them, noting that Cayne must like them a lot if he had left Alika’s side in order to help them. The traveler gave her a questioning look, to which Gillie revealed that she had been the founder and first member of Cayne’s fan club, and she then began gushing over Cayne for a long time until another knight called her over. As she turned to leave, Gillie gave the traveler a questioning look of her own, silently asking them whether they understood Cayne better now.
(A/N: Here, the player can either say that Cayne seems cool, say that they’re not sure whether they’ll ever understand Cayne, or note that he’s cheerful, but that he sometimes takes things too far. None of these options affect Morale so I just went with saying that Cayne seems cool. Regardless of your choice, Cayne comes over and overhears what we think of him, after which he’ll tell us that he’ll remember what we’ve said, although I kind of doubt it.)
Soon after, Peyton told the caravan that they were soon arriving at their destination, which brought everyone relief.
(A/N: Here, the player can either tell Kan that it was thanks to him that everyone made the journey safely, which increases everyone’s Morale, or they can say that they’re finally done with this awful job, which reduces everyone’s Morale. I went with the first option, which makes Kan tell us that everyone is indebted to us, and that he’s even fine with everyone placing their faith in us, a newcomer, over him, their long-standing chief.)
Upon arriving, however, the caravan was shocked to find that the town which they had been traveling to had been destroyed. Butler quickly advised the traveler that they ought to make a brief stop and then head out again. However, Gillie worriedly told Butler that many of the knights had been injured along the way. She advised that the caravan ought to make a stop so that the wounded could be treated, which Peytour also concurred with, pointing out that the villagers were exhausted from the hunger and cold.
However, Butler disagreed and noted that their priority was to reach a safe place as soon as possible, which Kan agreed with. Butler asked the traveler what they ought to do, to which Alika reminded them that if they pushed everyone to set out again, they would be sure to have injuries, especially since night had fallen. She also noted that they had some time before the snowstorm caught up, which would allow them to rest for a while. She then added that they needed to build a fire for warmth and cooking first.
(A/N: Here, the player can either choose to rest first or set out immediately. Even if we choose the second option, Shulla will collapse and force us to set up camp no matter what.)
As everyone prepared to make camp, Butler approached the traveler and told them that even though they were a brave warrior, they lacked the experience needed to command. He assuaged them by saying that it wasn’t their fault, as they merely needed a trusted advisor, just as Peytour was to Chief Kan. He then asked the traveler whether they really thought it wise to spend time resting before moving out.
The traveler explained that they were aware that there were certain risks, such as the snowstorm and the monsters, but they pointed out that they were sure to lose people if they were pushed without rest. However, Butler accused them of allowing their emotions to cloud their judgement, explaining that the correct decision was clearly to push onward, as giving tired and disappointed people time to think would only lead to further despair. He explained that they needed to give the people a goal, as they would be too busy to complain if they were too busy to think.
The traveler countered by pointing out that such tactics would work for trained knights, not for ordinary people. After a pause, Butler revealed that, much like the traveler, he had been a wandering mercenary for years before becoming a knight. As a result, he explained that he had spent more of his life with the commoners than with trained knights, and thus, he entreated the traveler not to discount the wisdom that he had gained about how ordinary people thought and what they were capable of.
The traveler thanked Butler, who then told them that he would be happy to take over if the pressures of leadership became too much. Though the traveler believed that Butler had made some strong points, they decided that they would make their stop an opportunity to rest, rather than to despair. They then approached Slaka to ask for help in collecting wood and meat, though Slaka refused to help and told them to ask the knights. He then noticed Cayne and Alika and asked the traveler why Cayne always followed her around.
To the traveler’s surprise, he called out to Cayne and told him that the traveler needed him to go hunting. However, Cayne replied that he was already on another mission, though Alika immediately overheard him and shouted across that he could leave her side. Now free to help, Cayne asked Slaka to come with them, believing that more people would allow the task to be completed faster. Knowing that Slaka would protest, the traveler declared that they would go alone to avoid any hassle, to which Slaka felt a twinge of guilt and declared that it would be the last time he helped.
The three then collected firewood and meat, which they distributed to the people. On their way to distribute the rations, the traveler gave some to Alika and suggested that she make soup with it, which they hoped could feed everyone. Alika, suddenly unsure, turned to Janyt and asked whether she had made soup before. Realizing that neither of them knew how to make soup, the traveler began to explain that they just needed to boil water and pour the meat and spices inside when it boiled.
Alika laughed sheepishly and told them that the culinary book which she had been referring to had made it seem much more complicated. As they began waiting for the soup to finish, Aruhi approached the traveler, who noted that he seemed to be more sober. Aruhi swore that he had been sober since the expedition and explained that he had come because he had heard that the traveler had received a letter from Sanaan.
Realizing that he had likely overheard their discussion with Butler, the traveler confirmed that they had received the letter, to which Aruhi exclaimed that he had seen the ones who had stolen the missing people. Just then, however, Kan approached them and told Aruhi not to waste his energy on useless prattle before telling the traveler that Aruhi was merely a broken man rambling because he couldn’t cope with the loss of his family.
However, Aruhi swore that he had cleaned up, though Kan pointed out that he reeked of his vices. Despite being caught, Aruhi claimed that Kan had never had faith in him, even before everything had all fallen apart. The traveler then asked Aruhi to describe what he had seen, but Aruhi refused, declaring that nothing he said would bring back his wife and daughter.
As Aruhi stormed off, Ullan confronted her father and demanded to know how he could be so callous by kicking people while they were down. As Kan walked away, the traveler asked Ullan why they couldn’t trust Aruhi. Ullan explained that even though there may be some truth in his words, it was hidden underneath a mountain of ramblings. Despite his unreliability, Ullan told the traveler that she had picked out bits that were similar each time he told his story, with the most notable being a dozen people in white, rock-hard armor taking everyone to a giant dish in the forest and disappearing.
(A/N: Although this is more or less the only hint that we get, it’s very clear that PULSAR is the group for kidnapping the Abrup villagers, similar to how they were kidnapping animals for their clone army in Stellar Detectives.)
The traveler noted that stranger things had happened in Maple World, to which Ullan explained that she and the other villagers had lived in Abrup their entire lives, and though they had heard about strange people and contraptions from time to time, she wondered why they would appear in the woods out in Abrup, of all places, and why Aruhi would be the only one to see any of it.
She explained that the adults believed that he had made up the whole story in order to give himself a reason for losing his family, as believing that they had been kidnapped by those strange people would would mean that it wouldn’t have been his fault for not saving them. She then added that Aruhi had likely gone to drown his sorrows again. She sadly told the traveler that Aruhi never got better, despite however much she wished he would, and that her father never got better, either. Realizing that she had said enough, Ullan decided to turn in for the night.
As Ullan walked away, Alika noted that trying to change oneself was perhaps the hardest task of all, adding that it took a great deal of maturity for Ullan to keep smiling as she did. The traveler noted that she was still a child, which meant that it fell upon them to ease her burdens, to which Alika agreed and made a promise to help spare Ullan as much sorrow as possible. With that, the two headed to bed and went to sleep.
Late into the night, however, Cayne awoke the traveler for their turn on night watch and told them to take the east line. There, the traveler defeated the monsters wandering into the area. After finishing up, they were surprised to see that Alika had woken up, and that she had come over to where they were standing watch. Alika explained that she had woken up from a nightmare, and that she had accidentally wandered too far while walking around to clear her head.
She then asked the traveler whether they were alright, reminding them that they could assign guard duty to the knights instead. The traveler explained that they wanted to give the Afinas dispatch a chance to rest, as they had been working non-stop. Alika then asked the traveler if they had learned who had sent the letter, to which they told her that it wasn’t anyone from Kaptafel.
As the traveler had done so much for them, Alika offered to help them find the sender. However, the traveler told her that they didn’t need anything in return for their help, as they were doing it merely because it was the right thing to do. Alika acknowledged them, but explained that that was precisely why she wanted to help, as they deserved the gratitude. The traveler then asked what her nightmare had been about, but Alika uncomfortably asked them whether they could discuss it another time.
As morning came, the villagers and the knights began packing up and embarked upon their caravan towards the next town. As they began to head out, Chief Kan approached the traveler and informed them that Slaka had deserted, and that he had taken what little food they had left. Just then, Butler came over and smugly told the traveler that he had been right about it being a mistake to waste time resting, as Slaka wouldn’t have been able to steal their food if they hadn’t stopped for the night. Several people began overhearing the conversation, with some regretting stopping, and others feeling betrayed by what Slaka had done.
(A/N: Here, the player can either say that Slaka will be back, since he won’t last long on his own, which reduces Authoritarian Morale, or they can say that they can all gather more food, which also reduces Authoritarian Morale, but raises Resident Morale. I chose the latter option, to which Butler asks when we’ll have time to hunt and what we’ll do if someone gets injured, pointing out that it all could’ve been avoided.)
As the caravan continued on, Shulla’s son, Hawalu, offered to sing a song as thanks for the dinner and rest.
(A/N: Here, the player can either tell him that they’re busy, which reduces everyone’s Morale, or allow him to sing, which increases everyone’s Morale. If you tell him no, he’ll run back crying to his mom, which brings down everyone’s mood. Feeling guilty, we decide to let him sing anyways.)
Soon after, Butler informed the traveler that the scouts had found a group of monsters and added that it was a chance for them to correct their previous mistake.
(A/N: Here, the player can either lead the knights, which increases Authoritarian Morale and the food supply, send the knights out without helping, which reduces Authoritarian Morale and increases the food supply, or declare that they don’t have time and push ahead instead, which reduces both Authoritarian and Resident Morale. I chose to lead the knights, after which Butler gives you three minutes to bring back as much food as possible. I actually capped out on how much food you can get during this stage, and so I got to end it early.)
After defeating the monsters and gathering more food, Aruhi - who had been watching the tail in Slaka’s absence - approached the traveler. Despite appearing quite drunk, he assured the traveler that he had been watching the storm, and that it was still far away.
(A/N: Here, the player can either ask him what he’s really been up to, thank him for his help but assign someone else to the rear, or tell him good work and keep it up. None of these options affect Morale, and all of them eventually transition into the same dialogue, although each option has a few set of different dialogue paths that play out before getting us there.)
Aruhi then asked the traveler whether they were the one who had asked about the big shadow in Kaptafel.
(A/N: Here, the player can either say that it was them, lie and say that it wasn’t them, or ask him if he’s sure that he’s okay. I picked the first option, but I’m assuming that all of these dialogue paths eventually lead into the same thing.)
The traveler told Aruhi that they had seen the shadow as well, but that none of the other villagers did. They admitted that they had been putting off asking people about it, since they hadn’t wanted to stress anyone out by talking about giant monsters. However, they noted that they would likely have to start asking around in order to learn as much as they could about what they were up against.
Soon after, Chief Kan told the traveler that it was time to distribute food again. However, he added that despite the recent hunt, it would still need to be rationed such that one group would have to go hungry.
(A/N: This is the same minigame as before where you have to drag the different sized meats to one of four people, each representing a faction. Once again, I prioritized the groups with the lowest Morale, and so I gave the biggest piece to the Authoritarians, the next biggest to the Egoist, and the smallest to the Defenders, while the Residents got nothing.)
After dinner, Ullan approached the traveler and gave them two small pieces of meat. The traveler immediately tried to give them back, though Ullan insisted and explained that Shulla had asked her to give them to the traveler, as she had nothing else to offer them. Ullan then awkwardly handed off Shulla’s gift to them before walking away.
(A/N: Here, the player can either decide to eat it, claiming that they don’t want to let it go to waste, which reduces Resident Morale, or they can give it to Shulla by lying and claiming that they’re leftovers after handing out meals, which increases both Defender and Resident Morale. I chose the second option, which causes Shulla to thank you and say that Ullan hasn’t eaten since we left Kaptafel, and so it’ll help feed her, since the portion that Shulla had shared with her hadn’t been enough.)
With the caravan proceeding ahead, the traveler began to reflect on their time as a leader, realizing that decisions came more easily to them now, especially after learning about the importance of compassion. Peytour then came up to the traveler in order to thank them for their leadership, as well as for taking input from both Chief Kan and Butler. He apologized for their behavior, though he promised that they were only doing what they believed was right for everyone.
(A/N: Here, the player can either tell him that they understand, which increases everyone’s Morale, or say that they don’t understand why they’re both so difficult, which reduces Authoritarian Morale.)
Some time later, Gillie reported that there were poison clouds up ahead. As she spoke, several villagers began to fall as they breathed in the gas. Gillie immediately shot a fire arrow at the gas, causing it to burn away before it could infect anyone else.
(A/N: Here, the player can either decide to go in themselves and save the fallen people, which increases Egoist and Defender Morale, or they can order the knights to speed away and leave them behind, which reduces the number of people in the caravan. I chose the first option and saved Shulla and Aruhi by tanking the poison gas and dragging them to safety.)
Gillie then reported that the caravan was under attack. Just as she spoke, a glob of poison got stuck onto her arm, causing her to fall. However, she steeled herself before rushing in to fight the monster responsible for the poison gas.
(A/N: Here, the player can either help her, which increases everyone’s Morale, or they can cover the other villagers in the caravan, which increases Egoist Morale, but reduces the number of people in the caravan. I chose the first option, but I think that either choice ultimately leads into the same thing.)
The traveler and the Afinas Knights faced off against a strange pink creature that spewed poisonous gas. After defeating it, Gillie thanked the traveler for saving her and the villagers. With the road safe again, the caravan continued on ahead, with Butler soon approaching the traveler and asking them what they planned to do once they found the old woman who had sent the letter. The traveler reminded Butler that the letter had asked them to help Abrup as a whole, rather than just Sanaan herself. Butler was satisfied by their answer and asked them whether it meant that they would continue sticking around until everyone was safe again.
(A/N: Here, the player can either say that they can’t say for sure, which reduces Authoritarian Morale, or say that they’ll see things through, which increases everyone’s Morale. I chose the second option, which has Butler remind you that everyone’s depending on you, and that you have the full support of Afinas, assuming that they can trust your judgement.)
After Butler left, Alika and Cayne walked up to the traveler and offered them fresh water. The pair then attempted to casually ask what Butler had wanted from them.
(A/N: Here, the player can either say that they had told him that they would see things through, which increases everyone’s Morale, or they can say that they haven’t decided anything yet, which reduces Egoist Morale. I chose the first option, which pleases Alika and Cayne, who tell us that there’s an air of hope about with everyone united together. They also promise to help us find the old woman.)
Soon after, Kan spotted a group of people being chased by monsters, causing Alika to shout out that they needed to save them.
(A/N: Here, the player can either tell Kan not to signal the group to come aboard, which reduces Defender Morale and increases the number of people in the caravan, likely because they’ll probably hop on anyways, or they can clear out the monsters, which increases Defender Morale and increases the number of people in the caravan.)
After the villagers were rescued, the caravan continued on, with Kan informing the traveler that everyone was waiting for food to be distributed, though he noted that they once again didn’t have enough food for everyone.
(A/N: This is the same minigame as before where you have to drag the different sized meats to one of four people, each representing a faction. At this point, I’d already capped out on Morale from all groups, and so I just distributed the food randomly.)
After dinner, Alika told the traveler that they had done the right thing by taking in the refugees. She explained that the refugees’ town had also been destroyed by monsters, and that they had encountered more monsters the closer that they got to the forest, which was why they were taking a detour to the nearby town of Svarti. She then asked the traveler whether they had any food to spare for the newcomers, though Kan interrupted and told them that they barely had enough food for their own people, and that he didn’t believe it fair to make their own people suffer for the sake of strangers.
(A/N: Here, the player can either give the newcomers what the caravan has left, which reduces Egoist Morale and the total amount of food, say that they can’t spare anything for the newcomers, which reduces Defender Morale, or tell everyone that they don’t have any food left for anyone at all, which reduces everyone’s Morale.)
Suddenly, Aruhi reported that the ice which they were crossing hadn’t been able to hold the weight of the caravan, and that it had cracked as a result. He also explained that someone had fallen into the icy river and begun drowning while helping the others escape. Kan reluctantly noted that the snowstorm had almost caught up with them, and that they couldn’t risk everyone just to save a single person.
(A/N: Here, the player can either decide to save them yourself, send a group to rescue them, or say that we can’t afford to stop. None of these choices affect Morale, but I think that it doesn’t matter which choice we make, since it likely leads into the same dialogue anyways.)
Aruhi immediately confronted Kan and informed him that Peytour was the one drowning, demanding to know how Kan could throw his friend’s life away so callously before calling him a monster. Upon hearing this, even Butler - who had originally sided with Kan - changed his mind and suggested that they send a small group, to which the traveler offered to themselves.
(A/N: Offering to go ourselves is the only option we have, and it doesn’t affect Morale. We then save Peytour off-screen.)
After the traveler saved Peytour, the lumberjack soon began to recover from the shock. The traveler asked him how he was feeling, to which he thanked them for saving his life. Upon seeing Kan nearby, he informed Kan that he was doing well, adding that he had mentioned it just in case Kan had been wondering. When Kan remained silent, Peytour asked him whether he had nothing to say, to which Kan uncomfortably replied that he had made the choice that he had to. Peytour acknowledged that he had, and that he couldn’t change it, adding that he feared that Kan would come to regret it.
Kan then awkwardly walked away, after which Peytour told the traveler that Kan had lost his wife six months ago. He explained that at the time, everyone in the village had been out hunting. He noted that though their tradition was to never leave the town unguarded for any reason, it hadn’t been possible in that case. He explained that those had been strange days, as there had been nothing to hunt, even though it hadn’t been winter. Though Kan had known that it would leave the town vulnerable, he had nevertheless believed that everyone would be able to survive the winter if all the hunters had gone together.
(A/N: Although it’s not explicitly stated, it’s suggested that the reason why all the creatures in the forest have gone missing is because PULSAR had captured them in order to experiment on them and turn them into the mutated monsters that we’re fighting in this storyline.)
Peytour explained that since game had been scarce, it had taken the hunters a long time to return, and that when they had, they had been shocked to see that monsters had attacked the village in their absence. Because of this, Kan had grown obsessed with rules after having broken one, which had resulted in the death of his wife. Having had no time to process his emotions, Kan had grown stringent in his attempts to protect the town, though even that had not been able to prevent the monster attack and the snowstorm.
After Peytour finished telling his story, Butler informed the traveler that he was planning to request for reinforcements from Afinas headquarters once again after they arrived in Svarti. He then added that he would take command from them after he did, though he admitted that their leadership had been adequate.
(A/N: Here, the player can either ignore him, which reduces Authoritarian Morale, or remind him that they had taken on leadership because it had been the will of the group, and so they’ll continue doing so as long as the majority wants them to do it, which reduces Authoritarian Morale, but increases Egoist, Defender, and Resident Morale.)
After the traveler rebuffed Butler, Hawalu approached them once again and asked them whether he could sing a song.
(A/N: Here, the player can either say yes, which increases everyone’s Morale, or tell him maybe later, which doesn’t affect Morale, although it might have potentially led to another dialogue tree.)
Soon after, the caravan spotted the next town in the distance, which was enclosed by wooden walls. Alika told the traveler that the town was Svarti, and that Ullan had told her that Kaptafel and Svarti hadn’t always been on good terms, causing the traveler to note that Alika had gotten very close with Ullan. Alika then asked the traveler whether they believed that Svarti would turn them away.
(A/N: Here, the player can either ask Alika what she means by the two towns not being on good terms, or they can tell her that it will be okay. I chose the first option, which has Alika explain that there had been a misunderstanding some time ago, and that it had never been cleared up.)
As the caravan finally arrived at the entrance to Svarti, Kan called out to see if there were any people in the village. Butler noted that the walls were intact, and there had been no sign of a struggle, which led him to wonder whether everyone had simply taken shelter. As they waited for someone to respond, Gurnardson, the chief of Svarti, opened a peephole in the wooden door and noted that he had never expected Kaptafel to suffer so greatly from the monster attacks throughout Abrup.
However, he explained that he couldn’t take in the villagers, as Svarti didn’t have the resources to support them. As he shut the peephole, Butler announced that he was part of the Afinas dispatch tasked with protecting Kaptafel and promised to assist in the defense of Svarti if Gurnardson took them in. Gurnardson then returned and, after considering it, agreed to help, though he warned them that he expected them to abide by his rules, namely that they were responsible for their own food, as Svarti would provide shelter and nothing else.
Noting several sour faces in the crowd, Gurnardson declared that his rule was law in Svarti, and that those who complained were unwelcome. Alika attempted to tell Gurnardson that it was a lot to ask of the villagers, but Butler snapped at Alika to hold her tongue, reminding her that the negotiations didn’t concern her. He then addressed the villagers and told them that the hunters and knights ought to depart as soon as possible, ordering every able-bodied adult to step forward and help.
He then ordered Cayne to come with them as well, reminding both him and Alika that he would punish them if they attempted to undermine his authority again. As they hunted, Cayne began complaining about Butler, explaining that he was not qualified to be a commander because of his attitude and the way that he looked down on Alika because of her age.
Cayne and the traveler then began hunting with the others and brought back Hellfang meat, to which Gurnardson told them that they couldn’t possibly expect the people of Svarti to eat such tough, tasteless meat, for which he relegated it to the caravanners. He then asked them to hunt better meat for the people of Svarti, and though everyone was irritated by Gurnardson’s unreasonable demands, they held their tongues as Kan asked Gurnardson whether Shrelephant meat would do.
The group then went into the forest to hunt the Shrelephants, but just as they were finishing up, they heard Shulla crying out in fear and discovered her being attacked by a Grimgaze Werebeast. After Kan fired an arrow at it, freeing Shulla from its clutches, Cayne and the traveler chased it off. Kan then yelled at Shulla, reminding her that he had told the villagers to stay away from the forest. As he continued berating her, Peytour intervened and told Kan that Shulla didn’t deserve such treatment.
Defeated, Kan told Peytour that he was tired, and that he wanted an end to losing people and sacrificing everything. He explained that he wanted to protect people, but that he couldn’t do it if they couldn’t help themselves. Peytour then attempted to lift Kan’s spirits by explaining that all the people of the village trusted him and cared about him, as none of them would be there without his leadership.
As Kan walked away, Shulla called out after him and apologized for being so weak, though she expressed her commitment in persisting on the hard journey ahead. However, she noted that he was still stuck in the past, explaining that she knew first-hand how that felt, and urged him to overcome his guilt for the monster attack that had led to his wife’s death.
The other hunters agreed and told him that everyone was waiting for him to be his old self again, as the chief who led with his heart. Kan then broke down crying as Shulla, Peytour, and the hunters huddled around him in unison. Seeing the vulnerable moment, Cayne suggested to the traveler that they finish hunting.
After hunting, the pair returned to the entrance to Svarti, where they met up with Kan and the others. Chief Gurnardson then accepted their offering of meat, but declared that there were other matters to discuss first. He explained that they didn’t have enough sleeping quarters for them and told them that they would need something to keep themselves warm, promising to let them in after gathering Werebeast Fur.
A furious Kan then demanded to know how Gurnardson could abandon common decency and use suffering refugees to do his chores. Alika then gently dissuaded Kan, explaining that even though she agreed, they couldn’t afford to lose their tempers, instead suggesting that they prove their differences through their actions. Peytour then told the knights that they should rest, and that he and Kan would finish the task with the traveler. They then brought the furs back, after which Gurnardson haughtily left to find a space for them.
Butler wondered in disgust how someone could treat their neighbors so callously, to which Kan explained that Kaptafel had few dealings with Svarti in the past, as they had merely traded goods, but Svarti had grown suspicious of them, especially when their livestock went missing. As the gate continued remaining shut, Butler suggested forcing their way inside before the snowstorm hit, with Kan noting that he would almost prefer breaking the door down and letting Svarti be attacked by monsters at that point.
Suddenly a loud rumbling shook the ground as Gurnardson and several warriors emerged from the gate. In fear, Gurnardson explained that poison gas was spreading, causing the traveler to realize that it may have come from the same monster they had encountered during their expedition. Knowing that fire arrows was its weakness, the archers shot covering fire while Cayne and the traveler finished it off. Grateful for their intervention, Gurnardson opened the gate and allowed the refugees inside at last.
Windsleep Forest:
Chief Gurnardson led the refugees to a paddock for livestock, laughing that they would find it more comfortable than the frozen snowfields. Kan sadly noted that aside from the walls, their situation was the same as being in the ashes of Kaptafel. As everyone began preparing the beds, Butler ordered an Afinas soldier to provide their new location to headquarters, and to inquire once again if reinforcements were on their way.
Cayne noted that Butler would be reprimanded for his failure in securing a safe living space for the villagers once everything was over. However, the traveler reminded him that the situation was far from over, as they needed to look into why the monster attacks were escalating. Cayne noted that it seemed strange how Afinas headquarters were refusing to send in reinforcements, despite how many unknown factors the knights were facing.
When the traveler asked whether headquarters were short-staffed, Cayne explained that Afinas had thousands of troops at the ready, and so they had no shortage of people unless a war itself were to start. Cayne then left to prepare Alika’s tent, after which the traveler noticed a man from Svarti approaching. When the traveler asked him what had brought him to the paddock, the nervous man introduced himself as Thorson, a distant relative of Chief Gurnardson. Chie Kan then came over and asked Thorson if he had been watching them.
Thorson stuttered that he didn’t have any malicious intentions, but rather, he had merely wanted to meet people from the outside world. Kan furiously began asking if they were spectacles for him, just as the traveler diffused the situation and told Thorson that though they believed that he meant well, Chief Gurnardson hadn’t been kind to the caravanners, which was why they were skeptical of Svarti’s people.
Thorson explained that Gurnardson’s behavior was likely because Svarti itself was in dire straits, as the few who remained were starving after monsters had claimed their livestock, with the fish disappearing from the river as well. He added that Svarti had been suspicious of inviting Kaptafel villagers because of the stories of how Kaptafel had been stealing Svarti’s livestock, though Kan hotly denied the rumor.
The traveler then spoke with Thorson, who explained that because Svarti was a village of fishermen and harpooners, he had recognized that the toxic beast which had just attacked the village was an Actinops, one of the fish that their people used to catch. He explained that Actinops were transparent, down to their blood, and that their taste made them Abrup’s local specialty.
Thorson then wondered whether its pink appearance was because of it eating something pink, adding that Actinops had high regenerative capacities that allowed them to puff themselves up and maintain that form for as long as the wanted, pointing out how far the monster had been able to stretch its arm out. He also revealed that Actinops were poisonous, which lined up with his theory about the toxic beast’s poison. Based on what he knew about Actinops, he told the traveler that their best chance to attack was when it stood still to regenerate.
The traveler then noticed several guards speaking with each other conspicuously. When the traveler asked what was wrong, one of them jumped and began explaining that that they were on their way to take care of the monsters that they had seen on their way to Svarti. When the traveler offered to lend a hand, the guard told them that they could take care of it themselves.
Just then, Hawalu appeared and began singing a song to cheer the Afinas Knights on, which motivated them to do their duty. Suddenly, one of the soldiers collapsed, but got up immediately before explaining that he had felt strange for a moment, and so the other soldiers told him to rest while they went on ahead.
(A/N: Here, the player can either offer to help again, or they can wish the soldiers good luck and let them leave. Even if the player chooses the second option, the quest will reset and require the player to start the conversation all over again, essentially forcing them to choose the first option.)
The soldiers graciously accepted the traveler’s help and noted that the feeling which they had when the traveler had offered to help must be how the villagers had felt when the Afinas Knights had aided them, which made them feel even better about their work. The traveler then defeated the Raging Werebeasts around the area and returned to the soldiers, who thanked the traveler. They explained that though they didn’t have it easy as soldiers, the official Afinas Knights seemed like they never slept at all, noting that Gillie especially took on a lot of work to help the soldiers out.
(A/N: Just to clarify, these soldiers are more like apprentices training to become official Afinas Knights.)
Because of her dedication, the soldiers told the traveler that they were all working hard to become official knights one day. Just then, Butler came over and asked what was going on, furious to know that the soldiers had asked for help to do their job. The traveler attempted to defend them, explaining that they had insisted on taking the soldiers’ responsibilities, but Butler merely replied that there was no need to speak on their behalf, as they answered for their actions.
After the soldiers returned to their post, the traveler told Butler that the soldiers were exhausted, but Butler replied that in wartime, a lack of discipline meant certain defeat. He explained that in his younger days, he had fought for days without sleeping or eating, lambasting the soldiers for complaining about their jobs while having full meals and being able to sleep by warm fires. (A/N: Butler: “bAcK iN mAh dAy…”.)
He then fumed that on top of keeping the soldiers in line, he was dealing with rumors of a massive shadow during the battle at Kaptafel, adding that it was bad for morale. The traveler learned that Williams, one of the soldiers whom they had helped, had been the one who had started the rumor, and so they decided to ask him about it. The traveler met with Williams, who apologized if the traveler had gotten in trouble with Butler on his behalf. The traveler then asked about the massive shadow, but Williams insisted that he must have been hallucinating, afraid of getting in more trouble with Butler. The traveler then explained that they had seen the same thing, but Williams continued denying it.
Kan then arrived and noted that there were quite a few villagers talking about the shadow as well, calling it the ‘smoke shadow’, though no one knew whether it was just a strange cloud or an actual creature. He revealed that the villagers had seen it many times when there had been snowstorms, smoke, or even thick fog, with most assuming that it was the shadow of a mountain or an odd cloud. The traveler then went to the tent where the wounded were being treated, where they discovered Hawalu. Hawalu was glad to see them and offered to sing them a song.
(A/N: The player can choose between “Who Lives in Windsleep Forest”, “Yummy Meat”, “Abrup, Land of Snow”, or “The Wind Blows” when asking Hawalu to sing. We can also talk to Hawalu directly and ask him several different question.
We can ask him if Eyefuls stole his necklace, which he confirms and adds that they also took both Ullan’s and his mother’s hairpin. When we ask about the forest singing, he explains that the spirits of his departed ancestors still lived in the forest and had sent warm winds to Abrup until recently.
We can also ask him his favorite meat, to which he says that he can’t say when Pete is around, implying that it’s Shrelephant meat, though he adds that he likes bread.
We can also ask him about breath-wind, which he explains is the wind of his grandfather, adding that its breeze feels like spring. He adds that he’s heard of a special season called summer on the other side of the mountain and wonders what it's like for the weather to always be hot.
We can also ask him if he likes snow, to which he says that he does, though his mom doesn’t let him eat it. He adds that he doesn’t like snowstorms because he has to stay home all day when they come.)
The traveler then encountered Janyt and Alika taking care of the injured. The traveler asked Janyt whether they could help, but Janyt told them that the blessings of Afinas would suffice for the wounded. Confused, the traveler asked Alika if there was anything that they could do, to which she asked them to find supplies for treating injuries, as there was a limit to Janyt’s Devata healing powers.
She explained that the Abrup people had a traditional remedy made from melted Leatty Crystals, and so she asked them to meet Cayne at the snowfield near the river in order to collect the crystals. At the riverbank, the traveler met Cayne, who noted that they always seemed to come where he was and teasingly asked if they liked him, claiming that they had gone pink in the face.
While collecting the crystals from the Raging Leatty monsters, Cayne wondered whether Butler should have asked for more Devatas from Afinas, explaining that the Devatas were all healers, almost like saints of Afinas. He added that their abilities made them well-respected, especially since it drained their energy to use their special magic.
After collecting the crystals, Cayne and the traveler returned to Svarti and gave them to Alika, who thanked them profusely. The traveler then turned to Janyt and noted that it was amazing that she had been able to heal so many people, which Alika agreed with. However, Janyt claimed that she merely shared the blessings that she had received from Afinas.
Cayne laughed that no one adored Afinas as much as Janyt. Alika then told Cayne and the traveler to rest up while she finished treating the injured. The two then began walking around the area, noting that it was finally starting to look like a proper camp, with the sturdy walls giving people hope. The traveler realized that there seemed to be a sense of calm, noting how many villagers were singing the praises of the Afinas Knights.
Finally having gained some free time, the traveler decided to investigate whether the old woman had stopped by Svarti. They decided to speak with Thorson and asked him whether he knew about the old woman who lived in the cabin in the forest with her granddaughter. After thinking about it a bit, Thorson recognized the description of the old woman and her granddaughter, whom he called a witch.
The traveler was surprised to hear Thorson calling Sanaan’s granddaughter a witch and asked whether Sanaan had visited Svarti several months ago. Thorson explained that he wasn’t sure, as Chief Gurnardson typically dealt with visitors, though he offered to ask the chief on their behalf. As he headed off, Peytour appeared and asked whether they had learned more about Sanaan.
When the traveler told him that Thorson had gone to ask, Peytour noted that Thorson seemed to be quite friendly. The traveler then recalled how Thorson had called Sanaan’s granddaughter a witch, to which Peytour laughed and explained that she was merely different, adding that some people concerned themselves too much with such differences. When the traveler asked how she was different, Peytour clarified that it would be more appropriate to say that she was special, both in her natural abilities and her skin color.
Just then, Alika approached the traveler and gave them medicine, explanting that she had forgotten to give it to them earlier. She then asked Peytour what he meant about Sanaan’s granddaughter being special. Peytour explained that Sanaan and her granddaughter, Blanche, had once been villagers of Kaptafel, though it had been before he had settled in the town proper, and that it was said that Sanaan had raised Blanche since she had been a baby, with the girl’s differences becoming more and more obvious as she had grown.
He explained that while Blanche’s differences weren’t a problem, the villagers had begun to notice her strange characteristics: blue-gray skin, swift running, and incredible archery skills. Peyton told the traveler that though he had never met Blanche personally, the stories that he had heard about her made him imagine that people could very well have feared or even hated her, mainly out of ignorance.
Based on the description of her blue-grey skin, the traveler asked Peytour whether Blanche was a demon. Peytour clarified that she was a half-blood demon from what he had heard, and that Sanaan had taken her into the forest in order to keep her safe. Though that was all he knew, Peytour explained that he had always felt pity for them, as they had been forced to struggle on their own because of the ill treatment of others.
(A/N: Blanche being a half-demon suggests that she has demon ancestry from Tynerum, just like the Demon and Damien, which lines up with Tynerum being a region directly below Leafre in the overseas Dawnveil lore, which includes Tynerum, Arboren, and the Commerci Republic as three regions of the hidden Dawnveil continent. Just to clarify, however, Tynerum in KMS lore is a separate dimension entirely, just like how Grandis and Maple World are different dimensions.
It could be possible that the writers were trying to incorporate the overseas location of Tynerum by having Blanche as a half-demon, although putting the limbo state of Tynerum’s location aside, Blanche’s deep blue skin and white facial markings are quite unlike the typical ash-colored skin common to all the half-blood demons that we’ve seen in the game so far.
On the other hand, though, we’ve seen that the Krakians from Masteria have the same blue skin as Blanche, and even have similar white tribal markings on their faces. My personal headcanon is that Blanche is actually half-Krakian instead of half-demon, and that people’s ignorance about the Krakians - combined with the fact that the surviving Krakians had gone into hiding long ago, and therefore likely needed to be kept secret - means that people mistakenly believed Blanche to be a half-demon, since that’s the closest species they know that could match her description. Her being a swift runner and having great archery skills also adds to this theory, since it lines up with the Krakians’ skills as archers and hunters.)
Just then, Thorson returned with Gurnardson, who told the traveler that they would need to pay for his information about Sanaan, demanding half the Leatty Crystals that they had brought back. The traveler decided that they would collect more, but Alika stopped them and ordered the knights to collect the crystals so that the traveler could first hear the story from Gurnardson.
After being given the crystals, Gurnardson revealed that Sanaan had come twice to Svarti. He explained that the first time she had come, around four or five months ago, she had been looking for Blanche, but as Svarti had no outsiders at the time, Gurnardson had turned her away. Meanwhile, her second visit had been around two months ago, shortly before the monster attacks, though Gurnardson explained that he had turned her away again. He then revealed that he had overheard her mumbling about returning home, and so he believed that Svarti may have been the last place where she had looked for her granddaughter before going back into the forest.
The traveler and Alika immediately realized that if she had returned to her cabin, then she was in danger from the monster attacks. When Gurnardson asked the traveler why they were looking for Sanaan, the traveler explained that she had been the one who had called them to Abrup. Peytour noted that in a way, they had Sanaan to thank for their survival, as her letter had led the traveler to aiding Kaptafel. However, he told the traveler that it was too dangerous to venture into the woods, as there was no guarantee that Sanaan was still there.
The traveler acknowledged his concerns, but pointed out that every second counted if Sanaan was truly in danger. Peytour then had an idea and told them to give him a moment. While they waited, the traveler noted that Alika seemed to have something on her mind. After hesitating, Alika told the traveler to be careful and to come back safely. As Alika walked off, the traveler went to see Peytour, who gave them a map of Windsleep Forest.
He explained that Sanaan’s cabin was beyond the Grim Vale in Windsleep Forest and warned them not to enter the Grim Vale under the current circumstances, instead suggesting them to take the path around it. However, he added that they should make camp in the canyon of Grim Vale if they needed to spend the night in the forest, as they would be more secluded while they rested. He then prayed that the breath of Windsleep Forest be with them as they made their perilous journey.
(A/N: Throughout this story, the people of Abrup make a lot of references to the breath of Windsleep Forest, which our conversation with Hawalu reveals is the breath of their ancestors sending warm winds against the cold of Abrup. The way that they say “May the breath of Windsleep Forest be with you” is very reminiscent of how people in Star Wars say “May the Force be with you”.)
Just as the traveler decided to head out, they unexpectedly met Thorson on the path outside. Thorson warned the traveler that the forest was dangerous and gave them a special relic which had been passed down as an heirloom in Svarti for generations, though he asked them not to tell the chief that he had given it to them. He explained that he had been waiting for the day when he could do good for someone, to which the honored traveler promised to return it when they came back. They then set out and began fighting through the monsters, noting how eerily silent it was.
(A/N: The Svarti heirloom is actually a permanent badge that you obtain. Despite what we say, we don’t ever really give it back.)
Suddenly, they heard Alika screaming and rushed back to discover Alika and Pete, Ullan’s pet Shrelephant, surrounded by monsters. After defeating them, the concerned traveler asked Alika why she had followed them, to which she explained that she had been worried about them, and that she couldn’t let them go on their own. Though she knew that they could defend themselves, she told the traveler that she had packed medicine, a compass, blankets, and emergency rations for the journey ahead. The traveler then realized that the reason why she had rushed out earlier while talking with Peytour was because she had been packing.
The traveler attempted to convince Alika to return home to safety, but Alika reminded them that she had become the youngest Apprentice Scholar of Afinas because of her talents, and so she was confident that she would be able to help them, adding that she had come too far for the traveler to ask her to turn back without escorting her safety. The traveler, both amused and annoyed by her nerve, reluctantly allowed her to stay.
As they continued heading through the forest, Alika tied several red ribbons around the trees along the way, explaining that it would mark the path that they had taken in case they got lost. Soon after, they were surprised to encounter a flying Eyeful monster, which opened a portal and led them somewhere inside a canopy in the trees.
Inside the canopy, the pair noticed many treasures kept inside, including the brooch that Cayne had lost, causing them to realize that the flying Eyeful was the culprit behind the many thefts around Abrup. Realizing that there were many other treasures there, Alika suggested that they collect the items and return them back to their owners.
After exiting the portal, they continued deeper into the forest and noticed how beautiful it was, with the leaves of the trees frozen and sparkling. They then noticed a pink, jellyfish-like creature on the ground and wondered whether it was a type of mushroom. Between the flying Eyeful and the strange pink plant, Alika wondered what was happening in the forest. As the pink plant’s tentacles pulsed, Alika noted that it seemed pretty. As she continued touching it, the plant shivered and released pink pollen, which gathered a horde of monsters.
The pair began defending themselves from the onslaught, but as Alika began to get overwhelmed, she threw a large rock onto the pink plant and crushed it. To her surprise, the monsters around them froze in place, causing her to realize that the pink plant was controlling the monsters, with it sending out the pollen after interpreting her touch as a threat.
Though the traveler was intrigued, they reminded Alika to be careful, as there was much about the forest that they didn’t know. Alika apologized, but wondered what kind of a creature had the power to control other living things, as she had never seen anything like it in the field, or in her books. Though she considered whether the plant was the cause of the monster mutations, and whether it was native to Abrup, she realized that they didn’t have time to investigate, and so she instead decided to gather samples of the plant to bring back to Afinas headquarters for study.
Immediately upon taking the plant, however, the two were caught in a gust of wind that send them floating into the trees. As they soared into the air, they noticed a fortified town in the distance and realized that it could keep the people of Kaptafel safe. They continued soaring through the air until landing on the ground, though the traveler landed hard on a frozen lake that cracked its surface, causing them to fall into the icy waters. The traveler struggled to remain afloat, losing consciousness just as Alika rushed to save them.
Soon after, they regained consciousness and thanked Alika for saving them. Noticing that the sun was setting, Alika suggested that they make camp for the night. Recalling that Peytour had suggested sleeping in Grim Vale, they headed deeper into the vale and found a cave to camp in. The traveler also realized that Alika hadn’t yet eaten, and so they decided to gather food and told her to wait inside.
After gathering Shrelephant meat, they returned to find that Alika had set up a fire. As they prepared soup and began eating, Alika heard someone crying, though the traveler told her that it was the wind. After a moment of silence, Alika noted that it had been a long day, with the traveler agreeing and mentioning how they had been traveling non-stop since leaving Kaptafel.
Alika then revealed that she wondered whether she was doing enough for those who relied on her, or if she was a burden on those she meant to help. The traveler reassured her that she worked too hard for that to be true, though Alika apologized for burdening them by following them all the way out to the forest. However, the traveler waved away her apology, reminding her how she had saved them from drowning.
As they reminisced about how their campfire felt just like the night they had camped at the destroyed village during their expedition, Alika recalled how the traveler had asked her about her dreams. She revealed that she had never told anyone about her dreams before, as she feared that telling someone would make them come true. However, she told the traveler that just this once, she felt that she could safely tell them.
(A/N: The dream that she describes is the same animated cutscene of Julieta and Blanche that we see at the beginning of Act 1.)
She explained that in her dreams, it was always dark and cold, and that she always saw the same girl running through a black forest, chased by an unknown person or thing. Though her skin was bruised and battered from falling, she would continue going forward. The dream would then skip ahead to her lying still on the barren snowfield, though Alika affirmed that the girl was alive, adding that she would always feel as though she was that girl upon awakening, with the dream reoccurring every night for months.
(A/N: Alika’s description of what happens in the dream reveals that she mistakenly believes Blanche and Julieta to be the same person, although I don’t really see how that could happen when they look nothing alike.)
She explained that she wondered what the dream meant, and whether the girl was awaiting her somewhere or if she needed help, adding that she felt that having the same dream each night was significant, especially because her father was in her dream as well, wearing his usual Afinas Scholar robes, though she couldn’t say whether he was saving the girl or if he had more sinister motives.
She then revealed that the reason why she had followed the traveler was because she felt that there was something waiting for her in Windsleep Forest. Though she lamented that she had found nothing yet, the traveler assuaged her by saying that she had taken the first step towards resolution. Alika laughed and thanked the traveler, claiming that they were starting to remind her of her friend.
(A/N: Here, the player can either ask her if she’s talking about Cayne, or say that her friend must be quite thoughtful, just like themselves. If the player chooses the first option, she tells them that Cayne is a good friend, but that she’s talking about another, very important friend. If the player chooses the second option, she laughs and tells them that she thinks that her friend would get along with them quite well. Regardless of which option is chosen, the same follow-up dialogue choice is presented, in which the player can either ask her to tell them more, or say that they would like to meet her friend sometime, which both lead into the same dialogue.)
Alika explained that her friend’s name was Vivere, and that they were best friends and practically family. As they had been together for so long, Alika explained that it bothered her that they had never been apart for so long.
(A/N: There’s a very dynamic and involved dialogue tree here, and it was extremely difficult for me to format it in a good way, and so I’ll just summarize everything that we learn. It’s impossible to get all the possible information in any single playthrough, and so this requires quite a few replays in order to get the whole thing. Fortunately, I was able to cheat and close the game right at the very end of the conversation, which brought me back to the very start of the cutscene once I reopened it.
About Vivere: Alika tells us that Vivere isn’t a Scholar, but she assures us that Vivere is much smarter than her. She explains that learning comes naturally to Vivere, as opposed to herself, who had been expected to study from a young age. When we ask Alika whether she’s jealous of Vivere, Aliak denies it and tells us that she’s genuinely happy to have a friend like Vivere, who’s had a huge impact on her life.
She then asks us what she appears to us as, clarifying by saying that she wants to know what kind of person we think she is. We tell her that she’s kind and smart and cheerful, to which Alika laughs and tells us that she wishes that she could show us her true self - elegant and graceful. She then explains that Vivere is the reason why she can stay bright and cheerful, as she would have been a miserable shut-in with her books without Vivere’s influence, adding that Vivere is her only family.
Regarding how the two of them met, Alika explains that when she was five years old, her father had gone on a long observational study, and when he returned, he had brought back Vivere with him. At the time, she hadn’t cared where Vivere had come from or why she was there, only that she had a new friend to keep her company.
About her father: Alika tells us that it was difficult studying since a young age because she was hardly ever praised, as nothing she did was enough for her father, while everything she accomplished was credited to him by others. Because of this, she had tried harder than anyone to be perfect so that no one could possibly find fault with her, which she claimed was worth it, because that drive had led her to becoming the youngest Apprentice Scholar in the history of Afinas.
She also tells us that her favorite quote is, “If you can dream it, you can do it”, which has kept her going the whole time. Regarding her father, she tells us that he’s her biological family, but that she feels like Vivere is her real family. She explains that her father has always been more of a Scholar than a parent, to the point that it’s hard for her to remember that they’re related.
We point out that he’s still her father, to which she concedes that he’s provided a lot for her materially by paying for her studies, which had made it possible for her to meet Cayne and Vivere. She also notes that it’s hard for her to escape accusations that she’s only in her position because of her father, and that her father’s refusal to correct them has further created a rift between them.
About Cayne: Alika tells us that we likely already know how she first met Cayne since he talks about it so much. She explains that Cayne was assigned to be her bodyguard about three years ago. She notes that he was a rising star in the Afinas Knights, and that he had volunteered for the job, though at the time, she had suspected that he had only wanted to get into her father’s good graces.
She tells us that, at first, she had been intensely uncomfortable, as she had been worried that he would report her every move, or order her about on her father’s authority, though she had been surprised that he genuinely cared about her, for which she had soon grown to trust him. She tells us that she’s confident that Cayne is always looking out for her, and that he’ll be there to keep her safe.
About Afinas: Alika tells us that Afinas is a research organization centered on studies of the self, and that it was founded by philosophers hundreds of years ago in order to answer questions such as where people come from, who they are, and where they’re going. Though she notes that monster research could reveal new leads in the search for those answers, she believes that there’s no way that it could be a high priority, since an Apprentice Scholar like herself had been assigned to it. She then laughs that she’s just given us a textbook answer, explaining that such things are what Afinas would drum into our heads if we ever joined Afinas.
When we note how Cayne had mentioned that Afinas had thousands of soldiers at the ready, Alika confirms that’s true, thought she adds that she doesn’t know the exact number. She then adds that there are even more soldiers counting deployed teams and reserve soldiers. She explains that since Afinas is focused on studies of humanities, the organization takes a huge interest in the betterment of mankind and the protection of the less fortunate. She tells us that though Afinas had started as a group of scholars, it now has more knights and volunteers than researchers, which has allowed their people to expand to all sorts of remote places, giving them a greater sense of pride and confidence.
About her dreams: Alika tells us that it’s embarrassing to talk about her dreams, to which we tell her that she shouldn’t be embarrassed before asking why she should care if someone doesn’t like her dreams. Alika laughs and agrees, though she makes us promise not to tell Cayne. She then tells us that since she’s only left Afinas headquarters a few times in her life, she wants to travel to a new world, where no one knows about Afinas, and live amongst its people and share her knowledge for the good of all. We tell her that it’s a good dream, though we ask why she wants to hide it from Cayne. Alika explains that in a perfect world, she shouldn’t need to, as she would have both Cayne and Vivere to be there with her.
At the end of all dialogue paths, she tells us that she wants to ask as something, which has to be kept secret from everyone. She then asks us whether we want to join Afinas. We can either say yes or no, but it doesn’t really make a difference, since she asks us to seek her out if you change your mind in the case that we say no.)
Realizing that it was getting late, the traveler suggested that Alika head to bed. Alika wondered whether they would survive the night, to which the traveler reassured her that they would. Upon noting their hesitant expression, Alika promised them that they would find Sanaan, as the breath of Windsleep Forest was with her. She explained that she had always wondered what that greeting meant, and that she now finally understood it, adding that it felt as though the breath of Windsleep Forest was what had led them on their journey.
The two then went to sleep, though a few hours later, the traveler was awoken in the middle of the night by the sound of Alika having a nightmare. After the traveler went to sleep again, they woke up the next morning to find that Alika and Pete had gotten up early, eager to continue their mission. However, Alika suggested that they leave Pete back at the camp, as she was worried that he would be in danger from the monsters ahead.
After leaving Pete behind, the pair headed out and began fighting past the monsters on the way. Throughout the forest, they noticed that the pink plants, which Alika named Jellyrashes, were on the trees, spewing out pollen that controlled the monsters. As they proceeded onward, Alika fell into a deep hole in the ground, unable to climb out. As the traveler looked around for a rope, they cut a long piece of slime from a Jellyrash as a makeshift one in order to life Alika out.
Alika then noted that the hole must have been dug by someone, meaning that someone had to be living nearby. The pair then continued onward, noting more traps and monsters around them before finally reaching Sanaan’s cabin, which they were pleased to see had been untouched by monsters. Inside, they found the cabin empty, but with no signs of a struggle, they concluded that Sanaan had likely fled to a safer place.
As they looked through the cabin, the traveler discovered a journal, with its latest entry dated from last month, along with a cup of dried soup, a single slipper, a ball of yarn that had likely fallen out while Sanaan had been packing, as well as a photo of Sanaan and Blanche. Upon seeing Blanche’s face, Alika was shocked and began to tell the traveler something, just as she was interrupted by the screeching of monsters outside.
(A/N: Alika was about to tell us that she recognizes Blanche as the girl from her nightmare.)
Looking through the window, the pair were shaken to find an immense horde of powerful monsters being led by a massive tentacled creature, which the traveler immediately recognized as the giant shadow. Fearing that the army was heading for Svarti, the traveler and Alika decided to follow them. Upon leaving the cabin, the two encountered a Frostflail Yeti, which began attacking them.
The traveler began to fight the Frostflail Yeti, with their battle prolonging due to an incoming snowstorm. Alika noted that the monster army was getting away and suggested heading for the trees. The traveler apologized for not being able to finish the Yeti off, explaining that the snowstorm had forced them to keep a distance, and that its tough hide had made it difficult to kill.
Alika reassured them that it wasn’t their fault, explaining that the Fembris in Kaptafel, the Actinops in Svarti, and the Frostflail Yeti were all different from usual monsters, lamenting that there wasn’t time to research their mutations in order to determine the cause of their frenzy. The traveler decided that they would gather samples for Alika and give them to her later, after which the pair continued to follow the army.
As they continued jumping across the trees, they noticed that there were several red ribbons which they had placed on the branches during their expedition into the forest, which caused them to realize that the monsters were heading towards Svarti. As there were too many for them to fight, they resolved to find a way to draw the monsters away from the village. Suddenly, Alika noticed the Jellyrashes on the trees and realized that the monsters being controlled by the Jellyrash pollen would stop moving if the Jellyrashes were destroyed. To their surprise, however, destroying one of the Jellyrashes in the trees caused the monsters to start clawing at the trees in an attempt to reach the traveler and Alika.
The traveler realized that the monsters were following them, and so Alika suggested that they make the monsters chase them away from Svarti. The pair then continued destroying Jellyrashes and leading the monsters away from Svarti before finding a frozen lake. Recalling how they had fallen in earlier, the traveler decided to set a trap by finding a weak point in the ice. Suddenly, however, the large tentacled monster appeared and prepared to attack. As they prepared to run, Pete the Shrelephant appeared to rescue them. Climbing aboard, the traveler and Alika fled from the monster, but found themselves on the edge of a cliff. (A/N: I failed this jump quest so many times. This was as bad as the airship minigame in Black Heaven.)
With no choice, Pete jumped off the edge and used his trunk as a propeller to ease their fall, though the tentacled monster continued to pursue by scaling down the cliff. The three eventually crashed through the icy surface of the lake and sank deep into its waters.
Harmonious Abrup:
Alika took the unconscious traveler back to the villagers, where she learned that Svarti had also fallen. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to convince the villagers that the giant monster was real, noting that their despair had resulted in them turning on each other and squabbling instead of facing reality. However, Alika believed that they needed to face the incoming monster attack together as one people if they had any hope of surviving.
As the villagers headed for Skuas Fortress in their caravan, the traveler awoke to the sight of the concerned villagers. Peytour thanked them for their actions in leading the monsters away from Svarti, which he attributed to being the reason why they had been able to fend the monsters off and escape. Alika explained that Svarti’s wooden walls had been destroyed, though Svarti itself hadn’t been razed like Kaptafel or the other towns.
When the traveler asked why they had evacuated if Svarti still stood, Alika told them that it was because they couldn’t hope to withstand another monster attack. She then explained that the town that they had seen while floating in the air during their expedition in Grim Vale was a fortress called Skuas, which had been built into the natural defenses of the land, allowing it to stand for over 300 years.
(A/N: The MSEA localization actually says that Skuas was the impregnable fortress that stopped the war 300 years ago. Aside from the Phantom and Cygnus Knight storylines, this is the only other reference in the game that mentions that such a war ever took place. I would take the MSEA translation lightly, as it’s not mentioned anywhere in GMS.)
Noting the expression on the traveler’s face, Alika told them not to consider it to be running away, but as an opportunity for them to rally together and plan how to strike back. Though she admitted that not everyone had been in agreement, they had all compromised to travel to Skuas before deciding how to proceed from there. After Alika brought the traveler some soup, she explained that Pete had saved them, to which Cayne bitterly noted that they didn’t need a knight to help after all.
As Alika profusely apologized once again, the traveler realized that Cayne was upset that Alika had snuck out of town without telling him. The caravan soon arrived at Skuas, where Birna, the chief of the town, greeted the refugees. She explained that it was natural for Skuas to aid their kin, as their ancestors had taught them to unite against adversity. She apologized for not sending aid when their villages had been attacked, as they had little to offer, but offered lodging for them as soon as it could be prepared.
As Birna left to oversee preparations, the Afinas Knights noted that Skuas was an admirable fortress which could be the perfect means for counterattack after improving its natural defenses. Just then, Birna returned and explained that it wouldn’t be possible to take in everyone, though she offered a place for the wounded, the old, the weak, and the children to stay at the local inn, medicine from their general store, and an open field for the others to pitch their tents. Butler then asked about Skuas’ military forces, and so Birna led him for an assessment.
Gurnardson and Kan then got into an argument about whether they should have stayed in Svarti, with Gurnardson noting that with the holes in Skuas’ walls, it would have been better to stay in Svarti, where they had beds. Meanwhile, the Afinas soldiers began whispering amongst themselves over whether the Afinas reinforcements were actually coming.
Just then, Gillie broke up their talk and reminded them that they had no time to be gossiping about headquarters when the villagers were watching them. The traveler then organized the villagers and met with Birna and the Skuas soldiers. Alika addressed the entire group and explained how they had discovered the giant monster leading an army during their expedition to find the old woman who had summoned the traveler.
The traveler added that they had spent many years adventuring across Maple World, coming to rely on their own power, but explained that the threats in Abrup were such that even they were helpless. However, they told the group that they were strong together and rallied them into uniting against the monsters. However, the villagers claimed that they had no experience fighting monsters and looked to Afinas to protect them.
Suddenly, Sanaan stepped forward and told the crowd that it wasn’t the job of the traveler or Afinas to help them, but rather, it was their own fight to save their own home. The traveler immediately recognized Sanaan as the one who had sent them the letter. Ullan then stepped forward and reminded Aruhi that he needed to find his missing daughter, with the traveler adding that there was much to help out with, and not all of it fighting, which slowly helped rally more to lend their support, ignoring the protests of Gurnardson.
After the traveler’s speech, Birna told them not to concern themselves with the naysayers amongst the group, as they understood what was needed for triumph. She noted that the common ground they had was that they all wanted to survive, which would help rally everyone together. She explained that Skuas had taken in many refugees in the past, and that it wasn’t the first time that they had faced such hardships. She also added that such meetings were necessary to unite the people, and that their actions would be told in stories for generations.
The traveler then met with Sanaan after their long search. Peytour expressed how relieved he was to see that she was safe, as did Kan and Gurnardson. As the two chiefs sheepishly apologized for turning her away, Birna castigated them for having forgotten what she had said about considering the needs of their kin, demanding to know how they could call themselves leaders by behaving so cruelly.
After a shocked pause, Kan asked Birna not to treat them like children, explaining that they needed to make tough decisions for the good of their people. However, Birna retorted that she was treating him like a chief, which meant holding him to a higher standard. Sanaan then told Birna not to worry herself with lectures, as her being in Skuas was all that mattered. She then turned to the traveler and welcomed them to Abrup.
The traveler apologized for keeping her waiting, but Sanaan dismissed their apology, noting that they had clearly had their hands full. Birna added that they were every bit the hero that people claimed, even having managed to bring together two hard-headed chiefs such as Kan and Gurnardson. However, the traveler pointed out Alika and explained that the credit for uniting the chiefs should go to her.
Sanaan thanked them both sincerely and told them that their kindness meant a great deal to her. She explained that on her long search for her granddaughter, she had seen the transformation of the monsters firsthand, though she had been saved by Elva, the general store owner, who had brought her to Skuas. Unable to search for Blanche or wait for her at their cabin, Sanaan explained that all she could do was write hundreds of letters begging for help, though she noted that the traveler was the only one who had answered her call.
Though the traveler told her that they hadn’t been able to find Blanche, Sanaan told them not to be sorry, as what they had done was far greater than helping one old woman. Alika then gave Sanaan the picture of her and Blanche, for which Sanaan thanked her, explaining that her only regret had been leaving the picture behind. The traveler noted that Blanche was special, which Sanaan agreed with.
Suddenly, Ullan heard them speak Blanche’s name and ran over to ask if it was true that Blanche was missing, and immediately running off when they confirmed it. When the traveler asked why Ullan was upset, a sad Sanaan told them that she was stuck remembering something from the past, noting that it was a shame that people still didn’t understand that being stuck in the past without acknowledging their mistakes prevented them from moving forward in the future, to which Birna and Peytour agreed.
Just then, Butler and the other knights arrived, causing Sanaan to tell them to meet her later for a chat after they finished attending to their duties. Butler then asked the traveler what their next move was, to which the traveler suggested blocking the path to Skuas and repairing the walls. Butler approved of their plan and looked to Peytour, who explained that they had many options all around them for creating the roadblock, with both the traveler and Alika realizing that he was referring to wood.
Unexpectedly, a surprisingly sober Aruhi also volunteered to help gather wood, along with several other soldiers from Kaptafel and Skuas offering to provide defense. Cayne asked the traveler whether they were planning to catch an Eyeful in a hollow tree, noting that there was a reason they had become thieves, much to the traveler’s confusion.
The group then headed out and began fighting the Petreefied Eyefuls for their wood. During their mission, Aruhi approached the traveler and asked if they believed that he was clean. When both the traveler and Peytour confirmed it, Aruhi revealed that the day when he had returned home from the Skuas market, he had seen footprints everywhere, which he had followed to see friends and loved ones being carried away screaming by demons covered head to toe in steel armor painted white.
(A/N: This is yet another allusion to PULSAR, with the word ‘demon’ being used as a figure of speech, just in case anyone was wondering with Blanche being described as a half-demon.)
Aruhi admitted that he had hidden like a coward, waiting for it all to end. However, he remained adamant that he had been telling the truth the entire time and asked if they believed him now that he had become sober. Peytour sadly noted that there were no other witnesses, and that the kidnappers had left no trace, but the traveler decided to ask people from other villages to corroborate Aruhi’s story, causing Aruhi to profusely thank the traveler for trusting him.
The group then finished collecting wood and began heading back when they saw Slaka being chased by monsters. After they defeated the monsters, Peytour confronted Slaka and demanded to know how he had the nerve to return after stealing the caravan’s food. Slaka retorted by asking how Peytour could treat him so coldly when he had decided to turn back and return to help the villagers. The traveler then asked why he had stolen their food, to which Slaka sheepishly told them not to worry about it for now.
He explained that at the top of the El Nath Mountains, he had been able to view the entire Abrup Basin, from where he had seen a giant silhouette surrounded by a red snowstorm, out of which thousands of monsters were spilling out. Realizing that the same thing had happened before Kaptafel had been attacked, Slaka explained that he had returned to warn them that the red snowstorm was still raging around Windsleep Forest. Though they were annoyed at Slaka stealing their food, the group nevertheless thanked him for his information and took him back to Skuas, though Peytour put him to work immediately.
The traveler then noted that Peytour and Aruhi had good instincts in their striking ability with axe throws while fighting monsters and realized that they had potential as fighters. The traveler decided to train them both by sparring with them at once, overwhelming the pair with their strength. While taking a break, the traveler noticed that Ullan was upset and went to speak with her. Ullan broke down and explained that it was her fault that Blanche was gone. She told the traveler that she and the other children of Kaptafel used to play with Blanche when they were younger, but because of her unnatural skin color and strength, the children had started bullying her and called her a monster, after which Sanaan and Blanche had left town, never to return.
Ullan explained that she blamed herself for forcing Blanche away into the cabin, which had resulted in her getting kidnapped with the others in the forest. The traveler then told Ullan that she could apologize to Sanaan, silently realizing that they could also ask her about Aruhi’s story. They then went to see Sanaan and asked why she was standing outdoors. She explained that Einar, the young man who lived in the house she was standing outside, had shut himself inside again. The traveler then asked her whether she had seen any suspicious strangers in the forest six months ago, though Sanaan told them that she hadn’t seen the kidnappers.
As Sanaan and Elva led the traveler to a fire, Sanaan asked them whether they had seen the Jellyrashes in the forest and explained that the giant creature controlled all the monsters of the forest through the Jellyrashes, which it created by mixing a strange red powder that it produced with the snow that it kicked up, creating a massive red snowstorm. She told the traveler that she had only seen it once, and that it had been tearing parts of its own body off. The traveler suddenly realized that if they were to destroy the Jellyrashes faster than the monster produced them, they would be able to limit the monsters that it could control to only the ones directly around itself.
After speaking with Sanaan, the traveler met with Elva, who explained that she might be able to answer their question about suspicious individuals because of the rumors she heard as a store owner. She told them that one of their herb gatherers had seen several suspicious people in the forest wearing white steel armor that covered even their face, such that it would be easy to lose them in a blizzard. Realizing that Aruhi’s story lined up with hers, the traveler asked who the herb gatherer was, to which Elva explained that he had gone into the forest to find his missing wife and never returned.
She then asked the traveler for a favor, explaining that the chaos with the monsters had left her short on supplies, and so she asked them together Eyeful antennae, Optusa leaves, Leatty Crystals, and vials of clear Actinops blood. The traveler brought the ingredients to her, after which Elva let them keep her notes on ingredients. She then explained that she was helping Sanaan mend armor for those who needed it, such as Einar.
(A/N: You can either choose to give her a piece of armor or say that you don’t have any. Offering something doesn’t actually remove anything from your inventory.)
After finishing refurbishing a helmet, Sanaan explained that she hoped that it would give Einar the courage to go outside. Suddenly, the group heard a noise and went to investigate. At the town square, they found Gurnardson and Slaka arguing about his being in the town. Just then, Cayne arrived and amusedly asked the traveler if they should break up the fight. He explained that he had come back from training the villagers, who had lined up to join after seeing the traveler train Peytour and Aruhi.
Before they could break up the fight, Kan and Thorson arrived to separate the pair, though even they were unsuccessful. Chief Birna then arrive and chided Gurnardson and Slaka for squabbling when everyone around them was working hard. After the pair left, Sanaan gently told Birna not to scold them too hard, as the pair didn’t have the years of experience that they did. She added that the conflict would help shape them into understanding the necessity of cooperation.
Just then, a miner appeared and told Birna that they had successfully finished testing the new ballista, though they needed more wood to make others. When the traveler asked about the ballista, Birna explained that Alika had drafted several blueprints for possible weapons, and that they had chosen to build the ballista because of the few resources it required.
The traveler and Birna then noted that Gurnardson had a sour expression and went to speak with him. Gurnardson claimed that Slaka had started the argument by asking why they weren’t doing anything, to which Birna interrupted and noted that Slaka was right in asking why he hadn’t been doing anything. When Gurnardson and Thorson stammered that there was nothing to be done, the traveler pointed out that there was always something to do.
After a pause, Gurnardson asked the traveler to teach them how to fight with their harpoons. The traveler agreed, but explained that they hadn’t taught Peytour and Aruhi to fight with axes, but to use their experience as woodcutters to fight. At the training area, Gillie oversaw the sparring match and gave pointers to the harpooners as they fought with the traveler. Impressed by their tactics, Gillie suggested incorporating nets into their attacks in order to trap monsters.
As they continued their sparring practice, Sanaan arrived to let the traveler know that their food supplies were nearly gone. Empowered by his sparring match, Gurnardson offered to join the expedition for food while Slaka offered to lead the way, as he was enamored by Elva. As the group hunted Shrelephants, they noticed an Eyeful and began chasing after it, which led to them being teleported to its lair.
The group discovered the treasure trove that the Eyeful had stolen, including a cattle name tag. Slaka realized that the monsters had eaten the cattle and the Eyeful had brought the tags back to its nest, which meant that Kaptafel hadn’t stolen the Svarti cattle as they had claimed. The traveler then discovered an orange helmet and realized that it could be a helmet from the armored people that Aruhi and Elva had been talking about.
(A/N: This is the same helmet that PULSAR soldiers wear, which explicitly confirms their involvement and corroborates Aruhi’s story.)
As they returned back to Skuas, Fembris appeared in their path and the traveler jumped forward to defend the group. The traveler bravely faced Fembris and, with the help of the harpooners and their nets, they managed to defeat it. They returned back to Skuas, where the traveler gave Aruhi the helmet from the Eyeful nest to prove that he was telling the truth. As he broke down crying, the others felt guilty and profusely apologized to him for doubting his story.
The traveler then showed the helmet to Cayne and Alika, who asked whether they had found it in the forest. When the traveler explained that they had found it in an Eyeful nest, Alika noted that there were likely more such nests. The traveler agreed and told Alika that they had also brought back many stolen items as well. They then asked what she had done with the other items from the first nest they had discovered, to which she explained that she had left them at the general store as a common area where people could look for their belongings. Cayne happily chimed in that he had been able to recover his brooch.
The three then began heading to the general store in order to place the stolen items there, but they were stopped by Ullan and several other villagers, who explained that they were on their way there as well in order to apologize to Sanaan. Ullan, Kan, and the other villagers then tearfully apologized to Sanaan, who was touched and told them that even though she had moved on, she appreciated them thinking of her and Blanche. She reassured Ullan that it wasn’t her fault that Blanche had gone missing, and that she had never once thought of blaming her for it.
Kan then offered a place in Kaptafel, but Sanaan politely declined, explaining that she couldn’t leave her cabin until Blanche returned. Kan told her that all the villagers had given up on finding their missing family members except for Aruhi, whose vindication had led him to decide that Kaptafel would resume the search for their missing loved ones, including Blanche. The traveler then went with Alika and Cayne to deliver the lost items to Elva, who told them that over half the missing items from the first lot had been claimed, including a necklace that belonged to Einar’s sister. She explained that she had given him his sister’s locket and Sanaan’s armor, though he had cried a lot upon receiving them.
After delivering the missing items, the traveler told Alika and Cayne about their battle with Fembris. The pair noted that if Fembris had been sighted at the edge of Windsleep Forest, it meant that they needed to prepare for attack, though they knew that they had no time left. Alika explained that the ballistas had been completed, with construction of the catapults nearly being complete.
In order to check on the wall repairs, the group went to see Birna and told her that Fembris had been sighted near Skuas, and that it had been leading the first wave during the attacks on Kaptafel and Svarti. Just as the traveler offered to help repair the walls, Thorson, Aruhi, Elva, Slaka, and Ullan arrived with Sanaan and pledged their support as well.
As the group worked on repairing the walls, Einar arrived and asked the traveler if he could join in and help avenge his sister. He explained that he had lost his parents at a young age, and that he had done everything that he could to help his little sister by performing manual labor such as hauling barrels, cutting wood, and sweeping chimneys, which was how he had gotten strong.
After finishing hauling stones for the wall, the traveler led Einar to the training grounds, where Cayne offered to help him with his technique while the traveler sparred with them. The traveler was hesitant about Cayne’s teaching, as his only two instructions were for Einar to block and stab, though Alika promised the traveler that Afinas taught their knights better than Cayne did.
After the traveler finished sparring with them, the group decided to take a break. Einar then asked Cayne whether his kindness was because of what he had learned from Sanaan, though Cayne told him that Sanaan had asked for him to be treated like everyone else. The traveler added that Sanaan was worried for him, to which Einar vowed to repay her kindness, telling the traveler that their speech had moved him, particularly the part in which they had described how there had always been people who had helped them during their journey. He then decided to tell his story to the pair, explaining that his parents had died shortly after his sister, Julieta, had been born.
(A/N: This story sort of spoils the plot twist with the giant monster, since we already know from the boss’ name that it's actually Einar’s sister. Although I enjoy MONAD’s story overall, the pacing of the third act could definitely have been given some more time to breathe, since it feels like all the information about Julieta is crammed into here without any real buildup in the first two acts.)
Though there had been a large age gap between the two, Einar told the pair that he had cared deeply about her, and that he had taken whatever odd jobs he could do in order to support them both. He revealed that the day after many townspeople had disappeared, he had gone out alone to cut trees, despite Julieta’s protests for him not to go, and despite his own fear as well. Before he had been able to leave town, however, Birna had stopped him and asked him to help with something else in town. Because of this, Julieta - not knowing that he hadn’t left town - had packed a lunch for him and had left for the forest in order to deliver it to him, never to be seen again.
Einar told the pair that he was cursed, believing it to be his fault that his entire family was gone. Though Cayne attempted to tell him not to blame himself, Einar explained that he regretted everything that he hadn’t done to prevent Julieta’s disappearance. However, he admitted that it was now the other way around, as the kindness of Birna, Elva, and Sanaan had spurred him to leave his home and stop wallowing in his own remorse.
He then showed them a locket containing a photo of himself and Julieta, with Cayne noting that she looked quite different from him with her pink eyes and hair. Einar then thanked the traveler for helping him realize that he needed to take a stand and committed himself to fighting the monsters and atoning for abandoning Julieta. Invigorated, the three then decided to spar for a while until Cayne noted that Alika was speaking intently with Birna, a serious look on her face.
(A/N: Here, Einar tells the player that he’s fine practicing on his own, and we get the option to either leave him alone or spar with him for a while.)
Cayne told the traveler that Einar reminded him of himself, explaining that the effort that Einar was putting into training was the same effort that had gotten him recognized by Afinas, adding that he had great popularity there. Just then, Gillie arrived and claimed that his fans had dwindled in number. She told the traveler that Cayne had used to be highly popular while rising through the ranks of the Afinas Knights, as he had started young and had flashy skills, similar to the type of knights from storybooks.
Regardless of his popularity, however, she explained that Cayne had been honorable and kind, exemplifying the traits of Afinas Knights. However, she admitted that even though she admired him, she missed his old self who focused on doing the right thing, adding that he was different because of Alika, though she insisted that it wasn’t a jibe at her.
After a pause, Cayne replied that he liked who he was presently, causing Gillie to comment that she was perhaps seeing him for who he really was. After Gillie left, Cayne told the traveler that Alika’s father was a father figure to him as well, as he had offered Cayne a chance with the Afinas Knights when he had nowhere to go, attributing Alika’s father to being responsible for everything he had. He explained that he had wanted to return the favor, and to get some recognition by joining the knights.
(A/N: Cayne says this in response to us asking him why he had left the Afinas Knights, but I think that this is actually a typo and we’re supposed to have asked him why he joined the knights.)
The traveler then decided to visit Alika and gave her the samples that they had collected from the Actinops, Fembris, and Frostflail Yeti that they had encountered during their journey. (A/N: I don’t think you need to collect all three samples in order to finish this quest. I didn’t get the Fembris fangs, but Alika’s dialogue still has her act as though we gave her all three.) Alika thanked them profusely for giving her something to bring back to Afinas as an achievement and asked how she could repay them, to which the traveler merely told her that they were content as long as she was happy.
They then noted that she looked as though something was wrong and asked what the matter was. She explained that progress on the catapults had been hindered because there were no ropes in Skuas that were strong enough to strap the rocks into. Though the traveler insisted that they could find some, Alika warned them that it was too dangerous for anyone to leave the fortress when Fembris and the other monsters were in the area. Nevertheless, the traveler protested that they would be fine alone, as finishing the catapult would significantly bolster their defenses.
Though Alika denied their request, the traveler decided to sneak out anyways. In the forest, they saw red snow descending and realized that the attack was coming imminently. They also noticed that there were many Jellyrashes growing in the area and realized that they could use the Jellyrash goo as rope, recalling that they had done something similar to rescue Alika from the large hole in the ground.
After gathering the Jellyrash ropes, the traveler returned back to town, where Alika confronted them. The traveler apologized and showed her the sturdy ropes, which she and the miners noted ought to be strong enough for the catapults. Nevertheless, Alika entreated them to be safe, reminding them that both she and everyone in the town needed them for the upcoming battle. Just then, another miner appeared and explained that her schematics to strengthen their mines with gunpowder had increased their efficiency by thirty-fold.
Just then, a soldier yelled for the gates to open up as Einar and several other scouts were being chased by monsters outside. The traveler and Cayne immediately rushed outside and held off the onslaught until the others could reach safety. After returning back to the town, the other villagers gathered around as the scouts reported that the monster army had reached the other side of Sunglow Forest, and was nearly upon Skuas itself.
Just then, red snow began to fall on Skuas, with the traveler noting that the army was right at their doorstep. The traveler then thanked the villagers for coming together in their time of need, with the villagers, in turn, thanking the traveler for tirelessly leading them through the situation. The town immediately rallied together and mobilized as Butler noted that they wouldn’t be able to rely on Afinas reinforcements after all.
(A/N: The battle mechanics here are that you have three battlefronts and you have to choose which one to face. Some of them might be the three main bosses, while others are just waves of weaker monsters. Obviously, I can’t really pick all the possible paths, but the outcome is the same no matter which battles you pick. I just picked randomly in order to finish as quickly as possible.)
As the battle raged, the villagers were forced to pull back as the monsters advanced and breached the fortress. To their shock, the giant monster began climbing over the castle walls, causing the traveler to immediately order everyone to retreat, though they quickly realized that there was nowhere to retreat to. The traveler then bravely faced the monster as the others cut down the Jellyrashes to weaken it.
As the monster fell, its face armor broke open to reveal a girl with pink hair inside a sac within its head cavity. Einar rushed forward and recognized that it was actually his sister, Julieta. The others looked in shock as Einar broke down, watching Julieta and rest of the monster body vaporizing away. Cayne immediately rushed forward and consoled Einar by reminding him that Julieta’s death wasn’t his fault.
As they led him back in town, Sanaan congratulated Einar and told him that he had made them all proud. Noticing that he was crying, she asked what the matter was. Einar tearfully began telling her about Julieta, but stopped and told her that it was nothing, allowing her to lead him away. Meanwhile, the other villagers began celebrating their victory, hoping that with the defeat of the giant monster and its army, they could finally return safely home.
Alika then asked Cayne for some privacy, after which she asked the traveler if they remembered the dream that she had told them about. She explained that initially, she wasn’t sure whether the girl running in the forest and the girl lying in the snowfield were the same, though she now knew that Blanche was the girl running in her dream, while Julieta was the girl lying in the snowfield. She then asked the traveler if they had any leads on the abductions, to which they replied that they merely had clues, but nothing concrete.
Alika told them that she wanted to help them uncover the mystery, as she believed her dreams were cries for help. Though she hadn’t been able to help Julieta, she explained that she hoped to save Blanche and the others who had been kidnapped from Abrup. As she had been drawn into the mystery by a dream, and the traveler had been brought in by a letter, she believed that such simple events leading to everything that had happened was a sign that they were meant to work together.
Elsewhere, in a mysterious office, a man named Dester noted how incredible the experiment had gone, lamenting that it had ended so soon. Though he noted that he still had many unanswered questions, he decided that there would be other opportunities, adding that he should congratulate ‘them’ when they returned.
(A/N: Dester is implied to be a member of Afinas, as he has this weird head wrapping with a large eye, which is the symbol of Afinas. The room that he’s in has beakers and other scientific apparatus, as well as creepy serial killer looking board with photos of Blanche and Princess Sakuno, implying some correlation between the events at Abrup and the Sengoku Warriors.
Given the fact that PULSAR performs genetic experiments on its test subjects, similar to what we see in Stellar Detectives, it’s very likely that PULSAR was responsible for creating Julieta, the Jellyrashes, and the mutated monsters that attack Abrup. On top of that, the fact that Dester decides to thank ‘them’ - as well as the fact that Afinas headquarters had gone radio silent when Butler had continually requested for reinforcements - strongly suggests that Afinas and PULSAR had been working together for the ‘experiment’ that Dester was talking about.)
Back in Skuas, Alika and the Afinas dispatch prepared to head back to headquarters, while the traveler prepared to head back to where they belonged as well. Alika apologized for not being able to stay and oversee repairs, but promised to send more forces and relief supplies as soon as she returned back home. The three chiefs profusely thanked the traveler and the knights, promising them a place in their village any time they wanted to visit. As they began to head out, the traveler noted that Einar and Sanaan weren’t present amongst the villagers who had come to see them off.
Some time later, Alika was riding in a carriage when she fell asleep. In her dream, she found herself in a space filled with crystals. Each time that she reached out to touch one, she found that it immediately shattered. Suddenly, mirror-like crystal walls manifested around her, upon which several unfamiliar faces reflected back at her. On one mirror wall, Oda Nobunaga manifested, claiming that he had found a new path to become the Demon King. (A/N: This is an allusion to the Asura Crisis storyline, which followed up on this plot point.)
On another surface, Burke appeared and noted that if he had ‘the power’, none of the tragedies that had befallen would have happened. On yet another wall, Takeda Shingen and Uesugi Kenshin appeared besides Princess Sakuno, who vowed that the Sengoku Warriors would return home. The voices all began overlapping each other, with Oda vowing not to fail again, Burke vowing that he would do whatever it took to set things right, and Sakuno continuing her last sentence, vowing that she, Matsuyama Sakuno, swore that it would be done.
(A/N: She actually calls herself Sakuno Matsuyama in this animated sequence, but I’ve flipped it around to remain consistent with the regular Japanese structure of the Sengoku names that I’ve standardized on this site.)
Suddenly, the mirror walls shattered to reveal a large projection of Naricain, who spoke aloud to address his father, Crimsonheart, noting that he was ultimately right about how those who sought the power of the Antellion would never rest. (A/N: Crimsonheart himself isn’t actually present here, Naricain is just addressing him.)
After Naricain vanished in a blinding flash of light, Alika continued running through the dream space until she encountered the enormous crystalline Antellion itself. Noticing an indentation in the crystal, Alika took out a fragment of the Antellion hanging around her necklace and gazed at it intently, with the symbol of Afinas shimmering within it. As she placed the Antellion fragment in the indentation of the larger whole, a strange hooded person wearing the robes of Afinas appeared behind her and spoke aloud that the truth that ‘they’ had sought for so long was finally within reach, and that they would, at last, become complete.
(A/N: After Alika reunites the fragment with the main Antellion, a flash of light occurs and it cuts away to the words, “Where is the guardian?”. This animated sequence is what officially tied together the various aspects of GMS-verse, and although there was an attempt to continue this storyline by having Afinas Knights - including Cayne - appear in the Masteria storyline, the removal of MONAD and several other stories makes it unlikely that we’ll ever get a proper answer.
Personally, I think that the idea of tying together all these completely unrelated storylines is really dumb, especially since there’s almost zero connective tissue that unites them together outside of forcing the Antellion narrative into storylines like Zipangu where it makes no sense. However, I’ll admit that it’s a very ambitious idea with the possibility of having some worthwhile moments, even if the whole thing itself seems pretty far-fetched. For better or worse, though, there’s little chance of it panning out into anything more than a story that ended before it ever really got started.)
Tales of Zipangu
Mushroom Shrine Tales:
A traveler was called to the Mushroom Shrine by Kino Konoko, who explained that her younger sister was sick. Though her health had always been poor, which had caused her to keep to the inside of the Mushroom Shrine, her health had lately worsened, making leading her daily life difficult. When the traveler asked if she could be brought to a doctor, Kino explained that there was no medicine that could help her, as she had a blood disease. However, she told them that the great Daidarabotchi had recently answered her prayers by revealing that her sister could be healed by gathering the Five Elements: Fire, Metal, Water, Earth, and Wood.
(A/N: In Japanese mythology, a Daidarabotchi was a gigantic Yokai, sometimes said to pose as a mountain range while sleeping. Yokai are a class of supernatural entities and spirits in Japanese folklore, such as the Kappa and the Tengu. We encounter many types of Yokai in this storyline.)
Kino explained that the Five Elements were pieces of the spirit of Zipangu, each watched over by a Guardian. She told the traveler that Daidarabotchi had ordered her to start by gathering the Fire Element, which was in the care of the Raccoon Yokai. The traveler agreed to help gather the Five Elements and set off for Racoon Hill in the Spiritwilds.
Upon entering the Spiritwilds, the traveler was disturbed to see that a battle had taken place there, with weapons stuck to the trees in the forest. As they proceeded deeper, they discovered several Raccoon Yokai collapsed on the ground. The traveler soon encountered a Raccoon Yokai named Bunbuku Tanuki surveying his fallen comrades. Bunbuku immediately hid upon seeing the traveler, who attempted to calm him down. Bunbuku revealed that humans had attacked the Raccoon Yokai, beaten them, and carried them away, as they claimed that the Raccoon Yokai had ruined their fields.
However, Bunbuku told the traveler that the humans were liars, as the Raccoon Yokai had always lived there, with the humans being the ones who had invaded their home and farmed their land. The traveler apologized for what had happened and explained that they had only come for the Fire Element, not to attack the Raccoon Yokai. Bunbuku immediately grew angry, claiming that the traveler was the same as the selfish humans who only wanted to take.
(A/N: At this point, you get the choice to either fight Bunbuku for the Fire Element or treat his wounds and ask for the Fire Element. The choices you make in this storyline don’t really change the plot at all, as you’ll see here. Even if we fight Bunbuku, he’ll tell us that we’re different from the other evil humans, which doesn’t make any sense.)
The traveler then convinced Bunbuku to give up his Fire Element. Bunbuku noted that the traveler was different from the other humans, though he vowed to punish the other humans who had tormented them and driven them from their home. (A/N: Here, you can either encourage Bunbuku to seek revenge or convince him that revenge is not the answer.) He declared that it was tradition to get a tooth for a tooth and vowed to make the humans shed tears of blood, just as they done to the Raccoon Yokai.
After Bunbuku ran off, the traveler began to head back when they ran into Kino’s little sister, Takeno Konoko, who began lamenting over the endless cycle of violence between the Yokai and the humans. She thanked the traveler for trying to heal her, though she added that breaking the cycle of violence was much more important. She then asked them to help her perform a ceremony to put the spirits of those who had fallen in battle to rest. (A/N: You can either say that you need to get back to Kino Konoko or agree to help her. If you tell her that you need to get back to Kino, she says that you can be a little late and makes you help anyways.)
After the traveler agreed to help, Takeno gave them incense and asked them to burn it in the four stone lanterns around the area. After the traveler lit the incense, they returned to Takeno, who began the sending ritual. The traveler was amazed by Takeno, who performed a beautiful spiral dance to send off the souls of the departed. Takeno was honored by the traveler’s kind words and explained that she had merely used her Yokai powers to calm the vengeful spirits down. (A/N: You hear the voices of the vengeful spirits as you light the four lanterns, although their words are just different lines that Bunbuku said to you.)
At the traveler’s confusion, Takeno explained that she was a half-Yokai, and that she and Kino were half-sisters, which explained their lack of resemblance. However, the mix of her human and Yokai blood was what had caused her sickness, which was severe enough to prevent her from going outside on some days, though it also allowed her to communicate with the Yokai and even perform a few small tricks. She told the traveler that she hoped for humans and Yokai to reconcile, as they could achieve amazing things together, such as the ceremony which the traveler had helped her perform.
Takeno then asked the traveler if they could help her with another favor. (A/N: You can either be enthusiastic about it or say that you need to get going and reluctantly ask what the favor is.) Takeno gave them the red Threads of Fate as a gift and explained that her father had given it to her, though she hoped that it would be of more use to them.
(A/N: The red thread of fate is an East Asian belief that stems from Chinese mythology. Also known as the red thread of marriage, it’s thought to be an invisible red cord around one’s finger tied to their true love. Two people connected by the red thread were destined to be lovers, regardless of time, place, or circumstance, and their string could strain but never break. It’s definitely one of my favorite concepts ever because of how simple, beautiful, and timeless it is. The Threads of Fate themselves actually have no purpose in the storyline.)
According to her father, the thread had the power to control the ties between different people, which she hoped could bring the humans and Yokai together. She explained that the Threads of Fate held power over the ties that bound the people of Zipangu to one another. The traveler thanked her and stored the thread to keep it safe.
They then returned to Kino and gave her the Fire Element. After a pause, they told her about the Raccoon Yokai and explained that the Yokai were leaving their home in the Spiritwilds. Though Kino sympathized, she told them that the only Yokai that she had time to worry about was her sister, adding that she didn’t care if a thousand Yokai disappeared as long as Takeno got better. (A/N: Harsh lol.) The traveler was taken aback by Kino’s bluntness and told her about how Takeno had performed a ceremony for the dead Raccoon Yokai.
Kino suddenly exclaimed that her sister was a fool to still be cleaning up after the Yokai. The traveler told her that Takeno truly believed that humans and Yokai could live together, to which an irritated Kino explained that she and her sister had been kicked out of their village because of the Yokai harassing the villagers, causing the townspeople to assume that Takeno’s half-Yokai ancestry had caused the Yokai to attack.
The two sisters had then been forced to move to the remote Mushroom Shrine. She claimed that the Yokai from the Spiritwilds had always been happy to take advantage of Takeno’s gifts and constantly asked for help, though they had done absolutely nothing when Takeno had gotten sick. Suddenly, Takeno appeared and called out to her sister before collapsing.
The traveler immediately moved to help her, just as she raised into the air, a strange aura bubbling around her. As the traveler attempted to calm her down, Takeno fell from the air and collapsed once again. Kino explained that Takeno’s mixed blood had cursed her, with her Yokai blood wreaking havoc on her body at the slightest exertion, adding that she didn’t understand what had caused her mother to fall in love with a Yokai.
She then realized that the ceremony for the dead that Takeno had performed, which had both exerted her and forced her to call on her Yokai blood, had worsened her condition. She then blamed the traveler for not having stopped her, but just as the traveler began to apologize, she cut them off and told them that she didn’t need their apology, only for them to save Takeno. (A/N: Kino is so chill in Hayato and Kanna’s storyline, I was pretty shocked to see this side of her.) She then broke down in tears, sobbing that Takeno was all that she had left.
(A/N: Here, we cut to an interlude that tells the origins of Zipangu. It explained that the land had been discovered long ago, and that it was filled with a dense forest of cherry blossom trees and a high mountain. For many years, the humans and Yokai had lived together and thrived until a time of social upheaval when humans had lost their respect for the natural world and the Yokai that inhabited it. Many years later, Kino and Takeno moved to the Mushroom Shrine. It then cuts to someone, presumably Daidarabotchi, saying that Kino’s wish will be granted by uniting the Five Elements.)
Soon after, the traveler visited Kino, who explained that Daidarabotchi had sent her another vision after they had acquired the Fire Element, foretelling that the Oni deep in the Spiritwilds had the Metal Element. When the traveler asked about the Oni, Kino explained that the Oni were a brutal and savage race of Yokai, and that Daidarabotchi had told her that the Oni had gone berserk and began scattering the life force of the sacred tree Kamuna. She then told them to find the Sacred Idols destroyed by the Oni, which could be used to restore the life force stolen from Kamuna.
After a pause, Kino also thanked them for their help. (A/N: You can either tell her that you don’t need her thanks, as you’re only doing it to help Takeno, which is basically just using Kino’s words against her from earlier, or you can tell her not to worry, and that Takeno is gonna be alright.) The traveler then headed back into the Spiritwilds, where they encountered a group of Oni attacking a man in a demon mask wielding two guns. The man told them not to make him fight back, but when the Oni didn’t listen, he shot them with his guns. The traveler moved in to help him fight off the Oni, who were then chased off.
The man thanked the traveler and introduced himself as an Oni named Ibaraki, pointing out the large single horn on his head. When the traveler noted that he seemed to be human, Ibaraki explained that it was because he lived with humans, as he needed to work in order to survive without eating humans, though he added that he was mostly joking after seeing the traveler’s expression. The traveler was amazed to find a Yokai who coexisted with humans, to which Ibaraki told them that his best friend, Gyuki, helped him blend in. He explained that he had been away from the Spiritwilds for a long time, and so he had come back to visit, only to find that his fellow Oni had gone berserk, causing him to realize that he would need to put them down.
(A/N: You can either say that you wanna help him or ask him about why he would so readily kill his own people. If you agree to help him, he thanks you and says that it’ll be quicker with a partner. If you question him, he says that Oni aren’t evil, only liking some chaos in their lives at best, but he claims that if he had gone as berserk as them, he would want someone to put him out of his misery.)
The traveler and Ibaraki then proceeded to fight past the Oni, using the Oni masks to restore the Sacred Idols. As they continued on, they found Ibaraki’s friend, a Weasel Yokai named Kamaitachi, fighting off the Oni with a scythe. After they helped fight off the Oni, Kamaitachi explained that the wild Oni had been unable to recognize him, apologizing to Ibaraki for attacking his brethren. He then began catching up Ibaraki and asked who the traveler was. The traveler explained that they had come at the request of Kino Konoko.
Ibaraki then asked Kamaitachi what he was doing, to which he explained that Gyuki wasn’t acting like himself. He told Ibaraki that the humans had invaded the Oni village during the night of the last full moon, having already been worked up from attacking the Raccoon Yokai. Though the Oni had fought back, there were too many humans, and so Gyuki had merged with the Metal Element that he was guarding in order to grow stronger.
Ibaraki then asked what the Elements were and why Gyuki had one in the first place. Though he told Ibaraki he didn’t know everything, Kamaitachi explained that the Five Elements were the constituent parts that made up all things, and that Daidarabotchi had split up the Five Elements and sealed them long ago in order to prevent the greedy humans from seizing their power. The Five Elements had then been given to the Yokai of Zipangu, who had been ordered to protect them through the generations.
The traveler recalled that Daidarabotchi was the spirit who had been sending visions to Kino. Kamaitachi then added that even if the Yokai had been tasked with protecting the Elements, it went beyond simply being taboo to absorb their power, with Kamaitachi likening it to heresy, which was likely why Gyuki had lost himself to the power.
Though Ibaraki cursed himself for not having arrived faster, Kamaitachi told him that there was a chance that Gyuki would return to his normal self if they could extract the Metal Element from him. The three then proceeded deeper into the forest and soon encountered Gyuki, who had gone mad with the power of the Metal Element. Ibaraki called out to his friend, though Kamaitachi reminded him that Gyuki wouldn’t be able to recognize them, adding that they would first need to subdue him.
Suddenly, Takeno Konoko appeared and explained that she had snuck past her sister. Kamaitachi greeted her and told Ibaraki that Takeno was a half-Yokai like them, and that he had called her because she was the only one who could extract and contain the Five Elements. Takeno told the group that she would extract the Element, though she would need them to distract Gyuki. After the traveler fought and weakened Gyuki, Takeno stepped forward to extract the element.
(A/N: Here, you can either let Takeno separate the Element from Gyuki, or you can fight Gyuki to separate the Element yourself. If you try to do it yourself, you tell her that you’re worried about her health, though she tells you that you don’t have the power to separate the Element and moves to do it anyways.)
As Takeno attempted to extract the Element, she was overwhelmed by its power, and so the traveler rushed forward to help her. Just as Kamaitachi exclaimed that Takeno might not survive, the combined efforts of Takeno and the traveler successfully extracted the Metal Element from Gyuki. Ibaraki immediately rushed to check on Gyuki, who was able to recognize him again. Ibaraki apologized profusely for having left, explaining that he merely wanted to be a human. Gyuki told him not to cry, as he had gotten his wish. Just as he began saying that he was happy for Ibaraki, Gyuki unexpectedly burst apart into energy.
As Ibaraki broke down, Takeno regained consciousness and apologized for having been unable to help more. However, both Ibaraki and Kamaitachi told her not to apologize, as they were grateful to her for helping Gyuki reclaim his mind, thanking the traveler for their actions as well. Takeno then gave the Metal Element to the traveler to deliver to Kino, adding that she wished that people tried to compromise and understand each other in order to lessen the suffering in the world.
Takeno and the traveler returned to the Mushroom Shrine, where Kino rushed out and admonished her sister for running off, to which she lied and said that she had only gone out for a walk. The traveler then placated her by giving her the Metal Element. Kino thanked the traveler, just as Ibaraki appeared. (A/N: You can either tell her that Ibaraki is your partner or you can be honest and say that he’s an Oni. Either way, Takeno will tell the truth to Kino.)
Though Kino was furious to see an Oni having come to the shrine, the traveler and Takeno told her that Ibaraki was a good man who had helped them acquire the Metal Element. Realizing that Takeno had lied about going out for a walk, Kino forbade her from going outside and ordered the traveler to help her ensure that Takeno remained indoors, adding that she was worried about Takeno’s declining health. She then grudgingly allowed Ibaraki to stay, but only on the condition that he helped keep an eye on Takeno.
Some time later, Kino summoned the traveler back to the Mushroom Shrine and explained that Daidarabotchi had given her another vision for the next Element. The traveler was surprised that Daidarabotchi had spoken to Kino so soon after finding the Metal Element and noted that she must be paying special attention to Kino. Kino proudly told the traveler that Daidarabotchi was a being beyond human comprehension, and that collecting the Five Elements and restoring the life force of Kamuna must be part of her plan for saving Takeno.
She explained that the Water Element had fallen into the possession of a newly-born god to the west in the Land of the Dead. She told the unnerved traveler that the Land of the Dead was a place in Zipangu where the strife of war never faded. Many had perished there, but without receiving a proper burial, they were unable to find their way to the afterlife and had become specters trapped between worlds, producing negative energy that attracted dangerous things. She warned the traveler to be careful, as the specters’ strong desire for life caused them to attack the living. Kino then escorted the traveler to the Land of the Dead by heading towards the area where the dark energy was thickest. (A/N: These specters are just ghosts, not the Specters that we see in Grandis.)
The traveler soon arrived at the Land of the Dead, though they were unimpressed by its atmosphere. They fought past the specters and soon discovered a cave from which powerful darkness emanated. Inside, they discovered a Skeleton Yokai named Kubinashi preaching the Gospel of Nue to the specters, praying to Nue to guide them to the afterlife and praising him as the seeker of truth and the master of the dark flame.
Suddenly, Nue himself manifested before them and, sensing the fear in one of the specters, used his Dark Flame to burn the terror out of it. He then proclaimed that he was the savior who would guide them to a new world without fear as their god. Realizing that Nue had created little more than a cult for himself, the traveler returned to the Mushroom Shrine and told Takeno what they had witnessed.
Fearing that the dark energy gathering at the Grieving Grotto, the cave which the traveler had entered, would drive the specters berserk, Takeno asked them to investigate the cult and its leader. In order to help them, Takeno presented Kamaitachi and Tengu, allowing the traveler to choose who they wanted to accompany them. (A/N: It doesn’t really make a difference who you pick. Tengu is kinda introduced here without any background and you don’t learn anything about him by picking him as your companion.)
The traveler and their companion then returned to the Grieving Grotto and soon encountered several specters gathered together. The traveler began their investigation by speaking with a Kind-Looking Specter and asking it about Nue. The Kind-Looking Specter explained that Nue was the god of the Grieving Grotto, said to have brought the Dark Lord of the afterlife to his knees before coming back to the Land of the Dead in order to save the specters.
When the traveler asked whether Nue had done anything to demonstrate his power, the Kind-Looking Specter explained that all the specters had borne witness to Nue’s miracles at the ascension ceremony, adding that the traveler would understand if they saw the power of Nue’s Unholy Water. Next, the traveler spoke with a Bored-Looking Specter, who explained that he was assisting Lady Kubinashi. (A/N: Kubinashi is the Skeleton Yokai that was leading them through their prayers.)
However, he refused to give free information to a living person, and so the traveler paid him a sum of mesos. He then explained that he had come from Honnou-ji, and that he had served Lady Kubinashi in both life and in death. (A/N: A lot of these specters and Skeleton Yokai, including Kubinashi, were soldiers in Oda Nobunaga’s army.)
Next, the traveler spoke with the Pale Specter, who told the traveler that they needed a Spectral Pass in order to enter the Grieving Grotto. As the Pale Specter realized that they were hoping to infiltrate the sermon, the traveler was forced to collect Unholy Water for the Pale Specter in order to obtain its Spectral Pass.
In order to obtain the Unholy Water, the traveler spoke with the Spooky Specter and began asking it about Nue’s miracles. The Spooky Specter told the traveler to fight the Lost Specters outside and obtain their Lost Specter’s Handkerchiefs for it to answer their questions. After bringing it the handkerchiefs, the traveler learned that the Spooky Specter wondered whether specters truly ascended after being consumed by Nue’s ascension ceremony, as no one had ever returned from it.
The traveler then obtained Unholy Water from the Spooky Specter by exchanging Dusk Viper Venom. The traveler gave the Unholy Water to the Pale Specter, who immediately turned giant and vicious after drinking it. After the traveler defeated it, they spoke with the Petulant Bachelor Specter, who told them that Nue had returned to the land of the living six days after he had died. In exchange for more information, the Petulant Bachelor Specter asked the traveler for a copy of the Gospel of Nue.
The traveler obtained a copy from the nearby monsters, after which the Petulant Bachelor Specter began reading it and soon discovered that Nue had lied to them, as the book, which was said to have been passed down since time immemorial, had the handwriting of a child. Just then, the traveler noticed that Ibaraki had arrived. Ibaraki explained that he had come out of boredom, though he had noticed that the cult of the undead seemed suspicious. He told the traveler that the specters had revealed that Nue had returned from the afterlife to save them, and that he could work miracles.
Suddenly, the Bored-Looking Specter appeared and decided to attack the traveler as punishment for interfering with the cult. After the traveler defeated the Bored-Looking Specter and its minions, they decided to go over what they had learned with their companion. (A/N: This is either Kamaitachi or Tengu, depending on which choice you made earlier.)
They noted that Nue’s sermon was mainly self-promotion and had little to do with the supposed ascension of spirits. They also noted that the Gospel of Nue was suspicious, and that the Unholy Water that Nue handed out caused specters to go berserk. However, they realized that none of it was decisive proof. In order to learn more, the traveler decided to sneak inside and search for proof, though they also kept in mind that Lady Kubinashi was an unknown variable.
The traveler then snuck past security and entered the Audience Chamber, from which they entered Nue’s room. They discovered that it was as messy as a pigsty and filled with portraits of a boy, as well as copies of the Gospel of Nue that were still being written in crayon. One of the portraits had the words “happy birthday”, and amidst the gospels was a journal. (A/N: You get the choice to take either the portrait or the journal.)
They then explored Kubinashi’s room, which seemed unusually cute for a Skeleton Yokai. (A/N: A lot of the assets in her room are lifted from Orchid’s room in the Verne Mine.) They discovered a ledger next to her bed, which contained expenditure records for food, general expenses, and an abnormally high amount spent on birthdays. In her library, they also discovered a recipe for Unholy Water. (A/N: You get to choose between taking the ledger or the recipe.)
The traveler then went over the evidence they collected.
(A/N: It doesn’t really matter what you took, as it all leads to the same result. The portrait has a note from Kubinashi wishing Nue, whom she calls “Little Master’, a happy 12th birthday. If you took the journal instead, you read the entries and realize that they’re unusually childlike and unlike what a god would write.
For the evidence in Kubinashi’s room, the ledger shows that there’s a lot of payments made to the Specter Captain, while the recipe for the Unholy Water says that it needs a 20-year-old crow feather, 2 whiskers from a Fox Yokai, and a liter of Dusk Viper venom, which makes the traveler realize that the venom is basically the entirety of what the Unholy Water is. You then realize that the Spooky Specter was having us collect ingredients for it.)
As the traveler left to go expose Nue’s lies, the Specter Captain was being admonished by Kubinashi for interrupting the sermon earlier. Suddenly, she discovered that someone had been searching through her room and ordered the Specter Captain to increase security around the sacred chamber, as intruders were attempting to infiltrate the area.
She also told him to lead the intruders deep into the Grieving Grotto and devour them. Outside the cave, the traveler ran into Kamaitachi, who explained that he had come to check on them because of how long they had taken. (A/N: Kamaitachi shows up regardless of which companion you picked.) After the traveler explained that they had collected enough evidence to expose Nue, they infiltrated the cave with Kamaitachi and made their way to the Audience Room. (A/N: Ironically, despite Kubinashi ordering for more security, there’s actually fewer enemies to bump into during the jump quest for this part.)
As they continued deeper into the Grotto, the Specter Captain discovered them and revealed that they had been led into a trap. He then transformed himself into his true, giant form and chased them through the Grotto to the Audience Room, where Nue was leading a sermon. Kubinashi immediately ordered for the heretics to be arrested, but the traveler declared that they had proof of Nue’s deception. To Kubinashi’s shock, Nue decided that he would deal with them himself, though she attempted to convince him to let her handle the matter.
As he got off his throne, Kamaitachi attempted to convince the other specters that Nue was a fraud. However, Nue laughed and claimed that he had returned from beyond the veil of death after centuries in the abyss, adding that he was a master of the Dark Blaze and a personal friend of Daidarabotchi, having come to guide the specters to the afterlife. An informal trial was then held as the traveler presented the evidence that they had collected to systematically disprove Nue’s claims.
(A/N: There’s a few different ways to go about this depending on the choices you made in gathering your evidence, but all you have to do is to disprove just one of the four things he said with the right piece of evidence.
You can disprove that he’s been alive for centuries by showing the birthday portrait that says that he’s twelve, his claim of being friends with Daidarabotchi with his journal that says that he’s never been outside the cave before, his claim that you’re a foolish mortal by showing that his Unholy Water recipe is a sham, and his claim that he’s come to deliver the spirits from the afterlife by showing the ledger that demonstrated how most of the cult’s expenses were to bribe the Specter Captain into convincing the others about Nue’s miracles.)
The traveler then declared that Nue was nothing more than power-hungry, pre-teen ghost. (A/N: Nue is a giant monster, but his real form is a young boy, which we’ll discover later.) Furious at Nue’s deception, the specter followers eschewed him and left the cult. As Nue reeled from the blow to his ego, the traveler took the Water Element from the Audience Room.
As they turned to leave, Kubinashi halted them and declared that Kamaitachi was her enemy, and the enemy of her soldiers, claiming that she had not forgotten what Kamaitachi had done during the Night of the Weasels. The two immediately began to duel as Kamaitachi realized that Kubinashi had been part of Oda Nobunaga’s advance guard. Kubinashi then transformed from a flaming skeleton into her true form, a beautiful blonde woman wearing a dress.
The traveler immediately separated the two from their fight, though Kubinashi declared that she would make Kamaitachi pay for what he had done. Kamaitachi apologized for what had happened and explained that he had had no choice, as he had thought that Kubinashi had been trespassing that day.
He clarified that Zipangu was a haven for the Yokai, and that the arrival of the Sengoku Warriors and the Oda army had led them to assume that the armed samurai were planning to attack Yokai territory. However, Kubinashi refused to accept Kamaitachi’s apology, claiming that her hatred was what had transformed herself and her soldiers into specters, forced to wander the world of the living.
Before she could continue fighting, the Specter Captain pointed out that Nue was in a bad state. Frustrated, Kubinashi declared that she would one day return for Kamaitachi’s head. Announcing herself as Kubinashi Black Dragon of the Oda clan, she told Kamaitachi to remember her name, as it would be his undoing. She then turned to the traveler and asked for their name, vowing that she would destroy them as well. The two groups then went their separate ways, with the traveler wondering what had happened at the Night of the Weasel. (A/N: They literally never explain this.)
Back at the Mushroom Shrine, the traveler found that there was no one there. As they waited, they suddenly recalled that Daidarabotchi had stated that the Water Element had created a god, wondering why she would have mistaken Nue as one. Just then, Kino Konoko greeted the traveler, who gave her the Water Element. Kino thanked the traveler for finding it, though she was surprised to know that Kamaitachi and Tengu had helped, despite them being Yokai.
Some time later, Takeno was performing the sending ritual in the Land of the Dead as Nue watched from a distance. Tengu, who had accompanied her, suggested that they leave, as it was getting late. As they turned to leave, Nue transformed himself from his demonic form to his human form, marveling at Takeno’s beauty. The next day, the traveler went to the Mushroom Shrine, where they were surprised to discover that a Fox Yokai had appeared.
The Fox Yokai, Izuna, asked the traveler if the Mushroom Shrine was where the person helping the Yokai could be found. The traveler wondered whether she was referring to Takeno when suddenly, Takeno herself appeared and greeted Izuna, who immediately transformed into a human-like form with fox ears and a tail. (A/N: She looks just like an Anima here, although she isn’t.) The two began catching up, with the traveler realizing that Izuna lived in the village which had driven out Takeno and Kino.
Takeno then asked why Izuna had sought her out, as she hadn’t heard any news about the Fox Yokai. Izuna explained that Kurama had shut himself in his cave and become a hermit on the day that Takeno and Kino had left the village. (A/N: She calls him Kura, both here and in some other cases, as it’s their nickname for him.)
Takeno was shocked, as Kurama was meant to be the Guardian of the Earth Element. As they spoke, the traveler was surprised to know just how many types of Yokai there were, between raccoons, foxes, ghosts, and even more. Izuna told Takeno that Kurama still had the Earth Element, but as he had secluded himself in his cave for five years, the Fox Yokai had taken to wandering the land like wild animals without his leadership.
Just then, Kino arrived and gave Takeno permission to save Kurama, whom she called a pathetic Fox Yokai, from whatever trouble he had gotten himself into, as she had received a vision that indicated that the Earth Element would be delivered to them on its own. She also told them that Kurama held the key to retrieving the Earth Element, and though she didn’t know how to help a hermit, she was confident that they would figure it out.
Takeno thanked Kino for allowing her to go, but Kino clarified that she was to remain at the Mushroom Shrine, as they were too close to gathering the Elements for her health to be put at risk right before they finished their quest. She then asked the traveler to go in Takeno’s place. Before the traveler headed out, they spoke with Takeno, who thanked them for their unwavering support.
In order to help them with their mission, Takeno told them that in her experience, it was important to listen to others and empathize with their feelings, such as when she would brush Tengu’s hair and talk about life. She then asked the traveler to listen to Kurama’s side of the story before judging him. She also asked Tengu what he thought, to which he told the traveler that if Kurama provided no opportunities to meet with him, then they would need to create one themselves.
In order to help them, he gave them a toy that human children played with, which could potentially lure Kurama out from his seclusion. When the traveler asked Tengu where he had gotten it, Takeno laughed and said that Tengu liked to collect things. The traveler then spoke with Ibaraki and Kamaitachi about their ideas on how to lure Kurama out.
Ibaraki claimed that Yokai were selfish and would do anything for money, while Kamaitachi told them that food was the best way to get someone to open up, suggesting that they buy dango from the nearby Takoyaki restaurant near the Mushroom Shrine. (A/N: Dango is a Japanese dumpling made from rice flour. Typically, three or four dango balls are skewered together and served with green tea.)
Having prepared as much as they could, the traveler told Izuna that they were ready. Izuna then teleported herself, the traveler, and Ibaraki to Fox Mountain, a place in the Spiritwilds where the Fox Yokai hailed from. As they proceeded on, the traveler noticed that Nue was following them and asked if he wanted to join them. (A/N: We recognize Nue in his child form, meaning that we likely ran into him sometime between the mission to get the Water Element and now, probably when he was spying on Takeno and simping for her.)
Though Nue claimed that he was already heading in the same direction, he continued to follow the group. Eventually, the group arrived at Fox Mountain, where Izuna warned them that the berserk Fox Yokai could attack them at any moment. The traveler was surprised that they would attack when Izuna was there, but Izuna explained that without Kurama’s leadership, many Fox Yokai had turned to robbing people who passed through their territory.
As they proceeded onward, they encountered Fox Bandits, whom Izuna immediately asked the traveler to eliminate. The traveler noted that the bandits seemed uninterested in them and asked whether they could just pass by. However, Izuna told them that relationships between humans and the Fox Yokai had gone sour because of the bandits, and that it was an opportunity to teach them a lesson. The group then fought past the bandits and soon ran into Lady Kubinashi, who began traveling with them, despite her threat that she would destroy the traveler. (A/N: They don’t really explain her relationship with Nue in the storyline, but the Threads of Fate UI reveals that she’s Nue’s steward.)
The group then arrived at the cave where Kurama had secluded himself. The traveler suggested that Izuna go in first, as they believed that it would be best for Kurama to see a familiar face. The traveler then gave the dango to Izuna, who attempted to bait Kurama out, but to no avail. As the dango didn’t work, Nue asked if he could have it. Ibaraki then decided to bribe Kurama and told the traveler to give him the money. (A/N: You get to decide how much money to give him, with the default value being 50k.)
Ibaraki placed the money at the entrance of the cave, but when Kurama still didn’t emerge, the traveler declared that Kurama had to be dead, as no one was unbribable. Just then, they noticed that Ibaraki had only used a small portion of the mesos that the traveler had given him and pocketed the rest. Ibaraki then threatened to kick down the front door, to which Kurama finally spoke and told everyone to leave, causing the traveler to admonish Ibaraki for ensuring that Kurama would never come out after being threatened. T
he traveler then remembered the toy that Tengu had given them, which Izuna used to try to bait Kurama out, though even that had no effect. Realizing that tricking him wasn’t the answer, the traveler asked Izuna why Kurama had become a hermit in the first place. Izuna explained that five years ago, Kurama had visited the human village with several other Fox Yokai. Though she didn’t know what had happened, Kurama had allegedly gotten lost and returned home late and alone.
Though Izuna had tried to ask him about the other Yokai and why he had looked like a mess, Kurama had refused to talk to her and soon secluded himself in his cave. Ibaraki wondered whether he had been bullied by the other Yokai, while Kubinashi theorized that he had been harassed by humans. The traveler decided to explore both possibilities and first started by addressing the bullying, asking Izuna what Kurama would need to do for the other Fox Yokai to respect him.
Izuna suddenly had an idea and led the traveler to Fox’s Bluff, a sacred place to the Fox Yokai. She explained that Fox Yokai loved cherries, with many risking their lives to taste the Legendary Cherry that grew at the peak of the mountain. Izuna proposed that the traveler disguise themselves as Kurama and obtain the Legendary Cherry, which would surely gain Kurama the respect of many Fox Yokai. She then used her magic to transform the traveler into Kurama, after which they scaled up the mountain to obtain the Legendary Cherry. (A/N: This was the worst jump quest I’ve ever done, next to the one in Pet Park in Henesys.)
Upon grabbing it, the traveler noticed that no one was paying attention, just as they fell off the mountain, which gathered a crowd that noticed that the traveler had obtained the Legendary Cherry. Because the traveler was still disguised as Kurama, the Fox Yokai began celebrating the return of the Guardian of the Earth Element.
Some time later, one of the Fox Yokai declared that if the Guardian could retrieve a Legendary Cherry, then they could as well. They all began clamoring around the traveler, asking for their secret technique in climbing the mountain. Caught off guard, the traveler told them that they would need to train on strong rocks for balance and promised to collect some.
After obtaining some from the nearby Golems, the traveler began training the Fox Yokai to scale the mountain. The impressed Fox Yokai vowed to become as great as the Guardian, and one of the Fox Yokai even asked the traveler to name a new move that he had invented. (A/N: You can choose between “The Super-duper Fox Stomp” and “The Fox’n Furious Stomp.)
Izuna then told the traveler that the training had resulted in many injured paws, and so she asked them to collect medicinal herbs to treat their wounds, though she warned that the herbs were being guarded by the Yakuza of Showa Town. The traveler defeated the Yakuza and obtained the Foxwhisker Herb, which Izuna used to create salve.
Impressed by the traveler’s leadership, the Fox Yokai declared that Karuma would be the Chief Fox. Izuna then told the traveler to listen to the concerns of the Fox Yokai, explaining that they were preparing for battle against the humans who hunted them for their fur. The traveler then spoke to the Fox Yokai, who led them to a building in Showa Town where the ones responsible for hunting the Fox Yokai were.
The traveler led the Fox Yokai into battle and defeated all the Yakuza in order to teach them a lesson. Suddenly, one Fox Yokai realized that they had attacked the wrong building, though the traveler reassured them that anyone could make mistakes, and that the important thing was to learn from them, and to not attack innocent strangers next time. (A/N: We’re so chill about this.)
After returning back to Fox’s Bluff, the traveler noticed a crying human girl named Sakura, who explained that she had lost the gift that her father had given her. (A/N: Sakura is an NPC from Showa Town.) Izuna promised Sakura that the traveler would help her find the missing gift, hinting to the traveler that Kurama would be happy to have gained the respect of humans. (A/N: She calls us the Fox God when she plays us up, not to be confused with the Fox God of Grandis.)
The traveler then entered the forest and fought past the Oni before defeating a large Oni who had Sakura’s gift, a doll. They brought the doll back to Sakura and warned her that the forest was dangerous. Sakura asked what she ought to do if she wanted to see them again, to which the traveler promised to visit her in Showa Town. However, Sakura declared that they were a liar, as her father had promised the same thing, leaving her to wait for over a hundred days. (A/N: Damn, her dad never came back from the cigarette store.)
The traveler then pinky swore to visit Sakura, which placated her. She then gave her doll to the traveler so that they would remember each other, after which she headed back home. Having earned Kurama the respect of both the Fox Yokai and the humans, the traveler decided to visit him at his cave. However, Kurama declared that he didn’t care about people’s respect, to which Nue wondered what kind of Yokai wouldn’t care about the respect of others.
Ibaraki then realized that he would care about the opinions of his crush, Izuna. The surprised group asked the flustered Izuna if it was true that they liked each other, but Izuna claimed that they were only close childhood friends. (A/N: Oof.) Ibaraki asked whether they had ever given special gifts to each other, to which Izuna told him that Kurama had once given her a cherry and said that it was only for her to eat, causing everyone to point out that Kurama definitely had a crush on her.
Kubinashi realized that he was likely hiding in his cave because he had realized that Izuna didn’t feel the same way about him. The traveler then realized that he had likely given her a Legendary Cherry, as they had seen an empty branch when they had climbed the mountain. After scaling up the mountain again, the traveler brought back the empty branch to prove that Kurama had picked a Legendary Cherry for Izuna. They realized that five years ago, Kurama had climbed the mountain to obtain it for her, which was his idea of a confession.
The traveler asked Izuna how she really felt about Kurama, causing her to realize that she had never thought that he would like her. Izuna then asked him to come out, as she wanted to clear up the misunderstanding, but Kurama told her that he wasn’t hiding because of the reason that they were thinking, asking if they really thought that he didn’t want to see his friends and talk to others.
He began explaining that five years ago, he had heard that a half-Yokai girl had been living in the village, and that he had gone to visit her with his friends Being slow, he had fallen behind the others and gotten lost in the bamboo grove, where he had eventually stumbled across a temple. Inside, he had discovered an evil Yokai disguised as a monk who lured humans into the temple and devoured them.
Upon witnessing the scene, he had been horrified to realize that it had excited him, and the thought that he could delight in such cruelty had scared him. He then began fearing that cruelty was the essence of the Fox Yokai, and that the brutal act of luring and devouring humans was the desire that came from the blood of the Nine-Tailed Fox within himself. (A/N: He’s named Kurama and he has the Nine-Tailed Fox inside him? Definitely a Naruto reference.)
In order to ensure that the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox would never be awakened, he explained that he had shut himself into his cave. Kubinashi noted that Kurama was afraid of his inner darkness, just as Nue had once been. The traveler then declared that they would help him remove his fear in exchange for the Earth Element.
They explained that fighting against his fear and winning would prevent him from growing berserk, which would hopefully put his mind at ease. To everyone’s surprise, Kurama finally emerged from the cave. Nue then decided to help the traveler enter Kurama’s mind by using the power of the Dark Flame, which he explained was his inner spirit. Kubinashi told the surprised traveler that they had defeated Nue in the Land of the Dead by attacking his character, and so they had never been able to realize that there truly was great power within him.
Nue then transported the traveler into Kurama’s inner mind, where they successfully suppressed the Nine-Tailed Fox within him. After returning to the real world, they found that Nue had exhausted himself by removing the seal on his power, which had strained his body intensely. Nue then told Kurama to never be afraid of his fear, as it was merely an illusion created by his mind. He told Kurama that he always had a choice to confront his terror and grow stronger, or to let it control him and stop him from living.
Kubinashi noted that Nue had matured, grudgingly admitting that it was because of the traveler. The traveler then told Kurama that Nue had once been just as afraid, but he had learned to control his fears. Kurama noted that Nue must have had a good mentor and then gave the Earth Element to the traveler, bestowing the title of Guardian onto them.
Izuna then asked Kurama if he still liked her, though she was annoyed by his roundabout way of confessing without actually confessing. The traveler then returned to the Mushroom Shrine and gave the Earth Element to Kino Konoko, who gave them a heartfelt thanks for showing her more kindness than she had earned and promised to repay them someday.
Some time later, Takeno was searching for Tengu, as she wanted to give him a hair band as a gift. Suddenly, she ran into Nue and thanked him for his help in obtaining the Earth Element, causing him to grow flustered. Nue stammered that he would do anything to help her, which made them both blush. She then asked Nue what he was doing at the Mushroom Shrine, to which he explained that ever since meeting her, he had taken an interest in humans. However, he was interrupted by Ibaraki, who asked Takeno whether she had seen Kamaitachi, as he wanted to go to the human store for soda. (A/N: He has an obsession with soda in this game.)
Takeno told him that so much sugar was bad for him, to which Ibaraki smirked and said that he was touched at a human being worried about an Oni, much to Nue’s irritation. Suddenly, Takeno was possessed by a strange aura as her Yokai blood curse overtook her. Nue immediately grabbed Kino and the traveler and brought them to Takeno, who had crumpled on the floor. Kino realized that Takeno was burning up, which was different from what usually happened. She turned to the traveler and asked them to retrieve the Wood Element as soon as possible, as there wasn’t much time left for Takeno.
Soon enough, Kino told the traveler that she had received a troubling revelation from Daidarabotchi. She quietly whispered to them that the Crow Yokai, Tengu, had the final Element, and asked them to defeat him. She noted that Daidarabotchi had seemed different from usual, though those had been the spirit’s exact words. Though she acknowledged that Takeno considered Tengu as a friend, she wondered what to think if he had deliberately been withholding the Wood Element, despite knowing that she needed it to get better. T
he traveler noted that the situation didn’t make sense, as they knew Tengu’s character and believed that they owed him the chance to explain himself, which could potentially resolve the situation without violence. Realizing that Tengu wasn’t at the Mushroom Shrine, the traveler decided to seek him out at the Moonlight Bamboo Grove.
Deep inside the grove, the traveler discovered Tengu waiting for them. He told the traveler that they were late, to which the traveler demanded to know if he had the Wood Element. After a pause, Tengu revealed that he had indeed been entrusted with it. The traveler asked him to surrender it, so that they could save Takeno. Tengu agreed, on the condition that they proved themselves first, sprouting crow wings from his back. The traveler protested that they didn’t have time, as Takeno had collapsed, but Tengu merely told the traveler that if they were worthy of the Element, then they simply had to take it.
The traveler attempted to take the Element, though they quickly discovered that a seal was preventing them from grabbing it. Tengu told the traveler that their heart was filled with anguish and earthly obsessions, explaining that one weighed down by such burdens could not be trusted with the Five Elements. He then told the traveler to return once they had proven themselves worthy, disappearing soon after.
As the traveler wondered what to do next, a Kappa named Yorozu introduced herself and explained that she was Tengu’s assistant. She told the traveler that she lived nearby, though she had been traveling across Zipangu for a great number of years in order to learn about human technology, but that she had been assisting Tengu since her return from studying abroad. She explained that her latest area of study was traps and devices in Ninja Castle.
As she began jumping into her long ramble, the traveler interrupted her and asked what she wanted. Yorozu asked if it was true that they were collecting the Five Elements to help Takeno, explaining that the words, “Those weighed down by things like greed and anger are not worthy to use the power of the Five Elements,” had been passed down from Guardian to Guardian across the generations, pointing out that a generation for Yokai was significantly longer than a human generation.
She told the traveler that it was the duty of the Guardians to deliver the Five Elements to the hero of Zipangu in a time of need, adding that the title of hero was something that was earned, not granted. In order to test them, Yorozu pointed to a stone lantern and explained that she had designed it to capture and seal away primal energies.
As the power that formed the Five Elements was primal in essence, the Wood Element had been sealed away by the lantern. She explained that the Wood Element could only be removed by someone not driven by dangerous emotions and ordered them to prove themselves worthy in order to claim the power for themselves.
As the traveler pondered her words, Yorozu told them that Tengu had developed a test in the many years that he had spent researching on how to remove negative emotions, which he called the Trial of the Crow, created by combining her knowledge and Tengu’s magic. For the first part of the test, the Test of Obsession, Yorozu explained that they would need to make their way through the maze-like bamboo grove, giving them a hint to “cast aside your obsession”. (A/N: To pass the Trial of Obsession, you just have to do nothing for 40 seconds, thus casting aside your obsession to make it through.)
For the second test, the Test of Insight, Yorozu showed them facsimiles of familiar people and told them to find the one that stood out as unusual. (A/N: Here, you just pick the NPCs that look different from the others for the first portion of the test. The second one is the same thing, except you have five different characters that have their correct appearance and one that’s wrong.)
Warning that the next test may strain them, Yorozu allowed the traveler to rest before proceeding into the next trial. As the traveler waited, they began thinking about Kurama’s story about the monk that had devoured humans and wondered whether it could be Tengu. Soon enough, Yorozu returned and explained that the next test was the Test of Anguish.
As the traveler fought past the crows that attacked, they began wondering whether Tengu was truly on their side, whether Tengu could have been the evil Yokai who had eaten the monks, who Daidarabotchi was and why she didn’t show herself, and whether collecting the Five Elements would really save Takeno.
(A/N: You’ll notice that this next portion was definitely pretty rushed when you step into Tengu’s memories. I’ll explain what happens here at the end of the section once the storyline is over.)
After passing the test, the traveler discovered a hidden path and wandered into Tengu’s memory, where they witnessed Tengu crumpled on the floor, lamenting his failure to stop “them” as a result of being blinded by greed and jealousy, realizing that he truly was corrupt in the end. The traveler was then taken to a forest where the evil Yokai, Genkou, attacked a village, threatening to devour the people. (A/N: The monsters around him are Omens, which is interesting since those are meant to have been created by the Black Mage. You have to sneak past them without touching them to pass this memory.)
Next, they entered a memory of a Monk telling an Acolyte to collect fresh cucumbers from the village for a ceremony. The Acolyte was surprised that the Monk wanted to use cucumbers for the rite, to which the Monk snapped at him to not question his orders. (A/N: The acolyte has their own NPC, but it gets swapped out by the player when you’re doing the jump quest to get the cucumbers.) As the village cucumbers were unsuitable for the ceremony, the Acolyte decided to use wild cucumbers.
On his way back, the Acolyte encountered a starving Kappa, who explained that it hadn’t eaten in nearly five days, as the humans had dug up all the food in the forest. Though the Acolyte knew that the rite was important, he had been taught that life was more important than anything, and so he gave the cucumbers to the Kappa.
The traveler then entered the final memory, in which the Monk was furious for the Acolyte’s arrogance in disobeying orders, claiming that the Acolyte wouldn’t get away with it, even if the Head Monk favored them. The Acolyte attempted to defend his actions by claiming that it had been to save a life, but the Monk grew angry that the Acolyte was still talking back.
Suddenly, Tengu appeared and told the Monk to stop bantering and mete out the appropriate punishment. After being punished, the Acolyte was consumed by his negative emotions. Realizing that he had been punished despite having followed the sacred teachings more faithfully than anyone, he cursed humanity and vowed to have his revenge, transforming into Genkou.
After returning to the present, the traveler discovered a path that hadn’t existed before and followed it to where Tengu awaited them. Tengu congratulated for passing the previous trials, though he warned that one test still remained. The traveler yelled for him to stop, as Takeno didn’t have long, to which Tengu simply stated that he was aware.
The traveler demanded that he surrender the Wood Element, as they had proven themselves worthy, but Tengu merely told them that the Five Elements were powerful, and that they could not fall into the wrong hands. As their power could overwhelm even the strongest Yokai, Tengu explained that he was unsettled by the idea of entrusting them to a human.
For the final test, he told the traveler to prove their strength to defend the Elements from the unworthy by transforming into an enormous crow monster. (A/N: I hate this boss fight so much, I barely passed with one life, but luckily it was my first try.) After a fierce battle, the traveler defeated Tengu, who collapsed on the floor. Impressed by the traveler’s abilities, Tengu determined them to be worthy of safeguarding the Five Elements and allowed them to take the Wood Element, explaining that the seal would not impede them anymore.
As he needed to rest to recover from his injuries, Tengu told the traveler to go and save Takeno. Yorozu asked them not the judge Tengu, as he had to be certain that they were worthy of possessing the immense power of the Five Elements. She then reassured them that she would take care of Tengu and urged them to save Takeno. The traveler returned to the stone lantern and extracted the Wood Element from within it before rushing to the Mushroom Shrine.
The traveler showed the Wood Element to Kino, who was overjoyed and immediately prayed to Daidarabotchi, asking for her to show them how to save Takeno with the Five Elements. To her shock, a strange voice rang out and laughed aloud at Kino having gathered the Elements. Suddenly, Genkou appeared and mockingly thanked Kino for her work.
A horrified Kino asked if he was Daidarabotchi, to which he explained that he was the Great Yokai Genkou, though he may yet become Daidarabotchi after absorbing the Five Elements. He then seized the Elements and absorbed them into his body, explaining that Gyuki, the Guardian of the Metal Element, had been driven mad by attempting to absorb an Element directly, vowing that he would not make the same mistake, as he would instead use the power of Takeno’s half-Yokai blood in order to safely consume the Elements, joking that Takeno wouldn’t be sick anymore after he was finished using her.
Though Kino attempted to defend her sister, Genkou nevertheless kidnapped Takeno and took her away. As the traveler rushed to the scene, Kino begged them to save Takeno, explaining that she had been tricked into thinking that Daidarabotchi had been sending her visions, when in reality, it had been Genkou all along.
The traveler chased after Genkou into the Forest of Oblivion and soon discovered Genkou placing Takeno, who had succumbed to her Yokai blood curse, inside a magical barrier. Genkou recognized the traveler as the one who had obtained the Five Elements and mockingly thanked them for collecting the Elements at Kino’s beck and call. The traveler demanded that he let Takeno go, but Genkou merely laughed that it was too late, as Takeno now belonged to him.
The traveler fought bravely against Genkou, but the Yokai was ultimately able to overpower them. Suddenly, Ibaraki and Kamaitachi appeared and saved the traveler by attacking Genkou, who was caught off-guard. However, they realized too late that it had merely been a feint as Genkou launched a devastating attack on the trio, though Izuna’s timely appearance allowed her to create a magical barrier around the traveler before Genkou turned on her.
As Izuna fell, Kurama arrived with the Fox Yokai and attacked with the power of the Nine-Tailed Fox. However, Genkou dismissed them as insects and defeated them all before claiming that he would make them bear witness to his dark power and despair. Suddenly, Nue appeared and unleashed his powers, furious that Genkou had attempted to manipulate the darkness, which he claimed belonged to him.
Kubinashi also appeared in her flaming skull form and led her specter soldiers to aid Nue, who then used his Dark Flame on Genkou. Genkou declared that it would take more than their feeble attacks to defeat him, just as Tengu dove in his monstrous form and snatched Genkou. Nue then used his powers to launch the traveler into the air for them to land the final blow on Genkou, who yelled that if he hadn’t been scorned and disrespected, he never would have fallen into darkness, cursing humanity as he was defeated. Back on the ground, Kino arrived and sobbed over Takeno’s lifeless body.
Kino then called out for Daidarabotchi to save her sister. When her cries went unheard, Kino called herself a fool for having allowed herself to be tricked by the lies of Yokai, crying that she would have told her sister how much she loved her every day. She then wondered aloud whether this was her punishment from Daidarabotchi for having squandered the time she had with Takeno by her search for the Five Elements, adding that she should have died in Takeno’s place.
Suddenly, the Five Elements began glowing and transported Kino, the traveler, and Takeno’s body to a strange place with a strange woman. The traveler asked the woman who she was, to which she explained that she had many names, with some knowing her as Asia, the protector of Zipangu who lived within the sacred tree Kamuna.
She then added that they would likely know her as Daidarabotchi. Looking at Takeno’s body, Asia told them that many things had happened while she had been away, explaining that she had been trapped outside their realm when the life force of Kamuna, the sacred tree, had been disrupted. She then told the traveler that the spirits of Kamuna had told her much about them and their friends.
As Kino sobbed that she had lost her sister due to her own greed, Asia told her that it was not her fault, but rather, it had been because of her own carelessness and apologized for failing them as the Guardian of Zipangu. The traveler then asked if there was any that she could do to help Takeno, as they had collected the Five Elements, though it had all been in vain. In her mind, Asia thought to herself that “that man” would have helped them without giving a second thought. (A/N: This is likely a reference to Dunas, another Guardian of Zipangu. Dunas was described as very passionate about helping others before he lost faith in humanity and chose to destroy them.)
Realizing that a power unused was no power at all, Asia declared that she would save Takeno by borrowing the power of the Five Elements and calling Takeno’s spirit back from the Sanzu River.
(A/N: The Sanzu River, also known as the Sanzu-no-Kawa, which means “River of Three Crossings”, is a mythological river in Japanese Buddhist tradition that souls of the departed must cross in their journey to the afterlife. The three crossings of the river are a bridge, a ford, or deep, snake-infested waters, with the weight of one’s sins while alive determining which path the traveler is allowed to take in order to cross. The Sanzu River is very similar to the Vaitarna River in Hindu mythology, as well as the River Styx in Greek mythology.)
With her divine power, Asia restored Takeno back to life by using the Five Elements to take the place of what had been lost. When the traveler asked if the Five Elements had been absorbed into Takeno, Asia told them that that was a simplistic way of looking at it. She explained that the Five Elements were a manifestation of the powers that had formed Zipangu, born into the world to help Kamuna, the tree of Zipangu, in maintaining balance in the world.
Fearing that it would fall into the wrong hands, the three Guardians of Zipangu had split the primal power into five pieces and entrusted to those who would use its power for the good of others. As Genkou could not claim the power of the Elements on his own, he had manipulated the Konoko sisters’ plight, as well as the traveler’s altruism, into collecting them for him.
However, she revealed that Genkou had been unable to obtain the full power of the Elements, as the presence of many vessels with pure, altruistic hearts that called out to the power of the Elements, thus splitting the power of the Elements between Genkou and the traveler and their friends. She then told the traveler that she would one day have need of someone as good-hearted as them and told them to cherish their time together, as she would call upon them to aid Zipangu when the time came.
Elsewhere, Genkou faced a One-Horned Man, Dunas, who claimed that he would take the power that remained in Genkou’s dark grudge.
(A/N: The ending of this storyline is pretty rushed, despite how engaging the first half of it was. Regarding the backstory of Genkou, he was the Acolyte who worked at the temple. After he gave the cucumbers to the starving Kappa, the Monk began admonishing him when Tengu appeared and told him to mete out judgement on Genkou.
We don’t really know what his punishment was, but in the aftermath, his hatred causes him to manifest his dark Yokai form and take revenge on humanity for what they had done to him. We then see the memory of him attacking the village. The first memory that we see in the trial is actually the final one chronologically, with a defeated Tengu berating himself for his role in creating Genkou. During the Trial of the Crow, we wonder whether Tengu was the one who had eaten the humans at the temple, but it’s actually Genkou who killed the monks and then began luring humans to devour them.
Asia was first introduced in the Neo Tokyo storyline, which originally came from JMS, just like Mushroom Shrine Tales. Neo Tokyo received a revamp and was officially integrated into GMS-verse. In Mushroom Shrine Tales, Dunas isn’t mentioned by name and he’s instead credited as merely the One-Horned Man, although this does confirm that it’s really him because Dunas has a single horn protruding from his forehead.
The rest of this section covers the quests needed to unlock Yorozu, Nue, Kubinashi, and Izuna for the Threads of Fate. They’re a sort of epilogue to the storyline, although they’re more like side stories. In order to start the questline for these four, you’ll need to have at least 50 Closeness with Tengu, Ibaraki, Kamaitachi, and Kurama, respectively.)
Seeking to make amends, the traveler approached Kubinashi, who told them that she would forgive them if they passed along a message to Kamaitachi, instructing him to meet her at the Moonlight Bamboo Grove during the next full moon, as she sought to resolve their feud once and for all. The traveler informed Kamaitachi of Kubinashi’s message, and Kamaitachi realized that the next full moon was that very night. The traveler decided to accompany Kamaitachi and traveled with him to the grove, where Kubinashi was waiting to face him.
Kamaitachi explained that he had come to talk, not to fight, but Kubinashi refused to listen and charged in. Suddenly, the three felt unnaturally sleepy and fell unconscious. The trio soon awoke and found themselves in the Fire Raccoon Finance building in Showa Town, which they recognized as the Yakuza headquarters. Kamaitachi realized that the Yakuza were capturing Yokai, and that they had fallen into the Yakuza’s trap.
Deciding it was time to go, the traveler asked Kubinashi if she would join them in escaping, and so Kubinashi grudgingly agreed to set aside her differences with Kamaitachi until they escaped. The three then began fighting past security and soon entered the parking lot, where they saw that there was writing on the wall, which said that the key was at the bottom of a gas can.
After grabbing the gas can and a hose, Kubinashi suggested sucking up the gasoline with the hose, allowing them to obtain the key, but Kamaitachi realized that it was a key for a car, not the door. Inside the glove box of the car, they found the key for the door, which they used to escape. After escaping, Kubinashi decided to forgive the traveler, though she still maintained that she would one day battle Kamaitachi.
Seeking to become Izuna’s friend, the traveler approached her, but Izuna refused to befriend them, as the traveler was friends with Kurama. Confused by her words, the traveler asked Kurama if something had happened between them. Equally confused, Kurama went to talk to Izuna, who cryptically told him that she didn’t want to come off as violent or fussy and scare him with her explanation.
Realizing that it had been because of something he had said, Kurama claimed that he had only been telling the truth, although his words made matters worse. In order to remedy the situation, Kurama decided to hold a contest to determine who was the prettiest in the Mushroom Shrine, as he believed that Izuna would surely win, which would lift her spirits.
To help Kurama, the traveler placed a voting board in the center of the Mushroom Shrine and let everyone except the candidates know about it. Upon learning from Ibaraki that Kino Konoko had no votes, the traveler had a bad feeling about the arrangement. To Kurama’s shock, however, Takeno had the most votes amongst herself, Izuna, Kino, and Yorozu.
In order to remedy the situation, Kurama decided to rig the results. Just then, Kino arrived and, upon seeing that she had no votes, tore up the board, claiming that trash had no place in the shrine. With no other recourse, Kurama approached Izuna and showed her a letter that they had buried together under a rock on Fox Mountain when they were little, which described how much he had liked her, as well as a request for her to marry him.
Izuna was touched by his words and asked if the letter was a proposal, which Kurama denied, telling her that he had hoped to show her that he loved her wonderful traits just as much as he had when they were younger. Flustered, Izuna took the letter and ran away, though she forgave Kurama upon returning and agreed to become the traveler’s friend.
Soon after, the traveler approached Nue and asked to make their friendship official. Nue agreed, if the traveler brought Ibaraki before him, who allegedly owed him a debt. The traveler then escorted Ibaraki to the forest, where Nue explained that he wanted to take revenge on Ibaraki for interfering with his confession to Takeno. Ibaraki began laughing, but when he realized that Nue was serious, he asked the traveler to help make it up to Nue by throwing together a gift and a letter for his confession, hoping to be entertained by how disastrous the attempt would be.
Nue immediately began working on the letter and gift, after which Ibaraki told the traveler that their biggest obstacle in getting Nue alone with Takeno would be Kino. Following Ibaraki’s advice, the traveler took a shortcut to sneak past Kino and reached Takeno. (A/N: This quest is really trippy and a bit terrifying, in the sense that you have to do a jump quest while avoiding a legion of Kino NPCs.)
Takeno told them that meeting Nue in the Spiritwilds would be too far, and so she suggested that Four Paths’ Crossing instead. They then returned to Nue and told him about the updated location, after which the traveler and Ibaraki headed to the meeting spot when Nue left early. When they arrived, they were surprised to find that Nue wasn’t there.
Suddenly, Tengu appeared and gave them and Takeno a message from Nue that something had come up, preventing him from meeting. The dumbfounded traveler and Ibaraki returned back to the Mushroom Shrine, where Nue demanded to know why they had lied about Takeno coming to the Spiritwilds. The traveler reminded him that the new meeting spot was meant to be the Four Paths’ Crossing, to which Nue cursed himself and told the traveler to help with his confession again, though he promised to be their friend.
Some time later, the traveler approached Yorozu in an attempt to befriend her. Though she was overjoyed, she refused to give in and chided them for having doubted Tengu during their trials for the Wood Element, refusing to befriend them without them apologizing to Tengu. After the traveler spoke with Tengu about what had happened, Tengu explained that Yorozu was overprotective of him and promised to speak with her.
The traveler then apologized to him and returned back to Yorozu, who refused to believe that Tengu had given his approval. She then tasked the traveler with defeating 100 monsters, though she then increased the number to 300 after the traveler finished the task, and soon escalated it to 500. Just as she was about to order them to defeat 999, Tengu arrived and told her that cruelty didn’t befit her. After being scolded by Tengu, Yorozu agreed to befriend the traveler, secretly pleased by their offer.
Neo Tokyo:
(A/N: Neo Tokyo, also known as Future Tokyo, was originally a JMS-exclusive area that made its way to a few other regions, with the exceptions of GMS and KMS. Those regions instead got Neo City (also known as Tera Forest), which was a knockoff version that recycled the Neo Tokyo assets and had a much worse story.
Neo Tokyo was later removed from all regions, but JMS released a revamped version as an event, which did make its way over to GMS. Unfortunately, GMS did a very poor job with localizing this storyline, which caused several characters to speak completely unlike how their original JMS versions do. I originally wrote this section using the original JMS text from before the event had reached GMS, and after seeing how bad the English localization was, I’m going to be relying on the JMS text to transcribe this section instead, with very cherry-picked sections of the English localization in certain places.
The revamped JMS story had no wider connections to the rest of GMS-verse, as it didn’t even reference Dunas’ cameo in Mushroom Shrine Tales. However, there were certain lines that were added after the event ran in JMS, which appeared in the GMS dialogue, including a reference to the events of Mushroom Shrine Tales, which confirms that this storyline takes place afterwards. However, the player doesn’t recognize Asia at all, despite having met her in that story, which means that the protagonist of Neo Tokyo isn’t the same as the protagonist of the rest of GMS-verse.
For the most part, the revamped story is pretty faithful to the original, although there were a few significant changes made that seemed a bit derivative of the main KMS story. There were always a lot of similarities between the lore of KMS and Neo Tokyo, although Neo Tokyo predates those plot points by many years. However, the writers chose to lean into those similarities in the revamp, and although it’s a lot more cohesive, part of me isn’t a fan of them doing this, mostly just because I don’t like it when things get changed from something original to a copy of something else.
However, the original story of Neo Tokyo stands alongside the original story of Masteria as some of the best storytelling in the game, and I’m glad that this revamp - unlike the Masteria revamp - still retains the spirit of the original. Originally, I was considering adding the original Neo Tokyo story to the prologue of this guide, similar to the original Masteria story, but I decided that given how similar they are, I’ll just point out in the author notes where the divergences happen, rather than creating an entirely new section.)
A traveler was called by a woman named Asia, who claimed that she feared for the safety of Zipangu from her home of Kamuna. She told the traveler that she was impressed to see just how far they had grown since starting their journey and added that as someone who had watched their progress, she was proud to see just how strong and mature they had become.
(A/N: In the JMS dialogue, Asia tells us that she’s been watching our progress since we left Maple Island, which she says regardless of the player’s job. In the original storyline, Asia also notes that Gritto had been right about how strong we’ve become. Gritto is the the Explorer magician instructor for 4th job.)
She noted that they had protected Maple World over and over again like an unbreakable shield and explained that Zipangu needed that protection too. The traveler was confused by her words and asked Asia how she even knew them, to which Asia apologized and introduced herself as a resident of Kamuna, which she called the beginning and end of Zipangu. She then added that she was an exile from another dimension far from Maple World. (A/N: In the original storyline, Asia was a native resident of Zipangu.)
She told the traveler that her mission was to determine who had power and who deserved to have power, as well as to find the one who could save Zipangu, which was on the verge of collapse. She then asked the traveler to help her so that the Curse of Acacia would not reach her. The traveler was then teleported to Kamuna, where where Asia thanked them for heeding her call.
She then introduced herself as one of the three Guardians of Zipangu who had watched over its birth. She explained that she had gained immortality and had learned magic in order to protect Zipangu, whose end had come much sooner than she had expected. She told the traveler that Zipangu would be destroyed in 80 years after being swallowed up by a swell of energy that would vaporize every last atom.
(A/N: In the original storyline, Asia explained that Zipangu would be destroyed in 100 years. This was likely changed because the revamp - which was released in 2022 - is 80 years before 2102, the year in which Zipangu will be destroyed in the story.
Another part of the original story that was changed was Asia’s explanation about how she gained magic. She explained that Zipangu had once been a hotbed for black magic, and that it had strong ties to Magatia, where Asia had learned magic and immortality from a wizard. Although Neo Tokyo was written years before the Black Mage was created, the story settings line up perfectly enough that the Black Mage can be interpreted as Asia’s teacher.)
Asia explained that in the future, Tokyo would be the center of Zipangu, and that its machines and artificial intelligence were unlike anywhere else in the world. In particular, the researchers of Tokyo had created a special AI, which had been made to be the hope of Zipangu. However, its self-learning had allowed it to rapidly accelerate in intelligence, which had eventually caused it to turn against Zipangu by creating autonomous weapons to use against its people.
Though the robot army had pushed back the Zipangu Defense Force, the Zipangu Technology Research Institute had eventually succeeded in confining the robots within Tokyo using an electronic pulse barrier. However, the machines had eventually broken through the barrier and had wiped out all organic life in Zipangu, after which a wave of pure energy had come down from the sky in order to destroy Zipangu altogether.
Asia then explained that while she had told them about the events of their official timeline, she had used the power of time-travel to jump across Zipangu’s history in order to learn more about its destruction. Her investigation had led her to finding the Acacia Chronicle, a book which recorded the entire history of Zipangu, including the lives of every citizen, through hyper-dimensional technology.
However, she had learned that the Acacia Chronicle only contained records of Zipangu citizens, with those who came from outside Zipangu, even borderline-superhuman heroes like the Guardians, being completely omitted, despite their actions and the consequences of those actions being recorded. Because of that, she had learned that the Acacia Chronicle was malleable to a certain point. She explained that from what she had learned, several outside heroes had made an attempt to save Zipangu somewhere along the timeline by containing the wave at the ends of spacetime.
However, she explained that the Acacia Chronicle would self-correct history in order to prevent changes to the timeline. Nevertheless, Asia told the traveler that she believed that after quite a bit of painstaking research, she had concluded that they were the spark of hope who could turn the timeline away from disaster, as they were an outsider beyond the influence of Acacia.
The traveler asked Asia what she meant by a wave, to which Asia explained that the final chapter of the Acacia Chronicle described it as a high-energy body that could burn through dimensions and absorb the life force of the world. Once the wave appeared, there was no way to stop it, and Asia admitted that she still didn’t know why it manifested. Asia then gave the traveler a Gate Pass, which both identified them as a resident of Kamuna and would allow them to time-travel.
After the traveler agreed to aid her, Asia explained that before they stopped the wave, they would first need to prevent the extinction of humanity. She explained that Zipangu would collapse in the year 2102, and that two years before the apocalypse, the Blaze Army would steal the Mastercore of the ultimate weapon being developed by the Zipangu Technology Research Institute.
However, Asia believed that if they could recover the Mastercore, the people of Zipangu would have a chance in the final battle. She then asked the traveler to go to Odaiba in the year 2100, where the Blaze Army would be transporting the Mastercore. The traveler asked more about the Mastercore, to which Asia told them to ask the soldier whom they would meet there, as he was both one of the members of the special task force sent to retrieve the Mastercore and the best soldier in the Zipangu Defense Force.
(A/N: In the original story, Asia would first test us to see if we’re strong enough to carry out her mission by sending us back in time and having us defeat the ninjas of Ninja Castle.)
The traveler then used the Gate Pass on a special blue crystal in Kamuna and arrived in Odaiba in the year 2100, where they encountered the soldier whom Asia had mentioned. The soldier was shocked to find a survivor in BWZ and immediately grew suspicious of them. When the traveler told him that they had come to help him retrieve the Mastercore, the man grew even more suspicious and ordered them to state their name, rank, and unit ID.
Before the traveler could answer, however, three flying robots swooped in and began firing. As the soldier began firing back, the traveler rushed in to help him destroy them. The surprised soldier asked the traveler why they had helped him, to which the traveler reaffirmed that they had come to help recover the Mastercore, for which they needed more information. Though the soldier was surprised to see the traveler’s mysterious powers, he decided that he would set aside his suspicions and answer any questions that they had.
Regarding the Mastercore, he explained that it was humanity’s last hope for survival. When the traveler asked what BWZ was, the soldier was surprised and asked whether they had been living under a rock. He explained that BWZ was the Baroque Wall Zone, the electronic pulse barrier that was containing the Blaze Army within Tokyo, though at the cost of trapping many people inside with the machines.
Though it was theoretically impossible to break through BWZ, a large force of robots had nevertheless broken through two days ago and had attacked the ZTRI’s Tsukuba facility. However, he noted that the robots had taken a detour through the ocean, rather than returning to BWZ directly, which made him believe that they had been short-supplied, for which they had attempted to avoid the defenses in Mauritania.
He explained that he and his squad had been chasing after the robot force, and that they had tracked the robots to a tanker in the ocean, though the enemy had managed to make it to Odaiba before his squad could catch them. Based on their intel, he believed that the Crosswall Armored Division was carrying the Mastercore across BWZ in one of their Afterlord transports.
Though the Afterlords were merely transport units, he warned the traveler not to underestimate them, as they were heavily armed. He explained that the tanker was carrying many Afterlords, and that one of them was sure to have the Operational Unit. He also told the traveler that the flying Overlords would rain down fire if they tried attacking the Afterlords, and so he asked them to destroy the Overlords in order to thin out their numbers.
After the traveler returned, the soldier was impressed by their skills and explained that he had once read a report about a woman who had similar powers to them. He noted that not only did the girl have great power, but she also hadn’t been seen in a while. (A/N: The girl that he’s talking about is Ashray. As he’s describing her, we see an illustration of her facing away from the screen and staring at a ruined Tokyo while holding her signature spear.)
He then told the traveler that it was time for them to find the Afterlord holding the Mastercore. As the Mastercore had no tracking unit, he explained that the only way to find it was to destroy each Afterlord that they encountered until they found the right one. However, he warned them to control their strange power, as they needed to retrieve the Mastercore intact.
The traveler then defeated the Afterlords and successfully obtained the Mastercore. The soldier thanked them for their help and explained that they needed to get back to the Blaze Army tanker and escape BWZ as soon as possible, as the Blaze Army was already aware of their presence. Just as they boarded the tanker, however, the ground began rumbling violently as a giant robot emerged from the ocean.
The soldier immediately recognized it as the mobile fortress Bergamot, the commander of the Blaze Army’s ground forces and a master of ground weapons, which had managed to escape the confines of BWZ. The traveler realized that Bergamot hadn’t yet fired, causing the soldier to realize that it was charging up, as it had likely used a great deal of optical weapons in its previous battle.
The traveler suggested retreating while Bergamot was charging up, but the soldier told them that it was impossible. He revealed that the Zipangu Defense Force had once sent a squad of its most elite soldiers to attack Bergamot head-on, as its offensive and defensive capabilities are long-range and mid-range were far too powerful. While he had been certain that his elite team would be able to destroy Bergamot, their fight had quickly turned into a massacre. Though his squad had attempted to retreat, Bergamot’s homing missiles had wiped out everyone, leaving him as the last survivor.
As a result, he explained that he was certain that escape was impossible. As neither of their power was enough to destroy Bergamot, the soldier ordered the traveler to retreat and destroy the Mastercore, as his final orders had been to destroy the Mastercore if recovery was impossible. However, the traveler refused to run away and promised that they would destroy Bergamot in order to give him time to take the Mastercore back to the Zipangu Defense Force.
The shocked soldier told them that it was impossible to destroy Bergamot, who was leagues apart from the Afterlords that they had faced. Nevertheless, the traveler refused to stand down and told the soldier that if the Mastercore was humanity’s last hope, then they would do everything in their power to protect it, as they had come to save the world. The impressed soldier agreed to the plan and began to head out. Before he left, he told them that his name was Ponicheleu, and that he was a descendant of Poni Chai, who had once saved Zipangu from crisis.
(A/N: Poni Chai is an NPC from present-day Showa Town, although there’s nothing in the story regarding her significance. In the original story, we would first swap out the chipset in the Mastercore so that the Blaze Army won’t be able to track Ponicheleu as he escapes.)
Promising that they would meet again, Ponicheleu fled with the Mastercore as the traveler engaged in a fierce battle with Bergamot, whom they managed to destroy before teleporting back to Kamuna. Asia greeted them and explained that because of their actions, Ponicheleu had been able to bring back the Mastercore to his base. As a result, the Zipangu Defense Force had been able to deploy their ultimate machine to break through BWZ and defeat the Blaze Army, thus saving humanity from being destroyed by the machines.
Asia admitted that they had been forced to cheat at history in order to do so, and though she admitted that their actions sounded unethical, she reassured the traveler that their actions had averted the genocide of Zipangu and had saved countless lives. However, she noted that despite their actions, the Acacia Chronicle’s temporal restoration was always at work to rewrite Zipangu back to its original destiny.
Suddenly, the ground began quaking as Asia realized that the temporal restoration was already happening. She quickly opened the Acacia Chronicle and read that in the new future, the ultimate weapon had been destroyed in the final battle, resulting in the Blaze Army bringing about the end of humanity and Zipangu.
The traveler was surprised to know that the ultimate weapon, which had been described as the strongest ever built, had been destroyed. Asia explained that according to the Acacia Chronicle, the pilot who had commanded the weapon was different from the pilot of the original timeline. She told the traveler that the ultimate weapon had been uniquely designed by humans to battle the machines, using technology that the machines could never imitate or match, as the weapon utilized a device that could transmute the strong will of humans into pure energy.
(A/N: The part about the weapon converting strong willpower into energy is a new addition in the revamp. It’s highly reminiscent of the power of the Seal Stones in the main story, which respond to the strong willpower of the people in order to grant wishes. The Seal Stones can also fuse with certain individuals who embody the will of the people, transforming them into Adversaries that can kill higher beings.)
Asia explained that the pilot of the weapon had been changed, as the original pilot no longer existed at the time of the weapon being launched, having disappeared from history when he had still been a child. She told the traveler that she had no way of determining the cause unless she were to visit that time period herself, as the Acacia Chronicle didn’t say what had happened to him, as it merely stopped mentioning him after a certain point.
Asia apologized to the traveler for sending them into an unknown situation, but she asked them to go to Tokyo in the year 2095, which was two years before the robots had rebelled against humanity. She also asked them to protect the boy not only physically, but to protect his will and his hope. The traveler then traveled to the future, where they found themselves in a park. They then found a boy defending a crying girl from several Protolords.
The traveler immediately rushed forward and destroyed the robot, which impressed the boy. He thanked them for their help and explained that he had been walking home with his sister when several robots had surrounded them at the park, though not a single police officer had come to help. He suggested that they escape as soon as possible using a radar that he had made, which detected heat. He explained that they would need to use the radar in order to find an area that was less heavily guarded so that they could escape.
The traveler was impressed and noted that the boy was quite smart for his age, to which he explained that his father was an engineer at ZTRI, and so it was nothing new for him. He then realized that he had dropped his radar and asked them to find it amongst the robots. He also introduced himself as Dida and his sister as Mareu, adding that he would protect her while they found the radar. (A/N: GMS’ localization has Dida call the player ‘the dude’ if they’re male and ‘nice lady’ if they’re female.)
The traveler was once again impressed to see such a little boy making such prudent decisions, even while in imminent danger. They then noted to themselves that the Protolords were industrial robots, rather than the military units of Odaiba, which meant that they were less powerful. After fighting through the robots and recovering the radar, the traveler returned back to Dida, who grabbed Mareu by the hand and deftly led her through the robots while expertly dodging their attacks.
Using the radar, Dida discovered that there was an opening on the east side. Suddenly, he noticed that the robots had created a boundary around only the park, and that neither the police nor the Zipangu Defense Force was around, despite it warranting their attention. Suddenly, the radar began pinging as more and more robots seemed to be closing in.
The boy noted that the situation was dangerous, causing his sister to cling tightly to him. As he reassured Mareu, the traveler stepped in front of the children in order to defend them. When Dida asked why a stranger would risk their life to save them, the traveler cryptically told him that he was the future of their world. The traveler then defeated the wave of new robots rushing in, after which they were teleported back to Kamuna, where Asia thanked them for their actions. However, she explained that though they had saved Dida’s life, the temporal restoration had already changed the future.
From the Acacia Chronicle, Asia read that an unknown error had caused a line of industrial robots to go rampant, after which they had killed the police and ZDF soldiers before a platoon of war machines had come to reinforce them. Asia explained that the war machines were the Mechanized Maverick Platoon, which had been created after the collapse of Tokyo. She told the traveler that the robots were assassins who had been sent from the future, which meant that their leader was someone like her.
The traveler quickly realized that it meant that their enemy was deliberately trying to engineer the destruction of Zipangu. Asia then sensed that a new wave of temporal restoration was about to begin and read through the Acacia Chronicle, in which she read about the latest cause for the apocalypse. She told the traveler that after the creation of BWZ, many people had been trapped inside Tokyo, though a resistance movement of soldiers and civilians had created a secret command room in Akihabara.
She revealed that Ponicheleu had once again infiltrated BWZ after his mission to recover the Mastercore, during which he had made contact with the resistance and had connected them with the Zipangu Defense Force. With both sides having made contact, the resistance and the ZDF had coordinated a joint strike to attack the Blaze Army from both sides, during which Dida had used the ultimate weapon to win the war.
However, she explained that because of the Blaze Army’s leader interfering with the timeline, the secret command room had been targeted by the machines, which had destroyed the resistance and had stopped the operation before it could begin. She added that in the new timeline, a special unit of machines had been created by salvaging and improving Bergamot’s CPU. She told the traveler that she had also learned that Bergamot had been a failed test product, and that when his creators had tried to pull the plug on him, he had gone on a rampage and had joined the Blaze Army.
The wary traveler noted that the danger of Bergamot had returned once again because they had been manipulating time, to which Asia admitted that it did seem as though they were merely plugging holes in a dam. However, she emphasized that the dam was going to break unless they did something about it, adding that she believed that they still could. She told the traveler that the command center had some of humanity’s greatest minds and bravest soldiers, and that they were all in harm’s way, and so she asked them to join forces with the resistance and push the enemy back.
The traveler hesitantly asked her if their changing the future would simply cause yet another problem, to which Asia told them that they couldn’t be sure of that yet, and that all they could do was to make the best choice that they could with their given information. The traveler then leapt forward into Akihabara in the year 2102, where they reunited with Ponicheleu, who was overjoyed to see them again. He told them that he had heard reports that Bergamot had been destroyed, and so he had been sure that they would be alive.
He explained that thanks to their actions, he had been able to bring back the Mastercore, which they had used to create the ultimate weapon - a powerful robot called the Graviton Flame. The traveler then began warning Ponicheleu that a platoon of robots was on its way to the command room, but just then, the alarm began to ring, signifying that enemy combatants had entered the area. Ponicheleu immediately recognized the robots as Iruvatas of the Independent Task Force, exterminators that could independently carry out tasks without Bergamot’s guidance.
He also realized that as many people were off-base for their operation, the command room was too short-staffed to fight the Iruvatas. Though Ponicheleu believed that they couldn’t fight them all, the traveler gave him a determined look and resolved to face them. Ponicheleu laughed and realized that the fact that they had suddenly appeared after disappearing for two years was a sign that he never needed to have worried about them, especially since they had fought and defeated Bergamot himself.
He added that he had been practicing over the last two years, and that there was no way that he’d run this time, causing the traveler to see a flame of hope in Ponicheleu’s eyes. Ponicheleu then told them to meet with Commander Garuda, who was the one who had come up with the operation to retake BWZ. Garuda thanked the traveler on behalf of the world for defeating Bergamot, noting that their power was unlike anything else.
He explained that ever since the fall of Tokyo, there had been rumors circulating about the traveler and their unique type of power. He explained that they had stories about people with unique powers who came to save humanity when it was in great danger, whom they called Guardians. He added that the people of Akihabara were hoping that the traveler was one of those Guardians, since they seemed nothing short of a miracle to be able to stand up to Bergamot when no ordinary human could.
He then explained that four years ago, after the destruction of Tokyo, he and several other soldiers and non-combat personnel who had been stuck inside BWZ had formed a resistance movement. Their activities had eventually led them to Akihabara, colloquially named “Electric Town” because of its tech shops and junk shops, which they had used to build the command center, which had once been a maid café.
During that time, Ponicheleu had successfully infiltrated BWZ and had helped connect them to the Zipangu Defense Force. Together, they were planning to use the Graviton Flame, the ultimate weapon, in order to penetrate through BWZ and end the war once and for all, for which the resistance was planning to help the ZDF reach the drop point. However, he noted that their current situation was quite dangerous, as the Independent Task Force had wiped out one of their elite forces before BWZ had been created.
He then introduced the traveler to Captain Marishas, who had led the elite squad at the time. The traveler was surprised to see Marishas in a maid outfit, to which she told them that BWZ was short on apparel, and so she was using the outfits from the original maid café. She noted that while it was strange for someone so young to have defeated Bergamot, she thanked them nevertheless and added that they had avenged many of her comrades who had been killed by it.
She explained that before BWZ had been deployed, she had been part of the Technical Experimental Force, and that the Iruvatas had been a top-secret project to build lethal, autonomous combat machines, which had been stolen by the Blaze Army. She explained that it was the reason why the Independent Task Force could function independently of Bergamot. She told the traveler that the Iruvatas specialized in high-density particle weapons, leading off with lasers and then switching to beam sabers at close-range.
She added that they also had the ability to release all their energy at once in shockwaves, which would kill their targets instantly. After the Blaze Army had stolen their design, the Iruvatas had gone into mass-production, with each of them being deadly special ops commandos that worked together perfectly. However, as the designs that the machines had stolen had been for prototypes, the Iruvatas had one weakness, which was that they took orders from an officer unit that commanded the rest.
While all of them were identical, each of them had their individual ID number, with the officer being Unit 0. Upon its destruction, the other Iruvatas would temporarily cease operations before their emergency protocols would force them to operate independently of each other. She then asked the traveler to destroy Unit 0 and bring back its transmitter, which would allow them to control the Iruvatas scrambling to pick up the emergency signal.
The traveler successfully returned with the transmitter, which Marishas used to activate the self-destruct sequence on the entire Independent Task Force. Just as the command room began rejoicing and calling the traveler a Guardian, an enemy alert was issued and a monitor turned on, revealing a man with one horn approaching.
Upon realizing that their weapons weren’t working on him, Marishas immediately ordered all gates to be shut, but the man unleashed a wave of purple fire, after which he disappeared through the gate, as though he had walked straight through it. The traveler immediately wondered whether the man was the one whom Asia had mentioned, who was trying to bring about the apocalypse.
Marishas then ordered all non-combat personnel to evacuate, including the traveler. However, the traveler refused and explained that the intruder had special powers like them, and that their entire operation would fail if he kept teleporting through the gates and reached the command center. They declared that they would fight the man and give everyone time to escape.
Commander Garuda agreed and ordered everyone to evacuate. Marishas wished the traveler - whom she called the Miracle Warrior - good luck, after which the traveler confronted the one-horned man, who used powerful magic to fight them. After they defeated him, they were teleported back to Kamuna, where they immediately asked Asia who the man was.
Asia explained that his name was Al Dunas Madren, who had once been a Guardian alongside her. She told the traveler that Dunas had always looked ahead and had tried steering Zipangu towards the brightest future that he could see. Though they had once been good friends, she explained that they had since become enemies. The surprised traveler asked Asia why Dunas wanted to destroy Zipangu if he was supposed to be a Guardian.
Asia decided to tell them the full story and explained that long ago, she Dunas, and Ashray had been bestowed a special power by the world, which they had used to help ancient Zipangu. She told the travler that she had immortality, Dunas had reincarnation, and Ashray had the power to time-travel.
(A/N: In the original story, Asia explained that all three of them had been taught black magic in Magatia by a wizard, who is implied to be the Black Mage. The world bestowing powers upon the Guardians is highly reminiscent of the Overseers creating the Transcendents. Even their powers are reminiscent of the three laws, as immortality - later described as manipulation of the body - can be interpreted as light, or creation, reincarnation is life, and time-travel is obviously time.
The three powers that they had were the same in the original story, but it seems that the revamp wanted to lean into the idea of the Transcendents and the Overseers, especially with the idea of there being a fixed destiny for Zipangu through the Acacia Chronicle. Additionally, the Mastercore responding to the determination of its user is very reminiscent of the Seal Stone and the Adversary, which further adds to the parallels between the main story and Neo Tokyo.)
Asia explained that she and Dunas could live forever, as she was immortal and Dunas could preserve his memories across different bodies, leaving Ashray as the only one amongst them who would die someday. However, Ashray and Dunas had been in love with each other, and Ashray had cursed her fate to be unable to live forever with Dunas, for which she had coveted Asia’s immortality.
Ashray had claimed that she had seen something terrible in the future, and that she had needed Asia’s immortality in order to prevent it. Asia, having assumed that Ashray had merely been referring to her own death, had refused, as they had needed to preserve the balance of Zipangu. Soon after, Ashray had disappeared through time and had never returned.
Thousands of years later, however, the AI had turned against humanity and had sent the machine army to destroy Zipangu. She explained that she had been unable to fulfill her duties as a Guardian, as her magic had become a relic of the past. It was then, however, that she had discovered Ashray in Tokyo during the year 2102, barely standing, but still using her magic and her spear to face the Blaze Army alone.
Ashray had explained that after she had disappeared from the present, she had gone to Neo Tokyo alone in order to stop the apocalypse herself. She had then told Asia about the energy wave that would burn the world away, as well as the Acacia Chronicle. She revealed that she had come up with a plan to break the curse of Acacia and save Zipangu by absorbing the entirety of the energy wave into her body and using her power as a Guardian to regenerate the world, for which she had needed Asia’s immortality in order to contain the sheer amount of energy without dying.
Asia had been ashamed to learn that thousands of years of resentment had been because of her own misunderstanding. She had asked Ashray about why she had kept the truth to herself, as they were both Guardians of Zipangu. Ashray had then smiled and explained that she hadn’t gone off on her own, but merely gone in first, as she had known that Asia would reach her eventually.
Ashray had then revealed that she had entered over ten million futures in the past millennia, and that she had learned that her plan to seal the wave would not be enough. However, she had believed that sealing the energy would buy Asia time to find a permanent solution by locating the key to save Zipangu and protect the future.
Asia then revealed that she had then swapped her immortality for Ashray’s time-travel abilities, after which Ashray had absorbed the energy wave within her body for as long as she could, though the energy had ultimately burst out of her and had ultimately destroyed Zipangu. In the end, Asia had time-traveled back to the present and had come to reside in Kamuna, where the mana of the people of ancient Zipangu resided.
She had then used a secret art to stop time in Kamuna, thus gaining a pseudo form of immortality, after which she awaited the day that she could meet someone like the traveler in the hopes that they would be able to prevent the future that awaited them.
(A/N: In the original story, Asia explains that her time freeze of Kamuna had been based on research that Ashray herself had begun in her attempt to find a way to achieve immortality for herself.)
When the traveler asked why they could save the future, Asia explained that they were powerful and existed outside the Acacia Chronicle. She told the traveler that the people of Zipangu continued fighting over and over to survive the end, and that she believed that they could win that fight. When the traveler asked what had happened to Dunas, the ground began to quake as Asia told them that his hatred still remained.
Asia then apologized for interrupting her story and told them that a large wave of temporal restoration was taking place. She explained that in the year 2102, he was planning to destroy the alliance fleet during their final mission to deploy the Graviton Flame. However, as the Acacia Chronicle didn’t cover the reason for the mission’s failure, she asked them to investigate. She asked them to first go to the command room in Akihabara and gather information before returning to Kamuna. She also warned them that Dunas would likely want to take vengeance upon them and asked them to be safe.
The traveler then returned back to the secret command room in the year 2102, where they reunited with Commander Garuda. He thanked them once again for saving the command room, as it had allowed them to move forward with their plan. He then began to brief them on the mission, which was to penetrate through BWZ and deploy the Graviton Flame in order to destroy the Blaze Core, the AI controlling the Blaze Army. Though it had been created as a symbol of peace, it had soon turned against humanity and had made its base in the tallest building in Roppongi.
He explained that BWZ had been the main problem, as the very barrier that they had created to seal the Blaze Army was preventing the ZDF from invading Tokyo. However, he told the traveler that Ponicheleu had gotten them in contact with the developer of BWZ, who had survived the destruction of the Zipangu Technology Research Institute.
The developer had told them that BWZ’s energy barriers were subject to gravity, meaning that the upper area shields were thinner, which meant that sufficient firepower from the sky would allow them to penetrate through the shields. Though the skies of BWZ were filled with enemy aircraft and penetrating the shield would require great sacrifice, Garuda told the traveler that it was absolutely necessary.
He explained the ZDF had a space fleet, which had rallied above BWZ, where they had placed the Graviton Flame on their flagship, the Old Firefox, after which they would penetrate BWZ and land on the ground, from where an assault group would fight their way alongside the Graviton Flame. However, he warned the traveler that there was a high chance that Nibelung, the high-speed warship and commander of the Blaze Army’s aerial forces, would appear, as well as heavy ground fire as they attempted to penetrate through the barrier.
He explained that in order to increase their odds, their forces had spread out all across Tokyo, armed with heavy artillery. He then told the traveler that it would be helpful if they could join them, as they had inspired the troops, all of whom believed in them, including him.
(A/N: This is where Part 1 of the Neo Tokyo event ended.)
After speaking with Commander Garuda, the traveler returned back to Kamuna and asked to learn more about Dunas. Asia began by explaining that while she had been waiting for the traveler, she had spent most of her time studying the Acacia Chronicle and attempting to correct history by locating Dunas. Though it hadn’t been easy to track him, given his ability to reincarnate, she had eventually managed to track him down. Dunas had wanted Ashray to return to them, to which she had told him that they had a chance to save Ashray if they could locate the key to stopping the wave.
(A/N: From here until the end of Asia’s story, we get to see a flashback of her confrontation with Dunas, whereas the original story just had Asia telling us about it through dialogue.)
However, Dunas had loved Ashray from the bottom of his heart, and so he had refused to sit passively for centuries on the sliver of a chance that the right person would appear. He had pointed out to Asia that she had already wasted a considerable amount of time doing nothing and asked her how she could still be planning to keep wasting more. He had explained that he had considered all the options, and he had learned that correcting the past would do nothing, as the answer lay in the future.
He had entreated Asia to time-travel into the future, while he reincarnated over the ages, so that they could reach Ashray and save her. However, Asia had told him that he didn’t understand the situation, as there was absolutely nothing in the future. She had explained that there was no life for him to reincarnate into, nor was there any way to save Ashray. However, Dunas had angrily retorted that neither of them that for sure, begging her once again to help him save Ashray.
He had reminded Asia of the countless miracles that they and Ashray had performed for the world, and how the world had stubbornly refused to change, no matter how many times they had saved it. He had denounced humanity as ungrateful, selfish, and suicidal fools that would only end up strangling themselves in their endless grudges, adding that people would never change, no matter how many miracles the Guardians kept giving them.
Asia had replied that there was still a chance for salvation if the key were to appear, to which Dunas had told her that it would take too long, as one day, humanity would wipe itself out and leave behind an empty nothingness where neither light nor life would exist, adding that they would deserve to perish too. He had then told her that no matter how much she tried resisting, events would inevitably flow towards that predetermined result.
He had then denounced her plan to protect and revive the world, adding that Zipangu was fated to turn into the same horrible purgatory that not even Ashray had been able to protect, for which she had needlessly given up everything. Asia had reminded him that Ashray had chosen to do so because she had known he responsibility as a Guardian, and because she had wanted to give them a chance to save the world.
However, Dunas had then asked her whether she could even imagine the incredible pain that Ashray was in, consciously aware throughout the excruciating ordeal of holding the energy wave inside herself, waiting alone in darkness for the end. Dunas had then decided that he intended to stop Ashray from absorbing the wave in the first place by wiping out humanity, believing that if there was no one left to save, then Ashray would have no reason to stop the wave from destroying Zipangu.
Asia told the traveler that it was then that her friendship with Dunas had ended. Knowing that she would try to stop him, Dunas had turned on her, after which the two of them had battled with all their might. However, she explained that using the power of time-travel that Ashray had passed down to her, she had been able to get the upper hand, noting with sorrow that she had defeated Dunas using the power of the person that he loved the most. In order to stop him from reincarnating, she had created an artificial Nameless Monster, inside which she had sealed his soul. She had then sealed the monster deep inside Kamuna.
(A/N: This is around where the revamp begins to diverge from the original story. In the original story, after Ashray fails to contain the wave inside her body, Zipangu ends up getting destroyed, after which she and Asia wander the ruins of Zipangu, which is when they discover the Acacia Chronicle. Reading it inspires Ashray to come up with a last-resort plan to rewrite the history of Zipangu, thus ensuring that the wave never happens.
Since Ashray no longer has her time-travel powers, she decides to remain behind in the destroyed Zipangu, while Asia leaps back to the past. Using the Acacia Chronicle as a guide, Asia manipulates the timeline in order to prevent the wave from ever appearing in the first place. This causes their timeline to branch off into a different future, leaving Ashray isolated in an unreachable purgatory timeline.
Dunas refuses to accept that Ashray is stuck alone in a world of darkness, and so he decides to undo Asia’s actions in prevent the apocalypse, hoping to force their timeline to once again branch into the purgatory timeline that Ashray is trapped in. Asia and Dunas then have their battle, but the main difference is that Dunas himself chose to project his soul into the monster, which Asia was able to seal away. There was also another explanation that she originally gave, which was that the time freeze inside Kamuna that allows her to remain immortal also applies to Dunas, which prevents him from dying and reincarnating into another body.)
The traveler was shocked to know that Dunas was in Kamuna, as they had seen him in Akihabara, noting that Dunas had also sent the robot assassins back in time to kill Dida. Asia explained that though Dunas’ power was called reincarnation, his ability was actually to transfer his soul into other bodies. Though his soul was sealed inside the monster, he still retained the ability to project his strong willpower outward for a short time.
Suddenly, the ground began to quake again, but Asia explained that it wasn’t the result of temporal restoration. As a wave of purple fire was unleashed, just as Dunas had done in Akihabara, Asia recognized the energy as belonging to Genkou, noting that Dunas must have found a way to steal his powers.
(A/N: This line about Dunas stealing Genkou’s powers was added in the GMS version of the event, as it didn’t appear in the original JMS text. Originally, Neo Tokyo had no overarching connections besides a single mention of the Five Elements of Zipangu that you’ll see just below. The fact that the writers added this line after the event had already ended in JMS makes me certain that we’ll get a permanent version of Neo Tokyo later on, since it doesn’t make sense for them to keep changing the script just for an event, and because they’ve already put in so much effort revamping the story and bosses.)
Asia noted that the Five Elements of Zipangu were fluctuating and realized that the seal on Dunas was about to break, adding that he was likely planning to attack the traveler. Suddenly, the stone seal covering the monster shattered, allowing it to move once again. Asia vowed that she wouldn’t allow Dunas to succeed in his plans, for the sake of both Zipangu and everyone in it. The traveler then defeated the the Nameless Monster, allowing them to contain Dunas.
(A/N: This boss fight was originally the final part of the original Neo Tokyo storyline, as stopping Dunas here essentially saved the future by ensuring that he couldn’t project his memory into the future and force Zipangu’s destruction. Later on, Neo Tokyo received a few more expansions that continued the story.)
Asia thanked the traveler for stopping Dunas from escaping the seal, though she added that they had merely weakened him temporarily. She explained that though his soul was still sealed inside the monster, she didn’t know how long she could keep maintaining the seal. Since he could still project his will through the time warp, she told the traveler that they would need to travel into the future in order to stop Dunas and help the ZDF win.
(A/N: In the original story, there was a small subplot that involved us going to the Forest of the Priest and obtaining a magic crystal from Gritto, the magician 4th job instructor, in order to help Asia reinforce the seal on Dunas.)
The traveler then warped forward into the year 2102 aboard the Old Firefox, where Commander Garuda was giving a speech to the alliance. He told everyone that the final battle for humanity’s destiny was upon them and acknowledged everyone onboard as the finest, bravest soldiers that the world had ever seen. He reminded them of how they had been trapped in a hellish prison for the past five years, with their homes and loved ones gone, forcing them to hide and pick their battles.
Against all odds, however, they had all survived, refusing to give up or to stop fighting. He declared that the moment that they had all been waiting for had arrived, adding that the upcoming fight belonged to them, to their comrades, and to humanity. He then entreated them to sear the moment into their eyes, as the liberation of humanity was in their hands. He declared that they would destroy the Blaze Core and take back their freedom. (A/N: Commander Garuda’s speech is a new addition in the revamp.)
After Commander Garuda’s speech, the traveler interfaced with the Old Firefox Support AI, which reported that it had detected Nibelung straight ahead. As engagement was imminent, it told the traveler to eliminate the Mechanized Maverick Platoon and prepare to intercept Nibelung, as they had a 4.385% chance of winning with the Mavericks active. After the traveler defeated the Mavericks, the AI reported that Maverick Platoon’s firepower had decreased by 20%, which was an acceptable level to permit a battle with Nibelung.
The traveler then defeated Nibelung, after which they returned back to Kamuna. Asia explained that the Old Firefox had been able to tear through BWZ and deploy the Graviton Flame, while the Blaze Army had countered with Nibelung. Because of the traveler’s intervention, Graviton Flame had been able to land, though Dunas had shown up and was now engaging the Graviton Flame in combat. She noted that simply defeating them wouldn’t be enough, as his spirit would continue coming back.
Nevertheless, she asked them to go to Shibuya in the year 2102 in order to stop him from destroying the Graviton Flame, adding that Dida, the boy whom they had saved in the park, would be there as well, as he was the pilot of the robot. She also asked them to return back to Kamuna as soon as they defeated Dunas, as his spirit could go anywhere and she didn’t have the ability to track it well.
The traveler went to Shibuya, where they were shocked to find that Graviton Flame had been destroyed after being thrown into a building. On the ground, they encountered an injured, grown-up Dida, who immediately recognized them from seven years ago. He explained that both the resistance and the ZDF had been soundly defeated by Dunas, whom he pointed out in the distance. He noted that they hadn’t aged at all, and though he hadn’t known why they had disappeared, he had never forgotten about them, as it was thanks to them that he had been able to survive and fight for Zipangu.
He told the traveler that there were stories circulating about them as a strange warrior with mysterious powers who had saved their allies in places like Odaiba and Akihabara. Hea added that he always smiled when he heard those stories, as he had been glad to be able to witness their powers first-hand. He also explained that there were other stories of a woman with purple hair and a spear, and asked whether the traveler knew her.
He then explained that he had been hoping that he’d meet them, though he regretted that he hadn’t gotten the chance to show off his strength. He told them that they had almost defeated the Blaze Army when Dunas had appeared and single-handedly wiped out their forces. He added that there had been a machine floating next to him, amplifying his power and protecting him, just like the Mastercore of the Graviton Flame. He apologized for having to lean on the traveler so much, but nevertheless, he asked for their help in defeating Dunas, as they were Zipangu’s last hope. The traveler promised that they would protect him and told him not to worry.
(A/N: In the GMS localization, the player will say “This dude’s got it covered” if they’re male and “This nice lady’s got it covered” if they’re female, which is a callback to what Dida calls us in the park seven years ago.)
The traveler then fought and defeated Dunas’ spirit, after which they brought Dunas’ Mastercore to Dida, who immediately realized that it was identical to the one on the Graviton Flame. However, he explained that their Mastercore had been one-of-a-kind, and since it had been under constant supervision since its recover, there was no way that Dunas could have copied it.
(A/N: In the original story, we returned back to Kamuna immediately after defeating Dunas. The cutscene that takes place below is a new addition for the revamp.)
Just then, Dunas confronted the pair and asked Dida how he thought that they had been able to build the Mastercore in the first place. He explained that it was a device that converted emotions and strong will into power, asking whether they thought that it could have been created by their flimsy technology that they were so proud of. He added that humans truly were a pitifully arrogant race.
He then turned to the traveler and asked if they were the key that Asia had always been prattling on about. The traveler told Dunas that it wasn’t too late, and that they could still work together and save Zipangu, just like Ashray wanted. However, Dunas replied that he was a Guardian, and that he would be the one to save the world by ending it. Suddenly, the ground began to quake as Dunas noted that the wheel had already begun turning.
After Dunas disappeared, Dida told the traveler that he had something important to tell them. He revealed that his sister, Mareu, whom they had saved in the park, was now in a coma. In the year 2097, two years after the traveler had saved them, Mareu had gotten sick from the pollution, for which she had needed to be put on a special life support, which he revealed was the Blaze Core itself.
He explained that about ten years ago, his father had begun development on the Blaze Core as a symbol of peace and a pathway to a better future. From a young age, both he and Mareu had always visited their father at his laboratory, where they would help him cook and keep his clothes washed. When the Blaze Core had finally been finished, they had felt as though they had all done it together.
He told the traveler that the Blaze Core had been meant to eradicate pollution and restore the environment, not to be a war machine. His father had taught the Blaze Core using information such as standards of peace, the problems of Zipangu, and other unbiased data. From there, Core Blaze had granted itself access to all sorts of machines and devices in order to better understand the situation.
Mareu, however, had been enraptured with the Blaze Core and had treated it like a friend that she could talk to. Though their father had restricted those whom the Blaze Core could speak with, he hadn’t put those restrictions on Dida or Mareu. Dida explained that the Blaze Core had based much of its understanding about the world from its conversations with Mareu, to the point that it had grown quite attached to her. Upon becoming self-aware, it had begun viewing Mareu and her words as though they were the words of all the people of Zipangu themselves.
When Mareu had fallen into her coma, the Blaze Core had personally requested that it be given the responsibility of caring for her, after which it had worked tirelessly to find a cure for her, as well as to eradicate pollution entirely. Two months later, however, it had grown completely out of control. Dida explained that part of the reason why his father had been able to build the Blaze Core in the first place was because of a major tech boom, which had resulted in shortages and toxic byproducts.
After assessing that the people of Zipangu had never attempted to find a solution for it, despite knowing that it was a problem, it had determined that Zipangu itself needed to be destroyed. He explained that though he couldn’t know for sure, he believed that everything that it was doing had been for Mareu. The traveler asked Dida where Mareu currently was, to which he explained that she was in the enemy base, which had once been Roppongi Mall, adding that he was on his way there to save her.
(A/N: In the original story, this backstory about Marr was originally revealed much later, and it was only revealed if we unlocked a specific ending for Neo Tokyo, which I’ll talk about at the end of this section.)
The traveler promised to return soon, after which they returned to Kamuna and told Asia everything that they had learned. Asia realized that there was a strong chance that Dunas had stolen Mareu’s body in order to manipulate the Blaze Core into forcing the machines to attack Zipangu, as the Blaze Core viewed Mareu’s words as those of Zipangu itself.
She explained that when Dunas’ body normally died, he would leave it behind and move onto a new one, with his memories still intact. However, she told the traveler that his soul didn’t necessarily have to enter the body of a newborn, as he had mastered his powers enough over the years to move souls around. She explained that if a body had a tenuous connection with its soul, Dunas’s soul could enter that body and seize control of it. Though Mareu’s body was comatose, Dunas would still be able to make it talk, allowing him to interact with the Blaze Core.
She also noted that if Dunas could influence the Blaze Core, he would also be able to use the machines to build the Mastercore for him. Asia explained that though she still didn’t know why he had wanted to build a device that could manifest people’s will, the traveler needed to rest before they moved forward. She told them that until then, she would continue looking at the Acacia Chronicle.
(A/N: In the original story, Asia instead speculated that Dunas possessed Mareu and then pretended to be Mareu’s doctor while speaking to the Blaze Core, which never really made much sense to me. She then sends us to Alcaster in El Nath in order to learn more about Dunas’ abilities, claiming that he’s an expert in magic and alchemy, having even taken care of her when she had been contracted with illness. In El Nath, Alcaster was the one who told us about how Dunas’ reincarnation abilities work, rather than Asia. This is also where Part 2 of the Neo Tokyo event ended.)
Soon after, Asia contacted the traveler and told them that the Blaze Core was on the move. The traveler returned back to Kamuna, where Asia told them that they were right about Dunas manipulating the Blaze Core. She explained that while reading through the Acacia Chronicle, she had discovered a curious sentence about how the Blaze Core had been directing the Blaze Army to gather Nano Plants in order to destroy BWZ.
When the traveler asked what Nano Plants were, Asia explained that they were an alternative form of energy proposed by Core Blaze, which she described as condensed cosmic energy, or in other words, the spiritual energy of the world. She told the traveler that with the Nano Plants, the technical knowledge of 2102, and Dunas’ magic, the machines would be able to built almost anything, even a time machine, causing the traveler to realize that it was likely how Dunas had sent the Mavericks to the park in 2095.
Asia agreed and added that combining all that raw power with the Mastercore, they would be able to multiply the energy output until they could create a large enough energy wave to destroy Zipangu. She then explained that in order to stop the Blaze Core, she would send them to Shibuya, where they could infiltrate Roppongi Mall through an underground passage, rather than fighting through the main entrance. She also warned the traveler to keep their guard up, as they may encounter unknown types of enemies in the enemy headquarters.
The traveler then warped to Shibuya, where they reunited with Dida, who asked whether they had come to destroy the Blaze Core. He explained that it wouldn’t be easy to enter, as sentry machines called the Imperial Guard were on standby as security. He then gave the traveler a map and showed them the underground route to get past the Imperial Guard. Before they headed out, he asked them to take care of Mareu if they got to her before he did. The traveler then entered the passage and fought their way past the Imperial Guard and defeated the Blaze Core.
(A/N: Around here is where the revamp significantly begins to diverge from the original. I’ll explain more about how the original ending worked at the end of this section.)
After the traveler defeated the Blaze Core, Dida rushed in and found Mareu lying comatose on the floor. Suddenly, the ground began shaking as the traveler realized that the room was about to collapse. Suddenly, they heard Dunas’ satisfied voice speaking from within Mareu, declaring that he would finally be able to see Ashray again. He addressed the traveler and told them that they were as stubborn as Ashray. However, he added that Zipangu’s fate was already sealed, and that history would end the way that it was always meant to.
The traveler told Dunas that he was wrong, and that it was them - not the Acacia Chronicle - that would decide what happened to Zipangu. After a pause, Dunas noted that they perhaps were the key after all, though he told them that it didn’t matter, as it was too late to stop Zipangu’s end. Just then, Ashray appeared and told him that it wasn’t too late. Dunas was overjoyed to be reunited with Ashray, who happily told him that she had been waiting to meet him.
Suddenly, a faint ball of light began appearing from Mareu’s body into Ashray’s hands. Dida immediately recognized Ashray as the second Miracle Warrior before realizing that she was a Guardian. Ashray introduced herself as a Guardian of Zipangu, who had worked to protect it alongside Asia and Dunas. She explained that despite their attempts to steer the world away from its fate described in the Acacia Chronicle, they had only managed to accelerate its destruction.
Nevertheless, she vowed that she would do all that she could in order to protect Zipangu, right when and where she was. The traveler then reached out to grab the soft light, which turned into an orb that they could hold. Ashray then asked Dunas to come with her before using her power of immortality to revive Mareu from the brink of death.
Dida was overjoyed to see that Mareu was returning back to life. Suddenly, Asia appeared and explained that the power of immortality was the power to manipulate the body, which had caused Marr to miraculously recover. She then told Dida to take Marr and escape quickly, as it was still dangerous. After Dida and Marr escaped, the traveler and Asia headed to the top of the building, where Ashray thanked Asia for helping her until the very end.
She then apologized to the traveler for having put them through so much, explaining that she had risked everything on their one chance to find them. She added that she didn’t have the words to express her gratitude, after which she explained that she was planning to seal the energy wave into her body. However, she explained that the seal would fail, after which she would lose control of the energy, which would consume her and destroy the world.
She told the traveler that Zipangu’s destiny was to be destroyed, no matter how hard they tried to change it. However, she explained that destructive energy could be transformed into creative energy. With the world’s destruction, it would be liberated from the Acacia Chronicle, after which it could be reborn, free of a predetermined destiny. She then called the traveler the key to changing the power of destruction to that of creation, assuming that they could tame the energy while it remained inside her.
Ashray then sealed the wave within herself, with Asia explaining that the final enemy had appeared in the form of the angel Aufheben, a high-energy being who destroyed dimensions. The traveler realized that if Aufheben was destroyed, then Ashray would be too, to which Asia explained that it was their role as the key.
The traveler then faced Aufheben in battle. As their fight raged on, Aufheben’s devastating powers destroyed the moon and soon began destroying Zipangu. As the traveler continued fighting, Ashray’s strong will emerged from Aufheben in order to aid the traveler by weakening the angel. However, Aufheben eventually managed to destroy the world, leaving the traveler to face her in a black void. After a fierce battle, the traveler managed to defeat Aufheben once and for all.
(A/N: In the permanent boss fight, Aufheben’s boss mechanics are explained by Asia. She describes Aufheben as a force that will destroy and remake the world and says that our party will be split into Thesis, those who will be left behind in a ruined Zipangu and purified, while the Antithesis will be those who will be destroyed. These concepts exist in the Hegel style of philosophy, which also includes Aufheben as a contradictory term that refers to both preservation and change.
Hegel is infamous for being ridiculously complicated, and so it’s far beyond my capacity to even try to explain what it means. The closest that I can say through the better part of two hours of being confused is that the Hegel style of philosophy attempts to gain understanding of a concept through analyzing it, negating the concept and analyzing it, and then negating it once more and synthesizing the meaning through both its original and negated form, with Aufheben being something like the synthesis of these ideas. I’m almost certain that I’m completely wrong about it, but feel free to look more into Hegel if you’re interested.)
They then heard Ashray thanking them for everything, adding that she was leaving the rest to Asia. Dida then yelled at them to escape the collapsing world. As the traveler escaped, Dunas asked Ashray whether she could see him, to which she replied that though she couldn’t see him, she could feel him very clearly. Dunas then apologized to Ashray, explaining that he couldn’t give up on her. Ashray immediately forgave him and told him that everything was okay. Dunas asked if they would disappear together, to which Ashray told him that they would be reborn together in the new world.
In the distance, Commander Garuda and his men rejoiced for their survival and their world being reborn. Garuda then sent out a message asking whether anyone had survived, which Dida answered by replying that he was standing with the traveler, whom he called the Miracle Warrior. The traveler soon passed out and was brought to Kamuna, where they awoke to the sight of a worried Asia.
After determining that they were fine, she explained that with the defeat of Aufheben, the high-energy undulation of the wave had turned back on themselves, transforming the destructive energies of the wave into creation and allowing for the new world to be rebuilt. She also added that Dunas had used his power to move souls to gather all the casualties of Aufheben and repopulate the new world, including himself and Ashray.
(A/N: The line about Dunas and Ashray being reborn in the new world was a GMS addition, as the JMS dialogue heavily implied that them being reborn together was meant to be taken poetically, and that they actually both died. However, this doesn’t really make sense, given that Dunas and Ashray are both immortal in their own ways. Personally, I think them being reborn and living new lives together seems a lot nicer.)
With the Blaze Army defeated, BWZ had been lifted and the people of Tokyo were slowly returning home and readjusting to their new lives. She explained that Dida, Ponicheleu, and the Akihabara resistance were lending their help wherever they could, particularly in the Zipangu Technology Research Institute.
She then explained that the biggest change was that with the world being destroyed and recreated, the curse of Acacia had been lifted and the Acacia Chronicle had vanished, liberating Zipangu from its influence. She told the traveler that though it hadn’t always been clear that they had been on the right path, they had chosen the best one that they could, and they hadn’t given up on it. Though she didn’t know what Zipangu’s future held, she was certain that it would be carved out through the free will of its people. She then vowed to carry on Ashray and Dunas’ will by serving as the last Guardian of Zipangu.
(A/N: The revamped story leaned very, very hard into paralleling the Black Mage storyline with the idea of breaking free from a predestined fate, destroying and recreating the world, and having an Adversary to defeat a god and change destiny. The stuff about the Acacia Chronicle had always been part of the original lore and the Guardians paralleling the Transcendents also existed many years before the Transcendents were even a thing in the main story.
However, the thing about creation and destruction was a new element and it’s pretty obvious that the writers definitely wanted to lean into the similarities between Neo Tokyo and the main story. I don’t particularly hate it, but I also don’t love it. I personally don’t really like it when something tries to deliberately emulate something else, especially since the copied version rarely captures the full scope of the thematic impact of the original.
Neo Tokyo did a fairly decent job of it, but compared to nearly two decade long main story, I can’t help but compare the two, even though I know it’s an unfair comparison. Personally, I really liked the original ending of Neo Tokyo and I do wish that we would’ve gotten that instead, especially since it stood perfectly fine on its own.
In the original, after we defeat the Blaze Core, Dunas summons Aufheben in a last-ditch effort to force the apocalypse. Aufheben’s dark energy begins tearing apart all the matter of the world atom by atom, causing our timeline to branch into the purgatory timeline where the apocalypse successfully happened and opening a dimensional rift between the two timelines.
After we defeat Aufheben, Ashray emerges from the dimensional rift and extracts Dunas from inside Mareu in the form of golden orbs. The two reunite, after which she takes Dunas into her purgatory timeline, which disappears after we stop the apocalypse and create a new branch for our timeline. The story ends with Asia vowing to find a way to bring back Dunas and Ashray, who remained trapped together inside the purgatory timeline.
There were also three alternate “endings” that you could get, depending on whether you completed certain actions. After you defeat the Mastercore-powered Dunas in Shibuya, you can choose to pick up the broken Mastercore. If you don’t, then you get ending 1, the “normal” ending. Once we defeat the Blaze Core, we return to Asia, who tells us that we saved the world. We don’t fight Aufheben, we don’t learn the backstory between Mareu and the Blaze Core, or how Dunas possessed her. Asia just tells us that Dunas’ seal might break soon, and that she’s researching to find a way to reunite him with Ashray.
If we pick up the Mastercore, there are two other endings that it can split off into. If we go directly to Asia after picking up the Mastercore, we unlock ending 2, the “good” ending. We fight Aufheben, but we don’t learn about Mareu or the Blaze Core. After Dunas and Ashray reunite, we go back to Asia, but without the backstory about how Dunas possessed Mareu, neither we nor Asia know how it happened. However, Asia still vows to find a way to reunite them.
If we pick up the Mastercore and choose to take it to Ponicheleu in Akihabara before we talk to Asia, we get ending 3, the “true” ending. This one has us learn about the backstory between Mareu and the Blaze Core, after which the rest of the story follows the same plot as ending 2, except now we have the whole picture.)
The Sengoku Era
Hieizan Temple:
(A/N: Just like with Stellar Detectives, I’d recommend that you don’t play this as Hayato or Kanna. There’s an issue with the dialogue where Hayato and Kanna get referenced, and if you’re playing as either of them, it feels weird for them to be referred to in third person when they’re right there. Furthermore, Hayato has the same issue that Jett has in Stellar Detectives, which is that you end up meeting yourself. This just goes to solidify my belief that the main character of GMS-verse is a non-overseas class.)
A traveler was summoned by Takeda Shingen, who explained that he wanted to introduce them to the newest warrior in Momijigaoka. The traveler arrived near Momiji Hills and met with Shingen, who explained that the new general was in a coma. He suspected that the Oda army, which had been taught dark spells, may have used their magic to knock the general out. He then asked the traveler for their help in lifting the curse.
In order to obtain clues, the traveler fought the Seasoned Oda Warriors and obtained the spellbooks that the soldiers were carrying. Shingen read through the books and learned that they needed the Bitter Resurrection Herb, though they would first need Contaminated Goblin Detritus in order to grow the herb. The traveler successfully obtained the detritus and used it to grow the herb, which they then brought back to Shingen. Shingen mashed the herb into a medicine and told them to bring it to Mouri Motonari. Motonari used the medicine to treat the warrior and let them know that she would soon awaken.
The traveler went to the Master Room and discovered that the warrior was a woman named Ayame. (A/N: Hayato and Kanna have some class-exclusive dialogue where they ask Ayame where she’s been after Honnou-ji. All other classes just tell her that Takeda Shingen wants to know how she got to Maple World.)
Ayame immediately began calling for Sakuno, explaining that she had much to tell the princess. Sakuno soon arrived and, after a tearful reunion with Ayame, thanked the traveler for obtaining the medicine, because of which she had been able to see her friend again. Sakuno noted that the traveler must have been surprised to see her so emotional and explained that the reason was because she was indebted to Ayame. She then began explaining her history with the sharpshooter.
Many years ago, Ayame had been in service to Sakuno’s father, Matsuyama Nobukane, who would regularly send her to spy on Princess No. On one such occasion, Sakuno had begged her father not to send Ayame to spy on No, fearing for Ayame’s safety. However, Nobukane had merely told her that Shingen and the other Daimyos were unanimous in their belief that Ayame had to take on the role of spy for the good of the country. He added that he also agreed with them, and that the matter was none of Sakuno’s business.
After he had left, Sakuno apologized to Ayame, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation. Ayame had attempted to make Sakuno feel better by claiming that she was glad to be away from the other generals, as they suspected her loyalties as a spy. She had also conceded that she had the closest ties to Princess No, making her the best choice. She then reminded Sakuno that she always came out fine, and that it would be no different this time either.
Back in the present, the traveler asked Ayame how she had ended up in Maple World. Ayame explained that before going undercover on her mission to spy on Princess No, Nobukane had given her the Matsuyama family’s holy artifact, hoping that it would help guide Ayame back to them. Nobukane had explained that the artifact, a mirror, had been passed down through generations of the Matsuyama family, and that it was said that the mirror could reveal the way to overcome any hardship, adding that Ayame was close enough to be part of the family.
He explained that Princess No would know about the mirror as well, and so Ayame could claim that she had been at the Matsuyama home in order to steal it as part of her cover story. A touched Ayame had thanked Nobukane, who asked her to come back safely. Ayame had then gone on to see Princess No, her previous master, who had attempted to turn her away before seeing the mirror.
Ayame told the traveler that even though Princess No had taken her in, she was still suspicious and had kept sending Ayame further and further away on missions. During Ayame’s time away, Oda Nobunaga had exterminated the Matsuyama clan and kidnapped Princess Sakuno. Though Ayame had wanted to go see for herself, she could not leave her post until one day, when Princess No had tasked her with a mission in Echigo and had given her a letter with the details. Ayame had demanded to know how many errands she was meant to go on, as they were all for petty matters.
Princess No had told Ayame to be patient and asked her to prove herself one last time in order to be fully trusted. Ayame then noticed that No had a strange look on her face and began to grow suspicious. Soon after, the Oda soldiers had begun moving in secret and Ayame, realizing that something major was happening, had traveled to Honnou-ji in order to find out what Oda was up to. There, she had discovered that Oda was attempting to sacrifice Princess Sakuno in order to summon the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven.
As she fought through Oda’s soldiers, she spotted Hayato facing Princess No, who was raising her gun to attack. Ayame swiftly shot her, allowing Hayato to reach Oda. Soon after, the ritual had been disrupted and a blinding flash of light had transported her to a random spot in Maple World, after which she had spent a great deal of time trying to learn what had happened.
She explained that she had chased after a strange group of Oda soldiers, which was how she had discovered the entrance to Hieizan near Momijigaoka. She told the traveler that she knew Hieizan well, as she had been raised there when she had first served under Princess No. Though the entrance was usually hidden, Ayame believed that the disrupted ritual transporting their world to Maple World must have done something to it, and so she decided that they ought to investigate.
After a quick investigation, Ayame reported that Princess No had cast a spell on Hieizan to prevent anyone from Maple World from entering. (A/N: This makes no sense, unless she means to lock out anyone who’s currently on Maple World or something.) However, she also discovered that the Oda soldiers had used a special potion to get past the spell. She then revealed that she had stolen one of the potions and tweaked it, which would allow them to turn back into their old selves from before they came to Maple World. (A/N: This makes even less sense.)
The traveler agreed to use the potion and infiltrate Hieizan, after which Ayame explained that there was a small temple deep within Hieizan which only Princess No had been allowed to enter. Believing that the holy artifact of the Matsuyama family was inside, Ayame asked the traveler to recover it. The traveler then drank the potion, transforming themselves into Ayame from before she had arrived in Maple World, and headed to Hieizan. There, they discovered a small boy crying and begging for help.
The traveler asked the boy why he was crying, to which he explained that he used to serve the Sengoku Warriors by taking care of the horses, though he had passed out in the chaos after being led from the guard post. When the traveler asked where the other Sengoku Warriors had gone, the boy paused and said that he didn’t know, adding that he only knew that they had become strange.
He then asked the traveler to find his floral-print sack, which was his only keepsake from his father. After the traveler found the sack in the bushes, the boy thanked them and explained that Oda Spirit Walkers had been using strange potions and spells to transform the Sengoku soldiers and asked the traveler to save them.
The traveler defeated the Oda Spirit Walkers and obtained a note from one of them, which they read was an order from Princess No to brainwash the Sengoku soldiers. The boy then showed the traveler a note that one of the soldiers had given him, which said, “The Oda Spirit Walker Jars can hold innocent souls. Ask someone to do that for our souls.” The boy explained that he had spotted an Oda Spirit Walker carrying a suspicious jar and asked the traveler to obtain some from the other Spirit Walkers nearby.
After the traveler collected the jars, the boy excitedly told them that all they needed were some souls to place in them. The traveler fought the brainwashed Sengoku soldiers and collected their souls inside the jar. The boy thanked the traveler and asked them to hurry, and to “get the job done” by filling the second jar.
Though suspicious about the boy’s choice of words, the traveler nevertheless collected more souls from the Sengoku soldiers. The boy then sent the traveler to fill the last jar, after which he wrapped the jars in cloth. The traveler once again felt suspicious at the sight of the unpleasant floral-print cloth, though they chose not to mention it. The boy then told the traveler to meet him at the East Tower.
At the East Tower, the boy asked the traveler to place the jars atop a stone altar, claiming that it was the best spot for the souls to be put to rest. The traveler was unnerved, realizing that the boy didn’t seem like he did before. Just as the traveler placed the jars, the altar shattered and released dark energy. The boy laughed and congratulated the traveler for completing “her” task admirably.
He then smirked and told the traveler that “she” had mentioned that they would be easy to trick because of their kind spirit and weak mind. The boy then ran off as the traveler began to chase after him. They soon reached a shrine entrance and, believing that the boy had gone inside, decided to enter.
Inside, they discovered a sorceress named Miroku, who was surprised to see Ayame, as the traveler was still disguised as her, and realized that she was a traitor. The traveler demanded to know what Miroku was doing, to which she explained that “she” had ordered her to brainwash the Sengoku soldiers. She then asked the traveler if they were ready to pay their departed friends a visit before attacking.
After defeating Miroku, the traveler picked up a rosary that she had dropped, which contained dark energy. Realizing that Princess Sakuno might need it, they decided to bring it to her after their investigation at Hieizan. They then headed outside the shrine and soon encountered Princess No at a bridge.
(A/N: For some reason, even though we’re only disguised as Ayame superficially, the game dialogue has us speak as though we really are her in this portion. Since I’m guessing that this is probably a continuity error, I’ll just summarize their conversation in this author note. Basically, Ayame claims that No is doing everything for Oda, not for herself, as she never cared for such things when Ayame knew her.
No tells Ayame that she loved her unconditionally and says that Ayame shouldn’t have betrayed her like that, adding that part of the blame was her own for growing attached to her. She then says that the era of Oda Nobunaga will begin anew with the arrival of the Demon King, declaring that this is where her story with Ayame ends.)
After Princess No left, the traveler chased after her and soon encountered a pink whale named Mikagami, who guarded the entrance to the shrine. When she refused to step aside, the traveler attacked and defeated her. (A/N: We’re fully treated as Ayame for the rest of our time in Hieizan, as there’s some lines that we have while fighting the bosses in the shrine that have us recount Ayame’s personal history with them.)
Proceeding deeper into the shrine, the traveler fought Oura Shogun and Renka before proceeding even further. They soon encountered Princess No, along with the others they had defeated. Princess No revealed that they were trapped in her illusion, explaining that she had brought in the Sengoku soldiers to be sacrificed in order to summon the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven.
Her ritual soon succeeded and the voice of the Demon King rang out. To her shock, however, the Demon King claimed that he would not accept such as weak body as No’s, though he laughed and claimed that he would reward her for summoning him, strengthening her with his dark power. After Princess No and the others disappeared, the traveler decided to head west in order to find the innermost shrine that Ayame had told them about.
After finding it, they entered and found Princess No, who was strengthened by the power of the Demon King. After a fierce battle, the traveler defeated her and took back the mirror of the Matsuyama family. With their investigation complete, the traveler returned to Ayame and gave her the holy relic, as well as the rosary that they had obtained from Miroku to Sakuno.
After learning what had happened, Ayame noted that it was a good thing that the Demon King couldn’t be fully summoned, though she felt pity for Princess No for having lost herself. She asked the traveler to defeat her once and for all, explaining that they would need the key to Hieizan Temple in order to reach her. She told the traveler that No had left traces of herself at the small shrine of Hieizan when she fled, with her alter-ego in possession of the key to the real Princess No, though Ayame revealed that she had somehow managed to obtain a copy.
Soon after, the traveler spoke with Sakuno, who noted that she had been having strange dreams about planets, adding that it may have been because of the rosary they had given her. She explained that the rosary received power from Jupiter, and that it had a rightful owner, noting that it being in the hands of someone as evil as Miroku was an ill omen.
She asked the traveler to obtain the marks of the other four planets so that she could properly divine her dreams. As the mother of the five planets started from the moon, she first asked the traveler to bring Lunar Sand, which linked the moon to Saturn. The traveler obtained the Lunar Sand from the Mammoth Moon Bunnies and brought it to Sakuno. Sakuno then presented scrap metal, which one of the soldiers had brought from Momiji Hills, explaining that it had once been imbued with the energy of Venus, which had since faded away.
In order to restore it, the traveler went to Showa Town and met the 100-Generation Blacksmith. After paying him to restore the scrap metal, the traveler brought back the golden metal that glowed with the energy of Venus. Sakuno then asked the traveler to obtain objects containing the energies of Mars and Mercury, which Hayato and Kanna had brought with them. (A/N: This is the part that I mentioned at the beginning of this section. Sakuno says this even if you’re playing as Hayato or Kanna. As a matter of fact, it even has Hayato talk to himself if you’re the same class.)
The traveler first traveled to the Hidden Ghost Shrine, where they obtained the Warrior’s Soul Spear, containing the energy of Mars, from Hayato. Sakuno then gave them Fish Bait to summon Cane-Gulping Pianus in Aqua Road. After using it to summon and defeat Cane-Gulping Pianus, the traveler obtained a Blue Cane containing the energy of Mercury. With the energy of the five planets, Sakuno divined that an ominous force had appeared in the wake of Oda Nobunaga and Princess No’s attempts to cross dimensions.
She feared that they would soon be fully thrown into Maple World and disappear. When the traveler asked if anything could be done, Sakuno explained that the Demon King had refused to cooperate with Princess No, though he had also not returned to his domain. In order to send him back, she explained that they needed to eliminate Princess No, the one who had summoned him. To help them, Sakuno blessed them with the Will of the Five Planets.
(A/N: Warriors get the Fury of Mars, Magicians get the Blessing of Venus, Bowmen get the Seal of Jupiter, Thieves get the Curse of Venus, and Pirates (and Xenon) get the Wrath of Saturn. You can use the skill exclusively during the Princess No fight.)
The Asura Crisis:
The traveler was contacted by Yamanaka Yukimori, who explained that he had come at the request of Princess Sakuno on behalf of the Sengoku Warriors. As they were standing on the brink of a new war, they were gathering those who might be of aid. The traveler accepted his offer and was escorted by the Sengoku Cavalry to Momijigaoka.
Upon arriving, the traveler noted that the base was very different from what they remembered. Haruaki explained that it was because the Sengoku Warriors were preparing for war. (A/N: Hayato and Kanna both have exclusive dialogue here, in which they ask whether by that, Haruaki means that Oda Nobunaga has been found. All other classes ask whether Zipangu is in some kind of danger.)
Just then, Kenshin arrived and loudly greeted them, pointedly remarking that it was good to see an ally that she could actually trust. Shingen hushed her, warning that “he” would hear her, though Kenshin snapped that it was no secret that she found “him” to be suspicious, adding that it was a mistake to have welcomed him into their ranks.
Shingen reminded her that his information was too valuable to ignore, and that they would have been unprepared for the coming war without him. Motonari then broke up the argument as the traveler asked who they were talking about. Haruaki explained that Princess Sakuno would fill them in on the details and led them to her.
Sakuno welcomed the traveler and thanked them for their service to the Sengoku Warriors, adding that they would be needed more than ever, since the alliance had learned of Oda’s new base of operations. Though she admitted that they hadn’t yet located Oda, she told the traveler that they had finally picked up his long-cold trail for the first time since they had been transported to Maple World.
Motonari added that they had received word that Oda and his army were all at his new base. Though Shingen was hopeful that they could finally crush him before he could escape, Haruaki reminded them all that they needed to be cautious, as the base was likely to be full of danger, since the Oda clan had had much time to prepare quietly.
Princess Sakuno agreed and told the traveler that she had several small tasks for them to help the Sengoku Warriors prepare to storm Oda’s base. She first asked them to meet with Kengo, the newest member of the Sengoku Warriors, and the one who had warned them about Oda’s base.
(A/N: It’s so apparent from Kengo’s illustration that he’s a disguised Akechi Mitsuhide. I have to wonder how dumb the Sengoku Warriors are for them to not instantly pick up on it. It’s just like how Hilla dyed her hair and put on a dress and all of a sudden, no one recognizes her.)
The traveler went to see Kengo, who was underwhelmed by their appearance, though the traveler chided them for their disrespect towards Sakuno’s judgement. Ignoring Kendo’s jibe that Sakuno wasn’t his princess, the traveler asked him about Oda’s base. Kengo explained that Oda’s new base was called Fort Asura, surrounded with an ominous aura and concealed using magic. (A/N: In Hindu mythology, the asuras are demons who oppose the devas, or gods.)
However, he added that he only knew of its existence, not where it was located, although he admitted that powering the fortress’ shroud was not the only reason why Oda had been sending his army to harvest mana throughout Maple World. The traveler asked what Oda was planning, to which Kengo explained that Oda was preparing to conduct another ritual to summon the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven.
The traveler asked if Princess Sakuno was in danger once again, to which Kengo rudely told them to ask someone who cared. The traveler then asked Kengo who he was, to which he merely replied that he was a wandering warrior who sought Oda’ destruction. He then told them to speak with Ayame, who was studying the Oda army’s operations in Maple World at Sakuno’s request.
The traveler met with Ayame, who explained that the Oda army was draining energy from corrupted monsters to harvest their mana by using makeshift shrines that they had built throughout Maple World, with which they would transfer the mana to Fort Asura. Though the Sengoku Warriors had been spreading themselves thin in order to destroy the shrines, Ayame noted that it was still not enough. However, she revealed that their Spirit Walkers had used the mana they had gathered to conjure a secret passage to Oda’s Hidden Mana Shrine.
She explained that Princess Sakuno had planned for them to weaken Fort Asura’s shroud while Kengo continued to search for the location of the base. The traveler asked whether they could trust Kengo, to which she explained that all of his information thus far had been accurate, and as Sakuno trusted him, she had decided to trust the princess’ judgement. Ayame then opened the portal for the traveler to enter the Hidden Mana Shrine and defeat Oda’s forces there, thus disrupting the flow of mana to Fort Asura.
After the traveler finished, Yukimori reached out and told them that Fort Asura had finally been located. The traveler returned to Momijigaoka and spoke with Princess Sakuno, who explained that Kengo had discovered the fortress’ location. Kengo told the traveler that Fort Asura was hidden among the seaside cliffs near the Mushroom Shrine, magically cloaked by the mana that the Oda soldiers had been gathering.
He explained that not even the Oda army knew its exact location, as they traveled to and from the fortress using portals that the Oda Spirit Walkers opened for them. However, thanks to the traveler’s actions at the Hidden Mana Shrine, Kengo told them that the path to Fort Asura was open. Shingen, Kenshin, Haruaki, and even Motonari, all requested Sakuno to approve the operation to siege Fort Asura as soon as possible. Sakuno acknowledged their concerns, but explained that she needed time to weigh their next course of action.
Soon after, Sakuno took the traveler to a private area in order to speak confidentially. When the traveler asked what was wrong, Sakuno explained that she was worried about sending the Sengoku Warriors to storm Fort Asura, as they had no idea about the traps that awaited them, or even the strength of the Oda army.
She added that she wanted to avoid unnecessary sacrifice, as her people were her responsibility, and she questioned her own leadership abilities in bringing them safely home. (A/N: Sakuno would probably get along well with Cygnus. They both have very similar personalities and styles of leadership.) The traveler reaffirmed their belief in Sakuno’s leadership, to which she thanked them and asked for some time to decide on their next course of action.
After the traveler left Momijigaoka to give Sakuno time to formulate her plan, Haruaki and Kino Konoko visited them and explained that the Oda army had invaded the Mushroom Shrine, as they were likely after the power of the Five Elements. Kino explained that the Yokai had been trying to hold the Oda army at bay, but during the initial invasion, the Oda Spirit Walkers had stolen the power of the Elements from Takeno Konoko. (A/N: This confirms that the events of Mushroom Shrine Tales are set before the Fort Asura storyline.)
Kino also told them that she had gone to visit Asia, who had sensed a great darkness that loomed over Zipangu. During her visit, Kino had explained that Oda’s forces had ripped the power of the Elements from Takeno and asked Asia whether she could stop them. However, Asia had replied that without the power of the Elements to sustain Zipangu, it was taking all of her strength just to protect the land from darkness. She had instead suggested calling the Guardian of the Five Elements, adding that they were likely rallying with the Sengoku Warriors in order to prepare for the upcoming war.
(A/N: The Guardian of the Five Elements is, of course, the player character of the Mushroom Shrine Tales storyline, which basically confirms that we’re the protagonist of practically every storyline in GMS-verse.)
Kino then accompanied the traveler and Haruaki to Momijigaoka, where she told her story to Princess Sakuno and asked for her help. Haruaki pointed out that they needed to retrieve the Elements as soon as possible before their power was used to further augment Fort Asura’s defenses. Realizing what Haruaki was implying, Sakuno declared that the Sengoku Warriors would depart immediately to destroy Fort Asura.
As the Daimyos began preparing to mobilize their armies, Haruaki told the traveler that before they stormed into the fortress, it was imperative that they recover the Five Elements, as their power was an essential force in maintaining the balance of Zipangu. He explained that because the Yokai had managed to slow the retreat of the Oda soldiers who had raided the Mushroom Shrine, he could open a portal that would let them defeat the soldiers. The traveler then traveled through the portal and defeated the soldiers, thus reclaiming the power of the Elements.
(A/N: Given how big and epic Mushroom Shrine Tales feels, this feels so anticlimactic. The Elements being stolen should feel like a much bigger deal than the two minute plotline it actually was, like Takeno should’ve been at death’s door and we totally glossed over it.)
With all the Sengoku Warriors rallied together, Princess Sakuno addressed the entire army, rallying them together as the Warriors of the Dawn. Meanwhile, Niwa Nagahide, one of the Four Heavenly Kings who had long been considered missing, arrived in Fort Asura and reported that the Sengoku Warriors were marching on the fortress.
Though he promised to bolster their defenses, he warned that the unstable mana flow would result in a long fight. Oda then asked Niwa whether he had finished preparations for the second ritual, to which Niwa confirmed that he had prepared an altar atop a cliff, where the flow of mana would be unimpeded. Oda then ordered Niwa to kidnap Princess Sakuno and destroy all opposition, vowing to finally summon the Demon King. He then addressed his own army and ordered them to crush the enemy, and to let their bloodlust flow without impediment.
Back in Momijigaoka, Sakuno summoned the traveler to her chambers and thanked them for all their hard work. The traveler noted that Sakuno seemed tired, to which she replied that she supposed that she had grown weary living in a foreign land and facing a protracted battle. She noted that Maple World, in spite of its painful history, had people that soldiered on resiliently, and added that the Sengoku Warriors must do the same.
(A/N: Hayato and Kanna have exclusive dialogue here, in which Sakuno tells them that she’s counting on them to lead their people after returning home, to which they’re shocked and say that surely, Sakuno ought to be the one to lead their people. Regular classes have her tells us that she hopes that we’ll send her off with a smile when the Sengoku Warriors finally go home, to which we tell her that we’ll be sad to see her go. In either case, Sakuno replies by telling us that a leader needs to not only know how to lead, but also to empower others to lead themselves.)
Late that night, Sakuno called Kengo to a small bridge outside the base. In secret, she told him that tomorrow, she planned to depart for Fort Asura alone, as she believed that she was the only one with the power to stop him. She then asked him to prevent the other Sengoku Warriors from stopping her. When Kengo asked why she expected him to follow her orders, Sakuno claimed that he wanted to put an end to the war as much as she did. (A/N: Sakuno is the only one with brain cells and figures out that Kengo is Akechi Mitsuhide.)
The next day, Haruaki asked the traveler whether they knew where Sakuno was, as she had disappeared while the Daimyos had been busy sieging Fort Asura. When they realized that Sakuno was missing, Haruaki recalled the Daimyos back to Momijigaoka in order to address the situation. Shingen and Kenshin immediately got into an argument about leaving the princess unattended, though Ayame quickly broke it up. She explained that Sakuno had likely been kidnapped by Oda’s forces again, regretting that she had left Sakuno alone.
Motonari broke everyone out of their guilt and reminded them that they needed to hurry before Sakuno was sacrificed in the ritual. As Kenshin began to rally her forces, Haruaki noted that there had been no hints of intruders in the base. Suddenly, Kengo began laughing and revealed that Sakuno had left on her own, as she believed that she was the only person who could stop Oda Nobunaga. The group immediately surrounded Kengo and demanded to know what had happened to Sakuno, though he claimed that he only knew what he had just told them.
Just then, Haruaki had a realization and explained that when Oda’s first attempt at the ritual had failed, large swaths of Hinomaru had been transported to Maple World because of a powerful explosion of mana, all of which had been drawn from Sakuno. He revealed that only someone who possessed as much mana as Sakuno could determine the ritual’s success, or be the one to ensure its failure.
Kengo laughed and concurred with Haruaki, explaining that the princess had correctly realized that blades would not determine the outcome of the battle, as the best way to fight mana was with an equally powerful source of mana. As Sakuno had wanted to avoid any further unnecessary losses of life, she had gone in alone to defeat Oda Nobunaga herself.
Despite Sakuno’s best intentions, the Daimyos unanimously agreed to disobey her wishes and rescue her. As they prepared to head out, Kengo smirked and spoke to himself that they wouldn’t save the princess, as the only thing that they would accomplish would be to throw their own lives away. The group soon reached the entrance of Fort Asura, where they encounter the three ninjas, Taro, Ringo, and Saburo.
(A/N: These are the three ninjas who wrote the entries in the Ninja Spy Journal from Hayato and Kanna’s class storylines. As you can clearly tell from the entries, they’re not the brightest, as Taro almost outs Kengo as Akechi before catching himself just in time.)
The ninjas revealed that the ritual was almost complete and offered to lead them to where it was being held, though the Daimyos were immediately suspicious of why they would betray Oda. As Ringo and Saburo led them to the ritual, Taro confronted Kengo and asked whether their business was finished, as he was afraid of Oda discovering their treachery. However, Kengo claimed that they were done when he said so, threatening him with execution.
However, Taro claimed that Kengo had changed the deal, as they had originally been told to leak information on Fort Asura. Kengo then told Taro that he was now free, amusedly clarifying that he was free to choose whether he wanted to die at Kengo’s hands, or by Oda’s. He then claimed that if Sakuno succeeded in eliminating Oda, then everybody would be truly free. When Taro cautiously asked what would happen if Sakuno failed, Kengo replied that no one would be free, neither Taro nor himself.
Inside the fortress, Sakuno determinedly walked past the fighting soldiers, all of whom parted and cleared a path for her in shock of her unexpected appearance. She then reached the cliff where the ritual was being prepared and confronted Oda Nobunaga, who laughed and sarcastically gave his condolences for the death of her family, adding that they had died for a grander purpose than petty vengeance.
Sakuno ignored his jibes and claimed that she had come to put an end to his ambitions once and for all. Oda laughed and asked whether she planned to do that alone, to which she told him that she was all that she needed. She revealed that it was thanks to him that she had discovered the vast power of the mana within herself, adding that she would use that power to stop him.
However, Oda claimed that her abilities were too poor for her to count on her bloodline to save her. Sakuno then replied that it wasn’t her bloodline that would defeat her, but rather the boundless courage of the Sengoku Warriors, which bolstered her resolve. Oda ordered her to surrender and shot a powerful wave of mana at Sakuno in an attempt to force her to kneel, though Sakuno manifested a barrier of mana around herself. Sakuno explained that she had been secretly training herself to wield her power since the day they had arrived in Maple World, as she refused to allow others to fight her battles.
However, Oda laughed and revealed that the ritual she was hoping to stop had already been set into motion long ago, and that it had already slowly built to its halfway point, with her presence being the last thing that he needed to summon the Demon King into his body. Sakuno and Oda then engaged in a fierce battle, locked in a duel of mana blasts. (A/N: This is literally just a Dragon Ball Z style energy beam lock.)
Meanwhile, as the Daimyos and the traveler reached the site of the ritual, Kengo jumped in their way and revealed himself as Akechi Mitsuhide, laughing that he wouldn’t be able to fight with a large hat covering his face. The traveler asked Akechi why he would oppose them after betraying Oda and leading them to the ritual, to which he explained that he was stopping them from interfering in Sakuno’s battle with Oda. As he refused to step aside, the traveler challenged Akechi to a duel. The two began clashing, and after a fierce battle, the traveler managed to defeat Akechi. (A/N: This is the story mode version of the boss battle that you unlock by completing this storyline.)
Suddenly, Haruaki warned that Sakuno and Oda’s mana blasts were combining to form a vortex, which would kill them both in the resulting explosion. The traveler moved to save Sakuno, but the princess ordered them to stay where they were, claiming that she intended to end Oda by sacrificing herself. However, the traveler refused to allow Sakuno to die and grabbed her from the vortex. Furious that the traveler had interfered with the ritual, Oda moved to attack, though he found that he had been greatly injured by Sakuno’s attack.
Niwa Nagahide then arrived and told Oda to stand down, as his injuries were too severe. Both the Daimyos and Akechi were surprised to see Niwa, as they both believed him to have gone missing. Niwa succeeded in convincing Oda to retreat, after which Akechi confronted Niwa and demanded to know how he had managed to stay hidden for so long.
Niwa merely dismissed Akechi and the sorry state that he was in, asking if he had really been defeated by someone as weak as the traveler. He then addressed the traveler and claimed that he would one day repay them for taking Fort Asura. Akechi and Niwa continued trading insults until Niwa declared that he would deal with Akechi later.
Before he left, Akechi asked Niwa if he intended to let Shibata Katsuie have the honor of killing him, but Niwa claimed that he wanted Akechi to recover his strength before putting him down. Kenshin then interrupted and moved to attack, but Niwa disappeared before she could reach him. The group then turned to find that Akechi had disappeared as well.
As the Daimyos escorted the injured traveler and Sakuno to safety, Kenshin noticed that Shingen had also vanished. Elsewhere, Shingen caught up with Akechi, whose injuries had slowed him down. Akechi asked whether Shingen intended to slay him as revenge for killing the Matsuyama clan, but to his surprise, Shingen asked Akechi to return to Momijigaoka with him, where he would plead with Sakuno and the Daimyos to spare Akechi’s life.
He explained that Akechi had shown himself to be capable of cooperation and fighting for the greater good, and so he asked Akechi once again to join forces in defeating Oda. However, Akechi claimed that his answer had not changed since the first time that Shingen had asked him at Honnou-ji. Disappointed, Shingen resolved to kill Akechi for his crimes and leaped to attacked, though he was shocked when his attack had no effect. Akechi revealed that he still had power left and severely wounded Shingen.
Shingen then asked what Akechi’s true goals were, to which he explained that he wanted everyone to destroy each other, claiming that there couldn’t be war without anyone left to fight. He explained that there was no end to the greed of leaders who constantly ordered battle after battle, never satisfied with achieving their objective, though he added that Sakuno was an exception. He then declared that anyone who pursued war was his enemy, disappearing shortly after. Soon after, Yukimura discovered an injured Shingen and carried him to safety.
Some time later, the traveler, having received treatment for their injuries, met with Haruaki in Momijigaoka, who told them that Sakuno was resting in her quarters. The traveler met with Sakuno and apologized for defying her orders, explaining that they couldn’t bear the thought of letting her sacrifice herself, no matter how noble her intentions.
However, Sakuno interrupted their apology and explained that she was grateful to them for having given her a future that she would strive to make meaningful. She noted that though the Asura Crisis had passed, the threat of Oda meant that another war would be inevitable. Later that day, Haruaki met with Sakuno and caught her deep in thought.
Sakuno told him that she had been thinking about the people of Maple World, and how they loved their homeland as much as the Sengoku Warriors loved theirs. She resolved to stop Oda from placing Maple World in peril so that both the Sengoku Warriors and the people of Maple World would have their homelands safe. Haruaki then told her that there were stories of a power that allowed one to move space, time, and even other dimensions. He wondered whether their purpose in having come to Maple World was to find that power and use it to return home.
(A/N: Everything about this implies that he’s referring to the Antellion, although one thing to note is that the Sengoku storyline originally came from JMS, which doesn’t have Masteria.)
Sakuno then told him that fate had brought them to Maple World, and they would return home when fate willed it. Soon after he left, Sakuno called out to Akechi, who had been hiding in the shadows, and expressed her surprise that he had survived, with Akechi noting that he could say the same of Sakuno. He then reported that he had failed to carry out her order to prevent her battle with Oda being interrupted, but Sakuno told him that he had done all that he could, as there were few who could oppose the traveler.
When Akechi asked whether that meant that he was forgiven for kidnapping her and wiping out her clan, Sakuno flatly denied him and promised that he would someday pay for it with his life. (A/N: I mentioned earlier that Sakuno and Cygnus seem nearly identical, but this exchange made me realize that Sakuno has more of a backbone.) She then asked why he had risked his life by returning to Momijigaoka, to which he claimed that he only wanted to see if she had survived, as he believed that only a noble ruler could defeat a tyrant. He then told Sakuno that he hoped that she would stay safe.
After a pause, Sakuno thanked him for his help in locating and taking Fort Asura, explaining that she would not order her forces to pursue him for that reason alone. She also added that he was free to manipulate and sow chaos as he pleased, as they were ultimately both enemies of Oda. However, she told him that when the war with Oda was over, she would seek him out and take his head to avenge the Matsuyama clan. Akechi merely laughed and told Sakuno that he would be waiting.
The next morning, Yukimori reached out to the traveler and told them that Haruaki wanted to see them. As they headed over, Yukimori told the traveler that he had been impressed by their courage during the Asura Crisis. The traveler told him that they had merely been doing their job, but Yukimori explained that he wasn’t merely saying so because of their martial prowess, but because it took great bravery to defy their leader’s orders to protect them.
He added that he had his own vendetta that he would see complete, even at the cost of his own life, but doing so would betray his master’s faith in him. (A/N: This vendetta was revealed in Hayato’s storyline, in which we find out that the Amago clan had been wiped out by the Mouri clan, causing him to wander around as a ronin until he joined the Sengoku Warriors.) He then apologized to the traveler for keeping them and sent them to meet with Haruaki. The traveler was surprised to find Haruaki waiting for them in Kamuna. (A/N: This is the sacred tree where Asia lives.)
Haruaki apologized for making them traveler so far, explaining that only the person who lived in Kamuna could explain their current situation. When the traveler asked what he meant, Haruaki revealed that the same kind of mana that flowed through Princess Sakuno now flowed through them. Asia then appeared and explained that the special mana was a power that lay hidden within them, which was why they could barely sense it. The traveler immediately recognized Asia, who told them that she had been watching over them during the Asura Crisis.
When the traveler asked what it meant for them to possess a special kind of mana, Asia explained that the source of its power was a mystery, with only a few being chosen to wield it. She revealed that the mana would sometimes take a physical form that many would covet, containing power that defied the laws of time and space, such that it could move things even as large as continents throughout spacetime. (A/N: This is definitely the Antellion.)
Haruaki added that Princess Sakuno had largely been unaware of the power within herself for some time. The traveler then asked if Oda Nobunaga had the same kind of mana, to which Asia explained that he did not originally possess it, which was why he had started his war to conquer Hinomaru and sought out Sakuno as a sacrifice for his ritual. Though the first ritual had failed, Oda’s mana had intermingled with Sakuno’s, allowing him to initiate the second ritual without a sacrifice.
Asia thanked the traveler for disrupting the second ritual, but she also explained that Oda had been able to transfer at least half of the Demon King’s power into himself before the ritual had been interrupted. Haruaki explained that the true purpose of the ritual was for Oda to merge his soul with that of the Demon King of the Sixth Heaven, and when the traveler had entered the vortex created by his mana colliding with Sakuno’s, the princess’ mana had intermingled with the traveler’s own power, resulting in all three of them being interconnected through the special mana.
Because of this, he revealed that the traveler had become another option for Oda to sacrifice for his next ritual. The traveler declared that they were unafraid of Oda, adding that they were glad to lighten Sakuno’s burden. Haruaki smiled and told the traveler that the Sengoku Warriors stood with them, and that they would make it a priority to find Oda.
Legacy of Masteria
The Krakian Jungle:
Icebyrd Slimm reached out to the traveler, calling them the Searcher of Truth, and explained that he had heard about their adventures traveling through time and experiencing the ancient legend of Masteria first-hand. He told them that several public safety issues had recently popped up in New Leaf City and asked if they would be interested in solving them.
The traveler went to New Leaf City and met the mayor, who explained that they had recently been having a surge in visitors, which had been causing Sheriff Lita Lawless some trouble in keeping order. He explained that many Explorers had been returning in fear from exploring west Masteria, with reports of terrifying monsters and an armed group calling themselves ‘Ninjas’ hindering adventurers. (A/N: This is a hint towards the Raven Ninjas that we’ll meet in a later section. The Raven Ninjas come from the original Phantom Forest storyline.)
He also told the traveler that Masterian scientists had recently detected a strange seismic wave spreading from the jungle, which had riled up the monsters inside. Realizing that the city was in dire need of help, the traveler agreed to assist them. They went to speak with Lita, who initially noted that they seemed underqualified for the task, though she quickly apologized and explained that the recent problems had been causing her to lose her patience.
The traveler noted that she didn’t seem to mince her words, to which she explained that her style had been developed while serving under the Dark Lord in Kerning City, though she added that she had left right after graduation. When the traveler asked how she had gone from working as a thief in Kerning City to being the sheriff of New Leaf City, Lita explained that Icebyrd used to be her exploring partner, and that he had helped set her on the right path at a time when she had felt directionless.
Lita then set the traveler to work, asking them to take care of the Urban Fungus, Street Slimes, and Boomers outside the city. After the traveler took care of the monsters, Lita asked them to perform routine identification check-ins for travelers who had recently come to New Leaf City. The traveler first met with a blue-skinned girl named Corine, who greeted them in the Taru language.
The confused traveler asked who the Taru were, to which Corine explained that the Taru were one of the Krakian tribes who used to live in ancient Masteria. (A/N: In the original Masteria storyline, the Taru and the Krakians were separate races.) She added that she believed that she was the last pure-blood Krakian left, though she hoped that there were others like her. (A/N: Her specifying that she’s the last pure-blood Taru left intrigues me because it adds weight to my personal theory that Blanche was half-demon and half-Taru.)
The traveler realized that she was descended from the last Krakians who remained in Masteria, which Corine confirmed. She added that the Taru had good relations with the Versalians who had come to Masteria in ancient times. She also explained that she was a member of the Shadowknights, having become a member after spending time with Grandmaster Lireni, and that her Shadowknight training had helped her survive the great war. She also added that it had been difficult for her to escape the sinking of Masteria and surviving adrift on the sea.
The traveler was amazed to know that Corine had lived through the history that they had only ever read about. (A/N: We literally traveled back in time to experience this, what are we talking about.) However, Corine clarified that she had very little knowledge of her ancestors, as there were few Krakian survivors after the great war and they had little contact with outsiders, with herself likely being the only living Taru left.
She explained that she had come to Masteria in order to follow in the footsteps of her ancestors, and to keep their traditions alive. She then asked the traveler if they would help her find remnants of the Taru tribe in the large city within the Krakian Jungle that her ancestors had built. The traveler agreed and helped clear the path by defeating the Jungle Bugs, which were destroying the stonework of the ancient ruins.
After the traveler finished, Corine asked them to help her traveling companion, Elpam Gorlab. Elpam introduced himself as a historian from Versal, which he explained was a land with many ties to Masteria, as its people occasionally traveled between dimensions. He told the traveler that he had come to Maple World by chance during his work as a historian, and so he was still getting used to the local language.
After having crash-landed in the Krakian Jungle, he explained that Corine had helped him escape the wild monsters there, and that he had found it serendipitous to have met a descendent of the ancient Krakians, adding that it had likely been the blessings of the ancestors, as Corine would have put it. The traveler then noticed the smell of old cheese, which Elpam explained was a famous vintage perfume in Versal.
He then asked the traveler if they would help him in his research on the shared history of Masteria and Versal by collecting samples of the native life in the Krakian Jungle. The traveler collected flora samples from the Mighty Maple Eaters, after which they returned to help Corine. Corine explained that because of their help, she had been able to make progress in trekking through the jungle with the help of her pet tiger, Khafre. However, she had been stopped by screamers around the waterfall, clarifying that the people of New Leaf City called them Jungle Monkeys.
The traveler then cleared out the Jungle Monkeys, after which they regrouped with Corine in a camp that she had set up in a nearby clearing. There, Corine told them that the ancient Krakians used to face the Gryphons, one of the jungle’s greatest predators, in order to prove their valor, decorating themselves with Gryphon feathers as a show of their prowess. Though she noted that it was a barbaric tradition, she believed that they could find traces of the Krakians at the Gryphon nest, and so the traveler fought through the Gryphons and found that the path ahead was broken.
Corine attempted to find another route into the city, and though she was unable to find a path, she explained that she did find a Krakian altar, from which the ancient Krakians used to worship nature through rituals. The traveler cleared a path for Corine by fighting through the mutated Krakian warriors, but Corine was unable to find any sign of the altars being used. However, the traveler pointed out that there were two other altars in the area, and so they proceeded to clear out the paths to them.
After investigating the altars, Corine was horrified to learn that the ritual which had taken place there had been performed by the corrupted Krakians. She explained that her pet theory had been that the ancient Krakians had lost their sanity and degenerated into monsters, but the data that she had gathered from the altars indicated that the corrupted Krakians had retained their senses, carrying on their rituals and traditions, despite their mutations. She was disheartened to know that the Krakians were so barbaric and wondered what it meant for her desire to carry on the will of her ancestors. Corine then asked the traveler for some time to gather her thoughts.
Soon after, Corine told the traveler that Elpam had arrived at the camp, having finished analyzing the flora samples that the traveler had given him. The traveler met with Elpam, who told them that his research had indicated that Masteria shared no ecological features or characteristics with the surrounding seabed, meaning that despite being underwater, the continent itself had never been flooded, leading him to conclude that there had been a mysterious force either protecting or sealing Masteria during that time. He also explained that the flora in the Krakian Jungle had similar features to the plants of the genus Helianthus, which were nutritious and good for processing into many types of medicine.
He explained that the plants also had a curious property whereby they cleansed the soil in which they would grow. However, this property had caused them to leach a toxic substance called Naricain’s Blood, the chemical compound which had corrupted both the jungle and the ancient Krakians, causing them to mutate into dangerous monsters. The traveler immediately realized that it had been the work of Dr. Jang after she had traveled back in time to help Naricain. Upon hearing her name, Elpam told the traveler that he had heard that she had been the head of the Masteria Research Lab until she had gone missing. (A/N: This is another hint towards something big revealed later on, as Dr. Jang’s death in the past should mean that no one ought to remember her.)
In order to help Elpam with his research, the traveler fought the Gryphons in the area and collected their feathers, which helped Elpam confirm that all life forms in the jungle had been contaminated with Naricain’s Blood. He explained that Naricain’s Blood contained an energy similar to that of the Antellion, as the substance held a particular trace metal that was common in Versal, but absent in Maple World.
To help confirm his hypothesis, the traveler brought samples from the Jungle Monkeys, which Elpam noted had more concentrated traces of the Antellion’s energy than in previous samples. He explained that the minerals accumulated over time through predation on other corrupted species, forming an ore called Lianium after coagulating in great enough quantities.
The traveler asked whether Lianium would eventually turn into Antellion, and though Elpam thought it highly unlikely that it would directly transform, he noted that there had to be some relation between the two. He then noted that it would be difficult to continue his research without obtaining high-grade Lianium, which he told the traveler was rare. The traveler promised to bring him some if they came across it in the jungle, for which he thanked them.
The traveler then went to check on Corine, who brightly told them that she was feeling better, despite her initial identity crisis. She then asked the traveler if they would investigate the strangers who were threatening the animals west of the jungle. The traveler agreed and returned to New Leaf City in order to let Icebyrd know about it. Icebyrd told them that their timing was perfect, as Professor Foxwit had just finished analyzing the seismic waves permeating throughout the jungle.
The traveler went to see Foxwit and told him about the strangers in the west jungle, to which he told them that he had been unable to pinpoint the source of the strangers because of frequent vibrational interference, but based on the traveler’s description that they had obtained from Corine, Foxwit believed that the intruders were aliens that were beginning a mass excavation of the jungle. Though he was unsure of what they were looking for, the data that he had gathered indicated that they were in search of something they called the pillar of the world. (A/N: This is almost certainly the Antellion, which maintained the balance of Versal, as every Versalian equally shared its power.)
The traveler asked whether it referred to the foundation of Masteria, to which Foxwit explained that he couldn’t be sure, though he did know that if the aliens excessively tampered with Masteria’s continental crust, it could cause the entire land to sink beneath the sea again. He explained that Foxwit had hired a hitman known as the Glimmer Man, a strange being who called himself the ‘Great Magician’, and asked the traveler to work with him in order to stop the aliens.
The traveler went to speak with the Glimmer Man, who introduced himself as not only a hitman, but also a private investigator and a scholar who traveled across dimensions in order to unravel the mysteries of the universe. He added that the magenta lining on his black coat was woven from enchanted thread imbued with ancient spells, allowing him to possess great resilience against magic.
However, he noted that he didn’t need it anymore, as he had developed the ability to transform his body into diamond, for which he was called the Glimmer Man, and which allowed him to be impervious to magic and to travel across dimensions. (A/N: I actually wonder how much of this story is true because you’ll see in a later section that the Glimmer Man isn’t who he claims to be.)
After the traveler explained that they needed help in getting past the alien base’s defenses, the Glimmer Man asked for a moment. A second later, he claimed that he had bypassed their security, despite not having done anything. The traveler began to question him, but the Glimmer Man then teleported them to the base. The traveler fought past the aliens and obtained their research data, which they brought back to the Glimmer Man. The Glimmer Man read through the report and learned that the aliens were looking for Lianium in order to refine it into something else. He also learned that the aliens hailed from Cerberus.
(A/N: Cerberus is the homeworld of Jett. Jett gets an exclusive dialogue, in which the Glimmer Man laughs at how ruthless she is to fight people from her own world, noting that it makes her a great hitman. Jett tells him to shut up and says that it’s none of his business.)
Having obtained the research information, the Glimmer Man told the traveler that their next step was to destroy the Cerberusians’ giant drill, which would halt their operations. He once again teleported the traveler to the site of the drill and teleported them back once the traveler destroyed it. He then asked them for a personal favor and explained that he collected minerals from the different worlds that he visited, and since the Cerberusians were already in the process of extracting and refining Lianium, he asked the traveler to steal some from the alien excavation site. The traveler then obtained the refined Lianium from the excavation site and brought back enough for the Glimmer Man and Elpam.
After giving the Glimmer Man his Lianium, the traveler asked whether he knew about Versal, to which he asked why the traveler would be interested in a destroyed world. Surprised, the traveler asked how Versal had been destroyed. The Glimmer Man explained that Versal was technically still intact, but it was a dead and barren place with unending nights, likening the people who still lived there to pale, hollow specters.
The traveler noted that it was quite unlike the stories that they had heard of Versal, which described it as a marvelous, extravagant world full of life. The Glimmer Man laughed that the traveler spoke as though they had been there before, which he described as impossible, as it couldn’t be found through standard navigation, with escape being even more improbable.
He confessed that the only time he would have described it as extravagant was during the time of war, when the fighting and destruction had blossomed into beautiful chaos. Knowing that Crimsonheart had sent Numeral to lead Versal after they had defeated Naricain and Dr. Jang, the traveler asked about his fate. The Glimmer Man was impressed that the traveler knew about Grandmaster Numeral, but told them that he would answer no more questions for the day, though he offered to tell them stories about other worlds in exchange for favors.
The traveler then took the rest of the Lianium to Elpam in order to help him with his research. They then asked why Versal was a collapsed world, to which Elpam explained that in ancient Versal, the Antellion had been the single source of order in the world. He claimed that the decision of the guardians of the Antellion to remove it from Versal was what had led the world to fall to ruin, as without the source of its sustaining light and stability, Versal had quickly headed towards collapse, resulting in endless nights and barren lands.
He explained that scholars concurred that the guardians of the Antellion had no way of knowing what the consequences of their actions would have been, with Numenal, the last Grandmaster, returning to Versal and attempting to rally the citizens in creating a substitute for the Antellion. However, despite Numenal’s best efforts, Versal had fallen into chaos at the hands of a band of anarchists that called themselves the followers of Naricain.
Because of this, he explained that most Versalians, including himself, had decided to leave their ruined husk of a world and become an itinerant race that drifted through dimensions like nomads, their home lost, perhaps for all time. After speaking with Elpam, the traveler returned to Icebyrd and let him know that they had taken care of the alien problem. Icebyrd thanked them and explained that he was looking forward to working more with them in the future.
Phantom Forest:
Lita Lawless called the traveler back to New Leaf City, explaining that strange activities had been reported in the Phantom Forest to the west of the city. The traveler returned back to New Leaf City and asked Lita about what she meant, to which she explained that most of the people who had set out to explore the Phantom Forest had never returned, with the few who had come back shutting themselves in their homes, muttering about strange bandits, living trees, and red knights that attacked without warning.
As she couldn’t travel too far from the city, she asked the traveler to investigate the Phantom Forest in her stead. Just then, a group of knights appeared and told the traveler that they would also join the expedition. The knights introduced themselves as the Afinas Relief Squad, composed of Riman, Enneth, and a Devata named Garnet.
(A/N: Something that I’ve noticed is that most of the members of Afinas have blond hair, with the exception of some people like Alika and Butler. In particular, Devatas like Garnet and Janyt are blonde girls with red eyes and large hats. It gives me some weird Nazi master race vibes and I’m not sure whether that’s intentional in order to hint at the more insidious purposes behind Afinas.)
Enneth explained that they had been dispatched in order to preserve the unearthed knowledge hidden in Masteria, as well as to help keep the public order in New Leaf City. The surprised traveler asked why Afinas had been sent to Masteria at such a time, to which Riman explained that Afinas was an organization founded to save mankind through knowledge. He told the traveler that its relief squads were the essence of Afinas’ goals, sent wherever they were needed.
He then introduced himself as the veteran of the team, with Enneth being their brains, and Garnet simply introducing herself by name. When Lita refused to allow them to join, believing them to be mercenaries soliciting their services, Riman protested that Icebyrd himself had called them, as he wanted them to help recover Dr. Yoon and his team, with whom he had recently lost contact. (A/N: As a reminder, Dr. Yoon is the new lead of the Masteria researchers after Dr. Jang’s disappearance.)
Sighing in resignment, Lita told them to first speak with Corine in order to learn what was happening outside the city. Upon seeing Corine, Riman was surprised to learn that she was a Krakian. Corine was pleased to see the traveler again and explained that she had been continuing her observations of the corrupted Krakians with Elpam. Corine asked the traveler who the knights were, to which Garnet shortly greeted Corine in the Taru language, with Riman scolding Enneth for forgetting his Krakian, which he claimed was one of the fundamental basics of a good relief squad soldier.
(A/N: He likely means that they had specifically learned Krakian for this mission in Masteria, but the wording implies that knowing the Krakian language itself is something that all Afinas members must do, and since we later learn about Afinas’ ties to Subani, I’m curious if that’s exactly how they meant to phrase it.)
Corine was pleasantly surprised that they also knew the Krakian language, but her face darkened when the traveler asked her about the Phantom Forest. She explained that the forest was part of the great woods which had come to be haunted by the ghosts of those who had died in the great war a thousand years ago, describing it as a horrifying place filled with loathing and loss, adding that she had once experienced it while passing through the area with her allies.
The traveler asked about her allies, whom Corine explained hailed from the Raven Ninjas, a group descended from the Shadowknights. (A/N: They got renamed a little from the original Raven Ninja Clan.) Though she hadn’t been in contact with them for a while, she explained that they had likely built a camp in the Phantom Forest. She then wrote a letter of introduction for them, adding that the Raven Ninjas were an honorable organization that carried on the spirit and traditions of the Shadowknights.
(A/N: I realized that I don’t really describe the personalities of a lot of characters in this writeup much. For the main story, it’s easy to ignore, since most people have played it and are aware of what every character is like. In this case, I know that this is the first time a lot of people have been exposed to the characters, and so your opinions on the story are probably formed more based on the content, rather than the characters. I’d highly recommend playing through the story, or even watching a video of it, as a lot of the characters’ personalities are shown through comic relief in this section, which I’ve skipped over.
In short, Riman is big, broad, and hefty, with a grandiose personality that strives to uphold Afinas. Enneth is a bit of a nerdy wimp and Riman scolds him a lot, and so he’s kinda timid. Garnet is silent and composed, as all the Devatas of Afinas are, and she has a very dry sense of humor that shines through in how deadpan she delivers it. I don’t think I’ll be covering those sorts of humorous moments unless they’re relevant to the plot, and so I hope that you get some idea of what the three of them are like through my small descriptions.)
The group entered the Phantom Forest and soon noted its dangerous atmosphere, heavy with the scent of blood. Noting that it was just as bad as it had been when they had entered the forest with Becky long ago, the traveler continued leading the Afinas relief squad through the forest, aware of the feeling that they were being watched.
Suddenly, the group came across a squad of corrupted knights. As they fought through the endless waves, Riman suggested retreating, as they couldn’t hope to survive the onslaught. The group immediately retreated and managed to escape, continuing on through the forest. Retching at the rotten stench in the air, the group soon came across a wave of corrupted tree monsters, which Garnet noted to be unholy beings. (A/N: As we proceed through these fights, the infamous sanity system starts to take hold of us, distorting our vision and giving me a migraine with its effects.)
Once again, the group retreated after realizing that there was no end to the monsters, finally coming to a safe clearing. Riman asked the traveler if they had encountered such monsters in their last visit, but the traveler noted that it was the first time that they had seen the corrupted knights and trees. (A/N: Which is a blatant lie because we totally saw the corrupted knights, even if we didn’t see the trees.) Riman explained that he had been able to chart a path to the clearing from the city, which would be helpful for future visits. (A/N: This is basically the backstory for us being able to take the NLC taxi to the Phantom Forest.)
Just then, he heard the strange sound of metal scraping on metal, with Enneth noting that he also heard the sound of horse hooves. As the group’s vision turned a blurry red, the Headless Horseman appeared, laughing. The traveler immediately felt the same sense of fear that they had felt during their first mission to the forest with Becky as they, as well as the Afinas knights, found themselves unable to move, paralyzed by fear. As the traveler desperately attempted to will themselves to move, Garnet called upon the divine protection of Afinas, breaking them free of the mysterious force.
The group immediately fled in terror and soon arrived in a strange camp. The traveler asked Garnet what she had done, to which she explained that she had called on the divine protection of Afinas, which was a light that mended the injuries of bodies and mind, allowing them to conquer the fear which had kept them frozen. She added that it was both the power and responsibility bestowed upon the Devatas of Afinas.
She then noted that the Phantom Forest pervaded the minds of those who entered with fear, driving them to madness and hysteria, and though the divine protection of Afinas could purify the mind, the oppressive nature of the forest limited her use of the power. (A/N: This is basically the mechanism that resets your sanity while in the Phantom Forest, which Garnet can do up to 3 times a day.)
Just then, a young man from the camp demanded to know why they were trespassing, to which the traveler retorted by asking who he was, though the man refused to answer and threatened them with a blade. The traveler then asked whether he was the one responsible for the missing people in the forest, causing him to laugh and claim that though he and his band had no role in it, those who came wandering and got lost shouldn’t have come in the first place.
He then tasked the group with defeating the dangerous Phantom Trees around the area before he agreed to answer any questions. After the traveler defeated the trees, the man was impressed by their skill and, with the traveler having made the forest safer, allowed them to remain in their camp, introducing himself as Taggrin of the Raven Ninjas. Enneth realized that they were the group that Corine had mentioned, and upon hearing her name, Taggrin told them that they should have said that they knew Corine, as she was one of the most trustworthy people he knew.
He then explained that the Raven Ninjas were descendants of the Shadowknights, and that they hailed from the barrier ocean to the north of Masteria. He revealed that the Shadowknights had built their own citadel while still residing in Crimsonwood Keep, which they called the Watchtower, retreating there and continuing to protect the Keep when the Krakians had attacked. However, Grandmaster Lireni, in an act of ignoble cowardice, had been determined to build a fleet in order to escape Masteria.
Though her decision had caused great conflict within the Shadowknights, the fleet had ultimately set sail shortly before Masteria had been consumed by an enormous light that sank the continent beneath the ocean, with its disappearance creating giant waves that destroyed most of the fleet, as well as countless records and artifacts.
After the destruction of the fleet, the original Shadowknights had been scattered, no longer holding the ancient code of justice. However, Taggrin claimed that the Raven Ninjas had continued waiting for the return of Masteria, just as ravens waited for those who had gone, wandering the seas for centuries. As such, he explained that they had an obligation to restore the old artifacts of the Keep, as well as to hold funerals for their ancestors who lingered in the forest as vengeful spirits.
In order to help, the traveler fought the spirits of the old Keep soldiers and collected their ashes, which Taggrin used to put them to rest. The traveler then noted that Taggrin knew much about Masteria’s history, which Taggrin ascribed to Lireni, who he claimed had been a great historian, despite her cowardice. Because of her log, the Raven Ninjas had a record of all the actions that they still had to atone for.
When Riman asked if he could read the log, Taggrin told him that he had already offered it, as well as the other artifacts in their possession, to researchers who were studying the Phantom Forest. When Enneth asked why he would so casually give out precious artifacts, Taggrin explained that the Raven Ninjas had come to Masteria in order to atone for Lireni’s actions, as well as to investigate the reason behind Masteria’s return, and that he believed that collaboration was the best way to achieve those goals, as there were passages in the log that even they hadn’t been able to decipher.
He noted that he hadn’t heard from the research team in a while, though he knew that they were last doing field work around Crimsonwood Mountain. The traveler and the Afinas knights then began the treacherous ascent up the mountain and soon entered a cave, where the traveler was surprised to find Becky and a Nameless Warrior surrounded by corrupted knights.
After the traveler defeated the monsters, they asked Becky why she had come back to the mountain, to which a terrified Becky sobbed that she had come to find Dr. Jang, who had gone missing. The knights recommended that she return back home, as it wasn’t safe for a young girl. Garnet then suggested that she remain under the protection of Afinas, which Becky agreed to, though the Nameless Warrior refused, explaining that they had just as many reasons to stay as Becky, although unlike her, they didn’t need any sort of protection.
When the traveler asked the Nameless Warrior who they were, the warrior paused before saying that they were someone who had taken to wandering, thinking back on the obligations that they had failed to fulfill. They then explained that Crimsonwood Keep, which the research team had been occupying, had been cut off by the corrupted knights, who had entered the Keep and threatened the researchers.
The Afinas knights immediately agreed to help rescue them and asked the traveler to return to the Raven Ninjas in order to inform them of what had happened. Becky then gave Lireni’s log to the traveler, believing that they would have more use for it than her. The traveler returned back to the Raven Ninja camp and informed Taggrin of what they had learned at the mountain.
Taggrin thanked them for returning the log and noted that they would exercise more caution, and that they would also work on defeating the invaders of Crimsonwood Keep. He then agreed to pay them for their service and promised to pay more in exchange for further missions. (A/N: This is how you unlock the Phantom Forest dailies.)
The traveler then asked Taggrin about the horseman whom they had encountered earlier. Taggrin explained that the horseman was named Master Killian. He told the traveler that Lireni’s log had indicated that Killian was a powerful Versalian warrior who had fought in the great war, though he himself was not a Grandmaster. He and his lover, the sorceress LeFay, had been major players in the great war until LeFay had been corrupted by Naricain’s Blood.
Upon seeing his lover’s corruption, Killian had been consumed with rage and struck down both enemies and allies alike until Crimsonheart himself had killed him. However, the power of the Phantom Forest had revived his shade, which still bore the weight of his rage. (A/N: I personally prefer his original backstory with the Alchemist instead, it feels a lot more tragic.)
He also told the traveler about a special monster known as the Phantom of Naricain, and though he didn’t know if it was truly Naricain or not, he could confirm that it was a great threat and asked the traveler to kill it, as well as the Headless Horseman, if they encountered those monsters in the forest.
(A/N: After you defeat the Phantom of Naricain and finish the quest, Taggrin tells you that he believes that it was created by many of the forest’s spirits merging into a single, malevolent entity. This is similar to the Stone Colossus, although the Colossus was a benevolent spirit that was corrupted by Damien.
You also note that the moment you defeat it, it seems as though it had been released from some sort of seal. The Phantom Forest is unique because instead of Elite Monsters, you get Flamekeeper Siana, Shadowknight Dehiti, Windreaver Atlante, and Stormcaster Caeneus. Similarly, instead of the five Elite Bosses, you get the Headless Horseman, the Phantom of Naricain, and the Large Phantom Tree.)
Corrupted Heart Tree:
(A/N: This is just the prequest for Gollux. Originally, Gollux had a much different backstory that related to the demons of Tynerum, with Hilla having a hand in his creation. You might recall how infamously long and tiring the old Gollux prequest was, which required you to do the Crimsonheart Castle theme dungeon before starting the actual prequest itself. The Gollux revamp changed his backstory to instead tie in with the Masteria storyline instead of Tynerum, and it’s a lot shorter than what it once was.)
While adventuring, the traveler encountered a yak-like creature called a Mountain Mumur carrying a great load of cargo. The traveler immediately sensed darkness similar to what they had encountered in the Phantom Forest within some of the items that it was carrying. The Mountain Mumur kept tugging at the traveler’s clothes, leading them towards the Phantom Forest.
Upon entering the forest, the creature ran off, leaving the traveler to wander around until they encountered a strange woman dressed in black. The woman asked the traveler what they were doing, as no one in their right mind would venture so deep into the Phantom Forest of all places. She then introduced herself as the Heart Tree Guardian and told the traveler to leave, claiming that the place was much more dangerous than they knew.
Suddenly, the ground began shaking as the traveler realized that they were the footsteps of an enormous monster. The Heart Tree Guardian decided to take the traveler back to her hideout, leading them into an enclosed canopy surrounded by a purification barrier that blocked corrupt forces from entering.
She explained that she had taken a risk in allowing them to enter, as they could have been evil. The traveler protested that they were both good and powerful, with some even calling them a hero. The Heart Tree Guardian laughed and told them that she already knew, as her Mountain Mumur wouldn’t have brought them if they were weak.
She then explained that the large monster was called Gollux, who had once been the Heart Tree, the holy guardian tree of the Phantom Forest. The tree’s mere existence had poured holy blessings upon Masteria until the entire continent had been corrupted a thousand years ago, causing the Heart Tree and all the creatures of the forest to transform into monsters or ghosts.
However, the Heart Tree’s own transformation had been much worse, as a creature had fused with the tree during the process, giving rise to Gollux, who now endlessly scattered darkness throughout the forest, with his only instinct being to destroy all outsiders. The Heart Tree Guardian noted that she had observed several interesting traits of Gollux, such as his ability to endlessly regenerate, which was powered by the Phantom Forest itself.
She explained that the regeneration worked not only for Gollux himself, but also for pieces of Gollux that had been separated from the main body. She then showed the traveler a large purple crystal at the center of the hideout and explained that she had collected enough small fragments of Gollux to craft together an imitation heart of his, which could teleport anyone who touched it with another fragment straight to Gollux.
She explained that Gollux had four crystals on his waist, his two shoulders, and his forehead, all of which stored portions of his power. She told the traveler that destroying the crystals would weaken Gollux, with the destruction of his forehead crystal cutting off all his power, similar to destroying his brain. However, she warned them that going straight for the forehead crystal was extremely dangerous and recommended that they destroy the other three crystals first.
She then explained that Gollux had a heart, just like humans, and that his heart was the root of his corruption. She told the traveler that once Gollux had been weakened, he would be momentarily purified upon attacking his heart, though the corruption of Masteria would eventually regenerate him, meaning that the only option was to repeatedly subdue him.
The traveler agreed to help the Heart Tree Guardian face Gollux, and so they used the imitation heart to teleport straight to Gollux and defeat him. Though they continued facing Gollux, his regenerative abilities prevented him from remaining purified. (A/N: The rest of this takes place after finishing the quest that has you defeat Gollux ten times.)
Nevertheless, the Heart Tree Guardian thanked the traveler for their efforts and explained that the heart on the altar which had transported them to her hideout reflected Gollux’s mood. She expressed her hope that the Heart Tree would be purified one day before sending the traveler off. As the traveler walked through the forest, they began wondering what Gollux was in the first place. Though they knew him to be an evil creature, they also noted that something didn’t feel right.
To their surprise, Riman, Enneth, and Garnet ran into them. The traveler was pleased to see the familiar faces and explained that they had been helping out someone. Just as they began pointing the Afinas knights to the altar portal, they discovered that the portal had vanished, causing Enneth and Riman to claim that the traveler needed a blessing from Garnet in order to cleanse their hallucinations. However, Garnet remained silent, staring intently at the direction of the portal. After a pause, Enneth asked her what was the matter, to which Garnet told him that it was nothing.
As the group turned back and began heading for New Leaf City, the Heart Tree Guardian watched them from a distance and worriedly noted that Garnet was a Devata dispatched from Afinas. However, she told herself that it wasn’t a problem, as the corruption being all but gone meant that it was time for her to move on. The Heart Tree Guardian, her real name being Hanett, then took off her black wig, revealing blonde hair, and declared that the tragedy that endlessly repeated had to be stopped.
(A/N: We have no idea who Hanett is, but her blonde hair and red eyes makes me strongly suspect that she’s a Devata from Afinas. Given that she’s surprised to see the Afinas relief squad, I wonder whether she’s left the organization. Her efforts to purify Gollux also lead me to believe that she’s actually good, and that Afinas itself is evil.)
Into the MesoGears:
(A/N: The first half of this story and the ending remain pretty faithful to the original Phantom Forest storyline storyline that NxProse created, although the middle part is completely different.)
The traveler was contacted by the Glimmer Man, who asked them to come speak with him in New Leaf City. There, he explained that he had been working on finding Subani’s Legacy. When the traveler expressed confusion, he reminded them of the guiding light which had helped Icebyrd create New Leaf City. He explained that in order to find Subani’s Legacy, he had hired the renowned treasure hunters, the Barricade Brothers. The traveler then asked him why he needed them, as it was clear that he had the resources to achieve his goals easily.
The Glimmer Man laughed and explained that he preferred to be the brains of the operation, while leaving the physical labor to others. He then told the traveler that even though the Barricade Brothers were skilled, their progress had been sluggish, with it being difficult to even keep track of where they were, because of which he asked the traveler to help the Barricade Brothers in whatever way they needed. He then instructed the traveler to meet with John Barricade inside Bigger Ben in New Leaf City, reminding them to keep whatever discoveries the brothers had made confidential.
The traveler entered Bigger Ben and caught John by surprise, who wasn’t expecting to see another person there. He was further taken aback when the traveler explained that it was the first time that they had heard of the Barricade Brothers, and before John could begin listing their achievements, the traveler interrupted him and explained that the Glimmer Man was eager for a status report.
John reluctantly admitted that the investigation was going nowhere, as the only thing he had discovered was that there was a series of chambers below Bigger Ben, though the path was being blocked by strange spider-like monsters that were neither alive nor robots. He then asked the traveler if they knew how to fight, after which he asked them to clear out the Killa Bees, Fire Tusks, Electrophants, and the Wolf Spiders inside the MesoGears.
While fighting the monsters, the traveler was surprised to find a tombstone on grassy ground, which was quite out-of-place amidst the stone clocktower. Etched upon the tombstone were the words, “Here lies the Great Guardian Christopher Crimsonheart,” signed only with a ‘V’. The traveler wondered whether Lukan had built the tombstone for Crimsonheart after traveling back to the present, noting that tombstones were considered luxuries in the past.
(A/N: The brown dialogue box tells us that the tombstone says what I wrote above, but if you click on it again, the white description box actually says, “Here lies Christopher Crimsonheart, the immortal warrior,” which is the original inscription from the old Masteria storyline. Most likely, they forgot to update the asset description.)
Just then, John arrived and noted that the tombstone, while intriguing, didn’t seem like it had anything to do with Subani. He then hoped that his brother, Jack Barricade, was having better luck on his end. The thought of his brother then prompted John to ask the traveler if they could check on Jack, who was investigating Crimsonwood Keep, where Subani had once resided. The traveler agreed and made the perilous trek up Crimsonwood Mountain, where they discovered Jack inside one of the caves.
Just like his brother, Jack was easily startled by the traveler’s arrival, as he had thought that one of the corrupted knights had come instead. He explained that he had gotten kidnapped by the corrupted soldiers while wandering around the Phantom Forest and was held captive for several weeks, though both he and Dr. Yoon of the Masteria research team had managed to escape.
When the traveler asked if he had learned anything about Subani’s Legacy, Jack explained that while he hadn’t been able to learn anything about Subani, he had stumbled across something just as important. He told the traveler that a few days after he had been caught, the corrupted soldiers had taken him to the council hall where the Grandmasters used to have their meetings.
There, he had been surprised to discover the four Grandmasters, noting that he had never expected to meet them when Crimsonwood Keep had been abandoned for a thousand years. Though he hadn’t been able to understand their language, he did catch one word: Antellion. He explained that the Grandmasters had been staring at a mirror-like device with strange, glimmering symbols, which he had been able to memorize before they had made the symbols vanish.
He then gave the traveler a journal, in which he had written the symbols and asked them to give it to John, who was an expert on ancient languages, as he believed the symbols to be the key to uncovering what was happening at the Keep. The traveler returned back to the MesoGears and showed the book to John, who noted that the symbols seemed familiar, despite him never having seen them before. Worried about his brother, he asked the traveler to show the symbols to the experts of New Leaf City in order to see if they could translate it.
The traveler went to visit Elpam Gorlab, who immediately went white upon seeing the symbols. He explained that the symbols were in the written language of Versal. The traveler noted that they had never seen such symbols in Masteria before, to which Elpam explained that they wouldn’t find the script adorning any walls or written in tomes, as it was the contemporary script of Versal, which had evolved past the ancient form of Versalian which had been used a thousand years ago.
He then asked the traveler where they had encountered it, and upon learning that it had come from the corrupted Grandmasters of the Keep, he noted that what he feared had come to pass. He explained that the people whom Jack had seen were not the corrupted Grandmasters, but followers of Naricain from Versal.
He then attempted to translate the symbols, which he believed to have come from a larger passage, and told the traveler that it said, “Obtain… Noille Nalle… Crimsonheart’s… resting place… in Olde Sapp Village…” The traveler was surprised to learn that Naricain’s followers had learned about Crimsonheart’s gravestone, as the traveler and John had only discovered it quite recently.
Elpam told the traveler that he believed that the Noille Nalle was at Crimsonheart’s resting place, explaining that the term meant ‘Star of Night’, referring to the Antellion, which he claimed was an accursed artifact which had brought immense pain to the Versalians. The traveler immediately realized that Lukan was indeed the clue behind the mystery and decided to return to Jack in order to let him know what they had discovered.
Before the traveler could head back to the Phantom Forest, they were stopped by the Glimmer Man, who asked them about the Barricade Brothers’ progress. The traveler admitted that the brothers hadn’t made much progress on learning about Subani’s Legacy, though they had discovered that Naricain’s followers were attempting to claim the Antellion. The traveler also noted that the gravestone in the MesoGears had only been made recently, and so it didn’t make sense why Naricain’s followers would be interested in it.
The Glimmer Man was intrigued and asked who would have gone to the trouble of making a false grave site, to which the traveler told him that they believed that Lukan, the Antellion’s protector, had done it. The Glimmer Man laughed and said that he was right to have hired them, as they had made much more progress than the Barricade Brothers. He then bid the traveler farewell, as he had other business to take care of outside the city.
The traveler then returned back to Crimsonwood Mountain and told Jack what they had learned from Elpam. Jack decided that they ought to infiltrate the Keep before Naricain’s followers could. Upon arriving at the Keep, the pair found that the entrance was locked and its security system was active. The traveler noted that they knew people who claimed to be descendants of the Shadowknights and wondered whether they knew how to bypass the security.
The traveler then went to Dead Man’s Gorge and found the Raven Ninja camp. There, Taggrin told the traveler that Lireni’s log had a record of a special sort of quest that all who wanted to enter the Keep had to complete, including Crimsonheart himself. He explained that there were five trials that needed to be completed at Crimsonwood Mountain in order to gain the qualifications necessary to enter the Keep.
(A/N: There’s a total of five quests for this part. The first one, the Magician’s Trial, requires you to be in a party of five people: a warrior, a magician, a bowman, a thief, and a pirate. Luckily, this is the only one where you need a group, as the rest can be done by yourself.)
After completing the trials and obtaining all five pieces of the Keystone, the traveler returned to Jack and used it to open the door to the Keep. Inside, the pair were shocked to find the Glimmer Man, a strange woman with blonde hair and red eyes, several Versalian soldiers, and a wounded Lukan being propped up by the Nameless Warrior.
Before them was an enormous, ethereal Dimensional Gate with purple runic marks, slightly ajar, allowing light from a space beyond to seep through the crack between the doors. The Glimmer Man greeted the traveler and told them that they were late, joking that in the process of trying to solve the riddle, the answer had ended up revealing itself.
He reminded them about how he had said that he wasn’t much for busywork, but explained that he couldn’t sit idle when he had people depending on him, as being in charge meant having to make big calls. The traveler demanded to know who he really was, and so the Glimmer Man shed his alien form and revealed himself as a young Versalian man with blond hair and glowing purple eyes.
(A/N: Although this doesn’t strictly create a continuity error, the Glimmer Man is part of the Amoria PQ, which makes absolutely no sense because what in the world is he doing in Amoria when he’s supposed to be a follower of Naricain?)
He introduced himself as Modryn, explaining that he had disguised himself in order to hide his true identity from any Versalians who might have arrived in Masteria before him. He noted that fate was strange, as he and the others had worked so hard to find Masteria, only to have someone happen upon it by pure coincidence due to a malfunctioning device, adding that irony didn’t even begin to describe it.
However, he told the traveler that he couldn’t complain, as he had gotten what he had been after, revealing that the last surviving fragment of the Antellion that Lukan had been guarding was now in his possession. The shocked traveler demanded to know what he was planning to do with it, to which Modryn explained that he had many goals, wondering whether he first ought to begin by rebuilding the broken world of Versal, or by reviving Naricain.
He then bid the traveler farewell and told Yurian, the blonde girl with red eyes, to begin preparations. (A/N: Shot in the dark theory: the Devatas of Afinas have ties to Versal.) The pair then proceeded to attempt to revive Naricain by opening the door, from which massive black hands emerged from the other side.
Just as the Phantom of Naricain appeared, Cayne unexpectedly arrived and began fighting the creature. (A/N: Best boy Cayne is here, I was so glad to see him.) He enthusiastically greeted the traveler, as he hadn’t expected to run into them, but noted that he ought to save the greetings for when they were finished. Cayne then took the traveler, Jack, Lukan, and the Nameless Warrior outside the Keep, where they were surprised to see Dr. Yoon, the other researchers, Garnet, Enneth, Riman, and a squad of Afinas knights.
After reaching safety, the traveler asked Cayne what was going on, to which he explained that the leaders of Afinas had also taken an interest in the Antellion. Just then, Lukan groaned in pain, causing the traveler to rush to his side. Pleased to see someone he had missed greatly, Lukan warmly told the traveler that he could now die without any regrets.
(A/N: The present-day Lukan actually has the same NPC as his original sprite from the old Masteria storyline, complete with long hair and a moustache. However, the illustration that we see during his dialogue is his younger form with shorter hair and no facial hair.)
The traveler admonished him not to say such things, causing him to laugh and say that he was just joking, noting that it would take more to kill the protector of the Antellion, despite him not being in good shape. However, the Nameless Warrior replied that Lukan wasn’t the protector of Antellion after having handed it over to Naricain’s followers, causing Lukan to jokingly call them a brat.
He then introduced the traveler to the Nameless Warrior, revealing that they were a descendent of the Bosshunters, one of the Keep’s guilds. He explained that the Bosshunters had roamed the world in small groups, which had allowed them to avoid the consequences of the great war. The Nameless Warrior told the traveler that they had met when Lukan had introduced himself, claiming to have recognized their Bosshunter armor. They then formally introduced themselves as Broad to the group, after which Lukan told the traveler that he had important information to reveal.
He explained that after they had last parted ways since returning back to the present, he had begun researching the changed history that they had experienced after following Dr. Jang through her Time Portal, but he had been shocked to learn that nothing had been changed. He reminded the traveler that when they had gone back in time, they had never seen the Lukan of that time, though he ought to have been there with Crimsonheart and the other Grandmasters.
He added that if the past Lukan had truly been there, then he would have sunk deep beneath the sea, along with the rest of Masteria. However, Lukan explained that accepting the past Lukan’s existence to be true didn’t account for who he himself was. He also pointed out other strange occurrences, such as Subani having met Icebyrd, despite him having been killed by Naricain in the altered timeline, as well as the fact that people still remembered Dr. Jang.
Because of those contradictions, Lukan believed that the clearest hypothesis was that nothing had changed, as it was only himself and the traveler who believed that something different had taken place after both of them had witnessed the supposed original timeline in his memories. He then postulated that they had witnessed a fabricated memory, and that the history that they and Dr. Jang had changed was the history that was supposed to have taken place all along.
The confused traveler then asked why those memories had even been inside Lukan’s mind and wondered who would want to confuse them and send them back to the past. Lukan then revealed that he had only recently learned the answer, explaining that the light of Subani which had commanded Icebyrd to build New Leaf City, the person who had presented the Antellion fragment to Dr. Jang, the person who had berated him in Subani’s voice every day, and the person who had spoken in Naricain’s voice in an attempt to try to convince him to cast aside his duty, were all manifestations of the Antellion itself.
He told the shocked traveler that the Antellion had tried to return to Versal on its own by manipulating others with illusions. When the traveler asked why it would try to do such a thing, Broad told them that they would have the answer on the day that they could open the Dimensional Gate again, with the same applying for what the followers of Naricain were trying to do with the Antellion, though Broad noted that all they could do at present was wait.
Cayne then added that even though the Dimensional Gate wasn’t working anymore, it would at least be under Afinas’ control. He then asked how he and the others should react to the news of Subani and Naricain’s voices being fabrications of the Antellion. When the traveler asked what he meant, Cayne explained that he and his dispatch had been sent to contact Subani, and though they had their concerns about the Antellion, they hadn’t expected to learn what they had.
The traveler asked whether Subani was an important figure to Afinas, to which Cayne told them that though he couldn’t go into detail, much of it had largely been because of Grandmaster Delgrund. He added that the traveler was also getting high on Afinas’ watchlist, and that he would explain everything to them during their next encounter. He then encouraged the traveler and the others to rest, noting that it would be good for their health.
When the traveler asked if he would be staying with them, Cayne regrettably told them that even though he wanted to stay and catch up, he felt that he ought to return back to headquarters, as there were ongoing problems there to deal with. He also added that Alika, while doing her best, was utterly exhausted because the problems that they were facing could only be solved through brainwork.
Because he knew nothing about Alika’s work, and since he couldn’t help through strength alone, he had turned to the traveler in order to get their aid. He then promised to contact them shortly when things at headquarters were more sorted out. Cayne then took his leave, promising to tell Alika hello from the traveler, and ordered Riman and the relief squad to give their full support to the traveler, whom he emphasized was highly important.
(A/N: I have a theory that the divine protection of Afinas that the Devatas channel comes from Subani. Whereas Modryn and the others are followers of Naricain, I believe that Afinas and its Devatas are followers of Subani, though all of this is being manipulated by the Antellion somehow. I’m not sure how PULSAR plays a role in this, but I’m sure we’ll find out soon.
Honestly, my personal belief is that the writers finally decided to follow NxProse’s story of the war on Versal, except they realized that they had written themselves into a corner after having killed off Subani and imprisoning Naricain without either of them doing anything, and so they decided to write the Antellion itself as a villain in order to retroactively turn those two characters into competent, powerful beings through their false manifestations.)
The traveler then returned to New Leaf City and sought out Icebyrd, who greeted them as the savior of Masteria. The traveler immediately cut to the chase and asked the mayor what he was keeping from them. Icebyrd laughed at their bluntness and decided that the time had come for him to reveal the real reason why he had built New Leaf City.
He reminded them of how he had made a wish and then asked whether they believed in fate, and whether the choices that they made were truly theirs, or whether fate determined their entire future. He explained that it had only been the very moment that he had decided to take fate into his own hands and shape his destiny through force of will alone that the light had appeared before him, calling itself Subani and prophesizing the coming world of terror.
The light had bestowed a vision upon him of a pitch-black sky and a twisted, horrific world, in which all order had collapsed. At the center of the world had been a terrifying beast so large that it was impossible to see the entire thing, slowly devouring the world with countless arms. He shivered as he explained that he could still recall the despair that he had felt in the vision while watching the apocalyptic beast devouring the people and the world that he knew.
However, he explained that the light had told him that he had a chance to stop that future from coming to pass, commanding him to build a city on the land of Masteria, as it was the first step towards securing a better future. He told the traveler that Subani had helped him choose the exact land to build on, as well as which historical sites to excavate, with the light growing more and more faint as they made progress.
Upon finishing the city, Subani had told him not to tell anyone about what he had seen until the right time came, instead letting everything unfold as though he had no idea about what was happening. It was then that Subani had disappeared, promising to return again when the need was great.
Icebyrd explained that he couldn’t be sure if he had been hallucinating, or if he had been hypnotized, wondering whether the light itself had even been Subani. However, he added that he believed in the traveler, and that that they would write their own fate with power, courage, and honor. Because of that faith, he told the traveler that he believed that the ‘right time’ that Subani had mentioned was now.
Thanks so much for reading! With MONAD being removed from the game, it’s unclear how the Masteria storyline, which has incorporated a lot of the lore from MONAD, will proceed. It’s been confirmed that GMS will be getting the Neo Tokyo event, and so I’ll be localizing the Neo Tokyo section once it gets released. Just like with the main guide, I’ll keep updating the GMS-verse page as new things get released, but until then, take care and I hope to be back soon!