PART II: AFTER THE SEALING OF THE BLACK MAGE

Chapter 27: The Verne Mine

(A/N: This section covers the Edelstein town questline, which was revamped in the Milestone update. Although I don’t typically cover town storylines in the main story section, the Milestone update created a recommended storyline ordering, which includes the Verne Mine storyline. Because the information that we uncover is important to later stories, I decided that it would make sense for it to be included.)

A traveler was called to Edelstein by Headmaster Ferdi, who requested their help in assisting the citizens of Edelstein. The traveler met with Ferdi, who explained that Edelstein was also known as the Iron City, as it was renowned for its power plants and mining industry. However, he noted that the powerful monsters and the Black Wings made entry to the Verne Mine difficult.

The traveler asked Ferdi who the Black Wings were, to which he explained that they were the people dressed in black who monitored the city and ruled with an iron fist. Based on Ferdi’s tone, the traveler quickly surmised that the Black Wings were a hated organization. Ferdi then directed the traveler to meet with Albert, the former Council President.

(A/N: For Resistance classes, Ferdi instead notes that they’ve been busy outside Edelstein and asks them to take a break momentarily in order to hear his request In Edelstein, Ferdi skips the explanation about the town and just asks them to meet with Albert directly.)

The traveler met with Albert, who explained that he was once the Council President of Edelstein before the Black Wings had taken over and deposed him. He told the traveler that he blamed himself for allowing the Black Wings to take over and kidnap his daughter, Gabrielle, as a hostage in the Verne Mine. Worried about her living conditions, Albert asked the traveler to enter his former mansion, which had been seized by the new Council President, Anthony, and recover some of Gabrielle’s old clothes.

The traveler entered the mansion and defeated the guard robots inside before finding Gabrielle’s clothes in her trunk and bringing them to Albert. Albert thanked the traveler for their help and asked the traveler to bring the package to Watchman Bavan, who would sometimes deliver them to Gabrielle in exchange for food and money. The traveler brought the package to Bavan, who eagerly accepted the offering and dumped Gabrielle’s clothes on the floor before pocketing the money and snacking on the food as usual. He then told the traveler that Albert would have no idea whether the clothes had been delivered or not, and so it hardly mattered whether he did.

Just then, Watchman Wonny called the traveler over and told them that though he was a low-level watchman, he was the liaison between Edelstein and the Black Wings headquarters, and so he would be able to bring Gabrielle the clothes that Albert had packed. Upon looking at her cloak, he noted fondly how she had worn it when they had taken a picture in front of the Edelstein Clocktower. Though he couldn’t guarantee that the clothes would be delivered, Wonny promised them that he would try his best.

After the traveler handed off the clothes, they were called over by Claudine’s younger sister, Ulrika, who demanded to know why they had been speaking to Wonny, whom she called a traitor who had joined the Black Wings, despite being an Edelstein citizen. Believing the traveler to be a Black Wings spy, Ulrika declared that she would report them to the Resistance unless they agreed to help her friend, Jun. The traveler spoke with Jun, who revealed that his younger brother, Von, had disappeared several days ago after leaving on a mission to rescue their older sister, Gabrielle. He asked the traveler to find Von and ask him to come back home, as it was extremely dangerous around the Verne Mine.

The traveler arrived at the entrance to the mine, where they found Von looking for a way inside. Von refused to come with the traveler, claiming that he wouldn’t leave until he had freed his sister. He explained that he had tried forcing his way into the mine, though the guard had been too strong for him. Because of this, he asked the traveler to help him find another way inside by obtaining a Black Wings hat from a Black Wings member who sold them. The traveler then met with Stephan, who agreed to give them a hat in exchange for a price, offering them the choice between a sum of mesos or Patrol Robot S Memory Chips.

Using the Black Wings hat, the traveler and Von entered the Verne Mine, where they met with Gabrielle, who was surprised to see them. She explained that though she hadn’t received any of the things that her father had delivered, she was nevertheless glad to know that he was alive. As they could freely travel between Edelstein and the mine, Gabrielle asked them to deliver a letter to her father for her. After the traveler delivered the letter to a relieved Albert, they returned back to the mine, worried for Gabrielle’s safety.

There, they were caught by Gabrielle’s captor, a bunny named Buck Teeth, who mistook them as a new recruit and put them to work by having them eliminate the Racocos in the mine. After the traveler finished, an unimpressed Buck Teeth ordered them to find new work to do themselves. Just then, a disguised Von called them over and thanked them for helping him infiltrate the mine. He explained that he was getting closer to freeing Gabrielle, as he just needed to find a way to make Buck Teeth leave for a moment, as he believed that he would be able to overpower Le Tierre the Secretary while helping Gabrielle escape. He then asked the traveler to defeat the Guard Robots and bring their broken batons to Buck Teeth in order to make her believe that there was an intruder in the mine.

Sure enough, Buck Teeth took the traveler to inspect the Guard Robots, though she quickly determined that there was nothing wrong except for a few defective units. Berating them for wasting her time, Buck Teeth ordered them to dispatch the faulty robots, after which she returned back to Gabrielle. After finishing their mission, the traveler returned to see if Von had escaped with Gabrielle, though they were surprised to find that she was still there.

Gabrielle thanked them for trying to help her, though she explained that she couldn’t leave, as the Black Wings would only retaliate against Edelstein and her father if she were to escape. She told them that her hardships were nothing compared to those of the townspeople, and that she would endure them until the day that their city was freed.

However, Gabrielle told the traveler that she wanted to be useful in her captivity and explained that they might be able to find important information about the Black Wings from the memory chips of the Guard Robot L’s. After the traveler collected the chips, Gabrielle asked them to deliver both the chips and a document which she had secretly compiled on the Black Wings’ activities to Wonny. Back in Edelstein, the traveler handed the information to Wonny, who noted how ashamed he was that he had joined the enemy for Gabrielle’s sake, even as Gabrielle continued to risk her life for the town.

Suspecting that there was more to Wonny’s story, the traveler spoke with Brighton the streetsweeper, who revealed that Wonny and Gabrielle were in love with each other, and that he had joined the Black Wings to keep an eye on Gabrielle after she had been held hostage. He then told the traveler to go to the mansion walls at 10pm if they wished to see for themselves how Wonny would miss Gabrielle every night. That evening, the traveler found Wonny, who claimed that he wasn’t there because he missed Gabrielle, but because he was guarding the mansion from thieves. He then told them to leave if they had no business there, as he didn’t have time to deal with them.

(A/N: Originally, this quest really did require you to speak with Wonny at 10pm PST in order to complete it, although the revamp made it so that you can just view a cutscene immediately after accepting the quest.)

The next day, Wonny thanked the traveler for Gabrielle’s document, explaining that it had made him think a lot. He then asked them for one more favor and requested that they deliver the information to the Resistance for him, believing that it would be less suspicious if they handed it over instead of him. He explained that the Resistance was always keeping an eye on him, and that they would soon be in contact. Sure enough, the traveler was soon approached by a girl, who told them that she had been asked to give them a balloon.

After the girl disappeared, the balloon popped, revealing a note instructing them to come to Edelstein Park alone. There, they met with the Resistance agent codenamed J, who told them that the Resistance had vetted them and determined that they were not affiliated with the Black Wings, for which he brought them to the Resistance headquarters at the Secret Plaza.

(A/N: The quest involving the balloon and J is exclusive to non-Resistance classes, as the Resistance classes are simply able to head over to the Secret Plaza directly.)

Claudine welcomed them to the Resistance’s hideout and thanked them for helping Von safely return back to town, noting that it must have been very dangerous for them in the Verne Mine. The traveler then delivered the information to Claudine, who began to look over the information.

(A/N: Here, Resistance classes get an exclusive scene that originally used to be part of their Alliance quest before it was moved to the Verne Mine storyline. After going over the information, Claudine notes that what’s even more disturbing is that no one knows the true purpose of Gelimer and the Black Wings. She then asks the Resistance member to enter Gelimer’s laboratory and investigate.

In the lab, the Resistance member obtains a research journal before overhearing Gelimer talking to Orchid. Gelimer tells Orchid that there’s no need to check up on him in person, promising that his research will be finished soon. However, Orchid snaps at him, claiming that Arkarium’s plans are well underway, and that she can’t let him beat her and Lotus.

Gelimer replies that it’s not easy creating a creature as powerful as what she’s asking for, though he promises that he’ll have it ready soon. Orchid tells him that the end product needs to be perfect, and that it’s the very reason why she had formed the Black Wings and hired him in the first place. Gelimer is taken aback at this news, as well as the Resistance member, who realizes that Orchid is the founder of the Black Wings.

Gelimer’s surprise here is likely because he believed that Orchid had formed the Black Wings to revive the Black Mage, with Lotus being a personal project of hers. Here, however, he discovers that reviving the Black Mage was just a superficial goal, with her true purpose being to revive Lotus all along.

He then tells her that if she’s spent so many years waiting, a little while longer won’t make a difference. He assures her that once he’s finished, both she and Lotus will be far stronger than before. The Resistance member then wonders what exactly Gelimer is making. Just then, Orchid and Gelimer hear a noise coming from where the Resistance member is hiding, with the Resistance member deciding that it’s time to leave.

Back in the Secret Plaza, the Resistance member brings the research journal to Claudine, who reads it and notes that Gelimer is trying to create a perfect, superhuman creature through experimentation, and that those experiments are even using magic. She adds that one test subject had come close to the form that he wanted, though he had decided to discard it after realizing that it had no power at all. This test subject is Vita, although the research journal doesn’t mention it. She then notes that Gelimer seems to be working on someone else’s orders, and she’s surprised to learn from the Resistance member that Gelimer is reporting to Orchid.)

After going over the information, Claudine told the traveler that based on Gabrielle’s information and the Resistance’s own knowledge, they could conclude that Gelimer was planning to create a superhuman creature that went beyond just a simple android. She explained that outside of their cruel biological experiments, the Black Wings were also engaging in environmental destruction, such as the mining and resource extraction in Riena Strait.

She then added that these projects had all been for Orchid, who was revealed to be the founder of the Black Wings. As Orchid was also a Commander of the Black Mage, Claudine suspected that the Black Mage’s resurrection was imminent and noted that it was possible that Gelimer’s experiments may be for the Black Mage as well. She told the traveler that it was a terrifying prospect that the Black Wings were working for the Black Mage, and that his destructive reign may soon happen once again.

Claudine also told the traveler that the Resistance’s intelligence suggested that the Black Wings were collecting the Seal Stones, which were said to have been used to seal the Black Mage. Though Claudine had initially believed the Black Wings’ acquisition of the Seal Stone to be part of Gelimer’s experiments, she wondered whether it was also their way of eliminating any future threats or complications to their operations in advance. Nevertheless, she thanked the traveler for helping them uncover such vital information.

Soon after, the traveler was contacted by 10 Boogies, who asked them to meet her at the outskirts of town. There, she told them that she had been watching their actions from afar, and that she was quite impressed by their bravery. She noted that the people of Edelstein – even the young and the elderly – were fighting for their freedom, and that she hoped that the Cygnus Knights and others could come together to help liberate the town someday.