Quesada's Swan

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Someone in the Iron Mask's dream calls to him...it's a name: Alphen.

He wakes up. How can he see with that thing? Or maybe it's a one-way mask, where he can see things, and others can't see his face.

Tilsa: "I'm the medical officer for the Crimson Crows. You're in one of our safe houses." Crimson Crows, are they a rebel alliance? Tilsa says yes.

Tilsa: "Don't tell me you've never heard of us. We're the Resistance. For the Dahnan people...Is it true you can't take that thing off?"

Iron Mask: "Yeah...Worse is that I don't even know why I'm wearing it. That woman I was with..."

Tilsa points out that the woman's "quite a character." She's in jail.

I'm guessing it's probably because of her power...

I get to move again. We're in the Zionne Mines, a safehouse for the Crimson Crows, according to Tilsa.

I keep asking her all the questions on the choices list.

Zephyr, the tough, bearded guy, is the leader of the Crimson Crows. They're going up against Balseph and his "bright eyed" troops.

One of the Crimson Crows points out how everyone knows about Iron Mask by one of their couriers, Nayth.

---

We go to the jail, where Zephyr and the young man are.

The young man touches her again. And he gets another taste of her power...

Iron Mask tries to intervene, but if I were him, I would've kept quiet.

Zephyr continues.

Zephyr: "It doesn't seem to be poison or magic...Is this the reason Balseph's soldiers were after you? For the last several days, Balseph's forces have been getting pretty restless. When we looked into it deeper, the word 'thorns' came up over and over again. And now we come across Miss Prickly herself."

The guard and everyone else knows who she is: Shionne Imeris.

Iron Mask notices too. She's a Renan.

So Renans are the only people that have surnames in this 'verse.

Yeesh, what an exchange...

So the Crimson Crows took out their stones by hand...

Nayth is the guard with the spear.

I wonder, are Astral Artes the magic artes in this tale?

Nayth makes the mistake of calling her power an "ability." Shionne calls it a curse.

The static thorns appear...

Zephyr continues the interrogation, but another noise from above is heard...

---

The soldiers are now catching up to the Crimson Crows.

Zephyr tosses a sword to Iron Mask!

Zephyr tells Iron Mask not to die as he goes to the front "to welcome [the] guests."

Nayth and the young man take Shionne with them, both armed to the teeth.

Congratulations, Iron Mask, you get a sword!

We now can access the menu!

I have Iron Mask go down the end of the jail to the office, where we take an Apple Gel from a sack.

I take a peek at the menu again.

Lucky in this game, I can save anytime too. I check the other stuff, with the synopsis first, or activity records.

So a spirit core is basically the stone that siphons off Dahnans' lives...

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Back to the game...

Looks like the way out is clear...

More wounded...

One Crimson Crow thinks the Renans "play dirty" because of their advanced tech and weaponry.

The Iron Mask is like us: we're just seeing the world through his eyes.

Our first enemy!

The soldier asks where Shionne is. Iron Mask tries to say something. Don't say anything!

Iron Mask: "How's this for an answer — go to hell!"

Now we fight, and a tutorial!

No victory music, huh? I'm guessing it might break the pacing of the game if one was included...

Iron Mask doesn't have any HP either...

I save and explore around...

We enter the storage room ahead, get an Apple Gel, and see one member crying over his friend...

Oh boy...

I try to run, but no choice...

We talk to another member ahead, who wonders how Shionne got a weapon...

There she is!