Quesada's Swan | Tales of Berseria - Part 129: Meirchio, City of Ice and Snow

I decide to take advantage of the bonuses in this game and get a few addons...thank goodness the catalog's free! The sets themselves aren't, though...

Look at this town! Phi's amazed that people lived around these very frigid parts! Velvet smiles.

Eizen explains that the townsfolk are flamestone miners.

And Magilou ruins the mood by mentioning the volcano, saying "this town's scuh-rewed."

Eleanor's very disheartened at what we're about to do once we reach the core of the volcano...all of this for revenge...

Velvet: "Inhuman, aren't I? Curse me all you want."
Eleanor: "I have no right to. The Abbey has proven itself just as heartless."

Phi prefers having the townspeople's strength to endure anything than "feel[ing] nothing..." Oh, Phi...

Magilou and Eleanor, surprisingly, agree.

Eizen mentions that we need all four Empyreans to ensure Innominat does not get his full power.

Velvet: "I think... I'll only be able to awake two." Oscar and Teresa...

Magilou obviously doesn't think two is enough to stop Innominat, but it can weaken him somewhat.

Eleanor (I'm guessing) decides to offer herself, but Rokurou cuts in, and puts Shigure down as the third Empyrean offering.

Magilou jumps in, with Melchior as fourth!

Eleanor's surprised at their determination on fighting two legates!

Rokurou: "I was born ready. It's not like they'll sit back and ignore us anyway."

Eizen agrees too, as the Shepherd and Innominat are prepping their "suppression party."

Rokurou: "So I'm all stoked for the god waking, but...what's the plan?"

Velvet suggests looking around town first.

One man tells us that the Lord of Calamity (Velvet!) was caught. He describes the Lord as having a wolf's head who eats humans. Oooo...

The man's calm, thinking that she's taken care of.

Velvet: "Yeah. You wouldn't want to get bitten, that's for sure." She's playing along...

Velvet: "If you ever meet [a daemon], you should run. Fast."

No ships can get through to Meirchio because the hard ice has made any passage impossible.

One citizen mentions Musiphe, the Empyrean of Fire, "the body of the flame." But the Abbey forbids any other Empyrean...

Another skit: Eleanor compliments the town's quiet atmosphere, and the pure snow falling. Phi likes the snow too.

Velvet mentions the obvious: "every town has sunny spots and shadows."

Velvet encourages Eleanor as to pretend as if it were "her old job." To keep questioning more.

The Bloodwing Agent quotes Tabatha: "When white warps, black is true."

There's kids who made a "snow hut"! And there's hot springs in Meirchio too? According to one local, all the lights here are run on gas, with some on steam.

Phi's amazed at the potential of "steam power!"

We find a chest containing a Drop Bottle, which is just an in-battle money doubler, like the Coin Trick in Super Mario RPG, but it works for only one battle!

Nice "snow hut"...

A youthful guy asks us about the guard at the front gate. He mentions that the guard stole some stuff from the houses in town, and so his punishment was to stand watch at the gate for three days straight! If a daemon ever comes by, he'll be the first to run back into town...

Magilou uncharacteristically warns him that the guard'll "end up" in "the afterlife."

One yak tamer and a townswoman mention the shortness of the other seasons in town. Global cooling is real in this area...

They keep pushing and pushing against the deadly blizzards, just to give the world their flamestone, their warmth...

Eleanor: "This town really is warm then, in body and soul."

The citizens tell us to visit their hot spring...hoo boy... I hope this game doesn't do anything skeevy here...

Inside a gold chest, we get a Neptune Satchel for Phi!

One local tells us Mt. Killaraus's entrance is at the cave at the edge of the town. He mentions there's also a sanctuary there at the end of the volcano, where the lifespring is, I'm guessing.

The weapon shop also has a new gel: a Melon Gel, which increases max HP by 30 percent in battle! The shop also sells Elixirs for 434,600 gald!

After tons of business in the shop, I check out the inn...it's pretty nice.

At the square, someone screams that daemons are coming!

The gatekeeper outside became a daemon, an Executioner! It seems the malevolence got to him...

We take care of him immediately!

The citizens thank us for saving them!

Velvet announces her message to the townsfolk to the Abbey: "On the next Scarlet Night, I will offer a sacrifice to Mt. Killaraus, and strip Innominat of his power!" Oh my god...

Velvet: "I dare them to try and stop me!" Well, there goes keeping our low profile...

Behold, people!

Velvet: "I am corruption made flesh! Velvet, the Lord of Calamity!"
Magilou: "Bwahaha! This city is ours! Flee to the south, puny humans, while your tears dot the snow!" My god, I am playing very bad characters...

Magilou scares the townsfolk over!

Rokurou's smiling at the sight.

Magilou: "Hahah! That was splendid! We should do this more often!"
Velvet: "It went well. Except..."

She hits Magilou!

Velvet doesn't like "sucking bone marrow." She and her sister think of it as rude.

Aside: Speaking of which, it reminded me of a tumblr post featuring three photos of how people eat chickens. The third pic in that post shows the marrow of the bones completely gone... (TW for racist slur)

Phi and Magilou like that part of the food.

It was a good plan to get the townspeople out of harm's way, according to Eleanor. But as Velvet points out, we already unofficially "decimated" their town to bait Melchior and Shigure.

Eleanor: "Even so, I thank you for what you’ve done, O fearsome Lord of Calamity."
Velvet: "I'll pretend I didn't hear that, O exalted Praetor of the Abbey." She smiles at the last part of that sentence. These two...

Benwick comes by. How did he get here? Eizen asks the same question.

He brought along Kurogane and Kamoana too, saying that he has soemthing to give to Eizen. Not even the cold could stop Benwick...

Kamoana wanted to come along because she was afraid Eleanor died in her dream...

Rokurou asks when the legates will come. Magilou guesses they won't come till Scarlet Night.

Kurogane came along because he completed his new sword for Rokurou!

Here we go! The night before the battle...

Magilou: "This may be the last breather we get. As always, better make sure you leave no regrets."

Phi sighs sadly. He asks Velvet if he could go with her. She says "go ahead."

The sun's about to go down. And then, the Scarlet Night...

Medissa's also here too.

The Bloodwing agent didn't leave either...

The pirates are watching for any citizens. They won't rob them though. They don't rob and plunder people when on land. Hee...they would be "brigands" if they did.

West of here is the door forward to the Gaiburk Ice Field. I climb the steps opposite, where I see Rokurou sitting before the door to a sanctuary...taking his drink.

Kurogane's forging his best.

Rokurou: "He certainly is. The old fellow's forging himself into a blade." Again?!

Velvet and Phi ask if that's even possible.

Rokurou: "We had one last drink together."

So Kurogane's offering his own armor as a sword to help Rokurou finish off Shigure.

Rokurou: "I would. I'll turn a friend into a sword to kill my own brother. I'm a jerk." That's just scratching the surface.

Velvet: "I'm in no position to judge."
Rokurou: "I think you are. Whatever you may look like, you're human. You hate because you love, and feel as much hurt as you do anger. That's human."

Although, technically, he is right. She didn't become a daemon out of her own malevolence or free will...Rokurou's the only daemon in the party that became one due to his malevolence.

Kurogane decided to make sure he himself becomes Stormquell...

Rokurou: "What our blacksmith friend feels toward Stormhowl is more than resentment. It's admiration too."

So he offered his own soul and body to become the Stormquell to defeat Stormhowl.

Rokurou: "Shigure's the same. He has that very human strength to take the good along with the bad and just keep pushing ahead. A strength that I, as a daemon, can never match."
Velvet: "Brooding doesn't suit you, Rokurou."

Velvet: "You wanted to be a swordsman greater than any other. That's why you fought...to perfect your skills. That's the sort of man you are."

He takes his sip.

Rokurou: "Yup. That's who I am." He smiles.

Phi: "I like that part of you, Rokurou."
Rokurou: "Me too. Thanks." The feels!

Rokurou offers a drink. They're not old enough.

Rokurou: "The world of humans sure is a strange one!" You have no idea, man!

Before the Sanctuary doors, Phi breathes Kurogane's name. Velvet has no words to say.

We head down and north into the docks.

Eleanor’s at the edge of the pier, looking beyond.

I spot a Katz Box, and get a Left Earring!

Dyle, Kamoana, and the dogs are at a corner in the shed.

Bienfu's spying on them, saying "[he's] on a secret mission."

Looking at the pier, that shipwreck there looks a lot like that Fire Navy ship from Avatar...frozen solid!

Eleanor's counting. She's playing hide and seek with Kamoana!

She turns around and sees Velvet and Laphicet!

Bienfu tells her where Kamoana is.

Phi: "Wow, cheating against a kid...? That's low." Yep.

Eleanor didn't want Bienfu in the game! But Bienfu says Magilou wants him to tell her where the hider's hiding...Magilou... not only is she a troll, but she cheats too, huh? She should get banned by Valve twice for that!

Kamoana and Dyle come over...asking why she's not finding them...

Kamoana calls out her cheating for pointing out where they are!

Eleanor: "I didn't cheat. I simply utilized Bienfu's cheating. That's called strategy." No, that's called cheating.

Velvet: "'Plans must be solid and reactions flexible.'" It all goes back to that man...

Eleanor: "See, Kamoana? I'm smart and strong. You don't have to worry about me."
Kamoana: "Don't worry! I believe in you...I'm just worried that Bienfu will get you in trouble..."

Bienfu doesn't react too well to that...

Eleanor promises Kamoana that she'll be fine.

She doesn't want to sleep, and has Dyle be the hider next! She's a therion, meaning she cant be affected by the cold like Velvet...

Dyle corrects her, saying "[he's] not a crocodile"...

Bienfu: "Isn't that the same thing?"
Dyle: "Not even close!"

Eleanor's mentioning something that's possible...

Eleanor: "There must be a way to make a better world for everyone. Humans, daemons, malakhim. And I intend to find it. It might take years...No, decades, centuries, generations... even if it takes me millennia, I'll do it."
Velvet: "Playing the long game, I take it?"
Phi: "I believe in you, Eleanor. You'll find a way."
Eleanor: "I will. Once I've made my mind up, nothing can stop me."

Eleanor tells Kamoana not to cheat. Dyle also doesn't want to cheat either.

In the snow hut, Grimoirh and Griffin are there.

Grimoirh mentions that Melchior's "the savior's shadow." She mentions that Magilou "may be the key" to unlocking the secrets of Melchior.

I save before talking to Eizen.

Eizen's reading something: it's a letter from his sister.

Benwick teases him a bit.

Eizen tells us that the party "sound[s] appropriate for her, and she'd love to meet [them]."

Velvet: "Weird sister you've got."
Eizen: "You don't know the half of it. A girl weird enough to want to live alongside the reaper... No matter the cost."

Eizen flips his coin. Tails again! He smirks.

Phi would be happy to meet Eizen's sister.

Benwick preludes Eizen's warning by imitating his "protective big brother" mode.

Benwick: (to Eizen) "Sheesh, you say that to every guy you meet." I know, Benwick!

Phi: "We'll all go meet her together someday."
Eizen: "I like your confidence."
Phi: "Yeah. I man the wheel of my own ship." He smiles. Aaaaahhhh!

Eizen: "Aye. As do I, and all of you...and even her..."

We talk to him again.

Eizen: "I'll do things my own way. For as long as the flame of will still burns within [me], that'll never change."

Such determined people Eizen and Benwick are...