Old Rivals

Facility Event: The Hunt for Harmony

Episode 2

Old Rivals

Previous Quest

The Sylvan Spring Festival

Next Quest

Fleur's Shortcut

Summary

The egg hunt's only just begun, but things are already heating up! Laranoa and Sylas join the fray, and the prince's team struggles to keep up. Eventually they come across a girl named Fleur, who joins the team as they redouble their efforts.

Dialogue

The prince and his friends are aiming

to win the egg hunt in hopes of seeing

their request granted. As they search

the forest for painted eggs... Stop right there, fiend scum! Haaaaah! What was that about? It seemed to be after the painted eggs. The heck would a fiend want with a toy egg? You can't eat a toy egg, genius! Maybe it just liked the pretty colors? Luca, look out! Whoa! That was close. Hey—ack! My eggs! You let it swipe 'em?! Get your head in the game, man! Really, Luca. I expected better. Hii-yah! ...But alas, you're as careless as ever. You may have grown, but you're still very much a child. Sylas... You're on the hunt too, then? Indeed. And not just me— Hmph. Apparently it was only a flesh wound. That fiend's running off with your eggs! And I'M running away with the win! Look out belooooow! Hah! ...Tch. Barely worth an arrow. You too, Laranoa?! Remember how I said I'd stop trying to recruit you and Sarisse as my lackeys? Well... that's still true! Uh... Okay... I'm not TRYING anymore—I'm just gonna do it! After I win the egg hunt, you won't have a choice! Nya ha ha! So you two better start thinking about who's gonna kiss which boot! Are you kiddin' me?! Don't worry, it won't ALL be boot kissing. Being village chief comes with some pretty sweet perks, and I'll let you enjoy 'em too! But first I gotta win this thing, so—toodles! Crap! If she pulls out the win, we're gonna have to leave the Halidom and live in her village! Worry not. I would never allow anyone but myself to defeat you. What will you ask for if you win, Sylas? I will ratify our tradition of solitude as law, and ensure that outsiders never be allowed to mingle with sylvans again. What?! Come on, man, that's crazy. Such measures are necessary when faced with rabble-rousers like yourself. To break tradition is to invite chaos. You can't be serious. How's sylvan society supposed to develop if we keep isolating ourselves? We've no need of outside influence. The forests offer plentiful resources, and no race better understands cultivation. Now, if you'll excuse me; I have a win to secure. Argh! Since when is he such a hardhead?! He and Laranoa both seem pre-tty serious about winning... And on top of that, we have fiends going around stealing eggs. We'll need to keep our wits about us if we hope to have a chance at winning. No freakin' way am I gonna lose to them!

There's on! Here, little eggy—urgh! Aah! What the—the ground's all muddy! I can't move! This mud looks mega deep. This could be a problem. Just take one foot out before the other one sinks, ya ding-dongs! Here, watch me. Hup! She makes it look like a hopscotch! Nya ha ha! Just one of my many special skills! Psh, I can totally pull THAT off. Check it out, I—ACK! I'm sinking! HEEEEELP! Luca!

I found an egg! Buuut I think I also found a beehive... Is that all it takes to stay your hand? Hmph. Watch closely. Stay back, Sylas, you'll— ...Wait, why the heck aren't the bees attacking you? I cloaked myself in an aromatic that, while pleasant to most, is wholly unsavory to insects. This is called "preparation". There is little point in taking a leap if you have no plan in place for the landing. Psh, that's overkill. I'll just zip in and out before the bees even notice. Chaaarge! Uh... EEEYAAAAGH! Don't bring them over here, you idiot! EEEEEEK *pant* *pant* We're really not having much luck with these eggs. Only because Luca keeps acting like he's some invincible hero! Sylas and Laranoa are the ones who went and raised the stakes on us! Should we revise our strategy? It seems like all the eggs in this area have already been found. Let's head deeper into the woods. There should still be— EEEK! It came from over there! A b-bear! Should I...play dead? Okay Mr. Bear, I'm dead now, don't mind me! AAAH! Okay, nevermind, I'm outta here! Stop! Don't turn your back to it! Wh-who are you?! Wait, tell me later—I gotta run! Just stand still and LISTEN. Don't take your eyes off the bear. ...Is it gone? Pheeew... When you're faced with a bear, ya gotta stay calm and wait for it to move on. If you run, it's just gonna give chase. R-right. I'll remember that. So, are you lost? You get separated from your friends or something? Excuse you, I'm not LOST! I'm an artist. Art is a journey, you know? Sure, I might be exploring new places I've never been, and yeah, MAYBE I got a little turned around—but I am NOT lost. I AM, however, Fleur. An Artist. Who does art. Er...right. My mistake. Nice to meet you, Fleur. How's your egg hunt going? Wait, she's competition?! Maybe we shoulda left her to the bear... Shut it, Luca. Still, what's up with you freaking out back there? If you're gonna walk in the woods, you really oughta know when to handle bears. What's your story Fleur? Well...I guess that kinda stuff is just outside my expertise. I never really took an interest. Why, because it's not art? Wh-what's wrong with that?! Art is GREAT. Kinda hard to enjoy it if a bear eats you for lunch, though. Maybe you should head home. No way! Nobody's gonna come between me and my dream—not you, not that bear, and DEFINITELY not me! Your dream? Yup! I'm going to revolutionize the art world, with a piece that fuses human and sylvan styles. Wait, really? You know it! To make it happen, though, I need to study in a human town. But the elders are so STUBBORN; they won't let me leave the village. So I'm gonna win the egg hunt, and then they'll HAVE to let me go. Heh, I love a girl who knows what she wants! Fleur, your dream is AWESOME! You really think so? People usually laugh... I'm always sayin' humans and sylvans should spend more time together, but makin' art to show people why? That's somethin' I never woulda thought of! Oh my gosh, YES—you get it! They're like two paints on a palette. Heh, yeah. Together they can make something great! Hey, Fleur—you wanna team up with us on this egg hunt? Y-you really wouldn't mind? It'd be nice to have someone to talk to for a change... He wanted to leave you to the bears a second ago! Ugh, this brother of mine. Heh, same old Luca. Anyway, we can't really leave her to roam the woods alone. C'mon Fleur, let's go find a shortcut to get deeper into the forest! Ooh, I think I know one actually! I grew up around here, see. My mom used to tell me all about this forest when I was little, so I drew up a map based on what she said. It's so detailed... I'm impressed. Heh, shucks. Maps are just another type of art, you know? Anyway, everything we need to know about the forest should be here, so all we gotta do is follow it to victory! Lead the way, Fleur! Heh heh, all right—let's go, everyone!