Trouble Strikes!

Facility Event: The Hunt for Harmony

Episode 3

Trouble Strikes!

Previous Quest

Fleur's Shortcut

Next Quest

The Missing Egg

Summary

During the egg hunt, the party happens upon a kindly dragon called Simurgh. However, for reasons unknown, the dragon has lost herself and is off on a rampage. The party endeavors to try and calm her down.

Dialogue

With Fleur's guidance, the prince and his friends

have reached the inner part of the forest before

any of the other egg hunt participant.

All right, team, let's make the most of this head start! That map of yours really helped us out, Fleur. Heh, 'course it did! Now, let's find us some eggs. Aaaaaand...TIME! Nice try, Sylas, but you'll have to do more than pick herbs if you wanna beat ME in a race. Nya ha ha! *pant* *pant* Perhaps you should try it some time, if you think it's so easy. Wow, no tears? You really have grown up! Would you stop bringing up—wait, surely that isn't— What took you guys so long? Okay, how the HECK did you get here so fast? I'm calling shenanigans. a Heh. This is just what happens when I decide to take things seriously. Ahaha! Overconfidence is NOT a good look for you, bro. Maybe around here...? Ooo, what a colorful mushroom! Is that the tickle of inspiration I feel? Let's take a closer look... You there, stop! Stay clear of that fungus; it's a palysium. What's that? If disturbed, they release a cloud of poisonous spores that make one's hands and feet go numb, while your body is consumed from the inside out. Well gee, thanks for sparing me from that! Though now that I'm looking, there seem to be an awful lot of those same shrooms around here. Yes, the palysium grows plentifully in this area. Not exactly an ideal place to be rummaging for hidden eggs... Hmm, yeah. We all wanna win, but not THAT badly. Let's go search somewhere else. Any ideas, Fleur? SKREEE! My eggs! My precious egg! Oh, my baby... Where did you go?! Who was that? It sounded like it came from above. Is that...a dragon? Look at those wings—all those COLORS! Is that...Simurgh? My mother told me about a kind, rainbow-winged dragon living in this forest. SKREEE! Where is it? WHERE IS MY EGG?! She's definitely colorful, but I don't think she's feelin' too kind! That tremor just unsettled the spores—everyone run, NOW! This cloud is too thick to see through... We'll all be separated at this rate! Everybody, run to the northern part of the forest! We'll regroup there! Okay! Later, along a rugged path in the eastern wood... We all got separated... You think Luca and the others are okay? Euden is strong, and Luca always comes through when he needs to. So don't worry about them. Let's just get ourselves over to the meeting place. All right, let's roll! Meanwhile, atop a knoll in the northern wood...

Is that you, Luca? Why are you moving so—wait... You inhaled the palysium spores, didn't you? Didn't stop me from beating you here though, did it? *cough* Hold on. I'll mix you an antidote with the herbs I have on hand. I thought you were all about aromatics—you can cook up antidotes and stuff too? Many plants commonly used in aromatics also have medicinal qualities. As luck would have it, I've actually been studying detoxicants of late. Heh, wow. Hard to believe you're the same guy who used to cry all the time. Ya couldn't even climb trees, man! As I've told Laranoa, let us leave the past in the PAST. Easy, easy. Here—can ya forgive me now? This is...a prank smoke bomb? Nostalgic, ain't it? This one's a "mustardbomb"—a real tearjerker, heh heh. Remember when we were kids? Me and Laranoa would gather up the ingredients, and you'd put 'em all together. "Sneezebombs," "gigglebombs"... You two had me up to all sorts of trouble. Heh. Good gravy, is that a smile?! Someone call a doctor! Seriously man, I thought that scowl was permanent. ...I have my reasons. We all have a burden to bear. Especially...

Along a trail in the western woods...

La la laaaa, heading to the north! Hum de dum de dooo... Thanks for the assist, Laranoa. I would've been wandering for hours if you hadn't found me. I probably shouldn't be helping out my rivals, but hey, it's not like you're gonna win anyway! Nya ha ha! That reminds me: weren't you saying you wanted Luca and Sarisse to be your...lackeys, was it? Yup, as my reward for winning the egg hunt. But Luca already turned you down once. Why are you so set on them? ...... They're both very dear friends of mine; I could never replace them. And beyond that, I think they're both happy at the Halidom. A straight-shooter, huh? I respect that. So here's a straight answer. I love them too. They're the best friends I've ever had, and I want them by my side as I start my new life as chief. I see... I mean, you're the leader of a whole castle, right? It's pretty tough, ain't it? Everyone relies on you for everything, and you can't ever show weakness. I'm the next chief; the leader of the whole village. People are gonna expect the world of me, and that can be a lot for one person to bear, you know? I just think it'd all be a little easier if I had my best friends there with me, goofin' around and keeping me grounded. Hence your adamant recruitment attempts. Beyond that, though, the Empire's been creeping pretty close to my village lately. What?! Yeah. I think they might invade, just like they did at Myriage Lake. And if that happens, having folks around who've gone toe-to-toe with the enemy would be a massive help. What am I saying—with Luca and Sarisse fighting with us, we can't lose! I see. Is the village faring all right at the moment? Sure; the Empire hasn't technically encroached yet, so everything's still peachy. That's good. But I'm still worried about YOU, Laranoa. You like to play down your problems, but I can sense the tension stewing under your skin. I'm okay. That's what leaders do, right? Swallow all their pain and sadness and say "I'm okay"? The village's future is up to me. All I can do is be encouraging, reliable, and try my best to hang in there. That said, if I had some f riends with me... Well, I think I could do just a little bit more. Laranoa... You've no idea how well I understand that feeling. But I'm sorry, I'd still prefer Sarisse and Luca stay with me at the Halidom. I know that's not what you want, but perhaps I could offer my own friendship instead. Huh...? We're in similar positions as leaders, so I imagine we might have plenty of shared worries. We could consult with each other, bare our fears, share successes... And if the Empire ever comes near your village, I'll be there to fight them off. That's a promise. ...Thank you. That means a ton, really. But can I actually rely on you for all that? Similar positions or not, you're still human and I'm still sylvan. Our lives are different. And that means our perspectives are fundamentally different too. Heck, it's hard to even find two sylvans that share the same opinion. Can I really count on someone so far removed from my culture to understand me? I've had no problem coexisting with sylvans up to now; just ask Luca and Sarisse. I really think— Hold up. *sniff* Is that...? *sniff* *sniff* It IS! I smell one of Sylas's aromatics! It's coming from the north; he might be with the others. C'mon! Right!

Heeeey! Euden! Over here! Luca! And Sarisse and Fleur, too! Guess we have Sylas's aromatics to thank for bringing us all back together. Or was it just his B.O? Ha ha! Personally, I'd have been lost without Laranoa. She always did have a great noise. Good looks, Laranoa. Heh heh, feel free to keep the compliments coming! Luca, the antidote has run its course, yes? Then my care for you has as well. I'll be returning to— Help! Somebody, please—HELP! What's wrong?! There's a dragon over there attacking everything in sight! Say what?! Could that be Simurgh? That seems likely. Come on, let's hurry and stop her!