We finally get control over Bart's ship. This doesn't actually open up much, it can only travel through the desert and we aren't obstructed by it exactly. Kislev has tight security on their border, so we can't visit their side. Nothing to do but to steer it to the Avehian capital then.
Upon entering the city, we're greeted by a huge plane flying into it.
The plane hovers down into an underground hangar.
We then cut to its bridge, where we see its captain, Ramsus, and his secretary, Miang, complaining about their arrival being apparently lackluster. They're going to meet Shakhan and one of his generals, Vanderkaum.
Outside, Shakhan tries to butter them up, but Ramsus doesn't listen. Instead, he walks up to his general and berates him for his recent failures. He openly despises him, thinking him too brutish and too focused on raw displays of force over proper strategizing.
Shakhan accompanies Ramsus as he paces deeper into the base, talking about an upcoming ceremony to celebrate his country's 500th year. Ramsus, continuing to ignore him, pointedly asks him about the Fatima Jasper, the key to Bart's royal family's treasure.
Shakhan misinterprets this as a query for their recently excavated weapon at first, but after Ramsus clarifies his question, he replies that he hasn't been successful finding the other half of the Jasper.
Ramsus, continuing to be pointy, then asks if he's been taking proper care of Margie. He doesn't want to have her be mishandled by anyone. Shakhan reassures him that he has been behaving well with her, and knows that he dislikes indiscipline.
Ramsus and Miang then meet Margie in her room. He asks her about the Jasper, but she denies having any knowledge of the missing piece, and then complains about how she hasn't been able to eat well since her capture. Ramsus decides to humor her by promising to get her favorite cake next time, and asks her for any further wishes, but she only wants to return to her hometown. Relatable, lol.
Then we zoom out, and it turns out, Shakhan was spying on them all along! He's worried that Ramsus knows about the Fatima Jasper, and suspects a leak among his staff. His concern makes him order his assistant to force a truth serum on Margie as soon as possible, as he wants to find the Jasper before Ramsus does.
We leave that ominous moment behind and are treated to the grand sight of Bledavik's bazaar! This city is arguably the first "real" city of this game, and it has a lot of genuine flavor to it, authentically capturing the hustle and bustle of a bazaar city.
We find Bart's contact while jumping across the rooftops. She's a nun from Nisan, and she's been trying to collect information on Margie's whereabouts. So far, she hasn't been successful at finding much, besides the fact that she's being held somewhere in the royal palace. Time for the gang to go snooping!
I must point out that the game has a wonderful way of presenting city exploration: big cities like Bledavik get an overworld of their own, with notable spots marked on them. This helps sell the idea of traversing a huge, built up city without the tedium of having to actually navigate one. It's a nice idea, and more RPGs could stand to take it.
It doesn't take long for them to discover that the city is hosting a tournament to celebrate its 500th anniversary. Citan makes a daring plan - have Fei join the tournament and put up a grand show to distract security, creating an opening for Bart to swoop in and find Margie. There's just the matter of finding that opening...
And, sure enough, they find it soon, in the form of a grate to a waterway leading to the castle. Only problem is, said grate has been locked for a long while, and the key is on a boy who loves hiding around the city.
It takes a bit of searching, but the team eventually catches him hiding behind some barrels. What a cheeky boy! He reveals that he had once accidentally fallen into the waterway, and the grate had been locked since then. As for the key, well, actually he doesn't have it. Thankfully, he does know of who does, and it's not too hard to find him - he's sitting at a corner near the grate itself!
He's only too happy to learn that the team is trying to break in to rescue Margie - as you might imagine, Shakhan is a crude despot, and nobody is all too keen on his rule. With the plan fully laid up, the party sleeps, eager to begin working on Margie's rescue.
The next day, Fei and Citan head for the tournament grounds, which are right outside the royal palace. Fei is ushered in backstage, where he gets to chat up other competitors. Including Dan! Yep, he's back and he's pissed. Didn't expect him as a fighting contestant, but oh well.
The tournament organizer announces the start of the tournament, and everyone leaves. But this mysterious hooded man stops Fei, and comments on how he's eager to see him and Dan duke it out. What a weirdo, lol.
With the tournament kicking off, Bart quietly opens one of the waterway's grates and heads in. Welp. The plan is officially in motion. It's time to rescue a
But how exactly will this rescue go? Will Fei be able to draw enough crowds? Can he win his way through the tournament? And what of Bart? Will he get to Margie in time? Will Shakhan extract knowledge of the Jasper? And will Ramsus stay out of the way, or foil their plan? Find out all this and more next time!
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