Moonlit Patrol Exercise/Story

Moonlit Patrol Exercise

Main article: Moonlit Patrol Exercise (Quest)

Quest Description

On the outskirts of Paha Isle, a fierce wargame simulation seems to be unfolding...

Wislawa: Well, well, well, if it isn't the kind-hearted merchant... Out here chasing business, are we?

Edler: *sigh* You wouldn't understand. Us poor folk with nothing to our names have to go where the money is — like hungry dogs chasing after scraps of bone...

Wislawa: Hmph, loquacious as ever...

Wislawa: You might want to pay more attention to what's going on in front of you — I reckon you're about to lose.

(The Traveler and Paimon arrive on the scene)

Edler: I wouldn't be so sure... Ah, (‍‍), just in time. Perhaps you can help me figure out how to reverse my fortunes?

Paimon: Hehe, you're asking the right person!

This looks different from when I last played...

Edler: Ha, indeed! If I'm going to set up shop in a new locale, I need to spice things up a little — you're looking at my new and improved wargame!

Edler: Basically, there's a wider variety of gameplay. There's "Frontline Captains," and different kinds of flags... It feels a lot more like commanding a real army!

Edler: However, just as I was trying to sell it to prospective buyers, this fine lady turned up and threw a spanner in the works.

Edler: To prove my product is all above board — and to prevent concerned onlookers from reporting me to the authorities — I had no choice but to play a round with her. Otherwise, she might accuse me of selling "dangerous military equipment"!

Wislawa: Thank you for sharing your — remarkably long — side of the story... Hello, you must be the famous (‍‍)? And that would make your companion the world-renowned, expert guide, Paimon. I've been hearing a lot about you two!

Wislawa: I never expected our kind-hearted Fontainian merchant here to keep such exalted company... I feel honored to see you in the flesh.

Wislawa: I'm Wislawa, a... kind-hearted bodyguard.

Wislawa: It's just a pity we haven't played out our game, otherwise I'd be able to take good care of you...

(Does she mean take care, or "take care"?)

(She looks like she'd make a dangerous enemy...)

Paimon: Hehe, don't worry about it!

Paimon: You seem nice! Usually, when we bump into people with your sense of style... uhm, how should Paimon put it... they don't do much talking before their fists start flying!

Wislawa: Haha, don't worry, I'm on holiday! Besides, even when I'm working, I try my best not to get too physical. Either way you look at it, you've nothing to fear from me.

But you two look like you might come to blows...

Paimon: Paimon was thinking that too! Even though you're playing wargames, when we turned up, the atmosphere was a little... uhm, tense, but maybe it was just a mix-up...

Wislawa: You think we should spar? That's a great idea!

Edler: I suppose we could slug it out...

Paimon: Hey, hey, hey! Paimon was just thinking out loud — it wasn't a suggestion!

Edler: Haha, don't worry, we're just pulling your leg.

Edler: Though it really does seem like this new product has the ability to help resolve disputes. When two people are at loggerheads and feel the itch to start fighting, they can whip out my wargame and—

Edler: Ugh, yap-yap-yap. How about you just try it for yourselves?

Great idea.

(Edler directs the Traveler's attention to Wislawa)

Edler: Or... you could help me beat our enthusiastic bodyguard here first.

Wislawa: No outside assistance!

Post-Quest Dialogue

(Talk to Edler)

Edler: Well, here's a turn up for the books! Fancy seeing you in Nod-Krai... It looks like your command skills have improved since the last time we met.

You're making me blush. It's time to do some damage!

Edler: I'll leave you to it then! Be sure to thoroughly enjoy the new wargame!

(Opens Wargame gameplay interface)

All thanks to your wargame!

Edler: You're too modest. Ever since I got my hands on the standard-issue wargame from the Maison Gardiennage, I've been racking my brains trying to find ways to make it more three-dimensional...

Edler: Captain Grosrochard once told me, "Some fighters are just like wolves — not only are their teeth sharp, but they know exactly where to bite."

Edler: Proto-Boss, I think you're exactly the sort of wolf the captain was talking about! Even my improved wargame won't fully test your talents — you're just too good at knowing what to do.

Edler: ...But watching someone as skilled as Wislawa having to pause and puzzle things out makes me think my changes have been a wonderful success!

So, is she your latest fugitive suspect?

Is our "kind-hearted merchant" trying to catch this "kind-hearted bodyguard"?

Edler: Ha! That's just a coincidence. She has nothing to do with anyone I'm after.

Edler: I met her in Fontaine, and we didn't exactly hit it off... I thought she was a kidnapper and subdued her on the spot. It turned out I made a mistake.

Edler: She saved the little girl who was kidnapped — but how was I to know? A tall foreigner turning up in the middle of nowhere disguised as a local and carrying a musket...

Edler: Ahem, anyway, the point is we worked it all out. Still, she appears to be very dangerous — and suspicious.

Edler: So, in the interests of safety, I told her I was a kind-hearted merchant. I'm pretty sure she's not really a bodyguard...

Edler: And running into her here, it seems her identity is even more mysterious than I first thought.

Wow, impressive moves.

Edler: Luck's a fickle thing. Recently, our kind-hearted bodyguard has put the brakes on this "suspicious merchant"...

Edler: Fortunately, she seems more interested in fighting me than in figuring out my background. That's one of the few things going my way right now!

There are still a few features I don't understand...

Edler: But don't worry, every battle has its twists and turns, and so does every wargame! No one can predict each little change of fortune.

(Talk to Wislawa)

Wislawa: Oh, hello, how's the game?

I haven't started playing yet.

Wislawa: Better get a move on then — the wargame's just over there.

(Opens Wargame gameplay interface)

Not bad at all! It's giving me a few ideas.

Wislawa: Hmph, Edler's not the brightest, but she's done a good job with this fun little distraction...

You don't mince your words...

This is the first time we've met...

Wislawa: Haha, anything I tell you, I'm more than happy to say to her face. Besides, I'm only speaking the truth!

Wislawa: She seems to think I don't know who she is, but when she stopped me in Fontaine, I knew immediately what her deal was — there was a Maison Gardiennage mark on her weapon...

Wislawa: But it seems to me that it's more fun to watch her keep merrily playing the part of a "kind-hearted merchant."

Wislawa: A righteous Fontainian plainclothes detective stuck in a place like this, having to convince a "kind-hearted bodyguard" not to call the authorities, completely unable to reveal her identity...

Wislawa: It's like the plot of some farcical film!

That sounds like something I might watch...

Wislawa: Truth be told, I just wanted to spar with her — she keeps overthinking the whole thing.

Wislawa: Alright, that's enough talking, you go ahead and have fun! This wargame has a lot to unpack.

Actually, I'm more interested in your background.

Wislawa: Me? I'm not like you — a big fish who the Harbingers treat like an honored guest — I'm just small fry, one of their minions. I'm barely worth mentioning.

Wislawa: But I can tell you something. Even though a minnow like me doesn't usually hear much, I had a boss who used to love yabbering back in the day.

Wislawa: That's how I heard of the legendary (‍‍), an exceptional fighter with a brain to match!

Wislawa: I remember thinking at the time, if we ever met in battle, how little time would it take before you turned me into a ghost?

Wislawa: *sigh* It doesn't help to think too far ahead. You should get back to your game.

I'm more curious about your holiday...

Wislawa: *sigh* When I was still just a little sprat, I only had about... maybe 10 days a year where I could float up to the shallows and swim freely in the sunlight.

Wislawa: Well, now that I've a little more weight to throw around, I get a few more days off.

Wislawa: One day, if I can grow into a shark, I'll command the best treatment there is — 25 days of annual leave!

Wislawa: When that day comes, I'll make sure to find the warmest waters to really kick back and unwind...

End of a Leisurely Holiday

Main article: End of a Leisurely Holiday

Quest Description

After days of intense "sparing," [sic] the moment of parting quietly arrives...

(Approach Edler and Wislawa)

Edler: ...That should be enough to prove this isn't some sort of secret weapon.

Wislawa: Hmm... Sure does. Now you just need to make it a little tougher, and it might pose a challenge to adults as well.

Paimon: Whoa! The atmosphere's getting all tense again, you don't think they're going to...

Come to blows?

Wislawa: You're not far wrong... Hey, (‍‍), since you're here, why not help us referee a fair fight?

Edler: *sigh* I don't know where this obsession with sparing [sic] has come from. Is it because I beat you so easily the last time? If that's what this is about, then let's just get it over with.

Edler: (‍‍), keep your eyes peeled and see who blinks first!

Wislawa: Hmph! All those empty words aren't going to save you!

Edler looks stronger...

Wislawa looks bigger...

Edler: ...

(Edler whips out a musket and points it as Wislawa)

Wislawa: ...

...!

Paimon: Whoa! Aren't they only supposed to be sparring!?

Edler: It's not too late to admit defeat! I'll give you three seconds...

Edler: Three, two, one...

Paimon: Whoa!

There is a loud, metallic clack followed by calm silence...

Edler: It's alright, Paimon, you can open your eyes.

Wislawa: It turns out the most "tense" person here was you...

Paimon: Wh—What? Wislawa, you're not hurt!?

Edler only fired a warning shot.

There were no bullets in the musket.

Edler: Of course. I don't want to end up stuck in some foreign prison...

Edler: I had to put on a show. Let her know I'm not some cowardly merchant she can just push around.

Edler: This way, the next time we meet, she'll think twice before causing me trouble.

Paimon: But, (‍‍), how did you know what was going on? You're not tense at all!

Edler's expression was too relaxed.

Edler said it herself — "see who blinks first."

Wislawa: You're sharp. A well-placed threat's the fastest way to make someone surrender. It's just a shame that shortcuts are seldom so easy to take.

Wislawa: Not to mention, (‍‍) is here... Anyway, I'm still standing.

Wislawa: I just hope the next time we meet, I get a chance to...

Edler: Don't start with all that again. How many chances do you think we'll have to meet?

Edler: If the next time I see you, you happen to be on duty, I'll be forced to respond appropriately to any actions you take.

Edler: But if you're on holiday again, let's play another wargame or two — for the sake of my business.

Post-Quest Dialogue

(Talk to Edler)

Edler: Hello! I'm supposed to be shipping out, but I'm finding myself oddly reluctant to leave Nod-Krai.

I want to play another wargame!

Edler: Sure thing, feel free.

(Opens Wargame gameplay interface)

It's the sort of place you can feel right at home.

Edler: Exactly. And if I run into someone who doesn't know what's good for them, well...

Edler: However you look at it, I've learned a lot — I've even got some ideas for how to improve my wargame further. Next time I see you, you'll be able to try out the doubly improved, latest, most recent, contemporary, up-to-date version.

Or are you oddly reluctant to leave Wislawa?

Edler: Her? Of course not! I want to get as far away from her as possible — she's dangerous and always finding fault. I hope I never see her again.

Edler: Well, maybe that's not fair... If I do see her again, I'd like to have a proper spar with her to decide once and for all who's stronger.

Edler: That way, she might be able to get the idea of sparring out of her head for good.

(Talk to Wislawa)

Wislawa: *sigh* I'm almost out of holiday. Who knows when we'll meet again...

Might as well take the opportunity to play another wargame.

Wislawa: Ha, you're right, why not focus on having a little fun while I'm still off duty?

(Opens Wargame gameplay interface)

How about you try sparring with me?

Wislawa: Haha, take it easy. I'd prefer not to throw hands with you unless it was utterly unavoidable.

Wislawa: I'd much prefer to find out once and for all who's stronger, me or Edler. She's a fitting opponent — a contest is only fun when both sides are evenly matched, am I right?

I look forward to seeing you the next time you're off duty.

Wislawa: Me too... If only I had a little more holiday to take.

Wislawa: Then maybe I could be like you, traveling around without a care in the world...