Before heading out, let's check the character sheet out.
Hit points: 150
Work points: 100
Attack: 29
Defence: 15
Speed: 8
Heartbeat points: 4
Speed basically tells how early your character acts in an attack round.
Heartbeat points get consumed if you do heartbeat attacks. We can do four attacks a day.
For the other characters, they are called 'activity points' and measure the same thing.
Hit points recharge after every battle; work points and heartbeat points recharge after every day.
Let's look at the special attacks Jamrock has. I could give you meaningless syllabic names such as Hadouken, I could give them a proper translation, or I could let Google christen them.
I know which one I'll do.
【Takeshige killing】 A technique to attack by attacking a large amount. The damage that it gives is great, but it is easy to come off. It is effective for the entire enemy of the front row. Required work points: 5
So the Takeshige Killing deals more damage, but seems to miss often. Can be applied to enemies in the front row.
【Pacific Shrine】 A technique to drive a thrust of a whole body more than once. Attack two enemies in the front row twice, and surplus attack deals damage to other enemies. Required work points: 8
The Pacific Shrine deals damage to an enemy in the front row, and some to an enemy in the back row.
【Killing Squirrel】 A technique to inject damniness into the sword and raise destructive power and attack it. Therefore, it consumes its own damage point. Effective against the enemy unitary in the front row. Required work points: 8
The Killing Squirrel ... is a technique to inject ... damniness into my sword?
You know, just the other day, I was thinking that my sword lacked a bit of damniness. This skill will come in handy.
The Killing Squirrel apparently consumes some of my own hitpoints and deals damage to enemies in the front row.
--
There are also non-heartbeat combat skills:
[To persuade] A command to identify the enemy's leader and persuade it during battle. If you succeed, the enemy leaves but the beast has no effect. Required work points: 3
Apparently you can reason with enemies. No effect on animals.
[Cover] Command to support one ally person during battle. Although the protected character does not receive damage, the activity point decreases by that amount. Required work points: 5
And finally, you can shield someone in your party from damage.
I haven't really tested these special attacks thoroughly, so I probably got their effects wrong...
--
Anyway, let's head out.
We're given this interface which shows that we can move North, South, East, West, though only South is possible right now. Below it, there's a one-item menu which shows that I can enter a room from this square. This would be our room.
The menu shows us the non-movement options we have. If there's interaction with a door or similar, it appears on the menu.
This is very disorientating, until we click on the 'Map' button.
So basically at this point, I've walked the corridor back and forth and gotten a map like this. It's worth noting that every square has a different background image. Apparently they made a 3-D model of pretty much every area in this game, and rendered the backgrounds that way.
Let's try the doors on the left (west). The northmost one is mine, and I can't enter it just yet, so we'll start with the middle one.
I knocked the door, but I got no response from inside.
As I turn the handle, the door opened easily. It seems the door was not locked.
A standard room, the same as the one that was given to me.
Probably a vacant room available for guests.
Of course, there was nothing of interest in the room, so I decided to leave.
Last room on the corridor.
I did not get a response from the knock.
The door was not locked and opened with a slight creak.
A room similar to mine, probably lodging for guests. Simple furnishings.
No sign of anyone living here.
...?
But, whereas my room had a window, the room I was in had an extra door.
........
It intrigued me, so I opened the door.
Oh, Jamrock-san.
Behind the door was a veranda, and there stood Kalderina.
Sorry, I didn't think there'd be someone here.
I don't mind. I was just watching the night sky, after all.
Oh.
Are you on a walk?
Something like that, yes.
Er, Jamrock-san.
Yes?
About Minvi-oneesama ...
Well ...
I don't particularly mind the situation.
But ... well ...
You somehow ...
seem lonely so ...
...Lonely?
Er, sorry!
You do look a bit like Minvi, you know.
Huh? Really?
Not in appearance as such, but the atmosphere and the way you talk.
Since I came to the temple at the age of 12, I spent a lot of time with Minvi-oneesama.
It's like you were sisters for real.
I'm glad if you mean that.
~~~
She's so pretty and everyone loves her ...
.............
S-Sorry, I said something strange, didn't I?
No, I must've been rude too.
............
I must've disturbed your stargazing.
Oh, not at all.
Okay, onwards to the doors on the right, top to bottom.
I knocked the door lightly and entered the room.
The smell of old paper assaulted me immediately.
Must be the library...
A large number of bookshelves stood in this room, in neat order.
Several priests were studying, taking books from the shelves and rapidly turning the pages. ~~
GT: Several priests seemed to be doing investigations, and taking out the book from the bookshelf, he turned the page hiliously.
Google is making up words here.
............
One of the priests was sternly looking at me.
I think he was one of those who sneaked around in the cathedral.
That snoop of Minister Galiba again...
The priest said, to accompany his rude gaze.
.................
I do feel discomfort in the situation, but then again, I am an uninvited guest.
- "I'm just a fencing instructor."
- Glare back at him.
- Ignore him.
Let's be polite.
I'm just a fencing instructor. Not anything you accuse me of.
I know you were a candidate to be the chivalry captain. Jamrock the slayer of hundred.
...........
Those at the royal castle who feel adversarial towards the church, I have no idea what they are thinking.
~~
Especially that Minister Galiba, who wields the real power, holding the king by the strings, who knows what he's doing in the shadows?
Punchy political games!
The priest suddenly shuts up and goes back to his books.
OK, let's continue our exploration. The second door now.
There's ominous music playing currently. Foreshadowing? Or something else?
The knocking makes a deeper sound than the other doors, as if the wood used was tougher.
I get no reply, and turn the handle. The door opens easily.
It's the parlour I was in earlier. Nobody seems to be here now, and the room imparts a deserted feeling.
.........
The images of when I first came here, when Minvi was here, flit through my mind.
I don't need to stay here any longer...
Last door.
I grip the handle and enter the room.
This was the cathedral you can reach by going through the main doors. Above the altar was a bust of the god Zeinhad, the symbol of the kingdom of Altia.
I walk towards the main doors in an effort to get a better view of the cathedral.
There I noticed a strange feature of the door leading out.
On the inside, there was a keyhole.
Perhaps there was a similar keyhole on the outside too, but apparently you could not get out of this church ... or at least through this door, on your own. ~~
I guess that's to be expected, for a church that trains temple priests.
No need to waste time admiring this any more. Let's go elsewhere.
No, I didn't get this keyhole arrangement either.
So I find a second corridor to walk in, and there meet Minvi.
Jamrock-san...
..........
I did not know how to answer, so I just stood there silently watching her.
Do you have a bit of time?
I don't mind.
Good. Oh, this is my room. Do come in.
Though I felt strange discomfort, I accepted her invitation.
GT: While feeling strange incompatibility, I responded to Miniwi's soup.
Minvi urged me to sit down, and then spoke to me.
Er...
Thank you very much.
You thanked me earlier already.
GT: I asked you to arrive earlier if you asked.
Oh, right.
..........
Er ... I don't ...
I don't remember at all what happened when I was with you, but...
But I'm sure that it was fun.
Fun?
Yes.
Because, well, I somehow feel relaxed when I'm with you.
So I was thinking that I'd try my best to remember that time.
No point in doing needless things.
Needless things?
Minvi, you're priest candidate number one, right?
You should do whatever they wish you to do here.
Your lost memory only spans three days. You'll forget about it in no time.
~~~
But ... I feel that ... it was somehow important.
............
Oh, right! The head priest had something he wanted of me. Do you mind if I step outside for a while?
I should excuse myself too.
No, this shouldn't take much time.
No, I must've overstayed my welcome too.
Oh.
Well then, I'll excuse myself now.
Yeah.
Well, I guess I'll head somewhere else then.
Next door!
I turn the handle lightly.
The door was locked. Maybe a private room or just unused.
I decided to go elsewhere.
Final room, on the lower right.
I knocked the door with some strength, but got no response from the inside.
But the door won't budge at all, whether I push it or pull it.
It must have a pretty heavy-duty lock.
I give up and decide to go elsewhere.
All rooms explored now. Here's what the map looks like currently:
If I try to re-visit the rooms, Jamrock usually refuses to enter, saying that he's seen the room already.
Here are the two rooms that have flavour texts of some interest. First, the library:
I opened the door and entered the library.
The priests that were previously studying there had already left, and the library was deserted.
Most of the books are, understandably, religious in nature, and none look interesting enough to even pick up.
I guess I'll leave...
I mutter to no one in particular, and leave the library behind.
Minvi's room.
Wasn't this Minvi's room?
I was going to knock, but my hand stopped mid-air.
I don't really have anything to talk about with her any more.
Or rather, it'd be better to not talk to her at all.
I averted my eyes from the door and decided to go elsewhere.
Let's go back to Jamrock's room again.
I suppose it's time to go back.
Phew.
It wasn't a long distance that I walked, yet my body felt a strange kind of fatigue.
...........
Next update, the action starts. Same bat-time, same bat-thread!