Story Reader / Floating Record / ER05 Sands of Wrath / Story
All of a sudden, the terminal begins to emit nothing but white noise. You have no idea what happened to Noctis.
You only know his approximate location before the signals disappeared, based on the distance displayed on the terminal.
He seems to be still within the town and not far from you. However, he warned you to not leave the inn. What if it is a trap...?
It seems that there's some trouble in town... Well, I was just about to go and check it out. Now...
He points at you and leaves the room.
Come with us. You want to find that redhead Construct, don't you?
Moving with Max would indeed be safer... But as the mayor, Max himself cannot be trusted entirely.
What? Scared that I may kill you?
Good... It's good to have guts here.
Max stops and takes a puff on his cigar.
And... Just call me "Mayor".
As the door opens, a deafening noise and a strong, warm scent of alcohol gush out, as if you have entered another world parallel to the quiet street.
You have to speak twice as loud as usual to make sure others can hear.
This is the town's tavern... Alcohol is a necessity for most people here, especially on nights like this.
Max takes a deep breath, savoring the rich aroma of malt in the air with a hint of pride on his face.
Hmm... Smells like another good year.
Although there are also alcoholic beverages in Babylonia, they are essentially regulated items under strict control, yet here they are sold like a common commodity.
Not to mention that using naturally produced food rather than synthetic food to brew drinks is, in a sense, quite extravagant.
This is the golden blood of New Oakley...
Max picks up a glass of foamy, golden beer and drains it.
Nowhere nearly as posh as wine, or as mellow as sake, beer is just a simple beverage of joy and freedom.
Would you like to grab a drink?
You're too stiff, Commandant. Perhaps you should learn from him and try not to think so much.
Ya—ho!
Just then, you hear enthusiastic shouts and cheers from a crowded corner of the tavern.
You know what? I fought tons of those Hetero-Creatures in that bloody forest! Didn't take me more than a punch to finish them off! What's more, I was fighting them while protecting the Gray Raven Commandant...
You're so cool, bro! How awesome!
****! You are so ****ing cool!
Oh hey! Look, the commandant I was talking about has arrived. Over here!
When you've made your way through the crowd and taken a good look through the faint, smoky light, you finally see Noctis. Towering over everyone else, he is waving hard this way.
The red on his face suggests that he's had alcohol-flavor electrolyte... and that's something you never knew they made here.
Actually, he only drank a little...
To your surprise, a local butts naturally into the conversation.
Shh! ****! Are you out of your mind... Remember how he chopped off the head of that stupid **** that made fun of him 10 minutes ago?!
You're glad that Noctis didn't seem to hear what had been said about him...
And these are the same people who found Noctis' attitude so repulsive half an hour ago that they almost wanted to spit on his head.
We do—because he was there and took care of those Hetero-Creatures and kept our food safe for us... God only knows what would have become of this year's Harvest Festival if he weren't there!
**** yeah! We might not be on the right side of justice, but that ain't mean we backstab people who lend us a helping hand!
These people are probably what most would consider evildoers, but they seem like total scoundrels who can't tell right from wrong.
And it ain't like we stand a chance fighting him anyway, hahaha!
****, damn straight! Hahaha!
Hey, Commandant, whatchu doin' over there? Come over here already!
People shove you up toward Noctis. Standing in front of him now, you see that he isn't just standing on a chair—he now stands with a leg on the table.
Let's dance!
Does it matter where as long as we enjoy ourselves? C'mon!
In the swaying glow of lights, Noctis holds his hand out at you with a smile.
You suddenly remember what Max said—that this town is a place where one doesn't need to think too much before they act.
And here we go!
With a moment's hesitation, you grab Noctis' hand—which pulls you right up the table before you even know what happened.
People around the table burst out shouting and laughing, which eases up the awkward mood. Still, you have absolutely no idea what you're supposed to do next.
Ready to spice things up with some breakdance?!
C'mon, don't be shy!
Before you even finish the sentence, Noctis, still on the table, is already shaking his arms and legs in an attempt to do what remotely seems like a "breakdance."
But it doesn't matter. Who says a dance needs to be methodical anyway? Your moves might not quite be up to snuff, but it doesn't really matter so long as you enjoy every moment of it.
Hahaha! Hey, let's get up there, too!
**** yeah! Let's do this!
With it, more drunks get on the table after Noctis and start dancing away at the music.
When you pick the last dropped bottle up from the floor and pass it to the tavern's owner, you cast a look out the window—and see a hint of light just around the horizon.
How time flies... You can't help but let out a yawn, feeling a chill down your spine as you recall that F.O.S. disqualifies anyone during an operation for letting out so much as a yawn.
Uhm...
On the floor now, however, lie a bunch of people, including Noctis, their arms and legs sprawling every which way.
Geez, look at this guy... He's only been in town for a day, and he's already acting like he's been living here all his life. Wouldn't have had any doubt even if you had told me he was from here.
So, how do you like this place so far, Commandant?
Well... that's life for ya. Que sera, sera.
And like I said before, you'll need a job if you want to stay here to look into that guy by the name of Daemon...
Says Max as he nods at the tavern's owner, who reciprocates the gesture with a friendly smile.
Probably a good idea for y'all to get yourselves a job here. I'm sure they can use a few extra hands here during the Harvest Festival.
But it seems like you will have to leave that aside for now.
And as for the Construct that goes wherever you go... He fights like a real champ, so let's take him down to Fann and have him keep the town safe.
That's my son... He works as the town's sheriff. Said he wanted to keep the town safe and all.
Think he just might be able to help y'all if you want to look into something... that's if he wants to, though, of course.
Now, here comes your first task—get all these drunk bastards out of here.
With it, Max turns around and leaves. The tavern's owner, on the other hand, rolls up his sleeves and reveals legs with bulging muscles—a physique that hardly befits his appearance. Single-handedly, he picks one of the guys off the floor and flings him out the door.
