Well-Traveled Monk
A bizarre supernatural incident occurs at the village. All of its residents turn out to be wandering spirits, and Bakura helps them attain peace.
???: Ooooooohh...
Some time after nightfall, an ominous voice sounds in a desolate village where usually only the sound of the wind passes through.
The one producing the noise stands before a civilian house, hoping to meet with its residents.
???: I am a wandering monk who travels the islands in search of forbidden requiems that lie in ancient ruins.
???: The winds take me where they will and serve as my shelter.
???: Alms provided by the charitable allow me to continue my journey to bring peace to lost souls. If I may ask for a pittance...
Village Elder: Agh! Go away! Shoo!
Village Elder: I've got nothing for you beggar types. Leave the village at once!
Village Elder: Fool! Put your palms down! I said I have nothing for you!
???: As you wish...
The man realizes there is nothing to be gained here and turns around.
He returns to the cover of night and resumes his strange chanting.
???: Ooooooohh...
Village Elder: Geez, what a weirdo that creep was. He might as well be from another world.
Days later (Captain) and company make a sudden stop in the village due to a malfunction in the Grandcypher.
Village Elder: Ah, thank the skies! What a blessing it is to have skyfarers visit our village!
Village Elder: Erm... We've been having problems lately with bandits breaking into our homes coercing us for rupies and items of value.
Village Elder: I think I have a lead. There's this shady monk who comes by here every night. I'm pretty sure it's all him.
(Captain) decides to take on the village elder's assignment as thanks for helping with the Grandcypher's repairs.
The crew stays at an empty shack in the village and waits for the shady monk to appear at nightfall.
???: Ooooooohh...
Lyria: Eep! What's that sound? It's scaring me! Quick, (Captain)!
(Captain) gets up swiftly with weapon in hand and carefully unlocks the door.
???: I apologize for intruding at night.
Vyrn: What's your problem, mad hatter? You're the one that's been robbing those houses?
???: Nay. As a wandering monk, it is within my nature to go door-to-door and solicit alms from the charitable so that I may continue my training.
Lyria: Umm, what do you mean by training? You must be...
Bakura: My apologies if I seemed a bit shady. I am Bakura, a wandering monk-in-training.
The relieved crew invites Bakura in and explains to him everything the village elder spoke of.
Bakura breathes a sympathetic sigh.
Bakura: I see... It is standard practice to refuse monks by telling them to put their palms down.
Bakura: Monks depart as soon as they are told so. The villagers are all aware of this.
Bakura: Something is amiss here. Barging into homes and demanding riches is against the code of my sect.
Bakura: If the ones causing trouble are indeed from my sect, I cannot let this go unpunished.
Bakura: Will you allow me to join you in your quest to quell these knaves?
(Captain) accepts Bakura's offer.
As there is no sign of bandits showing up anytime soon, the crew passes the time with merry conversation.
Lyria: Huh? You and Jin know each other?
Jin: Hahaha. Bakura and I might be fifteen years apart, but that's right.
Jin: However Bakura left the village while I was still very young, so I remember very little.
Bakura: Your words pain me, Jin. Do you not remember all the pranks we played, or how we cleaned the sheets together after you wet the bed?
Jin: Agh! Stop it, Bakura! I'd rather not remember!
Lyria: Teehee. It's nice to know Jin used to be so playful.
Vyrn: Hey, hey, so Jin said you left the village? Was there any reason you left?
Bakura: Yes. The small village I hail from was truly wonderful, yet I decided to leave at the age of twenty.
Vyrn: But why would you even want to leave if the village was so wonderful?
Bakura: I was a feisty one in my youth. I had grand dreams for the future and would do anything to achieve them.
Bakura: I left home to enlist in the army. My first battle ended in catastrophe and I lost all hope.
Bakura: It was then that I met a monk on the battlefield. The mysterious sound of his flute drew me in. I came to an epiphany and decided that it was time to leave the secular world.
Lyria: Ah, I was wondering about that flute. What kind of sound does it make?
Although Lyria only asks out of curiosity, Bakura is slightly taken aback.
Bakura: Forgive me, but my flute is not meant for playing music. It blows of its own will when lost souls find peace.
Lyria: Umm... lost souls?
Bakura: Yes, souls so entrenched in sadness they can no longer find their way to the heavens.
Vyrn: Hey, look... Isn't that a ghost over there?
Lyria: Eep! A ghost? Erm... No need to play the flute!
Just as the conversation gets lively, the sound of someone knocking on the door fills the air.
???: Aah, please! I'm only here to ask for a pittance! Won't you kindly open the door for me?
???: What the heck is taking you so long! Open the blasted door before I tear it down!
The charlatan reveals himself. (Captain) and company ready their weapons against him.
The charlatan stands no chance, and the battle ends before it even starts.
As the crew ties up the defeated charlatan to hand over to the village elder, something strange happens.
Charlatan Monk: Tch, I messed up...
Vyrn: Holy moly! Did you see that? He just disappeared?
Lyria: This is scaring me... It feels like something bad is going to happen...
But from that night onward, peace is restored to the village as the charlatan monk never shows his face again.
With Bakura's name cleared, the village elder expresses his heartfelt thanks and apologizes.
Village Elder: I am truly sorry for suspecting you. We should have tried to talk to you in earnest before taking you for a criminal...
Bakura seems unconcerned and quickly accepts the apology. He then puts his mouth on the mysterious flute.
The sound from the flute is something out of this world—solemn yet peaceful; familiar yet foreign. Its sound is so pure it shakes the foundation of many a soul.
Lyria: Aah... I can sort of feel the sound inside me...
Vyrn: Uh oh, Lyria! This smells like trouble!
Lyria: Huh? What's wrong?
Lyria turns to look in Vyrn's direction.
Lyria: Wow, look at all those balls of light!
Glimmering balls of light ascend toward the skies from all over the village.
The last ball of light appears from the village elder right before the crew's very eyes.
Village Elder: Aah, it's all coming back now... We had already perished that day when...
Village Elder: Thank you, kind travelers. We can now rest in peace.
Lyria: Umm... Bakura, do you know what's happening here?
Bakura removes his lips from the flute. Placing a comforting hand on Lyria's shoulder, he gently begins to tell the story of the village.
Bakura: Once upon a time, there existed a village known among monks for its kindness.
Bakura: The people of the village gladly provided their own food and shelter to any traveler.
Bakura: Seeing the villagers' kindness, a group of bandits decided to take advantage of them.
Bakura: They came here posing as monks, plundered the riches, and killed off everyone in the village.
Bakura: I always felt sorry for these kind villagers, and so I came to bring peace to their wandering souls.
Lyria: Ah, it all makes sense now. But then that means...
Bakura: My master has taught me only one lesson: to use my flute to calm lost souls who have yet to move on.
Bakura: My master tells me that when I've played all 108 requiems scattered throughout the skies, I will at long last achieve enlightenment.
Bakura: But I lack the forbidden requiems required to save all the souls out there.
Bakura: If I may be so bold, I ask for permission to join you in your travels across the skies and search for the forbidden requiems.
- Your mission is truly marvelous. I can't refuse.
- If Lyria's okay with it...
Choose: Your mission is truly marvelous. I can't refuse.Bakura: Your kindness humbles me. Thank you, Captain.
Choose: If Lyria's okay with it...Lyria: Huh? Me? Umm, will you help me every time a ghost shows up?
Bakura: Hahahaha... It would be an honor, Lyria.
Continue 1And thus the well-traveled monk Bakura joins the crew.
One with the Clouds
Vyrn and Lyria cook up a few plots to get Bakura to take off his strange hat, but to no avail.
(Captain) and company enjoy lunch in town after completing an assignment.
But for some reason, Vyrn and Lyria, who were so hungry only moments ago, remain motionless.
Their attention is fixed on a specific object.
Bakura: Hm? Is there a grain of rice stuck on my face?
Vyrn: Huh? How could we possibly know with that hat thingy covering your face?
Lyria: Yeah, we can't see your face at all! We're really curious to see what's inside the hat...
Bakura: I see. So my straw bascinet has caught your attention. As it is exclusive to my sect, I am not surprised that it stands out to you.
Vyrn: Oh, so you call that thing a straw bascinet.
Lyria: Erm... Don't you ever find it inconvenient to have that hat on all the time?
Bakura: Hahahaha... Your concern is appreciated, but I have long grown accustomed to it.
Bakura begins to feast on the bread and soup in front of him.
Curious as to how he eats with the straw bascinet on, the crew observes his every movement.
Bakura tilts the straw bascinet to create a small opening around his chin and effortlessly sips on the bowl of soup.
Bakura: Is something the matter? The food will grow cold if you do not eat soon.
Vyrn: Erm... So I guess you never take off that hat, huh.
Lyria: Now that you mention it, I've never seen Bakura take it off.
Jin: There used to be talk of how Bakura was the most handsome-looking man in the village.
Jin: But as I was so young when Bakura left, I remember little of it.
Jin: Oh, and his facial features are supposedly closer to that of an Erune than a Draph. Young girls would cross the mountains just to get a peek at his good looks.
Vyrn: (Hey, hey, let's try to get him to take off his hat!)
Lyria: (But how would we even do that?)
Vyrn: (Heheh! Leave it to me!)
Vyrn calls a waiter over and whispers in his ear.
The waiter nods in response and returns to the kitchen.
Shortly after, the waiter comes back out and places a large bowl in front of Bakura.
Lyria: Ah, it's ramen! Surely he won't be able to hold the bowl and drink the ramen soup at the same time with his hat on!
Lyria: Great thinking, Vyrn! Now we get to see Bakura—
Bakura: Shluuurp...
The dynamic sound of Bakura's noodle-slurping reverberates across the restaurant. A surprised Lyria turns to look at Bakura, but it is too late—the bowl is empty.
Bakura: That was a wonderful meal.
Lyria: Huh? What just happened? The ramen's...
Vyrn: It's hopeless, Lyria. I think I saw the hat come off for a split second, but he finished that ramen so fast I couldn't see a thing.
Lyria: But how...
Vyrn: Darn it. Time for Plan B!
The waiter comes out with another dish for Bakura.
Lyria: Wow, look at how red it is!
Vyrn: Heheh! This is the restaurant's super ultra-spicy chili pepper dish!
Lyria: Great thinking again, Vyrn! He's going to want to take off his hat after all that spice!
Vyrn: Hehehe! There's no way he'll be able to finish something so spicy without—
Bakura: Guuulp...
Bakura once again finishes off the dish in a split second without breaking a single bead of sweat.
Bakura: Thank you. That was delicious.
Lyria: How... Bakura, wasn't that a bit spicy?
Vyrn: What's happening here? Maybe it only looked spicy?
Just then a couple seated behind them cries out.
Ruffian: Aaauugh! Hot, hot, hot! My tongue! My throat! My body! It's all... burning!
Ruffian's Girlfriend: I'm so sorry, honey! I only ordered it because the old man over there was enjoying it so much!
Ruffian's Girlfriend: Don't think you guys are getting away with letting my boyfriend eat magma!
Vyrn: Whoa, hold on now! You're the one that ordered the dish, not us! How is it our fault?
One with the Clouds: Scene 2
Bakura goes to a spring in the woods to bathe. Vyrn and Lyria follow him there in hopes of seeing his face, but he never removes his hat.
The next day Lyria is alone scrubbing the deck of the Grandcypher.
Lyria: Teehee, scrub, scrub! I'll make you as good as new!
Lyria: Ah, the bucket...
The towel in Lyria's hands gets caught on the bucket, tipping it over.
To make matters worse, Bakura is walking on the deck below her.
Bakura: ...
Lyria: Aah! I'm so sorry, Bakura! My hand slipped...
Bakura: Worry not, Lyria. A slip of the hand can happen to anyone.
Bakura picks up the bucket and wipes the water off the floor with a towel.
Lyria feels sorry that Bakura has to do this.
Lyria: Aw, it's my fault that Bakura's all wet now...
Vyrn: Yeah! Good going, Lyria! Now he has no choice but to take off his hat!
Lyria: Huh? But that's not what I—
Vyrn: Look, look! He put his hand on his hat!
To Vyrn's dismay, Bakura simply wipes his straw bascinet with a towel.
Vyrn: Geez, what's it gonna take for him to remove that thing?
Lyria: Hey, it looks like Bakura's going somewhere!
Vyrn: We're going after him, Lyria!
Vyrn and Lyria chase after Bakura, who's suddenly run off the ship.
Bakura proceeds along the forest path and quietly stops in front of a spring.
Vyrn and Lyria watch him from the shade of a nearby tree.
Vyrn: You see? It's just as I thought! He's gonna take a bath here!
Lyria: Huh? A bath? I'd better get back to the ship...
Vyrn: Wait, don't you want to see his face?
Lyria: I do, but I can't look while he's bathing... I'm heading back!
Vyrn: Wait, Lyria! Look, he's starting to move!
Vyrn: What? He's going in there without taking anything off!
Bakura jumps into the spring fully-clothed.
He plunges into the water from head to toe and proceeds to scrub the clothing on his body as if doing laundry.
Vyrn and Lyria sigh as they watch the very top of Bakura's straw bascinet float along the surface of the water.
Vyrn: Ugh... I don't think he's ever taking off that hat. Let's head back, Lyria.
Lyria: I agree.
Just as they turn around, Bakura's straw bascinet drops like a float.
Vyrn: Whoa now! Did he just go diving?
Lyria: No, Vyrn! Fish are mistaking him for bait and attacking him!
The two call out to (Captain) and rush to Bakura's rescue.
One with the Clouds: Scene 3
Bakura explains to Lyria and Vyrn that he cannot take off his hat until he gathers all forbidden requiems. A friendly exchange of apologies ensues.
Vyrn and Lyria enter Bakura's chambers to find him getting ready to sleep.
The two giggle at the fact that Bakura keeps his hat on even when asleep.
Lyria: Teehee, I guess we'll never get to see Bakura's face.
Vyrn: Hehe. Yeah, it's a lost cause. I guess a mad hatter's gonna be a mad hatter.
Bakura notices the two giggling away and decides to explain why he always keeps his straw bascinet on.
Bakura: The rules of my sect forbid me from removing this straw bascinet.
Bakura: Only after I have acquired all the forbidden requiems may I remove it.
Bakura: I apologize if it inconveniences you and beg for your forgiveness.
Lyria: Oh, so that's why? If only we knew...
Vyrn: You could've told us sooner, you know!
Lyria: Sorry, Bakura. We got a little carried away.
Bakura: Please do not let it trouble you. As for why I never mentioned it, I could not bring myself to do so after seeing you enjoy the mystery.
Bakura: Hahahaha... The smiles of children are truly a wonderful thing... They symbolize peace itself.
Though Vyrn and Lyria cannot see inside the straw bascinet, it is obvious enough what kind of face Bakura has on right now.
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