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Boots & Blades/Story
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Boots & Blades - Opening
Stan and Aliza visit her mother, Alicia. Nervous as he may be, Stan nonetheless musters up the courage to confront Alicia and request permission to date Aliza.
Stan: ...
Aliza: ...
Alicia: ...
In a brightly lit room, Stan and Aliza sit before a smiling woman. Despite the warmth of the room and their companion's expression, the two of them seem nervous about something.
Frustrated at watching Stan silently fidget, Aliza gives him a quick jab with her elbow.
Aliza: Come on, Stan!
Stan: Ah! R-right! OK, so...
Stan: Uh, Ms. Alicia...
Alicia: Heehee. Yes, dear?
Stan: Uh, well, uh...
Stan: You're looking just as young and lovely as ever!
Aliza: Stan!
Stan: Sorry! I'm getting to it, OK?
Alicia: Heehee. Whatever you have to tell me really must be important. You look so nervous.
Alicia: Try taking a few deep breaths. Just take your time, I'm not going anywhere.
Stan: OK... Huff... Hah... Huff... Hah...
Stan: Ms. Alicia!
Alicia: Yes?
Stan: W-would you grant me the honor of allowing me to go out with Aliza?
Alicia: !
Aliza: ...
Alicia is greatly surprised by the young man's clumsy, yet nonetheless heartfelt declaration.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 1: Restless Young Man - Episode 1
One day, Stan and Aliza abashedly approach (Captain) and company. They confess their mutual feelings for each other to the crew and wish to stop by Aliza's hometown to receive her parents' blessing. The crew consents and makes way for Aliza's home.
Some days before visiting Alicia's home, Stan and Aliza, still feeling nervous, speak to (Captain).
Stan: Hey, (Captain)... You got a second?
Vyrn: Huh? What's up, Stan? Aliza?
Aliza: Um, well... There's something we'd like to ask you about. You see...
No version of Aliza in crew
Aliza is the successor to the Enmei school of martial arts. Though young, she is serious about perfecting her art, and trains diligently every day.
She was once set to inherit a high court rank in the Valtz Duchy. However, all that changed as a result of the incident caused by her uncle Aviza.
She then joined (Captain)'s crew in order to travel the world and hone her fighting skills.
Aliza was naturally accompanied by her lifelong protector and friend, Stan.
Stan: The thing is... Uh, let's see... How should I put it...
Aliza: ...
Vyrn: Hm? What is it?
Stan: I, uh... I kinda maybe have, like... Y'know, feelings... For Aliza...
Vyrn: Get on with it! You mean you like her, right? Like, like-like?
Stan: Whoa! Y-y-yeah, OK, fine, I guess you could put it that way...
Aliza: ...
Stan: So, anyway, Aliza said, well... That she also... Kinda...
Lyria: Really? You both feel the same?
Aliza: Yes... But I want to get my parents' blessing...
Stan: (Captain), do you think you could set a course for Aliza's home?
Vyrn: Ha, is that all? That's no problem at all, right, (Captain)?
Stan: Really? Thank you!
Vyrn: So we're heading for that huge mansion in Valtz, right?
Aliza: Ah, well, no... It's a little complicated...
Stan: The place we were living before is especially for candidates set to inherit noble court ranks.
Stan: But Aliza's parents have to show some detachment from the court and matters of succession.
Stan: It was just Aliza, me, and her other servants in that mansion.
Aliza: That's right! Mama and Papa live elsewhere.
Vyrn: I get it. Well, just tell us where we need to go and we'll take you there!
Nodding in agreement, (Captain) turns the ship in the direction of Aliza's parents' home.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 1: Restless Young Man - Episode 1: Scene 2
On the way to Aliza's home, Lyria asks about her parents. Aliza and Stan reminisce about how kind Alicia was to them growing up. As the crew looks forward to meeting her, monsters suddenly board the Grandcypher.
Lyria: So Aliza, what are your parents like?
Aliza: Well, they're both a little eccentric...
Stan: They're great! I met them a couple of times when I was little, and they both seemed like really kind people.
Lyria: How wonderful! I can't wait to meet them!
Aliza: Ah, we might not be able to see Papa, though.
Stan: Oh, right. Your dad's a traveling merchant, isn't he?
Aliza: He's probably wandering around some far-off island as we speak.
Vyrn: So how are you supposed to get your dad's blessing, then?
Aliza: Hmm... I suppose we'll have to come back another time to speak to him.
Aliza: For today let's just concentrate on Mama. I'm sure they'll both approve if we just talk things through.
In the midst of the relaxed conversation, Stan hears something clambering up on deck.
Stan: Huh? What's that?
Monster: Grrr...
Stan: Whoa, a monster! Where's my sword?
Shocked by the monster's sudden appearance, Stan snaps out of his daze when Aliza throws him his sword.
Stan: Ah! Whoa! Thanks, Aliza!
Aliza: This is no time to stand around thanking me! We've got to take care of that monster!
Stan: Um, I dunno, I think I'm getting a stomach cramp...
Aliza: Don't think, feel! Let's do this!
Stan: R-right!
Boots & Blades - Chapter 1: Restless Young Man - Episode 1: Scene 3
The crew arrives at Fremel Island where Aliza's parents live. Although it was Stan who first noticed the monsters attacking the airship earlier, Aliza cautions him not to get carried away as she guides the crew to her house.
Having defeated the monster, the crew makes their way to Fremel Island and the home of Aliza's parents.
Vyrn: You've got some really good instincts, Stan! You noticed that monster before any of us did.
Stan: Heheh... I guess I've gotten a little stronger after traveling with you guys.
Stan: Beating a teeny tiny monster like that is no problem for me!
Aliza: Staaan, are you sure you're OK? You were pretty scared for a moment back there...
Stan: I-I wasn't s-scared! My stomach really did hurt...
Aliza: Honestly... But I suppose you might have toughened up, just a little.
Aliza: But try not to get too carried away and drag me down with you, all right?
Stan: Heheh... Sure, I'll be careful.
Aliza: Oh! Look, over there! That's my house! Come on everyone, let's go!
Aliza dashes off toward her house, followed by the rest of the crew.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 1: Restless Young Man - Episode 2
Alicia, Aliza's mother, is elated to see Aliza and Stan, and welcomes the rest of the crew. The hopeful soon-to-be-couple muster the courage to ask for Alicia's blessing, but are surprisingly turned down.
Aliza knocks on the door and is greeted by a gentle-looking woman.
Alicia: Oh my, is that you, Aliza?
Aliza: Yes, I'm back, Mama!
Aliza flies into her mother's arms with a beaming smile. The older woman returns the embrace, gently stroking the top of her head.
Stan: It's good to see you again, Ms. Alicia.
Alicia: Goodness, if it isn't Stan! It feels like so long since I last saw you. You've gotten so big!
Alicia: And are these people friends of yours?
(Captain) and the crew introduce themselves, and explain that they are traveling with Aliza and Stan.
Alicia: I see, so you're skyfarers. Have my daughter and Stan been giving you a lot of trouble?
Lyria: N-no, they're no trouble at all! In fact, they've both been a great help to us!
Alicia: Oh, is that so? Please, come in, all of you!
Following Alicia's kind invitation, the crew enters Aliza's house.
Alicia: It's not often that I get visitors. Why don't you rest here a while, and I'll get us some tea and tasty snacks.
The ever cheerful Alicia gestures toward a comfy sofa, then steps into the kitchen.
Lyria: Your mother really does seem kind. And your house is so warm, it's reassuring somehow.
Stan: Yeah, it's easy to relax here. Everything's just like I remember it...
Aliza: Heehee. Yes, nothing's changed. Remember that time...
While the two old friends reminisce, Alicia returns with some fragrant-smelling tea and cakes.
Alicia: Here you are. Be careful, the tea's still hot. Don't eat the cakes all at once.
Lyria: Thank you very much!
Alicia: So, Aliza. I hear you forfeited your rights to court succession?
Aliza: Yes... I'm sorry, Mama. I should have told you sooner...
Alicia: Don't worry about it. I wouldn't want you to force yourself to do something you truly didn't want to do.
Vyrn: Wow, she's just as nice as we heard! Maybe a little TOO nice...
Lyria: I'm sure Stan and Aliza will have no problem getting her ble—
Stan: L-lyria! I haven't asked about that yet!
Lyria: Ah! I-I'm sorry...
Alicia: Hm? What's the matter?
Aliza: Mama, I... We have something very important to discuss with you, if that's all right?
Alicia: Of course. Tell me all about it.
Stan: W-well, it's like this...
Stan: W-would you grant me the honor of allowing me to go out with Aliza!
Alicia: !
Alicia: Hm, "going out," you say?
Alicia: I'm afraid I'm opposed to this idea.
Stan: What?
Aliza: What?
Receiving the complete opposite response to what they had hoped for, Stan and Aliza's faces freeze in dismay.
In the ensuing silence they felt as though they could hear their fragile hope shattering into pieces.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 1: Restless Young Man - Episode 3
Unable to get past Alicia's refusal to let them date, Stan promises to bring back the golden flower said to bloom only in the perilous Tarvi Dunes. Alicia advises him to cool off, but Stan departs for Tarvi on the night of the very same day.
Aliza: W-why, Mama? How could you...
Alicia: Well, it's rather complex, you see. There's the difference in position and social standing to consider...
Stan: I-I don't care about any of that! My love for Aliza is the real deal!
Aliza: ...
Alicia: Yes, I can see that your feelings for each other are genuine, and the bond between you is undoubtedly strong.
Aliza: So why—
Alicia: I just think it's all too soon. You two are only 17...
Alicia: You may be too young to overcome the hardships ahead. And believe me, a match between you two will mean all kinds of hardships...
Stan: We'll be fine! We can overcome anything as long as we have each other!
Stan: Isn't there some way we could prove that to you?
Caught off guard by Stan's passionate plea, Alicia hesitates.
Alicia: Well, I'm not sure... I...
Stan: How about this? I'll bring you the golden flower of the Tarvi Dunes!
Alicia: What!
Aliza: Hold on, Stan! Just going to Tarvi is one thing, but finding the golden flower...!
Vyrn: Huh? What's this all about?
Alicia: The Tarvi Dunes are an incredibly perilous area here on Fremel Island...
Aliza: It's a region where vicious monsters and wild beasts make their nests. No one with any sense goes anywhere near it...
Lyria: It's as dangerous as that? So then, what's this "golden flower"?
Alicia: It's a legendary plant, said to be a good omen...
Aliza: It's a fairytale we grew up with. I thought everyone knew it, but I guess it hasn't travelled very far outside Valtz.
Lyria: What kind of story is it?
Alicia: Once upon a time, as the story goes, a thoroughly wicked man lived in Tarvi.
Alicia: Every day he would go on a rampage and cause destruction, but then he met a woman who was able to curb his violent instincts.
Alicia: However, those who had suffered from the man's wrath held a grudge, and they placed a curse on him.
Alicia: Grieving his impending doom, the woman offered up her own life to the skies, and a miracle happened.
Alicia: The curse was broken, and the man was saved. Afterward the woman transformed into a golden flower and bloomed in the Tarvi Dunes.
Alicia: From then on, the man protected the blooming golden flower.
Lyria: What a heartbreaking story...
Alicia: I know... And Stan, you do know it's just a fairytale, don't you? There's no golden flower.
Stan: But if I managed to find it, will you change your mind?
Alicia: Um, well, I guess so. But it doesn't exist...
Alicia: And it's dangerous, so stop all of this. Just calm down a little, Stan.
Alicia: There are monsters in Tarvi that can curse you just by locking eyes with you.
Aliza: The monsters of Tarvi... Monsters with magical eyes, huh?
Stan: I know it'll be dangerous, but I'll do anything to persuade you I'm right for Aliza!
Alicia: Stan... You're both still so young. There's no need to rush things. Do you understand?
Aliza: ...I understand.
Alicia: Stan, come on, say it.
Stan: But...
Aliza: Stan...
Stan: OK, fine, I get it.
Alicia: Come on, don't look so down! Take things slowly, all right?
Alicia: Come on, I'll make you something nice to eat. Cheer up, OK?
Alicia: Oh, and it's getting late. Why don't you all stay the night?
At Alicia's gentle words, Stan and Aliza only nod glumly.
That night, wrapped in his sheets, Stan thinks to himself.
Stan: (I understand that Tarvi is dangerous, but if I can just get that golden flower...)
Stan: (I know she'll accept my relationship with Aliza!)
Stan: All right, I've made up my mind!
The next morning, as (Captain) gets up, Aliza rushes about in a fluster.
Aliza: Hey! Has anyone seen Stan?
Alicia: He's probably still sleeping. I'll go and wake him up.
Aliza: I already checked, but he's not in his room! His weapons and equipment are missing, too!
Lyria: You don't think... He went to Tarvi to look for the golden flower after all?
Alicia: Tarvi is so dangerous. It's no place to go searching for an imaginary flower.
Alicia: I'm so sorry. If I'd had any idea he was going to take that story so seriously I might have been able to stop him...
Aliza: No, Stan's the one at fault here. I can't believe he'd go off on his own without telling us!
Aliza: (Captain)! We have to go after him! He won't last long on his own!
(Captain) and the crew make their way to Tarvi to bring Stan back.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 1: Restless Young Man - Episode 4
Stan arrives at the dangerous Tarvi Dunes. Still feeling a bit uncertain, he ventures onward.
Having reached the Tarvi Dunes, Stan takes a moment to survey the barren, forbidding wastes, a lump forming in his throat.
Stan: So this is Tarvi...
Stan: I-I'm not s-s-scared... I'm stronger now, I'll be fine, right... Right!
Stan: OK, here I go!
Strengthening his resolve, Stan enters the Tarvi Dunes with renewed confidence.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 1: Restless Young Man - Episode 4: Scene 2
Stan easily cuts down one Tarvi monster after another. Finding the golden flower should be simple enough, he thinks. Just then, a most ferocious monster appears before him.
Stan walks on through the desolate landscape, defeating monsters as he goes.
Stan: Heh, I can't believe I was worried. These monsters are nothing to write home about.
Stan: Ha ha! At this rate, finding the golden flower is going to be easier than I—
Stan: Wha—
Stan turns in the direction the sound came from, readying his sword.
???: Groooar...
Stan: W-what the...? I guess this is a real Tarvi monster...
Boots & Blades - Chapter 2: Peace Disturbed - Episode 1
Stan comes out of the hard-fought battle victorious. Critically injured, he continues the search for the golden flower, but collapses before making any headway.
Stan: Hyaaaaaa!
Tarvi Monster: Grrr...
Stan has encountered a Tarvi monster, and engages it in combat.
Tarvi Monster: Graaaaaagh!
Stan: So this is a Tarvi monster... Just like Alicia said, I shouldn't look it in the eye.
Stan: I have to avoid its line of sight!
Stan moves desperately into its blind spot, but the monster ruthlessly catches him in its shining gaze.
Stan: D-dammit! G-guh...
His body won't listen to him, and he collapses in a heap.
Stan: (N-no way... I can't move... Is this what its magical eye does?)
Tarvi Monster: Grrrrrr...
The monster slowly approaches the prone Stan.
Stan: (N-no... I can't let this...)
Stan: I'm not going to let this end here! I'm going to find the golden flower for Aliza!
With a fierce shout, Stan gathers all of his strength, and raises his sword.
Tarvi Monster: Graaaaaagh!
Under the force of Stan's attack, the monster recoils and disappears into the darkness.
Stan: Haah... haah... Did I win? Did I beat the monster?
Stan: Hahaha... Urk! Ugh... It did a number on me, too...
Stan: But I don't have time to rest. I need to find that flower.
Suffering from the wounds covering his whole body, Stan searches for the golden flower.
However, no matter how much he searches, it is nowhere to be found.
Stan: I-I guess it was just a fairytale after all...
Stan: No, I can't say that yet... I've hardly started searching.
Stan: But in the end, all that stuff about Aliza and the flower was just something I made up on my own.
Stan: Haha... I'm such a loser...
It is all too much for Stan, and he falls to the floor and loses consciousness.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 2: Peace Disturbed - Episode 2
The crew come to the Tarvi Dunes looking for Stan only to find him passed out and covered in cuts and bruises. Stan, nursed back to health, awakes to find a small leech feeding off a wound on his arm and screams in horror as he shakes it off. They all head back to Aliza's home. Relieved to see Stan in good health, Alicia decides to prepare a feast for everyone, leaving ingredient shopping to the crew.
Some time after Stan passes out, (Captain) and the crew arrive in Tarvi and discover his wounded state.
Aliza: Stan!
Aliza dashes over, desperately calling out to him.
Aliza: Stan, hey, Stan! Are you all right? Hey, come on...
Stan: Nh... P-please stop shaking me. You're making it worse...
Aliza: Stan! Thank the skies! Honestly, what were you thinking?
Stan: Guh... I-I'm sorry. Please don't kick me...
Vyrn: Hey, Aliza! Look at the state he's in... Show him a little slack, will ya?
Aliza: Oh! Um, sorry. I guess I got carried away.
Stan: You guess? Ugh, I'm sorry. I couldn't find the golden flower...
Aliza: Let's just go home for now. Mama is worried.
Aliza: ...Hey, Stan, what's that on your arm?
Stan: My arm? Aaagh!
An enormous, wriggling leech has latched itself onto a wound on his right arm.
Stan: T-t-this is... Waaaah! Get off of me, get off!
Vyrn: Calm down! It fell off...
Stan: Ugh... How gross... Haah, I'm exhausted.
Aliza: Hahaha... Come on, let's go home and rest.
Stan: Yeah...
Stan is panting with exhaustion, and the worried crew returns with him to Aliza's house.
When the crew brings Stan back to the house, Alicia pulls him into a fierce hug.
Alicia: Oh, Stan, thank the skies! You had me so worried!
Stan: I-I'm sorry... Ow...
Vyrn: Huh? I feel like I've seen this happen once already.
Aliza: Ahaha... It's in the blood, I guess.
Alicia: Oh! I'm sorry, Stan.
A flustered Alicia releases Stan.
Stan: I'm fine... Anyway, I'm really sorry for worrying you.
Alicia: That's all right, as long as you understand. Now, why don't you take a nice rest?
Alicia: In the meantime, we'll prepare a feast to celebrate you coming home!
Lyria: Yay! That's a great idea!
Alicia: Heehee. Aliza, (Captain), can I leave the shopping to you?
Stan: I-I'm coming, too! These injuries aren't serious.
Alicia: ...Are you sure?
Aliza: Don't overdo things, OK?
Stan: I-I'm fine! Please don't gang up on me like that...
Alicia: The road into town has been dangerous because of the monsters lately. Do take care, won't you?
Stan: Don't worry, I'm stronger now!
Stan: Plus Aliza and (Captain) will be there!
Aliza: Heehee, that's right. If there's any trouble, I'll take good care of him!
Stan: I'm counting on it. OK, let's go!
The crew nods, and heads into town.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 2: Peace Disturbed - Episode 2: Scene 2
Good times abound for the crew as they go shopping. When Stan tries to reveal some of Aliza's embarrassing past episodes, she gives him a good kick and storms off back home. Stan shrugs it off with a grin, but struggles to stand as he coughs up blood.
When they arrive, the crew heads into a store and starts shopping.
Aliza: I can't reach it... Maybe if I jump?
Aliza is stressing over something on a high shelf, too tall for her to reach.
Stan notices, grabs the item and hands it to her.
Stan: Here, this is what you wanted, right?
Aliza: Yeah, thanks. Heehee...
Stan: W-what?
Aliza: I was just thinking you're pretty dependable these days.
Vyrn: Yeah. He used to be such a crybaby.
Stan: Huh? I wasn't a crybaby!
Vyrn: Really? You cried a lot during (Captain)'s training, if I recall.
Stan: I-I haven't done that for ages!
Aliza: That's true. And you don't give up during our sparring sessions any more.
Aliza: You really are more reliable. You've been pretty feeble since you were a kid, and it's only recently that you've changed.
Vyrn: Huh? So Stan's been a crybaby since he was a kid?
Stan: N-no way! I totally wasn't a crybaby!
Aliza: Really? You were always quick to wail and cry.
Stan: I was a little kid! Besides, you're one to talk. You were a crybaby back then too!
Aliza: HUH?
Stan: Don't you remember? You kept trying to win that lottery, but you never did.
Stan: You threw a tantrum, and caused all sorts of trouble for the shopkeeper.
Aliza: W-what? I did something like that?
Lyria: Oooh, that's a surprise...
Stan: Oh, I've got more where that came from! There was this one time when we climbed a tree together, and Aliza couldn't get down—
Aliza: H-hey, don't tell them about that!
Stan: Urk! You didn't have to kick me...
Aliza: Humph! I've had enough, I'm going home!
Vyrn: Oops, looks like she's pretty mad.
Lyria: More like she's embarrassed.
Stan: Hahaha... Huh?
Stan tries to stand up, only to fall to the ground again.
Vyrn: What's wrong, Stan? Don't tell me Aliza did some damage with that kick?
Stan: N-no, she didn't kick me that hard... (Cough)
Feeling something strange in his chest, Stan brings a hand to his mouth and coughs.
Stan: ...Huh?
...W-wha—
...W-wha—
Stan feels something lukewarm on his palm, and opens his eyes to check.
Stan: (W-what is this?)
There in his palm is warm, sticky, fresh blood.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 2: Peace Disturbed - Episode 3
So as not to worry anyone else, a debilitated Stan goes to the hospital on his own. The doctor grows concerned upon learning that Stan was bitten by a leech, and tells him of Llana's Disease, an incurable terminal illness. Devoid of any hope, Stan shambles out of the hospital.
Stan: (Blood... This is blood, isn't it?)
Lyria: W-what's wrong? Are you all right?
Stan clenches his fist and hastens to stand up.
Stan: I'm fine! I just got a little dizzy for a sec, that's all...
Stan: Oh, also, I just remembered I left something behind in Tarvi...
Stan: I'm just gonna run back and get it, so just head on home without me, OK?
Vyrn: Hey, are you sure about going back to Tarvi alone? Maybe we should go with you...
Stan: Nah, don't sweat it! It's right at the entrance to the dunes, I'll be fine!
Stan: See you guys later!
With that, Stan dashes away.
Lyria: What could Stan have left behind?
Vyrn: Who knows? C'mon, let's get back to Aliza's.
The place Stan makes his way to is not the Tarvi Dunes after all, but a nearby hospital.
Stan: I didn't mean to lie to them, but if they knew they'd just worry. It's probably nothing...
Stan: Urgh... I don't feel so good...
Ever since he started coughing blood, Stan has been occasionally been seized by spells of dizziness. He thinks he may be sick.
Nurse: Stan? Step this way, please.
Stan follows the nurse to a doctor's examination room.
Doctor: Hello there. What seems to be the problem?
Stan: Well...
As Stan describes his symptoms, the doctor's expression darkens.
Doctor: No... Surely it couldn't be...
Stan: ...Huh? W-what's wrong, doc?
Doctor: Please, just give me one moment...
Deep in thought, the doctor takes down a musty old tome from his bookshelf.
Doctor: ...Just as I thought. Stan, by any chance, have you been near Tarvi recently?
Stan: Uh, yeah, I was there for a little while...
Doctor: I see... Did anything unusual happen to you while you were there?
Stan: Well, I did fight against this weird monster...
Doctor: And?
Stan: Uh, that's it. I did pass out for a little while, though..
Stan: That's all I can remember. Is this because of that monster?
Doctor: I'd like to take a blood sample. Please wait while we analyze it, and do not leave this room.
Stan: O-OK...
Some hours later the doctor returns, his expression sterner than ever.
Stan: D-Doctor? Did you find out anything...?
Doctor: It's... Llana.
Stan: What?
Doctor: You've contracted a rare illness known as Llana's Disease.
Doctor: You've probably never heard of it. Very few instances of it have ever been recorded.
Doctor: I believe you must have been infected by some parasite native to the Tarvi Dunes...
Doctor: You mentioned losing consciousness for a while. That's most likely when it happened.
Aliza: Stan, hey, Stan! Are you all right? Hey, come on...
Stan: Nh... P-please stop shaking me. You're making it worse...
Aliza: Stan! Thank the skies! Honestly, what were you thinking?
Stan: Guh... I-I'm sorry. Please don't kick me...
Vyrn: Hey, Aliza! Look at the state he's in... Show him a little slack, will ya?
Aliza: Oh! Um, sorry. I guess I got carried away.
Stan: You guess? Ugh, I'm sorry. I couldn't find the golden flower...
Aliza: Let's just go home for now. Mama is worried.
Aliza: ...Hey, Stan, what's that on your arm?
Stan: My arm? aaagh!
An enormous, wriggling leech has latched itself onto a wound on his right arm.
Stan: T-t-this is... Waaaah! Get off of me, get off!
Stan: Don't tell me... That leech...?
Doctor: A leech, you say? Yes, that was probably what caused this.
Doctor: It's also called Tarvi's Bane. The symptoms tend to become progressively worse over time.
Stan: Right...
Doctor: It starts with dizziness, fever and internal bleeding. Next come spasms in the limbs, nausea and vomiting blood. Then loss of vision, hallucinations, and finally...
Doctor: ...Death.
Stan: What...? D-death?
Stan: What are you talking about? Are you trying to say I'm gonna die?
Stan: Don't joke around with me like that, doc... I just got bitten by a leech is all...
Doctor: I'm sorry... But having observed your symptoms, there's no doubt in my mind.
Stan: B-but you can help me, right? There's gotta be a cure! I won't really die, right? Right?
Stan: What... What's the cure...?
Doctor: We have so few case studies, we don't really understand this disease... Currently, there is no cure.
Stan: Huh...? Ha, come on, quit kidding around...
Stan: You cannot be serious! There's gotta be something! You've gotta help me somehow!
Doctor: Well... Some older literature says that eating creatures from Tarvi will ease the symptoms...
Doctor: But it won't cure them completely. All it does is slow their progress a little.
In the wake of the doctor's morbid news, Stan falls silent.
Gradually Stan feels his body becoming less steady, and his vision begins to fade.
Stan: This can't be right...
Producer:
Doctor: Stan, where are you going?
Staggering to his feet, Stan ignores the doctor and leaves the room.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 2: Peace Disturbed - Episode 4
As Stan walks across the isolated wilderness, he comes to grips with his sickness when he begins coughing blood again, but still fears the thought of death. Stan cries in despair as he attempts to recall Aliza's beaming smile. Shortly afterwards, Stan stumbles away from town with a new purpose in mind.
Leaving the hospital behind him, Stan dashes through town, making his unsteady way back toward the isolated wilderness.
Stumbling on in silence, Stan trips over a rock and falls to the ground with a thud.
Stan: Urgh... Seriously...? This just isn't my day...
Stan: Llana? You gotta be kidding me... This in really bad taste, you know...
Stan: Argh! Gwah...
Stan feels a convulsion in his chest and begins to cough up blood.
Stan: B-blood! No, no no... Why... Why me? I...
Stan: I don't want to die...
Stan becomes gripped with terror of his impending demise. In his despair, an image of Aliza's face flashes into his mind.
Stan: Aliza... Ah, that's right, if I die here, then...
Aliza: Stan! Thank the skies! Honestly, what were you thinking?
Stan: Aliza was crying, just a little... She must've been worried about me...
Stan: If I die... When Aliza finds out, she'll be so sad...
Stan: ...
In spite of his dizziness, Stan begins to think seriously about his situation.
Stan: This is my choice...
Mumbling to himself, Stan gazes at the town for a moment.
Goodbye, Aliza.
Choking out the words, Stan turns his back and stumbles away from town.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 3: My Missing Sweetheart - Episode 1
When Stan does not return by nightfall, the crew grows concerned, wondering if he returned to the Tarvi Dunes to look for the golden flower. Aliza goes with the crew to search for Stan.
At that moment, the crew has arrived back at Aliza's house.
Alicia: Welcome back! ...Oh? Where's Stan?
Lyria: Um, apparently he left something in Tarvi.
Aliza: What? You mean he's gone to Tarvi on his own again?
Vyrn: He said he wouldn't be long. And he's only going to the entrance, so he should be fine, right?
Aliza: I guess so... Ugh, what did he go and forget anyway? He's such a ditz!
Alicia: Now, now, let's just wait quietly, OK?
Aliza: Fine...
The crew waits for Stan to return, but by the next day he still hasn't come back.
Aliza: What could have happened? Oh, Stan...
Vyrn: He's been gone a long time for someone who forgot something.
Alicia: You don't think he went looking for the golden flower again, do you?
Aliza: Hey, (Captain)! Let's go find Stan!
Lyria: Yeah, let's go!
(Captain) nods, and the crew sets off for Tarvi.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 3: My Missing Sweetheart - Episode 2
The crew spends the day searching all over Tarvi for Stan, but finds no trace of him. Vyrn convinces the desperate Aliza to continue the search the next day rather than continuing through the night. The rest of the crew withdraws from Tarvi temporarily.
The crew arrives in Tarvi and searches for Stan, but he is nowhere to be found.
Aliza: That idiot... Where could he have gone?
Lyria: Don't worry, Aliza... I'm sure we'll find him!
Aliza: ...Thank you, Lyria.
But no matter how hard the crew searches, there is still no sign of Stan.
The sun begins to set, and darkness descends upon the region.
Vyrn: Hey... Shouldn't we call it a day?
Aliza: What? But we haven't found Stan yet!
Vyrn: I know, but the monsters are more active at night, and it will be too dark to search.
Aliza: So we should just give up? Stan might be injured somewhere, unable to move!
Vyrn: C-calm down, Aliza... At this rate we'll be stranded here too, y'know?
Vyrn: I think we'll be much better off searching tomorrow, when it's light.
Vyrn: And anyway, maybe we missed Stan, and he's already back at home.
Aliza: But... OK, I understand. Let's go.
Aliza: (Stan... Where are you?)
With Aliza's reluctant agreement, the crew returns to her home once more.
However, Stan had not returned home, and as the evening stretches on, there is still no sign of him.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 3: My Missing Sweetheart - Episode 3
Stan stumbles aimlessly through the darkness of the night, struggling with his disease as he disappears into the darkness with pleasant thoughts of Aliza.
In the gloomy darkness, Stan crawls along without a path.
Stan: (Cough)... Ugh...
There is an uncomfortable feeling in his chest, and each coughing fit leaves him spitting blood.
Every time it happens, he feels his stomach tremble and hurt as though something is burning.
Stan: Haaah... haaah... I'm so... nauseous... The symptoms are... getting worse...
Stan: ...I'm sorry, Aliza. I didn't mean to make you worry...
Stan: But if you saw me like this, it would hurt you even more. I'm so... sorry...
With these pained, sad whispers, Stan disappears into the darkness.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 3: My Missing Sweetheart - Episode 4
The crew searches for Stan over the course of a few days and come across a scrap of his clothing smeared with blood. They survey the surroundings and spot a figure, but are attacked by an enraged creature of Tarvi before they can approach it.
The crew spends several days after that searching for Stan, but to no avail.
Aliza: Why? Where have you gone, Stan?
Lyria: Don't worry, Aliza. This time we'll find him for sure! So please, cheer up...
Aliza: OK...
Her face clouded with worry about Stan, Aliza looks around until she suddenly spots something.
Aliza: Oh!
Vyrn: What is it? Did you find Stan?
Aliza: No, but I found a scrap of his clothes...
The crew takes a look, and there on the ground is indeed a scrap of Stan's clothes.
Lyria: This is definitely what Stan was wearing, but look at this dark red stain...
Vyrn: What is it? You don't think it's blood...
Aliza: Oh no, do you think he's injured?
Vyrn: Hmm... I dunno, but he must have passed through here.
Lyria: You're right! Let's keep searching.
They refocus their efforts on searching the surrounding area.
As they search, the crew members hear the sound of something moving.
Vyrn: Whoa, is it Stan?
Tarvi Monster: Grrrrrr...
Vyrn: Oh, it's just a monster... Wait, it's a monster!
Tarvi Monster: Graaaaaagh!
Lyria: Oh no, what bad timing... And it doesn't look very happy!
Vyrn: We're the ones who should be mad! Ugh, no choice. Let's do this!
However, Aliza pays the monster no heed, and seems to have found something.
Vyrn: Hey, what are you doing, Aliza?
Aliza: Stan? Is that you, Stan?
Aliza calls out in a trembling voice. There is certainly someone moving within her line of sight.
However, whoever it is offers no response, and disappears into the darkness.
Aliza: Wait! Don't go!
Tarvi Monster: Graaaaaagh!
Vyrn: Did you find Stan? Hmm... I don't think this creature is gonna let us slip away.
Vyrn: Aliza, we have to do something about it before we go after Stan!
Aliza: Ugh... Fine! Just hurry up and take it down so we can go after Stan!
Tarvi Monster: Graaaaaagh!
Boots & Blades - Chapter 4: Intertwining Emotions - Episode 1
The crew defeat the Catoblepas and chase after the figure they spotted earlier. Elsewhere the figure mumbles to himself and sips beast blood.
Tarvi Monster: Grrrrrr...
The crew injures the monster, and it flees deep into the forest with a pained cry.
Aliza: Haaah... haaah... We don't have time to deal with you now...
Aliza: Stan! Where are you?
Aliza calls out desperately, and races off in the direction of the figure she had seen.
Vyrn: Come on, let's follow her, (Captain)!
???: ...
In the darkness, the figure pulls out a knife, and cuts the throat of a beast.
???: It's just like the doctor said... The symptoms have... lessened.
???: (Cough... Cough...)
???: But I'm not cured, and this shaking... won't stop...
As the figure mumbles, blood trickles from his mouth, painting a bright red trail behind him.
Whether that blood is the beast's or his own is unclear, and the figure ignores it and disappears into the darkness.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 4: Intertwining Emotions - Episode 2
Aliza and company are shocked when they finally catch up with the figure. It turns out to be Stan, who has been utterly transformed by his disease. Not wanting Aliza to see him like this, Stan quickly runs off.
As Aliza and the crew search for Stan, they discover the figure disappearing into the gloom.
Aliza: Stan!
Aliza calls out Stan's name, but the figure carries on unaware.
Aliza: Wait, Stan!
Aliza runs after the figure, but soon comes to a stop.
Aliza: !
She freezes in shock as she sees the figure, who looks nothing like the Stan she knows.
His once-sparkling eyes are dull, and he sways and wobbles as he walks.
He feebly stumbles, but continues to drag himself away from them.
Vyrn: Hey, what’s wrong, Aliza?
Lyria: Stan? That's you, isn't it?
The crew members catch up with Aliza, and seeing Stan's ghastly visage, they stare wide-eyed.
Stan: ...
Aliza: Ah! W-wait up! Please, Stan!
Stan: ...Huh? That voice...
Stan slowly turns around to see Aliza, and their eyes meet.
Stan: Ali... za... Dammit...
Stan looks as though he is about to cry, and lopes off as fast as he can.
Aliza: Wait! Where are you going? Please stop!
Aliza: Stan! Staaan!
Lyria: W-what's going on? What happened to him?
Aliza: I don't know, but that's definitely Stan. Come on, let's get after him!
Monster: Grrrrrr...
Vyrn: Gah... They're back! What a time to interrupt...
Aliza: Let's hurry up and give them a kicking, (Captain)!
Boots & Blades - Chapter 4: Intertwining Emotions - Episode 3
Stan trips and falls over a rock while running away from Aliza. He continues vomiting and coughing up blood, telling Aliza to stay away from him for her own sake before losing consciousness.
Stan runs as fast as he can, as if to flee from Aliza, but he trips on a stone and tumbles spectacularly to the ground.
He tries to pick himself up, but his trembling limbs won't listen to him, and he collapses again.
Stan: Guh... Ugh... Aaagh...
His throat catches, and he coughs up blood that has turned a dark, murky color.
Stan: Haaah... Aaagh... Ugh...
Though his stomach should have been empty by then, Stan vomits, his throat burning.
Stan: Aaagh...
The bile trickles from Stan's mouth.
Stan: Haah... haaah...
Guh... Damn... Dammit...
Guh... Damn... Dammit...
Stan finally pulls himself up again, and begins to walk.
Stan: Enough already... Aliza. I'm no good for you... like this...
Stan: I'm helpless... All I can do now is die...
Stan: Please, go home... Forget about me. Let me... die alone...
He takes a few steps before his strength leaves him, and he crashes to the ground unconscious.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 4: Intertwining Emotions - Episode 4
Stan wakes up with Aliza by his side and tries to get away from her. Aliza questions why he's behaving this way, and Stan casts her aside entirely. Aliza walks away in tears, as does Stan.
Vyrn: Hey, look! Stan collapsed!
The crew finds Stan sprawled on the ground. Aliza rushes over and shakes him.
Aliza: Stan! Hey, are you OK? What happened?
Stan: Ugh... Aliza... Guh...
Aliza: Whoa...
Awake, Stan pushes Aliza's hand away, turns away from her and tries to run.
Aliza: Wait, please! Why are you running?
Stan: Just... leave me. This is for... your own good...
Aliza: What's that supposed to mean? How is this for my own good?
At her words, Stan turns around.
She looks neither angry nor about to cry, only terribly sad.
Stan: I've already made up my mind. I don't want to... see you anymore.
Aliza: Don't just decide that for yourself! I've been really worried about you!
Stan: You have?
Stan: I'm sorry... I've hurt you, haven't I? Not just this time... So many times...
Aliza: Huh?
Stan: I'm pathetic and unreliable... I can't do anything...
Stan: I don't deserve you, Aliza. I know there's a better man out there for you.
Aliza: W-what are you saying? It's not about whether or not you "deserve" me...
Stan makes as if to interrupt Aliza, but instead he shakes his head.
Stan: Just shut up... I've made up my mind.
Aliza: ...
At Stan's cold words, Aliza falls silent, and then she begins to cry.
Aliza: How could you say something like that? Stan, I... But I...
Aliza: I hate you! You're the worst!
Vyrn: W-whoa! Aliza!
Lyria: Stan! You didn't have to go that far...
Lyria: !
Lyria swallows the words she is about to say.
Stan's face is wet with tears as he cries. He has bitten his lip so hard that it bleeds.
Stan: I know how Aliza feels... Of course I know!
Stan: And I... I... Aliza, I...
Stan: But I had no choice! I didn't want to say something like that... Aliza, I...
Stan speaks with an expression that leaves no doubt as to how he really feels, and then he turns and vanishes into the darkness.
As he leaves, the crew doesn't know what to do, and can only stand there.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 5: The Dragon and the Flower - Episode 1
Stan ponders whether turning Aliza away and breaking her heart was the right decision, but thinks it preferable to having Aliza watch him die of disease. Prepared to die alone, he wishes Aliza happiness and loses consciousness.
Stan: Dammit, Aliza... I'm sorry.
Stan: I... I'm no good for you.
Stan: Guh... (Cough)
Stan coughs up more blood, and collapses into a heap.
Stan: Ha... Haha... I didn't want you to see me like this... I didn't want you to worry.
Stan: It's better this way... Better.
As he mumbles, Stan feels his vision gradually fade.
Stan: (It's no good. I can't stand up. I can't even see any more...)
Stan: (Aliza... I hope you find happiness.)
It starts to rain, and Stan doesn't even twitch as it soaks him.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 5: The Dragon and the Flower - Episode 2
Aliza gives a lukewarm, disinterested response when Alicia asks her of Stan's condition. Figuring that they must have had a quarrel, Alicia tries to console her daughter. Taking her mother's advice, Aliza flies out the door to look for Stan so that they can talk out their feelings and truly understand one another.
Aliza: ... I'm home.
Alicia: Welcome back! Did you find Stan?
Aliza: It doesn't matter... He's nothing to me.
Alicia: Aliza?
Aliza flops wearily onto the sofa.
Worried, Alicia takes a seat beside her.
Alicia: Did something happen? A fight? A really bad one?
Aliza: ...
Alicia: So it was... Hey, Aliza...
Alicia: You know, I... didn't approve of your relationship.
Alicia: But you can't just say he doesn't matter to you.
Alicia: No matter how things turn out in the end, if you loved him once, you shouldn't regret that.
Alicia: Even if it was only for an instant, you should remember the times you were happy together. You should treasure them.
Aliza: ... Treasure them, huh?
Stan: Just... leave me. This is for... your own good...
Aliza: (He said he was doing it for me... He was thinking of me...)
Aliza: (Thinking back, there was something different about him... But still...)
Aliza: Mama...
Alicia: What is it?
Aliza: What is love?
Alicia: Love, huh? Heehee, that's a difficult one.
Alicia: Let's see... Learning to understand your partner and considering their feelings, I guess?
Aliza: Understand your partner, huh?
Aliza: I don't understand anything about Stan right now...
Aliza: So... So I want to get to know him again!
Aliza: Thanks, Mama!
Full of energy again, Aliza jumps up and rushes out of the house.
She wants to try one more time to understand the person she loves.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 5: The Dragon and the Flower - Episode 3
A rugged voice calls out to Stan amidst the darkness, questioning his decision to turn Aliza away. Stan explains that he does not wish to see her saddened by his death to which the voice seemingly approves. The man spoken of in Stan and Aliza's childhood fairy tales is actually a dragon who had been faced with a situation very similar to Stan's. Still confused as to the whereabouts of the voice, Stan falls unconscious.
Stan can hear a rough voice, faint as though he is dreaming.
Rough Voice: You, boy. Are you the one who's been rampaging across Tarvi? The one who fought the Catoblepas?
Rough Voice: Humph, if that's the best you've got, you're better off being eaten by the local wildlife.
Stan: ...
Rough Voice: No answer? Or can't you speak? Fine. Answer me with your heart instead. There is something I would know...
Stan: (What's with this voice? Oh, I get it... Hallucinations are a symptom too, right...?)
Stan: (I guess that means my time is up. Haha... Fine... I'll play along...)
Rough Voice: Why are you so hell-bent on dying out here alone, boy?
Rough Voice: Don't you have people who care for you?
Stan: (This is for Aliza. Even if I go home with her, it won't be long before I die...)
Stan: (I don't want her to watch me die. She'll be traumatized by it.)
Stan: (I don't want that... I don't want to make her sad, so I'll die alone.)
Rough Voice: I see... I understand.
Rough Voice: Let me tell you a tale to ease the passing. Long ago, there was a thoroughly wicked man.
Stan: (Hahaha... Aren't you kind? I know you're not real, anyway. This is that Valtz fairytale.)
Stan: (I believed that tale, and went searching for the golden flower. And here I am.)
Rough Voice: Oh? Then let me ask you something. Did you know that the "man" was actually a dragon, and that the curse was actually an illness?
Stan: (An illness? I didn't know...)
Rough Voice: A curse... In other words, an incurable illness. An eccentric woman dedicated herself to saving the suffering dragon's life.
Rough Voice: The illness was mysteriously cured, and never came back, and so the dragon continued to live.
Rough Voice: However, the dragon had one regret. As he was dying, the woman he loved sacrificed herself for him.
Stan: (Hahaha... I have a lot in common with this dragon.)
Rough Voice: Yes, we're alike, you and I.
Stan: (Me and... him?)
Stan is confused, and then he feels something warm trickling over his lips, and he is filled with an indescribable discomfort.
Stan: (...It tastes like metal. I'm having taste hallucinations too?)
Rough Voice: Go on, show me the path I could have taken back then.
Stan: (W-wait...)
Hearing a distant voice, Stan slowly opens his eyes.
Through his half-open eyes, he sees the image of an ominous dragon, and a brightly shining golden flower.
Stan: (The golden flower... The dragon.)
At that moment, a dark curtain falls across Stan's consciousness.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 5: The Dragon and the Flower - Episode 4
The crew meets up with Aliza. More determined than ever to help Aliza and Stan discover their true feelings for each other, they continue the search for Stan.
(Captain) and the crew are wandering around Tarvi, searching for Stan.
Vyrn: Hey, (Captain), where d'ya think Stan went?
Lyria: If only we hadn't stopped back there, if only we'd kept on chasing him...
Vyrn: Stan, what you said... And the way you cried...
Vyrn: What in the skies happened?
Aliza: Stan!
Vyrn: Whoa!
Aliza: Huh? You guys?
Lyria: So you're looking for Stan too...
Aliza: He looked like he was in a lot of pain, like he was desperate. I wonder what happened to him...
Aliza: But I don't know anything about him anymore.
Aliza: So I want to find him one more time! I want to understand him! That's the idea, anyway.
Vyrn: Haha... I get it. That's just like you.
Vyrn: All right, let's pull ourselves together and get searching!
(Captain) nods vigorously, the crew begins once more to search the monster-infested Tarvi Dunes.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 5: The Dragon and the Flower - Episode 4: Scene 2
Stan figures the rugged voice was a mere hallucination as he gets up and begins walking. With no destination in mind, he begins to feel lonely when a familiar voice calls out. Stan turns around to see Aliza, who he glares at while trying to hold back his tears.
Stan: (Nn... H-huh? I can see. And I feel a little better...)
Stan opens his eyes, and is surprised to notice that he feels less sick.
He stands up and looks around.
The rain has stopped at some point, and he can't see the dragon or the golden flower anywhere.
Stan: I guess it really was just a hallucination.
Stan: (Cough...) I feel better, but I'm not cured. Haha... What a weird hallucination.
On his feet again and in better shape, he begins to walk again, and continues on.
Stan: (Where am I going? Haha...)
With no destination in mind, Stan continues on his path to nowhere.
Stan: (It's no good... I didn't want to think about this.)
Stan: (It's not fair...)
Stan: (Aliza, I want to hear your voice, see your face... one last time...)
???: ...Stan.
Stan: !
Stan hears a familiar voice and stops. He gingerly turns around.
Aliza: I came to try one more time, so we can understand each other.
Stan: Aliza...
Stan stops walking, and with a face like he's about to cry, he glares at her.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 6: Outpouring of Emotions - Episode 1
Stan glares at his beloved as if he's about to burst into tears, but Aliza does not falter and walks straight toward him. Savaged by her unrelenting kindness, Stan draws his sword. Aliza takes a fighting stance, ready to respond in kind.
Stan glares at his loved one like he's about to burst into tears, and wrings the words out, his lip trembling.
Stan: Why... can't you give me up?
Aliza: I won't give up. I tried, but... I can't forget about you.
Aliza: But it's like I don't know you any more, Stan. That's why... I want us to understand each other.
Stan: Please stop making this harder for me... Even if we did understand each other, there's no point any more... Aliza!
Aliza: There is a point to all this! You mustn't say that!
Stan: Aaaargh... Enough already, I can't take this! I'm not worthy of you!
Aliza: That isn't something for you to decide! It's my choice!
Aliza: So that's why I'm saying... won't you come home? If you come home, we can talk this out...
Stan: Aliza... What are you saying... Why?
Stan: I-I've already... made up my mind, so why... am I wavering...
Just as a tear spills from the corner of his eye, Stan feels blood welling up in his throat.
Stan: Gargh...
Not wanting to anyone to see him spitting blood out, he frantically tries to swallow what he has coughed up.
Aliza: Stan? What's wrong!
Stan: It's... nothing!
Stan covers his mouth with his hand, but rivulets of blood trickle out from between his fingers.
Vyrn: Stan? You're in a bad way...
Stan: I already told you, it's nothing!
Stan: Damn it! Why, why won't you understand!
Stan: Stubborn as a mule! Why won't you give me up! Why can't you forget about me!
Stan: Stop this already!
Stan, hair disheveled and yelling like he's about to burst into tears, draws his sword.
Stan: Go home...
Aliza: ...No way. Absolutely no way. You're the one that's stubborn as a mule!
Aliza shakes her head from side to side, and quietly assumes a defiant pose.
Aliza: If you really want to play it like that... then this stubborn mule accepts your challenge!
Aliza: I want to understand you! I want to know exactly what's going on in that head of yours! So Stan, tell me!
Stan: By the Astrals! Stop this already!
Stan: Why can't you... I've already thrown it all away! Everything!
Aliza: What gives you the right to do that! I can't let all that go! Those days I spent with you!
Stan: Stop this... Aaargh! I can't take any more! Stop!
Stan lets out a piercing yell and swings his sword with all his might to sever his ties to the one he loves most.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 6: Outpouring of Emotions - Episode 2
Stan and Aliza try to get through to each other in the heat of battle. Just before Aliza can land a
blow of the whole body, Stan coughs up blood and collapses. Held up by Aliza, Stan explains that he turned her away to spare her the sight of his impending death. The crew are shocked by the revelation when an ominous black dragon suddenly appears.
Lyria: Stan... Aliza...
(Captain) and the crew watch over the stubborn couple as they clash.
Stan and Aliza come to blows with all their might.
Aliza: (Whoa... Stan has gotten stronger... There's no gap in his defenses, and his blows are so hard... and yet...)
Stan: Gaaaaaaah!
Aliza: A massive strike, is it? Your specialty, Stan!
As Stan swings his sword in a sweeping arc, Aliza readies to unleash a kick to Stan's stomach.
Aliza: !
But just at that moment, Aliza sees blood trickle from Stan's mouth and she stands down from her kick pose.
Aliza: Look... you're not...
Stan: (Splutter...)
Unable to hold back, Stan spits the blood out on to the ground.
Aliza: Stan, that blood... that's not because of our fight just now, is it?
Stan: Haaaaaah...
Stan: If I... if I had been stronger... if I could have pushed you away properly... then you wouldn't have to see me like this...
With a vacant expression and murmuring faintly, Stan begins to keel over as if he is going to collapse.
But just before Stan's body hits the ground, Aliza lunges forward and catches him.
Aliza: Stan! You're burning up! Have you been like this the whole time?
Stan: By the Astrals... (Cough... cough...)
Stan: ...I can't hide it any more... Dash it all.
Stan: ...Aliza... (Captain)... I'm not long for this world...
Aliza: Huh?
Lyria: Not long for this world? What are you trying to say!
Stan: It's a long story but... it's an incurable illness... I can't be healed, so... (Cough...)
Stan: I'm... dying...
Aliza: What? What are you saying? You can't be serious! That can't be true!
Stan: It's no lie... You must believe me! I'm...
Aliza: ...
Though Aliza has been thrown suddenly into confusion, as she sees Stan's condition, she knows his words must be true.
Aliza: Why? Why didn't you tell me? Were you trying to protect me from the truth?
Aliza: What were you thinking, holding this back from me?
Aliza: Suffering on your own... planning on dying on your own... Why would you hide all that from me?
Stan: I didn't want you to see me like this. I didn't want you to see me at death's door...
Stan: It would've caused you so much anguish... To me, causing you pain would be worse than dying!
Aliza: You idiot! Stan, you fool! That doesn't help me at all!
Aliza: Did you really think I would be happy if you died all alone? How wrong could you be!
Stan: Aliza, please don't look at me like that... I'm sorry...
Aliza: No... I'm the one who should be sorry...
Aliza: I'm sorry Stan... Sorry that you've had to suffer all by yourself...
Aliza: I never imagined that... I didn't know what you were going through at all, Stan.
Stan: Aliza, I'm sorry... truly sorry. I shouldn't have... to think I was planning on dying without telling anyone...
Stan: But, it's not just about this illness... I want you to forget about me alre— (Cough... cough...)
Aliza: Stan! You're bleeding! Oh no, Stan... stay with me... Stan...
Lyria: What should we do?
Confronted with this reality, (Captain) is at a loss. Suddenly sensing something behind them, (Captain) turns around.
Sinister Black Dragon: ...
The crew is at a loss for words at the sudden appearance before them of a dragon.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 6: Outpouring of Emotions - Episode 3
The black dragon asks Aliza why she tries so hard to understand Stan. Seemingly content with her explanation, the dragon challenges them to meet in its lair after they find their answer. Stan explains to the confused crew that the dragon is the true form of the man in their childhood fairy tales and may know of a way to cure him. Stan apologizes for all the trouble he's caused up to this point and tells Aliza his true feelings. The two vow to live on together, and leave in search of the black dragon.
Aliza: Wh-what is this thing?
Vyrn: Who the heck are you, just creeping up so suddenly like that?
Glancing at the crew members, who are now on guard, the dragon sighs heavily.
Black Dragon: What balderdash. "Creeping up so suddenly," I might very well ask you the same, you trespassers!
Black Dragon: You who so thoroughly laid waste to Tarvi...
Stan: That voice...
Alarmed, Stan opens his eyes and takes in the black dragon.
Stan: You... Could it be... was it your voice that I heard that time? I thought it was a hallucination...
Black Dragon: Yes... I wish now I had remained as a phantasm.
Vyrn: What's going on here? Stan, have you met this lizard before?
Black Dragon: He does seem to suspect as much, my brethren. Certainly I have a bone to pick with whomever destroyed Tarvi...
Black Dragon: But never mind about that... You, girl, anything you'd like to ask?
Aliza: Me?
Black Dragon: That boy... He has been suffering all by himself, and was even going to die alone, all out of consideration for you.
Black Dragon: So what's your answer? He's shown such resolve, such willpower...
Black Dragon: Are you just going to trample that resolve underfoot? Or will you try to understand it?
Aliza shakes her head at the dragon's question, and embraces Stan.
Aliza: I won't let Stan die all alone... I absolutely won't...
Aliza: Because I want to be together, to live together with Stan!
Aliza: If Stan dies like this, I want to go with him too!
Stan: Don't say that sort of thing! If you were to die, I wouldn't... I...
Aliza: It's worse for me! I can't take this!
With great tears rolling down her cheeks, Aliza and Stan's feelings for one another collide.
Aliza: Dying in front of my eyes, or dying all by yourself, it's the same! I can't bear to lose you, Stan!
Stan: Aliza...
Stan: You're right... It is worse for you...
Stan: Since I found out I was dying... I've been in turmoil. I thought that this was all there was...
Stan: But... (Cough... cough...) Perhaps I was wrong...
Black Dragon: ...
Black Dragon: I'll be waiting on the hill where the golden flowers bloom. Boy, girl... If you can find your answer, come to me.
With that, the Black Dragon slowly begins to melt and fade into the darkness.
Vyrn: Well what was all that about? He seemed to have an idea what he was talking about though...
Stan: He appears in a Valtzian fairy tale... His true form is a human man...
Fighting the pain of his illness, Stan relates to the crew the bizarre experiences he had.
Stan: Like me, he was also being tormented an illness, but... thanks to his loved one, it seems he was saved...
Stan: And, this is just my conjecture, but... I think he was perhaps also, like me, being tormented by Llana.
Vyrn: How do you know? A thing like that?
Stan: ...We're alike, him and I... Our circumstances, just about everything...
Aliza: So... if there's a chance that he knows how to cure Stan's illness...
Sensing a glimmer of hope, the light returns to Aliza's eyes.
Seeing her face, Stan opens his mouth and apologizes.
Stan: Aliza, I'm so sorry. All along I thought that I would die alone for your sake.
Stan: And all along, I thought that in my weakened state, I wasn't worthy of you...
Stan: I thought I was doing right by you. But I was wrong... I wasn't doing the right thing for you at all...
Aliza: No, I... didn't know anything at all about your thoughts, your resolve. I just wanted to bring you back.
Aliza: I'm sorry Stan... But I want to live together with you. That's how I feel.
Stan: Me too... if I'm going to live, I want to live together with you...
Aliza: ...You really mean it?
Stan: Yes, of course I do.
Aliza: In that case, let's go and see this dragon.
Lyria: But this golden flower... It's just a fairy tale isn't it?
Stan: True, but if that dragon wasn't an illusion then... the place I have in mind exists.
Although concerned for Stan's welfare, the crew place their trust in him and set out for Tarvi.
Boots & Blades - Chapter 6: Outpouring of Emotions - Episode 4
Aliza and Stan find the black dragon and tell it the conclusion they've reached. The black dragon ponders for a bit, but appears pleased with their answer. When Aliza asks it to save Stan, it pulls back into an aggressive stance and challenges them to prove their determination. The two face off against the vicious black dragon Druj.
The dim and cloudy sky starts spotting with rain.
The flowers blooming on the hill are spattered with droplets, and the dazzling golden flowers began to release their radiance.
The black dragon gazes fondly at the flowers, as if they remind him of his former loved one.
Black Dragon: You came...
Stan: So you're not an illusion after all.
Lyria: Whoa... they're so pretty... So these are the golden flowers...
Aliza: Yes, they're so beautiful...
Stan: The thing I couldn't find, no matter how hard I looked...
Stan: They only radiate light when it's raining...
Black Dragon: Honestly... if there were another flower anywhere similar to her, I'd be really worried.
Black Dragon: Whenever I cried... she always smiled kindly for me, as brightly as these flowers shine now.
Black Dragon: Enough idle gossip... Well, do you have it? The greatest answer.
On hearing the dragon's words, Stan and Aliza exchange glances. Then, with hardened resolve, they start to speak.
Aliza: From now on, the two of us will live together, whatever it takes!
Stan: Never again will I say that I want to die alone! I will live! For Aliza, I will live!
Black Dragon: Is that so? Whatever it takes...
Black Dragon: If you die alone, the one who remains bears great grief and regret. I know that with every fiber of my being.
Black Dragon: If I could've had the choice that you have... Would we also have chosen to never be apart?
Stan: By "we" do you mean you and your loved one?
Black Dragon: ...
Aliza: Um... You know don't you? About how to heal Stan? How to cure his disease...
Black Dragon: You mean Llana's Disease? Yes, I know about it...
Aliza: If so, tell us, quickly! If we don't do something for Stan, then...
Black Dragon: Yes, you're right... He doesn't have long left if we don't do something.
Black Dragon: But, tell me, why should I tell you what to do? What's my motivation here for helping you?
Aliza: How, how could you...
Vyrn: You have to tell us! We're begging you!
Black Dragon: Yes! But I reject even a plea from my brethren. I am a fiendish dragon devoted to wickedness.
Black Dragon: I have no intention of changing that now! If you want to get information out of me, it'll have to be at the point of a sword!
The dragon flexes every sinew of his body, and the embers in his gullet begin to smolder.
Black Dragon: You two want to live together, you said! "Whatever it takes," you said! So let us see now whether you have what it takes!
On hearing the dragon bellow the crew is paralyzed with fear for a split second, until Stan draws his sword and takes a stance.
Stan: I've changed my mind! Whatever it takes to make Aliza truly happy!
Stan: I'm not going to die! I'm going to live together with Aliza! So we're going to make you talk, no matter what!
Even as Stan roars his challenge, he coughs up more blood, and sways as if he's on the verge of collapse.
Without a moment's hesitation Aliza catches Stan by his shoulders, steadying him.
Aliza: Stan... I won't let you die! We're gonna make this dragon talk, just you watch!
Vyrn: Hey! We've got your back!
Lyria: (Captain), let's give this our all! We mustn't let Stan die!
Black Dragon: (...You've got some good friends there. Well aren't you the lucky one, boy?)
Seeing the crew taking up attack formation, just for a moment, the dragon allows himself a gentle smile, which (Captain) sees.
But the stern expression soon returns to the dragon's face, and he scowls at the crew.
Druj: I am Druj, the dragon of chaos, sworn to perfidy! Now all of you will feel the full extent of my cruelty!
Boots & Blades - Ending
Stan, Aliza, and the crew defeat Druj, who acknowledges their determination by curing Stan of his disease and giving him a golden flower. Having acquired everything he set out for, Stan realizes he has to change or history would be bound to repeat itself. He decides to set out on a journey to strengthen himself, and saves the golden flower for the day he becomes a man truly worthy of Aliza.
Aliza: Yaaaaaah!
Vyrn: Go for it, (Captain)!
Druj: Curses...
Unable to weather (Captain) and Aliza's blows, Druj's defensive stance falters at last.
With a speed matching the great serpent's, Stan presses the point of his sword against the dragon's chest. However...
Stan: (Cough... hack...)
Stan coughs up more blood, and his field of vision begins to grow hazy and blurred.
Stan: (My symptoms are worsening... and at a time like this!)
Aliza: Stan!
Stan: (Aliza... I know I've done nothing but give you cause to worry...)
Stan: (Aliza, I don't want to make you suffer any more... My mind's made up... made up!)
Stan: Yaaaaaah!
Druj: Hehehe... I'm almost impressed...
Druj collapses under the force of Stan's all-out attack, and as the dust settles, flower petals flutter down from the sky.
The petals, dancing around as the rain sprays them, release the radiance from the golden flowers. Seeing this, Druj looks content.
Druj: (If I could've gone on fighting like this boy has... Perhaps I wouldn't have lost you...)
Stan: Haaaah... haaaaaah... Druj, tell us... What's the cure for Llana...
Druj: Tell me boy... Do you know why it was that eating the flesh and blood of the creatures of Tarvi eases your symptoms?
Druj: The magical power of the antibodies I have, that which gives me immunity to llana, flows through all the creatures of Tarvi, boy.
Stan: If I drink your blood I will... be cured?
Druj answers Stan's question with a smile.
Druj: You have strong ties to people. Loved ones, friends, take care of them...
With those words, Druj slices off the tip of one claw.
The blood trickling from his fingertip begins to drip into Stan's mouth.
Stan: (Splutter... cough... cough...)
Stan: (Is this the taste of blood... or of iron? It feels the same as that time...)
Druj: Drink it up... It may be disgusting but keep it down.
Stan: (Gulp... gulp...) Haaah.. haaah...
Druj: That's right... all gone now. In a moment you'll be completely cured.
Aliza: Really? Stan's not going to die any more?
Druj: Perhaps. Certainly his symptoms will become far less serious.
Aliza: Oh what a relief... did you hear that, Stan!
With tears rolling down her cheeks, Aliza hugs Stan as hard as she can.
Stan: I'm so sorry Aliza.. I've caused you so much worry...
Aliza: Stupid, stupid Stan!
Druj: Here's a parting gift.
Druj picks one of the golden flowers and hands it to Stan.
Stan: What is this?
Druj: It's up to you two what you use it for. Enjoy it.
Druj:
With these gentle words, Druj's body gradually dissolves into particles of light, which merge into the sky.
Lyria: Druj? Your body...
Druj: I'm not dying... Just going to rest for a while...
Druj: You two... Be happy together, won't you.
Aliza: Druj... Thank you...
Stan: Thank you so much...
Druj: You fools... I don't need your thanks. You two are the winners. Hehe...
Druj gazes at the golden flowers with a gentle smile.
Druj: (Hey... did you see that, my dear? I met some folks who were like we used to be. I'm glad I saved them...)
Druj's silhouette completely dissolves into the sky.
Vyrn: Druj... One way or another, he wasn't such a bad guy after all.
Vyrn: Hehe! He cured Stan and gave us a golden flower. Another case closed!
Stan: Huh... I guess you're right.
Stan gazes at the golden flower that Druj gave him and exhales deeply, ruminating on something.
Lyria: Stan?
Stan: And yet, this... isn't right.
Stan: I... don't think I'm the man best suited for Aliza after all.
Aliza: ...
Stan: Causing so much worry... Fighting each other, getting injured... I'm so sorry.
Aliza: Huh...
Vyrn: Wh-what are you talking about?
Lyria: But I thought you'd resolved your differences... Why are you saying this?
Stan: And even though we found the flower... Some of the blame lies with Druj, but this flower symbolizes my arrogance.
Stan: It was me thinking "if I could only get my hands on that flower" and rushing in that caused this whole mess.
Stan: Aliza's mother said as much. She told us that we still had a ways to go to overcome our problems.
Vyrn: But haven't you just overcome one very big problem? Is that such a bad thing?
Stan: ...Honestly, I don't know.
Stan: But I do know that this time it was my weakness and selfishness that got us into this stupid, disastrous mess.
Stan: And as long as I'm the way I am, there's no guarantee that I won't go on making the same mistake over and over.
Lyria: No, I'm sure you...
Stan: People don't just change overnight.
Stan: I want to take some time to think over it, to think about what I should do from now on to become a man worthy of Aliza.
Stan: One moment I'd be celebrating, and then the next I'd be making the same mistake again... I can't go back to living like that.
Aliza: Hmm...
Stan: Aliza, it's like you told me. You're the one that has to decide whether or not I am worthy of you.
Stan: Am I truly worthy of you in my present state?
Aliza: ...I don't know. How am I supposed to know something like that...
Aliza: That's not something I can answer right now...
Stan: But, I... I love you, Aliza.
Aliza: !
Stan: I love you more than anything, but... I'm not yet worthy of you. I cannot make you happy!
Stan: So that's why I can't yet give you this flower. It would be disrespectful to Druj.
And with those words, Stan tucks the flower away in his pocket.
And then, without a word, Stan turns around and starts walking.
Lyria: Where are you going?
Stan: Huh... where indeed. A journey of self-discovery, I think they call it?
Stan: In any case, I'm no use to anyone like this. There's all kinds of areas I need to work on.
Stan: As long as I keep a tight hold of that aim, I'm sure to grow stronger. In body and in soul.
Aliza: Stan, I... I also need to work on many areas. I'm like you in that regard.
Aliza: So the next time we meet, we should duel each other once again.
Stan: Good idea. But when we do, I'll win.
Aliza: Hehehe, stupid Stan. It doesn't matter how much time goes by, I won't lose.
Aliza: But, if the day comes that I should lose... No, I'll wait until then to tell you.
Stan: All right, I'll look forward to winning then.
Stan: ...Catch you later, Aliza.
Aliza: ...Bye bye, Stan.
Aliza gives a little wave, Stan responds in kind, and goes to leave Tarvi.
Although the man's receding figure is ragged from his injuries, he seems to grow somehow in stature.
Those shoulders bear the burden of their shared future, which promises to be yet brighter still, with determination.
The golden flower tucked away in his pocket continues to shine, as if gently illuminating the way ahead of him.
Boots and Blades
The End
The End