Scenario:Estarriola - Bookworm in the Woods

Bookworm in the Woods

(Captain) and company meet an old man named Estarriola who gives them a card which contains a primal beast's memories of a war zone. After being sucked into the card's battlefield, the crew learns that the primal beast intends to create a new world. They ask Estarriola how to stop their own world from being destroyed, but the old man responds with snores.

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(Captain) and company are heading for an island. They're transporting a large volume of books on Sierokarte's behalf.

Vyrn: Land ho!

Vyrn: Er, wait. You sure that's the island we're looking for?

Lyria: Yes, it is... But I don't see any villages, and definitely not any cities.

Vyrn: There's not even a single house! Do you think it's a deserted island?

Lyria: It shouldn't be—

Lyria: Oh! Look there on top of that mountain!

A shoddy, run-down shack that barely qualifies as a dwelling stands alone atop the summit.

Nevertheless it's enough to convince the crew that the client is present. They set the airship down, unload the cargo, and proceed to climb.

After a short distance on foot, they make out a hint of someone's voice.

???: Snoore... Snooore...

Vyrn: What's that? Sounds weird... Could it be a monster?

Lyria: Haha. No, Vyrn. It's someone's snores.

Vyrn is nervous, but Lyria keeps a cool head. The two push through the thicket toward the sound of the voice.

Vyrn: What the! There really is a monster here too!

???: Snoore... Snooore...

Monster: Grrr...

An elderly man sleeps peacefully, completely open to a monster that is about to pounce.

Lyria: That old man is in danger! We have to save him!

(Captain) is already dashing forward, sword drawn, by the time Lyria finishes speaking.

But then the captain's feet cease to move.

Vyrn: Yikes! What's going on!

Lyria: It's like a cloud!

Monster: Grooar!

???: Hum, hum...
Hup.

Monster: Grooar!

???: Hum, hum...
Hup.

The senior floats gently in the air, deftly dodging the monster's attacks like a feather caught in an updraft.

Eventually the monster exhausts itself from missing over and over again and saunters back into the forest.

???: Snoore... Snooore...

Lyria: Um... Excuse me, sir? Are you okay?

Lyria: I guess he can't hear me if he's asleep, heehee.

???: Hum, hum... I'm fine, dear...

Lyria: Hm? Did he just say something?

Vyrn: He totally did! He's talking in his sleep!

???: Hum... You folks're dem skyfarers dispatched by Sierokarte.

Estarriola: I go by Estarriola.

Lyria: That's no ordinary sleeptalking! He's actually having a normal conversation!

Vyrn: Whew, this old-timer's got skills! There's gotta be a trick behind it.

Estarriola: Hum... 'Tis a tale and a half, that one... Awfully rude of me to keep you standing here. Let me guide you to where I dwell, hum-mum.

Vyrn: Um... Chatting while you're asleep's the real rudeness if you ask me.

Lyria: Well, these books are heavy, so let's go to his house and hear what he has to say, (Captain).

However, instead of climbing up the mountain, the senior presents (Captain) with a mysterious card.

Estarriola: No, not there. Here.

Lyria: Huh?

Vyrn: What is this? What happened to us?

Lyria: Gasp! Are we on a... battlefield?

What once was a verdant forest has been replaced by the blood and smoke of a raging war zone.

Estarriola: As you can see, this is one of the bloodiest battlegrounds of the War.

Vyrn: Hold it right there! The War happened, like, ages ago! There's no way we could be there right now.

Estarriola: No, it's quite possible. All one requires is to enter the memories of a primal beast who lived during the War.

Lyria: We're inside a primal beast's memory? How in the world...

Estarriola: What ho, young skyfarer? Does such a thought jostle your britches? Greater misfortune is yet to come, you know.

His voice dripping with profundity, the senior leads the crew to a quiet cave away from the bloodshed.

Books and apparatus cover every corner of the cave, giving the impression of a hidden research lab.

Lyria: It feels strange to be inside its memory...

Vyrn: Something's not right, don't you think? Primals are usually scarier, but this one's acting way too quiet...

Estarriola: It is as you say. My pactkeeper is not one to take hostile action.

Estarriola: Her only function is to record all that occurs in this world and replay them, similar to an encyclopedia.

Lyria: I've never heard of a primal beast like that before...

Estarriola: Behold a demonstration.

Estarriola touches a red stone resting on his brow.

Estarriola: Heed me. What be the names of this young lady and the lizard?

Estarriola: Thine names... The little beast is Vyrn. The blue-haired girl is Lyria.

Vyrn: Hey, did you just call me a—

Vyrn: Whoa! That's right! I'm Vyrn!

Lyria: Incredible! And I'm Lyria!

Estarriola: Were I you, I wouldn't muck around. That is how she is swindling information from the world.

Vyrn: Swindling? What do you mean?

Estarriola: Information gleaned via direct contact is stored and repeated for eternity on the fake battlefield.

Estarriola: She yearns to rectify the defeat experienced during the War.

Estarriola: She will try anything and everything to realize victory.

Lyria: Why is she going so far to do that?

Estarriola: Disregard the Astrals or the skydwellers. It is all for the sake of creating a new world in which only the beasts within the cards exist.

Vyrn: Hang on. What's gonna happen to us if she succeeds?

Estarriola: Is it not obvious? All of us—all of the world—shall be reduced to ash.

Lyria: That's... not okay. Absolutely not.

Estarriola: Fret not. I stand with you to prevent such calamity.

Vyrn: You're awesome, old-timer! So what's the plan?

Estarriola: First... hum-mum... A new request... Snore...

Vyrn: Hey! Wake up!