Oh boy, smells delicious!
So you wouldn't really call it "beef and veggie stir-fry surprise," now would you?
So fill up on the name if nothin' else! Please?
Overwhelming Despair
We dig and dig, pull up all the silver we can sell, and it only gets us enough coin for table scraps. That contract I signed... Biggest mistake I ever made.
I can't believe I didn't notice that fine print when I signed the darned thing...
Then snatched the whole thing back once the silver started taking off! ......
I ended up pushin' myself so hard tryin' to turn a profit, I drove myself into the sickbed.
Fine words. When'd you get so eloquent, chickadee?
Hold on, Pops! I...I'll go buy you some more pharmaceuticals!
I'm sorry, son...
The past eight years have not been kind to the residents of Oresrush.
Oresrush, Dried Up
Partitio's crew is still around, but...
...they're all in bad spirits, just struggling to survive.
Fortunately, apothecaries will visit even the poorest regions.
...Hmm.
As he heads back to Papp...
Boss... Got any work for us?
None of us have had a job for days. We can't even afford a decent meal.
This town's done for... We've lost everything...
...
Hey, Boss? Got a job for me? Any job?
It's hard to make a livin' with that silver mine now. The landowner's laws are squeezin' us dry. Damn... What are we supposed to--
Shaddup, I'm takin' it! I've got mouths to feed too! That's enough.
Boss, I... ......
Sorry, Harry. Sorry, Nikki. It's my fault you're sufferin'. If only I could make things better... If only I could look out for ya.
I never knew...what a devil poverty was...or how much pain it could bring...
Partitio clearly cares for his workers. Even in the worst of times, he's giving what little he can to keep them alive. It's this loyalty they have to each other that's gotten them through these terrible times.
If nothing else, at least they have each other. That said, that's not enough to fill their stomachs.
Giff. As if today couldn't get any worse.
The most important thing in life is figuring out whose side to take, bucko.Miscreant's Melody
A merchant like you should understand the power of a flimsy piece of paper. ...What do you want, Giff?
A lotta competition in the silver trade lately. Ore pirces are going down, down, down. Hurts the boss's kindly ol' heart to do this, but times are tough.
Yeah! We're all strugglin' just to eat! Hm? Getting rebellious, eh?
Though none of you can afford to buy lemons anymore, can you? Hah!
You know things are dire when Partitio and the gang are getting bullied around by Giff.
But, what else can they really do...?
SILENCE
*cough* *hack*...
Nothing...nothing at all. ......
Why not just go for it? Do whatever it is you wanna do most? ...... You'll never lose if you never try, son.
...That settles it.
Papp is probably thinking that what Partitio wants to do most right now is to leave Oresrush and travel the world. And while he's kinda right, for now that comes second to one thing:
Kicking Giff's ass.
They're gonna squeeze us until we're dry as the desert sand...
Y-you mean it!? I've been holdin' back ever since they took our deed away from us. We've all suffered in silence. Now, well...I've finally understood.
They don't care a whit 'bout what happens to us or our town.
Oresrush, Pioneer Town (Night)
This is our town! We'll fight for it! Heh, thanks fellas.
At this point, we can choose to hire one of our posse to join us, if we desire.
They're kinda weak so I don't really bother.
But they're all in good spirits for the first time in a long, long time, ready to kick some landowner ass.
To find Giff, we have to go back to where the mine is, but then continue to the east.
Along the way, I pick up Collect, since Partitio clearly needs the money.
There's this nice little minecart bridge with a beautiful view in the distance. Well, it'd probably be beautiful if it weren't so blurry.
Eventually, we reach Giff's Manse.
Den of Darkness
Well, someone's been well off the past eight years...
There's a few of Giff's hired thugs roaming about, but they're no match for Partitio.
Along the way, Partitio decides to take a bit of what is owed him. That shield and helmet are good upgrades, if nothing else.
Looks like we've reached where Giff and his cronies are.
Video: Contract Rewritten
Scheming
Heh, you said it, Giff!
Hm? Look who it is. I'm moved, I am. Came to give me what you owe me early? Heh. Somethin' like that.
Every fortune's made from a pile of these: the little guys.
Hmph. What a joke. We've made up our minds, Giff. We're takin' our town back.
What'd you say!?
The landowner slipped it in at a later date, all quiet-like.
Thanks to you, we've lived fat off the hog! Earned ourselves a mine and a buncha fool miners for next to nothing.
......In Pursuit of Happiness
You tricked my pops and stole everythin' from us. Yeah, well, too bad. This world, see?
......
Get ready, Giff.
Video: Boss - GiffCritical Clash I
Partitio's fighting Giff along with a couple of his goons.
This crew doesn't hit too hard, but all these light attacks will add up, so better to go on the offensive when you can and take out the thugs first.
Giff can give buffs to his cronies. This one boosts speed.
Meanwhile, the goons can hit twice and also debuff Partitio's physical attack.
Giff has a powerful attack that's also woefully inaccurate. In fact, I'm not sure it can even hit at all this early in the fight.
The strategy is simply to whittle down one thug at a time, and use liberal amounts of Rest when necessary.
One down.
Giff can also try throwing money at the problem, in this case boosting the P.Atk of the remaining toadie.
Though he's still no match for Partitio.
At this point, Giff will actually hit with his big attack if allowed to.
So, of course, I don't.
Tch... Can't believe trash like you is giving me trouble...
Get over here and finish this fool! Heh. Now you call for help?
On the Mark hits hard when it does hit. Of course, the fool also did this right as Partitio unlocked his Latent Ability.
Partitio's Latent is Hoot and Holler, and it simply maxes out his BP. This is immensely useful for a variety of situations and is arguably in the top tier of latent abilities.
But first, time to get paid.
Then, we pay it forward.
And finally, payback.
SILENCE
W-wait! Spare my life!
Whoa there, silver... So this's where you've been hidin' all the coin you swiped from us! We can rebuild our town with this! You won't blame me, right? I was just following orders...
I...I can't do that! No one's ever met 'em.
Neither me nor Pops ever had a face-to-face.
You can't make me talk! It'll be my hide if I do!
......
What...?So, the man who has been taxing the residents of Oresrush so heavily, the one that sent the town to the brink of poverty...is the same man who helped build this town. He falsified the contract so he could squeeze every leaf out of the townspeople he once knew so well, including his former business partner, with no remorse.
The man's got a ruthless mind for business. This was his plan all along. You're lying... This has to be some mistake... I'm sure of it.
Oresrush, Pioneer Town
Life's returnin' to our little town.
We're gonna work you hard until you pay off your debt, y'hear?
Oof... Ah, excuse me, Mr. Partitio, sir!
Yeah, thanks to you. I'm too busy to be dead, hah!
It sure is. Heh. Oh, I almost forgot. I made arrangements to get the materials you wanted. Ooh, you're a lifesaver!
Hey, Partitio...
Huh? We're talkin' now, ain't we? Just be quiet and follow me for a spell, will ya?Video: The Devil Called PovertySILENCE
We started from nothin' and had our fair share of ups and downs... Yeah, you can say that again.
I don't give a hoot about Roque no more, son. He left us in the lurch. I don't ever wanna see his face again.
You're gonna be something, if I reckon right. Something too big for this little town to contain even if it wanted to. Pops...
Boss! Partitio! Boss!
That's why...I want you to hit that dusty trail already. Get along, little chickadee. This town's my home. I grew up here.
Ever since...Mister Roque took off and left us. ...... I don't regret stayin' here, not for an instant.
Boss...
But somewhere out there, I know there's folks sufferin' just as much as we did, or worse.
Being a merchant ain't just 'bout makin' bundles of leaves. It's the reason why that matters.
Partitio, the Merchant
Pops...
Go on! Help others like you helped us! Bring prosperity to all those troubled folks out there!
Get along now, Partitio. We'll see to the town while you're gone. Yeah! We'll keep it safe and sound! Don't worry 'bout us, Boss! Boss! Take care out there!
Heh, if you all say so, I got no choice, now do I?
And with that, we are finished with Partitio's Chapter 1.
Which means it's time to select our next party member! Voting will once again be two or three-ish days, as I show off more stuff.
Next time, we'll take a tour of Oresrush, then finally tackle a couple of Side Stories!
