Oresrush, Pioneer Town



Today features a short and simple side story that's kinda been left over from the other Chapter 1 ones.



Some lying thief has absconded with the goods I worked so hard to procure! I believed him when he said he was a fellow merchant, trusting oaf that I am!





So yeah, we simply need to find this thief and steal the stolen goods back.



Even if we get this guy's goods back, I'm kind of worried about this guy's future. He seems the type of people who could easily get suckered by a loanshark.



Anyway, we don't have to go far to find the culprit.







The goods are likely hiding in his house. Sure, we could just KO him or drug him at night...





...but where's the sport in that?





...Not that there's much sport in kicking his ass. Sure is cathartic, though!



Don't know if I'll use it much, but might as well take it. Hell, Hikari has daggers as a Dancer so it might actually be decent for him!





Anyway, that takes care of that.



You've risked so much for me. The man who took them was a truly rotten scoundrel. I cannot thank you enough! If not for you, I would be out of business.





Short and simple.





Anyway, since I don't want to cut the update short, let's revisit a couple of towns. When I last explored Oresrush, I basically just had Temenos and Partitio, which limited what path actions I could do. Now, we can be more thorough.





For instance, we can find out this sketchy-looking man is simply a scavenger. Not the most glamorious of paths, but if it pays the bills, all the better.





It's hard to let go of your past sometimes.



This place is empty now. I guess with the Slaver dead, there's no one to manage the slave trade. Hooray, I guess?







Of course, Oresrush has a lot of dialogue specific to bartering with Partitio. Nothing too exciting of note to purchase/steal, but some decent beginner gear to fill a few gaps.





Eh, that approach works until it doesn't. Seems like when it does eventually end in disaster, it increases the chances that disaster is more intense and catastrophic.

Or maybe I'm just spouting nonsense so I can better transition to the next screenshots.





More sucking up to Partitio.



This guy still seems to have a job, for some reason.





To Giff's credit, he actually seems to be working hard these days. Maybe Partitio whipping his butt was the best thing that could've happened to Giff.



Unlike Partitio's former workers' coins, you can buy Giff's, and he even offers it at a deep discount.







Seriously, everyone loves Partitio here. For good reason, of course.





These kind of people are the backbone of any good town. The type that stand tall even when things are at their lowest, still living on with full optimism. If it weren't for people like her that kept trying, Oresrush may have become a distant memory.



This guy talks a lot about respecting horses, and you can see why here.





Unfortunately, Oresrush doesn't seem to have a lot of children, so this boy has to make his own entertainment.





Injuries suck, especially ones that may end your career.





Probably for the best.





It's never too late to start over.



You know what, Giff? I believe you.



We have a bit more time, so let's revisit Flamechurch and the cathedral there.

Flamechurch, Sacred Light





One of my favorite Octopath tropes is the generic NPC that actually used to be a highly-trained killer or specialized thief that pulled off a major heist but retired to a normal life after that. And if you find that sort of thing entertaining, then one of the coming towns will be a treat.



A nice knife upgrade, as well as this seemingly-useless Rosary. As you may expect, there is indeed a way to make this useful, though not yet.



These Herbs of Serenity are rare, since Castti uses them to "soothe" specific NPCs, namely those guarding treasure and houses. Best to grab them whenever we can.





Mindt is a bit of a role model among the younger clerics.





Free healthcare is a pretty nice bonus when you're a reckless youth. And hey, what better occupation for an adventurer than one where you can heal your own injuries?









I love these two girls are rivals for completely different reasons, and thus aren't actually competing against each other in anything.



Sometimes I have no idea why certain items cannot be stolen. This guy is really protective of his Bottled Nightmares.



Next up, the cathedral.





NPC is a former lawbreaker, take a drink.



One touch I love is that almost every NPC on this screen carries Candy. You'll see why in a moment.





Better late than never. It's nice that she's committed enough to rectifying her past behaviors to dedicate her prayers to her daughter-in-law. Of course, I'm sure the grandchild is a major factor in that...



This costs a ton, so having a guaranteed chance to steal a jam is massive, even if it just maxes BP and Latent Energy.





If you're wondering why everyone in this screen has Candy, well, now you know.





Even his Hidden Item is Candy.





We live in a world where the gods can grant blessings and allow the utilization of magic. I don't think an Isle of Illusions is a big stretch.





This kid has a surprisingly low 60% chance to Scrutinize, which may have to do with his partial deafness. His mother probably dedicates too much of her time in prayer when she should instead spend it with her son.





It's great to have hobbies, and always difficult when you first share them with others. Hell, I remember making three different attempts before I finally started my first Let's Play. I think it's worked out in the long run!





At this point, I think her son needs her guidance more than the gods'. Her son seems capable and self-sufficient, even if he can't hear well he seems like he can make it fine in this world. If anything, maybe she needs his guidance...?





Yeah, nothing like telling your confessions to the church's biggest gossip...





I bet the other clerics are thrilled to see her on every day of worship.





A hunter who is truly appreciative of the bounties allowed to him. He takes just what he needs, still pays respects for the lives he had to take to eat and clothe himself, and still offers what he can to the church.





Sometimes you don't need to be special in any aspect. As long as you're true to yourself and live the best life you can live, that's good enough to warrant being important.



I don't remember if I felt this way my first playthrough, but decent staves seem so hard to come by in the early game. I definitely appreciate the church graciously donating this to my thief.



Before I move to the night shift, I decide to take on this fellow guarding his apartment.





Yeah, I was wrong, Vengeful Blade's counterattacks do a good bit more damage than a regular attack. I'll probably be using this a decent bit in the mid-game, as it seems like a great tool for more physical bosses.





It seems similar to Hachimonjigri, so I'll keep the latter, since I don't think I can regain it.



Not gonna turn down a nice shield upgrade!





I forgot what I mugged from this guy, but it was good enough that I went to the effort to beat it outta him.





This cleric is too strong to really Coerce, but is very cheap to Bribe, which is why you should always weigh your options when doing path actions.

Anyway, kinda amusing that she dedicated her entire life to enjoying the smell of old books, but I've heard of crazier such examples, so...





Osvald somehow looks pretty badass with the Hunter animations, though it helps that despite being in prison he still kept himself in good shape. A future travel banter alludes that he thinks a good physique is as important as a healthy mind.





Yeah, makes you wonder how many people show up to midnight mass or whatever.



That's it for Flamechurch for now, again! Next time, we'll dive into a full-fledged Chapter 2, when Temenos visits Canalbrine to hunt for clues on the pontiff's murderer. It's about time we continued with that instead of recruiting a bunch of random people and then travel the world to mug everyone of their belongings!