It's time to do our first full Chapter 2, this time with Temenos, mainly due to him being our lead and also because we don't have to go anywhere new, just back to Canalbrine.
Video: The Second Victim
Torrent of Evil
And so we begin with an apothecary running in terror...
Urgh... Merciful gods...
Heh... And what do you want with my lord?
"...did suffer grievous wounds in the fight with the evil god Vide. And fell into eternal slumber."
All in the name...
Seaside Town
Just before the pontiff was murdered, someone met with him.
He may yet hold the clue I need to find the murderer.
Yeah, no need to build things up in these Chapter 2's. Our characters already have their goals, so might as well jump to the action. And the banters, of course.
Pontiff... Your death came all too soon...
Temenos...? Ah, Castti. Is everything all right? Oh, please don't mind me. I apologize for interrupting.
And so I must follow the trail of the theologian Lucian. Temenos, wait...
Suppressing your feelings only serves to put undue burden on your body. So might it not be best to leave more time to grieve? Thank you, Castti. I see it is not only your patients whom you heal...
As an apothecary, Castti has likely seen her fair share of deaths, so she knows too well the importance of proper grieving. Something that Temenos has been too distracted to do so far.
Unfortunately, that may have to wait even longer, as there's a commotion going on in the town.
Aw come on, just give us one look!
(The only way to close a case is to begin investigating. I'd better ask around and find out what happened.)For now, we just need to chat up the locals. Most of them talk about a mysterious incident that's shaking up this poor town.
But why has the Sacred Guard sealed off the area...?
How awful... I was a patient of his, too.The player's witnessed the murder so obviously that's no surprise to us, but why is the Sacred Guard here?
(Canalbrine's renowned apothecary's been killed by an unknown assailant.)
Gotta say, it's not easy being an apothecary in Canalbrine.
SILENCE
I bet you're hiding a weapon. I'll have you restrained! That sounds a touch aggressive...
Fortunately, a familiar face shows up just in time.
You needn't restrain him. I vouch for him.
Well, that worked out.
Was this your new post, in the end?
Though I'm glad I did. You were nearly wrongfully imprisoned!
Are you all right, Temenos? You look rather pale...Carefree Days
Nevertheless, a debt is a debt. I shall remember this... Haha. ...!
Do not dare say "fate," Temenos.
Temenos and Crick have such great chemistry together.
As we transition to another street of Canalbrine...
SILENCE
And anything with "night" in the title catches my eye of late.
The verse in the note the pontiff left behind.
By that logic, perhaps the pontiff meant to warn us against the threat that is Lucian.
No. Nothing at all...
Of course I do. These two cases share more than a bit of scripture. Go on... One of the townsfolk had a most curious story for me. Our ill-fated apothecary met in secret with a man mere days before his murder.
Wh-what!? The pontiff also met with Lucian just before he was murdered. I believe our theologian played a role in both incidents.
...!Alas, before we could continue on this path of deduction...
You want to buy a ticket, too? You can pay your respects to the goddess of the city! Apologies, but I am otherwise occupied. Feh! You're no fun!
A performance, amid all this chaos?
There's not a moment to lose! He must be stopped!
What are you waiting for? Another murder? There may well have been one already!
(Alas, with no further evidence or clues at hand...)
We've got our objective. Lucian has been connected with two murders, so he's as good a suspect as any.
This does seem to mirror Octopath Traveler 1, which had a similar plot where an ordinary-seeming merchant was meeting the city's high priest, but in reality was slowly poisoning him to death so he could overthrow the religion with his evil cult. It seems too simple for such a story to be happening twice...
Ah well, in the meantime, we've got a couple new banters. First:
Seaside Town
Perhaps we can spare a moment, sure.
Hoo...boy, that's better!
Aw, this ol' thing? Pops gave it to me. An' it gets mighty musty up there if I don't take it off every now 'n' then!
Huh? Somethin' the matter? You look like a detective what just solved a mystery! ......
Is that also your father's, or...?
Banters usually do one (or both) of two things: They either add a bit of context to the current story by getting more thoughts from the focal character, or they add character depth to the focal character and possibly the other character as well. However, sometimes banters are just fun goofs with no real consequence, and those are always nice for a change of pace.
Now for a more interesting one.
Don't you think you're a little too hard on Crick? Ah, do forgive me. His reactions are just so amusing that I got carried away...
Haha... You're a kind soul, Agnea.
That was your way of being kind to him!
...?
Temenos does genuinely like and respect Crick, which is why he gives him so much guff. He may mess with Crick a bit much, but it's because Crick is so innocent and noble-minded that he kinda needs to learn when not to trust others and when he needs to bend the rules a bit. Much like Agnea, in a way.
But yeah, Temenos also just loves messing with Crick for the hell of it. Hell, I can't really blame him.
This house was locked when we explored Canalbrine previously. Turns out it's Lucian's residence, which may explain the need of privacy.
Lucian? Are you there? I am from the Sacred Guard. I wish to have a word with you. No reply... As I thought.
What are you suggesting, Temenos?
Says the man who tells me we've not a moment to lose.
How dare you--!
Now, let's invite ourselves in.
Apprehension
...... How...could this be?
I very much doubt he is our killer now. Then who could it be? ......
That would be unwise, Crick. Let's have a look around before the Sacred Guard has its way with the place.
SILENCE
As head of the Sacred Guard, perhaps you should not intervene...
Understood. Forgive my impudence.
Never in all my days did I think I'd see the heroes of the scripture in the flesh. The matter at hand must be quite serious...
Oho... Temenos, no doubt. Seems the hound has a very keen nose.
Are you quite sure? We are simply carrying out the mission our lord gave us.
It seems the situation is serious enough that the head of the Sanctum Knights herself is here. Considering how well Temenos has gotten along with their non-Crick members so far, this can only end well...
Video: The Search for Evidence
You're far too hasty, Crick. Give me a moment to think. Y-yes, of course...
Hm? I've seen this before...
Doubt Is What I Do
It's time to search for clues.
Fortunately, they're all in plain sight. If you watch the video, you'll see the difficulty I have just moving to the clues to interact with them. Call it a skill issue.
Also, I really like the shadow effects in Detective Vision.
One thing my study has revealed is that, to a person,
they all bore the same tattoo:
The shape of the dais that carries the Sacred Flame.
---
What significance that holds, if any,
will surely reveal itself with further study.
The other discovery of note is this verse:
(But we don't yet know if it's related to the matter at hand.)So far, it seems Lucian was likely a good guy who knew what was going on, and managed to give the necessary warning to the Pontiff, which he managed to pass on to Temenos. It's likely the murderer who struck down Lucian was also who set up the Pontiff's murder...
But we need more clues first.
(A handbook on how to pray to the gods...)
If you're playing along at home, see if you can spot what Temenos is likely slowly realizing...
If you need help, there is still yet one more clue.
("Proper prayers bring good fortune.")
(Could this have any relation to the three victims we've found thus far?)Let's look at the connections and see where everything leads.
(It seems the killer is working their way backward through the order of prayers.)
And there's your answer.
SILENCE
Welcome back, Temenos.
What!? Are you sure? Is there a famous dancer in the city, Crick? A dancer? Erm...
I believe her name was Hermes, and she was to dance at the tavern, or something of the sort? Ah, yes... Well remembered.
We must hurry!
We know the killer's next target, so if we attend the show, we should be able to find the killer and stop them before they strike again.
We need to hurry...after some banter.
That's quite an ominous statement.
There's blood everywhere. They left a trace. Which means they lacked the skill to kill their target instantly.
...... What's the matter, Temenos?
Heh. Is that a challenge, Detective?
There's a level of respect and even growing friendship between Temenos and Throné. Both are skilled at what they do, and both know how talented the other is. We'll actually see this a bit more fairly soon...
...but for now, this is a good as place to end the update.
Next time, Temenos and Crick hunt down the mysterious killer and hopefully apprehend them...
