I've beaten Dragon Quest. I've finished Dragon Quest III. It's time to end this trilogy where it only makes sense: the beginning!
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"I am a watcher. I always have been, and I always will be. My name is Cid, and I'm a mage apprentice who has roamed the Kingdom of Aliahan. This kingdom once ruled over the world, but their power has slowly waned over the years, and they're now content to exist in their isolated area of the globe. Our current history involves a warrior named Ortega. He left his home to fight against the new archfiend, Baramos. But he's yet to return home, and Baramos' power grows. Rumor has it he fell into a volcano. But our story begins on February 5th. [year redacted]. It was the child of Ortega's sixteenth birthday.
Just past noon, Arusu entered Rudia's Pub. We have been on call because the King ordered all able bodied warriors to meet here in preparation for her. Many were shocked to learn this Arusu was a girl. A girl who was late... I didn't know at the time why, but Arusu didn't want to be here. She spoke of a dream she had last night, where an unnamed goddess tested her. She wasn't sure what any of it meant, and none of the people waiting for her cared. But she came to this pub to recruit the group that would help her.
Arusu's father is the fabled Ortega. The King asked this young girl, who's the same age as me, to fill her father's shoes. She was going to lead the charge against Baramos. Three of us jumped to join her ranks, but she saw through them. They seemed fine to me, but Arusu picked three others. The first she saw was a hulking man named Tryton. He's a warrior who is never far from his sword or mirror. For all his strength, he's a very vain man.
Coincidentally, the next to join the squad was Tryton's wife, Cordy. She's a priest and is supposed to heal everyone, but she's pretty reliable with a sword. Despite that, she seemed pretty helpless for a while.
And, finally, she picked me. I understand the first two, but I didn't figure out why I was chosen. There was less hesitation towards me than anyone else. Maybe she saw my smartness?
Most of the others went home, but a fighter named Drew, his "merchant" brother, Xander, and a thief named Jessica promised to hang around if it didn't work out with Arusu's first three picks.
And so the group began their journey. The chancellor alluded to us needing the Thieves Key, which a prisoner said was on the island west of the Aliahan. But we couldn't figure out how to get there! It took a few days as we tried to come up with some teamwork strategies. Either that or our great leader was just so lazy and didn't want to travel far. After two days, we found a cave across the lake. It was surprisingly webbed and vast. An alternate exit took us north of the mountains near Reeve. Despite our training, we still lacked funds, but entering these caves seemed to give Arusu a sense of wanderlust. Eventually, we found another exit, one right under the Najimi Tower.
It was another sprawling area with multiple ways up. But one was the correct path. Each branch quickly led to a dead end or something of value. We ended up at a large red door that could only be opened with the key we sought. So we went down to try another path. We entered a room where a wise man waited for us. He knew of Arusu and the journey she was starting and gave her the Thieves Key. This key opens any red door in the world, and we utilized it to raid the castle. They seemed cool with it. We found an item that Tryton took a liking to. He became more valiant afterwards.
Our next stop was the village of Reeve. We found a book that may have changed our hero's outlook on life. After reading it, she seemed more...of a jock. A house there is home to another wise man who knew Arusu could use some help. He gave us a Magic Ball and told us it could break the seal on the Traveler's Door to the east. After passing a shrine, we entered the Cave of Enticement. Arusu used the Magic Ball, and we learned the magic in it is to explode. It was a bomb! Breaking the seal meant blowing up a wall. There was a World Map on the otherside, and the path forward was a tight maze. We found a dagger down here, which was much better than the stick I've been using. Everyone else has a sword, so I've felt left behind. Regardless, the Traveler's Door is at the top, so we avoided the pitfalls. We stepped onto the magic orb and were instantly teleported to a far off location.
Romaly was the closest castle. The King told us more about Baramos, but they have more issues with a stolen crown. After checking the shops and libraries, Cordy had a change of heart. It was still early in our journey, but she had begun to see herself as more vital to this operation than expected. Between Arusu's foolhardy tactics, Tryton's simple minded attacks, and my low vitality, she's been doing a wonderful job of keeping us alive. She's learned a lot, and she's definitely sharper than before. We explored the country and found the village of Khoryv. We didn't stay long as we'd been finding these strange trinkets called mini medals. There's a being who lives in the well of Aliahan who rewards those who bring him those medals, so we returned home and did so. Our reward was a garter belt. I...I don't know why, but knowing Arusu has that makes her...sexy. It was at this point I fell into the human entrapment, but I didn't make those feelings known."
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It's a second person diary entry!
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