ToSS Rewrite

Quiz Start: Hours passed at sea. The slow rocking of the boat eventually had Raine throwing up over one side of the ship, Genis at her side patting her back. Your headache dimmed an hour into the journey, though it refused to go away entirely.
The ship coasted into port in front of Palmacosta, the great city looking even bigger when you compared it to Izoold. Many of the boats in port were three times the size of Max's little fishing boat.
"We're here." Max announced, tying off the boat. Lloyd hopped off first and offered a hand to help everyone else. Raine was still shaky on her feet, and she seemed grateful to be off the small craft.
"Thanks again, Max," Lloyd said. "What are you going to do now?"
Max scratched the back of his neck. "I'll request an escort from a Palmacosta warship or something... Well, take care."
"Sorry for making you take us all the way out here. Be careful on your way back."
"You, too." Lloyd turned towards all of you. "Now?"
"Let's look for clues about the next seal," you say. "There's bound to be something around here."
"I would suggest the Church of Martel Chapel or the Palmacosta Academy," Raine said. "The Chapel has the Legend of Spiritua, which is a record of the Chosen's journey. The Palmacota Academy might have uncovered a seal on a research outing."
"We'll have to ask around to find them, I think. This city is so big," you say.

Your group crossed a stone bridge that connected the port to the city proper, and as you stepped out into the main street Colette stumbled and fell into a woman. They both collapsed with a shout, a bottle tumbling out of the woman's arms and shattering on the ground, spilling thick, pink potion everywhere.
"...There she goes again." Genis sighed
"Owww! What did you do that for?!" The woman demanded.
"Oh, I'm sorry," Colette said as they both got to their feet again.
"Ahh! The Palma Potion!" She said, looking at the broken potion. "We just got that!"
"Hey lady," said one of the woman's companions, a man wearing heavy armor. "That was a very valuable potion! How are you planning on making up for this?"
"It was just a potion, wasn't it?" you say. "They're replaceable."
"What did..." He trailed off and then grinned in a way that looked rather silly. "Hello, lovely."
You blink. "W...What did you say?"
"What do you think you're doing?" The woman Colette bumped into demanded. He stepped over the potion and took your hand.
"What's a lady like you doing with these losers?"
"What did you say?" Lloyd demanded.
"...Please let go." You sigh.
"Hey, we're pretty famous people, you know."
Your headache was getting worse, causing your agitation to grow faster than you thought it would. "That's nice."
"Don't be so-- Ow!" Kratos grabbed his wrist, squeezing so tightly his hand started to go pale.
"I believe she asked you to let go." The man dropped your hand with a yelp and Kratos released his wrist. He rushed back to his friends, rubbing his growing bruises
"Everyone please calm down," Colette said. "I'll buy a replacement potion. Will that make up for it?"
Replacement potion?! Do you seriously think that's going to be enough to appease my anger?" The man exclaimed. "Especially with what that big lug did to me!"
"..." Kratos merely scowled at him.
"Oh come on, now you just sound like an idiot," Lloyd said.
"What-did-you-say?! Do you know who we are?!"
"And we should care because...?" The twin swordsman taunted.
"Why, you little..."
"Stop," the woman behind them ordered. She was dressed in light blue, wearing a witch's hat and matching cloak. "I'd like to leave here as soon as we can. Don't start any unnecessary trouble."
"I agree," said the woman who Colette bumped into. "Let's just have them replace the potion."
The armor-wearing man scoffed, folding his arms. "Bah. You got off lucky this time, kid. Hurry up and go buy that potion."
"There's no need to bother, Colette!" Lloyd said.
"No. I ran into them, so I have to pay for it..." Colette insisted gently.
The swordsman sighed. "...Fine. All right."
"We'll wait here." The woman in blue said as they moved to the side of the road.

You all turn and head into the center of town, unsure where to buy a replacement potion.
"Some people, I swear..." You mutter, rubbing your temples. "Thank you for earlier, Kratos."
He shrugged one shoulder. "It's no trouble."
"So where are we supposed to find this stupid potion?" Lloyd grumbled.
"Probably at a general store?" Genis suggested. "This place is so big, though..."
The first shop you went into, resembling more of a restaurant or winery than a general store, was sold out. However she did point you towards another shop a few doors down. The sign above the door read 'Marble's' and it made you wince.
Inside you were shocked to find two Desians arguing with a young shopkeeper.
"Oh, please!" She exclaimed. "There's no way anyone would sell those to you at a price that low!"
"You should be thankful we're even willing to spend money for goods from a rundown shack like this," one of the Desians growled at her.
"I don't need to hear that from a bunch of filthy Desians!" You stare between her and the Desians, wondering where she got the courage to stand up to them like that. Most people you'd ever met would have cowered and stood aside. "I'm not going to sell one single gel to the likes of you!"
"Chocolat, stop!" The older woman at the other end of the counter exclaimed. The two resembled one another, and you assumed they were mother and daughter.
Kratos's hand wrapped around your wrist and he pulled you back, shifting so that you were mostly hidden behind him. He dragged Lloyd back by the shoulder, putting him between you and the door, and silenced his questions with a firm look when the boy glanced back. Raine pulled Colette closer and moved her further away from the Desians.
"But mom, these are the same monsters that took Grandma away!" The younger girl, Chocolat, argued.
"You've got some nerve talking to us like that, little girl!" The first Desian spat at her. "You keep that up, and we can't guarantee what'll happen to you or this city."
"Just try it!" She shot back confidently. "As long as Governor-General Dorr is around, we'll never submit to the likes of you!"
"You little--" He started to raise his whip.
"Stop," his partner ordered. "We'll exceed our quota for this year. "We need permission from Lord Magnius to go any further."
The name 'Magnius' brought to mind an image of a large, muscular half elf with a scarred face and thick, red dreadlocks. You remembered a short temper and bad attitude similar to the armor-wearing man that had taunted Lloyd earlier, and suddenly felt very uneasy about the fate of this little shop...
"Humph."
"Depending on Lord Magnius' mood, you might or might not get to keep that pretty little head of yours!" The second told Chocolat. They turned for the door, staring down all of you. You stayed hidden behind the Mercenary as everyone else feigned disinterest. They passed all of you and left the store without any further incident.
"Well then," the younger girl said, suddenly cheerful. "I'm off to work now, mom."
"Take care," the other woman said, sounding weary. She didn't seem to have the same nerve as her daughter when it came to dealing with Desians. The woman looked to all of you as Chocolat left and you moved from behind Kratos. "I apologize for what happened. I'm sure you were startled. Please, relax and take a look around."
"We need to buy a Palma Potion," Lloyd said, approaching the counter. "Do you have one?" While the woman negotiated with Lloyd about the price Colette, Genis and Raine talked about 'Governor-General Dorr'. Raine suggested you seek him out and speak with him.
"You're being very quiet." Kratos commented over his shoulder.
"Hm? Ah... I have a headache," you say. "The one from last night never went away, and I didn't sleep well. I'm not really in a talking mood."
"Thank you," Lloyd said.
"Please come again." The woman, who'd introduced herself as Cacao, bowed slightly.
As you left the shop Colette turned to return to the people from earlier, while Raine turned the other way. "Professor?"
"Those fools by the docks can wait a bit longer," she said. She pointed to a tall building way at the end of the street, "There's the Martel Cathedral. Let's go there and ask the priests for any advice they could give us. We can return the Palma Potion afterwards."
Lloyd grinned. "Y-yeah! Let's do that!"
"You're just trying to make them mad," Genis said.
"Shut up, Genis!"

The main street ended in a large, open square, bordered on every side by large buildings. The Martel Cathedral's high dome was easily distinguished from the other two buildings, one of which had a sign that read 'Governor's Residence' and the other with 'Palmacosta Academy'.
An older blonde man and young girl were speaking with a boy at the end of the bridge into the square.
"Governor-General Dorr! Dad was taken away to the Ranch and hasn't come back, even though I've been a good boy!" he said tearfully.
"Hang on just a little longer," the man told him patiently. "I promised, remember? I'll save everyone who's been taken away to the Ranch."
"But... I'm lonely..."
"Don't worry," the little girl at his side said. "Father is a friend of everyone in this city. My mom died of an illness, but your father should still be alive. I'm sure he'll come back."
"...Really?"
"Yes. They were all taken away because they fought back against the Desians. I swear I'll rescue them," Dorr said.
"...Okay." The little boy clenched his fists in a determined sort of fashion. "I'll wait for dad to come back."
"Good boy." Dorr glanced at the little girl. "Let's go, Kilia."
"Yes, father." They retreated into the building marked 'Governor's Residence'.
"Was that the Governor-General?" Lloyd asked.
"Yes," said a man who overheard his question. "Governor-General Dorr. He's recruiting soldiers and resisting the Desians. He's a wonderful man."
The woman next to him spoke up. "After losing his wife to an illness he raised his daughter, Kilia, all by himself."
"As long as Governor-General Dorr is here, we won't submit to the Desians," the man said firmly. "We believe in him."
"The people of this city are all so strong..." Colette said softly.
"That Dorr person must be a great man." Lloyd agreed as you all moved across the square and into the cathedral. The cathedral was a huge, elegant and simple building, people milling around quietly or kneeling in prayer inside.
"Oh? Hey, it's Chocolat," you say, glancing to your right.
"This must be what she meant when she said she was going to work," Lloyd said. "Looks like she's a pilgrimage guide."
"Ha! That pastor!" Colette said happily. She pranced to the front of the church and you all quickly follow.
"Oh, Chosen One!" The pastor greeted fondly. "Do you remember me? I'm Marche. I trained as a priest at the Martel Temple."
"Of course I remember you," Colette said with a grin. "It's so nice to see you again. So you've become a pastor now."
"Yes. Ever since the Tower of Salvation appeared, I have eagerly awaited the arrival of the Chosen. The legend of Spiritua will surely be of use to you."
"Spiritua gave her first sermon here, right?" the Chosen asked.
"Yes, that is correct. The legend of the world regeneration from that time was written down in the Book of Regeneration and was given to the royal family. It contains a record of the location of every seal."
"That's it! We won't have any trouble finding the seals if we have that!" Genis said happily.
"And where is the Book of Regeneration?" Raine asked.
"It's currently being held by Governor-General Dorr," Pastor Marche said.
"Thank you. We'll go see him right away," Colette said.
You laugh lightly. "Looks like those guys will have to wait a little longer still."
"Let 'em." Lloyd grinned.
Outside Colette paused on the stairs. "What should we do? Shall we just go looking for the seals using Remiel's words as clues?" She looked at you and smiled. "And whatever you remember, too."
"Eh..." You smile weakly. "Getting back my memory is faulty at best... Who knows if I'll actually be able to help anymore? For all I know the Fire Seal was just a fluke."
"Yes, I think we would be better off getting a hold of the book of Regeneration," Raine said.
"Raine, you know you're more interested in that book itself than in the location of the seals," Genis scolded, earning a scowl from his sister.
"Then let's go see the Governor-General." Lloyd suggested.
"I agree," Kratos said.

The guards outside of the Governor's residence weren't surprised to see you approach, nor did they have a problem letting you inside.
"Greetings, travelers!" Dorr said as you approached his desk. "We welcome travelers, as per the teachings of Martel. May the blessings of Martel be upon those who journey."
"Ah, thanks," Lloyd said. "Actually we're looking for something called the 'Booklet of Regeneration'. Pastor Marche at the church said that it was here."
"What the?" Genis muttered. "It's the Book of Regeneration, dummy!"
"I...I knew that," Lloyd said over his shoulder, then turned back to Dorr. "Yeah, what he said."
"The Book of Regeneration?" Dorr asked, recognition in his voice. "Yes, that's our family treasure. But what of it?"
"We want you to lend it to us," Lloyd said.
"What an insolent request..." The man standing near Dorr, his assistant, muttered.
You sigh. "Governor-General Dorr, I apologize...that was rude. Colette is the Chosen One. We were hoping you would lend us the Book of Regeneration because it would make her journey to release the seals of this land a lot easier."
"Yes. We are aiding the Chosen on her journey." Raine agreed, shooting Lloyd a look. "For the sake of the future of our world, we wish to learn the path followed by Spiritua."
Dorr's assistant gasped, and then looked at the Governor. "...Governor-General Dorr."
"Yes..." Dorr said, his expression darkening. "The Chosen was just here moments ago! How dare you defile that name! These despicable criminals must be arrested and turned over to the church at once! Guards!"
The guards from outside come in, weapons ready, and more streamed down from the stairs to the left of the entrance
"No, wait!" You start.
"We can exp--" Colette spun back to talk to the advancing guards but her feet went from under her and she fell onto the floor. The impact caused her wings to burst from her back, making you jump and feel suddenly worried. Could your wings appear that easily?
"Wow! Father, did you see?!" Kilia exclaimed. "She has wings! She's like an angel! They're beautiful!"
"W...Wait! Everyone, lower your weapons," Dorr's assistant yelled. "This person before us is without a doubt the Chosen of Mana!"
"Colette's clumsiness is blessed, it seems." Kratos mumbled as the guards retreated, many of them turning to stare at Colette's wings as they did so. Colette quickly pulled her wings back in, brushing herself off and looking thoroughly embarrassed.
"There is no mistaking those angel wings!" He said. "Please forgive our insolence, Chosen One."
"Ah, um, please, it's okay." Colette stammered. "Um, um...It's all right, really. Everyone tells me I'm not very Chosen-like at all."
"But this means..." Dorr muttered. "The Chosen we gave the Book of Regeneration to was an imposter?!"
"...Wait a minute. You said something about the Chosen coming here already," Lloyd said.
"You handed over the Book of Regeneration?" Kratos questioned flatly.
Dorr seemed flustered. "Earlier the Chosen of Mana came and asked us to give her the Book of Regeneration."
"We had received information that the Chosen's group was headed this way," his assistant said. "So we naturally thought that they were them..."
You shake your head and sigh. Imposters... Of course there were imposters...
"Are you stupid or something?!" Genis exclaimed. "Now what are we supposed to do?!"
"I am terribly sorry..." Dorr's assistant said weakly.
"I can't believe this!" The fuss Genis was throwing about this book was certainly a surprise... The way his voice was rising made your headache grow a little sharper and you winced. You'd never seen him so worked up before. "Do you use your eyes at all, or are they just there for decoration? You humans are--" Raine spun back in an instant and slapped him. "Ow!"
"Genis, that's enough!" She snapped, her voice hard and cold.
"You don't happen to remember the contents of that whatever-it's-called book, do you?" Lloyd asked.
"I'm afraid not..." Dorr said. "It is, after all, written in the language of the angels, so only members of the church can read it."
Lloyd sighed. "I guess we don't have any choice but to search for the seals ourselves..."
Kratos shook his head. "Well then, let us go."

You all glumly walk back across the city, wondering amongst yourselves how to find the seals without any guidance. Remiel's words were more than vague, only giving you a general direction to go.
"I can't believe someone's pretending to be Colette!" Lloyd exclaimed, angrier than the rest of you.
"Yes, this is trouble we didn't need." Raine agreed.
Colette giggled. "Hehehe, someone pretending to be me... I feel like a famous celebrity or something."
Lloyd sighed. "Hey, Colette, you are famous! The entire world has its eyes on you!"
"Oh yeah, that's right. It still doesn't quite feel real, you know?" She said.
"Oh brother. Are we going to be okay at this rate?" You all found that group of people waiting where they said they would be. The man that had hit on you earlier was tapping one foot loudly.
Lloyd stuck out his hand, the Palma Potion clutched in it. "...Here."
"All right then." The man snatched it from him. "Looks like you're good little boys and girls after all. Just make sure you learn your lesson and don't mess with us again."
"Yes, I'll be careful," Colette said.
"Colette..." You sigh.
"Come on, we're leaving!" The woman in light blue insisted.
"I have to say, That Governor-General Dorr sure was trusting," the woman Colette bumped into commented offhandedly. "It's hard to believe he just gave us his family treasure like that."
"So what are we going to do with that, anyway?" The last member of their group asked.
"You're an idiot," the armor-wearer told him. "We don't have any use for that thing. We're just going to sell it to that geezer on Hakonesia Peak who collects old junk."
Wait...Didn't Dorr mention his family treasure to you?
"Now, let's go!" The four of them turned and left, quickly disappearing around a corner.
"Hehe, sorry for getting us into trouble," Colette said.
You finally realized... "Wait..."
"What is it?" Lloyd asked.
"They said they had Governor-General Dorr's family treasure," you say. "Didn't Dorr say the Book of Regeneration was his family treasure?"
"Yeah, I heard that, too," Lloyd said. "Do you think those people might have been..."
"...Indeed," Kratos said, not at all concerned. "One would presume that they're the imposters."
"How can you sound so relaxed about this!" Lloyd demanded. "Why didn't you say something earlier?!"
"I thought you were simply giving them so rope so you could follow them and reel them in later." He glanced between you and Lloyd. "Was that not why you let them go?"
"...What?" Lloyd stuttered. "Ah...um...Yeah of course! Yep, that's the plan." Lloyd looked at you. "Right Aura?"
"I..." You sigh and rub your temples with both hands "This stupid headache... If I can't even catch something so blatantly obvious then it really is becoming a problem."
"I guess I was wrong," Kratos said, dubiously.
"...So it would seem," Raine agreed.
"What? Those people were our imposters?" Colette asked, turning to Raine.
"Wow, I can't believe you didn't catch that, Aura!" Genis exclaimed.
"I didn't hear you say anything, Genis." You comment.
"Huh?" The little elf flushed. "Oh... I, uh..."
"I wonder where they went," Colette said.
The Mercenary said, "They mentioned Hakonesia Peak."
"Yes...They mentioned selling it," You say. "Hakonesia Peak... It's to the north. It's another pass, like Ossa Trail."
"Dammit!" Lloyd cursed, "Then let's go! After them!"
"Aura, if your headache is truly interfering perhaps you should use your healing artes to cure it, rather than wait it out." Raine asked.
"They never help," you say glumly. "Sometimes I think the exertion just makes them worse. Usually they don't last this long, though... Hopefully it'll go away soon so I can think clearly again."

You all set off out of town, pausing for a brief moment at the last second to get supplies for the trip, then head north along the road. Lloyd walked at the front, fuming while Colette and Genis walked just behind him. You walked at the back of the group with Kratos, still waiting for your headache to end.
"Dammit, those guys really piss me off!" Lloyd exclaimed from up front.
"You mean the imposters, right?" Genis asked. "I know, I'm really mad too!"
"Right? Colette's the one trying to save the world!"
"Huh?" the blonde perked up.
"Doesn’t it make you mad, Colette?" Lloyd asked.
"Hmm, well I think if there are lots of Chosens, the odds of the world being saved go up. That would be a good thing!"
You sigh good naturedly at Colette's naïve attitude, and then look at the Mercenary. "...Well?"
"Well what?" he asked.
"I was expecting you to reprimand Lloyd and I for letting something so obvious slip past us," you say. "The way they told us that they had Dorr's treasure, we should have known right then who they were and stopped them."
"Humph, is that what you think of me, then?" He asked, rubbing his forehead
"I think you want us to improve," you say. "You expect a lot of us, and I understand why... This is a journey to save the world, not a vacation."
"That's correct."
"Lloyd and Genis have never left their village before, let alone battled for their lives. This is an enormous responsibility on all of us."
Kratos looked at you for a long moment, seeming surprised by your understanding. "...I should have known better of Lloyd. And you were distracted, which I also knew. I should have taken matters into my own hands, rather than letting them play out."
You smile good naturedly, tilting your head to one side. "Somehow I feel like that's not all."
"It's not, no," he said. "You need to learn to put distractions aside and focus, no matter what they might be. The next thing you miss might be much more severe than just a slip of the tongue, and you might not have your friends to catch your mistake."

Night fell before the House of Salvation, something of a halfway-point to Hakoneshia Peak, was even in sight. Lloyd tried to suggest pressing on through the night, but when a light drizzle started he lost the conviction.
As you wandered from the road Lloyd pointed towards a copse of trees. "Hey, look! Nova's caravan."
"Who?" Colette asked.
"They let us stay with them after Iselia," Lloyd said. "Maybe they'll let us stay again?"
"Safety in numbers, I suppose," Raine said.
"But...Man, those guys are just going to keep gaining ground on us." Lloyd muttered.
"Not in this weather, or at night," Raine said. "I bet they've stopped at the House of Salvation for the night. We should be able to catch up to them tomorrow."
"And maybe my headache will be gone by then, too," you say. You found caravan in a clearing amongst the trees, waterproof tarps spread out from it to create dry patches of land. Two men and one child waited under the tarps.
"Who are you?" The younger man called.
"Who are you?" The child echoed.
"Oh, my, we don't get visitors very often," the older man said. "My name is Nova. May I help you?"
"Sorry to disturb you. We were looking for a place out of the rain to spend the night," Lloyd said. "Are you in the middle of a pilgrimage?"
"We are traveling while studying the animals of the world," Nova said. "I'm a zoologist."
"Really? That's a weird thing to do in these dangerous times..." Lloyd said. Raine slapped him in the back of the head. "Ow!"
"Traveling the world in pursuit of knowledge...that's wonderful!" The professor exclaimed.
Nova laughed good-naturedly. "Hah hah hah. I just like seeing all sorts of rare animals."
"We even saw a giant glowing bird!" The child, a little girl, exclaimed.
"Glowing bird?" Lloyd asked.
"...That may have been Aska, the Summon Spirit of Light," Raine said.
"Aska..." You mumble.
"Really? That bird is a Summon Spirit?" Nova asked. "I see... That would explain why it's a species I've never seen before."
"Say, tell us about the time you saw it," Lloyd said.
"The information might come in handy," Genis agreed. "And besides, I want to hear the story."
"How about I tell it while we all get settled in?" Nova said. "You're all welcome to stay here. We were about to start cooking."