Bladeberry: Knight in Training

Season 2 Chapter 1 | Bladeberry: Knight in Training is a story segment in Echoes of Mana.

Storyline
With Nona and Diospyros at their side, the party is teleported in a desolate version of Pinzton with no inhabitant in sight. The Mana Goddess Nona tells the group of her sister Dema's False Tree being born in their Hollow World to create a new Great Sanctuary. She is barely able to tied all their memories together as she felt his place was closest to their hearts. The team is sent back to the Mana Sanctuary, where the goddess entrust the harvester to search for their friends scattered in the echoes. Their first step is to find a scrap of their Hollow World's memories. Diospyros decides to part ways for now, as he is off to an echo where False Tree roots pose a looming threat. Baashear bemoans the fact that everyone seems to have a special mission except him. Mousseline teases him by telling he wasn't cut for it anyways, telling the fluffball she'll be assisting the protagonist in his place. Nona bids the duo farewell while she and Baashear watch as the harvester picks a fruit from the holy tree.

The protagonist and Mousseline are quickly wisked away into the echo, where they are reunited with Sumo and Fuji. The Mana Knight is glad to see his old friend is safe, tough he has trouble remembering the last time he met them. Sumo tells the group he's going to escort the maiden to Wendel. He adds that Duffle has been trying to become an apprentice knight under a grouchy old man living near the waterfall. The duo decides to lead the harvester and Mousseline to the man's lair.

The party stumbles on a giant yellow bird in the middle of the steppe. Mousseline claims she's neven seen anything like it, but Fuji identifes it as a chocobo. She adds that they are one the verge of extinction and are a rare sight these days. The large fowl dashes away from the team, right before Sumo gets to see it. He confides in wishing he would ride such a creature one day.

Finally arriving at the cabin, Sumo and Fuji must go their separate ways to Wendel, leaving the harvester and Mousseline alone. The faerie comments on them leaving in such a hurry, hinting at the old man's grouchy character. Upon entering, the party is faced with a rather cranky elder who adamantly refuses talking, but Duffle eagerly greet them with her usual enthusiasm. Mousseline introduces herself and tells the lively friend that Baashear has been taking it easy for a while. Duffle asks them if they heard the rumor about Sire Bogard's apprenticeship and wanted to becoe squire too, but Mousseline is puzzled as why she doesn't seem to want to go back in Pinzton. The young squire confused by that remark, telling she's yet to learn the legendary knight's secret technique. Bogard interrupts them, saying this is no place for children, urging the travellers to take Duffle with them. The young lady is having none of it, claiming she's not leaving until he shares his combat techniques with her. He replies she should rather learn the basics and train outside since he already disclosed he training task for today. She agrees and go in the back of the cabin before heading outside with her friends. The faerie notices Duffle's inability to remember her hometown, guessing the original echo's memories is fading away. They cannot go back there until she remembers, unfortunately.

The trio decides to train together in the Forbidden Abandoned Mine, where Duffle explains that the goal is to reach the deepest part of the cave. Mousseline remarks that this may be not a real training task as the old man seemed pretty eager to get rid of her back in his cabin. The young squire is undisturbed by it, saying this ordeal will surely unlock some kind of deep knowledge necessary for training. She still advise her comrades to be careful, as she never explored the mine before.

Deeper into the structure, Duffle notices the legendary blade the harvester is wielding and congratulates them for finding such a rare aquisition. She changes her tone upon seeing the frown on their face, thinking there might be something she isn't aware of. She continues to look a the silver lining by claming them finding the Mana Sword makes her wanting to be as triumphant. The party then continues its exploration.

They eventually stumble on an empty minecart, with Duffle commenting on its size being enough for all three of them to fit inside. They hop aboard while Duffle wondering where those tracks are leading to. Mousseline points out her friend's inability to stick to her own principles by insisting they don't touch anything while she eagerly inspects the minecart. The young squire tries to cheer up her faerie friend telling her this is gone to be the best ride of their life. Mousseline gives in an the party continue their adventure.

Even further in, Duffle comments on this place probably being the deepest part of the mine. She gleefully says that she completed her mission and asks the protagonist if she should mark her feat in stone as proof. Mousseline asks her if she unlocked her deep knowledge by reaching this room, but Duffle replies she hasn't learned anything at all today. The faerie then quips that great stories of warriors don't recount their weapon training, study, and joyriding through an abandoned mine. The young lady agrees, saying that the adventure are meant to be fun.

The party heads back all the way to the cabin, with Duffle proudly claming to Bogard she completed her training for today. The old man coldly rains on her parade, saying trainings are meant to be completed, while Mousseline confides in the harvester about his voice being tired from yelling all the time. The old coot urges the group to eat up since he made more than enough for him. After the supper, Duffle asks her mentor if he is about to teach her a Gemma Knight technique tomorrow. Bogard replies by asking her why she's so eager to be stronger and if she truly believes protecting the harvester is was is meant to be a knight. Duffle reveals that she has an older brother that she considered to be a friend of the same age despite the gap. During a one-on-one training, she accidently sent him into the sky by showing him her new tornado technique. Despite him being weaker than her, he was always full of confidence and never showed his pain. One day, he announced that he was going on a journey to serve as a real knight. Unfortunately, his clumsiness led him to plummet down a cliff and Duffle never saw him again. Obviously, her family objected her becoming a knight just like him, telling her to stay in town. From Duffle's perspective, he really became a knight, despite everyone calling him a failure. She can't help but thinking she want to follow his path and become a knight. She also considers the protagonist to be the Mana Swordsman. Despite not making complete sense to Bogard, he aknowledges her determination and the fact she's put some thought into it. He still thinks she's got a long way ahead before claming knighthood. This makes Duffle remembering about Honeycomb, realizing she's not from here and she ought to go back to where she belongs. Bogard then declares her training is complete and that she can leave tomorrow.

The team gathers up outside the day after for goodbyes, but Bogard draws it sword and swings it towards Duffle. Confused, the girl ask her mentor if he is mad because she is leaving, but the old man explains that thanks to her, the world has known she is her squire. He would be ashamed if people start to think she exemplifies his teachings. He asks his young squire to spar with him one final time before departing, to which she gladly accepts. After an unconvincing start, Duffle tries to track her mentor's movements, but is astonished to discover that Bogard disapproves her combat style, regarding it as 'full of wasteful emotions'. Duffle chuckles at his remark, saying he acts a little like Honeycomb. Before he can fully reply to her, an earthquake is felt in the steppe, with Mousseline altering the harvester that the roots are starting to creep into this echo. THe gang decides to investigate the rumbling source.

Mousseline tells the protagonist she can guide them toward the roots, but she can only know the direction. Bogard assumes the leading position stating he cannot let a bunch of children to deal with this alone. The source seems to point toward an area where Sumo once stood.

The party eventually reach the Glaive Castle arena, where they are greeted by a mysterious black knight who Bogard immediately recognizes as the Dark Lord. The old man claims he's known for enslaving people for his own amusement. The evil man summons a humongous beast for the party to fight.

Seeing the party vanquishing the Jackal makes the Dark Lord itching for a rematch. Another figure called the Masked Dark Lord appears next to him, inviting the fighters to battle them together. Duffle comments on them being remarkably alike, to which the two dark lords respond by telling they are the same individual but from different memories. They have only one goal, to use the power of the root to wipe out the Mana Tree of their land. According to the Masked Dark Lord, the law of Mana is madness, a simple heresy forcing people to offer themselves as sacrifice. The two parties then engage into a deadly battle. The harvester's team emerges as victorious, leaving the former Dark Lord to revert back to his original plan to claim the power of Mana for himself. The Masked Mana Lord declares that is the laws of Mana were rewritten, all the tragedies born from the Mana Tree would be erased. All the Mana Clan members sacrificed to transform in the Mana Tree would be saved. He then asks Bogard if he would wish the same for the one he once loved. The old man dismisses the question, replying that he has no say in his former love's sacrifice. The Masked Dark Lord calls him stubborn, before vanishing into a blinding light.

Despite the Dark Lord threat gone, a giant root looms toward the party, prompting Mousseline to ask for the player character to swing its Mana Sword at it to protect this echo. Bogard agrees with the faerie, stating the memories of the Mana Trees should be upheld. The havester slashes the root, making the world revert back to normal. Duffle and Mousseline are amazed at the result, with the latter creating a portal for the party to return back to the Mana Sanctuary. Duffle seems a big sad to leave her mentor, but is determined to serve the harvester as their knight.

Objectives
Note: All stats are under normal difficulty.

Trivia

 * The scene in At a Waterfall Cabin when the protagonist enters Bogard's Cabin and is met with a rude welcoming is quite similar to Bogard's introduction in Adventures of Mana.
 * Bladeberry is a mashup of "blade" and "berry". The fruit, however, resembles the head of a spear, a hint that Duffle, who prefers lances, was sent here.