#Vuscav The Ferry

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https://www.fogaminghub.com/post/follow-vuscav-navigate-the-ocean-in-visions-of-mana-s-chapter-4

🌊✨ Follow Vuscav in Visions of Mana Chapter 4! After losing Hinna, Val and the Alms venture across the ocean to reclaim her corestone. Get ready to summon Vuscav with your Ferry Flute and explore an ocean full of secrets and battles!

[theshatteredrose]

Fighting For You (Chapter 1) - Trials of Mana Fanfiction

Summary: Ever since stepping into Moonlight Town Mintas, Duran has been plagued with dreams of shadows and whispering voices that leaves his companions worried. When they learn that numerous swordsmen have disappeared under mysterious circumstances, Hawkeye and Kevin fear that Duran will be next. Duran, however, wants to get to the bottom of it…

Pairings: Eventual Hawkeye/Duran

AN: What am I doing? I have no idea, but I’m having fun all the same~ First chapter is kinda short, but the following chapters will definitely be longer. 

Also, a quick note before we begin. All italic words within quotation marks mean that the Elementals/Faerie are speaking with Duran telepathically/mentally. Because of course the Elementals will want to help Duran with his fledging love-life. And let’s face it; he could use all the help he can get!

Now, hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1:

It wasn’t fair…

How could they abandon me?

After everything I have done for them.

I gave them my loyalty. My dedication. My devotion.

All my skills were for them. All my training. My sword. My talents.

Everything.

Then I lost my skills. Injured in place of another. My life in place of another.

The injuries I sustained should not have been mine. I took their place, like a good knight should.

In exchange for my life, I lost the ability to use a sword.

In exchange for my life, I lost everything.

My skills. My sword. My purpose. My meaning.

Useless. A knight is meaningless without a sword.

I was no longer of use. To anyone.

So they abandoned me.

Everything…I gave them everything…

And they threw me away. Without a second glance. Without mercy.

After everything I’ve done for them. For her. For everyone.

Anger, betrayal, bitterness.

Revenge.

I will get my skills back. I will make them pay. Make her pay.

No matter what…

… … … … …

The heat of the desert sun was relentless as Duran lowered the Ferry Flute to his side and waited for the ever reliable Vuscav to show. The sea lapping at their ankles offered some reprieve from the searing heat, but not enough in his opinion. The sooner they entered cooler waters, the better.

“Let’s head to Mintas next,” Kevin insisted. “Village of beastmen, but peaceful. They like humans.”

Duran nodded his head as Vuscav trundled into the shallows, eyes wide and all seeing. “Sounds good. Just two more Elementals to go.”

Soon, they could finally open the portal to the Isle of Mana. Reach the Sword of Mana. And where he could finally make that Crimson Wizard pay for everything he had done!

Pushing that thought aside for the time being, Duran waded out into the shallows to hop aboard Vuscav’s back.

“Don’t get too close to the edge of the shell, Kevin,” Duran chided the energetic beastman protectively as they all clambered aboard.

“It’s ok,” Kevin insisted. “I can swim. Good at it.”

“I’d rather not have you race Vuscav right now,” Duran pointed out.

Kevin, however, furrowed his brow and folded his arms across his chest. “Race?” he muttered and after a brief silence nodded his head sharply. “That sounds fun. Can I race Vuscav later?”

Duran immediately regretted his choice of words and winced. “Ah, not yet. Maybe…maybe later, yeah. You, ah, know the way to Mintas, right? Why not tell Vuscav where to go?”

Kevin unwound his arms and nodded his head. “Yes. I’ll do that.” He turned on his heel and bounded forward without a care to perch himself atop of Vuscav’s head.

Taking a half step forward, Duran threw out an arm in preparation to order the boy back on deck, as it were, but sighed and touched his forehead. “Just, don’t fall into the water, alright?”

“Ok!”

He had to smile as he shook his head when Vascav began to swim forward under Kevin’s guidance. That smile faded into a look of concern, however, when he turned his attention to his other companion.

Hawkeye was quieter than usual, though Duran couldn’t really blame him. He sat with his back toward them, knees bent as he casually rested his elbows. His gaze lingered on the distancing horizon of Sirhtan and despite the distance between them, Duran could see that he wore an expression of contemplativeness. Sombre yet serene in some way.

He was probably thinking about Jessica.

At that thought, Duran felt his stomach suddenly twist into a knot and he tightened his jaw.

It wasn’t the first time he had experienced such a reaction. He experienced it multiple times as they journeyed through the desert. And only when Jessica was mentioned or seen.

He didn’t understand why, though; Jessica seemed nice, and she obviously cared for Hawkeye in return. And she was the sister to his best friend, so obviously he would care for her greatly. After all, he entered this journey with the soul purpose of rescuing her. If he didn’t care for her, he wouldn’t have bothered, right?

So why the twinge of…annoyance? Anger?

“Jealousy!”

The perky, cheery voice of Undine resounded within Duran’s mind and he unintentionally snapped his head up in response. His reaction resulted in a soft giggle from the back of his mind and he couldn’t help but frown.

Jealousy? That couldn’t be right. What was there to be jealous of?

“You felt the same when Reisz was around, yes?” Undine suddenly asked.

As when she did, Duran felt that twinge of…something again. In the centre of his chest. Like an ache. And again, he was baffled as to why. Reisz was capable, skilled, and a dedicated leader. She had been nothing but polite and civil. There was literally no reason why she would evoke such…frustrations in him.

“And you only felt that way when Hawkeye was around?” Undine continued to interrogate him.

And, unfortunately, he couldn’t rightfully deny that. When he spoke with Reisz alone, he found their conversations intriguing. He admired her inner strength in the face of adversary, and he genuinely wished her luck on her mission to rescue her beloved brother. She was a genuinely good person and she didn’t deserve any of the hardships forced upon her.

But he did feel a sting of annoyance whenever Hawkeye appeared to speak with her. To flirt with her.

He might just be feeling protective. Although, it was also if he didn’t like the attention Hawkeye gave. Attention toward…someone else?

“Boy,” Gnome laughed a little too boisterously. “Sure is a shame you’re not as sharp as your sword.”

Duran immediately felt insulted and indignant. What was that supposed to mean? Was Gnome insulting his swordsmanship?!

“Hush,” Undine chided her fellow Elemental quickly. “Leave him be. These emotions are obviously new to him.”

Duran sighed aloud and scratched his head. Emotions? Did she mean that jealousy she spoke off before? He had never been jealous of anyone in his life, so why now?

Wait…how did Undine know about the events that occurred with Reisz and the Citadel?

“Oh, don’t worry; Faerie filled me in on everything!”

That wasn’t exactly the answer Duran expected. He frowned and quirked his head to the side slightly. Filled in on what exactly?

“Th-the journey we’re on, of course!” Faerie was quick to respond.

Oh, ok, that made sense.

As the chatter of Elementals subsided for a moment, Duran turned his attention back to Hawkeye. Only to find him in the same position; staring wistfully at the far horizon.

“You should speak with him,” Undine piped up. “You’re obviously worried about him.”

Honestly, Duran couldn’t deny that, and he would like to. About what, though? He didn’t know what to say to him about what happened. Nothing he couldn’t say that hadn’t already been said.

Still, he had to admit that he was curious as to why Hawkeye chose to continue to journey with them. Jessica was safe, free of her curse, though the ramifications of carrying such a burden was harsh. He had every right to wish to stay behind and watch over her. The poor girl was in a fragile state.

Although, wanting revenge against Belladonna was also a very important reason to continue. To ensure that the curse had indeed been lifted and she wasn’t in any danger.

He had been quiet for a while now. Could he be silently regretting his decision to continue?

“You ok there, Duran?”

Duran snapped out of his musings when he heard Hawkeye’s voice. When he opened his eyes, not knowing when he had closed them, he found said thief directly in front of him. Leaning forward slightly to look at him straight in the eyes, his hands on his hips, and a somewhat suspicious expression on his face.

“Huh? What?” Duran muttered in surprise as he scooted back.

“You’ve been staring at me,” Hawkeye explained as he leaned back. He then pushed back his hair in a flamboyant manner, something he did often. “Not to say that I’m not used to it, with these striking looks, but any particular reason why for the stare off?”

“O-oh, sorry about that,” Duran muttered as he rubbed the back of his head. “The Elementals were chatting in my head.”

“Ah,” Hawkeye said with understanding. “Plenty of room there.”

Duran idly nodded his head. “Right and-hey!”

Hawkeye threw his head back on a laugh for a moment at his indignation before he flopped down next to Duran on the back of Vuscav. He rested on his side and leaned on his elbow, to which he propped his chin casually within his hand.

“Seriously, though, why the chatter?” Hawkeye asked.

“Well, I was, I mean we were just curious,” Duran began, ignoring the disapproving tsk from Faerie, “if you’re ok with continuing with this journey…and all that?”

“Hm? Wondering if I’m regretting my decision not to stay?” Hawkeye questioned; his tone surprisingly casual.

Duran simply nodded his head.

“I said that I would see this through until the end,” Hawkeye replied without hesitation as he flopped onto his back and cushioned his head with his hands. “And I mean that. So sorry, but you’re stuck with me for now.”

That brought a wave of relief and Duran smiled. He lowered himself onto his back to stare up at the blue sky, too, content in simply watching as the clouds drift by as they moved toward their next destination.

“Awww,” Undine suddenly cooed. “I feel as though this trip will prove to be life-changing in positive ways!”

[pixelgrotto]

A 24 Year Trial of Mana

Last month, the skies parted and pretty much every Western retro game enthusiast who dabbled in emulation in the early 2000s received a gift of mana from heaven - an OFFICIAL LOCALIZATION of Seiken Densetsu 3, the beloved sequel to Super Nintendo classic Secret of Mana that was never released outside of Japan. Finally presented to the rest of the world a whopping 24 years after its Japanese release in 1995, the game was christened with a brand new English title…Trials of Mana.

Anyone who was following me on Twitter at the time of the announcement knows that I lost my shit, especially when it was also revealed that Seiken Densetsu 3 - sorry, Trials of Mana - will be receiving a fancy AAA remake sometime next year. I’ll lose my shit all over again when I actually play that remake, and will surely cover it on this blog, but let’s talk about the original game first. Trials of Mana was, for so long, a lost gem of the Super Nintendo that was originally advertised in international magazines as a hot upcoming cartridge dubbed “Secret of Mana 2.” But it was never translated into English for nebulous reasons possibly related to a few bugs in the Japanese release, the death of the Super Nintendo and the oncoming trend of 32-bit consoles. Western RPG fans who had read those mags and dreamed of experiencing this oh-so-incredible-looking game (because ghatdang, is this game the epitome of SNES spritework or what) were left with nothing but sadness.

Until some time passed and the emulation scene began picking up steam, that is. In 2000, five years after the Japanese release of Trials of Mana, a group of talented ROM hackers banded together to release an English fan translation of the game. (The most famous of ‘em, Neill Corlett, now apparently works at Google in NYC.) The translation used the original Japanese name of Seiken Densetsu 3 and quickly became the only way to experience the game for an entire generation of kids.

I was one of those kids. I can’t remember when I first played the Trials of Mana/Seiken Densetsu 3 translation - or as we used to abbreviate it back then, “SD3″ - but I think it was in 2001. I was diving headfirst into the world of emulation, experiencing all of the rad games that I had missed out on because my old man had refused to buy me any 16-bit consoles, and I’d mightily enjoyed Secret of Mana. But SD3 blew its predecessor out of the water, at least in my eyes. There were six playable characters, multiple branching paths, a class system, a fantastic soundtrack, tons of giant bosses to defeat…and best of all, there was the feeling of being part of a secret, “underground” community experiencing a game that was only playable via a concerted fan effort.

Time passed, and the Mana series went through its ups and downs for more than two decades, eventually fading from prevalence but always maintaining fond memories in the minds of many, especially those who’d played the SD3 fan translation. One thing remained for sure, though - the original game was getting older with every passing year, and any hope for a re-release was now lost to the winds of time, withering like the Mana Tree. 

Or so we thought.

And that brings us to today. No longer confined to the niche corridors of the interwebs, an officially sanctioned translation of Trials of Mana is a thing, released via a collaboration between Square Enix and Nintendo as part of the Collection of Mana anthology. I’ve played and beaten it, and it felt something like revisiting an old friend’s house, marveling at the changed interior design, but then snuggling up on the sofa with a warm cup of hot cocoa. The new translation is some good stuff - it’s presented via a slightly squished font that looks like something from an old DOS interface, but once you get used to it, the huge differences between a script translated by professionals and one pieced together by kids on the internet becomes apparent. Everything is wordier, but in a good way, and certain names have been translated to be more in line with Heroes of Mana, the not bad 2007 strategy game that served as a prequel for Trials. Some of these names are ehhhh - for instance, the giant turtle who ferries you between islands will ALWAYS be Booskaboo, as he was called in the fan translation, and NEVER Vuscav, which is his totally boring name in the official one. Others, such as calling the God-Beasts the Benevedons, work just fine.

Elevated translation aside, Trials of Mana is just as solid as it ever was back when all of us were exclusively calling it by its Japanese name. Some may argue that the game does contain a little too much grinding, which is a fair criticism, especially near its ending where you’re forced to spend extra hours farming for item drops to achieve the final classes of each character. Others may point out that predecessor Secret of Mana had the more compelling battle system, since all the characters in that one weren’t limited to a single weapon. These foibles aside, however, I still believe that Trials of Mana is one of the finest examples of the classic JRPG setup - that of a plucky group of teenagers running across the world to stop collectives of colorful villains from causing its destruction - and something about meandering through its vibrant towns and whacking away at its cuddly baddies is just comforting.

You should absolutely play Trials of Mana if you have any interest in this sort of JRPG, and while the OG fan translation will never die, I’d say that the new one is the way to go if you can get a copy of it. Sadly, it was only released for the Switch due to Square having to contact Nintendo for assistance with the game’s source code - a fine example of how big companies suck at video game preservation - but since the new translation is actually a hacked ROM, those in the know can probaaably find a version of it floating online…which can even be run on real hardware. If you go that route, though, then at the very least buy the upcoming remake of the game, which looks like an incredible example of a modern Mana title finally getting a big budget. Because efforts to dig up and re-release gaming history like this in an accessible form should be rewarded and supported…and gosh darn it, despite all odds, retro gaming fans received mana from heaven. After 24 flippin’ years.

All screenshots taken by me.

[fogaminghub]

🌿✨ Dive into Chapter 4 of Visions of Mana: Back with a Vengeance!  

Join Val as he confronts his past and climbs the majestic Jaque Tree to reclaim Hinna’s corestone. This journey is more than just a climb – it’s a path to redemption!

[fogaminghub]

💫 In Chapter 4 of Visions of Mana, the objective Return to the Deade Cliffs is more than just a mission; it's a heartfelt journey of loss and determination. Join Val and the Alms as they summon Vuscav with the Ferry Flute and tackle challenges on their way to the Jaque Tree. Can they reclaim what was lost? 🌳🔥