Curate of Curiosities

Previously, we finished the very last of the AL quests at the bar, killed a loan shark, talked a cult leader and grieving mother into killing herself, convinced a traumatized Jasper to not get in the way of our polycule, and gained the attention of an assassin who's on the payroll of both a crime syndicate and a necromancy cult.

Now, Ramona and friends are taking a well-deserved rest...

By "did it," do you mean...that? Persuasion powers or not, this seems a bit sudden after all that's happened.

Come to think of it, I have no idea why you were so invested in the thought of Ramona getting laid. Especially since you'd be inside her while she...you know what, I think it's time to step outside for a bit.

Sheya was already around during the Siren crisis, so maybe they know more about her than they were willing to tell us at first.

First off, they tell us that she tends to attract desperate people, preventing her soul from passing on after death. It was brought up a few times before, but one of the Siren's hosts was a child--specifically, that boy with the machine gun that joined us for that one quest.

Anyways, all of this started due to, of all things, a workplace love triangle. Claudine was pining after Cedric from earlier, but he was already dating another woman. She tried to attack her, but was killed in self-defense. Out of guilt, Cedric resurrected her, only for her to kill him, and the rest is history.

I'm sure that there are better ways to do it than...wait, why would something meant to show love kill him...oh no.

You...what? This is the very first thing you do to the man who revived you? Why would...wait a minute, just five minutes ago, she was trying to push Ramona into going further with--oh God, I feel so unclean.

So, so unclean. Claudine might be the absolute worst ghostly headmate in everything that I've played. Sure, Rohoph from MARDEK wanted to kill his friends and imprison their souls in jewelry, but he would never do something like this!

Now let's go back home and figure out a way out of this mess. Hopefully the priest from the church next door can help...

Hey, I remember seeing you while we were chasing down that cult lady! That's strange. Why would you need to visit my friends unannounced?

Oh...oh no.

Jasper, the suicidally depressed cowboy who, despite their rather lackluster abilities compared to the rest of the party, was the only person to even think about doing something about Ramona's possession, is no more.

Kyrie, the vigilante serial killer who served as one of the game's vehicles for its creators thoughts on late-stage capitalism, is no more.

Devon, the mute gacha addict mage whose most useful spells are hitting people with a bat, is no more.

As expected given this game's issue with parental figures, none of their legal guardians bothered to show up to their funeral. Though at least Kyrie's parents had the excuse of already being dead.

You know, Siren, as utterly abhorrent as you are, you might be right. This tragedy may be just the thing needed for Ramona to take that final step. And even then, I still don't trust you: who knows what you could try to make her do once she's caught up with her?

Why are you suddenly trying to help her? You've been harassing her ever since she beat you the first time, and it's not like she's actively using her powers or anything.

You can talk to the other adventurers at the bar for them to express their sympathy. If only they knew that the fault lay within her.

The only way to get a good lead on the assassin is by challenging the boss at the top of the tower. But Ramona has little chance of being able to reach him on her own, even with her powers. Her best chance is to steal a powerful object from the compound on the beach, and for that she needs the help of the other members of the Magic Club.

The Siren has the audacity to try to convince Ramona to manipulate the others into facing the assassin with her. But what she doesn't understand is that she's not like her: she doesn't want to force others to do her bidding unless necessary. The fact that she wasn't murdered and revived in the body of a monster helps.

As Stanley mentioned, this is the complex of the Beautiful Day Cult. Because this town just didn't have enough suspicious pseudo-religious organizations.

Under normal conditions, you can't go inside while possessed by the Siren, even though she's the figurehead of this cult.

There's nothing to say about the dungeon, just a brief hallway with precisely one switch you need to press. They seem to have a much lower profile than the Lonely Hearts, so maybe there wasn't much need to invest in security.

Yes, I've noticed that recently, a market for gurus or coaches has developed online. I've seen the memes about the likes of Jordan Peterson making bank from telling young men to clean their rooms.

The treasure that the cult was guarding is none other than the teeth that were taken from the Siren's physical remains. So to recap: one of your party members, the bar regulars, the loan shark, and both of the cults operating in town are all connected to the Siren in some way. I really made the right call, focusing on the story route centered around her.

This boss is a bit tricky, being the first one since the giant sewer slime that you face with just Ramona. He can easily put you in a healing loop with his hard-hitting attack, and can heal himself as well, sod the best thing to do is hope that your guest party members can keep up.

Without him to guard the teeth, Ramona claims them and they embed themselves into her. Not only is the Siren's spirit part of her, but also her remains.

And those remains have granted her yet more powers, even more powerful than those she gained from Quinnith's sacrifice, those worthy of one who was once called a Dark Lord. What's more, she can now tune out the Siren's voice at will, and force those around her to forget what had just happened.

And in case you somehow didn't get the message, taking one look at her status menu will show that she has truly become the creature's heir and successor.