From Snowbound Sorrow

From Snowbound Sorrow is a sub-mission of Even When Cheers Fade: Chapter 1 on Jarilo-VI from the Luminary Wardance event.
==Steps==
# Listen to Natasha's diagnosis
# Defeat Gepard and win the match
# Get an audience with the Supreme Guardian
# Clear the customs and enter the Luofu
==Gameplay Notes==
* This sub-mission is considered a challenge, and pressing Esc offers the option to "Pause and Save" or "Quit Completely" to exit.
** If "Quit Completely" is selected, the sub-mission may be restarted after talking to Luka.
* The game provides Luka for use as a Story character.
==Dialogue==
===Listen to Natasha's diagnosis===
:
: Luka: Nat... I... How long do I have left?
: Natasha: Not long, Luka. Best brace yourself.
: Luka: Is... Is there anything else I can do?
: Natasha: You're already at this stage... Just eat whatever you like.
: Luka: That won't do! I can't be gorging on garbage at this pivotal moment. It'll ruin my energy levels!
: Natasha: I know. You can't wait to join the finals of the Belobog Representative Qualifiers. But Gepard isn't a pushover either.
: Luka: I've been hard at work studying how Mr. Gepard moves!
: Luka: Just wait and see. I'll defeat Mr. Gepard and be the first Belobog fighter in seven hundred years to qualify for a competition in space!
===Defeat Gepard and win the match===
:
: Pela: Next up, with the Supreme Guardian and Belobog's people as witnesses, let us now unveil the curtains to a historical final: Silvermane Captain Gepard Landau will face off against the "The Moltammerville Warrior" — Luka Strongarm!
: Pela: Both contenders, step onto the stage please!
----
: Oleg: Luka, you've always had this bad habit of taking a hit to exploit a weakness, but Gepard's much stronger than you, so remember, stay away from his punches.
: Luka: Master, you've been telling me that the entire trip. My ears are about to fall off...
: Oleg: Fine, enough prattle... But don't let the need to win weigh too heavily on you either. Even if you don't make it to that Sianjo Lowfoo, you've made it to the final to fight against Gepard, that's enough to make anyone proud!
: Hook: That won't do! Luka promised Hook that he has to win the final and take Hook up there to see the stars beyond!
: Oleg: Ya sure got some daydreams on ya, little one.
: Luka: Don't worry. Master Oleg and Pitch-Dark Hook the Great, I'll win this for sure.
;(Talk to Oleg or Hook again, optional)
: Hook: Luka, you absolutely cannot lose! You promised to take me up to visit the Sianjo Lowfoo!
: Oleg: Kid, you've really gotta stop making promises to children... Never mind. He'll just pawn his iron arm if he loses, and take you up there out of his own pocket.
----
;(Approach the arena)
: Luka: Mr. Gepard, I've always been hoping to fight you. There's no one in the Overworld more worth challenging than you.
: Gepard: I'm honored. I've also been raring to witness the strength of the legendary Luka Strongarm.
: Luka: I'm not great at conversation, so it's a good thing we're both warriors — we don't have to use words to understand each other.
: Gepard: Well said, Luka. Let your determined desire for victory speak through your fists!
;(Begin battle against )
----
;(After the battle)
: Luka: I've lost... Mr. Gepard, you were better than me.
: Gepard: Luka, there wasn't ever any doubt in your technique and strength. But you were too concerned with winning, and that prevented you from unleashing your utmost.
: Luka: ...Uh, then what am I doing here, if not to attain victory?
: Gepard: That's a question you need to ask yourself.
: Gepard: From my experience... a person's inner voices make far too much noise, especially so during safe and quiet moments. Ironically, the voices that truly matter often become audible only in moments of pain, discomfort, and peril.
: Gepard: When perhaps you leave your cozy hometown and head to the unfamiliar Luofu, you will find your answer.
: Luka: Hold on. When I reach the Luofu? But you won?
: Gepard: Truth be told, I can't just drop my work and leave Belobog.
: Gepard: My reason for coming to this martial tournament was to verify if you were good enough to contend against competitors from other worlds. And now I see you're good enough.
: Gepard: You're younger and more upbeat than I am, a far more appropriate image for Belobog. Don't forget that the reason we're participating in the Wardance is also to promote Jarilo-VI to the rest of the cosmos.
: Gepard: Luka, I'm entrusting the chance of attending the Wardance on the Xianzhou Luofu to you.
: Luka: Mr. Gepard, please don't pity me. Chances must be earned fairly through our own strength!
: Gepard: You are mistaken, Luka. It's not pity. I am lending you this victory, and you will repay me by winning the Wardance.
: Gepard: I hereby announce that the contender who has earned the right to represent Belobog in the Wardance is — Luka!
: Spectators: Luka! Luka! Belobog! Belobog!
: Luka: Understood, Mr. Gepard.
: Gepard: Chin up. Let's go. We should head to Qlipoth Fort and meet with the Supreme Guardian.
===Get an audience with the Supreme Guardian===
;(Approach the marked location)
: Bronya: Hello, Luka.
: Luka: Lady Bronya... Hi? Sorry, I grew up in the Underworld, so I'm not versed in etiquette of any sort...
: Bronya: No need for formalities. You probably know nothing about the Luofu, the place you're heading to, correct? Let us take this opportunity to discuss it.
: Luka: I've always been a little curious... Though Jarilo-VI has restored contact with the outside worlds, we've always just been communicating with the IPC. Why are we suddenly participating in this fighters' tournament in this Luofu place?
: Bronya: Not long ago, Belobog's interstellar comms base resumed operations. A month ago, we received an invitation with a highly distorted signal...
: Bronya: "The Xianzhou Luofu cordially invites Jarilo-VI's warriors to join the Wardance."
: Luka: We've just resumed outside contact, and the way the IPC describes it, the cosmos has long forgotten us. Why would the Xianzhou so eagerly send an invitation to a city that has been buried in time?
: Pela: My guess is that it's because we had communications with many worlds before the Eternal Freeze. Luka, have you heard of the story of Igor Haft?
: Luka: You mean the legendary warrior? 'Course I have! I'll never tire of the story where he led the Eighth Iron Legion and engaged in a furious battle against !
: Pela: That's him. When the Eternal Freeze subsided, Lynxy... Ahem, Lynx took the opportunity to explore the ruins of the ancient city of Maslenitsa. A few months ago, she found a lone grave outside the public graveyard.
: Pela: The grave had no body, just a robot arm and a cracked pendant with an embedded gemstone. An IPC worker said that the arm was tech from the Old World. As for the stone, it's a Xianzhou implement called a jade abacus.
: Luka: I've heard about that! Miss Lynx thinks it's Igor's grave!
: Pela: That's right. The epitaph on the tombstone confirms that hypothesis — the fighter Igor Haft once left Jarilo-VI before the invasion, and then he returned home to join the resistance against the aggressors.
: Pela: No one knows what he did after he left Jarilo-VI, and why he decided to come back.
: Luka: ...Maybe Igor had been to the Xianzhou? That's why they sent us an invitation?
: Pela: Maybe Igor even attended the Wardance. The Xianzhou people have long lives, so it wouldn't be something that happened long ago for them.
: Bronya: Long story short, regardless of why the Xianzhou Alliance invited us, joining this Wardance is of august meaning to Belobog.
: Bronya: It symbolizes a chance to introduce ourselves to the cosmos once again — a heroic kingdom that survived both the Legion and the Eternal Freeze with tenacity.
: Bronya: Also, if we can leverage this opportunity to establish an amicable exchange with the Xianzhou Alliance, it may provide us with more bargaining power when dealing with the IPC.
: Luka: Lady Bronya, I'm not well-educated, so I don't really know such matters of grandiosity...
: Luka: All I know is that I must achieve glory for Belobog!
: Bronya: Well said! Oh, I almost forgot! Seele had other matters today, and couldn't attend today's meeting. But she entrusted me to deliver a message, ahem...
: Bronya: "What's that dolt Gepard up to now? Luka, you'd better fight like your life is on the line! If you lose, I'll make sure you wish you were really dead!"
----
: Luka: The next day, I hitched a ride with an IPC transport vessel and arrived on the Xianzhou Luofu.
: Luka: The Supreme Guardian hopes that the younger generation can go out and see other worlds, so she arranged for Lynx and Hook to accompany me. On account of the fact that the three of us know next to nothing about interacting with other cosmic civilizations, she even instructed Svarog to tag along and be our guide.
: Luka: I never thought that, while we were processing our entry papers at the Sky-Faring Commission, we would run into another surprise...
===Clear the customs and enter the Luofu===
: Xikui: We've double-checked. This invitation did indeed come from the Luofu, but after checking the stamp...
: Xikui: ...This invitation was dated four hundred years ago.
: Luka: Four hundred years ago?! How is that possible? We just received this invite not too long ago...
: Svarog: We can assume that this invite was delayed in transmission and only reached us after the restoration of communications.
: Xikui: I'm afraid this aurumaton is right. You received an invitation that is four hundred years late.
: Luka: So... We weren't invited? Oh no, this trip has all been for nothing then. How am I going to explain this to Lady Bronya and Mr. Gepard? They have high hopes for me...
: Svarog: According to calculations, the thing that we should be considering first is not emotions, but...
: Svarog: If we are not invited guests, then we will be responsible for all costs incurred while staying here. Conclusion: we cannot afford it.
: Xikui: You all misunderstand! The Xianzhou Luofu is indeed hosting a martial arts competition called the Wardance.
: Xikui: Whether you receive an invitation or not, anyone who wants to can register to compete in the Wardance. The sole distinction is that invited guests, upon qualifying through a test, get to partake in the prestigious "Ringmaster's Challenge", facing off against the Xianzhou Luofu's ringmaster.
: Xikui: As for ordinary contestants, they will have to participate in knockout stages and rise through the ranks to reach the ultimate stage of the "Ringmaster's Challenge".
: Luka: To challenge the Luofu's ringmaster, that's the ultimate goal for all the contestants?
: Xikui: That's right. Although you didn't receive an invitation, you can still participate in the Wardance. You'll definitely have a chance to win and gain honor.
: Luka: But, Mr. Svarog has a point — according to calculations, we can't afford this.
: Xikui: Haha, money can't buy relationships! This invitation that's been delayed for four hundred years must be a marvelous twist of fate. And since fate has brought you all here to the Luofu, we will not fail in our hospitality.
: Xikui: Please be assured that I will report this incident and ensure that the Belobog representative team receives the same accommodation and treatment as all other esteemed invited guests!
: Xikui: However, Mr. Luka, you will still have to participate in all the knockout stages and work your way up to the final stage.
: Luka: Really? At your expense?
: Xikui: The heart of the Wardance is all about celebrating martial arts and fostering friendships. My friends, how could we possibly allow you to fret over food and lodging?
: Luka: Thank you, Miss Xikui! I'll treasure this opportunity!
----
: Luka: And just like that, by the grace of Miss Xikui, I didn't "die before achieving success" — I just learned this old Xianzhou saying a few days ago. I've successfully become a competing fighter in the Wardance!
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