Once all four characters are named, the game chooses a classic beginning.
???: ... ... ... Brandt?
Kuore: Wake up, Brandt! Oh come on, lazy bones. It's time you were up and about!
[Okay/Not yet]
[Okay:] Brandt: I know, I know. You told me a thousand times. Dad went on his first adventure when he was my age...
[Not yet:] Brandt: *yawn* Just another half-hour, 'kay?
Kuore: Tsk. Today's the day you officially become a grown-up. Or have you forgotten? You have to go to the castle and pay your respects to the king!
Either way gives the same result, with Brandt getting out of bed. A checking of his stat screen shows that he really didn't sleep that well last night, since his Action points are at zero. He starts at level one, wearing "Brandt's Togs, which increase both defense and Magic Defence by one. I'm fairly sure this item is unique. His other stats are Srength: 2, Intellect: 2, and Spirit: 2. Since he doesn't have a weapon yet, his Attack power reads as zero.
If it wasn't obvious, Kuore is Brandt's mother. Talking to her again will make her say almost the same thing, but then she'll add that the castle is through the back of town. She also tells us not to dilly-dally on the way, but of course we won't listen. Also present is a classic red parrot, Ankhel, who flaps his wing's periodically to get your attention. Talking to him will make him say Brandt's name a couple of times. Just how Kuore got a parrot in a world like this will forever remain a mystery.
Talking to a man outside Brandt's house reveals that Kuore did in fact raise Brandt on her own, which he finds impressive. The next woman we see says that she thought she saw spellbooks in the castle, but that doesn't make any sense since magic is forbidden in Horne. Other townspeople will give Brandt gifts for his upcoming adventure, or just explanations of gameplay elements. A soldier guarding the town's entrance gives a Phoenix Down in hopes that it will keep the boy safe. (In this game, a character losing all of their health turns into a ghost until they can be revived. They also automatically lose all of their action points, so they won't quite be ready to do much immediately after revival.)
Talk to a man wearing red clothes with a fox sitting next to him and he'll introduce himself as follows:
Adventurer: I'm nothing but a simple adventurer who travels the world seeking new places to visit. The fox here is my faithful companion. At some point, you will want to save your game. Come talk to me when you do. Hm. How about now? Do you want to save your game?
Now would be a good time actually. Anyway, any time you talk to him in the future, he'll just ask whether you want to save. He shows up in every town and dungeon in the game (How he manages to get ahead of you, we'll never know, but he's obviously competent enough to protect himself. Or maybe it's the fox that is secretly extremely powerful.) After saving, the game gives you the option to stop adventuring and return to the title screen. This is a very useless choice, since the only thing you can do from the title screen is start playing again! There's no penalty for just turning the DS off rather than answering his second question.
Next time, I'll finish exploring Horne and talk to the King. I'll be using guides so as not to miss anything.
