Soon after leaving the Water Temple, Goblins (usually) ambush The Boy, not far from the "Beware of Goblins" sign he probably should have paid more attention to.

He comes to in a large pot on a fire in a primitive village. Goblins watch him cook.

Goblin no speak good. All katakana. Much annoy to read.

That's an evil cackle, not a shriek. This sentence includes an obligatory Zerg rush reference.

Something more primal replaces the music (track 8 踊るけものたち / "Dancing Beasts").

They wander off. Apparently failing to recognize this as a good opportunity to make a break for it, The Boy just kind of sits there until a girl with a huge blonde ponytail and a pink outfit, who has been edging closer along the treeline, tries to get his attention.

He finally turns around and sees her.

She heaves him out of the pot and uncomfortably close to the trees. Oh well, a rescue is a rescue.

Back where the ambush occurred, the music returns to normal.

She rushes off to the east.

There's no sense in brooding on it. Let's continue east and south to Pandora.

The Goblin ambush may not always occur. We'll go into why in an upcoming section on alternate story paths.

The music here combines sad with desolate (track 3 薔薇と精霊 / "Roses and Spirits"). A soldier stands by the entrance.

As this implies, you can't get through here until after going to see Gemma and Luka at the Water Temple.

That's strange. What could he mean?

This, apparently. Alarming numbers of the townspeople give that response. As one resident puts it,

The merchant who ought to be running the armor shop is one of them. The innkeeper seems spaced out, too, but at least does business, as does the general store, which sells Wristbands to finish out The Boy's equipment set. Most of the townspeople have little to say, but one girl has a unique appearance, including electric blue hair, and might be important later.

The maid in a large house nearby notes that life goes on for some people, though.

Gemma should be in the castle. Maybe they'll have some answers there, too.

Things aren't any cheerier here, but at least more of the people talk.

Not just a one-off attack, but a major war. And tensions remain high, as we'll see soon enough.

More specifically, they're having a formal meeting, vaguely similar to a job interview, but with the intent to arrange a marriage. The line about feeling sorry for her doesn't belong, either. My understanding is that this was a common practice not long ago, and even now happens often enough among prominent families.

This must be what the maid in town was talking about. Heading up the nearby stairs, The Boy sees the girl who rescued him from the Goblins leaving a room and slamming the door behind her.

She starts to run off, then notices him there.

The Japanese manual calls her プリム (purimu), which the remake renders as "Primm" for a fairly plausible name, even if she is neither prim nor proper.

The Girl doesn't have The Boy's strength, but she's fairly tough and has conspicuously high Spirit. She comes with the Kaiser Knuckles and a Kung Fu Suit.

And although it's not readily apparent, she also has a higher critical hit rate than the other characters.

The Gloves and AI characters don't always mix well, particularly with the low evasion that comes from not having a full set of equipment. Especially if not playing multiplayer, consider giving her something with more reach, and don't forget to adjust her behavior settings (and The Boy's too, while you're at it) to something more sensible than "panics at the first sign of trouble".

Trying to go in the room she left proves pointless.

She drags The Boy back outside.

The Girl tends toward immaturity, even childishness. You can see a glimpse of that here, not just in the way she's basically throwing a tantrum but also in how she talks. Also note that her dialog gets the 『 mark now that she's joined as a party member.

The next door down the hall leads to the throne room, where Gemma stands facing the king and queen.

Gemma leaves. Let's try talking to the others, starting with the king.

How self-centered... and yet, she may have a point.

Maybe someone else, then.

No surprise there, considering the regard they show for Gemma, a Tasmanican knight who appears to serve as a go-between as well.

There's an intriguing stairway in the king's room, but it's guarded.

Apparently they don't recognize the Holy Sword. Oh well, maybe they'll reconsider later.

With The Girl along, a few of the people in town react differently, such as at her house.

Elman has returned from the castle, as well, and they find him upstairs.

That's hardly unexpected. Let's try that blue-haired girl, who, come to think of it, has a similar outfit to The Girl's, but in green instead of pink.

Apparently they're friends. There's nothing else to do here, though, so it's time to head west.

Considering that so far we've seen The Girl arguing with her father, yelling at the king, and treating The Boy like some kind of brain-damaged servant (though, to be fair, he didn't exactly make a good first impression), it's reassuring to see that she can get along with people long enough to make friends.