Part 11: Chapter Ten: Cave Dweller
Music: 02 My Home Sweet HomeLast time we witnessed a group of thugs menacing a woman outside the magic school in Newhaven. Lets see if we can find out whats going on.
The students in the school have many interesting things to say, so lets get investigating.
: Do you know this Nina, Ryu?
: Not really. The magic school rarely has need of the Rangers Guild.
: Thats where Joker and his gang are holed up. The Guilds been having problems with that scumbag for years.
Remember this student. Thats all Ill say for now.
: Moving swiftly on
I have no idea what this could have been a reference to in the original Japanese script.
: Im certain youve heard of the Joker Gang. Some of their members attempted to accost me and I had to defend myself
: Scuse us!
: *Sigh* Lin
: For the nominal fee of, say, some free magic lessons for two deserving heroes, well take care of those jokers for you!
: Yes! Yes-yes-yes-yes-yes-yes! You teach us some magic, and well teach those goons a lesson!
: Magic is not something that can be learned in the blink of an eye.
: Aw, is little Nina surprised we came back after she gave us a little owie? Itll take more than that to stop us! Ya see, we just cant keep our hands offa ya and your baby sisters a fine piece o work too! Heh heh heh heh heh!
: Oooh, talk about the evil eye! Ya know, youre extra-sexy when youre pissed off! Relax, your little sis Minas safe and sound and shell stay that way as long as you play ball. You know what I mean?
: You bastards
: (Wait Mina?)
: Now, come this way. Minas waiting, heh heh
: ...Fine. Lead on.
: Um, did I miss something here?
: I cant believe this has happened
: They know she wont do anything to endanger her sister Ninas hands are tied as long as they have Mina!
: Oooh, those yellow-bellied cowards!
: Thats how Joker rolls. Bullying, blackmail, extortion this fits his modus operandi down to a T.
: Oh, it makes me so mad!
: All right! Cmon Ryu, lets get moving!
: Too right. Jokers gone too far this time. Plus Mina was our first client at the Rangers Guild. Itd be wrong to just leave her in that mans clutches.
Music: 06 Were Rangers
: Okay, lets beat that creeps face in! Now, which way do we go?
: Its to the east. Follow me.
: Okay, now instead of going north to Colossea, we circle back west around the lake.
: Jokers gang uses this cave for their hideout.
: Alrighty! Lets crack some heads already!
Music: Find the Truth
Jokers hideout in Mt. Rocco is the next dungeon of the game. One of Jokers peons blocks the way, but theres a very specific way that we can deal with him.
That way being to murder the shit out of him. The Thug has a medium amount of HP but goes down fairly quickly. Lesser versions of him called Tricksters are common enemies inside the hideout they arent too tough, but they tend to be faster than Ryu and take a few hits before biting the dust.
: Ha. He wasnt so tough.
: Theres more where he came from, though. Lots more.
Lets talk about some of the other encounters here.
The Bloodsucker is an upgraded version of the Leech with more HP and an attack that drains your life and replenishes their health at the same time. Theyre fodder enemies who deal low damage and die in one hit, good only for grinding.
Ghouls are the same as their Corpse cousins every hit either misses or critically hits. Theyre very slow and should be toast before they get the chance to do much damage.
WillOWisps are a rarer enemy that sometimes appears here. They are also the toughest, having high defense and HP. The can also cast Blunt, a spell that lowers attack power, making the battle last even longer. Thankfully their attack power is low.
Thats all the enemies for now.
After beating the guard were free to proceed. The first area is full of Jokers Thugs. They arent hostile we can talk to them and theyll tell us how they are related to Joker / what their jobs are in Jokers gang. This is important for an upcoming puzzle, so Ill list everyone and their relationship with Joker here:
Gabe Friends with Jokers nephew.
Terell One of Jokers first followers.
Layte Keeps an eye on the treasure vault. Jokers little brother.
Payne Laytes son.
Guevara Jokers older brother.
A gate bars our path in the next area, with one of Jokers men guarding the switch.
: If youre part of the gang, then prove it! Whats the name of the bosss nephew?
The answer, of course, is Payne.
As soon as we pass through the gate closes behind us.
An eye flickers open in the darkness of the alcove. Its clearly a trap, but theres no way to proceed without falling for it.
: Sucker! You just got a kiss from the black widow! Next time you try to trick us, do your homework! Oh, wait theres not going to be a next time! Time to die, fools!
A battle against the Thug and a Black Widow commences. Ryu starts the battle poisoned, which is a pain, but the player should resist the urge to use an antidote just yet. The Black Widow can poison Ryu again easily enough and so should be targeted first. With that said, this fight isnt too hard once the spider goes down.
Defeating the pair causes both gates to open and allows us to descend the stairs to the next area.
This area contains two treasure chests. Inside are a Lucky Charm, a consumable that permanently increases Luck, and a Silver Knife, a weapon for Ryu. The Silver Knife is excellent in that it ignores defense stats for undead enemies like the Ghouls and WillOWisps.
: Hey! Somethings going on down there!
Whatll happen next? Tune in next time to find out.