Panzer Dragoon Saga Part #13 - Breaking the Seal of the Black Ruins

Part 13: Breaking the Seal of the Black Ruins

Drenholm is defeated, Zastava has disappeared, and for the moment, Edge and Roderick are safe. As the young man swings his dragon around to head back to the Deep North, he notices something hanging beneath several of the large, flat plant growths that he doesn't remember seeing there before.

Upon closer inspection, the plants now have item boxes hanging from them - did they sprout like fruit? Either way, Edge is grateful for the equipment within and 'picks the fruit'...

Until he runs into one who's shell is still too thick for Roderick's lasers to penetrate.

By the time the pair make it back to the Deep North, night has fallen - but it would take more than the dark to hide the fact that item boxes have sprung up here as well. Edge picks their contents clean...

Including a box which contains something called a "D Unit." Now, this is not the first one of these so-called D Units Edge has found in his travels - there was one strewn around the excavation site, one in the valley, and one in the Garil Desert - he even found one by returning above the excavation site and following a group of birds to their nest!

The item description for each D Unit says something about looking like it's part of a larger whole, and...wait a minute, what the heck is this?

The picture on the menu screen has changed! Edge figures he'd better keep an eye out for more of these D Units, and moves on.

He finds Protect Key #3 - It's the final key to the seal... - nearby as well, and then turns back to the Black Ruins, which have begun to rotate. Shaking with excitement and with little apprehension, Edge fires the key towards the ruins.

Deactivation of final level completed.

Plant restarted...Plant restart confirmed.

Maintenance System activated...Maintenance System activation confirmed.

Defense system activated...Error activating Defense System...Anti-Biological Weaponry activation not verified.

Activation with Reserve System confirmed...
Plant entry, confirmed.

The ruins continue to come back to life, sending tendrils of energy throughout the sea floor, flowing through conduits that have lain dormant for millenia. A glowing sphere begins to materialize atop the ruins,

hovering above them like a portal.

A moment later, electricity crackles through the air and Edge peers forward eagerly, waiting to see what wondrous mechanism of the Ancients will activate next - but suddenly, a wave of dread passes through him, and he somehow knows that he will not like what he sees.

It's Atolm!!!!

The enemy dragon immediately goes on the offensive, firing laser after laser that Edge is only able to dodge by giving Roderick his head and letting the dragon fly where he may. With the initial attack over, Roderick turns to face his fellow dragon, and the second battle with Atolm begins.

This time, Atolm is not alone, which only makes things worse for Edge. Four strange orbs fly along with the opposing dragon and his mysterious rider, and while Edge tries to make heads or tails of what exactly they are,

Atolm hits with a laser attack. Angry at his lack of initiative, Edge has Roderick retaliate with a lock-on volley of his own,

and the green orbs in the middle simply heal the damage, returning Atolm to full strength. Edge swears to himself and returns his attention to the orbs, destroying both green orbs and one of the orange ones on the side, which finally prompts a response from Atolm's rider.

Uh oh. Last time she did that, something really bad happened.

Ack - it's a really, really painful-looking Berserker Rage!

Thankfully, Edge was nowhere near it - he managed to dodge Roderick out of the way in time. A few moments later, the last orb is destroyed,

and Edge returns to the familiar pursuit of firing as many lock-on lasers as he can into Atolm's weak point.

Atolm doesn't appreciate being fired upon, and the two dragons continue exchanging volleys...