Part 27: Gauing Places
This one was inevitable, and if you're really good at coming up with them you can probably guess what the fourth is likely to be.Anyway, last time the plot got derailed for puppets and a little bit of bitching about things that probably don't even really matter to (m)any other people. Let's get things back on track, which involves heading to WhiteSnow.
Not to be confused with the Albert from Orange Village or the people who went missing in Oasis. It's kinda sad when a game as short as this (it takes about maybe 4-5 hours to get this far...) has to reuse names and ideas for seperate plot threads and NPCs when most are unnamed and thus unimportant in the first place.
Woman: It's nobody's fault that I got the disease. Fate has it in for me.
Albert's mother has Fantasy Disease, which is naturally fatal and inflicts RPG characters worldwide. By donating 200 Gil a month, you too can help put an end to the menace plaguing such tourist resorts as Paprica, Prodesto, Marl's Kingdom and The Netherworld. So please, don't delay; call today!
Anyway, Tower of Ninetail. No "s" to avoid a lawsuit, most likely, even though as it is it just doesn't sound right.
At first glance it looks like a palette swap of the Tower of Wisdom. That's giving it too much credit; it's just the outside that's been changed. The only difference to the interior is that it's arranged differently.
A few screens in (like 3), this scene triggers.
: Don't be stupid, Kururu! He's just unconscious!
: We gotta get him back to town so we can take care of him.
Albert: M...master! These people helped me, and...
: H...hi, it's nice to meet you. My name's Cornet...
Gilbert: You'll have to excuse the mess. I wasn't expecting company...Albert is always getting into trouble. Thanks for savin' him.
: You're welcome.
Gilbert: No one should ever go into the Tower of Ninetail by themselves. Albert wants to get the THUNDERSTONE to save his mother...But if the THUNDERSTONE is taken away, the Ninetails will die. Then what would happen to the town? Albert still doesn't understand why his father died!
: ...
Gilbert: I'm sorry, why am I telling you all this? It's not your problem. Anyway thanks again for saving Albert.
Well, we know where the Thunderstone is so we just have to get through the tower in theory. Shame if we were to do that, we'd end up empty-handed even if we know exactly where to go... so, let's talk to Albert again.
Albert: Some time ago, a werewolf who claimed to be a Guardian appeared before my eyes. And this is what he said...THUNDERSTONE will cure Ninetail fever...The only way for me to meet the Guardian would be to go with my master. But I went alone anyway to check it out myself.
That's... pretty interesting. A werewolf, huh? I wonder if that Gilbert guy knows any more about this.
Gilbert: Cornet...I'm going to climb the mountain, and apologize to the Guardian...But I'm getting pretty old and I don't think I can make it by myself. I know it's a lot to as of you, but...Would you like to climb the tower with me?
: Yes
Gilbert: Great, it's set.
Gilbert: I can't believe you were moved by such a hoax. How sad. Albert!
Albert: Huh?
Gilbert: Hey, wake up! There's a full moon today. You might be able to meet the Guardian. The Guardian may know know to cure your mother's disease.
Albert: Master...Okay let's go.
So the guardian is a werewolf? So much for what most people were bound to think just before this then.
...I hope you like awful and contrived songs. On the plus side it's super short!
Out of all the songs, as cheesy and ridiculous as they are, there's only two I genuinely dislike in either version. This is one of them.
Oh, and the instrumental part carries on throughout almost all of the rest of this scene.
Albert: He says that it's only right to let the Ninetails know that hunters are here. If you enter the tower without offering the song, we'll be punished by the Guardian. By the way, where do your parents live?
: My parents are in another world.
: ...
Albert: Hmmm...I see, Don't you ever get lonely?
: My parents died when I was little, so I don't remember them too well. So I don't really feel lonely, but in my heart I really do miss them.
Gilbert: Hmmm...
The song officially ends here but since this text doesn't autoplay I left it out of the video.
Gilbert: We're ready...Be on guard! Cornet, let's go to the top of the tower.
Tower of Ninetail, take 2. This time, we actually get to climb it!
Oh and there's random encounters now. Metal Jelly can actually spawn here very, very rarely and gives a bit more EXP though it's also more durable. No point actively seeking them out though.
: Are you the offspring of Mustaki?
: Umm... yes?
: Then...die.
Chiba's recruitment process is the same as Duke's; tell truth, kick ass, play horn. Finding him, though, is a tad more convoluted but the same general idea.
Chiba is, well, he's a lot easier than Duke was to beat. He has no interesting skills to speak of and he seemingly has less HP too. And his weakness can be abused; he's Earth elemental for what little it even matters in this fight.
: I have no love for Mustaki, but I respect your strength and determination. I would be honored to join you. Please play your horn.
On the one hand, Chiba is pretty crap. On the other hand, I'll use him a lot anyway because he's a goddamn Samurai. He won't be used just yet, though mainly since he'd be a liability at the moment and I can't decide who to replace for him.
If you're willing to blunder through the tower a bit more, or just do what I did and use a map, you can find these things. They're nothing amazing but this is the only place you can get them, insofar as I've seen, and they do give a regen effect. Whoever has them regains 30 HP at the start of the turn; nothing fancy, and it's not as useful as it sounds, but it's still unique so might as well use them. Even if it's just the once.
Even if you know this is a fake wall that leads to the Thunderstone, it's pretty much useless until now.
Gilbert: Isn't it beautiful? Many poachers have lost their lives to these beautiful Inotium. The only reason the people of WhiteSnow are allowed to hunt the Ninetail is that we promised we would not take the Inotium from this place. The Ninetails are here to protect the Inotium and the THUNDERSTONE. So if you try to take the Inotium, the Ninetails will start attacking you. As you already know, Inotium is the source of all life...This Inotium has the power to spawn new life from nothing. When the Nahshing came and wiped out all life on this planet..These very same Inotium restored the world as it was before the Nahshing.
"Nahshing" was originally a horrible, horrible mistranslation of "nothing." Not sure how that could happen, either, but I guess NIS thought it sounded apocalyptic enough to use in the retranslation.
Albert: Please, almighty Guardian. My mother is suffering from Ninetail fever. I know that the THUNDERSTONE can cure her fever! Please let me borrow your THUNDERSTONE! I need it to help my mother. Please, I beg of you!
: Please help his mother! A day...or even an hour would be fine! The THUNDERSTONE is the only thing that can save his mother...
Guardian: Ah, the THUNDERSTONE...Yes, the THUNDERSTONE can cure your mother's fever. However, you do realize that we shall all perish if I give you the stone. Defeat me and you shall have your prize! But be warned though! You will save your mother, but at what cost?
This choice is, essentially, unimportant but it affects a whole two things. Apparently choosing to fight the Guardian can cause the game to glitch because you're "supposed to" choose not to. Because, y'know, then Thuderstone curing Albert's mother is a lie spread by the werewolf he mentioned earlier. Which makes no sense at all because why would the Guardian itself say it can if it's a lie? It'd be better to justify it, by saying that getting the Thunderstone from fighting would kill the Guardian so that it's not a lie insomuch as it is a trick to kill the city's protector.
But, honestly? Who cares? Let's kill this thing!
The Guardian is a bizarrely easy fight. I'd presume it'd be handwaved as holding back because it wants to help Albert's mother or something. There's not much to this fight though, so there's no reason to ever have trouble with it.
Gilber: Didn't I just explain how important the Ninetails are to us!? I never should have brought you here!! Here! Take it! Take it and get out of my sight!! I don't ever want to see your faces again!
In addition to the Thunderstone, you also get a little over 5000 Inotium which isn't too bad I guess. It's half a decent accessory at least.
: I've lost faith in you...
She doesn't attack or anything. She just turns up for this and then buggers off. Okay, sure, why not? Anyway, let's heal Al's mom.
Albert: Mother! You're alright!! Thank you! Master Gilbert was all angry and stuff but it's alright. I'll never forget what you did for me.
: Ah, forget about it. Just take good care of your mother, alright?
So, that's that done. 4 down, one to go!
Next time: The Earthstone.
Guardian: You do want the THUNDERSTONE, don't you?
: Uh...
Okay, yes, fine. This is what happens if you don't kill the Guardian.
Albert: Grrr! This man is the werewolf that tricked me!
: Hey, are you blind!? Do I look like a man to you!? Huh!? Hey you guys, that's not funny! You must be here for the THUNDERSTONE as well...
Gilbert: Cornet, are you here to take the THUNDERSTONE?! How dare you trick me!!
: Anyway, I'm taking the THUNDERSTONE, if you guys don't mind. Guardian, Cardian, I'll crush anything that gets in my way! That also includes you!
: Cornet! Don't let the Guardian die, okay!?
So, rematch time. Kinda. You could do this one first, and it is sort of harder than the one at the boat. But it's also optional, in the same sense that the Guardian fight is optional. You have to do one of them that is. Anyway, this fight is... I guess it's the harder of the two for what little that means. It's still nothing challenging after all.
Guardian: Why did you protect me? You might have been able to get the THUNDERSTONE. Then answer me this. Which is more important? The mother of that child, or us? Hmm...I see...Then let me give you this.
Gilbert: What is this...?
Guardian: This is the HOLYSTONE. Anyone with real courage has it within them. Risking his life to save his mother...Thoughtfulness to others... These are the things that separate courage from...true courage.
Okay, now we're really done. If you do it this way, you technically don't cure Albert's mother since you have to leave of your own accord and you don't ever have to actually return to WhiteSnow... and if/when you do, his mother is basically fine. Or at least for all intents and purposes, she is. The Holystone is basically the same as the Thunderstone as far as the plot cares, it just changes one VERY minor thing making part of chapter 7 actually easier (as if that section even needed it) but we'll get to that when we get to that.
Next time (for real): the Earthstone.