Part 28: The Raktabhija of Alfred
Okay, yeah, I got one minor detail wrong; the kid in Orange Village wasn't called Albert. But, hey, it's close enough and they're both throwaway NPCs with limited relevance anyway so it's a mistake anyone could make!Anyway, to get the final Heartstone we first must return to BlueCat village but as the update's title and the minor apology above indicate we're not actually off there right away.
Woman: But, I wonder where this Wiseman can be found...
So, Alfred (the kid who owned Koro before we did) has now contracted fantasy illness as well, huh? He'll always get this after you obtain the Thunder/Holystone and not before so you need at least 2/5ths of this chapter done before we can do this. And, yes, it's Koro's sidequest; naturally, this means he must be in the party for at least part of it.
As for a "Wiseman," only one whom is not a doom phantom springs to mind. And he lives in a tower on an island we could be on right now...
: Finding it won't be easy. It's buried deep within the snow...
On the one hand, at least this should be easy enough to do. On the other hand, it's a goddamn fetch quest (within a chapter that is effectively just a giant fetch quest anyway). Ah well, win some, lose some.
Multi-target, non-elemental, slightly more powerful than his default skill. The name doesn't mean anything exciting insofar as I know, sorry.
I dunno why I have Kururu there; just for the sake of it, I guess. I could probably solo this area with just Cornet if I was really so inclined. Hell, that might actually make the game halfway challening...
This is literally the only thing you need Koro for in the entire sidequest. Pointing out this one spot in one dead end.
If you try and get this "too early," the game crashes. This is a glitch, though I've never experienced it for myself. I have no idea what constitutes as being "too early" which is part of the reason; I'm fairly certain that it doesn't even spawn until Koro indicates it's there so that can't be it.
Anyway, that's the entire quest pretty much done. Let's just get outta here and head back to Alfred. A nice short quest at least.
Woman: Thank you, Miss Cornet! Alfred, take the medicine. Hey, his fever's breaking!
Alfred: M, Mom!
Woman: Alfred!
Man: What's happening? Is Alfred alright?
Woman: Yes. It's all because of Miss Cornet.
Alfred: Koro! It's Koro! He's not dead!
Woman: Alfred, that's just a puppet! Pull yourself together!
Alfred: Huh? Oh yeah...It's just a toy. Miss Cornet...How can I thank you?
Eh, no thanks are necessary. Another puppet quest done, another skill (hopefully) gained and, unlike all others thus far it seems like Koro's "soul" didn't actually disappear but it likely wouldn't make a difference.
Ignore what the description says. That is wrong. It doesn't damage "an" enemy at all; it actually damages all enemies. This makes it even more useful than it seems, considering it's non-elemental.
With this done, now we can get on with the plot again. Back to BlueCat we go, it seems.
Don't forget to talk to this guy whatever you do. Dear god, don't forget to do that; I did, and couldn't actually get to Kerokero and was wondering what the hell I was doing wrong for far, far too long.
After talking to generic npc #725, head back to Dave in the Underground and answer yes to immediately end up in Kerokero. The last town in the game, and it's populated... by frogs. Sure, why not?
This place is so outdated, it doesn't even sell Elixir items; the only thing worth noting is the Hero's Charm and like heck would you ever want to buy that. Unless you want at least one of every item, or just want to minimise damage in the one real optional dungeon.
Frog: Are you still going?
: Yes.
Frog: Are you REALLY going?
: Yes.
Frog: Alright... Any last words before you go?
: ...
Frog: Please, be my guest and... May you have happiness in the Netherworld.
Eh, I'm sure they're not actually that bad (especially considering everything we've vaguely heard about before). What's the worst that can happen?
: It looks like someone was using this pond as a bathroom or somethin'!
: Gee, just what I wanted to hear...
: Don't worry! Bubu and Bebe shouldn't be much of a problem!
: Go get'em, Cornet! I'll be over here if you need me.
: What do you mean by that!?
Okay, this fight can be bloody hard. Can. It's definitely one of the harder fights, maybe scraping top 5, but that doesn't mean much. If you just pound their faces in with non-elemental attacks (like, say, Koroattack) it becomes much easier. This is because the 3 Bubu are Fire elemental, whereas the 1 Bebe is Thunder elemental. They can each use multi-target attacks of their respective elements, but the Fire one is only really dangerous if it hits a water elemental puppet (i.e. Duke; the only one that fits the criteria to date). Aside from that, the only tricks they have are a few status ailments which aren't a threat in the slightest.
To continue we have to... enter the mouth of a giant frog? Okay, fine, whatever. Though this stone has easily the longest section of the chapter dedicated to it, for some reason, so we'll see what lies beyond the last town at some other time.
Next time: Mayhap 'tis as emotional as Tromeo and Juliet...