Part 18: Update XV: An Alchemist and her Shame

Honestly, I really wanted to put a number of the scenes in this update in the last one, but when I did, the update ran over 60000 characters, waaay more than the limit, so let's knock off some scenes that were originally meant to be in last time.

This scene triggers in the Square when Lionela's friendship is 40 or greater. I'm kinda grateful it did, because I don't remember this scene at all. Video goes until the screenshot of Tantris saying Rorona is strange.





Hey, are you here for the show?

Hello. I was only passing by, actually.



The Arland-verse has a strange theology. There's "God", but then there are "Gods", as well as a bunch of creatures with divine connections, apparently. Whole thing kinda trips over itself at times.

Hmm, I can't see anything... It looks like there are more people here than last time. Oh, did you say something?

No, nevermind. I was able to find you among all these people... Because you're always glowing in my eyes...



It's just not your day, Tantris. Best to just move on.

...Looks like today just isn't my day.

I honestly typed out the above comment not remembering what Tantris' next line was.

You should perform, too!

What do you mean?

Your instrument. I bet you'd be able to gather this many people by playing your songs, too.

I'm not that good. Besides, I'd like to avoid standing out in this town...

Oh. I wish I could hear your song again...



Really? You will!?

Yeah, well...if I'm in a good mood.

Do you promise? It's a deal, then! Yay!

Well, only if I'm in the mood...



But now that we're done with that silliness, it's time to move on to something more interesting. Remember the Lost City? I sure do, and we still need that recipe book.





Just because, we'll be bringing out Gio and Lionela. I needed to upgrade Lionela's items, since she's the only character so far who hasn't got a weapon upgrade, and I haven't had her in nearly as many battles as I should have had. How I yearn for leaked experience. Anyway, we're resuming our journey where we left off last time we were here.



There's a few required fish battles in the way, but who should I find near the exit of the map than...



This big ol' guy. He uh...he doesn't look too happy, and he's in our way. Let's get crazy. Showdown against Helstrom.



When I said "Crazy", I meant it. Helstrom has a massive 7,237 HP total, which I believe is the third highest in the game. Add that to the fact he gets two turns in a row, and recovers 200 HP a turn, and we're looking a pretty tough fight, made all the worse by the fact I never fight Helstrom with this weak a party. Make no mistake: Helstrom is one of the hardest fights in the game, and is definitely the hardest Dragon fight.



But that doesn't mean we don't have some tricks ourselves. While these Bag Bombs aren't Tera Bomb-level powerful, they still sting, especially with those traits.



Case in point. Gotta do something to even the odds.



Yeah, that was terrible. Helstrom has very high resistance to Wind attacks.



Helstrom LOVES doing this move. Poison doesn't stack thankfully, but it's just a minor nuisance in this fight. Doesn't even hurt that much. His bite is a bit more powerful, but it only hits one character.



Horoholo doesn't seem to do much, either. This was not a great choice of backup, elements-wise. But elements aren't everything.



What the hell happened here? I have absolutely no idea why it did so little damage.



I was dumb and didn't bring any KO items, so Lionela's done fighting. The Healing Salve that activated after this attack has the trait All Range attached, so it heals everyone in the party when Rorona's HP goes below 50%. Another very handy trait.



Non-elemental damage seems to be fine. That was a nice hit.



This is his hardest hitting attack, which hits for quite a bit and lowers Defense. Really, the reason he's hard is because he has a ton of HP and Defense, not because he hits especially hard.



As punishment for taking Gio down, that last Bag Bomb hit plenty hard. It's game. It's certainly possible to beat Helstrom without powerful bombs, but you are going to fight a very long and difficult battle if you try that.



That's some nice results for one of the hardest fights in the game.



But holy cow those are some nice items he dropped. The Aurora Suit is from a Velvestis cloth, but he was also kind enough to drop a Tusk, Scale, and Dragoon Cape, which has the lovely traits of Convert Damage +3 and +2, as well as HP +3. Whoever gets this gets 50 more HP, as well as getting 12% of a basic attack's strike power back as HP.



This is what we were after, and what our friend was guarding. For now, we need to get back to town. Nothing left in the Lost City. But before that, another scene. Not too sure what makes it show up, but Gio probably has to have over 60 friendship level. Video goes until Rorona says "I hope you're right..."

Done! The next one is...twenty potions!? Why do they need so many?

I am sorry to interrupt, but the deadline for this request is coming up as well.

Oh no! I forgot about that one! Homhom, can you take care of it?

I am in the middle of another one. Which one should I prioritize?

Oh, you're right... Where's Master when I need her!?



Well sure, if you want to put it like that, Hom...but she's great to have around, anyway.

Also, the cauldron is boiling over, Master.

What? Nooo! Aww...I have to start over.



Mr. Gio! I'm sorry, but I'm really busy.

I can see that. Let me help you, then.

Are you sure?

Yes. I'm not familiar with alchemy, but I can do any physical or busy work.

Thank you so much! Then will you please go help Homhom?

Please divide and carry these ingredients as per my orders.



*fade to black*

*sigh* Finally...

Good work, Master.

Whew, I haven't worked this hard in a while. This is harder than swinging a sword outside.

I'm sorry for making you help me...

Hey now, I offered to help. So, do you do this much work everyday?





You should consider that if you fail to complete their requests, that will affect the reputation, too.

So you're worried about your reputation, huh? Hmm... I have a random question. Do you hold resentment towards the people of the castle?

Huh? Why do you ask?

Oh, I'm just curious.



Hmm...well, this sure is hard, but it's really all because of Master...

Your master, huh?

...You're right. She's the one who should have resentments...

Plus, I'm happy to see that my alchemy is helping people. And I have many people, like you, who are willing to support me.

You should not expect to have help from others. Without any help, your workload today would have been impossible.

Ugh...I'm sorry. I'll be careful next time.

Hmm...well, sorry for asking a stupid question. I should get going now.

Mr. Gio, didn't you need something?



*Gio leaves*

Oh...I feel kinda bad now...

I do not think you should worry. He looked rather happy.

Mr. Gio? I hope you're right...



The Necronomicon only has two items, with only one being especially useful: the Windrider. "Return to Workshop" should be self-explanatory, but basically, if you use it in the field, you get warped back to the workshop, ignoring the day count of the map you were as well as the travel time back from the location itself, cutting down travel time by more than half.

This scene happened at the same time. Happens a month after the scene where Hagel talks about his wig. Video goes until the screenshot of Rorona sighing.

Rorona, come give me a hand.

Okay. What are you doing?

Just come here and help me. It's too heavy to carry it by myself.

*sigh* What did she make now...?



*huff* *huff* ...It's so heavy. What is this?

It's generally known as a helmet. It weighs about 50kg.

Astrid must have forged that from an anvil. To put it in other terms, 50kg is about 110 pounds. I wouldn't put that on my head.

50...!? What's this helmet for!?

Did you forget? It's for Mr. Boldness; wig.

Oh, I remember something about that... So this is his wig?



Then again, Hagel seems like the kind of guy who *might* be able to support that. We'll see...

Um, this looks really different from any wig I've ever seen...

Don't worry about it. This is gonna be interesting...I mean, I'm sure he's going to love it.

Did you just let a bit of honesty slip out?

You're just hearing things. Anyway, you can finish the rest. I'm tried from all this work.

*Astrid leaves*



Hm, I wonder. Oh, and the helmet is an actual item you can use for synthesis, but obviously, do not touch it for any reason other than making the wig. You only get one. Anyway, we're not going to be making Hagel's wig until next Assignment, considering we're already busy enough.

But now that it's been a month since the previous scene in Pamela's store, this scene shows up. Video goes until the screenshot of Rorona yelling for Astrid.[/i]



Hmph, I knew I was right about this.

Yeah, whatever... By the way, Master...



...

So, about the townspeople... Why aren't they scared of Pamela? Aren't they afraid of ghosts?

Aw, Rorona, come on. You know you love her. Still, I do like how her reaction was just blowing Astrid off for coming right out like that.

Well, why are you afraid of ghosts?

Because...well...I wonder why...? I think someone read a picture book to me when I was younger, and it really scared me... Wait, wasn't it you who read that book to me...?

Ah, so Astrid has been doing this for a while now. Explains a lot.

So you remembered. Well, there you go.



I wasn't tricking you. I was giving you a proper education. There was not a single document in this town that conveyed the fear of ghosts.

Huh? I'm confused... So which one is it? Are ghosts supposed to be scary?



*Astrid leaves*



Oh yeah, I got a Wholesale scene with Pamela some time ago. This scene triggers whenever her friendship level hits above 25 for the first time. Video goes until Rorona says "Please get off!"



Something interesting? What do you mean?



Hmmm, okay...I'll try to find some things for you.



I love how enthusiastic Pamela is for this line.

Whoa! D-don't get too close...! I'm still a little scared!

Hehehe, I'm gonna stick on to you if you don't hurry up!

Okay, okay! Please get off!

Pamela gets worked up over the strangest things. Anyway, she handles magical items. As a general rule, if you can't register your item with Tiffani, then Pamela supports it. It just so happens she also can stock the Windrider. Do register this item. But why don't we test it out, because we need to stop by The Catacombs anyway for an Iksel scene?

But yeah, yeah, another Sterk event (told you there was a lot of character events). This shows up when you leave town when his friendship level is 60 or greater. Video goes Rorona says "But how did Master know about that?"



Huh? Oh, I didn't even notice.

(His neck... I remember that Master said...)

Rorona...don't do anything crazy now...

There. Let's go...



Nyaaahhh!?

Aghhhh!

Wh-wh-what are you...!?

I'm so sorry! Master told me that I should poke your neck to see what happens!

That woman...! Can't she teach you something useful for once!?

I'm sorry! I'm really, really sorry!

...Don't apologize. Just don't do that again.

Okay!

*Sterk leaves*

*sigh* I mad him mad... But how did Master know about that?

And now, time for another scene. This is actually the trickiest Iksel scene to get to show up, since you have to have seen the event with Pamela here before it shows up. Then you return to a one of a few places on the map to make it show up. Video goes until Rorona says "Hmm...I think mushrooms are pretty good..."



Oops, sorry. I guess we won't find any food materials here...

Yeah...the only thing we might find here is...



A mushroom? They seem to grow everywhere.

Hmph. It doesn't look poisonous.

..Go on, take it.

...You don't like mushrooms, right?

Nope. They don't taste good. They're just some fungusy thing.

Gotta go with Iksel here. I've never enjoyed mushrooms. They just have this weird texture to them that makes me feel really odd when I'm eating them. Never found a mushroom I've enjoyed.

That doesn't sound very appropriate coming from a chef...



Hmm...I think mushrooms are pretty good...

I waited way too long to get this, which is why there hasn't been a pie scene in a while. But now, let's give that Windrider a test drive.



Bam! Gotta love it. But since we got that neck-poking scene with Sterk, this plays when we return. Video goes until the screenshot of Esty by herself.



... I sense a filthy stare on my back... You again!?

Agh! It's just me!

Senior Esty?

Geez, calm down. And what did you mean by filthy stare?

I'm sorry. I thought it was...



That's not...! Plus, she and I are already...

Uh huh, sure. You're not gonna convince me with that blushing face of yours.

Grh...

Look, I wanted to talk to you about something serious...

Huh? What is it?



How is this a serious topic!? Besides, I wasn't dumped, and I'm not going for her pupil!

Sounds like Sterk is a little less mature than he likes to seem. Anyway, if that really is Sterk's intention, I think Astrid got there first.

Hahaha, I'm sorry. But you should keep it down or else everyone'll hear you!

Ghh... I need to go now! And you should get back to work!

*Sterk leaves*

Did I go too far? But judging from his reaction, he might actually be...



But now, we've got to start preparing for the main event of this update. First off, making a Dark Water (from a recipe book you can buy from Pamela), is a nice debuff item. It can put up to four or five negative status effects on an enemy. Always helpful.



I couldn't make a very good one, however. It'll work. Next, we want Sterk to have a nice upgrade to his weapon. The Scale Sword is his second best, although we could make a Halmolium (highest ingot-tier) thanks to that Tusk. We don't want to at the moment, though. I'm also giving him the Dragoon Cape from Helstrom, to make Sterk a beast on the battlefield.





I stocked up on a bunch of attacking and healing items for our trip to the Ster Highlands. Sounds like we could teach this Suni Sterm a lesson. You get this scene when you try to go to the Highlands with Sterk in the party after the dragon scene. Video goes until Rorona says "Yay!"

...I would appreciate an explanation.

Hahaha... Are you mad?

I thought I warned you not to come here. It doesn't feel nice to be ignored.

I'm sorry...but I really wanted a Dragon Scale.

...

Please say something.

...Then why did you ask me to come with you if you knew that I was gonna be upset?





I'm not sure about being prepared, but... I'll be fine! We can just run away if it gets to be too dangerous!

...Fine. I give up. Just stay close to me.

Yay!



So, nothing much happened on my climb of the Ster Highlands, but I did not expect to run into this clown. See, this is another enemy that only shows up under a special condition: Rorona's adventurer level has to 30 or greater. After that happens, one super powerful monster shows up in each location. Hunt them down for fabulous prizes, but not much else. He just happens to be here, so let's show him what for.



Pretty sure he always starts the fight off like this. Unlike Helstrom, he hits *really* hard. Thankfully, his defense isn't as great, he doesn't get any health back, and only gets one turn. Oh, and for the record, I wanted to avoid using bombs as much as possible to avoid a situation where I just completely dominate him, but you'll see how well that works out soon.



If you were watching closely, that attack only did 57 damage, and Iksel had well over 200 HP. Well, the reason is because that claw attack he used has a pretty good chance of being an insta-kill. Asshole.



Unfortunately, since he put Blind on us, it means Rorona and Sterk have exceptionally low accuracy for attacks that in normal circumstances would always hit.



Oh it is ON, asshole. Prepare to die.



I *was* going to save these, but you leave me very little choice, friend.



I did what I had to do, and conquered our first location boss enemy. Truthfully, I wasn't expecting him to show up, so I used a bit more of my items here than I wanted. I'll live.



These items have nice traits, it's just they aren't very valuable. I mean, a high quality-Pebble is still a Pebble, an almost entirely worthless item. You, sir, are no Helstrom. But, let's move on to the main event.



I mentioned it a few updates ago, but this is the exit that leads to the Dragon Nest. Everything is set up, so this area has some relevance now. This video is going to go on for a while, but it'll end at the results screen for the painfully obvious upcoming battle.



...Stop walking like that. You shouldn't have come here if you're gonna be so scared.

Well, you're right...but...

You can't win a battle if you're afraid before it even starts.

Sterk... Copy that! Alright, I'm gonna...

There's no time to chat now. Something's coming!





What? Already? But I'm not... Waaahhh!



Welcome to the fight against Suni Sterm. He's quite a bit weaker than Helstrom. Not even in the same league, actually. That said, this fight is rather fun, mainly because he doesn't have such ridiculous stats as Helstrom did. Without resorting to super powerful bombs, we can beat him.



Those are a few of the status effects a Dark Water can inflict. Always helps to fight a weaker enemy.



Like Helstrom, he can inflict a number of status effects himself. However, he can get rid of them himself. Weird.



But since this is an important battle for Sterk, we need to finish it with an appropriate dramatic final blow. We're setting things up...



At the end of justice...



Lies strength.



He dropped some nice stuff, too. Not as nice as what Helstrom gave us, but still not bad. And a Dragon Scale, like Astrid promised!

Oh, and I guess I should talk about what happened. Well, when a character hits level 25, they get their final skill. To activate this skill, you need to jack up the element gauge to five, corresponding to the character's innate element. Sterk is Wind, ergo, to get Justice End we needed to get Wind to five. I needed to delay it for a bit just to make sure we ended the battle on a high note. That's actually how I beat Suni Sterm the first time, so it's nostalgic for me, see.

Oh, and you can fight Suni without Sterk. If you do that, however, say goodbye to Sterk's ending flag.

Another video that's going to go on for a while. Video goes until the screenshot of Sterk's line against a black background.



Wow...we won! Yaay!

That's it, huh? That wasn't half as bad as the rumors made it out to be.

Thank you very much! This is all because of your help! Yaaaay! It's a real Dragon Scale!

Heh, and she was so scared before the battle...





Gh...aghhhh!

*gasp*

Grah...!

Aghhhh!





*fade to black*



...Don't cry, Rorona.

*sniff* B-but...this was all my fault...

Sterk was doing his job to protect you. Don't look so sad.

Ugh...b-but... Waahhh...

...Look. You're making him feel bad, too.

...



...Blow your nose first. I can't understand what you're trying to say.

Here, Rorona. Use this.



Feeling better now?

Yes...hrgh... Waahhhhh...

Apparently you don't...

Now's the time for you to say sweet nothings to her.



But that's... What is this? The 17th century?

...Urgh!

I don't know, Sterk. Something like that sounds more appropriate being written in Old English.

Oops, sorry. My hand slipped.

Now come on. Three cute girls are worried about you. You should do something to make them feel better.

Who are those three?



Astrid...? Anyway, I don't know if the term, girls, is applicable to you or Astrid... Gah!

Looks like you're feeling well enough to be a brat. I'm so glad.

Waahhhhh! It's not his fault! It was all mine!

Oh, no, no, no. I'm not mad or anything...

I'm so sorrrrry! Waaahhh!

There she goes again... What should we do?



Okay!

Huh? She stopped.

You haven't changed a bit... This isn't your responsibility. I was just doing my job.

But, if I had listened to you from the start...





Huh...?

Anyway, just go home and get some rest! Understand!?

...Okay.

...Oh, and one more thing. Can you thank her for me, too?

I will. Please excuse me.

*fade to black*

...Finally.

You sure know how to handle her. Hehehe.



Too bad I lost 8 days because of that event. I didn't get the Windrider for nothing... Anyhow, Sterk's out of commission for a whopping 80 days, which means it'll be late next Assignment when I can use him again. I *really* shouldn't have gotten his flag so early, but I'll explain why in due time.

Well, now that party time's over, you get this scene the next time you head to the castle after that event. Video goes until Rorona says "I guess."



What are you doing? Looking for something?

Hi, Esty. I'm looking for Sterk's room. I can't remember which room he's in...

...I'm sorry, but...I can't let you see him right now.

What? Why not? Is he getting worse!? Is he alright!? Oh no! What have I done!?

Whoa, whoa, calm down. It's not like that.

Then...?



The doctor got really mad, so he literally tied Sterk down to his bed.

Like...with a rope?



Well, that's one way to keep a guy down.

I...see...

He's well enough to sneak out, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time until he gets better.

Oh...well, I'm glad to hear that... I guess.

So, like the end of that video mentions, you have to turn in Assignment items to Esty now. Same procedure as always, aside from that. But...I think we can call it an Assignment. I just earned money for the remaining 10 days after this scene.





Hey, Rorona. Were you waiting long?

Hi, Esty.

I'm filling in for Sterk today.

Oh...right...sure.



Oh, no!

Okay, okay. Anyway, let's go over your results.

3-5 stars

Hmm, this isn't...so great.

Ugh...I'm sorry...

I'm sure Sterk would start to lecture you right about now, but I'm not like that, so... Try harder next time. Alright, now about your next assignment...

6-7 stars

It's pretty average... I'm not sure what to say about it.

Umm...

Oh well, it's not like I have to make things up, right? I'll move on to talking about your next assignment.

8-10 stars

It's perfect. Good job!

Thanks... (This is so different from how Sterk does it...)

...So, now do I just tell you your next assignment? This is way easier than I thought.

Usually Sterk would lecture me if I got a bad evaluation...

Oh, I see... But you got a good evaluation this time, so...ummm, I don't have anything to talk about. Oh well, here's your next assignment.



...Have you been to Night's Domain?

Nope. I've never even heard of it.

Okay, well, if you walk far to the North from here, there's a mysterious place where it's always dark. That area is called Night's Domain. It's still an unexplored place. There are a bunch of dangerous monsters, too.

...Sounds like a scary place.

Uh huh. Just don't push your limits till you get hurt.

Okay. I'll be careful.




Chibi Rorona and Cordelia artwork
Rorona artwork
Sterk concept art
Honorable Injuries