Part 1: Rock Cats are bad news.

Update 1: Rock Cats are bad news.



Video: In the beginning there was grey

Music: Soul Poetry













I think that flower petal effect is really neat. It's too bad we don't get to see it in color here.







The gender choice is superfluous, and only affects if people use he or she in dialogue. The thread has voted female.





The thread has also picked a name.

We. Are. Legion.

















Hmm...it seems that something terrible happened, but it's difficult to say exactly what's going on without more context. At any rate, once the flashback is over, we switch to...





A millennium of solitude and suffering...Beautiful white wings for you...For the world...Death and destruction...*giggle*











Music: Gentle Breeze


Ah, you're finally awake. How do you feel?





My name is Larikush. I'm the village doctor here at Cebalrai. They found you unconscious in the woods nearby and brought you here.

Oh, I remember now...I was attacked by Rock Cats. Oh, man...how stupid of me!

You're lucky they were only Rock Cats. They are herbivores, after all. It's awfully strange to hear of them attacking humans...The animals in that forest have been acting quite peculiar lately. I'm not sure why, but they're much more aggressive than they used to be. You'd better stay away from those woods.

Larikush is, of course, completely right in saying that we should stay away.

You, of course, are completely right in thinking that we are going to go back anyway

By the way, what do you call yourself? I don't recall seeing you around these parts.

My name's Kalas. This is my first time here...which is why I got lost, I guess.

Kalas, is it? Welcome to Cebalrai Village, boy. It looks like you took quite a blow to the head, so I was worried you might have amnesia...But you seem to be fine. If you feel up to it, you're welcome to take a look around the village. We're only a small farming community on the frontier, so I'm afraid there isn't that much to see...

By the way, I left your Winglet over there, by the window. Quite an unusual design for a Winglet, I must say. Different from those used by the Empire...





The dialogue boxes were getting in the way before, but here's a better shot of that winglet.


It was hand-crafted by my grandfather. He was an excellent engineer.

Ah, I see...Your grandfather...Very impressive. And how is he doing?

He died, two year ago.

Is that so? I'm.......sorry to hear that.


That was kind of an awkward tangent. Maybe is was just a way to establish how long it's been since Kalas' flashback.


Well, thanks for the help, Doc. I owe you one.

Actually, I'm not the one you should be thanking. Meemai is the one who found lying in the woods and carried you here.

I see. Meemai, is it?

This is a relatively petty complaint when it comes to the voice acting in this game. But...Larikush pronounces it "Meemai", and Kalas pronounces it "Meemai. It bothers me!

Anyway, Larikush wanders off, and Kalas walks over to the table and gets his Winglet.





All right, Legion. Let's get going!


Yes, let's! There are plenty of things to do outside, mostly character/setting establishment.






Yes, it is.

Well I'll be! They say the Empire has tons of them, but you rarely see any down here in the boonies. But it looks...a little strange.

It's custom built. My grandfather made it for me. I didn't realize it was so rare. Doctor Larikush asked me about it, too.

Really? The Doc asked you? I didn't know he had an interest in Winglets. He never struck me as the type that enjoys fiddling with machinery. You've only got the left one on. Is the other one being repaired or something?

No, one is enough. I don't have a left wing...So my grandfather crafted this Winglet for me as a replacement.

Oh, I see. That's why...Um...sorry for meddling.

No problem. It works perfectly fine, and together they get me to where I want to go.

That's good to hear...Your grandfather must've been an excellent engineer. I mean, a custom made Winglet - Wow!

Yeah, he'd make and fix all sorts of things. You could almost say he was a magician.


This will be elaborated on a bit more later, but Wings of the Heart are a pretty big deal in this world. Kalas only has one wing, which caused many people to view him as...shall we say, defective? It's an interesting idea, but also lends itself to the notion that beauty = goodness. And of course, it leads on to the idea that someone like Kalas, who has flawed wings, must be a bad person.

If you try to leave the screen...




You must be the guy they found unconscious in the woods. How are you gonna make it as an adventurer if you keep fainting during your travels?

Hey, are you trying to pick a fight or something?

The guy then wisely backs down because Kalas could kick the shit out of him (well, I assume. Actually I'm talking about a guy who just got knocked unconscious by cats. Maybe not), and explains how save flowers work.

Basically, there are two kinds. Red flowers just let you save, and are usually found in dungeons. Blue flowers also let you save but have the additional ability to send you to a mysterious church which allows you to level up and class up. We'll be going there in a later update, so I'll explain that then. Needless to say, blue flowers are better, but usually just found in towns.

Now, let's move on to the next area.


Video: Hey, weren't you in the pre-title screen movie?




Glad to see you're up and walking around!



Oh my god it's so cute I want one!

Whoa, is this him...Her? Meemai?

Uh-huh. Meemai's really cool. He's way smarter than all the drunks you see around here, and helpful, too.

This line makes me wonder if I would actually like this kid if his voice didn't make me want to throw him off the island

I see...Well, thanks, Meemai. I owe you one.

Squeak.

*squeal*

We'd better move on before I die of cuteness overload. Let's go talk to Princess Bubblegum over by the village entrance.



I came to see the ancient ruins in the woods near here. How about you?

Me? Well, I...

Kalas seems to be having trouble coming up with an answer (which is a shame, because frankly I'd like to know why we're here as well).





I have to go...




I have a name, ya know? C - E - D - R! Cedr!

You should not be nearly as proud of your name as you appear to be. If my name were Cedr I would have it legally changed and also probably disown my parents. Cedar might be acceptable. Cedr is not.

They're crazy, huh Meemai? Why bother going all the way down there just to see some stupid old ruins? Nobody in this village will even go near those woods. They say it's cursed or somethin'. I hope they don't get jumped by wild animals out there...like someone else did...

Okay, credit where it's due. The kid does adopt a pretty good scorn voice to deliver that last line.

Yeah, really.

Ancient ruins in Moonguile Forest, eh? Why don't we go have a look ourselves?

Well, that sounds very interesting, but you kind of got knocked out last time you were there. Maybe it would be better to stay away?


Video: These voice actors hate you personally




Don't let the rural surrounding mislead you! We only carry Magnus of the utmost quality. Remember, a Magnus is created by extracting the Magna Essence of an object from its physical property and sealing it in a card. How would you feel if you opened up a Magnus, and the object crumbled in your hands? You wouldn't be too happy, my friend. Am I right?


He continues going on about how we should BUY HIS STUFF, but this is the important bit: it's a short but sweet explanation of how Magnus work. This is why Kalas can carry two hundred swords and three bunches of bananas all at once.

Let's check out the shop!





Magnus shops also function as free inns. By selecting "Rest your wings" you get a full HP and status recovery.

We can also do some actual shopping, but...





...we're broke. There are a couple things I could buy, but I don't really care to just yet - we've got all we need for now.





An old lady in one of the houses will talk to Kalas about true love and then give him a Shish Kebab because why not? Nothing here is really important enough to transcribe, but I recommend watching the video to hear how ridiculous she sounds.









That's a shame. We'll get containers soon enough but the lady will just have to wait for now.


I didn't know this until I started the LP, but apparently you have to talk to the village mayor to progress.



Robbing him is optional, but recommended. Incidentally, Kalas can't use this, so we must be about to get someone who can!

I know it's probably going to be girl in pink, but personally I'm hoping it turns out to be Meemai.





Yes sir. I guess I've caused you some trouble. I let my guard down, and then...well, sorry about all this.

Don't worry about what's already happened, young fella. Feel free to stay in this village to heal your wounds for as long as you need.

Well, he seems ni-


However, I must strongly insist that you never go near Moonguile Forest again. I've heard rumors of meddlers from Pherkad snooping around that forest without permission...Humph! Neither you nor those blockheads understand that Moonguile Forest must not be disturbed! An ancient, hideous monster slumbers deep within that forest. These days, even the forest animals seem uneasy. Now is not the time to meddle in places you don't belong.


Nevermind, he's kind of an asshole.

Anyway, it sounds like that forest is a lot more dangerous than we first thought. It's probably a good thing that Kalas got knocked out by Rock Cats before he got eaten by a dragon or something.




Are you doing this because everybody thinks this is a terrible idea? Because that's the only logic I see behind your decision at this point.

I'd like to check out those ancient ruins. The villagers seem to have a fear of the woods, but I think they're making a big deal out of nothing. Mere superstition, I tell you.


...sigh.




This is the area map for Sadal Suud, the island we are currently on. The yellow arrows show areas we can enter. Moonguile Forest is the area to the west.







All right, let's talk combat.

As you should be aware by now, the game's battle system (and pretty much the game's everythingsystem) is card-based. Currently, Kalas has 3 cards in his hand, and 20 cards in his deck (actually 17, subtracting the ones in his hand). Kalas can play two attack cards in one turn. All of these things will increase eventually.

So I can have Kalas use the Saber, and then another attack Magnus. Note that the only card in his current hand that is offensive is the saber, while the defensive leather jackets are greyed out.

Upon using a card, a new one will be brought in to replace it, so your hand always has three cards until your deck runs out.





Defense turns work essentially the same way. The enemy will attack with a number of hits, and you are given the chance to try and block each one by selecting a defense card in time. The defense cards are lit, while the offense cards are greyed out.

(note that Kalas and another character actually can use some weapons as armor, but only after they use another card first in the defensive turn).





The game allows you to see an in depth analysis of your damage/defense. I choose to turn this off because it takes forever and the game is already rather slow paced, but it's gives rather helpful information, such as what elements enemies use to attack or are weak to. Elements are a little complicated in this game, so I won't be getting into them just yet.





Like in most games, enemies tend to drop things upon defeat. Notice the two boxes – the right box (empty) has “free” magnus, you can and must take all of them. The left box has “choose” magnus; these are the random drops, which you can only take one of. It's kind of mean, since it increases the grinding you have to d o to get good magnus and isn't the whole point of magnus that they are easy to carry around?


One final note about basic combat; remember how we're broke? Enemies don't drop money, but...




Say cheeseburger!


...you can take photos of enemies, and sell them for money. This is the cash system of the game. Selling actual items and equipment tends to get you chump change, so this is the only viable way to get money.

Unfortunately, pictures count as magnus in the left drop box, so by choosing them you can't take an enemy's actual drops. It's an interesting (and kind of cruel) way of forcing you to balance new items and money to buy other new items.





One of the bat things also dropped this, some sort of constellation. I wonder what it could be for?





You have wings, why don't you just fly over it? I bet you're just looking for an excuse to do some arson.







Loot report.

Approaching the top exit of this screen starts a cutscene. Some roaring can be heard off in the distance...


Video: And then there was a boss fight

Music: Bottom Out






Hey, it's those rude men who interrupted Kalas before! And...what the HELL are they fighting?












All right, time to play hero!


…?! It's you!

Here it comes!


Music: Metallic Stroke




Welcome to the first boss battle - the Sabre Dragon. Despite the fact that it just dominated what were presumably two trained bodyguards, it's actually quite a pushover.

It's weak to water and resistant to fire, as you might expect. Fortunately, Kalas and Xelha both have water weapons (well, Kalas only has one, but still).





The girl, Xelha, has many more water attacks (and decided to get them all towards the front of her deck), and so she is the primary damage dealer for this battle.





Kalas doesn't to quite as much damage but it's still appreciable.





The boss itself is quite weak. I mean, it's a little stronger than the common enemies, which is saying nothing impressive. It has a special attack where it belches a fireball, and even with that it's lucky to do 20 damage. Sadly, it chose not to use that attack in this fight.





Our characters also have unique special attacks called finishers. Dance of Light is Xelha's first finisher. Let's see what it can do!









Not bad at all!





All right, three magnus at once! The one on the far left is Kalas' first finisher. And this is another constellation...


Music: Amid Butterflies and Moonlight




Gram...Leon...





H...hey! You're stealing their things?! They're my friends, you know!

They were your friends. These won't be doing them much good now. We gotta do what we can to survive, right? After all, I don't here them complaining. Besides, I'm not stripping them bare. I'll only take what I need. Catch!

You...Gram's pendant...Leon's bracelet...You want me to give these items to their families, to help them remember...is that it?

Aw, honey...you're so naive, it hurts.

You know, I...maybe I...

That's your share of the loot. Enough to shut you up, I hope.

In case you forgot, Kalas is the hero of this game.

This world is so fucked.

What?! How could you be so...I won't accept goods stolen from my friends! How insulting to the dead!

Kalas starts to walk off, but...





I, um...Thank you for saving me. My name is Xelha. I'm glad you came when you did.

I didn't fight that thing to save you, Xelha. A Sabre Dragon's fangs will fetch me a juicy sum. End of story.

Um...you're frim Mira...the City of Illusion, aren't you?

Jesus, Xelha sure doesn't take rejection very well. She's just determined to be friends with a guy who clearly wants her to go away.

How could you tell?

Because you have a Guardian Spirit with you. I knew as soon as I saw you. It's said that only the people of Mira can summon Guardian Spirits to this world...

You seem to know a lot about Guardian Spirits.



Souls from both worlds would meet, their fates entwined...The visiting soul would become a Guardian Spirit. Yet very few were able to hear a spirit's voice...and those bonded with a Guardian Spirit would receive great knowledge and power...

Huh, she seems to know as much or even more about us as a Guardian Spirit than Kalas does. Maybe she's not as clueless as she appears?

But I'm surprised. I thought that was just a legend...Some old tale passed around in fireside chats.

Well, there's no way of telling if someone really has a guardian. I wouldn't blame anyone if they thought we were just hallucinating or something. Right, Legion?





Well, here's the break for voting. See you all next time!