Part 29: Cockeyed
Update 26: Cockeyed
Hello again, everyone. When we last left off, Xelha had retrieved the Ocean Mirror and was on her way back to Anuenue to meet with the world leaders.
Why didn't you tell us you were the Queen of Wazn?
My apologies...I wasn't sure we would find anything in Wazn, and it just didn't feel right to tell you at the time.
Though we didn't know of your status, I apologize for any discourtesy, Xelha, Queen of Wazn. Please, King Ladekahn! I'm just Xelha, the same as I've always been. Well, if you insist...
Thank you for understanding. No, it...it is I who must thank you for your tremendous help. Oh Queen of...uh...Xelha...ahem! With you on our side, there is still hope, Your High...ah...Xelha.
You seem pretty awkward, My Lord. Do I? Umm...I suppose I'm in a bit of a difficult situation... Hee hee...
Ha ha ha ha.
Wa ha ha ha!And so everyone has a grand old time laughing at Ladekahn. Jerks.
The scene cuts away to Xelha and Meemai waiting in the guest room.
Just Xelha...When I'm here, I can forget about what I am. The burden I carry as the Ice Queen... Oh, what am I mumbling about? Get a grip, Xelha. Tomorrow is the day, Legion. Tomorrow, we will know whether we can seal away the End Magnus, or destroy them. Whether we can save Kalas from the Taint of Malpercio, or... Everything will be okay...right?
Thanks, Legion. You have no idea how much better I feel with you here. Let's give it all we've got tomorrow.
And with that, it's time to set off for Alfard and the Imperial Fortress. I wonder how the capital has been faring since Melodia took over?
...I'm guessing things could be better.
Throughout the capital, there are several civilians and a couple of soldiers being attacked by enemies. None of them really have anything of interest to say and there are no rewards, but I rescued them anyway because it seemed like a Xelha thing to do. Further good news is that sweet little girl is still alive and well.
All of the enemies here are these funky looking monsters. They can boost their attack power and can dish out some surprising damage, but still aren't a huge threat overall. Lyude in particular can devastate these guys with his light based attacks.
There's really nothing else of note here, so let's just move on to the fortress.
Music: Imperial Dynamics
Yes. Who are you?
Only a soldier. But...I was there, too. I saw the Emperor change into that dreadful beast, then when Melodia and the General came out and did what they did...I was terrified! I ran for my life. What's happening to our world? I feel you know something about all this craziness. Please, help us! Melodia and the General are in the fortress as we speak. Up to something horrible, no doubt. Please do something...I'm simply terrified!
It's all right. We're here to help you. 
Yes. Please protect the people until then. They need your help, as a soldier. Yes...yes, absolutely...You're absolutely right. So, Melodia and the others are in the Fortress? Yes. But it's crawling with monsters. So please...please watch out. Thank you. You be careful, too. I'll go do what I can for those back in the city.Aww, what a decent human being! I hope he survives.
That's some nice treasure for the coming battles. I like how there's a mid-level Light attack sitting right outside a bastion of evil.
There is also a dark-infused Imperial Beetle wandering around out here. I was going to get some screencaps of it, but Mizuti and Lyude killed it before it did anything.
Got another good spell for Xelha out of it, though.
The gate opens as you approach it, almost as if someone wants you to get inside.
(it also takes about fifteen seconds)
Surprisingly enough, we aren't given the option to respond to Xelha here. As many misgivings I have about the whole “saving” Kalas thing, I have to admit it's really hard to shoot down Xelha's optimism.
The Imperial Fortress is an elevator maze. Fortunately, it's not all that big; there are only five floors, and each elevator takes you to a predetermined floor, so it's not quite as labyrinthine as it may sound. This elevator goes to the second floor.
The Great Mizuti be hungry!
Another elevator on the second floor takes us up here to the fourth. This is the floor where Xelha was imprisoned back when we first bonded with her.
And this is where Xelha was rescued. More constellations are always nice (not so much Dark Flares, but I'll take it I guess).
I must have taken the ideal route through this dungeon, because I never came across a locked door. Either there simply aren't any and these keys are red herrings, or there are some and the game just doesn't tell you about them when you have the keys. At any rate, I can access...somewhere, maybe!
Let's head back to the second floor.
Oh boy, a bathroom. Xelha really shouldn't even be in here, should she? And we're a female ghost as well. Maybe we should just let Lyude check this out.
...Um. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be facing the other way.
See? It's a safety thing as much as a practical thing.
(also I don't know where/if I used this key either. I'm really tempted to replay this dungeon and avoid the keys to see if I stumble across any locks)
And that's the story of how Bobby the soldier died while he was masturbating.
The enemies in this area are just powered up versions of the soldiers from the city, plus some powered up versions of the Imperial Walker robots that we fought back on the Goldoba. Again, they have respectable attack power but that doesn't matter when Lyude can annihilate them before they get to do anything.
Ooh, an armory. I bet we find some great stuff here.
Okay, with our new equipment we're all set for anything! That Dragonfly in particular is going to be a delight in this very update.
We make our way up to the top floor, where we stumble upon Geldoblame's throne room.
Music: Falling Hail
Kill them! Find all those involved in the rebellion, and execute every last one of them! Set fire to the houses, and show them what it means to provoke my wrath! Summon the Mad Wolves! Send them to Azha immediately!
Your Magnificence, the people of Azha are merely protesting against such harsh labor conditions. 
What was that? Who gave you permission to grow a brain? 
...Excuse me, Your Magnificence. Humph. Listen to me, boy. I am the Emperor. The people are my slaves, mere pawns in a game. If I desire a juicy slab of Torsina meat, they will find the animal, slaughter it, and present it to me, whatever it takes! 
If I demand more money, they will toil on with no sleep whatsoever, and pay taxes as ordered. If I tell them to fight, every single one of them, man, woman, and child, if I so desire, will take up arms and fight to the bitter end. That is the sole purpose of existence for those mindless weaklings. It is the only reason I allow them to live!Holy shit, power trip.
Meanwhile, back in the present...
The Emperor is gone now...So is the coward I once was. The coward who was unable to stand up and fight for the people of Azha, he who was afraid of losing everything...
Remember, these last two Magnus are the two potential rewards for the Gram and Leon sidequest. And you get both of them right here. It's...kind of a letdown.
Now it's time to head down an elevator to the third floor, where our ultimate destination lies...
Of course, it's blocked by electricity, so we have to mess with the security system. Let's try going the other way.
I, um...I can't say I was expecting anything quite like this here. Maybe we should just go.
But not before we draw some Stagnant Water.
You never know when you'll need four doses of a demented Emperor's dirty bath water.
Back on the fifth floor (which is thankfully just one elevator away), we have this room with a blue glowy thing in it. Lyude explains that we need a lot of water to reactivate the security system, which will shut down the electricity for some reason.
I like how we're kind of indirectly using Emperor Geldoblame to thwart the girl who usurped him.
If you want to see a realistic, challenging version of the upcoming boss fight, Watch me!
Continuing into the next hallway, we hear laughter, and a kinda familiarish face appears...
But I'm afraid you won't be seeing Lady Melodia any time soon. You're the General...General Fadroh.
You were with Melodia! Ha ha ha! I was once Commander of the mighty Imperial army, believe it or not. But that's all in the past. I now serve and honor Lady Melodia. I have sworn to protect Malpercio and the Lady at all costs. Anyone who dares go against the god's will must be eradicated.
Oh god that is so not where eyes are supposed to go
Ha ha ha ha ha! Once adjusted to the shimmering light, even ordinary people can possess a portion of the god's power. But Geldoblame overplayed his hand and bathed in all five lights at once, leading to his misfortune. Look at us, and the blessings showered upon us! The great Malpercio will come down to this world very soon. The world will be made anew, according to Malpercio's will...Those foolish enough to defy his rule will not be pardoned. All those in rebellion will perish!
Music: Glowing Clouds
This is Fadroh. Fadroh is widely regarded to be the most difficult - or at least most frustrating – boss in the game.
You may note that the battle I linked to in the video was “realistic”. Well, this screenshot one isn't so much, because I'm about to make Fadroh my bitch.
As you can see, Fadroh's attacks aren't all that bad – in this battle. You see, Fadroh has a god-awful ability called Orb of Magical Offense. This ability increases his attack power drastically, to the point where he's doing in the ballpark of 800 damage when you do a good job of defending, and over a thousand if you don't.
What's even worse is that he also gains the ability to attack twice in one turn, meaning that you can very easily take 1500-2000 point of damage (between two characters) every time he acts.
The thing is, he doesn't always use Orb of Magical Offense. And when he doesn't, his attacks are like this.
Fadroh also has around 7000 HP and is heavily Chronos based, plus a bit dark based. As such, Mizuti's attacks aren't all that effective with the deck setup I've given my casters. On the other hand, Mizuti's excellent defenses work out quite nicely in this fight, especially when combined with some good Wind armor.
Fadroh is also extremely weak to Wind.
I'd like to take this moment to thank you all for letting me bring Gibari.
As you can see, if Fadroh doesn't use the Orb, this fight is quite simple. Granted, I'm overleveled so it might take a bit longer (and subsequently give him more time to use it) otherwise, but if you can lay out as much offense as you can, you can typically kill him off before he gets to do much to you.
Of course, a lower leveled/underequipped party can have a very, very hard time here. I've seen many people say they basically just reset until Fadroh doesn't open the battle with the Orb. Thankfully, the save flower is nearby and the pre-battle cutscene is short, so that's not too bad if you feel like cheesing the fight (or rather, preventing him from cheesing the fight).
Against all odds, Mizuti ends up taking the kill.
I am no longer afraid of death...Never...Your powers will be joined together...A tribute to our god...My goodness, whatever could that mean?
Maybe we'll find out next time, on Let's Play Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean!
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Decision Time!
: Hey guys, I'm going to kill you now.> Kalas, stop being so mean!
> Not if I kill you first!
: I think we're hurting Kalas!> Who cares?
> Yeah, back off, Xelha.
And most importantly, who gets to kick Kalas' ass?