Part 37: Hail Satan

Video: Revenge of the Roots

Music: Into the Spiral Tension


In case you didn't notice, there are a few Anuenue soldiers collapsed on the ground. I just point this out because I didn't even see them until several lines into this conversation, which made things a little confusing.

We're too late.

This is awful...

Why hello, Sagi. You never do seem to make it in time, do you?

Shanath! Look what you're doing! Is it really worth murdering people over this?!

What a hurtful thing to say. I am human, you know. The thought of taking their lives never crossed my mind. I just fixed them up so they don't get in the way of our work.

Someone pulled out their wings of the heart. They're all unconscious.

You yanked out their wings?! What a horrible thing to do!

Horrible? Quite the contrary. They should be thanking me. Now they're ahead of their time. Heart-wings have no place in an age of man and machina!


Suddenly the tree starts to rumble...


What's going on?

Shanath! There's something out there!







Music: Evidential Material


Grr... an afterling?!


Yeah, that's pretty much par for the course at this point.







Er...that's a bit unprecedented, however...


So...they can live in plants, too. Every day you learn something n-ugh!





Shanath's not looking to good over there. C'mon Sagi, let's lob his head off while we've got the chance!


Shanath! What should I do with this thing?

Ungh, secure it, obviously! Ah...do it now!!

I heard you!


Valara starts blasting at the monster.


Sagi, what should we do? If we strike now we might be able to defeat the girl, arma and all.

Yeah. But I don't want to kill the afterling in the process.

What?!

I don't know why, but we're not supposed to kill it.

Is it because of the connection to that other world?





Don't kill it!

If we attacked the roots, wouldn't that help it get away?

Right. Don't hurt the afterling! Strike only the roots and we can set it free!

Thank you. Both of you!

Thank us if it works. Get ready, Milliarde!

Right behind you!





Well, here we are. Time to fight Anuenue's resident afterling.

The first time I played this, I was just sure that the afterling was Yulfee. I have no real reason to believe that this is the case, but it just made sense in my head at the time.







This boss...I don't know, it seems like it's hitting me pretty hard but for some reason I just never wound up getting in danger at any point during this battle (or my play-ahead battle). It hits hard, but not that much harder than the generic enemies around here, and it's a little on the slow side.





That said, all that talk about the roots before was important. You see, the boss periodically shifts between standing tall and hunching over. When it's standing tall, we hit its roots. When it's hunched over, we hit it in the head. As such, we want to attack it when it's upright. It's worth noting that it's attack power drops when it is hunched over.

I'm not sure if the boss has two separate HP counts for its two stances, or one health pool shared between them. Either way, if it runs out of HP when it's slouching, it dies and we get a game over. Needless to say, we need to focus as much damage as possible on the boss when it is standing tall and avoid damaging it as much as possible when it's bent over.





A further complication is that Valara is an ally of sorts in this battle. I don't believe the boss will ever attack her, but she will attack it, and she's out to kill it. That said, while she's a further complication in a gimmick battle, she doesn't attack a lot and her damage output is...okay, but pretty trivial compared to what Sagi can do when I get his cards lined up right.









3/4


We've done it!

It's getting smaller! It must be losing power because we freed it form the roots!

No pain...It doesn't hurt! No headache!

Could that be because we freed the afterling?


Uhh, I don't think it's free until -


Who says it's free? My mission is to secure this thing. I'm not about to let it disappear!

No! Don't, Valara! Please don't!!!


Naturally, Valara ignores his pleas and continues blasting the monster, with predictable results...


















































(Wiseman - he turned us into magnus)

(- You can't be serious!)

(Who are we looking for in a place like this?)









































Music: Morningless Night


Just a little further. Stop your grousing.

Ven, nothing you say will change anything now. Let's just keep going.

...All right.



This keep reminds me of someplace I learned about at school. What was it called again...? Oh, I can't remember...





Welcome back to Zaurak. It's pretty much the same as last time, just with a different layout. We could return to the earlier area if we wanted to, but there's not any reason to that I'm aware of.

As you can see, this part features giant, bloated spider-like monstrosities, so it's basically the worse of the two.







Once again, the layout is set up with a rotating light source in the center, which we ultimately want pointing north. However, once again we have no means of directly accessing north from the central area.

This puzzle is...actually really simple, once you grasp one important fact; the southern path can be used without having to point the light south. Instead, it has a NO VEN ALLOWED wing-jump. So...





We enter from the south (leaving Ven behind)...





Turn the light to face north, then take the southern exit and reunite with Ven...





...and take the east path around to the north. There are no blockades of any sort on this path, besides a boulder we need Ven for.





And here we are, at the goal. I took a couple of detours for chests and stuff, but there wasn't anything worth noting. I should add that, despite how simple this puzzle really is, it still took me a half hour to figure it out (then again, at least half of that was battles).

On a sillier note, I like how this entrance has a save flower on each side.





Video: The Loyal Brotherhood of Five


If we're after Wiseman, we should be heading for Cujam. This is the opposite direction! You lead us all into a garish place like this, but why? Who the hell is supposed to be here?

Seph, you're not serious, right? You know what will happen if we accept their help!

Whose help?! Somebody please tell me!


The Dark Brethren.

What!?

The Dark Brethren...We're going to ask for their power – and use it to strike Wiseman down.

The Dark Brethren...of course! I remember now! This keep looks just like Cor Hydrae! The Brethren's castle – they taught us about ti at school!

Seph, are you mad!?

I'm doing this. There's no other way to beat him.


Hear me, Brethren! We have come! We have passed your trials and arrived at the heart of your domain! Answer me! Brethren of Darkness!





Music: Into the Spiral Tension


We need your strength! The power to destroy anything – to erase Wiseman from this world!

What will you offer in return?

Everything I have! I want to kill Wiseman! Once he's dead, cast me into the darkness, do whatever you want!

...That will not suffice. There are five of you. The price is five.

I can't pay that price! I'll give you myself! That should be more than enough!

...Do not be arrogant. The price is everything, and everything is what you must give.

Fine, Brother! You can have me, too! That's two strong men you get to cast into the darkness! Happy?!

Wait! I offer myself as well! My heart and body are yours!

Don't forget me! The five of us are one! We'll never be apart!


Ven turns back to face Sagi...or, rather, Marno.


Right?





(They can hear what Meemai's saying...I'm not saying a word!)


It's worth noting that if we say no, Thoran will lock us into a dialogue loop until we say yes. There's no turning back. Not anymore.


Seph, you hear that? The five of us are one!

One family...


...We accept your payment. Now, for the final test. We must see if you are deserving of our power. We will not barter with the frail. Show us the power you have!





Let's give them what they want!







Music: Evidential Material


I almost forgot this boss even existed. I have trouble even remembering what the damn thing is called (Rudra).







It has a special attack that deals 500+ damage to everyone and can freeze. It's enough to set everyone into one-shotting range for it's basic attack strings, so I try to keep a Fate's Cordial in my hand at all times for when it inevitably kills someone, rather than trying to heal everybody at once. I suppose I could have brought in a heal-all item, but those things are so insufferably ineffective most of the time that I didn't bother.





True Heaven's Glacier is still that thing I do that wins fights. I'm getting kind of tired of it, honestly, but it's just so practical and watching Sagi eviscerate an enemy with Rime Blade never gets too terribly dull.





I think I'll go back to forgetting about this thing again.





Very well. Our strength...is yours.


Five bolts of darkness fire down on Seph, Thoran, Pieda, Ven, and Sagi – er...Marno...


This power...it's darkness?

The price is absolute. Remember it well.


...














But we won't win unless we put out strength together. We have to be of one mind. The five of us as one.

In other words, we have to be a team.

That's right.

Then let's pick a name. Something we can call the five of us!

How about “The Loyal Brotherhood of Five”? Short and to the point.

That's a terrible name.

Huh? It is?





Music: The Broken Manas and My One and Only


But...that's the name of the hill out back.

I know. It's the hill we grew up on – Malpercio.

Ha ha, I like it. That's pretty good coming form Pieda, huh, Seph?

Malpercio...It's not bad.

Then Malpercio it is.

We have a pact with the Dark Brethren. Once this fight's over, it won't matter anyway. But if we fight hard and manage to stop Wiseman from realizing his ambitions...The name Malpercio will live on in the memories of those who remain.

Yeah...But really, who cares if anyone remembers a name or not?

True enough.

All right, I'm hitting the sack. We should all get some rest. Good night.

Me too. …...Good night.

I guess I'll join them. Good night, Seph, Marno.

Well, I should do the same. Sleep well, Marno.







Don't you see? This world is from long before ours. A thousand years ago, in the age of the gods. I don't know why we've been sent here, but there's no question – no other explanation. Except...if they're Malpercio, it's nothing like the legend. They're just the same as us. How can they be...gods?

They may look the same, but their hearts and magic are a hundred times stronger.

Oh, no! If this is a thousand years ago, then the battle they're about to fight – it's the War of the Gods! Sagi, what do we do?!

Well, assuming you're right...I don't know why we were sent back to the War of the Gods, but...we can't just leave Seph and Thoran and the others to die.

You're right. We have to help.

If we can stop them, we will. Are you all with me?

Of course.





Thanks. We're counting on you, Meemai!


Oh, if only I felt as good about this as you guys seem to...





We have one goal: defeat Wiseman. We must find him and end this quickly.

But won't we have to fight the people of Cujam?

Mm, I've heard rumors they've joined forces with the dragons. It won't be easy?


Whoa, whoa, whoa, nobody said anything about dragons before. Why are they even part of this battle? I don't get it.


Let's just hope it doesn't come to that.

I agree. If we can take Wiseman down, everyone else ought to return to their senses.

We should be going.

All right. It's time.





Well, that was...enlightening.


...Oh, I just know this is going to end badly...


-


Decision Time!


What are you?


> A Guardian Spirit

> A ghost!