Part 11: Chapter Ten: Cave Dweller
Music: 02 – My Home Sweet Home000.png)
Last time we witnessed a group of thugs menacing a woman outside the magic school in Newhaven. Let’s see if we can find out what’s going on.
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The students in the school have many interesting things to say, so let’s get investigating.
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: Do you know this ‘Nina’, Ryu?
: Not really. The magic school rarely has need of the Ranger’s Guild.004.png)
: That’s where Joker and his gang are holed up. The Guild’s been having problems with that scumbag for years.005.png)
Remember this student. That’s all I’ll say for now.
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:…Moving swiftly on…007.png)
I have no idea what this could have been a reference to in the original Japanese script.
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: I’m certain you’ve heard of the Joker Gang. Some of their members attempted to accost me and I had to defend myself…: ‘Scuse us!: *Sigh* Lin…010.png)
: For the nominal fee of, say, some free magic lessons for two deserving heroes, we’ll take care of those jokers for you!011.png)
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: Yes! Yes-yes-yes-yes-yes-yes! You teach us some magic, and we’ll teach those goons a lesson! 013.png)
: Magic is not something that can be learned in the blink of an eye. 014.png)
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: Aw, is little Nina surprised we came back after she gave us a little owie? It’ll take more than that to stop us! Ya see, we just can’t keep our hands offa ya…and your baby sister’s a fine piece o’ work too! Heh heh heh heh heh!017.png)
: Oooh, talk about the evil eye! Ya know, you’re extra-sexy when you’re pissed off! Relax, your little sis Mina’s safe and sound…and she’ll stay that way as long as you play ball. You know what I mean? :…You bastards…: (Wait…Mina?)018.png)
: Now, come this way. Mina’s waiting, heh heh…: ...Fine. Lead on.019.png)
: Um, did I miss something here?: I can’t believe this has happened…020.png)
: They know she won’t do anything to endanger her sister…Nina’s hands are tied as long as they have Mina!: Oooh, those yellow-bellied cowards!: That’s how Joker rolls. Bullying, blackmail, extortion…this fits his modus operandi down to a T.: Oh, it makes me so mad!021.png)
: All right! C’mon Ryu, let’s get moving!: Too right. Joker’s gone too far this time. Plus Mina was our first client at the Ranger’s Guild. It’d be wrong to just leave her in that man’s clutches.Music: 06 – We’re Rangers
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: Okay, let’s beat that creep’s face in! Now, which way do we go?: It’s to the east. Follow me.023.png)
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: Okay, now instead of going north to Colossea, we circle back west around the lake.025.png)
: Joker’s gang uses this cave for their hideout.: Alrighty! Let’s crack some heads already!Music: Find the Truth
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Joker’s hideout in Mt. Rocco is the next dungeon of the game. One of Joker’s peons blocks the way, but there’s a very specific way that we can deal with him.
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That way being to murder the shit out of him. The Thug has a medium amount of HP but goes down fairly quickly. Lesser versions of him called Tricksters are common enemies inside the hideout – they aren’t too tough, but they tend to be faster than Ryu and take a few hits before biting the dust.
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: Ha. He wasn’t so tough.: There’s more where he came from, though. Lots more.Let’s talk about some of the other encounters here.
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The Bloodsucker is an upgraded version of the Leech with more HP and an attack that drains your life and replenishes their health at the same time. They’re fodder enemies who deal low damage and die in one hit, good only for grinding.
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Ghouls are the same as their Corpse cousins – every hit either misses or critically hits. They’re very slow and should be toast before they get the chance to do much damage.
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Will’O’Wisps are a rarer enemy that sometimes appears here. They are also the toughest, having high defense and HP. The can also cast ‘Blunt’, a spell that lowers attack power, making the battle last even longer. Thankfully their attack power is low.
That’s all the enemies for now.
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After beating the guard we’re free to proceed. The first area is full of Joker’s Thugs. They aren’t hostile – we can talk to them and they’ll tell us how they are related to Joker / what their jobs are in Joker’s gang. This is important for an upcoming puzzle, so I’ll list everyone and their relationship with Joker here:
Gabe – Friends with Joker’s nephew.
Terell – One of Joker’s first followers.
Layte – Keeps an eye on the treasure vault. Joker’s little brother.
Payne – Layte’s son.
Guevara – Joker’s older brother.
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A gate bars our path in the next area, with one of Joker’s men guarding the switch.
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: If you’re part of the gang, then prove it! What’s the name of the boss’s nephew?036.png)
The answer, of course, is Payne.
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As soon as we pass through the gate closes behind us.
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An eye flickers open in the darkness of the alcove. It’s clearly a trap, but there’s no way to proceed without falling for it.
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: Sucker! You just got a kiss from the black widow! Next time you try to trick us, do your homework! Oh, wait…there’s not going to be a next time! Time to die, fools!042.png)
A battle against the Thug and a Black Widow commences. Ryu starts the battle poisoned, which is a pain, but the player should resist the urge to use an antidote just yet. The Black Widow can poison Ryu again easily enough and so should be targeted first. With that said, this fight isn’t too hard once the spider goes down.
Defeating the pair causes both gates to open and allows us to descend the stairs to the next area.
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This area contains two treasure chests. Inside are a Lucky Charm, a consumable that permanently increases Luck, and a Silver Knife, a weapon for Ryu. The Silver Knife is excellent in that it ignores defense stats for undead enemies like the Ghouls and Will’O’Wisps.
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: Hey! Something’s going on down there!045.png)
What’ll happen next? Tune in next time to find out.