Part 24: Chapter XXIV: A Meeting With A God

Well, we're at the top of the tower. Unsurprisingly, it's some sort of windmill-based gondola chucker.



: "We can use that to go even higher than we are now. If we do, we should be able to go find the Wind Dragon. Well, let's go."

Well let's just walk on over and



Awww snap. Wait, he had to get up here with those goofy air currents too. That's a pretty funny mental image.



: "Did you really think you could escape? I don't think you full understand the gravity of the situation, my friends. You, Cray, and Nina have greatly inconvenienced the Alliance. However, at the same time, you've also given us something we can use against the Empire...your friend Ryu there. Or should I say, your friend, the Yorae Dragon? I'm willing to make you a deal. If you hand him over to me, we will overlook your transgressions. What do you say?"

: "Hand him over? Are you crazy? Never!"

: "Really? Don't lie to me. You were planning to hand him over to the Empire yourself once you'd met with the Wind Dragon! Am I wrong!?"

: "But...but we're just...Ryu is our..."

: "...Your what? Your friend? Your companion? Humph!"

Ahh, competency undercut by massive paranoia. Two great tastes that go great together. You know what else goes well with that?



: "If you will not hand him to me, I shall simply have to take him myself."



Expendable minions! This is TECHNICALLY a boss fight since the boss music is playing, but it barely counts. These three are barely tougher than normal monsters. Grunt B uses fire magic, while Grunt C uses debuffs. Some combos knock the three morons to kingdom come.



420 lower attack erryday





: "But how long can you hold out?"

Evil Overlord List Item #Whatever: When you have reserves, use them. This is also how Yohm rolls, only instead of mole people he has demonic golems.



And so the heroes were unceremoniously thrown from about a billion stories up and went splat on the jaggedy rocks below.

Rather, they would be, but...







Scias leaps down and throws the bag of money back to Ilgor.



: "What!? You mean you're breaking the contract? But why? Why would you do such a thing? There's no merit in it for you...why do you side with them?"











Pictured: the greatest shit-eating grin in the history of grins or shit-eating. The manga makes it a little more explicit that Scias decided to stick with the group because he was touched by Nina's altruism.

: "Bah! Enough of this. Kill them. Kill them all!"



Spoiler: ours.

This is the exact same battle, by the way, only with Scias off to one side. Every other round he uses Shining Blade, but it only hits once due to the game not being able to have a two-hit monster.



Oh yeah, group combos hit him too. Don't worry, he's got over a million HP in this fight so he's effectively immortal.



To top it off, he heals your party with MultiVitamins too. This, if counted as a boss fight, is hands down the easiest one in the game.

When we kill this squad of mole men, Ilgor decides that sticking around just ain't worth it and runs for his life. This is actually the last time in the entire game we see or hear from him. It's sort of a dropped thread. However, the mole people as a whole become a race of monsters now that have several different iterations (like the Goos), so you could extrapolate that he keeps sending assassins after you.

Really, really terrible ones.



: "It's all right, Scias. After all, it was your job to watch us, right? Besides, you helped us in the end. Thanks - I knew you were all right!"

: "We'd better get out of here before they come back with reinforcements."

So yeah, we get Scias back in the party.





Nina pulls a lever and the weight on the other end is released, sending the arm hurtling up.



When it reaches the peak of its swing, the gondola is released and it soars into the air.





It's much funnier to imagine the entire party stuffed in that thing. The manga makes the gondola bigger so it's not as snug a fit, but it's still pretty cramped in there.



Weird orange sky fish eel things leap and cavort in the clouds.





Oh yeah, P'ung Ryong too. A weird airy sort of music starts playing that doesn't appear to be on the OST, but it's what plays pretty much whenever a dragon's around from this point on.







P'ung Ryong is huge.



: "We have awaited thy coming."

As he speaks, there's a deep rumble and the gondola shakes uncontrollably.

: "We...We wanted to talk to you about the dragons..."





: "Thou who seeketh knowledge...thou wishes to know of Ryu's true nature, yes? Ryu is of our kind...he be one of the Endless."

: "You mean...He's not an ordinary person?"

No shit, Sherlock. I never get over how knuckleheaded Nina can be.

: "He is a dragon...in thy terms, he is like unto a god. Yet he is at the same time mortal...at least, for now."

: "Ryu...is a god!?"

: "We of the Endless are summoned to this world by mortals. They that summon us have the power o'er us. 'Tis they who determine how our power shalt be used. 'Tis their desires that shape us. The Endless be not good, nor be they evil. The Endless are. They become gods or devils according to the desires of those who summon them. The Yorae Dragon, having been brought to this world only recently, be like unto a blank slate. He hath neither form nor purpose as of yet."

: "You mean the Empire was trying to summon Ryu so they could start another war, with the power of a god on their side!?"

: "We knoweth not the answer to thy question, little one. However, the Yorae Dragon...he whom thou hath named Ryu...is incomplete. To become whole, young Ryu, thou must join to the Place of Summoning."

Ker-EXPOSITION!



The little avatar of P'ung Ryong poofs out of existence.



Err, okay.



SWEET JESUS WHAT IS IT WITH DRAGONS AND BROADSIDING MY RIDES



So the gondola is smashed out of the air and sent careening down to the mountains below.



: "At the base of this crag, thou wilt find a hamlet. They who have passed the Spell of Evocation from generation to generation, down through the ages, dwelleth therein. Seekest thou that village, that thou might learn of The Endless...and of thy true nature, Ryu."

: "Mighty P'ung Ryong, please wait! If Ryu is one of They Who Endure, what must he...what should we do?"

: "Listen, o child of mine, that thou might learn wisdom. We possess a power so great that thy mind cannot fathom it - indeed, a power so great that here, we are as gods. And yet, how that power is used - be it for good or ill - rests in thy hands, little one. For this world is thine, not ours. But now, thou needeth knowledge that thou might understand the events that are to occur. Thy paths have crossed with Ryu's. Thou are as much a part of this now as is he."

The avatar dips behind the hill...





...and P'ung Ryong soars off into the blizzard. Way to strand us, asshole.



: "Yes, well...for now, we should go to the village that P'ung Ryong told us about."



So we only have one place to go, the Ice Peak. Guess we're hoofing it.



In here, we've got a few new enemies. These pterodactyl looking things attack the weakest party member and also use some ice magic.



Blue Caps are upgraded Caps, but they're cowards and can still be tricked into beating the stuffing out of each other with Command.



Going on through the icy paths and some caves...



Ooh hey, a snowball.



We can shove these around to plug up gaps and stuff.



Like so.



Cancertastic!



This is actually lamellar armor, apparently. The translators changed it for God knows what reason. I think it might increase your fire resistance sneakily, but I'm unsure.



This must be the village then.



Alright, let's find us some secretive god summoners and get us some...uhh....