Part 6: Chapter Six: Wizardry

We’re back! Last time we witnessed the Wizard of Karma overpowering Nina and her party. One of her guards escaped by transforming into a giant bird, but was pursued by three black dragons on his way back to Winlan.





: Princess Nina has been captured!



: But the Wizard has the Xeon Gas, which is poisonous to us.

: Argh! All of us here are susceptible to the gas! All of us are…wait…wait a minute…



: Ugh…Princess Nina…I’m sorry…to have failed you…



Mortally wounded, the soldier succumbs to his injuries.





:…What? The “Wizard” captured the Princess? Okay, just slow down. Tell me what happened, slowly and carefully.

: Please forgive my sudden outburst – this is a matter of national importance. In short, here’s what happened…

: I see. Just to make sure – The King has been poisoned by the Dark Dragons, and his daughter, Princess Nina, took it upon herself to find the cure. She made good progress until she reached Karma, whereupon she was captured by the tower’s keeper, who was the true culprit behind the poisoning.

: That’s the long and short of it, sir. With that said…will you help us? Only you can brave the Xeon Gas and rescue our Princess.

:…*Sigh* I keep being dragged into situations like this. But if I do nothing, then the King will surely die. I wouldn’t wish Drogan or Nanai’s fate on this city. Very well; I will help you.



: A rescue party has been assembled. Please join them outside.





:…Are you serious?

: Watch and learn, kid.



:…You guys are just full of surprises.



: Dark Dragons approaching from the north!

: We’ll delay them – you break through with the rescue party!









: Alright. It’s all riding on me, huh? No pressure…



This is a nice refuge area underneath the rooftop, but we have more pressing matters to attend to, like rescuing a certain winged princess from an insane Wizard.





We pass through familiar locales…



: Take care!



: The air…it’s kind of misty in here…it doesn’t seem to be harming me, though.

Oh, and by the way, there are random encounters down here. With a new enemy, in fact!



Meet the Zard. Zard is a tough cookie, dealing around 10 damage per hit and taking 4 – 5 hits before biting the bullet. Other than that, he doesn’t have any real gimmicks, though.



To the side lies a chest with a “Foil” tucked inside. What is a Foil, you ask?



Why, it’s a boomerang that hits every enemy on the screen. It’s a great weapon to have and only Ryu can equip it. When combined with another party member using the E.Key, it is possible to do upwards of 70 damage to every enemy on the field. This combination can oneshot most enemy encounters for the next few areas.

But enough of that – it’s time to face the Wizard of Karma one last time.



: But you will soon know the wrath of my magic powers!



Finally, we get to fight the Wizard of Karma in a proper battle. The Wizard has very low defense and takes anywhere from 30 – 40 damage per hit. However, he has a tendency to buff himself to cover this weakness. There is also the chance that the Wizard may evade Ryu’s attacks by teleporting away. He attacks by casting Freeze and T. Bolt, and whilst both are damaging they’re also fairly manageable with the proper healing items. Overall he’s really not so hard as long as you remember to heal.

(Video – Wizard of Karma)



: I was so close…so…clo…se…





: Princess Nina! Are you alright, Your Highness?





: Don’t worry, Your Highness. We’ll soon have you out of here.





: Thanks for everything, Ryu.

: It was no problem – I simply happened to be in the right place at the right time.





And so Ryu and Nina fly back to Winlan.





: I had better follow her. With luck it won’t be long before the King is well enough to grant me an audience.





: Ryu, the Remedy doesn’t seem to be working. Were we too late?

: Your Highness…maybe it simply needs more time?





: Father!



It’s hard to tell due to perspective, but the King shows his renewed health by using his bed as a trampoline.



: His Majesty is certainly spry for someone who was on the verge of death moments ago.

: Thank you, Ryu. You saved my father’s life.





: Well, there is one thing.

Yes, Ryu does actually speak here! I’m not putting words in his mouth this time!

: I need to cross the eastern border into the next kingdom. I would like to request the use of the tunnel beneath Winlan so that I may continue my journey.



: Ryu, I’d like to join you on your journey.

: Your Highness…is that wise?

: Having witnessed Zog’s greed and cowardice firsthand, I can no longer stand idly by whilst his forces ravage the land. I have some knowledge of ancient magics – I can promise I will not be a burden.



: Well…

: I’ve made my decision. We can’t ignore Zog’s power. I’m going.



And with that, Nina joins the party for good. Next time we explore the lands beyond Winlan and become embroiled in yet another Dark Dragon plot.