Breath of Fire Part #12 - Chapter Twelve: Dragon Age

Part 12: Chapter Twelve: Dragon Age

Last time we witnessed the stone robot destroy Tuntar. As expected, we can no longer go there.

:…*Sigh*

: Do not blame yourself, Ryu. Nobody could have anticipated what happened.

:…I know. But still…

: Let us proceed to Auria, Ryu. Once Zog is stopped, it will put an end to tragedies like these.

: You’re right. Let’s get going.

:…Hm!

: What is it, Ryu? You look very pale…

: Something…is calling me…

: Ryu! What’s the matter?

: I must go!

: Ryu, wait!

Music: 28 – Town of Wisdon

: This is truly bizarre. I know the lay of the land around here better than anyone, and yet I have never seen this place before. It is as if it simply appeared out of nowhere…

: The building design looks just like the architecture of the Dragon Shrines.

: Welcome, heir to the Light Dragons. We have been expecting you.

: You...you were the one calling to me?

: It is the power of the Dragon that calls to you, young heir, not I.

: I don’t understand. What do you mean by that?

: As I said. The power of the Dragon calls to you. Like the Dark Dragon Emperor Zog, you too can use its power to take on a draconic form if the seals placed on your bloodline are released.

: Are you serious? That legendary power…is something I can use?

: If you wish to master the power within you, then you must overcome a trial. It is one you must face alone – your companions must wait here.

:…I would like to take this trial. Is that okay with everyone?

: Do not worry about us, Ryu. We will wait here for you to return.

: Be careful, Ryu. Come back safely.

Inside the Dragon Shrine are a healing fountain and a chest containing a Melon. The Melon is a consumable that fully heals whoever uses it.

: Who are you?

: I am the Dragon spirit that guards the seal to the Light Dragon’s power. I can feel the potential in your bloodline, young one – you are capable of using the power to its true potential. However! Such strength is not to be used lightly. You must prove yourself worthy of it before I can remove the seal.

: What must I do?

: Face me in battle. Only there will your true character be laid bare.

Ryu’s opponent this time around is the Talon, and he faces him alone. There’s nothing really special about this fight – the Talon has high defense and low attack, meaning it’s just a battle of attrition. As long as Ryu has enough healing items there’s no real way of losing. The Talon has no special attacks, and the battle itself is just him and Ryu beating on each other with physical attacks, so I won’t include a video of it.

: After that battle, I can see that your character is exemplary. I will now unlock the first seal on the power of the Dragon that sleeps within you.

: Such incredible power…!

: This is barely a quarter of what you are truly capable of. In time you will unlock more, but for now…

: Congratulations on your achievement!

: Ryu! Are you okay?

: We heard sounds of battle from further in. Did you complete the trial?

: I did, but it seems only a small amount of power was unlocked. I must remember to look out for more shrines like this in our travels.

What did Ryu unlock, exactly? Let’s find out by testing it out on a hapless monster.

Checking the Spell menu reveals some interesting additions.

Let’s try the first one out.

After an impressive lightshow, Ryu transforms into a small white dragon. In this form his basic attacks are replaced with an ice-elemental attack that costs no AP and does 100 damage to a single enemy. His defenses are also boosted, meaning he takes less damage whilst in this form. The transformation lasts for the entire battle and only ends when the player manually cancels it by choosing to revert in the Spell menu.

Oh, but we also have two more forms – a fire dragon and a lightning dragon.

The damage of all three forms ranges between 100 and 200 depending on the opponent’s elemental resistances. Better yet, the only AP cost is for the original transformation. These transformations are incredibly overpowered and I will be gleefully spamming them in every boss fight for the rest of the game without a shred of regret.

Speaking of battles, there’s some new enemies that can appear on the world map now that we’ve crossed the river.

Meet the Fungus. The Fungus is an asshole. He can put your party members to sleep and make them useless, and he’s quite fast so he’s likely to get the first or second attack in. He also has a Quake spell called Devistate that hits every party member for high damage. It’s good to know that the flame dragon can roast him in one hit.

And these guys are the Fungus’s retarded inbred cousins, the Tronks. They can also inflict sleep, as well as cast Silence spells that block you from using magic. Silence means no more healing and no more dragon transformations, so it’s important to crush these guys as soon as possible.

: By the way, Bo…is it really alright for you to come with us?

: What do you mean?

: Surely Tantar needs you now, more than ever. Neither Ryu nor I would begrudge you going back there.

: The thought had crossed my mind. However…Zog is the root of all of these troubles. If he is defeated, the conflict should end – at least for a time. Besides that, I also have a duty to make sure our clan’s Ring is kept safe throughout your journey.

: Auria is on the other side of this cave.

The Cape Cave is pretty much the same as every other cave the party has been in so far. It does have a new enemy, though.

The Shadow. Shadows have low HP but make up for it with high speed and an extensive repertoire of status-inflicting spells. They can become incredibly annoying if not taken out quickly.

This is the only other thing of note here – a dead end with a blockage Ryu cannot break through. Besides that it’s just a straight line from beginning to end. Nina levels up and learns Cura3, which we won’t be needing for a long time since the party’s HP has only recently broken triple digits (Cura3 heals 250 HP).

: There it is – Auria, also known as “The Gilded City”. There are rumors of it being paved with gold, but those are surely just fanciful tales. Even so, it is undoubtedly the richest city in the region thanks to its large merchant fleet bringing in exotic goods from all over the world.

: You know quite a lot about the place…have you been here before?

: I read a book about it once. Apparently, thanks to the power of the LtKey, night never falls on the city. It is bathed in eternal daylight.