Part 19: Chapter Nineteen: Star Ocean

: I’m sorry, Ryu.



: To be honest, this was probably the best we could hope for. The enemy fleet now lacks a commanding officer and that will give Auria time to ready their defenses whilst the Dark Dragons reorganize.

: Um, yes. Quite. But that wasn’t what I was referring to. I suggest you look at said Dark Dragon fleet. It might be a good idea to cover your ears.







: WHOA!!!

: The GnPwdr! It must have set off a chain reaction!

: Watch out, everyone! Don’t get caught in the suction as the ships go down!

: Hate to say it fish man but I think it’s a little late for thaaaaaat!





: HELP!! I DON’T KNOW HOW TO SWIM!!

: Grab hold of me, Nina!

: Stay calm, everyone! There’s an island to the south! We can use the whirlpool as a slingshot and swim over to it! Oh, but…





: Every investment is a gamble to some extent! And when the alternative is certain death it’s a gamble worth taking! On three, let’s go! One! Two! Three!



: *Pant*, *Pant*…Well…it looks like…everyone made it.

:…Nina? It’s okay. You can open your eyes now.



: We were indeed lucky to survive, but our prospects do not look good. I cannot see any landmasses on the horizon – it seems we are marooned on this tiny island.

: Not to worry! Fearless Gobi once again has the solution to all of your woes.



: It is the home of my people, the Manillo. If we travel there we can work out a way to get back to dry land, at least.

: Hey, fish man! There’s a pretty big flaw in this plan of yours! How are we supposed to get there without drowning, genius?

: Of course I am aware of that. As before, you are in luck, as I am aware of a means by which you can travel under the sea without drowning!



:…I think I can see where this is going. How much do you want for them?

: Excellent! You catch on quickly, my fine human friend. For you and your companions, who have always been such fine customers at my shop in Auria, I will give a special discount.



:…

:…

:…

:…What the fuck?

: You object? I think it’s quite reasonable, given the circumstances. It evens out to only 250,000 GP per head, does it not? And you already had enough to buy quite a large amount of solid gold.

:…I take back everything bad I said about you, Karn. This piece of filth is far slimier than you could ever hope to be.

: Gee, thanks lady. Still, I gotta agree – this guy is pretty scummy. What the hell, fish man? You’re going to try and gouge us even now?!

: Do you seriously think we have that much money?



: Don’t worry, friends! I am a reasonable man. Financial dealings such as these must always be somewhat flexible.



: Ryu. What are we going to do? It doesn’t look like we can get off this island if we don’t agree to his terms.

: He has us at a disadvantage. We have no choice. Very well, Gobi – take what we have and we’ll pay you the rest as we can.

: Excellent! Now, I just need to make a short trip to Prima in order to acquire the goods. Don’t worry – I won’t run out on you! I have my reputation as a businessman to consider, after all.



: Don’t go away! Ha! Ha!



: Ah, this is excellent! I suppose this is what it means to have a captive audience for your products. I foresee many profitable opportunities in my future!

We are now playing solo as Gobi. Gobi is kind of like Bo in that he’s a jack of all trades. What sets him apart is that he’s quite a bit slower but unlike the latter he can equip shields. He also has some unique spells that only work underwater. This is a mixed bag because, whilst he learns some very powerful spells, they have the downside of…only working underwater.

Oh, yeah, that’s right – Gobi can travel underwater.

Music: 31 – Underwater



There’s a whole other world map beneath the waves, although it’s quite a bit smaller than the main one up above. Since it’s a new area, there are a lot of new enemies to encounter. Also, since we are now around halfway through the game, the random battle theme has been upgraded. The new theme is far better than the old in my opinion.

Music: 24 – Battle Theme 2



Unfortunately, these enemies are far too much for underlevelled, underequipped Gobi to handle on his lonesome, and getting into a fight is a guaranteed death sentence unless it’s just one enemy. And even then, it’s entirely possible for him to bite the bullet anyway. One thing Gobi has going for him is a very high counterattack rate, which will be a godsend once he gains a few levels and gets some proper equipment. Even then…he’s still not great. There are far better physical attackers to choose from and his magic attacks are too situational to be of any use. As such he’ll be spending a lot of time warming the bench once we get the whole party back.

Thankfully, Prima is just a little way left of the starting point.



Music: 33 – Fish Town



First stop is the weapon shop to buy Gobi some gear that doesn’t suck.



Gobi uses his ill-gotten cash to buy a HornHT and an IcySH. The GoldHT is the most expensive item but it really sucks – 14 DEF compared to the HornHT’s 37. You may also notice two new weapons of a type we haven’t seen before – hammers. Gobi uses spears, so…could this herald the arrival of yet another new party member?

Well, maybe. Unlike other towns, Prima actually has more than one weapon shop.



There are two pictured here, but Prima actually has a total of four different weapon shops. Each has a different selection, including other never before seen weapon types – aside from hammers, there are also claws and staffs.



Then there’s this building – the Flea Market.



Inside are a couple more weapons shops and an item shop, but that’s not what makes this place special.



To the left lies an empty counter. If at any point you have Gobi in the lead you can walk up behind it…



And set up shop. People will walk up to you and offer to buy your stuff, and you can occasionally haggle to get a higher price. Sometimes they’ll even sell you things, and it’s possible to get really overpowered equipment this way. Some characters ultimate weapons can only be acquired here.

It is very possible to abuse this place, but for now it’s time to get back to the plot.



: Ah, the guildhall is still just as I remember it. It’s time to do some business.



: Stocked with goods as usual, I see. Ah, there’s the Guildmaster at the back there.



: Hmph! Is that how you greet an old guildmate? My business has gone from strength to strength whilst you all languish here at the bottom of the sea! But…I did not come here to engage in petty arguments.



: I find myself in need of a set of Gills. Four of them, to be precise. I can give you the cash up-front, so if you just hand them over I’ll be on my way.



: WHAT?! Erm, I mean, what? Why are the Gills in Gant and not here? No no, don’t bother explaining – I don’t care. I’ll go there and fetch them myself. Good day to you.

Well, it’s time to leave Prima and return to the world map. Don’t worry, though – we’ll be back before long. Now that Gobi is better equipped he stands more of a chance against the enemies under the sea, so I’ll be categorizing them as usual.



This guy is the CreonX. He has high defense and a relatively strong attack, and Gobi’s low speed means he’ll act first in battle. On the other hand Gobi’s special magic deals heavy damage to him and other underwater enemies, so he’ll go down relatively quickly.



Next up is Fishy, an incredibly grumpy fish. Again, they have nothing special, with lower defense than the CreonX guaranteeing a quick victory.



P.Bug’s underwater cousin also shows up. CrawlerX tends to appear in pairs and are very fast, although they deal low damage. Honestly, not many of the enemies around here have any interesting gimmicks.



: Hm. The path to Gant is to the south somewhere, isn’t it…?



: Ah, there’s the shoreline!



: Now I just have to follow this valley west and…



: There it is!



:…



:…Where is everybody? This is bizarre. Gant is normally bustling with people. Something is amiss here…



: Ah, at last! Someone I can talk to.



: Yes, I am indeed! But before anything else…pray tell, where is everyone? The entire town is empty.



: I-is that so? Well, you have my condolences, but unfortunately there is little a humble merchant like me can do to help. Oh, yes – I was told that you might have some goods waiting…?





: Marvelous. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to hurry back to Prima.





: I did, since all of you are apparently too lazy – or too incompetent – to do so yourselves. Now, about the Gills?



: Superb. Now, time to uphold my end of the transaction. It wouldn’t do to keep my valued customers waiting! It’s high time I started – oh, what now?!



*Sound of canon-fire*



Next time - the grim reaper appears! We get another new party member! And Karn learns an extremely useful skill!