Part 32: Chapter Thirty Two: Dream Chronicles

: Uuuh…My head…

: Ah, I see you’re finally awake. Luckily nobody was seriously hurt – even the princess managed to escape unharmed.



: Okay, let’s go!

: Wait up, Bleu – we still need the Bolster so that we can help the Dirt-Eaters.





: Oh, lots of chests!

: It should be safe to take ‘em now. The place is so trashed I can’t see any trap mechanisms actually working properly.

The chests contain two Melons, the Bolster and a precious M.Drop.

: Now we can head back to the Dirt-Eaters. Nina, if you would?

: Certainly.



: Ah, you’ve returned! Do you have the item?

: Yes, we have brought what you requested. Sorry it took so long.



: Are you ready?

: Everyone is ready, Ryu. Just say the word.

: Yes, we are ready. Send us into the world of dreams so we may save your clansman.





: Here goes nothing!





: This is certainly disorienting!





: Are we…inside Mogu’s dream?



: Yes…that’s how we came here.

: Help? From outside? Thank goodness you’re here!



: Monster? Is this the ‘Mote’ that we were told about?

: No, Mote isn’t here…but the monster he left behind is!



: Please rescue Mogu!

:…Be calm, little one. We will do what we can.



: Whoa! There are lots of Mogu’s running round!

: Crap. This is going to be one of those whacko abstract dream things isn’t it?

We can talk to all of the Mogu’s hanging around. Here’s what they all have to say.

: I am Mogu’s Fear. I want to destroy the monster, but I’m afraid.

: I am Mogu’s Humor. Don’t worry, be happy! Ha! Ha! Ha!

: I am Mogu’s Anger. I can’t help you because Anger can’t solve any problems.

: I am Mogu’s Sorrow. The absence of Courage has separated all of us.

: I am Mogu’s Reason. Mogu will be whole only when we are united.



: Hm. It looks like Mogu has been, uh, ‘split’ into his component attributes.

:…All seem to be here except Courage.

: It might be best if we took care of the monster in the tower first before worrying about this.

: I agree. Let us proceed.





Yes, there is a World Map in Mogu’s dream. It’s full of enemies we’ve already seen, as well as one newcomer.



The WraithX. WraithX’s are an annoyance since they have cast buffing spells to increase their speed whilst using debuffs on your party to decrease your speed. Oh, and they can also inflict the Zombie status, which is never a good thing. They also have a hefty amount of health and like to appear in groups.



: Here’s the tower.

: Be careful. I can sense something…strange…inside.



This next area is the Devil Tower. This dungeon has an…interesting gimmick. See that little nub on the floor directly in front of us? We have to step on it. And when we do…



The walls vanish. Stepping on the red nubs will make them reappear, however.



This is an extremely creative and extremely irritating puzzle, particularly if you have a bad memory and can’t visualize where the walls used to be. Combined with the large amount of floorspace that’s split into many winding passages it’s very easy to get lost in here. This is not helped by the fact that the game decides to throw a particularly deadly enemy our way after this point.



These floating skulls are called ‘Zooms’. These guys are extremely dangerous because they can cast Shock, a spell that instantly kills party members. They also have explosive magic that can deal over 100 damage to a single target and blizzard spells that hit the whole team for 50 damage each.







: Look, there’s someone on the stairs!

: Who invades my tower? Fools! Know that I cannot be dislodged from this place, no matter how hard you try!

: What?!



: Typical bluster. Prepare yourself!

: Heh. As you wish…





This next boss battle is against Mothro. As he says, this fight is impossible.



All your attacks will fail, whether physical, magical or dragon. Any offensive action against him is repulsed by a double-team style evasion technique that ensures he takes no damage. Mothro attacks with a magical arsenal, including Shock. He is, however, as good as his word and will allow the party to flee whenever the player wants.

: Ngh! Nothing we do works! Retreat, everyone!



: Head back to the town and regroup. We’ll have to find a way to solve this problem.



: Hey! Heeey! Guess what, guess what?



After this, a new path opens up to the southwest, with a bridge appearing across the chasm.





It may not look like it, but stepping north of these rocks allows us to enter a new area.



: Be careful! This place is full of steam vents!

:…This is going to be difficult. If we aren’t careful, we may get scalded.

: We’ll have to make a run for it!



Honestly, this area is easier than it looks. Attempting to walk over the human bones at any point will result in a jet of steam shooting out and hitting the party. It’s not too bad, though, since the steam does piddling damage and only affects the party leader. The Wilderness does have a new enemy, though.



WarHogX. WarHogX is basically the standard WarHog from way back at the beginning of the game on steroids and with some fire magic thrown in for good measure. They have a multi-target Burn Out spell and hit extremely hard physically as well. Whilst they aren’t as threatening as Zooms they also aren’t the sort of enemy you can expect the Autobattle function to sort out on its own.





There are three treasure chests in the Wilderness, but only this one has anything worthwhile. It contains a LightSH, which is a shield for either Nina or Bleu.







:…We made it out…

: That was…a long trip…

Mogu’s Courage awaits inside the cave. Next time we’ll be gaining our last party member and having a rematch with Mothro. Finger’s crossed that it’ll be more successful than the first attempt.