Part 48: Episode XLIV: Traumatic
Likewise, they couldn't be bothered to animate a scene of Lynx falling between worlds. So he...just literally falls from the top of the screen while his buddies teleport in.
The party's arrival in Another World is immediately interrupted by a small boy from Arni getting harassed by some of Lynx's shadow cats.
Our Lynx is not amused by this shit and glares down the feline shadows, confusing the hell out of them in the process.
"Ahem."
"Y-Y-Yikes! O-O-Over here is a scary lookin' cat man!!!"
"Oh, sure. *I* am the scary one. Not gonna pay attention to the clown girl with see-through parachute pants or the err..."
"...?" "Okay, I'll give ya noticing me before anyone else..."
"Begone, demons, if you value your lives."
"Get out of our way." "Scram!" <shakes a set of keys>
That shadow cats briefly confer with one another and decide to teleport off for now.
"I was lookin' for rainbow shells when those things started harassing me. But look! I got the shells alright! I better head back and give 'em to Kiki!" "Pfft... Rainbow shells... Wuss. Back where I come from we murder infant dragons for their skins to put on necklaces." "..." "..." "..." "What...? It's romantic and crap!"
"All the grown-ups say it's a rebellion led by Serge. And I heard this Serge is trying to kill everyone on the island!!!" "Oh, what the crap?! I have been here for like three minutes and I am already getting blamed for crap?! This is getting STUPID." "Monsieur Lynx, I believe ze boy iz referring to ze otter Serge. Ze Serge in jour old body." "I can't believe someone would want to do that! I wonder what's gonna happen to us...?"The boy runs off back towards town...
"An uprising led by Serge!? So, Serge has become ze enemy of ze people..." "Terrific... So now if I get my body back everyone is still going to be blaming me for everything and throwing rocks and giving speeches and crap...? ...I hate my life."
Oh well. Let's see how Arni Village is hanging with Serge-Lynx's terror reigning across the region.
Music: Lost Child of Time
Huh...it is...kind of empty... I hope nothing terrible happened...
Nah. I told you all that nothing bad ever happens to Arni Village. All the townsfolk are just chilling out in the chief's hut playing Yahtzee until things blow over. Unfortunately, only Arni natives are welcome into the game so Lynx can just take a hike.
Our furry protagonist is free to rob unattended store fronts for fabulous prizes for his troubles, at least.
Speaking of equipment material, the hop to Another World has unlocked the Denadorite class weapons and armor. As said before, Denadorite material can be easily gained by exploiting that roulette game aboard the Zelbess for 100G a pop. The Earth Dragon Isle and Isle of the Damned were also hemorrhaging the stuff back in Home World.
In any case, I decked out the party with a shiny new set of Stone Mail. Swallows, Guns, Gloves, and whatever the fuck Harle uses all got an upgrade as well. I still ended up with over 110,000G in the bank after the shopping spree. Not bad.
Back on the world map, Fossil Valley must be transverse once more. All the areas in Another World have been restocked with new, higher level enemies to spice things up.
Music: Drowning Valley
There really isn't much new going on in Fossil Valley since our last visit. Indeed, the party can just dash right through in ten seconds with little to no fuss.
In fact, their only attack is turning into a larger, decidedly non-feline shadow and smacking people around.
Lynx is less than impressed by the display.
These weird little fellows also occasionally hang out with the black cats. All they do is cast horribly out-dated Red innate elements. You've got to wonder how something lacking a mouth gets that pudgy...
Now, I said there was nothing to do in Fossil Valley but that is not...entirely true. Remember how we found Draggy here in egg form initially...? Well, he gets a quick resolution to his missing parents plotline if he's running with Team Lynx when re-exploring the upper plateau of the map.
Nothing like horribly traumatizing an infant with the long-dead skeletal remains of its mother for shits and giggles.
"I'm...all alone... I have no family..." <sob> "Uuuuuuhhhh... Maybe this was a err... A bad idea...?" <snot-filled wail> "You don't say, sir..."
".....!?" "Oh come on! I am not going to be forced to sit in on awkward family moments involving ghosts now. That is where I draw the line! What's next? Do I walk in on a birth and get made to sit bedside with the stranger popping out a kid?" "W-Who's therrre?"
"Just rrrememberrr... Motherrr will always be in yourrr hearrrt... Cheerrr up, my child." "M-Motherrr...? Is dat you, motherrr...? Y-Yeah... I do have a lot of frrriends..." "No kidding, sir?" "Yup... Friggin' shrieking clown skull came barreling out of the thing's mouth. Scared the bejesus out of me."
"I'll be back... I'll come visit again with morrre frrriends!"
Imbued with the power of crippling tragedy in knowing its entire family died eons ago (but being too young to full comprehend it) along with also kind of getting fucked with by its mom's ghost has caused little Draggy to become an even more effective flesh immolating machine. Thus he earns our first Level 7 Tech.
In Chrono Cross, <some> characters must earn their third and final unique Techs by doing little sidequests like this one. Most involve finding someone important to the person in another world, finishing unsettled business, or hell...just meeting their bizarro self. For a lot of throw-away characters, like Draggy, it is basically the last inkling of character development they will ever receive.
Edit: Though, some just get it by reaching the appropriate level. Harle currently has had her Level 7 Tech since the fight with
Draggy has received his a bit too early to actually use it as you still need to unlock the slot in the grid before the Level 7 Tech is available. But, we might as well pick it up while we're in the neighborhood. One or two more boss fights ought to unlock most characters' final tech slots. Besides, who could resist the urge of being a total dick to a dragon puppy by trotting it up to the dead husk of its mother for a reward?
And that is a wrap for our dealings in Fossil Valley for the duration of the game. It is sad to see the two map dungeon go.
Harle's Level 7 Tech: Lunairetic
Draggy's Big Breath