Part 42: Episode XXXVIII: Mirror

I don't know about you jerks, but I couldn't be more thrilled to be off that damn boat. In any case, according to the Sage of Custodial Work, utilizing the fiddler crab statue where "the tides shift" will cause something or other to happen. That is code for "go to where the area name appears on the world map and use the key item".




A great earthquake occurs, drowning the entirety of Arni Village, Fairyville, and irreparably condemning Marbule to the sea in the process. Also, Death's Door opens. So that is nice.

Docking at the shores of Death's Door...


Radius decides to tag along with us whether he's in the party or not at the time. Good of the old man to get out of the house occasionally.


Shortly up ahead on the path, Soul Edge seems to have taken up residence. That is kind of inconvenient. I don't think we have time for a German knight to come along, transform into a pun-based evil alter ego, and do battle with gimps, lizardmen, and Spawn at the moment.


Actually, it's the Masamune from Chrono Trigger cosplaying as Soul Edge. The legendary blade Frog once wielded has been retconned into a great sword of unspeakable evil that possesses and corrupts men's minds causing them to commit heinous acts of villain in fits of insanity. Bummer.


"Ugh... It's no use... We will not be able to proceed without going mad. Serge... We have no choice but to withdraw for now."
"Dang..."


"The negative sentiment associated with that sword has been intensified. It will be impossible to proceed without going mad..."
"Is that the so-called evil sword, Masamune?"
"What is this the redundancy chat hour? Hey, Harle. Did you know it will make you go MAD if we proceed!?"
"Non!"
"Sir Radius, do you know anything about this sword?"
"No! Don't ask him for exposition! You fool!"
"......"


"We cannot make our way into the Dead Sea without removing that sword."
"Welp, it's a hard thing being the leader but sacrifices have to be made. We'll have to toss someone into the meat grinder so the rest of us can proceed. So, let's flip a coin. Heads: the artist kid with the douchey little specs. Tails: the mushroom dude. Alright, call i-"
"Only the dragon sword, Einlanzer, can break the seal of Masamune."
"Ergh... I guess that works too! G-Good... Good thinking!" <cough>
"The Einlanzer? The sword forged by the ancient Dragonians?"
"Yes... The legendary holy sword, forged by the Dragonites..."
"Monsieur Lynx, did jou know ze legendary zword Einlanzer waz forged by ze Dragonianz?"
"No way!"
"Oui! Zes iz true!"
"Get out of town! The ancient sword I've been hearing so much about. Forged by the Dragonities, if you didn't know. Amazing!"


"May he rest in peace within that cavern... Although it pains me to disturb his eternal sleep, we have no other choice..."
"Cavern...? I thought the thing was sitting in the graveyard in Termina...?"
"I am afraid not. That memorial is just for show."
"Just...for show...?"
"Did you honestly think you'd get away with obtaining an infamous blade without a brief dungeon crawl...?"
"Hmph... No... But...well, it would have been nice for once."
"Where is the cavern?"


"It used to be an ordinary cavern until it mutated into a nesting ground for demons... I believe this may be the result of Garai's sentiments which lingered. A negative sentiment, which the holy sword could not even restrain. In order to make our way in there, we need a certain item that Garai used while he was still alive. I have stored it away in a hut where Garai and I used to train. We must go and get this item..."


So, while Radius fails to actually mention where this "hut" is located, it is the non-hermit occupied Hermit's Hideaway island.


"Oh boy... I feel a flashback coming on! My whiskers are twitching..."
"Jour whiskerz can sense ze coming flashbackz, Monsieur Lynx?"
"No... I mean my whiskers are twitching and I don't know how the hell to stop them... I don't know how to control cat parts! This is freaky!"
"..."

In the mean time Radius reminisces about his past with this Garai fella...






We join a younger, hair possessing Radius and Cervantes from Soul Calibur sparring in this very spot some unspecified years ago.


"And you have a habit of turning your wrist when you swing down. I can read your every move."
"Hah! You're about the only one who knows that, since we practice together so often."
"And I thought I was a genius."
"Yeah, right... Next you'll tell me you're psychic."


"The Einlanzer is a legendary sword passed onto the most skilled swordsman of the Acacia Dragoons. It belonged to Garai before Dario took over the title. He was a magnificent dragoon..."

Some time later in flashback land...


They don't really specify, but apparently this is supposed to be the Isle of the Damned when it was only kind of a spooky shithole and not a full blown boneyard hellhole. Actually, it's another location from later in the game. But they were just really lazy about reusing similar looking assets and it's supposed to be the mountains the Masamune was found in Chrono Trigger.

Radius approaches the blade...


"Leave it alone! There's something...wrong about this."
"What could be wrong? This is a legendary sword!!!"
"We just found it here in a cave with no fanfare? No boss battle or anything? Something is amidst."
"You worry too much. Besides, you are already nine feet tall and wield two massive weapons larger than a grown man! Do you really need to level-up any more? Keep grinding like this and they'll go and change the whole system around before you know it!"


Since Young Radius (Read: In his mid-50s) is kind of a dick, he yanks out the Masamune without a second though, despite Garai telling him it's a bad idea what with the whole corrupt demonic cavern from its presence and all...


".....Hmm, perhaps not. Let's go, Radius! No use hanging round this eerie place."
"Aww... But I was just getting my victory groove on!"

Garai departs the cavern...


And of course Radius immediately gets overtaken with evil intent as soon as Garai leaves. But, that is a story for another day...

Back to the present...


"Anyone who lays his hands on it will be overcome with negative sentiments and will be driven mad... I......"
"Turned evil and murdered your buddy. Yeah, yeah gramps. We all see this coming a mile away."
"......"


"Just wait here for a moment."

Radius walks off into the hut...

"Yup... Let's all just wait around here for a minute. No playing with matches to pass the time. That would be rude. Wouldn't it, Harle?"
<whistles>

You really do have to just wait around for about thirty seconds for him to come back...


"With this mirror, we should be able to make it to the inner parts of the Isle of the Damned."


And so we obtain Garai's Keepsake. What? Nine foot tall, steel plated giants like to look pretty too.


"About damn time..."






Masamune Official Art