Part 42: Chapter 3, Epilogue: Floodgate II and Mila's Temple II

With the floodgate cleared of enemies, Alm heads inside to release the waters of the gorge.



A pretty simple area, here. Let's talk to the woman first, I have a pretty good idea who she is.



She's talking to Ryuto I guess at this point, rather than Alm.

Eh? I was under Tatara's control? So that's what it was.... I'm sorry if I've been a bother.



And to no one's surprise, we get to recruit Dyute.



She comes in with six fewer levels than Ryuto but is already pretty awesome. She's a point shy of him in Power but comes with the Aura spell. Her Speed is a bit better, but Aura's so heavy that it won't matter much. She does have much better Luck and Magic Defense, so will make a pretty effective magic tank. She also comes with a new item, a Prayer Ring - it heals 5 HP per turn like the other rings, and its special effect is to grant a 100% crit rate if the user's HP is below 50%. Pretty handy for a spellcaster that's always eating its own HP, anyway.



But enough about her, what does this guy have to say?



How is that supposed to work? You know what, never mind.



So we have a plot gate here - Celica has to finish her half of the chapter first. Let's head over there....



The only thing driving Celica's plot forward, other than helping Catria and Palla rescue Est, has been her mission to go to Mila's Temple and find out why Mila has disappeared. The goddess's disappearance somehow caused there to be no crops for three years, so the need to get her back is pretty pressing.



Mila's Temple is more populated than the floodgate, and is unsurprisingly full of priestesses. Let's hear what they have to say about the missing goddess.



That's why the land is barren. As things stand, we'll all starve....

Oh, well, mystery solved then. Since Alm's already headed to confront Rudolf, I guess Celica's job is just about done then, right?



Trespass, and he'll summon zombie dragons to devour you.

Surely Celica wouldn't be headed there next when she has no real reason to do so.



If you don't open the western floodgate, the water won't drain. There's a reserve gate in this temple's basement, but....

At this point maybe Celica gets the idea that she at least has to open her gate in order for Alm to proceed?



If you go to the Tower of Doma, you could rescue her. Just beware of the life-draining swamps on the way....

Ah! Finally something for Celica to do - go rescue a goddess. I'm sure the only way to do so won't be by heading straight through those swamps.



If you go north, look for a hamlet in the Lost Woods. The Great Sage Hark who lives there ought to help you somehow.

What healer? Also I'm not liking the sound of "Lost Woods".



There's no way across yet because the stairs lead straight into the water for some reason. Let's head into the basement.



More shrines!



Pretty much everyone can benefit from the extra Power. A free level isn't bad but only Catria would get the most benefit from it right now. I'll put that up to a vote at the end.



Celica has a minion guarding the floodgate switch as well. I guess he just hangs out in the temple basement while a bunch of priestesses wander about upstairs.



No can do. Only the Sofian royal family can order this gate opened. I ain't listening to you!

If you hadn't cleared out Geyse's fort yet, then Celica will rationally explain to the man that the royal family has all been killed and the gate needs to be opened so that all of Sofia is not flooded. Oh wait, this is a video game - actually nothing happens, the conversation ends here and you're forced to go to Geyse's fort anyway. But we already did that, so instead:



Then you must be the long-lost Princess Anteze!

Guard recognizes the royal crest somehow, and because it's glowing why it must be the lost princess! I'm guessing (hoping) that Anteze is the family name.



Being a princess has its perks.



The floodgate opens, and...nothing happens. Alm needs to open up his side, first. (Also, just imagine the screen shaking while the gate opens, since I couldn't capture that part.)



I just said that! Anyway, nothing for Celica to do but leave, so let's go back to Alm....



The minion at the western floodgate somehow knows that the eastern gate has been opened.



The gate opens again, and this time...the water magically flashes out of existence. Huh.



We know that. That's why we wanted you to open the floodgate. You useless piece of trash. Ugh.



And Chapter 3 is complete!

One last order of business: Celica's group gets some stat upgrades, make your choice here (up to 3 uses total): VOTE


New Characters

Dyute is another awesome mage and a great counterpoint to her brother, Ryuto. Whereas he gets Excalibur, which is light with a high crit rate to go along with a high Luck growth, Dyute gets Aura, which is strong and heavy instead to go along with a high Power growth. She also comes in at a much lower level and with generally higher stats than Ryuto. Between the two of them you won't be hurting for magical attack options in Alm's group after the third chapter.
Next time:



The gorge not only is instantly dry but also magically filled up so that we can cross into Rigel without any problems!