Part 123: Virgin Forest 1

I've done it once. Not too keen on having to do it again, but I am still trying to cling to any shred of legitimacy I can for this LP.

Speaking of....

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Welcome back!

We've farted around long enough; time to get back into the game.





One thing this game does well is make the various locations distinct from one another. Even though the foliage here resembles that of the Valley of the Flying Dragon, the terrain is different enough to make it stand out.



Or maybe I'm just plant-ist and they all look the same to me.

: That's right. It's so different than the continent of Elencia. Dazzling sunlight, and lush vegetation....

: We have really come a long ways, Justin.



Seriously, he's just been staring at that flower since he stepped off the boat.

: Isn't this amazing? Just a little more and we'll be in Alent and solve the puzzle of Angelou.

: Oh, Justin.

LaughTrack.mp3

: You're always one step ahead of yourself, aren't you?

: Huh? What, Feena? Did you say something?



: Yes, but nevermind! Let's go! Let's head for Alent!



Nope, I will never get tired of Justin puffing out his chest, either.





Hmm. Hitting up the Stashing Place might be a good idea right about now. Thankfully, we can still head inside the Sea Dragon to use the one there.



Um... Justin? That... that's not how doors work. Or walls, for that matter.



Anyway, we stash the Vaccines to free up some space, and swap out the accessories they've got for these Crescent Jades, dropped from ghosts way back in Dom.

Why yes, enemies here like to use status effects. How ever did you guess?

Speaking of enemies....





I... am not much a fan of the new battle theme.

Anyway, Land Slugs are assholes. They can use Curl Gas to inflict poison in an area, and like to defend, which makes them immune to physical attacks. As such, they pretty much force you to waste MP to splat their asses.

Which I am all too happy to do, given that Justin a) has Tremor and b) still needs more earth XP.



The other enemy type in this dungeon is the Sweet Moth here. They come in groups of four, tend to cluster together tightly, and can inflict Confuse with their Sonar attack.



Back on the map, the venus flytraps here... well, they do exactly what you'd expect them to do. Step on them and they close on you, dealing damage.



Ahh, finally, Justin hits Earth 7. Combined with his six levels of Fire, he rounds out his level 1 spell list with BOOM!.



And this beauty.

So, to briefly recap why having an all-hitting explosionsword is so crazy-broken, recall that fire levels boost wit, which makes your turns come up more frequently, and that earth magic boosts strength, which makes you hit harder. Combine that with the weapon levels you'll be getting, and yeah.

Naturally, having something so brokenly useful would defeat the point of a challenge run, so I'll be saving it for flashy boss kills.



There's some plants we haven't seen before.



Yep, still maze-like. But the true horror lies at the end of the first area.





: How have you been? Brave Couple!

: Oh, it's you.

: What's your name, again?

: How is this? Have you forgotten me?

: Aren't you the Mogay, Guido? We met at the lodgings in Dight.

I bet Feena's the type to keep notes of NPCs and quest hooks when she plays RPGs, too.

: Hey? How did you know about the Brave Couple thing? We didn't meet in Gumbo.

: Well now. Why don't you rest in my tent and swap stories while nibbling on carrots?



At least the rabbit stereotype is easier to laugh about.

: Well well, come on in!



And he literally herds us into his tent.

Remember this, by the way. It's going to factor into a dick move later.



: They were glittering and sparkling. Just like jewels.

: Really. You saw so many Spirits.

: Hmm... so the fact that you have the Spirit Stone does hold a lot of significance.

: Significance to the Spirit Stone? I don't know anything about that. Guido, who in the world are you?

: Well, I'll teach you some of what I know, out of respect for the Hero's Armband.



Yay, question time.

: What does the Spirit Stone mean?

: The Spirit Stone is proof that the Spirits accept a person. You, who has the proof, have a role to play.

: What is that role?

: Aha ha. That's for you to find out, Justin. For now, continue your journey. Follow the lead of the Spirit Stone. Wherever it takes you. Wherever. As long as you take the right road, you will get there. You will find your true role.

: What's wrong? Is there anything else you want to hear?

: Where is Alent?

: Where is Alent? I really don't know.

: But, this much is clear. The one who is qualified to go to Alent has the blessings of the Spirits. Therefore, you must always be true to yourself. This is the only way to get to Alent.

: Be myself...?

Justin has to be himself to get into Alent? Oh no, the only path into the city is going to be blocked by statues, isn't it?

: What do the Mogay do?

: All our people are traveling to find it. Just as you are traveling in search of Alent.

: What are you trying to find?

You know you've been watching too much Cinema Sins when your reaction to this is "Guido plays the pronoun game so that Feena has to ask what they're looking for."

: A way to improve things because the whole world will perish.

: Wow, that must be tough.

: Wait! What did you just say? The world will be destroyed?



This is where you wind up after listening to all three choices.

: What is all this about?

: Justin, can't you confirm that with your own eyes? I thought you were an adventurer.

: It's all right. Continue to travel, and the blessings of the Spirits will be with you.



: Uh....

: OK. I promise, Guido! An adventurer never gives up!

: "An adventurer never gives up"?

: Remember those good words, Justin. Oh, it's late. We'll stay here today.

Hey, it doesn't count as abusing free healing if it's impossible to avoid.



: Up ahead is the town where I live, Zil Padon. You come see me.

: Thank you for everyting, Guido. Let's eat some carrots again.



All right, back to the fore-



Oh, fuck you.

: Aren't you forgetting something?

: I have my weapons, my armband...

: I haven't forgotten anything.



: I still have my weapons.

: What?! Didn't you put us up for free?

: "Suitable returns for suitable work."

: Isn't that common knowledge? 100 G will do.

: Rats. You make a great business man, Guido.

: Thank you as always! I'll be here for a while. If you're tired, come again.

: You win.

: Well then, Guido! Let's meet again somewhere!

You can talk to him again, where he allows you to rest and/or save.

And yes, of course the greedy motherfucker charges you to rest in his tent. Only 10G, at least, but that's still 10 more than literally any other save point or inn in the game.

Now, your last chance to spend money before this point is in Dight, and the Grinwhale drops 6000, so it's impossible to have less than 100 at this point. But what if you did? Say, by using the debug menu?



: Hmm. It can't be helped. Well, we'll make an exception for the Hero. We'll loan it to you.

Yeah, no, fuck Guido forever.

See you next time!

: +1, +1, +1

: +2, +1