Part 130: Petrified Forest 2

Nicky tends to fanboy out about Rapp in general. He's more of the anti-Sue, really.


It's an Officer's Badger, too, meaning it's probably got the same rank as Nana and co.

----

Welcome back!

With all the cutscenes out of the way, we can jump right into the gameplay this time.





I'm just going to point out that the NPC chatter here confirms that all the items here are offerings left by the surviving relatives.

And we are going to plunder the everloving shit out of them.









The paralysis charm, as might be expected, protects against paralysis.

And yes, this here is why I didn't want to do a vote on each individual stat-booster item.

Anyway, from here on in, the Petrified Forest is a proper dungeon with monsters and no NPCs and whatnot.



Heading away from the entrance to the second area, though, we happen upon this important gem.



And Justin gets a level from dispatching its guardians.







As you might've guessed, it's our first Mana Egg for disc 2.

Even though Rapp starts out with Fire, he only learns about half of the Zap! and BOOM! lines. He even misses out on Howlslash. Still, picking up Wind is worth it for Howl alone, let alone the powerful lightning and ice spells it unlocks later.

Rapp's true calling, magic-wise, will have to wait until later.



Even though they're stone, the light-colored bushes still don't block your path.



Yaaaaay, more woods to be lost in.

... is it still "woods" if it's made of stone? Hmm.



Like their green-colored counterparts, these guys run away from you, but give good rewards if killed. They're a bit tricky to run down, but....



Wait, what?





: Say, Rapp, you're a ninja, right?

: The best there is!

: And you're bringing up the rear?

: Well someone has to watch your backs.

: So then how the hell did we get ambushed by monsters that run away from us?!

Yeah, if you're standing on top of where these guys spawn, they'll still show up.

If they pop in on top of someone who isn't Justin... well, this happens.



The alligators, as they're called, are extremely quick. Their special, Para Tail, hits like a motherfucker and can inflict paralysis.



So, uh, yeah. Don't let them gang up on someone who's not wearing any armor. Justin went from "perfectly healthy" to "fucking dead" in the space of "couldn't even input a command yet".

: Do you know what happens to an alligator when it's blasted with a fireball?

: The same thing that happens to everything else!



Unlike their green bretheren, though, the alligators have insane physical resistance, but are weak to elemental magic.

To the tune of "Burnflare hits them each for ~300 damage". They only have 245 HP.

And, as you may guess by the other comparisons, they don't drop craptons of gold.



Instead, they're great for XP. Both character levels and skill levels.



Well, he's finally tied Feena in strength. I guess that's a thing.

Still dead last in wit, though.

Anyway, not pictured is a second battle wherein Justin got splatted by double Para Tails, handily wasting both of the Resurrect Potions I bought in Cafu. Thanks a lot, jerk.



Another defense seed. By the time we're done with this update, Justin's gonna have one hell of a granola bar.

... Because they're all seeds and fruit, you see.



Oh yeah. This happened at some point. Right now he cares more about the extra MP than anything else.



Fuck fuck run run



Mmm, petrified cookies.



Justin hands 'em off to Feena for now.



Eventually, we reach the end of the area.

: The tower is on the other side of this.

: Let's go, Justin!

: OK! Everyone ready? We'll destroy that cursed tower with our own hands!

Wait shit, I think I forgot some treasure.



Oh, right. Because this cutscene had to change out the backdrop, it's on an entirely different map than the second part of the forest.







Eugh, that is ugly.

: That... that's a military building!

Anyway, skipping past the mood-breaking trek back to pick up some gold....



I'll say.

: Something's wrong...? Now that you mention it, I don't see any soldiers.

: Something's fishy. Look over there, something's burning. Someone's been here. It's just a feeling, but there's a Lainian behind this, and probably alone.

: What? Alone!? Against the Garlyle Forces!? What ARE these Lainians, anyway?

: Hey, when a Lainian loses it... Well, you don't wanna be there.

: Heh, heh... looks like we're gonna get to see a real monster! You ready, Juss? Let's GO!



Yeah, this place has been fucked up. Also, you can go in here for a save point and a stashing place. Helpful if, say, you have a particular plan for the next boss.



As is this rescue set, hidden in an alcove just before the boss trigger.

Speaking of....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x29MTH3Hfbg (Polsy link)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJBBkQzq2FI (Polsy link)

Voiced cutscene leading right into a boss fight. Since I try to keep the fights separate videos, that leads to today's awkward situation. Skip down to "cutscene ends" or "fight ends" to bypass the transcriptions, as usual.





: Juss! Over there!



Oh dear.

: What...? What is that?!

: Ugh. She's here-- that hussy woman of Laine.



Yes, She-Hulk here speaks with a Texan accent. Feel free to scroll back up and watch the video, now that you have that knowledge.

: Hey, there's something weird about her eyes.

: Hmph, she's really gone off the deep end this time. We're not gonna get off easy.

: Huh? You're from Cafu. And you two....

: So y'all with them!?

: Huh? What's it to you? Who you talkin' to?

: Don't go pullin' my chain. I'll pound yer face....



Wait for it....



Yes, that just happened. Video link is still up that way.

: Rapp!

: Uh-oh, we're in trouble now. She's looking at us!

: My, my, ya didn't run away. Well, I wouldn't let y'all get away.

: You're gonna be sorry!

And on that note, the cutscene ends. And the boss fight begins.

And yes, Rapp is too unconscious to participate.



Boss-wise, Milda here is refreshingly simple. She can smack someone with an axe, drop-kick them from across the map, or haul off on them like she did to Rapp. All are single-target physical attacks.



Because stat buffs and debuffs have a greater effect the higher a stat is, hitting Milda with the -2 attack from the weak-knee weed here does so much more to negate anything she can do than casting Diggin' would.

Not that I don't do the latter, mind you, but it just has a lesser effect.



She still hurts like a sunuvabitch, though.





Expect to be seeing this strategy a lot from now on. It may sound obvious, but ensuring you get as many turns as possible between each of the enemy's is the simplest way to handle whatever they can throw at you.



Once we've used our brains to augment our brawn, the rest of the fight goes smoothly.



Jesus shit, we were that close to learning this already?

Immortal Aura does what it says on the tin: makes Justin immune to all damage for a limited time. It's his only non-damage-dealing skill, and I'm getting the feeling I'll be becoming far more familiar with it in this playthough than I ever have before.



With a final Midair Cut, the fight ends. With our buffs and debuffs in place, we were able to successfully out-smash the hulk.

We didn't even need to heal.



Whoop, Feena pulled ahead of Rapp in strength again.



In case the proper name and face portrait didn't give it away, Milda isn't just some random midboss.

: I'm Justin. The famous adventurer!

: Jus...? Justin, is it? I'm Milda... from Laine.



: Jus... Justin! Didn't she just say that we have to destroy the Tower of Doom?!

Shocking plot twist! The woman who was here... err... destroying the tower was here to... destroy the tower....

... Look, Feena used to be perceptive, all right?

: Hmm... she DID, didn't she? Anyway, let's move her.

Next time: New party member! A dungeon!

Justin finally drinks that fruit smoothie!

: +2, +1 +1 +1

: +1 +1 +1

: +2


Bonus!

Given how bad of an influence Jusin's been on Feena's intelligence, I think it'd be out of character for them to actually strategize at this point.

So here's the fight with Milda, done with nothing more than a good old-fashioned beatdown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hPC6yT_HfA (Polsy link)