Part 13: Zzzzzzzz

Chapter 13: Zzzzzzzz



It's time for more Lunar Dragon Song! Let's get pumped!

...there is fucking nothing to say about this next dungeon.



I mean, we haven't seen a lot of these monsters before, but what is there to say about them? I couldn't tell you what the difference is between the pictured monsters.



My strategy for getting through the cave was having Jian use one of his spells until he ran out of MP, and then use the Stardust Ring to sloooooowly get MP back, with the occasional help from the heal you get from room clearing. I guess I shouldn't be bothering with these spells, a lot of people seem not to like them, but since they can end battles in one or two rounds, it's an attractive option.



I suppose I should also mention that there are blue chests. There are three areas in the West Meryod Cave, and oddly enough the first and last area has blue chests, but not the second. That's notable? Otherwise these caves are really boring to look at and navigate. The weirdest thing about it is that it's named after Meryod. Why? I guess because there's water, and it acts as a bridge. You never actually go to Meryod itself, so does that mean the town was named after the cave? Or maybe the town of Meryod does exist but no one wants to acknowledge that fact. This does imply that Meryod is a more ancient town than Vane or Meribia, though.

...sorry, this boring-ass dungeon has a way of making the mind wander.

Oh, and that item is headgear for Flora. It prevents silence.



And on the third screen, there is a weapon for Gabryel.



Oh yes, and Flora wasn't lying. There's another part.



They throw in an Althena's Statue, which is nice. Theoretically you can have Jian wipe out each encounter and just run back to the statue after you run out of MP, since you wouldn't be leaving the dungeon the rooms wouldn't reset, but I just run back once or twice.

And the second half of the cave? Three screens, first and last with a blue chest, and second without. Same enemies types. Hell, all the blue chests have is money! I don't know why the caves are separated into two halves, other than to disguise the fact that this is all really samey. Hell, for as awful as the four dungeon gauntlet of the Frontier was, at least each dungeon was different.



Oh, I guess this is something to talk about. I really hate when the enemies can walk through stuff you can't. This asshole just refused to get off of the damn lake.



At least the game gives you something for this sort of situation. I wish I had this card earlier.



Anyway, that's out of the way. New town.



Not much to this town.



Yeah, okay.



But if it's Noapeace, then there should be no... a peace.

...I'm sorry.



Wait, what ferry?

I mean, an NPC has mentioned that there used to be a ferry that ran to this continent, but it doesn't run any more.



Oh. It just happened to start up again while we were traversing those caves. Did it take that long to get through those caves, or were they just waiting for us to leave to start the ferry up again? I hate it when games make you take the long way and then it turns out you could have saved yourself the trouble and just waited.

Although I don't really know why I'm complaining. For once the game won't make us pass through a dungeon to go to a town. Also, this ferry will go to Searis and Obleage, so that's cool.



...he has?

...Who knows...?
Come on, think about it for a moment. Beastmen have always thought humans small and weak... They've taken every chance to mock us. So... what does he hope to accomplish here now? I've really got to wonder... Is it actually possible for man and Beastman to get along?

But if you examine this guy's stuff-



Gag me.


Well, actually it is just a glowing plant. You can find it in the nearby Black Dragon Cave. I don't want to sell it short, though... Because of its ability to produce light, it is actually very useful in such a dark cave.

But will eating it recharge your battery?



You know, this game has mentioned the Blue Star a few times, but has never explained what it is. (As far as I can tell, there are exactly 3 references to it in the text.) Admittedly, the original game didn't really explain it either. There's actually a really interesting backstory with the Blue Star, but it's not relevant to this game. Honestly, I don't even know why this game even brings it up.



Oh, and this town has a bell-tower that does not look a goddamn thing like a bell-tower.


But since the rumors of the Goddess being absent have started to circulate, my chances to ring the bell have decreased sharply.

Couldn't put a bell anywhere in the damn building.

Anyway, that's really all there is to the townsfolk. Let's look at the shops, then.



Wait, is your name actually "Begin" are you kidding me?



Yup, all expensive as fuck. The thing is, I already have the pictured piece of armor. I don't have the Angelic Suit right above it, but it's worse than what I already have. Okay, it does protect against wind, but elemental damage has mattered so little that I don't see any reason to care about it. Gabryel also already has the best armor here, and Flora has the second best. Some of the headgear and armwear on sale are better, but they're also more affordable. But for the most part, I'm not aching for an upgrade. The most expensive armor I got was a dress for Flora, which was only 6,000, and some assorted headgear and armwear.



They do have an upgrade for Jian's weapon, and that's the most expensive thing I buy. Gabryel already has the best weapon she can get, and there's a better weapon for Flora but why would I bother?

In any case, I pretty much bought what I needed. I could do some jobs, and the ferry means I don't have to go back through the damn caves to get back to Searis, but I don't need any money. So instead I can....

Wait, where am I going next?

Well, once you talk about the photon plant, if you hit party chat you get this conversation.





...good job Flora.

Well then, let's get going! Black Dragon Cave, full steam ahead!
That sounds like the next step. Which means we have to pass through Valley of Neza!

...how do you know that?

Now, if you talk to the photon plant guy again, he will mention this valley. But this party chat conversation is available before any townsperson directly mentions Neza. I guess Gabryel is psychic.



Anyway, this is the valley in question.



It's a little more interesting than the Meryod caves since elevation comes into play. There's, well, a small valley with a circuitous path off to the side that leads up the hill. It's nowhere near the unmanageable clusterfuck that was Elda Canyon, though.



It's a bit weird that a fair number of the enemies are ones we saw in the Thieves' Woods. It may surprise you, but this game doesn't have a lot of enemy variety. Actually, a lot of enemies are palette swapped, but I'm a little unclear whether or not they're the exact same enemy as earlier, or if they have different stats. I think they are the same enemy, they do have the same name and they're suspiciously easy, but I could be wrong.



Oh, ha ha Lunar Dragon Song.

Fortunately, I had saved right in the middle of clearing this area, so little progress was lost. A bit of an annoyance, but it wasn't that bad.



I actually didn't know that I was going to get a bow for free when I skipped buying one earlier. But I'm not complaining. (Not that this makes Flora's attack even remotely useful.)



This dungeon has a lot of treasure chests with consumables in them. Mostly healing gums or mental gums or whatever.

You know, I should have mentioned this earlier, but healing items actually work on percentage rather than any set amount. I actually like this, although that does mean that MP restoring items are lackluster at best, since MP totals are so piss-poor.

Anyway, the second screen is short and has no blue chest.



Finally, the last area is pretty big and sprawling. It'd be really nice if there was no blue che-



They stick it right at the end. Lovely.

I checked, and it's something called a Clear Ring. Protects against silence and confusion. Fuck it, I can live without.



Let's just get to the damn Dragon Cave already.


It's mysterious enough, certainly. Is that limestone? I wonder where the Black Dragon is?
Probably deep inside. Well, let's get started! Who knows, the Dragon may come looking for us.

So the first two Dragon Caves had dumb gimmicks, but were ridiculously easy. I wonder what the Black Dragon Cave is gonna be like.



Oh what fresh hell is this. A visibility gimmick. Fucking. Yay.

...

Okay, Lunar Dragon Song. I'll give you a chance. I'll play this dungeon without resorting to clicking over to a FAQ every five seconds. If only for the fact it'll make something interesting happen in this update.


We just need to find a source of light.

Obviously, there was a reason they mentioned the photon plant earlier. Of course, until we find it, gotta deal with the darkness.



Directly northeast of the entrance, there's a ladder.



And right next to the ladder, there's a hole in the wall.



This hole leads to a large room, with a narrow path winding around a bunch of huge pits.



There's also a lot of smaller holes here. You can fall down these.



And it leads you here. The hole and the ladder pictured both lead to the same place.



Here. This is a dead end, with nothing but monsters down here. No reason to be down here. Fortunately, you can just go up the ladder, down a bit, and up another ladder, and you're back at the start. No big deal. Only the big room and the dead end pit have monsters in them.

By the way, that glowing plant? Not the photon plant. There's lots of green glowing plants, and examining them gives you no text, as far as I saw.



Going back to the large room, how about a blue chest in a big area I can't really see in! Yay!



Actually, I didn't really have any problems with that. This rooms seems like it'd be a huge pain in the butt, however this room is designed as a linear path, more or less, with the holes functioning as barriers.

Well, at least that room was easy. Let's see what the next one ho-



Wait, that's it? Uh, well... it wasn't as annoying as I thought, at least. Wait, where was that damn photon plant?

First things first, let's get that blue chest.



Wait, didn't I-



-also get one of these from a blue chest.

...I hate you, Lunar Dragon Song.

All right, so how do I find this damn plant?





So it turns out not all of the holes lead to the same place; about three will lead to something else. I hate it when games do this. The Spirit Guard protects against blind.

To get back to the big room, you gotta fall down the hole here, which leads to the monster pit, and climb back up to the start.



As for the other treasure, the Shield Ring reduces damage.





And of course, this is how you get the photon plant.



Can we rename Flora "Karen?" ....nah, Flora's nowhere near that smart or useful.

_{Actually, looking at the text there's another conversation where Flora thinks she sees fireflies and mentions wanting to catch some. I have no idea where this conversation pops up, though.}



But it does light up the cave! ...not that we need it, as I already know where to go to finish the stupid cave. I didn't have to look up a FAQ to get to the end, but I did to find the plant.

Quality game.



All right dragon, time for some stupid pointless mind games!


Who's there? Show yourself!
The... Black Dragon?
You are Jian, I take it? Pretty small for a hero.
Hey, show yourself! Where are your manners?



...what does that even fucking mean?

EDIT: The n00b Avenger has an answer:


Black Dragon... We don't have much time! Can you please let me take the Trial?
Ah, the Trial... Well, Jian, I have been observing your battles. You certainly appear to have the qualities required in order to become a Dragonmaster...



Kacie had mentioned that these dragons are based on the Four Symbols, and I don't know why I didn't pick up on that earlier. Maybe it's because the Red Dragon doesn't look a thing like a bird to me. So, uh, no points for guessing what the Blue Dragon looks like.

What?! Don't you have something to say first? That's it? We just fight?

Oh, we're not doing stupid mind games? You're my favorite dragon so far.

It's simple enough, I think. I am the embodiment of all you see as evil. You must learn what true evil is, for yourself. See it with your own eyes. Why? Because the knowledge of true evil, and thus the ability to recognize it, is a vital skill to a Dragonmaster.
...True evil...
Well then, are you prepared? Prepared to look upon purest evil? And do you think you can stand against, and defeat it?



So is this going to be as much of a joke as the other dragon fights were?





He can certainly do damage.

He also has a single target earth spell with only does about 30 damage or so.



And he didn't have the chance to do much else. Even though I couldn't stagger the dragon, it only lasted 4 turns. Lame.



But when the dragon is defeated, suddenly we see- er, who is this?



Oh! We're fighting evil Jian. That's... a thing.



He can do some bodacious damage to a single target, as you'd expect. I didn't realize it at the time, but apparently this doppelganger will mimic whatever real Jian does. Since I never had Jian do anything but attack, that's what he did. In any case, throw a debuffing card out and have Flora buff the party's defense, and he's pretty much harmless.





I had to heal a few times, and that's the extent of how challenging this was.


I must say... You did well.
...
Evil does not necessarily exist outside of yourself. Have you ever considered this? Evil lurks within each one of you... So long as that evil remains safely within, the world may yet know peace.
Evil... within me...?

The problem with little bit here is that Jian has never really had internal struggle. He's never questioned who he is or what he's doing. Usually when a game has a theme about the evil in all of us, the protagonist has had to struggle with theirs to some extent. (FF4 being the most famous example.)

All people battle with the evil inside themselves. Standing against it is the only way to save the world from evil. It sounds easy, doesn't it. Easy to say, certainly. But it is actually the hardest thing in the world. Indeed, have you not just experienced, at the risk of your very lives, how hard it can be to fight against yourself?
I have.

I mean, we literally have (although it was easy as hell). But again, unless you count the party distrusting Gabryel for .5 seconds, there has never been internal struggle in the party, and no basis for this. The game is trying to have pay-off for stuff that it never set-up.

Then do not forget this lesson. Because you are the only one who can fight the evil that lurks within yourself. As a Dragonmaster... especially, remaining strong in the face of such pressure shall be your hardest task. You must not submit, as Ignatius has! Jian, I am counting on you...


Yes, Black Dragon...

Yeah, we'll certainly take to heart about believing in ourselves or whatever you just said. What next?


Yes, good job... Which leaves only the Blue Dragon.
Thanks, you two! I'd never have made it this far without...
Hah! What's this, all of a sudden?
Gabi's right, that's not like you, Jian! We are all in this together, right? Of course we're going to help you out!
Flora, Gabi...
OK, OK, group hug over. So, Jian, what next
I've got it planned out already. You saw the big forest south of Valley of Neza, yeah?

Oh goodie the characters are suddenly psychic again.

You mean the East Moto Rainforest?
It looks like we're going to have to pass through that forest in order to reach the Blue Dragon and the final trial.
Oh yeah, and I know what you are about to say. 'Who knows what dangers we may face?' Blah blah blah... let's get going already!
I wouldn't have used those exact words... But it looks like our minds are made up! So, what are we hanging around here for? To the East Moto Rainforest!

All right, so that's what we're doing next.

Oh, and we got a new spell. It's called Lunar Quake. Is it also disappointing looking?



Yup.