Part 26: And They Seemed So Trustworthy

Chapter 22: And They Seemed So Trustworthy



Before we start, I forgot to mention that I got Lemina's all-enemy fire spell. It's a bit on the pricey side, although Lemina has enough MP that I can occasionally splurge with it.

Azado's to the south, past a bridge. In the remake, they throw a dungeon in the way. However, here, it's a short ways away and the enemies still haven't changed, so I'll just skip to the destination.




: There was a transport device here that connects Azado to Pentagulia.



Wait, we're warping to Pentagulia? Okay... I guess we can't really board a boat, but I don't know why a warp exists. Ah well, whatever.


: This is a great town. You're guaranteed a smashing time while you're here. Uh, that's if you don't mind the fact that we're constantly under attack. But that's a small price to pay for our hedonistic pleasures! Oh, and don't forget to check out the awesomeness of Azado Tower!

I'm guessing the tourism board here could use some work.

Also, they mentioned being under attack. Some NPCs in Vane also alluded to some nastiness going down in Azado. Let's find out what's the what.


: They have magic beads that will protect you from monster attacks. You never know where or when the monsters are gonna attack. They just appear out of thin air and destroy whatever's in their path! The beads are the only thing that stops them. They won't touch a house displaying them...
: It's a safe bet that I won't be spending the night here! With or without those stinkin' beads!

Beads?! Why would beads do anything about a monster attack? Do the monsters simply refuse to destroy such works of beauty? Tell me more about these beads.





Nevermind you can stop.


: As the beast runs rampant through this town. I've heard the screams of entire families being devoured! I have nightmares about it all the time!


: But night's another store entirely... that's when we huddle in our homes and pray to see the next day.

Hm, the situation is quite dire, and desperate indeed.


: I know what your[sic] gonna say! Sure, it's full of holes, but let me show you some of the finer things about this home. ... Hey... come back here! I'll sell it to you cheap! ...


: I think he's more interested in checking her out...

Although I suppose life goes on regardless...



Hi 1995. Again.

By the way, if you want to lose faith in humanity, Wiki John Bobbitt. The stuff I learn while doing this LP, I swear...


: Now she tells me that she wants me to spend time at some shrink's office. That's all I want! Have some clown tell me how to solve my problems. I'm beginning to think this relationship just isn't going to work! ... Oh geez! Look at that! I'm late for work! Just great! I'm sure people are lined up at the gate waiting to buy beads... and I show up late to open the gate! Just... great! I gotta go... see ya!


: Hey hey hey! I think we finally talked to the right guy! I mean, his personal life's a mess, but he's the gate-keeper! Now we can get to the transport device in Azado tower!

Wait, he was the gate keeper? I was looking for the gate keeper?

I legit forgot that you had to find the gatekeeper and talk to him; I was just doing my normal "talk to everyone" routine.


: But doesn't he understand that I'm not interested in his money? I only care about him!

This is a good time to mention that there's a bit more going on here in the remake. Ronfar meets up with a old buddy of his, and you stage a stupid daring ploy to sneak aboard a ship; there are no teleporters or anything like that in the remake.


: All they do is cry! There is no way to comfort them! My children sleep during the day and hide under the covers all night. There are terrified they will be eaten!

She, uh, actually means "child." There's only one; the other one is the dad. At least I'm pretty sure.

EDIT: I'm wrong and NPC sprites are confusing.


: In fact, I don't think he really knows what love is. I'd be honored if he would let me show him the ropes!



: Leo is unlike any guy around. I mean, wow! Just look at the guy! Talk about buns of steel! I think his are more like iron!

...steel is harder than iron, honey.


: It seems the goddess has sealed some evil god in or around Pentagulia! They say his name is Zophar or something... and just between you and me... I think Zophar might be a hunk. He just needs the right woman to tame his fiery soul.

Now I'd normally go on about low standards and shit, but... this sadly all too accurate.

: No! No! No! Zophar is the essence of evil! There's no telling how long Althena's power can keep him sealed! Hiro, we must hurry and get to Pentagulia.

And I'd normally agree with Lucia's impatience and desire to get away from this insane woman, but I hate myself so let's keep talking to her.

: Margery was tellin' me that her and her husband have been playing a new game. She pretends she's Goddess Althena, and he pretends he's the might Zophar. Her goal is to seal his unholy power.


: Quick! Turn to page 42! ...oh yeah... see what I mean? That's Mauri! Oh baby! Just look at her standing there in that red lace ceremonial uniform! I'm the Goddess Althena! Come and serve me, Mauri!

...is there a drug problem in Azado or something?



Looks like.



The bar really isn't any less depressing.


: From the moment I first laid eyes on her, I knew that she was the only one for me!
: Looks like you got some competition, Ronfar!
: Yeah, like Mauri would go for a pathetic drunk!

Like the pot calling the- oh, wait, I think that's the point.

: They say that the guy who was Mauri's sweetheart just abandoned her. Jeez! If I had a woman like that, I would never leave home again!

Let's take a break from depressing shit and crazy people to look at the shops.



Pretty nice selection, although we've seen pretty much all it before. The new item here is the Refresher Ring in the screenshot there. It's pretty useful, especially in the upcoming dungeon, but eh... I skip it.



For the weapon shop, the two new items they have are the Iron Mace and Razor Fan. I bought both. I'm not sure what the "equip effect" for the Mace is, actually. Also, with the Plasma Ring, Ronfar's got enough agility.

EDIT: Apparently it's a Earthquake proc. Thanks Prism!



Lotsa new stuff here. On the top row they have Lightning Armor for Hiro, Priest's Clothes for Ronfar, which protects against confuse, Aura Robe for Lemina, which protects against Freeze, Platinum Shield for Hiro, which protects against poison, and on the end the only old item here. On the bottom is the Steel Helm for Hiro and Ronfar; it's a very minor boost.


: Since my dad died from the last monster attack, I had no money to buy the beads. But the White Knight took pity on me and gave me the beads for free!

Aw, that's quite sweet actually.

: Hey, do you have anything you wanna give me?
: You mean besides a lesson on how impolite it is to beg?
: Silence! You stand in the presence of the legendary White Knight Leo Jr. I've decided that I'm gonna adopt Leo as my new dad.

...and then they kept talking.



Enough of the town. Let's go through this new opened gate and continue on.


: It said, 'Go buy the beads before I return to claim your soul.' And it called out my name! Completely freaked me out! How is that it knew my name?

Gosh I don't know it's almost as if anything the Cult of Althena does is somewhat suspect.


: Have you come to buy the beads of light? You know that they are the only thing that can ward off the beast, don't you? If you don't buy them, you're risking your life!

And I'm certain these beads are... sorry, my sarcasm is faltering. Let's just go.




As you'd expect, there's a line.



Easy, just lift up your shirt.

_{...I'm sorry.}


: I'm telling you, if you bought cool swords you could kick some dumb monster butt!

I like the way this kid thinks.



...



Oh and the beads are totally a scam I know you're so surprised.

Well whatever, it's not our problem. To Pentagulia!


: This passage leads to a dead end.
: What?! But isn't that the door that leads to the top of the tower?
: Yes, but I've never seen that door open! It's locked with a seal that only the high priest has the power to open.

Really? Well... we have a drunken has-been. That good enough?


: But Ronfar, do you think you can open it?
: Hrmph, care to place a little wager before I try?


: Release your grasp, and start anew! ... Wait, um, there's one more part to the spell... let me think... hm... ... Oh yeah! I remember!



...really?


: Give me a break!

Stop making me redundant, Ruby!

: Well, I got the door open, didn't I? Just shut your hole and get inside, smarty-pants!








Welcome to Azado Tower. It's... pretty boring, really.



It's a short tower, and pretty hard to get lost in. Don't go right here, though. It's a dead end.



The enemies here are... surprisingly easy. The Nipple Yanker, despite the terrifying name, isn't a threat.



That's their normal attack. Yeah.



Their special can do some damage, but fortunately they telegraph it with that grey ring. They're also slow, so you can focus fire and take them out before they can pull the spell off.

As for the Metallions, they... don't always attack. They can hit you from across the map for about 30 damage, which is pretty average. But sometimes they just... don't do anything at all. I'd say half of the time they just skip their turn. Odd.

Frankly, both of these enemies are so nonthreatening, you're better off sticking with regular attacks, except maybe to take out a Nipple Massager before it can fire ring you. (Even then, you can probably just gang up on them with regular attacks anyway)



Fortunately, Lucia's getting really, really generous with her magic. I have no idea if Plasma Rain here is really any different from Lightning Bomb, but damn if it isn't glorious.



Also, I forget if I showed off Napalm Shot yet. It's an area of effect spell. It's not great.



The lack of threat reflects in the pretty meager rewards you get from them.



Now the cyclopes, or Monocrop, actually are scary. When their eyes are closed like that, they'll try and petrify a character.



So glad Ronfar has that Tri-Ring.



Their regular attacks are nothing to sneeze at, though. (Thanks for ruining the shot, Hiro!) Feel free to break out the MP to deal with these jerks.



Lemina got a new spell at level 24. Magic Shield is an interesting spell. It forms a protective barrier around Lemina, reducing damage for anyone in it. It's 51 goddamn MP, so I won't be using it for a while, but you'll see it in action soon enough.

Anywho, once you go left on the second floor, it's a straight shot to the 6th. Once you get to the sixth floor, there is another fork. Go up and then downstairs for a Dover Nut.



On the seventh floor there's a statue of Althena. Convenient! Let's top off and-



Ah hell no. I actually rewinded the clock and skipped the statue, because fuck the man I didn't need the heal, although if you're really hurting I'd part with 1000 silver. Also, you do kind of want to be reasonably topped off before you get to the end of the tower because of, you know, reasons.

At the top of the room there are two doors. Choosing the one on the left gets you another Angel Ring (one time resurrection) and the other leads to progress. Obviously get the damned Angel Ring unless you have a crippling fear of success.



One last fork on the eight floor. The bottom staircase leads to treasure, a Starlight and Sunflower Seeds, and the one on the right to progress.

Now that I've got all that walkthrough stuff done, let's go to the end.



Before you head to the platform, there's a goodie to the right.



It restores a bit of HP after every round. It's okay. I gave it to Lemina, if only because she doesn't have any accessories yet.


: Strange, it looks very similar to the Transmission Spring in Vane.
: Well, I think that they look completely different. After all...
: It doesn't matter how it looks! All that matters is that it will take us there. Magic pedestal, heed my command! I, Ronfar, servant to the Goddess Althena, summon forth your awesome power! Release the power of transport and open the door of eternity!



You fool! You forgot "open sesame!"

: Holy cow! What did you do Ronfar?! You summoned some sort of... of... of... monster!
: I don't know what happened! The gateway should have just opened... but instead, we got this... thing!
: Oh no! What if this is the magic beast the villagers were talking about?!
: I sense the vile presence of Zophar's black power... it's getting stronger!
: Oh no! Look out! It's going to attack!



Honestly, this boss is pretty sad. There's actually three targets in the battle, the main body plus the two vine arms. It's hard to see, but the left vine arm is glowing. It's actually telegraphing an attack.



Be Vine Tonite does a bit of damage and it latches onto a character, preventing them from doing anything but attacking the vines. After a few rounds it will return to the Corpse Crusher, although I'm not sure if you have to hit it or if it will return on its own. But it only hit Lucia, so who cares?



It followed Be Vine with this attack called Pulsinator. Ouch! It telegraphs Pulsinator with a triangle of little flashing dots at its chest.

So why did I say it wasn't particularly scary? It only has 1820 HP, and the vines have about 400. Total that is more than the last boss we faced, but we only have to kill the main body. You can kill the vines first, but unless one of them is attached to a character you need, why bother?



It can also attack you. It's underwhelming.



It died on the fourth round. It has another attack it didn't get to use. (Also, if I realized it was weak to ice, I could have killed it sooner!)



Also Hiro joins the level 24 club and get Battalion Sword! It's a sword attack that hits all enemies. It's also a staggering 25 MP. Generally not worth using except in bad situations.


: I know that this is the transport device that leads to Pentagulia! But instead of transporting us there, it summoned a fearsome beast!
: Look! It is surrounded by a strange inscription.
: This is really weird! I've never seen runes like that! I think you've just got the wrong pedestal, Ronfar!
: No, this is the right one, but Lucia's on to something! Those runes are not supposed to be here. They're what corrupted my spell and summoned the monster!
: I wonder if the priests of Althena's cult were the ones that changed it!

WHY IS THIS EVEN A FUCKING QUESTION?!

: If they did, we're all in big trouble! And Lucia said she sensed Zophar's power when the device was activated! Oh, I knew we shouldn've bought those beads...
: But would the beads have made a difference?

NO! WHY ARE WE EVEN AJFJSD_{LFfjljslfskfjslfjsl}

: Couldn't have hurt!

_{fsdfjdslfjkslfsfsfsfarjiewo}

: I, for one am going back to find out what's going on here!



Oh yay.


: Before you say another word, Leo, before you chain us up like a slave, there's something we must do.

No, I'm sorry, those aren't the actual lines. _{A girl can wish.}

: Leo... what are you doing here?
: Ronfar, I'm surprised at your lack of planning! Didn't you remember that Azado is the home port of the Destiny? You of all people should know that!
: Okay, ya got me there, but we had to get to the transport device. And I guess it just slipped my mind...

Okay, that is dumb, but arguably not as dumb as the remake, where they accidentally blunder onto the freaking Destiny. Oops.

: Leo, tell me you didn't know about this magical beast!
: Beast? I've heard that there is a magical beast in this town, but...
: I can't believe that you would be responsible for something like this... I can't believe that you've sunk to this level! Leo, you're fighting for evil!
: Who is this man, what sort of devil is

Sorry, sorry! I'll stick to the script...

: What are you talking about Ronfar? You're making no sense, but... I've had enough of your deceit. Soldiers! Take all of them to the Destiny!
: Yes sir! You there! Come with me!
: Hey! Watch where you're grabbin' pal!
: ...I can't believe that Leo was involved in that summoning... but what a scam! Selling those stupid beads was one way to get rich.
: I thought Leo was different. The Leo I knew would never stoop this low...
: ...







: Take the others to the Destiny and wait for us there. I will question the boy privately.
: Lord Leo, are you sure you don't want one of us to stay with you?
: Ha ha ha! Do you believe that the mighty Lord Leo can be overcome by a boy?

"I mean, if we were the same level that would just be ridiculous."

: Your comedic sensibility is greater than I had imagined. I will be fine. Just leave us now...



We actually regain control, for some reason. Huh. Well, whatever, I need to know what the flying hell is going through Leo's brain.


: You've spent quite a bit of time with Lucia during your travels. And I believe that you know Lucia better than anyone in this world. Tell me, do you think that Lucia is the foretold destroyer?



Oh Working Designs.


: Her intentions are as pure as the driven snow.
: Hmmm... that's what I've begun to suspect. She does not seem to be a threat to the good in our world. But why must she meet with the Goddess? It makes no sense to me...
: ...
: Hiro, you must tell me what Lucia will do when she meets the Goddess. You're her friend. She must have told you...

Well, she's gonna... do... world save-y things. That save the world?




: By what authority have you come?
: I, Lord Leo, have come by the authority of Althena herself!
: Lord Leo, if Althena truly sent you, you would know of our plans. Since you do not, I must silence you once and for all! Magic beast... come forth!



Aw crap.