Part 17: Blue (Da Ba Dee)

Got any stories for us today?
Haha! Good to see you all! But I'm afraid I wasn't expecting company.
Really? Didn't you read the chapter's intro text?
No one reads those. Also, remember what I said about the fourth wall?
Sorry.
Just remember to send a letter or something next time, okay? For the time being... You have me at something of a loss!
Oh, but Professor Glen! Your tales are always very informative. Like that one about the sewers in Meribia and those three girls from Vane!
Y' don't say! Ha ha! Don't tell Steele that I told you that story. Well, let's see... I guess I could tell you about the Blue Dragon that last visited Iyen ten years ago...

As you might have guessed from the chapter title, this Blue Dragon is going to be important this chapter. You see, the Goddess Althena is protected by four Dragons, the White, Red, Blue and Black Dragons. They play a pretty big role in the plot, although usually the White Dragon is one of the more prominent dragons. By contrast, in previous games the Blue Dragon hasn't played as big of a role in the plot as the other dragons, so I guess this is his time to shine.


Door's open!


Hyde, my good man!
Isn't he the professor of astrological magic?
Uh, how do you know that?
I cannot believe he beat me to that question. I'm so proud.
I cannot believe you people still ask these questions. I don't know. I just do. Glen, give us the low-down on the dude with the dumb hair and skeevy mustache.
Yeah, well, he's sort of a loner. Mostly because he's a smelly prick with dumb hair and skeevy mustache.
I've missed you too, Glen.
So, Hyde, what is it I can do for you?
It's kind of... sensitive.
I already have enough blackmail material on you as it is. Why get gun-shy now?
I was more referring to your young guests.
I dunno we've heard some stories from Glen.
Don't tell me you told them about that thing that happened in the Meribian sewers.
Okay, I won't tell you.
...just get rid of the damn kids.
Alright, then. You three, I'm afraid that the story will have to wait.
Teachers only, eh? Fair enough.
We'll be back later!




Huh, I can't believe they didn't fight me on this.


Well, if you're staying, so am I.




Um, hello to you too, Hyde. I think I missed something; WHY do you need to create a new star?
Research, obviously.
... ... ...obviously.
All of the magic in the universe will be drawn to it! If I can analyze that energy, all of the most profound mysteries of the universe will be laid bare!
What you propose would be extraordinarily hard, not to mention time consuming. You'd need many lifetimes to accomplish this! Tinkering with the flow of time is not something to do lightly...
You're a Guardian of Time though, right? You could--
Bad idea. You might even say it's a... astronomically bad idea.
...
You are the least fun person I know. And I know Steele. It's all about cause and effect. Idly toying with time could create time paradoxes, or even Moebius loops.
I don't think you know what a Moebius loop is.
And I don't think you understand what a bad idea this is. Point is... Untangling that little mess would not be fun!
...I understand. I guess I'll have to give up on this project. Without your help, I don't think I'd get very far...
Sorry I couldn't help you.




I didn't realize that Time Magic was so dangerous! Maybe I shouldn't use it anymore...
Wait, you can use Time Ma-
Hey, Winn? Here's some free advice.
If you give up, you'll never, ever succeed. We gain strength from our failures.
Oh, Lena...
You'll be fine, Winn.
Ellie... You're right! I'll do my best.
We... we are talking about my Time Magic, right?
What?
Yeah I'm kind of unclear on that too.
Oh, I uh... it kinda turns out that I might have the latent ability to control the flow of time.
...wow, that sounds really dangerous. I don't think you should mess around with that.





At this point we regain control. We could actually choose to not talk to Glen and leave instead.





But it would not be a smart idea to leave yet. Yup, he teaches you magic too!

Red D(ragon?) is another multi-target attack spell. It costs slightly less MP and is slightly weaker than Winn's Blue D(ragon) spell. Flaze is still better for boss killing though; nothing really ever dethrones Flaze as your boss killing spell.


You can hear the rest of it from Steele!

Anywho, he's still not going to tell the rest of the damn story. So off we go.



Glen's cabin is in the middle of a short forest area.



And there are random encounters!



And, uh, that's about it. Back to Iyen!


go and see the Blue Dragon.

For the most part, everyone in Iyen is hype about the Blue Dragon.





Well, most everyone.



But, yeah, it seems like this is a regular occurrence. In previous Lunar games, none of the Dragons ever really left their cave and did things, with one or two exceptions. Then again, in previous Lunar games for the most part the Dragons were in danger of being incapacitated/dead, or already out of the picture. So, uh, I guess there's no reason the Blue Dragon can't go visit a town every 10 years.


...who?
The vice president of the student council.
Who?
...the girl that keeps getting kidnapped.
Ooooooh.
You know, there's a lot more to her than that. She's top of her class, on the fast track to getting in Vane, hosts the charity dinner every year without fail, leads the local Zealots for Zophar group-
Wait what.
She's just so cool!


Blue.
Yeah, I figured. Other than Blue, what does the Blue Dragon look like?
A Dragon.
...how are you guys scholarship students?





Okay, this is not where I was expecting to find Ghaleon's ancestor.


Was this before or after you helped Dragonmaster Jean kill the evil bees?
First of all, I'd like you to can it with the bee racism. Secondly, it was Dragonmaster Jian. And lastly, I'm going to stop letting you in if you're just going to insult me.
Why let us in at all?
... ... ...I'm so lonely.
Oh! I'm... I'm sorry.
Not a lot of people come by and visit the "crazy man."
I never thought of it that way. I- wow.
...you know, maybe we should go ask everyone in town to come visit you. Tell them that you're not so bad. Maybe they'll look at you in a different way.
That sounds lovely. Well... everyone except Emma.
Why?
She knows why. And Iason. Screw that guy. Oh, and Richter. I will not have anything to do with that dirty butterfly lover. Should string that bastard-
Okay, that's our cue to leave!


but instead I'm stuck here training! I kept trying to explain that this might literally be a once in a lifetime opportunity, but he starting going off about MAN this and MAN that, and that was my cue to drop it.


Push it, MEN! Burn those muscles!
Um, "Blue Dragon."
Excuse me?!
It's... it's the "Blue" Dragon not the "Blud" Dragon.
As in, one of the Goddess Althena's divine guardians.
Yes.
Oh. Crap, I've really misunderstood what everyone was talking about. Hm. Oh well, in for a penny. C'mon men, WORK IT!



Oh hey let's actually talk gameplay for a moment. First off, I finally got my whole party outfitted in the best robes.



Had to make a bit of room, though.

At this point, money would only be useful if I decided to load my inventory up with MP healing items.





Speaking of which, I didn't realize that later on the shops sold these items. They both restore HP and MP for a single character, with Sunshine being the more powerful item. (Kind of an awkward name for an item there. This item is called Sun Radiance by LunarNET, which is also rather unwieldy but a bit less weird.) There's no point in buying them, though. I can make Sun Sparkle by combining Protect Water and a Sun Herb, and those two items combined only cost 745 silver. Sunshine comes from a combination of Mystery Water and Sun Herb, which comes out to 870. So, yeah, a lot cheaper to make these items. However, even making Sun Sparkles and Sunshines take a lot of money, so I can't really fill my inventory with them, but it's not like I need to.



Oh yeah, and I did mention Sun Herbs. Yeah, there is an item called a Sun Herb, and the shop sells them a bit later on. They temporarily boost max MP. Mostly they're good for mixing, though.


Glen and the Blue Dragon have a deep relationship!

In any case, let's get back to plot.



By the way, if you talk to Steele from the side, the party will still line up in front of him, but he'll still be turned in the direction you initiated the conversation from. Not a major thing, but a funny little oversight none the less. That or Steele has a hernia and he's refusing to admit it.


every ten years?
My teacher... In other words, Professor Glen... He and I are Guardians of Time. We make sure that time continues as it's supposed to.
We've heard this much before.
Uh, we haven't.
Wait, Guardians of Time? What? Why do you- when- how-
Glen protects the time stream from those who would alter it. I, on the other hand, protect Iyen. The island acts as a sort of eddy in the time stream...
I am so lost right now.
Ditto.
It's- it's weird, yeah, but... it's a bit easier once you wrap your mind around the basic idea.
I guess that's the problem. I mean... it's time. Who can futz with time itself? It just... goes, right?
Most people think time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of time, and I can tell you: they are wrong. Time is an ocean in a storm.
What?
Well then, just imagine four balls-
No.
Look, we just want to know one thing-


Time is drawn to Iyen, and it converges here before spinning back out into the world. The Blue Dragon comes once every ten years to make sure that there are no disastrous rifts in time.
Professor Glen and the Blue Dragon must be pals!
You're not too far off the mark. Although I'm not sure why that is the first conclusion you came to.
To be perfectly honest, I'm kinda lost now too.
THANK YOU.
Either way, the time draws near. We should be able to see the Blue Dragon.



And right on time.



Sadly, Game Gear limitations means that the Blue Dragon's flight is... less than majestic.



But we can't have a Dragon in a Lunar game without some bad shit happening to it.


?
It's... falling... Near the Star Tower, I think!
You mean that tower on the far right side of the island?
Wow, sir, you have really great eyesight.
Well the Blue Dragon is hard to miss.


Why am I on the wa-
Aw crap we're shaking.






I was wondering when you'd show up! Any idea what happened?
This might be Hyde's doing...
Oh no, he was actually serious about his "star" idea.
Sadly so. I'd better check in on the Blue Dragon. But given the Vile Tribe's propensity to take advantage, I want all of you to stay and defend Iyen.




Principal Steele, let us know if there any developments.
Of course. I'll call for you if and when the times comes.


_{I can't believe he fell for that.
I know right.}


This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! We've GOT to go see the Blue Dragon!
This is one chance I am not going to let pass me by!





So, uh, for the most part no one has much to add to the Blue Dragon falling, so to the Star Tower we go.

Oh, and as a random aside, in Lunar 2, there's also a location called the "Star Tower." Although strictly speaking, it's actually the Star Dragon Tower. Still, it's called the Star Tower a lot in Lunar 2, so at first I was a wee bit confused. Anyway.




We'd better move fast... I've got a bad feeling about this.
I hope the Vile Tribe hasn't caught on.





Huh, this dungeon looks simple. This should be a breez-





Psyche! It's been too long since we've had a dungeon that was over-long and maze-y. Time to fix that.







Also, a lot of enemies use magic here, so they do pretty high damage. Also, Psi Storm and Bolt God are multi-target.



And it doesn't help that the way through the dungeon takes you up and down stairs somewhat arbitrarily, so I got turned around a bit. Still, there's no branches in the path, so the dungeon is just mind-numbingly boring rather than hair-pullingly frustrating. It's not like it's as bad as the Grindery from Lunar 1.



But, as a dungeon in Walking School, there's really nothing to say about it in the end. So let's cut off of here, and when we come back DRAMA!!