Part 1: ARC I: It Begins With Andau.

ARC I: It Begins With Andau.




There's a flash of lightning.



Our view pans down over a stone fort, as two figures pursue a third towards the fort entry.







You think so?



Andau magics himself atop the fort. Then he retreats through the door.



It makes the hunt all the more enjoyable.

I suppose so. It's good to take some pride in your work.

What are we waiting for? This weather's not exactly pleasant!

Let's hurry then, I don't want you coming down with something.
And with that, we have control.


There's not much to see outside.


Shroud's our jack-of-all-trades. He'll be our primary healer for much of the game, and he's also a decent magic AND physical attacker.


Stoic cannot do anything other than deliver the ice-cold touch of death common to all undead. Too bad he dual wields swords instead.



Of course it can't be that easy. We go find the side door to the right.




Good to know. We could always use the extra help.

That's what we're here for. Chat me up if you want to see the services I offer.






If we had any gold at all, we could be buying even end game items.



Fairies will also tell us how many treasures are left in a dungeon...


And give us boss hints. Except for when they don't.





... Anyway, there's a chest with a potion in here too, so I grab it. Then we leave to the north.



Well, he did teleport to a higher floor. We'll have to make our way up there.

Yeah... Alright, let's move.

Watch your step, chum. The floor looks like it could give away at any moment.


Those cracks on the floor do indeed give way. And I bet you can guess how we're meant to get the chests on the basement floor.


These things are worthless but can slightly weaken attack power with the Weak status effect. It doesn't wear off after the fight. Also, Stoic double hits enemies.





Tada! The doors open from this side. Also notice that metre at the top right. When it fills you get a random encounter, so that's a handy warning, I guess.


These guys are tanky, hit hard and can poison, so you have to be a little careful when you have like no items.



The goal on the first floor is to drop into this cage specifically since it has the 1F key in it.



There's also a chest on the lower right we can't reach yet because the one cracked tile that leads into it is surrounded by other cracked tiles.


Stoic and Shroud level up at the same time.


Shroud has already learnt his first heal, to go with his magic enhanced physical attack.


And Stoics new move is an attack buff. Nice.
Also, characters get a full restore of HP and SP when levelling up.



Upstairs we go and...




If the man who designed this place crosses my path one day, he will pay dearly for this.
... Upstairs some more!





Rope swinging puzzle!


There's also a puzzle for babies here where pulling one of the three switches in the room will move one rope between one of two positions.




Opening this up is our immediate goal.


Getting the key for the door is our ultimate goal.


Also you can jump off the ropes in certain spots to reach some treasures on the second floor. If you jump to a wrong spot, you fall through cracked tile immediately so that you can't skip half the puzzle by wandering over to the red chest there.



By getting to a crank in the lower left, you open the thing in the middle of the room.









Falling through some holes lets me get to the very confused key. We go back up to the third floor. Or second floor. I think I should be using second floor.









In a cruel joke, the five chests in the secret room the ?? key unlocked are all empty. The reward is actually in the armour.


It's a nice reward too. We head out of the secret room and head abit to the left...



...where the last chest is, and then into the door there.


https://youtu.be/LY_tIaLknSk





There's nowhere to run, Andau. You've reached a dead end.

Arrgh!! Blast you! Why must you always pester me!?

You can't come into town and try to drink someone's blood and not expect anyone to respond.
Our mission is to protect the people of Port Arianna from all threats.

That includes ingrates like you!

How else do you expect me to appease my thirst?!

Don't give me that. I know of plenty of vampires who have found ways to control that urge. You, on the other hand, have not made any effort to quell yourself.
No matter how powerful your thirst is, it isn't worth the lives of my fellow citizens.

In other words... get lost or die.

You don't understand... you never will. Blast you, Shroud! Blast you, Stoic! I'll find a way to beat you yet!

Not after what you did to Rana!

Who? Oh, you must mean that young girl. What's your interest in her, skeleton? You think she'll just embrace you once she hears you defeated me?
She'd have to go blind before that!

Oh... he did not just go there.

You won't be making jokes once your head is crushed beneath my heel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQIVzLRUQ3c

I won't lose to you! Not this time!

That's what you said last time. Now surrender. Trust me, I'll go much easier on you than he will. I'd like to help you, but now you've gone and made my friend upset. I can't be held responsible for his actions if you try and fight us.

Enough of your arrogance, Shroud! Prepare to die!!









We watch a fight break out. Shroud makes heavy use of his wind magic and Andau abuses his teleportation to consistently outmaneuver Shroud and especially Stoic.




Andau keeps hiding behind armour stands as Shroud tries to get him. I miss taking the screenshot for credit for Mapping being attributed to both Artbane and Volrath.







Andau hurls a pot at a brazier.









Then he turns into a bat and starts flying north.


Shroud uses wind magic to move a crate to block the window...


But Andau just flies out the next window.




...




I did take a chunk out of him, though.

We'll get him.

That's what we said last time. Now another innocent girl will be a victim for that freak of nature!

Well, we tried our best.

Some comfort that is.

I suppose there's no way to catch him now.. Let's head home and catch some sleep before we have to work.
Stoic and Shroud watch the burning room for a few moments before we fade out.






the end