Part 7: Torn Apart (2)

So last time we visited our wife's grave and watched our father-in-law yell at our son until he ran away in tears. Now we need to team up with said father-in-law to find our other missing son.

Who's ready for some more lighthearted adventures?





North of the cemetery is this castle we can't access.

After leaving the cemetery, we get some new music.





Alec's house? Here, I'll mark it on your map for you. There you go. I've marked Alec's house for you.



It's a bit of a walk to there, and we're going solo this time.



There's an Anti-Paralysis and Antidote here now, though I don't bother with either.



At least Lucas is still fine.



If not exactly in the best spirits right now.

Anyway, time to get our weapon.



I made it into a weapon. The only thing that can pierce the tough hide of a Drago is a Drago's fang. There's no other weapon that can beat a Drago.



Despite constantly being referred to as a weapon, it's actually an item to be used in battle.

I realize this might be tough for you to accept, but you should take it. I think Lighter had something to give you, too.

Lighter's over at the beach, so let's visit him.



Mr. Flint. Think you could go say hi to him?



But if you start acting like that, what'll happen to the two kiddos who rely on you? You know what's best. It's tough being a man.



You'd better go after him, and fast... I'll let you borrow this.



Don't worry. I washed it. It's clean.



This headgear boosts offense but with a lower defense boost. I wonder if it's intentional that the further you go on in this chapter, the more equipment you get that prioritizes offense while hurting other stats. It's almost thematic in that Flint's giving in to his anger.



There's also some new character here.





Nothing too major though.





Anyway, there's new music and a lot new enemies to encounter on the path to Alec's house.





First is the Praying Mantis.



At a whopping 34HP, this guy is an absolute joke that goes down in one round easily.







Next up is the Greedy Mouse, who's slightly less horrible.



It'll do physical attacks and eat food to recover a laughably marginal amount of HP. It has a 20% chance to drop Peculiar Cheese, which Flint loves.



Baked Yammonsters and Mighty Bitey Snakes are still around, and the Flying Mouse foe from Lighter's house is now a regular enemy as well.



Up at Lighter's old house, you'll sometimes meet these guys.



You have to walk to them rather than dash, since dashing causes them to disappear.





Soot Dumplings have 36HP, 99 defense and will run away after three rounds.



The trick is to be really, really good with combos.



Unfortunately, I'm not. The reward is a ridiculous 1000EXP, which is overkill anyway and far from necessary.



There's one more enemy that I didn't encounter due to it being so rare, the Beanling. It apparently uses PKI Fire Alpha, but otherwise is pretty simple and yields a still-crazy 538EXP.



Up at the area where we found Hinawa's dress, there are yet more new enemies.





Spud Bugs aren't too bad by themselves, but they tend to show up in groups.





They also like to use Lifeup Alpha to heal a decent amount.



This rock is also an enemy.





Crag Lizards are as scary as they look.



It's a good idea to use Flint's buffs against these guys before whittling them down (or gambling on Power Smash).



There's another unique enemy down where the trees were down earlier.





Walking Bushies aren't too tough, but it's better to guard rather than attack.



That's because they're pretty nice guys that will heal you for free.







Thank you!



This is the last new enemy for now.





These guys aren't anything special.





They'll just charge up attacks for decent damage, nothing major.





There's also more Moles, but no big deal.



Another defense-boosting bracelet.



You might accidentally step on them, so please don't continue in that direction.

There's two paths at the end, with the left one blocked off by ants. Flint shares his son's fondness for ants, so to the right path it is, straight to Alec's farm!









(Not wasting food is a commendable thing. But that does make things a little harder for me.)







Alright, let's check up on Alec.





Traveling through the forest has become quite dangerous indeed... What were those extremely bizarre flying mouse things with bug wings? It seems one bit me right on the head, too. I've healed up perfectly, though... No, no, no, no, no! None of that matters! I know where Claus might have gone!



Let's head there right now!





And so Alec joins, albeit as a minor NPC. And with him comes new overworld music.





When I said "froggy intelligence" just now, you thought, "Whaaaat?" didn't you? Frogs work for my friend, as messengers.



See that lizard there, for instance? We just need to go in the direction it tells us.



Alright, let's go over and-



You have doubts about this friend of mine, don't you?



They've lived isolated away from civilization for a very, very long time.



I don't think Flint cares, Alec.



'Round and 'round we go! Where I stop...soon you will know!





Just follow the trail of arrow lizards and-



I see you're not walking as fast now. It seems the word "Magypsies" has made you curious. The Magypsies have mysterious powers, and have been protecting something here for a very long time.



I have absolutely no idea how old they are. That explanation didn't explain much, did it?



Every one of them. That's just how they are. They ARE good-natured, though.





Eventually, the lizards lead us to these two frogs. One is the wrong frog, while the other...



...is the right frog.



This creates a path for us to cross.







Oh, guess what it's time for?



(Sparrow Advice! You know how enemies sometimes leave nice items behind after you fight them? If your inventory is full when you find an item you want, you'll have to either give it up or throw another item away. Which is why it's a good idea to always eat any food items you have as you go along. Doing this will help keep your inventory from getting full. This little trick is especially useful for when you're hiking through forests and mountains. Well, now to end this with a sparrow-like...Achirpa chirp chirp!)

So the game's telling you to use your damn items already you hoarder. Though I forget to use my attack items.



Sure, why not?





Milk recovers more than any other food item we've seen so far. The trick is that it spoils quickly in-game, so it's good to drink it as soon as you get it.



Of course, it's rather pointless since there's a hot spring nearby.



(The Magypsies are having their monthly tea party today. Can't you hear those indescribably deep yet shrill voices coming from Aeolia's house? Chirp chirp!)

For once, a sparrow that doesn't spout game mechanics at us!



This is the house of a Magypsie. Fans of the series may recognize this house design to be pretty similar to ones of Mother 1's Magicant.

So, ready to meet the Magypsies?



This game may be depressing at times, but it's certainly still a Mother game at heart.

Next time, we'll get to know the Magypsies and hopefully find Claus as we close out the chapter!