Part 13: Two of Thieves (2)

Last time, we recruited Wess to help us find the important item that we were too incompetent to find. On the way, we found a tough-talking princess who decided to join us because why not.

As for our new companion...



I apologize for being so sudden, but you know the phrase, "The word on the wind is..."? Yeah, I'm that wind. I'm where rumors come from.



is able to use psychic powers, or PSI. If it's true, then you'll definitely have the upper hand in battles from now on. Well, that's all for this "Word on the Wind". I should be going now. Bye!





So the talking wind isn't lying, as Kumatora is our first party member who can use PSI.



For those new to the series, PSI is the Mother version of magic. As PSI users level up, or from certain plot triggers, they will learn new PSI techniques as well as stronger versions of some of their techniques. If you've played other RPGs before, you know what to expect here.

In this game, PK Fire hits all enemies and may also set enemies on fire to do additional damage. There's no real "row" system like in Earthbound. PK Freeze is single-target and can "solidify", or stun the enemy. It's the PSI version of Wall Staples.

Kumatora's focused on offensive PSI with limited healing. She's all about doing damage and inflicting debuffs.



She also attacks by punching, which makes a nice complement to Duster's kicks. Her physical offense is pretty bad, though her PSI more than makes up for it.



The next room has one of two new regular enemies this chapter.





Lingering Spirits are your "HEY YOU SHOULD REALLY USE THAT PSI STUFF IT'S REALLY COOL" tutorial with their high physical defense and their weakness to ice.



No seriously you should use ice on these guys.



NO I SAID ICE



PSI effects are still trippy-cool in this game.



But fire has no effect on the fire soul guys.





These guys can also use their own PSI to put the hurt on your party (relatively, it only did 17 damage to both characters).





Freeze will one-shot these guys. Duster's better off just trying to sleep them while Kumatora takes them out.





You know, when she isn't distracted by their tragic backstories. I thought crying wasn't considered very manly? Then again, this game spins gender roles on its head so crying's probably the manliest thing you can do in this game (no crying until the end).



They have a 20% chance of dropping Magic Gelatin, which restores 20PP (Mother's Mana/MP). I've been having good luck with these drops.





The layout's the same for the next few rooms. Fight a few undead creatures, jump a pit, climb a staircase, repeat.



There's another Flea Charm for Kumatora, though I think I stick with her default equipment since it boosts her PSI power or her PP or something like that.



Barrel Men also pop up, though they're so fragile it's not even worth wasting PP on them.







Since I never did fight the Osohe Cape on its own, I had to go to the Battle Memory to look up its music. You'll get the music of the enemy that triggers the battle, so technically this battle has the "More Troublesome Guys" theme.





The Osohe Cape doesn't have high defenses like the Lingering Spirit, but it does have enough HP to make blasting it with Fire worthwhile.





Otherwise, it uses all kinds of PSI attacks like Freeze and Magnet (which steals PP, though luckily it missed Kumatora). I think it also has a shield, though I never saw it get it off.







But the most fearsome foe in Osohe Castle isn't sentient suits of armor, trap doors, lingering spirits, floating capes, or even goons in pig masks. No, it's brooms.





If you get hit by a broom, you get teleported back to the room right after the room you get the spitoon. Yea backtracking!



Though it's conveniently next to a place to rest up. At least there's plenty of room on the couch.



And Kumatora reaches L12, which is when she learns a couple new PSI techniques.

Except she doesn't learn them immediately.





It appears that one of your friends is not feeling very well. They aren't poisoned, nor are they sleepy, yet they just can't shake that ill feeling. They lack the energy to run, and using items or hot springs doesn't appear to help, either. It would seem this is because something is beginning to awaken inside them. But I'm sure they'll get over it before long, so don't be too worried. Well, that's all for this "Word on the Wind". I should be going now. Bye!



When a character is ready to learn PSI, they get "feverish" for a bit, preventing you from running on the map for awhile, though I don't think it affects the person in battle. After a bit of time...







...they'll learn new PSI!

The idea behind this is that the user's body is awakening untapped latent physical powers. Hell, I'll let Itoi himself explain this one.


There's a bit more to this, but it's kinda spoilerish (as is much else of the interview this is from, but it's linked in the translation site if you're curious) to delve into now. Suffice to say, it's an interesting concept, interesting enough to make up for the minor gameplay inconvenience you suffer.



Anyway, Lifeup is one of the few non-offensive moves Kumatora learns, and it's a pretty solid healing technique. Thunder is around as strong as Freeze, though it can miss. It has a chance of paralysis though (which I believe is more potent than Freeze's solidification), and it is useful against enemies weak to lightning.



This time we evade those cursed brooms.



At the final room, there's a 30 PP-restoring Magic Tart, and also some more enemies to avoid.







Duster. This is the "certain important item" I had instructed you to bring back.



Truth be told, not even I know anything about this egg. The Hummingbird Egg is a ball of secrets inside secrets that are inside even more secrets... Or something like that, supposedly, apparently.
And now that ball of secrets is needed.



the lid on the secrets would come undone, and... Bad things would happen.
Just what sort of hope - or calamity - is hidden away in this egg? Not even I know... In any case, the Hummingbird Egg is our secret.
But doesn't it seem kinda ridiculous that the egg of a tiny li'l hummingbird holds all of the world's secrets?





Duster. This egg gives off such a thick scent of secrets that's so concentrated it almost reminds me of condensed milk. Yet, you couldn't even catch a single whiff of it! That's how much of a moron you are! You're a failure as a thief!
You shouldn't keep callin' your own kid a moron like that.



Anyways, we can't let the bad guys get their hands on this egg.



Speak of the devil!









Princess! Please wait! I know it appears to be sitting there nonchalantly... But I placed traps around the egg!















Whatever's the matter? If you're worried about that moron, don't be. He's been trained for just this sort of thing.
No, it's not Duster... The egg is gone!
Come again?! That moron isn't gone... but the egg is?!



Oh, the egg! Oh, and Duster. Yes, all right! Well done!



You're no longer a moron. Hurray!



I dunno if I'd say "hurray" just yet...









This is the boss of Chapter 2. He has a very high offense and his HP is a crazy 1237. Don't take this Oh-So-Snake oh-so-lightly.



This is a battle of attrition. First thing to do, of course, is toss a Smoke Bomb until you got it crying, then have Duster focus on lowering its offense until it sticks. Duster's attacks aren't going to make a big dent in this thing's HP.



Kumatora will be doing the heavy lifting here with PK Thunder, since it has high resistance to fire and ice. The strategy here is to have Duster focus on his debuffs first and then switch to a healing role while Kumatora continuously zaps the snake. Having her waste a turn using up Lifeup is a trap, since you've surely got a ton of healing items and the chapter's almost over anyway.





The Oh-So-Snake will also attack both members with its tail.





Hilariously, the only enemy Duster's socks worked on this chapter was this boss. Wess is definitely helpful for this fight, even if only to chip away on the snake.



Thunder has a chance of missing, so in most cases it's usually better to stick with Freeze. You still want Thunder here though for the damage.





The Oh-So-Snake can also coil around someone and try to stun them, though again, I got lucky here.



Kumatora's so busy throwing lightning bolts at a snake, Duster crams a bag of chips down her throat.







This is the Oh-So-Snake's big attack. When it loses enough HP, it'll send a tidal wave to hit for big damage.



Of course, this also makes it weaker to PK Thunder, so this is your chance to lay into it since it takes a couple rounds to get back to normal stance. Of course, it'll then throw a tidal wave again, so keep healed and keep on the offense.





Basically, as long as you have Duster healing and Kumatora blasting away with PSI, you should be fine.







A bit lengthy, but not too bad.







Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!

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Where are we...? My house...?
You and this especially tough girl got washed down the river. Good thing my dad was there, 'cause I would've pretended not to see you if it'd just been me.
...I see... Thank you, Fuel.



You mean Duster? It was just you two.



That moron...I mean, Duster, taking his damn merry time... He's in BIG trouble, once I find him.
You were both unconscious. You should get a little more rest.







So now we've got control of Kumatora, with Wess in tow.

Before we do story, a brief bit of NPC dialogue. It won't take too long, I promise.







Oh yeah, and that level gained from the snake leads to another PSI power, though one we won't get to use since there's no more combat this chapter.



I had a feeling that something was going to happen... Do you suppose it might've been meeting you? I can't shake the feeling that something nice is going to happen to this village now. It could happen to me, even... Maybe?

Aw, how nice.



Anyway, Kumatora learned Healing Alpha. Unlike previous games where certain tiers healed certain status effects, this just heals any one status effect. Much better.



That's the kind of guy he is.



Why, not really.

Huh? You're a girl? Yeah, come to think of it, you ARE really pretty.

Actually, sure we are.

I bet you're pretty popular with the girls, huh, mister?
Hold on, Alle. I think that's a "miss", not a "mister".



Alright, that's it for regular dialogue. I'll start sectioning it off next chapter so people who aren't interested can skip it, but this batch was so short I figured why not.



Let's go to the town square and end the chapter with one final cutscene.





He's the only one I told about the money I hid in the well...and now it's gone! Which means Duster stole it! That was MY money!



And besides, what IS "money" anyway?!
This sounds all too fishy if you ask me.





Look, Wess and Duster are both thieves! But they never did anything before, 'cause we never had anything to steal in our village! But we all know they'd steal good stuff like money if they ever saw it!





Who are YOU?! A friend of the thieves? No violence! NO VIOLENCE!





Let's just all of us calm down. Kicking up a fuss won't help us figure out anything, especially with Duster gone. The villagers and I believe you.














END CHAPTER 2