Part 2: Sand Temple & Bone Dungeon

Sand Temple & Bone Dungeon

Since you big babies can't handle difficult concepts like numbers, I've switched back to life bars and now only kind of grasp how much HP everyone has. Are you happy now?



The Elixir is in the Sand Temple, which is more of a room than a temple, as most temples in this game are.



But of course, a random thief-I-mean-treasure-hunter has beaten us to it and is holding it ransom for an exorbitant fee! Gosh, and now I have to cooperate with him by going to the Bone Dungeon? I wonder if the Crystal of Earth will coincidentally also be in the Bone Dungeon?



Tristam suggests beating up on monsters in a battlefield, which is a good idea now that we've got an awesome partner on our side. Tristam's ninja stars do massive damage to things that fly or are winged or that just happen to feel like being weak against ranged weaponry. He has a limited amount but I've never even come close to running out, especially since there are (refreshable) chests in the dungeon that give extra stars.



And so we battle!



And, eventually, we win something that's actually useful. The Charm is an accessory for Steve which boosts his defense a little. Later equipment gives protection from status effects, but this one doesn't. Oh well!



Then it's back to Level Forest, where Steve's axe lets me skip the weak-ass monsters and stock up on refreshing chests full of potions. Cure Potions are weak and dumb, but I can stock a million of them, and Heal Potions are great since things constantly poison me.



And on to the Bone Dungeon, which is pitifully short and simple and not worth covering in great detail. Later dungeons are much harder and more interesting.



Notice all the monsters. You rarely have to clear them all out to advance, but I'm going to, because it's freaking Mystic Quest and they're no threat whatsoever.



Tristam reveals he's packing more than ninja stars and a never-used backup weapon by revealing his bombs, which he then sells to Steve.



But before moving on, I head back a ways...



...bomb this skeleton that was in my way...



...and snag another piece of armor, the Steel Shield. Shields don't actually block attacks and Steve is never shown carrying or using one, so they're just another gear slot basically.

After that, it's time to speed-clear some monsters. I love emulators.

Some things to note: Monster groups are semi-random every time you engage them, and may have more or less monsters or different types as you engage them. You can, if you're so inclined, load state/Run from fights and reengage them. If you want the maximum amount of experience possible, for example, you might just run from single-enemy battles and engage them again to try for multiples. But it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, and the monsters respawn if you leave the dungeon anyway. Plus there's no real reason to farm for experience.



Now that he's got some explosives, Steve can't fucking stop exploding things, causing a chain reaction that reduces a priceless Hallway Monster skeleton to rubble. They're not gonna like me in Fourside, I tell you that.



Before I go left, I go right, where there's a semi-secret room with some extra bombs. Like Tristam's ninja stars, explosives are limited. Unlike ninja stars (and later, Phoebe's arrows), you can buy bombs in certain towns and they're more common in chests.

Bombs are also different in that they are very powerful, but hit all enemies on the screen. Their damage to a single monster is generally a lot higher than all but the best weapons, but the damage is weakened a fair bit when it hits more than one target. It's still generally the best way to inflict damage on any monsters.



Shifting sand forces me to fight these monsters. Oh no, I have to fight more monsters. I hope I don't run out of my 15 or so White Magic charges and my 30+ Cure Potions.



Blowin' up teeth, findin' more crappy loot. Seeds restore magic points and are probably the only consumable item that is a little hard to find. It makes sense though, as magic is grossly powerful in this game.



Speaking of which, right before the boss I find my first Black Magic spell, Quake. Quake hits all enemies by default, and isn't very strong, especially since it's an Earth spell in the Earth dungeon. Oddly enough though, it works well on the boss.

Which, by the way, is right up ahead!

Tristam promptly robs me blind, swiping the only cool loot in the dungeon. Steve just gets some potions and the Sand Coin, which obviously will be useful in getting to the next area even though he has no way of knowing that!



In a fit of rage, Steve attempts to blow up the Earth Crystal, but nothing happens.



After forking over the Elixir, Tristam takes his new awesome grappling hook claw and ditches us.



Now that the crystal is saved, or whatever, the forest is back. Solving the problem of the region (which is to say, killing the boss) restores it to its natural state. Steve can rest easy knowing he's saved exactly 1/4th of the world.



"Mostly us, but I guess the trees are alright."



But not the Minotaur spirits, which is why she's dying in bed and I'm walking around setting bombs off next to old people.



Okay, okay! You people never leave me alone. Oh but wait I think I'm forgetting something.



Ah yes, right. That.



So for no reason, we're now going to Aquaria. I wonder if we'll find the Water Crystal in the water quarter of the world? I wonder if we'll be able to get through Focus Tower to reach it. Gee, I hope there's not some door blocking the way. If there is, what are the chances that the Sand Coin would open it?



But first, more levelin' at the battlefield.