Part 26: Arachnophobia

Music: Dreams Showed by a Cloud of Dust



Now that we've rescued Aht, there's suddenly a new NPC by the palace gates. Nothing else has changed, so obviously this guy is important to progress the plot.

"I've seen you wandering around. Do you need some help? I know all about this area."
You know about me, huh? In that case, let me ask you something. Do you know anything about the woman I arrived at this city with?
"...Yes."
Do you know where she is?
"Whoa... Slow down there. I've heard rumors about you. ...You're supposed to be quite skilled."
That doesn't have anything to do with my question. Where is she?
"Sorry, pal. Information is my life. You need info; I need to get something in return."
...What's it going to cost?
"This won't cost you any money. I need to borrow your skills. My older brother wants to fight a skilled opponent. ...Are you up for it?"
I don't have time for this.
"You can spend your time fighting, or waste your time searching in vain for that lady. Your call. And don't even think about finding another informant. I run the info game in this town. ...So? What's it going to be, Mr. Gladiator?"

I got it.
Cancel

"...My older brother holds public fighting tournaments in the town square. If you win enough, you'll get to fight him. If you can defeat him, then you'll get the information you desire. ...Good luck."

We can enter the tournament by talking to a gladiator in the town square just south of the palace.



Yeah
No

"Okay. You seem to have your reasons... I'm not going to ask. Here's your pass. Come back here when you're ready."
Obtained Wood Emblem

The Wood Emblem is just a key. If you talk to him while you're holding it, he'll let you fight the first opponent.



Music: The Edge of Green



The Lizard Rider is a unique enemy, but this really can't be considered a boss fight, the enemies are no stronger than your average mooks.

The Lizard Rider can actually only be fought once, even using the White Chronicle to go back in time. He doesn't have anything important to steal though, (just an Herbal Tea), so it doesn't really matter.



Obtained Stone Emblem

Like the Wood Emblem, speaking to the gladiator while holding the Stone Emblem triggers the next fight. You can't drop key items and the Stone Emblem overrides the Wood Emblem, which is why you can only fight the Lizard Rider once.

Obtained Emerald

In addition to the emblems, each fight has its own reward. The Emerald just raises poison resistance, I've already got like, four of these.

We can save or sleep in the inn or whatever we want between battles. When we're ready to proceed, we just talk to the gladiator.



Bram: Stocke... Of all the random places to run into you!
Listen, I'm going by Ernst right now...
Bram: Huh? What're you talking about? Whatever! I've got a score to settle with you! This fight won't be anything like last time!
"Combatants, draw your weapons! Let the match begin!"



It's round 2 with the Desert Crows, and they are nasty.

Well, not really. Bram can do some pretty serious damage to Aht, with her low physical defense, but they're really not a big threat. Hertz does compliment Bram's massive attack power by using Guard Break, but it seems like Guard Break only works a fifth of the time, so it really doesn't change much.



They can get into formation and boost their attack power, but pushing them out of it is trivial, and you can even use this formation to your advantage.



By putting a trap where one of them needs to stand to enter formation, you can goad them into stepping on it all by themselves.

The battle is made trivial by pushing them together and then onto one of Aht's traps. They're really nothing special.



Bram: I had my sights set on the gold prize this year, too!

Obtained Metal Emblem

And now that we have the Metal Emblem, we can never repeat this battle with Bram and Hertz. We also get a Madre Blade for our troubles. It's an attack-focused sword that also increases your max HP by 75.

"It seems we have a victor... You even drove off Bram, and he was a worthy opponent. In honor of your skill, you will face me next."

When we're ready to take on the gladiator, we just have to talk to him and show him the Metal Emblem.

Music: Impending Crisis



"But only... if you can break through the power of my Chi!"




I-I can't move!
What's going on!?
"...So not even you can break my spell. Then defeat will be engraved into your body!"
...... Stocke... You can't lose!



Aht!? What're you doing!?
I can gather my life energy, and then kind of pop it... I think we'll be able to move again! If I make it work... He'll be the one who can't move! ...Ngh..! Stocke, that's when you attack, okay!?
(If Aht can really pull this off, we have a chance. But will she be okay? I can tell she's pushing herself just by looking at her... Should I go for the win even though she's pushing herself so hard? Or... I have to think about this one carefully...)

Stop Aht
Go with Aht's plan

Music: Blue Radiance

...All right, Aht... I'll go with your plan. I'm counting on you.
...Okay!
"I don't know what you're up to, but it's futile!"
Stocke... can't lose... Haaaa!

Aht glows bright, and...




"What!? Aaaagh!! Wh-What the...!? What did you--"
Now's my chance!"



"Gragh! I can't believe you broke through my Chi..."
!
Aht!

Music: Where the Wind and Feathers Return

Stocke runs to Aht's side.



I used... all my life energy... But... You won... so...
Aht... No... I may have won, but this... This isn't...
Stocke... Good... bye...



Aht sparkles and her body disappears.

Aht!!!

Aht gathered her life energy and used it to burst through the power of Chi. The gladiator's shock gave Stocke his opening, and he emerged as the victor. But with her life energy sapped, Aht vanished from the world... Stocke continued to win, and eventually came to be known as the land's strongest warrior. Aht gave her life for his victory, and Stocke knows he cannot afford to lose. His fight will carry on for as long as he lives...

"Aht's Sacrifice"
FIN

Music: The Melody Connecting the World



I bet you're surprised. Who knew Aht was capable of that?
But was overcoming the power of Chi worth her life? Perhaps if there was another way, you could spare her.
I know you'll be able to figure out a way. Stay strong, Stocke.
And Stocke... Please be careful.

...

Music: Impending Crisis



No, Aht! Stop!
But...
Even if I can win this battle... If something happened to you, the victory would be meaningless!
O-Okay...
"Are you ready? Take this!"
...Tch!



Ngh...! He's strong...
"You're a good fighter... But you lack training in battles where Chi is a factor. Ever since I learned this spell, only one man has ever succeeded in defeating me."
And that man is?
"He was a young Gutral warrior. He may be of a different race, but he is the kind of warrior I strive to be. He broke a Gutral law and faced me to protect the pride of his people."
...
"I believe he was exiled from the Gutral village of Forgia for his transgression. ...But until you learn how to control Chi, you don't stand a chance against me."

There's a bright flash, and Lippti and Teo appear.

Music: The Melody Connecting the World



What was that? It felt like I lost control of my entire body...
That was the power of Chi that the Gutrals have mastered.
The power of Chi... I see... I'll try searching for the Gutral he spoke of. Maybe I can at least grasp it.
That would be best.
Well, we'll be heading back.

Lippti and Teo vanish in a flash.

Stocke! Who were they!?
!
You saw them...?
I'm a shaman of Celestia!
That's impressive, Aht. But let's keep this between you and me, okay?
...Are you going to do what they said?
There's something I have to do. It's a decision I made for myself.
......
What's the matter? You're acting a little strange today.
I'm not strange!

Aht storms away.

...?

To progress, we go back to A New Alliance in the Alternate History, and choose to team up with Forgia.



The scene continues as normal until the point. Lippti and Teo vanish, and Stocke approaches Gafka. (Who is standing directly to the left, facing the tree. I'm stupid and when I took this screenshot I forgot people other than Stocke and Aht aren't visible when Lippti and Teo appear.)

Red One... Do you still have business with me?
Yeah. I hate to bring this up at a time like this, but there's something I have to ask you... Are you the Gutral who was exiled for partaking in a contest with other races?
!
I am. There was a gladiator who made it to Forgia, against all odds. I don't know how he learned it, but he could bend Chi to his will. He sought to challenge the Gutral's strongest warrior. And I accepted. That is all I will say.
Then you know how to break through his technique... Please. Teach me how to do that.
Warriors should never betray the methods of their opponents to others... But as a warrior yourself, Red One, you must know this, yet here you are asking it of me. ...You have your reasons, no doubt.
Right. I understand that what I'm asking of you is disgraceful as a warrior. But what I have to accomplish is for a greater purpose than any everlasting shame.
...Understood. This will be a little rough, so steel yourself.

Music: Wildness and Toughness



Draw your sword and take your stance.

Stocke does so.

"Chi" is the root of all energy. It exists in all things. Mana is mystical life energy, but Chi is seen through the body. Similar, yet different. I want you to swing your sword, paying the utmost attention to the movement of your body.

Stocke swings his sword.

Were you able to sense the way your body moved? Doing so is the foundation for grasping Chi.
?

Stocke continues to attack the air, and the screen fades to black.



Once you can understand your own movement, the next step is to sense that of others. Try to sense mine.

Gafka punches at the air, and the screen fades out and back in again.

...You have a natural talent, Red One. Now I will use Chi to paralyze you. If you can grasp the flow of my chi, you should be able to break it. Here I go.



!
(...There it is... My body is being pinned by Gafka's Chi... I have to fend it off...!)

Gafka charges at Stocke as the screen fades to white, and...



Music: To the Future that Awaits Ahead

Well done!
Amazing. Congratulations for mastering in mere minutes what would take most a lifetime.
I'll be able to read his Chi now. Thank you, Gafka.
Hm. Take this, Red One.
Obtained Anti-Chi Seal
A Gutral accepts this when they have mastered the use of Chi. You deserve it as well.

Our mastery over Chi has no gameplay benefits, it is literally a key to progress in the Standard History and nothing more.

...



No, Aht! Stop!
But...
Even if I can win this battle... If something happened to you, the victory would be meaningless!
O-Okay... But are you gonna be okay, Stocke?
Don't worry, I've got this. It's just as Gafka taught me. I can see the flow of Chi now!



Music: The Red Locus



The gladiator (named Gold Shell Gadeff for some reason) is mostly a pushover. His best attack is Repeated Slash, which hit Aht three times for about 70 damage each. He can also use Charge to boost his attack power, at which point Repeated Slash becomes devastating, dealing over 100 damage with each hit.

But as long as you poison him and abuse Aht's traps, he's pretty easy. After the battle Aht hit level 33 and learned Area G-Heal, the skill that makes her the best healer. As you can probably guess from the name, it's Greater Heal, but it targets everyone. Marco and Eruca learn it too, but they both learn it at level 60, so Aht will be the superior healer for a long while.

Music: Victory!



Obtained Sword Emblem
Obtained Gospel Armor

"Show my brother the Sword Emblem, and your desires shall be granted."

The Gospel Armor boosts DEF and MDF by a significant amount, and also boosts LUC by 20.

The Sword Emblem lets us proceed with the plot, and also opens up another battle in the tournament. From this point on the tournament becomes a sidequest, but we couldn't possibly complete it right now, so I'll save it for later.

Music: Dreams Showed by a Cloud of Dust



"Good job, Mr. Gladiator. Looks like you defeated my brother in an entertaining fight... I just wanted to give my brother the true test of his abilities that he desired."
I'm happy that you're satisfied... Now the information you promised, if you don't mind.
"Easy, there. I'm a man of my word. The woman you're looking for is imprisoned in the castle. The cells are on the right. I told the gatekeeper to be expecting you. You're supposed to be bringing her her meal, so make sure you keep that in mind. ...I wish you luck."
(I hope it's either Eruca or Raynie. Anyway, I should go.)

The cells are directly east of this guy, so we head over there.



The guard stands aside, and we enter.



Stocke! And Aht too!
Are you all right?
...Yes. What about you two?
Don't worry about us. Just try to hang in there a little longer. I'll negotiate with Garland and get you out.
...Thank you, Stocke.
????: Whoa, come on! Don't push!
????: Ahhhhhh!!

There's a thud to the left, and everyone looks in that direction.

Music: To the Future that Awaits Ahead



How convenient, they've saved me the trouble of tracking them down.

Owww.
Raynie...! Marco! You're safe...
We were until that last little spill, sure.
S-Sorry, Raynie...
Where have you two been?
We were in a desert town called Skalla. We woke up in this weirdo's house.
Yeahhh, he tried to make a move on Raynie... So she knocked the guy into next week, and we left. Then we started looking for intel on where you guys could have gone...
We heard about a hotshot gladiator in red from a merchant in Cygnus. And it wasn't hard to pick up your trail.
I see... Well, I'm glad the two of you are safe. ...But what did you do about the guard outside to get in here?
Guard? What guard?
Stocke... That doesn't sound so good.
Yeah... What's going on?

Music: Impending Crisis



Hedge: Report!
"Yes, Sir! Fully matured Hell Spiders coming in from the northwest! Four of them to be exact, Sir!"
Hedge: F-Four!? Are you sure you weren't seeing double!?
"N-No, of course not..."
All of you need to get a grip right now! Two spiders, four spiders, ten spiders! It doesn't matter! To put it simply... Kill them all! Let's get to work. I'll take point!
"Sir!"

Garland and his men head south, outside of the city.



"Aaaaaagh!"

Citizens of the city are running around in a panic.



The whole city's in an uproar! What's going on!?
Look, Stocke! Look at that big spider...!
Is that a Hell Spider!? I thought giant spiders only preyed in remote areas! What are they doing here!?
It's really really big!
Wh-What should we do...!? I don't see any Cygnus soldiers, so maybe we should use the opportunity to escape!
What!? I can't believe you just said that, Marc!
...No. If we run now, the city will fall. We're the only ones standing between the city and that spider right now.
St-Stocke!?
Hahaha! That's so you, Stocke! All righty then, let's save this city!
Whaaaaaaat!? ...Don't blame me if this doesn't go according to plan!
First we need to get Eruca.
Right! If she's locked down there, she won't stand a chance!
Let's hurry.

We run back to the cells to pick up Eruca.



Eruca!
...Everyone?
Things have changed. I'm getting you out of here right now.
But... What about King Garland's approval?
Sorry, but we'll have to talk to him about it later.

To avoid explaining just how Stocke opened the lock, the screen fades out, and when it fades back in Eruca is standing outside the cell.

What's happened?
There's a monster attacking the city. It's too dangerous for you here, so come with us for now.
Stocke, are you planning on fighting that monster?
Of course. But this place could be attacked, so we need to get you somewhere--
No. I will fight with you.
Eruca... ...All right, it'll be good to have your strength.
Thank you!

To fight the Hell Spider, we just have to leave the city. I wanted to use Eruca for this fight, but she's level 24 and is more of a liability than anything else, so I settled for Raynie and Marco. Why not Aht, you ask? Well...

Boss: Hell Spider
Music: The Red Locus



It's huge! The Hell Spider takes up all 9 spaces on the grid (and its body extends well past them and off the screen, even), so it cannot be pushed. Area G-Heal can be useful for this fight, but without her traps, Aht isn't an ideal party member.



For this battle, I started by casting Magic Boost on Raynie and poisoning the spider while I was at it. Raynie is going to be our main source of damage for this battle, with her spell G-Fire.



The Hell Spider hits hard, but it's slow, so it doesn't hit terribly often. When I tried this battle with Eruca she literally could not survive a single attack from the Hell Spider, due to a combination of low DEF and HP.



Marco himself doesn't have a lot of damage output, so I used him for healing, and when I didn't need to heal, I used Trans-turn to give Raynie an extra action. With Stocke I used Double Slash to boost the combo count by as much as possible, alternating between his strikes and Raynie's G-Fire. Air Assault does not work on the Hell Spider, because it simply weighs too much.



The Hell Spider will sometimes choose to be merciful and attack with Speed Down. It looks like that goo should hit everyone, but it's actually a single-target attack.

Toward the middle of the battle I put together a big combo and decided to use Phantom Gain to boost the counter. A Turn Break probably would have been more useful, but I wanted a reason to actually use a level 2 Mana Burst.



The Hell Spider's most dangerous attack is Death Grind. It hits the entire party multiple times for massive damage. The spider can use it for the entire battle, but when the spider is almost dead it will use it every single turn and wreck you.

I'm really not happy with how this battle went, but it's the best video I managed to get, so there it is. In hindsight, it probably would have been a better idea to save my huge 19 hit combo until the end, since the spider isn't too dangerous at the beginning.

Music: Impending Crisis



What? You mean one broke through and headed for the city?
"I'm sorry, Sir!"
Hedge: You fool! You call yourself a soldier? What if--
Shut it, Hedge! Griping won't solve the problem! Back to the city! Move it!



Looks like we did it...
I-I thought I was a goner...
Thanks, Stocke.
...For what?
Huh? O-Oh, well... This city just means a lot to me. But I'll tell you another time.
......
"Where's the spider that got through!?"
"It must have made it to the city!"
Hey! Aren't those the Cygnus soldiers coming back into the city? N-Not good, Stocke! They're going to find out we let the princess out!
No... It's perfect timing. I'll talk to Garland.
You sure 'bout that? What if she gets thrown back in prison?
Having just protected his city, I think I'll have the upper hand in the negotiations. I've got it.
If you say so. I guess I'll sit tight. But don't think I won't jump in if it comes down to it.
...Got it.



Ernst! Are you the one who dealt with the spider in the city?
Ernst...?
...That's right.
Hedge: N-Now just a moment! What are you doing with that woman!? We had her locked inside the prison!
...She would have been killed if the Hell Spiders got in. So I took her out instead.
I see... You mean you protected her for us.
Garland... I'd like to discuss her situation with you, actually.
Hm? What is it? I believe Hedge brought her here to become my servant. ...Have you taken a liking to her?
It's not like that. She's my ally. ...Garland, if you'll permit me to treat with you on her behalf, man to man...
Huh... Well, if you put it that way, you have my full attention. The way of the desert does not let us neglect our guests. If you say she is your ally, then she is also my guest.
Thank you, Garland. But to be honest, she's--
Hedge: !
Hedge: ...That's it! I've figured it out!
...Hedge?

Music: To the Battlefield

Hedge: I knew this woman had a familiar look about her... ...Bwaha, what an unexpected bounty. There's no mistaking it... This woman is none other than Princess Eruca.
Wh-What!? You mean she's THE Princess Eruca!? Of Granorg!?
Hedge: That is correct. We've stumbled on quite a trump card. Our conference with Sir Dias is drawing near. Princess Eruca is his political enemy. If we hand her over to him...
......
Sorry to burst your bubble, but we'll never hand over Eruca.
Hedge: What was that, gladiator dog!? It isn't your place to decide such matters!
Shut up, Hedge! Didn't I warn you about dragging the way of the desert through the mud with you!? Ernst has earned my approval. If she is his ally, then she is considered my ally as well!
Hedge: B-But...
Your methods may work well in Granorg... But! You have no right to make a fool out of Cygnus! I've grown to truly disgust you. Be gone from my sight! I never want to see your face here again!
Hedge: ...Y-You can't m-mean that...
Oh? My words weren't clear enough?
Hedge: Aieeeeee!!

Hedge flees from the city.

Ernst, you've really impressed me. I like you. And thank you for taking down that Hell Spider in my stead. ...I think I've come to a decision. To hell with entertaining Dias!
......?

Music: To the Future that Awaits Ahead

If you're with Princess Eruca, then you've chosen a side. And I'd rather side with you than Dias. We were going to meet with Dias to discuss the political obstacles... But he's always looked down on us as mercenaries, like he's so high and mighty. I hate him. ...Although I suppose it's more than that. I don't like Granorg's entire regime. But you being here, Princess Eruca... that changes things. We can choose a path that doesn't lead to kissing Granorg's pompous ass.
...And what is that path?
The one where we join you and make Granorg rethink its values! What do you say, Princess Eruca?
I, too, fight against the regime as a member of the Resistance. I welcome your support. As we have similar interests, I think it would be to our benefit to fight side by side.
...All right. Sounds like we have an alliance.
Do you approve of this, Stocke?
...Yeah.
Ah... So your real name is Stocke. Well then, Stocke. I say we pull this off together.
...I'm with you, Garland.
...Okay! Things are about to get interesting! Tonight we feast to celebrate new friendships!

Music: The Melody Connecting the World



I'm relieved that you've succeeded in protecting her. But danger still lurks in her shadow. A new conflict that conerns her is approaching. Please be careful. ...Let us now add a new chapter to the White Chronicle.