Part 21: A Pirate I Was Meant To Be

"Hey, wait, what about the PSX shit that got changed/removed?" Well, there's no real changes to the actual chapter YET it doesn't really feel like Chapter 4 is over. Thematically speaking it is, but NPC dialogue doesn't change at all during it (aside from when it becomes plot relevant) and the mail box isn't updated until you've got a Heart Stone or 2. Speaking of, Water it is! And it's the harder of the two* at that!

_{* This doesn't actually mean anything.}



A "travelogue" is actually a thing; it's basically a journal of someone's travels.



The Waterstone is the only one at a place we can access already, but first we're going to avoid BlueCat and go to the Wonder Woods.



Ledgem's been floating here since the very, very beginning of the game but if you speak to him before examining the clone/duplicate in the Tower of Wisdom he just disappears without saying anything.

: I know you can help me. Please, play the horn...




Despite starting with way more skills than many puppets will ever have, Ledgem isn't that great in my opinion. He has a relatively low SP, especially early on, and his Intelligence stat is pretty crappy too. Doesn't help that he's Dark elemental so the amount of fights he is actually worth using in is highly limited. As for the status inflicting spells, Mega [X] does it to all enemies whereas [X] does it to just one.

Nothing else can be done right now (I checked), so it's off to BlueCat.



Woman: Mary's been heart-broken ever since. At the very least if Mary knew what Libinsky left for her... I'm sure it would ease her pain. There's a cave in one of the houses in town; at the end of the cave, you'll find our ship. There's a guard named Dave. Just tell him my name, and he'll let you through.

That's all well and good but there's a bit of a problem there: you didn't say what your name is.

Due to narrative convenience, though, this isn't a problem. And, you've likely guessed it already, but the ship is in BlueCat Underground, it doesn't appear there until the start of this chapter and you can't board without doing this.



Told ya she'd know it. Anyway, it's not quite dungeon time, though once you board the ship you cannot leave until you've finished the dungeon. Not like it matters, though, since the enemies are about as strong as the ones in BlueCat Underground... if not weaker.



To actually continue, you need to do this and read it the whole way through. There's a prompt after each entry though.

Journal Entry:
I had another dream again...Libiny reached out for help with that pained look...on his face that he always had.

Journal Entry:
I always think about you Libiny... Days that we partied together. Talking about firls. It's so hard. What should I have done on the day of the accident? Libiny, tell me.

Journal Entry:
I had the same dream again... Maybe deep in my heart, I wanted you to die...Maybe I was jealous of what you and Mary had together... Maybe, I should've died that day...

Journal Entry:
Should I have saved Libiny in those conditions? The only reason I lived was that there was a pole floating near me.

Fascinating... well, the basic idea is that some dude died in a shipwreck and apparently this is a big deal, because as we all know people never die in shipwrecks!



Captain: Just as well...I wanted to see where Libinksky died anyway...
Tarkoff: .....
Captain: What was that Tarkoff? Did you say something?
Tarkoff: Uh, no...I was just thinking how dangerous ir would be... If we were going to save someone, it would be worth it...But for...someone who's already dead...
Captain: How dare you say that! You left my son to die!
Tarkoff: So, that's what you were thinking. I remember that day so clearly... I've never seen such a storm...I was holding onto the pole, barely keeping myself afloat. When I looked up, I saw Libiny drowning near me. I stretched out my hand as far as I could to grab him...But, the next thing I knew, he was gone...I see that dream everyday. Every single day...I often wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat...Libiny was...




Whalebuster is the name of sunk ship apparently. Knowing that, since that's apparently where we are now, it raises a simple question: if this ship is at the bottom of the ocean, where's all the goddamn water? The lack of water and something we'll be seeing very soon makes me thing this is actually just all an illusion.

Tarkoff: How can this be! This ship sunk...
Captain: Oh! My son!? Where's my son!?
Tarkoff: Captain!! Libiny...I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to save you. I should have...been the one to drown!



: Whatcha talkin' about, Cornet? The WATERSTONE is here somwhere! Besides, if you haven't noticed, we're sittin' on the bottom of the ocean... and unless you start learning to breathe water, we're stuck here.
: You do want to save your Prince, don't you?
: You're right... We've come this far. I can't quit now...
: That's the spirit, Cornet!

Anyway, the requisite dungeon is a sunken pirate ship and it's the most unique one of all... so naturally it takes about 5 minutes to finish.



At least you have a statue by the room you started in, just in case things go awry somehow. The lack of a staircase leading up here is pretty interesting though, but the room to the left is a tad more important.



: Ahh! The goody two-shoes heroine here to save the day...
: Y...You're..!
: Yep! I'm Gao.
: Um... If you don't mind me asking, how did you get over here?
: How..? I swam here, of course. How do you think I got here?
: You swam here..? Are you...
: Stupid?
: You're a sorceress, right? Why didn't you use a spell or something to get here?
: Spell? I can't use spells. My muscles are the only thing I need! You don't need magic when you have biceps like these!
: Well, I guess if you've got'em you might as well use them.
: Yeah, but she looks like...



: Ga ha ha ha ha! For a little pip-squeak, you sure have a big mouth! Well, call me whay you will, but I'm going to have the last laugh..... The WATERSTONE is leaving with me and there's nothin' you can do about it! Later!!

Y'know, i don't really get why Gau is the one here for the Waterstone. She appeared more naturally inclined towards fire when we last saw her, since the only attack she used was definitely fire elemental.



Ah, Excalibur... the best thing Duke could possibly learn in this dungeon for reasons that will be self-evident though there's a giant problem with this; Excalibur costs 20 SP to use. At level 20, when he learns the skill, he has 17 SP maximum. There is no way to raise SP or HP with accessories, so the only thing you can do is keep levelling Duke up but his SP growth is fucking terrible. He joined at level 10 where he had about 12 SP to begin with. 10 levels later, it's gone up by 5. He can't use a skill he gains at level 20 until he's level 22. Sure, Excalibur is incredibly awesome, but this is just ridiculous.

Anyway, meeting Gau is one of the two triggers for finishing this place. The other is back in the room we started in.



Same scenario as the previous one, though it contains different content because this one was written by the guy who died.

Journal Entry:
I found an incredible treasure today...I believe it's the WATERSTONE...One of the 5 Heart Stones. We'll be able to fetch a pretty penny with this find...

Journal Entry:
WooOoOoo...My head feels like someone took a sledgehammer to it and took what was left...over and threw it in a blender! I think I drank way too much...

Journal Entry:
Mary, I've found a rare, beautiful ring. I'm going to propose to you the minute I get back to BlueCat.



I think this is the second trigger, but I always read the full thing as well just in case.

Journal Entry:
It's been 3 months since our voyage began. I miss Mary so much...

Journal Entry:
A storm's comin'... We're so close to BlueCat...I hope we get there safely.



WAIT, WHAT THE F- YES, YES, YES!

...Well, uh, I didn't intend to run into any of these things sometime in the next ever; Ariels are one of the rarest goddamn monsters in the entire game (there's like five enemies with obscenely low encounter rates and we've seen two of 'em already; Inotium Lizards being the other, but I think they might be a bit more common than the rest), and they're possibly worst for it because this dungeon is the only place they spawn. People have wasted hours looking for these things, and I ran into some by accident. Like, there's no reason to ever actively hunt these buggers down because they give pretty crap EXP and money, don't drop anything worthwhile and aren't even remotely difficult. They're actually the easiest things in these place!



Dark Howl is Koro's final skill and it's both his best and his worst. It costs a large amount of SP (though not more than he has at this point) and by the time you get it you probably don't even need it. It is an instantly kill attack... and like the other Howls, it affects every enemy. The catch? I've never, ever seen it work.



Libinsky: FaThEr... TaKrOfF.. YoU aRe DoInG wElL...
Captain: Libinsky! Could it be...? You're a ghost! Takroff's here! Remember? The one who deserted you! Kill him, and exact your revenge! I've kept him alive for you just for this moment!
Takroff: Do you worst...I'm tired... Libiny... Please, end my life...
Ghost Painting: Who's taking my son away!? Who's taking my best friend away!? Who's taking my lover away!?

So, it's time for the obigatory boss battle!



The Painting is like the third hardest boss fight in the entire game... and it's more tedious than it is difficult. The three mooks he has with him are actually from this dungeon though there is a twist: unlike every other occurance of a boss accompanied by generics, these ones are actually buffed to high hell and back again. Like, they take slightly less damage per turn, dealing slightly more and have way, way, way more HP than they do normally. Like, normally they die two hits. Here, they can take 6 and still keep going. The Painting himself can be a bit of a challenge if you don't use either Duke or Sharte; being Dark elemental, those two utterly wreck his shit. Duke, in particular, can trivialise this fight. Excalibur basically doubles your Attack stat to deal Holy damage; this works out as being a hell of a lot more than anyone else can inflict in this fight. The only downside is it costs all of his SP to use. Attack wise, the Painting isn't all that threatening, though he does throw around ailments a bit; it can use Mega Poison, Mega Charm, Mega Sleep and... Death. Unfortunately for him, I've never seen the last one work either, and the first three are easily dealt with. I'd say it's a fight of attrition, though I pretty much just had Cornet spam healig for most of the fight because her damage output sucks here.



Libinsky: My SoUl WiLl NeVeR rEsT uNtIL tHeY lEt Go Of ThEiR gUiLt...
Captain: Guilt?
Libinsky: YeS...ThE pEoPlE wHo CoUlDn'T SaVe Me NeVeR fOrGaVe ThEmSeLvES FoR... mY dEaTh, So, I WaNdeR tHe EaRtH UnTiL tHe DaY ThEy LeT Go Of ThEiR gUiLt.
Captain: I don't understand...? Are you saying that we're making you suffer!? What about Takroff!?
Libinsky: I StILl ThInK oF tAkRoFf As My BeSt FrIeNd. I'm NoT bItTeR... It WaS aN aCcIdEnT. EvEroNe ChOoSeS tHeIr OwN dEsTiNy... I EnJoYeD mY lIfE...SaIlInG tHe SeVeN sEaS aS a PiRiTe... SpEnDiNg TiMe WiTh FrIeNdS aNd...FaLlInG iN lOvE wItH mArY. I HaVe No ReGrEtS...
Captain: Libinsky...
Libinsky: TaKrOfF, lEt Go Of YoUr GuILt, AnD rElEaSe Me... YeSs...I cAn FiNaLlY jOiN tHe OtHeRs...



Tarkoff: Was that a dream...?
Captain: No, it wasn't. That's the WATERSTONE!! It wasn't a dream. My son wanted us to know that it was just an accident. We were trying to blame it on Takroff. I'm sorry, Takroff. I should have been happy that there were survivors after the accident. I should be grateful that I can still live my life as a pirate.
Takroff: Captain...
Captain: I don't need treasure. You can have the WATERSTONE. And please tell Mary about this. You'll find her in BlueCat.
: Sure.



Well, that's one down; four to go. I wonder what happened to Gau though.



: Gimme that WATERSTONE!!
: ...Were you swimming again?
: O...Of course!!
: Are you okay? You look pretty tired.
: Shut up! I'm not the least bit tired! Look at these muscles! I'll show you my power!!

So, it's time for the second boss fight of this area and it's against Gau, huh? Should be f-



Oh. Well, that was... um... not quite what I expected. Last time she kicked our ass effortlessly this time, she got one turn... huh. I'm not sure if that's worrying or awesome, and I don't think it really matters. If that's all the rest have, too, then I don't think this is gonna be a problem.



: Is it because I didn't eat my Wee-T's!?
: That's not the reason.
: Yeah, yeah. I think you're abusing your power too much.
: Shut up! I won't let you get away next time! Remember that!!



: Wow, she's a pretty fast swimmer!
: ...Scary.

And with that, we're done with the pirate ship. Finally.



Eh, unless I ever need to come back here we won't see each other again. Sorry, Dave.

Next time: with the Waterstone, we only gain access to one new stone; so, Fire or Earth?