Part 21: A Mood to Kill

As we walk out of the Mana Holyland there's a few interesting encounters. These will vary slightly based on who your lead hero is.



"and assassinated our leader, the Dragon Emperor. Now there's no reason to fight…"

"Even Koren fell helplessly before the enemy. I, too, will soon disappear."

"Wait, the same Dragon Emperor that King Richard couldn't take out a generation back?"

"The very same. Rich, you see, appears to have had it a bit easier than you will…"



"Who… who ARE you?"

"That's.. my own secret, you see…"



"Lise, I think he's kind of.. dead."

"Dammit! This always happens to me!

"I think that's a sign that we should go."



"Oh, heavens, no! If I had, I wouldn't be lollygagging around here!"



"What do you mean!?"

"You're… a bit slow, aren't you?"

"And you're more than a bit straightforward. I like that in a villain."



"My master, the Masked Mage, has been executed… and the Mirage Palace has been destroyed."

"The perpetrators of this most vicious crime are waiting for you at the entrance."



Well, they're probably going to kill me anyway! So, I shall take this opportunity to run! Ta-ta!"

"I want to hate you, but I just can't fault your logic."

"N!!…no! What happened to Heath, what happened!?"



"The Masked Mage died, and he was released from his curse…"

"…but he didn't seem to know who he was anymore…"



"Is that enough? Well then, ta-ta!"

"Ooh, where'd Heath go? Poor Heath…"

"Well, on the bright side he's just amnesiac rather than being dead like the rest of our enemies.

"But.. what if he finds another teenage girl before I can get my hands on him again?"

"There's something very wrong about this…umm.. I'm sure it'll work out somehow."

"It'd better, or else I'm going to have to kill a bitch."




"…unlike your brother Eliott…"

"What have you done to Elliott!?"

"Oh, Eliott is alive… for now."



"…and bring the Sword of Mana with you!"

"Wait! Bigieu!"



"I can't help but feel as though I've experienced this before."

"It's the perfect crime… Wait for us to take the Sword, then kidnap the faerie as bait…"

"What the hell do you mean? They were here long enough before us to kill the other two factions going after the sword down to the last man. They could have just grabbed the Sword and left at this rate."

"You have no sense of style. No true villain could do anything so pedestrian as that!"



"Even if it's… of COURSE it's a trap! What else could it be?

"I don't know what Bigieu is planning, but whatever it is… we can't let her do it!"

"Every minute Eliott is in her hands is a minute we can't waste! Let's hurry to Navarre!"

"I think there's no getting through to her at this point. It's all Eliott all the time."



Flammie is a bit of a weird dragon, but it never gets old riding a freaking dragon around.




When riding on Flammie, the game is helpful enough to pop up a text box on the bottom of the screen that tells you where you're supposed to be going at this point in the plot. This alternates with a box that tells you where you're at, making it pretty easy to find your way around.



The door to Navarre is open, and the enemies are pretty much what we saw in the Valley of Flames with a few levels added on top. Somehow this makes the Ninja Masters noticeably more dangerous, and it's not unusual to need a healing spell after every battle or every other battle.



Cat Bro's shop has been turned into a gold goddess shrine for your healing convenience.



Also, just for amusement's sake, the most direct route to the throne room is closed off so that we have to find a way around.



The treasure room is tantalizing, but I haven't yet found the way around to it. All things considered it's entirely possible that this is just a giant tease on the part of the designers. Trying to find it was enough to get me another whole level.



"Now… hand over the Sword, and I'll return the faerie!"

"I just have to ask this. Why wouldn't you just kill us as soon as we hand over the sword?"

"Because at that point you'll no longer be a threat to me, and the idea of your despair and agony amuses me."



"Now now, Lise… let's not be rude!"

"Jagan will be taking the Sword now. Move so much as an inch, and the faerie dies…"

"Hehehe… so this is it. The Dark Prince can now return to this land…"




"Okay, hands up if you weren't expecting this whole plan to go horribly wrong. Anyone?"



"Do I look like I was born yesterday?"

"No, you look like you were born about 50 years ago you decrepit hag."

"I'm sorry, I can't hear you over the sound of ultimate power."




"By the power of our Dark Prince, it will become a sword of darkness! isn't that right, Jagan?"

"Wait, what? Who the hell included THAT as a design feature?"



"It is now the instrument of the Dark Prince and the Underworld!"

"I'm going to kick the Mana Goddess right in the ass for this next time I see her."



"Just think… soon, the demons will once again inhabit this world! Hahahahaha!"

"Let it be done!"



"I'm going to start taking a drink every time this happens."

"I… I'm sorry…"

"Faerie… no… it's all my fault… I shouldn't have walked into their trap…."

"We tried to to tell you, but…"

"Just let it go, Carlie. It's a bit late."



"The God-Beasts… It's already begun. I'm going to check on the Mana Stones…"

"Close your eyes…"

"This would have made things a lot simpler a while back.."

"Shh! Watch and tell me what you see."



"Seems alright to me. I guess we were worried over nothing."

"Look a bit closer."





"Oh. I take it that this isn't normal?"

"Only if you consider the end of the world as we know it normal."



"If they combine their powers, we'll never be able to stop them!"

"We have to stop them now, while they're still vulnerable! Let's hurry to the Mana Stones!"

"Good. After today I'm in a mood to kill something and I don't much care what."