Part 56: Episode LII: Star Wolf

Episode LII: Star Wolf



<sigh> Since we've arrived in Russia, nothing but terrible things have happened here.
<cough> No shit, Rog! Oww...



I was foolish. I-I never expected Rasputin would be so powerful. I was wrong.
Argh... you've barely talked since we got here, old man...
I was thinking it, alright?
Helpful...



What was that shield of his?! I couldn't even make a dent in it!
That drop kick had expert form and nothing! Unbelievable!
What are we going to do? They think we've kidnapped the princess!


Music: Impatient Mood



<shakes head>
I mean, I wanted to come with you all... Rasputin is bad news. But, you... kind of did kidnap me... Have you seen our guards? I could have snuck right out while they were distracted...



They'll find us here.
Edgar, you've been a big help but... you are a known accomplice and should skip town. Also, maybe change your look while you're at it...?
......
I know a thing or two about this.



......
Damn...
This has not been my year...



I think that it's time that we left Russia. There was somewhere I was planning on taking you, anyway. Hmm...
In hindsight, I probably should have taken you there first before trying to go straight for Rasputin...
Yeah? Where's that?
It better not be back to frikkin' Wales AGAIN.
To the Goreme Valley in Turkey, beyond the Anatolian Mountains.
Turkey?!
<nods> Mhm.
Yeah, what, Rog? Now's not the time to eat a big roasted bird.
It's a country, Yuri.
Wha? It's like a dry, kind of bland white meat bird, right? I could have sworn I've eaten that on a sandwich before.
They both have the same name, Yuri.
Well, that's dumb.



For many years now, I've been tracking the whereabouts uh... of a certain individual. And while we were separated, I finally found him. Yeah...
Who is this person?
The one person who should know everything about Sapientes Gladio. Are you ready...?
For more exposition? Do I have a choice?
I'm already setting up a slideshow.
<sigh> Yeah, hit me.

Music: ENDS



Sapientes Gladio was founded several decades ago by Jovis, a humble priest of the Greek Orthodox Church.



At that time, Jovis was doing missionary work with many other volunteers. Well, when he saw the brutality of the colonial policies, he raised his voice against their cruel racism.



He made many friends among the commoners there and even more enemies among the elite.



And though they tried to oppress him, they were unable to silence his voice. Ahh... But Sapientes Gladio, the group that once walked the Path of Righteousness, somehow veered off that path, and they became lost.



Travel now to Goreme Valley and find the Great Sage, Jovis. If anyone knows the secret to Rasputin's power, it's him.


Music: Town of Twilight ~ European Town



So we have a new objective, Göreme Valley (it is actually supposed to have an umlaut on the O as it is a real location in Turkey) to meet the Great Sage Jovis, who is not actually a historical figure as far as I can tell.



But Roger is not entirely correct. While most of Petrograd is inaccessible now due to Yuri backing off from the newly placed palace guard on both ends of this street, there is actually one final bit of business left for us in town before we continue our quest.



Anyway, we need to protect Blanca against the Panic status effect. Take a wild guess that what the remaining Petrograd task is...



If we return to the alley where Anastasia was nearly assassinated by a monster summoned by a mid-boss, we now find a man who looks as though he is dressed up like a tall Christmas elf and a wolf in a space helmet. Perfectly normal for a Russian winter, I'm sure.



I do not think this is a traditional Russian name. At least, as far as I'm aware. Nor is naming your dog R-3.



And who are you wonderful fellows?
Us? I'm Goztafssiki. This here is R-3. We came here from Planet Suzuran to invade Earth. Pleasure to meet you.

...Yeah, no. Blanca, I've had a weird and crappy enough day. This is your deal. I'm out...
Awroo...? (What is even happening?)
Well, better get the invasion started. Could you please fight R-3, here?

Awroo...? (What are they making me fight this time...?)
Awroo. (Oh, well. Guess I've got to do it.)

...Nor is your dog speaking in elaborate Japanese emoticons. I don't think that is standard in Russia, but I am no expert.


Music: Soul Comet ~ Spirit of the Wolf



Just couldn't resist the attraction of Earth's gravity, huh? Hmph!
( ^ _ ^ ) <3




Music: Glint of Light ~ War of the Hungry Wolf



Time to stop an alien invasion. Sure, why not? K-3 is a Light elemental enemy with 506 HP.

I think we know how Wolf Bouts go for the most part by this point. The intended method is to go into it, Blanca probably gets bodied by whatever status effect gimmick, then you put on the appropriate counter to that and then it is a battle of attrition the second go. As you could probably guess from that Feather Bracelet we stuck on Blanca, R-3's status effect gimmick is causing Panic with its physical attacks. If you don't recall from the write-up way earlier in the LP, Panic causes triple SP loss. Given that Blanca only possesses 11 SP total... yeah, that's a problem. So going in blind without the right tools, we'd have to deal with curing Blanca every few turns AND either curing Panic or recovering SP every few turns as well.



This time around we're also going to put up a Shield spell because R-3 hits hard enough physically for it to be a problem that will draw the battle the hell out wasting turns to heal up.



With its Physical attacks neutered (do space wolves have nards?) all that is left in R-3's toolset is Nova, a rather unimpressive Light elemental spell.





Conclusion: Welcome to Earth!


Music: Result ~ Victory





We have a firm anti-alien policy, I'm afraid. You'd think Yuri and his friends smoking the Meta-God would have gotten the word out to the interstellar community to take a pass on this planet.


Music: Town of Twilight ~ European Town



This is no kind of place for you to live. Go on back where you came from.
You can't even awroo properly? What are you even playing at?
( ; _ ; ) '



You lost, R-3? I see...
Look, if we're done here, let's get going. Who knows what kind of radiation these guys are giving off?
Roughly 3.6 roentgen -- not great, not terrible...



But wait, we need a radioactive paw print to add to our Wolf Bout collection first! And a look at R-3's profile.



R-3
Male. Age: Unknown
Born: Planet Suzuran

What a helpful space dog giving out emoticon lessons like that.

Yuri and Blanca depart.




Invading Earth is harder than I thought. I guess I'll just wait quietly for the others to come pick me up, instead.




Now that we've saved Earth from another alien calamity, our business in Petrograd has concluded for the time being. Don't worry, we'll be back eventually. But not before some wilder developments. But for now, time to pile back into the airship and venture to Turkey as Shadow Hearts: Covenant continues...





That was quite a dense chapter and we have I think the most new Library entries yet.

Monsters:



I can be your angel or your devil.



Sadly, you cannot hug with crystalline arms...



I smoked wormgaur feather once and I still get bad flashbacks to that trip.



No, you're closer in style to the Paladins with some guy named Victor from accounting's head swapped onto it. Dweeb.

Characters:



Ra ra Rasputin
Lover of the Russian queen
There was a cat that really was gone
Ra ra Rasputin
Russia's greatest love machine
It was a shame how he carried on



Would totally gank Rasputin were he not a seven-foot-tall actual powerful wizard in this timeline.



Also backing down hard from assassination plots.



For some reason, they just keep saying a vague blood disease but Alexei had hemophilia (blood doesn't clot properly so every time you get so much as a nose bleed it's an endless blood gusher.) Also, you'll have to take this description's word on Alexei being bright and charming because he gets like three unvoiced lines the entire game and being a prop in that last Rasputin scene was his biggest role in the story. Unless you count the fact Rasputin never would have gotten where he is if this kid wasn't sickly. Get it together, Alexei.



Easily manipulated by tall, gangly evil bearded monks.



How many watches did these people need to have a trusted watchmaker?



Only a space elf would come up with a world domination plan that involved just siccing a single wolf that spoke in emoticons on each individual person on the planet until subjugating all of mankind.




Video: Episode 52 Highlight Reel





Blanca Concept Art - Defender of Earth Good Boy.