Part 48: The True Sapientes Gladio

First things first, I need to post the Library pages for Goztafssiki and Philippe.


Now that we're all caught up, it's time to head to Turkey and find Jovis.


No matter how much time you spend in Goreme, it's always sunset.


As the party enters the canyon, Blanca senses, or smells, something and stops, growling. Everyone learned their lesson at St. Marguerite so they actually stop when he does this time.


Good thing, too, as everyone is suddenly confronted by a group of armed men.


They block the way into the canyon.


And more of them block the way back out.


Before Yuri can do something stupid and violent (mostly violent), Roger rushes in front of them and holds up his hands.


The rest of the party also surrenders. Some of them *cough*_Yuri*cough* are a bit slower and surlier about it than the others.


Someone signals the men to stand down.



You-
It's Lawrence!
Huh?


"Lawrence"? He told us his name was Thomas.

Well, it's been a long time. Yes, well, everyone seems to think that you've come here to kill him.



"Him"?



Bishop Jovis. He's their priest, you see. Well, you might even call him their god.


Thomas/Lawrence gives the men what must be an "all clear" signal, and they relax.




This seems more like something Yuri would say. Joachim doesn't usually swear, what with the whole "Hero of Justice" motif he's got going.

Yeah! Just who exactly are you?


Waaait a minute... Thomas Edward Lawrence... T. E. Lawrence?!





But what are you doing here?
I can explain that.



The British Secret Service sent a communication to track down Bishop Jovis. He went missing in Istanbul.
Right after that, I had to return to Russia to get you all, and Mr. Lawrence went ahead to Goreme.
I see. So you've been running around all over the place then, huh! And you too, Mr. Lawrence!
It was a bit of a hassle trying to evade the Turkish government, but here I am! I'd say you've had a tougher journey than me though, right?!
You can say that again! We got into trouble with Rasputin!

I imagine her saying this in an extremely happy tone of voice, like most people might use when talking about puppies or ice cream.


This is always the correct response to anything Lucia says. ALWAYS.

Hmm. Well, anyway. The first thing is to have a meeting with Bishop Jovis. I'm sure the rest will fall into place.
So this Jovis guy's here in the valley?
Yes. He spends his time praying at a chapel deep inside the cave where he lives. I'm going on ahead. You guys follow later.


We go a bit further into the canyon and- How do they DO that?!



Call that a welcome?! Wherever you go, we make sure we get ahead so we're there when you arrive! So, you going to buy?
But we were flying a jet engine! A jet- Y' know what, nevermind.


Gerard has new armor this time: the Blue Cape, which five of the group can wear, and the Plastron (wearable by Yuri, Karin, Blanca and Joachim). I also buy a Headgear and give it to Gepetto.


Now that we've gotten all the elemental dresses for Cornelia, Pierre is in a creative slump. There are more dresses available, but each one requires a unique item to unlock. On top of that, you still need Stud Cards to actually purchase them.




The chest over on the right holds the Marax Crest (Cure Plus).


Fat-ass over here is part of the Trading quest.

This? It's a Piroshki. I brought it back from Russia...

Coquile: It looks good! I'm drooling just looking at it! Oh, yeah! Please! You've gotta let me have it!


WARNING! DO NOT TRADE WITH THE FAT-ASS!

Coquile: Ah! Food! At last! It's so tasty! Oh, yeah! Thank you! Here, have this! You can't eat it, so I don't need it!

You got Burning Candle


Neat, but only one person will trade for it, giving you a Getitup! in return and ending the Trading quest.


If you want to trade the Piroshki in Europe, trade it with this guy in Paris-Champs Élysées.

Ah, it's probably this. It's called a Piroshki. It's stone cold now, though.

Zinedine: Piroshki? That's Russian, isn't it? A kind of bread, right? Interesting... Swap it for this stuffed animal?




Zinedine: It's a good exchange! Okay, let me tuck into this, then! ...Wow! The outside's so fluffy! The inside's so moist! Amazing! And it's not even fresh! And the meat flavor! Mmm... That exquisite bite... Only Sichuan soy tastes like that! And... Yes! There's a tiny hint of boxthorn too! Oh, it's fantastic! Beautiful! We chefs better look out for those Russians! They can really cook!

It really tasted that good? Guess I should've tried it...

Please, Yuri. Your unsophisticated palate could have never appreciated the subtle nuances of flavor.

You got Talking Panda


There's actually two ways to get this Panda. This is the shortest way, requiring only one trade. If you hold onto the Piroshki, you can get the Panda in two trades during the second half of the game.


Anyway, back to Goreme. If you screwed up the Trading quest earlier by giving Edgar the Daruma, the only thing you can do now is trade the Easter Egg to this guy for a Pure Root, ending the mini-quest.


When we attempt to enter the cave, the group is stopped by this strange woman.


Yuri is an experienced protagonist; he knows how these things work.

I can see them... I can see them now... All those demons encircling you...



Ha! You're afraid of ghosts?! But you can morph into them! You can't be that scared of them!

Someone's never met Li Li.

I don't morph into any ghost! They're fusion monsters, get it? Fusion!





I am Sarah... Maid to the great King Solomon!
King Solomon?! Never heard of him! What country is he the king of?
Solomon... He was an ancient king of Israel, I think. But that kingdom collapsed over 3000 years ago...





I'm sure she's not a ghost... Let's just say...she's just a little "unusual," okay? We'll leave it at that.

Personally, I think Sarah is a genie.

It is my duty to test those who want to inherit King Solomon's power... I will not force you, but if you truly wish to be the successor of King Solomon's power, you must...
I'll do it! Anything you say! Tests, battles, anything! Then the ghosts will go away, right?!




We've now unlocked this game's version of the Pit Fights.


There are several levels to go through. At the moment, only the Beginner Level is available.


Level one is easy enough that you could probably pick anyone to go through. I take Yuri.




For this challenge, you just have to win five battles in a row with the character of your choice. The first fight is against a Stray Wolf (from the forest by St. Marguerite where Blanca fought Philippe).


The next round is against monsters from St. Marguerite.


Next, Yuri fights against monsters from Rhondda Mine.


The next group is monsters from the SG Italian Branch HQ.


Last of all, Yuri fights monsters from the Neam Ruins.





You got Sabnock Crest

You can do the same trial as many times as you want, but you only get a prize the first time. Sorry...



Oh, no! To control the demons, you must complete all the trials. Every level... It takes great endurance...


I don't think Yuri quite gets it. Anyway, we got the Sabnock Crest (Arc Shield) for beating Beginner Level 1.


I went ahead and did the Beginner Level 2 fight while I was here.


This fight is against Godhand. I miss Lenny.


I kind of screwed up on my first attempt. Gale Spark really has to be done only when the target is standing. If they're falling when you cast it, most of the shots will miss, breaking the Combo.


I got it the second time, though.


After that, it was just a matter of finishing off Godhand.




We got a Blood Jewel for winning. If you have this equipped on a character that goes Berserk, you get a chance to do a Ring Test. If you succeed, the character recovers their SP. In my opinion, using it is a waste of an equipment slot.


Inside the cave, there's a short passage. There are two rooms on the right and two on the left where Bishop Jovis's followers live.


The stairs on the right lead up to an open ledge overlooking the valley. Seere Crest (Gale Spin, Gale Spark) is hidden behind the pillar, but there's no question mark to clue you in. This is the second treasure that Croft back in Cannes had hidden. We'll report back to him later.


This is the first room on the right.


There's a chest here with a Seal of Aura.


First room on the left.


Second room on the right.

Paolo: If it's discovered by the Ottoman government, everyone will be driven out. There's no doubt about that.


There's a Lottery Ticket on the table in here.




Second door on the left.




Approaching the metal door that Lawrence is standing by triggers a scene.

Yes. This is the true Sapientes Gladio.



The Bishop will be inside.

That's a good place to stop for now. Tune in next time for some good, old-fashioned ret-conning!