Part 8: Part 08
It's go time.
For a given definition of "go".
Shush.
Peace does exactly what it says. It's only effective against weaker enemies, but where we're going, we won't exactly need to worry about that.
It runs out after a while and you have to re-cast it.
It doesn't work on Kaiserkrabs, but at this stage, it dies to the first of Milo's two attacks.
This time, we're going through the other door.
...a Wisdom Seed.
And 50 GP.
TRIALS.
Peace doesn't keep these guys away either, and
...that turns out AWESOME. A Firestaff! Dropped from the second Cyblok I encounter!
The strangest luck.
As you can see, it's pretty useless as equipment, but...
What's more, it's pulsing with magic.
This thing might break if it's used too much.
...just like the Firesword, it's a nice MP-saver.
I re-cast Peace, and then realize that I haven't actually shown off all the monsters in this place yet.
Don't worry, though. It wears off quickly enough in this huge hallway made of fuck you which I'm going to have to traverse twice to get at these boxes with...
...an angel feather and a woven robe in them.
No, really.
The first one of these has an old friend...
...who decides to drop something that's actually rather valuable! Or "was" valuable, might be a better word. I would have been goddamn ecstatic if this had dropped from one of the 'beaks in the first trial, but now, Milo already has one and Pyra doesn't want it. I'm keeping it to sell, though.
Not pictured: Morningstar (next chest), 100 GP (last one).
Nightstalkers are upgraded versions of Scavengers, and also capable of breathing fire. Pyra kills both of them before they get to move.
Then, for variety, she tries out the Firestaff on a bunch of helpless orcs. It's quite effective.
(The chest behind them? Depoison.
)
The last one, Smelling Salts.
Remember what Theos said about mages fearing this place? Pyra gives no fucks, Milo even less, but my eyeballs are trying to escape through the back of my head. And that noise...
Here's a bronze shield. Would have been nice if we had gone here when we were supposed to. Again, vendor trash.
More smelling salts.
Say hello to the Killwave! He sure looks friendly, right? This would have been not so nice if we had gone here when we were supposed to. Now, it dies like everything else in here: swiftly and messily.
Oh, I don't think I managed to cap any of these guys the last time. They can "howl for help" to summon another killer gnome (...) with a fairly high rate of success. These ones don't get a chance; Pyra wipes out the orcs, Milo takes care of the gnomes, Sue stands around being useless. This is basically every battle in here - there are very few normal enemies around that Pyra can't one-shot, and Milo one-shots everything that isn't an event monster (killwave/cyblok). Sue only gets to act very rarely.
This long-ass fucking path ends with... a cell door that we can't open.
Fuck my life.
Bottom to top: Healer Fruit, Woven Hood, Wisdom Seed. At this point, my inventory is full and I don't even give a fuck.
The hood sells for <300 bucks in town; at this point that's chump change.
And so...
...we finally reach the end.
Beginning.
Whatever.
...I'm going to have to backtrack again.
Somewhere along the way, Pyra somehow manages to wring enough XP out of these pathetic enemies to level up and learn Boost.
Boost will double the natural attack of the target character, weapon not included.
There's another corridor full of fuck in here but I'm not going in there because there's no treasure inside.
Instead, I'm taking the one right next to it.
Like so.
Video: Courage.
These suggestions are making less sense with every upload.
You have passed the Trial of Courage.
If it be Courage you seek, then step forward.
Trial Passed: Courage
And that's the lot of them!
Lacking the MP to cast Egress, the party uses that angel feather they picked up.
This was... not a close call.
In case you're wondering, all those HP were lost in surprise attacks. Nothing in that cave managed to land a hit on me in regular combat.
Cave of Courage status:
...yeah, it's something along these lines.
Video: After the Trials - RECOMMENDED VIEWING, at least the "town" part (after 0.50).
"Banjo"?
We can't slack off yet, however; we still have a princess to rescue.
KING: By the heavens! You've really passed the Trials of the Ancients?!
Dear Tristan, I knew I was right in trusting your judgement.
TRISTAN: You're too kind, majesty.
KING: Now, more than ever, it is up to you to return me my daughter.
Past the unseen demon and between the pots of fire lies your path.
Within the upper levels, you'll find the Arms of Light.
Theos is no longer mad at us for doing things out of order and tells us of Sue's ultimate equipment.
(What? You knew this was coming.)
MINISTER: Well done, SUE! Now you're free to enter the Labyrinth Proper.
Have you seen Melvyl? He rushed out of here and we haven't seen him since.
Eh, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, he probably just realized how useless he's been and killed himself.
Now, all you have to do is rescue the Princess! Luck be with you!
Vyrun finally realizes how awesome we are.
TRISTAN: So you've earned the right to enter the Labyrinth Proper.
Your father would have been proud of you!
And so he will, as soon as I rescue him! But before that, let's celebrate this by getting shitfaced at the best and only pub in town.
...WHAT. Oh, I'm sure you'll change your mind once I tell you how awesome I am.
OLD VIK: Oh, SUE, it's you. Come on in. Bring your friends in, too.
Guess what? Mr. Brax and Mrs. Myst are here.
They tell me that Milo and Pyra ran away from home to join you.
It seems they've been worried sick about the kids!
My guess about Pyra's age seems to have been right on the money. Because otherwise,
...this wouldn't make much sense.
OLD VIK: Wait, Mrs. Myst! Hold it! Just hold on a minute!
Mrs. MYST: Do ye take me for a fool, Vik? Do I look that gullible?
He's not lying, Ma! It's the truth! SUE! Tell her it's true!
Nah, I have no idea what you're talking about.
Ow! Ma?! I'm sorry, Ma! SUE! Milo! Say something!...oh well, I should probably take mercy on her.
Talking to her again:
Mrs. MYST: It looks like this village has a shortage of "real men".
Catcah a whiff of a monster and poof! They're hiding under their beds!
Mr. BRAX Milo! What are you doing in a dive like this?
"Leaving. Quickly. Before she sets her sights on me, too."
The corner table is empty...
...but if you exit and re-enter the tavern, our old NPCs show up again.
Mrs. MYST This place ain't exactly a heaven for elves, is it?
I don't think it's a heaven for mostly anything other than maybe a hobbit. Speaking of which...
Mr. BRAX: Did you see the Trader's stall? Lots of strange stuff in there!
I should check that out at some point in the near future.
I pray that you'll be just as successful in rescuing the Princess.
No one seems to care that Sue's dad is missing
EDWARD: I've been told that you are searching for the Princess.
I know much about the Labyrinth. Ask me, if you have any questions.
DYAN: We are forever in your debt.
And that's that.
The trader opens his stall just left of the tavern, between it and the weapon store. Like the armoury, it sells all four kinds of equipment.
These are all better than the armourer's wares. The magic mail, to the right, is the strongest buyable armour in the game and can be used by all three characters.
This is for Sue only, and I don't care enough to buy it.
The magic shield, again, is very strong and can be used by anyone.
The selection of weapons is also better than anything we've seen before. The bullwhip, second from the left, is a weaker version of Pyra's thornwhip. The lances are kind of obscenely powerful weapons for Sue, the steel one granting 100 WF, but we're not buying any of those.
Here's what we've been saving money for.
Unlike the other stores, the trader carries no rare deals. Instead, he has the Craft option, which brings up another menu with "order" and "repair" on it. Repair is for items like the Firestaff, which don't have unlimited uses. At the moment, we have no need of it. The Order option, however...
...I'm giving him the Dark Block.
He tells me to come back in a while, which is ppointless - all you need to do is exit the village and enter again, so I don't see why it's necessary.
After choosing a material, he asks if he should make a weapon, armour, headgear or shield, and for which character. I asked him to craft a weapon for Pyra.
Just look at that WPN FACTOR!
...but power comes at a cost.
Despite the curse, the Hexwhip is arguably Pyra's best weapon. It's two steps up from the Thornwhip, and lets her deal rather ridiculous amounts of damage to a group of enemies.
The problem is that it will occasionally tangle her up and prevent her from moving for a round or two.
I've never actually bothered to use the Hexwhip before, so I look forward to seeing how it performs.
As we enter the Labyrinth Proper, I think I'll get just the opportunity I'm looking for.
Not much has happened since the last update, but here are our stats after this episode:
Firesword (WF 60), Breastplate (AF 32),
MADU (AF 20 and WF 15), Bronze Helm (AF 14)
Flail (WF 12, TWO HITS), Chainmail (AF 26),
MADU (AF 20 and WF 15), Fur Hood (AF 12)
Hexwhip (WF 60, GROUP, CURSED), Hemp Robe (AF 14), Wood Shield (WF 20), Royal Tiara (AF 16)
Bonus video: Visiting all the stores in town. This shows all the shopkeepers talking, as well as their reactions to the item window (and the Alkemist's nervous twitch). Fun, but not necessary.