Part 16: Update 14 – A Fistful of Rupees

Remember how I said at the end of the last update that we were off to see what Isapa knows about Rixis? I lied. What we're actually going to be doing is pottering around doing sidequests for a bit and then finding out what Isapa knows about Rixis. The reason for this is that Rixis is another monster of a dungeon and I want to be in an update all by itself.



First things first, the wealth of Moonberries from the last update nets us a new Super Move for Fina, her first one that I'd call really useful. For a mere 6SP it will rid you of all status problems on all characters, and like most of Fina's skills it always goes first in a round.



After taking care of that, the next stop is Maramba. Yes, this means I went back through South Ocean, so you buggers had better appreciate this.



This rather intimidating figure is standing in the Maramba docks. Is it just me or does that silhouette look a bit...familiar?



I think this needs investigating.


Click for video!



Do not attempt to resist! We are the legendary Air Pirates of the Larso clan!

So... you're Rupee Larso, eh? Good timing. We were just looking for you. You've made quite a name for yourself, robbing innocent sailors and all. As Blue Rogues, we cannot sit idly by and let you continue like this!

You're quite brave you such a small boy. Very well, then... shall we battle here and get it over with?

No, wait. There's not need to cause needless destruction in the city. Meet me at my ship. We can fight on the deck.

Maramba doesn't have a battle background

Out in the open, eh? Very well. Lead the way.



Strange. Rupee seems to have sprouted a tassel from his backside.

Hahaha... you are truly a brave little boy. However, you are mistaken about one thing. I am not Rupee Larso. Master Rupee! It is time to do battle! Please come out here!





Everyone, meet Rupee Larso, the head of the fearsome Larso Clan.

Master Rupee! You are the head of the Larso Clan! You should not say things like that! There are enemies present! Now that your father has passed away, you are our leader! You must be strong!

This little runt is their leader? I'd heard that the leader of the Larso Clan was a giant! I guess I shouldn't believe everything I hear...

What did you say?!?! How dare you speak of Master Rupee like this! You shall pay for your insolence!! I shall crush your skulls like so many Loquat Berries!!

Like Loquat Berries!? Barta, do you always have to be so graphic?? It makes me sick to my stomach...

M, master Rupee! I was just trying to put fear into them! Be strong!! We are about to do battle!







Here we go! I absolutely love these two, both the fight and the characters. They just work so well together, with Barta having NO INDOOR VOICE and little Rupee being as timid as they come.



They don't just work well together as a comedy duo, either. As you probably guessed, Barta is the bruiser and tank for the pair, while Rupee is mostly about buffing himself and Barta and debuffing you. He can also cast some damaging spells, but the real problem is from Drilnos. Drilnos is the evil twin of Incremus, inflicting anti-Increm on all enemies and overwriting Increm. With Increm on Barta and Drilnos on your characters you're looking at some serious hurt.





That's just a regular, non-Increm'd LEGENDARY PUNCH on an Increm'd Drachma, so you can imagine how painful it can get if the fight goes pear-shaped.

So, it's obvious who to take down first, right? Well, not really. You can take Rupee out first, sure, but god help you if you push him too far.



You anger me...











Fina has about 1500hp, if you were wondering. Also, this is quite possibly my favourite enemy attack in the game. I don't know the exact mechanics of it, but I think Rupee only uses it if he gets to low health.



Therefore, I don't give him a chance to use it. Mace Hand saves the day yet again! If you want to see Berserk Rupee in motion I glued it to the end of the fight video, by the way. Please do, because it's fantastic.



Poor Rupee just looks so confused. If you're not confident of taking Rupee out in two hits or so like I did, it may be a better idea to just tackle Barta first, since Rupee can't use Berserk Rupee with him gone.



On the other hand, without Rupee to back him up, Barta goes down smooth and easy. Sadly, he didn't decide to use either of his other two attacks, so you'll have to settle for descriptions of those. LEGENDARY CHARGE doubles the power of his next attack, which be really painful, while LEGENDARY FIRE inflicts damage and Fatigue. Fatigue is arguably the worst status effect in the game outside of petrify or actual death – it prevents the character from recovering SP by any means.



Anyway, for our troubles we get the Captain's Hat, a Vyse-only accessory that boosts attack by a whopping 80 points! Normally I keep this glued to his head forever after getting it, but this time is an exception for reasons that will become clear later on.



Barta, that's why I said we shouldn't pick fights like that in the first place!

What's wrong, Rupee? You don't like being an Air Pirate?



I'd much rather stay in town with my mom and make carpets. In fact, my mother told me that the carpets I made sold quickly and people are asking for more of my designs!



Well, a man has to follow his dreams. If he doesn't want to be an Air Pirate then what's the point, right? I'm the son of an Air Pirate too, and I'm sure if I didn't want to follow in Dad's footsteps, I wouldn't have. But, this is the life I chose. Rupee, if there's something you'd rather do, then do it. If you don't, you'll probably regret it for the rest of your life.

Really? So I can go back to the carpet store and make carpets with my mom?

Of course. Nothing is more important than your dreams. Remember that.




M, M, M, M, Master Rupee! W, What are you doing?!





Barta! Let's make carpets together! I won't run away from this!

I'll see you around, then, Rupee. We've got many things to do and many things to see, but good luck with your carpets.



Awww . I love happy endings.



I also love bounty money. Although Arcadia must have the most laid-back justice system ever, Valua notwithstanding. “Well, they may have attacked and robbed countless defenceless sailors, but who are we to stand between a man and his carpets?”


Click for video!

And since we're in the area, we may as well drop by to see Doc and Maria.







First feeding goes as normal. I'm not going to bother transcribing all the usual dialogue since that would be really repetitive and boring. The second feeding, however...



What's wrong??



It's kinda hard to convey via screenshots, so just imagine the not-so-little-any-more bird hiccuping madly before the screen whites out.



By which she means looks totally different and also is twice the size.

I dunno how or why, but it looks like every time he grows, his body changes in other ways, too.

He started sprouted feathers where there were none before!



And we still get an item for it, which is nice.



The Aura of Valour is a completely gamebreaking item. I've said repeatedly now that items break the game, but even by those standards this is ridiculous. What it does is completely max out the SP bar when used. You can probably think of a half a dozen ways to completely trivialise boss fights with it already, but believe me when I say you have seen nothing yet. Thankfully, the game gets to retain a little dignity and there are only three of these to be found anywhere in the game. Anyway, let's see what items the new and improved birdy has in store for us!



A neat little accessory that boosts attack and counter rate.





If you're wondering why this armour specifically is female-only, the Japanese name for it is Frilly Skirt. Yup.



Finally. This item is a fair part of the reason why I went back thrugh South Ocean, and also the reason why Vyse isn't going to be wearing that sweet captain's hat too much. The White Map is the counterpart to the Black Map and reduces enemy encounter rate, which should make the dungeon videos a fair bit shorter. It also makes it easier to run away from battles, but of course I won't be doing that ever.



And also a whole bunch of random fish to round out the feeding session.



Finally, a visit to Sailor's Island to see the various NPC reactions, because I suspect Vyse is going to be getting a title upgrade before long











Huh. Only three people on there we haven't encountered yet, and Vyse is climbing the ranks fast. Poor Lawrence has been pushed off the board altogether by the Ixa'ness demons now.

I think that's everything on this side of South Ocean now, so it's time to make the trip back. Fortunately, the White Map and Lambda Burst make this much more tolerable than the first time around.



Fuck. Gravers.



Now we can find out what Isapa knows about Rixis.



King Ixa'taka: I thank you for saving Isapa!

Isapa: But I must return to my priestly duties... Well, it was nice meeting you.

Not so fast! You were supposed to tell us the location of the Lost City!

Isapa: Ah, that's right. I'm sorry, I completely forgot... Ahahahaha!



King Ixa'taka: Of course! He has much knowledge in ancient scriptures and history.

Isapa: Very well... I shall pass on to you the secrets of the Lost City that has been passed down in my family for many generations.





I love the expression on his face here.



Isapa: To be completely honest, I don't know what it means either! You need to solve the riddle on your own. Ahahaha!!!

I give up! If you didn't know, then you should've said so in the first place!!!

Now, calm down Aika... Listen to what he just told us. "The Great Bird with its wings spread and the kneeling Golden Man will open the way."



That is not a good thing. Rixis is "somewhere on this continent". All this means is that rather than being stuck at square one we are now stuck at two square ones at once.

So, if we find them, we'll find the Lost City! Alright, let's go find this Great Bird and the Golden Man.

ISAPAAAAA!

Actually, this isn't nearly as bad as it sounds. Remember when I said a couple of updates ago that there couple of discoveries I didn't grab right away for Reasons of Plot?



What's this? There's something set into the statue's eye socket...

Hey, no one will notice if it's missing, right? And besides... we're Air Pirates!! Can you really blame us for taking a little bit of treasure?



Hm? Hey, Aika... do you see something glittering on the ground? Right where the eye of this bird should be...

Hey, you're right! Let me go down and see what it is...

... Hey Vyse! I found something! There was a gem stuck into the ground! I'm sure they won't miss a little, itty-bitty gem, would they?

Ta-da! The Golden Man and Giant Bird, complete with treasure for the taking. Those gems had better make up for the reduced payment for discovering them – after the scene with Isapa they get added to the list of things that are almost discovered, meaning you can get hints on where to find them, but also less money for it. The things I do for this LP.

Anyway, from here on it's pretty obvious what to do. Just follow the Golden Man's pointing finger or the Giant Bird's beak until you come to...



The Lost City of Gold. Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to break in right now and start a-plundering, that's going to have to wait until next time.

Until then, toodles!

Video List

LEGENDARY BATTLE
Feeding Session 3