Part 17: Update 15 – City of Gold

Click for video!

So, Rixis. It's, uh, a lot smaller than I was expecting. And also appears to be locked. Fortunately there's an easy solution for that in those two smaller statues.





And this is the reason we couldn't just skip the Golden Man and Giant Bird discoveries and head straight to Rixis. Not that I'd ever skip a discovery, mind.



And the same on the other side. Those gems were supposed to be making up the discovery fee!





Rather than open the statue's mouth as you might expect, it spins all three statues around, to reveal a second face with an open mouth on the back.



And inside the statue is some sort of glowing purple platform.



Correction, some sort of glowing purple lift.







The air is thin... It's a little hard to breathe. We were going up for a long time. I think these mists are actually clouds.

But this doesn't look anything like a Lost City of Gold... There's just a bunch of ruins up here.

In the Old World, Rixis was the capital of the Green Civilization. It was destroyed by the Rains of Destruction. Since then, it's been frozen in time.



I'm not seeing any gold here...

As time passed, stories about this city probably got more and more exaggerated.

We were supposed to find gold here... I should have slapped that dirty old man silly when I had the chance.











What?! Where?!

Over there!



... Huh? But... but... there was someone there!

Aika, this city has been dead for a very long time... Who else would be here? It's probably just your imagination acting up.

Why don't you believe me? I know I saw something. Fina... Do you think that maybe I saw a ghost?



Heh...it's been a while since you said something like that...A ghost is ... umm, how should I explain this... Well, it's something very scary, that's for sure!

Really? Well, if you're this scared, Aika, this "ghost" must be something scary indeed.

The two things I hate the most right now are dirty old men and ghosts.

Vyse... let's... let's not go! We'll be cursed!

Oh, come on, Aika... We came all this way for the Green Crystal and we're not about to go back empty-handed. You could just wait here until we get back.

Oh no... I'm not going to wait here all by myself with those... things out there.



And thus begins Rixis. Atmospherically, this is probably my favourite area in the game. Ancient ruins in games are ten a penny, but mostly they just seem abandoned and crumbled with age. The huge craters all over Rixis really drive home the sheer scale of the destruction the Rains caused. Rixis wasn't just abandoned, it was wiped off the map overnight.





Plus, wherever you go you get the strangest feeling that you're being watched.



This is the real meat of the dungeon: using the hovering platforms to travel between the ruined buildings. If you don't know where to go this area can be a nightmare, plus there's a few platforms that take you right back to the start of the level.



Also, our second Zivilyn Bane of the game, hidden in a chest in one of the buildings.





This is the special attack I mentioned way back in the Temple of Pyrynn. It's still pretty painful, but no longer the potential one-shotter it was back then. It also looks pretty neat.



And now that he's shown that off, I have no further use for him.



Sadly, the days of the Mace Hand are almost through. The Ruin Arm here is a mere 23 Attack below the Mace Hand, and it's the last weapon for Drachma that the Mace Hand beats out.



Plus, a Moonberry here nets us Vyse's penultimate skill.



Skull Shield is rather fun, and in the right situation can render you virtually invincible. It completely blocks all regular attacks on the party, including counterattacks, and boosts counterattack rate to almost 100%.



Wow, already? Sacrulen is the final spell of the Green school, restoring a single ally to full health. Completely outclassed by Sacrulen Crystals, of course.



Zoinks!

That's it! That's the ghost that I saw earlier!



Who'd be lurkin' around in a place like this?! Don't let him get away, boy!

The chase is on! Our spectral friend here will run away whenever we get close, but he's not too bright and will always run directly away from us, so by running around the looping pathways we can force him into a dead end.



To the skies!


Click for video!

He must be hiding in that pyramid in the distance somwehere!



...Uh.





Well that came out of nowhere. Meet Rik'talish, everyone.



Rik'talish is the boss of the Green temple, so it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that he's a master of inflicting status ailments.



Specifically, Rik'talish has a pair of special attacks that inflict sleep and confusion on a single character, plus a Driln effect on his regular attacks.



Unfortunately for him, he's not going to get to show any of that off at all, because he has one absolutely crippling weakness.



He's vulnerable to petrification.



Yeah, he's not getting a turn.



See how Fina's Green exp is blanked out? That indicates that she's all done with that school now and I really should have had her using a different colour weapon. Oh well.



Strange. The Red Moon Crystal was just sat on top of its podium.





A glimpse into the mind of Aika, everyone. Sometimes, that girl worries me.

You're right... I wonder if this is that "Quetya" the villagers were talking about...



... Fina?

"We, who have come from the Temple of the Silver Moon have sealed within the forests, after the Rains of Destruction washed away the lands, the sleeping giant, Grendel... And upon his sealing, the Green Crystal was kept within these walls..."

This is written in the holy language of the Silver Temple. The Silvites must have inscribed these words when thye were here.

These are the ruins of Ixa'taka, right? Why would Silvites come here?

The Rains of Destruction nearly destroyed the Green Civilization. But even after then Rains fell, Grendel still terrorized the lands for many generations to follow. The Silvites came here to contain him.



The people from that village probably thought the Silvites were gods because they were able to contain Grendel.

It all makes sense now... That's why they thought Fina was this "Quetya" person.

But... it says the Green Crystal is kept within these walls, right? But I don't see the Crystal anywhere. I wonder where it is...

You're right... it should be here.






_{I'm not sure why I'm linking this here, it plays for all of ten seconds}

Don't let him get away! He might have the Crystal!





Vyse subscribes to the Sonic Adventure school of grinding. If it's sloping it can be ground, the laws of physics be damned.



Gotcha!



Old Man Jenkins!



Who are you? And why are you following us?



A High Priest? So you followed us all the way from Horteka?

High Priest: No... I didn't follow you. I... I've been here... for a long time. It is my duty to guard these ruins. If anyone tries to loot what's in these ruins, or steal the Sacred Green Stone, I contact King Ixa'taka.

Wait a minute... you mean to tell me that the King knew where the Lost City was all this time?

High Priest: Yes. We figured out Isapa's riddle... and we found Rixis. And here, we found the Sacred Green Stone. The King and Isapa were very happy, because we could use the Stone to stop the Valuans.

Stop the Valuans? You aren't going to...

High Priest: ......



I think Drachma's trying to save face from completely whiffing his shot earlier. Sadly it isn't going to work, because in the next shot he's actually aiming at the priest's feet.

High Priest: Alright, alright! I'll tell you! The King and Isapa said that the Sacred Stone had the power to awaken the Giant. If the Giant were to come, he would chase the Valuans back to the eastern skies and we would be safe.

What?!




_{I forget if I've mentioned this before, but this is actually a different Nervous Crisis to the one earlier}

King Ixa'taka: Awaken, Giant of the Forest! I who hold the Sacred Green Stone, command you to destroy our enemies.





Isapa: There is no other way for us to save the forests and people of Ixa'taka...





Uh oh.

Oh, no... not again!!!

Someone is summoning Grendel!





Remember when I said Alfonso's flagship was exactly as gaudy and ostentatious as you would expect? I wasn't kidding. It's also as ineffectual as he is, being made more for looks than for combat. Cygnus, of course, refers to the constellation of Cygnus, the swan.



Heh, this is going to be easy. All I have to do is take the Crystal from him and the Empress will be pleased.

New Vice Captain: Awaiting orders, Admiral... Oh, and I heard that you were injured in the mines. Are you alright, sir?

I don't even want to hear you speak of those mines again! Understand?! All ships, prepare for battle! Follow my flagship, the Cygnus! Head towards the light and find King Ixa'taka!



Like lambs to the slaughter.







All of the Gigas are unique, with different styles and attacks. For example, Grendel doesn't need any fancy beam attacks to wreck your shit.





Grendel SMASH!





Remember when I said crashing a burning ship into a forest couldn't possibly end well? I wasn't kidding about that either.



New Vice Captain: But... but... sir... The battle hasn't even started yet.

Why are you questioning my orders?! I refuse to die in these filthy lands! All ships, return to Valua at once!



Even compared to Recumen, Grendel is huge. He must be easily twice Recumen's height.

Why would they awaken him? Don't they understand that the entire Valuan Armada will retaliate against them?



Yes, to the tiny ancient fishing boat!

But you know what? There's a Gigas on the loose, the forests are burning and the Valuan Armada is out for blood. I think it's time for a cliffhanger.

Shut up. It's my LP and I can do what I want. See you next time folks!

Rixis, City of Gold
Rik'talish
Grendel Wakes