Part 39: Update 37 – Vengeance

Why do I always forget these damn things until three updates later? Oh well, better late than never I guess.

We should really be heading off to the Lands of Ice in search of that crystal about now, but there's just so much to do that's going to have to wait for a while. For starters, last time we dropped by the Sailor's guild there was another Black Spot waiting for us. Maybe Piastol will be in a better mood this time.


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I'll take that as a no, then.

Hey, now wait just a second there. You mind telling us exactly why you hate Vyse so much?

I despise all Air Pirates. That is why I became a hunter of you despicable people. It all started 7 years ago... when my family was brutally murdered by Air Pirates. And that is where I saw you, Vyse, among the Air Pirate scum that took my family from me.

H, huh?!

You've gotta be mistaken!! We're Blue Rogues! We'd never do anything like that!



My only purpose in life since then has been to deliver justice unto the the Air Pirates that destroyed my life. Vyse, it is time for me to have my revenge. Have at you!




I will avenge my father!

Oh boy, Piastol round three! This is where the fights really start to ramp up the difficulty, with Piastol having learned a few new tricks since the last battle.



For starters, she's upgraded her magic from Eterni to Eternes, so she's quite capable of killing the entire party if you slip up and forget about Delta Shield for a turn. That's bad. Fortunately, the party also has new toys as well, so let's take a gander at them.



Yes, these are the Tuna Cutlass and Swirlmerang, the joke weapons from the Fakehats. The Focus Robe is sadly as invisible as all armour, but this is still going to be the most humiliating defeat poor Piastol has ever suffered. The Tuna Cutlass is actually a pretty decent weapon at this point in the game if you don't mind the whole 0% accuracy thing, but the Swirlmerang is really quite special. The low power is pretty irrelevant for Aika, and the 200% accuracy makes it the ideal tool for dealing with those pesky Loopers. What really makes it special, though, is that it inflicts confusion on attacks with a near 100% rate, rendering any enemy not immune to confusion almost completely helpless. Sadly, Piastol is not such an enemy, and while Deathhound can be confused I can't afford to leave Delta Shield down for fear of instant game over.



Fortunately, Vyse is under no such restrictions, and Deathhound is also hilariously weak to Red element. Not to worry, there'll be plenty more chances to show the Swirlmerang in action, and Aika will most likely be equipped with the giant lollipop for the rest of the game just because I find it hilarious. It changes flavour when you change element!

Anyway, let's talk about Pisatol's new tricks. Her old standby Tempest Dance has picked up another new stage after the two vicious kicks.







Enrique was very, very lucky to survive this. I accidentally clicked him onto defend for that turn, and if I hadn't it would have been a one-hit kill. And that's without Increm on Piastol, mind. Needless to say, after seeing how much damage that did I stopped dicking around and started putting Justice Shield up every turn. Piastol may not have as many tricks up her non-existent sleeves as the Fakehats or Ixa'ness Demons, but by god she hits hard. As if that wasn't enough, she's also acquired an entirely new attack, Deluge.







Deluge is more or less a carbon copy of Vyse's Rain of the Swords and hits the whole field for pretty heavy damage. It's not much of a threat if you're already on top of the fight, but if things are going south already then it can be even worse than having one character outright killed by Tempest Dance.



In any case, Vyse slapped her silly with a frozen tuna. Mmm, fishy.



Piastol, tell me. Tell me what happened to you 7 years ago. I want to know. I need to know why you think I killed your family.

….Very well. Perhaps it will help jog your memory, as well. 7 years ago... I was a young girl of 10 years. My father was a soldier in the Valuan Armada. My entire family lived aboard his ship as we sailed the Valuan skies... together.




Father? Father!?

But, I could see through the flames that an Air Pirate ship was fast approaching. The rest of my family was on the bridge of our ship... but the flames were too strong. I couldn't get through to them. My father used to always tell me that in situations like this, to “save myself first”. I was so worried about my father... and my baby sister... but instead, I rushed to the room where we kept the life boats.



…! Wait a second... that was you?!

Yes, it was I. And for whatever reason, even though you were invading out ship, I found you unarmed. I reacted as the soldier my father had taught me to be. Without a second thought, I drew my knife... I threw it with the intention to kill.



And my knife struck your cheek. Yes, that scar on your cheek is from the knife that I threw. And while you were both disoriented, I made away on a lifeboat and left you to burn on the ship that you destroyed.



And that they... found my father's corpse. The doctors say that it was not the fire that had killed him... but a sword wound. I also heard that my sister was alive, but I have no idea where she is now. That is when I swore that I would have vengeance on the Air Pirates that destroyed my life. That is when I became a hunter of Air Pirates. Now do you understand, Vyse? Now do you understand why I hate you so?

...Piastol, I hate to tell you this, but you've got a few things mixed up. We weren't the ones that attacked you. We just happened to be in the area when we saw that your ship was in trouble. We boarded your ship to try and help.

How dare you?! You think your lies will fool me?!

I remember that incident too. I remember everything that happened... When we were getting prepared, I just figured it was a rescue mission... I was careless and didn't think I would need my weapons.



Aika...

...Piastol. You've gotta believe me. We weren't the ones who attacked your ship.



…..Is that all you have to say?

Piastol...

...Vyse. I will come for you one last time. And then, I will put everything on the line. I will put an end to this cat and mouse game.

...Understood. Just call me at the Sailor's Guild, like always.

Man, that girl has some serious issues, although I guess you can't blame her after what she's been through. Maybe a second fishy beatdown will get her to lighten up a bit, but until then let's kick back with some nice relaxing discovery hunting.



The Balloon Flower, appropriately, is right at the tip of the Balloon Seed's massive drifting area. I love it when different discoveries are linked like that, it makes the world seem like one connected whole rather than a bunch of random unrelated setpieces.



Of course, the vast majority of them areunrelated setpieces, but that's besides the point.



Which is probably for the best, on the whole, or poking around a giant squid nest would probably be a bad idea.


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Uh.



I've heard stories about the giant squid... but I never actually believed any of them. Alright, everyone... battlestations!

OH GOD FUCK THE SKIES! Actually, don't, because I have a great fondness for all the weird and wonderful things the oceans (and skies) hold. Anyway, meet Obispo, a gigantic flying squid-thing. It hangs out around the Giant Squid Nest discovery and will attack the ship on sight. Yes, the ship, not the occupants.



Obispo attacks by shooting squid ink at the ship, but honestly It does pretty laughable damage. It's possible to come here as soon as you get hold of the Delphinus, at which point it's a little more challenging but still no real threat. I decided to hold off until now because of this:





Aaah! Doesn't that thing know when to give up?! It's already lost one leg and it's still attacking us!!!

That one tentacle alone could probably feed us for a month... What a waste...

Every 10k damage or so it drops a limb, so doing enough damage in one turn forces it to drop all of its limbs at once, leaving the poor thing looking a little naked. For some reason it suddenly dropping every limb at once just makes me laugh every time.



Upon defeat it drops the Allow Deck, which provides a nice defence boost for the Delphinus. If you were wondering where the name comes from, Obispo is Spanish for Bishop, so it was probably named after the sea bishop, a mythical sea creature probably based on a giant squid sighting.

Now, before we head off to the Lands of Ice, there's just one last thing to take care of, and it's one of the more annoying sidequests in the game. It starts at the barmaid in Esperanza.



Tavernkeep: I have confidence in your abilities...so I have a favour to ask of you. I would like you to listen to my story first. Many years ago, I eloped and came here with a sailor that I had fallen in love with. But, he found another woman and ran off with her... I can't believe how foolish I was to trust him. But, I've accepted my fate. It's not myself that I'm worried about... it's... my mother. I left her behind in Maramba. If you ever have a chance to stop by Maramba... could you visit the Kabal Skewer shop?

To Maramba, then! Which suits me just fine, I've been meaning to drop by there to pick up some more Glyphs.



Kabal Skewer Lady: What?! M, my daughter? She's still alive?! ...Well, good for her. Not that it means anything to me any more. She does not expect me to forgive her and take her back now, does she? Hrumph! She's a stupid girl. She is my daughter no more. Leave my shop!

So here's the problem. The woman here has built up a gigantic grudge against her daughter over god knows how many years and isn't about to let it go. That means we have to do a whole lot of running around and ferrying messages between them to sort this out. Back to Esperanza, then!



Tavernkeep: ...I see. I guess you can't expect her to forgive such a selfish daughter so easily... But, I was telling the truth when I said that I've never stopped thinking about her... And my mother isn't young any more... I worry about her health. What can I do?

Hm... that lady seemed real hard-headed, though... I wonder if there really is anything that we can do.

Perhaps if we can somehow prove to your mother that you haven't stopped thinking about her all these years...

Prove to her? Hm... Now, if only there was something we could show her... something to prove it...

Tavernkeep: ...I know a way! There's one thing I can show her to prove it! Kabal Skewers! When I was little, my mother would try and teach me her special Kabal Skewer recipe.

Yeah! And if you can make a Kabal Skewer using her recipe, it'll show your mom that you haven't forgotten what she taught you!

Tavernkeep: Would you mind waiting for a little bit? I'm going to make some Kabal Skewers!

One skewering later.

Tavernkeep:It's done. If you can get my mother to eat this, I'm sure she'll understand how I feel.



And now back to Maramba! Don't worry, the quest does get slightly more interesting than this.



Kabal Skewer Lady: But it's...it's a Kabal Skewer! What? You're telling me that that good-for-nothing girl who ran away from home made this Kabal Skewer? Y, you expect me to believe that? Hah! Well, let's at least see what it tastes like. ...No, it's nothing like the Kabal Skewer I make. The person who made this can't be my daughter. I taught her better than this...It has an odd smell, the seasonings are bland, and worst of all, the meat is just not of the same quality.

Back to Esperanza to deliver the bad news, then. I know it's one of the few ships capable of amking the journey, but when we got the Delphinus this is not what I imagined it was going to be used for.



Tavernkeep: ...Huh? She said that the Kabal Skewer that I made didn't taste the same as hers?

Um... she said that it smelled funny, it wasn't spiced correctly, and the quality of the meat you used is different.

Tavernkeep ...She noticed, huh? There's no way I can duplicate my mother's Kabal Skewers with the ingredients in this town...I remember exactly how to cook it. But I don't have the same ingredients and spices...what should I do?

So why didn't you say that in the first place?

Tell us what you need. We'll bring it to you.

Tavernkeep: Really?! That would be a great help! Here's what I need...I'll need “Gentum” for the scent, “Khale” for the seasoning, and “Kabal” meat. Would you bring these three ingredients to me? If I have these, I know I will be able to make my mother's special Kabal Skewer...

“Gentum”, “Khale”, and “Kabal”? Leave it to us!

We already have Khale from the Spice Island discovery over in Yafutoma, but what about the others? If we ever want to track those down we need someone who really knows his cuisine. Fortunately, I know just the man.



I see... it appears that you are searching for exquisite ingredients. Fortunately, we use Kabal here in my restaurant. I would be very glad to give you some. It's always best to marinate it for a day or two before cooking it... that's when it tastes best. Good Kabal is very hard to come by.



Well then... About those other 2 ingredients...Hmm...Gentum can easily be found in Maramba. It is easily recognisable for its scent. Perhaps you should go to the very centre of trade itself, Nasrad? I'm sure you'd be able to find something there...And what else were you looking for? Ah yes... Khale. The “Spice of Dreams” as it is sometimes called. Not only does it cover the stench of old meat, it adds such a wonderfully indescribably taste to it as well. But, alas, I have heard rumours that Khale trees have not been seen for quite some time are thought to no longer exist. In the eastern world, there is an island where they say spice trees grow. Maybe you should start your search there?

I'll be honest, this doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Nasrad had huge boxes of Khale in the port before it was destroyed, and presumably the Kabal Skewer shop uses them all the time. In any case, with two of the three ingredients found already, all it takes it a quick trip to the Nasrad item shop for the third.



Item Merchant: What do you wish? Gentum? Of course I have some. It is 500 gold per pouch. Do you wish to purchase a bag?

500 gold? I'll buy it! I need it to help somebody out.

Simple as that. All that's left to do now is a couple more trips from Esperanza to Maramba and back.



Yup. Here you go... some Gentum, Khale and Kabal.

Tavernkeep: Yes! This is it! With these ingredients, I'll be able to make my mother's special Kabal Skewer. Just wait here... I'll make some Kabal Skewers!

A second skewering later

Tavernkeep: Thanks for waiting! Would you please bring this to my mother in Maramba now?



One final trip to Maramba now! Although if you prefer, you can eat the skewer yourself to restore full MP to a character. I presume you have to find the ingredients again if you do that, but I've never actually tried.



Kabal Skewer Lady: Alright, alright... I give in. Let me taste it.

One MP-restoring later.

Kabal Skewer Lady I, I can't believe it. Th, this tastes exactly like my Kabal Skewer!

Your daughter says she never once forgot about the times she spent with you... and she hasn't forgotten anything you've ever taught her. And the proof is in that Kabal Skewer. She tried so hard to make it just like yours Please... she's begging for your forgiveness...

Kabal Skewer Lady: ...Tell her that it'll taste even better if she laves it on the fire for another 30 seconds.

Huh? What do you mean by that? Are you forgiving her?

Kabal Skewer Lady: Yes, you've won me over. I didn;t think I could ever forgive her, but perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps I was at fault, as well...

D'awww, ain't that sweet? And we finally get to deliver some good news!



She said it was almost perfect! Well, actually, she said you could probably cook it for about a minute longer, but the taste was perfect!

Tavernkeep: Really? I'm so happy... I'm sure my mother has forgiven me now! I can't thank you people enough! Please... take this. It's a token of my gratitude...



Tavernkeep: If you're ever in the area, please don't hesitate to come and visit me!

Apart from a warm fuzzy feeling, the quest nets us the third and final Abirik Cham of the game! Let's see what weird and wonderful transformations it holds!



...Huh.

Yeah, this is the exception to the “Abirik Chams always evolve” rule. The Cupil Weight is one of the two possible penultimate forms, and since the final Cupil form requires every single Cham in the game, feeding an Abirik Cham to one of the penultimate forms does nothing. It's a bit of a letdown, but there are still plenty of Cupil forms we haven't seen yet. Sooner or later I'll have to do a montage showing them all off, but for now that's all we have time for. Next time, we set sail for the Lands of Ice! See you then!

Video List
Piastol 3
Obispo