Part 15

So, to bring it all back up to speed after a long break Metatron has just released the fourth mermaid statue, which directs us to this passage that’s hiding a ghost ship. We’re getting pretty close to the end of this chapter.




The other side hides a maze of underwater plants full of urchins, rays, and a power bracelet that doubles our attack power if worn. It’s an interesting tradeoff, since we’ve only got the one accessory slot. A cautious player might stick with a medical herb for the life refill, but if you’re confident with your skill you can use a range of other options. Clearing the various lairs releases an angelfish and a napping dolphin.



We’ve also got another chance to go back to the Sky Palace and get a health refill, which is pretty welcome before continuing on. You could say that this area is a lot more centralized, branching out in various directions from the Sea Shrine type area.




We’ve got a couple of branching paths to take as well. First up we’ll go ahead and head left…




Where a single hermit crab lair brings out four chests. The contents include Emblem D, a barely necessary Medical Herb, 80 gems, and…



“I’m not sure if this is somebody’s idea of a joke, or if somehow a thief got ahold of this treasure first.”

“Either way, I’m pretty sure violence is called for.”



The other direction takes us up an anchor rope to this. A single lair on an entire area is definitely not a good sign.



The purple thing directly north of us is a leech, which is about as disgusting and relatively easy to squish as you’d imagine. You can see the ghost flames shooting their balls of flame at each other, which are only dangerous if you’re stuck between them by another obstacle. And for the chest…



“Alright, now you’re just mocking me.”



Imagine, if you will, the Jaws theme playing here…



Leading up to our next boss.

“I don’t… wait, who the hell are you? I’m pretty sure that there haven’t been any humans with skulls three times the height of a man.”

“I’d think I’d remember something like that, but… well, mysterious ways and ambrosia and all that.”



The name of this boss is Ghost Head, and his main attacks are ramming into you, shooting fireballs, and the two (proportionally) tiny hands you can see here. You can attack the hands and destroy them, but they’ll respawn.



His pattern includes a forward charge and a zig-zagging back and forth on the way back. The significance of this is that right now you’re looking at the farthest he’ll go left or right.



If you try to dodge around his movements you’re going to die in about three-four hits. But if you stand in this spot, you can take a swipe or two at the enemy every time they pass this point and deal a couple of points of damage. Once you’ve got it down, you can just stay in one place and swing your sword constantly until the boss dies. In reality, it’s kind of pathetic.



“…great. I was honestly expecting HER to be the one behind all the monsters here.”

“It’s not too late.”



“Oh, my ears! I can’t tell if that’s joy or terror when it’s that high pitched.”



That angelfish we saved has nothing of value to talk about, since we’ve already been to the location mentioned.



And as for the dolphin, well…



“A dolphin, dreaming of a sunken ship? Not what I’d expect for a dolphin’s dream…”




“Wait…oh… oh no.”

“I am too hungry and cannot travel any farther. Are we going to die?”




“That’s… broadly true, but you didn’t exactly give him a yes or no answer.”

“I think we already know the answer.”



“Nope, not me.”



“I hope someone will find it.”

“…and now I feel like an ass.”



“You have NO idea.”



“Okay, so that high pitched squealing WAS joy and not terror.”



“Guilty as charged.”

“Everything started when I saw the jewel that Lue had. One glance at the Blue Stone caused desire and hatred to overwhelm me.”

“I guess a few dozen years stuck in a monster lair helped you get over it?”

“Right after that the creatures disappeared and the monsters took over.”



“That is usually how this kind of thing works.”

“I will give you the Blue Stone. Please travel to other regions and release all creatures.”

“Oh trust me, this isn’t the kind of job you can just back out of halfway through. Not with my boss.”

“Have I ever been unreasonable?”

“…yes?”

“And just as long as you remember that, everything will be fine.”



And with that, we’re done with the ocean realm. Next up, ice and snow and yetis and undead reindeer. Have I mentioned that this game is a bit weird?