Part 14

“I’m sorry.”

“You have NO idea.”



“It’s mostly been ‘I’ll open the door for you.’ That’s not advice, it’s directions.”



“Yes, just like that.”

“Travel up the seabed to reach the island of rain, Blester.”

“I think this is officially one island too many. Especially since it’s the rainy one.”



We’re granted a vision of our next destination. It’s quite literally a hole in the wall, but what do you expect?



“…you really, really don’t want to know.”

“I meant right here, behind me when I was guarding the entrance.”

“Ohhh. Dolphin cave. You’d be amazed.”

“…I guess we really should have had someone guarding the other entrance.”



And with that, we’re pretty much done with our current return trip. Going in search of the next objective brings us to a Hermit Crab lair that releases an Angelfish. Another nearby lair releases another mermaid to further crowd the place up.



Immediately inside the promised cave we have a new phenomenon. This flowing underwater river sends you from left to right, but you can maneuver to reach solid ground and explore as long as you’re quick about it.



Ducking in gets us another angelfish, as well as a blue gem from this Seahorse lair that provides a bit of extra XP. This is also an easy way to head back and check on our latest rescues before continuing on.



Getting replacement Medical Herbs in this stage doesn’t involve some kind of ridiculous guessing game. This is a substantial improvement.




All that said, all of the other recently rescued undersea creatures are… well, extremely useless.



“That’s great. Just… just keep on doing that.”



Our last major obstacle is yet another set of Hermit Crabs. Clearing the lair gives us a staircase directly to the left of where we’re standing, and leads to…



“They really weren’t kidding about this being the rainy island.”



Trudging through the rain on this curiously barren island our first significant foe is a gorilla nest that releases another mermaid near the queen’s handmaiden. At this point, I’m almost afraid to hear what she has to say.




Continuing, there’s an odd formation on the ground, but right now that’s not nearly as important as the Gorilla nest in the vicinity that’s holding yet another angelfish. This ecosystem is starting to look dangerously unbalanced.



Heading north we’ve got a bird nest in the midst of crumbling ruins. Clearing it releases a dolphin, but there’s another nest nearby.



It’s mostly Rockies, as you can seen if you examine this shot closely. They’re just slightly different from regular rocks.



We’re close enough to get another level, pitching us up to 13. At this rate we don’t have that much room to gain more life, and we’re only in the third realm of six. Clearing out all the Rocky releases another mermaid near the one who initially gave us the bubble armor.



Finally, another lair clears up some of the mystery around these structures. There’s a central one between the other four, but who or what placed them is a mystery.



A nearby bird nest gets us a blue gem with an explanation as to what’s going on:

“The monuments on this island are lightning pyramids. If you wear the Thunder Ring and touch them, the Master will send down lightning to destroy the monsters.”

“Really?”

“Yep, pretty much.”

“If you could do that any time, why didn’t you let me know earlier?”

“You didn’t ask. Besides, it’s more fun this way.”

“And each day I lose a little more faith in the idea of a benevolent deity.”

“I’m amazed you have any left. Anyway, you remember how often I burned down houses with lightning… it’s not exactly a precision instrument. The monuments help guide it in without setting the entire island ablaze.”



The Master’s lightning can destroy even metal enemies, but you have to lure them in right next to the monuments to get them. This really only lets us kill enemies in a limited area to progress the story, but it’s better than nothing. We also get full experience for doing it. Clearing out the metal gorilla nest releases the final mermaid’s statue and is pretty much the last thing we need to do here.



You can barely see it, but this is actually an angelfish we’re talking to. He’s purple and thus blends in very well.



“That’s not how I’ve heard she looks.”

“It was somewhere near a sunken ship. Please save the Queen!!”

“Master save the Queen indeed…”



“Wait, are they the reason I need to use magic to protect myself? I’ve heard things…”

“The pearls made in the reef are their treasure.”



One of the dolphins we rescued is napping, so it’s time to break out the old dream rod…



“I am trying to remember something but I cannot.”

“Did it have something to do with pearls?”

“When I close my eyes, I see something like a ball, shiny and black…”

“…like a pearl?”



“This is the Coral Reef. I have missed this place.”



And with that he swims off, leaving us with a new route opened in the real world as well as in the dream world.



“Must have been someone else.”

“If you’re sure…but you really do seem awfully familiar.”

“I’ve got one of those faces.”




And with that, we’re on our way to our next island. Hopefully the last, but we’ll see how long this area drags out. It’s already feeling like a LONG stretch.

Next update: Urchins and Bracelets.