Part 15: Runes and Ruins

Let's go check out those ruins! And this is why we needed a permit: this guy won't let us in without it.

(And this being a JRPG, we can't, you know, sneeze in his general direction and knock him over to get in anyway.)


Thank you for waiting. I am your guide, Rakgi. Allow me to show you around inside.

Where have I heard that name before...?



The ruins are pretty boring - mostly just a single corridor - but then, they are pretty much the game's first proper dungeon.

The enemies are new, though. The skeletons are especially bothersome because they resurrect at the end of every turn unless everything else is also dead.



While I was sharpening the new party's weapons, I also gave them some rune fragments. These can be added to any weapon in order to add minor elemental damage to physical attacks. As far as I know, there's no downside; if the enemy resists the element, it just doesn't do anything. It does, however, add a little graphical effect to your attacks, making it marginally more exciting to watch. The ripples on the left are a water effect (which I put on Mitsuba). Reinhold got earth, which makes a little dust cloud kind of effect, and Lazlo got wind, which is a green swirly thing.



Rita got lightning. Hammertime, motherfucker!


So, once inside, it's easy to lose your way.

Rakgi is either full of shit or a much better guide than I give him credit for.

They say that dangerous creatures also lurk about the ruins... You are actually the first visitors to come here.

I just killed some of those creatures! You don't have to sound all mystical about it.



Here, we see glimmers of Good Game... or at least, Actual Effort.




Each possible party member here has slightly different dialogue! Which one you get depends on who's in the first slot in the party.

Either way, the conversation...

Hehehe, that's right.

...ends like this.



The Magic Hand is part of the Magic Set. Full bonus: Magic +10% and damage taken from elemental and physical attacks -5%. As the name implies, it's hand/arm gear, but no one in the current party can use it.



That's not something I expected to find lying about an ancient ruin!

Sadly, Lazlo can't wear it, and no one else wants to; it's outright inferior to the (rare finds) body gear the girls are using.



Most of the dungeon is pretty bland, but here is one nasty surprise.

This is the Angel Hairball. It is a level 40 enemy with 3000 HP. For comparison, the actual boss of this area is level 32 and has 2000 HP.



That isn't the main problem, though.



The main problem is that your attacks do fuck all to it, and that it can do this.

Clearly, we are not supposed to fight this thing yet.



You know what? Fuck what we're not supposed to do yet.



With the power of savestates (and 20 minutes of saving and loading to avoid a TPK, several revival items and a mushroom later), the Angel Hairball goes down, leaving the party 10000 Potch richer and hovering around level 34.



The real benefit of killing this little fucker is not the money or the XP, however. All that could be obtained elsewhere. This is the real prize, and we are not supposed to have it yet.



It doesn't do anything right now, but once we get our own blacksmith, we'll be very happy to have it.



As a side note, killing the furball has made everything in the ruins terrified of us!

(Well, actually, it put us at the required level to use Release - AKA Let Go - which is the escape command with no chance of failure. It also says "It released" when used, instead telling you how you ran away.)



Here's the actual boss.



It takes... I don't remember, two or three rounds to pound it into submission. However, it does not go down, but simply runs away...



Rakgi is suitably impressed, though.



The Inner Ruins is a nice looking area. The chest has three doses of mega medicine, three s and an escape talisman - which means I don't have to regret blowing that mushroom on the angel hairball fight any more.



It also has this strange lady inside.

Rikie: Rakgi, who are these people?

Visitors. They have a permit, just like they're supposed to!

A permit... Does that mean you have been instructed by His Majesty himself?

Yes, he told us to come here.

This is the same line for all three characters.

You have heard then, that the Rune, which had once been enshrined in this very place, is no longer here.

I... guess you could say that.


It gradually passed from master to master.


The cycle of tragedy apparently ended... when he was turned to stone... and its powers were set free in this place.



"uh."


You have it? How? Th-The Rune of Punishment... which was once here?



We can try to cover it up (badly) but it won't work anyway.

So, it really is... I can sense an aura about you that is similar to that of my late husband.

Mom, Dad's alive... I just know it!

Lazlo very carefully does not tell the little boy that he killed his father in a dream. It wouldn't be polite.

Rakgi, you're such a thoughtful child.
It was three years ago. My husband was traveling out at sea when he had an unfortunate accident. Someone there possessed the Rune of Punishment. Its host died in the accident, and the Rune came to rest upon my husband, who had survived...

The general theme of all Suikoden games is "True Runes are bastards". Nice to see the tradition still going strong.

Later that night, my husband disappeared.
Why did he disappear, you ask? We searched in vain for the reason. Ultimately, our path led us here.

Mom...

I knew... Of course, there is no chance that he would have survived for three years with the Rune of Punishment.

Because the Rune consumes its master's life, right?

Reinhold...

You said the Rune consumes its master's life?

...and Rita...

You mean because the Rune consumes its master's life...?

...also have slightly different-flavoured comments on this. (I included these at the end of the video for this scene if you'd like to hear how they sound.)

Yes... I must accept it. The fact that the Rune is here now means that my husband... is dead.

Well... it's not quite evidence, but the fact that he's inside the Rune pretty much is.

...



The scene ends. We can talk to Rakgi...

No... I don't want Mom to cry...

...and Rikie...

It must be hard for you...

...but the game is really waiting for us to proceed back to the ruins.



Alternately,

It appears something is approaching!

...Reinhold or...

Whoa! Something's coming!!

...Mitsuba will chip in.



Either way, Lazlo is shocked! Shocked, I tell you!



And for good reason - it's raining golems!



Boom!



The impact disturbs the old grave/monument thing as Rikie and Rakgi are running away...



Hurry!

Why they're running towards the horrible stone monstrosity, I don't know.



...good work positioning yourself there, Mitsuba.



The golem has more health this time - his first appearance has 1500 HP - and he has, eh, armed himself, which grants him a couple of new moves...



...like this annoying one.



Nevertheless, we're seriously overpowered, so he doesn't really get to use them much.



Haha.

Hahahaha.



Sir Lazlo, I have a favor to ask of you. Will you please take us with you? I wish to be near that Rune. I have finally found the resolve to leave this place.

And of course, Lazlo isn't about to leave the grieving widow and little kid in the ruins, so:


Rikie
Healing C - Heals 10% of Max HP after every battle

Exact the same effect as Louise. Given a choice between them, it's probably better to bring Rikie since having Louise removes her from her spot at the bar in headquarters, meaning you have to walk all the way to the next room and talk to Desmond if you want to change your party (which actually does something now that we have more characters).

We are thankfully sent back outside without having to walk (or use an escape talisman). However, we really don't have any idea what we should do next. The king still isn't anywhere to be found, and we can't get to any other islands. Might as well head back to HQ and get some rest...