Part 62: Fuck You, I'm a Dagon

We're about to run out of recruitable characters, but not before we take another trip to Nirva. I have the strange feeling this doesn't take anywhere near as long now as when we went here for plot reasons.


Hmm? You want to know what those cannons on the ship are used for?

Like the first visit, this one is all about the IV and Tactics nostalgia. First thing we need to do is see this brief scene.


They transform the power of a Rune into a concentrated shell of light! One hit can sink the mightiest of ships!
...Or so they say. I've never actually seen them fire.

Only in cutscenes. The mightiest of ships take like three or four shots to sink in actual gameplay. You know, kind of like a regular gun in a JRPG, but on a bigger scale.


So, why have the cannons in the first place, right? Well, you'd be surprised how much mileage a bluff can get you.

I really wouldn't, I've recruited like five beavers under the pretence that I actually give a fuck, but are you sure you should be telling us this...?



Next up, we'll go visit the inn. There's nothing indicating that we need to do this, so I imagine this is pretty easy to miss.

Officer: Why, what's your hurry? This is a plush job. There is surely no need for us to rush.

Yeah, but I don't think that gives us the right to just slack off!

Most likely, this is just another false lead.

It could be, but it's our job to find out!

I understand your anxious feelings. I can clearly see you're excited about your new post, but I don't want to see you stress yourself out.

At this point, our party decides it's time to butt in.



Nelis: Vice-Captain Bernadette!



I'm still on business, in fact. This is Prince Frey of Falena.



Hello!

An honor to meet you!

I heard about your escapades at the great lighthouse. Quite an accomplishment for one so young.

It was terribly embarrassing. I hope no one has been spreading the details about how I got knocked out halfway through the fight.

What brings you to Nirva Island?

Actually, mostly the fact that I knew you would be here.

I was going to ask you the very same question. Some intelligence has led you here, I assume?

Er, well...

Oh, sorry! I won't make you discuss it in front of us. I understand. Best of luck to you two! Right, Yahr?

Indeed, Vice-Captain! I wish the best of luck to you as well.

...
...

Well, that didn't do anything much.



I know, Nelis. I'll be ready shortly. You must exercise patience.

We can bother them again, but still no chance to ask them to come along. Pity.



I like this mission, but at the same time it's really dumb.



We're going to get thrown straight into a dungeon with Nelis and Yahr, and we won't have any chance to get them properly outfitted.



So using the two of them on their own mission is basically the dumbest thing you can do.

You're going back to Falena, correct? Would it be possible for us to sail with you?

I've brought some extra stuff since I knew this was coming up, but it's still fucking stupid. Much like the whole weapon levels thing.

You want to go to Falena? What do you think, Your Highness?

What do I think? I think we'll miss two recruits if we turn them down.



Get in!

Thank you, Your Royal Highness! You have our utmost gratitude.

Yes, thank you very much! Sorry to impose on you...

Since I'm fully prepared to cheat, you're not going to be imposing nearly as much as you would under normal circumstances.



We cut right to another scene on the Goddamn Ocean.

Hm?



Fireworks?



...that's the effect they use for the Dawn Rune. If they're fireworks, they're very lazy ones.



Indeed. A Rune Cannon!

Prince Frey! Steer the ship toward that light!

Your Highness! Please, we haven't a moment to lose! I'll explain later! But for now, we must hurry!

Very well, then.

Oh boy, plot lasers! Maybe I can get one for myself. My current one seems to be stuck more on the "plot" part than the "laser" one.

Thank you, Your Highness!
We're on orders from fleet command to seek out missing Rune shells.

It's imperative we retrieve the Rune shells from wherever they're located, be it a sunken ship or an old warehouse.

Otherwise, they could fall into the hands of pirates or an enemy nation!

Yeah, I wouldn't trust those idiots with magical WMDs either.



A short time later...

Ah, yes... A nautical graveyard, as some say.

Don't get too close! We'll run aground!

That Rune Cannon must be somewhere in this reef...

Not a very welcoming place, but we have no choice but to investigate.

Then we'll go, too!

Count me in!

That's okay! This is our job! You guys can wait here.

I'm not one to come this far and then just sit back and watch the outcome! And neither is the Prince!

Hear, hear!

But...

I don't see a problem. The extra manpower should speed up the search. Wouldn't you agree, Nelis?

Y-Yes, sir...



This is the most visually interesting dungeon we've seen so far. It just gets the usual dungeon music though.

Talking to the captain, by the save point, lets us rest or abort the mission. But Frey is no quitter! Up and at 'em!



Cliffs and parts of old ships everywhere. I really like how this place looks.



The enemies aren't anything to get too excited about, though. Those crabs are barely as tall as a person!



Yahr comes with an Angry Dragon Rune permanently equipped. It's a plain 2x damage attack, useable once per battle. However, it becomes infinite use if he's berserk. Happily, Fury Runes are still a thing.

Angry Dragon debuted in the second game, with much the same effect. It looked a hell of a lot more interesting back then, though.



Half the dungeon takes place inside the ships. That's the less interesting half.



There's some nice stuff to be found, but apart from that it's mostly just corridors.



This is waiting for us outside,



and attacks without so much as an introduction.



Dagon hits hard, but so do we. Nelis comes with a free Rage Rune, which is probably the pair's one saving grace, normally.



The devs were really fond of this colour inversion thing. A lot of high level spells make the screen flash like this somewhere during the animation.



Anyway, it goes down in just one round, leaving a nice set of armour and some assorted junk.

The reason Goesch is here is because he has a unite with Yahr. It's not very interesting, but it's there. Naturally, the three Island Nations folks have one as well, which is marginally more fun.



It was the work of that monster!

If the Prince's ship had been damaged by that creature, we'd have been stuck here to cook under the blazing sun. We're fortunate to have defeated that beast before it had a chance to cause any more destruction.

Come on, man. We're not through the dungeon yet! You know there has to be something waiting for us at the end, too.



Sure thing.



Lots of variety here.



And lots of loot.



We reach the end without any further encounters with giant six-armed fish monsters.



There's no mistaking that hull. It's the Kerzalik... But that ship disappeared over sixty years ago. The records say that it vanished en route to Obel from a Nirva Island fleet base.

It's gone pretty far off course, in that case!

Officer Yahr...?

Yahr... You... remembered that entry off the top of your head?!


The Kerzalik had Rune shells on board at the time.

What?!

Before the Kerzalik's final voyage, the hidden bounty of a legendary pirate was discovered. It was filled with vast treasures. And, more importantly, dozens of Rune shells.
It was the first discovery if Rune shells in decades, and caused quite a stir. The shells were quickly loaded onto the Kerzalik and rushed off to Obel.

But the ship never made it, and got stranded in this reef!

Precisely.
We may have indeed hit the proverbial jackpot. Let's take a look inside.

You couldn't stop me if you tried.



But of course he's not going to try.



This is the most interesting item in here.



Blinking Rune Pieces don't combine into full Blinking Runes. They do something much better.



Ta-dah! And now Yahr has a Fury Rune.



This ship has taken quite a beating. Not sure what this is doing on deck, but I'll take it!



It's not the only weird thing sitting around, though.

Freeze! Who are you?

Mysterious Man: Mmg... Ohhh! R-Real... live... people... W-W-W-We.. be... saved!!! Hurr'arr!



Mysterious Man: Y'arr... 'Tis true! Our greed went a-gettin' the better o' us, it did! Rune shells be takin' out Federation vessels like they be toy boats! A fortune they be sellin' fer! We'da been piratin' heroes, we would! Legends like no other on the high seas!

Pirate: An' we be findin' the Rune shells, we did! But we be stuck in here! An' if it weren't fer ye, we'd all be widin' up in Davy Jones' locker, we would! Ye can be lockin' us in the pokey, ye can! Ye can be takin' the Rune shells, ye can! Just be gettin' us outta here, mateys!

Oh, boy...



Several shells are usable. They're in excellent condition, considering it's been sixty years. If these shells get out into the market, there's no telling what would happen.

Pirate: Y'arr! We finally be rid o' that...
...that big ol'...

(music)

Hmm?







What?!

Nelis! Fire!

Nng!





It's a real, live plot laser!







That's what you get for acting big even after you're (supposed to be) dead.



(Normally I'd video this, but it really isn't worth the effort.)

...THAT's the power of the Rune Cannon...?

D-Did you see that? That cannon is downright scary...

You know what bothers me about this cannon? It's aimed towards the bow. Suikoden IV!



Get rid of it. Get rid of anything that reminds me of that miserable failure of a battle system.

What?

What a coincidence! That's exactly what I was going to suggest!

Officer Yahr?!

You agree that no one in this would should ever possess a weapon that devastating, correct?

B-But... Our mission was to seek out the Rune shells and retrieve them...

"The Rune shells were located, but were damaged beyond use, and were properly disposed of"... Right, Vice-Captain Bernadette?

My capacity here is as a member of the Iodine in Hell Army of Falena, not as your superior. I have no authority.

You heard the Vice-Captain. Any problems, Nelis?

...No, sir!

Then it shall be done!



Off screen, because we can't be arsed to animate it!



I wonder how long we've been gone by now?

Pirate: Y'arr! People! Civilization! It don't even matter that they ain't be pirates, it does! Y'arr! We be indebted ta ye!

I. Nat. Soldier: You're under arrest! This isn't a sightseeing tour!



We sure owe you one! Thanks for all the help!

Don't mention it!

We shall be going, then.

Don't do that, either!



You can only recruit the two of them if you tell them to destroy the cannon. You don't get to keep it otherwise, either. You don't even get any amusing dialogue. So don't do that.

What?

That sounds wonderful!

Officer Yahr?! What about our next investigation?

"The shipwrecked boat holding the Rune shells may have drifted to Falena..."
"This possibility must be immediately investigated." That sounds like it should work.

They're not gonna buy that!

But wouldn't you agree that repaying the kindness of these great friends is a "duty" as important as any other?

Well, since you put it that way... But even so...
Vice-Captain Bernadette...?

Like I said before. I have no authority at this time. Do what your heart tells you.
...Though if I did have my say, I would ask you to come, of course!

Yes, Vice-Captain!
Prince Frey, we may only be of little help, but we want to take you up on your offer!



And so they do.



We're not quite done yet, however!

Captain: What?! You want to go back there?! Whatever for?!
Oh, I suppose it doesn't matter. If that's where Your Highness wishes to go, then hop aboard!



Something is waiting for us when we return.



Bern and Nelis set it on fire.



This thing hits even harder than the previous one!



But Bernadette has some fire boosting equipment and a Rage Rune, so it goes down just as quickly.



The "stone" items are stat boosters; you get 1-3 points for each one. It's even less noticeable here than it's been in the past, since stats get higher than they did in previous games.


So, either there are lots of those beasts around, or it somehow has a means of regenerating even a lost head...
Either way, it's nothing that we can't handle.

Damn straight.



There's nothing else here. Apparently they left the cannon intact. Guys, you do know there's a pretty good chance it's the thing responsible for mutating the horrible fish monster... right?



And with that, this little adventure draws to an end.

Captain: As you wish! Hop on board!

It's ending right this very instant, in fact!

---

Bonus Content



You can also be an idiot.

Prince...

But...

Well, he IS the Prince... And I'm certain he has his reasons. As you see fit, Your Highness.

...
...



Be careful out there!

Of course, Vice-Captain.

Officer Yahr, hurry!



And then you've missed out on two recruits.

We're not going to do that because it would be dumb, but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that.

Last but certainly not least,



Artwork! Highlights include Hatless Nelis and Hatted Yahr. I believe Nelis actually has a model without her hat, which gets used in the bath. However we won't be seeing that scene for a while since it involves people we do not yet have.

All three Island Nations folks carry on the tradition of Egyptian weapon names. Bernadette's are named Het-Heru, Nebt-het, and Ast; Yahr's are Neshmet, Mesektet, and Manjet; and Nelis' are Nekhbet, Dhwty, and Benu. And I have to say making one of the Obel soldiers dual-wield swords is probably intentional as well.