Tales of Phantasia Part #42

Part 42: Tales of Origin

Well, you know how this bit goes by now. We leave Arche behind and just waltz on up to Origin's slate. There's still nothing new in the forest so we can skip right to that part. How convenient.

: He's here?

: Yeah, in the past, when we came here to repair the Pact Rings it was just for an instant, but I'm certain I saw Origin.

: Arche!

: What!?

: Hehe. As always, here I am to save the day.

: I see now, you came from the sky.

: Thanks to Volt's power, I suppose.

: Yeah, that's got to be it.

: The Seals of Flame and Ice have been broken, and now you appear before me wielding those sacred artifacts. You should already be prepared for what is to come.

: We're ready!

The Alraune are there for show; they don't even get a chance to do anything other than group together to die within the first 5 seconds of the actual fight. That crippling weakness to Fire helps Crimson Blade wreck their shit something fierce.

Origin is pretty much the worst boss we have to fight...

He absorbs Non-Elemental AND Light attacks. That shit just ain't on. On top of that, he has the usual chance to nullify anything and everything and will do quite frequently too. He has his own unique spell that hurts like a bitch if he uses it, but he telegraphs it pretty well and it's easy to stop him from casting it.

He's still fun and all, but goddamn, he absorbs non-elemental and Light stuff! That's just giving you a giant middle finger. It was a pain when Maxwell did it, and it's a pain now. At least Maxwell absorbed "only" non-elemental stuff. Thankfully, those two are the only ones to have the audacity to do that.

: H, how could I be defeated by mere humans!? What is your purpose here?

: I wish to form a Summoning Pact with you. However, before that, we would like to make use of your power. In order to create the Eternal Sword, your power is essential. We already possess the Swords of Flame and Ice.

: The Eternal Sword? Young man, why do you seek such a thing?

: For the sake of defeating Dhaos!

: Without the Eternal Sword, Dhaos can continue to elude us by escaping into the future.

: Dhaos? So that is the name of he who seeks to destroy this world... Hahaha...

: Is there something funny about that!? Do you understand the position you're in right now!?

: Have any of you even once considered why Dhaos first appeared in this world? What kind of man is he? Where did he come from? Why does he commit these unforgivable acts against humanity?

: It's true that we know almost nothing about Dhaos nor about his reasons for fighting.

: However, because of his actions, countless people have suffered and died.

: We want to protect this world! This is our world!

: ...As you wish. Because I have been defeated, I will do as you wish. I will forge the Eternal Sword. Now, place the two swords and the Diamond Ring before the slate, then stand back.

Much like when we acquired the previous two swords we gain a little something extra out of this. Not just one crappy arte though!

No, we're fortunate enough to gain two crappy artes and one of questionable use! Teleport is awful and we'll pretend it doesn't exist (it's even worse than Rending Void). Same with Rending Teleport. Dimensional Void is just Dimensional Divide again with the one good part of Rending Void tacked on to the end to make it cost much more TP and deal maybe an extra 800 damage.

More importantly, though, we get this;

Origin is pretty damned powerful. He deals around 4,500 points of non-elemental damage which is both nice and awkward at the same time. It's nice because most things won't resist him but it's awkward because he CAN be resisted but there's nothing weak to non-elemental damage. This isn't as big a deal now as it would have been a few hours earlier but still.

: But where should we even begin looking?

: Don't you think Lundgrom would know something about it?

: All right, then let's make our way to Alvanista!

Skit: One Last Hurdle

: We did it!

: Then our next problem is finding Dhaos' Castle...

: Without any clues to go on, where do we even start?

: For now, let's try to arrange a meeting with Lundgrom.

Oh, right, when we beat Origin he coughed up a new bow. The Merciless Bow is a pretty decent upgrade over the Elven Bow. It doesn't have the extra Accuracy but that's something of a non-issue when Chester's three decent artes have a homing effect anyway. Plus it's non-elemental which helps too.

Skit: A Brother's Concern

: I had a little sister. She was about your age. So that's why, I guess...

: Had?

: She was killed.

: Her name was Ami. She was a cute kid.

: I am not Ami.

: I know that. You're you. You're not Ami.

: But still, I want to teach how many great things exist in this world. So many things that she never had the chance to do.

: I... do not understand very well.

As for the Eternal Sword, it's a decent enough weapon. There's nothing that sets it out as being particularly good; I'd opt for the Gungnir over it, personally, but it's a decent enough replacement.

Skit: Return To Alvanista Again

: First, let's go to Alvanista.

: If anyone can point us in the right direction, it would be Lundgrom.

: I was thinking the same thing.

: Yes, all that remains is to locate Dhaos' base of operations.

: Hm. Actually, to tell you the truth, we're not certain of his location either. However, we do have one lead. For many years, a portion of this world has been blanketed in an unnatural and everlasting darkness. This is a real place. I can't attest to the details myself, however, in that area lies the City of Early. Dhaos has power over time, correct? If you visit the city yourselves, you might be able to find some clue as to his location.

: So you believe Dhaos to be the source of this unnatural darkness?

: Yes, it seems logical that he would withdraw to a position that can be neither seen nor reached by ordinary means. In any case, it isn't beyond the realm of possibility.

: Well then, we'll go to this land of eternal darkness and explore the City of Early.

Early is the very definitely last city we have to go to. This shouldn't surprise you since we've been everywhere else on Aselia already, and there's only one town on the World Map we haven't been to yet (hint: it's Early). We COULD have gone there as soon as we got the Rhea-Birds but there's dick all we could do there until now.

Skit: The Eternal Sword