Part 24: FAMINE

So now we're prepping to take down the aerial assault in whatever way we can help?



Well, that's that done then. Giving Arche the second Holy Symbol that Mint has is the only thing we need to do to completely trivialise this section.



Hey, that's kinda familiar isn't it? I'm sure it's gonna be nothing like it was back in Alvanista.



: Where do you think you're going!?
: A woman's voice...
: Huh? What are you talking about?



: He... he... he disappeared!?
: Cless... This can't...



: Come on, get a hold of yourself!!
Soldier: Lord Klaus, what are you still doing here? Please hurry and join the battle!
: B, but our companion was just...
Soldier: This war isn't over yet! Right now, we don't have time to mourn the lost!
: No, that's not quite what I meant...



Meanwhile, Cless fell into a rift that lead to.. another golden circle on a cross? Sure, why not. Let's see where it leads.



A dead-end. In a place we really shouldn't be in yet. And we're stuck with just Cless. This would be bad, but fortunately random encounters are disabled during this section so that's not a problem.

Okay, so we're not stuck since we can go back to the previous room still and then head up but why bother making it even work at this point? Seems completely pointless to me.



: Humans have called me Valyrie.
: Odin? Valkyrie? What does any of this have to do with me?
: You must return that sacred artifact... The spear you call Gungnir. That weapon belongs only to Lord Odin. In the first place, someone of such humble birth could never hope to harness its true power. That spear is a sacred artifact that was stolen from my lord's sanctuary. If you return it peacefully, I am willing to offer you fair compensation for it. However, should you attempt to refuse, you shall learn the true anger of a god.

I'm fairly certain that if we were to refuse, we'd be able to take down one little Valkyrie on our own but Cless has a better idea.






Operator: Sorcery energy density at 99.999999999 percent. Laser operation system - all clear. At the ready...
: Let's give them hell! Fire!!

It's worth noting that just before Raizen gives the order to fire, the music playing just stops. It's a small, but very important touch...

The Magitech Cannon






I'm honestly glad these guys are on our side because fucking hell did you see how dead that dragon is? He is so fucking dead. Like holy shit.

: Do you see the power of our Magitech Cannon!?
Operator: Lord Raizeon, there are still a considerable number of enemies left!
: All right, we'll finish them with one final volley!!



: After an attack like that, not even Dhaos will be able to regroup.

The Magitek Cannon Take 2










: What!?
: That figures... no matter how great the science behind it,
: no technology can handle that kind of magical power twice, huh?
: Who cares about that! What do we do now!? The enemy will be here any second!
: If only Cless were here...

Speak of the devil etc. etc.



: Where'd you get the horse?
: I don't know why, but it seems really awesome!
: I'll explain later.
: Right now I have to take out the enemy boss! They're likely gathering above us preparing for the final attack, but I'll cut them off before that happens!
: Hey, wait!
: I'm going too!
: But on that broom?
: I probably won't be able to keep airborne for very long, but it's better than nothing, right?



...Yes, the horse is called Pegasus. It's stupid and incredibly jarring but just roll with it anyway.

: Be sure to make us of the Gungnir during this battle. Swords and axes won't serve well during mounted combat.

So now, we fight a bunch of things in the sky. Five fights to be exact, and the boss fight... is literally identical to the previous one. Ishrant is completely unchanged and only has different mooks with him. Presumably, it's a different Ishrant this time which explains why it's no different. Anyway, this entire section is both incredibly awesome and a massive disappointment simultaneously. On the one-hand, hell yeah fighting things on flying horseback and taking shit from nobody. On the other hand, welcome to the Arche Klein Power Hour. Cless is literally just here as a giant meatshield since fighting things while riding Pegasus is incredibly slow and very, very tedious. You can't use any artes, you can even do a simple two-hit combo and good luck managing to deal any decent amount of damaging without leaving it to Arche.



: No need for thanks. I am simply fulfilling my duty as my master commanded me. As we agreed before, I will be taking the Gungnir. Farewell.

Remember to re-equip Cless before leaving Midgard now because holy fuck without a weapon he is useless. Like, I'd be lucky to break double digits with his fists if he's buffed and the enemy is debuffed. And I'm pretty sure I'm overlevelled as far as the game cares. Also a barehanded Cless can't use artes which doesn't help either.



: Yeah, and somehow we managed to slay their leader.
: After the enemy's aerial force lost its leadership, the attack collapsed and they retreated.
: My actions have been inexcusable. If only our army had been stronger, if only I had lead them better, you would not have had to go through this...
: Raizen, please don't lose heart.
: We can never thank you enough, His Majesty was overjoyed as well. I'm sure that he plans to award you all with the kingdom's highest honors.
: No, I'm afraid it's still too early to celebrate.
: We can't let our guard down until Dhaos has been defeated.
: Hm, I suppose that is true. However, before you go, please take some time to rest. At least for today, take it easy and recover. But first, let me give you this...



Could it... could it really be...? Are we getting that so soon?

: It was sitting there along with this letter.
: If you're reaing this letter, it likely means that I was defeated before I could complete my mission. Please convery my deepest apologies to His Majesty and Lord Raizen. However, no matter what should happen, I have faith that someone will be there to pick up the torch and complete what I have started. Dhaos once said...



Hey, that sounds kinda familiar. I'm not sure where from though.



Oh, right, that. So Edward got credit for that quote when he, too, was merely quoting Dhaos. Huh.

: If you consider what he's saying, there is some truth to it. But evil represents only a single side of the human heart. I believe in humanity, in half of the blood that flows in these veins of mine. Therefore, I know that someone shall succeed me in my work, and for that reason, I leave behind this spell. If you are able to master this spell, I am certain that it will do its part in helping you to save this world.
- Edward D. Morrison




Hell yes; Indignation is bloody awesome and it's the most powerful Thunder elemental spell to boot (doesn't hurt that you're probably sick of constant Thunder Blades by now anyway). It even has a nice little easter egg attached to it that we'll see very soon.



Now all we have to do is take down Dhaos in his own home. Let's hope he's in and not terrorising some village somewhere else!


If this were the PSP version, we'd get a bonus character around this point. I'm not sure of exactly when, but I'm pretty sure it's sometime between the end of the aerial fight and entering Dhaos' castle.



Meet Rondoline "Rody" E. Effenburg. She's only in the PSP version and she has some... personal... reasons for wanting to check out Dhaos' place that are quite different to our party's. She shares the same goal as we do, though, and that's reason enough to take her along with us. I'm sure someone reading this knows more about her appearance in that version and will be able to explain better than I can.








A Midgard artist's rendition of how Cless and Arche looked during the aerial combat. As well as part of Mint for some reason. (Also used for the GBA boxart.)