Part 121: Tarqaron

And without further ado, it's time to head to the final dungeon!






Watch the cutscene! / Baldurdash



Damn, this is huge.
It really feels like it reaches the sky.
And this thing was just sleeping in the ground near Aspio. I can't believe it...



...It looks that way. This isn't good. It looks like it came together pretty quickly.
So there's not much time left.
Hey, aren't we in trouble too?
If it's absorbing life from everyone, that should affect us as well, but...



The spirits... They've swathed us in their power.
So we should be fine as long as the spirits' power is greater than that formula.



I doubt it would affect Ba'ul, but we probably couldn't take it.
You just don't want to climb up.
Of course not! Who do you think I am?!
Sorry old man, but it looks like we're walking.
Yay...
We don't know what's in store for us. Stay sharp.





Skit: The Ancient Civilization / Baldurdash
The ancient civilization of Geraios...
What must the people have been like who lived in an age that produced buildings like this?
Well, I'm no expert on their lives, but I have some ideas from the blastia we've excavated.
Except for the Adephagos, from a scientific perspective their civilization was nearly perfect.
Their blastia would have given them power equal to that of the Entelexeia.
Oh, yeah. Otherwise, the Entelexeia would've wiped them out.
People got too much power, and destroyed what they built in the process... It's not that uncommon.
But there's one part of their legacy we're still paying for.
...Yep. They left behind the Adephagos for folks who came after them ta deal with.
Maybe they didn't have a choice, but that doesn't make it right.
You take responsibility.
We...we'll have to own up to whatever choices we make from now on, too.
That's right. If we're gonna make a world without blastia...we gotta make sure it works.
Yeah, absolutely.



Watch the cutscene! / Baldurdash









Whoa...
Man... How could all of this be kept underground for so long?
The ancient Geraios civilization. This is more amazing than anything in a book.
Something feels strange. I know this is a weapon, because he's going to use it against the Adephagos.



This place is enormous. So many people must have lived here.
And now one man is holed up in here to destroy every last person.
Duke... I'd rather not meet him if we don't have to. That soldier was already a hero in the Great War. Who knows how much stronger he's gotten since.
What are you talking about? We'll just kill the Adephagos before we fight Duke.
Then Duke won't have a reason to sacrifice humanity.
I hope so...


Alright, because this dungeon is pretty huge and kinda confusing, we're doing this a bit differently than usual.

Map: Tarqaron, Entrance Section

In order to convey the sheer size and structure of this dungeon, I've mapped it out to the best of my ability. Feel free to figure out the best way to get everything.

Also make sure this crazy background music is playing constantly while you're looking at the maps.



Apart from the size and pretty cool aesthetics, this dungeon is quite honestly not very exciting. Some sections are pretty annoying as well.

The correct path to go is the one marked D on the map. Of course, that means we'll take the others first, for loot, starting with A.

Map: Tarqaron, Section A



This area is pretty small and unimportant.



While we're here, Karol learns Punishing Aid Smash, combining the powers of attacking and healing into one arte.









Back down near the entrance, we can find two of those things:



You might have noticed one in section A too; those are elevators, but we can't use them yet. If we try Yuri just goes (?) and nothing else happens.



Something else you might notice: Several areas in here are inaccessible. Unfortunately, we'll have to come back later for them.


Map: Tarqaron, Sections B & C

Sections B and C are more unimportant loot-only areas, so let's just skip over them and go straight to D.



Map: Tarqaron, Section D

Pretty straight walk through here to E, which is also straightforward.

Map: Tarqaron, Section E




Map: Tarqaron, Section F

Section F introduces some big crystals you have to shoot with the sorcerer's ring to progress. The small spiky ones however can not be passed.










Skit: An Ancient Relic
We're so high... I wonder how much farther we'll have to climb...
Yes. I've never even flown this high with Ba'ul.
To think that this is a weapon to beat the Adephagos...
*Whine*
The Geraios civilization was even greater than I thought...
But we're the ones who have to beat the Adephagos!
Yeah, we'll be in for trouble if we leave things up to Duke. Let's hurry.


Map: Tarqaron, Section G

There are several areas in here that look like section G. Occasionally you have to guess which stair continues and which leads to loot, but apart from that these are pretty uninteresting.








Map: Tarqaron, Section H

Section H has this weird huge destroyed roulette wheel thing. There's four metal balls scattered on it, and you have to shoot them all into the middle with your sorcerer's ring to progress. Yeah I dunno.








Map: Tarqaron, Section I

Section I is pretty short and simple and has a save point, which is nice.



Skit: Getting Lost
Did people really live in this place? I don't know where we're supposed to go next...
It's like the place is made to confuse us.
It was probably built according to a plan at first.
But after all sorts of little improvements, it ended up being the tangled city that it is.
Isn't is strange that such an advanced civilization would have such haphazard planning?
...Maybe they were so advanced that the plans couldn't keep up with the rate of progress?
Perhaps they thought technology just a few years old was outdated, and changed their plans.
There's no use making guesses about what happened to a lost civilization. Let's keep going.
You're not interested in figuring out how that lost civilization kept from getting lost?
We men will make a path!



Oh please...
So go ahead. Lead the way.





Map: Tarqaron, Section J

Skit: Ba'ul's On His Own
It's been a long time since we first came here.
I wonder if Ba'ul's taking good care of things in our absence.
Or maybe he's tired of being in such a dark place, and went home!
Come on, Raven. He's at least more dependable than you are.
If you kids are gonna say stuff like that ta me, maybe I'll go back fer real!
Go ahead.
But isn't it tough on Ba'ul, being near a magic field?
Yes, the Ba'ul of a few years ago might not have been able to withstand that.
Even though he's young for an Entelexeia, Ba'ul has grown. I'm sure he's just fine right now.
You really trust Ba'ul, don't you, Judith?
I wish Judith trusted me like that...


And here's the reason why there was a save point in I: Section J has a boss fight!



Watch the cutscene! / Baldurdash





Wait, how did you get here?!



You just never quit. How many times do I have to tell you? I don't want anything to do with you!



The world will go bye-bye if you don't hurry? Is that it?
If you know that much, then don't get in our way!
Oh no no no no no! That's what gives it so much meaning!
...What's this guy talking about?
Look.



You bastard...!



If you want to save the world, then you have to go through me.
Why?! Why are you doing something so meaningless?



Oh, but it does mean something! This way, you'll fight with everything you've got.
Zagi... I never thought you were this crazy.



Hah hah hah! Show me your anger! Your rage! Give me everything you've got! Because if you don't...you won't get any higher!








Listen to the full conversation!

Hahahahaha! Die die die die die!!!
Just drop it already!
You got more than a couple a' screws loose.
How long are you going to keep chasing us?!



Hah hah. I will hunt you down until you're dead.
You're dying first!
We won't lose to some nutcase like you!
Didn't anyone ever tell you not to be a pest?



Hmhm, yeah, keep talking while you still can.
And you shut up!
You ever heard of 'all bark, no bite'?
Seriously...



Hm, yeah, come on! Gimme everything you've got!
We finish this now!
We'll do whatever it takes!
We've come this far. We will win!



A lot, perhaps even all, of Zagi's attacks here are things he already used before in the other battles.







Still, this is a pretty fun fight, as fights with humanoid bosses generally are in Tales.







Zagi can easily stunlock or throw you into the air if you let him, so guarding him is pretty important.





Karol got really lucky here and pulled out an exploding Karolow X.







Oh, and Zagi has a Mystic Arte here.













It's honestly kind of underwhelming. Oh well.











And stay dead this time!
Stop bothering us!

Zagi drops a Demon's Seal:




His secret mission involves hitting him after he uses Blastia Bane and while not very complicated is kinda annoying to pull off. (Baldurdash)













Someone was clearly asleep while writing those grade descriptions.

Secret Mission reward is a Stun Talisman:




Achievement/Trophy:

Secret Mission 22 / Secret Mission 24




Hm? I can't move. What a weak body...

























No one understood him, so he put so much meaning on fighting. Poor thing...
Still, his skills made him pretty famous.





Maybe he thought that he could let loose with everything when he fought Yuri.
So Yuri was the only person he could do that with?
What do I care about somebody that crazy?
The downfall of someone with too much power.
...



...Judy?
Okay. Okay, got it.
Did something happen to Ba'ul?



How far along is the life absorbing formula?
Ba'ul doesn't know anything about formulas.
Yeah, I guess you're right...
I told Ba'ul to move around as he saw fit. We should move along too, right?
Yeah. Let's hurry.





Skit: Zagi's End / Baldurdash
Zagi was hopeless...
Yeah. Just think of all the things he could've done with all that energy.
He finally found his equal, but the guy turned out ta be his enemy.
That's the saddest part of all this for him.
Huh?
Duke lost his friend and equal. Alexei never believed his equal even existed. Then there's Zagi...
The strong need strong friends ta keep their power from distorting them.
...You think that's it?
Take the Don. He had his equal in Belius, right?
...Raven, sometimes what you say goes right over my head.
What? Are you making fun of my elegant, poetic comments?
Hah hah.
You guys'll be fine, though. You got plenty of friends.



Skit: Zagi - Part 2
Zagi was about as annoying as they come,
but I feel sort of sorry for him.
Oh? That's surprising. I thought he was a
"Humph. Idiot!"
kind of person.
That is NOT what I sound like!
I stand corrected.
...When you can do something better than anyone else, you wind up feeling like something's missing.
The other researchers would go on and on about something I'd discovered, like, two months before...
And I'd start to feel like talking with them was pointless.
So you think...Zagi was the same way?
I just got the feeling that we might have had something in common, that's all.
...But why am I telling you this? Just forget it.
I'm sorry, but I have a good memory.
Well then, keep it a secret, all right?
Heh heh, it's a deal.






Map: Tarqaron, Section K

Section K is just more stair climbing. This is really getting boring.








Map: Tarqaron, Section L (unmarked version)

And, oh boy, section L.



If you can't make out my markings there, all the blue (letters) are switches you have to hit with the ring to...





...move the platforms with the corresponding green [letter] into position.







It's pretty tedious and involves a bunch of back-and-forth. Ugh.





Eventually you reach those two elevators. At this point you're done with the mandatory section of the final dungeon.



One of these switches opens up the path to the final boss, the other a path to a huge optional area. We'll save that optional section for later.




Watch the cutscene! / Baldurdash





Seems like the top is just up there. Duke must be there too.
This is the moment of truth. Is everybody ready?
I've been ready. Let's do it.
Yeah. We have to do this.
Right. Even this old man's gonna put up a fight.
People believe in us. They're waiting for us. We must defeat the Adephagos! For them!
And for Phaeroh and Belius... For the memories of the Entelexeia...
Woof!






Next time: The final boss!


Loot:


High Ability Plus: Follow an altered arte with a second altered arte once per combo.


Anti Magic: Resist all magic effects. Recover, attack and enhance magic are all nullified.


Liner Shot: Basic attack will change to small energy shots. Capable of ranged attacks.
Resurrect: Occasionally revive from KO automatically.


OVL Bonus 2: Occasionally fully restores TP during Over Limit.
Lucky End: Occasionally allow character movement right after casting a spell.


Landing: Reduces the amount of time character is unable to move after landing.
Evade 3: Increases agility by 15%. Increase due to equipment not affected.


Mobile Armor: Avoid staggering when hit during Free Run.