Part 57: The Sands of Kogorh

Watch the cutscene!





...There's no shade anywhere.
I never imagined it would be this hot...
Nobody'd last long out here without the proper supplies.



Raven backflips a bunch and seems to be enjoying himself.

Hey old man... Aren't you hot?
Hot? Heck yeah! I'm sizzling over here! Burnin' right up!
That lousy...
I feel like the temperature goes up every time somebody says the word "hot."



Right, the cacti...
The parents of those children are out there with no supplies whatsoever.
We do have Phaeroh to look for, but...
Yes... Would it be all right if we took care of Alph and Layla's request first?
U-um, but...
You've more than fulfilled your obligation to me.
Estelle...
...Okay then, let's find their parents.

A cawing noise can be heard.

Was that Phaeroh?
Then he really is somewhere in the desert!




Skit: A Day in the Sun
We keep goin', and goin', but all we get is more sand and more blue sky.
You're doing better than me if you can look at the sky, Raven. The only thing I see is sand.
...How come an old fart like you has so much energy, anyway?
Talking's only gonna wear you out.
If one of us goes down, it'd be about all we could manage to get them back to safety.
And I for one am in no mood to be giving out piggy-back rides.
If I collapse, Raven, you can carry me.
Sorry, but this back's reserved for ladies only.
I'll die before I collapse.
I won't let myself be a burden, either.
The same goes for me, of course.
Hey, there's no reason ta go stompin on an old man's feelin's, is there?




The desert is kind of annoying. It's huge, there's not a lot of landmarks, and if you haven't played it before you don't really know where you're supposed to go ("northeastish" on the first screen, "northwestish" on the second). The water gimmick is also unneccessary since you'll pretty much never run out of water, because...






What an idiot... Use your head a little!







Me next!?
We need to make sure to keep hydrated.
Right...we wouldn't want to get sunstroke. If everyone's finished, let's go!


...you just need to shoot cacti with the Sorcerer's Ring to refill, and there's a ton of them.

To add to the annoyance, there's tons of enemies, and they randomly spawn rather than being on fixed locations like in every other dungeon.



Needless to say this dungeon takes some time. You also run into cutscenes or skits once in a while.




How are you in such good spirits?
Some people take pleasure in the suffering of others...
Why I oughta...
Don't waste your energy.
That sort of peppiness simply isn't healthy... Hey, did you hear a voice?
No...not at all...



I used to live in a town up in the mountains to the north of here. Together with my friend Ba'ul. So I sometimes came down near the desert.
All the way to the desert...?
Anyway, we hardly have time to look for anything out here, what with this heat...
Seriously...if we run out of water, we'll be goners...
We need to find something like a clue soon...
Yes...


Something else that can happen is the time of day changing from day to night or vice versa.



It changes the monsters in the area from fire elemental ones to water elemental ones. Be sure to stock up on both Flare and Frost Stones while you're here!

Of course, all this running and battling also leads to some new artes being learned.




Such as Karol getting Punishing Beast Flash,





Rita getting Blade Roll, a magic arte that hits in an area around the caster (you can even move while it's active!),






Raven getting Violet Snake and Dark Chase,



and Repede getting Gale Dog, an arte that blocks enemy attacks.



Eventually, you'll find a screen transition.


Watch the cutscene!





Thanks, Yuri.
Hey...do you think...we could take five...?
And you say I'm the one always wantin' ta rest.



Huh? The heat's gone and baked his brains!



Oh, Karol, be careful. You'll hurt yourself if you fall!
Heh... Looks like he still had plenty of energy.
Wait up for old Raven!
And here I thought they couldn't bear to go another step.




I think I'm in heaven.
I thought we were really done for.
Hey now. Gotta be tougher than that if you're gonna save the world, kids.
Shut up.
It'll be dangerous if we just keep going like this.
If we turn back now, though, we'll only disappoint those poor children.
We've got to keep looking as long as we can.



That's right. And with this spring, we shouldn't have any trouble keeping up the search.
If you've already eaten the poison, you may as well lick the plate.
Yeah, you're right. We've come this far.
How about your water bottle, Karol? Did you fill it up?
Here, I filled them for you. Here's yours, Rita.
Thanks, Judith!
Th-thanks...



Yes. Woof!
All right, let's keep moving.


Skit: The Parents
Alph and Layla's parents don't seem to be anywhere.
And with the desert as brutal as all this, odds are they're not holdin' up too well.
Thanks, old man. This hot-as-hell desert was missing a looming sense of dread.
How could Cumore just abandon people out here because they got on his nerves?
Seriously.
Let's hurry up and find those kids' parents while we still have some strength left.
Right.


While we're here at the oasis, let's check out the items we've got so far.


Dispersion: See below.
Great Deluge: See below.


BA Force: Increases the effectiveness of Burst Artes.
Light Force: Increases the strength of a spell when a light bow is equipped.


Alembic: See below.
Gale: See below.
Evade 2


Yes! We've got our first Arte altering skills! These are skills that, as the description implies, change Artes to other, so-called Altered Artes. At first you need to have the skills equipped to use the Altered Artes, but with a few exceptions, they can be learned and used like a normal Arte after 100 (physical) or 50 (magic) uses.

The Arte Altering skills are as follows:







Many Artes can be changed to other ones -- some better, some worse -- by equipping one or more of those skills and then using the "base" Arte in battle. In addition, by equipping both skills of the same type, you can change your Burst Arte to another, elemental one. They're color-coded, so:
Chain + Hell Fire -> fire-elemental Burst
Crucible + Athenor -> earth-elemental Burst
Alembic + Gale -> wind-elemental Burst
Dispersion + Great Deluge -> water-elemental Burst

Bastion is special in that it only changes exactly one Arte and has, as far as I know, no other use.

All altering skills cost 4 SP to equip. Once you've learned an altered arte, you can use it without the required Skill(s).



Skit: Going... Going...
Hey, I've kind of got something important to say.
What a coincidence. I had something I wanted to say, too.
Let's get outta this desert!
Is that all ya got ta say? I think we should be enjoyin' this hot, sandy landscape, myself...
How could you possibly enjoy this...? We have to get out of this desert...
Let's hurry and get out of here...
Judith, back me up here...!
We need to get out of here...
Hey!
How pathetic... I guess we oughta hurry up an' decide whether ta go back or press on...









Back out in the desert, I try out my new arte-altering skills and end up with another few Artes in the process:





Karol learns Havoc Break, where he jumps high into the air to smash back down, as well as



Coil Beat, an arte that temporarily increases the user's attack stat.


Using the Alembic skill, we can get






Destruction Street, the changed form of Destroying Rock, where Karol smashes the enemy several times in quick succession.






While we're busy with Karol, Raven learns Heaven's Tear, an attack where Raven spins to push the enemy into the air, then shoots it with an arrow.





Skit: Gone...?
Sand and bones, cacti and treasure chests, the sky and the wind and the sun and...
It just keeps going on and on...
*...Whine...*
At least we got a clear view of what's around us...
Talk tough all ya want, but...it's pretty obvious ya kids aren't doing too well.
Just 'cause ya got a clear view doesn't mean ya can't get lost.
We're not lost...
But you know...I'll pass on us going missing while we're trying to find something...
*Woof*
But turning back now would be...a big pain, wouldn't it?
We might be in trouble...if we don't go back...
Don't ya think we should make a decision soon, before things get any worse?





After a bit more sand and cacti and treasure, we run into a PS3-only cutscene.







Hm?



What are you up to, old man?
I was just thinkin', that's a strange lookin' monster over there.
Hm? What's that?

The thing starts moving towards Yuri.







Yuri!




Th-that startled me...
That's my line. Don't tell me you're treasure hunting in the sand?
Aye, you got it.



It's one of Aifread's hidden treasures!
Really?
Wow, I'm amazed that you were able to find treasure in all this sand.
An adventurer's intuition is sharper than the right side of a dolphin's brain.
Intuition? Talk about unscientific.
Don't just dismiss intuition.
So, don't tell me that's the treasure you've been searching for?
It's not. This is just junk.
And besides, my intention isn't to find treasure.
It's to get your memories back, right?
Aye, exactly. That's why I'm looking for my grandfather's treasure, the Maris Stella.
And your memory still hasn't come back?
Aye, that's right.
But my journey has only just begun!



She recovers quickly.
Oh? I quite like people like that.
Really? I feel the same way!



Hey, if we sit here and keep talking, we're gonna die of exposure!
Right.
Why don't you come with us, Patty?
Mm? Well, I was going to keep looking for treasure...
Quit yammering and just come with us!





Skit: Patty and Repede
Ruff ruff! Woof!
What is it, Repede? Why are you tugging at my sleeve?
Patty, watch out!
Whoa! That was a close call.
Thanks for warning me, Repede.
Woof!
Repede is so close to you, Patty. Why?
That's because Repede loves kids.
He's fallen for my spunkyness, which surpasses even a sea bream's!
So what I'm lacking is youth...
Well, Patty is certainly young, but I think you might be off the mark.
*Whine?*



This, by the way, is the permanent Patty joining spot. From now on, PS3 players will always have her in the party unless stated otherwise.







Eventually, in the top-left-ish corner of the map, we can find the exit, along with something else:




Let's get outta here!





Man: Oooo... It's, it's you...
Do you feel better now?
Man: Ohh...my wife, where's my wife...
Do you mean this woman...? She's right here.



Please, hold still.
Woman: W-water...




Man: *Gulp* I can feel the life coming back into me...
Woman: Oh, that really hit the spot!
Man: Thank you so much!
Woman: We're alive, thanks to you... You're our saviors!
Please, it's nothing...
We'll have time to relax once we get you back alive.
Man: I'd like to thank you for saving us...but I'm afraid I don't have anything with me that I could give you...



Man: No, that simply won't do. Please, come to Mantaic so that I can pay you back for what you've done.
Mantaic...?
Wait, are you the parents of Alph and Layla?
Man: Y-yes, yes, we are!
Woman: Did you see our children back in Mantaic...?
Yes, we met them there.
They were worried about their mom and dad.
They were even going to come out into the desert to look for you.
Man: Oh... This is terrible. We have to go back to them...
Don't be so hasty. Do you think you two can go back by yourselves?



Then just calm down for now.

*Caaaaww!*

Man: A bird...in this desert?
It sounds close...
Sounds like it came from just up ahead.
So we'll get to meet him...it's about time. I was about to shrivel up in this heat.
You two come, too.
Man: Y-yes...
Make sure to keep a safe distance. You'll want to be out of the way in case a fight breaks out.
Woman: Y-yes, okay.




Following the cutscene, we get dumped next to a save point. Up and slightly to the right is the desert exit.




Watch the cutscene! (I don't really recommend watching the battle unless you want to see how annoying the secret mission is.)



That's not Phaeroh...
Yeah... There's something different about that voice.
H-hey...!





I've never seen a monster like that...
That's not a monster.
If it's not a monster, what the hell is it?!
Woof! WOOF, WOOF!



Let's get out of here!
It's coming this way!



Damn, looks like we have no choice. Out of the way, you two!






Listen to the full conversation!

What is this thing?
I've never seen anything like it.
It's... gross.
I don't want to deal with it if we don't have to.
C'mon guys... Fight...
I guess we have no choice.

This is a... weird thing, I don't even know what to call it. It's not particularly hard, but it has a gimmick and a fairly annoying secret mission. In addition, its "resistance" is actually absorbing, which means that you might actually heal it if you have the wrong weapon equipped or Rita shoots some fireballs.







And here's the gimmick: Whenever it exposes its... ball thing, if you wait a few seconds...



...it switches the daytime from day to night or vice versa. This swaps its strength and weakness. Which in itself isn't really an issue, but if you want the secret mission, you need to destroy that ball. This is harder than it sounds, since, at least with Yuri, you don't really have a lot of moves that actually reach high enough. Changing the daytime also heals it for about 6k HP.

Apart from that, it can swoop at you,



swipe at you with its wing-ish things,



spin around,



attack with sound waves or something (which can seal your artes, making you unable to use any until you heal it with for example a Seal Bottle),



shoot this laser,



shoot those star-thingies (?),



and of course enter Over Limit. It can dish out some damage, so you shouldn't get too careless.




If you want the secret mission, keep hitting the ball whenever the thing sticks it out and try not to kill it before you get the ball destroyed.








And that's about it for that thing.



For our secret mission efforts, we get a World Charm.



Achievement/Trophy:

Secret Mission 10 (360) / Secret Mission 11 (PS3)







Ahh... I can't go on...







...What?





...Heh. ...Go ahead... Hope you choke...on my bones...




Is this the end? What'll happen now? Find out next time!