Part 12: The Girl Who Partners

Part XII: The Girl Who Partners



So there's not a whole lot to do going back to Nia Khera from the Hallowmont, and you could even warp straight to Nia Khera if you went there before entering the fractured dimension, but we've got treasures and materials to pick up, as well as a few cats.



The first cat is in Milla's Shrine. You'll hear it loudly meowing, but a search of the premises reveals no trace of the animal. So where is it?



Sneaky bastards. It was right under your feet as you entered, but the camera was zoomed out too far for us to see it from that angle. Lousy camera tricks Also, there's a nice Extractor, Starfire Plus, in a nearby chest.



Doesn't the prime dimension look so much nicer? Anyway, no sense in fighting this guy with only three party members (Ludger, Leia, and Alvin) right now, especially when we still have one more required boss fight this chapter. I told you chapter 7 was a long chapter.



In the area after the Elite Monster, there's a cat sleeping happily in the shade of some trees, on a side path. Time to press it into a most noble service.



And back to Nia Khera. Feeling some deja vu here.


Hard Choice

We took returning to the prime dimension as a sign of your victory.



How in the world?

There's a fade to black to explain what went down, but as far as bringing things from a fractured dimension to the prime one...well, you got me.

Unbelievable...

Don't be too hard on Ludger. He had to take out Muzet. That's all there was to it.



What's the meaning of this?

Just admit it, Ludger. You don't have the stomach for this job.

Very interesting... So that's how you made your new friend there. What a fascinating tale.

Oh yeah, and Ivar dropped down, too.

Hmph. They were waiting for us.

Mr. Rideaux! What are you doing here?

An odd question for your new Department of Dimensional Affairs Director. Well done, former Director Kresnik. Recovering the Waymarker must've been quite an ordeal.

No more so than speaking with you.



Lady Milla...

Don't get yourself all worked up. She's not your Milla, you know.

Damn it, she's still Milla! Watch your mouth! I... I know that's not really her...

Ha ha, ah, welcome to the real world, kid. Ah, Julius. You remember what it's like to crush the dreams of the young and foolish, don't you?

Drop it!

For example, the time you rigged poor Ludger's entrance exam so that he couldn't possibly pass.

That... That's not...

Oh man... But considering the Spirius Corp's work, he had his reasons, I think.

Oh yeah, and there's three different endings to the intro: if you don't fight the monster, Julius scolds you and you fail. If you fight the monster and lose, Julius bails you out and fails you.

However, as the thread informed me, you can win that fight, but the employee you're saving pulls out a knife and threatens you or something, and...you fail. Yep, we couldn't win right from the start. Guess we know why now, though...



Heed me, Ludger... As Director, I have new orders for you. Defeat Julius, recover the Waymarker, and give it to me.

Please...you have to trust me.



Hoooo boy, this is a sticky situation, ain't it...

Well, let's think about this carefully. We can't be 100% sure Julius isn't acting in our best interest, and Rideaux is Rideaux, so he's not on anyone's "Cool" list. On the other hand, Rideaux is technically our boss, so as a Spirius employee, he reports to Bisley, who can shitcan us anytime he wants if we disobey his lieutenant.

On the other other hand, I'll bet Rideaux doesn't have nearly as much play with the boss man as he thinks he does. We're a member of the Kresnik family who can travel through dimensions with our special power. Which makes us far more important to Bakur's plans than this joker is. Screw him, and let's give our brother a chance to redeem himself.

Oh, brother, literally. Are you kidding me? Isn't one rogue Kresnik annoying enough?!



The kick knocks him plum out...

The employee handbook is quite clear about punishment for insubordination.

We'll help!

No way! This is their fight.







Rideaux is a pretty annoying fight, but he's nowhere near as bullshit as Muzet was. He sticks to a variety of melee attacks that come out pretty quickly / have good range, from a whip-like thing in his arm or something, and has a few melee attacks. On the weaknesses side, he's vulnerable to Light and Darkness, so that Prometheus (Darkness) from a couple updates ago is gonna come in handy here.



This is a pretty sweet moment. That Bubble Blast shot is slowly traveling toward him, after Alvin foolishly knocked him away and blew my combo...



But he didn't! Elize came out of nowhere to hit him with a basic melee attack to stagger him just long enough for the bubble to catch up to him. Also, notice my multiplier. This is the first time I've got a full Power Combo! The way it happened was Alvin hit him with Guardian Field for Light-elemental damage, then I added Darkness / Slash with a basic Swords hit, then Azure Edge for Wind, Strike next with a basic Hammer hit, Hammer Toss for Fire, basic Gun hit, Crossfire for Earth, then the Bubble Blast.

Little sloppy, and I don't have a Chromatus usage to follow it up with, but there you go. You'll know when you have a full Power Combo if your character makes a distinctive noise / comment (Ludger will just loudly yell, of course). Another cool thing about a full combo is that once you've hit that ninth element, the Power Combo meter will go down much slower than normal (of course, it won't go down at all in Chromatus mode, if the combo isn't broken). I actually didn't realize I got that combo while I was playing this. It was only while I watching the video after it finished processing on my computer that I realized it.



Once he's below half health, he'll start casting Dancing Bayonet. Basically the only dangerous part of this move is being close to him after it gets casted. The hitbox for it seems very wonky, in your favor.

Oh, and he can go into Over Limit (but won't use a Mystic Arte at any point in this fight), but the best way to deal with this is to hope he aggros against you, the player character, and just have him waste his Over Limit by chasing you around. The AI seems to throw out Over Limit whenever it feels like, so you'll just have to deal with it.



As long as you can anticipate his melee attacks, and dodge appropriately, it's pretty easy to catch him when he's recovering from an attack and hit him with powerful combos. Rideaux is definitely the easiest of Chapter 7's bosses. If you choose L1 in the previous choice, however, you'll fight Julius, which actually, I've never done, but I will shortly (as of this writing, I have yet to record the alternate choices video for this update).

If we had Milla instead of Leia, this fight would be easy as shit. And yes, this was recorded on Hard, as will Julius.

Another edit from the future: Julius is definitely the harder fight. He is really fast, is the main reason he's tough. Rideaux may be a bit more powerful, but he's a slug in comparison. And I mean that in terms of personality, too.



Look at the way you both vex me!

Stop it, Rideaux!

Are you his brother, or his mommy?!



Man, big bro just doesn't have it today.



Ludger!

Last chance, Agent. Retrieve the Waymarker and return to headquarters now.

*hesitant nod*

Smart move. You get to live.

I'm so sorry...

Ludger...



Man, Ivar's such a little putz. Turning a blade against Milla is unforgivable, especially against a woman whose world was just destroyed.

Then again, Milla has no particular reaction to being taken prisoner, so whatever. Let's just get this over with. We're returned to Spirius HQ, so just go ahead and talk to Vera when you resume control.



Hey! Say... Have you heard anything from Julius?

Nova, I've told you that's classified.

I'm off the clock. Just a question between friends.



I can't bring myself to lie to Nova, so just can't choose R1, I can't. Incidentally, I'm guessing this means Spirius is dragging him through the back door or something.

O-Of course. You're right. He's your big brother, after all. More than that! He practically raised you.

...

Everyone leaves the Nova in the dust... But she'll bounce back.

You...going to be okay?



The cats are closing in! If they've made it as far as the CEO of the Spirius Corporation's floor, we're in trouble.


The Trial (This video also incorporates the above scene with Nova and Vera)

You must be proud of your talented brother.

That's enough. Don't go praising him for this.

You got that right. Doing a good job meant destroying my world.

They told me about you. What was your name, again?

Milla. The former Maxwell.

You're serious?

Pretty skeptical for a destroyer of worlds.

Not because we want to. We do it to protect the prime dimension. Also, we do it to reach the Land of Canaan.

Canaan. The throne of the Great Spirit of the Void, Origin, guarded by Chronos.

You were serious about the Maxwell thing. I can see that now.

Just something I heard from my sister.

Then your sister is a very well-informed woman. Legend has it, Origin will grant the wish of the first human who comes before him to plead their case.

Bisley!

That was the pact made eons ago between humanity and spirits. The three Primordial Spirits.

The three were Maxwell, Chronos, and the Great Spirit of the Void... Origin.



Present yourself to the Spirit of the Void and any wish may be granted.



Hm, tough one, but nothing we've seen so far refutes any of this. The presence of Chronos alone, and what he said to us in the fractured dimension, seems to bear this out. R1 it is, and we'll be increasing Bisley's affection along with it.

Also, just so I don't repeat myself too much, every choice I make in this scene will increase Bisley's affection.

Yes. The Void gave birth to the whole of creation. Its Great Spirit, Origin rules over all of his kind. A being so powerful could surely grant anything and everything.

Why did they agree to such a pact?

To test us. To test our strength, our will, our ambition. Or so some believe... Perhaps they just find enjoyment in watching humanity struggle and suffer.

The Great Spirits wouldn't do that!

No? They bear no love for us.



He may be right.

The scions of Kresnik have waged war amongst themselves for centuries, each one hoping to reach Canaan first.

At times, father against son.

And occasionally, brother against brother.

Somebody get to the point already!

Ditto that, guys... I mean, we have the Waymarker, after all. Let's just hightail it to Canaan.

Would that it were that simple. But alas, it's not.

A single Waymarker won't get you to the Land of Canaan. You'll need five in all. This is but the first: Maxwell's Temporal Blade.

The others are the Long Dau's Dust, the Seafall Phantom's Eye, the Ark Sentinel's Heart, and...



Oooh, sounds juicy. Can't wait to start looking for that one.

Unfortunately, all of these items have fallen through the proverbial cracks in the prime dimension.

So we find them in the fractured ones, is that it?!

Precisely. If a Waymarker exists in a fractured dimension, it would have to be the entity that differs the most from its original nature in this one.

In other words, the Waymarkers will always be divergence catalysts. And bringing the lost Waymarkers back into the prime dimension is the real mission of the agents.

Rideaux nods in agreement...

Not everyone is suited for a mission of this nature. An agent must have a very specific power to carry matter from a fractured dimension into the prime one.

Here at Spirius, we have a title for those who possess that ability. They are the Keys of Kresnik.

And by "they", we mean you, Ludger.



Hmm...going by L1, seems like Ludger has figured things out regarding Elle. She's clearly not just a normal girl, if her actions allowed Alt Milla to survive the proverbial road trip from the last fractured dimension we destroyed. Things are getting heavy, but Bisley's not wrong about Ludger's power, either. However, that it not the choice I'll be making this day.

Yes, the same power that my agents have scoured the fractured dimensions to locate.



So why is Spirius trying to get to Canaan? What's your wish?



Their numbers increase. We are no longer able to deal with them one by one.

However, the tension of this scene is snapped in half as Elle's tummy starts grumbling...

Someone's hungry.

I can't help if my tummy's rumbly!

I'll arrange for refreshments.

Why don't you just have Ludger whip us up something?

Ohhh? Are you suggesting that Ludger's a good cook?

I guess he's okay. Milla, too!

Well, someone had better feed this scrappy little thing before she passes out from hunger. Ludger... I have no doubt you will reach the Land of Canaan.



Well, the snippy response would be the most interesting, but as I've said...

Good luck.

Ditto!

Ludger... I never wanted this for you.





Our brother's still in custody, and there should be nothing of consequence stopping us from locating all the other Waymarkers. Guess things worked out well...

Upon returning to the apartment... Damn it feels like it's been a while, huh?


A spicy blend

I'll take the special!

You don't know what it is yet.

If it's the special, it's special!

You're in a good mood, huh Elle?

Of course! Now we know how to get to the Land of Canaan!

By destroying other worlds?

It is what it is. Sorry.

Is that supposed to make me feel better?

Hey...

So, what...? You agree with her?



Is it spicy?



Damn, Ludger works FAST. Well, speaking personally, mabo curry is probably something I'll never eat in my life, because I hate spicy food, and it seems Elle agrees, as L1 increases her affection.

Who taught you how to make it Elle-style, smarty-pants? Anyway, let's dig in! This is Elle-style!

Even to cook, you depend on spyrix.

Yeah, Milla...you might want to start getting used to that, at least as long as we're in Elympios throughout this journey.

Milla, about what you said before... The Land of Canaan is where the Great Spirit Origin is, right? And he purifies our souls and subjects them to reincarnation?

Like I said, that's just what my sister told me.



When the spyrite Volt went haywire, it said something about contamination.

Spyrite?

Jude here is a spyrite genius!

If I can perfect spyrite technology, we won't need spyrix anymore.

A world without spyrix...

Maybe our trouble with spyrites is linked to the soul-purification process. Even if it's not, if Canaan is so important that it will change the course of history...then it's somewhere I have to go.



You're coming with us, right? You and me and Jude and everybody.

I'll tag along for a while. Long enough to confirm my world's fate, and not a moment more.

Milla stalks outside and Jude follows...

Sorry, Ludger... I guess they didn't like the special.







A few hours later, presumably...

Meow!

And now Elle starts to leave...

Hm?

But where would a young girl go this time of night...


The promise

But the park outside Ludger's building?

What's the holdup? Don't forget you need me. You know the Key thingy? That special power of yours is neat and all, but it needs me around, doesn't it?

*nod*

I'm not trying to be mean, but it's worthless without me, right?



Again, every choice I take in this scene will increase Elle's affection. Fun fact, though: you can't get Elle's special end-game weapon on your first playthrough. Even if you increase her affection level at every opportunity, there's just not enough choices to make to increase her affection all the way.

It would be a pretty cool detail if the NPCs changed their responses to you in cutscenes and such depending on their level, but there is no such feature. Anyway, going with R1.

A-ha! You need my help. No ifs or buts. So... Maybe, you could come with me to Canaan?

...



Well, yeah, I mean, of course we're going to Canaan with her. There's no way she could do it on her own, right?

Anyway, after this choice Ludger gives Elle her watch back. The circle is closed.

You're giving it back? Oh, I get it! It doesn't matter which one of us carries it, because we're a team now! Gimme your pinky, okay? It's important.



Daddy told me a promise isn't really a promise unless you pinky-swear on it. You gotta promise me we're gonna go to the Land of Canaan together.

The pinky swear is done. A blood oath has been written this night.

Okay.

You better!



There's no way this could turn out poorly...



GodDAMN that was a long chapter, huh? Anyway, I forgot this world had two moons. Anyone know their names? I want to say Sylvarant / Te'thealla, but...



After that scene, you'll get a whole bunch of skits dumped in your lap at one time. This one, announcing a new seahaven in Rieze Maxia has opened up, as well as A Schismless World, Two Partners, Mysterious Materials, and finally,Old Man Alvin.



However, it does seem that Alt. Milla may not be as much of a sourpuss as she's let on so far (she was asked what she was made of, for context).



So our new debt payment is a healthy 100,000 gald, but the thing is, it is incredibly easy to pay this off. I left the fractured dimension with a little shy of 40,000 gald, and after a free 10,000 gald payment from Bisley after we talked to him put me over halfway. On top of that, I have three outstanding Elite Monsters (Siennabronc being a special case, and thus, I am not counting it henceforth).

In spite of how intimidating it looks, Graddic Claw is pretty damn easy, so we'll be going after him first.



And here the big guy is, in the second area of the Rusalle Highroad. Let's school this guy. Graddic Claw.



And less than 30 seconds in, I've already got a full Power Combo. The big problem with this guy is his size really works against him. It's impossible to send him flying any considerable distance, and makes it really easy for the AI to hit him.

Weakness-wise, his vulnerability is to Water, so you've either got Milla's Splash or Ludger's Bubble Blast when it comes to exploiting that. I would highly advise the latter.



Of course, he has a ton of power attacks, and in excess of 200,000 HP on Hard, so don't underestimate him. Also, I went into this fight with three Life Bottles. That is unacceptably sloppy.



Chromatus Falling Snow tears this sack of crap apart, with a full Power Combo. I went into the Chromatus with 13,000 something damage. Look at what it is now.



I wish I could say that the rest of the fight was as well-handled as the first minute or so. I would be lying. I defeated him, but it was with only Alvin standing, but I don't particularly care, honestly. Elite Monsters aren't worth *that* much experience, and I got my gald, and that's what matters. Let's move on, because there's a TON to do this chapter.

Oh, and here's an alternate take on the fight. Embarrassingly, I forgot to save right after Graddic Claw, after saving just before to make sure I had a good save...ah, don't worry about WHY I forgot. Just enjoy taking this guy down by the books.



Now, as you might expect, the job board is jam-packed with new jobs, and new kitties to capture, especially in the new areas of Rieze Maxia that were opened up by access to Sapstrath Seahaven. But, we've still got a little business in Elymipos. The first job is story-related, and requires going to Bisley's office with Jude in your party.



Ha! What do you think? Did I sound like Vera? Dead-on impersonation, right?

Actually, she didn't sound like Vera at all, but how could anyone dislike Nova? This defies my understanding.



I'll get right to the point. Let's view the contents of this data disk, shall we?

...This is my first time activating one-quarter of the chromatus' power. One fractured world has been successfully destroyed. This is the task which befalls all who are born with power. I must end the clan's suffering. Julius Kresnik. End of transmission.

What?!

That was recorded by Julius?!

He kept a log of all his actions and recorded them on data disks.

We don't know why, but disks like this one have been found all over the world. Of course, all Department records of this nature are considered highly classified. We must recover this data.

Which is exactly why I've brought you here. Can I count on you to handle this?

Hm...

By retrieving his full log, we may be able to find out Julius' intentions. Is that not incentive enough for you?

I say we do it, Ludger.

Splendid! From now on, the data disks in question shall be referred to as "Code J".

Please use the Spirius job bulletin for this though. You'll still have to fill out the standard paperwork of course. Top-secret isn't an excuse to bypass protocol.

...I have now destroyed seven fractured dimensions. I was able to activate a half-powered chromatus as well. However, it seems I need to inrease the chromatus' power before I can take on more dimensions.

Julius recorded this particular log when he was eleven years old.

No way! Are you saying he had the power to destroy worlds when he was just a kid?!

His abilities are beyond extraordinary, I must say... Abilities which the clan had high hopes for...

...

...There is one person out there who still relies on me. I have to meet their expectations-- No, I WANT to meet those expectations! I need more strength... Just a little more...



Apparently the log cut off there, but believe you me, that's not the last of those kind of jobs.



So the new locations in Rieze Maxia are located in Rashugal, with the bright blue dot being the new seahaven. As you can see, we've got a bunch of locales to hit up. Let's get started. To head to that dot, you have to take a ship either from Marksburg or Aladhi Seahaven.



And here we are. Let's hit the trails, because as usual, there's just the standard stuff here in the seahaven.



Said trail is the Sapstrath Highroad. It's a pretty typical trail area, nothing particularly worth mentioning around here. However, the main road leads to the city of Sharilton, but we're going to make a pit stop in the Sapstrath Deepwood for a few kitties first. There's an entrance to the forest in the first area of the trail.



So from the entrance mentioned above, one of the smaller paths leads to this area of the South Region. These two individuals will be useful a VERY long time from now (like, I believe their shop opens in the post-game). So, you probably won't even remember these two are here by that point, but they are here. They'll start selling stat-increasing herbs, for a *very* hefty price, but hey.

Also, spot the cat!



The forest is full of twisting, narrow passages that can make navigating around a bit of a pain. But, as long as you follow the map and keep in mind places you've passed, it shouldn't prove a huge nuisance (the small area mentioned above is on the path just behind Ludger).



The Hammer is pretty cool for a few reasons, and one of the big ones is that a lot of the artes have different effects depending on what buttons you press / hold down. Hammer Toss is one of them. If you hold down the prompt for Hammer Toss (such as right + circle), Ludger will charge up the throw, then release after like three seconds or so to do double damage with it.

Always remember to check your arte descriptions, folks.



Nice view, eh? Reminds me of Wanderer above the Sea of Fog.



Oh yeah, and there's mushrooms everywhere. They explode and cause a little damage if you step on them. Yeah...



Here's the cat we came to find. We really have no more business here in the Deepwood now that we've found Moon and Chi-Chi, so let's get back on the trail.



Once you're satisfied with your haul in Deepwood and the first area of the trail, keep on going (there's also an exit from the Deepwood to this area). This area has three exits: one leads to a third area, where the only thing of note is a cat, the other leads to Sharilton, and the final one leads back to the forest. We'll be taking the first for right now.



The third area itself is a dead end, but toward the back right of the area from where you enter (or just on the right wall of the area if you want to hug the wall to find it), there's a cave you can crawl through to find the demonic cat. Let's not turn our backs on this one...



And finally, going back to the main route, we make it to Sharilton.

But, y'know what? I think that's quite enough for this update. We've still got a lot of work to do...




Update 12 alternate choices compilation
Update 12 victory compilation