Part 16: CH12: Pain and Gain
CH12: Pain and Gain![](1-MNarrator.png)
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Girl: Ah! Roadblock! Stop!
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And this little guy here is a real speed demon, so I had him push me in the wheelchair to keep things fair.
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Umm, how do I explain this? Leia, meet Milla.
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Run and get the doctor, stat! This woman needs help!
Boy: Right! Roger!
Are you heading home? I'll come with you. Here, use this.
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Man: Hmm? Who's this?
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Man: Oh, you ready to see me now, Doctor?
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Old Man: Haha. You've really gotten into the swing of things here, eh, Leia?
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You look like you've been through the ringer. Want to tell me about it?
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Man: Doctor! Doctor!
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Man: My grandpa was working on the roof and he fell. He's out cold!
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I need to leave for a bit. Hold down the fort, will you?
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...Is all grown up now, huh?
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Dr. Mathis.
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"Milla Side posted:
Thanks Feinne for the video here.
: Hello there. I'm Dr. Mathis. Please, just lie still.
: I'm Milla. Are you Jude's father?
: Yes.
Can you flex your legs?
: No. I can barely feel anything below my waist.
: I see...
Ellen, you can leave now. Go check on Jude.
: Oh, okay.
: I need to run a few tests. Please, bear with me for a bit longer.
: Was that Jude's mother?
: Yes. Jude's our only child.
What exactly is your relationship with my son, anyway?
: It's complicated. We're friends. I gave him a pendant as a token of our friendship.
: Friends, huh?
Pardon my skepticism. You look much older than him, and you're a woman.
: Jude tells me you once healed a human who shared my condition.
Would you give me the same treatment?
: Possibly. It depends on how these tests come out.
: I see.
: Either way, you'll need to remain in the clinic for a while.
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Why didn't you prescribe rest?
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You seem to think that using an aspyrixis is a simple procedure, as routine as an appendectomy.
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The device attaches directly to the nerves and causes incredible agony. Few patients can bear it.
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(Better check the archives.)
Milla Side posted:
Another thanks to Feinne for this video.
: How are you feeling?
: Fine. I still can't move my legs, of course, but otherwise no complaints. How were the test results?
: I think my husb-- Dr. Mathis should speak to you directly about that.
May I ask you a question?
: Of course.
: How do you and my son know each other?
: Hehehe.
: What's so funny?
: Sorry. It's just that your husband asked me the same question.
I suppose this is what's known as "parental concern". I get it now. You humans have so many admirable traits.
: We humans?
: Jude rescued me from a tough spot back in Fennmont.
Because of his actions, he couldn't go back to the city. He's been traveling with me ever since.
: That sounds like Jude. He hasn't changed.
: What do you mean?
: Jude's always been too quick to help others. Even when he was a boy.
: To his detriment, I take it?
: His friends teased him for it. He was bullied.
: Yet he didn't stop?
: He'd come home all beaten up. But underneath the bruises, he'd still be smiling. What's a mother to do?
: So that's why you...
: Ellen, we're getting busy out here. You know this is the only clinic in town.
: Derrick.
: You need to stop spoiling Jude. He's a man now. Coddle him and he'll just grow softer.
: Hmm... So this is also "parental concern".
: Although, the funny thing is, he just stood up to me for the first time in his life.
He ordered me to use an aspyrixis on you.
: An aspyrixis?
It would cure me? Let me walk again?
: Perhaps you are a good influence on him. In his efforts to help you, he seems to have grown bolder.
As a father, I'm pleased. But as a doctor, I'm afraid the treatment isn't an option, despite my son's persistence.
: I see. So that's your final decision.
: It is. I'm sorry.
: Very well. I'll just have to find some other way.
: ......
: I see. I'm glad you understand.
The procedure itself is simple enough. But it's not like you'd regain mobility right away.
: Hmm?
: I'd need to apply spirit artes directly to your nervous system. You couldn't move a finger without screaming. The pain would be excruciating.
Even in the best-case scenario, it would take several months before your nerves adapt to the artes and you could move again.
: Why are you telling me this?
: We can't get the spirit fossils needed to run the device anymore.
Even if we could, the mana in the fossils escapes just as soon as you uncover them.
It's a shame. The aspyrixis might've cured you.
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Wow, my old man really is a genius. They sure didn't teach us techniques like this at med school.
Apparently, it requires a special stone. The kind of stone isn't written here, though.
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He chose to remain paralyzed rather than endure the treatment.
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What if your friend goes through all that torture for nothing?
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Well, you should check the box up there.
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I found it after I started helping here. When I was cleaning up.
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If someone posts what this says in the thread, I'll put it here.
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Here, you'll want to lay down on your side.
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No shit it's gonna be some work.
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We've had six party members.
Skit Video: City Life
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But on the day I went to see my professor, I got attacked by a girl in red clothes.
So then I couldn't go back to the school anymore. Although that did result in me meeting Milla.
Oh, and in terms of other friends, I met this girl named Elize--
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Just be careful, okay? I don't want to see you get hurt.
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OK so the gimmick for this dungeon is that you have to bust open these rocks by charging up Jude's pick by mashing the x button. I can't seem to mash fast enough to reliably break these in one hit.
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Whoa. What's that?
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I don't think this is a dead end.
You two sit tight. I want to see where it goes.
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Just watch your step, okay?
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DUNGEON VIDEO!
I actually kind of like this dungeon, how many times you have to press X excepted.
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So I've got a new character to control here.
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Unlike most JRPG ladies who happen to be he main character's childhood friend/love interest, use staves, and know healing spells, Leia is more likely to beat you to death with it than use its magical properties to heal. Cerberus strike here is an earth spell, not very good on a Rock Djinn.
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It ends in a rather massive uppercut.
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At this point I recalled I hadn't actually checked out her control binds. She does have some heals, but generally I'm going to have Elize carry that burden. Soaring Vortex is IIRC exactly the same for her as for Jude. Sharpness boosts the attack of the targeted party member.
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Honestly I ran from most of the fights in here, I don't really want to do a lot of 2v3 or worse battles. This might cause a problem later.
Skit Video: Do-Gooder Jude
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Skit Video: Impulse Control
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I've never really heard of something like that happening though. Is that like a city thing?
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We really should get moving.
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Where is it coming from?
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The big one must be in there.
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Leia?
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Leia, don't get too close!
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Boss fight! Unfortunately I might be a little underleveled. He's level 22, I'm 17.
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Its main source of damage is to burrow through the ground and rush up at us. It can do that either horizontally like this (which is named "Rush Drill"), or vertically (which is called "Rising Rush").
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I need to check and see if Leia's missing a weapon upgrade, as well. She seems to be doing less damage than Jude.
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When Leia back-steps an opponent with perfect timing, the staff extends, increasing her reach. That's her player-controlled gimmick. You'll see her partner gimmick later.
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For some reason I had a lot of trouble backstepping his vertical pop-out attack. Maybe it's just that you can't backstep everything in this game like you could do in Graces.
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He's got an arm-sweep attack with a huge range, as well as a breath weapon called "Grand Breath" that I don't really pay much attention to.
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Call out summons an add, which looks like a smaller version of him but is weak to wind and way less dangerous, having no ability to dive like crazy.
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I'm pretty sure this boss gets invincibility frames when he's moving in and out of the ground, which is like half the time. Fuck this boss. Note my weapon going through him doing no damage.
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Big guy dead. The little guy can cast spells but I'm set up for major earth resistance.
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I honestly thought Jude had leveled twice there, but it seems not.
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OK, so we get a moment to upgrade Milla's stats. She's gotten enough XP to keep her even with the party. I buy Binding Sphere rather than Death Knell. I'm sure Feinne will be along later to "correct" me on this. I cut the video there because I have some problems with videos being longer than 15 minutes, and the "take your time messing with the
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He's got far more health (33000 to 13500) but we've got 3 people.
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For once, an uninterrupted Grand Breath.
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It seems to cause Arteseal, which sucks balls.
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You might notice I have a LOT of accessories, since I forgot to turn off "Inherit Accessories" when I made my NG+ file. I am in fact supposed to have an earth cape, though. I got one in the dungeon.
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Right here I'm trying to figure out which arte works best on him. Feinne will say "death knell" here.
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Binding Sphere creates a sphere of pure darkness that damages enemies for a bit after it's created.
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I really should have paid more attention to the blue "!" though!
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It wasn't too hard to get back into the swing of things though. Flare Bomb is no Death Knell, but it seemed to do just fine at knocking him down.
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Flare Tornado is a linked arte from Flame Ring and Spiral Strike. Milla provides the Fire and Leia provides the spin.
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Gale Blitz is a linked arte from Wind Lance and Darting Claw. Milla propels Leia forward in a cone of wind.
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He's got one new thing, he can make rocks fall from the ceiling.
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He's got an attack that picks you up and slams you around.
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Stay down.
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If anything, I'm in your debt.
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I'll get the wheelchair.
Good. Still in one piece.
(Even with the aspyrixis, Milla won't be able to complete her mission without someone's help.
And that means...
I know what I have to do.)
"Milla Side posted:
Thanks again Feinne.
: You look like you want to say something. You can tell me. Jude can't hear you.
: The thing is, when Jude learned that the aspyrixis would cause you incredible agony...
I thought for sure he'd call off the procedure, even though it could help you.
: Jude knows that there is something I must do.
: Yeah, but still, the old Jude would never do that.
: Sounds like you know why he is the way he is.
: ......
: Ever since we arrived here, you've been doing your best to avoid giving him opportunities to step in and help.
: So you noticed.
Jude was always home alone when he was little.
: His parents do seem preoccupied with work.
: Yeah. I don't think Jude ever realized it himself, but...
I think he was really lonely.
: I imagine so, but what does that have to do with how Jude is now?
: I think he's just eager to get involved with other people somehow.
: I get it. He wants to feel needed. That's why he's so helpful.
: Exactly. He would never do anything that might push people away.
But the Jude who came back with you isn't quite the same Jude who left.
I figured that out from watching you. You're the one who changed him.
: I haven't done anything. Jude made his own choices.
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I'm feeling really inspired by your friend here.