Part 35: Episode 34: Back in the USSR

We’re getting close to some dungeons and shit soon. I swear! There will be two bosses! But not in this update. Because if there is anything Winglies love it’s jacking their jaw and making other people do their hard work. Also being jerks.

To get to the forest we take the north exit of the forest above where we first ran into Kamuy. This place is basically the barrens of disc 3. So much walking through it. And there is another exit we still haven’t used yet.


I think this is honestly one of the few times when the party all shows up on screen. For whatever reason they very rarely have the whole crew on screen at once. One or two people are almost always missing.

Dart: "A dead end."

Meru: "Here we are at the entrance to the Forest of Winglies." *Sigh* "Maybe I'll be kicked out again."

Dart: "Where is the entrance? I see nothing."

Meru: "There is a magical boundary here. Winglies have locked themselves in the forest since the Dragon Campaign."

Dart: "How come they didn't live with humans?"

Meru: "You know about the Dragon Campaign?"

Albert: "It is the war that Humans, who obtained the power of the Dragoons, started in order to liberate themselves from the control of Winglies."

Meru: "Some Winglies are still angry about that. Besides, Winglies have a power that Humans don't have. The Ancestor told me, that the power draws a line between Humans and us."


Shock of the century.

Dart: "Meru, are you...?"

Meru: "Yup. I'm a Wingly."


And she kindly opens the boundary for us. The winglies should probably update their lock system if they really want to keep her out.

Meru: "Are you surprised?"

Dart: "Yeah!"

Miranda: "Why didn't you tell us?"

Really, someone besides Miranda should have had this line. At this point Miranda has literally known them for less than a day.

Meru: "Would you believe me? Would you consider me as a friend if I told you guys?"

Dart: "It doesn't matter. Meru is Meru, right? Now. Let's go see the Winglies. Now we are dealing with serious stuff."


Some winglies are hanging out on guard duty where Meru’s boyfriend was chilling before. He apparently got demoted or locked up for being terrible at his job.

Wingly A: "I wonder what would happen to us if the Divine Dragon came to this forest?"

Wingly B: "We would fight it with our magic, but probably would fail given our current level of power."

I wasn’t joking when I said that the Winglies were declining in power on the whole. No direct reasoning is really given, but hiding in a corner and slacking off for eleven millennia is probably not the best way to stretch the ol’ magical muscles out.

Wingly C: "But the Ancestor said that we won't become extinct if we cooperate with other species."

Wingly A: "'Other species'? Are you talking about Humans?"

Wingly C: "That's right, but I wonder if everybody in the forest can understand that, including me. !! The seal!"



Wingly A: "The Humans!?"

Wingly B: "Meru brought Humans here!!"

Wingly C: "I'm going to let the Ancestor know!!"

Wingly C hauls ass off the right edge of the screen to see what the boss wants done.


Guards sure love launching fireballs at any opportunity. I’d imagine their standing orders are 1) Panic B) Shoot Fireballs C) Decide if B was actually a good idea.

Meru: "Don't shoot!! They are my friends!!"

Dart: "We are not here to fight! We are here to borrow the Dragon Block Staff!

Wingly A: "The Dragon Block Staff!? Meru! How dare you speak about our secret to them!"

Meru: "But the Diving Dragon is now awake!!"

Wingly A: "B, But.... What can Humans do if they cannot even use magic?"


Definitely not Shana! Been a Dragoon for two hours and she wants to just bust in and kick Wingly ass.

Dart: "No we should not. We have to take some action or everything may be destroyed. That includes the Forest of Winglies and human cities!"

Wingly C: "Everyone! Hold on!”


Wingly C: ”You.... Please, don't agitate the people in the forest. We are not used to seeing Humans. But.... Watch out for the Bardel Brothers."

Meru: "What do you mean!? Let's go, Dart! The Ancestor Blano is in the back of the forest!"

Not our smoothest entrance to a village, but no one dead on either side. I’ll call it a success.


Get used to these nice glowy balls. We have a shit ton of Wingly ruins in our future and they fucking love these 20’ teleporters. Despite being able to fly. I got nothing.


Well I’m feeling the warm feelings flowing over me. I’m sure nothing bad will happen here...

If we talk to the guy up top to the right of the save point he’ll take us up to the next level. This place is not very convenient for humans to get around in.


Winglies may be weakened, but are apparently capable of carrying our entire magically compressed party up in one flight. Anyone that can carry Kongol while flying is ok by me.


There are bunch of people to talk to here, including Meru’s parents in the top left.


Meru’s Father: “Meru, do you realize what you are doing?”

Meru nods at him, hands on her hips.

Meru’s Father: “So, they are the Humans who have deluded you.”

Meru: “Don’t talk bad about my friends!”

Meru’s Father: “Meru....”

Meru: “I’m still me!”


Meru: “With Dart ‘n friends!”

Meru’s Mother: “The Ancestor believed in Meru and is allowing the Humans to pass through here. You have to believe in Meru too.”

Meru’s dad turns and faces twoards Dart, and presumably the rest of the currently not visible party. What you can see vs. what you know they are referencing occasionally gets weird.

Meru’s Father: “Humans over there. The Dragon is supposed to be your ally. Winglies and Humans are enemies. Why are you trying to defeat the Dragon with us?”

Dart: "The Dragon Campaign has been over for more than 10,000 years.”


Meru’s Mother: “Honey, our ideas may be too old.”

She turns back towards Dart.

Meru’s Mother: “Please take care of Meru.”

Meru: “You don’t need to say such a thing! I’m the one taking care of them!”

Like hell you are! Except when you heal in battle. But that hardly counts.

Meru’s Mother: “Oh, Meru is taking care of...?”

Even her mom doesn’t buy it.

Meru: “Yup!”

Meru’s Mother: “Who?”


Dart just about fucking falls over when she says this. I’m with him.

Meru’s Father: “I assume there is no time for this.”

Dart: “He is right, Meru. Let’s get going to the Ancestor.”

Meru: “Okay, you are right.”

Meru’s Mother: “Your father talks hashly to you, but actually, he is happy to see your face. Besides, he likes Dart and friends”

I think she may be putting words in the old man’s mouth.

Meru’s Father: “Don’t be yapping about silly things and just go see the Ancestor!”

Meru: “Okay! I will!”

Meru’s Father: “Your mother is right. Seeing you makes me feel relieved. You are living your own way.”

Meru: “Of course!”


Questionablestatements.jpg

Meru: “Bye now!”

And actually if we talk to them again they have another conversation for us! Although much shorter.


Meru: “...”

Meru’s Father: “No matter how much of a failure she is, she is our daughter”

Uh, thanks, I guess?

Meru’s Father: “There is no other place for Meru to come home to.”


Well, he could work on his delivery. But I guess he isn’t all bad.

Meru’s Father: “S, stop it!”

Meru disengages from the hug and twirls backwards.

Meru’s Mother: “Oh, you look happy.”

Meru: “Later gator!”

After that we jump in one of the teleporters on the right side and head up.


This is one of the friendlier comments on how terrible humans are!


Also we have the first of two stardust we can pick up here putting us to #39. Almost to our next item! Then we hop in a teleporter at the back of the room which pops us 10’ upstairs. Winglies must be incredibly lazy bastards. Its like having an elevator in a two story house. A magical elevator.


Elder Bardel: "The Divine Dragon can be taken care of us by without asking Humans for help. Besides we have no business talking to a betrayer who ran off to Humans."

Meru: "What happened to you!? The Bardel I knew was much kinder, and wasn't like that!"


Meru: "Oh no!?"

Elder Bardel: "My baby sister who was influenced by you, Meru, and left the forest! Believing that the outside world was wonderful. We don't need Humans' help. Do you have something else to say? Get out!"

Woops. Meru may be crazy and not terribly subtle, but she didn’t go around going “Hey guys, what’s up. Just me, a wingly, hanging out. Hope it’s cool” in public. Which I suspect Bardel’s sister did.

Dart: "There might be more people killed now!"

Elder Bardel: "Good for you! It's a good chance to learn how helpless you Humans are! But we Winglies won't die. Our magic power surpasses the Dragons'."

Rose: "You are strong, huh? Don't make me laugh.”


Elder Bardel: "What are you talking about?"

Rose: "You can barely fly and that's about it, right?"

Elder Bardel: "Maybe you won't think that way after this!?"


Bardel busts out his wings and heaves a fireball at Dart. Who casually transforms and blocks it no problem. Apparently you don’t need to go through a five minute cut scene outside of battle.

Elder Bardel: "!? No way! Is this the legendary Dragoon!?"


Bardel drops to his knees shaking, basically knowing he’s alive only cause Dart is not in a pissy mood today.

Dart: "Please let us take care of the Divine Dragon."

Meru: "I'll come back to take care of your baby sister's matter, after my journey has ended. So please trust us for now."


Rose: "I am going ahead."

I’ll never stop loving you rose.


After the party walks out the younger Bardel teleports in to see his brother still crapping his pants.

Elder Bardel: "If we cannot even have revenge for our baby sister anymore.... The Divine Dragon cannot be.... I feel weak in my knees.... I cannot move.... Is this real!? Ahh!!"

His loving, younger brother gives him boot to the side.

Younger Bardel: "You wimp! Brother! How dare you Humans! Just because you are afraid of our magic power, you are sending the destroyers of old, Dragoons, at us. Silly Humans! I'll pass sentence for the sin of killing my sister! I'll annihilate them now!!"

Probably safe to say that death by Dragoon is going make a significant comeback on the Wingly cause of death for the first time in 11,000 years.

Outside is another Wingly to bring us to the top floor of the three/house/thing.


Dart: "There is nobody here."

Miranda: "Where is the Ancestor?"

A white drop falls from the ceiling and we get a white screen flash like whenever we use Rock Fireflies or any other on screen healing effect.

Dart: "My body is being healed."

Albert: "Is this the magical healing?"

Rose: "I wonder if it is an apology for the discourtesy?"

Meru: "Ancestor, sorry we are late."



Holy shit! Meru is actually kneeling to him. Slightly out of character.

Ancestor Blano: "Welcome. Humans and Giganto. I am Blano the Ancestor of the forest."

Miranda: "I am the First Sacred Sister of Mille Seseau, Miranda. Please forgive our sudden visit."

Miranda also shockingly kneels to him. She may have wanted to break in at the entrance, but now that she is here she is remembering her courtly manners.

Dart: "I would like you to listen to our story. The Divine Dragon is...."

Ancestor Blano: "I know. The Divine Dragon came back to life in the Mountain of the Mortal Dragon, and there are Dragoons that have come to us.”


Ancestor Blano: “The messenger from the Crystal Palace, and the people who were fated to come here.... Our opponent is so enormous. We have to combine each of our strengths or none of us will survive. Neither the Crystal Palace nor our forest."

Dart: "You mean...."

Ancestor Blano: "Let us put the power of the Dragoons and our wisdom together.

Miranda: "You will let us borrow your Dragon Block Staff!"

Ancestor Blano: "We don't have the Dragon Buster now. So the Dragon Block Staff is our last resort.”


Ancestor Blano: “we can fight against the Divine Dragon."

Now THAT sounds like a load of crap. Lloyd was getting along just fine busting shit up with the Dragon Buster. I just don’t think the Winglies can be assed to fight through the giant mess of enemies between us and the Staff.

Miranda: "I appreciate your kindness!"

Ancestor Blano: "However, we cannot participate in the battle. We are all that remain. We cannot become extinct."

Meru: "I'm going!!"

Dart: "I know. You are a Dragoon too, Meru."

Ancestor Blano: "Go inside. I will show you the way to the Dragon Block Staff.

The gang piles into a door that opens up on the left and appears to be some sort of elevator.

Dart: "I'll meet you there, Meru."



Meru: "Yup. They are really cool! Ancestor!! I wanna go on the journey with them! And I wanna see...my mother and father anytime I want!"

Ancestor Blano: "Are you telling me to throw our commandment away? It is not the right time yet. But eventually, in the near future, the time will come when us and Humans live together. Go with them. As a Wingly, go see Humans, or better yet, the entire world. Your experience will lead us."

Oh god. Who thought giving Meru responsibility was a good idea.

Meru: "Okay! I hear ya! I'll meet you there!"

Meru heads up leaving the Ancestor alone.

Ancestor Blano: "If Meru is one leading us to the outer world.... Where are those Humans leading the world to? It must be the flow of time. Only the fates can tell."


If we talk to Blano from here he’ll send us off to Kadessa, the Imperial Capital. But we still have a bit of looking around and talking to do here first.

We head back down to the lowest level of the building and talk to more jerks.


Despite living in a ghetto for 11,000 years in terror of humans, the Winglies sure are smug.

If we head up the top of the right teleporters we go into an area with an item and weapon shop. We pick up a new hammer for Meru and could pick up a few new accessories if I wanted. Spirit Cloak gives 20 points of magic evasion, Spirit Ring raises magic defense by 30, and Magical Ring raises magic attack by 30.


We can take the right teleporter in the shop room up to a display where Meru will tell us about some Wingly religious bits.


Meru: “It’s the Archangel! It’s the guardian god of the Winglies! The Ancestor told me.”

Dart: “You say “told me,” but don’t you worship it too, Meru?”

Meru: “I dunno. I’ve never been protected. Maybe, I just don’t know though. Okay! End of tour!”

And with that she shuts the display cabinet. After that we head back down and take the left teleporter up to Guaraha’s room.


Guaraha: “Meru! I knew it! You are coming back to me!”


Guaraha: “You are humans! So, you are the “friends” of Meru!?”

I love how even her oldest friend is like “Woah, people willingly hang out with you?”

Meru: “That’s right. This is Guaraha. A friend of mine.”

Guaraha: “You said I am just your “friend”!?

Meru: “Um, we grew up together?”


Well, well. Our little wingly buddy has a few more things she never told anyone about. Also this probably makes her at least the third, possibly second oldest party member. We never get directly told how old she is, but winglies live a long ass time.

Dart: “I didn’t know you had a fiance, Meru.”

Haschel: “Hmm...there is more to you than I thought, Meru.”

Meru: “Wow! What are you talking about!?”

Guaraha: “It’s true, isn’t it?”

Miranda: “I thought she was still a kid. Hmm. It must be true that the Winglies have a long life and they are not as young as they look.”


Meru: “What are you analyzing me for!?”

Guaraha: “What kind of relationship do you have with Meru!?”

This guy sets the Endiness record in jumping to conclusions.

Dart: “Relationship? We are just friends.”

Haschel: “At first, she insisted on following us.”

Miranda: “Is that so?”

Meru: “We have no time to talk about that!”

Apparently she is fine with butting into other people’s business, but not vice versa.


Meru: “There are awful things going on outside!!”

Guaraha: “As the Ancestor told us, the Divine Dragon has come back to life, hasn’t it?”

Meru: “Why aren’t you defending the forest!?”

Guaraha: “The other day, I let you in the forest, Meru. I’m on probation now. Of course I would defend the forest if I could.”


Meru doesn’t take any bullshit like “The person that leads every Wingly known to us says not to.”

Meru: “We are going to see the Ancestor! You just stay here and be gloomy!”

Guaraha: “Meru, you have changed.”

Meru: “You can be changed too if you go outside, Guaraha.”

Meru is also anti-goon.

Guaraha: “I...There is a commandment for us Winglies. We cannot do what you want us to do, Meru.”

Meru: “Yes you can.”

Guaraha: “...”

God damn did that conversation make our ellipses and exclamation mark count go through the roof.


As our reward for putting up with Guaraha’s whiny bullshit we steal Stardust #40 off the shelf. As of right now our turn in is still in disc 2 land, so we’ll just hold off until she gets her ass and gear and follows us here. Enough random crap, gameplay awaits next time!



Bonus art! Render of our entire team in Dragoon form.