Part 65: Episode 6: Part 7: Then it's a date?

Episode 6: Part 7: Then it's a date?






The path leads around and downstairs...




Looting nightclubs is profitable for Midian.




Why is the elevator all red? I have no idea.


Midian loves it when your RPGMaker game dips to 5 FPS because of the lights going crazy. I can't remember if this happened when it was new, but it definitely didn't happen in Episode 4, and it's the second time now that crazy lighting has made the games lag like fuck.

It is quite active...

What does this Dyson guy look like?

He's got scraggly grey hair and is infamous for his blue sports jacket.
... Sports jacket?

Lands, it's going to be a nightmare to find him in this atmosphere.

You going to wimp out? Want to come back later when the lights are a little gentler?


Wussing out means forgoing a bonus so we shan't do that, as much as I'd love to.



If you look closely you can see us on the left. The Girl is sitting with three men. Two of the musicians and the conductor from the play.



Infact, it seems she was one of the musicians too! Also take note of that pianist.

Yea, it sucked. That's okay though, I don't care about acting.

I'm glad to hear that. The important thing is that you did what you could.

I guess.

Well, don't let me keep you.
Moving on then.



I'm a little busy right now, but maybe later.


Can you spare not a moment? Before I succumb to this stupefacient before me, I would like to give you this.
He hands over a Lyn Rock. I think Alan's grown fond of Rhue over time. Remember, he once considered Rhue his arch-nemesis, after being bested by him in Lide. I've always been fond of Alan myself, so I think it's kind of sweet.

Thanks, Alan.

Ju veloo!

...

VASHTI: That's "Scene-lang" for "You're welcome."

Scene-lang?

VASHTI: Scene-lang is a confusing exercise in memorizing certain obtuse phrases in order to be recognized as a person who is "with it".
It's drivel. I hate it. Why can't we simply speak to say what we mean?

Lu su poo, Vashti. It's great fun!

VASHTI: If you tell me to loosen up again, using that sorry excuse for a proper phrase, I will break my wine glass over your head!

Hahaha! Scene-lang is too much fun to miss!
I talk to Vashti next.



"You did well despite my earlier misgivings, and for that you shall be rewarded!"
She gives us a Heart Stone, a Blan Rock, and a Soul Rock.



I find the pianist sitting on his own, with a faceset. He didn't have one in the original release either...

...







We get foreshadowing on a rather large sidequest. Yes, we'll be plunging at the arena, alright.




MAN: I'm your man!
I can see that.

Sweet lands, I'm glad.

DYSON: What is it you need?

We're trying to find a man by the name of Jopaga. We need his help and he seems to have disappeared.

DYSON: Jopaga, yea he's a pretty cool guy. He's told me all about his research and stuff.
A while back he told me he was about to begin some serious experiments in his lab.
He gave me a key and told me to come down to visit sometime.
I was going to go about a week ago, but things have just been so hectic here at work.

Do you think we could borrow that key from you?

DYSON: Sure ku, why not?
His house is at the far end of town, just south of the Shadow Inn, if you didn't know.

Thanks.

DYSON: Ju veloo, ku! Now excuse me while I break it down!





It stops lagging immediately. This was the Test of Lag. I head over to Jopaga's hut again. On the way, a talk to a NPC that tells us yet another story of feeling like they were being watched at the concert hall while rehearsing and how they're absolutely sure it's haunted.







Oh... This is the phone code room. Can't read those books now though.


Door's still locked.



These are a non-threat.



The path to the first half of the Episode 4 version of this dungeon has collapsed.





Uhm... am I imagining things or is a door missing. Looks like we have to go the route we took in Episode 4 anyway.





Except while the second cave area is exactly the same still... it... leads us somewhere completely different.



Remember when a Spanza was the boss of the Mine section? Well now this thing has less HP but its even faster, hits harder and can confuse. Kinda dangerous.



We come to a rather simple and easy puzzle.



Which has about five of these fights? These battles are incredibly brutal, I nearly lost twice, and actually did game over once due to exceptionally bad luck on them spamming charge and stunning everyone repeatedly and preventing heals.







That's Rapture maxed. It leveled up twice in the forest and I forgot to mention the second time.


I switch to this and it also levels up after I finish up the Spanza fights.




So there's four switches and they each raise a set of spikes and open one door on the south side of the room.


Luckily Rhue can jump gaps.



And then we repeat on the other side of the room...






Hatassasar next!


The two south switches open doors leading to two more switches.



Pulling those two opens the main door.

Then you just need to pull one of the first two switches so you can get back to the bottom level.



Spike trap. It goes back and forth in 3x3 squares at a time. If you get spiked, you start at the beginning again. How do you get by if it goes back and forth? Well, the spikes have a slight delay after they go down and pop out at the next area.

The real trap is that out of sight there's a second set of moving spikes with no completely safe space.







Then something drops from the ceiling.


Jopaga?!!?!? Anyway, this is an easy as hell fight not really worth discussing much.



...

Go ahead, make it flow, red from my body! Killing me will do you no good! Only I know the secrets!

Relax, we haven't come here to steal from you or kill you.

...

We've come because we need your help.

Help... my help? I'm a busy man! Why should I help the likes of you?
Are we just ignoring that this guy was like a fucking werewolf or something a moment ago?

Why else would we let you live?

Enough of that, we're not murderers!

We don't have to be to make threats.

Jopaga, you act like you don't know any of us.

Ah, yes. I do know you. Sacrifa. Midian. But this other I have no recollection of.
We all know how he probably knows Sacrifa but... Midian?

(He doesn't remember me? That's probably a good thing...)

We're having trouble with a certain aura. You know a little about auras don't you?

What are you talking about?! Do I know a little?! Auras are my life's work, you fool!
I'm the foremost authority on the subject!!!

Good, then I suppose you know about the aura that radiates around the Arm of Estrana.
Or The Phantom's Edge as some people seem to know it as.

Of course I know of it! It's a magnificent aura! I've been studying it for quite some time.

Do you know of any way to get by it?

... No. That aura is very different than most.

What do you mean?

The defensive aura around the Phantom's Edge has six or more flows.

Six flows? I didn't know that was possible...

Yes, many aren't aware that the "auras" they use are just fragmented pieces of complete auras.
So as Traziun implied way back at the start of Episode 2, everyone uses aura's in their swords. Or pieces of them as we've just found out.

Fragmented pieces?

Most swords cannot grasp all the aspects of a complete aura.
Quite simply, no one has ever decised or found an alloy capable of such a feat.
Therefore, only a few parts of a complete aura are "broken" off and actually absorbed by common swords and other conductors.

But you're saying that the aura around the Phantom's Edge is complete?

I believe so... but it's stange... I only know of one thing that could possible project such a powerful aura...

What would that be?

A Shadow Sword.
They are the only thing I'm aware of that has the ability to absorb and project complete auras.
I believe it is this ability which makes them so powerful.

So you think a Shadow Sword is putting off that aura?

I don't know. I just know that the properties are very similiar (SIC).

So what can we do to get past it?

I need to know more about Shadow Swords.
If I understood them better it would help me to devise a way through that shielding aura.

Wonderful, where are we going to find information like that?

We're going to have to ask around.

The House of Pnoe is a good place to start...

I agree.

Come back after you've found something.


A storeroom off the lab as this spiral symbol on the wall. Rhue says he doesn't know what it is. Anywhere, there's a new teleporter in the corner back to Jopaga's house, so that's nice.
Then we head right for the House of Pnoe.



...



Looks like you're in luck then.
See the woman with the red hair over there?



She's also the woman I pointed out as leaving the Shadow Inn the first time Rhue met Midian in The City.

The redhead looks over and notices us and looks shocked, and runs into the storeroom.



I don't know, that's a storage room!

We'll check it out.





Calm down, no need for such language. Surely there is an explanation for this conundrum.
Calm down granpa its just words

That baby went bye bye...
He really says this.

That's one way of putting it.

But how did she do it...?



"It doesn't take a genius to realize that this marking on the wall might have something to do with it."

...


Why, did that woman use it?

Yes, so you do know something about it?

Sure do, but I don't know a lot. Castor tried blocking it off, but everything we put in front of it got destroyed.

Eventually we just left it alone. Nothing has been stolen or damaged since, so Castor decided not to bother with it anymore.
He still worried about it, though. I hate to see him stressing about it.

That's why I've been looking into this little problem myself!

And?

And I found out that people "in the know" call that marking a "portal".
I also found out that a special item, usually a specially crafted stone, is needed to use portals.
Word is that there are several different portals around the City. Not all of them can be activated by the same item though.

Wow, you're pretty good at gathering information!
Do you know where such an item might be found?

Funny you should ask. I'm going to a dinner party at a famous collectors house tonight.
If one of you would like to be my escort for the night you can come along.







That's not too bad now is it?

Grandpa? I'm not THAT old. Goodness.

I actually feel more sorry for her. She'll look like a gold digging tramp.

Huh?!

Heheheh.

You're laughing? That's not funny! That's terrible!

Sorry, heh.

I don't want people to think that about me.

If you're so concerned about appearances then maybe you'd better go with Rhue.

Oh, that was real smooth. Just pass it off to me, huh? What about you?

I'm not very popular among the upper class. I'll leave it at that.
Besides, you'll get more respect since you acted in that show.

That's a good point.

Flaming fires of Janwen...

Do you have to say that in front of the lady...?

Why not? Is that bad?

Well...

Just wondering, 'cause I hear it all the time in here. Still don't know what it means though.
One of the stranger things about this character is her not seeming to recognise the name Estrana and the curse pretty much everyone uses... I and... everyone are honestly still not sure why. There's ideas but...

Nevermind, it's nothing. Um, Rhue, is there something you want to say?

...

...

Oh... right...

Well?


That's not how it goes! You're supposed to ask if I would allow you the honor of accompanying me to the dinner party first!

I thought we had already decided on that.

What do you mean? No one asked yet.

But didn't you offer?

I suppose.

Good, I accept.
Gahahahaaha

Now, what time should I be at your place?


This is the face of a woman realising how much her date is going to suck.

Anyway, next time, Rhue goes on a fancy date!

the end