The Way Part #81 - Episode 6: Part 22: Mining Out The Truth.

Part 81: Episode 6: Part 22: Mining Out The Truth.

Episode 6: Part 22: Mining Out The Truth.

Note: I'm dating a girl

Nothing much, looks like we're going to be heading into the Lost City soon.

You are?! Be careful!
Note: I will be.

The Lost City is a dangerous place. Tread lightly, okay?
Note: I know that!

...

I haven't mentioned it, but for the entirety of this Episode, the Shadow Inn has looked like this. A Paradan church. There doesn't seem to be anything to do with it at all, not even with the guy and the bookshelf at the top left where the stairs down to the dancefloor used to be.

We finally return to the Lost City.

And go to a particular building we couldn't enter once.

The signs on the wall are just regulations according to Rhue.

............................ I'm going to quote the walkthrough here.

quote:
Then go left and open the chest there for a BLAN ROCK
(this would have been a Nova Stone if you hadn't gotten the one in Lexus's tomb).

I got the chests in Lexus' tomb and didn't get a Nova Stone!!! This is either a bug or a change Lun made at some point. A fourth notch would have been VERY handy when I spent hours grinding notch items!

Ellyvator.

Wow, it only took us 30 seconds to get down to the mines. I'm sure this area will pass quickly too.

There's switches along tracks. They change the direction they lead but only for a short time. Going up is our goal but Sacrifa and Midian throw a shitfit and say its too far to walk.

More easy fights here too. They do give assloads of AR thankfully. Not much CTP though.

Also tons of loot.

I'm getting a bad feeling about this.

YAWNING AGGRESSIVELY

Also walk into an invisible path for a while to find Midians Dual Edge and a bunch of other loot.

After exploring a bunch of dead ends for loot, the last one holds our target.

"Back when mines like these were active, it was a safety feature.
We're going to have to manually throw the switches as the cart moves down the track."

So as the cart is moving, we're going to have to run from switch to switch.

Why don't we just split up and each of us could throw a switch or two.

If we can't do it any other way, we'll do that.
But in my experience, splitting up in places like this is usually a bad idea.

You're always given the option of skipping this little game before pulling the switch. If you fuck up, you're conveniently teleported back to the switch.

You have to jump the gaps to make it on time since it's kind of speedy, though it does slow down in parts.

Then you have to race it to the last switch. It's close.

And now, I'm going to express my admiration for how everything in The Way and to do with The Way is True Art.
Jabbo Kaldra, the much beloved and fairly praised author of the walkthrough, delivers the "The Tale of Genji" moment of walkthroughs, guides, and FAQs everywhere at this point.

quote:
When you come to a stop, opt to get off. First off, I'd like to point out that this area and
the areas ahead are the best places to gain AR. So equip the AR Catalyst, if you haven't
already, and get ready to level stuff. If you plan on leveling all of the Transcendent Sword
Auras, then this is the best place (each aura will still take 80-120 battles to max out,
though).

There are a lot of battles in this area, so I'll go ahead and detail them all out.

GREEN EYE AND MESHUR
The Meshur is strong to Pandamaare and weak to Illuminati. It's strong to a lot of conditions,
including poison and prone, but it is succeptible to some things, like bleeding and confusion.

DARK SCYTH AND TWO GOBOS
Take out the Scyth first via Mince and the Dual Edge, then go for the Gobos. If you don't have
Panacea, though, you might want to start with the Gobos. Alternatives include putting the Gobos
under any condition that incapacitates them.

The walkthrough just abruptly ends here. Like Rhue, we must leave the things we cherish behind and continue into the darkest recesses of the world and our minds alone without a guide to help us on our search for The Truth.

That both the walkthrough and the game were fated to be left forever unfinished so close to their intended end is an endless delight to me. But at least The Way is intentionally unfinished.

But the short term consequences of True Art is that we must solve this next puzzle ourselves.

Like Weapon Auras, the Transcendental Auras only have 6 levels and not 7 like the Elemental ones. But they need way way way more AR. This marks all of our sword auras being on level 5 now though.

So, this puzzle is just pulling switches to ensure we go to the right place instead of looping endlessly. Thankfully, these aren't timed.

Conveniently, there's a second docking station you can walk to. There's nothing keeping you walking between the two stations, it's just convenience I guess. And all the switches are in reach from here. So that's nice too.

After a little trial and error, we get on our way again.

I'm pretty sure we can't walk out on the tracks, so lets head into that cave.

I can't get behind the counter to check those books out. Well, I could've missed something. Anyway, I leave to the right and we're on the higher cave floor surroudning the tracks now.

Ahhhh this shits still happening.

Note those strange entrances at the bottom there...

Also, we're about to have one of the single most important conservations when it comes to trying to... 'figure things out'.

MAN: I don't know. Who are you?

Adventurers.

MAN: Ah, I know what it is you seek. The swords of justice... the Illuminati.
You couldn't be more wrong guy.

MAN: They are not here. Indeed, one might suggest that they exist no longer.

What?

MAN: Actually they do exist, but they are not what they once were.

Actually, I could care less about...

Hold on Rhue, I would like to hear this man out.

Tell me, what happened to the Illuminati? And what do you know of this place?

MAN: This will take some time...
It was during the years that Janwen became a sprawling city that most note the disappearance of the Illuminati from history.
During this time, the people of the land slipped under the sway of the Lord Below. It was not long before he came to reside beneath Janwen.

The people of Janwen adored and worshipped the Lord Below. In places such as this they came to meet with his lessers and make deals.

The summoning pits are here?
Wait, -here-?

MAN: Yes, they lie through the doors behind you. I see you are somewhat familiar with the terminology.

I have studied Janwen quite extensively. Please, continue.

MAN: The influence of the Lord Below grew in the land. Innocent blood flowed.
The Illuminati slept. But then...
An impetus suddenly began rolling through the outlying lands.

The Illuminati were discovered and taken up once again. All, but one.
What happened to the one sword that didn't...?

MAN: They came to Janwen.
And when they reached the city, they descended into the Pits to find the Lord Below, through the very passages you yourself have come.
So... Estrana was built atop Janwen. It probably even resembles part of Janwen... some of the people here don't recognize the name Estrana and call the tower Phantom's Edge after all.

MAN: There, in the fiery depths of the Reaches, they faced off against the Evil One.
Surely they fought most gallantly and victory must have seemed certain. They scarred the Evil One badly that day.
Do you remember what Sacrifa told us of Venge? That he left The Reaches to avenge the scarring of his father, the Lord Below, by Illuminati wielded by Lyn?
Even though Kleunwrade writing the poem seemed to be under the impression Venge left that scar himself and came to the Middle Way seeking safe haven.

MAN: But as the Lord Below was driven back, he conjured up a great power from the multitudes under his sway.
In that desperate hour he unleashed a shockwave that decimated the auras of all living things for miles and miles around.
The Illuminati vanished. Janwen burned.
"Actually they do exist, but they are not what they once were." was what he told us earlier. And do you remember the story of the Mimic? The poem about it specifically calls it the child of Janwen's Bane. The Purpose is what was said to have destroyed Janwen... but this guy is saying...

Kava kura, are you certain of these things?!

MAN: Indeed, I am.

I hate to cut things short, but we really have a lot to do.
Wow, fuck YOU, Rhue.

MAN: Yea, I grow weary of this as well. Watch your step though, some Lessers still abide in this place.

Lastly, there's a bunch of books in this room.

"Road to the Reaches."
"The Walk of Fire."
"Maps of Janwen."
"Sacrifice and Substance."
"Sketches of the Lessers."
"Summoning Charts."
"Lessers of the Evil One."
"Aura Patterns of the Dark."
"Binding of the Lessers."
"Properties of the Spawn."
"Journal of the Depths."
"The Six Books of Blacura."
"Vision of the Age."
"The Dark Language."
"Markings of the Lessers."
"Aura Flux Meanings."

I go and investigate one of the summoning pits.

That looks like a summoning pit alright.(?)

The middle pit has collapsed but the last one...

This is a really damn long dungeon.

When we step here the ground starts shaking...

And we get a supremely uninteresting, quick and easy boss fight. I can't think of much to say except ask if this is the great beast said to be anchored to the base of the tower? It -is- called Core...

Anyway...

We come into a room that has a whole bunch of side rooms and a metal door at the top end... Ah... Let's uh... Ignore this place. Yes. Let's just pass through as quickly as possible through the room on the opposite side.

It's another Ellyvator.

You sound pretty excited there bud. What's the deal with this thing?

The "deal" is that this machine will get us to the surface in short order.

Good, I'm tired of walking.

Hold up there boy, just where on the surface does this thing go to?

To the base of the tower on the other side of the shielding aura, I would presume.

That's what I was hope'in to hear. Throw that switch Rhue!

...

Dead silence for this part...

... I'm just a little worried.

About the tower? About what's inside? We've come this far, what could possibly stop us now?

Holy shit. The first Slade dialogue box since we picked him up and he still has nothing to say.

(No one understands.)
(This whole thing... something is off... Something is wrong. But I don't know what...)
(Midian and Sacrifa seem eager enough to enter the tower... Too eager maybe...)
(What could they know that I don't? Dumb question, I know just about nothing.)
(They want to get to the top... But they've never really said why... And here I am blindly tagging along...)
(Blindly, but purposefully. I know something is...)