Part 40: Episode 4: Part 12: *Blush!*

Episode 4: Part 12: *BLUSH*



It's all right. I understand. That's just how things go sometimes.
You're an incredibly lucky boy Rhue... likely she thinks something came up with the Arastotzi.



I go for the obvious +1 Lexus point of course.



Do you have any messages you want me to deliver to him?

Nah, I just talked to him recently.
Can't help but feel this exchange is here to rub in how much of a thoughtless jackass Rhue is.

All right then, I'll just have to make something up then.

Why would you do that?

To throw him off his game. Rhue, it's almost always best to attack the mind before the body.
If you can get in someone's head then you've already won.
I'll be back shortly.



A little hazy, but not too bad really.
I could sure go for a healing cloth right about now though.

I'll get one for you if you tell me where to look.

I think we could find one in another room. This room is fresh out.

Okay, wait here and I'll go look.

It's all right, I can walk. I'll go with you.
Yeah I wouldn't let this guy out of my sights either at this point girl, likely while looking for the healing cloth he'd stumble onto some nasty plot and never come back.

So, we head out into the hall...



We can't go out into the arena due to the ongoing plunge (where we can hear cheering coming from occassionally) and some of the doors are locked...



For some reason one of the ready rooms has the beginnings of storage complex in it.



The storage room has three items for us to steal...



Including our second mend stone! Woo! No healing cloths though...

It also has stairs down, so down we go.





HOLY FUCK! Where'd you get all that HP????



...

... After a couple turns we get this exchange.



Uh, it's actually pretty common around these parts! Nothing really special!

Let's just concentrate on the this Blood Lyn now, ok?

So, the 'Young Blood Lyn' is an easy foe, but one with tons of HP. After a couple more turns he dies.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ze5BfLk0J8



(That sounded like Kloe's voice!)
Then we better get our asses moving.

In the next room...





Wonderful...









Slade's improved his healing abilities. He's still basically a strong fighter with a focus on restorative XLIFES.... His HP isn't as high as Lexus'.
Anyway, another short simple fight.

The music that plays afterwards is one of the tracks no one was ever able to identify the original source of, but its not a particularly good sort of eerie theme.



...

...

Rhue, you should know you're (SIC) match against Hadar, the Guided rep has been canceled(SIC). He isn't feeling too well, so he's already forfeited the match.

Thanks for that bit of information, is that the ONLY reason you're down here?

The only reason I'm down here is because it sounded like there was trouble.
The Blood Lyn are a threat to the Council so I will proceed to investigate this matter.

(Yea, right...)

(Lexus sure seems hostile towards Slade. I wonder why.)

I'm concerned about their presence here as well.
And I think they've got Kloe. She's...



Here's the chance to get between +2 to +0 Kloe points. I go for the +2 naturally.

Then let's go help her. Maybe she knows what these Blood Lyn are doing here.

Will you be joing(SIC) us Slade?

I usually prefer to work alone, but I can't have you messing things up, so yes.

Fine.
Fine! Let's move on, down more stairs, after we loot those chests for a heart stone and another Lyn Rock (!).







We fight our way through Blood Lyn in this.... sewer? What is this?



Don't know if it was the first or second Lyn Rock that caused us to hit Portalyn Classification but there it is.



Slade's a killjoy and wont let us pull these switches. Rhue seems to think it'd be fun for some reason.



We fight out way down the other side and then into another very similar room.



This time we have to set the switches like this to open that door there.







Huh! There sure is a lot of caverns under this city. Then again, it definitely seems like the stories about the Lower Way are meant to be true. Who knows if the Higher Way stories are.





woo. The Activate skills are useful cos they let you switch to the given aura mid battle. Dunno which aura gets the AR in that case though.



So there's a fork here, both paths lead to treasure and the right one has a branch that leads to plot to boot.




Nice. Time to pick a new Oneness pattern to max out. Which reminds me, I forgot to show the two new ones we got from Cade.





I decide to max out Mental Flow first though, since it has a huge Will Boost for its third level flow.



Treasure overlooking the critical path...




Man, Lyn give a ton of CTP and AR!!







The walkthrough has an interesting note about this annoyingly hidden chest.

(You'll receive the Fenshu Blade Art instead if you skipped the Running from the Blood Lyn game)

Usually..... you put things like this.... in really obvious places. Not super well hidden like this. What the FUCK Lun?



This guy just paces back and forth really quickly. It's possible to get by him without fighting. Which I did accidentally, while trying to fight him. Lol.







It's just another normal lyn fight but the stars align to allow me to use Slades Outerdarkness right when the fight is almost won. In addition to 12 XL also costs Slade 10 hp, presumably to ensure he cant spam it again.
Man, Rhue's Hurricane Blade costs 7 XL, hits everyone for slightly less damage and inflicts prone and DOESNT need full HP to use. What the FUCK.



woo



Just another easy fight against young and regular Blood Lyn.



BLOOD LYN: The girl has been sentenced to death by the Blana Sera.
Do not interfere in this affair any further or your fate shall be the same.

What is her crime?
BLOOD LYN: It is no one's place to question the ruling of the Blana Sera.

Sorry, but I'm questioning it. I won't be a dog led on a leash like you.
BLOOD LYN: Die then.



So, our first Veteran and Elite Blood Lyn. They're not tooooo strong. But if you try to prioritise them over the regular blood lyn, the amount of damage they do might overwhelm you. You're better off picking them off weakest to strongest.
I lost my first attempt at this fight because I was trying to show off Slades new aura mechanic.



So, Slade can shift to a couple different auras that give him different moves. If you shift to Loner, you can then shift to Self Righteous.



I didn't show off the other path but uh... This mechanic is completely useless. It's unneeded in the regular fights and they're not long enough, while using it in this boss fight means Slades not healing, whcih could very well equal game over.
... Thanks Lun! Anyway, with Rhue's hurricane blade and Slade healing the fight is a breeze if you focus fire that Regular Blood Lyn down quickly.



We hurry on into the final room.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUawCrHH2cw
Curiously, Lun uses Lexus' theme here.





I think so.

Good. I was a little... worried.

...

(This is pathetic.)
lol.

Kloe, why do they want you dead? What did you do? I just don't get it.

...

I don't know!

(The Blood Lyn always have a reason. The same reason everytime. It's just because the Blana Sera said so.)

Rhue, they didn't come here just for me.
They've got a larger prey in mind.

What do you mean?

They're after... Traziun.
I think they're planning to kill him after he wins the tournament. During his coronation.

How can they be so sure that he'll win? And why would they want to kill him so badly?

...

You know something about it. Tell me.

... No, Traziun is the only one who would know for sure. You'll have to ask him yourself.



????

Okay, I understand.

See you later then.



...
Lexus stares down Slade for a moment and then leaves. Slade follows.





Lmfao. COME ON Rhue. Jesus Christ.



That blush looks awful.

Just get me out of here!
All right.

And we fade out...

Microcline" post="495157322 posted:

The Way reminded me a lot of the RPGs of the PSX era. One such way is how like FFVII and Xenogears it explores the implications of JRPG conventions on the characters and setting.

The Way is a place where everyone is expected to deal with violence and reject permanent material or societal ties. And in this murderhobo (JRPG protagonist) civilization Rhue is perhaps the most nonchalant towards violence and the most detached in favor of the higher purpose of finding Serena.

Normally in this type of alien world we'd be given a viewpoint character who's closer to us like Tidus in FFX, but we're following Rhue instead of someone like Traizun or Khloe.

the end