Part 80: Episode 6: Part 21: Shadow Swords.

Episode 6: Part 21: Shadow Swords.


This painting has no description but is almost certainly for the falling through rings minigame. Why that deserves a painting, I have no idea.



That's for roleplaying Kura in Kavax's little grudge match.


And the barrucha cavern. You also may have noticed the new door.



Here's Midian's ultimate Blade.

I didn't talk about the Supreme Blade. It has the same attack power as the Wave Blade (IE. 0 boost to Midians attack power), but it has all but the Trascendental attributes and sub-attributes attached, making it great for getting around resistances. Also it hits everything like the Wave Blade, and costs 1 XL to attack.

The Twilight Blade increases Midian's attack by 20, and has the same attributes and XL cost as the Supreme Blade... but it DOUBLE HITS, which causes Midian's damage output to overtake even Lexus' monstrously high stats.



Meanwhile the power of Sacrifa being able to boost our defenses against everything except Weapon auras isn't to be understated.

Now, the main story!





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tt31v6WIutk





We're so strong now we can just mindlessly spam attack on all the encounters here. But that'd take too long.



And here we can see the beginning of the path that lead to Lexus.



Yawn.



There's a bunch of doors locked from the inside here. You can see chests behind some of them too.



Teleporters take us to a couple different areas. They could actually be thought more as different floors despite being on one map.







And a few doors are locked by coloured locks.


This is the closest thing to a dangerous mook fight here and only cos the Sloms have a hit all attack that can stun.


Oh, Lun...











So on the highest floor we find a way to jump down behind one of the locked doors.



Use the Green key here...






















You get the idea, I hope.





The last fall is the longest by far, as we fall to a completely new area.







There she is!


Wagh!


Something the game didn't tell us is that Midian learnt Apocalypse. Anyway, this boss is an absolute cinch at this point. The worst thing he can do is blind everyone. Besides that, it's like fighting a very durable mook.

When we win the fight, the music stops.


The woman backs away as we approach.



She never had a faceset before. She's never had a name either. This whole sequence, she's just referred to as Lady in the script.

What?

Is it..."you"?

What do you mean?

Of course you aren't him... it doesn't matter what your face looks like.
Just kill me. I'm not afraid anymore. I've been afraid for too long.

I don't know what you're talking about. I've killed before, but I'm not here to kill you. And I don't know why you would think that.
I came after you because I was hoping you could tell me everything you know about Shadow Swords.

... You are strange...

...

Always changing... You're not going to hurt me?

I won't hurt you.

All right.



https://youtu.be/CeBD4ZrJf8E
An original track by Lun. No one had uploaded it anywhere, and I decided to do it for this specific track, because it's a real moodsetter. Also the name of it...
Despite its name this is the only time in the series it has been used thus far, maybe even the only time ever, I think.



"I would guess that it has been in his possession for the last few hundred years."

What?!

I don't think so...

Yes, it sounds impossible doesn't it? But that's the first thing you should know about Shadow Swords.
Those who possess them do not age physically.

They don't grow old?

Not a day. They stay as they are while they continue to possess the Shadow Sword.

Are you saying that they are immortal?

Not quite. They can still be killed... but not easily.

What makes them so flaming powerful?

Shadow Swords can absorb auras like nothing else on the Way.
Full, powerful auras that give the wielder of the sword incredible abilities.

Where do they get these auras?

By killing wanderers. Wanderers are the most abundant and easily accessed source of auras.

And the more people the Shadow Sword kills, the more powerful it becomes?

Actually, it doesn't even have to be used to kill. It merely has to be near as death takes hold.

How near?

I don't know. But I've heard that Shadow Swords often "prefer" certain victims to others...
Sometimes they like to be used to kill, but other times they don't.

Picky swords? Sounds like crap.

I'm just telling you what I know.

How many auras can a Shadow Sword absorb? Could it become infinitely powerful?

That's a very good question with a very interesting answer.

Shadow Swords strongly bind themselves to the natural, or as some say, the original aura, of the one who possesses them.
The bonds become stronger and more intertwined the longer they remain.
However, as the sword absorbs other auras, it binds itself to them as well.
These connections are very weak compared to the connections made with the original aura, but as more and more of them are made, the original/dominant aura's power begins to erode.
After a certain limit the original aura's bonds to its soul and body are suddenly snapped and the other auras rush into the opening.
The soul and body desperately begin to form new connections with the chaotic mass of invading auras which ends up driving the wielder into a state of multiple personality, suicidal madness.
It's only a matter of time after this occurs that the wielder then kills themself, dispersing the auras and destroying the connections made to them by the Shadow Sword.

Lands, that's freaky.

How many people know this?

Very few, but the man I mentioned knew about it long before it ever had a chance to happen to him.
He spent decades researching and examining the problem trying to find some solution.
To a degree, he even succeeded in doing so...
Kalmar. She's talking about Kalmar and Ghost Horror, in all likelihood... And she is almost certainly Traziun's mother.



Where is this guy anyway?

Don't ask me. I do know that if you did find him, he wouldn't talk to you. He would only destroy you.

Do you know of the aura that surrounds the Phantom's Edge?

Yes.

Is it being generated by a Shadow Sword?

It might be, but it could also be generated artificially by some other means. Nothing is certain...

What we really want to know is whether you know a way to get through it, or around it.

You're trying to get to the tower?

Yes.

Why? Don't you know of the dark horrors that abide there?

Flaming fires, how would you know? No one has ever been inside!
There could be a big fat rat in there, dressed in a clown suit, juggling a dozen kiwis while wearing a blindfold...

You never know.

That's a very creative notion, Midian.





Even when you are indoors you can sense it brooding over you.
And while it seems to rot just like all the other buildings, it somehow manages to stand in place day after day.
It's not to be meddled with.

But it must be meddled with.
Wow GREAT argument.

I believe in my heart that the truth of many things is cradled at the apex of the Phantom's Edge, in that single solitary cell.
Sacrifa finally lets slip that it's not just about escaping The City for him.

What truth is this?

I cannot even begin to explain.

We may not be as different as I thought, Sacrifa.
And Midian lets it slip that he's not just tagging along for the sake of it, despite presenting it like that...

Please, if you know a way past that shielding aura, we would sincerely appreciate your help.

... You won't be persuaded otherwise?

I'm afraid for you, but I will give you what you need.


Now listen carefully.
There is a door in the Lost City that can only be opened with this key.
That door leads to an old mining facility whose shafts reach deep into the Pits.
You should be able to go under the shielding aura if you go deep enough.
Be careful though, for many dark things lurk in the deepest depths of the Pits.
Some even tell of a great beast that is anchored to the base of the tower, tens of thousands of steps below the surface.

Sounds like hell. We'd better pack a lunch.

(Wonderful...)
And with that, we abruptly find ourselves back in the House of Pnoe storeroom. Looks like we learned a lot though and we have our way to the tower. Through the blackest reaches of the Pits.

the end