Part 55: Update XLII - Actual Main Quest Progress Sighted

Update XLII - Actual Main Quest Progress Sighted



♪ BGM: Genos - field7.mid ♫

Alright, let's jump right in. We're going to be doing some more quests because hey, why not, we're officially leveling now, might as well get the train rolling.

No, but we have an order for you.
And that would be...?
A painting of a giant heart with writing saying: "You are my one and only".
Seriously?
Seriously.
All right, normally, I don't paint such cheesy garbage, but since I am currently a little short on money, I'm going to make an exception for you today. That will be 500 Filar.
Here.
Good, thank you. But unfortunately, I just remembered that I don't have enough red paint for this painting.
Red paint? Oh, that's no problem at all. Here, please take this.
What's this? Hmmm, pretty inviscid, this paint, but it will do. Okay, this will take a while. Where do you want me to send it when it's finished?
To the Aldaines' castle.
Very well.
Ronak will take the delivery, I'm sure.

Kelven then walks away.

You didn't give him...
Hehe, yes, I did. At least the picture is going to be authentic in terms of color.
You are really disgusting.
I do what I can.



♪ BGM: Mirana - Stadt11.mid ♫

Next stop, Mirana.

We completed the delivery for Lisa.
Very good, then give me the 1000 Filar.
Here's the money.
Thanks.
We delivered the bread baskets to that Raine.
Very good, then give me the 1500 Filar.
Here's the money.
Thanks.
We've delivered everything to Derbor.
Very good, then give me the 5000 Filar.
Here's the money.
Thanks.

Can you tell this is modular and made to display only those that you've already done and was probably done with copy and paste?

Ah, excellent, with that, you have completed all the deliveries. Thank you very much. Maybe this map will be helpful to you. One customer was unable to pay, and gave it to me in order to pay for his debt. In addition, I also received these strange things.
Fire Rune received! Blood Rune received! Status Rune received! Map 21 received!
Can you find any use for these?
Oh, yes, thank you!
No, I am the one who has to thank you. But now, I have to get back to work...
Just one more question.
Yes?
What is so special about your bread? Everyone raves about it. And they pay huge amounts of money for it.
Um, well, I am a very good baker, after all. But now, please let me get back to work!

Druuuuuuuuuuuugs. Did I say drugs yet? Because it's drugs.

9900 Experience Points gained!



♪ BGM: Asgar's Castle - blood009.mid ♫

Good.



Well, I wouldn't say that...
Oh, you are just a philistine.
Heart Painting obtained!

We'll be delivering that soon.



♪ BGM: Jhalum - IceWasteland.mid ♫

But first, returning a hair clip.

Yes, here it is.
Ah, finally. There it is! Thanks.
It's all right, we help where we can.
I don't have much I can give you, unfortunately. But perhaps this information that my dad told me might help you. He said there supposedly is a strange shrine on a small island southeast from Castle Zharas. My dad wanted to go with me there once, but sadly, he's too busy at the moment.
Thank you, that really might be useful.

Nah, not really, since we get more accurate information from torturing that Elras mage.

2178 Experience Points gained!

I like this part more. Now, let's deliver that painting.



Yes, here it is!
Perfect! Thank you so much!
I'm glad you like it.
How much money did it cost?
1) 500 Filar. - 2) 4000 Filar. (Lie) - 3) 10000 Filar. (Lie)

We can get the first level lie, but the second one is beyond us, sadly.

4000 Filar? Oh, then I still owe you 3400 Filar.
3400 Filar received!
And take this as a thank you...
8 Ice Salts received! Ice Rune received!
With this, I am well prepared for our wedding anniversary... even if it was pretty damn expensive. But my husband is worth all of it!
7128 Experience Points gained!

Now, on to the next city!



♪ BGM: Mesdor - cairiel.mid ♫

Yes, we have.
You really have? Tell me, how?
Well, you have to brew her a tea with Xamos roots and Black Berries, and then give it to her three times a day.
Hmmm, I could definitely try that. Where did you find out about that?
1) From a medical book. - 2) From a doctor. (Lie) - 3) From the Clan's healers. (Lie)
Ah, very nice. Thank you for taking the additional time to consult another doctor. Take this as a token of my gratitude...
3 Life Ankhs received! Ankh of Regeneration received! Light Rune received! 11880 Experience Points gained!

So the rewards here are as follows:

- Option 1: Gives you 1 Light Rune, 1 Life Ankh, 1 Ankh of Regeneration.
- Option 2: Requires 1 skill point in lying, gives you 1 Light Rune, 3 Life Ankhs, 1 Ankh of Regeneration.
- Option 3: Requires 3 skill points in lying, gives you 1 Light Rune, 3 Life Ankhs, 1 Ankh of Regeneration, 1 Blood Rune.
- Fail the lie: Gives you 1 Light Rune, 1 Life Ankh.

Now, what does the Ankh of Regeneration do? Well, it's useless, and in fact actively negative. Why? Well, turns out that Marlex screwed up here. The item is supposed to inflict the third level regeneration status on a single ally. Instead, it removes that status from a single ally, meaning that it doesn't do a fucking thing to help you. Welp, it doesn't matter, I'm selling it regardless.

Next stop, Ghardon.



♪ BGM: Ghardon - a_taste_of_honey.mid ♫

Is the recipe for the desert bug meal among them?
Yes, it says you have to baste the desert bug with plenty of thistle juice.
Well, that's something! With this, we can return to Erena!

Let's do that!



♪ BGM: Erena - Erena.mid ♫

Yes, before you start to fry the desert bug, you have to baste it in plenty of thistle juice.
Thistle juice? I should have guessed as much! THANK YOU! You have saved the feast of the blessing! Here, take this...
1000 Filar received! Light Rune received!
I was already so desperate that I wanted to use these for cooking. But you are my saviors! Where did you find the recipe?
1) It was written in a book. - 2) We bought it. (Lie)

We have the lie power necessary for it, so let's get some extra stuff.

You have paid money for the recipe? Oh, that makes me owe you even more! Unfortunately, I am too poor to pay you back the Filar that you paid, but please take these as compensation...
Ankh of the Desert received! Healing Elixir received! Regeneration Potion received!
Thanks.
May it be of use to you.
That it will.
5148 Experience Points gained!



So this is one of the many items that protect against certain status effects that we will find. As of this writing, I'm currently tending towards keeping them for specific bosses, though I might just sell them at some point. We'll see.



♪ BGM: A Truth Revealed - WraithTouch.mid ♫

Anyway, now it's time for the main event of the update - we're finally going to advance the main plot again! Time to visit Asran and check it, as well as Vincent Weynard's dungeon, out.



♪ BGM: Asran - calmness.mid ♫



As we saw to some degree the last time we dropped by to pick up Mandrake, Asran has definitely seen better times. Nonetheless, we still have places to explore and things to find here.



Hey, this might become my new favorite motto!



We get to fight some feral dog that really likes to inflict Bleeding on us. However, it's not a big problem beyond that.



Married At 12 Years Age".
Hm, it seems someone with serious relationship problems was living here...



We also get to fight these tentacle things that can attack or try to inflict Sleep on the entire party...



...and these ogres that can either attack or reduce a party member's Attack stat. Neither are major problems thanks to us being about level 15 because of the side quest XP.



Recipe 8 obtained!

This gives us a recipe for the spell "Great Intelligence", which boosts party Intelligence and heals Confusion. However, it's a four rune spell and will take some time until we can learn it.



story of a little thief who finds a powerful dagger, and who then proceeds to assassinate everything that crosses his path.
Pfff, thieves are just too unreliable these days.

Speaking from experience, eh?



Sometimes I just wonder how Marlex came up with all this shit.



My goodness, you're intolerant!



Sometimes, I really wonder how you can earn money with stuff like this...



Ah, yes, the alternate universe where Max and Moritz turn out to be Satanists.



"Paper Is Also Edible".
Hey, the last one is missing its corner!



Weird would be more like it...



Sounds like a solid find of good literature.



No, I think that book is overrated.



Bah.



10 Elras end up taking out 17 mercenaries.

Mercenaries Lost To Global Domination: 458 + 17 = 475

With that damage done, let's head right back to Asgar's castle and restock.



♪ BGM: Asgar's Castle - blood009.mid ♫

That mercenary price is going up, up, UP!



So 50 mercs end up running us 14000 Filar instead of 5000 like they used to.

Ongoing Costs: 91100 + 14000 = 105100 Filar

We've already broken the 100k barrier. I wonder how high that number will go. Anyway, back to Asran.



♪ BGM: Asran - calmness.mid ♫

and "Lucky At Love, Unlucky At War".



Well, the last thing a human realizes is that they are only number two on the food chain.



Ah, a childrens' book.

Next, we make a bit of a detour...



♪ BGM: Syrahs - field4.mid ♫

We're about to head into Weynard's dungeon, so I figure it's about as good a time as any to upgrade our gear. Since we haven't upgraded in a while, the gear we get actually is a decent boost from what we previously had - the shields go from adding 4 Defense to adding 12 Defense, the armor goes from 7 to 19, the helmets from 4 to 10, and the weapons go from single digit numbers to the mid teens. All very welcome.



♪ BGM: Asran - calmness.mid ♫

And back to Asran.



Thanks. I do what I can.



♪ BGM: Asran Dungeons - Catacomb.mid ♫

So, this brings us into Vincent Weynard's dungeon. However, it seems like our trip won't be going for too long...



It seems we can't go any further here. And what now?
Very simple. We listen to that Jinnai and get ourselves someone for the torture chamber!
Hmmm, it would seem that that's the only thing we can do right now.
...
What's wrong, Valnar?
...
Valnar!?



FLASHBACK TIME



We get to see Weynard walking down the hallway and opening a secret passage, then flash forward again.



You should read his mind more often, Alaine.
...
It's not our fault you can't read our minds! Oh, well, what else can you expect from a vampire of the third generation?
Stop reading my mind!
Pfff, you don't actually thing that's going to happen, right!? You are a danger to us.
So what's going on?
Just ask Asgar, the little mind spy...
Our little Valnar had some kind of vision of Vincent Weynard. Very suspicious.
What is that supposed to mean?
That you're going insane. That's what it is supposed to mean.
Would you finally stop arguing already? What kind of vision did you have?
There is a secret entrance here.
Then we should use it!
We should keep an eye on him, Alaine... I have no desire to get stabbed by him at some point because he went mad...
The only mad one here is you, Asgar!
God damn it. Just behave already, you two. Let's get to the secret entrance!

Alright, let's check that out.





We're about to find out.



And this passage then brings us to a different part of the dungeon.



This dungeon isn't all that exciting. Not too much to deal with, just some enemies.



The enemies are an assorted group of ghosts. We have these here, and one other variant that has a bit of a different color. They can both inflict Confusion on a single party member, this one can use a weaker shadow spell that can inflict Blind on the entire party, the other one can use a slightly stronger shadow spell that doesn't inflict anything. Wooo, variety!



Upon heading to this altar area, it's time for more weird visions!







Ah, thank you, Alaine. With this, I can complete the healing potion. The people in Asran need my healing skills. As a priest, I have an important position, after all.
We are all grateful that you are here.
And I am grateful to have such a capable assistant. Without you, my work here would be much more difficult.
Thank you! Were you able to make sense of the book?

And back to reality.



I had forgotten everything... I can't remember anything that came before Vincent had put a curse on me...
Perhaps we can find out even more if we take a look around. It seems this place intensifies Valnar's hallucinations.
This scares me...



So here's something really weird. These stairs are event driven so that the party can walk up them diagonally, giving a sort of strange impression of a second level below the "main" level of sorts. This isn't something that RPG Maker is capable of by default with its top-down perspective. Not sure why exactly Marlex did it, but hey, why not. Now, on to the next floor.





Nothing much different going on here.





We find a new item here - we keep picking up more of these status effect resistance items over time. Man, why can't we just find a Ribbon equivalent? Anyway, that's about it for this level, on to the next.





Again, just another floor. In fact, it's so "just another floor" that nothing notable happens on it at all. We just fight some enemies, get some generic items like a Eternity Potion and some Filar, and head to the next level.





Now this one is a bit more interesting. Those of you that have read the LP of the first game (which should be all of you, right?) should recognize this as the final area of Weynard's dungeon from there. So essentially, by using this secret passage, we've avoided a whole bunch of endgame enemies, puzzles, and bullshit teleporter mazes. That's a plus in my book.



Definitely magical flames.
Do you still remember this place?
How could I forget this? This is where we found the book. And this is where we killed Vincent Weynard. The first vampire.
And this is where Asgar went insane!
Yes, I admit I did not have myself under control...
That seems to happen quite regularly with you...
Hey, I didn't change the world! It was those Shadow Wraiths of the Elras.
But when you saw that book, there was no Shadow Wraith involved!
...



Well, I guess Vincent took this secret with him into the grave...

Hm, seems like there's something missing here. Like a magical floating orb that allows you to set which ending you're going to get. I wonder where that went.



Where did he get the book from? And what was the purpose of him creating and then hunting all the vampires?
He claimed he wanted to become high priest. And he did accomplish that.
You think that's the reason? To go through the trouble of creating hundreds of vampires, and then go off to cut off one head after another just to become high priest? Becoming high priest isn't quite exactly something you would expend so much effort for...
Hm, you've got a point there.
Alaine, there are thousands of thoughts rushing through my head again...

Time for some more visions!



Why? Am I not good enough for her? Damn it, am I not GOOD ENOUGH!? She will pay for that. No one rejects my love. Oh, yes, she will beg me... one of these spells just has to make her submit to me...

Scene transition.



reciprocate your love... I don't want to have the feeling that I'm hurting you with my presence...
Oh, Alaine... I will open your eyes...

Scene transition.



SOR KAL NUMAR ESDOS!





And then we transition back to our intrepid party.



The thoughts are gone...
Well, Alaine. If you hadn't rejected Vincent's love back then, you wouldn't have ended up cursed in Shannar...
Your thoughts are nauseating me, Valnar...
It seems like we still don't know several things.

Serious question: Up to this point, what exactly have we learned that we didn't know from the first game? Like, the one thing that hadn't really already been established is that the gargoyles we fought in the first game were made with an Elras spell, but really, that could be inferred. Bah, whatever. This is the important part, anyway.

Well, but we can't ask Vincent himself anymore...
But why not?
He's rotting nicely in the Crimson Realm. I was there, too. A disgusting place. Never-ending agony. For all eternity.
Apparently, that eternity wasn't quite as eternal after all...
Do you want to tease me, worm?
I need to speak with him! I need to find out everything. What kind of life did I have? WHO was I before I was cursed? Before I became a vampire...
You don't actually want to revive him, do you? From the Crimson Realm? One of them is more than enough...
...
Well, maybe we don't have to revive HIM...
You can't be serious...
Alaine! Be reasonable! You can't go there! It's way too dangerous... what if we won't be able to revive you? You would be suffering agony for all eternity in the Crimson Realm...
I NEED to talk to him! And why wouldn't it work, anyway? I am a vampire of the first generation. I am stronger than all other vampires. And anyway, that wouldn't be the first time.
But you were DEAD back then. As dead as a human can be! Only because of the revival, you became a vampire in the first place!
I am strong enough to endure it!
All right, since you are so stubborn, apparently.
But aren't strong Blood Spirits capable of materializing in the real world?
Yes, but how does that help us? We don't know if and where Vincent materializes.
Hm, you're right. That doesn't help us, either. Searching for him would probably be impossible.
Then we will also need the blood of a human that slept with a vampire.
What about my blood?
Useless. You have been a vampire for far too long already. But you being a vampire was one of the reasons why your beloved Aysha went crazy back then when we tried the spell on her.
I thought it was because she wasn't even really dead!?
Well, maybe that, too. But we don't want to risk it with Alaine; after all, we don't want her to go crazy, too, after we revive her.
Well, at least, you've been thinking things through for a change, Asgar!
Your well-being is very important to me, after all...
...
All right, so where are we going to find such a human now? There aren't exactly that many vampires left in this world.
It looks like one of us has to...
NO WAY!
All right. Even though it disgusts me, I have to find out what kind of person I was, and what the matter with Vincent was about. I'll do it!
Gross...
Alaine, I love you! But this is madness! What kind of sacrifice are you making? I can't allow it!
Then you should do it!
It's all right, Valnar. It's worth the sacrifice. Let me do it...
No. If I can save your life this way, then I'll do it.
Hehehehe... very well. Now, all we need is a suitable victim.
Well, surely there must be a brothel somewhere in some town, even in this world... that's where we should be able to find an eligible lady.
Let's ask Ronak, since he's been getting around this world to some degree.
In a circus...
So what? Getting around means getting around.
Then let's ask him.

Alright, so that was a lot to take in. I have a few things that come to mind now.

- Why exactly is "boning a human" considered to be this massive sacrifice? Seems like it's kind of overshadowing the whole "kill yourself and send yourself to the world of infinite agony" part, which seems to be a much larger sacrifice to me compared to a little of the old in-out, in-out. But I'm not a vampire, so I guess I can't understand their moral system or lack thereof.

- This is quite the character shift for Alaine. All this time, she's been the reasonable one of the group, bringing Asgar and Valnar back in line when they wanted to go and do some stupid shit. Now Alaine throws all of that in the trash and ends up wanting to attempt what is probably the most insane project yet - killing herself just to go to the vampire afterlife and ask Vincent Weynard some questions, then hoping like hell the resurrection spell they use will work on her. Quite odd.

- Also, I'm not sure why they're focusing on the spell that Asgar used on Alaine to revive her from a dead human to an undead vampire instead of the vivification of a Blood Spirit spell that Asgar got revived with. Disregarding the fact that they have neither of those spells on hand, anyway.

This is going to be an interesting project, I can tell. Anyway, next time, it's back to Behind The Fangs, but next time in Vampires Dawn 2, we're going to have to try and find a whorehouse. Fun times.