Part 52: Update XL - Updates, Now In Extra Large

Update XL - Updates, Now In Extra Large



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

As has become tradition, we start off in Asgar's castle, doing the usual.



And we end up getting a successful torture on the Elras mage.

ARRR, what do you want from me?
What are you? Humans?
Uuuhhhh, no, you fools! Humans, pah, those loathsome vermin are worthless!
I do agree with that, but that still doesn't tell me what exactly you are, then?
Why should I tell you that?
Valnar, the lever, please.
Arrr, no, please...
Then talk, you wretch!
We... we were once puny humans! But our magic turned us into something better! We are invincible!
Right. And that's why you're currently lying on a rack, tied up.
We will destroy you vampires! You have become worthless to us!
What is that supposed to mean?
AAAAAAARRRRRRRRR...
He's passed out...

So, that tells us that the Elras are magically enhanced humans, and that they have used vampires in the past. We knew that Elras magic was what Vincent Weynard used to create vampires in the first game, and I guess we could also assume from that that they had created them themselves at some point.



While we're here, let's drop off the bread.

Ah, finally. Me and the boys are already hungry. Here are the 5000 Filar.
1) Thanks. - 2) It's 6000 Filar, though. (Lie)

If we were better at lying, we could get some more money here. Alas.

5000 Filar received!
And now it's time to eat!



And while we're at it, we can always use more mercenaries. Note, we're not using the money we just got from Derbor for this, since we're going to have to give that back at some point.

Ongoing Costs: 73100 + 5000 = 78100 Filar



♪ BGM: A Truth Revealed - WraithTouch.mid ♫

Alright, only two more castles and two more towns left that are marked on the map. Today's castle will be...



♪ BGM: Castle Zharas - hall2.mid ♫

...Castle Zharas!



We've already been here, so there's not too much new stuff for us to see.



Pretty narcissistic...



There was quite a massacre here...



♪ BGM: Dungeons of Zharas - blood001.mid ♫

In the dungeons, we find ourselves impeded by dead bodies. Let's deal with that.



Oh, alright then.



Good, onwards the-



...oh, right. The barrier. Almost forgot. Then let's not go that way and go back instead.



The title is "Asgar".
Interesting. Let's hear it!
"I was still young, 10 years at most. War was raging, good versus evil. Blood ran down my throat, and my parents were gone, my life in upheaval. A creature lacerated them, I could do nothing to stop it. I came to help them, but a cold strike brought me down to end my wit. As I awoke once more, a tall man stood before me, he said 'don't look', and reached out his hand to me. 'Go to Melsa', he said, and he showed me the way. I went and noticed a wound, yet from the battle. It was 2 holes on my neck, aching and burning still. I entered the tavern 'To the Quivering Bull', gasping 'help me' from my skull. My powers had left me, and my dreams won't let me be. The next morning, everything was fine once more. Yet I had changed. And as I saw that little girl, I knew at once: It is BLOOD I need for sure..."
Yes, very well done!

So that's basically a sort of recap for Asgar's origin story. Abraxas, a vampire, killed his parents and turned him into a vampire. Vincent Weynard, in his capacity as mythical vampire slayer as opposed to his capacity as vampire creator, finds Asgar and sends him to a nearby town despite knowing that Asgar would soon turn into a vampire, since that worked well with his goal of having vampires out there and causing chaos. Of course, Weynard couldn't know that Asgar would eventually turn out to be the vampire responsible for his death.



♪ BGM: A Truth Revealed - WraithTouch.mid ♫

Anyway, that's about it for Zharas. Let's move on to the town associated with it, which is in a desert.



♪ BGM: Erena - Erena.mid ♫



Erena has seven buildings for us to explore, and is home to some interesting people. Let's get started.



I'm really wondering why the people here are so obsessed with Ustra...



And how?
There is someone who made fun of Pharaoh Ustra. He came to this village and then started to roar with laughter over Ustra's statue in the town's center. He said Pharaoh Ustra looks like a wuss! Can you believe that? And now I fear that if we don't do something against that, Ustra is going to punish us for doing nothing and will nullify his powerful protection that this town has been enjoying for decades.
And what are we supposed to do?
Silence him forever in the name of Ustra!
We're supposed to kill that person?
Yes, it is necessary that he receives the punishment for his sacrilege! Only then will our town fall back in Ustra's favor!
1) Forget it! - 2) Fine, we'll do it!

Sure, why not.

I knew you would grant Ustra's wish!
Who are we dealing with?

Here's a test of those who REALLY have been paying attention - who are we dealing with? We've met the guy before.

You got your answer?

Here's the solution.

His name is Faryl. As far as I know, he's from Syrahs.
Okay, we'll find him, no worries.

Oh, how could such sacrilege stay unpunished!? Please forgive us, Ustra!

Now, the thing is that that guy has a dog that will still absolutely fuck our shit up if we try to kill him, so this is going on the backburner as well.



Thank you for the heartly hospitality!
Well, at the moment, it looks like this town is going to die out sooner or later, unfortunately. Barely anyone wants to live in the desert, and Ustra's deeds for humanity are acknowledged by too few people, sadly. And so we're having fewer and fewer children and new residents, so that's why this town will no longer exist in perhaps two generations. Even though Erena is the town with the longest tradition. Even our ancestors were already building the pyramid of Ustra. And so it is even more important to sincerely welcome every visitor, and thus make our hospitality known all over the entire world and thereby draw new inhabitants to our town.
Uh, yes, we're going to recommend your hospitality to others...
That is nice. Make yourself at home!

The demographical development of this town worries me greatly. Soon, this town will become a ghost town! It mustn't come to that.





Why do you ask?
I heard there are supposed to be a lot of evil monsters, and only the mayor knows how to get past them.
Fight them?
The mayor is an old man. He definitely doesn't fight! I think he always uses some kind of magical portal or something.
Hm, interesting.

I wonder how it looks inside the pyramid? I think it's full of treasures!



Good day! Everything in order here?
Are you the new goards?
Do we look like it?
No, but you sounded like you wanted to maintain order.
We're actually just looking for people who we might be able to help.
Thanks, but I don't need your help.
All right.

Freaking tourists. I am glad that no one is coming anymore. I don't even know why my husband wants to have so many people in our small town so badly.



Sorry?
Well, Pharaoh Ustra. He protected our village against all evil!
Not anymore?
No, he fell in battle against the Elras. But his deeds will forever be unforgotten!
Well, well, interesting.

Oh, Ustra. We thank you for your victory over the Elras!



No, not at all.
Hm, strange. You seem to be used to desert temperatures? Even though you guys don't look like it at all.
A little shade would be nice for me, though...
Then you should visit our tavern. Guests are always welcome there.
Good idea. I am incredibly "thirsty"!

Long live Pharaoh Ustra for his heroic deeds!



Desert bug and citrus sauce?
Haha, very funny! No, there is one other ingredient that I don't know of. Something that makes the meat of the desert bug tender and mellow.
If you don't know, you can just cook something else.
But the mayor has asked me to do this. It is going to be the feast for the blessing of our daughter Anastasia. The previous cook of this traditional meal sadly has passed away a few years ago, and she took the recipe with her to her grave. But without this dish, the blessing will be a disaster!
Perhaps we might be able to find you the recipe somehow?
You would do that for me?
1) Yes, of course. - 2) No, just kidding!

Yeah, sure.

Wonderful! I would be eternally grateful to you if you are able to get me the recipe!
We'll see what we can do. Maybe you have a hint where we can look for it?
The previous cook often went to Ghardon in order to find some relaxation. Maybe she'd had the recipe from one of the books there.
Well, that's already a good start. We'll be back soon!
I hope so!

This will all end in a disaster! Without the traditional desert bug meal, the celebration will be a complete disaster!



Just some friendly visitors. Why are you carrying a weapon with you?
Well, ever since the guards are gone, you have to watch out for all the kinds of people that come into this town.
What about Ustra?
Unfortunately, his protection is not as almighty as everyone here in town believes. And so somebody here has to keep order in this town.
Well, good luck with that.
You should behave. I am relentless towards troublemakers.
But of course.

Uh, Valnar, I don't think I like the look on your face there.

Am I the only one here who sees the need for a militia?





Strange books...



Hm, it sounds like you have big worries.
You can say that again. Soon, I'll have my "Blessing of Ustra".
What is that?
It's a celebration, and during the celebration, I receive the blessing of Ustra.
How does that work?
Well, the entire village will dance around the statue of Ustra deep into the night, and pay their respect to him with songs. During that, every adolescent who is 16 years old will get shaved and receive a veil. That is the ritual of cleansing, and the blessing of Ustra follows afterwards.
You get shaved?
Yes, the ENTIRE body will get cleansed from the filth of hair.
Sounds interesting. Can we attend, as well?
ASGAR!
No, I'm sorry. Only the citizens of this village are allowed to partake in this ritual, and even then, only the descendants of the ones who built the pyramid of Ustra.
Too bad. I would have loved to see THAT!
You are so unbelievable, Asgar!
After that, we'll all receive our headscarf and veil. Boys get a turban instead, of course.
And you receive the blessing from Ustra himself?
No, of course not. Our mayor takes care of that in his stead.
And where is the problem now?
Well, all adolescents who want to receive Ustra's blessing need to bring an offering.
And you don't have one?
Exactly. The offering has to be something special, though.
For example?
A valuable gemstone.
A gemstone? Where do all the other adolescents get theirs from?
To be honest, this blessing is actually very rare, since there aren't that many children in the first place. So I am the first one in 4 years who will receive the blessing of Ustra. And normally, the parents of the adolescents are able to buy the gemstone for them. Mine aren't, however.
Hm, a strange custom. And who will receive the gemstone?
The mayor then takes the gemstone to Ustra's pyramid.
So that means the mayor knows where we can find the pyramid?
If you wish to go there, you'll have to ask him. But don't you want to help me?
1) Yes, of course! - 2) Oh, no, not really, actually!

If this ends with us going into Ustra's pyramid and stealing a gemstone to give to her, that would rule. Anyway, another one on the pile.

I was hoping you'd say that. I would have totally despaired otherwise!
What kind of gemstone does it need to be, anyway?
According to the mayor, Ustra particularly likes topazes. It would be more than great if you are able to get me one!
A topaz, huh? Well, it can't be that hard to find one, I'm sure!
Thank you!



Oohhh, Hoppel and Moppel, how terrifying...



Hello.
Are you here to pay respect to our great Pharaoh Ustra?
What did he do to make all the people in this village admire him so much?
Pharaoh Ustra was the most powerful man in the world. Our ancestors built a giant pyramid for him, in which he further extended his power. He was a very skillful mage, and as a sign of his appreciation for building the pyramid, he protected our village for eternity against the evil deeds of the repulsive Elras. And many years ago, he defeated them completely.
And where is he now?
Well, no one knows. Ever since that last battle against the Elras, he was never seen again. But he was too powerful to be defeated by the Elras. That's why we believe that he's currently recovering from the battle in his pyramid.
For how long has he been doing that?
Well, even my great-grandfather had never really seen him. But his actions for us and the word will forever be unforgotten.
Ah, yes. Well, we're going to look around a bit more.
Feel free to do so. You should be thankful to Ustra, too!



We really should find out what this whole Ustra thing is all about.



(And I wish you a wonderfully short one, hehe...)
Oh, thanks. You, too.
Here in Erena, life is wonderful! It's sunny everyday, and the protection by Ustra is always assured to us.
Ustra's protection?
Can't you feel the wonderful magic that radiates from his pyramid on our town?
Um, no, not really.
Well, it's likely you are not under his protection.
Why do you have his protection, anyway?
Our ancestors built his pyramid. And that's how Ustra thanks us.
Where is his pyramid?
I don't know that, unfortunately. It is protected from the eyes of strangers via magic. You have to know exactly where it is in order to find it.
Well, we'll just ask around some more for a bit.
You shouldn't try to find it, though. Pharaoh Ustra doesn't really like uninvited guests that much.
We already noticed that.
What do you mean?
Ah, nothing, never mind. Farewell...

I guess you can't really say "oh, in a different time, we broke into his pyramid and murdered his animated corpse".

Long live Pharaoh Ustra and his victory over those damn Elras!



Um, we're just looking around a little.
You clearly want to steal something! But I'm watching you! And if I catch you, I'll tell my daddy everything!
Ohhhhoooo, then we obviously have to be good. Or else, we're going to get spanked by your daddy!
Exactly!
Well, I'd like to see that.

These people look very suspicious! Daddy told me all about those thieves...



Good day.
Can I help you?
Is everything all right here?
Well, the soldiers who normally guard this town are gone now. But aside from that, everything is all right.
Glad to hear it.
Absolutely. But you'l have to excuse me now, please, I have to take care of other things.

Hm, I hope that my little Merdig doesn't tell all the people about the map and the forest that I found...

Hm, indeed.



Well, I guess you don't have much of a choice living in a desert village.
Mommy always tells me I shouldn't play outside for so long, but I think it's fun!
So what do you play?
I play with my lizard Ustra.
Hehe, your lizard's name is Ustra?
Yes, but Daddy forbade me to call it that. But I don't care about that! Ustra is a great name for a lizard, don't you think?
If you say so...
I bet my lizard Ustra is faster than you!
I don't think so, little girl. You don't know me yet.
How about a game? You catch my lizard in 10 seconds, and I will tell you a secret.
1) Let's do it! - 2) No, we have no time.

Woo, lizard racing time!

Remember, Ustra has a small cute dot on its head! Then run away, Ustra!



And off he goes!

Go and catch it!

So now it's our job to run around and try to pick out the right lizard amongst those running around.



This is fairly difficult, since there's no difference between the sprites.



However, we get pretty lucky.



I know, I know. I'm simply that good.
I promised to tell you a secret, so listen closely. My dad has found a super secret place in the forest northeast from here. He said that's where the treasure might be hidden that is written on the map under his bed.
What's your dad's name?
Halandil, why?
Oh, no reason.
If you want to play again, just come back to me!
Sure!
Please take a step aside, Ustra has no space!
Oh, please excuse me.



And we're actually forced to move a step away so that the lizard event can be placed back onto the map. The event can overlap with the following party, but not with the player character. Anyway, we just learned a secret, time to make use of it.



Map 19 obtained!

Bingo! Let's move on.



I've heard of him before. Arrogant bastard.
He likes to make fun of others because his own books are absolutely no good.

God damn. Marlex throwing some real shade here.



It seems the people are really worshipping him...
They worship THAT guy? Well, very unfortunate that we have already slaughtered their idol.
This one doesn't really look like THE Ustra that we had annihilated in the pyramid back then, however...
Hm, yeah, very peculiar...



Thanks, but no. We're just looking around a bit.
We have really fine beds. If you should change your mind, feel free to come back here.
Of course!

A few new guests wouldn't hurt. Back then, everything was different. Before that Clan started to occupy every city with soldiers, there were many visitors coming here who wanted to pay their respect to the great Ustra. But it seems the soldiers have scared away all of them...



about two pipe workers with mustaches, who save the world from a giant, evil turtle, and who consume a bunch of mushrooms along the way.
Always these books about mushroom addicts...



Yes, punishment is good. VERY good, indeed, hehehe...



No, not really.
You should, though. He is the most powerful human to ever exist!
Uh, yes. Uh, good to know...
He squashes every enemy like maggots! His power is unbroken!
And farewell...

Long live Pharaoh Ustra and his protection over the town!



to Pharaoh Ustra's statue should be considered a duty and honor for every visitor!
Uh, yeah, maybe later.
May Pharaoh Ustra guide your path!
(Better not.)

Oh, even more visitors who want to pay respect to our Pharaoh Ustra!

And that's it for Erena. Not as much to see as in the other towns, but not like that's a bad thing, really. Next time, we'll visit the last castle and town that are marked on the map and therefore largely complete our exploration! Excitement!