Part 60: Update XLV - Sudden Spurt Of Progress

Update XLV - Sudden Spurt Of Progress



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

Alright, we're back in Asgar's castle for some housekeeping.



Primarily, we sell some crap, and then buy some mercenaries, because hey, can always use those.

Ongoing Costs: 122100 + 16000 = 138100 Filar



We also make some more spells, now that we're level 20. First, we have Light Explosion, a base 75 light and fire elemental damage spell that hits one enemy. No, I don't know why it's got fire as an element as well. This goes on Valnar.



We also make Muteness, a spell that inflicts the Silence status on one enemy with a base hit chance of 100%, which can be useful. This goes on Alaine.



Finally, we make Hailstorm, a base 45 damage ice elemental spell that hits all enemies. This goes on Asgar.



Next up, we have some more successful torture.

Please, what are you doing to me?
Stop fainting all the time, you wretch!
Just tell us where the other shrines are!
Aarrr, all right, but stop torturing me... the shrine of fire can be found at the end of the large peninsula in the far southeast corner of this world, southeast of Castle Johlar!
Come on, give us a more exact description!
No, I can't, uhhhh...
He's passed out...



♪ BGM: A Truth Revealed - WraithTouch.mid ♫

Next stop, now that we're level 20, I decide to take a stab at that mission where we're supposed to steal a dagger for that motherfucker whose name seriously is Darkking.



♪ BGM: The Armored Carriage - enemy.mid ♫

This place isn't much of a map - it's basically just the carriage in the middle with some guys surrounding it. Let's pop in and introduce ourselves.



Well, what are you carrying around in this carriage?
I don't think that's any of your business. Now step aside before we have to use force!
Force? Oh no, I'm made of cotton and I can't tolerate a beating!
Okay, that's it. Say goodbye to this world, scum!
Yum-yum!



♪ BGM: Crush Them - Xboss06.mid ♫

Oddly enough, this guy doesn't get any boss music, even though he should totally be considered a mini-boss level encounter. Oh well. Let's look at this guy and his cohorts.

General Rodriguez:

Recommended level: 20

HP: 700
BP: 100
Attack: 170
Defense: 140
Intelligence: 100
Agility: 60

Behavior List:

- Attack
- Attack
- Sweeping Strike (hits all party members, base damage of 40)

Carriage Guard:

Recommended level: 20

HP: 280
BP: 60
Attack: 150
Defense: 120
Intelligence: 60
Agility: 60

Behavior List:

- Attack
- Attack
- Lightning Dust (inflicts Blinded and Paralyze on one party member, success rate of 80%)
- Tactical Movement (increases speed on self, effect rating of 30)
- Attack
- Attack

Now, here's the thing about this fight. The general is not the problem here, it's the guards. "But TheMcD," I hear you say. "They don't seem that tough at all, and don't have a lot of HP!". You're right, but there's something you don't notice. And that's the absolute fucking pain in the ass that is Lightning Dust. Let's remember what Paralyze does. It's a status effect that has higher priority than everything except Rigor (AKA death) and Petrified (which strangely is a less painful version of Paralyze). It forbids the character afflicted from taking any actions. It has a 6% chance of ending every turn, a 15% chance of ending when taking damage, and will end automatically after 20 turns. We also cannot cure it right now. And that's the real kicker - getting hit with Paralyze in my current state basically removes a character from combat for like ten turns or so on average, which is a massive pain. There is no item usable in battle that cures it AFAIK, and the only way we have right now to cure it is a spell that we could have gotten if we combined a fire rune and a status rune in the rune synthetisizer... was that what it's called? The spellmaking thingamajig. Anyway, that's the only way we could cure Paralyze right now, and only Alaine can learn that spell, so if she gets hit with it, well, have fun.



The first action one of the guards takes is to hit Valnar with Lightning Dust.



This is the part where I realize that Serums don't cure Paralyzed, and I get flashbacks to the situation back in VD1 where I got hit with Curse and realized I had no way to cure it apart from letting the character die and reviving them.



Thankfully, we have some factors very much in our favor. Alaine quickly hits the general with Poison, meaning he's going to be taking a lot of damage over time, and Asgar's murdersabre makes quick work of one of the guards. Doing about 70 damage twice will do that.



Pretty quickly, it's just the general remaining, and while Sweeping Strike kinda sucks, it's nothing we can't deal with.



And with some concentrated attacks, the general goes down as well. Note that Valnar never got unparalyzed throughout the entire battle.



♪ BGM: The Armored Carriage - enemy.mid ♫

Anyway, now that we've taken care of the boss, the carriage is officially under attack, and everybody is homing in on us. Note that we actually don't need to fight these guys. We could have just gone to the back of the carriage, taken out the chest, grabbed the shit, and ran. But hey, we're going to need the XP regardless.



But for now, let's get the chest out anyway.



Alright, let's see what we get from here.



Sapphire obtained! Fire Rune obtained! Protective Ring obtained! Light Amulet obtained!

Well, that was a relatively meager haul, all things considered. The light amulet is another one of those resistance items, this one resisting light spells and the Blinded/Blind status effects. Anyway, after that we murder the rest of the guards, which are just a bunch of encounters with two guards each. Nothing special. Let's give this guy his dagger.



♪ BGM: Ghardon - a_taste_of_honey.mid ♫

Yes, here it is.
Ah, excellent! Hehe, now I finally have it. How long have I been waiting for this moment! And here is your reward...
1000 Filar received!
Also, you can keep everything else that you found on the carriage.
1) All right. - 2) There wasn't anything else... (Lie)

Sadly, we can't lie here - we would have needed level 3 in that skill for this. If we did, we could have gotten the super-sweet Devil Blade, a sword that gives a 160 point boost to Attack and inflicts both Burning and Bleeding. Rad as heck, but sadly gated by the level requirement.

But now, I have to get away from here, before anyone becomes suspicious...
16632 Experience points gained!

And that's another quest down! Now, right now, we're hovering around level 21~22, and we have a main plot quest with a recommended level of 15, so let's get to doing that.



♪ BGM: A Truth Revealed - WraithTouch.mid ♫

To be exact, we're going to be going after the first of the four keys we need to get into the dungeons that hold the stone tablets.



This place was quite a distance away from Castle Rakar, though I guess it helps that the place is shown on the note in the quest tracker.



♪ BGM: Forest Of Spirits - MysticForest.mid ♫

This place. Oh boy, this place. This place sucks. You wanna know why this place sucks? Let's take a look at the map.



The map clocks in at a base size of 150x150 tiles, and while a lot of that is unused, that's still a fucking ton of space to cover.



The enemies we get to fight here are no longer all that threatening, since we're fairly overleveled and also rocking some sweet super-powerful artifact gear. This guy has some shadow attack spells to go along with regular attacks, nothing special.



This one can inflict Blind in addition to shadow attack spells and regular attacks. And that's about it for the enemies we'll find here.



Now, every dungeon or dungeon-like area must have some sort of gimmick or puzzle, and this one is no exception. Well, except if you're playing on Easy, in which case you get to skip all of this fuckery. Anyway, in this case, it comes in the form of these sparkling things.



Looks like some kind of spark or something...
✝ Magical Spark obtained!

Quest item get! Now, what do we do with these?



Well, there's these trees spread around this forest. And if we approach one of them while we have one of these sparks...





Looks like it's alive...

And that's that. Now we just have to repeat that five times with the different trees and different sparks spread all around this forest. This is not particularly fun, so I'm just going to skip all of this. All you're missing is me bumbling around this forest, fighting enemies, occasionally checking back in RPG Maker for where the fuck these sparks and trees are, and sometimes finding some decent loot like a shadow rune, a blood rune and a yellow stone. I can't imagine how long this would have taken had I not been using RPG Maker as an impromptu strategy guide.



There are currently 4 of 6 trees alive."
Old trees that are alive? What is that supposed to mean?
This sign seems to be magical. After all, it's capable of counting.
One of the many wondrous things of this world...

I end up stumbling over this place a bit early. This is where we eventually make our way to the boss of the area, but before that, we have more bumbling to do.



Eventually, we manage to get all six trees lit up, and the bridge to the next area is open.



Not much here, just a chest and a boss. Let's get to it.



Careful, it's attacking!



♪ BGM: Stronger Enemies - VD2Kampf3.mid ♫

Ghost of Death:

Recommended level: 15

HP: 1000
BP: 0
Attack: 140
Defense: 105
Intelligence: 10
Agility: 65

Behavior List:

- Attack
- Storm (shadow attack spell that hits all party members, base damage of 40)
- Black Explosion (shadow attack spell that hits one party member, base damage of 100)
- Attack
- Attack

So, this one isn't too tough, primarily because of the aforementioned overleveling. The enemy just isn't strong enough to compete with us right now, especially with Asgar procing the Silence effect that his sabre can inflict on enemies pretty much immediately, meaning that all we have to do is weather some regular attacks.



It doesn't last long.



♪ BGM: Forest Of Spirits - MysticForest.mid ♫

Anyway, with that dealt with, we can get our first key!



And it's green!

Ah, this is one of the keys!
Off to the joyful scavenger hunt...

Indeed.



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

Back to Asgar's castle, since that place holds the first stone tablet piece. And while we're at it, some torturing!

LET ME GO!
Your constant fainting only prolongs your suffering! So, keep talking, you worm!
Yes, just please, stop torturing me! The shrine of shadows is hidden in a forest on a small island east of Castle Johlar.
A small island, well, well...
Please, I... I can't... go on anymore...
He's passed out...

Well, only one more of those left.



♪ BGM: Syrahs - field4.mid ♫

Then, a quick side trip to Syrahs, where we upgrade our gear with the prospect of a dungeon trip looming. Everything helps.



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

Anyway, our destination is the little hut in the courtyard of Asgar's castle.



of before...
Let's see if we can find the entrance.

Well, not a lot of places here to check.



Let's push it away from the side...

Alrighty!



And there we go, we have an entrance!



♪ BGM: Asgar's Dungeon - haunted.mid ♫

Well, then let's keep an eye out for the stone fragment.

Anyway, time for more dungeon crawling.



This dungeon is relatively simple. Walking, enemies and not much in the way of puzzles. Let's get to work.





Well, that was easy. Now, let's check out the enemies.



For now, we have guys that can cast Regen on themselves and hit the entire party with the Silence status. The other enemy type will show up on the lower floors.



I'm sorry, Asgar?
What are you talking about?
You just said something!
No, I did not. Are you hearing ghosts now?
Didn't you hear anything, Alaine?
No, nothing. You must have imagined it, Valnar.
Weird.
Well, with you, it's not surprising. Was only a matter of time until ghosts started to communicate with you!
Asgar, stop it!
You're insufferable...
Thanks for the compliment. And now, let's keep going. Or otherwise, Valnar will mysteriously grow roots.
...

We get this little scene after passing through a specific spot on the first floor. The plot thickens? Anyway, on to the second floor.





It's on this floor, we run into the second type of enemy. This one can also cast Regen on itself (which as it stands isn't actually that much of an issue now because the regeneration is a fixed HP value and not a percentage), but it also has a spell that inflicts the Poison status on a party member, which always sucks. Thankfully, I stocked up on Serums. Anyway, on to level 3.





The enemy groups get tougher as we go further down, with numbers increasing. Still, nothing really that notable though. On to level 4!





Enemies now start showing up in triplicate. Nothing much else. On to level 5!



This really is just a straight up dungeon crawl out of Diablo 1. Dungeon floors, enemies, largely mediocre loot, and that's about it. In fact, there is nothing interesting at all that happens here. Next and final level!





There, again!
What again?
That voice!
Oh, the ghosts are talking again?
Yes.
I'm worried, Valnar. I didn't hear anything this time, either.
Hmmm...
Hehe, I know. In the end, Valnar will grow wings, and as a shining angel, he will float into the heavens and bless humanity. The archangels are calling already!
I hope it stops soon. This is definitely not normal.
I hope so.

More thickening plot.



After that, we make it to the stone tablet without incident.

We've got one of the stone fragments!
Let's grab it!





As soon as you touched it, it started to glow!
I bet he has completely destroyed it!
Nonsense!



Gah! Fucking Jinnai and his teleporting again!

Why did it start glowing when Valnar touched it!?
It was glowing? Strange... but perhaps this is normal, after all, the stone fragment is full of magic.
Hmmm...
At any rate, I will take this piece to a safe place now.
No, you don't...
What is this about, Asgar?
You'll take the stone fragment to my castle...
But it won't be safe there!
Yes, it will!
If you lose the castle, you will also lose all the stone fragments!
Never will I lose my castle!
All right, as you wish... the stone fragments would be safer with me. But very well, then I'll take it to your castle. I will place them inside the inner tower.

And he teleports away with the stone piece.



I don't trust him one bit! In my castle, the stone fragments will be much safer than at his "safe" place. Moreover, we'll know exactly where the pieces are this way.
Very good thinking, Asgar. I think it's better this way. Let's search for the other stone fragments!

And that's it. These segments actually don't have any real boss battles, you just find the stone fragment.



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

One quick trip back to the throne room shows us our first piece. Neat! Next, let's do some sidequesting.



♪ BGM: Syrahs - field4.mid ♫

We're here in Syrahs again to murder this guy for talking shit about Ustra.



There's no "kill him" option or anything like that, so we're just meant to dispose of him using our regular methods. So for a change of pace, let's turn him into a vampire as well.



And there we go, got ourselves a vampire lord this time! The difference between the two is miniscule, but hey, it's a different sprite. Anyway, now that we've murdered this guy, everybody is hostile to us. This includes the dog.



The dog is actually not all that much of a threat at this point, though that's largely because we have great gear. That Sabre of D'Amore is doing some real work. Anyway, the dog gets murdered...



...and the wife gets turned into a vampire as well. Job well done, I'd say! Off to Erena to hand in that quest.



♪ BGM: Erena - Erena.mid ♫

Yes, he's silenced forever.
I knew I could count on your guys! Did he suffer?
1) A little, maybe. - 2) Oh, yes! (Lie)

Alas, we cannot lie enough for the bonus, which is 2000 Filar and a Blood Ankh on top of what we get without the bonus. Kacho no bonus.

That's good. And here is the promised reward for you.
3000 Filar received!
Thanks.
Now this village can finally sleep soundly once again...
9108 Experience Points gained!

Alright, cool. Next, we-



-'re going to get attacked.



12 Elras end up killing 16 mercenaries.

Mercenaries Lost To Global Domination: 502 + 16 = 518



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

So, one quick trip back to Asgar's castle to restock with 49 mercenaries.

Ongoing Costs: 138100 + 23520 = 161620 Filar

Fucking business costs are spiraling out of control. Who do I petition for a bailout?



Just for the hell of it, I decide we're going to be taking the vampire lord around for a while.



It's not really much of a difference, especially since we're not at the point where they learn skills yet, but hey, it's a bit of variety.



Also, more torture.

...
Come on, talk; where is the last of the six shrines hidden?
...uhhhh... mountains... on the large island in the... northwest... of this world... uhhhh...
He's passed out...

And that's basically it for torturing for quite some time. I don't think we have anything left to gain from this except a bit more that we need to unlock through progressing with the story. Speaking of that, let's try and get another tablet piece.



♪ BGM: Wharis Dungeon - wharisdungeon.mid ♫

Alright, so here we are in the Castle Wharis dungeon. Let's just do this the easy route. I'll dump the maps of all the floors on you, then give you the short version of the notable stuff we run across. Cool? Cool.











We get to fight some gargoyles, which can cast Regen on itself and have a light attack spell that hits one party member.



We also fight ghosts, which inflict Blind and have a fire attack spell that hits one party member. Exciting!



STOP IT!
What, huh? I didn't do anything!
What's wrong, Valnar?
Serve and obey. Only that will save you!
Ah, nothing. Let's keep moving!
...



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

One quick detour to Asgar's castle because we were running up against the soul limit. We make Slight Healing 2, a spell that heals a base 120 HP. This goes on Alaine.



We also make Black Explosion, a shadow spell that deals a base 80 damage to one enemy. This goes on Asgar.



And on top of that, we make Fire Rain, a fire spell that deals a base 50 damage to all enemies. This goes on Alaine again. Anyway, back to the dungeon.



♪ BGM: Wharis Dungeon - wharisdungeon.mid ♫

This one actually has readable books at times!

Bad weeds grow tall, after all...



Also, maps!



We also find some actual better gear in a treasure chest, which is pretty rare.



That's really good. It might as well be written by me!



More foreboding voices in Valnar's head, though he just straight up doesn't acknowledge them this time around.



someone called Cartman.

Hrm.



RAAAAAAA!
ALAINE, CAREFUL! He's going crazy!
VALNAR!
IT WON'T STOP!
What, Valnar? WHAT won't stop?
Those damn thoughts! They are always there!
Okay, NOW we know that you are a danger to all of us!
Don't you hear anything?
No, you madman! We don't hear ANYTHING!
How is this supposed to continue?
...
I'd better always keep a hand on my sabre...

Alright, so this is where I get to get angry for a bit. We're on the final floor right now. As you might see on that screenshot, there are colored circles in there that look suspiciously like teleporters. That is because they are teleporters. This is a teleporter maze. So we step into the teleporter on the left...



...we get dropped here. So there's no real way for the colors to link to anything. Now, you might ask, how are you supposed to know where to go? Well, the answer to that is "trial and error". You are given nothing to go on and just have to deal with it. Fuck you, go try the teleporters forever until you luck into the correct solution, motherfucker.

...well, that's not entirely true. There is a clue. In the first room with the two teleporters you see in the first screenshot of the teleporters, there's a plaque that you can read that gives you the solution in the form of a little riddle of sorts: "Not blue, sun, color at dawn, ocean, sun." So basically, you need to go yellow (since that's the one in the first room that's not blue), yellow, red, blue, yellow.

...oh, you don't see a plaque in that screenshot up there? Yeah, that's because the hint just isn't there on Hard. Fun. Imagine my surprise when I look up the solution online and the guy goes "It's not that hard if you just read the hint" and I'm just sitting there thinking "Hint? What hint? There is no hint! Why do you lie to me, random internet guy?" until I figured out that little tidbit of information. Anyway, I then spend another few minutes trying to get back to the first room, so I can finally apply the solution I have just looked up.



So, yellow...



...yellow...



...red...



...blue...



...and yellow!



And that gets us to the stone tablet.



It flashes red again, and Jinnai shows up again to pick it up. And that'll be it for this update. So, we went from having no keys and no stone fragments to one key and two stone fragments. Good progress! Next time... stuff!