Part 66: Update XLIX - A Christmas Miracle

Update XLIX - A Christmas Miracle

Alternate title: Christmaaaaas...



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

Alright, so this time, we're finally going to get around to visiting that city that Clan knight told us about aaaaages ago. It's a hidden location on the bottom left island, so you're going to have to look to find it. Or just check RPG Maker. That works too.



♪ BGM: Zilahs - Christmas4cut.mid ♫

Blinking lights in the trees. "Sleigh Ride" as the town music. Can you already tell what's going on here?



Can you tell yet?

Yes.
WUAAAAAAAHHHHHH!
Did you have to do that, Asgar?
Yes. Teasing kids is fun for me.
Unbelievable...

Tiny Tim can't die!



Yes, it's quite nice.
But when I'm looking at you like that... a little cold, aren't ya?
Not really.
You sure? Well, I personally do freeze a little in my thick clothing.
Uuuhhh, we are evil vampires who will suck out your blood. And blood suckers simply don't freeze!
Uh, right, gotcha. I... um, have to go now.
What the hell was THAT, Asgar?
That guy was annoying me. And this was the quickest way to get rid of him.

This wonderful quiet! And maybe I can even spot Santa Claus, hehe...



And what is a stranger?
Um, that's someone I've never seen before.
But now you have seen us. And now we're no longer strangers.
Uuuuuuuhhhhhh...
Well then, now that we aren't strangers to you anymore, there is only one thing left to do.
What?
We're going to eat you!
WUAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

And then the kid runs away.

Can you stop that, please!?
Um, no.
If you want us to abandon you, just continue like this.
You two have simply no sense of humor.

I'm sure Santa Claus will bring me a lot of cool things! A GIANT sword would be awesome, which I could use to defeat every bad guy in this world!



Hello, little boy. How are you doing?
Santa Claus will come soon! And then I will get a lot of great present!
Santa Claus? Who is that?
You don't know who Santa Claus is? That's the chubby guy who always brings presents for the rich kids!
Only the rich kids? Why is that?
I don't know. But Tiny Tim never gets any presents from Santa Claus because his family is so poor.
Hm, have you ever heard of this Santa Claus?
No, never heard of him.
What kind of idiot gives presents to CHILDREN!? Those annoying nuisances should rather receive a good smacking instead...
Yes, Asgar, we know about your dislike for children.
I'm so looking forward to my awesome presents! My dad is rich, after all!

Do I finally get a GameStation 2 this year? Or maybe a PlayCube?



Good day, pretty lady!
*giggle*
Very beautiful hair you have there.
Hihi, thanks.
Stop flirting already, Asgar.
Jealous, huh?
Urgh, just why did we take you with us?
Because I'm awesome, that's why!

Hm, the tall guy over there looks pretty cute.



I hope we're not bothering you.
No, you're not. As long as you keep a little quiet.
Why?
My little Tiny Tim has gotten very sick. And he needs a lot of rest.
What is it?
Sadly, he's caught the severe Lamba fever. Without medicine... it is...
It's all right. We understand. Where can we find medicine for it?
You... you want to help us?
1) Yes, of course! - 2) No, not really.

I mean, come on.

Heaven must have sent you!
Well, not quite...
There is a cure in this village. But it belongs to the arrogant and very rich Scrooge. We have already asked him if we can get the medicine for Tiny Tim. But he threw us out. He said the medicine is so rare, he'd rather keep it in case he falls ill to the Lamba fever himself!
Such a crummy bastard! Well, don't worry, we'll get you the cure!
Sadly, we are very poor, so we can't offer you any reward because of that.
You don't have to.
Oh, God bless you!
(Buh, better not...)
Scrooge lives in his mansion in the southeast of this town.
Don't worry, we'll be back with the cure in no time!
I hope so!

I'm praying for you, my beloved Tiny Tim!

So now we need to make A Christmas Story a reality by vampire methods. Well, I guess we can make that work.



What is it that's troubling you?
My beloved son Tiny Tim is sick. And it's not looking good. And the only cure in the village is in possession of the one man who has no heart.
Is there no way we can help?
I... excuse me, I must cry...

My beloved Tiny Tim! Please, oh please, get better!



This poor boy seems to be very sick!
Well, sometimes, it seems to be quite convenient to be a vampire.
You are so incredibly heartless, it's hard to believe.
Years long training, Alaine. Years long training.

*pant* *cough*

Damn, this kid is so sick, he's coughing in his thoughts!



Santa Claus? What does he look like?
Well, big and chubby! He's got a red coat and a large bag!
No, we've never seen anyone like that before.
Hm, but it's almost time! He'll surely be here soon!

Hehe, and with a new pogo stick, I'm going to jump around inside the house all day!



What are you cooking?
This is the traditional Christmas dinner of Zilahs. Cooked pig stomach with nuts, pepper, and a hint of oranges.
Uh, yes, sounds, um, very delicious.
It is. But now, I have to be careful not to let it overcook!

Now I just have to add a bit of Pampa fruit skin, and it's perfect!



What strange festivals the people here celebrate...



We just wanted to look around for a bit. Quite a nice village.
Yes, you have chosen quite a good time to arrive here. Currently, everyone here is in a great mood for celebrating. This makes everything a little nicer!
What are you celebrating?
Christmas. The celebration of consideration and joy.
Hm, we've never celebrated that before.
Well, I'm not surprised. Zilahs seems to be the only village to celebrate it. After all, this is the only place where you can find Santa Claus.
Santa Claus?
Yes, he always sneaks into the village at Christmas and gives nice presents to the children.
I see.

Hmmm, I love this smell! Wonderful, Ayuki is cooking my favorite dish once again!



The other bookcase just holds a recipe we can't read yet.



You seem to be really looking forward to it!
Yes, there will be great presents for me again!
Well, well, in that case, I wish you lots of nice presents.

Haha, he'll be here soon! The red, chubby Santa Claus!



Hello! So, are you also looking forward to Christmas?
Christmas? Never heard of it!
You don't know what Christmas is? Would you look at that. You are from FAR away, aren't you?
Yes, you could say that.
Well, feel free to look around then. At Christmas, everything gets decorated with colorful lights, and children receive nice presents.
Ah, yes. We saw the lights on the trees.
Yes, they are wonderful, aren't they?
Yeah, they are.
Well then, I'll continue decorating now!

The children are already looking forward to Santa Claus arriving! It is always an event.



It seems that everyone in this village is in the mood for celebrations.
Christmas is almost here, after all! It's only natural that everyone is looking forward to it. Speaking of which, I'm now remembering that I have to bake some cookies! Please excuse me...
Sure.

Coconut or rather chocolate cookies? Hm, I simply can't decide.



Diamond obtained!

Yoink.



Sometimes, I really want to see what is in these books.



Is everything all right?
For a 99 year old man, I'm doing fine, thanks. *pant*
(You're lacking a little bit of vampire strength, old geezer...)

Damn it, if only I was younger. Then maybe I could still remember where I've put my precious diamond!

Well, we know, but we're sure not telling!



What, huh? No, not really.
Hehe, that's fine. But he'll be here soon and bring amazing presents to all the children!
He brings presents? What kind of person is that?
You don't know Santa Claus? Well, no one knows exactly where he even comes from. But he has a huge heart for children, since he always gives them lots of great presents at Christmas.
Seems to be a nice guy.
Yes, he is. Especially the children love him.
Well, perhaps we could keep our eyes out in case we can spot this Santa Claus.
Do that. Maybe he will give you a present, as well, hihi...

I LOVE Christmas! It is the most beautiful festival of the year!



Yeah, quite heavily, actually.
Hm, then I think it's time to get our little Cloud back inside. He'll catch a cold, otherwise.

I hope Cloud will like his presents this year. He wasn't all that happy with his horsey last year. Still though, that was not a good reason to smash the poor toy to pieces.



Please excuse us for coming without an invitation.
May I help you somehow?
Well, maybe there is something for us to do here?
Well, if you are looking for work, you are at the wrong place for that, here in Zilahs.
So you are free from worries?
I didn't say that. But I can't imagine that anyone here will give work to strangers.
Ah, I see. Well, perhaps we might get lucky after all.
Well, you are free to try. I wouldn't get my hopes too high up, though, if I were you.

Christmas will be there soon. I hope my son will be happy with his presents...





this shelf.
I never would have thought that there's anyone even more narcissistic than Asgar.
One day, YOU two will also begin to appreciate my genius.

And Valnar's response to that?



Sometimes, RPG Maker's options for text speeds can make for good things.



Whoops, what are you doing here?
We're just looking around. Who is the owner of this house?
You are currently standing inside the residence of Mr. Scrooge. The richest man in town.
Yes, if he owns this house, that means he must have a lot of money.
All that money has turned him very introverted, though. He doesn't like visitors. And I am the only person he wants to have around.
Ah, so that's why it's so quiet in this house, isn't it?
Yes. But you'll have to excuse me now. Mr. Scrooge is currently eating, and I am in the middle of making the dessert.
Of course. We don't want to bother anyone.

Sometimes I wonder if I should pay Mr. Scrooge a visit after all. Money alone doesn't make anyone happy.





According to the book, there is only a chance of 10% to survive the fever...





Practical literature, as I call it.



Sounds good.



Now, time to solve a quest.



Well, we'd like to have the cure against Lamba fever.
Oh, would you, now? You know what? YOU WON'T GET IT!
What do you want for it?
Hm, you don't seem to be poor fellas, huh? Well, for 20000 Filar, I'll sell you the cure!
1) Forget it! - 2) Here's your money! - 3) We are inspectors! (Lie)

So, there's three ways to resolve this quest. Option 1, for rich vampires, is to buy the cure for a whole bunch of money. Option 2, for lying vampires, is to make him believe you know about some murder he committed (because of course he killed people / had people killed). He'll give you the cure and 10000 Filar, but it needs the lying skill at level 3. But we are taking neither of these options.

Christmas, pah! Who needs Christmas. Money rules the world, and even Santa Claus can be bought. But I'm already wearing this stupid hat as a sign of my festiveness...

Anyway, option 3, for cheapass vampires, is simple.





Dispose of him. Scrooge will actually become kind of pivotal in boss fights of the future because of his skills, so let's just call this community service.



And there we go, there's our cure! Now that he's no longer there to complain about his shit getting nicked, we can just take what we need - easy!



Yes, here it is!
You have it? I can't believe it! I am so endlessly thankful! How can I ever repay you for this?
You don't have to.
You are true angels!
(Just hearing that makes me sick!)
Here, please take this. It is the only valuable thing we have. It is a rare rune that Tiny Tim had found some time ago.
1) No need to give us anything! - 2) Thanks! - 3) It's worthless! (Lie)

The first option gives us free Humanity with the same result as the second option. The third option is technically what we want, but we can't get it with our lying skills. It's a hit to Humanity, but it also gives us a map that leads to a Rune of Damnation, meaning that without it, you're never going to get the fully powered Damnation Blade. D'oh well. Not like it's a big deal.

Yes, there is, please take it. I would be feeling guilty for all my life, otherwise!
Light Rune received!
Now, Tiny Tim will finally recover!
19602 Experience Points gained!

And there we go. We also gain three more points of Humanity from that quest. Now, we have one more thing to do in Zilahs before we leave, and that's get our present!



If we stand up here...



Some guy with a red coat and a sack shows up!

No idea...
Strange...

And then he just leaves.



Walking around town, we repeat the process, spotting him in the top left...

There he was again!
Just who is that?



...the left side of town...

What moron is jumping from rooftop to rooftop here?
And with a bag on his back, on top of that...



...and finally, in the bottom right corner.

HO HO HO!
HO HO HO yourself!

Asgar basically tells Santa to go fuck himself. Asgar don't give a fuck.

Ah, I can sense that you have been good!
Good? Me?
HO HO HO! No, the good Valnar!
How do you know my name?
HO HO HO! I have something for you!



Present!

can open this present... HO HO HO!

And then he leaves.

Truly a very strange guy...
Hm, what could be inside?
Present received!
Now we're even rewarding good behavior... what a shame!

Alternatively, if our Humanity was below 50, we wouldn't get the present, though we could bullshit Santa and get it regardless with a Lying check at level 3.



Alright, so, the present.





We need to enter a six digit code. Now, where do you get this code? How do you prove yourself in battle and defeat the Behemoth? Well, this is where things get fun. The Behemoth is actually an enemy you can fight in the demo for VD2. And if you beat that enemy, you would get a code. That code would then unlock this present and give you an item! So, what's the code?

Well, it's 261280. Or in other words, the 26th of December, 1980, which is apparently Marlex's birthday. For some reason, the English translation also allows 261290 as a correct code. No idea where that's from, and I doubt we'll ever find out.

Very good, Valnar! That worked!
Oh, so you had to enter THAT code? I could have told you that, too...
Yeah, yeah, sure...
Well, let's see what's inside!

What's inside is something based on Valnar's level. Guides recommend not opening the present until you're at level 90+ to receive the Mirror Helmet, which is a minor stat drop which grants you a permanent spell and skill reflect condition, which can be super useful. Instead...

Rabbit Armor obtained!



It's barely an upgrade for defense, but the agility boost is nice. This goes on Asgar, our primary attacker, for more murdering. Anyway, that's it for Zilahs.



♪ BGM: A Truth Revealed - WraithTouch.mid ♫

Our next stop will be attempting to take on the pirate Miboslash, for he has something we want. We're level 34, so we should be able to take on this quest.



Or not. Turns out that when it comes to the boats, the level recommendation is instead a requirement. So some grinding will be required.



In our grinding on the overworld map, we just fight these fire and ice critters a whole bunch. They have spells that attack the entire party, but overall, they're not much trouble to deal with.



And a bit of grinding later, we're at level 35 and ready to do the quest!



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

And thanks to the grinding, we have some souls over to make spells with. Light of the Heavens is a pure attack spell that hits one enemy with 120 base damage. This goes on Valnar.



This came up in the thread, so I might as well bring it up here as well. The people stationed in the castles are represented by some people walking around the castles. The reason I never really brought this up is that they usually have one line, and it's just really basic stuff. So here we see that Scrooge is fitting in quite nicely in his new life as a vampire.



And here's the wife of that one guy whose life we ended because he talked shit about Ustra (and who is currently in our party), I think. They're all here.



Hitting level 35 also means new weapons and armor unlock, so we stock up on what we can again.



And because it's been a while, let's get attacked again. Twelve Elras end up killing eighteen mercenaries. Also, I forgot to take a screenshot, and it was at the end of the last batch of footage, so I deleted it before noticing my error. Whoops.

Mercenaries Lost To Global Domination: 530 + 18 = 548

Man, that's a lot of mercenaries.



We restock a bit, though shit's getting really expensive.

Ongoing Costs: 184020 + 7000 = 191020 Filar



Next up, let's take Scrooge for a spin.



The vampire mage has a few tricks up his sleeve, and is actually quite a useful character to have in our party. The fourth party member is never really going to keep up with the main three in terms of physical damage, but the mage has spells that can deal quite a bit more damage. There is also one spell in particular that is very useful, but that'll come later.



Anyway, with our level at 35, we're ready to take on Miboslash. Let's go!



♪ BGM: Sailing - Schiff.mid ♫

When we enter the ship, we're immediately dropped onto the deck and set upon by pirates. I guess that's only to be expected. Let's get to the slaughtering!



The pirates aren't that tough. They can attack the entire party and inflict Rage upon themselves with an attack boost. They aren't much trouble, but they are numerous. However, since they can supply us with blood, we can just heal up with Alaine's healing spells and then fill her blood stock back up, so we can just keep on truckin'.



Inside the ship, we find a locked door. That's relevant, and we'll be coming back to it later. Also, more pirates to murder. However, nothing much else down there. Instead, we want another door on the deck of the ship. And in there...



...we find our target!

He doesn't even look that strong.
I don't know how you even got on my ship, but that was a mistake. A HUGE mistake!
Tell that to your mommy, who is probably very proud of you. Did the little boy make it to become a mass slaughterer, yes?
I will cut off your tongues from your mouths, you worms!
Come and get what you deserve!



♪ BGM: Stronger Enemies - VD2Kampf3.mid ♫

Boss fight time!

Captain Miboslash:

Recommended level: 35

HP: 4000
BP: 1000
Attack: 400
Defense: 320
Intelligence: 30
Agility: 150

Behavior List:

- Attack
- Sweeping Strike (attributeless skill with base 60 damage, hits all party members)
- Laughter (reduces Intelligence with base 10 damage, hits one party member)
- Attack
- Sailor's Yarn (inflicts Sleep with a base 50% success rate, hits all party members)
- Destroy Armor (reduces Defense with base 100 damage, hits one party member)
- Attack

So, Miboslash is a motherfucker. If he gets a couple Destroy Armors off, you can be in deep shit. Thankfully, it's low on the behavior list, so I think that means he's less likely to use it. He also has a ton of HP and some good defense. We need a plan here.



Step one, hit him with Muteness and disable his spells. The issue here is that the only thing that counts as a "spell" is Laughter, the most useless one. So that was stupid, in retrospect.



Step two, use this spell. This is a spell that boosts Attack and Agility with a base amount of 150, while also inflicting Bleeding and Rage on the character. The idea here is simple. Cast this spell on Asgar, Valnar and Alaine, in that order, and wreck shit. So, we cast it on Asgar. Asgar did 63 damage with his first hit in this fight, and his second was a crit for 177 damage. After using Black Ritual, his attacks did 212 damage. So basically, the spell makes them hit harder and faster, with the drawback being that they attack randomly (which doesn't matter since there's only one target) and that they can only attack (which doesn't really matter because the spells don't do nearly as much damage, and the mage can use items to heal if necessary). They also lose blood, which doesn't really matter for the fight, since they can only attack anyway, and we can fill up after the fight using items.

We are going to be using this for quite a few boss fights. It's terrible for regular fights, since you lose a ton of blood and then you're going to be raging or have to use items to keep going, but for boss fights, that's OK, since you're probably going to be returning to the castle anyway.



So Miboslash goes down without much of a fight.



♪ BGM: Sailing - Schiff.mid ♫

Well, that guy wasn't THAT strong...



Splat.



And there we go, we have ourselves an eyepatch!

That's taken care of, then.



2 Savestones obtained! ✝ Pirate Key obtained!



Now, with that key, we can open this locked door, and inside we find...



We are no pirates!
Then you're here to release me?
Looks like it...
Hrm, just one moment, you are vampires, aren't you?
As one of the Children of the Apocalypse, shouldn't you have recognized us already? After all, you were trained for years to spot vampires.
Yes, but it seemed as if there weren't any vampires left anymore...
As you can see, we are alive and kicking. More or less, at least.
The empire of the Children of the Apocalypse has collapsed a long time ago. Without vampires, no customers.
It appears that your services are in demand once again.
Hm, too bad that our leader Lord Mandrake is no longer alive to witness this.
Don't be too sure about that. Here, I have a little surprise for you...



And there we go, another one of the Children of the Apocalypse in our castle. Only one left to find, and we need all of them for something special that will come a long time later.

Hehe, and so, once again, we have a little more support now.
Well, I am very skeptical about whether allowing the Children of the Apocalypse to rebuild is a good idea.
Miss Alaine "I'm constantly worried" Frynia should really become a bit more pragmatic.
And Mister Asgar "I am the greatest" Serran should better behave a bit more responsibly.



We exit this place by just walking on that arrow.



♪ BGM: A Truth Revealed - WraithTouch.mid ♫

And once we leave the place, the ship gets sunk. Before somebody asks - if you don't get the Children of the Apocalypse guy from the ship, he shows up at some beach. But finding him there is more work than just picking him up from the ship. Just know that he doesn't just die and become unfindable.



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

Now, let's check out what this guy has to offer for us.

You know how you can show your appreciation...
Yes, of course. By the way, I can give you the opportunity to turn souls into concentrated soul fragments.
Hm, let's give it a try.



Once again, Mandrake's sortiment expands.



We can also create soul fragments at 30 souls a pop. As far as I can tell right now, the only use for them seems to be to make runes, which is a very expensive venture for us on hard difficulty, as I explained at an earlier point. Next, let's hand in that quest.



♪ BGM: Mesdor - cairiel.mid ♫

Yes, here is his eye patch.
You did it? Truly! You've done it! This is incredible! He's finally history!
How about our reward?
But of course! You have absolutely earned the 10000 Filar!
1) Thank you very much. - 2) But it was 12000 Filar. (Lie) - 3) But it was 16000 Filar. (Lie)

The third option requires two points in the lying skill, the second one only one.

What, really? Strange, I can't remember that at all, but I'm just going to believe you now.
12000 Filar received!
Now, I can FINALLY attend to some other issues!
34650 Experience Points gained!

That's quite a bit of XP!



♪ BGM: Castle Rakar - Rakar.mid ♫

Anyway, Rakar is our next stop, because it's time to get another stone tablet piece. There's a reason this update has been going for quite some time, and it's because I want to end it with this for a particular reason.



♪ BGM: Rakar Dungeon - Unavoidable.mid ♫

Alright, it's dungeon time, and that means maps!











Now, let's go through the stuff as we go.



The main enemies here are these big ogre guys. They're big, burly, and take forever to kill. I don't like them.



On the second floor, we find an artifact!



It might be a slight upgrade...



...except it inflicts Silence on the one I put it on, so it's trash, especially since the next set of armor we get from the stores will outstrip it. Vendor trash!

Also, note that on the second map, we are required to find several hidden passages to continue. This is probably going to happen a few more times in other dungeons as well. I don't have a problem with it, since I can just find them with my magic RPG Maker-vision, but as a regular player, you're either going to dick around for ages or have to invest into the skill for hidden passages.



On the third floor, we find this teleporting stone I forget to use because I was in the middle of a dungeon and didn't really want to leave. It'll probably be a while until we use it, but it'll get used eventually.

As a side note, we're generally not finding all that interesting loot in these dungeons, but quite a few runes. Really, I should be saving those runes, because I'm going to need them when we hit the endgame and all the useful spells need nine or ten runes a pop. And making them at the cost of sixty souls a pop isn't the solution either. I should tell my past self that, maybe he'll stop making spells.

Also, I have not kicked the habit of running into all the god damn traps. So you can basically imagine me running into like five traps per floor, two at least twice.



And as we approach the stone tablet on the fifth floor, it's time for Valnar to have his episode again, but this time, in a different form!

Valnar? What's wrong?



It's flashback time!



♪ BGM: Throwing Knives - warlord.mid ♫

destroy that damn Ustra and that insufferable Clan once and for all! All we need now is to find a way to make this spell as powerful as possible! And if my research has been correct, then I have already found something... Kaldrium is going to help this spell unfold its full potential...
You are a true master, Ghadar! To our everlasting victory!
Let us make our damned enemies bleed!





♪ BGM: Rakar Dungeon - Unavoidable.mid ♫

How are you feeling?
I don't understand this. Why do I have these thoughts? Does it have something to do with these castles?
Who knows. I'm watching you, pal.
We should clear this up as quickly as possible.
Let's keep moving... the stone fragment isn't far.
Oh, yeah? And how exactly do you know that?
It's right over there!
I actually think that you knew that before, pal...
Stop it now! We're going to resolve the issue about your thoughts eventually. And I can already see the stone fragment, as well, so let's go...



Hmmm...



Alright, so this is a puzzle. A puzzle that pissed me off. This puzzle is only here if you have the option to have many puzzles turned on. You do not get any hints for this puzzle. Because of that, I think it's time for some jolly audience participation!

I'm going to give you all the information you get for this puzzle, and ask you to solve it. Just to see if I'm just stupid - which I probably am. I would prefer it if you kept quiet if you already know the answer from having played the game before. Just to make it more fun for those that haven't.

Anyway, here's the puzzle setup:

The white crystals can be interacted with, the others can't. You can change the white ones to one of the following colors: White, red, green, blue, yellow, orange and purple. You can do this as much as you want, so you can change each of the four white crystals freely to one of these colors.

This is all the information you are given.

What's the solution?