Part 21: Faraway Lands

Last time, we found out Maya has super cosplay powers and Doc realised something important about gems... though he did not spell it out for us. Today, we do a job for the church and sail the ocean brown.

Update 21: Daddy Issues

MUSIC: Night of the Legends



Pearl is staring at the photograph she found in the Leyline Research Facility.

Your...father?
Well... I don't remember much about him. I was only a little girl... Actually, my uncle told me he was a scientist. You know... Looking back, the only memories I have of my father are... him teaching me how to handle ARMs...
If that photo is indeed the Council of Seven...Or if it is somehow connected to the prophets, it may have something to do with the mysteries of the world. Just as my professor, Catherine's father did, perhaps they were looking for the mystery behind Filgaia's decay.



Then, your professor is a scientist, too?
Yes. He was in search of Filgaia's memories, so that he might track down the cause behind this planet's decay. He passed away several years ago during an accident... It was all my fault.

There is an awkward silence for a moment...

Listen, uh... I'm sorry. You told us this story before. I'm sorry I brought it up.
Please, don't worry. It'll just make us more uncomfortable.
Yeah, that's all in the past now. And there's nothing more pointless than dwelling on the past.

Commenting negatively about emotions is apparently Pearl's berserk button

Just because you don't have any memories doesn't give you the right to say such a cruel thing!
Look who's talking...



Another awkward silence. At this point, the door opens and someone comes right on in unannounced.

Hey, is Doc here? Was this a... bad time?
No, not at all. What can I do for you?
I just received word about a mission that calls for a skilled Drifter, and thought of you. If you're busy, I could come back later.
No, we're fine. We would need to know the details.
Oh, right. The client is waiting underneath the street lamp in the town center. He's from the Order of the whatchamacallit, but he's dressed funny so you can't miss him. Best of luck to you.

He's referring to Albert, the boy we saw repairing the save point a couple of updates ago. He works for that Ark of Destiny cult.

From an errand boy of the gods, huh... Sounds pretty shady.
You're one to talk.
Well, let's get our game face on.

That line seems out of character for Pearl, but I'm entertained by the mental image of her trying to pull off an intimidating scowl.

Albert's still hanging around by the save point.



I understand you'll take on this mission. Thank you very much.
We'd like you to brief us first. Then we'll decide whether to accept or not.
Very well. I understand. We at the Ark of Destiny are dedicated to using ancient artifacts to bring about a better future, free from these harsh environmental conditions. Our religious order has recently discovered a ruin in this area. It is said to be an ancient ruin, dating back to the very first people who inhabited this planet.
The very first people of this planet...?
They are a people from the unknown, who descended to the fertile plains of this planet from a ship that soars the heavens...
You're talkin' about the legend about our forefathers coming to Filgaia on a flying ship, right? I thought it was just a fairy tale.

No, THIS IS WHAT THE ARK OF DESTINY ACTUALLY BELIEVES

Many people see it as that. However, we at the order have excavated a number of ruins that substantiate the tale. The ruin in question is another one.
What would you like us to do?
I would like you to get past its security system, and make your way to the power room to retrieve the [Kizim Fire].
The Kizim Fire? What's that?
Just as the name implies, it is a beautiful crystal that shines a translucent red. However, its true value is not in its physical beauty. It is a crystallization of energy that once set the ship that soars the heavens afloat on the seas, allowing it to keep running... That is the true worth of the Kizim Fire. Or so the legend says... So it is nothing but a rumor without much credibility, but... If in fact this is true, we will be able to gain the power of the ship that soared the heavens. As our name implies, we at the Ark of Destiny wish to guide mankind towards the future.

Nothing bad could come of a bunch of wackos getting a spaceship reactor! Lets do it!

Well... Okay. We'll accept this mission.
Are you sure you are not making a hasty decision? Shouldn't we find our more?
It's true that we hardly know anything about this Ark of Destiny... But if such a powerful crystallization of energy lies untouched within a ruin...
The prophets will come knockin'...

And if there's one thing we live for, it's ruining the Prophets' day.

Since there are so many unknowns about this mission, I don't know if we can live up to your expectations. We won't ask for payment up-front, but we would like to be paid in full if we succeed.
Very well. If successful, I will pay you 2,000 Gella.
That's what I'm talkin' about! No negotiations needed.
Then, it's agreed. We'll let you know what we find.
Good luck.

We can leave Humphrey's Peak now, but it might be a good idea to ask Albert just one little thing...

The founder Lamium has told me the Kizim Fire is located in a ruin southwest of this town. I wish you godspeed.

Important information to know.

On our way out, we can drop into the angsty poetess' house for a strange domestic scene.



Oh... Hello, there... Umm...
Alice! Don't talk to strangers, you hear? There are dangerous people out in the world these days.

Looks like Martina's been "adopted" by a Crazy Lady.



The next dungeon, "Faraway Lands," is just within sight of the first millennium puzzle we did.

MUSIC: Fate Breaker



On our way in, we catch Pearl's dad mashing buttons on a computer console. He vaults the railing and scarpers before the drifers arrive.
Oblivious to who they just missed, the drifters are impressed by their surroundings.

I can't believe an artifact exists in such good shape... that's pretty darn amazing!
Yeah, and I bet the security system's still up and functional, too. How amazing...
...
What is the matter?
Oh... It's nothing...



A fun little dungeon, for now the main goal is to ride this elevator. Unfortunately the power is out, so like in every RPG ever we'll need to search for the way to activate it.

A few interesting enemies in here.



Vacuumon is a pain if you're not careful. He'll usually cast Grav, which can take out a big chunk of HP, but he also has a much more annoying move - Eject. He can, at will, end the battle and send you back to the start of the dungeon. The good news is he's so feeble its easy to kill him before he uses it, especially given his Electric weakness.
He also drops Warp Stars, which instantly teleport the party to any train station. Nice for getting about quickly.



The Unknown is a bit weird too.



They resist all kinds of elemental damage, and physical damage does pretty much zilch. In fact, their DEF is 999.



They also have no direct damage attacks. Instead, their only attack inflicts the Bronze (AKA Countdown) status. The victim's RFX is drastically reduced , their DEF is boosted, and in four turns they will turn into a statue.



The trick is to remember you have non-elemental arcana! While they resist all elements, they have a tragically low magic resistance and non-elemental damage goes right through them - the Devastate arcana in the screenshot was cast by Billy and his magic is pathetic. Doc's "Lock On" ability is also great since it ignores defence.

Anyway, the elevator room has three floors and three doors to choose. The bottom one is a dead end for now while the top one leads to a sealed door, behind which lies a Full Carrot, a Name Tag and 5500 Gella.

Full Carrots are kind of excellent. Like a Mini Carrot they give FP when used, but they give a full 100FP. That is stupendously useful, and there's no reason why you would ever use one by itself instead of having Pearl Mystic it to give everyone 100FP.
The only thing stopping you is relative rarity, and this baby is going straight to the garden so I can start breeding it and get stacks and stacks of these things!

Back in the central room, the middle door brings us to the furnace room.



Stepping on the switch to open the doors and throwing in a few tindercrests is enough to light it.

A generator can be heard operating in the distance.

We could return to the elevator now, but if we keep following this path...



We can find a Gimel Coin in that bottom chest, and swing our way over to a pair of Heal Berries and a pair of Lucky Cards. Which brings us back to the dead end on the bottom floor. Nothing else to do here, so might as well take the lift.



Dropping down from this net is enough to open that door. There's another way out of this room, but it's blocked by a box we can't push.



Fortunately the Tool Fairy always provides.

The Mighty Gloves are Doc's second tool, and allow him to pick up certain kinds of blocks. He can't walk while carrying them, but he can rotate on the spot to place the block elsewhere.
Unfortunately we don't get a chance to try this out straight away, because...

BOSS BATTLE: Vacuumon (?)



Definitely a head-scratcher, this one. He gets boss battle music and everything, but he's just a single regular Vacuumon, and easily defeatable on the first turn.
Well, there are some differences. He has about twice the HP (still a pittance) and he has less moves than a regular Vacuumon - his ONLY move is Eject. So if you don't defeat him before he gets his first move, you're going back to the start of the dungeon. Buuuuttt... Pearl and Billy can easily do that on the first turn. Billy can 1-shot him with a crit.
I know someone's playing a joke here, but I'm not sure who the victim is.



Now the Mighty Glove-equipped Doc can move that box out of the way.



The pressure plate controls the door. Mighty Gloves make it easy to move the box up onto the ledge and over to the plate.



These boxes slide until they hit a wall.



Lining them up against the northern wall and pushing them onto the pressure plates works well. The treasure chest in the room has a Duplicator. Heading off to a side room gives us a couple of treasure chests - one has a pair of Mimics, who are now pretty easy and drop a Robber's Ego. The other has a Gimel Coin.

Robber's Ego is kinda of cool, as it teaches the Disarm PS. At level four, it increases the chances of successfully disarming a trapped chest by 50%, which is tremendously useful. Billy gets it and will probably keep it forever.



This is kind of weak. You just need to lift up boxes to make a path through this big stack, putting boxes in front of you behind you until you reach the other side. Then you hit the switch and come back the way you came to reach the door that opened.

Another little dead end holds a Gella Card and a Dragon Fossil.



Because Doc can't walk while holding blocks and can only pivot on the spot, we can't put the left block on the left switch because the distance from box to switch won't allow it. Moving each box to the switch diagonally opposite it works better.



After passing through one last empty room, the group finally reaches the Kizim Fire.

I can't believe a flame has been crystallized...

I'm glad you didn't say "frozen." We've already had someone dicking about with the save points, an environmentalist message and a lot of muttering about fate and destiny. If a catman and a clown girl turned up, I would be outta here.

So this is one of the energy forces, which provided energy for a prehistoric culture... Quite interesting, indeed.
Well, it's all find and dandy that we got this thing, but does that whatchamacallit Order know how to use it? This is some pretty funky technology, you know?
That ain't our concern. We're getting paid to bring this thing back, that's all.
Sheesh...Do you always have to be so frank?

Boone's concern is completely unjustified. Since when has uncovering ancient miracle technology ever gone badly for anyone?

We snatch the Kizim Fire and leave, but in the previous room...



MUSIC: He Who Holds the Word of God

Well, we shouldn't be surprised.

[The Immigrant Vessel]...A vessel said to have come from a distant land... Out of all artifacts we know of, this one seems to have made the biggest mark.
Melody!
But, you're first on my agenda today. Our plans cannot be delayed any further. Your very existence is detrimental to our plans for the <<future>>.
<<future>>
We're not gonna let you toy with our future. Let alone Filgaia's!
What does this weakened, unsightly little planet need? It needs strength, and beauty... How dare you stand there and oppose me! Come, Asgard!



Asgard teleports in, and his eyes flash red

BOSS BATTLE: ASGARD

MUSIC: Crossfire Sequence



Asgard retains his tricks from the previous battle. Barrier Knuckle and Iron Fist for single target damage. He can still erect a High-Power Barrier, shielding himself from all damage until he chooses to lower it. (exception: Lock On, since it ignores DEF)

As for Barrier Flood...



He can use it at will now, but on the other hand it won't instantly kill us like last time. But, on a third hand, it does a meaty amount of damage - a good 500HP per person - and he's not shy about using it.



Even though nobody's below half health, we're all looking pretty beat-up at the end of turn one.

How pathetic... And above all, unsightly... Your inconsequential existence is filthy. Just like this planet... Filgaia is unsightly because it is impoverished. There is nothing more hideous and repulsive than a decayed and weakened existence.



Everyone gets back up, and Doc pushes his glasses up.

What I find repulsive is your denial of an existence trying desperately to survive.
How dare you ridicule me twice!? Then let me show you hands on, the true meaning of beauty! Show them the light, Asgard!



ROGER...
What the...? Since when does this clunker talk?
This ain't the time for twenty questions! We gotta act first or else we're in for it!

So as if things weren't bad enough before, now we have to deal with Melody too!



She's not as tough as Asgard, but still pretty dangerous and impossible to hurt while he's still about - any attacks aimed at her will be redirected at the big guy, and he's spending half the battle almost totally invincible anyway.

Eventually the inevitable will happen. I'm not sure if it's triggered by damage or turns, but Asgard will use a new move: Wide Barrier.



Son of a...
... for those keeping track at home, I'm pretty sure this is the last time the game will pull this bullshit on us.



LIMIT OVERLOAD... GENERATOR OVERHEATING...
If every existence had an equal and beautiful moment to shine... It is when the light of life goes out. Prepare to witness beauty. Accept our offering...



They raise their hands for the killing blow...

and a gunshot is heard.



Asgard slumps to the floor, electricity crackling over him.

SYSTEM DOWN... GENERATOR MALFUNCTION...
Dammit... Standby for auto-recovery! Switch to scan mode!
What's... going on?



MUSIC: Ready! Lady Gunner!!

Those who have not forsaken life must stand and fight!

It's Trenchcoat Mask!

Huh? Daddy...?
What are you waiting for!? The jammer bullet is only effective for a certain period! Make the most of this chance! Show me the meaning of your dual guns! Show me, Pearl!

Well obviously the meaning of dual guns is MORE DAKKA. Lets try that out!

BOSS BATTLE: ASGARD (revenge!)



Take two, and most of his unfair crap has been disabled! In fact all of his barrier systems are down, and all he has to attack with is Iron Fist.

Consider this your licence to go to town on him however you like. Since Doc's HP was already low from the previous battle, I cast Valiant on him and let him do the rest.

No... This can't be... The wisdom of Hyades has tampered with Asgard's driver system!? Only we are capable of such things. Except maybe...

The two of them teleport away in defeat.



MUSIC: Leave then Return Again

Wait! Uhhh...
(Even if he was my real father, how should I behave...? What should I say? There are so many things I want to ask. So much that I don't know where to start. I don't know how to start...)

Werner silently walks away.

Say something! Why won't you talk to me!?





You aren't goin' after him? He is your...

Not now... We have to deliver the Kizim Fire to our client. Right now, I'm a Drifter... Not his daughter... That's all...

So... what was your motivation for going into the wilderness again?

We're booted out of the dungeon, and return to Albert at Humphrey's Peak



So this is the Kizim Fire! Thank you very much. I'm glad I entrusted you to this mission. Here is the 2,000 Gella we discussed. Please accept it with my gratitude. Well, now that I know I can trust you Drifters, I have one more mission I would like to request...
Hm...
Is something the matter?
I'm sorry... I was just lost in thought for a sec...
I have much faith in your skills. I hope you will accept. I would like you to deliver the Kizim Fire to our central office. I have prepared 8,000 Gella for this mission. However, I would like to pay you 3,000 Gella up front, and... the remaining 5,000 Gella to be paid out at the Ark upon the Kizim Fire's safe delivery.
That's all fine, but why are you dishin' out so much just for us to deliver it?



Our temple is located on a small island southwest of Jolly Roger. Please think of it as an allowance to cover travel expenses.
Now I get it.
Well, what's the plan?
(I'm willing to do it as long as it has something to do with Daddy... That way, I can probably...) We accept. We'll get the Kizim Fire to your temple in one piece.
Excellent! Thank you! Here is your money. I look forward to seeing you all there.

Well, we got our 3000 gella advance, but how are we going to cross those flowing sand dunes safely?
Heading back to Jolly Roger seems like a good start, but there's something we should do before we go - check up on Martina again, who's got away from the Crazy Lady and is standing outside by the dried-up fountain.

She... looks exactly like my mother. And coincidentally, I apparently look like her late daughter. I understand her pain and loneliness, so I wish to be by Cheville's side for a while. Perhaps I can ease her pain by doing so... It did cross my mind that I might be doing more harm than good for Cheville... But when you're down in the dumps, it makes you want to cry out emotionally to someone... And since I have been treated very kindly by others, I wanted to give something back.

Regardless of Cheville's feelings, Martina will have moved on by the next time we return to Humphrey's Peak.

Oh, Cheville? Yes, I feel really sorry for her...She used to be a <<doctor>>, you know. Anyway, after losing her husband to an accident, her only daughter fell ill and passed away soon after. Cheville hasn't been the same since. After suffering a fate like that, who would be?
<<Doctor>>
She gave up practicing after her <<daughter>> died. She lost all hope after her death...
<<Daughter>>
Her name was Alice. She was a vibrant, sweet girl, with the prettiest blue eyes...

Why, hello there...If you see Alice, can you tell her lunch is almost ready and have her come home?

... that's enough for now. On to Jolly Roger! You may remember it as the port town back in chapter 1. A few stops to make on the way though...



If we return to the Unclean Mark, (trap-laden dungeon where we first met Melody) we can put our new Mighty Gloves to good work. Shifting this block on the pressure plat open a door to a treasure room. Inside there's a Duplicator, a Name Tag, a Grab Bag and the Elder Record.
The Grab bag is kinda nice - a consumable item that gives a fixed amount of XP. I use it on Pearl, who is lowest level and could do with a little boost.
The Elder Record is awesome, as it teaches the FP Save PS which cuts the cost of Arcana. The Moon Spark medium already has this, but now I can give it to someone else too.

I also drop into the Secret Garden to plant that Full Carrot. Hopefully I'll have a treat waiting for me next time I return.

To Jolly Roger then. Anyone know about crossing the ocean?

The Order of the Ark of Destiny is headquartered in a place accessible to just about any Sandcraft. If you ever find that you can't sail any farther, it's best to just call it quits and head back here. Especially since this is just about the only port you can get repairs at.

If the dunes are an ocean of sand...I wonder what an ocean <<without sand>> looks like! I wonder how such an ocean could have resembled sand, too.
<<without sand>>
Older ships weren't very efficient at moving over sand. I feel like the things I don't know or can't remember are out there somewhere...

Informative, but not immediately useful. Lets try the ARMsmith.



We'll chuck a level of SHT on Doc and Billy's ARMs, and have a chat.

You're looking for a ship to cross the dunes in, but you can't find one anywhere, right? Am I right? Today's your lucky day! Why not help me with my research? I'm gonna put together the strongest, most cutting-edge Sandcraft ever!

Hear her out.
Resist her blatant overtures.



The latest, most powerful Sandcraft will be yours for a mere fifteen dragon fossils! How could anyone refuse? Think how far you could go at the helm of your very own Sandcraft!

Fifteen Dragon Fossils? Exactly the same amount as we got for defeating Diobarg! What a complete coincidence!

I'll help you complete it.
Sorry, I'm busy

That's what I wanted to hear! Actually, I had taken out a loan on dragon fossils to make the part I needed... Now I can pay the loan sharks back and sleep soundly for once. So, the Sandcraft is yours! Let me move the Sandcraft to to the beach outside. Remember... you have to get on and off the Sandcraft at a beach. One more thing. You'll have a tough time fighting dune monsters with her current armaments. So be sure to save your game before you head out into uncharted sands.

She's right, dune monsters can be very mean, and healing a sandcraft is tricky. I'll show why later.

You'll get the hang of it soon enough. I'll go ahead and send her down to the landing beach on autopilot. And her autopilot supports teleportation through items. Ain't she something?

This means that is we teleport by using a Warp Star (for example) the Sandcraft will move to the nearest beach. Convenient.



MUSIC: Wound Backwards in the Dirt and Sand

So now we have a sandcraft! With sand travel comes a completely different battle system and party setup. It's not even slightly like battling on foot or on horseback.



The turns system has changed - now everyone takes their turns immediately after being picked, instead of acting on a round by round basis. This means people with high RFX scores move much more frequently than the rest. You can see the turn order in the bottom right.
Also, everyone shares one FP gauge. Most actions require FP but do not consume it, like Arcana, but each role has a 25FP Force Ability that's pretty damn useful. We can quickly charge FP by skipping turns.

There are four main roles - Helmsman, Gunner, Harpooner and Deckmate.

Helmsman



The helmsman is in charge of positioning in the battle. They can move the sandcraft to the side of or behind the enemy, and fire off flash bombs to distract enemies and lower their evasion. The game defaults to putting Pearl in this position and it's a good fit, as the helmsman needs high reflex and evasion scores.

Gunner



The Gunner operates the main gun, and is really the only source of damage. They can shoot the main gun, or use up FP to shoot all ammo at once. They can also prepare elemental ammo if we have any. Doc is in this role by default but I stuck Billy in there for now. He'll do comparable damage while acting much more frequently.
Annoyingly there's no indicator of how many shots are left in the gun, which means I get caught out a lot by forgetting to reload! It doesn't help that the gunner relies on the deckmate to do that.

Harpooner



Operates a small harpoon we can use to bring enemies in to point-blank range, reducing their reflex and increasing damage. I've never found this very useful as it seems to be inaccurate, and as soon as the enemy gets a turn the harpoon falls off anyway. Still, useful if you can use its force ability with just the right timing. Billy's in here by default, but with the reshuffling I did now Doc's stuck here.

Deckmate



Carries out three important jobs - reloading the main gun, helping the others pilot (increasing their RFX) and the Force Ability is the only means by which we can repair the sandcraft. Boone is perfect for this role, since repairing needs good magical power.

Talking to Emilia lets us upgrade our sandcraft.



Each sandcraft upgrade (gun, harpoon, frame and engine) requires a certain amount of Dragon Fossils. Personally I'd choose to grab a few cheap upgrades and save up for the top-tier stuff, as piloting the sandcraft isn't a HUGE part of the game and you can get by with lower level stuff most of the time. The thing to bear in mind is each part has a weight, and if that surpasses the Payload of the engine, the sandcraft's max HP will start to drop.
There's also elemental ammo for 1 fossil per round, but I'm yet to see the point of blowing fossils on them.

Enough . Here's a video.

VIDEO: Sandcraft Battles

Overall, Sandcraft battles are initially interesting, but can become tedious because they never really evolve as you upgrade the sandcraft or meet new enemies. It's the same old tactics over and over, and some of the techniques (like reloading and everything to do with the harpooner) are just too finiky and unreliable - all they do is get in the way. Healing is awkward too, but by far the worst aspect is that any actions you take to get in a better position or harpoon the enemy are negated once they get a turn. (the harpooner even needs to spend a turn retracting his harpoon before he can be useful again) A lot of time is wasted looking for a good window where your Helmsman, Harpooner and Gunner move before the enemy does.
... and then once you're in the perfect position to slam all your ammo into the enemy's back at point-blank range, you find out you forgot to reload.



Well, here's the island where the Order's temple is. Next time, we do a little more work for the wackos who actually believe that humans came to Filgaia on a friggin' spaceship, of all things...



Well, I'll be damned.


One last neat thing...

All of the drifters are level 25 now, which means they start battles with 25 FP and can use their force abilities in the first turn.
This turns Pearl and Boone into magical wrecking balls, as a first-turn Mystic or Extension can put a huge dent in enemies. It's nice.