Part 30: Dragon's Lair

Dragon Force is fun, but I should get back to this LP. All the time while I was playing it, as I watched my Samurai cut through wave upon wave of Dragonmen (Izumo forever) I kept thinking...

This reminds me of a puzzle sidequest. Would you like to hear it?

Yes, the link really is that tenuous. I should have picked Panzer Dragoon...


Update 30: How to Train Your Bio-Mechanical Superweapon 2D

I'll be visiting the Inland Sea today, but first I was going to drop by Emilia in Jolly Roger...



Upgraded the Bunker Cannon II to the Ark Smasher. Considering that the BCII was overkill, this was totally unneccesary but what else am I going to spend Fossils on? HP? Defence? Pearl and Billy are fast enough to kill all sandsea enemies before their first turn, so I don't need them.

(for now)

As for the ARMS, their upgrade stats currently look like this:

Pearl: Rapier Ez & Bantorain 93R
No upgrades

Billy: Airget-lamh B/V2
SHOT:5 (+90) HIT:1 (+26) BULLET:0 (4) WEIGHT:0 (0) CRIT:6 (x0.9) (12/15)

Boone: Coyote M17F Mod
No upgrades

Doc: Gungnir HAG35
SHOT:6 (+131) HIT:0 (+18) BULLET:2 (4) WEIGHT:0 (0) CRIT:4 (x0.8) (12/15)

On we go! We've been hearing rumours about a strange town somewhere about this area, and also something very interesting close by.

In Humphrey's Peak


The dragon hunters live in a village called Laxisland, where you have to cross north of the inland sea. I hear it's difficult to cross because of the Dune Canyon monster scare.

In Claiborne


There's a dormant volcano somewhere in the inland seas. If you head north from there, you'll find Laxisland, a village full of hoodlums. All they rave 'bout is finding wings that lets them fly, or somethin' foolish along those lines. Those who chase dreams are people who have been evicted from reality, I say!

You can't go wrong in this game doing the opposite of what Myra wants you to do.



If you head up this beach on the northern shore of the inland sea, you can find Laxisland just beyond these two pillars.



MUSIC: Bad Guys & Bad Land

A welcoming sight...


Take a look at the forest of grave markers. That's what <<happens>> to dragonslayers.
<<Happens>>
They say there's an open space at the top of the mountain where they played the tune of monster-calling... Only to incur the dragon's wrath. They say a raging serpent unleashes a furious assault for a while, and then has to rest for the same amount of time. But what difference would it make? Nobody has ever survived such an onslaught, anyway.

Nobody... UNTIL TODAY!



To the left: the Inn. To the right, one of the two important ARMsmiths in the game.


Ahh, customer. What you want?

Upgrade
Sell
Chat

Young sprout... You want take cursed dolls for me? They say bring gory death to owner. Please, you take for me?

How interesting. I'll take 'em.
How disturbing! I'll pass.

They so creepy. Long time I search for new owner. Thank you. Thank you.

You're welcome, I guess? You got any cursed frogurt too?

This is Boone's third tool, the Kramer Dolls. When you use it...



He plays a little tune with the dolls on horn, drums and ukelele.

... yeah.

This is actually kinda useful. It summons monsters to fight if you use it in a dungeon, and if you use it in certain places you can unlock a lot of hidden bosses.

Those dolls under evil curse. Bad! Everybody who owns them so far went die in dragon's lair on south fire mountain, burned black and crispy! Each time, dolls went come back here! No can get rid of them! Please! Now that you have dolls, I no want you die! Stay far from south fire mountain. I no want you get fried like chicken!

Yeah right, next you'll be telling me I shouldn't get them wet.




The blight of our land is unfortunate, but shouldn't we worry about what's even more important? We must keep our eyes on the sky, not the ground. That's right! I'm talking about enemies from the <<stars>>!
<<Stars>>
Forces of chaos are encroaching upon us from the sea of stars! Nobody ever listens to me, but you're different, right?

I believe you. Over the course of this game I've become the sort of person who can believe anything.
This guy doesn't tell us anything more for now though.



Inside the Inn...


That verse they have about the dragon here... That it is still told verily suggests that the beast still lives in the world of men. Indeed, it must be! It must! And who shall posterity honour as slayer of the dragon? None other than I, Galahad! Yes!

Good Sir Knight, when it comes to being a dragon slayer, there is such a thing as trying too hard.
What verse is he talking about though?


Howdy! If you're needing warm food and a dry bed, you've come to the right place.

Stay
Sell
Chat

We have a saying in these parts. It goes like this:


I'm not so sure what they were trying to say... But so many have drifted through here, seeking to conquer the dragon.

One last person to talk to in Laxisland, then we can move on.


<Cough> H-Howdy.

Hm, you seem familiar, but I can't quite pin down where I've seen your face before.
Well, I can't resist hunting down a dragon myth, even if it does turn out to just be a myth.



An island to the south of Laxisland hosts the massive volcano, and on the southeastern side of it we find the entrance to the Dragon's Lair.



MUSIC: Let's Run Around, Let's Look Over There!

An interesting dungeon - four large, multi-level rooms that form a loop around the volcano. Exits back to the world map are marked off with these red flags.



Watch your step, steam periodically shoots out of these cracks in the floor.



Interesting enemies in here too. The standouts are these Thunderdrakes.



Completely invulnerable to all kinds of damage until you hit them with an Inspire arcana. It does no damage, but renders them visible and vulnerable.



Anyway, you can go around in circles all you want, but you're not getting further inside if you don't look around for some fragile walls. There are a lot of them in this dungeon.
A pair of treasure chests on the other side of the room contain a Gimel Coin and a pair of Imitators, basically tougher Mimics. All they have is a Call Whistle.




The passage seems to be a dead end, but there's a pit in the lower right, leading to an upper level in one of the 4 main rooms. Up the ladder, grab the treasure (Potion Berry) and blow up another wall for further access.
There's a cruel trick in the dungeon design - note the vertical line of orange gems? If we want them, we'll need to jump off the higher level on to them, which means getting more VIT inevitably means backtracking.



Now we're on an upper level of that apparantly dead-end passageway we just left. This dungeon is disorienting. The chest has a Gella Card.
Blow up another wall and we're in a narrow tunnel with two exits. The upper one leads to a treasure room with a 10-Gal Hat (Initiative PS) and a Duplicator. The lower one needs bombed, and brings us out on the opposite side of the volcano. Good thing this place is dormant...



Past a couple of treasure chests (Name Tag and Lucky Card, not much good loot here...) and up the ladder.



After going even higher and crossing through the centre again, we're required to fall again and climb up again by a different route! I am seriously losing track of where we are now, but the path is pretty linear overall. Doesn't take long to come to a long ladder that takes us back up to an upper level. One bombed wall later, and...



We're in a long tunnel. May want to save now, we're about to hit a point of no return.



In the shape of a cave-in behind us.

A rumbling howl shakes the mountain. It causes the roof of the tunnel to collapse, blocking the way back!

I don't recall receiving an invitation, but it seems now we'll have to go meet our eager host.

Gimel coins have been greyed out, so we can't save here. Nothing to do but continue to the caldera.

The top of the volcano is barren and empty. There's nobody about.
Nothing for it - curses be damned, it's time for music.
Boone uses the Kramer Dolls, and...



Woah!

Could it be!?



Dude!



So this is the dragon, ultimate weapon of legend.
She's made contact with my mind! If I don't watch it, she'll crush my soul like a grape!
Mortals... Tiny mortals... If my strength thou dost desire, then face my trial thou must!

BOSS BATTLE: LOMBARDIA



MUSIC: Higher than can be Carried by Wings
VIDEO: Lombardia Battle (including Kramer Doll tune)

So, yearn the title of dragonslayer, dost thou? Then, have at thee! Show me thy mettle, and do not hold back!

Lombardia's basic tactic is supposedly to buff herself to high-heaven and then unload on us.



First turn: Cerebral Matter, which boosts her evasion and reflex.
Second turn: Epidermal Shell, reducing damage from ARM and Arcana attacks.
Third turn: Mighty Might, doubling attack power.



Fourth turn: Pearl casts Eraser, undoing all of that.



She can launch swarms of missiles at us, but between losing her buffs and Doc's high FP it's not doing much. You're pretty much free to burn her down however you like now.

I chose Weaken.



And I Replayed the hell out of Pressure.

As soon as she's defeated, a cutscene starts.



MUSIC: From Beyond

Such might from warriors so small! Valiant mortals, I ask thee... What dost thou seek in butchering me? Is it not to be known as a dragonslayer, as so many have tried before thee? Then, the power of infernal dragon's breath thou seekest? Not honor, not power... Mortals, I know not what thou couldst desire from me. Say what it is, and be done with it!

I want even greater power
I want what you want.

I want something that can only be had if your desires are met.



Hmm... An odd request. Mortals, dost thou truly claim to know my inclinations?
Well, you see... I think that my goals and your goals are one and the same.
Then answer this, mortals who would know of a dragon's wishes. Can though give me what I seek?

Yes
No

What wilt thou give me?

I will give you honor.

I will give you power.
I will give you something more.



We can't give a dragon anything like honor. And power's kind of out of our reach, too!
Then, mortals, tell me what thou shall give me.

Something to quench your desire.
Uh...

Fight me to quench my thirst, thou will?
If that's what you really want!
What said thou?



That's not what you're after. No fight could ever satisfy a dragon's desire.
Then what sayest thou? What quenches a dragon's thirst?
Peaceful sleep. Powerful dragons get nothing out of fighting and burning things on the battlefield. If they did, then you'd be pretty satisfied with all the fighting you've done so far.



...
I think you just want a world without war, without fighting... So you can get some deep sleep. Isn't that right? You want to stop being you, a dragon that lives just for destruction and chaos. And I... I want to stop the forces that seek to devastate our world, and make it peaceful again.



To gain my strength, mortals had to be stronger than me. What contradiction! But woe be to mortals... They came and met their fate at my hands. But thou dost seem different. Thou wouldst seek that which I seek, and desire to quench my thirst. Mortal... Tell me thy name.
Pearl...Pearl Maxwell!
Pearl... I thank thee for doing what no other hast done. For that, I bestow upon thee this honor. Thou shalt not be known as dragonslayer, but as a dragoon. And my wings shall soar through the skies together with thee, Pearl.



Oh KICK ASS

MUSIC: Lightning Blade in the Blue Sky
MUSIC: Semi-hilarious version with Japanese lyrics I found by accident



We've got a dragon-jet transformer! It shoots missiles and everything!
Here we are terrifying the Baskar.



Don't worry sandcraft, we're still friends. Just very, very long distance friends.



HEY FLORINA COME CHECK OUT MY GIANT MECHANICAL DEATH LIZARD!!!

... oh. We'll come back to the Garden once she regains conciousness.

The dragon - Lombardia - is our airship for this game, making her triumphant return from WA2.
She can land anywhere except for sandsea, forest and very rough wasteland, so most of the world is now our oyster.
She can also shoot rockets with the R2 button, which is required for opening up a few more areas.

But back at the battle... what if you make the wrong choice?

This happens.



Thou dare underestimate the power of a dragon? Thy time of reckoning is at hand!



... uh, yeah, I accidently chose poorly the first time through. You have to redo the entire battle.

Anyway, now that we have air transport my inner OCD freak has bloomed. Remember the Gob in Humphrey's Peak who wanted us to uncover the entire map, and promised a treat if we did? It's time I did that.



I begin painstakingly flying over every square on the map, filling it in continent by continent and then doing the seas.
It's boring and it takes a long time, but you want to be thorough because finding the one square you missed can take forever. Eventually...


It's exciting when you spread open a map, gob-gob! It's also exciting when you cross off areas you've been to, gob-gob! It's even more exciting when you complete the entire map, gob-gob! Would you mind showing me your map, gob-gob?



This looks complete right? Please tell me it looks complete.

You've completed 99% of the map. I wish I wasn't a goblin so I can travel as much as you did, gob-gob Keep at it and try to cover the entire map, gob-gob! Something good just might happen, gob-gob!

... ... ... you mangy green SON OF A BITCH


... okay, okay. Calm down. Just remember, you have a dragon.


Next time: Shane Carradine, history major.



A Day A Day

Today is March 6, Candle Day. I don't think there's much point making holidays for commodities... Things like candles you buy out of necessity anyway, so why waste making a special day for it? We only have 365 days a year, so I think we should use each one for something more meaningful.

Today is March 7, Clown Day. I don't know why, but I'm afraid of them. When eating breakfast, I concluded that my fear came from the evil red mouth on a face painted white. To prove my point, I spread ketchup over my mouth and covered my face with soap suds in the bathroom. Oh, my! Was that a scary sight...

Today is March 8, Gear Day. Since it's gear day, I'm watching rotating gears, something we don't do often. Watching the gears rotating over and over, my eyes started getting blurry. The gears turned into doubles, then triples, then quadruples... Ugh... I ... I feel sick. N-No wonder we don't look at gears too often...