Part 41: Deus ex Machina part 1
Last time, Melody and Malik bit the dust.
Today, it's Leehalt's turn...
Update 41: Billy actually does something
Before we head off to the Deus Ex Machina, there's some time for hunting down a few sidequests. For a start, there's something to see in Claiborne's Horsetheft Saloon.
The runaway has returned home.
Thanks to all of you, my mom and I have safely returned to Claiborne! I wish I could repay you for your kindness and support... Oh, yes! I found this key during my travels, but I would like you to have it. Isn't its sparkle mystifying?The reward for helping Martina out is an EX File Key.
EX File Keys found: 5/15
But what about the nasty aunt that tried to steal the saloon? Well, Myra is hiding out in Little Twister along with the Hooligans.
What is it? Are you here to mock me? But let me tell you this. I have no regrets whatsoever. The weak are always taken advantage of. It's all Mileux's fault...I think she'll fit in.
Anyway, now that we have the changecrest, we can also unlock some treasure rooms in old dungeons.
There was a locked room in the Fallen Sanctuary (Boone's first dungeon) that was triggered by a pressure pad. Now that we can change these orange gems into orange blocks, we can put one on the pad and get through the door.
Inside there's a Migrant Seal, a Mini Carrot and a sealed chest with an Ambrosia inside. That item cures all status ailments and completely restores a character's HP.
In The World's Footprint, if Pearl removes that orange block the other block can be pushed aside to reveal a sealed door. There's a Big Grab Bag and a Migrant Seal inside. That's our migrant level up to 15/20.
Finally, in the Ark of Destiny we can now get through this wall of orange blocks. Behind it there's three sealed doors, and behind them...
a LVL Apple
a Holy Root
a Big Grab Bag
a Growth Egg in a sealed chest and
a Tiny Flower.
... None of that was worth four duplicators <
>
Another thing we need to pursue is the mystery of the treasure animals. Ever since Billy got the radar, it's been picking up some strange signals.
It's marking that chicken as having treasure, but when we grab it all it does is cluck.
But hit it with a changecrest and...
... it turns into a Full Carrot?
Strange.
There's an animal like this in almost every town. For example:
A white cat in Jolly Roger that becomes a Tiny Flower
A white chicken in Claiborne that is destined to be a Potion Berry.
A black bird in Little Twister that lays a Growth Egg
A dog in a cave in Little Rock, which will be a Nectar.
A brown chicken in Boot Hill which drops a Big Grab Bag.
A little bird in the Secret Garden is secretly an Ambrosia.
Roswell's dog in Laxisland is a Holy Root.
A bird in Ballack Rise has a LVL Apple
And finally, a bird in Greenlodge is a Magic Candle. That's a gear that gives you a PS that recharges the Encounter Gauge after a battle. I won't be worrying about it, but I may use it in the Abyss.Greenlodge is in the Yggdrasil Area, and it's a pain to get here because Lombardia can't land on trees, so you have to take the Nidhogg pass to get here. Since I'm here, may as well pick up another secret.
Searching in the woods south-east of Yggdrasil uncovers an EX File Key
EX File Keys found: 6/15
I've been neglecting my Arioch hunting for a few updates, so I killed 10 to try to help get caught up.
Ariochs defeated: 30/100
Finally, with Billy and Doc's ARMs upgraded as far as they'll go, I start working on Pearl and Boone's.
Pearl's modifications are pretty inexpensive - room for another five bullets and reducing her gatling cost to 10FP per bullet. At 100FP she can pull off the famous ten shot gatling.
Not enough gella at the moment to finish Boone's, but I'm going to put five in Hit and put the rest in Shot.
During all this time, I've been getting attacked by Wyverns similar to the one I defeated in the last update. Fortunately my Migrant Level is high enough that they can be skipped at no cost, but they'll be a nuisance until we take down Siegfried and Leehalt.
How do we track them down? Maybe some people at the Ark know.
In the Ark of Destiny
There's only so much one person can do. I came to that realization after joining a meeting for investors. One for all... All for one... I finally understand what <<those words>> mean.
<<Those words>> The person who referred me gets paid, while I get paid if I refer someone. It's a system that benefits everybody.What? No, that sounds shady. Why are you so gullible?
It's hard to find something in the sea of sands, but it's even harder when you're trying to look for something <in the sky>! But nothing would be harder than trying to find something in the sea of stars. <<In the sky>> But... Not if you go to my hometown of <<Ballack Rise>> and use my telescope. If you use my telescope, you'll be able to look out over the entire sky.I can see you want me to ask about Ballack Rise, but I already know where it is. Seen that telescope too.
Through the telescope you spy the floating base of the demons high above the Cradle of the Metal Gods. Also... It's easy to miss, but you notice that the surrounding area shimmers with heat! The demon's floating base must be hidden there!
It moves around, but after flying Lombardia around for a while you'll eventually find Deus Ex Machina out on the map. At first it has a stealth field active, but after a few missiles it gives up and allows you to board it.
The wizardly stealth deployed around Deus Ex Machina is gone! You can now infiltrate their base!
MUSIC: From Beyond
As we're breaking in, Siegfried and Leehalt are shooting the shit.
The growth level of the nanomachines have only now surpassed 70. We still need to buy a little more time for them to fully mature. Losing the Yggdrasil's generator has been quite a setback for us...
Hmmm... The Yggdrasil System... Has the downloading procedure used to summon me ever been used before? No, Sire... We are the only ones capable of performing the download. I see... So the technology of Hyades cannot be applies by one who does not comprehend Hyades... Then, who could it be...? Could a human have analyzed Hyades? Or could it have been someone else of my race...? If no other demons aside from myself were summoned, then that means this person descended to Filgaia by their own power through Hyades. Could that be possible...? One must have their personal data stored within Hyades to do that...
Is everything all right, Sire? What would happen if someone of my ilk possessed the ability to exist within Hyades without supplying his personal data? Capable of concealing himself within Hyades by transmitting electric signals through his own will? Or perhaps...There is an explosion and the entire ship shakes. Guess why?
Couldn't we have just landed normally!?
Hey, we're all in one piece, right?
Is that cobwebs? Or mould?
Ewww...What is that?
If this really is the nanomachine plant, then it must be... Nanomachine compounds, which threaten the life of Filgaia... We can't let Filgaia fall to this nasty, moldy little thing! Come on, everyone! Let's go!
MUSIC: The weight of a Heavy Life, the Meaning of the Meaning of Life
Chapter-ending dungeons have the best song titles...
I like this place. It's dark and moldy and the music is good.
These lasers need to be destroyed with Bombs, and you need pretty good timing because they move back and forward and can pass right over the bomb.
In fact, a lot of things here are all about good timing.
Example: a very tricky timing puzzle. Five platforms extend and retract from the wall, far too quickly to walk or run across, and the timing is very tight even if you Galecrest.
The trick is to activate Gamecrest just as the farthest away one finishes extending. Or maybe even a bit earlier.
That way you skip over the first gap, catch the lip of the fourth platform and skip over the fifth gap.
Shortly afterwards, we return to Leehalt and Siegfried's discussion.
OK, a good thing about Leehalt's new design is it's impossible for him not to look startled.
Such a being exists!? We call them [dream-demons]... Dream-demons... Like demons inside your dreams?
Surely not!
The structure of the information library Hyades is like a sea of electric signals... The motif stems from the domain of the mind, created by people's consciousness. The dream-demons once said they can only exist inside the information library... However, these dream-demons with no physical make-up can still exist within people's consciousness and even their dreams... They are capable of making every possible sea of electric signals their own world, where they exist. Then, you think they may be inside the information library? Fear not. They only exist within the seas of electric signals, whereas I am here. They are not a threat to me. Very well, Sire... My wish is to ride the Starship Filgaia, searching the frontier for battle! Right now, it is the humans, with the guardians' power, that stand in my way! Eliminate the intruders at once!Siegfried strikes a dramatic pose. A quiet girlish giggle answers him.
MUSIC: Gun-Equipped Cavalry
Elsewhere, Pearl's group sees someone run past in the shadows.
She tracks the other group, and readies her ARMs...
Maya, thank goodness you're safe...
Thanks for your concern, but I'm fit as a fiddle. So, are you here to see me knock off the bad guy?
Uhhh... no... I just wanted to return this to you.
Pearl takes out the Paperback and returns it to Maya.
Hey! This is... Hmph... That was awfully thoughtful of you. A simple thanks would've been nice, but we have more important things to worry about. If you're looking to fight them, I wouldn't mind helping... Why not? We could use your help, Maya.The next room contains a large computer.
The Deus Ex Machina's main control panel.
Annoyingly we can't do anything here until we go next door and check out the sub-panel, which makes Maya say...
This panel seems to be connected to that big one in the other room. Let's go back there.and we have to come back.
We'll operate the main panel. You guys play around with the sub-panel. Hurry along. But, then... Don't get me wrong. I haven't the slightest intention of making you guys into heroes. Or are you saying you want me to walk around this dingy, moldy, stinkin' place?
Fine... Watch our backs, but you guys be careful, too.We just met them, but we'll be leaving the Schrodingers here for now while we go on ahead.
Thank you kindly for trusting us. We will not fail you! Should you ever feel the effects of fatigue from battle, please come to me for help.Todd gives us a free heal.
Don't worry! I'm sure you'll be fine. You have me and my sister to back you up! Oh, I almost forgot! I brought with me an invention you might be interested in. If you use it, you'll be able to save your current state.Alfred will save our game.
Dispersin' your offense ain't necessarily a smart thing to do... But in our case, I think it's better to wage our own guerrilla warfare.Shady... offers no help whatsoever.
We head back to the small sub-panel next door. There's a locked door next to it. Maya sends us a message over the intercom.
Hello? Can you hear me? I figured out the release code for the shutter. But... the code is only valid for ten seconds, so that's how long you'll have to input it. I'll relay the code from here, so enter it quickly and precisely. Okay, are you ready?
Not too hard getting this input in time.
An awkward puzzle this, since it's really easy to screw yourself over.
The important thing to remember is to put the first large block against the western wall, because you can't really move the second one away from the wall it's against.
After that you shove the middle large block down on the southernmost pressure plates, move the small block into the little gap that leaves, and move the remaining large block onto the remaining four plates.
This horrible room. I don't wanna talk about it.
You need to hit all three gems with the boomerang. But for each gem you hit, the conveyor belt will speed up until it's blindingly fast.
For that reason, you must hit the gem that's hidden behind the belt first, because you never will once it speeds up. But that's finicky too: you have to turn the boomerang at the last moment to hit the block next to it, so that the boomerang falls on the gem, but the collision detection is picky.
Eventually I got it by throwing the boomerang so that it did a 180 and hit the back of a block on the conveyor belt. then it fall onto the switch. That the way you're supposed to do it? No idea, but I'm glad it worked.
Hitting the other two switches is simple after that.
After getting out of there and passing a few more floating lasers, we get ambushed by a boss.
BOSS BATTLE: FAFNIR
MUSIC: Blood, Tears, and the Dried-Up Wasteland
A bloody big dragon with a bloody huge horn.
On his first turn he'll use Contaminated Crust, which deals 10% MaxHP damage at the end of each turn. It's pretty much an uncurable Poison.
He also has a pretty strong single-target magic attack.
Fortunately for me, he's very weak to Wind, and I can have Boone attach the wind element to Doc and Billy's attacks.
The results were interesting.
Killed in two attacks - one from Billy, one from Doc. Nice.
Moving on...
The next room requires Doc to use the grappling hook to hitch a ride on these magnets and cross the pit. The only important thing to remember is to watch your facing when you drop off - Doc doesn't drop down, he jumps forward a square and that can easily put you in the pit.
MUSIC: He Who Holds the Word of God
The next room is dominated by this enormous device.
This must be the heart of the nanomachine plant... Each one of these spores are the cancer cells that'll eat away at Filgaia... We can't let them carry out their plan! We'll just have to... Blow it up?
If you blow up the plant, the nanomachines, although still premature, will scatter all over Filgaia. The growth rate of the nanomachines is currently at 74%... which equals the <<likelihood>> of them activating. <<Likelihood>>
There's a 74% chance the nanomachines will activate!? Precisely... Is the 26% survival rate worth blowing up the plant? Personally speaking, I would rather you wait until the nanomachines have fully matured... Heh heh heh heh... Thanks for the advice. But we'll decide what to do after we defeat you!BOSS BATTLE: LEEHALT AND CLONES
MUSIC: Black as Sin, Red as Blood
Oh come on. Couldn't you get some new allies instead of cloning your old ones?
The terraforming, brought on by nanomachines, is the proper way to evolve. Why do you refuse to accept the true form of the planet's future? Because no one wants that kind of future! No one...? Heh heh heh heh... Are you certain? At the very least, our forefathers did; the neosapiens allowed nanomachines to evolve their mother planet...Yeah, and ruined it in the process so that they had to leave and come to Filgaia. You forget that bit?
What!? A long time ago... Far, far away... existed the planet, Terra; home of the neosapiens... Technology flourished by leaps and bounds, evolving the planet. The people of Terra were no exceptions to this evolution... Their desire for limitless power and everlasting life caused them to outstep the boundaries of living organisms... by using nanomachines to merge with machines. Half organic, half machine!? Indeed... Our forefathers rode the immigrant ship to reach Filgaia... These neosapiens are the very demons that appear in folklore! No...I don't believe a word you say!I don't believe it's given me the exact same battle again!
You'd think they could have given Leehalt a decent send off, but he's got no new abilities, and his clones are literally clones in every way.
Well, screw this.
Remember that Violator gear I mentioned a few posts back? It gives the Finest Arts PS.
VIDEO: Leehalt gets Violated
First kill off the clones. In the process, Doc's ARM runs out of bullets, and his FP rises to 100.
It's possible to use Gatling when a character's ARM is empty. Each melee hit has a weight of 20, so a 100FP gatling will have 5 hits.
Doc runs up, hits the enemy 4 times with the butt of his rifle, and on the fifth hit...
... Finest Arts activates.
That's more than three times the MAX HP Leehalt has, and at least 10-15 times Doc's typical damage. In fact, it's more HP than the FINAL BOSS has.
Finest Arts is broken. Broken broken broken broken broken, and as long as you have enough Full Carrots you can use it every turn.
The only way it's even slightly balanced or fair is in the relative obscurity of its activation method. The game doesn't tell you how to do it, you have to figure it out for yourself. Or read ANY FAQ. So that didn't really work out.
Suffice to say, I won't be using it at all for the remainder of the normal game. Optional stuff... probably, in moderation.
You don't believe me...? Rather, you refuse to believe me... But think about it... How can people handle ARMs - weapons created by dragons and left behind by demons? We may be inferior to the demons, but by communicating our spirit to our half-flesh, half-machine bodies, we are able to synchronize a part of our body. Heh heh heh heh... Because we are the spawn of demons, we possess a dormant agent inside us - the same one demons have. In terms of species, humans and demons are similar... Especially when it comes to the desire for conflict and war...He collapses, and after what Doc just did I'm not surprised.
Even if that is the truth, we're not the same as demons! We don't want any evolution brought on by nanomachines! Limitless power... Everlasting life... By accepting these, you've become immune not only to your own pain, but to others, as well! If you can't feel pain for others, you can't have love for others! Love... That is what Ekatrina would have said as well... But in a world without Ekatrina, such a word is unnecessary...
Let's press on...Not just yet.
Since Leehalt is lying on the ground in front of us, we have our one and only chance in the entire game to rename a major villain.
Picking a name was a tough choice, but a clear winner quickly surfaced courtesy of RentCavalier. Leehalt needed a name that showed our deep respect for him; that reflected his effectiveness as a villain and as an interesting character; that carried all the gravitas an opponent of his caliber deserved.
A name that was "uncreative and a little played out, just like Leehalt!
" - Veyrall
You may have gotten past me, but not the originators of humans, the demons...Shut up.
Pearl checks the Nanomachine plant.
Maya, it's me! Can you hear me? We've found the nanomachine plant, but we don't know how to shut it off! Any ideas? I'll have to look into it... ... ... No idea... Forget about shutting it off. Why don't you just blow it up? We can't do that. All the spores will scatter over Filgaia... So we've gotta do something with the actual nanomachine program, then...
He puts his hand near the console and it starts to glow.
Billy! What was that!?
How the hell should I know!? It was like this at Yggdrasil, too... When I faced the System, and communicated my spirit to handle the ARM, this happened... What did you just do!? From what I can confirm here, the nanomachine program is being rewritten at an enormous pace!
What? How did you get back up?
MUSIC: Stopping a Deluge with One's Palms (I like this one...)
Ahhh... Now I understand. You're that Filgaia Sample... The model of the world, created by Elliot Enduro... The android, Adam Kadmon... It all makes perfect sense now. I couldn't tell from the black model you carry, but it is the Airget-lamh you hold. Adam Kadmon cannot wield the power of demons!
Filgaia Sample? Adam Kadmon? Are you talkin' about me...? Then, you know me, too!? I know you very well... We, the Council of Seven, in our efforts to rejuvenate the planet, first researched the makeup of Filgaia. We derived a hypothesis based on various perspectives... We called this the <<Filgaia Hypothesis>>. <<Filgaia Hypothesis>> Would we be able to prove this planet was a single life-form? In order to test our theory, we created you... the Filgaia Sample... Even though the validity of our hypothesis was only confirmed when Asgard brought back Filgaia data of the past... To us, you were but a mere sample. You took on human form when we took up the challenge of playing god. However, to our colleague Elliot, you were much more than that. He had lost his only son days ago, when he placed his son's figure over yours, and continued to raise you inside the sample pod. Up until the very moment of the Yggdrasil tragedy... My life was made from Filgaia...?Yes, in case you're not following Dongs' spiel, Billy is basically a clone of the life force of the ENTIRE FRIGGIN' PLANET.
Suddenly this planet doesn't seem worth saving.
Werner most likely rescued you from the sample pod during the accident... You were named after Elliot's son, and were created to withstand any environment and adapt... You were also bestowed the Airget-lamh, which was converted into an ARM, so that you may use it as a terminal to link with the life force of Filgaia. That pretty much summarizes your origin... Your own personal data.. You were able to install the original Filgaia data into the System to cause the Yggdrasil function to crash... And now you rewrite the nanomachine program... Did Werner put you up to this?
Does it really matter who!? Next, I'll rewrite you myself!Billy's arm starts to glow again.
How absurd! Do you wish to save the planet? Do you plan to act human just becuase you were created by one? You're just a puppet!That line worked really well for another, better villain.
Here... not so much.
Billy rewrites the nanomachines in Dongs, reducing his entire body to glowing dust.
The nanomachines are terminated... Thanks to the sample data... Don't call him that! He's Billy! And he's one of us!
Don't worry about it. I'm not bitter... I may be a creation, but I get by... Except for the fact that... I don't have any memories of this planet like you do. I guess it can't be helped. Looks like I was finally completed soon after the accident... Heh, guess I've only been around a few years. It's not that I lost my memory! I never had any to begin with! No matter how far I walk, or where I look, I'll never find it! As a Filgaia Sample of the past, the only memory I was granted the way Filgaia was in the past... Well... Just like he said, this is absurd.
Pearl and Doc nod. So do the players probably.
Billy, if you were looking to gain a character and some plot significance, this is probably a case of too much, too late.
Oh, man... I don't know what it is, but I just feel so pissed off! Like I wanna lay it on someone! The top dog is still around, right? Looks like I'm qualified to make him eat some lead. Come on, let's go... I wanna leave this joint.We'll tackle him next time.
Next Time: Maya kicks some ass
A Day A Day
Today is March 27, Candy Day! How many days can someone live on candy? Once, a woman tried to answer this question. Today marks the anniversary of this brave woman's death. By the way, I tried this myself and lasted for twelve days. No holiday for me, though... I guess you have to die before you get a day named after you. Today is March 28, Calculation Day. If plans work out as calculated, you'll always run into calculation mistakes later on. That's why I was trying not to be too happy too early, but suppressing my own emotions stressed me out. I guess that was another miscalculation of mine. Today is March 29, Spectacles Day. Today is the day you can express your true feelings for someone of the opposite sex who wears glasses. On this day we remember a nearsighted girl who fell in love with a fairy who recovered her glasses from a deep well. She went on to become the patron saint of glasses, but she only appears in front of glasses-wearing girls, because she is so shy.