Part 17: Burning Spirit of the Iron Fist
Last update we saw the demise of Berserk, the introduction of Boomerang and Lucied, as well as Jane acting like a Tsundere as she handed over the Red Malice, so now we can see what lies beneath the Giant's Cradle.
Yeah...raising these Force Carrots is definately going to take a long time.
If you remember, we needed to activate two lights to open up Lolithia's Coffin. I wonder of every resting place of the Golems needs something red and blue? The door slides right open and we can see what's within.
Well, that was fast. We already found the golem! Maybe we should be golem hunters, it's not that hard.
: A Golem?! There was one still hidden?
: This is one of the eight... 
: ...Yes, it must be a Golem. This was a weapon that battled monsters. But, what are we going to do with this? We can't do anything with this huge thing. : I know! I know, but... Can't we make it work somehow? If this enormous power becamse ours, it would be great against the monsters! : Are you saying we should wake him? ...Wake him up again for battle? Is a Golem's only purpose to fight? To desire its existence for only one purpose...it's too sad.: Princess... A sword is made to slay the enemy, and a spear is made to stab the enemy. This Golem's purpose was no different. ... ... ... Your tenderness is a very precious thing in this world... But, becausse the world is like this right now, the possibility has to be indulged. Unfortunately, it's a fact that we do not have room for weakness... ... ... ... ...I'm sorry, I'm just trying to say... I have to be honest, I really like the dialog between Cecilia and Jack (mostly because that's all we get except for Jack and Hanpan, or Cecilia and Jack talking about Rudy) because it really shows how different these two characters are. Jack is old and bitter, he just wants to kill the Demons for revenge. Cecilia is young and innocent, who just wants to make sure Adlehyde and Filgaia are safe. She would probably hug the Demons into submission if she could.
: ...No... I'm sorry, too... : Either way, this is too much for us... ...We should ask that doctor for help. She's a bit strange, but she could probably help us with this. : Yes, Doctor Emma in Adlehyde! You're right! Doctor Emma should be able to help!: All right then... let's go get her. Those two start to leave, but Cecilia looks down, sad. Rudy stays behind too and looks at Cecilia.
Then she notices Rudy is waiting on her.
I'm sorry... Let's go, everyone is waiting... 
: With a model of a tool shop and 2,500 gella, I can completely restore the tool shop. How about it?
: Yes || No: All right. Leave this to me. I will do a better job than anybody.A few random battles later, the Tool Shop will be built. But I say screw that, because I can use the tool shop in the destroyed ACE grounds anyway. Once this building is rebuilt, all the guy will do is move back home. Woo.
I also pick up
Also, I had an Alter Part to use, which goes on Snipe Bullet (now at 5 shots).
: You need to take me there! I won't disappoint you! Don't worry about a thing! I have plenty of experience with Golems. I will definitely come in handy. I'm just making all the decisions, aren't I? Oh well... I like to be in charge, you know? Anyway, we need to get going if we want to see the Golem! Emma joined the party!
Welcome back, Blue Mage! She rejoins with all the Emulator skills she had before...which is to say not many.
He knows the morning, when he should wake up.
Hmm, the first room past where we had the cutscene before shows a pit we can't cross, a button on the floor and a chest. Loot before progress!
Obtained Tool [Change Staff]
Ooh, let's test it out!
Or I can fight some odd robot maid instead. That's totally fine.These girl's have two attacks: Finger Bulets for a decent amount of HP to one target (enough that I can't keep Emma and Cecilia in the front row otherwise they'll take too much damage), and Hyperion Blaster (DL) which is a powerful non-elemental move...made rather weak by the Raidbuster's weak MAG stat. It has a TC of 3 so it's as (theoretically) powerful as Little Boom. The 46 MP cost kinda bites though, so Emma won't use it often.
Also, Rudy hates shooting at robot maids for some reason, and will refuse to use nomal attacks against them 40% of the time. I wonder if there is any secret hidden meaning why Rudy with sympathize with cute anime robot maids?
There we go. The button made these five gems appear, and the Change Staff changes them into blocks that we can now use to walk on. Yet another tool taken from Virginia. Better than Cecilia's other tools in the original game, at least. Stopwatch had avoidable use, the Teardrop was turned into a key item, and the Vase...well...it's a vase.
Agh, this dungeon has way too high of an enounter rate! At least at this Migrant Level, I can cancel all battles without penalty, but still. Anyway, Nybbas here has rather high MAG and RES, but her HP and DEF suck. She can use Darkness and Devastate (for some reason it didn't change the spell name here), as well as Dispel and Protect (which increaes RES). She also has Screaming Mad (DL) which effectively does the same thing as Darkness. Now, why am I calling her a she? Because I remember this enemy model from Wild ARMs 4 and 5, and Nybbas always had a voice actor that reminded me of a female opera singer. Yeah....
I wonder why Radar marked one of those chests as red. Lets see, the first two have Thunder Gem x5 and a Gimel Coin, but when Hanpan goes to that one...
GOD DAMMIT CECILIA! And fuck this Mimic, it killed Cecilia before she could use Voyeur. Rest assured, we'll be seeing more of this guy later. Just know this thing has over 1000 HP and absurd amounts of ATT for this early in the game. This thing is a mini-boss in a box...that is the box. How tough is this thing? I had to use Lock-On Gatling Raid to deal with it properly.
But the reward is worth it. Every Mimic has a 100% chance to drop a Duplicator. Also when you beat them you get the loot the chest normally has, in this case PS Silver Harp 2 which prevents Sleep which few enemies use. Yawn.
Change Staff also works on the white ENC gems! This causes Cecilia to teleport to where the gem was. It also uses the gem up, so make sure you don't screw up! (Or if you do, just jump down the convient pits that are in the room that make the White Gems necessary.)
Juuust sit right back you'll hear a tale-- wait? No show tunes this time? Aww...I was all ready.
: Piece of cake.
I don't want your cake.
This one might trip you up at first. There's a lever here you need to pull, but pulling it will destroy the brdige behind you. There's a button on the ground you can press to make that gem appear, but you won't notice it unless you walk past the lever which you'll see first in the room.
They like placing gems in really weird places. The one's floating midair are obvious traps that will force you to restart the room. Chests contain a Gella Card and a PS Resist Up 2
Turn the orange gems into blocks for Hanpan to cross over to hit the switch. A clever puzzle using two tools, for once. A few chests later on ahead in a hallway contain a Potion Berry and a Lucky Card. Please no more Potion Berries...I'm tired of them already.
The button made some gems and platforms, if you run the light from the change staff over a platform, it turns back into an orange gem, so you have to make sure you have a clear path by the end. Chests in the room have 5000 Gella and Force Carrot x2. More stuff to sacrifice at shops and gardens!
Alright, finally reached Asgard.
: ... ... ... I did not expect to see another Golem in my lifetime... Well... you ARE good. Your luck with ancient artifacts is excellent. Good job, all of you! You're almost as good as me!: Why are we good? : If anything, I'm trying to understand why the doctor is good... : Mr. Mouse there! : Me!? Knew that mouth of his would get him in trouble someday.
: Give me a hand. I'm going to examine this Golem immediately. You look most suitable for my assistant. : Wow, now that's outrageous! You judge only be appearances?!Despite complaining, Hanpan complies and follows Emma to the Golem. They prefer to fade to black here instead of showing a "poking around" montage.
Also a bit quicker this way. I think I prefer the montage though.
: Mostly, I did the examining. But, everyone, listen carefully! : First off, its name is Asgard, meaning 'Fortress of the Gods'. The anti-phasing shields that were installed on both arms seem to be the source of its name. Secondly, it's well-preserved. This Golem is only shut off, not damaged. In other worlds, it's just in sleep mode. : Is that the reason this place is called 'Cradle' and Lolithia's was 'Coffin'?: Yes, indeed. It's different from Lolithia, it's just sleeping. It's quite possible that Asgard could work if all the conditions are met. At least it's good to know that there is no chance of Lolithia or the other Golems coming back as annoying boss enemies. That would just be terrible!
: Hey... that means... : Don't get all excited... Wait until you hear the last point. Ahem! Third, we tried various things, but we couldn't find a way to start Asgard. We couldn't find the last condition... : That's the conclusion, huh? : Yes, for now. I will not give up here. For me, any reason to study ancient machines is a good reason. I don't expect to quickly figure it all out. Because of that reason, Mr. Mouse, let's continue our research. : What!? Are we going to do even more? : Of course we are. Don't move your mouth, move your hands!Emma turns back to the Golem, we can kinda see Hanpan crawl on it's legs, while Jack and Cecilia
: Princess, maybe you'd better help them? : I'm not good enough. I may get in their way. : In the fairy tale, wasn't it a princess' kiss that wakes the sleeping prince? : You have that backwards. Besides... If he is my prince, he's too tall for me. 
Cue another fade to black, and the party falls fast asleep, except for Cecilia. ...wait a second, why are they even sleeping in the dungeon? With all these random encounters everywhere? That can't be safe!
Either Cecilia is keeping watch, or just talking to Asgard because she can't sleep. Even though we've already heard Princess Sorceress before, I reconmend you listen to it again here. It'll make the scene more interesting, since it's just Cecilia doing a monologue. They make the scene better with nice panning shots to mix things up and give some motion, but alas...I can only copy and paste the game script here.
: ... ... ... The best thing is for you to keep sleeping as you are now. Currently Filgaia is not that different from the one of 1000 years ago. It's a barren world of battles repeated. ...What... What do you hope for the world if you wake up now? ... ... ... ...Even if you do not hope for anything, someone will hope something of you... They hope you will be a weapon... ... ... ... I hoped to be someone... Someone other people wanted me to be. I was denied the real me and began to hate it. ... ... ... I was born to a different type of family... Because of it, everybody cherished me. ... ... ... But, what they cherished was not me. It was my name and position. 'I, who can be anyone.' I wasn't really needed or loved... Everyone just sees me as 'Princess of Adlehyde'. I hoped to be an ideal princes and tried to forget the 'real' me. Now Adlehyde has a different hope for me. I must complete my mission as a shaman. 
: But, I thought you might be able to... Understand...this feeling... ... ... ... You... You did not want to be born only to fight? Did you?
: Rrrrrmmmmm....Asgard growls here. I'm not sure why I'm trying to spell it out.
: Huh?! ...Can you hear my words? : Hhhhhmmmm...His eyes glow too. Asgard is wide awake.
: No! If you make a loud noise, everyone will wake up! ... ... ... The current world is the same as when you were last awake. It's a sad world filled with fighting. If anyone knows you're awake, they will treat you like a weapon. They will force you to become something you do not want to be! ...Please... Please keep sleeping until the world is peaceful again... : Ghhhhhrrrrrrr....: You're willing to wake up anyway? ... ... ... ...I see... You can hear not only my voice, but the voices of all that live in this world... ... ... ... Fight to protect something you cherish. ...Yes... I, as a princess, would like to protect...the country and the world. 
: I just want to protect something smaller, something more certain that I can grasp. Little by little, my hopes may come true. She was looking at Rudy the entire time she said that. HINT HINT.
: The things I cherish... May I ask you to help me protect them? : Harroooooommmmm!
When Asgard makes that last grumble/roar/whatever, this song starts playing, Windward Birds. The song here is instrumental, without vocals, but I don't have a instrumental version of this song so I'll just link straight to the Rocking Heart remix, which doesn't have any vocals either. I'm the vocals for when Windward Birds comes up later. Oh, and this way it's heavy metal, which definately suits Asgard much better! (Although I think he's more stone...)
Anyway! Back to the scene!
Sorry, these faces are just too silly sometimes.: Huh?! Who woke me up before noon?! ...is it a salesman? ...bill collector? Either one, I'm not interested... : Harroooooommmmm!: How in the?! We tried everything we could come up with yesterday! Why is it moving now?!: I talked to him a little. He woke up...because he wanted to. No one but him could wake up Asgard. He willed it to happen, with his hope. : ...That's a, ah...unexpected... I don't know what to say... ...Isn't that weird... : No. I heard his voice and he listened to my voice. It is OK, isn't it? : Hhhhhmmmm...: Wow?! It replied! I just can't believe it! I suppose I should accept reality. After all, I am the 'intellectual'. : It reacts to the princess' voice? Mmm... it must be a system that records a voiceprint for controlling the unit. : Enough with the technical stuff. The 'Absolute Power' is ours! We can use it to destroy the monsters. With this super weapon, we can attack their stronghold!!: ...No, he is not. Asgard is not a weapon. He woke up, by his own will, to help us.: We are very lucky... : Asgard... Lend us your large hands... So that we may create a world that all life can live in peace, one where people do not treat you like a weapon. : Rrrrrmmmmm....: Go with us! Asgard!! 
FMV time! Asgard raises his hand, and the platform he's on rotates and rises up so he can leave his cradle. It starts playing Companions here, but I would honestly just keep listening to Wayward Birds.
He walks very slow, as you would expect a Golem too. Then again, he's very tall so he gets bigger steps than the rest of the party, who comes scurrying out of the cradle.
: What's the matter? Asgard started...: You looked forward to it the most. What are you doing? : You are going to take Asgard's power? : We will track down the monsters and take the Teardrop back! Emma: OK, then I will go back to Adlehyde before you do. For my research and study, there is something I need to know. I would like to do an experiment. If it goes well, I might be able to make the Emma Motor more powerful... We will see...
: ...What's that? : Oh, it's just a small thing. I'll thank you in advance... I really appreciate this opportunity. : You said you are going back... But how are you going to go back to Adlehyde? : I will use the Sweet Candy. Since I came here by ship, I will go back by ship. I'll tell the Captain totake me back. : That doctor is a really... hard worker. 
She's not joking though. The Sweet Candy is moved to Adlehyde...meaning we can't use it right now. Railroading plot, ahoy!
The first time we board Asgard, we get treated to this cutscene, showing Asgard carrying Jack and Rudy, with Cecilia riding on his shoulder, then walking away from Giant's Cradle.
We'll be on the world map for a while, so here's the world map theme again. Asgard has 3 primary uses. First: No random encounters while on him. Two: He can cross shallow waters, which Sweet Candy cannot sail on, and the party can't run into. Third: Well, not a use but a caveat. You cannot use the search system while on Asgard. You'll have to get off for a second first.
However, straight ahead is the Artica region, where the Photosphere awaits.
Or not. These boulders are in our way, preventing us from reaching the Photosphere. Looks like we're going to need to find something to break these first. Fortunately, Court Seim is to the south of the Artica Region, so we can head there.
...and promptly go in to use the Save Parrot, Inn, and leave. No, I'm not showing off the town yet, because, I have MORE grinding to do!
You see, Asgard comes at a very perfect time.
The monsters in the Artica Region are tough. Really tough. This is the weakest of them, Flurity. Flurity has three moves: Freezing Zone (doubles Ice damage, halves Fire), Artic Lance (Ice damage to a single target), and Flirtation (Ice damage to party). Their AI always has them use Freezing Zone first. Like I said, this is the weakest of the three enemies here. Flurity is Level 55, Gigafrost is Level 58 and Vivel is Level 60. These are all really powerful monsters that you don't want to fight because they will crush you, so you have to use Asgard to run through Artica without setting foot on the snow.
Of course, that only applies if you're not an insane person and use this opportunity to grind for Jack's Fast Draws. These high level monsters really are tough and a group of three or four Flurities will murder you easily. But the Gigafrosts come in smaller groups, and Vivel usually comes alone. These are perfect targets for Fast Draw, becuase Jack is only Level 25 at the moment.
Better yet, Vivel is slow, so Cecilia can use Strategic Evac before it even gets a turn. In fact, that's basically what you have to do here because Jack and Rudy have a snowballs chance in hell of dealing significant damage to kill one of these enemies. Not to mention the EXP would increae Jack's level and decrease his Fast Draw skill gains.
So...uhh...yeah. That's basically the end of the update here. Me grinding like crazy to get Jack's current Fast Draw's mastered, and spending about 10-15 Gimel Coins on Continues where I got unlucky and everyone ganged up on Cecilia before she could move.
End of update status:
: Level 24 → 25--ATK Bonus: 46 (Lv. 4)
--Bullets: 7 (Lv. 4)
--Snipe Bullet +1 (5)
: Level 23 --Mastered Speed Fang: Lv. 5 (225 / 225)
--Mastered Strike Buddy: Lv. 5 (270 / 270)
--Mastered Burst Breaker: Lv. 5 (315 / 315)
--Mastered Acute Angle: Lv. 5 (360 / 360)
: Level 24 → 25--Obtained Newton's Wrath
Gella: 9700...minus using the Inn in Court Seim A LOT.
Migrant Seals: 6
Ex. File Keys: 2/25
Fuck-Ups: 15
Version Differences:
Emma rejoins the party for Giant's Cradle.
You cannot use the Sweet Candy after Giant's Cradle.
Alter Code: F is grindtastic if you're insane like me! (Please don't be like me.)
A Saying A Day
: (June 27) Today's saying is that where there's smoke, there is fire. If everyone speaks ill of someone, there's probably some basis for it. However, there is a device that generates smoke without fire. If the saying isn't true, what a pity! : (June 28) Today's saying is that gella and a rabbit will die when they feel lonely. So, gella gathers where its friends are, and rich people become richer. 'If you are lonely, I will be your friend,' I told them...... But they didn't accept my offer. They noticed my obvious ulterior motive? That is sad...... : (June 29) Today's saying is, 'an untitled work is wasted effort.' If you give a work no title, how will anyone be able to find it or discuss is? Think about it. People will say things like, 'Have you read that book, umm, with the red cover.......' What good is that?: (June 30) Today's saying is, 'mind over matter.' A girl once gave her mother-in-law dirty water, claiming it was Mirama's water. It seems the woman was mean to her. The woman was confident in her health believing she drank Mirama's water. She died in peace at the age of 100. This proves that belief can be stronger than science or reason. Since I'm not getting these myself, I can't 100% prove these are the correct Agetec translations, so A Saying A Day is exempt from the Fuck Up count. However, I will point them out where I find them. Mirama, seriously? This game was doing good with the L/R standard Fuck Up a lot of translations get hit with.
: (July 1) Today's saying is that Dan Dairam walks with Clare Row side by side. Time goes by really fast, but you still shouldn't rush things. Just because Dan Dairam and Clare Row are walking together doesn't mean that they are in a relationship.Next Time:
Oh yeah, grinding for this also wiped out my buffer; but after I finish up this project, I can get some good quality Alter Code: F time in.
Regardless, worth it. I'm just dreading having to do this later in the game with a Fast Draw that costs 30 MP at first, and I'm probably Lv. 45 by the time I get it.