Part 12: Chapter 4-2: Kulgan the Agile

Chapter 4-2: Kulgan the Agile

All right, everyone. This is going to be a pretty meaty update. Hope you've got a comfy chair.

Let's start with our two newest quests. First up we have Merrick.

http://blip.tv/file/4654883 (Contains the entire quest!)



A man with a shabby hood slowly approached you.



Sexy.

This hunchbacked old man was skin and bones, but you felt something extraordinary from his eyes.

He began speaking in a faint voice.

- I don't know about everyone else, but I am grateful for the Flash. Thanks to that, I was able to return to this town. Anyone would want to die in the comfort of one's hometown.

His name was Merrick Abdul. He is a former Imperial sorcerer, a scholar known throughout the world.

But rumor has it that he was sent into exile after experimenting the Forbidden Magic.

- I carried it out... With my knowledge of the spirits and a persistent pursuit of the truth... I was able to play god. My head will fly if I say anymore, but... I'll just say that the fate of this kingdom depends on this quest. It's a simple job. Just bring me a heart, the origin of life... and a dragon's heart, at that! ... Better make that two. I will be waiting here.

Seems like a nice guy. Okay. Let's pick up Rose's quest while we're here.

http://blip.tv/file/4655888 (Contains the entire quest!)



- Oh, look! It's Rose!

- It is! What happened to Romeo, huh? Did you sell him off?

The men in the Tavern began laughing.

- Shut up! Shut up! Go home and suck on your Momma's breast, ya' big baby!

A woman approached you as she pushed aside the men making fun of her.



- I'm Rose Aveilo. I used to be an adventurer like you.

The men began to shout out.

- Now she's a cute maiden!

- The thief's heart has been stolen!

- Shut up, dumbass!

Rose gave the man a nice right hook to the face.

The man was knocked out cold.

-

- *Ahem* So, here's the quest... Uhhh...

Rose looked away, embarrassed.

- I want you to see what my husband is doing...

At that moment, the Tavern burst into laughter.

- Shut up, I said!

-

- Man, these guys never grow up... Lately, he's been sneaking to the Labyrinth. But what's odd about that is... He faints at the sight of any monster! He's definitely hiding something from me. I'm beginning to think that he's meeting someone there, but he's never been the type of person to hide things from me... He's also been avoiding me... Don't you think something's up? If he's meeting with another woman... I'm not going to forgive him. His name is Giorgio. He's a handsome man with black hair down to his shoulders and slit-like eyes. According to these guys here, he's been going to the 4th Floor fairly often. I'm leaving this up to you.

Sorry, I was feeling silly.

Well, let's get some quests done.



Our first stop is B2, as it turns out Anonym's quest can be completed there.

Just so you guys know, I accidentally recorded Anonym's introduction in a slightly different resolution, so I couldn't fuse it with the other parts. So, the first link is his intro, and the second is everything else. Sorry about that. This should be the last time that happens.

http://blip.tv/file/4654790

http://blip.tv/file/4655043





- You stole, didn't you? You stole from a dead person. Because I know. The dead man over there had that brooch on before!

(This doesn't make much sense until it's realized that we're standing outside of Gilman's cell, where we took the tag for Lorenzo's quest earlier)

The Pixie pointed in the direction of the door.

- I know another person besides you who steals. You'll definitely be surprised if I give you a name. It's... hehe... I wonder if I should tell you. You wanna know? Ummm... It's.. the... Bishop. Can you believe a person of holiness? Seriously!

You received a torn rosary from the Pixie.

- I'm sure the bishop will be surprised when you show him that! He's probably going to deny it. Hahaha!!

The Pixie ran off laughing.

Anonym's quest has been completed. Go to the tavern to get your reward.

So, he's a grave robber, then? Why would he forget about that?



Next stop is B3, with its creepy architecture.



I ran into the priest again. I got the same result as last time, a magic stone card. This time I found the spot it indicated and got it on video.

http://blip.tv/file/4654845



The prizes are all pretty lackluster. Oh well, Warren can never have too many Teal stones.

Oh, and I got a couple of dragon hearts.

Anyway, down on B4 things are pretty much the same as when I left them, except for a spot near the movable tombstone from the last update.



In the Labyrinth full of tombstones, a man stood absentmindedly. He was not doing anything in particular. He was just staring at the gave before him.



- I thought I fully understood that...

He had shoulder-length black hair and almond-shaped eyes.

The man in front of you fit the description of Giorgio, whom you were asked to find.

- I guess somewhere in my heart, I believe, however illogical... that it's impossible for someone you loved to disappear and be gone. I always believed that there was nothing that couldn't be undone in this world... and that I could get back whatever I'd lost... Up until the time I lost someone dear to me...

The man must have felt something. After identifying himself, he quietly began talking about his past.

The mane's name was Giorgio Aveilo. He killed people for money.

His existence as only known to a handful of the population.

The work he did was always shrouded in bloody darkness, and was never meant for anyone to know about.

- When the Flash happened, I had just finished a job and was on my way back to town. When I saw the Flash, the only thought in my head was that of her. I hoped and I prayed that she was still alive. Then, at least I could've apologized to her for the heartless things I've done to her... and all the terrible things I've ever said to her. Isn't it funny? After I've murdered so many people... But all that was left for me was her tragically charred dead body... That was the response to my prayers. And time has never moved for me since.

Giorgio gently touched the gravestone once more before he left, and then he faded away, blending in with the somber scenery.

A beautiful ring sat upon the gave.

On the ring, the name Rose Aveilo was engraved.

You got a Promise Ring!

Rose's quest has been completed. Go to the tavern to get your reward.

...Wait, what? Was Giorgio a ghost? If so, why did he talk about her charred corpse. Then, maybe Rose...?

All right, going back topside for the rest of the quests.

- You already got them?!

A hooded old man approached you from the back of the Tavern.

It is the man who hired you to get Dragon Hearts, Merrick.

You gave him 2 Dragon Hearts.

- You wouldn't believe how hard it was to get these before... Thanks to the Labyrinth, it's so much easier. Thank you. This should last for a while. How funny the world is. What was hated before, is appreciated now.

You got an Anti-Evil Cloak.

You got 4500 Exp!





Always happy to help a mad doctor. And Rose...

- So did you find anything out?

It was Rose.

- So, how'd it go? Did Giorgio... meet with another woman?

You gave her the ring Giorgio left.

- Wha... What's this...? Wait a second! This ring has my name engraved in it!

Rose made a face like she wasn't satisfied wit this answer, but then something struck her mind.

- I see. So that was it... It's almost been a year since we first met... So he was hiding this present... He didn't need to hide it from me!

You got an Elf Hair Ornament.

You got 10000 Exp!





This makes even less sense. Either something is wrong here, or Rose is just really dense. I'm not ruling out either possibility at this point.

What about our old friend Anonym?



A hooded man slowly approached you. He is the man who lost his memory due to the Flash.



You returned his Brooch, and gave him the Rosary that you got from the Pixie.

The man stared at the Rosary wonderingly.

But when you tell him that a bishop killed the man, and that the corpse was holding the Rosary... His pale face looked as if his soul had returned.

- Ah... ah... ah... That is...

His vacant eyes opened wide, and his face turned pale.

The man grabbed hold of his head and fell to his knees.

- O Lord... forgive me... What... have I done...?

The man seemed to recall that he was a bishop.

He hadn't forgotten because of the Flash.

His mind sealed away his memories due to a cursed event.

His name was Verge Andrews. He came from the village of Anju to save a man condemned to death.

For the record, he did indeed come to save him, but the truth he learned was unexpected.

He came to find out if this man killed his daughter.

Verge loved his daughter. He was a father foremost, before he was a bishop.

That was why he must know the truth of her death.

Verge told Gilman that even if he is guilty, God will forgive.

And that he will fulfill his duty as a bishop and give Gilman a chance to repent.

Then Gilman began talking about his sins, all the while laughing.

Verge realized that what stood before him was an unremorseful lunatic who was intoxicated with his own crime.

- This Brooch was my daughter's... I gave her this Brooch when she was born. When I saw this Brooch on him... I couldn't think anymore... H... He... He laughed... He laughed at my daughter's screams, her pleads for mercy...

Verged laughed a maniacal laugh.

- Hahahaha... He was laughing... He made a face like there wasn't anything in the world funnier than this. So I stabbed him! Ahahahahaha... That face he made when I stabbed him.. It was the greatest. He was like, "Why you, a bishop...?" He looked so stupid, with his mouth wide open... Heheheheh... Hahahaha... Aaaaaahahahahaha!!

Verge slowly left the Tavern. He was murmuring something on the way out.

It sounded like a mix between cursing God and a child's innocent laugh...

The bishop forgot his staff in a bag, the item noted for the quest.

You got a Silencing Staff.

You got 2000 Exp!



...Holy shit. Verge was a badass.

Umm, anyway. Now we can take up the other quests. Let's start with Gustav.

A warrior in rusty armor limped his way toward you.

Using his sword as a cane, he took a deep breath.



- I am Gustav Bright. I was a leader of the Imperial Knights.

Gustav stopped as he began to recollect something.

It was something he would rather forget.

- Until now, I have walked through countless battlefields. I have earned victory and fame. Until now, I have been confident that I have fulfilled my duty. My feelings about my men... and the people's trust in me... They were both unshakable. Until that incident...

Gustav began describing what had happened.

His words were filled with regret and anger directed at himself.

- At the time of the flash, we were outside the town fighting monsters. They were strong, but we had courage and will. But then, the Flash shook the earth. I should have given my men orders to retreat. My men glanced my way every once in a while, but even then I didn't give the order. Did I want to claim credit for victory, or was I overconfident? Either way... I lost my men... and our Shield. My career has ended, but I have survived despite my foolish mistake. It is embarrassing... But please, find our Shield... It is such a pathetic thing... This tattered body won't even allow me to remedy my failure...

Gustav disappeared into the Tavern crowd.

Sounds simple enough. And where else to look for a fallen shield but a giant cemetery?

Next up, we have Palo. You... might want to skip his quest entirely if you've got a sensitive disposition.

http://blip.tv/file/4665267 (Contains the entire quest!)

A pale man with bags under his eyes walked up to you.



- They... will be back... when night comes......

The man, Palo, seems to be having nightmares.

In his dream, adventurers surround him and stab him over and over.

- The men in my dreams look at me with cold eyes... Then they stand in front of me and murmur reproachfully... "I'm going to kill you..." I thought it was just a dream at first... But they come night after night now. What have I done? Why are they trying to kill me in my dream? I don't know what's going on...

According to the information that Palo collected from other adventurers, the setting for the dream is the graveyard in the 4th Floor of the Labyrinth.

- It's not just any dream... I'm sure of it! They're... getting closer and closer... very slowly, but they are definitely getting closer to the surface...

The man staggered back to his table.

Oooookay.

Finally... oh, god dammit...

- Hey, hey, hey! Wait up!

After hearing your name being called, you waited as a woman ran up from behind you.

It was Helga, just as you thought.

And feared.



- You're a true business partner! Anyways, listen up! I thought up a new get-rich-quick scheme! So I'm going to open up a Weapon Shop... not a normal Weapon Shop like Vigger's Shop, either. The weapon I'm gonna sell is the...









- If all goes well, you won't need a normal weapon anymore! You won't need any normal weapon shops, either, if my shop sells all the good stuff, right? Then, customers will swarm to my store like flies to... booyah! It'll be the most popular store around! Cha-ching!

Someone kill me now.

- Everything about the Helga Brand Sword is top secret right now. Just shut-up and bring me the materials for it! Let's see... I need that one thing! That thing that... the one that... It looks like a beast, but kinda cute at the same time... Oh, yeah! A Gaze Hound! Get a Gaze Hound's Ear, that thing they call the Hound's Ear! I heard about it from that merchant in the Labyrinth! I need to see it! I'm counting on ya! Take care!

I hate you so much.

We've been kind of quest-heavy so far in this update, so let's take a breather and talk about some stuff I got, as well as a couple new monsters running around the Labyrinth.





Naturally, these are both cursed. They sell for pretty high, though. Around 7000 each.





Couple more neat magic stones.

So, how about some new monsters?



Finally got a picture of a bishop. They're ridiculously weak, though. I think I did 19 damage to this one and killed it.



These guys are slightly stronger versions of the samurai from before. They're a bit more inclined to magic, casting Creta with moderate potency.



Spiders! They're similar to the beetles from before, except with less defense, more speed, and the ability to poison on contact or use a web to tangle up a party member. Sometimes they drop Cocoons, which are excellent components in the two magic stones from earlier.



A few palette-swapped old favorites. No new tricks, just marginally stronger.

Near a part of the cemetery I've already been through, a random mercenary decides to shoot the breeze.



- Have you heard? The Undead come out of this graveyard and wander up into town. But strangely enough, nobody in town claims to have seen any of them. What's going on? Where do they disappear to? I doubt they go off and take a nap together or anything like that...

The warrior laughed out loud and walked away.

Sounds kind of weird, huh? Just wait 'til you see what's in the room behind him.





He was ranting and making no sense at all. He was foaming at the corners of his mouth.

It was obvious that the man was insane.

- You Undead bastards! Now I'll make you show your true selves!

With a sick look in his eyes, Palo reached for his sword.

- Get away from him!



It was the Imperial ninjas.

They were soldiers specially chosen for their skills and fidelity to serve the royal court.

It was rare for them to appear in front of anyone other than the Queen, to whom they were dedicated.



- I am not dead! You're the ones who are dead! I'm not dead... When the Flash... I...

Palo grasped himself, as if he were trying to keep warm.

Palo curled up and hid his face.

Suddenly, with a dry, crackling sound, the surface of Palo's body began to split.

The stench of rotting flesh filled the air.

A cloudy blue liquid came oozing out of Palo's body like blood.

Something seemed to be trying to emerge from Palo's body, pushing his skin out from the inside.

Suddenly Palo's body burst into a million pieces.



...You can actually run away from this fight if you want to. It just forces you back out of the room. The ninjas keep fighting until you decide to reenter and join the fray.



Rotting Corpses are capable of some magic, but their greatest threat is their surprising agility. Even so, they aren't too difficult.

The Undead collapsed.

When the man turned into ashes and returned to the earth, you heard a faint whispering voice.

I'm still alive... You... you're the ones... who are dead...

- Sorry for the trouble. We had heard that adventurers were disappearing. We were covertly investigating the case, but... We never imagined that a former comrade was a part of it. He was supposed to have died in the Flash. So when we heard that he was at the Tavern, we couldn't believe it until we actually saw him...

The ninja's voice trailed off.

He seemed to be feeling guilty that he killed his comrade, although the comrade had become an Undead.

- But it's ironic that the one who thought we were the Undead was an Undead himself. I doubt that it's possible, but if what he said was true... That would mean he had been living amongst the Undead. He can't be blamed for going insane. I thank you for this.

So, essentially, undead Palo was running around thinking he was alive until someone pointed out he was dead. Ugh. Pretty nasty.

http://blip.tv/file/4665083



Great, the annoying music. Someone stupid is about to make an appearance.

You stopped, sensing that something was approaching you.

As you prepared for an attack, a Hobbit deftly made his way over the fence.



Daniel tossed something at you as he ran by.

When you reflexively caught it, Daniel grinned.

- Thanks!

Daniel was gone before you could stop him.

Shortly, three thieves came running from the same direction Daniel came from.

When the thieves saw in your hands what Daniel had given you, they stopped and drew their weapons.



- How dare you steal anything from us!

Without letting you explain, the thieves attacked you.



Yeah, good luck with that.

When you finished fighting the thieves, Daniel appeared.

- Hmm, you're pretty strong... I guess they were just unlucky.

Daniel laughed cheerfully.

- My job is to steal from the thieves wandering around in this Labyrinth. It's a lot easier than fighting scary monsters! Look at how I did today!

Daniel grabbed away the large bundle that he threw to you a moment ago.

As he opened up the bundle, he pulled out a plethora of items.

- Hee hee, I got a lot today! My policy is to make money the easy way! I almost got caught, but it was a good thing I ran into you guys. Help me out if something like this happens to me again!! I'll give those items over there to you. They're stolen goods anyway. Well, I've already made lotsa money on this floor, so I'm going down to the 5th Floor. See ya laters.

After saying that, Daniel ran off swiftly up to the end of the path.

Then, he jumped straight into a pitfall and disappeared.





- Hmm... something's fishy. Maybe he's hiding a treasure down there! Hmm... I'm curious now! Gosh, I wanna go check it out now!

In actuality, Daniel shows us the correct hole to jump into next. Would've been nice a little earlier, though, when there were about fifty of them.

Oh, in case you're wondering, we got a couple of pieces of armor from a small room nearby.





This stuff is awesome. The blessed mail is good for Kyo, and Ricardo's the only one who can equip the craftsman's armor.

Oh, you might have noticed that Kyo has 1 HP. Funny story. We'll get to that in a bit.



Daniel's hole leads us to a magic circle, a few monsters, and a door.

...That really doesn't sound right.

Next to the magic circle is a sign from Odom. I'm not kidding, he made a sign this time. See?





I have a feeling this guy has Dandy Ore Blues playing in a loop cycle wherever he goes.

Following the door takes us through a tunnel, leading to...

http://blip.tv/file/4665450



An Elf ninja was fighting against a Rotting Corpse

With a flash of light, the Rotting Corpse collapsed. The Rotting corpse laid twitching on the ground, then gradually shriveled into a mass of flesh.



The Elf ninja sheathed his magical knife after dispatching the Rotting Corpse swiftly as the wind.

The sight of him made your heart jump the same way it did before, during Annmarie's story.

Unconsciously, you walked towards him...

Several Duhan ninjas appeared before the Elf.

Coming to your senses, you stopped suddenly.

The ninja soldiers began reporting to the Elf at once.



- But I'm certain that more will appear soon.

- What is our condition?

- About one fourth of our men are unable to fight, sir!

The Elf ninja closed his eyes in deep thought.

The Elf was most probably Kulgan the Agile that Annmarie mentioned.

- There's no reason to scout further. To the next floor!

- Yes, sir!

The ninja soldier glanced in your direction for a second.

He briefly showed a look of suspicion.

Seeing this reaction, Kulgan turned around.

Kulgan arched his eyebrow slightly. He then gave an order to the ninja soldiers.

- You go on ahead. I have something to do.

With a curt response, the ninjas vanished quickly.

Kulgan stared at you with a freezing glare.

But behind those icy eyes, it seemed as if a crimson flame burned wildly.

- Why are you alive?! Are filthy souls like yours barred from the afterlife? Many who did not deserve to die perished from the Flash. And yet you, who have no right to live, remain alive! How dare you simply show up after everything that has happened! I will at least listen if you intend to beg for forgiveness... Not that a traitor like yourself would ever be forgiven!

Surprisingly, Kulgan seemed to know you.

As you blankly stared back, Kulgan's rage burst like flame.

- Have you nothing to say for yourself?!

Kulgan slashed his knife angrily, but it just grazed you.

Blood trickled down your cheek.

An image appeared and disappeared in your eyes.



- Do not foget, Sagoon, that my blade is directed at you.



Kulgan held up his knife that became wet with your blood.

- You betrayed this country. You betrayed her heart. You betrayed Her Majesty's trust. You betrayed all the time that we had spent together!! There is no need to leave you alive anymore. In the name of Her Majesty, you shall be punished!

Kulgan attacked you!



Oh no.



This... this isn't good.



Wild Kulgan appears!

I'm not going to lie, this fight is ridiculously hard.



Kulgan himself is fairly predictable for a ninja - he gets three attacks, and he'll go for Sagoon until he either kills our hero or gets killed. Restrict Shot takes care of that pretty easily.

The two ninjas in the back row are the real threat.



Keep your eye on the birdie...





In... case you can't tell what just happened, that ninja insta-killed Kyo. From the back row. With a ranged weapon.

That's the real threat, you see. Kulgan can be held at bay for as long as necessary. But nothing will stop those ninjas from tossing shurikens at you. Restrict Shot doesn't work on ranged attacks, and nobody can engage them in melee until Kulgan goes down.





Warren and Rui, however, have other means at their disposal.

You may notice that I go through a couple of considerations when selecting AAs. Let me cover two new ones and explain why I didn't use them for this fight.



This is what I previous referred to as the "Throw All Your Shit at That One Guy" AA. Well, it's actually more fitting just to call it the "Throw All Your Shit" AA. Basically, this grants all three of your back row characters a melee attack before one of your characters in the front row attacks a target. The cool part is, this AA is triggered each time a front row character is about to attack. So, you basically get nine free ranged attacks if all three of them go. Sadly, all this would do in the fight with Kulgan is show a crapload of miss icons due to his insane evasion.



As evidenced by a few fail-brand Double Slashes.

If you want to see the Assisted Shot in action, check this out. http://blip.tv/file/4654800



I actually used this one in combat, since I'd never tried it before. Basically, it makes the enemies all want to kill whoever you pick as the decoy. This AA is perfect if you're fighting a bunch of enemies and you want to hedge your bets for Restrict Shot, since you can still use it to ward off attacks used on the decoy. Doesn't do much in this fight, obviously, since Kulgan's the only one left when I use it and it doesn't seem to boost the accuracy of the front row fighters.



Thankfully, once you get rid of the ninjas in the back, Kulgan is no longer a threat.



Like his lvl 1 kin, he goes down from a Restrict Shot in the end.

Kulgan became furious.



- Why are you fighting like an adventurer?! Are you mocking the Queen's Guard?!

But you couldn't understand the meaning of Kulgan's words.

Kulgan grimaced hatefully.

- If that's how you want to play, fine. I'll chase you, I'll hunt you down... and then I'll kill you. You won't know when Death will come for you... You shall live in fear, like a Kobold being stalked by a dragon!!

Kulgan vanished into the darkness.

- Boy, does he hate you. Did you do something terrible to him, Sagoon? I mean... Did you get between him and a girl?

Rui gave a wicked grin.

- Contempt like that can only have something to do with love! I immediately knew that it was about a romantic relationship!

Oh, Rui. You are so Japanese.

Let's head back to town to wrap things up for the update.



The voice came from a big warrior.

- You accepted that Corpse, Palo's quest, didn't you? That means you don't get anything, not money, nor items. Well, it couldn't be helped that you had to kill your client.

He then let out a big laugh. He wasn't laughing at you. It is probably his barbaric personality.

- I can't even drink in peace now, knowing that they hang around town. It's funny, though... I know that Rotting Corpses eat humans... But it's the first time I've heard of a Rotting Corpse disguising itself as a human! Plus, he was living life normally. Thinking about it, did he actually think that he was really a human?

He frowned, then shrugged his shoulders.

- Well, there are some weird things in this world. Oh, that's right! Someone from the Castle wanted you to have this.

You got an Ash Charm.

You got 11000 Exp!





Not bad, I guess. Ricardo's the only one not wearing an accessory, so this goes to him.

Okay, level ups during this update:









And with that, this very long update draws to a close. Thanks for sticking it out with me. See you next update!

Videos:

Merrick's Quest - http://blip.tv/file/4654883

Rose's Quest - http://blip.tv/file/4655888

Anonym's Intro - http://blip.tv/file/4654790

Anonym's Quest - http://blip.tv/file/4655043

Lucky Lucky - http://blip.tv/file/4654845

Palo's Quest - http://blip.tv/file/4665267

Asshole Daniel Part 2 - http://blip.tv/file/4665083

Clash With Kulgan - http://blip.tv/file/4665450

Assisted Shot - http://blip.tv/file/4654800