Part 14: Chapter 5-1: The Waterfall

Chapter 5-1: The Waterfall

As soon as we enter this floor...

http://blip.tv/file/4706849

Past the dark, gloomy Graveyard was a place with a mystical atmosphere, surrounded by rocks.

The roar of the waterfall echoed. (Pic from above?)

The water splashing from somewhere high above mixed together with the air to create a billowy mist.

It made the wind that brushed past your cheek feel refreshing.

- This place is a scene from our forest which we lost in the Flash.



The girl Elf that you had met several times before approached.

Her sad green eyes were striking.



- It seems that this Labyrinth shows us what we want to see. I know that I must uncover why and how this Labyrinth has come to be... But my heart sways when I see something like this.

The girl smiled.

- Even if this isn't real... When I listen to this familiar sound of the waterfall... it feels like that fateful day was just a dream.

The girl thought longingly about the past for a while.

But the smile on her face was gone when she turned to face you again.

- What is it you are seeking in the Labyrinth?

The girl's face was stern.

- Is it wealth? Fame? Or... something else?

The girl's beautiful green eyes were gazing at you.



If you pick either of the first two answers, she gets disappointed with you. So, that leaves option three.

Sagoon's altruistic and honest attitude gave a good impression to comrades with a good attribute.

Perhaps those words had special meaning to the girl.

Her face lit up for a second, and the way she spoke to you became filled with affection.

- I can only believe that something in your heart is what brought you here. I have learned today... that even if everything lost, and no matter how much time passes, some things are forever.

Saying these riddled words, the girl left.



So yeah, B5 is built entirely around this waterfall in the center. The scenery is rather beautiful - my favorite in the game thus far. You're supposed to descend in a ring around the central chasm, with several corridors build into the walls with varying levels and several dead ends.



I should also point out that B5 is officially where the game takes off the kid gloves and starts to throw powerful mobs of monsters at you. Let's cover some of the monsters encountered during the progress of this update.

The green spiders are called Huge Spiders, fittingly enough. They're stronger than the ones encountered on B4, and they have also gained a poison breath attack that hits everyone in the party for minor damage. However, since you usually encounter them in swarms like this, it can add up very quickly.

The palette-swapped Virgo in the middle is sort of like a priest in how she functions during battle, but she's more inclined toward paralysis and sleep magic.



In the front row here, we have Ogres. Ogres can hit you for a lot if you aren't careful, and they attack twice. Fortunately, they're among the weakest enemies on this floor, and they shouldn't do more than five to ten damage to a frontline party member. However, they have ridiculously high HP, and are often guarding other enemies like the beefed up sorcerers in the back row.



Here's lookin' at you, kid!



Gargoyles and ninjas are on this floor, but have become more common and appear in greater numbers.



As evidenced here. Jesus.

Also, ninjas will almost exclusively use shurikens now no matter what position they are in an encounter. So, Restrict Shot is useless against them. The best thing to do is blast them with magic. Actually, magic is more useful on this floor than on any previous floors, since you need to do a large amount of damage to many enemies before they overwhelm your group.



Shades are more common down here, too. Practically the only undead encountered on this floor.



Giant Spiders are the yellow colored blobs in that mess of evil there. In addition to the poison breath attack of their green cousins, they can also paralyze a party member with Web. And their attack power is significantly higher than the others.



Level 7 Warriors. Basically Ogres with a little more attack power. That also resemble Mexican wrestlers.

I know it's a bit hard to see in this picture, but the thief enemies from B4 have crossbows now. This is virtually no problem except that they can't be stopped by Restrict Shot anymore.



Gaze Hounds. They can hit fairly hard in battle, but they can also paralyze with... their... gaze. Hence the name.

You may remember that Helga wants us to get a Hound's Ear from one of these. We'll do that next update, since Gaze Hounds are fairly uncommon on B5 and this is mostly an exposition update.

That's enough bestiary info for now. Moving down the level a little...



Eh?

http://blip.tv/file/4706798



I need an adult!

- Buy a buncha stuff 'kay?







As you can see, Kasta's Shop has some ridiculously rare stuff in it. The cost is pretty high, but sometimes it's worth it. Especially if you find yourself out of Transfer Potions down here or want to change somebody's class.

- Come again!

Still, creepy.



Lovely.

Will you take the monster egg?

Yes
No

Against my better judgment...

You got a Monster Egg!



When you peeked inside the trolley, there was a hidden bag of gold coins.

Will you pick them up?

Yes
No

If I'm not mistaken, this is part of a process needed to get an NPC a little later on. Plus, free money!

You got 1321 G!

The next series of dialogues will occur as we descend the central chamber.

We's gonna make lotsa money! If da Humans go on killin' each othuh! Lotsa gold coins'll come rollin' our way!

The excited Orcs were all shouting as they came towards you.



- We be very very busy right now!

(2) - You's gettin' in my way!! Get outta 'ere! I's gotta get gion' or dey'll leave me behind!!

The Orcs hastily tumbled away.

Further down...

A warrior carrying a battle axe came walking from the other direction.



- Haven't you seen that herd of Orcs? Supposedly, Sir Guestam is gathering monsters to start a war. they just can't wait to start fighting. They said they'd be paid a lot for it. And there hasn't been a war in a while, so they're all getting excited.

The warrior raised one of his eyebrows and grinned.

- But kidnapping the Queen is something only a spoiled prince would do. It makes no sense why he would dig his own grave like that. What, you didn't know about this?



Of course, we heard about this before, but not the person responsible for it.

- Sir Eugene Guestam. He's from a noble family that could take the throne. It seems that he got impatient with the Queen, who wasn't doing enough for reconstruction. The town's a mess, the people are unmotivated, and a crazy Labyrinth just popped up outta nowhere... It's not like I can't understand why he got mad. It's easier now for adventurers to live, so it doesn't mean much to me. If you're going to the lower floors, be careful.

If that name sounds familiar, it should. We met him back on B2.



If you don't recall, he let his party members die and become turned to ash.

In one of the offshoots, we find a spring.

Some pixies were frolicking above the spring.



(LR) - That's because it's fake.

(LL) - Long, long ago, it had the power to heal any wound...

(UR) - That's only in the Deep Forest.

(LL) - But it smells the same.

(UL) - It may smell the same, but the water's empty and has no life...



Another one of the scenic areas of this floor. We'll be coming back to the spring in a later quest.

Another corridor has a door that's guarded by yet another pixie.



- I'd like it if you could let me have it... You don't seem to have either... If you do manage to get one, please let me have it! I beg of you. I need it to help him no matter what...

Again, we'll be coming back here later. We've got our work cut out for us on this floor.

A cluster of barrels near an instrument shop we can't enter yet has an Orc hiding in it.



Anyway, since the party is half-dead by this point, it's time to head back up to town.

http://blip.tv/file/4706810





Hey, no fair! Towns are supposed to be safe!

- Undead demons who threaten life......

Hmm?

You notice that a black-haired girl is facing a group of Undead alone.

- If you return to the Labyrinth, I will not draw this blade. But if you attempt to take the lives of the townspeople... My Kikuichimonji shall strike you down.

The girl put her right foot forward and grabbed the hilt of her sword.

The Undead attacked her.

She ducked forward to dodge their attacks, unsheathing her katana... and slicing through the horde with a single blow.

The girl had unleashed her flowing techique (sic). With one stroke, the Undead were now just clumps of dirt.

The girl let out a small sigh.



- I heard that the Undead hate towns, but is that just a myth? The Undead have been coming out a lot lately. Now three times they've come...... I hope it's not a bad omen... I must be going.

She bowed and went into the Tavern.

I think I'm in love.





Couple of useless items...





Couple of level-ups...

And we're done! See you next update. Where hopefully something exciting happens.

Videos:

Mysterious Girl on B5 - http://blip.tv/file/4706849

Kasta's Shop - http://blip.tv/file/4706798

Samurai Awesome - http://blip.tv/file/4706810