Part 30: Return of the Barfo

Chapter 9: Return of the Barfo



Hey everyone, guess what?



The 9th Floor is boring!

Completely bare! There's a couple rare things you can encounter which I may attempt to showcase later, but for the purposes of continuity we'll continue on with the story. Well, sort of.

First, Garcia has something new to tell us upon our return to the Tavern.

http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...d-wolfe-5399775



- Hey, you guys... Run into those two?

Garcia the dwarf was yelling as he came closer.



- I'm talking about the girl named Grace and the sucker named Wolfe. They accepted a quest from an Orc named Kasta and headed off to the 5th Floor. Lately, the Undead that make it into town are getting stronger. Well, Wolfe's with her, so I don't need to worry.

- Ah, that's right! This is from that girl. She says its' a token of gratitude.

You got a Devilish Charm!

- But still, that girl is a rare breed these days. She feels guilty of not being able to help her fiancee in trouble. She can't sit still, so she ran off saying that she'll do whatever she can. She's a bit too earnest, but it's nice to see such spirit in a world like this...

- If you run into her, tell her not to worry old folks like me.



I have no idea what this means.

Anyway, remember that switch back on B8? The one that drains the water from B5? That's our next destination.



Sure enough, the lowest level of B5, previously containing a pool of water, is free for exploration. Fortunately, there's not much down there except... a few old friends.



- It be dangerous, so you can't go through!

An Orc came stomping from the other way.



- It be good to see you again!! Does you remember me? I's be Kasta! I's be Kasta, da Orc who wuz standin' by da Swordsman!

Kasta stared intensely at you.

- You's... gotten so strong..... You be just like da way da Swordsman wuz a long time ago!

Kasta's round, black eyes became all teary.

- Ugggh... unnngggghhh.... You reminds me of 'him... Why... why... did da Swordsman have to die... I... it still be... hard for me...

- Oh! Ohhhhhhhh!! Oh, no! I's forgotten! Somethin' terrible be happening over dere!

Kasta ran off towards the path in the spring.

- You's help us out too!



Down down down we go...



The sound of swords echoed through the room. Darkness was squirming, growling like a beast. The creatures of the Dark were crawling out of the circle. Wolfe shouted.

- Be careful!! A big one's coming!



And so we meet the Raver Lord.

Believe it or not, this "miniboss" is actually pretty easy. Even before B8 this wouldn't be much of a challenge. He's got pretty good attack power and defense, I guess, but if he has spells he doesn't like to use them. The only thing he's got going for him is high HP, and Zaiba + Double Slash does about 400 per turn. Refreshingly easy after the ball-breaking encounters we've had lately.

- Barfo mades da Magic Circle to get to da 8th Floor!! But she just mades it anywhere, so... da Demons be able to come out 'ere now! Dis be makin' me mad! She don't give a damn 'cuz she be able to beat 'im!





- The Magic Circle should function normally now.

- I's gonna go tell everybody!

Kasta left the room.

- So did you come here to save us?

You told Wolfe about what Garcia requested at the Tavern, and... You told the two about meeting Eugene on the 8th Floor.

- What? The Queen's still alive? What does that mean...? I heard that LeDua created a copy of the Queen... But if the Queen's still alive, why did LeDua do such a stupid thing? Just what is he up to...?

Grace's expression became grave as the mystery deepened.

- As Sir Wolfe says, why would they need a Homunculus if the Queen is alive? Is LeDua doing such a horrible thing because he is looking to take the throne? Is he planning to kill the Queen and take her place?

- It would be a lot quicker to shut down the whole Labyrinth. Ugh, I don't get it... I'm getting all mixed up!

- We must find LeDua. I'm sure he holds the key to this riddle. Also... I will be prepared this time. I think I have been too yielding until now. Nothing can be done unless you are prepared to risk your life. Will you please take me with you?

- ...Alright, I'm in! There's no way I'm backing down now. I'm helping out, too. We'll go back to town for now and get ready. We're going to be at the Tavern.

Grace has been registered.

Wolfe has been registered.

They can be added to your party at the Tavern.

You learned Grace's Allied Action, Silence Breaker.

Kasta returned.

- Huuuuuhh? Where be everybody?

You explained the situation.

- Hmm... okay, I's gonna do somethin' too! I's gonna work hard at da shop and earn lotsa money! You come visit me again!

Super. Except rather disappointing...

Silence Breaker is, basically, useless. It utilizes all three of your back row party members to cure a front row member of silence.

Anyway, that takes care of some backtracking.



Let's go to B10, shall we?

http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...e-virgo-5399695



- Look what we have here. You came all the way down here?



- Then go home! Sorry, but I don't feel ilke letting anyone else past here.

After saying that, Virgo stuck out her tongue.

- That brat Eugene got past me, but... I learned some interesting information from his subordinate monsters. Seems that he signed his soul over to the King of Darkness. He's pretty stupid, relying on the power of others to do what he can't do on his own...

- Well, fools have their own use. Thanks to him, I've finally figured out where the treasure is.

Virgo began humming and looking at you from the corner of her eyes.

She smiled like a little girl hiding a secret.

- It hit me. Just like that. Now I see why that old fart LeDua was frantically heading towards the Bottom Floor. Where that King of Darkness is..... it's where the treasure is, you see? That has to be it. LeDua is exploring this Labyrinth in order to get that treasure.

- So, you see why I can't let you get by, right? The treasure's all mine. I'll need to have you sleep in a bed at the Temple!





That doesn't sound too ba... Oh. I see.

So, Virgo introduces a monster we've seen but haven't fought yet, the Poison Giant. Contrary to its dreadful reputation up until now, it's actually not that big a threat. It hits fairly hard, but has low accuracy, and its Breath weapon hurts but not enough to incapacitate your party unless you're fighting three or four at once and they all use it. It's got pretty high defense and HP, however, so it might take a while to fall.

The real threat in this fight is, believe it or not, Virgo. Since B5, she's learned a few new spells... including Megadeth, the strongest sorcerer spell in the game. If she uses it even once, then...





So, Spell Cancel every round while the rest of your party takes care of the giants. As long as Virgo isn't casting any spells, there's not much danger in this fight.

- What the hell... Why do you pick on me all the time?! Do you hate me that much...? I'll remember this!

And she runs away again. Let's take a quick trip back to town.

Oh, but at this point, we have yet another good shortcut on B1...

http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...t-again-5399560



An Elf warrior was standing there checking passes.



(Hey, we haven't seen him since the end of chapter 1!)

- This should end Sir Eugene's luck... Because many soldiers have been ordered by Sir LeDua to head there. Eugene shall be finding out the seriousness of kidnapping the Queen in the afterlife. We do give permission to adventurers to use it, but we cannot guarantee their lives.

This new magic circle is also right outside the first door to the Labyrinth proper... in fact, it's directly across from the B8 portal. So, no worries about getting back to B10 quickly.

Anyway, loot check!



Thanks, Wizardry.



Fairly decent sword if you want a knight using a shield instead of two handed weapons.



Slightly more attack power than the Blazing Staff, but its item-use spell is stronger too.



A level up for Sagoon...





...And the stats for Grace and Wolfe.

Now, Grace is fairly decent. She makes a slightly better knight than most, though her Faith is atrocious. Good attack power, at least.

Wolfe is an awesome guy, but sadly his stats aren't that great. He'll never be anything more than a vanilla warrior, and although his attack power is pretty awesome, his defense and HP tend to flag behind the others.

That'll do it for chapter 9! See you in chapter 10, when we start tying up loose ends and approaching the end of the Labyrinth!

Videos:

Grace and Wolfe - http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...d-wolfe-5399775

Return of the Virgo - http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...e-virgo-5399695

Shortcut Again - http://blip.tv/michael-h/let-s-play...t-again-5399560