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Episode 5: Part 4: To Hell with this city!
xrunner" post="495346019 posted:
How many unwinnable fights is that at this point?
Speaking of unwinnable fights, one of my favourite jrpgs is FFIX, and The Way manages to top even that game. Though, in The Ways favor you don't get beaten like 4 times by the very same character and never get a chance after to avenge those losses.
If you count plunges as unwinnable fights... there was three unwinnable plunges in Episode 1.
Though two of those end before Rhue actually loses, you do actually lose the plunge against the Novice Headhunter and before that the Novice Headhunter auto-defeats you after you -technically- defeat him in a boss battle.
In Episode 2, there's the plunge against Rosmar that Rhue would've lost if Rhue didn't maim him.
Episode 3 has... No forced losses, I think.
Episode 4 has uh... None as well I think?
Episode 5 alone has had Strata absolutely destroy us, then the Dark Lyn absolutely wreck our shit even harder, and now Slade merely kicked our ass badly. That's one per update. Lol.
I'm also not counting the times Rhue's been KO'd in cutscenes which I think has happened like 5 times.
So that's 5 -unwinnable- plunges, two boss fights you lose, and one boss fight you technically have to win, but you lose anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ze5BfLk0J8
Where are we going?
Anywhere but this city.
Maybe those monsters we saw will keep the Vigilante and the Guided busy till we can slip out of here.
Where did those things come from anyway?
That's not important. The important thing is that we now have a chance to escape.
...
What?
Oh, nothing. Let's just get out of here.
Ah, we're here again. The Council building.
This thing's no threat.
And Cetsa has largely the same garbage as Lexus, except a bit better.
Anyway, the right path has collapsed so we have to retread some old ground, even if it looks much worse now and is infested with monsters.
(I can't believe she's gone. I wish I could pay my respects to her one last time...)
Hey! What are you doing?!
Sorry, let's continue on.
You feeling okay?
Yea. (No.)
Then we go up the stairs there, get some loot, and we're outside. And Rhue says: "Sweet Lands...!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps6FxDfAidI
(Good riddance.)
I don't know what happened, but there's a ton of monsters running around.
So what? Now that I have a sword we have very little to worry about.
(I hope so.)
The two decide that unless the main wall has collapsed, the main gate is their best bet.
Nice red stuff.
Sheesh, so serious some people.
Anyway, we fought one double Mesher encounter like this inside, but they're outside too. And as you may guess, a ruined city means looters. I mean us. There's lots of loot to pick p on the way out.
Fire edge levels up but I leave it on since Meshers are strong to air.
Houses are a new form of treasure chest for this dungeon!!
Palbroys are just kind of normal. No weaknesses or strengths, just some hard hitting attacks.
We jump the red stuff.
And this home, where we saw the boy Johnny who wanted to pee outside, has a optional scene in it.
Lands, your hair is a mess though.
????
I love mirrors, don't you?
No.
If you had a face like mine you would!
...
Actually, you don't look too bad. You're even a little bit handsome.
I'm flattered... no, wait, I'm mistaken, you're just annoying me actually.
A real charmer, aren't you?
...
I just don't see how a person like yourself wouldn't enjoy looking at themselves in the mirror.
That's weird...
No it's not! Come on, admit it, you like looking at yourself.
No, I do not.
What's the matter? Do you dislike your appearance that much?
No.
Then that doesn't make any sense. Come on, take a look at yourself.
No thanks.
Are you afraid?
No way!
Go ahead then.
...
We can suddenly hear the beating of a heart... There's a lengthy pause between each of the next few lines here too.
(Why is that?)
"..."
The heartbeat stops here.
No it wasn't, look what I found on the counter. A Heart Stone.
I never would have seen it if I hadn't stopped to look at myself in the mirror.
Lands, you make it sound like some kind of moral lesson.
Maybe because that's exactly what it is.
You're one messed up woman. Dancing Violet talking about morality? Lands, let's go.
And so, we move on... Eventually we come to a familiar spot.
Someone left a Stricite by Lexus' grave, so Rhue takes it. And off we go, looting a few more houses and chests lying around.
There's also a huge non-red stuff crack dividing a fair amount of the city.
Mental Flow maxes out, so I start on Red Shine... and eventually...
Dirk?
Nice weather today eh?
(What?)
We're glad you're enjoying it. Now move!
What's the rush? Doesn't anyone know how to relax these days?
Then, he turns around and spots Cetsa, so he pushes Rhue out of the way...
And why might that be?
Because if you had known I was Dancing Violet maybe you wouldn't be in so much pain.
What pain?
Cetsa gives Dirk a good whallop.
Woa, she touched me.
Just how I like them, nice and aggressive!
You old pervert! I'll show you aggressive!
Heh. Yes, knowledge! I know it well! Heh.
You can't be serious! I can already tell that he's an absolute idiot, Rhue!
...
Rhue looks back and forth between Cetsa and Dirk a few times...
I'm waiting here for blondie.
Blondie?
You know, that girl who was with us when we did that job in the mines! Heh.
Yea right, Kloe would never agree to meet you ANYWHERE!
Heheh, you underestimate me my friend! She was begging me for my help!
Then where is she right now?
She had to go back to her room to get something.
How long has she been gone?
Maybe... say, fifteen minutes.
Are you stupid? It wouldn't take fifteen minutes to get to her place and back to here!
Heh, I know! She must be freshening up for me!
I doubt it. More than likely she got attacked by monsters and killed.
Pause.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGOQpCwrOT0
I'm going to Kloe's place. Maybe she's still alive.
Wait, why do we care about this Kloe person?
Because...
...
Well?
I owe her one. (For what I don't know though.)
I say forget her. It's not worth the risk.
(It's funny, Kloe said pretty much the same thing about Cetsa...)
She's a skilled warrior, a former Blood Lyn in fact. She could really help us out.
While we're at it, why don't we try to fill all the holes in the steets?!
This is the only side trip we'll be making, so just relax.
Then let's make this quick.
I don't know why the game bothers showing us the map here, I can't open it myself, so it's not like I can refer to it!
Anyway, Dirk joins up with us and he's still as bad as earlier.
Oh good, you remember her.
She looks pretty dead, so let's go.
Lands, I haven't even taken her pulse yet!
Rhue kneels by Kloe...
And then there's a bang as something falls through the ceiling.
This little bastard is strong to elemental auras which means Rhue and especially Dirk aren't too good against it. Despite all that, if Rhue can prone it even once with his Hurricane attack, it'll go down without causing much trouble.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ps6FxDfAidI
The staircase collapsed while I was coming down it.
It was a pretty hard fall...
I must have been out of it for a little while, until I heard your voice.
(Give me a break.)
...
Thanks for... helping me out. I owe you.
Don't worry about it.
I'm serious Rhue. I'm really lucky to have you as a friend. A really good...
Saving you was child's play compared to what he went through to bust me free.
Yes he did!
There's no way I'm travelling with that murderer!
I guess I can't fault you since she was responsible for the death of your beloved Foreman Ballar.
This makes Cetsa jump in surprise.
What?!
I saw Ballar, he was dead.
You know what? Just forget it. It really doesn't matter to me anymore.
"I don't enjoy killing at all, and I've always used it as a last resort.
The truth is I'm not nearly as bad as most people think."
I still don't know how seriously we're meant to take this line. The Blue Scarves are nasty bandits, and we saw Dancing Violet lead their attack on Turnway. But she really didn't kill Ballar. Maybe she just lets her minions do the killing and avoids it herself. Or she can't control them as well as she'd like.
I've got a soft side you know.
... Okay... Whatever you say.
Can we please get going?
Yea. We've spent too much time here as it is. We'll head for where we met Dirk and go down into the Outer City.
Anyway, we've still got a fair bit to go before we finally escape Estrana. And even then, we wont ever -truly- escape it. Ha ha.
the end