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Episode 6: Part 3: Strange Reunions.


Shadow, huh.

We leave Altair Manor.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_mycUznLEk



And when we do, the ground shakes and there's some loud noises followed by howling and then an evil cackle.

Lands, what was that?!

This manor is an evil place. Let us depart from it.

I gathered that, but what was that laugh?

The laugh of the Jester. I thought he was sealed away, but perhaps we have done something to awaken him again.

What does the Jester have to do with this house? Was it his home?

No, but he once served the family that lived her. It would be well if we never encountered him.
That is all I know.
Now, let us depart from this wicked place.
The evil inside is too great to face, I fear.
If we go back to the sewer house there should be a teleporter to take us back to the surface.

But first, the back of the Manor was blocked earlier but now we can get around behind there...


The aura absorption effect plays when you open this. Anyway, this is the second of Neo Sacrifa's aura and it comes at level 2. Level 2 Aura's give +10 defense instead of just +7. Heart guard gives immunity to fatal blows.

And then we disregard Neo Sacrifa's warning and head right back into the Manor. This is our first major sidequest, even if it's one we're meant to come back and do later probably. Yes, I said sidequest. It has a very good and important reward waiting for us.


So monsters have appeared and most of the locked doors are now unlocked.


This is a pretty nasty encounter. The Drows steal your XL all the time and the other thing has a powerful hit-all attack you better use Sacrifa's Trascendental Field to protect against... if you even can, with the Drow stealing XL all the time. They do decent damage themselves too.


Anyway, I leveled up Pandamaare at a convenient time because Hatassasar is strong to a mook type here and the boss of this optional dungeon.



"The Problem Of Self."
"Pains of the Mind."
"Worries Contrived."
"Running Through Fields."
"Wasting Away."
"A Mind Divided."
"Failure to Commit"
"The Purpose Unfound."
"The Fame Effect."
"Connections Diminish."
"Persona Magnification."
"A Spirit In Chaos."


So there's a lot of loot to get here, and decently challenging fights to win.


As we head through the dining room, it goes dark and we hear the laughter again. I move on.


Kitchen has mere loot. Upstairs there's two side rooms off the hallway. one's an important looking room with a book on the table and some strange bookshelves but you can't interact with any of them.


The kitchen also introduces this fight... which is really rough if you play it like you'd play most encoutners. If you put even a bit of effort in though, it's easy, unless you get unlucky and the enemy focus fire someone down. It just takes a while, since we're underleveled/notch item'd for this dungeon. The ghost armour things are just hard hitters really.



This encounter is like a boss fight really. I nearly lose it two different times. The Drow sucking XLIFE out of Sacrifa before he can heal can be... really bad.



I'm pretty sure your 'company' have the some total AR, so they always level up at the same time. This is very good. More JRPGs should do this.


In this room there's loud banging, and the screen shakes the whole time.




A girl screams, pushes Rhue out of the way and runs out of the room. If you try to enter where she just came from, Rhue says its just a closet full of clothes.



If you go to one of the rooms just off the entry room, you see her open that door at the top there.



All the auras for this man and no new blades for Midian!









And it was here I realised that not only had I forgotten to show these off, I'd also forgotten to equip one... So much wasted AR... Anyway, I decide to equip Rapture first.





The little girl is standing here, and she starts fading away as we approach. I guess maybe she was killed here.




Anyway, even with Rhue doing a lot of damage to this guy due to his weakness, this fight takes a long while. He has at least 2000 HP I'd bet. Maybe more. Rhue does 100ish damage to him. The Jester also hits pretty damn hard and inflicts lots of status effects constantly. Really, him taking so many turns to inflict status effects is probably the only reason this fight is winnable so early, otherwise he'd wear you down pretty quickly, even with Sacrifa using nothing but Draw and Mend spells.



We wont be using that key yet. Anyway the Jester's death is a bit anticlimactic. Nothing happens. The true reward comes later.



And it's time to switch to Aionsluh! Also, Hatassasar's XL Gain has gone up to 2 which means Rhue'll finally get 1 XL from it even when attacking, thank goodness.


New teleporter has appeared. It takes us to the sewer house.





The Sewer House teleporter takes us to exactly where Rhue fell through the floor in turn.



Our next destination...



Right at our destination I notice something new...



I'm pretty sure that door is new and those stairs definitely weren't there. You guys probably don't recognise this place but it's where the graves of Lexus and her parents were located. Except now there's this weird tombstone and the other -blank- one, instead. That symbol Rhue describes also sounds like the one we saw in the House of Pnoe storeroom. Nothing to do but to move on though...



BOUNCER: We don't give out infomation (SIC) on our guests. Don't ask again.

I'm prepared to pay for this information...

BOUNCER: Sorry, this job has too many perks to risk losing it on a one time pay out.
You'd best leave now.





Maybe he would be more open to bribery if we had the seru in hand.

I don't have any seru, do you?

Not a lot, but with our abilities we could surely earn some more.

Why don't we just bust him and those other guards up? They don't look too tough to me.

Yea, I like the way you think.

Doing that will only turn us into criminals!

Only if they figured out who we were. We could hide our identities using disguises.

I think it's still a very bad idea.

Well we don't have many other options!





MAN: Stop calling me Pip! My name is Heinmets!

Indeed. This thought has stimulated a new notion in my retrospective recollections of your duties.

HEINMETS: What?

The floral apparatus in my domicile will be requiring aquafication this day.

HEINMETS: What are you talking about?! None of this was in the job description!!

Troubles plague my mind, for the downstairs substructure needs a sedulous and systematic cleansing as well.

HEINMETS: No more!! I refuse to cleanse substructures systematically!!!

Great plains of morath! Calm yourself, Pip!

HEINMETS: Burn you! I'm not Pip!!! Ahhhhhhhh!!!


He shoves Alan out of the way and leaves.



Quite a character, that Pip.

...



What did you just call me?

Surely a derelict such as yourself would be interested in a proper profession of servitude to a luminary such as me.

Did you say serve?





WORK IS DA POOP!

Wait a moment, if one of us can get a job working for him, we'll be able to get into "the Scene" at some point.

I don't like this...

What are you vagabonds jabbering on about?

Oh, it's obvious!


"There's no need for such drivel! I'm compelled to propound positions to all three of you."

Proceed to my estate and we will finalize your avocation.

Wonderful...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fj9TJ5pCB4U



Job interview?

MOFFAT: Let's make this quick, I've got a luncheon I have to be at soon.

Ok...

MOFFAT: Great! Here we go!
Out of the following choices, select the most distinguished class of Lyn.

What do you mean by distinguished?

MOFFAT: You figure it out.


I hope you're all beginning to appreciate the surreality of this episode.

MOFFAT: How much FP is needed before a finisher can be performed in a Plunge?





... Easy maths...





What.

How should I know?!

MOFFAT: If you don't know then just guess.


MOFFAT: The phrase, "Love lies little." is mostly clearly an example of what?
Mostly clearly???



MOFFAT: Look carefully over this poem.



MOFFAT: What format did the poem follow?


MOFFAT: What hair color is the most attractive for a woman to have?
This is the only question that doesn't matter for our quiz score.



code:
"Blond"		+1 Kloe, +1 Scatha, +1 The Girl
"Red"		+1 Cetsa
"Brown"		+1 Lexus, +1 Lyrra
"Purple"	+1 Sorya


I go with blonde.

MOFFAT: That concludes the interview.
As a signing bonus you will recieve...
A piece of Pocite...
A piece of Wicite...
And a Blan Rock.
The Blan Rock means we got every question.

MOFFAT: Alan is waiting for you in his study. He will assign you a task there. Have a nice day.



This was Sacrifa's manor...

...

This day I am trusting you with a most honorable and prestigious task.

(Hmm, maybe this won't be so bad.)

You are to be my official pronouncer of approbation!

What's that mean?

In layman's terms, you will be reading my fan mail to me!

Wonderful....

Take hold of one of the documents to your right and let the extolment of my virtues commence!

(I can't believe this...)
All right, here's one...
Dear Alan, I am your biggest fan. That critic who spoke ill of your performance in "Stann of the Green Fables" should be hung.

Also, spelling Stann with two n's is definitely more noble and charming than Stan with one n.

I'm in the depths of despair as I anxiously await your next show. Sincerely,
Ms. Follows
P.S. - Some people call me Ann.

Spectacular! Next!

My dearest love, I realize that we have been together for... um... what was it now? Five weeks? It seems like it's been a lot longer.

It kind of proves the statement, "Time flies when you're having fun".
If you don't get what I mean, I'm saying that you are a total bore and the last few weeks have been some of the worst I have ever experienced.
I never imagined anybody could be as boring as you.



"I hate your guts and anything else having to do with your inner bowels.
The last five weeks have been my worst nightmare come true and I don't think I'll ever recover from the mental scarring."

In fact, I would rather be buried alive with a dead corpse then (SIC) have to live anywhere in your general vicinity.
Even rotting jackrat poop sounds appetizing compared to what you have to offer.

I'm sure I must have been drunk when I agreed to marry you. There is no other logical conclusion.

If we ever meet again don't be suprised (SIC) if I start screaming obscenities before gouging your eyes out.
Right now I'll settle for burning a doll of you in effigy. I perform this ritual every day at midnight and then pretend to dance over your shallow little grave.

If I had more seru I would just hire somebody to break into your house and kill you.
Unfortunately this option is not available to me... yet.

I'll always love you John."
Yours Forever,

You Know Who.



Must have got sent to the wrong address.
lmfaofgnrfgd i had to type this fucking thing out!!! fuck you lun

Very well, carry on!

Dear Alan, I hope you're having fun in your big mansion, and with all your little lady friends.

The music stops here.

You must feel like you're on top of the world. And maybe you are. But it all comes to an end tomorrow night.
Alan jumps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_mycUznLEk

You're a dead man. I'll see you then, but you won't see me. I hope you've had a nice tombstone made.

Hmm, it's not signed.

Alas! A threat on my very life!

A woman enters via the front door, startling Alan.





Rhue, give her that wretched parchment!

VASHTI: Oh dear me... how terrible!
We'll have to call off the show!

Never! I will not be disquieted by a pusillanimous concoction such as this!

The show must go on!

VASHTI: Yes, you're right! We can not allow ourselves to be intimidated by such threats!

I swear it, tomorrow night will be a night to remember!

VASHTI: Indeed.

...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ze5BfLk0J8



"the shadows of an unknown enemy!"

Let us hold true. Let us be not afraid, yet let us give no foothold to our cowardly foe!
Tonight, we will journey beneath this urban jungle, so that we may reach our terminus unmolested.

How?

By traversing through an ancient passageway that I lighted upon not long ago.
The entrance lies in the kitchen behind one of the cabinets.
Now, let us make haste at once!


It's the same passage through which Stoyko and Rhue once infiltrated this place.





Uhh... this is new... Well, that first door is locked. So is the second but it...





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUkuYg8d9zs







The music stops.







Don't worry, I know the routine by now.


So we're thrown into a rematch against Slade.









Despite Rhue's proficiency, we're probably doing this plunge way too early, so its pretty rough. Weak Victory means its a Plunge we're allowed to draw on. But I won't get any of the bonuses for that, just the reward for the sidequest, so I reload.


The re-rematch also comes down to the wire. But I must only just barely win.





...


Slade nods.

And why is that?

...

Wonderful...

And then...


We're abruptly teleported back to the entrance.


Hi.

Note: He is silent, but insistent. He is not the same.

the end