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Part VII: The Jobs We Did
Welcome back. Got a lot of odds and errands to do this update, but we're actually starting off with a skit. We're assured Artorius is a formidable foe even when he appears completely relaxed, which I can certainly believe.
That's certainly one way of putting it.
Although that new purple icon on the map certainly looks like something we should investigate, quite a few new Conversations have popped up around town. In addition, the church's headquarters, which was previously blocked by soldiers, has now been made available to us, so we'll be seeing those folks before we continue the plot.
This Conversation is all about Artorius truly being the guide of the people, and how Velvet is completely unimpressed by his new title. As you'd expect.
Nice place. Luckily the entrance isn't closed or anything, but first, people to listen in on. Also as you'd expect, more fans of Artorius.
Certainly sparing no expenses around here. The Conversation directly in front of us is with a devout priest and of course, plenty of chances to ruin his day. Just by telling the truth. Confession is good for the soul, or so they say.
Luckily, Velvet revealing everything she and her accomplices have done, as well as revealing her current plans, doesn't actually summon guards over here. I think they're just used to him screaming about heretics or something.
You can get a pretty nice view of the cathedral interior, but Eizen reveals that they're not even finished with this place. I do not think we've got time in this game to wait for them to be done, but maybe in another... Oh and this Conversation isn't actually in first-person, it's just the camera deliberately zooms far enough in that, if you keep the camera locked in one place, it certainly seems that way. Nice trick.
Anyway, these two conversations are about all to do on the church grounds right now. We actually have two more Conversations in town, one near the entrance, and a special one at the inn. Let's start with the entrance one.
This one's pretty good. Velvet keeps throwing out accusations of what Artorius may actually be up to, this guy keeps dismissing them. Maybe she just has this guy wrong, but he did kill her brother. Can't argue with that.
This book in the inn is called "The Rise and Fall of Midgand", and gives us a little backstory. Laphi talking about a guy named "Claudin" triggers one of of Velvet's flashbacks...
But uh...this Claudin guy is supposed to be from centuries ago. No way it could be the same man...right? For what it's worth, he does say Claudin died protecting him.
Eizen's theory behind the title of "Shepherd". Well, without asking Artorius directly, hard to know the exact truth. But it's also true that his past before coming to Aball seems to mostly be a mystery.
But anyway, that's all the Conversations for right now. Just head for that purple icon in the town square to continue.
According to the tavernkeeper, the guy behind the bar, Baskerville was executed some time ago for defying the Abbey. Sounds like another dead end, but hey, while we're here, might as well enjoy the hospitality.
Oh, and "Baskerville" is from the Sherlock Holmes story "The Hound of the Baskervilles", where Holmes and Watson attempted to uncover the mystery of a spectral devil dog on the estate of the Baskervilles. The tavern in the capital
Velvet! This mabo curry is amazing!
*takes a bite*
You get along so well. Is he your brother?
No...
No, he wouldn't be, would he. After all... Your brother was murdered before your eyes.
*stands up* How did you know that?!
The shadows watch those who flinch from the light.
So the guild is still active, even after Baskerville's arrest?
That's right. Just like how Aifread's crew continues their piracy, even without their captain.
So you're the contact?
What may I help you with?
I want to know what Artorius is planning.
Information such as that... It won't come cheap.
Huh, not all these jobs look like the type of things villains get up to, but there's certainly no obvious link between them. Well, we have to do all of them to get any information out of this woman, so let's just start from the top. The job is for destroying some crates at a warehouse in Port Zekson.
*slides another piece of paper* Take this with you as documentation. It's fake, but it's a good fake. It'll hold up to inspection.
It's registered to "Magilou's Menagerie"?
Oh? Was that not the name you gave to the guard at the gate?
Heh. I can see you're a group to be reckoned with.
Report back here once you're finished. However, be aware that should you fail...
Then this conversation never took place. Got it, I'll cause you no trouble.
I appreciate your understanding. You're welcome to stay the night, free of charge.
Well, these guys certainly have, so why not?
*nod*
*fade to black*
Nights in Loegres
The captain has done much toward our viability. I promise that I'll share anything I hear about him for no charge.
Thanks. All we know is there was a pendulum on the ground at the last place he was seen. And that Legate Melchior is connected to the captain's disappearance. How, we don't know. *walks toward Rokurou's table*
Seems like he's more a scotch man.
Sounds like you've got problems of your own. Do you really have time to take on ours as well?
I could ask YOU why you've tied yourself up with Velvet.
Me? I've got a debt to repay. Without her, there's no way I'd have ever found my blade again.
Unless, of course, you'd just checked the storeroom of the place you were locked up in... But to be fair, we don't know how long Rokurou was in there. It could have been any number of places, but you'd certainly think that's the first place a prisoner would check if their stuff was taken to.
A daemon repaying a debt? Ridiculous.
As ridiculous as a pirate malak, ya think? *takes a drink* No matter how you look at it, there's nothing reasonable about our rogue existence. And in this brave new world governed by reason, a rogue can either rage and become a monster like me, or...
...Or band together with others, like a shipful of pirates, perhaps.
Exactly. I admire Velvet's courage, squaring off against the whole world on her own. Few can accomplish that. It takes strength. Real strength. And I'm curious where it comes from.
Is that so wrong?
No... I'm the same. I need allies on my side with the strength and courage to combat this so-called order imposed by the Abbey. But anyone who's willing to put with the "creed" folly of Aifread's pirates has to be an even bigger fool than we are. *takes a drink* So I'm like you. I want to know how deep her foolishness goes.
She'd kill you if she heard that, you know.
It's a compliment. Fools that big aren't born every day.
Aha. And I imagine your dear captain Aifread's much the same.
Aye. That mans flies his fool flag proudly.
Also that night...
I wonder... Hmmm... Just how deeply will the fangs of our would-be tragic heroine scar this broken world of ours? I've got a traitor to find, but in the meantime, this should be a good show.
Indeed it should... Upon the next morning dawning, we have another skit about this shadowy guild. Interestingly, Eizen points out the supposedly fake travel documents are, in fact, the genuine article, illustrating just how far her influence travels. We'd best be cautious around her.
Also speaking of skits, after you take a job and leave the tavern, you get a short skit. Won't cover them in any detail, but all we need to know for this one is Eizen is gonna use the Van Eltia to drag the guards away briefly, so should be a smooth job.
Apparently Percival has some useless brothers, but he himself seems to be managing the state pretty well. As well as anyone could, given some other guy very publicly has all the power, I suppose. If you talk to this guy after the Conversation ends, he also says that the Abbey's base of operations is in a royal villa on the grounds of Castle Loegres. Always good to know.
You know what's another Tales Classic? A waiter mini-game. This one goes back a ways, but I think its first appearance was Symphonia? It's certainly been in a few of them.
This screenshot tells you about all you need to know. Customers will ask for something, you get that something from the counter, then bring it back to the right customer. Simple stuff, but Laphicet is considered Easy Mode, so it'll only be up to three people for his rounds. Malak kids just don't bring 'em in, I guess.
Oh, and those mousetrap looking things under the UI is the number of times you can mess up, i.e. bringing the wrong order to someone. I don't think there's a time limit on orders. Completing this mini-game with each character are how you get their serving clothes. You also get about 500 Tales Coins for a first successful completion with each other, which I guess is a decent reward, it's just I have a hard time getting motivated for that reason when I have more than 150k right now. The exchange shop with the woman you talk to to start this mini-game is the same as the one in Zekson.
One final note, the game considers the "Active order" the one in your character's first slot, so if you blank on someone's order, just delete everything you have to start over. Once you're done amusing yourself, time to head out.
The church grounds have more Conversations for us (I forgot how many there were at this point in the game), including this one. Supposedly this Gideon guy's alright...which probably means he isn't, but let's give him a chance.
This guy needs to chill before he has a heart attack... I doubt even the exorcists take anything as seriously as this guy takes taverns.
The word "Empyrean" in real life has some neat backstory, too. In medieval European cosmology, essentially "Empyrean" referred to the "highest heaven", where God and beings so pure they were just light, dwelled. Dante visited God in this location at the end of the Divine Comedy. The word itself can be used as both a noun and an adjective.
Nope. Still nobody cares what this guy thinks.
This is marked as a Conversation on the map so in the video it goes. To sum it up, basically this starts the Code Red Daemons sidequest, whereupon we, naturally, go out and hunt the daemons. We have no interest in the Abbey's problems, of course, but there are rewards in it for us to take them out. Sounds good to me. Especially since, as Eizen points out, the Abbey won't hunt them down unless they figure the benefit from killing those daemons outweighs the potential risks involved, where we aren't making such calculations at all.
We actually have fought one of these daemons before. The Baron Bat in Hadlow Hollow. That one's sorta meant to be a tutorial boss that Velvet and Rokurou can more or less easily handle on their own, but the others will not be so obliging.
So what did she give us? Inoph Bottles, which allow us to warp around within a specific area to one exit or another. Using one of those Bottles here can warp us straight to the gate of Port Zekson, sparing us a few minutes of running.
Oh, not before a skit, of course. I don't think I've heard the words "mabo curry" so much in my life prior to this game. We do learn from this skit basically only likes drinks, and only drinks. Strange guy.
Not too much worthy of note happened on the way back to Zekson, but you might as well pick up this Earth Ring underneath that stone bridge from the prior update while you're here.
Back in Zekson's inn, we can learn about Nectar. Quite addictive and powerful, seems like potentially dangerous stuff. Good to know, I guess. If you talk to him afterwards, he mentions that the Abbey is building a new temple and sea fortress with its apparently limitless funding. A curious point.
So we've heard... This guy is "Peevish" because he's definitely not on the Shepherd Train. He claims he's smarter and more above it all than everyone else, but you know how those types go.
Anyway, that place icon at the top of the mini-map is the warehouse of ill repute, and luckily, no guards around to raise a stink. Don't mind if we do...
Obviously we won't have access to this place soon, but that chest contains an Amber Fragment to pick up while you're here. I mean, it's a very basic crafting item, so it's not that valuable, but might as well. Although Velvet doesn't seem interested, these crates are marked with the seal of the Midgand Cathedral. Sounds like it might be juicy, but we've got crates to burn. The warehouse
*gasp* It's you!
Oh, hey. The crybaby.
She's definitely not wasting any words on us. Like in the fight with her superior, she's accompanied by two malak who primarily focus on casting spells and, as always, they should be taken out as soon as possible. Eleanor herself is decently aggressive, but what most caught my eye in this fight is how good the boss AI can Matrix Dodge attacks. Seriously, she's a pro at it.
Luckily, she's not so good at it that she dodges attacks constantly, but considering she's under attack from three sources directly around her, and someone throwing magic energy blasts from afar, she's really good at dodging attacks. Nevertheless, she'll usually be so busy dodging she won't attack very much, so wrap this up quickly.
Willing to fight without your malakhim?
No... You set the storehouse ablaze?! The people have worked so hard to withstand this time of crisis... How can you destroy what they have so painstakingly built?!
*closes eyes* Because I'm not human.
More malakhim up her sleeves?!
Wait, haven't we seen this little goblin before?
I will protect you, Madam Eleanor! Come and face me now, daemon!
He's adorable...
A-Am I?
Bienfu, you traitor! You'll never leave my clutches again!
*goes back into spirit form* N-Not her! Noooo!
Wh-What are you doing? Get out there and fight!
Hey, look. Is that smoke?
It is! Fire!
The fire has spread enough. Let's get going.
You're coming with us. *grabs Magilou and hoists her over his shoulders*
Let me go! Witchnappers!
Madam exorcist! What happened?!
Oh! You're badly hurt...
I can wait. Gather the people and put out that fire!
Y-Yes, madam!
Tell me, do you know what was being kept in that warehouse?
Um... Mostly Nectar, I believe. Vast stores of the meicine, provided by the High Priest Gideon, to be distributed to doctors across the land.
Medicine given by the church? Why would anybody destroy it?
That is a good question, one that will have to wait. Because Magilou finallly reveals Bienfu was the one she's been searching for, and takes off during this skit. Well, again, all that is her problem.
Some people around here are getting paid too much. Oh, and the Intermediate Ignicite that Eleanor dropped increases the level on random skills on equipment. So, for example, Attack +5 can become Attack +8. Well, every little bit helps.
Back in Loegres,we fill Eizen in on what's with Velvet's nickname for Eleanor. He stands up for her strength of character, surprisingly, but more importantly, we also learn that Magilou may have some connection with the Abbey, given she ended up in Titania and has a malak at her beck and call. Well, should have one. Guess we can ask her about it later.
Another skit reveals that the Abbey certainly is putting a lot of faith in the power of this "fifth Empyrean", one whom not even malak like Eizen or Laphicet seem to know anything about. As always Velvet plays the skeptic, but there was definitely...something in that shrine she and Laphi fell into during the prologue. Perhaps the two are connected.
Anyway, just head back to the tavern and let the woman we talked to know of our success. We need to take on the next job which, for me, was searching for a missing man at Galles Lake, which we'll be going to shortly. Doesn't sound like underworld business but I'm guessing there's some things she's not telling us. Not something we should be worrying about.
Before we go further, let's talk to this Bloodwing Agent to both get the reward for the Baron Bat quest and start our next Code Red hunt.
Echidna, huh? In Greek mythology, Echidna, with her mate Typhon, were the parents of some of the most fearsome beasts to have ever lived, including the Cerberus, the Sphinx, the Nemean Lion, and the Lernaean Hydra. The latter two were killed by Heracles during his Labors, for the record. Hesiod described Echidna as a half-woman, half-snake, hence her appearance here. We'd best be careful.
If you look closely, you'll notice the Baron Bat is labeled as the first Code Red Daemon and Echidna as the third. Stands to reason the second oughta be close.
Oh, this branch of Danaan is off-limits, even to those with a pass. Something important's gotta be past here.
On the path to Galles Lake...
A skit with Rokurou trying to convince Velvet to fight this thing, to begin bridging the gap between the party and the upper echelons of the Abbey. Whether it was successful persuasion or not, this is the missing No. 2 Code Red Daemon.
I'll say this right now: I don't think the game expects you to fight this guy right now, because he is waaay more dangerous than anything you've fought to this point. It's certainly not unspeakable to win, but you can't mess around here. For one very big reason. Orc Kong
This arte, Royal Majesty. This is one of those fights where the difficulty depends largely on whether he decides to use this frequently or not. It has a *huge* area of effect, nearly the entire battlefield, and you can't really sidestep it because it keeps doing damage in the areas it affects. I mean, you can sidestep a couple hits, but eventually the damage it's supposed to be doing will happen faster than you can sidestep, and that means you WILL take damage from it. I believe the safest thing to do is just block.
Just look how bad a shape we're in with another use of it.
Oh, and watch out for Grave, because it's one of those fun Tales spells which immediately does damage as soon as it comes out. No chance to run away from it, so you have to be sidestepping just as Orc Kong finishes the cast to avoid damage. Oh, and if you're "controlling" a KO'd character, you can Run in that scenario.
Oh, and as the name Grave might imply, almost all of Kong's attacks are Earth-elemental, so Earth Rings can really take some of the sting off.
Phew, tough fight. Basically, most of his attacks are easily dodged, except for Royal Majesty. You better pray he doesn't use that very much and if he does, hey, Berseria's one of those nice games where you can Retry from, I think, every fight in the game. Whether Retrying will actually help, that's another story, but you can also load a save if you're truly unprepared for a fight. And, unlike storyline bosses, you can run from Code Red Daemons if you're really barking up the wrong tree.
As a partial bonus reward for Orc Kong, we get some Rokurou backstory in a skit afterwards. Sit down for story time, everyone. Anyway, now that we're done with that little divergence, the entrance to the lake is in the below screenshot.
Well, "Wetlands" is right. Place is a mess, but the path to find the missing man isn't too far from us. This place is pretty big, however, so if you get sidetracked, it can take a few minutes to get back to the right path. Even moreso because there's lots of enemies around here, particularly the butterflies, which can appear out of nowhere.
Excuse me, they're "Pixie". As you might guess, they love to cast spells and are small, so they can be hard to combo. Also a fun fact is that the clouds around here move very quickly. We're fighting in the shade now...
But now we're not. Good to know.
Get used to having to roll boulders.
So for some reason, I got it into my head that this route is the dead end and I had to go south instead of north. Can't say I was right about that, but hey, you might as well see more of this place, right? Right.
Well, there is this Katz Box in this section, that opens for 75 Spirits and gives you an Angel Halo. That's something. That southern island has a silver chest with an Aqua Ring, which you might as well pick up while you're here.
Some context for what this place looks like. This is only half of it, by the way. Pretty big area.
But anyway, now we're on the right track to finding the missing man. As you might guess, that red circle marks a Code Red Daemon. [url=https://youtu.be/EEysK5cQNBI]Echidna[/url[
Well, the good news is that Echidna is definitely not as hard as Orc Kong was, but like the big ape, there is one spell you really have to watch out for.
Crown Fire, which throws out a huge AOE hit around the target, doing lots of Fire and Wind damage. It can wipe out melee attackers pretty quickly, since they tend to get pretty bunched up when attacking, but luckily as long as you keep the pressure up, Echidna shouldn't get much of a chance to use it. On the other side, her other spell, Blood Moon, is comparatively weak and easily sidestepped.
Done and dusted. Also, defeating her gives you the Villain's Ventite, which unlocks Intense difficulty. Not the highest difficulty, actually, but I'm just fine with Hard for this LP.
Well, the missing man should be around here. Ideally. The missing man
What on earth are guards doing here?
And not just any guards, clearly. Something going on here. As for this fight, you'll fight these two guys and their malakhim. The dudes are generally more aggressive than their little pets, so they're both more annoying and likely to die first. As for the pets, they're basically a much-toned down version of Echidna, including the Blood Moon spell (can be quite dangerous if you miss the sidestep) and minus some of the physical attack artes. Pretty simple.
A little lost lamb, perhaps.
You think they're holding Mendi captive?
I doubt this little camp has gone through the proper formalities.
Oh, thank goodness... I can finally go home.
So they WERE keeping you prisoner.
Yes. I discovered a method of refining it, and it cost me dearly.
What's vermilion ore?
A rare stone made of concentrated nutrients. It can be used in medicine, but it's also poisonous.
Correct.
So you were making medicine?
Yes... They were forcing me to make a nutritional substance called Nectar.
Isn't vermilion ore supposed to be highly addictive?
I-I told them that, but what choice did I have?
Whatever. Our task is complete. Can you get back to Loegres on your own?
I can. I'm terribly sorry.
Why apologize to me?
Well, whatever. Our job's done, but this vermilion ore is rather curious, being so far from the only volcano we've heard about. Well, that's above our pay grade. As long as the tavern lady's happy, that's what matters. Again, nothing of interest on the way back.
Huh, ambushing what seems to be a bunch of doctors. This hardly seems a valuable use of the ambushers' time, but I'll bet there's more to it than that.
So basically MSF. Definitely something weird about attacking those sorts. Luckily, this is the simplest job to accomplish. All we need to do is return to that little clearing where we fought Orc Kong.
Oh, before I left, I picked up more Life Bottles, and thanks to some shopping on the side I had done, the shop is now at level 2. That means we get a discount and this nice little Ventite. Now maybe I can outrun some enemy groups. The rescue
Hey! Get out of our way. That there...
Can't say I saw that coming... But as for the enemies themselves, just those more or less harmless ape enemies. Easy pickings.
I guess that's why they needed us to stop the attack.
The doctors?
Looks like they ran off.
In a skit, bottles of medicine, in red crates marked with the cathedral's insignia, and a red scarf belonging to the attackers. Definitely a curious sight, but as Rokurou notes in a follow-up skit, we've done everything on the list and we're ready to get some answers from the old woman. Afterwards, we get another skit with Laphi wanting to grow stronger, which I'm sure he will. In good time.
That said, being compared to Magilou...maybe some better words could have been chosen.
Back in Loegres, for the last time this update, we get a little skit that's a present for the fans. While we won't be getting any wanted posters in this title, it is a very long-standing Tales tradition that player characters will get badly-drawn wanted posters of themselves. This one at the very least goes back to Tales of Phantasia PSX, because that's the earliest Tales I've played, but basically any Tales game where the party defies an established authority figure, you can count on wanted posters.
Another crushing victory for Aifread's Crew. Little word of advice, guys, I wouldn't mention this on an after-action report. You'll make the boss jealous he couldn't get in on this action, is what you'll do. The Woman of the Baskervilles
How does mabo curry sound to you? I also have our specialty peach pie on hand...
We had a deal. Spill it.
*disappointed*
Shepherd Artorius has gone north. Up the Danaan Highway, at the Abbey's newest temple: The Empyrean's Throne. He is expected to be there for a while.
Are they relocating there?
In a sense, yes. They're holding a ritual to move the seat of the Empyrean Innominat.
Innominat... In other words, the Abbey's new god.
It is a very serious affair, so I imagine Melchior will be there, along with the other high exorcists.
Suits us fine.
I might even find him there...
That will do. Somewhere in there we'll find a chance to strike.
Perhaps... But be aware that security near the Throne is on high alert.
We'll manage to get through.
No, you won't. You may be able to fool the guards, but there's no tricking the barrier they've put up. They've used artes to erect a giant wall keeping outsiders away.
But they have to get through themselves. That implies some sort of key, right?
Yes. In fact, one of our people is looking into that as we speak. However, I'm afraid...
It'll cost us.
You learn quickly. And here's the bill. *slides piece of paper across the bar*
*takes the piece of paper*
OK, now we're REALLY not being nice.
Consider it done.
Aren't you going to ask why you have to kill a high priest?
I imagine it's because he's the one controlling the Nectar supply. The church is the sole producer and distributor of a highly addictive substance. They rake in huge profits, while the common man, along with you people, suffer for it. Does that cover it?
You noticed your tasks were related.
That was the real test, wasn't it?
And you passed. No matter how skilled you are, you have to know more than how to swing a sword to earn my trust.
Don't misunderstand my intentions. I'm willing to do anything if it brings me to Artorius. I ditched my scabbard long ago.
I see. So you are the embodiment of a bare blade.
I'm Velvet. Tell me about the high priest.
Each evening, he prays for protection from calamity at the royal villa on the Castle Loegres grounds. Tradition holds that the high priest should be alone for the prayer. That would seem the best time to strike.
How do we get into the villa?
*passes another piece of paper* Carry this insignia with you, and allies of the Bloodwings will offer you their aid.
We'll hold up our end. Just find out about that key.
In a curious skit just afterwards, Velvet seems particularly troubled about this job, and some strange aura is coming out of her. Probably not good.
When you're ready to continue the story, just talk to the old woman and choose to rest, but for now, we have a skit where Laphi learns about the forbidden fruit and some important life lessons along the way. Oh, and the bounty for Orc Kong + Echidna was just 3150 Cole put together. Cheap bastards. Also the next Code Red Daemon, the Corrupted Orb, is listed as being in the Barona Catacombs, so that's probably where we're headed next. Next update, of course.