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S02E01: The Worm's Request.

So... This game. Laxius Power: Random Story: Act 1: Scene 2: Destinies. I think that's the full intended title from what I can tell.
We'll just call it Laxius Power 2 for ease of reference.

So, this is the worst Laxius game. You may have already guessed what this game is about. It's about everyone's training courses. The game is broken up into four scenarios we can play in any order. Random's scenario is also the only scenario that I recall having anything of real interest in it and is also the longest by far.

You may think oh, small open world scenarios about everyones combat/magic schools could be neat BUT NO it's not like that either. The scenario's are all pretty linear and cutscene driven. I love my linear and cutscene driven JRPGs a lot but those are definitely not Laxius' strengths.

Also there's a bit of a problem with the story. Namely that it has even less than LP1.

This game should have just been a training montage but for Random's scenario, I think.

I would skip over this game if there wasn't these two... scenes. One is... questionable... and one is funny. See if you can guess which one infrequently referenced as a joke in the rest of the series.

Like with the first game, this one is packaged with a instruction manual. Here's one major change from LP1 that it mentions

quote:

Symbols in Laxius Power II
- Faceset symbols :
While talking to townfolks, you'll surely notice there are different colors for the dragon symbol in Laxius Power II. They all signify different personnalities.
Here are their meanings :
DRAGON SYMBOL
*** black = evil
*** grey = lunatic or unknown (for a creature)
*** white = pure
*** red = hot tempered
*** green = loving nature, dreamy (peaceful)
*** blue = common, serious
*** yellow = clever
*** indigo = mysterious (may hide personality)
*** pink = loving sex, open to attempts, nymphomaniac
- Promotion :
You may also notice some characters have an asterisk following their name.
ASTERISK
A character whose name is followed by a * (asterisk) is promoted.


So no longer does every NPC have some random faceset, now they all share just the one symbol, colour coded to... extremely vaguely indicate personality.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2pyyBgjd3w
Anyway, here's the title theme and opening. It's not really important to watch this. For whatever reason you don't get any of this if you load an imported save, though. Errant was not even aware LP2 had an opening cutscene until I mentioned it.
The song is (Theme from) Midnight Express. I think Indy has said that Midnight Express is his favourite movie.



I will NEVER, EVER game in French.



Anyway, we tell the Sage that we're ready to go AGAIN.
Random says something about finding his friends and then rudely runs out. Then he mopes at an unidentified location a little, wondering where Sarah is until Luci appears.



Our first task in this game is to sell most of our junk.

We get taken to the 'Treasure Room' of the SankT Leona Castle.



Marianne is here to do some GP and diamond exchanging.



Random warns her that he'll make her help if she just complains.



Guanidia makes a good point, as per usual. We have tons of GP and diamonds already.



Lisa's also here... for some reason.



Also you can walk into the wall here. There is a clicking sound every time you do so.



Because it is an intentional pathway. Just north of Random, you cannot see where you are or the path, and it is NOT just a straight hall or two. So you have to blindly navigate. The worst aspect of all this is that the camera does not move here at all, so you have absolutely no way of telling when you're moving around or walking into a wall. It takes me a while to get to where we're going.





The ninja casts teleport and vanishes. Hm!



I decide to loot just one chest at random.







Then Random decides to take every penny the royal family has to its name.



Lol.



Also if you use this door a few times, Random somehow opens it.



I did say EVERY penny.



And yeah, this is a robbery.

We back track out and talk to Luci. She has a list of items we should probably keep. As we go through them, she lists the Yveen healing items, saying we should keep those and Random:



... I guess that's accurate, sure.



We already deciphered what Random means when he says a woman is cool.

Anyway, Luci lists most of the rare unbuyable healing items but says to sell the rare-ass scrolls and limited use attack items. She lists some of the unlimited use ones and says to keep them. Of the weapons, she only really mentions the Barandos Damuhl, Metallist (she leaves out Empyrion, the second best sword!!), Sword of Scrolls, Rerurrens Multi-bow, the Glass Rod of Aron, and of all things, the Metal Scimitar and the Clash Cutlass. The Diamond Fist, Mind BioS stuff and Minotaur Antic Claws also get mentions as worth keeping.

The only armours that are mentioned are the Scaled Fur and the Missionary Landcoat. Most of the relics and artifacts don't get mentioned. I believe that a lot of the stuff Luci doesn't mention still transfer over, but only the gear for the most part.

Anyway I won't go through the full list, but suffice to say I sell a lot of crap and make millions more GP, and keep a lot more stuff than Luci suggests even if I may lose it anyway.



The only known use for these shitty fucking swords!!!!



I don't know if I posted this description before. The Heart of the Town does not have a description btw.

When we're done, you just walk out. No returning and selling more stuff later.



Everyone seems eager to get the party out of town quickly.



Coryool's course is in SankT Leona but Luci wonders about Leanda and Wendala. Randoms says Leanda apparently intends to stay with Coryool for now...



... while he says they might as well send Wendala back to Charly now as she has helped more than enough.



please don't send her back to Charly. He's the worst, and I'm 100% Indy intends for you to think he's terrible.

After that discussion we cut to... someplace dark. Night in the inn I'm guessing.



She moans about how leaving for training is good and bad for them.


Then she kindly saves the game for us. Thank you, Sarah.



Then she goes right back to comtemplating her anxieties.





Random appears and they spend the night together, Random promising it shant be the last time.







Random comments that Coryool probably never thought their adventures would have gone so far.

Coryool agrees and then Random and he have a bit of banter about training and who'll be stronger when they reunite and Random wants to bet on an arm-wrestling match!

It's actually kind of a nice moment. Coryool and Random are meant to be friends but you see so little of that. Speaking of, Guanidia's friendship with Random is the most real feeling relationship in the whole series if you ask me, and you'll probably see why eventually.



I'm shocked she's being even a little nice to Coryool, for once.





It's always been odd to me how the description of Leanda in LP1 was that she was quiet and shy but in that game and especially this one she's shown to just casually pick up dudes a lot.

Also Wendie doesn't show up to say bye. I think it's implied Luci teleported her to Charly somehow since earlier Random asked for Luci's help in 'sending' her back to Charly. Or maybe they just stuffed her in a box and mailed her.





The caravan rolls out of town VERY SLOWLY and into Indinera Woods.





We are forbidden from leaving the camp, and apparently the pets are sleeping so they'll just miss dinner. Everyone walks off to do different stuff except Random has nothing to do so he immediately starts pestering everyone.

A true JRPG protagonist.



Sarah is no where to be seen but Luci blows Random off initially. She wants to follow the rules and not leave the camp and thinks Sarah's around somewhere.



There's a guy whining about how much his life sucks compared to Randoms and how he has no gf which is the worst thing that could ever happen to someone.

Random says something like 'Too bad Wendies not here.' and when the guy demeands to know what he means he says it was just a dumb joke. I really hope so, Random. I suspect it is and that if Wendie was here, neither him nor Indy would be brave enough to make this joke.



This is always a good sign.



There's a couple bards playing... junk.



There's no music in this part, just the sound of rustling branches, wind and a STUPID hooty hoot owl that goes off every couple seconds.



Random is wise enough to not leave camp looking for Sarah on his own with no gear.



So he goes and grabs Luci who is even less equipped than he is.



Random has his swords at least.



And yeah, Luci whines and Random whines and they try to convince each other to leave/not leave the camp.



That sounds like a very specific fantasy to me, Random.

What convinces Luci is when Random just says C'MON THIS IS SARAHS HOMETOWN!

Why? It's a forest even Sarah talks about being dangerous! Random also refuses to tell anyone they're going or asking for help so he's not THAT wise either.



Into the woods we go. There do seem to be random encounters here...



But there's also two optional fixed battles here. THis is in the NE part of the map. We came in from the SE.



Whatever this thing does, we don't find out much. Random kills it in a couple crits.

It drops a Heart of the Forest.



No what?



Well, that's nice, I guess.





Here's some random encounters I can't tell you much about!



And when you enter a clearing in the SW of the map you trigger another fixed battle. Can't tell you anything about these guys either because Random slew them all with one Spin Attack. I think they were in LP1 somewhere anyway.

After the battle Random's all I have NO idea what those freaks were but it's dangerous here!



That sounds like you mean to slap her or something, Luci.



Some more nothing enemies.



We find Sarah in the NW of the map.

She immediately warns Random not to move.




Wh-





This is a Dark Elf apparently.

Sarah starts apologising a lot and says they numbed her.



Watch your damn phrasing dude, lol.



Uhm, yeah. Because they have not killed you yet.



You said it.



Then we get this guy. He introduces himself as Tartyrian.



Wooden Elf.



Elves are sick and yours is a bore... hole? ... in... wood... wooden elf... sick wood.... sick elf wooden bore... No, I can't do it.



So the battle begins and we see Tartyrian is promoted. We also do not control him in this fight. Luci goes down immediately, and Random is left on critical HP, though his spin attack does kill all the elves.

Then he goes down on the second turn and since Tartyrian is uncontrollable, we just watch him dunk on the worm demon.

After the battle, Sarah immediately apologises again.



Mmhm. Then we get taken to the menu to heal the party, since Tartyrian is offering to heal us. You should take him up on it since I believe if the party is left all KO'd you just game over.



Most of his gear isn't all that, but he does have a relic I do not believe we'll ever see again.

Anyway, apprently the Dark Elves were of the Xen tribe which are a nasty bunch apparently.





Tartyrian reminds us to follow the damn rules and all that.





Tartyrian abruptly vanishes mid sentence.

Then Random and Luci are like we should do as he says and go and Random starts to say 'This was very close.'





I think you'll notice throughout this series that Random has some issues with feeling like people have any form of control over him.





I have no idea why Luci thinks this in response either. Is she upset at Sarah? She and Random both nearly got all three killed. They would have died 100% if not for Tartyrian.

Then this would have been the adventures of Guanidia, Coryool, and Herasia. Which honestly would be cool.

The adventures of the smart-ass, cowardly-lion-esque slime, the genius, alchoholic cat that cannot communicate and the big, lazy, stupid drunk with no redeeming qualities whatsoever.



Everyone agrees to just go to bed so we do.





Lol, is she throwing some slight shade at Sarah?























And yep, we get to select which order we do these in. My tradition has always been to do Coryool first but eh. We'll do Random first, as it's by far the longest one and also the one that has all the real effort put into it and almost resembles a story. Also it has one of the series most WTF scenes and another one that's one of the funniest. And some of my favourite lines.

So that's the prologue done. We'll begin Random's Destiny next time!

the end