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Part XVI: The Land We Explored
Back out at sea. As soon as you talk to Benwick, you get shepherded to this spot in the sea. Don't worry about that ? icon; that's the Class 4 we unlocked at the end of the last update. We'll take it on just as soon as we're done fishing up a big 'un. Strange tales of the sea
As soon as you arrive there, you'll open up with a couple skits. In the first, Eizen makes mention of a Fujibayashi Rod. This surname is most famously attached to Suzu Fujibayashi, the very young (youngest party member in the series thus far) ninja girl in Phantasia, and her maaaybe distant ancestor, Sheena aka Shiina Fujibayashi in Symphonia.
In the second (they happen right in sequence with each other), Eleanor teaches Laphicet how to bait a hook, and mentions that an old man named "Tenny" taught her how, back in her home village. Probably a reference to Tenebrae, the pet mascot of Emil and Marta in Symphonia 2: Knight of Ratatosk aka Dawn of the New World. And yes, he can and did transform into a number of shapes, including a fishing rod. She also mentions a "Triet loach", named after the desert oasis town in Symphonia, the first real town you visit.
You also get this nice illustration in the middle of it, but Velvet slips up and calls him "Laphi", what she called her actual brother. She continues to put her foot in her mouth about that whole situation with Laphicet, and he seems to be at the limits of his patience about this particular detail...
You also have a round of conversations to be had. Everyone seems to be having a pretty good time. Except for Velvet, of course.
By the way, this place? It's a nicely detailed area, but nothing of import is here. If this were Vesperia, there'd almost certainly be a very easily missed save point in a place like this. Normally it wouldn't be an issue, but there's a trophy / achievement in Vesperia for touching all the save points on a single playthrough. Not a fun one to get with Vesperia's love of save points that are only available for a very short time, let me tell you.
In Eleanor's conversation, afterwards. Tenebrae did tend to talk like this, and Colette was the main heroine of the first Symphonia.
Afterwards, talk to Benwick to continue this little expedition. Told you everyone's having fun with this except Velvet, but to be fair, this is about as fun as she seemingly can have in this image. Unfortunately, what they fish up...is Devil's Horns. The actual accessory, mind. This is where you get those add-ons. Let's go to the runway for Laphicet wearing this.
You... You really think so?
Yeah! Brings out your special charm, kiddo.
Come on. Back to therion-fishing.
*marches over to a fishing pole, angrily*
Hey, you don't need to take it so seriously.
I have to catch the therion... Maybe then Velvet will see me for who I am.
Damn... Well, in the skit that comes afterwards (this sequence is all more or less one long cutscene, for the record), we get X-Ray Glasses and...a Comedy Mustache. Maybe the Abbey needs to impose some oceanic dumping rules...
*sigh* Not a single decent catch.
...I think it's been decent.
Huh?
*marches off*
Well, hard to argue with that face.
Heehee, you've found a look all your own! Ah, the vagaries of youth!
You don't take half-measures, do ya, kid?
*looks down*
...Hmm? What's wrong, Laphicet?
*sighs* You look ridiculous. Take that off.
*slaps her hand away* Stop it! What do you know about me, anyway?!
I... I know that looks silly on you...
All you know is your "Laphi"!
*small gasp, looks down*
Hey, Velvet! Something's pulling on your rod!
Huh?! Oh! *runs and grabs the rod*
It's a big one!
Give it everything you got!
I know what I'm...doing!
Its' a "big one", all right, but...
A pot. Yay.
But what's a pot doing out here?
There's something inside it.
Laphicet's back to his custom outfit for this sequence. It makes more sense on your first playthrough when he (probably) won't have any alternate costumes to throw this scene off, but hey, poetic license.
*shrieks*
An octo-pot?!
After this is a fight against four very easy octopuses. Yep, whatever you've heard, "octopi" is not a word and is incorrect. Also, before Rokurou very rudely interrupted her, Magilou's line after Velvet's "I wish they'd stop making those noises" was "Watch out! They're armed to the squeeth...", punning after the "squee" noise they're allegedly making. I'm really going to have to turn off Mystic Artes again soon.
After scrubbing the deck...
Phew... That was scary.
Be more careful before you approach a suspicious object.
*looks away* ...You think Laphi would've stayed back?
That has nothing to do with this!
*the pot shakes again*
Hold on, there's something else inside!
Man, what is with this pot? Luckily nobody interrupted the in-battle dialogue this time. Anyway zombies are mostly annoying because they can Slow you pretty easily, but otherwise they are very slow and basically harmless.
After, uh...keelhauling these zombies...
An octopus army, a horde of undead... What the hell IS this pot?
...Magnificent. To think I'd get to see one with my own eyes.
Huh? Is there something special about this creepy old pot?
Heh... Creepy, you say? That's why these things need to be left to the professionals. Listen and behold! This is none other than a water jug made by the potter Grune during King Claudin's reign. It was a legendary once-in-a-millennium masterpiece...but it was lost in the Second Warring States Period two hundred years ago. Assertive yet not ostentatious, the piece draws you in with its stately curves and the subtle shimmer of its colors, which belie a hidden savagery.
Eizen... Two lectures in one day?
Yeah. He's talking gibberish, but that's men in general, I suppose.
The lost glazing technique of the Oresoren is so vibrant, it looks like it could start moving at any moment!
So there's a few references to go through here. First, "Grune" is the name of Legendia's second-to-last party member, a spacey middle-aged woman who used a pot to cast spells and smack people with an evil version of her is the antagonist of the second half of the game and the final boss. Second, the "Warring States Period" is a period of both Chinese (475 BC - 221 BC) and Japanese (1467 AD - 1615 AD) history, with the Japanese one mostly referred to as the Sengoku period. Finally, the "Oresoren" are a race of otter-like creatures from Legendia, again.
Huh?
Hoho, and start moving it did!
Look out! The pot's a daemon!
Just our luck. Well, Eizen's luck, when you think about it. This time it was Eleanor interrupting the dialogue. So this guy can be pretty difficult, if only for the fact that the deck of the Van Eltia is pretty tight and it's hard to dodge some of its attacks. When it starts throwing in Gravity Well, I would very strongly suggest you not to try to style on it and get a sidestep in. A millisecond late and your character is meat. Otherwise, this thing is big and slow and if you need to back off and revive / heal, it's fairly easy to do so.
After throwing it overboard...
It's finally decided to behave itself.
Wait, Velvet! Don't eat it! *runs over*
It's a pot. I'm not gonna eat it.
I guess there weren't any therions to be found here after all.
Yeah. If there'd been any, you'd think ol' Eizen's reaper curse woulda drawn 'em out.
Oh! So THAT'S why all we caught today were weird useless things!
Right, I forgot about the curse. So all this was Eizen's fault, huh?
Funny how quickly you get used to it!
*sigh* My power didn't end up helping us out at all...
Nope.
*sad sigh*
But I know you're not the type to give up after a little setback. Isn't that right, Phi?
Huh? Phi?
It's your nickname. Not a whole lot of thought put into it, but... You're you. You're Phi.
Velvet...
Phi... I like it. It has personality.
Thanks!
Of course, if you still feel like giving up...
No! I'm gonna find us the next earthpulse point!
Oh, hey. There's something else inside the pot.
I get it now... This must be where that ship sank all those years ago. The one Kurogane told us about.
See what I mean about video game rumors?
Hell yeah! Kurogane might actually be able to make me an orichalcum sword!
Nice find, Eizen! You too, Laphicet!
It wasn't easy, but we didn't come away empty-handed. And just getting a chance to fish again was lots of fun!
Yeah! I had a really good time, too!
Even I was entertained! Especially your little costume show, kiddo.
The sun's going down soon. Let's head back to Titania.
Well, that was certainly an eventful visit, wasn't it? The whole "Laphi / Laphicet" thing was why I was consciously avoiding using the nickname ever since he entered the plot. Just didn't feel right doing it until the game did it, right? From now on, unless it's part of official text, I'll just call him Phi. He seems to like it. But for now, we're headed back to friendlier waters.
Someone's been hanging around Eizen too much. As you can see, we've got another raft of conversations to get through. Nothing too important in this batch, but it seems our Pirate First Mate is nowhere to be seen among the party members we can talk to. Curious... Kurogane seems pretty confident in his ability to work with orichalcum, so good for him.
Once you're done chatting, speak with Laphicet again to trigger another skit. Seems he's sensed another earthpulse point. This time, in Midgand. Since Griffin was removed, he's definitely not sensing anything we've seen before, so it sure sounds like a lead. In the same skit, Rokurou picks up a "cute" letter written by a "Uzfmiwuw Uexuv" to someone they apparently hold in esteem. Unfortunately, doesn't nail it down.
Oh yeah, and at some point, the game decided not only Eizen gets to narrate stuff in the Expedition menu. Good to know.
So we decide to start at the docks to start asking around. Seems Eizen is much concerned about correspondence from some woman he knows. Curious. He's also sending that pot we fished up to this woman as a present. Just hope the Turtlez shipping fees aren't too unreasonable.
When asked about the letter, he *immediately* snatches it up and admits he was the author.
Don't piss this guy off. Just saying.
Hey, if you want a nickname from Velvet, you have to be ready for the consequences. This skit, about Magilou begging for a Velvet Nickname, is part of another big batch of skits that all happen in a row. So, only one link for the bunch. I am pleased to know that the scriptwriters know it's "octopuses", too.
In the last one, Rokurou wants Eizen to surpass fate, by any means necessary. The results of this plan? A crow took the first one, Griffin nabbed the second, and landing on the dock's masonry shattered the third. That is some rough luck.
Well, I said last, but the last one is actually triggered by talking to Benwick, which you need to do to access the Van Eltia again. Maybe Griffin is more of a liability than I expected.
And finally, Grimoirh with a conversation icon over her. Man, we really should be admiring Eizen's strength of character for putting up with all this shit and still (mostly) keeping a smile on his face. For the record, this was a skit where Grimoirh asks why an earth malak like Eizen mostly hangs out at sea.
Oh, and something curious I found out, because there's yet another skit that spawned that we should take care of before we get back to business. The Velvet in this screenshot? If you go to the menu, it'll show Velvet's the only person in the party.
But when I went to the same menu right here? It showed everyone's back in the party. Very very odd. As for the skit, it's about Laphicet backtalking everyone about his beetle (Eleanor claims it HAS been identified by others and it's a drone beetle), but he refuses to budge.
Just got a little bit more sidequesting to do. The Katz box here is in the far side of the island, in that little alcove. As usual, I won't talk about too much in the actual fight, but there are a couple points of interest.
I should have mentioned that, in addition to its damage-dealing power, Mystic Artes effectively "reset" the battlefield, both enemy and ally Artes. What do I mean by that? Well, for everyone in the fight, if they were doing anything prior to the Arte, they'll stop when it's over. Anyone stunned also recovers instantly after the animation plays, any spellcasts in motion are canceled, etc. It can work in the favor of both ally and adversary, so just keep that in mind.
Second, level two Break Souls. We've been unlocking a few of them after boss battles, and here's Eizen's. There's nothing special about their activation; if you have three or more Souls after using a level one, just keep holding the Break Souls button down to launch the level two. With Eizen, it's Dragon Dive.
The reward for finishing this fight is the Avenger's Ventite, which "Allows the use of Break Soul in counter-attacks" on Normal or above. Uh...alright then. Now we're free to return to Zekson. Confederates
The boss has given me a message for you. Says there's some sorta nasty daemon running around in the Aldina Plains, to the east of Loegres. She thought it might be the one you're looking for.
Wasn't the eastern highway closed off from Loegres?
That was only temporary. It's back open now. If you follow the road, you'll reach Stonebury Village. There ou'll find one of ours who actually saw the daemon. You wanna know more, that'd be a good place to start.
...Got it.
Hey, that's the same direction I sensed the--
Give Tabatha our thanks.
*nods, takes off*
Afterwards, we have a skit, about Eizen shushing Phi up there. Nothing personal, according to him, but we don't need the Bloodwings knowing anything unnecessary. While it is kinda suspicious that the Bloodwings seem to know everywhere we're going and why we're going there, but do keep in mind Zekson is the port that apparently serves the whole continent, the core of the entire empire. Would be stranger if they DIDN'T have someone watching the port, really.
There's another skit afterwards about why Eastern Midgand has been locked off until now, but apparently there's nothing nefarious going on. Just really bad weather. There are also a couple conversations in town, one with a curmudgeonly old man and another in the inn, but neither of particular import. Also, there's no plot reason to go there now, but if you stop by the inn in Loegres, you can get a skit by staying at the inn.
See that Grade thing on the right side of the screen? Gives me an opportunity to talk about Dire Foes. Technically they've been available ever since Eizen joined, but how they work is thus. I believe there's a chance of them occurring after any battle in a particular area (up to and including the final dungeon, but excluding the bonus), but it's easier to get them to show up when 1) you're on higher difficulties, 2) when you get a high Grade payout from a fight, and 3) when when you finish a Dangerous Encounter. What'll happen if one does show is after you finish the fight, instead of going to the victory screen, you'll get an awkward period of a few seconds where you can just run around the field, and then the Dire Foe will show up. They'll have two invincible lackeys and if the Dire Foe goes down, the fight ends then and there.
So how does that Grade bonus meter play into this? Well, if you finish two fights close in time to each other, you'll get 1.1 on that meter, and it goes up by .1 for every fight thereafter while the gauge is still active, maxing out at x2. This meter resets if you go into a town so just be wary of that. By the way, it's not just one area a particular Dire Foe can appear in. For example, the Hanged Man can appear in Yvolg Ruins, Vester Tunnels, Vortigern, Titania, East Laban Tunnel, West Laban Tunnel, Fens of Nog, Brigid Ravine, Burnack Plateau, and Warg Forest. There are five unique Dire Foes all-around, but the fifth is only available on NG+. Also, speaking of Danaan, the enemies here have been upgraded since the start of the game, in case you thought I was being up mean and beating first five hour trash mobs.
Do not concern yourself, however. We'll get around to all 5 in good time.
As for the skit, well. There's a unique CG that pops up in this skit but I shan't screenshot it. You'll just have to see for yourself what THIS is all about.
Before we leave, time to bother this guy a bit more. This time, it's Eizen's and Phi's turn to make amends with their wicked ways. Well, actually, Eizen's is pretty wholesome, I gotta say. Phi's, uh...not so much, if you ask me.
For the rest, seems like faith in Innominat and the Abbey is as strong as ever. We've certainly chosen quite the adversary.
As for the Aldina Plains, our actual destination, it's in this direction from Loegres. Go here, proceed straight on, and we're there. On the way, you get a skit about malak true names, which are given by the pact maker (the human) to signify their bond. Apparently to anyone other than both parties in the pact, it is not something to be bandied about casually (Bienfu's true name, Fuschie Cass, means "Thing", apparently). For shame, Velvet.
Upon arriving in Aldina...
A dragon...
That's gotta be the daemon wanted us to know about.
It's flying free, but could it still be a therion?
*takes out the compass* I just felt an earthpulse point!
Let's check it out.
Oh boy, mountain climbing. Well, we can at least enjoy a nice stroll through the prairies for now. Be careful of those butterflies. They're small and fast and can flit in and out of sight, so they can easily sneak up on you. The bees can also very quickly catch up to you.
Oh yeah, since we're talking about upgraded Artes, let's talk about level 2 Mystic Artes. I'm pretty sure Velvet gets hers first, but the activation conditions for them are exactly the same, except you need to have at least *four* on the Blast Gauge and activate your Mystic Arte. Couldn't be simpler. You'll know you did it right because you get a much larger cut-in image than level 1 Mystic Artes.
The northern exit of this first area leads back to the Galles Lake Road, last seen when we were rescuing that guy who got kidnapped and was forced to mine Vermillion Ore for Nectar earlier in the game. This particular section of the area was blocked by one of the large gaps we had nothing to cross with, but now we can do a little exploring. There's nothing too mindblowing here treasure-wise, but in the northern branch of this particular junction area, you can find a Life Bottle and a Calcite Pendant. In the western branch, Chamomile and Odorless Fluid. The enemies, even in this new area, are still early-game trash.
Oh yes, and we finally finished Kanonno Island on the way back. Apparently the Normin Islands used to contain the capital of the world. Sounds cool? Frankly I'd be embarrassed having such a capital on a group of islands named after Zestiria's mascot creatures, but that's me.
Ah, the Wyverns coming home to Aldina. The circle of life.
As you can see by the mini-map, this place is massive. Probably the single biggest area in the game, and this technically isn't even the whole map (the top of the mountain counts as the same area). There are lots of treasures around, including a Katz box, but due to travel time I'll just screenshot this area again when I've found them all. As for now, we're going to go after that Code Red.
Yeah that one. By the way, I haven't talked much about Berseria's soundtrack because most of it is just kinda there, neither adding nor subtracting from the experience (unlike, say, Phantasia, which has a really good soundtrack), but I do like the theme for Danaan Highway and Aldina Plains, Run into the horizon. Wasn't too hard to find this one, because Berseria's soundtrack listing is listed in the order you'll encounter the songs in the game, mostly. Little tricky here because the first time you'll hear it is after leaving Zekson for the first time, but it's listed as if the first time you'll hear it is after Empyrean's Throne. King Peacock
Uhh.....uhm...hmm. It has some pecking attacks? I really got nothing to say about this one, it's a very simple boss. Watch out for powerful front attacks, blah blah blah. You, sir, are no Harpy Go Lucky. It does drop something pretty neat, the Armor Acerite IV. Gives a character who has +20 total enhancements on their equipment a free starting Soul on top of their starting count.
And here we are on top of the first landing of the mountain. There's a pair of Feldspar Boots hiding behind some rocks, but of course, we have a date with a therion.
Uh-huh... Unless Phi's senses are off again, or it's hiding as a dragonfly or something, we seem to have the wrong place. For once Magilou makes a good point in a skit, saying everyone blithely talking about fighting a dragon seem to be a bit confident in themselves. If you've played Zestiria, you know dragons are a pretty huge deal in this setting, and they are certainly not to be taken lightly. The solitary chest here has a Feldspar Fragment for your crafting needs and we have a nice conversation.
Namely, the name of these white flowers at the summit. Velvet knew their name, and their significance in the language of flowers, because of Laphi.
And this is what a full charting of this area looks like. That Katz box had a Fire Normin Hat and Suit for Velvet. I should add that Katz box rewards are actually given in a set sequence, not tied to particular chests. This last chest is really easy to miss and assume this is a dead end. I only really found it because of geography. You have to get pretty close to the chest to actually see it.
In this third and final area, the southern chest has Coarse Tempering Powder, the north has our first, I believe, All-Divide. This is a Tales staple item that halves all damage given and received for all combatants in a fight. You use it once to activate the effect, use it a second time in the same fight to return damage-dealing to normal. As for me, I'll probably never use them. Although technically it might be a good option to reduce the chances of getting wiped, I'm the type who likes a decision to be made on the outcome of a fight sooner rather than later.
As for the non-star exits of this place, they both lead to optional dungeons that you have no particular business being in right now. We'll certainly get to them later.
For Stonebury, this place seems full of down-to-earth folk happy with their lot in life. Also very gabby, so another big Conversations video snippet.
The guy nearest to that...giant stump has some interesting Zestiria foreshadowing for us. As with this place, bells, and radishbells, again, let's just say we haven't seen the last of them. The guy in the back alley there tells us about the dragon, and also, curiously, about Tintagel, a dragon cult. Worshiping the damn things. Will wonders ever cease?
Once you're done with the peasantry, turn in the "Rainbow Roc" job for 5350 gald. Really, you shouldn't have. Other than that, pick up that Katz box if you can afford it, a few random treasures, and we have a date at the inn. In the rain
Well hello, sailor.
...
Are you waiting for someone?
Nope, just sayin' a prayer for someone.
Someone?
...Let's go. Clearly there aren't any Bloodwings here.
You're just going to leave? I'm right here.
Everybody has times they need to be alone. *struts out*
*grins at Phi*
Phi.
R-Right, coming. *everyone leaves*
Well, for one thing, he was drinking a bottle of "Thorny Forest".
Oh my! The drink you share with your special someone when you're going to be married for life! How romantic!
But getting your hands on that stuff is no small feat. I can only hope I'll get a chance to taste it someday.
That must have had an important meaning for Zaveid. That's why you left him alone...
Don't read too much into it.
You're Velvet, right?
Ah, you must be the one who's seen the daemon we're after. We saw a big snake-looking dragon fly over on the way here. Is that what you saw, too?
Yes, that's the one. It nests at the top of the mountain in Aldina Plains.
We went to look ourselves. No dragon.
It only returns to its nest on rainy days.
Rainy days, you say...
Aww, just look at what you went and made the weather gods do! This doesn't bode well. Not at ALL.
Thanks. We'll give it another shot.
Before you skip out, you might want to stop by Shinobu, the eldest daughter of the Character Card family.
Unfortunately, this status did not translate to surpassing me. I actually only played Vesperia to 100% recently. As you might guess, the Definitive Edition on PS4. Definitive is the way to go. I mimic a lot of the complaints about the main story but the character stuff, particularly all the Rita / Estelle stuff, was great. Hell, I didn't even realize the main baddie was the main baddie until after reading about it online. I was like "Oh yeah, he was supposed to be the actual bad guy, huh", but I would definitely say give it a try if you haven't. I still can't believe an English version of the REAL Tales of Vesperia actually finally saw official release. It's a good thing I held out.
As for Character Cards, I've noticed the enemy AI tends to be stupidly aggressive, not even taking easy hands like Ninja and translating them into a win. Makes it very easy to win most of the time, if your luck is even halfway decent and you know what hands to form. For Shinobu, Novice round was 51-0 and Intermediate was 41-0.
Now this, this is a VERY important scene. One of the big things people remember about Berseria comes straight from this scene. Saddle up and ride
We're in a hurry. Save it, Katz.
All the better, meow! I've just stumbled upon a purrfectly nifty piece of stone, just for you!
Have to say, this cat avatar was just made for the Katz we met in Fighal Icecaps, but I've gotten quite a bit of mileage out of it, if I do say so myself.
What's it for?
*Gasp* That's not a geoboard, is it?!
They were made by normin meowny years ago, for surfing along earthpulses! But I can't use it, so I figured I'd pawn it off on someone else who could, meow.
Wait, normin made this? That doesn't exactly inspire confidence...
Don't be so mean. We're capable of exceptional things! ...Sometimes. When a normin speaks their own name, the board springs to life and whisk its master away at top speed! They'll even plow right through weak daemons! You could say it's our masterwork, even if we sorta...stumbled on it by accident.
Huh. Well, then, I apologize.
So we can ride this so long as we have Bienfu with us, right?
Well... Kind of...
Do you have to use your true name to activate it?
Not my true name, no... My normin name...
Wouldn't that just be Bienfu?
No. Normin have a separate name that goes something like "Normin So-and-So". It's almost more a title than a name. Often the name has something to do with what they're good at. Something like "Atakk", or "Chein", or "Acqua".
Right. You could say names like Bienfu and Grimoirh are more like stage names. I actually don't know Bienfu's normin name, but I can't wait to find out!
What is your name, Bienfu?
Erm...
Come on, out with it. We're in a hurry.
There are some humiliations you just don't walk away from.
Whoa, look at that!
Wait. Bienfu...
Your normin name is "Breyve"? Ahahaha, that it so deliciously absurd!
Why do you think I've never told you before?! Bieeeeen!
At least the board works, meow!
And if we get on this board, it'll move us around?
Well, about that... The board propels itself by "pushing" against earthpulse flows. To do that, the board needs information on the flows. But this one here's a completely blank slate, meow. Furrst, you need to find the geotrees in each area. They serve as a conduit between the surface land and the earthpulses, meow. Once you've actually located a geotree, you can record that area's earthpulse data into your geoboard, meow!
Got it.
Never noticed the adorable tail of the Katz.
So how to activate the geoboard for each area? Just find an icon like this on an area's map, examine it, and away you go. The geoboard is basically the airship of Berseria, and it's sweet as hell. Totally out of nowhere, but awesome. And finally those big horizontal gaps can finally be surfed over. What's not to love? Oh, and if you have DLC costume packs, you can get unique skins for the geoboard.
Another neat thing about the geoboard is that if you don't feel like fighting low-level garbage, you can just crash right into them and turn them into fantasy roadkill, destroying the enemy group instantly. You won't get any EXP or items this way, but you will save time. Oh yeah, and a skit, too. Bienfu's finally pulling his weight. Still..."Breyve"?
Oh, and geoboard locations are tied to the location as a whole, not just the screen you're on. So we now can use the geoboard anywhere in Aldina's three screens. When you're done getting your kicks in, time to head back to the summit. Or board there, as you're more likely to do. Mountaintop
Well, there's certainly no missing that.
It looks so deadly.
And just check out how much malevolence it's putting out.
...Which means it's not a therion.
Let's retreat. We've got no reason to pick a fight with something we can't handle.
I do. *stands up*
Oh? You're up for it?
What? What are you doing?!
She's right! Fighting this creature is a good way to end up dead! *everyone looks at her* Oh! Uh... Sorry.
*dragon roars*
Well, no turning back now.
So Shenlong is our first real dragon fight and...he's a big boy, alright. Even if you don't check his HP, you'll quickly discover Shenlong has a *ton* of it. Your attacks won't do very much damage, either. Not as bad as our "duel" against Artorius, but still pitiful compared to the raw power of a dragon. It's not too aggressive but it is very powerful. Either survive for about 90 seconds or, I guess, probably, do enough damage, and the fight is over.
*charges*
Yup... This one definitely puts up a better fight than your average daemon.
Is there any hope of actually defeating this thing?
I'll do whatever it takes. That's my way! *charges*
Zaveid?!
Damn. He just sent Zaveid *flying*
Yow... I see you're as out for blood, as usual. ...You knew. Didn't you, Eizen.
...Out of my way.
Are you protecting the dragon?
She's not a dragon!
Huh?
*points Siegfried at his head* Back off, or I'll make you back off.
Damn! It got away.
That hurts, babe... And here we hadn't seen each other in so long... *gets up, pauses for a few seconds*
Hold it. Is that dragon...someone you knew?
I told you... Don't call her a dragon. *walks off*
In the skit immediately afterwards, Eizen gives us another 4-1-1. Though, he is truncating a bit here. Remember how Grimoirh said malakhim can be tainted by malevolence, even if they don't naturally generate any on their own? Dragons result when a malak has absorbed a critical mass of malevolence. So they are, in effect, big, angry, very powerful balls of malevolence. According to Magilou, there is absolutely no going back from becoming a dragon. The only peace a malak will have after that point is death.
Apparently Phi was in more danger than anyone at the time knew, in the earthpulse. He was getting hit with a lot of malevolence because so much there was going to Innominat. Eleanor being there was quite the lucky break.
Once you're done with your business in Eastern Midgand, back to Titania by way of Zekson we go. The earthpulse point for Danaan Highway is located close to the entrance for Port Zekson. There's also a Turtlez waiting for us, who says, among other things, he's having trouble locating a set of Nor dolls that Eizen requested. I smell a sidequest. Eizen also drops a bomb on us that the girl who so vexes his mind is none other than his sister. Well, who says malakhim can't have siblings? He lives apart from her for obvious reasons.
We also have a skit that has the danger of tearing the party asunder. Technically Eizen is Team Fluffy Squirrel, but if he had a gun to his head, cats. Phi and Rokorou abstain. We're no closer to resolving this debate. But let's not squabble, because Zekson's earthpulse point is right next to Danaan's entrance.
Curiously, this branch of Danaan has reopened, but we're not getting any closer to the Throne now. Not that trying to force our way through would go well. Sure, we could overpower this riffraff if need be, but we're no closer to evening the odds with Artorius as things stand.
Back in Titania, there's a short skit upon entering, but most importantly, the earthpulse is right on the docks we enter in on. Thank goodness, too, because Titania had a lot of potential ground to cover.
Our destination is Velvet's old cell and this skit. Apparently Phi's senses are weak now because he has so few people praying for him (literal prayers are not necessary) . Phi now points us in the direction of Hellawes. Allegedly there's a therion north of town, which sounds reasonable to me. We explored very little of Northgand while we were there, so stands to reason there's much to discover. Once you return to the north docks, you get a skit about how we plan to inflitrate the town: under cover of an aid ship to slip in with all the relief supplies being delivered. Well, we're pirates. Not on the up-and-up from the word "go".
So going back to that whole prayers thing, turns out this is, apparently, a big part of the reason for the Abbey-sponsored faith in Innominat. They certainly know what they're doing. Luckily, so do we. I think.
As for what could give Eizen such a gentle smile on his face? Just an invoice from the Turtlez. Don't get too excited.
To wrap this update up...third update in a row to end on docks? How odd, but the truth. As I was saying, to wrap this up, there's a conversation on the north docks about the price of doing business, and keeping an eye on lizards. Well, someone has to.