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Part XVIII: The Place We Revisited
And we return to this lovely town in Eastgand. As you can see, there's a few conversations around town, but after talking to this guy, let's check out the tavern. Couple points of interest here. First, check in with the Blood Wings guy to get 20k in rewards, from defeating Lancelot as well as that wolf from last time.
The next, for now, is Mug Match, our newest, and strangest, mini-game. How it works is that the head on the far left is your model, and you have to stop the three other heads when they match that exact image. It helps to watch a few times to know what the pattern is and when to start hovering your finger over the confirm button. There are three difficulty levels, with each difficulty increasing the number of, uh, parts that move and you have to match. You have to get all three correct to win, but there's no time limit in choosing each face. Though, of course, if you get the first wrong, no point in playing seriously after that.
Thankfully, there are no unique rewards tied to Mug Match, since I'm bad at this one. Best to just let this guy mug in peace, if you ask me.
Getting back to conversations, turns out Eastgand is almost entirely free of daemon attacks. Well, being so far from civilization has its perks, I suppose. The people around here seem to live modestly and in good health. In fact, they've been so free of daemons, not one has been seen in three years. Of course, it's entirely possible, as this conversation points out, that a therion is responsible for the current peaceful state of this town.
The conversation in front of the church says much the same thing, that a continuous Abbey presence here in the city is unnecessary and they're safe enough with patrols that stop by occasionally.
The church itself contains one of those Zestiria call-forward NPCs. I'll just go ahead and say this town is a major location in Zestiria, and that the lake is actually just outside of town. But it fell afoul of dragons and was drowned in a single night. Or so the stories go. While it would certainly be interesting to explore a sunken ancient kingdom, nobody, not even Eizen, feels the explorer's spirit. You'll have to find another game for exploring some long-abandoned underwater ruins.
Up the stairs, this unmarked conversation is about...Niko? Wait, Velvet killed her... Didn't she? We certainly saw her body, but... According to this conversation, Niko's still alive and living in Aball, which is also notably not destroyed. Uh-huh...definitely sounds like a target of investigation. That just can't be right. After this conversation, we get a skit with the party about this development.
A new conversation has spawned in the tavern after this, and Niko even still has her two dogs, Orthie and Russ. Maybe the prologue turned out a lot better than we were led to believe? Anything's possible, right?
We have no more particular business in Taliesin right now, but make sure to pick up the geotree, located here, and those final two conversations.The first one is about...Taliesin's stairs and the second one is about Aball and Taliesin's festivals. They both seem nice. Also, Niko has since mastered the quiche in the past three years.
This ladder leads up to the highest reaches of the city, where you can find a Life Bottle, an Arcane Bottle, and the next Character Cards family member, Yuto. I seem to have had worse luck this time than usual, because this took me a few rounds. I only rediscovered recently, but our actual rewards from beating these family members at their own game is accessories that I already have. So that's why I've just been getting Tales Coins.
If you play your cards right and defeat Yuto on Intermediate, he'll mention his father, allegedly the grand master of Character Cards, has gone out into the world and hasn't been seen very much since. I am sure our paths will meet.
So that's all our business in Taliesin for now. Not quite, though, because there's a mini-game marker near where we entered this town, but we'll get to that before this update is over. So as for the name Taliesin, this is another British reference. Taliesin was reputedly a bard who lived in the 7th century AD and traveled around to the courts of various kings. As with many figures who allegedly lived around this era, he was associated with Arthur by the 11th century.
As a fun little side note, Eizen's English voice actor is named...Taliesin Jaffe. He reprised the role of Eizen for Zestiria's anime adaptation, Tales of Zestiria the X and his cameo battle appearance in Tales of Arise.. As for where we've heard the name Taliesin in this game before, well, Niko mentioned it in all of one line in a conversation right near the start of the game, after we first met her outside of Aball's general store. Though, Velvet outright says she's very familiar with the town, so it was just a matter of never finding an occasion to bring this place up.
Do you remember the forests outside Aball? Aside from Tranquil Woods, probably not, since we were there for all of a few minutes at the very start of the game, but welcome to Perniya Cliffside Path, which will lead us to Morgana Woods. We only saw the very very edge of Morgana Woods in the first update, just outside the town gate of Aball, but suffice to say there was an entire dungeon there we couldn't get to at the time. As you can see from the indicator, there's also a skit with the entire party, sans Velvet, wondering what kind of girl she was before everything kinda went downhill.
It was during this battle that I noticed the Rutee costume comes with a second song, like Arche's did. Unfortunately, I simply was unable to find out what song. I spent like half an hour listening to bits and pieces of the Destiny 1 soundtrack, but my efforts failed me. It certainly does not help that Destiny was remade on the PS2 with a touched-up soundtrack, and that Rutee also appeared in Destiny 2, so it could also come from there. On top of that, it's not like most of the songs are just straight-up ripped from the game they originated from. They're slightly rearranged, but it can be very hard to tell unless you know the song already in the maelstrom of noise that is the average battle in this game. It shall remain a mystery, at least for now.
Best enemies around here, clearly, are the daemons dressed up like Midwestern farmers. Why? Strange fashions here in the sticks.
Once you get to this bridge, you get an interesting skit: if there was an earthpulse point in Aball, like we are presuming right now, why did Velvet end up Titania instead of just staying there? The theory is that she was a test case to see if that ancient book was on the mark or not. Of course, just speculation, but Artorius really is about as ice cold as it gets.
Second one's a bit of a happier one, though. Why NOT a temple in the sky? Gotta be high up, that's why no one's seen it.
The headwaters of this river don't have anything of particular import, but it's a nice area to explore, I think. Unfortunately, there is a skunk daemon ruining the mood around here. Let's fix that. Dangeroma
This is a pretty annoying boss, mostly because it's small and very powerful. For most of the fight, the two moves you'll have to be the most concerned about are Blood Moon, a spell, and Tail Attack, which is its Break Soul. In spite of the innocuous name, very powerful and can easily shred anyone caught close to it. Velvet makes a great character to control here, since it's easy to accumulate sidesteps during Tail Attack (as long as you keep sidestepping, because just one is gonna get you in trouble) and Devour is a guaranteed hit as long as Velvet is close enough to her prey.
Once it's low on HP, it'll throw in Paralytic Break, which, much like the Slow Breaks of the past, has a high chance of inflicting Paralysis if it hits you. Definitely not fun, but again, Switch Blast clears out all negative status effects. It'll also start throwing in Crown Fire. Much like bosses and enemies before, this is very powerful.
Once you're done exterminating it, there's a Katz box in a circle of three rocks nearby that costs a very modest 245 spirits to open. No reward, though.
And we're...back in the Morgana Woods. It shares many of the same enemies as Perniya, just with the addition of those ogres. As you might guess, they're big slow punching bags, but their clubs can do a lot of damage if they nail you while you're stunned, and they also have a unique arte where they do a little hop, sit down on the ground, and fire a laser from their eye. I never actually got hit by this attack, but let's say it's pretty powerful. In this first area, you can find a Runner's High and Red Rosemary.
Oh, excuse me, the ogres are "Cyclopz". I remember when Odysseus had to dodge the Cyclopz' eye laser. That was a rough one. Second area has a Quartz Doll in it. When it comes to crafting, I should mention that equipment tends to be divided into tiers for purposes of disassembly. So, let's say, you need Quartz materials for upgrading Quartz equipment. What you'll want to do is upgrade the tier below Quartz (in this case, Fledspar) to a certain level, then disassemble it, then you can get Quartz Fragments for upgrading Quartz items. My advice would be just to master all the equipment you can find to prepare yourself for the endgame, then worry about making ultimate builds. There's no like, magic bullet item or build that makes this game a cakewalk, it's just about making the best equipment you can and, most importantly, playing well.
Shortly after you get past a save point in the third area (and get a Quartz Bag), you'll hear a scream. Well, obviously we have to help. Sounds familiar, though. Reunion in the forest
Niko! *rushes forward*
Ah the Xeno Mantis. More random wildlife to beat up. Actually, is it random? We've actually seen this before, just not in any canonical context. This is the monster in the OP that Phi hit with Binding Order, as if it attacked us on the Van Eltia. Its size has been slightly downgraded here. For a boss at this point in the game, it's pretty easy, it just takes a really long time. I would very, very strongly recommend you play as Velvet here.
You'll soon notice that Xeno guards a LOT. It makes this fight absolutely a slog to get through, but because Velvet's therion form advantage against Crustacean enemies is making them guard 75% less while it's active, it makes it much easier to actually do meaningful damage. In addition, her finishing arte against Crustaceans is a long combo string that makes it easy to continue the combo, assuming it doesn't go back to guarding. Finally, I was able to reach a 100+ combo. 101, actually, but this is how you fight this boss.
Oh, and if you can get a four-move combo and four on the Blast Gauge, Annihilating Crash can do a ton of damage if you get a damage multiplier going. I was able to do about 12k damage with one. As for Xeno, its most unique art is Charge, where it...flies up and then swoops down. Yeah... This boss is about as harmless as it gets. Just get the combo meter as high as you can make it. Thanks to a huge EXP haul, Rokurou learned his second Mystic Arte, Rangetsu Heron.
*wakes up* V...Velvet?!
I know I used Generic Woman avatar for Niko in the prologue, but I forgot she had a lot of speaking parts in this update, so she's finally getting a unique one.
What is this? How are you alive?! *draws weapon*
I could ask you the same question! Where have you been this whole time?! You just up and disappeared! Everyone thinks that you were eaten by a daemon. But I knew it couldn't be true... You're too strong to let some crummy daemon take you down! You've alive...
*fade to black*
...Sorry, I...I didn't mean to embarrass you in front of your friends. I have to let everyone know the good news! You've finally come back to us! *runs off*
Normally I'd say she should go with us, but hey, she's survived three years without us. I'm sure she can manage.
Niko's alive. She's alive.
Don't let your guard down. I've got a bad feeling about this.
Well, naturally. We've got a Reaper with us!
Let's head for Aball. We can ask everyone there exactly what happened.
Y-Yeah...
Eizen asking a question I'm sure we're all wondering. Everything just happened so fast, but if this isn't what it seems, it sure as hell looks like it. The clearing Velvet is looking toward has a Quartz Blade in it. If you take the lower branch of this area, you'll end up in a dead-end that has an All-Divide in it and a mess of Katz spirits, but we can't proceed because we can't use the geoboard right now. I should mention this place doesn't have any puzzles, per se. It's just a matter of getting through the forest and back to Aball.
Unfortunately, my attempts to trigger a Dire Foe ended in failure. Now, there might actually be a reason for this other than me getting unlucky, but I can share my speculation near the end of this update. For the purposes of this Grade gauge, I should note that if anyone gets KO'd in a fight, this gauge resets.
Just strolling through the woods... That box is 250, and has a special item in it, a Katz Invitation. The message says that a Katz wants to "mew in Taliesin", but, even in spite of that, this Katz is not actually there until later in the game. We'll get back to it. Once you get to the far exit of this area, you'll get a skit with Velvet being pained over what she's seeing. Well, it might take a little time getting used to things being...normal. For her, at least.
The next area finally has the geotree in it, and if you take the nearby northern exit, you end up...
Here. Time to cut this one down to size. Behemoth
In spite of this thing's size, it is very fast and can quickly charge around the battlefield.
Be very wary of when it falls below half health, because it'll add Chain Tackle to its line-up. This attack causes it to dash around the field numerous times, and you can easily get caught up in getting hit a lot while it's doing this, assuming you can't knock it out of this animation. Aside from dodging Impact, which is its most common attack, there's not really any particular trick to beating him. Just wear it down.
And in the next area, we're finally back at the town gate of Aball. I'm sure if anything's off about this Aball, Velvet will be sure to notice. There's an Inoph Bottle and a Red Rosemary that weren't here before near the gate. Return
Velvet! You're really all right!
Oh, thank heavens! It's so good to see you!
Where have you been all this time? You never even wrote!
*shakes head* But... I don't... I... I thought the whole village was wiped out that day...
Yeah, it nearly was.
But just when we thought it was all over, Arthur--Lord Artorius saved us!
No! It was his doing in the first place! He sacrificed Laphicet!
Now now, I know you're a bit discombobulated, but that is blatantly not true. There were daemons wandering about long before anything happened to Laphi. Though, as for how Artorius managed to change everyone back, well... I'm sure he has his ways.
...It really was a shame what happened to that poor boy.
That's all you have to say?! A shame? My brother Laphi DIED that--
I'm sorry, truly I am. But you can't lose hope, dear.
He's right. What counts is that your brother's still alive.
*gasp* He's...alive?
Okay, now I'm on guard. Whatever else happened that night, Laphicet falling into the shrine absolutely happened. Especially in the Japanese version, that kid just straight-up got ran through with a giant broadsword.
He's...in your house. Don't worry, we've all pitched in to take care of him.
I don't...
Velvet...
...
Well, this all certainly seems to have taken a turn. There's a nearby merchant running "Gaius General Store" (named after the king guy in Xillia 1 and 2) that you can use to restock / upgrade as you see fit. If you get the shop to level 5, you'll get the Warrior's Ventite, which "Allows the use of martial arte derivatives under certain conditions". Sounds uh...gimmicky as hell.
On the way back to Velvet's house, you'll get another skit. If this all is a dream, then it's a very resistant one. As for this, meh. If he's gonna complain about a sucker punch, how's he ever gonna surpass Shigure? At the end of this skit, Eizen and Rokurou decide to split up temporarily to investigate things, while everyone else continues on to the house. If Laphicet really is alive, then.. Sounds like we may need to reevaluate things a bit. Her home
My home... It hasn't changed a bit.
We need to be careful, Velvet. Eizen thinks this could be a trap.
You think Niko and everyone are being controlled?
I dunno... It's just...
You think it could be Melchior's doing. But even so...
*cuts hand*
*heals*
It's not going to work on me.
You're insane.
People can fight against pain. But...
*fade to black*
I won't...be deceived by this.
You'll open your wound!
Laphi... You're really alive... Laphi?
He's been asleep...ever since that day. I found him at the shrine, collapsed on the ground. His wounds healed, but he's never woken up...
If he's still alive...that's all that matters. *takes out the comb* I'll find a way to wake you again, Laphi... I swear I will. We'll be together. I still have to thank you for this comb, after all...
(So that's where Velvet's comb came from...) *everyone files out*
(Did Lord Artorius really try to sacrifice such a defenseless child...?)
What's wrong, Laphicet? You don't look like your usual perky self.
I'm... I'm OK. I'm just glad Velvet's all right.
What, your name is Laphicet, too? Haha, what a weird coincidence!
Uh-- Y-Yeah... *notices something*
Hey. Sorry about all that, you guys...
Don't worry about it. What are we going to do now?
If it were me, I'd make Laphicet something he really likes for dinner tonight. He can handle soup. Maybe he'll notice the smell of your cooking and it'll wake him up.
Yeah... Maybe I should... Would you watch after him while I go buy what I need?
Of course! I am at your beck and call!
Is there anything I can do to help, too?
Yes, please. I'll need you to be my taste tester.
Huh, so this is what a normal life is like for Velvet, eh? Laphicet may not be awake but it's like nothing at all happened in Aball since that day. And maybe it can stay that way.
After the above scene, I got a skit about Phi having a really bad feeling about all this. It's all very unnerving whenever Magilou sounds serious. In lighter news, the scout ship brought back a Bookworm Sorey, bringing the Normin Islands to 100% completion. Next place? The Soma Volcano. Around one corner of Velvet's house, there's another Katz box, no reward, and on the opposite side, a geotree and a Red Lavender. Pretty sure those are new additions.
Back in town, there's another raft of conversations. Just like the start of the game, when you think about it. Like with Taliesin, there are very few reports of daemon attacks and exorcists are virtually unknown here. You can pick up a Red Sage near the northernmost conversation, and learn Rokurou and Eizen are not fond of dogs. Curiously, the path to Tranquil Woods is blocked off by the ever-popular landslide excuse. Well, it's not like we were going there anyway.
The only plot-relevant conversation is at the general store. Velvet's cooking up quite a feast, apparently, but she still needs prickleboar meat. They can't be found in Tranquil, but they can in Morgana. Must have just missed them. Before we go, another skit about the kind of person Velvet used to be. And maybe the person she can become again.
Thankfully, no need to turn over every stone to find them. All the prickleboar groups are marked on the map with a star, and their parameters haven't improved a bit since the start of the game, so they'll go down in just a few seconds. In addition, all three groups are in the eastern half of the forest. Once you're done, you'll get a skit feeling sorry for the prickleboars, but as long as the people of Aball don't overhunt, things will probably be fine. Before you return to the village, you'll get another. Chatty bunch, even without Eizen and Rokurou around. Oh yeah, you can still get into normal fights, but it's a bit more dangerous than normal because you don't have those two around. Just hunt the boars and get back to town, I say.
This place certainly looks nice at sunset, doesn't it? Back to the house for us. No turning back
Heard the news about your brother. I'm happy for you.
...So? What's your plan now?
You guys were snooping aroud the village.
Yeah. We wanted to check out that shrine, too, but we got stopped. Apparently, the Abbey's designated it off-limits.If there's a therion around, it's probably there.
I'm going to draw it out. If this is a trap, things may turn violent. Either way, this place is about to get a lot less tranquil.
The same as everywhere else I've been...
You can quit here if you like, but I'm going to keep on fighting the Abbey.
And if I try to stop you... You'll insist, I presume.
Velvet, no!
I'll give you one day... Once you've made up your mind, come meet me at the cape. *wanders off*
I'm with him. How tomorrow shakes out depends on what you decide, Velvet. *joins him*
Y-Your hand, it's...
As you can see, I'm a daemon. Three years ago, I was the one who attacked this village and--
I don't wanna hear it! Daemon or no daemon... You're still you! OK, so you're scary... I'll get used to it! *runs over*
You, me, and everyone else...
*fade to black*
A dream life
That was rather good, Velvet.
Yeah! Laphicet gets a gold star for being such a good taste tester, too!
Tomorrow I'll fix you up a nice stew.
*notices the book shelf*
Hey, is this--? It's the original copy of the book on Innominat! And all the pages are here!
Now, you might think this is a *massive* coincidence, but recall that Arthur was bringing back tons of rare books when he lived here, and Laphicet naturally took to reading them. That prologue section was a lot more foreshadowy than you might have realized at the time, and there's still one big one left to go.
Hey, Phi? Can I borrow your compass real quick? I'll give it right back. Please?
A... All right... *puts book away, brings compass over to Velvet*
He really wanted a compass, more than anything else. *puts it down next to Laphicet* Just like you, he loved to stare out at the sea, wondering what's on the other side. He wanted to go adventuring some day.
Oh... I didn't know that.
I bet once he wakes up, you two will be really great friends.
So...this is what your life used to be like before everything happened, huh?
What's gotten into you? *wipes something off Phi's face* Hmm... Maybe I made the pudding a little too sweet. *gasp*
Velvet, how do you know what it tastes like?
...
*Yaaaawn* Think I'll get myself some shut-eye.
But what are you going to do about tomor--
Huh? Dreams? Why?
It envelops you in a fog and reads your regrets, then traps you in a happy dream.
An arte that reads your regrets...and shows you happiness... *clenches fist* I'm going to the cape.
Now? What on earth's gotten into you?
Vel...vet...
Velvet!
Don't...go... Stay here... Stay with me...
*takes the compass* This is Phi's compass. *gives it back* I'm sorry, Laphi.
No, don't... Wait... Velvet, wait...
Whoever set this up...this is in exceedingly poor taste.
Fog again, huh? Since we're going to the cape, we'll have to pass through the town square. Pulling back the veil
*marches forward*
Velvet!
There you are.
Velvet, you have to stop your friends. They keep saying they're going to the cape, and they just won't listen.
The Abbey's forbidden anyone from going inside. We'll all be punished if anyone breaks the rules.
I hate to say it, Niko... But I think I'm a terrible person. I really thought I could have my old life back again, and I could forget everything else. I tried to act like I was doing it for Laphi, and but it was all for myself. But I can't forget. I shouldn't forget. Laphi is dead. He was murdered without even knowing why!
So get out of my way. If you don't...
I think it's a neat detail that Velvet sure is assuming a lot about the night of the Advent. Most crucial assumption, of course, being that what happened was murder. As I said before, Laphi sure didn't seem to be resisting at all, and from what I remember of the rest of the plot, nothing ever explicitly confirms or denies Laphi was there of his own free will. In fact, if anything, some dialogue confirms he did know what was happening and went along with Arthur willingly. Especially if he was reading that Innominat book and understood exactly what was in it.
Velvet... Why...
Why must you do this?!
There we go! The truth at last!
And we get thrown into a battle with the "villagers"-turned-daemons...again. Unlike the start of the game, or even the prickleboars we just fought, these enemies actually have a legit amount of HP, but I still won in under a minute. You'll be fine.
Now that Aball is back to how it should be, i.e. devoid of life, we get a skit along the way to the cape. Seems Velvet actually managed to surprise Magilou. Will wonders ever cease?
Back in Tranquil, you remember that gap I mentioned as being the first one we found but we couldn't interact with it until now? I somehow doubt an Apple Gel is sufficient compensation for a nearly game-spanning treasure... Another thing to be completed is another treasure. To get this one, explode a boulder near the save point, which Velvet couldn't do the last time because she wasn't a therion yet. Red Rosemary lies beyond. Once you're done on Memory Lane, head to the cape. A bone to pick
There it is! The therion!
So Therion Orthus is a pretty tough fight, mostly because it's highly mobile and wastes no time taking advantage of that fact. Most of the early fight, its most dangerous attack is the fire breath, but as the fight wears on, it'll add on ice attacks as well. There's no real crucial weakness to exploit, it's all about trying to stun it as much as possible and pour on the damage when it gets low on HP. In addition, throwing in Mystic Artes whenever you can.
Tier 2 Mystic Artes in particular really do a lot of damage, especially if you have a Power Combo going. Failing that, launching a Mystic Arte while an enemy is stunned is always a good way to get some sweet damage in. Once you've brought this dog to heel...
Sorry, pups. You're coming with me. *walks forward*
Velvet!
It's OK. I killed their owner. I deserve all their hate, and then some.
...
But not now. Understand? Once I get my revenge, you can tear me apart if you like. I promise. Until then, I'll need your help.
We have seen these dogs before. Remember Niko's dogs Orthie and Russ? This is what became of them, hence Velvet's comment above. The pair are named after Orthrus, alternatively Orthus, a two-headed dog who lived in the Hesperides, a mythic, kinda vague place in the western Mediterranean, according to the ancient Greeks. It was there that Hera had a garden where golden apples could be found. Orthus was a brother of Cerberus and was slain by Heracles during his Labors, specifically the one where he had to retrieve three golden apples.
Guess the arte finally evaporated.
*reaches into his pocket* The book! It disappeared!
What book?
I found a copy of the ancient book with every page still intact! It was in Velvet's house.
Artorius' book!
The real one might still be there. We should go back to Velvet's house to search for it.
Indeed. As far as we know, nobody's been around here for three years. So if anything was there on the night of the Advent, it's still there. Afterwards, you'll get a skit, and, in my case, I got Phi's second Mystic Arte, Chaos Bloom. But we're not quite done around here. First, there's a Katz box at the shrine. If you take the stairs of the shrine as 9 o' clock, the box is about at 1. An Earth Normin Hat and Suit for Eleanor, this time. The inner part of the shrine has Red Saffron, but I feel the atmosphere is a bit heavier than normal.
Oh yes, it's this awful thing. Iron Bones
So this creepy bag of bones is a...fairly difficult fight? A little easier than Therion Orthus, I'd say. It most frequently uses Creeping Curse, its Break Soul, where it crawls on the ground, doing damage. As you'd expect of a shambling skeleton, it's pretty slow, but it has a large health pool and it goes down fairly slowly. That said, because it's so slow, your casters will almost never be under any pressure, so Phi and Magilou can pretty quickly whittle it down alongside melee attackers.
Magilou also got her second at some point. All of these are a pretty big step up, animation-wise, from the first ones, aren't they? Hopefully Eizen and Eleanor won't be far behind.
Oh yeah, one final note. Just because it's slow doesn't mean it can't do some serious damage. This is also why you want to Phi and Magilou around, because this does quite a bit of damage in a huge radius.
Iron Bones' dropped Glacite is a strange beast. Reflecting or nullifying damage is a very niche way to handle some encounters, but it may be more relevant than you think. We'll see how things go. Anyway, Tranquil has since been populated by some very un-tranquil adversaries, but we have no further business here or there. Back to Velvet's house.
But of course, nothing can be that easy, can it? The book we were looking for is gone. There's a couple more conversations in Velvet's house before you go, but as for now...we're at a dead end. The illusionist
Those are the graves of my sister and her son. He died before he was even born.
They're in rough shape. We should lay some flowers.
...Don't bother. There's no point.
??? A keen insight.
That's not even a sacrifice. Just a cruelty devoid of all purpose.
Melchior!
As obtuse as ever...
I take it you're the one behind the dream fog?
I must say, you did well to break free... Such resolve... If you weren't a therion, I'd be tempted to take you under my wing...
Did you come here to flatter me?
Indeed. Although I was already in the neighborhood to retrieve this book. *pulls out Laphi's book*
I'll be taking that.
This book was compiled by my dear friend, who was also Artorius' mentor and predecessor as head of the exorcists. It contains the hopes and dreams left by a noble soul who gave his life for the world that grieved him. It is not for a tainted daemon to touch.
Like we need your permission! *Eizen and Velvet rush him*
Heh. Look who obeyed me for once.
Is that... You didn't!
Be patient. You'll know everything before long. What we seek is the realization of a perfect order, as tranquil and beautiful as a wildflower in bloom.
A "perfect order"?
Let's go. There's nothing left for us here.
Eizen certainly seems to have some idea of that daemon, but indeed, no use worrying about it now. Guess it's time to head back to Taliesin and weigh anchor. We got the therion, anyway. An oversight
*rushes over* Look! It's the book of Innominat!
What's it doing there?
*gasps, flashes back*
(in flashback) Wait! That's one of Arthur's!
Actually, it's a copy that Laphicet made. (end flashback)
...Laphi made a copy of that book. He transcribed it all by hand, and then he sold it. Just to buy me that comb.
*rushes over with the book* There was something here for us, after all. *hands book to Velvet*
Laphi...
If that's the complete manuscript, we might be able to unravel Innominat's secrets.
We'll have to show it to Grimoirh.
Heheheh... Pulling one over on the old man, are you? Never a dull moment with Lady Calamity around.
Quite right. Also, welcome to the real Morgana Woods. Remember when I said I'd share my speculations about why a Dire Foe never appeared before we uncovered the illusion? My speculation is that because that was a "fake" Morgana Woods (the woods as Velvet remembered them, hence why this version of the Woods looks so different), the Dire Foe doesn't appear. Do I have any proof of that? No. Could I easily be disproved? Yes. But as far as this LP is concerned, for the moment, I'm sticking with that.
If you've completed everything to do in Morgana, there's no point in sticking around there, but the party is a bit chattier back in Perniya. First, a skit about that strange daemon that was with Melchior. An exorcist collaborating with a daemon? Quite unbecoming. Also, Eizen straight-up asking if Eleanor is a spy, but Phi strenuously defends her, and, as before, Eizen has no evidence. And, as Velvet points out, it didn't take a genius to know we'd be headed toward another therion, so Melchior laying a trap isn't that suspicious. And finally, how Melchior got that daemon to protect him. Seems the geezer has plenty of tricks up his sleeve.
And finally, just outside Taliesin, a skit about standing up for Magilou's honesty and un-spy-ness. It's not a very long skit.
Welcome to the "real" Taliesin. Yep, we were in Melchior's illusion right after passing through the fog bank, the one that Benwick thought was so strange.
You might think this guy is being sarcastic or something, and the really nice weather might have been a giveaway the dream Taliesin was fake, but no, it's a coincidence that the weather is rubbish and we've having this conversation. In addition to the conversation with the siblings near the Perniya exit, we have a few others around town, as you can see. Most prominent Eleanor's turn on the comedy circuit with the old guy in the square. Magilou clearly was underestimating her partner here. That is her blunder.
As for the other conversations, the guy just outside the church talks about how Taliesin was the first town saved by Artorius, and a public holiday in his name has been declared. Also to remember the end of Aball, which apparently no one has saw fit to resettle. Before we go, there's one more conversation to have in the tavern. Specifically, in the upstairs room where we played Mug Match.
Two Zestiria call-forward NPCs in the same update. Again, not to give too much away, but the Lady of the Lake in this setting is completely real and we'll uh, be seeing her in the second half of this thread, to put it lightly.
Before we go, welcome to Flag Fetcher. It's that mini-game you can trigger right near the start of Taliesin proper, not the docks. Simple concept, just take the geoboard and go around and collect flags to win prizes. It's a pretty fun mini-game, and can be played in a few places, but Taliesin can be a rough town to cruise around in because there are so many twists and tight passageways, but that's what separates you from a novice geoboarder, right? The icons with single wings will grant you a stored boost, whereas an icon with two wings will give you an immediate boost.
This is one of the subtle instances of Dream Taliesin being fake, talking to this person. I don't believe anyone else in the real version of this town mentions it, but this is why there were so many cats in Dream Taliesin, because that's how Velvet remembers this place, covered with cats. Unfortunately, one of them "caught" daemonblight, so cats were hunted to extinction around here. Damn...
That pirate unlocks a new Class 4, by the way. Not too many of those left. You'll also get a little Benwick Backstory when you talk to him, but most importantly, don't choose to go back to Titania, because there's a skit right afterwards that you can easily miss if you choose to sail off right away. Seems the dogs are really not big Velvet fans for...obvious reasons. Also, Bienfu can't read the mood at all, but that's hardly a surprise. Before you go, you might also want to turn in your three Code Red hunts from our team in Eastgand. Worth 20k all told.
But that's really all for our business here. For now at least. Halfway back to Titania... Exhaustion
*looks at hand* I devoured them again... No. Don't.
*walks up* So...you said your little brother made this copy? He could read the ancient tongue... That's amazing.
*pulls out comb* Laphi was different from most other kids. He read books a lot because his body was so weak. He studied all the time so that he could be ready to travel the world one day. Which was kind of funny, considering he'd hide in my bed whenever he had a nightmare.
Really?
But...I don't care that he got scared... I just wanted him to live... That's why I...have to... *collapses*
Velvet?!
I'll devour as much as it takes... I will have...vengeance... *blacks out*
Velvet!
*fade to black*
Beginning of the end
Done. The arte is attuned to you.
Thank you. This time I'll make sure to finish what I set out to do.
I've gotta say, I didn't think you had it in you, Oscar.
I don't believe I asked for your opinion.
Lord Artorius!
Go back outside, Teresa. We'll see you when we're done.
Are the rumors true? Are you using that experimental arte on Oscar?
It is true.
*gasp* I was under the impression it was still incomplete, sir...
Yup. There's still a potentially fatal weakness for its channeler.
We've taken the theory as far as it will go. The next step is to learn its control in actual practice.
Don't tell me you intend to test it against that therion! *looks at Oscar* Please, let me do it! I should be the one, not him!
You are not strong enough.
Th-Then... At least let me back him up!
So you can take the enemy out before Oscar uses the arte? A noble plan, but I'm afraid it'd mess everything up.
*sideways glance*
*waves him off*
How so...?
It was my idea to volunteer, Sister. I failed at Titania and allowed the therion to be stolen from Palamedes. I need to atone for my mistakes.
Then let me come with you!
I have different orders for you. Teresa Linares. You are hereby relieved of your duties as an exorcist and are to return your malak.
For our plans to be realized, we require an especially strong malak. We've analyzed your malak's dormant abilities, and he is of considerable power--on the same level as the young malak who betrayed us for the enemy.
Simply put, you just don't got what it takes to handle him, sweetheart.
*Terea's malak gets absorbed by Melchior*
How could you...
When this is all over, I'd love to have some of your homemade cooking again, Sister. I could go for that quiche you used to make...
How can you talk of that right now?
Lord Artorius.
I know what you're going to ask. Yes, Oscar, when you fulfill your mission, I will make Teresa an exorcist again.
Oscar, are you doing this for...
Don't worry about me. I'd go to the ends of the earth and back for a plate of your delicious quiche. *salutes, walks out*
No... Oscar, don't go... Oscaaaaar!
*fade to black*
What should I do? If I don't do something, he'll...
Huh? What's this...?
And to you...!
Dang, that was some heavy stuff. Teresa is receptive to Innominat? Oscar with some weird new experimental arte? Some secret weapon from the Abbey we have no clue about? Have a feeling things will be coming to a head very shortly.
Aside from all that foreshadowing, there's a skit right afterwards. Apparently Velvet was really out of it, because she only awakened after three days, long after the Van Eltia returned to Titania. Speaking of skits, there's one about food right after. Magilou's tastes are...grandiose, let's say. There's also a conversation about the suspicious non-presence of the Abbey around here lately. Well, I'd say that's a good thing, but it rarely goes that smoothly, does it?
As for Titania itself, you can be in and out of here in two seconds, if you so choose. There's a skit right after you go into our hideout where Laphicet locates the next earthpulse point, far, far to the northeast. Weren't we just there? Indeed, but what can you do? Specifically, he detects one in Endgand, more specifically, a place in the island chain called Lionel Island. Sounds like we better pack for a long voyage, then. There's another skit right afterwards with Velvet brooding about Seres' choices. It's certainly hard to get any answers out of the dead. Or devoured, whatever.
But of course, since it's Titania and we have only one therion to go, we have conversations to go. First, one about Percival's hobbies, but the second one's more interesting.
Astonishing tales of the sea, apparently. As Eleanor so aptly points out, though, this conversation goes in a direction Phi is not old enough to hear. The other conversation on the back docks is Dyle. Seems Kamoana is quite the menace, and finds his regrowing tail fascinating.
I don't usually point out random collectibles out in the field, but you'll notice I've already collected this herb, and yet it's back. Well, apparently the game does actually have some super complicated system to regrow herbs, which is why they're marked on area maps. It has something to do with visiting lots of locations in-between harvesting and herb and it regrowing, so you could potentially build up stats to infinity using this method, but it is hilariously over-the-top for what this game demands. I say, if you want a Tales of Berseria party at maximum strength, play this on PC. That goes for any Tales PC port, actually.
But before we end this very long update (pretty sure this is my longest recording for a single update in this thread so far. Nearly 3 and a half hours), two more conversations with named characters. First, it's hard being a mother to Kamoana, and the second, well, Kamoana certainly gets around. Clever girl.
Ah, but one more order of business today.
A lovely stone. I should try cutting it!
Huh? Why would you think that's a good idea?
Hmm? Don't you want to see if it can be cut open?
No, I think that's just you, Rokurou. It's a pretty stone as it is.
Yeah, but the cross-section might be prettier.
Well, maybe, but...
Whenever I see something hard, an urge to cut it apart overwhelms me. Rocks, metal, hardheaded old men, whatever!
P-Please don't cut any old men.
Now that's a note to end on...