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Part XXVI: The Visitors We Greeted
Alright, this place is looking a lot more normal, so I guess it's time to get back to work. First off, I'll say that the remainder of the critical path of the game is quite, quite short. The route to the end of the game is Meirchio -> Hellawes -> Port Zekson -> Empyrean's Throne -> Last Dungeon. That's it. And only the first town because we have to go through there; Inoph Bottle fast travel for Hellawes or Zekson is unavailable right now.
That said, of course you'd expect there to be a lot of sidequests opening up around the world now that the main story is just about over, and you'd be right. This update, and the next couple, probably, will be dedicated to wrapping up all the extras that have popped up. Unlike many Tales, where endgame sidequests don't trigger until just before the final boss or, at the very least, as soon as you step foot in the final dungeon, no such limitation exists in Berseria. There are a few things we could have done before now to make this endgame grind go a bit faster, but not much, honestly. New sidequests and resolutions to existing ones (like the Nor Dolls) have popped up in nearly every corner of the world map, so we'll need to make a big ol' world tour to see them all. As for now, as I said, back to Meirchio.
Wow, we're honored. The Abbey certainly can't have many powerful tools left in its arsenal, you'd hope, so I think everyone here will be fine. The skit that pops up just after this conversation, between Rokurou and Dyle, only triggers if Rokurou countered Shigure's Mystic Arte at some point during their fight. We're also making this place our newest hideout which, considering how inhospitable it is, sounds good to me. Titania has since been overrun by daemons, unfortunately. When you're done gabbing with lizard men, turn in the latest two Code Red hunts for 30500 gald, which seems like decent scratch, but pales in comparison to Dire Foes, honestly. Well, we can't expect them to offer too much, honestly.
...But you're still gonna charge us 100 gald to sleep here, right? Yeah, he is. The reason we're doing so is a skit between Grimoirh and Bienfu. Bienfu seems to have some...strange expectations of Magilou. Just be glad she's not in this skit to completely rain of Bienfu's acquired good mood. In this skit, at least. I did a little enhancing after this sit, and I got the shop to level 6, which gave us the Wizard's Ventite, which, to quote the game exactly "If the character has learned a derivative of an active arte, you can perform it by pressing and holding the mystic arte button during the casting delay". I don't know about you all, but that's a game-changer to me.
Of course, I still need Natalia's victory quote, and I ran into Lindwurm against while traveling through Faldies. Luckily, I'm pretty overleveled for it right now, so it wasn't too much of an issue to defeat. I did remember to use Eleanor's second Break Soul, Strike Zwei, while I was here. It's activated the same way Eizen's is; just keep holding the Break Soul button while the animation for Eleanor's first is still playing, and you have enough SG left to activate it., of course.
Don't teach him anything weird, Magilou (was referring to her wrist-sword thing, initially).
Our latest treasure. Let's check it out.
What are those dolls supposed to be? Otters?
No, they are oresoren.
Never heard of them.
They are a curious race that is said to have descended from otters. Alas, they all vanished from this world long ago.
Interesting. Anyway, these dolls are incredibly lifelike. What craftsmanship!
Indeed. I keep expecting them to turn and blink at me. And their fur is so delicate and soft to the touch.
Wait... Do you think that fur is the real thing? Were these...actual oresoren?
P-Please do not say such dreadful things!
Let's uh...let's just hope these things don't start coming alive in the middle of the night, then...
I assume there's an equivalent one for the all the guys saying something in a victory screen.
Oh hey, it's you again (while grinding weak enemies for the Natalia quote). I actually got this at 1.0x Grade multiplier, so it confirms my suspicion that there's a small chance of a Dire Foe triggering after any normal fight, in any eligible location.
Still wasn't that dangerous. Now, at least. Something strange, though. Notice how in that first screenshot Eleanor wasn't in the party? But she got the victory quote when I, playing as Eizen, got the kill. But I did start the fight while playing as her. I dunno, Berseria's a weird game sometimes.
But we finally, finally got it. After like two dozen low-level fights. I dunno, it's been a long time since I played Abyss, let's just say this is a Natalia victory quote.
Ooof...well, let's just leave it to Eleanor to let him down easily. Well, with Teresa's soul being used to awaken one of the Empyreans, I guess you could say she's still watching over this place. In a way. Granted, Eleanor's advice to this guy...was not taken the correct way, let's say. There's another conversation in the tavern.
Well, they're not wrong about us endangering everyone. The conversation near the Katz Box is about preparations for evacuating Hellawes itself if daemons or we cause more trouble, but personally, I think we're just about done ruining these people's lives. Let's uh, hope, at least. And finally, the conversation near the town entrance is about an old man trying to talk some sense into his kid. Someone has to.
Upon returning to the docks... Lucky apple
Yes, but that still leaves Innominat and the Shepherd.
Onward ho, to the last battle! I picked up something nice for you. Here.
*tosses the apple to Velvet*
*catches* An apple?
It's a Fortune Apple. A good-luck charm. No real powers, but they're hard to find. Legend has it they're pretty lucky.
A Fortune Apple...
Hmm... But we're the bad guys, aren't we? Maybe what we need is bad luck instead.
I think the reaper's got that covered.
Aww, that's just mean.
Well, I appreciate the thought. Thanks, Benwick. *tosses it in the air and catches it with the other hand* I love apples.
Just don't eat it!
I couldn't eat it, even if I wanted. (Wait a moment... That's right. My power to consume is a part of Innominat. If that's true, then...!)
What is it?
You want a bite? Delicious Fortune Apple...
No way! That's a good-luck charm!
That it is. One to give you the courage you need to survive.
So, where's our final destination?
Sail for Port Zekson.
Aye aye, ma'am! Aye aye, sir!
Before you go, we have a skit talking about what's changed in the world since we awakened the elemental Empyreans. This one's a bit of a special one, because...
I think it's the game subtle way of telling you that lots and lots of sidequests are now available and you're free to go around and goof off as much as you want before we finish things with Artorius. There's another conversation before you go opening up, I think, the penultimate Class 4 island. I know there's at least one left, at the very least. The Fiend Quarter we heard about from the guy in Meirchio is off the northeastern coast of Northgand, the one we just heard about, about an island full of armed daemons, is off the southern coast of Eastgand.
Strangely, to get to the former from Hellawes, the party decides to sail around all of Westgand instead of going through Vortigern. The reason this is odd is because, oh, let's say, if you sailed from Taliesin to Hellawes, the party would travel through Vortigern like normal. Well, whatever, maybe Benwick wanted to break in a potential replacement and they needed experience.
Nice-looking place. The obligatory Class 4 Katz Box is in that large alcove in the west. It's on the very edge of the map.
Strangely, for a place that doesn't open until very late in the game, this is a very easy Class 4. No real threats, and nobody on my squad came close to getting KO'd. Reward is just a Mythril Waistcoat for any of the guys, so I guess it was an okay use of time.
And here we are at the Class 4 we just unlocked. Katz Box is already marked, and this one had a Wind Normin Hat and Suit for Rokurou. Says it makes him look like a frog, which I'd be inclined to agree with. As for the fight itself, it's a bit harder than last time, because it has a large population of enemies from the lava areas of Killaraus. They're not super dangerous, and the large room to maneuver around here makes it easy to pull them apart, if need be. Shouldn't be much of an issue if you conquered Killaraus in the first place.
The reward this time is a bit more comprehensible than some prior ones, the Haggler's Acerite. As simple as reducing the amount of money needed to enhance equipment. Equipment enhancing will be your biggest money sink in this game, so hey, anything that saves a bit. Now we can go to Port Zekson... What lies ahead
So what was it you needed to say to me alone?
...Where's Laphicet?
He wanted to stand watch with me, but I forced him to get some rest. After all this fighting, he needs it.
I owe you. That kid always tries to play the tough guy.
Just like the one who named him.
He's nothing like me. His motivation comes from hope.
Hope...
*looks up* ...The wind is nice.
Yes. The world may teem with hardship and sadness, but it's also filled with beauty. The endless ocean. The islands in the south. Even the frozen tundra, and the mountains that spew fire.
It is. And humans make their home among all that beauty...
I finally understand what he saw when he sat looking out over the ocean. Eleanor, I have a singel favor to ask of you. If anything happens to me, take care of Laphicet.
What? Is something the matter?
The power possessed by the therions and Innominat is fundamentally the same. I have a theory... No. "Theory" is too rational. A different part of me, something separate from my hatred, wants me to do something. It wants me to leave this world with hope.
Wait, you don't mean...?!
Humor me, OK? If the worst happens, I'm counting on you.
*closes eyes* ...I understand. You have my word. I'll look after Laphicet. While I'd love to take advantage of this momentary weakness, I can't. My oath is to obey your orders until my dying breath.
I'd almost forgotten about all that. Good thing I kicked your butt after all.
Hmmm...something tells me Velvet doesn't plan on coming back from all this. Well, we can save that for another time. Upon arriving at Zekson, you'll get a skit and find out that the place looks to be back to normal. The normal music has returned, the population seems livelier, and no more gray. Well, gray that shouldn't be there, at least.
And one more skit for the road. It's a good thing Eleanor has grown up while traveling with this bunch, because she certainly doesn't have much to go back to, from what we've heard. As you can see, there are a few conversations that have popped up. Something in the middle one, about a guy starting his own menagerie, inspired by Magilou, deserves mention.
The Dark Wings is actually a name for a group that occasionally recurs in Tales games. Again, with full acknowledgment that I haven't played much of the series, I mostly know the Dark Wings as a traveling good-natured thieves / information guild in Abyss. Only three members, but, y'know, they're looking to expand. But as for this bunch...nobody seems much impressed by an alleged comedy troupe named after anything "Dark". Third conversation near the inn is about a guy beating his Nectar addiction with a more wholesome addiction, and a...third proposition for Eleanor? I think we're up to that.
No no no no no. If there's another Advent, that's YOUR problem, alright? So once you're done in Zekson, our first stop? Stonebury. We'll be returning to Stonebury and the Stonebury area later, but let's just take care of what business makes sense there.
See those red icons on the mini-map? Those lead to two dungeons we've had no need to go yet, but you *can*. The northern one is associated with Laphicet's Sidequest (the one about the Omega Elixir), and the southern one ties into the end of Magilou's, somehow. You'll see. As for Stonebury...
Once again, for a rustic country village, gabby folks around here. The most important ones are the ones closest to where you came in, in the vineyards, and next to the giant stump. The first one...
A not particularly well-hidden Nor doll, the fourth and last. But this isn't the end of this sidequest...
Eizen's surely made more than a few enemies in his day, but this one sounds a bit more serious than others. This is leading to one of Berseria's bonus bosses, but we're certainly not getting there today. The other two, with an old man on a bench (the brewer we met last time) is a bit more light-hearted, and as for the guy near the rice paddy...
I don't particularly like pointing out call-forwards to Zestiria, just to keep some things a surprise for when we move into the second half of this thread, but suffice to say Stonebury will be coming back when our more good-natured protagonist crew takes the reins. Even though they take place in the same world, Zestiria and Berseria don't *exactly* share the same geography. As Eizen pointed out last time, thanks to the Empyreans, the geography of this world will undergo drastic change. Most important to us is that the continent Zestiria takes place on is a mishmash of Westgand, Midgand, and Eastgand. It's definitely not a 1-1 thing, though, like fitting South America and Africa together. You just kinda have to know what Berseria NPCs are referring to from the previous title to know how things are supposed to fit together.
Also, these two are getting hitched when their famous bell is made. I just thought it was...interesting, that apparently film technology exists in this world but we haven't seen a trace of it. Strict Abbey information control, let's say, that's started to loosen up.
As for this big stump conversation, this is why. It's Eizen's turn on the comedy circuit. I'll admit his sense of humor goes way over my head, but he was right. Magilou just can't pick up on what he thinks is funny. New wave types will never understand. Rakugo is like...it's like a very extended monologue from a performer where the performer talks from the perspective of different characters to tell a story. You know how in shows like The Simpsons where you can have the same voice actor essentially talking to themselves in a scene if they voice both characters involved in a scene? It's like that, except traditional Japanese entertainment. Obviously, this is not the forum to go into specifics, but that's the gist of it. Once you watch this conversation, another conversation pops up in the corner of town.
More Magilou backstory? Who knows? And even if Magilou did say it was her, would anyone believe her? I think not. Certainly we'll never get an explanation why Magilou has elf ears and literally no one else in this setting has elf ears, that's for sure. Once you're done in Stonebury, we're headed to more tropical climes.
Apparently these two are running a pengyon farm. Curious, but they seem to have more trouble with Kraken Queens, so we can safely ignore them. If they want to get smothered by sea monsters, that's their business. Now, you may think this conversation is a one-off, but it actually starts a pretty pretty pretty elaborate sidequest. Next step is just going to the inn.
A..."talking" pengyon? And one that only comes out at night? And it passes holy judgment on sinners? Now that's something we simply have to investigate. Velvet agrees, in a skit if you rest at the inn after seeing this conversation. The boy in blue
It really talked!
I can't believe it... Something I eat can talk!
Eleanor...now is not the time.
??? Wait, do you guys eat us pengyons, too?
Why does it matter?
??? Please answer my question. It's very important.
I'm sorry, but... Yes, I eat them.
And I'll happily devour most anything if I have to.
??? ...Well then, I suppose you people are just like the others who came before. I can't let you keep doing that!
Oh? And what's a cutesy little pengyon like you plan on doing about us big, bad humans?
Wahh! He changed into a human!
So say hello to Jude Mathis (still voiced by Sam Riegel in English, who I also found out recently is the older brother of Vesperia Estelle's voice actress, Eden Riegel. Estelle was actually her first video game credit), one of the protagonists of Tales of Xillia 1 and a major supporting character in Xillia 2. He borrows both his appearance and battle theme for this fight from Xillia 1. Its name is Indomitable Fists that Know No Equal. Sure, Jude fights with fists a lot (which is why I'm playing as Eizen), but he also kicks a lot. He has a lot of artes and he's pretty fast, but his biggest problem is his lack of a killing blow. His fists just don't have a whole lot of strength behind them. Case in point...
His Mystic Arte, Final Fury. As I pointed out in the Xillia 2 LP, Final Fury is a Tales Classic Mystic Arte, usually given to the protagonist of the game. Did a decent amount of damage to Rokurou, but he was quickly able to switch out to restore his health on the bench. It's fairly easy to overwhelm Jude and he just doesn't have a lot of answer to getting hit from multiple directions. So as long as you don't bunch up, you shouldn't have much to fear. His Break Soul is Wings of Glory, where he'll jump up in the air and crash down with a kick, breaking the guard of anyone when he hits the ground.
After calming him down...
No matter!
Wait. Why are you so intent on fighting us when you're outnumbered?
I have to protect my fellow pengyons from the likes of poachers like you!
Poachers?
We're not poachers, I swear. We just came here to see a talking pengyon.
Really? But then, why did you guys say you eat pengyons?
*looks at Eleanor*
*ashamed*
Sorry, I guess we should've explained more clearly. This one'll eat anything.
Y-Yeah, sorry about that...
And as for me, the only pengyon I ever eat is what I buy properly at the market.
We're not good people, but we're not those kinds of villains, either.
Oh... Well, in that case, I should apologize for jumping to conclusions and picking a fight. I just ran into some pengyon poachers earlier, and I'm afraid I'm a little on edge right now.
Those must be the other people who've spotted you here. They're all sick in bed just from the shock of meeting you. Small fries like them, I bet they'll think twice before they try to poach another animal.
So, what are you, then? Some special representative of pengyon-kind?
No, I'm Jude Mathis. I'm a medical student from Rieze Maxia.
A medical student? From Rieze Maxia?
It's in a different world from yours. Actually, I'm a human just like you all, but... Somehow, I was flung into this dimension, and when I came to, I looked like this.
So, basically, you're a human from another world, but when you came here, it made you turn into a pengyon?
This story of yours...quite a tale. The whole thing's pretty hard to believe.
I wanted to repay the favor to them since they've done so much for me.
So you've been protecting them from any poachers who come.
But...don't you have bigger things to worry about right now? Looks to me like you're too soft-hearted.
I get that a lot.
Well, we've heard your story. But even if it is true, it doesn't sound like there's anything we can do for you.
Don't worry about me. I'll figure out how to get home on my own, one way or another. The problem is that a friend of mine got sent to this world with me, but I haven't been able to find her. My hunch is that she's also turned into a pengyon. You haven't heard of any other talking pengyons, have you?
Can't say I have, sorry.
Oh, okay...
What kind of person is this friend of yours? Maybe we'll run into her later.
Her name is Milla. She has pretty red eyes and long golden hair. She carries herself with dignity and possesses a commanding presence. What else... Oh, and one of her quirks is that whenever she sees something tasty...she drools.
The camera does something interesting while Jude is saying that last line. It's pointing at Laphicet, slightly above his head. When I was recording this, I didn't know why, but what's supposed to be happening is that Laphicet has an ahoge (cowlick) in his normal haircut, just like Milla does on top of her head. That's what's supposed to be communicated here.
That's...an interesting quirk.
You mean, she actually drools?
Also, she's known as the "Lord of Spirits" because she's accompanied by four Summon Spirits with command over the elements.
Oooooh, Lord of Spirits. How royal-sounding.
Got it. If we hear anything, we'll let you know.
It may be hard, but try to keep your spirits up, Jude!
Thank you all so much! I hope you guys get a lead on Milla!
You care about her even more than yourself.
Er, well, how do I put it... She's just...a really special person to me, I guess.
Fair enough.
Well, that all was a bizarre little encounter. A skit afterwards, too, saying that this "Milla" character may have some connection to the Empyreans. Hey, with them waking up, who knows what kinds of craziness can happen? Nothing we'll find out in Yseult, but there are a few points of interest remaining around here.
Hey, Eizen was alright. Yeah, despite the fact we've also seen this guy in Hellawes and Loegres, it's always supposed to be the same poor priest being put upon. There's another conversation about the end of Haria, which I guess is just remaining as a ghost town, just like Aball. Maybe there's daemon superstitions about places that get wiped out and that's why they're never resettled.
There's another conversation based around a creepy tropical Teresa Fan, but the most important one is reserved for the tavern.
Rokurou's time to shine. Maybe these jokes would go over better in uh...Port Cadnix? Yeah, I'm sure they'd be killer there. Also, Arma Dylan? Another name we'll be hearing again, though I don't think we ever actually cross paths with them...
Also, now that we've seen all 5 other comedy skits, time for Magilou's verdict on who's the best...
Unpleasable, this girl. But she decides to bring out her secret weapon, "Elysian Thunder", with a partner I bet you never expected. Our next destination is Loegres to finally show up Majelu for...some reason. I'm sure Magilou could tell you.
So these docks at Yseult are supposed to have two pirates gabbing about an island we've very briefly heard about before, but it only triggers if you've cleared enough of the Exploration sidequest. Since we haven't, evidently, they're not here. But that's fine. That's the beauty of the pre-finale world roam: we can accomplish the sidequests in nearly any order we want. Although there are many places we can go next, I decided on good ol' Taliesin.
Let's just hope Velvet can get out of this conversation quickly... First up in this town, going down the steps to the tavern. An old story
This house has plenty of room. We could add more to our family and still be fine.
But that means I'd have to work that much harder, too.
It won't be so bad! As long as we work together as a family, it'll be okay!
Yeah! And Zaveid will help out, too!
Yeah, that's right! We always help each other in times of need! Just like the way Zaveid does!
Hahaha, aren't you the bossy one! But I hear you! We'll do it Zaveid's way!
Everyone: Yeah!
Zaveid...
We should ask them how they know him.
Yes, we should... I'll handle it.
So this strangely animated cutscene (in the sense that's it's strange that particular cutscene was there but not the follow-up conversation), leads into the next conversation, which is about why this family knows Zaveid. As the story goes, Zaveid brought this couple back to the makeshift orphanage he was running alongside his girlfriend, Theodora, to cook a delicious meal for his human wards because malakhim like him don't really know how to cook, or something. There's no tragic twist to this story, until Theodora left under mysterious circumstances and Zaveid left to go after her. The family here used to be in Zaveid's care until that happened, hence why they know him.
Another call-forward to Zestiria conversation, which points us to a future sewer level. Oh boy. For the vain motives of these men, apparently they did do pretty good work, constructing an aqueduct system that eventually would allow the sunken kingdom of Hyland to rise again. Which it, you know, will do.
Just give it a while.
Sure sounds like it. It would be pretty fun if that white-horned dragon was just a total coincidence that Zaveid really got worked up about, but what are the odds of that? I'm sure our paths will cross again with this dragon. During this skit, Eleanor talks the party into finding Eizen again to talk about what's been going on with Theodora and hope we can get him to listen to reason. Given that guy, I'm not seeing it as very likely, but we need to settle this, one way or another.
Well. I believe we've heard this story elsewhere. According to this guy's juicy info, "Goldipen" was last seen in the Figahl Icecaps kicking the crap out of a supposedly skilled exorcist who, I believe, probably left out the part where he lost to a pengyon. In the skit right afterwards, Eizen says he's gonna let Jude know, so we'll know if Goldipen is connected to Milla soon enough. The conversation near the exit to Perniya has this guy as the star.
Sure, this guy buying lilacs for his old flame seems wholesome, but not once does he say or even really imply Niko felt the same way about him before the events of the prologue. Just a little subtext for ya. Just based on this conversation, and without Niko around to confirm or deny, he's not really much different than those drunk guys in the tavern pining about the best ways to pick up women.
The last conversation in Taliesin, up on the roofs, is special. Remember when we were going through the fake Morgana Woods, opened a Katz Box, and found an invitation from a Katz? It wasn't inviting us to a life or death duel, but instead...
A trip to some bizarre place called Katz Korner. Velvet does not seem thrilled by the prospect, but luckily, the decision is not entirely up to her. I mean, everyone else is already putting their lives on the line to help Velvet accomplish her vengeance, the least she can do is accommodate them every now and then. You can come back and forth from Katz Korner whenever you want after this Katz appears, but you can only get there from Taliesin. Like so.
Uh-huh... The rather strange, but cute song here, is actually from Zestiria's soundtrack, because, guess what, Katz Korner also appears there. Third time I've brought up that game in this update, huh. It's not even on Berseria's soundtrack, for that reason. There was a skit that popped up just as we entered here, but I needed a clean shot of what this place looked like after it ended. So the reason Velvet was so opposed to coming here? Well, you can probably guess, and it's definitely not because she hates cats.
The conversation nearest to where you enter is about the Paw Pro Wrestling BNE World Catnip Cup final. No points for guessing what "BNE" stands for, but actually, since I heard something about them rebranding their name, I looked 'em up, and true story, one day from the day of this writing, local time at least, Bamco will have a new logo. Less unique than the current one if you ask me but what can you do? For this competition, it comes down to the ultimate test of skill between two worthy enemies. First Katz who gets their meowversary to make a noise while kneading their paws, wins.
I recall this place having some neat items in Zestiria, rare items, of course, but here, doesn't look like it. "Vint Svent" refers to another of Xillia 1 / 2's main characters, Alvin. Full name was Alfred Vint Svent. The bronze chest nearest to the store has 765 Gald in it, which is almost certainly a reference to The iDOLM@STER, where the production company in the original series is referred to as 765 Pro, aka Namco Pro, in the Goroawase system of making words from numbers.
Hmmm. Well, when you put it that way, a Katz burglar does seem better.
These two Katz are special. They're not conversations, but instead, the Katz we're looking at allows you to play any skit in the game, so long as you've seen them normally prior to now. So, if you see a ???????? that means you can't see that skit...now. The trick is, after you beat the game, then access and finish the post-game bonus dungeon, you can come back here and use Tales Coins to unlock any skit you haven't seen. I will certainly be doing that for whatever skits don't normally pop up for me between now and then. The Katz to its left allows you to play any animated movies we've seen, like the scene where Velvet revived the elemental Empyreans or when Artorius gave his Shepherd speech. There are two that ??????? right now, so we'll probably need to finish the game before we can access those.
For some strange reason, and I'm just noticing this now, the progress toward seeing all the skits carries over between playthroughs, I assume if you carry over a specific Grade Shop choice, but not the movies...odd. Well, whatever. It would be strange if we could miss an animated cutscene, wouldn't it?
Well, they've had their moments.
A master of hiding and dialects, it seems. But that's all for Katz Korner right now...or is it?
Nope, it's not. Almost forgot about this guy, the final member of the Character Card family.
I cannot say I am particularly impressed. Although he says "This outfit is the mark of a master of the game. Wear it with pride", I just get...500 Tales Coins. Again, I already got these rewards on previous playthroughs, but you're supposed to have received Eizen's Boss outfit, with the Japanese clothes and all. Pretty fitting.
But to wrap this update up, we're back to Northgand on the trail of Goldipen. Luckily, the Figahl Icecaps are pretty small, and excluding the area outside Hellawes, there really only seems to be one place she could be; where our stolen Abbey ship shipwrecked. Yep, they still haven't gotten around to removing it. Daemon presence in the area, you see.
You'd think that thing would have started rotting by now... The golden woman
Look! Red eyes, golden coat.. It's Goldipen, all right!
And she's even got that...quirk.
Be careful. If what we heard is true, she can use those Four Great Spirits in battle.
See, she's drooling!
She's actually making a drooling noise, which obviously doesn't translate so well to text.
Does that mean she thinks we look...tasty?!
Does that mean she's a man-eating pengyon?
Hey, it's Jude!
No matter how much Milla loves to eat, she'd never attack a person without a good reason! *turns around* Wait... This pengyon isn't Milla! *is knocked backwards*
When I got your message, I...ran all the way here...without stopping to eat or drink.
?? When will you people learn to leave this pengyon alone?
*Goldipen trots off*
Hunting for food I could understand, but I won't allow you to take this creature's life on some flimsy notion of bad omens. *draws sword* If you want the pengyons, you'll have to fight me first!
Milla Maxwell, Lord of Spirits, assuming a new grandiose title for herself? That's...pretty expected of her, actually. She's very much the "Shoot first, ask questions later" type, that much I remember. Milla's battle theme is My Sword Shall Open the Way, which was her third standard battle theme in Xillia 1. That game actually offered the choice between either Jude or Milla as protagonist (but for all intents and purposes, Jude was really the main character of the game. It's complicated), and both Jude's and Milla's themes here are their battle themes from the final arc of the game.
Milla is quite a bit more dangerous than Jude because she has quite a few powerful artes, but also because she inflicts status effects constantly. If you want to resort to the most effective method, Panacea Bottles are of course your best bet, but if you want that sweet Grade at the end of the fight for defeating a powerful enemy without using items, Switch Blasts are your best friend.
For some reason, Eizen had amazing luck in Stunning her with Coercion. It's my bread and butter arte for him, so I was pleased with how effective it turned out.
And what would the Lord of Spirits be without her Mystic Arte? Not much of one, that's for sure. One thing I should mention is that Milla is a ? enemy, which is a rare non-standard type (like the occasional malak we've fought, Zaveid and Laphicet among them), which limits Velvet's offensive power against her while in therion form. Thankfully, when she swipes and hits a ? type enemy, she'll end her combo with a random Finishing Arte. It won't open up Power Combos or anything, but you can still get some decent damage in with one.
Her other dangerous attack is her Break Soul, Overdrive. It's a simple charging attack, but it's fast and dangerous, and can very easily lead into her Mystic Arte if she's feeling mean. Luckily, it's only dangerous in the path right in front of her, so just sidestep from it and you won't have any trouble getting out of its way.
There seems to have been a lot of assumptions made about the party's attitude toward pengyons lately.
You're strong... You know you way around a sword.
As do you. I can see that Jude wasn't exaggerating when he called you the Lord of Spirits.
Jude?! *puts away sword* Do you know him? I've been looking all over for him!
He's right there.
Jude! Thank goodness. I'm so glad you're safe!
Milla... You can tell it's me?
Of course I can. You're a lot smaller on the outside, but you're still you on the inside.
Haha, thanks, Milla. That being said, I haven't exactly had an easy time in this form.
Hm... Yes, I can see how it might have given you some trouble. Leia and Elize would probably be worried sick, and Alvin would tease you mercilessly.
No love for good ol' Rowen? Alvin would definitely never let Jude forget a sight like this, that's for sure.
I think there's a way I can change back. When I fought these guys before, I was somehow able to do it.
You fought them? So, they really are a bunch of no-good pengyon abusers!
We're not, I swear. It's all a misunderstanding.
It's okay, Milla. They're the ones who told me where to find you, and they're not pengyon abusers.
Oh, all right, then. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to go jumping to the wrong conclusions about you.
Everyone, thank you so much for reaching out to me.
No need to thank us. We just did the same as anybody would.
I'm glad you found your friend.
However, both of you are still stuck here.
It's fine. The two of us will figure something out. We'll get Jude back to his normal self and find our way home to Rieze Maxia.
Yeah.
You know this pengyon?
Yeah, for some reason, I've taken quite a liking to him. Something about him just feels familiar.
Ahaha, I suppose so.
He's not wrong. Oh, and before we end today, I should mention the buffs we got from Jude and Milla. Jude dropped the Champion's Ignicite, which allows us to gain equipment that can potentially have *four* random skills on it, and Milla dropped the Grandmaster Smith's Acerite, which finally allows us to have +10 enhanced equipment. Which means they can be *gold*-colored in the equipment menus. Just like her hair, really.