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Part V: The Roar of a Mountain
You can thank the me of about...7 years ago for preordering this game so I could get these bonus attachments and costumes, based on costumes, weapons, and even Mystic Artes in Tales games past. As far as I know, the only way to have ever gotten them on console. Pretty *sure* they aren't normal DLC, but anyway, here we go.
And yes, DLC stuff does include skits. Unfortunately, I'm not sure exactly how they activate if I choose to "use" them now, and also, they'd spoil future party members, like that one skit's name would, so not right now. Also, I think these special skits are unbound by any of the plot's developments, so characters who normally would not interact with each other get a chance to interact here, or at least that's how I remember them. We'll get around to these right before the end of the game. Sound good?
Gotta get into a more fashionable costume for mountain climbing. Dragon or not, it's bound to be dangerous.
Speaking of the menu, it is a bit weird, but without another human party member to "anchor" them, only one seraph and Sorey can be on the field at one time. Of course, as I mentioned, you can swap in the seraph of your choice with the D-pad, but it doesn't change the fact that, for this next dungeon, only two party members on the field. Keep that in mind.
Looks even worse up close. If there be dragons anywhere in this world, you'd certainly think you could find one here. Shortly on, you'll find a Sage in a bush to the right, and also a skit at the save point a little on.
She's good at this. Sorey and Mikleo made the classic mistake of inquiring about her past, but she does let slip she has been here before. Well, maybe she just wanted to stretch her legs.
Huh, I totally forgot about this mechanic. How 'bout that. Well, it's largely a choice here between continuing to normally attack and using armatization. Up to you. The Exile
You'll get into a mock fight with this Mountain Troll, but there's no need to seriously fight it. It has way too much HP to drain the very limited amount of time you have, so just switch to Water!Sorey and spam your regular combo to keep it at bay and out of your hair. No need to show off.
Is it... Yes, it's good ol' Zaveid! Looking a little rougher without even the semblance of a shirt these days, it's 100% the same malak / seraph Velvet and pals crossed paths with and eventually reached a very rough understanding with.
Fun fact, because Zaveid has a different outfit in Berseria, I really had to look pretty hard to find a good enough avatar for his appearances in Berseria that didn't give away he'd eventually go shirtless for his design as a major character in this game. There's...another thing about his appearance in this game that I had to mindful of when choosing a Berseria avatar for him, but that's all I'll say about that now.
Can't take the heat, huh. Looks like Zaveid here is gonna have to show you first timers how it's done!
No, don't!
He... He killed it?
You bastard!
Hey, it was a hellion. And hellions belong in hell.
But man...he's certainly talking a lot like Eizen did now, isn't he?
We could have safely quelled it. There was no need to kill it!
Looked to me like you were just getting your asses kicked back there. Besides, death is a kind of salvation... For some.
Yep...just like him.
What? Why?!
Ahh-hahahah! Oh, that's rich. I can always count on the Shepherd and his posse to be a bunch of goody two-shoes, can't I. *exchanges glances with Lailah*
You knew I was the Shepherd?
A self-righteous choirboy facing off against a hellion? Who else would you be? The name's Zaveid. Damn pleased to make your acquaintance, gentle Shepherd.
How dare you!
The Spiritcrest is way out of your league. If a dragon were even to yawn in your general direction... You'd be gone.
We are not here to battle dragons. Your concern is noted.
You're not? That's no fun. Nothing adds spice to life like a sworn enemy!
I take it you ARE here to fight the dragon, then.
That had been the plan, yes... But plans, they change. *attacks again with his chain*
You serious?
Lookin' pretty good, aren't I. *attacks*
*dodges out of the way* Zaveid! What is it you want?!
Do you really think I'd be willing to just drop the Shepherd and his toadies into the dragon's lap, so he can gobble them right up?
Yeah, Zaveid's actually not a pushover, unlike the Troll there, and is a "real" fight in the sense you have to drain enough of his HP to continue the game. Zaveid's standard melee attacks, as we learned in Berseria, are very fast and I wouldn't advise you try to sidestep them unless you really know what you're doing and how to read his movements. The spells are much easier to style on, and keeping at range from him and sidestepping a spell to safely cast Rhapsody (the healing / max HP increase) is a very good strategy to stay on top of the healing so that he doesn't whittle you down. As long as you're good at sidestepping the spells, and use Fire!Sorey a lot, you're good. Mikleo's form is good, of course, but the problem is that your regular attacks will allow Zaveid to very quickly cast his spells, the only thing that can hurt Water!Sorey at range. So it's a bit of a double-edged sword. Lailah's form is comparatively much safer, hence why I used it.
It's also good to keep in mind Zaveid's still too early game to really combo his attacks, so if you block / sidestep one of his attacks, pretty safe bet you can punish him right after.
*charges*
Whoa, hold up! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, all right?
*stops*
That's enough, okay?
You're the one who attacked us!
I said I'm sorry already, sheesh! I'm not your enemy! Let's call a truce. Deal?
Fair enough. There's no reason for us to fight.
See? Somebody here has their head on straight! *saunters next to Lailah* And besides, we're all part of the same team in the end, know what I mean?
Are we?
Sure, I don't plan on becoming anyone's Sub Lord... *begins walking away*
Zaveid?
All right, all right already! I'll leave you alone, your Shepherdness.
It's Sorey.
Sure, sure, Sorey the Shepherd. Well, I've got better things to do. Don't forget to run if you see a dragon.
Is it really true that a dragon lives here?
You got eyes, don't you, Sorey? Why don't ya try using them! *walks away for good*
What is that guy's problem?
His power... It doesn't feel like purification at all. Almost more like it feeds on malevolence.
...
I can't respect someone like that. A seraph who would just kill a hellion!
Yeah. It's sickening.
Let's be off. We have our own agenda to fulfill.
Right.
Well...I very much doubt that's the last we see of him. From what the way he talked, though, seems like there very well might be a dragon here. Frankly, it'd be kinda disappointing if there wasn't.
Meanwhile, that Mountain Troll? The guy whose body eventually become such a beast is lying there, dead, and if you interact with it, you can bury it now. Even though it has a star over it, you don't *have* to do this, but it...kinda makes more sense to ignore him for now? We'll revisit this. As before with the Ladylake stuff, it doesn't affect a whole lot either way.
Another thing I'll revisit later this update is this is the only time in the game you *have* to come here, so it's easy to forget this little branch exists. We'll need a Map Action like Lailah's to get over there, but yeah, that's not for a while. Further up the path... An unexpected encounter
Hey, aren't you from the assassins' guild? Why would you be after me?
Do you realize how disturbed the people have become, with someone like you running around pretending to be the Shepherd?
Huh? But, I mean, I AM the Shepherd...
*draws blades* Care to prove it, "Shepherd"? As if you could!
I mean, spare SOME pity for the poor bastard, alright? He did show up shortly after we humiliated the palace guards and the royal council back in Ladylake. Nevertheless, don't get carried away and show *that* much mercy. As you can guess from that "Player character took no damage", there is absolutely nothinig to this fight.
Strange thing, though, is I *did* take damage. While blocking, but yes, it was damage. I guess blocked damage doesn't count? Interesting.
We should run. Something's odd about this.
You're right. They don't seem to be hellions.
Agreed. If anything, I think they're intentionally giving us a chance to escape.
I wonder if they'll still target me.
That was an odd little vignette, wasn't it?
Yes, Lailah loves her armadillos, but these enemies are quite dangerous right now. In fact, I'd recommend keeping your fighting here to a minimum, just because you only have a two-person party. Lailah's form is very good here because they're weak against Fire. As for the other enemy around here...
(Harpy) So, is that a human? Or a bird?
Some things you're just better off not knowing.
That's another odd sight, isn't it? This is a special armadillo that you should fight because...
We learn that our motherly fire seraph takes this curling shit VERY seriously. You better believe it. Also, remember that name "Arma Dylan"? During Rokurou's turn at Magilou's comedy circuit, he brought up Arma Dylan. Good to know he's survived the ages, too...I guess. I think.
If you examine a nearby shrine, marked with a star...
*stands up* Let's go.
Sorey? What happened to your usual archaeology fever? I'm sure there's all sorts of things to research about that shrine.
I can't say I'm not interested, but there are people suffering right now because they're missing a bridge. I'll deal with it. There'll be plenty of other times for exploring.
I'm glad. I feel I may have been misjudging you this whole time. Please forgive me.
No need to apologize. Sorey's usually so predictable.
Very true!
I predict we'll talk later, Mikleo.
Also good to know. There are some Seraph Artes that are very powerful and it's worth taking advantage of this spell casting reduction to spam effectively. We've actually already seen one in particular I'm referring to, but mum's the word about it until later, yeah?
Also, in spite of the fact Sorey wants to move quickly here, this actually is another landmark. This one's a bit tricky to trigger, though. You pretty much have to be standing exactly here to make it come up. As always, a skit.
Still no dragon much further up the pass. Maybe it's not here, after all? Lailah doesn't seem plugged into this skit, but yeah, those two have met before. I'm sure we'll hear more about it. Tragic fate
Is this the domain? It can't be!
Are you saying malevolence could corrupt a domain this far?
We should escape! The strongest entity in the domain decides its form. It has nothing to do with right or wrong...or malevolence.
But...
It's just like with Gramps! The lord of this land must have detected our intrusion!
Heh... Well this is bad...
Running won't do us a bit of good.
This is all my fault. I was going off my own memories and just assumed that any talk of dragons was baseless.
So you mean this dragon is a recent addition to the mountain?
No, it can't be! Are you Edna?!
Oh, Edna... I can't believe it! You, a dragon...
??? Nope. Guess again.
Brother. You must stop.
"Brother"? Oh... Oh no...
"Brother"?
So even my voice no longer reaches you... *dragon breaks through her rock* He's coming! Run like the wind!
Is she the seraph we were looking for, Lailah?
She is!
Does this look like the time to chat? Move!
So it's true... This is what all your adventures across the seas and with Velvet added up to, huh? All that love for your sister, the life experiences gained on land and sea with Aifread and Velvet, this is what it all resulted in? Damn...
Of course, it should go without saying to heed Zaveid, Lailah's, and Edna's warnings to get the hell out of here. You are absolutely no match for this thing and allowing it to cast a single spell will likely result in you getting wiped. It just was not meant to be.
Is there a school you go to to get that dumb?
Huh?
You craved the fame of being a dragon slayer? Is that it?
Edna!
I thought you really had become a dragon. Thank goodness!
Well, you haven't changed. People would respect you more if you actually worked on your personality.
Actually, we came here looking for you.
And so you marched into a dragon's territory? You guys really did go to Dum-Dum Academy?
Why you...
Ugh. So?
Huh?
Was there something you wanted?
Oh, yeah. I'm Sorey. We need you to lend us your power.
We were hoping you could make the foundation for a bridge so it can be repaired.
No. *unfolds parasol* I despise earth-dwellers. Self-centered, emotional... But when they need something, it's "Oh dear seraphim, heed my prayer!" Heed this, morons. And besides... I can't leave my brother as he is right now.
That dragon... He's your brother?
Yes. That's correct. That is Eizen. He's the only family I have.
But...Edna, was it? It's too dangerous for you to stay here!
That's right. What do you even plan on doing?
Well, I... Um... I thought there had to be some way to cure his condition, but I haven't found anything.
Well, there we go! I bet I can quell him.
Seriously?
Once a seraph has become a dragon, even the flames of purification cannot salvage them.
Are you saying there's no way to save her brother?
The only option I know of is to kill him. If we even can, that is.
*flashes back to Zaveid saying death is salvation*
I don't want to admit it, but...
Either way, it's dangerous to be here. I won't ask you to help us after all. But you should get far away from here.
I agree.
Look, Edna...
Leave me alone.
Guess her cooperation won't come so easily.
We'll find some other way. The more important thing is, we can't leave her here like this.
True enough.
Well, then I guess we'd better go after her.
Well...aside from running into a dragon and nearly getting killed, looks like this was a bust. Let's just head back... A show of mercy
Just a moment. I want to bury them.
*fade to black*
Sorey...
He feels responsible.
What are you doing? *walks over to the grave*
Edna!
What's this?
...
Did you bury them?
Yeah. It was the least I could have done.
Huh...
Edna.
Enough. I don't care how dangerous it is. I'm not going anywhere.
...
Fine.
Then let's go together and find some way to save Eizen.
Didn't I tell you already? There is no way.
I'm not so sure about that. The seraphim, the Shepherds, the dragons... They really did exist. There are still so many legends which have yet to be uncovered in this world. There must be a way to purify the dragons somewhere, just waiting for the right person to find it!
There he goes again.
You're asking me to believe that?
Yes. Can you give us a chance?
...All right, Sorey. You win. I'll go with you.
Wonderful!
But let's be clear.
Hm?
If you really wanted to take me with you, you should have just dragged me kicking and screaming. "Let's go hunt legends, my lady"? "My noble heart would not deceive thee"? That went out of fashion a few hundred years ago.
Remember Eizen telling everyone about how Edna talked and acted? Yeah...doesn't look like he was exaggerating.
I-I didn't think I was...
Sorey's never been in fashion.
Okay, Lailah. Make me your Sub Lord.
Wait a minute! I didn't mean for you to...
You're the one that invited me, aren't you?
Yes, but still...
And in any case, if I'm supposed to leave here I need to be transferred into a new vessel. If not, I'll be corrupted by malevolence. Or didn't you think about that?
Well...
Academy valedictorian, this one. Come on, Lailah.
Are you really okay with this? You were just telling us how much you hate humans.
I do hate humans. But I guess this one's pretty okay.
Thank you, Edna.
Together. *turns back toward Lailah*
O ye born of firmest resolve... Here let our pact be forged, that my unquavering incandescence may be as thy purification! Shouldst thou accept this burden, recite aloud your name!
Hephsin Yulind. (means "Early-Bloomer Edna") *jumps into Sorey, jumps out* Whew...
Edna... You were already carrying a Divine Artifact to serve as your vessel?
Looks like we've been had, Sorey.
Heheh... I never did understand girls.
Now then, take me with you. To the outside world.
You got it. Here we go, Edna!
But before then, let's talk a little bit about Edna and this whole Eizen situation.
Edna's English voice actress is Kira Buckland, who started as an amateur voice actress on places like Newgrounds (see Retsupurae's "Trapped" series for her tour de force as the very echo-y Dialysis) in her earliest roles, but soon moved on to professional work and has stayed there, amassing a very considerable resume. She certainly plays Edna with aplomb. She reprised her role here in Zestiria the X and her Tales of Arise cameo battle appearance alongside her malak brother. Speaking of Edna and this whole situation, if you chose to bury that guy just after the Zaveid fight, Edna will be waiting for you down here and the scene will play out basically the same way. I think this version makes more sense because in that one, Edna attaches a lot of meaning to a pile of rocks on a mountain. Granted, she was right, but still.
Second, what's going on with Eizen. I'm going to level with you, this is a whooooole thing in this game, so this next spoiler is a pretty big deal, I'd say. Don't highlight if you don't already know more or less how it goes and you want to stay unspoiled, because I got a lot to say about it. In one of Zestiria's most infamous oddities, this whole subplot? Totally ignorable after this sequence. Eizen will stay glued to this mountain range and I meant it when I said you never have to come back here.
Yes, as it turns out, there apparently is no cure for a seraph turning into a dragon, just as Eizen himself discovered back in his day. But Edna will never bring up settling the issue with her brother and it's just, at some point you can come back here and fight him as an optional boss battle. I believe this happens just before the final sequence of the game. In Zesty the X, though, it's kinda-sorta implied at the very end Eizen began regaining some of his human faculties, though he was a dragon the last time you saw him. Take that for what you will as either contradicting or supplementing the game's world, though that anime absolutely does contradict more important points in the story.
Granted, as I mentioned before, the Shepherd, who Edna has now tied her destiny to, their role is not to settle their personal grievances or anyone else's, but Sorey is definitely not the type who would refuse Edna if she ever went like "Sorey, I *really* must insist we make a decision about my brother". It's really like the writers forgot about this whole part, or, more likely, it's another Alisha-type situation where this played out a lot different in an earlier version of the script.
In generosity, I could see this as a very clumsy attempt at a moral choice, like whether it's better to put Eizen down or let him live on, yes, but live on in a beastly form, completely devoid of intellect or compassion. The fairly large problem with that reading , though, is nobody except Edna has any personal stake in this situation. Nobody except Edna has ever known the guy in any other form, and from a gameplay perspective, it's either giving Edna and Eizen some character resolution and a late-game boss fight or...not doing that, and the main story resolves the exact same way.
This whole thing is even worse if you're coming from Berseria, where it's like "Yeah, this cool older brother, cultured, good-natured, and ferocious in battle, yeah, he gets turned into this universe's equivalent of a blight upon the world, and his arc...gets no resolution unless you give him one".
Phew, so yeah...I had some stuff on my mind about this thing. Let's...let's just get going. After Edna joins, you also get a tutorial about switching seraphim in-battle, but it also adds that you can't switch between partners instantly and also, you can't switch to someone who's been KO'd. Seraphim can recover from KO while not on the field, but it'll take some time to do so and that whole thing with a seraph being able to revive Sorey by armatizing only works one way; Sorey can't armatize with a KO'd seraph to revive them.
You also get a pretty cool little thing about switching a seraph while they're attacking with an arte. If you swap a seraph out during an arte's animation (so, you'd need to be playing as them, most likely), the one tagging in will come in instantly, during the combo window for that arte, so you can unleash cross-seraphim combos if you want to experiment a bit. Don't know how much use *I'll* get out of it, but it's definitely there.
Huh, I totally missed that little ! on the mini-map there while I was recording. I'm guessing it's just a "Don't even think about fighting the dragon, ya idiot" type mini-event if you try to go back up the mountain.
And a skit. It IS getting a little crowded in Sorey's head...
Well, progress WAS made, after all. Let's hope everyone's still around. Encounters in the night
You... They called you their boss, didn't they? I really am the Shepherd. I know you won't believe me, but it's true.
Real or fake, it doesn't matter a bit! *draws knives*
So this, unlike her male chump underling, is actually a pretty good fight, but there are definitely some quirks about it. First of all, you *can* run this from this fight. You'll get a very slightly alternate scene if you do that I'll explain the very brief particulars of, but if you choose to stay and fight, there is another gimmick. The other gimmick is that this assassin cannot see seraphim, and cannot fight them, per se. So let's say Sorey gets KO'd, and Lailah's still on the field. The assassin will then stop attacking, and Lailah can peck away at her with 0 fear of retaliation.
*However*, that does not mean that while Sorey is around, the assassin's attacks cannot hit seraphim. They most certainly can, so if she uses most any of her artes, and Lailah and Sorey are right next to each other, the two will take damage in equal measure. So basically, it's up to you if you want a slow, relatively dull fight with just a seraph, or a more exciting one with Sorey. I chose the latter, obviously, so let's give Edna her first taste of live-fire combat with the Shepherd.
If you ever wanted to punch things with Earth-flavored gauntlets, well, your wish is granted. Edna's form loves to punch things and throw rocks at them, and it's plenty effective at both. Earth!Sorey's healing arte is Fairy Circle, which throws out a wide AOE healing circle and both heals allies and hits / staggers enemies, and it's very effective here at healing and keeping the assassin at bay for a crucial moment.
The attack where she leaps into the air and throws a Sonic Boom down is the most easy to punish, since she's locked into that spot for a while and you can easily sidestep it and close the distance to begin doing damage to her while she recovers from the animation.
Watch out for her Double Demon Fang (it's not called that in-game, but that's what it is), because it can be deceptively hard to sidestep this and she can throw it out at range.
Overall, I made it look fairly easy, but it's actually pretty hard to fight this quite right. I got more than a few wipes here, let me tell you. Also, Sorey's "Curious Cat" title? It's supposed to be the title you get for getting 10 Discovery Points, but why it popped here? *pounds head into gravel*
Oh my! That's...Dezel!
I consider the timeline where I beat her the "real" chain of events, but just for completion's sake, this scene happens if you run away from her.
Huh? She's not gonna come after us?
*staggers and falls to the ground*
It appears that their relationship hasn't been properly formalized. That's why it's causing her to have a negative reaction.
And then there's the line about this Dezel guy, so the paths merge.
Do you know of him?
He lives the life of a vagabond. I heard he had taken a liking to a particularly fearsome band of traveling mercenaries.
*warps away with the assassin*
Why is he with the assassins?
I suppose something happened to the mercenaries.
There must be a story behind it... You don't just join up with a bunch of assassins for no reason.
I'm surprised he hasn't become a hellion by now, hooking up with an assassin's guild.
There was no malevolence at all coming from that assassin.
No way.
No malevolence will fester among those who are pure and clean of heart. That assassin was exactly like you, Sorey.
A pure-and-clean-of-heart assassin? Really? They make those?
Apparently.
What's wrong?
So it doesn't matter if I'm real or fake, huh? So I guess this is what you meant by me taking on the burden of the Shepherd.
Yep. Don't fool yourself. Humans don't think for a moment about how you feel. But what do you expect? They're humans.
She's right, I'm afraid. You'll have to learn to deal with it.
Well, good thing you're pretty tough to begin with.
Heheheh... I wish.
Well, let's hope THIS particular group of humans don't decide to randomly attack us. Raising the earth
Still don't think you can help us out?
The Shepherd can command the seraphim at will, isn't that right? Do whatever you want.
Ugh, no. You're not a tool for me to use. If you really don't want to help, I'll find some other way.
I see. You like to guilt-trip a girl into making the first move.
Wha--
Sorey! Maintain your purity!
Man, if you guys aren't the dullest crew of fuddy-duddies ever assembled. I was going to help you from the get-go anyway.
... *hangs head*
You're welcome.
Thanks a million.
Well...it does sound kinda silly when you put it like that. Anyway, let's go talk to Neif again.
Lord Sorey! It is a pleasure to see you again.
Likewise. How are things looking?
Well, there's still no telling when the bridge will be repaired.
All right. Then I'll make it so that the bridge can be fixed.
What exactly does that entail? Forgive me, but I'm a bit confused, Lord Sorey.
...
In any case, I shall summon Lady Alisha. Please here a moment. *does so*
*walks up to the bridge*
Wait a minute. You're going to do this right away?
Yeah. I want to cheer them up as soon as possible.
But... *looks around*
Don't you know what humans will think about you, if you demonstrate power that transcends their simple understanding?
I do indeed.
Hm. Well okay, suit yourself. Maybe you like being treated like a monster.
It's your call. I won't stop you. But think carefully about who stands to lose the most from what they're warning you about.
Right.
Another minor branching path. The first choice will demonstrate Sorey's power to everyone, whereas the second one will have the party wait until midnight to do the same thing. Let's go with number two, shall we? No need to raise a bigger fuss than we already have. Besides, given the time of day, we're probably only losing a few hours.
Changed your mind, I take it?
Yeah. Better we do it late at night after everyone's gone to bed.
Kay.
Fine by me.
Sorry, I know everyone was worried about me. I probably just wasn't thinking.
You tend to take too much on by yourself.
Yeah. I'll watch out.
Oh, Sorey! You're back!
Hey!
Lord Sorey, what exactly is it you intend to do?
Well I, uh...
Alisha, we decided it wouldn't be good for Sorey to draw too much attention here. We're waiting until midnight. So...
Well, the sun has already set. Why don't we handle this first thing tomorrow.
Ah. A fine idea! Very well.
*nods*
Then we'll see you tomorrow. Incidentally, Neif, regarding the transport of your goods to Marlind... *walks off with Neif*
O-Oh yes, of course!
You're the best, Alisha.
Now then, let us wait until midnight!
*Later that night*
*looks around, nods*
Okay. Here goes! *armatizes with Edna*
My word!
Neif...
I can scarcely believe what I'm seeing! So this is the Shepherd's power...
Mr. Neif, I can explain.
This means Marlind is saved! Oh joyous day! Thank you! Oh thank you so much! Three cheers for the Shepherd!
Y-You don't have to thank me!
Lord Sorey, you intend to head out right away, don't you? In order to avoid prying eyes.
Yeah. We're going to Marlind from here.
I suspected as much. Then if you may, please escort Lady Alisha with you as well.
Mr. Neif?
Lady Alisha... I know your position is a difficult one, but your duty in Marlind is all too crucial. Please go at once, and demonstrate your famed ability and sincerity!
So you knew...
I may be stuck here for now, but if you two are in Marlind... Then I will know I can rest easy. Please attend to your duties and leave the bridge to me.
Understood.
I'm sorry, Mr. Neif. You have my thanks.
I shall make sure the bridge is even better than before, milady!
So there are those who understand.
Yes.
Heh heh, this is the happiest I've been in a while.
Cry and I'll puke.
Neif, might we take some medicine from you?
Can I ask such a thing after all you've done?
Yeah.
*takes out some medicine* Thank you. I am in your debt once more.
I think we'll be off now. Thanks for all your help, Neif.
Poppycock. It is I who should be thanking you!
Let's go, Alisha.
Will I really be able to cross the river with you?
Of course, if it's just you. You've already made the Squire's pact.
Mr. Neif, thank you for being so understanding. We shall meet again!
*bows, leaves*
Lord Sorey! Thank you so much! Lady Alisha, I leave matters in Marlind to your capable hands!
Welcome to the mysterious far side of Griflet Bridge, and say goodbye to the first half of the Kingdom of Hyland for...quite some time. Yes, despite the fact the party was able to cross the bridge one way, you can't cross back the other way. It's going to be like...half the game until we're back there, actually. Granted, we didn't have much to do back there, but even so.
I'm sure it won't come as a great surprise to you to learn that Alisha is absolutely no match for Edna. Really a sorry state of affairs. As before, Sorey had to shut this conversation down before he started getting some bats in the belfry.
In spite of the fact we can just make a beeline straight to Marlind, it's definitely worth exploring around here. At about 1 o'clock, there's a roadside monument that looks like the one on the Spiritcrest, and of course, a skit (Edna definitely brings the mood down in this one). Near that shrine is a powerful hellion named Horus flying around like a normal bird enemy, but it won't aggro on you. As before, just ignore it for now. There's a monolith in a little alcove at about 3 o' clock, and another monolith just south of Marlind's entrance, and a Backpack accessory you can find by hugging the inner wall, and...
This is actually a callback to Zestiria you might not have picked up on in Berseria, if you played the games in release order. Remember that skit where the subject of what party members were dog / cat people came up? Eizen's answer was that, if he was forced to choose, he'd go with cats, but his preference is actually fluffy squirrels.
It seems Alisha is quite a fan, too. And as for the Octopuses around here...
Eight...legs? What kind of creature is this?
Be careful of those legs. They get longer.
And as for all the landmarks this update...
Falkewin Squirrel posted:
A type of intolerably cute squirrel that inhabits the Falkewin Hillside. Passers-by may be lucky enough to witness its charming squirrelcarena, which is said to be..."adorbs".
Roadside Guardian posted:
A statue of a guardian, worshiped by travelers on the roadside. It appears quite similar to the one found at the Spiritcrest, and provides some insight into the religious beliefs of the area.
Rayfalke Shrine posted:
A shrine on the ascent of the Spiritcrest containing a stone statue. Evidence that the Spiritcrest was once an object of worship.
Once you've looped around to Griflet Bridge and gotten the most important things for now, now time to head to Marlind finally. Remember to bring a face mask. Plague city
Is this...because of the epidemic?
*dog walks up*
*gasp*
I take it that you're not good around dogs?
N-Not particularly...
Mikleo's just worried about claws and effect!
All right, that's not bad.
*dog gets closer*
What?!
You'll then get into a fight with a couple wolf hellions. They're weak to Earth, so Earth!Sorey can destroy them pretty quickly.
A hellion right here in town?
Of course. Look how full of malevolence this place is.
As we saw from that previous shot, definitely not a good vibe around here.
And that just now was a dog hellion, wasn't it?
The plague itself?
...
Let's hurry to the sanctuary and deliver the medicine.
But this issue is not *so* pressing that we can't go around and torch these Hell Hound...wraiths, or whatever they are. We'll need to do this for a little something later, but might as well save some time and torch this one with Lailah's Map Action right near where we came in.
Aww, that's an adorable little chest in one of the inn's backrooms. The reason we're here is to get this Strawberry Waffle, and another little batch of inn skits.
Oh yeah, and this is the warp to the little God Eater-themed challenge map. The logo there is based on logo for Fenrir, the organization the characters work for in the first two God Eaters (God Eater 3 having been released long after Zestiria). You still have no business going there right now.
Anyhow, the skits available now are between Lailah and Edna if Lailah's Fusion talent is at a high enough level (she teaches it to Edna in this one), Alisha and Sorey flipping out about the beef and potatoes (have to order it, of course), and Mikleo underestimating what kind of princess Alisha is.
Rare look at a formal Alisha. Once you're done with those skits, you can stop by the weapon shop for a monolith just outside it and head to the southwest of the city to find a Calcite Sword for Sorey and another one of those ethereal Hell Hounds to roast. There's also a Turtlez to buy another map from, if you can spare 200 gald. There's also another ethereal Hell Hound near where the Turtlez is.
And I've been learning a lot more of these Battle Actions. Luckily I had more than enough to cover longer steps, defending for 1.5 seconds increases BG, guarding for 2 seconds will break an enemy's guard. Important stuff like that. You can tell these are pretty crucial upgrades because their cost is so low. Quick Banish is another fun one; if you Stun an enemy while armatized, press the Banish Blast button to release it instantly, instead of it always needing that charge.
In the large clearing near the sanctuary, there's a couple monoliths, another treasure chest, and another one of these guys. Moving even further away from the sanctuary will lead you to a large mansion, but it's not open right now, and that's not the correct place to go, anyway.
Sanctuary looks promising, at least. The graveyard has a Shabby Spear for Alisha and there's a Calcite Circlet for Meebo right next to the entrance. Let's just get on top of this situation right now. Death and disease
*nods* I've brought medicine. What's happening?
We can do naught to stop the infection.
The disease has spread to our ranks. We cannot even exterminate the wild dogs. At this rate, the entire kingdom may very well succumb to its ravages.
By the stars...
*takes out the medicine* First, please distribute the medicine!
Right away! *runs off*
Things'll be okay. They've got resources now.
Yes.
And we can help dispatch the Hell Hounds.
And yet... I suspect that they are not the true source of this epidemic.
A stronger hellion, born of powerful malevolence.
Luckily, the disease doesn't seem particularly communicable to us, but we probably shouldn't linger here. Aside from some random conversations, nothing to be found in the sanctuary. Let's investigate the town more thoroughly.
A dragon?!
No. It's just a hellion. You can tell because the humans don't see it.
It's landing over there!
Over in that large clearing, he means.
Don't tell me you're going to fight it! It looks like a dragon to me!
We don't know that for sure. You can tell me if it gets too dangerous.
Wonderful. And I wind up with all the responsibility as usual.
*nods, approaches*
That hellion is called a Drake. It's a younger form of a dragon.
It looks like the city's malevolence is energizing it somehow.
Then we have to kill it while we still have time!
Wait, hold on!
*the Drake looks over*
Aw, crap!
*Drake begins to approach, everyone runs*
That was close.
*looks toward the crowd* Sorry! We didn't mean to startle you.
*turns toward the door*
Again?
Well, we gotta do something.
Edna, you said that the malevolence in the city is energizing that thing, right?
Probably.
Then we should focus on purifying the malevolence.
Indeed, I expect that would naturally weaken the Drake.
Although it sounds like a huge hassle.
Well, you gotta break a few eggs to make an omelet!
The plan sounds good enough to me. Though your choice of metaphor, less so.
*I* wasn't going to say anything, but I'm glad someone did.
Even if we do manage to weaken it, we can't fight it if we can't bring it down!
We'll find a way to accomplish that, too. With everyone's help!
*unfolds her parasol* Hassle times two.
Slow and steady wins the race, Edna.
Oh! Yes! I prefer that metaphor to the one where we're eggs that go splat.
Time to begin Operation: Slow and Steady!
And where better to begin than the center of town? A common story
"A History of Monmath Culture!" And "The Works of Sir Jeffrey"!
These two books are references to Geoffrey of Monmouth, an author I've mentioned a couple times as the author of Historia Regum Britanniae (The History of the Kings of Britain, published in 1136), which allegedly chronicles the history of British kings from the time of Brutus (not the same Brutus who killed Caesar), who was in turn the son of Aeneas, who, after fleeing Troy in the aftermath of the Trojan War, settled in Italy (allegedly an ancestor of Romulus and Remus). Brutus is directed by the moon goddess Diana to head to an island that he later named after himself, Britain.
As should be obvious, Geoffrey was uh...well, he was probably not atypical of medieval historians, let's put it that way. For our purposes, this "history" devotes quite a large number of its pages to the alleged reign of King Arthur and the time preceding his reign, including the time of his uncle, Vortigern. Geoffrey was a huge influence on the development of the legend, with Thomas Malory in particular drawing a lot of his work, The Death of Arthur, from events described in Geoffrey's most famous work.
Wow, it's the first time I'm seeing them.
They are valuable books. I'm hiding them away so they don't get lost or destroyed in the war.
Oh, then all the more reason I should be help--
It's fine! It's a classified location! *shakes head* Don't tell anyone about this. It's to protect the books. *walks toward the sanctuary*
Something's up.
You think so?
Don't you? She was all excuses, and we didn't even say anything.
I certainly never heard of any such secret library.
It certainly is the prudent thing to do. That star is directing us towards the graveyard.
Damn, she was fast. But no books... Hm, let's just get going.
...
*hops out* I understand you wanting to trust her, but something's wrong.
Kinda funny to bury books in a graveyard...
I'm similarly concerned. Let's hide and observe.
All right.
*takes out a book*
Don't kid yourself, Agatha. That's worth a thousand at best. *hears something* Who's there?!
So you lied to us about protecting the books?
...It was always just my daughter and I, barely getting by. I couldn't even give her one happy memory before she died. Haven't I suffered enough?! Can I not have something good for once in my life?! *malevolence shoots out*
Malevolence!
*walks up, takes book* We're taking these back.
*walks off*
I'll be turning you into the guards for misappropriation and theft.
I always knew... Someday this was bound to happen.
The malevolence is fading!
*walks up to Sorey, takes key out* I don't need this anymore. Do you think you can return it to Neif for me?
...
*taken away in a fade to black*
Catching her quelled the malevolence?
That's probably what she wanted, deep down. To be brought to justice.
*nods* Well, I guess that proves that she really did love books after all.
Earth-dwellers are such a chore.
They can be, but it's a good thing I told you about that key, didn't I? The woman handed over a "Library Key" according to the little pop-up you get, but if you missed that, then... Uh, check your Most Recent Items menu, I guess. There's certainly nothing pointing us to the Library from that scene, but that is where we're going. Remember that branch of the large clearing I told you to ignore earlier? That's where it is.
And one more Hell Hound to roast. Win-win. "Haunted" house
So, are you scared of ghosts, too?
Would you like me to hold your hand?
It's not like that! You understand, don't you, Sorey?
I'm sensing a huge domain. There's definitely a strong hellion here.
It could be hiding anywhere in the museum. We'd better canvass the entire area!
Everyone: ...
See what I did there? "Canvas" is a fabric used as a painting surface, and--
Alright, it wasn't bad, I'll give you that.
Please stop.
Oh wow! I just got it!
See? It was just enough explaining!
*notices the door is slightly ajar* It wants us to come in.
Looks like it.
But before we end today, we learn not even Edna is invulnerable. Good to keep in mind.