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Part VI: The Sickness of a City
*clears throat* And we're back. Just had some...personal business that had to be attended to. Promptly. Yes, let's go with that. Anyhow, now we're headed into this library/museum/whatever it is to hopefully find the root cause of the malevolence in Marlind.
Yes, it's a Resident Evil mansion, but luckily, no emblems in sight. The door ahead of you is the classic "blocked from the other side", so we'll need to take the long way around.
The name of this place, Dumnonia Museum, is uh, pretty obscure, I'd say. Dumnonia is a kingdom that existed in southwestern Britain prior to the Roman invasion and gradual subjugation of what's now England and Wales that began in 43 AD. This kingdom, and the people who lived there, are known by a number of variations of this name, but "Dumnonia" is a legitimate render.
Apparently this place went to hell at some point, and scorpions, spiders, and fairies have taken up residence. As for the spiders...
Is it the same one we saw in the ruins?
This one could be much stronger.
You've really seen hellions like this in that ruin?
Could be, but they're not. Their only real advantage is in numbers, but in tight corridors, any seraph you armatize with can quickly maul them, especially Mikleo.
The cobwebs around here can all be either slashed with Sorey's sword or burned. Doesn't make a difference which one you do, but let's just be grateful Lailah's flames are spiritual or something. I have a feeling this place would go up like a match stick otherwise. For scorpions...
Is that really a scorpion? It's so large...
But that makes it easier to hit, right?
Indeed it does. They're pretty much helpless against Earth!Sorey. Oh, and a little backstory for this place from Alisha. Now in her Nana from God Eater 2 outfits, with her haircut from her school uniform. A veritable action girl. Upon getting close to the door in the next room, which is locked...
The red scrawling reads "Step on wheat, and wheat gains strength. Step on them, and what takes place? Squash on their bellies and their guts pop out! Squishy and red flying out of their mouths!"
Indeed... Bad taste is the least of its problems, to be sure. For the Pixies, which first show up in the next room...
Oh my! I can see fairies!
I believe they're also hellions.
Remember in Berseria when I warned about mage groups in this game? Yeah...this is what I was talking about. These fairies are *incredibly* annoying here, only compounded in their annoyance by the fact the environs around here are usually cramped, so the camera doesn't like to play nice. Their only spell is Wind Lance, but they cast it a lot, and they come in large groups. Don't fight these things, seriously.
I dunno, is that an umbrella? Huh...looking it up, apparently the technical definition is an umbrella is meant to protect from the rain, whereas a parasol is for sunlight. I always thought "parasol" was just an umbrella intended as a fashion accessory, like what you'd think Edna is using this for, but nope, I was all wrong and a bag of chips, apparently.
Oh my, a Dangerous Encounter with Pixies in it? That sounds like fuuuuuuun. So much fun, I'm getting the hell out of this room.
And they love to go in and out of sight while wandering around the world map. Yeah...not a fan.
I guess it's cool Water!Sorey can shoot through walls? It's something, at least.
I did eventually eek out a win, but it wasn't worth that time investment.
Yeah there's a lot of layers to inflicting status effects in this game. This is among many reasons why you should freely switch around seraphim in-battle, to take advantage of elemental weaknesses whenever you can. In the opposite direction of this stairwell, still on the first floor, there's a storeroom with an Apple Gel and Life Bottle in chests. And a Pixie, if you just haven't had enough fun with them already.
The second floor doesn't improve the decor one bit. That chest has Calcite Boots in it, and that statue with a cap has another poem if you examine it. "Swing the blade once: cut off the right hand! Swing it again: there goes the left hand! The wicked thief cries out in pain! "It hurts, it hurts!" he screams in vain! Swing the blade once more and cut off their head! The thief goes silent, the thief is dead!"
Let's...let's just get out of here soon.
This was a Dangerous Encounter, so the run meter filled up much slower than normal. Sorey was the only one holding the field by the time I ran, which was entirely within expectations.
That bust looks pretty neat. It's our next landmark, actually. This skit features scandalous behavior by both men and women. And it's all because of a statue... Sorey speculates this is King Claudin, but Mikleo disagrees. So unfortunately, jury is out whether this is actually meant to be a likeness of Artorius' mentor.
Back in the hallway, there's a pile of rubble nearby that has our third, and I think final, poem. "Chew and swallow, rend meat with teeth! The evil ones taste juicy and sweet! Eat their flesh and suck bones dry, not one scrap we'll leave behind!".
We're finally back in the main hall, albeit on the second floor. In the next room there's a monolith underneath the stairs, but that also means we can unlock that first blocked door, and, more importantly, we have access to where the master of this twisted place dwells.
Huh. Nothing here but a creepy portrait, I guess... Master of the museum
So no points on guessing what this guy's name is a reference to. The best way to deal with this adversary is to punch his lights out with Earth!Sorey, which can interrupt near every attack Knight Arthur does and opens him up to Power Combos. The only tough thing about this fight is his standard attack is swinging his lance around, and sidestepping this attack seems rather difficult, and it hits in a very wide radius. Low on health, he'll add in an unblockable Lightning Thrust, but this one's much more self-explanatory on how to sidestep.
Overall, a boss you can die easily against, but not overly hard if you know how to use Earth!Sorey.
Stop it, ya big lug! Prancin' prickleboars, what's gotten into you?!
I... Uh... Sorry!
What a fool I was! I should have realized you would be here, Atakk.
Oh my goodness! It's pretty lady Lailah! How ya been?
You never were a lick of fun.
Is this...a friend of yours?
Sort of. It was a long time ago.
My name's Atakk. Cheesed to please ya!
That's a weird name.
Well, aren't you rude! Don't you know that Atakk is a normin name of the highest pedigree? Means I'm fancy!
It looks... Sort of like the thing attached to Edna's umbrella.
Let's save talk of Edna's thingie for later, shall we? That one's a particularly long story...
It.. It is?
But we know the origins of this story, don't we? Yes, if you don't 100% recognize it, her normin keychain thing is Phoenix. I don't mind spoiling this because, although nobody in the Zestiria cast knows exactly how it happened, it seems Phoenix did as he was...suggested (?) by Eizen and ended up hanging out with Edna, but it's likely she doesn't know exactly how it happened, either. And it IS Phoenix, by the way, not just a recreation.
Hey Lailah, what's a normin?
They're a special kind of seraphim. They aren't quite as powerful as a Lord of the Land, but they can still be a help to other seraphim.
How?
Well, they have the ability to boost another seraph's power. They're kind of like...a maid of sorts.
That's my Lailah! You know me like the back of your lily-white hand.
*dodges his advance again*
Like a maid? I'm afraid I'm not so sure I get it.
Lailah's explanations can be pretty off-the-cuff.
Hah! Silly billies like you could never understand what Lailah and I mean to each other!
Not sure I want to understand.
Well anyways, y'all are Lailah's friends 'n all! Maybe I can treat you to some grub!
Wouldn't be the first time. This next sequence involves talking to Atakk several times as he goes back toward the entrance to this dungeon, but since we already had the boss fight in one video, these conversations will be in a separate one. And no, Sorey apparently has nothing to say about that portrait in the back there. Eternally a mystery, it seems. A normin's tale
This is a massacre! Who could have done such a thing?
Uh, well...
You did. You turned into a hellion.
*hangs head* I remember... It WAS me. I went outta my head, tore my beloved treasures apart... And... And now they're gone forever...! *scampers off*
New convo...
Atakk, what on earth happened that made you into a hellion?
I'm sure it's hard for you, but can you tell us about it?
*nods* Well... I've always had a real big thing fer art, y'know? Moved in here a good long while back. Got to whittle my days away just people-watchin' and gazin' at fine art. I wasn't worshiped or nothin', but I weren't lonely neither.
When did his diction turn into stereotypical Southern-ese? I guess it's just to try and communicate the original Japanese, where he had kind of a lowbrow method of speech, or something? It's like how Kansai accents are translated into English as if the speaker was from the southern United States.
Sounds like a good life.
I was happy. Real happy! *walks off again*
Oh, a brief interlude before we return to the main foyer.
Statue of the Conqueror posted:
A triumphant bust statue preserved in a corner of the museum. It gives the viewer a strong sense of the subject's physique; his supple yet powerful muscles, his firm, marble-like flesh contrasting with his rugged, granite-hewn visage... One could go on.
And I have a feeling this description will, unless we hear more of Atakk's sob story.
But ever since the countries took to fightin', the humans started to get real nasty. "That country's bad!" they'd say. "That country's art is bad! Slash it! Burn it!"
So they used art just as fuel for the fires of war.
It's true.
And that ain't the half of it. That's when they started to move the art on the black market.
Oh, so that's where it all went.
They were...laughin' and clutchin' their money in their grubby little hands. "Hurray for war! Hurray for profits!" I go so mad... So dejected... I felt my anger bubblin' up, but I was beyond caring! And then! That's when I became a hellion.
It's not your fault, Atakk.
Thanks, son. I appreciate it 'n all, but... I'd like to be alone for a lil' while.
*steps forward*
*nods*
Good idea, objective marker.
Never thought that the source of all that malevolence would be the love of art.
Yeah, that was unexpected.
It's the Kingdom of Hyland that caused Atakk such pain. If only I Had been able to do something...
Malevolence can come from anyone's spirit.
*poking ground with umbrella* Especially when that spirit holds hate for other people.
And for us seraphim, the influence we receive from the vessel in particular can be a danger.
So if I started generating malevolence, it'd put everyone in danger?
*nods* All of us could become hellions.
...
Sorey. Alisha. The people, in their despair, cling to those with power that surpasses theirs far more tightly than you may imagine. Do not undervalue your ideals, nor the things that are in your power to accomplish. A Shepherd's emotions toward the people he rescues are also his greatest enemy, in a way.
*nods* Okay, understood.
Didn't she just tell you not to be so stiff and serious?
Oh, I guess you're right.
But I suppose I don't need to worry about you.
We'll get started so you don't have to.
Just doing what's within our power, right?
*nods*
After this cutscene, you'll be directed, by Edna, to the base of the "Great Tree", which didn't have a name until now, but now it does. It's in that big clearing from before, so we're not far from it. Let's see what's she's got in mind. A little convincing
Wait here.
For whom?
For me, silly. *walks off*
Some time passes...
I wonder where Edna went off to?
Who knows what goes on in her head?
I'm back.
What is wrong with you? *notices something at her feet* Huh?
A-Atakk?!
I'm here to help! Heard tell you folks could be usin' an extra jolt of power!
We just might!
If I combine Atakk's power with my arrows...
We can bring down the Drake!
Edna told me that ya'll are tryin' super-duper hard to fix things up! If this glum-bum town gets back on its feet, folks might finally remember the place of art in a civilized society!
Thank you, Edna.
I just thought it might work.
*nods, everyone looks up*
And here it comes.
Drat, it's so dark I can barely see it!
That's a good thing. You can fight without worrying about humans catching sight of you.
Hey, good thinking. So, how exactly should we go about shooting this thing down?
That I don't know.
*hangs head*
Tonight's supposed to be a full moon. All we need is some light.
The clouds are receding.
Let's look for a place where we can aim our shot with the aid of the moonlight.
This world has a gigantic moon. The sniping spot is located at the other end of the clearing, but there's a little stuff to be done in town before then.
Like some inn skits. This particular one is curious in that Sorey and Mikleo...talk about absolutely nothing. It's pretty remarkable. In the second, there's apparently a lot more lore about normin than you or I probably appreciated. Let's spare a moment to think about it, why don't we? Once you're done drinking in this lovely nocturnal atmosphere, let's get into position for bagging us a not-dragon. The first step
*Sorey, Mikleo, and Atakk clamber to the roof...*
Atakk!
Yooooou got it! Normin power!
Gaaahhh! Keeeee-ripes, that's some power you got there! I can only handle one shot!
Sorey, I'll do the aiming.
Right. And I'll pick when to fire. *just a moment* Now!
^_^
Nice!
*Drake crashes nearby*
It's not over yet! This is it!
While the Drake doesn't have any elemental vulnerabilities you can exploit (it's only weak to Wind), both Earth and Normal Sorey can open up Power Combos with standard attacks, which is where most of your damage will come from. While it has all your standard tail and fire breath attacks, late in its life, it'll also add in Whirlwind, which creates a vortex of wind right in front of it. This comes out quite quickly and does some decent damage, so do be aware of that.
Also, do remember your seraph allies can revive on their own, given enough time, but Alisha can't. She should be priority target for reviving if she gets KO'd. Also remember to keep in mind Whirlwind can't be blocked, so if you're not on-point with your sidestepping, you're gonna take a hit.
Well...a Drake. Let's not get too excited, hm?
*gets up* The flames of purification... Might you be the Shepherd?
*nods* So you must be Marlind's...
*nods* Guardian seraph, Rohan. *hands head* Or should I say... I was. I very nearly became a dragon. I have no right to continue protecting this town.
Almost certainly named after the kingdom in Lord of the Rings, of course.
Don't say that.
*walks forward, kneels down* Seraph Rohan. I am Alisha Diphda, princess of the kingdom of Hyland. It is we who must bear the blame, we who corrupted the hearts of the people and set you on the path to becoming a hellion. But I assure you that I shall set things right! If you must punish anyone, let it be me! So please, if it's still possible, let us have your blessing, just this once.
You're an impassioned young princess, I'll give you that. You can see me?
Yes. I have pledged myself as Sorey's Squire.
Have you... *looks at Sorey* And you're okay?
Huh?
...
I see. The malevolence in town has lowered significantly. You're the one who dispelled it?
*shakes head* We all did.
*nods* Hm. Then so be it. I'll extend my blessing.
I wanna help too!
Thank you!
*walks over to a large tree* It appears the corruption has yet to spread to this tree. Using this as a vessel, I shall expand the blessed domain.
You got it! Normin Power!
Was...was something supposed to happen?
Huh? What's this?
What happened?
There's still a mega powerful hellion runnin' around near here!
The domain it's creating is in the way, and we can't stop the invasion of the lesser hellions.
A major hellion? Where?
To the southwest. It isn't far.
Sorey, we must defeat it!
But... If we leave the town in this state...
With your guards all a-sleeping, and your hellions all a-creeping...
*staggers a bit*
Sorey!
S-Sorry. I just blanked out for a second there.
You need a rest. Inn. Now.
Indeed. Good ideas will surely come after we take a breather. *everyone teleports into Sorey*
Hmm. The young Shepherd's starting to deteriorate. I ought to be more understanding.
Deteriorate?
Unfortunately, the scene ended there, but that definitely can't be good. Regardless, Rohan is now our second Lord of the Land, and there's some new stuff to talk about right now with that mechanic.
First up, Edna just learned a new talent thanks to talking Atakk down from a metaphorical ledge. This Talent is related to a game-spanning sidequest whereupon you find lost and hidden normin throughout the game world. If you remember the Cats sidequest in Xillia 2, yeah, it's like that. There are several not very well-hidden normin right in Marlind to give you a little tutorial on that. Talk to Atakk for this next scene. A broken normin heart
Why, thank you!
You two go way back, don't you.
There was a time, once, when the normin seraphim and I traveled together.
Lailah was like an idol to us. At one point, all 49 of us begged her to make us her Sub Lords.
You didn't go for it?
Um, no...
"Let's all just be friends", she told us...
What a cruel woman.
Well, 49 is a bit much.
The trauma nearly killed us! We all scattered over the globe to be alone with our melancholy.
What?! Surely that wasn't necessary!
You sadistic harpy.
I don't THINK I'm a harpy...
It's all good. Us normin, we roll with life's punches. We all treasure it as a bittersweet memory from when we were carefree younguns.
This nostalgia trip is boring me, but it's true that normin have useful abilities. If we find any more, let's catch 'em.
It'd be sad if they turned into hellions.
I'd get a kick outta seein' my old buddies again! I promise we'll help you folks out!
Well, it's decided again. Yes, this is the plot justification for this fetch quest, so why not? Normin are a...curious mechanic in this game, but they're mostly relevant as they relate to the Lords of the Land.
Like this. See, when you find any normin out in the field, up to three of them can be enlisted into the Lord of the Land's service. The skills corresponding to the assigned normin, like Atakk here, have a higher chance of appearing on equipment dropped by enemies in within that Lord of the Land's dominion. There is a catch, though. Each assigned normin will add to the enemy level, improving their parameters and making for harder fights (but better EXP rewards). Boss fights included, but not...always, I think. I think that's right. I'm not sure of the exact percentage enemy levels are boosted by, but yeah, it definitely gets noticeable after a certain point.
Our first normin friend out in the wild is right outside the sanctuary. This is Reziss, and as a reward for finding a normin, you get a free instance of their skill that you can assign to any piece of equipment you currently own. Reziss is better known as +4% Arte Defense, but do remember that effect goes up depending on how many instances of this skill a character has on their equipment.
Nice inky black sky around here. Edna is not a fan of the normin, but if you ask me, Phoenix may be involved with it. The next skit is more about normin, this one explaining the relationship between getting skills and normin, which I already explained.
But don't turn in too early, lest you miss Difens here.
Ah, just so you know, no normin is permanently missable. Again, it's been a while, but I don't think there are too many major sidequests in this game that are permanently missable if you don't do them in time. Like in Berseria, I think it's just a bunch of fairly minor things, like skits, you can't get any more after a certain point.
But, that's all for our business in Marlind. Busy day, but it's time to turn in. Merchants in town
Right as rain!
Good. We don't need a sick Shepherd.
That'd be BAAAAAAAAd.
*sigh* And precisely how long had you been saving that one?
Heheh! Looks like we've got our Sorey back.
The Shepherd! Perfect timing!
Eguille!
We heard about the bridge! You're a superstar!
Well, y'know...
"Y'know"? Well, whatever. Anyway, we need you to sign for this.
Huh? Me? *steps forward*
More medicine. It was ordered by some guy named Neif. *jumps onto the hotel balcony* See? Buck up! We got this!
Ha, I guess you're right!
*nods* Also, a message: "I found a group of mercenaries headed towards Marlind and asked them to protect the town, but they refused me. I have asked for additional reinforcements from Ladylake, but it will take some time." That's all.
I do hope she was paraphrasing. Otherwise, she has *damn* good memory to pass along that exact message.
Mercenaries! They might work in a pinch!
Can mercenaries stand against the hellions?
Probably not the Hell Hounds, but they might be able to handle lesser hellions.
They are vicious, but they are visible. And little.
But they already refused the guard job.
I could try asking again as sincerely as possible.
*rubs head*
Wouldn't hurt to go try.
*everyone nods*
Thanks for passing along the message.
Hey, why are you going through all this trouble, anyway?
Why? I mean, you can't just NOT help people in trouble.
I get that you're weird.
Well, I'm not inclined to disagree with her.
Now, where is the medicine going?
The sanctuary!
Gotcha.
Oh, hey. You didn't happen to run into a group of mercenaries on the way here, did you?
You mean the Woodsmen? They came with us. I think they're probably still in town. They said they were gonna stock up. *rides off*
By the way, did you notice something? How a carriage got over the river? Well...
They actually did put up a makeshift bridge over the river until they're finished repairing the actual bridge, which I believe does happen later in the game. How Eguille's carriage got over? Very carefully, let's put it that way. Regardless, you still won't really have business in the first half of Hyland until much much later in the game. Small exception fairly soon, but even then, not really.
I do believe this is the single most awkward place you can fight in either Berseria or Zestiria.
Along the way to where the Woodsmen are hanging out, we have another tutorial skit with Lailah and Edna. Basically, this one's talking about getting a lot of the same skill to play to a character's advantages, or mitigate their weaknesses, as you see fit. There are very few instances in this game when you'll really want a specialized build; in general, I wouldn't advise going very far out of your way to build these kinds of arrangements, because, for example, specializing in defeating Dragons would lose that advantage against non-Dragons one town over.
This is all very late-game stuff, by the way. For obvious reasons, you can only really worry about builds once you've found all the normin and have access to all the Lords of the Land. And you're strong enough to get that equipment in the first place, of course. Should also mention that you can lower the difficulty to fight easier mobs, but that also sacrifices your chance of getting decent equipment. The choice, as always, is yours. Swords for hire
What happened?
Wild dogs were attacking the sanctuary, but these guys put 'em down.
He says "put 'em down", but he doesn't mean in the killing sense. After this scene is over, you can go near all the dogs and they're all clearly still breathing. Would have been in enormously bad taste, otherwise.
Those dogs are hellions.
And no pushovers, either. Well, for a human, anyway.
Excuse me, may I ask you a favor?
Huh? You're talking to the Woodsmen, bub. We don't do babysitting, and we won't get your kitty out of a tree.
It's about a job only you guys can handle!
*steps forward* I'm the leader, Lucas. What's this job you speak of?
We want you to protect Marlind for a little while.
Yeah, we were asked that before but turned it down. Ain't takin' no chances guarding over a place that's diseased.
Hey boss! That kid you're talkin' to is the Shepherd!
The miracle bridgemaker? This scrawny little duckling? You're pullin' my chain, right?
*begins to step forward*
We've found a way to bring Marlind back to how it was. But we have to leave town to do it. And the guards here aren't in a condition to fight because of the epidemic.
So you want us to handle it, huh? We do the grunt work so you can get the glory. Is that how it is?
It's nothing of the sort!
So you say.
What do you need?
Lemme tell you something, Mister Shepherd. Money talks and horse-crap walks. If you're serious about it, put your cash on the table. Then we'll talk. How 'bout it, Mister Shepherd?
Well, I do have 12k gald right now, but jeez... I can't imagine we'll be away that long, but if it can't be helped...
Well, well, lookie here, the Shepherd comes through. Guess we really can trust you after all.
You trust whoever gives you money?
And what else, pray tell, should be my motivation?
Duty, chivalry...
Let's say this epidemic kills one of my subordinates. Will "duty" and "chivalry" step in to take care of his grieving family?
W-Well...
But if I have money, I can make sure they've got a safety net. That's the kind of contract I have with my team. And that's why in return they're willing to put their lives on the line.
...
You need to start facing reality, sister.
Facing reality, huh...
So you want us to guard the town, huh? We'll take the job, but on one condition. In return... *steps in front of Sorey* Can we do whatever we want to this town while you're away?
These are some awful high-maintenance mercs...
Sorey. Are you sure about this?
It's fine. No one who values contracts so highly would do anything sleazy.
You passed the test. *turns around* All right, you bums, we got a job to do! We're saying in Marlind and guarding it! Alpha and Bravo squads, secure the perimeter! Charlie, handle things in town! I'll go tell the guards what's up! These orders come from the Shepherd himself! Don't slack off out there!
*everyone yells in agreement, then runs off*
What's this?
Your change. It's our policy to accept a reasonable price for the job we do.
Well! They're cheaper than we imagined!
We may not look like it, but we value our customers.
Clearly... You'll get a little pop-up just after that indicates their actual hiring cost is a much more reasonable 2500 gald. Well, they may be better natured than we thought at first, but they do have to make a living.
Well, it's just been an educational day for Alisha all-around, eh? I imagine mercenaries would make decent scratch in lawless times like these. I forgot to put this into the skit compilation video for this update until after I had deleted the original video, so, assuming this game does have a skit player, which I am almost 100% sure it does, I'll have to make a mental note of this one for a miscellaneous skit video near the end of this game.
Well, at least this one's a bit more inconspicuous. The exit Sorey is facing leads to the Glaivend Basin, which looks like this.
This is actually where the first act of the game ends which is, uh...next update, by my reckoning. I forgot how blisteringly fast the first arc of this game moved. Hell, in five updates we already (technically) fought a dragon. We were like...13 or 14 updates into Berseria when we first encountered a dragon? The one on Titania does not count, wasn't a dragon. Speaking of Bersy, there's definitely no good point of comparison for where the Glaivend Basin would have been back then, but it's probably some part of Midgand we never went to or changed dramatically. Stonebury was decently close to where Glaivend is now.
But, as for where we're going for right now, the ruins we're looking for is a red icon just a bit north of Glaivend. Rohan was right about it being close to town.
Instinct, you see. Bors is another Knight of the Round Table. Well, it depends on whether you're referring to Bors the Elder, a king and early ally of Arthur, or his son, Bors the Younger, who is among Galahad's companions on the quest for the Holy Grail and one of the finest knights in Arthur's service. Along with Galahad and Percival, the trio eventually found the Holy Grail, but traditionally, only Bors goes home to tell their tale.
As for points of interest in this first map, there's a monolith, obviously, but there's a Hanging Hair (Left) accessory in the top left part in a little alcove, and...
A landmark in the top right, near the exit.
Nobody can beat Lailah in that department.
Anyway, this whole ruined thing is the landmark, so as always, a skit, and...
See what I mean? Lailah is clearly a pretty big deal in the seraphim world, and she makes the best jokes. Another point of interest is...
An Elixir to be found in a nearby chest, the first one you can get in the game. This is also, I believe, the first time you hear the name "Maotelus" in this game, but it's certainly not the first time we've heard that name in this thread, is it? Yes, Laphicet is still around in his Empyrean form, but what's been going on with him lately is a pretty pretty big part of the plot, so that's enough of that for now.
Interestingly, I didn't really think of this until just now, but the whole Omega Elixir sidequest may be a nod to this line about Maotelus making an elixir. Whether the writers wanted you to make that connection or not, it's definitely an interesting little angle to think about. Obviously it would stand to reason that Laphicet wasn't *directly* telling people he developed an elixir, but Eleanor propagandizing that as such in building up a faith to replace Innominat. Oh, yeah, Maotelus has basically gone and replaced Innominat as the central faith of this world. I don't believe recognition of the elemental Empyreans has remained the same, but yeah, Sorey and Mikleo speaking that name so casually definitely means it's something people in this setting already know. Lailah doing her usual "Doesn't want to comment on something within her personal knowledge" schtick means she knows something about what's going on with Maotelus, but that, among other things, will have to wait.
Oh, and before you go, there's a Bamboo Stack weapon for Lailah near the exit. That's something I can tell you now. There's also another normin camping out near a breakable (not right now) boulder if you continue hugging the wall away from the exit down a narrow path. No sense in not enlisting him as soon as possible.
Second map doesn't have many points of interest, for now at least, aside from a monolith and a couple treasures. As you might be able to guess from the allegedly breakable boulders around here, this is a dungeon we revisit...much later in the game. The last time Alisha is in the party, actually, but many things will have transpired by that time. For now... Limits
Ready?
Yes!
I think we found the source of the malevolence. Maybe it's just me.
So this fight was uh...not fun on my end. Took me just under an hour to record a winning fight, and I think that's because I set Atakk over in Marlind, which increased this boss' parameters, as well as those of its little helpers. This was a blunder, one I paid for with nearly an hour of wasted footage. Hate when that happens.
Over the course of that time I developed a few strategies. First up, take out the stupid little plants as soon as possible. There's four of them, and they Power Link with each other to boost their stats. As you might expect, they're much more of an annoyance than deadly, but regardless, they need to be dealt with promptly. Best way I found is using Fairy Circle, Earth!Sorey's healing arte, to both do damage in a respectable radius, cast quickly, and of course, heal. All-in-one solution, and between Edna and Sorey, you should have a decent amount of BG to make it happen. Oh, yeah, and seraphim will never force an armatization, thankfully. It'll always be activated because the human made it happen.
After the little plants have been defeated, if Lailah is available for armatization, switch to her and begin attacking the boss. It's pretty easy to open up Power Combos, it's just the boss' attacks are so damn powerful, it's very easy to get KO'd. Including the very annoying "Stop and spin in a circle" move. I remember this move having a very weird hitbox where sidestepping to the right or left usually would result in you taking a hit, but jumping back would not. It was the attack that got me the most. Also worthy of note is Zombie Punch, when the boss gets low on HP. This is just throwing out a single powerful punch at-range from the target, unblockable. This is easily avoided by sidestepping to the left, but you do have to get a little used to the timing.
Between this fight and the female assassin from last time, one thing I hate about these successful recordings is I generally make this rather hard boss fights, when they do show up, make seem a lot easier than I found them while actually playing the game, but I think it should suffice to tell you what I went through. Just to acknowledge that effort. I am proud of my successful run Alisha not dying once, since she can only ever be revived by using Life Bottles. Overall, didn't need items at all to win. I guess that's something.
Sorey!
Alisha! *armatizes with Lailah* Eat this!
*everyone runs over to Alisha, Lailah heals her*
*points umbrella in Sorey's face* You couldn't see it, could you?
So the Squire's pact IS affecting you...
No, I just...wasn't paying attention.
Alisha and Mikleo nearly died because of you.
Well, I'm NOT dead. And Sorey was only hiding it for Alisha's sake!
I understand that. But even so...
He's at his limit.
...
I know.
Sorey...
*wakes up*
Alisha! Thank goodness!
Don't worry...about me.
It looks like we were able to expand Rohan's domain.
Well, that's that. Let's get outta here.
Yeah, I do want to check in on Lucas' crew.
*offers hand to Alisha* Here.
*gets up* Thanks.
Indeed... Well, I can give you another thing for free, Alisha's time in the party is very much coming to an end, so anything that involves Alisha being a party member, you better wrap up before returning to Marlind. For my purposes, there's a couple skits I didn't get yet that involves Sorey and Alisha creating a certain snack item, but unfortunately he's a garbage cook and he'll make Black Stuff for a while until he levels his Snack Preparation skill up. Poor Mikleo. To be fair, Alisha also is not an incredible cook, but she's at least a bit better than Sorey. What this all means is I get to run around like a dope until Alisha makes an Ice Pop and Sorey makes a Soft-Serve Ice Cream. Fun.
I recorded about 20 minutes of just running around the Falkewin Hillside and the first area of the Spiritcrest waiting for it to happen, but unfortunately, it seems that whatever item a character is destined to make is decided when they start preparing it, so you can't even savescum it. Also, you can't just walk into a wall to register distance, so you actually have to be legit moving around. What I did was use the straps on my damn facemask to move both the right and left analog sticks without me having to actually control. The first area of the Rayfalke Spiritcrest is the best place to do this, because no enemies spawn down there and it's big enough to handle running around in a circle. But I decided making footage of that was stupid so let's go over to the second half of this update for the result...
First one is about Sorey, second is about Alisha. Finally our "decent" cooks are up to snuff. At least I had phone games to amuse myself with while I was grinding out these skits.
Well, this place certainly is looking a lot better. After finding evil plants and baby dragons, it better.
Including the much-improved weather, this discovery point has spawned at the Great Tree. Lots of important trees in Tales games...but anyway, you can't "discover" this point unless Sorey can actually "see" those flowers, i.e. you have to be standing about here to discover it. You might notice Alisha isn't in this skit; around this point, the game expects her to be out of the party. She's got about...5 minutes left, actually.
Oh, and the text descriptions of the last two landmarks.
Flowers of the Great Tree posted:
White flowers that blossom on the buds of the great tree. Perhaps the flowers of the arts told of in poetry will once again produce the fruits of learning.
Husk of an Ancient Structure posted:
Remnants of an ancient structure that indicate this forest too was once the site of ruins. Sadly, the structure is far too gone to get an idea of what the ruins looked like.
Interestingly, the Marlind one is listed before the Bors Ruins one, even though you can only discover the Marlind one now. Strange. Anyway, talk to Lucas to continue the story.
Thanks! I knew you could handle it.
How'd it go?
We managed.
Good to hear it! Then I guess it's time for us to pack up and ship on out. The guards are trickling back onto duty, and we've got a new job lined up already.
...
Shall we take a break at the inn for a spell?
Sure.
And that we did... A certain question
And tomorrow... We'll be leaving Marlind?
Yeah. That's the idea.
??? Why?
What?!
Why?
Huh?!
...
A seraph?!
So you ARE with this one...
Why aren't you staying in Marlind?
What is your problem?!
Silence, brat. I'm asking the Shepherd. Why are you throwing away the name you've earned for yourself from saving this town? Why throw yourself away like this?
We've done all we can here. And I have more to learn elsewhere. That's all.
How odd.
You too.
Hmph. *disappears with the assassin*
Who were they?
I don't know. But this means there are other humans who dwell with seraphim besides me.
Though they're assassins.
Well, I say to hell with them. The more important issue is where we're headed next. Thought about it?
*nods* I have. The Rolance Empire.
Splendid idea! Hellions and ruins alike know no borders, after all.
True.
...
Ah, the Rolance Empire. The next arc of the story, actually, but let's just say actually getting there...will not be without its share of drama. The fastest way of getting there, perhaps the only way, is through the Glaivend Basin, but as that area is currently the focal point of tensions between Hyland and Rolance, probably not advisable at the present moment. Especially not with Hyland's princess hanging around with us.
After that scene, there's a save point skit with another gameplay tutorial with Lailah and Edna. I described this a bit in the first update, but there's three types of bonus skills: Stacks (created by stacking multiples of the same skill. Ironically, Stack skills don't stack), Group Unions (the formal name for bottom to top skill formations), and Elemental Unions, or E-Unions (the name for left to right formations of skills). All of these result in Bonus Skills, enhancing your character beyond the skills you needed to stack to get there.
Going back to the skill sheet to take a more visual look at this. See how the skills next to Earth, Water, and Wind are glowing? That's because I (unintentionally) have bonus skills created, like Blasst or Deurth (-10% Earth damage). The entries I have in Non-Elemental and Fire are not glowing because I don't have any bonus skills there. Simple concept, I should hope.
So now we're going back to commune with Rohan one more time, and, fair warning, this period before talking to him again is the very last time Alisha will be a regular party member. She joins the party on two other occasions in the future, at least from what I remember, but those are for only very brief periods where you're very on-rails. So after this next scene, Sorey's going to be the only human in the party, which means we're back to only two-man parties until Alisha's replacement joins, which, thankfully, is not very far away. In terms of gameplay time, maybe about an hour away, and most of that will be cutscenes. Departure
Lady Lailah, you're back! You folks done fixed this place right up!
Little by little, people are coming back to worship the great tree. You can trust I will do my part as well.
That's good. We can take our leave in peace.
Huh?! Aww, no, y'all are runnin' out on us?
You take care, Atakk.
Huh?
After all... We need to find someone to properly give tribute to Rohan...
Alisha, you don't mean...
And I have to report to Ladylake about what happened in Marlind! Things with the council have just settled down, and if you're with me, you'll just get wrapped up in it again. I would love to continue our travels... But, I...
Well?
*nods* Thank you so much, Aisha. *offers hand*
Same to you. *takes hand* For everything, Sorey.
Get a room, you two.
It's not like you won't see each other again.
I shall do my best to work toward a Hyland with no malevolence!
And I'll keep chasing my dream.
*nods, leaves*
Safe travels.
Y'all come back now, y'hear?
And that's how it happened. Well, if you want to know how, in general, Zestiria the X handled her, Alisha's mostly hooked up with someone else, actually, but she and Sorey have the same kind of relationship here. Alisha isn't kinda clumsily written out of the story like she is here, she always has some kind of business to attend to in the show, whether it's the actual main plot or resolving her business in Hyland, which includes a nighttime raid on the castle, hiding out from erstwhile allies, that kind of stuff. Actually she really doesn't hang out with Sorey very much until right near the end of the show. It's uh, definitely an interesting study in contrasts, these two Zestirias.
After that scene, some pop-ups have occurred around here, including these kids talking about shiny stones in Bors Ruins. Sounds interesting, somewhat at least, but we'll get around to this right at the end of this update. Sound good? Don't want to leave any hanging threads around these parts.
Hey...what's that in the distance? Making plans
Hey, hang in there!
The empire... The Rolance Empire is attacking!
What?!
So the war has begun...
Please... Pass the warning to the people of Marlind... I have to get to the capital!
You're injured! It's too dangerous!
There's no time to waste!
*turns toward Lailah*
*shakes head*
...
*turns toward the gate*
*nods head*
*begins to heal him* Don't be reckless.
I mean, it makes sense, but it's definitely a curious thing that apparently Sorey appears normal to regular humans while in armatized form. No wonder people flip out when he does miraculous things, like raise the riverbed to create a makeshift bridge, when it appears that a normal human is doing that. I imagine a lot of this game would look very very...odd if we were controlling a third party and watching Sorey and his seraphim work.
*nods* Thank you. *rides off*
We'd better go tell everyone.
Fade...
All right, you bums! Playtime's over! Let's go show those froo-froos in the capital what we're made of!
... I'm going.
Yeah. I couldn't live with myself if we let these folks just run out to get slaughtered.
You mustn't! If the Shepherd enters the heart of battle, the camp he extends his help to will surely be victorious.
So what, we just sit quietly and watch?
Yup. It's up to the earth-dwellers to figure out some sort of compromise with each other.
But with the Shepherd's power, I know I could save people!
You might save the people of Hyland, yes. However...
The people of Rolance wouldn't be so lucky, is the flip side.
Correct. That's the nature of war. War knows neither justice nor malice.
The power of the Shepherd greatly shapes the world itself. Were you to enter the war, there's no telling how warped it could become.
All right. I do want Lucas and his group to take refuge along with the villagers. Will that be okay?
Yes.
Then let's talk to Lucas at once! They sounded like they were getting ready to leave any second now.
Yeah.
Ehhhh, I don't know about that, you two. Sounded like his pep talk might go on for a little longer, so let's do a little sidequesting. Not much, but some. You might notice another purple star has shown up on my the map. It turns out that house we shot down the Drake from was actually Neif's house, and he's standing right outside with a couple kids. As you get closer, Lailah will remind Sorey to return the library key, since we obviously have no use for it. Let us do just that. The land's history, two
Oh, Sorey.
I came to return this. It's from Agatha.
The key to the library! Thanks, and sorry to trouble you.
When I grow up, I'm gonna be like Maltran! I'm gonna become the second Blue Valkyrie!
Boys can't be Valkyries, dummy! If Maltran's teaching anyone, it's gonna be ME!
She's not gonna teach you! Your clothes aren't even blue!
They will be, once I finally get my mom to buy some!
Someone's popular.
It's because Lady Maltran actually comes from Marlind. She only became heir to her line when all the other successors passed away... And while her sense of responsibility was second to none, she was quite a frail young girl. She has trained herself vigorously. And now she is the Blue Valkyrie.
So they're opposites.
What?
Nothing. You just clarified something for me.
Ha ha ha! I don't really get it, but I'm glad I could be of help to the Shepherd!
I had one more thing I wanted to ask. Have you heard of iris gems?
Iris gems? We have one. I just enshrined it in the sanctuary as an offering for the town's restoration.
Can we borrow it? There's something we're investigating.
I wouldn't dream of refusing the Shepherd's request. Please, keep it as long as you like.
Thank you!
Well, don't mind if we do. The gem is right at the altar of the sanctuary, and seems nobody minds us messing around with it. This scene is part of the above one, for the record.
Definitely a curious scene. I'll certainly mention it when we get to Rolance's capital, but we have seen those battlements before, actually. I'll just leave you to ponder where until we get there.
Aside from that, we have two skits at this town's very popular save point in the middle of town. First one is a tutorial in absentia, which is a fun little twist on the format, the second requires you having seen that scene with Neif and that discussion about Maltran's personal history. I feel that Mikleo has made many poor decisions in his life to get to this point. NOW we can go talk to Lucas.
Like hell! The battlefield is where we earn our living! Besides, we just helped rebuild your town here, no? You really want to see Rolance tear it to pieces?
I'm just...worried about all of you. Please.
Fine. We'll pull back beyond the Griflet River. *begins walking away* It's a damn shame. We're just gonna abandon this town right when it was getting its punch back?
We both know what's really important.
Heh... I can tell I'm no match for this herder of sheep.
C'mon Lucas. "Shepherd's pie" was alright, that's not.
Change of plans, ya bums! We're taking the townsfolk to safety, up north across the Griflet River! Get your preparations in order!
Thank you.
You'd better get ready yourself. The bridge still isn't fully restored just yet. We'll probably have to ahead and set up camp by the riverbanks.
You got it.
Although you're certainly not locked into anything by talking to Lucas again and saying "Yes" (that we're prepared), you still have to do so to continue the plot. Why was this necessary? Not enough hours in the day to think about it, y'know? Just do it, there's literally no point in not doing so. The proposal
We're good on our end. What say you, Shepherd? Ready to head for the river?
(Yes)
Cut to Griflet River...
*steps forward* That's me.
You, huh?
Does your business with the Shepherd really require so many troops, General Landon?
You're that sellsword Lucas of the Shrub-boys, aren't you. Just as well. You listen up, too. I bring word of Lady Alisha.
*steps forward* On suspicion of using the Shepherd to foment discord against the state... As well as assisting the Rolance Empire with its invasion, Lady Alisha has been detained.
That's nonsense! Alisha would never do such a thing!
It is not an arrest, Shepherd. Merely an interrogation.
Well, this certainly stinks to high heaven.
...
But if the Shepherd were, say, to wield his power to deliver victory to our troops, it would likely assuage any suspicions we might have.
Why you--
*grits teeth*
Sorey, let us do as he says.
We probably don't have a choice. If Alisha were to die at their hands...
Yes. We all know Sorey would blame himself for it.
And if that were to happen, even someone like Sorey could become corrupted by malevolence... *turns toward Lailah* That's it, right?
If the Shepherd is corrupted by malevolence, it will guide the world to ruin... Faster than even war can accomplish.
The sooner we end this the better. We can make this work. After all, you've got us with you.
*nods* If I fight, do I have your guarantee Alisha will be released?
If you bring us victory, then yes.
Hmm, I don't know about that. It sounds like the decision to "interrogate" the heir apparent was made higher up the food chain than Landon is. Don't know how much his word, insofar as it can relied on, is good for.
We're coming too. Sorry, but it just ain't in our blood to turn tail and run. We "sellswords" have built up too much pride in too many battles for that!
Very well. But I'm in charge here. You had better not forget that. So then, Shepherd, I'll be waiting on the battlefield. *rides off with his entourage*
Hey, cheer up, buddy! With the Woodsmen on the job, the Shepherd won't even have to lift a finger! *walks off, begins yelling at his men*
Sorey. Please hold your head up high.
I told you, didn't I? You've got us with you.
Don't get all stupid gung-ho about this war business, okay? Just do what you need to do to get this crap over with.
Thank you, everyone.
This whole thing stinks, but regardless, we now have our reason to head for the Glaivend Basin. There's a couple skits at the local save point before we go, including discussion about the current situation, as well as our final skill sheet tutorial with Edna and Lailah. This one's about Elemental Unions. Basic ones *can* stack with each other (so if you have 2x Atakk and Rangus, as Sorey mentions, they stack), but as the skit mentions, if you equip something in the third Non-Elemental category, those two will disappear and you'll get the E-Union 3 bonus skill. Again, first priority in getting the builds you want is finding normins; they'll make it enormously easier to get what you want without having to rely on RNG.
We have a couple more things to take care of before we wrap up today, but first, let's check in with the nearby Sparrowfeathers.
They'll use you for all you're worth, and when you're done, they'll still probably kill Lady Alisha!
*shakes head* I'm going.
Really?!
We all know that the charges against Lady Alisha are a load of hogswallop. We're heading out to Ladylake to petition them directly.
That's right. Surely the council will not be able to ignore the voices of so many citizens.
So please, don't give up hope!
Just promise you'll come back!
We'll be waiting for you, Gentle Shepherd!
Thanks everyone! I'll be back!
First up on the sidequesting business, talking to this guy. He'll mention that ruined village we saw while we were going to Galahad Ruins, the one I mentioned had nothing of interest in it. Well, now it does. Apparently a ghost has been seen around there.
My JRPG senses are telling me fighting this thing is a bad idea right now, especially short-handed as we are. By the way, thanks wolf, for another pointless fight. At least I got a cute victory screen out of this one.
Alright. *takes card*
Mikleo and Edna will have excellent luck!
Wait, what about me?
Ah, looks like the tales of sparkly stones in Bors Ruins were correct. We shoud have guessed. Also, I didn't even notice that Elixir chest has restocked. Gonna have to check it when I record the next update. The land's history, three
Mikleo seems quite out of it in this one...perhaps the Mikster might have some connection with whatever we saw just now...