Earning our JRPG black belt - Let's Play Legend of Legaia!

Try to wail on him as much as you can when you aren't healing. Magic is best saved for Spoon and Orb castings, but as for Arts? Go nuts. Super Arts, Hyper Arts, strings of regular Arts, whatever will do the most damage in the shortest amount of time. Gaza isn't going to give you any mercy, so you'll have to return the favor.





Many, many punches and kicks to the chest and face later, Ruby deals the finishing blow. Good thing, too; I had to use a Phoenix and lost a good chunk of MP.



Umber: Look, Ruby! The horrible Seru is separating from Gaza's body!
*The Sim-Seru slowly rises into the air.*





♪♪The Misty Capital♪♪

*Ruby kneels next to Gaza.*
Gaza: I am... utterly defeated... by the enemy...



*Gaza raises his head and opens his eyes.*
Gaza: Mar! Theodore! Belde!
Ruby: Terra! Terra! He's dying! Don't let him die! Help him!



Ruby: Please, help the old man!
Terra: Ruby, Gaza's body is dying. There is nothing we can do. However...



Ozma: Special powers are needed to raise the Genesis Tree seedling into a full-grown Genesis Tree.
Meta: Gaza's strong spirit, which trapped Gaza in its prison... It's pure and earnest enough to provide the Genesis Tree seedling with the energy it needs!
Terra: Gaza's soul will live eternally in the Genesis Tree in Warrior's Square!
Ruby: You mean that the old man is going to turn into a Genesis Tree here?



Gaza: Then I can die contentedly. Please help me join with the Genesis Tree!
Umber: Ruby! Gaza's pulse is getting weaker!
Ruby: Old man! If you really want to join with the Genesis Tree...
Meta: Blue! Place the Genesis Tree seedling next to Gaza! Let his energy flow into it!
*Blue kneels in front of Gaza and plants the Genesis Tree seedling. The three of them then form a rough circle around Gaza.*

♪♪The Awakening of the Tree of Creation♪♪

Well, we've done it. Sol Tower and the surrounding area is free from the Mist. The people here don't have to live in fear any longer. But...





Ruby: He wants us to use it now that he's gone!
*Blue nods as the Astral Sword gently sinks into the ground.*





Thanks, Gaza. We'll use it well.

Umber: For an instant, Gaza saw his granchild Mar's face in you, Ruby.
Ruby: Old ma... I mean, Grandpa! Watch over all of us, OK?



I'm sure he will.

That's all for now. See you guys next time.

Geez. That boss is a massive jerk.

How would you guys feel about an update doing almost nothing plot-related, running around doing side-stuff instead?

Sidequests sound fun to me!

Alright, good to know. See you guys in a couple of days, assuming I can pull myself from Dungeon Fighter Online long enough to finish the update.

While I'm here, there's something I should tell you guys... I've had to use a FAQ a few times over the course of this LP. Nothing plot-related, mostly just for Art combinations I couldn't remember or the effect of a couple spells, but I figured you guys should know. I've also never actually obtained everything in this game (though I have come close), so some of the sidequest stuff later on (like, way after next update later on) will come from other sources as well. I'll give credit where credit is due once the LP is over, trust me. I, uh, I hope you guys don't mind too much.

Soren, you're supposed to use FAQs to help make non-blind LPs. Not doing so is just being silly. So relax, bud.

Thanks. I guess it just feels weird doing it - I mean this is my favorite game ever, I should know the damn thing inside and out, you know? It's just that I haven't played or even owned a copy of it in so long that I've forgotten some things, and that makes me feel bad for some reason. =/

But I guess that can be a good thing, too. So many things are coming back to me while working on an update, or even as I'm posting one, and it's somehow making me like this game even more. Even better is that I get to share my experiences with you guys, even if some of you don't exactly have the highest opinion of the game. It's a good feeling, sharing something you love with an audience. =)

But enough about me, it's update time! I'm sorry this took so long, but between starting another LP and beginning to enjoy a couple new hobbies I haven't found as much time to work on it as I'd like. I hope you guys enjoy it, regardless.

Chapter 22: Screw the Plot, We Need a Vacation



♪♪Revived Genesis Tree♪♪

We should probably get out of here; we've got things to do today. Silly things.

*As the group reaches the entrance of Warrior's Square, the camera switches to a view of the Genesis Tree.*



*Ruby turns away, tears in her eyes, and runs out of the room.*

Poor Gaza... at least we have the Astral Sword to remember him by. Oh, speaking of which...



Yeah, it's not just a key item that rots in your inventory. It is an actual weapon that you can use, and it is awesome. I'll go over it in more detail later.



♪♪Sol Tower♪♪

Seems like things are back to normal around here.

Guard: What happened to the Mist? What about the war? Did Sol win?
Guard: What am I doing here? Ooh, my aching head! My whole body hurts! What's going on here?!



Guard: As soon as we were relieved, the Mist came. After that, I don't remember anything. After he sealed the Sage's Gate, Dr. Usha left for the northwest, saying he was returning to his lab. {Hmm... good to know.}



Er... have you tried checking upstairs? Speaking of, I wonder if those elevators work now...



Worker: A lot of people have come down from the upper floors to see how things are down here.



Boy: But I still can't find them. {Ouch... just keep lookin', kid.}



Old man: It's not that they just want to make money. I think they just want to live and work like humans again.



Wow, these guys work fast. I wonder what's for sale...?

Boy: Come on over, folks. Come over here, we have a lot of nice things!



Damn, Healing Berries are expensive... I think I'll hold out and buy equipment instead.



Heh, you certainly aren't the only one.



Hrm... with all the other crazy stuff we've seen, I wouldn't doubt it.

Woman: Uru Mais is where the new type of Seru come from. But I hear there's some strange secret there.



I'd imagine so.

Woman: The bars and clubs upstairs are still open! Go on up and have yourselves a good time! {Oh, we will, shortly.}



No, I'm not sure what the ruler of Sol was doing hanging out in an inn. I'm not sure I want to know, either...

Emperor Etora: You there. Are you the one called Blue? {Indeed.}

♪♪Usha Research Center♪♪

*Etora turns to face the window.*
Emperor Etora: Many citizens fell victim to the Mist in the long years before you arrived. But you have saved us. I also foresaw the danger posed by the Floating Castle... I ordered Dr. Usha to seal the Sage's Gate. I was correct in doing so. *turns around* I have from Usha a message intended for the heroes who revive the Genesis Tree.



Emperor Etora: That is the message! I now entreat you to destroy the abominable Floating Castle! Good work! Give my regards to Usha when you see him!

I would love to destroy the Floating Castle, but a) how do we get up that high, and b) how do we destroy a castle? We haven't exactly been blowing up the Mist Generators, you know.

But that's a problem for later, I guess. For now, we'll spend a bit more time in Sol.

Guard: Now, you never heard this from me, but... I think it would be hard for the Emperor to go back upstairs as ruler at this point.
Guard: Now, you never heard this from me, but... The commoners took over the Imperial Room upstairs, and the Emperor has nowhere to go.
Old woman: I'm looking for a swordsman named Gaza. Do you know him? {Um...} You know him! Is he safe? {Uh... does being a Genesis Tree count as safe?} Oh, I see. I survived the Mist, but had I been unlucky, maybe Gaza would have killed me as a Seru monster. You've seen such terrible fighting... And poor Gaza. He put down his sword, but after his grandchildren were killed by the Mist, he took it up again. Poor, lonely Gaza... his only choice was to live by the sword again. I know you are careful and have fine Seru, but a Seru is a Seru! It's just a tool! People are more important than tools! Never let a tool rule your heart!

I wasn't expecting that much dialogue from an old lady... I wonder how the bar upstairs is?



♪♪Sol Tower♪♪

Yes, please.
*Blue nods.*
Woman: His name is Grantes. It was Grantes! Grantes helped build the Floating Castle! {What?! Hm... we'll have words with him later.}
Hunter: Man, what a dirty place! Was it always this dirty? What? What Mist? Look, I have no idea what you're talkin' about! Don't try to tease me just 'cause I'm old!
Waitress: Hello! Sorry, but we're still getting ready. Good-bye!
Worker: I remember there was this really beautiful young girl in Buma. I think her name was... Cara.
Owner: I'm sorry, we're not open yet. We're still cleaning up.



Oh hey, the other armory is open now. Sweet!

Man: I hope Dr. Usha is safe.
Girl: Cara was born in Buma, I hear. They say something terribly sad happened to her.
Boy: There are three Genesis Trees in Buma.



Fancy.

Seru-wearing man: Heh, heh. I knew I was right! As soon as the Mist cleared, I came running to this shop! And I got myself some valuable weapons, the kind the shop upstairs just doesn't carry! Heh, heh!



I'll admit, this stuff is pretty impressive... but we can only buy one thing before running out of cash. I decide to go with the Steel Boots for Ruby, since her LDF and ATK are slightly behind the others'. It's a pretty nice boost, too; her ATK is at 300 now, whereas Blue and Umber are hovering in the 275-290 range. Still, though, we'll have to come back later to fully upgrade our party.



Scientist: The Mist is gone from Sol, but I'm still too scared to start making Seru again.
Worker: A long time ago I used to raise Seru here. You could call it a Seru farm, I guess. I was really busy during the war, when the fighting was intense.



Girl: This town was so much more exciting before the Mist came.

Now that all the new NPCs are taken care of, I say we should head back to the Muscle Dome.



♪♪Wild Declaration♪♪

I didn't show you guys the slot machine the last time we were here, so I'll do that now.



There's not much to it - press one of the buttons shown to start spinning the reels, and press those buttons again to stop a row.



It might just be me being bad at timing things, but winning at slots seems a bit difficult; Baka Fighter would most likely be more profitable in the long run, anyway.

Oh, speaking of which...



♪♪Wanna Wanna♪♪

I think today we'll run through all the stages. Sound good?



I'll just skip to Stage 6 since you guys have seen the first five already. This Warhead mostly alternates between O and Square, so pressing X and O will get you through just fine.



Stage 7 is kind of a dick in comparison; the specific pattern to win is O, O, O, Square, Square, X, X, X. Keep in mind, though, that opponents will only follow their pattern most of the time; sometimes they'll just throw in a random button for no reason. If you can hit them after that, though, you have a pretty good chance of locking them back into their particular pattern.



Stage 8 is a little easier - Square, Square, Square, Square, X, O. Also, the enemy progression is kind of weird... an Ogre stronger than a Phantom or Warhead?

The pattern to use on Stage 9 is relatively simple, thankfully - O, O, X.



Oh hey, haven't seen this thing in a while; its pattern is X, O, Square. I apologize for the poorly-timed screenshots, but it's kind of dificult to take one while also inputting a pattern.



Stage 11's pattern is also kind of simple - Square, Square, O, X. That's going to change after the next round, however.



The winning pattern here is X, Square, O, O. Be careful, though - the Grude seems to randomly step out of its pattern a bit more often than the previous stages.

Can you guys guess what Stage 13 is?



Yep, Berserker's back, though you probably can't see that very well since I timed this screenshot so poorly. The pattern to use against it is O, O, X, X, Square, Square, X, X, though, again, Berserker steps out of its pattern a bit more often than previous opponents.

For the final Stage, we have...



A strange-looking palette-swap of Songi! The pattern to use on him is actually a step shorter than the one for Berserker - X, O, O, O, X, Square, Square. If he steps out of the pattern, try your best to land a hit and go from there.



If you manage to actually win (something I've never done before this LP, I'll admit; I think the farthest I ever got was Stage 9, maybe?)...



You'll get 460 coins for your troubles. This amount is always the same as far as I can tell; the score seems to be purely for show.



All in all, Baka Fighter is a rather easy way to rack up a lot of coins in a short time, provided you know how to go about it. And since I do, I think some prizes are in order.



Alright, so we can't get much of anything. Once we're at a higher level, we'll come back here to win coins from the tournaments. The Magic Ring is a pretty nice accessory that boosts the wearer's MP by 10%; I don't equip anyone with it for now, but it's nice to have all the same.

I think we're done with the Muscle Dome for now; we'll be back later for more prizes. In the meantime, here's a bonus video of a runthrough of Baka Fighter. I would've recorded a winning run, but I was having recording troubles and I wanted to get on with the rest of the update.

You know, we do an awful lot of fighting in this game - even most of the minigames revolve around combat in some way. What do you say we dance instead?



♪♪Wanna Wanna♪♪

Indeed we do, Mr. Bouncer.

Bouncer: Thank you! I'll hold onto your Gold Card while you are here. Please enjoy your visit.





The atmosphere in the Disco is very lively; all the NPCs in here are actually dancing, the strobe lights in the ceiling are revolving pretty quickly, steam columns shoot up every few seconds on those platforms the ladies are standing on, and even the floor flashes with lots of different-colored lights. It's quite the sight to see, really.

Dancing dude: It's great to be alive. Look at those people dancing. Just great.
Dancing lady: The Mist is gone?! That doesn't matter here. Don't even worry about it!
Dancing lady: I really wanted to enter the Dancing Queen Contest, but... Disco King told me I was a lousy dancer.
Dancing dude: Come on, let's get it on! You can't just watch! Dance! Dance your shoes off!
Dancing lady: When I'm dancing here, I feel so... so alive, you know? I'm just an ordinary girl now, but someday I'm going to be the Dancing Queen!
Mary: That's right! I'm Mary the Dance Queen. Ha, ha, ha! Don't tell me you're going to enter the contest, are you? {We certainly aim to.} I hate people who don't know their limitations. Lowlifes like that should just disappear. {Uh... well then!}



Nice shades.

Disco King: Do you want to take lessons from me? {Sure, I don't see why not.} Good! That's the spirit! Now just do what I do and dance!



Of course I do; why else would I be here?

Disco King: Good! That's the spirit. Let me teach you! I'll teach you the basics of dancing. Look down at your feet. There is a dance step guide and marks to show you the dance moves. Press the buttons in the same timing as the flashing guide. Timing is everything! Alright, give it a try. Let's see you dance!

Okay, this shouldn't be too hard.

♪♪Watch Noa Dance♪♪

And it isn't, really; as long as you follow the rythym and press the appropriate button at the right time, you're golden.



Disco King: Press the Triangle button simultaneously with the last command. But you can only use it three times. Press the O or Square button and Triangle button simultaneously for a groovy move. But you only get to do that 3 times. Okay, Ruby! Let's see you use the Triangle button.



Again, not too tough, though if you're playing this on an emulator you might want to configure the buttons on your keyboard to something easily remembered.



Disco King: Use the Square and X buttons to dance, and press the Triangle button at the right time for a groovy move. {Mistranslation! That's supposed to be the O button - X is never involved.} That's the basics, Ruby! Alright, practice is over. Now show me your moves, Ruby.



I apologize for the poor screenshots here, but it's pretty tough to do that and focus on the minigame at the same time. I got through it alright, though.



♪♪Wanna Wanna♪♪

*The Disco King spins around for some reason.*
Disco King: 318 points! Incredible! Ruby, you could be one of the best in the Dance Contest!

Sweet. Time to sign up! But first, we need to take some more lessons from the Disco King.



If you manage to get over 400 points during the last part of the lesson...

Disco King: As a final prize, I'll give you the Speed Chain!
Ruby now has the Speed Chain!

This accessory is awesome. It guarantees that the wearer will act first in battle, no exceptions - it even works on all the bosses. If you put it on your healer, you're basically unkillable as long as they have enough MP. I won't be using it all the time, but I'm definitely putting it on Umber for certain battles.



Announcer: The sign-up fee is 500G. Do you want to enter the contest? {Yes, please!} Very well. This young lady here, Ms. Ruby. I'll go ahead and sign you up.



Announcer: Now let's start the preliminaries for the world-famous Sol Dance Contest! Whoever wins the tough preliminary gets to compete against Queen Mary for the title!



Can do!



♪♪Watch Noa Dance♪♪

The preliminaries aren't too tough, as long as you can get the timing for the button-presses down.



The best way to get a lot of points pretty quickly is to use your Triangle move twice right at the beginning - that way you can use the triple-button combos relatively soon and rack up points.





Once a decent amount of time has passed or the clock starts counting down, feel free to use your last Triangle move for a pretty big point-boost. Even though I messed up once, I still won pretty handily.



*A drum-roll starts up.*
Announcer: Now for the judges' decision. The winners of the Dance Contest preliminaries are...
*The drum-roll ends in a crash.*

Sweet! You're next, Mary!

*The blond dancer walks off the stage as the audience cheers on Ruby and the green-haired girl.*



♪♪Dance Queen Mary♪♪

Oh hey, speak of the devil. Not gonna lie, her theme is pretty goofy.

*Mary walks in front of Ruby, standing only a few inches from her face. Ruby is understandably confused. Suddenly, the music abruptly stops as...*



Yes, Mary did just slap Ruby out of the way. She's not the most gracious of opponents, but we'll teach her a thing or two. By dancing, you see.



*"Dance Queen Mary" starts up again.*
Announcer: Introducing the contestants... First, a lovely dancer sure to dance gracefully tonight. With pretty green hair, Cathy! Next, in the middle, a dancer of amazing skill and grace, already a legend, Queen of Dance, Mary! Last, a dark horse. An unknown now, but will that change tonight? It's Ruby!




A'ight a'ight, le's do dis, son!



♪♪Dance against the Queen♪♪

The same strategy applies here as in the preliminaries - use two Traingle moves to get the three-button combinations as soon as possible.



Here, though, you want to save that last Triangle move for as long as possible - you'll need the boost it gives you at the end.





As long as you save your last Triangle move for the end and don't miss any button-presses, you should come out on top.



♪♪Wanna Wanna♪♪

Announcer: With an elegant yet energetic style, Ruby has taken the crown! Tonight is the beginning of a new legend.



Awesome. You don't just slap Ruby and get away with it, you know?



Announcer: Prize money of 10,000G and the Swimsuit!



Sweet! You might be wondering what the Swimsuit is for - you'll see in a minute.

Before we go, there's a little something you can see if you talk to the announcer again.



Announcer: I'm sorry, but ever since you won, no one wants to enter the Contest. But since you're here now, would you dance for us? {Sure thing.}



♪♪Dance Queen Noa♪♪

It's not much - just everyone dancing together - but it's a nice touch, I think.

You don't get anything for it, but you can do this whenever you want.

For those of you wanting to see that in action, I recorded the whole Contest as a bonus video. It's pretty silly, but I enjoy this section anyways.

We have one last stop before leaving the tower - we never did get to hear the rest of that lady's story in the Jazz Club, so I'll take care of that.



♪♪Sol Tower♪♪

Before we do, though, I buy the Hero Seal for Blue; one less piece of equipment we'll have to get later, after all. I'm fairly certain this is one of, if not the last armories in the game, so barring everyone's ultimate weapons, you'll want to buy everything here eventually. Again, though, there could be another armory later down the road I'm not remembering at the moment, so we'll see.



♪♪The Sol Jazz Club♪♪

I think this lady might be an alcoholic...

Blue: Would you like another drink?
Foxy lady: OK. I like you, Mister. You seem to... understand me. The two couldn't hide their love for each other. But... Soren Law wouldn't allow their love. *sigh* For love's sake, the young Soren made a frightening deal with a demon. The deal was... It was to...

Uh...



You're kidding... Alright, then, so much for that. Oh, we never did talk to Grantes the last time we were here. Maybe we should ask him about that "helping build the Floating Castle" business.



Chatty.

Grantes: I know! I know the Mist is gone from downstairs. But it doesn't mean a darn thing to me. So let me be, will you?

Well that wasn't very enlightening. In any case, we'll spend the rest of the update doing things outside the tower. First, Vidna!



♪♪Barren Fields of Mist♪♪

This isn't important or anything, but whenever you exit the tower, the camera view is different; sometimes you'll get a sideview like this before the camera circles overhead, or sometimes there'll be a zoomed-out overhead view before zooming in closer. I like that. Also, there are people on this bridge we can talk to.

Woman: Have you met His Majesty, Emperor Etora VIII? {Yep.} Very well. Then do not forget what you have been told!
Man: Oh, Blue. Are you going out? {Uh-huh.} I see. If you go to the northeast, you'll reach Buma, city of ravines. From there go west to reach the tower where Dr. Usha lives.

Thanks, guy. We'll just leave this bridge and be on our way...



♪♪The Misty Nest♪♪

And walk right into a cutscene, apparently! Sorry, I had forgotten that this happened.



Oh hey, the Delilases. I don't think we've seen them in... how many updates? Six, seven, maybe?

*The camera begins rotating around a pillar in the foreground, obscuring the speaker from view.*
Well, well. It looks like the kids revived the Genesis Tree of Sol. Not bad.



Zora: Ha, ha! You're quite confident. But leave them be. While they're wandering around, Koru will...
Lu Delilas: Don't worry about Koru. Leave him to the Delilas family!



Che Delilas: Yes, ma'am!
*The Delilases nod, and the three of them jump straight up, presumably out of the room.*



It seems that Songi has aligned himself with the main antagonist of this region. Definitely not good... but we'll worry about that later. This update is about silly side-stuff, after all.

*A quick Door of Wind use later...*



♪♪Town Square♪♪

So, about that Swimsuit...

Yep, it only exists for more silly pictures. We didn't have to jump through that many hoops, though, so I don't mind.

But anyway, on to more important matters. Matters like fishing!



If you talk to this guy when you don't have a Camera Stone, he'll just give you his fishing set. Now we can use that fishing spot near here we first discovered like... two months ago, maybe?







A few more pictures before we set off.



♪♪The Earth of Joy♪♪

Yes, please!



♪♪The Cave of Warmth♪♪

Uh... could we get some instructions, please? Maybe pressing Triangle will do something...





Okay, seems simple enough.



So far, so good...



Hm... we don't seem to be catching anything in the middle. Maybe the west side of the pond has some fish.



♪♪Brand of the Holy Knuckles♪♪

Well damn, that was fast!



Fishing's not so hard once you get the hang of it; just alternate between Square and X and pulling left and right on the rod to keep your tension low, and you're good.

Those rainbows are actually an indicator of the size of the fish you caught - one for small, two for medium, three for large.



A Jack fish? That's kind of a weird name... but regardless, I think we can catch a few more.



This is the only other fish we seem to be able to catch with a Light Lure; you can change to a Medium or Heavy Lure to catch different kinds of fish, and the fishing set came with three of each, but we have other places to be, so we'll bother with that stuff later.



The prizes here aren't that great, to be honest. There's one more fishing spot in the game with better prizes, but that'll come in a later update. In the meantime, here's a bonus video to give you an idea of what fishing is like.

We have one last stop today...



♪♪Rim Elm♪♪

Yep! There's a small sidequest that you can do anytime after leaving the village; you could attempt it with just Blue, if you wanted to. Not that that's recommended.







Bonus Boss 1: The Killer Bee Swarm
♪♪Disciples of the Mist♪♪

The Killer Bee swarm is the only time in the entire game where you'll fight more than three enemies. It can come across as a nasty shock if you attempt this, say, right after Berserker. We're really overleveled for this, though, so there's no need to worry. I'll use this bonus fight to showcase the Astral Sword.



To balance out the Astral Sword's massive attack power, the Arms input for combos is friggin' huge.





That's alright, though, because it deals ridiculous amounts of damage; other than Blue's ultimate weapon, it's the strongest one in the game. If you want to get the most out of it, it's best to use Spirit beforehand, and then just input Arms as much as possible.



As for the battle itself, for some reason you can't use magic; probably something to do with getting ambushed and stung.

It's not hard at all for us, but if you're attempting the fight earlier, it's best to focus on one target at a time. Be sure to bring plenty of Antidotes and healing items beforehand, as well, so you don't have to worry about Venom/Toxic. You'll want to end the fight as quickly as possible, so go all-out with your Arts (remembering to avoid using Low attacks); if you take too long, it's likely you'll get overwhelmed.



♪♪Rim Elm♪♪

Blue now has the Honey!
Nene: Wow, you're great! You chased off the bees! Everyone in the village will be so happy!
*Blue nods.*
Nene: I'm going home now. Bye!

There are two ends to this sidequest, depending on what you do with the Honey. You could give it to Nene...



Nene: Oh, you brought me Honey!
Blue handed the Honey to Nene!
Nene: Thank you! Now I can make an Elm Cake!

And that's it. You never see this "Elm Cake", and the Honey is gone. Now, if you were to keep the Honey instead...



It boosts all of a character's stats at once. I think you can see which one is more useful here. I'll let you guys decide who to use the Honey on.



♪♪We Are the Biran Priests♪♪

Umber: *monk-salute* Sir! Master Tetsu, I am called Umber.
Tetsu: Umber? I remember you being a mere child... You have grown strong so quickly! That reminds me. What happened to Songi?
*Umber and Blue shake their heads in silence.*
Tetsu: There must be some reason. But it matters not! I won't trouble you to explain. Umber, as a fellow Biron disciple, please look after Blue and Ruby for me!
*Umber gives a monk-salute.*
Tetsu: All I can do for you is teach you a new lethal technique.



Once again, we've learned the Arts Tetsu is offering to teach (Acrobatic Blitz for Ruby and Ironhead for Umber.)

Tetsu: Always strive to polish your techniques! May Biron be with you. For the teachings of Biron apply to every era and every situation, even a crisis like this. That's what I believe, and I want you Blue, Ruby, and Umber, to believe that, too.

And with that, the update is over. There are a few more sidequests, but they won't be doable until towards the end of the game, so we'll save that for later.

Next time: Back to plot stuff!

I'm not sure I ever knew about either the dancing game or the fishing game. I certainly don't remember them, and fishing minigames have a tendency to eat my life, even if they aren't very good. I'm not sure why. I suspect fully half of the time I spent playing Breath of Fire 4 was spent fishing. And despite the fact that the fishing game in NIER was obviously designed by someone who hates fishing and the in-game tutorial is useless, I played a ton of that, too.

I guess that's something to keep in mind for any future hypothetical future playthroughs, then. =) You get decent stuff out of fishing, at least.

But anyway, uh... sorry for not updating in a little while. I just needed a tiny break, is all. Plus, we're getting close to some of the more memorable parts of the game, and I want to make sure I do a good job of presenting them. So if updates start coming a bit slower than usual, that's likely why.

Chapter 23: The Usha Research Center



♪♪Rim Elm♪♪

Before heading back to Sol, I think we'll check in with the villagers here. Haven't seen them in a while, after all. (The incoming giant wall of text isn't important; feel free to skip it.)

Walking around town
Hunter: Hey, Blue! So you came back to Rim Elm. You should rest!
Hunter: The Karisto Kingdom has a town called Sol, I hear. I'd like to go there someday.
Woman: There are Statues of Memory to be found the world over. Blue, be sure to tell the Statue any memories you wish to save.
Hunter: Maya is a good person, energetic and warm. She brings vitality to the entire village.
Old woman: Thanks to you, Blue, Maya has finally come home to us. It's truly wonderful!
Girl: I hear there are Genesis Trees all over the world. I think that's so wonderful.
Girl: Blue, you're great! You brought Maya back, and Mei is so happy!
Boy: Tetsu is going to teach me a lot of fighting techniques! I want to grow up big and strong like you, Blue!
Woman: A bird told me: The Mist still engulfs the world around us. Blue, I sense the presence of a horrible evil inside the Mist. So stay sharp until the world is completely free of the Mist!

In Blue's house
Nene: Welcome home! You must be tired. Do you want to rest before you go? {The number of free healing spots in this game is a tad ridiculous. Not that I mind.} O.K. Sleep soundly, everyone. Good night! *afterward* Good morning! When you have time, tell me about your adventures, O.K.?
Val: *pause* Blue, you don't have to say anything. I'm just glad that you've returned home safely.

In the Elder's house
Old man: Little lady, your name is Ruby, right? Ruby is a Karisto name. She might have family in Karisto Kingdom, in the northern frontier.
Old woman: I see. So the Mist Generator is what was creating the Mist. Only a demon would create such a device...
Village Elder: Blue! You did it! You brought Maya back! Maya says you went through a lot at Biron. My experience and knowledge don't mean anything in times like these. But I can say this: Live a virtuous life. For the honest dedication of the virtuous will always be rewarded! Blue, I am proud that you are a child of Rim Elm!

In the general store
Hunter: Blue, you're really something. I'm impressed! I should have you teach me about weapons and armor! Ha ha ha!
Owner: Oh, Blue. I'm so glad to see you!

In Ixis' house
Hunter: Now that the Mist is gone from the area, I'd better start some kind of job.
Woman: Val is so lucky to have such a fine son like you.
Ixis: Village Elder said I can go hunting now, too! So don't worry about Rim Elm anymore, Blue. Just leave everything to me!

That just leaves Mei's house. There's an optional scene that takes place here you can see anytime after Zeto's Dungeon, but I had forgotten about it until just now. So, uh... yeah, let's take care of that.



♪♪Mei♪♪

*Mei hears Blue enter the house and turns around.*
Mei: Blue!
*The music fades as the two stare in silence at each other.*



♪♪Dream, Teague♪♪

Mei: You're nothing but a liar! Why didn't you tell me?



Mei: Why didn't you tell me you went to Biron Monastery to look for her? Why didn't you tell me?
*Maya notices the argument and turns around from whatever she was doing.*
Mei: I was so worried about you! I never knew you put yourself in such danger for me.



*Blue puts a comforting hand on Mei's shoulder. Maya decides to pick now to join the conversation.*
Maya: Mei, why are you angry at Blue? Why?
Mei: I don't know... I'm so happy to have you back home, Mother, but...
*Blue takes his hand off of Mei's shoulder.*
Mei: And it was Blue who brought you back, but...
*Maya wipes a stray tear off of Mei's cheek.*



*Mei starts to blush.*
Mei: When I see his face, I get full of emotions... so many emotions at the same time. I'm angry at Blue for not telling me, and angry at myself for not knowing.
Maya: Oh, Mei! You don't have to cry! There, there now! I don't know what to do with you!
Ruby: Mei? Mei, why are you crying?
*The music fades.*



Ruby: Mei, your mother came home! You're not lonely anymore! So why are you crying? Why are you crying? Did Blue do something that bad? Was he mean to you? If Blue was bad to you, I'll teach him a lesson! So don't cry, Mei, OK? When I see you crying, it makes me want to cry, too!


♪♪Melody of Memories♪♪

Ruby: Uh... Ohh...
*Ruby sinks to the ground and begins crying.*



Ruby: Wah! Waaaaaa! Waaaaaa!
*The screen fades out and back in to a minute or so later; Ruby has regained her composure.*
Mei: Oh, I'm sorry, Ruby! I'm so sorry! So many emotions came out all at once, and I was just confused.



Ruby: Uh-huh.
Maya: Blue, I want to ask you a very important favor. I want you to find Ruby's mother, like you found me. Would you do that for me? Ruby tells me that she dreams about her mother often... In those dreams, she hears her mother's voice calling to her.



This scene would probably be better if I hadn't dropped the ball on actually watching it. Sorry about that. =/

Blue: Of course! That's the plan.
Maya: That's the Blue that I know! That's the spirit!
Umber: Blue, Ruby, we should get going.
*Ruby whimpers a bit as she leaves the house.*
Maya: Umber, you take care of yourself, too!
Umber: Yes, ma'am. Thank you very much!



Mei: Blue, thank you so much.

Well, time to head back to Karisto. The Mist isn't going to destroy itself, after all.



♪♪Barren Fields of Mist♪♪

I teleported us back to Karisto Station to save us some walking. Dr. Usha's lab is northwest of here, right? Maybe we should check the map of this region.

Karisto is pretty mountainous, it seems... Which of these places is the lab, I wonder? Eh, nothing for it but to start walkin'.





While the Floating Castle randomly floats overhead. We still haven't figured out how to get up there...



♪♪Brand of the Holy Knuckles (Ver. 2)♪♪

But we'll worry about that later. For now, we'll learn a couple more Super Arts.





This particular one is used by combining Charging Scorch, Slash Kick, and Power Punch. "Maximum Blow" is a pretty sweet name, I have to say.





Triple Lizard, meanwhile, is used by combining Bird Step, Swan Driver, and Lizard Tail. As the name might imply, Ruby repeats that last somersault twice; it's a pretty damaging Art, really.







Also, our party's Ra-Seru are at a high enough level that inputting that arm into combos counts as two hits instead of one (Uh, except for Ruby, anyway. But she's already our strongest attacker at the moment, so that's okay.). Pretty nice bonus, that.



Hrm... looks like a town, with a pond nearby. Maybe this is Buma?



♪♪Buma in the Mist♪♪

Well that's one question answered.

Ruby: I'll go check! Im going ahead to the Genesis Tree!
*Ruby waves and runs off as the screen fades to black.*





♪♪Cara♪♪

Huh, I wonder what Cara's doing here.

Cara: I know... Your heart is frozen just like this ice. I can tell, because my heart is buried here in the cold ice and snow, too.
*Cara slowly stands up and shakes her head. She turns around and starts walking away from the Genesis Trees, just as Ruby arrives.*



*The music goes back to "Buma in the Mist". As Ruby examines the Genesis Tree, Blue and Umber arrive.*



*The camera begins slowly panning to the right.*
Ruby: Umber... The Genesis Tree! Come look at the Genesis Tree! Oh, this is terrible! It's frozen stiff! It's frozen!
Umber: Oh, no!
*Umber rushes over to another Genesis Tree.*



Umber: Blue, the Genesis Tree is frozen! It's covered in ice and snow!
*Blue runs over to the last Genesis Tree.*
Ruby: Terra! Terra! Everything will be alright, right? Won't the Genesis Tree wake up?



Terra: I never imagined that something like this would happen to the Genesis Tree! We still have to try!! We're going to focus all our energy! Come over here!
Ozma: Umber, let's give it a try!
*Umber nods and walks over to the Genesis Tree near Ruby.*



*Blue nods and joins the other two.*











*Nothing happens.*
Terra: It's no good. If we try any harder, we may damage the Genesis Tree.
*Ruby backs away from the Genesis Tree.*
Ruby: No! No, we can't give up! We can't! I'll do it! I'll wake up the Genesis Tree!
Umber: Ruby! Stop acting like a child!



Ruby: This is a Genesis Tree, so it should have a Ra-Seru egg!
Umber: Ruby is right! Ozma, can we at least get a Ra-Seru Egg?
Ozma: Well, actually... It looks like there are no Ra-Seru Eggs here.
Meta: It looks like all the Ra-Seru Eggs have been taken from every Genesis Tree.
*Ruby has a sudden idea.*
Ruby: Cara! She took them! She took the Ra-Seru eggs! I'm sure of it, because she had an egg!
Umber: I see. It's possible. I don't know for sure, but it's possible.



Umber: There's only one thing I can say for certain... *gestures around them* And that is, dawdling here insn't going to get us anywhere! Ruby! Blue! Let's look for other leads!!
*Umber starts walking away. Ruby looks in his direction, wide-eyed.*
Ruby: Umber, you sure do talk big.

Well, this is troublesome... How are we supposed to melt the ice? Hmm... maybe Dr. Usha knows something, assuming he's still around. We should resume our search for his lab.



But first, we're going back into Buma to look around some more. Who knows, we might find something useful.



...Except not really, I guess, since all the doors are frozen shut and there aren't any items laying around. This wasn't a complete waste of time, however!



♪♪Brand of the Holy Knuckles (Ver. 2)♪♪

We've finally run into Freed Lv2's (And a Sorcerer, I guess. They're basically slightly stronger Mages.)! And unlike their original counterparts, you'll run into these guys almost every other battle.



Awesome. They can still use Water Crystals, though, so be cautious.



Also, it turns out that Void Accessories just unequips a random, well, accessory. It stays unequipped after the battle, too, so be sure to put it back on.



Why the game keeps calling these things birds when they're clearly giant floating puffer fish is beyond me. It's like 7th Saga, only not as ridiculous.



Hmm... we'll investigate this place later.



While we're heading west, I might as well show off Freed in action.

It's actually a pretty decent spell; had we absorbed it earlier, we could've raised it to a high enough level to one-shot weaker encounters (or at least lower their AGI a bit).



Heading further west brings us to this strange tower. Time to investigate!



♪♪The Cave of Warmth♪♪

Oh, awesome, we found it! There, uh, doesn't seem to be anyone around, though. Can't hurt to look anyway, I guess.



Huh, I don't think I've ever had a random encounter here; I always went straight for the door to the tower. Let's just head inside...



Couldn't hurt to try.



Dr. Usha: Who is it?
Ruby: It's me, Ruby! I came to see you, Doctor!
Dr. Usha: Ruby? I don't know any Ruby!
Umber: We're on a journey to wipe the Mist from the face of the earth! We came seeking knowledge, Dr. Usha. Please let us in!
Dr Usha: Well... You may just be clever Seru. You say you want to destroy the Mist... If you're telling the truth, you must know the password from someone in Sol! Well? Let me hear the password!



Sure.

Dr. Usha: That's it! So you are the heroes! You're finally here! Just wait a moment. I'll send down the elevator, so wait a moment.



Wow, that was fast. Dude doesn't mess around.

Umber: That will take us up to Dr. Usha!
*Blue and co. enter the elevator.*

♪♪Usha Research Center♪♪

Huh, it's like an outpost in here. (That chest had a Healing Berry, for the curious.) Time to socialize!

Scientist: The Doctor built this laboratory in a hurry ten years ago when he learned about the Floating Castle.
Scientist: We all knew that brave heroes like you would come to save us someday.
Worker: It's s-spicy... Spicy but good. Oh, it's really good!



Hmm...

Bounty Month, 12th day. We've waited for ten years. Everyone is disheartened, except my husband. I must do something. With things the way they are, I must be strong.
Bounty Month, 16th day. Assistant 1 says he saw a blinding light shoot into the sky from Sol. Maybe it's the revival of the Genesis Tree. If so, the heroes should be coming soon.

Heh, indeed we have. Say, I wonder what their store has for sale...



Pretty nice stuff - the Bronze Book increases the chance of getting an item after battle, and the Bad Luck Bell... raises the encounter rate. I... guess you could buy that if you wanted to level-grind? We'll pass. I do buy a few healing items, though.



Sure!

Woman: Here! Please, eat all you want!
HP and MP are completely restored.
Woman: What hearty appetites you have! You seem very refreshed.

Yeah, you really shouldn't have to stay at an inn more than once or twice in this game. But anyway, let's see what's up the stairs in this room.







I guess these guys are keeping the elevator working.

Scientist: You know that woman downstairs? Well, she's actually Dr. Usha's wife.
Scientist: Dr. Usha is a naturalist and an alchemist, versed in both ancient and modern knowledgea and science.
Worker: So you're the heroes who are going to save us from the Mist! We're counting on you!
Worker: Oh, so there are three brave heroes?! So that's why it was so heavy!
Worker: So, did you have a smooth ride on an elevator? {Uh-huh.} I'm glad! Just hearing that makes it all worthwhile.



Ruby: Blue, Umber! A hot spring! There's a hot spring here.
Umber: Well, imagine that. They even have a bath in this floating place.
Ruby: I want to take a bath! I want to get in the hot spring!
Some dude off-camera: H-Hey! Wait a minute!



Ruby: I don't mind. We can take a bath together!



When people blush in this game, they do not mess around.



Are... are we answering for this guy or Blue in this situation? I'm confused here. Uh... I'll just go with the first option.

Ruby: Oh, OK. Well, I don't mind. You're weird.
Umber: Ruby, stop embarrassing this person!
Ruby: You're always yelling at me...
Umber: I'm sorry. She's still young, and doesn't know about human ways.
Blushing dude: Ah-hah. Take a bath with a g-girl? I c-couldn't do that. I'm too shy. I'd like to, but... Mrs. Usha would get mad at me.

Well, that was, uh... something. At least that scene is optional, but still... let's just move on.



But not before grabbing this.





That must be Dr. Usha. There's a Magic Fruit in a chest in this room, as well.

Scientist: We have been working for the Doctor for ten years now."
Scientist: Dr. Usha is a great man, but he's a little long-winded.
Scientist: Dr. Usha has been studying the Mist for some time, but has made little progress.

That would be us, yes.

*Blue nods.*
Umber: All three of us hate the Mist and we're going to destroy it by reviving the Genesis Trees!
Ruby: I hat the Mist, too!
Dr. Usha: Oh, ho, ho, ho! I knew it! So those are Ra-Seru on your arms, right?
Umber: Doctor, you know about Ra-Seru?
Dr. Usha: Of course, of course! But who are you? Where do you come from? Why don't we start with that question.





This is much funnier pictured than just relayed in text.

Dr. Usha: Calm down, young lady. We have plenty of time. Try to speak more slowly.



Destruciton of Rim Elm's Wall! Terra and Ruby! Their fateful meeting at Mt. Rikuroa! Biron, Songi and Umber! The Sky Gardens of Jeremi! The mystery of Octam! The tragedy of Hari, the prophet! The windless city of Vidna! The Seru brides of Ratayu! The swift flying train! Gaza, the swordmaster of Sol! And the ice-covered town of Buma!





*The screen fades back in to the lab.*
Dr. Usha: Oh, ho, ho, ho! I am amazed! Truly amazed! What a dreadful ordeal you have undergone for such a young age! Overcoming such adversity to bring peace to the world! How noble! You are indeed the heroes! I will do whatever I can to help you!



Awesome.

Dr. Usha: Of course destroying the Floating Castle should comepletely eliminate the Mist from Karisto. But the Floating Castle can only be reached by air. To revive a Genesis Tree is key. There is a Genesis Tree in Buma, but it is covered in ice. It is impossible to revive it in that state. However...



Dr. Usha: Its name is Koru. It was once a peaceful Seru, but the Mist has made it savage. The only thing to do is to destroy that Seru!
Ruby: Wow! That's easy! Doctor, do it for us! Hurry!
Dr. Usha: Ruby, calm down. Koru has been storing heat in his body for many years, and is extremely dangerous. Make a wrong move and KA-BOOM! Koru will explode and destroy you all!



The what.

Dr. Usha: But we have no Fire Droplets with which to fabricate a TimeSpace Bomb!
Ruby: Fire Droplets? I'll go get them!
Umber: Doctor, where can we find Fire Droplets?



Dr. Usha: "He who would seek the Fire Droplets must first dream in the home of the Seru. The dream will summon Tieg, who will bring the Fire Droplets." I don't know who Tieg is, but I do know that the home of the Seru is Uru Mais! And if you have a dream there, that Tieg will bring the Fire Droplets. It could be easy or difficult. But this is the only way!



Ruby: Blue! Umber! Let's go to Uru Mais!
Umber: Uru Mais. Dreams. Tieg. Fire Droplets. Nothing but riddles!

This sounds awfully fetch-questy... and to be honest, it kind of is. On the other hand, the TimeSpace Bomb sounds pretty rad, and it'll help us clear Buma of the Mist. The next few updates should cover some pretty good stuff if I remember correctly, so I'll do my best to get them done in a timely fashion. See you guys then!

Next time: Setting off for Uru Mais.

Hey, guys. I've got some explaining to do.

I know it's been a while since anything's happened in this thread, and that it's mainly my fault. If I've driven off any readers, or if any of you have gotten annoyed with waiting, then I apologize. The truth is that, up until a few days ago, I just felt really, really shitty. Like, "sit around and not do anything but just feel kinda sad because why bother doing anything else" shitty. It happens sometimes.

But I'm fine now, and I've got some news you might be interested in. Now, since I'll be at a friend's house for a week, I can't do anything update-wise. But, I do have the next three updates ready, and as soon as I get home I'll work on the fourth.

The question I pose to you guys is - do I post all the updates one after another, or space them a day apart or whatever? It doesn't matter to me; I just want to do what you guys feel is the best way to go about it, since it's been so long. Please try to post an answer soon, so I can know how to prepare ahead of time.

Until then, thank you all for your continued support - seriously, it's awesome that people are reading this and talking about it. Friggin' almost 11,000 views? How the hell did that happen? I mean I know that that isn't nearly as much as some other threads in this subforum, but it's still a lot for an LP that isn't even done yet. For that, I'm grateful. Thanks, guys. =)

I would say about a day apart, so that there's not a huge flood of new stuff to read.

I agree.