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

Thanks, guys. The boss video is still processing, but it should be done by the time we reach that point. Let's get underway.

Chapter 9: The Sky Gardens of Jeremi

Today we're going to be taking on one of the more infamous bosses in the game. Yes, that one, to those of you who've played this game before.

But first, let's say our goodbyes to the people of Biron Monastery - we might not be back for a while, after all. There aren't very many new conversations to be had, so I'll be omitting repeated lines.

♪♪We Are the Biran Priests♪♪

In Zopu's room
Zopu: Umber, you, a disciple of Biron, have chosen to wear a Seru. It goes against our teachings, but this new era forces me to permit it. Yet you were raised at Biron, and have a heart forged at Biron. Umber, never forget the harmony between love and strength that Biron has taught you!

In the training hall
Monk: Yes, sir! From here, go outside and go nortrh along the river until you reach a cave. That cave is actually a tunnel that leads to the northern region. {Good to know.}
Monk: Yes, sir! Did you all meet Kin? {Yep. Pretty swell guy.} Ah, that is good. Then you learned the mortal techniques.

In the upstairs hallway
Monk: Yes, sir! Thanks to you all, Biron Monastery is safe. I thank you.
Monk: Yes, sir! I wonder if Maya is well.

In the kitchen
Woman: Yes, yes! When everyone else was still alive, I despised that cry! But when it gets too quiet like this, it feels so lonely. {This is the woman who hated how everyone was so polite all the time, if you're wondering.}

In the main hall
Monk: Yes, sir! Is Songi still in the north, where the Mist is? {Presumably. Who the hell knows where that guy went.}

Time to go, I suppose... but not before demonstrating a few things. First, it's been a while since Blue has learned any new Arts. Let's fix that, shall we?



Here's Cross-Kick, learned by inputting ↓ ↓ ↓ ↑. I kind of screwed up the timing of this screenshot, but it's essentially Blue kicking the enemy with both legs. Not terribly exciting, but it does hit twice.















Zenoir is the first multi-hit spell we've acquired, and it's a pretty badass one, to boot. It has the same effect at higher levels that Gimard does (lowering an enemy's ATK); generally speaking, most spells of the same type have the same effects, just different damage and MP costs. There are exceptions, of course, but we'll get to those.

With that out of the way, it's about time to move on.



♪♪The Earth of Joy♪♪

Now that the Drake Kingdom has been freed from the Mist, a new map theme will play here. It's quite nice, in my opinion. Oh, speaking of maps, we haven't looked at the world map yet, have we?



Here it is, with a smaller version of it in the bottom left. You can access the map by pressing L1 while in the field.



You know, now that I get a good look at it, Drake Kingdom is kind of... small. All the locations are within walking distance of each other, and even going to Drake Castle from here wouldn't take more than a minute or two.



In any case, the cave to the Sebucus Islands isn't far at all, and the encounter rate is so low you might not even run into a battle on the way.



♪♪Peaceful Path♪♪

There aren't any encounters here, strangely enough.



There certainly are doors, though.



Old Wizard: Now that the Mist has amazingly disappeared, I was just waiting for a customer. Welcome to my shop. I have everything and anything. Come on into the back.

Huh, cool. Might as well see what he has for sale while we're passing through.

The Old Wizard has full weapon and armor upgrades for everyone. I manage to buy the Ironman Seal and Boots for Blue, as well as a full set of new armor for Ruby. She can deal without the Fighter Claw, since the Tempest Shoes already give a big boost to ATK, and we already upgraded Umber's equipment before coming here, so he's good. This shopping spree didn't come cheap, though; I had to sell off old equipment as I replaced it, as well as a Shield Elixir we picked up and one of our Magic Leaves.

Someone mentioned awhile back that this game is rather stingy with money, and for the most part that's true; generally speaking, most fights give you half as much G as they do experience, aside from bosses and other exceptions. With that in mind, you can use a few tricks to save cash and help prevent money-grinding.

For example, it's a good idea to sell off old equipment. I know that seems like a no-brainer to most of you, but for those like me who never sold anything ever because what if I need it later, this is something you really need to consider doing.

It's also a good idea to prioritize new leg armor over new weapons. Since leg armor raises LDF and ATK, you're getting twice the benefit. Besides, nine times out of ten you can find new weapons by thouroughly exploring dungeons, and if you can't you're only missing out on a few extra points of ATK anyway.

In any case, with all that out of the way we can proceed further into the cave.



After moving this lever, of course.





Hooray!



This accessory decreases the enemy ambush rate. It pays to examine your surroundings like this - the reward for doing so is pretty great (or at least passable) most of the time.



Like so! This permanently increases the user's INT by 4. Ruby could certainly use that, since she has the lowest INT out of everyone.



Moving on, the next area soon leads to an intersection. Let's head left; going right leads to a Door of Light.



Heading further left yields a Healing Bloom, while right leads to the next area. Onward!



Old Witch: I am called the Old Water Witch. I've been in business here for forty years. But it's been ten years since I've had any customers! I'm so happy now! Well, come on in! I run a store and an inn. You must be tired. Come along and I'll get you a room for the night.



Eh, I don't see why not.

*Blue nods.*
Old Witch: Well, enjoy your stay!
*The screen and music fade out.*



♪♪Noa's Dreams♪♪

Whoa, what the hell? Why is the screen warping like that?



Okay, it stopped. That's good. But... where the hell are we? I don't think we've seen this place before.

Umber: Blue! Ruby!



Well, we did just go to sleep. We're probably dreaming, though that doesn't answer the question of where this place is.

Blue: We may be dreaming.
Umber: Perhaps... But if this is a dream, it feels different from an ordinary dream.
*Ruby suddenly grabs her head and turns toward the building in front of them.*
Umber: What's the matter?
Ruby: A voice! I hear a voice! Who is it? My mother... It sounds like my mother!

*The screen darkens as it rises.*

I have a message for those
in the human world and who
are with the Ra-Seru.
They are the true words
of Rem.
Go to Octam, the ancient yet
eternal city, far away in the
heart of Sebucus.
There, compassionate human beings
will learn the true meaning of all
dreams!

Rem? That sounds familiar...

Oh yeah! So... I guess Rem is the being that takes souls to the afterlife? But what would she want with us? And why did this "Hari" wait until now to contact us?



Ruby: Hari is going to tell us what our dreams mean...
*The screen ripples as the dream fades out.*



♪♪Peaceful Path♪♪

Whoever this Hari is, they sounded like it was urgent we meet them. I guess we'll have to hope we find this "Octam" on our travels.

Blue: I guess we should find Hari.
Ruby: Yeah, you're right, Blue.

Well that was weird. Let's have a brief chat with the residents of the cave and be on our way.



Hot damn! This increases the user's max MP by 8. I'll give it to Ruby since, again, she has the least out of everyone.

Boy: When you get out of the cave, go northwest. Then you'll come to the town of Jeremi. I've heard it was a beautiful town famous for an amazing tree and the Sky Gardens, but now, who knows. {Amazing tree, huh? Sounds like it might be a Genesis Tree!}
Girl: The old woman, she's a nice person, don't you think? {Well she did let us stay at her inn for free.} We were orphans, but she was kind enough to raise us. The Sebucus Islands to the north are covered by the Mist. Be sure you have everything you need.



A fair bit, I suppose.

*Blue nods.*
Girl: Oh, good! I dream a lot, too! Dreams tell you about the future, you know.



I... guess? That sounds like it might be what Hari meant by "the true meaning of all dreams." We'll have to stay on our toes, though; who knows if that's his true intentions.

*Blue nods again.*
Girl: I knew it! I knew you were interested in dreams! Somewhere on the Sebucus Islands is a preson who lives in a dream world. His name is Hari.
Ruby: I know about Hari! Can Hari really tell you what a dream means?
Girl: Yes. My grandma told me so.
Ruby: He's in Octam. Hari is in Octam, right?
Girl: Octam? I'm sorry, I don't know much about the outside world.
Ruby: Oh. *sigh*
Ruby: Blue! I've made up my mind! I'm going to look for Hari!



Sure thing - maybe he can help you find your parents by deciphering those dreams of yours. Besides, no one said we had to stop our quest to destroy the Mist to find him; we're already multitasking as it is.

Blue: Of course I'll help you find him!
Ruby: Good! I'm so happy! Thank you, Blue!

I don't know about you guys, but I'm about ready to leave this cave. Let's be off.



Here's the item shop, for the curious. The Old Witch sells all the accessories we've come across so far, as well as a few basic healing items.



What now?



Blue now has two Doors of Wind!
Ruby: Old Witch, what is this?
Old Witch: What? You don't know about the Doors of Wind? Let's see, where do I start? It's an item that lets you fly - anytime - to a town you've visited at least once. You can't use it in caves or inside a town, but... Many islands make up the Sebucus Islands. Use the Wind Door to get around here.
Umber: *monk-salute* Thank you for your kindness.
Old Witch: *nods* Oh, don't mention it. Well, good luck to you.

Well that was nice of her. Something tells me we'll be needing those Doors of Wind eventually.



♪♪Barren Fields of Mist♪♪

Well, here we are - the Sebucus Islands. Let's check the map to see where we are.



Holy shit, this region is huge. The boy in the cave said that Jeremi was northwest from here. Let's check that...



There it is, all right. That's not too far - we'll be there in no time!



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

We won't get there without incident, of course. The Death Wings is merely a palette-swapped Evil Fly, but the Ogre is something else entirely.



You see, they can do this to increase their attack power, so they're best taken out as soon as you encounter one. They have quite a bit of health, too, so it'll probably take a full turn of eveyone attacking it to bring the thing down.

Also, Hell's Trigger. Sure it's just a palette-swapped Ostrich, but come on. Hell's Trigger. That name is way too awesome for a goddamn ostrich.



♪♪Barren Fields of Mist♪♪

Well that wasn't too far - only two battles and we're already there. It doesn't seem like those mountains protected the town too well, though - I wonder if the citizens are holding up?



♪♪Mist Covered Town♪♪



I guess not!

Terra: Ruby, it's a Genesis Tree! I sense a Genesis Tree!
Umber: That means we can save this town if we revive that Genesis Tree!
Ozma: I sense that the Genesis Tree is somewhere in town... someplace high up.



Umber: Oh, brother.

Looks like we have our destination. Let's see if we can find anything in town before heading up, though.



Nothing in here...



Ooh, a general store. There's bound to be something in here.





Something like this! (I botched the second shot, but I found a Target Chain in the cabinet here.)



An inn, huh?



Yoink!



One last building before moving on to the tower.



Sweet.

Oh, and if any of you were wondering, the dialogue with the citizens of Jeremi consists of "A human possessed by a Seru! It sounds afraid." or "A human possessed by a Seru! It's babbling unintelligibly." Riveting, I know.

Time to explore that tower!



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

Before we do, though, there are a couple new enemies here, like this Lv2 Nighto.



It has gained a new attack, in the form of Ultrasound. Assuming it doesn't get blocked, there's a chance that it will Curse the target, preventing that character from using magic and lowering their combat effectiveness. Nasty stuff.

Also, giant flying puffer fish.



Giant flying puffer fish that can potentially poison you.

This game has weird enemies, if you haven't already noticed.



♪♪A Town Enveloped by Mist♪♪

Right, the tower. Unlike the other buildings, you can still encounter enemies in here, so stay on your toes.



An organ? Hm... maybe the ground floor of the tower used to be a bar? The checkered floor adds a bit of credence to this theory. Ah, well, let's head through the door.



♪♪The Quiet Destruction♪♪

I don't like the look of this place... we'd best proceed cautiously.



Oh, goddamn it. It's understandable, since no one's ran the thing for ten years, but still.



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

Ah, a new Seru! I had forgotten you encoutered these here.



In addition to looking pretty freaky and sounding like a swarm of locusts every time you hit them, Swordies have about as much health as an Ogre. Unlike what their stature suggests, however, they aren't immune to High attacks, so feel free to use them. Swordies aren't very strong, either, so there's no worries on that front.



Also, Guardians. They're every bit as nasty as Drake Ghosts were back in Drake Castle, and they have a new attack, called V-Slash. It does considerably more damage than Windhash, so try to kill them quickly.



♪♪The Quiet Destruction♪♪

This is the only way forward, so we'll take it for now.



Ah geez, this has the makings of an elevator maze. I hope this isn't the case.



Yyyyep, it's an elevator maze, alright. At least it looks pretty. Plus it's rather short.



Taking the top elevator in the previous shot leads to a Speed Ring, which increases the wearer's SPD by 20%. This is, of course, going on Umber straightaway.



Taking the bottom elevator leads to a central chamber, with elevators in the four corners. The top right elevator leads to a Healing Bloom, while the top left one...



Leads to this thing. It seems slightly out of line. Let's fix that, shall we?

*The switch slides into the ground.*
The rapid elevator has been turned on!

Sweet! Now maybe we can get to the top of this place. We haven't checked out the bottom left elevator in the previous chamber, though.



Hm... pretty convenient. I think we're good, though. Time to head outside!









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

This happened during the elevator shenanigans. I am continually astounded by the ease I'm absorbing Seru this playthrough.



♪♪The Quiet Destruction♪♪

Seems like we've made it to the Sky Gardens.



Before continuing from here, be absolutely sure that at least two characters have their Vera spell at level 5. This is super fucking important.



What... what the fuck is that thing?!



♪♪Evil Seru♪♪

Ozma: It's a Seru!
Ruby: A Seru? I didn't know Seru could be this weird.



Terra: Long exposure to the Mist must have turned that Seru into such a horrible creature.
Meta: It's clinging to the Genesis Tree to absorb the energy that it emits.



*There is a sudden flash of light.*







Shit, it finally noticed us. This is going to suck...

Umber: The only way to revive the Genesis Tree is to defeat him first! Let's go!

Boss Battle 4: Berserker
♪♪Attack♪♪

Berserker is no ordinary boss. Up until this point, the bosses and enemies have ranged from easy to tough, but they've always been fair.

Berserker? It doesn't do that "fair" shit that's been goin' around. No, it throws that crap straight out the window for this battle.



You see, each and every one of its attacks are specifically designed to fuck up the shit of whoever it feels like attacking that turn. Take Poison Gas, for example - it's Berserker's least damaging attack, but it can also poison you. Berserker likes to keep you on your toes, you see...



For the inevitable beatdown. Because sometimes giant green abominations unto god just feel like beating the shit out of their targets, you know?







Sometimes, though, Berserker enjoys rendering its target helpless, and potentially Rotting their entire body while dealing hundreds of points of damage is just the ticket to doing that. For, you see, Berserker enjoys drinking your tears. They are its very life essence. Just look at the Genesis Tree in the background - if the thing had tear ducts it'd be bawling its eyes out at Berserker eating it alive. Slowly.



This is why it's so important to have Vera at level 5 - it's the only way you'll have to cure Rot at this point, and it'll heal you by quite a bit, besides.

But none of that compares to Stone Circle. Nothing up to this point compares to Stone fucking Circle - not Caruban's Fire Breath, not Zeto's Big Wave, not the Viguros.



Because just when you've had enough...



Just when you start begging for mercy...



The great light of hope appears before you...



Only for Berserker to smash it into tiny fucking pieces. In front of you. There isn't a pattern to it, either; if you're unlucky, Berserker might decide to use Stone Circle two turns in a row. If that happens, well...







You're fucked. Plain and simple.

"So," you might ask, "How the hell do we kill the damn thing if it's such a brutal fuckhead?" Well, dear reader, there are two ways to go about this. They are both prefectly good options, and I'll respect your decision no matter what you pick.

The first option is to grind a bit. I'm actually a bit underleveled, you see; normally I fight Berserker with my party at level 14, but this time they are somehow at level 12. It wouldn't take very long, porbably less than an hour, and in that time Umber could grind up his healing magic to help out. I don't really feel like doing that, though, and I'm up for a bit of a challenge (plus I've never beaten Berserker at this level), so fuck that noise.

The second option is to cheese the fight a little. You see, Berserker isn't immune to Charm - which, if you'll remember, acts like confusion in other RPGs and wears off if the afflicted target is attacked. Nighto has a pretty good chance of inflicting confusion, even at level 1, so...

But it gets better! You see, if there's only one monster in a battle and it gets Charmed before it attacks, its turn is cancelled.

With this knowledge in mind, a battle strategy can be formed. After using the Speed Elixir found near the boss on Umber to ensure he gets his turn sooner, you can use Nighto to essentially give yourself free turns. While Berserker is confused, it won't take any action, leaving you free to heal and recover.

Oh, and one other thing...

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

For a little extra insurance, you can have Ruby learn an Art called Tough Love, which Charms the target in addition to dealing damage. Be warned, though - while it works just fine on enemies, there's only a slim chance it will affect Berserker. We're talking slim, too, like... well, you know how in Final Fantasy games the Death spell doesn't really work except on a few enemies it's guaranteed to hit? It's like that. Tough Love is something that should be saved for a desperate situation, is what I'm saying. Edit: While doing some digging around, I found out that this Art doesn't work on bosses at all. So, uh... just consider this paragraph unimportant, I guess.



♪♪The Quiet Destruction♪♪

Also, something I forgot to mention is that you can pick this up near the boss, and since there aren't any encounters on top of this place you're free to grab it, run and save, and then come fight Berserker. The Forest Amulet is very handy; it protects the wearer from Rot attacks. Put it on whoever you feel will need it most (probably Ruby or Umber).

Now, with all that preparation out of the way, let's try this agai-



♪♪Attack♪♪

I... oh my god. Oh my god. OH MY GOD. Nighto actually fucking killed Berserker! I had no idea that this could happen, holy shit! I was so shocked I missed screenshotting it, but trust me when I say it actually fucking worked! I... I honestly never knew you could instakill bosses in this game like that. This raises all sorts of questions, like "What other bosses does this work on" or "Holy shit did that actually fucking happen" or... Excuse me for a moment. I guess you can watch the video or something. (Don't worry about the end; I made another run to ensure everyone got experience.)

...

...

Alright, I'm good now. Sorry about all that, it was just... a bit unexpected. I wish I had gotten recorded footage of that...



♪♪The Quiet Destruction♪♪

But anyway, I'm glad that's over with. Don't worry, there won't be any more fights that difficult for quite some time.



Gladly.



He felt a gentle warmth in the palm of his hand.
Ruby reached out swiftly for the Genesis Tree.



Umber reached out strongly for the Genesis Tree.



Good thing this scene has context!







♪♪The Awakening of the Tree of Creation♪♪

Fantastic! That's one more down. Plus we saved the people of Jeremi! Hopefully they'll give us a discount on items and stuff.



♪♪Voz Forest♪♪

Kickass!

Ruby: Terra and I are even stronger! This is great!
Umber: So this is how the Ra-Seru become stronger...





Wow, this place is actually pretty nice-looking, now that there isn't a horrifying monster sucking the life out of it.



Woman: Was I asleep... Or was I awake? Oh, the Mist came, then...



Man: Woah! The Mist is disappearing, too! Something is happening! *pause* There's someone next to the Genesis Tree!
Woman: They must have drove away the Mist! Oh, how wonderful!









Sure was!

*Blue nods.*
Man: I knew it! Thank you so much! How wonderful! It's a miracle! Tell me how you did it.

I couldn't capture it very well, but Ruby's doing that arm-waving thing of hers, before striking a pose. It's quite silly.

*Umber shrugs.*
Man: Incredible!
*Ruby gives a chest-bump.*
Man: Just great! Magnificent! So reviving the Genesis Trees is what does it. I should get going, then! I'll hurry down ahead of you so I can tell the people of Jeremi about this miracle!
*The man runs off.*





We gain control at this point, but I'll stop here for now - this update is rather large, after all. I don't remember the next part of the game too well, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Next time: Meeting the people of Jeremi, and probably other things, too.

There was this one time when I blew almost my entire cash to bought a super-expensive armor...only to find the exact same thing in the dungeon I entered soon after.

Normally it doesn't matter much if it happened in other JRPGs, but it really stings in this game.

Ugh, yeah, The Berserker. Fuck that guy. I can't exactly remember how I beat it, but it sure as hell takes a lot of-

WHAT.

I heard rumors that Berserker was vulnerable to instadeath, but I never believed them...until now.

Ah, yes. The 'Yojimbo' method of dealing with bosses.

Also, so much for that difficulty curve. Yeesh.

Does that make you the Bizarro Sky Render?

I've seen another LP (not on this forum) where video recording seemed to have a magic power to make random drops occur more often.

LPs are funny that way. Some of them get rare drops and events like crazy, while others suffer the 'LP curse' of never having any of the cool stuff happen... Unless the LPer isn't recording.

Soren appears to have gotten a little dose of both.

Don't worry; after the Berserker fight, the difficulty curve goes right back down to where it was and continues its gradual rise. It won't get that ridiculous again for quite a while.

I'm just as astounded as you guys are. I seriously wish I had gotten a screenshot or something to show you guys...

I don't know about all that, but I'm starting to wonder...

Yeah, as much as I love this game, I wish it wasn't quite so stingy with money. So far I've been able to get by by not running from any fights and selling old equipment as I replace it, but I don't remember how long I'll be able to go without doing at least a little money grinding.

Here's a little something to keep you guys occupied until the next update.


The best part? That video was my first attempt to record this today. I know I've been getting lucky with this playthrough, but this is starting to get a bit ridiculous.

I won't spoil it, but I'm 99% sure this is as far as I ever got in this game.

...Have you read the newest update? It's, uh, fine to talk about now.

As for progress, I'm not terribly surprised; Berserker is the stopping point for quite a few people. It's one of the few actively unfair fights in the game, because a) its attacks are incredibly damaging - much more so than you're used to at this point - and b) there isn't really a method to Berserker's madness. It might use Stone Circle twice in a row, it might Spore or Poison Gas your party one by one, or it might simply beat you to death. There's really not any way to prepare for it; sure, Nighto helps out and may even turn the tide of the battle, but it isn't guaranteed to work and you might not even use it, since most RPGs teach you that status-effect spells are useless.

Still, once you get past Berserker it's smooth sailing for the most part in terms of balance. There are a few comparatively difficult fights, but by then we'll have the resources to deal with them, and a few of them are entirely optional, anyway.

I just noticed this LP and was gonna post about Zeto and the Berserker instakill trick and lo, there they are on the last page. I remember nothing of the game's world, characters or story, but I remember Zeto, Berserker, Call Wave, Terio Punch, and Songi. And Tough Love being super abusable. I also remember thinking that this had to be the hardest RPG ever. I hadn't played old RPGs very much at that point, mostly PS1, so I was accustomed to always being at the right level (or too high of a level) without actually spending any time grinding. That might even have been the point where I realized I could grind to make the game easier... and maybe also the point were I got a distaste for leveling.

(Imaginary conversation after the play-testing phase)

"Whelp, all the testers said that the Berserker guy is way too hard."
""Hmm...how should we fix that...oh, I got it. Just make that instakill spell works on him."
"Genius!"

...Yeah, three things I remembered most from Legaia are: Berserker, Noa's victory poses, and that one powerful Seru whose name I can't remember. The one with an animation (a canine impaling the target in the air or something) so stupidly long that I actually put down the controller and make a coffee or something every time I use it. Can't wait until you get that one.

Don't worry, I'll address that when we get to it.

Also, I apologize for the slight delay in posting the newest update; I'm having difficulties with the recording software I've been using up until now. I should be able to get it sorted out in a day or two.

Ah Berserker. Any time I hear the boss music from Legaia that boss is always the one that pops into my head. I don't know how I beat it, I think in all likelihood I went and level-grinded for a while until he wasn't quite as intimidating, but he was always intimidating. At least, since I didn't know about the insta-death thing. I was still a JRPG newbie back then, I think this had to be only my second or third one, so I'm a little impressed that I managed to get past him without giving up.

I did subsequently buy a strategy guide so that I could always have a handy reference for how to beat any other difficult boss fights the game might throw at me though. A lot of them come down to "spot the tell for using Spirit".

Hey, everyone! Sorry for the delay; aside from recording troubles, I've kind of been lazy lately. I'll try to work on it.

In any case, this update will have lots of talking and not much action, but I'll do my best to make it enjoyable to read.

Chapter 10: The Resort Town of Vidna

Now that we've saved Jeremi from a horrifying monster that sucked the life out of world-saving trees for shits and giggles, the townspeople probably want to get to know us a bit. Let's go meet them!



♪♪Voz Forest♪♪

Woman: It must be because you awakened the Genesis Tree! {Yeah, I'd say so, too.}

Before we go, though...



I forgot to pick this up last time. It acts like a Healing Flower for the entire party. That probably would have been useful during the Berserker fight...



♪♪The Light of the Town♪♪

This is another one of my favorite tunes in the game. I'll let it speak for itself while we use the Rapid Elevator.







We get some shots of the tower on our way down. It's a nice touch.



Mayor: You revived the Genesis Tree and saved Jeremi from the Mist! The townspeople have rushed over to get a look at all of you! Please, come this way.



Man: When I told the townspeople about your brave deeds, they were ecstatic!
Mayor: Oh, come now! The townspeople are so anxious to see you! Let's go! Alright, this way, please!
Man: Ha, ha! I'm in trouble! I must return to the Sky Gardens. I hope to see you again soon!
*Blue and the mayor pass through the entrance as the music fades.*

This should be nice; we haven't gotten to relax in a while.



Mayor: Wearing Ra-Seru, these heroes braved the Mist and revived the Genesis Tree! Here they are, the heroes who saved Jeremi: Blue! Ruby! Umber!



♪♪The Sol Jazz Club♪♪ (The song title will make sense later. Much later.)

Blue-haired lady: Blue! I just adore you!
Blonde dude: Ruby, you're so cute!
Green-haired lady: Oh I don't believe it! It's Umber!



I, uh, appreciate the enthusiasm, but this is getting a little crowded... (No, I'm not sure what the blue spots on the Mayor are; probably a graphical glitch or something.)

Mayor: Don't push! Everyone, please calm down!



Ack, this is ridiculous!

*The scene slowly fades out; we fade in to the next day.*



♪♪The Light of the Town♪♪

Mayor: I'm so sorry about yesterday. I never thought that would happen! I have firmly instructed everyone not to cause any ruckus this time. Well then, good luck. Good day.
*The mayor leaves the room.*

Well that was... eventful. I guess we should get going. Before we do, though, let's talk to the townspeople - maybe they can tell us more about the Sebucus Islands.

In the inn
Woman: Speaking of which, Zalan, who's in the southwest part of town, said he had a favor to ask you heroes. {A favor? I wonder what that's about. Also, yeah, that's actually her dialogue, I didn't forget to type any of it. I think a bit of it got left out of the game by accident...}
Man: The outside world is still engulfed by the Mist, and the Seru are still out there, right? {Yeah, unfortunately. Don't worry, though, we're working on it.} Oh... Can't something be done?
Innkeeper: Welcome, brave Ra-Seru wearers. Do you wish to spend the night? {That's right, free inn stays whenever we want! We don't need it at the moment, though, so we'll be on our way.}
Mayor: Well, well. Thank you so much for stopping by. Now I'm sure my limited knowledge is probably of no use to someone like you, but... If you need to know something, then just look for Hari. They say Hari knows just about everything. {The mayor knows Hari, too? Just how famous is this guy?}

Heading to the house in the southwest brings us to this dude:



Zalan: I have a favor to ask of you. Will you listen? {I don't see why not; you must have wanted us, specifically, for a reason.} Oh, thank you! I have a wife and son in Vidna. I don't know how things are in Vidna, but... If they are alive, I want them to know I am safe. That's why I wrote this letter. But I can't deliver the letter because of the mist outside town. I heard that you can travel through the Mist. All I ask of you... is that you deliver this letter to my wife and son in Vidna.



Zalan: My wife's name is Yuma. My son is called Pepe. I hope they are safe.

Geez, that was depressing. Wherever this "Vidna" is, I hope it isn't Mist-infested or abandoned. Let's just finish talking to the townspeople and hopefully get some damn directions.

In the general store
Man: If we went outside, we'd get eaten by those Seru, no matter what kind of weapons we had.
Boy: Oh, Blue! When I grow up, I want to be a brave warrior like you!
Woman: My husband says that no matter what happens, you can always count on money. I know he just wants our business to succeed, but who's going to buy weapons for fighting now?

In the northeastern house
Woman: On that day, the Mist suddenly flowed into town from the northwest. The origin of the Mist must lie beyond the sea. {Hmm... good to know.}
Man: I heard that you rid all of Drake Kingdom of the Mist. What a wonderful deed you have done. Please! Drive the Mist from the Sebucus Islands in the same way!
Boy: When, um, I was in the Mist, I was so lonely, and I was scared, too! But when I woke up, Mommy and Daddy were right there next to me, so I was really happy!

Walking around town
Boy: Yeah! Hooray! Hooray for the brave Ra-Seru!
Man: Have you been to Vidna, to the morth? {No, but thanks for the directions!} I've heard it's the best resort area in the world! I really want to go there some day.
Woman: We survived somehow, but... Some people disappeared during the ten years we were in the Mist. They must have been killed while possessed by the Seru.
Girl: If Hari were in Jeremi... Hey, you do know who Hari is, right? {Vaguely...} Maybe we could have escaped the Mist, if Hari had prophesied our future.
Old Woman: Did you meet Zalan? {Yeah, poor guy.} Zalan must be beside himself.
Old Man: Here on the Sebucus Islands, in addition to the Sky Gardens, there's also a Genesis Tree. I think it's on a mountain far to the north. {Thanks for the tip!}
Woman: Being possessed by the Seru was like a long nightmare. Thank you so much, all of you!

The tower bar
♪♪The Sol Jazz Club♪♪
Boy: Ah, the Ra-Seru heroes! I'm so glad to finally meet you! We were just having a celebration! Everyone is so happy! This is the happiest day of my entire life!
Man: The Sky Gardens were a famous tourist attraction. When the Mist is finally gone from the earth... I'm sure many tourists will come to see the Genesis Tree that you revived for us.
Man: Ruby is the cutest girl in the whole world! {I'm not sure how creepy that is since I can't find any official ages for the party, but still...}
Man: Have you been to the cafe? {There's a cafe?} You haven't? Well please go there and try to cheer those guys up, will you?
Woman: The Mist attacked without warning! We had no time to prepare at all! That's why that nightmare... that catastrophe occurred when the Mist came. But thanks to you, we're saved. Thank you so much!"
Red-haired dancer lady: Umber! Umber! Umber! The fighting monk! Not afraid of anyone! Oh, the fighting monk. He is just so cool!
Blue-haired dancer lady: Ruby! Ruby! Ruby! Ruby is red-hot! Swift like the wind! We made up this song and dance to show our appreciation!
Green-haired dancer lady: Blue! Blue! Blue! Blue is tough! Not afraid to fight! Come on, everyone, let's dance! {They don't actually dance.}
Man: The Mist came on the day before our wedding! Who could have imagined anything like this... But now I'm just so happy that she's safe.
Woman: Once things settle down, I want us to have a proper wedding. I hope that you brave Ra-Seru can make that possible!

The Sky Gardens
♪♪Voz Forest♪♪
Man: What a thrill! Imagine, to witness the birth of a new legend! {The woman near the Genesis Tree says the same thing as before.}

Turns out there's a cafe above the inn that I forgot about. Whoops!



♪♪Dream, Teague♪♪

Oh god, I'm getting a terrible vibe from this place already...

Woman: Do you know Zalan? {Yeah.} He knows everything there is to know about jewels.
Man: He lost his girlfriend to the Mist. I'm trying to cheer him up. *turns to a dude sitting down that we can't talk to* Hey, there is no way you could have killed your girlfriend when you were a Seru monster! So stop brooding!
Man: Hmmf! This tastes bad. None of it's any good!
Old Man: The Mist went away and I'm human again, but my poor son is gone. He must have died while we were all possessed by the Seru.
Old Woman: My husband says our son died, but I don't see how that's possible. I mean, before the Mist invaded our town, he was so vibrant! How could he be dead?
Man: When the Mist went away and I woke up, my wife and children were gone. I would have been better off spending eternity in the Mist, possessed by those Seru!
Bartender: After the Mist came, we were in a dreamlike state. It seemed brief, yet an eternity at the same time . But when we awakened from the Mist, so much time had gone by. Those who didn't lose any loved ones during those years are dancing here now, but... Those who lost someone to the Mist are here drinking!
Piano player: Did you ever come here before the Mist cleared? {I forgot this building existed, actually.} Oh, I see. That's OK. Don't worry about it.
Dude sitting on a barrel: Hmmf! I bet you think I'm just some washed up bum, don't you? {Nah, no one who wears a Red Mage hat can be a bum.} Ah, so you do understand. You're smart. You're right. I may look like this now, but once I trained at Biron. But then again, I left there because I couldn't take the pressure of training. If you want, I can teach you some Arts. {I would, but we already seem to know everything you can teach...}

That was quite a bit of concentrated sad. Let's just go shopping before it rubs off on me...



First, though, I pick this up behind the bar. It raises both UDF and LDF, so I'll give it to Blue until we can buy some armor.





♪♪The Light of the Town♪♪

Here's the stuff we can buy. The Warrior Armor and Master Boots are a nice upgrade for Blue, but they're pretty damn expensive; he'll have to wear the Guardian Ring for now. In the meantime, I buy the Fighter Claw for Ruby, since it's been a while since her last weapon upgrade. I also buy a few Healing Leaves for the road, though using Vera with everyone will probably last a lot longer.



Well, time to go. The townspeople said that Vidna was north of here...



♪♪Barren Fields of Mist♪♪

That certainly does look like a town in the distance, but we'll have to get there first. It shouldn't be too far a journey.



Hang on, though - what's this way? It might be worth investigating.

Before we go, do you remember that Fire Book II we picked up from Berserker?



Awesome. Let's get a demonstration of that.



♪♪Brand of the Holy Knuckles♪♪







Yeah, Fire Blow is basically a flaming elbow drop. It costs more than Tornado Flame, but it does more damage - plus it keeps the Engrish shouting!

While I'm here, I'll demonstrate Swordie as well.

In addition to being the first Wind Seru we have, Swordie does the most damage out of all the attack magic we've acquired, especially if Ruby uses it. Not only that, but at higher levels it lowers the target's SPD. Of course, it's only slightly less expensive than Zenoir to cast, but it wouldn't hurt to use every now and then.

We also run into a few new enemies on the way to investigate the mysterious spot on the map.



We actually could've run into Kabuki Rats last time, but didn't for some reason. Think of them as this region's Gobu Gobus - they're rather easy to kill at this point and can steal items.



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

These enemies are both surprisingly durable. It's a bit of a toss-up which one to take down first; every iteration of the Slime can use Divide to make more of them, while each Lip enemy's Kiss of Death has a different effect. I don't remember what the Lip Kid's does, though; I'll have to do some testing.



Poisonous Worms can, well, poison you, but they aren't very threatening beyond that. Killer Bison can use an attack called Hell Tackle to deal a decent amount of damage, but they're easily neutralized with Tough Love. Most enemies are, in fact; hardly any enemies in the game are immune to Charm besides bosses, so it's a good move to use to get out of tough situations.

Also, the enemies in the area yield a pretty decent amount of experience and G, so you could walk around in the Mist grinding for a while if you felt like it. Not that I'll be doing that, but the option's there.



♪♪Barren Fields of Mist♪♪

A sign? What's a sign doing in the middle of nowhere?



But you don't have a fishing rod!

It seems to be an unspoken rule for late-90s JRPGs to have fishing in them at some point - about the only exception I can think of is Xenogears. We don't have a fishing rod at the moment, though, so we'll save this spot for later. Onwards to Vidna, I suppose.



Looks like an old ruin of some sort - Octam, perhaps? Doesn't seem like we can get there yet, though.



Windmills? That's... actually pretty smart; the Mist can't get near the town. What are those... things in the distance, though? Hmm... let's just enter this place for now.



♪♪Town Square♪♪

I love how different the mood of this place is simply by speeding up the tempo of Jeremi's music and adding a beat.



It's weird seeing a town that actually has a sense of prosperity - even Drake Castle only had booths for shops, and the other places we've been to have seen better days, to say the least. Let's chat with the locals for a bit and see if we can't learn anything about this region.

Walking around town
Tour guide: Before the Mist came, there were plenty of tourists in town, and I was a tour guide.

Sweet! Let's go down the list, shall we?

Blue: We want to see Vidna!
Tour guide: OK, a tour of Vidna it is! I'll do it for 100G. But you gotta pay cash, OK? {Sure thing; that's barely any money at all. It'd only take a single battle to get it back.} Alright, it's a deal! I'd like to welcome you all to Vidna. Enjoy your stay!



Tour guide: 138 years ago, Mayor Molina saw the value of this geothermal energy and developed a tourism industry based on the area's natural beauty. Vidna became famous as a paradise on earth that everyone wanted to visit. People came from all over Legaia for the hot springs. In fact, Vidna's slogan was: "Just as Vidna's underground heat will keep the windmills turning, and the hot springs hot forever, no love borne here will ever die." In other words, they thought that Vidna's prosperity would last forever.



Huh - that was actually pretty fascinating, even though that was less of a tour and more of a backstory dump. Maybe Octam will be interesting?

Blue: We want to see Octam!
Tour guide: OK, a tour of Octam it is! I'll do it for 100G. But you gotta pay cash, OK? {Sure, I guess, though I'm beginning to question the validity of calling these explanations "tours".} Ah, Octam... I've been there many times as a tour conductor. Here we go. Enjoy the tour! Ladies and gentlemen, here we are, the eternal city of Octam!



Flying wagons? A rough analogue to trains, perhaps, or airships?

Tour guide: It's also famous for the Temple of Rem, which is dedicated to Rem, the god of fate. Here, flying wagons travel overhead and the Temple of Rem sleeps deep underground. Octam is also famous for Hari, the living god of the Temple of Rem. You know the saying, "See Octam and die," right? Well, I'm sure anyone could die happy once they've heard the prophecy of Hari.



Rem seems like a pretty important deity - controller of fate, ferrier of souls to the afterlife... Though this Hari person we keep hearing about seems pretty important, too. Let's ask the tour guide one last question.

Blue: Tell us about Hari!
Tour guide: Do I know Hari? Of course I do! And for 100G cash, I'll tell you all about him. {Yeah, yeah, hang on... *grumble grumble*} This isn't really a tour, so I'll keep it brief. Hari is said to be the living god of the Temple of Rem. Some say he's 1,000 or even 2,000 years old. Frankly I have trouble believing that a human being could live that long. They also say that Hari only appears before the temple priestess and the Mayor of Octam. But if you ask me, I doubt he even exists.



Tour guide: ...he could at least tell me if I'll ever get work as a tour guide again. Ha ha ha! Well, is there anything else?

Nah, we're good. Hmm... If Hari only normally speaks to certain people, it must be pretty damn urgent for him to have contacted us personally. What could be so important for a divine prophet to call on us, though? Maybe there's a Genesis Tree at Octam? So many questions...

Questions that will have to wait until later. For now, let's finish talking to the locals, and maybe find Zalan's wife and child as well.

Walking around town (again)
Woman: Do you know why the Mist doesn't come into this town? {The large windmills don't answer your question for me?} So you do, eh?
Merchant: Well, what do you know? You're my first customers since the Mist came! {So you aren't selling us anything because...?}
Woman: Before the Mist came, this was the world's best resort area. We had visitors from all over. Pepe lives behind the hot spring. He came with his mother and got stuck here. {Thanks for the directions, lady!}
Old woman: What a troublemaker that Danpas is! Saying strange things and scaring everyone.
Old man: You're a new face. We don't get many visitors from afar. So, have you bathed in the hot spring? {No, not yet, though that doesn't sound like a bad idea...} Oh, that won't do! How can you come to Vidna without bathing in the hot springs here? The hot springs aren't just an attraction. They're the town's lifeblood. Go bathe in them! Bathe in the hot springs and refresh yourselves. {Okay okay, geez! Settle down, will ya?}
Seru-wearing man: They say that the Seru turn savage and possess people when touched by the Mist. But here, there's no Mist, so you can wear Seru safely. Of course, there's no need for them.



Hey, a beach! Haven't seen one of those in a while.

On the beach
Boy: The machine room is my, um, favorite place in the whole town. It's really hot inside, but the machines that move the windmills are there. They're so cool!
Girl: Do you know Danpas? {Nope!} You don't? He lives on the west edge of town. Why don't you go see him? He's a little strange, but no one else in town says anything normal either.
Relaxing lady: Vidna is a nice town, but it's not very exciting. {Can someone provide a list of examples of places that have been destroyed because of that line?}
Relaxing dude: It's been 10 years since the Mist came, and the outside world is in a horrible state... But in peaceful Vidna, things are downright boring. I wonder if something exciting will happen. {Goddamn it, what is wrong with you two? Shut up before Songi goes on a rampage here or something, damn.}

In various houses
Worker: The machine room, the heart of the windmills that protect Vidna. You can go in, but be careful! {We'll be back here later.}



♪♪We Are the Biran Priests♪♪

What the- well damn, that was kind of random. Still, though, Biron monks! And yes, they're shouting "HUNH, HUNH, HUNH" with the best of 'em.

Ruby: Hey! Umber, look! People from Biron! It's a lot of Biron people!
*Blue and Umber look at each other, Umber as startled as I am.*
Ruby: Umber, what's wrong? I thought the Biron people were your friends.
Umber: *shakes his head* It's just that I've violated the teachings of Biron by wearing Ozma.
Ruby: What's the matter, Umber? Zopu forgave you! Then why?



Umber, dude, come on. You did what you had to do to save the monastery, and you'll have to keep doing it for a while yet. There's no need to beat yourself up if you didn't do anything wrong.

Blue: Umber, don't torment yourself!
Umber: But...
Ruby: Umber, Blue is right! And what's more... *chest-bump* Ozma isn't a Seru. He's a Ra-Seru. So you didn't do anything wrong!



Er... yes?

Ruby: That's right! A Ra-Seru isn't the same thing as a Seru.
Robe-wearing lady: Oh, Hari, your prophecy has come true!
Umber: *turns to face her* And you are?



Ruby: Sashia, are you a friend of Hari's?
Sashia: Not really a friend... I serve Hari. I am a priestess at the Temple of Rem. Before the Mist came, Hari instructed me to go to Vidna. I was to wait for three youths wearing Ra-Seru and give them The Message. {That's not me, the game actually capitalized that. Must be important!}



Ruby: Wow! That Hari is amazing! Where is he? I want to meet him!
Sashia: I am sure that Hari awaits your visit, too. I shall now give you The Message, as instructed by Hari.



Sashia: ...the secret will be clear! A brave Ra-Seru will acquire a great key, the Star Pearl!
Umber: Four Books of Prophecy? Star Pearl? What is this, a riddle?
Sashia: Hari said that with this, the youths wearing Ra-Seru would find a way.
Umber: Umm... {Seriously, we don't know what any of that stuff is. Not very helpful to our cause...}



*A monk walks over.*
Monk: I have heard of you. You are of Biron, yes?
Umber: Actually, not... anymore.
Monk: Things being the way they are, I am sure there are very good reasons. Nonetheless... You are the visitors that Sashia has waited for all this time. Please, rest here.
*The monk gives the customary Biron salute as the screen fades out.*



Thanks, Sashia. Whatever the hell the Star Pearl is, let's hope we find it for... whatever we need it for. Maybe we should just find Hari and sort this out.

One thing at a time, though. Let's finish talking to the townspeople again before another cutscene rears its head.

In the monk's training house
Monk: Sir! I hear Hari is an amazing man. I would like to go to Octam myself!
Monk: Sir! Sashia has been waiting for you for more than 10 years.
Monk: Sir! Is Master Zopu of Biron Monastery well? {Alive and kicking! And still rockin' the Fu Manchu, if you're wondering.} That's good. I am relieved to hear that.
Monk: Sir! We were traveling the world, spreading the teahings of Biron. When the Mist came, this is where we were. We barely escaped death!
Sashia: Do you wish to hear The Message from Hari again? {Nah, I think we're good.} Very well. Then I wish you luck.

In various houses (again)
♪♪Town Square♪♪
Boy: Can I help you? Do you wish to hear a song? {Uh... sure?} Good. Then I shall sing for you.

♪♪Noa's Dreams♪♪

A ship of dreams
sails the Milky Way
Look, now, there it is
The Gate of Shadows
Hari waits there
Hari has one heart, but
Hari has three faces.
Hari has three mouths.
Hari dreams three dreams.



♪♪Town Square♪♪

Uh... okay then. I don't remember if any of that is foreshadowing (though it probably is), but it sure was... something. Moving on!

In various houses [again(again)]
Girl: Daddy's at work and mommy's at the hot spring.
Mrs. Danpas: Oh, my. You're strangers here. Did you come to see Danpas? {I guess so.} If you're looking for my husband, he's underground. Just go down those stairs.



Those look like... jackhammers. Maybe they're Seru-powered?

Worker: The windmills stopping? That could never happen. Besides, the food here is good.
Worker: Mr. Danpas is strange, but he's a very rich man.
Worker: The shelter's completed and ready anytime.



Turns out this thing is an elevator!

Danpas: Do you realize how serious the situation is? {Hmm... let's play along.} The townspeople here don't realize how horrible the Mist is. Don't you fellows agree? {Yeah, it's pretty messed up. We have first-hand experience, even!} You know, you seem pretty smart. What would happen if for some reason the windmills stopped? The Mist would swallow us all. We'd all be eaten by the Seru, or possessed by them. That's why I'm preparing for when that happens. I built an underground shelter. And what do the townspeople do? They treat me like a lunatic. Fools. Fools! They're all fools!



Danpas: For you fellows, I'll have an especially good hiding place. {Er, thanks, I guess. Let's just hope for everyone's sake you don't get vindicated.}

Okay, there's one last house to check.



Ruby: Yeah! Hooray! It's Pepe! It's Pepe! Oh, Pepe, listen, we... Pepe's alive... I mean, of course you're alive... This letter... in Jeremi, Zalan...
Pepe: *cocks his head for a second* What?
Umber: I'm sorry. She is very excitable.
Ruby: Uh-huh! Uh-huh! {I'll admit, I chuckled a bit at that little exchange.}
Umber: We have a letter for you from your father in Jeremi. Here it is.
*Umber hands over the letter.*



♪♪The Ra-Seru Speak♪♪

Jeremi was covered in the Mist,
but thanks to a brave Ra-Seru
we are free at last.
I lost my memory when the Mist
first came, but now I am
completely recovered.
I suppose Vidna is covered by
the Mist as well.
I hope that the madness of the
Seru has not possessed you.
I have so many things to ask.
It has been over 10 years
since you left for Vidna,
but it seems like only yesterday
since we bid farewell, smiling.
Yuma, does the ring I gave you
still spakle?
Pepe, how many gems do you know
the name of now?
I want to be with you. I want
to tell you how much I love you.
Stay healthy and strong.
Until we meet again,
I won't lose hope.
Your father, Fat Fingers,
Zalan



♪♪Town Square♪♪

Pepe: She said it was his fat but nimble fingers. Ever since then, his nickname around the house was "Fat Fingers." To tell you the truth, somewhere in my heart, I had given up on Father. But he's alive! Oh, thank you for bringing the letter. Thank you so much! If only Mother were alive, too!



♪♪Melody of Memories♪♪ (You should really listen to this.)

Pepe: Oh, wait a minute!
*Pepe walks over to a cabinet and takes something out of it.*
Pepe: This is a keepsake of my mother. If you would, please give it to Father.



Pepe: Please tell Father... tell Zalan of Jeremi that his son is alive.

Wow, that was... heavier than I remember it being.

In any case, we'll be rounding out the update with a visit to the hot springs.



♪♪Town Square♪♪

They're in the center of town; you can't miss 'em.



Counter runner dude: Stay in for as long as you want. You'll feel refreshed! {Thanks, man! There are a few more people in here, though.}
Woman: It's boring not being able to leave town, but I'm used to it now. {Seriously, people, quit sayin' shit like this!}
Worker: Hey, kid. Here, take this. Play a game on this machine.



Worker: If you want to play a game, go to the machine and drop the coin in. {We'll try this later.}
Relaxing dude: Beneath the Sebucus Islands runs a huge volcanic belt. That's where this hot spring comes from.

That's everyone in the main building. To the springs!



This... isn't very deep. I'm sure it's relaxing, though.

Relaxing old guy: Ah, the hot spring! It's the secret to long life!

Well that was a bit underwhelming. Let's mess with that machine the worker dude was talking about.



Ah, a slot machine. We'll get into this later. (And no, I don't know why the screenshot for the slot machine turned out like that. Weird...)

That's all for now. I know it's a weird place to end, but I figured we'd save what little is left of this place for next time. Speaking of which, the next update should be much more interesting, because we're going exploring! I'll try to have it posted by Christmas. I realize that's probably crazy, but fuck it, I feel like giving you guys something special for being such a great audience. See you guys in a few days!

Next time: A trip across the Sebucus Islands!

This doesn't have anything to do with the LP, but I'm kind of disappointed that there isn't any good fanart of this game. Seriously, I've looked several times and couldn't find anything. You'd think that someone out there would both like this game and be able to draw, but I guess not.