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

♪♪The Quiet Destruction♪♪

Uh... shit.

*Ruby begins shivering from the sudden cold.*
Ruby: It hardened! Xain made the lava hard! Boo-hoo!



Umber: I never knew the Seru of the Mist had the power to freeze molten lava! Blue, the danger to the town above is over for the time being, but... What Xain said troubles me. I have a bad feeling about this.



Sounds like a plan to me - but we won't be doing that just this moment, because the update is over! I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I did working on it, laziness aside. Before I go, though, here's an interesting tidbit:



Xain is actually on the disc cover! I... don't really know why, and it probably confused a lot of new players until they reached the fight against him, but it's interesting, nonetheless. In any case, I'll see you guys next time!

Next time: Returning to Octam, and other stuff as well.

This game seems to have quite nasty bosses, all in all... Oh, and that last image is busted.

It is? Hmm... I'll get on that.

Hey, everybody! I'm back with another update. Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 14: Returning to the Surface



♪♪The Quiet Destruction♪♪

It's probably a bad idea to keep standing around in the cold like this, so we'd best be on our way.



But not before going around the platform we're on and nabbing this, of course.



Don't forget to check the other side before you go! The Guardian Chain is kind of weird, because it prevents both the wearer and whoever they're attacking from blocking. I... guess I could see this being situationally useful, but it's probably better to sell it.



Now that we're on the ice, we'll head right before going back the way we came.



Doing so nets us the Incense, which temporarily decreases the encounter rate. We don't want to do that, though...



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

Because a new Seru is in the area! To be completely honest, I had somehow forgotten about Freeds entirely, even though I remember most of the other Seru. In any case, they're about as tough to kill as a Nova, so you shouldn't have too much trouble...







Unless it does this, of course. That probably would've done more damage had Blue not been using Spirit that turn. They seem to be rather difficult to absorb, as well.





Well that didn't take very long. However, we'll once again want to make a detour to the right.





Doing so leads to these stairs...



Which leads to a winding path to a Power Water. Okay, now we can leave.



Oh, yeah, almost forgot - that Wind Book II we won off of Xain teaches Ruby her next Hyper Art. Let's see it in action, shall we?

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





Hell yes. This move could probably one-shot any enemy in here, though its cost (50 AP) prevents us from spamming it on everything.

While I'm at it, I think I'll teach Ruby another Art.







This is Mirage Lancer, learned by inputting → → ↑ ↑. It's also Ruby's last four-input Art; the remaining two are five and six inputs long, respectively.

Finally, we'll round out new Arts for the update with Umber.







This is Neo Raising, learned by inputting ← ← → ↑ ←. I'm pretty sure this is the first regular Art we've learned that has three hits to it, rather than one or two.



♪♪The Quiet Destruction♪♪

In any case, it's time to move on. I wasn't able to absorb a Freed at all, so we'll have to run into them later. I guess my ridiculously good luck is running out.





It seems the ice hasn't entirely covered the Fire Path. Good thing, too, otherwise Octam might be in trouble again.

The rest of the trip back is uneventful, so I'll just skip all that and get us back to Octam.



♪♪The Light of the Town♪♪



Yep, we totally did.

*Blue nods.*
Ruby: You got that right! We taught that Xain a lesson!
Guard: Ah, I knew it! When the ground stopped shaking, all the townspeople knew you were successful, and started cheering! Please, go up and talk to them. They'll be very happy. Oh, and the mayor is waiting for you. Please go see him if you have the time.
Ruby: *spin-jumps* OK!



Uh... you could say that.

Umber: Hmm. In their last moments, the enemies froze the depths of the earth.
Guard: What?! I only hope that nothing bad happens because of that.
Umber: *shrugs* What could those henchmen of the Mist be thinking? It's a mystery to me.
Guard: That's right. Whatever will happen later on will happen. But now, thank you, everyone!

We'll talk to the townspeople in a minute. At the moment, however, I kind of want to do some shopping.

All that walking in the Fire Path has left us swimming in G, and we're going on a bit of a spending spree. I buy the Force Blade and Ironman Armor for Blue, and the Hard Beat (a weapon) for Ruby. We're now decked out in the best gear available at the moment, and selling off old equipment and the Guardian Chain leaves us with plenty of G to spare - to the tune of 11,000, to be exact.



Since we've got the cash, I buy back some of the Healing Flowers we used while fighting Xain; we'll definitely be needing these in the future. I would buy a Jewel, but I want to save the rest of our G for future use.

Now that that's taken care of, let's see what the mayor wants with us.



Mayor: Ha ha ha! This is what you'd call a smile of satisfaction! I'm so happy, words can't describe! Say, I have a favor to ask of you. Ha ha! Would you bring me some Spring Salts from Vidna? That's a town known for its hot springs. I am prepared to reward you. I hope you can do this for me. Ha ha! One more thing. I have instructed the guards to let you use the elevator. Please use it! Ha ha!

I'm not entirely sure what you'd want Spring Salts for, but I guess we can pick some up whenever we stop by. In the meantime, let's have that talk with the townspeople!

Walking around town
Guard: The mayor is waiting for you. Please go see him! {Already taken care of.}
Man: As there won't be any earthquakes, I don't have to worry about the house collapsing at any minute.
Boy: I like being inside the house! There are a lot of people, and everyone is so happy!
Guard: I'll get stronger! And then I'll protect all the townspeople!
Kina: Oh, poor Hari. {Why are you the only little girl here with a name and a unique character model? You haven't done squat!}
Old man: Don't panic! We'll be returning to the surface soon! That's what I try to believe!
Old woman: It's so cold. I'm chilled to the bone! What I need now is a nice dip in the hot springs of Vidna! {Er, you'll have to wait on that - the Mist is still around up on the surface.}
Woman: Brr! It's cold here! I wonder if this is because the magma underground is frozen.
Man: The Mist's henchmen did something to the geothermal heat. I think they cooled the magma. I hope that doesn't effect the hot springs. The Sebucus Islands are a volcanic region, you know.

In the inn and houses
Man: The earthquakes have stopped! You can see the hope on people's faces!
Merchant: I'm going to keep doing business to save enough money for when we get to return to the surface!
Old woman: I'm from Ratayu. I wonder how the town is now... {Um... not very good, last we checked.}
Old man: After all that's happened, I'm exhausted! How I'd like to go to the Vidna hot springs and relax!
Woman: I want to show my child a surface world free of the mist! Please do whatever you can! {We're working on it, lady.}
Girl: Our home isn't going to get broken anymore. Goodie!
Man: The earthquakes stopped! My house is saved! Oh, how wonderful!

In the shelter
Man: Now that the earthquakes stopped, we'll be safe for a while. Now if the Mist would only disappear!
Woman: Thanks to you we don't have to live in fear of the earthquakes anymore.
Old woman: That old lady there must be feeling better -- she's starting to insult people again!
Old man: Oh yeah? So you youngsters got rid of that underground monster, Xain, did you? But I have this sinking feeling... I hope destroying Xain doesn't have any bad side-effects.
Old man: We're glad the earthquakes stopped, but I hope it doesn't affect the subterranean lava flows here.
Woman: I can't stand it anymore! I don't care if the earthquakes stopped! I want to go up to the surface! {Heh.}
Old woman: Hmmf! Stopping the earthquakes isn't going to bring my family back to me!
Bed-ridden old man: I'm getting in shape for the day the Mist disappears. Leave me alone!
Bed-ridden old man: Hope is stronger than any nightmarish reality.
Bed-ridden old man: The earthquakes stopped... But it'll be lonely in this world without Hari here.

Okay, just a few more people and-



Huh. What's all this?







Oh, a memorial. They sure built these pretty fast.

Woman: We'll never forget Hari or you! Thank you so much for everything!
Boy: Have you ever been to Vidna, where the hot springs are? {Yep. Pretty nice place.} You're lucky! In Vidna, they use windmills to push back the Mist, right?
Man: I want to return to the surface and work in my garden! Please, help us!
Priestess: And after Hari has survived the Mist for so long! Please avenge his death... Destroy the Mist and its henchmen! {Don't worry, we will.}
Nun: I see. So the Mist's henchmen are underground, are they?
Debora: When I go back to the surface, I'm going to build a new house!
Priestess: I'm going to preach Hari's message to everyone. That will be my reason for living.

Okay, now that's everyone. To the elevator!





Woman: I'll never forget you! Thank you so much!
Guard: The mayor has instructed me to let you heroes of the Ra-Seru use the elevator. Please go ahead!

Don't mind if I do.





Classy.



♪♪Octam in the Mist♪♪

Ah... it's good to be back on the surface. What do you say we get out of here and head to Vidna?

*A quick walk out of Octam and some traveling later...*



♪♪Barren Fields of Mist♪♪

Um... the windmills aren't turning. This... could be bad.

*I'll cut out an inn stay in Jeremi here.*



♪♪Mist♪♪

Ruby: Blue!



Ruby: Vidna! Vidna is covered in the Mist! What's going on?
*Umber spots something nearby.*
Umber: Both of you, look!

Umber: Hmm. You don't suppose it's because the magma cooled? The effects could have spread this far. What irony!
Ruby: Blue...
Umber: Blue, let's see if anyone's still alive.

Good idea. Let's check the house the monks were using first - if anyone can survive the Mist, it'd be them.



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

On the way there, we run into some new enemies. The Devil Pump has a hit-all move called Multi-Slicer that can deal a decent amount of damage if you aren't careful. The Orb Lv2, meanwhile, has quite a bit of health...



and can also buff itself; it's probably a good idea to take out the Orb first when you encounter one.



The Swordie Lv2 is just as non-threatening as the regular version except with more health, though I guess if you haven't absorbed one yet, now would be the time.







The Verial, on the other hand, is fucking nasty. Do you see that damage? Not only that, but Verials are insanely fast - even faster than Ruby - so it'll usually get the first turn. Your best bet, should you encounter one, is to Charm it, then save it for last. Once it's the only enemy in the battle, it'll waste its turn standing there doing nothing, leaving you free to kick the crap out of it.



♪♪Mist♪♪

Crap, there's no one here. Maybe some people took shelter at the inn?



Shit, no one's here, either. It seems like everyone in Vidna is either a Seru-possessed monster or mysteriously missing.

Wait a minute...



I knew it!

*Blue nods; it must be a short elevator shaft, because somehow the person on the other side can see this.*
Survivor: Oh, thank goodness! So there are still other humans not possessed by Seru. Go ahead, get in. I'll start the elevator.



So this is where everyone went. It's a good thing Danpas is a paranoid bastard!

Old woman: I'm just an old hag who was badmouthing Danpas. Now I've learned my lesson! Danpas had great foresight!
Mayor: What's going on here? The hot spring water suddenly turned cold! The windmills are stopped. There is nothing to keep the Mist out! Some rascal must be fooling around with the magma underground! {Uh... you could say that.}
Man: First the windmills stopped all of a sudden, right? Then the Mist came, and then those Seru!
Old man: Have you been to Ratayu? {Um... technically, I guess? We couldn't really reach it.} Long ago, I heard a rumor that their Lord Ratayu had gone mad.
Merchant: What a catastrophe! But who would think everyone would be saved by Danpas, the one we all made fun of! {I guess you've never read, watched, or played this kind of situation before, then? You sheltered thing, you.}
Worker: Man! It sure was hard carrying this thing through the Mist. Hey, kid! Wanna try this game? It's 100G for one coin. Wanna buy one? {...You saved a slot machine? Out of everything else you could have brought here, you chose... a slot machine. Ugh...} Don't want a coin, huh? Well, then, do you wanna trade me your coin for an item? {I have a grand total of 7 coins. What do you think?} Ha, ha, ha! See you later, kid!
Mrs. Danpas: This shelter saved a lot of people in Vidna from the Mist. My husband, Danpas, he built the shelter, but later on... he went outside to look for people who didn't make it, and never came back! It's just not fair. {Interesting... we'll get on that soon.}
Tour guide: With all that's going on, this ain't the time for sightseeing! But anyway... If you want to rest, I'll lend you my bed. How 'bout it? {Free healing is always welcome in my book.} Alright, that'll be 250G per night, please. {You prick! Ugh, fine...} Gee, I appreciate this. Around here, this is about the only work there is for me.
Girl: Mommy and Daddy aren't here anymore. They're in the Mist.



Uh... it's pretty bad, not gonna lie.

Blue: Thick Mist, monsters everywhere.
Boy: I'm scared! Please! Make the Mist go away! Make the Mist go away now! Please!



Oh hey, you're alive! Awesome!

Blue: That's good.
Sashia: But Mr. Danpas...



We can worry about treasure later - right now Danpas is missing, and we need to find him.

Blue: I'm looking for Danpas.
Old man: Hmm, Danpas, huh? Unfortunately, I have no idea where Danpas is. {Well gee, that helped.}
Pepe: Blue, I'm so glad you're safe!

Dammit, this isn't good. We really need to find a Genesis Tree or the Mist Generator in this region. Maybe Sashia knows something?

Sashia: I don't know... But I do know that the Mist blows from the northwest. That means you may find the Mist Generator if you go past Ratayu.

Good to know... but the last time we were there, we were blocked from getting to the town by a bigass wall of steam. Maybe the whole magma-cooling business extended that far? It's worth a shot, at least.

But first, we'll get some treasure from the machine room. We'll give the Spring Salts to the mayor of Octam later - saving Vidna is rather more important at the moment.



The machine room is the only indoor area in Vidna where you can get into battles, so stay on your toes.

In any case, we're off to Ratayu!



♪♪The Light of the Town♪♪

After I'm done milking free inn stays for all they're worth, of course.



♪♪Barren Fields of Mist♪♪

Warp drive, engage!



Doors of Wind are awesome, you guys.



♪♪Mist Covered Town♪♪

Ruby: Blue, look! The water isn't hot anymore. Now we can jump over!
Umber: *crosses his arms* Ah! This must be because Xain froze the lava underground.
Terra: I sense something. Ruby, can you? Do you sense it?
Ozma: Umber! It's a Genesis Tree! There's a Genesis Tree nearby!
Meta: But wait... The Genesis Tree's energy level is fluctuating wildly... What does this mean?



Why does this smell like a trap...? Still, it's not like we have a choice at the moment. We'd better hurry.



Why, yes, we did just jump across what must have been a ten-foot gap at least. Because we're awesome.





So this is Ratayu, huh? It might be worth it to look around a bit.



East Checkpoint: Toward Mt. Letona
West Checkpoint: Toward Western Sea
North: Ratayu Palace

Handy sign, there.



Ooh, an armory. I doubt it, but maybe we can find some equipment in here.



Well so much for that idea.



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

The enemies here are the same ones encountered just outside of town, with a couple new additions. The Skull Knight isn't too bad, honestly - they were more troublesome back in Drake Castle with Blue by himself, but here we can kick their asses pretty handily.

Also, Viguros make a return appearance of sorts, only now we can actually defend ourselves against them. They seem to be rather tough to absorb, though.



♪♪Mist Covered Town♪♪

Guess that'll have to wait for now. It was worth a shot.



Uh... sure.

It shows three pretty girls and a couple who look like their parents. In one of the corners it says: "To our dear Father and Mother, from Fin, Fow, and Fem."

That seems... odd, for some reason - and I'm not just talking about the girls' terrible names, either.



Holy shit, fuck yes. This is one of the best accessories in the game. Why?



That's why. Slap the Ivory Book on a character and their chances of absorbing a Seru are practically doubled. We can shuffle this thing around between party members to get the most use out of it, and believe me, I'm totally doing that.



Um... okay. I'll just leave, then.



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

The Ivory Book is pretty awesome, you guys.



Hmm... what do you guys say we check out the palace?







♪♪The Quiet Destruction♪♪

Pretty swanky, minus the whole "being Mist-and-monster-infested" thing.



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

There's another new enemy in here - the Evil Shadow. They're kinda like Skull Knights, except with a bit more health.



Speaking of Skull Knights, I completely forgot they could Curse you. So, uh... don't let them do that, I guess!





Nice curtains.

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

Oh shit, I forgot Evil Shadows could do this!



Fatal Decision is one of the more unique enemy attacks we've encountered - it can do anything from lowering your defense to halving your health to buffing your stats temporarily.



Of course, it could also do nothing, which is always a good thing. The cards in a given Fatal Decision are randomized, so it might either be totally harmless or really dangerous.



♪♪The Quiet Destruction♪♪

In any case, there are some side rooms in the next area...



Two of which lead to sweet loot! (The other is a Healing Flower.)



Those are some pretty strange torches, assuming that's what they are.



Hmm... guess we can't go in there at the moment.





I seriously cannot overstate how awesome the Ivory Book is.



Hm... I wonder where this leads?



Seems like the throne room. Also, more treasure! (That treasure being a Fury Boost, Speed Elixir, and Healing Berry, respectively.)



Umber: What's the matter?



♪♪Van Saryu♪♪

Umber: Saryu? You're possessed by a Seru... How can you speak to us?
Saryu: I cannot understand difficult words... I give you the key to Letona.
Blue now has the Letona Key!
Saryu: The Letona Key will open the gate. You can reach Mt. Letona's Genesis Tree there. The Mist can be driven from Ratayu. Then I can be with my bride. I am pleased. I give you this West Ratayu Key, too.
*Saryu goes back to standing in front of his throne.*
Ruby: Alright! I didn't understand everything, but I got the part about the Genesis Tree!
Umber: I think he'll give us a key to reach the Mist Generator, if we revive the Genesis Tree.



Ruby: But Saryu said something about brides! Umber, let's help him!
Umber: Blue, I will let you decide what to do.

Something about that guy makes me really uneasy... but on the other hand, he did just help us out. We'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious on our way to Mt. Letona... but that will have to wait until next time, because this update's over! See you guys in a few days.

Next time: Climbing Mt. Letona.

I see that participation has been a little light lately in this LP, so I just wanted to say that although I'm a total lurker I've been reading and enjoying this a lot.

Yeah, this is a pretty good LP! I didn't ever play this game, but seems like it was pretty cool.

Heh... I might not always speak up, but I'm always following along with this. Keep up the good work, Soren.

Fourthed.

+1

Great job so far! I played through 95% of this game back in the day, but (just like the sequel) it all fell apart somewhere around the final dungeon and I never crossed the finish line.

I'm very interested to see what I missed.

Thanks, you guys. Your support means a lot. =D

Also, the newest update will be here later today! We'll be seeing a familiar face as they try to stomp our asses into the ground. See you then!

I'ma be a sly bastard and edit this post with the start of the update. Muahaha!

Chapter 15: Rematch at Mt. Letona

Before we set off for Mt. Letona, let's learn a few more Arts.



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





This is PK Combo, learned by inputting ↓ ↑ ↑ ←. It's kind of a reverse Spin Combo, since the roundhouse comes second.







This is Rushing Gale, learned by inputting ↑ ↑ ← ↓ →. It's Ruby's first regular Art that hits three times, and is quite powerful (not to mention freaking awesome-looking).







Lastly, this is Electro Thrash, learned by inputting ↑ ← ↓ → ←. This move also hits three times, making Blue the only character without a regular Art that does so.

You know, before we set off, I think I'll show off Viguro, as well.

Pretty impressive, no? It even shares Theeder's INT-lowering effects at higher levels. The only catch is its absurd casting cost (at 64 MP). Use it sparingly!

Now that all that's out of the way, we're off to Mt. Letona.



♪♪Barren Fields of Mist♪♪

After using a free inn-stay and stocking up on a few items, of course. We want to be as prepared as possible for the next area; you'll see why when we get to the end of it.



♪♪A Town Enveloped by Mist♪♪



Well, the only way to go is up. Time to get crackin'.



♪♪Perilous Mountain♪♪

Huh; haven't heard this track in a while.



Ozma: The Genesis Tree must be at the summit!
Umber: With a Genesis Tree, we can make our Ra-Seru stronger, too! Hurry, Blue!
Terra: But what do those strange energy fluctuations mean? Could it be something evil?
Ruby: Blue! Umber! Let's hurry and go see the new Genesis Tree!
Umber: I hope the Genesis Tree is alright! Come! We must hurry to the summit, Blue!

And away we go.



Take note; this is just about the only screen with one path to it.



At the very next screen is a fork heading left. Take it.



You'll get the Wisdom Ring, which increases the wearer's INT by 20%. This would be useful on just about anyone, but I'll throw it on Ruby since her INT stat is lacking.



On the same screen is another fork heading right. Don't head that way just yet; go straight instead.



You'll go through a short cave...



Which leads to a Guardian Water.

At the next screen, keep going until you see a path leading down. Take it.



You'll get a Power Ring, which increases the wearer's ATK by 20%. This is a very nice item, as you might imagine; put it on whoever you see fit.



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

The enemies here aren't that bad, honestly. That Hell's Rat you see will go down in two combos, and the Lip King can take maybe three. On the other hand, they can still steal your stuff and/or paralyze you, so don't take them too lightly.



King Frogs are, once again, simply a more powerful version of the Frog. The only difference is that their Poison Tongue attack has been replaced with Toxic Tongue, which is basically the same thing but twice as bad.

Viguros are here as well; this is the first time we've seen two of the same Seru in a battle since way back in East Voz. This group is probably the most dangerous encounter you'll run into here, since they like to use Thunder Break; take them out as fast as you can.



♪♪Perilous Mountain♪♪

Continuing down the path leads to a cave entrance...



Which in turn leads to a rather confusing cave. There are a few side paths to take...



And not all of them lead to treasure. This area is reached by heading to the right from the cave entrance, incidentally.



To get to the treasure in the previous screenshot, head up the first chance you get, then left down the path seen here.



The path will wrap around under the one you were just at, leading to the treasure (which happens to be an Incense and a Healing Bloom).



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

While you're in these caves, you'll encounter a new Seru, the Mushura. This is also the first Earth Seru we've come across.



Aside from this attack, Mushuras aren't too bad to fight. Their defense is actually kind of low, so they shouldn't survive more than two turns. Fun fact: they make motor-engine noises when they move around and attack. It's kind of neat!





The Ivory Book continues to be freaking awesome.



Head right at the last intersection to make your way out of this cave.



Heh. Reminds me of Mt. Rikuroa a bit.



I don't know how you'd miss this, but be sure to grab it anyways. Stat-boosting items are always useful, after all.



The next cave is incredibly straightforward, with the only side path leading to this Healing Fruit.



We're almost at the end. Be sure to heal your party members as best as you can, and outfit them with whatever accessories you think they'll need.

♪♪The Quiet Tree of Creation♪♪

At last, we've reached the summit. The Genesis Tree must be close by!



Er... what the hell is that?

Umber: There's something strange surrounding the Genesis Tree! What is this? I've never seen anything like it!
Ruby: Blue, this is weird! It's a spooky wall! Let me touch it...
*Ruby reaches up to touch the "wall"; there is a blinding flash of light, and Ruby is knocked back.*



♪♪Fight the Mist Guardians♪♪

Ruby: *sits up* Ow! *gets up* Blue! It hurts! Don't touch it, everyone, it hurts!

Well this is just great. How are we supposed to revive the Genesis Tree if we can't get near it? Hmm... maybe we should retreat for now and think of a new course of action.



Before we do, though, we should grab this. It's the next step up from a Magic Leaf, and heals 200 MP rather than 50. Right now, that's a full heal for everyone except Umber.





♪♪Songi's First Appearance♪♪

Songi? Dude, where the hell have you been?

Songi: What took you guys so long? I figured you simpletons would be coming, so I was waiting here for you.
*Songi does a fancy flip and lands in front of the Genesis Tree.*



Umber: Songi! Darn! So it was you who put up that force field!
Songi: So you're not just a musclebound moron, are you? That's right! It was me!

"Songi is a dick" count: 3

*Songi jumps on top of the barrier.*



Songi: Ha, ha, ha! Well, do you want me to deactivate it?
Umber: Of course we do!
*Songi jumps down in response; there is a flash of light as he does so.*



Ah, what the fuck?!

Songi: Well, then, fight me! Come at me! All three of you, at once! In the very unlikely event you defeat me, I'll deactivate the force field.





Boss Battle 6: Songi
♪♪My Name is Songi♪♪

Ladies, gentlemen, and all variations thereof, welcome to the second Songi fight. Remember how in the first fight you could just cheese him with Theeder?



Yeah, that shit ain't happenin'. Whatever Songi's been up to since we last saw him, he's gotten a substantial upgrade in the ass-kicking department. And it fucking shows.



Take Hyper Lightning, for example, which has replaced Hyper Wave as his beam attack of choice.

Yeah. Rem help you if you aren't blocking that. There's no warning to it, either; Songi will use it when he damn well feels like it, and there isn't shit you can do to see it coming.



Hyper Attack is Songi's least damaging special move, dealing maybe 200 or so damage if it connects; the problem is that he can combine it with a regular combo, or use it twice in a row.



This is Songi's most damaging move, and it's a hit-all one at that.







I don't know how punching the ground can summon a goddamn lightning vortex of doom, but that's beside the point. You'd better hope you're blocking that, because there's no warning when Songi will use it, either. If you aren't, it could easily take off half a character's health.



If you want to stay alive, keep your health up at all times. If a character's HP is somewhere in the 600-700 range, use Orb straightaway. It's imperative that you heal at the right time in this fight, and quickly.

As for Songi himself?







Hit him with everything you've got. Don't worry about AP; you'll get plenty from the pounding Songi will dish out. Use the most damaging combos you can possibly think of, because Songi has a lot of HP - around 12,000 or so.



As always, Songi will start getting knocked down by your attacks once you're close to beating him. Keep on the offensive as best you can; you don't want to drag the fight out, after all.







Okay, fucking seriously, this is the fifth boss in a row that Umber has finished off. I think we'll need an official count for this.

Bosses defeated by Umber: 5

♪♪Songi's First Appearance♪♪

You're goddamn right we have.

Songi: I am impressed! Your Seru are strong, as well. Not bad!



Fuck yeah, you tell 'im who's boss, Umber!

Songi: Well, a promise is a promise. Alright, I'll deactivate it! Watch and learn!







Songi: There, you see? I am a person who keeps a promise. Now you are free to wake up the Genesis Tree. Use the Genesis Tree's power to drive away the Mist and make your Ra-Seru stronger! I eagerly await your next feat of bravery! So don't get yourselves killed! Farewell!



Damn, he got away before I could screenshot him jumping off the goddamn mountain. Still, though, at least we drove him away from this place. Who the hell knows where he's going now, though.



♪♪The Quiet Tree of Creation♪♪

Ruby: Blue! Hurry! Let's awaken the Genesis Tree!

No need to tell me twice.

Blue gently touched the trunk of the Genesis Tree.



Ruby gently touched the trunk of the Genesis Tree.



Umber gently touched the trunk of the Genesis Tree.











♪♪The Awakening of the Tree of Creation♪♪

Well, Ratayu is fine, but... it didn't look like that did much else.



On the other hand, we can beat things up harder now!

Ruby: Blue! Terra is strong again! Isn't this great? And the Genesis Tree's power drove away the Mist down below.
Umber: The Mist must be gone now from Ratayu. But the Genesis Tree's power is limited. Unless we destroy the Mist Generator, the Mist will cover Vidna where the windmills stopped.
Ruby: Yeah, that's right. OK! Let's destroy the Mist Generator!
Umber: Blue, let's climb down the mountain and head for the town below, Ratayu.



An excellent point, but we'll do that later, as this update is over. I hope you'll all join me for the next one! (Also, the boss video is uploaded; I put the link in the relevant post, but you can watch it here if you wish. Hope you enjoy!)

Next time: The freed town of Ratayu, and other things.

You know, there's something about Vidna that's always bothered me. Even when the Mist is gone, it's still screwed - after all, their main industry is tourism fueled by the hot springs, but with the Fire Path frozen, the hot springs are gone, so tourism would most likely dry up, and Vidna with it. When you really think about it, Xain is probably the most evil bastard in this game. :P

So glad this image is in context.

I agree. I haven't been posting as much because I've been really busy (and I already taught a combo so I decided to give other people a chance).

Another post to say that I'm following and enjoying this LP, too. Your choice of screenshots, as well as your very thorough transcription of the dialogues, makes the story and action easy to follow, and I'm getting a good idea of your strategies. It's always nice to have music links to go along with the story.

A little too heavy on the cusswords for my taste, but taste is all it amounts to.

I'll see if I can come up with a combo or two, but the further the LP goes along, the more effort it seems it'll take, and I'm a lazy babble....

Update comin' either late today or early tomorrow, depending on my ability to stay awake. In the meantime, I'll catch up to responses.

And he was only in the game for twenty minutes! Still, I like to think that Vidna's situation isn't completely hopeless; they could take over the nearby fishing spot, or maybe help Jeremi run the Sky Gardens. They could even start a business giving a tour of the Sebucus Islands; there's quite a few things to see.

You and me both!

That's perfectly understandable. Sometimes you just have a lot to do, you know?

Thank you! I'm glad to hear I'm doing a good job presenting this game to you guys. As for music, well, the soundtrack is a huge part of this game. Plus, for me at least, a game's music is one of its most important parts; I'm willing to forgive a lot if the tunes are good.

Heh... yeah. I curse a lot in real life, and I guess it bleeds over to the internet, too. I'll see what I can do to work on it. Fuck! =D


That's fine! I'm certainly not forcing any of you to think of combos, and the party has almost learned all their regular Arts anyway. Though I'm still not sure how to handle Super Arts quite yet...

The update is ready to go, but... it's Kinda Big(tm). I hate to ask, but would you guys mind helping carry the thread to a new page? Two posts should be all that's needed.

Hmm... okay, I'll do it myself. No problem. See you guys in a few minutes!

Okay, so I managed to find one decent piece of fanart.



I'm not sure what the blue cat thing is, to be honest, but other than that it's pretty nice.