Here there be dragons. Let's Play Bahamut Lagoon!

Well boo to you, too.

>Hit him

????: Ah! Who are you?! You wake me up just like my mom! Eh!? You're the captain of Kahna's Dragon Squad... Which means... my mom is with you too! Oh no!!

Zora: Hey! There you are!

Zora's Son: Ah!



Introducing Zora's Son, the third Lancer we'll be getting on our journey. He's a bit of a momma's boy, isn't he?

Zora: He left me because... Hey, you tell him yourself!

Zora's Son: O-okay! I wanted to start a dragon squad in Campbell that would be even better than Kahna's... So then I left my mom and came to Campbell to start on it.

Zora: And? Who's in this dragon squad of yours?

Zora's Son: Oh... umm... Me, and one dragon.

Zora: That's all?! How miserable. Well, I had expected as much.

Ouch.

Zora: That's a strange dragon. Try calling it.

Zora's Son: Oh... um... Ah! Come! (Please come. Please!)



There are no words, really.

Zora: PANTS, you try.

We order him to come, of course, and he obeys like the good dragon... eye... thing it is.

Zora's Son: Whoa!! I can't believe dragons listen to what you say! You really are the captain of Kahna's Dragon Squad!

Zora: Hmm. So there are dragons like this too. What do you think, PANTS. Will you let my son and this dragon on your ship?

I'm all for more dragons, but I'm not sure about that son of yours... eh. >Only the dragon.

Zora: Don't say something like that! You can have my son clean the hallways if you'd like. He can't do much of anything, so he can learn by observation. I'll tell him all about the rules on Papillon. Okay, you! Come here!

Before we can torment Zora's Son more...



...Let's give this dragon a name.

Truffle has a nice ring to it. What do you guys think?



Zora's Son: I see! Giving dragons a name! I never thought about that! Uh... um... I... I'm a lancer. Cleaning is my specialty. Thanks a lot!

Anyway, let's head back outside now, shall we?



(Author's Note: Because I blanked, I completely missed screenshotting Matelite's armor shop and we won't be able to catch his shenanigans for a little while yet. Sorry about that!)

Anyway, I think we've covered everything we needed to do here. Let's head back for now.

Truce: I don't think we've ever been to Campbell before. Is there anything that interests you?

Look, what did I just say?

Truce: Understood, Captain PANTS. Let's see, the ones still here are...



Everyone pops back in at this point, for those curious.

BRIEFS: I'm sorry... We came all the way to Campbell for nothing...

(Sendak enters, wobbling out of the bar drunk).

Sendak: Princess... I understand... I can sense it a little as well.

BRIEFS: Okay, let's return to Papillon.



Queen Campbell: I'll tell you after all...

Matelite: What is it? We're kind of busy now.

Queen Campbell: If I don't tell you, I will... I... knew about the legend of the Holy Dragons from the start... "The one who reads the minds of the Holy Dragons shall open the door to a new era." And then of course there is something added to it... "A weak-minded person shall summon forth a disaster from the heavens."

Valitora: (Weak-minded daughter of the king... Girl who knows of the legend... It all lies in your hands...)

BRIEFS: (Valitora... Please... leave... Please... let me go...)

Valitora: I will not leave... Time will not come back... Be frightened... and suffer...



Matelite: What?! So then that means BRIEFS is...!

Sendak: A weak-minded person? A disaster from the heavens?

I don't like where this is going.

Matelite: Sendak! Why're you always thinking so pessimistically!

Sendak: I think I understand... Sauzer has taken over the world. But he knows about the legend. He knows that even by taking over the world, that isn't all there is. So that is why he wants the princess's power... No, he wants the power of the Kahna family line so he can use it to talk with the Holy Dragons... But... it does not make sense. Why did Sauzer let her go?

Matelite: He was scared of the power of BRIEFS and the Holy Dragons! He gave up!

Yeah, wishful thinking there, Matelite.

Queen Campbell: Sauzer is not the kind of person to give up on anything...

BRIEFS: Stop! I don't want to know anything! ...PANTS. Take me with you. I want to go back... It was nice together... I want to go back...

Queen Campbell: BRIEFS... You can't go back. If it were possible, I would want to go back in time, too... Back to when I knew nothing... Back to when I was a strong girl... But that is a dream that will never come true...

(Fade out)



Joy and Nelbo, of course, being our final Priest and Wizard respectively, which means we can get started on our final teams! More on that next time...

Joy: Of course, if that is Her Majesty's wish.

Nelbo: Your Highness... Please take care.

Queen Campbell: Joy, Nelbo. Thank you... And... oh yes, please tell Sendak, that if he is looking for the Holy Dragons, he should go to the water city of Mahal.

(Joy and Nelbo leave).

Queen Campbell: (I couldn't say it, after all... I'm... the weak-minded person... I was the one who told Sauzer about the legend... I had to in order to save Campbell... No, I won't think that I can be forgiven. The destruction of Kahna... The death of King Kahna... and BRIEFS's pain... Oh, what will happen to us now?

And with that...



Join us next time as we find ourselves caught up in a Mid-Air Dragon Battle.

Welcome back to Bahamut Lagoon. Last time we left off, Princess BRIEFS and the Resistance Army had learned the details pertaining to the Legend of the Holy Dragons. Though daunted by the warning of a "weak-minded person who'll bring disaster from the heavens", they press on in search of answers in the form of the other Holy Dragons.

Flashing back a bit to Sauzer's point-of-view first...



Queen Campbell: But you'll never be satisfied... Even if you knew the legend of the Holy Dragons, what could you do? The one who will bring about a new era... That person is not you!!



"Was it all... a dream?"

Palpaleos: Sauzer... This is your room. Don't you remember? The Holy Dragon awoke.

Sauzer: The Holy Dragon's power... It knocked me unconscious...? So Princess BRIEFS was able to control it after all... Is she all right?

Palpaleos: She has returned to the Resistance... But she's not the only one. Campbell has already fallen as well.

Sauzer: I've done something terrible... Palpaleos. Where did the Resistance go? Are they heading for the Holy Dragon?

Palpaleos: Sauzer, you still need to rest... We shall protect Granbelos for you.

Sauzer: The one who reads the minds of the Holy Dragons shall open the door to a new era... Just what did Valitora say to Princess BRIEFS? I, Sauzer, will be the one to bring about the new era! Listen, Palpaleos. We must not allow the Resistance to continue!! The way to read the minds of the Holy Dragons... Very soon... The legendary Holy Dragons... The new era... They shall be mine.

Strong words from a battered man. Join us as we fend off the Empire's assault in a...





Taicho: We shall liberate it!

Matelite: Hey, Taicho. Watching the sky is fun!!

It sure is, Matelite. It sure is.

The gimmick for this chapter is that it's told in small vignettes instead of one big event, and you have the option to either sit through them all or speed ahead straight to the battle. Considering that the scenes in themselves are not only entertaining but offer a few good prizes, we won't be rushing to our deaths quite yet.



Matelite: I see... You know, Taicho, watching the sky is boring.



(1 hour later...)



Hornet: The sky's become strange. Be quiet!

Matelite: It's cold... PANTS! Take over for me! I'll talk with Captain Sendak about the plans for Mahal. It's a conversation for adults, so don't bother us!

(Matelite leaves.)

Taicho: PANTS, you keep watch over there!!

Hornet: I've never heard that Mahal has stormy skies...



Trying to leave your post results in Matelite rushing out and scolding you. Layabout.

Taicho: All clear!

(1 Hour Later...)



Hell-o, what do we have here? BRIEFS has popped by for a visit, it seems.

BRIEFS: Thank you. Here's a present...

You got BRIEFS's Handmade Cookie. Will you eat it?

You're given a bunch of options at this point which affect the amount of cookies you actually get. And since more is better...

>Thank you!!

BRIEFS: Well? Is it good?

>Delicious!!
>This is fit for a dragon... (More accurate because the cookies BRIEFS gives you are botched. D

BRIEFS: I'm glad. Hey, PANTS. Can I keep watch too?

>Yes, of course!



Um...

BRIEFS: The sky... it's such a sad color, don't you think? Eep!!

(PANTS and BRIEFS fall backwards off the post.)

BRIEFS: Sorry.

(BRIEFS leaves.)

-

(1 hour later...)



Oh dear God, no.

Sendak: Here is a gift.

You got Sendak's Sincerity Cookie. Will you eat it?

>Thank you, Sendak.

The things I do for cookies.

Sendak: I am happy... PANTS......



o_O

Sendak: Eep!

(Sendak falls backwards.)

Sendak: PANTS... your rear is so round...

o_O

(1 Hour Later...)



Nearing the end of PANTS' and Taicho's shift, Taicho spots something flying past the cockpit and runs to fetch Matelite. ...After having to eat a botched cookie and being come onto by Sendak, I can't say it isn't a welcome change of pace.



Sound the alarm! All hands, battle stations!



Crewman 2: They're reinforcements heading for Mahal!! What should we do? What should we do!?



Dragonkeeper and the merchants bust in with the dragons in tow for some last-minute preparation. Bikkebakke's not around, sadly enough, which means no mushrooms this time.

Taicho and Matelite brief us on the situation again. Looks like we'll be facing off against dragons this time, instead of the usual hodge-podge of soldiers the Empire's sent after us.



By the way, meet the newest dragon on our team, Truffle! He's... not very good, to be honest. His starting STR is pretty decent, but the lack of elemental points on him will make using him a bit difficult. Odds are I'll turn him into a poison dragon, since pretty much every other element has been covered at this point.



Oh, and give a round of applause to Calzone, who's just maxed out his Thunder stat! Now he'll be able to compete with Polaris and VicViper in terms of raw firepower.

Oh, and I feed Brandon an extra Poison Mushroom I had lying around and he went through a bit of an Uni-Uni phase. ...He got better.

Seems like Rush is already ready for action.



Hornet: Are we ready for attack?

Hell yes we are.



You'll notice some changes to our team this time around. In order to take advantage of their spell's strengths, I pooled together the Wizards and Priests into two large groups for maximum effect. BRIEFS and Sendak are still together, as per usual, as well as the Knights and Heavies (though that'll change in a few chapters' time).

Another day, another boss battle.



Which is a good thing, because we're going to be assaulted on all sides by the Imperial Forces. And they're aggressive, too - instead of being lured in or taken out one at a time like we did in previous battles, they'll rush us from the start and force us on the defensive.

Area attacks won't be of much effect either, sadly - since most of the groups are mainly solo enemies, it would be much faster to just take them out in battle instead of pelting at them.



The first turn passes without too much incident, as our forces cluster together to prepare for the incoming assault.

The gargoyles take a beating from out attacks on our turn as we wait for them to close in, but they survive for the most part thanks to their high HP. Which is aggravating, to say the least.



Here they come...

Since Truffle is paired with BRIEFS and hasn't really grown all too much, Valitora's strength is a little behind the other attacks we've got. Still, the range makes up for it slightly, as BRIEFS's unit is the only one that can target more than two gargoyles at a time.



Truffle's first battle, and he takes a big chunk out of this monster here. Nice.



The wizard unit manages to off one of the monsters, while the priests patch up the lancers, whom have taken a few hits.



Matelite takes out another one that he just can't quite reach.

The gargoyles attack us finally. Their signature move, Breath Wing, deals a fair bit of damage to our guys, but thankfully they decide to play stupid and try and gang up on VicViper, who responds in kind with his own attacks.




At this point, I guess it's fairly safe to say that our team's weathered the worst of the storm - most of the monsters are either wounded, critical or dead and we've still got plenty of energy to spare.

Oh dear, looks like we've got a bit of a clusterfuck on our hands. This could be a problem...



...not. Man, it feels good to see these attacks have a bit of an effect again.



They're all but wiped out at this point, Matelite himself taking out a few groups.

Ah shit, looks like all those attacks took their toll on poor Wh.MAGE. She'll be fine before the beginning of the next chapter, but something tells me I should really get around to armoring my dragons.



Anyway, Brandung's in range at this point, so there's no sense in wasting any more time on small fry. Boss rush: engage!



Man... this feels wrong, somehow.

Well, a victory's a victory, so no sense dwelling on it. Got a fair bit of EXP, too.



Next time: Join us as the Resistance continues its assault and sets its eyes on freeing Mahal, the Continent of Miracles!

Gah, some of the images got a bit mixed-up while writing the update. :/ It's all fixed now, but there might be a few I missed so keep an eye out for any.

(Is anyone still reading this?)

Last time we left off, we had successfully stopped the Empire's reinforcements from taking backing Campbell and are now on our way to our next destination. Join us as we try and take back...





Taicho: I can never forget what happened on that fateful day... The day I fled from Mahal...



Kefka? Is that you?

Lestat: This is what awaits Mahal at the hands of I, Lestat!



He then fires a... is that a spinning triangle? Anyway, the point is he means business.

Lestat: What's wrong? Come out, Mahal army! Come out, Captain Taicho! Heeheehee!



Hey, it's Gunso!

Gunso: If we don't do something, Mahal will be laid to waste! Captain, please give us our orders!

Taicho: Hmm... Very well. I shall challenge Lestat myself! You all stay behind and cover me!

Mahal Soldier: Don't be reckless! You'd only be headed for a quick death!

Mahal Soldier: Captain, please wait. We will cut in and attack the vanguard. That will be your chance to atack Lestat...

Taicho: Quiet!! Who is giving the orders here?! I am Taicho, captain of the army of Mahal!

Mahal Soldier: But...

Taicho: I said quiet! I am a warrior... The most important thing to me is the people of Mahal! I have no regrets in giving up my life to protect them!

Mahal Soldier: But...

Taicho: I said be quiet!

Noble words, everything you'd expect from Taicho. However, things aren't quite going to go the way they're planned...

Taicho: Celine...

Celine: I agree with them.

Taicho: What are you saying?! If I do not spare my life to protect Mahal, just who will?!

Celine: I'm only saying that you're just not strong enough...

Gunso: Lady Celine! What are you saying?!

Taicho: H-how rude! Are you saying there is someone in Mahal stronger than I? I am the finest warrior in Mahal!! If I must forfeit that honor, I may as well forfeit my life!

Celine: Sleep!

Before Taicho can march off to attack Lestat (and most certainly lose his life - Lestat's far stronger than Taicho at this point in time), Celine knocks him out with a casting of Sleep. But what now?

Celine: Forgive me, my love. Mahal will certainly lost this war. But, even if we lost today... the day will come when we destroy the Empire... Until that time comes... please stay alive... For now...

(Celine turns to the Mahal Soldiers.)

Celine: ...we will defend Mahal!! Let's go!

Mahal Soldier: Yes, ma'am!

Celine: Gunso, please stay behind. Take care of my husband!

Gunso: Yes, ma'am!



Celine: Flame Gaze!



Lestat: Heeheehee! That won't work onn me! What has happened to Taicho?! Where's Taicho, the best warrior in Mahal?



Mahal Soldiers: Waaaa!

(The Mahal Soldiers collapse.)

Lestat: Heeheehee! Taicho! Did you get scared of me and run away? Did the best soldier in Mahal chicken out? Heeheehee!

Celine: No! He's... he's not like that!

Lestat: Heeheehee! Oh, but he is. Heeheehee! Die!



Celine: Ahhhh!!

Taicho: ((My home town, Mahal... Mahal Palace... My subjects... And... my beloved wife... I could not protect them... I could not protect a single thing...)) I am sad!!!!



Taicho: PANTS... Uh, never mind... (beat) PANTS... Is there somebody you love? Is there somebody you have to protect?

>Yes

Does BRIEFS count?

Taicho: PANTS... you are a man of happiness. Having somebody you love is the happiest thing in this world. Take good care of her. If you were to lose her... that would be the worst thing in the world... If that happens... you too might become a coward of a man like me...

The next day...



Taicho: [I]Let us hurry and take off!

(Taicho climbs onto Calzone.)

Sendak: Taicho seems quite anxious...

Matelite: I can't blame him... Mahal was also destroyed by the Empire... And Taicho was known as the finest soldier there... Kahna's best soldier... Hey, then he's the same as me! His pain is the same as mine!

Uh... that's not quite true, Matelite.

Sendak: Yes, yes... when the Empire attacked Mahal they fought dirty... What should we do, PANTS...? We might have to fight dirty too...

Matelite: What are you saying, Mater Sendak!! Even if they fight dirty, we must fight fairly! That is what it is to be a knight! I'm getting on a dragon now!

(Matelite climbs onto Calzone.)

Sendak: PANTS... We do not know how to fight dirty...



If you talk to Truce before you set off to battle, he asks if you'll listen to a plan of his for the upcoming battle. Considering that he's the smart guy and Lestat's a bit of a prick, it's worth a listen.

Truce: Let's take a look at a map of Mahal.



Truce: So, we gather the enemy down in the flood basin below the gate... Then we open it up, and let the torrent take care of them for us!! An excellent plan, don't you think?! A piece of cake, right?!

This is a bit misleading; the torrent-in-question only ends up weakening Lestat's army instead of crushing them, but the damage it deals is still worth taking a look, as well see in the upcoming battle.

Dragon-feeding time! As I said, I'll be focusing on improving Truffle's Poison stat for now in order to make up for our lack of attacks in that area. Granted, it's not much of a boost, but Bikkebakke's absent again so I can't take advantage of his cheap-but-effective mushrooms.

In other news, the stores have upgraded their wares for the second time, and, with our equipment getting a little bit rusty, I'll be holding off on the dragon-feeding for now to try and get the Resistance army a little better equipped.



Granted, it takes a fair bit of selling stuff off to afford it, but man, look at those stat boosts! The heavy armors arguably make out the best of the bunch, with a whopping 40-point increase to attack. I was only able to afford enough for weaponry though (and even then, the Priests had to go without), but it should be satisfactory for now. I also had some diamond armor lying around for our team's fighters, so at least the guys on the front line will get the defense bonuses.

The parties are the same as before, just so you know.



Taicho: Lestat! So, now we meet at last! The malice of those killed by you... You will now taste it for yourself!!

Looks like this got a little more personal.



Taicho's got an axe written with Lestat's name on it, so let's get to work so it doesn't go to waste, shall we?



As mentioned before, a great deal of strategy will revolve around that floodgate to the north. Notice how Lestat's troops are perfectly assembled - our goal this time around is to gather our forces just outside of Lestat's forces' range while a lone unit heads north to flood the field.

For these purposes, we'll be sending the Lancer unit to do the deed, since it started the furthest to the north and Lukia's presence in the party will let them move faster than the others. There's also the fact that we'll want our strongest fighters down south to clean up, as the pair of healing magi in Lestat's team can reverse all our hard work if we don't move quickly.



Our mage teams shadow the Lancer squad a bit at first to help clear a path and keep them in good shape. The catapaults in the region deal pretty decent damage to the party, so we don't want our guys kicking it before they reach their goal.



Meanwhile, down in the south, the rest of our army crosses the bridge and prepares for their assault.

Save for the occasional healing, the Lancer doesn't have much trouble fighting their way through. Being the worst combat class in the game doesn't necessarily mean they're weak, after all.



Once our team is back in one large formation again, the Lancer squad opens the floodgates...

...and the Granbelos soldiers get thoroughly drenched.



Now that they've been weakened, it's time to attack! Though our guys can't quite reach the enemy army (I hesitated in our approach, since I didn't want to set them off and ruin the entire plan), I decide to break tradition and have the dragons have a go at them.



In hindsight, I really with I didn't, since they zero in on these healing magi instead.

Way to ruin everything, guys!



While the others throw themselves pointlessly against the enemy healers, BRIEFS' unit and Truffle make themselves useful and go after the other guys instead.



Goddamn it, Brandon even ends up healing one of them by accident. Even though it's just this healing magi that's getting buffed, it's still just... gah!

Well, I guess one consolation is that the Empire's magi can't touch our dragons - being flying units, they're immune to earth, so they basically become a non-threat in the process.



The enemy's turn comes around and they launch an all-out assault on our exposed dragons. Of note is the exorcism spell, which deals instant death to a target... if it hits. Thankfully, it does not, and Calzone lives another day.



The time has come to strike back, and our units do so in relish. Best part is that they're clustered together, meaning we can do thousands of damage without fear of reprisal thanks to our souped-up field attacks.

Two turns later, and, despite initial set-backs, we've already wiped out half of the enemy's forces. If we surive this turn with our dragons intact (very likely, since only the two Gerumpel units and the Lanzenritter unit can harm them and since they've been refreshing each other the entire round), the battle is ours.




Not much really happens on Lestat's turn. The magi shoot at air, the Gerumpel's and Lanzenritter waste their chance at taking out a dragon, the healer gets on my nerves even more, and Lestat tries to use his triangles of doom to petrify my units (it misses).