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Buried in Sand
Lotus Aura fucked around with this message at 02:13 on Jul 7, 2021 |
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Jul 2, 2021 17:30
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 07:53 |
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Wait, are Charge Attacks literally exactly the same as Crits? Does that mean charge attacks can't crit? If that's the case, jeez, even more reason that medium swords are just the best.
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Jul 3, 2021 08:34
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 Plates are this layers equivalent to the Iron Bars, basically. The difference being that the Iron Bars were useful and Erliks still drop Thin Bars. Kodachi is a new Small Sword. We won't be using it today and it cannot be upgraded until layer three.  Gotta get 4 Red Beetles? Getting 1 is enough of a pain. They're a rare harvest in Grass that gives Blue Mint. That means you can get them without ever leaving the first room of the ruins.  Doing it is needed to get more quests, annoyingly. Shame too because these rewards are garbage. Aphid Powder is a temporary Defense boost, so that one at least doesn't make me question what its doing here.  Two new quests, and we can hand this one in immediately. Of all the key item requests along these lines, I think this one might be technically the hardest.  Tridents are new throwing knives. I think they might be able to inflict Poison or something? I dunno, that'd require using them.  Oh, this one seems annoying. Time to do something about that to fix it.  Gonna upgrade the Knight Sword into the  That's because it's the... second strongest weapon we can get this layer. Yes. It's a Medium Sword, but in all practical terms it's a Big Sword.  ...While we're here, let's upgrade the Bone Izzard to the Viking to cap out the Sabre's path. To say we had to wait a while to get this done, it's not very impressive.  And for a fun reference, the Shield Sword becomes the Flamberge. It's not super impressive compared to the Tekkan. It also can't be upgraded until layer 3.  So, the Tekkan? It can oneshot Baku Moths. This means killing 6 of them dead takes literal seconds.  I'd say its worth it. Nourishment especially is nice to get; that's the best straight HP healing item, giving back 400 a pop.  Next up, we gotta head back to that Skeleton and say hi. SUre, okay.  The Tekkan IS disgustingly powerful for this stretch of the game, but let's upgrade it further. Most of the items needed to upgrade the Dancing Sword are in layer 3. Blazing Crystal is a notable exception, in many respects. Oh sure you CAN get it in layer 3 (exactly 1 is virtually guaranteed), but it's easiest obtained in the potgame.  We already know where this Skeleton is just hanging out, so we might as well go say hi.  *Creak...* ...Hm It seemed to move just then... ...Must have been my imagination. *Creaaaak......* We have killed so many Skeletons by now. How is this even remotely surprising? *Yaa~aawn* ...That was a good nap. !? Hmm? Who are you? It's dangerous to be alone in a place like this, you know. The skeleton... spoke...? Oh, right, right. Ha, haah... So, what on earth are you doing in a place like this? W-well, a woman named Anna from Liruka village put in a request at the guild...Ren told the talking skeleton that he had come to find Anna's husband, an arhaeologist, on her request. The skeleton seemed to listen carefully, not moving an inch. So, that's my story. ...I see. You've been down here a long time, right? Have you een anyone who seems to fit? Anyone surprised? Like, at all? Wha--!? I mean it. Even though I look like this, I'm an archaeologist. I discovered this site a few years ago and snuck in here on my own to investigate. And, as a result, the mummy-hunter became the mummy. Or skeleton... you get the drift. Ha ha ha haa-- *Cough, cough*! Oh, pardon me. Even though this body is hollow, it's easy for things to get caught. Dearie me... Er... So, what you're saying is... It seems the power left here by the ancient people still persists to this day... Not realising that, I was driven on by curiosity, and, thanks to an onslaught of hidden monsters, said my goodbyes to this world. But strangely, even though I died, my soul didn't leave my bones, thus I got a body that will never rot. However, it's all down to the power of a most curious stone called Magicite that fills these ruins. If I take one step outside of this place, I might never move again. But, well I don't let it get me down. Thanks to this, I can investigate the ruins without having to worry about time. Ha ha ha haa-- *Cough, cough*! ...I've done such an awful thing to my wife... I'm sorry to have to ask this, but could you let Anna know what happened? Yeah, I'll tell her. Thank you. Well, do be careful on the way. You too, keep well. I'm always well! Or as well as a dead guy can be. Ha ha ha haa-- *Cough, cough*! Then, I'll take my leave.Y'know, I can't help but think that the... jokes? in that scene were just super hard to translate. Or maybe skellyboy just has a weird, eclectic sense of humour.  The rewards for this aren't super good either, but most of the time you don't do these ones for the rewards anyway. Most of the time.  5 Erliks next up, and that's easy. We can just warp in, run two screens left and get 2. Repeat them a couple times and that's 6/5 right there.  Power Protein is, well, a damage buff. Ballistic Knives are knives. Nothing else needs to be said there.  Technically speaking the next request is worse than just selling the Emeralds outright.  But we're not after the money here. Or the buffs. The Health Ring is bad, but there's a couple caveats to it.  It gives a passive effect that mimics a later skill. That's not unique or anything, mind, and unlike the ailment charms it's not really good either. We can at least upgrade it eventually though.  Killing a buncha Silver Knights is very much worth doing, because of that new Big Sword. We could've made this earlier pretty easily, but this is more convenient.  It's alright, but we're not going to use it in this form. I planned ahead you see!  We'll immediately upgrade it into the  We'll take it a step further to the Little Crow though. The hanzo steel here is only 2 points of Melee ATK behind the Tekkan - so little a difference it's not even noticeable. It has the edge on everything else that matters though. Not speed but it's a Big Sword so that'll never happen. We can't upgrade it further yet. The Black Cloth is the only thing we're missing but we cannot get that until the next layer.  5 Ogres next. Why 5 Ogres? If you can get here, you can breeze past that without trying.  Actually beating them takes like a minute. Getting to a convenient one is more of a hassle. Rewards are pretty nice at least.  Oh, this one! Gotta make a new Knight's Sword.  Fortunately, we can just craft it outright. It's not really all that hard to make at least. Costs a bit more than we'll get from the reward...  ...But we're not doing this for the money. Or the skill book for that matter. The Knight's Crest is what you want here.  It's an arguable upgrade to the Periapt we found before, but we can also use it as an ingredient for a good accessory craft. Gonna be using it as is for the time being though. Probably worth noting that this is functionally the only one we'll get. We can get more eventually, but not for a long, long time.  Another of these already, eh? Alright then, let's go back to the Kobold.  ...A goblin? Shut your face! Hurry up and shove off already! If you don't, I'll have to use my bow and arrow... Come again? Do you want to become Swiss cheese!? O-oi! H-hold up! I'm here because I've got business with you! I don't want anything to do with the likes of you. Would you just put that thing down for a second and listen to me!?Raising his voice, Ren expressed his desire for the Kobold to hear him out. Sensing the seriousness, the Kobold lowered its bow. So, what "business" could a human like you possibly have with me? Heh... So you finally feel like listening? R-right....The commission from a man named Roy who was saved by a Kobold whilst investigating the ruins... And the letter he had been entrusted with containing those unspoken feelings of gratitude... Ren spoke with a oool voice as he explained the situation t the Kobold. So, being a Kobold yourself, I wanted your help to find this Kobold who went out of his way to save a human... Why should I do something like that? Getting a letter like that would just be revolting. More likely, that Kobold you say was trying to help this Roy, was actually trying to steal his stuff.As he said those cold words, a hint of loneliness could be seen on the Kobold's face. That's a twisted way of seeing things. Roy really was grateful. If he hadn't been rescued when he was, he would have died there, trapped in the depths of the ruins. And for the Kobold, carrying Roy all the way to the surface risked attack by both ferocious beasts and humans... But despite the danger, he decided to help. Roy, so truly grateful for the help, or the Kobold who crossed the barrier of species to lend out his hand, and still say such things.Each word he said without even taking a pause for breath struck the Kobold at its core. Seeming to have resigned himself, the Kobold suddenly let out a long sigh and raised its head. Good grief... Alright, fine, Hand over that letter. I'll see to it that it gets delivered. You mean it!? Yeah. Kobolds don't tell lies. Ah, sorry. Then I'm counting on you.Ren handed over the letter that the guild had entrusted him with. Oh... right... What is it? M-mm... Well... Roy... Pass this message on to that human, Roy. Wha...?As if trying to have the final say, the Kobold disappeared from sight. The Kobold's awkward tenderness left Ren with a small fuzzy feeling in his chest. I'd ask if any was surprised by this shocking reveal, but I think I already know the answer to that.  Mostly the rewards here are nothing notable now. That it's where we get Grass [Part 2] is a bit awkward though. I definitely spent way too long trying to find it in the ruins my first time through. It being hidden here near the end of the Rank C quests is really not signposted well at all.  That's the last quest we're doing today, though. We COULD do more, but for whatever reason I convinced myself that this one isn't doable right now. Man-Eating Mandrakes are what drops it but I managed to talk myself into it requiring the next boss beaten to reach.  No I don't know how that happened either. But speaking of the boss, let's get to it. Gotta get past another Red Prowler but it's not a big deal.  This room.... There's a lot of negative words that can be said about this room.  There's four flagstones here and four switches too. In itself, this is fine.     I'm not entirely sure what these flagstones are even referring to, honestly. But that's not what's really important here.  So, the puzzle here. The order, of course, is Green-Pink-Yellow-Blue. That's what we were told from the flagstones we had to spend the layer tracking down.  Problem number 1: there's no pink option for these switches. It looks it here, but that's because this is a static image. They start yellow, but when hit it cycles to blue. Hit it again, it cycles to green. After that, it becomes this "pink" option that's more of a flashing multicolour option. Lastly, hitting it again here has it cycle back to yellow to start fresh.  Problem number 2: the solution we're literally told is wrong. Green-"Pink"-Yellow-Blue does nothing. It's an incorrect order, and yet this is the one you're told.  Problem number 3: the actual solution is very close to what we're told, but yellow and pink need switching. There's nothing to indicate this, because the flagstones scattered throughout the layer are supposed to tell you the solution.  Problem number 4: this is exceptionally awful the best of times, but it's even worse if you're colourblind. There's no alternative way to figure this out. It's trial and error anyway, but it's even moreso if you can't properly see what you're doing. There's 4 switches, and 4 options for each. There's "only" 256 possible combinations as a result. Good luck!  Oh and our reward for doing this is the third boss fight. This is a back-to-back slap of awful, frankly.  Look at this room. See how the floor is nothing but sand? Somehow that's the least awful part of the fight!  In a certain room in the second layer of the ruins... The floor was almost entirely covered in sand. Seeing that, Ren let out an involuntary sigh. Same, honestly. Just as he had made up his mind to continue forward, a faint sign of life stirred in the back of the room. Not letting his guard down, Ren slowly approached the source of the sign... Standing there was... Veres? What are you doing?  What, it's just you Ren? Don't scare me like that!It was Veres, who had left on a different mission. On noticing Ren, he appeared to have hidden something in his hand. Hm? What's that? Huh? What's what? Don't play dumb. What did you hide just then? Show me. *Sigh...* I guess I've been found out... Here.Veres gave in and showed Ren the small, glittering stone he had been holding.   You found it!? That said, this is just a fragment of Magicite, it' not good for anything. In other words, all it does is sparkle, no different from any of the other stones around here. I see... But, if this is a fragment, then that must mean there's a main body somewhere, right? Most likely. More to the point, why did you try to hide it? Bringing this back with us is our mission, isn't it? Oh, well you know~ I was thinking that I'd surprise you with it. The true nature...? Apparently, they're the ones who used alchemy to create Magicite in the days of Edenbar, which was destroyed a thousand years ago. Using alchemy... to make Magicite? It's getting more and more unbelievable. Alchemy is the stuff of fiction, right? But, the stone really exists. To create a miraculous stone, you need a miraculous power. There's a lot we don't know, but now you've gotta believe at least that much, right? I guess so. So, it's said that ancient civilization's collapse was due to their over-reliance on the power of Magicite... That makes sense. Does that mean this stone is that dangerous? Well, it's hard to say much without seeing the real thing. Plus, it was an order from the Archduke. It doesn't make a diference whatever we think here. ... I'll try to find out more about it for now, so good luck with everything on your end. H-hey! Wait a sec-- He never listens to a word anyone else has to say, that guy. ...The Magicite was created by the nation of Reville, huh...? What...? My right hand feels... off...Suddenly feeling something strange in his right hand, Ren subconsciously drew his sword.  Mechnically, it's nothing. We get nothing outta this, which is a shame. Ren couldn't hide his bewilderment at the power overflowing from his right hand. It [hadn't] crossed his mind until just then, he had been holding the fragment of Magicite in that same hand. If this is the power of that stone... Had Veres not noticed it... or...? While running that question through his mind, something suddenly appeared from beneath the ground.  Oh, hello there! Nice of you to finally join us.  Jormungandr, huh? Sure, why not. I-it's huge!? This thing was in the sand--!? drat. Anything really is possible in this place. I've got no choice, huh?Determined, Ren gripped the sword tightly in his hand and pointed it at the giant sand snake.  Jormungandr So, I dislike this fight. A lot. See, Jormungandr does not have a weakspot like the previous boss fights. We were told upfront that its body cannot be harmed, so we have to hit it in the head. Problem: if you're close enough to hit it, its close enough to hit you with contact damage. Also it spits sand as a ranged attack for good measure.  On top of that, it likes to spend time hiding under the sand. It then warps directly underneath you.  At which point, it leaps out of the sand into the air. This does a lot of damage and stuns you.  After a few seconds, it leaps back down onto you. This also deos a lot of damage and stuns you. During both stages of this, you CAN hit its head but the timing is tight and if you mistime it you're screwed.  It also sometimes leaps across the area from one side to the other. This does a lot of damage and stuns you.  Yes, 3 of its 4 attacks stun you. The stun from the arch over the top has a slightly shorter duration than the other two, so it's not a perfect stunlock but its close enough. If you don't mash dodge rolling out, you ain't getting away.  What this functionally means is that if you get hit even once by any of its attacks, you're pretty much screwed already. Anyway, since we can only hit it in the head, combo timing (and charge attacks) is at a bit of a premium. Jump attacks are the order of the day here, so Big Swords are more convenient for pure raw damage. Attack boost + crit does four digit damage. Can't complain about that.  As you'd expect, the drops from this boy are half-unique to it. Sorta.  The clue is kinda in the name. We ain't finding too many Sand Snakes in the future.  You know this, sadly, because we haven't found any in the past.  That little awkward thing isn't likely to change.   End New treasure in hand, let's see what our real rewards here are.  Another 200HP increase, bringing us up to 800. Not bad, but not exciting either.  This is what we really need. Gonna have to hand this one in to the Guild to get through the rest of the layer.   I'm not gonna ask how the description here knows how this unique one-of-a-kind tail does not do that. We're done here for now, though. Back to town we go!    Goodness... You're all over the shop! Is such behaviour appropriate for the Knight Commander? Hahaha. You've hit me where it hurts most. Still, even though you were finally given permission by the Archduke to leave the city... Whatever made you want to come all this way to such an empty village? Well, Ren are Veres are in this village right now, aren't they? (sic) Wha-- You came all this way just to see those two!? That's why I thought I'd go to see him. Lady Elza. I have been by your side for a long time now, so I know... But when I see you with that noble air, befitting of a princess, it makes me proud. However, since meeting those two, I fear you may have crossed the line of proper conduct... ... I know what I've said is rude. I don't mean to cause offense. It's just, you are this dukedom's princess, and they are but knights. Please bear the weight of that in mind so that you do not act irresponsibly. I'm well aware. Lady Elza... ... But regardless, we did come all this way. I am allowed to talk to them, right? You're right. Regrettably, it seems I am your only bodyguard, and just for today, I shall overlook it. Thank you. Then, I'll head to the village guild to ask for news of Ren and Veres. Lady Elza, please wait here for me. Right. I'll leave it to you. ...I wish I hadn't been born a princess. No, no! I can't let myself get depressed. Since I've come all this way to see Ren, I must greet him with a cheerful, smiling face. Right! Smile, Elza! There's no use worrying about things that can't be changed. Because I am me, after all. ... ...Ronixis sure is running late.  Eek! A m-monster...!? Kekekeke... N-no...! D-don't come near me...! S-someone... save me...... Ren...!! One swift flash to white later, Ghost one-shot (offscreen) with no animation at all. Sure. R-Ren...! ...Ren, thank goodness... I... I...... Jeez... Your habit of getting into trouble hasn't changed. Here. Stand up. ... What's wrong? ...I can't get up. ...Huh? I don't have the strength... ...*Sigh*. Here. ...Eh? Is that okay? I can't exactly leave you here, can I? This is part of my job too. Thank you. Here goes...  Say any more and I'll hit you! ...You already did. Hehehe... What? Eh, you don't remember? This has happened before, you know? Is that right? That time I was asked to escort you shopping, huh? Come to think of it, you were too faint to stand back then as well. T-that's because it was really frightening. But you said something to me back then... Hey look, it's a title drop! Took long enough, all things considered. With that simple statement, I felt so reassured. I said that? You did. Well, not that I remember. Grr~ You're just going to play it cool again? You're always like that. Which reminds me... There was something I forgot to ask you that time. Something you wanted to ask? Yes. This is the second time you've come to my rescue now, but... ... Hey... answer me... Oh, Captain. ...You have the worst timing... So, what are you doing here, and why is Lady Elza on your back? I'm the one who should be asking what you're doing here. Ren told Ronixis about how Elza had been attacked by a monster. W-what did you say... A monster!? L-l-l-l-lady Elza! A-a-are you hurt--!? I'm fine. My legs were just paralysed by the shock. I'm not injured anywhere. I-I am glad to hear that. Save it. You're the one who brought her here... It's just good that I happened to be passing by when I did... Yes... It was most reckles of me. I'm sorry, Ren. And Lady Elza, please forgive me... I-I really am fine, so don't look so glum. Okay? You're right. It will be getting dark soon. We should head back. Eh? We're leaving already? You've only just escaped from danger, you really ought to take it easy... ...Alright. Ren, I'll be waiting for you at the castle, so the next time you're back, you must drop by. Promise me! Lady Elza... ...Ah-- Fne, I've got it, so go home already. Nck! I'm going to pretend I didn't just hear that. Honestly! I'm going on ahead. W-w-wait for me! ...What did those two even come here for?Sometimes it's best to not worry about that.  Anyway, we're nearly done with the second layer. We'll turn our skill book in, finish up the Rank C quests and then go to the fourth boss I guess. Also Jormungandr's biggest failing is that it's basically just Serris (from Metroid Fusion). But, y'know, bad. 
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Jul 7, 2021 02:15
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So we now know that Switzerland is around in that universe.
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Jul 9, 2021 20:52
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