Let's play Dragon Warrior III: you mean they made a sequel to that one game with all the instant death monsters?

[François]

I just wanted to say that Fia and Reb's midnight adventure was fucking amazing and the effort you put in to do that was not wasted

Much appreciated!

Sometimes there's a voice deep inside that goes "dang broseph, just stick to the game". And there's a lot of legitimate criticism that can be leveled at the notion of blank-slate protagonists. But to me, part of what makes me appreciate these games so much is the space that they leave for the player to make their own story in. And just as it was in Nocturne, I can't think of a better way to demonstrate that aspect than to share what my story is.

It just helps when deciding if an upgrade is worth the cash: For example, your half plate upgrade for Zofia will, on average, reduce incoming damage by 2. Compared to her old armor, I mean. Depending on how hard you're usually being hit, that may be worth it or not.

Yeah, the value of a single point of defense power is rather puny. Since we only have one character who gets the heavy stuff, being that thrifty hasn't been too much of a concern so far, but it would definitely be something to think about if we also had to outfit, say, a Soldier and a Merchant.

That said, we've had plenty of fights where someone ended up at 1 HP (including our victories against the Dragonlord and Malroth), so you never know!

[François]

: Wow. Okay, this is crazy, but for a moment I had a weird notion that I had become the king of Romaly.



: Oh. Right.


: Now I understand why Aliahan sealed themselves away from this place.




: I don't think you realize how creepy that sounds.





That's right, we're the king of Romaly. If we try some of our menu commands...


: ...not that long ago.










: I just got here! If this is an improvement, the previous guy must have been horrible.


: Besides, it can be used any number of times.
: I don't know what you expect me to do with that information.




: That's one way to put it.


: He's done this before? Somehow that makes it feel even worse.


: You're in kind of a weird position to be telling your king you wish he was bloodthirsty and merciless.


: I'll... uh... I'll send someone? I guess?

The House of Healing attendant doesn't treat us any different from before. That's something of a comfort.






: What, is the king supposed to stay cooped up inside the castle all day every day? Good grief.

: Hello, miss.

: Good grief, settle down, I only said hello.


: I do now!

The Cloak of Evasion is the new name of DW2's Clothes Hiding. We'll definitely want it.


: Huh. I wonder where Isabel, Alvaro and Rebeca have gone.




: Eh, sure. All taxes are hereby cut by 75%. You're welcome.

: Ah, now that's my style of governing. Decisive and popular!
: Isn't that also why Glynn had to step in as Lord Treasurer after three months?
: The only reason the entire royal guard didn't quit right away is because they owed you their lives!
: And then everyone knew better than to give me jobs I don't want to have. It's win-win!


: ...well that explains a lot.


: I hear it's popular with royalty these days.


: You're certainly looking cheerful.
: The common people have it good indeed! I never knew gambling was so much fun!

: I guess I can "fix" a couple more things for you.
: Well, until we meet again! Ho, ho, ho!


: I went where I pleased before I was the king, and I'm not stopping now.




: Same as always I guess. Except for the, you know, all the obvious king stuff.


: How about you avoid treating the new king like an idiot, hmm? Sounds like a healthy life choice.







: Maybe this isn't so bad after all. I could devote this entire nation's resources to fighting the archfiend! I think I'll take a stroll outside to celebrate this turn of events.




: Um... Excuse me.

: What. Seriously, I go where I want.

: ...



: nopenopenopenopenope



: nopenopenopenopenope


: Nope!

: Nope!

: No, wait! No! I mean, yes! I do tire already!

: Whew, thanks.




: Tired of the good life already, eh?
: It's overrated.
: Well it's good to have you back.
: Cripes, you can say that again. Your replacement was a total doof.
: I did tell him not to pet that Vampire Cat.
: ...at least that's one mistake he won't make again.
: Not that he could even if he wanted to, heheh.
: Oooooookay.



The once-again king gives us the typical royal spiel.



You can actually take the throne again anytime you like!

: Uh, pass. No thanks. Maybe later. Much later.
: Oh, I see... Well, be on your way then!



: So, in the end, what was in it for us in that whole nonsense?
: Absolutely nothing.
: Kings are dicks.

: Amen to that!

: I only regret that I won't be here to see his face when he has to tell his subjects that he's quadrupling the tax rate.

This entire sequence leaves us with the same HP and MP values we had when we delivered the crown, so we need to rest at the inn before leaving.

: With all that done, I still don't think we're quite ready to head east yet.
: I believe we could push through if we had to, but it would be a long and bloody trip.
: I did learn one interesting thing while I was king. There's apparently a town called Noaniels in the far north, and they need help.
: That sounds right up our alley!
: Depends on what they need help with.
: The least we can do is check it out, in any case. It might be the archfiend's doing.
: Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Let's go, then.

We could Return to Kanave, but we want to buy an Iron Shield from there, so we go on foot instead. We're about 100 gold short by the time we arrive, but we can just sell Zofia's Bronze Shield for the rest. Her defense goes from 45 to 50, and we now have all the best gear money can buy. That won't last long, but it feels good while it does!









Huh, that was actually much closer than I thought it would be. So far the overworld has felt a lot denser than DW2's. We've probably covered an area a bit smaller than the first continent in the previous game, but it has a lot more stuff in it.



: Oh dang, this is eerie.

The first warning sign is that this villager here is not moving. All characters who aren't dead or sleeping are usually going through their two-frame animations even when they're standing in place, but this man is completely immobile.



: So this is the sleeping village we've heard about.
: Elves definitely did this. They get offended by some tiny thing, and then an entire town gets put away until who-knows-when.
: I did not know they were so cruel.
: I know, right? I'd just burn the whole place to the ground instead. You gotta get it done in one, right quick. Anything else is just showing off.
: ...ssssssure.



If I don't show you someone's dialog here, assume it's "Zzz... Zzz..."







: Oh hey, you're awake! What's going on here?

: You yokels stole a magic gem from the elves? What the heck did you think would happen? I can't believe this!
: If you don't, the spell on the village will never be broken!
: I wonder how they figured they'd get their bauble back if all villagers were put to sleep.
: No one in this entire situation thought anything through.
: The hidden village of the elves is in the west forest.



: Won't the elves just find an excuse to put us to sleep too?
: I hope being Ortega's daughter will count for something.















Aaaand that's it for Noaniels. It's a good thing it's close to Kanave after all, because we can't stay at the inn here.









The obvious attraction here is the cave, but there is in fact a tile of scrubland in the northwest, looking just like the secret exit to the Cave on the Promontory.



We arrive just as the sun sets.


: We come in peace!
: My mother will be mad if I talk to a human!
: Yup, total racists. They probably think Baramos won't even touch them.






: Be that as it may, I wouldn't be so quick to take responsibility for the elves' overreaction.
: Because he eloped with an elfin princess...
: Oh wow, they definitely don't like that.
: I've come here in my son's place to seek amends. But they won't forgive us.
: This is nonsense, you didn't do anything wrong. We'll find a way to sort this out.


: Oh get over yourself.


: Yeah, we will. Cripes.



: Alright Ears, what's going down with Noaniels?
: ...!

: She took the Dream Ruby and went to him, never to return.
: So it wasn't even the human who took your jewel? What a load of crap!
: Rebeca, it might be time for diplomacy right now.
: Yeah, tell that to the townspeople?
: After all, what hope do an elf and a human have? Anne must have been fooling herself.
: You're just mad because your daughter's ten times as smart as you are!
: Reb, don't-
: I can't stand the sight of humans! Get away from me!



: Ugh, that was pointless.
: I wonder where the couple might have gone.
: They could be anywhere by now.
: Or they could also be closer than we might think.
: Hmm?
: There's a cave close-by, right? They could have hid in there, hoping the whole thing would blow over sooner or later, and they could return home.
: That's true. Besides, travel wasn't always this difficult, but it's never been easy.
: Well, it's worth checking out for sure.

As soon as we leave the village...



...we're jumped by four Madhounds. They're a bit weaker than Rogue Knights in every respect, but of course they don't always show up alone. They're highly resistant to Sleep and slightly resistant to fire and Surround, and they have about a 33% chance to cast Defence on their turn, reducing our entire party's defense power by about 50%.

Alvaro's the only one who can one-shot Madhounds at this point, and even Isabel and Zofia working together usually won't take one down in one turn.



Avenger Ravens are a touch weaker than Madhounds, but much less durable, and almost without resistances (only 77/256 to Sleep and Surround). However, to compensate for their lower HP and defense, they are the first monsters we've seen with two attacks per turn. This is especially devastating to low-defense party members (and makes Madhounds much more dangerous when they're encountered together), but fortunately Avenger Ravens do respect standard formation targeting. Their only other remarkable aspect is an uncommonly high evade chance of 12.











Considering how far we are from an inn, it's kind of the game to make sure we won't have to travel far on foot if we have to leave. But we still have to save 8 MP for Rebeca's Outside!









Oooh, that's good to know. It doesn't look like this is the one, though.











Alvaro reaches level 12 here, for 5 Str, 3 Agi, 3 Vit, 5 Luc, 1 Int, and 8 HP. He's just getting buffer and buffer!





Deadly Toadstools are a hint stronger than Madhounds, and a bit less durable. They're nearly immune to Sleep and slightly resistant to fire. Most dangerously, their standard attacks have a chance to put their target to sleep, and they can breathe sleeping gas as well. This is a fight with a lot of potential to go very wrong, so we have Isabel and Rebeca go with Infernos and Firebal while Alvaro handles the Toadstool.



Vampires are a fair bit stronger than Vampire Cats were, though they're actually easier to kill. They only have mild resistance to Sleep, and have about 1/3rd chance to cast IceBolt on their turn, which is extraordinarily bad news.



Let's go for the western stairs here.



: Hmm! I don't know if this place has anything to do with Anne and her beau, but it sure looks important.
: I'm more interested in finding out if this is the spring of healing we've heard about, because I'm just about out of juice.
: Right, we're all exhausted by now.
: Let's see if we can at least find out what these standing stones are about. Then we can turn back.











As we step on the center tile, the screen flashes white.

: Whoa!
: Ah, this is wonderful!



Just like that, everyone's HP and MP are filled up. Holy crap, Dragon Warrior 3! You're so nice!

: Well hey, are you all ready to keep going?
: Ha, absolutely!
: I feel like I could set a million undead wolves on fire!
: Let's not imagine the smell.
: Too late.



















That staircase almost seems too obvious, but let's try it just to be sure.





The Man-Eater Moth is a bit weaker than a Vampire and has less HP, but it has slightly higher defense, and mild resistance to fire and Sleep. Its attacks ignore formation, and it comes with the ability to call for other Moths, to cast Surround, and to poison us with its regular attack. If we had to worry about our MP expenditure, fights against these would be a lot tougher than they are!



: Oof, wrong way.
: This chest clearly holds something precious inside.

: Yeah, you'd think that, wouldn't you.

: Even if the Dream Ruby isn't here, it still might have been worth it to come all this way.
: Come on, let's climb back up and find another path.







Zofia levels up here, for 1 Str, 2 Agi, 3 Vit, 2 Luc, and 5 HP. Nnnnnot the best possible level for sure.











Okay, that's was a pointless loop. Let's head south in that long corridor instead.





Ah, okay, not bad.

Isabel reaches level 13 here, for 3 Str, 2 Agi, 3 Vit, 2 Luc, 1 Int, 7 HP, and 1 MP. That's pretty decent, and it catches up her low HP somewhat.



Oof, that's a tough one. Alvaro takes two IceBolts to the face, and Zofia and Isabel just get hit hard. If anyone dies, I doubt the spring will be enough to bring them back, and we'll have to cast Outside. But I don't want to take the chance of running... Let's go for another round.



Whew! Dang but it's good to have two capable healers on board.







As soon as we climb down, four Man-Eater Moths jump us on the floor below. Rebeca levels up afterwards, for 1 Agi, 4 Vit, 5 Luc, 3 Int, 9 HP (!!!), 6 MP, and a new spell: Slow. For 3 MP, Slow attempts to reduce the Agility of an enemy group, making them act later in the round. It's often better at making sure you act first than SpeedUp, but SpeedUp never has to overcome a resistance stat.







Dang but it's so cool to see dungeons now having more decorative features. This cave with its flooded lower level and fancy stone bridge has more personality than any dungeon in DW2 or 1.







: There's no way there's anything of value in this chest.

: There's no way there isn't anything of value in this chest!



: So they didn't go very far after all. How tragic.
: Wait... there's something else...



: Forgive me, mother, for departing this world ahead of you.
: Oh no...
: If my love for him, that of elf for human, is forbidden in this world, at least I can be with him in the one beyond...
: Aw hell. Why'd they have to do that?
: Now we have terrible news for everyone.
: At least we can return the Dream Ruby.
: It'll be the coldest of comforts.
: But if it sets Noaniels free, we'll have accomplished that much.
: Ehhh... yeah. I hope the elves will learn something from this, but I'm not holding my breath.
: What a strange jewel though. I wonder what properties it might... it might...



: Alvaro!



: Ugh, I can't believe that oaf! Gimme a moment...





: Now don't do that again!
: ...right. Thank you.
: Just take us out of here, Rebeca. We'll be clearing this place out another time.








: Yes, it is. It was in the cave just south of here. Please take it.
: Don't expect your daughter or her love to come back from there, though.
: What? Are you saying that Anne and that man cast themselves into a underground lake?!
: You suspected it all along, didn't you?
: Oh! Why was I so hard on them?!
: ...
: What am I to do...
: Well I sure can think of something.
: ...Now I see. Here, take this Wake Up Powder with you and go back to the village. Then you may remove the curse. Anne would want it that way. Oh, Anne! Forgive your mother!

If we try to talk to her again...


: So much for learning anything.


: You have our most profound condolences.
: At least he didn't depart alone. For what it's worth.

The shopkeep still won't sell to us. There's nothing left for us here.

[François]

: I figured being a hero would feel at least a little better than this.
: Zofia, the portions of this quest that ended in sorrow took place long before any of us had anything to do with it.
: Besides, the elves had it coming, to be honest.
: That's not as comforting as you think.
: Sometimes, all of the endings are bad. But what's up to us is making sure there will be another story tomorrow.



The sun rises just as we get within sight of Noaniels. What a night that was.



: Alright then, let's see about this powder.
: If it turns out this is just flour, we're going back there and torching the place.









Just like that, the man at the entrance starts moving!


: Haha, it worked!
: Whew, okay then, we definitely didn't screw that one up.




: Um...
: Yeah, we did.
: Really? I'm embarrassed.
: Eh, it's nothing. We're used to sleeping close to Isabel, so...
: What's that supposed to mean?
: Oof.
: Yikes!
: There's no way no one ever told you.
: ...oh dear.



One more gold per person than in Kanave, still no biggie. We might as well rest right away.


: ...
: Goodness, it must have happened while you were already...


: There's no such thing as a son of Ortega.
: Oh! I thought you were someone else.
: Look, I'm his daughter. What's your deal?
: I thought it was only yesterday that Ortega was in the room next door. He must have headed to Assaram in search of a key. But... it is hard to believe so many years have passed since then and that Ortega is gone.
: ...yeah, it is. Even if you haven't been asleep all this time.



: He must have been looking for a key to Portoga for sure!
: Well, let's hope there's still a copy of it in Assaram, because if he took the only one, we definitely won't get to use that tunnel.


: It's a good thing the elves' enchanted sleep kept them nourished.
: Well, the elves may be jerks, but they're not demons.




: Right, we just heard of that town. Do you have any idea where it is?
: Assaram is east of Romaly!
: That's... not the best news.
: Well, thank you.

I think we have our next objective! Let's hope the Tower of Shanpane and this ordeal with the elves will have prepared us adequately.





The Spider's Web is a consumable item that basically casts Slow. We can have Rebeca cast Slow anytime we need, so it's no use to us, but it's nice of the game to make a debuff effect available to every class in this way.

The Wizard's Wand is a +15 weapon (one more point of attack power than a Magic Knife) that can be equipped by Wizards and Sages. If you use it in battle, it basically casts Blaze. It's a halfway decent buy if you somehow missed the Poison Needle or have more than one Wizard, but Sages can wield Actual Weapons instead.

The Cloak of Evasion offers a +20 defense bonus (as much as Chain Mail), and it can be equipped by all classes! Its claim to fame is that it allows its user to avoid any standard attack 20% of the time. It would be an upgrade for both Isabel and Rebeca, and in fact it's better than Alvaro's Fighting Suit even though it has 3 less defense... but man is it expensive. We can't even afford one right now.


: Oh! Hey! You're welcome!
: Finally some gratitude.


: Can't remember what you were doing, little boy? Were you going somewhere?
: That's right. I was on my way to visit Grandpa.


: Just take care of the people you love. It'll be enough.
: That's right! Don't worry about it!


: A little money would have been nice though.
: Rebeca...
: Just saying!



So, we've been pretty clearly pointed to Assaram, east of Romaly. That said, we didn't finish exploring the cave where we found the Dream Ruby, and there are portions of this northern region we haven't even seen yet, so let's get to wrapping that up right quick. It'll even get us enough money for a Cloak of Evasion before we set off on our journey.







Ah, Acorns of Life! These increase a character's maximum HP by 1 to 5. They're pretty much unambiguously good, so we let Isabel have them, since she's 9 points behind Rebeca, which doesn't make any sense.



Welp, she's condemned to roll poorly on HP, I guess.





Strength Seeds being any good depends on the same circumstances as Agility Seeds. We'll be vaulting that one for Reasons.





...okay, sure.







And we're done here. Rebeca takes us outside, and we spend some time wandering around until nightfall.



Unsurprisingly, the villagers of Noaniels are in no hurry to go to bed. Everyone is doing whatever they were doing during the day, and even the store is open. We do take this opportunity to buy Rebeca a Cloak of Evasion, seeing as she's still wearing Wayfarer's Clothes; it takes her defense from 16 to 28. It could be argued that she needs it the least, but all it takes is a strong enemy who ignores formation to take a hefty chunk of out her (admittedly considerable) HP pool.

The next morning, we set off to complete our map of the area. There's a small path west of Kanave we haven't seen yet, as well as another region roughly east of Noaniels.



Welp, there's not much in the west.



Oooh, that's ice terrain in the east. There's nothing too remarkable about it, and it's passable on foot.







Hmm, there are some shoals at the mouth of the river we followed from Romaly a while back. If we ever got a ship, we'd have to find another way.







And that's the entire region covered. Man but there was a lot to do here! We're about done though, and we have a new destination, so we head back to Romaly. Alvaro levels to 13 on the way, for 4 Str, 6 Agi, 3 Vit, 4 Luc, 1 Int, and 6 HP. Dang but that's another great level right there.



Hmm, the tickets are now 120 gold instead of 80. I suspect this scales in proportion with the Hero's level.



There are even monsters we haven't seen yet! Let's drop some coin on... the Wild Ape.



Yikes, the Ape gets taken out second, and the Toadstool comes out on top.

: ...huh.
: Well, that's 1380 gold we're not making.
: Gambling is stupid.
: Indeed!

We stay at the inn, save with the king, and depart in the morning.

: Let's see a bunch of dumb cats stop us this time!
: By the way, you never told me where you found my... uh... my replacement. Who was it again?
: Um...
: The less is said about that, the better, I think.
: Yeaaaaah.
: Huh. Okay then.











Despite that one Wild Ape's poor performance in the arena, they're actually quite dangerous, with the ability to roll crits and to call for other Apes to join in. They have only 10 less attack power than Kandar, and they're slightly less durable than his Henchmen. They're highly resistant to ice and slightly to Sleep, but other elements work well.

Zofia levels up a few fights later, for 2 Str, 1 Agi, 4 Vit, 3 Luc, 10 HP, and a new Hero-only spell: Ironize. For 6 MP, it turns everyone in your party into solid iron for a few rounds, making them impervious to all damage and magic, but unable to take any action. This seems pointless at first, but it has a few niche uses. First off, if you encounter new enemies, it gives you a chance to see what they're capable of without putting yourself in any danger. It can also be used to skip a fews turns and increase your odds of successfully running away. And finally, since monsters actually need MP to cast spells for the first time in the series, you can cast Ironize to get them to waste their juice while you're invincible. (That last one only really works on enemies who don't have enough MP to cast their big ticket spells several times, but those are certainly out there.)













: Ugh, even the wind is hot.
: I... I feel like I want to punch the sun!
: I suddenly miss the Noaniels weather for some reason.
: Ha, you homebodies still don't know what real heat is like. Enjoy this while you can.
: I hope you're kidding... but I can tell you're not.


: Is it, now?
: Oh, yes it is. When I was young, I-
: ...!
: Hohoho, never mind. I probably said too much!
: Wow, okay.


: Haha, Assaram!
: Yikes. I thought I heard wrong, that it was because I only heard it in the northern accent, but... nope. Assaram.
: Assaram indeed.

: ...Assaram?
: Good grief. What happened to the likes of "Brecconary" and "Hauksness"?
: Assaram. Assaram. Assaram.
: Assaram!
: Gah, if I hear it said even one more time, it's like the word won't even mean anything anymore!
: Better keep saying it, then!
: Ass!
: Sa!
: Ram!
: ...I need a drink.

That's right. We're in Assaram. Enjoy the rest of your day, everyone.



The inn's seven gold per person, quite reasonable.





Oof, recent history has not been kind to that name.




: I think the old man that lives there knows about the Magic Key.
: Ah, we've got a trail to follow then. Thanks.



: ...!
: What's with... oh!
: Oh my.
: ...
: Alvaro?
: I think his brain shut down.
: That certainly is a lot of money for not a lot of swimsuit.

The one new piece of kit here is the ludicrously expensive Revealing Swimsuit. It only has a defense power of 1, and it has no class restrictions, but only women can wear it. Its only "use" is that it changes the wearer's sprite, in a way that I'm sure you can imagine. I don't know if we'll ever have that much money all at once, and it's doubtful any of our lady companions would even accept to wear it, but who knows what the fullness of time may bring?

: Pfft, in your dreams maybe.
: Not even!



Hmm, the item store is unusually sparse. Maybe they have supply problems. We do pick up a couple Full Moon Herbs, just in case.








: Uh... sure.



No prices? Hmm!

: How about that Iron Helmet?

: ...what?
: That's insane!
: Never take a first offer in Assaram, sweetheart.
: Yeah, no. Pass.
: I see you're good at bartering. You've bested me. Okay, let's make it 8000 pieces of gold. Is that more to your liking? Will you take it?
: If you pay eight grand for that metal bowl, I'm leaving and you'll never see me again.
: Of course not, that's still demented.
: If I go any lower I'll lose money! But again, you're a friend...
: But we've just met!
: OK, let's make it 4000 pieces of gold. Is that more to your liking? Will you take it?
: It still doesn't make any sense, sorry.
: Show some mercy! Do you want me to go broke?
: I kind of wouldn't mind, to be honest.
: Well, all right. OK, let's make it 2000 pieces of gold. Is that more to your liking? Will you take it?
: ...I actually only have a thousand on me right now.
: Oh, I see. Too bad. Come back again.

You need to refuse this merchant's offer three times before you get his best price, and it can still be higher than what you'd pay elsewhere for the same item. For example, the lowest he'll go for a Cloak of Evasion is 5800!

The Iron Helmet is his only item that you can't buy anywhere else. It can be worn by Heroes, Soldiers, Pilgrims and Sages, and it offers 16 defense, a considerable upgrade over the +2 Leather Helmets they're probably wearing at this point. The 2000 he charges is actually reasonable for that much defense.

The Battle Axe boasts 40 attack power, and it can be equipped by Heroes, Soldiers, Merchants and Fighters (though the latter are penalized as usual). Absolutely do not buy it here for 5000 gold, though.

The Giant Shears have +48 attack power, and only Soldiers can use them. The 7400 price here is a massive overcharge, of course.

The Staff of Force offers a truly massive +55 attack power, and it can be used by Wizards, Pilgrims and Sages, but it drains 3 MP per attack so it's a bit of an iffy proposition. You can also do better than this guy's 5000 gold asking price, so if we ever want one, we won't get it here.




: Yeah... I got a notion.


: It'll be a great deal less toasty for sure.





Ah, that's where the rest of the consumables are for sale. But we're not putting up with this guy's bullshit, we can just Return somewhere else if we want any of that stuff.




: Please don't interrupt rehearsals. OK, 1 and 2 and...



: Yikes. One of them needs a lot of practice.









This town is clearly going to be a lot more lively later. Let's get some fighting done until sunset.



Vampire Cats are still not trivial, but it's almost scary to contemplate how much stronger we are than when we first encountered them. This particular fight gets Isabel to level 14, for 2 Str, 2 Agi, 4 Luc, 3 Int, 6 MP, and a new spell: StopSpell. It costs 3 MP this time around, but it works the same as always, rolling against one group's StopSpell resistance to try to permanently block their spellcasting. I was hoping we'd get it soon ever since we ran into those IceBolt-tossing Vampires.



I wonder what's going on with this cave. Let's just have a peek.



Ah, it looks like it could be a tunnel to another area.











: Heyo, mister.

: Norud? More like yes rude!
: Bah, fine, see if we care.
: I'll never understand how one can be so unwelcoming to travelers.
: Eh, maybe it's because they keep taking everything that's not nailed down. Speaking of which...





: ...whoa! What are you doing?
: His name's not written on it. And even if it was, he had it coming. Don't you say he didn't!
: ...
: Welp.

We return outside and resume killing time and monsters until nightfall. Rebeca reaches level 14, for 1 Str, 1 Agi, 4 Vit, 4 Luc, 2 Int, 6 HP, 5 MP, and two new spells: Return and Firebane. This is the earliest a Wizard can learn either of those spells, so Rebeca's Intelligence is definitely on point. Firebane is an upgrade to Firebal, dealing 30-41 fire damage to a group of foes for 6 MP.



: Ah, blessed sunset, at last!




: ...sssssure?
: I don't know if-




The dancer waits for us at the entrance to a nearby building.

: This seems rather shady.
: Meh, live a little. What's the worst that could happen?
: You probably don't want to know the answer to that question, Rebeca.



: I... uh...
: Zofia, I'm sure there's plenty this town has to offer that doesn't involve us not being able to protect you.
: Come on, she's stronger than any one of us.
: It's up to you, sweetheart.
: Yeah, okay, I'm going. Just stay close, alright?
: Got it!



Just like that, we're separated from the rest of our party.



: Whoa, err. That's not a type of fortune-telling I'm familiar with. What with the... the bed and all.

: Sure, yeah, sitting, I can sit. I'm pretty good at sitting!

: Um... maybe... how about nnnnnno-

: Augh!



Holy crap, Zofia's getting in-game dialog.



: ...eh?

: I... what?
: Ha, ha! I couldn't resist!



The father in question runs off to the west, presumably through a secret door.


: My shoulder? Wh... what the... What?













And just like that, we return to our party. I have no idea how the Japanese version handles this scene, but I suspect it's very different and that the localization didn't quite handle it as gracefully as it maybe should have. That thing with the stiff shoulder... Were we supposed to get a massage? And we expected a massage from a lady but then the lights go out and they pull a switcheroo?

Welp. What happens in Assaram stays in Assaram. Let's carry on, shall we?



It's neat to see the game tell us what the new consumables do when it's not so obvious.





Ah, this shop is closed during the day. It's all stuff we've seen, but you definitely want to buy your Battle Axes here, not at that other rip-off artist's place. It's too bad the item shops aren't open at this hour, or I'd sell Zofia's Broad Sword and trade up.













: This beat is something else!

: Oh! Err, gosh...
: Haha, it's all coming back to me!
: Wooo, Isabel!


: Not any more, you're not!


: It's already happening!

: Like... this?
: The boy's got some moves when he feels like it!

...



: Whew!
: Oh my.
: Good grief, that takes me back.
: I love you guys.







: Alright, wanna turn in for the night?
: No. But we have work to do tomorrow, don't we?
: Man, screw the archfiend. Screw his face! If it wasn't for that asshole we could just... go on a vacation or something. Everyone could go on vacations without having half their face ate off by a god-damned Vampire Cat.
: That'll be the dream, eh?
: Fia, tell me we'll make it happen.
: We'll make it happen.
: We'll all make it happen together.

[Blossom]

And just like that, we return to our party. I have no idea how the Japanese version handles this scene, but I suspect it's very different and that the localization didn't quite handle it as gracefully as it maybe should have. That thing with the stiff shoulder... Were we supposed to get a massage? And we expected a massage from a lady but then the lights go out and they pull a switcheroo?

[Friday]

As you may have suspected, the "fortune telling" scene was originally the Puff Puff scene. That's why there's a mention of your stiff shoulders, she's giving you a massage, yes.

With the Cloak of Evasion, Fighters really become pretty decent tanks for the rest of the game.

[François]

Oh cripes of course it's Puff Puff. I keep forgetting that's even a thing.

In retrospect, it would be pretty skeezy to imply a teenage girl is getting tricked into being massaged by some dude.

[Doki Doki Gonzales]

[/quote]

Can I just say that I covet that blindfold super bad

[François]

Well that was certainly a refreshing moment after the tragedies in Noaniels, eh?

We made enough money yesterday to buy Zofia an Iron Helmet from Mister Happy Bargain, so we go through his rigamarole again.



The Helmet takes Zofia's defense from 51 to 65, so that's money well spent. We'll need another for Isabel before long, but we might go for the Battle Axe first, depending on what we need most at the time.



: So there's a country in the western desert. If it's any hotter than in Assaram, I'm not looking forward to it.
: It is, by a lot. But I'm sure you can take it.
: Yeah, I'm a little envious of your light gear at this point, Alvaro.
: It seems like a pretty awful place to build a home in.
: It wouldn't be my first choice, but it's nicer than you'd think!
: Still, if we can just find that swamp shrine in the south, maybe we won't have to cross the entire desert.







Infernus Crabs are a touch weaker than Wild Apes, but they have an incredibly high defense of 110; if that wasn't enough, they'll cast Increase 25% of the time, doubling their defense! Fortunately their HP isn't too high, and they're only mildly resistant to most spells, with complete vulnerability to Sap, ice and wind. They're extra tricky when they appear alongside Vampire Cats, as having your spells blocked may reduce you to fishing for crits or lethal Poison Needle stings.





: ...I don't want to be the first to complain, but... this is pretty terrible, rihgt?
: ...yeah.
: Hmm-mmm!
: This... this about as bad as it gets.
: Under the sun, maybe. If we're going to fight an archfiend...
: Which we are.
: ...we'll be in much hotter places someday.
: Ugh, I don't even want to imagine it.







: I never would have guessed I'd be so happy to see a swamp at sunset.

Walking in this crud still deals 2 points of damage per step.




: Yes, we are!
: We sure didn't schlep all this way just to say hello.
: I hear that the key lies in a Pyramid in the northern part of the desert.
: Okay, this is the worst possible news.
: I could think of worse but...
: ...it's up there.
: But first, before you go there, go the the Castle of Isis. You'll find it at the edge of an oasis.
: That sounds like a good idea for sure. Thank you very much.

If we had said we weren't looking for the key...



The man sure is set on his purpose in life.



: So you've been to Isis, Isabel?
: Yes, but... it's been a long time, and I had a guide. I know it's far to the west, but I couldn't tell you the way now.
: We should probably follow the mountains, at any rate. I don't relish the notion of getting lost in the desert at night without landmarks.
: Right, good call. Let's just keep going and watch for an oasis.



Flamapedes are not quite as strong or durable as the recent new enemies around here, but they are in fact our first foes equipped with a fire breath attack. They can exhale "gales of flaming breath", dealing a small amount of fire damage to our entire party; it's usually single-digits, so it would be a bit weaker on a single target than Blaze. They have about 1/3rd chance to use it on their turn though, so it adds up.

They're predictably immune to fire, and highly resistant to Sleep, but ice and wind always work.





: Ah, this must be it!
: Does it look familiar, Isabel?
: Yes, yes! It's definitely Isis!
: Not a moment too soon.





The specific forest tile you enter on the overworld determines on which side of the oasis you appear on in the zoomed-in view; the right one is in the southwest.





: Well I'll be. There's a whole town here, and a castle!
: Ha, what did you expect?
: I don't know. Shacks?
: If you're going to live in the middle of desert, you might as well make sure your buildings look decent.





The inn's only 10 per person, but we arrived at night, we might as well have a look right away.














: Oh! Well, that would be nice. But we're a little short on money right now, so we have to pass.
: Well then, armor is it?
: Still too poor right now, thank you.
: I know! You want the Meteorite Armband! Am I right? If that's so, I hear it's in the castle.
: I've never heard of that thing, but... thanks? We'll probably need some gear later though.






: Here too? Good grief!
: I take it this wasn't here when you visited?
: Not that I remember.
: There might have been too few monsters back then to sustain such a business.

The townsfolk around the arena say exactly the same things the audience in Romaly did. Tickets are now 130 gold, but we need to save our money, so we pass on betting tonight.




: This is certainly relevant to my interests!




















: ...are they really just letting us walk in at night?
: When the days are this hot, plenty of official business in conducted before sunrise.







: Hmm, this is curious.











There is no secret entrance in the west wall, but...





: Oh-ho!











: I... I'm not entirely sure we belong here.
: The place is clearly open to the public. It's not like we snuck in anywhere!





: Huh. If they were trying to keep this hidden, they could have done a better j-whoa!
: Augh!



: Alright Bones, what do you want?

: Clearly, yes. You have our most sincere apologies.
: We didn't know anyone was sleeping here!

: Nah, it was that bard guy running around like a cat on fire outside.

: ...huh.
: Well that was easy.
: I can't believe that worked.
: No, no, no, no more of this. Mister skeleton? Mister skeleton!
: Isabel! Quiet! We got away with it!
: Mister skeleton! We're the ones who took the Armband!

: ...
: Isn't that much better?
: I... I guess.

Yeah, this ghost leaves you alone whether you tell him the truth or not.

As for the Meteorite Armband, it outright doubles its wearer's Agility! Anyone can wear it, and it doesn't even take up an equipment slot. You just put it on by using it from the inventory menu. It's straight-up one of the best pieces of gear in the entire game. Let's have a look at Alvaro's stats with it on.



With only the Armband and his Fighting Suit, he has 16 more defense power than Zofia. This is bonkers. And he's definitely going first every round now!

A point could be made for giving it to someone else, especially if you don't have a Fighter in your party. Isabel in particular could make good use of it, since you want your healers to act early in the round and she definitely could use any increase in defense power. In addition, Wizards tend to have decent Agility and they of course always want to be more robust. But for now at least, it's such a massive boost to Alvaro that it doesn't make a lot of sense not to let him have it.















And that's all for this side passage; let's check out the castle proper.








: ...w-what!?

: Wait a minute you furry piece of shit!
: It's gone...
: Well, if there was any doubt about there being an archfiend at all, there's our proof. We know it exists.
: And if he didn't know about us before, he does now.
: Pfft. Let him know we're coming for him. Whatever he's been doing to the world won't always be this easy.





These guards are just snoring.






: Dang, he doesn't suspect how much he's on to something.







: It's about time we have a queen in one of these realms.
: I suppose the jury's still out on whether queens are dicks, then.











This must be the door to the queen's chambers. I wonder what could be underneath this hole in the wall, though.



Oh. Alright then! We were done taking in the Isis nightlife anyway, so let's just rest at the inn and see what the day has to offer.






: I'll... uh... try not to? Sure.


: Wait, what?
: Weren't you that guy that-
: Pffhahahaha! What a dingus!
: Well, apparently he never sleeps, so he must be doing something right.




: Gah, I can't blame you. We've been cut off from the rest of the world for a long time.





Pretty standard item shop right there.


: I guess we'll be heading north from here, then.
: Not that there were many other ways to go.
: It's still better than wandering the desert aimlessly!



This is where you want to buy Giant Shears if you've got a Soldier. Apart from that, the only new piece of gear is the +32 Full Plate Armor, 7 points stronger than Half Plate. Heroes and Soldiers can upgrade to it, but Merchants have to stick with their Half Plate or Iron Apron. For our next purchase though, it'll still probably be a Iron Helmet for Isabel, or a Battle Axe.



And that's another item shop on the other side of town. This place sure likes its merchants.





There are more cats around the entrance now, and they all act normal.


: Considering the desert monsters literally breathe fire at us, a little sunburn is the least of our problems.
: I'm still extra glad I have my cool hat!


: Yeah, I figured. But they always miss something somewhere.
: You seem to know a lot about thieves, Rebeca.
: W-well, most people aren't very observant, that's all.


: Why thank you!




: ...oh hell.
: I suppose I'll have to fall back on my martial talents.
: We'll be fine. We've accumulated many Medical Herbs along our voyage, I'm sure we can manage.

There are in fact a few areas of the next dungeon where you outright can't use any magic. I'm not entirely sure whether the Wizard's Wand can be used, but it's probably where a Staff of Force would come in most handy. But the only place we could buy the latter at charges an exorbitant price for it, so Rebeca will have to rely on her Poison Needle.











A sighing cat? Hmm.





: Not the best song I ever heard.
: We better remember it all the same!




: The Archfiend himself kneels before the beauty of our queen.
: Talk about tempting the Fates!
: For your sake, I hope that's true.




: Wise words, your Majesty.


The Queen of Isis also has access to the Imperial Scrolls of Honor.









This has been a bit of a short update, but I expect the Pyramid will be a tight fit for an entire episode, so I'll be calling it for now.

I'd like to take a moment to talk about the game's structure so far, though. What have Zofia and company accomplished?

-We've sought out an old hermit for a key.
-We've opened the sealed path from Aliahan to Romaly.
-We taught a bandit a lesson, retrieved Romaly's Golden Crown, and became queen for a day.
-We brought sad news to the elves and freed the folk of Noaniels.
-We spent a pleasant night in Assaram.
-We're preparing for the first installment of Zofia Croft: Tomb Raider.

Of course, you'll note an element conspicuously missing from that list: taking any direct action whatsoever against Baramos. We don't know where he is. Few others know his name. Some doubt he even exists. And perhaps most tellingly, none of the wrongs we've righted so far had anything to do with him.

For practically all intents and purposes, we're running a squad of wandering adventurers, traveling the world, opening roads and solving people's problems because that's what heroes do. Even DW2's opening at least gave us a personal stake in the quest and a first-hand glimpse at the world's fate, should we fail. It could be argued that this makes the main through line weaker, but I quite like how it gives an episodic flavor to the whole enterprise. Something that it does share with DW2 is the variety of its short-term objectives: we do neat things and it doesn't feel same-y from one little story to the next.

Even the combat complexity is smoothly ramping up, and winning fights in the desert is a far cry from what winning fights in the Tower of Najima meant. There is something delightful going on with the mechanical progression here. In fact, we've basically never had to grind, apart from maybe the first couple levels near Aliahan. The closest we get to grinding has been occasionally getting into a bunch of fights waiting for sunset, and that doesn't feel like a chore because it means you get to explore a different version of a town. Overall, the game's flow feels incredibly refined and balanced, but without the featureless blandness of maybe another sort of game that one would design first by focus group. There is definitely enough friction in the moment-to-moment play to create texture for the tactical mind to grasp onto and enjoy, and we're just getting started.

Anyway, I'm having an excellent time. I don't know if I made that obvious enough, heheh.

[Silversong]

Can I just say that I covet that blindfold super bad

I could make that happen. Unless you happen to be an old friend in disguise though, not for free. But if several people wanted one, it would be cheaper to make, though the eyes would take the same amount of effort. I've been thinking of making myself a new sleep mask anyway, so let me know.

If you collectively knew many people who wanted one, I could get custom printed slime-eye fabric made.

Slimes for Puff-Puff not included. https://www.amazon.com/Dragon-Quest-stu ... lush+large

[Friday]

I'm not gonna lie, the first time I came upon that archfiend cat (my brother never found it back in the days where I would just watch him play, as he wouldn't obsessively talk to every animal) it creeped me right the fuck out.

It's your first real sign that the Archfiend is real and present, and worse yet, knows all about you. Plus the revelation that monsters can change shape and infiltrate towns is, in what I'm sure is a unique event throughout history, actual foreshadowing in Japanese media for a later event that is actually fairly subtle and isn't rubbed in your face over and over.

Pyramid is my favorite dungeon in the game. Looking forward to it.

[nosimpleway]

actual foreshadowing in Japanese media for a later event that is actually fairly subtle and isn't rubbed in your face over and over.

what

[Friday]

a unique event throughout history

There's always an exception to every rule, I guess.

Anyway, I'd like to talk about the merits of putting the Armband of Double Agility on your Heroine.

Sure, using it on your fighter is a great way to get a fuckton of (scaling) defense and turn him into a SUPER DUPER TANKY DUDE.

Here's the thing, though. Fighters will always go first, with or without the Armband. They're just that fast. So the actual "agility" part of the bonus is lost on them.

I actually ended up putting it on my Hero, because while you don't get as much defense, you do get a decent amount and then you've got TWO hard hitting warriors that move before anyone else.

Up to you, of course. You could also put it on your Pilgrim for fast healing, which is also super-useful. But then again, the Hero can heal in a pinch (and even ends up as the only character with HealUsAll.)

[François]

I'm not gonna lie, the first time I came upon that archfiend cat (my brother never found it back in the days where I would just watch him play, as he wouldn't obsessively talk to every animal) it creeped me right the fuck out.

It's your first real sign that the Archfiend is real and present, and worse yet, knows all about you. Plus the revelation that monsters can change shape and infiltrate towns is, in what I'm sure is a unique event throughout history, actual foreshadowing in Japanese media for a later event that is actually fairly subtle and isn't rubbed in your face over and over.

I had forgotten about that cat, and it outright startled me while I was going through them just to make sure there wasn't one with unique "dialog". It's definitely placed at a spot where you could use a reminder about what you're ultimately trying to do, but it's also easily overlooked so it almost feels like you're uncovering a secret plot without having obvious clues thrown in your face. And just the notion of... well you're walking up to a random cat and it starts cackling at you with malicious glee and going all "you gonna DIE", and that's legit creepy if you can imagine the scene. Super well done all around.

Anyway, I'd like to talk about the merits of putting the Armband of Double Agility on your Heroine.

Alvaro's definitely in the "what he Hits he Destroys" category right now, but Zofia's in a position where she rarely ever will kill something in one turn by herself, so getting her to move far ahead of Isabel or Rebeca coming in with a finisher wouldn't often improve the result of the average fight. That said, I could see that changing in the future if we start regularly running into critters that Alvaro and Zofia would have to work together to defeat in one turn (or if the balance between Zofia's offense and enemy defense shifts enough that she can reliably one-shot things again).

And uh also I like big numbers.

[François]

: I hope for your safe return.



: I'll cross this desert again if I have to, but do we really have to go by day?
: We'll see the Pyramid from further away by daylight. Besides, we'll want as much sun as we can get once we're there, believe me.
: Hmm? How so?
: The Pyramid is a giant tomb.
: Ah...
: You better not be too squicked out by the undead, Al.
: I'm more worried about the living, in general.





The Pyramid is only a short distance due north of Isis. We don't even run into any enemies on the way.



Music: Pyramid

Aaaaand we get a spooky Curse of the Mummy-type music for this dungeon. It looks like the obvious way in is through this entrance, but there appears to be space between the south wall and the edge of the map, so let's try to go around first.





King Froggores are weaker than the monsters we've been fighting in the Assaram/Isis region, but they're slightly resistant to most magic (except wind), and they have about 25% chance to cast Sleep.

Mummy Men are a bit stronger than King Froggores, but they have no resistance to damage spells and unusually low resistance to Expel. Their attacks ignore formation, and they can roll crits.



Ah-ha!



If I remember correctly, I think it's the floors with piles of bones on the ground that bear the curse preventing us from using magic.



Yup, that's what it is. But we gotta push through.



: Ugh!
: May the light protect us.
: I know you said this was a tomb, but...
: Something horrible happened here.
: It's no wonder magic is blocked.
: So many restless souls! I can hardly bear it!
: Yeah, yeah... I know what you mean. Let's not spend too much time down here, alright? I can't even teleport us outside.
: We don't have a lot of options, but we can be careful either way.





Mummies are much stronger than Mummy Men, and also harder to kill, with the ability to roll for crits and to summon Hork reinforcements. Presumably they're real mummies while Mummy Men are mummy cosplayers. They share their weakness to fire and ice as well as their unusual vulnerability to Expel, but they're for some reason highly resistant to wind.

Shadows are strange creatures. They technically have rather low Strength, low HP, and high defense, but they usually take on the stats and abilities of a randomly chosen monster instead, depending on a formula that takes into account the Hero's level. On the very rare occasion that they happen to roll their own AI, they have a high chance to call other Shadows to battle.

This fight is occuring on a cursed floor, so while Isabel can contribute spear attacks, we just get Rebeca to try to one-shot whatever the strongest monster on the screen is.



: Hmm. Didn't we hear in Isis that there were traps here?
: Yeah. What of it?
: As much as it would be good to know if there's anything useful down here, I'm beginning to suspect this pit might be where trespassers are dumped.
: Hmm, yes, I could see that.
: So... Should we turn back?
: The way I see it, if we mess up upstairs we might end up here either way.
: Right, makes sense. Let's get out then.
: Not a moment too soon!



: I wish we could do something for these unfortunates.
: This curse is ancient. The... the terror and the sorrow are deep in the stone now. I wonder if anything could be done short of bringing down the entire Pyramid.
: Sounds like a great idea to me!
: Either way, I'm not saying it's not worth looking around and being thorough, but it might also be smart to just grab the key and leave.



: Whew! It's like I can breathe again!



Trick Bags are weak and fairly fragile, but they're extremely fast and they come with a bevy of annoying abilities: they're most likely to cast Heal, but they also know Slow, Increase, Stopspell, Surround, and they can perform a "curious dance" that drains one target's MP. They're immune to fire, ice and wind, but they have absolutely no resistance to StopSpell and Expel. Expel should only be used as a last resort though, as Trick Bags are worth up to 350 gold if slain through normal means.



And that's it for the exterior. Trying to go past either the west or east end to the sides of the Pyramid only returns us to the map.





: Oh crap!
: How I pity them today.
: Let's see them run into Blizzards and Gold Batboons, we'll know who needs to be pitied then.



: Ugh, I hate being right sometimes. Everyone alright?
: I can't be alright down here, but I am unharmed.
: Wait, I got... some kind of bone stuck in - OW!
: You're welcome.





Once more from the top...













: Gah, right, the looters.
: Heh, you're just mad they got here before we did.
: Well I doubt they used whatever they found here to oppose an archfiend!
: Good point.





: Let's make sure we avoid the center here too.





The small alcoves in the south and east walls here have nothing interesting.











In terms of layout, the Pyramid has the overall square shape of a tower, but its straight and narrow corridors make it feel very different from both caves and towers. It's not just the music that's unique!























Alright, third floor.







It looked like there could be something notable here, but we can just keep going up!





: Hmm...



: No good.
: If this is a thief-proof door, whatever's behind it may not have been looted yet.
: Hopefully the Magic Key isn't in there.
: Nah, it has to be somewhere else. Let's keep looking.





We have no choice but to go down a floor again.



Ah, finally a Hork shows up as reinforcements. Horks have low defense, but they have up to 98 HP and are even a bit stronger than Kandar was. Their attacks ignore formation, but they have a 1 in 8 chance of wasting a turn "assessing the situation". They're immune to Sleep, but they only have a mild resistance to Expel, and are completely vulnerable to elemental damage.

Alvaro levels up from this fight, for 4 Str, 3 Agi, 4 Vit, 6 Luc, 1 Int, and 10 HP. The dude is still going!







: What the...
: Have we climbed all this way just to find a stone wall?
: Not a chance. There must be something hidden somewhere... some mechanism...
: This must be where your common looter would turn back. Keep an eye out, everyone.



: Hmm... not here...
: Wait, what about the song? The kids' song, in Isis?
: Ooooh, a... a round button? The Button of the Sun, right?
: First east, then west. Maybe it has something to do with these rooms on the sides.

We get attacked by multiple groups of four Mummies up here. They're tough customers, but also flammable customers, and Rebeca's Firebane definitely comes in handy.



: Ha! There! Right there! Look!



: Well spotted, Alvaro!
: This is the easternmost one, right? There must be at least one more on this floor.



: Alright, let's see...



: No, wait, this probably isn't the AUGH!

A pit opens underneath our feet faster than I can take a screenshot.



: ...ow.
: Come on, Fia! If I tell you to wait-
: No, no, none of this, it's no use.
: There must be another correct button at the far west end of that floor.
: Ugh, right. Let's get back up.

Zofia reaches level 14 as we make our way through the second floor again, for 2 Str, 1 Agi, 3 Vit, 5 Luc, 1 Int, 4 HP, 3 MP, and she also learns Outside. In the same battle, Isabel gets to level 15, for 1 Str, 2 Agi, 3 Vit, 2 Luc, 2 Int, 8 HP (whew!), 6 MP, and two new spells! Predictably, NumbOff cures one ally's Numb status ailment, and it costs a whopping 6 MP. She also finally learns Healmore, which is of course an improved single target heal, costing 5 MP for around 85 HP. She could have learned Healmore last level, but this is the earliest NumbOff is available.



: Okay, I'm not messing up this time. It has to be right.



We hear a sound of grinding stone in the distance.



: Finally, here we go.

An encounter with a Trick Bag and three Mummies leaves us with barely enough MP to teleport out of here and back to Isis. But we should be able to check out this one room, right?



: These have to still contain something, they just have to.



Ugh, these are always worse than useless. Gaining Vitality from a Seed does not increase your HP as gaining Vitality from a level does, and in fact all it does is get you closer to your soft cap, at which point the game's going to throttle your Vitality growth. We'll just sell it.



: Haha! Finally!
: I'm just happy there was still one here in the first place.
: I wonder if it'll open that chamber on the floor above.
: It's a safe bet, but...
: We really need to rest.
: Yeah, fair enough. But we gotta come back.
: Agreed. Let's just get out of here for now.

With the last of their MP, Zofia casts Outside, and Rebeca casts Return.





We rest at the inn right away of course. Killing all those Trick Bags got us to 5551 gold, so we also buy Zofia a Battle Axe, taking her attack from 66 to 73, which is still 11 points behind Alvaro's.

While we're still in Isis, let's unlock a few doors, shall we?



We try the Magic Key on a Thief's Key door on the way, and it opens. Dang but that feels good; we'll be able to vault the Thief's Key next time we're in Aliahan.


: Right, of course.
: ...


: But since he set off for the east and headed for the town of Assaram, he has not returned.
: Considering the desert trip, I wouldn't blame him.
: Or maybe something else in Assaram made him want to stay there, heh.



Welp, we might just have to come back at night.









: Were the king's chambers in Romaly anything like this?
: Yikes, not even close.

That's it for the doors in Isis, in the daytime at least. We have a lot more backtracking to do to open a lot more doors, but let's finish clearing out the Pyramid first. Or, well, maybe we can go to Assaram for a bit, buy Isabel a Helmet, and unlock a few doors while we're there. Let's even go on foot just to finish mapping out the desert.



Welp, nothing much else of interest in there. And this is what we know of this continent so far...



Rebeca levels up in the desert, for 1 Str, 1 Agi, 4 Vit, 4 Luc, 1 Int, 10 HP, and 4 MP. She continues to have absolutely incredible HP growth. It's not just great for a Wizard, it's just plain great.





Isabel's new Iron Helmet takes her defense from 41 to 55. Considering how hard the Pyramid monsters hit her, it's extremely welcome.







: Ah, this must be that man's brother.


: The... dwarves.
: However, Norud the Dwarf won't tell me the way.
: Rebeca... if you made him mad...
: It's fine, dwarves have real short memories anyway.
: ...do they?
: Maybe that one does. Hope springs eternal!
: You wouldn't know anyone who might intercede on our behalf, would you?
: I guess we can ask Norud's friend, the king of Portoga.
: That'll be our reason to go there, I suppose.

Ah, precious directions.






: Ha, with pleasure.

Coming back at night...



The man has nothing new to say but...


: Nice try, idiot.

: If that's what we're up against, this'll be easier than I thought.




Demonites have somewhat high HP compared to what we've been fighting recently, but they're not very strong or tough. They can breathe "gales of blizzard breath" (dealing around 10-20 ice damage to our entire party), and they also know Explodet, Sacrifice and Defeat.

: Wait, what?
: I was kidding! I was only kidding about the Blizzards and Batboons! Oh crap!

We need not worry though, as Demonites have exactly zero MP. Their AI is also specifically coded not to realize they can't afford their spells, so they'll waste turn after turn trying to blow us up.

: Goodness, that's a relief.



This is just not a difficult fight in any way.



: Ha, so much for the archfiend's familiar. That's one loose end taken care of.






: Right, I think we saw the place.
: And we tried to go there, you see. But the cave was closed off halfway through and we just met a dwarf named Norud.


: We'll find a way to open that route. Just give us some time.

That's it for Assaram, then. We Return to Isis, rest up, and leave for the Pyramid again.



Instead of returning to the top floor right away, we take a western branch on the ground floor first, directly across the path to the green statues.





That's a new one.



Man-Eater Chests clock in at up to 120 HP, with 200 attack and 55 defense. Yeah. Their attacks ignore formation, they can roll crits, and they can breathe sleeping gas (about 25% of the time). Ain't that a recipe for disaster, eh? They're immune to Expel, highly resistant to fire, Sleep, and Surround, and mildly resistant to ice, wind, and Sap.

We'll keep Rebeca on Increase duty for this one, just in case it helps.

...everyone but Zofia is put to sleep in the first turn, then she is put to sleep in the second.



Whuh-oh. I don't know if it's possible to run from a Man-Eater Chest, but we're out of options.



Music: Defeated

Welp, I have to presume it's not. That's our first wipe, folks! Man-Eater Chests are notorious douchebags, as I'm sure you can see. It's as close to unfairness as the game has been so far, and, well, that's pretty damn close. There is in fact a way to tell if a chest is going to try to murder you, but we have no access to it yet.


: I'll give you one more chance.
: Ah... um, thanks.

As is traditional, we lose half our money (1441 gold!), and we have to pay to revive the rest of our party besides. That'll go a long way towards pre-emptively assuaging our guilt for robbing the queen blind tonight!

: Welp, the verdict is in: queens can be dicks also. How progressive.



Alvaro costs 200 gold to revive, and it's 230 each for Isabel and Rebeca. There goes our Cloak of Evasion fund. Good grief, let's not allow this too happen too often, shall we?





I'm nervous about opening more chests here, but maybe we have a chance if we don't all fall asleep at the start of the battle.



Of course.



Gah!



Somehow, Alvaro manages to kill it with 2 HP left. Am I glad he's wearing the Meteorite Armband or what?

: Holy crap! Hang tight everyone, I'm bringing you back!

I didn't expect to go through a bunch of Medical Herbs for quite this reason, but it's good to have them either way.

Alvaro manages to kill four King Froggores on his way out of the Pyramid, but the other enemy groups he encounters all include Infernus Crabs and there's no sense fishing for crits right now, so he flees.







: You have my gratitude, Alvaro!
: Yeah, you... you've really done well this time.
: No, no, none of this is necessary. You would have done the same for me.
: Well, it's not that we wouldn't have, but I wonder if we could have!
: Ha, you're powerful magicians. I'm sure you would have managed.
: It's all the more impressive that you got out of there without spells!



Alright, one more.



: Whew. I've never been happier to see an empty chest.



There's a dead end in the north here, but there's clearly more to this first floor than meets the eye. Maybe we can come back here from the second.





Yep, we can.

: Alright, keep your guard up.



They're both empty. Relief!





Welp, that's it for the first floor, then.





That's the second floor done. All that's left is that locked door on the floor above the Magic Key chest.



: Ha! It worked!



: I have a bad feeling about this room.
: It must be the main tomb. Those are sarcophagi along the walls there.
: And a bunch of chests, too!
: How many of those chests will try to eat us, though? That's the question.
: We won't know until we open them all.



: Could we at least start with these stairs?
: Eh, sure.





Flashy Clothes are only for Goof-offs, and they offer 26 defense power, which is only 4 less than Full Plate! A Cloak of Evasion would probably serve them better, though.



: Oh!
: Yeah, it's a Pyramid, it was bound to happen sooner or later.
: For such a tomb of horrors, it has a pretty nice view.
: If you like sand. And sunburn. Speaking of which...
: Right, let's go back inside.



: I'm sorry, I can't pretend I'm okay with this any longer. This chamber terrifies me.
: ...yeah. I kinda have the willies too, to be honest.
: Well, we are certainly violating a cursed tomb.
: You're all ridiculous. Dead people don't need this stuff.
: It's not about what they need, it's about the lengths they'll go to to protect it.
: We got what we came here to find.
: It's irresponsible to leave treasure here, knowing what we're up against!
: We don't have to leave it here permanently. We've only been getting stronger ever since we left Aliahan, right?
: That is definitely true.
: I just don't think we should keep bashing our heads against this place right now.
: Wise words!
: ...fine. I know when I'm overruled. But we have to come back later!
: Deal.



: I... I'm not much of a seer, but... I can brush up on the basics a bit, maybe figure out a spell that'll help us avoid the worst of this place.
: I'm sure you can come up with something, Rebeca.
: It's been a while though, so don't expect it soon!
: Please take whatever time you need.





You may think we're only leaving for story effect, but the truth is, we've lost over 2000 gold to Man-Eater Chests today, I have no idea what's in that sealed tomb, and if we wiped again we couldn't afford to have everyone revived. If we hadn't found the key yet, this would be a cruel bastard of a dungeon, but in fact what's left to find in the upper levels and whatever secrets may be hidden in the basement are not critical to progress. I feel no shame at calling a temporary retreat, and I even suspect this is absolutely intended. This is a cursed edifice filled with traps; you first sneak in to get what you came to get, and you come back with a bulldozer for the rest.

And so we turn our backs to the Pyramid, with only a partial victory, but with the path to future adventures elsewhere firmly open. There will be time to unravel all of its mysteries later. Besides, we've got a new key, and a whole lot of doors to open!

[François]

: Remind me why this is a good idea, again?
: The queen did take a couple thousand gold from the people trying to save the world from an archfiend.
: So if we find more than two thousand gold's worth of stuff in there, we leave the rest behind?
: You're adorable.



This first treasure room contains 72 gold, 64 gold, a Wing of the Wyvern, and an Intelligence Seed.

Intelligence Seeds are in the same boat as Vitality Seeds, in that MP growth depends on Intelligence growth, but Intelligence gain from Seeds doesn't give any MP, so it does more harm than good. Intelligence does help spellcasters learn certain spells faster (in fact all Hero spells are learned through an Intelligence check), but those spells are guaranteed to be learned at most two levels after it's first possible to learn them, so the benefit is extremely minimal and absolutely not worth getting closer to the soft cap. We'll be selling that Seed and others like it we may find later.



Let's see... Wayfarer's Clothes, Acorns of Life, 80 gold, and a single pouch of Poison Moth Powder (the consumable we heard about in Assaram, inflicting Confusion on an enemy). Of course we give the Acorns to Isabel.



Oh hey, finally a good HP roll. She's still 10 points behind Rebeca, but who knows, maybe her luck will turn.



: Okay now this is just foolhardy. Isabel, back me up here!
: Well...
: We know Baramos' familiar infiltrated this castle. The queen could be in danger as we speak!
: She has a point, Alvaro.
: ...sure.





: ...!
: Wow... Okay then.


: Oh, sorry miss.


: This one seems legit.


: I'm not-
: Ahem.
: Ah, right.


: She's got you beat, Isabel.
: Please stop bringing this up.


: We won't be long!


: I don't think we're here for the reasons you-
: Shh!
: I can't really do anything for you, but I'll give you a gift.
: Your generosity is much appreciated, your Highness.
: Look all around me.
: Um... okay...



Oh dang! The Wizard's Ring restores its user's MP by a bit, but it has a chance to break every time its power is called on. It's great for emergencies, especially if monsters have drained all of your Return/Outside juice.



The other tiles around the Queen don't seem to contain anything else.

: Thank you very much! This is very kind!

: Right! We'll be off then. Have a good night, your Majesty.





: I don't know what I expected would happen, but it wasn't this!
: Well, at least we know she's safe.
: We did good today, guys.
: If you say so...

Alright, it's now time to retrace our steps and investigate every other grey and red door we've seen so far. First stop: Aliahan!



We stop by the Vault to drop off the Thief's Key and the Flashy Clothes, but the door we're looking for is in the castle.



: What's our excuse for this one?
: The 50 gold the king gave to Zofia was only an advance?
: Good one.


: We all do.
: I'll pretend I don't see what you're doing.
: Much appreciated!

The six chests here contain a Fighting Suit, an Agility Seed, a Strength Seed, 336 gold, 128 gold, and a Wing. We're selling the Suit and vaulting the Seeds for Reasons. We're starting to accumulate way more Wings than we're likely to need, so we're keeping just one around for emergencies.

The next door should be in Romaly, but we're sitting on 4905 gold, so we teleport to Noaniels first, and buy a Cloak of Evasion to replace Alvaro's Fighting Suit. It reduces his defense from 84 to 81, but the 20% evasion chance is worth it, and he's still far ahead of Zofia's 66 defense power.











: Oh, a ship would certainly help us track down Baramos!
: Do any of you know how to sail?
: I was way too busy learning other kinds of stuff.
: I've traveled by ship long ago, but I've never been at the helm.
: Actually, my father showed me the basics. We never went really far but I'm sure I could manage. It's... I think it's the last thing he taught me.
: I'm sure he taught you well.

That'll be it for Magic Key doors so far, except for the tunnel to Portoga. Good timing, that.









: It feels... it's a little weird to follow in my father's footsteps like this.
: If he was still with us, he'd probably be going after Baramos too.
: I wonder if he knew about the archfiend back then. Zofia, what was he doing when he met his end?
: I don't know. I mean, as far as I could tell, he was just traveling the world, helping people out.
: Being a hero.
: Yeah...
: I don't know if I'd have it in me to do that.
: Ha, what are you talking about? You're doing that right now!
: Well we're kinda helping by accident, right? We do have just the one job.
: I'd want to travel with Zofia even if the archfiend wasn't here. Wouldn't you?
: Eh, I'm not the "your gratitude will suffice" type. But... I guess I could have let myself be convinced. I don't regret joining up, at least.
: I would still be in Reeve, to be honest. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad I can help out, but this is the sort of life I thought I'd left behind.
: Isabel...?
: Ah, never mind, let's go.



Oh-ho, better make note of those bars.









We've still got Romaly-grade enemies on this side, so it's not exactly rough going.





Ah, okay, that'll be new. Lumpus are about on par with Pyramid monsters, if a bit physically weaker and less sturdy. They're slightly to resistant to most magic, and highly resistant to Sleep, with their sole special ability being a very high chance to cast Infernos. That's a lot of damage coming from a group of four like this, so I figure a Firebal/Infernos/Firebane combo is not uncalled for. The battle still lasts two rounds (on account of their resistances), and we come out of it with half the HP we came into it with.







Hmm, interesting mix of new and old there, with a lot of damage potential. Zofia goes for the Knight, while Alvaro goes for the Lumpus. Isabel casts Infernos on the Ravens, and Rebeca casts Bang on everyone.



Aw yeah, we're done in a single round. Rebeca went last and finished off the entire screen; Bang by itself wouldn't have one-shot anything but everyone else did enough damage to let it clean up neatly. Man this still feels so good!

Alvaro levels up after the following fight, for 4 Str, 7 Agi (HOLY CRAP), 6 Vit, 3 Luc, 1 Int, and 11 HP. He now has 22 more defense power than Zofia, and only 5 less max HP, so he takes point once more.





Fighting around here is pretty hard on our MP reserves, so it's a relief to see the town pop up so soon.








: ...is that unusual?
: Hopefully they ended up better off than the last two young people in love we heard about.
: That's not hard to beat.




: So he's not much of a man of the people, I take it.







Standard item shop there.


: Dad brought some back one time. It was alright, I guess.
: We have no such valuable things here.
: Heh, too bad for the king.



This town's got Pepper Fever! It's the hot new spice that nobody can have!



Oooh, we've breached the 10 gold per person event horizon!







Well that was worth it.








: At night I get so frightened. Oh! My Carlos!
: I'm sure he thinks of you as well.



: Dangerous world, nowadays...
: Yeah...

: Excuse me sir, where should we ask about a ship?

: Oh, I see. Thank you.
: Crap, I think I see where this is going.
: We need to ask the king about Norud anyway, so there's no avoiding an audience.












: Hmm, really now?
: That sounds like nonsense to me.
: It's really not.
: ...hmm?
: Ha, with the way things have been going, you might see it one day.



: Okay, what about this one?
: We all know the king's going to send us for pepper. This'll cover our travel expenses!

These trap tiles still damage us for 15 HP, so we won't linger here. The chests contain a Spider's Web, a Vitality Seed (boo!), and 88 gold.




: Of course not! How can you even say such a thing?




: That'll explain that, I suppose.
: With the state the world is in right now, I doubt the eastern lands are much more dangerous to travel than any other.
: Unless that's where Baramos is.
: Gah, good point.


: Nobody opens a conversation by saying they speak only the truth unless they intend to lie their ass off. Pass.
: That's a pity.
: Don't mind her, sir. What truth do you have for us?
: Haste makes waste! That's the honest truth! Heh, heh, heh.
: Okay then, it was actually true, but also a waste of time. Good talk.


: Therefore I say unto thee, go ye to the east and report back to me what thou dost encounter there. Whensoever thou shouldst return with black pepper, I wilt acknowledge thee as heroes true and grant thee a ship.
: That true hero nonsense again.
: With the ship, it's still better than what the kings of Romaly and Aliahan offered put together.
: With all due respect though, your Highness, apparently a friend of yours is keeping the only road east closed.
: If thou wouldst show Norud this, my scroll, he wilt serve thee as thine guide.
: Ah, that should do it then. Thank you.





: That could have gone worse.
: What does the scroll say?
: It seems rude to look.
: He didn't say not to. At least make sure it doesn't say "kill these peasants" or something.
: Right.


: My dear Norud. Please guide the bearers of this scroll to the secret passage called Bolef's Path. Signed, King of Portoga.
: Well I hope his handwriting is real distinctive because any idiot could sign "King of Portoga".



We could Return to Assaram right away, but I want to see Portoga at night first.

In the meantime, there's something that the game doesn't ever really come out and say, but we've got more than enough clues by now to put a notion together and it'll only get more obvious as we progress. Let's look at the world map we've assembled so far.



We're in "Portoga". We've been sent to "the east" to find black pepper, and we've just been to a Pyramid in "Isis".

Yyyyyeah. Portoga is Portugal (even though it's on entirely the wrong side of the Iberian peninsula). Romaly, Rome, Italy. Shanpane is Champagne, a region in France. Noaniels is on the Scandinavian peninsula, with Denmark protruding just to the south. Isis, which is of course to say Egypt, is across the Mediterranean sea, with Assaram being just northeast of the Arabian peninsula. We've been all over Europe, in parts of western Asia, and parts of northern Africa. Anyone wants to guess where we're going to find that pepper?

: How have I not heard of any of these places?
: We must have missed them in our travels.
: That's not what my charts say... but...

Aliahan doesn't map onto anything we know, but it has people named Ortega and Luisa, so it made sense to me to pick other Spanish names for our crew, heheh. (Well, Zofia is the Polish variant of Sofia, but I'm sure you'll understand the compromise!)

Anyway, no time to dwell on that, we got an entire day to fight through!



Good to see the game is already revisiting the "just start the fight with a bunch of Healers already there" paradigm. Even now Rogue Knights are easy to underestimate; one of them almost one-shots Zofia with a crit.









: Wait... where's that horse?

: Aw crap.

: Yeah, we've met.
: Well, please tell her... Carlos loves her still!
: Okay... sure.
: Is there anything you can do about this, Rebeca?
: Nah, curse lifting isn't my department. Isn't that more your style?
: I'm afraid not.
: Welp.





Oh dang, we've got a full Ladyhawke situation here. Or... Ladycat and Gentlemanhorse. Doesn't have quite the same ring to it.


: These are bad days for people in love.
: These are bad days for everyone, Al.
: You know what I mean!


: Yikes.


: Can't blame you, kid.









That's it for Portoga. Resting at the inn and talking to Sabrina again doesn't do anything special, so that's about all we can do for those two.

I'd like to go back to Isis and get a Full Plate for Zofia, but getting Isabel a Cloak of Evasion is more important, so we drop by Noaniels and replace her Chain Mail (for the exact same defense power), then Return to Assaram and rest again.



: Here's to hoping the king and Norud last saw each other on friendly terms.





There aren't any monsters in this tunnel, so at least the dwarf keeps his place clean.



Well, we've been through it already.


: We want a ship, really, but going east is the first step. It's complicated.




Norud leads the party to the chamber in the south and rams the southern wall three times, opening a narrow passage.



: ...I could have done that.
: Ssssure.


: Thanks.
: Um, sorry about the...
: ...
: Right! Moving on!















Avenger Jackals are a fair bit stronger and tougher than Wild Apes, but with less HP. They have the ability to call for reinforcements and to cast Surround, but they're weak to magic across the board, with only slight resistance to Sleep, StopSpell, Surround and Expel.

Heat Clouds are nearly as strong, but with as much defense as Army Crabs. Their AI ignores formation, but they'll use their flaming breath attack two-thirds of the time anyway; it's about as strong as Flamapedes', so it's not too much to worry about if there's only one. They're of course immune to fire, but they're weak to other elements and to Surround, with only slight resistance to Sleep. It's just neat that wind and ice work well against them.



: We probably won't find pepper in these mountains, will we?
: That's a safe bet.
: North or south, then? Isabel?
: I've only ever been that way by ship, I couldn't begin to tell you.
: Let's just go north.
: Oh, you know this region?
: Not even a little bit. But going north at random can't be worse than staying here without making a call.
: North it is, then!













: Hi. I don't suppose you trade in pepper, do you?

: Right.
: Hey, it was worth a shot.

It's 12 per person, we might as well. I wonder what's behind those bars, though. This place is weirdly out of the way.





Hunter Flies are a bit weaker and more fragile than the other critters here, with high resistance to Sleep, and slight resistance to fire and StopSpell. They've got a 50% chance to cast Firebal on their turn though, so it's best not to underestimate them, especially in groups.

Isabel levels up off a group of four Heat Clouds, for 2 Str, 4 Agi, 2 Vit, 4 Luc, 3 Int, 6 HP, 5 MP, and a new spell: Awake. It costs 3 MP, and will (naturally) wake up all sleeping allies at once. It's not necessarily something you use all the time, but when you need it, you're really glad you have it.

Zofia levels to 15 in the following battle, for 3 Str, 2 Agi, 5 Vit, 4 Luc, 1 Int, 11 HP, and 4 MP. Her max HP is 110 now! That seems unusually high, but I'm not complaining. Her MP's been feeling pretty low though, but that might just be in comparison to Isabel and Rebeca.







I know we're trying to go east, but seeing as the Hunter Flies and Heat Clouds are slowly but surely taking their toll, I'm more inclined to keep following the forest valley here instead of trying to venture through these hills.



Yeah, with fights like these, if you're stingy with your MP, you end up being generous with your HP.



Oof. Zofia's taking so much damage from these Jackals that I kinda regret not going for the Full Plate now.



Aw crap, Isabel goes down to Firebal before she gets to cast Healmore on herself. The Cloak of Evasion sure isn't protecting her from that! We win the fight without further casualties, but this trip is over.



In terms of stats, the creatures here aren't much more dangerous than the ones in the Pyramid, but large groups of Heat Clouds and Hunter Flies take a heavy toll, and Isabel's low HP is something of a liability when neither formation nor evasion nor defense power help keep her safe. It'd be even worse for Rebeca if she had typical Wizard HP, but she can actually facetank a decent amount of fire damage and I am ever so thankful for that.

Zofia Returns us to Assaram, where it costs us 260 gold to revive Isabel.

: It's no wonder Norud sealed off this tunnel. If the monsters in the east made it all the way to this side, it would be pandemonium.
: I bet this'd be a lot easier with the stuff from that tomb in the Pyramid!
: Not the time, Reb.
: Just saying!

[Blossom]

I was wondering when the map thing would be pointed out.

In the remakes, Noaniels is Norvik, which is a little more explicit, and Kanave is Khoryv - pretty much Kiev. Aliahan corresponds to nothing, though, but as the sealed-off home of the world-traveling heroes it's sort of an Atlantis thing.

[Friday]

I always just assumed it was Australia, but I guess that could also be Lancel? Dunno.

The map isn't perfect anyway, it's just a rough approximation.

[François]

A goon mentioned that Aliahan is likely intended to be Mu, and that'll make a lot of sense.

And yeah, it's not too hard to figure out that the world is meant to be roughly Earth-shaped long before reaching Portoga (even just the Romaly and Noaniels regions could be clue enough) , but I wanted to be able to show the map with all the foot-accessible portions of the Mediterranean coastline to really make it pop. As a kid though, I don't think I realized it until near the end, heheh. Even the place names didn't make me catch on somehow.

[Blossom]

I think it took me until I got to Jipang but then I was like ... nine.

Could be Mu, it's ... vaguely in the right area for it! I sort of prefer the Atlantis idea, given the ties Atlantis frequently has to Arthurian myth and mythic heroes generally, and the A-name, or Avalon for the same reasons, but it's a little moot. It doesn't correspond to a real place.

[nosimpleway]

You can imagine my surprise when I looked it up and the Pepper is... Black Pepper, rather than opium or wine or bananas or something.