Welcome back, all. Today, I'll try to get this damn guard to finally accept my map.
If you look at the images on the FAQ, you may notice some double-ended arrows connecting hallways; those are Warp Points, and they will save your f*cking everything.
...Let's go and activate them. Two-way warp points need to be "activated" before they can be used, and to activate a warp point, you need to check for it, and pass through. For most of them, this can only be done on the side farther away from your convenience. Once they are activated though, they can be traversed both ways at any time, going from shortcuts to increased life expectancy.
In the initial hallway, there are two that are connected; one's just there to be there, but the other is a handy shortcut to the left side of the area — or it would be, if there was anything of repeatable interest over there.
I'm not going to the northern part of the area yet (I'm not quite level 4), so I'll just activate the one on the right.
... ... ...
>A small crevice is visible in the wall before you. Perhaps a person may fit through...
I try not to mess with the system narration itself. It helps to clarify where exactly I am.
Report: A dead end...
Ere: Well, there's a box over there...
Axel: [begins checking the wall of fauna up close]
Ranko: What are you looking for?
Axel: Here. [Pushes through brush]
Ere: Where's he going?
Report: Gabe, is there anything on the map that would say there's something over there?
Gabe: I dunno. Axel has the map.
Axel pushes back through the brush
Axel: On the other side of here is the hall leading back to town. The brush here is light enough that we can pass through it.
Report: So, it's a handy shortcut.
Gabe: Not very handy when it doesn't lead to something useful.
Ere: What about that box over there?
Ranko: I hear the more experienced guilds talking about shortcuts all the time. Maybe this is one of them.
Report: So then there are probably a lot of places like these. We should find as many as we can, then.
[Party pushes through brush]
Ere: What about this box...hey! [follows]
So, cast aside, when you first find a warp point (the active side, not the side that's closer to where you started), you'll get a prompt for whether or not you want to proceed through the shortcut (and open it up). The only use I see for this prompt is when you are counting your steps carefully, and don't want them to get thrown off by a warp.
Once the point is active, you are no longer asked whether or not you want to go through; pressing A just takes you to the other side.
Once I'm back in the initial hallway, I turn around and go back through. I'm going to check out that box Ere noticed.
The labyrinth is purported to be full of treasure, which is justification for having chests scattered about the floors. That, though, raises the question of why the other guilds don't lay claim to these treasures. I'm going to go ahead and open this chest now.
>While exploring, you come across a large box. Open it? >>Yes
>Obtained Nectar
Nectar is a healing item that functions as a low-level Resurrect, reviving a fallen party member with a little HP. These were much more important in the first two games, where the Revive skill was difficult to get, and had a chance of failing at lower levels. Here, though, we have Resurrect, so we're good; still, it's useful to keep Nectars on hand in case Ranko gets KO'd.
...I'll go ahead and move towards the upper area. I'll go check out the room in the top right, with the symbol in the middle.
I can't access that center section from the right side, so I'll have to from the left, but first, the top right room.
Battle update: I've run into a new monster: Deadly Durian. These guys have a slightly higher defense than the fish and frogs, but they're still no trouble.
Ere destroyed it with Fire Barrage.
>Discovered new item: Green Thorn (Regularly dropped by Deadly Durians)
Here in the top left, we find a door. Doors are mainly there to look pretty, but otherwise pose no trouble. On the other side, we find a square room with a shimmering spot on the ground in the middle; I mark it and move on (I'll come back to it later).
Next, I'll explore that top left room and hallway, then I'll activate the warp on the left side of the entryway.
Battle update: Preemptive strike. The reverse of being blindsided, preemptive strikes give you a free turn at the start, giving you the advantage. They are denoted by green swirling leaves at the start of the battle.
A note about the leaves: when a battle starts normally, there are no leaves. They only swirl on blindsides and preemptive strikes.
I am now level 4. That is all.
Battle update: I've run into a new monster: Great Lynx. Great Lynxes are the reason I wanted to stay away from the top of the map until my party reached level 4; they have a skill called "Bite Off" which is very strong, enough to instantly kill a weaker party member, and they are still strong and fast outside of that (its normal attack hit Axel for 44 damage). Fortunately, there's just one right now, so I take it down with some skills.
>Discovered new item: Mountain Claw
Okay, I'm back in the entry hallway. Let's see if the guard is satisfied now.
>The guard's previously stern countenance lightened upon examining your work.
Finally.
Guard: Outstanding. You've done a simply wonderful job here!
>His expression utterly transformed, the guard showers you with effusive praise.
The translators seem to forget that this game is mainly being played by slightly-masochistic teenagers, none of whom know the term "effusive".
Guard: Go now hence to the Senatus and report to them your success to claim your reward.
Report: Does this mean that old lady will stop interrupting us?
Guard: Probably not, but being an officially recognized guild improves your chances quite a bit.
Ere: Glad that's over. Now we can head back to town.
Report/Axel/Gabe/Me: I wanna kill some more things first.
Ere: Guh...fine, do that, then.
I want to activate the warp points in that center room first. I'll collect the treasures later.
Two battles later the warps are activated but my pack is full. Time to head back to town. I can hoof it right now, but as we proceed deeper into the labyrinth this becomes less and less desirable. Fortunately, we will very soon acquire the solution to this problem.
I run into a few more monsters on the way back. While I can't hold any more items (this includes loot), experience doesn't take up space, so I slaughter the lot of them.
That's all for this update. Tune in next time when I...um...do more stuff in town!
