Part 31: Alliance
Moruba and -will you look at that- Tristan have been added to the list.
Bernarta Eltenaja Overis: Queen of King Dolgare. After the unity of Valeria, she married King Dolgare. She is from a highly respected noble family called Eltenaja. She had conceived a son but lost him in an accident. She died when she was 30 years old from a disease.
Filler battle.
Rotzer: Are you looking for Moruba...? All your efforts have been for naught... my gang should have captured Moruba... by now...
We get 3775 Goth, some more Goth, and an earth staff.
Oh, and by the way, I'm replacing Freesia with Olivia, as she has slightly better stats. Sad to see you go, Freesia, you've been with us since the beginning, but you're out of Squad Liveblog.
You must decide at the next battle (Banhamuba Temple) whether to let Shelley live and recruit her later or let her die and get a really good spell. As the subquest you'd need her for isn't worth it, in my opinion, we're gonna kill her.
Our position.
◊ Byan is at 1, Haborym is at 2, Aloser is at 3, Bruno is at 4, Basha is at 5, Orcus is at 6, Area is at 7, Belgger is at 8, Olivia is at 9, and Guildus is at 10.
We open on a man in a purple robe who I can only presume is Moruba being held by some soldiers.
◊
Shelley tells him to stop playing stupid.
◊
Moruba insists he doesn't know, and if he did, he'd never tell her.
◊
"How dare you speak like that to your own daughter! Are you going to forsake me just like mom!?"
"I have forsaken nobody."
"Then tell me where the Forbidden Power is!"
"You ask for too much, Shelley. You are the last person I would help!"
"This is pointless. We're going in circles! You're coming with me, father."
The knight grabs Moruba. "What are you doing?!" he shouts.
"I'm sure your mind will change once we reach Heigm."
"Shelley, don't do this to me!!"
"Take him away." The knight does.
"Let's get out of here," Shelley says.
Suddenly, a door opens, and... go Orcus!
◊
"Moruba, are you all right?"
"You are...?" Hey, show a little gratitude, old man!
"I'm Orcus, the son of Plancy Mown."
"You are Plancy's son..."
"We can talk about this later. I will take care of them now."
"Ok...just don't kill the woman. That is my daughter Shelley."
"I understand."
"Thank you..."
"Rotzer is useless..." Shelley mutters. Yes, he is. "I challenge you, boy!"
This battle is pretty easy. You have the high ground, Shelley rarely, if ever, uses her powerful Dark Law spell (which we're killing her to get), and she starts out in the open. And so, like the pussy I am, I have Haborym and Aloser kill her before any enemy except two ninjas can move. Classy, I know.
Shelley: M...mother...
We get 450 Goth and most importantly the awesome Dark Law spell that Byan will make good use of.
After the battle, we meet with Moruba.
"...I see. Plancy is dead..." he mutters.
"Please, I need your help."
"...What are we going to accomplish by fighting? I know you are not fighting to gain power. I know you are different from the Cardinal and the Duke... but war creates chaos! It doesn't matter what the reason may be..."
Orcus goes on a small rant about how they need to unite the races like Dolgare did.
"To return to the golden age of the Dolgare Era is impossible. Especially when the Valerian savior is in the hands of the Dark Knights."
"Kachua..." Orcus whispers.
"Can you allow yourself to fight Kachua?"
The game gives us two options I forgot to screenshot. I select 2, or "no choice."
"No choice. For true peace, I may have to be the devil."
"I see... you are going to choose the path of a ruler... that may be your destiny..."
"I'm not giving up that easily! I will try to help her as much as I can! I am the only one who can save my sister!"
"I wish I had the strength that you have. Then I could've saved Shelley. Fine. I will support you. Even if it costs my life."
"Thank you." The screen fades to black.
Whoah. What's Branta doing up here?
◊
"...Where am I?" he asks. "...Why are you here? Who is it? Who's there?!"
The screen flashes red.
"What? Hurry? For what? Who gave you the right to order me around!!" The screen flashes red again. "Wha... what!?"
Branta wakes up.
◊ "A dream... what an eerie dream..."
A soldier walks in. "I have a report, your highness."
"What is it?"
"We lost track of Shelley."
"...Was she killed by the Liberation Army?"
"Details are not yet known, but there is a high possibility..."
"Shelley, that useless bitch..." Branta is an asshole.
"I will organize a rescue unit and send them to Amorika!" For a soldier, this guy has balls.
"Don't bother!"
"What?"
"I said forget her. Don't make me say it twice. I don't want a warrior who can't even accomplish such a simple task! We don't need an incompetent bitch like her!!"
"Yes, your highness. I shall go now." He does.
Branta walks over to the window. "...Damn it!!"
We are brought back to the map screen. Let's go to Fiduc.
I replace Fenril with Dark Law and level up everyone to level 28. I also dismiss Leon, Delta, Julia, and Hogan.
Leon: But, won't you give me a second chance?
Delta: I am not a disposable tool for you!
Julia: What!? I don’t get it!
Hogan: Again!? I don’t want to leave!
Moruba, Orcus, Shadow, and "Staff" are having a meeting.
◊
Orcus asks Shadow if he's sure he knows where Kachua is.
"The Roslolians are training in Banisha Castle. And the queen is with them."
Orcus asks Moruba if the grave of Dolgare is in Banisha.
"I have no idea... I was already out of the kingdom when King Dolgare passed away and..."
"Yes...?"
"I don't think the king would be buried outside of the royal family grave. Since the queen and the prince were buried in the royal family grave."
"Then the Roslolians must be looking for a different grave..."
Moruba concludes they must go to Banisha; Orcus says Branta would never attack Banisha so they won't have to worry about him. Orcus orders Staff to send a large number of soldiers to Yomlahada Ravine to distract the Bacrum Army while they attack Banisha.
Before we go to Banisha, there's some stuff we can do.
Next time: we prepare to assault Banisha!
edited 24th Oct '10 1:24:30 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Huh...worthless in skill or not, I'm actually a tad surprized that you slew (or whatever the past tense of 'slay' is) the girl. I suppose that this won't be the last time Orcus will have to make such a decision, too. I just hope he'll have a happy ending...unless, of course, 'happy' is a bit too high to aim for with this tragic plot. Perhaps 'decent' would be more realistic...
Tristan gets my vote for the next Warren. Heckuva coincidence...
ADDENDUM 4: Hell Gate
Before we fight the Dark Knights at Banisha, it's time for some miscellaneous junk.
Warren Report Updates
There are four new miscellaneous news reports; Alliance, Take Action!, Freak Explosion, and Ogre Battle Legend. "Freak Explosion" is really important, so I'll save that one for last.
Alliance
The High Priest Moruba used to be the most powerful leader of the Filaha Order in the Dolgare Era. After he lost the political power struggle against Branta, he left the capital and engaged in evangelical activities. Recently, a report showed that Moruba showed his report towards the Walsta Liberation Army. It can be said that Moruba's trust will boost the popularity of the Liberation Army.
Take Action!
The Walsta Liberation Army started to march into Yomlahada Valley which is on the border of Banisha and Fiduc. Bacrum sent a huge number of troops from Heigm upon hearing the news. However, there are no Roslolians among them. This gave credence to the rumor that the relationship between Branta and the Dark Knights had ended. The war between Bacrum and the Liberation Army is about to begin.
Ogre Battle Legend
Time for a really long but a really important one.
A long time ago, Humans and Ogres fought over who would control the earth. The Human asked for the support of the gods who ruled heaven and the Ogres asked for the help of the demons who ruled the dark world. However, the humans were physically weak and were almost destroyed by the Ogres... then there were three High Knights and twelve Wise Men who descended from the heavens. They sealed the Chaos gate which connects the dark world and the earth. They successfully sealed away the power the demons were giving to the Ogres. Suddenly, the tide of war had turned in the human's favor and they eventually won the war. Thus earth was given to the humans and their civilization has lasted 'till this day. After the battle, the three High Knights went back to the heavens and the twelve Wise Men passed their knowledge to the humans. However, the anxiety was still there. Before the Ogres were imprisoned in the dark world, they had prophesized that there would be another Ogre Battle. The humans expressed their concern and one of the three Knights left his holy sword Brunhild behind so the humans could call upon them if the worse were to arise... whoever possesses the sword would be able to communicate with the gods. And at the same time, it can be a tool to go back and forth between the heavens and the dark world. The humans treasured the sword and decided to hide the sword, until the day of the next Ogre Battle...
Dear god, remember this. Also, it confuses me why the game refuses to say hell in this scene, although right after that they call an area the Hell Gate...
Time for the really important one...
Freak Explosion
A mysterious explosion happened on Ekshita Island, which is located northwest of Valeria. Ekshita Island is well known for the "Hell Gate" which is located there. Many people went there to obtain it's hidden treasure, but many never came back. Sources say the explosion was the result of a magical experiment that took place inside the palace.
Once we exit the Report... look at all the new battles.
◊
Yep, Hell Gate is the bonus dungeon of this game. There's quite a lot of stuff to it. I'm probably not going to explain very much of it, and do most of my adventures in it off screen (I'll just mention interesting battles), as I'm already devoting much of my time to this LB and trying to explain the Hell Gate could take ages, so just go here.
Oh, and by the way:
Tristan Zenobia- 29 Years Old: King of the Zenobia Kingdom. Zenobian. One of the main revolutionaries who destroyed the Zeteginea Empire. After the revolution,he reigned the country. He is loved by the people. He sent his five Holy Knights over to Valeria.
There are a bunch of easy battles before you can get to Hell Gate. Before I enter, I train everyone to level 29.
We are confronted by a shaman. "I never thought I'd meet you here. Did you come here to find the Dragon Magic? Not good, not good. Now that I don't have the help of the Dark Knights, I'm not going to risk my life by giving you the Dragon Magic. If I kill you, then there will be no reason to hide in this filthy dungeon. This Hell Gate will be your grave, little boy."
This battle is really, really easy. You have the high ground and most of the enemies are mages, making them extremely vulnerable. Watch out, the warlock has Petrify. As long as your healer with Vitalize is okay, you'll be fine. If she's petrified too, however...
"You will never...make it to...the deepest...part...of...Hell Gate..."
We get a bunch of Goth, a warp ring, and an evil robe.
Once you beat a map, you are given the option to keep going or retreat. I choose to keep going.
"This is creepy..." we mutter in the next room.
"I am doomed!!" the warlock Radlum shouts.
"Let's go! We are going to rescue him!!" Orcus shouts. Why?
So yeah, this is another rescue mission. And once again, the AI is retarded.
So, I tried to save him. 27 times. I honestly tried as hard as I could. But after all that time, I said, "fuck Radlum. Fuck him up his fugly warlock ass." Our army is very powerful. We don't need another NPC. Fuck him. I'm not going through another 50 something tries just to get an NPC. My god, I hate these rescue missions. This shit makes saving Rafa look like a cakewalk.
Man. I hate these rescue missions.
Let's go to Hell Gate 3B.
"Who the hell made this spooky dungeon?" Orcus asks.
Whoah, who is this?
◊ "Why are you here?" she asks.
"Why are you here?! ...Did you come here by yourself?"
"No. Everyone died. They turned into stone."
"Stone?"
"Do you see those statues nearby?"
"Y, you mean these are..."
"Yes. They were turned into statues. The guardian of the shrine put a curse on them which turned them into statues. Everyone here was once human."
"Why have they been turned into stone?!"
"This shrine is a sacred place...only disciples of Asmodeus are allowed here."
"Who are you......?"
"My name is Zadova. And now you are going to be turned into stone!!!" She reveals her true form.
◊
"What?! Are you the guardian of this shrine?!"
"Stupid human!! You have come to destroy the shrine! You shall be turned to stone!"
I won't lie. This battle is ball-bustingly hard. The gorgan has a special attack that can paralyze all your units if you don't fit certain requirements. And it has a bow too. This battle wouldn't be so hard if it weren't for the fact there's a special tile you have to step on to activate a secret door before you can end the fight; if you kill the boss before you step on the secret tile, you are transported out of Hell Gate.
Zadova: It's alright...the more you crave the power, the closer you are to following the dark side... Go ahead...step over my body and pursue the dark path...
I'm going to retreat for now. I'm in way too horrible a condition for this next battle. Too bad, it had an old friend in it.
Next time: more Hell Gate. Hey, it isn't fun, but it's essential.
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
It seems that all seals in the world were meant to be broken at the worst possible moment...and that last battle was in 3B? That heavily implies that rescuing Radlum would have taken you to 3A. Do you know if there's anything special for taking certain paths, or does it really not matter in the end? Of course, either way, I'm impressed that you were able to go so far in one update. Best of luck as you trek further into the depths of the darkness.
As for Warrens, I pick Aloser. I just think that it's about time to take a look at one of our old friends.
ADDENDUM 5: Even More Hell Gate
Nope. There are no alternate paths. All floors are named xB.
Aloser Danya- 20 Years Old: Born in the town of Krizar. When she lost her parents in the first battle, she joined the Walsta Liberation Army. Then she lost her brother in the Baramus Massacre. She was looking for the man responsible for the massacre.
Before I reenter Hell Gate, I train Presance to our current level. There's lots of undead, we'll need him. He replaces Olivia on the team.
After you complete story battles in the Gate, the story is replaced by random battles. So this means that if you want to get to, say, B12, you'd have to trek through 11 levels of random battles.
While working my way up, I find a special axe that boosts Guildus' attack power to an amazing 375. I find it oddly amusing that Guildus, a "White Knight," is wielding a dark axe from a shrine to a death god.
Look, it's our old "buddy" Nybbas.
◊ In case you didn't notice, he resurrected Leonard and Zaebos; Leonard is on the left, Zaebos is on the right. There are some differences with this fight if you took the neutral route; he's a lich.
"Hmmm. The cells are decaying. It's not complete. 'Necro' will only turn the living into the undead... 'Revivify' will only bring back life, but the aging process can't be stopped. My son was so close. I was able to regenerate his body cells. But I was unable to retrieve his memory... I am trying to achieve what you would call a soul recovery. It is very difficult. When one condition is met, another thing goes wrong... Sorry, I have failed again. Forgive me. Everlasting life and youth is the one thing that all human beings strive for. ...I guess I'll have to use this." We walk in. "Oh, look here..."
"Leonard!! How did you get here?!"
"You are the last person I expected to see here. Ah yes, I remember now. It's Orcus, right? I'm so glad to see you again. What are you doing here? Why the Hell Gate? Are you seeking the Dragon Magic? ...Or are you seeking eternal life like me? Shall I show you the results of my research? Don't be shy, I'm so anxious to show you." He summons some undead. "You took real good care of me in Kadoriga. So this time, why don't I pay you back?"
I aim for Leonard and kill him first with arrows.
"...Where am I? What was I..." Leonard asks.
"Leonard!"
"Orcus...? I was dead..." He dies for the last time.
"Leonard!!" Orcus screams.
...Goodbye forever, Leonard.
On the next turn, we witness a foresight. Orcus calls out to Leonard, except Leonard isn't alive, so when Leonard's speech is in Orcus' speech bubble. Sloppy, guys. Sloppy.
"It's no use. He doesn't remember anything, because his soul is missing. Do you know why the undead love to fight? Because they are in constant agony to be dead. They envy life and hate those that possess it. To ease their pain, they will try to make you just like them!" Nybbas cackles.
"If I cannot save Leonard...then I will turn you into one of the living dead!!"
By now, Guildus is down to 15 HP. I foolishly rushed him out without support. Thus, I need to kill Nybbas quickly.
Next, we kill Zaebos.
"Why am I here? What is this body...?"
"Zaebos!" Orcus shouts.
"Nybbas? What am I doing here...?" Zaebos falls into eternal sleep.
"Good job...hee, hee, hee," Nybbas giggles.
After that, all the enemies are undead (and thus don't have any treasure), so I aim for Nybbas.
"Th...this is the end..." Nybbas whispers. "King of Darkness Demunza, give me the power of darkness which has been sealed within this ring... May the seal be broken!!"
He's becoming a lich just like Byan!
◊
"How do you like this? Hee, hee, hee... If you are craving for the ability to become an undead, it can only be achieved by using the knowledge. But you have to give up being a human being. Hee, hee, hee. I may see you again...so long..."
"Wait, Nybbas!!" Orcus screams.
We get an earth lance and a hero lance.
The next battle is boring and isn't worth transcribing.
Into 5B...
"I guess there are no enemies on this floor..." Orcus mutters.
◊ Thank god.
"Do not act in haste, mortal man," the ghost says.
"Who are you?!"
"My name is Roderick. I used to be the King of Brigantes..."
"Roderick, you were the loser in the Unity War against King Dolgare?"
"Yes......are you the man who battles against Vesinian?"
"Vesinian? You mean the Bacrum Army?"
"The man who fights against Vesinian is my friend. I shall share my power with you..."
"Power?"
"Yes. I will teach you the secret technique of Brigantes which has been preserved for generations... There are 10 kinds of secret techniques...but I can only teach you one...that has been the rule and... besides, humans are not capable of learning more than one... First, I'll give you the ability in which you will be able to change your inner power into an energy sword. Whoever has a sword may achieve the secret technique. Who wants to have this?"
The game tells us to select who to give Fudo, the spell he's offering us. DO NOT REFUSE THIS- FUDO IS GREAT AGAINST THE FINAL BOSS!
Fudo depends on DEX, so I give it to our main speedy man Haborym.
"We shall meet again," Roderick says, and dissipates. And he's right. He'll appear on random levels to give our characters special abilities; this is the only time it's fixed.
There's a trick to Hell Gate; Petrify. Your stats from the last battle carry into your next, so what you should do is Petrify a few enemies each battle; Petrified units must still be reduced to 0 HP, but they can't move for the entire battle. So what you should do is petrify a few enemies, and then after killing all the active ones, heal all your party members before killing the petrified units. That way, they can go into the next battle at full health.
I get a spell called "Wipe Out." It will attack all enemies on the field with a fire attack. In Hell Gate, you get special spells called "Dragon Magic," and warlocks are the only generic class that can use it; liches can only use one spell. Time for a snap judgment.
I change Presance into a warlock. Warlock's can't use Exorcism, so I may change him back to an exorcist if the situation requires it (yeah, yeah, using save states). Dragon Magic is just too good to pass up. He can also use Quick and Heal Rain, spells I always wanted Byan to use but he never had the room to, so I give him that. I have him replace Olivia. I may bring Olivia into specific battles, such as ones where the enemies have lots of status-changing spells.
I run into some gremlins and get a glass pumpkin. This makes me happy. I'll explain why when I get around to recruiting Deneb.
"I am impressed... you made it this far..." It's only level 12 in a hundred level dungeon, dude. "Then I will give you "Devil Cry' which will rob you of some of your life energy but will do great damage to the enemy... this secret technique can be used by anyone who owns and axe, spear, claw, or hammer. Who want this secret technique?" Looks like it's going to Guildus, then; he's our axe-user.
Before going to Hell Gate B13, I retreat, not because I'm low on health, but because I want an amazing special character we'll be getting from Banisha.
Next time: actual story!
For being so tedious, Hell Gate is surprisingly addictive. Mostly because of the hidden promise of "later levels."
edited 26th Oct '10 6:35:08 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Curse you, Nybbas...skipping out on us for almost the entire story, coming back in an optional area to force us to fight an Anti-Villain or two, and then cowering out before you get your just desserts! ...Well, at least the recent spoils of battle certainly look tantalizing, and will no doubt be of great use very soon.
I think Presance should get a Warren, especially after his assistance during your recent battles.
Part 32: Princess
Donald Presance- 53 years old: A Walsta Liberation Army priest. A priest of the Filaha religious order. He was running an orphanage at a church in Amorika, but it was set on fire by the Gargastans. He lost everything and has vowed to take revenge upon the enemy.
Junk battle.
Pajo: You betrayed... your own... traitor...
We get some faerie armor, which I give to Guildus. I find it amusing that the man wielding AN AXE OF PURE UNADULTERATED EVIL is wearing armor created by fucking faeries.
By the way, if you use dragon magic, be sure to give it's users some MP-giving items. Dragon magic takes a lot of MP.
I level everybody to level 30.
Let's go to Banisha and kick some ass.
◊
This is a multi part battle.
We are confronted at the gates by some Dark Knights. It's not too hard. We get 2520 Goth and a mind ring. Yawn, next?
Our position.
◊ Byan is at 1, Haborym is at 2, Area is at 3, Bruno is at 4, Presance is at 5, Orcus is at 6, Aloser is at 7, Belgger is at 8, Basha is at 9, and Guildus is at 10.
Lans, Kachua, and Barbas
◊ are talking.
"I never thought they would find us here," Lans says.
"Someone may have leaked the information to the Liberation Army," Barbas replies. "Maybe Branta."
"I didn't think he's that stupid..."
"Either way, this is the time to avenge Ozma's death!"
"Don't be so hot-headed. Barbas, they are much stronger than before!" You got that right.
"Do you doubt my abilities!?" Barbas shouts.
"I'm just telling you not to underestimate them."
"I will fight them anyways! ... You're not thinking of leaving Valeria?"
"It depends on the situation," Lans mutters. "We are to terminate the plan and retreat according to the orders that I received..."
"What!?"
"That is our order... we can't disobey it! And..."
"We haven't lost yet!" Barbas insists. "We can't back down without a fight!"
We enter. "Kachua!!!" Orcus shouts. "Tartare! Give my sister back!"
Lans and Kachua start to walk away.
"I will let you handle this!" Lans tells Barbas.
"Trust me. I will show them real power."
"Come this way!" Lans tells Kachua, and they leave.
"I was waiting for you, kid!!!" Barbas screams. He summons a bunch of templars and some dragons. "Challenging me from the front gate, you've got some pretty big ones for a child!!" I love that line.
"That's the same thing your dead friend said," Orcus said, thoroughly owning Barbas.
"You son of a...! Come Here!" Random Capitalization Annoys Me. "I want to show you something." He pulls out a... gun!? "Do you know what this is? This is a gun. I heard this weapon was more powerful than magic." He shoots and kills one of his own templars. "Shit, this weapon is too powerful! I'm gonna hurt myself with this thing! Hey you, hold this!" He gives one of his templars the gun. "I guess kids should stick with swords. Come, Orcus!"
Guildus has a conversation with Barbas. "Where have I seen you... that's odd. How can I forget such an ugly face? Or was that your ass I saw?"
"The knight from Zenobia! You really are a fool!!"
"Where is that clown-like buddy of yours?"
"Martym!? You know Martym!? Now I remember... you're the knight who begged for mercy when you got hit by Martym!"
"You haven't changed a bit. You make things sound so dramatic!"
Barbas has special conversations with all the White Knights, Canopus, and Vice (who you get in the Law route).
This battle wouldn't be so hard if I didn't want to get the gun. However, I really do, so yeah.
This battle isn't as hard as it looks. There's a wall at the start; Orcus is the only offensive attacker that can get past it without going around. I take a risk and have him go to the very top, pelting the enemy with arrows. He's attacked, but Basha and Presance (what with Heal Rain) heal him. He shoots down Woody, the enemy with the gun, but in doing so he's advanced past healing range; to heal him, I'd have to make Basha vulnerable. I take a huge risk and have her do so. Before any enemies can move, however, Area "kills" Barbas.
"Uhh... you're starting to scare me! I have to come up with an excuse...and quick.." He uses an escape crystal.
"Wait, Barbas!"
We get 1750 Goth, 2 balder helmets, and the gun, Rim Fire.
Our position is the same as before.
Lans stands before a bunch of templars.
◊
"Barbas was defeated!? The Liberation Army must be as strong as the Roslolians now! Kachua, we are going to Heigm."
"No, I'm not!" she protests. "I'm sick and tired of running away!!"
"Listen to me! Go to the far end of the castle!" She leaves the map! Awesome!
You see, depending on previous choices, she'll either leave or stay. I'm not sure what affects this. If she stays, you'll have to fight her and make sure you don't kill her, so this is good; we can use Wipe Out without hurting her.
We arrive. "Kachua!!!" Overuses of exclamation marks annoy me!!!
"Orcus of Griate! I shall be your opponent!!!"
I won't lie; this guy is one of the strongest bosses in the game. Fudo will be of great use here.
"It's over, Lans! Give me my sister back!"
"Give her back? How can I give her back when she chose to join us!? You're the one who disgraces the king of Valeria!"
"Everything went wrong the moment you Roslolians came to Valeria! Had you not come, we could have been brother and sister forever!"
On Lan's turn: "It is your uncle Branta who called us here. We are not the invaders! We are the arbitrators! And yet the Liberation Army insists on fighting us! If you want to have peace and order in Valeria, bow to us!!"
"We don't need peace and order laid down by brute force!"
"I know a knight who said the same thing. He had the same look in his eyes... you shall follow the same path that knight has taken." In case you don't realize, he's talking about himself. Probably.
The knights all can warp. This is actually more of a hindrance to them; the way they move, they come down one by one, allowing us to kill them one by one. By the time Lans comes down, he has almost no backup, and 5 attacks kill him before he can do very much damage.
"I guess this is it... I have no choice!"
"Wait, Tartare!" We get 2625 Goth, 2 Magi++, and 2 escape crystals. Now we can wield the items that have been used as plot convenience for this entire game! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
[[youtube:YN1pNugnP2o&feature=related]]
I replaced the original song with a fan work I felt was more effective (it's the same thing, but a has a little bit more instrumentation). Listen to the original here.
Kachua stares at the wall sadly.
◊
Snippets of voices outside the door say, "...I haven't found anything yet."
"...should be somewhere... search..."
A familiar voice says, "How about this room?"
"...Kachua..." He walks over to her. "Are you alright, Kachua?"
She turns away from us. "What are you going to do with me?"
"What...? Kachua, I came her to save you." We walk over to her. She runs.
"Get away from me!"
"Kachua..."
"That name has no meaning to me. I am Bersalia, the queen of Valeria."
Orcus walks closer. "No, you are my sister!" She says nothing. "We lived together as a family. We may not be related by blood, but does it make a difference? You're my one and only sister."
"No!!!" she screams, turning to us. "Then why did you abandon me? Why did you get rid of me!?"
Time for a guide dang it moment.
◊ If you select wrong options during the next two questions, Kachua will kill herself. Yes, really. If she does that, you get a bad ending. The choice you should make to avoid this depends on a certain factor. Here, the right answer is predetermined, but the next one decides on a certain variable.
Select 2.
"I did, once. But that is because I didn't want to involve you in battles."
"You're lying! You just got tired of me!"
This is where the Guide Dang It part comes in.
◊ If Kachua fought in the battle, select 1. If she didn't, pick 2. I have no idea how people were expected to know this.
"I never want to be apart from you again! I can't imagine a world without you!"
"Orcus..." Kachua whispers.
"Kachua... father is dead. I had a chance to talk to him before he died... he told me if that if he had returned you to the king after the death of the prince, the war might not have happened... but he didn't. He just couldn't give up the child who called him 'father.' You know that I'm not lying! Dad loved you, Kachua. He loved you more than anything else in the world! He loved you even though you were not his real daughter."
"...Father..."
"Come with me, Kachua! I'm not about to give up on my only sister!"
She collapses into Orcus' arms.
◊
"I'm so sorry, Kachua. I will never abandon you again." The scene fades out.
Meet Kachua the princess!
◊ Remember the awesome character I mentioned getting last chapter? Yeah. This is her. She has both the spells of clerics and priests, can wield attack magic, and can decently defend herself in battle. Yep, she's suddenly become badass.
In a desert, Lans berates Barbas.
◊
"Barbas, you shameless bastard," Lans growls. "You have come back from your battle alive...!"
Barbas says nothing.
"We will go back to Heigm!" Lans announces. As the templars leave, Lans tells Barbas, "You're useless!" He leaves. Barbas can only stare in silence.
Next time: sidequests, and perhaps a bit of Hell Gate!
Oh, and I'd like to thank "shallowman" for all the music.
And by the way, I've decided I'm going to do Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis, the prequel to this game, after this is over. And the end is coming. It's about a knight from Lodis.
edited 28th Oct '10 6:35:47 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Yowza, that's one heckuva boost. It's amazing what a boost in confidence, knowledge of one's history, and a bit of turncoating can do for your stats, huh? Especially since I doubt Lans would've risked her dying in combat training before her time. It seems like only two pages ago, Kachua was throwing rocks in vain and being OHKO'd...oh, they grow up so fast!
I suppose that, considering he'll probably die the next time you get to fight him (assuming he hasn't outlived his usefulness), it'd be a good idea to put up Barbas' information for the next Warren. Also, the next game you do will be the prequel? Sounds like it'll be a blast. A frustrating blast, but a good blast nonetheless.
Part 33: Hallelujah!
Hopefully, yes, it will be fun. And T Ko L is a cakewalk compared to this game. It's on the Game Boy Advance, if you're curious.
Barbas Dud Goose- 35 years old: A commander of the Dark Knights. Born in a remote region of Bowmath. The most cold-blooded and blood-loving man of the seven Roslolian commanders. He was nearly executed for beating his boss to death when Lans Tartare saved him.
I'm so naming my son "Dud Goose."
With Kachua in my party, she'll be replacing both Basha and Olivia, so Basha's out. I keep her with Heal+ and Vitalize, but I also give her Exorcism; now Presance can stay as a warlock.
I train Kachua to level 30 and go back to Fiduc.
Our new not-whiny-anymore sister Kachua has a meeting with Liberation officials.
◊
"I thank you for saving me," she says, all official now. "I will never forget Bacrum's loyalty and hard work."
"I thank you for your kind words," Moruba says.
"I pray that the war will end as soon as possible. To achieve this, you need Liveblog. I expect great things from you."
"We offer our lives to you, your highness," Moruba responds. "Your highness, please wait at Fiduc Castle and..."
"Moruba!" Kachua interrupts. "Valeria is in jeopardy! As queen, I just can't sit back and watch my loyal followers risk their lives in battle! I shall join the front lines. To prove that I am a true leader."
"But..." Moruba insists.
"Do not worry about me."
"Yes, your highness."
"Now, what is the situation on the front line?"
Orcus responds, "The Bacrum Army is moving, but there is no sign of the Roslolians. It seems like Lodis abandoned them."
"Then this will be the final battle. Let us take back the city of Heigm that my late father Dolgare had built. This shall be the end of the war!"
"Get the troops ready!" Orcus shouts. Everyone leaves.
"How did I do? Did I do OK?" Kachua asks once she's alone with Moruba and Orcus.
"You have done well, Kachua," Orcus mutters. "Father would have been proud."
"I feel awkward..."
"Don't worry. You'll get used to it..." Moruba assures her.
"Do you think so?"
"I still think you should stay in the castle. It's better that you..." Orcus tells her.
"I told you already, I am not doing that. I don't want to be treated like a goddess, I'm just like everyone else. And if I get in danger, I know you'll help me. Right?"
"Well, yeah, but..."
"Really, Orcus?"
"The late king also loved to be in the front... it must be in the blood..." Moruba reasons.
"That's right! The king's spirit will protect me."
"Promise me that you won't do anything crazy."
"I promise."
The scene fades out into the map screen.
Before we begin our trek to Heigm, let's do some sidequests.
Warren Report Updates
Queen's Rescue
The Walsta Liberation Army attacked Banisha Castle. They obtained information Queen Bernarta was kidnapped by the Dark Knights. The Liberation Army won and saved the queen. The Dark Knights claimed the Liberation Army has taken the queen hostage and are going to use her as a tool to rule Valeria. The queen denies these accusations.
Even after we beat them, that motherfucker Lans Tartare is causing trouble for us.
Lost Dragon Magic
There was a giant civilization in ancient Bolsenia era. This was the era when humanity had not yet developed any civilization. On the Zeteginea continent and the surrounding region, it is said there was a major one established by ancient dragon people. The magic we have know is considered to be descended from this civilization. However, most of the knowledge and techniques have vanished when they became extinct. Occasionally, spell books have been discovered in ancient ruins.
Ramzen wreckage
The salvage of the trading ship Lamzen started yesterday. The ship Lamzen was hit by a storm and was sunk 20 miles from Reaget Island. The ship Lamzen is the trading ship from Balbauda continent. The crew were Balbaudian. Luckily, most of the crew were rescued, but the cargo is still under the sea. It is said that the salvage operation is under the command of the Dark Knights.
A new location, Grimby City opens.
A gunner is confronted by Martym.
◊
"Why don't you just tell us where the where the damn thing is!" Martym shouts.
"I'm trying to tell you, a thief stole it! I honestly don't know where it is!" the gunner Rendal shouts back.
"Do you really think I'm that stupid?! Where is it?!"
"I swear, we really don't know! We have no intention of fighting against you, either!"
"Dear God almighty! This bastard is lying! They have stolen our precious treasure. Lord have mercy on these pathetic souls! Oh, are you telling me to pass judgment on him? I shall obey my lord, I will pass judgment on him on your behalf!! Kill him!"
We arrive. "Wait, Martym!! Leave him alone!"
"Oh, no. Here comes Mr. Hero. I never have any fun."
"Help me!" Rendal shouts.
"I've had enough! You are going to Hell for that, kid!!"
Yeah, this is a rescue mission.
Here I am back from doing this. Guess how many tries it took.
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
1!
HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! The AI wasn't suicidal! It realized Martym was way too strong for it! Rendal was smart! He ran towards us! The mission was easy! No 50-something tries, no reloading, no ragequits, no swearing! A simple clean mission! I got great loot from the enemies, like a comet whip and a granite and ice sword! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! -breaks down in tears of joy-
-clears throat-
Well, anyway, Martym predictably escapes.
Inside a house, Rendal thanks Orcus for saving him. Orcus asks him what Martym was up to, and Rendal asks Orcus if he has ever heard of a "gun." Orcus mentions the gun that Barbas pulled out in the battle at Banisha Castle, and Rendal tells him that another one was found on a wrecked ship. The salvage of the ship was under the supervision of the Dark Knights, whose sole purpose was to get the gun. When the gun was stolen by a thief, Rendal was blamed for its disappearance. Orcus says he understands, and Rendal asks Orcus to let him join the Liberation Army. It is not safe for Rendal to stay in Grimby City anymore, since the Dark Knights could come back at any time. Furthermore, the last thing the Roslolians want is for Rendal, a man who knows the workings of guns, to join the Liberation Army. Orcus welcomes Rendal to the Liberation Army, and says that they will fight together for the future of Valeria.
We can now make our character into gunners.
Meet Rendal.
◊ He doesn't have a gun right now, but once we get back to the map screen I give him that one we got from the Barbas battle.
I'm going to be replacing Area with Rendal. While Area edges out by around 5 points in her ranged skill, Rendal's gun has no range and can shoot anyone on the map as long as his shot isn't blocked by terrain, so I think it's worth it. Sorry, Area, you've been with us since the beginning, I even named part 4 after your ridiculous name, but you're out of Liveblog.
I give Bruno the granite sword, Belgger the ice sword, and Haborym the left over fire sword.
Warren Report Updates
Thief in Nimuraba
Thieves have been stealing trading products from Grimby. Grimby is a major trading town on Reaget Island. The town itself is built like a fortress to prevent thieves from getting in. There are no public roads that lead into the town. But now thieves are coming into town from the sky. There is information that the thieves are hiding in Nimurada forest.
"You are the kid that I saw before!! Why are you here?!"
"I never thought I'd meet you again. I didn't know that you were the thief of Grimby."
"I lost my precious friends...all because of you!" He summons Belda Jr. and Obda Jr. "Let's go guys! Come out! It's time to fight!" Some lizard men and other animals come out. "This will be your grave!!"
You can recruit Ganb and get the best gun in the game, but only if you avoid killing the griffins. So I suggest you go straight for Ganb.
"Sorry Junior... I think I'm dying... Orcus of Griate, I will surrender to you. You can torture me, kill me, hang me...! But please don't kill my kids! They're innocent! I'm the bad guy! I deserve to die! But please don't kill my kids!" D'aaaaw. That's sweet, in a very weird way.
"Do you speak the truth, Ganb?!"
"I'm a man of my word!"
"...Very well. You have a good master, Junior! Ganb, you will be a member of the Liberation Army now! You are very compassionate toward your animals."
"What?! You are making me a member??? Ha, ha, ha! You're funny! I tried to kill you once! How can you accept a person that tried to murder you?"
"You are also a victim of the war! You were merely being used by the Cardinal! But from now on, you have to think and choose how to use your ability."
"You're treating me like an ordinary man...? ...Thank you."
Welcome Ganb
◊, Belda Jr.
◊, and Obda Jr.
◊ They're pretty good griffins, and Ganb is a decent fighter, but I did this mainly for the rifle and the water orb. I give the rifle to Rendal, elevating him to around Aloser's ranged skill.
Next time: Some Hell Gate-ing. How fun.
The new intro looks pretty cool, as does this and this. I hope you'll buy it, Endark.
edited 29th Oct '10 2:55:11 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Firstly, congratulations on your one-shot victory in the gunner recruitment mission. Nice to see that they're still throwing you a bone this late in the game. And I'll be sure to pick up a copy of the remake as soon as I can find a good day to do so, if not on the release day itself. This kind of thing is right up my alley when it comes to interests, as I've probably said many times before.
So, news about the trading ship Lamzen was under the topic 'Ramzen wreckage'? I'm aware that it's a typical translating error, but I find it a little bit funnier than I probably should. After all, the star of Tactics was named Ramza, and compared to this game...
Finally, as per status quo, I'll end the post with a Warren suggestion. Don't think we've done Martym yet, and as we got a whole new class unlocked for beating him, he may as well be next in line.
Hi there.
I just found this liveblog when I was searching for Tactics Ogre on the wiki search, right under the Ogre Battle main entry.
I'm a huge fan of TO. I was actually introduced to this game BEFORE Final Fantasy Tactics (shocker, I know). I've beaten the game on the Chaos and Neutral routes, though I never did get around to finishing the Lawful route.
Recently I got majorly stoked about the game because of, you guessed it, the PSP remake. So yeah, my favorite TRPG is finally back, and hopefully this time it will get the fame it deserves.
This is an excellent liveblog, though it's too bad I stumbled upon it near the end. Still, though, I'll be glad to see it through.
Now, as for translation... haha. I'm surprised there's an error you guys didn't catch. For most of Chapter 3, the translators somehow managed to confuse Branta and Barbatos. They keep referring to Branta as a "Cardinal" even though he's a Bishop, while Barbatos was the Cardinal. It made for some confusion until I figured it out and wrote it off as a stupid translation.
Regardless, the translation was still better than the PSX FF Tactics.
Wow, thanks for the compliment! It's nice to have another commenter, regardless of the fact he came near the end of it. Endark has been the only one commenting for quite a while now. And another fan of TO too! It must be my lucky day. I ran into FFT first, but I played this one and liked it a lot more (as I think I've made very clear).
Yeah, I probably should have caught that translation error, but I transcribe all the text manually, so I tend to miss things like that.
I'm excited about the remake too. If it sells well, it might revive interest in the series. One can only hope!
And yeah, the FFT translation was terrible. If I ever LB that game (which I probably will), I'll be having a lot of fun with it.
edited 30th Oct '10 2:56:50 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
I've been reading a little more about the PSP TO, and it looks Alex O. Smith is on board doing the translation for it. He has quite the resume and a history with Matsuno games, most famously the Vagrant Story translation as well as Final Fantasy XII (though whether you want to consider that a Matsuno game is debatable).
Still though, I was just on the PSP remake's website, and it looks as if Smith is employing a style similar to the FFT War of the Lions script, at least as far as names go... Some of the names are pretty funky and will take some getting used to for those of us who've been with TO since the 90s.
As an example, Kachua is now Catiua. This actually makes some sense if you speak Chinese; the "iu" sound in Hanyu pinyin is pronounced similar to ee-oh, thus to my mind it is "ka-tee-oh-ah." It probably sounds incredibly awkward to everyone else, though. Another big one is that Lans is now Lanselot. I understand that in the original Japanese script, the name is indeed Lancelot, but the Atlas translation for some reason cut it down to just Lans. I feel like Smith is trying to take a middle ground here: the name Lans is now iconic of the character(s), but still staying faithful to the Japanese. I bet there'll probably be a line somewhere that says "Just call me Lans."
EDIT: OK, I've gone over the Chapter 1 intro cutscene of the PSP remake, and... wow. They are really going the War of the Lions treatment, at least when it comes to some of the names and titles.
Are you ready for this?
Bishop Branta Mown is now... Abuna Brantyn Morne. Do you know what an "abuna" is? It does mean Bishop, but it is used only by... the Ethiopian and Eritrean Christian Orthodox Churches. Now THAT'S obscure.
And Cardinal Rayunder Barbatos is now: Hierophant Leunder Balbatos. Hierophant? Seriously? I only know Hierophant because it was the name of a Covenant space station in a Halo novel.
None of the in-game dialogue has been revealed yet. If I'm going to have an issue with this remake, this is most likely where it will be. The Atlas translation was largely fine when it came to the dialogue. In particular, I truly enjoyed the bluntness of the script. I haven't seen this much profanity in an RPG, ever (that's mostly limited to war games and M-rated cash cows like GTA). We're probably not going to see golden lines in Wheel of Fate like Vice's classic "knights of dog-piss" or a certain upcoming "bitches in hell" (my personal favorite). Oh well. You can't have everything.
edited 30th Oct '10 8:57:08 PM by Cinereous
Hey, another fan! Glad you could join the party, even if there's not a lot of wine left in the metaphorical casket.
Hierophant...well, I saw Tarot cards in one of the vids gentlemanorcas posted earlier, and my experience with the Persona games tells me that the Hierophant arcana represents the male priest and the intelligent nature of a person. So, it kinda/sorta fits.
...Yeah, that's all I have to say for now. Sorry I'm not a cornucopia of wisdom when it comes to translations, but I do what I can.
The change from Ronway to Ronwey just seems unnecessary. Also, abuna is just weird. I mean, really? What's wrong with bishop?
Well, hopefully the translation will be fine.
Sorry to say, but the next part may take a while. Not that long, but I've been updating around once a day; it might take 4 days for another update. I'm going as far as I can into Hell Gate, and considering it's a hundred level dungeon, it's going to take a while.
EDIT: In case you're curious, if I had to make the same choice our protagonist did, I would have killed the villagers of Baramus.
edited 31st Oct '10 2:49:22 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Something else I've heard about the retranslation that might take the edge off a bit: Alexander O. Smith does not have access to the Atlas original scripts and translation notes (sounds like some kind of intellectual property issue, if you ask me). He is actually working on this game's script from scratch.
This information is apparently from Yasumi Matsuno's Twitter page. So, it's not like Smith's looking at the Atlas team's work and going, "hur hur hur, I can do better than that." I doubt the guy has time to play the PS 1 version of the game, anyway. I think he's taking guidance from how he worked on FFXII's script.
On another note: Terror Knight artwork looks badass.
http://game.watch.impress.co.jp/img/gmw/docs/403/227/html/to17.jpg.html
edited 31st Oct '10 8:39:19 PM by Cinereous
ADDENDUM 6: The Last of The Death Quotes
For a placeholder as I work my way into Hell Gate, here are the death quotes for all the NPCs we've gotten.
Chapter 4
Canopus: Thanks Denim, it's been fun...
Presance: I have taken my revenge...I can finally rest in peace...
Aloser: Leonard...I still love you...
Forcas: Sisteena...? Where are you...? I have always loved...
Byan: I am willing to become a stepping stone that leads to a better tomorrow...
Sisteena: Only you can bring peace...to Valeria...
Haborym: Mother, forgive me...I could not avenge your death...
We'll learn more about Haborym's backstory later.
Mildain: Keep on moving Denim...you are so close...
Guildus: Kill the Roslolians...you can do it...
Olivia: Filaha, please forgive the foolish people...
Selye: Denim, I leave the rest to you...
Kachua: Denim, I'm so sorry. I was so selfish...but I love you...
Ganb: Belda...Obda...I will soon be there...
And as an added bonus, here are death quotes for characters we can't get in the routes we took. Most of these won't have meaning, as you won't know most of these character, but I thought I'd put them in anyway.
Chapter 2 Law
Zapan: Am I dying here...? No way...
Chapter 3 Law
Zapan: W-wait, I still can fight... Don't...abandon me...
Jenounes: Thank you for giving me...a chance to...die...
Vice: Denim, I will leave it up to you...
Chapter 3 Neutral
Orias: Debordes...I wanted to save you...I love you...
Debordes: Orias...sorry...I could not protect...you...
I'm not going to go to lengths to explain who these characters are, but suffice to say the neutral route shows what a monster Nybbas truly is. Look here for character information.
Chapter 4- The Leftovers
Zapan: I made it this far...I have no regrets... Denim, don't die...
In the law route, Zapan is more of a Boisterous Bruiser then the monster he is in the chaos route.
Orias: I am so...tired...let me...rest...a little...
Debordes: I have waited for this...the day...of...liberation...
Jenounes: I knew this day would come...I will be happy in heaven.
Vice: Kachua...I have always loved you...
Radlum: What have I done...? I have to begin from...
Shelley: Sorry Denim...I was so difficult...but I am thankful to you...
That's that, all the death quotes.
We're approaching the end, folks. I predict four more parts until this LB is finished.
edited 1st Nov '10 5:28:33 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Sorry for the large wait, guys- well, large for me. I was updating this daily, after all. I'm only to around level 32 in Hell Gate; my attention has been seized by Fire Emblem 6. In fact, I just asked a guy who's doing an LB of that (albeit it hasn't been updated in around six months) if I could do an LB of that. Don't worry; even as I play it, I'll be playing through Hell Gate, and after this finishes I will begin on Knight of Lodis. I predict it will take a month and a half before this is updated again. Some might say it would be going into a hiatus, but I like to look on the bright side of things, I suppose.
edited 6th Nov '10 2:13:02 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
Don't worry about it, dood. In fact, take all the time you need. I think you've been going above and beyond when it comes to this thing, and it's completely reasonable if you want to try out something new once in a while.
FE 6? I heard the plot is pretty decent, but the characterization sucks, especially the lead. And that it's hard as well. Best of luck on that one.
Status update.
I finished FE 6 a few weeks ago. It was very good, but hard. I probably won't be able to post in most of December, as school work and, well, the holiday seasons keep me busy. I might be able to update when winter break comes around.
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
I know exactly how you feel, dood. Whoever coined the phrase "Tis the season to be jolly" apparently didn't forsee a future in which people are scrambling to finish major assignments, shop for presents, and setting up decorations in a two-week time span, not including any relaxation time. Plus, the schoolboard up where I am must be full of idiots; we always get 2 weeks vacation for the holidays, but instead of giving us the 20th to the 3oth of December, it's starting right on Dec. 24 and ending on June 7! And I sincerely doubt anyone needs a week to get over New Year's Eve midnight festivities!
...But I digress. Best of luck, and Happy Holidays, dood.
I'm going to start transferring my posts to the new liveblog system, so go there to comment. I'll be perfecting some things; merging some short posts and stuff like that. By the by, no more table of contents until the thing is finalized.
Also, 100th.
edited 10th Dec '10 2:13:35 PM by gentlemanorcus
Full picture here.◊ Drawn by Saemus!
You know, I was originally going to start this post with a rant on how the whole "father dies in front of son's eyes" thing is an overused trope, and that I'd personally be sadder to watch someone's mom die instead. Then I realised that I have no idea what happened to Orcas' mother. Was she a footnote after the attack on Orcas' home back at the beginning that I glossed over, or what?
Also, I find it odd that Tristan wasn't in the Warrens. Optional scene or not, you'd think that a king would be a rather important topic to discuss. Well then, since I'm in the mood for a royal, I'll pick Queen Bernarta instead.