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I've always assumed that this fight is more-or-less the sort of thing that led to the Victor timeline, and so Ludger does kill everyone and they're just offscreen to the right. The blood on Ludger in the anime scene seems to support that. Plus while Jude, Leia, and Elize might be merciful, the others would definitely fight to kill if threatened. Leaving any of them alive would just be asking for getting killed later.
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Oct 3, 2016 19:46
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Oh man, I lent my copy of the game to my cousin who's in Australia right now so I can't properly dress everyone up. that said Ludger going suit, top hat and emo eyes would be suitably tragic for having just killed his brother, no? As for the rest, having them follow the somber mood with anything in dark shades and similar eyewear?
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Oct 3, 2016 20:15
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Part XXXI: The Woman Who Schemes Now that that drama's all out of the way, things are wide open for you to proceed. Sure, we could head right on into the breach and into the Land of Canaan, but we've got a whole mess to character chapters to do. Indeed, all of the last character chapters have spawned now, and it's up to us to complete them.  So let's begin with something completely different. Bringing some Princessia Flowers to Vera. You'll need 3 of 'em.  Thank you for bringing me the Princessia flowers that I'd requested. This time, I have a special reward for you. What're you gonna use the Princessias for? Bisley asked me to decorate his wife's grave with some of these. Today's the twenty-two-year anniversary of Cornelia's passing. Are they both for her? No, the second bunch of flowers is for Cornelia's younger sister... Claudia Kresnik. *gasp* Did she say "Kresnik"?! Is she a relative of yours, Ludger? I don't know. Kresnik is a rather common surname on Elympios, actually. Several of the more well-known households, like Bakur and Marta, have also adopted titles such as "Scion of Kresnik". Even after two thousands years, some things never go out of fashion.[IMG]http://lpix.org/2397866/vel.png[/IMG Although, what's in a name? Very few people today are actually able to summon the power of the chromatus. Has Claudia Kresnik also...passed away? Both Claudia and Cornelia served the Bakur residence. Claudia vanished without a trace, almost 21 years ago. One year after her sister died, huh? That's odd... Up until this year, President Bisley has only ever honored Cornelia with these flowers... So it makes me wonder, why now? Why would he suddenly ask for flowers for both of them?Because Claudia is Ludger's mom. Bisley wasn't really aware of Ludger's existence until they met on the train. Heck if I know, but I'll bet she meant a lot to Bisley! In the flower-tongue, "Princessia" means "priceless treasure", after all. Even so... Anyways, I must thank you all again for helping me carry out President Bisley's request. I'm in your debt.And we're off to bigger and better things. First stop? Drellin, and Muzet's second chapter.  Friendship plans  Hmm... Tee hee hee! Hmm... Tee hee hee! (If only I were more popular with Milla's friends. If they loved me more, then I bet Milla would, too! I could try giving them all presents. But what would they even like?) Hmm... Tee hee hee! She's having one of those days, but if we ask her about, we'll get the straight dope, AND raise her affection. Win-win. I still find it amusing Ludger can dive into Muzet's mind, and she has no idea that we can. I wonder what would if a man were to follow behind Muzet all day and just see how her mind wanders. Hm? Tee hee. I'm trying to think of a present to give to Milla's dear friends. They mean so much to her. I'm her big sister, after all! I have so many responsibilities. .... Hm? You intend to give presents to Milla's friends? Of course. It's a big sister's job to look out for her younger sibling. What would make a good present? Both choices will raise her affection, so just choose the one you think Muzet would most like to hear. Personally, I think the personal touch will go a long way in Muzet's endeavor. It never ceases to amuse me how Gaius chooses to use a lot of his time hanging around Muzet. Even the ultimate straight man finds her entertaining enough to hang around with, and indulge her occasional bouts of goofiness. Handmade... Then it would have a personal touch. Nia Khera is known for its traditional handmade ornaments. Those who give them are greatly admired for their taste, and the recipients are always grateful. How can I get ahold of them? They're fashioned from harpy feathers, apparently. Harpies? Where can I find those? They're said to inhabit Bermia Gorge.Another phone call. Lemme guess... DODA here. We've detected a new fractured dimension. The rift is near Bermia Gorge. We've sent you the coordinates. Please take care of it. How about that? We can get harpy feathers in the fractured version of Bermia Gorge. That'll be okay, won't it?It's a deal, then. Also, new Muzet affection skit afterwards, but never mind that. Off we go!  Shortly after arrive, a new skit, and another chance to raise Muzet's affection. However, it must also be noted Gaius has quite the way with spirits, as he turns a question about his favorite color into...well, you'll have to see for yourself. However, getting back to the mission, your destination is in the Northwest region.  Bird of a feather This is quite fortuitous. Tee hee hee! That's a nice big one! Hurry up and kill it so we can pluck it! I mean, it's a flying enemy with a lot of annoying skills, but nothing overly difficult about this fight at all. Overall, its most dangerous arte is Shimmering Toll, which is a Light-elemental spell that comes with a high chance (at least in its talons) of hitting your buddies with Confusion. Otherwise, this fight is as simply as can be.  Retrieve the feathers before Ludger destroys the divergence catalyst. (Blech. This is so disgusting! This should be a man's job. Why don't they offer to help? Blech. I'm gonna be sick...) That should do it! Your turn. ....However, Ludger ain't no bird man. Our job is done here, so Ludger made with the stabby-stab-stab. I'm going to take these feathers ahead to Nia Khera. Come meet me there after a while, okay?  An unwelcome gift  Muzet picked this place for our rendezvous, yet I don't see Milla anywhere. Is it possible she only invited us? Ah, here she is. What do you want from us? I got these as a gift, more than I'll ever need. So I thought why not share?  What are they? Ick. They're so creepy! Are they made of harpy feathers or something? What're you trying to push on us? Ghastly objects indeed. Perhaps they're cursed? She's trying to curse us?! These are traditional native ornaments. They're actually quite precious. Really? Are you serious, Gaius? You can't be for real. How sad. No one seems to like them. Well, they're, um...certainly different. I'll...take one.How sad Jude is not open-minded about this kinda thing... If you say so. Take any you like. (Don't cry! I've got to hold back the tears. There's always next time! *sigh*Oh yeah, for something completely different before we tackle Muzet chapter 3 (which starts in Leronde), a skit pops up just after the whole Julius business has been concluded. L1 will raise Jude's affection. Surprisingly, though, R1 will not raise Julius'. C'est la vie. Anyway, off we go.  Joint operation Some people are headed our way. I wonder what for? Agent Ludger, right?  And you are? (Must you ogle me so? You're making me blush!) Muzet. I'm a spirit. Is that a problem? No! I didn't mean-- I apologize! We've received an urgent mission from HQ directing us to exterminate monsters in the Felgana Mine. I sent out an APB for all agents in the Leronde area. These two agreed to join you. I'm Lisa. It's an honor to meet you, sir. I promise I won't get in your way. I'm Mina. Pleasure. Wait... Isn't that-- No way. It can't be. .... This mission will be a binational operation. I wish you the best of luck. A binational operation. How interesting. Perhaps I'll tag along and lend a hand. Since when did you become such a do-gooder? You've been spending too much time with you-know-who. (So we've got agents from two quarreling nations working together. Maybe this'll teach me the secret to getting closer to Milla's friends!) Tee hee hee. This sounds like fun. Mind if I come along?Wouldn't have it any other way. Off we go into the depths, again...  Game break Is everything okay? Goodness. Somebody's got a crush. Hello? Oh! My apologies! I couldn't help but stare. I've never met a spirit before. You're so...so beautiful! Enough chatter! Monsters won't wait for you to finish your conversation! I got scolded again. You're from Rieze Maxia. Why are you working with Spirius Corporation? I wanted to try cooperating with people from Elympios. You don't mind the Elympions? They seem to be pushing you pretty hard. They're doing it for my own good. I'm not living up to my full potential. (You are so adorable! Don't let anyone try to hold you back!) Are you stupid? Heh heh... Lisa! Y-Yes, ma'am! Now I remember why I hate Rieze Maxians.The two run off... I wonder if those two will ever get along?Immediately after, you get another skit, wherein Muzet muses (hah!) on an...interesting subject. You gotta admit, the woman makes a good point. Also, right after THAT, I got a short little voice line where Muzet noticed Ludger has two cowlicks on the back of his head that she notices all the time. But we've been through these tunnels before. As you might guess, the mission asks us to head to the same place the Elite Monster was hanging out in.  Mission accomplished There they are! Lisa and I will take the monsters on this side. You handle the rest. Don't bite off more than you can chew. We'll be fine! Please, just take care of the rest! Incredible! I'm going in! Affirmative. I've got your back. We can handle this! Hang in there. Let's show them what we're made of! So, there's a few regular bat enemies, but thanks to an Event Horizon, they have disappeared into an abyss from which there is no return. The only one remaining is a giant bat, who seems to have gotten lost on its way to a Castlevania game. I mean, it'll sputter around and nip away at you, but the only thing it has going for it is...it's a giant bat.  So let's talk about something cool: Chromatus level 3. We actually have Julius' broken pocketwatch in our inventory, but the only thing it's good for is to tell players who didn't know how to do it in the second Chronos fight, how to defeat his time reversal trick whenever our paths cross with him again (specifically, it says "Stop the hand that rewinds time with your spear"). However, also thanks to its presence, Ludger is able to draw even more power from the Chromatus. In addition to generally being more powerful, it also comes with a free after-image Ludger. What this accomplishes is that regular hits now count for two hits. Which means you can get some pretty devastating combos, so yeah, take advantage of this. The thing to keep in mind with the Chromatus, though, is that each Chromatus usage with drop the timer back to 0 to activate again. You might think that if you, say, activated the Chroamtus with a 2 1/2 level charge, you'd start off halfway to a level 1 usage afterwards. This is not so. I only really mention this because I've made this mistake a few times. The only other time I've seen after-images in a Tales game was in Tales of Phantasia, there was an item called the Manji Seal, that added a couple of after-images when the character it was equipped on moved / attacked, but gameplay-wise it did absolutely nothing. I thought it was really cool, though.  Mission accomplished. Those monsters won't cause any trouble for a while now. Excellent work. And thanks. You might be a bit of a ditz, but I'm sure glad you're on my side. I underestimated you. Thank you! You were amazing back there. So do you two like each other or hate each other or what? You know, I'm not really sure myself anymore. Tee hee. Politically, we have some things to work out. But personally, I guess she's not so bad. Yeah. If you and I can be friends, then someday everyone can! Well, let's not get carried away. Farewell, Ms. Muzet. Bye-bye! (It's like a year ago all over again, when Gaius and Jude's group was fighting for the same goal! Of course, I was deceiving all of them, so I can't really say I fought beside them.) Tee hee hee. This just gave me a great idea!Which...just means trouble for us, obviously. Well, we've got plenty more business. I mean, I'm definitely going to have to do this update, and the next one, all dedicated to wrapping up the character chapters. We've got a lot of work to do, and we begin the next round in...  Really? This little kitten in the Xialen Woods is our Elite Monster? What's the gag? Snow Cougar  This is a weird fight, just plain and simple. First of all, the Cougar is weak to Fire and Wind, but strong against Water and Earth, just to give you an idea what attacks you should be leading off on. Aside from some simple physical attacks, he also has this as an arcane arte...  As you might guess, this thing goes for continuous damage across your entire party while it's active. As you might guess, you can't run away from it, but you can cancel it out with the Chromatus. In addition, the Cougar will summon some little poo poo monsters to help it out, but the Chromatus will also make quick work of them. Overall, aside from the blizzard attack, nothing much to this fight. Another easy Elite Monster bites the dust. However, we did not come to the Kanbalar area for the Snow Cougar. Nah, we got's Jude's last chapter to start. This is a long one.  Three destinations  Celsius. The ice spirit clime is quite intense here. Yeah. We thought it might make you feel a little more at home. It is...quite pleasant. We're ready to show you those places you remember. Any preference for the order? Under their current names, the areas are the Kijara Seafalls, Fennmonst, and Fort Gandala. I'll leave it to you. But, just make sure Fort Gandala is last. Oh? Why's that? You askd if I had a preference and I answered. Fort Gandala is a military installation. We should probably ask Rowen to get us permission to visit. Good idea. I'll give him a call. In the meantime, let's start by visiting the other two.We have a choice, and... We're heading to Kijara first. The event starts in the shadow of the big waterfall.  Waterfall memories This is just as I remember it... Cool and relaxing. So it's always been like this? They say that couples who stand at the top of the falls develop and intense bond for each other. Daredevil lovebirds used to scramble up there all the time. One man in particular was persistent in inviting me, as well. ...Well, did she? I am a Great Spirit. I have little interest in participating in human traditions. But... I did enjoy watching other humans do it. I see. It must be an important human custom. Actually... I've never heard about it. Hmm. Then perhaps it's fallen out of practice... Shall we give it a go? Yes, why not? And you needn't worry about slipping. Undine will make sure your fall isn't fatal. Not...fatal? My nostalgia is satisfied. You may do as you please. All right. Then we'll be back in a jiff, okay? Are those two always like that? Celsius seems to have noticed it, so why don't we continue this conversation? Interesting... It feels like only yesterday that he and I talked here. Has it really been 500 years?*brief fade to black*  Maxwell... I didn't think you'd actually go through with it. The view was worth the trip alone. And you should've seen Jude. Milla! I told you to pretend that never happened! Ah... That's right. I quite enjoyed it, to be honest. But if you found it upsetting, I shall suppress the memory. Well... In that case... You don't have to forget it, but...just keep it between us, okay? It shall be our secret. .... Well, that was certainly...fun. On to the next stop!Afterwards, there is a skit, but I definitely went for the boring option, by accident. The boring option will raise Jude's affection, the opposite will raise Milla's. Milla's just by defintion the more fun-loving of the two, and that's the best. Onto Orda Palace's bridge.  Upon a star What a strange little city they've built here. There wasn't a building in sight last time I was here. Just an endless field, perfect for watching shooting stars. Wow. That sounds nice. People used to say that if you wished upon a shooting star before it vanished, your wish would come true. The human who brought me here loved those silly superstitions. He taught me all sorts of them. I'm sure Milla's thinking the same thing we are. I wonder if that's a good or bad thing for us. Indeed. That's Jude's gift. He can make friends with anyone. I'm always amazed at his ability to put me at ease. Celsius taught me a 500-year-old method for making wishes come true. Want to give it a shot? A spell for granting wishes? Interesting. That does sound like the sort of thing humans would enjoy. Let's try it. Here, you move your hands like this while you make your wish. Hmm, intriguing. Yeah. Did you ever make a wish with anyone, back in the day? I...don't recall. We've made our wishes. Shall we move on?And now for our third and final stop. Wonder why she's so hung up on Fort Gandala? Perhaps we shall find our answer there. Hopefully, I mean. Reminder that Fort Gandala is...open? Next time I'll have to check while I'm recording next. I certainly can't imagine why, when we can go to Canaan, that Fort Gandala would still be blocked off.  The place where dreams began  Just look at this eyesore they built. But this has to be the place. I'd never forget the mana flowing through here. Why is this place special to you? Because this is where I met him. Who? The first human I ever met. Have you heard for a man named Howe? That name sounds familiar. Wait...you can't mean Dr. Howe?! Isn't he the head scientists who laid the foundation for spirit artes? If that's the case, his inspiration must've been... Probably me. We even lived together for a while. He insisted.By the way, do you remember the Milla chapter where we fought Aska? The scientist whose research data was the divergence catalyst, mentioned the Howe Prize.  Ludger's mind is on one thing... We may have just solved one of history's great mysteries. You could say that. Dr. Howe's theories spearheaded and eventually led to the fundamental artes of spirit channeling. He laid the entire foundation for the age of spirit artes. You make it sound like he was some noble historical figure, when really he was just a lovesick fool. Always finding an excuse to get close to me, trying everything he could to woo me. Wait, wait. Dr. Howe...hit on you?! Have all of these locations we've visited, been places you spent with Howe? Yes. He used to drag me everywhere, always talking passionately about his dreams for the future. The way humans do with their friends and lovers. .... But ultimately, humans and spirits are different creatures. Do you truly believe that spirits and humans can coexist peacefully?  We have vowed to do everything we can to accomplish that goal. Right? Well then, in that case... I think we should put your vow to the test. So we're going to prove humans and spirits can live in peace...by pummeling a spirit into submission? Well, if you say so...  This is a pretty drat annoying fight, if only because of that Aquadragon. While not an overly dangerous foe, it does have a lot of artes and moves, so it can hit you from quite a ways away, and can come out of nowhere when you're working on bringing Celsius down. Related to this, Celsius is the weaker link between these two, so you should focus your fire on her first. She has all the same moves she did in the last encounter with her, which means she'll fight roughly similar to how Jude does.  Ultimately, what you want to do with the Aquadragon is to start combos off with Ludger's guns. The dragon has kind of a wonky hitbox, but luckily the guns, as long as the dragon isn't blocking, will always hit and stagger it with Power Charge 3. Get in a clean Mystic Arte on it, and you can take it from full to nothing with very little effort. As you might guess, the fight didn't last much longer after this screenshot was taken. It's still standing! Milla! I think not!   Milla! Are you... Are you okay? Jude?! Why would you do this? I wouldn't do this for just anyone, you know. Don't you see that? Jude... You idiot. Jude, Maxwell... You might be able to accomplish our vision. You have what it takes...  Ludger runs over to Milla and Jude, and says...  Even I'm not boring enough not to go with R1 and raise Jude's affections. I do like how calm and collected Jude has had a bunch of moments where his mouth moves faster than his brain does, and he goes a little overboard in his sentiments. Huh, um, yeah, sorry about that. Ludger also hands over the dead Celsius fossil. Guess she's done...  We never got to talk with her about anything besides her memories... It doesn't matter. Celsius and Dr. Howe have given me the lead I needed. This just might be the key to resuming my spyrite research. *dials phone* Balan, it's Jude. I may have found a way to complete the spyrite project. What? Seriously? Yeah... It'll take a while to explain, though. *grabs phone, hangs up* First things first, Jude. You need to get your wounds treated before telling any long stories. Okay. Maybe we can borrow Driselle's manor in Sharilton.I'm sure she won't mind. The secret of spyrites Hold still. I can't treat your wounds if you keep squirming. I told you, I'm fine. I already gave myself first aid. Now, now... Let's hear your breakthrough for the spyrite project!  Wild wyverns couldn't have kept me away. Now, waht's this revelation of yours? Well, spyrites are essentially just spirits, right? Even once they become spyrites, they still have their own minds.Well, except for Volt. But Volt was more like a proof of concept than a success, so Jude gets a pass here. So instead of trying to control them, we should be asking for their cooperation. Asking for their cooperation? How exactly? That's the thing. It's the same way Rieze Maxians do it every day. Ludger's a bright lad, I think, and he can follow where Jude's going with this, in my personal belief. You figured it out too. *nod* Ah, yes. The process in which spirits perform artes for humans in exchange for our mana. It presumably requires some form of communication to form a contract. So spirit artes are actually a conversation of sorts. Dr. Howe was originally trying to communicate with spirits when he invented spirit artes. It must be that the artes contain within them a message that's sent to the spirit. You're right! We picked up on some incomprehensible system of signals when we were analyzing the spirit-artes process. If it turns out to be an encrypted spirit language, it just might be what we're looking for! If we decode it and applying it to spyrites... We'll even be able to make requests of Great Spirits! Can you imagine that?! I'll analyze the signals immediately! Leave everything to me. Hey, impressive work there. I didn't do anything. It's all thanks to Celsius. You humans really are something. I will make sure that your dream comes true.Aye to that. Someday soon, perhaps. Now then, for completing that chapter, you get a special weapon (much like Leia's Lacrosse Stick): the Teepo Mittens for Jude. These cute little mittens will give Jude back HP for every enemy defeat, and has a chance to stun enemies. Up to you to use them, but stat-wise they're inferior to the Rune Gauntlets in every way. Not to mention Jude's super weapons. Continued next post... Sylphid fucked around with this message at 02:13 on Oct 10, 2016 |
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Oct 10, 2016 01:53
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However, today's final chapter also begins in Sharilton, so let's knock that out. An unsure girl  Sorry... I'm not really in a chatty mood. Something troubling you, young miss? Perhaps it would help to talk about it. I haven't been able to text Luna since... You know. Luna sends her texts, but Elize doesn't even read 'em. Ah, you're still upset about what happened with Exodus. I know i should move on, but... I just can't get it out of my head. What would you do? Well, R1 has its own merits. I mean, Elize needs to decide when to take the next step, but I think she needs to hear L1 right now. Her affection increasing due to this would seem to bear this out. I don't think I have that much courage. What matters is what you want to do, young miss. That's the problem. I just don't know.When conversations veer in this kind of direction, I think you know what happens next... This is the DODA. We've detected a new fractured dimension. We've sent over the coordinates. Please take appropriate action. A new mission? Can we come, too? We're sick of stewing in our own thoughts! A fine idea. Sometimes a little distraction helps the mind work through difficult issues.Aye. I also got Elize's next affection skit immediately afterward. But here we go...to a fractured Sharilton.  While you can bother many people and get the same general story, this is the only person you need to talk to to get the next objective: investigate the poachers. We might as well start off at Sharil Manor. But before, you may consider doing a little weapons shopping. The weapons are really pricy (37-41k), so invest wisely. I'll see you at Driselle's crib.  A loving father I chanced to run into Miss Elize outside of town, so we decided to travel back here together. If you don't mind my asking, why did you invite the young miss here today? Oh, I don't mind you asking at all. Elly's father is coming home. It's been ages since they've seen each other. I beg your pardon? Father?! That's right! We got word he's finally getting a break from the job he was assigned to. W-We really get to see father?! Of course, you silly! Isn't that why you rushed over here in the first place?  Bwah?! My little princess! Haha, I'm so happy you came out to see me!Elize looks troubled...as you might expect. After all, in the Prime Dimension, Jiao was reponsible for the death of Elize's parents. Elize has a long history with the guy, you see. Yes? What's the matter? Has it been so long that you've forgotten what your old man looks like? Chief, please settle down. Miss Elize seems upset. Please put me down, okay? Elize isn't a little baby, you know! Ah, forgive me. I was just so happy to see you. Hehe. Sometimes Elize is so cute that you just want to pick her up and squeeze her! And I couldn't be a prouder dad! There's nothing I wouldn't do to protect her. Anyone who dares to court her will go up against the highest standards! We know. She's "your sun, your moon, and your starts". You've said it so many times I hear it in my sleep. Yurgen, you do realize you're the biggest oaf in the Kitarl Clan, right? Precisely why you picked me to be your right-hand man, chief. Oh, guess your ol' pop owes you an apology, child. I got so tied up with work that I completely forgot to bring back souvenirs. But I shall make it up to you. Ask for anything you want and it's yours. Anything? In the whole wide world? I can't think of anything. Hint, hint Elize. Remember that subplot from way back when about Elize wanting to be an older sister figure to Elle? And part of that was getting a certain stuff toy? Your reward for remembering that now is raising Elize's affection again. Oh! That's it! A Bunnykins! Hm? It's... It's for a friend of mine. Well, you've heard of Bunnykins, right? Of course. Everyone with kids has heard of that toy. But those... Lady Driselle, would you mind if we were to rest for a bit before the briefing? Oh, of course. You both must be exhausted from your journey. Please, make yourselves at home. If only we had the time. Monster poaching is on the rise again in the Sapstrath Deepwood. The bastards seem to be after pelts this time. Those poachers have apparently been slipping through the Kitarl Clan's defenses. We need better strategies for catching them. Ah, I've directed the merchants coalition to boycott the purchase or sale of poached goods, but... Banning them just boosts their value on the black market. And the poachers aren't getting any less greedy. But we'll talk later, right Elize? Everyone, please do try to rest up as much as possible. Tonight's the big reunion party! I just can't believe Jiao is my father. I know fractured dimensions are all funky, but can that really be true? Yes. In this dimension, at least. Then i guess we had better find out more about Jiao. *nod* And quickly. Things'll be complicated when the Elize of this dimension arrives.But, at least we have enough time for an amusing skit afterwards. Trolling Rowen is Best Rowen, and no one makes better fodder than Elize. I actually had to look up what "Sabaceous" means.  Yurgen's betrayal Chief, please, let me explain... What's going on? I caught Yurgen sending our defense strategies to someone over his GHS! Don't tell me you're on the take from those poachers?! Are you?! Well, Yurgen wouldn't... He's our buddy! Yurgen, put me in touch with whoever got those plans. If he's not a poacher, you've got nothing to worry about, right? I... I... I'm so sorry, chief! You have to forgive me! Yurgen? But, why? It's because of my wife... Isla's condition just keeps getting worse. I needed the money so I'd be able to buy her the right medicine. Why didn't you just ask for my help? I would have...but the medicine she needs can only be made from protected monsters. That's why I betrayed you, but...it's no excuse. "Betrayal must be repaid in blood". No exceptions. I know the rules of the Kitarl Clan. So you're ready to accept your punishment. No, wait! It's not his fault. Yurgen was only trying to save his wife! Out of my way. Jiao... Uh, father, you're the chief, right? So you can bend the rules however you want! No, Elize. If anything, it's my responsibility as chief to honor the rules. But... But what if it was me who got sick? Didn't you say you'd do anything to protect me? Are your rules more important than I am? .... Yurgen... Take me to where you meet these poachers of yours. Understand? Chief? It's all right. Don't worry. I just want to talk with them. I'll tell them that we will only allow the poaching of animals for Isla's medicine. Th-Thank you, Chief. I can never repay you for this. Thank Elize for this. Not me. Lady Elize, thank you so much. I'm just happy things turned out okay. They're in the Sapstrath Deepwood, right? Y-Yes. That's right. I'll lead you to them. What?! It's Jiao! We've found our divergence catalyst. We'll need to follow them. To the Sapstrath Deepwood, then.Oy. This is not gonna end well, but can a fractured dimension end well? I suppose we might as well check out how it will go down.  Hm...things seem to have gone poorly. Unfortunately, we can't jump down like dopes, so we have to follow the path around. In the next area, jump down, and keep heading straight toward the exit there. That'll lead to Jiao and...whatever went down there. Rrrrrrrragh!No choice That sounds like the big man!  That's...Yurgen.  H-He's dead! You fools. We're sorry! Please! We surrender! Please forgive us! No! What is the meaning of this? They said if I didn't let them continue poaching, they would tell the world how the Kitarl Clan collaborated with them. What? The rules of the Clan are absolute. It was a big mistake to bend them. But mistakes can be corrected. Were you the one who killed Yurgen? And once I kill all of you, it'll be as if nothing ever happened! Showing concern for Elize leads to the predictable outcome, but I doubt Elize will want to sit this one out. B-But... He isn't Jiao anymore. We have no choice but to destroy him! This is a nightmare! Even you betray me, Elize! Jiao is basically a souped-up version of the one you fought a long while ago in one of Gaius' chapters. As you might guess, he primarily uses attacks from his war hammer. Simple swinging it around, or a more elaborate move, pictured here, where he slams his hammer hard into the ground and causes spikes to shoot up in a wide radius. His arcane arte is a grab attack that leads to slamming the poor soul in his meaty paws into the ground, blocking or not. The best way to deal with this mountain of a man is to get a nice Power Combo going, and get a huge combo in with Chromatus level 3. He has a ton of HP, so this fight won't be over quickly, but Jiao has no long-range attacks whatsoever and is pretty slow, as you might expect, so exploit those weaknesses and you should come out in one piece.  E-Elize... Are you...okay? I'm sorry, child. I failed to get what you asked for. Huh? That stuffed animal you wanted... The Bunnykins... They're made from poached monster fur. They are?! I'm the chief. I have to uphold the rules. Please forgive your stubborn ol' pop. But...never forget this. You...are my sun, my moon, and my stars. My beloved daughter, Elize... Father... Father!  Purity That was far more than anyone should have to bear. But... Ludger was just doing his job. Just like the big man was doing his... And Luna was doing hers... If Ludger doesn't do his job, our world could end up kaput. If Luna had actually listened to me...things might have ended badly just like they did for Jiao and Yurgen. It's true. Chaos often ensues when people in power let their personal feelings rule their decisions. Ludger, the big man, Luna... They're all nice people. But they all have responsibilities, which means making choices they don't always like. And yet, I got mad when they didn't listen to my selfish wishes... Another choice will result in affection up for Elize no matter what you choose, but R1 sounds nicer, so let's go with that. .... It is too a big deal! I'm here with a mutual friend of ours. She has something she would very much like to say to you. It seems she was expecting this call. Luna... Uh, I mean, Chancellor Marcia. You can call me Luna. Luna, I'm sorry. I was wrong to get mad at you. I know you had no choice when you did what you had to do. I'm sure it made you sad. I'm sorry I said such horrible things to you. I guess I'm just a selfish child. Elize... It does take a great deal of wisdom and maturity to put aside your feelings and do the right thing. Just as it takes a pure heart to question whether such an act truly needs to be done. It's something we jaded adults lose sight of far too often. So it's okay to stay a child? It's okay to grow up while staying yourself. Your pure heart might put a stop to ill practices others have grown to accept. It might convince them to think twice. I understand. I'll do my best. You really are like the perfect big sister, Luna. Heh, thanks. Although I'm closer in age to an aunt. Would you mind if I texted you again? Of course not! We'll be watching our GHS! Thank you. You're very welcome. Although it's a shame that Bunnykins continues to elude us. Actually, we've been thinking... I'm going to take Elle shopping and find her another stuffed animal instead. Who knows if we'll find anything as good, but I'll explain the situation to her. Not exactly the ideal big sister-result, but I hope she'll forgive us. I"m sure you will find something wonderful for her. But we'll have to rescue her first! We're coming for you, Elle! Evidently, Elize saw what was in Ludger's laundry basket. Alright then... That being Elize's final chapter, you get the Teepo Umbrella upon successful termination of that, but awwww  Update 31 alternate scene compilation Update 31 victory compilation Sylphid fucked around with this message at 03:56 on Oct 10, 2016 |
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Oct 10, 2016 02:07
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I gotta tell you, I ran past that kitten in the Xailen Woods three times while I was searching for the elite monster. The fourth time I finally got suspicious and did an about-face. I have to wonder why it's so much smaller outside of battle... Oddly enough, you actually have to enter Canaan and leave again after the first cutscene you get there, in order for all of the remaining sidequests to unlock. It seems odd to me that's necessary. Still, beyond that Xillia 2 follows in the grand RPG tradition of "the final stretch of our quest is laid bare before us, and we have only minutes to defeat the villain before he completes his nefarious objective. ...Let's spend seventeen hours wrapping up loose ends first, though. Wouldn't want to miss an Elixir."
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Oct 10, 2016 04:33
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I'm a lurker usually, but I just caught up this thread and want to say that I really like the characters in Xillia 2 better than what Xillia 1 did. Here, they feel very human and sympathetic while going the ordeals they have been thrusted into. Makes me feel a little more bad about all the shattered dimensions we've been getting rid of though... I forget, but is there particular reason again we can't just let shattered dimensions exist? We already got all the Waymarkers and access to the land of Canaan, so we can just let them be, right?
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Oct 10, 2016 05:39
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It wouldn't be a Tales game if you didn't pull back from the brink of apocalypse to do four dozen side quests.
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Oct 10, 2016 06:33
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EagerSleeper posted:I'm a lurker usually, but I just caught up this thread and want to say that I really like the characters in Xillia 2 better than what Xillia 1 did. Here, they feel very human and sympathetic while going the ordeals they have been thrusted into. Makes me feel a little more bad about all the shattered dimensions we've been getting rid of though... We could, but we're squarely in that "End game sidequest" time bubble that a lot of RPGs fall prey to. No matter what the crisis, there is always time for goofing off. As far as the plot assumes, we immediately headed into Canaan just as soon as the soul bridge appeared. Though, to be fair, this game is, to my recollection, one of the worst Tales games for that time bubble. Just going off the Tales games I've played, Phantasia there was no real plot-related rush, Eternia same thing, Symphonia / DotNW had the bubble to a lesser extent, Abyss not at all, Xillia 1 kinda, and Zestiria nothing to my recollection. Here, as far as the plot is concerned, there's not a moment to lose.
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Oct 10, 2016 11:08
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Sylphid posted:We could, but we're squarely in that "End game sidequest" time bubble that a lot of RPGs fall prey to. No matter what the crisis, there is always time for goofing off. As far as the plot assumes, we immediately headed into Canaan just as soon as the soul bridge appeared. Really I kinda-sorta blame Chrono Trigger for kicking off all of this. Even though it had literally the best reason for last-second side quests it still put the idea into people's heads.
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Oct 11, 2016 02:06
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Why is there a fractured dimension with no story or alt-dimension crap at all, just a single random monster? It’s like the writers were too tired and didn’t care anymore. "I believe humans and spirits can co-exist peacefully. And to prove it, I'm going to beat you up!" Hot take, it turns out that history's greatest scientist turns out to be a horny creep. Color me shocked. I thought Jude was dumb before. But now there is proof. What’s wrong with him? His big breakthrough is “maybe we shouldn’t be trying to control Spyirites but cooperating with them?” Hello? Isn’t that literally what YOUR ENTIRE loving CULTURE is about? Jude is FROM Rieze Maxia - it’s not even like Jude’s an Elympion and new to the whole concept. Ah ha ha Bunnykins is made from poached monster fur? SNORT. Seriously, knock off the ridiculous melodrama, game.
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Oct 11, 2016 19:01
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Part XXXII: The Woman Who Sings Well met, all. As of the beginning of this update, I've wrapped up Leia's, Elize's, and Jude's character chapters, but we have five more to go through. Since we have eight comrades, that means we've still got a lot of work to be done. We start in Trigleph today.  The truth is out  In other news, today's costume line-up is in Julius' memory. A morose look for Julius' reluctant killer, dark colors + appropriate accessories for everyone else. Gaius' final chapter, however, starts just outside Trigleph's only inn. Or, at least, the only one we can use.  Hey. I just arrived myself. You guys worried about Kyle, too? It's been a while since I heard anything from him. I only hope this dread I'm feeling is just my imagination.Well, let's go check it out (inside the inn).   Good day, Erston. I'd offer you a drink, but we're in the middle of an interrogation here. Not that you seem to care. Tanner, Kyle, are you unhurt? Kyle... You beat up these children? Oh, please. It's not that bad. We simply taught these punks to respect the law. After all, they were obstructing a murder investigation. What? Plenty of witnesses were there. They all saw what happened. They watched Kyle shove and kill that soldier. No way...  I... I blew it, Big E... But that soldier started it! He was harassing me even though I didn't do squat. He treated me like a criminal! That Rieze Maxian started the whole thing! I'm sorry, Big E... I'm so sorry... I'm...not the one you need to apologize to. Oh, that reminds me, Erston. There are some folks I would like for you to meet. Hey, let 'em in! Huh? This man and woman are none other than the grieving parents of the murdered Rieze Maxian soldier. Is this the kid who killed my son, detective?Oh hey, Cam Clarke again. Aside from this game, he has two other Tales dub roles. He's definitely most well-known in this series as the voice of Kratos Aurion in Symphonia / DotNW / Vesperia, but he also voiced Will, the first (sorta...) party member you meet in Legendia. Of course, all of those roles pale in comparison to his turn as Liquid Snake in the MGS series. Allegedly. The case isn't closed yet. Tell me why. Why did you do it? Why did you kill our son?! .... So what do you think? Do you still insist on protecting this man, "Erston"? It can't be easy when one of the subjects you've sworn to protect wails for her dead son. Huh? What are you talking about? Open your eyes! This man is no run-of-the-mill Rieze Maxian! He's King Gaius of Rieze Maxia. Heh, did you really think he was some Joe Schmo in your little gang? Big E... C'mon. Say it ain't so. Yeah. He's right. Huh? The scene of the crime was Marksburg, which is under the joint jurisdiction of both countries. That means RIeze Maxia is in a unique position to demand custody of the subject. Is... Is that true? I could do that. However... However, that sort of thing would cause one heck of an international incident, I bet. The Rieze Maxians would be up in arms and out for blood over the incident. It might even poison the current negotiations on tariff autonomy that are so very important to Rieze Maxia. I know. Big E... Just think about it, Kyle. Who do you really believe is on your side here? The Rieze Maxian king who's been pretending to be your friend this whole time? Or me, a fellow Elympion? I don't know what to tell you. I'll talk. Your Majesty. My boss' boss' boss is waiting at the Marksburg Inn. If you'd be so kind as to come and meet with my superior, I'm sure the both of you could discuss more than a few words in private. With Rieze Maxia's cabinet ministers, I imagine. Yes. Exactly. You imagine right.The sheriff takes his leave... Gaius... I know. It's true I could use my powers to protect Kyle from prosecution. But then I would fail as a king. I wouldn't be able to face my people.And now we've got to stop in at Marksburg's Elym Harbor's Inn to wrap things up...  But not before we find a cat we should have found long ago.  The king's wish Everyone is assembled in the conference room. If you would follow me, please. *nod* Ludger, what are you thoughts on Kyle's crime? Well, if you want to know which choice Gaius would approve of, you have to consider Gaius' position here. He can't be seen bending the rules when it comes to someone he knows committing a crime. So, we have no choice: blood must be answered appropriately. Though, it seems we're long past questioning Kyle's guilt. You make it sound so simple. Such clarity comes from having a strong sense of morality. You've helped me accept what I must do, and I am grateful for it.Gaius checks out, and a fade to black...  What will happen to Kyle? I agreed to extradite him to Elympios. Did you win a concession on the tariffs in return? *nod* The ministers are thrilled. They said the life of one soldier was a small price to pay. R1 will increase the king's affection, because we definitely need to know if he thinks the life of one is worth it. I suspect he'll say yes, but might as well get into his head. In my position, personal feelings are irrelevant. Were I just a normal friend, perhaps I might have tried to save Kyle from being arrested. That must've been hard. It is my duty. Wise decision, Your Majesty. You allowed Elympios to save face, but it also brought a great boon to your people. To be completely honest, I didn't think you had it in you! I wish I were as good at my job as you are. Well then, I'll be off. Until next time. I would have perferred it if he were openly insulting. Elympios is the one that holds the upper hand when it comes to negotiations between the two countries. That man probably set this whole thing up. He knew full well I wouldn't act against the interests of Rieze Maxia.Gaius takes something out of his pocket, and...  Pardon me. Would you mind throwing this away for me? Are you sure, sir? Yes. Gaius...more sentimental than usual today. We should remind him what that camera means and see if we can't talk him out of this. Attempting to do so will raise his affection. It was a gift for a man named Erston. A gift from his friends. I have no right keeping it. But it's proof that you had any friends at all. People who actually wanted to spend time with you. As a normal man. As Erston. I think that humans and spirits alike all need people who will accept them for who they truly are. Hmm... What'll it be? I'll hold onto it. Ludger...   And that's it for Gaius. His special weapon is the Festival Paddle, which is another weapon that's merely okay stat-wise, but has some nice passive benefits. I also got Gaius' next affection skit, and am pleased to announce there is an epilogue of sorts to this chapter. Well, I'll be honest and say I don't particularly care for the epilogue, but you can judge for yourself when we get there. Next up is today's main event: Milla's last chapter. We begin in Hamil.  Family history   Sylph picked a porange, icky like feet! Gnome picked a porange, juicy and sweet! They cut it into halves, and each had a treat! Heh heh. What a sweet little song. It's a pornage-picking song! The more you sing it, the sweeter the fruit! Shy little porange, sitting in a tree.The Humans certainly put a lot of meaning into music. I guess that's true. Reminds me how Victor sang when he passed away. I wonder what song that was? .... Your choice here is completely inconsequential, and both ones more or less say the same thing. Honestly, not sure why there's even a choice here. I'm going with R1, however. The same "Hymn of Proof" passed down in your family? Perhaps Victor wanted to pass it down to Elle. I think it went like this. *hums a bit* Yes, that sounds about right. Catchy song. It really sticks in your head.I will agree with "catchy". Obviously, the Hymn of Proof is just this game's theme song, Ayumi Hamasaki's Song 4 U. Between the three version of that song I have on my iPod, I have 211 plays of the song. The Tales series has an interesting of incorporating theme songs into the game, often in cameo roles. The first instance I can recall is in Tales of Symphonia. The original GameCube version's OP was Starry Heavens (by the band day after tomorrow, who lead singer went on to sing the OP to Dawn of the New World), and in Symphonia's hot springs, an easily-missed minor event has the game's female cast singing the first few lines to the song. Before I knew the translation for the song, I had no idea what they were saying. Those lines were updated in the PS2 / PS3 versions to reflect the new OP, The Thing I Could Do Then, appropriately enough. An instrumental version of the OP was also in one of the game's climactic boss fights. The OP for Tales of the Abyss, Karma, is definitely one of the more memorable OPs (though it's not great without the lyrics), and many boss fight themes in the final act of the game were named after lines from Karma, with an instrumental remix of the song playing over one of the boss fights. However, it is definitely true that this game has the most severe case of the OP playing a role in the story. There's something about it. It's almost...nostalgic. Yeah...*phone call* Department of Dimensional Affairs here. We've detected a new fractured dimension. However, we haven't been able to pinpoint where it leads. The coordinates are highly unstable as well, so please be careful. That sounded serious. What's going on?*fade to black, for some reason* So basically, they have no idea where this fractured dimension will take us? That's odd. They've never had this problem with the coordinates before. Maybe it's just a glitch in the system? Or perhaps the location doesn't exist in this world. Do you intend to take the assignment, Ludger? *nod* Then we're here to help as always. This mission's a real wild card. We'd better be ready for anything. I've got something exciting to announce. This is the last fractured dimension of the game! Muzet's last chapter takes place entirely inside Prime Marksburg, and Alvin's last is a couple short cutscenes. Appropriately enough, this is also a really cool fractured dimension. Prepare for the last dive...  Ah, the Temporal Crossroads. Basically the only major Xillia 1 location we haven't been to, up to now. This was the final dungeon of the first game, as its grandiose appearance would suggest. Going into here, the party got separated, and Jude and Milla had their separate duels with Gaius and Muzet, respectively, before the party reunited to throw down with Wingul. After which they got separated again, and one party member after another, aside from Jude and Milla, to throw down with Gaius and Muzet. It was really cool, too. Everyone entered by using their Mystic Arte, and had a short little exchange with Gaius before they formally rejoined the party to lend their support. I'm a huge fan of Xillia 1's final battle. Back to this game, however, we have a highly amusing skit where you can raise Jude or Milla's affection (L1 for Milla, R1 for Jude), and learn more of Milla's charming vocabulary.  There's four different enemies here, one for each of the main four elements. They have a 0% drop rate, so don't be concerned if you're having bad luck getting drops from them. The only real reason to fight here at all is to get their entries in the bestiary. Otherwise, it's basically a complete straight shot to the end of the dungeon.   Just a little Muzet getting...sentimental, and...  We reach the end of the dungeon. These three blue portal-things offer some very nice treats for investigating them. From left to right: all the Life Bottles you can carry, all the Apple Gels you can carry, and finally, all the Orange Gels you can carry. Not bad. Not bad, not bad at all.   The Old One  Another uninvited guest?Meet...the old Maxwell. Or if you're coming from Xillia 1, say hello again. Maxwell here is voiced by Michael McConnohie, who has been a go-to villain voice in JRPGs for quite a while. Maxwell's actual status as a villain is debatable, however. However, none can argue his turn as Vandesdelca Musto Fende in Abyss was not a villainous role. For a little history, Maxwell's history in the Tales series goes all the way back to the start. He was the fifth spirit you could contract with in Phantasia, where he was supposedly quite powerful but in gameplay never came across quite as such. His appearance, like everyone's, has varied over the course of the series, but an old guy with a white beard is usually the starting point. Milla. Tell me. What are you doing here? It has been a while, Maxwell. Although perhaps not from your perspective. I hope you are willing to talk to me. I have a question for you. How laughable. Come now. What makes you think that I will suffer your foolishness again? This is far from foolishness. It's important. Silence, human! Who do you think forced me to unmake Milla in the first place? Unmake Milla? So unlike our reality, she was eliminated in this world. I don't know how you've managed to return to life, but you will fare no better this time. Those who stray from their path, who lose sight of their duty, must be unmade. No exceptions. Please. If there's anyone who has never lost sight of their path, it's Milla Maxwell, pal. Keeping this in mind will raise Milla's affection. I will not entertain objections from the very humans who led her astray! But you don't understand. If you insist on coming back from death, then I will simply remove your souls from the cycle of life forever. He's not in a cooperative mood.   Honestly, I wish I could have said the Lord of Spirits gave it his best effort, but I'd be a heinous fool and liar for doing so. Basically, Maxwell's gimmick is he can shift his elemental strengths and vulnerabilities around, but he also acquires new artes and spells depending on what element form he's in. No form should bother you in the slightest at this point, and Maxwell has such a huge hitbox that he won't be able to get an attack in edgewise. As things happened, he lasted just over 2 minutes. In the alternate choice video, I included my Alt Maxwell fight, to show you more of what he can do and his Mystic Arte.  The eternal story Now answer me this. What happened between you and the human, Milla Kresnik? Did it have anything to do with the creation of the schism? Where'd you hear that name? It's become ingrained in Nia Khera folklore, but the story's details have been lost to time. Ah, interesting. I see now. You must be one of her descendants. That would explain the wealth of your power. I want you to tell us everything. Did you name me after her? After Milla Kresnik? And why would you want to know the answer? That's irrelevant to the mission I assigned you. Is it wrong to ask? I want to know about myself. I want to know what went through your mind before I was given birth. You "want to know". Perhaps naming youa fter her led to that as well. So Milla's name was derived from Milla Kresnik. Is that a safe assumption? *nod* That woman pestered me incessantly with her constant questions. Why this? How that? She wanted to know it all. The voraciousness of human curiosity seems to have no boundaries or limitations. I must say, it never ceases to amaze me. In many ways, it could be defined as one of humanity's most intriguing traits. Humans never halt their quest for knowledge, even if it means risking their own destruction.They're always looking to see what's ahead. The strength of their curiosity is stunning. In striving to understand spiritkind, she represented more than just human beings. She was hope. Hope... She devoted all of her energy to the benefit of spirits and humanity alike. Truly a magnificent sight. It was a slow process, but one that showed promise. In time, humans who wished to coexist with spirits flocked to her side. Thus began the Kresnik clan. And yet, I understand that Chronos didn't think much of her. Chronos did not think much of any humans. At the end of the day, he found them inadequate beings who needed to prove their worth. I get it now. So that's the reason for the Origin's Trial. Well, the subject is Milla Kresnik, and I bet Milla wants to know the full story. She was driven to her death by the humans who were the members of her own clan. You couldn't save her from her demise? No. I never saw it coming. Unbeknownst to me, the Kresnik clan had become poisoned by a faction seeking to exploit spirits for profit. Milla would naturally not allow that. Therefore, they conspired to kill her. I concluded that schism was the only solution. I would divide the world and bring over select humans on the ark. But unlike what I expected, Milla refused my invitation. Instead of coming aboard the ark, she chose to stand with the humans who had turned against her. And you saw her actions to stay behind as a betrayal. Of course! Milla had thrown in with those would rather pursue their own selfish desires. What else was I supposed to believe? That was a rude, but much needed awakening for me. When presented with great power, humans cannot control themselves. And you spoke with Milla about her intentions? There was no need. Or were you perhaps afraid to ask hear her answer? Afraid to find out her motivations. Her intentions. And what she truly meant to you.  The power of the Four! Get away from Lord Maxwell. Now! You filthy vermin. Muzet commands the Four here? Tee hee hee. Aren't they nice? I salvaged them from the remains of their former master. So Muzet killed the Milla of this world. She's the catalyst. I'll kill anyone who dares defy Lord Maxwell! Because that is my sole mission! Incoming! You remember back when we fought Muzet on the Nia Khera Hallowmont? This fight is basically made of the exact same stuff, except for Muzet being able to use The Four in-battle (though, she doesn't have Undine's healing spell, thank Christ). Other than that, that same thing where her Emergency Warp makes the fight a lot harder than it has any right to be applies here. There are a couple work-arounds. One is you can knock Muzet into the air, where I don't believe she's able to warp as long as she's under attack, and Milla's Bind ability. She can't escape from that, so you have a few free seconds of rear end-kicking. Other than that, it's simply a matter of dodging Muzet's spells and healing considerably, since Muzet will be throwing out spells and artes like there's no tomorrow. She has a surprisingly large amount of health, so this fight's gonna take a while. Still, don't sweat it. Not the hardest fight in the game, that's for sure.  You even bested Muzet. Milla... You have seen enough now to grasp the hubris and cruelty that humanity is capable of possessing. And yet you still side with them? It is the duty that I, as Milla Maxwell, must fulfill. Interesting. You have defined your own duty, have you? I have. And in the mission... I am not alone. So you too have chosen to part ways with me. Maxwell? Go and live wherever you wish. It's no longer my decision. This is no cause for sadness, Maxwell. Even when separated, the bonds that tie us together cannot be so easily broken. *hums Song 4 U* This melody...    It just popped into my head, like a feeling I couldn't put into words. I can only hope Maxwell understood what I meant by it. Thank you, Ludger. Because of you, I understand my predecessor's side of the story now. Although I didn't learn the whole truth about Milla Kresnik. She couldn't stand the thought of abandoning those left in Elympios to die. That's why Milla Kresnik wouldn't go with Maxwell to Rieze Maxia. How so? Because the world Milla Kresnik dreamed of long ago, is the same one we wish to create now. She couldn't flee to a world that offered salvation for only a select few. *nod* But, in reality, I'm sure Milla Kresnik wanted to ultimately be with Maxwell, too. So they could make their perfect world together. We've learned that our dream isn't a new one. People and spirits have been seeking it for ages. We have to make it come true! You're right, for Milla Kresnik's sake as well as our own. It's the lab. I better take this. You might not know it, but you're already walking ahead of me, Jude... Well, he does have a year's head start on you, but cheer up, Mila. It's the effort that counts, and her affection will increase if you keep that in mind. That much is certainly true. But I know that I won't be around to see everything Jude will accomplish. I realize that's just the way it is, but don't have to like it. Sorry. You okay? Yes. Is everything okay at work? Yeah, it should be fine. I guess it's up to us to carry the torch passed by Maxwell and Milla Kresnik. We will put an end to Origin's Trial, once and for all.And that's that for the fractured dimensions! The ones the game will let us take care of, that is. Now, you do get Milla's "joke" weapon, the Fangirl (and 50,000 gald) from completing that story, but don't leave Hamil too soon...  This, friends, is the Conqueror's Blade. The same weapon Gaius used in the final battle in Xillia 1, pulled out of the body of Maxwell himself. A katana radiating the Lord of Spirits' power. The reasons it is appropriately kickass are threefold. It has a P. ATK stat of 1207 and an A. ATK of 1122, making it a huge improvement over anything else Gaius can get at this point in the game. Next, it hits with all four base elements with every swing. And finally, its passive benefits are it restores HP and TP at regular intervals, AND it has a chance to revive Gaius. Not a great one, but hey. Can't keep a good king down. This thing is bleeding awesome and only one other "normal" katana can even begin to compare to this thing. You're gonna keep Gaius using this thing for a long time. Also, you get Gaius' final boss costume, haircut, and Gaius' crest, for all your final boss needs. Now, the next thing I did was look for the kitty I missed at the Brauner Highroad. Eventually I got bored and decided to stop off at Fort Gandala, because at some point in the past it opened, and we've got some quick business to attend to.  This was a dungeon in Xillia 1, but it's been significantly shrunk in this title. It's just as well, honestly. It was not the most exciting dungeon in the history of the Tales series (for the record, I think Phantasia had, on average, the best dungeons of the Tales games I've played), and I don't think anyone was really weeping this place is a total afterthought in this game.  Our only business here is getting the cat Lazy from this console in the sole side room of the dungeon, and...that's it. Now to find that cat in the Highroad.  First of all, make your way to the SW Branch of the Highroad. Unfortunately, there's a lot of ground to cover in the area, so you have to know where to look. But with me telling you where...anyway. Climb up those vines, and look for a cave to your left just as soon as you get to the top. The cat, Cannon, is in there. It has an unusual color scheme, but it's not a reference to anything that I'm familiar with. That wraps up this corner of the world in Kitty Kollecting Turning in Brauner-related jobs, I also turned in Fruit Yakisoba from a Kannono. Now, this client gives you Sealed World, which made me look into Cannon a bit more. The name is too similar for it not to draw my attention...  I'm quite sure that cat was based on the girl in the middle, who is from the Tales of the World: Radiant Mythology sub-series. Interestingly, the co-protagonists of all the Mythology games are named Kannono, it's just they all have different seasonal motifs, like the Kannono of the third game has an "Autumn" motif. I could have picked a better piece of fan art to illustrate my point, but 'tis the season, right? I also took a job called "Balan's Plea", which asks us to pick up some meat on a store counter in Fennmont and bring it to Balan in Helioborg. Sounds simple enough, but apparently it weighs...50 kgs, so... Well, we'll save it for next time. Next update will have only two character chapters, so I need to do a little padding for it. I want everything from the start of Canaan to the end to be more or less an unbroken series of events.  This is really something I should taken care of long ago. The video this screenshot is from is 3 hours long, so you'd think I'd want to get rid of it quickly. But anyway, here are all the rewards you get from the three NPCs with affection levels. First up is Elle's letter / weapon.  Ludger, I'm giving you my daddy's sword as an apology to you for breaking my promise. If any bad guys come for you, take them out with this. I don't want you to disappear! I hope that both you and Rollo will be well forever and ever. It was nice knowing you. Bye bye. - ElleDammit, Elle. It's not over yet. Elle gives you the Pollux Twins, which has the passive bonuses of increasing character affinity by more with the use of Linked Artes, higher critical hit rate, and has a chance to stun. However, stat-wise they're not particularly impressive, and they have the same appearance as Ludger's starting swords. Speaking of special sword sets, the blades Ludger is currently using in my game is the Castor Twins, which you got after you resumed control post-Julius' death. Let's see what the boss man has for us.  Ludger, as a reward for assuming the position of Vice President at my illustrious company, I would like to send you our latest equipment. There is no longer a need for you to handle the trial, but I assure you this company has many enemies besides the spirits. In such an event that I do not return from the Land of Canaan, I should ask you to dispose of them for me. Your role is and always has been to guide my people, the humans, and make their future a tangible reality. Given your resolve and strength, I know I needn't worry. I pray that we will be mutually successful in this endeavor. Sincerely, -Bisley BakurYeah, we ain't finished, either. Bisley gives you the Spirius Surrender, a hammer whose sole passive benefit is to raise character affinity in battle. Next up...  Sorry, Ludger. I wasn't able to send you something to congratulate you on landing your job. I don't think that this in any way makes up for it, but please accept it. I had a hand in its development. It's tailored specifically to you, but be careful when you use it. Sorry, I can't seem to help lecturing. Don't laugh though: I am your older brother, after all. I hope these pistols will at least be of some use in helping you realize your ideals. Wishing you the best, -JuliusJulius  He gives you the Spirius Model-4304, because they were, evidently, commissioned in the year 4304. Interesting. What's not interesting is the passive benefit, which is the exact same as the Spirius Surrender. Now that that's done... Now, I did take another job called "The Veywind Eye Strikes Back!", which gives you a double trouble team of Elite Monsters in the Torbalan Highroad, just waiting for extermination. Again. Let's school these fools.  Overall, not a whole lot to say about this fight. Both monsters are basically identical to the previous battles with them, except they're much better stat-wise in every way. However, this does not mean the fight is particularly difficult in any sense of the word. Both monsters are still pretty slow, easy to heavy stun, and have a ton of weaknesses. Basically, it's a grind, but an enjoyable one. Just fun to have punching bags, y'know? However, it IS good for 60k gald and 15k rank points, which is vastly out of proportion for how difficult the fight is, but oh well! Today's last part brings us to Xian Du for one of my favorite character chapters in the game.  Gone drinkin'   Got big news about your next job!Leia grabs the phone away... Sounds like she's planning something. Sorry, Nova. Ludger's tied up at the moment. What? Hey, wait a minute. *hangs up*Pretty messed up the team keeps treating Nova so poorly. Just sayin'... Just tracked 'em down. Yep, we'll be right over. Just hang tight. They want us to hurry? Pretty much. Ludger, you've been such a big help to us. It's only fair you come see our big announcement... No, let's, uh...call it a celebration. After all we've been through, going out for a drink sounds good to me (although, I'm not ashamed to admit I am a complete teetotaler. Haven't had an alcoholic drink in nearly 26 years of existence) R1 it is, and that'll increase Alvin's affection, as well. I knew you'd pick up what I was putting down. And as the only journalist invited...I'll be coming alone to document the whole thing. We expect big things from you, snoops. We've booked the bar in Duval, so we better get moving. Duval? Way over there? I thought I'd be rubbing shoulders with a who's who of Xian Du! I'm not made of moolah. Believe me, I checked out some of the options... My wallet hurts just thinkin' about it. Ouch. Alrighty... But you owe me one, okay? Better start saving! Fair enough. Let's just call this the pre-party.Alright! Drinking party. Let's get moving.  Three cheers Hey! You started without me? Well, you never said not to. Right? What? What's the story? Let's just say it involves a sloppy young Alfred and a humiliating confession. Never happened. Stop making stuff up! Ah ha ha ha! Excuse me, can I get anyone a drink? Napple Juice, please! Whatever they're having. You? Oh man, ball's in our court. I think if it were a mandatory choice, Ludger would totally bore everyone, but he knows Alvin's a drinking kinda man, and that'll raise his affection. It's a party, after all. Yeah, that's the spirit, buddy. Ahem. I'll start with the big news. We need to unload all the merchandise we'd been planning to sell to you-know-who.The Skylark Exchange, which led to Yurgen and Alvin's previous falling-out. You okay with this? Apparently, it's just how you break into the business world in Elympios. Exactly right. Going after them now wouldn't accomplish anything at this point. Huh... Because that would just make things worse. Fortunately, we're not alone. Balan had our back on this one. Eh, I know some people. So you taking that job they offered? Turned 'em down. I'm business partners with Yurgen now. There's absolutely no way I'm just tossing that away. Very well said. I mean, you even came to me for help. Hey... So are you really okay with this? We talked this over already. It's all good. I'm fine. I really am glad I got into business with you. Thank you. This was a real learning experience for me. I'm not the world's best businessman. It's pretty clear that I need someone like you around. C'mon. I wouldn't even have known where to start without you. Listen to that! They're the perfect team! Yeah. There's no need to patronize us. The perfect team, huh... Gotta say, I'm looking forward to the future. Ooh! Ooh! Final question! So, the two of you got into business to build a bridge between the two nations. And do you still think that's possible at this point? The two countries certainly have radically different values. But that just makes for a challenge worth meeting. Sometimes there's more important things in business than simple profit. Now that I've finally learned that lesson, I'd like to try my luck at it again. Hmm... I think I have the makings of a great story here! From the top? Okay, let's do this. We can't ruin the moment here! Just choose which one you like better. Hurry!  Thanks pal, for all your help.If this is to end in fire, then we shall all burn together... Update 32 alternate choice compilation Update 32 victory compilation Sylphid fucked around with this message at 23:38 on Oct 23, 2016 |
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Oct 23, 2016 23:29
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So dapper and sad~ also dammit, now i want some asahi dry and they don't import that here anymore
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Oct 24, 2016 03:12
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So between this game and Xillia 1, just how many times do you fight Muzet as a boss? I count three, but I might be forgetting one. Possibly four, if you're playing as Milla in 1?
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Oct 24, 2016 13:01
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X1 Muzet 1 (Jude) Muzet 2 (Millia) Muzet 3(Milla) Muzet 4 (Both) X2 Fractured Muzet (Fractured Milla Dimension) C13 Kill Your Friends Muzet Enslaved Catalyst Muzet or whatever bizarre title she's given here Arena Muzet +1 More
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Oct 24, 2016 13:20
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Wow, it's even worse than I thought.
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Oct 24, 2016 13:36
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Notably, Xillia 1 Muzet doesn't have Emergency Warp, so it's basically an entirely different fight.
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Oct 24, 2016 21:08
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It was the sad glasses + mustache combo that brought me to this LP, and it was the sad glasses that brought me back. Those things are gold.
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Oct 25, 2016 08:31
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Well, next time I record will be the last time I record the story, from entering the Land of Canaan to the end of the game. So we need to go all out for this. I shall assign one party member per poster of my choosing. McTimmy: Alvin Deceitful Penguin: Muzet alchargia: Gaius Stabbey: Elize Polsy: Milla Eager Sleeper: Rowen wdarkk: Leia And I shall handle our two protagonists, Jude and Ludger. Make it good for the ending, everyone. Here's the fashion video for a refresher on your choices.
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Oct 26, 2016 01:44
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Huh. So not even Maxwell can recognize when he's part of a weird Origin timeline?
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Oct 26, 2016 02:02
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I've chosen some accessories, but I am not familiar with what outfits Elize has to go with them.
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Oct 26, 2016 02:40
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:I've chosen some accessories, but I am not familiar with what outfits Elize has to go with them. Regular, alternate (white blazer), Xillia 1, Xillia 1 alternate (green instead of purple), and Mint's costume.
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Oct 26, 2016 03:19
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Gaius must be decked out in his Final Boss Outfit, but also he must have the time-honored tradition of the Pelvic Ba'ul, Aviators, and Sunglasses, for maximum kingly swag.
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Oct 26, 2016 04:06
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Sylphid posted:Well, next time I record will be the last time I record the story, from entering the Land of Canaan to the end of the game. So we need to go all out for this. I shall assign one party member per poster of my choosing. This is awesome! Hell yeah! Okay admittedly, I've never played this game so I'm not sure how the accessories system works that much (we can only have three accessories total, right?), but here goes. For Rowen, he's going to look fancy and professional on top, but as ridiculous as possible on the bottom. So to this end, he's wearing some fancy glasses or a monocle, plus Milla's bangs replica (anime hair is super fancy in JRPGs). On the bottom, he's rocking nothing but a loincloth. This is how he shall dress, ready to face the end of the world.
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Oct 26, 2016 04:19
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Okay... Elize will wear her White Blazer, Elle's Cap, Julius's glasses, and Gaius's crest.
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Oct 26, 2016 04:53
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Arright, if you have a ~certain~ DLC (I forget if you do or not) The Hat, Colored Sunglasses and Swimsuit, for that holiday look.[/url] If you don't have that, then [spoiler]Her red outfit (name?), with the angry eyes, Devil wings and Horns for that angry look.
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Oct 26, 2016 05:13
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Alvin: Xillia 1 outfit, Hat haircut, Aviators, Ten Gallon Hat.
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Oct 26, 2016 10:00
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I've been neglecting this because I can't think of a good costume for Leia here. How about her Xillia 1 outfit with angel wings and halo.
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Oct 29, 2016 02:58
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Part XXXIII: The Man Who Vows And only two more characters chapters to get through. First up is Rowen's...  A day in the city Ah, Ludger. Did you know the city of Drellin is famous for its spirits? Not the kind that interest Jude, mind you. Drellin's spirits are of a liquid variety. With all we've been through, I believe we could use a drink. Shall we wet our whistles? Honestly, I picture Ludger as a teetotaler, but when in Rome and all. The grandpa heartily agrees. Ho ho ho. That's the...er, spirit! Come, let me show you how to appreciate the finer things. Oh, Lady Milla and Elize. Is anything the matter? No, nothing. Elize and I were just out for a stroll. Yep... Stretching my legs. What are you two up to? Ludger and I were just about to indulge in some of Drellin's local delicacies. Sounds intriguing! Drellin is famous for, um...seafood and spirits, right? I wanna see food, too! Why not accompany us? We would never turn down such beautiful company. Heh. Flattery will get you everywhere. Sure, I'm in. Did you mean just Milla? I meant all three of you: two beautiful ladies and one beautiful...plush doll thing. Oh, Rowen! You're embarrassing me! Pardon me. Sure seems like the same old Rowen to me. That letter must've been a misunderstanding. Forgive me, everyone. I'm afraid some urgent business has come up. What is it? An emergency meeting of the military commanders. We've received threats of terrorism from an extremist group that opposes peace between the nations. You're a busy man. Too busy to find the time to complain about it. But it's all for the future of our two nations. Ludger, I want you to have this. If you've got time to be serious, you've got time to joke. Well, I suppose it might buy a few libations if you sold it, but...I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't. It completes a set with my own charm. .... I promise I'll make this up to you.He walks off... He's fully devoting himself to fulfilling his mission. Yeah... He doesn't seem like he'd need a will any time soon. True. Well, there's no use worrying about it now. Let's eat. My fish was so fresh, it was practically still wriggling. I'll sample Drellin's other claim to fame when Rowen gets back. This is Vera. There's been an abduction. An extremist group has just claimed responsibility. The victim is Rieze Maxian Prime Minister Rowen Ilbert. What?! Chancellor Marcia has requested Spirius' assistance in the rescue operation. Please return to headquarters ASAP for a full briefing. Something wrong?Full explanation, in the black... They kidnapped Rowen... That threat he mentioned earlier... It must have been bait to lure him into a trap. We gotta save the ol' guy! Ludger, we're coming with you.A skit afterwards, but never mind that! We've got a geezer to bail out. As I chose in the video, L1 increases Elize's affection. Let's head to Spirius...  Hostage crisis Prime Minister Ilbert has been kidnapped by an extremist group that espouses Elympion domination. Elympion domination? I take it they oppose the peace treaty. Yes. The Elympion government has been sent a list of their demands. The Elympion government? Why would they care about Rowen? The Prime Minister is a key player in the peace process. He's crucial to Elympios. They certainly understand that. They intend to use him as a bargaining chip. That's horrible. They also hacked into our telecommunications system and broadcast this message:  We will not have it befouled by a friendship with Rieze Maxia. Rieze Maxia's inhabitants are our fuel, its land nothing more than a penal colony for deserters. The leadership of Elympios has lost its way. We demnad the immediate dissolution of the peace treaty. Should you refuse us, the consequences will be decisive and severe. These nutjobs have Rowen?! We shut down the broadcast immediately, of course, but the extremists have powerful communication-jamming spyrix. We were unable to determine the signal's origin. If only we had a little more to go on... What is it? That's the charm Rowen gave you. May I see it? Apparently it's enchanted by some sort of arte. I'm sure the Four could tell us more. Interesting... This arte seems to emit a special pulse through earth and water. And it resonates with an opposing pulse transmitted through fire and wind. What? Rowen had another stone just like this! I'll have the Four seek out the strongest point of resonance. That should be the midpoint between the two stones. Then, the source of the other pulse should be equidistant from us in the opposite direction.Some time later... Midpoint acquired. Now we just need to pinpoint the equidistant location. That puts the source of the transmission near Libari Hollow. They're in Rieze Maxia. Is this why Rowen gave Ludger the stone in the first place? It's almost as if he knew he'd be abducted. He's still okay, right? They're using him as a bargaining chip. They'd be fools to kill him. Phew... However, Rowen is still a key figure in the peace movement. They may be planning on disposing of him eventually. Now that you mention it, the Spirius Corporation has analyzed what would happen if Mr. Ilbert were killed. According to our projections, his death and the resulting backlash would ultimately advance the cause of international peace. What?! Although showing faith in Rowen will raise his affection in this instance, the question still needs to be asked. He can't keep doing dangerous stuff like this, y'know. So that's why he wrote that letter... Dying to make your wish come true isn't right! Yeah, think about how sad the rest of us would be! The Rowen I know would never do such a thing. The extremists' hideout is in Libari Hollow. Let's go.And away we go...  A narrow rescue Hey! What're you doing here!One little mook. I think you know what to do. The above video incorporates this fight and the next big scene.  Why don't you ask the man on the ground? He clearly outwitted you. This old fool? Not bloody likely.And...Cam Clarke again. Urrgh! Surrender! It's a tense situation...but we can think of something to keep Rowen alive. Gotta raise that affection, y'know. And stay back. Now!Milla fires out Sylph to knock the gun out of his hand... Blasted Rieze Maxians! You'll pay for this! Nah, don't think that'll happen. I...may have gone a little overboard on the last one, though.  Rowen's plan, and the way forward Thank goodness you're alive! I knew that you would eventually come and find me here. Did you know that you would be abducted? Unfortunately, yes. I considered it enough of a possibility that I should have insurance policy. I need something effective but inconspicuous, so I gave Ludger a paired resonance stone as a safety measure. Whoa, good thinking there. We were able to take out the extremists' home base as a result. Always the tactician. Your plan really came together there. It was only possible because I knew I could rely on you. Rowen, there's something that you should know. We found those letters that you wrote. The wills. yeah, you see these tears! We were afraid you might kick the bucket! Ah... So, you ended up finding those. Dare I ask if you read them in their entirety? No. I was too scared to read past the very beginning. Huh? I believe the six houses are crucial to strengthening the bonds between Rashugal and Auj Oule. I have hidden multiple letters to other prominent figures in my residences in Kanbalar, as well as those in Fennmont. They outline all of the steps that should be taken in order for the prosperity and future of Rieze Maxia, as well as the peace process. I see. That way your mission could continue even without you. Not that i had any intention of dying, mind you. After all, there is still much I must do. I simply haven't the time to die. But at the same time, I understand that no one lives forever. Rowen... The thought of our bright future flickering out because I died with my plans half-finished... To me that would be a fate crueler than death itself. But this way, the hope of achieving international peace can survive even without you. Exactly. I have written such letters to a great number of people. And you are one of them, young miss. I never would have imagined that you'd come to me for something this important. Are you okay with this? Although, hey, you know you can count on us! I want you to decide your own future, Elize. Yet as much as I hate to burden you with the fate of the country...we are good friends, and I could not help but ask. I'd be more than honored, Rowen. But knock off all this dying tlak! You're bummin' me out! I mean, I hate to bum him out, but it's something that needs to be said, R1 that is. That's a good point. perhaps you should have told them directly. Especially if you trust them enough to carry on your legacy when you're gone. You are absolutely right. Elize, I am so very sorry to have made you worry. It's okay. But we're friends, aren't we? Please don't do this again. Understood. I assure you I won't. That's a promise! Better keep it, or you can just forget about all the stuff you want us to do after you're dead! Well, it appears I won't need to have you read the rest of the letter, then. Yes. She seems to have been quite concerned about me. You are important to Chancellor Marcia, just like you're important to us. Yeah! You're totally buddies now! Oh, we are? I suppose that our relationship has evolved beyond the point of mere colleagues. Perhaps I should invite her out for dinner and apologize for putting her through all of this. Rowen's going on a date! Hey, not so fast. You'd better treat us all to dinner, first. Something upscale should suffice. I have to pay for everything? "May joys from afar begat joys close to the hearth, and carry those joys far afield." Ha ha ha. She's got you there, Rowen. I accept defeat. Tonight will be my treat. Woohoo! Hurray! It's just like they say: "For the act of spreading joy is the greatest joy of all." Someday I'll take you to dinner. You deserve a reward for all your hard work, too. I'm looking forward to it already.And...that's that. There's also a Holy Symbol in a nearby chest right after the above scene ends, and a delayed affection skit. Rowen's new weapon in the Pointing Stick. Now then, we have a couple minor events, from various jobs on the board. The first involves bringing 3 Lightshroom Spores to Derrick in Leronde.  I'm afraid not. Just here to deliver what you asked for. Well, thanks for taking the trouble. We shoudl be able to make some good medicine with this. Ludger's the one who did all the work, really. I just kind of tagged along. It seems we are in your debt for looking after our son. In fact, it must've been extra-painstaking if his idealism decided to tag along as well. *sigh* Let's just go, Ludger.I think Jude means that goes without saying, is the thing. Jude, I read your thesis paper on spyrite. As usual, your arguments were a little flimsy. I'd hoped for more data to back up your hypothesis instead of just mere theories. The people out there still affected by all this'll never buy it...Just chew on that last sentence for a bit. I had to re-check that line because I was sure I transcribed it wrong. I know, but I'll try and make it work somehow. Well, don't work too hard. If you wear yourself out, then all your research up to this point will be for nothing. You really mean it? Well, that's your mother's words, at least. Hon, don't you remember what you told me when you read our boy's paper? You said it reminded you EXACTLY of your own thesis on aspyrixis, all those years ago.Milla got hit with aspyrixis back in Xillia 1, which caused her to be wheelchair-bound for a bit during the course of that game's story. But, it is certainly a truism that you can't keep a good spirit down.  I believe I then told you NOT to repeat any of that... And then you went to almost every one of your colleagues and talked to them about spyrite! Do you know, he even urged some of his colleagues to help prove some of your research, Jude? Really, Dad? I-I didn't do that because you're my son. I did it...in the name of science! I was trying to help Jude Mathis, my fellow researcher, not Jude Mathis, my son. Thanks, Dad. I'll make you both proud one day. You already have, Jude! Just don't push yourself too hard out there... That goes for you too, Derrick. If either of you work yourselves into exhaustion, I'm not taking care of you! I'll be good, I promise. As well as I. I promise. Heh... I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all! Next up is Balan's Plea, which starts with you getting that bag of meat there, which apparently is a massive 50kg of apparently delicious beef, which Balan wants delivered to him in Helioborg. Reminder you have to have a team that includes Ludger, Jude, and Rowen to make the event pop up in Helioborg. Balan can, of course, be found in his laboratory.  Hey, Ludger, you got the stuff? Well done! Here's a small token of my appreciation. Um, Balan? When you said you wanted us to bring you beef, you never mentioned there'd be 50 kilos of it. Pretty awesome, right? I used all my savings to buy it! That's not quite what I'm trying to say... Professor Jude! Hello, Mary. How goes the research? I hit a dead-end...but I'll figure it out, I'm sure... I'm...sure you will. I don't mean to pry, but might I ask why you require such a volume of meat? Are you hosting some sort of event? Uh, not really. I just saw it in a pamphlet on Rieze Maxian foods and really wanted to try it out! We're gonna have a barbecue at the research center though. You're all invited, if you wanna come! Mary, will you make the preparations? Yessir!*fade to black*  Man, I'm stuffed...like a...bug in a rug. Of meat! I've had Grade-A beef in my day, but this was another creature entirely. I declare this protein to be S-Rank!Fun fact, and it has nothing in particular to do with this scene, but in the American version of Resident Evil 2, the manual talked about the S-rank being the highest rank you could get in the game. But a bunch of people who did really well at the game were unable to get the S-rank, so people were wondering how it was done. But in the Japanese version of the game, S WAS the highest rank, and was equivalent to the American version's A rank. The more you know. Did you enjoy yours, Mary? I did in fact! I found the marbling on my specimen to be in very agreeable proportions. And it was cooked ever so precisely. I wonder what percentage of beef on Rieze Maxia is of this quality. Hahaha! You're off the clock, Mary! You don't have to be a researcher 24/7, you know. But if you're curious, this sort of beef takes several years of specialized breeding! Years?! It takes constant attention and a highly detailed diet and exercise routine. The trial and error of animal husbandry is the most rigorous science out there! I don't think any of us have the stomach for that sorta life. Whoever raised the cattle we just ate deserves our utmost respect! I had no idea it was so scientific! He deserves a global peace prize for his meat research! It's inspired me in my own studies though! I can't wait to get back to the lab! But maybe I should have some seconds. In the name of science.*Mary leaves* What a spirited young girl, that one! Thanks again, Balan. Best meal ever. Bah, it was nothing! Alfred's actually the one that introduced me to this meat. Oh my, I had no idea our Alvin had such an appreciation for food. Guess we should've invited him, huh? Are you kidding?! Forget him! Have you SEEN that guy eat?! There woulda been nothing left for us! Indeed, sometimes a smaller gathering is best... You can say that again!Big words, coming out of your mouth. Next on the line-up is the epilogue of sorts on Gaius' story. I'll explain why I don't particularly care for it after it's over. To complete the job, just pick up a letter in Kanbalar's inn and then head over to the inn at Marksburg's Elym Harbor.  Yep, it's us. So what happened to Kyle afterwards? He's kinda on probation now. He took a plea bargain...all the higher-ups interrogated him. But it all worked out in the end, right? I guess. I'm just worried about where he goes from here now. Everyone usually just writes the guy off, and now that he has a record, it's only gonna be harder... He's having trouble finding work. Erston asked us to bring you this. What's this? A job referral? For Kyle? He never forgets his friends. This is... Wow. Hmph, I guess it really is good to be the king... Actually, it's not quite what you think, Tanner. It's a company in Elympios, through a business associate he met as Erston, not Gaius. That's code word for "drinking buddy". His friend set the whole thing up. Erston made several visits to him to discuss Kyle's situation. He vouched for him! I see. But he's really learned to use his people skills well. Huh, whatever. Anyhow, I can't wait to let Kyle know. He's gonna be thrilled. And hey... Give Big-E our thanks. But of course.So yeah, the reason I don't care for this resolution of Gaius' is everything ends just peachy-keen. In the actual final chapter, Gaius had to make the tough, but responsible choice to hand Kyle over and have judgment passed upon him. Here, Kyle basicaly gets away with it, and even gets a job thanks indirectly to Gaius. It just takes a lot out of the emotional weight of the final Gaius chapter where not everything has to have a happy ending. Anyway, let us not dwell on it too much. The next event brings us to Fennmont, where there's a chef asking for a Mabo Curry (Medium). You can buy that in a number of places, or you could stop off in Fennmont's Hotel Fenntasia to get some before heading to the port. Skipping on over there...  But you know...you kinda took your sweet time getting it... It's fine though. It's all good. I mean, it's not like I actually expected someone to bring it in the first place, but y'know...it makes me feel like maybe ya didn't really care all that much... But it's fine! It's just, y'know, in the future... Y'know? With other people... Just that SOME people would care about that sorta thing. I mean, I don't care personally. I'M fine. But yeah. Eh... What a strange way of saying thanks. I-I'm sorry. I've spent so long working on my recipe for the ultimate fiery dish that it's made my very speech rather fiery! So I apologize for WASTING my breath on you. I shouldn't have assumed you had refined enough palates to appreciate my life's work! Yeah, this guy's pretty fiery all right... Hey, just out of curiosity, what IS this "ultimate fiery dish" you're working on? Why do you care? You wouldn't appreciate true genius if it was standing in front of you, declaring itself to be true genius... Which is what I'm doing right now! But fine, I'll share my recipe with you! The ultimate in fiery cuisine... The Mabo Curry Bun! Fourteen habaneros, three ghost chilies, infused in a sesame-seed bun, smothered in spicy Mabo Curry, and seasoned with weapons-grade pepper spray. Served with a side of wasabi-chili pepper mayo. Hmm, absolutely intruiging. It's a dish that personifies the very essence of human's desire to reach their limits! I dare say the depths and layers of that dish truly are worthy of taking up the mantle of human ambition! Wh-What?! Impossible! You're even more impassioned about food than I am! I've never met a woman like you before! My dear, would you care to join me for a glass of porange wine, while we gaze upon the night sky in Fennmont? Though not too much wine for me. I fear I am already rather intoxicated by the entree in front of me... What... I liked him better before. I'm going to go ahead and decline your invitation. I'm flattered, but I find your proposition to be as one-note and unsophisticated as your wine pairing selection. Unbelievable! AGAIN your fiery wit has bested me! I've been deflated...like last week's Spicy Souffle! Another victory...for the Lord of Spirits.Indeed... Well, while we're in Fennmont, we've got something else to take care of. Not in the city proper, mind. I'll see you in nearby Arkland Quag.  And here we are, the next Elite Monster, one of three outstanding ones. And I'm not saying they're great, of course. I've got a little gimmick in-store for this one and the next, which you should be able to pick up on fairly soon. Cthulhu Demon  So, at first blush this fight appears simple enough. He's weak to Fire and Slash, so Milla / Gaius / Alvin / Ludger are good choices here. The only problem...  Whenever you start a combo against him, he'll collapse and start emitting poisonous gas, before a few seconds pass and it gets back up. It's a...tedious fight, you might be guessing. Two things: one, it doesn't have *that* much health, so it's really just a matter of whittling his HP down, and the other is that Bind does work on it, but that's basically the only way of getting an admittedly brief combo in before Bind wears off. It's tedious, but welcome to this fight. At least we're doing something new today: a boss battle Ludger is not involved in. This is a pretty well-balanced team, in all honesty. Everyone has good healing artes, and two (Gaius and Elize), can revive fallen allies with TP, not items. I liked this line-up. Well, I guess I should be grateful in one respect when it comes to the gimmick here. If he didn't do that, I would have absolutely nothing to say about this boss. Ah well, maybe next time will be more interesting / exciting (it will).  While Ludger is indisposed, others will have to take over his Kitty retrieving duties, this time in the Fezebel Marsh. You know what's weird? As of this writing (about 7 hours before this writing), I entered the Land of Canaan and found the cats there (one through Kitty Dispatch), I ended up with like 97 Kitties / 100. I have no idea where the three others are, but that's more business for me to attend to in the post-game. I also learned from GameFAQs that you need to find at least one Kitty in a location in order for Dispatch to be available there. An interesting mechanic. Also, apparently Catstantine the Third is the only missable Kitty. If you don't do his job before Julius gets whacked, he's permanently unavailable. Kind of a dick move for completionist or trophy hunter, but hey. One more Elite Monster for this update...  The other half of the team is going to take on the Elite in the Nala Lava Tubes. Let's see how this bunch fares... Magma Dragon and Leviadragon  One reason I saved Alvin for this fight is his Squall Shot is *really* good against these two (the Charged version, Storm Shot, is even better, as you might imagine). It covers a wide area, it's Water damage, and it pins down enemies, exactly what you need against flying adversaries, or at least hovering ones. It's also a good Linked Arte with Leia, Invigorating Rain, that's medical supplies to the entire party.  Let's talk about Charging. As I mentioned in Alvin's introductory chapter, Alvin can power up all his artes with a Charge. However, before he gets all of his skills, this is kinda underpowered, simply because it was so slow. Well, once Alvin gets all of his Charging skills, he can stack four Charges in a little over the time vanilla Alvin could Charge for one, and recover a minor amount of TP for each Charge. It makes Alvin incredibly useful, although my complaints about his speed still stand. Nothing he can do to fix that. As far as fighting these two, they're basically the exact same enemy x2, so the same strategy applies to both. You'll want to separate them as fast as possible, then bait the one you're fighting into attack. Dodge the attacks, then punish them. Most of the attacks will only hit immediately in front of them, so it's easy to know where to dodge to avoid the attacks. It's pretty easy to heavy stun them, so additionally punish them when their bodies fail. This fight can be rough sledding if they hang out near each other, but keep chipping away at them, and make sure you AI allies handling the other dragon are in good shape. Just keep them alive, if nothing else. And that's all of 'em except Siennabronc, now pushing up daisies. But our last act for today involves the final character chapter in Marksburg. Well, that's not quite true, but still.  A troublesome spirit  Okay, everything's all set. But, what exactly are you hoping to accomplish with this? Tee hee hee. Do you really want to know? On second thought, forget I asked. Well, whatever you do, just make sure to clean up your mess. Hey, good timing. Get everyone over here on the double! It's one of Muzet's plans, so it's bound to be trouble, but we might as well go along with it. She's not going to budge no matter what we say or don't say. It'll increase her affection in any case, and this is no small matter to me. ^_^*fade to black*  Why did you gather us all here? Ludger said it was urgent? Please try to remain calm, everyone. Sometime tonight, the city will be attacked by a monster! A monster, huh? Why would a monster just appear out of the blue like this? I don't know. That's why it's serious. But now that we know it's coming. I think we have an obligation to protect the people of the city. I, too, do not wish to see the city damaged. Yeah, we gotta do everything we can to help! Plus, it's a pretty sweet scoop! So how'd you find out about this? From a reputable source. And that would be? Sorry. Off the record. .... Look, just trust me, all right? Regardless of the source, we have nothing to lose from strengthening the city's defenses. Yes, precisely. We should split into two groups to patrol the city. Okay. In that case... Milla and I shouldn't be in the same group. We're the only two spirits here. It's for the best if each group has one. Right? Sure... Makes sense. It's decided, then!Oh boy. Anyway, you have a chance to make. Muzet and Gaius are already in your party, because they're always in your party in either Gaius or Muzet chapters, so you get a choice of Jude, Alvin, Elize, Rowen, or Leia for the fourth party member. Doesn't super matter, but you may consider bringing Rowen along (Elize is always a solid choice), just for his ranged attacks. Obviously, this chapter has a boss fight in it, so I dunno. Choose who you like most. Anyway, your destination is at the other harbor from where you start, so you'll need to cross the Bridge of Unity.     The power of friendship (Wait, no, no, no! Stop! Don't beat it without me!) *sigh* My, what a relief! Looks like everything worked out. Everyone's safe... I'm glad everyone's okay, but...something about this creature seems off to me... No.  What? It's gone berserk! Stop it! So, if you've fought any Gentleman-type enemies (I *think* Eternia had something similar to them, but I know for a fact they were a very rare encounter in Symphonia), this guy has the same general moveset. A variety of artes including a Sonic Boom, whirling air attack, and a ground cartwheel, but he also has...  This move, Battle Beam, which is this thing's, I believe, only unique arte. It's, uh, a pretty potent one, though. Not only does the beam itself do a large amount of damage if anyone gets caught up in most or all of it, but it also comes with a very high chance of inflicting Confusion. And while your dudes are running around and staggering each other, the robot is kicking your rear end with no input from you... Battle Beam is the sole reason this fight is any challenge at all. My advice would be when he starts charging up Battle Beam, end any links. If your partner gets hit with a status effect, so will you, so that's half your party completely indisposed for 30 seconds or so. I mean, any fool can dodge an attack that has a charge up and completely straight line, but the AI does not exactly think tactically. Any genius they display is by total coincidence. Other than the Battle Beam, again, he's pretty much as no-frills as they come. Just watch out for that, and you'll be golden. Oh, he also has rocket punch arms. That's something I guess.  I suspect a chewing out is in Muzet's future... Also, nearly a 100% EXP bonus is pretty good, I must say. Though, I've certainly played RPGs with more insane post-battle multipliers.  Muzet. Was this your doing? Um, well... I-I'm sorry... You went too far this time. This is serious! People could've been hurt! And what happened to the whole "sweet scoop" thing? Oh, be quiet. It's an important time for Muzet, and an important time for us. We gotta set the record straight, and explain how this happened. Muzet's affection increases, but hey, we're doing the right thing. *Ludger explains things in a fade to black... So you're saying she did this just to get closer to us? Well, your plan backfired a little. You all get along so well with Milla. I thought this would make you like me more, too. Sorry... No. I'm the one who should apologize. Forgive me. Despite your scheming, you were only trying to impress me. Next time, how about we discuss your plans first? *nod* Yeah, I guess we'll give you a pass this time. It's sweet, in a really weird way. I really do hope we can become good friends. Really?  Guess you'll get some peace from Muzet's mind now. I'm not blind, you know. She may be obsessed with Milla now, but at least she's moving forward, trying to live her life. Not that I ever want to go through this again.  That's...probably not good for us... Well, maybe it's not all bad. We did get the next Muzet affection skit, but, y'know, be sure to tune in next time. At long last, time to head to the Land of Canaan. Update 33 alternate scene compilation Update 33 victory compilation Sylphid fucked around with this message at 03:11 on Nov 8, 2016 |
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Nov 8, 2016 03:05
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Muzet, "I Think My Harem Is Expressing Its Love Through Violence But Maybe It's Just My Imagination" was not a how-to guide.
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Nov 9, 2016 03:36
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Muzet keeps getting everyone into dangerous situations, and into our hearts. <3
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Nov 10, 2016 05:01
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Part XXXIV: The Man Who Concludes Well, when you're ready, time to enter the final dungeon and wrap this long story up. Don't worry, though: as soon as you regain control inside of Canaan, you can leave and run off to do what you want, especially resupply, if needed.   False paradise Yeesh. So much for a Promised Land... This sensation... What's all that smoky stuff? It gives me the creeps. It's just miasma. Although it might even kill Milla and me if we linger too long. What?! That is one foul fog! This miasma... Isn't it only supposed to be produced if soul purification stops? Miasma is expelled as souls pass through the cycle of reincarnation. It's a toxin that eats away at souls. Usually, Origin should be keeping it under control. Great. And we're supposed to just hold our noses and charge through it? Bisley already has. By using Elle's power, no doubt. Even though it's powerful, I doubt the Chromatus is going to help matters here. Might as well see what our options are here.  I see you noticed. What we are seeing here is not real.   The orb reveals that section of bridge is, in fact, not there. *gasp* A trap by Chronos? Yes, he's probably warping the space around us. Creating tricks of light. Illusions to waylay us. It's hard enough to see straight in this funhouse, let alone fight. Now what? Muzet and I could charge forward and dispel Chronos' power. However... We'd deplete our strength and be useless in the battle to come. If each of the Four Great Spirits could shield one of us, we'd be able to move forward without weakening. Good thinking, but... *nod* Right. Only four of us could actually move on. Oh boy. Well... First things first.  This cat must have had quite the journey to end up from a crazy cat lady's apartment to The Promised Land, the fabled Land of Canaan. There is also a kitty you can get from Kitty Dispatch. But enough of this. Let's see the case everyone has to make for me taking them... I'm with you to the ends of the earth, if that's what you wish. Ludger, I'll stick with you until the very end! I'm going with you--to the Great Spirit of Origin! Gonna put met to work, huh? You can bet I'll get the job done! For Elle, too! We have to save Elle! No matter what! There's only one thing an old man fears: Getting left behind! I'm all fired up and ready to roll! Let's do this! Just in case you were thinking otherwise, here's a friendly reminder: You leave me behind, and I will end you.Hm, difficult choices, all around. Though, I think Gaius goes without saying. I mean, you saw what he said. Well, actually, before recording this part, I determined via a complicated coin flipping tournament whereby different characters played against each other to make my decision for me. It took me a while, but I eventually ended up with a party of Gaius, Milla, and Elize. It's a pretty good party, all-around. Note, however, that the final cutscenes once we reach the end of Canaan are considerably different in terms of dialogue depending on who is in your party / who you chose first. There are endless permutations, and I'm not nuts enough to record or know all the possible combinations. But, we have our party, and let's see our result.   The Four's saying, "Cats can come along for free". Meow!  So, Canaan... What's the term for this dungeon? Oh yes, annoying as poo poo. Now, Tales games have kind of checkered history when it comes to final dungeons. Some games (like Phantasia and Abyss), have really good final dungeons, whereas other games (like both Symphonia games), have had not-so-great final dungeons. But the weirdest, I think, of all the final dungeons was Symphonia's, because literally the only thing you needed to do was defeat a really easy boss, get the key he drops, and open the final door. Exploring was entirely optional, but it still worked out, I think. Symphonia's end game was very odd, in general (I thought the anime's ending was superior in terms of not having so much padding that really didn't add anything in particular to the story. It's complicated, is what I'm saying). Oh, and just to prove The Eternal Circle is real, you know who the production studio was behind the Symphonia anime? That's right. None other than ufotable, the very same ufotable that's been more or less the animating brains behind the entire Tales series since Xillia 1, which also includes another Tales anime: Tales of Zestiria the X. And that work continues with the latest Tales game, Berseria. Wheels within wheels. Where was I? Oh yes, Canaan. Well, obviously two main gimmicks here: the fake bridges that vanish as soon as you get to them, and all the inky miasma making things a purple haze (not all in my brain), that makes it hard to see where you're going, and hard to dodge enemies. I won't make any excuses for this dungeon, because by no measure is it great or even fun (not even good music behind it. Abyss' final dungeon music was awesome), but let's just get out of here as soon as possible. The last sequence of the game is great.  With introductions out of the way, let's begin. From the initial landing (you can see where I started this area by way of the orange dot in the lower left corner of the radar), take this long, straight path underneath the rest of the walkways. It'll wind up...  You might notice there are other exits, but trust me, don't take 'em. You'll be in for a world of grief if you take any but this exit. The second area is even worse.  Take the first left you can, follow the path, then turn left. Wait...  Screw it, I'm getting myself confused, even looking at my recording of it. Whatever, get yourself to looking at this path. Head left, then turn left again when you get a fork in the road. Keep heading straight at the bottom of the path, take the next two rights, to get here.  Go right to go up that ramp, then you a nice view of your eventual destination. Continuing on down a ramp, turn right next, then loop around to taking the next right, then you'll arrive right at the landing with the final save point of the game and the warp to the final area of Canaan. If there's another way to get through this hellhole, and there very well may be, I don't care. This is the path I know works. When I was running through Canaan to get the alternate choices video, I must have gotten stuck in Canaan for about 20 minutes, running into dead end after dead end. It was so frustrating, lemme tell ya. Oh, and your party members will occasionally talk, but they don't have anything too interesting to say. Anyway, when all goodbyes are said, and all affairs are in order, the door to your destiny is right in front of you. I'll lead off with what Gaius has to say, right at the end of Canaan. This world doesn't need a king who sits smugly atop his throne. I will put an end to this. For the sake of all who've been lost, and the sake of all who still live.Let us ride to victory!  Huh...it's about time (technically, the chapter is *still* Brothers Forever). Anyway, don't worry about what happens after the ending. Once the credits have rolled, you'll get the chance to overwrite your data with clear data. That is, you'll basically be able to flag on whatever save file you're using that you've completed the game, and will be able to enjoy New Game+ to the fullest. If you use this last save point, put the clear data on that file, then you'll reload right here with the "Post-game" flag tripped. Otherwise, this is The Point of No Return. Once you arrive, a cutscene will immediately start and you'll be locked into the final sequence. Also, it goes without saying the next series of videos, the remainder of the videos, are pro-watches. I mean, they're not only good videos, but it's the ending.    Chrono Tempest   Looks like I cut it pretty close.  You did well to make it this far. Only took two thousand years. Who is the girl? One look at her face should tell you. She's a victim of your twisted little game. Origin was only trying to provide humanity with the opportunity to grow... To evolve. By ordering us to solve a puzzle and then hiding all the pieces? He gave you the Key. The rest was up to you. Right, and here I am. Ah, but you have not opened the door yet, have you? If your young companion were to become a catalyst, humanity would fail the Trial. Hmph. I've grown tired of this game.   Chronos breaks free, however, and...      Impressive. For a human.By the way, I should mention Chronos is voiced Junichi Suwabe in the Japanese release. I only mention that because he voiced everyone's favorite red cloaked bowman / swordsman, and I do think those who have played and enjoyed Xillia 2 beyond its native land are poorer for not being able to hear his sweet, dulcet voice in their game. Like I care what you think, spirit. The Key of Kresnik. Is this your trump card? Perhaps. Ludger!  I suppose you thought you could win if you both attacked at once. A futile plan, as you can see. There's only one way this is gonna go, but we should at least try to understand our enemy at the end of this adventure. Regardless of who wins, this story is going to end soon. Because the Trial's outcome has never been in doubt. The only thing that is left for me now is to finish you off and rescue my friend from beyond the door.If you're reading the subtitles, there's a second "is" after "left" that the voice actor, wisely, does not say. There has been some subtitle weirdness in the Tales series in the past, but the only one I can recall right now is some lines that differ in text / voice acting in Abyss. Speaking of other Tales games, I'm enjoying a website these days called the Cutting Room Floor, which is basically a compilation of all the cut / hidden stuff in video games that never saw the light of day. There's some neat stuff in there, lemme tell you, and there's a particularly bizarre connection between this game and Symphonia that I learned from that website, that I'll go into at a more appropriate time. What? Are you referring to Origin? Origin granted humanity the chance to evolve and grow, despite the toll your soul-purification process had on his body. And yet you think nothing of your own toxic impurities, nor do you attempt to raise yourselves from the filth! I cannot bear to watch my friend's torment any longer! I'll put a stop to all of this and save him! And is that what Origin wants, too? That is none of your concern. If Origin stops purifying souls, the miasma will flood the world. The miasma will consume all human souls, reducing them to nothing more than inanimate objects for producing mana. Afterwards, I will simply seal away all the miasma. Then spirits will finally have the world to themselves. Hmph, interesting.  You killed your own brother...to boost your strength?  Ah, the final Chronos battle. This is truly, in every sense, a final exam when it comes to Chronos. After the second fight, you should know what to expect from this guy. However, he's a little less dangerous this time, because his previous Mystic Arte, Bit Force, has been replaced by...   Chrono Erosion. Since it's a directed energy weapon, the beam will only hit in the direction Chronos was facing before he launched it. That's good news for you, assuming, of course, that not everyone in your party was nicely lined up for him.  Aside from his new Mystic, you've seen (almost) everything he has to offer before. He will bring in some of his Bits to help him out, but unlike the second fight, they are not indestructible. You can take them out of the fight, and I would recommend you do so. Some of his new additions are spells: Gravity Well, which is an arte Muzet can use, and Gravity Meteor, which drops several meteors from the sky onto a specific area, much like Meteor Swarm did in Tales games past, but not random. In any case, I interrupted him by accident on this playthrough, but in the alternate scene compilation, you can see the fight play out with a (mostly) different cast. You can see Gravity Meteor then.  And, of course, he has his ultimate trump card: negating every bit of damage you've done to him, while leaving your party in the same state as it was before. Now that just ain't sporting. Don't be like me and use the Chromatus for simple damage dealing. Chronos just has too much HP, and you need the Spear to beat this most potent of techniques.  He also has the power to make the moment eternal, which he can throw out any time he drat well pleases. Luckily, it only lasts a few seconds, and he's usually not particularly aggressive in those moments, especially if he runs off to cast something. Finally (drat, he really does have a lot of techniques), he has a very short range attack that's just meant to push away anyone close to him. Quite clever, really. Oh, and his arcane arte is a version of Chronos Laser (called Chronos Beam) that only fires straight in front of him, instead of a sweeping laser. That's good for you.  That was...a mess. But that's a wrap...right?  If It's For You Now, if you're thinking that Ludger's costume is a take on Milla's standard costume, you're right. We'll get to that in the post-game, but suffice to say, I really like this outfit. Urgh... I won't accept this. You will not inflict agony upon Origin any longer! You are a poor sport, Chronos.    That screenshot, that is, uh...that's something alright.  Don't bother. Your mastery of time and space is useless against the power of Origin's void. That means the girl is... Correct. The true Key of Kresnik. This cannot b-- *shoves spear further in* Trial's over. Humanity wins! Aaaaaaaaaggggh!  Hey, I mean, c'mon. We didn't come here to lecture her. Oh, and while this choice doesn't raise Elle's affection, I should note that, on this main playthrough, I got Julius' special weapon from the mailbox. No Bisley or Elle, though. That kind of stuff is reserved for a second playthrough. L-Ludger. Your strategy hinged on the girl? You're a smaller man than I thought. I did what was needed to defeat Chronos. At the very least, this tragedy will not be in vain. With my wish, I shall rob the spirits of their will, creating a world solely for humans. Urgh! Why would Origin grant such a selfish wish?! Origin has no say in the matter. *twists spear again* The Trial itself is a spirit arte, spawned from the pact between the Progenitor Kresnik and the Great Spirit Origin. As long as the pact's conditions are met, Origin will be compelled to use his power. Aaa-aaah! Give it up. She's beyond saving now. Of course, you could always wish away her pain. No. We have to get rid of the fractured dimensions. Ah, yes. And Origin can grant only one wish from one person at a time. I suppose one way to save her would be for me or Ludger to turn into a catalyst before she does. That would be the millionth catalyst, the magic number, and all transformations in progress would be canceled. Of course, that also means humanity fails the Trial, and the world comes to a bitter end.You put it like that... Seems we're at a standstill. A decision needs to be made soon, however. Please, wish away the fractured dimensions, so that Ludger won't disappear. We came here to save Elle. Bisley is just gonna have to step aside. However, I don't think he'll be doing that. Might as well give it a shot, though. Think this through, Ludger. Your real daughter will be born in the world someday. He's right... I'm just...a phony. *gasp* Ludger!  The right to make the wish is mine alone. Don't worry about it, Ludger. I will work this out with Origin. Can you even do that, Maxwell? It's not a matter of whether you can or can't-It's whether you do or don't. Hmph... You all are nothing more than the spirits' lapdogs. Very similar to something Van said to Luke during Abyss' final act, interesting enough. The quote was something like "Step across all the corpses and find your way to my side. Asch and Luke." (I got that from a translated script, but I distinctly remember the localized line being similar). I've always really like that imagery.        The Ultimate Chromatus Bearer bears his fangs at last... Bisley's chromatus! Ready yourselves. Ludger...  Oh man, we have our real final boss: Bisley Bakur. Bisley's one tough mutha, lemme tell ya. His primary attacks will come from his fists, as well as the occasional projectile attack. His attacks are extremely powerful and he'll chain a lot of them together. His Mystic Arte, Absolute Fist, gets demonstrated very quickly into this fight. There's nothing flashy about it, but it is the mother of all punches. It did 55k damage to Ludger, and it will instantly kill whoever is the target of it. So how do you fight such a monster? Well, the time-tested strategy of baiting him into an attack, side-stepping around, then punishing him works very well. However, you have to be fast. Bisley's not like Jude's AI. If he doesn't connect with an attack, he typically won't launch anymore. That brief window where he flubs his first attack and you have a chance to hit him while he's attacking / readjusting. Oh, the song here also deserves mention: Following One's Own Purpose  He also has this, End Bringer (he has a lot of poo poo he can throw at you, surprisingly enough). His only group attack involves him throwing a spear into the air, and it'll crash down in multiple parts to inflict little damage, but the all-important stagger. Bisley's fists DO hurt.   When he falls to critically low HP levels (~45,000 out of just under 500k HP on Hard), he'll automatically throw out Absolute Fist and deliver a KO punch on Ludger. This isn't good...  Song 4 U Don't get cocky. *spots Julius' watch on the floor after Ludger dropped it* So you used Julius' soul to build the bridge. You really killed glasses guy? With one poor decision, you instantly made everyone's death meaningless. Your brother's death. Your own death.   Daddy's pocketwatch! Ludger! Even her death.   Ludger! Elle! Curse you two!    So you made a pact with the watch itself.  Ah, the final final battle. You always start off in Chromatus Level 4, the final rank, but once you return to normal gameplay, the fight is much like the previous one. Just enjoy that burst of adreneline you'll get from a remix of the OP theme playing, and continue to hammer away at him. Just so it's appropriate, I wouldn't advise activating the Chromatus at any point in this fight, unless you absolutely must. You'll see why. Actually, now that it's the final boss, let's talk final boss music. The Tales series has a long tradition of good final boss themes, but some personal standouts to me include Finish the Promise from Abyss, Battle for a Future to Believe In from Xillia 1, and, more recently, Chaotic Calamity That's One With A God from Zestiria, and I would be in grave error if I didn't throw a big shoutout to the theme of the "true" form of Zestiria's final boss, Chaotic Calamity That's One With A God -Awakening-, which is really the ultimate in "You're in trouble now, tough guy" final boss themes. Xillia 2 joins this proud tradition. The name of the final boss theme for this game is If It's For You -Song 4 U-, which is where I got the title of this thread from.         The Trial's Verdict  Ludger... Hey.   drat you, Ludger! Behind you! I wouldn't use the chromatus again if I were you. When you make a direct pact like that, you then run the risk of degenerating and becoming a divergence catalyst yourself. Considering the sheer power at your disposal, you would transform in the blink of an eye. Heh... Well, I never expected that you would surpass me.  But that is exactly what makes humans so interesting. We never do what's expected. *begins walking toward the large machine* You want my wish, Origin? Let me tell you my own personal wish. To take this fist...and punch you all to oblivion!  Bisley Bakur. May your soul rest in peace. A man who gave his life to fulfill his duty. Hey... I'm so glad that...that you all came to find me. You too.     It's finally open... No, Bisley. NOW humanity wins. There's nothing to fear. If it comes to it, I'll handle things. Yeah...  The Great Spirit Origin. The one and only. I am very pleased to meet you, King Gaius. You know about me? Of course I do. You see, the souls tell me everything. They're sort of like my little birds. You seem quite curious about humans. Perhaps. But not as much as you, Maxwell. I suppose this is our first meeting, but we have a little time for pleasantries. We have a request. To rid the fractured dimensions and continue soul purification. Precisely. I would be willing to help if you think you're at your limit. Even if that meant endless torment? Even so. You really do love humans, don't you? Milla, wait! Enough! You would force Origin to continue the purification? I refuse to stand idly by as you continue to torment him with your corruption. Thank you, Chronos. Your concern for me has consumed you for far too long. You musn't burden yourself over me. You must make the humans accountable and have them pay for their crimes. *chuckles* What's so funny? Well, you just showed the most human thing about you. It reminds me of why I love humans. Wh-What? I hereby grant these representatives of humanity the right to make one wish. Ludger and Elle. For overcoming the Trial and opening the door, the wish is yours. Me and Ludger? Yes. Wish for anything, but you must decide together. I could even undo your transformation into a catalyst. No, you can't do that. We have to wish away the fractured dimensions. "That would be the millionth catalyst, the magic number, and all transformations in progress would be canceled."  ... Update 34 alternate scene compilation Update 34 victory compilation Sylphid fucked around with this message at 06:25 on Nov 14, 2016 |
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Nov 14, 2016 06:09
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God drat
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Nov 14, 2016 10:21
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So I guess being a little girl means being impaled by Biesely's spear does nothing at all? Because she sure seemed to shrug off a half-foot blade through her body.
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Nov 14, 2016 18:48
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I know it's petty of me, but just seeing all these plot holes once again is already making me twitch. Oh, ~song 4 u~, take me away from all this madness.Stabbey_the_Clown posted:So I guess being a little girl means being impaled by Biesely's spear does nothing at all? Because she sure seemed to shrug off a half-foot blade through her body. The spear is outright wider than she is. She should be split in half.
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Nov 14, 2016 19:50
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Stabbey_the_Clown posted:So I guess being a little girl means being impaled by Biesely's spear does nothing at all? Because she sure seemed to shrug off a half-foot blade through her body. Clearly it's a Chromatus Divergence Impalement, which doesn't actually cause physical damage.
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Nov 15, 2016 11:38
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So is it me, or does eliminating fractured dimensions not actually mean jack dick right now? We said hi to Origin, so humanity's safe.
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Nov 16, 2016 02:26
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Glazius posted:So is it me, or does eliminating fractured dimensions not actually mean jack dick right now? We said hi to Origin, so humanity's safe. The stated reason is that the Fractured Dimensions will continue to leech soul energy and create miasma. Both of these reasons fall apart if you think about it for any period of time, but those are the reasons given.
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Nov 16, 2016 02:56
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If only there were a third choice that can allow both to happen. If only.
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Nov 16, 2016 03:41
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As a heads up, I have not forgotten this thread. There's...a lot of work that has gone into the recording of the next update. Rest assured I am proceeding with all due haste, so please bear with me.
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Nov 26, 2016 04:32
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I love the Bisley fight a ton. I really didn't like the Xillia final boss or Chronos, so I wasn't expecting a ton, but then this crazy boxer came up and decked Jude into the stratosphere and then it was just  .Also, because I feel like the MOST RIDICULOUS LINE needs to be requoted. : To take this fist...and punch you all to oblivion!
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Nov 26, 2016 05:03
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