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Arcade Rabbit
Nov 11, 2013

In SMT4 and SMT4A armor just gives you new elemental strengths and weaknesses. Because that game literally does not have a Defense stat. It makes every bit of armor you find a bit more unique, but I cant say I really enjoyed that system.

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DiggleWrath
Aug 30, 2018

O O
>

Arcade Rabbit posted:

In SMT4 and SMT4A armor just gives you new elemental strengths and weaknesses. Because that game literally does not have a Defense stat. It makes every bit of armor you find a bit more unique, but I cant say I really enjoyed that system.

Yeah, combat in those 2 games really was rocket tag. Random encounters always took about a round basically, and by god, if you got ambushed you were just hosed. I really preferred the slower battles in SMT 3.

Siegkrow
Oct 11, 2013

Arguing about Lore for 5 years and counting



smt iv, where weapons mean Jack poo poo because you WILL play a wizard.

Commander Keene
Dec 21, 2016

Faster than the others



Arcade Rabbit posted:

In SMT4 and SMT4A armor just gives you new elemental strengths and weaknesses. Because that game literally does not have a Defense stat. It makes every bit of armor you find a bit more unique, but I cant say I really enjoyed that system.
Armor also increases your HP in SMT4, kind of like Final Fantasy Tactics. Leg armor for some reason gave the most HP. The game is still very much rocket tag, but armor isn't just resistances.

Siegkrow posted:

smt iv, where weapons mean Jack poo poo because you WILL play a wizard.
Weapons mean jack poo poo in most SMT games, because even Phys and Gun special attacks don't factor in weapon power (IIRC) and why aren't you using special attacks? Your weapon matters in, like, I, II, and Strange Journey, because in those games your MC doesn't get special attacks on his own.

DiggleWrath
Aug 30, 2018

O O
>

Siegkrow posted:

smt iv, where weapons mean Jack poo poo because you WILL play a wizard.

Jack poo poo, the worst of the Jack Bros.

Commander Keene
Dec 21, 2016

Faster than the others



DiggleWrath posted:

Jack poo poo, the worst of the Jack Bros.
This Game Stinks.

Chokes McGee
Aug 7, 2008

This is Urotsuki.

DiggleWrath posted:

Jack poo poo, the worst of the Jack Bros.

Mr. off would like a word

DiggleWrath
Aug 30, 2018

O O
>

Chokes McGee posted:

Mr. off would like a word

Hey, at least Jack Off can be fun. You can't really say the same about Jack poo poo.

Though Jack Off's wife, Goof Off, that's a whole other can of worms, one I'm sure you know all about :v:


On a different note, Chokes, do you plan on uploading maps when the dungeons get sufficiently complex? Or are the individual dungeons mostly uninteresting enough (in the sense of not have bullshit fun to make them confusing to navigate, like Wizardry 1) to make maps unnecessary?

Seyser Koze
Dec 15, 2013

Mucho Mucho
Nap Ghost

DiggleWrath posted:

Jack poo poo, the worst of the Jack Bros.

There was a Jack Squat in Devil Survivor (one of the one-star Jacks on the auction).

Chokes McGee
Aug 7, 2008

This is Urotsuki.

DiggleWrath posted:

Hey, at least Jack Off can be fun. You can't really say the same about Jack poo poo.

Though Jack Off's wife, Goof Off, that's a whole other can of worms, one I'm sure you know all about :v:


On a different note, Chokes, do you plan on uploading maps when the dungeons get sufficiently complex? Or are the individual dungeons mostly uninteresting enough (in the sense of not have bullshit fun to make them confusing to navigate, like Wizardry 1) to make maps unnecessary?

Uncertain. I want to get through Najima first before we get that far. Once things start getting all twisty and turny, though, I'll probably have to post maps or else it's just going to be a lot of the same.

Depending on how work goes tomorrow, a fresh upgrade could drop by tomorrow night. We shall see.

Chokes McGee
Aug 7, 2008

This is Urotsuki.
Chapter 5: Anti-climb-atic













So, what's this key thing I keep hearing about?

Thief's Key. And you keep hearing about it because we keep telling you about it.

Oh. That's what that weird trombone noise is.








What a potentially lucrative tower of monsters!

Lucrative? Like, I get that we're beating up poo poo and you're taking a cut of the gold. That's fine. But what are you gonna do, set up a shop here or something?








...huh.





It cannot possibly be safe to stay here.

Psh! We've had plenty of guests stay without a single complaint!

How do you keep the monsters out, though?

ROOOO

Out! Shoo! *whack* Shoo!

RROOOOO GRRRR

Well, that's one way, I suppose.


Today, we'll be climbing the Tower of Najima. Conveniently located in the basement is... this inn. No gimmicks or storyline here, just an inn to recharge whenever you can make it here. No, it doesn't make any sense, but we'll take it.





ack





Masked moths will start showing up now. If you like missing with the Fight command, boy howdy, have you come to the right place.





Our primary goal right now is to explore rooms. They are, of course, located off the map and will require us to actually poke our heads in.

Many will not be worth it.










argh





argh





AAAAARGH




Encounter rate is at its highest in dungeons, by the way. Towers. Tower-dungeons. Whatever. The point is, we're going to have multiple fights break out within a handful of steps, and we're just going to have to deal. We're not seeing anything unusual yet, though, other than those goddamn moths.








We're levelling up, too! All our characters are at or bearing down on level 7 and seem to be handling themselves well. One interesting thing is that some classes level up faster than others. Take a look at Swindle there: the least experience out of everyone in the party, and he's already level 7. Meanwhile, Erika has the exact same experience as Shanna and is running a level behind. From what I can tell, the Hero(ine) levels up painfully slow, and Merchants jump out in front of the pack and run away. I assume he'll be coming back down to Earth eventually, but for now, it's great.

Merchants are such an interesting class. They don't do any one specific thing memorably, but they have a lot of little gimmicks that add up. If they got a handful of weirdly specific spells, they'd be the ultimate gadget class. I love gadget classes. They're the wildcard of RPGs, and you never know what goofy poo poo they're going to do next.





Shanna's also starting to gain spells. Expel is a reset button on fights that warps monsters... somewhere else... for no EXP or gold. It's an "oh poo poo" button that doesn't even work in the worst situations, and we will (probably) not be casting it, ever.

Surround, you've already seen. Now we can do it, too. :getin: There's no compelling reason to use it right now, but we could if we wanted to. Later on, it will be supremely useful.





Meanwhile, Erika has the two most useful starting spells in the game and not a lot of MP to cast them with. This will obviously change as the game goes on, but right now, her magic is for emergencies only.





First floor has nothing of note other than the Inn and an ascending staircase on the right. Up we go!













Hmm. Stairs.

Great! Looks like we're done with this floor already.

Or maybe... that's just what they want us to think.

Just what who wants us to think?








Just as I suspected.





Well played, but the game is mine.

Who are you even talking to?

Oh, I think you know.

...













A second set of stairs. Just as I suspected.

They tried to outsmart you, Erika, but you won in the end.

Indeed.

...








Mind the gap, all.

Bit more than a gap.





Hmm. Does anyone else see that treasure chest?

...no? I can't see through walls, Swindle. Can you?

...

...you... you can't. Right?

Ha ha! Goodness me, no.

Hmm.

look over there a distraction

What? Where?













Ooh! What's the slimy thing on the end do?





ack

Well, you did ask.




Babbles: what if slimes, but poison?

This is the first time we've seen poison status in the game, and it's the same as every other stock RPG: it sticks after fights, does damage over time, and sucks rear end. It'll deal a point or two every few steps while we're walking around and a handful of HP every round in consecutive fights. It's also stupidly difficult to get rid of and potentially lethal if you don't have anything in your inventory or spellbook to neutralize it.







Erika. Nina isn't looking well.

gak hrrk

No sweat. This chest has an antidote herb.

Oh?

Yup. It's just the way they planned it.

Ah, yes. Worthy adversaries, one and all.

...





...okay, new plan. We need to get Nina out of here.

There's a lot of ground to cover between here and the exit...

Swindle's right. She'll never make it back.

gkk

...ground. Ground! I can get us back in time to save her!

Wonderful! Lead the way!








Ah... Erika?

Erika. Erika, what are you doing.

Okay, we're going to want to get a good running start.

This is not a plan THIS IS NOT A P—








Aaaaand she sticks the landing!



No time for laying around! We got a Fighter to save!











Boom, back in town. Am I a genius or what?

my legs

my back

:barf:

Oh, cry me a river.







I don't think Detoxicate is a word.

Well, we also have revivicationary services if you need them.

Forget I said anything.







Towers in Dragon Warrior are hilarious. Low on HP? Just fling yourself off from several stories up! It'll be fine, probably! We also use that Wing of Wyvern we found. It's the classic Dragon Warrior town-warp item, and it's always good to have one handy. Also, once we're inside town, Nina is safe. You won't take poison damage in civilian areas. Not sure how that works from a biological standpoint, but whatever.

Speaking of keeping items handy: if you don't have an antidote herb or the Detox spell—which we don't—you'll have to talk to a priest to get rid of poison. I guess you can pray the venom away? The medieval church being right all along is not something I expected.





Yeah, we're not doing this again.

Okay, off we go for try #2! I'll skip the lower floors since we've already seen them. Absolutely nothing of interest happens, except this:










The first staircase had a treasure chest all along.

Ha! I knew it.

We passed up the first staircase... just like they wanted us to.

Will you stop doing that

Aw. You're no fun.











I'm gonna be honest. I'm not sold on this.

It's not completely noticeable.

Gee, thanks.










Magicians are the first new face we've seen in a while.








They can be a headache in groups because they cast Blaze. Here in Najima, we'll only face one at a time. Erika swirlies this nerd and we can move on.













Gear up, guys. It's boss time.





Just as I expected you to.

Don't you start.

Kidding, kidding.





Wh... that's it?

say yes

I know that! Yes, we accept.





zzzzzz

Are you making GBS threads me? That's it? *punt* Wake up!

hmm srnx what





I mean, it's going to, but—





zzzzz

We have what we came for. Let's just leave him alone.

You get up and give me a satisfyingly difficult boss fight right now you decrepit old piece of gently caress




Nope, no boss fights here! Here's an important quest item, now piss off.





We unlock the door below us here, and since we're done...










Screw this place, I'm out.

Not this again!

wait what why are we jumping WHAT ARE—








You're right, Erika! Tucking and rolling makes a lot of difference.

oof

Now where to?

Swindle, my man, I'm about to make your entire year.





Anything that keys fits into is yours. Go full ham.

:hawaaaafap:

I'm surprised at you, Erika. Aiding and abetting capitalists. You're going on my list.

Hmm. "Dumb People I Gotta Guillotine Today."

It's a very long list. It might take a while.

Why are the first twelve pages just my name over and over again?




Next Time: Breaking and Entering

Nemo2342
Nov 26, 2007

Have A Day




Nap Ghost
Nina continues to be the best character.

grandalt
Feb 26, 2013

I didn't fight through two wars to rule
I fought for the future of the world

And the right to have hot tea whenever I wanted
hehe, jumping off the tower to make a quick get away. Nice

DiggleWrath
Aug 30, 2018

O O
>

No boss for a major key item, huh? What a strange turn of events.

So when the party do actually find a boss, how much is it going to suck?

e: how much is it going to suck for the heroine and party, rather?

Rabbi Raccoon
Mar 31, 2009

I stabbed you dude!
I'm trying to think of an RPG with the longest time to the first boss fight. I wanna say Beyond the Beyond, which is at least 7 dungeons in

Chokes McGee
Aug 7, 2008

This is Urotsuki.

DiggleWrath posted:

No boss for a major key item, huh? What a strange turn of events.

So when the party do actually find a boss, how much is it going to suck?

e: how much is it going to suck for the heroine and party, rather?

Dragon Warrior bosses usually suck a whole lot so I’m expecting the other shoe to eventually drop pretty hard.

Commander Keene
Dec 21, 2016

Faster than the others



Rabbi Raccoon posted:

I'm trying to think of an RPG with the longest time to the first boss fight. I wanna say Beyond the Beyond, which is at least 7 dungeons in
DQ7 and Persona 4/5 are also pretty high up on that list. In DQ7, it can take upwards of an hour before you get to the first fight. I suppose it depends upon whether you consider the golem or Matilda to be the first boss, though.

DiggleWrath
Aug 30, 2018

O O
>

I can't speak for P5 (don't have a PS4, please let there be a switch or PC port of it soon), but it took me 3 hours in P4 to get to the first fight. But that was with listening to every bit of dialogue, so you could get there faster. And the first boss fight is right after that, so there's a big difference between P4 and, say, Beyond the Beyond.

fucking love Fiona Apple
Jun 19, 2013

samus comfy so what

Not an RPG but Zelda Twilight Princess has an agonizingly long intro.

Commander Keene
Dec 21, 2016

Faster than the others



DiggleWrath posted:

I can't speak for P5 (don't have a PS4, please let there be a switch or PC port of it soon), but it took me 3 hours in P4 to get to the first fight. But that was with listening to every bit of dialogue, so you could get there faster. And the first boss fight is right after that, so there's a big difference between P4 and, say, Beyond the Beyond.
I think it took me about an hour in P4G to get to the first fight. I suppose it depends upon whether you count Shadow Yosuke and Shadow Chie as bosses or as part of the game's extended tutorial. Shadow Yukiko is where the game takes off the kid gloves and expects you to actually use what you've learned.

Bellmaker
Oct 18, 2008

Chapter DOOF



Rabbi Raccoon posted:

I'm trying to think of an RPG with the longest time to the first boss fight. I wanna say Beyond the Beyond, which is at least 7 dungeons in

I'm upset you reminded me of that dumb stupid game with dumb stupid Samson, who by comparison makes Goof Offs look amazing.

Oh no, a scarf, I guess I'll just suck forever :argh:

DiggleWrath
Aug 30, 2018

O O
>

loving love Fiona Apple posted:

Not an RPG but Zelda Twilight Princess has an agonizingly long intro.

Not a game, but my laptop takes an agonizingly long time to start up.

Chokes McGee
Aug 7, 2008

This is Urotsuki.

DiggleWrath posted:

Not a game, but my laptop takes an agonizingly long time to start up.

if you can get a cup of coffee in between turning your laptop on and booting up Retroarch it may be time to invest in a new computer

clockwork chaos
Sep 15, 2009




Nemo2342 posted:

Nina continues to be the best character.

:swoon: :allears: :snoo:
I concur! Looking forward to Nina bringing the Revolution via spinkicks and punching every monster and capitalist (but i repeat myself hoho) equally in the face.

DiggleWrath
Aug 30, 2018

O O
>

Chokes McGee posted:

if you can get a cup of coffee in between turning your laptop on and booting up Retroarch it may be time to invest in a new computer

My laptop is actually fine, I lied for the sake of a joke. Judge me if you will

Chokes McGee
Aug 7, 2008

This is Urotsuki.

DiggleWrath posted:

My laptop is actually fine, I lied for the sake of a joke. Judge me if you will

I judge you... guilty. WOOOO AT AT AT AT AT KYAH

Drakenel
Dec 2, 2008

The glow is a guide, my friend. Though it falls to you to avert catastrophe, you will never fight alone.
Ideals are all well and good, but how will she feel when they spend the money to have her dead rear end resurrected?

fucking love Fiona Apple
Jun 19, 2013

samus comfy so what

A small sacrifice in the fight against capitalism.

CmdrKing
Oct 14, 2012

Maybe if I called it 'Interpretive Stabbing'...
Participating in capitalist endeavors to survive under capitalism even while working to ultimately replace it is perfectly valid praxis. There's no shame in earning and utilizing money to keep going.
Indeed the better practice in that scenario would be insisting on using party resources to revive any other unfortunate dead in the vicinity before moving on.

Commander Keene
Dec 21, 2016

Faster than the others



Drakenel posted:

Ideals are all well and good, but how will she feel when they spend the money to have her dead rear end resurrected?
I'm pretty sure they already have. It was marginally more expensive than a night at the inn.

Death is a slap on the wrist in DQ games. Except when it isn't.

Ayndin
Mar 13, 2010

Commander Keene posted:

DQ7 and Persona 4/5 are also pretty high up on that list. In DQ7, it can take upwards of an hour before you get to the first fight. I suppose it depends upon whether you consider the golem or Matilda to be the first boss, though.

DQ7 doesn't just have pacing issues, it has pacing volumes. It was pretty much the first DQ I played after this one (specifically the GBC remake) and...woof, that was a transition.

DiggleWrath
Aug 30, 2018

O O
>

Commander Keene posted:

I'm pretty sure they already have. It was marginally more expensive than a night at the inn.

Death is a slap on the wrist in DQ games. Except when it isn't.

Aliahan must subsidize its resurrection services for adventurers. They're pretty cool, for a capitalistic socialist monarchy.

Chokes McGee
Aug 7, 2008

This is Urotsuki.
Chapter 6: Breaking and Entering







Let's get back to the castle.

:woop:

Keep your powder dry, Swin. I want to see my mom first.

We can meet your grandfather, too!

...yeah.













Oh! Back so soon?

Yeah. Got a key or something, I don't know. I have people to keep track of that now.

Hey!

Anyway, we were in the neighborhood, so I thought I'd drop by and say hello. *hug*

Thank you for thinking of me, sweetie. Go and say hi to your grandpa, too.

...

You know he misses you.

I do?








Yeah, dad was great. I know, because you've told me a thousand times.

Don't get smart with me, young man! Your father was a great hero! You have big footsteps to walk in!

Um, excuse me, Mister... Grandpa. Sir. I'm pretty sure Erika's a—

Shhhhh

Eh? What's that?

A Hero, grandpa. She's saying I'm the Legendary Hero.

Legendary, psh! Come back when you've slain a dragon or two. I might think about it then!

Sure. Well, I said hi. I'm done now. Bye.





Just you wait, boy! You think I'm hard on you, but you'll thank me later!





That was... a bit strange.

Yes, it was. Erika, do you still not want to—

No.

All right. Whenever you're ready.

Don't hold your loving breath. I'm in a bad mood now. Let's break into some houses to cheer me up.

Delighted to!








And behind door number one...








:stonk:

Holy—what happened to you?





Uh... Shanna? Can you heal this guy or something?

Regenerating fingers and legs are a little beyond me right now.

Let's just leave the poor man alone.








What's a "magic ball?"

snrrrk

Shush.

Supposedly, it's an artifact that opens a sealed door to the rest of the world. I don't really know much more about it, other than it's ridiculously dangerous.

No kidding. The shape that guy was in was... not great.

Indeed. Someone should clear him for some artificial limbs. They would help him get up and about and feel better about himself. Do you know where we can purchase some?

You're going to buy him medical equipment? Aww. Maybe I was wrong about you, Swindle.

Yeah, we don't have any of that here.

Oho! So you would say there's a definite demand market.

Neeeeeever mind







Well, as long as we're breaking and entering, we might as well raid the castle.








Oh—what the rear end?! It's just people in these rooms!

Yes, amazingly enough some of us like to lock our rooms for privacy.

We're just here to ask a few quick questions. Have you heard anything about a Magic Ball?

snrrx ffft snicker





Now, get out before I call the guards.

We can be in here too! We have a key. Kind of.

That's a skeleton key made by a literal thief!

Ah, but not a skeleton!

...what?

Well, you can't legally call it a skeleton key if it wasn't made by a skeleton, can you?

But... but I...

So, it seems to me that, since we have access to this room with a legitimate key, it's our room, too.

...

I'll be expecting your rent by the end of the month. Gold only, please!







Swindle, if you try to turn this room into another AirDnD, I'm going to enziguri kick you in the back of the head.

Noted.





fffffft

Will you please show some maturity? You're supposed to be the Legendary Hero! Ine. Heroine.

hee hee magic balls

Not you, too!







That seems like all of it. Disappointing, but at least I've expanded my side gig.

:catstare:

Stop it this instant, both of you. Nina, you know very well that Swindle's explanations are nonsense and wouldn't hold up in court.

Hmpf.

Anyway. Where to now, Erika?

We'll take a shortcut back.





Isn't this a bit out of the way for a shortcut?

Sure, but check this out.





WELL, I GUESS I'LL JUST BE LEAVING THROUGH THE PRISON WITH THIS KEY I GOT. DUDE JUST LITERALLY GAVE IT TO ME, NO FIGHTS WHATSOEVER

:rant:








So worth it.




Besides committing countless misdemeanors, today's quest will center around getting ahold of a *snrrk* *ffft* Magic Ball. If you remember, one of the townspeople when we started this mess said that Aliahan was cut off from the rest of the world after a war. We'll need to unseal that cave before we can continue our ~epic quest~

Fortunately, there's not many Thief's Key doors in this area, so we can visit them all by memory.












Checklist time. Rare item?

Check.

From a gently caress-off remote location?

Check!

Nobody ever went there?

Certainly not!

Well, let's get that door unlocked!








Wonderful! Hold my backpack.

*oof* Yeah, this wasn't really part of the—is this my unicorn doll from when I was a kid?!

Of course not! Why, have you always wanted one *hrk*

Touch my stuff again, and they'll be nothing left of you but a turban on a spear as a warning to others.

...you can have it as a gift. I insist.

Shh, it's okay, Queen Sparkleboots. I'm here now.










Jackpot.

It's always time to throw a party when you find seeds in a treasure chest. These things boost an associated stat about 1D6 points, and they're all over the place. Standard operating procedure in Dragon Warrior—for me at least—is to give all of them to the Hero(ine) so (s)he'll be completely insane in stats by the end. We might as well get started with—





Goddammit Swindle


Actually, what happened here is that I forgot this isn't Shining Force, and the person who uses the seed just up and eats it. At least it was funny! Now that we're done with this room, there's only one place left on the island to explore, so it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know where we're headed next. Before we do that, though, there's a door in Reeve that needs openin'. Let's pop over and see what's inside.










*click*








Sup. We're in your house, stealing your stuff.

Well, I'm afraid I don't have any "stuff" to steal, except for this.





You can have it for free. You'll need it, Hero.

...

Erika, it's good practice to thank people who give you important gifts.

...you made a Magic Ball?

I did.

A Magic Ball.

Mmm hmm.

That's what you make. You just sit around all day, making Magic Balls.

Yes.

And then you give your Magic Balls to people.

I do!

...

...

.....pfffffFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTT AAAAAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA




A few minutes later...







bwahahahahaha

...are you quite done?

lol looool dyin, dead

...




Well, whatever this doodad is, we have one now! Let's go get that cave unsealed. Not surprisingly, we'll be going through that mountain overpass we ran screaming away from last time. We're much better equipped to deal with it now, both figuratively and literally.








And, that means new faces!

These are Healers, known later as Healslimes, which is a boring and worse name by every calibre. These jellyfish critters can withstand a pretty hefty amount of punishment, but their gimmick, as you might suspect, is casting Heal all fight long. Occasionally they'll attack for weak damage, but they'll mostly spam heal and gently caress up all your fight plans. Like all Dragon Warrior monsters, they do have actual, limited MP, and it's low enough that they'll eventually run out. So, one way or another they'll stop, but a single healer can prolong a fight to agonizing lengths right now.







BZZZZZZZZZz

Yeesh, these things are irritating.

I knew a guy that had an infestation of these once. Thought they were perfectly harmless until they started calling their buddies up.








Like that.

Goodness. Do they do that often?

I don't know. Dude ran screaming out into the wilds, and I've never heard from him again.




Scorpion Wasps—which are not cicada killers, so no, I'm not self-inserting and stop asking—will BAF (bring-a-friend, a.k.a. call more monsters to the fight). This isn't nearly as bad as it sounds, because any of us can kill a Scorpion Wasp in one or two hits. If we run into a pile that starts BAFing, we can easily smack them down as fast as they show up. It's EXP whack-a-mole, and believe it or not, it's by design. One of the fastest ways to level up in Dragon Warrior is to isolate a BAF monster, wait for him and his buddies to ring up an army, murder all of them but one, and then repeat. For very little effort and HP, you can win a fight and get all the EXP and Gold. All of it.

Obviously, you eventually outgrow the monsters you're fighting, and the experience isn't useful to you any more. It's still a nifty powerlevel trick that's legit baked into the game, and a lot more satisfying than you'd think.

That's about it as far as new faces go. We'll still see some previous monsters, such as babbles.





We will be seeing a whole lot of babbles.





So many babbles.







Oo! This looks pretty.

Hippie.

Get thee behind me, nature hater.





Well, here we are. It's a lake. A big, fat, stupid lake that doesn't do anything. Can we go now?

Shh. Ssssssh. Listen.

?

Do you hear that?

...

That's the sound of you not ruining my moment.

How very zen.







If you're done looking at water, Nina, we need to figure out where this sealed cave nonsense is.

You do pay attention!

If I have to. This shrine looks like a pretty good place to pester.





Honestly, I don't even know why people lock their doors if it's this easy to get in.

It really makes you rethink some key assumptions of community living.

Not that you'd argue.

Oh my, no.





It's about goddamn time somebody got that—

Oh, excuse me. Young man.

...

Sorry about that. I have a cold.

This spring... would it happen to be the lake behind here?

That's the one. Just head over there and use the Magic Ball. The rest should work itself out.

Sure, if we can figure out how the stupid thing works. Do you, like, throw the ball in the water, and it drains the lake? Is that it?

...nnno? Just look around the lake, there's a hole in the ground you can go through.











...and if someone would have shut up and shown more appreciation for natural wonders, maybe we would've found what we were looking for in the first place!

You've made your point, okay?!














Ta da.

When he said it was a hole in the ground, he wasn't kidding.








Blast!

What appears to be the trouble, good sir?





Every day I come down here and stare at this wall in anger. It's a reminder of the fortune I left behind in the old world.

Oh really! And would you be in the need of, shall we say, some enterprising physical support to secure passage to these riches?

I got a wetworks team of my own, if that's what you're asking.

Refreshingly direct.

Okay, this is completely not fascinating and all, but we gotta break this seal open.

You can't get through this wall unless... wait. Do you have a Magic Ball?!

that's what she said pfffffff

We do! Though, it seems to me a man of your calibre would prefer to do the honors himself. We could part ways with it for a fair price.

No way. You guys found it, you get to use it. I'll just be back here. Like, way back here.

Feelin' real good about this all of a sudden.







Okay. Does anyone know how to use this thing?









Put it up against the wall.

Well, no poo poo.

Now, pull the pin, take a few steps back, and count to three!

Sure, why not. *plink* One. Two. Three oh shi—




















*hack* *cough*

He did say to take a few steps back.

I thought he was exagerrating




Next Time: Holey Moley

Drakenel
Dec 2, 2008

The glow is a guide, my friend. Though it falls to you to avert catastrophe, you will never fight alone.
The old man is from SaGa verse, apparently. Magic balls indeed.

Chokes McGee
Aug 7, 2008

This is Urotsuki.

Drakenel posted:

The old man is from SaGa verse, apparently. Magic balls indeed.

I’d believe it. There’s no explanation as to how he makes it, why, or where it comes from or looks like. Just “welp you found me, here u go.”

Baffling.

Drakenel
Dec 2, 2008

The glow is a guide, my friend. Though it falls to you to avert catastrophe, you will never fight alone.

Chokes McGee posted:

I’d believe it. There’s no explanation as to how he makes it, why, or where it comes from or looks like. Just “welp you found me, here u go.”

Baffling.

Look, Ryu-o gets bored. Alright? Confusing adventurers happens to be his hobby.

Slaan
Mar 16, 2009



ASHERAH DEMANDS I FEAST, I VOTE FOR A FEAST OF FLESH
Queen Sparkleboots has returned from her long captivity! Rejoice for the kingdom is saved!

The Lone Badger
Sep 24, 2007

That's not subtext at all right? The 'magic ball' is straight-up

NewMars
Mar 10, 2013
Oh that swindle, taking everyone's prize possessions, he's such a card.


Fifty GC he runs off with the party treasury just before the final boss.

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Chokes McGee
Aug 7, 2008

This is Urotsuki.

NewMars posted:

Oh that swindle, taking everyone's prize possessions, he's such a card.


Fifty GC he runs off with the party treasury just before the final boss.

Accepted!

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