LogFAQs > #960690512

The Lindsey Stirling concert was fantastic, if you must ask. But this is not a topic about that. This is a playthrough topic.

I beat the crap out of Dyle by repeatedly tapping the A button (360 controller). It's a boring fight. I don't know any of this combo stuff in this game - it feels more random what works the best than it did in Graces or Xillia. Afterward, he explains that he was the scapegoat and that he only participated in the smuggling operation for the benefits the guild offered him. The whole guild was involved, and he wants to kill a good number of them - the ones who let him take the blame. Velvet subsequently chops off his tail to bring back as "proof" he's dead and lets him do what he wants with killing people in Hellawes (in part so nobody follows her when they realize she was the one who incited the jailbreak). being a Lizardfolk who just lost his tail, he's obviously in pain... pain that abruptly stops. Huh. He also says he regrets leaving home to be a sailor... obviously also. He mentions "becoming human again" - so wait he's not a typical Lizardfolk?

I get a warp bottle, but that's useless because... there's a warp pad just a little bit away. I'm back in Hellawes before you know it, learning about future dungeon Mt. Killaraus, noticing a typo ("fare share" and it's not a cabbie's pun), and finding a drunk Magilou talking about holding hands at the bar. I was so hoping we'd get a voiced bit there. Anyway, Velvet threatens the shipping guild with exposing their involvement... and they don't seem to realize that Dyle told her his side. Morons. One would think "How do you know that?" would be the initial response of anyone with half a brain. Gotta wonder why Velvet didn't ask Dyle to repair and crew her ship though >_>

I'd already purged my equipment by the time I get to the "Enhance" tutorial, but that's okay. There's plenty of extras and I can enhance some of this stuff a little. So I do. Then I go out, beat up some more enemies, and do more. Hey, they drop items like there's no tomorrow (also the game tells me NOW of all times that drop rates increase as I kill things [hoping to get chain encounters soon] and that Mystic Artes increase chances exponentially, so... that's good to know, and good to save here, since I presume Mystic Artes aren't a thing for another 20 levels' worth of EXP).

On the way back to the ship, I see a skit about Velvet's eating of daemon souls causing them to revert to humans. She's now wondering if Niko could be alive (it's possible, but it would severely soften the impact of the #blindside when it happened), because it's... an interesting thought. Anyway, I have a boatload of weapons to deconstruct from fighting all these weaklings, so that's nice. We'll see where I go next... or not. The ship's keel is splintered, so she's hopeless. Damn.

However, Hellawes isn't gonna be so welcoming. Oscar showed up to tell his big sister - Villain Teresa - about what happened on his way back to Artorius, and she connected the dots when he described Velvet. She's IMMEDIATELY out for blood because how dare Velvet take her baby brother's eye out. Magilou, in true Magilou fashion, stowed away on a ship and got captured because she stuck out like a sore thumb. Also in typical Magilou fashion. So, uh, I may have to kill Teresa sooner than I thought. Quite interesting for these white-clad religious folk to be the villains, I do say. Also, Velvet's Twin Whip is fun as fuck.

The shipping guild warns me that Magilou is going to be executed (though obviously not) as a tactic to lure us out into the open. Velvet formulates a plan: Go ask Dyle (why didn't that occur to her before?) if he can captain a ship for us... then we go in, kill Teresa, save Magilou if she's not already dead (for some reason they think she will be), and steal a ship while the city is in tatters. I go through Beardsley for more equipment synthesis (it's weird how there's only a weapon shop - but hey, the item menus make it easy to navigate) and head into the caverns.

Dyle agrees to help while Velvet distracts the guards at the entrance. Oh boy, this is gonna be fun! After Velvet's nightmare - which leads Rokurou to ask her who Artorius is (does he know, or was he in the hoosegow too long to know what that asshole did?) - I head out. Aside from two thugs guarding the gate... there's nobody here. Everyone's all barricaded inside... except another bunch of thugs outside the church. I wipe the floor with them but Applehead (the malak who looks like Laphi) ends up sending Velvet sideways... with Villain Teresa trying to sacrifice him. Velvet explains that's something's about to explo - BOOM! Dyle sets the warehouse ablaze. Velvet punches Villain Teresa and for some reason chooses not to lop her head off... and soon we're in a fight with her. GREAT. This is why you take an opportunity when you see it. Kill the fuckers! Anyway, Teresa's way weaker than I'd anticipated, so I win the fight easily. Eleanor - turns out she's a henchwoman - shows up as reinforcements, so Velvet uses Applehead to create an explosion and gets aboard the ship as planned. Hellawes, however, is history as a port city. And who do they have to blame? Teresa. Artorious will blame Velvet, however, since he probably figures she's gonna kill him.

On the ship, Magilou embellishes like Magilou does. She was telling Teresa and her lackeys an exaggerated tale of WOE that was... probably completely fictional. Man, she's something else. The kid tells me how to use a compass just before it gets blown out into the water, though he's not as enamored with it as Laphi would've been. Malaks' purpose is... to be tools. That's sad. Like... aren't they human?

With Number Two (is this the Laphicet whose name I know?) in the party and Magilou oddly not, I fight the Pirate Reaper guy - who screams "PARTY MEMBER" - and win handily since he only has to get down to half health. Why is Moderate difficulty so easy? IDK! He's the First Mate, but he's the brains of the operation. Benwick is this other guy who's kind of a cheerleader, I guess. He takes us forward. Seems like the kid is the healer. Finally... not that this was needed given how weak everything I've fought has been.

Tutorials galore, including about dire foes (random encounters from multiple high-Grade fights). The only way I will know how strong these are is by fighting one.

Anyway, turns out they were trying to warn us that it would be suicide into going into a narrows up ahead where the Abbey has this majestic gate. They want to get through it too, and need our help - and they know we're useful because word's already gotten to them that we were the ones who blew up the port of Hellawes. How sweet of them. They don't have a compass, either, but they do have a shop... and a reputation. Dyle doesn't like getting involved with them based on the rumors he's heard. Chances are many of those are untrue - lies spread by the Abbey. Magilou is still being useless, but highly entertaining. I swear the laughs never end with her.

I clean up the area (there's another Earth Ring here, in addition to the one Applehead has) and stop for the night.
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