As we return to ...real Reidlock, we don't see The King, Queen, or Soldi. I'm also getting quite confused about what world we're in. Where did we begin? Where are we now? Am I the Muffin Man? Maybe I am a bowling ball dreaming I'm a plate of sashimi!?
Everyone is confused, so we wait around for a day. We get tired of waiting, so someone tells us to go find him. As we leave the castle, Barbara suggests that the King meant HIS castle in the other world. We follow up on her assumption and learn she's correct. But first, we get thrown in jail. The soldiers are dumb and think the King hates us, but the situation is quickly fixed, and I wonder what the point of it was, to begin with. The Queen still has no idea how she became King in our world, but we'll talk about that later. Everyone talks about the Dream World, where Rek started, and its connections to the real world. The King then tells us of how he came to be Mudo. He was sailing to the island where Mudo was, as even then, they were at war when a bright light shone above him. When he "woke up," he was Super Kami Guru in the seat where we beat him. The next thing he remembers is what we just did to him.
We all go outside, where the King continues to tell us that real Mudo is still out there and waiting to conquer the world. The only way to reach him is by ship, which the kingdom lacks now. However, far to the north is the village of Gent. They have a magic ship that the King requests. Before we leave, speak to some of the townsfolk, and they'll tell you General Tom was executed before Geban left town. Does this explain Soldi's disappearance? Heading to Gent takes us to another city with magical healing properties. Don't upgrade Barbara's equipment here! Head to the Elder's House, and he'll decline the King's request because there's no one around to captain the ship. As we go to leave, his grandson pops in and gets informed of who we are. Another flash of light appears above the boy, Chamoro, that tells him to travel with us. I like when gods have plans for their subjects and actively try to help them out. We all experience this, so it's an easy sell. Chamoro takes us to the boat dock, sealed with magic, and unlocks everything for us. The party then heads to an island in the bay to the south. Barbara stays on the ship, which is why I said not to equip her.
We see a beached ship nearby, but there's nothing there. Cross the poison fields and get ready for the lava floors because this dungeon is a doozy. I'd suggest finding a map because there's some good stuff in the chests soft locked behind lava. There are also a few mimics. If you need to leave, you can return to the ship south of Gent on the world map, so it's not a big deal. There are only two floors of lava, and the dungeon eventually gives way to a quiet cave. Keep heading north, and we come to something that looks familiar.
Remember the first scene of the game? We're back! The only difference is we're confused, and there's a priest here now. Chamoro really ruins the nostalgia vibe. Hassan scales down the rock cliffs, we walk up to a ledge, Muriel plays the ocarina, a dragon flies us to the depths of a castle, and we're in the same room as before. We can open a door we couldn't, which has some good stuff, but otherwise, same thing (featuring Chamoro).
Unlike before, we can now explore the entirety of Mudo's Castle. I kinda wish I didn't. There are plenty of treasures, a mid-boss, and EXP and gold, sure, but the boss, man... Feel free to follow the same path as you did before, but I explored around. There are several dragon statues you can fight, which are probably the easiest fights down here. One way leads us to the jail cells. There's something in one of the cells, but we can't interact. The other way takes us to a tea party with one of Mudo's commanders. He's not very hard. Everything is so draining, though. The mimics, the demon pots, the constant battles: I scream. Regardless of how you do it, you eventually find a statue of Hassan. Both figures begin to illuminate, and we see the two combine after our Hassan has a moment of philosophical inquiry. Now fused, Hassan knows everything that's happened. We HAVE been here before, and he IS the son of those two in San, not El, Marino. The dream world Hassan and the real one have merged! He also learns a new Skill called Spirit Fist that kinda sucks.
Keep on keeping on until we have another psyche-up moment before the door of Mudo's throne. We enter, and the same exact thing happens! We're tosses around and exploded, but this time, Rek has the Mirror of Ra. I'm so glad that McGuffin has more than one scene of relevancy. He falls to the floor of his house in LIfecod as he did when the game began proper, but Tania has the Mirror. She says she looks funny, and Rek looks into it. A flash of light engulfs them, and we're all transplanted back into Mudo's throne! A fight breaks out.
Round one, yes, round one, is tough. Mudo has two friends, which can be as deadly as he is. Defeat them as best you can because they hurt, Mudo will waste a turn summoning more, and they're fragile. One Berserk from Hassan can finish them off. On subsequent summons, they're grouped together in that strange battle form Dragon Quest does. As for Mudo himself, he likes to breathe fire. I had Hassan continue to use Berserk while Muriel and Chamoro healed. I should have used Chamoro's weapon, the Gent Cane, a lot since it heals. Sadly, I have in the sack... While not fun, he is doable. His second form, though...
He beat him, and he gets upset. The gloves come off, and I'm no longer having fun. Muriel and Chamoro are out of MP and can't heal. Rek only knows basic Heal, returning 30 HP, and isn't good enough. I can't buff myself, Mudo is immune to debuffs, and I hate this game! I saved scummed every turn that went well for me, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. Maybe if they let us leave at some point in the dungeon, I wouldn't have done this, but nope! We're stuck here after TWO challenging dungeons. Mudo is alone but loves his debuffs. He can put a character to sleep and make several dizzy, making them more likely to miss their attacks. He's added an Ice Breath AND the ability to summon lightning to his repertoire! AND HE CAN ACT TWICE IN THE SAME TURN!!!! Like I said, no shame! I did what I needed to do. Have Hassan attack normally, with the Fire Claw equipped. If Muriel and Chamoro are out of MP, have them parry the whole fight. They're oddly good at tanking that way and more valuable than doing one damage. Rek should attack, but don't be afraid to use Heal when need me. Chamoro had just enough MP for five Healmores, so I tried to use them when necessary. Muriel got off one Upper, on Hassan, and went to defend. I tried to absorb the dizziness and save stated every turn when I had enough HP. After an hour of scumming, I somehow had everyone survive. I was willing to sacrifice the mages, but I'll take my win. I won't brag or be proud, but I will let everyone have their peace. Mudo wonder's how he could be beaten (by cheating) and explodes.
Everyone return to Reidlock, where the King thanks us for saving the world. He still wants to know where his son, his Rek, is, and he asks us to keep searching. I'm curious myself, so I take on the task. Gent allows us to use the boat, which means we have sea travel now. The only clue as to where to go now is the Temple of Dharma seems to have been restored. We travel to San Marino and walk to the Temple, but it's still destroyed. But what about the other world? Its rebuilt. I find the nearest preacher, save, and get ready to plan the whole reason I wanted to play Dragon Quest VI: the Job System. But what classes will I assign my team? Find out...
...tomorrow!
I want to swear so badly, but I also want to keep this blog suitable-ish for all ages. Instead of making old Mormon me weep, I'll just say that I really really really hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate this. And by this, I mean that fight, but I copy/pasted the wrong tense and don't care enough to fix it. Let's hope the game returns to its enjoyable self tomorrow.
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