For Naught

Alys was nearly killed last night, and our first action was to find a way to save her. She suggested finding Rune. Gryz thinks he's gone east.

Taking the Land Rover over there, we first find the village of Monsen. There's nothing here, but a few citizens inform us there's an earthquake problem. Gryz has a phobia of such events, but it is Demi who has the key information. The system that controls the plate tectonics is north of here. We can turn it off if we head there, and we should. Not only does it give us more exp, but Demi gets a new skill there. I really like how Demi works. We can find new skills for her in the futuristic ruins. I've read there are a few more of these, but here's my first. I gotta ask, though, why was it in a regular chest? Regardless, we reach the bottom. The mobs aren't that plentiful, and we save Monsen. Sorta... We still need to take out Nurvus under Zio's Fort, but this is a start. I feel accomplished. I also found the dog for the Hunter's Guild here. Not only that, but I realized we can teleport between towns with one of Chaz' skills.

Keep traveling east, and you'll reach another town called Termi. It's home to an ancient warrior named Alis Landale. She had a pet cat if you believe the statute in the center of town. Besides that, there's new armor here for the next dungeon. Speaking of which, south of Termi is Ladea Tower, the place we think Rune went.

The first floor is an empty courtyard. The upper floors are narrow mazes with multiple dead ends and treasures, including new weapons for Gryz, Rika, and Demi. Take the left passage first because it ends. The right paths, though, have us meet up with Rune. He asks why we're here, and we tell him about Alys. He's worried, of course, but already has a plan. At the top of the Tower is the Psycho Wand. Not only can the Wand remove the barrier in Zio's Fort, but it might be a way to save Alys. He joins the group, and we keep on climbing. The path begins making more sense from here, but I still had to escape a few times. PSIV is hard, man. I have Demi at the front of the party, assuming it functions like Final Fantasy I, with Gryz just behind her. They have the most defense and good HP and/or the ability to passively heal out of battle, so it makes sense. I don't know if it's working, but Gryz feels pretty fragile.

But we get to the top and see the chest containing the Psycho Wand in a magic bubble. Rune pops it, but another one of Zio's minions attacks us. I didn't find Gy-Laguiah to be very hard. I buffed up the first turn and started attacking on turn two. Saner is a good move that seems to always give you the first attacks. I even tried to heal, but it didn't go so well. PSIV makes me feel powerful and lulls me into a false sense of security, so I just want to attack. Why, though? An unlucky crit killed Demi, and Gy-Laguiah hit Gryz a lot harder than I thought he would. The very next attack killed him, so that's a bummer.

We get the Wand, and the story ports us to Krup. We're all standing around Alys, and Hahn tells us that she's taken a turn for the worst. Rune tells us that whatever she's been inflicted with is beyond his powers. Alys is still conscious, so she asks Chaz to come closer. She tells him how proud she is of the adult he's become. Those were her last words...

The manga panels give this scene so much life. Rika is crying, and Saya has her face buried in Hahn's chest. Rune looks depressed, and we can see a tear fall from behind Chaz' hair. We later bury her in Krup. That night, Chaz and Rune have a conversation about what we need to do next, and he lets us in on their backstory. Chaz used to be a bit of a delinquent before Alys took him under her wing. Rika tries to cheer us Chaz. She tells him that she spent so much time underground, but since she's joined him, she's learned so much about the planet, humans, and emotions. The scene ends with the two of them on the balcony.

I went back to Zio's Fort, tried my hand at it, but I called it a night before getting too far in.

The manga styles are the best thing in video games. They showed our characters in different outfits than usual. More importantly, it brings out emotions no other game could show at this time. I can't think of another way to show a character crying before more modern game graphics. Alys should have been in the team a little longer and made more time to really show their backstory and his growth, but it is what it is. I'm really enjoying this game in every way.