Jormungand...r

As I expected, Mist is able to join us here. I threw her with Yoyo, so our summoner/backup healer can move further. Might want to put her with another mage squad, though. It's up to you. I replaced her with Truce, who, in turn, replaced Don Juan. I don't like him, so he's in the reserves with the four mini devils. Yes, four.

On to the battle! We're in a cave, but it's smaller than most of the maps in a while. There's treasure all about, including in a room you need to use earth magic on. But like before, some of them are traps. The middle one in the secret room and the one in the lower right corner damage your party. The goal here is to kill the boss, Giant Moth. Once again, the dragons do everything, and Salamundo makes the best tank. Try to avoid a traditional battle with the deflesh mobs. They can, and will, one shot even the heavy armors. We finally had a casualty in BL, but our priest squad could revive them.

Afterwards, Yoyo tells us the Holy Dragons are excited, and Garuda will call her into his room. It's a very short scene, and Yoyo informs the Dragon that its ilk is here. She'll begin to glow and be rocketed out of the room. She'll wonder how he can be so angry and pass out. We'll all rush back to the Lucilia.
 
 
Chapter fifteen: Showdown in the Burning Sands

Hornet tells us the ship is in the middle of a thundercloud en route to the desert lagoon of Dalya. Does this explain why the lighting is so so bad? More importantly, we get a flashback with Hornet. He's in a bar, and Emperor Souzer comes him. The two of them are a long history together, and the Emperor even asks Hornet to join his army. He's a cross knight like Byuu. Hornet, though, is through fighting and never wants to take up the sword again. Sazuer leaves but asks his friend if he can ride on his airship one day? We return to the present, and Hornet reads a letter he's received from Sauser. It told him the location of another Holy Dragon, Jormungand. He'll be waiting for us there...

We're in the middle of a sandstorm, but it's inconsequential. Occasionally, it'll blow and damage our party, but it's only for 250 damage. Get in a structure if you don't want to take it. Shockingly, the dragons did most of the work here. But being able to actually invest in our characters will let us do something. The win condition is to defeat Emperor Sauzer. General Palpaleos is here, but he's tertiary. But he is fragile... Before the fighting begins, they'll both wonder where Yoyo is. She's got the same illness that Sauzer had and is recuperating in her room. Because she's not unable to be here, Sendak will be a squad leader again. There are sandpits in the area, and a good water/ice spell will freeze them. Neither Palpal nor Sauzer pose much of a threat to us. Maybe if one of them came down from his city and double teamed us...

We'll rejoin under the impression that the war is over! With one thing in our path done, we go to look for the whereabouts of the Holy Dragon. Everyone leaves this to us. I don't know if this was an Empire town, but it's a sketchy place. The local leader has old school Muslim vibes and is forcing women to join his harem. Some join willingly because they're poor, but I'm not a fan of what's going on. But I'm not the only one. There's a Freedom Resistance group. Talk to "sketchy person" who joins our party, and he'll give you the secret password. Explore around town and get the mountain of dragon food/money, then head to the southeast house. Speak the password, and we'll enter the resistance front. There are two assassins behind the crates that we can get to join our party if you want. I paid them 3000 gold to kill Matelite, and I'm sure that's a good use of funds. But talk to the leader in the back.

Wait until dark, and his plan comes to fruition. I don't think you can fail this. Rush, Truce, and Bikkebakke join the group that infiltrates the castle while we guard the town's exit. Everyone chases the King out of his house, and we have to catch him. He runs fast, so spam select. The King strips off his clothes and gets away, but we win anyway. That night we have a party, during which "Rush becomes a man," "Truce becomes a man," "Bikkebakke was already a man." Cool? We wake up the next morning, and the city seems like a normal place, but we don't get to explore.


Chapter sixteen: The Holy Dragon Jormungand

Everyone is crowding around Yoyo's bed. Suddenly, she goes Super Saiyan and jolts out of bed. A Holy Dragon is calling her... She's feeling better, but not fully, so we try to stabilize her. Matelite informs her that we defeated Sauser and Palpaleos because he thinks it'll make her feel better. it kinda does, but then she falls again into a dreamlike state. She sees Palaleos over her shoulder, and the two talk for a moment. It's interrupted by him turning into Garuda, wondering if this is her desire? It's a very simple thing for a dragon. Garuda says that he senses Sauser and Palpaleos are still alive. He finally warns again about the future, their powers, and their goals before she returns to reality.

We cut to Byuu back in town. Matelite informs us, rudely, that the location of the next Dragon has been found. Do what you will in this short area, but try to return to town to get the Battlefield Merchant, his wife, and the resistance leader on screen. Yoyo's back, as are the two assassins. The newbies aren't in a group, so maybe I shouldn't have paid them 3000 to kill Matelite? Regardless, let's get to battle.

It's filled with mobs weak to dragons and healing. Defeat the boss, Soul Cage, to advance.

We're before the lair of Jormungand, who might be the biggest plot dump yet. He lets us know that the Holy Dragons used to be just like humans. They were filled with emotions and reasons to live until they started to fight against each other. This was when the current era began, and we can no longer get off the course. What's left is the brains of the Holy Dragons. He says that Yoyo is a better fit than "the other one" that can speak to Dragons before the scene ends. Yoyo exists from the empty room, and we're asked to save.

Chapter seventeen is tomorrow!

Seriously, just let us kill a boss, Bahamut Lagoon devs!