Heat Stroke

Hey, a dungeon gimmick!

With the zombies gone from Threed, the buses are running again! Get on the one going to Fourside, pay $6, and enjoy the ride. We'll watch the bus go through the tunnel and a canyon before passing through a desert. And then we'll stop. There's a traffic jam, and our driver doesn't get paid to sit. He sends us off and turns around. We're now three unattended preteens in the scorching desert.

The group has to walk through the sand with the burning sun on them. As indicated by the sweat dripping from them, this can lead to ill health. Randomly while walking, a character can suddenly take damage. This means they're affected by a unique Earthbound status effect, heat stroke. Fortunately, it can be healed with Healing B. Mobs in the area are poisonous wolves, poisonous scorpions, female ufos, something called a booka, buffalos, and terrible floating spheres. I left the spheres for last because they're not worth the trouble. Most things in the desert give more exp, and none of them explode for 300 damage when they die. There's also an assortment of stuff out here, including something for a side quest I wonder if I'll do. For a quick way out, stick to the rock just north of the road. You'll eventually find a digger who wants food. Feed him, and he'll promise to give you the gold he finds. There's also a house here to rest and save. There's nothing in the hole yet, so loop to the south of the rocks to get to the exit tunnel.

After the tunnel and a long bridge, we'll finally reach the metropolis of Fourside! It's a massive city with angry people around the edges. There are also sentient taxis that try to run you over. Also, there's an Ohio road sign. The gossip indicates a corrupt real estate agent has taken over the town. Monotoli is his name. Visit the Topolla Theatre and speak to the manager. The Runaway Five has gotten themselves into another poor contract. This time we'll need to earn a million dollars to free them. See the band, their performance, and the return to the hole in the desert.

It's gotten a lot bigger! It's also attracted some attention from admirers and monsters. The guy in charge had to stop because five giant moles invaded the cave. We'll have to clean them out. Besides the bosses, there are the same ducks from Winters, who usually run away from you. But their cohorts, the rope men, drag them to their deaths. Paula is gonna do work down here by spamming Fire B. The moles themselves all think they're the third strongest of the family, but they're all equally the weakest. Two Freeze B (or a v and backup) kill them in two turns. Don't use physical attacks because they start with a shield that reflects physical damage. I had Ness use Flash, and Jeff sucked HP. This is a very long and mazelike dungeon, but it's well worth it. The exp is great, and I was sad to see everything gone when I cleaned it out. Apparently, it's a hard dungeon, but I found it to be easy. Because of its length, don't be afraid to exit mouse out to refill PP. There's another exit mouse group towards the end.

Tell the digger that all is well, and sleep. He's gone, so return to Fourside. As we cross the bridge, a man comes to us to reward us. He found a diamond in the mine and gives it to us.

Go to the theatre and free the Runaway Five with the diamond. We'll witness one last performance, which they'll do with a new singer, Venus, and be off on their journey! For some reason, the department store is now open! There are a few new items to find to increase your power, so look for the sketchy dude in the first side room. As we try to leave, the lights go out. We see a flash of something run past, and they take Paula with them. A voice comes over the intercom, telling us to come to the office on the fourth floor. We'll save Paula...

...tomorrow!

Lot of walking around tonight. My levels are early to mid thirty, and everything is starting to feel easy. I struggled early on, so it's refreshing. Not looking forward to losing Paula, though.