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Beyond the Beyond: Update 44: A Not So Triumphant Return (Zalagoon Town pt. 2)
We made it back to Zalagoon! We even managed to do it with everyone still alive! This is a cause for celebration.
Which means the team is going straight to the inn because the mages are out of MP. That simply will not do.
I was starting to wonder if we were ever going to see this place again. 
Aww, have you no faith in Finn's ability to lead us?
Faith would be an interesting way to put it.
Don't worry, Finn, I had faith in you the whole way!
Uh, yes, um, this is getting really awkward now. Prrarrra! Look! He's actually blushing! Well this has been an interesting trip and all that but oh my look at the time. I think we'd better call it a night.
The next morning the town is eerily silent as the team gets ready to leave the inn.
Rise and shine oh brother of mine. We've got to get a move on.
It is distressingly quiet. You're sure you haven't seen anyone on the street outside since you got up this morning, Sir Samson?
Quite.
It was pretty quiet last night too. Something changed while we were gone.
Everyone heads out to see how Zalagoon has fared since the last time they were in town.
Zalagoon seems mostly the same to me, sis. *checks the door* Locked huh?
They knew you were coming, Finn.
You're probably not that far off, Steiner.
Krarr?
What do you mean?
Let's look around a bit more.
The bar's also locked. That can't be good.
Uh, maybe it's just closed for the day?
Today must be a sad day for Zalagoon then.
Aaaand the equipment shop is also locked tight.
Party with the bar owner?
*grumbles something under her breath*
The team passed the item shop which is also locked. In fact the only places that aren't locked are the inn and church and I suspect if we didn't need them for gameplay reasons they would also be sealed off.
Sir Samson what's going on?
Zalagoon prepares for war.
You mean, against Bandore?
I'm not sure and that's what worries me.
Standing in the middle of the road is a little kid. I'll never get over how goofy that sprite looks. Poor kid looks like he's stuck in a permanent T-pose.
Hey it's that kid again. Uh, what's his name... Jean, Finn.
Oh yeah.
Oh good, you're back!
You've been waiting for us?
I didn't think you would make it in time, but Sir Bison told me to wait anyways.
Steiner flies towards the boy.
Did you say make it in time? But why? What's going on? Yes! Yes! Please hurry! Advisor Glade is trying to make peace with Bandore.
That's bad, right? I'm going to assume the answer to that question is yes, Finn.
Wait, hold on. How is Glade trying to make peace? He can't sign a treaty for the king. I know that much about the law here.
Well, you see, Bandore has been conducting raids on the outlands. I don't really know the details. Da- I mean, Sir Bison, wouldn't tell me any details. A couple weeks ago an ambassador from Bandore arrived. Made a lot of threats. He left a few days ago though and things seemed fine.
And then...?
Then Sir Bison woke me up and told me to wait in town for you guys to show up. You've got to do something about Glade! He's pressuring the king to surrender, saying it's no use to resist Bandore. Of course, the king is opposed to the idea, but the advisor has control of the military.
In hindsight that seems like a bad idea.
Not if you know how the marriage between the king and queen was years ago. If someone does not intervene Glade will take over Zalagoon.
That sounds pretty bad.
He'd turn everything Zalagoon has over to Bandore... or they'd simply take it from him when he turned his back. You should visit Sir Bison immediately.
And where is Sir Bison?
He's waiting for you in the castle. Just waiting? Not trying to stop Glade or anything?
He's been trying but Sir Bison said Glade's got a lot more pull with the king. Hmm, yes. I can imagine the king isn't terribly trusting of Sir Bison or of any of his wife's retainers.
*raises an eyebrow*
To be fair she doesn't trust his retainers either.
This marriage they've got going sounds downright volatile.
I'm making it sound a lot worse then it is... these days. At least, that's what I've heard.
From what I've seen they get along ok. Ok so Sir Bison's in the castle. We'll just go in and talk to him.
Glade controls the castle guards. Use the underground waterway!
Figures!
If we approach the castle walls the kid repeats that last statement again reminding the team that they won't get in through the front door. The game doesn't actually stop us or anything though so they press on.
The castle's still just as closed off as when we first left it. Somehow that's oddly reassuring.
*eyes wide in amazement* Whoa... so this is what a castle looks like. It's way bigger than I expected.
So, Finn, are you just going to walk up and ask to be let in?
Yup.
(1) This is Zalagoon Castle. Unless you're here on official business, you should leave! Hey you didn't even give me a chance to ask! (1) I remember you, kid. Trust me when I say you don't want to be here today.
(2) Unless you want to be arrested. No that's quite all right. We'll see ourselves out.
So what now? Into the sewers we go, that's what!
I was kinda hoping someone had some great idea so we could avoid that.
It's been awhile so here's how the team is shaping up. Finn's still Finn. His MP is for emergency patch heals with Heal 1 and getting the hell out of dungeons with Escape. I like the fact that the armor he's wearing cleanly doubles his defense from 17 to 34. It makes it feel like his armor's actually doing something. I just wish I could feel as confident about his attack power. It steadily goes up but the damage dealt to enemies doesn't seem to keep pace.
I don't want to go down there either but as long as we stay out of the water it won't be too bad.
Annie's the undisputed speed queen of the team and the fact that she's doing it without any equipment boosts is a little scary. Still I can't really argue with having a fast cleric. Knowing she will act first in the rotation and can thus get heals in before any enemies can act allows me to play a bit riskier than I normally would. Her attack power's lagging behind but hopefully a weapon upgrade will come along soon.
We already know the way. It should only be a few minutes walk once we're down there.
Samson sits right on the cusp of breaking 100 attack power. He's also managed to pull into the lead on defense and with some help via boosters his VP and LP aren't too shabby. Samson is our specialist in hitting things as hard as possible and without that curse in the way he's been doing better at that.
This is so exciting! You guys are the best!
Tont's spells haven't changed much but Firedrake is still highly effective so I can't complain.
Looking at Tont's base speed compared to Samson's base speed I am a little baffled how he managed to win initiative over Samson in that battle with the Bandore soldiers. Looking at this (while writing this update actually) I immediately suspected a bug with the Tempest Ring and after some poking around in game can confirm there really is a bug. When the Tempest Ring is equipped on a character and the item is handed directly to another character via the Give command the process doesn't recalculate the Speed of the character who had the ring in the first place. This can be used to give ALL of your characters a +5 Speed boost but the effect only lasts for one battle or an equipment change forces the game to recalculate Speed.
The Ring of Defense produces the same result albeit with Defense so this is a bug with Giving an equipped item (which is only possible with the ring slot) and not specific to the items themselves. Stats are reset after a battle probably because there are buffs and debuffs in this game and it is necessary to make sure their effects end when a battle concludes. This can of course be exploited if one is willing to shuffle rings around between battles but I will try to avoid it. We don't need the help.
Well that's one way to look at the situation I guess.
Edward's still the team mage focusing on status spells. Damage wise he can't really compete with Tont's elemental spirits and he doesn't try to. It's not really a competition to begin with. Confusion was more effective than I expected but that might be due to his high IQ. Hopefully he'll get some more mileage out of that spell. Given that it's really only useful against enemies who will survive multiple rounds and I tend to go for quick kills it might be awhile before the team finds something worth confusing.
The text when a well is searched always makes me chuckle.
Waterway slash sewers here we come!
Is this really even a well? There's no rope or bucket or anything.
I think they've got a loose definition of well here in Zalagoon. Finn are you going to jump in again?
Of course I am, sis!
Well all us normal, sensible people will be climbing down.
Unless there are points where the water level rises much higher than we've seen there's no way any of the "wells" in Zalagoon could ever actually be wells. It's not like there's any way to draw up water. Zalagoon is a weird and silly place. They'd fit right in with Camelot castle.
Augh, the smell! Why, Arawn, why?! *makes various choking noises*
Well Tont ya wanted to know what the town was like and now you know.
The good and the bad!
Things can only get better from here, right?
I guess from a certain point of view the answer is yes, Finn.
Prarr there's another person down here.
I wonder what business they have.
Wait there are monsters with them.
Not more of those murderous bird ladies!
If you were thinking it would be a quick and easy stroll to reach Sir Bison well Beyond the Beyond has news for you. The encounter table for the waterway got an update while we were out of town. Siren Harpies we've seen before but Dark Bishops are new. This one won't get to do anything before dying.
The Siren Harpies however are all too happy to cast Wind 2. The more things change the more they stay the same.
And by stay the same I mean Annie flies into a homicidal rage against the Siren Harpy who just cast that spell.
I AM SICK OF BEING HIT BY TORNADOES!
Tont is not so fortunate with his attacks. The Siren Harpy easily deflects his strike.
Maybe one of these days Annie can teach me how she manages to be so good with that staff of hers.
Lots of practice on Finn!
Hey now we've sparred a lot but not like that, Steiner.
Even the spirits of the dead grow restless? Just what is going on in Zalagoon to cause this?
When Siren Harpies next appear I decide to spend some MP to get rid of them quickly. They're weak to fire so that's what Edward lets loose.
Uh, I sure hope none of the restless spirits down here are townsfolk who were recently killed because that would be awkward.
Well whoever this spirit used to be they're attacking us now. I don't have any interest in crossing over.
I can only hope my sword is just as good as an exorcism.
The usual base damage on Firedrake just further reinforces the fact that Titan isn't worth the casting cost. Then I remember that plenty of enemies are vulnerable to fire but finding earth weakness is rarer - assuming any enemies in Beyond the Beyond are weak to earth to begin with. It's kind of hard to tell when you never bother with the earth spells because the game forces you to be mana conscious all the time.
The layout of the waterways remains the same as it was earlier in the game so despite the beefed up enemies the team makes swift progress.
Has this door been unlocked the entire time?
Probably.
And there are ghosts and bird ladies down here now? Yes.
Why isn't the town or castle overrun by these creatures?
That's actually a good question, Finn.
Maybe that's why all the buildings are locked up. Everyone's hiding from the monsters.
Mere moments later another random battle is triggered.
Another priest. Maybe a cult or something moved in during the last few weeks.
What cult would want to live in a sewer?
It's just their evil lair until they take over the town.
Hmm, we should really do something about these priests.
Come on, Steiner! We've got work to do!
KRAAWR!
Finn and Steiner proceed to explode one priest making two battles where one of them doesn't survive to do anything.
You don't really think there's a cult, do you?
After everything that's happened I'm not taking any chances.
I was going to try to silence the Dark Bishop but said enemy died before Edward's turn came. Without a target for his silence spell he just stands there with nothing to do.
Finn we really should discuss this with Sir Bison before making any rash decisions.
There honestly weren't that many battles but Firedrake still managed to destroy several groups of enemies... well, with a bit of help from melee attacks. I do like the spell animation though.
It isn't long before the team reaches the ladder leading to the castle.
Sunlight!
See, Finn. There's no cult down here.
They're just being sneaky!
Aargh!
I'm just messing with you, sis.
He learned from the best.
The moment the team is on grass again they find someone waiting for them.
Gah! Who are you?! *snickers* 
You people are from Marion, right? Sir Bison is waiting for you.
And you are?
I'm Sir Bison's servant Agatha. Please, there's no time. Follow me!
Without waiting for a reply the woman takes off for the door to the keep.
She opens it then turns to the group.
Sir Bison should be just inside.
Did he know we were coming? Yes. He has eyes everywhere.
And what of Advisor Glade?
As far as I know no one else in the castle knows you've returned to Zalagoon. Sir Bison made sure of that.
Having said her piece she then steps aside so the team can enter.
Please hurry. I don't know how much time you have left.
Well I guess we shouldn't keep the man waiting. You ready, Finn? I think so. Now or never, right?
We can talk to her again but all she has to say is: Sir Bison is waiting for you.
Inside the castle the team immediately finds out that Sir Bison has indeed been waiting for them. He even has a priest at his side for all our saving and reviving needs. I don't need them but it's the thought that counts.
Oh, uh, hi there!
Finn you're not much of a diplomat. Eh. *shrugs*
If there's anything I can do, please let me know.
I think we're ok for now.
Hey wait a minute. If Sir Bison's here then where does that staircase lead to?
Wait, Finn! Where are you going? Aww, he's gone already.
Is he always like this?
I'm afraid so.
*shakes head* Kids...
Finn, having rather rudely taken off on Sir Samson and Sir Bison, heads downstairs to find a storeroom in the castle's basement.
I knew my treasure senses were tingling! Booyah! Finn what the hell? You do realize we're sort of on a strict timetable here don't you?
Relax, sis. There's always time for treasure! You're totally going to rob the castle aren't you?
I'm sure this is stuff they don't need anymore. Hey, Tont, do you think those words qualify as stupid enough to make the famous last words list?
Maybe. It depends on what's in the chests.
The first chest yields a Guiding Branch which suits me just fine because I still haven't bought one to replace the one used back on Gaea Island.
It's... a branch!
Eh, Edward can have it.
The next chest has a suit of Iron Plate in it.
Unfortunately Iron Plate is worse than the Steel Plate Finn's already wearing. There's also a Cure Herb in a barrel and a suit of Heavy Mail on one of the armor stands. For a player who missed the armor upgrades available from treasure chests this would be a way to get them somewhat caught up. For us it's just money in item form and will be sold as soon as possible.
Also of note: the Illusion Potion and the Illusion Powder have different icons. The orange bags are for items useable outside of battle while the yellow bags are for items that can only be used in battle. That's a clue that Illusion Potions are not debuff items.
Returning to the ground floor Finn and company find Sir Bison trying to suppress laughter at the absurd situation.
Oh! Prince Edward! I am glad that you could make it in time!
It is good to see you again, Sir Bison.
So, has Sir Samson's curse been broken?
Yes.
After a whole lot of trouble.
That could have been avoided if a certain mage wasn't hell bent on a ridiculous level of security when he goes meditating for months at a time.
Good! I'm glad to hear that Sir Samson is doing better.
Admit it, you enjoyed seeing all those weird places, Annie. They cost us a lot of precious time.
Speaking of time. *turns to Sir Bison* Has Glade taken over Zalagoon yet?
Not yet. What do you need us to do, Sir Bison?
We don't have much time. Let's hurry to the courtyard... this way!
Leaving the door open behind him Sir Bison hurries off.
That was abrupt.
Come on. We shouldn't keep him waiting.
When the team approaches the gate to the courtyard Sir Bison calls out to them.
We must hurry. It looks like they're going over the final details. Now, time to turn the tables!
Then he walks outside.
Prarr. I can hear and smell a whole bunch of humans out there.
Let's do this.
Are you sure you're ready, Sir Samson?
Absolutely. I have been waiting for this day.
Just in case the team had thoughts of turning tail and running there's nowhere to run to. The front gate is still closed with no way for them to open it from the inside.
Likewise the three doors leading off the front gate are closed and locked. The game is able to lock these doors based on event flags but the first time the team was in Zalagoon they had to be railroaded into the courtyard by soldier NPCs. Sometimes this game just leaves me scratching my head.
And just in case the player thinks of exiting through the door that Sir Bison left open Steiner has something to say about that.
Where do you think you're going? The garden is over there!
Then the player is forced to walk up one tile so there's no ignoring Steiner and leaving anyway.
Just in case you're curious the game will perform this action again if the player somehow manages to reach the exit to the exterior because the developers apparently wanted to be completely thorough about this. Normally I'd wait for the next bonus update to mention this but since I'm already talking about how the team is being railroaded into the courtyard I figured I should go the extra mile right now. (In case you're wondering there are no other NPCs in the castle at this time and no the game can't keep me in the castle if I'm determined to get outside.)
Here we go.
Next time on Beyond the Beyond - someone's gonna get what's been coming to them.
