Beyond the Beyond: Update 59: Security Breach (Bandore Passage)

[ladyabaxa]

Beyond the Beyond: Update 59: Security Breach (Bandore Passage)

The last time we saw the team they were in Bandore staring at a wall wondering how a boy who they heard was sneaking into the castle to take his imprisoned father food was doing just that.

Staring at the wall isn't helping matters but Finn's doing it anyway. The gap is obvious but their commitment to actually using it isn't.

Are we going in?
It would seem so. We don't have any other options.
*takes a deep breath* Okay. Get in, get Dad, get out. That's the plan right?
We're totally going to get lost and wander right into the enemy aren't we?
I'm trying not to think that far ahead.

And so they squeeze through the hole in the wall.

Narrow!
Umph, ow!
Like I said.

To the south they find that the only thing separating a cave entrance that presumably leads straight into the castle from the open plain by the town is... a pair of bushes. Great security here.

Inside the cave the team finds a whole lotta red.

Is it just me or is it rather warm in here?
With the volcanoes around here there's probably magma flowing dangerously close to town.
Well this isn't too bad. As long as we don't have to go into the volcano I can live with this.
I don't see any tracks from that boy. I hope he made it.

You could always ask those humans over there, Annie.
Something tells me they're not friendly.

Why yes the cave is crawling with monsters. Why do you ask?

There are also packs of Hell Hounds roaming around.

I hope that kid didn't get eaten because this is honestly getting a little ridiculous.
Bandore has a real infestation problem.
The townsfolk are missing out. If they could domesticate these things they wouldn't need town walls.

Following that battle Annie gets quite a nice level up when she crosses over to level 21: VP +1, LP +1, MP +2, Strength +4, Defense +1, and Speed +2 (because she needs more speed, obviously). The VP and LP aren't all that great but as long as they continue going up she will manage. It's the secondary stat growth which makes this desirable for it is about as good as it gets in Beyond the Beyond. Annie's attack has been lagging behind recently (Edward was ahead of her before this level up) so getting a max +Strength roll will help.

Continuing north the team finds a two way branch in the path.

My treasure senses are tingling.
But they always tingle when we come to a fork in the road.
All the more reason to listen to them.
Aren't we supposed to be focused on finding Lord Kevins?
Don't worry, sis. I haven't lost track of the mission.

You've only gained track of more loot.
Eh, it's something.

Oh boy a Flame Scroll. I'm totally going to use that against all the fire monsters in this part of the world. Yuppers.

Speaking of fire monsters here are some more! This little cave (about two screens tall) is just packed to the brim. Thankfully none of them are particularly tough for the team because our gear is up to date.

Hell Hounds can breath fire though and that means damage that can't be blocked or reduced. They are also numerous and common so there's lots of chances for them to breath all over Finn.

It's a good thing Annie's got Healing Rain!

Feeling better?
My lungs are a little scorched but otherwise I think I'm fine.
Prrarr. Annie's got her work cut out for her.
I'm going to get good at treating burns before the day is done.

After way too much fighting the team finally finds this exit.

So how did that boy make it through here all by himself?
Maybe he's too small for the monsters to bother with.
Maybe the monsters just hate us in particular.
There you go being all cynical again, Finn.
I think I've earned that right.
Are we going in or not?
Might as well. It can't be any worse in there.

On the other side of the passage is a castle. There weren't even any steps or anything. It's just a hole in the wall. Once again, great security there Bandore.

This must be the castle's basement.
There are stairs down right over there. Would that be the basement's basement then?
Down might be dungeons.
You're not that lucky, Finn.
Oh yeah? We shall see!

What was that, Finn?
*grumbles* We just need to find a key. That's all.

Downstairs is a locked door. Since the team doesn't have a key for this door and there are no other routes downstairs they have to turn back.

Back upstairs they find another door that leads further into the castle. None of the barrels or pots contains anything.

Also, suprise! There are monsters in the castle!

What's that sound?
Behind us!

Also, they ambushed us.

Did these things get in here through the hole in the wall or have they always been here?
If they've always been here that would explain why everyone's cool with monsters all over the countryside.

Healing Rain is pretty much mandatory at this point. By the way if you were wondering why Finn lost VP just know that he was a good (if thoroughly battered) damage sponge in that ambush.

What the hell is wrong with Bandore?!
Just because they let packs of murderous beasts roam the halls doesn't mean they're uncivilized.
Planning an addition to your evil lair?
You know what? I think I draw the line there. These things already don't listen to me when I'm using magic on them. The last thing I need is them breaking into my bedroom in the middle of the night. Next thing I'll know they'll have torn up the carpets and peed all over the bed.
I really hope Lord Kevins is in a locked cell when we find him. Otherwise it could be, uh, I really shouldn't finish that sentence.
I don't hear any sounds of battle. Maybe the monsters are actually part of their army?
Then why didn't they have any with them in Marion?
I don't know.

Moving forward the team is suddenly stopped by a shout.

Halt right there! Lay down your weapons and come quietly.
Well whaddya know? There are actual humans in this castle!
Besides the humans walking around with the monsters?
Ok, amend that to "humans who clearly belong in this castle."
I said...
We heard you! The answer is no.
No?! Then prepare to die!

Thus does a lone soldier foolishly attack the team.

Prryarr. Does this mean we're helping the monsters take over the castle?
The only things I want right now are to not be captured and to rescue Dad.
And if you have to go through a bunch of soldiers to do that...?
Self defense.

A one versus five fight against a mundane soldier ends quickly and predictably in the team's favor. Key item Chain Key got!

AHHhhhh!

Hey a key! Now we just need to figure out what this goes to.
Hopefully not his bedroom.

Around the corner to the south the kids walk into a room and find a library.

Finn we don't really have time to read these.
I just want to make sure there are no secret passages or anything in here.
Ooooh. I'll start. "Military Ship Building".
All of the books on these shelves are about boats. We've got "Naval Strategy", "The Model Soldier", and "Naval Firepower", I mean, I know it's Bandore but is this entire library dedicated to their navy?
Just think, if Marion ever wants to start its own navy all it has to do is come steal all these books.

You know what a room full of fragile paper and wooden objects needs? It needs packs of fire-breathing dogs, that's what. Or not.

Excuse you we're trying to read here!
Yeah if we want to set the joint on fire we'll do it ourselves!

Down to the 2nd row, west side.

"Marion's Military Power". Well here's one book that's now seriously out of date.
"Volcanoes of Bandore". It says: "Over 2000 years old, the current shape of Bandore is due to these seismic wonders."
What about all of Bandore that's not next to a volcano?
You mean like most of the country?
Yeah!
Hmm, well I suppose it would depend on what the author thought of as Bandore at the time this was written.
Here's a book for you, Finn! "Defense Against Monsters". I bet it's got all sorts of tips inside.
It could say "just stay in town all day" and be done with it.
"Barbaros' Military Power". Hmm, I wonder how long it's been since someone from Marion set foot in Barbaros. Sir Samson have you ever been there?
No.

2nd row, east side

We have a repeat over here! "Discipline Island".
That place really likes to advertise itself doesn't it?
It works for them. They get trade from all over the world.
"How to Defend Your Battle Party". It says: "Place people with defensive power in front of those who lack defensive power."
Thanks book for telling us something plainly obvious.
"Tactics During Battle". It says: "There are five tactics. Use them well!"
This place is just a fountain of wisdom.
Well what about this book? "Right and Wrong".
I stand by my assessment.

As the team leaves the library even more Hell Hounds show up. Although it's a bit of a waste I spend some MP horsing around with them.

I don't even know why I still bother. It's just an exercise in futility at this point.
Do you take joy in watching them fail or in knowing you've failed?
I don't see any difference there.

The team heads back.

I hope this key works.
If this does lead to the dungeon how did that boy get in there?
Maybe he can pick locks?
I just want to check while we're here. No sense heading upstairs if Dad's down here.

Not too surprisingly the Chain Key doesn't work on this door.

Nope. Definitely doesn't fit.
Damn.
Upstairs it is then.

On the way back up a new enemy shows up. Like their winged brethren the team has encountered before these Razor Demons always appear in the back row.

Then a tiny dragon roar reverberates through the castle's basement.

I'm the only one who gets to fly in here. Come on, Finn. RAWR!
Okay sure whatever.
At least Steiner's got a good excuse for flying everywhere.

Thanks to being in the back row one demon survives long enough to summon assistance.

Because of the way Beyond the Beyond's initiative system works the new monster gets to immediately attack. Seconds later Samson kills the demon who called for help so this is just delaying the inevitable.

The Razor Demons didn't do anything of note in this battle. They just punched people for miniscule amounts of damage and blocked an annoying number of the team's attacks in order to drag things out even longer.

Eventually the kids make it to the staircase up.

We're just going to blunder our way through the castle aren't we?
Probably!
There's gotta be a way to get through quietly. After all...
The kid, I know. He knows the castle though.

Upon ascending the staircase the team finds a proper castle. There don't seem to be any people around, however, which is good for their prospects.

It's quiet.
I can smell... humans nearby.
It's only a matter of time before they realize one of the guards is dead.
We can always just blame the roaming monsters for that one.

As they approach a fork in the castle the game suddenly grabs the camera and moves it over to see these two staircases. Two men run down from the floor above and head north.

They stop in front of a closed portcullis.

Your Majesty, we should hurry to the seaport before the Marion troops arrive. We cannot possibly hold them with our depleted forces.
*steps forward* Hmm... I don't like the idea of giving up the castle, but it seems we have no choice.
If we don't retreat now, all will be lost.
*nods* Hmm... you're right. With the battleship, they will be unable to stop us... But what should we do about Lord Kevins?
No need to worry. As you suggested before, I requested that Lord Shutat handle the whole affair.
Hmm... good. We should hurry to the port.

The man who is not the emperor then walks over to a pillar and does something. That causes the portcullis to rise.

The two walk through and the portcullis automatically lowers behind them. Apparently they're just going to abandon all the soldiers still in the castle. We can't follow thanks to Bandore's love of timed devices.

What was that noise?
Sounded like someone talking.
Some humans ran off.
Could you tell who they were?
One was that old guy with the shiny crown. The other I've never seen before.
Where could the emperor be going?
That's good though, right? If the emperor's not in the castle we can't exactly run right into him.
It's still disconcerting.

As the kids move forward still wondering what they just missed a group of Ogres and Clay Golems take them by surprise. We're getting some of these ambushes because of the sheer number of encounters. Screenshots can't really convey it but the team is getting attacked every 4 to 6 steps in here. For an underleveled and/or underequipped party this would be a rough part of the game. Hell, even if you're prepared it's still rough.

For once Finn got ignored in a surprise round so that Annie and Samson could take the brunt of the beating. I'm not exactly complaining because of the three frontliners Finn's got the least defense.

Annie was groggied by the golems but she's got the most LP of the team and with her high speed she actually recovered mid-way through the round - not that I cranked up our damage as high as it could go though. Edward attacked instead and the golems promptly pummeled Finn because after that first round of ignoring him he was apparently still on the hit list and his turn had come up.

I don't know why the emperor's running when he has an army of angry monsters between us and him.
Maybe he's running from the monsters?
Prrarr. He knows his castle's about to be set on fire and is clearing out ahead of that.
Setting this castle on fire would be a waste of mana. Besides if the fire-breathing dogs haven't already done it this place is fireproof.

I've mentioned before that Healing Rain is pretty mandatory in this part of the game and I just want to emphasize that again. A team without this spell would be burning through the Mage's Potions in short order. As it is I'm going through Annie's MP faster than I want to.

Well at least it's not a burn this time.
Ugh. My head!
Stand still will ya?
Are we sure Finn should be leading us around?
Just because there are two Annie's right now doesn't mean I can't navigate.

Hey, you're not supposed to be in here!
What was that, Finn?
Quiet you.

In the southwest corner of the floor is a soldier just sort of standing around. I guess they're a sentry?

After a brief altercation the soldier is cut down.

You... will never defeat... the mighty Bandore Empire!
If we have to fight it one soldier at a time we'll probably be fine.

Just to the east is the main door to the keep. It is both unlocked and unguarded so the team heads outside.

Why did they decide to build all this stuff where it's all rocky and dead?
I would wager it's because this place is right next to the ocean.
So's most of the coast that we passed. They just had to get the scenic view of the volcanoes?
That way they can get their town destroyed in an awesome way.
Nothing I've seen so far has changed my opinion that whoever founded this place was kind of a jerk.

Just to the south the kids find the town wall and the guards standing at attention. Said guards still prevent them from going through the gate. What, did you expect to be able to attack the guards like the team could with the soldiers in the castle? Nope!

Next time on Beyond the Beyond - the search for Kevins continues.

Update Fifty-eight | Index | Update Sixty