Beyond the Beyond: Update 30: Midnight Carnival (Port of Luna, part 2)

[ladyabaxa]

Beyond the Beyond: Update 30: Midnight Carnival (Port of Luna, part 2)

Having made their way back to Ophera from Arawn's Palace for a third time the team takes some time to relax, rehydrate, and restock.

7500 gold, for this? Are you serious?
Yes I'm serious. What do you take me for?
It's just... that is a lot of money.
Well, are you interested in selling it?
Uhh...
Finn's gone all speechless again. Annie, a little help here please.
I think what my brother is trying to say is that we'll think about your offer.

All right. Wait, what about that jar there? Is that... yes it is. I'll give you 862 gold for this.
Oh, uh, sure.
Dare I ask why you're willing to pay so much for it?
The smiths pay good money for this stuff. They say they use it on some of their high ticket items.
Smithing? Really? Prrr. I can think of other ways to use powder.
*laughs* I don't question it as long as they've got the gold to pay me a fair price.

We could double the size of our war chest by selling the Firedrake Vase we found but I'd rather hold onto it in case we actually need to use it in battle. If inventory space becomes an issue we can sell it then. We do go ahead and sell the useless Illusion Powder which more then recoups the money spent for the Mage Potion Annie used.

It's been awhile so here's how the team's stats are shaping up. I also included each character's inventory this time.

I wonder if I'm ever going to find a shield that's not made of wood.
So you can look even more ridiculous then you already do?
Hey, don't knock it, Steiner. Not all of us can be tiny and fly away from danger.
Prrr. Yes, it is unfortunate you humans are born without wings.

Finn is... well Finn still hits things with his sword and he's fairly good at it. He's been getting plenty of +Speed when he levels up as well as some luck and a bit more magic. Unfortunately since Escape costs 8 MP per cast he doesn't get many chances to use his other spells. As for his inventory, I've settled on Finn carrying some of the odds and ends things we've accumulated.

I see I'm going to need a bigger backpack for this vase. Hmm, maybe if I put the cards in the vase it will fit.

Annie is sitting at 19 speed compared to Finn's 21 but she's still acting before any monsters do so I'm not worried about the difference. She's getting beaten up enough that giving her the Ring of Defense might be a good idea. Magic wise she's picked up Silence level 1 which has seen some use, hit-or-miss as it has been, and she's also upgraded Holy Light to level 2. It's a bit too expensive in MP to use except in an emergency but having another direct damage spell capable of hitting every enemy comes in handy in tight spots. The one worrisome spot is that her attack power has slipped as she hasn't gotten as much +Strength as Finn.

Annie's also holding onto pretty much all the one-use magic items the team has. I'll probably hand one or two of those Smoke Bombs to Finn since he has the highest speed right now.

Hrmph. *rubs shoulder* It's going to be a long night getting the sand out of my armor.
Hey Finn why don't you ever have to get sand out of your armor?
Because I just wear a breastplate, that's why.

Despite his relatively low VP and LP Samson is actually doing pretty good. He has the highest strength and base defense right now and is solidly in the lead on attack power. When he gets a critical hit it is usually in the 35 - 40 damage range which is guaranteed death to anything not at full health in the back row. Of course that also means his curse tears him up in retaliation damage but it hasn't been doing that often enough to make me worry.

Samson usually goes third in the allied turn order which is after Finn and Annie and also after some of the faster, more dangerous enemies get to act. More speed for him could help down some of those foes but with all that attack power I'd much prefer Samson not regularly finish off foes with a piddly few hit points left... assuming Samson gets to act which 30%(ish) of the time he won't. This is a conundrum where there is no clearly superior choice.

I'm glad I don't have to worry about heavy armor. That seems like far too much trouble. I'll take a nicely enchanted robe any day.

Tont requires less experience per level then the rest of the team (up to this point, at least) meaning he has caught up. From here on he requires about the same amount per level as the others which just makes it more obvious the devs expected players to recruit him as soon as possible. Of his stats his selling point is his MP. Tont rivals Samson in slow growth in VP, LP, and speed and also has the lowest base defense. He still acts dead last when fighting enemies who give the party any sort of challenge.

We replaced the Mage Potion Tont gave Annie and can see the Firedrake spell that Tont kept trying to cast in Arawn's Palace but couldn't because of that nasty glitch. Before we leave Ophera that will get fixed.

I don't particularly find leather comfortable but it has protected me from monsters so I'm not complaining.

Edward is coming along rather nicely. He doesn't get as much MP as Tont but he has a wider selection of spells since he has learned Silence and Thunder level 1. Edward can now reliably attack any elemental weakness our foes might have except wind.

First thing's first let's do this whole reboot the game so Tont isn't screwed out of some of his magic thing.

Also here's this screen since I haven't had a chance to show it off yet. Making good use of the horizontal space? Not in this game! (Actually I bet they just had a standing blanket directive to line break on Finn's name since it can changed and thus has a variable length.)

Then I buy two more Mage Potions for Tont and pass Finn's Defense Ring to Annie because I apparently cannot keep my character sheets up to date for more than ten minutes.

So, uh, what's thingeemajig supposed to do anyway?
I'm not sure.
That is some old script carved on there.
Yeah and it's hard to read too. *struggles with the pronunciation*
Stress the third syllable, not the second.
Nothing's still happening.
I don't suppose those are instructions?
No.
Well it is a crystal crescent in the shape of the moon. Maybe it only works in moonlight?

Suddenly the Moon Crescent reacts and the party's surroundings grow dark.

Uh, what just happened?
It looks like... night just fell.

Well the undead have certainly come out of the woodwork.

After an easy battle the team reconvenes.

I guess that's why this is called the 'Moon Crescent'.
Yeah no kidding.
I - I am a little uncomfortable using an artifact this powerful.
*points up at the sky* Look! It's a half moon. We really have moved forward to the next night.

As the team wonders just what they've gotten themselves into by taking the Moon Crescent from its sanctuary time passes. Suddenly the vale of night becomes the bright sunlight of an early day.

That was fast.
Yes it was. Yet are we back at the morning we left or did we move forward?
*shrugs* Let's walk back into town and see if anyone noticed anything unusual.

After a brief stroll through Ophera the team finds no one seemingly noticed the sudden fall and escape of night.

Are you all sure you want to try this again?
Yup.
We need to know what it is doing if we're going to carry it around.
All right. Here goes.

After several more trials with the Moon Crescent the group leaves Ophera and again returns to the port town of Luna.

Finn you want to use this? Here?
Yeah, sure.
You just want to talk to pirates.
*sheepish laugh*
Pryaa. He's making that sound again.
Hear me out, ok? So, this Moon Crescent moves us into the next night for a short while, right?
Yes.
And then when the pazazz runs out we just rebound to where we started, right?
Ergo, pirates.
Come on! I mean, what's the risk here? It's not like we're going to be forward in time long enough for them to do anything to us, right?
*grumbles* I still don't like this idea.
Well... *pauses* I could go alone...
HELL NO.
*chuckles*

After much arguing, cajoling, and Finn's puppy dog eyes an agreement was at last reached.

Invoking the power of the Moon Crescent warps the fabric of time around our plucky protagonists. Night falls on Luna as they stroll inside its walls.

See? Everything's fine!
One shot. That's it. Understood?
Yes, yes, I understand.

Welcome to Luna! This place is totally different at night. Have fun!
Oh we will.
*snickers*

So of course the first thing you do, Finn, is charge into the inn.
*shrugs* Gotta start somewhere, right?
Does this happen often?
Yes.
Not as often as Finn would like.
It does seem that way doesn't it?
Zzzzz... I love the night club! Zzzzz...
Pryaa. Dreaming of the night life when he could be out in it. Silly human!
Well at least he's happy.

Oh hi kids. Haven't I seen you around here before?
Maybe?
What's all the noise about?
The tide has gone out and Luna has come alive. Some people sleep all day so that they can enjoy Luna during the night.
Except for that guy in the inn.
Well obviously not everybody can sleep all day.

Nobody's here, Finn.
I noticed.
Who were you expecting?
Oh just some of the shady smuggler type of guys, that's all.
Oh.

I haven't forgotten about you, treasure chest. Just you wait. Your time will come.
Well that's not at all disturbing, Finn. Ahem! We're not going to have another argument about that statue, are we?
No.
Statue? What statue?
It's in the chapel right over there.
*excited squeal* Pirates!
Praaa! The only thing that can make Finn forget about treasure!

With the tide having gone out what is Luna's port during the day becomes a dry beach at night.

I would like to apologize to the rest of you for the fact that my brother has apparently reverted to toddlerhood.
I'm kind of curious about pirates too.
(2, west) Pirates? What pirates?
You guys! You're totally pirates aren't you?
(2) *hearty laugh* Hey, you're not from around here. Don't tell anyone pirates hang out here at night.
I won't! So what are you guys doing out here?
(1, east) Me? I'm relaxing. Seeing the sunset on the beach is so nice. I can forget all my problems at work.

So that's where Luna's Monster Bait is. Oh game...

(south) Isn't dinner at the beach classy? It's so romantic!
It is? I wouldn't know.
You're definitely not from around here. Nice night, huh? I wish nights like this could last forever.
It is nice and no we're not from this area.
We're sort of passing through.
Oh, looking for something?
Uh, yeah you can say that.
Hey wait a minute we heard about a pirate the last time we were here in Luna, didn't we?
Some guy named Domino.
(3) Domino? Haven't seen him. I've seen his friend around, though.
(north) Domino? He's so sweet! He's not like other pirates.
(1) Sweet he may be to landlubbers but there's no room in these seas for a soft captain.
Well he did threaten to kill a man over a vase so he can't be all that nice.
*soft laugh*
You said Domino's friend is in town?
(3) Yup. Kinda skittish though. He's at the bar over there.
(1) Is there a specific reason you're lookin' for Domino?
Well we're not really looking for him so much as curious about what's going on.
(3) Well if you do run into Domino tell him to stop by here more often.

Following the curving beach the team soon finds a man milling about the southern shore.

Hey kids what's going on? Out for a stroll? The ocean at night is great! It's romantic. It peaks man's desire for adventure.
What about you, Finn? Is the night air peaking your desire for adventure?
I'm already on an adventure, Steiner. Frankly I think my excitement has already peaked.

You missed some doors back there.
Eh I'll get to them in a minute. My treasure senses are tingling.
Treasure... senses?
Yup.
Just go along with it.
Hey I'll have you know I'm rarely wrong!
Except all those times you look in barrels expecting to find something only for them to be empty.
Well... I can't be right all the time, now can I?
*facepalm*

Besides which I'm totally right this time.

We found another Critical Jewel. Yay? Well we've been able to see this chest since we first reached Luna and now it will never again taunt us.

Also, Finn passed the item shop but when the team visits it there isn't a single thing they need right now.

They return to the southern beach and start poking their noses into the rooms Finn walked by earlier.

<sob> <sob> That punk, Domino, stole my priceless Vase of Life.
Oh it's that guy. Still broken up about that vase?
Hey! What are you doing here? This is my private storage room! Get out!
Ok, ok, we're leaving. There's no reason to get pushy.

They then leave the private storage room... that is totally empty and looks way too small for storing anything.

Finn I hear voices inside.
Then we should investigate!

In the back corner of a room full of barrels and crates ostensibly used for storing things are pair of locals are having what sounds like a disagreement.

Hey! I'm just asking you out for dinner! Come on!
*shakes her head* And I said I'm not interested.
Aww come on.
I have work to do.
It can wait!
*sarcastically* Yeah 'cause she sure seems super excited what with being cornered and all and trying to shove you away.

The man turns around at the sound of Annie's voice.

What?! What do you want?! You want a piece of me?!
What you think I'm scared of you?
You're kind of creepy you know that?
Creepy? Watch your mouth, kid!
*growls angrily*

The man falls silent as he quickly appraises Sir Samson.

Ahh, she isn't worth the trouble anyway. Look out, pal!

The man shoves Finn back and runs out of the room.

What a jerk!
Good riddance! You ok, Finn?
Yeah he didn't actually touch me. I've gotten better at avoiding this sort of thing.
Thanks! As a token of my appreciation... !
Ahh, ha, ha, ha!

Annie jumps back.

Hmph! Don't we have other things we should be doing, Finn! [sic]
Ah ha ha! Is that a bit of jealousy I detect, ehh Annie?
Hmph! For Finn? Please!
Thank you very much! You can ask me out to dinner anytime.
You do know my brother is like half your age, right?
Also, I'm really not interested.
Hryaaa. This got awkward quick.
And we should really be going.
For once I completely agree with Sir Samson.
Don't look at me. I've been nothing but all business here.

*nervous laugh* Ok, um, next place?
Am I alone in getting skeevy vibes from this town?
No. Definitely not.
Edward? Tont?
That was... unusual.
I-I don't know.
Hey, Annie, there's a weapon and armor shop here. Wanna see what they've got?
Yes. We might need new equipment before the night is done.

Welcome! I specialize in weapons! What can I do for ya?
*gasps in awe*
Somethin' wrong, kid?
Oh he just sees a new sword he likes. That's all.
It is a thing of beauty.
Don't be shy, Finn. Try it and see how the balance on it feels.
Now that is true high quality Opheran steel. They only make swords like this for the Zalagoon knights.

First Broad Swords, now Great Swords. This game does seem to delight in tossing out the old Shining Force class restrictions, doesn't it? We buy Finn a Great Sword, Sir Samson a Tomahawk, and three Steel Rods for the casters thus giving everyone a weapon upgrade in one trip. Swords have at last outpaced staves in price and that's a trend that will hold steady and which I am thankful for. I am also amused to see Sir Samson's attack power shoot up to 85. The odds are looking good he'll reach or break 100 by level twenty.

Welcome! I have the best prices on armor in town! What can I do for you?
Argh. Still only wooden shields? Does anyone sell a shield that isn't wood?
I used to but with all the fighting up north my supply ran out. Sorry kid.

The armor on sale isn't as impressive but everyone but Annie will get a body piece upgrade. We buy a set of Iron Plate for Finn, Heavy Mail for Sir Samson, and a Magic Cape for each of the squishy mages.

In the room by the ladder the team stumbles upon a less-than-lively dance hall.

I guess we're too early for the show.
Is there a particular reason we're in here?
*shrugs* Well Finn get to work.
Uh, hi, we're...
(east) Hey kids what's shakin?! Woo-hoo! I love the way she dances. Woo-hoo! Yee-ha!
*shakes head* O-k. What about you? Why are you here?
(west) My dream is to dance with Dorothy, but I'm too embarrassed to ask!
Which one is Dorothy?
He's totally not paying any attention to us, Finn.
Well I guess we'll just have to ask then. *clears throat* Excuse me but are you Dorothy?
Me? No. She's over there.
Uh, thanks, I think.
La La La. Dance with me? Lu Lu Lu Lu. *smiles* You kids are adorable you know that?
What about Sir Samson? Is he adorable too?
He can't be adorable because I'm extra cute and someone has to balance the scales.
*indignant smirk*
Excuse me but are you Dorothy?
Yes I am. There somethin' you need, kid?
That guy over there says he wants to dance with you.
(Dorothy) What? That guy wants to dance with me? Of course I will. He's kinda cute.

Finn and Dorothy walk off stage. Dorothy nods to the man.

Hey, you! Come here and dance with me.
Me? Really? Of course!

The two go on stage and start dancing. Our matchmaking job is done for the night.

After all this time, I never thought that I would actually be dancing with Dorothy.
He's not a bad dancer either.

With the day saved they move on to the last structure under the docks. Just outside, however, was a man just sort of milling about.

Oh hi kids. Curiosity got the better of you?
I take it that's why you're out here.
You could say that.
Whatcha doing in Luna?
I came from the north to try to make my fortune or at least a name for myself.
Oh?
Well this is the biggest port on the continent so if anyone knows where fabulous treasure is this would be the place.
Ahh, a fellow treasure hunter.
Well, a failed one, really. I couldn't find any legendary treasure, but I was able to meet pirates. They are more generous than I thought.
How so?
Well I, uh, haven't always avoided stepping on toes while I'm here and... well, you know. Are you kids looking for pirates?
Sort of?
We're sort of here on a whim right now.
Well there are some in the bar over there.
Ok, thanks.

True to the man's word just inside were five men relaxing and drinking the night away.

We've managed to wander into a second bar. This is becoming a bad habit for us.
And you still can't drink, either.
Is this time because we're too young?
Yes and no and because I'm not cleaning up after any of you.
HEY! Welcome to Club Luna! Anyone is welcome here as long as they don't cause trouble.
Trouble is the last thing we want.
(lone) It's great to see some youngsters out on the town.
What's going on?
(lone) This is great! Did you see the beautiful women next door?
Yes but really we're much more interested in Captain Domino. Do you know him?
(table) Domino, huh? That pirate is up to something funny.
Oh? Any details?
(table) He said... he's interested in legend. [sic] Mentioned a vase and beans. Could be bogus though.
(table) Vase un... beans, ha, ha! <Hick>... Yo Ho Ho... <Hick>! Aww Domino what'll you think of next!

Wait a minute. There's a ladder here. I wonder where this goes.

Oh hey it goes right where I've been wanting to go since we got here. Score one for Finn!

We'll see what the Source of Growth does later but until then Finn squirrels the bottle away for a rainy day.

Do you feel better now, Finn?
Definitely! What were we doing again? Asking about Domino?
Yup.
Ah, that's right.
Captain Domino? I don't know anything about that fool! *looks to other man at the bar* You wanna know about Domino? Ask him. He's Domino's best friend.
Ok. Will do.

Finn and Annie approach the other man at the bar.

So you're Domino's friend?
Who wants to know?
We don't work for Bandore, if that matters.
*eyes the group suspiciously* You're definitely not from around here. I'm not feeling particularly talkative.
Is someone after you?
I'm a pirate. There's always someone happy to see me swing from a rope.
Are you also from the western continent? We heard about Domino's quest.
*hesitantly* I am.
Did you also become a pirate to look for treasure?
No.
Then why are you a pirate?
You've got a lot of questions.
We're not out to get you or him.
*sizes the party up* You're from Marion, aren't you?
Yes.
*quickly looks away then back at Finn* Domino is a good guy, but he has a lot of enemies. You look like honorable people. Domino went to the Island of Gaea. He said something about scooping up nature's water with a Vase of Life.
Nature's water? What is that supposed to mean? Edward?
I don't really know. It sounds vaguely familiar though.
Obviously whatever it is it's on that island Domino went to.
*man nods*
Well that does explain why he wanted that guy's vase.
Why can't he use any vase?
I don't know. Domino wouldn't go into details.
Has something happened to him? You seem worried.
Yes. I'm beginning to fear for my friend. His crew has already returned from the island.
WHAT?! How does a crew come back without the captain?
Pryaa. Mutiny?
I haven't heard anything about a mutiny. They were spooked but unhurt.
Maybe there just wasn't anything on that island they were interested in.
Hmm, I guess. One sailor was looking for the legendary Moon Crescent, but all he found was some statue. If there was nothing valuable... well, Domino can be hard to work with if you're not used to his quirks.
You want us to find out what happened to your friend?
You seem like you can handle yourselves so if it's not too much trouble yes, I would.
Ok, I guess if we're going to do this we should talk to his crew. Where are they?
That's the weirdest part. They came back on foot. *chuckles* My friend has ways of making sure no one uses his ship if he doesn't want them to. Ahh, but most of them have already gone back to sea with other captains. Hrm... Ah, yes! That fellow with the statue is still in town trying to pawn it off on someone with too much money to spare. I haven't seen him around town tonight, though.
Oh that won't be a problem for us.
*raises a confused eyebrow*
If he's still in town we'll find him. Don't worry.
Good luck and be careful. There are many vicious monsters to the east.

With some actual useful information the team heads up to the staircase to find the last treasure chest hidden away in Luna. Finn is immediately disappointed that it contains only a single Healing Herb.

So does anyone have any idea where this Island of Gaia is?
To the east, I'd guess. There's nowhere else it could be. Sir Samson?
East. Yes. I've heard of the island once or twice. Kind of a lonely place I think.
Isn't there supposed to be a village out east too?
Praa. Jonowan!
Lonely islands have to have something interesting, right?
Well this island at least has a pirate so there's no way it can be all boring.
You have an interesting way of looking at the situation, Finn.

-- SUMMARY OF EVENTS --

So we've heard about Domino before but if you've forgotten all about him I don't blame you. He was mentioned in update 21 but, well, stuff has happened since then that has been far more immediate and relevant to the team. If I wasn't deliberately going out of my way to fiddle with everything and talk to everyone we'd probably have never heard anything about him or have any idea what we're supposed to be doing.

---

I cut one NPC from this update who repeats a line we heard when we were first in Luna. It's the guy who tells us where Jonowan is. We saw him in update 21.

---

Finally, I had to outright rewrite a line in this update. It's this one:

Annie: *shakes head* Hmph! For Finn, please! [sic]

I'm guessing the translator/editor was going for an angry, semi-sarcastic line that meant to convey "you think I'm jealous over this? Please! No way!" which is why I changed Annie's line to "Hmph! For Finn? Please!". Punctuation goes a long way in written English.

Next time on Beyond the Beyond - I guess we follow Domino. It makes about as much sense as anything else, right?

Update Twenty Nine | Index | Update Thirty One