ladyabaxa ◾ ◾ Beyond the Beyond: Update 33: Forgotten Shrine (Gaea Island)

Beyond the Beyond: Update 33: Forgotten Shrine (Gaea Island)

Well apparently things are getting bad over on Gaea Island and we've just conveniently gotten our hands on a little statue that is apparently the shrine's guardian or something. I suppose we should wander on over there and see for ourselves what the pirates have possibly unleashed.

First though we still have a bit of business in the village. The team has been accumulating stat boosters and the space they're taking up in our inventory is getting on my nerves.

Well that lady said this was getting old. I guess someone should drink it before it goes bad.
Magic liquid can go bad?
Oh definitely. What happens is...
*holds up one hand* You know I think I'll just be content knowing it's possible without hearing the details.
*chuckles* So who's going to put their skin on the line?
Draw straws?
I'm in.
We should draw for each of the bottles.
So you're in?
Damn right I am!

After a few minutes Finn returns with the straws.

You kids are certainly quite brave... or foolhardy. Are you sure you want to go through with this?
They still look and smell fine.
Pryaa. Sir Samson doesn't object.
Edward knows more about magic than I do.

When the results come in and the kids brave downing the contents of the various bottles they've been carting around it comes out as thus:

Source of Wisdom: Edward +5 INT
Source of Agility: Edward +5 AGI
Source of Agility: Annie +5 AGI
Source of Vitality: Samson +5 max VP

None of these were actually assigned at random. Boosting Samson's VP should be obvious and giving Edward Intelligence might have no benefit but I did it anyway. He's sort of the team brains anyway. I spent a good long while deciding who should get those two Agility boosts. With the Tempest Ring we essentially have a Source of Agility that can be passed around the team. Samson's still being penalized for the armor he's wearing and he's not a speedy character to begin with so I have no expectation of getting him where he reliably acts first. As such I'm content to leave him to act last in the rotation. Tont has the Tempest Ring right now while Finn is already speedy and there's not much benefit to making him faster.

It thus came down to Edward and Annie. Annie being the team's healer means there's always a strong incentive to make sure she can act first each round. Meanwhile Edward's sitting at an awkward spot where he acts with Finn and Annie against the slower monsters. He's not quite fast enough to act before some of the faster, more dangerous monsters get to act and Finn and Annie can't always kill them either. Boosting him so he can help those two finish off whatever they're facing at the outset certainly can't hurt. I also have some plans later on that don't exactly require Edward to have high Agility but will work better if he does. There's a strong case for boosting Tont (his elemental summon lines hit hard) but he doesn't get much +Speed from level ups so he could just drop back down in the rotation later on whereas Annie and Edward are likely to get enough +Speed to hold their spots longer.

Here's the complete map of southeastern Greenheim. I've added in all the locations the original map didn't include. Today we are headed over to Gaea Island.

Well what do ya know. That fisherman was right.
Is the channel going to stay like this?
I can feel magic radiating from the statue we brought with us. It's faint but it definitely wants to go to the island.
We should get moving then.

As soon as the team crosses the ground shakes and the sea rushes in to close the passage behind them.

Well there goes our only way back. I hope Domino is still here or we might be stranded.

If all else fails, sis, we'll at least have gargoyles to keep us company.
Hrmph!
Let's say hello, Finn.
Right behind ya.

It doesn't seem like there's really that many monsters.
Well there's the shrine. If any place has been overrun that would be it.
Hopefully if it is overrun they'll be the cuddly, friendly type of monsters.
Kryaa! You're not getting cold feet are you Finn?
We've never had to fight our way into a hornet's nest.
Let's just find Domino as quick as we can and get the hell out.

Yup, it's the shrine which looks absolutely nothing like the structure as depicted on the overworld. I'm not really complaining because then I'd have to worry about a semi-invincible robot arbitrarily hanging out inside. Assuming of course that said guardian robot didn't decide to pop out for a smoke break or something thus managing to completely fail at its one assigned task. (The Final Conflict jokes practically write themselves.)

Brr! I take back that cold feet crack, Finn. My paws are already getting cold and we just got here.
It is a bit chilly in here.
More stones. This must be where that pirate originally found the guardian statue.

There you go, Finn. Nice, cuddly, furry dogs for you to pet.
Ha, ha, very funny, Steiner.

See all those angry-faced statues? Yeah they have an aggravating ability to block parts of the screen. I have several reasons for disliking this particular dungeon and this is one of them. Most of the time I can tell what's going on. The rest of the time I'm just annoyed.

Here is the monument. This seems overly elaborate for one little shrine but then again I thought the same thing about the slidey block puzzle that locks the doors to the shrine behind the Border Church. Quite obviously people in ancient times had a lot of time and money on their hands. That or there were some bored wizards competing for the title of 'Most Counter-Intuitive Locking Mechanism'.

Let's just go up the stairs and try not to think about this until we have to go back to Jonowan.

2nd floor

Oh, ah, haha, it's pitch black up here.
I guess windows would be against the natural order.
This place seems less and less like a shrine and more like someone just wanted to carve out a cave.
Well what about light? Did anyone bring a torch?
One moment, Finn. I'll create light for us.

A few minutes later when the light emanating from Edward's staff stabilizes the team can see some of their surroundings. At least we don't have to carry an item to create light or use precious MP on a spell to do that.

It's spikey.
Let's try not to walk into those, ok?
Spikey and cold and wet and I bet we just stand out to anything nasty up here don't we?
Finn if you're that worried we can turn back.
No, no! We came this far to find Domino. We should keep going.

Prrr. What is the matter with you Finn? You're jumpy.
It's just... everything. Something is not right with this place.
Careful, Finn, there's a seal on the ground ahead of us.
*jumps back* What? Oh, so there is.
Do you need me to take the lead for awhile?
No, I'm ok, sis.
I wonder who put the seal here?
We can just walk around it.
Yes, I'm not entirely sure what this script says but this is some sort of draining enchantment.
No doubt a trap laid so someone would stumble onto it in the dark.

Those two are nice and fluffy, Finn. Maybe they're friendly.
About as friendly as angry bears by the look of it.

The bug bears quickly prove they are not friendly but snarling and leaping to the attack. One manages to survive and attack Edward...

...and is promptly cut in half by Sir Samson. That number is hard to see but Samson just hit for 23 damage. Ouch. (This would be a lot more dramatic if that damn statue wasn't in the way. GRR!)

3rd floor

I hope that spell of yours lasts a long time, Edward, 'cause I think we've got a lot of darkness ahead of us.
Prr. There's another magic seal over there.
I can't see anything.
A shame you don't have wings, Finn. They come in handy.

That statue, that's like the one in the village.
It's enchanted.
Finn, careful.

Wha...? Whoa. Ok.

As soon as Finn steps in front of the statue its eyes begin to glow yellow.

It's not attacking.

Welcome to this dungeon's gimmick. Some of the statues will autofollow the party. Since Finn and company can't walk through them this means whatever path they start down they're committed to. Combined with the low visibility this is designed to force the player into traps.

No but it is following us. Leave us alone you stupid statue!
I don't think it can hear you, Finn.

Well it shooouuu, AAAAHH!

Then Finn managed to lead the team straight into a pit where they fell to the second floor.

Where they were set upon by a Gargoyle and an Ice Warrior. Thankfully the Ice Warrior's critical attack on Edward was thwarted by the row modifier. (Thank you row modifier, you are perhaps the best member of this team.)

Hit me will you? Well I don't think you'll be doing that again.
Or anything, really, though just to make sure...

...
A frog. That's my finish? A flying frog?!

The Water Leaper then belly flopped on the Ice Warrior, finishing it off.

Ok, well I guess in the end that worked.

The row modifier is not the enemy's friend, at least not when Sir Samson gets to attack. I will admit it is nice (and satisfying!) having someone on the team with enough attack power to just power through that stuff.

A few minutes later the team is back on the third floor.

Let's try not to fall this time.
I wasn't trying last time.
A fork in the road.
Crud, which direction, which direction?
To our right is that seal, Finn.
Oh, yeah, I guess going forward can't hurt then.

So the party headed south then turned east.

Stairs! That's exactly what I wanted to see.

As Finn sets foot on the staircase, however, the statue turns and stomps back yanking the entire party away from the staircase. How? Magic, clearly.

I do believe we have been denied.

To get the animated statue off the party's back locating the tile to dump it on is paramount. Fortunately it is as easy as heading west along the south wall.

You're sure this is magical, Edward?
Yes, some sort of sympathetic magic with the statue.
Prr. It's not doing anything.
The statue will follow us. Let's lead it onto it.

Edward's suggestion is the right one. The statue autofollows them onto the tile and deactivates. Like most puzzles in Beyond the Beyond its position will reset if we leave the floor and come back so if we need to descend from this point on we either have to use the pit or go through this process again since there's no way to avoid walking by the statue.

Well whaddya know, Tont, it's one of your lizard friends.
Those things are not my friends.

Neither are Sylphs, apparently!

Duly noted. Again. Ow!

The next round Annie heals Samson, who had been chipped down to half life mostly off of curse retaliations. The enemies in here usually don't live long enough to actually attack us. Also, I wanted to point out that heal spells in battle are slightly randomized and actually less effective than they are outside of battle. If Annie cast the exact same spell out of battle it would heal 15 VP which would put Samson at max health. This difference annoys me slightly but since Samson is the slowest combatant I just have to put up with it.

You know what? Half the time I don't even need the minion. My staff works just fine.
Krraa. Tont's taking out some aggression.
Just someone trying to throw a knife at me, really.
*snickers*

Backtracking the team finds the seal Steiner spotted earlier.

So that's the deal, huh. Whoever built this place was a sadist.
I would say tough security but apparently both pirates and monsters have beaten it.
We are too, Annie.
...Yeah that probably doesn't speak well of the security here, if that's what this is.
Bah, we haven't even found any treasure yet.
Maybe the pirates took it.
Don't even joke about that! Let's *pause* ugh, let's just head upstairs.

On the way back to the staircase the party is accosted by a pair of gargoyles. Tont summons a High Elf, something we've yet to run into, and they cast Wind 2 on both gargoyles for a nice 18 damage to each.

You know what, Annie, you're right!
I am?
Clearly I was making friends with the wrong demi-humans.

Well, have fun doing that I guess. Hey, gargoyle, we're trying to have a conversation over here. Stop giving me the stink eye!

4th floor

Oh goody a big open space. Uh, I guess we go right?

Dead end.
I see that.

Another gargoyle and friend pops up to attack the team. There sure are a lot of gargoyles in here aren't there? Tont's summoned Ice Warrior does a decent chunk of damage with an Ice level 1 spell.

However the real highlight, since the gargoyle didn't die, was that the spell animation triggered one statue to go through its fly off the screen animation. The statues are objects and they shake whenever a spell is cast. Rarely they'll also be removed from the battlefield entirely. I have no idea why the developers went to the trouble of doing this because most battlefields can't even take advantage of this little quirk.

Since the gargoyle survived the Ice Warrior spends its turn using a Healing Herb to erase the damage dealt by Tont's summon. This was all well and good until the gargoyle attacked Annie, she counterattacked, then Samson's turn came up. The gargoyle's day then ended abruptly and violently.