So I managed to scrape up a victory in the Muscle Dome!
Contestant Statham is awarded 818 tokens!
Luckily enough, Soru Bread costs 100 coins each, and we need 8 of them, so this is just enough that we never have to do that again.
Time to venture into the lower levels of Sol!
We didn't encounter any Spoons on the way up, but now I've started running into them! Spoons are our final light Seru, and another group heal, more powerful than Orb is. We'll still mostly be sticking with Orb, but it won't be too long before we start using Spoon a lot.
Huh, here's an unusual looking chest. Let's check it out.
Sage's Treasure Chest: I smell something good! That smells so good -- it's Soru Bread!
Do you wish to give the Soru Bread to the Sage's Treasure Chest?
->Yes
->No
Statham put the Soru Bread into the Sage's Treasure Chest!
The chest noms in delight and then starts glowing.
There are 8 total of these things, and the only difference between them all (besides obviously their location) is that they have different things in them. They're mostly Waters, which is quite nice.
The items the other seven Sage's Treasure Chests carry:
-Wisdom Water (+4 Int)
-Swift Water (+4 Spd)
-Wonder Elixir (Raises all stats for the duration of one battle)
-Power Water (+4 Atk)
-Healing Berry (Full heal)
-Life Water (+16 HP)
-Guardian Water (+4 Def)
After we feed the final chest, there's a slight rumbling in the distance.
At the end of the stairs is this fancy-looking doorway.
And inside is this weird machine.
And what better to do with a weird machine than poke it?
He who seeks the Warrior's Square must sate the Sage's hunger. Then the Sage's Gate will open. All the Sages have been satisfied.
The machine starts running, blowing off a bunch of smoke.
Nathdran: Calm down, Garzan! Listen! I hear something!
The Sage's Gate--that large green statue there that's blocking the way farther down the stairs--retracts into the opening beside it, freeing our passage to the bottom of Sol.
Back with our heroes, an image starts flickering over the machine.
Yeaaa...! Wooooo....hoooo! ... am most... impressed!
The image stabilizes.
Dr. Usha! I am pleased to make your acquaintance!
Garzan: Hi, Dr. Usha!
Dr. Usha: Don't be alarmed. This is a mechanical device. It is not the real me! I know not whether I will still be alive by the time you hear this message. I recorded this message just after sealing the Sage's Gate. This I did to protect the Warrior's Square from the approaching Mist and its cohorts. If I am lucky, I will survive the Mist long enough to meet you. Proceed with the Genesis Tree seedling. Heroes! Drive the Mist from Sol!
With that, Dr. Usha's hologram shuts off.
Nathdran: Statham! How did Dr. Usha know we were here? We should take the Genesis Tree seedling to Warrior's Square, like Dr. Usha said.
The real bottom of the staircase! Everything's got weird green lighting down here.
There's also some new enemies! Warhalves are upgraded Warmen. Mages have all sorts of nasty tricks up their sleeves, in a rather literal fashion, as their melee attack involve whacking us with all sorts of objects from them. And in a figurative fashion as well, as they have a special called "Void Accessories" which picks a random accessory of the target and de-equips it. As in we have to re-equip it after the fight's over. I forget to do this so much. ;_;
Medusas can cause Stone, the worst of all status effects. It's effectively a K.O., really. The affected character can't act in any way for the entire rest of the fight and the worst part is none of our healing magic can cure it. Only way to get rid of it is to use Medicine, the removes-all-status-effects item (or, of course, to end the fight). The only ever so slight benefit to Stone is that sometimes an enemy will attack the Stone-and-thus-immune-to-damage character instead of one of the others. I also have no idea why Medusa is half-wolf don't ask.
Also appearing are Kemaros fuck yeah and Aluru.
There are a lot of bookshelves down here!
Titles included, if you're interested (and I am):
-Keem's "History of Sol" (10 volumes)
-Kooch's "Topography of Sol" (3 volumes)
-Iny's "Legends of Sol" (8 volumes)
-Nayko's "The Prince" (25 volumes)
-Tornay's "Legaian Animal Life" (3 volumes)
-Naba's "Theory of War" (5 volumes)
-Zono's "City Planning" (2 volumes)
And one particular little gem hidden with Keem's "History of Sol"
Statham now has Mary's Diary!
The Golden Book! Having this item equipped gives us a 25% increase on the gold we get from battles. This isn't getting deequipped for a while.
The construction of Sol began in the age of the legendary Emperor Etora I. It is said that Etora I chose this site because of the Genesis Tree. Since mythical times, the Genesis Tree has been considered the guardian tree of Sol. For some unknown reason, the Genesis Tree withered in the age of the Holy Emperor Etora IV. Etora IV moved the Genesis Tree to Biron Temple in keeping with the prophecy of Hari. This monument is dedicated to the memory of the Genesis Tree.
Octam doesn't have a monopoly on Hari's prophecies, it seems.
Nathdran: The air is stale from being sealed in here for so long.
Nathdran: That must be the Warrior's Square that Dr. Usha was talking about. The Square must be behind those stones.
Garzan: Ooh, I want to see the Square! I want to go through the stones!
The Warrior's Square is blocked by two layers of stone pillars, each connected to a large lever.
The first one is right in front of us.
The second one, however, is a little harder to get to.
These electrified gates are all around the Square. Each is connected to a small lever that will turn it off, but only to let us through once. Several of the wooden staircases around are also broken, leading us through an oddly shaped path to the second lever.
We now have access to Warrior's Square!
...Though getting to it requires backtracking through the electric gates puzzle some.
Nathdran: Statham! Hurry! I'm worried about Songi and Gaza.
Oh! Oh! I bet you can't guess who shows up now!
That's right, it's Lord Cocktard!
It's kind of impressive that he can talk through the portal before it even opens much less before he actually jumps through it.
Garzan: Songi! What did you do with the old man, Gaza?
Songi: Well, well. How touching! The barbarian girl is fond of the old geezer!
Garzan: Ooh! I'm steaming!
Songi: If you want to see him that much, then go ahead! Gaza! Come out, Gaza! We have visitors!
Sure enough, another portal opens and out pops Gaza, apparently good as new.
Songi: In fact, I like him so much that I gave him a custom-fitted Sim-Seru!
Songi: Now, then... I'll leave you to the geezer. If you'll forgive me, I must be going. I'm so busy now! I would wish you good luck, but that won't do you any good! Ha, ha, ha!
Aaaand he jumps into another portal. Frogflipping munchbuckets, Songi, could you be more of an evil little fucker?
Gaza: (Silence)
Nathdran: Garzan! Stay away from him! He's possessed by a Seru!
Almost as if on cue, the Sim-Seru attaches to Gaza.
Garzan: He's being destroyed!
Nathdran: He's in a frenzy. There's nothing to do now but fight him!
Gaza: T-Thou wouldst hinder my path of carnage. You must die! Prepare to die by the steel of the Astral Sword! Prepare to meet thy doom!
The Astral Sword finally makes its appearance!
And boss fight go!
![](http://i828.photobucket.com/albums/zz209/LegendofLegaiaLP/Update%2014/ePSXe2010-03-0122-33-30-88.png)
Our second fight with Gaza! He's even tougher this time. At least he doesn't use Neo Star Slash every other turn until I run out of Phoenixes and have to beat him with only two party members like the last time I fought him! Yeah, I was really dreading this fight. And go figure I don't get K.O.'d even once this time. :V
Anyway, Gaza has two hard-hitting specials under his belt this time! Neo Star Slash attacks our entire party for A Buttload of damage.
Astral Wave attacks one party member for a marginally smaller Buttload of damage.
His plain melee attack also does a Buttload of damage. Basically Gaza is one tough old coot! This fight also marks the first appearance of Statham's Miracle Arts, Statham's Craze, but I didn't bother nabbing any 'caps of it. It's in the video a few times if you'd like to see it.
I think this is the first time Nate's gotten the killing blow on a boss, excepting his one-on-one fight with Songi for obvious reasons.
Nathdran: Look, Garzan! The horrible Seru is separating from Gaza's body!
Gaza: I am... utterly defeated... by the enemy... Failed to keep the vow... I made... My dream... never to come true! Mar! Theodore! Belde!
Garzan: Terra! Terra! He's dying! Don't let him die! Help him! Terra, you're a Ra-Seru! You have amazing powers! Please, help the old man!
Terra: However... Yes, that's it. It may be possible to keep his spirit alive.
Ozma: Special powers are needed to raise the Genesis Tree seedling into a full-grown Genesis Tree.
Meta: Gaza's strong spirit, which trapped Gaza in its prison... It's pure and earnest enough to provide the Genesis Tree seedling with the energy it needs!
Terra: Gaza's soul will live eternally in the Genesis Tree in Warrior's Square!
Garzan: You mean that the old man is going to turn into a Genesis Tree here?
Gaza: I... am to become a G-Genesis Tree? Now that I have failed... to uphold my vow... Then I can die contentedly. Please help me join with the Genesis Tree!
Nathdran: Garzan! Gaza's pulse is getting weaker!
Garzan: Old man! If you really want to join with the Genesis Tree...
Meta: Statham! Place the Genesis Tree seedling next to Gaza! Let his energy flow into it!
Woo! The Astral Sword then lowers from the branches of the Genesis Tree.
Garzan: Statham! T-That's the old man! He wants us to use it now that he's gone!
Who doesn't want a sword almost as tall as they are, right?
Nathdran: For an instant, Gaza saw his grandchild Mar's face in you, Garzan.
Garzan: Old ma... I mean, Grandpa! Watch over all of us, OK?
Well, at least all the electric gates are turned off now and getting out of the room is much less of a hassle than getting into it was.
When we leave the room, there's a pan shot of the tree with Garzan at the room's entrance.
There are tears in her eyes when she turns around. ;A;
But enough of that! The Mist is now gone from the lower levels of Sol, and that means we have new people to talk with!
I think your war got canceled.
As soon as we were relieved, the Mist came. After that, I don't remember anything. After he sealed the Sage's Gate, Dr. Usha left for the northwest, saying he was returning to his lab.
It's not that they just want to make money. I think they want to live and work like humans again.
Yeah, ten years of being occupied by only savage monsters with a crazy old man coming through and slaughtering some every once in a while. Can't imagine how that could get dirty.
You know him! Is he safe?
->Yes
->No
(Silence) Oh, I see. (Silence) I see. I survived the Mist, but had I been unlucky, maybe Gaza would have killed me as a Seru monster. You've seen such terrible fighting... And poor Gaza. He put down his sword, but after his grandchildren were killed by the Mist, he took it up again. Poor, lonely Gaza... his only choice was to live by the sword again. I know you are careful and have fine Seru, but a Seru is a Seru! It's just a tool! People are more important than tools! Never let a tool rule your heart!
Hey, check it out, the Emperor managed to not die!
Emperor Etora: You there. Are you the one called Statham?
->Yes
->No
Emperor Etora: Many citizens fell victim to the Mist in the long years before you arrived. But you have saved us. I also foresaw the danger posed by the Floating Castle... I ordered Dr. Usha to seal the Sage's Gate. I was correct in doing so. I have from Usha a message intended for the heroes who revive the Genesis Tree.
Emperor Etora: That is the message! I now entreat you to destroy the abominable Floating Castle! Good work! Give my regards to Usha when you see him!
Yeah, well, unless Dr. Usha's been busy inventing the jetpack, I think it'll take us a while to get around to the Floating Castle.
His name is Grantes. It was Grantes! Grantes helped build the Floating Castle!
Guilt over Garzan kicking him in the face: EASED.
The weapons shop down here has a bunch of stuff the one upstairs didn't!
We can't afford most of it!
Can't say I blame the guy.
But few actually came back. It must be Gaza. He must have...
I go crazy when I think what my husband must have been doing in the ten years he's been away from me!
I-I'm sorry, dear. I just got carried away.
Statham, I'm so sorry. My husband is just so ill-mannered.
Truly, we have done great things for these people.
Great things, indeed.
This is reality? Hmmph. It's more like a bad dream.
Grantes: I know! I know the Mist is gone from downstairs. But it doesn't mean a darn thing to me. So let me be, will you?
The drink called "Hope"? Yeah, I remember how that tastes. It's like a dreamy future in a tall glass...
Who knows? Maybe it's because Dr. Usha liked Soru Bread.
I have no doubt in my mind that this is the case.
This is the kid whose entire family went down into the Mist one by one to look for the previous family members. At least one of them came back.
I'm so embarrassed. Hope, despair, life and death -- it all depends on how you look at things!
But unfortunately not too many came back. Maybe because they were in the Mist for so long... Or maybe because of Gaza. No one knows for certain.
And we're finally back at the roof! Remember the monk who managed to lose the book of Arts? Of course you do!
The... book! G-Give it to me!
Statham passed Mary's Diary to the warrior-monk.
Ohh, this is... so embarrassing! Ohh! A warrior-monk of Biron should not gaze upon such a book! Oh... my! (Silence)
If we talk to him again, he'll offer to teach us Arts, but we already know them all and, well. I think it'd be best to just leave him be. Let's go talk to Old Deez instead.
Old Deez: Words fail to describe my joy at your success! I deeply appreciate you. Now, I hear there is another Genesis Tree in Karisto -- in Buma, far to the north. Your power and that of the Ra-Seru should enable you to revive it and drive off the Mist! Good luck. And may Tieg smile on the whole world!
Buma isn't actually that far to the north from Sol. ...If it weren't for the fact that Sol is surrounded by mountains and we actually have to backtrack to the flying train station before heading north to Buma. But you lovely readers don't have to deal with any of that! Or with watching me grind for a while to afford all the stuff from the shop in the lower levels. Lucky you.
Next time on Let's Play Legend of Legaia: History, of both the recent and ancient varieties!