Stillness Underground
Fortunately, the passage to the cathedral is brief. Perhaps too brief, as I forgot to get enough JP to unlock another skill. But hey, that should make things more interesting!
And since I forgot to show it earlier, here are the boats. They're neat little details.
Temenos's Talent inflicts debuffs on enemies at night, which is nice and helps make up for encounters generally being more difficult at night.
A couple of the enemies I encountered. Nothing too exciting.
I did get a nice weapon upgrade for Temenos, which should come in handy.
As is customary, there's a random merchant right before a boss fight, in case you're low on consumables.
One screen, rather simple.
SILENCE
Time to see what's really going on here...
Your Holiness! Please, no...
What...in the world...? ......
In Pursuit of Truth
Uh...I guess that answers what happened to the Pontiff.
Could it have shattered the window? Surely not... Stand back, Temenos.
I appreciate your courage, but I need not be sheltered from any and all danger.
Video: Boss - Felvarg
Critical Clash II
Behold, the successor to one of the greatest boss themes of all time. It has a lot to live up to, but I think this song stands up quite well on its own, especially on repeated listens.
Oh right, the boss.
This is Felvarg, or a Felvarg, or something. It doesn't matter, we just gotta kill it before it kills us.
First off, I decide to buff and find out what Felvarg is weak to.
This beast is mostly a physical attacker, but it has a pretty hefty darkness magic attack.
Staves aren't effective, but we've got swords and light magic to work with. Should be simple enough.
Indeed, the first break doesn't take too long to get off.
The turn order also works out in my favor, as immediately after Crick can release a max-boosted Sacred Slash.
...which debuffs Felvarg's elemental defense, leading to a 50% increase in damage from a max-boosted Holy Light.
When an enemy recovers from break, they always get the first turn, regardless of what speed buffs and debuffs may be up. I made sure to have Crick cover Temenos just in case, and this was for the best since Felvarg got a nasty three-hit attack off.
It's agitated! Will you cower behind me yet again, dear Crick? You may as well get behind me if all you have to offer are cruel jokes!
Well now... You may prove reliable yet.
Halfway through each Chapter 1 boss, each character will unlock their Latent Power, which is basically a limit break.
Also I finally get an excuse to use Heal Wounds, in that I need to start healing more or I'll die.
I opt to spend some BP to whittle Felvarg down quickly. The plan is to break him the following turn with Temenos, giving me two rounds to lay into it. Which I proceed to do.
Temenos has one of the more situational latents, and thus it's probably the one I've used the least. Still very handy in some situations.
Break and Boost.
This nasty attack heals Felvarg the same amount he inflicts.
SP issues can be a thing for some characters. It shouldn't be for Temenos later on, but for now that healing spell is expensive.
It looks like Felvarg's gonna get two turns to throw more nasty attacks, so now's a good time to use our Latent and break this fella early!
Having your latent active gives this nice glowing effect that pairs well with the boost aura.
Thus we break Felvarg even without it having a staff weakness. Handy!
After another round of unloading damage, Felvarg prepares to unleash a devastating attack on Temenos.
Even worse, the jerk locks all of its weaknesses temporarily, so we can't break it without Temenos's latent...which we just used. Not that we could break five shields with it anyway, the max is four attacks.
Oh well, plan B of "Buff Crick and have him take the hit" works out well.
And after one more volley, we put this pupper down for good.
Video: Suspected Foul PlaySILENCE
Pontiff...
Steady yourself, Crick. We must keep our wits about us. ...Forgive me.
He's yet warm. We're too late, but not by much. What a horrific accident...
How do you mean?
...... Temenos... ......
Doubt Is What I Do
...I believe this is roughly how things looked before the pontiff was slain. First, we must find out how the beast came to be here. It must have left a trace somewhere around here.
There's two nearby clues. First...
(Looks like someone burnt incense here.)
(A flower known to attract all manner of beasts, but especially those of the varg family. In other words... It's no coincidence we found that foul creature here. It must have been lured to the cathedral.)And then...
(Shards of the cathedral window are scattered across the floor. But this window contains powerful wards that keep evil at bay. So how did it get through?)
(As though it landed outside the cathedral...)
(Suppose it did land outside the cathedral... The window could've been broken from within, and the shards retroactively scattered inside... In which case this was not the beast's doing, but the work of another.)
(Though one thing still troubles me.)
It turns out there's one more clue to be discovered.
(These are never seen in the cathedral but for a few important ceremonies. So, why were they out tonight...? In fact, the pontiff once told me...)
("The gods, eager to seal their evil counterpart away...became as four sacred flames, and settled into slumber. The truth lies in the flame.")
(This is no mere coincidence. It was premediated.)
Ah, Temenos. Welcome back.
If you look closely, they've flecks of dirt upon them. Which suggests it was broken from within, and the shards were scattered across the floor afterward.
Which contained the lingering scent of an incense known to lure all manner of monsters. Y-you mean--!Apprehension
I am all but certain. Who...who would do such a thing!? Indeed, that is the question.
These candlesticks were carelessly toppled. You may suppose they were knocked aside when the pontiff was attacked. But these are only taken out for a handful of important ceremonies. So why were they out tonight, and surrounding the altar no less? ......
"...became as four sacred flames, and settled into slumber."
I believe His Holiness sensed the impending danger, and hid it for us to find. Hoping that someone would understand the significance of all this. ...
Sadly, before we can try to discern what importance this scripture held...
SILENCE
Why are you here...?
We got word of a beast prowling the area... But I see we're too late.
......
Leave at once, and take nothing with you. Let us be off.
I need you to investigate something for me.
Overwhelming Despair
Pontiff Jörg, father to our flock...was as the Sacred Flame unto us, scattering the shadows cast along our path. And we shall tell his story for generations to come.
Your Holiness...
This cannot be...
I'm sure none are as heartbroken over this as Temenos. He may hold his cards close to his chest, but it's obvious he deeply cared about the Pontiff.
We may never fully comprehend what we've lost. We meet again, Deputy. I wanted to speak with you, since you discovered the scene.SILENCE
We both know that's not true, Temenos. Reflect on what the dear pontiff would think of your lies.
One that has long upheld order and peace within the church's purview. The pontiff set up the Inquisition so that he could participate in that process.
Is it not the duty of the Sacred Guard to protect the church's influential members?
......
......
To the library with us, Crick.
Lovely person!
Before we visit the library, we can take a quick look around the proceedings.
Everyone's taking this pretty hard, understandably.
It seems Temenos is not on the best of terms with most of the Sanctum Knights.
Ow, the edge.
It's OK, I won't mourn this NPC's inevitable death either.
There's nothing like a funeral to fuel the desire to learn!
I was merely pointing out the facts. ...By lying? You said you didn't notice anything at the cathedral. Haha... I'd like to say that was born of simple expedience.
So, did you do as I asked? Well...
...but not a soul saw anyone suspicious. Hm...
They did arrive rather quickly to the cathedral while supposedly hunting this beast, even though nothing seemed odd about the cathedral itself. There's definitely something more going on here.
Lower your voice, Crick.
Is it of any significance? Hrm... It looks like any other book...
There's a note between the pages.
What does it mean? I've not a clue.
...Understood. You'll be informed of the location later. Pack your belongings.
At least we're done with her for now.
Oh well, I guess this is goodbye for Crick.
Video: In Search of TruthBygone Days
Heh... I see you won't be taken in. We weren't in each other's company long...
It was an honor, Crick. What will you do now?
A...journey?
I have a hunch, you see.
I must take my leave.
Here's hoping we meet again!
The one who was with the pontiff, and thus is now of great interest to me. His Holiness concerned himself with the movements of the heretics while alive. So an interrogation of Lucian may be in order.
Though I cannot help but wonder...Temenos, the Cleric
"And soon, night shall fall."
I heard the news... That you're leaving the village. Forgive me for not saying farewell, Mindt. This is to be a journey of healing... I must mend my broken heart.
Hehe. 'Tis impossible to know what goes on in that mind of yours. But I know you'll conduct yourself well. ......
Farewell. Farewell, Mindt.
And so we begin our journey. Temenos aims to find the murderer of the Pontiff, but this surely won't be easy. It'll be best if he had stalwart allies to assist him on his journey, and perhaps he could repay the favor by helping them with their missions. But where to start...?
I'll leave that up to you. Vote for our second party member! Keep in mind you can vote for multiple people if you're torn between several characters. I'll let it run for a day or two before I go whoever's winning at the time.
In the meantime, next time we've got a couple options ahead of us, enough that I don't know what we'll do yet. Guess we'll find out soon!
