Endure This! Run! Part 10
By DocHaus 4 Comments
Endure This! Run! Part 10: You're in the Wrong Line of Work
In our last update, we explored the wonders of the Athlum army recruitment system, and how Rush has essentially been put in charge of a royal guard of Athlum's finest, just without most of the decision-making. Also Emma killed a bunch of dudes.
Now we set off towards Elysion!
Rush stops along the road to admire some artwork. This area is possibly the shortest dungeon/battlefield in the game, as unlike the others, it doesn't expand as the story and sidequests go on. Still, you can find a few treasure chests and maybe some rare beasts along the road if you know where to look.
After a brief trip through the Ivory Peaks, Rush and his posse teleport to the city of Elysion, home of the world's Congress, the oft-mentioned Academy, and some religious sites including a gigantic Remnant called The Ark.
Yep, that's The Ark. According to Pagus, "its power keeps the world in balance."
Pagus: A thousand years ago, the great Marion Marshall bound herself to the Remnant, marking this as the birthplace of Remnant culture.
Emma: (to Rush) I thought you were born in Elysion?
Rush: Yeah, but we moved to Eulum when I was young.
There's a little bit of cutscenery as the gang heads to the Athlumian Embassy, except a couple of Dukes are late to the session. So David tells Rush to start looking around the Academy while he does whatever it is that Congressmen do. I assume it involves the ceremonial naming of teleporter Remnants around the continent after famous dead people and taking money from the Academy's funds to finance another slave-trading expedition in the Gaslin Caves.
Wait, you've seen Mr. Sykes? Where is he? What is he doing? This is important information, as Rush would very much like to see him!
Oh, I forgot, you're a nameless NPC. Never mind.
Fem!Shep just chillin, and biding her time off the set of Mass Effect 3. I tried to ask her if her third act was going to be even better than the first two, and all she muttered in response was, "Seth Green...and a fembot...and Cerberus...why would you do this to me?" I decided to leave her alone.
Rush: Quit harshin my buzz, man. Why are you so gloomy?
Gloomy Man: Look man, he'll give you cash! Just take the damn thing to him!
Rush: *sigh* fine!
Rush: Yeah, I should, but I'm not gonna. Tell me when the plot advances.
Pagus: Well it's not going to advance if you...hey!
In any other JRPG, this would be a "But Thou Must!" moment. Strangely enough, after closing this text box, the game lets you go to the World Map. You can dick around for as long as you want until you eventually head back to Tula Street and trigger the next plot sequence.
In this case, I decided the cartographers needed to open Balterossa. So a slaughterin we go.
Oh yes, you can grab more powerful formations from treasure chests. I could go into the details on formations, but it's too early in the game for them to matter all that much. What I can tell you is that they somehow affect the stats of your Unions and on some Area of Effect attacks they can either help or hurt you depending on how spread out your units are. As I've said before, you don't control how they face the monsters in formation, so that point is mostly up to the Random Number God.
Having braved the Southwestern Road, we arrive in the desert land of Balterossa.
Once again, Rush tries not to sound like an idiot in front of this warrior woman who looks a lot like Emma. And fails.
Rush: And I've been waiting for an excuse to get out of Elysion. Now give me my money!
After pocketing the change from the Cheerful Man, Rush sees a classy gent dressed in armor..
Classy gent: I mean, she told me to come out to Mojcado Castle. It's a bunch of ruins crawling with feral monsters and miscreants...do you think you can accompany me to make sure everything's all right?
Rush: Sure, not like I have anything better to do.
Pagus: *ahem* Did you forget the Congress at Elysion?
David: Hey, it serves them right for insisting that I show up and then not even appearing on time!
Torgal: But you were never invited t--
David: To the castle we go!
One teleportation later...the classy gent now has a name, and as such we'll be able to pick him up from a guild office at some future point.
Suddenly, a scream comes from off-screen! Or at least it's inferred in text, considering you never really "hear" anything.
Paris joins us as a guest union, smacking fools left and right with his giant, classy pimp cane.
What's behind the mysterious Locked Door? We won't find out, because we haven't gotten that far in the story yet. Just head North-ward from the start, and eventually you'll end up here.
Paris: My beloved is in there, but wait, what are those other men doing with her? She can't possibly be...
David: Maybe there's another explanation?
Mr. Diggs offers his own opinion on Paris's girlfriend. Also now he's more likely to find some gold on his digs. Hypocrite.
Eventually, we make our way to the "Oath" section of the ruined castle, where the "Acquaintance" has some choice words for us.
Paris: That was quite unclassy, good sir! I shall protest your language with the use of my pimp cane!
Luckily, this Hitman is not completely without manners, as he allows this generic soldier to target his head with a mystic missile, having already finished his attack.
Hitman: Ah! My newfound sense of respect had led to my downfall! What cruel irony! You hath bested me this day, young Pimp Paris!
Paris seems to know the dead Hitman from somewhere, but doesn't tell us who it is. Rush doesn't care though, as they all teleport back to the pub in Balterossa. Unfortunately, Paris has some classy pimp things to do, and thus cannot join our cause just yet. He does pay us though.
Before we leave the pub, a less classy but mysterious fellow catches our eye.
Who could this Jorgen be?
Guess what, folks, it's another sidequest! But this time, YOU get to determine Jorgen's past! The way this sidequest works is that there are eight items of Remembrance scattered throughout the land, and bringing a different combination of three of them back to Jorgen will make him "remember" his class info and what weapon or weapons he was carrying. Fellow duders of Giant Bomb who are still reading this ET!R!, pick one of the classes from this list.
- Warrior
- Adventurer
- Sage
- General
- Raider
- Aristocrat
- Djinn
Whichever one you pick, I will get the items and grab Jorgen as a member of that class. Do keep in mind that the bottom four classes require the Shield of Remembrance, which cannot be obtained until much later in the game, but Jorgen's base stats will be stronger for it when we do pick him up from Balterossa. So it's up to you...make the right choice! In the event of a tie, it will fall to the Random Number God. And if no one votes, it'll be whatever I feel like.
Next time, on Endure This! Run!
- Oh yeah, we forgot about the Congress.
- Enter: The Conqueror!
- Cutscenes, cutscenes everywhere!