Lia's BK tweets archive - 2021-06-10: Naos, Lava Caves escape, Azha

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:48 PM · Jun 09, 2021 Permalink

This hiatus brought to you by, er, needing to urgently finish spinning some yarn. No, really.
Anyway, where were we? Someplace called Naos, planning to take a walk, except this sure looks like a boat so I expect confusion momentarily.
ONWARDS

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:46 PM · Jun 09, 2021 Permalink

Turns out the random barrel lying around has legs and can talk. Very inconspicuous indeed.
(This is not nearly the goofiest this session got)

Barrel: “Good, nobody’s caught on... This disguise could fool even Wiseman.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:49 PM · Jun 09, 2021 Permalink

BIG REVEAL TIME, we’re on land. Not much of a surprise, I think the game’s own description spoils that?
But since the sky’s clear and not Taintclouds-covered, we’re probably way into the past, too.

Sagi, staring at a very normal landscape: “This... This is impossible! Where did the sky go? There’s nothing but land as far as the eye can see!”

Guillo: “Look! The clouds are all the way up there!”

Milly: “You mean... we’re UNDER the sky?!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:53 PM · Jun 09, 2021 Permalink

Obviously that’s our cue for Sagi’s headache to show up and bring us back to the present, where Valara’s people are dragging off the dead monster / Bein.
Thanks to plot armor she decides to ignore Sagi for now.

Sagi, looking pained: “Oof! Ahh, it’s happening...again...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:55 PM · Jun 09, 2021 Permalink

Oh no, the big island-breaking laser made the caves unstable! Oh no, it woke up a... giant fish?
Boss fight time again, yay. Mercifully there’s no countdown or the like.

Milly: “Valara’s attack must have shaken up the caves’ lower strata. We have to get out of here!”

Milly: “The Lord of the Lava Caves! Wowww! It’s just like they described him in the School of Magic!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:58 PM · Jun 09, 2021 Permalink

It runs away, we move to the next room, it comes back.
Thanks game I needed the refresher on how much I hate the combat system.
(If any screenshot looks blurry it’s because there’s screenshake the entire time)

Guillo: “Wait...both of you. I can feel it... It’s coming back!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:59 PM · Jun 09, 2021 Permalink

Something something name of a cover band, someone who knows more music make that joke for me

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:01 AM · Jun 10, 2021 Permalink

Did I mention goofiness? Because right off helping fascists, witnessing a tragic death and getting a major reveal, we get this. TONAL WHIPLASH MUCH

Guillo: “Wench, you say you learned about this in school?”

Guillo: “Did they teach you how to defeat it?”

Sagi, looking embarrassed: “Now’s really not the time to argue. Let’s just find a way out!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:03 AM · Jun 10, 2021 Permalink

The animation on the big fish is delightful. Basically lying there in Paint Me Like pose, slowly flapping its front fins as if daring you to go attack.
Maybe it just wants to play?

Guillo: “...He’s enjoying this, isn’t he?”

Milly: “Boy, do I REALLY feel like kicking myself now.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:07 AM · Jun 10, 2021 Permalink

Doesn’t matter, we murder it after a quality demonstration of how this combat system sucks due to the handling of heals and resurrections.

Battle results screen, showing some numbers and Milly and Guillo flat on the ground.

Milly: “Well, the good news is, we have a way across now!”

Milly, stomping on the fish: “See? You like that?”

Inspection text: “For all the effort that went into beating the Lord of the Lava Caves, it just looks like a big fish.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:10 AM · Jun 10, 2021 Permalink

“Oh my, the cave almost collapsed because of us! THIS IS WHY WE ARE THE BEST” is, admittedly, a perfect portrayal of those kinds of people

Empire Soldier: “That was quite a shake. Apparently it was the handiwork of that machina we saw.”

Empire Soldier: “Machine truly are amazing. No wonder Lord Baelheit has such a following.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:13 AM · Jun 10, 2021 Permalink

A call from Verus telling us to go back to town, whatever, let’s go check on the villagers instead.
Lyuvann apparently threw out his back, to which I say GOOD.
Aaand at this point the music changes. From the Sad Desert Music to the Happy Village Music Azha had on the first visit.

Verus: “It’s me. Did you succeed in destroying the umbra?”

Sagi: “No, sir. Baelheit’s men secured it and took it away.”

Empire Soldier: “Captain Lyuvann threw out his back, so he’s unable to take command.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:16 AM · Jun 10, 2021 Permalink

That’s a weird choice because the villagers are. Er. Not mincing their words. The happy lighthearted music clashes a bit.
I am VERY GLAD that this is the writing choice here. Makes the game’s stance very clear.

Child: “You’re a bad person, right? My mom says I can’t talk to you.”

Villager: “What happened to Bein? Did he manage to escape?”

Villager: “I’ll never forgive you! Curse all of you till the day you die!”

Villager: “You bastard! What the hell happened down in the Lava Caves?!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:20 AM · Jun 10, 2021 Permalink

It’s either that or vaguely trying to go back to normal.
I kinda wish Sagi did try to provide said explanation, see how he’d do.

Villager: “Bein... In his own way, he was desperately trying to protect this village and its people.”

Villager: “None of us here are in any position to blame him for what he did.”

Villager: “Nobody knows a thing about what happened after he entered the Lava Caves! Let’s hear an explanation!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:23 AM · Jun 10, 2021 Permalink

Almarde, you’re too nice and that’s going to have Consequences, but at least it gives us EW’s best character so oh well.
(That’s a very beaten up Lyuvann sprawled on the bed nearby)

Milly: “Of course we don’t mind... But Alma, don’t tell me you’re planning on treating that ogre, too?”

Almarde: “You may be right... But I can’t just leave an injured person to die, can I?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:27 AM · Jun 10, 2021 Permalink

This kind of stuff is... genuinely rare, especially as “throwaway” flavor text like this?
This isn’t “oppression bad 101”, it’s a fair bit more subtle, and setting the stage / calling back to what causes Sweep in EW.

Running Girl: “Ugh, enough already! Why did they have to bring in this many guards to keep watch?”

Running Girl: “We don’t need people breathing down our necks to get us to work. This only makes us want to work [...]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:29 AM · Jun 10, 2021 Permalink

Also, YIKES, and great job on the full bingo of gross military bullshit. Pairing the “We just want to get along” with describing the soldier as predatory? Chef’s kiss, that’s superbly done.

Soldier: “Just because we’re soldiers doesn’t mean we don’t have feelings too, you know?”

Villager: “That soldier won’t stop staring... He’s got that lecherous grin on him, it’s disgusting!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:31 AM · Jun 10, 2021 Permalink

I’d say that’s the last of Azha for a while, but I’ll likely run back through the entire desert for the 17th time or something the second I find medical supplies for Almarde.
And that will be NEXT TIME. I’ll finish this dang thing eventually.