Lia's BK tweets archive - 2020-12-22: Cor Hydrae boss, 100% achieved

Lia @liareplaysbk · 09:46 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

It is time! Let’s go step into that teleporter and see what awaits upstairs in Cor Hydrae.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:22 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

Upstairs looks a lot like downstairs but with more eyeballs on the pillars. The interior designer is fired.
After dodging a bunch of monsters, we get to the throne room, where Melodia is still Being A JRPG Villain.

Kalas standing in a pillar of light, with an exclamation mark over his head.

A large ornate room with eyeball pillars.

Melodia: “Welcome, my friends, to the Throne Room of the Gods! You arrived just in time, for the feast is about to [cont]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:25 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

She goads Kalas a bunch. Goats tend to be stubborn jerks so this is not an inaccurate assessment AHEM.
In case anyone thought she would, somehow, relent nicely: absolutely not, villainous laugh included.

Melodia: “How do you feel after shedding those beautiful white wings, reverting from the white raven that [cont]”

Melodia: “[cont] you could have been, to a pathetic, black goat?”

Kalas: “Melodia. We came for you. Let’s go home, together.”

Melodia, laughing: “Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:28 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

I mean, you’ve spared us twice for no reason at this point, a third wouldn’t be that big a stretch.
The next bit almost feels like meta-commentary on how dang long this dungeon can take.
The pet god gets up...

Melodia: “Do you really think I’ll let you leave this room alive?”

Melodia, looking happy: “I guess it’s about time to wrap things up. Honestly, I’m getting tired of having to play all these [cont]”

Malpercio, previously curled up next to Melodia, is now standing.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:30 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

... jumps down, Kalas gets a short Protagonist Monologue, and it’s boss time.

Malpercio, standing gigantic in front of the party readying their weapons.

Kalas, thoughtful: “You may have given me life...”

Kalas: “But, I’ll be putting you back to sleep!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:32 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

You may notice me being a TWINGE snarky about Kalas’ dialog.
I found it boring then, I find it boring now: compared to the really solid character banter earlier in the game, it feels generic, weak and uninteresting to me.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:34 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

The boss does, er, not last long

Combat turn result, showing 2750 raw damage, plus 8 straight with 9 for +208%, totaling 8470.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:36 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

How could we possibly win this 3-on-1-with-single-attack fight with a combat system that’s purposefully exploitable? Impossible!
More people come in with great timing...

Melodia, sad: “How could mere mortals overcome the powers of a god? Impossible!”

Offscreen voice: “There is a line, Melodia, which cannot be crossed...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:41 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

Look, I’m all for getting rid of unelected monarchs and reforming the political systems, but MAYBE all the leaders showing up BEFORE we’re actually done cleaning up isn’t the best idea.
Also the “weak” god still slaughtered a ton of the Children of the Earth so...?

Corellia: “A patchwork of divine limbs, forcibly infused with life, make but an incomplete and distorted vessel.”

Corellia: “It is beyond the means of us mortals to revive the true power of the gods of old...”

Calbren: “It’s all over, Melodia... Let us end this, here and now...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:45 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

Hey you know what was missing? LATE PERSPECTIVE-SHIFTING REVEALS.
(The last bit has so many of those)

Melodia, distressed: “Look at me!! I’m no longer the weak and sickly Melodia I once was.”

Calbren: “No, Melodia. It was not you who harnessed their power.”

Calbren: “It was they who came to take you back...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:50 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

We get a mini-flashback of (I assume) a doctor walking away from Melodia in her sickbed, and Calbren using the Mira End Magnus to save her. Oh no.
(Sponsored by “I guess this skirt has no physics and oh my is that an unfortunate camera angle”)

Calbren: “Melodia... I can no longer hide the truth from you...”

A sepia flashback of Melodia’s room. A doctor is walking out as Melodia lies on her bed and Calbren looks struck by tragedy.

A sepia flashback of Calbren in the room of mirrors, using the End Magnus above the bodies of Melodia and her parents.

Melodia, looking angry: “...?! I died? Nine years ago?!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:53 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

This makes her crack a bit, going from Unhinged Cultist to Desperate Cultist. That is obviously not good.

Melodia: “Stricken by the plague, as Father and Mother were?”

Melodia: “It... it can’t be true! Then... I am but a shadow... A fake...”

Melodia: “Back from the dead... I belong to darkness...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:56 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

It’s another strand of the End Magnus / Malpercio pulling the strings and manipulating people.
But - and this I like A LOT - it’s not used to absolve people of guilt. Calbren still messed up.

Calbren: “That night, in my state of depression, I heard a voice, a whisper...”

Calbren: “It claimed I could bring you back to life, using the power of the End Magnus.”

Calbren: “I could not accept my loss...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:03 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

Okay, cross that, desperate AND still unhinged.
Good thing those kind of final battles never come with a second phase, right...?

Melodia, looking out of it: “I... I... The End Magnus... granted me life?”

Melodia: “I was the one being manipulated?”

Melodia, laughing out loud: “HA HA HA HA HA HA!!!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:05 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

She throws some incredibly cruel words at Calbren, and runs off towards her pet god.

Melodia, furious: “Why didn’t you leave me alone, so I could die in peace?”

Xelha: “Oh no! No, Melodia!! Don’t do it!!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:06 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

Many particle effects ensue

Kalas, as a large white light covers Malpercio: “Malpercio... He took her into his being!”

Corellia: “The empty vessel... now has a soul!”

Lyude, looking concerned as the ghostly sibling gods stand up: “The other gods... what’s happening?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:11 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

Once what remains of the Sibling Gods gets merged in, we get a much sturdier looking Malpercio, which starts zapping everything.
Until the ghost of Fee shows up to protect us. File under I GUESS.

Gibari, as the white light concentrates and shrinks: “Damn! Now what?!”

Malpercio, now looking much more “finished”.

Kalas, as the ghostly form of Fee hangs into the air: “Fee...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:13 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

Malpercio yet again runs off through the ceiling.
We get a rollcall of Motivational Blandness (with the cringe award going to Lyude as is tradition with those), and enter the fresh corridor that opened into the wall.

Kalas standing in front of a collapsed section of the wall.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:15 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

And here’s the last chest, containing the last Magnus.
Gathering: complete.
Combos: complete.
100% completion reached!

Kalas standing in front of a treasure chest.

Textbox: “You’ve obtained a Magnus: Golden Helm.”

Magnus gathering screen, showing 1022/1022.

SP combos gathering screen, showing 141/141.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:18 PM · Dec 22, 2020 Permalink

The last save point is one screen down, so that’s where I stopped for today, because next is a mildly tricky fight ish, then AN ABSOLUTE TRUCKLOAD OF TEXT.
Next time: that, and opinions aplenty.