Journey of a Dragon Prince (Breath of Fire 3 playthrough)

[CynthiaLover]

I felt like playing my all-time favorite game: Breath of Fire 3. I was going to play it on my PSP but I can't find it, so I simply pulled out my PS1 version (albeit I'm playing it on the PS2). I felt like doing something a little different this time: recording my progress like I was doing with my Legends: Arceus playthrough before "new toy syndrome" for Digimon Survive cut it short (nothing against Digimon Survive, as it's a good game, I just simply forgot to continue it due to trying to figure out how Digimon Survive works). Anyway, time for the first log of Ryu's journey for discovery and truth.

Log #1: Explosive Birth

We begin with a young dragon whelp getting awakened in a mine by some miners. They attack the whelp. Bad move. One Whelp Breath later they're cooked extra-crispy style. The little whelp runs amok in the mine only to face a burly ox-like man. However, before he could cook him a voice calls out to the dragon to stop. This, however, distracts the dragon long enough for a man operating a crane to use said crane to knock out the dragon so the miners can capture it and put it in a cage. However, not long after the cage is put on a mine train the dragon awakes and manages to rock the cage hard enough for it to plummet down the mountainside.

Enter Rei, who is trying to hunt a boar for his dinner. However, the boar gets scared off by a loud noise and Rei investigates, finding a naked blue-haired boy with two Currs looking to eat him. Rei kills the Currs in revenge for getting his dinner scared off. He attempts to leave the boy but relents after the boy whimpers, "...m...mommy...", taking him to his log cabin with his "brother", the rambunctious Teepo. Rei and Teepo head into McNeil Village in hopes of stealing some food, leaving the sleeping boy alone. One dream later the boy, named Ryu, stirs from his slumber and wanders out to explore. After collecting some items like Green Apples and some Croc Tears Ryu wanders into McNeil village, only to be spooked by Rei and Teepo fleeing an angry woman they tried to steal from. The bad harvest has everyone on edge and the villagers are keeping their eyes out for the infamous thieves. Teepo then suggests using Ryu, as he's an unknown right now, to help them, so Rei steals some gear for the young boy to wear. Time to go to "work" now that Ryu is fully dressed.

Equipping him with the Melted Blade obtained from the mines, giving Ryu a decent Power boost, it's time to start fighting monsters and picking up Skills. Along with using Rei's Pilfer to snag free items from the monsters... with mixed results. After a failed attempt to mug probably the biggest bruiser around: Bunyan, the boys come up with the brilliant idea to steal food from him as payback while he's out. Yeah, really good idea, Rei and Teepo. That won't backfire horribly, I bet. Anyway, after spending some time getting a few levels and gaining all the available Skills thus far (Burn, Influence, Snooze, Blind, and Unmotivate) it was time to sneak into Bunyan's home in hopes of a meal. Ryu finds some Beef Jerky but Bunyan returns home at that point. Rei tries to distract Bunyan so Teepo and Ryu can flee. Mission failed, as all three boys get caught. Bunyan decides to put the boys to work. Rei is sent to Mt. Glaus to take care of something while Ryu and Teepo stay to chop wood, introducing us to our first minigame. After cutting enough wood to satisfy Bunyan Teepo shoots his mouth off again, something that Bunyan warns him about, before the young boys head off after Rei. Considering Bunyan knows something that Ryu and Teepo don't, which is the reason why he sent Rei to Mt. Glaus alone, you'd think he'd try to stop the boys. But, then again, he's dealing with Teepo, who defies authority and always has a smart remark ready, so he probably felt it would be pointless to stop the purple-haired punk.

After a little more exploring and gathering items the duo reaches Mt. Glaus. Ryu and Teepo head straight for the cabin, where they meet up with Rei. Rei hints something that Bunyan knew about him, which is why he wanted the Woren to go alone. But whatever that was it's now out of the question. The next morning it's time to fight the Nue for the first time. After dealing enough damage to it the beast runs away. With Rei back in the party we retrace our steps to claim the items that Ryu and Teepo missed before venturing into the cave to find the Nue. After following its trail of blood to a waterfall Teepo figures out where it is. But not how to get to it. More exploring later Teepo figures out how to get to it: jump in the river and ride the current to the hidden cave. Poor Ryu has to go first but Teepo's plan does work and the boys reach the hidden cave. They venture in deeper to find the Nue. One fight later the Nue dies on its feet, defending the cave behind it. The boys find out why: it was guarding its cubs. However... they were already long dead, something that the Nue didn't realize. With heavy hearts the boys jump into the river and float out to the base of Mt. Glaus. Bunyan "congratulates" the boys for doing honest work, knowing exactly why the Nue was stealing food from the villagers. Rei calls him out on it but Bunyan shoots it down with a piercing response.

Spring soon comes and both Cedar Woods and McNeil Village have plenty of food now. Teepo wants to brag about how they killed the Nue. Rei and Ryu aren't so sure about it, as they think it's best not to brag, but Rei is curious to know what the village thinks of them. So off the boys go to McNeil. Teepo notices that no one is around, revealing that he told the villagers they'd be in town today. Rei calls him out on his desire to brag. They are soon surrounded by villagers... who actually praise the boys and effectively make peace with them. That won't last long. The boys meet Loki who "recruits" them to help him with something. But that can wait, as it's now time to start some of the side stuff the game offers: Masters and Fishing. And we're gonna need it, as we've got bigger battles ahead of us. After buying as much as possible at the weapon and item shops we give the last of our money to Mygas the wizard so he can teach us magic. Ryu becomes his apprentice, since the blue-haired boy gains enough Power and Defense naturally to mitigate the downsides of this new Master but could use the AP and Intelligence boost (especially AP, as he'll need it when a certain "power" is unlocked). Plus the skills Mygas teaches will be useful when a certain character joins the ranks later on. Ryu, Rei, and Teepo are all Level 7.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Did a bit more in the Breath of Fire 3 playthrough today before stopping for now. Time to continue onward.

Log #2: Fallen Heroes

After doing a bunch of fishing and grinding, Ryu gained his first Master skill: Frost. This'll come in handy later on when it's time to hit the grind rail. The boys meet up with Loki and he ropes them into raiding McNeil's manor to steal back the tax money. Purely for good reasons, I bet. Teepo is all for it though it's clear that Ryu and Rei are a bit apprehensive. But they go through with it. After finding the "fixed" wall which Rei un-fixed by leaning on it the boys had infiltrated McNeil Manor. After bribing the guard 50 Zenny to go past, followed by returning a guard's wallet, the boys go deeper into the manor. Sadly, due to bit of a trigger finger on my part they're caught and we're back to where we started. Bribe the guard again and this time sneak past the guard that caught us and rang a bell that prompted another guard to call it quits. A smoking guard has us beat up the poor doggo so he can get off the hook. The resulting battle helped me gain the Snap skill. After some tactical weaving and luring a guard away from his post we enter the chicken coop. Teepo decides to just steal some eggs and call it a day... only to invoke the wrath of Rocky the giant rooster. One battle later Rocky is extra-crispy style, with the Jump skill now tucked away for later use. The escaping chickens provide a nice distraction, allowing the boys to get close to the door. Rei acts as a decoy and lures the guards away while Ryu and Teepo enter the manor.

However, something's not right. The manor is infested with not only monsters, but also the ghosts of past McNeils, much to Teepo's fear as he don't like ghosts. Fortunately, I had picked up a Silver Knife from one of the fish merchants and gave it to Ryu, allowing him to cut through the ghosts with ease. After many harrowing encounters with various McNeils Ryu and Teepo make it to the roof. They collect the grappling hook and give it to Rei, who learns of their fights with the various McNeil ghosts. One slip up and a "I meant to do that" from Rei later the boys infiltrate where the current McNeil is... only to see that he's messing around with a "vixen". When the boys confront him he cowers in fear, prompting the ghosts of the McNeils to merge together into their ultimate form. Ryu, Rei, and Teepo go to work and ultimately vanquish the McNeil ghosts before robbing the current McNeil.

However, it appears that our dirty coward mayor has connections in bad places, as the next day the boys receive an icy welcome from the town. I knew their status in the village would return to pre-Nue levels. They confront Loki who tells them to meet him in the shed... only for Bunyan to come in. Bunyan tells the boys the situation indirectly and the trio race home... only to see it being burned to the ground by the horse brothers: Balio and Sunder. One curb-stomp later it appears the boys have been killed. Or so the horse brothers think, as Ryu is recovered by Bunyan and nursed back to health. Bunyan knew something bad would happen if the boys kept up their ways... but even he didn't expect this. He feels Rei and Teepo are gone, but Ryu doesn't. He begins his journey to Wyndia, as Teepo had mentioned a couple of times that they would head there one day. Now, all by himself, Ryu has to brave the dangers of Mt. Myrneg to reach Wyndia.

But first he needs to get stronger. So after a few hours of grinding on the stronger monsters in the Central Wyndia section just past Yraall Road he is able to clean out all the skills from Mygas, sending two into the Skill List for a certain character later while keeping Frost and Typhoon (for now). Ryu is now ready to climb Mt. Myrneg to reach Wyndia in hopes of finding Rei and Teepo. Ryu is Level 16.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Time for the next installment of Ryu's journey.

Log #3: The Princess' Protector

Ryu makes the long-awaited climb up Mt. Myrneg to reach Wyndia. However, he's greeted with a sight he didn't want to see: Sunder, one of the horse brothers that ruined his life. Sunder freaks out, wondering if Ryu's a ghost/zombie/vampire while Balio figures things out. Sunder stabs Ryu in the back, but their celebration is cut short when Ryu not only survives but becomes a dragon whelp! Sunder wants to bail but Balio gets an idea on using Ryu as a "golden egg". They take him to Wyndia to meet with the royal family in hopes of cashing in on Ryu's "secret"... only for Ryu to have transformed back to normal, to their dismay. After a terrible display the King of Wyndia throws all of them, including Ryu, into the dungeons.

Enter Nina, who took pity on Ryu and wants to free him. However, being the naïve child that she is she ends up releasing the horse brothers... who proceed to kidnap her. Ryu, with surprising strength, smashes the cell door down and pursues in hopes of rescuing Nina. He confronts the horse brothers and a battle begins. Using Influence to get the dimwitted Sunder to attack Balio, thus limiting how much damage he takes, Ryu begins the war of a attrition against the duo. Nina recovers and flees, shortly afterward Balio and Sunder book it, realizing the battle isn't working out. Nina thanks Ryu and joins up with him in search of Teepo and Rei. After trekking through the catacombs the princess and blue-haired warrior emerge in Wyndia's capital. After playing a game of hide-and-seek with some kids they learn that a possible kid matching Teepo's description was seen getting the tar beaten out of him for trying to rob a house before fleeing to the main road. Ryu and Nina venture into the fields of Central Wyndia.

Nina is apprenticed by Durandal to learn some useless moves (though one will pay off later) before moving on. However, they are soon caught by Balio and Sunder and taken to Genmel under the "watchful" eyes of Fahl. Ryu successfully chews through the ropes holding the duo and thanks to Fahl getting drunk are able to sneak past him. After spending some time shopping in the arena town, getting new items and several weapon/armor upgrades the pair make their escape. Took a bit of time to do some fishing and check out some "!" and "?" areas, getting a bunch of goodies and getting some extra levels before the two kids head up Mt. Boumore.

They meet two workmen and they offer them a place for the night after Nina explains their story. However, the following morning reveals that they ratted the two out to Sunder, who comes to "collect" them. In a desperate bid to get away the duo manage to get the lift to work and barely make a getaway, to Sunder's dismay. However, their escape is short-lived, as when they reach the other side there is no way down. Sunder corners them again, only for Ryu and Nina to perform a daring stunt and jump off the side of the cliff down to another area, with Ryu using his dragon form to cushion Nina's fall at the cost of revealing his secret to her. However, she's simply grateful he's alive and promises to repay him one day before they make their getaway. After collecting a new Dragon Gene: the Reverse Gene (which will come in handy later), the two kids make their way to a tower. Ryu is Level 17 and has three Dragon Genes while Nina is Level 13.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Did a bit more in Breath of Fire 3 today before a migraine started to slow me down. Let's continue where we left off.

Log #4: Momo, Mutants, and Masters! Oh my!

Ryu and Nina venture into the Tower where the resident engineer, Momo, resides. After several attempts to complete the fountain puzzle so I could get all the items (Ring of Ice, Wisdom Fruit, and MultiVitamin) it was time to venture into the monster-infested tower. After a rather explosive meeting with Momo she agrees to help us go to Wyndia. After a brief rest she tells us that some rough-looking characters are outside, revealed to be Balio's and Sunder's men. Since we can't go out by going down, we instead go up. Solving puzzles and collecting various items as we went we eventually find Repsol's (Momo's dad) lab, complete with porn library and an escape rocket. After a not-so-graceful landing Ryu picks up the Thorn Gene and we're on our way.

The trio stops at a coffee shop for a drink and learn that Balio and Sunder are blocking the road in search for Ryu and Nina. We then meet Palet, a friend of Momo's father and the director of the Plant: a place where crops are grown and enhanced with chrysm. He requests Momo's help with something, which Momo agrees, as they are her father's machines that are causing problems, before he leaves. Something's fishy about him. Anyway, afterward Ryu and Momo get apprenticed to a new Master: D'lonzo, as she not only provides the first Agility boosts but also accuracy, something that Momo desperately needs due to how she can't hit the broad side of a barn with her bazooka.

After that the trio heads for the Plant and learns the real reason Momo is needed: to dispose of a mutant that has cropped (pun not intended) up in the Dump. The party agrees and after venturing into the Dump we find the Mutant, who attacks us out of self-defense. After a battle the Mutant calms down and proves to be a decent creature. Momo wants to learn more about it but the Mutant knows it should never have been born and requests the party dispose of it in the magma. The party is hesitant to do the deed, as they didn't know the Mutant was alive when the were tasked with disposing of it. But the Mutant knows it needs to die, as it should never have been born. With heavy hearts Ryu activates the conveyer belt and the Mutant is killed by the magma... only to produce (see what I did there?) the newest party member: Peco the mutant onion. Momo and Nina agree to take care of Peco while Ryu is wondering how this oddball party came to be.

After leaving the Dump we take our new mutant onion friend to Yggdrasil, a god tree nestled near the Plant. With Peco's help, along with giving up a Wisdom Fruit, we gain another Master. Nina becomes his pupil and finally gains a "true" Master. The party then goes around, doing side ventures like fishing (as we got a new rod in Momo's Tower), getting Ryu's Fishing Rank up to "Rodmaster" (at least 2,000 fishing points), which will come in handy later on. After some more grinding for levels the party cleans out D'lonzo of her skills and Nina gains her first skill from Yggdrasil. The party then uses some Skill Ink to redistribute some of the skills learned to other characters, among other skills obtained during battle. Ryu is Level 20 and has four Dragon Genes, Nina is Level 17, Momo is Level 16, and Peco is Level 1.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Time for the next chapter in the Breath of Fire 3 saga.

Log #5: The Contest of Champions

The party returns to the Plant to meet Palet who offers us a way to Wyndia. After stashing away in a cart turns out he sold us out to Balio and Sunder in hopes of covering up the mutant plant scenario. The horse brothers captures the party but thanks to some quick thinking on Nina's part the party enters the Contest of Champions to earn their freedom. Balio agrees to it as it would make them a lot of money in the process, but to ensure the party can't flee a hostage is needed. Sorry, Peco, but Momo is needed right now, so you'll be the hostage. After some tough fights Ryu faces off Garr... only to be swiftly defeated by the reigning champion. However, to the horse brothers' surprise he requests Ryu and his party be his prize. The horse brothers are too scared to challenge him so this means Ryu and his party are now free. After saving Peco from the horse brothers Garr reveals Ryu's Brood nature and requests him to go to Angel Tower to learn more. The party is now free.

However, their freedom is short-lived, as Balio and Sunder have gathered up their remaining men to corner the party despite Garr threatening them into leaving the party alone. After a short fight with some thugs Garr shows up to save the day. It's time for the final showdown with Balio and Sunder. They fused together to become Ultraman... I mean Stallion, and the final fight with them begins. After a tough fight the party is victorious and Balio and Sunder are no more. First order of business is to escort Nina back to Wyndia, as the party needs a passport from the King anyway to reach the eastern lands. Garr drops a bombshell saying that Rei and Teepo may be dead after Balio's and Sunder's attack in Cedar Woods, as Ryu most likely survived because of his Brood powers. But Ryu isn't giving up that easily. He soon finds the Frost Gene (which would've been helpful during the first tournament battle) and the party makes their way to Wyndia.

Nina is returned to her family and the party has a feast in thanks for rescuing her. She's a bit depressed that she has to stay behind but she worries a princess might complicate things. However, she soon hears a scream and a crash. Investigating it leads to the reveal that Honey, Momo's robot pet, is still in the castle. After receiving a guilt trip from the Queen Nina chases after Honey before both end up falling off a balcony... only for Honey to use up all her chrysm to save them. Nina manages to catch up to Ryu and co and ends up joining the party again when Garr drops another bombshell: not long after Ryu learns about the Brood he may die afterward.

Now with the party gathered up again it's time to complete some side events. Did a bit more fishing, getting Ryu's Fishing Rank to RodMaster+, apprenticed Garr to Bunyan while using Peco to clean out Fahl of the skills he teaches. Now it's off to the eastern lands. After a close shave at the checkpoint where Garr manages to help smuggle Nina across he reveals the reason why he's letting her come: Ryu uses his powers mostly to defend her, and in order for Ryu to learn about the Brood he needs to use his powers. Thus Nina is a necessary element in order to achieve their goal. Nina vows to become stronger so Ryu won't get into trouble for using his powers. Now we enter the Rhapala Region and begin our quest for discovery. Ryu is Level 21 and has five Dragon Genes, Nina is Level 18, Momo is Level 16, Garr is Level 15, and Peco is Level 7.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Got a lot done so it's time to continue on with Breath of Fire 3.

Log #6: Love, Lighthouses, and Lava

The party enters Rhapala and learns of the situation with the lighthouse and ship, along with meeting Beyd, Shadis, Zig, and Iggy in the process. The party can't go by ship to the Urkan Region, and thanks to the volcano erupting, can't take the road either. Nina decides to play matchmaker and help Beyd and Shadis realize their feelings for each other before Zig ruins it for them. After several nights training Beyd he takes on Zig for the right to fix the lighthouse and Shadis' hand. He beats the tar out of Zig but is too injured to fix the lighthouse, so the party goes in his stead. After getting the lighthouse running and dealing with Gazer the party learns that it was a small pack of fairies that messed with the lighthouse. Now we have to see what they want and why they wanted the lighthouse off.

So off to the fairy realm with the faerie tiara (I hate that spelling of "faerie", feels so unnatural to me). The party has to deal with a "monster" that threatens to eat the fairies. The party meets... a pink dolphin? After Nina and Momo leave to ask the fairies if the dolphin is the "monster" the pink porpoise shows his true colors to Ryu. After a round of insults from the fairies the Dolphin takes his battle form and a fight begins. Thanks to obtaining the Thunder Gene a while back Ryu now has access to a Thunder Dragon form, which he uses to turn that dolphin into chum, saving the fairies. After getting a rather violent lip lock from one of the fairies the party finds out that the ship still isn't back yet. So Sinker allows the party to use the secret route through the volcano: Mt. Zublo. This is gonna be a doozy.

After taking care of some things, including getting a new Master now that the fairies have been helped, the party ventures into the volcano. A bit touch-and-go at times until Ryu gains the Magma Armor and Nina gains the Ring of Fire, granting them not only an immunity to Flame attacks, but if they're hit with Flame attacks they'll now regain HP. After venturing through the volcano, collecting another Dragon Gene in the process, the party runs into a crazy old man and his two fire serpent beasts near the end. Time for another battle. Thanks to combining the Flame, Frost, and Thunder Genes creating the Trigon it made short work of the enemies, allowing the party safe passage through the volcano and in to the Urkan Region. Ryu is Level 26 and has 8 Dragon Genes, Nina is Level 24, Momo is Level 19, Garr is Level 19, and Peco is Level 9.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Did a lot more playing in Breath of Fire 3. Now we're getting to the juicy stuff.

Log #7: Reunion and Redemption

The party heads for Urkan Tapa to meet with Garr's leader so we can get permission to enter Angel Tower. Garr reveals he's one of them during a conversation at camp. Before we do that, however, the party spends a TON of time grinding up to more desirable levels, along with cleaning out some Masters of their Skills, such as Bunyan and Giotto, while getting a crucial skill from Hondara that'll make a certain boss a breeze. Spent most of my time grinding in the volcano due to having access to two of the best monsters to grind against: Vulcan and Lava Men. Plus, in the process, I was able to get three sets of Magma Armor so now Ryu, Nina, and Garr are immune to Flame attacks (and will gain HP from them), while the final one is for a certain character later on.

Anyway, after spending a bit too much time going back and forth, grinding and collecting skills, the party heads into Angel Tower. After solving a series of pushing puzzles Ryu and Garr reach the bottom of the tower, asking the third party member to leave. Garr drops another bombshell: he's a dragon slayer, and reveals all the bones of his prey: the Brood, in the base of the tower. He attempts to kill Ryu only for the boy to use the Miracle Gene to crush him like a bug. This exposes the hole in Garr's faith and confirms what he had thought: if the Brood had fought back they would've effortlessly won the Dragon War. But... they didn't. Ryu suddenly becomes the Kaiser Dragon and vanishes, causing the party to break up in the process.

Years later Garr tracks down a dragon whelp in a mine and knocks it out, revealing it to be the now-adolescent Ryu (and is buck-naked again). Ryu forgives Garr for what happened and the two travel to find the truth. After exploring the mines and blasting open a way out the duo are confronted by the Dragon Zombie. The Dragon Zombie wants Ryu to avenge their people but the blue-haired warrior refuses, starting a fight. A fight that is won in an instant thanks to Ryu now possessing the Kyrie spell, which instantly kills all Undead, even bosses. That skill will come in handy (much) later on. The Dragon Zombie is slain and Ryu gains the Shadow Gene. Shortly afterward a female with dragon wings gives Ryu the Fusion Gene. Ryu and Garr leave the mines and head for Syn City, where Balio and Sunder used to work before being killed. After picking up some nice gear (and a few extras for later), Ryu and Garr venture into Ogre Road... where they meet a savage weretiger. After a brief but hectic fight the weretiger flees.

Ryu and Garr eventually make it back to McNeil and learn that the Wyndian Royal Guard are investigating the crooked mayor. Wonder how his ghostly ancestors feel about that? So, for now, they're stuck in McNeil. They learn the weretiger that they fought retreated to Cedar Woods and offer to "deal" with it. Ryu ventures deeper into the area of Cedar Woods that he once called home, alone. Turns out the weretiger is none other than Rei, alive and well. He's happy to know that Ryu is also alive but is driven by revenge for what happened and takes off, mauling Loki in revenge as he goes. Ryu and Garr head to the mayor's manor only to see him be carted away by not only royal knights but a adolescent Nina! After Garr explains what happened to Nina she rejoins the group, allowing me to give her some nice weapon/armor upgrades, before the trio head for Syn City again.

After a rather uneventful trip the trio finds Syn City in ruins, as Rei has rampaged throughout the area, killing several and sending the don: Mikba, running for the checkpoint to the north. Afterward the party runs into a familiar face: Emitai, the con-man from the Contest of Champions, who claims he threw a match to some kids. Is he full of it or what? After paying him a not-so-affordable price of 10,000 Zenny we now have a new Master. Nina needed a new Master, as she was temporarily assigned to Giotto to boost her HP to more desirable levels after cleaning out Yggdrasil's skills back when she was a kid, so she gets to learn his magic. And he's got some good stuff that'll help her. But, for now, it's time to stop Rei.

The party catches up to Rei and Mikba at the checkpoint. However, while the party is distracted Mikba pulls out a trick he's kept hidden: he can transform into a demon! Time for the showdown with the don of Syn City. Ryu and Nina join forces with Rei to take him down. Afterward the party has a talk about what the purpose of power is and why it exists. Nina, ever the faithful companion to Ryu, insists that Ryu (and the Brood as a whole) are not evil, nor is their power. Rei joins the party, wanting answers to his own questions. After a quick stop at Syn City (which recovered surprisingly fast), equipping Rei with some new gear (including a Magma Armor from before), it's time to head to Wyndia. Ryu is Level 30 and has 10 Dragon Genes, Nina is Level 27, Garr is Level 25, and Rei is Level 20.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Time to continue our exciting adventure in the world of Breath of Fire 3.

Log #8: Nina's Plight

After spending some time fishing with my new Deluxe Rod that Rei helped us get it was time to head to Wyndia. However, the charges against Ryu that the King of Wyndia put on him haven't been dropped, as they blame him for kidnapping Nina way back then (she ran away). So Nina hopes to get Ryu back into the King's good graces by having him help with the problems at the Plant. Apparently things are going down the tubes pretty badly there and she wants Ryu and co to assist her in solving the problem, hoping it'll be the needed "feather in his cap" to gain back approval and help them net a passport. So off to the Plant to see what problems are sprouting (see what I did there?).

The party arrives and meets Momo again. It takes her a minute to realize who Ryu is (especially since he's grown up since then) but the party gets her up to speed with what's going on. She, in turn, fills them in on what's been going on at the Plant. Everything is falling apart and Palet is missing. After recovering Peco from the Yggdrasil tree the party investigates the Plant. They find a secret lab underneath the Plant. After some exploring, fighting mutants, collecting the Force Gene, and other such events the party finds Palet trying to revive his dead mother using special equipment, revealing all the mutants up to this point were his doing in an attempt to perfect his quest. When Momo accuses him of horrible deeds he drops a bombshell: Momo's father, Repsol, was the one who created these machines in an attempt to revive his dead wife. However, he realized the horrors he was conducting and stopped the project, but Palet continued it in secret. In a last-ditch attempt to stop the party Palet drinks some of Yggdrasil's sap and becomes the Shroom monster. Time for a boss fight. After a hard battle Palet is slain and Momo shuts down the machine to allow Palet's mother to finally rest in peace. However, this marks the end of the Plant, so Momo rejoins the group to head to the eastern lands.

But first the party needs a passport. Once they reach Wyndia Nina only takes Rei with her, asking the rest of the party to wait outside, clearly having second thoughts about her plan. This is because the King still has a beef with them and would easily recognize them (Garr is easy to identify and Ryu's blue hair isn't exactly common), but since the King doesn't know about Rei he's the safest bet. At the castle Nina gives in her report and shows Rei around the castle, taking a brief trip down memory lane when she recalled that Ryu got thrown into the dungeons back as a kid due to Balio and Sunder. However, Honey followed Nina again, but this time Nina isn't going to let her jump off a balcony and safely pockets her. After a little exploring it's time to get Rei's passport. However, when Nina tries to get Rei out a guard reveals that Rei is associated with Ryu, much to the King's and Queen's fury. Nina finally lets her mother have it, releasing what she's been bottling up for some time and giving them a earful before she and Rei flee. Honey guides the duo to a room in the basement of the castle where she activates a teleporter and allows the duo to escape the clutches of the Queen. They rejoin the party, passport in hand, and can now move on with their adventure, together. Ryu is Level 31 and has 11 Dragon Genes, Nina is Level 28, Garr is Level 26, Momo is Level 25, Rei is Level 21, and Peco is Level 14.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Got more done in Breath of Fire 3. Now we're getting into some of the big stuff.

Log #9: Dragons and Deis

The party makes it to Angel Tower again. However, instead of going to the bottom we go to the top in order to meet God. Instead, however, we find a familiar blue-haired (and naked) sorceress in a magical prison. Turns out we need to free the infamous Deis before we can see God, which means we need to locate Guardian Gaist, the only other surviving Guardian. After getting his whereabouts and crossing Tidal Caves the party finds Gaist and he wants Ryu to fight him in order to not only free Deis but to prove how serious he is. With the power of the Frost, Force, and Gross Genes Ryu stomps Gaist's monstrous form into the dirt, which he finds fitting since he killed so many Brood and was very regretful about it. Giving some poetic lines before his body crumbles to dust, Deis will now be free and Garr gets his best weapon: the Beast Spear, from Gaist's remains (morbid, I know). Now it's time to free Deis.

Heading back to Angel Tower (after doing some fishing), she is awakened from her 500 year slumber... and proceeds to beat the tar out of Garr while in her weaker, and naked, form, to Ryu's embarrassment. We get a flashback of the Dragon War where Deis is able to plant a seed of doubt into Garr and Gaist before returning to the present. The party needs to meet up with Deis in the shrine just outside of Mt. Zublo. Nina was none too thrilled in seeing Deis present her goods to Ryu while in her birthday suit. The party ventures back to Mt. Zublo and enter the shrine, where Ryu and Garr talk to Deis. Ryu gains a prana in order to guide the party to God, who is far, far to the north. Across the ocean. So that means the party needs a ship. Back to Rhapala... only to learn things haven't changed: the ship is still not back. But this time we can help. Off to Junk Town!

The party meets up with Beyd again and Momo volunteers to help with the repairs, sending Ryu and the others out to fetch parts. After getting the "okay" from the Machine Guildmaster and making it to Steel Beach it's time to perform the next minigame: hauling out machines from the seafloor. Garr works alongside a strong ox-like man... only to haul up the monster known as Angler, which Nina ribs him a bit on. The battle begins. After stealing the Fish-Head item Ryu proceeds to use the Frost and Force Genes again to start hammering away at the Angler while Nina provides healing support and Garr puts his new Beast Spear to work. After a decent battle the Angler is beaten and now we have free reign of Steel Beach and the large building nearby, which is full of monsters.

After spending a lot of time collecting parts, fiddling with the game's camera to find everything, the party returns to Momo with all the parts in tow. She repairs the ship and the party heads back to Rhapala. Before Beyd could assign sailors to loan the party the boat Zig shows up and volunteers to take the helm. He clearly has come around after Beyd beat him and won both the Guildmaster position and Shadis' husband, showing respect for Beyd as he takes command of the ship. He is right about one thing: he's the best sailor in the guild, so we'll need his help. Now it's off to find our way across the ocean. Ryu is Level 33 and has 12 Dragon Genes, Nina is Level 30, Garr is Level 28, Momo is Level 25, Rei is Level 24, and Peco is Level 14.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Been meaning to update but I've been having a typical Monday so I'm not in the best mood. Not like I've gotten a whole lot done, either, as I've been mostly grinding. But, anyway, on with the show.

Log #10: Unknown Lands

So after dealing with the mayor of Parch by getting him to eat fish again in order to find out about the "Legendary Mariner", the party manages to hijack the Black Ship that's been drifting in the Middle Sea for some reason. After Momo manages to reset the system the party is off to the other side of the ocean on the Black Ship. After a few days of relaxing something is attacking the Black Ship. Ryu, Nina, and Rei investigate and run into two Ammonites that are attacking the plow of the ship. After a somewhat hectic battle the party arrives at the other side of the ocean... where everyone are like machines. After some equipment upgrades and a scene at camp the party heads deeper into their new, uncharted territory, fighting monsters wherever they spawn.

After checking out another Yggdrasil, getting a new Dragon Gene, and venturing through Steel Grave, where we pick up some useful stuff, the party makes it to Colony. With Momo's help we're able to get the Portal Drive working and end up back at Steel Beach, to everyone's dismay. However, this opens the door to gaining new ground so the party investigates deeper inside the freighter and after a couple of attempts manages to align the antenna so now the party can freely come and go from any location where there's a Portal Drive.

So, with our shiny new teleportation ability the party ventures deep into unknow territory, collecting another Dragon Gene before spending some time grinding on various baddies to boost our levels and gain more skills from enemies and Masters. With several shiny new skills the party gets outfitted with various powerful abilities that'll surely come in aid in the upcoming fights. Ryu is Level 36 and has all but one Dragon Gene, Nina is Level 35, Garr is Level 29, Rei and Momo are both Level 28, and Peco is Level 25.

 

[CynthiaLover]

Got a fair bit done in Breath of Fire 3.

Log #11: Dragons and Deserts

After much grinding the party makes it to Dragonier, home of the Brood. After a feast and talking to the locals it's time for Ryu to obtain the full power of the Brood. Equipping the party with Nina and Garr the party ventures underground where Jono resides. After getting some lore and backstory, along with some... interesting events, it's time to fight Jono for the right to claim the full power of the Brood. One very difficult fight later Jono is defeated and Ryu obtains the Infinity Gene, the last Dragon Gene and the power that Myria fears.

The party then ventures into the Factory, as they need to cross the Desert of Death in order to reach Myria's domain. The Factory proves to be bit of a challenge due to some of the timed puzzles but eventually the party makes it through and enters the Desert of Death. After getting the needed information on how to survive and navigate the Desert of Death, the party begins their trek. After several nights and one boss battle with Manmo, Nina passes out from heat stroke. In a desperate act to keep her alive Ryu sacrifices the rakda, the party's only way back, to feed her the water and nutrient-rich meat, keeping her alive long enough for the party to reach the Oasis where she can get proper treatment. After Nina recovers the party ventures into the domain of Myria: Caer Xhan, where they purchase new equipment for themselves before spending some time grinding on the monsters outside of the cybernetic city, collecting various rare items in the process. Ryu is Level 42 and has all the Dragon Genes, Nina is Level 41, Gar is Level 35, Momo is Level 33, and Rei and Peco are both Level 30.