Dragon Quest

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 14:  Spells and Martial Arts Are Cheap to Equip?


Metalicker was worth its price in skill points when Erik tossed his boomerang for up to 2 damage against Metal Slimes.  Everyone gained levels.  The most notable were FREEGAN learning Sizzle and Veronica learning Frizzle.  Raw stats were nice, though there was also equipment available to forge.  Looking at the crafting material list showed me that the items needed to make new armor for Veronica and Serena were located on Insula Australis and other areas I'd recently been to like Laguna di Gondolia.  Laguna di Gondolia had a chest that I'd forgotten that contained a recipe for the now obsolete single-handed sword Silver Rapier.


With a Cute Cap +3 and Pretty Pinny +3, Veronica changed into a polka dot dress for a gain of +36 Defence and +16 Magical Might.  Serena put on a Bonny Band +3 for +13 Defence and +9 Magical Mending.  FREEGAN lost 6 Magical Might and Magical Mending, but received +18 Defence from a Steel Helmet +2.


The entire party happened to be Pepped Up when they confronted Arachtagon for the second time.  Running past all the enemies in a dungeon has its advantages.  FREEGAN, Erik, and Serena used up their "limit breaks" on Wild Side, a power up for Erik that let him attack twice per turn and give his attributes "one heck of a boost to boot".  The power of the moon turned Erik's eyes a bright red, and the programmers certainly weren't kidding in the description!  His Twomerang hit for 86+82 while Arachtagon was Sapped.  Veronica's Frizzle charred Arachtagon for up to 114 when Pepped Up.  Rab sometimes helped with Squelch, Defuddle, and Zam casts for 58 damage.


Occasionally the party dodged all the spider webs, but regular attacks and sting volleys hurt so much that FREEGAN sometimes had to go on Midheal duty.  When Erik stopped showing his Wild Side, his Twomerang still cut Arachtagon for 58+52.  If everyone was in good health, FREEGAN cast Zap for around 42 damage.  Erik's one flaw was low MP, and even then he was still useful for regular attacks.  A Pepped Up sting volley murdered Veronica, and Serena Zinged her back to life just in time for her to cast an 87 Frizzle for the victory.  For being the MVP, Erik leveled to 23 and learned Boulderbringer, an upgrade to Rubblerouser.


Vince sobbed and repented his crimes while Jade saved all the Octagonia fighters tied up in webs.  Vince challenged FREEGAN to a winner-take-all match without his spider steroids to prove that FREEGAN deserved the prize instead of him.  Vince performed so much worse that he didn't even manage to hit FREEGAN.  Rab had taken the Rainbough and sent a letter to FREEGAN telling him to come to Dundrasil's ruins.


Several new enemies awaited the team.  Raven Lunatics were next in the "bird on skull" line that shouted to stun party members, while Stone Golems hit with physical attacks.  Rottontails were advanced Robber Rabbits.  Veronica learned Drain Magic at Level 24 and took Sage's Breath in the Vim tree in case she needed to gradually restore MP.  This unlocked the Pep Power of Angel's Breath with Serena.


In the wreckage of Dundrasil's outskirts, Veronica found a Rod of Rapidity that FREEGAN enhanced to +2 with the forge.  There was also another Pastword for the Rainbow Mines in the Altar of the Forgotten Past.  (i.e. Dragon Quest 7).


Fighting a Green Dragon in Dundrasil-City Ruins was tempting due to its Metal Slime allies.  The team managed to kill one of the Metal Slimes, but there was no way they could deal with Green Dragon's two attacks (sometimes critical) per round that could also stun characters.  A good Slime told FREEGAN to go down the well to reach the far side of the ruins.


Rab was actually the father of Queen Eleanor of Dundrasil, making him FREEGAN's grandfather.  Jade was the lost princess of Heliodor who rescued FREEGAN as a baby.  Rab and FREEGAN performed a fire ritual to put the souls of Dundrasil to rest, since people killed by monsters could not return to Yggdrasil otherwise.  (Again with "sending"!  Final Fantasy 10, Xenoblade Chronicles 3, and now Dragon Quest 11.)  If the afterlife involves returning to Yggdrasil, that explains why its leaves are used to resurrect dead characters throughout the series.


Hendrik hunted down the "Darkspawn" once more, though he recognized Jade.  He was too stubborn to listen to anyone who would try to disprove the Heliodorian view, so Jade had to fight him and his soldiers in a cutscene.  Even while standing still on horseback, Hendrick parried her kicks.  FREEGAN fell off a cliff and Jade jumped off with him.  FREEGAN awoke in a cabin in the southwestern part of the Dundrasil region, and Hendrik pursued him.  Jade managed to unhorse him and steal his steed to rejoin the others.


Rab and Jade formally joined the party at this time.  Rab is a combination of a healer and dark and ice element caster, and his skill trees are Heavy Wands (like Veronica), Claws, and Enlightenment.  He's something like a combination of Borya and Kiryl from Dragon Quest 4.  Enlightenment seems to be about HP and MP restoration, with some passive stat boosts.  Jade's trees are Claws (like Rab), Spears (like Serena), Fisticuffs, and Allure (similar to Jessica's gimmick abilities in Dragon Quest 8). Jade may be a reference to Alena the martial artist princess from Dragon Quest 4.


I didn't do anything with Rab's skills yet, but I concentrated on Fisticuffs with Jade.  She learned Agility +5, Strength +5, and Agility +30.  The question is whether Fisticuffs is purely bare-handed, or it works with claws too.  If it's strictly bare-handed, it'll be an advantage for this playthrough because I won't have to be as concerned about finding recipes or crafting materials.  I wonder about this since Martial Artists in Dragon Quest 3 are meant to pursue the "get the cursed Golden Claws out of the pyramid with a battle every step" side quest.


The Orbs are required to reach Yggdrasil in the sky.  Erik and FREEGAN already took the Red Orb from Kingsbarrow, and the Yellow Orb was one of the prizes in the Octagonia tournament.  In Dragon Quest 3, you get the Yellow Orb after the story arc involving the Merchant town.  The next clue was Veronica remembering a "fairy tale about a giant pearl sinking to the bottom of the ocean", probably at the pillar of light in the northeastern part of the Inland Sea.


Equipment



FREEGAN

Steel Broadsword +3
Steel Shield +2
Steel Helmet +2
Iron Armour +2
Gold Rosary
Gold Bracer


Erik

Soarin' Steel +3
Turban
Iron Cuirass +3
Gold Bracer +3
Strength Ring


Veronica

Rod of Rapidity +2
Cute Cap +3
Pretty Pinny +3
Enchantress's Gloves +3
Shield Bearer


Serena

Pixie Pole
Gold Platter +3
Bonny Band +3
Dainty Dress +1
Devil's Tail
Enchantress's Gloves +3


 
Achievements


Peppy Go Lucky:  Use Pep Powers 25 times
Undisputed Champion of Erdrea:  Defeat Vince one-on-one

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 15:  Island Hopping


Don Rodrigo had left for Heliodor, but Servantes agreed to open the gate to the ocean on behalf of Rab.  Serena learned Kabuff at Level 23 at sea.  A Defence increase for the whole party would come in handy for any physical bosses or tough encounters.  Not far west from Puerto Valor was fog, which led to the sandbar of the Strand.  Michelle the mermaid greeted the party when she believed her human boyfriend Kai from Lonalulu was with them.  Kai was supposed to live underwater with her in Nautica, since if she lived on land she would melt into foam if she touched water again.  Lonalulu was south of Hotto in the southeastern corner of the world, and that was the next main mission.


Instead, the party took a detour to Insula Occidentalis, a rocky isle with a log cabin.  Its surly inhabitant didn't want to see the team, but also did not care when they slept in his bed.  The main monsters were the spear-wielding Orc and the high HP Jowler.  These fights took suspiciously long and gave over 800 experience, making me think that Insula Occidentalis was meant to be explored later in the game.  Insula Occidentalis also had locked doors that I couldn't open.


Insula Incognita was an arid, rocky isle with drawings on the ground similar to the Nazca lines.  I didn't fight anything since the party was low on MP and I was running around looking for treasure.  Still more locked doors.


The major side mission in this update was the Rainbow Mines in Altar of the Forgotten Past in Tickington.  Unlike earlier time travel that involved a single town, or just one house, Rainbow Mines was a full dungeon.  The rainbow rocks had turned into rock monsters like Bomboulders and Grinades that they had to kill to get to the bottom.  Random encounters had Fromage Fray and Fromage Flay (Rarefied) that were easy to kill with spells, Muddy Hands, Fandangow cacti, and Bambooligans that looked like Japanese spearmen.  Erik and FREEGAN gained a level, and the Luminary learned Frizzle.


Rab put many points into Heavy Wands, going for Magical Might When Wielding +10.  He was used as a substitute for Serena later in Rainbow Mines since his Crackle was better than her Woosh.  By the time the party reached the boss, they had to drink many Magic Waters to recover their MP. 


Maeve had as many arms and swords as a Hindu god, and summoned two Rockbombs as companions.  Erik set up Scorched Earth early on, and then Boulderbringer to pierce Maeve with rocks when she attacked.  Sap failed against Maeve, so FREEGAN and Veronica shot Frizzle at her.  Serena tried Kabuff, but that couldn't save FREEGAN from a 203 damage critical.  Arboria's Blessing activated when Veronica and Serena used it together for some healing.  Between Boulderbringers, Erik used Power Throw for minor damage.  Serena resurrected FREEGAN with Zing, though a 56 attack struck down Erik.  Erik was revived later, but died again and wasn't revived until after a 75 power Frizzle from Veronica incinerated Maeve.


Serena and Rab gained levels.  Serena learned Whack, an instant death spell that probably won't be used much.  Rab gained the useful Moreheal.  Maeve regained her senses and the rainbow rocks returned to normal.  A monster had brainwashed her and said that she would be better off destroying people instead of protecting them.  Besides all the experience, the reward for the quest was a Cautery Sword that was only 1 point weaker than his Steel Broadsword +3.


On the way out, the heroes defeated a random encounter with Metal Slimes and Bags O'Laughs, which increased Erik's level to 25.  He put the skill points into another Accuracy When Wielding +5%.  Playing Dragon Quest 11 with No Shopping reminds me of my solo challenges for Pokemon Sword and Shield because you have to frequently switch around moves rather than commit to a particular build.
 


Achievements


Wild Blue Yonder:  Open the ocean gate in Puerto Valor
Bronze Medalist:  Find 10 Mini Medals

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 16:  Crafting Recipe Drought


On Insula Algarum, FREEGAN found a broken wooden bridge and a Lucida Shard in a treasure chest, but there didn't seem to be much of a point in going there.  The main enemies there were the strong Hades Condors and War Gryphons, recycled from other bird monsters.  Otter Shambles were common foes in the northern sea that had high HP, a single target shell throwing attack, and the ability to heal themselves by eating.


The Rainbough glowed in the northwestern town of Sniflheim to indicate that one of the Orbs was there.  But Sniflheim's gate was frozen, and the only other way to get in was a locked door.  The nearby Viking Hideout also had a locked door, so all the team could do was to admire their pile of treasure.  Veronica learned Crackle while fighting many random encounters at sea.


Insula Borealis was different from the other "compass islands" in that it didn't seem to have a locked door guarding treasure.  Sylvando learned Hustle Dance, and Jade learned most of her Spear skills such as Multithrust.  Insula Orientalis was the "slime island", with rare Metal Slime encounters with Healslimes, and King Slimes that were too strong for the party to fight now.  One item found there was a Slime Crown, a crafting material instead of a helm.  Insula Orientalis also had a locked door.


Turning in 10 stamps for Mini Medals gave Sylvando a Hermes Hat for greater Defence, Agility, and Charm.  The team finally sailed to Lonalulu, the Hawaii of Dragon Quest 11.  Kai's family was said to be "weird", and one woman said his mother never left the house after sunset.  A book and a storyteller told the party that mermaids were actually evil creatures that stole mens' souls.  Lonalulu had a locked door too.  One "Cannon Lady" will probably be important later, since the game even specified when I was in her house.  Sylvando put on Aerofoil Earrings for a minor Defence and Charm boost.  Chateau Felix in the Altar of the Cursed King (Dragon Quest 8) was accessible via a new Pastword, but the party couldn't do anything yet while there.


Tentacular was the next serious obstacle for a No Shopping team since the only new recipes were for minor accessories.  It may have been the same Tentacular that Doge Retondo scared off when the party first boarded the Salty Stallion, even.  It had a Left Tentacle and a Right Tentacle to protect its face and slap the party.  If destroyed, the tentacles would soon be revived with less than maximum HP.  The team died several times, with the first attempt at Level 25.


At Levels 27-29, the party was finally ready for Tentacular.  I spent a lot of time power leveling on Insula Occidentalis while listening to the Fall of Civilizations podcast until Veronica learned Boom.  Boom would be the main source of damage in terms of both raw power and the ability to hit the tentacles as well.  Combined with Channel Anger, Boom exploded for 136.  Sylvando healed the team with Hustle Dance and sped them up with Acceleratle until his MP ran out.  Serena supported the party's Defence with Kabuff and restored HP with Moreheal.  Jade skewered the enemy with Multithrust for around 40 per hit until she ran out of MP and had to use regular attacks. 


With its "fists", Tentacular slammed the whole party for 20s damage.  A slap to a single target with a tentacle hit for around 48.  Fortunately, Tentacular wasted some actions on "assessing the situation".  Sometimes it would breathe ice, and other times Tentacular tried sleep breath.  Once the fight dragged on, Jade, Serena, and Sylvando were swapped out for Erik, FREEGAN, and Rab.  Erik cast Boulderbringer to summon 74 power stalagmites, while Rab cast Zam for 67 darkness damage.  Erik's Twomerang cut for 25+22.  Rab used his niche MP passing ability to give some to Veronica to cast more Boom.  Another danger was when Tentacular "rocked the boat" for around 40 damage to the party and stunned FREEGAN and Erik.  One final Boom for 117 turned Tentacular into calamari and finally allowed the No Shopping crew to continue the story.


I wonder if there's a second world map in the style of Dragon Quest 3.  Erdrea seems suspiciously small for a major RPG designed for the Playstation 4. . .




Achievements

Old Dog, New Tricks:  Activate 10 skill panels for Rab (Shouldn't that be Auld Dog?)
Aggravator:  Make 200 preemptive attacks
Beast Blaster:  Kill 1000 monsters
A Wodge for a Rainy Week:  Store 25,000 gold in the bank
Hopeful Healer:  Activate 10 skill panels for Serena
Cash Magnet:  Earn 50,000 gold

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 17:  Mermaid Melodrama


The Kai of Lonalulu was not the Kai that Michelle the mermaid was looking for.  She had fallen in love with his grandfather many years earlier, and hadn't aged since mermaids usually lived for around 500 years.  Kai still kept the veil intended for the mermaid and gave it to FREEGAN so he could explain the situation to Michelle.  When she arrived, Michelle transformed her tail into legs and walked clumsily to the elder Kai's gravestone.  Then she committed suicide by walking back into the water and dissolving into foam.


Michelle had left Lorelei's Harp on the Strand so she could posthumously fulfill her promise to the party to take them to Nautica.  Nautica had a shark tending the weapon shop for some reason.  Queen Marina spoke in rhymes and addressed FREEGAN as the Prince of Dundrasil.  Her "second sight" meant she knew everything about his journey, and she suggested the next destination:  "In the western reaches, through a closing whirlpool's swirls, there lies a fine academy for graceful little girls".  Nautica's church worshiped a Sunken Spirit With No Name, but otherwise had the same services as land churches.


The other columns of light in the ocean could take the team to different places.  The one in the northwest was a waste because it just kicked them to Sniflheim.  One to the northeast went to Insula Centralis, which I'll have to revisit with the Magic Key.  The relevant column sent everyone to Southern Champs Sauvage, home of Pnom Nonh.  (Cambodian puns are more original than most Japanese RPG puns, at least!) 


One odd mechanic occurred when Erik was tossing a Power Throw at some Pteranodons.  Since one hit was critical, all of them were!  FREEGAN learned Moreheal at Level 30.  Other common enemies were Handsome Crabs, which were just like any other crab enemy but stronger.  Brollygaggers were the upgraded umbrellas.


Promontory Cave had a book that FREEGAN couldn't read because "he's not quite ready yet".  Pnom Nonh was a literal tourist trap town whose main attraction was the mural in the ruins of Nhou Wat, pronounced exactly like you think it is. 


A girl named Dora claimed her parents were missing after they went to the mural for a good luck blessing for wealth.  FREEGAN made a Thief's Turban +3 and a Wyvern Wand +3 with some new recipes, then investigated the Other Side of the evil mural.  All the tourists were enthralled, and forced to enter the portal maws of a giant carnivorous plant. 


One giant treasure chest was too good to be true:  a Colossal Cannibox fought the party with 100+ damage attacks and sleep-inducing Kasnooze spells.  At least some party members gained levels, and the treasure was a Papillon Pendant for Jade. 


Dora was actually the boss, and her pun name was almost as dangerous as her attacks: Dora-in-Grey.  One of her main attacks was to shoot lasers from her eyes for 76-84 damage to the whole party.  She often enthralled individual characters, forcing the rest of the team to smack them out of the trance with regular attacks or Sylvando's Sobering Slap.  Sylvando healed with Hustle Dance for much of the battle until running out of MP, while Erik tried Boulderbringer.


Shooting Stars gave everyone a "speed and evasion boost" when multiple characters were Pepped Up.  Jade struck with Multithrust, and Veronica cast Boom when powered up by Channel Anger.  Jade perished in spite of FREEGAN's efforts to Moreheal her, and the final lineup was FREEGAN, Rab, Veronica, and Serena once the dead or injured characters were swapped out.  Veronica's final Boom turned Dora-in-Grey into a Jackson Pollock painting with 153 damage.  Her reward for her efforts was growing to Level 31 and learning Oomphle.


Everyone else's reward was the Magic Key, which the woman in the mural wore around her neck.  I already opened most of the minor Magic Key doors around the world, but that story will have to wait until I write my next post.  
 


Achievements

Mermaid for Each Other:  "Award for easing Michelle's heart following her ill-fated inter-species romance"
Best Guest:  Stay at an inn 30 times
Island Hopper:  Visit all the islands
Preliminary Luminary:  Activate 10 skill panels for the Luminary
Dark Art:  Defeat Dora-in-Grey


EDIT:  Forgot to mention that Queen Marina gave FREEGAN the Green Orb.  In Dragon Quest 3, this was located behind a prison door in Theddon, a town in that world's "Africa".

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 18:  In Which the Best Monster in the Game Appears


FREEGAN learned Boom at Level 31 to supplement Veronica's all-target spells if needed.  In the Northern Champs-Sauvage was the Eerie Eyrie, and the Rainbough's signal said one of the Orbs was there.  But instead I turned back to L'Académie de Notre Maitre des Médailles.  (Academy of Our Lady of Medals?)  Don't know how to type that weird circumflex above the "i" in "Maitre", since I learned Spanish instead of French.


FREEGAN made a Queen's Whip for one of the students at this girl's school and got 3 Mini Medals as a reward.  One exchange service (?) between Pearls and Gold Coins was prohibited:  "Mais, monsieur!  You are on a Draconian Quest, non?  Zis forbids you from utilising our services!" 


Many of the teachers and staff at the school were reformed monsters, and one was even a Walking Corpse.  One book in the library had many recipes for accessories and armor which I won't list here.  Rab equipped the Rune Staff, the reward for filling out the first page of the Mini Medal album.


I backtracked to various locations to try out the new Master Key.  Cobblestone had a Wristorative, an accessory that gradually restored HP.  Gallopolis had a recipe for magical equipment like the Fizzle-Retardant Suit and Hocus Hat, as well as a Seed of Skill.  Puerto Valor had a Falcon Knife Earring, a Knife weapon for Erik.  Insula Australis disappointingly only had a Slime Crown in a chest.  Insula Occidentalis's Magic Key chest was more valuable for now:  a Falcon Sword for FREEGAN. 


Rab learned Multiheal at Level 30 at sea, an all-target spell that would be useful but expensive.  FREEGAN reworked the Falcon Knife Earring to +3 and the Falcon Blade to +2, and made a Hocus Hat +2 for Rab.  FREEGAN abandoned Luminary skill points entirely and went deep into the Sword tree to learn Falcon Slash and Gigaslash.  Falcon Slash unfortunately does NOT hit 4 times when combined with the Falcon Blade, but was still a good low cost attack.  Gigaslash had a high 16 MP cost but hit all enemies for heavy damage.  Erik forgot most of his Boomerang tree to relearn the Knife skills.  Insula Centralis had a "phial of Sainted Soma".


There were now two major areas available that were locked with the Magic Key:  Sniflheim and the Zwaardsrust ruins.  The party went to Sniflheim and found a crowned woman wearing glasses who introduced herself as Queen Frysabel.  She said a witch had frozen the city, and Serena was incredulous:  "A witch!?  My goodness!  That sounds like something from a fairy tale!"  Keep in mind that this party routinely casts spells, has traveled to a mermaid kingdom under the sea, and has a reincarnated ancient hero as one of its members. 


"Frysabel" said the witch lived in the Hekswood near the Snaerfelt steppe.  (It's a tundra, not a steppe!)  She laughed suspiciously before the party left.  Most of the monsters in the Sniflheim region were either palette swaps or reused.  For example, both Orcs and Orc Kings were here.


Jörmun the monster allegedly guarding the witch was a solo boss for FREEGAN because the party was separated in a blizzard.  His Sword Stance helped block some physical attacks, and Moreheal restored his HP whenever it was low.  Falcon Slash was the main attack, and Jörmun's "jolly jig" increased the boss's attack power while reducing its Defence.  Hendrik helped to strike down Jörmun because the Heliodorian army was sent to assist Sniflheim.  He grudgingly let the "Darkspawn" go for now since he was helpful.


FREEGAN woke up in a cabin after passing out for the second time in this game.  Snorri the scholar knew the secret to defeating Krystalinda the witch was in the Royal Library, which had been overrun by monsters.  Sylvando equipped Anti-Freeze Earrings found in a treasure chest as FREEGAN broke the ice while riding a horned monster.


The Royal Library had one honest Slime who told the party that they needed to activate switches to move the walls and staircases.  Some enemies were new encounters for FREEGAN, like Hunter Mechs, Living Statues, Wrecktor bludgeoning priests, Hat Hamwitches, and a Liquid Metal Slime that they managed to kill and earn over 10,000 experience points.  One book taught FREEGAN how to forge Witch's Hat and Witch's Robes.


My favorite monster in Dragon Quest 11 so far is the Professaurus, a dinosaur that gives lectures to other monsters while reading a book. 


One Pastword unlocked Alltrades Abbey in the Altar of Reverie (Dragon Quest 6?) for Tickington.  When they finally got to the secret room in the Royal Library, Snorri realized that Jörmun was actually responsible for sealing the witch, and now Krystalinda had all of her powers back.


Veronica put her hands on her hips back in Sniflheim and shouted "You can drop the act now, 'Your Majesty'!"  She knew "Frysabel" was really the witch when she spotted the same burn that Veronica had previously inflicted on the witch in her true form.  This plot sounded like the movie Silver Bullet, where the kids find out who the werewolf is by looking for the one-eyed man the day after they put out the monster's eye.


Krystalinda was an easy if annoying boss at Levels 31-32.  The party didn't even need to bring in any reserves apart from Erik once Jade was low on MP.  FREEGAN tried both Gigaslash and Falcon Slash, and the former hit for up to 113.  Sylvando cast Oomph on FREEGAN, but it wasn't much use, and he was better off casting Acceleratle or Hustle Dance.  Jade poked Krystalinda with Multithrust until she could no more.  Veronica managed to inflict Sap once, though it failed every other time afterwards.  Then she stuck to Channel Anger and Boom.


Krystalinda's usual tactic was to stun party members by turning them into snowmen for a few turns, which worked more often than not.  Regular attacks hit FREEGAN for up to 96.  Krystalinda also summoned blizzards to decrease the party's accuracy for physical attacks and reduce their ice resistance.  Sylvando once teamed up with FREEGAN to cast Frizzwhizz.  When Erik entered the ring, he tried Sleeper Hit but was much more useful with Scorched Earth.  Appropriately, Veronica inflicted the finishing blow with a 149 power Boom.


As soon as Snorri re-sealed Krystalinda in the forbidden book, Sniflheim was back to normal.  The real Frysabel was trapped in the book beforehand and had heard the party's conversations.  She promised to give them the Blue Orb.  In Dragon Quest 3, the Blue Orb was in the solo dungeon of Gaia's Navel.  (Yes, I had to look it up, since I'd forgotten much of that game.)  Veronica handed the Witch's Grimoire to FREEGAN, since she thought the book was too dangerous for Frysabel to have.


Jade upgraded her Strength with the skill points earned from Krystalinda.  Rab learned Zing Stick, a guaranteed revival move with Heavy Wands for 12 MP.  Considering how unreliable early game revival tends to be in Dragon Quest, this will be useful.



Achievements


Hall Monitor de Médailles:  Complete 1st page of the medal album
Trainee Tearaway:  Activate 10 skill panels for Erik
Mage in the Making:  Activate 10 skill panels for Veronica
Rough and Tumbler:  Activate 10 skill panels for Jade

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 19:  Witch Switcheroo


One recipe book taught FREEGAN how to make various platinum weapons, but the only one that seemed to be worth the resources was a Platinum Lance +3 for Jade.  One other book was frozen and then soaked, so it was illegible.  One woman said she was training to be an astrologer, and I'd wonder how the zodiac would work in a Dragon Quest world.  Ivalice games in the Final Fantasy series just go with the European style signs.


A Pastword in Sniflheim's castle was for the Room of Revival in the Altar of the Undeciphered, which is a reference to Dragon Quest 10.  Didn't think they'd even mention their online only RPG in Tickington, so I was surprised and had to look it up. 


When the heroes visited "Frysabel", a voice from within a book claimed she was actually the witch, and Snorri's sealing ritual didn't work because he hesitated during the incantation.  Snorri put the two Frysabels to a test:  say what the real treasure of Sniflheim was.  The alleged queen said it was the Blue Orb, while the real Frysabel in the book said it was the people.  When Krystalina was exposed, she resigned herself to being executed because she had exhausted all of her magic while escaping the book.  However, Frysabel was impressed by her advice and made her an advisor for some reason.  The party received the Blue Orb.


In Alltrades Abbey in the Altar of Reverie, the problem was that all the old men wanted to be turned into "bunny girls", and the only way to give them their wish was to find a book in the medal academy library.  The reward was a Golden Pickaxe which gave higher yields for mining spots in the overworld.  In the Room of Revival in the Altar of the Undeciphered, the people wanted to be resurrected in the "five tribes" of Dragon Quest 10, but would be forced to turn into monsters unless someone calling himself the Revivalist was defeated.


The Revivalist was looking for the Lyre of Ire, so it was off to Dragon Quest 1's altar again.  The Revivalist summoned Grublins, Mermen, and Kissers and increased their physical and magical defenses with Kabuff and Magic Barrier.  FREEGAN got around this by repeatedly using Gigaslash on them all.  Erik swapped out to Jade so she could use Multithrust on the boss, who looked like any other Wizened Wizard.  Sylvando stuck to his usual Acceleratle and Hustle Dance routine.  Veronica cast Boom powered by Channel Anger most of the time.  Jade got the kill with Multithrust pokes of 56-63 damage.  The reward for this quest was All-Weather Earrings for Sylvando, which blocked "ice and wind damage" and gave him a minor Charm boost.



Zwaardsrust's ruins were an anticlimax rather than the dungeon I was expecting.  In fact, they were a single room with a few treasure chests.  One had the Purple Orb, another had armor recipes for Prince's Pea Coat and Princess Robe, and the last had a mysterious key item called a Choker.  FREEGAN forged a Prince's Pea Coat +2 for Erik, a +3 version for Sylvando, and a Princess's Robe +2 for Serena.  Besides Defence, they increased Magical Might, Magical Mending, and Charm.


The last Orb stop was the Eerie Eyrie, which the party was probably meant to visit before Sniflheim considering how easy the regular enemies were to kill by now.  Most were palette swaps of existing enemies, except for the Cyclops.  Dragon Quest is a strange series when it comes to monsters.  The games have designs almost as distinct as Pokemon, yet also frequently use palette swaps like a low budget old RPG.


The "boss" fight of Eerie Eyrie was two Hades Condors and a stronger palette swap called the Elysium Bird.  Besides strong physical attacks, the Elysium Bird liked to cast Sizzle for around 50s damage to the party.  FREEGAN lashed out with Gigaslash, Veronica cast Boom, Jade attacked with Multithrust, and Sylvando had to keep healing with Hustle Dance.  When Sylvando's MP ran out, Rab took his place and cast Multiheal.  Erik replaced Jade when she was too low on HP and set up a Boulderbringer sigil for around 71 damage per activation.  When Elysium Bird was Pepped Up, it gouged FREEGAN for 140 damage.  A 156 power Boom cast from Veronica got the party the Silver Orb.


Rab learned Zammle at Level 33, an upgrade to his basic darkness spell.  The party went to Arboria, which was Veronica and Serena's hometown.  This place had classical Greek (?) style architecture, and everyone was eager to see the Luminary instead of hating him as the Darkspawn for a change.  Shortly before the end of the session, the team found a Pastword for the Imperial Pantry of Parthenia in the Altar of the Chosen.  If I'm not mistaken, the empire it's a reference to was a poor country in the Dragon Quest 4 world.

 

Achievements


Means for a Rainy Month:  Put 50,000 gold in the bank
Ice Breaker:  Defrost the city of Sniflheim
Accomplished Itemologist:  Collect 250 types of item

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 20:  World of Ruin


Benedictus, the priest of Arboria, told the party of Erdwin, a previous Luminary.  Veronica and Serena were together reincarnations of Erdwin's companion Serenica.  In the Arborian Highlands, the heroes encountered the strange situation of fighting a new monster and its first palette swap in the same encounter with Bloodbonnets and Goobonces.  Both looked like space aliens rather than standard RPG fantasy creatures.  Ethereal Serpents looked like Chinese dragons, and attacked like a typical dragon enemy.


FREEGAN found a Hairy Vest to replace his existing armor, and it was said to protect "against ice and fire attacks".  A Magic Circle was not a shield like I thought at first, but actually a Boomerang for Erik which was reworked to +2.  I'll have to reconfigure his skill tree again when I get a chance.


First Forest had more palette swaps, like Pine Needlers, Blue Dragons, Sprite Bulbs, and Mosstodons.  (Mosstodon was the replacement for Coralossus.)  A treasure chest had the recipe for a Zombie Slayer, and another had an urn of Saint's Ashes. 


At the World Tree itself, its heart shocked Sylvando when he tried to touch it.  Only the Luminary himself could reach the Sword of Light according to Rab.  The branches retracted and FREEGAN was about to reach it. . .only for Jasper to shoot him with a ball of darkness!  Jasper was a servant of Mordegon this whole time, and "King Carnelian" was Mordegon himself.  Jasper challenged the party to a battle, but this was only a formality since his dark aura made him invincible.


Hendrik may have been an antagonist until now, but he was not evil and was surprised to learn that the rest of Heliodor's leadership was on the dark side.  "King Carnelian" knocked out Hendrik before revealing Mordegon's true demonic wizard form.  He had devil horns, but must have decided being red was too cliche.  Mordegon extracted FREEGAN's Luminary powers by force, then used them to corrupt the Sword of Light into a spiky sword of darkness.  He plunged the evil sword into the heart of Yggdrasil, causing the tree to crash to the ground and making its leaves vanish.  All of this used fancier graphics than the rest of the game.


Since Yggdrasil was the source of life on Erdrea, this was the beginning of a new dark age comparable to the World of Ruin in Final Fantasy 6.  The story resumed with a depressed Sylvando coming on board the Salty Stallion.  His pilot Dave (NOT pronounced "Dayv"!) slapped him back to his usual self, and Sylvando realized that Erik and Veronica wouldn't approve of him moping around.


The first destination was Gondolia since it was the nearest city.  The sky was bleak and many of the residents were criminals now that its economy was poor.  I saved the game and ended the session for now.


EDIT:  The effect on the world in terms of the story feels like the World of Ruin, but there's no Final Fantasy 6 style continental drift according to the world map.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 21:  In Which the Game Turns Into Final Fantasy 6


Although these story arcs fit the theme of the World of Ruin, in gameplay terms they were more like the scenes where the party splits up in the World of Balance.  Sylvando didn't round up all the other heroes like Celes, but instead had his own adventures.


Sylvando met a blacksmith named Tetsu in Gondolia.  He was the man from Hotto who had been mentioned in books that FREEGAN had glanced at.  Tetsu wanted to visit his mother in his hometown, but his luggage had been stolen by a gang called the Beastly Boys.  These three hooligans were easy to defeat with Swoosh casts, and even Sylvando talked about how weak they were.  The Beastly Boys said they were forced to turn to crime when it was too dangerous to fish due to sea monsters.  Sylvando turned one of their weapons into a loaf of bread with his stage magic act and told them to join him.


Sylvando and the Beastly Boys dashed from Gondolia to the Hotto region, cheering up anyone along the way.  One man wanted milk from a talking cow, who was also depressed.  Sylvando and his troupe made the talking cow happy, so he could get the milk for the priest. 


Gallopolis was even more dejected than Gondolia.  The most hope anyone had there was a girl who wanted "princess" for her career.  One man agreed to join after the troupe helped his friend with a "fine bone structure, great posture and these long, fluttering eyelashes".  This wasn't referring to a woman, but Sylvando's horse Margarita!  A juggling fortune teller in a bar also joined the troupe, when Sylvando correctly guessed "red" was the right color when given clues about "fire", "flames", and "sunset's glow".  He didn't need to be clairvoyant to figure that one out.


Gigantes, an upgraded Cyclops, was preventing food supplies from arriving in Hotto.  Sylvando's troupe acted as invincible AI allies, much like Vince from the Octagonia arc.  Sylvando Tap Danced to try to dodge more attacks, then used Hustle Dance to heal when necessary.  Juggler once cast a critical Sizzle for 111, while Circus Novice increased everyone's Attack and Magical Might.  Sylvando's Fuddle Dance was useless, but the leader of the Beastly Boys poked Gigantes for 72 damage and defeated the boss.  Sylvando named his gang the Soldiers of Smile, and received a sort of carousel vehicle and a peacock looking outfit.


Jade went alone to try to liberate Octagonia from the monsters (mostly demons and birds) enslaving the human population.  They were being forced to build what seemed to be a casino, and fighters like Vince had disappeared when they tried to resist Booga's regime.  Booga the Spectral Sentinel was a three-eyed toothy devil who lusted for Jade and forced her to wear the "Hare-Raising Suit".


The captured fighters were imprisoned in a dark dimension called Limboo, and were forced to battle monsters until they dropped.  One book in the prison had "hundreds more of Booga and Boodica's sickeningly saccharine love letters".  As punishment for trying to help the prisoners, Jade was sentenced to a multi-round match called the Girly Burly.  The first wave was Boodiful Hoodlums, who looked like a palette swap of Hoods.  Jade killed these and all the other monsters with repeated Multithrusts.  The second wave had Boodiful Wizards and Boodiful Hocus.  The latter looked like a Prestidigitator, and one of the former fled from the arena.  Round 3 had Bootiful Sootbonces and Bootiful Smogbonnets.


It seemed hopeless even with the Strong Medicines that the game supplied, but to prevent an unwinnable save file the Hare-Raising Suit resurrected Jade automatically whenever she died.  Jade won the Girly Burly and grew to Level 34 and took Agility +30 in the Fisticuffs tree.  (Most panels in Fisticuffs are passive stat boosts rather than fist abilities.)


Boodica herself was a four-armed, one-eyed titan rather than a Celtic queen who burned down London.  She was attended by two Wrecktors (?) called Boodica's Left/Right-Hand Man who supported her with Kabuff, Kasap, and Boom.  Various fighters from the Octagonia tournament assisted Jade.  Sinderella cast Frizzle and Kasap on enemies and Midheal when Jade was low on HP.  Golden Boy tossed his Boomerang and used Twomerang.  Vince used regular attacks and restored Jade's HP with Special Medicine.  Underdigger mostly used physical attacks. 


Even with all this help, the Hare-Raising Suit was needed to revive Jade.  Boodica tossed boulders at everyone for up to 150 damage, hit with triple-digit regular attacks, increased her own Attack, and sometimes charmed Jade's allies.  With the power of Kasap, Jade's Multithrust hit several times for 138-148 damage, enough to kill even an enemy as tough as Boodica.  Boodica's defeat opened the way back to Octagonia, though the Hare-Raising Suit's powers knocked out Jade before she could fight Booga.  Her story ended right after that.


Erik was imprisoned in a sky cavern called the Rock of Wrong, guarded by many monsters.  One Healslime called Healijah broke him out of his cell and proved to be a great combat companion even if his voice acting and slime puns couldn't kill the monsters.  This dungeon was clearly intended for a Knife build because Healijah often cast Kasnooze on the enemies for Erik to deal extra damage with Persecutter.  If it was too early for Kasnooze, Erik tried Sleeper Hit, which usually worked.  Healijah healed Erik, of course, and also supported his Attack with Oomphle.  If players had failed to equip Erik at all, there was a Steel Broadsword available in a treasure chest.


One funny occurrence was me guessing the correct chest for the Hideout Key out of a group of trapped chests without even seeing the answer in a nearby monster's dialogue first.  I just picked the one in the middle at the back.  Most monsters were familiar, such as Hunter Mechs, Living Statues, Grublin, Grinade, and Professaurus.  


Erik had to fight a gauntlet of monsters while Healijah was charging up a floating platform, but the Healslime still had the time to restore Erik's HP.  The last foe was a Bobonga, a dark palette swap of the boss Jarvis.  Erik killed Bobonga with a 246+3 strength Persecutter before it could finish charging up one of its moves.
   

Indignus the armored demon with a winged helmet was the Spectral Sentinel of Rock of Wrong.  The only way Erik could get past Indignus and all of his monsters was to sacrifice his memories of the party to glow with HP and MP restoration power.  Before this, Erik killed a Vicious Chihuawyrm, Dragon Rider, and Skelegon in a normal fight with Sleeper Hit + Persecutter. 


Erik set up Boulderbringer against Indignus for around 75 damage per strike.  Sleeper Hit struck for 112+62, but Indignus was an insomniac.  Indignus tried strong moves like the 202 power Inferno Slash, 129 power Kacrack spells, and 195 strength regular attacks.  Once the boss was so confident, he wasted a turn on "chuckles ominously".  Chuckling doesn't sound like a proper demon laugh to me!


Erik's new power ran out before he could kill Indignus, and the Spectral Sentinel blasted him off a cliff.  Healijah revealed herself to be the Seer, whom all the "people of your workd" knew.  Is Erik from another planet?  No wonder Healijah knew too much about Erik without him telling her about it. 


The next story is called Lord Robert and the Kingdom of Dreams, which probably involves Rab.  I'm guessing he'll need AI companions since Rab is the slowest party member, and is more of a healer than an attack mage.
 


Achievements


Herbalist:  Use herbal items 20 times
Accolade Accumulator:  Earn 50 achievements
Well-Versed Victory:  Win 500 battles
Minor Monsterologist:  Kill 200 monsters species (How many of them aren't just color changes?)

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 22:  Redemption of Heliodor


Rab's quest had an illusion of Dundrasil Castle.  The first part of these visions took place before FREEGAN was born.  He gave his consent for Irwin the knight to marry his daughter Eleanor, and FREEGAN was chosen as a name over Erdrick.  Erdrick is a title for the hero of Dragon Quest 3, so maybe Dragon Quest 11 really is a distant prequel or sequel if Erdrick is just a given name.  One funny part occurred when Rab had to give advice to various people.  I made him send a snarling bear as Dundrasil's representative in the Octagonia tournament, and everyone grew to like the bear after being terrified at first.


After Rab's birthday party in a hypothetical future where Dundrasil was intact, he realized it was a dream that he had to return to the real Erdrea.  Rab had passed Grand Master Pang's first test, but he would have to fight her in order to finish his story.  And Rab was one of the worst choices possible for solo fights.  He was slow and had to rely on Zammle, regular attacks, and Moreheal to survive, since status ailments like Dazzle were useless.  Grand Master Pang attacked with 67+32 power martial arts attacks when in her physical stance, cast Zammle for 105 damage in her magic stance, and sometimes enthralled Rab for a turn or two.  When the fight was almost over, Grand Master Rab summoned a Tantamount horse with flaming hooves as an allies.  Fortunately, Rab didn't have to defeat Grand Master Pang outright.  She told him that he would have to train in days rather than years, and Rab agreed to the regimen.



FREEGAN awoke in Nautica as a blue fish.  Queen Marina told him this was necessary in order to secretly heal him, as many monsters were spying on the sea.  After Yggdrasil crashed the ground, the world's vegetation burned, "lakes and rivers boiled", "mountains cracked", and meteors struck Erdrea.  FREEGAN had recovered just in time because Alizarin the sea monster was about to break the barrier protecting Nautica.  FREEGAN bit a fishing lure and turned back into a human inside Blue Jong's boat on the Emerald Coast.


The sky in the Heliodor region was even darker and more depressing than in the companion quests.  Heliodor's final hope was the Last Bastion, a shanty fort built from tents and wooden walls in Cobblestone.  Gemma and FREEGAN's adoptive mother Amber were still alive, and Gemma confirmed it was Jasper who killed many of Cobblestone's people.  King Carnelian regretted "his" actions even though he'd been possessed since the time FREEGAN was born, and asked if Jade was alive.  Hendrik was responsible for fortifying the Last Bastion, and fended off any monster raids.


FREEGAN hacked his way through some monsters in these raids with Gigaslash, such as Ghouls, Skelegons, and Skeleton Swordsmen.  He died once since he was a bit underleveled for this point, and he visited the cave to the east one soldier recommended and fought Vicious Drackies to train a bit.  Previous enemies in general now had Vicious versions with glowing eyes and higher stats.  Before fighting the boss, FREEGAN put on a Wristorative for 10 HP healing per turn and a Necklace of Immunity to ward off poisons.


The Headless Honcho came with many monsters:  Vicious Grim Gryphon, Chasmonaut, Skelegon, and Skeleton Swordsman.  It was clear the developers intended for Gigaslash (or maybe the Greatsword version Gigagash) to be used here, since it was the only decent all-target move FREEGAN had.  All of his Luminary abilities were gone, and would have been even if I hadn't already removed the skill points to put into Sword moves.


Hendrik was a valiant partner throughout this arc.  He cast Midheal and Kabuff to support FREEGAN, used Forbearance to take incoming damage on rare occasions, struck enemies with physical attacks, and even restored FREEGAN's MP with Magic Waters.  Headless Honcho himself was simple to kill when his monsters were gone:  strike with Gigaslash, and Moreheal when HP was low.  But it was Hendrik who dealt the final blow with a 53 slash from his greatsword.


King Carnelian gave the Sewer Key to FREEGAN and told him and Hendrik to invade the castle.  Some enemies in the Heliodorian Foothills were reused like the Vicious Metal Slimes that FREEGAN killed for some experience, but others like Flamethrowers seemed to be new.  Heliodor Sewers was more of an interactive cutscene than a dungeon with Erik, but now FREEGAN and Hendrik explored it for real.  Many doors containing treasure were available with the Sewer Key.  One was really a Cannibox that was easy to beat, and gave a Seed of Skill.  One door in the dungeons was locked, and I'll need something like a "jail key" to open it.


Heliodor Castle was dilapidated, but not rubble like Dundrasil Castle.  Some books on the shelves had new recipes for weapons and armor, most of which FREEGAN couldn't create yet.  I knew a dresser was going to be important when the game protested too much:  "There's nothing particularly interesting about it".  Since the stairs were destroyed, the way to get to the throne room was to relive one of Hendrik's memories from a Yggdrasil branch, THEN go to the dresser to reveal a secret staircase.  One new enemy was the Iron Maiden, a ghostly woman with dead eyes holding a cage where her legs should have been.  It took more Gigaslashes to kill than the other monsters, and did not yield many rewards.  The forbidden treasure chest from the beginning of the game contained a Gold Bar, which was a crafting ingredient.


Jasper in the throne room dressed like a vampire and fought Hendrik while wielding a staff in a cutscene.  Jasper defected to Mordegon because he was sick of always being second-best in Heliodor.  Hendrik officially sentenced Jasper to death for his betrayal, but Jasper scoffed at him and sent Tyriant the Spectral Sentinel rather than fight the party himself.


Tyriant the armored skleeton with dual-swords was tricky to defeat.  FREEGAN continued his tactic of "Gigaslash when possible and Moreheal when necessary", while Hendrik fought like I'd previously mentioned.  At first, Tyriant was content with "brings his weapon crashing down" for around 48, "lashes out" for about 30, or casting Zammle for 105.  Then Tyriant used an Orb to summon a "sinister shadow" that supported him with Oomple buffs for Attack and Kasap debuffs for Defence.  If Gigaslash didn't ignore evasion (?), Sword Stance evasion would have been a problem too.  A 147 Gigaslash cut open Tyriant and dissipated his darkness.  FREEGAN purified the Purple Orb that Tyriant had corrupted, and the sun once more shone over Heliodor.  The skies were still bleak, but much better than the ominous dark purple from before.


Forging items was becoming difficult enough that FREEGAN was actually failing at recipes when he didn't have enough Focus points to fill all the bars in the minigame.  Botching a King's Coat still made a King's Coat, even if it had no + for its stats.  King's Coat gave FREEGAN some welcome Defence, Magical Might, and  Magical Mending boosts.


Hendrik officially joined the party at King Carnelian's command in the Last Bastion.  He's a physical character with a variety of builds.  Sword, Axe, and Greatsword are all viable options, and he can go with either Shields or offensive boosts in the Heroism tree at the expense of his Defence.  I may have him wield Axes since he's the only character who has that weapon type.


I'll have to explore the world again because most Zoom points have been deleted.  Tickington is available as soon as FREEGAN turns back into a human, however.  

 

Achievements


What Friends Are For:  Complete all the individual companion quests after the fall of Yggdrasil
A Spark Still Shines:  Turn the Luminary back into a human and leave Nautica
Big Earner:  Collect 100,000 gold over the course of the game
Best of the Bastion:  Defeat Tyriant and bring the sun back to Heliodor
Riches for a Rainy Year:  Put 75,000 gold in the bank

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Dragon Quest 11 No Shopping Part 23:  Rab the Ascetic


Hendrik equipped his own Cavalier Cleaver axe and Shield of Heliodor, and reset most of his skill points.  The most notable moves in the Axes tree were Parallax for single target power, and Axes of Evil to hit groups of monsters.  (Who'd expect a 2017 game to have a George W. Bush reference?) 


The party traversed through the Manglegrove and climbed Mt. Pang Lai north of Puerto Valor.  Mt. Pang Lai had previously been a forbidden place, but it turned out that was because Heliodor had been besieging it.  To ascend through the caves, FREEGAN and Hendrik had to kill a Dragon Rider and steal its mount to fly.    


To get through monsters like Boreal Serpent dragons and Honeyhead Horknights, the usual tactics were Gigaslash and either Parallax or Axes of Evil, and maybe Falcon Slash if FREEGAN wanted to conserve MP.  Hendrik may have been slow in the turn order, but his attack power was comparable to FREEGAN's.


The "Tibetan" monks of Angri-La were immediately hostile to the party, since Hendrik was from Heliodor and they didn't recognize the Luminary.  Their Head Lama, a young boy wearing glasses, talked them down from attacking the heroes.  All Princes of Dundrasil trained at Angri-La for 6 years of their childhood, but of course FREEGAN didn't have the opportunity.  Rab was infamous for being beaten 10,000 times with the Naughty Stick!


Erdwin the previous Luminary had learned "spiritual realisation" from the first Grand Master Ai Yi, and he fought the Dark One together with Ai Yi's apprentice Morcant.  (Notice the "Mor" in his name?  Rather like MORdegon?)  A "hermit" was living on the summit of Mt. Pang Lai, though the cave leading to it was monster-infested, and none of the monks were up to the task of clearing it out.


Tantamount the horse was familiar from Rab's quest, though there were also difficult foes like the Black Dragon.  Many casts of Moreheal were necessary to get through the Black Dragon's attacks, and the experience yield was not worth the cost of fighting one.  However, I may have to hunt them later if forging equipment that requires Dragon Hide.


Rab still had a large mustache, but now looked like an emaciated sokushinbutsu (Japanese Buddhist mummy).  He was alive, but in the Void between true life and death.  The Head Lama sent FREEGAN to the Void with a ritual.  Grand Master Pang was as harsh with FREEGAN as she was with Rab, and told him about the afterlife in this "World of Ruin".  With Yggdrasil gone, souls could not return to it, and would disappear after being stuck in the Void for too long.


Rab finally mastered the ultimate Angri-La technique of Pearly Gates by activating a glowing mandala.  Pang ordered Rab and FREEGAN to fight each other as a test, and FREEGAN learned Quadraslash.  I managed to lose on the first attempt since my tactics weren't cautious enough.  Rab's Pearly Gates opened for 170, over half of FREEGAN's max HP.  Quadraslash gashed Rab for 32 damage, which increased with every use.  Rab also struck with regular attacks and summoned two illusion clones with some of his spells, like Kasap, Anathematize, and Crackle.


Because I didn't want to spend time power leveling, I gave all the stat seeds I had in my inventory to FREEGAN:  Seeds of Strength, Seeds of Sorcery, Seeds of Therapeusis, and Seeds of Defence.  Rab's pattern was obvious after the original failure, therefore FREEGAN defended whenever Rab charged up Pearly Gates.  I tried Quadraslash on the clones at first, but realized that it was a waste of time and concentrated them all on Rab himself.  The final Quadraslash cut for 300.


Mordegon discovered FREEGAN in the Void immediately after this trial, and manifested as a black hole in the sky sending out tendrils.  FREEGAN and Rab combined their Angri-La moves to cast Solar Flair at Mordegon and prevent his attack.


Hendrik tactfully pointed out that Rab was fat again after leaving the Void:  "It is your. . .physique, Lord Robert.  You were a good deal. . .slighter only a short time ago".  Despite his serious personality, Hendrik secretly shared Rab's fondness for Ogler's Digest.  Rab said Erdwin used a special flying machine, and advised visiting Arboria.  Rab rejoined the party and could now use the Pearly Gates Ability for 24 MP.  Solar Flair was a Pep Up power for both Rab and FREEGAN. 


I tried moving to Hotto via the Door of Departure, but that gate was locked for good.  Instead, the way to advance was a previously blocked passage from the Puerto Valor region to the Champs Sauvage.


Achievements

Steadfast Soldier:  Activate 10 skill panels for Hendrik
Antagonist:  Make 100 preemptive attacks
Mount Olympian:  "Awarded for successfully riding lots of mountable monsters".  (No specific amount?)
A Disciple Worthy of the Name:  Defeat Rab and learn Solar Flair and Pearly Gates