Quesada's Swan | Tales of Berseria - Part 27: Opening the Gate

I'm now off to the battleship...

Outside again, where I push a boulder down to the lower parts of the gate below. It seems to have done something down there...

After getting Plain Paper from a gold chest, we climb down to see the boulder's damage...

It seems to have broken a small part of the bridge here, or rather, it destroyed another boulder. We go into the next door at the western part of the Gate.

Inside again, where I avoid nearby monsters and climb another set of steps to the ground floor.

Rokurou asks Eizen how they'll stop the battleship. By either igniting their own supply of gunpowder, or turning the cannons to the ship and firing, I think.

We also get some Sake from a nearby open crate...that's the first time that's been featured in a Tales game, I think.

At the end of the hallway we come across an orderly in a white suit of armor...it's another praetor.

Praetor: "I will cut down any who consort with daemons. Face the fury of the Rangetsu sword style!" Huh? Wait a minute, what!?

Rokurou's reaction is more low key than mine, but it's the same...

Rokurou decides to fight the praetor one-on-one.

But the party's still here. They're not letting him go at it alone...

To even the odds a bit, the praetor summons two mammal malakhim.

Rokurou threatens Eizen (the reaper!) if he tries to get in his way.

Since I'm controlling Rokurou, I have him attack the praetor head-on...

The rest of the party takes care of his malakhim, and targets the praetor.

Rokurou tells the rest to stop the battleship. He knows the praetor's not fighting at full power.

The praetor asks Rokurou how he knows about the Rangetsu style. You're talking to a family member, praetor...

The praetor mentions a "legate Shigure of the Abbey." Oh! So this Shigure person must be an exorcist praetor.

Rokurou: "Lies. He'd never take on a student." Things have changed, Rokurou.

Rokurou: "Let me guess. He taught you a few things when he was super bored, and then crushed you with them."

Their fight is on!

Velvet and the rest take care of the last of the daemonblighted exorcists on the ship!

Eizen's set the signal, and Rokurou's finished off the praetor...

Now Rokurou knows where Shigure is. I'm guessing Shigure must be one of his brothers, and the same person that ordered him to be locked up in Titania.

Rokurou: "Yo! The Abbey's my goal now too. Now I can do what I have to do and repay my debt at the same time." He now wants revenge too.

The child malak gasps in shock at the corpse!

Eizen compliments Rokurou as "a fine companion for the reaper."

<<<<<<< HEAD

Another skit: Eizen asks Rokurou about a smith named Kushiyamata, who are "distantly" related to Rokurou's clan. Rokurou calls them "a clan of kitchen knife makers." He adds that they forge "cursed knives." When one wields it, they bring about an "urge to strike out at anyone and everyone." \shudders**

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And what Rokurou says next about how they make their blades (rumor or not) makes me shudder even more...

The clan, though, became extinct.

Eizen: "Sounds like there's even more to [Rokurou's] clan than the rumors say." Oh boy...what rumors?

Now for the control room...

While heading back up to the save point at the central gate hall, I take a look at the damaged battleship...

We head out to the passage next to the KO'd guard. The path to the door to the other side's blocked by boulders. We use some stray planks to scale the side of the wall to make it to the next door.

We climb the ladder up to the west gate's roof, where there's a plethora of monsters about...

Climbing down to the northern part of the gate, and into the control room we go...

But instead, I climb a set of hanging ivy on the right side of the doors, scale the roof, and jump down to get an Earth Ring...

We fit into the window's wide gap to make it to the control room...

Velvet and team split up to find the key.

There's a lot of books and knickknacks here.

The malak child spots another compass and grabs it from the top of the shelf! Velvet's got the key, but the compass hits the child's head! Eee...

Oh boy, what is she going to do? I'm nervous...

She pats him on the head and smiles!

Velvet: "Don't get so worked over a little thing like that. It's proof you're alive....No, I'm talking about the pain."
Malak child: "But...but I'm scared of pain."
Velvet: "Well [...] who isn't?"
Malak child: "Even you?"

So the malak child got curious over the compass after reading it in a book, just like Velvet's brother...

Malak child: "I thought that if I had one of these [compasses], maybe I could go on adventures. It's exciting."
Velvet: "When you feel that way, you should talk about it....what you like or [not]. If you're happy or scared. After all, you're alive."
Malak child: "I'm...alive."
Velvet: "That's just my opinion, though. Not an order."

Rokurou and Eizen meet up with Velvet and the malak child. It's the first time the malak child's been praised for anything...he blushes and thanks them.

Another skit: The child's still a bit bumped after the compass fell on his head.

Rokurou jokes of pushing his bump back down to heal it...oh, Rokurou.

Velvet suggests getting a bag of sugar and rubbing it on his bump to make it feel better. Ice is a better option.

Skit again: The malak child's still fascinated by the compass. Rokurou compliments him on the bag he's wearing. It's made from Maurits silk. Eizen explains where the silk's from, and lists the many benefits of the fine material.

Eizen: "Knowledge and experience help you sniff out the best treasure." He's right. The Uncharted games are proof of that.

In the end, Eizen also says to just put the compass in the bag.

Velvet promises the malak child that she won't get angry if he expresses himself.

We unlock the door, and head outside.

Rokurou: "Let's get our gate on!" Lol...

These Wall Men are pretty tough punchers...

Rokurou: "Alright, it's open!"

A noise is heard! The reactions of the party are memetic...

rxns of cannon

It's a signal that the Van Eltia's coming!

I save before heading in. I have a feeling we might have to face another boss...

But no boss yet as we head outside, get some stuff here, and climb the long ladder up...

Another long ladder to climb and into the door we go...

There's the lever!

Or one of the levers. Eizen explains that the gate has two doors, so we're only opening one door...

Velvet pulls the lever!

We climb up to the eastern roof now...

...and go to the other side, and pull the second lever!

That's it, the gate is open!

We go through the door, and find another Katz box! We get Rosy Cheeks as a reward!

Going back now...

Oh no, it's the guard again! He's catching daemonblight...and he's transformed into a wall monster!

And the malak child's looking at his compass, unaware that the guard's lunging at him...

Velvet pulls him away...

There goes another compass...

The wall monster's called a Guardian.

I get another tutorial on Break Gauges this time...

Also, if I finish a monster with a Mystic Arte (another staple of the Tales series), I get a better chance of getting an item!

Another pointer on Mystic Artes: combo limits are ignored!

But I don't defeat him, as he's strong against non-elemental attacks...

I switch to Rokurou again since the game switched me back to Velvet for the tutorial.

This guy...whenever he guards he becomes his namesake...

Now he does his Wall Charge and I move out of the way...

How to perform that Mystic Arte again?

But, Rokurou doesn't have a Mystic Arte at this point...

But no matter, since we take care of the boss. Velvet and crew walk away like badasses...

Below, the whole gate is swarming with daemons and monsters!

Rokurou's now worried about their clean getaway...

The Van Eltia makes another signal!

Velvet asks Eizen to signal the ship to not stop! Velvet decides to jump down to it while it's moving!

Eizen's way ahead of Velvet, as the ship's ordered to move without stopping. It was part of the plan.

Eizen: "Welcome to the Aifread way." He smiles as he looks away.

Now another cutscene, where the Van Eltia emerges!

The malak child's still looking around for the compass...

Rokurou's unsure whether the plan will work...

Eizen: "Do you want the reaper's reassurance?"

reapers reassurance?

Rokurou sweats.

The malak child's still looking for the compass.

The two men jump down!

Velvet looks back, and the malak child gets the compass! Too bad the Guardian wakes up! Ai yaaaaaa!!!

The shockwave of the Guardian's stomps sends the child leaping!

He gets the compass, but he starts falling down to the ocean below...

Another flashback...

Velvet: "LAPHICET!!!"

Run Velvet run!

She catches him!

At the ship, Magilou jumps for joy!

Benwick has the wheel.

Velvet grabs the malak child and jumps down to the Van Eltia, making it to her sail and sliding down to the deck...another happy landing.

We get our rewards, as Rokurou and Eizen earn their Mystic Artes, and a Seer's Glacite...

The BG is formally called a Blast Gauge, and I get a pointer on Arte Counts...