Quesada's Swan | Tales of Berseria - Part 35: The High Priest Job/Part 35a: The Slithering Echidna

Looks like our expedition's returned and they've discovered another place to explore: the Exsphere (nabgure Flzcubavn ersrerapr!) Sea!

After some level grinding, I decided to go back to Galles Lake Road to face off against the code red daemon there...

After fighting the code red daemon, doing some shopping, and getting our ree-ward, we head back to the tavern, ready to take on the mission!

The tavern keeper steps in and says the shadow guild's been operating this tavern for generations...

Laphicet asks about the red scarf being a symbol of the guild. The tavern keeper confirms that, and tells them to show the insignia to anyone wearing a red scarf, as an indicator that the crew's with them.

So the daemons we faced when we were stopping that ambush were also part of the Bloodwings. Meaning that the guild was testing us...

Tabatha wished that her husband Baskerville was around to meet us. He would've liked us...

We stay the night.

Tabatha gives Eizen more info about his captain's whereabouts, mentioning his stay in Titania, and Melchior's release of him. But that's all the Bloodwings have on Aifread...

Tabatha's even wondering why the Abbey wants Aifread. She guesses that if they wanted to lure the pirates out, the Abbey would have done so by announcing a public execution on Aifread. So why are they keeping him captured for?

Tabatha guesses that it may have something to do with the "relic" the Abbey wants...

Eizen doesn't believe the existence of it, but mutters to Tabatha that it's a possibility that Aifread may have had the relic for safekeeping.

Eizen thinks Aifread's not in the villa. They might have him somewhere more guarded, and in a darker place, he thinks...

Now in a dream in white with crimson-cast shadows, Velvet keeps eating more daemons...

Oh my god, Laphicet!

She shrinks back, seeing his face...

...she cries, saying that she's hungry...

Artorius: "If survival is at stake, an elder sister eating her brother before he inexorably wastes away is not outside the bounds of Reason. You needn't hold back Velvet."

He tells her to eat him.

Oh my god, she's choking Malak!Laphicet!!

She stops!

Laphicet: "You were... you were shouting..."
Velvet: "Be more careful around me! You know full well I'm a daemon!"

Laphicet cries and runs off...oh my god...

Magilou's leaning on the wall...

Magilou: "Awake or asleep, it's all one long nightmare. Smashing objects together is destruction. Smashing feelings together is life. But objects, tools...so much easier to abuse, and toss aside." Jeez...

Magilou changes the subject and tells Velvet it's assassination time. She even calls her "sweetie" in her sardonic way.

Laphicet clutches Rokurou, frightened of what Velvet would do. Velvet closes her eyes.

Magilou giggles.

Magilou's coming along. She probably wants to go after Bienfu by teaming up with "the gloomy daemon lady."

Rokurou asks her if her "fortune's actually hold water."

Magilou mentions that she's been in the castle. So I'm thinking she used to be an exorcist. Velvet threatens to kick her out if she's in the way again.

Eizen: "It's the viper's nest. They're always watching."
Velvet: "Yes, but therein lie shadows too. Let's look for someone with a red scarf."

Our expedition returns with Bread Crumbs and a new recipe: Dwarven Salisbury Surprise! Vf guvf nabgure abq gb gur qjneirf va Flzcubavn?

The nightlife in Loegres is pretty nice and quiet...

We see a guy with a red scarf tied as an armband near the fountain. He can sell us stuff...

And we get an Adept's Glacite!

There's a couple staying out late, an admirer politely critiquing a dancer...

One soldier's barking at us for staying out late at night. Magilou comes up with the best excuse: saying she's showing her "appreciation" for them...

There's two soldiers facing down a bunch of citizens...

A lot of people are getting influenced by other seedy types here...

There's one soldier who's also with the Bloodwings as well. Unfortunately, he does not know the way to the Villa. But, he points us to someone in the cathedral who does.

Remember, people with red scarves are our allies...

I head back to the tavern for more info. Tabatha herself knows how many people are in the Bloodwings.

The castle plaza's guarded super heavily...

We go to the cathedral after some scavenging around the plaza.

All of the guards patrolling the cathedral are all Bloodwings...

One soldier with a red scarf tells us to avoid a priest that likes cats in the garden.

We talk to the actual soldiers guarding the doors of the sanctuary, they mention someone's planning a crime, so they're on high alert.

I see the priest who the Bloodwing soldiers are talking about...hee...he's surrounded by so many cats...

We talk to the nearby guard standing before one of the bare columns in the cathedral grounds now. He forces us to show our papers. We give him the insignia. He nods, and moves aside.

We see a manhole which goes to a tunnel connecting to the castle and straight into the villa.

We're now inside the Loegres Sewers.

Laphicet stumbles, but Velvet saves him...he tries to thank her, but she walks away.

Magilou smirks and warns Laphicet there's crocodiles in the sewers. Oh my god, Magilou...

Eizen retorts by saying crocodile's favorite meal is witches. Lol...

Rokurou: "Alright, onward and inward! Everyone but Magilou tread carefully!" Lol!

Velvet: "Some assassins' crew we are."

We're inside the Barona Catacombs, the city's sewage system.

Skit: Laphicet talks about the seriousness of the Bloodwings. Rokurou also knows they have people in the shadows planning this op as well. Magilou scares Laphicet again.

She tells him a story about a Bloodwing agent who infiltrated the castle, and the guards chased him into the sewers. And he swam, where the crocodiles were waiting, and..."CRUNCH!"

She's such a storyteller. She even implies mabo curry's made from crocodile meat...

Velvet steps in, wanting to taste mabo curry with the "blood of a lying witch." Ohhhh!

Rokurou agrees.

Magilou tells everyone she was joking and only told the story to comfort Laphicet. That's not so comforting...

She then lies again about where mabo curry's made from ("man-eating catfish") and Velvet knocks her into the water!

Magilou: "I'll get you for this, witch killers!"

More Bloodwings about, and one of them tells us we need sneak into tight places to get to the villa.

We pull a nearby lever to drain the nearby waterway.

Laphicet's still worried about alligators, or crocodiles, in the water...

We head down the drained waterway, nothing but Katz spirits and Broken Artifacts.

Back up and forward...

There's a huge obsidian armored guard at a huge part of the sewer...

There's also an eyeless but sort of cute Slime hanging from the ceiling...

We also face off against a Gobun Heddin, a floating Goblin head surrounded by a dark aura...

A barricade of boulders block our way, but we clear it out and climb down the trapdoor...

Another skit: Magilou points out the obvious about daemons (the crew) being under the Abbey's noses. Rokurou notices Abbey security's nowhere to be found in the sewers, saying that the walls are meant as protection. Eizen adds that it'll be hard for people to escape inside those same walls...

Magilou thinks the sewer passage is a trap. Velvet thinks there's something else going on...

We press onward.

Those bulky guards are just suits of Living Armor!

Out of curiosity, I turn back to go to the western passage.

Lucky I didn't take this path: it's blocked by a barricade of boulders!

But there's plenty of Slimes, and the extra Living Armor here!

We make it back and head deeper into the sewers...

My lord, there's a lot of winding passages here, but it's mostly vast.

We find our first crawlspace...

...which leads to a code red daemon lurking about!

I don't think we're prepared to fight him yet...

Turning back to the deeper end of the sewer, I see a Katz Box on the far end of the waterway...

Near an area where some Coarse Tempering Powder is, we find a switch!

Heading down the steps, Velvet states our mission again: we need to keep moving while it's still night.

Magilou now makes an "eeny, teeny, spiny crow" rhyme and we see a big pic of her smiling face...

smiling face magilou

Velvet is not amused.

Magilou runs to Laphicet and asks him which is the way to the villa?

Velvet glares at both of them...

Another skit: Velvet's brooding again. Magilou is still smiling. Laphicet asks if killing Gideon's even necessary. Rokurou makes a point that the priest won't listen to them, plus he's crooked.

Rokurou mentions that around three years ago, the Abbey wasn't even a household name at all. Rokurou seems to know a lot about Gideon.

Eizen then points out that once malakhim became visible to humans, things changed.

Magilou: "Humans are such fools only believing what they can see with their own eyes."

After the Advent, everyone, namely false exorcists, wanted to take up the position of High Priest...but executions lowered that number.

My goodness, Rokurou and Eizen really know a lot about Gideon. Probably from Tabatha...

Rokurou tells everyone to be wary. Velvet has her eyes on the job at hand.

The expedition returns! We get new treasure: a Yggdrasill Goddess Statue!

Laphicet is awed by the likeness of Martel...Eizen and Laphicet have their dialogue about her history.

No reward for freeing the Katz out of the box!

We climb up the ladder...

...we're now underneath the villa! I head back.

So much stuff to collect here!

After getting a Wind Ring, we press onward!

More Slimes and a switch here!

We make it to the once-flooded part of the sewer, where we find another chest and another switch on opposite ends of the room...

After draining the second waterway, we see another crawlspace...

Looks like we're almost there...

Now, just one more long way up...

And after a few fights, we make it to the last corridor!

There's a save point near the ladder and a warp point on the west end of this area...

Tales of Berseria - Part 35a: The Slithering Echidna

Aside: I did this mission before doing the High Priest Job.

Marmots, Snakes, and Pixies are still out and about in the Lake Road...

After running into a very Dangerous Encounter with a multitude of Marmots, along with Pixies, who keep casting Bright Shade and stunning the entire party! Thanks to them, I get another game over!

This time, I decide to head directly to the code red daemon...

I read up on Dangerous Encounters in the menu, and it turns out these things happen when I'm in one:
I can only heal a quarter of what I normally heal.
Fleeing is 4 times longer.
Enemies get reinforcements!
More frequent enemy attacks!

No wonder why I couldn't beat those Pixies...

Now we fight the Echidna!

The entire party begins their overwhelming offense against her!

Easy win!

I get a Villain's Ventite, unlocking the Intense battle difficulty!

I engage in a few battles for a while...

Now let's collect the ree-ward!