Bethany Plays: DQXIS Act 2 Phnom Nonh: The Dragonth Avarith

The South side of the Champs Sauvage has the real story. As a matter of fact...

You can kinda see them from the first image. Yes, we are just now getting around to fighting cheater cheetahs in the vanilla game.

You don't have to tell me twice.

Just before we start drawing weapons, a strange song begins to play- and not only are we distracted, the cheetah is too.

Only one man would dare play music like that for no obvious reason.

Sylvando has also come to the rescue, although we're probably a little closer. How does Sylv keep getting to those high places?

The cheetah is not impressed with Sylvando's bravado.

Sylvando was always good at getting from high places to saving the day.

Fans are a weapon type available in some DQ games, most notably DQ9, where they were an entire dedicated class of weapon.

Unfortunately, Sylvando will stick to using swords, knives and whips in battle for DQ11. I kinda liked fans, and it's not like Sylv's Swords are doing much.

Sylvando stops for a dramatic pose, because his job is to spread good cheer, and I assume "dramatic poses" help with that.

One thing about the Definitive Edition adding the Side Story first is that we know the characters that compose the Soldiers of Smile have identities (though not names), but as far as the vanilla game is concerned, they are mostly just a homogenous blob of a single "character". Just imagine how the vanilla players feel when they got to this moment and have no explanation for why Sylvando is suddenly leading a parade of pink-clad men in peacock feathers.

Sylvando pauses to bask in the adulation of the Soldiers of Smile with an assortment of waves and blown kisses.

Erdward and Hendrik can only pause and stare in complete and utter confusion. Remember how I mentioned Rab was "skippable"? As far as the narrative of this Town Story is concerned, we don't have Rab. He still has a full complement of Party Chat quotes (and Sylvando has a full complement of Party Chat quotes for being taken to Angri La, too!), but for the story, we'll be pulling an FE and pretending he doesn't exist.

Sylvando is pleasantly surprised to turn around and notice us.

And, in true Sylvando fashion, jumps right into our personal space.

Considering how much of an emotional wreck Sylvando was when he first washed up after the Fall, I think he might've taken this one harder than anyone else. Considering the personal connections some of the party members have with Erdward (Erik and Jade being the main people I'm thinking of here), this is rather impressive.

Hendrik probably has half a mind to jump in and start swinging for Sylvando intruding on Erdward's personal space. The other half of his mind is still trying to process what the hell is going on. He should be fine once he's had enough time to process those two thoughts.

Afraid not. While parading around in a peacock suit is distinctive, there aren't exactly a lot of good reasons to do so.

That is quite possibly the only one, and even then, I'm not 100% convinced it's one.

We continue to pause and take in a moment to process what Sylvando just said.

As far as I can tell, apart from Tetsu, this batch is still the same group we met in the Side Story, no new arrivals. And, quite honestly, I'm not exactly that surprised. Sylvando would avoid Puerto Valor (for the reasons we know he has but don't know what they are), Octagonia is a dead end thanks to Booga, and L'Academie is full of women. Phnom Nonh is probably the only place left in the inner ocean that has candidates.

Neither did I, and I was me.

In case you're wondering how the person we just rescued is processing the Soldiers of Smile, he has just gathered the presence of mind to speak up.

Sylvando, recovering from the shock of seeing Erdward, looks over to finish the rescue.

He's doing just fine. For, uh... now, at least.

Sylvando offers to escort Da home. We were going to drop in on Phnom Nonh anyway...

...Listen, I know we're going to have to talk about things, and probably work together, but I am not joining the parade. That's your thing, I have my thing.

I know they have to have some excuse to But Thou Must you into their preferred options, but Sylvando always seems to get the mildly creepy ones.

Erdward has a costume for being a member of the Soldiers of Smile- and yes, we get to keep it.

...Hendrik, not a word of this to Erik or the girls.

Yes, we're actually bringing along the float.

Hendrik, Rab and Da are dragged along for the ride.

Sylvando says this, but as far as I can tell, there isn't really any worry of that? Just go to the next event flag and Sylv will jump right to you. Maybe this is if you decide to go exploring places that aren't the next objective, or Zoom away, or something of a similar nature.

...An Accolade at the beginning of a Town Story, that's a new one on me.

Da: I would be dead if it was not for you, I think so! I am very, very grateful! And now I can enjoy this wonderful parade! I have never seen anything like it!
Hendrik: .........I confess, I am yet to fully understand Sylvando's intentions in orchestrating this parade of his. Still, I am glad that you have been reunited with one of your companions. That is a source of great comfort to me.
Rab: Och, I've lived a fair wee while, but I've never heard of a parade marching all the way around the world before! Trust Sylvando to come up with something so extraordinary! Now we've found him again, it's celebration time! I picked up a few moves of my own up in Angri-La- I'll show you whippersnappers ye don't have to be young and beautiful to cut a rug!
Sylvando: Before I met you, my goal in life was bringing some light back into people's lives through the power of song, dance and good times! I started small, as a solo performer, but then people caught the bug and joined in. Before long, I- Oh, honey, listen to me! Going on about my life and times... First things first, let's get Da safely back to Phnom Nonh!

Hm, this Party Chat line contradicts Sylvando's Side Story. It could be referring to "before he joined Erdward the first time", but I don't think it fits that either. Huh.

While in this setting, at least, Erdward is compelled to perform the same arm-waving dance as the Soldiers of Smile are. You also can't run in his state.

It's a product of the costume, and that can be taken off even in here. I've had problems with being made to dance while wearing the Mardi Garb in other contexts.

(Another thing about the Mardi Garb is, if you're wearing it, you have a long animation on spawning where you flourish before moving into the arms-waving idle stance. You cannot move during it.)

Sorry, Sylv, but I prefer to have a little more control of the pacing.

Hendrik and Rab got clown costumes as a byproduct of them now following Erdward around on the field in Definitive. These costumes did not exist in the vanilla version, and we don't get to keep them.

They are following us, although the float is rather heavy, so it takes them a while. (The float is being carried on foot by six Soldiers of Smile.) I'm also not sure how they path-find, honestly- they do try to get to Erdward as close as possible.

...Were those ruins always there? I don't think I've ever paid them much mind at all. Probably were, from the same society Nhou Wat is.

And thus we make it to Phnom Nonh to check out how things are going.

...

Not even just "dreary", there's like no one there.

Da has his business, and he's not that interested in sharing.

Hendrik has the reasonable guess that perhaps it's connected to the town's problems.

At least he has an actual agency now. Even if I doubt they have the credentials.

There is an additional reason for Hendrik's confusion while Sylvando is around- something about him strikes him as familiar. And not the fact that he was in the party when we were in Sniflheim and Yggdrasil with him. With that said, Sylvando is wearing a helmet that conceals most of his head barring his face, which probably interferes with Hendrik's facial recognition capacities.

Hendrik: It seems Sylvando has ventured into the village to conduct his investigation. I can only hope he uncovers the truth of what has happened here. Something is very wrong, that much is clear...
Rab: I cannae believe this hustling, bustling tourist town has fallen so low... Damn yer eyes, Mordegon!

The former is still there, and still perfectly functional as a door to the Other Side. Not that there's any reason to go there.

A lot of NPCs seem to think the Soldiers of Smile are potential allies to Mordegon, but as strange as they are, I don't get that.

Bazza's still here, talking about how he's on the straight and narrow... and then mentions getting fleeced.

The Town Story for Phnom Nonh involves fleecing, but I'm not sure Bazza should've gone broke over it...

This is an important point: the monster didn't just take money and valuables, but also people.

I dunno, I kinda like them.

...Right, they're terrorising us. Gotcha.

No, this isn't the same girl who lost everything in Heliodor, but she certainly looks it. Not that "running an RPG shop" takes much skill on the mechanical side, but she staffs it just fine, with no random screwups to worry about.

Sylv's group not only figures out what's going on, they also find out who- a monster named Avarith. Avarith is female, and consistently referred to as such by the game, but her voice is not particularly identifiable as such, so a lot of players mistakenly refer to her as male.

Yeesh, they wiped this place clean.

...This guy mentions having one treasure left, but he wisens up and doesn't repeat it if you talk to him again. I'm not sure what this treasure is, despite the fact it does get expanded on.

This is the part that seems to contradict with Avarith having cleaned out Phnom Nonh entirely- she explicitly only demanded the most valued possessions of each citizen be turned over. While "their wealth" probably counts as such to some of these tourist trappers, handing over all their gold doesn't fit the methods.

This is where the "most valued possession" and "kidnapping people" come from. Some people, when told to name their most valued possession, chose their friends and family rather than any physical treasure. And Avarith took that to its logical conclusion.

~~On the plus side, that means the kidnapees still have their own treasured possessions- although that probably counts for little.~~

This guy is actually a Quest-giver. As such, he doesn't really seem to care about Phnom Nonh's plight- it's because this dialogue is supposed to work no matter what.

This monster is not Avarith.

And this cave isn't even near Phnom Nonh anyway!

It's over in Gondolia.

Getting rainbow rock salt from the Grotta della Fonte to Phnom Nonh requires passing through two prosperous port towns. The two locations aren't even on the same landmass. And yet somehow it's this place that's famous for it.

...

All right, I get it, I'll deal with her. It's not like I have a dragon-slaying sword or anything...

...The logical conclusion of the whole "most valued treasure" thing.

Da's house is up here. If you remember, we actually did bump into Da in Act 1- he was just sitting in this house being grumpy.

Mony appears, and comforts him. Apparently the two are familiar enough. Or at least Mony has this sort of position.

And yeah, right now, Da's son... Son is missing.

One day, he'll find him. And perhaps one day, he might be able to find someone who can explain why their names are so crudely plain. ~~Says someone who likes to name their male protags "Hero" when required.~~

Da scoffs at the notion that he even ought to be concerned about Son's whereabouts.

Mony covers for him, although a comment like that is going to linger for a long time to come.

Mony, of course, is happy to bring us up to speed about Avarith, if you just sped past the Soldiers of Smile.

Considering the circumstances and phrasing, you'll forgive me if I don't understand why some people had the chance and capacity to give her "their life savings". By the time you're hauling bucketfuls of gold over to the monster threatening your town, you'd probably have shaken your fears and started thinking again.

At that point, I don't think it was a deception, sir.

Sylvando is happy to work to get everything back in order.

...Eeeeeeehhhhh...

Sylvando recites the Pledge. You may recall Sylvando's knowledge of the Pledge being fascinating to the royalty of Gallopolis back when we recruited him the first time. Now, it is fascinating anew to Hendrik.

There's a cave south of Phnom Nonh that she's hiding in. It was accessible in Act 1, and consists only of a single room.

Hendrik: ‘A knight's word is his bond...’ Where could Sylvando have learnt the Pledge...? Hmm? Oh, ignore my musings. Our focus must be on dealing with Avarith. She sounds like a formidable foe indeed. We must not take her lightly.
Rab: Ach, can ye believe what that monster did!? Lying to these poor people, pinching their stuff- and abducting a few of them for good measure!? It's unforgivable! I'll tell ye what, laddie- I'm looking forward to trying out my new Pearly Gates move on that horrible beastie. She won't know what's hit her!
Sylvando: Well, now we know who's to blame for making the people of Phnom Nonh so miserable: this Avarith creature! We can't let the nasty thing get away with this! Let's head south and rescue everyone she's kidnapped!

Despite this guy clearly running a scam of some kind, this is actually a fairly good and plot-relevant point he's making about how the people of Phnom Nonh can salvage the situation.

Da's unsociability seems to permeate the whole town.

And the bunny girl's warmed up to the Soldiers of Smile! Glad to see that sort of thing clearing up.

When the time comes to move on to challenge Avarith, we once again get the company of the Soldiers of Smile's parade float. Along the way, we bump into...

A quick plot sequence.

Some kid jumps out to come join us.

Hendrik is quick to piece together where this boy might've come from.

We have heard that Son was abducted, but it's clear that's not the case. Either that or he somehow escaped Avarith's clutches.

When Avarith came and asked for Da's most treasured possession, Da turned over a memento of his lost wife. And Son took it to mean that he has less value in the house.

So he's decided to prove himself as worth more by taking the necklace back all on his lonesome.

He may not have thought this plan through.

Especially when he got too far away from the village and went "...wait a second, I am a child."

Hendrik, while accepting there are underlying issues to resolve under the surface, is quick to resolve the overlying issue- that being "outside a village is no place for a child."

Son insists on claiming his mother's necklace to present it to Da.

...Poor Hendrik.

Sylvando volunteers either himself or one of his men to look after the kid. Honestly, he probably would've ended up in one of their cares anyway.

Hendrik acquiesces, and disavows any responsibility if they fail.

We're so close there's like five seconds of gameplay before you get in there.

Also that "I will be useful to you." Adorable, but no, he won't.

Son: Do your friends with the feathers really travel around the world with the parade, bringing smiles to the faces of people? That is very, very wonderful! If we all work together, it will be easy to defeat the monster and retrieve my mother's pendant, I think so... And I am not going back to the village until it is done!
Hendrik: It would appear that Son was not abducted by monsters after all. I admire his courage, if not his recklessness. In any case, it is up to us to come to the child's aid- now we have another reason to defeat Avarith.
Rab: Can ye believe it!? This wee lad ventured out all on his lonesome, just to get some attention from his auld man! I don't believe this Da character, though, saying some piece of jewellery was more important than his own flesh and blood. I cannae get my head around it...
Sylvando: With my Soldiers of Smile on our side, we'll keep Son safe and get his mother's necklace back! It sounds like the beast is holed up in a cave on the cape. Let's head south and teach the greedy so-and-so a lesson!

Right in to the cave, and...

...That dragon's not as big as advertised. Perspective's a pain.

Sylvando starts with the basics. I wonder why people think this ever works.

Avarith suggests a deal to try and get our way.

...This is even a Yes/No question you can provide an answer to.

Sylvando will forestall you no matter which answer you picked.

He is the one who will be providing any valuables.

Sylvando happens to possess something that sounds incredibly nice to possess.

Avarith greedily grabs the loot.

At no point does Sylvando order Avarith to close her eyes to receive the present. She just did that of her own accord.

They even play one of the "you got an item!" chimes for it. This is why Sylvando got some horse poo in his Side Story- he even described it as "fragrant".

Nothing is a joke to Sylvando. Or is it "everything is"?

Speaking of jokes, Avarith's boss music has begun to play- and she is one of three bosses to use this alternative theme. It first appeared in the DS port of DQV, where it played during the "Brooze the Ooze" touch screen minigame. Quite the upgrade to become a boss theme.

Don't you just love it when the truth is the most epic zinger you can make?

Sylvando performs a taunting dance that includes a hip shake. I love Hendrik's expression in the background here.

She just has.

Avarith does have one unpleasant trick to play on us, though:

Fizzle outside of battle!

Though she invests an awful lot of effort into pinching others' possessions, it's not for want of the stuff itself- the real prize is the suffering of those she steals from.

Dragon family
2200 HP
999 MP

Avarith, as her design suggests, is a mage. She has a normal attack, but her only other attacks of note are spells. She can cast Fizzle (the Fizzle we started with is temporary), Kasizz, Kabuff, Kasnooze and Anathematise- a nice buffet of magic that works together to be mildly irritating.

Rab is able to learn an ability called Antimagic that has a non-zero chance of succeeding to work on her. Just thought you ought to know.

No magic is a very interesting prospect, considering all our healing is in the magic section. Avarith doesn't know a lot of attacks, but it might be worth packing some of those medicines for the eventuality.

By the way, have fun fighting this boss without Rab.

Sylvando has joined as a Guest, and he disappoints. He can also cast Swoosh and Hot Lick, which do more damage. The real reason he's here is to Sobering Slap anyone who falls asleep.

Rab's Right as Rain is essential.

It's not much, but it's better than nothing.

Greatsword Guard, of course, although I'm not entirely sure what I'm blocking.

Kasizz is a pain to deal with.

And, of course, can't forget her fondness for Kabuff. Sap is also a spell.

...Not sure what the plan is for this, but it'll help for now.

This is how much Erdward and Hendrik are doing.

...Rab, that Rake 'n' Break was supposed to undo the Kabuff.

Even Sap is struggling to go off.

Please stop that.

...Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Hendrik?

This party does not have the Oomph spell. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

There we go. We've got an actual drop.

...You've gotta be kidding me.

It would've been so much neater if Erdward got to attack.

Especially now the defence is ticking back up.

Hendrik knows what's up.

And he gets what is legitimately his first level up since joining the party. Moreheal is the only new spell he gets until significantly later.

Shooting up 30 Def just for having a shield on. Hendrik's job is to be deeply offended if he takes physical damage.

You picked a fight with a man with an axe to grind.

Also that too, I guess.

Son is fairly responsible for checking on the citizens before dealing with his business.

In these troubled times, you could probably use your resources more than us. We can actually fight things for them.

Now Son runs off to go find the thing he needs to "prove his worth" to Da.

A little hard to do that when it got broken along the way. How rude of Avarith to not treat the things she is stealing with more respect.

Sylvando offers some advice to encourage Son's efforts. Something's telling me that's not going to cut it.

Sylvando leads the charge back to Phnom Nonh.

He'll handle it on his own, the rest of us will be hoofing it back.

Hendrik: The abducted villagers appear to be alive and well- that will come as a relief to everyone back in Phnom Nonh. It is just a shame Son's mother's necklace appears to be broken. Da will doubtless be disappointed. Sylvando has taken the boy back to his father's house. I suggest we pay them a visit.
Rab: Hyeh heh heh! Auld Avarith wasnae half as clever as she thought she was, eh? We didn't fall for any of her nonsense. And did ye see her face when Sylvando gave her that lump of horse dung? Ach, I've not seen anything that funny in years! Good on him!

There's a bookshelf in the back of this cave, but it was one of the Ye Drustaniad books anyway.

Their thundering beats bring lurid lamplings from miles around to boogie, making death by drummer a very real risk for unwary adventurers.

Bongo bangos are often followed by lurid lamplings on the overworld, but they cannot call for help from them. They can call for additional bongo bangos, and have a demoralising drumbeat that lowers the party's defence. They're new to DQ11.

Thank goodness Erdward has Zing too now.

Wandering cucumber wizards with a wide repertoire of spells- not just the offensive numbers, but some others like Oomph and Zing as well.

Scourgettes appeared in DQs 9 and 10, and yes, they do know magic spells. In addition to the Oomph and Zing mentioned, they also have Boom. On the physical side, they can block your attacks.

Confirmation there are cheater cheetahs to fight around here.

Jazzy little lights used as decorations for all the major monster festivals. Their contrasting colours can't fail to put one in the mood for fun.

Lurid lamplings only appear at night- and I had to come back way later to find this one. They know Frizzle and Acceleratle.

...No, that's not me, that's my friend Sylvando, and I do not look adorable leading the parade.

That's why I'm here.

The people of Phnom Nonh are undergoing new and unplumbed depths of gratitude after losing what they valued most.

...While I understand where you're coming from, I'm not sure this is the kind of personality you should be hoping sticks around.

Both of these two are Beastly Boys, and it's certainly a turnaround to see them brought to tears by reunited family.

Apparently the girl's been doing such a good job playing shop she may be getting a promotion for it. Depending on whether that's a good idea for the girl's sake too, I hope.

She's dedicated to the job, that's for sure.

But still, getting your money back is a huge relief. Just because it can be replaced doesn't mean that's something you want to rely on.

Oh, screw you.

...Wow, that was certainly... out of my ballpark. I hope this is going well, and moving on.

I'd tell you you're hard on yourself, but you may just be not hard enough. At least he's trying. Even if he doesn't really seem to have a good grip on what he's supposed to be doing.