Snowfly Forest Continued

This is where things take a very interesting turn, and the first time I played it this was where I really fell in love with the game.

Ashley has headed into the forest after his encounter with Rosencrantz, who, as Ashley suspects, is not all he claims to be...






Rosencrantz: ...You will follow him?
Grissom: I must avenge the foul murder of my brother, Duane.
Rosencrantz: Of course you must... But be wary. Your foe is strong.

Rosencrantz: The Dark is stronger, you mean.
Grissom: And what is your business here? We had a deal, did we not? Join with Sydney and find the key. Time is short.
Rosencrantz: Very well. But... you should know; Something is odd with Sydney.

Rosencrantz: A veritable bestiary of beasties springs up where'er he goes. Nothing he cannot handle, still...
Grissom: Ah, even the hyaena cowers, does he?
Rosencrantz: Don't be the fool, Grissom. Hyaenas know caution. These creatures... Sydney's the one summoning them.
Grissom: Well now. Sydney's cup overfloweth, and he calls forth a flood.
Rosencrantz: There's a flood of vermin in this city, true, but it seems Sydney's manning the sluice.
Grissom: Meaning?
Rosencrantz: You're a slow one. Sydney is increasing the flow of Dark energies on purpose.
Grissom: Why would he?
Rosencrantz: That is the question...







The deal with the Snowfly Forest is that there's one true path through it. Deviate from this path and you end up walking around in circles. The area is actually not all that large so mapping it isn't a problem. There's a notion of 'following the snowflies' that I never quite understood, as to me they always seem to be in abundance at every location exit. The ingame map comes in very handy at this point, and examining any tree in the forst allows Ashley to reorient himself to North.

From the start you just have to head south. There's a swarm of snowflies that blocks Ashley's further progress in the western section, until a bit more exploring brings him to:



An Earth Dragon has made its home here. It's got a pretty nasty tail attack -

- but it's no match for a bit of Dragonite-equipped spear and the Luft Fusion spell:





Grissom seems to be having a bit of trouble with the forest...





The flying enemies around here sometimes drop an item called Faerie Wing, which allows you to jump further temporarily. It's very useful indeed in some future areas, so it's a good idea to try to grab a few. There are also a couple of Fire Elementals floating about in the forest, but they're nothing to worry about now that we have both a decent weapon and the Frost Fusion spell to enchant it with.

Retracing his steps to the blocked pathway, Ashley finds he is able to pass through now into a large open area bisected by the river.

There are a couple of undead to contend with:

There's also a chest containing some reasonable armour (a Hagane Circle Shield in particular), a Sylphid Ring (air affinity), and a Grimoire Agilite (the Invigorate spell, which temporarily raises agility). There's also a Heal panel which can come in useful for a quick fix-up.

Heading north twice, then east, then sticking to north brings us to the climax of this area, and quite a chunk of exposition...

As Ashley enters a clearing he sees Sydney and Grissom facing off:




















A Knight of the Cross summoning demons, eh? As soon as the fight begins, you'll notice Sydney casting Prostasia - on you. Yes, you have an ally in this fight. Sydney won't get too involved in the combat, but he will heal and buff you as you need it. Don't rely too much on him though!


Grissom is the priority target, as he will cast a succession of quite damaging spells. Aim for his head to cripple that ability and he'll be rendered pretty useless.





It's best to finish him off first anyway before moving onto the Dark Crusader. A Grimoire Annuler (Magic Ward) and a Grimoire Gnome (Soil Fusion) are among your rewards. Magic Ward is one of the most essential spells in the game. Once cast, it will remain active until you are attacked with magic, which it will completely nullify. After that it needs to be cast again.

For the Dark Crusader, it's a piercing weapon and concentrate on the torso. Luft Fusion helps, too. You can take some big hits here, but the Dark Crusader isn't very fast and by now it's likely you can destroy it before it gets a shot in.

The Crusader drops a Hagane Angel Wing two-handed sword, and a Grimoire Deteriorer (Tarnish), which weakens enemy equipment. Essentially the opposite of Prostasia.





Sydney: So you believe the Dark exists. Yet you do not believe that which you cannot see. The Dark covers your eyes, and you are blind.

Ashley: Thousands of cityfolk, their lives sacrificed to make this "wellspring". By whom? Parliament? The cardinal?
Sydney: Why don't you ask?
Ashley: Ask who?
Sydney: The sacrificed. The witnesses.

Sydney: You've impressed me. You truly are a Riskbreaker. Or... a trained assassin. A killer.

Sydney: Memories, Riskbreaker. Memories.

















Ashley: Madness!! Foul deception!!
Sydney: You doubt what I have shown you? It is your memories that deceive.


Sydney: Lies... An elite member of the Kingsguard loses his wife and child... a tragedy. He becomes a VKP Riskbreaker. This is the lie! A memory false as summer snow!


Ashley: By the gods, you lie!
Sydney: The VKP saw the opportunity to turn your guilt to patriotic zeal. They twisted your very soul, Ashley. Your despair at losing your "family" turned to hate for the lawless jackal that killed them. Hate that should be reserved for yourself.
Ashley: YOU... LIE!
Sydney:Do I? Are your new-found abilities not proof enough? You believe Lea Monde responsible? You are remembering the killing arts you learned in a past life.



Sydney: Men forget that which pains them... Create new memories to please themselves... Lie to themselves, believe their own lies. The VKP may have wielded the brand that burned your soul. But you... you wanted them to do it.




Sydney: But you have already begun believing. Am I wrong, Ashley? You have seen demons walk the city streets, heard the cries of the dead and damned. You deny these things? Are they illusions? What did you see through that woman's eyes, Ashley?
Ashley: ...You think you can see the past?
Sydney: Not see, I "hear" it.
Ashley: ... Hear?


Phew! It's all gone a bit twisty. Just what are Sydney's motives, and who are the real bad guys? Curiouser and curiouser.

You might have noticed a chest up on a ledge during the cutscenes. It contains a Demonia gem (+15 Evil class, very nice) among some other bits and bobs. With that sorted we press on to the end of the forest and the entrance back into the city.

And here's the direct path through the forest. The Yellow Wood is the point at which the snowflies block progress until you go back west and defeat the dragon in the large clearing.