The Legend of Sylph Stridemoon - Chapter 5 - Rejuvenated

Sylph awakened once more, only to find himself in a moderately-lit room. The scent of fresh candles and gysahlweed incense filled his nose. All of his senses were returning to him, albeit slowly, but he began to feel the serenity for which he was aching. His hand lay upon his chest... bare, it was, save for the wrappings that bound the wound on his back.

He looked up... he could clearly see the slope of the room's ceiling, and it was then he realized that he was not capped. He cursed to himself underneath his breath, but turning his head to the side and brushing his locks away relieved him of his worry, as he saw his hat and cloak hanging on a chair a few meters away from the bed. They were in pristine condition. Perhaps his caretakers had cleansed them from the dirt and blood.

He attempted to sit up, but a sharp ache eased him back down to his bed just as one of the robed priests entered the room carrying a plate of food.

"Ah, so you're awake. I would take it easy right now if I were you. Quite the slash you had on your back there... it's healing up nicely, considering I'm quite new to this," he stated, placing the plate on the table next to Sylph's bed.

"Once my strength returns, I'll probably be able to mend it up the rest of the way. However, I believe I owe you my gratitude," Sylph replied.

"No, my friend," the priest reassured. "It is part of my duty. Besides, we could not just leave you there to die. There aren't enough mages like you in this world."

"I can't agree with you more. However, I should direct a related question to you... there were two of you dressed alike, were there not? Who are you?"

"Well, me, personally, my name is Feil Litiere. I'm an acolyte here at the Carbuncle Basilica... we are nothing more than humble white mages living lives of servitude and humility to those in need. You were carried here by my comrade, Markus. He would be here if it were not for other... duties, as it were."

"I see. My name is Sylph Stridemoon, of what was once Glenprice... a village that is now reduced to ash, if that."

"Yes. Most unfortunate. Our elders went to investigate, but even with their healing powers there was nothing they could do. What happened there?"

Sylph then related to Feil all the events he partook and witnessed. It almost pained him more than his wound to retell it.

"Most unfortunate," Feil repeated. "I only wish I could have done something about those fiends... but yet I wonder both why they never came into our territory and why they left you alive."

"It is something I wonder myself, and I'm determined to find the answers I seek," Sylph stated.

"...then allow me to assist you, my friend. I'm a mere acolyte, but I learn quickly. Please place your trust in me. I am sure that I share your pain at the thought of the suffering those people went through. I do not want to see it happen again."

Sylph grinned and leaned up to place his hand on Feil's shoulder, but was reminded of his wound and eased himself back down with a grimace.

"First, you should get some rest. Eat when you like... I shall return later after I have conferred with the elders about your tale."

---

Several hours later, Sylph awakened to a beam of sunlight piercing through the narrow slit between the shade and the window behind it.

Sitting up this time was not so difficult, and almost at once he was able to tap into the Ether. All was calm once more, and he tapped into its healing threads to cure him of his minor pains. After donning his garb, he opened the door to find himself standing under a stone arcade, which became part of a rectangular corridor around a beautiful courtyard. In its center was a fountain, and the statue that adorned it took the shape of a creature that Sylph had never seen before. It appeared to be in the fetal position, but it had elegant metal wings emerging from its back. A ruby-like stone decorated what appeared to be the creature's forehead, above two eyes fixed skyward.

Feil, from across the courtyard, spotted Sylph's emergence from his room.

"Sylph!" he bellowed, running and nearly tripping over his robes. "Come quickly with me to the audience chamber. The elders have something to tell you."

"Lead the way," Sylph replied, and tilted his hat a little further down over his eyes.

Why I Will Now Use the Word "Slimegrinding"

YMMV.

I just recently received (as an engagement gift) a new RPG for my Nintendo DSi. That's right, kids, it's time for another one of Reverend Red Mage's video game reviews!! This time, I'm going to be gushing over the latest installment in yet another Square Enix brainchild, the Dragon Quest series.

Aside from Pokemon SoulSilver, this is only the second large-scale RPG I have thoroughly enjoyed on the handheld dual-screen timekiller. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (DQIX) is one of those titles that I would immediately recommend to anyone who has even rudimentary experience with the series as a whole. This game is a handheld RPG done right.

Graphics: 8/10
The artist behind DQIX, just like a few of its predecessors, is the unparalleled Akira Toriyama. Toriyama is well-known for his artistry behind the characters of the anime Dragonball. He did a wonderful job with all the art direction of this game, as the customizable characters, the quirky and classic enemies, and items all have that distinctive DQ polish.

Your party is very customizable, and characters in your game will likely look completely different compared to the party of another player's due to equipment and class setup.

Attacks, spells, and abilities all look very flashy and colorful despite the blockiness of DS 3-D graphics. You can tell that the developers did their best in making everything fun to just look at.

Story: 6/10
You begin the game as a member of a race of heavenly guardians known as Celestrians, whose responsibility is to watch over mortals in the realm below. In true JRPG fashion, something goes horribly wrong in heaven and you fall to the world below completely stripped of your halo and wings. However, you seem to retain your Celestrian sight, and the fact that this sets you apart from your mortal companions is what drives the story along.

However, that's where the character interaction ends. Your personality is pre-determined; there's no character interaction in the party due to the fact that you can create all of them yourself. If interpersonal relationships is what you're looking for, you're going to be sorely disappointed. However, if you are easily engaged by an intriguing plot that follows the DQ formula of "town has problem - dungeon conquest solves problem - return to town for happy parade", then you'll definitely be over-satisfied.

Gameplay: 8/10
DQIX tosses pretty blatant hints your way that inviting people "from other worlds" is probably a really good idea. Having a friend join you in your game to help you powerlevel is definitely a lot of fun, despite the fact that only your party leader (the Celestrian hero) is allowed to traverse this dimensional gap. I only recently had one of these powerleveling experiences with a friend, which I will now call "slimegrinding". Monsters called metal slimes (and members of its species) yield the highest Exp. output in the game, but they are incredibly hard to find and very elusive once you actually do encounter them. Share this frustration with someone, and it makes the game all the more fun.

Did I mention powerleveling? I hope I did, because this word will be at the forefront of your mind after you start playing and are able to undertake different vocations, or character classes. Each class for your character has its own level; this does not transfer along with your vocation, but skill points, experience, and abilities acquired during class leveling do. This means that there is an intuitive system revolving around party management and determining what kind of party setup is best in any given situation. Your hero learns the Zoom spell early on in the game (this spell lets you instantly traverse to any town you have previously visited), which will be your only method of changing vocations until you earn a specialty class ability much later in the game.

Because of the wide range of weapons, armor, accessories, and alchemise-able items, there is never a shortage of things to do and look for. If you want to focus on looking pretty, search for components that will alchemize snazzy gear. If you want your party to be a powerhouse of death, grind through monsters, get money, and outfit with the best gear possible regardless of style. It's your choice. Secret dungeons, hundreds of sidequests, and extra experience-gaining dungeon masters (that you can come back to fight again!) keep things interesting far after you have beaten the final boss.

Overall: 9/10
Powerleveling, dungeon crawling, seemingly pointless NPC interaction, and item hunting is pure torture on the wrists, but thankfully DQIX comes with stylus support. And you know what? It's fun as hell. It's all the classic RPG elements that you love to hate, but combined into one fun handheld package. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies is one of the best titles in the series to date.

For those of you already familiar with the DQ franchise, yes. It's all still there and then some. This time, bring a friend or two.