My adventure with the Magidrakee left me feeling vulnerable. While I certainly could stand to build my level further, I don't like waling on Magicians and Magidrakees with a Club. The Copper Swords I saw for sale in both Breconnary and Garinham are looking tempting...
I'm only 50 G short of the 180 G I need for a Copper Sword, so I venture out to the wilderness to take on Slimes, Ghosts, Drakees, and Magicians. The latter in particular cough up 10 G per fight and would quickly get me to my target.
My brief grind is a success, and at around the same time I amass the cash for a Copper Sword, I reach Level 6. This is less monumental than previous level-ups, but I still gain four points in strength and enough MP for another Heal spell. The combined boost in attack power from the sword and level increase mean that my attacks are now dealing damage comparable to the Hurt spell (5-12 HP) and the spell is no longer useful.
Alas, Hurt, I barely knew ye...
Kol in my stocking
My beefed up avatar is now ready to slice-and-dice some Magidrakees. After crossing the easternmost bridge again, I make my way north.
It turns out the magical bat-demons aren't the only nasties in this region. Wandering through the desert, I come face-to-face with a gigantic scorpion.
It doesn't cast any spells my way, but can take (and deal) even more of a beating than the Magidrakee. It's lucky for me that
Dragon Warrior doesn't have a poison status, because those pointy tails would surely be delivering toxins otherwise.
After this tough but manageable battle, I continue north and soon spot a town in the distance. There were no hints about this town in Breconnary, Tantegel, or Garinham, but it's a welcome sight nonetheless.
On reaching the town, I find the townsfolk in Kol (as they say it's called) more chatty than they were in Garinham. They tell me stories about a Golem that can be put to sleep by a flute. They also tell me about two other towns called Hauksness and Rimuldar, the latter of which has a shop that sells keys.
The weapons and armor shop only has one upgrade relative to what was offered at Garinham, but I'm a very long way from being able to afford Full Plate Armor. The most interesting of Kol's merchandise is the Wings that are on offer at the item shop. I know these can be used to return me to the castle from anywhere in the overworld, but don't think it's a good use of money just now. I make a mental note of it for later.
Osteophobia
Now that I have a new pit stop for recharging health and magic, I take some time to explore the surrounding lands. Barely minutes into my trek, a new nasty clanks into view.
Holy cantankerous osteoform, Batman! The battle literally comes down to the desperate final blow and I’m left with nothing but a pile of broken bones and an aversion to calcium supplements.
Given the strength of the Skeleton’s defense, a Hurt spell or two might have improved the outcome here. But really, for now, I think the most sensible thing to do when I see another Skeleton is to run.
Fleet of foot
Despite its overall difficulty,
Dragon Warrior is actually generous to players in at least one respect: it’s really easy to run away. It works most of the time against most enemies, and even when it fails, you can keep trying until it succeeds.
You really only get yourself into trouble when the enemies are
way above your level. At that point, running works less often and they can do a lot of damage in a single blow.
That’s not my current situation, however,
The world at large
Undeterred by my near-whooping, I scout out the remaining lands around Kol.
It is a vast and varied landscape, but aside from the town itself, there are no other landmarks. I do, however, notice an isthmus to the west that leads to the area I had previously noticed when exploring east of Tantegel. There is a dark forest on the other side, but my curiosity must be satisfied, so I strap on my hiking shoes and plunge into the western forest.
The path is treacherous, and I stumble on several Magicians waiting among the trees, but they fall by two blows apiece. When the forest finally clears, I am standing on a peninsula with an odd spiral staircase descending into a promontory.
An old man awaits me inside, sporting an almost religious air. He tells of a Silver Harp that can be used to call monsters. If I bring it to him, he will reward me with the Staff of Rain. He doesn't elaborate on what that is or why I would want it, but I hold my tongue for fear of offending him. I try to drop subtle hints into our conversation about how fatigued and in need of recuperation I am, but he is impervious to nuance.
With a sigh, I readjust my boots and plunge back into the forest.
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