RGR002 - The Middle of the End?

I'm still working on Rhone and Hargon's Castle, but it's pretty frustrating; when we're not being annihilated by spells that... annihilate, we're being beaten to death. Even so, we press on, and have made it to the top of the castle.

First off, when you arrive at Hargon's Castle, it looks EXACTLY like Midenhall Castle (the beginning of the game). The people even welcome you to Midenhall Castle. But it's all an illusion, which you can break using the Charm of Rubiss. The true castle is full of talking fire spirits and damage floors, with no apparent place to go. But there's a special spot in the middle of some damage floors where the Eye of Malroth will allow you to enter the tower above the castle.

Enemies are pretty scant in the tower, but a few floors up, I encountered Atlas, the first of three guardian bosses blocking access to Hargon. He has no magic, but he hits HARD, and gets two attacks per turn. The first time I fought him, I managed a critical hit that killed him in one turn, but didn't last much longer than that.

Next up is Bazuzu, a purple monkey with wings. He has powerful attack magic, but isn't much tougher than Atlas overall. The third boss, Zarlox, is the trickiest of the bunch (though I had no problem with him when I was taking screenshots). He gets two attacks per turn, has powerful magic, and can cast Healall.

Hargon himself isn't too tough, though he also has Healall at his disposal. But Stopspell will prevent him from using it, and he's remarkably unprotected against attack magic, so he falls pretty easily. The trouble begins with Malroth. He's massive, hits hard (though only once per turn), has very powerful spells (including Healall, which can't be blocked with Stopspell), and is unaffected by attack magic. The best I can do is try to boost my defense as high as possible while reducing his, and keep at it until I can manage to get in a couple of good turns without him healing. Wish me luck.

But hey, as long as I don't save after I die, I can go back through the castle without having to fight guardians I've already beaten.

These pictures were captured during different visits to the castle, so there's some HP and MP inconsistency.

Ick, that creepy voice again!

Aww, he doesn't look that tough.

Let's not make that mistake again.

Phew...

Another cute, fuzzy killing machine?

Actually, he wasn't too bad.

Yeah, I've only heard your name
like a thousand times.

Ooh, is them fightin' words?

Heh, nice bat poncho!

Yes, the Ryan is victorious!

Say what now?

Wow, he's kinda huge.

Good thing it's just the one Malroth. I don't think two would fit on the screen.