Update 26: You Can't Go Back



We're all clear on what to do, right?
[Non-lethal attacks against any forest folk.]
Good.
...Vince, are you going to be joining--
Allow him a...moment. I don't think he's felt all that well since he was told what's going on...
Both that...and I ate too much pasta last night...
...Comfort food?
Bada-- Oop... Bing...





...How's that even work? If we can go through, then how are we unable to...
By now, it's probably best for your mental health if we don't question it.
Welcome to the primary gimmick of the floor: one-way passages.

this was my first battle of the recording, come on

Sandfish

HP: 553STR: 32TEC: 28VIT: 30AGI: 27LUC: 28
EXP Given: 2500

Damage Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 150%
50% 150% 50%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 100% 100% 50% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
  • Fin Slash: Deals heavy cut damage to one row of party members. Average speed.
  • Fin Slash: Deals 140% melee STR-based cut damage to one row of party members. The damage ranges from 142 to 166 on average. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
  • Sandfishes are more likely to use Fin Slash when they're at 50% HP or lower.
  • If the Sandfish's HP is at 50% or lower:
    • 69% chance to use Fin Slash.
    • Else, Attack.
  • If the Sandfish's HP is at 100% to 51%:
    • 39% chance to use Fin Slash.
    • Else, Attack.
  • Fin Slash: Deals cut damage to one row of enemies. Average speed.
  • Fin Slash: Deals melee STR-based cut damage to one row of enemies. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
Drops:
  • Normal: Sandfish Crystal. 35% chance. Sells for 207 en.
    • Fish Gage (+21 DEF): Made from 1 Sandfish Crystal. Costs 2800 en.
    • Godendag (+111 ATK, +50 HP, +3 TEC): Made from 3 Sandfish Crystals (Sandfish normal) and 3 Sand Twigs (4th Stratum Chop 1). Costs 8200 en.
    • Ebon Aspis (+32 DEF): Made from 1 Hard Shard (4th Stratum Mine 2) and 5 Sandfish Crystals (Sandfish normal). Costs 4570 en.
  • Rare: Sandfish Eye. 20% chance. Sells for 255 en.
    • Luring Bell (Increases the encounter rate): Made from 1 Sandfish Eye. Costs 750 en.
Sandfishes take giant chunks out of your front row. I'd normally call them trash mobs for only having one thing to do, but taking what's likely to be 50% to 75% out of each party member in your front row is, well, not trashy.
These things are right bastards if you don't have ice coverage. They hit like trucks and are surprisingly tanky. Dangerous alone, lethal in packs. These are a priority target for me.


Well, a blindside could've resulted in worse...

...Of...course...
Eyyyych...
Okay never mind it resulted in worse.
Seriously. These things suck.

<Fuck...>


...Is this some sort of divine retribution?


I can't...rule it out...



Dad--
I know, I know. Spare me the usual complaining.
Uh, dad, are you feeling alright?
Does my future self ever tell you about the forest folk?
...Oh.
I'm still not terribly happy with what we're assigned, even if we're defying it as best we can.
Well, the fact that I exist is a sign of a better future once it's over, right?
...I suppose so, yes.
So get out there, and don't die this time!



...Vince, are you hungover?
Maybe? Why'd ya ask?
Oh, no reason.
...

Sigh.



Any time I use a passage, I'll show the entrance, and where I end up, in sequence.

Rest a bit.
Thierry, um... Still has his combat build from last time. At least he can disable Sandfish before they act, despite being quite slow himself.

Thierry? What are you--
My combat techniques are still fresh in my mind. Might as well.
[Welcome back, Doc!]
OOF!
[...Oops. Was that back pat too hard?]
[A bit.]
...Thierry is still in his combat build.

Wow, did I neglect my recording prep.





Okay, dat bird's kinda awesome.
Huh?
Such an ugly hot pink.
I didn't know you had opinions about colors...

Huge Moa

HP: 885STR: 38TEC: 32VIT: 30AGI: 37LUC: 29
EXP Given: 5200

Damage Vulnerabilities:
100% 150% 100%
100% 100% 150%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 50% 100% 100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
  • Stunning Kick: Deals severe bash damage to one party member. Deals splash damage to adjacent targets. Attempts to inflict paralysis on hit targets, with a medium-high chance. Very slightly slow.
  • Stunning Kick: Deals 140% melee STR-based bash damage to one party member. Deals splash damage to adjacent targets. The damage ranges from 194 to 228 on average. Attempts to inflict paralysis on hit targets, with a 50% base chance. The base chance ranges from 53% to 66% on average. Has a 90% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
  • Huge Moas are likely to summon another Huge Moa when they're at 30% HP or lower and haven't already done so.
  • Huge Moas are more likely to use Stunning Kick when they're at 50% HP or lower.
  • If the Huge Moa is the only enemy left, the current turn is less than or equal to 15, the Huge Moa's HP is at 30% or lower, and the summon flag has not been set, 79% chance to summon another Huge Moa and set the summon flag.
  • If the Huge Moa's HP is at 50% or lower:
    • 74% chance to use Stunning Kick.
    • Else, Attack.
  • If the Huge Moa's HP is at 100% to 51%:
    • 49% chance to use Stunning Kick.
    • Else, Attack.
  • Stunning Kick: Deals bash damage to one enemy. Deals splash damage to adjacent targets. Attempts to inflict paralysis on hit targets. Very slightly slow.
  • Stunning Kick: Deals melee STR-based bash damage to one enemy. Deals splash damage to adjacent targets. Attempts to inflict paralysis on hit targets. Has a 90% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
Drops:
  • Normal: Bird Tendon. 70% chance. Sells for 363 en.
    • Vine Bow (+87 ATK): Made from 1 Bird Tendon. Costs 8180 en.
    • Jazeraint (+57 DEF, +15 HP, +5 TP): Made from 2 Bird Tendons (Huge Moa normal) and 5 Steel Chips (4th Stratum Mine 1). Costs 8200 en.
    • Antler Whip (+101 ATK): Made from 2 Gold Antlers (Golden Deer rare) and 3 Bird Tendons (Huge Moa normal). Costs 11300 en.
  • Conditional: Bound Feet (Kill while legs are bound). 80% chance. Sells for 734 en.
    • Axcela (Increases one party member's Boost gauge by 10%): Made from 1 Bound Feet. Costs 1200 en.
Another case of "I'd call them a trash mob if they weren't very dangerous." Paralysis this late in the game, when you're using a Protector, is extra dangerous because if your Protector gets paralyzed, well, there goes your Guard skill. I guess Vince being in the back helps with this...
Although they're not quite as dangerous as their FOE counterpart, you seriously want to zero in and focus these down as fast as you can. Reinforcements will wear you down incredibly quickly with how hard these hit.

Okay, Thierry as a disabler is far more effective than he has any right to be.

[Ooh, more bird meat.]


Ow.




[Ooh, a tendon, I can... Actually, what can I make with a tendon?]



Nothing terribly exciting in these levels. Afon's getting close to her final major damage combo, at least.

Wow. A shard. Lotta things we can do with that.
B17F B3 Mine Point
The Adamas is a really nice accessory for any party members that can spare an accessory slot. 10% cut/stab/bash resistance is worth far more than upgrading any armor piece until, like, the end of 6th Stratum.
Lots of nice upgrades to be had here. Adamas is hilarious and there's a lot of weapon upgrades for our physical attackers here. Jazeraint isn't a bad piece, either.

This is a proper shortcut that we'll unlock later in the floor.





I started to progress in the floor...


Then went back to town because I ran out of healing consumables.
Vine Bow (+87 ATK) is made from 1 Bird Tendon (Huge Moa normal). Costs 8180 en.

Fish Gage (+21 DEF) is made from 1 Sandfish Crystal (Sandfish normal). Costs 2800 en.

Always stock up heavily on medical supplies when going out without Cure or the like, kids.

Have you ever thought about how good those boots look on you, Thierry?
I... No?
Well, they look good!
...I'm going to need some time to reacclimate to receiving compliments on my appearance...
Look at how much HP Thierry has. Now look at how much Judith has.

I don't quite know what I've created, but it's kind of awesome.


...Oh.
Welcome to B17F: Medusa Trees But Now You Have to Think About Pathing Around Them.

As with the last floor, Medusa Trees will only aggro on you if they're not facing a wall.

What, no giant rat that makes all'a da rules?
Huh?
You two never heard the song'a the rats?
I can perform it! Rats / We're rats / Weeee're the rats--
<HEY.> [Guys, eyes on the monsters.]


Exterminated.
<High-five, Judith!>
...Oh, what the hell, sure. <High-five.>



Judith and Afon are a reasonably potent encounter-clearing duo. They're slow, sure, but encounter clearers are pretty much always gonna be slow.
Falcon Slash. It hits hard. I love it.


There goes the first one. Note that Medusa Trees on B17F will not de-aggro on you until you leave the room they're in.

Here's the exit from the room. Just gonna finish mapping that last corner real quick...

And here's a trap exit.

Now then, let's advance.


Well. This room's fairly small.
I always found this particular room to be a bit irritating. Not sure why.

No way to avoid aggroing this tree.

While that tree can't be aggroed, it is functionally a wall...

...And prevents us from getting that chest.

Unless you feel like risking an encounter with a Medusa Tree. Which, well, that's not as dangerous as it could be, but do beware EOU's abysmal escape rates.

Oh yeah, here's an exception to the aggro rule: this Medusa Tree...doesn't seem to aggro on me, no matter what.




Goodness me, is it already time for encounters to start mixing enemies that become extra dangerous when put in the same formation?
This is a bit nasty, but it could be a lot worse. We'll see later. Maybe.

Here's a pointless passage.


And here's the way forward.

How are these things always in the most inconvenient spots for us?
Bad luck?


Same thing as with the last treasure chest.


Surely this passage that goes backwards will benefit us!
And y' reason's...?
...Luck being on our side?


There's a shortcut, at least!


And there's a way back!
Luck is on our side so far.



You'll notice we're at the end of the room from earlier, but without the upper Medusa Tree aggroed on us.

...I guess luck was on our side.
[I'm not gonna complain.]


Never mind.
[Now I'm gonna complain.]
Medusa Trees are immobile, but they can join in fights if you're standing adjacent to them.

<Fuck off and goodbye!>
Well, that was lucky!


With the shortcut unlocked, I went back to town to save.
Antler Whip (+101 ATK) is made from 2 Gold Antlers (Golden Deer rare) and 3 Bird Tendons (Huge Moa normal). Costs 11300 en.

Luring Bell (Increases the encounter rate) is made from 1 Sandfish Eye (Sandfish rare). Costs 750 en.





[That chest mocks me. It's right there. I betcha I could easily run past the Medusa Tree to get it, then run past it to get back.]



...Harrumph.
[No need to be upset, Afon, there's probably some way to get it.]
[Yeah, but that way isn't gonna be nearly as cool.]


Well, that's mean.


Note the tree that we aggroed.

It was brought up in a bar conversation five updates ago, but to reiterate, Unihorns purge all debuffs from party members.

[...Oh, great. We're stuck.]
[Not if I run past it!]
[But... How will the rest of us get past?]
[...Man.]
Yeah, uh, you're trapped here and need to warp out, if you don't want to risk being engaged by a Medusa Tree.


Alright, last major room of the floor!

Here's an escape hatch, in case you mess up.

[Y'know, that weird hole kinda looks like a creepy eye, if you look at it right.]
...Ahhhh goddammit I saw it and now it's creeping me the hell out.
Deugh...
...Oh.
Try to not let it get to you, dear, or you're going to be up all night again...
Wait, huh?
I'm easily disturbed by "creepy" things, yes. In spite of this, I'm a very big fan of horror literature.
A bit...counterproductive, no?
That's the price one pays for enjoying horror, I suppose.
I've had to serenade him to sleep after finding him sitting up stiff in his bed from fear more times than I can count.


[...Weirdo tree.]
Despite being out in the open, this Medusa Tree...doesn't aggro on me.
I'm... not sure if there's any particular rules that govern them? It always felt pretty arbitrary to me.

Same with the one closest to me right now.

It's weird.

Blechhhh, I'm stuck.


[Fuck it, I'm not letting this thing rule me.]
AFON! STOP!



Oh, great.


I knew that would happen.
I can fix this...once we're back in town...
Okay, Vince, we're going to need your shield.
Whyyyyyy...?
Do you want to let Elowen see Afon petrified? That'd scar the poor girl.
WELP. At least I got out of that. I'd better hope I don't get into any fights right now, though.





Thou who overcame Corotrangul... I concede thy strength, but for what purpose art thou here? Has Man forgotten the terms of the pact with the forest folk, which forbid entry here?
Despite the girl's civil words, her expression is one of pure contempt. You ponder several methods of response to her question...


The game only lets you ask one of them, but... Eh, I'll show the top and middle ones both.

(I'd show the bottom one but, uh, no.)
What..."pact" are you referring to?
We are but simple explorers, unversed in the history of conflict between our races.
Is the ancient pact forgotten?
The girl sighs crossly, disdain for you evident in her gaze.
Mayhap thou want reminding. I shall tell thee, if thou agree to quit this place afterward.
...Eyyyyyyyyyyy bada-bing sure pasta spaghetti.
Sorry, one moment. What?
I'm a terrible liar, Jude. Gotta cover it up.
All you did was make an ass of yourself. That didn't convince her at all! Fine. We'll leave if you tell us about the pact. Ugh.
Perhaps leave the rest of this to us three, Vincent.
But-- Wait, why--
She continues in this manner, her strange, harsh speech counter to her innocent appearance...


Mankind, living outside the sacred grounds, was entranced by its beauty and entered here. In the ensuing holy war against Man, we lost many... Thus, our people formed a pact. Man would stay in the Sealed Land, and we would withdraw forever to our sacred ground. Never would our two races again meet, for fair or foul.
...So, mankind stomped their way in, and killed any standing in their way...
The Radha would surely deny it, were we to tell them.
I mean, of course. But... That makes what they told us and other explorers to do even more monstrous.
...That is the pact of which I speak, that thou violate with thy presence here.
Allow us one more question: Who, exactly, are you forest folk?
Has it been so long for Man to have forgotten us...?
The girl seems to ponder this.
Would that thou hadst forgotten the forest as well... 'Twould be better for all concerned.
I find it hard to disagree, honestly.
The girl's voice is rich with wisdom... Eventually she proceeds, recalling something.
The forest folk differ from Man in that 'tis our destiny to protect this forest. It is our sacred duty to prevent humans from delving deeper into the forest.
Surely, Visil knows of this...


Could her words be true? You must go to Radha Hall and seek the truth behind them.
Something's distinctly wrong with all of this.



The Radha know far more than they're letting on.


I surmise we're going to take it upon ourselves to learn the truth of all this?
I'll spend all eternity rolling in my eventual grave if we don't figure this out.
...
Vince?
...
Vince, it's... It's fine to talk. You can let your breath out.
I wasn't mad at you, it was just a serious moment.
BAHAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH...
Take a moment to get some air back in you, then we're getting out of here for now.


There's one more Mine point on the floor, right here.
B17F B3 Mine Point


More importantly, I need to ensure that my guests receive the best service.



T'at means you're riskin' y'life out t'ere, fightin' dangerous monsters... I'm not sure how happy I am about t'at.
It's an occupational hazard. Don't fret about it.


Godendag (+111 ATK, +50 HP, +3 TEC) is made from 3 Sandfish Crystals (Sandfish normal) and 3 Sand Twigs (4th Stratum Chop 1). Costs 8200 en.
If you're worried about your staff users getting pasted and don't want TP too much, then the Godendag is for you.

It's also good for a certain doctor, with his current build.


The wonders of modern living never cease.
I get job requests all the time... Unfortunately, I find only a few to be worth my time.


[What's wrong?]
Even good scents can be ruined when too many are mixed together. I was testing out new blends of cordials, and I ended up making too many at once.



You're pretty famous now, you know?
...
Valerie... Please, not right now.


Odd-clothed mixer:
*sigh* It's always rough, no matter where you go.
What troubles you, Sir Chemist?
...Sir Chemist? That's more formal than you normally opt for.
...Yes, it is.
Oh, Tenebris... Did you hear me? How embarrassing! If you pretend not to have heard that, I'll tell you some trade secrets. Um... You need Cordyceps to make a mist that reduces elemental damage. The items only soften a certain element, so just keep that in mind. Also, if you want a tonic stronger than Soma, I need to have Sap Wine.
Well, that's a top priority.
And with some Oleander, the shop could start carrying Hamao.
And that's below bottom priority.
...That's about it. So, can you just forget my complaining?
Man of many piercings:
I just heard this crazy rumor! Like, seriously scary! I heard there are human-like things that can use mysterious powers deep in the forest... I mean, what does "human-like" mean?! What makes them not human? Are they aliens?! Cryptids?!
Not...even close.
Adventurers said something about Forest Druid and Pixie, and Forest Mystic. Creepy! I mean... I thought the Labyrinth was nuts, but it's even crazier than I thought... If they're "human-like," then...there are parts that are human-unlike? I don't get it...
You're on the cusp of an important revelation. Mull on it more.
Friendly landsknecht:
Yo, how's your exploration of the Labyrinth going? Me, I'm... I'm taking a break. The monsters are getting tougher and tougher. We're gathering information before we keep exploring. I heard something interesting, though. There's a strange monster deep in the Labyrinth. The Forest Soldier raises its attack power with its weapon before attacking. I heard another guild got pounded by a Forest Warrior's flame scythes. On top of that, there are enemies that apparently look similar to us...
...
...Maybe I'll keep looking up items and leave the exploring to you for a while...
That'd be best for your long-term well-being, yes.
Gloomy hunter:
...Hm? Oh, you wanna talk with me? Sorry, it's been a while since I've been around a lot of people. I didn't think anyone would talk to me. You look like strong adventurers. Have you seen a World Bud? I've been chasing after them all these years, but they teleport away whenever I get close. That's not a figure of speech. They just suddenly appear far away. If you ever find one, you'll find out how annoying that is for yourselves. You might not be able to reach it...but it exists.
Oh man World Buds. The most annoying things in the world. I accidentally lost my footage of chasing one in the next update, but this dude is not kidding. World Buds aimlessly walk around, then teleport when you get too close. Catching one is literal pure luck. There's no strategy to it.

Under construction:
Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. This job was put up by the Carpenters Guild, the group that handles the construction of the town's buildings. They need materials in a hurry so they can make decorations for a new house they're finishing up. They want you to get three Hard Shards and five Steel Chips. Good luck, everyone.
Tedious, but could be worse.

Ivory Princess' dream I:
Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. Do you all know of the Ivory Princess? She's the heiress of a rich family, as well as beautiful and kind. A lot of girls in town look up to her. But she hasn't been able to get any sleep recently. Apparently she's been having a recurring nightmare. Her father can't bear to see his daughter suffer any longer, so he posted this job. He said that an adventurer would know how to help her sleep. His butler is here in the pub. Why don't you talk to him?


Before I do, I told the carpenter where the wood is.

But... When we tried cutting one down, a scary tree monster attacked us. We won't be working while it's there. So, I put up a new job here in the pub! If you're in the mood for some amateur lumberjackin', try it out!
My quest log is full right now, so, uh, I'll take that on after I talk to the rest of the townspeople and trim it down.





We met a girl of the forest folk.
She told us of some history.
What...? You met a girl of the forest folk?
That history wasn't exactly flattering to what the Radha is doing. So tell us what you know right now.
A pact between the humans and the forest folk... An ancient promise... I feel that in the Labyrinth's depths lies something that has been lost to antiquity... With your help, I hope to find out what that may be. The Chieftain, though... Honestly, I haven't any notion of what he is thinking. He has been calling in his two pet adventurers more frequently of late... Perhaps we should speak to him about this together.
Ren and Tlachtga...? Anyway, as long as you're not just leading us around, we'll wait.


...
It says here you've met the forest folk, and they assert that the forest is theirs... By dint of an ancient pact... There seems to be no mistaking their claim.
Correct.
Regardless... If we accede to this, Etria will have no source of livelihood. The Labyrinth and the explorers it attracts... They are the backbone of this town. We cannot lose that because of a long-forgotten promise to these forest creatures!
What?!
Adventurers... The terms of the mission stand. Exterminate the forest folk at all costs, for Etria's sake. Their very existence... It is a threat, and must be removed.
...
Judith, if you grit your teeth that hard, you're going to damage them...
Mark my words, Visil. If word gets out that this town was built on the bodies of living, thinking native people of the forest, this town will die. And you'll regret having ever issued this mission, more than you would telling explorers to stop at the entrance to the Sandy Barrens.


Don't talk to us right now.
He seems quite insistent on the matter... He won't brook any discussion on what to do.
She said "don't talk to us."
None of us are in the mood.
They may look human, but you will have to remember in battle that they are not.
Ex...cuse me?!
...You're a real piece'a work, huh, Quinn.
I understand your reluctance, but you are the only ones we can rely on. It will be a hard-fought battle... I wish you luck.
[Take that luck and shove it up--]
<Afon.>
But I wonder... Why won't the Chieftain send his two favorites to do the job...?
What you should wonder is why you're trying to dehumanize people who are very clearly human.
Self-justification to deal with assigning a task he doesn't seem to agree with, I suppose. He's certainly not very happy about this whole affair.

Unbelievable.
I don't understand how they live with themselves after encouraging a mission like this!


This happens after we leave.
So, they've reached the forest folk's home. No adventurer has yet entered there... The Tenebris Guild... Something must be done about them. If the forest folk destroy them, all to the good. But if the ancient ones fall... We may require...specialists. Even then, Tenebris's curiosity may overcome even those warriors... In which case, they would learn the secrets of the Labyrinth... What foolishness.


...

Jesus god, I thought that portrait was a story-only thing, lmao. Literal evil glowing red eyes.


Cutting ahead quite a bit, I did this off-screen.





Jackson will be happy when he gets these. Still...is he really going to make food with these? I don't think I'd want to eat whatever he's cooking up with these things. How about you?
[Hell yeah, I'd try it. Bugs're tastier than you'd think!]
You adventurers sure are bold. Well, maybe you'll get your chance once he's finished with these Bug Nests.








...How did I lose footage of accepting The diamond charm and The gold enthusiast I...?

Anyway, here's the intro text for both. The diamond charm:
You'll take this request? It's from Lady Pompadaril again. This time she wants a Cullinan, otherwise known as the "Illusive Jewel." I've heard a rumor that you can find it by mining on the 4th Stratum. I'd like to see one of those in person myself. Good luck, everyone.
Fairly standard "get the rare gather material" quest.

The gold enthusiast I:
Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. I was worried about this one. The client is a man everyone knows as the Golden Baron. He wants five genuine Gold Antlers, but no one's been able to find them. But, now that you've accepted this job, I'm sure you'll succeed where so many others have failed. By the way, I've seen the Golden Baron walking down the street many times before, but... Well, it's not nice to criticize others' tastes. At any rate, he'll pay you well for this, so good luck.
fuck you fuck you fuck you

do you know how long it takes to get five 25% drop chance items
OMINOUS RUMBLING

I got a Cullinan with the Byeahs off-screen.





Good job, everyone. So the ores in the Labyrinth can sometimes turn into beautiful diamonds, huh? Well, I know the Lady will be happy to see this. Thank you.


Adamas (+20 DEF, +10% cut/stab/bash resistance) is made from 1 Cullinan (4th Stratum Mine 3). Costs 18000 en.
Gimme. Gimme gimme gimme.





Afon's so close to her main combo. So, so close.

Then I got the stuff for this with the Byeahs.





Were they heavy? I'll handle it from here. Of course, I'm not delivering them. They're going to pick all this up from here, haha.


Head bind disable weapon. No.





And the results of the byproducts of gathering.
Damascus Blade (+106 ATK) is made from 3 Steel Chips (4th Stratum Mine 1). Costs 12500 en.

Kishido Blade (+120 ATK, +2 VIT) is made from 3 Hard Shards (4th Stratum Mine 2). Costs 14700 en.

Thunder Saker (+103 ATK, stab+volt normal attacks) is made from 1 Paralyzed Leg (Dragonfly conditional). Costs 10950 en.

Jazeraint (+57 DEF, +15 HP, +5 TP) is made from 2 Bird Tendons (Huge Moa normal) and 5 Steel Chips (4th Stratum Mine 1). Costs 8200 en.

Adamas (+20 DEF, +10% cut/stab/bash resistance) is made from 1 Cullinan (4th Stratum Mine 3). Costs 18000 en.

...Yeah, it's time for Judith to upgrade her sword.


Couldn't hurt to outfit these two with Adama Armor, either. Both of their AGI stats are so low that a -3 penalty barely matters.

Get some Adamantes (I had to actually look that up) on these two, too. Judith and Vince now reduce any incoming physical damage by a flat 18%, which...kinda owns. Vince has even more than that, actually, because of Shield Mastery and DEF Up.

Accounting for diminishing returns, with these two bits of equipment, Shield Mastery 10, and DEF Up 5, Vince reduces any incoming phys damage to him by 37%. Once DEF Up is at 10, that will become 41%. Once he gets some points in Bravery's Gift and some HP Up, Vince will become an absolutely godly tank, in addition to providing effective damage mitigation.


Are you Tenebris? I cannot thank you enough for accepting Master's job. The Young Mistress has had little sleep for such a long time. At this rate, she will be the Waking Beauty... We have heard rumors that some adventurers can carry out amazing feats with nothing more than words. I believe one of them is "Torpor." If it can bring a monster to slumber, surely it will be an effective lullaby! ...Ahem. Please forget I suggested that.
No no, it's fine, perhaps Quixote may-- Oh, dear, am I really suggesting that...
At any rate, if anyone in your guild knows of such techniques, please send that person to our house. Of course, if you know an even more powerful method, we would certainly be willing to try it. Please, PLEASE, do something for the Young Mistress! ...By the way, is the pure-looking miss over there an acquaintance of yours? Is it just me, or does she appear to be particularly fidgety and looking this way quite often?
Well, we have someone that knows Torpor Curse, let's take care of this.

Presenting: Quixote.
Hello!
This person can help...?! Allow me to escort you to her home.


...I sincerely hope we won't regret this.


Well, uh, phew.
The Young Mistress' eyelids came crashing down when Quixote spoke. My Master was enthralled, and had nothing but praise for you adventurers. If you ever need help, feel free to ask us... Now I am finally free from having to sing every night.
[Well, I'm shocked. How the hell did you do that?]
[I have quite the serenading voice when the situation calls for it!]








Everyone from the house was so ecstatic. They even thanked me for introducing you to them. I hope the Ivory Princess can get some sleep without her nightmares now. If you've got to dream, they might as well be good dreams, don't you agree?





Clearing out my quest log opened up a few quests.

Chef's request II:
Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. This comes from Jackson, owner of a high-class restaurant here in town. You've done a job or two for him before, right? This time, he wants you to bring him Sandfish Eyes. You should be able to get some from the Sandfishes on B17F. Good luck.
Goddammit I could've finished this earlier. Oh well.

Chef's demand:
Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. This job comes from Jackson, the restaurateur. You've worked for him before, right? This time...he wants you to gather ingredients for his "ultimate meal." His fans are already drooling over it... I don't know what he's planning to make, though.
Sounds a lot like he's just crowin' for attention.
Here's the list of ingredients he wants. One each of Fish Scale, Glow Beak, and Dried Peachtree. It does sound...odd, but I wonder what he's going to do with them all.
That goes beyond "odd," honestly. I'm not sure I have the stomach for something that uses all of those as ingredients.
Lastly, Work stoppage:
Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. One of the great mysteries of the forest is why the further down you go, the better-quality items you can find. Recently, though, the workers of the Carpenters' Guild have been having trouble finding quality wood. But I've heard you've found a place where you can get timber on B17F? That information alone is worth a reward, but it seems some monsters are keeping them from harvesting any there. The master carpenter is here drinking, so talk to him about it before you go roaring down there.
[Might as well.]


No problem. Give us the details.
Down to business, eh? There are three spots on B17F with trees. Monsters are at all three of them. I want you to kill 'em all. Here's where you can find them.


Shall we just go take care of that?
No objections here.



Ah--!


Hello again...


[Things're gonna be different this time!]




Medusa Tree

HP: 3857STR: 41TEC: 40VIT: 32AGI: 33LUC: 40
EXP Given: 23000

Damage Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 100%
150% 100% 100%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50% 50%
10% 10% 50%
50% 50% 50%
  • Stone Gleam: Attempts to inflict petrification on one party member, with an extremely high chance. Average speed.
  • Silent Claw: Deals severe cut damage to one row of party members. Attempts to bind the heads of hit targets, with a high chance. Average speed.
  • Stone Gleam: Attempts to inflict petrification on one party member, with a 60% base chance. The base chance ranges from 76% to 97% on average. Has no speed modifier.
  • Silent Claw: Deals 140% melee STR-based cut damage to one row of party members. The damage ranges from 204 to 239 on average. Attempts to bind the heads of hit targets, with a 50% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 63% to 80% on average. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
  • Medusa Trees, after using Stone Gleam, will not use it again, until it randomly decides that it can.
  • Once Medusa Trees are at 50% HP or lower, they will only use Stone Gleam and Silent Claw.
  • If the Stone Gleam flag is not set, 39% chance to use Stone Gleam, targeting party members that are not petrified, and set the Stone Gleam flag.
  • 49% chance to unset the Stone Gleam flag.
  • If the Medusa Tree's HP is at 50% or lower, use Silent Claw.
  • If the Medusa Tree's HP is at 100% to 51%:
    • 59% chance to use Silent Claw.
    • Else, Attack.
  • Stone Gleam: Attempts to inflict petrification on one enemy. Average speed.
  • Silent Claw: Deals cut damage to one row of enemies. Attempts to bind the heads of hit targets. Average speed.
  • Stone Gleam: Attempts to inflict petrification on one enemy. Has no speed modifier at all levels.
  • Silent Claw: Deals melee STR-based cut damage to one row of enemies. Attempts to bind the heads of hit targets. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
Drops:
  • Normal: Hard Bark. 100% chance. Sells for 1650 en.
    • Kilt Tassels (+17 DEF, +20 TP, +3 TEC): Made from 1 Hard Bark. Costs 3880 en.
  • Rare: Tree Eye. 30% chance. Sells for 2040 en.
    • Unihorn (Purges all debuffs from all party members): Made from 1 Tree Eye. Costs 1100 en.
  • Conditional: Poison Pith (Kill with poison damage). 90% chance. Sells for 5400 en.
    • Hunting Horn (All Grimoire Chances on the turn of use will create a Grimoire): Made from 1 Poison Pith. Costs 2500 en.
Medusa Trees can either wipe out a row of party members, or petrify one person. Both are very annoying, but one's very clearly worse than the other.
These things are awful. Stone Gleam is manageable, but Silent Claw hits for far more than it has any business to. This is one of the first times where I would suggest bringing Parry on a Protector, because active mitigation will most likely just barely manage to keep you safe. Defense buffs could help a lot as well.

Hehehe...



Well, that's probably the least bad person to get petrified.

...I'm ashamed of myself...
I didn't use War Cry right now, because it'd...kinda be a death sentence for the front row.

Barely felt that!
Judith isn't as durable as Vince, but she's still considerably more durable than basically anyone else in the guild.
Wow. Those gear pieces really make a difference, huh?

Eh, could be worse.

Hrph.
Shelter Song helps with making sure you don't die when taking these things on.

The "Auto guard activated" message...is the result of sloppy editing. It should say "En Garde activated!"

YEEEAAAAARGH!
Okay, this isn't full power yet, but look at that.

Please keep using Silent Claw on the back row, it's really helping you out.

Yeeeeeargh.


Timber.



Could've been worse. Now I just have to do it two more times...off-screen!








The carpenters were just in here celebrating that they can finally get the timber safely. Let's hope they wait until tomorrow before they go out and try cutting any trees down. Still, they only knew about the place because of your earlier work, right? Life's funny sometimes.


Fill me with Nectar IIs.


Everyone got levels earlier, but I haven't spent the SP.


And we close out (as always, seemingly), with an item.
Kilt Tassels (+17 DEF, +20 TP, +3 TEC) is made from 1 Hard Bark (Medusa Tree normal). Costs 3880 en.
Hey look, another good boot for casters!

That does it for now. Next time: too much sand.
More forced FOE fights! Oh boy!

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