Update 43: Rage Awakened



...
Ladette?
Gahwahwahwah!




A-Are you okay?!
Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just bonked my head on the floor a bit.
S-Sorry, I didn't think you were concentrating so intently...
See, I wasn't, and I don't get startled that easily. You were just that quiet. Ever thought'a becomin' an assassin?
No, and I'd...rather not.
Suit yourself.
Anyway... I was going to go shopping for food. Did you want anything?
Buncha eggs, buncha cheeses, and a buncha meats. Gonna have Rosa make me a whole bunch'a omelettes.
Anything besides that?
Nah. Still got plenty'a rice.
Shouldn't you...eat something besides rice and omelettes?
I can watch out for myself, sis. The concern's appreciated, though.
Alright. I'll be headed out then.









...Sometimes I'm sad I didn't ask that girl out first. She's happy with Momoe, though, and that's enough for-- Why in the fuck am I sayin' this out loud.


Certain guild members are starting to get fully kitted out for the rest of the game. In this case, Judith just needs a better sword (she already has access to the ultimate axe), and Afon just needs a Moss Band.


[A foul-smelling gas so thick that we can barely see through it. Wonderful.]
[This floor's axin' a thousand monsters already.]


Got any matches, Elowen?
I never leave the mansion without them. Always be prepared.


Grk... The smell is even worse when ignited...
Welcome to the gimmick of B27F: we can only barely see one tile in front of us until we light the torch-pillar-things, at which point an area around it is illuminated. The amount of visibility we get is diminished the further we get from the torch, though.
Well that's tedious as hell.

Good thing I can see in the dark just fine now that I'm a ghost.

[What's down the hole, Elly?]
[I can literally only see spikes.]
Also, there are pitfalls down to Spike and Depth Dancer Hell B28F. Don't fall in them. Trust me.
It sounds like a shortcut, but it's only a shortcut to your demise. Also good lord they're hard to spot, even in the light.

How many matches did you bring?
Effectively infinite.
...Pardon?
It's a long story, sorry.


Hello, treasure chest surrounded by pitfalls. I remember you from the 3rd Stratum.


[A metal boi has come to play.]

Steel Barb

HP: 858STR: 68TEC: 51VIT: 48AGI: 38LUC: 42
EXP Given: 21000

Damage Vulnerabilities:
0% 0% 50%
0% 0% 100%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
100% 150% 50% 100% 50% 100% 100%
50% 100% 100%
100% 100% 50%
  • Terror Sting: Deals heavy damage that pierces party rows. Attempts to inflict fear on hit targets, with an extremely high chance. Very slightly slow.
  • Terror Sting: Deals 110% melee STR-based stab damage that pierces party rows. The damage ranges from 360 to 430 on average. Attempts to inflict fear on hit targets, with an 80% chance. The effective chance ranges from 88% to 116% on average.Has a 90% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
  • Steel Barbs are more likely to use Terror Sting when they're at 50% HP or lower.
  • If the Steel Barb's HP is at 50% or lower:
    • 89% chance to use Terror Sting.
    • Else, Attack.
  • If the Steel Barb's HP is at 100% to 51%:
    • 59% chance to use Terror Sting.
    • Else, Attack.
  • Terror Sting: Deals stab damage that pierces enemy rows. Attempts to inflict fear on hit targets. Fast.
  • Terror Sting: Deals melee STR-based stab damage that pierces enemy rows. Attempts to inflict fear on hit targets. Has a 120% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
Drops:
  • Normal: Shvier Stinger. 60% chance. Sells for 1379 en.
    • Steel Gun (+161 ATK): Made from 1 Shvier Stinger. Costs 43100 en.
    • Corsesca (+178 ATK): Made from 5 Shvier Stingers. Costs 54800 en.
    • Comet Whip (+141 ATK): Made from 1 Haze Wing (Hazefly rare) and 3 Shiver Stingers (Steel Barb normal). Costs 32600 en.
    • Field Armor (+81 DEF): Made from 1 Tri-Color (6th Stratum Mine 1) and 7 Shiver Stingers (Steel Barb normal). Costs 23400 en.
  • Conditional: Severed Stinger (Kill with cut damage). 95% chance. Sells for 2538 en.
    • Fear Earring (Immunity to fear): Made from 1 Severed Stinger. Costs 12000 en.
First new enemy of the floor, and it's immune to non-bash and non-volt damage. Don't have either of those? Fuck you, run from the fight.

My least-tedious way of killing them is Stoning Curse. And even then, these things resist petrify. Fuck.
And even then it's annoying as hell. It's a damned if you do, damned if you don't enemy. I hate it.
This is starting to remind me of EO3's postgame where random encounters were more obnoxious lock-and-key fights than actual threats. Obnoxious.

You know, I don't know what I expected, but turning metal into stone makes a terrible noise.






A lot of the early parts of this floor consist of stumbling around, getting a feel for the layout, and hoping you find a torch. Trust me, you won't be doing this in one run, like you could conceivably do with floors earlier in the game.


NO

Flame Ooze

HP: 722STR: 64TEC: 58VIT: 44AGI: 32LUC: 42
EXP Given: 12000

Damage Vulnerabilities:
50% 50% 50%
0% 150% 100%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 100% 10% 150% 100% 50%
100% 100% 50%
100% 100% 100%
  • Explosion: Deals overkill fire damage to all party members. Extremely fast.
  • Explosion: Deals 350% ranged TEC-based fire damage to all party members. The damage ranges from 512 to 702 on average. Has a 150% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 150%.
  • Flame Oozes will use Explosion when they are the last enemy left in battle.
  • If the Flame Ooze is the only alive enemy, use Explosion.
  • Else, Attack.
Drops:
  • Normal: Blaze Mineral. 30% chance. Sells for 638 en.
    • Dyed Boot (+25 DEF, +3 STR): Made from 1 Blaze Mineral. Costs 7810 en.
    • Blazing Sword (+146 ATK, cut+fire normal attacks): Made from 10 Wing Scales (Hellfly/Hazefly normal) and 3 Blaze Minerals (Flame Ooze normal). Costs 36000 en.
Remember Burst Oozes? They're back, but even more now. Make sure they're not the last enemy left alive at the end of a turn, or you will regret it. I recommend bringing Phoenix Wings, if you have it.

Actually, I recommend bringing Phoenix Wings to Claret Hollows in general.
An enemy like this is unreasonably mean in a place like Claret Hollows where every other enemy can immediately fuck your party up. Dealing with a Burst/Flame Ooze is more important than surviving the other enemies, but they pose no threat unless you activate their gimmick, which happens when you take out the other enemies that are currently whipping you up a nice Game Over and blood pot pie. I hate it.
At least it's fire element and not bash...?

Torpor Curse helps, too.
At least they're weak to that...

What's the next stage of deterioration of solid objects after goo? Because I just turned you into it.
...Judith, I...think we need to work on your comedy.
[Eh, the premise wasn't bad, just gotta work on the delivery.]






Ah, fuck.

[This is it. This is where monstrous people go when they die. I'm convinced.]
If you fall into a pit, just use an Ariadne Thread and get the hell out. You almost certainly will not be leaving B28F alive.

Lovely. Two asshole front-row monsters and a Flame Ooze in the back.
[distant screaming]


Oh, yay.




I can't help but wonder what we're igniting.
I don't know and I'm afraid--
Did someone say afraid?
No, please, bring back the other one of you.
Quixote and Other Quixote really need to work on their co-fronting skills tbh.

Here are the stairs down to Spike Hell. You could theoretically go to the stairs to get out of Spike Hell, but I wouldn't give that high odds, what with the whole Depth Dancer thing.

They move like four tiles at a time and basically will only either spam this, or summon enemies that can instantly kill you.

Just warp out.

You can see how hard it is to tell if a tile is solid or a pit at minimum visibility. I can see a tiny bit of black, but I can never be sure.

As nerve-wracking as this is, I still prefer it to the utter inanity of EO1 B27F.

[Sure, yeah, we love white blood cells, keep giving us more of them shits.]


...Hm.
What?
I...think this has to do with the quest we took on. The one about the bird?
Ah, but it's too bright for the legend right now.
I can barely see a few feet in front of us.
Still too bright.
This legendary bird's very particular, apparently.
We need to come back here when no torches are lit in order to progress with that quest.

We're...maybe a quarter of the way through the floor.
what? goddammit

[Did something screech just now?]
[Yes, and it hurt our ears. How could you tell?]


[It was loud enough to shake the ground.]
Hello, Songbird.

Songbirds stay in one spot when a torch isn't lit, and will then chase you until you enter a lower-visibility area, at which point they will de-aggro and park themselves at the nearest torch.

[What's the worst an FOE down here can do?]



[Kill us?]
[Eh, details.]

Songbird

HP: 14400STR: 86TEC: 60VIT: 57AGI: 58LUC: 51
EXP Given: 160000

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

Disable Vulnerabilities:
50% 50% 0% 50% 50% 50% 50%
10% 10% 50%
50% 50% 50%
  • Thunder Dash: Deals very heavy volt damage to all party members. Attempts to inflict paralysis on hit targets, with an all-but-guaranteed chance. Slightly slow.
  • Thunder Dash: Deals 170% ranged TEC-based volt damage to all party members. The damage ranges from 239 to 334 on average. Attempts to inflict paralysis on hit targets, with an 80% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 92% to 123% on average. Has an 80% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
  • Songbirds are equally likely to open by either using Thunder Dash or by summoning two Leukocytes.
  • Songbirds are fairly likely to summon two Leukocytes if they're the only alive enemy.
  • Songbirds are more likely to use Thunder Dash when they're at 50% HP or lower.
  • If this is the first turn:
    • 49% chance to use Thunder Dash.
    • Else, summon two Leukocytes to the front row.
  • If the current turn is less than or equal to 32, and the Songbird is the only alive enemy, 59% chance to summon two Leukocytes to the front row.
  • If the Songbird's HP is at 50% or lower:
    • 74% chance to use Thunder Dash.
    • Else, Attack.
  • If the Songbird's HP is at 100% to 51%:
    • 34% chance to use Thunder Dash.
    • Else, Attack.
  • Thunder Dash: Deals volt damage to all party members. Attempts to inflict paralysis on hit targets. Average speed.
  • Thunder Dash: Deals ranged TEC-based volt damage to all party members. Attempts to inflict paralysis on hit targets. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99% at all levels.
Drops:
  • Normal: Crystal Plume. 100% chance. Sells for 7000 en.
    • Ichibal (+170 ATK, +30 HP, +4 AGI): Made from 1 Crystal Plume. Costs 52700 en.
  • Conditional: Ruffled Feather (Kill while panicked). 80% chance. Sells for 21000 en.
    • Dragoonery (+75 DEF, +30 TP, +15 LUC; Gunner only): Made from 1 Ruffled Feather. Costs 62900 en.
Bring head binds or Volt Wall when fighting a Songbird, unless you like listening to Until the Dawn of Another New Morning.

Bring elemental damage, too, since Leukocytes will pose a persistent threat if you don't kill them.
Oh, sure, an FOE that summons adds that can cast instant death. That's fair and balanced.

(I forget if Leukocytes do IK or petrify, but the idea is the same.)

MUNCH!
Oh, come on, that's disgusting, just biting its beak off.
Exactly!


[Oh, you snitch, you're gonna regret doing that.]


We're going to kill Yggdrasil, and by extension YOU!


Well, shit, that's not good.

You're getting VERY sleepy, VERY sleepy...
...How does the even work on an owl...?


Eat shit!


Oh, you fuckin'...turnabouterer...


Goddammit, that was so close.

Please run away you three

I am very afraid!



I will get that stupid bird next time...
Steel Gun (+161 ATK) is made from 1 Shiver Stinger (Steel Barb normal). Costs 43100 en.

Dyed Boot (+25 DEF, +3 STR) is made from 1 Blaze Mineral (Flame Ooze normal). Costs 7810 en.


[Fuck you and the wings you flew in on, bud.]



Ugh. Even in death, it gets one last hit in...
Oh you motherfucker. The conditional drop is only an 80% chance, and I rolled the 20% failure chance.
Whoever decided to let conditionals not be 100% needs to be fired.


Ah!
It echoes throughout the forest. The bird sounds hungry, in search of prey. You have the rare meat in your pack. If you were to place it on the ground, the legendary bird may come.
Where's the meat, where's the-- Okay, there!
You place the meat on the ground and step back, when a strong wind blows through, along with a flapping sound. In the next moment, you are blinded by an incredibly bright light!


When you regain your senses, the meat is gone. In its place sits a single feather. The feather glows with a beautiful light you've never seen. Is this a feather of the legendary bird? You take the feather and decide to leave.


...I can't believe it.
Neither can I, honestly.
[But you were the one who was really eager to place the meat down.]
[A-Afon, please!]



Let's go talk to the bard again.
We did. Here.


Is this it...? The colors shift depending on the angle you look at it from. Plus, it appears to be glowing, just a bit... So it really came when you left some meat in a dark place? Is that how you found this feather?
Down in B27F, without any torches lit, is where we found it, yes.
...I see. The fact that the bird left a feather behind means that it acknowledges your strength. "I shall give light to the strong, and strength to the weak" is how the story puts it. It would appear that "light" meant a feather like this. Thank you, Tenebris. I think I'll be able to create a lovely song. When I'm done, I want you to hear it. I gave the reward to the hostess, so can you get it from her?








I saw you talking with her. She was really happy, wasn't she? I wonder if she'll finally do her job now. She may be a bard, but she doesn't like to speak and rarely takes jobs. When she does, though, she works fast.
[Mood. Except, well, I'm not a bard.]
...Of course, the problem is to get her motivated. I saw the feather, too. That legendary bird must be quite beautiful. Haha, I don't know if that was really the legendary bird or not, but this quest is all about mystique, isn't it?


Bah.





Oh. Since we've technically visited B28F by falling down that pit, the townspeople have new dialogue, and we've got new quests. Might as well take them now.

Official business III:
Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. It's part of the investigation of the 6th Stratum that you discovered. I know this is from the Hall, but... Ancient civilizations and everything... It all seems so complicated. At any rate, why don't you go to the 6th Stratum and reclaim as many relics as you can? The more relics you find, the bigger the reward you'll get. I recommend you bring back a whole bunch. I'm interested in seeing what's down there too, so good luck.
We'll need to finish B27F to make progress on this.

Emblem of love:
Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. The client is... I guess you can call him a superstitious young man. If he truly loves her that much, he should be able to tell her so without a Tri-Color. At any rate, good luck.
The quest description says we need three Tri-Colors for this. It lies. We only need one.

Ichibal (+170 ATK, +30 HP, +4 AGI) is made from 1 Crystal Plume (Songbird normal). Costs 52700 en.


There's a few ways to explore and map out B27F, though there's only one real way to finish it, as we'll see later.

It just occurred to me, at time of writing, that I could've just been constantly checking a map of this floor from, I dunno, GameFAQs or something, but that wouldn't be much fun to play, and it'd be worse to write about than it already is.

For monsters called "Songbirds," they aren't very euphonic...
Waitaminit, did they add the torch icons just for this one floor? I mean, having an appropriate icon for everything is a good idea, but they don't have proper icons for some more prominent things which means this upsets me. It took them so long to add a proper chest icon, no the clover icon doesn't count.



Hazefly

HP: 835STR: 65TEC: 55VIT: 46AGI: 44LUC: 43
EXP Given: 14500

Damage Vulnerabilities:
100% 150% 100%
100% 100% 0%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
100% 50% 100% 50% 50% 100% 50%
100% 100% 100%
50% 100% 100%
  • Spark: Deals heavy volt damage to all party members. Reduces hit targets' accuracy by 50% for 4 turns. Average speed.
  • Spark: Deals 120% ranged TEC-based volt damage to all party members. The damage ranges from 151 to 208 on average. Reduces hit targets' accuracy by 50% for 4 turns. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
  • Hazeflies will always use Spark when they're in the back row.
  • Hazeflies are equally likely to use Spark and normal Attacks when above 50% HP.
  • Below 50% HP, Hazeflies are far more likely to use Spark.
  • If the Hazefly is in the back row, use Spark.
  • If the Hazefly's HP is at 50% or lower:
    • 79% chance to use Spark.
    • Else, Attack.
  • If the Hazefly's HP is at 100% to 51%:
    • 49% chance to use Spark.
    • Else, Attack.
  • Spark: Deals ranged TEC-based volt damage to all enemies. Reduces hit targets' accuracy for 4 turns. Average speed.
  • Spark: Deals ranged TEC-based volt damage to all enemies. Reduces hit targets' accuracy for 4 turns. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99% at all levels.
Drops:
  • Normal: Wing Scale. 25% chance. Sells for 606 en.
    • Ebon Glove (+44 DEF, +20 HP, +6 AGI; Dark Hunter only): Made from 30 Wing Scales. Costs 45000 en.
    • Quest Rod (+127 ATK, +100 TP, +5 TEC): Made from 1 Wing Scale (Hellfly/Hazefly normal) and 3 Throbbing Vines (Gasser Tree normal). Costs 23600 en.
    • Blazing Sword (+146 ATK, cut+fire normal attacks): Made from 10 Wing Scales (Hellfly/Hazefly normal) and 3 Blaze Minerals (Flame Ooze normal). Costs 36000 en.
  • Rare: Haze Wing. 15% chance. Sells for 755 en.
    • Comet Whip (+141 ATK): Made from 1 Haze Wing (Hazefly rare) and 3 Shiver Stingers (Steel Barb normal). Costs 32600 en.
    • Papillon Mail (+71 DEF): Made from 7 Ice Wings (Hellfly rare) and 5 Haze Wings (Hazefly rare). Costs 19300 en.
    • Gendawa (+145 ATK): Made from 1 Calculus (6th Stratum Mine 2) and 7 Haze Wings (Hazefly rare). Costs 34380 en.
You liked Hellflies, right? Great, here they are, but they deal volt damage this time, and reduce your accuracy to unusable levels instead of your evasion. Fuck you.
did you bring raquna a protector? no? oops
They don't even have any ailment or bind weaknesses. How are you supposed to deal with them without a Protector?

Aside from Phoenix Wing and AoE burst, I mean.
If the enemies aren't going to grant me any mercy, then I won't either.





Neat.


I had to run because a Songbird nearly wiped me.
Blazing Sword (+146 ATK, cut+fire normal attacks) is made from 10 Wing Scales (Hellfly/Hazefly normal) and 3 Blaze Minerals (Flame Ooze normal). Costs 36000 en.

Fear Earring (Immunity to fear) is made from 1 Severed Stinger (Steel Barb conditional). Costs 12000 en.


Hm.

Feh.

...That's the first time I've seen that happen.



There. No 80% drop rate nonsense this time.


Dragoonery (+75 DEF, +30 TP, +15 LUC; Gunner only) is made from 1 Ruffled Feather (Songbird conditional). Costs 62900 en.
The LUC is a bit mediocre, though +15 is always a fun number to see just for how big it is. The TP is appreciated, though.


We're pushing eastward now.

Like hell am I risking an encountering blindside down here.
B27F B5 Mine Point



How is the fish less of a threat to whatever we're in than we are?

Red Corpuscle

HP: 663STR: 70TEC: 53VIT: 51AGI: 49LUC: 50
EXP Given: 19600

Damage Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 100%
10% 10% 10%

Disable Vulnerabilities:
100% 100% 100% 100% 10% 50% 100%
50% 10% 10%
100% 100% 100%
  • Red Plasma: Deals severe cut damage to one party member. The damage ranges from 503 to 606 on average. Guaranteed to instantly kill the target. Average speed and inaccurate.
  • Red Plasma: Deals 150% melee STR-based cut damage to one party member. The damage ranges from 503 to 606 on average. Attempts to instantly kill the target, with a 200% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 223% to 297% on average. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 60%.
  • Red Plasma: Deals 150% melee STR-based cut damage to one party member. The damage ranges from 503 to 606 on average. Attempts to instantly kill the target, with a 200% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 223% to 297% on average. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 60%.
  • Red Corpuscles are less likely to use Red Plasma when their HP is at 50% or lower.
  • If the Red Corpuscle's HP is at 50% or lower:
    • 29% chance to use Red Plasma.
    • Else, Attack.
  • If the Red Corpuscle's HP is at 100% to 51%:
    • 69% chance to use Red Plasma.
    • Else, Attack.
  • Red Plasma: Deals melee STR-based cut damage to one enemy. Attempts to instantly kill the target. Slightly slow and extremely inaccurate.
  • Red Plasma: Deals melee STR-based cut damage to one enemy. Attempts to instantly kill the target. Has an 80% speed modifier and a base accuracy of 30%.
Drops:
  • Normal: Red Crystal. 35% chance. Sells for 696 en.
    • Ruby (+3 STR, +50% fire resistance): Made from 10 Red Crystals. Costs 34000 en.
    • War Flail (+176 ATK, +80 HP, +5 TEC): Made from 1 Red Crystal (Red Corpuscle normal) and 3 Black Roots (Evilroot normal). Costs 27500 en.
  • Conditional: Shrunken Cell (Kill while afraid). 50% chance. Sells for 1875 en.
    • Nectar II (Revives one dead party member at full HP): Made from 1 Shrunken Cell. Costs 3500 en.
You liked Leukocytes, right? Great, now they can instantly kill you.
Honestly most things in Claret Hollows end up instantly killing you anyways
These would be why I was confused about whether the Leukocytes did instant death or petrification. They're Leukocytes, but Quick Step -> Thor Formula doesn't work anymore.

Bladefish

HP: 971STR: 70TEC: 52VIT: 48AGI: 55LUC: 44
EXP Given: 23000

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

Disable Vulnerabilities:
50% 100% 100% 50% 100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
  • Mach Slash: Deals 3 instances of heavy cut damage to random party members. Average speed.
  • Mach Slash: Deals 3 instances of 90% melee STR-based cut damage to random party members. The damage ranges from 297 to 359 on average. Has no limit on how many times one target can be hit. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99%.
  • Bladefishes are unlikely to use Mach Slash over normal Attacks when they're above 50% HP.
  • When they're at 50% HP or below, they have a slight preference for Mach Slash.
  • If the Bladefish's HP is above 50%:
    • 29% chance to use Mach Slash.
    • 71% chance to Attack.
  • If the Bladefish's HP is at 50% or below:
    • 59% chance to use Mach Slash.
    • 41% chance to Attack.
  • Mach Slash: Deals 3 instances of cut damage to random enemies. Average speed.
  • Mach Slash: Deals 3 instances of melee STR-based cut damage to random enemies. Has no limit on how many times one target can be hit. Has no speed modifier and a base accuracy of 99% at all levels.
Drops:
  • Normal: Blue Crystal. 30% chance. Sells for 682 en.
    • Kotsujiki (+181 ATK, +3 VIT): Made from 1 Blue Crystal. Costs 53000 en.
    • Sapphire (+5 VIT, +50% ice resistance): Made from 10 Blue Crystals. Costs 34000 en.
    • Azure Coat (+64 DEF, +3 AGI): Made from 3 Blue Crystals (Bladefish normal) and 5 Moschinos (6th Stratum Chop 1). Costs 15700 en.
    • Dainsleif (+158 ATK, -38% base accuracy): Made from 5 Calculi (6th Stratum Mine 2) and 7 Blue Crystals (Bladefish normal). Costs 42000 en.
  • Rare: Blade Spiral. 15% chance. Sells for 790 en.
    • Great Helm (+50 DEF): Made from 1 Blade Spiral. Costs 13800 en.
    • Partizan (+167 ATK, +2 VIT): Made from 3 Blade Spirals. Costs 46000 en.
These things are barely a thing at all in comparison.
The fish at the entrance were a nightmare. By this point you've encountered worse things. So despite these being as bad as those, they have much less of an effect.

It's...sort of like spearfishing.






Eep.


This place is making fun of us.


Though slow it may be, we are pressing forward.

What do these birds even feed on?
[Meat that explorers leave behind?]
[We're the only people that dare to explore here.]
[In this dimension, maybe. But in a parallel dimension...]









[Afon... I love you, but... I doubt that.]
[You can't prove that I'm wrong!]



















You want one of these birds to join you that badly?
Less talking, more meating, sis.

Elly?

<Elly!>
[S-Sorry, I thought I...heard something.]
[Toldja.]


We're getting close to the final stretch.

It's right there, in fact, just beyond that miasma.

Great.


Let's go save.
Corsesca (+178 ATK) is made from 5 Shiver Stingers (Steel Barb normal). Costs 54800 en.

Comet Whip (+141 ATK) is made from 1 Haze Wing (Hazefly rare) and 3 Shiver Stingers (Steel Barb normal). Costs 32600 en.

Great Helm (+50 DEF) is made from 1 Blade Spiral (Bladefish rare). Costs 13800 en.


Well, we've hit the east wall.

I don't think we've ever found a treasure chest that was not beyond underwhelming to open.


Anyway, I took the easy way out and just killed the Songbird.

[That thing has to know that it's being a nuisance.]


Oh. The passage near the Mine point was the way forward.


What do all of these plants have against us?

Evilroot

HP: 635STR: 71TEC: 56VIT: 47AGI: 46LUC: 55
EXP Given: 19000

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

Disable Vulnerabilities:
10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10%
10% 10% 10%
10% 10% 10%
  • Last Cry: Interruptable with Sonic Bombs. Instantly kills all party members. Very fast.
  • Last Cry: Interruptable with Sonic Bombs. Attempts to instantly kill all party members, with a 120% base chance. The effective chance ranges from 138% to 184% on average. Has a 150% speed modifier.
  • Evilroots are less likely to use Last Cry when their HP is at 50% or lower.
  • If Last Cry is queued, use Last Cry.
  • If the Evilroot's HP is at 50% or lower, 49% chance to queue Last Cry.
  • If the Evilroot's HP is at 100% to 51%, 79% chance to queue Last Cry.
  • Else, Attack.
Drops:
  • Normal: Black Root. 35% chance. Sells for 712 en.
    • Noir Queen (+154 ATK): Made from 1 Black Root. Costs 38000 en.
    • War Flail (+176 ATK, +80 HP, +5 TEC): Made from 1 Red Crystal (Red Corpuscle normal) and 3 Black Roots (Evilroot normal). Costs 27500 en.
    • Aquael (+159 ATK): Made from 9 Black Roots (Evilroot normal) and 5 Roller Tails (Spiked Roller normal). Costs 39200 en.
  • Conditional: Cursed Root (Kill while cursed). 80% chance. Sells for 1950 en.
    • Cianontedae (+34 DEF, -50 action speed): Made from 1 Cursed Root. Costs 21000 en.
Oh, yeah, bring Sonic Bombs to the end of B27F and beyond, because you can run into Evilroots. Without those, you have one turn to kill Evilroots before they wipe out everyone in your party.

Also lol fuck you good luck getting that conditional without Formaldehyde, asshole
Listen, gang. Let me be real for a moment. I try to comment on every enemy we find. Multiple perspectives, and such. But what do you say about these things? They have one skill, and it instantly kills your entire party. And you need to have an item in order to interrupt it. What do you say about this? What kind of joke do you crack? What kind of insight do you provide? It's malice. It's naked, distilled malice on the part of the developers, and I hate it.
lol

Thankfully, they're pretty easy to dispatch.




One rest later, and I just kill the Songbird that was in the way here.


Pretty sure this is the last torch.

Wait, nope, two more.

How do we get ourselves in these situations?
By forgetting to designate someone as a navigator.
Good job, Rea.

Anyway, take the passage near the Mine point, and you'll be all set.

Oh, thank the gods, we're finally through.
[Fuck this place and whatever awful thing created it.]


B28F is just a series of corridors, so I don't swap out the party for it.


It's also interconnected with the top of B27F.

Some of these lead into small 1x3 rooms; these contain the artifacts we need for Official business III.
On closer inspection, it seems to be a small metal box. The box appears to have a hinge on one end, allowing it to open almost flat.
Oh, it's an ancient compact.
You recall the Hall's quest to find and recover any relics you see. You decide to collect this object and take it back to the pub.




On close inspection, you find a strange bottle-like object of an unknown substance on the floor. You press a finger against it, and the side dents inwards. It reforms with a hollow "pop" when you let it go.
What a fear-inducing waste of plastic.
You recall the Hall's quest to find and recover any relics you see. You decide to collect this container- like object and take it back to the pub.




Upon closer inspection, it appears to be a coin with a hole in it. You recall the Hall's quest to find and recover any relics you see. The coin is inscribed with unfamiliar lettering. This should be worth the Hall's interest. You decide to collect this coin and take it back to the pub.


[That's gotta be ancient money. Can we keep it?]
[No.]
[Oh, come on, it's probably worth a bunch of cash to some collector with more money than sense.]


Oh, this hole probably leads somewhere new.

Finally, some space.


I'm very skeptical of drinking this.
...Hmmmm... It seems to be the same water as the other springs. Just...red, unnervingly.
Not gonna say no to a healing spring.
Dammit, I knew I should've become a vampire and not a ghost.

Oh, look, stairs down from B28F.

Let's...not.
That floor subtitle is very, very apt.

On closer inspection, you see a small metallic cylinder on the floor. You recall the Hall's quest to find and recover any relics you see. When you touch the ends, you feel a slight tingle of electricity.
So this is what ancient batteries were like.
This should attract the Hall's interest. You decide to collect this cylinder and take it back to the pub.




B28F A7 Chop Point


Well, money is money.


On closer inspection, you see a circular disc that shines with all the colors of the rainbow.
Hm. There's ancient language on the front of it.
One moment... It appears to say... "FamVam Chapter 622. Finalized July 6th, 2025."
How in the world would...whatever that is be stored on that disc?
That's for people more scientifically-inclined than us to figure out.
You recall the Hall's quest to find and recover any relics you see. This shining disc should satisfy the Hall. You decide to collect this disc and take it back to the pub.


All that remains to do is take these artifacts to the pub and turn them in to complete the quest. You should return to the pub when you have time.
[How in the heck did all this stuff end up down here anyway?]
[I guess stuff from Shinjuku somehow fell down here or got buried.]



I was worried for a bit, but there are still plenty of adventurers going into the Labyrinth. Things may have changed, but this inn will continue to do business, the same as always.



We have our reputation as "Proud supplier of t'Tenebris Guild." Me and all t'artisans here are ready t'defend it!
Shameless advertising aside, ardently defending your pride is admirable.



But it is strange... I feel that I have already gotten used to living here.
[Gods know I've gotten used to having a maid.]


...There are always those who want to summon me every single time a big case occurs. The bigger the case, the more information there is to learn, and the easier it becomes to solve. All they need to do is stop and think a little. Apparently, my country is filled with incapable minds.
To be fair, you usually pounce at the chance to solve anything.



The higher-ups are still upset, of course, but our livelihood is what's important to us... Although it does feel like something is missing without him here.
You're all better off without him. Trust us.


Leggy dark hunter:
Hm hm hm, I'm doing as well as ever. You wanna hear it? Of course you do, right? Then... Hm?
Dragon butter saute over here!
Oh, look at this! So much butter! Ooooooooooooooooh! I couldn't think of a better comfort food. I definitely deserve this.
...Thierry would have a fit if he saw me ordering that food.
Even for a food with "butter" in the name, that is excessive.
All right, listen. I bound a Huge Ant's head and got a Binded Jaw! It was a tough fight, but everyone in the guild did their best. Hm hm hm... I wish you had been there to see my techniques! I'm back with a vengeance! Yay!
Well, at least it's put her in high spirits.
That's the last bit of advice we'll get from the Leggy dark hunter. Been nice talking to her, I'm sure you'll agree.
I love leggy dark hunter. She's my favourite character in this game, Story mode aside.
Man of many piercings:
Hey, you! Yo! Have you heard?
Yes.
But--
Yes.
Oooh! That's what I wanna hear from Etria's top guild, Tenebris! But, yeah, of course you'd know. All the adventurer guys and gals are working hard in the forest! There might not be any more secrets in the forest, but there still might be stuff we don't know about yet! The other adventurers I was talking to said they wouldn't let you beat them, and went out looking for 'em! The dream never ends. The Labyrinth is just... It's just crazy!








It is damn near impossible to curse one of those accursed mandrakes.
Did you think this was a strange request?
Definitely annoying.
I sure did, so I went and asked Jackson about it. He told his reason for making this request. When Jackson was young, he used to be a pretty famous alchemist. With his skills, he defeated many monsters in the Labyrinth. The various materials he found gave him the idea to start a restaurant. Now that his restaurant is successful, he's been living the easy life... But, he's always had one regret. He wants to be able to pass his knowledge on to someone. That's why he's been posting these strange jobs.
Buuuuuu-t we didn't learn anything.
Huh? You don't think you've learned anything from him...? That's far from the truth. You've learned how to select your skills when facing certain enemies and use them to obtain specific items. According to him, all that's alchemy. He says you should keep training.














Five artifacts, specifically.


What's this? Oh, sorry. I wouldn't expect you to know, either. Hmm... Still, what could it be? It's small, though.


Oh, that's pretty. It looks like a mirror, but there's a hole in the middle. A perfectly round hole...


Is this a bottle? Oh, it's very light. And it doesn't break, either! This is incredible! I want one for myself now... Maybe I should look for one... Oh, uh, I mean, I should put up a job so you could go find one for me.


Oh, a coin! But there's a hole in the middle... How did they make it...? No, that can't be it.


Now this is curious. Is it some kind of castanet from ancient times? It's got a very detailed design. Oh, but it doesn't open back up when you clap it shut. Maybe the ancient civilization was kind of bad at music?
I...don't think that's it, speaking as a musician.
There were five ancient relics. Which means your reward is 35,000en. We were able to learn a little more about the ancient civilization thanks to your work here. It was fun. Good work, everyone.








We're nearing the end of the quest list.

Gourmand's request:
Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. The client is a rich man known as the Gourmand King. He says he wants to eat something he's never had before. In order to make that meal... He needs a Wolf Fang, a Bird Limb, a Fossil Nest, a Red String, and a Curse Tusk. You only need one of each, but even that is going to be a tall order. I wonder what kind of dish is going to come out of that... I'm looking forward to seeing what he comes up with. I hope he'll let me have a bite!
I don't want to taste anything with something from a Cruella in it...
Drops from one FOE on each stratum. I can dig it.

Call of the Wyvern:

Decided to take the request, have you? Good, I've been hoping someone would. I heard that the Wyvern on B8F has been making unusual sounds. Witnesses say that a giant dragon has been responding to the Wyvern's cries. There are rumors that something bad is about to happen. The Hall would like to hire adventurers for this job... But right now, the Hall is in no condition to take care of this on its own. You're the only people I can ask to take on something as big as the Wyvern. Find out why it's making those cries. According to the Hall, they believe you may be able to learn something by defeating the dragon. Good luck.
[Great. Another dragon, huh?]
We'll need to kill the Wyvern again to finish this quest.


"Not too long ago?" We've been here for two years.
Hah, what am I doing, getting all nostalgic? I must be getting old.



We must think carefully...about Etria's future.



Before I go fulfill the fetch quests, let's sell our current drops.
Noir Queen (+154 ATK) is made from 1 Black Root (Evilroot normal). Cost 38000 en.

Partizan (+167 ATK, +2 VIT) is made from 3 Blade Spirals (Bladefish rare). Costs 46000 en.


Some hunting later, and I've got the five drops the Gourmand King asked for.








Good work, everyone. You did well in collecting all the ingredients. Thank you. Oh, yes. I really wanted to know what he was making, so I asked him.
Oh no.
...I really shouldn't have done that. He started talking to me about food for hours... Are all gourmands as tiresome as him?
Trust me: yes.


5% chance to instantly kill on normal attacks.





The Byeahs also grabbed a Tri-Color while I was doing gathering runs with them.








I almost don't want to give it to the client! Oh, yes. While you were out, I asked the client who he planned to give it to. It's the girl at the flower shop. She's a real beauty, don't you think?
Well, yes, but--
But... Unless I'm thinking of someone else, she already has a lover.
Exactly.
Poor thing... With or without a gem, I think he's going to learn a hard lesson about love.
[If he knew that she's already got a girlfriend, he deserves what he's gonna get.]








Items from gathering.
Flechette (+174 ATK) is made from 3 Lady Palms (6th Stratum Chop 2). Costs 50300 en.

Azure Coat (+64 DEF, +3 AGI) is made from 3 Blue Crystals (Bladefish normal) and 5 Moschinos (6th Stratum Chop 1). Costs 15700 en.

Syrinx (+140 TP; Troubadour only) is made from 1 Lady Palm (6th Stratum Chop 2). Costs 10000 en.

Medica IV (Fully restores one party member's HP) is made from 1 Monotropastrum (6th Stratum Take 2).

Hamaoprime (Restores 200 HP and 40 TP to one party member) is made from 1 Ambrosia (6th Stratum Take 1). Costs 1500 en.
And that's it for now. Next time: Blizzard King.
Oh, good, I could use some more accessories.
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