7th Dragon III Code: VFD Part #19 - Update XVII - Featuring: Unit 13's first High Dragon

Part 19: Update XVII - Featuring: Unit 13's first High Dragon

Update XVII - Featuring: Unit 13's first High Dragon

Music: The Daily Grind

Welcome back. Last time, we learned that the reason Nyala lost at Atlantis is because Nyala lost at Atlantis.

This guy doesn't give us our reward for building the Lounge, but he does handle dates.

Since we currently have no numbers to hit up, Unit 13 is limited to dating amongst themselves.

The game has this sort of affinity system between your party members that raises as people fight in the same team. As far as I know, it has no impact on gameplay.

Music: Re:Vanishment (code：VFD Ver)

Behold: The sensual face of romance.

Music: The Daily Grind

This is the guy who gives us our reward.

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

~

Mark: Welcome to the Skylounge. I'm Mark, the manager. I guarantee excellent drinks for all guests.

Maki: I haven't been home for two weeks! It's like they're running some kind of sweatshop here!

And a quick look out the window.

This would have been unnoticable on a tiny 3DS screen, but that sure is a flat texture slapped up just outside.

...How the hell has Julietta not noticed all the Lucier we've been saving?

Kuroki: Oh, I'm not actually playing. I pretend to do stuff, but the sound comes from a hidden speaker.

Up next, before we finally go kill Mayhem, is dealing with those bugs in 7th Encount.

Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals

Time for your enthralling bug check adventure to begin. Doesn't that just sound oh so exciting? You're gonna be doing a bit more than have a staring contest with source code, though. There's a dragon in there that just came outta nowhere. Seems like it's from a bunch of bugs. So... you get to fight it. Just make sure you record the error code so we can analyze the cause. Now hurry up and kick that dragon's ass!

How do you fuck up at programming so bad that your bugs combine into a dragon?

Does this take place in the Battle Network universe or something?

7th Encount is the exact same as the last time we were here.

Right down to the enemies that give jack for rewards

The dragon is on Stage 3, for reference.

Music: Battlefield - Furious Predator

Sega is clearly implying something here, as we have to kill the embodiment of an old exclusive JRPG on the 360.

And despite showing up in Chapter 2, the Blue Dragon is only about as strong as the dragons in Atlantica.

So it dies like a chump.

If only actual debugging was so ea-How the fuck did it give Dz.

We are in a video game.

If virtual dragons can just give Dz, why can't Julietta make a batch of level 1 dragons for us to mulch to get infinite Dz?

Music: Tokyo - Cascading Ordeals

Hurry along and bring it over to Kirk on the Development Floor. He'll make it all better.

Music: The Daily Grind

Developer Kirk: Hm? Error... code? Ahhh, yes, yes. You must be our new bug tester. Well, can you show me the report? Hmmm... I see, I see... There seems to be an endless loop forming in the battle protocol under particular circumstances. I should be finished fixing up the code by tomorrow. Can you go report that to Doctor Julietta?

Bro, Julietta's office is like 30 feet away just tell him yourself.

*giggle* I'm just kidding. You came to tell me about the bug check issue, no? Thanks for the help. You really saved our butts. Hm, I think I'll give you a passionate kiss as a thank you! Oh, wait! I had spaghetti with garlic in it for lunch today... Alas, it'll have to wait. I'm sure you're disappointed, but how's this instead?

You obtained Paral-Aid x3.

We got 375 Az from the digi-dragon, for comparison.

You obtained High-Grade Bento x1.

But we also get a free 140 LF party heal from Julietta, so it works out.

And since we got those ingredients back in Cladeon...

We can have our teammates make food!

The odds on which bento you get are a simple 6/10 chance for a Low-Grade Bento, 3/10 for a Handmade Bento, and 1/10 for a High-Grade.

And now we can finally complete our mission.

Having no warp point for the forge is infuriating.

Music: Cladeon - An Undersea Shimmer

As it means I have to run all the way back.

And the free camouflage we got doesn't last nearly long enough to get there.

Between the running and the random encounters, it took about 10 minutes to make it.

And there it is.

Since this is her home and all, Valerie gets to do the honors.

Music: None

Is it just me, or are Mayhem's back legs completely off the platform?

Aaaaaand Yuma drops right on cue.

Music: Destructive Curse

Yuma! Is this a side effect of the installation...!?

You have my thanks...!

Valerie's face certainly isn't saying no!

Hey, Unit 13! This thing is gonna harden to increase its defense against your attacks. If you wanna beat it, you'll need to use Buddy Skills to break its defense!

And then we get a random Buddy skill tutorial?

Video: Unit 13 VS High Dragon Mayhem
Music: Battlefield - No. 7 Incursion

3 months, 17 updates, and 3 dungeons into VFD, and we have finally hit the first actual boss of the game.

Everyone sets up.

Mayhem's normal plan is to poison everyone.

The damage on his normal attacks, for comparison.

Lol his tail is clipping into the ground.

Between the initial hit and the poison, Dragon Fog is nasty. That's outpacing the regen from Forest Poetry!

Inoue uses EX on Maple Tear to land Burn.

While Valerie does the same with Lightning Sword for Paralysis.

And Aria patches everyone up.

Paralysis is so good in VFD you guys.

At the start of turn 3, Mayhem always uses Dragon Action as a priority action. This is the defense buff Nagamimi warned us about.

And by 'defense buff.'

I mean it cuts all damage, ATK and MAT, by 100% for 5 turns.

This is basically the game telling you to use Buddy skills or die. So the High Dragons have been reduced from game spanning bosses to literal tutorials.

Note how Opal is just shy of her second bar. If I didn't keep a 1 turn charger like Aiden in the back for this, I'd be forced to plink for two full turns before I could break Mayhem's shield.

The defense buff also applies to the Buddy skill that breaks it, but Aiden's is two hits. That lets the second shot deal full damage like normal.

And then Aria landed an EX boosted Revelation: Bleed.

Look at that status bar! Burn, Freeze, Paralysis, Bleed, and Hack Weakness all at the same time.

He looked at his status bar too, sadly, and decided to cleanse all his ailments.

Oh no, the entire party got hit with Poison! Whatever shall I do?

Oh wait.

I just keep chipping away at him.

And just like that, I'm back to having my crippling ailments back on.

Mayhem's last trick is a basic single target attack.

Mayhem is nearly dead.

Aiden's current guns have a chance to inflict poison, which can still go off even on Buddy skills.

Did you know that there are only two weapons in the entire game with added ailments? This is one, and we'll be seeing the other next chapter. The devs just decided to practically ditch the whole concept, I guess.

And then Aria steps in and finishes Mayhem off.

Look at our current stats at the end of this fight. Everyone is fully healed and has only lost a tiny amount of MN. Even the bosses are barely a threat in VFD.

Music: Finish Them Off

Music: Cladeon - An Undersea Shimmer

Everyone in Unit 13 nods.

Ad...miral...

Ah, right! Where is the High Dragon!?

You needn't worry. Unit 13 handled it.

I mean, we do have six people on the team now.

... I apologize for being useless at such a vital time. I don't know how I can make it up to you...

We're teammates. It was nothing.

Teammates, hm...? Thank you. How strange. I feel... relief.

~

Are you sure you're OK?

You are quite kind... Thank you. Your concern brings me... relief.

~~

However, I assure you... I will never commit such a grave error again.

Heyyy! You guys alright?

The rocks have been making a hell of a lot of noise, so I came to see what was going on. I left the rest of my troops in charge of the town while I was gone.

The rocks were... making noise?

Oh yeah... You're not a Lucier, so I guess you don't hear them. All Lucier have the power to hear the voices in the stone. That's how we're so good at smithing. I grew up in this mine, so I can immediately tell if the rocks are acting up. Anyways, I can't believe you guys actually beat Mayhem... I'm speechless... And all I've done up 'til now is look down on you. I'm real sorry. Please... forgive me for being so rude earlier.