7th Dragon III Code: VFD Part #7 - Update VI

Part 7: Update VI - Featuring: Time travel

Update VI - Featuring: Time travel

Music: UE77 In Ariake

Oh my★

Well, we do have things we can offer them. If we give them that—

Opal! You came! So that means your answer is—

There's something we need to show them first. Isn't that right, Allie?

Of course★ Everyone, gather round! Opal... Do you know what this is?

...Well that's one True Dragon down, at least.

Iod is the True Dragon who planted the Seed of Life onto this formerly barren planet. The Seed of Life became the basis for the entire human race... for all lifeforms in existence. It was the drop that created life in the ancient sea. The beginning of millions of miraculous events. And so, humanity and dragonkind share a deep bond. The specimen from Iod showed us that much. As I've already mentioned, we are collecting specimens from the six True Dragons. In doing so, we plan to complete the Dragon Chronicle and defeat the 7th True Dragon, VFD.

We are also aware that ISDF is in possession of a specimen of the 5th True Dragon Fomalhaut. We only currently know the locations of those two specimens. Therefore, four specimens remain. Your mission will be to retrieve them★

...What about Niara?

Like, he showed up a full year before Fomalhaut attacked, so why don't you have a sample of both? Did it get lost in the mail or something?

This naturally means you will have to defeat the True Dragons. It will be quite tough. Actually, tough doesn't begin to describe how difficult it will be. So, what do you think?

Will you help us carry out our plan... Operation Code: VFD?

I will.

Allie is bit too bubbly considering she's sending us to kill god level threats in order to save the world.

Hooray! How wonderful!

~

I'm not sure I trust you...

*chuckle* That's not a problem★ All we need at first is your cooperation. We'll have plenty of time to gain each other's trust!

~~

Fabulous! Now that that's settled, we'll need to think of a team name for you. How about Opal Squad? Or maybe...

I think they should be called Unit 13!

Well there's no way this can get confusing!

Opal Squad is a bit odd...

VFD is really weird about character focus.

In all the other games, the story treats your party as a collective. Regardless of who you have in front, you're almost always referred to as 'the guild' or 'Unit 13.' Making the team leader The Most Important Person like this both cheapens everyone else you made and makes things get really strange really fast if you're the type of person who likes to shuffle the team leader around.

*chuckle* Then Unit 13 it is!

~

Unit 13?

Oh right... You don't know about them.

~~

Unit 13 is the name of the team that defended the world during the Dragon Calamity of 2020. It might be a bit dated, but it definitely carries good luck. I suppose it's not a bad name.

Unit 13 is a respected name in the modern day and age! It's perfect for you guys★

Alright, from this moment on, you will be known as Unit 13, the newest team in all of Nodens!

Welcome aboard, Unit 13! I look forward to working with you!

All done★

Alright, let's have Unit 13 go for a tour of the building before their first mission.

We'll be waiting for you at the Portal.

Hmm... So, they're calling you guys Unit 13 now, huh? In that case, come with me... Unit 13.

Music: The Daily Grind

Our office is wonderful! Hope you enjoy the tour★ Come meet us on the Portal Floor afterward★

First off are the two desk girls.

Once it's up and running, you'll be able to take quests and get some pretty damn good rewards. She's also gonna be handling any and all construction requests over here. Construction's paid for with this stuff called Dz, or Dragon Zeni. Dz can be used for all sortsa crap: medical research, weapon development, building materials... As any dumbass coulda guessed, Dz comes from dragons. You prolly missed some on your first battle. Just make sure you don't forget to grab 'em from any dragons you beat from now on. Anyways, I'm sure you're gonna be rolling in the Dz once your mission gets started. If you give that Dz to Chika she'll help you build new weapons and expand the facilities here. Try making a Dormitory for yourselves to start. Can't have Unit 13 sleeping on the streets. Hmmm... A Dormitory should only run you about... 3 Dz.

Now, Dz made sense in the 2020s because humanity was teetering on the edge of extinction, so they had to use any materials you could get your hands on, even if you had to cut them out of dozens of dragons.

There's no active threat right now, so why can't Nodens just... pay some regular contractors to make our dorms? Like it makes sense for stuff like improved skills or better gear, but this is a 100% mundane task, there's no real reason to use dragon bits on it.

Also how cheap is Nodens if they're making us pay to build our own damn rooms?

Go talk to her for any consumable items or equipment you might need for your missions. Though it obviously won't be free. Earn some money, and you can buy whatever crap you want. By the way, any weapons you develop using Dz will be available here. Basically you gotta earn Dz to make new weapons, then buy 'em with your well—deserved money... Heh... We're such stingy bastards...

Where we once had five different counters for all these things, VFD consolidates it down to two.

Pretty impressive piece of tech, don't you think? Go on and give it a try later. That's it for the basics... Oh yeah, there are still a few places you need to see before you head over to the Portal. Meet me on the East Hall 2F R&D Floor, and don't dawdle!

And of all the things they felt needed a justification, they picked fast travel?

Teleportation existed in the 2020s, sure, but specifically calling out fast travel as an in-universe thing just feels... off.

Chika's still getting set up.

Music: Let's Get to Work!!

But Rika is ready to go!

Now, I could use that demo money to instantly outfit everyone with the best gear we can buy.

But I'll stick to the first tier of upgraded weapons to keep things fair.

Also all the Duelist weapons use this naming scheme, which I find hilarious. Other people can use the High Derringer or the Hero Fist, meanwhile the Duelist just has to wait for a new set to come out. God help us all when Yuno gets her hands on Zoodiacs or Tearlaments.

Music: The Daily Grind

Our newfound employment gives us access to a few more floors.

The Development Floor consists of the entrance.

And the actual room.

Adachi: Ah, we have one employee who's never in the office. It's hard to find him when you need him...

Did you check the cafe by the entrance?

The top-left door leads to Julietta's office.

The R&D Floor, meanwhile, is hella long.

So long it has conveyors to help you get around!

Mitch, this is the new team I was telling you about.

Researcher Mitch: Hahahaaa! Welcome to Doctor Julietta's lab! If something's improbable, we'll research it! Ohhhh!? You're the new faces of Unit 13!? I heard the most improbable rumor about you! You're human, but you have some kind of supernatural power!? Well, I have a secret for you! We'll help bring out your improbable abilities! I can help with all of your bodily needs!

Uhhh... We're in a bit of a hurry here. Can you just hurry up and give them the damn things?

Researcher Mitch: Ahhh, OOOOOOK! Leave it to moi! It's time for your shots~! Now, Unit 13... Close your eyes... and keep 'em shut tight! No peeking...

You obtained SP Up 200 x2.

Researcher Mitch: It's time for you to get a new skill! Go go go! You can check your skills using the Skill option on the Main Menu! Congratulationsss!

*sigh* C'mon, it's time to go. I'll be waiting on the East Hall 1F Portal Floor. Don't be late!

So, what does everyone get?

Opal gets counters, debuff attacks, a revive skill, and a self-buff.

Inoue gets a single target move for single swords, a fire attack and multi-hit move for dual swords, the 10 turn buffs from 2020, and our first Auto skill.

And Yuno gets her third and final trap, a set of field spells, and targeted searches.

Of particular note is ~~Field: Volcano~~Molten Destruction. First off, it hits everyone, making it this party's first reliable form of AOE damage. Second off, the boost to fire damage means it synergizes nicely with Inoue's new Maple Tear. Thirdly, and most importantly, it effectively double buffs ~~X Burn~~Final Flame, as it both increases the damage it deals directly thanks to the debuff, and lets me spend two Fire cards in a single move for a much larger boost than just slinging summons around!

~

Director Yoshida: I'm Yoshida, the director of 7th Encount. I also head up the weapon development division. Why do I serve two positions? *chuckle* You do know why 7th Encount exists, don't you...? Besides that, I'm also researching these things called EX Skills. They're EX-tremely EX-citing! Ha!

We're a long ways away from getting our EX Skills, but oh man.

Ohhhhhhhhhhh man.

Most of the EX Skills in VFD make the 2020 EXs look like a joke.

Keep these tiny dragon samples in mind for later.

Much, much later.

Researcher Joe: We mainly do research on dragons, but the more we learn, the more confusing things get...

Marco: I'm glad I didn't abandon ship. I get to take part in some incredible research...

Amanda: Soooooo, if you aren't authorized to be touching things, please stay away♪

Lucas: People need our research right now. We'll do what we can to help you guys.

The entrance to the Portal Floor is much the same as the R&D Floor.

Music: UE77 In Ariake

Ah hell, I walked into the plot.

Welcome, Unit 13. This is the test site for Nodens's core technology, the Portal System. If you remember, we asked you earlier to retrieve the four remaining True Dragon specimens. Didn't you wonder how you were gonna do that? There aren't any on Earth right now, after all.

*nods*

Opal is shocked, understandably.

Hey! Didn't I say don't be surprised~?

How can you expect them not to be...?

Julietta used so much money to research this that he bankrupted several of our small subsidiaries.

B—But Allie...! 7th Encount is raking in a huge profit!

...

...how the fuck does a time machine tie into making a video game???

Did they go back to 2021 to make 7th Encount as accurate as possible? Did they watch Murakumo's Unit 13 fight Fomalhaut to make sure they prefectly replicated it???

*chuckle* Don't worry, I don't blame you~. I'm just speaking the truth★

Jeez... Anyhow, you guys will be using this Portal to travel into both the past and the future. In each time period, you'll stop the True Dragon invasion and bring their specimens back to us.

Opal has zero concerns about fucking up the timeline.

This will become a recurring theme with her.

That's a great plan!

Wow, your enthusiasm excites me~!

What spirit!

~

This is a joke, right...?

*giggle* I love it when people react like that~!

~~

Well, seeing is believing. Let's get you on there!

Alrighty, we'll be trusting you with navigation, Nagamimi!

Hold on, is that all you're gonna say!? You didn't even tell them where they're going!

It'll be fine~! Practice makes perfect, right?

No warnings about messing with the past or anything. Apparently actual time travel is one of those things you can just do with no real education.

*sigh* Their blood's gonna be on your hands if anything happens. Unit 13, step onto the device.

A reckless dummy like you has gotta be extra careful out there.

Music: Atlantica - The Emerald Afterglow

Welcome to Atlantis: Where the water falls up and the trees glow.

And they're already mid-invasion.

...Hey Julietta, couldn't you have, I dunno, sent us back an extra year or so? You're already showing a flagrant disregard for established history, so helping a fully powered Atlantis fight back would go a long way towards getting that True Dragon sample.

Hey, Unit 13. Can you guys hear me?

*sigh* We really shoulda explained this all beforehand...

Again, this is our first stop. This far back, any action could have so much of a butterfly effect that it could cause Opal, Nodens, or even Earth as we know it to cease existing.

This is the most prosperous country of the time, smack dab in the middle of the Atlantic... The Sea Kingdom of Atlantis. This particular spot is the capital city, Atlantica.

Oh, and we were plopped down not even 10 feet from some of the locals.

They don't even care that three people with exotic clothing and unusual ears just materialized right in front of them!

Anyways, the 7D1 translation called them the Rushe, but this is their official name.

Historical record states that humans were the only civilization to make tools out of stone, but... That's only because this mysterious race was seemingly lost to the annals of time.