7th Dragon III Code: VFD Part #8 - Update VII

Part 8: Update VII - Featuring: No Dragons

Update VII - Featuring: No Dragons

Music: Atlantica - The Emerald Afterglow

The quake finally stops.

C'mon, just respond if you can hear me!

Oh, I finally got through. *sigh* That had me worried... Allie would totally wring my neck if I let you guys die on your first mission...

As we speak, Nyala is on the verge of bringing Atlantis to its end.

...We're here to deal with him?

Nyala, the guy who was on Earth 80 years ago? You had to send us back 13,000 years for that?

Also, Niara being translated as Nyala makes me think of a cat.

Nyaa~

In other words, the people of Atlantis lost their battle against it. Although Earth is still intact, so maybe it would be better to say it was a tie. Nyala was even wounded when it showed up in 2020. That must've been the work of the Lucier.

Your mission's gonna be to figure out how to get your hands on that. Understand?

...That's the reason why you don't have a Nyala sample? Because of the severed wing?

That makes zero god damn sense! That'd be like if Ancestry couldn't run a DNA test on someone just because they lost an arm in a tragic mining accident! How picky is the Dragon Chronicle when that disqualifies a sample, but it was perfectly okay with Murakumo Unit 13 beating Fomalhaut to death, because I'm pretty damn sure that he didn't count as 'uninjured' after they finished with him!

Try hunting down three dragons. That'll give you some training, and even a few materials as well.

You can go back to Tokyo whenever you want from here. I'll even put some relay points around the city. Then with that... Oh, wait! I forgot about this. I've got something to give you before you head off into the great unknown. I'll send over the manual. I'm sure it'll be tough for idiots like you, but give it a read.

Field Skills are just like the 2020s. Hit Y, get 9 free heals with every dungeon dive.

For the time being, you can use the Medical Floor for that. I'll let Hori know. You're gonna need to use every little thing at your disposal if you wanna stay alive. Stubbornness is just gonna get you killed quicker... Eeheehee...

With that, we finally have control.

Now, you know how most time travel stories put at least a token effort into not messing around too hard with the timeline?

Strange-Eared Man: People have been on edge lately. They'll all direct their anger towards you foreigners.

Yeah, Opal is ignoring that and is chatting up every soul she sees.

Strange-Eared Lady: I know you just arrived, but this country is doomed. You should return home before you get hurt.

Also, there was no mention of translator microbes or any sci-fi stuff like that, so presumably ancient Atlantean is identical to modern Japanese.

Despite being in the tail end of the dragon invasion, we actually have to go a good distance to find normal enemies, let alone an actual dragon.

Guard: The civilian populace is up in arms thanks to that dragon. Try to avoid any major conflict.

Restless Merchant: Both my business and my life are over... but one must never leave a mess behind.

Calm Civil Official: That is the only option that remains for us...

No wonder Atlantis got wiped off the map, they're just rolling over and taking it.

At the end of the area are two guards.

Stern Captain: Those clothes... You are not one of us. What reason does a foreigner have for coming here?

Opal isn't even trying to keep a low profile!

I'm here to kill Nyala.

Stern Captain: Kill Nyala? Hahaha! What utter foolishness!

~

I'm here to save this country.

Stern Captain: A foreigner thinks they can save this proud kingdom when its own guards cannot? How arrogant!

~~

Stern Captain: In honor of the former king Utrello, we proudly await our end. You foreigners must leave. Although... your insolence cannot be overlooked. I shall turn you into shark bait!

Yep.

Unit 13 was sent here to hunt dragons, and not even five minutes later they get into a fight with the locals.

Music: Battlefield - Atlantis

Well if they want to volunteer as punching bags...

I certainly won't stop them!

Counter Stance draws hits, same as 2020.

Unlike 2020, the whole fang/claw/breath system for attacks have been scrapped. God Hands get one counter for attacks, and one for ailments, that's it.

Compared to the single sword's Whirlwind, Cyclone Dance deals half damage but has twice as many hits to compensate.

This also means that Whirlwind is completely obsolete for dealing with Bloom Seeds, which was the main use case it had.

~~Field: Volcano~~Molten Destruction is good.

And remember, this would boost ~~X Burn~~Final Flame by a ton if I combo'd them together!

Music: Finish Them Off

I'm sure beating up what few guards Atlantis has left will endear us to the populace.

And that's not getting into the fact that anyone these guards would have saved in the original timeline are now super boned.

Music: Atlantica - The Emerald Afterglow

Eeheehee... You gotta be mindful of your actions. You guys are basically heretics around here. But I guess there's not much reason to worry. The soldiers that are left are all super weak. Now then, let's get back to our search.

~

Guard: Y-You're so strong... Just who are you...?

Strangely enough, the camera shifts to this angle when we approach the door.

You'd think that the angle and the ornate crystals above it means we're meant to enter, but no. We will never find out what's behind this door.

Enemies finally show up in the next area.

We got...

Blossoms and Helm Crabs. Blossoms can hit you with stat debuffs, and Helm Crabs can hit the party.

There's a heal spot here.

And some loot just beyond.

Oh no, a monster is harassing a local!

Opal cannot let this stand!

Music: Battlefield - Atlantis

The enemy is just two crabs.

Since there's a heal spot just 10 feet back, I just hit the Auto button, and Inoue ended up dying as a result.

But that just lets me bring up an important point:

Music: Finish Them Off

In VFD, dead party members get full rewards. If I didn't slap that EXP Upper on Yuno, these three would remain perfectly synced for the entire game. This lets you go with much more aggressive strategies without having to worry about someone getting taken down on the final turn and getting nothing.

Music: Atlantica - The Emerald Afterglow

I always find it funny when normal human features get treated as exotic in fantasy settings.

???: Milra! Milra!

Milra: Oh, that's my grandmother! Heyyy!

Milra: This nice person saved me!

Milra's Grandmother: You did...? Even Atlantica guards have trouble handling these monsters. Just who are you...?

I'm researching Nyala.

Milra's Grandmother: Are you perhaps planning on hunting it...?

*nods*

Milra: Woahhh, that's incredible!

~

Can you tell me about this place?

Milra's Grandmother: Do you mean... Atlantis?

~~

Milra: So like, Atlantis used to be suuuper big, but then when Nyala showed up, most of it sank to the—

Milra's Grandmother: Milra, quiet down.

Milra: I...

Milra's Grandmother: ... This place is too dangerous for you, Milra. It would be best if you return home.

Milra: Ok...

Milra's Grandmother: This country's fate has already been decided, so I guess there can be no harm in enlightening you... Eleven wards have already fallen due to Nyala's invasion. Only a few remain intact... Our former king Utrello and the Atlantis elites attempted to fend off Nyala... but none returned. Many citizens have died since to the poisonous flowers... Our demise is fast approaching. But before that happens, our consul Tallieri will carry out his final plan...

Nyala effortlessly killed the best warriors Atlantis had to offer.

Again, we were sent here to fight Nyala.

That's probably how Nyala lost his wing.

Also, this puts us on a time limit to deal with Nyala before the city gets sunk.

I repeat: We are on a time limit. When we have a time machine.

Milra's Grandmother: All that is left for the people of this land is to come to peace with their inevitable end. Please, refrain from disturbing our kingdom any further.

Opal will disturb your kingdom as much as she damn well pleases.

Suicide is quite the interesting plan. They'd never beat Nyala through military might alone.

Opal 7thdragon: Gives even fewer shits about the timeline than Julietta.

We can't let them kill themselves.

More importantly, we can't let them take Nyala from us. We're gonna need that specimen.

~

Let's help the Lucier.

What we need is the specimen from Nyala. Nothing else matters. What's the point in saving these moldy guys, anyways? I thought you wanted to help people in UE 77.

~~

*sigh* Nothing I say is gonna matter, huh... Just try not to forget about your mission. C'mon, let's get moving. There are more dragons ahead.

These Spiral Cannons are the second last normal enemy type in the area.

Now.

You may be noticing a distinct lack of something.

Namely: Dragons. On this mission to specifically murder some dragons.

For whatever reason, Atlantica just... backloads their dragons.

By which I mean all of them are at the very end, all in the same area.

VFD's pacing can be absolutely bizarre at times.

A new symbol is on our map.

Just like 2020, we have a game-spanning sidequest to rescue people.

Huh, some kid got left behind.

Well-Bred Boy: Where are you...? *gasp* I'm... already... *gasp*

The Dragonsbane's got him. He's not gonna last much longer. Leave him.

Take a guess what Opal's response is.

Go on, guess.

*shakes head*

This is pointless! There's no medical technology in that era that can help him!

Oh, Nagamimi said the magic words!

Now Opal knows he can be helped!

Please, Almighty Nagamimi!

C'mon, what's all this about!? Praising me isn't gonna— *sigh* Don't gimme that face. I guess it's not impossible...

~

What about modern technology?

Modern...? Wait, don't tell me you wanna bring him back to Tokyo!?

*nods*

~~

Sure, the Nodens medical team can treat minor cases of Dragonsbane poison, but... Julietta has strictly prohibited rescuing people from other time periods. My paws are tied.

*hangs head*

*sigh* Fiiine, you can bring him back for emergency treatment. Discreetly! This isn't a show of mercy, I'll have you know. That kid seems pretty well-bred. Mmm, he looks quite tasty... There's a good bit of fat on him...

C'mon, it was a joke! I'm offended you thought I was serious. Just hurry up and save him before I change my mind.

This also kills most of the threat the dragons pose to us.

What can a dragon, even a True Dragon, do when our base is in another time period? Nyala himself could drop in on us right now and all we'd have to do is pop an Escape Kit and there's literally nothing he could do to us. Having a completely unassailable safe place kills any tension that the dragons could start targeting home.

Also, unlike the 2020s that kid isn't going to show up in Nodens proper, on account of the whole keeping it hush hush thing.

At least until Opal inevitably convinces Julietta to allow it. You know it'll happen, you saw how many empty floors Nodens has! There's more than enough space to take in the Atlanteans!