Part 14: Update XIII - Featuring: New friends
Update XIII - Featuring: New friendsMusic: Cladeon - An Undersea Shimmer
Cladeon is certainly nice to look at, I'll give them that.
The team starts hopping from rock to rock.
And we can see some lights in the ward further ahead.
Music: Cladeon - An Undersea Shimmer
One civilian, two roaming dragons, and our very first barrier dragon await in the first zone of the dungeon.
It was at this point I remember to slap a Phazer Ring on Yuno, bumping her SPD ever so slightly above Inoue's. That'll let her get off a
Those things are swarming this place. You're gonna have to be careful if you wanna stay alive. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you— Make sure you know when you're fighting near a dragon. They're so hot-blooded they might just ambush you! How rude of them! Eeheehee...A quick tutorial on dragon invasions. If you get into a battle near a dragon, they'll eventually break into the fight if you don't finish things quickly.
Music: Battlefield - Furious Predator
Anyways.
The Aquaria was previously seen in the future present.
On an unrelated note, I hate time travel.
To give an idea on what our damage should be like, now that we're not facing amped up DLC versions of them.
Gross.
Ow.
You know what I'm in the mood for?
Some calimari!
Well that almost killed Inoue.
Twice over.
Shame about that item priority!
Music: Finish Them Off
Works for me!
We have a few repeat enemies from the end of Atlantica, but the Poison Frogs are new.
They poison you, if the name didn't give it away.
Hey look, another dragon!
Music: Battlefield - Furious Predator
With that extra SP from the Seed DLC, I got Yuno her searchers.
Inoue is also preparing.
Yuno's next goal is to set up
This is the base damage on it. Pretty sad, right?
Well let's feed this forest fire.
Yuno outspeeds.
Which gives Inoue a boost.
That nearly outdamaged Inoue.
Inoue had her own ATK buff active.
I still have one turn of
And oh look, Yuno has another Fire card on hand!
Duelist requires a lot more setup to get stuff done compared to other classes, but man they can do some work if things line up.
Music: Cladeon - An Undersea Shimmer
Yuma and Yoritomo are just ahead.
Having said that... it should disappear if we defeat the dragon guarding it.
*shakes head*
Don't tell me you're planning on fighting it? *nods* I'd advise against that. This dragon is far more powerful than the others in this area. Hmph... Do as you please. However, don't expect any support from me. Are you sure about that, Admiral? They'll never be of use to us if they can't manage to beat one as small as this. *chuckle* True enough. In that case, I will stand back as well. Let's see what Unit 13 can do.
And with absolutely zero fanfare, Exhaust!
It also boosts guarding.
And your attack can't miss.
And doubles ailment infliction rates.
I don't know why they never mention that last bit, it makes status moves much more consistant.
Music: Battlefield - Furious Predator
And our very first barrier dragon is...
A Hammer Dragon!
Opal gets started.
And Yuno starts building Fire.
Ah.
Well at least Yuno has two Fire, now!
Ow.
Yuno sets up.
Opal hits G2.
And as team leader of Unit 13, Opal calls dibs on the first use of Exhaust.
The damage is nice, but the real bonus here is having that DEF/MDF debuff land first thing.
My one regret is that there's no way this dragon will survive long enough for Yuno to burn those other two cards and take a hit from
The Hammer charges again.
But he won't last long enough.
...
That actually feels a bit anticlimactic after Opal slammed him for 400, honestly.
Music: Finish Them Off
Music: Cladeon - An Undersea Shimmer
You've grown at a far quicker rate than I would have expected. That was brilliant.
What's the matter, Admiral? Footprints. And they're still fresh. That means... there are people ahead? Most likely. Impossible...! How could anyone survive in this dragon's nest!? This is a mine, Yuma. With the minerals here, a skilled Lucier could craft a powerful weapon. ...!
Let's save those people!
Unit 13, our mission here is the swift retrieval of the True Dragon specimen. Rescuing locals would go against our orders.Counterpoint: Unit 13 isn't military, so we can ignore orders all we want! What's Julietta going to do, fire the only team of dragon hunters they have on staff?
~
Do you mean the Dragonslayer? Indeed. If the Dragonslayer still exists, stopping this invasion may not be impossible after all. In any case, let's continue on.~~
Hey, Unit 13! Man, this is embarrassing... They've completely taken the initiative from you. You did do quite a number on that dragon in the wall, though. You're no match for these ISDF bitches in terms of experience, but just keep pushing on. Now then, about the survivors... I'm struggling to differentiate between dragon and human signals. There are just so goddamn many. And it's not guaranteed that those survivors are actually gonna be any use to us. Be careful, yeah?
There's a heal spot right after the barrier.
Crybaby Girl: Oh... I thought you were my mommy and daddy...
And the civilian right next to it.
And the chest right next to the civilian.
...wait, dagger?
That's not for any class we have.
Oh well, I'm sure it won't become important in the next 5 minutes.
There's something funny about the devs actually using the dragon field model for this.
The corpse of a dragon. And this laceration is clearly the work of human weapons. The humans responsible should be close by. They seem to be many in number... Correct. They're most likely some kind of trained militia. This corpse is proof of that. So, what do we do? The area ahead is clearly their territory. Danger surely awaits if we continue forth. We can either push through, or try and find a way around.Hey, aren't we here to find people? Preferably one who could forge a Dragonslayer? You'd think a militia would be thrilled to have more hands to murder dragons with.
I'd like to hear Unit 13's opinion on the matter.
Let's look for another way. Hm... I wonder if we'll be able to find one around here. We should search the area a little longer and see what we can come up with.~
We must keep moving! Hm, I agree. Seeing what happened here, it's safe to assume any other routes would be dangerous as well. We should prepare for combat just in case. These don't seem like people who can be reasoned with.
~
Both we and the militia here may have a common goal... but we will not know until we actually meet.
The next cutscene isn't even five feet away from the last.
Jesus Christ!
Music: Stops
Suddenly, dudes from the sky!
Music: Endless Attack Cycle
You guys aren't regular old thieves, are you? We hold no ill will. Please lower your weapons. Like I'd listen to you! 
And even more guys from behind!
You're splitting into two groups, huh?
Doesn't matter if you're a dragon or a thief... I'm not letting you get through here!
Music: Battlefield - Atlantis
All that fuss and Eigur just... gets the normal battle music, huh?
He's also fairly low on health, with 916 LF compared to the 1014 on the Hammer Dragon we fought not even two minutes ago.
Eigur gets two moves a turn, and his normal attacks hit twice.
Hey look, a second Fire card! Yuno's really believing in the Heart of the Cards today!
Offense Stance is his version of Power Charge.
I then make the executive decision that blocking is for chumps.
For the head of the militia, Eigur isn't doing so hot.
Ah.
And then he dies two seconds later to hot rocks being dropped on his head.
Music: Finish Them Off
He can't even deny Opal the XP from a boss kill!
Music: Destructive Curse
Dude, you got bodied. Just take the L.
Hraaahhh! Wait! ...!?
Young Militiaman: W-We're sorry, Eigur...
I'll say it again— We hold no ill will towards you. Are you the leader of this settlement? ...No. I'm just the commander of the army. The chief is somewhere else. In that case, lead us to him. ...
Rude Militiaman: There's no reason for you to listen to these fools, even if they try and kill us!
Young Militiaman: Th-That's right! Give it all you got!
Ah yes, provoke the people who just beat you all without breaking a sweat.
Idiots.
Even Eigur agrees with me!
Didn't we promise we'd beat Nyala together? How am I gonna do that if you're dead? Eigur nods.
Come on... I'll show you guys the way. Follow me!
Let's follow him, Unit 13.
And that's the first zone mapped out.
Music: Chant for Sanctuary (code:VFD Ver.)
...I knew it. You guys are here to steal the Star Crystal, huh? Damn thieves, coming in to take Cladeon's most precious treasure during all this turmoil. We have no intention of stealing anything. We share the same objective. What...?
I messed up, Chief... I let these guys take me hostage.
lol she doesn't even have a portrait.
We're here to kill Nyala. ...!?Chief Toglau: What...?
What kinda crap are you thieves going on about!? I'm sure you gained a good grasp of our combat abilities from our previous battle. Yeah, I've got a grasp alright. Those guys won't even be able to scratch Nyala's tail!
We'll never know unless we try. You can't do it. You wouldn't be able to beat a High Dragon, let alone Nyala. *shakes head* Tch... ~
And you can? Shut up! Of course not! But...~~
It's not like there's anywhere here for us to hide. We might as well try to fight! What about the Dragonslayer...? ...!Chief Toglau: How do you know about our treasured sword?
Legend of it has spread in our country as well. The sword that can slice through a True Dragon...Chief Toglau: Indeed... Knowledge of it was passed along so that we could combat the dragon invasion.
Emille and Aitelle got a bit of a name change for the offical release.
Now, while they were known to have been here since the first 2020, the Sisters will be Miss Not Appearing In This Time Period for VFD.
Considering their MO at the time, they probably fucked off once it looked like Atlantis was lost.
The Hypnos Sisters...Chief Toglau: So you know of them... They warned us of the dragon invasion and taught us of the Dragonslayer. The people of Cladeon are the descendants of those who were originally taught these secrets.
Does that mean the Dragonslayer is here? No... It no longer exists.Chief Toglau: After Nyala appeared, we followed the prophecy and gave the Dragonslayer to our former king.
But instead of Nyala, our king Utrello and his men were the ones to die. Even my father...Chief Toglau: We lost not only our king, but the mythical sword as well... The prophecy of the priestess Emel is as follows.
Chief Toglau: Currently neither sword nor hero exist. Our hope of survival has already crumbled.
Is there no way to forge another Dragonslayer?Chief Toglau: We are lacking the materials. Furthermore, many of our smiths have lost their lives in battle.
On top of that, the High Dragon Mayhem is using our forge as a nesting ground. Our Star Crystal protects us from weak dragons, but this is one of the few safe places left. Dammit... That thing knew how important the forge was to us...!
Let's take it back. We would if we could! But if we went to fight Mayhem, ~
I'll kill the High Dragon.
You think you're some kinda hero? Ha, haha... A weakling like you? Don't make me laugh. Indeed, Unit 13 still has much room for growth. But... you never know what can happen. Besides, we're here as well. Eigur, your reason for not going after Mayhem is that you need to keep your people safe, yes?Hey Yuma, you want to mention how you killed Spectus in one hit? Be kinda helpful right now.
Yeah... If we went to fight it, ~~
we wouldn't be able to protect the citizens here. Hmph, and you want to try and take down Nyala in such a pitiful state... Shut it! I know the situation's not looking good, but... I understand. In that case, leave the High Dragon at the forge to us. ...You really think you're gonna do anything to a High Dragon with that few people? Yes. We're going to kill it. You're crazy...!Chief Toglau: Visitors... Do as you please. We will not stop you.
Chief!?Chief Toglau: Eigur... You're doing very well here. However, there is little more we can do with the strength we have. Let us rely on them for now.
Shit... Fine. You guys can handle the High Dragon.
Oh yes.
Chief Toglau: You are the commander. You may do as you see fit.
Got it. Look, trying to take on a High Dragon with so few people is just plain reckless. Besides, things should be easier if you have a Lucier who's dealt with the monsters around here. They're all still amateurs, but feel free to bring anyone from my army along with you. Tactical reinforcements... ISDF is in no position to accept new recruits at this time.Also I'm not sure what the legality of a international military organization hiring people from alternate points in time are.
However, I'm sure Unit 13 will welcome the suggestion with arms wide open.Nodens, however, has long since stopped giving a shit about the law.
Music: Cladeon - An Undersea Shimmer
You're gonna need to ask Allie and Julietta before you can go making any new hires.
Hm? You want to accept a Lucier from Atlantis into Unit 13!?
Fine by me! I'm all for it★See?
Ohhhhhh yes.
You're too easy to persuade! But I guess having a Lucier would be nice... Those ears...
Music: UE77 In Ariake
The Atlantis recruits come with two new classes, with two new sets of portraits to go with them.
We have Rune Knight.
And Fortuner.
Skipping ahead a bit, we also get these.
The bottom screen finally sees some use!
When everyone in a row has one bar, you can drag across all of them to give a one turn buff to the front line based on what classes perform it.
While tapping someone who has two bars filled will give a free attack from them.
This attack usually has some kind of debuff attached, and dispels any buffs the enemy has. Attack? Defense? Regen? Jumping? Doesn't matter, Buddy Skills will wipe it all out.
This is the reason for that glowing health bar we've been seeing ever since Spectus: It signifies that the target has buffs we can dispel with a Buddy attack.
And heading back to 7th Encount, the Receptionist who told us about the starting classes can now give info about our new classes.
Receptionist: The Rune Knight, also known as the guardian of the party, has the highest defense of any class. With healing skills and magic barriers, they can protect both themselves and their allies. They can also use elemental magic attacks to strike enemy weaknesses.
The dedicated tank class, Rune Knights trade in the sheer brute force potential of a God Hand and instead mixes in a higher focus on taking hits and elemental damage.
...Aside from the fact that Rune Knights have some of the best ST moves in the entire game. Atlantis is where VFD's power creep really starts to set in.
Receptionist: Fortuners utilize status ailment spells and support skills to control the flow of battle. In addition to just inflicting ailments, they can also deal high damage to inflicted enemies. They can also support allies by increasing defense, healing, and reviving. Fortuners are the quickest class, but their defense and LIFE are both low, so please be careful.
Fortuners, meanwhile, mix in what bits of Trickster and Hacker weren't taken by Agent, throws in a dash of Idol, and finishes up with, of all things, some tricks from 7D1's Princess!
They also made Sacrifice good holy shit.
Anyways, with all that out of the way its now time for-