Part 24: Five-Turn Firefight

Update 18: Five-Turn Firefight



A'ight, everyone. Let's get the Duchy's mission over with.
Are...are we going to be okay? I haven't been on the team since the first two floors...
You'll be fine, Freyja. Just keep calm.
_{Why do these jerks have to get so much out of my dances? I hate going in that tree.}
Hmm. I wonder what the Flame Demon is made of...

Meet the Flame Demon party. Freyja and Sophie are the stars this time around, as they can both work together to set up incredibly high damage output with Ecstasy. Stardust is here for backup elemental damage, and Milly will make Ecstasy dish out even higher damage. Phoebe'll also render most of the Flame Demon's attacks either negligible or completely irrelevant.







Here's everyone's active skills. I kind of wish Freyja had one more level of Ecstasy, but oh well.



A-alright. Here we are. Ready to fight some kinda eternal monster.
Steel your nerves, Milly. Everyone else ready?
Ready.
Hungry.
L-let's... Let's go!



SYSTEM: Within it, you find osmething large and squat looming there.


What the HELL is that thing?!
Aw. She's all fat.
SYSTEM: Now quell your fears, draw your weapons, and slay the demon!


The world will thank us for this, you abomination!

VIDEO: Boss: Flame Demon




From the Flame Demon pre-fight overview:


Flame Demon basically comes down to: can you quickly kill the Flame Cubes? If so, great! If not, screw you, enjoy your nightmare fight. Thankfully, Stardust is a very effective Cube killer, so we don't have to worry much about that. 8790 HP is a lot to chew through, but Freyja, Milly, and Sophie will make it go by very quickly.



Phoebe has nothing to do on this first turn.



Flame Demon's weak to arm binds, so I'll have Freyja take care of that since the whip skills' bind chances and Freyja's LUC means she has a lower chance of inflicting binds than Sophie.



Stardust has opened basically opened every big fight so far with Compression, and this fight is no exception.



Milly'll basically open every fight with Warrior Song for the rest of the game.



Binding Flame Demon's head is basically a necessity, since I'll get fucked over by Madness Roar otherwise.


Get that thing outta my sight!


How... How did you tie up something that big?
Elbows are...easier to tie than you'd think.

Hee hee hee! Okay, that's one body part down.


Mmph... Mrph... Blech! I got to the brains...

Two down! Ohhhh, this is gonna be fun.



Toooooo bad!


Eh.

Phoebe still has her starting Dagger equipped, and Protectors have bad STR.



Flame Demon's arm bind will render her normal attack already basically-harmless, and Front Guard will make it laughable.



Let the fun begin, heh heh. Remember that Trance doubles damage to enemies with binds or ailments.



Stardust will do what she does best.



Milly doesn't really need to use War Song, per se, but it'll lengthen Compression's duration. I have her cast Fire Prelude on Freyja to boost her damage even further.



Let's go for the mythical 3-binds-at-once.


Try it, big-and-yellow.


Oh... Oh my. I didn't know lashing that way was so effective...
Niiiiiiice.
Oh my gods. What are you?

Eeeeeahahaha! Behold, Ecstasy! Consider that Flame Demon only has two binds currently, and Ecstasy is only level 9.


Yawn.



Aw.



It's nice...but it's not Ecstasy.



Gonna need more than that, Flame Demon.


Ew... Her leg meat tastes rotten.


Those...those binds are quite sturdy.



Stardust had Fire Prelude cast on her this turn, for comparison to her earlier Cocytus Formula.



Aw, come on, the arm bind seriously fell off? I wanted to show off the 3-bind damage!



Alright, let's just end the fight then. No point in dragging it out.



Why not?



Freyja has dealt around 4400 damage, by the way. That's just a little short of half of Flame Demon's HP.



I'm just hitting all the perfect dice rolls today.



Flame Demon's damage was already bad, but Crusade's just kicking her while she's down.


I won't lose to Freyja.
We're...we're competing?


Aaaaaah, it's looking mean!


Everything'll be fine.

This was utterly extraneous, since Flame Demon's legs are still bound.



See?


You'll be looking up, at the grass.

You have no idea how cathartic that fight was for me. Flame Demon took me around 12 tries or so on my first run, and I'm still salty about that.



We did it...!
Hm! We make an excellent team, Freyja. I wish the Flame Demon was made of tasty meat, but oh well.
Ha. It's just too easy.
SYSTEM: It is deceased beyond a doubt. No longer will it rise to terrorize High Lagaard's explorers! You have succeeded in defeating the Flame Demon which nests in the scarlet forest! You consider briefly returning to town in order to report your feat to the Grand Duchy. Though the unknown floors that lie ahead are tempting as well...
Alright, I'm kinda curious. What've we got coming up?


Um. Does anyone feel a draft coming from the stairs?




I-I-I am n-n-not dressed for this!
A-achoo! I-I'll have to pack a heavy coat next time...
Hm. Warm sun, red leaves, and then snow... I'm beginning to see a pattern here.

Living in central California, which is largely just barely above sea level, I've never had a snow day in my normal life, so I'm something of a sucker for snow environments in video games. I really like the Frozen Ground's visual design, and its music is pretty great too.


L-l-let's just go report the m-mission.



Well done! You did a marvelous job in defeating the demon. This puts you among the elite rank of explorers skilled enough to challenge the third Stratum. Not many in High Lagaard ever achieve such strength...
Hm. What'd you expect? We're the best guild in Lagaard, obviously.
Your confidence suits you, but do not get carried away as your adventures continue. Ah yes, and as Minister of the Grand Duchy, allow this old man to present your reward.



You've outdone yourself this time! It pains me to interfere with your triumph, but... Guild Lumen, will you heed an old man's request?
We're in too deep now to refuse. What's the mission this time?
I'm sure you remember your mission to help create the medicine for the Duke. But I fear the Fire Plume you retrieved for us...will not be enough.
...I beg your pardon? I thought the Panacea was made from the Fire Plume?
Only lately have we determined the other ingredients necessary to save the Duke's life. Would you be so good as to lend us your strength to find the rest of them?


We...really have no choice by this point, Minister.
Then you'll help us? Many thanks... I'll waste no more time in explaining. Your next objective, the Snow Bloom, grows on the 12th floor within the Frozen Grounds. I had assumed it woul dbe a fairly easy task, and sent in the guard corps... But not a single member has yet returned with a Snow Bloom. Guild Lume, I believe you are our best hope in the matter. Go to the 12th floor and work with the soldiers there to obtain the Snow Blooms. We need four flowers in total. I realize it's a lot to ask, but we're counting on you.

We'll tackle that once we actually reach 12F. For now, here's Dubois's 11F dialogue.

Oh, hello, explorers. You don't appear well... Are you feeling ill?
Do I--aaaaachoo!--look like I'm dressed for that new stratum?!
...Ah, so you have reached the next Stratum. From what I hear, it seems to be a forest of snow... It seems your hardships never end. The winters of High Lagaard are often very harsh. The climate can be as cruel as the monsters... It will be quite a difficult path for you, but I believe that you will be able to overcome this. I bid you good luck, and I look forward to your safe return.




Onto Hanna and Quona.

We need to pick a party more...well-dressed for the Frozen Grounds, but yeah, we're probably going back in later.
Oh, well, that's a shame. I was thinking about asking you to help me with something. There's a big sale going on nearby, and I'll need people to come with me to lend a hand. Oh, don't worry about it, I can just ask some people at the bar. It's not like they've got anything better to do. Oh... I could ask Quona to come, too. She's become so dependable these days!
She does seem to have...greater resolve, I guess, since we met her.
She looks just like I did when I was younger...so I'm a little worried to let her go on her own. Bahaha!

...Um, next I need to go buy supplies... ...Oh, it's you all... We've had a lot more customers at the inn recently... ...So I get to help with Mom's work a lot more, now... ...A-And Mom's really happy to see that. Hee hee, it makes me really happy too...




Moving over to Abigail.

I'm s-still cold. W-what do you mean by that, though?
Oh, no, it' snot that I don't believe in you! I-It's just... I'm a little worried about all of you, you know? I guess explorers are pretty used to being in dangerous situations... But please be careful, okay?
We always are, Abigail. Don't worry.



Crimson Staff (+65 ATK, +3 TEC, Normal attacks become Bash+Fire) is unlocked by selling 1 Small Wings. The TEC bonus is slightly more than what we've been getting on staves so far, so it's probably a good idea to put one on Alchemists and Sovereigns.




Let's check in on Regina, too.

D-did my sh-shivering give it away?
You're still feeling cold? This is probably something Realga should look at...
In colder areas, animals tend to store more fat in their bodies, and vegetables tend to be sweeter, too. In harsher environments, living things store more nutrients within their bodies to keep them going. ...Aren't you going to go back into the Labyrinth and get me more ingredients...?
Not with this party.
Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to rush you... It's just... I'm kind of anxious to get to work on new recipes.



I've only just gotten all the ingredients of the 2nd Stratum, so let's get cracking at cooking.



Fanged Sandwich is made with 1 Vine Head (Fanged Vine) and 4 Stiff Leg Meats (Giant Moa), and slightly raises the amount of materials you get from gathering points. It's 100% outclassed by the Yggdrasil Bud Tea.



Autumn Pot-au-feu is made with 4 Scarlet Yams (Auburn Thicket Mine) and 3 Boar Thighs (Raging Boar), and it builds Force every few steps you take in the Labyrinth. It does nothing if someone's Force is broken. Absolute trash.



Persimmon Pudding is made with 3 Red Persimmons (Auburn Thicket Chop), 2 Liquid Red Gels (Red Gel), and 2 Dragon Fruits (Attack Cactus), and slightly raises the rate at which you encounter rare breeds. That's probably the least efficient way of using food to help with grinding.



Gibier Curry Rice is made with 3 Deer Shoulders (Actaeon), 3 Scarlet Yams (Auburn Thicket Mine), and 1 Root Chili (Auburn Thicket Mine). It increases the entire party's max HP by 50%, and it's incredibly useful, especially with a team that's already very durable.



Odd Ishiyaki Pot is made with 1 Strange Stone (Odd Statue), and 4 Stiff Leg Meats (Giant Moa), and turns Bravants and Stonards into row-target instead of single-target. Meh.



Boar Tonjiru is made with 4 Boar Thighs (Raging Boar) and 3 Leeks (Auburn Thicket Take). It adds an Ice element to your entire party's attacks for 1 turn, and it's as useless as the last elemental attack food was.



Chestnut Chakin Shibori is made with 4 Oni Chestnuts (Auburn Thicket Chop) and 4 Scarlet Yams (Auburn Thicket Mine). It slightly increases the chance of getting Active Grimoire Chances. Yawn.



Autumn Dango is made with 2 Liquid Red Gels (Red Gel), 2 Small Soybeans (Auburn Thicket Take), and 2 Dragon Fruits (Attack Cactus). It triples the damage enemies take from Curse, which is useful for the handful of enemies that have conditionals tied to dying to Curse damage.



Mala Inferno Pot is made with 2 Fire Heartwoods (Tree Sponge), 5 Deer Shoulders (Actaeon), and 1 Root Chili (Auburn Thicket Mine). It reduces the damage your party takes from status ailments--this halves the damage taken from Poison and Curse, and cuts the TP lost from Fear in half.



Sweet and Sour Moa is made with 4 Stiff Leg Meats (Giant Moa) and 2 Leeks (Auburn Thicket Take), and blocks all ailments thrown at your party for 3 turns after the start of a fight. Very useful for quite a few boss fights if you don't have a Sovereign or high-level War Magus.



Chestnut Moon Cake is made with 2 Oni Chestnuts (Auburn Thicket Chop), 4 Small Soybeans (Auburn Thicket Take), and 2 Scarlet Yams (Auburn Thicket Mine), and greatly increases the entire party's resistance to leg binds. There's a few bosses that seriously screw you over with leg binds, so this can be useful.



Dragon Jelly is made with 2 Dragon Fruits (Attack Cactus) and 3 Red Persimmons (Auburn Thicket Chop), and greatly increases the entire party's resistance to Paralysis. See my note above.



I also made some town improvements, since it's been a long while since the last time.



New advertising campaign, too.




With that out of the way, let's chat up Marion.

I've seen it with my own eyes...but it makes me wonder what kind of forces are causing such a drastic difference in climate.
I'd personally be willing to settle with "magic tree."
You might not be aware, but the winters here can be fairly harsh. Make sure you're prepared. You'll catch colds if you try to keep exploring in thin clothes like those.
...Freyja and Milly are here, and you describe their clothes as "thin." Okay.
Scarves might help too. Well, that's all I have to say for now. Try to avoid any unnecessary risks.




And last on the Talk list, Cass.

Everyone's talking 'bout that huge fiend yeh beat down on the 10th floor! Go on! Tell us yer story!
I...I think it's safe to say I did most of the work...
The rest of us just kind of sat back and helped a bit.
Oh c'mon, don't hold out on us. This ain't the time for modesty. Go on! Yeh got an audience here!
I ain't much of a storyteller, Cass. The fight wasn't that interestin', anyway.
...Yeh really just gonna sit there and act like it ain't a big deal? Man... Yeh're no fun at all! Yeh kids need to learn how to let loose. Work's fine, but so's relaxing...so c'mon! Let's chat!



Lotta bar patrons this time around.

Adventurers in matching gear:

Ey, have a drink! C'mon! You drinkin'? We just got back from...from...*sob*
*sob* The hell was that thing? What did we do t'deserve this...
See, it's that Snow Ghost, right? Spooky bastards. A ton of 'em just came at us.
An' we got 'em all except one, y'see?
And guess what happened!? Y'know what it did?
It...it...it biggified! Got all huge!
...I know we cornered it... I know that it's tryin' t'survive too, y'know? I'm reasonable. But...still, goin' all biggified...!?
*sob* ...I don't get it. We were in for a big one back there... A really big one. Y'know. Literal-like.
...Okay then. _{A talking tiger? I've seen that Medic somewhere before, too...}

We'll see Snow Ghosts once we start going into the stratum.

Fidgeting hunter:

Oh? You're from Lumen, yeah? I'm Marmott. Heard you've been looking after our little troublemaker.
...Huh?
...I guess that's not much to go on. Well, you know that idiot you always see collapsed at the bar? Tramonte? I'm in her guild. That moron isn't even here today... You hear what happened? She was trying to get a Sliced Forewing, all slashing away at a Jumbo Dragonfly...and of course she got slashed instead. It was for Lilly this time, too... Does she really need to try that hard for her? Honsetly, I don't even get why she likes Lilly so much.

Another hint about conditionals. We get it for free this time.

Bizarrely-dressed merchant:

Bam! Look at this, Flash Grenade! You know about this?
Yep.
Whoa, I guess my competition's rough here. Adventurers really are well-informed.

One-eyed gunner:

I've just heard some more bad news... I'm...I'm sorry that I'm being so gloomy. A lot of people come from far and wide to this town of High Lagaard. As long as you have a good reason, like adventuring, they accept you as a denizen of the Duchy... A godsend for travelers. But as a result...so many end up gone. Some simply don't fit in, and take their leave, but so many others...end up...
...
...You've been in High Lagaard for some time, now. Maybe you've noticed it too. With each day that passes...even here, in the bar...the familiar faces vanish, one by one...
I don't think I'll ever forget...having to help bury Hrothgar and Wulfgar...

Conversations like these always seemed off to me. It just doesn't really mesh well with what exploring's like from the player's perspective. Kinda reminds me of Almaz's death in Disgaea 3 and the sudden serious tone every character took--just doesn't really match the rest of the game's tone, y'know?

Boy with a stick:

Do you know about Lumen? All my friends say they're really cool now.
Do they now?
I wanna meet them. I wonder what kind of people they are... Who do y'think's stronger? Them, or Esbat?
Hmm... I'd say they're equal.
My friend says Esbat is definitely stronger, but I think them and Lumen would be pretty evenly matched, right!? ...I never met them, though! Eheheh.



The 11F quests. The bottom one is another Ginnungagap quest.

Haw! Figured yeh'd take that one. It's got yer name all over it. The ruins yeh went to--the place called Ginnungagap... They want yeh to explore through it a little more.
Aw, come on, that musty pit again?
I ain't too clear on the details, but from the sounds of things, it used to be a sacred place of some kind. And obviously the Palace ain't gonna tolerate monsters stinkin' up some old sanctuary. So they want yeh to go further into the ruins. Check out the 2nd floor, and if yeh find any monsters, shut 'em down. There's stairs on the first level that'll take yeh to the 2nd floor. Remember to be careful, yeh lot.

Next, The iron-walled garrison:

Oh, yeh saw that quest? The reward is a Garrison piece! The client owns a shop, and I hear he's a collector of the Master Craftsman's pieces. He's sayin' that he'll trade yeh his Garrison if yeh bring him the pieces he wants. But there are two problems...
Of course.
The first is that the requester wants 5 Guard pieces...
Five?!
The second would be that I got no idea where yeh could possibly find 5 Guard pieces... Yeh lot do have one Guard already, but yeh can't just give him up if yeh want to trade up to a Princess... So I guess yer only option is to just go find 5 more Guard pieces so yeh can reach the Princess! Haw haw!

Lastly, A culinary crusade:

Oh, so...about that quest... C'mere for a second.
Somethin' bothering you, Cass?
Can't have anyone hearin' this. That quest is from someone kinda high up. Apparently it's a matter of international affaris, so...can't really yap about it here.
I-i-international affairs?! Why are they posting this as a quest?
There's a seat saved for the VIP in the corner, so go ask the fella in that seat. ...Make sure yeh really try on this one, yeh lot.


Oh, are you not Lumen? The same one that shares a close relationship with FOEbucks?
We effectively run the place.
Well, well, well! Please take a seat. Hey, owner. Three more plates of spare ribs, if you don't mind? You should eat, too. It's hardly the classiest place, but the food is magnificent. Now, the quest... The owner must have told you as much, but since it is a rather delicate matter, I can't offer too much background... ...You see, an important figure from a country nearby is scheduled to visit this town soon. He quite enjoys walking around to eat, and he really likes the town stores. But I'm afraid he has very particular tastes. Not just any dish will do...
Hmm. So where do we come in?
And so...I would like you to bring this recipe to Miss Regina at FOEbucks.



Oh, hello there, free recipe book.

If Miss Regina is able to cook all these dishes, then our guest is bound to be thrilled! I would like to ask you to support her in this endeavor. Think of it as...a natrual extension of the Minister's requests, mm? Once she has mastered every dish on this menu, could you please come back and report to me? Oh! Right, right... I'll repeat myself just in case. This is a secret from Minister Dubois, so...use discretion.

It'll be a while before we can cook every recipe in Western Food 3.

So taking on The iron-walled garrison triggers this when we walk into Sitoth next:


Wait, hold on, I just need to clean this area first... Oh no! S-Sorry, I slipped, I was just organizing today's incoming items. After I clean them, I have to give them to my father so he can check their condition. Some stuff needs repairs, and some things need to be cleaned. We need to make sure everything we sell is beautiful!
That shipment wouldn't happen to have any chess pieces, would it?
Huh? A chess piece? Hmm... Oh, that reminds me, my father did leave a few on the shelves... Phew... Wow, this is really beautiful... This is by that Master Craftsman! There's 5 total pieces here, wearing the armor of High Lagaard's Guards.
WE'LL BUY THEM RIGHT NOW. How much are they?!
Oh, the price? P-Please wait, let me go check... W-Wow...these are pretty expensive! It says that it'll be 2500 en for the full set of 5...
We'll take it!
Um... 500, 1000, 1500... Yes, that's exactly 2500 en! Thank you very much! I'll explain it to my father, so it'll be fine! I'll do my best! Here, this is yours now! Take a look around the store, and let me know if there's anything else you need!




Oh, yeh're back. Haw, did yeh manage to get 'em? Don't be so modest, just lemme see. Heh...never thought I'd see a whole five of 'em together. Look at 'em. lined up all nice and neat. Awright, this is yer reward. Yeh did a great job! Awright then, I'll see yeh next time!



We now have two of the five chess pieces.



Ice Wall now costs 14 TP instead of 16.



I max out Ecstasy since the TP increase was only 6, and Freyja probably won't be casting it too often anyway.



Minor boost to Inferno Formula.



Putting more points into Fire Prelude.



And lastly, maxing out Blinding Curse.