Part 13: The King's Roar Sounds

Update 8: The King's Roar Sounds

Alright! We're taking out Chimaera and getting revenge today! Everyone ready?!
Aye, didn't ya start advertisin' Deer Steak for a quest? I feel like we've been trainin' long enough that it'd be finished.
Yes, let's go check the cafe!
We're only getting a small bit of food, and then we're going in. 'Kay?
...fine.



To start the update, I ended up grinding in the Labyrinth long enough to finish the Deer Steak ad campaign at FOEbucks.




Yes, food can run out after an ad campaign, if you only had 1 measure of one or more ingredients left.

When we leave FOEbucks:


SYSTEM: It was a request that asked you to advertise the Deer Steak to the people of the South Ward. Through your advertising efforts, you have fulfilled the request! Head to the bar and report your results!




I do exactly that, because most of the party is close enough to a level up, which I very much want before fighting Chimaera.

Ah, yeh're back! Good work! Yeh've done a great job! The moment I told 'em that I got the same Deer Steak FOEbucks does, they started sellin' like hotcakes! Hell, better than actual hotcakes! They're goin' so fast I'm gonna have to get some more ingredients! Good thing I asked yeh to help me with this request, eh? Thanks, yeh lot! This'll be yer reward! Quit starin' at me like that and take it. Haw haw haw!



Fortune Scarabs guarantee that you'll get a Grimoire during a Grimoire Chance. Meh. The big problem with the Fortune Scarab is that it's still up to the RNG what you'll actually get.



And we get a few level ups.



Sophie's build. I maxed out Venom Curse to make getting the Poison Wing from Chimaera less painful, and put her leftover points into Frailty Curse, which was...kind of a waste, for reasons you'll see later.



Tyler's build. I go all in on Spear Assist, as it's his best damage option for Chimaera.



I maxed out Heal Mastery on Realga, which unlocked Overheal. Overheal is an amazing goddamn skill. It's basically a charge skill, but for healing skills. When you use it, the next healing skill the user casts will not only heal more, but it can boost the max HP of whoever it heals for one turn if it'd heal more than their normal max HP, up to a certain percent of the target's normal max HP based on Overheal's level. It's too low a level to really be useful for Chimaera, but Realga will be getting plenty of use out of it when she gets more levels of it.



Stardust's build. Compression is an attack buff that makes any all-target skills single-target only, but it gives them a massive damage boost to compensate.



Jackie's build. Charged Ice got another level since we last saw her, boosting its damage quite a bit while increasing the TP cost to 20.



The Chimaera-slaying party's equipment.



And their Grimoires. I spent a little bit grinding up Grimoires for the party, as well as found a level 8 Warrior Song through Grimoire Trade. The most important ones are the Venom Curse level 6, boosting the level to 16, and Spear Assist level 8, bringing the level to 17.


Sophie... Did you seriously eat that Venomfly meal? What part of it looked appetizing?
Consuming the Venomfly gives me its power.
That's not how food works.

The Poison Damage 2x food will be very, very important in getting Chimaera's conditional.



Everyone ready? The beast's behind this door!
Are you sure you can't treat Wulfgar, Realga...?
I'm a field medic, Jackie, not a vet. Wulfgar's wounds are too grievous for me to do anything. Anything I'd do would just make him suffer longer.
...let's go. The least we can do for Wulfgar is bring him peace before he passes on.
Let's begin, then.


Gods! Yeh weren't kiddin' about Chimaera's size, Jackie.
What have I gotten myself into?
It looks...scrumptious.

There's two Vampire Bats that each patrol a straight line above the rubble piles, but I cleared them out before coming in. I didn't want to have to deal with them during the Chimaera fight. The fights were nothing interesting, not worth documenting.

Also ignore the really badly incomplete map, I didn't fully map out the room before going in.


Hm. It's very swift for such a large monster.
It's even worse than the deer and dinosaurs...
Wait, is that a pit to our left?


Is Chimaera dumb enough to...


How do yeh fall for a trap inside the room yeh spend all day and all night in?
Even the smartest of monsters we've come across are still pretty dumb.
There's more pits. Can we lure it in again?




Good gods, this beast's thick.
Lucky for us.

VIDEO: Boss Fight: Chimaera


YOU'RE GONNA PAY, CHIMAERA!
Ready, Real?
As ready as I'll ever be. Let's go!
At last...!
With me, Sophie! CHARRRRRRGE!

I very much recommend you watch the video instead of reading the screenshot version of the fight. If you don't want to, though, then:



At least listen to the music. Scarlet Rain was a pretty okay track in its DS and PC-88 versions, but the Untold arranged version is really, really good.

And, copy-pasting from my pre-fight overview:




Much like the Raptors, you can start the fight with Chimaera while it's in a pit, and you can get a (pointless) preemptive if you approach it from the back. Starting the fight this way also automatically binds Chimaera's legs.



Sophie'll start by both using her Force Boost to make inflicting stuff easier, and trying to bind Chimaera's arms. If Chimaera's arms and legs are bound, its only option for attacking is Great Blaze, which I can very easily handle.



Tyler will start by using his Force Boost to give himself a 50% damage boost (I don't really care about the heal right now), and using Spear Assist. Spear Assist pretty much always goes last, and deals Stab+Element damage based on the last elemental attack used. We want to take advantage of Chimaera's Ice weakness as much as possible.



No-one needs healing, and I'm deliberately waiting on casting Warrior Song, so Realga'll just help deal a little damage by tossing jars at Chimaera. Chimaera doesn't resist Fire, so these Fire Jars have a use here.



Stardust will use Compression.



Jackie starts off with her Force Boost and Charged Ice. It's not as much as Stardust deals, but it's still good damage. We'll also need Supreme Bolt in a few turns, anyway.


Is...is that actually helping?


Its arms...have no fat on them...they're just meat...!
Ha! Simple, yet effective. I like yer style, Sophie!
Sh-she just bit Chimaera's arms...

Genuinely wasn't expecting that to work. Abdomen Curse is only level 2, and Creeping Curse only helps so much.


That wasn't even the good ammo!


Focus...


HEEEARRGH! How's a freezin' spear feel?!

Hero Battle heals the entire party for 25% of whatever damage the Highlander deals with spears.



Sophie'll switch over to trying to inflict Venom Curse on Chimaera. Chimaera resists poison, but hopefully Creeping Curse will help offset that.



Tyler's using Spear Assist again, so I didn't screen that. Realga will cast Warrior Song now that Stardust has cast Compression; the reason for this lies with how buffs of the same type stack. I'll explain in greater detail in a later mechanics post.



Now that Compression is active, Stardust activates Analysis (boosts damage that an enemy is weak to by 65%) and starts spamming Cocytus Formula. Jackie does the same thing as last turn.


Hold still! Your ribs are tantalizing...

Feh. Figured that'd happen.


Uh, erm... M-Mass destruction, yeah...?
Ha! Stick ta healin' us!



Chimaera'll get out of the hole on the 2nd turn, although it won't actually do anything.


I've only made snow before, but ice is just as easy.





While Sophie tries to poison Chimaera again, I have Tyler use Gae Bolg; I don't think the fight will run long enough that his Force will be able to regenerate, and he doesn't have enough TP to use Spear Assist.



Realga will try to fix that. Amritas heal 50 TP, so Tyler'll be brought back up to full TP.



Stardust does the same thing, while Jackie'll use Supreme Bolt since her Force Boost is on its last turn. Unless I get supremely unlucky, it'll stun Chimaera and buy myself a free turn.


HERE'S the good ammo!


All of yeh, lend me yer aid!



It's not as much damage as Spear Assist would've been, but it didn't cost any TP. Gae Bolg consumes the party's HP for an all-target untyped attack. Yes, untyped, not Stab. It's bugged.


Tyler, catch!


Aye, thanks! That's good medicine.


The Venomfly's knowledge flows through me, into you!
Sh-she poisoned the thing just by eating it...

And now the battle's basically over.


Chimaera seems like it's in great pain.
As I intended.

The power of a high-level Venom Curse plus the poison 2x food.



Yeah, this isn't going to take long. The only thing Chimaera can do is use Menacing Roar or Great Blaze, neither of which I'm that worried about.



Sophie's job is basically done. I had her cast Frailty Curse to give a little more damage to everyone.



Realga goes back to chucking jars.



Eschaton will deal more damage than anything else Stardust can do, and I'm reasonably confident the battle'll end soon.


Soon, you will fall...


Haha! It can't even lift its arms! How's it feel, Chimaera?!

If an enemy tries to use a skill that requires a bound body part, it'll just do nothing.


Behold, my ultimate light show!


Seems like the beast's almost dead! Let's finish this!



I love Venom Curse.



I have Sophie start tossing jars along with Realga. Her TEC's high enough that she'll deal about the same damage as Realga.



Chimaera's not long for life, anyway. It can use Double Strike now, but that's not going to save it.



Or it could waste the only turn it could've done something.


G'night, yeh ungodly horror!


Revenge!



Conditional drop get! Don't expect this for the later bosses, though.



SYSTEM: Well done! You have defeated the loathsome Chimaera! A sense of accomplishment wells up within you, as a beast's howl reaches you from far away. The howl nags at you... It seems familiar somehow. If you can remember what it is, you can try returning to the place where it emanated.
...you guys map out this room. I'm gonna go see Wulfgar.
Was this Hrothgar really that great a man?
He and Wulfgar helped us not die to the dinosaurs on 2F and 3F. Marion said that Beowulf was known for helping younger guilds.
Hm. A hero in his own way, eh. Shame he had t' die in the Labyrinth, without anyone who knew him.
That's the Labyrinth, I guess. It takes heroes and villains alike.


SYSTEM: There was a lonely beast with pleading eyes here before...
Wulfgar?


SYSTEM: He seems to sense that his longtime enemy has been defeated, and wears a peaceful expression.
You heard us fighting Chimaera, huh? Well, we avenged Hrothgar.
SYSTEM: Wulfgar barks quietly in thanks, and paws his collar as if offering it as a gift.


Your collar...? Wulfgar, are you sure? ...Wulfgar...?


SYSTEM: And with that, Wulfgar breathes his last. The peace on Wulfgar's face makes you want to believe that you were able to satisfy him.
Did his wounds finally get him?
...yeah. Should we at least give him and Hrothgar proper burials?
I'll go ask the others to look for Hrothgar in the other room.
SYSTEM: You offer a silent prayer. You spend some time burning into your hearts the fact that the guild called Beowulf truly left their mark on this world.


Well, no sense in grieving forever. Let's go see what the Labyrinth's got in store for us.



And we are done with the 1st Stratum. We'll be coming back for some other stuff later on, but as far as the story is concerned, we're finished with it.




My gods, that's a pretty sight.
Hmm. Different strata have different climates. Feels like fall now.

Auburn Thicket might not have the most interesting of environment designs, but I really like the choice of colors in it, especially with regards to how far-away elements fade into fog.


SYSTEM: A violet light rises from the center of the room, surrounded by poles. As you wonder what it might be, you sense a presence behind you and turn to face it.


SYSTEM: You find a woman with flowing black hair standing behind you. Her large eyes, which are reminiscent of a mischevious animal, gaze upon you.
Our guild is almost a month old...but, yes, for all intents and purposes, we are new.
Let me guess... You're standing there wondering what that thing is.
Kinda, yeah.
SYSTEM: The woman, who must have been observing you, switches her gaze to the pillar of light.


You can use these to go back to High Lagaard in a flash. Isn't that amazing?
Yeh bet it's amazin'! Saves us a lot of footwork goin' to and from the start.
It works the other way, too. You can come back to Geomagnetic Poles instantly from the city. Just don't ask me how it works. The Labyrinth has tons of mysteries, and no one knows everything about it. The point is, this Geomagnetic Pole is useful, so don't be afraid of it.
SYSTEM: Having said that, the woman walks closer to the Geomagnetic Pole and raises her hand to the light.
That's all for my special lesson to you. This was your first one, so it's on the house. Feel free to say hi if you ever see me around. Well then, bye!
Wait, we didn't get your--


--name.
SYSTEM: She must have used the Geomagnetic Pole to return to town. You may try using the Geomagnetic Pole as she did, or continue your journey deeper into the Labyrinth.
The Duchy will want to know about Hrothgar and Chimaera's deaths. We should go back.
Yeah. I'm tired, anyway...
What time is it? How long until dinner?



As the woman said, Geomagnetic Poles are very useful. They're basically checkpoints that show up at the start of every stratum, and allow you to jump to and from town, as well as save. I personally haven't used the save function much, but it's there.



In any case, we head back to town to turn in the mission.



I've heard that Chimaera is no more. Allow this old man to thank you with all his heart for your exquisite work! Well done, well done! On the Grand Duchy's behalf, I present you with this reward.



A tidy sum.



And level ups across the board...which I forgot to actually use for the rest of the update. Oh well.

Since we reached a new floor, Dubois has new Talk dialogue:

Ah, so you have defeated the king of beasts, and are proceeding to the next floor! Very well done! A forest of crimson leaves...
Yeh've been there before?
Yes, I know of it. Soon after the Labyrinth's entrance was first found, we entered as well. I led a legion of guards...and so many fell victim to the monsters there... The very memory makes a chill run through me. After losing half our men, we realized that it was too dangerous to proceed any further, and stopped our expedition.
Half a garrison of soldiers wiped out. Yikes. So yeh stopped at the Auburn Thicket?
The very place that we turned back, among the crimson leaves, is where you have just reached. With just the five of you...you reached the point where our journey ended. I expect no less from such experienced explorers. Ah, forgive me. I ought not to dwell on the past. I look forward to your safe return.




Marion's 6F dialogue:
Hm...? Oh, it's you. I heard that you've moved on from the first stratum--good work. What do you think of the new stratum? The sea of scarlet leaves is a beautiful sight, isn't it...?
It's certainly a nice change of scenery.
Don't get too distracted, though. In new environments, you'll also encounter new monsters. They'll be a lot more dangerous than the enemies you're used to. Well, that's all I have to say for now. Try to avoid any unnecessary risks.




I don't check up on the bar patrons or the new quests yet. I do Talk to Cass, though.

Oh, it's yeh lot. Yeh got to the second Stratum, eh? Well, damn! I owe someone 500 ental!
Oh, that's just mean. You should've at least bet 2,000 ental on us!
Is it really made of burnin' trees? I mean, wouldn't the animals livin' there get fried?
C-Cass...that's not even close. The forest just seems like it's in eternal fall.
What's goin' on? Eh? That ain't it? They're red, but they're not burning...? Oh. Meh. That ain't as interestin'. Anyways, the Lumen Guild is getting to be pretty famous now. But don't get too full of yerself and let yer guard down. I'm expectin' great things from yeh lot!
We're gettin' famous?! Heh-ha! Are people talkin' about me and my spear yet?!




Onto Regina.

I heard that you guys made it to a new stratum... That's very good news. I'm excited to think that there might be new ingredients there... Well, what are you doing standing around here? Hurry up and go get me some new ingredients--
I want to eat new food as much as you want to make it, but we can only go so fast.
Oh, sorry. Didn't mean to rush you... ...It's just... I'm kind of anxious to get to work on new recipes.




And over to Sitoth Trading to offload Chimaera's drops and Talk to Abigail.

I heard you've reached the second forest. You're all so incredible... Congratulations! A lot of people ask me about you these days. Everyone wants to know what kind of weapons and armor you're all using! Hee hee, but I have to be honest with them--I tell them it's not the equipment that makes you so amazing!
Aw, thanks, Abigail. That's the kindest compliment I've gotten all day.
...It's nice that the store's getting more popular, but it just wouldn't be right to take advantage of them! My dad agrees with me. He says it's best to be honest with your customers! So I'm going to keep working hard! Oh, please take your time and look around!



Kagenui is unlocked by selling the Brute Tail. It's a really nice upgrade from the last bow we got, a few floors ago.



Zamiel Bow is unlocked by selling the Poison Wing. I feel obligated to note that all boss conditionals in the original EO2 sold for 30,000en. Here, it only sold for 780 en. Not only was the Poison Wing much harder to get than it was in EO2, it's worth a measly 2.6% of what it was.

Oh man, that's a nice bow. Nadia'd probably like that. How much is it--


Ye gods.
A-Abigail, did you write down the right price for that bow?

The Zamiel Bow is basically the ultimate bow. It's intended to be bought in the postgame. As such, it costs an amount appropriate for when you can grind several tens of thousands of ental easily. Basically, Atlus nerfed conditional boss drops in almost every single possible way. This is why I said it wasn't really worth getting the Poison Wing aside from not having to do it later.



The Kagenui is obviously a much smaller upgrade compared to the Zamiel Bow, but it's still nice. I'll buy it for Nadia if she gets put in the party.




And to close out the update, we check in on Hanna and Quona.

I heard that the forest's leaves go red after the 6th floor... Is that true?
Not just any kind of red, but a beautiful shade of red!
...So it is true! Must be quite a sight. The color changes depending on the floor... But they all grow from the same roots, don't they? Very mysterious, if you ask me. I see the Labyrinth every day, but I suppose you don't see anything if you just look from here. You lovelies really are something else!


...You beat a scary monster called the Chimaera, right? Were you okay? Weren't you scared...?
Nah! It's all in a day's work, haha.
Oh... I-I guess you're pretty used to the Labyrinth by now, and it's always dangerous... ...Even though the Labyrinth is so scary, you keep going in, no matter what... You really are amazing...