Part 45: Moths: Worse Than Spiders

Update 36: Moths: Worse Than Spiders



SYSTEM: It looks almost like an empty pond. The basin is filled not with water, but sand, and dead plants are scattered on top. Do you remember the quest you accepted at the bar for bringing the crystalline Wood Rose back? Perchance the dunes before your eyes make up the sandland that is said to give birth to the famed Wood Rose. You can choose to dig your hands into the sandland to search and see if anything lies within.
Alright, people, start digging!
SYSTEM: You split up to sift through the sand. To your chagrin, however, the sand is fairly deep... It won't be easy to find anything here.
Rrer!
SYSTEM: As the search progresses, you at last feel a hardened object under your spade. Taking care not to lose it, you pry around the area to dig it up.
Rrr-ooh...
SYSTEM: It's a beautiful, peach-toned crystal in the shape of rose petals curled into a ball. Its resemblance to an organic, blooming rose is uncanny...
I see why the guy thinks this is the solution he's looking for.
Think it'll actually work?
Ahaha, hell no. If the last two didn't work, what'll make this time any different?



Back we go, then.



A-Ahh... Yeh're back. I meant to talk to yeh about that request... Wait, yeh found it!? I hate to be the one to tell yeh, but the request was canceled.
Wait, what?
Yeh're not gonna believe this... I barely believe it myself! Those two are getting married! After I sent yeh on yer way, that tosser came in, and I gave him a piece of my mind. “Have yeh no pride!?" I said to him. “All a real man needs to woo a woman is his own body!" And what happens then? The tosser comes back, lady on his arm!
You're kidding me. You literally have to be kidding me. I refuse to believe this happened.
He thanked me for giving him the guts to come out and propose to her. And listen to this... She'd already fallen for him the moment she saw him!
What would someone see in a man as desperate as that?
What does she see in him!? That's what I'd like to know! According to her, she didn't want any fancy gifts, just an honest display of love. I couldn't believe my ears! She didn't want anything!? Does such a lass really exist!?
...Plenty of them exist.
But sure enough... That's how the request was canceled. I feel terrible for yeh lot. ...Just between yeh and me... We're mates, right? Well, I've a proposition of my own. If yeh don't need this...rose thingy, I feel bad enough that I'll buy it off yeh.
Ohohohoho, does big, bad Cass have his eyes on someone?
No, that isn't why! Yeh're way off base! I just feel bad for yeh lot, is all... Look, I'll just buy it, okay!?
Hard to say no to a proposition like that, thank you very much!
Here's yer money, and all sales are final. Now go home already! Till next time...


I know, I know, it's for the guild coffers.
Eh, wha?

A very nice infusion of money and some really good EXP. I'd say the reward is disproportionate to the effort we put in, in our favor, but oh well.



I opt to have Freyja max out the basic whip skills just to get some extra damage and bind chance out of them.



I don't spend Asriel's skill point because he's going to be taking a rest very, very soon.



I want to increase the range of Unbind and Refresh on Realga, due to certain enemies we'll be running into soon.



Torpor Curse gets an extra 1% to its base chance.




Well, I had to explain the Explorers Guild options at some point.

Retire unlocks once a character reaches level 30. Using it basically deletes that character, but then lets you make a new character at either half of the retired character's level, or level 30, whatever's lowest. The character created from retiring will, in exchange for all of this, extra skill points and extra base stats.

quote:

Retired at:
30 to 39: +4 skill points, +1 all stats
40 to 49: +5 skill points, +2 all stats
50 to 59: +6 skill points, +3 all stats
60 to 69: +7 skill points, +4 all stats
70 to 98: +8 skill points, +5 all stats
99: +10 skill points, +10 all stats

As you can see, retiring at 99 gives a huge boost to the resulting character, but it is really not worth it beforehand.

Alter Class (I just call it reclassing) is available at any time. Reclassing a character will reduce their level by 5, but also let you pick new class (excluding Beast and Fafnir; neither of those classes can be reclassed into or reclassed out of). Unlike retiring, the character will keep their name and portrait, as well as their base stats and stat growths. What you essentially get out of reclassing is access to a class's level 11-20 skills and their Force skills, with the old class's stats.

Rest reduces a character's level by 2, unequips all of their equipment and Grimoires, and resets their skill point allocations. This is what I'm about to do to Asriel, since Horse Slash is starting to fall off at this point.

Dismiss permanently deletes a character from the guild roster. It really is as simple as that.

Rename lets you change someone's name, pretty obviously. In EO2 and EO3, renaming, unbelievably, cost 1000 en to do, but EO4 changed it so that renaming is free. A good change, because there's no gameplay reason for renaming to cost money.



Notice how Ranger's options are different. Story mode characters (which Ranger technically is since I used NG+ on a Story save to get him) can't be renamed or dismissed, and retiring is referred to as "training." Also, as mentioned above, Ranger can't reclass out of Fafnir.


Think I'll...have a nice dream...
Does a nap need to be that dramatic...?



So now Asriel's two levels lower and had all his stuff unequipped (it just gets put back in our inventory, thankfully), but more importantly...



All his skill points are now reset.



The major changes are:

• No points in Phys ATK Up or Pre-Initiative
  
• Horse Slash is down to 3 from 10
  
• Upward Slash is maxed out, up from 1
  
• Swallow Strike is now maxed out instead of not learned at all

I opted to invest more in Upward Slash so I lose out on as little damage as necessary when setting up Upper Stance (a level 10 Upward Slash deals 210% damage, compared to a level 1 which only deals 100%). Flame Grater's also still maxed out.

Swallow Strike is Asriel's new main skill. Those of you familiar with EO2 will remember it as Midareba, and it's been nerfed quite a bit from that game. Firstly, the damage hasn't scaled up that much compared to EO2, meaning it kind of loses out given that most enemies have massively higher HP totals now. Secondly, and most importantly, Swallow Strike has a base accuracy penalty now, meaning that each hit has a higher-than-average chance to miss. It's not THAT bad a penalty (-4 at 1-4, -3 at 5-9, -1 at 10-20), but it'll still miss more than most other skills.

At level 10, Swallow Strike costs 22 TP, and deals 3 hits of 125% damage--375% damage total. With a level 10 Upper Stance, that's boosted to 431% damage.



At this point, I did a LOT of offscreen grinding to get some better Grimoires for everyone else, and dumped like 200+ level 1-5 Grimoires into Grimoire Recycle, and got this piece of junk.



I also traded this duplicate Overheal Grimoire for a lv8 Phys DEF Up for Ursa.



And here's everyone's latest Grimoire loadouts. This update is going to be a pretty good lesson in why taking high-level Grimoire-boosted skills into normal exploration isn't that great an idea.




Incidentally, here's Abigail's quest dialogue.

You accepted the quest? Thank you so much for your continued help! What I want to ask for today is...materials for a new weapon my dad is thinking of building. Um, he needs...
5 Century Shells, and 2 Plum Quills! It does sound a bit challenging...but would you still be willing to do it? I'll be watching the shop, so just sell them to me like usual when you collect them! I'll be waiting here. Thank you so much!

We already know that Century Shells come from Metal Tortoises, but Plum Quills come from an enemy we'll see soon.




No time like the present. Let's get going.


Okay, all we need to do is is get Jackie a really big cannon, get someone some really heavy fireproof clothing, and then shoot straight towards that chest.
Um, could we maybe just wait until we reach that part of the floor?
Someone doesn't see the value of instant gratification, I see.



No...! I thought I eliminated the mother of those vile creatures!
Oh my gods, Asriel, they're spiders. Give it a rest.
Exactly.


Venomous Spider
HP: 398, STR: 33, TEC: 26, VIT: 24, AGI: 25, LUC: 28
Skills:

• Binding String: Uses the head. Attempts to bind each party member's head, arms, and legs, with a 20% base chance. Has a 70% speed modifier.

Drops:

• Normal: Sticky Web. 50% chance. Sells for 287 en. 1 needed to make Spider Web (+105 ATK).
  "Sticky web spun by a Venomous Spider. Drying it makes it workable into weapons."
  
• Conditional: Bound Mandible (Kill while head is bound). 80% chance. Sells for 404 en. 1 needed to make Head Guard (Immunity to head binds).
  "A mandible now bound an unable to spit web. Its razor sharpness remains threatening."
  
• Ingredient: Spider Carcass. 1 given. 1 needed to make Fried Whole Spider (Chinese Food 4; protects party from one instance of mortal damage for 3 turns).
  "A lifeless spider."

Damage resistances:
100% 100% 100% 125% 100% 100%
Disable resistances:
100% 100% 150% 100% 100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%

A spider that hunts in the woods. Stop it from spinning its web...

Venomous Spiders are capable of making quite a lot of encounters considerably more annoying, either by binding your front liners' arms, or your casters' heads. Not much else to them.



Demonstrating how much Asriel's new Upper Slash levels hurt. It's still minor damage, but I'm still losing less damage when Asriel doesn't have a stance compared to before.



This is also the point in the game where I start advocating for Torpor Curse over Venom Curse, since canceling out one or more enemy turns and getting extra damage on them from a physical damage dealer is worth a lot more now than poison damage.


Waking up to your death's gotta be really awful.


There, that's one spider dead.
Why do you hate spiders so much...?
Can't stand how they skitter around everywhere and spin webs, with no regard for rules. Earth is their playpen.



SYSTEM: If you wish to see if they are edible, you may nominate someone to try it...
Pink mushrooms. Can't say I've seen these before.
Rr?
She's asking if they're healing mushrooms.
Well, we've done stupider things. Might as well...


SYSTEM: The rest of you discuss who will be the next to have a bite, when suddenly, Realga bursts out laughing. As you watch this outburst, perplexed, Realga grabs the other mushroom and stumbles toward you.
Ahahaheh, Freyja, you gotta try this!
U-um, n-no thank you, I'm fu-- Mrph!
SYSTEM: With a huge grin, Realga shoves the other mushroom into Freyja's mouth! Freyja has no choice but to swallow the mushroom, upon which they begin laughing out loud as well.
Ahehe... My, these are actually tasty...
Glad I didn't eat them first.
SYSTEM: This appears to be a poisonous mushroom that induces euphoria in those who eat it! You ponder what to do, but the two seem to have collapsed without you noticing. You edge toward them to observe...
Well. Anyone know where the Nectars are?
They're not dead, just unconscious. They're still breathing, see?
SYSTEM: After some time passes, the pair woozily sits back up, holding their heads. They appear to have come to their senses.
Ow, ow, ow...
Oh, my aching everything... But especially my head...
Maybe we should take this as a lesson about eating food in the Labyrinth...
When demon girl's telling you not to eat something, something's wrong.
SYSTEM: When you ask about the incident, they recall falling unconscious after eating the mushroom... But they seem to remember nothing else, and both of them have migraines now that they've come to.



Both participants in the event lose 150 HP and 80 TP.

SYSTEM: You feel foolish to have eaten something that grows in the Labyrinth... The pair cradles their heads as you move on.

If you have a Beast try to eat the initial mushroom, you'll instead get dialogue about your Beast recognizing that the mushroom is poisonous.




Oh god no.


Great Moth
HP: 1571, STR: 38, TEC: 26, VIT: 32, AGI: 27, LUC: 32
Skills:

• Confusing Dust: Uses the arms. Attempts to inflict panic on the party, with a 40% base chance. Has no speed modifier.
  
• Slice and Dice: Uses the arms. Deals 3-5 instances of 130% melee STR-based Cut damage to random targets. Can hit the same target multiple times. Has an 80% speed modifier and 20 base accuracy.

Drops:

• Normal: Plum Quill. 80% chance. Sells for 555 en. 1 needed to make Purpure Mail (+45 DEF). 1 Scent Wood and 4 Plum Quills needed to make Pelta (+37 DEF). 5 Century Shells and 2 Plum Quills needed to make Pattisa.
  "Surprisingly light Great Moth wings. Poison still remains, so handle with care."

Damage resistances:
100% 150% 100% 100% 100% 150%
Disable resistances:
150% 100% 100% 0% 100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%
100% 50% 100%

This moth is known to emit a disorienting powder before striking at its target.

Fuck Great Moths. Fuck them fuck them fuck them. They've got a lot of HP, they have access to party-wide panic, and Slice and Dice goes from "what the hell was the point of that" to "instant death," because panic disables evasion. These things are partially why I bought Realga a Luck Staff--not being able to heal panic easily makes Great Moths really annoying, and I suffered more than one game over to a fight with a Great Moth in it on my first playthrough.


Rark rark! Rreow!
I'm always hungry because I'm always sad...

How the fuck did Sophie get tagged with the panic there?! She has a 30+ LUC advantage on the thing, for christ's sake.


SHINJOO! YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD, WITH MONAKO!
I always knew she was up to no good...


Alright, come on, snap out of it.



At least Sophie's high LUC means her recovery time is very low.


Moths are almost as bad as spiders.
Man, I didn't even get to taste it...
What was even happening in your head during that panic?
I dunno, it felt like I was a different person.
I'd believe it. You sounded eerily like Charlotte there...




This event is automatic--it starts as soon as we step on this tile.

SYSTEM: It looks very much like the monster known as Etria's nightmare, which caused untold suffering in the far-off land of Etria. But this is no dream! You must rouse yourself from your stupor and choose what action to take! You may avert your eyes from the nightmare you behold and walk away, or stand and face it.
We must stand and face it!
Ooh, boar meat!
SYSTEM: You each take your weapons in hand and charge at the nightmare before you with intent to slay it!

Trying to silently back away results in "Etria's nightmare" blindsiding you.





Hurt Babirusa
HP: 4158, STR: 45, TEC: 27, VIT: 33, AGI: 28, LUC: 24
Skills:

• Fang Flurry: Uses the legs. Deals 120% melee STR-based Stab damage to the party. Has no speed modifier and 99 base accuracy.

Damage resistances:
100% 100% 100% 75% 75% 75%
Disable resistances:
100% 100% 25% 25% 25% 100% 25%
10% 10% 10%
100% 50% 25%

Long have these boars plagued the residents of Etria... Do not stand in their path!

The Hurt Babirusa is no joke. That 4158 HP is quite a lot, especially given that it also has 75% resistance to all elemental damage (although that's irrelevant with our current party), and 120% STR damage with 45 STR equals pain.

If you're wondering what the "Etria's nightmare" stuff is about, Babirusas are an annoying enemy from deep in EOU's 5th Stratum, where they were pretty much the same as this thing, right down to having Fang Flurry.



In a really stupid move, I forgot that Fang Flurry uses the legs, not the head.



Just showing Freyja and Asriel's basic damage output.



Well, it's something.


Grrk...
That bear seriously overestimates herself a lot...



Ooh, that's kind of lucky.

https://zippy.gfycat.com/TameJealousDiplodocus.webm (GIF version)

Strike strike strike strike!
But you only hit it three times.

Demoing Swallow Strike. If you're wondering why its damage might seem low, that's because it's only level 15--135% damage per hit for 3 hits, 405% damage total.



...And then Freyja just shows it up with a two-bind Ecstasy.


Ack!


Get up, you stupid bear, we need you!
...Rrer?
Take it as a compliment.



Having your Beast use Hit-Taker when they're not at full HP against all-party attacks isn't very smart.



This is a lazy way to get Ursa back on her feet in fighting conditions.


No graves for us! Not until I get my dues!


I'd prefer a grave to bleeding this badly...


Mmm, boar thigh... Alright, I've had my fill. You can kill it now!


Grrdlr.

We don't get anything for this event fight, aside from the Hurt Babirusa's entry in the Monstrous Codex, which does count for 100% completion.




A convenient shortcut back to near the start of the floor.



There's a Chop point here, too, with Sakura Petals for ingredients.




Oh boy.




Good, good.



Let's use that money to develop the town, first.





The new ad campaigns. The highlighted groups are who I'm trying to appeal to.




New items. I'm just going to stop commenting on items that aren't interesting from this point on, since I've exhausted my repertoire of things to say about boring items.

Spectrum Axe (+110 ATK) is unlocked by selling 3 Prism Shells.

Turtle Claw (+115 ATK) is unlocked by selling 1 Century Shell.

Purpure Mail (+45 DEF) is unlocked by selling 1 Plum Quill.

Head Guard (Immunity to head binds) is made from 1 Bound Mandible. I'll probably put the one we already have on Realga if we ever fight an FOE or boss that can reliably bind heads, but it's not something I'd really want for anyone else.

Fortune Necklace (+7 LUC) is unlocked by selling 7 Gold Crests. I could buy one for Freyja if I really wanted to give her better chances of binding stuff, but I value more DEF on her, especially since Sophie can easily take care of any binds that Freyja can't.



SYSTEM: You may try picking the fruits and eating them, or avoid recklessly eating the forest's bounty and continue onward.
I haven't had a good, sweet fruit in a while...
Rrrgh...
There's m-monsters here...
SYSTEM: As you reach towards the fruits, shining like gems in the light, an ominous presence suddenly fills the area! You draw your weapons in the confusion just before monsters burst from their hiding places to attack you!





Raven
HP: 454, STR: 34, TEC: 25, VIT: 25, AGI: 29, LUC: 26
Skills:

• Black Wings: Uses the arms. Reduces the party's elemental attack by 50% for 4 turns. Has no speed modifier.

Drops:

• Normal: Azure Beak. 55% chance. Sells for 271 en. 1 needed to make Wyrmhunter (+101 ATK). 5 Malachites and 2 Azure Beaks needed to make Juzumaru (+123 ATK). 3 Prehnites and 5 Azure Beaks needed to make Fluted Armor (+53 DEF, +8 TP).
  "Strong, sharp beak from a pale bird. Its sharpness is used in some weapons."

Damage resistances:
100% 150% 100% 100% 100% 100%
Disable resistances:
100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 50%
100% 50% 150%
100% 50% 100%

Its dark feathers are considered an ill omen to adventurers.

Ravens are a really big nuisance if you have an Alchemist and non-notable otherwise. They can make enemies that resist physical damage, like the Metal Tortoises, more annoying, I suppose.



They don't even hit that hard.


Blech. Feathers don't taste of anything.


I-I ground you...
Are you ever going to be able to not stutter or let your sentences taper off?
A-ah...
See?


Look at this. My staff's completely clean--no clumps of feathers, nothing.



SYSTEM: You lower your weapons and pick some of the red, gemlike fruits. When you bite into one, its sweet juice fills your mouth...
Alright, I guess all Labyrinth food isn't that bad...
"That bad?!" These things are amazing!
I agree with the demon, for once.
SYSTEM: Unable to get enough of that taste, you eat one after another of the red fruits. The fruits are greatly effective at soothing your exhaustion!



A party-wide 70 TP heal, not bad.

SYSTEM: After you have had your fill, you look around and see that there are several more unripe fruits on the vine. These fruits should ripen by the next day for you to enjoy once more. You all agree that it is worth remembering this place as you go on your way deeper into the maze of cherry blossoms.

I don't really have a lot of reason to come back here again, but whatever.


That's, like, a pure apple-red horn.
It looks too tough to eat. ...The rhino itself, not the horn.
SYSTEM: It shows no sign of moving yet, but there's no knowing what actions it might take once it spots you. You should watch its movements cautiously as you proceed.
Looks docile. Let's just get moving.


I-it's about to charge! MOVE!


Phew...
And to think, you were terrified of deer just some months ago.
Rr-hrm.
L-Luca told you about that? Ugh...

The Charging Rhino's name tells all, basically. If we enter its line of sight, it will charge that direction until it hits a wall on the next step.


Back, now!



Not the smartest of monsters...
Either that, or it just can't stop.
SYSTEM: It seems its inability to stop once it starts charging works against it if the ground in its path is unstable... You can already see how this knowledge will work to your advantage. You decide to keep careful track of the topography and the monster's positions as you go.

It's exactly as it looks: if we're near a hole in the ground, and a Charged Rhino charges us, it will fall in, and be erased from the map until we leave the floor and come back.


See, THIS is something you should put in a treasure chest!



Now there's two rhinos. How will we ever get past this impenetrable wall?



Sidestep them on the lower part of the floor, for one.



Then we make this one charge over here.



Then we make it charge that way again, making it plummet to its death.


You think anyone down on the ground is seeing all these rhinos dropping down and wondering "what is going on?"

And now they're both dead from the multi-kilometer drop from the 4th Stratum down to the ground.




Oh hey, this encounter fucking sucks.



Because both of these assholes are capable of killing Ursa if she tanks one of the all-party attacks.


Mmm-mm... Tortoise and moth meat... It's so good!
Well, add that to the list of "sentences I never thought I'd hear."



Well, that's one of them down. Note how low Asriel's getting on TP here, though. I've been cutting out a lot of encounters, but I've been deliberately trying to save TP on him. This is why loading up on Grimoire-boosted skills for normal exploration early on and/or on low TP classes like Ronin is a bad idea.



Fucking ow.


Can... Can we just toss the shell through one of those holes?
Nah.




Three rhinos. Yep.



Don't you just "love" getting into random encounters when an FOE is one turn away from you?



In any other EO game, I would've been staring a game over right in the face, since I would not have been able to kill that encounter in one turn.




The middle rhino will charge to its death from this pit.




The lower rhino, that pit.



And the upper rhino, that pit on the left.



The other chop point. Pea Pods, yep.



And that's the floor. Notice how every floor in Petal Bridge is circular, a really neat touch, and I imagine a really big pain in the ass during design.


Well, I've had enough being charged by monsters for one day. Back to town?
Of course! It's almost dinner time.



...Sometimes when my daughter and I look up at the Labyrinth, we try to guess which branch you're on...
The one with all the floating islands. Seems like it'd be pretty obvious.
Down here, you just seem like a bunch of kids, but you must be so different in the Labyrinth... I wish I could see it. Oh, I know! How about I go along with you on your investigation? You'll all protect me, right? Then there's nothing to worry about!
You seem like you'd do fine on your own, Miss Hanna.
Eh? You don't think I'll need protection...? And just what is that supposed to mean? The nerve! Saying something like that to a delicate damsel like myself! I may just faint...! Bahahaha!




Abigail's still stuck in her quest dialogue, but I'll cheat and just pull from the game script here.

Welcome! Oh, hi everyone! I was waiting for you to show up! Um... I made some cookies... They're right here, so if you want to have some, you're w-welcome to...!
GIMME GIMME GIMME!
Okay, yeah, eat them all, why don't you? It's not like I'D want some sweets after a long day of exploring...
...How are they? D-Do they taste okay? I did try a couple, but... Um, before you go--can you tell me what you thought of them...? Next time, I want them to be even better!
Mm... Just serve them when they're warmer and softer, and they'll be perfect!
I'd probably say the same if I got to HAVE ANY.



Items, yep yep.

Kishindaio (+116 ATK) is unlocked by selling 1 Malachite and 2 Century Shells.

Spider Web (+105 ATK) is unlocked by selling 1 Sticky Web.

Wyrmhunter (+101 ATK) is unlocked by selling 1 Azure Beak.



The other explorers come here just to check out the cafe that Lumen provides ingredients for. You've all gotten fairly popular, huh?



How long has it been now since yeh lot first came here? And look at yeh now. Yeh're born naturals.
I'm mostly getting lucky that there's all this medicine for all the weird stuff that happens to us.
Heh heh, to tell yeh the truth, the first time I saw yeh lot... I thought yeh were pretty hopeless.
You already told us that. Months ago. Even I remember that.
Hrm? Wait a tick, did I already tell yeh that? My bad, but yeh were so hopeless it left a big impression on me! Haw! Didn't expect to be doing business with yeh for this long, but here's to a long and profitable relationship!



...Long ago, when the Labyrinth was first discovered, the Minister and I were both part of one of the first investigation teams.
M-Minister Dubois on an exploration... Seeing him now makes that hard to believe...
I wasn't interested in old folktales or texts, but something did catch my attention--a drawing I saw in one of the Minister's texts. It was a picture of a winged man, carrying a wingless figure in his arms. At the time, I dismissed it as just a piece of abstract art, but it seems there might have been some truth behind it. Well, that's all I have to say for now. Try to avoid any unnecessary risks.



I was merely thinking of something else. Do you remember that young man, the member of Guild Beowulf?
...Yep. I still remember burying him and Wulfgar.
If I recall correctly, it was he who gave you guidance when you first entered the Labyrinth, was he not?
Y-yeah... He helped us get by the dinosaurs using those traps...
...Even after one's death, stories of their courage remain among the people. ...Hearing the citizens' rumors about you reminded me of him. Pay me no mind, I suppose. Only the addled ramblings of an old man, hm? I wish the best of luck to you.




Before we take on the quests, here's the only new patrons for this floor.

Ey, it's Lumen! Have a drink! C'mon! You drinkin'? We just got the life scared outta us!
...Y'see, there's this scary monster. 's called the Deathstalker...
When it was hangin' 'round in the back, it was just looking at us, so I figured it was fine. Live, an' let...stare.
But soon as it came to the front, BAM! Hurtin' everywhere! Terrified! Panickin'!
Gah... We were really in for a big one there...
...That's hat guy and his guild?
Yep. Part of them, anyway.
No wonder they call themselves profesional idiots.



And now, the quests.

The wise duke:

Ahhh, there yeh lot are! It's another quest about those golden chess pieces. I found a guy who has a piece, and I doubt yeh'll be surprised at this... It's a Duke piece! Yeh lot don't have that one yet, right? Looks like the request comes from a guild, just like yeh guys. Dunno what they want from yeh, though. They're drinkin' here at the bar, so yeh can just ask 'em yerself.

Dinner for one:

Hmm? Yeh're taking that quest?
Is something wrong with it?
No, no, it shouldn't be a problem, at least for yeh lot. It's from a lass livin' by the town borders. She wants to feed her husband a dish usin' ingredients found in the forest. Ain't exactly exciting. Yeh could've left this one for the newbies, y'know... Oh, the ingredients... Hmm, what was it... She wanted one each of Bee Needle, Plum Quill, and Meteoric Spike.
Uhh... I'm pretty sure at least those first two are poisonous.
Eh? Are these things really edible? Yeah, I asked her the same question, but she says there's a way of gettin' the poison out. Well, there's a lotta poisonous things in this world that are great if yeh prepare 'em right. Hell, yeh've ordered a couple. ...Listen, I ain't saying yeh shouldn't take this quest or anything, but I kinda figured yeh lot would go after higher-stakes stuff. Well, yeh never know. Might find a taste of danger, even in a little errand like this! Well, best of luck anyway!



And lastly, let's talk to the guy who showed up for The wise duke.

Oh, you've come, Lumen. I've been waiting for you.
Y-you're the one who put up the q-quest about the chess piece? You...?
That's right. I'm surprised you know... but I guess if you want to survive in the depths of Yggdrasil, you need to have good intuition. Anyhow, let's get down to business. Like you guys, I formed a guild, and we're moving through the Labyrinth as a team... But lately, we've been strapped for cash. We can't even buy the equipment we need anymore. So, I want you to tell me where I can take, chop, or mine on the 4th Stratum. Just any one of those is fine. ...Of course, if you could find me one of each, then I'd add a little extra on top of giving you the Duke piece. Let me know once you've found any places you can point us towards. Thanks.
A talking wolf. Sure, why not. I mean, hat guy's got a talking tiger in his guild.

I'll go fill that guy in once we know where a take point on 18F is.

Next time: more of the 4th Stratum.