Part 99: Again and Again and Again

Again and Again and Again



Completing Old scars, flaring anew unlocks this quest.

: Look out, it's Firefly!

: Would you please stop that? We're not beasts.

: Yeh don't like being treated like monsters? Haw haw haw! Sorry about that. Yeh came up while I was waiting, so I felt like saying it. This quest's meant for yeh. Remember when yeh went to meet that sharpener? He came and submitted a quest. Said he made some kind of promise with yeh...

: Wait, what promise?

: Eh? Well, how would I know what he meant by that? Yeh're the ones he made the promise with--shouldn't yeh remember? Never mind... Anyways, bring him 6 Black Cores, and... What was the other? Ahhh, yes, a Red Tablet. That's all! G'luck out there!



The message you get for getting all the Black Cores. You can get them from killing King Gels.

PC-88 Version



: There you are. I've been waiting! Don't you remember our promise?

: Um.

As you try to think of a polite response to the question, the man cuts in abruptly.

: That sword... Didn't you find it in the forest of the gods? You took it without asking!

You stand frozen in shock at his unexpected tirade!

: It was his fault!

:

He peers at you to gauge your reaction, then giggles.

: Oh, who cares? You wanted it, didn't you? We called that sword the God's Key in my village... Or so I heard. The forest is getting more dangerous... Could our god be angry? Know anything about it?

He stops talking for a moment, and lets out a large sigh.

: But who cares? Let me try my hand at that sword. Did you bring the stuff I asked?

Though his mood swings confuse you, you take the Red Tablet and Black Cores from your pack.

: Uh, here you go?

: Great! Give me a while... It shouldn't take too long.

The man grabs the materials from your hands and begins gathering his scattered equipment.

Thankfully, you don't have to wander around for a day for this one.



Fade to black.



An hour after he began, the man's face is clouded as he hands the sword back to you.

: I thought this scale'd work on any sword... Maybe the Black Core isn't acidic enough... Oh, are you still here? You can go now. Seeya.

The man then lays on the floor, muttering under his breath as if pondering something. The rust and the grime have been scraped off, but the sword is still far from sharp. You put it into your backpack and leave the area.





: Better than nothing, I guess.

PC-88 Version



: Ahh, yeh lot are back. How'd the quest go?

: Easy. He didn't even want us to pay him either!

: Eh? He wanted to sharpen yer sword for free? Now there's a rare bird... That's the sort who lives for his work. His real payment is his own satisfaction. The opposite of me, in other words! I'd much rather work for money--it pays for my hooch! Wouldn't yeh lot agree? Anyways, here's the reward. Thanks a lot!





This quest unlocks after finishing the last one.

: Hey there! Mind doing that quest for me? It's from the Grand Duchy, so I 'spect yeh'll have to climb high up the Labyrinth. But yeh're one of the few guilds that can go that high, so I'd appreciate yer help. Go to the Duke's Palace for the details. I heard it's not that tough, so don't worry. G'luck out there!

PC-88 Version



: It's in regards to the winged ones you've met before in the Labyrinth. We're considering opening relations with them. They are wary of us, but not hostile. We lack some strong connection to bring us together, but our bonds must strengthen. Therefore, I have decided to offer the winged ones this document. However, their home is high in the Labyrinth... The guards could never reach it safely. You, however, have some rapport with them already. No guild is as suited as yours for the job. Please take this document to the winged ones's city on our behalf. May you have a safe journey.





PC-88 Version



Another sound comes from above, and you look to see a spear-wielding winged one. Panic is eviden on its face. It seems the whole forest has become a battlefield! Perhaps you could find out what happened at the village of the winged ones...

: Now what is going on?

: We better find Canaan. He might know something.



The winged ones are in the throes of a deadly struggle! Though they attack the raging behemoth, they are smacked away like insects! You instinctively draw your weapons, preparing for battle... The monster notices you enter and rushes towards you! Fight with all your strength!

PC-88 Version



Oh hey, a monster we haven't seen yet.


Call Ape
HP: 1599
AT: 63
DF: 48
Skills: Dance
Item Drops: N/A
Description: After the Gods' Key was removed, it descended for mortal combat with the winged tribe.
Weakness: Fire (150%)
Resistance: Ice (50%), Volt (50%)

They're a weaker version of a random encounter we have yet to meet. I'll cover that when I get there, because I take out this one quickly.

















PC-88 Version



You breathe raggedly, pulling your weapons from the corpse. A familiar face approaches...



You ask the chief about the disaster that just transpired.

: What happened here?

: A monster such as we've never seen appeared, and we were slow in dealing with it. We have seen many such troubles since the Forbidden Door was opened. Demons have streamed through the forest... and to our village, as you saw earlier.

When the chief finishes, you discuss you quest with him. You hand the winged one's chief the document you received from the Grand Duchy.

: Hmm, maybe we shouldn't have opened that. Anyways, the Grand Duchy back in High Lagaard wants to establish relations with your kind.



: Tell your chief that we area anxious to form stronger bonds between our peoples. And take this... it is one of Yggdrasil's buds. We have never seen its like. It grew on our sacred ground when the Forbidden Door opened. May it be a sign of our bond.

: I'll let them know. Thank you.

The winged ones's intent remains vague, but at least the chief seems interested in coexistence. You thank him and leave the area, carrying the bud as large as your palm.

PC-88 Version



: Yeh're back! What did the winged ones say...?

: They seemed to be interested in establishing stronger relations.

: They're looking forward to making friends? Haw! That's great news! Some people here were afraid they'd turn our city into a war zone. This calls for a celebration! I'll throw a party tonight! Plenty of food--and drink! Haw! Oops, I nearly forgot yer reward. Here yeh go... don't waste it, okay? Thanks for all yer hard work!



That was the last quest we could do for now in the Gods' Key quest line. So let's actually explore more of the 6th Stratum this time. Anyways, it was impossible to move forward for now. The actual solution?



Remember this statement the Flaus innkeeper said? That's actually a hint on how to progress, although it's easy to write it off as her standard ramblings.

PC-88 Version



We actually need to head into the 26th floor at night in order to move forward.



The main reason is because this teleporter takes us to a different destination at night. This tripped up a few players.



: How the hell does that even work!?

: Well it's because... um. Yeah, I've got nothing.

PC-88 Version



Kingcaps only appear on this side of the map. Aside from those, there's no more new enemies on this floor.


Kingcap
HP: 637
AT: 53
DF: 53
Exp: 6600
Skills: Jaw
Item Drops:
-Common: Gold Spore - 1 needed for Hamao II. 10 needed for Gae Bog (Gun.)
--Gilded spores of a giant mushroom.
-Rare: N/A
-Conditional: Closed Cap - Kill with Instant Death. 5 needed for Yumiyawata (Bow.)
--Umbrella portion of a carnivorous mushroom.
Description: A kingly fungus with an enhanced sense of purpose and sharp fangs to tear into its prey.
Weakness: Fire (150%)
Resistance: Ice (50%), Volt (50%)

Kingcaps aren't really a threat, despite being a cousin of the Bigcaps. Mainly because all they can do is hit your party. Jaw doesn't inflict any status effects at all. It's just a single target attack that hits harder than their regular attack. Kill and move on. Though be sure to use Climax on them 5 times so you can unlock the best bow in the game. If you have bow wielders in the party at least.



: Hold still. I wanna see if I can shut that mouth of yours.



I'm not really gonna be showing any more level ups. Mainly because my skill point usage isn't interesting at this point, and because all these level ups are pointless for something I have planned.

PC-88 Version



So the right side of the map is actually kind of a mirror of the left side.



Let's go right first.



: Of course this can't be easy.

Aside from that one trick, this teleporter maze isn't really that bad. It's fairly small, and if you're just looking to rush through it, it only takes up about half the map. I mean, this has nothing on EO1's teleporter maze which was much worse and had 39 teleporters that led to different destinations. Now that was annoying to go through. This place only has 15 of those, and you only have to go through 5 teleporters to reach the next floor.



Now something I'm going to be doing is marking the teleporters that result in the quickest route to the next floor.



This leads to the fork at the bottom.





The left branch leads us into a new area.





Unfortunately, the bottom path leads back to the beginning.

:

: Cheer up boss! We don't have much floor left. I think.

: The floor almost looks symmetrical, so if we can find the right path, we should be out of here quickly.



How about the top?





Oh look, an Asterios.



A dead Asterios.





I could have used this back in the 5th Stratum!





: Are we ever getting out of here?

: There are some teleporters that we haven't taken yet.

: Hmm, the pack's getting full. It might be best to go back and unload our materials at Sitoth.

PC-88 Version





The Dragvandil is the best sword in the game. In a sense. I mean it provideas a large increase to Force, which is FANTASTIC for Protectors, so I recommend buying this for them. All the other classes though? Not so much. I mean it's great for Sword Dark Hunters, not so much Landsknechts. Now Force Up is a great attribute, so why am I not recommending that you buy this? Well that's because there's an even better sword I haven't unlocked yet. I don't buy this for Frederik because I don't care about his Force Skill. Okay, now back to the 6th Stratum.

PC-88 Version



This teleporter is the path forward.





: More blood for Firefly!



: You weren't talking about mine, were you?

: No, but your offering will do nicely.





: At least this one didn't take us back too far.

Something I want to bring up, is that it's not only the central teleporter that has its destination change depending on the time of day.



All those teleporters I've circled send you to the left or right X marks depending on the time of day. So if it turns daytime while you're exploring the night portion of the teleporter maze and take the time senstive teleporter, you'll have to go back to the Flaus Inn to change the clock again. Thankfully, those are the only teleporters that are time sensitive.



: Now where does this go?





Mother of god.



Behold! The most broken consumable in the entire game! If you thought Axcelas were bad, these are much worse. What they do is boost a party member's Force by 50 points. Now in order to fully charge a character's Force with Axcelas, you had to have 4 other party members use one on him. With Axcela IIs, you only need 2 party members doing that, leaving the other 3 free to do whatever they want. It buys you a ton more action economy and you can set it up where a Gunner or a Protector can use their respective Force Skills every turn while 2 other party members beat down their poor hapless victims.

Etrian Odyssey II is not a well balanced game. Now for those of you that have played EO1, Axcela IIIs are not in the game. (Those instantly filled up a party member's Boost meter.) Atlus knew just how broken that would be if you could deditcate one person to refill a character's Force. So Axcela IIs are the best you can get. Unfortunately, you have to kill Harpuia over and over to get those since those items are limited in stock. They're still incredibly broken and vaporize the difficulty of any fight in the game.





Another teleporter that sends you back to the start.





The other one is more kind in that it only sends you back one area.



This one is the way forward.





Here's the other Chop point.



Oh look, an Asterios that I am about to brutally and utterly slaughter.





Wait, what?









:

This was not part of the plan!



: We gotta run!

: Y-yeah!







: Holy crap! That was too close!

: Y-yeah. Hey, you got the Warp Wire, right?

: Yep, I got it right here. Time to get out of this place.





More equipment. One rest later...



I feel like getting some revenge by proxy.







Yes. This is good.











HAHAHAHA!



Oh right, there was one more in this area. No matter, I'll take it down anyway.



ARE YOU SERIOUS?







:



Wow, what an asshole. It didn't give me the drop either.



Anyways, this is the last teleporter you need to take to leave.



: Oh god, did we get out? Please tell me we got out.



This teleporter is just an exit and sends you back to the central area.



: YES! YES! YEEEEEES!

:

: Never do that again.

: Please.

Now we're completely done with the 26th floor.





This part of floor 27 is just a small little room.



Now we're on an entirely new floor.



And thanks to this Geomagnetic Pole, we never have to go through that teleporter maze again. Of course a new floor means new town dialogue and quests.

PC-88 Version



: Have you found anything of interest in the forest atop the floating castle? We cannot explore it at your pace, but we are slowly gathering information on it as well. Nothing stands out yet, but if we find anything, we'll make it available to you. Lady Gradriel was saying that any threat to you is a threat to High Lagaard. I was surprised at the esteem she holds for you explorers. You're a strange bunch... But we have our own quirks. Lady Gradriel spends time with common explorers and no one minds. Including myself...! You may be heroes, but we must keep in mind that you are also foreigners! Ohohoho!

PC-88 Version



: Do you remember when you first decided on a guild name? It's been a while, but... We made a promise then that you would tell me what the name you chose meant. The time has come. Tell me.

: Yeah, why are we called the Firefly guild?

: Tell us, boss!

: Uh... I just chose that name because I didn't want to stick with my old guild name, and that was the first thing that came to mind.

:

: That's it? Really?

: Kind of lame.

: Oh... There was no deep reason for it? No hidden meaning? Perhaps I overthought it...

: Now why did you think Fedot chose the name?

: Hm? No, I'm afraid I won't share any of my guesses. A-Anyway... I can sleep well now, at least. Before this, I would lie awake at night wondering what your name could mean.

: Wait, what?

: Enough of this! The door is that way. Leave when your business here is finished...

PC-88 Version



: Seriously, though... If yeh get any more famous... Yeh'd better keep coming around here, or I'll knock yeh silly! Haw haw haw!



: Oh! There's grass in your hair, Aliara... Here, let me get that for you.

: Oh, uh, thanks.

: There you go! Whoa... Is this grass from the Labyrinth? Can I keep it?

: Pffffft, what?

: Ohhh, don't laugh! I've never been inside the Labyrinth... Even its grass is amazing to me. Also... Um...

: Yes?

: W-Well, I mean... It kind of makes me feel like I'm on the journey along with you...

:

: D-Does that make me sound weird? It does, huh... I-I'm sorry to weird you out! I'll just go work over there... P-Please don't think badly of me!



The only piece of equipment I unlocked on that trip. I'm not getting it because I'm saving up for a much better katana.

PC-88 Verison



: Hmm? You don't look too good... Are you running a fever? Let me see... Your temperature is a little low. Did you eat well? Are you getting enough sleep? Did a monster poison you? Have you consumed any strange foods or liquids from the Labyrinth?

: Holy crap, quit being a worrywart! We're fine!

: No, I'm not being a worrywart! You don't understand how important small things can be! Listen... you're heroes to this town. You have to take care of your health! Especially when exploring an unknown forest! Try to be more careful, okay? Am I getting through to you?

: Yeah, fine! Sheeh. Now leave us alone.



: How is it?

: Huh, pretty good if I do say so myself.

: My daughter made it just for you. She's growing up so fast! I love to see her going the extra mile for our most important guests! I have you to thank for that. She only started doing it when you arrived! You call yourselves the Firefly Guild, right? That's what Cass told me. It's a lovely name... Maybe we should change our inn's name to match!

: Um.

: Bahahaha! Just kidding! I hope I'll be seeing you again soon. You must never stay anywhere but our inn! I insist! We're always happy to have you!

PC-88 Version



Now, I'm gonna be taking some quests here. Two of them lead to some optional bosses. I'll be doing some offscreen grinding between this update and the next one, so don't worry about the party being too weak to take them on. You can vote for which quest you want to see tackled first. By the way, the quest I'm doing isn't one of them, but it is the start of a new quest line.

: Ahh, Firefly! I'm glad yeh'll be taking that quest! It's from another guild, not as experienced as yerselves. But they're no slouches, mind--they've managed to climb up to the castle. They heard a tremendous noise on the 25th floor as soon as they entered a large room. Since they don't quite have yeh lot's pluck, they high-tailed it back home. Now they're scared that they might've done something to trigger the sound. So could yeh go up there and check it out for them? G'luck!



This quest on the other hand does lead to an optional boss. It's the final quest in the Innkeeper's daughter quest line.

: Fedot! Look at this quest!

: Wha? What's going on, Cass?

: Yeh're just in time! We have a problem--the innkeeper's daughter is missing! The guard corps's out looking for her, but yeh should pitch in as well. Oh, the inn, the inn! If yeh have time, help out there first! We're counting on yeh!



So does this quest. It's the final quest in the Guild Esbat quest line.

: Hey, do yeh lot remember that old geezer banging on about the ultimate gun? He claimed his cohort can find the gun through divination... Sounded fishy to me, but in case yeh believed him, I'll tell yeh straight up. The lady says the blasted thing is on the 2nd bloody floor of the Labyrinth! That's all I know. If yeh believe that rubbish, go there and look for it.

PC-88 Verison



: I'm afraid it's true... My little girl is missing. Oh, I'm so worried! But I mustn't panic... I have to stay calm. That's what being an innkeeper is all about. You came to help, didn't you? Thank you so much...

: So, what happened anyways?

: Oh, yes! The details... When I woke up this morning, my daughter was gone. I looked all over Lagaard, but I couldn't find her anywhere. Do you have any ideas?



: Hmm... Oh no. Yeah, I have a hunch on where she is.

: Is that right? Well, if you say so, it must be true! I believe in you. Please take care of my daughter!



: Uh, I'm not following you, boss. I don't have a clue at all.

: You don't have any leads? My daughter didn't say anything that might be a clue? Oh... Maybe I know... It must be about that withered flower accessory. After you left, she was really sad that the charm she gave you withered away. She said she was going to make you a new one, so you get hurt. Does that give you any idea of where she is? Oh, I hope you can help!

: ...You're kidding me. We gotta move!

Ah, but that can wait if needed. So, which of the two quests should we do first? A life in the balance or The waiting Wyvern?