Part 23: Your Floors Are Like My Bank Account, Bro, Empty

Part 22: Your Floors Are Like My Bank Account, Bro, Empty

The Withered Forest



Honooooooouuuuuurrrrrrr!

You know Nectars are still expensive...

Welcome back, this game is hard, yo.

Oh, how I missed this game's brutality.



It's staggering such a place exists so deep down. I wonder how it came about?

It looks naturally formed, but you can never tell with this place.

Hm? Look who it is.



The warrior woman Ren speaks to you abruptly. Beside her is her constant companion, the flame-haired Tlatchga. It seems the pair has been waiting for you here. Ren takes a slow look around the vast forest behind her before speaking.

We heard from the Radha that you've come to deal with the forest folk. Is this true?

The question has a doubtful undercurrent, as if the ronin is unsure of your skill.

The forest folk are guarded by many powerful monsters that dwell on this floor. Furthermore, it is all too easy to lose your bearings if you walk about aimlessly. Somewhere along the walls, though, is a secret passage. If you find it, it will lead you to stairs that take you below. The forest monsters will do their utmost to prevent that. Proceed with caution.

Ren sighs, as one would when completing an odious task.

That is all. We leave the rest to your skills.

The two of them stand aside, allowing you to pass. If you are prepared, continue forth.

Excellent, let's move on.

Aryll doesn't look too happy to see those two, but I suppose none of us are.

I wonder why she's giving us advice? Suppose they want us to hurry up and die already.



Forest folk, and the horde of monsters... if they make it through them to the depths...

Ren gives a sidelong glace to the girl beside her, who nods and speaks quietly.

That's why we're here, isn't it...? For the sake of both the Labyrinth and the town...

The two of them fall silent and disappear into the forest.

...honestly, they underestimate a Survivalist's hearing. Idiots, is this really the only answer?

You say something, Liana?

No. Nothing.



Welcome to B18F. It's big. It's empty. We're gonna see it all. Aren't I nice?

The full experience of an LP is getting to suffer with the LPer themselves.




Aside from pillars and the healing spring, there's not too much to this room. But there is one important thing.




Gah! Where did that come from?

I just blinked and there it was, right by my feet.


Bud

Level: 1
HP: 4000
STR: 20
VIT: 20
AGI: 20
LUC: 20
TEC: 20

EXP: 0

Skills
None

Damage Vulnerabilities
300% 300% 300%
300% 300% 300%

Disable Vulnerabilities
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%

Drops
Normal: M Leaf. 100% chance. Sells for 5000en.
5 required for Moss Ring (Accessory, HP+80, STR+10, VIT+10, must be restocked)

Rare: None

Conditional: None

Oh hey it's one of these things again. Unlike the Sprout, the Bud is an FOE that teleports around the floor, though if you head to this spot from the entrance, you'll always encounter it. This is a necessity since, as it's an FOE, you have to wait for it to respawn, instead of being able to fight it over and over again like the Sprout. Makes getting the Moss Ring frustrating, but it's a very good accessory... that we'll eventually unlock. Otherwise, it's identical, aside from having higher HP.

Another Metal Slime like enemy in a sense. Though it only runs away from you on the field and won't do so in battle. It's pretty simple to get to it in this game at least. The remake decided to make getting into a fight with it harder for whatever reason.



One down...



B18F E6 Mine Point

Hard Shard. 50% chance. Sells for 70en.
3 required for Ebon Aspis (Shield, DEF+10)
5 required for Breaker (Axe, ATK+151)
3 required for Under construction

Steel Chip. 25% chance. Sells for 86en.
1 required for Steelsword (Sword, ATK+125)
1 required for Blade Whip (Whip, ATK+115)
3 required for Brigandine (Light Armor, DEF+32)
3 required for Ebon Aspis (Shield, DEF+10)
5 required for Godendag (Staff, ATK+99, HP+19)
5 required for Shida (Katana, ATK+149)
5 required for Wyvernmail (Heavy Armor, DEF+26, All Resist Up 5%)
7 required for Flame Boot (Footwear, DEF+6, AGI+9)
5 required for Under construction

Cullinan. 15% chance. Sells for 350en.
1 required for Royal Ring (Accessory, DEF+1, Bind Resist Up 15%)
50 required for Adamas (Accessory, DEF+6, Physical Resist Up 15%, must be restocked)
1 required for The diamond charm



B18F C6 Chop Point

Dry Peach. 50% chance. Sells for 99en.
1 required for Soma (Medicine, restores the entire party by 126HP, affected by Healer)
3 required for Nectar II (Medicine, revives the target by 200HP, affected by Healer)
1 required for Chef's demand

Cross Seed. 25% chance. Sells for 150en.
1 required for Blaze Oil (Item, gives the target's regular attack a Fire attribute, must be restocked)
1 required for Freeze Oil (Item, gives the target's regular attack an Ice attribute, must be restocked)
1 required for Shock Oil (Item, gives the target's regular attack a Volt attribute, must be restocked)

Sap Wine. 15% chance. Sells for 165 en.
1 required for Nectar II (Medicine, revives the target by 200HP, affected by Healer)
3 required for Hamaoprime (Medicine, restores the target by 1000HP and 1000TP, must be restocked)



B18F A7 Take Point

Cross Seed. 50% chance. Sells for 150en.
1 required for Blaze Oil (Item, gives the target's regular attack a Fire attribute, must be restocked)
1 required for Freeze Oil (Item, gives the target's regular attack an Ice attribute, must be restocked)
1 required for Shock Oil (Item, gives the target's regular attack a Volt attribute, must be restocked)

Sand Cloth. 25% chance. Sells for 70en.
3 required for Dark Tunic (Clothing, DEF+26)
7 required for Sand Glove (Gloves, DEF+4, TEC+3)

Cordyceps. 15% chance. Sells for 180en.
3 required for Stonard II (Item, increases the target's DEF by 126% for 5 turns)
1 required for Apothecary's request III

Well there's a surprising amount of resources here.

Now the strange, but honourable guy we have around can go fetch them for us.

Y'all like gathering points? There's some good stuff in there. Just some, notice how Cross Seeds appear in both Chop and Take pools.

One of the few notable things about this floor. Yeah, it's basically just a wide open empty space. Doesn't make for interesting floor design, and this kind of floor was never seen again after this game (aside from the remake) for obvious reasons. EO1 was a pretty experimental game, and they basically just tossed things at the wall to see what stuck. You're seeing one of the things that didn't.



They seem fresh... it's possible that the beast who made them is still close at hand. There must be some beast in this Stratum you have not yet encountered. Continue your exploration with great caution!

These marks are as tall as me! I feel like we would've noticed something like this.

Masters report a negative.

Didn't notice a slightly different texture on your pillar is an empty floor? Too bad, you'll miss out on an extra boss. We'll see it later. Much later. You'll see.

And this... arbitrary trigger. Which was another thing that the series never did again. The remake changed the trigger for said boss into a quest instead.



Ah. We've found them...

Well, best get ready, they don't look too friendly.

See, I told you we'd find them first. Gahahaha!

Ooh, they look pretty strong. The guy in the back is kinda cute, too.

You pipe down.

Don't know about this joke, chief.


Soldier

Level: 39
HP: 400
STR: 167
VIT: 88
AGI: 36
LUC: 40
TEC: 31

EXP: 912

Skills
Evil Cry: Uses the Head. Increases ATK by 150%. Has an 80% speed modifier.

Damage Vulnerabilities
100% 50% 150%
150% 50% 50%

Disable Vulnerabilities
50% 100% 50%
50% 50% 50%

Drops
Normal: Hard Shard. 18% chance. Sells for 70en.
3 required for Ebon Aspis (Shield, DEF+10)
5 required for Breaker (Axe, ATK+151)
3 required for Under construction

Rare: Ink Stick. 6% chance. Sells for 72en.
3 required for Dark Tunic (Clothing, DEF+26)
3 required for Ebon Aspis (Shield, DEF+10)
5 required for Ebon Plate (Heavy Armor, DEF+36)
5 required for Lycoris (Clothing, DEF+28)

Conditional: None

Oh hey, it's the natives. Just to drive home that you're killing actual people, you monster, the forest folk have some pretty familiar skills. Obviously, the Soldier is gonna hit really damn hard and they'll all take a few hits too, but a weakness to Fire and high damage output will let you kill them no problem. I won't pull any punches, we're taking down every enemy we come across. You'll have to, even, have you seen those drop rates???

And now comes the time where you actually start killing other people. This enemy is a hard hitting physical attacker.


Mystic

Level: 39
HP: 300
STR: 116
VIT: 88
AGI: 40
LUC: 40
TEC: 66

EXP: 940

Skills
Voltshot: Uses the Head. A Volt attack that deals 120% damage to a single target. Has a 10% speed modifier and will always hit unless accuracy/evasion is changed.
Sealing: Uses the Head. Attempts to Fully Bind a single target. Has a 70% infliction chance and a 10% speed modifier.
Salve: Uses the Arms. Heals an ally for 119HP. Has a 10% speed modifier.

Damage Vulnerabilities
100% 50% 150%
150% 50% 50%

Disable Vulnerabilities
50% 100% 50%
50% 50% 50%

Drops
Normal: Sand Cloth. 18% chance. Sells for 70en.
3 required for Dark Tunic (Clothing, DEF+26)
7 required for Sand Glove (Gloves, DEF+4, TEC+3)

Rare: Ink Stick. 8% chance. Sells for 72en.
3 required for Dark Tunic (Clothing, DEF+26)
3 required for Ebon Aspis (Shield, DEF+10)
5 required for Ebon Plate (Heavy Armor, DEF+36)
5 required for Lycoris (Clothing, DEF+28)

Conditional: None

A cool combination of an Alchemist and Medic, Mystics can be a problem, but they usually go for Voltshot and then die. Sealing can be pretty deadly, but you should always be carrying Theriaca As, so it's a slight inconvenience overall. It's not worth wasting an Antivolt, unless you face a number of them at once, which might happen later. That Ink Stick chance is the best you'll get too, so, uh, yeah, low item chances on enemies you might not want to kill. Thanks game.

This enemy has a variety of attacking and support skills, which is a nice way for it to showcase that these enemies are like you and are more than just the local wildlife.



Not nice.

Do they always have to scream that loud?



Maybe this is a better alternative. ...oh I'm not even fooling myself.



They are pretty damn tough.

Well of course they are, they're just like us! God I hate this.



B18F A4 Take Point

Sand Cloth. 50% chance. Sells for 70en.
3 required for Dark Tunic (Clothing, DEF+26)
7 required for Sand Glove (Gloves, DEF+4, TEC+3)

Cross Seed. 25% chance. Sells for 150en.
1 required for Blaze Oil (Item, gives the target's regular attack a Fire attribute, must be restocked)
1 required for Freeze Oil (Item, gives the target's regular attack an Ice attribute, must be restocked)
1 required for Shock Oil (Item, gives the target's regular attack a Volt attribute, must be restocked)

Cordyceps. 15% chance. Sells for 180en.
3 required for Stonard II (Item, increases the target's DEF by 126% for 5 turns)
1 required for Apothecary's request III

I hope you weren't expecting anything else on this floor. The encounter rate is pretty low and there's nothing but pillars and gathering points.



B18F B3 Chop Point

Dry Peach. 50% chance. Sells for 99en.
1 required for Soma (Medicine, restores the entire party by 126HP, affected by Healer)
3 required for Nectar II (Medicine, revives the target to 200HP, affected by Healer)
1 required for Chef's demand

Sand Twig. 25% chance. Sells for 76en.
1 required for Sandy Pin (Headgear, DEF+4, TP+14)
2 required for Rose Ring (Accessory, DEF+1, VIT+4, AGI+7)
3 required for Kithara (Troubadour Accessory, TP+30)
5 required for Heaven Bow (Bow, ATK+111)
10 required for Labyris (Axe, ATK+162, STR+9)

Sap Wine. 15% chance. Sells for 165 en.
1 required for Nectar II (Medicine, revives the target by 200HP, affected by Healer)
3 required for Hamaoprime (Medicine, restores the target by 1000HP and 1000TP, must be restocked)



B18F D3 Mine Point

Steel Chip. 50% chance. Sells for 86en.
1 required for Steelsword (Sword, ATK+125)
1 required for Blade Whip (Whip, ATK+115)
3 required for Brigandine (Light Armor, DEF+32)
3 required for Ebon Aspis (Shield, DEF+10)
5 required for Godendag (Staff, ATK+99, HP+19)
5 required for Shida (Katana, ATK+149)
5 required for Wyvernmail (Heavy Armor, DEF+26, All Resist Up 5%)
7 required for Flame Boot (Footwear, DEF+6, AGI+9)
5 required for Under construction

Hard Shard. 25% chance. Sells for 70en.
3 required for Ebon Aspis (Shield, DEF+10)
5 required for Breaker (Axe, ATK+151)
3 required for Under construction

Cullinan. 15% chance. Sells for 350en.
1 required for Royal Ring (Accessory, DEF+1, Bind Resist Up 15%)
50 required for Adamas (Accessory, DEF+6, Physical Resist Up 15%, must be restocked)
1 required for The diamond charm

This sucks.

Agreed, I was having fun a couple floors ago. Now the mood's changed. Can't think why.



Just before the spring, of course. Not that we really need it, but hey, might as well.



If I'm hesitating attacking these people, then so are my masters.

We must prevail, no matter what.



Alright, everyone bored with this floor? Cool, let's move on.



Doesn't take a genius to figure out where we need to go.

I wonder how dumb Ren must think we are.

It seems the monsters the girl spoke of are beyond here. You decide this would be a good place to prepare before continuing down the path. The way forward waits silently and patiently for you to continue forth...



So I might have lied on the map to not make the obvious completely obvious. This shortcut is the way forward.




Wow. Shocker.

The time for puns is behind us, here in serious mood land.



Hm. Showing off me using Fire on the forest folk might not be the best idea. Still, that's what the developers decided they were weak to.



Well this is pretty scandalous.

See, I like the individual things in this picture, but not when it all comes together like... this.

There's a passageway behind her. We've got no choice.

A Sudden Gust of Wind Before Your Eyes



Her giggling is really getting on my nerves.

Ooh, you two smell good.

Remember when I said the game had other ideas if you tried to go for a pacifist run at this point? Yeah, too bad, there are forced FOE fights with the Forest Folk.


Diabolix

Level: 43
HP: 3200
STR: 210
VIT: 96
AGI: 71
LUC: 71
TEC: 47

EXP: 4000

Skills
Curse: Uses the Head. Attempts to inflict Curse on the entire party. Has a 50% infliction chance, and a 120% speed modifier.

Damage Vulnerabilities
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%

Disable Vulnerabilities
25% 50% 5%
100% 100% 100%

Drops
Normal: Oleander. 80% chance. Sells for 450en.
1 required for Rose Ring (Accessory, DEF+1, VIT+4, AGI+7)
1 required for Axcela III (Medicine, recovers 100 Boost points, must be restocked)

Rare: Red Thread. 60% chance. Sells for 1950en.
1 required for Jazeraint (Light Armor, DEF+36, HP+18, TP+10)
3 required for Nine Tails (Whip, ATK+125, STR+8, AGI+6)

Conditional: Wine Whip (Kill while Fully Bound). 100% chance. Sells for 4000en.
1 required for Dominator (Whip, ATK+180, STR+7, +15 Boost points each action, must be restocked)

Oh goody, these enemy designs... Diabolix are annoying, since they use Curse, and they have an awful conditional. You could do it easily enough with a variety of classes since its resistances are pretty low, or you'll be using a Dark Hunter and praying the binds stay the entire time. Surprise, I won't be bothering with that shit! Otherwise, not much to say since it's a literal story progression enemy, so they're gonna be naff.

Yes, notice how the level stat on her isn't that much higher than the party's levels. You're actually intended to go toe to toe with this FOE right off the bat. As for the Diabolix itself, the party wide Curse can be annoying, and she does hit pretty hard.



She's still giggling while covered in squirrels. What is today.



Don't underestimate them even if they're bound, they will still kick the shit out of you. Uh, I mean, that applies to every enemy in the game, but still...

Binds aren't as strong as ailments in this game, so binding an enemy doesn't really mean you completely have the upper hand.



At least it's a few free turns. Since Drain is done, we're doing Petrify next. Sure, we haven't seen Mirage in a while, I have been using it, but Petrify has been landing more and is much more helpful in crowds.



The gatekeeper is down, so we're properly in enemy territory.

This is what I wasn't looking forward to.



So do the forest folk leave the treasure, or...?

Don't think about it too hard luv.



Ah. It's worse when I kill them this way than with my magic.

Welcome to our lives.



Perhaps Fear takes too much SP to actually get going and be even slightly useful, but hey, I'm 4 points in now, like fuck I'm gonna Rest them.



I feel like she was trying to sneak up on us, but that's difficult to do when they're endlessly giggling.

I think it's because they're not afraid of us.


Cruella

Level: 43
HP: 2300
STR: 210
VIT: 96
AGI: 71
LUC: 71
TEC: 47

EXP: 4000

Skills
Siren: Uses the Head. Attempts to inflict Confusion on the entire party. Has a 50% infliction chance and a 50% speed modifier.

Damage Vulnerabilities
75% 75% 75%
100% 100% 100%

Disable Vulnerabilities
25% 50% 5%
100% 100% 100%

Drops
Normal: Oleander. 80% chance. Sells for 450en.
1 required for Rose Ring (Accessory, DEF+1, VIT+4, AGI+7)
1 required for Axcela III (Medicine, recovers 100 Boost points, must be restocked)

Rare: Red String. 50% chance. Sells for 1700en.
1 required for Jazeraint (Light Armor, DEF+36, HP+18, TP+10)
3 required for Nine Tails (Whip, ATK+125, STR+8, AGI+6)

Conditional: Rose Whip (Kill while Fully Bound). 100% chance. Sells for 4200en.
1 required for Dominator (Whip, ATK+180, STR+7, +15 Boost points each action, must be restocked)

And the other design... I'm not sure if confusion or curse is worse, I suppose curse is deadlier for an offensive party, but it's all a bunch of shit regardless. They might seem identical, but Cruella takes less damage from physical attacks. For some reason. Standard strategies apply, including the conditional. So good they did it twice! The reward is worth it, but damn it is a real pain. Also remember the Red String and Red Thread are different drops, so no slacking!

I'd say Confusion is worse since it takes control away from your party. Curse does nothing to pure supports, and if you're careful, you just stop your attackers from... well, attacking.



Oh hey I went first... why did I go first?

*Aliens guy meme, but replaced with AGI*

What a terribly designed stat.



Well this is going weirdly well, I wonder what's the catch.

This time? Surprisingly nothing.



Well it's not perfect, but it'll do.



My masters told me what was round the corner, but I still don't believe it.



GAHHHKKK

Oh there's the ca- GAHHHKKK



I hope we never fight her again.

Same... though now that we've said that, I'm sure there will be more.



...we sure these are forest folk?

I assume they're human. I wonder if there's something similar on the surface.

There's definitely some weird shit out there. Ever hear about the beast people that live in boring caves?


Pixie

Level: 43
HP: 333
STR: 126
VIT: 96
AGI: 43
LUC: 43
TEC: 71

EXP: 1160

Skills
Petrify: Uses the Head. Attempts to inflict Petrify on a single target. Has a 40% infliction chance and a 30% speed modifier.
Slumber: Uses the Head. Attempts to inflict Sleep on a single target. Has an 80% infliction chance and a 50% speed modifier.
Shine: Uses the Head. Attempts to inflict Blind on a single target. Has a 70% infliction chance and and 50% speed modifier.

Damage Vulnerabilities
100% 100% 100%
0% 0% 0%

Disable Vulnerabilities
0% 100% 1%
0% 0% 0%

Drops
Normal: Fairy Wing. 38% chance. Sells for 80en.
3 required for Fairy Robe (Clothing, DEF+24)
5 required for Fairy Boot (Footwear, DEF+4, AGI+7)

Rare: Fairy Sap. 16% chance. Sells for 82en.
3 required for Soma (Medicine, restores the entire party by 144HP, affected by Healer)

Conditional: None

So here's a problem, Pixies will throw around some nasty status, but none more terrifying than Petrify. Well, I suppose it's not too bad since we have Theriaca Bs, but it's something you should get tagged by at least once. Live a little. Or not, I suppose. Anyway, aside from making your Alchemist useless, they also can't be stopped since they can't be bound. Great!

Interesting. An enemy that can't be disabled (aside from Stun, heh.) And is pretty much immune to all forms of Instant Death aside from Climax. Which is basically overkill on random encounters. They're pretty frail though, so just damage them.



Doesn't matter anyway, they didn't even do anything. Team strong.




Oh crap, Cheese! What happened???



...right, gotcha.



At least that floor is over with. I think we should head back, tell everyone what's going on.

Yeah...

Back to town.



That's good to hear, they're pretty heavy!

The Lounge Where We Speak of Tomorrow



That's the entirety of B18F! Yet again, another pretty short floor, which, if you noticed, is why there wasn't a mid-stratum vote for a new party. These floors are pretty short, it's only everything else going on that's extended them into a full updates.



Ah, welcome back. Why so glum, chums?~

Oh it's just been a lovely stroll through the- why do you think we're glum?

This was inevitable, at least you cleared the floor. Man that's a big room.

I suppose we should address the other Armoth in the room.



Hardcore! Are you guys psychic or something? Check this out!



The thing is, it's still experimental... that's what she said to me, anyway. She's looking for a petrified explorer to test the medicine. Now, they say there's a monster on the 18th floor who can petrify you. Getting deliberately petrified doesn't sound like my idea of a good time, but... have fun!



See, if you get petrified your first time through the floor, then you don't have to go back into the labyrinth and then get specifically petrified and then have to leave again.



Well, doctor, diagnosis?



Pfft, amateur.



And hey, now she's one step closer to treating petrified explorers for real. Here's your reward... I hope Dr. Hoffman's bill to cure your friend isn't too high.

Did the developers forget Theriaca Bs exist, or...?

It is basically kind of a petty screw you if you didn't know this quest existed and had to go back into the Labyrinth just to get someone petrified.



Ah, you can get those from Immoas, right?

You're thinking of Bird Tendons. No, no, this is a Bird Limb. Completely different~

...it is?

A young medic at Ceft's asked me to find someone to retrieve a Bird Limb for his medicine. You can get it from Moas. It's very useful stuff; most people around here use it. Should be a piece of cake for you, right? Good luck.



Oh great, night creatures. Had plenty of experiece with those.

I wonder what nocturnal creature it is. Bats? Owls? Ooh, a giant moth! Nah, that sounds outlandish.



Quite, mhmm, yes I agree, Cheese, I think he's cute too.

Weird how the squirrels are acting petrified as well.

While investigating the 18th floor, our client noticed that monsters appeared at midnight. Then at dawn, they suddenly disappeared. They haven't killed anyone yet, but he's a little creeped out by the things. Be careful... we have no idea what kind of monsters we're dealing with here.




5 Musks and 3 Nyx Scythes are required for Evil Charm (DEF+1, TP+25), sells for 6500en.

3 Fairy Wings are required for Fairy Robe (Clothing, DEF+24), sells for 2340en.

7 Sand Cloths are required for Sand Glove (Gloves, DEF+4, TEC+3), sells for 810en.

The Evil Charm might be tempting, but it's 2000en for an extra 5TP. Pass.



Welcome back.

God that was awful. Just constant endless talking that I couldn't get away from. Just let the enemy kill me next time, it's less painful.

Well she seems better. It's bird time.



I had quite a chunk of cash there aaaaaand it's gone.



birb



Oh that's a pretty nasty bruise there, let me treat that.

You're mocking me.

Glad you were able to get a hold of that stuff. It makes for some great medicine. It's in your interests, too, for them to create new medicine. Anyway, thanks for doing it.

WHY WAS THAT A 19TH FLOOR QUEST?

The bad quest distribution goes both ways, son!



Ugh, mushrooms.

Amen to that, whatever your name is~

A young medic at Ceft Apothecary has asked you to obtain a medicinal mushroom. He's looking for a very rare mushroom called Cordyceps. They used to be found in the higher floors of the Labyrinth, but no one's found any lately. That's why he needs you to head deeper into the forest, to see if there are any there. I know it'll be dangerous, but a lot of people would benefit from this. Good luck.

Oi, you lot, my masters found something useful! Let's get out of here!

Weird, Cheese is refusing to enter buildings. I wonder why...

Cabin fever methinks. I've been afflicted with it for seventy billion years. I think. I lost count.




Whatever lurks beyond is sure to be a fierce opponent... if you mean to continue, then take the utmost caution.



I think we get it, Liana. Let's get going already.

Sorry, sometimes these musings are more... external than I realise.

Remember that scratced pillar? Well interacting with it unlocks this secret area that you'd only know about if you went to this far right door and noticed a Check prompt on this wall. I didn't, or, well, I only noticed that when I was Musk grinding, but I wasn't recording and I didn't really care. Anyway, use online maps to save your sanity.

Hooray for obscure secrets, I guess! The extra boss hiding in this area isn't tied to anything, but they made it a lot more obvious in the remake by tying the boss itself to a quest. It's honestly probably better that way.



Bunnies! They seem a bit out of place in the desert, though, way too fluffy for it.

Those are some mean ears, too, weirdly sharp.


Darkhare

Level: 47
HP: 476
STR: 171
VIT: 107
AGI: 51
LUC: 51
TEC: 51

EXP: 825

Skills
Charge: Doesn't use a body part. Charges to use Headless next turn. Increases ATK by 100% and has an 80% speed modifier.
Headless: Uses the Head. A Cut attack dealing 90% damage to a single target. Has a 90% accuracy modifier and a 10% speed modifier.

Damage Vulnerabilities
100% 100% 100%
100% 100% 100%

Disable Vulnerabilities
100% 100% 1%
100% 100% 100%

Drops
Normal: Tiny Tooth. 30% chance. Sells for 86en.
10 required for Warhammer (Staff, ATK+131, HP+22)

Rare: Demon Fur. 10% chance. Sells for 61en.
3 required for Demon Coat (Light Armor, DEF+37)

Conditional: None

This seems a bit... odd for a secret area we can reach by B18F. Well, it is: this is a 5th stratum enemy, implying you should be coming here around that time. But, well, we can come here now. So, sure, these enemies are pretty damn tough, mainly because of level, no surprise there, but it means we can get drops and equipment much earlier. This isn't like the quests that have a later enemy show up as an FOE, we can grind if we wanted to. But so I actually have stuff to go over later, we'll just talk about them when we're supposed to fight them. Still weird though.

There's nothing in Stratum 5 that hints that this secret area, and all the triggers leading up to it exist. You're just supposed to... stumble upon it, eventually.


Well this is fun...

I feel like we shouldn't be here.



Don't get too excited by the drops, since not every 5th stratum enemy is down here. Still, the exp is a nice bonus.



SPIDERS...

For those who don't remember, Cheese disliked spiders in Part 7 since they weren't fluffy.



Ah, spider blood is a great way to wake up in the morning.

Between whips and handcuffs I'm having a very interesting day.



Btw, these guys are level 53, so they will fucking murder us.



I sense incredible power coming from both directions. This is way over our heads.

And yet on we tread.



We're about to die, aren't we?

Let me check. Is Aryll in the party? Then yes.

D-D-D-Dinosaur! YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSS!!!




Dinolich

Level: 55
HP: 6200
STR: 344
VIT: 124
AGI: 89
LUC: 89
TEC: 59

EXP: 3200

Skills
Charge: Doesn't use a body part. Charges to use Devour next turn. Increases ATK by 100% and has an 80% speed modifier.
Devour: Uses the Head. A Cut attack that deals 130% damage to a single target. Has a 90% accuracy modifier and a 10% speed modifier.
Roar: Uses the Head. Attempts to inflict Fear on the entire party. Has a 40% infliction chance and a 10% speed modifier.

Damage Vulnerabilities
100% 100% 100%
125% 100% 50%

Disable Vulnerabilities
15% 25% 1%
25% 25% 25%

Drops
Normal: Sternum. 70% chance. Sells for 1450en.
1 required for Dino Plate (Clothing, DEF+32, Physical Resist Up 5%)

Rare: None

Conditional: Sword Rib (Kill with a non-Bow attack). 30% chance. Sells for 7500en.
1 required for Duergar (Sword, ATK+200, STR+14, AGI+9, must be restocked)

What would this secret area be without some 5th stratum FOEs? I'm only showing this so you can see how completely fucked we are. I don't know why the developers let us in here now, but I love them for it. Sometimes, you just want to be stepped on.

...just me? Weirdos.

Not everyone is a masochist, you know.



Yeah, okay, that was really loud.

WHAT?

OH MY GOD IT'S SO GOD! DAMN! COOL!



Pleeeeease don't kill anyone?



Huh, we seem to be hitting it pretty hard, so what's the catch?



Oh there it is.

I've missed these numbers.

So did I. Hateful EO1 is a lot more interesting than snooze cruise EO1.



Well, we gave it our best effort, but I think we've fucked it lads.

Quite.

Why is there a corridor of metal dinosaurs anyway?



Down the other corridor it's the same thing. While these FOEs aren't quite as incredibly murderous, it would be a hell of a time actually beating them, so let's save this for later. Next time, it's another short floor! Because of course it is.

I hope you're all ready for even more murder!