Part 31: Ouroboros Maia
A Land Controlling Roads
Alright, so we'll now deal with that big ol' outer ring.
There ARE other Gate Search C doors that exist, but we don't need to worry about them right now.
We just have a bunch of things to deal with that are more important is all.
These here Mandrakes are just the same as the normal Mandrakes from Delphinus but levelled up to 43 and made to act like minibosses. It's as exciting and difficult as it sounds.
So, not very.
There's a few side-rooms along the outer room that let us get things like this Bead Chain that we saw previously.
Gui Xian is a new demon and the only one up here. He's immune to Ice and Expel. Oddly enough, this is because the enemy Gui Xian has Void Ice as a passive equipped. Usable Gui Xian has Void Fire instead and so only resists Ice. That's... something, I guess. I don't know why that's a thing but it is.
Anyway, that's that for the regular random demons.
The fixed random demons are just more of the same, in basically every way. Just with like more HP and somehow less interesting.
Moving swiftly along, because Kwancha is still Kwancha, we can get 3 AT II if we really needed it. This is a nice fixed Forma, but not the best.
We can go through this door to see what the deal is with this part of the area being mapped. I'm just going to go through it to get the door added to the map for completion; the actual content can wait.
Dzelarhons is really breaking the obvious pattern that was going on. She's totally thinking of platypi here anyway.
She's not even levelled up to 43, presumably because there aren't any random Dzelarhons before now. Which, if it is the entire reason why, is really dumb. She's weak to Ice, resists Fire and Wind and can cast Mamudo sometimes. That's it.
Ooh this is new. Fixed Luck Core in the next room, and that gives a Core for every stat now. Maybe we'll be able to find out what they're used for sooner, rather than later.
Meanwhile, we have these guys. They're not Dragons, though, but it still works better than "frog."
See, they're Drakes! This one is so dumb; they're just the normal Basilisk from this very Sector but with a miniboss template attached (kind of; Macabre back in Bootes had more HP than these guys). At least this should be the last one.
There has been a change in the energy pattern near the Vanishing Point. Go there and assess the situation.
I'd say it's around 100%, with the only reason it's not exactly 100 being that she might have just left for some reason.
I adivse that you prepare yourself before going.
Anyway, the last fixed Forma in this area is a Sword Shard.
As in the Forma that Red Rider drops. Yes. What?! This is absurdly generous, it's a Fixed forma so it won't spawn again and Enemy Search Forma cannot appear in the area Forma spawns usually...
In The Master's Name
Anyway, yeah, let's go beat up Ouroboros now. Hopefully for real this time.
The torus of eternity has been severed...! I cannot fall at the hands of humans!
Snake Ouroboros (2) Vehement Rage
So, Ouroboros is a bit more powerful in this fight. She's gained a few levels and has a small number of new skills. I do mean small, unfortunately.
She's dropped both Dekaja and Dekunda and opted instead to go with Silent Prayer if buffs/debuffs go to 4. This just clears everything on everyone, resetting everything to its base value. This removes her own buffs and debuffs on you if she could do them, but instead it just makes it so you can't Taunt her to +4 attack.
Her only other new skill is this. Wave of Death is what she totally used in the cutscene before, and it's just a very powerful MT Phys skill. Yes, Phys. Not Almighty Phys. Just straight Phys.
Her resistances are completely unchanged, so she's still weak to Fire and drains Elec. The only other changes are that she doesn't regen now, she has 3200HP instead of 2300 and because she's a higher level she takes slightly less damage and deals more.
Also she gives ludicrous EXP, a decent chunk of Macca and drops a Bead Chain.
End In The Master's Name
No... Humans cannot... pass here... ......> Ouroboros disappeared.
> There is something on the ground where Ouroboros was.
Oh, that's clever. A Klein bottle is like a closed Mobius Loop that is a nonorientable surface. It's a bit like one of those impossible triangle illusion things, except... sort of not? This is something I can somehow explain less the impossible imaginary engine the Red Sprite uses.
Silence
Am... Am I supposed to defeat the humans...? Or... is the fate of the world beginning to change...? I don't know... Even with the knowledge you gave me... I don't know... What... What am I supposed to be looking for...?> Gore disappeared somewhere...
Now that his puppet master's gone, he's as imposing as a weak kitten. Poor guy might just have to rot here in the Scwarzwelt...
Was it the Commander deep down inside of him that stopped Gore from going all the way...?
So long, Gore... Commander...
Looks like we can finally ditch this dump. Hey, see that? The Vanishing Point is wide open... Morale
Congratulations on defeating Ouroboros. The Vanishing Point has returned to its normal functionality. Mission "Find the Vanishing Point" is confirmed complete. Calling all crew.
All crewmen must return to the ship or gather at the Vanishing Point.
Look alive, people! Don't fool around or you'll get left behind! I better get going myself!
We're finally here, Hitonari! It won't be long before we're back home!
It is "bleeding out" to the Earth through here.
What we're trying to do is hitch a ride on the energy bleed, though that's oversimplifying a little. We will need to adjust our course constantly during the attempt. Engineering, stay alert and take care with the engine's control.
A once-in-a-lifetime job for Space-Time Navigator Terry... Wait 'til my daughter hears! So's that weird thing we got from Ouroboros gonna be the only souvenir we take home, Tadano?
Maybe it'll at least be a good-luck charm for the trip home. Hahaha...
Listen, friend, that's hardly all we got! Supplies has a whole closet full of goodies to take back home! New materials, new equipment... The boys on Earth'll be swooning over this stuff! It's true... we have much to show for all our hard work. But there were so many casualties, and we never did figure out the truth behind the Schwarzwelt... I dunno... Do we really need to know it that bad?
What do you think, Tadano?
We owe it to mankind. You just don't learn, do you, man? Don't tell me you wanna stay here... I don't need to hear that shit. Guess that's what makes you the team's golden boy.
We'd like to toast the end of your mission... but that'd be a little premature at this point. Yes... we still have the final leg of the journey to complete.
...Good point. We'll raise a glass to your luck and mankind's future once you're back. Now then, gentlemen, let's go over the plan one more time. Once you enter the Vanishing Point to begin your escape... We'll be feeding you navigation data that'll lead you home. Follow those coordinates to arrive back on Earth. As soon as we've confirmed you're clear of the Schwarzwelt...
The next time we meet, it'll be on Earth. Looking forward to it. Godspeed, gentlemen.
All hands, to your positions...
We're finaly going home! Back to Earth at last! Somebody pinch me! Yeah, so long to this hellhole, and good riddance! Silence
Still not worth making a video of this, but at least its a different animation now.
There's these cubes floating around in the background and the purple aura void that is the Vanishing Point.
We fly into it, the end.
We are currently on course. According to our calculations, it should take approximately 20 minutes. Crisis
An unidentified energy signature is approaching from the rear! It's moving at a faster rate than the ship! We only have a few minutes before it catches up! What is it!? Who could be chasing us here...!? Is another demon after us!? What's wrong!? We hit!?
Arthur, on its current course, it's going to ram us! We will take evasive action with short plane shifts. Engineering, prepare the reactor.
The reactor's malfunctioned. We can't use the plane shift! It's almost here...! Waaaaaaaaaagh!> The Red Sprite lost control...
Silence
Well, if it isn't these guys again. We haven't seen them since the intro... when Hitonari died... umm...
In the end, humans have proved themse;ves to be little more than apes.
And apes riding in an iron vessel cannot control the providence of the universe. Fear
Jimenez...! Zelenin...! Hitonari...!
It was to prevent you from becoming arrogant, and believing that you rule the world from on high. The wisdom of humans? The power of science? What did you hope to accomplish with these...? You will learn your boundaries. You will learn your boundaries. You will learn your boundaries.
We're begin sucked in...!? Hitonari... Hitonari!? Who are these guys!? Demons!? Dammit, get out of my mind! Let go! Let go of me! We have to fight them, Tadano! ...Well, well. It seems another fruitless struggle has begun.
They fail to grasp the depths of the universe's providence. Hmm... and lo, they detonate their "thunder"... But behold: they will be swallowed.
I-Is this a vision...!? Is that... the Schwarzwelt being struck with nuclear weapons!?
Shit! The tricked us! We're not out yet, dammit...!
Ay Dios mio... it's not working! It didn't even make a scratch! The operation failed!
It is no longer given to humans to choose their own way. You and all your kind will live in the cursed lands...! But no... hold... But no... hold... But no... hold...
...And so I see you have one already, Hitonari.
The path may yet open. Foolish descendants who no longer know the voices of the spirits, or the truth of the world...
Silence
And so for Ouroboros, the Joint Project and the (important members of the) Red Sprite... Pride came before one hell of a fall. So this is how it ends for us, huh?
I can't believe the crew of the Red Sprite are fuckin' dead.
Malevolence and Benevolence
Where... are we...?
Dammit, why isn't he answering!? What's going on!? Did we make it out!? Is this Earth!? Or are we at the ends of space and time!?
Monitor team, get the camera feeds up and running! I get banged up, I lose my memory... I have no idea what's going on. Did something happen while we were escaping...?
It wasn't just me, right? You guys saw them too, huh!? Did they interfere with the Red Sprite's escape!?
Were those demons? Or illusions...?
All right, let's get back on the job! C'mon, Arthur, what're you doing...? Self-repair? Hurry it up already...! The main infrastructure seems to be intact. We took a heavy impact, but there doesn't seem to be any major damage to the hull. Now if only Arthur would reboot... Silence
Patching it through to all onboard viewscreens!
Fear
We ended up in another unidentified space-time sector!
I don't believe this... we're still stranded out here...? We didn't accomplish a damn thing... Our big escape attempt just dumped us here. There's nothing us humans can do out here, is there...?
We've just got in some atmospheric data... Doesn't seem like there's anything out there that'd stop us from operating outside.
Oh, right! I'll set up a line... Wh... what!? What the hell is this!?
But... how did this happen!? The graviton radio was destroyed?
Believe me, I'm wondering the same thing! I'm looking at it right now, though, and it's smashed flat. There's no fixing this... I don't understand... how does a machine break like this...? Correspondence with the Earth... The way it broke...
Well, whatever happened, we've lost our only way to contact the Joint Project. We're on our own again... There's no one out there to help us. ......! Well, it's about goddamn time! Arthur is rebooting!
Auto-recovery from system crash is complete. All functions normal. Integrating new important data. System update complete. Resuming normal functions.
My apologies for worrying you. I have now fully recovered. I will assess the situation and begin devising a plan immediately.
Arthur, I just don't get this! What happened? Where are we? What should we do? Can you explain it to us? Do you even know the answers? All hands, please listen to my report. The Red Sprite's escape attempt ended in failure.
As well as the interference of the three unknown life forms. In short, we were unprepared to attempt the escape. Haha... hahahahaha! This is hilarious!
What a laughingstock we are! What's so goddamned funny!? This is serious!
I'm sure it knows what it's talking about. What about the plan to destroy the Schwarzwelt!? They went through with it back on Earth, right!? What we saw when we were escaping... Were those the nukes...!?
There is no sign that the Schwarzwelt has been destroyed. ......
So that's where we stand... We must revise our plans. To do so, we must assess the situation. First, we must ascertain the Red Sprite's location.
Judging from the available data...
So the Schwarzwelt has been expanding infinitely...? I'm surprised we made it here in one piece... Is that all right to say? Just trying to provide some comfort... Hitonari, it seems the Formless Mass you hold is not merely decorative.
It was this Exotic Matter that led us here.
So this weird stuff decides where we end up? According to my new information...
This will expand our navigational options from the Vanishing Point. ...Wait, Arthur. something's not right about this. This "new information" you just referred to... You mentioned some "new important data" when you rebooted, too. Where did you get this information?
It was transmitted to me from outside the ship. Could that have been...? Judging by the information's contents and timestamp...
Wait, it came from THEM!? Arthur, you're basing our whole plan on information from those monsters!? Yeah, can we trust them!? They're the same ones who just stopped us from escaping! This is unbelievable... Arthur, you're-- Any doubts you harbor are perfectly understandable.
It is consistent with our findings and does much to explain the Schwarzwelt phenomenon.
I can come to no other conclusion than that their information is legitimate. They simply know more about the Schwarzwelt than we do.
Strange though it may sound, the three unknown life forms both helped and hindered us. It appears as though they desire our continued progress.
Mem is the 13th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and Aleph is of course the first.
Mem Aleph...? The center of the Schwarzwelt... It's obviously a trap! Mem Aleph is just something they made up to trick us! They're just having fun watching us squirm! But even if it is a trap... what other way is there? I don't like it, but there it is. Can you believe this shit, Tadano?
You gonna just salute and say, "Yes, Sir!" to that? Arthur, I understand that you're trying to make the best of a bad situation, but...
Moreover, given the circumstances, I must question your judgement.
However, I understand yours and the rest of the crew's concern that I am malfunctioning.
Silence What do you think, Hitonari? Can you proceed with the mission with such concerns? Can you carry out your duties? I can. Malevolence and Benevolence
But I'm in... even if I have to do it all myself! Anyone who's tired of it all, go sleep in the engine room! I'll take you home! We can worry all we want, but it won't solve our situation.
We're only alive now because we seized every chance we had. I can't say I'm thrilled, but...
At least until we find out whether or not there's Exotic Matter here. If there is only one option available to use, I see no point in argument.
In that case, let us proceed to the assignment.
Fornax is Latin for furnace, it's named afer a Roman personification of... an oven, and you probably even noticed it earlier.
It's adjacent to Eridanus, partially encirlced by the river even. This is in part because Fornax as a constellation also used to be part of Eridanus.
Our objective here is to find the Exotic Matter that will expand our options from the Vanishing Point. I am issuing a new official mission, designated "Fornax's Exotic Matter." Our working theory is that the Exotic Matter guided our journey to this sector. It remains possible for us to return to previously explored sectors...
I regret that we are no longer able to contact the Joint Project, but please remain calm. I look forward to the successful completion of your mission. ...Okay Fine Here's A Normal Ouroboros (2) Fight