Part 36: Now we just wait for an earthquake again.

-Obstructive Existence-



Petrification is pretty nasty, if this guy gets any turns at all.











And then all the little monsters got an extra turn, because I forgot that Agate didn't have his multi-target S-Break set. Go me.



-Wandering in the Darkness-



Prevents petrification. The perfect gift for everyone who had trouble with the monster that was guarding it.







This is the place we're after--the first bridge in the Kaldia Tunnel, right?
Uh-huh! We just need to set up on either side of the bridge, I think.
Um...
There's an orbal charging station over here, so this is a bad spot. Which means...



Yeah...This should be okay!
Estelle, putting the device here should work! Should I set it up?



Um, we're not gonna set it up yet?
Well, once you're ready, just examine this area again. I'll set it up, then!



That's a lot of spitting.













Deathblow 2 gives you one guaranteed instakill, and then breaks. It doesn't have any elements whatsoever. I've never bothered with these, since enemies seem to all be either immune to deathblows or easy to kill normally.





-Obstructive Existence-



This fight starts with four male Whale Frogs, and one larger female. The males can call in little tadpole things, and the female can call in more males.

















I should probably stop doing this eventually. You know by now that Chain Craft rules the school.



-Wandering in the Darkness-



Gimme juuuust a minute...



Well, flip that switch as hard as you can!
Flipping...NOW!

*bup*

Yay! ♪ Now it works!
Good work, squirt.
Girl's Voice: Heeeeeeey! Esteeeeeelle!
Huh?!



Heheh! It's been a while! I didn't think we'd meet up here of all places.
Hmm-hmm! This is certainly a coincidence.
Wait...Oh, my, is that Princess Klaudia with you?
Please, Scherazard, it's Kloe. And hello!
Estelle and I met again in Ruan, and I've been trying to lend a hand.
I see. Well, thank you for helping Estelle, Kloe.
Haha, no, no, I really don't need thanks...
Ummmmm...Hi, Schera, it's been a while.



And Tita's here, too?
Ah, right! Kilika mentioned getting Professor Russell's help in investigating the earthquakes. You must be helping with that, then?
Heehee! Yep!
...
Uh, Anelace? What's up? You're spacing out.
I...c-c....can't...
I CAN'T STOP MYSELF ANYMORE!
Buh?



I can't NOT hug you! So cute so cute so cuuuuuute!
Wawawawawawawawaaa?!
(Oh...uh...right...Anelace's love of cute things...Didn't I, uh, call this at one point? Gotta make sure she doesn't smother Tita...)
You said your name is Tita, right? I'm Anelace Elfead! You just call me Anelace, okay?
Wh-Whaaaaa...?
Aaaaaaaaaah you're even CUTER when you get all confused!
Schera! I claim this cutie for the Bracer Guild! We're taking her with us!
I know how you feel, but I, ah, don't think it's a good idea. If I were you, I'd be worried about her big brother over there.
...What are you starin' at me for?
So, uh, Schera. Why are you guys out here? Did you come looking for us?
No, this is just a happy coincidence. We're on the trail of some clues concerning the Sky Bandits and the old Intelligence Division.
Huh? The Sky Bandits and the Intelli...You mean there are guys from those still on the loose?
That's right, there's still men from both that the army hasn't caught. You guys found some kind of clue?
Well, the guild's had witness calls pouring in. Most of them aren't all that reliable, though...
We've been investigating throughout the country, following up on some of the more reliable leads.
Though...I was curious. I heard one of the Ouroboros showed up in Ruan.
Yeah...
A weirdo in an opera suit calling himself the 'Phantom Thief.'
Even with that stupid costume...guy was a powerhouse. If he'd really tried to fight us, it could've been bad for us.
Whoa...Agate's saying someone was tough? Ouroboros really is dangerous, in that case...
More 'mysterious' than 'dangerous,' I'd say...
Well, remember, if you need our help, call us any time. If you use the guild's orbal phones, you should be able to contact us quickly.
Yeah, we'll do that. Ditto for you, Schera--if anything happens, get in touch with us. We'll be there in an instant.
Good! I'll be counting on it.
It is nice to see you again, but this is hardly the place for a long talk...It's about time we moved on.
Oh, yeah...It's too bad, but I guess you're right.
Hey, don't take this the wrong way, but you're two women traveling alone. Make sure you don't bite off more than you can chew, okay?
Whoa, whoa, Agate? Being thoughtful? Hold the presses, I think the earth just shook again!
...What DID I just say about biting off and chewin'?
Heeheehee...Juuust kidding.
He does have a point, though. Thank you, Agate. We'll be careful, as should you.
Stay well, everyone!
Estelle, Tita! Next time we meet, let's hang out together!
You bet!
Ummmm...Goodbye!



Oh, Tita...are you okay? I was kind of afraid Anelace would squeeze you like a grape...
Heehee! Yeah, I'm okay! That was...kind of surprising, though...
Ah, well, um, she's not a BAD person, so forgive her, okay?
Still, though...remnants of the bandits AND the Intelligence goons...
Both groups seem to have secret society backing. If those two do a good job, we might get some valuable clues.
We'd better do our best, too.
Anyway...so right here is fine, right?
Yeah. We've got all the devices in place now, too. Let's get back to Gramps in the Operations room at the Central Factory.
Roger that. Fifth floor of the factory, right?



-Factory City of Zeiss-



Yes, I see. Good, the connection is perfect.
Hmm...And even better, it looks like things are rock-solid.
Secure our connections to the other two units at once.
Supervisor Travis: Understood, Professor.



I guess. Man...this room is still the weirdest damn thing.
Oh, hello, everyone.
Hi, Mr. Murdock. We've got the measuring devices set up like the professor asked.
Yes, we saw. We've got data pouring in from them already.
So the Capel is already running?
Aye! Professor Russell's running some sort of program to sort the data now. In fact...
Supervisor Travis: Connections to second and third units...stable.
Excellent, that's all three, then. Now let me see...
Good, good! Both of them are still as a pond. And we have links to all three units. Excellent!
Ahh, everyone! Wasn't expecting you back this quickly.
As you can see, thanks to you we're getting all the data we need. Good work, you four.
Haha! Well, really, all we did was carrying the instrument bits.
'Sides, we're the ones getting a favor off of you. You should be thankin' shortstuff over here. She's the one who put 'em together like a pro.
Wh--No, no, I d-didn't do anything special...
No, no. You did very well. Even the transmitters are perfect. The signal we're receiving is marvelous.
Heehee! Well, yay!
So we're all set up now, right, Grandpa? Can I do anything else to help?
No, we're as prepared as we can be, I think.
I've programmed the Capel to begin analysis automatically if a disturbance is detected in the septium veins. Now we just wait for an earthquake again.
So we've...pretty much hurried up to wait. *sigh*
I dunno if I can stay calm just waiting for an earthquake to strike Zeiss again.
I know what you mean...What if another earthquake hits the city directly? It's chilling.
Don't suppose we have a plan in case that happens?
We've secured and locked down the factory for an earthquake.
Even so, if the next earthquake is much stronger, it will be hard on us. At the very least, I can't imagine we'll avoid property damage.
Unfortunately, the Capel here is the same. Strong enough vibrations could damage it, causing errors and making our experiment fail...
...so a prayer or three to the Goddess wouldn't go amiss, everyone!
I thought I was nervous before...
Haha. So, even the most advanced technology still needs the blessing of Aidios?
Heehee! Engineers can be really faithful, you know! I pray to the Goddess a lot when I'm working really hard on something.
She does have a point. I remember when Professor Russell was developing the first orbal airship. I was going to church three times a day!
You could've had a little faith in something OTHER than the Goddess, Chief Murdock. Hmph!
After thirty-nine failed experiments, could you blame me?
Heehee. They've always been like this, haven't they?
I think they have, yeah!
Anyway. Looks like we got some time to kill. Wouldn't hurt to pop back over to the guildhouse and report in.
Yes, go on ahead. We'll contact the guild should anything hap--

-Silence-



Wha...
Eeek! Earthquake!
Seems we don't have that much time to kill after all!
Supervisor Travis: All three instruments are reporting changes! The septium veins appear to be active!
Continue monitoring! Don't take your eyes off them for a second! If the signals are interrupted, report immediately!
Supervisor Travis: Yes, sir!



Given the direction the seismic waves are headed, the origin point of the temblor...
Coordinates are...12.73, 378.02...Oh-ho...Very interesting.
What do you mean?
We know where that earthquake's epicenter is. It's...Leiston Fortress.
WHAT?! DAD!
Aw, hell!