Part 35: Episode 4: Part 8: Enhanced Lab Work!

Episode 4: Part 8: Enhanced Lab Work!



After fleeing from the zombie, the heroic trio wind up in this room. We can't go back up the stairs, but the way south is open. But before we do that...



The swords mounted on the walls have inscriptions. The other one says "All signs point in the right direction."



So we do this with the six otherwise empty chests in this room...





Not really worth hiding in a room like this!! I can think of two other notch items in this dungeon that are though!





C Lords are so damn weak. Anyway, we're following a linear series of rooms at this point.



Too bad Rhue won't be eating and puking this one up.





See, this would have been better in the secret room.



And uh, I think Lun's putting his thoughts into bookshelves.



We wind up in a cavern again and...



We meet Shadow Lord D... He's not as weak as C but he's still a pain, and I'm pretty sure he heals too.

After a couple fights like that, we enter a room on the other side of the cavern.



Jopaga, I'm not telling you anything!



"I don't remember sending out invitations to any of you..."
Jopaga also lacked a portrait once, but who didn't?

Trespassers. That's what you all are.

I don't have time to deal with you Arastotzi trash. I've got MUCH better things to do.

(Arastotzi?)

Take care of them, men.



Jopaga takes off to the south.

S. LORD #2: I want the guy in the blue and orange. Can you take the other two?

S. LORD #1: Let me think...

Rhue draws his sword and runs up.





So these guys are just. Kind of normal I guess. It's an easy fight and there's nothing really interesting to say. I guess they're harder than Shadowlords A and B. Shorter and less tedious to fight than the larger groups though, despite being arguably slightly more challenging.



You can always count on absorbing shit to make a scene slightly funnier than intended.



So here's a curious choice that has a clear best answer.
You get +2 Sorya for 1#.
+1 Sorya and Red Zero AND a piece of Stricite for #2.
NOTHING for 3# because no one cares about Stoyko apparently.
And +1 for Red Zero for #4.

I go with #2.



Which results in Rhue taking a daring shortcut.



I know...



Rhue pounds on this door down here.

Lands! He got away.

But it looks like he dropped something for me. Guess I scared him pretty good.
We get a piece of Stricitie! Then Rhue heads back...



Thanks. Have you seen Cade?

Yes, right after the floor gave way. We haven't had any contact since then.


What's with this place anyway?
A floor that's rigged to collapse? A deep underground complex built into a natural underground cavern?
We ran into a weird green monster earlier who ripped into the head of one of your men.
And now we just fought two super powered Shadow Lords.
And when someone finally tells me the name of your organization, it's the guy we're trying to kill.

Why is it that the feared Arastotzi were afraid to tell me so much as their name?

It works better for both parties when those in our employ don't know who we are.

You'll have to trust me on that one.

Okay. Now I want to know why we're really here. I know that story you told me back at that little shanty isn't true.
If you're the Arastotzi then surely you can get your precious lace from other sources.

One little Shadow Lord contingent starts making lethal lace and you guys freak out over it?

I don't think so.
And maybe I'm just not "in the know" about what's going on in the outer city...
... but I haven't heard a single rumor about this horrible lethal lace crap.

All right dear, you've made your point. We misled you.

There is no threat of a harmful load of lace hitting the streets.
No one in our organization has died from such a substance.

We're all here for a completely different reason.
Sorya moves to stand behind the lever...



See those dead men over there in the corner dear?



That's why were(SIC) here.



What???
(Lands, why am I being so paranoid?!)

It's true.

Stop speaking in riddles.

If you insist dear. Those men were "super powered" in a way.

Jopaga has found a way to enhance a wanderer using a special chemical mixture.
It's like no substance ever before produced.
It gives men and women alike, far more strength than they could ever obtain naturally.

So you aren't here to destory(SIC) this new substance are you?

Of course not dear! We're here to take it by force for ourselves.

That's so noble of you...
Sorya walks back around to stand directly in front of Rhue again.

Rhue, this substance is a great threat to the Arastotzi in the hands of others.
This mission was ordered by Entrego himself. He's the man. He's second to no one in the Arastotzi.
We are the largest and most powerful force in the outer city.
We will not cede that position to anyone or anything else.
That is why we have to capture Jopaga.
Unfortunately he's sealed off most of the ways into the core facility. That's probably where he is now.

So what's the plan? Sit around and wait for him to starve?

No dear, I haven't the patience for such an endeavor.
The lever behind me operates a bridge in the cavern outside this room.
We can use that bridge to gain access to the core facility.
I'm betting that the chasm that exists without the bridge is the only real defense Jopaga has if we take that route.

Great, throw the switch and lets go.

Sorry, but there is one complication dear. We need a key to make this lever usable.

Lands, how did I know?



"There is a tunnel in the northwest part of the cavern that leads to a large experimenting room.
I saw a whole ring of keys on one of the desks in there. I would have taken it, but I feared being discovered.
There is one door on the way that is locked though. I don't know if we'll be able to get there."

I found a key on one of the dead Shadow Lords. It didn't work on the lever, but maybe it would open that door.

I hope so.

I guess it's settled then dears. I need you to go out and find that ket. I'll wait here for your return.

Red Zero, I'd like to have a word in private with you first dear.


...



It must be important whatever it is.
Red Zero comes out at this moment.



Nothing...

I bet.

Let's just go.



There's the bridge we need to raise...



So we backtrack to the first room after the chest puzzle to open a door I couldn't before.



Now we're on the same level as the bridge.





We finally maxed out all our Weapon Patterns. So now I can start on the much better Oneness patterns, which we have two of. Short term problem there is, like with the XLIFE moves Weapon auras teach you, you can't use the flows of a different category of patterns than the one you have equipped to level up. So I can't use any of the weapon flows, even the one I just maxed out, and can in fact use absolutely none since our two Oneness patterns are still only level 1.



However it only takes one fight against some Shadow Lords to level up once. Haha.



Also woo





I DON'T switch back to Fire Edge for once. The Shadow Lords are mostly weak to Air Edge (I think C is the only one that isn't.) and Shadow Lord C has a habit of casting protection from Fire Aura ontop of that. They already take a bit of time to fight so...



Also a locked door we can't open... And at the end of this pathway we find another room...


VOICE #2: I... I...

VOICE #1: You're afraid of me. This is understandable. But please, tell me the truth.

VOICE #2: We wanted to get the formula done, it's just that Jopaga has gone mad!

VOICE #1: You are aware then that the formula was to be completed by today.

VOICE #2: He took control over all the projects. There wasn't anything I could do!

VOICE #1: That's the reason for the delay?

VOICE #2: Yes.

VOICE #1: Can you do it without him?

VOICE #2: It will be more difficult. But I think I'll be able to produce something of similar effect to what we originally agreed too(SIC).

VOICE #1: Good. You will be spared the fate of your comrades. Come with me.

Whoever it is leaves and then Stoyko encourages us to find the keys quickly. Red Zero adds that they don't seem to be on the desk anymore.







This is telephone code. It decodes to:
“Lexus. Lexus. I wish my vision of you was true. You were so beautiful.”

...
(I don't know why I'm smiling, I just am. But at the same time I feel sad.)

STOYKO: Rhue, stop staring at those meaningless numbers.
Lun neglected to go back and add Stoyko's portrait for little things like this, it seems.



"Late Evening: Final Results
-----------------------------
Expecting positive test results.
Completion of formula is imminent."



I don't think this one was figured out. The last line is Colo. Springs, which I'm pretty sure is where Lun lived so people thought it might be an address.

Makes no sense to me.



This one is: Luke Wacholtz



Rhue, its been you all along. Its you.

(No...)

(What's wrong with me?)



The first line is "There is no one!"
The other line has a 1 in it so uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

(There's something, missing it feels like.)



"Lyrra, you've known her a long time. She screamed."

(What?)

STOYKO: Rhue, maybe you better stop staring at those books.


Means to none.

(I wonder what that means? It amounts to nothing in my mind.)



Mom, I love you. Dad, I love you. I hate myself I am weak.

...

That's everything here, so we leave. And on the way back...



Let's finish this quick!
So we get into a quick fight with Shadow Lords A through C again.



Likewise. Any good news?

We rescued Sorya while chasing down Jopaga. He's locked himself away in the core facility.

I'm glad Sorya is safe. Can we speak in private for a second?

... Rhue knows. Sorya told him.

That's her perogative. I guess I can speak freely then.

I ran across some information that clearly indicated that the Pits is the main source of components for Jopaga's little formula.
We're talking deep down in the Reaches.
Apparently Jopaga now has a creature that harvests the necessary components from the Reaches for him.

Probably a monster he created himself.

Most likely.
Bottom line is that we need to get to him fast. Evidence suggests that he is mighty close to perfecting his work.

We've got a key that will help us lower a bridge across the chasm at the southern part of this cavern.
Sorya believes we should be able to infiltrate the core facility using that route.
We've just got to get it to her in the control room.

Great. Run that key up there as fast as possible. My team will cross the bridge and secure the next area.

Right.

Cade goes to wait down by the bridge, leaving us to backtrack the rest of the way.



...

Flaming fires... I knew we shouldn't have left her here alone!

There's nothing we can do for her. We don't even know if she's in trouble.
Let's just use the key and try to find Jopaga.

I agree.

Shiest...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4ebZxDz0xo



We'll be right behind you.


I hate to break a promise twice, but this updates already getting long and the rest of this sequence... well, it has a pretty lengthy cutscene or two. Plus more posts means new page faster. So I'll cut here, and the NEXT update will definitely have the aura stuff I swear to god.
I also posted this a couple days later than intended because I've been sucked in by Trails in the Sky. Still, four days isn't so long.

the end