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Update 13: An Unreasonable Task

That Ninja talks too much.













The equipment I unlocked on my last trip. Now let's finish up the 3rd floor.





A quick passage back from the stairs.



The one who surprised you is a boy clad in ninja garb, an eager smile on his face.



Yesss! I finally found someone! Hey, you guys must be explorers if you’re down here, right?

You’re a bit taken aback and not quite sure how to answer the boy’s carefree, earnest question.



No:

On hearing your claim that you are not explorers, he stares at you doubtfully.

You’re here in the Labyrinth... but you’re not explorers? Well, that doesn’t really matter.

Yes:

Of course! Why else would we be in such a place like this?

You tell him that you are indeed explorers, to which he snaps his fingers excitedly.

Honestly, guys, I’m kinda in some trouble. You know the things on this floor that chase you?

Those big scary hippos?

I dodged ’em so far, but the one in the room up ahead just doesn’t let up. I can’t get past it. So I gotta ask you... Can you find a way to avoid the monster and teach me how it’s done?

You are still not quite sure what to make of the boy or whether to honor his request.



No:

We don't have time to babysit you. Sorry, but you'll just get in our way.

The boy seems disappointed that you have declined his request, but his smile quickly reappears.

Well, be extra careful if you’re gonna go on. If you don’t, you’ll end up in that thing’s tummy.

The boy nods and leaves. You turn toward the open space, wondering how to accomplish this challenge.

Yes:

Hmm, very well. But don't get in our way. We can't fight monsters and protect you at the same time.

The moment you nod, a wide smile spreads over the boy’s face.

Thanks! That’ll be a big help! I’ll be close behind you, so just lead the way!

The boy takes up position behind you, ready to follow as you dodge the monster in the next room.



We'll have to be tactical here. That girl at the bar said that those things can cross rivers, right?

Hmm... Aha! I believe I may have figured out a path. Follow me.

You have to follow a very specific path in order to get past that Raging Tyrant. Or you could kill it, but I highly doubt that you're capable of doing that at this point.



It saw us!

From the start, go east 3 tiles, north 3 tiles, and then west 1 tile.



AHH! It's crossing the river!

Then go north 2 tiles, east 1 tile, north 2 tiles, west 3 tiles, south 3 tiles, and then west 2 tiles.



Ha! Made it!

Heh, good planning there. Wonder if that brain of yours is match for my muscles.

Go south 1 tile, west 2 tiles, north 3 tiles, and then east 1 tile. And you're out!



Wow, thanks! I’d never have done that on my own! Looks like I was right to trust you...

The boy falls silent, peers at you, then slaps his forehead and continues.

I didn’t introduce myself, huh? My name’s Agata. I’m the ninja leader of the Murotsumi guild.

If you declined Agata's request, this conversation starts out differently

You are catching your breath after shaking off the pursuing monster when a voice startles you.

Haha, I got through too! So... That’s how you get around that nasty thing...

You stare goggle-eyed at the boy who was evidently following you. He laughs happily in response.

C’mon, don’t be that way. Ninja survive by using everything and everyone they can.

He thanks you, turns to leave, then faces you again as if remembering something.

And then he continues on as normal.

You recall hearing the boy’s name some time ago in a previous conversation... The girl calling herself Hypatia said she was searching for a boy by this name. It might be best to tell this boy that Hypatia was looking for him.



No:

I guess we’ll go our separate ways from here. You better believe I’m gonna find the bottom first!

The boy yells confidently over his shoulder as he dashes away, quick as the wind...

You are initially tempted to go after the boy, but it might also be best to return to Armoroad.

Yes:

Agata? Ah! Hypatia was looking for you. She's waiting back at the inn in Armoroad.

Hypatia was looking for me? Seriously...? Man, she’s hopeless... Okay. I’ll head back to the city in a bit. If you get there first, can you tell her I’m coming? See ya.

Calls out Agata over his shoulder as he hurries on ahead.

You can go the same way or return to the city and give Hypatia the news about Agata.



B3 Mine Point:
Topaz: 30% Gather Rate.
Phonolite: 70% Gather Rate.
Chalcophyllite: Rare.
Common Gather Periods: 2 to 12.
Rare Gather Periods: 1 to 4.



I made a new friend! Wanna meet him? AWWOOOO!



You made friends with an elephant!? You must teach me your ways.

Heh! Kid's already proving his worth!







Shocked, I'm sure.

Now that Asteria has Singularity, the game will tell you if you struck a weakness, and plays a little DING sound every time you do.



Looking closely, you see that a small crab is stuck between the rocks, struggling to break free. The crab is well within reach, if you would like to reach out and attempt to rescue it.



Aw, can't we do something about it?

You attempt to move the large rock and liberate the poor crab...

GRRRGGHH! Gah... The rock is too heavy. I can't move it.

S-Same h-here...

Heh, step aside. I got this. RAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

All your strength won’t move the rock, but then Rose throws it aside with a mighty yell. With the large rock gone, the newly freed crab moves down the river until it is gone from view. Under the rock, you now notice a medicine bottle in a leather bag that someone must have dropped. You keep the serendipitous medicine as a boon granted by fate before leaving the area.



This event is actually a STR check, not a class specific event. The game checks your party slots in order and then stops at the character whose STR stat is high enough to qualify for the event. Even Alice could have lifted the rock if the game decided that her STR was high enough. In this case, having 16 or more STR is enough to pass the check. If your STR wasn't high enough this happens, and you don't get the Medica II.

You attempt to move the large rock and liberate the poor crab... But no matter how much strength you apply, the rock in the stream won’t be moved. Despite your concern for the poor trapped crab, you can do nothing. You leave, vaguely dissatisfied.



Time to level up some skills.



Monarch March restores 3 HP per step.



Charge now gives a 240% damage boost to the next physical attack.



Beast Soul gives a small boost to the animals summoned. A 10% boost to HP, a 20% boost to attack, and a 5% boost to defense.



Lullaby now has a 35% chance to land.





That shortcut leads to the treasure chests we saw earlier.



Restores 160 HP to an ally. A bit overkill at the moment.



Another chest that can't be opened.



And now the quick route to the stairs has been unlocked.



Unlike the first two floors, we're actually completely done with this one. Aside from not being able to kill the Raging Tyrants, but that can be done later.







His piercing gaze relaxes into a smile. He speaks slowly, as if choosing his words carefully.

We met on the second floor, no? Glad to see you safe here. You’re one of the luckier guilds.

I'd say getting as far as we did is a considerable feat as well.

The young man then shifts his gaze deeper into the forest.

Lucky though you are to survive thus far... Trespassing further into the Labyrinth is forbidden. It’s simply much too dangerous.

He shrugs, his piercing gaze again fixed on you. He seems unlikely to bend in his stance, though you may attempt to appeal to his reason.



Why!? Aren't we supposed to explore the Labyrinth?

You ask him why those who are here to explore the Labyrinth are barred from doing so.

This is far enough for those with idle curiosity. Only those with higher callings may go further.

The young man runs a speculative gaze over you before continuing.

If you strive for greater than to see the Labyrinth’s sights... Then return to the Senatus and petition them for a letter of marque. If you wish, that is.

The young man nods curtly and takes up his firm stance blocking your way. It seems your best option at the moment is to return to Armoroad and speak with the Senatus.



I don't understand. You invite everyone to have free reign of the place, and then you say it's too dangerous, go home? Come on, let us through!

I told you once. Trespassing here is forbidden. You’ll have to go back to Armoroad for now.

It seems you may only proceed on the Senatus’ authority.

It doesn't seem like we have much of a choice but to go see Senator Flowdia.





We got to the 4th floor. Then someone stopped us from looking around more.

Wow, you’ve been to B4F already? Doesn’t the Senatus have a hard mission down there...? I feel like someone from some guild told me that. But I’m sure it’d be a piece of cake for you!

I don't like the sound of that.







Um... I hate to nag, but have you seen Agata anywhere?



We did. He said he was going to head back here after he followed us around for a bit.

Huh!? He went after you!? I'm so sorry for all the trouble he's causing... I'll give him a good talking-to later. But for now, I'll wait in our room for Agata to return. Thanks for all your help. Well then, if you'll excuse me... I'll pray for the stars to guide you on your journey.





...Oh, it’s only you. Don’t sneak up on me like that. So you’ve reached B4F, I hear?

Yes.

Excellent. Keep squandering... Err, I mean, keep up the good work and stay safe.



The old lady at the Senatus told me she gives new guilds a terrible task when they do! Are you scared? If you are, get on the first ship out of here and run away forevers! Until you make it back here alive, you’re still on an adventure! Never forget it!

I wonder what we have to go through just to get the opportunity to explore the 4th floor... Pah! It should be a simple task for the likes of us!



Ah, you guys! C’mon, sit down and buy me a drink already!



...Ahhhh! The water tastes as great as I feel!



...Now that hit the spot. Ya’ve got my number, don’t ya? Heheheheh! This is a Sharp Fang. It’s just what it sounds like, heheh! I got it from a Great Anaconda on B4F. It’ll meet physical attacks with its fangs, so ya gotta stay away from brute force to get ’em. That’s a secret, ya understand!? Ya’re not to tell anyone!



...Could anything be more what I want right now? I think not! I love guys like ya who’re quick on the uptake, heheheh! Isn’t this amazing!? It’s called a Starry Case. This pattern is one of nature’s mysteries! Ya can take ’em off Starry Slugs. The pattern shows even brighter when you electrify ’em. Easy, right? But it’s still a secret! Don’t spill to anyone!



Ahhh... That’s what I’m talking about. A drink for me, a hint for you. That’s how the adult world works, heheheh! This tip’s about an Violet Comb. The color ya see when light shines through is popular now. This type of comb comes from a Devilfish. Ya singe it some and it turns to this color. Get the picture? Now, don’t go telling anyone else about this!

Yeesh, looks like I'll have to do the heavy lifting on the monster harvesting front.

Really? Nothing for me? Hmph.



You should be extra careful if you ever have to fight a Devilfish. They tend to gang up on you. When one’s in trouble, others come running to eliminate the threat. If you should run afoul of a Devilfish, I suggest you take it down as fast as possible. Hey, I guess they’re kinda like explorers--you both gang up on your prey. Hahahah!

Somehow I doubt that was a compliment.



I’m drinking here while I wait for my new husband to return from the Labyrinth. Ever heard of the monstrous fish Narmer? It’s very cowardly... wound it, and it’ll run away. But I wouldn’t chase it too far if I were you. There are dreadful bugs in its home in the wetlands. If you’re not careful, they’ll swarm you.

Huh, thanks for the advice. By the way, how do you know this?

How do I know this...? B... Because a swarm of those awful bugs killed my second husband! *sob sob*

I'm sorry to hea-





We're going. Now.



Man, we just went through hell! That deer that shows up on B4F? The thing’s a frickin’ beast! It did this roar while it charged at us, and while everyone was off-balance, it wiped us out! That’s how I got these bandages, heh! I’m not going back in there until I heal up some... I’ll be honest with you. If you run into that thing, get outta there or you’ll end up like me!

How do you get taken out by a deer?



Have you ever encountered an odd, fluffy creature while venturing through Yggdrasil's Labyrinth?

Uhh... I don't think so.

No...? How unfortunate. Rumors of that creature have circulated amongst explorers for decades. It's said to bring good fortune to explorers who find it. From afar, it looks like a golden ball. Some members of Pale Horse have supposedly seen a strange golden light after camping... But during their hasty preparations to be ready for whatever it was, the light escaped. It does sound true to that ever-cautious guild's character... I'd like to meet that creature myself and see what kind of good fortune it brings.



Um. Please don't tell me we're doing this request.

Oh, what do we have to do for this one?

Goddammit.

This requesting is from the traveling gourmand, Espierre. That bastarding Espierre goes around the world searching for delicacies, and now he is here! Have you heard of Amber Bee honey? That is what he is wanting. Says it’s very sweet. I hear rumors that an Amber Bee nest can be found on B4F. Getting the nest can be a tricksome experience. I only say once, so be listening. First, you smoke the nest. This should knock out the bees and they’ll all fall out of the nest. Then, you must climb the tree, and cut the nest off the branch. It can be hard, but do it. Finally, put the nest in a bag and bring it back to me. I am counting on you to get it done! Go, explorers!

Goddammit Asteria.

Hm? Is something the matter?



Some quests are just one time things, but others are part of quest lines. This quest is one such example.

You are actually accepting that request? It is more of an advisor position, though. It would seem the innkeeper’s son found a bottle on the beach with a letter in it. He read it, and said it came from someone not of this world... I mean, this city. You can color me with the "surprised" paint! A letter, all the way across the sea! Anyway, the son wants to write a letter back, but he is not knowing what he should say. Such inexperience! But, that is what youth is. He doesn’t even know if it’ll get there! That’s not the point, though. He wants some help in writing a letter. That’s it! Now go!

A couple of fun facts about this quest. For one thing, this quest line was intended to be much longer than it ended up being in the final release. I might talk about that later. And another thing, there is some extra dialogue you can get if you take this quest after the 2nd Stratum. I'll show that part off later.





This’ll be you newbies’ first hunt, won’t it? If you want to prove yourself, you’ll have to fight through it with your own cunning.

Now I'm really getting worried.

Heh, not me. Hearing more about this task just gets me more and more excited.





This city is a tapestry of culture, woven by all the people and things that have gathered here. Why don’t you treat yourself to a little sight-seeing tour sometime?





I'm sorry, who?

Eh? Oh, I refer to the young man in the flashy red outfit, carrying a katana.

He said that we needed your permission in order to keep exploring the Labyrinth.

Kujara is right, I'm afraid. You won't be able to explore any further for the time being. The Labyrinth is becoming choked with explorers in the depths of the first Stratum. To correct that, I'm thinking of issuing a mission requesting the guilds to slay a certain monster. Just sit tight until it's made official, mm?









Slaying a monster? Oh I'm so in! Are you all up for it too?

Bah! I was expecting something more arduous from what the rest of the town was saying. We gladly accept!

...Ah, will this mission fall to you, then? I should explain it to you in detail. The Senatus has not been gathering explorers aimlessly. There is a purpose to it. There is something we hope you can claim for us in the undersea realm beyond the First Stratum. To challenge those depths requires more than a journeyman’s skill, else it would be a suicide run. Thus do we assign this ordeal to explorers, to test their worthiness... See if you can best the giant catfish Narmer, guardian of the 4th floor. The ideal outcome would be to defeat Narmer and see what lies beyond. Fortune go with you.

Narmer is our boss for the 1st Stratum.

So how old are you? You're all-

I suggest you stop talking. Now.



Getting rather ahead of ourselves, aren’t we? Find the city at the ocean’s floor and I’ll tell you.

Aww.

What’s with that look!? Get gone with that long face! Off you go! Shoo! I haven’t time to waste, and I suspect you don’t either!

That's um, not something you're supposed to ask anyone.

Oh, okay.





Thank you so much! Isn’t it wonderful how a letter from the outside world made it here?

I guess?

Oh, I’m sorry. That’s not really important, is it? Let me tell you about the letter. A girl named Elly wrote the letter. She says she’s a fisherman’s daughter. I think she really likes flowers. She wrote a lot about this field she can see at home. That’s really all there is to it... What should I say when I write back to her?



Hmm, we don't really know what to tell you. But maybe somebody else in town does!

...Does that mean you’re going to ask everyone else in the city what I should write? That’s a great idea! I have work to do, so I can’t do it, but I can count on you!





The boy at the inn wishes to write a letter to a girl, but he has no idea what to say. Do you have any suggestions?

...A letter, you say? You could tell him to write about this new crossbow I have in stock.



...I’m joking. Stop looking at me like that. That boy at the inn’s a very good worker. Why not have him write about what he does at the inn?

Ah, much better. We'll keep that in mind. Thank you for your time.



Well... She wrote about her family, yes? What is that phrase, "turnabout is fair play"? Maybe he should be writing about his family.





...You really should think about who you ask. Well, okay. I’ll give you an answer. If it were me, I’d write about my current goals. A man’s passions show off his values. I don’t know if that helps you at all, but that’s my opinion.





I see, I see. Well, I’m sure that girl will want to know more about who found her letter. So why doesn’t he write about his own hobbies? If it’s something she doesn’t know, it’s nice to learn. If she does know, it’s relatable!

Flowdia doesn't have any suggestions for us. She just has the standard NPC dialogue. You can vote on what the Innkeeper should write about later. Anyways, let's check on our guild members, shall we?









These four are the same.





I leveled up Asteria to 11 to get her caught up with the others. Singularity now provides a 20% damage boost upon striking a weakness.



I also leveled up the other guild members to 11.



Line Heal now has 80% healing power.



Leveling up Line Heal to 5 unlocked Party Heal, which has weaker healing, but it heals everyone. I won't be grabbing this one for a while.



Instead I used the other point to level up Refresh. Both Refresh and Unbind increase in range at certain levels, but until then, leveling them up lowers the TP cost. I'll say this right now. If you're using a Monk, you want both Refresh and Unbind at level 7 (That's when they start affecting the whole party) before you reach the end of the 2nd Stratum. I don't advocate maxing them out, since all leveling up the skill does from level 7 is lower the TP cost from 16 to 10.





Line Guard is now mastered. The skill reduces the physical damage the Hoplite's row takes by a whopping 50%, but it only decreases the physical damage taken by 25% otherwise.





Bolt Mastery is now level 2, which provides a 3% damage boost to regular attacks.





Leveling up Bolt Mastery to 2 unlocked these skills. What they do is that the game checks to see if any enemies have any ailments/binds at the end of the turn, and then the Arbalist attacks all the enemies that are inflicted with ailments/binds depending on the skill that's used. I don't find these useful at all, this move requires too much setup for really little payoff. The damage ranges from 150% at level 1 to 220% at level 10. Don't get these.



This kind of ammo oughta pack a punch!

Heavy Shot deals 140% damage to a single target at level 1. I grabbed this because I wanted Sidney to dish out some burst damage case I needed it. It's also a prerequisite to a fantastic skill.







Leveling up Knife Mastery to 3 unlocked this skill. Izuna deals an okay amount of damage, but has a very strong chance of petrifying an enemy. Petrifying an enemy will instantly kill them.





Hanging deals 184% damage, and has a 50% chance to inflict Head Bind.





As for why I showed you the party, it's because I've decided to tackle another set of Sea Quests, and I'll be letting you vote on which party members get to come along for those. Let's take a brief look at them.







Bergman
Class: Wildling
Stats:Equipment:Skillset:Supplies:Bergman is actually a pretty helpful NPC. He won't carry the team to victory, but he'll make their job a whole lot easier. He'll summon a Cow, which will randomly attack enemies on the initial cast, and has a decent chance of causing Paralysis. He also has Beast Roar to lower the physical damage output of all enemies and Primal Drums, which increases the amount of physical damage all enemies take. This is probably the easiest Sea Quest since the NPC actually pulls his weight here, and you don't have too many restrictions on the team composition. You can pretty much go with whatever classes and not have too much trouble.







Giles
Class: Farmer
Stats:Equipment:Skillset:Supplies:Giles will try to support you, but he isn't too helpful. Lullaby is a good skill to use in this fight, but Giles has it at a way too low level for it to have much of an impact.



Agatha
Class: Gladiator
Stats:Equipment:Skillset:Supplies:Agatha isn't a useful ally either. The main problem with her is that she uses up all of her TP way too soon, and Giles and Agatha aren't packing any Amritas. She's an okay damage dealer though, but this is probably the toughest Sea Quest of the bunch because the NPCs won't make too much of an impact. I suggest bringing a support and an offensive party member.







Ace
Class: Buccaneer
Stats:Equipment:Skillset:Supplies:Some NPCs have skills that they will never use because their AI doesn't make use of them even though it's built into their skillset in the NPC data file, or have access to passives that never come into play for various reasons. If anyone wishes to look into the game data themselves, I'll list them out here for the purposes of that, but I'll strike those skills out in these lists out to indicate that those skills are unused. In this case, Ace has access to Trickster, but because the Chasers don't trigger it and he doesn't use any other offensive skills, it will never activate.

Ace is one of the primary physical damage dealers of this Sea Quest thanks to his Chasers.



Visen
Class: Zodiac
Stats:Equipment:Skillset:Supplies:And in this case, Visen knows the star skills, but will never use them himself as his AI only tells him to use the binary skills.



Mau Mau
Class: Arbalist
Stats:Equipment:Skillset:Supplies:Visen and Mau Mau dish out a decent amount of AOE damage, and provide setup for Ace's Chaser skills. This is one of the easier Sea Quests since they aren't lacking in damage, and they actually have Amritas. However, they don't have any Medicas, so you'll either have to bring your own, or a healer of some kind. You're probably gonna wanna bring a support or two to the fight. Bringing all offensive classes to this Sea Quest is a bad idea since the NPCs have that covered.

Anyways, you can all vote on who you want coming along to each of these Sea Quests.

MEGAQUEEN/Susan's only contribution is existing. Her damage is kind of lacking, and with the way I've built her, she can't do much. And if she gets damaged at any point, any healing she brings to the table is gone.

Rose is a very strong physical attacker, and can deal a hefty amount of damage with Charge. She can also Charge up any offensive Limits to deal a large amount of damage.

Cassandra is an okay support. She can reduce the amount of physical damage her party takes and try to goad enemies into focusing on her. Unfortunately, the enemies also like using some elemental attacks.

Scott brings a decent amount of damage to the table, but while Head binding the boss is useful (it has 100% resistance to Head binds), he doesn't have the stats to make it land consistently. He only has a 19% to 22% chance of landing it on the boss on the first infliction.

Akatsuki is a decent damage dealer, but he can use Bunshin to clone himself and potentially double his damage output.

Faye is probably one of the best supports to bring to the Sea Quests since she can heal a row, and dispel any ailments. (One of the enemies can Poison your party members.) Her damage output is okay, but a bunch of other characters outclass her on that front.

Asteria is the best offensive party member to bring along to the fight. She dishes out a ton of damage with her elemental stars, and you really want to bring elemental damage to the fight, since one of the enemies resist physical attacks.

Fang is a decent support since Call Insect can deal a large amount of Poison damage, and Call Elephant can inflict Confusion on a lot of enemies at once. Unfortunately, he only has enough TP for 2 casts.

Sidney has great single target physical damage. He can't charge up any Limits like Rose can, but he has a bigger consistent damage output than her otherwise, especially with Heavy Shot.

Alice is actually a useful support to bring along. Lullaby is a very decent crowd control skill in these Sea Quests, which is something you really want, and the boss is super weak to Sleep, with a 200% resistance to it. She can't do much otherwise.

So how voting is gonna work is that you get to decide which characters get to come along for each Sea Quest. You may vote for the same characters to participate in all the Sea Quests if you wish. The only limits on how many characters you can vote for are how many characters can participate in a specific Sea Quest. (You can vote for up to 4 characters on the 1st Sea Quest, but only 2 characters on the 3rd Sea Quest.) I may place some additional restrictions on some of the later Sea Quests, since some of them are flat out impossible if you don't bring a certain class. Here's the voting format:

SQ1: Up to any 4 characters of your choice.
SQ2: Up to any 3 characters of your choice.
SQ3: Up to any 2 characters of your choice.

Oh, and what should the Innkeeper write about in his letter?