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Update 38: Line in the Sand

The last thing a leader should be is indecisive.





Farmed up some more stuff between updates. You get this Spear from killing Mud Lurkers.









This provides a 9% boost to a user's critical hit rate. Now let's get back to exploring the Labyrinth.



The team that was voted for.



And starting things off with a level up.





Limit Boost now provides a 10 point boost to Limit gain, meaning that everything Susan does will grant her the maximum amount of Limit.



Aw shoot. We don't have any more of those Guard Soles.

Don't worry!





I made some of my own! They should last a lot longer than those store-bought ones.



30 steps should last us quite a while.



Phew! That was hard to cut through.

I'm amazed that you're able to behead an elephant.

Oh Akatsuki's a good teacher! He taught me just how to pull something like that off!

Oh um, you're welcome Miss Alice.

I still find that frightening.

Made a GIF of that because the mental image of a little girl decapitating an elephant was too funny to me.



Olympia's not blocking the way anymore, so we can just pass through.



There's a campsite in here.



Akatsuki, I was wondering... Who taught you those techniques?

Oh, you see, I was taught by the infamous Hayabusa-sensei. He was my caretaker for a while. But...



Oh. I'm sorry to hear that.

His last wish was for me to set out and see the world for myself.

And soon after that, he met us! We hung out for a few years and all that. Ah, memories... Aw shoot, look at the time! We need to get going!



And here's the super convenient shortcut that we couldn't reach thanks to Olympia.







Hmm. Looks like there are more of those dragons in this room.

Fortunately they all seem to be sleeping. We could sneak on by or...

Give em one hell of a wake up call!







Megaqueen will prevent the team from falling asleep. But this can't help against the Mother Dragon's head binds.



I'm gonna try to aim for the Gold Drop of these Mother Dragons by having Akatsuki Petrifying them. But he only has a 7% chance of doing so.







Time to show off our new Limit.





YEEee-oh forget it.



By my decree, no illness shall fall upon you!





Hiya!

When did Alice get so fast!?

Ahem.

Oh, right. Just what have you taught her?

A lot.



Ready?

Oh I'm so ready!



Hail rains!

Absolute Zero in action.





There's more Mother Dragons around the room. Something interesting happened in this fight.



YEEEAAAARRRRT!

Holy schist.



And with that, I managed to get the Mother Dragon's Gold Drop! If you're going to make use of one of the unlockable classes, I highly recommend going after this drop.



Protect Order now has a skill power of 120%.



And took out another FOE.



Oh and in this fight, I found out that Asteria filled up her Limit Gauge. You know what that means.





Alright Asteria, let's give that dragon a cold day in hell-

YEEEAAAAARRRRRT!



What the!? Gee, thanks for killstealing, Alice!

I-I-I'm sorry! I-I just wanted to help!

Oh don't worry about it. Faye's just being a butt. But more importantly, you are now a Dragon Slayer! To behead the dragon quickly like that is most impressive!

...Huh. Dragon Slayer. I never thought I would do something like that in my life. Hee hee.

I have to admit, I had a big laugh when that happened. Alice only had a 3% chance of doing instantly killing her, so I wasn't expecting that at all.





And here's the last of the Mother Dragons.





More levels, more power.



Ether Mastery now provides a 16% damage boost to elemental damage.



W-would you please d-die for me? Th-thank you.

Alice, you gotta have more confidence when saying a one liner like that. Like just plain ol' “Die for me!”, will do.

I would imagine she's not used to killing monsters in such a brutal manner. She's just a Farmer after all.



When a lot of the enemies in this game take more than one turn to kill, Alice being able to one shot them is very handy. And she got a level up from that.



Now I did something really stupid. I put another level into Rain or Shine, which gives us immunity to hazard tiles for 35 steps. The reason that's stupid is because damage tiles don't show up for the rest of the main game past the 10th floor. So I just wasted a skill point. Oh well.



A shortcut back.



And we're done with the 10th floor. Well, almost. There's a few areas we're still missing.







There's even more magma here.

Oh goodness, this heat is bad for my being. Must we cross over it?

There's no way we can walk over that. We'd be burnt to a crisp if we tried. But even then, we're right next to it, so it should have happened already. I wonder why it didn't.

Ma-

I didn't ask for your input.



Can't walk over those, so they're essentially walls. I'm gonna mark magma with yellow on the map.



That rock over there... Maybe we can ride it across the magma?

Only one way to find out!



AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

HAAAAAAANNNNGGG TEEEEEENNN!



That... was a dreadful experience.

Oh dear. It doesn't look like we can stop once we get on one of those.

Those slabs will transport you across the magma in a straight line. Basically they're like the lily pads from EO1 and the floating platforms from EO2. But thanks to technological upgrades, the game can actually show you riding them instead of fading to black after getting on one. I'll mark lava rides with orange tiles and those arrows.






Flame Lizard
HP: 364
TP: 111
STR: 27
VIT: 27
AGI: 27
LUC: 25
TEC: 30
Attack Type: Slash
Exp: 979
Item Drops:
-Drop 1: Dino Calcaneus - 30% Drop Rate. 1 needed for Mantle (Clothes.) 2 needed for Tepoztopilli (Spear.) 9 needed for Scutum (Shield.) 1 needed for the quest Messages from aeons past II.
--Heel bone of a carnivorous lizard. Valued by scientists.
-Drop 2: Torn Tail - 15% Drop Rate 1 needed for Langyabang (Mace.) 4 needed for Gale Amulet (Accessory.) 5 needed for Backsword (Rapier.)
--Tail shed by a Flame Lizard to flee a dangerous situation.
-Gold: N/A
Description: A small, carnivorous dinosaur of the scorching forest. It flutters its wings to create wind.
Damage Resistances: Slash: 100% Strike: 100% Pierce: 100% Fire: 100% Ice: 150% Volt: 100%
Ailment Resistances: Sleep: 100% Confusion: 122% Plague: 100% Poison: 100% Blind: 100% Curse: 100% Paralysis: 100%
Bind Resistances: Head: 100% Arm: 100% Leg: 100%
Other Resistances: Death: 100% Petrification: 100% Stun: 100%

Skills:

Burning Wind: Uses the Head. Lowers the party's Fire resistance for 4 turns.
Fumes: Uses the Head. A Fire attack that deals 80% damage to a row.

Better bring some way to deal with Fire attacks, because not only does this critter smack your party around with them, it'll lower the entire party's resistance to it too. Which can be very bad when it's paired up with more nasty enemies. Obviously this critter isn't the only enemy that can use Fire attacks.





Though not much happened in that battle since Alice had plenty of targets to practice her assassination skills on.





What's with the rock?

There are a lot of markings on it. But I don't know what this is for.

Probably a good idea to just leave them alone until we find out.

Looking closely, you see that the rock is adorned with clearly man-made decorations. However, the stone has nothing to do with your current task, so you leave it be and walk away.

This won't be relevant until much later in the game. But I suggest marking this place down.





And here's the first of this floor's Mine points.

2B Mine Point:
Corundum: 50% Gather Rate. 1 needed for Scutum (Shield.)
-Iron ore that can be used as a whetting agent.
Clastic Rock: 50% Gather Rate. 1 needed for Bascinet (Helmet.) 5 needed for Tourney Mail (Heavy Armor.)
-Large rock cluster formed of weathered stones.
Pyrargyrite: Rare. 1 needed for Bash Charm (Accessory.) 3 needed for Caster's Clothes (Clothes.)
-Dense ore with a red surface.
Common Gather Periods: 1 to 9.
Rare Gather Periods: 2 to 5.






Yawnypus
HP: 400
TP: 112
STR: 31
VIT: 30
AGI: 26
LUC: 30
TEC: 32
Attack Type: Slash
Exp: 963
Item Drops:
-Drop 1: Flat Beak - 30% Drop Rate.
--Beak that won’t melt unless left inside a forge for hours.
-Drop 2: N/A
-Gold: N/A
Description: A subspecies of the platypus that dwells in dry caverns. It always has a sleepy look to it.
Damage Resistances: Slash: 100% Strike: 100% Pierce: 100% Fire: 100% Ice: 100% Volt: 150%
Ailment Resistances: Sleep: 244% Confusion: 122% Plague: 50% Poison: 50% Blind: 100% Curse: 100% Paralysis: 100%
Bind Resistances: Head: 100% Arm: 100% Leg: 100%
Other Resistances: Death: 100% Petrification: 100% Stun: 100%

Skills:

Yawn: Uses the Head. Has a 20% chance of putting the entire party to Sleep. The Yawnypus falls asleep after casting this.

Yes, you read those numbers right. The Yawnypus is that weak to Sleep. Quite ironic. Anyways this thing will try to put your entire party to Sleep, so eliminate it quickly. Thankfully it won't cast it repeatedly since it'll usually fall asleep afterwards. If you encounter more than one of these, you should get worried.



But once again, I couldn't show off much of this enemy because Alice couldn't resist shanking it. Calm down lady.



Akatsuki gets a level up from another fight.





My knife soars!

Takonaha (Hawk Strike) is one of the Ninjas main damage skills, along with Tagen Battou. It's a random target Slash attack, and at level 1, it strikes twice and deals 80% damage for each hit.



You peer into the holes, but they are rather deep, making it difficult to see inside. The only way to tell what’s down there would be to fish around, but is that so wise...?

Now here's another class specific event, and this one changes if you have a Farmer in the party, the first two sentences changes to this:

Oh there's no need to worry! These are mole holes!

Um, how is that not a reason to worry?

You see...

According to Alice, it is the nature of wild moles to store their food in holes like these. If you are willing to take Alice’s word for it, you can try fishing around in the holes.



None of them (With a Farmer):

It follows from what Alice said that moles must be lurking inside these burrows. You sense danger and turn back the way you came, when suddenly a mole jumps out of the hole!

If these are mole holes, I think it would be best to leave. Moles can be vicious animaaAAAAAAAALLLS! AAAHHHH! NOT THE FAAAAAACE!

You then get blindsided by two Clawed Moles, which are normally enemies from the 12th floor.

None of them (No Farmer):

You worry that this could be a monster’s nest, in which case you should avoid provoking it. Using this logic, you turn back the way you came, when suddenly a mole jumps out of the hole!

The aftermath of the attack is as follows:

You feel that the mole’s attack was somewhat unreasonable, but it’s water under the bridge now.

I'm the one who suggested we should leave, and yet I ended up getting clawed in the face.

Chill out girl, I can heal that up quickly.

You probably made too much noise while you were backing away. You should be more careful next time.

Lousy stupid mammals.

The left hole (No Farmer):

There's a potato inside here! Mm! It's delicious!

Cassandra fishes around in the hole to find a potato inside. The potato has been nicely baked by the geothermal heat. Its sweet taste revitalizes Cassandra.

Hey! That wasn't the only potato inside there, was it!?

Well, it was the only one I've found.

Gee, thanks for hogging all the food!



The rest of the party glares at Cassandra for hogging the potato; Cassandra feels chastened.

Cassandra recovers 60 HP!

The left hole (With a Farmer):

Alice skillfully pulls out one potato after another from the hole.

La de da!~ Ah! Here you go! Enough for everyone!

MMM! Simply delicious! What are these?

They're sweet potatoes! They have lots of sugar inside, so they're very sweet!

Alice explains that these are sweet potatoes, whose high sugar content make them delicious. When the other party members take a bite, they can’t stop gushing over its unusual sweetness.

Everyone recovers 70 HP!

The center hole (No Farmer):

The potato has a light, airy taste to it, and Cassandra feels the replenishing effects immediately.

Cassandra recovers 60 TP!

Only the 2nd sentence and the effects of the potato change with each hole.

The center hole (With a Farmer):

Alice skillfully pulls out one potato after another from the hole.

There's one here, and one here, and another here. Here you go!

Mmph. A very light meal. What kind of potatoes are these?

They're Cassavas! They have lots of nutrients that make them good for you!

Alice explains that these tubers are called cassava and that they’re very nutritious. When the other party members take a bite, they find the light taste gives them a second wind.

Everyone recovers 70 TP!

The right hole (No Farmer):

The potato is rather large and filling. Cassandra is quite satisfied after the meal.

Cassandra recovers 30 HP and TP!

The right hole (With a Farmer):

One, two, three, four, five. Enjoy!

Huh. What the heck are these things? *munch munch* They're pretty good!

Those are yams. They're very filling!

Alice skillfully pulls out one potato after another from the hole. Alice explains that this is called a yam and that it’s very filling. When the other party members take a bite, they see that this is indeed the case.

Everyone recovers 40 HP and TP!

So that even recovers someone's HP, TP, or both depending on your choice. Or everyone recovers HP, TP, or both if you have a Farmer in the party. But if you have a Farmer in the party, you get an item, no matter which hole you pick.

As an added bonus, Alice also finds a strawberry inside the hole!





Susan gets a level up as we progress.



Attack Order now gives a 33% boost to physical damage.





Ehhhh, sorta? Look we're doing a favor for the Abyssal King, and maybe... It might be too dangerous to get more involved?

The young man Kujura’s manner and smile are both insolent.

I hadn’t mentioned it, but in truth, the Senatus and I knew all about what goes on down here.

Wait, you knew about the Deep Ones!? The Deep City, and everything!?

We knew, yet still we sent explorers into the Labyrinth in search of the Deep City. It was all in anticipation of this day...

Says the young man while gazing at the lava.

The Princess is at the center of it all. The Senatus and I fought so long all for her sake.

The young man has an oddly far-off look as he speaks, as if he is reminiscing.

Listen well, Tidehunt. You do not know the truth of this matter or who your real enemy is. Go to Armoroad. Listen to the Princess at the Senatus. Then the truth will come to light.

Kujura makes as if to leave the room, still speaking to you...

Decide for yourselves what is true and what is worth fighting for. It can only come from you.



It seems you have no choice now but to return to the Senatus and hear their case.

Eh screw that, let's keep exploring.





And decide on your own course of action from there...

...Fine.

Hmm. Let's go back and see what the Princess and the Abyssal King have to say on the matter.



Another Coupon.



And a quick passage back. So we need to talk to the Senatus and the Abyssal King in order to continue on with the plot. Might as well, since we haven't seen the floor 11 dialogue for the town yet.





If you go a little south of Armoroad, you can find long-legged octopi! We caught a ton! Oh, and not only that... Sometimes you’ll catch southern red crabs in that area too! They’re really good when you cook ’em! You should try it if you’re ever in those waters!

Occasionally, the innkeeper will give advice on where to find certain types of fish.





Someone's in an awful mood.

What? Well, of course I’m in a foul mood. You would be too, if you’d lost your magatama pendant.

But, you're wearing one right now.

Huh? Oh, this one I’m wearing is my second favorite. The one I lost is my 32nd favorite. *sigh* Where could it have gone missing? Was it when I went to check the cargo at the port...?



Akatsuki, do you think you could use this?

I suppose I could, but I don't think I can use it with my techniques.

And the Mother's Horn unlocks something very interesting for us. A Katana! This is the first Katana we can get in the game, but only the Ninja can make use of one at the moment. However, while Katanas are a huge damage boost over Daggers, Ninjas can't use their offensive skills with a Katana. Those are actually meant for one of the unlockable classes. Ninjas can wield them because of thematic reasons.



Aside from those, not much was unlocked.



...What are you staring at? Oh, it’s my necklace, right?

...Sure! Let's go with that!

My daddy bought this for me. He was such a kind man. When you all have children, buy your daughters necklaces! I’m sure it’ll make them happy!



Ugh, I’m swimming in these things.

Hey, Toma. What have you got there?

Hm? These? Lava Beasts drop ’em if ya defeat ’em with ice. If ya want the real treasure, ya can’t take the easy way out with ice... But it’s so damn hard... To be honest, Igneous Rock is practically worthless... Gah! You guys!? Th-This is just an ordinary rock! It’s not treasure at all, so there’s no need to tell anyone!



It’s melted practically all the way down... It’d be cheaper to buy a new sword than to fix it.

Just what happened to your weapon!?

Oh, my sword? I got into an accident with a Lava Beast. Wait ’til you hear this! It was too hard and hot for me to take by myself, so I hooked up with an ice-using gladiator. He had great taste in equipment that fit him, plus he was a real hottie. So we go into the lava area and what do you think happens as soon as we meet the Lava Beast? The idiot gets this cocky grin on his face and pulls out a sword! Come ON! How stupid is he!? How the hell is a gladiator with a sword supposed to use Frigid Blow? Ugh, I’m so mad at him!

Freezing Blow, not Frigid Blow. Let's look at quests.



Oh, what does this person want from us?

Accepting this quest, are you? It is easy-peasy. Think of it as a relaxing break, yes? This one is coming from Tursel, a sculptor who moved to Armoroad recently! He wants 3 chunks of Igneous Rock so he can make carvings out of them. Synus sitting over there just came back from the lava area himself. If you are not knowing about getting that kind of lava, try asking him. I am sure I can count on you. Get going, explorers!

Okay, let's see what's next on the request board.



...NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE!



Who made this request?

Welcomes! That request was issued by the Senatus. Something about a book... Have you been going to the Senatus and making reports about the monsters you see? If you have been doing that, just go to the Senatus and this request will be a breeze. And if you haven’t... Well, this is a good time to make your reportings, yes? Get a moving on, explorers!



Oh fine, I'll take this quest. But I'm not doing this one for a while. In fact, I highly recommend waiting until the 4th Stratum to do this.

Whoa! What the heck happened with them?

You are taking on this request? I... really would not be recommending it. After you completed the fruit quest the other day, another guild went to pick fruit, too. ...They were slaughtered. Only one survived. I am not thinking you of all people should be doing this... It seems distasteful.

Hey, the client wants to get justice for their guild, and they put in a request for that, right? So heck yeah, I'm taking it!

But if you are the determined, I am not stopping you! The client is Ricky, the survivor of the attack. The request is get revenge. She said there is a secret passage near the fruit tree on B9F. She said the attack happened so fast she barely remembers what happened... Wellllll... Be making up your minds, already! Are you ready for this, or not!?



Man, drinks after finishing a quest are the best part of my day. Care to join me?

Not now. Do you know how to acquire Igneous Rock? The bartender said you did.

Igneous Rock? Alright, but first, I need to vent to somebody. My guild leader’s a real creep. If a new girl joins up, he doesn’t waste any time in hitting on her. Just the other day, he was getting static from this monk girl that joined, and he booted her. Just like that. Sure, he’s our leader, but the guild isn’t his personal plaything! “Harmonious, laid-back guild” my ass! ......

Um...

So about that Igneous Rock...

...Oh, sorry. You were asking about Igneous Rock? All you have to do is freeze the Lava Beast on B11F. Easy, right?

Thanks! Sheesh, sounds like her guild's got issues.

This NPC is here in case you missed Toma's floor 11 dialogue.





You go there all the time while exploring the caverns beyond it, right? Man, you lucky skunks!





I was just thinking back to the time I fought against Armoroad’s galleons...

Oh, were you a pirate at some point?

Hm? Pirates? Haha, was I saying something about pirates? The older I get, the more I babble. The battle against time is destined to be a losing one, I’m afraid.





If you’re here, I assume you’ve spoken with him? Wait here. The Princess was around a moment ago, saying she was feeling better now.



As a result, Armoroad’s explorers, and some of her citizens, have been able to enter the Deep City. I hear that you yourselves have freely traveled between here and the Deep City. As you’ve accomplished so much, I must reveal some of what we have kept veiled thus far. I will tell you the reason for the schism between Armoroad and the Deep City... the buried truth. Once you know the hidden history of Armoroad, I would like you to reconsider your path.



No:

Oh, but don’t say that... Won’t you think it over once more?

Yes:

Um, go ahead.

Prepare for plot dump.

Thank you. Then let me tell you the truth behind the Calamity these hundred years ago... Before the Calamity, Armoroad had a guardian god known as Yggdrasil. That tree in the center of our city was no ordinary tree, but a highly intelligent entity. In return for its knowledge, the tree demanded that we humans wage war against its enemies. These enemies are the spawn and the minions of evil, the Deep Ones. Armoroad’s king learned that this evil is a threat not only to Yggdrasil, but to mankind. That legendary king from 100 years ago, Seyfried, decided he must take up arms against the evil. He sunk a portion of Armoroad, as well as Yggdrasil, to the ocean floor to continue the fight there. All happened just as Yggdrasil said it would. ...And that was the Calamity. Was the king justified in his actions? I... have had my doubts. I am trying several methods to deal with it in my own way. I’m sorry. It seems all this talking has exhausted me. Please ask Flowdia to tell you the rest.



But the Princess is right. We have our doubts on what Master Seyfried did... Was it the best solution? If there is an evil threatening mankind, then mankind must band together to fight it! That’s what the Princess and I think, and that’s why I’m using Kujura to find the Deep Ones. If we can defeat them, as well as whatever evil leads them... There will be no need for the Deep City. That’s why I want you to go find Kujura and back him up. And tell that king in the Deep City: We intend to fight the Deep Ones, so don’t get in our way!

I... don't know if that sounds like a good idea. Just how strong are these Deep Ones?

I'll be honest, I've fought them myself, and didn't think too much of them. Still, we should probably hear the Abyssal King's input on this.

Oh yeah, there was a quest we had to do here.



Ah, it’s you. You’re here to report to the Senatus about the monsters you’ve discovered? I swear, we tell you it’s an obligation, but you “explorers” only do things for the rewards! Once you’ve recorded 40 types of monsters in your Codex, come speak to me again!

You should have way more than that by now. Remember to check the codex in the Senatus to actually register the monsters you've fought.



...I’ve confirmed your updates to the Codex. I encourage you to make regular reports. An updated listing of threats makes things easier for the guards and explorers alike. ...I’ll keep saying this until my face turns blue, but all explorers need to make reports. Well... Good job, I suppose. The reward’s at the bar. You can get it there.

And here's her normal dialogue.



I should be happy, but I can’t help but feel anxious as well... What a shame. I’m growing old...



You made your report about the monsters, yes? I was talking to a guard about it. Here is the reward that the Senatus set out. Please take it, with the city’s thanks. Why not take a break from the adventuring and read your Monstrous Codex for a while? You might learn something new! ...Well, until next time, keep up the good working!







This gives us access to Head Forges.





Most of those guys are taking a rest. But they did. What's the deal with that Lessee, what did that report say? “Eldest One”, anyway?

I hear the Abyssal King captured that Eldest One during the great war a century ago. Ever since, the Deep Ones haven’t been up to much, keeping the Deep City safe to this day.





Not that the weather topside has anything to do with us. Rain or shine, I’m stuck down here! Does my sister want me to become a mole!? Hmph! Screw th-- Oh... I think I got rather carried away there. Let’s keep that little outburst between us, okay?





Um, here's the thing. The Senatus found out about your request to us, and they had this to say.

Ah, you have come to deliver a response from Armoroad? Very well. Air it for all to hear.



Fade to black.



Slay the Deep Ones and their master with man’s strength alone? ...They understand nothing. I have told you before. The evil feeds on human emotion, thereby increasing its own strength. The fewer who know it exists, the better for all. Those fighting it must have tremendous courage. You will not find such courage in the explorers of Armoroad. I charge you with stopping this mad plan.

...Um, okay.

Let's see what he has to say normally.



It was all we could do to capture the Eldest One... We hadn’t the strength to defeat it. I pray the day will come when these monsters are slain and peace returns to mankind...

Now we have to go back to Kujara.







And I assume you’ve also spoken with those in the Deep City... They have their own desires.

Kujura smiles slightly and begins pacing about.

You are at a crossroads. I shall remain faithful to the Princess... Where will your loyalties lie?













So here's the thing about Etrian Odyssey III. It's the only game in the series that has multiple endings. There's two paths you can choose from, and both change things gameplay and story wise. For one thing, each path has different bosses, and will unlock a class once you complete the mission given to you at this point.







Completing this mission will grant us the Shogun class and subclass. A commanding force on the field of battle.

...Could I have a moment to think about this?





Olympia has discovered what these intruders are about. They hope to proceed into a deeper Stratum. The Senatus would say that the Deep Ones are their enemy, and have no intention of turning on us... But I have told you already the reasons why this will end in disaster. End this foolishness.



Completing this mission will grant us the Yggdroid class. An automated soldier from the Deep City. Which is quite frankly, the worst designed class in the entire series. And no, you don't even get them as a subclass. So if you were hoping to turn your party members into cyborgs, too bad.

And for the record, you can't get both classes in a playthrough. It's one or the other.


Oh dear. It looks like we'll have to pick a side.

...Ugh. I don't know what to do. Why did exploring a Labyrinth have to be so complicated!? Man, I bet those guys that went through Etria's and Lagaard's labyrinths didn't have to deal with this bull honky!

Well, actually... I'll tell you later.

Don't you think the Senatus is being a bit rash? I mean, they haven't actually fought any Deep Ones themselves, and the Deep City knows the most about them. Though I'm still sore about that assassination attempt.

Ah, but like you said, the Deep City has slain many explorers in order to accomplish their goals. I'm not sure if that was the wisest course of action. Perhaps the Senatus is right, and there is another way to deal with them.

Well, no matter who you side with, Faye. I'll stick with you until the very end.

Heh, thanks. Uh, I guess I'll discuss this with everyone else, and I'll decide things from there.

If this is your first time playing the game, or any Etrian Odyssey game for that matter, the faction I recommend you side with is Armoroad. Mainly because the Shogun class and subclass can open up a new way to break the game if you so desire, and the class can be interesting to use. Also, in my opinion, the Armoroad path has the easier bosses. Yggdroids on the other hand, are incredibly hard to work with and really aren't worth the effort to make them workable. For more information on those classes, please read their Class Showcases.