"Fine. Fine I'll give you a break. How about the next lady we meet in the Labyrinth. Which I know you'll flirt with. I won't shoot you in the foot."I said in a slight committed tone.
Nottheunmaker said:
"...by which I mean I appreciate all your hard work in making sure my face doesn't get bitten off?"
Sometime after we clear the 1st Stratum, there'll likely be a time when I do some grinding of the characters that haven't been getting as much love.
Better equipment than what a floor ordinarily would have will be a considerable help in that regard, and that's somewhat what I'd be hoping to gain access to before I attempt grinding to minimize the chances of things going pear-shaped.
"Well. You are a Ninja. And we'll. I haven't noticed until. Uh. That feeling where something or someone wants to stab was felt." I said kinda awkwardly.
"Well. You are a Ninja. And we'll. I haven't noticed until. Uh. That feeling where something or someone wants to stab was felt." I said kinda awkwardly.
I relaxed slightly. Being stiff doesn't help in dodging.
"... I shot a lot of guys like Bondo in the foot. Some are royalty too filthy rich. You learn to get a feel of your surroundings to survive those hitmen."
I relaxed slightly. Being stiff doesn't help in dodging.
"... I shot a lot of guys like Bondo in the foot. Some are royalty too filthy rich. You learn to get a feel of your surroundings to survive those hitmen."
I quietly snarled. "...did you just call me a hitman?!"
Killing your teammates is wrong, but a light maiming isn't so bad... he doesn't really need that many fingers to fight... I'll only take a pinky or two...
I quietly snarled. "...did you just call me a hitman?!"
Killing your teammates is wrong, but a light maiming isn't so bad... he doesn't really need that many fingers to fight... I'll only take a pinky or two...
Oh hey, it only took another battle with a Titan Arum for the guy to show up. Of course, I take the opportunity to show off its conditional drop -- Bondo's equipped with a sword, so he killed it with slash damage . . . but, well, that MIGHT have cost us the Gigapede Leg the quest has us actually after. Hopefully we'll find another one.
Oh, by the by, here's the structure of the Labyrinth to the west of where that shortcut was. I suppose now's a good time to mention that this game did originate in Japan, and that this was probably a little nod to the good meaning of the symbol more than anything. However, the reason I'm showing this is actually to inform you about those unmapped offshoots; down BOTH of them are F.O.E.'s that we can't actually get past without fighting them -- the northern one guaranteed, whilst the southern one we might be able to sneak past from a different approach.
Both have chests they're effectively guarding, so we'll want to do so eventually.
Oh yeah, I forgot to mention 100-Leg Bind hit EVERYONE, didn't I? Undamaging, but the leg bind is a damage all its own considering, well, we're sitting ducks if we're leg-bound. We do manage to luck out with the drops in that battle, though; Gigapede Leg, ho!
Our TP's running low on Bondo and the Unmaker, though, so while I'd love to get a bit more mapping done at the moment I'll settle for just getting out of here with what I've got -- including the Gigapede Leg!
"Yes, this is a Gigapede Leg, and no mistake! I will see it gets to the client. Thank you!
"How was the Labyrinth at night? Scary, yes? Many monsters only come out once darkness falls.
"Here is the reward as I was promising. I can count on you for more requests, yes?"
Obtained Pedant's Book.
Woooo. Remember the Stun Blade? Meet another of its kin, "A boring book that makes those around the reader very sleepy." IT has SIX slots of sleep forged onto it, so it's pretty capable in the field of putting people to sleep, though less by proximity and more by braining someone with it. With 1 ATK.
We got EXP for our troubles, at the least.
Also, while we're here . . .
. . . holy shit that's a lot of dialogue.
If you guessed that this bum was Scavenger Toma again, you'd be right. Giving him water (for free), he's at least appreciative, but he clams up right after.
Ale gets him talking about the Red Tail, mentioning how if you freeze a Claw Shrimp its tail 'turns all red' . . . except that the tail's red already, if you look at its sprite. Guess the whole thing does instead of the majority of it, I suppose?
Wine prompts him to mention the Large Jaw, which I actually showed off earlier this update. He also mentions how he likes using a knife to do the deed.
10 Entel thoroughly wasted, time to talk to the next guy.
AHAHA YOU BET MY ASS WE HAVEN'T AND I INTEND TO KEEP IT THAT WAY
"They're so strong that you might have no idea how to take one, but here's the secret:
"They sleep at night. If you don't want to tangle with one, try doing your exploring at night.
"Though at night you gotta watch out for those nocturnal Gigapedes... Nature's got you coming and going!"
To be honest, if you're a newbie to the game it's worth it to just nip down a staircase once and then hightail it back to town for tips like these alone; I've been around this track before, though, so this is mostly showing stuff off to you guys.
The next patron, a 'filthy-booted man' . . .
"I should never have wandered into that muddy patch on B2F... I got chased all the way through it!
"It was terrible! You lose your balance in that mud, and you'll be some awful monster's snack.
"Dammit! I paid a fortune for this anklet at Napier's, and now look at it!"
That might seem a bit vain, but I do believe he's referring to an Accessory, an equipment type I honestly rarely ever invest in, though it might be well worth your own time and Entel to if you decide to play for yourself -- Accessories're typically meant to carry a bunch of pre-forged slots, effectively providing either a boost to a core stat, a whole lot of either defense against a damage type or resistance to a given status effect (as forged slots of a damage type or status effect on a piece of non-weapon equipment are actually boosts to your resistance against that damage type or status effect, making the former deal less damage and the latter less likely to successfully afflict you).
"...Don't push your luck in the forest. If a monster seems too strong for you, steer clear."
"Deadly Durian is quite tasty, but you need to watch yourself if they appear alongside Titan Arums.
"Titan Arums may look like vibrant flowers, but every rose has its thorns... plus a nasty smell.
"Between the two of them, the stench will be so terrible that you'll have a nasty time of it.
"...Excuse me, miss! Are my pickled Titan Arums ready yet?"
. . . The culinary industry is vast and many-faceted, and those who dine equally so.
ANYWAYS! Time to talk to an 'Unlucky lady'.
"Do you know of the Great Platypus? Its tail has a strong toxin, so you'd better watch out for it.
"Why do I know so much about it?
"B... Because my husband died from that poison! *sob*
"...Ohohohohohohohoho!"
. . . Dunno if that was meant to be loud crying or an oujo laugh. Watch out, boy, she'll chew you up.
"They're really tasty! If you come across them, you should try one!
"Aura tells me not to, but I say if you're going into the forest, you might as well have a tasty snack!"
. . . let's see what Aura has to say on the matter.
"...Don't let your hunger tempt you into going near them... You'll regret it, make no mistake...
"...Nerona never thinks twice about approaching anything suspicious... Honestly, that girl..."
I chalk it up to the mushrooms. However, interestingly, neither one is wrong about the matter; we'll see why when we get there, though you might be able to guess already from what they each said.
Selling some Pungent Ivy (the Titan Arum's drop) nets us a shot at this crossbow for the Unmaker, a 15-point benefit over the previous model with some added Forges to its ability to hit, if I'm remembering what HIT forges do right (as always, correct me if I'm wrong! Learning is good!). Quickly purchased.
Hmm. I think we have enough images left over that I can do a little sea voyage for us.
Equipped with the Sheep Cheese, we sail east 7 tiles . . .
The island is small enough for a child to walk across in a day and would be easy to investigate.
If you like, you may land here and explore. Disembark onto this island? [YES] [NO]
You'd think we'd learn by now.
As you disembark, the vivid tropical flowers put you in mind of some island paradise.
You can investigate this area near the flowers or go further into the island. Investigate the area? [YES] [NO]
One of the perks of this sort of thing is that you can't really die from it that I'm aware of.
Having decided to investigate the area, you start strolling about...
As you enjoy the sweet smell of the flowers, you feel an itchy sensation at your feet.
The itch soon turns into an unbearable stinging pain! You hastily remove your boots...
Poisonous ants known as Bull Ants are swarming all over your feet!
The intense pain causes you to flee, but not before gathering some Bull Ants to take back.
Obtained Bull Ant.
. . . they're worth money, I swear.
Turning south . . .
Beyond that current, you can see a town with a windmill sitting on a hill.
That must be Batavia, whose commerce is known far and wide!
You would like to find a way across the current to reach it, but you're not sure you can.
Batavia is the next location we can get to by sailing, but it's not part of our itinerary at the moment. We ARE able to get there, though! (Just not to do much of anything there yet; gotta level some.)
Going 1 tile south and 6 east from our current position, we reach another fun little island.
A middle-aged woman spots your ship and flags you down.
The lady, who comes from Armoroad, asks you to try her new batch of raisins, which are freshly dried.
You pop one into your mouth, and are met with a sublime mix of sweetness and tanginess.
You tell her that the raisins are delicious; she seems pleased and gives you a large bag of them.
The raisins would be perfect for maintaining your sugar intake on long voyages.
You thank the woman profusely and take the raisins back to the ship.
Obtained Raisins.
Introducing ANOTHER Sea travel trend; using one kind of food to end up finding an equal-distance but lower-cost alternative -- in this case, Raisins for Sheep Cheese (40en compared to the Cheese costing 70en). Hope you guys like grapes!
Just a tile south, however . . .
As you look more closely, you can see several crates, likely cargo from the ship, floating nearby.
You can salvage the crates if you wish, or proceed on your way without doing anything. Will you salvage the crates? [YES] [NO]
. . . Was that pirate ship always there?
You jump into the ocean and begin bringing the crates back to your ship.
After recovering all the crates you can find, you pick one and open it.
You discover that the box is full of Black Pepper seeds, a high-quality spice as valuable as gold.
This brightens your mood considerably, and you have the crates carefully stowed aboard.
Obtained Black Pepper.
By the by, that deep, dark water we checked for it? That's yet another form of hazard, in the form of a barrier that we need a specific kind of upgrade to pass through safely (elsewise it won't let us even go on the tile). The greener spaces of ocean we've seen in previous updates are similar, being horrendously thick clumps of seaweed.
In the next update, we'll be finding out more about what we've learned today, both in the Bistro and on the waves.
"No wonder some of them went to frothing rage when I say it like that." I said recalling those times. Thinking how could everything be so much easier if I learned of what I am implying sometimes.
Camellia said:
I carded a hand through my hair, turning my head to give a sidelong glance. "And just what do you mean by look?"
"No wonder some of them went to frothing rage when I say it like that." I said recalling those times. Thinking how could everything be so much easier if I learned of what I am implying sometimes.
Rubbing my still aching scarred, handsome face, I stumbled upon a spectacle. I smiled with pure unadulterated joy.
'The Gods do exist and they heard my prayers. Oh what's a good day to be Bondo VI Lance of the Kingdom of Murrika. Looks like this might get out of hand, going to have to lend a hand to the Sea Mongrel before he get himself killed.' I let my smile drop and intrude into their conversation.
"Ah, what seem to be the problem here? Hadiz, have you somehow angered this beautiful young lady here? Milady, can you find it in your heart to forgive whatever this sea dog did? He may be a bit too direct and somewhat tackless, but I assure you that he meant no harm to you or any of us in this party. Him shooting my foot is just his way to expressed his disdain with my behaviour. I reiterate, he does not meant any lasting harm to whatever deed he committed against you."
Well, while I would like something bad to happen to this Sea Mongrel, but the way the ninja is looking at him is a bit..... murderous. I tap his shoulder and whisper to him.
"Bow your head and keep apologizing. Admit that you are wrong and do your best impression of a kicked puppy. Years of experience have taught me that this is the best method to handle an angry lady."
Rubbing my still aching scarred, handsome face, I stumbled upon a spectacle. I smiled with pure unadulterated joy.
'The Gods do exist and they heard my prayers. Oh what's a good day to be Bondo VI Lance of the Kingdom of Murrika. Looks like this might get out of hand, going to have to lend a hand to the Sea Mongrel before he get himself killed.' I let my smile drop and intrude into their conversation.
"Ah, what seem to be the problem here? Hadiz, have you somehow angered this beautiful young lady here? Milady, can you find it in your heart to forgive whatever this sea dog did? He may be a bit too direct and somewhat tackless, but I assure you that he meant no harm to you or any of us in this party. Him shooting my foot is just his way to expressed his disdain with my behaviour. I reiterate, he does not meant any lasting harm to whatever deed he committed against you."
Well, while I would like something bad to happen to this Sea Mongrel, but the way the ninja is looking at him is a bit..... murderous. I tap his shoulder and whispers to him.
"Bow your head and keep apologizing. Admit that you are wrong and do your best impression of a kicked puppy. Years of experience have taught me that this is the best method to handle an angry lady."
"Ah, what seem to be the problem here? Hadiz, have you somehow angered this beautiful young lady here? Milady, can you find it in your heart to forgive whatever this sea dog did? He may be a bit too direct and somewhat tackless, but I assure you that he meant no harm to you or any of us in this party. Him shooting my foot is just his way to expressed his disdain with my behaviour. I reiterate, he does not meant any lasting harm to whatever deed he committed against you."
Camellia cast Bondo a glance out of the corner of her eye. "And you couldn't be bothered to acknowledge my existence until now either. I do hope you have a better excuse than this buccaneer."
"Bow your head and keep apologizing. Admit that you are wrong and do your best impression of a kicked puppy. Years of experience have taught me that this is the best method to handle an angry lady."
