ABYSSAL CAPITAL R'LYATH
♪
- -[growls] - [RAKURO] What?
Ctarnidd turned an entire city upside down?
That is correct.
An act which enabled
the Abyssal Capital, R'lyath, to exist.
There's more to it than a simple inversion, though.
Imagine a city, the ground below it,
the air above, and then take it all and flip it.
By doing this,
the Master of the Abyss has created a place
where you can breathe under the water,
and where objects fall upward.
[RAKURO] Were the zombie fishmen and the mermaids
created by that process, or did they already exist?
[ARABA] They did not.
The process inverted non-human,
living fish into undead fishmen hybrids,
as you've seen.
It also inverts non-human,
dead fish into the humanoid mermaids
we encountered moments ago.
NON-HUMAN, DEAD FISH INVERTED NON-FISH LIVING MERMAIDS
To flip, invert, and bend reality as we know it.
Ctarnidd of the Abyss is a transcendent being,
one who can change the rules of our very world.
So powerful,
it can overturn even death itself.
♪
TIME TO FILLET A DRAGON FISH
[RAKURO] "A transcendent being,
so powerful, it can overturn even death itself."
So then what?
Does that mean the thing won't die,
even if we manage to kill it?
Ridiculous, and here I was feeling OP myself.
Something tells me there's more to beating it
than dealing damage.
I'd like to avoid a direct confrontation
if our NPCs' lives are at stake.
Once I find them,
I'm hoping we can find a way back to the surface.
If you wish to leave alive,
your only option is to give Ctarnidd a hell of a show.
[RAKURO] You have my attention.
The Master of the Abyss does not bring people
like us here to be killed, that would be wasteful.
Instead, it watches us struggle,
to stave off its boredom.
It's looking for entertainment.
[chuckles]
[RAKURO] Talk about your stupid hobbies.
Know any comedy routines fit
for an eight-armed freak with a fish fetish?
Ugh?
What are those towers on each side of the city?
[ARABA] Not sure.
All I know for certain is that each tower
contains a Sealing General.
SEALING GENERAL
[RAKURO] And those are?
[ARABA] Challenging foes, each with the power
to seal our abilities, or smother them entirely.
I only know one by name, and that's Clionaire.
They have the power to seal any spell.
Beware.
[RAKURO] Four generals, four towers.
Seems obvious to me that beating these
mini-boss-esque-guardians could trigger
an event of some kind.
- -Hey Araba. - [ARABA] Huh?
[RAKURO] How long have you been chillin' down here?
You seem to be quite the expert on R'lyath,
and you know a lot about Ctarnidd as well.
I've wandered around the abyss a fair bit
but this is my first time down here.
♪
Of all the mermen who have entered the sunken city,
only one fortunate soul has escaped
and lived to tell the tale.
[burbling]
He said that he stabbed Ctarnidd in its left eye,
and the next thing he knew,
he was expelled from the capital.
♪
He's my grandfather.
[RAKURO] Ah, got it.
So your family has a history with Ctarnidd, then?
That we do, in a way,
but I've told you everything I know.
Now, how long do you intend to stand
in the open like this?
[RAKURO] Well, part of me wanted to explore the city
and make a mental-map of it,
but I figured it would take too long to do that,
because we'd both have to be super quiet, right?
- -[ARABA] Precisely. - [growls]
The streets are crawling with dangerous foes,
but they can see you up here, too.
So, I think it would be wise to leave...
Ugh. Hang on, bird!
What are you doing, there?
[RAKURO] Well, I think making some noise
is the best way to be found.
Don't do it!
- -[deep inhale] - No, wait...
[RAKURO] Hello!
Anyone out there?!
What are you thinking?
[RAKURO] Shut up, man!
[EMUL] Sunraku!
[RAKURO] That's a bingo, I knew Emul would hear me!
[ARABA] Save your celebrations!
They'll be swarming us in no time!
[RAKURO] Dude, you worry too much!
Mermaids can't sing while they're on the move,
and the zombie chum, well, they're a simple bunch!
What?
- -[growls] - [rumbling]
[RAKURO] If you run fast enough thing will be fine.
- -Probably! - [groans]
- -Help us, Sunraku! - [screams]
We're all too young to die!
[RAKURO] Hey, Emul!
And you got Stude!
The fishmen are focused on me, you're fine!
- -It isn't that! - [screams]
Sunraku, behind us...
[rumbling]
[both gasp]
[screams]
[grunts]
[panting]
[RAKURO] Stranger danger!
Why would you do this, Emul?
I wasn't trying to do anything, I promise you!
[FEMALE NARRATOR] In SLF, there is a skill possessed
by a limited number of monsters
including vorpal bunnies and cait siths
called "Random Encounter."
It's typically used as a last resort by the weak
and overwhelmed creature when they face a danger
they have no chance of overcoming.
For better or worse,
the skill summons a monster from the current zone
that's higher level than the caster.
ARCTUS REGACLES LEVEL 125
[RAKURO] And that's what it summoned?
Fifty-fifty things would get better,
- -but now they're way worse! - [roars]
[shudders]
[growls]
Threats on all sides.
This way!
- -[growls] - [roars]
[panting]
[fire blazing]
[screams]
[RAKURO] It's got a mouth-laser?
Sure hope this sea-serpeen is weaker
than the Goldy Scorpy!
That's not a monster conjured by Ctarnidd!
I know nothing about it!
Not a thing!
[grunts]
[RAKURO] So it was summoned from outside R'lyath?
[screams]
Huh.
Araba! Remember that building we rested in earlier?
[ARABA] Uh, yes.
[RAKURO] Get these two back there for me!
I'll keep this guy aggro'd!
You sure? You can't take on this beast alone!
Who's this?
A talking shark-man with arms and legs?
You want me to put my trust in a fishman?
I'd rather walk the plank, you hear me?
[RAKURO] Trust me, I've got a plan, guys!
I'll meet up with you as soon as I can!
Help me out, Araba!
[sighs]
Very well, this makes us even, you know.
Hey! That child on your back, hand him to me!
- -I shall take... - [gasps]
[groans]
- -[RAKURO] What? - [gasps]
Guys, I hate to break it to ya.
But I'm fresh out of mana!
- -[roars] - [gasps]
[RAKURO] Emul!
[both screams]
[CEECRUE] Bamboo Lightning!
♪
[rumbling]
[RAKURO] Is that bamboo?
[rumbling]
[Emul screams]
[EMUL] The fishmen, they still cometh!
♪
[RUST] I heard a buncha noise and figured it was you!
[growls]
♪
Big Bro! It's so good to see you!
Emul! Good to see you too, lass!
[RAKURO] If it ain't Rust!
Man, it feels good to see another player!
[both gasp]
This is no time to stand and chat!
We have yet to safely escape!
[growls]
Hang on tight, you hear me?
Sir, yes, sir!
[RAKURO] He's right, we gotta get out of here!
Okay, who's the sharkman?
Friend or foe?
[RAKURO] Put the bow down, he's a friend!
You ever heard of context?
♪
[roaring]
[RAKURO] Come on! Back already?
He cracked me bamboo
like it was nothin' more than a puffin egg!
- -What manner of beast is he? - [roars]
[RAKURO] I'd love to explain, but now's not a great time!
Just follow Araba the Merman, the shark!
I got this guys, okay?
[CEECRUE] Yer gonna fight the bloke yourself?
That's mighty reckless of ya!
[EMUL] It would make more sense for us to fight it together!
[STUDE] I don't care what you do,
just get me out of here!
Hey, I have an idea.
[RAKURO] Huh?
You've got a robot, right?
I bet it could handle this!
[RAKURO] You just wanna gawk at it, don't ya?
Sorry, we can't use it.
- -It's out of power. - [gasps]
Oh.
'Kay.
[RAKURO] Are you really that broken up?
All right, Rust, focus.
Even if that thing takes me down,
I'll revive at the respawn point
- -you're all heading to. - [growls]
But, you get KO'd, we'll end up separated again.
And if one of the NPCs dies,
you know the deal, right?
Guess so.
[whispering] And if you keep them alive,
I'll show you some robot stuff later.
Leave it to me, boss!
[RAKURO] Ah, obsession,
it's the gateway to manipulation!
Right, show time!
♪
Waning mirror, you're up!
[thuds]
[roars]
[smirks]
[roars]
[smirks]
No! Sunraku?
Hey, bird!
Aren't you scared at all?
There's so much chaos and destruction,
how can you stand there with a smile?
[RAKURO] The thing is, we pioneers have
an unquenchable thirst for the unknown.
It's what brings us to the edge
of these cliffs in our lives.
We just gotta jump.
[rumbles]
JK.
Every now and then, a nice RP monologue feels right.
Truth is, it's easier to escape the beast
if I'm by myself.
- -[growls] - But now...
I'm starting to think escape is the boring route.
I think I might know how to take you down.
Treat me like bait all day if you want,
but I think you forgot something.
Birds eat fish, bro.
[roaring]
- -[thuds] - [rumbling]
[grunts]
[power yells]
Unbroken Light Dance!
This thing's beefy!
I'm dealing tons of damage
but it's still hanging in there!
Someone wore their tough hide today!
[rumbles]
Violent sashimi packs a punch, too!
Similar to our screamy-mermaid friends,
it swims through the sky like it's in a giant fishbowl.
So when it charges, it's got a ton of momentum.
[growls]
By the sheer act of locomotion,
it's turning every zombie fishman
it touches into chunks of rotten mincemeat.
And on top of all that,
it's got a long-range breath attack!
Having the thing running rampant in three dimensions
turns it into a harder fight than it should be.
It's enough to make you wonder,
is this a unique monster,
or have I lost some of my super-sauce, here?
At least, I would think that,
if I were anywhere other than the inverted capital.
[roars]
SHANA-OH INCARNATE
[rumbles]
There's a few reasons why.
You're in Ctarnidd's world now,
flying through the air like it's water,
and still, it's more complicated than that.
You still have to deal with all that water pressure, too.
Which means, you need a long,
clear path for that big honkin' body of yours
to pick up real steam.
And in the winding paths of the city.
If you plow into a wall, you slow down,
and it's hard to regain your momentum.
You can use the "skies" to get some back,
but I can just beeline to an alleyway
and slam the brakes on ya.
If we were both in your natural environment,
I'd be dead in a second.
But thankfully, I move like I'm on land!
So when I jump around these streets,
I'm way more agile!
Oh, and a few more things.
Like when you have those brief "blip" animations.
While you were wormin' your way
through those zombies,
I thought you were actually taking damage from them.
Thing is, they're all gone now,
and you're still doing it.
It could be a total coincidence,
but hear me out.
I think with every little swipe,
those fishmen were poisoning you,
- -and with enough of them... - [growls]
...the effect was powerful enough to infect even you.
Which means, every time we see one of the blips,
you're taking incremental poison damage.
Can't let your guard down
around those rotten little buggers.
Looks like I made the right choice
to avoid 'em from the get-go.
- -[blast] - [grunts]
That was close!
Guess I drifted too far there.
And the last reason, though,
it's got nothing to do with R'lyath.
SHELVE WEAPON
You were dealt an unlucky hand with me.
I happened to be raised by a dad
obsessed with fishing!
He taught me more than I ever wanted to know.
Including how to fillet a fish!
[sword clanks]
[roars]
[grunts]
You get it, now?
It'd be one thing if we were in the open ocean.
But here in the inverted capital,
your abilities aren't nearly as broken
as the Goldy Scorpion who came before you!
Well, I think I've got my strat worked out.
Now, it's a war of attrition.
Your toughness, versus my Ducusram.
Time to see which one wears out first.
Let's rock!
- -[roars] - [blasts]
[rumbling]
[panting]
Hear those explosions?
The monsters are gone, now.
I wonder if they went over there instead?
Someone must be fighting there.
I've gotta go help, right away!
Ceecrue, stay alive, friend!
[both gasps]
It's you! You're name's Akitsuakane, right?
I'm just glad I found someone else!
You heading for the noise, too?
It's so loud, it's hard not to be drawn
toward action like that.
I figured if everybody else was doing the same thing,
we'd find each other a lot faster!
[AKANE] I think you're right, so let's go!
Roger that!
[REI (PSYGER-0)] Sorry, Hizutome.
I wish I didn't have to!
Once this is all dealt with.
I promise, I'll come back to help you guys!
LOGGING OUT
[rumbling]
[thuds]
[RAKURO] Too slow!
FLEET FLOAT
You had a good run, I'll give you that.
But now, you're just compensating!
Would you hurry up and die already!
[rumbling]
[roars]
[thuds]
[RAKURO] [gasps] Oh, hell, yeah!
It's finally over!
You really saved my butt today, Ducusram!
I knew that guy'd be tough,
but he was no match for your ever-dominating durability!
[laughs]
All right! Time to gather up all the mats
snake-daddy dropped!
[AKANE] See? I told you it was Sunraku!
- -You weren't wrong! - Huh?
[RAKURO] Well, if it isn't you two!
[AKANE] We finally found you, dude!
So, I heard the commotion coming from this area,
and I assumed there was a decent
sized battle happening.
But jeez, what in the world were you fighting over here?
Ah, let's see.
Basically, it was the love-child of a dragon
and an oarfish that no one asked for.
But don't worry, it won't show up again.
Guess it worked out,
'cause the battle was intense enough
to serve as a beacon, so there's that.
Well, we should stay here so the others can find us too!
I already met up with Rust,
Emul, and Ceecrue.
They're waiting at base camp right now.
Really? That's awesome!
[RAKURO] Oh, and Stude.
[MOLD] That makes us the stragglers, then.
[RAKURO] Saying it out loud made me realize
I haven't seen Rei.
Think we should wait a little longer?
[clatter]
Uh?
[gasps]
What? Reinforcements?
[clatters]
Hang on, no way.
Wait, did these buildings just repair themselves?
It's like they were all reset to normal!
Sunraku, what is this, man?
[RAKURO] I dunno.
But if I were a gambler,
I'd wager this is part of Ctarnidd's power, too.
Ctarnidd's power?
That tentacled bastard's playing games with us.
[ARABA] It does not bring people like us here
to be killed.
Instead, it likes to watch us struggle
to stave off its boredom.
[scoffs]
[RAKURO] It had its fun, and now it's cleaning up
the playroom for a brand new toy session.
There ya are, lass! It's good to see you!
It's great to see you too, Ceecrue!
Sunraku's alive!
[laughs]
[ARABA] You actually managed to slay the creature?
I can't believe it!
[RAKURO] And I got a boatload of mats
for the trouble, as well!
Some meat, too. Hungry?
Looks like good white fish with lots of protein.
Hey, Rust!
- -I'm glad we found yo-- - Okay, Sunraku, you promised.
[sighs] Sometimes I wish I were an NPC,
'cause she seems to react better to them
than me half the time.
Huh?
[RAKURO] Promised what?
You said that if I kept everyone alive,
you'd show me some freakin' robot stuff later!
[RAKURO] Well, it's out of power.
It won't work, I already told you that.
I don't care!
[RAKURO] I can tell.
Fine, show yourself!
Behold! The Non-Standard Tactical Avian, Suzaku!
♪
LIMP
Is that a strange, metal bird?
He looks a little tuckered out to me.
Is it broken?
[RAKURO] He's just locked in the position
he crash-landed in!
Do you guys ever listen to me?
I told you it was out of power!
It's...
It's magnificent!
Oh, the chill of frigid steel.
There's no better feeling!
SLF's simulation is pure perfection!
Best game ever!
[RAKURO] Yeah, a lot of games from the Nephilim Hollow era
didn't have the resources that these devs do.
- -[gasps] - [metal clanks]
Look at dis big boi!
It's even got real, working joints!
[RAKURO] Yo, yo, yo, yo, yo!
Don't bend him like that, you might break him!
[MOLD] I just realized Psyger-0 isn't with us,
has anyone seen them yet?
No, I figured she's come running
when she heard all the racket.
But when she didn't show up,
I thought she might be hangin' with you, Rust.
Nope! Haven't seem him yet!
[RAKURO] I'm sure a player of Rei's caliber
would have picked up on how the save zones work,
even down here.
Anyway, we've got the whole gang together,
minus one, so let's get to planning our next steps.
[metal clanks]
SPECIAL STATUS: "ABYSSAL TIME"
First, we've been allotted
168 hours
to crank out this Bonus Unique Scenario.
That's seven days for you matheletes.
So we need to work out what our schedule looks like
these next seven days.
If we're calling this "day one,"
when do you guys think you'll be able
to log in and play?
[scrapes]
AKITSU RUST MOLD TODAY
I say we leave Rei off the chart for now.
Uh, we're all over the place,
but it looks like everyone can make it on the last day.
[MOLD] What about you?
[RAKURO] Ideally, I'd love to log in
at least once a day.
But I can't.
Unfortunately, I'm busy,
so I won't be able to play for the next two days.
Depending on how things go, it could be longer.
Emul, I'll need you to hold down the fort
- -while I'm gone! - Why me?
Are you asking me to stay in this dreary
- -old room the whole time? - Wait.
You're not just gonna leave us, are you?
I need to get out of this town before I die down here!
[sighs] Sorry, but, can you watch these guys for me?
Well. If I must, I shall.
Until I secure my lost weapon,
we'll use this building as our defensive base.
Hey, can you stay here too, Ceecrue?
Indeed, I shall!
You can trust in me, lass!
Whenever we log in,
I think it would be smart to keep
each other posted on what we've accomplished
while we were able to hop on.
Okay?
[RAKURO] All right, guys, I'm gonna log out for the day.
But with this Master of the Abyss
treating us like his toys, I refuse to give up.
X-Day is day seven.
We're gonna log on,
and we're gonna use all the info we've gathered
to track down Ctarnidd in all his glory.
Then show him who's boss!
- -Ah-huh. - [all sigh]
Master of the Abyss, it's time to meet our fists!
(6 DAYS UNTIL X-DAY)
[plane whirring]
Hey, I'm thinkin',
since we're all here,
you guys wanna go explore Japan
while we wait for the competition to start?
[SYLVIA] Nah, I'm good.
Anyone know which hotel Kei Uomi booked for the week?
You gonna personally declare war on the dude?
We literally just got off the plane.
Everyone knows you're here.
Miss "Best-in-the-US."
♪