"Coming over, look out! OwO"
That was the only indication I got of Zoops wanting to hang out. I thought they meant in-game like with Len, but no, they just came into my cubicle.
Androgynous, quite literally due to them being both male and female, which I learned from them was something that can happen naturally at birth for all the races of Fanta Regauss.
Deep purple hair with black tips, both from dyeing, and brown eyes. A black leather jacket and a purple and black skirt with a checkerboard pattern. Plus a fluffier tail than their siblings.
"Damn, that doesn't look healthy."
They're looking at my growing pile of fatigue restoration tonics. Not as strong as potions or elixirs, but they don't serve those here. I simply eye it and shrug.
"I'm really desperate here, ok?"
It's a few hours until the MPC cafe opens up again, Kandance is still asleep with no new dreams, and I'm halfway through the base story quests of the second expansion. I'm aiming to complete at least one expansion plus patch content a day, which will give me three days to both get the best gear I can have and learn to play with all the siblings together.
"The bet's that important to ya?"
"Mhm. Big stakes against another world first racer. A lot on the line for me."
Even though I can't divulge who exactly the bet is against and what it's for, they should at least know the kind of person and the importance it has.
"And you took it because…?"
… Eh, I can divulge a bit into that too, I guess.
"To help a friend."
If Kandance could hear me right now, she'd probably question if our current relations could be considered friendship. But it sounds better than just calling her an acquaintance.
"Fair."
Zoops curled up on the soft ground. Despite how they act in our chatroom with the online lingo, they're much more calm and chill in person.
"Honestly, I expected you to be more hyperactive like in our chats."
"I get excited when hanging out with multiple people."
Which, I assume, means they're more down to earth during one-on-one talks. Actually, would down to earth work here? Or is it down to Fanta Regauss? Or maybe something else? I still need to get used to the slang here. And language in general. It's a mix of words I know and stuff that sounds made up. Hopping between the two and guessing which it'll be for something is annoying.
Since we were right next to each other, Zoops encouraged me to take a break from Magys Regal for a bit. I didn't want to, at first, since I felt like I had to keep making progress. But then they said something that convinced me.
"Did you read up on the lore for the Ultimaximum?"
Fuck, right, that is important. Every one of these raids have a special puzzle connected to the part of the story it's based on. Not only will I have to look out for a mechanic that could be tied to it, I have to know the actual intricacies of the plot itself to pick up on what might need to be done.
"I… no?"
"Shit, then lemme help you with that, man."
Thus, I accepted their offer. Zoops made another monitor for the MPC in my cubicle and pulled up a document.
"The community made this to compile every bit of the lore, from outside resources like interviews and guide books to mechanics from the original fights and all the lines in the game related to the plot."
"Ah. I have to go through all of that?"
"Not if you don't want to, there's a summary of what's likely to appear. Up to you, though."
Ah, that's a line I've said way too many times in the past. "Up to you", that one. When I want something but know I don't need it or am obligated in any way to have it, I say that line. Whether it's money, progress, or food, I've used it so much that it's kinda like second nature. A way for me to say "hey, I want this, but I want you to know that you have a choice and don't have to do it if you don't want to", but in a much shorter and more implied fashion.
Though I didn't get the feeling that that's how Zoops meant it. I think they were being literal with it. It's "up to me" if I read the whole thing or not. It's not something they want from me or is required. Hell, they've probably already done it themselves with Mo and Len.
But damn it, I cannot help myself when it comes to reading. Even in my youth, I would speed read through every single book I got and started reading young adult stuff super early. I'm eager to learn, eager to absorb all the information I can about something, even if I'm going to forget it or if it isn't useful to me at all.
So Zoops gets to watch me go through the entire document, all the lore, and everything that might appear. Even if it'll lead to wild and inaccurate speculation that could hinder me figuring out the actual puzzle when the time comes, it's better to overanalyze than underanalyze in my eyes.
Which is why I'm making minimal notes and will only highlight the few things that stuck out to me. Hey, just because I said I overanalyze doesn't mean I see everything I read as equally important.
Anyway, here's what I could find. With comments from Zoops because they wanted to add some.
"The main item of importance's ability is absorbing other people's power."
"Could mean we have to buff it a lot if it shows up? Or let the boss buff it?"
To be specific, it absorbs their powers and gives a full explanation of how those powers work. But when the villain tries to use it on our character, it overflows with information and almost kills everyone in the area.
"The final raid's boss warps space, its purpose being to remove all causes of conflict."
"What if a mechanic needs only specific people alive, like just the Supporter? Maybe we have to not attack for something to change?"
Fun Fact: The boss determined itself was a cause of conflict and that's why it disappeared for the first time in lore. The villain didn't realize that and brought it back without that function to use it on stuff they deemed unneeded and lost control before the final fight.
"There's a twist that the character who asked for our help to beat the villain was the removed part of the final boss that determines sources of conflict."
"Ah, Milli. She's a fan favorite. People still quote her 'inner conflict is making me conflicted' line for how stupid it sounds lol."
Speaking of inner conflict, the second phase of the bonus hard mode, called an Idealized Raid, that was released after the initial raid took place within the final boss' soul itself. I haven't done it, but maybe Milli will appear and we'll have to do something with her.
"btw, in the preview the devs showed, the first boss is the one from the fifth raid. They have a really annoying gimmick in their Idealized Raid involving quick math, so they might make a harder version as a skill check."
Ah, I didn't know that. Good thing I'm… relatively fine with math. So it shouldn't be too much trouble.
Not much else stuck out to me. But Zoops did reward me for my work by ordering a burger for me.
"Bullous meat is the highest quality they have here. Enjoy."
They also got one for themselves as they left my cubicle. I take a bite. Got lettuce, cheese, and grilled onions. Nice. Will definitely be recreating these once I can use my powers again.