Fortuna: Thirteen, very unlucky. The confrontation with this 'Captain Jack' character is the the thirteenth chapter of Sinclair Drake's story. This Jack seems to ruin everything he touches; it was due to him that we lost both Mr. Jimenez and Lady Zelenin last time. And I may be one of the 'beautiful' demons, but that does not mean I do not pity the creatures abused by this Jack; Legions, Pisacas, Gurrs. Demons may vary in their philosophies, but the one thing it seems we all agree on is that Captain Jack is the most repulsive being in these ruined lands...
Well, it seems Captain Jack is way more powerful than we thought; the Lightning is even able to create its own pocket dimension for him to hide out in! Regardless, we're going to storm it. Arthur also gives the directive to destroy all of his equipment that Drake can find. Oddly enough, Drake seems to be alone on this mission; there's no sign of any Red Shirts here.
Kin-ki: Like dat'd matter anyway...
For the first and only time in this game Drake faces other humans; they're not particularly strong but they can take a serious beating. The prototype DEMONICA is really something.
Drake:' Again, who makes prototypes better than the final product? That's like stupid video game logic or something...
Legion: Like this place I do not. Ugly beings created from fusion accidents we are, but it is not meaning feelings we have not...
In effect, you can just waltz right up to the Lightning, but its doors are sealed tighter than can be budged, so another way must be found. There's a hidden door here with a rare forma behind it; this one lets you see in the second-tier dark areas, which will be useful soon. Another door leads to a truly grisly sight.
Pixie: OH MY GOD!
Metatron: If God were anywhere, little one, he certainly wouldn't be here...
The room is lined with tanks full of mutilated demons, begging for their missing limbs back and cursing humanity. There's a Mook Lieutenant miniboss in here, and after he's defeated do the honorable thing and euthanize the demons.
Dominion: It should be a relief to an angel to see demons of Chaos put down... and yet, somehow, the only one I want to see put down is Jack.
Drake: I think we're all more alike that we sometimes realize. Darkness and Light, Law and Chaos... it's kind of a relief to know we can unite against the truly evil.
Pallas Athena: I'd much rather that evil not exist in the first place, honestly.
Oh yeah, Athena joined the party. Like Alice and Doppelganger (who I've had for ages but kept forgetting to mention; also like Alice he's another whose level belies his long-term usefulness) she's a Gun-reflector. This is key to where we're going next.
Take the stairs down and you'll find the door to the main lab. It's locked and needs a code. The only other door around here leads to a now-visible dark area, at the end of which you'll find, speak of the devil, the guy who knows the code. Ask him about himself and he'll fork it over in exchange for his life. Behind the door...
Horkos: NOT BUONO! I AM GOING TO BE ILL!
Apsaras: For all of our sake, please don't.
Jimenez and Bugaboo are imprisoned in tanks, apparently in an effort to fuse them together. Bugaboo is near death, and Jimenez implores Drake to fuse them together with his DEMONICA to save their lives.
Drake: No! I won't do it! As much as I thought he was obnoxious at first, he's one of my best friends! I lost him to Chaos by doing this last time! There's another way! There's got be another... ... ... ...Demon Fusion Program activate...
Jimenez and Bugaboo both apparently still exist in the new composite being, and what's more, he's now strong enough to pull the door to the Lightning off its very hinges. It's time to keelhaul the Captain.
Captain Jack is one of the most powerful beings in the entire Schwartzwelt.
No, seriously.
He's the ultimate proof the DEMONICA can do anything, and the prototype DEMONICA more than anything. He's only got three skills, but they're all he needs. Rain Strike is a multi-target Gun spam. Sunset Melody is another of the ever-annoying Almighty moves. His most obnoxious skill by far, though, is Pure Blue, and what is Pure Blue?
A full heal.
Seriously. Or close enough not to matter, anyway, since it's more than the amount of damage you can do in one turn. This is everyone's least favorite type of boss, the one that involves no strategy and just blind luck. Thankfully (mercifully?) he only has 2000 HP, which is why you bring three Gun reflectors; if all his Rain Strikes in a given turn hit them, that's half his health gone right there. He's also accompanies by two Pisacas, for lots and lots of Bomb funtimes. As tempting as it may be, I've found he uses Pure Blue less when they're still alive, so take him out first. When he goes down, Jimenez takes the opportunity to tear out his black heart.
Alice: It made a nice popping sound!
Drake: ...should I have saved him? I'm not sure...
Jimenez is placed on lockdown in the Sickbay on Zelenin's recommendation, leaving Drake to complete the assignment in Fornax. The crew confiscates all of Jack's weapons, including the rare forma Star Mirror; with the other two mirrors this one upgrades the Enemy Search. There's only one place left to go in Fornax: the middle path, which is blocked, a few floors down, by an invisible enemy. Lucky you! Use the new enemy search to reveal it as... one of the weird formless demons from Delphinus. Strategy is exactly the same here. It retreats a floor down once you beat it, revealing its true shame as, unsurprisingly, Asura, or rather...
Mitra: EGAD! Sir Asura... I didn't know you had.... THAT in you. This may sound tasteless coming from an old friend, but... dressed like that, you're welcome in my palace any time!
Asura: I'LL MOUNT YOUR HEAD ON MY WALL, MITRA!
Yep, turns out Asura's really a very comely lady-demon, Asherah. She's the hardest of the four mid-bosses in this level, due to, you guessed it, Asura Roga. Again, there's not much different strategy this time. Just keep pounding away with ice.''
Asura: POUNDING AWAY? I DON'T LIKE WHAT YOU'RE INSINUATING, DRAKE!
On the floors below, Tiamat awaits...
Can Drake survive against the Mother of Demons? Can he survive the now-demonic Jimenez? Can he survive the fury of the wounded pride of a man who is sometimes a woman? Stay tuned to find out!
