02x08 - Episode 8

[bunniefuu]

[NARRATOR]
In today's world.

[NARRATOR] Fully-immersive
virtual reality experiences

dominate the gaming landscape,

giving the players
a new way to play.

[NARRATOR]
Now,

they can finally
become denizens

of their favorite
fictional worlds.

[NARRATOR] In a market
over-saturated with VR games,

only one boasts more than

thirty-million players
world-wide.

[NARRATOR]
It's considered the definitive

triple-A experience.

[NARRATOR]
A place for true pioneers.

[NARRATOR]
Shangri-La Frontier!

♪

[NARRATOR]
But not today.

[NARRATOR] After suffering
a devastating in-game setback,

Sunraku is currently
ghosting the Frontier.

[NARRATOR]
For now, he's venting his rage

in a highly-customizable,

rock 'em, sock 'em
robot action game

called Nephilim Hollow!

[expl*si*n]

[RUST] No sign of him using
his boosters to escape.

♪

[electricity crackling]

Hold up, that Nephilim can...

[MOLD] Move, Rust!
Get outta there right now!

[Rust gasps]

[RAKURO]
It's over.

[shatters]

[gasps]

♪

The lion catches a
rabbit with its full

strength; the crab catches a
phoenix with a pizza cutter.

No way!

He ripped her arm right off!

[MALE SPECTATOR 1] For real?
How'd it jump that high?

[indistinct chatter]

[stabs]

[thuds]

[RAKURO]
Well, crap.

[RAKURO]
I thought I had you for a sec,

but you got a little dodgy,
didn't ya?

[thuds]

[groans]

[RUST] Mold!
What the hell just happened?

[RUST] How'd the Fiddler Crab
get so close to me?

[RUST]
He was on the ground,

I hit him
with everything I had!

[RUST] There's no way
he'd get to me that fast!

Those booster animations
you saw weren't real.

[RUST]
They were fake?

[MOLD]
I was able to confirm it

when he dropped
his active camo.

[MOLD]
He swapped his rocket-boosters

for some anti-grav legs!

[RUST]
Mid-battle?

[electricity crackling]

[RUST]
He's got dummy legs!

Yeah, he does.

It's a new Nephilim type

that the devs added
two weeks ago.

It's got a special function
that lets you to equip

two different sets of leg parts
and swap between them at will.

The downside is,

it adds extra weight

and greatly
diminishes your mobility,

and it also drains your EN
like nobody's business.

The disadvantages are
stacked against you,

so no one's tried to use it
in PvP yet.

This is the first time

I've gone
head-to-head with one.

[MOLD]
I'm sorry, Rust.

[MOLD]
I should've realized it

the moment he showed up
with those weird legs.

[electricity crackling]

[RUST]
No,

even with anti-grav legs,
we should've seen him,

there would have
been a dust cloud.

[RUST]
There you are!

[RUST]
Better luck next time, loser!

[explodes]

[explodes]

[RUST]
That's it,

he must have
swapped out the legs

just before my missiles
hit their mark.

[RUST]
Then,

he timed his jump
to narrowly avoid

getting hit by my attack.

[RUST]
After the impact,

he used the explosions
to conceal his dust cloud

and close the gap.

[electricity crackling]

[Rust laughing]

What's she doing?

[indistinct chatter]

Anyone coulda had the idea,

but only Sunraku
coulda pulled it off.

Pull what off?

[RAKURO] I guess the dummy legs
are outta the bag, huh?

[whirring]

[RAKURO]
Well, Crimson Twinewing,

what now?

[beeping]

His active camo
only lasts for so long,

but he'll have to go visible
to recharge at some point.

Stay above his legs'
maximum altitude

and wait to take the shot!

Huh?

[electricity crackling]

[MOLD]
Hey, Rust?

[thuds]

[whirring]

What's going through
your head right now?

[Rakuro laughs]

[RAKURO] Not planning on taking
the "high"-road today, are we?

[RAKURO] I figured
you'd wouldn't cop out

with the cheap-o strat.

[electricity crackling]

[RUST] Hit me with
whatever you've got.

[RUST]
I can take it.

[RUST]
But,

if you underestimate me,

you will lose.

[RAKURO]
Maybe you and your one-arm

should heed your own warning.

[RAKURO]
The Fiddler Crab's hunt

has only just begun!

Rust, pull back.

[MOLD] You're not gonna
fight him head-on, are you?

[MALE PLAYER 1]
Hey!

Sunraku might actually
win this thing, huh?

Yeah, I think he might!

Hurry up and smoke her

so we can see that
new Nephilim A-SAP!

If Sunraku makes
even one little mistake,

he's dead meat.

[whirring]

[electricity crackling]

[RUST]
Your tricks won't work on me.

[RUST] I don't need to watch
your dust-trail to get you.

[RUST] The moment
your attack animation starts,

you lose your active camo
and that's the game.

[RUST]
And if one moment is all I get,

that's enough for me!

[sonic boom]

[slices]

[whirring]

[thuds]

[groans]

[electricity crackling]

[crowd cheers]

Pincer down!

Yeah, the guy's toast!

[grunts]

[RAKURO] An ultra-high-speed
counterattack

using an asymmetric
booster blast.

[RAKURO]
Nice one, man!

[RAKURO]
But for me,

I got exactly what I wanted.

[RAKURO] Time to show off
my ace in the hole.

His left arm is a capture net!

[groans]

[fires]

[RUST] That's your big
"ace in the hole," huh?

[RUST] I told you
not to underestimate me,

now you'll see why!

Here comes the clincher!

Come on, man.

[RAKURO] The Fiddler Crab's
ace in the hole

is an all-or-nothing deal.

[SUPER BALLMAN]
Huh?

[RAKURO]
Like, if I don't land the hit,

I'm freakin' screwed.

[RAKURO]
Fighting Rust is a pain

because of Crimson Twinewing's
insane mobility.

[RAKURO]
It's too unpredictable.

[RAKURO]
Those boosters on her shoulders

give her the ability
to change trajectory like that.

[RAKURO] So if I can
at least destroy those,

she'll be limited to dodging

with the main booster
on her back,

and then
the crimson lady sings.

[RAKURO]
In other words...

[booster]

[RAKURO] ...I can lead her
to the dodge wherever I want!

[whirring]

[Rust gasps]

[RAKURO] I know I called
my guy here the Fiddler Crab,

but he's actually got
more than one beefy pincer.

♪

[whirring]

[RAKURO] Pizza Cutter Wing,
do your thing!

[Rust gasps]

[RUST]
Sunraku!

[clanks]

♪

[gasps]

[Rakuro laughs]

[RAKURO] A heavy build
versus a light build.

[RAKURO] I think you can guess
which one wins

when they crash
into each other.

[crashes]

[metal clanking]

[explodes]

[all gasp]

♪

[ANNOUNCER] Winner:
Fiddler Crab!

[all gasp]

You.

You did it, Sunraku!

The son-of-a-g*n actually went
and took down Rust!

Hot damn, man!

[MALE SPECTATOR 2] That was
the greatest fight ever!

This means
now we'll finally get to see

Rust's new Nephilim!

[crowd cheering]

Fiddler crab

[MOLD]
So, that was a bookmaker.

Active camo, and dummy legs.

Then the capture net

and the back-mounted
circular saw?

Talk about information overload
in such a short fight, ya know?

♪

[RAKURO] Aw yeah!
I'm the king of the world!

[RAKURO]
It's like someone sprayed me

with champagne
at the end of a race,

and it all went into my mouth!

[RAKURO]
I'm buzzed on sweet victory!

Huh?

[Rakuro laughs]

[RAKURO] What d'ya think, Rust?
You like my plan?

[RAKURO] It's called
"Overload you with info

and force you
to one-v-one me, title pending.

Crimson Twinewing lost,
and I'll admit it,

but I'm not done with you!

[RUST] We've both won,
lost, and had a draw!

[RUST] We haven't settled
anything yet! Next time--

[RAKURO] Sorry to bust
your bubble, toots,

but I got what I wanted
and I'm out.

[RAKURO] I wanna get back
to grinding my main game.

[RUST]
Wait, hold up.

You mean you didn't come back
to Nephilim Hollow

so you could main
the new patch with us?

[RUST]
Don't tell me you're gonna

peace out for months
and ghost us again!

[RAKURO] Maybe not months,
but for a while.

[RAKURO]
I'm sure I'll log back in

from time to time.

Hey, Sunraku,
are you bein' serious, bro?

And right when you brought
the hype back, too.

Yeah, look how amped up
the player base is

since you came back!

[MOLD]
If you keep logging in,

I think it'll make
the whole game

feel alive again for all of us.

[grunts]

[RAKURO] I get that and all,
but I dunno.

I don't like this.

[RAKURO]
Huh?

I said, I don't like this!

You'd better log in tomorrow
and the next day, too!

[RAKURO] Whoa, woah,
cool your boosters, man!

[RAKURO] I just came here
to blow off steam

'cause I can't use
my sweet mechs in SLF!

[gasps]

[RUST]
Mechs in SLF?

[RAKURO]
Oh, crap!

So you're maining
Shangri-La Frontier these days?

[RAKURO] No!
Nevermind!

[RAKURO] Pretend you heard
nothing, nothing!

[Rakuro laughs nervously]

[RUST]
SLF, eh?

I used to play
Shangri-La Frontier myself,

back in the day.

[RUST]
But,

I was never able
to find any mechs

that were controllable
with my player-character.

I knew they had
to exist somewhere!

You and me.
We're gonna make us a deal.

[RAKURO]
Huh?

You know where to find
the player mechs

and I know how to find
a unique monster.

[RUST]
Help me find the robots,

and I'll tell you
the unique scenario

for Ctarnidd of the Abyss.

[RAKURO]
Ctarnidd, eh.

♪

♪

[gasps]

[RAKURO]
Okay, we're all alone.

Not sure why we needed
to move, though.

[RAKURO]
Hey, you never know

when another NHer
might be maining SLF.

[RAKURO] Info on unique
monsters is valuable.

I guess you're not wrong.

Well, now that we're out here,

are you ready
to start this thing?

[RAKURO]
Sure.

[MOLD] The conditions
of our trade are simple.

[MOLD] We have info
about the unique scenario

that leads
to Ctarnidd of the Abyss.

[MOLD]
We'll share that with you

if you're willing to tell us

how to find
the player-controlled mechs

in SLF.

[MOLD]
Sound like a fair trade to you?

[MOLD]
Are both parties in agreement?

[RAKURO] The Professor of that
lore clan told us about this.

[PROFESSOR]
Ctarnidd of the Abyss,

an octopus-like creature

that inhabits the oceans
of Shangri-La Frontier.

[PROFESSOR] What makes
its existence intriguing is,

no one's ever seen it.

[PROFESSOR] We know about it
from stupefied NPCs

who bring
their tales onto land.

[RAKURO]
If no one's seen it,

can Rust really have info
on its unique scenario?

What's up?

Oh, nothing,

I just didn't expect
to hear about "unique monsters"

outside the digital walls
of SLF.

Are you accusing me of lying?

We've played a hell of a lot
more SLF than you might assume.

More than most!

[RAKURO] Nah, it's not
like I'm doubting you

or anything like that.

[RAKURO] I've played
a good amount myself,

and I know
how insanely complicated

the unique scenarios leading
to those Colossi can be.

[RAKURO] Until I can be sure
your info is legit,

and I find out how helpful
it might actually be,

I'm afraid I can't
divulge anything myself.

You want us to share first?

You're being very cautious.

[RAKURO]
There's a good reason.

[RAKURO] The sci-fi equipment
and robots I've got access to

aren't exactly mine alone.

[RAKURO] I share ownership with
two other people in the game.

[chuckles]

[growls]

[RAKURO]
So until I convince them

that talking to you
is a good idea,

I can't say a word.

[RAKURO]
If I screw this up,

there's no telling

what those raging
psychopaths will do to me.

And whether you can
convince them or not,

depends on
what kind of info we have?

That what this is?

[RAKURO]
Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

All right.
Go ahead.

Loud and clear.

[beeping]

Over in Fifticia,

you'll want to seek and accept
this unique scenario.

"Find the Abyss's Disciples."

Once there,

an NPC known as
"Great Pirate" Stude

speaks to you.

He says,
"find the ghost ship"--

[RAKURO]
Your handle is "Mold," right?

[RAKURO]
You can relax a little.

[MOLD]
Oh, uh, yeah, all right, sure.

[MOLD]
I can relax, just let me, um.

[clears throat]

[MOLD] We accepted
the scenario in Fifticia,

that's when
he told us about it.

[MOLD] The ghost ship,
roaming the sea.

[MOLD]
A ship of stolen souls.

[MOLD]
The Crying Innsman.

[thunder rumbles]

[MOLD] According to the alleged
"Great Pirate" Stude,

the ghost ship
sacrifices captives

to the "Master of the Abyss."

[MOLD]
Brutal.

[RAKURO] Sounds like
a cheery quest to go on.

[RAKURO] You haven't
finished the scenario yet?

[MOLD] Nah,
we just accepted it and quit.

[MOLD]
Right around then,

Rust decided we should bail

since we couldn't find
any mechs to use.

[MOLD]
Isn't that right?

[soft sigh]

How'd I do?

That info qualify
as legit and helpful?

[RAKURO]
Hmm.

[RAKURO] It's getting there,
but it lacks a real clincher.

[RUST]
Hm?

[RAKURO] When a scenario
is directly connected

to a unique monster,

it's indicated
by the word "bonus."

[RUST]
Didn't know that.

[RAKURO]
But if I had to guess,

this Abyss's Disciples quest
you found

might be the stepping stone

to the bonus
unique scenario I'm after.

[MOLD]
In other words,

you're still
not fully convinced?

[Rust chuckles]

Look at it this way,

if we do clear
this normal scenario we found,

it could lead you
to one of those

bonus unique scenarios,

then you'd be one step
ahead of everyone.

[RAKURO]
Yeah.

[RAKURO]
If I play my cards right,

this could be a big win for me.

[RAKURO] I'll have another
Bonus Unique Scenario

to rub in Katzo's face!

[RAKURO]
Well, what are we waiting for?

[RAKURO] That ghost ship's
not gonna find itself.

[RAKURO]
Consider me on board!

Oh man, this is gonna be sick!

Where should we meet in SLF?

I'm thinking Fifticia would be
the most efficient spot--

Sunraku.

[RAKURO]
Hm?

Were you for real?

You're not coming back?

[RAKURO]
Listen.

[soft sigh]

[RAKURO]
The whole reason you were using

Crimson Twinewing so long

was because you said
you wouldn't

switch until you lost, right?

[RAKURO]
Here's the facts.

[RAKURO]
Our record is one loss,

one win, and one draw,

which means
your mech finally lost.

Yeah, that's only because--

It's time
to make the switch, Rust.

[RAKURO] And when you get
that shiny new Nephilim

up and running.

[gasps]

[RAKURO]
I'll log back in, just for you!

[gasps]

Just for me?

[sobs]

[Rakuro giggles]

[breathing shakily]

[strains]

Okay.

Let's go, bro!

[RAKURO]
Huh?

[chuckles nervously]

♪

Say hello to my new mech.

Ashen Antimony!

♪

Ashen antimony.

[Rakuro gasps]

[RAKURO]
What?

[RAKURO] How do you already
have a new build?

[Rust scoffs]

We got really bored waiting,

so we've been tinkering around
with this for a good while now.

[SUPER BALLMAN]
Aw, damn it!

[SUPER BALLMAN] Where the hell
did those three turds

fly off to?

Is he already gone?

He's not really gonna ghost us.

Like, come on,
he just beat Rust!

Nah, man, I'm pretty sure

I saw 'em
fly over here somewhere.

What the hell is that?
Look up there!

Huh?

[SUPER BALLMAN]
Who's Nephilim is that?

[SUPER BALLMAN]
I've never seen it.

[MALE PLAYER 1] Check out
the one right in front of it,

isn't that Sunraku's?

[MALE PLAYER 2]
Yeah, I think he's right!

No way,

is this the one?

[SUPER BALLMAN] Could it be
Rust's new Nephilim?

[indistinct chatter]

[RAKURO] The right side's
specialized for melee,

the left is kitted out
for ranged combat.

[RAKURO]
I should have known.

[RAKURO] Here I was,
trying to be a courteous winner

and exchange
a few pleasantries,

but if she's gonna plop down

a beast like that
in front of me,

I've gotta find a way
to beat this one too!

[chuckles softly]

[chuckles softly]

[RAKURO]
Okay,

the Fiddler Crab's
sort of lost its mystique,

so you know my whole strat.

[RAKURO] It's a one-trick pony,
not a race-horse.

Wanna give up your spot
for one of those guys?

See?
They're not quitters.

Hey, DM everyone,

tell 'em they're about
to miss something huge!

[MALE PLAYER 2] Seriously!
It's Rust's new Nephilim!

[MALE PLAYER 2]
Get in here!

Quick, it's Cityscape B!

[MALE SPECTATOR 1] Hurry!
They're about to move out!

[FEMALE SPECTATOR 1]
Go Rust!

[RAKURO] Man, they're really
jonesing to see this, huh?

[RAKURO] Their favorite pilot
in her new Nephilim.

[RAKURO]
Okay,

what's say we give
your ravenous fans

a show to remember?

[RAKURO]
Let's wrap this up with a bang!

[beeps]

[ANNOUNCER] Transporting
to spectator lobby.

[beaming]

[beaming]

[beaming]

♪

[SPECTATORS]
Go Rust! Go Rust! Go Rust!

[SPECTATORS]
Go Rust! Go Rust! Go Rust!

[cheering]

[laughs]

[ANNOUNCER]
Fiddler Crab,

versus, Ashen Antimony!

[ANNOUNCER]
Duel start!

[RUST]
Bring it on!

[RAKURO] I'll be back
to beat you again real soon!

[RAKURO]
Let's go!

♪

Oh, man.

Well, the game may be dead,

but the community
freakin' rules.

[insects chirping]

♪

Palace of rabituza.

[sighs]

[EMUL]
The weather is nice as can be.

Boy, it's been days
since I've seen Sunraku.

Sure feels like
time crawls to a stop

when he's not around, though.

[CEECRUE] Emul!
Thought I might find ye here.

[squeals]

[EMUL]
It's my big brother Ceecrue!

Ceecrue.

Hallo, thair!

Good to see ya,
me Bonnie bunny sis!

My goodness,
it's been far too long!

Got a question for ye.

Been lookin' fer our daddy

and I ain't seen 'im
'round here.

Do ye know of his current
whereabouts, now?

[EMUL] No, I'm afraid
I haven't the slightest clue!

Aye, that's a real shame.

Is there a matter you needed
to speak with him about?

I've come across a human lass,

and she's quite
a respectable one at that.

Recognized by Siegwurm,
the Golden Dragon King!

Really?

Another pioneer
with such great clout?

First hero since Sunraku!

[CEECRUE]
Hm.

Indeed!
Of the truest might and mettle!

I had a mind to introduce her
to our daddy if possible, but,

ah, you'll hafta do!

- C'mere, lass!
- Huh?

O'er here, meet my sister Emul!

[AKANE] Oh, right!
I would love to!

[AKANE] Well, hello Emul!
Nice to meet you!

♪

I'm Akitsuakane!