Operation story: OF-8
< OF-8
| Operation | Story |
| Previous OF-7 | Next OF-ST5 |
| Characters | |
|---|---|
| Backgrounds | |
 1  2 |
|
Before operation
| “ | Deep within a volcanic tunnel, Skyfire explains to everyone how to stop the eruption. In the heart of the mountain, the group comes face to face with the volcano's host – a massive Originium Slug. | ” |
| <Background 1> | |
|---|---|
| Ceylon | I never knew there was a cave like this on the other side of the volcano. |
| Provence | This used to be a natural cave, but after extensive mining, it's turned into a deep shaft. Be prepared, everyone. We still have a long way to go once we're inside. Our actual destination is in the depths of this cave. |
| <Background fades out and in> | |
| Skyfire | Even when I was back in the Lab, I never imagined that I'd be diving deep into a volcano during my vacation. |
| Ceylon | Can you explain what's going on to me now? That phone call was way too obscure. What did she mean by "there's a good chance to stop the eruption?" |
| Provence | Hmm... I think Skyfire can explain it better. Help me out here. |
| Skyfire | Provence and I came to this conclusion after exploring the volcano, and we discussed it with Eyjafjalla. To explain the theory, we'd first have to talk about the habitat of the Originium slugs... Or rather, we should call them volcanic slugs or lava slugs. Even though they look just like normal Originium slugs, these creatures feed upon the special obsidian found in this volcano. These Originium slugs make their colony very close to the core of the volcano, where lava mixes with special components to form large quantities of this obsidian. Once the people here discovered that this obsidian was special, they followed the slugs' tracks to locate the source. |
| Ceylon | I see. I've read about this before. People in some places take advantage of the animals' habits to locate and exploit resources. |
| Provence | People can always draw connections from interacting with other creatures. |
| Skyfire | The problem is, there hasn't been an eruption in a long time, and the supply of obsidian started to dwindle. Overmining doesn't just affect the industries involved, but also destroys the Originium slugs' natural habitat. As a result, they became increasingly restless and started to burrow more and more in search of new habitats. This is most likely the source of the abnormal internal activity within the volcano. Doing this may be effective for keeping the colony alive, but the end result is a Catastrophe for Siesta. |
| Provence | ..."If we do not protect the gifts from Nature, then Nature will instead grant us punishment." |
| Ceylon | So, what should we do now? Is there some method to block the volcano? |
| Skyfire | We should approach it from a different perspective. We actually need to pacify the host of this abode. Let's hurry it up. We need to go deeper. |
| <Background fades out and in> | |
| Ceylon | It's getting hotter and hotter... |
| Provence | It's just in front of us... Everyone, be careful! |
| ??? | Groaaaaaarrr...!!! |
| Ceylon | That roar... It sounds... as if it's crazed. |
| Skyfire | Of course. These slugs are not intelligent enough to individually explore this volcano so extensively, so there must be a queen in the colony. She is the host that we're searching for. |
| Provence | ...We're supposed to find that queen out of all of these slugs? |
| Skyfire | What are you talking about? This volcanic Originium slug is powerful enough to trigger an eruption. She is the true host of this volcano! We should definitely be able to discern her from a glance! The possibilities are endless for organisms that evolved under extreme environmental conditions. You never know, this slug might be powerful enough to melt an entire Defender squad. |
| Ceylon | Are you saying that these tremors were caused by a single Originium slug...? |
| Skyfire | There's nothing to be afraid of, as long as I'm here. It doesn't matter how much these slugs may have mutated— |
| Ceylon | Wh-what's that?! |
| <Background 2> | |
| Provence | How can this be... The lava is already coming out?! |
| Ceylon | No, that's the mutant Originium slug! Head down the cave! |
| |
| Giant Originium Slug | Grooooooarrr!! Grooooooarrr!! |
| Skyfire | The temperature is rising... No Originium slug should be able to maintain such a high temperature... |
| Provence | ...You're still calling it a slug? That's more like a moving volcano, don't you think? |
| Skyfire | Well... I didn't get to draw any detailed inferences, but this is definitely beyond what I had calculated for. |
| Provence | I'm starting to miss Eyjafjalla a little. |
| Ceylon | Watch out! It's getting closer to us! |
| <Background 2> | |
| Giant Originium Slug | Grooooooarrr!! Groaaaaaaaar...!!! |
| Ceylon | It... It can even melt through the ground? N-No, look at the wall and the ground. They're covered with these wave-like things... |
| Provence | Move back. They're all lava Originium slugs, enough to cause volcanic activity! |
| Skyfire | I suppose this confirms our target then. As long as we can pacify it and redirect its route, the citizens should have enough time to evacuate! |
| Provence | Hold on, hold on! How are we supposed to "pacify" this mini-volcano?! |
| Skyfire | By beating it down! What else can we do? |
| Provence | It's got such a massive body though! What if it explodes here? Are you sure that won't cause an eruption?! |
| Skyfire | Let’s just ask it to go home really nicely then! Hmm... I suppose we have to take it down one way or another!! |
After operation
| “ | The giant Originium Slug is defeated, and disaster is averted. The crisis draw to a close, but only temporarily. | ” |
| <Background 2> | |
|---|---|
| Ceylon | Watch out! |
| [Provence fires her crossbow at the giant Originium Slug...] | |
| Provence | Haah! |
| Skyfire | Hyah! |
| [...while Skyfire uses her Arts against it.] | |
| <Background fades out and in> | |
| Ceylon | Is it really getting weaker? I can't tell from the appearance at all! |
| Skyfire | Watch out for the lava! Just how much obsidian has this thing absorbed?! |
| Giant Originium Slug | GROOOAAAAARRRRR!!! |
| Provence | Poor thing... But we can't afford to show it any mercy! Skyfire! |
| Skyfire | All right, I got it! Time to go all out! Well then, how do you like the taste of this?! |
| [Provence and Skyfire keeps attacking the giant Originium Slug.] | |
| Giant Originium Slug | Grooooooarrr!! |
| Ceylon | It's becoming enraged...! I'll block its way. The rest of you, focus on attacking! |
| Skyfire | Big tail!! |
| Provence | I finally managed to land a hit through a crack in the lava, but I can't guarantee that it's going to work on something of this size! |
| Giant Originium Slug | ———!! |
| [As the giant Originium Slug is attacked, it eventually retreats deeper into the volcano.] | |
| <Background fades out and in> | |
| Skyfire | We did it! It's heading the other way! |
| Provence | Yes! The citizens are going to be safe now! |
| Skyfire | Good grief! I can't believe a single slug would be that hard to deal with! My skirt is all ruined... |
| Provence | It was the leader of the colony after all. If people didn't destroy their habitat in the first place, then perhaps... |
| Skyfire | I'm exhausted! Let's not bring up that tiresome topic again! |
| Ceylon | Haha, me too. I'm so tired I can barely stand. But, we have to head back to Siesta. There are people waiting for us there... |
| [Ceylon trips herself.] | |
| Ceylon | Oof! |
| Provence | That's understandable, but a mature lady should also learn to get help if she's not even able to keep her balance. |
| Ceylon | Th-thank you... |
| Skyfire | All right, let's go take our victory lap now. Once we get back, there might still be some time for us to enjoy our vacation. |
| Provence | But... sooner or later, this place will... |
| Skyfire | Big tail? |
| Provence | Ah, I'm coming. Skyfire... |
| Skyfire | I know. But we should respect the city's choice, and let them handle the rest, right? |