Souffle Axis

The Souffle Axis (スフレ軌道) is the set of railways that connect all of the cities in the Rim at Metafalss, going from Historical City Enna to Kanakana Pier. However, only a part of these railways are still operational currently, as the set leading from Frontier Town Mint Ward to Kanakana Pier were closed off by orders of the Grand Bell 400 years ago. The area featured in this article are the rails that go from Trade City Rakshek to the General Store.

Origin
This set of railways was originally planned by the 15th Maiden of Homura, Souffle, who lived shortly after the first singing of Metafalica ended in failure and her predecessor, Nenesha, died during it. Souffle initially proposed this to the Grand Bell in order to raise the morale of the people and improve the living conditions of the Rim's inhabitants, who lived in extreme poverty back then. There was some opposition to her plans, but finally, she enforced and went through with it.

However, the railroad network wasn't completed until Souffle's daughter and 16th Maiden, Raksha, took the position and continued the work of her mother. Raksha herself believed she wasn't worthy of having the railroad network named after herself, so she gave it the name "Souffle Axis" in honor of her mother. However, she was still recognized as a heroine and the town that was built where the main warehouses for the construction of the railroad network were located was named after her: it was the town of Rakshek.

Events During Ar tonelico II: Melody of Metafalica
After leaving Rakshek and heading to Mint Ward to hide in Luca Trulywaath's house due to the Sacred Army's persecution, Luca, Croix Bartel and his adopted sister Cocona went through this place escorting the current Maiden: Cloche Leythal Pastalie. However, Croix received on his Telemo the signals of a berserk IPD on the area. Croix told the party that their current priority was keeping Cloche safe, but Cloche refused and told Croix to go ahead with containing the IPD, as abandoning this important part of his duties as a Grand Bell Knight would be an act akin to treason. Thus, Croix asked Cocona to support him.

Shortly later, the party managed to corner and defeat the IPD, containing her successfully. Thus, they continued their way to Mint Block, but after a while walking, Cloche told them to wait. Croix respectfully asked if she was okay and that she seemed to be a little sick, to which Cloche retorted she was perfectly fine and that he should consider their pace, as if they went too fast they would expend all their energy before they could reach their destination. Luca simply replied this was the perfect pace for her, but after seeing Cloche's annoyed expression, Croix suggested to rest a little. Cloche asked if there was a suitable resting spot near them, to which Luca replied that if she wasn't too particular about it, the General Store nearby should be good enough. Croix had his reservations about going there, but Cloche just ordered them to go there to rest for a bit.

Setting Information
The Souffle Axis has a total of 16 stops, having single line tracks in most areas and having double line tracks in the areas between Rakshek and Enna. This makes this system the most used transportation method in Metafalss despite its relative slowness. However, the area leading to the Dream Fields and Kanakana Pier was closed off during the 3400s, so there aren't any trains that go there currently.

The stops of the Axis Trains are as follows:


 * S01 - Kanakana Pier (Closed)


 * S02 - Dreamy Fields (Closed)


 * S03E - Mint Block


 * S04 - Mikry Forest


 * S05 - General Store


 * S06E - Kurure St.,


 * S07 - Airport of the New World


 * S08E - Rakshek Town


 * S09 - Arrival Port


 * S10 - Lere Water Reservoir


 * S11 - Clouds' Wharf


 * S12E - B-Fef Mine Station


 * S13E - Enna Town


 * S14 - Newfield Gorge


 * S15 - Cat Mansion


 * S16 - Promise Hill

The stations that have an "E" in front of their number signals that they are express stations. The Rakshek ~ Enna Route has three express round trips per day, and it's called the the [Rudje (Red) Route]. On the other side, the Mint Block ~ Enna route has only one express round trip per day, and it's called the [Pauwel (Power) Route].

Layout
Although a bit longer and more complex than the Rakshek Resort due to the multiple winding paths in the area, it still is a breeze and can be crossed rather quickly and without much trouble. This area also serves as the tutorial area for IPD containment, so there are a few Lv. 1 IPDs that you can fight to get a feel of how fighting them is. However, some powerful IPDs will show up later on, and even worse, one of them guards a Dualithnode Crystal that can only be gotten after defeating her, so keep this on mind.

Treasures

 * 150 Leaf
 * D-Crystal: MotherSoul (only after defeating IPD Cherise)
 * Curel A
 * Igniting Water x 2
 * Curel A
 * Beady Slip
 * 100 Leaf
 * Ticklish Fuzz x 3

Monsters
Number of Random Encounters in This Area: 5
 * Eggplant Bird
 * Pom

Talk Topics

 * You're So Strong (appears upon entering this area for the first time and expires upon entering the IPD Labs for the first time)