The Abyssal Hunters are very mysterious and undoubtedly sinister. Obviously, both Specter and Skadi want nothing to do with them anymore, given that:
Specter was explicitly on the run, had finally managed to escape confinement, and had to deliver a message to someone (presumably in Rhode Island).
Skadi is also on the run from this group after escaping and refuses to associate with anyone because she knows theyāll be targeted in order to get at her.
Both Specter and Skadi are explicitly monstrously strong: Their Physical Strength scores are Outstanding for Specter and unquantifiable for Skadi, and both of them are referred to being insanely physically powerful in their Files, totting around their heavy weapons with ease and noting that their styles are suited to fighting massive monsters more so than fellow humanoids, which is why they just turn foes into bloodstains with their powerful swings. Most worryingly, it seems to be direct result of experimentation in both cases.
Specter has a high percentage of Cell-Originium Fusion ratio at 14%, a very high number compared to other Infected. Itās not quite as high as the 19% of Amiya and Ifrit, but unlike them, she shows no physical symptoms of Oripathyā¦ Externally, that is. Specterās cluster of crystal formations is actually inside of her, on her nervous system.
āWhile Specter showed no physical signs of Originium crystals, her nervous system has suffered a case of severe Infection, the cause behind which remains unknown.āĀ
Itās a unique case which explains her deteriorating mental state and her very peculiar behavior (more on that later). Intel appears to confirm that Specter was indeed a nun in a convent, but also that it was this very convent that kept her prisoner and experimented with her, which leads me to believe that Abyssal Hunters are either a religious organization or masquerade as one.Ā
āIn actuality, when Specter first approached Rhodes Island, she was articulate and sincere, claiming she had just escaped confinement and wished to deliver a message. However, she fell silent before she could finish conveying it. In her last moments of sanity, she told the Operator who retrieved her that she has once again gotten entangled in a dark conspiracy. After she failed to tear off her habit, she then descended into madness.ā
Apparently, she got close to delivering the message she wanted to bequeath, but ultimately didnāt make it before she lost her mindā¦ For what seems to not be the first time.Ā āShe told the Operator who retrieved her that she has once again gotten entangled in a dark conspiracy.āĀ Notice how she saysĀ āonce againā. Thatās one thing, but the other two clues that lead me to believe this isnāt the first time sheās gone mad, and that sheās regained her sanity before, are:
As you build up Trust with Specter, you unlock more lines, and these tend to be regressions and lapses of lucidity.
Though she is described to have descended into madness, she is still an Operator in Rhode Island, follows orders, and, despite her cryptic way of speaking, seems to be otherwise very on top of her actions, not causing any trouble or showing any aggression to anyone that isnāt an enemy.
Now, this is just me theorizing, but I think Specter sought Rhode Island out after escaping the convent for the express purpose of going mad in there and not elsewhere, as she knew sheād eventually be able to regain her senses one day and then finish delivering the message and possibly warning them about the Abyssal Hunters in full, to not trust them. I think the ideal scenario for Specter was to actually warn them before going mad, but that didnāt end up happening, so sheās settling for Plan B, the next best thing.
And this takes us to the next point: I think the Abyssal Hunters are trying to mass produce extremely strong soldiers. This is where Skadi comes in. Skadi, unlike Specter, is fully sane, has 0% Cell Originium Fusion ratio, and 0.013 Blood-Originium Density, lower than everyone else, the lowest of all characters by far and possibly in the world. Her profile explicitly states it should be outright impossible to have such little exposure to Originium. Her physical strength is even higher than Specterās, who is noted to be monstrously unreasonable already, and she apparently is immune to Oripathy. As stated before, she is being actively pursued by a certain group that is likely the Abyssal Hunters, meaning she is a valuable specimen to themā¦ And most likely, their masterpiece. I theorize that Specter was one of the initial trial subjects, or aĀ ālab ratā, if you wish, used to start trying out this process that:
Involves Originium.
Grants an insane level of physical strength.
Makes obedient soldiers.
And that, after mastering this experiment with Specter (and likely others), Skadi was the result of the refined, polished process.
Why those 3 points specifically? Letās go over them.
āInvolves Originiumā andĀ āGrants an insane level of physical strengthā -> Specterās Originium numbers are very high, Skadiās are impossibly low. The process likely utilizes Originium in one way or another to augment the physical strength, not the Arts strength, of the subject. A high Cell-Originium Fusion ratio directly results in powerful Arts strength, which is why Casters tend to be highly Infected (example: Amiya), however, despite how high Specterās ratio is, higher than most other Casters, her Files state she has zero Arts aptitude.
āFurthermore, Specter lacked both the necessary aptitude and knowledge to wield Originium powers. This is puzzling and greatly impacts her combat ability. Despite her difficulties, Specter was still devastatingly powerful during her missions, to the point of unsettlement. She undoubtedly has incredible room for growth and improvement.ā
To put it in other words, Specter should be, in theory, an incredible Caster, yet, not only does she not know how to tap into that power, she also has zero aptitude for it. Instead, she showcases downright unsettling levels of physical strength. The Abyssal Hunters do not want Arts strength, they want physical strength specifically, perhaps because of the nature of their enemies: I theorize that whatever it is that the Abyssal Hunters hunt, they have very high Arts resistance or perhaps even immunity to Arts. Immense physical strength, massive weapons, and a style of combat suited to fighting large monsters instead of humanoids all seem to point towards their usual foes being large, Arts-resistant monsters. Maybe they are not immune or resistant to Arts, maybe the environment in which they are fought makes Arts unwieldy or ineffective (perhaps underwater? We have no information on how Arts function underwater to my knowledge), we need more information here.
āMakes obedient soldiersā -> Specter has a very peculiar behavior in combat.
āEven more important is her polarizing attitudes in combat and in her daily life. She is demure and quiet in battle (other than a few occasional mumbles to herself), with a mindless tendency to follow orders to the end, completely unaware of potential danger and obstacles. Her inability to react has endangered her safety more than once. It can be concluded that Specter is a vital part of the squad, but a commander must also adapt to her single-mindedness and plan accordingly.ā
She is not a laughing-mad berserker, sheās not running into the fight screaming louder than the roar of her mechanized circular saw, she stays perfectly silent and mindlessly follows orders to the letter with no regards of what happens to her. This is actually embodied in her Skill 2,Ā āBone Fractureā:Ā
āDuring the skill duration, Specterās HP will not drop below 1; ATK +100%ā
While it is active, Specter cannot fall down by any means, period. Sheās immortal for the duration, and she also gets a massive attack boost. TheĀ āBone Fractureā of the title doesnāt refer to her breaking her opponentās bones, it refers to her own fractured bone and how it doesnāt impede her at all. Itās a chilling mindlessness to complete the task at any cost, to fulfill the order no matter what. Thus, I think thatās part of the experiment, too, to be able to make not only immensely strong soldiers, but also soldiers that will faithfully obey any order to the letter, no matter how badly they get hurt.
Finally, I theorize Skadi escaped after she was given the super strength, but before they could actually do things to her mind and nervous system to make her a perfectly submissive soldier.
Weāll learn more as we get more information on the Abyss Hunters and on Skadi and Specter, but for now, I think we can get at least a pretty clear picture of their needs and their methods if we look at, compare and contrast Skadi and Specter.
