Arnold Shpitz

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ch.1 / Downtown

❝ Don't blame me.
Blame the franchise. ❞
— **Arnold Shpitz**
**Arnold Shpitz** is one of the most prominent members of the Infinity Franchise in Downtown Olathe seen during the events of Mystics of Trash and Violence, being the titular "Mystic of Violence" of the chapter. He is the final roadblock preventing Alex and Joel from leaving Downtown Olathe.

## History

Prior to The Flash, Arnold was the proprietor of a family chop shop at the outskirts of Downtown Olathe. Before joining the Infinity Franchise, Arnold had no affiliations with any local gangs, nor did he participate in The Game.

## In-Game

Arnold can be first encountered in the the ruins of the Downtown Olathe Public School, surrounded by corpses and brutalizing a wounded Joy mutant. Upon noticing Alex on the other side of the chain-link fence, he exits the room through the doorway to the right. Sometime prior to this, he loots a mysterious pink pill from the suitcase of the body of a man with a yellow tie.

Arnold can next be seen outside of the Gambling Hall, where he is confronted by an enamored Derf Pigtails. He pulverizes the head of the adoring fan with a single punch before leaving wordlessly, cementing his status as a dangerous powerhouse and threat to the player.

The last time Arnold is encountered is on the cliffside to the east, listlessly tossing the pink pill to himself. Upon questioning by Alex and Joel, Arnold informs the duo that the wanton violence of Downtown Olathe was a "corporate decision" of the Infinity Franchise. Arnold then asks the two if they fear death, before hurling the pill over the cliffside. Wising up to the situation, Alex calls him out on his hostility. Arnold states simply that he is not to blame for his violent actions, placing the responsibility on the Franchise. Alex reluctantly accepts this answer, initiating a battle.

### Battle

* 1st Phase
* 2nd Phase
* 3rd Phase
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## Arnold Shpitz

### LUCK

52
20
25
25
78
40

## Skills

Taste Bloodfreq:6
Jab Combofreq:5

Blockfreq:4
Tiger Suplexfreq:2

Grabfreq:

## Notes

Unable to use **Tiger Suplex** because of low frequency.

Arnold Shpitz is a powerful foe, but during the fight with Alex and Joel, he is seen extremely fatigued. Still, Arnold Shpitz is capable of knocking out Alex or Joel with a few barrages of punches. He opens up by assuming a Boxer's Stance, and will make use of a range of powerful techniques. When his health drops below 40%, he will use the See No Hope skill, removing 20 SP from both Alex and Joel, and applying Infinitized to everyone in battle. The lower his health drops, the more defensive his moves will become.

* Polyfold
* Core
* Monofold

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## Polyfold

### LUCK

40
15
25
25
35
32

## Skills

Taste Bloodfreq:8
Punchfreq:5

Scratchfreq:5
Glarefreq:3

Cryfreq:3

## Rewards

300 EXP

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## Core

### LUCK

40
22
25
35
59
32

## Skills

Reformfreq:4
Poison Mistfreq:4

Ironbodyfreq:3

## Rewards

500 EXP

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## Monofold

### LUCK

42
15
25
35
55
32

## Skills

Jab Combofreq:6
Taste Bloodfreq:6

Boxer's Stancefreq:3

## Rewards

300 EXP

If Alex and Joel somehow manage to survive Arnold's extremely powerful attacks and "kill" Arnold, he adopts the moniker of "no one in particular," and transforms into an abomination with three torsos sprouting from a wispy, fleshy core in the center of his body where his waist once was. Glowing green, the Core is capable of spraying unknown fluids onto the different parts of Arnold's mutated body causing what is described in-game as an "abominable regeneration". If this fluid comes in contact with Alex or Joel, however, they have a chance to be poisoned.
The Core is the abomination's Achilles' heel -- if the player manages to destroy the Core, the other growths go down with it. Of the other growths, one such growth is the dual-headed Polyfold, capable of moving twice per turn. The other is the single-headed Monofold, which can only move once, but has attacks more similar to the first phase of the battle.eyebubblepencil

## No one in Particular

### LUCK

20
11
25
17
40
32

## Skills

Power Fistfreq:10
The Punchfreq:8

Punchfreq:4
Blood Coughfreq:3

## Rewards

500 EXP
0

 Brass Knuckle

 100%

## Notes

**Blood Cough** only occurs when **HP** ≤ 35%
**The Punch** only occurs when  **Geared Up**

If one manages to overcome the Manifold, they are treated to Arnold's last phase. Bloodied and slumped to the floor, "No One in Particular" starts this phase with Brave, rendering it impossible to Scare him. This phase is substantially easier, but there is a chance for Arnold to power up for a finishing move in which he denies you your victory.

While Arnold's battle is a mandatory encounter, it should be noted that the player does not have to defeat him in order to proceed. If the player escapes the battle or is defeated by Arnold, rather than game over they will instead be allowed to move forwards, receiving EXP depending on how far in the battle they progressed. However, doing so will prevent Alex from receiving the Brass Knuckle when the battle is over.
#### Strategy

Arnold's multiple stages, having high speed to grant him the first move, great health, and punishing attacks make him one of the more deadly foes in the game. If you don't want to risk your resources, you can flee from the battle, with the only consequence being the loss potential EXP and the Brass Knuckle rewarded for victory. Any other approach is risky.

Arnold always begins the battle with a Boxing Stance (Solid), making him extra resistant to Fallen and Stun. It should also be noted that he can grab Joel while he is using the Taunt/Dodge combo, simultaneously inflicting damage, applying Off-Balance, and removing a sizable amount of SP. Regardless of the approach you take fighting Arnold, enter with as much SP as possible.

Open with the Minor Iris to remove the Solid status effect from Arnold and Gun Reveal to afflict him with Nasty (allowing you to make the first move instead). After Solid is removed, use Goat Kick and Steady Aim to hopefully afflict him with Fallen and/or Scared to immobilize him, chances of one of them being applied are decent (At the cost of a Cola, you can improve your chances exponentially with Full Thrust to inflict Off-Balance). Use Twisted Stance and Gun Toss to set up Mind Games. Keep Arnold Scared and Alex Twisted, and use the Minor Iris to deplete his health.

In his second stage, Arnold is much less dangerous, however, the Core, Polyfold, and Monofold are immune to Fallen so Goat Kick isn't a viable option. Continue the Twisted/Minor Iris cycle against the Monofold and be mindful of Alex's health loss from the use of Twisted Stance. Once the Monofold has fallen, use Steady Aim to scare Polyfold and avoid being poisoned. If you wish to kill Arnold and skip the third stage, use bottle toss and Minor Iris to destroy the core and claim victory early, however, this route may be costly resource-wise.

The third stage is the easiest of all. Arnold permanently retains the Brave status effect, granting him immunity to Spooked and Scared, but the only attacks that hurt Alex and Joel are from his Geared Up assault which only targets one party member. Thankfully, unlike his first stage, he cannot grab Joel while he is dodging, making the Taunt/Dodge combo a useful tactic. Use basic attacks, The Minor Iris, and Flying Axe Kicks to finish Arnold off.

## Trivia

* During his second phase, Arnold was originally intended to be depicted as moving extremely fast, *"like a futurist painting"* This was limited by Ed's then inexperience with spriting.
* Arnold is somewhere around the 9th fold of the Franchise.

## Gallery

Arnold's stat sheet.Concept art for Arnold.
## References

1. ↑ "[Arnold] was an outsider" - frutzl, 12-04-19
2. ↑ "He's supposed to look like a futurist painting" - Ed, 03-27-18
3. ↑ "...Maybe 9th" - Ed, 01-10-17