Trace the U.S. Special Force

*Trace the U.S. Special Force* is the tenth campaign mission of Spriggan: Lunar Verse. Information was provided about the unconfirmed activity from the U.S. military within a particular ruins. It also appears that their mechanized platoon is also involved, which implies their operation is important for their benefits. The U.S. army seems to be searching for a vital object of an ancient civilization, though ARCAM is unable to identify what this particular object is. Tatsuki must intercept the U.S. forces and collect the ancient object before they do.

## Briefing

Graham states that after the incident involving their invasion at the quarry ruins, the U.S. military has moved their operation towards the ruins that ARCAM has yet to identify. Apparently, their mechanized platoon is known to be also involved, which sparks a theory that there is something significant within the ruins attracting the attention of the U.S. army. Graham believes they are looking for "something" of an ancient civilization, but is unclear even by ARCAM. Tatsuki receives instructions from his boss that he is now heading to the ruins and collecting the "something" before the U.S. forces do. The satellite images provide the layouts of the ruins, which appears to be quite complex and fragile in some areas. Graham recommends Tatsuki to remain vigilant throughout his mission.

## Mission Overview

Tatsuki arrives at the ruins by falling through a hole from outside. Graham contacts him, providing an information about the U.S. military being way ahead of him. He states to him that he has to catch up with them, and rob of what they are looking for. Once the call ended, Tatsuki deals with three armed U.S. soldiers attempting to kill him. He heads to the cave where after taking the path to the right, a rock that falls from above begins to chase him from above. Tatsuki outruns it, and also defeats one of the mechanized soldiers blocking the path to escape from a rolling rock. Tatsuki eventually finds himself in an area where several waterfalls are present. In front of him is a bridge that contains fragile platforms halfway of its construction. If he were to run on them, he would fall off from them being broken. Therefore, he must walk to avoid those platforms falling off below him. A couple of additional U.S. soldiers begin to attack Tatsuki upon him arriving from the bridge, which he easily deals with. In another room ahead, there is a stone statue that gradually disappears as Tatsuki approaches it, and reappears as he distances himself from it. He fires at it with a firearm he is equipped with, which shatters it into pieces, and revealing hardened platforms rising from the pool of water. Tatsuki jumps down to the platforms, where he notices U.S. mechanized forces blocking his way. He defeats them, and heads to another cave section on his left.

There, he witnesses of what appears to be a captain of the U.S. mechanized platoon annoyed at the girl's presence from the Antarctic ruins, and knocks her out by slamming her against the wall. The crystal ball falls from her pockets, which the captain picks it up as it rolls towards him. Tatsuki runs to the occurring strife, where the captain identify him as a Spriggan. The latter said that he is prepared to fight a Spriggan, and brags about how he is the most powerful man in the American army. He also states to how he didn't come all the way to the cave section he is currently at to get the sphere object to deal with an inferior lowlife like Tatsuki. The captain, armed with a large weapon transplanted to his left arm, and his two subordinates then starts a three-on-one battle against Tatsuki. Tatsuki, however, does not allow the disadvantage he receives to hinder him, and prevails against the three U.S. soldiers. The captain, along with his ego, then fade into oblivion by an explosion.

Tatsuki retrieves the crystal ball from the fallen U.S. captain, with the girl suddenly appearing from the back and running to it. The girl realizes Tatsuki (referring to him as a brother) arrives at the ruins for the purpose of getting the ball. She suggests to him to put away it where no one can get to it to prevent people from using it for their own ludicrous reasons. By then, a very strong force is felt, suggesting the ruins is about to collapse. The girl then tells Tatsuki to be quick, before crawling back to where she came originally came from.

Tatsuki only has five minutes before being trapped within the collapsing ruins, so he rushes to the same entrance point where he arrives to the ruins. Along the way, he must deal with against large bettle-like creatures and fragile platforms that could potentially further waste time by slowing him down. Eventually, he almost arrives to the extraction point, but is interrupted by a man containing the appearance of a vampire. The man demands Tatsuki to give the crystal ball to him, but notices the latter's reluctance to do so. He then decides to resort towards forcibly taking it from him. The man is armed with an assault rifle, and also showcases his skills of melee combat. Eventually, being significantly injured by Tatsuki, transforms into a bat as a method of retreating, and flies towards outside the ruins. Tatsuki follows it, and also escapes from the ruins by jumping high enough to reach the hole's gap and arriving to the outside of the ruins.

## Debriefing

Graham notices the ruins have collapsed, which he took it as an inevitable event, but is confused by the crystal ball that Tatsuki retrieved from it, and wonders why did the Americans have a strong desire in obtaining it for themselves. He notices the crystal ball's appearance being similar to the one recovered from the undersea ruins. He then concludes that the U.S. military's failed operation would have a large impact on them, and they will remain quiet for a while. Graham also tells Tatsuki about the man having a lycanthrope appearance that he just fought against back at the ruins does not appear in ARCAM's databanks, and tells him to be careful when facing him next time.