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[François]

*: So, Julia!



She's only level 18, and has the equipment she had when she left, so we'll need to babysit her for a bit; that HP isn't doing her any favors and I'm glad I have Phoenix aboard for its Ricarm. The stat boost from fusing with Nadja is the equivalent of six free levels, but she's not really specialized in anything at the moment (though she's vaguely inclined towards spellcasting).

In any case I give her Hawke's old Kaiser Armor as well as the Scarlet Nagamaki we were given by a Hannya; those'll have to do until we get to a store.

Now there's a staircase that goes further up, but I'm gonna finish exploring B7 before I go any further. Julia can use the experience and I don't want to miss possibly important treasure. I return Nandi and Banshee to storage in order to save on Magnetite, then I go back down the elevator.


: Yo, wassup noobs?
: Fool!
>Neophyte left.
: Ooookay...

Lv? Mesian Neophyte
Presumably, a new inductee in the Mesian orders. So expendable, they don't even give them shirts.

*: Alright, so B7 had a Speed Incense left, and an Angel gave us a Heat Glaive, which has pretty awful stats (though it might have special effects that I won't know about until I get it identified). And Julia gained two levels. This did cost us 1500 Magnetite though, even with our reduced party.

Once the map is cleared, I summon Cu Sith, have it teleport us outside, then unsummon it. Apparently moving on the overworld map doesn't cost magnetite, so I'm gonna replenish our supply by grinding a little out here.


: Does thou think I am alluring?
: Yeah, sure, in a bird kind of way I suppose.
: How am I, compared to that girl next to you?
: ...
: Uh, no offense, but she's pretty attractive even if we don't even start talking about the species issue.
: Too bad!
>Aello wants to fight!

Lv25 Youchou Aello
The third of the three harpy sisters, whose name means "storm". She's easily the strongest, but like most bird-type demons, she has high Speed, one other high stat (in this case, Magic), and the rest is kind of garbage. She knows Claw, Wing Flap, Maha-Bufu and Taru-kaja, and could make a decent, if fragile, backup mage.

*: Oooh, we learn that Phoenix reflects force-elemental damage! Nice.

What's less nice is that the enemies out here give very little if any magnetite, and Mandrakes are annoyingly common and a colossal pain in the ass to kill, not to mention Panicked demons tend to unsummon themselves, which gets expensive after a while. The fuckers don't even let themselves be recruited no matter how much I try. By the time I decide I've had enough, we've only gained 300 Mag. This isn't going anywhere, let's just explore the rest of this facility and see where it gets us.

Out of curiosity, I check the passcode door I couldn't open before, and it turns out the second code works. I'm not sure what happened the first time; I must have made a mistake. In any case, there's an elevator behind, and it leads to the first floor, which should be the same place that the staircase in the B1 prison should take us to.

...but it's not. There's an exit to the outside, but no staircase. Hmm.



This is factory, but we've never been here. I'm not sure what is obscuring our view here, but we only see the building we came out of when we're right next to it.



This tunnel in the east is the only other exit from this pit. I think the entrance you see on the top of the picture there is the place that was guarded by Temple Knights on the way to Betelgeuse.

Inside, we run into Executioners and Workaholics. I'm kind of glad the encounters are easing up a bit, but this doesn't help our magnetite problem.

...we only find a down staircase that leads us to the cell block where we found Julia. So I was wrong, the place doesn't appear to connect to that tunnel I mentioned before. Hmm...



Play it cool, Hawke, play it cool!

: Hiya guys, I'm on a secret mission for the bishop. Care to tag along?
: Give me something! Then... Donate 139 Makka.
: Sure!
: Thank you! I have been a Temple Knight for a long time! I am at your service!
: Glad to have you on board.

Lv26 Temple Knight
Pretty much the Mesian shock troopers; technically we're counted among their number... but who knows for how much longer. They're excellent fighters, if a bit squishy for their level, and know Zan and Makajama. They also have a cheap and powerful Aim attack (using a gun) and a very strong Mawashi-(?) kick move.

*: Being a human, the guy's got a CP of zero. He's probably not so hot compared to other level 26 demons, but he should be a great addition to our team at the moment and I summon him right away.

In any case, that's all there is to this place. I go back down through the Underworld and up the Valhalla tunnel. The answers we've been promised are so close I can almost smell them.

I drop by Kotoshironushi's shrine on the way, but he still hasn't fuly recovered.

...uh-oh, something happens just before we exit the Valhalla access tunnel.


: Swallowed up? How is this even possible?
: ...My findings indicate the operators of the Center made him do it.
: So that's how they took Madam's resistance. That, or they didn't like the competition for Holytown. I don't know why I'm surprised.
: They've stooped to using any means necessary to bring about the Thousand Year Kingdom, no matter how dirty!
: And how do you feel about this?
: We can't let the Center get away with this! Somebody... has to do something about them...
: Somebody, Sam? Somebody?

*: I expect him to join us on the spot, but he's clearly got some of the old allegiance in him. He just leaves us.

Oh well. The exit is right there, let's see how bad it is.



...oh.

Oh no.

*: There's literally nothing left. We're returned to the tunnel.

What's next? Is Mekata even alive? How could he be? Dammit!


: Huh?

: Boy am I glad to see you. How the hell did this happen?
: You wouldn't believe what I've just been through. I just barely escaped with my life -- if I had been a fraction of a second slower, I'd have been eaten along with Valhalla by Abbadon. He swallowed up both Madam and her mansion. I am really indebted to her for all that she's done for me, but it all happened so quickly that I didn't have a chance to save her...
: Guess she had to pay the price just like everyone else.
: ...So, do you want me to join up with you? I like strong people like you. ...Madam... She was a tough cookie herself... Hey, it's OK, right?
: Of course. You're more than welcome.
: You won't regret making me your minion!

*: He's still as amazing as he used to be, but his CP of 65 gives me second thoughts about summoning him right away. I think I'll save him for emergencies.

Hmm. Let's see now... There's no point going back to the Underworld, and Valhalla is cut off. The only other exit to this tunnel goes straight to Center. There is a Jakyo Mansion here, though, and with Kerberos' addition we now have a full stock. Might as well update our roster!

Nightmare + Cu Sith = Kelaino

We got a couple more options, but the only real interesting ones are for in a few more levels.

Anyway. We finally make it the Center. Mekata's answers may be out of reach, but I'm sure we can beat at least a little truth out of somebody.



...Huh. Okay then. Now to figure out Plan B.

[François]

Sealing the main gates sounds like a smart move, but somehow I can't help but feel like it might have been done to keep me out. I'm not sure how Center could suspect me of anything right now though, unless Samuel had a sudden attack of conscience and decided to act on his own.

*: In any case, we have more pressing concerns. Our inventory is full, and the Center demons are wearing us down at a worrying pace. We need a shop and a healer. The Holytown healer is quite far away, I haven't seen any in Arcadia... but the Factory church should be a bit closer. Let's try there.

Whew, we make it. I get a Terminal save in, and notice neither Center nor Valhalla are in the teleport destinations anymore. I didn't entirely expect otherwise, but I'm still somewhat hopeful that Valhalla has been swallowed up whole and is still floating around in Abbadon's gut somewhere. Of course it's not like these games have been shy about instantly obliterating large amounts of civilians in the past, so who knows.

We go to the mall-type area nearby, and I hit the bar to see if anyone is talking about Valhalla.

: I dug up a sign that was labeled "Akihabara" recently. Wonder what it means?

: They say a woman escaped from the holding cells here. Apparently she came from the Center, but I wonder how she managed to break out of her hyp...
:
: Crap, I'd better not say any more or they'll come for me, too!

: Ya know, they say that there's an entire underworld or somethin' under the earth. But ya know, we've been digging and digging and digging and haven't found it. It's gotta be just a rumor... Shit, my head is hurting again! I guess I haven't been drinking enough...
: Yeah, I'm sure that's your problem.

*: We drop by the shops and update Julia's equipment. I get her a M16 Rifle and Nerve Bullets, just like Hawke's, as well as Iron Bunny Ears and an Arm Bridge (which is what Elise had). That takes a big chunk out of our finances, but at least she'll start being of some use in battle.

We've got a bunch of Metal Cards at the moment, so I hit the Code Breaker game here before we go.



Yikes, there are four numbers for 1 to 7 now; the first prize is a Kintan, and the second prize is a mysterious Magma Spear. We only win junky attack items though.

Alright then, let's get back on track. I don't really have any pointers as to where to go, but I see two possible trails to follow.

-Warp to Arcadia and see how Nathan feels about what's been going on.
-Warp to Holytown and try to open a gate to the Abyss with the four dolls.

Yeah, so, Arcadia it is.

: Holy crap Nathan, have you heard-
: Do you want to hear my story again?
: W-wha... What?! No! It's bedlam out there! I don't have time for your stories!
: Everything's fine here in Arcadia.
: Well whoopty fucking do!
: I hope the entire world becomes just like it soon!
: Yeah I'm working on that, so you can go back to having your manservants delicately squeeze grapes into your rectum or whatever it is you do in here all day!
: There's clearly something that weighs heavily on your shoulders right now, so I'm going to forget you said that.
: Up yours, then, you lazy-ass good-for-nothing-
: I think we should go.
: I musta hated this guy before, nothing else makes sense.
: Actually, you were best f-
: Don't. Finish. That sentence. Please.

I don't know why I even bothered. I gotta say, opening a gate to Hell just became a lot more attractive.

*: I do revisit Holytown in general, just to see if I can gather any more information. I'd really rather not DooM things up just because that's the only course of action that comes to mind.

A random Alp insisted on joining us in Factory, so I visit the Mansion here.

Alp + Kelaino =


Lv27 Youma Haokah
Haokah is the spirit of lightning and thunder in Lakota mythology (as in, the Native American tribe). For whatever reason, his emotions and feelings are reversed: he weeps when he's happy and laughs when he's sad, he shivers in the heat and sweats in the cold. Here he's a relatively fragile mage with alright Strength and Magic. He comes with the logical complement of electric spells, such as the mighty MahaJionga.



*: ...Of course! What am I, an idiot?

: I shall clear your worries when you have lost your way, and guide you to the correct path.
: I don't care what anyone says, you're the real savior in this town, lady.
: If you wish to be led, pay me 100 Makka.
: Here you are!
: Hmm... Hmmmmm...... The path you must take is becoming clear... I can see...
: Yyyeeesss?
: Go to Holytown...
: And...?
: That's it.
:
: Do you feel enlightened?
: I am in Holytown. Right this moment. And so are you.
: Mmm-hmm.
: But I... That doesn't... A hundred...!



*: Well, at least we know we're kind of on the right path.

We hit the bar, and there's nothing new there, but it does remind me about that tunnel in the Great Church. Who knows, maybe we can get there now.

I check out the jumbotron on the way.

: We have some very sad news to report. The elite Temple Knight, Samuel, has betrayed the Center and the city.
: Aw crap! I knew he'd do something stupid!
: Samuel has been spreading totally false rumors about the Center. This is truly a heinous betrayal, and everything he says is a lie. If you see Samuel, please report it to the nearest Temple Knight!
: At least this means...
: ...they haven't caught him yet.
: If I may-
: Shut it. That's an order.
: B-but-
: Are you really gonna start thinking for yourself now? You've seen where it got Samuel. You wanna go there?
: N-no sir!
: Good boy.



: Listen to me, I will expose the true plans if the Center! The Center claims that they want to create a peaceful Thousand Year Kingdom, but that is a world that only a tiny, select few will be permitted to live in! Millenium was created in order to weed out the unfavorables and pick those truly worthy of living in the Thousand Year Kingdom! When the "wheat has been separated from the chaff" successfully, Millenium will have no more purpose, and will be destroyed entirely, along with all those living therein! Look at what happened to the Valhalla Area! The Center had no more use for it, so they made Maou Abbadon swallow it, killing all the innocent citizens living therein! The fate of Valhalla today is the fate of ALL the areas tomorrow! The Center calls our industrial area the "Factory," but in reality it is nothing more than a concentration camp, where people are forced to work against their wills!
: That can't be true!
: What would you do if it was?
: ...
: You were there. You saw it. Come along, or don't.
: ...I'm with you.
: You're smarter than I gave you credit for.

*: It's not too smart of the Millenium News Network to actually broadcast Samuel's speech, but I guess intelligence has never been their strong suit. I suspect this was the flag I needed to trigger to get something to happen, so I revisit the area again.

: Is it true that Valhalla was swallowed by Abbadon? I'm so worried about my sister -- she lives there...
: ...

*: In the bar...

: What? The Valhalla area disappeared? That's great! I had a massive debt at the casino over there, and fled here to avoid my creditors. Now I don't have to worry about them!
: Well that makes it all worth it, doesn't it?

: The frequency of the earthquakes we've been getting just isn't normal. Something HAS to be up.
*: We've still been getting quakes ever since Valhalla disappeared, so Abbadon may not be responsible.
: Finally those Stalker punks got their butts out of the Great Church and freed up the tunnel, but now it's too dangerous to risk going into the underworld!


: Hey, that's-
*: Shhh!
: Not that I know of.
: My name is Louis Cypher. Pleased to make your acquaintance...
: I'm Hawke, esquire, messiah-at-large.
: I can't believe those cretins made Abbadon eat Valhalla... they really will stoop to anything to achieve their ends! If I remember correctly though, Abbadon should be in the Underworld... wasn't he?
: That's funny, I didn't leave him there.
*: That was way after the timeline split up.
: Man this is confusing.
*: To you, maybe.
: If you're looking for him, that might be a good place to check.
: Alright Lou, I will. Thanks for the info.


: special dolls to perform a ritual that would let him into the Abyss. But I hear he accidentally used the Dancing Doll instead of the Sleeping doll, and so his ritual failed.
: Hmm, so there's a sixth-
: Fifth.
: -fifth doll. Right.

*: It looks like we got all the info we needed, then. Let's head to the Great Church again.

...huh?


: Holy crap, Sam, you're fearless!
: Why!? I'll tell you why! Because Valhalla was no longer useful to them!
*: I still think it's because they wanted to get rid of Madam.
: This is brutality, pure, inhuman brutality! The fate of Valhalla today is the fate of Holytown tomorrow! The other areas of Millenium are merely being manipulated! The only ones that will be allowed to join the Thousand Year Kingdom are those in the Center!
*: The crowd cheers audibly.
: Hey, Hawke! Have you been listening to me too?
: It's hard not to, your face is plastered all over the news.
: I've decided to fight the Center and their dirty methods. I'm exposing the true agenda of the Center to the people, trying to encite them to action! By changing their minds and building opposition, we have a chance of stopping them and fixing the system! If things continue the way they are, virtually everyone in Millenium will be cast aside like so much refuse...
: Well, you keep doing that, if you think it'll make a difference.
*: Again I thought Samuel would join us, but he's too busy with his rabble-rousing.
: Meanwhile I'll be trying to find Abbadon before it gets peckish again. Best of luck!

*: The trip to the Great Church third floor is remarkably unenventful, though we get like six earthquakes on the way, which is a lot.

We reach the tunnel that used to be blocked by Stalkers, when suddenly...


: You pissant! Do you never learn? Our business in concluded, get out of my face!



*: This time Janus packs a powerful Soundwave move that hits multiple people for 30-40 damage and causes Panic, but I summon Banshee, who has her own Soundwave, and puts him in Panic. He also knows Deka-ja, but I don't actually have any buffs of note to put up. We can't seem to hurt him with firearms, so I get Haokah in the action as well and we wail on him for a while.

: Dammit! I lost AGAIN...
: Are you beginning to notice a TREND, you useless buffoon?
>Janus fled with what little energy he had left.

*: We find some Intelligence Incense behind him, and an elevator further inside. It can take us to a small area of the second floor with some Magic Incense, and to the first floor where yet another elevator awaits us.



Yeah, that sounds like the Underworld alright. We're taken all the way down, floor by floor, all the way to the 60th basement.





*: Ha, I figured there'd be more to this Underworld than just the tiny area underneath Factory.

[François]

And now, to find Abbadon.


: nowhere. This is apparently the place where they first materialized. They came through the ruins of Tokyo and helped rebuilt it, but after its second destruction in the great flood, it's unknown where they went off to.

*: This man is certainly talking about the location where Francois, Kaneda and Tetsuo appeared after their trip in the Kongokai. This must be Yoyogi Park. Or, what's left of Yoyogi Park. Or, the spot where what's left of Yoyogi Park would be if there actually was anything left.



And those towers are definitly City Hall, in Shinjuku.



I'm not sure what this would be. My first guess is that it's the JSDF HQ, Gotou's old hangout, but if I remember correctly, the place had been razed to make room for a scenic nuclear crater.



It sure is looking pretty grim though. The encounter gauge is quiet, so I return all my non-human allies to the computer.



Aw man, teleporters. I was not looking forward to those.



This floor's not so bad though, it's a teleporter maze but it's still straightforward. On to 2F!



Ugh! Pits! Gah!

We climb back up, try another way, and find a poison trap chest. It's like the game is trying to remind us that it's still a cruel-ass dungeon crawler.



Pressing forward earns us a Speed Incense, an explosion trap chest, and another staircase.



...huh? Power Incense? There's no such thing as a Power stat, unless you count Magic Power.

Oh, it's Strength Incense. We find another chest with Magic Incense, and then there's a pit where I expected stairs.



That seems to be all. It was a pain in the ass, but it was worth it, I suppose. Let's get out.



There's another one of those red shrines on the lower level, but we can't reach it from here. All that's left is this entrance.



Hey, new tileset.


: Yeah, had that one figured out.
: This is where the Yousei, Chirei, and humans fleeing persecution from the overworld live.
: Oooh, that's perfect, my friend here is half-You-
: Hmm?
: -pfff Iiii must have been thinking of someone else never mind let's go.

*: Our first encounters here are with High Pixies, Banshees and Dark Elves.


*: Oh hey, a regular Pixie!
: Are you refugees from Millenium too?
: It's complicated. I think we might be renegades instead, but I'm not sure if Center knows it yet.


: Follow the laws of the king while you are here!"
: Thanks for telling us what those are beforehand, jackasses.


: I can't believe you don't have anything better to do with your life. If it wasn't for what you did to Elise, I wouldn't even be angry anymore, I'd just find you pitiful.
: This time I'm going to do it without hurting you...
: ...huh?
: You won't even know what I did! But it will work, and better than anything else I've tried so far!
: Yeah, and I've been dunking your toothbrush in the toilet every morning for the last week. Your move.
: All right, Puck, show 'em your stuff!





: What the f-



: Hawke! Look out!

>The Infidelilly Sap fell on Julia!

: Crap! I missed!
: You rude-ass son of a bitch! How dare you throw shit at my woman?
: Sorry, sorry... Well, see ya!
>Puck fled the scene.
: Argh! That damned Puck, he ruined everything! Geez!
*: Okamoto's theme starts playing.
: Ooh... Ooh, Janus...
: Aw hell no, that can't be what I'm thinking it is.
: You're the one I've been searching for all my life!
: You've got to be kidding.
: Ack! Oh, CRAP... Get back! Aaagh! Keep away from me!
>Janus fled as fast as his feet could carry him.
: What... What? What is this bozo bullshit?
: Where are you going!? Oh, Janus, wait for me!!
>Julia ran off, chasing after Janus.
: Dammit, Julia! Come back here!



: What is it now? What do you want?
: The sap that Puck used is a magic medicine that makes anyone fall deeply in love with the first person they see as soon as it takes effect.
*: Gah, it's Midsummer Night's Dream all over again.
: What Janus wanted to do was to use it on you...
: Oh my God.
: Ah! M-my name is A-Anoon... I-I was the one you were supposed to be made to fall in love with.
: That was his plan? To make me fall in love with a pretty girl? I figured I must have inflicted some pretty bad brain damage on him, but I didn't realize it was that severe.
: But to tell the truth, I... N-Never mind! I'm sorry!

*: Just like that, she leaves us alone.

: What the hell just happened?
: Don't look at me!

*: Welp, it certainly isn't getting us closer to Abbadon, but there's nothing to do but go further in and try to sort this mess out.



New armor shop clerk, all new selection of armor. I hold off on spending anything for now though; the defense increases don't seem spectacular, and I want to see if there's a weapon shop as well.



Oh wow, there's an old school terminal! And it's connected to the Millenium network, so we can go to Holytown, Factory and Arcadia!


: but nobody will pay any attention to me! Everyone here worships the evil gods that were imprisoned in this area. But I won't give up! I will build a church here no matter what!
: That's the spirit! The Holy Spirit, even!
: ...
: Get it? Huh? Huh?
: Y... yes.


: Of course.
: Do you know Anoon, the girl that runs the apothecary here?
: Not really, but do go on.
: Well, from what I hear, she's fallen head over heels in love with Janus, that human that came from the surface.
: That poor girl. Love ain't just blind, it's frikkin' retarded.


: He's a real thorn in our sides with all the mischief he constantly makes, but you just can't hate the guy.
: I don't know about that...
: Careful though that you don't fall victim to one of his pranks!


: protector of Tokyo, is sleeping in pieces all over the Underworld. Some people are saying that if he gets revived, he's gonna destroy Millenium and revive Tokyo down here, but I dunno about that. What do you think?
: Not a clue, my good man.


: The entrance to the shop is over there... Ah! Hawke...
: Hello.
: U-um... you want to know about the Infidelilly Sap, don't you?
: Hmm, yeah, that would probably help.
: Only the Yousei King, Oberon, has the power to break its spell.
: Guy's a douche. This isn't looking good.
: .....A-and, if you would like me to, I can ask him to break the spell for you...
: Oh! That would be very generous of you, Anoon.
: A-all right. Then I shall ask King Oberon for you.
: Thank you.



*: That's about it for this floor; there was a Gaian Temple as well, but it's not really of any use to us. There's a down staircase in the north, though.


: It sounds like that incorrigible Puck is at it again... Him and his mischief, will it ever stop? I had intended to admonish him myself, but the slippery little weasel went up to the ground floor and fled out the east exit. Human, if you wish to break the spell, first you must catch Puck and get some Infidelilly Sap from him. Understood?
: This is a hassle, but at least it's a way out. I'll do it.

*: I'm not sure what exit Oberon is talking about. There is another down staircase here, let's check it out. "Ground level" may actually be the lower level we saw from outside.

Sensible behavior

:
:
*:
:

*: I... I can add nothing to this.

[François]

There are more stairs nearby. Let's just go.



Aaaand we find our way back out. I doubt the encounters are going to remain tame much longer, so I summon Nandi and Banshee.

First order of business: the shrine.









Okay, this is different.

I take a step forward. Suddenly, I lose control of my movement. I rotate several times, walk around a bit, rotate some more, and find myself in a small room with an exploding chest and four doors. I get out, then lose control again, finding myself in another room on the other side of the floor, though we find a Bell of Scrying inside, which is a one-shot item that reveals the surrounding map.

A bit more messing around nets us another Bell, as well as Speed and Intelligence Incense. We also manage to reach up stairs. Second floor is more of the same for a bit, and then one of the rooms contains a pit that drops me back to the first floor. Oy!

I climb back up. Power Incense, Luck Incense, more stairs. Third floor has more pits. Man I hate this place.


: What? Hell no! I didn't climb all the way here through all this slidy turny crap just to go back down empty handed!
: If you do not I will send you to Yomi, and make you go on a date with Yomotsu-shikome!
*: Yomi is the Japanese realm of the dead. The Shikome are monstrous women of the underworld, sent by deceased primordial goddess Izanami in order to murder her husband Izanagi, who gave up trying to get her back after she died in childbirth.



: NO!
: Fine, then! I won't let you leave here alive!

*: Baphomet has Marin-Karin, Plinpa, and a fairly damaging multi-hit physical attack, but I summon Haokah and Ame-no-Uzume to help out, and we beat him without too much trouble even though it takes quite a while.

...and Hawke gets almost 6000 EXP, rocketing him up two levels. Dang!

Lv? Datenshi Baphomet
Baphomet is a pagan deity that was actually made up by Christians during the Middle Ages. At first it was a demonization of "Mahomet", the latinized name of Muhammad, but it's most famous on account of how the Knights Templar were (probably falsely) accused of worshipping it by the Inquisition.


: Er... my pleasure?

*: I'm not sure who O-namuchi is. I found "Onamuchi-no-kami" as an early name for the Shinto god Okuninushi, who presides over spirits and magic, but I don't think this is who we have here.

In any case, that's all she wrote. Let's get out of here.

Back outside there are a few items of interest, but I first spot another shrine in the far east.





Oh. Alright then.




: My curiosity is piqued.
: There's a whole lot of them, so you can keep digging and not run out. Actually though I'm a bit shorthanded at the moment. Will you help?
: Yeah, sure. It's not like I'm not wasting my time down here anyway.
: Ah, thanks a lot! I'll dig here, you dig over there. Thanks!

*: Several pages of ellipses go by, about one per second. It takes a while.

: Whew, thanks! You're a lifesaver. Here, take this.
>Got Saturn Pillar.
: You're always welcome to help when I'm shorthanded! Come again!

*: Alright then, final entrance.





We find another old school terminal; this one's labeled Akasaka. This is about the time where I decide to wimp out and go heal at the Holytown garage. And we might as well hit the Mansion while we're there.

Phoenix + Nandi =


Lv29 Amatsukami Ame-no-torifune
Ame-no-torifune (meaning something like "Bird-ship of Heaven") is one of the original 23 children of Izanagi and Izanami, and is also known as Tori-no-ihakusubune. Can't really find much else about it. Here it's got a crapton of utility magic, with perhaps most importantly Toraest, Toraport and Torafuri. It's not particularly great in battle, though.
 
Amatsukami are the heaven gods of Shinto mythology, who won their war against the Kunitsukami earth gods. They are Light-Law, and are among the most powerful races in general.

Angel + Alp + Ame-no-Uzume =

Lv28 Daitenshi Ramiel
Remiel is an angel mentioned in the Book of Enoch, whose name means "God's mercy". He presides over hope, and is responsible for providing divine visions to the faithful, and for watching over the souls of those who are to resurrect in the end days. Here he is a spectacular warrior-mage, with fairly high Strength, decent Magic, massive HP, and a wide selection of offensive spells.

Daitenshi are apparently this game's equivalent to the original Seraphs, though broader in scope to include lesser named angels instead of only the greater four.

Alright then, back to Akasaka.






: They say that a long, long time ago, some guy tried to start a revolution, and all the weapons he had hoarded ended up getting buried.


: gods of Japan somewhere down here in the underworld.
: Looks like I've already rescued two of them so far!


: but I hear that someone chopped him up into little bits.


: some woman.
:
: She was pretty hot, too... I envy that guy, getting all the chicks like that!

*: There's another armor shop next door, with an even wider selection than the last. After a moment's consideration, I use save states to buy one of everything and have it identified at a nearby Appraiser, then I reset everything. This doesn't give me any real advantage, it just lets me know what I'm buying in advance because the various choices here are just ridiculous.

In the end, I get a Skull Keikogi (body armor, 25/13, reflects physical damage (!!!)), Revenge Gauntlets (12/8, resists curses, probably such as Mudo effects), and Dragon Boots (10/6, +1 Speed, +1 Luck, lawful alignment only). This costs 20800 and leaves us with only 1173. I sell our ancient Titanium Boots, but keep the rest for Julia when she eventually returns. I wasn't sure I wanted to invest that much cash into Hawke alone, but given our magnetite situation, the more self-reliant he is, the better.



Lv37 Chirei Tsuchigumo
They seem a lot meatier than they used to be. Most notably, they have the same Mawashi-(?) kick move as the Temple Knights, and, best of all, they come with Estma.





: Whuh-oh.
: Hey, I'm not sure where, but I think I've heard of y-
: Do you want to be my underling?
: DO WHAT HE SAYS
: I don't think you understand how I do things. I'm the summoner. I command you.
: FOOL
: What!? If you value your life... Give me a tribute.
: GIVE GIVE GIVE
: What kind?
: Very well... 53 Magnetite.
: Nuh-uh, no way.
: What!? I'll show you the full extent of my power!
>Tengu started kicking up a fuss.
: Bring it, bird brain!
: nooooooooooo

*: I take that one like a boss battle. I only have Temple Knight at hand, but I summon Tsuchigumo on the first round. Then... oh. Outta money. Shoulda thought of that. Fortunately Hawke manages to put several of them to sleep on subsequent rounds, and we come out of the fight alive. Temple Knight is almost dead, but we did it. The Tengus drop a Higyosanko, which appears to be a powerful weapon that Hawke can't equip.

Lv31 Youma Tengu
Still powerful fighter-mage types; they have two new physical moves and now know Toraport in addition to their old Zan spells.

: Well, that wasn't so bad. I don't know why I was so worried.
: ...


: The one east of the exit from this level?
: Oh yeah. I've even helped make it bigger.
: That's our place of employment. We dig up old weapons and artifacts from ages past over there. ...And this is just between you and me, but there have been people from the surface that have been coming down here to buy what we find, too.


: Why do you say that? I don't look like the book-smarts type?
: ...No, I didn't mean anything bad by it, I just could tell you were with all that gear you're decked out in. So anyway, if you're a fighter, then you know about the old man that does black-smithing around here?
: I don't, actually.
: He repairs the weapons and items that we dig up here, and builds us new ones sometimes too. He's really skilled, so you might benefit from meeting him.




: Err, alright then. I'll be back later.

*: A little further, we manage to recruit a Tengu, even though they're two levels above Hawke. Bizarre!

There are large groups of Dverger and Tsuchigumo down here, but we make friends easily and our exploration is mostly peaceful.



Ooh, a new weapon salesman. Again it's all guns and ammo, but the new stuff is far out of our price range.




: the Church of Gaia is not as weak or oppressed as it is on the surface.

*: As we finish exploring this level, we find an elevator and a mysterious "Punch-Gun" that Hawke can't equip. Hmm.

Unfortunately we haven't found the faintest trace of Puck yet, but the fruity little doucher can't be far away now. With any luck we'll nab him soon and end this ridiculous little episode. It's easy to disregard the Yousei as being completely insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but man, if you stumble upon one of their nests, you're exposed to some cask-strength wacky hijinks. That's where their power lies, I suppose; in a way, love potions and bumbling fairy folk are just as much part of human mythology as anything we've seen in these games so far.

[François]

Given the impending rebirth of the world, I figure this is probably the time to officially put this sucker to rest so I can start clean on something new once we're all reincarnated in our glorious new bodies.

What happened?

I fell into a downward spiral of not having enough magnetite to summon my allies, and getting my ass handed to me while farming up magnetite because human characters alone are far from the powerhouses they were in SMT1. Even grinding levels is no help; if I couldn't afford my current roster, getting stronger allies certainly would do nothing to solve that problem. I tried forging ahead, I tried backtracking, and all I found were varying amounts of tedium and frustration. Eventually I decided to take a break before I got burnt out, but... clearly I had passed that point already.

I tried getting back into it a few times, but all that accomplished was to remind me why I stopped. I'm not ruling out powering through and completing it one day, even if only to conclude Hawke's story and move on further down the series, but I do believe that would require my sleep/health situation to improve to where I'm comfortable with spending my leisure time on a game that I've more or less stopped enjoying on its own terms. I have been feeling the LP itch lately and I got a few prospects in mind, but that is it for now.

So! Thanks for following me on this while it lasted, sorry it took so long to take it behind the barn. And to end on the highest possible note (thanks the Mothraest of all Mothras), LET'S DANCIN'!!

Tokyo Tensei Nights

[Mothra]

Yeah, I'm surprised you made it as far as you did. Moving on to the next one sounds like a good call.

I love, love, love this LP. This is a game that absolutely fascinates me AND one I would never, in a million years, attempt to play.