So. Either the Mesians have hired a new interior decorator, or the Gaian leadership is already set up down here and has been doing a bit of pre-emptive remodeling.
Can't say I'd blame either.
*: Our computer doesn't work in here, so no reinforcements, and no automap. Even Kei's Mapper is scrambled.
The area doesn't seem too complex, though. It has several corridors and doors, and they all seem to lead to dead-ends of various lengths.
Hmm.I walk to the end of the red platform. This isn't just darkness. It's an empty dark void.
: Kei, how do you feel about doing something crazy?
: You mean, crazier than usual?
: Good point.
I jump off.
Well, that was anticlimactic.
: It's safe to come down!
*: Still can't use the computer, but this seems like a new area. Nowhere to go but forward!
There are Basilisk, Choronzon and Manticore, plus more of what we've been seeing down here so far. Nothing to worry about, in any case. That's good, because there are still buttloads of 'em. At least there are way fewer four-group encounters than at City Hall.
I find an up staircase before long, but that's probably the way back. We need to go deeper.: That's us alright. Say, is there any chance we could talk you into putting on some bottoms? Looks like you're making yourself a little too much at home here.
: It takes a great deal of courage to stand up to one as powerful as he! Truly, your actions are to be admired! That you have been victorious in your battles so far is a boon to our cause!
: Hence, it follows that I'm important enough that one should put some pants on when I visit.
: If you continue on your winning streak, then perhaps there is a chance that one day I will be able to discard this hideous body of a Maou that God cursed me with, and return to my true form as the beautiful goddess of fertility, Ishtar! Ho ho ho ho ho ho!
:
: Courageous little ones, do not fall prey to the deceptions of the minions of God! The law and order they espouse only serve to bind you! Ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!
: I kinda wish they
would.
: I think he said "bind".
: ...right. Well, mister madam, please don't let us keep you from whatever it is you're doing down here!
Wow. At least that snake had two eyes.
*: So yeah, I don't keep all of those on display. How'd you guess?Lv? Maou Astaroth
Either a Duke or a Prince of Hell, depending on who you ask. He's represented as a nude man with dragon limbs and angel wings, riding a wolf and holding a serpent; he comes to the aid of accusers and inquisitors, and is apparently capable of seducing men. His shpiel about Ishtar checks out, by the way, so he really was a Babylonian fertility goddess before he got demonized.And close to Astaroth's room...
I bet Astaroth is an equivalent to the Seraphs we met, but for a Law-aligned character. Anyway, B4F!
Aw balls. There are invisible walls in the darkness, too. I never did find a torch or something, have I?
We start running into large groups of Fleurety down here. Flauros can put up a Wall of Fire to defend us from cold and then whup them with Maha-Agion, but that's only if he doesn't get frozen before he can act. I had recruited a Succubus to get them out of my hair (so I wouldn't have to deal with their paralyzing kiss), but Fleurety are much more dangerous, so I might get one instead.
After a bit of searching, I find Bullets of Darkness (40 power, Chaos-only). I think I'll try them out, but I don't expect them to be more useful than my old Magic Shells.
...
Gah! This is going nowhere, slowly. Eh, what the hell: I have four Fuma Bells, which are basically an Estma cast each. Rag trades those, but he's exclusively dealing with fish these days, so unless something drops 'em, they're the last I'll ever see. But this darkness is just too much of a pain to backtrack through.
...as if on cue...Oh.
Oh my.
I don't think words can properly express the...
Eeesh.
: Yyyyyeah.
One one hand, I'm glad we're on the same side. On the other hand, what the
fuck have I gotten myself into?
: You are indeed gallant and true -- most humans take one look at us and do not even try to understand our cause, believing us to be wicked and evil!
: don'tstareatthegiantvaginamouthdon'tstareatthegiantvaginamouthdon'tstareatthegiantvaginamouth
: Are you staring at my giant vagina mouth?
:
: ...
: ...
: I, err, I wouldn't dare! Please carry on!
: Continue on your path, be true to yourselves, and fall not prey to the wiles of God's minions.
Someone sounds like a self-help booklet.
Or, an atheist self-help booklet.
With a giant vagina mouth.
Lv? Maou Arioch
Arioch is the name of a couple of biblical characters: a king who opposed Solomon, and the man whom Nebuchadnezzar put in charge of executing the wise men of Babylon. He was later repurposed as a demon by grimoire scribes in lack of inspiration, I suppose. He also appears as a fallen angel in Milton's Paradise Lost.*: There are stairs nearby. B5F! And no wretched darkness this time! The place is trapped, but that's not a problem.
The path winds on itself a bunch, but it's straightforward, and I'm still high on the beautiful sound of the Fuma Bell, so I reach the stairs to B6F without problems.
That's another wide-open floor with tons of traps.: I could ask you the same, but I'll be gracious. We're looking for a big mean battering ram from Hell.
: Let me assist you. I have some information that might prove useful to you. The demon Maou Beelzebub has arrived at the island to the west. If you make him your minion, he will prove to be a strong ally, and will make your fight significantly easier.
: Hmm, that
is helpful. Thank you.
: I doubt that he will refuse to cooperate with you, but on the off chance that he does, tell him that I sent you.
: Alright then, we'll pay him a visit.
Well well well, what a man of wealth and taste! And he was pleased to meet us, too. I didn't even have to guess his name!
*: There are stairs to B7F just behind big man Lou. Still no encounters for the moment!: Maybe he can give us a hand with that door.
: Oh yeah, that's right... Rie said she needed to talk to you about something. Hey, Rie! Francois' here!
: No, really? You mean the strange new girl suddenly appearing at my comrade's side is actually the girl who had just made a scene at me for not being with her? Somebody help me, it's like my world is falling apart here.
: This isn't the way it was supposed to work out.
: I dunno, I'm feeling pretty good about it on my end.
: You and I were supposed to be the new Adam and Eve, and start a new age together.
: what
: But... I was kept away from you. That's why I... Why I tried to take... the one you had chosen instead of me. I wanted to be your partner so much... But it just didn't work out that way.
: ...
: I'm sorry. Please forgive me for what I did. I won't ever bother you again. Farewell, Francois...
You know, for a moment, the murderous bitch almost made me feel sorry for her.
: Oh, wow, Tetsuo. You still kinda deserve better than this. I don't know what to tell you.
: Damn, so all this time I was just a fill-in for you? That kind of pisses me off.
: What can I say? Chicks, man, they crazy.
:
: Present company excluded, of course!
: Eh, no big deal I guess.
: Rrrright.
: Anyhow, the Asura Lord wants to meet you. Go on already.
: Are you gonna be alright?
: Me? I'd... kind of like to be alone for a while. See you.
Awwwwwkwarrrrd!
*: We're let through the door not one moment too soon. I guess this is where Law characters get blocked off. There's the staircase to B8F soon afterwards.
Lots of doors here. At least the three before us, and three more behind, including the staircase. Let's go right ahead.: Pleasure's mostly mine, sir.
: I am Tenma Asura Lord, though before I was turned into a demon by God I was known as the god Ahura Mazda. I am the general of the army of Chaos demons.
*: Ahura Mazda is the Zoroastrian demiurge, their equivalent of the Judeo-Christian God. Zoroastrianism is a monotheistic religion as well, so he's about as big a deal as it gets.: I led the invasion of this Cathedral, in order to crush the plans for the establishment of the Thousand Year Kingdom. Our original intention was to destroy the Cathedral entirely, eliminating the possibility of its unleashing the havoc that would come should God be summoned. But the invasion went so much better than planned -- we have already gained control of half of the Cathedral.
: Good job on that, by the way. I was expecting to be knee-deep in angel feathers by now, but this is nice. Or, well, nicer. I suppose.
: Destroying it would be easy enough -- we control the lower floors so it would only be a matter of collapsing its foundations. However, I have decided to go for the extra push and not destroy it, but conquer it entirely instead.
: I don't know if that's such a good-
: Once the Cathedral falls fully under our control, I plan to hand it over to the Gaians, who want to convert it into a Grand Gaian temple.
You know, Gaians are humans, mostly. To think that a demon general would just hand this place over to us, well, I think I can get behind that.
: The Cathedral will become a sanctuary to the ancient gods who have suffered for so long, after being turned into demons and imprisoned in the Abyss by the God of Law. It will tower of Tokyo forever as a symbol of the friendship between humankind and demonkind.
: Even when I was nominally on their side, the Mesians never talked about friendship. They mostly talked about slaughtering everyone. I kind of like where this is going.
: However, there is one obstacle left in the way of our conquering the Cathedral -- the general of God's army himself, the Archangel Michael. If he does not die, we will never be able to win.
: Wait for it... Waaaaait for it...
: This is admittedly a huge task, but I would like you to undertake it, Francois.
: How'd I guess?
: You have been a beacon of hope to our forces so far, and I can think of none other who would be better suited to take on this responsibility. Will you do it for us?
: Well, it's nice to feel needed. Yeah, what the heck, I've come this far.
*: We don't get a yes/no option here. Well, we've already punked three Seraphs, it's not like they'd take us back even if we apologized.: In order to make it to Michael, you are going to need the Belial Pot, Arioch's Fang, Astaroth's Feather, retrieve Surtr's Claw, and return here.
: Alright then, I'll go pick up your stuff for you, whatever. And hey, if you see Echidna, tell her hi for me. She doesn't call anymore, I wonder what's up with that.
*: Well, we got our game plan. I have a good idea of where to find Arioch and Astaroth, but I don't know where Surtr is, and I have no clue where Lilith took the Belial Pot. Hmm. On top of that, we might want to find Beelzebub; I wouldn't mind having a Maou in my squad. An island to the west, eh?
Looks like there's more to this game yet!